#but yeah i have a partner i really miss who i never once followed actually
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churipu · 10 months ago
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𐙚 THREE TIMES NANAMI MADE YOU CRY ⋆ ˚。
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featuring. nanami kento x reader
warning. referral to the reader as 'wife'
note. i just felt so mellow today — because a lot of sad nanami edits have been passing by in my fyp and i'm about to have a mental breakdown because of it, when i catch gege >:( a lil note, i cried writing this bcs i miss nanami so much help
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✴ ONE : WHEN HE PROPOSED TO YOU
it took him a short time to realize that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you — he sees you cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn just for him before he goes to work, and he realizes that, yes, you were the one for him.
"do you want to marry me?"
your head turned to him slowly, eyes following just a few seconds after and you blinked, "i'm sorry, what?" you ask him.
nanami's eyes raised up to meet yours, "do you want to marry me?" he repeats his question calmly.
it was a day like every other — the both of you sitting on the couch, the television on yet nobody's paying attention to it. nanami has his eyes on the magazine in his grasp, and you were on your phone, scrolling through social media.
"yeah, of course i do."
nanami takes out a velvet colored box from his pocket and opens it up, you stared at him in confusion; wondering if this was a joke or not, is he actually proposing to you while you were in your pjs? but that actually didn't bother you — it was the fact he is proposing to you.
"marry me." he murmurs out softly, taking the beautiful ring out of its place, waiting for your acknowledgement.
your tears began flowing out and it took nanami by surprise, "sweetheart, i'm sorry. was it too sudden? you don't have to—" you shook your head at him, wiping your tears away.
"i'm just so . . . happy, ken."
that was the first time he made you cry.
✴ TWO : HIS WEDDING VOWS
your wedding was a simple ceremony. it was filled with fun and laughter, your loved people were there — his loved people were there, gojo and his students were there. it was just, a one fine day, really.
when it comes to the delivering of vows, traditionally; the groom goes first.
"y/n, i'm not good with my words, but you know me better than anyone else, so i assume you know that as well. we met five years ago when i bought a casse-croûte in a bakery you worked in; and if you had told me then that we'd be standing here and i'd be spending the rest of my life with you, maybe i wouldn't believe in you and told you that you were saying nonsense.
first and foremost, i would never thought that a one stop shop in a bakery would lead me to the love of my life — that day, i decided to stop by the bakery you worked in because my usual place was closed for the day, when i think about that, i get so overwhelmed; if my usual shop had opened that very day, maybe you would be standing here with another man, another man who is not me.
y/n, you are the most curious person i have ever met in my life. and i am pretty sure you are asking yourself now, what is kento thinking of right now? the answer is you. i am thinking about you now, later, and forever. from the first day you asked me if i liked casse-croûte, i have not once stopped thinking about you.
i was never a person who sought for relationship or thought of it a lot in the past, but when you came into my life. i began thinking of my future with you, making our own happy family, having kids, traveling the world, all of that. the moment i saw you take your time to wake up before me to cook me breakfast before i go to work, i knew i just had to make you my wife. i want to spend the rest of my life with you.
you love me and completed me in ways i do not know existed, and my love — i promise you, that from here onwards, i will continue to love you and every piece of you and for who you are yet to become. i promise to be your husband, your best friend, your partner in crime as you always like to name it, and your number one supporter, also as you name it.
above all, i promise to show you how lucky i am to have you in my life. i cannot wait to start a new chapter in my life with you, i love you."
it was safe to say that everyone in the room was crying, including you (and gojo, who had to be escorted out by megumi because the male was straight up sobbing loudly).
✴ THREE : WHEN HE DIED
shibuya. october 31, 2018. god, how much you dreaded every single thing that happened in there — just the thought of october coming after that year made your stomach churn in sadness.
the day a lot of people lost their life, including nanami.
nanami is a strong man, and you know so. you believed in him, never did you once stopped believing in your husband; but the whole time nanami was fighting for his and everyone's life in shibuya, you were back at home with your few months old son.
"daddy is going to be okay, yeah? he's gonna be back soon," you cooed to your son despite the rising wariness.
but no, nanami never came back.
the one to break the news was no other than itadori yuuji himself, the sole witness to your husband's passing — he knocked on your door, beaten up, although his wounds were tended to. you knew the shibuya incident scarred the young boy with something that couldn't be closed off now or maybe ever.
"he's not coming back, is he?" you ask the teen with a sad smile.
itadori broke down on your porch that day. and you, nanami's wife was the one comforting him, after all, watching someone you care die in front of you was traumatizing. but itadori blamed himself for nanami's death — he was baffled when you pulled him into a tight hug, "it's my fault y/n-san! i killed him. he's dead because of me."
as much as nanami doesn't display his affection to itadori, you were a witness to how nanami really feels towards the young boy. telling you how he wishes your son would grow up to be just like itadori, bubbly and energetic. nanami cares about itadori like the boy was his own — although failing to show it.
"did he . . . did he say anything before he . . ?"
itadori cried in your embrace, "he . . . said he was sorry. for not coming back. and that he loves you and your son so much . . ." itadori was barely taking breaths in, he was hyperventilating in your arms, "he said he was sorry that he won't be able to accompany you to malaysia."
"okay." you didn't cry as itadori was breaking the news to you, you couldn't.
nanami's death quieted you — you didn't cry the first week, still not believing he was actually gone. finding yourself sitting on the couch, waiting for the male to open the door and to call out for you, "y/n, i'm home."
but it never happened. nanami was really gone. he's really dead.
grief is such an odd feeling, you relied on itadori to look after your son for the first two weeks as you didn't find yourself in the right mind to be capable of taking care of your own flesh and blood. a day before your son was going back into your care — you went grocery shopping, to buy things both nanami and you used to buy.
it was a mistake on your part not to use a basket or a trolley, putting all the stuff on the cashier counter was hard work. and as the baby food you put on top of the pile slipped through your fingers and dropped onto the floor, splattering the contents everywhere, you can't help but to let a few stray tears out.
your silent sobs turning into a full blown breakdown in the middle of a grocery shop as everything began coming in, a reality check.
that nanami was no longer going to be there with you again, you couldn't feel him anymore, you couldn't hear him anymore, you couldn't smell his cologne anymore.
but the world doesn't stop for that, it will keep going and you had to go on with your life without him.
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© CHURIPU 2023 , DO NOT COPY OR REPOST ANYWHERE
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endlessthxxghts · 9 months ago
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Time of The Month
New boyfriend!Frankie Morales x afab!gn!reader
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Summary: You had a date planned tonight, but your monthly visitor makes an early appearance, wreaking bloody havoc on your plans. W/C: 1k (wow, I'm sticking to my celebration rules for once?) Content warnings: Pics are for aesthetic purposes only!! Mature content, but purely fluff and comfort! Mention of reader having period, but no use of any pronouns or physical or feminine descriptors. Santi gets mentioned! Frankie calls you "cariño" and "baby." Some kissing. Honestly, I think that's it! Please let me know if I missed anything. BLOG RULES MAKE THIS 18+! MDNI.
A/N: This is my response to this request made by @sawymredfox in regard to my 1k follower celebration! I hope this gives you all the fluff and comfort you were hoping for!🥹 Also, shoutout to @javierpena-inatacvest for picking out the pictures above — it matches the comfort vibe perfectly. Thank you, bestie, I love you.💚 Anywho, I hope you enjoy. I'd love to hear what ya guys think. All my love. Xx
MASTERLIST || L'S 1K CELEBRATION
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You and Frankie have been seeing each other, officially, for a few months now. And even though you two were friends for a little bit of time before that, there was still a charge of attraction then. So, really, your entire relationship started in the talking stage. So, yeah, your guys’ relationship is relatively new, which is why he’s shaking like a leaf at the prospect of letting himself into your home without you giving him the approval to do so—even if you told him so many times before that it was okay. But when you didn’t answer your phone for the third time in a row, he knew something was off, especially since you two had a little date planned in a few hours. 
Putting in the code to your garage—no, he doesn’t have a key…yet—he makes his way through, hitting the button inside to watch it fall shut before he actually enters your home. He’s met with complete silence: all lights off, the television off, no sign of life anywhere. 
He calls out your name, voice filled with anxiety. A beat passes, and no answer. He walks deeper inside, slowly making his way to the living room. “Cariño?” He calls out. Still, no answer. He really doesn’t want to invade your privacy like this, but part of him can’t just sit in the unknown. Not when his partner is the most communicative person he’s ever met in his life. No, something is really wrong. 
He makes his way to your bedroom. The door is shut, but not all the way—enough for Frankie to see your dimly lit space and smell a plethora of essential oils coming from your room. He gives your door a slight knock before entering, and the view he’s met with sends him in absolute shambles. You’re curled up in your bed, fetal position, cocooned in a thick blanket, and your arms are wrapped around something—holding it tight to your lower belly. A heating pad, he thinks. 
Your bedside table houses a glass of water, some painkillers, and some chocolate. Then, it clicks. 
You’re on your period. 
It’s not like Frankie has never experienced a person being on their period before, and it’s not like he hasn’t seen you on your period before (just last month—duh!). But he has never seen you like this. So weak and fragile. So in pain. God, he hates seeing you in any kind of pain. He would take it all away if he could. 
The only reason he’s nervous is because he knows every person who gets their period is different; their needs are different. Unique. Some prefer the warm embrace of another at all times, others prefer complete solitude. Frankie was still learning what you were like during your time of the month, and he just wants to be as accommodating as possible for you. He doesn’t want to make you upset, ever, and definitely not when you’re in such a vulnerable state—ready to either cry or rip him a new asshole. Whatever he would have to experience, though, he would endure it, for you. 
Scooting closer to the side of the bed you’re laying on, he slowly kneels, his broad hand feeling your forehead. Warm and a slight layer of sweat from your cocoon and your heat pack. You stir at his touch. “Cariño,” he whispers, trying to get you aware of his presence. 
Your eyebrows furrow, a little pout forming, not wanting to wake up. Frankie softly laughs to himself. He brings his face closer to yours, placing a soft kiss to your forehead. “Baby,” he says a little louder this time, still unbelievably gentle. 
One eye slowly peels open, the other following suit. “Frankie?” you say with uncertainty, your voice thick with sleep. Your hand leaves its hold on your heat pack to rub the fatigue out of your eyes. 
“Hi, honey,” he whispers, his thumb mindlessly caressing your face wherever he can reach. 
“B-baby, what are you doing here? I-” you gasp. “Oh, fuck! Baby!” You immediately rip the blanket off of you, scrambling to get yourself to sit up. “Baby, our date! What time is it? I must’ve fallen asleep- I- I’m sor-”
Standing a little taller now on one knee, Frankie stands between your legs, both his hands finding their homes on your cheeks, pulling you to look at him—to ground you. He kisses your nose, a soft say of your name to get your attention. 
“Cariño, breathe, it’s okay, we’re okay,” he says softly. “We planned for 7, baby, it’s 5:30.”
He feels your body start to relax, a soft sigh of relief fanning his cheeks. “Oh,” you whisper.
“The question is, though,” he asks, one hand leaving your cheek to rest across your lower belly. “Do you feel okay enough to even leave the house?”
You track his hand before you meet his eyes. “...not really,” you admit. 
“That’s oka-”
Cutting him off with a thick sigh, “I’m so sorry, baby, I just ruined tonight. My period has been wonky lately. I was supposed to start tomorrow, but it ended up being a murder scene a few hours ago, and I’ve been in pain ever since. I didn’t even realize how hard I knocked out-”
He pulls your face into his, your lips meeting each other in a soft embrace, stopping your brain from the 5k marathon it was currently running. He pulls away, your cheeks completely hot under his gaze, Frankie mirroring your bashfulness. “I- I’m sorry, I just-” he lets out a breathy laugh. “I don’t need you overthinking with me, cariño. I promise it’s okay. As long as I’m with you, I really don’t care what we’re doing. Okay?”
“Okay,” you respond, eyes tearing up at how sweet your boyfriend is. 
“I just want you. I just need you. Nothing else,” he angles your head down to kiss your forehead. “Now what’s my baby craving? I’ll go get it.”
“No-” you immediately reply, clearing your throat to suppress your eager response. “No… just. I don’t want you to leave me.” You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling his kneeling form flush against your sitting one. 
“Okay, baby. I’ll just get it delivered then. Pretty sure Santi isn’t doing anything besides being an asshole,” he says, laughing into your neck. “Wanna bother him?”
“Fuck yeah,” you laugh. Frankie beams at the sound. 
“¿Qué quieres comer?” What do you want to eat? 
“Mmm, can we get…” you trail off, a little shy to indulge. He’s probably hungry and wanting a real meal like what your original plan was for, but here you are, craving nothing but junk and snacks to satiate you tonight. 
“Hm? Fries and a chocolate frosty? You want pickles, too, huh? Maybe some mashed potatoes?”
Oh my God. You’re going to fucking marry this man. 
“…yes.” 
Frankie pulls away from you with a smirk, reaching for his phone to dial up Santi. 
Huh. Maybe he already does know you—especially during this time of the month. 
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End note - I hope this was okay!🥹 There are a few more requests for me to do as part of my celebration!! I'm sorry if it seems like I'm dragging them out lol! Not my intention at all, just trying to balance my excitement with the neediness of school😩 lolol but anyway, I love you all SO MUCH thank you for your endless love.💚
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lovelyyandereaddictionpoint · 4 months ago
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papa, me want more yandere jjk zombie apocalypse!!!
no pressure tho lol love your writing
Me when someone calls me Papa:
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But seriously thank you Hope you enjoy! 🖤🖤🖤🖤
Zombie Apocalypse: Yandere Jujutsu Kaisen (3)
1  • 2
When you awaken it’s Nobara and Megumi who retrieve you for another tour
This time taking the time to let you partake in the activities with some of the residents
But it’s all to pass the time before Suguru comes to retrieve you
“Hey (Y/n) we have a few more tests to run and after that, I’ll let you go have fun with Satoru.”
Despite your reluctance to deal with the boisterous man you follow Suguru back to the lab where you first met him in
Chatting about anything you could 
“So I finally wanted to inform you about why you can’t go to the other neighborhood and why you have that wristband.”
“Finally! Even if I can’t be with them I want to see them still–”
“...(Y/n)...I’m so sorry.”
Setting you on the patient table Suguru informs you that your blood is the key to immunity against the zombie disease
Using some advanced technology to find you and put the wristband on you to label you among your group of friends
But that wasn’t all 
Holding you close he confides in you that in separate interviews your friend group had proven to be willing to go to extremes to get their hands on the cure
Said extremes were violent and alarming
all suggesting they’d abduct you and make you a living blood bag for them
It was actually not that far-fetched to you
You knew your friends were loosening their morals
You had to 
Especially after the betrayal from one of your members
It was likely that they may have come off that way
But you wonder if that would’ve applied to you as well
You really had no way of knowing
“(Y/n) I understand that this is difficult to take in…just know that me and Satoru are here for you. We’re going to protect you, no matter what.”
He was holding your chin as he looked into your eyes with promise
Letting him hold you in a hug
Suguru has a hard time holding in a smile that twitches widely on his face
After this Suguru takes the day off joining you to experience the different activities 
Satoru joined you both shortly thereafter
“Yay! My two favorite people are baking so adorably! It’d be a shame if someone came and tickled one of them relentlessly.”
“Sorry (Y/n).”
“Wait what—Ahhhh! Hahahaha!”
They’re pretty persistent when it comes to chasing away the thoughts of your friends possibly being as dangerous to you as they were to the zombies you’d been running from 
Enough for you to miss them when you once again say goodbye to Nobara and Megumi after they lead you to your room 
But before you can completely settle on your bed to sullenly stare at the ceiling the door to your room clicks open
“Heyyo you ready for me to show you what movies we’ve got? Of course, you are! C’mon, sweetcheeks!”
“Hope we didn’t wake you but we figured we’d hate to leave you alone.”
“Uh, thanks, you guys.”
“It’s no problem, the mind on its own is a scary place.”
“Yeah…”
“That’s why we’ll never let you go there! Now are you ready for the ultimate movie night? You’re not going to get a wink of sleep!”
That being said by the time the sun rose you were already resting on the couple your head in Satoru’s lap while Suguru held the rest of your body up
Completely oblivious to the second time the lock to your door opened up 
“You two look cozy!”
“Do not yell someone is clearly asleep.”
“So? I have the key to this door so it’s practically mine too.”
“The urge to decimate you always returns with a vengeance.”
“Ouch so cruel~!”
Suguru groaned and rolled his eyes at the both of them checking if you stirred at all
 while Satoru smiled at the blonde one of the duo only to receive an annoyed push of his glasses
“Nanamin you came back earlier than I expected.”
“Yes, my…partner took a very impulsive approach this time around.”
Suguru figured he’d chime in too, “Mahito did you bring any of them back alive?”
Mahito made a face putting a peace sign up as he posed mocking the anime signage now left as relics of the world before
“What do you think?”
“I don’t necessarily care, it’d just make things easier for them.”
“It is unbecoming of you to lie Doctor Geto.”
“Yeah, I could tell you were just itching to get your hands on those pigs!”
Suguru chuckled reaching to brush his hand against your cheek
“Maybe I was hoping to…enjoy a roast. It’s unfair if you’re the only one to enjoy the results of our labor.”
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a-little-ray-of-fantasy · 1 year ago
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Barnaby facts (confirmed by the devs)
Hello! Since I was bored and it's making me so happy to see Barnaby getting so much love lately, I've decided to collect all the info I have about him! I most likely missed something, so if you have info I haven't put here, or got wrong, let me know, ok? ^^
Anyhoo, here we go! **}
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- Barnaby, despite his name, is not a barn owl. He's actually a long eared owl.
- Barnaby isn't his real name; he used to have a different one, back in his alive days. One of the drawings featuring him has him surrounded by many names starting with "B".
- Said illustration has "Who am I?" hidden among the names and words such as "Where" and "Help", hinting at something linked to his identity is torturing him.
- It's been stated that Barnaby is the way he is because of a dangerous experiment that corrupted then killed him, changing him completely as a result.
- Barnaby is asexual homoromantic, and is genderfluid: while he goes primarly by "he/him", he accepts any pronoun.
- He considers his Barnaboos as his "little pretties", and often offers help or advice if they need it; of course, his help may not be as helpful as he believes...
- He hates cheesecake.
- He's not a fan of rootbeer neither; he will serve it in his parties, but he personally won't drink it.
- His favorite food is eye scream, and favorite Halloween treat are caramel apples.
- As for ice cream, his favorite flavor is Strawberry Shortcake.
- Speaking of food, yeah, he doesn't need to eat, nor sleep. But still likes doing it anyway.
- Barnaby is a confirmed sleepyhead. He naps a lot, but never in an ordinary position, or in his bed; he tends to sleep in various gravity bending position, especially upside down.
- Meaning, yes, when Billie comes to steal his gem, he was sleeping!
- And when he sleeps, he apparently snores and hoots.
- While hugging him would result in a kill from him, Ash confirmed Barnaby is a hugger! Hugging him would still involve him squeezing or stabbing you to death, tho'. And he'd feel both soft and slimy to the touch.
- Barnaby is around 10-11ft tall, and with his size-shifting abilities, he can be any height he wants; when he was alive tho', he's as tall as Aristotle, more or less.
- He doesn't need glasses anymore, but sometimes will wear them because they make him look smart. They also tend to follow the eyes' movements.
- Barnaby is very emotional: while it won't stop him from trying to kill you, he will cry if he sees you cry. Ironically, he would comfort you until you feel better. Then he'll kill you.
- It's been confirmed that Barnaby's biggest fear has "already come true".
- His tears are orange, just like his eyes.
- Barnaby is not one to open his heart easily, but the moment he does, there's many ways to reach it. He's quite romantic, tho' not in the usual way: if you gave him a dead rat, he'd consider it a very romantic gesture!
- It's been stated he doesn't have a partner now, but in life, "maybe".
- When it comes to children, it's been confirmed he'd be the best caregiver alongside Dutch, althought for him "it's complicated".
- He apparently had a child of his own, if the picture posted about him during "Father's Day" is any indication. What happened to the little one hasn't been revealed yet.
- Apparently he's the least judgemental character in BBU!
- If he had a TV, it'd be old timey, and he'd watch something really random. Like ducks.
- Barnaby loves small critters; Ash specifically mentions they always linked him with guinea pigs. And indeed, Barnaby had a science guinea pig co-worker once, that turned into an actual guinea pig because of a reckless experiment, and he took care of them.
- He's able to control reality; it's unclear if it's his gem's doing, or his magic power as a ghost.
- In any case, he's now the most powerful character in the game
- Back in his alive days, he was a magic researcher and scientist.
- He actually owned the gem before he turned into a ghost. He even experimented on it, and it's suggested that actually sealed his fate.
- A lot of songs from Oingo Boingo and Lemon Demon fit him: Ash specifically mentioned "Weird Science" as really "Barnabycore"
- Barnaby is autistic: he stims by hooting and flapping his wings when he's excited.
- When he's scared or nervous, he tends to cover himself with his wings.
- Katie said that, if he were a candy, he'd be a sour blueberry.
- Barnaby lives in his own dimension, with his own mansion and everything. And he can travel between realities. Although one comment from Katie suggests he's trapped in there, but it's too early to say for sure.
- According to the devs, he was inspired by Weird Al Yankovic, Lewis from Mystery Skulls and Discord from MLP.
- No, he wasn't inspired by Snatcher, since the development of BBU has lasted longer than A Hat in Time. The two of them canonically know each other tho': only problem is, Snatcher hates Barnaby's guts and finds him too clingy, while the owl adores him.
- He canonically knows Wally Darling from "Welcome Home" and Kira from "Far Fetched" too, since he can travel between realities.
- Barnaby has his guests come to his home by portals that pop just below them. He apparently has kidnapped people before, every once in a while.
- He'd get along well with Dutch.
- It's left vague whether he knows Fantoccio or not.
- He actually has never met Arthur nor Aristotle before the game.
- In any case, he'd find Aristotle really funny, and wouldn't take them seriously.
-- Barnaby is aware of the player, and can break the 4th wall. And that's why only he can use Twitter.
- Whenever he writes on Twitter, hE WRiTSE LIkE THIS!!!
- Barnaby is REALLY mischeavous, and finds no problem in cheating in games. But if YOU cheat, then he gets ticked off.
- This suggests he's also a sore loser.
- Judging by his expression in the cutscene, he doesn't like being interrupted.
- It's been confirmed he smells like meldew. :P
- He could fake glitching out, then attack the moment you come to check out what's going on with him.
- He HATES party crashers. Also scarecrows: not good for conversations. And he's not interested in their crops.
- He can play the organ: Katie even suggested that if you hear it in the background of his chapter, that's him playing it.
- He was a young prodigy, back when he was alive!
- Don't be fooled by his goofy antics: he's very smart, still loves making experiments and can speak a lot of languages.
- Ironically, he hates skulls: he finds them icky.
- He was 25-26 when he died; he's been dead for 100+ years.
- Time is very important for him: that's why there's so many clocks in his parlor. It's been suggested he sees partying as a way to keep track with time.
- Despite that, Barnaby himself in the contest video has briefly stated he tends to forget what year it is.
- There's tons of pictures in his manor: all of them depict him, suggesting he's good at painting.
- Katie has noted that Barnaby "remembers everything". When asked if there's something he'd rather forget, they stated that "what he wants and what he needs are very different things".
- His family is "infinite", apparently. Then again, one of his very early descriptions stated he's got no friends nor family to speak about...
- He's been described as "self interested"
- When asked which character had the most trauma, without giving hints about being traumatized, Katie confirmed Barnaby as the answer, even stating his story makes them the saddest, alongside Fanto's.
- His favorite color is pink!
- He can change himself into lots of animals, and can even clone himself!
- When asked if he can talk to his alive self, Katie said it's "technically possible".
- Back when he was alive, he was noted as a dork and a hardworker, so much so he'd even pull one-nighters before making speeches for his research. Katie jokingly suggested that's why he parties so much: it's to make up for lost time!
- He had a different way of speaking, back when he was alive. And his icks were probably different as well.
- When he gets overwhelmed, he has a shutdown, and goes completely silent.
- At early stages, Barnaby was supposed to be a bug.
- The moment his design as a ghost was chosen, he went through a lot of palette options, like a pale blue color like he came from "The Haunted Mansion", or all colorful like "Dia de los Muertos". Ultimately they settled for his currently shadowy look because, not only it's easier to animate, it was in line with his backstory.
- Barnaby can melt. It's still unclear what triggers such a reaction, but some pictures hint that it's tied to his psychological state.
- Barnaby has been noted that he can talk fancy, but he's not eloquent.
- His favorite dance is the charleston!
- Ash has stated that in the game he is going to be depicted doing something similiar to "singing himself to sleep".
- Apparently he still makes pellets from his mouth. Dead or not, he's still an owl.
- He often puts emphasis on words, sometimes even making his bowtie spin.
- In the latest Twitter post featuring him, when you decode the garbled message, you can read: "Barnaby lies Along in his thoughts, Resting On the floor Neglected". Not only this hints at his turmoil, it also hides the word "BARON". It's unclear if it's his name, a title he possessed, or someone or thing else entirely connected to him.
- He loves recieving scretches on his head.
- Barnaby can cook, but he'll more often than not leave that to the Barnaboos.
- He's not that interested in gardening, even tho' he owns a greenhouse.
- He'd enjoy playing "Luigi's Mansion"!
- In Super Smash Bros. he'd main Meta Knight, even relating to him.
- He'd happily accept smoochies, apparently!
- His favorite party game is "Pin the tail on the owl".
- If you are his friend, he'd consider it even more of a reason to stay in the manor and never leave!
- He has claimed that he's used to give himself self love and compliments, since no one else does it. That, and his tendency to ask others for hugs or if they need a hug to calm down, suggests he's affection starved.
- He tends to react to compliments from fans by smiling bashfully, or happily shouting that he's popular.
- Katie stated that his favorite movie would be something unexpected, like "Marnie & Me" or "Up".
- Barnaby can see everything from the eyes of the plushies that look like him. So, if you bought one... watch out...
- Among his early designs, he also looked like a completely different owl, tall and austere looking, who was the guardian of the forest. It was changed because the devs wanted a goofy boss that could stand out among the others.
- Having said that, it seems Barnaby was the last boss to be officially revealed, and initially the game only had Elaine, Dutch and Fantoccio as the main bosses.
- Barnaby LOVES puns. A good deal of the lines he says when you get defeated in his chase contain a pun.
- You try being slick by stating you want to die of old age? Too bad: Barnaby will make you age rapidly. Despite that, Katie confirmed he doesn't have time related powers...
- Katie and Ash confirmed Barnaby can fly. And such a sight is apparently really hilarious.
- Barnaby loves shiny trinkets: if he sees a sparkly thread, he'll fixate on it and will follow its movements. It's like with a cat following a laser.
- Barnaby has teeth; they're orange and sharp, and come out when he's ticked off, or especially devious.
- When he was alive, he only used he/him pronouns. He became comfortable with all pronouns after he died. He's always been interested in men.
- This goes without saying, but still: he operates on cartoon logic. He can use both his wings AND his feet as hands. Even both feet can act as hands, even when they appear off camera. How? Because it's Barnaby and he can do anything he sets his mind into!
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clarisse0o · 2 months ago
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Camp Wiegman-Part 82
Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle
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Alternative Universe: Military School
Words: 5K
Masterlist
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Friday, April 22nd; 10:30 PM - Porto Beach.
Who would have thought we had a little bit of luck in this life? For our last evening in Portugal, we get to attend a concert on the beach. It's a beautiful way to wrap up our vacation.
“Are you having fun?” my girlfriend asks me at the end of a song.
“Oh yes!”
She laughs as I struggle to catch my breath. I don’t like dancing, and yet, I’m having the time of my life tonight. I’m literally drenched in sweat, and it takes a lot for that to happen.
“I can see that. You should take a break.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Shall we go sit further away?” suggests Alexia, who must have overheard us.
“Yes, good idea. Plus, the later it gets, the more crowded it seems.”
Lucy takes my hand to follow the others and lead us out of the crowd. A few minutes later, we find ourselves sitting on the sand. I settle between Lucy’s legs, and she pulls me close against her. We have a perfect view of the stage. I turn my head towards our friends, who are sitting in the same position. It’s really cool to be with them. Our couples have a perfect harmony, and we enjoy the same things. I don’t have time to think more before I feel Lucy’s lips on my neck. I smile and tilt my head a little more to give her access.
“It’s over,” I whisper.
“What is?”
“These holidays. Our little bubble.”
“Hmm... I’d say you’re wrong. Everything is just beginning.”
“How so?”
I think I can feel her amused breath escaping against my neck.
“Well, everything is just starting. Our bubble won’t disappear as long as we’re together.”
My smile grows wider. Actually, maybe she’s right. When we get back, we’ll finally be at ease. We’ve done a lot of things recently, including meeting her family. Everyone was fantastic. Jenni’s family was invited too, so I had Alexia’s support as I wanted, but I didn’t need it. I was really well received. It was truly a warm celebration. I understood why family is so important to Lucy when I saw her so close with hers. They’re close-knit, unlike mine. However, she still hasn’t talked to me about what she’s hiding. The harmony was so strong that I didn’t dare to spoil anything.
“I’m so thirsty!” Alexia complains. “Would you mind coming with me to the bar?” she asks.
“If you want, sure.”
“I can go if you’d like,” offers Lucy.
“No, don’t worry. We’ll be right back.”
I turn around to peck her lips before getting up. We leave with Alexia, leaving our partners behind us.
“I’m going to miss these holidays so much,” she comments.
“Same here.”
“Leaving here will bring us back to reality with a thud, given what awaits us when we return.”
“Oh no, please! Now’s not the time to think about the exam.”
Alexia laughs.
“Well? Haven’t you studied enough yet?”
“Yes, but it’s stressful.”
“Come on, you still have an entire week to work on the most difficult parts.”
“Hmm. We’re not there yet anyway.”
“You’re right. We have another problem on our hands.”
Indeed. We find ourselves in front of the stand, which is packed with people. I sigh, running my hand through my hair.
“We’re going to be here for a while, I think,” she says.
“Yeah.”
We wait for the line to shorten and keep ourselves busy chatting. We talk about a lot of things, but that’s what’s great about Alexia. We can talk about anything without any limits.
“So, with Lucy? Have you managed to find out what she’s hiding?”
I shake my head but smile, thinking about her. The way she looks at me every time I leave warms my heart. It’s like she’s afraid something might happen to me at any moment.
“No, not yet.”
“And doesn’t it bother you not knowing?”
“A little, but not too much. I kept secrets from her for a long time too.”
“That’s true,” she smiles.
When it’s finally our turn, we order our drinks and get something for Lucy and Jenni as well. We leave the crowded stand to return to our partners. I take a deep breath once we’re free.
“Phew, I thought we’d never get out of there.”
“Me too,” I giggle. “It’s suffocating with so many people.”
I nod. A year ago, I couldn’t even imagine being in such a place. I’ve come a long way since then. We head back to our spot. Unfortunately, two men, barely older than us, block our path. They look around Lucy’s age.
“Hey there, pretty ladies.”
“Oh great,” groans Alexia. “Just what we needed.”
Indeed, this is not good timing. With all these people, anyone could be around. Apparently, our skill with Alexia is attracting jerks who have had enough to drink to approach two girls alone.
“Are you going to join your friends?”
“No, our partners, actually,” Alexia answers, raising her drinks.
“Really? Who’d be dumb enough to leave two beautiful girls alone if that were true?”
I start to feel scared. I don’t like this situation, especially the way they’re being so pushy. Bad memories resurface.
“They’re not alone.”
Relief floods over me as I feel Lucy’s arm wrap around my waist. I look at her over my shoulder. She’s tense. Much more than she’s ever been.
“Lucy the loner,” one of the guys in front of us says in surprise. “That’s a surprise.”
Her grip on my hip tightens. I can feel her boiling beside me. I turn my gaze back to these guys, who suddenly seem less unfamiliar. Lucy the loner... What’s that about? I don’t like seeing Lucy like this. I lean over to kiss her cheek and take the opportunity to whisper in her ear.
“Let it go, baby. They’re not worth it.”
“Well, it seems like you’re not so lonely anymore.”
“Well, well. Jarod and Tom. It seems fate has brought us together again.”
“Of course, where Lucy is, Jenni is never far behind.”
Her presence reassures me.
“Let it go and move on. Neither of these girls are available.”
“Well. It looks like Lucy has finally found someone. That’s quite surprising. We all thought you’d end up alone forever.”
These words make me take a deep breath. I really don’t like the way these guys talk to Lucy. They don’t respect her. They talk about her as if she’s never going to achieve anything in her life, as if... as if she’s worthless. And I know what that feels like. I’ve felt that way enough times in my life to know what it’s like. I look at Lucy, who doesn’t even react. That’s definitely a first. She put me in my place plenty of times when we first met. I can’t let them talk about her like this. I just can’t help myself.
“Can you hold this for me, please?” I ask Lucy calmly, handing her the drinks.
My girlfriend takes them with total disbelief. Once my hands are free, I step forward toward these men who think they can act however they want, and I grab the front of the shirt of the first one I see. Surprise flashes in his eyes.
“Who do you think you are with your big attitude?”
“Ona, stop. You just said yourself they’re not worth it.”
“That was before they disrespected you. They’re judging you without knowing who you are. I’m going to make them eat their words, you’ll see!”
I raise my fist, but it’s intercepted before it can reach its target. It’s Lucy herself who stopped me, even though I put all my strength into it.
“Stop,” she repeats much more sternly. “This isn’t the time to start a fight, and anyway, I’ve moved on.”
“I just wanted to…”
“I know, sweetheart. But I don’t need anyone to defend me anymore.”
I relax, understanding her message. I release the man I had targeted, and it’s Lucy who ends up punching him. I don’t regret letting her handle it. She’s much stronger than I am, and let’s just say she didn’t hold back. She must have put all her anger into that punch, and I understand her.
“I never want to see you again. So stay away from us. Do I make myself clear?”
The other man beside him doesn’t even dare to say a word seeing his friend on the ground. I bet she managed to break his nose, but he deserved it. He ends up nodding when Lucy takes a step closer to him.
“Okay, we can go now.”
Lucy takes back our drinks that Jenni had been holding during this scene.
“We’re going to take a walk,” says Alexia, holding Jenni back.
“What? But…”
“Baby, I want to go back to the stage, please.”
“Fine,” the latter mutters.
I smile at Alexia. It’s indeed the right moment to leave us alone. Lucy is a ticking time bomb about to explode.
“We’ll catch up with you later.”
She winks at me before they leave. As for me, I put my hand around Lucy’s waist and take one of the cups.
“Come on, let’s go sit somewhere.”
She nods without a word. We move further away from the stage until we’re far from the crowd. We can still hear the music in the distance, but that’s it. We’re completely cut off from the world.
“Luce…”
“You understand?”
She’s completely withdrawn. I’ve never seen her like this before. We’re sitting next to each other, facing the sea where the waves are crashing in every direction. Tonight is a bit cooler than the other days, but it’s still bearable.
“Not completely… Just, don’t close yourself off. That’s what you always told me.”
She sighs and takes a sip of her beer. She then puts it down and finally turns to me. I can see her eyes shining in the moonlight.
“Come here.”
I open my arms to her, and she doesn’t hesitate to come into them. I tighten my hold to show her I’m here. On her side, she clings to me but says nothing. I don’t want to force her. It’s up to her if she wants to talk about it. There was a long silence before she found the courage to speak.
“My life here hasn’t been easy. I was first abandoned by my biological parents before being welcomed by a loving family.”
I get a knot in my stomach from the words she uses. Here it comes, she’s going to tell me.
“I learned to love them, and they taught me to feel loved in return... It was when I started school that it all began. I was excited at first. I thought I would make friends other than Jenni, who was my neighbor.”
“What happened…?” I murmur.
“I became a target, like a scapegoat. For them, it wasn’t normal that I had a black mother. That was their excuse to push me aside.”
“No way…” I breathe. “And Jenni…” I leave my sentence hanging.
“She stayed by my side, of course. She always has, even though, on the other hand, she was always popular. She had friends, but as soon as they saw me being attacked, she would defend me. After a while, she didn’t even dare to leave me alone anymore.”
“That’s horrible…”
Lucy takes a deep breath. Her head sinks deeper into my neck.
“That’s how it was…”
“It never stopped?”
“Well… It eased off over the years. It was in middle school that things finally calmed down, but it didn’t last long. That’s when I started to be interested in girls.”
No way. That’s exactly why I could never fully come to terms with myself. I was afraid of that reaction. Why are people so stupid? We’re in an era where they should have a more evolved open-mindedness. What they did was just plain cruelty. I had talked to Lucy about my fears, but I never imagined she could have been a victim of it.
“And those guys then…”
“They were the ones who found out. The one I hit, Tom, had hit on me back then. I had turned him down, but he didn’t take it well. So he tried to tear me down any way he could. He overheard a conversation between Jenni and me about my doubts about my orientation one day, and he used it against me.”
“What a scumbag!”
The only regret I have is not being able to punch him myself. How does she stay so strong after that? I would have completely shut down in her place. It’s not normal.
“It’s okay, baby. Calm down.”
“Calm down!? You know I can’t stand people who judge and put others down just for fun! They don’t realize how much it destroys a person!”
“I know, that’s partly why I love you, but that’s just how it is. Whether we like it or not, there’s hatred everywhere in this world.”
“Stop it. In this case, it’s not hatred. It’s just harassment!”
“Ona.”
I fall silent as she straightens up so our eyes meet. How does she do it? I really don’t understand. Just a moment ago, her eyes were shining, and now they’re filled with determination.
“Tonight, that wasn’t harassment,” she says.
I tilt my head. I have a hard time following her.
“I had grown up in high school. I showed them I could fight. I got into sports and even became top of the class. I earned people’s respect. If I had wanted, I could have had lots of friends, but at that time, I didn’t want to. Hanging out with hypocrites at parties wasn’t my thing. That’s why they called me the loner.”
“But then… why did they respond to you tonight? It makes no sense.”
“Well, I think they were surprised to see me again. It was instinct. Everyone knew I left Portugal after high school. I rarely come back here.”
“I see… And your family? Did they know?”
“Not when it happened. They always found out afterward. I had become very reserved, and I didn’t trust people anymore.”
“Why didn’t you tell them?”
“I didn’t want to worry them. I already owed them so much. They were the reason I held on.”
“You’re the first to tell me it’s important to talk about it!”
“Yes, but you’re also the first to understand that it’s not easy.”
I sigh and nod. I understand better now why she never forced me to open up.
“That’s why you care so much about family…”
“Yes, that’s why. Family is important, even if we’re not connected by blood. Of course, there have to be good relationships, but generally, it’s those we can count on at any moment.”
I smile sadly and nod. She’s probably right. Even if it hasn’t always been smooth with my mom, I’m starting to see everything she did for me in a certain way. Plus, I had my dad too.
“You’re right,” I murmur.
She smiles at me before snuggling back into my arms. I take the opportunity to lie down and hug her. I think she needs it. I needed it after every revelation I made to her. I just didn’t dare ask for it. Now it’s different. We’re together. That’s what makes us stronger. It’s us against the rest of the world.
“Why did you date Keira? Not that I mind, but she seems like the type who could be like those people.”
A long silence follows my question. As she described to me, she could easily be that kind of person.
- Keira, it’s Keira. Yes, she could have been someone I hated, but she also had a difficult childhood.
- Oh... Really?
- Keira came from a tough neighborhood, but she did everything she could not to be associated with it. Proof of that, she made it to university. That’s where we met.
- I thought it was at a party?
- Yes, it was. At the freshman welcome party. Jenni had forced me to go. He wanted me to have fun, so I agreed, but in the end, I ended up alone in a corner... Until Keira. In fact, she was the only one who came to talk to me that day.
- Jenni dared to leave you alone?
- Yes, she chuckles. But I asked her to. She had the right to have fun too.
- What happened with Keira then?
- We talked, and she started flirting with me when she noticed I wasn’t indifferent to her charm.
- Is that how you two started dating?
- I had never been with anyone before, and I didn’t trust people much, so... no.
- So, how did she do it?
- She was persistent. Keira was very determined. The first day of the week after the party, she accompanied me to the café I frequented, and she remembered my order. Then she brought me my drink every day. She was very interested in me, and that’s how I grew fond of her.
- Is that what made you fall in love with her?
- No... I think it was more her personality. She had a big heart. That’s what set her apart from the people who persecuted me. She wanted to make a difference. She had a will of steel. She didn’t hesitate to stand up for the weaker ones, even more so after I told her my story. She helped a lot of associations to support people in need who wanted to change their lives.
My heart races. It’s cruel to say, but I’m quite glad she’s not here anymore. I wouldn’t have stood a chance against her.
- She seemed exceptional...
The tone of my voice makes her look up. She smiles gently, running her hand through my hair.
- Don’t get me wrong. She had her flaws too.
- I’d like to know what they were.
- She was very stubborn. Even more than you. And she had a knack for getting into trouble by challenging people stronger than her. When you come from a certain neighborhood, you can’t erase everything. She wasn’t really well surrounded.
- That doesn’t make her any less remarkable.
- No, for sure, but...
She falls silent and shrugs.
- Keira wasn’t perfect. I couldn’t even tell you why I fell in love with her anymore... Maybe because she never gave up on me.
- I think so too. Since you hadn’t known anyone else before... It makes sense that you got attached to her. But the fact that she wanted to help everyone was very honorable. I just don’t understand why she fell so hard.
- I think her past caught up with her. You must know what that’s like... Keira lost her father during our studies. She was close to him, just like you. He was a drug addict, but she tried to save him more than once. As for her mother... She never knew her. She had already died before she could remember her.
- Oh my God...
- I managed to get her off drugs from my side, but I think the emotions were too strong. She went back to her bad habits after that and never recovered.
It’s truly awful. We are really more alike than I imagined. She didn’t deserve this. She was a good woman trying to do the right thing. I understand better why Lucy says she appreciates my determination and doesn’t want me to lose it. She was afraid I’d end up like her ex.
- Her mind simply gave up. In the end, I didn’t recognize her anymore. I knew something bad was going to happen soon. Yet, I stayed by her side. I couldn’t do otherwise.
Her voice breaks, but who could blame her? If I didn’t have the mental strength she talks about, Lucy would have lost two women for the same reasons. I’m glad I didn’t put her through that.
- You don’t have to blame yourself for her death, Lucy.
- I know, I murmur. Some people simply can’t be saved. I learned that lesson well, but it was hard to swallow.
The information strikes me. I’ve heard those words somewhere before.
- Korbin... I whisper. That’s why you said...
She nods.
- I was thinking about her, yes. Because it’s the truth.
I feel sad.
- It wasn’t the same circumstances, but it comes down to the same thing. Whether the past catches up with us or we’re stuck in the past, it’s the same thing.
- It’s not right. Things shouldn’t be like this. Keira shouldn’t have fallen. And Korbin... She had the potential to get out too...
- But that’s how it is. We can’t save everyone.
Fate didn’t bring us together by chance. I’m sure of that now. For Lucy, I must be her greatest victory. Not only did she manage to save me, but now, here we are together.
- Camp Wiegman has been good therapy for me too, you know, she continues. I’ve learned to change people, just like Keira wanted. Some will continue their studies after school or even get a job thanks to the lessons we gave them.
I smile, because I’m going to be one of those people.
- Others will think about this experience for a long time. They’ll remember how annoying we were to them, but also how we managed to change their perspective. It’s this experience they’ll pass on to their children. Surely not their previous life.
Once again, I feel connected to this statement. It’s true for me too. I no longer see things as dark as I used to. For others, it’s something else. They’ve learned to respect others and to be more open-minded. Some, who must be like Lucy’s bullies, will stop picking on the weaker ones. At least, I hope so.
- That’s why I love my job so much. We change people who want a new life. Of course, not everyone can be saved, as I said. This world is too full of hatred to succeed... But if we manage to help a large number, it’s already a good start.
- You’re so right. I hated this school at first, but now, I think there should be more of them. Of course, it’s no walk in the park, but the results are worth it. You just have to hang on.
- That’s what I liked most about you. You’ve been through a lot too, yet you’ve emerged. You fought to take control of your life. That wasn’t the case with Keira.
- Yet, she had you. For me, it’s you who saved me. I wouldn’t be where I am now without you. You’ve been my rock from the beginning, and I know you will remain so.
- And you’re mine. You don’t realize how much you make me better and stronger.
- You were already strong enough before you met me.
- If you say so...
- I say so.
Lucy takes a deep breath as she sits up on her elbows.
- I think about it often, you know. In fact, if you want to know everything, I’m often afraid of ending up like before... Alone and weak.
I smile gently, stroking her cheek. So that was the missing piece of the puzzle. It was her fears. She always seems so strong, but deep down, she isn’t as strong as she appears. I understand better why she has always been so jealous. She’s afraid of losing me. It’s really sweet.
- You won’t be alone anymore. You have me and our friends.
- I know, Ona... But I can’t help it...
- Lucy, we are soulmates. We were meant to meet. I also felt lonely before us. I understand your fears very well, but you don’t have the right to doubt. You’re the strongest of us. If it helps, be as jealous as you want when someone approaches me. Shut them down even. It doesn’t bother me at all; on the contrary. When you do, it warms my heart because I feel like I’m yours. It helps both of us.
I see her relax before me.
- I love you so much, she murmurs.
She kisses me, and I let her because I know she needs it. We feel the same way. Neither of us thought we would find someone so compatible. Yet, here we are, and I wouldn’t trade my place for anything in the world. We complete each other and make each other stronger.
- You know, I wouldn’t be so quick to rejoice if I were you... I say between kisses.
- Oh? And why is that?
- We’re not going to leave each other now. You’re going to have to put up with me outside of school, and for a good while. Who says I’m not more annoying?
- Hmm... Believe me, if you become annoying, I’ll find ways to bring you back down to earth. Maybe I’ll force you to run... Or maybe I’ll...
I smile as I feel her hand slide under my t-shirt. I let her do as she kisses me until she starts tickling me.
- Ah! No! Not that!
She laughs as I squirm under her.
- What? You don’t like it?
- Definitely not
! Stop!
She bursts out laughing, and I can’t help but laugh too. It feels good. To laugh, but above all to be together. We were two wounded souls, and now we’ve managed to heal and become stronger together.
- I love you so much, my favorite commander.
She laughs softly before burying her head in my neck.
- I love you too, my favorite rebel.
Yeah, definitely, my life has become perfect.
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meowzfordayz · 10 months ago
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Author’s Note: this was actually supposed to be a lil nsfw fanfic (Shy!Giyuu turned Needy!Giyuu 😏), but then world building (re: cafe setting) got ahead of me, so yeah. 😆☕️
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cafe meet-cute (ugly?)
Tomioka Giyuu x Reader
Word Count: ~1,000
CW: explicit language
cafe meet-cute (cute!)
~faqs~
Shy!Giyuu as a regular at the cafe where you work part time to afford college. He always looks so tired, but manages the faintest of smiles whenever you greet him.
Shy!Giyuu who didn’t really notice when you started working at his favorite spot, but did notice when he found himself hoping you’d be there on his usual, dreary Monday morning, your absence duly noted when he’s met by a monotonous, “Hello sir, what can I get you?” instead of your usual cheery energy.
Shy!Giyuu who makes a point of reading your name tag the next time he sees you. You know his name, so it’s only fair that he finally put in the effort to learn yours. “Thanks, [y/n],” he murmurs, voice thick with sleep. “You’re welcome!” you chirp, and he swears he feels heat emanating from your cheeks. Or maybe he’s leaning in a little too close. Oops.
Shy!Giyuu who, even when he’s in a rush, no longer orders ahead, because then what excuse would he have to chat with you? And when the line is long? He absentmindedly—not absentminded at all—dallies on his phone, ignoring people as they hesitantly creep in front of him, itching for your full attention once the cafe empties out again.
Shy!Giyuu who asks about your area of study, your favorite color, where you got your sweater It looks comfortable, if you’re resting enough 😕 (that slipped out on an especially exhausting day, and he’d promptly turned so pink that you’d politely stammered about needing to check the fridge temperature Can’t let the milk spoil! 😃 as he dropped his tip in the jar and just stared at you).
Shy!Giyuu who asks so many questions you wouldn’t know he was shy. Truthfully, he’s glad his few acquaintances—dare he call them  friends—don’t frequent the cafe too often. He’s certain he’d hear a mouthful from them otherwise.
“You talk to people?!” 🧐 <— Tengen
“They know your order? By heart?! Try something new for once, jeez.” 🙄 <— Obanai
“Seems like someone’s earned special privileges from the pretty barista.” <— 👀 Shinobu, after following a reluctant Giyuu into the cafe and watching him receive a free muffin
Shy!Giyuu who makes things a tad awkward when you eventually write your number for him on his cup (hidden underneath the cup sleeve — he almost misses it 😬). Awkward because he immediately saves your number in his phone, and proceeds to not text you.
Shy!Giyuu who’s never really dated, let alone experienced a ~meet cute, and definitely hadn’t envisioned himself in a sort of cafe-romcom situation. Aka, he’s in a panic (and utterly clueless).
Shy!Giyuu who’s grateful for your professionalism when he comes in two weeks later (he may or may not have been avoiding you, and “you” = his feelings for you), disappointed by the lingering stiffness in your tone, knowing it’s entirely his doing. He still blushes though when you shove a free muffin his way, I’m sorry on the tip of his tongue, fleeing on foot before it can take flight.
Maybe he does like you?! You ponder his behavior that night, lamenting to Mitsuri that, “I gave him my number weeks ago! Do you think he has a partner?! 😳 He must. Fuuuck. 😭 He’s so handsome. 😖 But MITSURI, nobody’s paying him to get to know me???! 🤔”
“Either he’s super bored,” Mitsuri giggles, “Orrr he’s super shy and totally crushing on you!!!!!”
Shy!Giyuu who nervously sets a travel mug of coffee on the counter, gazing away from the confusion in your eyes.
“Giyuu, it’s… already full?”
Shit. You didn’t mean to sound so dumb. 🙃
“It’s for you,” he croaks, face your favorite shade of red, “You make me coffee, like, a lot. So I wanted to return the favor.”
Giyuu, I literally work in a cafe you nearly deadpan I have unlimited access to coffee caught off guard by his gesture.
Internally screaming, actually.
“And,” he’s melting inside. You can practically see the steam billowing from his ears. “I wanted to apologize.”
“For what?”
He’s so close, he can probably hear how fast your heart’s beating. Not good, not good, not good. He definitely has a partner!!!!! Oh fuck, and now he’s here to let me down easy.
“For not texting, telling, you sooner.”
He gulps. You lick your lips. The thought occurs to him that he’d very much like to kiss you.
“You have a partner!” you squeak, exhaling like a deflating balloon, “Of course! Why are you apologizing?! I crossed a line! My bad!”
You nudge the travel mug toward him, so focused on your own embarrassment that you miss his expression falling, taking a deep breath to collect yourself.
“Hi Giyuu!” you hope you’re doing the right thing, starting over, “What can I get you today?”
Shy!Giyuu who, admittedly, turns tail and runs. 💀
Damn.
Shy!Giyuu who goes to class mortified yet… excited, recognizing the misunderstanding that occurred, cursing his lack of communication and deer-in-headlights reaction, eager to make amends. To make you see him.
He has to strongly resist the urge to bang his forehead into the desk.
Shy!Giyuu who recalls how his latte art gradually switched from intricate swans and tulips to hearts. Simple, but cute, and always capable of brightening his mornings.
Shy!Giyuu who realizes that, the first morning you ever created a heart for him was also the morning you gave him your number.
Shy!Giyuu who’s determined to clear the air, and take you on a date. 
Not a coffee date. 😅
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I'm 99% likely going to conclude this w/ pt 2 later today (or sometime this week). 😉💙 Update: cafe meet-cute (cute!) aka pt 2.
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goatcheesecak3 · 3 months ago
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i’ve had this one on the dome for a while so walk with me picture a lawrence x reader that is so ‘lawrence sees so much of adam in you that he’s subconsciously using you as a way to right his wrongs of leaving that poor boy down there’.
for an extra level of stress for larry imagine a reader who actually knew adam very well and that’s why the similarities between the reader and adam exist and larry can NEVER tell them about what happened
basically this is chainshipping angst once removed do you get me did i explain the idea well ? idk i feel you could SLAY THIS CONCEPT HARD ok bye
Longing
Lawrence Gordon x Gn!Reader
Fic type: angst
Warnings: mention of missing person
A/n hello!!! Sorry it's been so long since I've written anything, I've been feeling pretty uninspired, but I'm feeling it more lately!!
Thank you so so so much for this request! Sorry it's so short, but I really enjoyed writing it, so i hope you enjoy reading it <3
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Lawrence had been seeing y/n for a while, now. When they first met he wasn't sure why, but he felt like he already knew them somehow, they had a familiar charm. He'd never been with someone like this before, he was so used to clean cut and straight edge partners, but he liked that y/n was a little rough around the edges. He liked that they could shotgun a beer, he liked that they always wore tattered and baggy clothes, he liked their dry wit and feisty attitude. Hell, he even liked their obsession with photography- the way they constantly took pictures of him should have been annoying, but something about it made him feel comforted. Their presence in his life was warm, it satiated a sense of hiraeth for him, like a hug from an old friend, filling a void he didn't know he had.
He was unsure why this was, until one faithful day.
Sat on the small balcony of y/n's apartment, y/n pulled out a packet of cigarettes.
"Greatest invention on this planet" they had chuckled, lifting the cig up to their lips.
Lawrence felt his heart stop, his throat became dry and his eyes widened.
"Why did you say that?" He asked urgently.
"What do you mean?" Y/n looked him, puzzled as to why this had illicited such a strange change in their partner's demeanour.
"I-i" Lawrence scrambled for an excuse for his outburst, realising now that he shouldn't have given away how visceral his reaction was, "I'm sorry, sweetheart, it's just that I'm a doctor, I see bad things happening all the time because of those," he motioned towards the cigarette, "it took me by surprise to hear you speak of them so highly, that's all"
Y/n smiled at him softly.
"I don't actually think they're the greatest invention on the planet, I mean, a couple when I'm stressed is like a godsend, yeah, but that whole 'greatest invention' thing is just an old joke between me and one of my friends."
Despite all better judgement, Lawrence decided to probe.
"Which friend is this?"
Y/n took a drag, and stared off into the distance
"His name was Adam"
Feigning ignorance, Lawrence probed deeper.
"Was?"
Y/n sighed.
"He was my best friend, he's the one that got me into photography, but he went missing about a year ago. I don't like to think about it too much, he was in with a kinda bad crowd, I don't wanna imagine what happened to him."
"Y/n, I'm so sorry" Lawrence said, his heart ached knowing what he knew.
"It's fine, " y/n waved her hand, as if to shoo away any bad thoughts, "when I miss him I just imagine that one day he took off, maybe following a band on tour, maybe he's off in another country chasing his dreams - he loved animals, maybe he's got a new life on a farm or some shit, I dunno.." y/n's voice trailed off, "maybe someday he'll come back with a great story, and I'll kick him in the balls for disappearing on me, then I'll give him the biggest hug I've ever given anyone"
"Do you really think he's happy out there somewhere?" Lawrence asked, guilt's tight grip pulling on his insides and twisting them around.
"I have to." Y/n responded solemnly, "it's the only way I can live"
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ladydorian05 · 7 months ago
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Fuck it weekend because this is a whole fic
BI BUCK IS CANON!!!!!!
I started writing this fic before the episode aired. This was inpired by this post.
I don't know what this is, but it's the first thing I've written in a while so, hope you like whatever this is.
Big shout out to @made-ofmemories for beta reading and helping me write some parts of this.
Also, special thanks to @wikiangela @daffi-990 @thewolvesof1998 @hippolotamus @your-catfish-friend @theotherbuckley @exhuastedpigeon @wildlife4life @pirrusstuff @neverevan @giddyupbuck @bidisasterbuckdiaz @jesuisici33 for still tagging me in the weekly wip games even if I haven't been that active in a while (also, consider this your no pressure tag❤)���❤ (and I'm sorry if I'm missing people I lost the list of people that used to tag me) I hope This will be my come back to writing.
Eddie's UNO Reverse
AO3
Summary:
“You know, he’s different, not only because he’d be the first man I’d try to date in, let’s just say a while. Spending time with him feels good. Like-” Eddie pauses, purses his lips the way he does when he’s thinking about something and then he says it. “Like he sees me.”
And just how the fuck is Buck supposed to take that? Here’s Eddie, literally contemplating a future with a man he just met, a complete stranger, and saying all of this to Buck’s face!? He’s really going to consider a stranger over the person who has known him for years, to the person who can basically read his mind with just a look! To the man who actually sees him because he’s known him for the better part of half a decade and now that he can be honest to himself, the man who’s been helping him raise the most amazing kid in the world!?
He hasn’t been hyping himself up to ask Eddie out on a date for weeks just for a stranger to come waltzing in and steal his partner right in front of him. Not again.
Or the one where Eddie speaks with Buck about Tommy the same way Buck talked about Natalia. And Buck doesn't take it well.
Word count: 3k something
Tags: Jealousy, Eddie's pettyness backfires (in the best way possible), getting together. It gets a bit spicy.
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“I didn't expect to get along with Tommy so well, he's been nice.” Eddie comments as he lets his duffle bag drop to the floor next to the door.
“Yeah, he seems like a cool guy.” Buck follows him inside, he leaves his own bag next to Eddie’s and makes his way to the open space that makes up the kitchen area of his loft. He watches as Eddie opens the fridge and grabs two beers.
They just came back from the basketball court, they invited Tommy to hang out with them once things settled down after the cruise rescue. They all promised to make an effort to hang out more, and apparently Hen and Chim’s old teammate made a good impression on Eddie.
”We made plans to go to next week’s baseball game, said he had an extra ticket.” Eddie passes him his beer, their fingers brushing.
“Really?” Buck takes a long sip of his beer, hoping that he sounded normal and not upset. It was his idea to invite Tommy to their regular basketball hang out in the first place. He wanted him to feel included, to let him know that they appreciated that he placed his career on the line to help them get to Bobby and Athena. And well, even if he’s no longer with the 118 he should still be considered a friend, family. He just never considered that he’d be the one feeling left out.
He might not be a big baseball fan but they could have asked even if just to not be rude.
“You know, I might just try something with him,” Eddie says, far too casual. Buck chokes on his beer, thumping his fist against his chest twice before he regains his composure. “It’s been almost a month since Marisol and I broke up, so might as well.”
“What?” Buck croaks, carbonation from the beer still burning at the back of his throat.
“I mean, we have a lot in common. He says he’s good with kids, has been in the army, he’s a widower like me, he likes sports, has a good sense of humor, since he was a firefighter and now a rescue pilot he most definitely won’t have a problem with my crazy work schedule. Plus he’s nice as we previously stated and he’s not bad looking.”
“I guess.” The fact that Eddie is considering dating a man doesn’t come out of nowhere, they’ve had more than one conversation on their interests and on Eddie’s part on how he’s never felt like he could act upon those feelings or even mention that he’s interested in men before. The wonders of going to therapy.
Still, this is the first time he ever mentioned wanting to go on a date with a guy. With Tommy. He’d say yes, of course he would. Who wouldn't say yes to Eddie!
“You know, he’s different, not only because he’d be the first man I’d try to date in, let’s just say a while. Spending time with him feels good. Like-” Eddie pauses, purses his lips the way he does when he’s thinking about something and then he says it. “Like he sees me.”
And just how the fuck is Buck supposed to take that? Here’s Eddie, literally contemplating a future with a man he just met, a complete stranger, and saying all of this to Buck’s face!? He’s really going to consider a stranger over the person who has known him for years, to the person who can basically read his mind with just a look! To the man who actually sees him because he’s known him for the better part of half a decade and now that he can be honest to himself, the man who’s been helping him raise the most amazing kid in the world!?
He hasn’t been hyping himself up to ask Eddie out on a date for weeks just for a stranger to come waltzing in and steal his partner right in front of him. Not again.
“What do you mean he sees you?” Buck asks, placing his beer on the counter.
“You know, like he understands the struggles and sees beyond what I let people see.” Buck sees him shrug his shoulders as if what he just said is the most obvious thing in the world. “Well, any other person that's not close to me.”
”Eddie, you’re sounding crazy right now.” 
“What? Why?” Eddie asks. 
“Why? You’re really asking why?” He raises his eyebrows incredulously at his best friend.
“Yeah, you just agreed that he’s a nice guy.” Buck watches as Eddie also leaves his beer on the side and crosses his arms in front of him.
“But you just met him.”
“Yeah, but there's the fact that we almost died together in that hurricane and he also risked his job to help us rescue our friends, that says a lot about him. To me it says he’s loyal.”
“There were 3 other people on that chopper that almost died with you and that you’ve known for years.” Buck takes a few steps away from the counter and starts pacing as he speaks, he needs to move or else he’s going to, to… Okay he doesn’t know what he’ll do if he doesn’t move but he needs to just not stay still. “How can you say that someone who you’ve met twice and only really spoken with once ‘sees you’?”
Why does this whole situation feels familiar? It’s like a deja vu. Like Buck’s heard something similar before, like he's had this same conversation in the past but different.
And then it hits him.
He’s taken back to a couple of months ago, when they were standing at a graveyard.
‘There's something... different about her. I-I feel like she sees me. You know? Like she-she really sees me for who I am and what I've been through.’
Oh.
OH.
He said the same thing about Natalia after just one coffee date. And Eddie, Eddie just listened to him, he let him speak and didn’t question his reasoning. However wrong it turned out to be.
And here he was, criticizing his choice to find happiness, ready to try and live his life without caring what anyone may think of him for dating another man.
All because he's jealous, because the man in question isn't him.
Shit.
“Oh my god, oh my god, Eddie. I’m an idiot, I’m such a hypocritical idiot! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
“Wait what? Buck-”
“No, no, I am. I said the exact same thing to you about Natalia months ago and you just listened to me and-and supported me.” He stood still for a moment once the realization hit him, but now he was back to pacing.
“Buck.”
“You didn't question me like I was doing a moment ago. It doesn't matter that my relationship didn't go anywhere, because that's just me, forever cursed to fuck up and act on impulse. But it doesn't mean it'll be the same for you, if you say he sees you, he sees you, that's fine I believe you.” He knew he was doing that thing when he talks and gestures with his hands that most of his teachers used to find kind of annoying, but he just could never control it. Even less so now that he’s sure Eddie must think he’s a horrible friend for not being happy that he’s putting himself out there trying to find a romantic partner.
And he really is such a horrible friend, he should be putting his feelings aside and encouraging Eddie to look for happiness. He must do that, he’ll fix it, from this moment on he’ll be all in.
“Buck.”
“I'll support you, even if it kills me inside I’ll deal with it. I’ll be your wingman. My jealousy is my problem. I want you to be happy even if it’s not with me, even if I stay your friend and nothing more for the rest of my life I’ll learn to deal with my feelings I swear, Eddie. And-”
“Evan!” The use of his name and the weight of Eddie’s hands on his shoulders stops him abruptly from continuing his pacing. “Hold on, I'm the one that should be apologizing.”
“No, why? I was the one being-” 
“Evan, I’m sorry. I- I said that on purpose to mess with you a little, I didn’t think it’d upset you this much. I’m so sorry, it was such a stupid and petty thing to say I just,” Eddie sighs, “You actually just voiced just about everything that went on in my head when you said that about Natalia, with the exception of you using nicer words than I would have, had I voiced my thoughts back then.”
“You- back when- what?” He feels Eddie’s hands leaving his shoulders, missing his touch for the few seconds it takes for them to move to his face.
“Okay, Buck. I need you to listen closely, I do like Tommy, he seems great and when I got invited to the baseball game I did consider trying to have something with him. That was before, before I learned that you were jealous, that maybe I could have a chance, because he’s no Evan Buckley.”
“But if- you were jealous back then, why didn’t you say anything?”
“Well, it had been a while since you told me you were Bi and I told you that I’m also into men even if I don’t really like labels. When our relationship stayed the same after that and when you started dating Natalia I just thought that maybe you didn’t feel the same way or weren’t into me like that. And so I- I invited Marisol on a date.”
“You’re kidding, right? Shit, Eddie. We’re both a pair of idiots.” Buck huffs in exasperation. “I tried to make it work with Natalia for the exact same reason.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck.” They stare at each other for a moment, processing all that has been said in the last fifteen or so minutes, before bursting into laughter. “So, we could have been dating since last year?”
“Guess we’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for then.” Eddie smirks and Buck becomes very suddenly aware of just how close they are. One of Eddie’s hands has moved to cup the back of his neck, fingertips brushing against the soft hairs at the nape, the other has started to trail down Buck’s arm. All he’d have to do is tilt his head just a little bit.
Eddie beats him to it.
The kiss is chaste, barely more than the press of Eddie’s lips against his own before they pull away again. 
“Sorry, I just- and you-” Buck worries at his bottom lip, tasting the bitter malt of Eddie’s preferred beer brand that lingers there as his best friend fumbles with his words. “You have no idea for how long I've wanted to do that.”
“I can guess.” Buck whispers before capturing Eddie's lips again. in a deeper kiss. Having no more reasons to restrain himself he pours all of him into the kiss.
It's messy and kind of uncoordinated but so good. He's not sure  who deepens the kiss first or when it happens, but figuring out the details is not high on his list of priorities when Eddie is licking into his mouth like a man starved. It's messy and uncoordinated, teeth colliding when Buck tries to suck Eddie's bottom lip between his own with a little too much enthusiasm and Eddie returns it by smiling into it, but it's perfect. And Buck wants more. His hands wander, leaving their anchor on Eddie's waist in his mission to map out every dip and ridge of his body, keen to touch everywhere he can in a way he's never been able to before.
Buck leans down a bit until he can get his hands on the back of Eddie's thighs and lifts him up, his legs immediately going around his waist most likely on instinct, he takes a few steps until he reaches the counter behind Eddie and places him there.
“Oh shit.” Eddie pants, breaking the kiss. Buck takes the opportunity to lavish his neck with kisses.
“Buck.” He moans as Buck sucks on a spot just below Eddie's ear. “Hold on, Buck. We're going too fast.”
He stops immediately, he would never do anything or go further than what his partner would allow. Even back in his wilder years, he prided himself in always making sure his advances were wanted.
“Sorry, sorry. You're right. Too fast.” He takes a deep breath and lets his forehead rest on Eddie’s left shoulder as Eddie cards his right hand through his product free blonde curls. Eddie taps his back twice, it’s all the indication he needs to understand that Eddie wants to get down from the counter. Buck takes a step back to give him just enough space for that, not wanting to actually leave too much space between them. He really wants to stay as close to him as possible right now.
Once Eddie’s feet are back on the ground they stay still for a moment, their foreheads resting against each other.
“Just for the record,” Buck says, breaking the peaceful silence between them, “I love you. I’m in love with you.”
His words are rewarded with Eddie’s blinding smile, the big unrestrained one he’s only seen when they’re either alone or when they’re with Chris. That one smile that reaches his eyes and lights up his whole face. He loves that smile, he loves everything Eddie.
“Then, just for the record.” Eddie chuckles. “I love you too, Evan.” He can’t help but lean in and capture Eddie’s lips with his own again. His hands that were previously on Eddie’s hips, playing with his belt hoops, pull him by them so that they can be as close as humanly possible while still being clothed.
Eddie is sucking Buck’s tongue into his mouth and god damn it if they don’t stop right now he’ll have to take the longest cold shower known in history. The fact that he can actually feel Eddie’s hardness against his own doesn’t help at all.
“Slow.” He manages to break the kiss with a wet pop. “We agreed on going slow.” He knows he sounds wrecked and so out of breath and really, if they hadn't agreed to take their time he’d already be guiding Eddie towards the stairs to his bed.
They take a moment to get their breathing back to normal.
“Yeah, you’re right, we’ll go the pace we feel like going.” Buck gives him a questioning look at that. “Hey, I reconsidered and slow is for people that need to know each other, to figure out if they’ll work out. I’m completely sure we don’t really need all that time. We’ve been partners for years, we were just missing the kissing part and… the other stuff too.” Eddie says that last part at the same time as his hands trail down the panes of Buck’s back to land on his ass.
“We’re going to be so bad at slow.” Buck groans.
“I know.” Eddie snorts. “We did transition from enemies to friends in the span of one shift.”
“Alright, alright. Are you hungry?” Buck watches as Eddie gives him a once over and he already knows that whatever Eddie is about to say is going to make the situation going on in his pants worse.
“Starving,” the little shithead has the gall to smirk. “But I can go for a pizza or chinese.”
“Jesus, Eddie.” He pushes away from his laughing… boyfriend? Okay, mental reminder to talk about relationship labels later. “You’re killing me. Just for that, you’re stuck ordering our food, meanwhile I’m going to take a shower.”
He starts making his way up to his loft to grab comfortable clothes to change into after his shower.
“Leave some of that cold water for me, babe!” Eddie calls from the kitchen, his voice laced with mirth.
“Shut up! And that’s not how it works, that’s for hot water not cold! You can’t run out of cold water!” He knows he completely failed to sound annoyed, he’s just too happy to be anything but elated at the turn of events.
He confessed to Eddie, he told him that he loves him and Eddie said it back. He’ll be walking on cloud 9 for the rest of the month. Hell maybe even for the rest of his life.
After dinner and with Christopher spending the night at a friend’s house, Eddie decides to stay for the night and it’s only after they’re both tucked into bed that Buck remembers the catalyst of the night’s events. 
“Eddie?” He gets a noncommittal humm in response. “What about your date?” 
“What date?” This time Eddie does answer sounding so sleepy and confused.
“Your date with Tommy.” Did he forget? He gets that a lot of things just happened tonight but to completely forget what started it all?
“Oh yeah, about that, it was never really a date, I did say he invited me, but I never said it’d be just the two of us. Chim is coming too.”
What. Did. He. Just. Say.
It wasn’t a date!?
“Don’t you think you should have started with that!?” 
“Sorry, love. Think about it this way, if I had mentioned that Chim was also invited, we wouldn’t be here now. Who knows how many years it would have taken for us to finally get together.”
“Then why didn’t you guys invite me?” His bottom lip just out in what is definitely not a pout and the rough pad of Eddie's thumb traces over it.
“Buck you don’t like Baseball, you’d be fast asleep during the first inning.”
“Still, you could have asked.”
“Next time. I promise,” Eddie says, his hand has moved, no longer tracing the plump line of Buck's lower lip but now trailing a lazy line down one of Buck's arms under the covers. 
“Are you still going?”
“I plan to. It’s a free ticket after all.” Eddie shrugs one shoulder and Buck takes the momentary pause in Eddie's movement as an opportunity to lace their fingers together. “But before that, I plan on taking you out for dinner this weekend. Would you like that?”
“I’d love that.”
“Alright, then it’s a date.” The end of Eddie's sentence is slurred with sleep, his eyes already closed. 
Buck gives Eddie's hand a squeeze, their fingers still interlocked and watches the corner of Eddie's lip quirk up in the ghost of a smile before he lets his eyes slip closed, mind filled with thoughts of their date. Buck can’t wait.
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ppnuggie · 2 years ago
Text
          𝙃𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝙂𝙊𝙏𝙏𝘼 𝘽𝘼𝙇𝙇
  『 female human reader + megatron ,, optimus prime   』
  —  chapter two || 3am hampter merch drippin
  — second chapter how we feeling 😎😎 we wanting more of this ? got more of a writing portion bc gotta write the actual story too 🙄 but theres still the chats n stuff yuhhh ,, the chapter titles are the lyrics to the song hampter gotta ball by jakerton 🫶 dope song
  < one , three , four , five    >
        honking followed behind you ,, dookie face started to flap his wings as he took off in a flight. you werent too sure what the hell you did to anger him but he definitely had beef with you. once again ,, looking like a fool ,, you took off running like the fbi was after your ass.
        he chased you around the block ,, and through an alley way. you were definitely going to be late ,, not sure how late but late late. the honking only got louder ,, running through the open field of the ghost agency. luckily for you ,, dot was just up ahead.
        " DOT !!" you screamed ,, whimpering out as you kept running for your life. "DOOKIE FACE IS BEHIND ME HELPPPP !!" you cried ,, running towards the woman and hiding behind her. she rolled her eyes ,, already done with your antics and it isnt even 10 am.
        with her magic ,, the goose instantly stopped. it felt like one of those movies ,, where two cowboys are standing and facing each other ,, where they give the ' the town aint big enough for us both ' and have their standoff. you swore the goose glared at you ,, kicking its feet up in the dust and waddling away back to his wife. she was probably in on it all too ,, you were absolutely sure of it.
hands found themselves wrapped around dot's waist ,, cries of thanks falling from your lips. " oh thank you ! thank you thank you thank you dottie !!" you cried ,, the woman giving you an unimpressed look. " you missed the meeting you know ,," she crossed her arms. your eyes widened ,, staring in disbelief.
" WHAT ?!" she rolled her eyes ,, helping you up from the ground and walking towards her ranger jeep. " schloder already knows why ,, so its not too big of a deal . but we've also been assigned those cybernetic sleeves ." she held up her arm ,, showing it to you. " i was lucky enough to be paired with elita ,, optimus however ,," she shook her head at the thought.
" what ? schloder paired himself with big o ?" you snorted ,, and dot nodded her head in confirmation. " lord have mercy on that man ,, optimus is gonna be suffering ." you leaned on the window as dottie got inside her jeep. the car beeped at her ,, before she turned it on.
" who did i get assigned ? or was i not special enough to be chosen ?" you asked ,, raising a brow at the woman. she only smirked in response ,, before bidding her goodbyes and leaving. you werent all too sure what the look was for ,, but it couldn't mean anything good.
grumbling to yourself ,, you walked inside the ghost agency. the large hallways consumed you ,, towering around your smaller form as you walked along the all too perfectly straight walls. though luck had shined on you ,, spotting wheeljack up ahead. you broke into a sprint ,, shouting for the scientist as you skidded to a stop in front of him.
" good evening wheeljack !" you waved at him ,, giving a soft smile to the mech. " good mornin' ,, ya missed the meetin' by the way ,," his servo came around your waist as he picked up off the ground gently. he set you on his shoulder ,, continuing his path towards both of your workshops. the two of you were work partners ,, as he constructed and built the devices ghost uses ,, and you design and code them. the two of you worked fast and well ,, never really having a problem with one another and bouncing ideas off each other.
" yeah i know ,, its not my fault !" you were quick to complain about your recent rodeo this morning. " dookie face just has something against me ,, and i'm not even that sure what it is . oh yeah ,, who did i get partnered with for the experiment ? was it you ?" you smirked at the mech ,, who in turned chuckled and shook his head. " nah it aint me ,, it's megatron ." he spoke ,, the lab doors opening as he walked you both inside. you slid off his shoulder and onto the counter ,, eyes wide and jaw dropped.
wheeljack snickered at your expression ,, turning his back on you as he went straight to working on the latest device. " no need for the look ,, he aint so bad ya know . besides ,, this aint gonna last for long ,, its just an experiment afta all ." he shrugged ,, servos moving to drill pieces and bits together.
" when does the experiment start though ? or has it already started ?" you questioned ,, taking a moment to chill out on your not so comfortable chair. it felt like sleeping on bricks ,, if anything. you werent sure why ghost didnt spend the money to get cheaper and comfortable chairs instead of these expensive prison cell feeling chairs.
" pretty sure hes waitin for ya ,, in the meeting room ,," wheeljack replied humming to himself as he continued working. you sighed ,, letting your head roll from side to side before jumping to your feet. the meeting room was quite a ways from your lab / workshop ,, and you cursed wheeljack for not just taking you there in the first place.
you walked along the big halls once more ,, sighing as you dragged your feet along the flooring. your legs were already tired and aching ,, having to be chased by dookie face and now having to walk the halls that take hours to get to anywhere. you wondered if ghost would fire you soon ,, having been late a few times now. they could easily replace you ,, find people who actually showed up on time and worked faster than you. maybe wheeljack would've appreciated it. the thought has your heart swelling ,, frown forcing itself on your face.
" (y/n) ,, there you are ." the familiar scottish accent rang through the air ,, frown turning into a thin line as you glanced up at the giant mech. megatron stood before you ,, crouching to his knee as he laid one arm over it. " where've ye been ? was it the goose again ?" he asked ,, holding his servo out for you.
" how'd you know ?" you snickered ,, climbing onto the warm metal and gripping tightly to his digits as he raised his servo up. you were quick to settle yourself against his shoulder ,, making yourself comfortable on the mech. " so ,, ive heard we've been paired together ?" you raised a brow at him ,, holding tightly to the metal of his body as he walked down the hall. " yeah ,, everyone else has their 'sleeves' on ,, or whatever wheeljack has called em ." he replied ,, making his way down the hall and being mindful of you ,, moving slower than usual so you wouldn't slip off and fall to the floor.
" and ,, let me guess ,, schloder paired himself with optimus ?" you asked ,, taking notice of the path towards the meeting room. megatron only hummed ,, giving you the only answer you needed. immediately you bursted in a fit of snickers ,, holding your hand to your mouth to keep yourself from full on laughing. " oh i feel bad for him ,, poor optimus ,," you shook your head ,, megatron's face plates lifting up in a smile upon hearing your little giggle fit at the silliness of schloder's schemes.
the meeting room was a large cleared out space ,, with a large platform in the middle for the bots and humans. it was large and tall enough that the bots could rest their arms on it ,, and help their human companions up on the table ,, so everyone would be at equal eye level. it was much better than having the bots squat or sit down to reach human eye levels ,, as that had happened in the past and didnt prove beneficial for anyone. laid upon it was a small sleeve and much larger one.
megatron's hand came to grasp you gently ,, setting you down on the table. you walked towards where the 'sleeves were' ,, wasting no time to put yours on. it was a little snug but overall not bad ,, fit well and was comfortable ,, and surprisingly not itchy. megatron slid his over his arm ,, fitting his servo through the opening. " so ,, does it turn on automatically or ??" you raised a brow and megatron shrugged at you. a small green button was on the underside ,, and you being you ,, you pressed it. a hologram of wheeljack waist up showed ,, a smile on his face as he stared before he started to talk.
        " howdy yall ! these are mah new cybernetic emotion sleeves ,, improved 101 ,, best of the best !" he winked. lord have mercy ,, this man ,, megatron looked unimpressed as he stared at the hologram. " so you're trying yer c.e.s for the first time ,, and yer wondering ' what does it do ?' well ,, thats where ah come in to help !" he placed his servos on his hips as he looked smug. " first ,, these are meant to improve cyba-tronian and human relations ,, probably not the most effective way but definitely a way ! they're meant ta share emotions with your partner ,, so yer partner will know what yer feelin at times ,, unless ya take it off of course ."
        " all ya've gotta do is press the little circle in blue on the top ." you followed his instructions ,, pressing the button and listening in to what he said next. " now ,, all ya've gotta do is touch the hand or servo of your partner ,, and yer connected ! its as easy as that !" he nodded to himself ,, chuckling in the process. megatron raised his servo in front of you ,, your own hand reaching out and pressing against his palm.
        at first ,, nothing happened ,, until after a minute and suddenly everything went black.
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ruggiethethuggie · 2 years ago
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Cooking with Chef Ruggie
Summary: You've been enrolled in culinary school for a few months now. Today's task- making Fondant Potatoes with your assigned partner, Mr. Ruggie Bucchi.
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WC: 3382 Tags: one shot, fluff, culinary school, gn!reader, this has an actual recipe you can follow lmao, Ruggie is really good at cooking, he's also so helpful, mild cussing
a/n: thank you @the-dumber-scaramouche for this super cute, uwu idea! I can't wait to see and read about your chef oc ❤️
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You came into class, looking at the board behind your professor to see what was in store for the day. You had been in culinary school for a few months now and every day your professor would write on the board something relative to your lesson for the day. To your surprise, the board simply just said “pommes fondant”, or Fondant Potatoes. Your lesson from the day before dealt with the different types of oils and how each affects the searing of different foods and can even help infuse flavors into them when used correctly. Fondant potatoes were seared on both sides, so you figured it made sense to be in today's lesson, but what was your professor going to do- make them for the class?
The professor got up from his desk once the clock struck the hour; he never missed a second of teaching. It was clear from his enthusiasm every day that he thoroughly enjoyed what he did. “Alright, so can everyone see the board? This is what we have going on today,” he started to say. Around the room you could hear the oo’s and ah’s of the other students. Fondant potatoes weren’t ever something you really experienced; simple as they were, it was still a nicer way to make potatoes. You were just used to the regular baked and french fries variety.
“So are you making these for us then?” you heard one of the cheekier students ask as he raised his hand, smirking at his friends around him. The professor chuckled for a moment and shook his head. “Actually, no. You all are going to make these. You’ll be in the kitchen today. Each of you has been assigned a partner, so lean on them and help each other. You’re not only going to be graded in technique and execution of the recipe, but also how well you work with others. I’m watching,” he said, giving a few students an obvious side eye. Your fellow students seemed pretty excited about being able to work in the kitchen today, already chatting amongst themselves as the professor started to go through his list and read off the assigned pairings.
“Y/N,” he said. Your ears perked up, waiting for him to tell you who would be your partner today, hopefully not that obnoxious guy across the room. You knew he would just shittily try to do the recipe by himself because “he just knows better” and would ruin it, leaving you with a bad grade without even being given a chance. “Your partner is,” he said, running his hand across his paper, “Ruggie”. He pointed out the student a few tables over from you. Honestly, you had ever really noticed him, which was surprising to you. He was not bad to look at, and the way his messy, biscuit brown hair kissed the side of his face and forehead made it hard for you not to swoon over. 
He got up from his table and made his way to the back where the kitchen setups were, you took it as a sign and also got up and made your way back there. Ruggie was looking at the recipe sitting on the counter as you approached the work space. “Hi, I’m Y/N,” you said, holding out your hand to him. He looked up at you as he put the card down and smiled, taking your hand and shaking it. “Ruggie,” he said. You let go of his hand, but couldn’t stop thinking about how it felt in yours. “So… have you ever made these before?” you asked as you picked up the recipe card and started reading it. “Yeah, a time or two before. They’re not that hard to make, just have to take your time with it,” he said confidently. “You?” You looked up from the card, meeting his eyes. For a moment, you lost all thought process, getting lost in the cool, blue-gray hues of his them. “Hello?” he said, confused. “I-I’m sorry,” you said looking back at the card. “I haven’t made them before. I’ve never even eaten them, but they look really good from the picture.”
Ruggie took the card from your hand, looking it over once more, and placed it on the counter. “That’s ok. If you don’t care, I can kinda take the lead if you want. I’ll share all my secrets with you,” he said, putting his hand behind his head and grinning. “Sure, I don’t mind. I have no clue what I’m doing with these,” you said, laughing back. “So where do we start?” you asked as you made your way to the sink to wash your hands. Ruggie followed suit and washed his hands as you dried yours. “Well, we start with the Yukon potatoes, gotta slice ‘em a certain way,” he said. You nodded as you grabbed the potatoes from the ingredients provided by the professor on the counter, taking them to the sink and washing them. “So how do you have to slice them?” you said, bringing the now washed potatoes over to Ruggie. Ruggie had out a cutting board and knife, ready to start his prep. “Well, the potatoes are supposed to be thick, but will melt in your mouth when you eat them. So you take em,” he said, grabbing a potato,” and cut like this.” You watched as he finished cutting them all. “Wait, these in the picture don’t have skins like these,” you said looking back and forth at the potatoes he had cut and the picture on the card. “Yep! That’s where the next step comes in,” he hummed. “Look in that drawer over there and see if there’s like a round cookie cutter in it.” He gestured his head to one of the drawers near the sink behind him. You opened it and dug through all the utensils in it; finally, you found a round cookie cutter. “Here ya go,” you said as you handed it to him. “Thanks.”He smiled.
He took the cookie cutter and used it to cut the center of the potatoes, making them look like little cylinders. “Ohhhh, that’s pretty neat. Looks cool,” you said in awe. “It ain’t that special,” he snickered. You rolled your eyes at him playfully. “Yeah, well to me that looks pretty cool.” Ruggie chuckled again. “Alright, so next we gotta get the pan and oven ready. Could you preheat it to 450 degrees for me, please, while I finish these up? Then we just need a good sized skillet for ‘em.” You nodded as you went to the oven and set it to preheat like he instructed. You found a bigger skillet in the cupboard and held it up. “This a good size?”
Ruggie looked over and nodded. He was busy patting the potatoes dry, trying to get rid of the starchy juices that came from cutting them. You put it on the eye, turning the heat on to medium. You glanced at the recipe to see what was next. You took the avocado oil sitting out and used it to grease the pan. Ruggie just smiled as he watched you work, seasoning his potatoes with salt and pepper. “Alright, the oil is about ready for the potatoes. Time to get to searin’,” you joked as you took each potato and gently put it in the pan. Ruggie shook his head at your silliness, grabbing the herbs and cloves of garlic from the ingredients. You could see him out of the corner of your eye as he crushed the garlic. As much as you wanted to watch how he smashed it so easily with the muscles in his arm flexing each time, your mind was preoccupied with watching the potatoes on the stovetop. Once golden on the underside, you had to flip them over to sear the other side.
“Wow, that looks amazing. The sear is like.. perfect,” Ruggie said, peering over your shoulder. “Yeah, I’m like an expert searer actually. I actually got a National prize for it,” you teased. Ruggie gave you a stare, still smiling at you though. “Wow, I had no idea my partner today was a world renowned chef already. Guess I don’t have to do anything else then, shishishi,” he snickered. He picked up his dirty cutting board and knives he used and put them in the sink. You could hear him run the water for a second and turn it off behind you, so you turned around to see what he was doing. He came back to the counter with a wet paper towel and cleaned it. Wow, he seems pretty chill. Not to mention, he cooks and cleans? Seems like a house husband, you thought to yourself.
“Okay, so the recipe says once seared to add the herbs and butter into the pan. Could you grab me the butter, Ruggie?” you asked. To your surprise, Ruggie laughed at your request. Nothing is funny? “We don’t need butter, I got something better,” he beamed. “But the recipe says to use butter?” you said, confused at what he was planning. “Yeah, it does. But think of it… more like a suggestion,” he said as he took a few steps backwards out of the work space and then scurried to the back of the room. Past the workspaces were the bigger fridges and pantries. They had extra ingredients and were free to use if the students chose to. Ruggie came back a few moments later, a container in his hand. He brought it to you and let you read the label. “Beef fat?” you said looking at him. “Shh, shh. Don’t say it too loud,” he said looking around. “Can’t have these other guys knowin’ our secrets, now can we?” 
You shrugged and complied with his suggestion, adding it to the pan. Ruggie put in the sprigs of thyme and rosemary and then the crushed garlic. He happily smelt the air above the pan, closing his eyes to really take it in. “Wow, it smells so good already. These are gonna be so good. I can’t wait to eat later,” he purred. You used a spoon to help glaze the tops of the potatoes with the liquid. “So, why the beef fat? What difference does that make?” you asked curiously. Ruggie grinned wide as he answered. “Well, ya see, the beef fat actually gives it more flavor than just regular old butter. You kinda get some of that beefiness infused in the potatoes. It’s not like they taste like beef, but damn does it makes ‘em taste way better.”
“Time for the oven now, right?” you asked, taking the food off the eye. “You got it, that’s right,” Ruggie said, snapping his finger at you. You put the pan in the oven carefully. You brushed your hands together and looked at Ruggie. “And now we wait,” you said smiling. “How long are they in there for?” You picked up the card off the counter to check. “Uh, about 25 to 30 minutes, gotta make sure they’re nice and tender,” Ruggie chuckled. He wiped his own hands off on the hand towel by the oven and set the timer. “So what made you join culinary school, wanna own a restaurant or something?” he asked.
“No, not really. Truthfully, I don’t even know what I want to do after this,” you groaned. “I like the idea of owning one, but I don’t know if it’s for me. I just love the idea of marrying flavors together, putting stuff together. The look on people’s faces when they eat my food? Man, it makes my heart full. I just- I like it, that’s all.” You stopped yourself from saying any more, not wanting to talk about yourself too much and sound vain. Ruggie looked at you pleased, content listening to you talk about your passions. “What about you, Ruggie?”
“Oh, me?” he said. “Well, shishishi. I work a lot of side jobs to make money. Catering is one of my biggest payers, but you can make a lot more as one of the cooks. So I’m here to finish school so I can do that, and who knows, maybe one day I’ll own my own catering place.” He was leaning his back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t speak with the same passion as you did, but it was obvious he enjoyed cooking. “You seem like you know your way around the kitchen. The places never let you cook before?” you asked.
“I mean, one of the catering places had this chef who was super chill. He taught me a lot when I worked there, even how to make these,” he said pointing at the recipe card. “He doesn’t do catering any more so I can’t work with him. But he would always show me stuff if he had the chance.” You nodded your head at his response. “That’s cool, sorry you don’t get to see him really now. Why do you work so many jobs anyway? You don’t look old enough to have a shit ton of debt,” you asked curiously. Part of you wondered if you were prying too much. “Well, someone’s gotta pay my bills.” He laughed. “I just don’t like the idea of struggling, so I work a lot so I won’t ever have to.”
He smiled softly at you, making you look away and try to find something else to put in your line of view. You were trying so hard to not seem flustered, to not seem weird. You were brought back to reality as Ruggie approached you, his arm reaching in your direction. Oh god, what is he doing? What is happening? He smiled as his arm went behind you; you closed your eyes shut trying to process what was happening. And then you heard it- the beep on the stove as Ruggie turned the timer off behind you. “Sorry, ‘scuse me,” he said as he grabbed the oven handle to open the door. You were so in your head about Ruggie, you didn’t even notice the timer was going off. You moved out of his way so he could take the pan out. Now you just felt stupid for thinking it was something more than that.
Ruggie took the pan and put it on one of the unused eyes on the stovetop. The potatoes were glistening under the lights, they looked perfect in every way, in your opinion. You took a spoon and used it to glaze them some more with the juices in the pan, only making them shine more. “These … look so good,” you whispered. “Wait til teach tries ‘em. We’re definitely getting a good grade on this little lab,” Ruggie purred. “Well, we gotta plate them first,” you laughed. Without even finishing your sentence, Ruggie was grabbing two plates from the cabinet. He put them both down on the counter. “Y’know, I’m no good at this plating stuff,” he nervously laughed.
“No biggie, I love plating. It’s a way for me to show my creativity,” you said as you gently started placing some of the potatoes on one plate. Ruggie watched as you carefully plated them and then lightly glazed them with more pan sauce. “Your plating is so clean. What’s your trick?” He smiled. You shrugged your shoulders and gave him an “I don’t know” look as you laughed a bit. “I guess I’m just that good,” you said with another laugh. “But really, it’s just taking your time with it. If you go too fast, the juices and everything spill and then it just looks sloppy.”
Ruggie nodded his head as he gestured to your professor walking around the workspaces. “Check it out, teach,” he hummed as he made a ta-da gesture to the plated Fondant potatoes. The professor gave a look full of surprise and excitement. “Wow, they sure do look amazing! Guess I’ll have to try them out,” he gleefully said as he picked up a fork and cut the potato. The fork easily glided through the potato, it was so tender. As he took his bite, the teacher closed his eyes in ecstasy. “Now that is delicious,” he hummed. Ruggie looked at you with a beaming smile. “So?” Ruggie said to your professor, waiting for him to finish.
“Well you two definitely pass, with flying colors even. But I gotta know, what’d you put in this?” You smiled widely, excited to boast about your food. “Well we actually used-“ you started to say. Ruggie cut you off before you could say anything more. “We can’t give away all our secrets. Not even to you, teach,” he snickered. Your professor hummed in amusement. “You’re right. A good chef never tells his secrets. Once you two are done cleaning up, you can have whatever food you have leftover and leave for the day. Great work, guys!” And with that, he left and it was just you and Ruggie once more.
Ruggie turned to look at you. “So whatcha wanna clean? I’ll do whatever you don’t wanna do. I don’t mind,” he said sweetly. You looked at the work space and your eyes trailed to the sink full of dirty dishes. “Uh, is it bad if I hate doing dishes?” you asked coyly. Ruggie shook his head and grinned. “No, not at all. I’ll do ‘em.” Ruggie made his way over to the sink, rolled his sleeves up, and started the water. You grabbed a few paper towels and used the running water he had going to get them wet. You finished up wiping down the counters and putting stuff away as Ruggie was washing the dishes. 
Ruggie could see you eyeing the plate of potatoes from the corner of his eye. “You can go ‘head and eat some while you wait on me,” he snickered. “Are you sure? I can wait, it’s ok,” you tried to reassure him. But truthfully, your mouth was watering so bad, you wanted them now. “Shishishi, yeah. Eat away, just leave me some,” he said with a wink. He didn’t have to tell you twice, you were already at the plate and grabbing your fork. You cut up one of the potatoes and took the small piece into your mouth.
Your taste buds exploded in joy. The amount of flavor that came from every bite was intoxicating. You never knew potatoes could taste this good. The sear on the top and bottom gave a nice, crunchy contrast to the soft, tender inside. You felt bad as you looked at Ruggie from the other counter. He worked just as hard as you did today and he’s still doing dishes and can’t enjoy his own food. But there was one way he could enjoy it with you.
“Open,” you said as you held the fork with a potato on it close to his face. He looked over and laughed at the display. “Feeding me? Like a baby?” he teased. “Oh come on, I feel bad I’m over here pigging out and you’re still doing stuff,” you said. You gave him a pleading face and he rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay. Fine,” he said quietly. He let you feed him the potato; his face giving the same expression you did when you ate them. “They’re so good, damn. We did a good job,” Ruggie hummed as he finished the potato. You took turns taking bites for yourself and feeding Ruggie bites afterwards.
Soon enough the plate was finished, and Ruggie took it and the fork from your hands. You crossed your arms over your chest and waited for him to get done. As Ruggie finished and drained the sink, you handed him the hand towel that was hanging on the oven handle. “Y’know, I think we make a pretty good team,” Ruggie said with a chuckle as he dried his hands off. “You think so? I mean I guess we do work pretty well together,” you grinned. “Yeah, we do,” he said, smiling back. “Maybe next time he’ll let us pick our partners, that way I can pick you and we can bring our A game again.” Ruggie lifted up his hand, holding it there for a high five. You laughed and gave him one. “Yeah, together.”
© please do not copy and or repost my work as your own, my brain is massive and these are my thoughts.
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kalpasio · 9 months ago
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Batter Up
Second Base
A Kalpas x Reader Soulmate AU, Chapter 2 below!
When Friday rolled around again, you weren’t nearly as excited as usual. Even before you thought you had found your soulmate, there was a bit of underlying anticipation. Now you just felt anxious. It didn’t seem likely that your match would come back to watch since they missed the last game.
Sakura seemed sympathetic when she spotted you dragging your feet to the field, but there wasn’t much she could do. Either your soulmate was there, or they weren’t. It was out of her control. She convinced Dr. Mei to at least put you both on the same team, but that was the best she could do.
As though your mood wasn’t ruined enough, halfway through the game, Rin showed up with tall, dark, and grumpy in tow. Of course you were happy to see her—it’s nearly impossible to not like Rin, she’s too nice—but the constant angry glare, you could do without. On top of that, you’d started making catches that you never would have made under normal circumstances. That could only mean your soulmate was back.
In between plays you would scan the crowd at the fence, but you knew almost all of them had already matched with your coworkers. The only one who stood out had left when you weren’t looking, and your point streak continued long after. So, either your soulmate was a ninja, or you were just having a really great night. In terms of the game that is. The rest of the night sucked.
“I just don’t know who it could be,” you groaned. Hua placed a comforting hand on your shoulder that almost made you feel worse. She and Kallen worked together as partners in the police department, so she regularly joined you Kallen and Sakura for a Sunday brunch (though it usually ended up just being lunch).
“I’m sure you’ll find them.” If you didn’t know her so well, Hua’s lack of enthusiasm would have made you think she was being sarcastic, but she genuinely meant well.
“Yeah, and you can always ask the city’s best to take on the case,” Kallen sent a wink that just made you roll your eyes.
“I’ve actually been thinking about it,” Sakura started as she finished taking a sip of her tea. “Out of everyone there watching, you spoke to all but two of them.” You nodded to show you were following along, even if you were a bit skeptical. “Those two haven’t been back since.”
“How can you remember that. It’s been over a month since that first game!”
Sakura shrugged. “Computer crashed in the middle of work one too many times.” Kallen laughed but you just sat there, stunned (and maybe a little jealous). “The one person who’s been there both times was actually Kalpas.”
“Oh you’ve got to be joking.”
There was no way. No way that Sakura and Kallen’s friend, the guy that showed no expression other than boredom or annoyance was your soulmate. You doubted he could even smile, let alone be interested in a romantic relationship.
“No, he’s really the only one.” Sakura was doing a good job of holding back her smile, but Kallen was nearly in tears from laughing so hard.
“This is the worst prank—”
“I’m being honest.”
“Well either you or the universe messed up because I cannot believe he…we’re—that,” you couldn’t even say the words out loud.
“Kalpas is your soulmate.”
Unfortunately, Sakura had no issue saying exactly what you didn’t want to hear. With a groan, your head hit the table, rattling the dishes. Once again, you felt a hand resting on your shoulder in an attempt to console you.
In the same voice she would use if a relative died, Hua said, “congratulations.”
Kallen absolutely lost it.
You weren’t completely sure how to feel about the new information. Some part of you had decided that Kalpas was your enemy because he kept giving you that stare, but rationally, you couldn’t think of any reason to hate him. He hadn’t done anything to slight you, but you couldn’t be sure if that was because he was a decent human being or if the fact that you two hadn’t spent more than a couple minutes near each other played a role.
Trying to sort though your thoughts, you made a list of pros and cons for having Kalpas as a partner. Immediately on the ‘pro’ side you put ‘hot.’ And…that was about it.
Moving to the ‘con’ side however. You almost ran out of paper. He’s part of the police force, and while you don’t know what exactly he does, you had seen how rough things could be for Sakura and Kallen. If there was a strong push for a case to be solved, the detective could disappear for weeks at a time, and that’s not even considering the constant risk of her getting hurt in the field.
Other than that, he was never happy (at least that you had seen) and it felt weird to be dating your best friend’s other best friend. Even if Sakura had seemed fine with it at the time and had been the one to bring the relationship to your attention, it felt like you were crossing some unwritten line. Kalpas had also managed to be intimidating all the way from the other side of the diamond that first night, though you guessed that could be a pro. You added it to both columns just to be safe.
He couldn’t be that bad if Sakura and Kallen trusted him to pick Rin up from school, but that didn’t bring you much comfort. You wanted to believe their judgement of Kalpas, but at the same time, you had seen the type of people your friends hung out with. The night of their bachelorette party, your group had been banned from nearly every bar downtown and at least one of them still had your picture up by the door.
In the end, you decided to wait until the next baseball night. Sakura had offered to try and set something up, but you declined, wanting more time to mull things over. It didn’t help that your team had reached crunch time, and you wanted every spare moment to catch up on sleep. Everyone on your team seemed to agree with that sentiment because the next game was cancelled.
As soon as you got the email (that you debated printing because Kevin signed it with a frowny face at the end) you thought that you would have the next month free of seeing Kalpas.
You thought wrong.
The first time he showed up, you had been on your way to brew another cup of coffee when you saw him standing by Sakura’s desk, a to-go bag in hand. Almost on instinct, you ducked down behind the cubicle you were passing. Even though his back was to you, it was a risk you didn’t want to take.
“I know you need that report. I’m almost finished, you didn’t have to come all the way over here to harass me.” Looking up, you saw that you had accidentally crouched down and were now eye level with Raven.
“No no no no,” you whispered. “I’m not here for that, I promise. I’m just hiding.”
“From what?” She narrowed her eyes at you and for a moment you thought she was about to give away your hiding spot. You wouldn’t put it past her to stand up in the middle of the office and loudly get Kalpas’ attention.
“There’s a guy—” her eyes sharpened and suddenly you were more worried about Raven stabbing Kalpas instead of just yelling at him. “He’s my soulmate! But uh we haven’t really spoken yet so…”
“Ah,” Raven nodded as though this was something that happened on a regular basis. “In that case, go away. I have a report that someone is on my back about.” With that, she turned her chair back towards her monitors and went back to typing.
Feeling somewhat betrayed, you peeked over the cubicle wall to check on your target only to find him looking straight back. The office was almost completely silent now that you think about it. Kalpas definitely heard your conversation. When Raven gave you a little jab to the side, you let out a nervous laugh and booked it to the restrooms.
Once inside, you gave a sigh of relief. Leaning on the counter, you looked yourself in the eyes in the mirror. That wasn’t so bad. You’re just being a big baby about this whole situation. Were you going to go back out there? Absolutely not. This bathroom was going to be your safe haven for at least the next thirty minutes but who’s counting?
Sakura laughed at you when you came out, and you’re sure she won’t ever let you live it down, but that encounter was nothing compared to the second one.
It was less than a week later, and you were sitting at Sakura’s desk with her, helping go through some code she’d just edited. You didn’t even notice when Kalpas showed up, all you saw was food being placed on the desk that Sakura was sliding over to you. Almost instantly you gasped and forgot what you’d been working on.
“Oh my gosh thank you so—” When you turned to look at your hero, that’s when you found out Kalpas was in the building. Fight or flight failed you, and you froze in place, neck straining to look up at your sudden visitor.
“Kallen made you rice balls again.”
He wasn’t even looking at you. Kalpas spoke directly to Sakura, and you weren’t sure if you should be glad to have his attention off of you, or hurt for that very same reason.
“Oh, where are they?” Sakura didn’t look too excited, but you could hear in her voice how much she looked forward to her wife’s cooking (even if she still struggled with the basics).
“She burnt them.”
You tried. You tried so hard not to laugh but the hand you held to cover your smile gave you away. Sakura just sighed.
“If anyone can figure out how to burn something you don’t even cook, it would be her.” There were equal amounts of defeat and affection in her tone, and you nodded sympathetically, still biting your lip to hold in the smile.
“You.” Kalpas suddenly turned to you and managed to make his scowl even more terrifying. In a second the smile was wiped from your face, and you were more than a little concerned. “I better not hear about you skipping meals again.” He narrowed his eyes, and you knew better than to test his threat.
“How did you hear about it in the first place?” You regretted asking as soon as the words came out of your mouth, but surprisingly, Kalpas responded.
“Kallen.”
“Oh really?” you turned to Sakura, now sending a scowl of your own. “And I wonder who she heard that from.”
“We really should get back to work,” your friend pulled the top off your share of the food and handed you some chopsticks that probably came from the food you ordered last week. “Thank you Kalpas!”  You took the chopsticks but didn’t stop glaring.
 “Thank you Kalpas.” When he didn’t move for a moment, you looked back at him and for a second you thought you saw that permanent frown soften just a little bit, making you send a smile of your own. With that, he turned and headed straight for the stairs.
As soon as he was out of eyesight, you were turning to Sakura and hissing “why was he here?”
“He’s in charge of the SWAT team so—”
“He’s what.”
“He’s on call a lot but most times he’s not doing much so Kallen will ask him to send some things over.”
“Why am I not surprised that your wife has made the scariest guy in the precinct her errand boy?”
“Because she’s my wife?” Sakura gave you a proud grin that made you roll your eyes.
“Of course, that explains everything.”
I just want you to know that I almost put reader on fourth base because I wanted a random number and I'm sorry for almost sending you into the void
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Hope
Pairing: Hunter x F!Reader 
Words:  11 784 (it was supposed to be a short 2k one shot, well...)
Warning: Angst (you know me, there needs to be a story with an angst if I write it), fluff, canone violance, deaths, a mild smut, if you squint its not even smut really. But yeah please be cautious !, The bad batch (that should always be a warning), Idiots in love, and kissing. 
Summary: Rex asks you to join the Bad Batch in a mission and memories and hidden feeling come back.
A/N: I apologise for my English which I feel is just shit this time. Haven’t written anything in a while and well my written English got a bit rusty :/ I do hope you enjoy it anyways :)
I also post on AO3, if anyone’s interested :) 
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It has been a while since you last saw them. They were a weird bunch, and you met some in your field of work. They were dangerous, skilled, trained but yet still so fun to be around. Something you always thought was impossible for the Clones. There were times when the Republic would use your skills for missions. Normally you were paired with boring Jedi Generals that preferred to follow the rules and orders rather than think and actually enjoy some fun. Of course there were some like Skywaler’s 501th Legion, who actually gave you a laugh from time to time. But nothing like these boys. They were different. They did not care really for any rules nor whatever anyone thought of them and it made it so much easier to work with them. 
Five individuals that somehow were able to work perfectly fine with each other. Well there were four of them, before a Reg joined them, and well the group just became more fun. You always laughed at Crosshair’s annoyance with Regs, but deep down you understood what he meant. But on the other hand, who were you to judge? 
You preferred to work alone. It was easier that way, at least in your field of specialty. Stealth missions were not a group project and you really hated the days when you got a brief to work with the Republic. Even then you opted to work by yourself, hoping the clones and Jedi would not interfere in your business. You were good at what you did, but only if others did not suck. And well these boys never did. And even if they did, it was fun at least. 
“Long time no see boys”, the four of the Clones turned and you couldn’t help the smirk, seeing their faces. Apparently good, old Rex did not dare to tell them who they were going to work with. Your eyes traveled through the group not missing the lack of Crosshair. You knew of his change of mind. Hell, you were even once faced with his new friends and his change of heart. If there was one person you never wanted to fight against, it was Crosshair and his damn Firepuncher. “And girl”, your brow raised when a small girl moved from behind Hunter. She looked no older than 13, with her blonde hair and distinctive golden brown eyes that all the clones had. You heard some rumors, but they were just that. You were sure the 99 would never take a babysitting job, but well, apparently things change. 
Before you were able to add anything else, you were crushed in a big bear hug and lifted above the ground. If you weren’t so used to that already, you would have probably let out a very embarrassing yelp. But you only rolled your eyes and let the man hug you, waiting for him to put you down, hoping he wouldn’t crack any of your ribs. 
“Y/N!” he roared happily, pulling you away shoulder length, smiling at you with this huge, baby-like smile that you had to admit, you dearly adored. “I haven’t seen you for a while!” 
“Yeah it’s been a while, boys”, you smiled softly at the other men, who walked closer. You raised a brow at Hunter’s protective gesture over Omega, keeping her as much behind him as it was possible. It seemed, however, that the girl was a curious little thing. “I guess Rex didn’t spill the name of your new partner?” 
“Who is she?” you heard Omega asking Hunter who seemed to think how to introduce you without telling too much. You smiled softly at the way the girl was looking up to the man. Who would have thought the Hunter would become a daddy. 
“I’m Y/N. It’s lovely to meet you”, you kneeled in front of the girl and smiled at her softly. “I’m some kind of a friend to this batch of troubles.” Omega smiled at that and shook your outstretched hand, apparently accepting the answer. 
“I’m Omega. I’m a Clone as well.” She introduced herself and your eyes traveled up to Hunter for a while, but it was quickly back on the girl. “Are you joining us for the mission?” 
“It appears as that”, you answered, standing up slowly. You took the time to look around the group. They haven’t changed much. Maybe they have become more tired, but that was understandable. You didn’t miss the cut on their heads, which Rex told you about before the mission. It’s not that you didn’t trust them, but knowing the chips are no longer an issue, gives you a bit of ease of mind. “How about we get inside and you can tell me what other information Rex tended to skip.” You moved past them not missing the way Hunter followed you with his eyes. You didn’t blame him, after how you left the last time.  
***
“I thought you never thought of having kids”, he turned towards you with a tired smirk on his lips. The briefing was smooth. Rex was happy to see that you found the Batch with no issue. And well the boys seemed surprised to even see you alive. But seeing both Wrecker’s and Echo’s reaction they were indeed happy to meet with you once again. Tech sent you some encouraging smiles from time to time, but other than that seemed indifferent. Hunter too focused on the mission didn’t really say much, other than it was necessary. Omega on the other hand was too hyped for the mission, which you found actually adorable. 
“She’s not really a kid, you know… More like an addition to the team”, you laughed out loud at that, making him sigh in frustration. “Don’t just don’t, please.” You walked closer and sat next to him. The couch was small, barely fitting two people in it, which led to you touching each other's shoulders involuntarily. 
“You can’t blame me for being curious. There I thought that you and your band of mischief would not be able to surprise me anymore and here I come seeing a happy little family growing.” He raised his brow and you shrugged a glint in your eyes. “I saw Crosshair.” You didn’t plan to get into that topic as quickly, but you preferred to discuss this with him alone, rather than the whole team. You could feel him tense at the revelation. Apparently the topic was still harsh for him. “Something wasn’t right…” 
“Well he works for the Empire now”, his voice was low and tone got dramatically tense. “When was it?” 
“Two missions ago. I still have a memory of it.” saying it you lifted your shirt to show him the scar that was left after your close meeting with Firepuncher. You shivered slightly feeling his finger on your bare skin. Something he missed, or pretended to at least. “It wasn’t the Crosshair I know.” 
“Well apparently none of us truly knew him”, his hand gently covered your stomach, looking straight into your eyes. The first time since you came. “Apparently it's all him, his chip has been removed…” 
“Bullshit”, his eyes widened at your angry hiss. “This is not how Crosshair behaves. He never did. Not to mention that he still truly believed that the Jedi betrayed all of us. He wouldn’t even consider it, if his chip was truly removed.” You looked away and sighed defeated. “At least I want to believe that…” you missed the subtle smile on his lips and the way he looked at you at that moment. 
He was always grateful for how you looked and interacted with his brothers. You seemed like you actually enjoyed their company, which wasn’t as common with the Regs. After all you weren’t a Reg. You weren’t even a Clone, which it was really hard not to notice. He remembered the first time he met you, your first mission with them. They were only told that they will have an additional person joining their team. A special someone with interesting abilities. Cody wasn’t one to happily join them with anyone, so Hunter knew that this someone must have made an impression on the Commander. So when a short woman in an all black armor (if he can even describe it as) he was mildly surprised. The shock stayed with him, when she took down her hood and mask. Hunter wasn’t shy with women, and he did see a list of beautiful ones around the Galaxy, but there was something about you that made his knees a little bit weaker. You were beautiful, nothing special, and yet he couldn’t take his eyes off you. Even the scar that was going through your right brow down to your cheek couldn’t take away the natural charm you had with you. 
Crosshair always made fun of him whenever you joined their missions. In the beginning he was getting annoyed with his snarks, but the more he got to see you and get to know you, the more he hoped that those silly antics would become true. The fact that you seemed to prefer his company over his brothers didn’t help his little stupid crush. You tend to spend the nights talking to him about anything actually. Some talks were deeper than others. He was able to get you to talk about your past, how you became an assassin. After one particular bad mission, that also happened to be your last one with them, he heard you speak of her future, something you always joked was not an option in your field of work. That night was also the night where you both drank way too much, ending the night under the blankets of his bunker. 
“So what were you guys up to ?” Your tone changed and you looked up at Hunter with a soft look, he was very much familiarized with. The one you always gave him when things were too much. “Except for becoming a babysitter.” 
“Actually, Omega is older than us”, he chuckled at your face and leaned over the coach, his arm naturally leaning behind your back. A gesture you always welcomed happily. You leaned towards him and it didn’t take a while for your head to rest on the side of his chest, listening to all the shenanigans they went through after the end of the war. 
***
“They seem close”, Omega whispered to Echo, who smiled softly at the two of you. It wasn’t a secret that Hunter was head over heels for you and seeing the way you looked at him it was the same for you. He was happy for his brother to find some kind of stepping-stone outside of being a soldier. He wasn't sure if anything ever happened or would happen between the two of you, but he was thankful to you for making Hunter happy and relaxed. 
“It’s quite surprising really.” Tech interjected, putting his arm on Omega to see more. It was a fun sight really. Tech who always stayed glued to his pad was curious to see whatever the young girl was seeing. “Their personalities crash like any other. She is reckless, loud and touchy”, Omega giggled at the last word, making even Echo smirk. “While Hunter isn’t well… any of it.” 
“But she’s not like that when she’s working”, Wrecker said, a little too loud for Echo’s liking. But he had to nod at that. It was like there were two of you. The mission you were focused on doing your job right. You were focused, quiet and stern. Like a real assassin. A master of stealth missions. Your hand to hand combat rivaled even Hunter’s which they were able to see on one of the missions with you. You made the poor man sweat, which was an incredible achievement in his books. Probably if the territory favored your way of fighting a bit more, it would be Hunter who would lay on the ground with a knife up his throat. “Seriously kid, watch her on the mission, she’s amazing!” Hearing it from Wrecker might probably was one of the biggest compliments you would get, and both Echo and Tech knew that it was well-earned. 
“So are they together? Like a couple?” To that Wrecker could not help but laugh, shut by both of his brothers with a stern look. “They look like they are.” She shrugged, her eyes not leaving the way you comfortably laid on Hunter with a soft smile on your lips. While Hunter was actually excited while he spoke. His hand was flying around making you giggle. Omega has never seen him like that, but she really enjoyed seeing his brother like that. And deep down she hoped you would stay longer with them, than just that one mission. 
***
“The facility itself isn’t as well secured, but this building here is”, you zoomed into one of the facilities in the back of the whole complex. “It used to be a prison used by the Sepis for the VIPs. Been there around three times. There is a possibility that some of the tunnels had been changed or some even closed. But I’m confident I should be able to navigate in there through the drains.” The Clones looked at the map and you could tell they weren’t sure of the whole plan. It was risky, but hell you had more tricky missions all by yourself. 
“How the hell do you know that place so well?” Echo asked, turning around the holo map to have a better look. They were trying to be safe, which you would expect from them, but they needed to realize that if the mission was about to be successful then they needed to trust you. 
“I had two missions from our old friends. Something the Jedi wanted to keep to themselves.” You shrugged, and started to play around with your little blaster you always carried around hidden away from the spying eyes. Just in case. 
“And the third time?” Tech asked, his eyes on you. You almost felt pride to spike his interest enough for him to look away from his pad and the holo map. 
“I was a… guest there. Those scars on my back are a great reminder of that place.” You can feel the change in shift in the room and your eyes landed on Hunter. He knew the story well, just didn’t know the place and you could see the realization striking him. “I was there for a week. A lot of time to snoop around and remember all the more and less important details.”
“How did you escape?” Omega asked, her curious eyes on you. She was an interesting little fellow, you had to give it to her. You were surprised to find out that she was joining you on the mission, but who were you to talk? She was a part of the team, if Hunter said so, then Omega was coming. 
“Here”, you zoomed in on one of the small tunnels that was rounding the prison cells and the guards section. “Not the cleanest escape, but hey I survived. Couldn’t get rid of the smell for a month.” You shivered remembering the sewer system there. “I can get to the room and get the intel Rex needs and get out of there unnoticed, but I would need you guys to keep any interested parties away from that room for about fifteen minutes after I slip in there.” 
“Quite long”, Wrecker murmured and you knew that if even Wrecker wasn’t sure of the plan then you were losing this fight. You sighed and turned off the holo map, jumping on the shelf, sitting on it comfortably. 
“I’m a decent hacker but not as brilliant as our boy Tech here”, you winked at the clone, who smiled softly at you.
“Then maybe it should be Tech that should go, then?” Wrecker proposed, making you shake your head. 
“Tell me sweetheart, why do you think I wear such shitty armor on me most of the time?” They all raised their brows. You were surprised none of them ever asked you that. “Trust me, it's not a fashion choice. For one I am not built like you guys. I’m not physically strong enough to be able to function with additional kilograms on me all the time. Not to mention my abilities focus on two things. Speed and agility”, you winked at Hunter, who’s cheeks couldn’t get any redder and you didn’t miss the snickers of the boys and an innocent look from Omega, who despite being older than damn still had a soul and a mind of a child. “An armor would affect my speed and my ability to fit into places, including pipes and sewers.” The understanding flushed on their faces. “The reason I am the only one that can go there is because you guys wouldn’t fit. Easy as that.” 
“Then what about me?” Omega interjected, her hands on her hips. In the corner of your eyes you could see Hunter ready to step up and scold the girl, but before that you threw one of your training knives from your bag at the girl who barely caught it. 
“Attack me, Omega. Your skills with your bow are incredible, trust me”, you smiled at her and shrugged. “But taking a shot with a bow takes time. You need to be able to defend yourself as quickly as possible. Show me your knife skills. If you will be able to take my knife away from me, I’ll take you.” Hunter was about to protest, but was stopped by Echo, who just smirked knowing what you were doing. There was no way Omega would be able to do it. No matter how smart she was, right now it was all about experience. 
Omega took a stance that you assumed was a copy of how she saw Hunter doing. You were surprised at the beginning to see her with a bow, assuming Hunter would teach her his ways, but he was fast to explain. 
“Close combat isn’t her thing. Maybe when she gets some experience, now it just doesn’t make sense. A simple waste of time. A time that can go into other studies. “
You smirked and watched Omega run towards you in the simplest way possible. As you were about to stop her, she threw the knife just millimeters from your face, scooting behind you to pick up the knife. You turned swiftly and blocked her attack easily, actually impressed with the plan in action. It was a good idea, maybe if she was a bit more swift and faster she may have put some pressure on you, but for now, you were able to easily stop her attack. A point of your training knife was near her throat and her weapon was in your other hand. 
“Awesome!” She exclaimed, shouting almost. You chuckled and hid both of the knives. “Will you teach me one day? That was soooo awesome!” You turned and kneeled in front of her patting her on the shoulder. 
“As much as I hate to admit, Hunter is much better with knives than I am” Omega’s eyes widened and she turned towards the Clone who rolled his eyes. 
“Someday”, he murmured and she jumped happily walking to Wrecker to high five him for her effort. 
“So what do you guys say? Will you be my decoy?” She searched their eyes, that were on Hunter who wasn't 100% sure of it yet. “How about I take a comm with me?” His eyes widened, knowing how much you hated them. They were a way to compromise your position. He gave up after the fifth mission in trying to make you take one with you for contact purposes. “Tech, can you adjust the volume to the lowest possible in case of emergency. In that case if something goes to shit, then we will keep in contact.” You couldn’t help but smile at the way Hunter sighed defensively. 
“Fine. Tech can you make one more until the evening?” The clone nodded and turned to get to his work. “Wrecker, take Omega and prepare some welcoming and parting gifts just in case. Echo try to memorize the map with all the tunnels and pipes in case Y/N would need help.” He turned towards you and shook his head. “You and I need to have a talk.” You nodded and followed him, blushing at the way Wrecker and Echo winked at you. 
***
.”We need a plan B in case something happens to you”, he started the moment they were alone. Or at least as alone as it was possible in a place like that. You looked behind at the boys and then at the man. “I did not want to talk about it with Omega.” You nodded understanding. He sat at the same couch you both sat on last evening, however this time his pose was not as relaxed anymore. He hid his head in his hands and sighed. “There are more wild cards than I can accept if I’m being honest.” 
“It’s the safest option for all of you. Of course it would put you in the spotlight when it comes to actually fighting, but there is less uncertainty like that.” 
“What about you?” You smiled and sat next to him, leaning towards his hidden face. 
“Don’t tell me you care”, you joked, hoping to lighten the atmosphere a bit. 
“Of course I do!” he half shouted, standing up rashly turning away from you. “This mission is a Citadel level hard action! We are going there understuffed with not enough knowledge, not enough people, and definitely not enough weapons. We go in there hoping things will go as planned and if they don’t, what then ?” 
“Then we leave, regroup and try again”, you answered quietly, hoping to calm him a bit. It wasn’t often you saw him like that. “This is why I will carry a commlink, if something happens on your side I will come back to you guys and we will try again.” 
“I’m not worried about us, damn it!” he hissed, turning towards you. “It’s you that I'm scared for. You will be alone in a maze of tunnels with uncertain outcome of actions! We both know that the commlink is a bullshit excuse for me to agree to this shithell! We both know that if things will go to shit on your side, you will finish the mission, send the data to Tech and make us leave. Leave you alone in there!” He howled over you, pain in his eyes so sickening, that you were unable to keep eye contact with him. “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me I’m not seeing you the last time!” Something inside of you shifted. Your last night together, before the War ended, flashed in your head. The kiss, the touches, the slow and gentle movements of his hips that let you to the most amazing time of your life. 
“You became attached”, you said, your tone serious, cold and calm. You looked up and stared at him angrily. “This is like any other mission I take part in. I go do my job, knowing I may die. I don’t get attached, this is what I told you so many times!” 
“Then what about that night? What about all these things we said? All these things you said?” He was seething with anger. He knew what you were doing. A defense mechanism, you were not only protecting him, but what's more important you were protecting yourself. 
“It was just a one time thing. Nothing more”, it was like a blow. More painful than any injury he sustained in his life. The coldness in your tone made his anger disappear and he felt his fingers clench in nervousness. “Just sex, Hunter. A way to relax after an awful mission. We are both adults. If I knew you would act like a stupid kid in love after just that, then I would have never…” 
“Just that?!” He wasn’t shouting anymore. The pain in his voice was more than sensible. His heart beat so loud that it was all he could hear right now. He closed his eyes and shook his head to get rid of any unnecessary things right now. He needed to focus, this was too important. If he messes this up, he won’t forgive himself. “I’m not talking about just that night. I’m talking about all the nights we spent just talking. The ones during the War, but also the last one. I know you and you know me more than even my brothers do. I told you anything, I became vulnerable with you! I lost you once, when you left without even a goodbye. I can’t let you do that again!” 
“Kriff, Hunter, wake the fuck up!” You shouted, taking a step away from him. This was too much. The whole conversation brought up all of her fears. All the good memories between the two of them. The hope that when all this hell is over you two would be able to try something. Something more than secret touches, single nights and a quiet sex hidden from his brothers. You wanted this and more with him. This is why you fought with Rex when you wanted to send you here. You were afraid to come back here, because leaving Hunter was the most painful thing you did in your miserable life. 
But you knew your purpose in this mission, in this Galaxy. You were an assassin, a tool for whoever paid more… No, that wasn’t even true anymore. You weren’t like that anymore. You wouldn’t be here if that was true. You wouldn’t be helping Rex if you were still just a tool. You haven’t been one for a while now. And it was thanks to the Bad Batch, to the man in front of you. 
There could not be attachment in this field of work. Attachments get you killed. You become soft, you become human. You care, you feel, you love and you wake up one day looking at a sleeping form of a man that means the Galaxy to you and all you want to do is just stay and forget all about what you need to do. But you couldn’t. And that’s why you left that last time. Because attachments were dangerous not only for you but for him as well. He has his brothers to worry about and now also Omega. This brilliant, fun and amazing young girl, that you just met and you would die to keep safe. You weren’t suited for a happy ending, you wanted him to have it all, and for this to happen you needed to leave. 
You knew you were being unfair, you knew you were leading a lonely life away from the boys you learned to love like a family, without a man that you loved more than anyone in this Galaxy. But for him to be happy you needed this to end in the most tragic and heartbreaking way. You needed to be a bitch, even if it meant him hating you until the end of your life. 
“Are you able to look me in the eyes and tell me all this meant nothing to you?” His voice was broken, so vulnerable, so cracked. There was still hope, a hope that was wavering with every second you kept quiet. You took a deep breath and made a decision. You looked up and with an unwavering tone you said. 
“I’m sorry Hunter, that whatever that was between us made you believe we can have… what even did you expect? A happy little life? Kriff, Hunter, it was just sex, you were just someone that was willing to talk when I needed it. You were there when I needed relief. It meant nothing to me Sergent, it was just a good fuck, nothing more nothin less!” You turned and walked into the only secured room on the ship. Refresher. 
You waited until you could hear his steps, meaning him walking away back to his brother before you collapsed on your knees and with a pathetic sob leaving your throat you emptied your stomach.
***
His head hurt, and he felt physically sick. He never knew words could hurt like that. He was aware of your walls, of how scared you were to become close to anyone, to open up to someone. You both were so similar in that regard. But he thought, he felt that all this time spent together was something for you. He wanted to believe that that night was as important for you as it was to him. 
He didn’t know what pushed him to kiss you. Maybe it was that awful mission you both somehow survived, maybe it was the pent up attraction he felt towards you or maybe it was the thought that he could have lost you today without telling you, without showing you how much he cared for you. And so he kissed you and to his enormous happiness you were kissing him back. He groaned happily, when you strangled his hips leaning forward to deepen the kiss. You tasted sweet, despite the awful, cheap whisky you were both drinking tonight. But at this moment he only tasted you and it was the sweetest, most delicious taste he ever encountered. 
His finger landed on your hips, when he felt you move just slightly, only a friction to feel him under yourself. You parted to gather your breaths. He lowered your head and connected his forehead with yours, looking straight into your beautiful, mesmerizing eyes.Orbs he learned to love so much. 
“I wanted to do this for so long now”, he muttered, leaving wet kisses over your jaw, slowly moving to your sensitive neck, enjoying your quiet moan, when he kissed at your pulse. “Tell me to stop, Y/N. One word and I will leave you alone and we will forget about it.” You looked down at him and kissed him softly. A kidd so different then your first one. 
“I want that Hunter, I want you, I’m yours,” he didn’t need any more encouragement. It was all he needed to hear, all he wanted to ever hear from you. 
You were honest then, probably the most honest you have been with him. He heard the soft “I love you”, when you thought he was sleeping already. He didn’t miss the way you kissed his cheek before you left, leaving him nothing but an apology letter. He wasn’t mad, he understood. You two were soldiers of different kinds. You fought for the fallen Republic. He understood your decision, despite the fact that it hurt like crazy. But he cherished the memory of the kisses and touches, of your sweet moans and the soft whispers of his name. 
He understood then but now it was different. You were not bonded to the Republic. You were free, just as they were. True it wasn’t the life anyone would dream of, but it was a chance he was willing to give. He hoped to talk about it like civilized people, he wanted to propose staying here with them. There was nothing anymore keeping you away from them. You could travel with them, be with him, be happy. And yet you rejected that. He didn’t understand why you lied to him. Why did you keep on lying to yourself? Your words hurt like hell, but the fact that you chose to say them outloud hurt him even more. Because you decided to not give the two of you a chance. A chance he longed for. A chance he hoped he deserved after years of fighting for others. He stupidly hoped he deserved some kind of happiness. A piece of a life he could never have. 
He wasn’t about to fight you. You said your bit, and he did his. He wasn’t as stubborn as Echo, nor as non-understanding as Wrecker to fight for something that had no future. He was tired of fighting. He understood fighting for the Republic, and now against the Empire, but he was tired of fighting for a happiness that didn’t seem to want to stick with him. So he closed his eyes and let the sleep wash over him in hope of forgetting and pretending just for a couple of hours. 
***
The debrief was awkward to say the most. You didn’t speak, only if it was necessary. Most of the time you spend with Tech adjusting your commlink and portraying the exact way you were planning to take to get into that room. You felt the way all of them tried so hard not to talk about what they definitely heard not so long ago. You noticed how Omega was avoiding your eyes. However, you weren’t sure if she was angry with you or just unable to understand the whole situation. You knew you wouldn’t be able to blame her if it was the first one, as you have probably hurt her brother tremendously. 
What hurt you more was the fact that Hunter acted as nothing happened. Precisely like nothing has ever happened. Like you were a random addition to their team, that he met yesterday and couldn't care less about. You knew it was selfish of you to even feel that, it was your own fault after all. It was you who pushed him away, it was you who lied to his face instead of telling him the truth. But you couldn’t do that. You were protecting him from yourself, He deserved better, he had better and you would only bring chaos into his life. If you could turn back the time you would tell Rex to go fuck himself and never come here. You weren’t that selfless to forget that night the two of you shared. You wanted to remember it, that night kept you alive so many times after the War. His soft touches and words that broke your heart. The protectiveness of his arm, when he pulled you towards him after you were both done. The warmth he emitted was like nothing you have ever felt. The realization that came with that night scared you. You loved him so much that it physically hurt. It made you sick, it blocked any rational thinking and so when you were sure he was asleep you did the most selfish thing imaginable, you said you loved him. And then you left in the morning. 
“The most difficult would be to get into the tunnel S12”, you zoomed into the said place. It was the last one, following directly to the office where the data was held. “It’s bigger than the other ones, but there may be some booby traps. But this isn’t something I have to worry about.” 
“Unless one of the traps blows the place off”, Tech murmured, looking at his datapad. You raised your brow at him and sighed. 
“They’re not Wrecker kind of traps, Tech. They are assigned to stop the person who is trying to get to the place. Probably some kind of needle with poison, something fast and productive. And quiet, just in case.” 
“If that’s the case, then we would not be able to help you” Echo said, looking around the place, already trying to see a better, faster way to get to you. You smiled softly to yourself, thankful to a good old Echo for carrying even if he didn't have to. You turned to your little backpack and took out some tubes. 
“I always carry some around. I cannot in good manners know all the poisons in the world, but most of them are based on the same chemical shit, so it is easier for me to make antidotes at least long enough for me to get the mission finished.” 
“And getting out of there, right?” Wrecker asked. It was the first time he spoke today. Knowing him, he was probably the most annoyed with you. With his soft and kind heart, he probably cared the most about his brothers. 
“Sure”, you murmured mindlessly looking at Hunter, remembering your last fight. “The antidote normally works for up to 30 minutes. So plenty of time to get it all nice and steady”,:, the boys did not seem satisfied with the answer, but they knew they had to agree to it. It was after all the best plan. 
“Fine. Just to wrap it up. Omega you stay with us all the time, you hear me?” Hunter looked at the girl who nodded her head, smiling with excitement. Oh, she will give them all some trouble some day. “Tech and Echo we are leaving you with the systems. Wrecker, make sure they don’t hear commotions in the tunnels and pipes. Omega you will be our long distance girl. Make sure you don’t miss. I will take care of anyone who gets too close. Y/N, you have overly 40 minutes for the whole operation from the moment we are in the damn building. In case of any issues, commlink us. We'll do our best to accommodate you.” Professional as always. The perfect soldier. You nodded and started to repack all the stuff you would need. Two knives, your little blaster you always carried with you just in case. You looked at your other weapons and sighed. No room for them, you had to survive with what you got. A robe, some nice techs from Tech and an outside disc for the data extension. And of course your antidote. 
There was some unease in your stomach. You had similar missions before. Some were even more dangerous than others, and yet this one seemed different. You hated that feeling, you were sure that the more you worked the less the feeling seemed to bother you. You took a deep breath and looked around the boys. You wanted to say so much to them. Wanted to apologize, to thank them, to just talk but you couldn’t. You had no right. 
You turned when you saw Omega sitting in her “room” with a plushy in her arms. She looked like a kid, not a soldier, but a young teenage girl. You took a deep breath, took your old knife with you, and sat on the little stairs at the “entrance” to her room. She stared away from you and just hugged the plushy. 
“Isn’t that Wrecker’s?” You asked, smiling softly, hoping the girl wouldn’t leave you hanging. 
“It was, he gave it to me.” She answered, but still not looking at you. 
“It’s very sweet of him. He must care for you deeply, it was a special plushy for him.” 
“All of them care for me and I care for them. We are a squad, a family.” 
“That sounds nice. It must be wonderful to be a part of it.” 
“I’m sure Hunter wanted you to be, but you refused”, and the elephant was spotted. You sighed and leaned onto the wall, closing your eyes. “I don’t understand as much as they do, but it seemed like you hurt Hunter a lot and I don’t like it.” She hugged the plushy more and furrowed her brow angrily. “To me it seems like it hurts you as well.” Your eyes snapped at her and you couldn’t help the chuckle. 
“For someone so young, you sure are a perceptive little thing.” 
“I am older than them…” She rolled her eyes and you couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh. It was hard to remember that, but she did have a point. There was something about Omega that made you think of yourself. Way before your adult life started. You were as curious, careless as she was. Wrapped in the love around you. But with you it ended when your whole family was wiped out by some smugglers and you were left to wander the streets for food and any money. Until your “father” found you and trained you, trying to kill all the emotions. 
“There are times when you have to choose if you value your own happiness over the person you love or not.” The girl finally turned around. Her big, brownish almost golden eyes wide. “Your brothers, not only Hunter, mean the Galaxy to me. This mission, my other missions, the people I know and want me dead… This whole life is too dangerous. They all have you now, their family is almost full and I would hate to be the one to break it. You deserve this Omega. They may hate me for this, but deep down I want to believe I’m making the right choice.” 
“So you lied”, she said and you were thankful to her, that she was keeping the voice lower, to make sure they boys wouldn’t hear it. Something inside you knew though that Hunter would hear it anyway. 
“Adults do a lot of awful things, Omega. We sometimes lie to make someone safe or just happy.”
“Why are you telling me this?” She turned towards you, the plushy forgotten, laying beside her on the floor. The way she looked at you changed as well. The distance and anger left and was replaced by sadness and misunderstanding.
“You remind me of myself when I was younger. I lost my family when I was younger than you, and I don’t want this to happen to you as well, so”, you took one of your knives and gave it to her. It was a lighter one, which should fit her as her first hand to hand weapon. “Ask Hunter to teach you how to use it. It’s not a toy, sweetheart, but should help you save your family in the end if it comes to it..” She nodded and you closed your eyes, stopping the tears from falling, when she hugged you. Such a tender gesture made you question all of your decisions. 
“Get ready, we are landing!” the two of you walked to your site to get ready, when Hunter stopped you in your tracks.  So he did hear all of it. That damn hearing of his. 
“Thank you, Y/N”, he murmured and left you, to sit next to Echo and Tech. You nodded to no one and sat preparing yourself for the mission. 
*** 
“Are you not going to say anything?” Echo didn’t like the way Hunter was behaving. He was too disattached, or at least pretended to be. He knew that the conversation he had with you had left him in more pain than Echo would understand. But he knew his brother enough to know that he would never hold a grudge against someone he felt so strong for. He could see how Hunter looked at you when you were finally preparing to take off. If he wanted to say something it was the last chance. If not the last chance ever, seeing how this mission was designed to fail. One wrong step from you and all of this would be over in a matter of seconds. 
“I said all that needed to be said already”, Hunter answered, his eyes focused on double checking his equipment. He didn’t look like it, but he was nervous about the mission. There were too many unknowns. Not to mention that the last conversation with you did not bring him any peace. He hated how it ended, but it was your decision. And who was he to question that decision. Apparently nothing more than a good fuck to forget about your troubles. 
He ignored the look that Echo gave him and his eyes landed on you, who was working something on the comm, your nose scrunching a little bit. Something you’d do when you focus a lot on something. He was expecting a quiet curse under your nose and smiled when you mumbled something to yourself. He really hated how he knew you so well, he wished he didn’t and yet all these times spent together have given him an opportunity to get to know you more than anyone. He knew you loved your caff with a bit of milk and no sugar, how you preferred an awful kind of whisky rather than even the best kind of wine. He noticed all of the nerve tics you had, that you tried to hide from everyone. How you always favored your right hand in combat, but it was the left leg that did all the real damage. Or how you loved anything that was covered in chocolate. You brought them a box once. He still wasn’t sure where you got it from (he expected them to be stolen), but he had to admit, they were lovely. He knew you loved to sing in the bathroom, despite being terrible in it, he, however, never told you that. 
He frowned, realizing how many things he never told you about. How he hated the way your hair looked when you woke up. How you took care of him and his brothers. How you were one of the few people that were able to bring a genuine laugh from Crosshair. He hated how you would do literally anything to keep them safe. He was so pissed, when you jumped after Tech when he was taken by some unknown water creature. He loved how easy it was for you to talk to Wrecker, how incredibly patient you were with Echo. And most importantly he loved and hated the fact that you understood him more than he understood himself. 
There were so many things he wanted to say. Still so many things he wanted to do, but he was aware that today would be the end. Even if you all would walk out of there alive, you would leave and probably would never see them again. A side of him wanted to see you as nothing more than a coward, but he knew that it would have been unfair to you. And he hated lying, whether it was to others or simply to himself. And he found himself lying to himself about you more time than he would have liked. 
“We will enter together. We should be able to keep together for a couple of rooms before they notice us.” You started, putting on your hood and mask. All in black, all in disguise, all professional, all ready for yet another mission. One of many. “Tech, make sure you will be less occupied when I need you. I may be good, but not that good”, he smirked and nodded, putting his helmet on. Your hand traveled to your pocket and you took out a small necklace you normally wore and walked to Hunter. “Keep this for me, will you?” His eyes widened, when he realized what you gave him. But before he was able to say anything, or even worse, question you, you gave a sign for the mission to start. You watched him, put it safely in one of his secured pockets and smiled softly. You made a decision whether it was a good one or not, you hope you will have time to see. 
*** 
“It’s way too easy”, Wrecker grumbled and you had to nod. It was too quiet, and you were able to walk into the building with no extra eyes on you. Like no one lived here, like all that place was abandoned. Which was impossible, this place was never deserted. It never was and it never will be. 
“150 meters from the pinpoint” Tech said in a whisper, his eyes on the pad, already working on something you had no idea about. You never pretended to keep up with him and his ideas. You did, however, love to hear him talk about things he found fascinated. His brothers were as patient with him as they could, but you always enjoyed some good teaching. And despite all, Tech was a brilliant teacher. He never wavered even with, what some would consider, stupid questions. ‘You need to learn, and how will you learn without asking even the most obvious questions.’ 
You all stopped when Hunter’s hand flew upwards stopping you all with a swift gesture. He heard and smelled more than you. If Hunter heard something, who were you to question him. “Take cover”, he murmured and you all split up into corners. You watch with a snarl how two of the Troopers came out of the room with blasters in their hands. They must have realized you were all in. If that was the case, then you had to move. You looked at Echo and he nodded. Do not panic, after all everything went as planned. Before you were able to blink the two soldiers were laying, stunned by Echo and Wrecker. And you were free to start your part of the mission. 
“Keep your comm on” Hunter mumbled, before you walked into the drain. You turned to him and nodded, your whole face hidden from him, just as he was from you. Yet you were still able to feel his soft eyes on you. The same beautiful eyes you loved so damn much. You reached for your pocket and took out the thing you cherished the most.
“Keep it safe. I will be back for it!” and you jumped up, before any of you were able to say or do anything. That little gesture. That necklace you gave him was a symbol. Your biggest weakness yet. A way for him to realize that you lied. That he was way more important to you than you told him. It was a testament of your love. The necklace is a symbol of whatever there was between you two. Afterall, it was the first ever gift from him to you. 
“I know it’s impractical”, he mumbled under his nose, looking anywhere but you. A green, small rock they found on the mission was morphed into a necklace. Nothing too fancy, a pretty thing, and so very much your style. If, of course, you would ever wear jewelry. “And you don’t have to accept it if you don’t want to. I just…” He sighed and you bit your lip, stopping yourself from smiling at how adorably awkward he was with all this. “I thought you may like it… You don’t have to wear it or anything… Eh you know what, never mind.” He was about to take it back from you, but you snitched it, turned around and moved your hair away from your neck. 
“Will you put it on me?” You smiled softly at how happy he looked. He clasped it safely on you and was surprised when you turned and kissed him on the cheek. Something so innocent was more than he ever hoped for from you. “It’s beautiful. Thank you Hunter. I will treasure it with my heart.” 
And you did. You wore it in all your missions, you had it with you when the nights were too scary even for you. You held onto it, imagining Hunter’s adorable blush, after so many nights you woke in pain after getting shot or hurt in any way during your missions. You had all that arsenal of weapons with you and yet this necklace was the best and strongest weapon you owned. It gave you hope that there was someone there that wanted you alive. That wanted you, the real you. 
You hated yourself for the words you spoke to him, but that short discussion with Omega, with the way Echo looked at you before the mission and the way Hunter seemed to give you space made you realize that there was no other place in the Galaxy that you would rather be, than here with them. Being understood and accepted for who you really are. And loved by a man that loved you even when you didn’t even remotely like yourself. And so you made a decision. An impulsive one, but you have never felt more certain about anything else. And so you gave him your hope, for him to hold onto it and give it all back, with himself included, when all of this would be over. 
***
You tried to think it was the damn tunnels that turned smaller, than becoming bigger. If Crosshair was here, he for sure would send some snarky comment towards you. Sure you didn’t train as much as you used to but damn it, these were narrow little fuckers. What calmed you slightly was the fact that they seemed to lead to exactly the same places they did all these years ago. You looked down on your watch and smiled. The timing was pretty good regarding the difficulties it brought you to maneuver. 
You stopped absurdly and hissed the biggest curse word you knew. There right in front of you the entrance to the last part of the tunnel was gone. Well more like entombed. You sat down and tried to remember the map. Trying to calm yourself you tried so hard to remember an alternative road. You could always just come back and try another way, but there was no time for that. With your luck you would probably have gotten lost after a second try. 
“Echo” you whispered into the comm, hoping they weren’t too busy. After a beat or two you could hear a soft mumble from the Clone. “You memorized the tunnels, right?” 
“What happened?” Hunter interjected and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You should have used a private line. 
“The fastest entrance turned out to be a dead end. Someone entombed it. I could blow it up but a) it wouldn’t be very stealthy of me and b) Wreck would never forgive me.” You heard a laugh of the big man and smiled. “Echo, use that strategic mind of yours and please tell me you remember the other way around.” 
“No need for that!” This time it was Tech that interjected. You could see Echo’s annoyed face already and chuckled softly to yourself. “I encrypted a map to your commlink. Click on the orange button and the mini holo should appear.” Yu followed his order and indeed a small, mini version of the holo appeared in front of you. “If you double click on the white one it will show the fastest way around. You would need to add the entrance as not crossable and the system should be able to figure out a new way out” 
“Tech, you are a genius!” You exclaimed when the system did indeed show you another way.
“As much as I would gladly agree with you, the map is based on the information I gathered from you and any insights from Echo, so if there is anything new, like this entombment, then you are… well screwed.” 
“Trust me, Tech. This is plenty! I owe you.” You started to crawl to the other entry. “I shouldn’t lose too much time, how are you guys holding up?” 
“Wrecker is having the time of his life”, Omega jumped to the conversation and you smiled hearing her voice. She sounded tired and a little bit out of breath, but that was to be expected. 
“We should be able to stir them away from you for a while, but make sure you don’t wonder anymore than is necessary.” Hunter replied softly and you couldn’t help the smile, hearing humor in his tone. “We can give you 10 extra minutes top.” 
“More than enough” you mumbled loudly enough for him to hear you. “Oh and Hunter?” You quickly changed into the private line. “I’ll come back to you. I promise!” 
***
The new way was indeed a better option. It did take about 3 extra minutes from you, but at least you were now looking down into the data room. Of course your poor luck wouldn’t let you just do your job as you pleased, as the Warden did not mind the spectacle that The Batch was putting on, especially for him. 
You didn’t have time to call for reinforcement to get the guy out of his room, so you started to prepare a sleeping party for him, when something inside you screamed to move. You shifted just when a bullet hit the bottom of the tunnel you were in. 
“You can come out, you sleazy rat”, the Warden shouted looking up at you. This wasn’t good. He wasn’t the one who shot at you, so it meant that there was still someone there. You wouldn’t really care much about it, if the time wasn’t so not in your flavor. In approximately 10 to 15 minutes reinforcements that were surely called upon by the Warden would come and even your boys would have some issues with him. So you hid your pride and clicked on the red button on the comm. ‘It will alert us that something didn’t go as planned and you are unable to communicate with us. This way we would be able to help you in case of an emergency.’ You really did owe Tech this time. 
“I guess my brilliant stealth mission plan was not as brilliant as I hoped”, you opened the crater and jumped down, raising your hand to indicate to the bulky man with a gun that you were harmless. Well in theory at least. And damn he was huge, you weren’t sure if even Wrecker would be able to handle him. 
“We know of the rebellion to the Empire”, the Warden started slowly walking towards you. “We know what kind of information we possess and trust me when I say that I expected you, Miss L/N”, your eyes widened slightly, taken by surprise. “We don’t know who bought your luxurious services, but I was hoping you would gladly cooperate with us.” 
“Oh sure, no problem. How about you give me the data I need and then we can negotiate”, you hissed feeling a hit in the back of your knees, making you fall down. You glared at the giant who was confiscating all of your weapon. “Careful buddy, some of them are quite valuable.” He ignored you and you rolled your eyes annoyed. 
“You are quite chatty for someone called The Shadow.” 
“Shadows talk when you listen”, you shrugged and he raised his brow. “Too deep for you?” He sighed annoyed and you hissed angrily when he slapped you across the face. “How it’s true what they say, there are no gentlemen anymore.” Another blow came, this time from behind, close to your neck with something metallic, probably the big guy’s gun. 
“What we’re gonna do now is wait for the reinforcement to get rid of those little flies that apparently were supposed to get me out of the office”, you really didn’t like the smirk on his face. “Predictable, I expected more from you. After all, you're a legend. You were even a prisoner here for a while right?”
“A bit too personal don’t you think? How about you buy me dinner first and then we cen”, this time you did feel that. A kick to your stomach that took your breath away. Literally. You feel face down, your forehead laying on the floor. You were about to reboost with yet another snarky comment when you felt the big guy lifting you up by your throat. 
“That shit here is saved for at least a fourth date!” you growled trying to take some air. 
“Now before my friend here crashes your neck, would you like to tell me who sent you? If I like your answer I would even consider keeping you alive. Can say the same thing about those outside.” It was taking too long, something must have happened. Your strategy of buying them some time didn’t seem to work. So there was time for another solution. The one you were more familiar with. Get your ass out of any shitty situation. 
There was one thing about hunky guys like the one holding you. They were normally slower than normal human beings, which gave you an advantage that you were planning to use against him. Sending him a soft smile you took out a knife from inside your limited armor and with a swift move sent it right at his eye, making him stumble and lose his hold on you. You gathered your hidden mini blaster you adored so much from underneath your armor and shot him before he was able to react. You turned swiftly towards the Wardan that seemed to just now register what happened. You pointed your gun at him and walked towards your weapons and took out the disc. 
“Now be a good boy and move away from your precious computer”, you took yet another shot when he moved to the equipment. This one however didn’t mean to kill him like with the big guy, but to harm him enough to stop him from moving. Maybe Rex would be of use to a little shit like him. “Why do you guys never listen?” You rolled your eyes and started the real mission. Working as fast as you could, you started to send all the data to your external disc. 
“You guys are late”, you murmured when the doors blasted open and five clones entered the room. Echo smirked at the scene in front of him and then chuckled, patting Hunter in his shoulder. 
“See nothing to worry about.” Tech walked towards you and looked at the screen. 
“It just started…” 
“Well I was a bit occupied!” You hissed nodding to the man. “Mr Warden here wasn’t really keen on accepting a diplomatic solution to the situation.” You were pushed aside by Tech and you glared at him, which was ignored. Rudely ignored. As you were about to say something, strong arms pulled you around and you were met with a face of a very concerned Hunter. 
“Are you alright?” His slender fingers slipped on your neck, where the big guy’s hand rested not so long ago. You looked up at Hunter’s eyes and smiled softly and the loving men, who were fussing over you, like you were one of the noobies and not one of the most skilled Assassins in the Galaxy. “I’m sorry it took us longer, but they were more annoying than we thought.” 
“I’m ok, love” his eyes widened at your term of endearment, unable to keep a smile on his lips. “And don’t worry I managed.” 
“I think I’m going to puke '' The Warden hissed, looking at you.with a mix of anger and disgust. “Not only were you fooled by something as stupid as love, but you fell for a Clone?” You raised a brow at him and as you were about to answer him, you almost missed his movement and in the last second pushed Hunter away. You stumbled back and the room became quiet when the blaster hit you down your stomach. Before he was able to shoot the second time, Wrecker shot him square between his eyes. 
“Y/N?!” You heard Hunter and Omega yell beside you, pulling you to his arms. You choked, just now feeling a sting from the shot. “Sweetheart look at me”, you followed his voice and looked at him, smiling softly. “You’re going to be OK!” You heard Echo and Tech arguing, probably about the speed of the data recovery, but your eyes were focused on the man you loved. 
“I’m fine. Nothing I haven’t lived through before,” he pushed you gently down, when you tried to sit up. “Just another scar for the collection. Some more and you wouldn’t want to look at me”, you chuckled, coughing slightly. You looked down feeling your hand being pulled into another smaller one and you smiled at the girl. 
“That will never happen, sweetheart. I will always want you”, Hunter laughed quietly, lifting you up slowly. “Tech, how much longer, we’re gonna have a company very soon!” 
“Now!” he mumbled and took the disc out of the computer. Ready to go. Let’s get on the ship and I will be able to patch her up.” 
“I knew you would do it in less than 10 minutes, Tech!” You chuckled, when all of you were getting ready to leave the room.  “Wrecker sweety, can you do me a favor and leave a parting gift for them ?” The man laughed and nodded, coming back to leave the bomb to be detonated when they all would be more than a safe distance away. 
“It was 3 minutes and 20 seconds precisely, by the way,” Tech interjected and you laughed, regretting it right after when a hellish sting traveled through your body. You smiled to yourself. Despite the hole in your stomach you were happy. You were surrounded by the people that cared for you and you cared for them so deeply. And you were finally in the arms of the man you loved the most in the damn Galaxy. Ignoring his shouts at you to stay awake, you leaned your head on his chest and closed your eyes, whispering a soft apologies towards Hunter. 
***
Something was different from the last couple of times you woke up after being injured on the missions. You did not feel so warm and definitely did not hear all the voices semi whispering around you. And you were definitely not on the Marauder under all the possible blankets that were found on board. 
“Hey there, sleepy head!” You slowly opened your eyes to the voice you learned to love so much. You turned your head towards Hunter and smiled. You heard Omega shouting to the others that you were awake and the little privacy between the two of you was over when the others rounded you. 
S
“You scared us, Y/N” Echo started, smiling at you softly, but you could see his eyes betraying how scared he was before. “A word of advice. When you have a wound like that, try not to fall asleep.” You chuckled and held Hunter’s hand. 
“Try not to fall asleep in those nice and warm arms.” The boys rolled their eyes and Omega laughed at the way Hunter blushed. “What about the mission?”
“Professionalist as always” Wrecker laughed, showing you the disc that was probably full of the information. 
“We contacted Rex and headed towards the rendezvous point to meet with him. He asked if he should prepare any form of transport for you.” The room became quiet and all of the eyes landed on you. You swallowed and clenched Hunter’s hand. 
“Can you guys give us a minute?” Sergeant asked and all of them left to pretend to do something other than listen to the two of you, but just from a distance. “Here”, he pulled your necklace from his pocket and smiled, asking him with your eyes to clasp it on your neck. He helped you to sit down slowly and the necklace was once again next to your heart where it belonged. “I didn’t know you still had it.” One of his hands came back to hold yours and you couldn’t help the warmth crawling to your cheeks. 
“Of course. I cherished it all this time. It gave me hope when all the hope was lost. It reminded me of you and gave me strength to keep on going.” You looked away, ashamed to say something so vulnerable. Just not used to be so honest with him without the alcohol that normally forestalled these types of conversations between the two of you. “Thank you for keeping it safe.” You knew that you were supposed to be the one to start this conversation but despite knowing how he felt you were still scared. Terrified that the words you spoke before the mission would have scared him away. But you took a deep breath and decided to fight for it. You mentally prepared yourself for the most important battle of your life. “I don’t think it was just sex, Hunter.” Your voice, quiet, shaky with nervousness. Your eyes landed on your connected hands, unable to look at him. “There was never anything ‘just’ with you. All the memories I hold, the nights we spend talking, laughing and crying. That night when I was finally able to feel you, taste you. It was never ‘just’. You have never been a ‘just’ to me. You are the most important person in my life. What you gave me, what you helped me realize and helped me feel once again is indescribable. It is thanks to you that I am able to feel again. The emotions my father was trying to kill in me, you helped me raise them back to life. I don’t want to even think how my life would look if you weren’t in it. And kriff, Hunter, I never want to know.” 
You closed your eyes letting the tears flow down your cheeks on the covers. You have never been more vulnerable with him and to your surprise there was nothing scary about it. You looked up and smiled through the tears, meeting the softness in his eyes. 
“I have been a coward most of my life. I was running away from happiness, from a life that would give me more than I thought I deserved. I still believe you would do much better than me, but the selfish part of me doesn’t want you to explore further when I am right here in front of you.” You felt him squeeze your hand and you chuckle at his raised brow. “I was a coward when I left that night, and I was a coward when I said all these awful things to you. Will you ever forgive me?” 
You waited for his response and for just a second a wave of fear went through your body. That he will reject you, already too tired with you. A gasp escaped you when his lips met you in a tender and soft kiss. As you were about to deepen the kiss he pulled away, laughing at your pouting face. 
“My feelings haven’t changed. I know you Y/N, I knew you were protecting yourself. But I do have to ask you one thing. If you decide to give us a chance and stay, please don’t ever leave me.” You melted at his words and pulled him into another kiss. Tears started flowing again and you couldn’t help but laugh happily. “I love you, Y/N.” 
“I love you too, Sergeant!”
“I”ll let Rex know, then”, Tech shouted, making the two of you laugh out loud. You were finally, truly happy. You were at a place you called home and with a man you loved from the bottom of your heart. 
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casicroaks · 1 year ago
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At the insistence of his new friends, Woody finally opens up about his life previous to Andy. Meanwhile, as Bo discovers there was so much that was left unsaid between them, she resolves to follow his example -and tell him what she truly went through, between being taken to a new family and finding her own capacity for independence.
CHAPTER 1
[ CHAPTER 1 // CHAPTER 2 // CHAPTER 3 // CHAPTER 4 // CHAPTER 5 // CHAPTER 6 // CHAPTER 7 // CHAPTER 8 // CHAPTER 9 // CHAPTER 10 // CHAPTER 11 // CHAPTER 12 ]
The carnival was moving to a new town. The toys were staying at one of the carts –one where the main pieces of machinery were kept, filling the place with nice little nooks and corners to sleep and sit and lean onto. Bo, having parked her skunk-cycle safely against a couple of iron beams, lit a small lantern she carried for these opportunities, and so her gang gathered around the light. Ducky and Bunny were trying to play cards without letting the other see theirs (which, being joined at the hands, was not an easy task) while Duke Caboom, who had found a little forgotten tube of lipstick, was attempting to repaint some parts of his motorbike. In the meantime, Bo and Giggle talked excitedly about what the new town would offer, what type of children would be there –and new emergency plans in case of dogs, which were much more common than cats and, if they swallowed Giggle or found Bo Peep, could start a whole situation that could easily end up in disaster.
As they did all this, Woody kept his distance, staying against the wall, gazing through a crack in the wood of the cart walls at the clear night sky. Despite the speed of the train the stars could be seen perfectly, twinkling bright against the pure dark blue. The trees raced along them, their leaves lit silver by a beautiful full moon. He moved away from the wall and wandered around, lost in thought. Bo noticed, and walked up to him, her sheep following her close by.
"Hey… You okay?"
"What?" Woody snapped out of his daze. "Oh, yeah, I'm okay. I'm doing okay. You okay?"
Bo chuckled. "What's on your mind, cowboy?"
"Nothing, I was just…" Woody let out a little laugh, petting Goat (or was that Gruff?), knowing how corny he would sound. But with Bo, he was never really afraid of being a bit corny once in a while. "I was thinking of Andy again. When I went on car rides with him, I never looked out the window. I didn't care what was outside. But now, out here… The trees are so beautiful in the moonlight, and so is the lake… I don't know," he sighed. "I guess I'm noticing all I've been missing out on."
Bo rubbed the back of his neck. "You sure you're okay, honey?"
"Yeah," Woody said, smiling at her. "Don't worry about me."
"Okay, alright then. Hey everybody, gather up!" said Bo, and her sheep bounced back to her side. "Let's plan for tomorrow, shall we?"
"Yeah, there's no fun in this. Ducky's a serial cheater," said Bunny, throwing his cards down.
"Don't you dare call me that!" cried Ducky. "My eyes just happened to set on your hand! It looks a lot like my hand!"
"Sure –main difference being that my hand's looking a lot better than your hand!"
"Guys, c'mon," said Giggle. "That's a silly thing to argue about."
"Silly? Imagine your partner being a serial cheater, then tell me if that seems silly to you."
"I have never cheated! In my life! I am absolutely honest and… Hey, wait a minute. How did you know your hand's a lot better than my hand?" said Ducky, and gasped. "You've been the cheater all along!"
"How dare you!"
"Guys!" said Giggle. "Please!"
They both left their cards and hung their head in shame. Bunny sighed. "She's right. I'm sorry, Ducky. I never meant to hurt you. You know I love playing with you. No matter how hard it gets."
"No, I'm sorry, Bunny," said Ducky. "I shouldn't have been taking cards out the deck each time you looked at your deck. That's too close to actual cheating, you know. And I'd never do something like that."
"What are we gonna do, Peep?" asked Duke. "Plan the next playtime?"
"I've thought so…" Bo looked at Woody, who had sat on the floor around the lantern, staring at her. Bo then had an idea. "But I'd also like to do something different tonight. You all know Woody, of course."
"The ex-sheriff," said Ducky.
"Were proud of you for leaving the pigs, comrade," said Bunny.
"Hey!" cried Giggle. "You know I'm head of pet patrol!"
"Aw, you know you're different, Dimples," said Ducky.
"Yeah," said Bunny. "You're like a vet –a pet cop –a vop –a pop –copet –vetpetcop –pet enforcer..."
"No," said Giggle in a deadpan. "That's even worse."
"What would you prefer, then?" asked Bunny. "Animal catcher?"
"I thought copet was the best one," commented Ducky.
"What I mean to say," continued Bo. "Is that we all know each other pretty well –but I bet you still have some questions about Woody."
"Yes, I have one –what is Woody short for?" asked Duke. "Woodrow? Woodbert? Woodinson? Woodpecker?"
"How did you get to be a sheriff?" asked Ducky.
"Have you ever jailed anyone?" asked Bunny.
"How many years have you on the job?" asked Giggle.
"I meant more like questions of who he is," said Bo, trying to stop the flurry of inquiries. "Many of us spent a long, long time not being played with, but for Woody playtime comes natural."
"Well," smiled Woody, quite flattered. "I wouldn't say natural..."
"Hey –hey –I still have a question," said Ducky. "How did you get to be a sheriff?"
Woody sighed, but it was at least a question he could answer. "I was made as a sheriff. I've had the role and my badge for as long as I can remember."
"I knew it," said Ducky to Bunny, lowering his voice. "He's inherited the job. Dang nepotism..."
"What else can you remember?" asked Giggle.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, what's your real story, cowboy?" she insisted.
"I already told you," smiled Woody. "And I've made my best to add as much detail as I could recall."
"No, I don't mean that… I mean the before. How did you get to Andy's room in the first place?"
Woody, still smiling, looked up at Bo. She looked back, with a questioning glance and a slightly worried look on her face. Woody took a deep breath.
"I don't think… It's not a very interesting story. It's long, and tedious, and boring, and long…"
"Come on!" said Giggle. "How long could it really be?"
"Yeah, sheriff," added Duke. "I mean, look at me! I'm an old boy like you, made for the Great Christmas Demand of 1975—"
"I was made in 1952," said Woody quietly.
Everyone turned at him in surprise. Woody wished he had kept his mouth shut.
Giggle let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh my," she said. "In that case it's truly crazy that you've gone so long without some real wear and tear. Am I right, Bo?"
"Why don't I know that?" blinked Bo, confused. "Did you… Did you ever tell me, Woody? Have I just forgotten…?"
"Well –Jessie and I told you, we and Bullseye were originally characters from a TV show..."
"Yes, but I thought you were reproductions," said Bo. "You know, newer toys made to look just like the originals…."
"Oh, yeah," said Duke proudly. "Beware the knockoffs. Marge had to send me to a specialist historian to make sure that I was the real deal."
"But –did you ever tell us you were made so long ago?" Bo asked Woody.
"No, no, it's just…! I never told anyone."
Giggle glanced at Bo. She didn't return the glance.
"Alright. I mean, it's not like we haven't seen some serious elderly folk at Second Chance…" said Giggle.
"Yes, Woody," said Duke sympathetically. "No prejudices here. We won't judge you on your age."
"Thanks, guys," said Woody. "Well… Do you really want to know? I'm more interested in what you all did before getting into Second Chance –like, what about you, Duke? How did you get here all the way from Canada? And you, Giggle? I bet you've got quite a story—"
"Just tell us, Woody!" said Bo. "We got time. If we get bored, we'll tell you."
"Yeah, don't worry about that," grinned Giggle.
"Alright. Alright," said Woody. "I… Gosh, it's been a while since I haven't… It was a very long time ago…"
Sunlight streaming through clear windows, specks of dust floating around –that was the first thing Woody remembered. There was the gentle twang of guitar music from a radio, and an old man wearing a striped shirt by the cash register was reading a newspaper. There was an assortment of blurry colors in the store, of brightly painted dolls, cars, guns and soldiers, all type of figures and shapes, made irregular by the layer of slightly-crumpled, see-through plastic between him and the outside. He was still, in his box, watching everything silently. As the sun left and the store went dark, the old man left too and locked the door, and some toys –those who were not firmly packed in their respective boxes –ran across the checkered floor, chatted among them, went to the window and gazed out of it, to the twinkling world outside, just like Woody –just like the other toys still in their packaging. And then morning came –everyone went back to their places –and the old man would unlock the door and the store would open.
And every day, like clockwork, just by the time the shadows in the store became long and the sunlight was particularly yellow, children –shorter, smoother-skinned versions of the old man that guarded the store –pressed their faces against the window glass, watching in, excitedly. Some of them pointed at the dolls, at the hula hoops, at the toy guns –and some, several in fact, pointed at Woody –and he felt a twinge of pride, of satisfaction. For some reason, those children seemed so happy to see him. And he realized how happy that made him –their glee felt contagious. Sometimes children would rush inside, making the little bell by the door ring relentlessly, and they grabbed at everything, and crowded around the brighter, more colorful toys, and looked around and called each other's attention; and many gazed at him longingly, and Woody felt like a million bucks.
A few weeks went on like this. People –truly, mostly adults –came and purchased boxes of Woodys that looked exactly like him, and they were put into a bag and left through the ringing door, hopefully to some loving home. Finally a tall man in a suit came into the store, glanced around, and as he came across Woody he smiled. He asked the striped-shirt man to pack and wrap it for a present, and so Woody's box was taken from the shelf, was wrapped in darkness and taken on a bumpy ride somewhere that would become his new place.
The box was opened by a short, stout freckled boy, and as soon as his gaze fell on Woody, his face lit up and he let out a delighted gasp.
"Sheriff Woody! He looks just like he does in the show! Aw, thanks Pops!"
The boy gave his father a big hug, as the mother laughed.
"Now, Davy, there's one more gift for you..."
But the boy, Davy, only had eyes for Woody. As soon as he was excused he went to his room, clicking his tongue to make the sound of a galloping horse. He pulled Woody's string to hear him say in a clear, resolute voice, You're my favorite deputy!
The following years were some of the happiest in the young pair's life. Davy didn't have the whole set of Woody's Round Up toys, but he did have a tin toy horse named Applebite, which became Woody's new steed. Davy also had several small papier-mache figurines he made himself, of different little critters Woody was often saving from some dastardly plan concocted by the evil Professor Atom –an old, flaky wooden puppet covered in shiny crumpled tin foil. And, of course, Davy also made amazingly detailed sets of cardboard locations for playtime: a saloon with a working door, several tables and stools made of real balsa wood, a bar with tiny cups and bottles, and a functioning toy piano on the end of the room, next to a set of stairs leading nowhere; a lair for the villain, full of shelves where he kept his weapons –all made with papier-mache as well; and he painted them all with careful strokes of leftover chalk paint.
Davy always took Woody with him when he watched TV, always at the announced airing time, each week, to catch the latest episode of Woody's Round Up or The Lone Ranger. Mom didn't allow him to watch too much TV, "it'll rot your brain into mush", she always said, and when he was alone Davy repeated the phrase, and even made it the concept behind one of Doctor Atom's super-rays. As Mom didn't have a job like Pops did she stayed almost exclusively at home, doing at least two of her usual activities, which would include cleaning, washing, vacuuming, ironing, cooking, talking through the phone, sitting by the window, staring at the wallpaper, drinking, and giving orders to Davy. Davy would read his Frontiersman comics strips, trying to ignore his mother, receiving the orders in silence. And this would make Mom even angrier.
"Wash your teeth, stand up straight, chew with your mouth closed! Stop mumbling, stop running around, stop complaining all the time!" mocked Davy when her mother wasn't nearby, when he came home from school and was playing with his toys. "You should be happy you don't have a mother, Woody…"
And Davy always talked to Woody as if, for some reason, he knew Woody could listen. He commented on his friends and parents' behavior and told him about his day almost as if they were lifelong friends. When he had nightmares and couldn't go back to sleep, late into the night, Davy told Woody about his fears and held him tightly, either until his tears dried or until he fell asleep again.
The other toys –Applebite and Professor Atom, especially –were the most helpful at understanding how to be there for Davy. Applebite had been around since Davy was a baby, and knew exactly what comforted him and what made him anxious. Usually, as Woody found out, Davy liked having something soft to hold on to when he was nervous, angry or scared, whether it be a pillow, a piece of cloth or even Woody's own soft ragdoll body. When Davy was happy, he liked having everything in sight, easy to spot and move as he saw fit. He became distressed when his room was too messy, and Woody never discovered whether it was because of his own desire for order or because of a fear of being punished by Mom. Not even Applebite knew.
Professor Atom, on the other hand, hadn't been around for so long, but he was incredibly attentive and had a good ear and eye (metaphorically speaking; both features' factory paint was peeling quickly) to detect things not even Applebite could notice. Professor Atom was an old puppet that Davy had fished out of a garbage bin on the street; he used to be called Marvelous Merlin, a wizard for a puppet show depicting King Arthur's adventures. Time had not been kind to him, but his naturally chipped and rotting wood were perfect for a supervillain; Davy had only needed to wrap him up with tin foil and repaint some of his features to have a terrifying puppet to serve as the antagonist to Sheriff Woody's heroics. Despite the absolute change of his identity, Professor Atom was grateful for his second chance at being played with; as he laid on that garbage tin, wet by rain and eaten by bugs, he told Woody, he had truly expected it to be his end. And even if he could be rather noisy when trying to spy on the family's exchanges (wood limbs are not nearly as quiet as plastic nor rag), he had a worldliness that made Woody deeply admire him.
"Mom has some deep underlying issues," Professor Atom used to say, perched on Davy's bedroom window, watching the street. "Look at her. Look how she's staring down the road."
"Is she missing Pops?" asked Woody, sitting beside him. He knew Davy often missed his father; as soon as he arrived from work, Davy would run up to him and tell him everything Woody already knew, how class had gone, what games he played, what happened in the latest TV episode.
"Pff. Of course not," said Professor Atom. "Look how she keeps glancing at her watch. Look how she taps her heel. She's gonna whoop his ass as soon as he brings it home."
"Oh, that's bad news," said Woody. Davy was very sensitive to when his parents argued –which was pretty often. All toys could hear the rumble going down in the kitchen, the yelling and the cursing, and Davy would try to cover his ears and shut his eyes as hard as he could. In these moments, the need to silence the world was so strong that he couldn't even hold Woody for comfort. "But why is Mom so angry at him? What did Pops do wrong?" he asked. "Or is it like with Davy –she just likes nagging for nagging's sake?"
"Beats me. But I do have a theory," said Professor Atom. Mom was now lighting a cigarette, as the light faded and the street turned dark. "I think Mom's not happy here. I daresay she doesn't even love Pops."
"But why wouldn't she?" insisted Woody. In the TV shows, Moms and Pops usually loved each other. Yes, they often squabbled, but by the end of the episodes they usually made up. "Pops' the best, Davy says so. He's smart, he's strong, he's crafty, he's a hard worker…"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean he's a good partner," said Professor Atom. "Listen, sheriff: I remember clearly, King Arthur and Guinevere. On stage, they were as lovey-dovey as can be. But off the stage… Whoo, these two were impossible. King Arthur was a complete diva; it was as if everyone else was there to serve him. Jeez, he treated me like a damn butler," he grunted. "But with Guinevere… It was different with her. He actively tried to sabotage her, to win the affections of children. You see, Guinevere was one of the most beautiful puppets ever, even prettier than Iseult. And she knew it. When she appeared on stage, accompanied by this enchanting flute theme, all the kids had eyes only for her. And Arthur was green with envy. He wrecked Guinevere's dress, forcing her to sleep outside the box, prey to the moths. He insulted her every time the show ended, criticizing her performance, telling her how she had overacted, how she was barely fit for her melodramas. And once, in pure anger, Guinevere shattered Arthur's crown."
Woody stared at Professor Atom, holding his breath. Besides being quite knowledgeable, Professor Atom was also really good at keeping others on the edge of their seats.
"Arthur almost destroyed Guinevere after that. And I don't mean destroyed in a symbolic way. He destroyed her in the only way he could ensure he would stay the star of the show; he grabbed a thick branch, while our owners were sleeping. He went to Guinevere… And smashed her head until she was nothing but a bunch of splinters. Her body remained, but her head, her beauty… There was nothing left. In the end, our owners had to cut out her character completely. And Guinevere… Who knows where and in what state she is now."
Woody tried to imagine it, but he couldn't. The process from puppet to nothing… It was something that his mind couldn't fathom yet. "So do you think…? Do you think Mom's going to destroy Pops?"
"No, that would be illegal. You know, like in the TV? No, she won't bash his head into tiny pieces, but Mom's gonna try to do something similar –destroy him in a symbolic way. She'll make sure Davy doesn't like Pops any longer –she knows how Pops wants Davy to like him. And if Davy doesn't like her, well…"
"Woody, look what I've bought!" Davy's voice reached them from the hall.
Professor Atom and Woody went limp. Davy picked Woody up, a huge grin on his face, and showed him his purchase. "Look, it's a little guitar I saw on discount at the store today. Isn't it perfect? It's just like the one in the show –now you can play and sing us your songs –and look!" Davy strummed the little strings. "It sounds like a real guitar too!"
Davy sat on his bed, put Woody on his lap and the small guitar on Woody's lap. Davy let out a chuckle. "It's… A little bigger than what it should be, but I think it'll work just fine. So, why don't you sing us a song, sheriff?" Davy pulled the string, and Woody said I'd like to join your posse, boys, but first I'm gonna sing a little song…
Instead of a song, though, there was the sound of heeled footsteps approaching. Davy looked up, and his mother was there, looking tired, with a cigarette between her fingers.
"Well, bucko, looks like you father's not coming for dinner tonight –again," muttered Mom, dropping the ashes on Davy's room floor. "Come on now, before the stew gets cold."
"But –I wanted to tell Pops all about how I won today as baseball –and about Johnny's trip to Hawaii –and –and…!"
"He don't care about any of that, David," said Mom. Davy's excitement went out like a candle. "If he cared about anything you do, about anything I do, then he'd have the decency to come at the time he is supposed to come home, to eat the meal I prepare for him. Of course, if I'm the one who's late on the dinner roast I'm the lazy one, I'm the one who's done nothing for this family, despite—"
Davy stared at his mother. Mom sighed.
"Just… Come have dinner," she said. "And wash your hands. I'll know if you haven't."
Davy looked down at Woody. He sighed, and followed his mother out of the room.
"See? I told you," said Professor Atom to Woody from the windowsill. "Divide and conquer."
Situations like these were common, and became even more frequent as Davy grew older and Mom and Pops' patient grew thinner and thinner over the years. They began arguing in front of Davy, something they didn't dare do before. Broken dishes, flying insults and slamming doors were something to be expected nightly.
Davy, despite how excitedly he played with his toys and how jolly he seemed, was truly a very sad boy. He would sit on his carpet quietly, listening to the hurtful words his parents hurled at each other. He couldn't focus on playtime. Sometimes Davy told Woody about how the other kids would tease him for being short and chubby; he told him how he wished he was a strong leader like Woody was, unafraid of facing adversities, of putting his life on the line for others. He wished to be heroic, but there was no chance for him to try to be so. He was not as confident as he wanted to be, and the kids at school knew that and took advantage of that; he wasn't as strong nor as bold to dare confront his bullies.
"I wish I could take you to class with me, sheriff," Davy told him, before leaving him to catch the school bus. "Then you might help me be a bit braver."
Woody wasn't allowed to be taken to school with him; and so he stayed home, like Mom, and could easily listen to her talking to her friends, complaining about the boy and the hubby, as she sometimes called Pops in a scornful tone. And other times, paying no attention to Applebite and Doctor Atom's warnings, Woody climbed down the stairs, out of pure curiosity. More than once he saw nothing truly interesting, besides Mom sitting on the couch, completely still. Woody was then reminded of one occasion in which Davy went to a carnival for his birthday, and among many prizes there were some very pretty dolls that he asked Mom for –Woody wondered at the time if he had the intention for the doll to be his "damsel in distress", like pretty girls were often in the TV shows. Mom said certainly no, very angrily, but then Davy took Woody closer to his chest and muttered, just low enough so Mom couldn't hear him:
"Mom looks just like one of those dolls though, doesn't she? All pretty-looking but with nothing to say… With those glassy, empty eyes…"
Woody hadn't understand what he had meant then until he had seen Mom alone, in the kitchen, meaning to finish frosting a cake but having dozed off, lost in her thoughts. Sometimes she just stayed like that for almost an hour, petrified, barely blinking. Woody recognized this same strange sort of trance that Davy sometimes slipped into. He wondered why they did that: he knew he simply had to keep still sometimes, like the rest of the toys, when there was a person nearby. But why, exactly, Mom and Davy had to do that was still a mystery.
Once, Woody remembered quite clearly, Davy had been playing on the living room. It was a rainy Saturday, and as such everyone was inside. Mom was fixing supper and Pops was watching TV, a show Davy didn't care for. So Davy had been playing with Woody, sitting him on Applebite, humming the Lone Ranger theme as they explored the cupboard, the coffee table, the carpet, the mantel, whistling as Applebite galloped next to the ornamental porcelain birds that hang from the wall. Both Mom and Pops glanced at Davy from time to time, but neither wanted to be the one to start the scolding. So they let Davy go on playing.
"Look, Pops! Look what Woody can do!" cried Davy. He had found a piece of cord he had practiced using as a lasso for Woody to brand. Davy tied the knot, put the end of the cord on Woody's hand, and began swaying it around, over his head. "Look! It's like a real lasso! Johnny taught me how to do it…"
"That's nice, bucko," said Pops, glancing at him briefly, then looking back at the TV.
"No –Pops –you missed it!" said Davy, as the knot had slipped. "I'll try again –but please, look! Look –now, Woody's got it, and he's gonna catch something, just you see…!"
"Don't shout, Davy," said Mom, whisking something blueish in a bowl, making an annoying little noise.
"Leave the kid alone, Doreen," groaned Pops. "Let him play…"
"Look, Pops, look!" Davy threw the lasso and, by a stroke of luck –Woody liked to think it was due to their shared lassoing skills –the cord wrapped around the glass figurine of a swan with wide open wings, that rested on a shelf next to the old family photos. "I've caught something…!"
"Good, well done," said Pops in a monotone.
"Pops, you're not looking…!" insisted Davy, and he pulled the cord –and the swan came down its doily –and made an awful, high-pitched crashing sound as it shattered on the floor. Davy gasped and jumped back. Pops immediately raised his head to see what had happened, and Mom brought a hand to her mouth. Davy looked at both of them, still, in shock. He looked down at the tiny sparkling shards of the glass swan. Its long neck was still hanging from the lasso in Woody's plastic hand.
"David, come here," said Pops. "Now."
"I… I'm sorry –I didn't mean to—"
"I'm not gonna repeat myself, David," said Pops, now in a threatening tone. For some reason, he began unbuckling his belt.
Davy gulped. He left Woody on the couch and walked to his father, avoiding stepping on the broken glass. Mom hurried and brought a broom and a dustpan to clean the mess. While she swept the tiny pieces, making a soft clinking sound as they hit one another, Woody could barely see where Davy was going. From the sound of their footsteps, and by the sound of the closing door, Woody assumed they were in Pops' studio. And then, as Mom threw the remains of the glass swan into the bin, there was a loud noise –like something soft being slapped hard –and a quiet sob. It repeated over and over, and Woody became nervous. After a while the footsteps were heard again, and Davy picked Woody up from the couch pillows. His eyes were red, his nose wet with tears. Woody's heart broke at the sight of his boy in such a state of despair.
"You better think about what you did, David," said Pops, behind their back.
With his head hanging, Davy went to his room and closed the door. Outside the rain was still pounding against the windows. He pulled the sheets of his bed aside and crawled in, and covered his head, and cried, hugging Woody tightly. Woody wished he could hug him back, find some way to comfort him better, to let him know everything would be alright. But in the end, he knew well, the best thing was to let him cry it out.
"I'm… I'm such a knucklehead," sobbed Davy. "Pops was right, I shouldn't be playing around with fragile things… Mom will never forgive me. I'll be grounded til Christmastime, and who knows if not for even longer…"
Davy looked down at Woody's smiling, unwavering face. The boy smiled, straightening his toy's cowboy hat.
"Y'know? We could make it on our own. We don't need no one else. I could pick some cheese, some bread, some wieners… A few Rocky Roads… Pack my lunchbox and never look back. We could go west. Whaddya say, partner?" he asked Woody, pulling his string, and he said Yee-haw! Giddy-up partner! We've got to get this wagon train a-movin'!
Davy let out a small chuckle, wiping his eyes.
"It's still raining, though… Bad weather for journeying through the desert," said Davy. "But tomorrow's when the sun'll come out, surely. Tomorrow, then. Is that alright by you, sheriff?"
Woody, as usual, didn't answer. It was alright. Davy was smiling now.
"Tomorrow'll be a new day."
And tomorrow came indeed, and the next day, and the next.
One golden autumn day Mom left home, for some reason Davy wasn't made aware of. When he came back from school, she simply wasn't there, not in the living room, nor in the kitchen, nor in the bathroom, nor in her bedroom. Next day she wasn't there either, and to confirm what was already obvious, Pops quickly told Davy that Mom wouldn't come back. Professor Atom had his theories, but Woody only knew that Davy, while being annoyed that he had to do even more chores than before and had to learn to cook for him and his father, didn't miss his mother very much.
"Do you think she had another family?" Davy asked Woody, as he laid awake in his bed. "I heard something like that in the news. Some woman had two families: two husbands and two sons. Imagine having to clean and cook for so many people," he chuckled. "It's weird, though. Now I kind of realize how much she did. You know, Pops always called her lazy. And yeah, she'd be stuck yammering on the phone all afternoon, but… I keep my room clean, because I like it that way, but…" And he lowered his voice. "Pops isn't very much like that. He kind of expects someone else to take care of his mess."
Davy sighed. He took Woody's hat off, left it neatly on his nightstand and turned off his bedside lamp.
"When I marry, Woody, I'm not gonna leave all the messes to my wife," he said, quietly, in the dark. "I'll be a good husband. Heck –I'm learning to cook already. Good thing Mom left her recipes on the cupboard."
Woody, wrapped by Davy's arms, could feel the boy's racing heartbeat.
"I hope I can be a good husband," said Davy. "Otherwise… I guess my wife'll get someone else to be a wife to. Don't you think?"
Davy looked down at Woody, and let out a little laugh. "Of course, you don't have to worry about it. You're a sheriff –a cowboy –a lone ranger. Nothing ties you down. You don't have to worry about things like wives and cooking and cleaning and taking care of someone… Dang," said Davy, taking a deep breath. "Wish I was as free as you are."
Woody didn't feel as free as the boy believed he was. It was undeniable that, when Davy felt sad, he couldn't help but feel sad, too, and a strong desire to make it all better. Sometimes, even though Davy often insisted that Pops was the best, Woody thought that if Pops was really as good as his son claimed then he wouldn't make his boy cry; Woody was certain that, if he was a father, if he was Davy's Pops, he'd always keep him happy, and tell him what a great, creative and funny kid he was.
Since Mom was no longer around, evenings became awfully quiet. When Pops came home from work, he didn't need to tell Davy to be quiet; Davy knew what would happen to him if he raised a ruckus. So he'd take Woody to the living room, sit beside his father and watch TV. Then they'd had dinner, and sometimes, if Pops was in a good mood, he'd complain about something from the office that Davy usually didn't understand very well, and then Davy would carefully choose which daily occurrence he'd share. Woody didn't miss the arguing at all, and yet something was clearly missing in the Oakley house. Davy complained much less, even to him; and since a good portion of his conversation was venting and voicing his fears and feelings of anger, Davy became a much quieter boy. Pops had caught Davy talking to Woody more than once, and he had told Davy that he seemed positively bonkers, talking to his ragdoll, and that he was too big to keep doing stuff like that. And so, as the days went by, Davy talked to Woody less and less, until he only talked to him –or more precisely, talked for him –during playtime, which was also becoming more and more infrequent.
Playtime altogether soon was a thing of the past, as Davy finished elementary school and was close to beginning high school. It surprised Woody, how long it had been since he had first arrived to Davy Oakley's life –and how quick time had gone by, to the point the short freckled boy that had been so happy to have him was now a studious, serious young man. Since Davy had stopped playing with him and with his other toys, everything had subtly changed: Davy had gotten a part-time job, and spent less time in his house; he got himself a girlfriend, which was also something that kept him away from home; and then the girlfriend left him, so he tried to keep himself as busy as possible as to not think of her and to not feel how his heart was aching. The cardboard saloon and the evil lair, with all the hand-made balsa wood furniture, were thrown in the garbage. Professor Atom was left in the bottom of a drawer, along with a bunch of children's storybooks and Davy's paintbrushes and sketchpads. Applebite remained untouched, gathering dust, in a dark corner of the bedroom, almost hidden behind the bookshelves. Woody was the only toy that was still more or less present, if only because Davy had moved the cowboy from sleeping in his bed to sitting on his nightstand –and, in the few opportunities Davy had friends over, a shelf that kept Woody out of sight.
Since Davy was no longer in the house so often –and his father had become almost a ghost –Woody and Applebite spent some time talking, wondering what Davy was doing in high school, and playing poker –Woody had found a set of cards in Davy's backpack, and for some reason Applebite knew how to play. Whole afternoons passed like this, with Applebite often talking about what he thought about what little he could manage to see through the bedroom window. Woody, being a bit more mobile, began venturing more often into the living room, and a few times even dared to watch TV without Davy. There were new shows –a lot of them –that Woody really enjoyed, like Zorro, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Lassie, Mister Ed, The Phil Silvers Show and I Love Lucy –and afterwards he'd go back to Davy's room and tell Applebite all about the latest episode, running gag, cliffhanger and plot twist. Once he had opened Professor Atom's drawer, and asked him if he'd like to go down and watch TV with him; but Professor Atom, as a respected thespian, thought that television was a low form of entertainment and insisted that, for some unexplained reason, he preferred to stay locked up in that dark drawer. Woody thought at first that Professor Atom was just bitter because Davy had put him in there, but Applebite told him that he thought it was because Professor Atom simply didn't find a reason to stay out of it, since the result was the same. Davy simply was not going to play with them.
Woody felt bad for Professor Atom, of course, and for Applebite and especially for all the papier-mache critters that were also dumped some months ago. But no matter how it embarrassed him to admit it, there was a sense of pride on being still kept on Davy's nightstand, and even on his shelf. He felt like Davy wasn't ashamed of having Woody, and that even if he was probably not going to play with him –and Woody did really want to have one more opportunity to be played with, as unlikely as that seemed –just by keeping him around, available, Davy might just pick him up, one fine day, and be Woody's favorite deputy one last time.
But that was a wish Woody held deep inside, and while nothing could stop him from hoping, even against his better judgement, the truth was evident. Davy was no longer a child.
David Oakley, a teenager now, spent his last few days of high school cleaning his room and choosing what he'd keep and what he'd throw, as he entered adulthood and was expected to behave as such, and do away with any useless things. He'd gotten brand new sheets, painted his bedroom walls white, got a few different pieces of furniture that he considered more proper to a fella his age. Davy was getting rid of the books he no longer wanted, when he happened to open that forgotten drawer where Professor Atom had been for these last few years. And when Davy saw him, making a little grimace at noting how damaged the old puppet was, he brought a bigger cardboard box and put Professor Atom and Applebite in it. He threw some storybooks and a couple children's encyclopedias in there, too, but kept the Frontiersman comic strips, and saved them in another drawer, where he would surely forget about them for the next few years.
Davy left the room for a moment. As soon as he disappeared behind the doorframe, Woody jumped to the bed and peeked into the cardboard box. Among all the old junk and dusty books, Professor Atom and Applebite sat and looked up at the cowboy.
"What's happening?" asked Woody. "Why did Davy put you here?"
"We're leaving Davy, sheriff," said Applebite. "And it seems like this is when we say goodbye."
"But… Why? Why are we…?"
"No, Woody, we," said Professor Atom. "Applebite and I. You're a lucky one. It seems Davy's got a soft spot for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Children grow up… They grow less interested in their toys."
"I know –Davy doesn't play with us anymore," said Woody. "But that doesn't mean you should be taken away!"
"That's just the way it is," said Applebite, giving a strange horse version of a shrug. "This moment was to come, sooner or later. We've come to terms with it some time ago."
"That doesn't mean you'll never be played with again," said Professor Atom. "Nor Applebite. You two are still in mint condition; you'll stay with Davy, Woody, and Applebite will probably be sent to a charity shop or to a garage sale."
"A garage sale?"
"I'll be given a new life, with a new child!" said Applebite, excitedly. "And I'm gonna be played with again. I just can't wait."
"As for me���"
Woody gazed at Professor Atom's ancient eyes. Just then did he notice how long it had been since Davy had given him a fresh coat of paint, or wrap him in new tin foil. Professor Atom now looked more like a pile of driftwood than like a puppet. Woody realized what this meant.
"No. Please, Professor Atom…"
"That's just the way it is," sighed the old puppet. "I was living on borrowed time, ever since Davy found me and took me in. But now… I've been a piece of trash for several years. It's time I leave and be gone forever."
"You're just being dramatic," said Applebite, but Woody knew when Professor Atom delved into theatrics, and when he was deadly serious. "You're just going to be alright, probably in a new puppet company…"
"Look at me, you silly horse!" cried Professor Atom. "Look at me and tell me if you could see me, in this state, on a stage."
Applebite lowered his head. "Well… Perhaps with some paint and a new arm…"
"Cheaper to be thrown away than to be rebuilt," muttered Professor Atom. "Cheaper to be replaced."
Woody gulped. Would Davy ever replace him? Would he ever be so damaged that it would be easier to be thrown in the garbage?
"But don't worry, sheriff," Applebite hurried to say. "That's not gonna happen to you…"
"At least not soon," added Professor Atom. "So enjoy every playtime like it's your last. You never know when it could be, after all…"
Applebite neighed in frustration. "Why you gotta be so intense? Woody's the chosen one. We should be happy for him. You should be glad Davy's gonna keep you!"
"I don't feel glad," said Woody miserly.
"Imagine, you'll get to play with Davy's kids…" said Applebite. "And Davy's grandkids… And Davy's grandkids' kids… And Davy's grandkids' grandkids…"
Footsteps. Applebite gasped.
"So long, sheriff! The best of luck to ya," said Applebite, disappearing into the box. Professor Atom reached out his crumbling carved hand for Woody to shake.
"Goodbye, Woody Pride," said Professor Atom. "It was an honor to play your villain."
Woody nodded. He had to be glad. He had to be strong. "It was an honor to play your hero, sir," he said. "Thank you for everything."
Professor Atom gifted him a small smile, and went inside the box. Davy came into the room and without giving it a second look he closed the cardboard box and taped it shut. For a moment, his gaze lingered on Woody. He picked him up, turned him around, as if it was the first time he saw him. Davy pulled his string, and Woody said Reach for the sky!
Davy smiled. "Yeah, pictured you'd say something of the sort."
It turned out that Davy had been planning to turn his father's old office into his very own studio. There, on a shelf just above his desk, Woody was carefully seated with his hands on his knees, his polished sheriff badge and his hat firmly set on his plastic head. From that vantage point, Woody could see clearly how Davy spent every afternoon working of house designs. Friends came over to see his sketches, said he was going to be a great architect, and Davy smiled, and Woody felt happy for him. Every few weeks Davy would dust his studio, vacuum the carpet, clean the small window, and in that moment he'd pick Woody up for a moment and clean the spot where he was seated, he'd clean the dust on his hat and nose and hands, made sure the badge was properly pinned and he would sit Woody again on the shelf, and he'd go back to ignoring him until the next time. As much as Woody wished for it, for one more chance, that brief moment of contact awoke nothing in Davy. Sometimes he would let out a little smile, possibly remembering how they used to play. But most of the time he'd be with his eyes on his work, on the girlfriend that occasionally entered the studio, on letters and homework and essays and books, on the things that adults had to be focused on. Years passed like this, having a brief moment of Davy's acknowledgement, then going back to the shelf, left to watch his boy as he grew older and taller and more tired.
But one day, one marvelous, special day, Davy's girl –whose name was Lillian, if Woody's memory was to be trusted –walked into the studio with an unmistakable bump on her belly. At the sight of it Woody felt his hopes rise in a way they haven't been for what felt like centuries. TV had taught him that if a lady had a bump in the belly, that meant a baby was on the way. A baby meant someone who would have to be distracted, played with, and comforted. Woody thought of what Applebite had told him before leaving, about him having the chance to stay and get to play with Davy's children…
"How're my two darlings?" Davy asked Lillian, kissing her cheek and placing a hand on her belly. Lillian smiled.
"Kicking already. I tell you, it's a rowdy one," she said, resting her head on his shoulder, trying to see what he was working on. "How's that coming?"
"A bit late… But hey, better late than never, I guess," sighed Davy, scratching his head.
"It's gonna turn out great, dear," she said, and kissed his temple. "Don't worry so much."
Lillian looked up and around the studio. Davy glanced at her. "What're you thinking?"
"This could be the baby's room, right? When they grow up enough to be in a room of their own…"
"Yeah, it's a bit small…" said Davy, embracing her girl –her wife, more precisely, as Woody could see a wedding ring on Lillian's hand. "But if it's a small child…"
"They're not staying in our room forever," smiled Lillian. "Just promise me that."
Davy laughed. "Yeah, just the first few years…"
"Years?"
Davy and Lillian left the studio. It was nice to see them so happy together –compared to Pops and Mom, Davy and Lillian seemed like the most loving relationship there could be –and Woody was of course very happy to learn –albeit probably a bit late –that Davy had married, but nothing could really distract him from the fact that a baby was coming, and that his days on the shelf would soon be over, and he would be played again, loved again, and so he began to imagine how this new child would be, whether they'd be a boy or a girl, what games they'd like to play, whether he'd stay a cowboy or he'd go through a transformation like Professor Atom did –this was the only thing that rather unnerved him –and this pondering and dreaming became his new favorite distraction.
Every time from then on that Lillian came to the studio, either to call him to dinner or to just have a chat with him, the bump got bigger, to the point she had to walk with a hand on it just to keep balance. Woody wondered when the baby would finally come, and so he listened more closely –he had become used to keeping an open ear, either to listen to the TV or to the radio as a way to amuse himself –and finally –finally –he heard gasping and groaning, and a rush through the stairs, and the car starting, and soon they left the house.
They returned home some time later with a swaddled bunch of soft blankets in Lillian's arms, what Woody guessed was the baby. They weren't allowed in the studio yet, so all Woody knew about them was that their name was Jenny and that she loved to scream and cry to the top of her little but powerful lungs. The fifth or sixth night that the baby was already home, and by the joined efforts of Davy and Lillian their daughter had been put to sleep, Woody decided he needed to see the baby for himself. Of course, it was dark in the studio and while Davy was still very neat that didn't make climbing down the shelf any easier. There were many papers, books, pencils, all carefully aligned and prepared –but so many things could go wrong, he worried. Even a little tumble may wake Jenny up. Woody took a deep breath and, grabbing onto the edge of the shelf, dangled his legs down until he could be sure he was stepping on something sturdy. Then, it was a matter of grabbing the next shelf down from him, descending slowly, and then finding something else to step on that wouldn't fall and make enough noise to wake either the parents or the baby. It took him a while, but luckily he managed to get onto the desk, and from there to the chair, and from there to the floor.
He went to the living room, which under the dim moonlight seemed so different from when Davy was a little boy. The lamps had a strange shape, there were new paintings framed on the walls, and the TV was new and slightly bigger; there were no photos of little Davy on the mantel, as they were replaced by smiling pictures of older Davy and Lillian together, including one where she was dressed all in white and he was dressed all in black. The radio was also new, and very different than before. There was a record player now, too, also much more modern than the one Pops had that Davy wasn't allowed to touch as a boy. And the magazines on the coffee table showed people dressed in extravagant fashions –colorful stripes, circles, flowers, plaid and checkers. Woody wondered how many years he had been stuck in that studio.
Woody climbed the stairs as quietly as he could. He reached the first floor, and heard the snoring from the bedroom, and stepped into the dark bedroom, which was still and silent beyond the snoring. There was another sound, though. A soft low music, coming from a device suspended over the baby's crib. The cowboy looked up. From the device dangled yellow felt stars and blue and white felt clouds, which turned around in a slow-moving circle. It was a hypnotic, gentle sight.
Woody reminded himself what he was doing there. He approached the baby's crib and peeked at her through the bars.
Jenny was a big-headed pale creature, chubby and rosy, her small hands closed in little tight fists. Woody gazed at her, holding his breath, wondering what she was like, who she would become. So far she seemed like all the babies he had seen on TV or through the window –small, slightly smelly, a bit weird looking compared to adults or children. Her round, almost bald head appeared to be so heavy, and she was so plump that she was surely quite heavy, and yet Jenny also appeared terribly fragile. Davy, and probably Lillian too, had looked like this someday. Woody certainly didn't; a baby was a curiosity to him, as were many things that often seemed like they belonged to the world of the comic strips and television shows, things that just didn't happen to him or to any other toy. Woody stretched his hand to touch little Jenny's hand. She let out a little whimper but continued sleeping, to Woody's great relief. Her fingers wrapped around his plastic hand, squeezing tightly. It reminded him so much of when Davy held him, so long ago, for comfort. He smiled. That little baby would soon be his world.
Just then he noticed a small fluffy thing set by the other side of the crib. Woody frowned. The fluffy thing produced a pair of black eyes, which stared at him in horror. Woody gasped –as the fluff ball swiftly climbed over Jenny and frowned at him.
"What on Earth you think you're doing, cowboy?" hissed the fluffy thing, that just then Woody could see was a pink puppy plush toy, with black beady eyes and a little red felt tongue just peeking out of her furry mouth. "This is my turf. Why don't you go back to your ranch?"
"What?" said Woody. He thought the baby wouldn't have a toy yet –if she did, he would be that toy. "I'm just –I wanted to see Jenny."
"You've seen her, alright," said the pink puppy, climbing down from Jenny's chest and putting her paws on the baby's hand. "Now leave! This is my baby…"
"She's not yours!" cried Woody in a whisper. "At least, not only yours!"
"I'm here in her crib! You're probably some old forgotten thing that saw an opportunity, and tried to take it from a hard-working toy like me. You surely heard the cries and thought you had a chance. But look at you! You'd poke a baby's eye out with that nose."
"Hey!"
"Mom and Dad made their choice," said the pink puppy. "This is my baby, and my place is with her. Your place is wherever you came from –so go back there."
Woody knew that the puppy was right, and slipped his hand out of Jenny's grip. But the plush toy had been incredibly rude, and as an older toy –Davy's favorite, no less! –he thought he deserved some respect.
"Listen here, you…" Woody interrupted himself. "What's…? What's your name?"
"What do you care?" said the pink puppy. "I don't have one. I don't need one. Babies don't speak, you dunce!"
"Who do you think you are?" said Woody, growing angrier. "Listen here, pup, I'm not arguing that you are Jenny's current toy. But what do you have against me also being played with?"
"What do you think? You think you can replace me –yeah, I can see it in your greedy bug eyes," said the puppy. "You want the baby all for yourself. You want to take the playtime away from me… But I have it now!" And then the puppy grinned –or seemed to grin –it wasn't easy to know under all that pink fur. "If you even think of staying here in the crib, I'll wake Jenny up. She'll start crying and Mom will see you're here! And she'll take you away –she'll throw you into the dumpster!"
"Shh!" cried Woody. "Alright –alright, there's no need to wake anyone up. If you're Jenny's current favorite, then there's nothing I can do about it," Even though he really wanted to take that unbearable plush toy's place. "I'll leave, okay?"
And so Woody walked away from the crib.
"Yeah, you leave, you plastic-head," muttered the puppy. "You'll get your chance, and who knows if I… Let others have fun too."
Woody turned to the puppy. "What'd you say?"
"Nothing. Go on, leave."
"No, you said—"
"Plastic-head," smiled the puppy. "Why? Does that push your buttons?"
"No –well, a bit –I mean, you said 'and who knows if I…'"
"… Yeah. So?"
"So what did you mean by that?" asked Woody. "You're Jenny's toy, you'll always have a chance to be played with."
The puppy huffed. "You don't know anything, plastic-head. I'm a baby's toy –I'm small and soft and just perfect for her age. Afterwards? Who knows if she'll still keep me. Surely she'll want dolls, with those brushes and dresses and shoes, and other plastic-heads like you…"
Woody thought it over. It was true that Davy had had a few plush toys that he had met not long after being first brought to his boy's life; but those toys were eventually forgotten and also disposed of. Perhaps she was right. He did want to be part of Jenny's playtime –desperately –but if Davy hadn't given him to his daughter, then it meant it was not yet the right moment. No matter how much he wanted it to be, Davy –now renamed Dad, apparently –was the one who decided who Jenny would play with.
The pink puppy didn't look as angry anymore –just frustrated.
"So let me be happy for a while. Okay?" she said, snuggling against Jenny. "I don't have much time with her, you know. By the time she's four… Or even earlier, maybe."
"Alright. Just remember… She's not yours. Not yours alone," said Woody sternly, just to make sure she understood, still trying to keep whatever authority he remembered once having. "Who knows –maybe one of these days Davy –I mean, Dad –will drop me into that crib."
"Yeah –keep dreaming, cowboy," barked the pink puppy, but her voice sounded unsure. "Let us sleep. Go back to the shelf."
That last phrase felt so deeply hurtful that Woody briefly considered entering the crib and pull the pink pup's furry paws off Jenny. But he had no choice but to obey, go down the stairs, into the studio, and back to the shelf, where he had to sit and wait, and wait, until his playtime came.
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lonesome-witching · 2 years ago
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I present to you the first snippet of the first chapter of Miscommunications Lead to Places. The story in which Robin confesses her feelings to Nancy but when Nancy doesn't respond she travels through Europe to escape her reality. Nancy who is forced to confront her own emotions follows her and searches the various different cities to confess what she's discovered to Robin.
“I’m confused. I thought you were into Vickie.” 
Robin groaned loudly. She had been trying to explain her current predicament for fifteen minutes but they just appeared to be moving in circles. She’d start at one end, explain what she could and then Steve’s comments and questions would lead her back to it. It was frustrating and truly a testament to their stupidity. 
“I do like Vickie, she’s cute and she rambles even more than I do but I just… It doesn’t feel like it used to.” Robin replied, staring up at Steve Harrington’s bedroom ceiling. Sometimes it still felt weird that he was her best friend. The guy she had despised back in her sophomore year. The jock that stole the attention of every girl she ever liked just with his stupid hair. But now he was the guy she could pour her heart out to. The dingus that understood how she felt and accepted her for who she was and who she loved. 
“Okay.” He dragged out the word as if trying to buy himself some time to formulate an actual sentence. “And this is because…?” 
“Because I like someone else.” Robin shouted, using her hands for emphasis. 
“And that someone is who? You haven’t told me that part, have you?” Steve scratched his head trying to access that top secret information. Maybe he thought he had missed something but Robin had been purposefully vague about that particular element. Because it somehow still felt weird to admit even after the conversations and admissions. Somehow it still felt wrong to say aloud. Somewhere deep down she worried this would be the straw that would break the camel’s back, that this would be the last straw, that this would push Steve away from her and leave her alone once again. She had been alone for too long, she couldn’t go back to that. 
“I haven’t.” She took a deep breath. Bracing herself for the questions that would follow. 
“Okay, then who is it? Who are you into?” 
One more sigh, one more second. “It’s uhm… It’s Nancy Wheeler.” 
“I thought you said she was such a priss.” 
“Well, turns out, not really.” Robin turned to her friend. Her hand was tangled in her short hair. It almost felt like they were sitting on the cold bathroom floor high on Russian drugs again. “Steve? Did you O.D. over there?” She repeated the sentence that she knew she said before, trying her best to imitate a scenario that had ended well. Maybe it would influence how Steve reacted this time. 
“No, I’m just thinking.” 
“Okay.” 
“I’m glad you’re improving your taste in women.” Steve smiled at her. 
“What?” She sat up straighter. 
“It kind of makes sense. The longing looks, constantly partnering up and forcing me to be the babysitter. Yeah, I can see it.” 
“What longing looks?” 
“I’m not that big of an idiot, Robin. I see the way you two look at each other.” He looked slightly offended before he recognized the confusion on his best friend’s face. “Are you being serious, Rob? You haven’t seen the way she looks at you?” 
“How does she look at me?” 
“C’mon, Rob. She looks at you as if you hung the moon and the stars. She looks at you as if you are a life raft and she is drowning. She looks at you as if she’s ready to buy an engagement ring and move in with you. Damn, she even looks at you as if she wants to rip your clothes off.” 
“Okay, you are delusional. There is no way she looks at me like that.” She shook her head, trying to get rid of the hope that Steve’s words had planted in her heart. “I mean, she’s straight. And there’s Jonathan who-” 
“Jonathan is old news.” Steve interrupted. “That was before she got to know you.” 
“Please stop, Steve. I don’t want to believe in something that will never happen. It’s bad enough I have feelings for like the only female friend I have left. I’m not about to ruin it by spewing out my feelings at her and getting my heart broken.” Her fingers weaved together as she spoke. Her heart cracked already, the damage already done. Even Steve’s sympathetic smile couldn’t alleviate any of the pain. 
“Robin, I’m not trying to set you up for heartbreak but I truly believe that Nancy Wheeler has a thing for you. There is no other way to explain the way she looks at you, the way she’s drawn to you. Even before the Upside Down bullshit she never looked at me like that. It’s with such intensity, like, like, like, she is trying to see into your soul. She’s never put in that effort for me.” He placed a hand on her knee, drawing her attention back to him. Her eyes were glazed over. The thought of her lonely future was enough to make her cry, apparently. Even in her wildest dreams Nancy Wheeler was unattainable. So, Steve’s words couldn’t be true. She forced herself to repeat that Steve didn’t know what he was talking about. Even after she left his house, while she walked home because she forgot her bike, she kept repeating that same sentence. Steve doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
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rocknrollsalad · 1 year ago
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Oooh, Stargyle has so much unexplored potential.
What about Steve and Argyle both going to community college for something hands on: woodworking, welding, pottery, plumbing--I don't really care? (Why? Steve is a very tactile, hands-on guy and not big on academics, and we see Argyle in woodshop.)
And they have to partner up for a project. They both turn out to be really good at one aspect of the project. Flirtation ensues.
OKAY, so I may have done a really shitty job of following this prompt. I read maybe seven words of it and rushed to a new gdoc. Immediately, I vomited out 1200 words and took it from there.
However, it's received some less-than-favorable reviews already so I stopped writing it. I'm kind of sorry. I'm more sorry about publishing it knowing it's neither finished nor as good as it should be. HOWEVER, here's what I got and I hope you get so many nice things for sending this to me in my hour of need.
tw: drug use (pot) word count: 2705
College was the last place Steve thought he’d be. Sure it was a community college and his parents made sure to let him know exactly how beneath them that was but it was still school. Something he thought he’d finished with because…school sucked. 
It was also the way forward. 
So, yeah, he was twenty-six and attending a full day of classes at some community college. He was also working part-time and somehow finding time to have something close to a social life. Occasionally. Not as much as he wanted on the latter and less in the way of dating but he was out of Hawkins and doing this on his own. 
He’d moved out west three years ago, the last of his friends went off to colleges of their own and left him looking at a ghost of town that held nothing special anymore. It was a necessary bit of sadness to push Steve toward following his dreams. 
Sun and surf, palm trees and tacos, and never a single snow day. Everyone wanted him to hate it, it was so far from them, but Steve hadn’t worn pants or a long sleeve shirt in 30 months. He’d been permanently tan for just as long and his hair found its way to something closer to blonde. The food was better, the people friendlier, and, yeah, everyone he’d grown up with was a plane ride away now but the good outweighed the bad. 
Not to mention, he breathed easier out from under the Harrington shadow. Carving his own way for the first time in his life had been more freeing than being allowed to wear flip-flops to work. Robin, Nancy, Dustin, Max, they’d all understand eventually. Especially if they’d make that plane ride. 
With a job at a daycare, Steve found himself a calling among all the naps on the beach. It made sense that he was good at it but it was luck he’d found out. At least until he got too comfortable there. His boss was the one who talked him into college, she had a list a mile long of things an early childhood education degree could bring him and, by extension, her. Steve wasn’t into the idea. Obviously, he’d done fine without it but she swore he could do so much more. After months of lectures and pamphlets and attempts at reasoning with him, Steve finally caved. 
Once he did, though, she was his biggest supporter. Something Steve actually needed in all this. He didn’t have a lot of faith in himself to earn this degree. On paper, it looked daunting. But his boss helped him pick courses and study for his assessments. Holding his hand every step of the way and crossing a few t’s Steve missed. However, she didn’t console him when the results came back and he was below college level on everything. It would mean a lot of math courses and even more English ones. 
Something he bogged himself down with for the first quarter. Wanting to speed run through catching up, all Steve did was depress himself and lose the desire to carry on. For the next quarter, they balanced things a little more. Classes for his degree and classes for catching up. 
His boss had pushed a course on nutrition, promising it’d be fun and though not directly part of his degree requirements, would come in handy with their new programs and funding. Steve wasn’t sure about the fun part but it sounded far better than another stab at algebra. 
So at ten o’clock in the god-forsaken morning, Steve dragged himself to a part of the school he’d never seen to learn about what foods were healthy. An easy A, Steve thought, the answer to everything here is just vegetables. Don’t give kids candy for breakfast. Carrot cake wasn’t actually healthy. It seemed like something he could do in his sleep. A fact he might put to the test at this hour. 
Claiming a seat in the middle of the room, against the wall in case he needed a nap, Steve readied his supplies in some weird impression of Nancy Wheeler. Trying to look ready to learn even if he wasn’t. Something about faking it until he made it or whatever people said. No one could tell him he wasn’t trying. 
Barely a minute before the class was meant to start (the teacher was nowhere in sight) laughter came from outside the door and followed a couple of guys in. Two other people stood up and they exchanged hi-fives as the jokes were explained and the laughter doubled. 
One guy among them was enough to make Steve sit upright and pay a bit more attention. A gorgeous man with a loud printed t-shirt and the longest hair Steve had ever seen on anyone. He laughed and joked with everyone and Steve couldn’t stop staring. Like everything else in the room had just fizzled away and he was left with this muted conversation and his heartbeat thrumming in his ears. 
This was also something new to California. Not cartoon hearts appearing around guys, that had always been there, but being okay with it. Losing the pressure to be the golden boy had allowed him a chance to experiment and Steve could, with confidence, now say he liked all genders. If only the increase in possibilities had led to less striking out. 
Almost immediately, Steve envisioned being rejected by this guy. He didn’t seem the sort to laugh in his face, maybe he’d let him down gently, say it wasn’t his thing. But a small part of Steve’s mind toyed with the “yes” of it all as he stared across the classroom. 
The teacher had apparently arrived because everyone started to find seats and Steve was left feeling a bit lost and more than a little confused as he tried to come back to the present. The man in the front of the room trying to settle everyone was everything TV made hippies out to be, he sounded like Cheech or Chong and flashed the peace sign seven different times in his introduction. He certainly wasn’t going to be holding any of Steve’s attention but, again, this was just meant to be an easy A. It didn’t have to be dynamic. At least he had a reason to show up every day. 
For days that drifted into weeks, Steve watched the other students arrive nearly the same way every day. This ball of energy and light, laughing and talking with everyone until the teacher made him sit down. Which he did with a casual apology and presented the floor to the man who had no command of the room. It felt like high school, hardly a higher learning situation but Steve’s boss had warned him, that college wasn’t as serious as people made it out to be. 
They were supposed to learn about nutrition and why it mattered but mostly the guy talked about his garden and how to keep pests away. Other students stopped coming but that happened in all classes. Those that stayed, Steve found out, were all in the culinary program and it was this or more practice chopping onions. They were thrilled to be here and didn’t care what the guy talked about. 
Which brought on a new feeling as the class list was an obvious clique and him. Steve was on the outside, not part of the group having fun, and it was a place he’d never been. Robin said it was good for him but he wasn’t so sure. 
Steve thought he was going to spend the whole quarter looking on from afar, not even knowing this guy’s name, and he’d begun to make peace with that. Wondering where just a touch of King Steve was so he could waltz in like he belonged like he was a blessing to them. Maybe he didn’t have to swing his personality so far the other way but there was comfort in being on the outskirts that Steve wasn’t ready to give up. 
Until a month into the quarter, the teacher didn’t show up. Everyone chimed in with different amounts of time they had to wait before they could leave but eventually, one brave soul made the call. Dismissed them all with a promise of an A for the day. Power they didn’t have but a joke the whole class shared. 
As those who weren’t in the culinary program packed up, Steve was approached by the guy he’d been staring at day in and day out. Whatever it was that had Cinderella able to make animals do her chores, this guy had. It was almost hard to be in the presence of and typically Steve wasn’t a fan of anything that made his confidence falter but he recovered in enough time. He hoped. 
“Yo, man. You sit in the class by yourself, like, every day and I keep thinking ‘y’know what? That guy needs a friend!’ so here I am! We’re gonna go across the street to the Erin’s. They both got the same name but one’s a guy and one’s a girl, and they’re dating. It’s not weird, I guess, but I don’t want to be saying my own name in bed, ya know? But, yeah, they got a few new recipes to try and, y’know, plenty of weed. If you wanna come?” 
There was a desperate “yes” on the tip of Steve’s tongue that he hated. “Yeah, I don’t have anything going on until later,” he lied. 
“Righteous! I’m not an Aaron, by the way. Name’s Argyle.” 
“Steve.” 
“That’s so easy to remember. You look like a Steve. Steven?” 
Steve nodded, not really wanting to claim the name in case Argyle wanted to start using it. 
Instead, he nodded for the door and made moves toward it. “Alright, so have you ever had tres leches cake? Tell me you’ve tried this.” 
“I’ve..never heard of it.” 
“Prepare to be delighted. This is a big day for you, man. You’ll never be the same after it. Tell your taste buds to get ready, their tiny minds are going to be blown clean off.” 
The description brought on a familiar feeling, Argyle was gorgeous and kind but under that amazing smile, he was as weird as everyone else Steve knew. And he knew how to hang out with the weird kids. 
On the walk over, Argyle talked about how he got into cooking, why he was in college so “late” in life, and his restaurant owning dreams for the future. Steve couldn’t get a word in but he didn’t trust his flirting or conversational ability so it was for the best. 
And Argyle didn’t seem to have a problem filling the silences or depriving Steve of them. Walking them around and introducing Steve to a bunch of people whose names he forgot immediately, feeding him snacks, and getting them both settled in the “backyard” where, for the first time, Argyle stopped talking. There were a bunch of other people to fill the silences though. 
Most of what was shared, Steve didn’t follow. They spoke with familiarity Steve didn’t have, he hadn’t earned yet. Instead, he listened, passed the joint around, and ate more cake in one sitting than he ever had before. 
All of it made it hard to stay focused. Steve realized his tolerance was not what it used to be and that made it that much harder to impress. Unless sitting quietly and nursing one drink because you were afraid you’d never see another beverage again in your life was now charming. Best he could tell no one seemed to mind but everything was really hazy so they could have been ripping Steve apart and he wouldn’t know. Just smile and take another sip. 
How he got home was a mystery but the half a cake on his kitchen counter said it was done so with kindness. As with any night under the influence, Steve prayed he didn’t make an ass of himself and for the first time, all quarter found himself dreading the nutrition class. 
But Argyle walked in the room and pointed at Steve, crowing out “He lives!!!!” before lowering his voice to add “Glad to see you among the living again, my man. You can not handle your weed.” 
“I’m out of practice and…from Indiana.” 
Argyle’s eyes went wide like the second point explained everything and before he could add anything else, the teacher came in demanding attention for another day of teaching them nothing. Steve moved up a row and relaxed some. Though he did spend more time daydreaming about burgers than cute boys who mock him. 
Not that he didn’t deserve it. He’d been so wrapped up in the new experience that he forgot to seal the deal and there was a version of Steve out there that never would have let that happen. Now he was back to not knowing where he stood but knowing full well he should just find out. He knew how to find out but years of bad luck, a personality shift, and maybe a healthy fear of rejection kept Steve in his seat. 
Every day after that, though, he got a little wave or nod from Argyle as he breezed into class with his group of friends. It was easier to pick out now that Argyle wasn’t the leader of the group, just a very devoted follower whom Steve had made the most important. A familiar scene from the other side. College wasn’t quite the same as high school though and Steve would kill for a pep rally to skip or dance to go to. 
Instead, he stuck to quiet greetings. Like all the other classes he’d had. A group project here or there brought strangers together but for the most part, it was a roomful of people living their lives. At least these guys now welcomed him into the laughs. Though there wasn’t another invite to sit on a square foot of dirt and eat amazing food so he wasn’t part of the club, obviously. 
By the time Steve had made peace with that, the invite to come out to have snacks at a friend’s was thrown his way. Though he was denied a chance to get high. Something he pouted about for far too long. It earned him sympathy but not drugs. He did remember the night this time and got himself home so maybe it was for the best. 
The week after it wasn’t a friend’s place but the kitchens at the school because there was a ton of beef wellingtons that needed to be eaten. Sure most of them were overdone, a couple were burnt, but it was free food, and eating a bit of charred pastry was hardly anything to complain about. 
After everything settled and people were hanging around talking, Argyle grabbed Steve and brought him through to an area with multiple kitchen setups. Lit only by the wall of windows, stovetops sparkled and the smell of bleach overpowered anything they’d been used for. Far beyond any home ec class he’d been in but he felt just as out of place. 
They head over to one of the setups and sure, maybe they were there to try some amazing dish Argyle had in the fridge. Perhaps he just wanted to show off his area or maybe they’d “break the rules” and cook something special. Okay, so that last one was a bit too Hollywood but Steve was lonely, his brain did things like this now. 
It also presented him with a fourth option that changed what sort of movie it was. All alone in a dark room with a guy he’d been lusting after for weeks, there was a very obvious choice. Far more risky than baking after hours, Steve wasn’t sure if he was picking up hints or Argyle just loved everyone but he’d never know if he didn’t try. 
So Steve sucked in a breath and crowded Argyle’s space until the man was backed against the fridge, waiting for any indication this wasn’t welcome. When nothing was said Steve leaned against him. From there instinct took over for both of them and their lips pressed together.
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observeowl · 1 year ago
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Right By Your Side | Chapter 13 - Valentine's Day
Summary: In the world where wearing glasses makes you a different person. You were forced to swallow a pill that turned you into seven years old. Now, you're living with your crush in a small form, what would you do? Who were the ones who brought this to you? And, can you change back?
Chapter summary: Nat brought you to make chocolates with her
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"Allie! Are you free today?" It was the weekend so you had nothing to do. Amy, George and Mitch went to have fun with their families for the weekend to celebrate the festival that was associated with red and pink. God blessed their family that was whole.
"Yes. I'm free." You replied to Nat as you turned your chair to face her. You were just wasting time watching YouTube on your laptop until Monday comes and school starts again. You were being the kid you never were able to be when you were younger, leaving your homework aside and rushing to your laptop once you were home. But at least your results were good, you kept telling yourself that.
"Get dressed. I'm taking you out today." Nat said quickly before closing the door again. You shrugged your shoulders not knowing why Nat just asked you out. What was she going to do with you on Valentine's day? Even throughout the years with Nat, you've never seen her celebrating this day before.
Nevertheless, you went to change and met Nat in the living room. Without saying anything, she nodded her head towards the garage and you followed along. It was really weird to be brought around without any knowledge but when it boiled down to Nat, you can't say no.
"Where are we going?" You finally asked when you were in her car for a few moments.
"You'll see." She refused to say anything with a smirk.
Sighing, you got comfortable in your seat until Nat told you that you've reached the destination. You knew from the time spent in the car that you didn't go too far, looking out of the window, your suspicions were confirmed as you were still in the shopping district where all sorts of Valentine's Day sales could be seen plastered along the window, displaying respective goods that the shops were selling.
As you walked down the street with Nat's hands in yours, sales person was trying to pass you their brochures in an attempt to boost their sales. There were plenty of people holding roses patiently yet anxiously waiting for their partner to arrive or buying their last minute purchase that they had forgotten.
"Wanda, you can stop hiding around." Nat's voice caught your attention and you looked at her before turning behind to see Wanda appearing behind a light pole. She chuckled nervously as she walked towards us and gave me a small wave.
"So? You're actually going there?" Wanda bumped Nat's shoulder with hers and wiggled her eyebrows.
"I just thought I'll let Allie experience it."
"Yeah yeah, whatever makes you sleep at night."
You looked between the two women, not knowing what they were talking about. Three of you continued making your way there. It was just a short walk but due to the crowd, it was very hard to walk through the sea of people. From an outside perspective, it looked like the three of you were a family as you were walking in between Wanda and Nat.
Standing outside the building, it looked like an ordinary brick building which was quite out of place here. There were significantly fewer people standing outside the door as there were no displays of any kind, no promotions or anything. You couldn't even see what was inside. Double checking that she got the right place, Nat pushed open the door and there were already a few people there talking, mostly ladies.
"You must be Miss Natalie Rushman." An old looking lady spoke.
"That's right. This is Allison and Wendy." Giving Wanda a fake name was as easy as she breathed.
"Nice to meet you ladies. I am Mrs White, the owner of this building. Since everyone is here, let's get started shall we?" She showed us around and to our stations before giving each of us an apron and you took it skeptically. Was Nat going to cook?
"We are going to make Valentine's Day chocolate. You can either give it to your crush, friend or have it for yourself." Everyone cheered before the owner continued again. "Making the chocolate would be easy, but I bet everyone would be excited for the decorating."
The ingredients needed were already measured out and placed on the table. Using the stool provided for you, you stepped on it and followed the steps as best you could. Of course, Wanda was really proficient in this while you and Nat needed some help from the owner and her. Once she was done mixing everything and placed hers in the fridge, she came round to yours to help you.
"You are doing way better than Miss Rushman over there." She teased.
"Just you wait Wendy. I'll destroy your chocolate before you can even see it."
---
Overall, it was really light hearted, Wanda and Nat were teasing and joking around that others started participating as well. There was a period of time where we had moments to spare as we needed to wait for the chocolate to set and harden before we could decorate.
"There are a few ice piping in front of you for you to choose from. For whatever reason if you don't have enough, you can always come and find me to get more." The ladies squealed and started decorating it the way they have been discussing during the break earlier.
Your mind was blank as you stared at the chocolate in front of you. There was only a certain amount of time you had to decorate before it started melting again but you had no idea what to put on it.
You looked around and everyone had a smile on their faces as they transferred their idea to the chocolate. Maybe you should just leave it plain and eat it for yourself. You took a peek at Wanda and she was decorating it with ease. Leaning towards her to steal a glance, she shifted away when she saw you coming closer. You gave her a look but said nothing, who would have thought she had a crush, no wonder she was attending this as well.
Looking at Nat this time, she was also decorating, not as good as Wanda but at least she had some colour on the chocolate already.
In the end, you decided to put a simple note on the chocolate, not really wanting it to be empty.
The owner gave us each a box and a piece of dry ice so the chocolate won't melt before we get home. Each time when there was an opportunity, Nat would try to sneak a peak at Wanda's but she would cover it up and quickly wrapped it up with her magic without letting anyone see. Everyone was happily taking photos of their finished products and posting them on their social media.
"Are you done wrapping, Allie?" Nat asked kindly. You nodded your head and passed it to her. "You want me to hold it for you?" You shook your head but continued holding the wrapped chocolate in front of her.
"I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me." You said shyly as you were looking at the ground, too shy to look at her.
"Thank you. I appreciate it a lot." She placed a finger under your chin and kissed your forehead causing you to blush furiously. Others might be seeing a tomato walking around.
"What about you, Nat? Who are you giving it to?" Wanda asked, knowing you would want to know the answer too.
"I don't know... I think I'm just gonna have to have it for myself." She shrugged her shoulders before we waved goodbye to the owner and headed back to the compound.
"What should we do when we head back?" Wanda asked excitedly from the passenger seat.
"I don't know, watch some random movie and head to bed. This little one still has school tomorrow." Nat said and you groaned at the back seat.
---
Somehow, all of us fell asleep on the couch in the living room. It was surprising that none of the boys woke us up but maybe because Tony was not in the compound with Pepper, because let's be real, he's the only one who would make too much of a fuss and wake us up with the only exception of Thor. He's just naturally loud.
I sneaked away and stood at the entrance of the compound and took out my phone to call Nat. Using the new gadget that Bill gave me, I was able to change my voice to any person I liked.
"See the dials over here? Just turn it until the correct number and you have the voices." Bill explained it to me. "There's all sorts of voices you can imagine there. There's even your voice in it." He said excitedly.
"That's nice, but why is it in the shape of a bowtie?" You questioned.
"I couldn't think of anything else to hide it in."
"This is nice. I'm sure it's going to come in handy. Thank you, Bill."
"Number eleven..." You mumbled as you tuned the dial to your voice. Pressing Nat's number on your phone, you cleared your throat as you waited for Nat to pick up. Your heart was beating on your chest as you waited nervously.
Nat
Hello?
Hey Nat... It's me. I went back earlier but you were sleeping so I decided not to disturb you...
Y/N! Why?
You need your sleep. It's not everyday you get a chance to rest.
Where have you been? Are you going to be done with your mission anytime soon?
No... I'm getting tied up. It's probably going to take a long while. Sorry.
I miss you... a lot. Everyone's missing you too.
I'm sorry. At least you have my phone number now. I don't know where my previous one went.
You heard Natasha pull away from her phone to check the caller ID on her screen.
You're giving me your number?
Just a head's up,  you're going to get voicemail quite often. I'm rather busy. But let's not talk about this. I saw a peach shaped chocolate on the table  and I got tired waiting so I took the liberty to eat it.
Hey! It's not a peach shape... If you were here so long, you should have woken me up!
Despite its shape, it's really tasty.
Where did you get it from?
I'm not going to tell you. It's my secret.
Okay okay, I conceded. I heard from Bill that you're taking care of the kid name... Allison?
That's right, she reminds me of you a lot.
That day, it was a long night talking through the phone as you continued to take bites of the chocolate until your phone ran out of battery. You missed being able to talk to her as yourself and hated seeing her being sad that you weren't there. 
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