#even though rowdy is almost 30

[tatzelwyrm]

If I had watched this episode before Covid I might have thought the townspeople's aggression and readiness to turn to violence was a bit exaggerated.

But since I'm watching this in 2025, the only part of this episode I find unrealistic is that there isn't also a counter mob denying that anthrax is real.

[mochinomnoms]

Two's Company, Three's a Crowd, and Six is a Riot

ii. the sweetest tart in the red tyrant’s feast

[wc} - 8,227

[notes] - Riddle my baby...he deserves so many kisses...not sure if this feels super ooc or not but i liked it so this is what we got! i wanted to write so much more for him but it got too much so i had to cut down and make a few edits. also pls don't worry a whole lot about the poll at the end just choose pls

tags: @rosieboop @aliasrising @alienlatteinspace @wishicouldart @cottage-clockwork

make a choice at the end...

back to chapter list

ii. The sweetest tart in the red tyrant’s feast

Listen to: “Matsuri” by Fujii Kaze

An S.O.S. signal sent by Trey and Cater had the entire dorm on high alert for a last minute unbirthday party. 

High alert was putting it lightly, actually.

Riddle was meticulous in scheduling unbirthday parties well ahead of time. In fact, he made sure that all the Heartslabyul students had every single party, ceremony, gathering, and the like in their calendars from the start of the year to the end. 

This unbirthday party? It was in the middle of the week, in the middle of the afternoon, with only a few hours notice. Riddle must have gone insane.

“You! Get the tables set up! And you three, make sure the roses are painted red!” Trey was definitely stressed, barking orders out at the students that were already at the dorm. “Has anyone seen Cater? I need him to—”

“Trey! What’s going on, Riddle had me send out an urgent S.O.S., everyone is acting like their butts are totally up in flames—woah!”

Cater strolled in, phone in hand as he watched everyone run around, yelping as Trey caught him by his shoulders. 

“Cater! Where’s Riddle? Why is he having us do the unbirthday party two days early? I’m barely even able to get a cake ready, did he tell you anything?”

Trey looked like he’d aged 30 years just from his current expression alone, and Cater was having a hard time from laughing at it. 

“Pft—He’s getting his uniform on in his room. He texted me, which he neeeever does, B-T-W. I mean, he even told me to get the King’s chair.”

Hazel eyes met light green ones, blinking once. Twice. A third time. 

“The…King’s chair?”

“Yuh.”

“Riddle…asked for the King’s chair?”

“Yepperoni.”

“W-wh…why?” Trey asked incredulously. 

There were three special chairs in storage, alongside the normal ones brought out for parties and ceremonies.

One was called the Throne, a seat specially meant for the housewarden. It was created in the image of the Queen of Heart’s own throne and was named as such. It was large and dwarfed the person sitting in it, unless you were Riddle with his commanding presence. 

The second was a small, but ornately decorated chair wrapped in gold roses and vines, though it matched the other chairs more closely than the Throne. It was reserved for special guests and mostly was used for visiting faculty and housewardens from other dorms. The third was a rare sight for most Heartslabyul students, some even made it their entire academic career without seeing it. 

The King’s chair was a much smaller throne, rather lovely and almost demure, much like the king it was based on. It matched the Throne like a delicate teacup with its ornate china teapot. 

Like roses and baby’s breath. Like the sun and moon. Like rain and an umbrella. Like the stars and the night sky—well, you get it.

“To be totally honest with you, I’m not sure either.” Cater sighed, picking at his cheek as he looked off to the side. “I saw someone with Riddle when he first came into the dorm, super red-faced too. They’re sitting in the lounge A-T-M, he said to have the ADeuce pair to hang out with them.”

Trey furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, looking to his right, where the pair were bickering over the table settings. 

“Really? For a guest that requires us to take out the King’s chair, they’re pretty rowdy to be hosts, he say why?”

“Well, our mystery ‘King’,” Cater emphasized the king with air quotes, “was carrying Grim, who seemed all tuckered out…now that I really think about it…”

Cater started typing away at his phone and brought up a picture, leaning into Trey’s side to show a sneaky snapshot of a person in the lounge. 

“They look a LOT like (Name), see?”

Trey adjusted his glasses, squinting at the image of a person on their lounge couch. Indeed, the person in the picture looked eerily like (Name), from the hair to their eyes to the shape of their nose. Just older, with longer hair tied into a low bun and a deep red, simple suit and a pair of black, suede ankle boots on their person. 

“Woah…Cater you don’t think…maybe their sibling or something also got summoned here too?”

Cater looked around, like he was watching out for someone, before leaning in to whisper to Trey like an old woman with gossip. 

“I heard there were six different people summoned earlier today. And that Grimmy got (Name) into some sort of trouble and now they’re missing! Malleus is like, tooootally freaked out according to Lils, and Grimmy’s been sobbing into that person’s arms since he got here.”            

A wave of concern and sympathy for the little direbeast waved over Trey as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Oh man, poor (Name). Poor Grim, maybe that’s why Riddle wants the two to go host them?”

“Yeah, to help calm Grimmy-Boy down, probably. I’m gonna go tell them to head over and—”

“Wait, what about Grim? We heard that something happened to (Name), but no one’s telling us anything!” 

Ace and Deuce ran up to them, the former hiding his worry by crossing his arms, though he still bit on his lip. Deuce on the other hand was clearly distressed, fidgeting with his hands as he spoke. 

“Everyone just keeps telling us that Riddle wants us in the lounge, but won’t say anything about (Name)!” Deuce started waving his hands as he spoke in rapidly increasing panic. “They haven’t answered any of our texts, we heard that there was an explosion in the classroom they were at. Is Grim with them?”

Trey placed a hand on Deuce’s shoulders, giving the underclassmen a reassuring squeeze on his shoulders. 

“Hey, calm down. We don’t know anything, but Riddle might, he brought Grim with him a little while ago.” He decided to leave out the mention of your look-alike as he continued. 

“He’ll be here soon, for now finish up what you were doing and then head to the lounge to check in on Grim, alright?”

Ace opened his mouth to retort, but then closed it, huffing and nodding as he tugged Deuce along to finish their original tasks. 

Trey sighed, adjusting his glasses as he turned back to Cater. 

“We should also get our stuff done, I’m going to take a small group with me to try and get some food and tea going so that I can focus on the cake. Did you get someone to grab the chair?”

Cater smiled, bringing his fingers up in a peace sign up to his eye as he winked. 

“Yessirrrrr! I sent a few clones of mine to get the rest of the tables and chairs, I’ll help everyone finish up!” 

He paused, eyes widening as he looked behind Trey and cringed. 

“Oop, Riddle’s coming this way, and he does NOT look very slay.”

Trey raised a brow and turned around, blinking at the site of an unusually disheveled Riddle, well disheveled for him. 

His crown was starting to slip off his head, the train of his cloak was all twisted as it dragged behind him, even his tie was slightly skewed off his neck. 

“Riddle! Are you okay? You’re not usually so frazzled.”

Riddle cringed, cheeks red from embarrassment, as he adjusted his uniform. 

“My apologies, this is unbecoming of a housewarden, but there’s been a bit of a—” Riddle thinned his lips as he pondered what to say. “—let’s say an event. We have a very important guest of honor, and it’s of the utmost importance that this unbirthday party is perfect!”

The short housewarden looked around, spotting Ace and Deuce as they threw their paint brushes haphazardly into empty cans and rushed past the group to the lounge. 

“Cater, I presume you sent them to entertain our guest I mentioned?”

Cater nodded and gave Riddle a thumbs up. “Yep! Kinda confused about why our favorite troublemakers are going though, wouldn’t it totes better if maybe me or Trey go instead? I’m like, such a good host!”

Riddle shook his head, sighing as he crossed his arms. 

“No, trust me. They’re the best pair for our guest. And…” Riddle turned red again, looking around towards the gardens. “You got the King’s chair out of storage, yes?”

Nodding, Cater shared another look with Trey before the green haired man gingerly asked, “About that, the King’s chair is only for a housewarden’s partner. You of all people know that, so why are we taking it out for a guest…”

Trey paused, blinking in astonishment as Cater did the same. Riddle was turning red once again, all the way down to his neck, as his two hairpieces stood straight up. However, he didn’t look angry, not at all.

Riddle looked embarrassed, flustered even, especially at the mention of a partner. 

“That’s exactly why it’s being brought out, though it’s a bit complicated…”

Riddle had left you in the lounge a while ago, stumbling over his words and cheeks red as he asked you to wait until he sent someone for you. It was awfully cute, you hadn’t seen your husband get so shy around you since you first started dating.

It probably didn’t help that you kept cooing over him as you walked over to the Hall of Mirrors, making the other ‘Yous’ and the housewardens give you two looks. 

Mostly amused ones, though you think the other students were waiting for Riddle to blow up in anger.

Now that Riddle had left you, muttering about needing to get dressed and check on the garden, you were focused on the little creature on your lap. 

Grim was almost catatonic, ears drooping down as he let out a whine. He leaned into your hand though as you scratched behind his ears, his favorite spot, despite any denials about it.

“…Hey (Na)—um—Tart?”

You looked down, titling your head at Grim and giving him a reassuring smile. 

“Yes Grim?”

Sitting up in your lap, Grim fiddled with the gem on his collar, it looked a bit cloudy from the blot he accumulated earlier, though it was fading out. 

“What was it like when you came here? Did it feel weird when the cracks started growing?”

You knew he was actually asking if it hurt. Based on what Riddle was saying when walking over to the dorm, the younger you was screaming in pain. 

“A…bit. I think I was more shocked than anything. But I’m alright, and I’m sure (Name) is too.” 

You lied smoothly, and the little guy relaxed a bit, leaning against your chest as he murmured to himself. 

“Hmm? What was that?”

“...I’m kinda hungry…”

You snorted, ruffling Grim’s fur as you stood up and moved your arm to let him crawl up your shoulder. It was a bit nostalgic, it had been a few years since he’d been small enough for you to hold and carry again. 

“Let’s get some food then, I’m sure we can sneak a little snack from the kitchen!”

Grim smiled and purred, vibrating against your shoulder as he slumped over like a potato sack. It had been years since you’d been in Heartslabyul, but from all the time you'd previously spend with your husband here, you knew it like the back of your hand.

The halls were winding and trippy, for lack of a better word, but once you got the hang of it, walking through them was a breeze. 

It did smell like the kitchen was being used, a sweet, familiar smell of fruits and sugar wafting in the air. It made you want to drool, like a cartoon character floating to a pie. 

“Hmm, Trey’s baking~ Ugh, I haven’t had it in so long!”

You pouted, making Grim tilt his head and purr in confusion,

“Whaddya mean? We don’t get Trey’s treats anymore in the future? Myah! I can’t have that!”

A soft chuckle left you as you two peeked over the entryway to the kitchen. It looked empty, but the oven light was on, accompanied by a sweet smell of vanilla. The other entry led to the halls connected to the patio and gardens, and you could just make out the sounds of students running around. No doubt preparing a surprise unbirthday party. 

“No, no Grim, I’m exaggerating. We visit the bakery every Sunday morning for some tea and pastries. It’s like a little tradition for us!” 

You carefully tiptoed in, mouth watering as you eyed the cake slowly rising in the oven. There were strawberries on the counter, half cut and half still whole, like someone left midway through baking. Based on the heavy whipping cream and sugar alongside it, you suspected that Trey was baking a strawberry shortcake.

He wouldn’t miss a single strawberry, right?

Your husband’s voice was ringing in your ears as you plucked one of the berries and rapidly backed away, taking half of it in a bite and offering the other half to Grim, who swallowed it whole gleefully. 

Riddle would be chastising you right now if he were here. Angrily wagging a finger at you as he went on and on about how rude and unsanitary it was to take an ingredient from the kitchen. He’d huff as you smile at him and offer a kiss as an apology, teasingly offering a taste of strawberry from your lips. 

If your husband was here, you’d do just that. But you don’t know where he is, if he’s alone, if he’s safe. Really, though, you shouldn’t worry, Riddle had always been more than capable of taking care of himself. 

But what if he was hurt? Riddle was an excellent mage with powerful magic at his disposal, even more so as an adult, he’d be fine. What if he’s lost, completely isolated from anyone or anything? If there’s a will, there is a way, and Riddle was much more stubborn than he liked to admit. What if you don’t find your way back to him? Can you really trust Crowley when he never found you a way home?

You swallowed tightly at the thought, staring down at your hands and fiddling with the gold ring on your left ring finger. It was a ruby, with leaf motifs on the crown and band, making it look like a rose. A lovely red that reminded you of Riddle. 

“I hope he’s okay…” Grim turned his head at you and let out a curious ‘mrrph?’ as you smiled at him. “Riddle, my Riddle I mean. I’m sure he is, he might even be with your (Name)!” 

Grim looked reassured with that thought, mindlessly kneading into your shoulder. 

“Yeah. Yeah, they probably are.”

Both of you sighed as you leaned against the kitchen island, staring off into nothing in particular. The sounds of students rambling, the stomps of running, the smell of strawberries and roses. It was all so nostalgic. 

You think you could even hear the sounds of Ace and Deuce arguing, just like they did back then, and just like they still do now.

… Actually, now that you thought about it, their voices were getting closer and closer, footsteps against the tile floors growing louder as the two burst into the other entrance of the kitchen. 

“Move Deuce! You’re getting in the way—”

“—No, you move! You and your big as—big dumb mouth will only stress Grim out!”

“YOU’RE CUSSING! I’M TELLING RIDDLE AND—”

Ace stopped and stared at you, almost comically so, like a cartoon character as Deuce bumped into him. The latter gave Ace a stink eye before following his line of sight and similarly giving you a bulging-eyed stare. 

“W-wha—you—Grim—who—”

“WAAAH! ACE! DEUCE!” Grim cried out, bolting from your shoulder to jump into Ace’s arms. You winced as his rear claws slightly dug through your clothes into your skin as you used you as a catapult, but looked at your best friends’ young selves. 

Deuce stammered over his words, narrowing his gaze as Ace clicked his tongue at the cat-sized beast sniffling into his arms. 

“Ace…” Grim’s voice was shuddering and whiny as he dug his head into the ginger’s chest. “I messed up…(Naaame)...”

His eyebrows and eyes just very so slightly softened at the sight. Ace was always much softer than he liked to admit, just with your little group of four, though. Still was. 

“Grim…what’s going on bud? Where’s (Name)? And who’s the lookalike?” Deuce gave a firm nod in agreement to Ace’s questions. “Just tell us what you did.”

His ears flattened down against his head, Grim curling himself even smaller into Ace’s arms as he mumbled. 

“I messed up a spell again…(Name) got…” Grim let out a whimper. Of guilt or fear of disappointment again, perhaps both. “(Name) got caught in it.”

Both Ace and Deuce tensed as they shared a look, then glanced at you. Then back at each other. Then back down at Grim. 

“Grim…is that person…”

“Did you…”

You let out a sigh of relief that the pair figured it out so quickly. It spared you of an awkward explanation—

“Did you make them old???”

“I am not old!!!” You scoffed, indigent, as you crossed your arms and tapped your foot like a parent scolding a kid might. “I am only in my twenties, thank you very much!”

Ace pointed a finger at you, still cradling Grim in the other, and smirked. 

“Where in your twenties? Cause early is fine, but middle and late is pushing it!”

“Middle and late twenties is not old, Ace! It is still very much young, thank you very much—wait, why am I arguing with you on this? You don’t even have a fully developed frontal lobe yet!”

“And you do? So how old does that make you then?”

You closed your mouth as quickly as you opened it, noticing Ace’s smug look, huffing and rolling your eyes.

“I’m not saying! You know it’s rude to ask someone their age!”

Deuce looked between you two with wide eyes, cringing as Ace pointed a finger at you triumphantly. 

“AHA! That’s just another way to say you’re old!” Ace looked down at Grim and giggled as he ruffled the top of his head. “Aw Grim, you just aged (Name) up a couple of years! I’m sure Professor Crewel can make a point to make them normal, I don’t know why you’re crying—”

“They’re not my (Name)!” Grim cried out, though he sounded more frustrated by now, there were still remnants of tears in his eyes and wet streaks down his furry cheeks. “That’s one of the different (Names).”

“Different—”

“—(Names)?”

The two gave the other a look as they finished each other’s sentence, annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. You were reminded just how much they pretended to dislike each other at this age, the stark contrast from how they were back home was almost amusing. You couldn’t wait to tease them about it. 

“Maybe we should sit down and talk. I’m sure the others still need some more time to set up the party, so I can catch you up.”

Riddle’s left eye twitched as he eyed the bunches of roses. There were the usual painted roses to his left, plain red roses in the middle, and plain white on the right. 

“Rule 469 states that we should decorate using both red and white roses for new friends, but would…they…count as a new friend?”

Cater gave a confused hum and twirled a piece of hair around his finger as he gave it some thought. 

“Hmm…To be totes for real, I’m not super sure Riddle. I mean, technically we know (Name), so they aren’t a new friend. But Tart isn’t exactly our (Name), so like, they could really be way different from what we’re used to.”

Cater sighed, as did Riddle, who crossed his arms as he shook his head in frustration. 

“But they’re rather—” He chose to ignore how Cater had to withhold an amused smile at the way Riddle blushed. “—familiar with me. I fear it might offend them as they’re—”

Riddle turned even redder, the words, ‘my spouse’ stuck in his throat like a sugar cube that didn’t fully dissolve into his tea. 

So sweet and pleasant on his tongue, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to actually say it out loud.

It was pathetic. Absolutely and utterly pathetic at how just the thought of you being his spouse made his heart jump from his chest. You’d given him such a sweet smile, spoken to him in a giddy but fond tone back in the classroom, it made him both want to throw up and melt. 

“M-my—ahem—my spouse. And since we’re taking the King’s chair out of storage for them, perhaps it would be more fitting to stick with the painted roses.”

Cater nodded in agreement and gave Riddle a wink. 

“Sure thing Rids! I’ll let everyone know and get the last decorations all set! Why don’t you check on Trey back in the kitchen, he was pretty worried about the treats earlier.”

Really, he meant, “Go talk to Trey and relax.” Riddle was more than aware that he’d been out of character since arriving with you, though he sent you off into the lounge and avoided the general building since. It wasn’t as if he’d been avoiding you, Riddle admitted to himself that he was incredibly curious. 

It’s just…well…he knew himself well enough that he could admit he was fond of you. And it wasn’t every day that he could get a peek into a future that could quite literally speak back to him in full sentences. If normal divination spells worked like that, then reading tea leaves and crystal balls would be for naught.

“Yes, I should see how Trey is doing, will you have the rest of the decorations and arrangements complete by noon?”

Cater gave him a thumbs up and turned on his heel towards the group of students frantically running around the garden, doing their best to prepare.

Riddle felt bad, he truly did. He’d made it a point to schedule all the unbirthday parties for the year by orientation so that he could have all the incoming freshmen prepared. Not only was it more efficient this way, it meant no one could use the excuse of “I didn’t know!” to skip out on work or the party itself. 

But it wouldn’t be appropriate to have the future version of his spouse (he both loved and hated how warm the thought made him feel) visit the dorm and not be honored as a guest. 

Still, he wasn’t sure just how to approach you. Would it be better to be respectful and chaste? Perhaps he should treat you how he’d normally do so, but if this version of you was his spouse, would you be expecting more…affection?

You’d practically tackled him back at the classroom, clinging to him like you’d been together for ages. 

He supposed that for the (Name) sitting in the lounge at this moment, that was a fact of life. Riddle wasn’t stupid, he saw the ruby ring on your finger—a Roseheart family heirloom—and he knew that he’d never dare ask his mother for it unless he’d been with you for years. 

Frankly, he’s surprised that his mother actually approved of the union. In a different time, yes, but still. Riddle does briefly consider that his father or even his grandparents could have also given their blessings. 

No. Not even over her own dead body would his mother allow anything related to him to happen without her approval. He’s positive she would crawl out from the afterlife, nails digging into the crust of the earth where her grave laid if she so much as sensed that something was happening without her. 

Riddle suppressed a shudder at the thought as he stepped into the kitchen, where Trey and a few dorm members were shuffling between each other. The sounds of whisks against metal bowls, a knife on a cutting board, and the sweet smell of vanilla made him relax. 

Something familiar, something running smoothly, something that wouldn’t give him a massive migraine. 

“Almost cool enough. Hey, when you’re done with the whipped cream, bring it over so I can start layering—oh, Riddle.”

Trey had been glaring at the cakes in front of him with mild annoyance, as if he could will them to cool down faster on the wire racks, before noticing Riddle and giving him a soft smile.

“I think we’ll manage to have the cakes done half past twelve, thankfully I had some premade tarts and pastries already prepared for the croquette tournament.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “I’ll just have to make some more next week.”

Riddle felt guilt build up in the back of his throat as he nodded. 

“I appreciate you working so quickly on this. Please forgive the additional stress, it’s not everyday we have such…an important guest.”

“Hey Housewarden!” A rabbit beastman with white, ringlet curls and red eyes snuck up behind Trey and peered at Riddle with a curious smile. “That guest wouldn’t happen to be the person in the lounge with Ace and Deuce, would they?”

Relief flooded his system, as despite how much trouble the pair was, Riddle knew just how close they were to you. 

“Yes, Timmy, that’s correct. I assume they’re comfortable and are being treated well?”

The beastman hesitated before nodding. 

“I mean, I think so? They’d been having a squabble a bit ago, but they were also laughing, so I think it’s all in good fun.”

A mischievous smile crossed Timmy’s as cooed out, “Plus, they’ve been talking an awful lot about you Housewarden. Didn’t think you were into older—oof!”

A swift elbow from Trey into his stomach made the other keel over and groan in pain. Riddle felt the tale-tell heat of rage grow under his skin as he gave a stern glare to the rabbit. 

“If you have time to eavesdrop on others' conversations, then perhaps you don’t have enough tasks to keep you occupied. Take the dishes that are ready and get the tables set up, remember what happens to rabbits if Rule 628 is broken!”

Despite Trey’s rather soft scolding, the other man turned pale and nodded, swiftly grabbing a tray of scones and tea before rushing off. The green-haired man nodded at the others in the kitchen as well, who followed suit with the rest of the dishes, leaving the two of them alone. 

“...Thank you, Trey. I’d hate for our guest to be greeted with a collared guest at a party in their honor.”

Trey simply reached for the now abandoned bowl of whipped cream, eyeing the consistency before deeming it sufficient for use as he spread it on top of the cakes.

“Yeah, our ‘guest’ who you’ve been avoiding since you arrived, Riddle.”

RIddle stiffened, huffing as he turned his look away from Trey’s critical gaze. 

“I’ve been checking in on everyone, I’m sure it’s stressful for everyone to have to prepare for an unbirthday party that wasn’t meant to happen for weeks. I sent Ace and Deuce to host them for the time being, but I fail to see what is wrong with that!”

“Yes, but Riddle.” The layers were coming together nicely as cut strawberries were gently placed in the whipped cream. 

“You had us bring out the King’s chair. You spent 30 full minutes agonizing with me over the right tea and cake to serve. And another 10 with Cater on the roses, when normally you’d already have these details set. You know (Name), even if this is a different version of them, they won’t be so worried about the little details.”

Riddle pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, sighing heavily. 

“I know. I do, I really do. It’s just…”

Trey’s eyes were still focused on decorating the cake in front of him, but he nodded, giving Riddle a confirmation that he was listening. 

“How in the world am I meant to properly respond to them? All the rules of etiquette are a blurred line with them!”

Riddle felt a blush coming on again as he thought about the way you hugged him against your chest, your hands on his cheeks, the loving smile. He’d only had dreams about those sorts of things, and now they were reality. 

“Riddle, if Tart is making you uncomfortable, I’m sure you could speak to them and explain.”

Trey turned back to face Riddle, his face full of concern. 

“You don’t know them like that, you don’t have to pretend to like it for their sake.”

He’s always hated how easily his face got red. He hated how silly it made him look when he was angry, but this was worse somehow. 

“That’s not exactly…” Riddle looked up at Trey and gave him an embarrassed cringe. “I don’t dislike their familiarity, Trey. It’s just, how am I supposed to interact with them?”

A bit of silence stretched over the two as Trey stared at Riddle with an unreadable expression. The lack of emotions on his face made Riddle uncomfortable, it was unlike Trey. 

“Riddle, do you…” Trey finally gave Riddle a teasing smile. “Do you fancy (Name)? Is that what has you all distracted?”

Riddle did not appreciate the snorts that started escaping Trey as the other covered his grin.

“Trey. Do not test me at this time. I’m not in the mood.”

“Please, you’re not gonna collar me Riddle, we both know that. Besides, it’s sweet.” Trey’s smile grew as he fondly continued. “Now that I think about it, you’re kind of reminding me of how my little brother acted when he got a crush on a girl at school. It’s a normal thing, you know?”

Riddle raised a brow at Trey, deciding to rest his elbows on the kitchen island and cover his face with his hands, lest someone walk in and see the state of him. 

“Please don’t compare me to a child, and this is certainly not the same. My future spouse is sitting a few rooms away, wearing a family heirloom as a ring, I think I deserve a bit of grace here…”

He could feel Trey pat Riddle on the back, soothingly rubbing him. Riddle wonders if Trey did this with his siblings too?

“It wasn’t just me either, Trey. You heard there were 6 versions of them in total, yes?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Six versions of the (Name) we know,” He almost uttered out ‘and love’ before catching himself. “And of those six, only one is familiar with me.”

One possibility, and five failures. Riddle hates that he didn’t even realize that the other five also fancied you. In hindsight, they had to, they’ve all been sweet on you in different ways. Too stuck in his own head and feelings to realize, Riddle hated the pangs of jealousy in his chest at the other versions of you clinging to the others. 

“Well, why don’t you talk to them? Who knows, maybe you’ll get a hint on wooing our (Name)!”

“Or they can tell you how you got together!”

The two jumped in surprise as Cater poked his head into the kitchen, eyes sparkling in excitement. 

“How long were you there? It’s rude to listen to others' conversations.” Riddle crossed his arms, unamused at Cater avoiding eye-contact.

“Aw Rids, that’s not important. What’s totes important here is taking advantage of a huuuge opportunity! You literally have a chance to totally make sure that you get with (Name) and that I win my bet!”

Riddle and Trey stared at Cater, one baffled and the other looking as if he aged 30 years. 

“Cater, please don’t tell me that you made a bet on Riddle’s love life.”

“I didn’t make a bet on Riddle’s love life!” Cater paused, glancing between the two before chirping, “But I diiiid make a bet on (Name’s) love life! And I have a good chunk of money on our very own housewarden and them getting together—woah woah woah, hey!”

Putting his hands up in defense and scrambling across the room to put the island between a reddening Riddle and him, Cater defended himself. 

“We totally have a great opportunity, Riddle! You really like (Name), we can tell.”

Riddle paused, thinning his lips as he asked, “...Is it that obvious?”

“Incredibly/Very much so.” Both Cater and Trey responded much faster than Riddle liked, before the former smiled and gave a suggestion. 

“Now, obviously you two get together in a possible future, but as you know, part of divination is using magic to get information and use that to your advantage. You don’t think I’m only good at astrology for aesthetics, do you?”

Cater winked at Riddle with a smirk as he glanced at his phone and started typing away. 

“So, why don’t I have our favorite little pair try to scope out some information while we finish setting up the party, then you and I can talk about how to make sure that we use that to our advantage?”

“You could also just ask.”

An unholy sounding yelp left Cater’s mouth as he, along with Riddle and Trey, jumped at the sound of your voice. 

You strolled into the kitchen, Grim on your shoulders, while Ace and Deuce followed. 

“Heya guys! How much longer until we can get the party started?” Ace grinned, eyeing the near finished cake behind Trey. “I’m starvin’ ya know!”

“Tsk—Rule 739, guests may only begin feasting once the Queen and her King have completed their third and a half course of tea, you should know that Ace.” 

Riddle shut his mouth as soon as he’d opened it, as you’d beaten him to the punch. Ace’s face soured as he deflated and wrinkled his nose at you. 

“Ew. When you told us you’d married the Housewarden in the future, I didn’t think it’d meant you’d become Housewarden 2.0.”

You let out a melodious laugh, eyes crinkling at their corners as you replied, “Well, I don’t know about that, I don’t think anyone could compete with Riddle’s memory. My Riddle has our anniversary date memorized down to the minute, believe it or not.”

From the corner of his eyes, Riddle noticed Trey and Cater’s expressions. Trey had his head tilted, eyeing you curiously. Cater on the other hand was much more excited, holding his phone up to cover the lower half of his face. He’s fairly sure that Cater mouthed out, ‘cute’ at you.

Riddle made eye contact with you as your eyes softened at the sight of what he had to assume were red cheeks. He’s been ever so awfully red today, hasn’t he?

“Oh Riddle my dear, are you alright? Ever since I’ve been here, you’ve been nothing but shades of pinks and reds. We don’t have to have the unbirthday party if it’s causing stress—”

“Nonsense!” Riddle barked, making everyone but you jump. “The Queen of Hearts welcomed but a small child to her unbirthday party with open arms, why shouldn’t I do the same with someone as important as you Tart?”

With a stomp of his staff on the ground, the four other Heartslabyul students stood straight at attention, awaiting Riddle’s orders. 

“Ace. Deuce. Go see to it that the garden has been tended to, I want to see it in pristine condition!”

“Yes Housewarden!”

The pair gave a brief bow of their heads before running off towards the garden. Riddle turned to Cater next, who inclined his head and smiled. 

“Yes Housewarden?”

Riddle turned to him and let out a command, “Go ensure that all my card soldiers have their uniforms in perfect condition. I will not have a single student in my dorm with so much as a rose pin out of place! Understood?”

“Aye-aye! I’m to it!”

Cater gave another glance at you before grinning and skipping off, leaving just Trey, who was giving a small smile to Riddle. 

“I can continue here, once the others return from taking out the tea and pastries, I’ll have them help me finish up the rest of the food. We should be ready to hold the party by one o'clock otherwise.”

“Good. Very good, then.” Riddle let out a huff, eyeing Grim’s hungry stare at the various bowls of sweetened mixtures and fruits. “Grim, I trust that you remember Rule 89, yes?”

Grim let out soft, kitten-like growls and mumbled something under his breath, which made you smile and chuckle. You leaned in to whisper something into his ear, which made Grim perk up and give you a quizzical look. 

“Hm? I guess I can, but then I can’t eat Trey’s baking!” Grim whined, his ears dropping down. 

“Aw, well, I’m sure we can save you a slice of cake for later, and even a tart.” You glanced at Riddle and pleaded, “Can’t we Riddle? Let’s save him a few treats so he can go check in on the others, make sure they’re setting in with the other dorms?”

Riddle blinked at you two for a few moments, before understanding washed over him. The other (Names) in the dorms, it makes sense. They would probably want to check in on Grim as well, especially after his sobbing fit from Malleus’s chastisement back in the classroom.

“Of course, Trey will ensure that Grim has something left to look forward to on his return.”

Riddle gave a nod to Trey who nodded back, glancing back at you and staring for a moment. 

“Tart is what you’re going by, right?”

You hummed in affirmation, walking towards the two of them, hands fidgeting with an old black and white striped fabric tied to one of your belt straps. It looked rather tattered, with one end hanging lower than the other, a pin holding it down. 

“Yes, I thought it would be cute since Riddle has always loved tarts so much! You know, we actually only had a small cake for us to cut into at our wedding, instead we served a bunch of fruit tarts as dessert!” 

The beaming smile on your face as you reminisced, a romantic and far-off look in your eyes alongside it. You turned your attention to Riddle and added, “You made the suggestion, you know, despite tradition. Everyone else was surprised at the reception.”

“Did I really?” Riddle sputtered, positively baffled at the idea. Yes, he liked tarts, but he couldn’t imagine that he would allow himself to stray from rules and tradition. Yes he was less strict now, but to completely abandon them was out of the question!

You laughed, now in front of him and eyeing his uniform. “Don’t be too surprised, I pushed for you to change at least one thing up about the wedding, everything else was pretty much your traditional Rosarian wedding.”

Pursing your lips, you reached for Riddle, who hesitantly backed away. He eyed you, noticing the falter in your smile, before leaning back in. He breathed in a deep breath as you adjusted his collar and tie, wiping down the front of his coat and tending to his cloak. 

You were wearing some sort of cologne or perfume that smelled like strawberries and roses. 

“Sorry, I used to double-check your uniform for you.” You mumbled under your breath, backing away to eye his appearance until you were satisfied. “Perfect as always, I just like to feel useful sometimes.”

Trey cleared his throat, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head as if he was interrupting something. 

“Housewarden, perhaps you can take them for a tour through the maze? It seems like it’s been a while since they’ve been to the school. I can come for you when the party is ready.”

“Ah, of course, wonderful idea Trey. Shall we, (Na—) Tart?” Riddle cleared his throat, gesturing to the exit with an open hand. Before he could react you gingerly looped your left arm with his right and hooked it close to you, effectively trapping his arm to your body. 

“That would be nice, let’s go!” Practically dragging Riddle with you, you waved with your free hand behind you and chirped. “We’ll see you in a bit Trey!”

Riddle let out a yelp as he tripped over his feet, heels clicking against the tile as you made your way out, passing the tea garden into the maze, only slowing once the sounds of students talking and plates clinking were far away. 

Why was he allowing you to drag him around like this? This couldn’t possibly be a habit of yours, there’s no way he’d allow it! Right?

Right?

No, he was just out of sorts from the peculiarity of it all. Your presence would throw anyone in for a tizzy, he’s sure the other housewardens are also experiencing…distress?

Was he distressed? No, Riddle doesn’t think so. Glancing up at you, a peaceful smile on your face as you two finally took a leisurely pace, he didn’t think he was distressed. 

He actually felt a bit of content, happy even, now that it was just the two of you and no other prying eyes. Riddle took a look at your hands wrapped around his arm, once again eyeing the ring on your finger, and let himself smile. 

“Well? Are you going to ask?”

Riddle let out a confused hum as he looked back up at your face, the teasing smile on your lips making him nervous once again. 

“Ask? Ask you what?”

You unwrapped your left hand from his arm and presented it in front of you two, wagging your ring finger, making the ruby glitter in the sun, as you sang, “Ask how this happened~ Cater doesn’t often give you advice, you know?”

A soft ‘ah’ sound left Riddle as he swallowed a lump in his throat, the ring’s glitter and shine calling for him, mocking him. 

Just how did he manage to give you that ring?

“Yes, well. I s-suppose I am a bit curious. It’s no small feat that you’re wearing a family heirloom, I imagine that we c-courted for quite a few years before marriage was even on the table.”

Riddle managed to stammer out his words, gesturing down a pathway that kept you two close to the eastern side of the maze, where it would be easier to get back to the tea garden. 

“Ah, yes. Since the end of my first and your second year.” A soft sigh left your mouth as you frowned. “We got married a few years after you were appointed to the Magistrates’ Court, though this ring isn’t your family’s ring.”

“What?” Riddle puzzled, taking a closer look at your ring with confusion. “No, that can’t be. I’ve seen the ring, it has the—”

“Rosehearts’ family crest built into it? I know. You were very proud when you proposed to me, telling me about how you had it commissioned to be an exact replica, a new heirloom for us to pass down ourselves.”

You gave Riddle a grin and winked. 

“You could’ve had the goldsmith and jeweler make something new, but I’m pretty sure you had this made to spite your mother since she wouldn’t give you the original.” 

Riddle scoffed in disbelief, staring up at you in wonder. Him? Spite his mother? He knew now that her treatment of him growing up was far from ideal, but it was hard to imagine him deliberately spiting her—wait.

“Did you say court? The Magistrates’ Court?!” Riddle questioned, finally reaching an end of the maze with a stone bench to sit on. As he led you to it to sit, he continued. 

“I was appointed to the court? Really?”

“Oh yes! It’s part of the reason dear Louise Rosehearts hated me and refused to give you her blessing.” You clicked your tongue, drumming your fingers against your thigh. 

“When you decided to pursue law instead of medicine for your fourth year internship, she was distraught. Her plans for you to become a great magical doctor all came tumbling down. Ugh…”

You winkled your nose in distaste, giving Riddle a look and smirking. 

“Blame me for it. Said I was a baaaad influence on her precious son, probably didn’t help that there are no records of me existing before NRC.”

Riddle furrowed his brows as he clenched his fists in his lap, staring at you as you fidgeted with the striped cloth he’d noticed earlier. He could finally see the pin clearly now, an old, golden crown that needed to be polished, as its shine was dulled from age.

“Is that my…”

“Your tie? Yes, it is.” You coaxed another flush of red to his cheeks as you curled a finger under his chin with a playful look. “You gave it to me when you first asked to court me. Tied it around my collar when I agreed, like you were staking a claim.”

“Why, I would never! That’s certainly a claim!” Riddle waved off your finger with an exasperated scoff, though the thought of you still wearing the tie years after being together was satisfying in a way. 

“I’m not some mongrel that needs to use a tie to mark someone as mine, my words and intentions are just enough!” 

Riddle’s voice rose. He was a bit offended that some version of himself out there would do such a crass thing, like a cat rubbing itself on its belongings. Then again, there was a certain beastman who also had a version of you, so perhaps his other him had his reasonings. 

“Oh Riddle, of course they are, I’m just teasing.” You waved your hands, frowning. “I’m sorry, my darling, I’m just used to bantering with my husband. Years of being together, and I’m forgetting that you don’t know me like that, do you?”

You had such a sad look on your face, it made Riddle melt into a puddle and stutter over his words. 

“Well I—it’s just that—it’s not like we aren’t friends at least—I just, it’s just—how do we get together again?”

The sad look turned into a much happier one, nostalgic almost, as you smiled and clasped your hands together as you excitedly gasped. 

“Oh, like I said, you asked to court me at the end of the year, but we’d been sort of, hm, tiptoeing the line ever since the beginning of the year. After your…well, you know.”

Overblot. Riddle shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the thought. That didn’t make sense though, even if he helped you with the issues that cropped up during the Spelldrive tournament and Leona’s own overblot, you and he hadn’t exactly been very close. 

He’s only recently noted his affection for you.

“Mmhm, you and I spent a lot of time together, you helped me catch up with the curriculum, would invite me over to tea parties a whole lot, and your dream even had me—oh…”

You paused, noticing Riddle’s increasing confusion at your words. Instead you cleared your throat and noted, “Maybe I’m saying too much, I don’t want to reveal too much of the future anyways.” 

“Oh. Right, I see.” He deflated, immediately straining up and taking a deep breath. “I’d rather win over you with my own efforts in any case. I have confidence in my abilities.”

Riddle closed his eyes and nodded to himself in satisfaction. You said that in your time you and your version of him began courting at the end of this school year, so he still had time. 

Marriage hm? It was a pleasant thought, very much so. Various ideas of just how to ensure it would happen swam through his mind, until your hands on his cheek brought him back to the present. 

Turning his head to look at you, Riddle felt his face heat up as you leaned closure, your other hand brushing away his hair from his forehead. A chaste, sweet kiss was placed on his forehead as you giggled against the skin. He’s positive the red in his face was now falling down his neck to the rest of the body. 

“I-I say! That’s quite inappropriate! I’m not—”

“My Riddle, yes I know. But still.” Leaning back, your hands still cradling his face, you rebutted. 

“I know him, so I know you a bit too. Don’t think too much, my dearest, just let whatever relationship you have with your (Name) progress naturally. I can’t say for sure it will turn out the way you want, but they’ll still cherish you regardless. Though, I obviously have a bias on whom they should choose.”

You giggled, pulling Riddle close again to press a kiss to the crown of his head, making him left out a high-pitched squeak. 

“O-of course.” Riddle waved your hands off him, fighting back an embarrassed smile that threatened to grow on his lips. Decorum can wait, just for a bit. “I think I can hear Trey call for us. I would like to hear more about the future though, I’m having a hard time believing I’d ever spite my mother over anything, rather than just cut her out.”

Riddle smiled as you let out a cackle, eyes squinting in mirth as you took his arm once again, having it offered to you this time. 

“Oh trust me, Riddle, when you get older, you’d be surprised just how catty you can be.”

comments and reblogs appreciated 🩷

[captain039]

Wild horses

Drover x reader

Warnings: Light swearing, olden times, sexism, angst, age gap Drovers like 30-40 isn’t he? XD, tension, intimate, eventual smut, violence

I haven’t watched Australia in a while so it’s pretty rusty lol

You follow your sister down the steam boats ramp, watching her fiddle with all her luggage that the poor man behind you is hauling. You brought two suit cases, mainly because you’ve been here before and lived here.

“Ash come on” you sigh heading into town. There bars rowdy, fight breaking out with in as you catch a glance while your sisters things go flying over the muddy ground. Two men fly out, you know one figure instantly, Drover. You step back as he punches a man, he’s got a bloody lip and bruised eye already.

“Cowgirl!” You jolt as you feel something collide with your legs and look down seeing little Nullah hugging you.

“Hey” you smile giving his back a pat keeping your hand on his shoulders.

“What’s going on here?” Your sister says flustered and in a state as the Drover finally looks up from beating the man unconscious. He looks to your sister than to you, then to Nullah.

“Evening” he picks his hat up and nods it standing up off the man as the crowd helps him.

“Drover” you nod to him.

“This is my sister” you introduce the two noticing the way his eyes scan her intently.

“Lady Sarah Ashley” she introduces and you smile shaking your head.

“You take care of Estella while I was gone?” You ask Nullah as he leads you to two horses hitched by the saloon.

“Fed, brushed and water just like you said” the boy says happily and you smile at him going to the horses side gently petting her.

“Hey girl” you greet softly as she nickers and bobs her head almost in greeting.

“I’ll be back ok?” You tell the boy before walking back to the sister.

“Drovers got an old buggy you can load your stuff in Ash” you tell her and she nods huffing softly and whisking a way flys.

“I’ll meet you at the ranch ok?” You add and she looks to you confused.

“You’ll be fine” you grin to her handing your suit cases to the helper Sarah brought along. You head to your horse and mount up before urging her into a walk and heading out of the small town and into the wild country.

It’s peaceful for once, no fancy house or servants running around, you love your sister but she’s a handful sometimes and rather lady like compared to you. Your mother left your father when you were 16 and Sarah was 20, you went with your mother to Australia while your father kept Sarah in England, once a year you’d visit till your mother got sick and passed away then you stayed with your father till now. You follow a familiar trail, taking it slow knowing the route like the back of your hand. You don’t arrive at the ranch till sun down and when you do arrive there’s yelling. You hitch your horse letting one of the house watchers take her before heading inside listening to the argument.

“What’s going on?” You interrupt seeing your sister furious and the Drover with his arms cross his chest.

“This place!” She snaps and you raise an eyebrow looking around. Sure it’s a bit dusty and hasn’t been cleaned in a while but it still looks the same from when you were a kid.

“What’s wrong with it?” You ask crossing your arms across your chest as your sister bristles.

“There are random men and women walking around! It’s not cleaned! There is only one bathroom! And no food!” She lists off and you side glance to the Drover watching him approach you.

“Good luck” he mutters before leaving out the front door.

“Ash I love you, but this is a ranch in the outback of Australia it isn’t the mansion back at England ok. The random men and women have been allowed to stay here on my terms as long as they keep the place tidy. As for the food it’ll be delivered tomorrow like the schedule says there should canned goods though in the cupboard” you explain to her watching her pale face redden before she walks off to the main bedroom. You sigh and head out the front door into the porch seeing Drover chatting with a woman by the old water tank. You frown at the water tank noting the rustiness and the holes before walking over to it. There’s no water in it either.

“Hey you know about this?” You ask Drover jumping off the ladder as he walks closer.

“Nah, only found out now, haven’t been here in a few weeks” he answers and you nod.

“You just gonna ignore me?” He grins head tilting to the side and you roll your eyes before going over to him and hugging him.

“Missed ya rascal” he mutters his hold tight. You let yourself bask in it, his warmth even if he’s a little sweaty, the smell of him, his muscles.

“Yeah yeah old ranger” you grin pulling back as he chuckles and shakes his head.

“So, your sister huh?” He asks and you sigh.

“Whatever she said to you ignore it” you say quickly.

“She was just kicking a stink up about the place” he shrugs and you nod clenching your jaw. You love this place more than anything, you lived here with your mum, around horses and cattle, the people, Drover.

“Hey she doesn’t know what this place means to you” he says softly and you almost hate him for it.

“I don’t think she will” you mutter back shaking your head before you spot a familiar face.

“Magarii” you smile hugging the older man as he greets you.

“Keeping the place tidy I hope” you grin at him as he nods his hat to you.

“Course I am” he grins.

“I appreciate it, really” you smile warmly.

“Anything for you little Cowgirl” he nods his hat again before leaving.

“That nickname didn’t leave did it?” You huff as Drover laughs and shakes his head.

“No it didn’t, Cowgirl” he grins at you.

[vemuabhi]

What Sanji is like when Falling in Love

- Ft. Chubby Reader

Hey People! After a long time, I'm here with a Sanji Fic. Please show me your love and support by reblogs.

The part-2 is here people. Please check it out!

What Sanji is like when falling in love

Pairing : Sanji X Fem! Chubby! Reader

Prompts taken from : Bas-writes (4 ; 6 ; 21 ; 30)

Warnings : A bit suggestive but non really. Mostly Fluffy ; Thick Thighs Save lives ; Stretch marks ; Making food for Reader ; Loving Touches

Word count : 1.7K

copyright © vemuabhi

Though Likes are cute and all, Please Reblog me if you like my writings.

Lazy afternoons

The travelling on the sea has been fun because of the crew and their liveliness but there are some days when everything is very quiet like, sometimes Luffy and co. are so serious and trying to fish, sometimes they are all playing some random game which is just not at all understandable. Only Luffy, Ussop and Chopper could understand and play it. No one else can even understand it. Except for Robin who denies she understood to avoid playing. Nami doesn’t care and doesn’t wish to know what they are doing. Now today, the trio fell asleep post lunch leaving the crew to calm down and rest for the time.

Leaving you and Sanji near the Tangerine trees on the back of sunny. Both of you were tired after cleaning up the plates and kitchen. The empty glasses of orange juice were on the table. It was too hot and luckily Sanji got you the juice to cool you down. You both sat on the bench which had the umbrella to protect you from the sun. Sanji had dark circles under his eyes and his eyes kept drooping.

“Do you wanna sleep”, your question made him to turn towards you and smile. He glanced towards his shoes and nodded.

“Yesterday’s night watch is making me like this Y/N”, he said as his tired blue orbs met yours.

“You are tired. Lay down. Ill make sure no one disturbs you for a while”, you said as you took the book which was on your lap and placed it beside you. Sanji’s cheeks reddened as he noticed your action.

“Am I… Supposed to-”

“Yeah, you can. I mean no force ofco-”

“I’ll. I’ll take up the offer”, he said while you took your kerchief and wiped the blood from his nose making the latter gulp.

Sanji slowly placed his legs on the bench and leaned down on your lap. The moment he felt your soft thighs on his cheek, he almost got a nosebleed again but he tried his best to not die. Noticing his nervousness, you ran your fingers in his hair making him flinch at the touch but he soon accepted your touch. Your soothing touch and the soft thighs made him to calm down. The sound of the waves relaxed him to the core. A yawn escaped his mouth. He closed his eyes and within seconds he fell asleep. His soft snores indicated how tired he was after making so much food for the rowdy crew.

After sleeping peacefully for a while, he woke up to the sky turning orange and the soft cushion wasn’t a cushion. Upon careful inspection he noticed that it was your thighs and his eyes widened at how long he had slept on your divine lap till now. He got up and apologised at his behaviour which you chuckled.

“Don’t have to be sorry Sanji. I’m happy that you to sleep till now”, you smiled at him making his heart skip a beat. As he was about to say something, the captain yelled for Sanji asking for food as he noticed the blond was awake now. That made you to giggle.

“They cant live without you”, you said suggesting him to go to feed them which he obliged. Sanji’s new fetish unlocked. Your thighs. Your soft plump thighs.

Needless to say, after that day you found Sanji come to you whenever he was tired and sleepy. He wanted to feel your touch in his golden locks. He wanted his cheeks to be met with the best pillow in the world, your thighs. Of course, he wasn’t vocal about all that but anyone could understand his actions at that point. You certainly allowed the cook to rest on your lap whenever he approached you. Sanji, was not the guy who would show his vulnerable side to women. But he started to slowly show that to you.

Sometimes he would just lay down on your lap and face you while you both talked about nothings. He would talk about the general topics which ranged from the news he had read that day to talking about the songs which he heard recently. Sometimes he made jokes which weren’t that funny but that’s what made them funny. You never not laughed at his jokes. Never knew Sanji was so talkative, usually he would always listen but when someone is listening to him, he opened up more and more. The heart eyes of Sanji never appeared during these times and he stayed calm. His eyes showed… adoration.

Little treats for the little deeds

After you had let him sleep on your lap, he never once missed to give you a special dessert or a special dish in gratitude. His way of showing you thankyou was it. While you guys were at the dinner table, he always… always made sure to slip a little treat near your plate making you smile at him while you nibbled on it.

“Ah! Not fair! Even I want that whatever Y/N is having”, Luffy cooed being yelled by the cook to shut up and eat his share of meat. His blue eyes looked into your direction while you still continued to smile at him. He had to avert his gaze from yours to stop his spreading blush more obvious to the rest of the members.

Sanji, being so precise while he selected ingredients for cooking, he made sure to especially be careful while he worked on yours. Some times when he would just be engrossed in his cooking book to a point where he wouldn’t even notice you coming into the kitchen. You would just sit across from him and continued to read your book. The silence with Sanji was also what you fancied soon enough. His presence was just… that calming.

When he finally had noticed you, he would gasp making your gaze turn towards him. His porcelain skin turned red as he smiled and walked towards you. He sat on the table and talk about the recipe that he was going to prepare.

“Everyone would be so amazed by this, I’m telling you”, he said as he gently took your hand in his and rubbed his thumb gently. “So, I feel like, I’ll be needing… somebodies help to make it”, he then looked at you with a slight pout.

“Haha, so tell me mister cook, what should be done?”, his smile grew, he pulled your hand and lead you to the counter to prepare the food. Sanji could easily make it on his own. He didn’t require anyone’s help. He could just have you sitting there being pretty while he cooked, but he didn’t want you to leave. And what way to keep you around than to ask your “help” because he “can’t” do it on his own.

Lets just say that cooking never felt this fun before. It felt refreshing to be cooking along side Sanji. He just knew… just knew how to make it right. The little intimacy moments you had shared were what made it so important to you both.

Tender Touches

Sanji had never been in a relationship. Not once his fate aligned with his pursue of love. Now that the stars had listened, he had a chance with you. But he didn’t want to get too cocky.

Then you could expect how thrilled he was when you asked him if he wanted to help you apply sunscreen. He almost crashed while approaching you. You laid down on the lawn chair with your back facing the sun. Sanji almost had a nosebleed when he touched your back. Just as he thought, you were so soft. He thought of your thighs as a reference when he imagined how soft you would be over all.

He applied the sunscreen on your back, while he lingered a bit too long holding the softness of your love handles. He gulped after the task was completed. You held his tie and pulled him closer to you and placed a kiss on his cheek making him to fall to his knees while he still gazed at you. That resulted you to again wipe the blood from his nose.

“You’ll have to get used to that, Sanji kun”, you ruffled his silky hair while he just chuckled. He blinked slowly as his gaze fixed on you. The crew could literally feel butterflies in their stomach when they watched you two. Like how Sanji’s wishes came true. That made him to lean into you to place a kiss on your soft plump cheek. His sudden action made you to chuckle, while he raised on eyebrow, “You sure you can handle it Y/N”. Maybe he could get cocky after all.

Silver marks

Night watch was especially given to one member and Luffy, chopper were exception from it. Sometimes when he was on night watch, there were you, leaning your back on the ship rail while his arms were on wither sides of you. He smelled really good. As if he took a shower just then. There were little to no space between you two. He used to get flustered and shy in the beginning but, as time went on, he was getting more and more confident on initiating kisses.

Tilting your head to right by placing his fingers under your chin, and closing the gap between you two. Your arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him even closer while deepening the kiss. Your fingers gently laced in his golden locks. His hands travelled to your thighs and pulled them up, aligning them on his waist while his slender, but damn strong arms carried you to place you on the bench.

Sanji pulled away from the kiss to look at your body beneath him. His gaze shifted towards your top, which was ridden almost past your stomach. Now for the first time, he almost had a full view of your torso. His fingertips traced along the silver lines on your body. You could see the love and lust glimmer in his blue eyes because of the moon. His white cheeks were turning pink, and his breathing was getting heavy because of the stretch marks on you. New kink unlocked. Stretch marks. Your Silver marks.

copyright © vemuabhi

Reblogs and Comments are always appreciated!!

[hihhasotherfixations]

Theme Park - Price x Reader

CW: none, no gender mentioned for the reader so anyone can read ^^

This is pure fluff and just Price being the dad I know he is

While you’re out at a theme park for a day, a little girl approaches you, saying she’s lost her dad.

Not wanting to leave her alone, you decide to help her reunite with him

Word Count: 5542

Standing by the little food stand, you were eagerly looking at the delicious - yet overpriced - food in your hand.

All around, people walked, shouted, laughed and ran. You were at the amusement park and by god was it busy. Or at least too busy for your liking.

Just earlier, you’d stood in line for a water ride for 30 minutes, only to be constantly bumped into and crowded forward by a group of teens too rowdy for their own good. After the fourth time and the fact that you were only halfway in the waiting line to a ride you didn’t even want to really go on in this chilly weather, you just gave up.

So now here you stood, buying overpriced but deliciously warm food from a vendor.

Thanking the saleswoman, you gave her a little smile and nod as you took your precious new treasure, intending to move to a secluded place where you could eat it in peace while people-watching.

Or at least, that was the plan for twenty whole seconds. For all of a sudden, something slammed into your lower back, curling around your waist with lightning speed.

Letting out a terrified yelp, it felt as if you jumped a meter into the air while people abruptly turned to glance at you, only to quickly calm and move on.

Snapping your head down, you saw a pair of tiny limbs wrapped around your waist, holding onto your stomach.

Wide eyed, you glanced behind yourself, being met face to face with a doe-eyed, pigtailed, brunette girl, staring right up at you.

“H-Hi there.” You said in surprise, lowering your arms from where you’d still been holding them up after the scare. When she didn’t seem to move or realise she must’ve had the wrong person - simply looking up at you with teary eyes while continuing to hold strong - you softened your eyes a little. “Can I help you, darling?”

“I’ve lost daddy.”

Just three simple words and you immediately calmed completely — her voice was soft and a little broken from her trying so clearly not to cry.

Using your free hand to lift one of hers away from your stomach, you carefully turned around in her hold to face the girl.

With a small smile, you crouched down, sitting on one knee so that you could look at her. “You lost your dad?” You asked and she nodded while pulling her hands back to her sides as she sniffled, making you hum a little. “You need me to help you find him?”

Immediately, she nodded again, tugging at the adorable bear scarf around her neck with a sad, pouty lip.

Seeing that, your smile turned fond as you shifted a little to get more comfortable. “What’s your name, darling?”

“Sophie.” She mumbled, eyeing the food in your right hand.

Seeing that, you chuckled softly, reaching and breaking off a little piece, holding it out to her. “You hungry?”

Tentatively, she nodded, looking up at you almost as if to ask for permission despite you literally holding the food out to her.

So she was polite, good to know.

“Go ahead.” You encouraged and she carefully took it, immediately starting to eat as if she hadn’t for three days, making you frown a bit.

“Thank you.” She mumbled with a shaky voice and a full mouth and you smiled at her before looking around, your smile dropping as you instead scanned the large throng of people, looking for any man seeming even slightly worried. Despite your thorough scan though, you didn’t see anyone who seemed to be looking for their child, nor did you hear anyone call the little girl’s name.

Looking back down at her, you saw she was still shaken up and took a deep breath, putting on a big smile. “Take a big breath for me, okay? Do like me.” You spoke, taking in a few loud and steady breaths, which she followed immediately.

“Daddy does that too when I’m upset.” She mumbled and you smiled, pointing at her.

“Your dad sounds like a wise man then.”

At even the mention of her dad, Sophie seemed to perk up as she vehemently nodded, wiping her nose as she sniffled. “He’s real smart.”

“Is he?” You asked, getting a little idea as you then tilted your head before tapping your finger to your chin. “Okay, well if he’s smart then does he knooww… two plus seven?” You asked and Sophie nodded. “Oh, okay, okay.” You spoke animatedly before exaggerating a thinking face again. “Does he know… where the moon goes at night?”

“Yeah!” Sophie nodded, forgetting about the food in her hand, completely believing in her father’s abilities.

Hearing that, you nodded and squinted your eyes at the brunette, making a long ‘hmm’ sound before waggling your finger. “Does he know- rocket science?”

“He can build two rockets!” Sophie boasted and you let out a pretending gasp.

“Oh well it sounds like your dad knows everything!”

“He does!” Sophie smiled, seeming to have forgotten her anxiety from earlier and you grinned back, successful in your efforts.

“Well, then let’s go find him! You and me. It’ll be a little adventure and at the end, we can ask him a question.”

“We can ask him why cotton candy is pink!” She spoke and you slapped your knee.

“That’s a perfect question.” You nodded sagely before calming a bit with a relaxed smile, looking at the girl. “Sophie.” You hummed. “What does your daddy look like? So that we can find him quicker to ask the question.”

“He’s big.” She immediately said. “And he has a hat like yours!”

At that, you looked up, bringing your hand to your head to touch the black beanie currently keeping your skull warm. That was good to know, that did actually narrow it down a small bit. “Anything else?” You asked, hoping for maybe a shirt or other distinct piece of clothing.

Sophie thought for a second before perking up. “Oh! And he has a mustache, like this!” She spoke excitedly before putting both her pointer fingers under her nose before dragging them out and straight down to her chin, only to then pull the small digits back to her ears.

“That’s your dad’s mustache?” You asked, a little skeptical. It felt almost cartoonish in how she described it; like a supervillain from an animated movie who would twirl their mustache any time he did something sinister. It was also however, the only information you had to go off of. And given it was a very unique description, you certainly hoped it’d be true, for that would be a lot easier to spot than ‘a large man with a beanie’ - which described about three people in the vicinity already.

“Alright. So your dad is big, has a… mustache and a beanie?” You asked and Sophie nodded.

“Brown mustache!”

“Brown mustache.” You corrected. Looking around a second later, you saw a large group of people approaching and realised you were very much in the middle of the road and cleared your throat. “Why don’t we go stand to the side for a bit and you can tell me some more?” You suggested, getting to your feet and Sophie just hummed, reaching up for your hand, which you gently took.

Taking her to the side, you sat down against the barred fence, feeling a twig or two poke into you from the hedge behind it, though you ignored it in favour of being shocked when Sophie just clambered onto your lap.

“Oh, okay.” You chuckled, setting your bag down to the side of you while you instinctively put out your left arm for her to lean her back against, sitting sideways on your lap so that she could look up at you. “So. Your dad.” You hummed. “Where did you see him last?”

“By the pirate ship.”

Frowning, you reached into your bag, taking a map of the park out. Though you’d been here enough to know the general layout of things, it was more that your feet automatically knew where to take you than you actually knowing where things were. Especially relative to each other.

“Okay, let’s see. Can you hold this bit?” You held out the top left corner of the map to her, to which she instantly took it, seeming happy to help while you stretched the map out (never mentioning that your hand around her waist was holding the bottom left of the map). “So, we’re here.” You hummed, pointing at the lefthand side of the map. “And the pirate ship is here.” You pointed near the top, just right of the middle seam where the map folded.

“Is that far?” Sophie asked, her eyes scanning back and forth over the map.

Worrying at your lip, you looked between the two places as well. “It’s not super far. About fifteen minutes.” You spoke, hoping to not alarm the girl. After all, it was way further than anything any parent would be comfortable with in a park like this.

“Oh, okay.” Sophie hummed.

Seeing her frown, you quickly bounced your leg a bit, getting her attention. “How long have you been walking?”

“I dunno…”

“You don’t know? Did it feel long?”

At your question, the brunette shrugged and you took in a silent breath, trying to figure out what to do.

“How did you and your dad even get separated?” You instead decided to ask, to which the little girl froze a bit, her little head bowing down as she awkwardly played with her fingers.

“I was following ducks…” She guiltily admitted, looking down at her lap. “Daddy was busy and then I saw them. I… I’m sorry.” Her voice shifted in pitch near the end as tears filled her eyes and you panicked, quickly rubbing her back.

“No, hey, it’s okay, sweetheart. Like I said: we’ll find your dad together, okay?” You smiled reassuringly. “So you were following ducks and what was daddy doing?” You ask softly.

“He was buying food…” She mumbled and you chuckled, to which Sophie looked up, a little curious and hopeful.

“That’s why you’re hungry, huh?” You smiled at her, shaking your head. “Cause you never got that food.”

“Yeah.” She hummed and you just smiled and offered her the rest of your meal.

“How about you eat this and then we’ll go look for your dad once you’re done.”

At that, she nodded in agreement and you smiled.

While she took the stick between her hands and started eating, you looked at the map, glancing between the distance the little girl walked.

It was fifteen minutes for you, so she probably took longer. Which also meant this poor man had lost his daughter for at least twenty minutes, maybe even half an hour.

There hadn’t been a staff member who walked up to the girl yet so he probably hadn’t gone to one to ask them to look out for his daughter - because however fun this park was, it wasn’t exactly up to date. The speakers planted every other corner played music and pre-recorded announcements. Anything else? That had to fall onto the shoulders of the staff. And good luck spotting a little kid in a crowd.

Figuring the man would probably spread out from the pirate ship, you decided it would be best to head there as well and hope for the best that he was still around somewhere.

Glancing down, you saw Sophie take the last bite, holding up the empty stick to you with almost a proud motion.

“There you go, thank you!” You smiled and took the stick. “Was it good?” At your question, she nodded happily, mouth still full and your smile widened. “That’s good. You feel up for walking a bit?”

At that, Sophie swallowed her food before shaking her head no. “I have to use the potty.” She said, a pout on her face.

“Ah.” You cleared your throat. “Well, we better get that done first then.” With those words, you folded up the map and not-so-carefully stuffed it back into your bag. Sophie got the hint and slid off your lap, standing on her feet as you then got up as well, holding out a hand for her which she quickly took.

“Stick!” Sophie then exclaimed and tugged on your arm as she reached over, grabbing the left over food stick you had momentarily put beside you before. Holding that, she looked around, briefly releasing your hand as she then jogged over to a bin and reached up, getting on her tippy toes to throw it away.

Blinking a bit in surprise at how fast she’d ran away, you quickly noted to hold onto her at all times as you walked over and held your hand back out. “Come on, bathrooms are this way!” You called out and Sophie came bounding back, instantly latching onto your hand again.

With that, the two of you made it over to the bathrooms not far to the right. Walking in, you swallowed nervously, not really feeling like you belonged there with this little girl. “Uh, can you do this alone?” You asked hesitantly but to your relief, the brunet happily hummed.

Leading her into the stall, you waited outside of it by the sinks, letting out a deep sigh, processing all that happened in the last fifteen minutes.

It didn’t take long for Sophie to come out. She opened the door before seeming to remember to flush as she leaned up to push the button, rushing over to you after where she held her hands under the soap dispenser, seemingly waiting for you.

“Ah.” You jolted into action, yanking the handle to deposit the soap into her hand, which she used to wash them, slapping her soapy palms together.

Once done and dried, the two of you started out the walk to the pirate ship.

“Do you think we’ll find daddy quick?” Sophie asked, bouncing beside you and you chuckled a little, thinking for a moment what to answer.

You didn’t want to lie but you also didn’t want to make her anxious about the separation from her father.

So, you decided to take the middle ground: avoid answering the question.

“I don’t know.” You hummed. “But I know this park like the back of my hand, we’ll be fine.”

That seemed to satisfy the brunette as she nodded, settling down a bit in her hyperactivity as she instead just walked beside you.

After that, it was quiet for a minute or two.

Your head was swimming with thoughts, unsure of whether to speak or what about. Yet deep down you knew that silence wouldn’t be smart.

To your side, Sophie was taking small steps, playing with her scarf. Yet the way she held your hand betrayed her growing anxiety over the whole situation.

So, to get her attention, you gently squeezed her fingers. “Sophie, I have a question.” You asked kindly. “You say you lost your dad, but what about your mom? Is she at home?”

Your voice had been gentle as you spoke, but at it, the brunette averted her gaze and looked down, dropping her hand away from her scarf as she sadly shook her head.

Instantly, your heart lurched into your throat as you realised you hit a nerve. “Oh, sorry, Sophie.” You quickly said, trying to send a reassuring smile, though she didn’t see as she was still looking down.

“That’s okay.” She said in response, shrugging. “Daddy said she wasn’t really ready to have me.” The little girl spoke softly, looking down for a moment longer before turning her eyes up to look at you, a content look in them as she smiled. “But it’s okay! Cause I have him!”

At her words, you smiled.

“Yes you do.” You squeezed her hand as you spoke the warm words. “And from what you tell me, it sounds like he really, really loves you.” You exaggerated your words slightly, seeing the girl stick out her chest in pride.

“Not as much as I love him! I win in the love contest!” She boasted, making you chuckle.

“Do you now? Wow. You better be careful or I’m going to eat my hat in jealousy.” You joked and Sophie gasped.

“No, don’t eat it! It’s a special hat!” She pointed at your black beanie.

“And why is that?” You smiled.

“Cause it’s daddy’s hat.”

Chuckling softly, you hummed, intrigued because of the little girl’s near reverence of her dad.

“So, what does your dad do for work?” You asked, curious.

“Daddy is a captain!” Sophie exclaimed in excitement.

“Is he?” You asked, looking down at the little girl currently swinging your hand back and forth. “What kind of boat does he have? Big or small?”

At that, Sophie stopped swinging your hand and giggled, looking up at you as if you just said the sky is neon green. “Not that kind of captain, silly!”

“Oh?” You asked, confused as you looked down at her. “What kind then?” You hummed as you gently tugged her arm so that she’d move to the side and not walk into the pirate barrel bin in front of her.

“He’s a soldier captain!” She smiled, proud of her dad in a way that had your heart melting.

“A soldier captain? So your dad is saving people?” You asked and Sophie vehemently nodded.

“He won’t tell me much but I know he is!”

Smiling gently, you then looked forward again. “That’s very good.”

“And what do you do for work?” She then continued instantly. “And why are you alone? Shouldn’t you be at work? It’s the middle of the day.”

At the barrage of questions, you blinked for a second. “I’ll have you know I’m here because it’s my day off. And I’m alone because I don’t have anyone to go with.” You said, pouting a bit.

“Why not?”

“I just don’t.”

“But you could?”

“Technically.”

“Then why not?”

“Because.”

“Can I have more food?”

Huffing a chuckle, you stopped walking and looked down at the girl. “That hungry?”

Shuffling her food, she nodded, almost holding puppy eyes as she looked at you. “Please.”

“Okay.” You chuckled and looked around, seeing a hot dog stand across the square. “You like hotdogs, Soph-“

“YES!”

Her voice practically exploded from her chest and you flinched back before letting out a startled laugh. “Noted. Let’s go.”

Moving to the hotdog stand, Sophie was practically dragging you there. Her little arm outstretched as she jumped and bounced in excitement, trying to tug you along faster.

When you got there, she practically begged you for a hotdog with everything on it. Repeatedly yanking on your coat while giving puppy eyes - and how could you resist when she looked at you like that.

So now here you stood for the past fifteen minutes. By a tiny round standing table, holding your own hotdog while Sophie was sitting on the single available high seat, directly under a heat lamp installed in the parasol that covered the table.

“Y/N, it’s warm now.” Sophie suddenly whined, her voice soft and mustard smeared on her upper lip.

Huffing in amusement, you leaned in with a tissue, wiping the sauce away before reaching for her zipper. “Come here then. I’ll open your coat until we move on, alright?” You said, opening the zipper and letting some air in for the young girl.

“Thank you.” She said through a mouthful of hotdog.

Chuckling, you pulled back. “Not a problem.” Right as you said that however, you saw a glint around Sophie’s neck, catching your attention. “Sophie, what’s that?”

Her eyes opening a bit from where she had been sluggishly focused on nibbling, she looked down at herself, her chin against her sternum.

“No, around your neck.”

“Oh.” The brunette craned her neck a bit more to see the chain around her neck. “Daddy gave it for when I get lost.”

The shoe didn’t seem to drop for her but for you, you felt like slamming your head into the wooden table you were standing at. “Sophie…” You sighed. “You are lost. Can I see those?” You placed down your hotdog and reached for the little chain, pulling it out from her shirt and seeing two dog tags dangle on it, each spelling the same information.

‘Sophie Price

Telephone number:

+44 7627 374041’

“Sophie, is this your dad’s number?” You questioned and the girl lifted her head, blinking a few times before humming.

“Yeah.” She seemed to almost be discovering it herself, her energy from the past half an hour seemingly having seeped away completely. “Does that mean you can call him?”

Wetting your lips, you forced a smile onto your face and just hummed, pulling your phone out of your pocket. Dialling in the number, you hit call and brought it up to your ear.

Instantly, a deep, baritone voice sounded in your ear.

“You’ve reached John Price. Leave a message after the dial and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

The drawn out beep sounded after and you groaned, shutting off the call. His phone must be off. Or empty, most likely. Cause who would turn off their phone when their kid is missing.

“Is he coming?” Sophie asked from her seat, halfway through her hotdog.

“No. He didn’t pick up.” You said, clearing your throat. At your words, the brunette frowned, a worried look overtaking her features and you softened a little. “It’s okay, we’ll stick to our old plan. We’ll just go to the pirate ship to see if he’s there, okay?”

“Okay...” Sophie mumbled, placing her food down in the little basket and pushing it away. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

“That’s okay.” You soothed, eating the last bite of your own hotdog before wiping off your hands. “Come on then, little rascal.”

Holding out your arms, you grabbed her under her armpits, lifting her down towards the ground, yet when you tried to put her down, instead she lifted her legs.

Frowning, you tried again, but she refused to stand, simply sinking through her legs.

“Sophie.” You frowned, trying again. “Sophie, stand up, come on.” You spoke, grunting a bit as you once more tried to get her to stand up. You also didn’t want to just drop her and let her lay down on the dirty ground.

“I’m tired.” She pouted, keeping limp in your arms. “Can you carry me?”

“Sophie.” You sighed but she interjected.

“No… My legs hurt.” She whined.

Letting out a frustrated breath, you lifted the girl with a grunt.

Sitting her on your left arm, she instantly wrapped her arms around your neck, burying herself into it and you just closed your eyes for a second to collect yourself.

Blowing out a breath, you then opened them again and placed your free hand on her back. “Tired?”

At your question, the little girl nodded.

Shifting her onto your hip, you bent down to grab your bag, slinging it over your free shoulder with effort.

Grabbing her leftover hotdog, you started out walking.

“I want daddy.” The little girl mumbled while practically nuzzling into your throat and you glanced down, your eyes softening.

After the distance she walked to get to you, and then the distance you’ve taken her to get back, you can imagine why she’d be tired. Especially if she already had a day of trudging through the park.

“We’ll find him soon, I’m sure.” You reassured, rubbing her back as best you could while carrying a hotdog. You didn’t even know why you were bringing it along, other than the fact that the food here was too expensive to throw.

After that, a silence stretched out while you walked. In the distance, you could finally see the mast of the pirate ship, seeing the actual body every once in a while whenever it swung up.

“Do you like Disney princesses?” Sophie then asked after a little while, pulling her head back from your shoulder to sit a bit more upright while you carried her.

Looking at the girl, you smiled. “I’m guessing that you do?”

She nodded, lifting her foot up to show you her shoe.

Glancing down, you saw several princesses depicted on her pink shoes. Aurora, Tiana, Cinderella, Ariel and more.

Chuckling, you looked at the girl with a kind look. “Do you have a favourite?”

“I like Pocahontas. She’s brave.”

“That she is.”

“But I like Merida too.” She then said, grabbing the end of her bear scarf and showing it to you.

Looking at it, at the bottom you saw the logo for the movie ‘brave’ embroidered. “Oh, I see. Yeah, Merida is really cool.” You hummed before shifting Sophie to your other arm.

Cute or not, she was heavy.

“You wanna walk again, Sophie?” You asked but immediately, she gripped your neck tight and held on with a firm pout.

“No! I like it here.”

Sighing through your nose in amused exasperation, you just bounced her a bit to hold her better and kept walking, continuing to talk about Disney princesses.

After about another ten minutes, you were finally near the pirate ship, hearing the screams of people inside the attraction as it swung up and down.

“What about other Disney movies, like the lion king?” You asked and Sophie put her hand on her chin, humming as she thought.

“I like it. But it has no princess.”

Smiling, you nudged her. “Yes it does. Nala is a princess. She becomes queen later, doesn’t she?”

Suddenly, the girl’s eyes widened as if a million doors had opened. “Really?!”

“Yes really!” You laughed.

“Nala’s a princess!” She yelled and threw up her arms.

“Sophie!” A deep voice suddenly called out and you snapped your head to the right to see a tall man running up, a black beanie perched on his head and a peculiar mustache on his face.

“Daddy!” Sophie yelled happily, immediately holding out grabby hands for him.

Running up, the man scooped her up under her armpits the moment he came within reach, pulling her into his chest and holding her tight, a hand under her bum and the other on the back of her head, keeping her close.

“You scared me to death!” The man exclaimed before huffing, his eyes closed as he just hugged his daughter for several seconds. Sophie didn’t seem to mind as she just happily hugged him back, burying her head in his neck.

Watching the scene, you just smiled softly, a flood of relief crashing through your stomach now that you’d finally found the girl’s father.

A deep sigh made you focus your eyes back to the duo as you watched the man pull back a bit, checking the little girl over - most likely for any injuries - before he pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her back into the hug, his eyes finally landing on you. “Thank the lord you found her.” He said, genuine elation sounding in his tone of voice despite the stern look he seemed to constantly hold.

At his words however, you just waved it away - literally. “It’s more like she found me. I just helped her wander for long enough to find you.” You smiled.

At your words however, Sophie finally pulled back from her father’s hold, her little hands reaching to hold onto his face to get his attention as she smiled. “Yeah! Y/N helped me!”

“I’m glad for that, but you are very much in trouble, young lady.” His brow furrowed into a stern look as he gazed at his daughter. “You know better than to walk away from me!”

“I’m sorry, daddy.” Sophie mumbled, looking down sadly and the man - John Price, as you recalled from his voicemail - just sighed and pulled her into another hug.

“Don’t ever do that again.”

“Okay.” Sophie mumbled.

Hearing that, John nodded at her before looking back at you, his stern look cracking to be more apologetic. “I’m very sorry to have taken up such a chunk of your day.” He spoke, filled with remorse.

“Oh no, it’s not a problem! I live about a 30 minute drive west of here so I come here a lot.” You reassured, waving his concerns away. “I hope your heart is okay.” You then joked, smiling softly.

At your comment, John chuckled shaking his head while he bounced Sophie to hold her better on his arm. “Not really, to be honest. I can handle a lot. Losing my child for two hours? That’s the line.”

Laughing softly, you nodded. “I can get that.”

“Did you see she was alone and pick her up?” He then asked and you shook your head no.

“She kinda just… latched onto me. From behind even, I didn’t even see her.” You chuckled and John frowned, looking at his daughter for an explanation, to which she pointed to the both of you at the same time.

“You have matching hats.”

Almost comically, the both of you looked at each other, noting that indeed you were both wearing a black beanie.

“I- oh boy.” John sighed, realising he had a lot to school his daughter on when it came to strangers. While you? You simply chuckled because the girl adored her father so much, anything that was like him was trustworthy to her.

“Oh, she had half a hotdog and a potato swirl stick by the way.” You mentioned, remembering the half-eaten hotdog in your hand as you held it out to him. “She was hungry.”

Frowning, John took it, briefly remarking the hotdog before placing it to the side and rummaging in his back pocket. “Let me pay you back.”

“No, there’s no need-“

“Food here is bloody expensive and you found my missing daughter. I should pay a lot more than a simple meal price.” He said, not taking no for an answer as he opened his wallet, using his left hand to hold the wallet - with Sophie sitting on his arm - while his right flipped it open and reached in.

“No, really, we had a fun time, it’s fine.”

“Here, take it.” John held out a ten pound note, pressing it into your palm and holding his hand there, making sure you had no other option but to accept it.

Sighing softly, you curled your fingers around the note and he pulled his hand away from yours, smiling kindly. It made his beard shift and you couldn’t help but smile back.

“Well, I hope the two of you have a lovely rest of your day. If you haven’t been there yet, I recommend the fairy fountain. It’s attraction is indoors and very pretty.” You spoke, holding your hands in front of yourself.

“Y/N.” Sophie frowned, holding out her arms for you.

Getting the gist, John placed her down on her feet and she walked over while you crouched to be on her level.

Immediately, the brunette hugged you tight. “Thank you for helping me find my daddy.”

Smiling softly, you hugged her back. “Of course, Sophie. Now you listen to your dad and stay with him, okay?”

Pulling back, she nodded before looking back, seeing her father hold out his hand for her.

Rushing over, she grabbed it and John looked at you. “Thank you so much once more.”

“My pleasure. You’ve raised her well.” You complimented, seeing him soften a bit before he took a deep breath in and looked down at his little girl.

“Well, we best get going to a fairy fountain then, eh?”

“Yes!” Sophie cheered and the man chuckled as they started walking.

“Remember, you’re still in trouble when we get home.”

You vaguely heard the girl whine, her voice getting quieter as they walked away. “Okay…” She was silent for a moment before speaking up. “Daddy?” He hummed to let her know she heard, before quietly, you heard her ask. “Why is cotton Candy pink?”

You didn’t hear his answer, but you chuckled to yourself before turning away to start walking back the way you came, happy that you managed to reunite the family.

For now, you just enjoyed the rest of your day before going home once it got too cold for your liking.

About three weeks after that day in the park however, you got a text.

‘Good afternoon. This is John Price from the amusement park, I still had your number saved inside my call history.

I’m sorry to barge in like this and if this is a bit too forward, but Sophie has been pestering me about you non-stop ever since the 13th. You’ve truly made an impression on her and it’s left her barely able to sleep. I honestly don’t know what to do.

I happened to hear you mention you lived not too far from us and I was wondering if maybe you’d be willing to come visit Sophie? Her birthday is in a month and she can’t stop asking me to invite you. I’ll pay any expenses and if you have questions, feel free to ask.

This is not a must. I understand it’s even a little weird so don’t feel obligated to say yes just because it’s her birthday.

Kind regards.’

-

Part 2 is in the works :3

[yncoreee]

A KDRAMA?. Minju x reader

Synopsis— what does she think this is? A freaking kdrama?

Warnings .ᐟ kissing, lil bit rushed, popular x quiet girl au, female reader, FLUFF

꩜ — ⵌWord count 721

It was still a surprise to many that minju the extremely popular girl and y/n the quiet loner were in a relationship.

Some thought minju was playing with her feelings but many others believed the girl had a real liking towards you.

She would go extreme miles and do anything just to make sure you’re satisfied or comfortable.

There were a few of her actions you would always question if it was necessary but minju would just shrug it off and give you a stupid excuse.

It took you completely off guard when your sister stepped into the kitchen just to inform you that. “Hey stupid, your girlfriend is waiting for you outside so hurry up and meet up with her”

“What?!” You choked on your cereal immediately pushing it down with a bottle of water. “School literally starts in 10 minutes and I’m still at home what does this girl want now” you mumbled to yourself, washing your used bowl and grabbing your backpack from the kitchen counter.

“Good morning my wonderful, amazing, lovely, beautiful girlfriend” minju greeted, pulling you into a massive bear hug and placing a soft kiss on your forehead.

“Did you have a good sleep last night? Omg you don’t know how much I’ve missed you, your sweet sweet scent and don’t even get me started on how I wished my teddy bear would’ve just turned into you” she blabbed on, becoming extremely clingier with you.

A small giggle escaped your lips as you admired her. “Schools about to start soon. Why did you wait for me though?”

“Well let’s just add that to our daily routine. I’ll come pick you up every morning before school?” She suggested tilting her head to the side.

“Hm sure, sounds good to me” you agreed taking the first step into the bus, minju following behind you.

The bus was so cramped there wasn’t enough space for you and minju. The handle only remained one.

“How are we going to share this?” You asked minju motioning to the single grab handle. “Oh that’s no problem I’ll just put my hand on yours” she gave a sly smirk carefully and perfectly placing her hand ontop yours. She gently caressed it, chuckling at your flustered reaction.

The bus stopped right infront of the school, both you and minju stepped down the bus with interlocked hands.

“You’re both late. School started almost 30 minutes ago” the school body council said as she stood with her arms crossed infront of the gate.

“Just go in”

—

Ring

The bell rang signifying the beginning of lunch break. The classroom became rowdy filled with sounds of people chatting and bags zipping.

You sat at the back of the classroom in silence, watching ever action take place infront of you.

“Finally they’re all gone!” You sighed in relief resting your back on the wooden chair. Your eye lids closed shut. You were about to be completely knocked out until you felt a warm hand being placed on top of yours. That familiar feeling.

“Minju?” You whispered quietly slowly, opening your eyes. “The one and only” she passed on a toothy grin. Her gaze finally meeting yours.

“It’s been 2 hours without you, omg I've missed you so much” she pouted intertwining her fingers with yours.

“Anyways I made this specially for you, it’s filled with your favorite food and snacks” she says bringing out a lunch box out from her backpack.

Just as you were about to take the first bite minju stopped you. “Let me feed you” she smiled picking up the set of chopsticks and turning to face you. “Open wide!”

“Minju I’m not a baby” you blushed slightly embarrassed.

“But you’re my baby” she wiggled her eyebrows laughing at how you physically cringed at her statement.

“You’re acting like we’re in a kdrama”

“ Tch kdrama? Maybe we are in a kdrama. Popular x nerd” she teased, wrapping her arms around your shoulders. her eyes staring at the ceiling like she was imagining something.

“Who's the nerd? Definitely not me” you lightly pushed her off you.

“Okay then, the quiet girl” she leaned in, booping your nose as you both stared deep into each others eyes.

The longer you both stared at each other, the more you unconsciously leaned closer until your lips finally collided.

[pinkslaystation]

Ghost of A Connection

Ghost and Staff!Reader

In which you work at the nearest store at base, Ghost being your least favourite and unfortunately, most frequent, customer. Is there a connection there, or is it in his head? yALL - all these COD stories on tumblr got me hyped! So here I am tryna catch some clout ;) Be warned, this is possibly a very inaccurate version of military life, but then again, it's just a story. Word Count: 2.5k

Man, post-graduate life is hard.

Graduating top of your cohort of nearly 300 students in your masters degree within Psychology was impressive. Saving enough money from shadowing your senior Psychology professor and moving out to your apartment was impressive. Owing your own car was impressive.

What wasn't impressive though, was nearly hitting the 6 month mark of unemployment.

So here you are, stuck calling all your classmates for any open roles. You're so desperate at this point, you'd go for anything!

"Hey, Mahir! I know we didn't quite end of good terms...um-you know...when you asked for the mid-terms answers last year, and I- um...left you on delivered, and you had to retake the exams...but um, I hear you started working at the University as a Researcher and you're looking for a assistant? Well gee, don't forget how smart I a-"

Disconnected.

"Yooo, Josephine, it's me! From the Psychopathology group project! Yeah, I'm sorry I shouted at you for not doing your part on the project, and filing a complaint against you, haha...although, like, come on, it's your fault - you're 25, not a 5 year old bab-"

Blocked.

Wow. You were not liked.

So one evening, when you were on the phone to your childhood friend, Jordan Biggs, and had managed to slip out how desperately broke you were, he kindly offered a potential role at his workplace.

"Shop keeper? What, like a convenience store?" Remind me where you work again? Aren't you in the navy? What stores are you talking about?" You rambled, I mean a possible job - finally?!

On the line, Jordan chuckles, "Slow your roll, man. I've been been with the army for around 3 years now, I'm currently on a mission but we'll be home soon. Our base has a shop, that sells, you know, tactical gear-"

"GUNS?!" You interrupted.

Jordan laughs, then in shushed by, what you assume to be his teammate, "No, not any weapons. Just, tactical gear, MREs, bits and pieces of uniform. Sometimes you might be asked to clean the base, set up rooms for meetings. And ooh my favourite - work at the canteen. We serve the country, you serve us food." Jordan explains.

So you complied.

I mean, yeah, your degree isn't being utilised, but we're in a cost of living crisis, for Christ's sake.

And here you are, clad in a plain dark grey fleece, and straight black trousers, trying to look as professional as possible.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your first day was silent. You found that you lived only 30 minutes away from the base, so you didn't struggle with the early shifts, working almost full days at the base, with a surprising decent salary.

You learnt you had replaced the previous worker, Katherine, a grumpy senior who quit, being fed up with the stench of these sweaty unkempt soldiers, and their rowdy behaviour after missions.

You also met your staff at the base, being the youngest one there gave you no surprise, with most your colleagues being double your age. You liked it. It was quiet, having met a few of the soldiers.

Your role was relatively simple. Consisting of various tasks such as ordering enough food to satisfy the recruits, more training equipment, when a recruit seemed to damage one. All in all, you were satisfied, especially when the first pay day rolled in.

You also noted that your colleagues, without fail, always seem to talk about a specific group of soldiers, such as Friday evening, when you all found yourself eating an early dinner.

"Soap is so sweet! He's always so generous when we talks to me, although I can't lie, I don't know what the fuck he says half the time." Your colleague rambles, shoving a spoon full of Friday's roast dinner into his mouth.

Another agreed, "Nothing beats the dilf of a man - Captain John Price. I may be chewing steak but that ain't the meat I want in my mouth, if you get what I mean-"

You choked, "Margaret, you're married with grand-kids, lord."

After a quiet but much needed conversation, you learnt about the most well-known team within the base, Task Force One-Four-One, lead by Captain John Price, forming of Johnny 'Soap' Mactavish, Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick, and the one you were most curious about - Simon 'Ghost' Riley.

"But like, why Ghost? If he's close to this Soap dude, why not call yourself Shampoo or something?"

Your colleagues laughed at your naivety glancing at each other.

"My dear, I don't dare to call him anything other than Lieutenant. He's entered a 10 metre radius of mine, and I've already pissed myself." One stated.

"I've heard he threatened to attack Katherine, just because she overcharged him, long story short, she quit." Another replied.

It seemed you didn't understand how feared Ghost really was...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time you all had finished dinner, the staff split up, some going back to the canteen to prepare dinners for the soldiers finishing training, some going to clean up the barracks, and you found yourself going back to your designated shop.

Aah, this is peaceful. You mumbled, drinking your hot chocolate, whilst sorting out all the army boots on display.

As the clock strikes 10 p.m. though, the silence is broken and you hear a stampede of soldiers, once you assume had come back from a month long mission. The majority of them, from what you'd heard, sprinted to the canteen to rid themselves of their strictly MRE diet, and finally eat some home cooked food, whilst others ran off to their freshly cleaned barracks to get some well-deserved sleep.

Your little shop also seemed to be quite busy, a long queue waiting to buy water bottles, bandages, blankets, you name it. From nearby chatter from the tired soldiers, it seems most of the teams had arrived back from Afghanistan, a successful mission with no death and a few minor injuries.

An hour goes by and the queue dies down to around 6 people, with one at the till: Jordan.

"So a water bottle, that would be £1.50, payin- my God, Jordan?" You smiled, getting in front of the counter and pulling into a hug. He smelt like dusty and you joked that 1 bottle of water wouldn't suffice to rinse him of the smell.

"I haven't seen you in forever, it's been like 6 months? How's the job been treating you?" He enquiries, placing a kiss against your forehead. By now, the nearly empty shop turns to face the both of you, many assuming the situation to be a couple reuniting.

You and Jordan continue to catch up on everything - his mission, your job...Margaret's obsession with which positions she can take Captain Price in...

"Bro, she was going so in depth into the many ways she can contort her waist for, what she calls, the Price penis?!" You pull your most fake-disgusted face, as Jordan cackles loudly.

But his laugh falls short as a deep scruffy voice interrupts him-

"The only thing being wasted right now, is my time. Hurry the fuck up and pay for your shit. You act like we have all the time in the fucking world."

You jump slightly at the harsh words, although this is a military base, you should be used to this foul language.

"My guy, she said waist, not waste-" Jordan begins, before straightening his back and realising who he was talking to.

He turns around to face the man's voice, his back now turned to you, obstructing your view of the unknown soldier.

"Lie-Lieutenant. My apologies! Lemme grab this water and get out of your way," Jordan nervously chuckles, you can't see who he's talking to, but you can tell this was a man of higher authority, given how Jordan stutters. "Ooh, I see what you wanted to buy! Gloves, nice, socks, cool, Coc-Coco pops?!"

"My fucking God Biggs, the only thing big about you is your stupidity and your pussy attitude, grab your shit and go. Stop holding the fucking line, mate." The male's British accent is so prominent with every word enunciated, and you wish to never run into this stranger again.

"Sir!" Jordan turns to you, handing you a fiver and awkwardly side hugging you, "Have fun with this jerk wad." He whispers into your hair, before running out the shop, his water bottle still on the counter.

"Jordan your bottle-"

Holy shit.

After Jordan moves, your eyes feast before you, revealing a godly 225 lb man, standing at an impressive 1.89 metres, dressed in his dark and intimidating casual attire, his face hidden behind a skeleton mask, his piercing eyes squinted and penetrating into your shorter frame, his biceps bulging out of his sweatshirt, his shoulders broad, his trousers failing to hold his impressive bulg-

"Are you going to continue gawking at me like a fuckin' donkey or should I not pay for this shit?" He huffs out in disappointment.

Rude. Plain rude. Sexy...but rude.

Now you know why Jordan couldn't move a muscle when faced with this guy. Putting 2 to 2 together, you clocked. The way other soldiers left the shop as he entered. The way one look from him gets them to shut up so quickly. The skeleton mask-

This is Ghost.

"We- I- Um-" What the hell? Why can't you form a damn sentence?

"I- I- I don't give a damn. My shit, here." He mocks you, slamming his items on the counter. By now, the other customers have scurried off in fear. It's now you and Ghost in the shop.

You nod, humming a yes, eyebrows furrowing at his unkind words.

The next few moments are followed by near silence, the only sounds being the scanning of the items and your quickening breath. His foot begins tapping rapidly, as sign that you're taking to long.

It's uncomfortabl-

"The old hag before you's gone then."

Yes, Ghost, she is. And if you keep acting like this, I will be too. You grunt a response, unable to find the right words.

"£28.50" You say curtly, after a while. He hums in response, pulling his wallet to pay.

You watch him nervously, you did not expect to see one of the most respected soldiers in front of you so soon. Someone so handsome, someone so fucking sexy, but someone so fucking bitchy...

Oh. You said that last bit out loud.

Ghost pauses his actions, his head slowly craning upwards, his gaze drinking you in.

Your eyes meet his, quickly looking back at the counter, unable to meet his furrowed but amused glare.

"'m so bitchy, but you seem to love it, sweetheart. So red, like you're fucking in love with me or something." He scowls, slapping a £20 note on the counter.

"Maybe next time stopping droolin' over other men when you have your own cunt of a boyfriend." He mutters, before taking his shit and leaving. You don't fail to catch the smirk in his voice, as he exits your shop, loud footsteps booming behind him.

Oh my god.

You were at a loss of words. You were also at a loss of £8.50.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jordy, you don't fuckin' get it! Dickhead left the place, without paying the full fucking price, mind you." Frustration was evident in your voice.

"Bitchy and broke," Jordan snickers.

"And the audacity to call you my boyfriend? Bye." You huff in annoyance, whilst Jordan chokes on his spit. If anything, he was a like a brother to you!

A week has gone by since that first encounter and your conversations with Jordan at the shop, when he passes by, always seem to end up at the topic of Ghost. The way he glares at you as you walk past him in the corridors. The way he sees you struggling when you carry boxes upon boxes- oh he won't help you, by the way. When you ask, he simply scoffs, "You're getting paid and you don't even want to do your job?"

Since that day, you've met all of the Task Force members. Price was as Margaret mentioned, sexy. Soap, comical, Gaz, kind-hearted, Ghost...yeah, he's there.

"But you don't get it man, he's so big- like over 6 foot! And those eyes- man those eyes. So condescending...but so hot..." you continue.

"Damn Margaret wannabe, we get it." Jordan jokes, drinking his can coke - which he didn't pay for. You'll tell him later.

As you both converse, loud footsteps enter the store.

Ghost. Again.

Did I mention he's been in here every day since the first time?

8 a.m. sharp, the moment you clock in for your shift, and 10 p.m. on the dot. Fucker's so annoying, he'll stay around the shopfloor, lazily looking at the various protein bars, even after you state the shop is already 10 minutes past closing.

But you don't mind. His silently stares at you, as if trying to remember the exact location of every beauty spot on your face, the consequent reddening of your cheeks, the slight touches of his rough callous fingers brushing against your own. All this unspoken tension, leads to your every thought being consumed by Simon Riley.

And when he enters the shop, wow. Buys the most random unnecessary shit ever. You notice how he walks in and purchases his singular Coco Pops cereal bar, day after day. This man isn't sick of them?

I mean, come o-

"Your obsession with me is flattering." He states.

Oh, forgot to mention, he's still an asshole. But at least after rehearsing to yourself in the mirror, you can actually speak up for yourself.

"Guh- buh- we- u-" Fuck's sake.

But he actually laughs this time. A loud imploding chuckle exits his mouth, and you actually smile a little at this unfamiliar emotion.

You can't tell what his face is doing under the mask, but his voice suggests a small smile rests on his face, but it soon disappears before he coughs awkwardly.

"Your boyfriend's in the infirmary by the way." He looks away, emphasising boyfriend a little too roughly.

You stare in confusion. Boyfriend? He picks up on this.

"Biggs. Rolled his ankle or some shit. Dunno why he can't just man it up. I've had worse injuries." He mumbles, smiling under his mark slightly, assuming Jordan isn't in fact your boyfriend.

Your eyes widen, "Jordy? Wha-who-how?"

"He-" But before he can answer your question, you're running out the shop to the infirmary, stealing a snack from the shelf for Jordan.

You fail to notice that you'd left a dejected Ghost at the counter, who'd picked up 2 coco pops instead of 1 this time, his smile faltering, as he planned to give you the 2nd, as a token of apology for his impolite behaviour.

In the end, he realised he'd been holding onto a ghost of a connection, overshadowed by the presence of another man.

He winces, being left alone at the till, hoping to actually strike up a conversation with you, as he gathers his (unpaid) belongings and walks out the door, off to shout at any rando that dares get in his way.

yALL its 2.30 a.m. and i'm craving coco pops-

[brains4brawn]

Summer Camp, Football

I was so excited for science camp, it would be my last year as I would start college in the fall. The camp was huge and divided into four major sections; Arts, Sports, Science, and Space with Sports taking up most of the land. The different parts of the camp didn't mingle too much but every Fourth of July there was a gigantic celebration.

It was great seeing old friends and getting to bunk in one of the smaller Sci cabins. My best friend Jeff was assigned with me and we went over the catalog to see what classes there were for the seniors.

In the distance we could hear the rowdy football jocks. It was a trade off, the smaller more private cabins were on the outer perimeter close to the sports section, specifically the footballers. Jeff and I just ignored them while we made our schedules for the following 8 weeks. I started to unpack my huge suitcase into the dresser beside my bed, in the second drawer was a small football key chain with the camp logo emblazoned on it. I picked it up and got a slight static shock, I showed it to Jeff and he thought that some meathead must have forgotten it. We both laughed and well both got slightly turned on at the thought of one of those jocks sleeping in our beds.

The day went by quickly and soon we had our introduction dinner and met everyone in Sci. Soon though I was in bed, tired but excited for tomorrow.

Tomorrow came to early, I awoke at 4:19 am with tons of energy! It was like lightning had struck, i bounced out of bed and began to quietly pace hoping not to disturb Jeff. I decided to go outside where I heard grunting in the distance. I followed the sounds to a flat track woven in-between some cabins where some big jocks were doing an early morning run. One of them saw me and motioned to me, for some reason i went closer. This guy was stunning, he was shirtless and showing off his rock hard body. I felt my penis begin to tent as i drew close, He asked why I was here and I made up some story that my dad always takes me on early jogs and if i could join them. He looked me over and then said that any bro is welcome to join.

I got back around 6:30 my body sore but energized. Jeff was still softly snoring on his side of the cabin. I quickly went to the bathroom and took a shower. Jeff was just getting out of bed when I re-entered the bedroom, he rushed past me into the vacant bathroom, while he was getting ready I still was overcome with energy. I went to a spot on the wood floor and proceeded to do some pushups until I heard the shower turn off.

The next week flew by as I developed a new morning routine. Every morning I'd be up at 4am and jogging with Seth and his bros. They were all really welcoming, and I was having a great time just not thinking. Heck, Jeff even commented one day that I was looking healthier. It felt weird to keep this from my best friend but I know he wouldn't understand. Even though the guys here were awesome, Jeff had been bullied practically his entire life back home.

Afternoons soon became torture as my Sci projects were becoming harder to focus on. My body was brimming with energy and I couldn't wait for the two hours of free time before dinner. Jeff and I used to sit and watch the hunky Jocks play their different sports during the afternoon breaks but now I had the urge to join them. I feel bad for ditching Jeff but now I get in the water and go for a swim or grab some boots and go on a short hike.

Its been almost four weeks since camp started and I haven't felt this good in years. Every morning I get up and run with my bro Seth and the gang, then go and work out at the sports camp gym. By the time I get back to the cabin to shower and change Jeff is already gone. I feel bad for the little bro, he's obviously gay and a guy with my bod can't be easy to room with. It still kinda sucks that I'm in a Sci cabin but at least I'm not far from the rest of the footballers. After morning PT I go to strategy sessions and game history. Then the afternoon is spent playing touch footie with the guys.

The Fourth of July was a blast. All the different sports teams came together and we had scrimmages all day. The Sci Nerds showed off some dope looking robots and the Space Dweebs launched rockets. Later on the Theater Dorks put on a talent show, then came a cookout dinner BBQ. Lastly came the fireworks. As the sky was bombarded by the light, I noticed Jeff off by himself. Not wanting anyone to be alone I picked up my things and moved closer to him. Sitting next to him it was hard not to notice just how much smaller my cabin bro was.

At first he tried to ignore me, but fuck i am not someone who is ignored easily. I scooted my perfect ass up beside him and he told me to go away. I just sat there letting him get used to my presence, I felt an odd need to be protective of the little guy. I heard a sigh and then in a whisper Jeff asked if I knew how perfect I was.

Well duh, I am tall proportionally muscular and let's face it, any guy would be lucky to have a piece of me. Something awoke inside me, feelings that I knew were there but didn't want to admit. I was Mr. Popular, big man on campus, life of the party, but somewhere in the last month I had devolved a crush on this lonely nerd.

It was after midnight when Jeff and I got back to the cabin. I woke up with the little nerd spooning against my bod. Fuck it felt good having him next to me, my morning wood pressed against his back. Jeff woke up slowly and I felt the goosebumps as he realized his situation. His head tilted up and he looked into my eyes, I took the chance and kissed him gently..... which quickly turned into a passionate make out session... which....well, let's say the little nerd is one of the best cocksuckers ever. The moment I erupted into his mouth a slight bit of static electricity passed from me into him.

From then on we became inseparable. Jeff joined me for morning PT and came to support the team in our mock tournament with our sister campgrounds, while I tried my best to support his Sci shit. By the time we left, Jeff had put on some decent size and was getting along with all my bros on the team.

Epilogue:

Two men stand in the tiny cabin, marveling at how they'd spent so much time in such a cramped space. The taller man had just finished his second season in the NFL while his shorter husband had become the CEO of his own successful startup. The men stood there, reminiscing on how they met the summer before college and how they couldn't imagine life without each other. Jeff gave his husband's hand a squeeze before the two of them started their summers as owners of this special place.

[mack-devereaux]

Hey princess

Jack Hughes x Y/N

a/n: Why am I such a hopeless romantic 🤦🏼‍♀️ Picture is from Pinterest, also I have no clue how to run this app. Word count? Idk

Enjoy!

Little 6 year old Jack Hughes was trudging through the doors of the local hockey arena for practice. His mom and two brothers right ahead of him. As they got to the bleachers to set their bags down they prepared to go onto the ice until they noticed a few little girls twirling and skating around.

Jacks face scrunched up “mom what are they doing? This is a hockey rink.”

Ellen grinned as her three boys looked on. “Those are figure skaters, you guys play hockey on the ice, well they dance on the ice.” Jack watched as the little dancers finished up their practice, he looked at one of the girls wearing a pink skirt with grey leg warmers, her blonde curls flowing as she skated across the ice with little effort.

“Mom she looks like a princess” Jack said pointing at the blonde.

“I suppose they could be princesses” Ellen smiled at her middle boy.

“They need to hurry and get off the ice” Quinn huffed not impressed by the girls taking up time on the ice.

*14 years later*

From Rowdy:

Hey princess, you at the rink?

To Rowdy:

Hey J, yes I’m at the rink. I should be done about 6:30.

From Rowdy:

See you soon :)

Quinn, Jack and Luke all headed towards the local ice rink to get some quality brother bonding time in. They heard music playing as they walked in and Quinn and Luke both stopped immediately and turned to Jack.

“Really? You made us come early so you could see the end of Y/Ns practice?” Quinn chirped at his younger brother. Luke giggling at Jacks flushed face.

“Shut up, I haven’t seen her since I got to town” Jack grumbled dropping his bag on the floor.

The boys all walked over to the bleachers and started to lace their skates up and Jack walked up to the edge of the rink to watch Y/N. His mood instantly getting better as he saw her. Her pink skirt had been traded in for black leggings and a black long sleeve t shirt, her blonde curls even more unruly as she got older. Though she still looked as stunning as ever. He smiled at the memory of them meeting in this very rink. He watched as she glided and danced with very little effort, she had a natural talent for figure skating. It had been her passion much like hockey had been his. After a few minutes had passed he returned to the bleachers to put his skates on and wait for Y/n to finish up her practice.

*14 years earlier*

Little Jack waited impatiently as the little figure skating class was ending. As the little blonde girl stepped off the ice looking for her mom he startled her by saying “hi I’m jack!” She looked at him with big grey eyes almost looking terrified by the hockey players taking over the bleachers. A woman stepped towards her with skate guards and he assumed that was her mother.

“Honey tell him your name” your mom said.

“I’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you” she barely whispered.

“You looked like a princess out there” Jack said again as the little blonde started to hide behind her moms legs. He could see her smiling as she whispered “thank you Jack.”

“Sorry, Jack is my intrusive one” Ellen said as she approached the scared little girl and her mother.

“No worries at all, y/n here is just shy” her mother said back. Ellen and the girls mother quickly falling into polite conversation as her boys shuffled to the ice. Y/n keeping an eye on the boy.

*present*

Y/n saw the boys walk in, she was excited to see Jack, she hadn’t seen him in a few months. Even though they texted and FaceTimed, it still wasn’t the same as in person. As her routine ended she admired Jack. His smile was breathtaking.

“Hey guys” y/n said as she headed towards the Hughes boys, “sorry I have one more routine then I’m done for the night.”

Jack smiled at her “no worries princess, we have the rink for the rest of the night so take your time” he added with a wink at the end. Y/n blushed at the nickname and skated off, knees going weak at the sound of jacks voice. To most the nickname sounded ridiculous but to y/n it gave her butterflies as she remembered that’s what he called her the first time they met. He kept up with the same nickname their entire friendship, or situationship.

“Princess? Really? Dude you gotta be kidding me. You are so down bad for her it’s embarrassing.” Luke said rolling his eyes. Quinn and Luke both laughing and poking fun at Jack while she finished with her last routine of the night.

As y/n stepped off the ice and slipped her skate guards on she started walking towards the Hughes boys. Quinn and Luke weren’t oblivious or blind. Y/n was stunning but she only had eyes for Jack. “The ice is yours guys, sorry i didn’t realize it would go late” y/n muttered.

“No worries. You staying to skate with us?” Luke asked. Jack stared at her hoping she would say yes, granted she’s never turned down a skating session with them before.

“Yea I can stay for a bit” she spoke quietly.

The three boys were skating and roughhousing with each other for the next few hours while y/n mindlessly twirled around stealing glances at Jack. Every now and then she would interact with the mini hockey game they had going. The boys had a tendency to play rough with each other but whenever y/n got too close they toned it down.

*later that night*

Y/n was walking through the door to her parents house, which ever so convenient for Jack, was about two miles from the lake house. Her phone buzzed.

From Rowdy:

Hey Princess, we are starting up the fire pit.

Wanna come over?

To Rowdy:

Sure :) I’ll head over in a bit.

She smiled down at her phone. Her mom walking into the kitchen seeing her daughter grinning at her phone “y/n are you ever gonna tell that boy how you feel. You two have been pining after each other since the moment you met.”

“Moooommmm” y/n groaned.

“Yyyy/nnnnnn” her mom mimicked.

“He invited me over to the lake house, they started up the fire pit, so I’ll be back late.”

“Honey you are 20 years old you do not have to keep me updated on your schedule constantly” her mom said “but I do want to know if you kiss him.”

“And on that note I am leaving” y/n rolled her eyes playfully and grabbed her keys.

Y/n pulled up to the Hughes lake house and shut her car off, she sat in her car for a few minutes looking in the mirror making sure she looked ok. She left her blonde hair in its natural messy curls and smoothed out her black leggings. She walked around the back of the house seeing the fire already going. As she approached she could see Quinn and Jack throwing marshmallows at each other and hearing Jacks contagious laughter she grinned. She noticed a few of Jack and Quinn’s friends were here too.

“Quit wasting the marshmallows you jerks!” Luke yelled at his older brothers.

As she got closer Quinn spotted y/n and threw a marshmallow at her, catching it she stuck her tongue out at the eldest Hughes brother while simultaneously throwing the marshmallow at Luke. Jack noticing her presence he walked up to her and brought her in for a hug. His cologne sent y/n into a euphoric state, she buried her face into his chest and he whispered “hey princess, I’m glad you came”.

“Only because of you” she whispered back. The sweet nothings constantly uttered between the two over the years was nothing new.

“Get a room already” Trevor shouted at his friend. Jack flipped him off as y/n walked towards the seat that Jack previously occupied. Both of them sitting down and cuddling up to one another.

“How’s Jersey treating you” y/n looked up at jack.

Jack stared into those beautiful grey eyes “it’s been good, wish you were there with me though”. Y/n smiled as she cuddled further into Jacks side, if that was at all possible. The rest of the group watching them closely as they all were involved in their own conversations amongst each other.

“Really?” she whispered.

“Yea. Of course I want you there. I’ve always wanted you there” he said. They looked up at the rest of the boys as they heard Trevor and Luke making gagging noises at the couple cuddled up.

“IvE aLwAyS wAnTeD yOu ThErE” Luke mocked “just get together already, I’m sick of seeing you two all secretive, and I’m sick of him moping around when you’re gone.”

“You guys aren’t subtle at all with whatever this is” Quinn said motioning to your cuddling. Y/ns face was so red she was surprised the boys didn’t see it over the light from the fire, so she buried her face into jacks chest. Jack chewing on his lip as he tried to contain his smile. Rolling his eyes at his brothers making fun of them. Turning his attention back to his dream girl he whispered “since you’re done with school finally, and you’ll be done with competition soon maybe you could go with me when I go back to Jersey this time”.

“I’d like that J”.

This was gonna be a good summer, he could feel it.

[partyanimal167]

I’ve just been watching Bleach and in the credits to ep 118, Grimmjow gets called a Professor 👀 and now I can’t stop thinking about it…

So how about an AU where Grimmjow is a professor? Sorry if that’s too vague and random 😅

Oh no, that's not too vague. Thanks so much for suggesting. I always laugh thinking about certain characters being "responsible" adults esp when it comes to working with other people lol. I was so close to making Grimmjow a culinary professor, but it'd be too easy lol. I hope you like this!

CW: sfw, college au, gn! reader, cussing (bc let's be fr now), slight flirting near the end

There were so many signs that this class was going to be...not normal. However, when you gleamed through the professor reviews there wasn't anything out of the ordinary...well you didn't read them all. Mistake number one.

Mistake number two was not reading the syllabus (who does though) and showing up to class when it started--10am. There were a few people, but after waiting fifteen minutes, not even half the class was there and neither was the professor. After another fifteen minutes, you were starting to get a bit antsy and confused, but soon the rest of the class filled in. Then one guy came in with ripped jeans, a white jacket, shades, and a Monster in hand.

Damn, this guy looks rough. I bet he was partying too hard with the new semester starting. You jumped when a bag slammed on the teacher's desk. You tilted your head as the man's shades came off, and you were met with blue-as-hell eyes and a grumpy expression.

It seems you weren't the only one confused.

"Hey! Class was supposed to start at 10! Why is the professor late?" one guy yelled from his seat. A few other students mumbled in agreement.

"Oi, why the hell are you yelling?! Too fucking early in the morning," the man barked back. You could feel his voice rumble in your chest. It sounded as if he had just woken up not too long ago either. The man went over to his seat and kicked his feet on the desk. He popped open his energy drink and went on. "Literally on the first page of your syllabus it says that class starts at 10:30 because 10 is too fucking early and I like my sleep. It ain't my fault the dean wouldn't give me a noon class, tch."

You couldn't believe your ears. This guy can't be serious. This is my literature professor? You didn't like to make assumptions about people, but the guy looked to be around everyone else's age and even if he did teach a class, with his attitude you'd think it'd be something...not like literature.

"Anyway, the name's Grimmjow. I don't really care if you call me Professors. That's your business. This is Global Literature of the 21st Century. I hate repeating myself so listen the first time, and I don't give out extra credit unless you drop off a 12-pack of these first." the man went on tapping the can.

You sunk it your seat a little. What the hell did I sign up for?

~~~

After those first couple of weeks, you decided that you would do your absolute best in that class and avoid being a nuisance to that grumpy professor. Grimmjow definitely had a reputation on campus. Many students had a love-hate relationship with him--grateful for the extra time to sleep in, no bullshit, and the somehow rowdy yet engaging teaching. Definitely hate though for the teasing, cussing, yelling, and him being ready to chew out whatever dumb ass he picked that day.

So it certainly wasn't your best moment when the man practically ordered that you came to his office hours later that day.

You slowly opened the door to his office and met with the rather odd scene of your professor with reader's on his nose going over papers. For a moment, he looked really peaceful and actually almost professional.

"Oh wow, you actually fucking showed up."

And moment over.

You stopped yourself from messing with your elbows and nodded. "Uh yeah what's up, Grimm?" you immediately winced on the inside unsure of how the man would react to the unofficial nickname. But he didn't say anything.

He pointed at the chair, and you immediately sat. He rubbed his face and pushed the glasses off his head. "Look, I'll make this quick. Tell that idiot Jackson to stop stealing whole paragraphs from your papers or I'll break his arm."

You blinked. "Excuse me?"

There was that annoyed look again. "I'm not stupid. The guy has been copying sentences and paragraphs and piecing them together as his own work. He's already going to get in trouble, of course. But seriously, your work always seems to be included. Is he your idiot boyfriend or somethin'?"

The mention of a boyfriend flustered you a little even though you wouldn't dare consider that particular classmate. "Oh no uh- I'm single, and I kinda don't know how he's getting my assignments. I mean we do work together in the library but-,"

The man cut you off and waved his hand. "Okay, okay whatever. Just be mindful of where you're leaving your shit I guess."

You nodded then paused for a moment. "So I'm not in trouble?" You couldn't deny that being in front of the man made you nervous.

"Tch, for what? You're like one of my best students." Grimmjow easily said. "I actually think you know how to read a book and write. Some of these fools are using ai bots as if I can't tell." That was as close to compliment as you ever heard the man say. His face softened for a moment before he grinned meanly. "Well, I will give you some advice."

You weren't sure what it'd be, but you brightened up at the offer. "Sure!"

Grimmjow flicked your forehead before leaning back into his chair. "I got a rule that I don't go dating students, so you better fix how you keep eye-fucking me before I make it a problem." he snickered.

"What! I don'-,"

"Get out."

You squeaked before hightailing it out of the office--face warm and heart racing.

One thing you did know for sure though, you were certainly ready to see what type of problem your professor would give you.

~~~

Grimmjow! I want more of you lol. Thanks for reading! I'll be here if anyone has any thoughts, prayers, or ideas haha

[kindheart525]

I can’t make a Smiling Friends next gen without showing what our own Allan Red is up to! Other than paying for abortions of course /j

Allan never really thought about having kids or starting a family. Sure, he has the occasional one night stand, but that doesn’t mean he expects them to go anywhere. Plus he doesn’t like little critters running around and invading his space, even without counting the especially bad experience he’s had with that. Once his coworkers start having kids and he’s forced to be around the rowdy little ras-cales, it only affirms for Allan that this is not the life he wants. He does not like kids and isn’t eager to get married either. In my personal headcanon he’s on the aromantic spectrum, but Allan doesn’t care to label himself like that. All he would say is that he’s simply not interested and he has better things to do.

But that doesn’t mean Allan is a total loner. He cares about his friends and enjoys a little companionship even though it’s not the kind most critters prioritize in their lives. So as the rest of his friends took on the title of “father,” Allan became a proud cat owner! But don’t call him a “cat dad” or the cats his “fur babies” or anything like that; he finds the whole thing to be pretty ridiculous. 

To him they’re more like roommates and close friends who he happens to feed and clean up after. They’re quiet, well-behaved, and nothing like his friends’ children (who aren’t allowed to meet the cats for the most part). He finds it insulting for them to be compared to children and arguably the cats are insulted by that too. I don’t know, their faces just all look like that. 

Here are the cats themselves:

Noodle (pronounced “New-dell”) is the Foreign Shorthair that Allan adopted when his friends’ kids were little and who he owned throughout his 30s. He fits the classic “pet looks like their owner” stereotype with his squinty, judgmental eyes, his long gangly limbs, and his unusual “honking” meows that kind of sound like Allan’s monotone voice. He’s very selective with his affection yet seems to think of himself as some kind of god; he’ll scratch almost everyone who touches him but will loudly demand that Allan carry him around everywhere like a king on his throne. Allan will argue with Noodle over who’s really the boss of the house, but oblige anyway to keep him satisfied.

Coca Cola and Pepsi (pronounced “Cokey Coh-lah” and “Bepis”) are a bonded pair of Sphinx cats who serve as Allan’s companions during his midlife. Much like Noodle before them (and most cats to be honest), they have a god complex and expect to be treated like royalty, which is amplified by these littermates egging each other on in everything they do. They’re like a sassy villain duo that you would see on TV, causing mischief in their stylish coordinated sweaters that Allan paid a lot of money for (“it isn’t a fash-awn statement, they have a medical condition-uh”). One minute they’re screaming at their owner to feed them and the next they’re looking photoshoot ready, so you can never expect what kind of mood they’ll be in.

Quesadilla (pronounced “Queue-salahd-yuh”) is Allan’s final and longest-lived cat. An ugly, scraggly black hairball since kittenhood, she was the runt of her litter and the last to get adopted, but ended up outliving all of them. Allan takes excellent care of all of his cats, providing them the best food, enrichment, and exercise he can reasonably afford, but even he is surprised at Quesadilla’s longevity. She makes it to almost 30 years old! He didn’t even have to spend a fortune at the vet to keep her alive like some critters do for their pathetic little dogs—Quesadilla would kill the vet herself if he did subject her to that. Even as she slowed down, even when she was blind, deaf, and could barely walk straight, she stayed alive out of pure spite.

[cloneshipping7567]

Romantic Confessions Part 4

Part 4/30

4. “You deserve to know.”

Pairing: Kix x Jesse

Rating/WC: M/2084

~~~

Jesse sighs heavily, taking his bucket off and sitting on his bunk. Umbara had been such a rough mission, taking everything out of him it feels like.

He rubs the back of his neck with one hand, looking down into the visor of his helmet held in the other. They lost so many brothers on that stupid hell-planet.

He had been very close to Hardcase, viewing him as a good friend. His ways were rowdy and chaotic, but Jesse had adored it; encouraged it and joined in, even.

The door to the barracks opens and closes as a trooper joins him, and he sighs to himself before looking up.

Kix makes his way over to Jesse, standing right in front of him. "Jesse," he greets softly. His voice is tired, hollow.

Jesse gives him a sad smile, placing the bucket on the floor by the head of his bed. "How many did we lose?" he asks, removing his pauldron.

Kix looks away, taking his own helmet off and throwing it on the bunk above Jesse's. "Half of the 501st, 5 from Torrent. If...if you count Dogma."

Jesse chokes on his inhale, looking up at Kix with wide eyes. "Half?" He stands up, removing his Kama and placing it next to his pauldron.

Kix nods, removing his gloves and placing them in his helmet. "Gonna have a lot of shines to get used to," he tries to joke. It falls flat when his voice breaks.

Jesse sighs, removing his boots and placing them at the end of the bed. Kix does the same and lines them up next to Jesse's. "I know he tried to kill me and Fives, but I'm going to miss him," he says softly. Kix's face twists, and Jesse huffs a laugh. "I mean, he was a tight ass, but he meant well."

Kix shakes his head, roughly pulling away his armor and shoving it on the top bunk. "I don't care what he meant. I'll never forgive him."

Jesse quirks a brow, carefully unclasping his own armor before gently setting them on his mattress. "I heard Fives is being re-stationed with us," he says softly, trying to lighten the mood again. "At least we'll have one familiar face in Torrent."

Kix works on removing the rest of his armor, seemingly lost in thought. He isn't usually so careless with his gear, simply throwing it on the bunk without care where it lands.

Jesse finishes taking off his own armor, carefully putting everything away in the chest at the foot of the bunk. He sighs and turns to look at Kix, now just in his blacks. Kix might be upset over Dogma, but there's always the same, one thing that Kix gets stuck on after ever battle. "You did the best you could, Kix. Krell had it out for us."

Kix works his jaw, staring at the floor defiantly. His hands start to shake, and his breathing grows just a smidge harder.

Jesse sits heavily on his bunk, rubbing at his brow. "It was nice working with Fives again," he says, attempting to change the subject to a lighter one. "It was so exhilarating to fly those things."

Kix looks up then, leveling Jesse with an intense stare. "You almost got yourself executed," he says, voice pained.

Jesse wants to look away from the accusatory stare, but he finds he can't. "But I didn't," Jesse mumbles. "Thanks to you guys."

Kix scoffs. "I almost killed you. I almost had to kill you." He steps closer, and Jesse has to tilt his head up to keep eye contact. "I couldn't...I can't bear the thought that-"

"Hey," Jesse cuts him off, reaching out and squeezing Kix's wrist gently to help ground him. "You didn't, though. You aimed above me. You were never going to shoot me"

"What if you died?" Kix asks, voice raw with pain and face twisted in a mix of rage and sadness. "What if I had been the only one to aim high? What if I lost you?" Kix pulls his hand away from Jesse's grip, crossing his arms over his chest. He's standing so rigidly, as if he might fall apart if he allows himself to relax.

Jesse frowns, standing up to be face to face with Kix. "Then I would have died," he says simply. He crosses his own arms loosely over his stomach, less defensive and more just to have a place for them to rest. "And that wouldn't have been on you. I knew what I was doing when I disobeyed Krell. I knew the potential consequences. I knew I would either die taking that ship down, or I would get court-marshaled. I did it anyway."

Kix finally looks away, expression completely distraught. "No. Don't-don't..." Kix swallows thickly. His arms are twitching, as if he's consciously holding them back.

Jesse frowns, reaching out to place a hand on Kix's shoulder. "Hey. What's going on? Don't what?" He squeezes gently when Kix doesn't acknowledge him at first.

Kix looks back at him, mouth twisted into a frown. "Don't do stupid shit like that. Don't die. Don't-don't leave me." His arms uncross, and he balls his hands into fists at his sides.

Jesse furrows his brows in confusion. "Kix, this is what we were bred for. We die all the time, we-"

"I know!" Kix cuts him off. "I know clones die every day, I know we were made for this. But you, Jesse, you can't die!” Kix’s hands comes up to twist in Jesse’s blacks, fisting his top. His eyes are wide and frantic, shifting rapidly as he takes in Jesse's face.

Jesse’s breath hitches, confused by the sudden intensity. “I’m nothing special, Kix,” he says, his own hands moving to gently grab at Kix’s elbows.

“You are!” Kix argues, eyes hardened with anger and his teeth bared. “You are special! You’re-you’re-“ he chokes on his words, eyes frantically searching Jesse’s face as he tries to think of the right words.

“Kix?” He asks in a whisper, his own eyes wide with confusion and shock. He knows that he and Kix are best friends. Jesse would do literally anything for Kix. Not even just to save him or keep him alive; he would do anything to just see Kix smile, relax, be happy. But he never, not even once in all the years they've worked together, allowed himself to believe Kix might feel the same way.

Kix huffs in annoyance at his own inability to speak, shuffling closer to Jesse. Jesse’s hands slide to Kix’s upper arms. “I love you,” he finally gets out, eyes focused intensely on Jesse’s. “You deserve to know.”

Jesse’s eyes widen, and he holds his breath. He processes the words slowly, much slower than he’d like to admit. But then he finally understands, understands why Kix was so upset about Jesse specifically. Understands that Jesse has been an idiot all these years.

A memory suddenly resurfaces in his mind, now bittersweet after Umbara. He had just told Hardcase he thought he liked Kix more than a friend. Hardacse had only snorted, rolling his eyes and leaning back in the chair. "Yeah, no shit. Friends don't look at each other like that," he had said.

At the time, Jesse had only been embarrassed that he was being so obvious about his crush. But the words take on a new meaning; Hardcase was telling Jesse that Kix looked at him the same way. He didn't say, "you don't look at him like you do a friend." No, he had said "friends don't look at each other like that."

Jesse experimentally moves his hands up the rest of the length of Kix’s arms, before sliding them down Kix’s sides. He hesitates as they rest on his waist, above his hips, searching the other trooper’s eyes.

Kix’s eyes go wide in surprise at first, before he steps just that much closer to Jesse. One more step, and they would be chest to chest. He lets go of Jesse’s shirt, flattening his hands so his palms can move up his chest until he can cup Jesse’s face with one hand and the back of his neck with the other. “Jesse?” He asks, voice a mixture of hesitation and hope.

Jesse grins at him, his own eyes going half-lidded. “Kix,” he drawls, pulling the medic that one steps closer. He has to suppress a shiver, surprised by how much he enjoys feeling the body heat through their blacks.

If the way Kix's breath hitches in any indication, Jesse can guess he likes the new feeling too. "Are you just going to stare at me, Jess, or are you going to kiss me?"

Jesse smirks; there he is. The cocky, spit-fire medic Jesse fell for so long ago. "Mm," Jesse says, pretending to think on it. "I guess I could kiss you, if you asked-"

Kix rolled his eyes and leaned forward himself, cutting Jesse off with his own lips. He gently uses the hand on the back of Jesse's neck to press him even closer.

Jesse almost gasps in surprise, but manages to keep it at bay. Instead, he leans closer and moves their lips together, gently squeezing Kix's hips.

Kix gently sighs into the kiss, a blissed sound that Jesse really wants to hear again. He pulls away for just a second as he moves the thumb of the hand cupping Jesse's face to move down his jawline and rest in the middle of Jesse's chin. Then he leans in again, connecting their lips once more.

Jesse tilts his head into Kix's hand, before reaching out to swipe his tongue along Kix's bottom lip. Kix makes that same sound again, and Jesse uses the motion to slip his tongue inside.

Kix makes a pleased noise from the back of his throat, meeting Jesse's tongue with his own. They slide together between their lips, simply exploring for now.

One of Jesse's hands move up Kix's back, pressing gently so there's no space left between them. It earns him another soft gasp, and Jesse pulls away to smirk at him. "Kix," Jesse says, pressing their lips together once more in a quick peck before leaning back to look at his face.

Kix's lips are redder than usual, his cheeks flushed just slightly. His eyes flutter open, and he tilts his head to the side and looks up at Jesse beneath his lashes. His own lips turn into a smile, and he laughs breathlessly.

Jesse hums, pleased at the sight. He brushes their lips together softly, before taking in the view again. "Gorgeous," he whispers softly.

Kix scoffs, but his cheeks are warm and his smile grows just a bit wider. "Shut up," he mumbles in response.

Jesse smirks, sitting on the bed and letting his hands stay on Kix's hips. Kix's hands slide down and off of him, unable to reach where he's still standing. Jesse pulls the other clone closer, in between his knees, and smirks up at the shocked look on Kix's face. "Well? Are you just gonna stare at me, or are you gonna kiss me?"

Kix scoffs again, rolling his eyes, but he's still smiling. "Little shit," he accuses. He rests his hands on Jesse's shoulders, before slowly dragging them up his neck. One hand cups his jaw, and Jesse turns his head to kiss the palm softly. Kix's breath hitches at the soft touch, but his other hand curls under Jesse's jaw and leads him to look up at Kix. The medic smiles down at him, eyes dark and half lidded, and he carefully shifts so he's straddling Jesse's lap.

Jesse's own breath hitches, and he swallows thickly. He keeps one hand on Kix's hip, and moves the other up to the small of Kix's back to help him balance.

Kix settles over Jesse's legs, half-sitting on Jesse's knees while still supporting most of his own weight with his crouch. His eyes search Jesse's, a little wary now.

Jesse lets his smirk melt into a genuine smile, conveying how very okay he is with this turn of events. "Kix," he says the other clone's name like a prayer, like it's the most beautiful word in the world.

Kix shivers, before tightening his grip on Jesse's neck and leaning down to connect their lips again.

[moonlight26posts-blog]

In Baltimore City, MD: Absolute hunk and total sweetheart has spent almost an entire month in the shelter - BARCS, Baltimore MD

AVAILABLE FOR RESCUE OR ADOPTION!!

Rico Suave- 3 years, altered male, 53lbs

Meet Rico Suave! This handsome gentleman is easy to leash up, and he takes treats very gently after he shows you his perfect “sit.” He’s perfecting his loose leash walking and doing a great job so far. He can sniff all day if you let him (even in one spot), which makes for a leisurely walk. He is also broken here at the shelter.

When tested off-leash in the shelter's play yard, Rico Suave has been pushy and rowdy, but has the best intentions to play, so we think he'd do best with other tolerant and playful pals (featured above are photos of Rico and his shelter BFF 'Cider Donut').

Poor Rico Suave has been in our shelter's care now for almost a month, and understandably he's growing increasingly stressed and reactive in his kennel, so he has been started on a combination of behavior meds (trazodone and gabapentin). Ideally, though, Rico really needs a home.

If you're able to help- Rico Suave is available immediately for rescue pick-up!

Thank you,

The BARCS Rescue Team

Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (BARCS) ​New Address! 2490 Giles Rd, Baltimore, MD 21225 rescue@barcs.org| (410) 396-4695

Rescue pick-up hours: Monday-Friday: 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m

Adoption hours: Monday-Friday: 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Inc. (BARCS) | 2490 Giles Rd, Baltimore, MD 21225

[dollarbin]

Shakey Sundays #21:

Time Fades Away, Part 2

So. I headed north as promised last night, straight into L.A., Neil's very own uptight city in the smog (city in the smog), to see my famous brother make some very grown up music.

It was amazing and upsetting. Amazing in that Prairewolf are, for our current moment, what Booker T and the MG's were for 1967.

But it was upsetting in that my famous brother and his almost as famous bandmates did not obey my directive and perform Neil Young's Yonder Stands the Sinner with a generous dollop of their own wordless cosmic white man cowboy jazz funk slathered on top. Rather they played songs from their first two records.

I made some videos but have no idea how to paste them in here. If I could figure it out, you'd hear me grooving and hollering and jostling about as everyone in the room blissfully lost their minds amidst the rowdy crowd action and psychedelic vibes.

Naw, it wasn't really that kinda show. Even though Dr. Demento himself was allegedly in the room everyone just sat and nodded with appreciative thoughtfulness while they played. My buddy Greg points out that we probably looked a lot like the studious white folks in the Booker T clip. The band made no speeches and pensively sipped at their Tecates. The projected images behind them swirled and danced in time with my brother's patient yet nimble fretwork. I was filled with intensely mellow joy. Then I drove home.

It was awesome.

And yet, because Prairiewolf didn't bust out a single Time Fades Away cover, I do need to issue the following apology: yesterday's post had nothing whatsoever to do with Neil Young's reckless live album of entirely new songs from 73. Please accept my humble apologies and send all your angry feedback to my famous brother at doomandgloomfromthetomb.

I didn't understand Time Fades Away on any level as a teenager. Neil sounded cranky throughout; the pace was frantic until it was dull; there were no noticeable guitar solos (somehow I didn't notice the fairly groovy interludes on Last Dance); and even at the tender age of 16 I wanted to find David Crosby and punch him squarely in the nose for smugly interrupting the record to announce that what followed would be "a little experimental".

For reasons that are not well-founded or clear I've always associated Crosby with my middle school woodshop teacher Mr Halferty: he would not let us touch any wood in his classroom. Rather, we made keychains and sugar scoopers (as if any of had sugar barrels at home that needed accessing a la Laura Ingall's Farmer Boy) outta plastic and he drove an El Camino. On the last day of school we surreptitiously placed all our finished projects around the wheels of his sweet ride gleefully figuring that as soon as he peeled out there'd be shattered plastic everywhere.

The plan was to hide in the bushes and watch it all go down. I don't think we followed through on that part of the plan. But I felt it then and I feel it now: neither Mr. Halferty nor Crosby have any business on a Neil Young record of any kind post Deja Vu (unless they're glowing unobtrusively in the background as in Through in My Sails).

And so I didn't dig Time Fades Away as a kid.

But it's over 30 years later and I now carry Neil's cranky frantic energy on the record around with me just about everywhere I go. I berate my 11th grade students whenever they enter the classroom more than 6 seconds late or act like their phones are their friends. I drive either way too fast or way too slow. I dream of punching Donald Trump, not David Crosby or poor old Mr. Halferty, squarely in the nose.

So, these days Time Fades Away is right up my alley.

Let me count the ways:

The title track sounds like it's played by angry, drunk monkeys. I mistakenly had my turntable turned up to 45 rpm this weekend when I first dropped the needle; aside from the fact that Neil sounds like a bubbly chipmunk at that speed the song sounds basically the same: terrifying, and good.

Neil must have issued 48 different live versions of Journey Through the Past in the last decade and a half. They're all good. But on Time Fades Away's original take Neil is more plastered than on all the other versions combined.

And you know what they say when it comes to Shakey and Freezermen concerts at Vassar College in 01: the drunker, the better.

As Neil works towards and through the last chorus I feel the room spin wildly around him. It's terrifying, drunk and bleak; it's awesome.

Yonder Stands the Sinner is one of the most unhinged tracks in Young's entire oeuvre. It does not sound experimental, David Crosby; rather it sounds wonderfully insane. At 16 years old I just scratched my head and thought about playing The Joshua Tree or something else instead. Today I feel like Neil is reading the words inscribed on my very soul:

Neil Young: he calls my name without a sound.

Up next we've got L.A. I grew up there. It was alright. But this song is way better: Neil borrows much of the hook from Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown and slows it way the hell down. He's already finding his Tonight's The Night sound and groove here with Ben Keith alongside him, the steel guitar throwing shadows on every available wall of the theater. This is probably my favorite song on the record.

Love in Mind, like The Bridge on Side 2, is just lovely. Neil could nail a ballad like no one else at this point. Everything is fragile and quavering. You want to give the poor guy a hug and recommend a good therapist.

My nearly 80 year old mother talked after the show last night about how seeing her son on stage in Prairiewolf was the opposite of all the Kris Kristofferson shows she saw around LA before Kris became a household name. Seeing her drunk, vulnerable, potentially doomed and beloved cousin play live was utterly stressful. She saw that Kris was not well but that he simply had to make earnest art anyway.

I think it would have been similarly stressful to have been an alive and well Neil Young fan in 1972/3. (I was born in 76 and encountered Young as he entered his 90's heyday.) Fans on the Time Fades Away tour must have worried about whether he was even gonna make it through the show without keeling over.

Folks my age and younger have never been properly stressed out by any of Neil's Ditch era; we encountered all that wonderful music with the knowledge that he survived it all; indeed, we knew that he spun the whole era on its head and made it the foundation for his greatness rather than the soundtrack for his demise.

When it comes to great art like this record, time doesn't fade away. It morphs, it swells and it alters perspectives. Kinda like the lights and sounds I saw on stage in LA last night... And check it out: I figured out how to put in a video of it all which captures... almost nothing. But take my word for it, it was awesome!

[monriatitans]

MonriaTitans

Let's Play Some Demos! - Part 20

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Welcome to Part 20 of the Let's Play Some Demos! | LPSD series! For those who are new, I aim to introduce gamers to, usually, Indie games and to provide commentary and feedback for educational purposes! For this episode, I used some of the demos I had grabbed from the Myths & Legends Steam Event! I think... RULES! Typically, there are 4 demos. Each demo gets 30 minutes, not including the adjustment of settings and character creation. I might up it to 5 and/or play a great game for longer if there are technical issues. And NO AI's spit, aka. plagiarism laundering.

Today, I played 4 demos for your enjoyment:

AI LIMIT - Coming Mar 27, 2025 In the distant future when civilization is on the verge of extinction, people follow the legend of the Elysium in the last city, Havenswell. In this post-apocalyptic wasteland sci-fi ARPG, you will play as Arrisa, a Blader with immortality, and explore the city ruin to find the hope of a new life.

Harmony's Odyssey - Available Harmony's Odyssey is a 3D fantasy adventure puzzle game set on mythical dioramas full of riddles, perky creatures and magic. Embark on a fantastic journey through remote fabled lands tangled by a rowdy cat and bring peace to its inhabitants.

Last Time I Saw You - Available First loves. Family issues. Yokai. 'Last Time I Saw You' is a coming-of-age adventure set in 1980s Japan. Explore a haunted forest hiding a terrible secret, and interact with a vast cast of friendly and dubious characters in this beautifully hand-drawn story with some light action elements.

Whiskers & Wizardry - Available 2025 Step into the magical paws of an overconfident wizard cat in this action-packed roguelite! Craft unique spells, battle hordes of minions and powerful bosses, cleanse the forest of evil, and rescue your Human Wizard Owner. From the creators of Margoq's Lair, a studio focused on roguelite games.

The links above are to the games' Steam pages. Also, Harmony's Odyssey's demo is available on itch.io!

With all that out the way, here are my opinions, via the "Layered Compliment Sandwich":  AI LIMIT LOOKED FAN-FUCKIN-TASTIC! I loved how Arrisa was animated! I loved how the enemies were animated! I loved the design of the entire level! AND the game suffered from what many games I've played suffer from; their tutorial was not as clear as they thought it was. It said items could be assigned to shortcuts, but didn't say how to do it. Even when I went into the Controls at the end, it wasn't there. Also, unless I missed it, it would've been nice to know how the healing item worked when we got it. I wouldn't have waited until I was almost dead to use it had I known. Dying gave me the opportunity to look at the pretty ruin, though. Dying multiple times did, too. What got on my nerves, though, was the lack of guidance. I beat, what seemed to be, the big bad, and yet... had I not run out of time, I would have rage quit at some point. I want the game because it has promise. I'm hoping it will have more guidance in it. IT LOOKED/S GREAT!

Harmony's Odyssey was incredibly confusing, but it being adorable made up for it. When I read the description and saw "puzzles", I was certain I wasn't going to like it. Then it reminded me there were certain puzzles I liked! And it did them in a unique way. The "Find the Differences" puzzles moving was distracting. If it was supposed to be, then fine. Job well done. The mini-games were a surprise, but ended up being fun. The story was, is, my biggest problem. It makes. No. Sense. So, a cat steals one of a witch's wands and now we're chasing the cat trying to get it back. Why are we chasing the cat when we could teleport the cat back? Then, while we're chasing the cat, instead of teleporting the cat, the witch alters the world and turns it into the "rearrange the tiles to create a picture" puzzle. Why? I wanna keep playing because how the puzzles were created was incredibly unique, but... Why? Last Time I Saw You has an AMAZING color palette! And it taking place in 1980s Japan didn't really hit me until Ayumi, our main character, made certain comments about wishing people had their own phones. You say that now, child... The art style was, is, sublime. I want a movie in this art style. And it was the art style, the story, and the fact I could make all the dialogue appear with the press of a button that made me keep playing. The beeping-like sound that played as the text was coming in was... ich. Why do developers do that? STOP IT! I didn't think until now to check and see if I could make the dialogue immediately appear... I also felt like I was "playing" a teenager. They were relatable. And how they introduced the little bit of action was well done as well, even though learning the action was annoying. If I was supposed to be spooked a bit, they succeeded. Well done! Gimme more! Whiskers & Wizardry was more adorable than I expected it to be! And more difficult. Apparently, I SUCK at aiming. Thankfully, the dodge-roll made up for it. Part of the issue with aiming, though, was the paw you're aiming with. At one point, it hid behind the Wizard Cat, and then I couldn't tell where I was aiming, which made me even more shit at aiming. The premise kept me going. That and the art. A magic cat trying to find their Wizard Owner? Sign me up! I have allergies, I need to have a cat somehow! Every game like this I cannot help but think of Hades or Cursebane. The "create your own spell" mechanic was, is, genius. This, combined with a leveling system to allow for personal, and changeable, improvements allowed for a customizable playstyle. I will DEFINITELY be pointing this one out to my partner! It's creative AF and deserves some attention! Overall, despite some of my gripes, I want all of them, and they are on my wishlist. I'll have to play AI LIMIT in moderation, though, since the camera will give me a headache if I forget to use the "Lock On" mechanic. As a reminder, AI LIMIT will be available on Mar 27, 2025. Whiskers & Wizardry will be available in 2025. Harmony's Odyssey and Last Time I Saw You are both Available. Lastly, I advised in the video I would be streaming Doloc Town on Sunday, February 23rd, and would link to Parts 1 and 2 for the curious, so, here you go!

And that's it for Part 20! Thank you for reading! If this series of videos is something you're interested in, they're available on YouTube, The Titans' Discord, Steam, Rumble, Odysee, Ko-fi, and on multiple blogging platforms! Don't forget to hit the Subscribe and/or Follow buttons to know when there's more!

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TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Welcome Gamers! 1:58 - Artist Shout-Out 5:23 - Demos' Intro 10:05 - AI LIMIT - Coming Mar 27, 2025 47:53 - Harmony's Odyssey - Available 1:28:30 - Last Time I Saw You - Available 2:05:50 - Whiskers & Wizardry - Available 2025 2:40:54 - Demos Line Up 2:43:43 - Artist Shout-Out 2:45:32 - Thank You/Links 2:46:49 - Rendezvous Point Bookshop Plug/Viewing 2:48:32 - Up Next - Doloc Town 2:49:47 - Farewell

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"Let's Play Some Demos!" Video Series YouTube Playlist" Let's Play Some Demos!" Video Series Blog Posts

Pilot: CrossCode, Dumpy & Bumpy, Ynglet, Zero Ranger

Part 2: A Dance of Fire and Ice, 2064: Read Only Memories, Death and Taxes, Underhero

Part 3: TEKKEN 8, Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition, Secrets of Grindea, Forspoken

Part 4: Death’s Hangover, Fae Farm, Fate/Samurai Remnant, Mini Settlers

Part 5: All-Star Fruit Racing, Indivisible, SaGa Emerald Beyond, Visions of Mana

Part 6: Glorious Companions, Tales of Arise, Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge, Cozy Island

Part 7: The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, Cursebane, Dex, The Lady Puppet

Part 8: Detroit: Become Human, Little Goody Two Shoes, Luma Island, Tinkerlands

Part 9: Backpack Battles, Glaciered, Ratopia, Slime Rancher

Part 10: Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory, Maid Cafe on Electric Street, Neon Noodles, Tiny Glade

Part 11: Critter Café, Grimoire Groves, Pixel Cafe, Wizdom Academy

Part 12: AdventureBarStory, Bone’s Cafe, DELTARUNE, Mudborne

Part 13: Food Truck Simulator, Magical Bakery, Magical Delicacy, Seaside Cafe Rush Hour

Part 14: Chef’s Tail, Espresso Tycoon, Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo, Tavern Talk

Part 15: Chicken Journey, FANTASIAN Neo Dimension, Terra Memoria, Until Then

Part 16: Cornucopia®, Hipster Café, Let’s Café, Spells & Secrets

Part 17: Doloc Town, Feed the Cups, Manitas Kitchen, Mushroom Picnic Party, Rift of the NecroDancer

Part 18: Meadgard: Beer and Plunder, BOKURA: planet, Teeny Tiny Town, Tower of Babel: Survivors of Chaos

Part 19: Dungeons of Hinterberg, The Mildew Children, Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island, Yaoling: Mythical Journey

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MORE INFO & TO SUPPORT - About MonriaTitans | WGS - Rendezvous Point Bookshop - Artist Shout-Outs Criteria- The Titans' Discord - Throne Wishlist - #SubOffTwitch - YouTube - Rumble - Odysee - Twitch - Steam

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Originally published to https://opinionsandtruth.wordpress.com on February 18, 2025.

[heich0e]

osamu doesn't tell atsumu when you start having contractions.

it's 10:30 in the morning and the day is well underway, but it's 4:30 AM in Paris, and the olympic opening ceremonies are set to begin in a little more than half a day's time.

so, even though osamu has never felt like he needs his twin more, he says nothing--and instructs the rest of his friends and family to do the same.

because he knows. knows that no matter how many arguments (from petty squabbles and silent treatments to all-out brawls) the two of them may have gotten into in the past three decades, his brother would drop everything--forsake the red jersey he wears, the gold that he hopes to bring back with him to japan--and come home to him. to you. to his family.

osamu paces around the hospital by himself for a while. you've been in labour for what feels like an eternity, with no significant changes, and it's only given osamu's anxiety time to swell. only allowed the pressure to build in his chest like a storm that threatens to sink him. so when you finally manage to close your eyes and get some rest after more than 12 hours at the hospital, he slips out from the room and takes a walk to compose himself.

he doesn't feel ready, doesn't feel qualified for such a massive responsibility. he's been so happy, so excited up until this point, but now that it's finally here and happening and real he's terrified.

he wishes atsumu was with him.

no, his brother is never someone you'd want to have in a crisis--too dramatic, too rowdy, too loud. he's, objectively, probably the last person you'd want around in the midst of any sort of pandemonium.

and osamu has never wanted to see his stupid face more.

he knows that if atsumu was just here he would somehow feel better. less frightened. more sure.

he crouches down in the middle of the waiting room he's wandered into on his aimless excursion, his hands tangled in his messy, greasy hair that's been trapped under an old Onigiri Miya hat all day, and fights to calm himself.

it's after 3 am, and whatever corner of the hospital osamu had journeyed into is mostly abandoned save for the occasional rattling of a cart passing through the hallway or staff bustling past. it's a tiny room, with uncomfortable chairs and the drone of a television that rests mounted on the wall in the corner.

he glances up just in time to see the japanese olympic team making their entrance to the opening ceremonies.

he spots his brother there almost immediately in the sea of red and white athletic wear. it's just a glimpse. a fleck of peroxide blonde amongst crowd of athletes. the nation's best.

atsumu must know what it feels like to carry responsibility on his shoulders, osamu thinks then, knowing that the flag of their country is literally on his back. atsumu must understand the burden of taking on a role that sometimes feels too large to bear, but that he devotes himself to earnestly.

osamu watches the television screen as tears well in his eyes, and he feels overwhelmingly proud. proud to be atsumu's brother. inspired by him in ways he'll never tell him (unless one of them is about to bite it--in which case he might make an exception). grateful to have had him by his side for his entire life.

it's a privilege to miss atsumu in this moment--spoiled by having had him there with him for every other important moment and milestone--and it's an honour to be his twin.

and osamu smiles, watery though it may be, while he watches his brother join the rest of the olympians representing their country half-way across the world.

he stands and makes his way back to you with a newfound surety.

the next few hours will be hell. the coming days too, though the hardest-fought battle will be over. but he'll have you. and the baby.

and he can't wait to tell atsumu all about it.