#everyone must put beans on the table

[tomwaitsvisualdictionary]

Life advice from Tom Waits:

“Run away and join the circus. Get a tattoo, hop a train. Plant a garden and save the seeds. Get married, have kids, wear a hat. Get good with a bullwhip. Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal. Everyone must put beans on the table. Be devoted to the unification of the diverse aspects of yourself. Remember, most of what is essential is invisible to the eye. The quality of time you spend with someone far out-weighs the quantity. And there’s a lot you can do with a wah-wah pedal and a bullet mike.”

[luveline]

Hello Jade! I have a request for hotch if that’s okay, I was thinking something like he’s dating sunshine!reader who goes to a police precinct with the team and the sheriff/deputy insults Hotch in front of her (maybe she’s not part of the BAU so he doesn’t realise she knows Hotch?) and she snaps and punches him/pushes him to the ground and afterwards she’s really quiet and refusing to tell anyone what happened cause she doesn’t want Hotch to hear that people were bad mouthing him. Everyone is confused cause she’s usually so bubbly and it’s disconcerting to see her so stern but she has to protect her man damnit 😤

(Ps I’m the anon who got confused about rules n you’re right I was looking under guidelines not requests 🤦🏼‍♀️ sorry!)

hi babe, thank you for your request! (and no worries at all, no sorry necessary!!)

—hotch is dumbfounded when you slap a deputy sheriff, but you have your heartfelt reasons. fem, 2k

You're not specifically BAU, but when Hotch calls, you answer. You don't look BAU either in your skirt with your blue laptop carry case; twice you're asked what you're doing in the precinct and if you need assistance, but eventually you get to the centre of the action upstairs, meandering through the detective's desks toward a conference room with a sticky-taped sign that says to knock before entering. 

"Hey, Spencer," you say, shouldering open the door. "They leave you behind?" 

Spencer turns away from his white board. "I'm more useful here right now. Did you bring the ethernet cable for Garcia?"

You put your laptop case on the table and pull out her desired cable. "Where is she?" It's hard-pressed for Penelope to be found anywhere away from her computer during case times. You must get twenty or more rejection emails a month from your fellow tech analysist. Sorry, working a case :'( 

"Bathroom. There's a kitchen if you need coffee. You have a badge?" 

You flash your visitor's badge at him. "Get you one?" 

"Four sugars. Thanks, L/N." 

You flash him a smile. The kitchen is back the way you came and to the right. It's nowhere near big enough for the workforce, three tables and one microwave next to a sink full of mugs. You smile at anyone who looks at you and beeline for a coffee pot. No one questions you. They must be used to outsiders invading their space this week. 

"Mean fucking guy." 

You tilt your head to the side, hand paused in their cup cabinet above the sink. You shouldn't be nosy, but they're not being very quiet, either.

"He has to be mean, I guess. That's a tight ship to run," says a second voice.

"I'd understand it if I thought they were getting somewhere. It's been four days, and between the string bean and his pushpin map and that tech girl who won't shut up? They're doomed. The boss is either too stubborn or too damn stupid to realise." 

You close the cabinet and turn around. 

"I fucking hate this shit. Ties in their suit jackets coming into our investigation and chasing the wrong leads. We could've had Miller in cuffs two days ago if Hotchner hadn't shut us down, two days ago! And now another kid is dead, and there's not a drop of remorse on him. He doesn't care about doing his job, he–" 

"He what?" you ask. Your heart is beating hard before you've so much as parted your lips, your hands trembling. You screw them into tight balls. 

"Excuse me?" 

Your opposition is a rough hewn man in a deputies badge, a cup of coffee held between two paws. He narrows thick salt and pepper brows at your question, his mouth screwed into a telling snarl. 

"You think Agent Hotchner doesn't care about his job? So why is he here? Why did he agree to take the case?" 

"Who the fuck are you?" 

You shake your head in annoyance and take the FBI badge from your little cross body bag. You toss it on the table, your beaming face looking up at him a juxtaposition to the glare you wear now. 

He stands up from his table. The lunch room hushes but the riot of precinct cacophony stays strong just outside of the door, a thrum that battles your roaring heart. You're so angry you can barely speak, and it'll only get worse. 

"I'm sorry you have to hear it from me, darling, I am, but your boss out there? Agent Hotchner?" The deputy scoffs. "He's a fool running blind. He turned away from the real issue here. He's a prideful, narcissistic idiot who's let the power of his paycheck get to his head, and as far as I'm concerned? So long as he stops us from arresting Jaden Miller? He's a murderer, too. The blood is on his hands." 

You know you're going to slap him from the moment he says 'murderer', but the knee to his crotch straight after is a surprise even to yourself. All you're thinking for one horrible white-hot moment is How can I hurt him? It's shameful, and you slam your knee up a second time anyhow. 

—

"You can tell me what happened now or later, but it's going to be much easier on you if you tell me now." 

Hotch hates this part. What he wouldn't give to have someone else here to reprimand you. He understands why Gideon left and he wouldn't want him back unwillingly, but Hotch thinks your nightly phone call may go over smoother tonight if it were Gideon standing in his place. Half the time Hotch finds he's uninterested in scolding you. It's why you stay firmly in your department and away from his bias in the BAU. He can't be optimal at his job while you're around. 

It's not limited to telling you off, of course. When you're near, he wants to act like it. He wants to take your hand, hold your arm, rub a palm between your shoulders. He wants to pull you into his lap, or pinch the soft lobe of your ear between his fingers to watch you shiver, blow warm air at the back of your neck to hear your laugh. This cold silence is his worst nightmare, but he can't cross the line. 

Well, he can't cross the line too much. 

In the privacy of a cordoned, borrowed office, Hotch can sit beside you. The blinds are closed, and his intimidation act wasn't getting him anywhere anyways. More flies with honey than vinegar. 

"I can't show favouritism here, do you understand? Especially when you're being physically violent against the deputy sheriff." Hotch watches the soft pillow of your bottom lip tremble in a private terror. "I know you wouldn't do this for no reason. I know. Give me a reason to take your side and I will." 

"I don't want to talk about it." 

"Did he say something inappropriate?" 

You don't answer.

"Did he?" Hotch can feel the anger he's been pushing down start to rise. When a woman like you, happy-go-lucky, pretty, and always smiling, turns to violence, it's not hard to picture why. He knows full well the horrible things a man can say to a woman. "Please, trust me to take care of this." 

"Hotch, I really don't want to talk about this. You can reprimand me, send me home." 

"No. Tell me what he said." 

You glare at him. Hotch finds with a heart-skipping hurt that it's the first time he's been on the receiving end of your disdain. "No. I don't want to." 

"And I don't want to send you home." He knows how he looks, stony-eyed and furrowed brow. He has to try hard to relax into a more neutral expression. "I won't. Not when I know you'd never hurt someone." 

"Well, I did." 

"We all do things we don't mean to in anger." 

In the quiet, he can hear Emily asking loud questions about what happened, and her almost comedic gasp as someone informs her of the situation. Morgan couldn't find the words to tell Hotch over the phone what happened, just told him to hurry back, and it was doubly difficult to get the story out of Spencer, who'd been the one responsible for standing in your way. 

"He called her a bitch," Spencer told him. "I didn't want to hold her back after that." 

The sheriff deputy has a good hundred pounds on you, so no matter what he called you, Hotch is glad you were pulled away. 

Hearing that you'd been called a bitch set his nerves aflame. When Spencer explained that this was said by a man on his knees after a swift jab to the crotch, Hotch was more confused. 

He follows a whim. He's biassed for sure, but he knows you're the most beautiful woman in any room that you walk into. It doesn't shock him that a high-ranking authority figure would take advantage of his position to make a pass at you. 

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," he says softly. "Whatever he said to you, I– I'm not supposed to support violence, but I understand if it got too much. Sexual harassment is unjustifiable, and I'll stand with you and your actions completely." 

"He didn't harass me, Aaron," you say, looking down at your knees. You're wearing dark stockings, pinching at the fabric distractedly. 

"Did he touch you?" 

"No, Aaron–" You sigh frustratedly. "I don't want to tell you what he said because it's not true." 

"He insulted you?" 

"He insulted you." You glance at him and then away. "I couldn't stand it." 

If there weren't cameras in the room he'd bundle you into his arms and kiss the slope of your cheek, because how is he supposed to handle this? You're hitting people when they talk bad about him now? 

Hotch doesn't need to ask to know it was bad. You're a well-meaning, well-adjusted person. You'd hardly hit somebody for calling Hotch a jerk. Something severe would've been said to have pushed you over the edge, but, to his detriment, Hotch has heard a thousand awful things about himself from a thousand different mouths, and he doesn't worry about what it was. 

"Alright. Listen to me carefully." Your shoulders stiffen. "I don't want you hurting people over me. I don't need you to defend me. I don't want you to fight my battles for me, and I certainly don't want you assaulting people on my behalf." 

Your lip again begins to tremble. "I'm sorry." 

"No. Don't be sorry." He covers your knee in his hand gently, ducking his head to meet your glassy eyes. He's gone about this the wrong way, upsetting you unnecessarily. He rushes to correct it. "I love that you want to defend me, I love that you did, and it isn't lost on me how much it means to have you at my side, but… You could have been seriously injured. Honey, picking on someone your own size is a double-sided coin. What if the deputy hit you back?" 

"I'm not afraid of getting hurt." 

He leans down more, imploring, desperate to be heard. "I'm afraid of you getting hurt. Me. I'm worried someone's going to hurt you when I'm not around." 

"He was saying all this stuff about you and it wasn't true–" 

"It's okay," he says, shaking his head slowly from one side to another. "It doesn't matter. I know what people like him think of me, and he's not in an easy position." He drops his voice to a murmur for your ears alone. "I'm not saying you should agree with him, I can't tell you that I like him much." 

You laugh weakly, the sound quickly melding to a sniffle. "I'm sorry, Aaron. I shouldn't have hit him. I don't know what came over me." 

"We get angry for the people we care about." 

He can't kiss you, really, not at work, but he can show you some heavy affection. It's a boundary crossed. Luckily, Hotch knows you won't report him. 

"Thank you for defending me. You can stay on the case if you promise not to do it again," he says, squeezing your smaller hand in his, drawing a lopsided heart with his thumb into the back of it. 

"I'll promise not to do it again if he promises to keep his stupid mouth closed," you mutter. 

"Is it wrong of me to like this version of you?" he says. 

You look him straight in the eye, your usual lightness restored, if dimmed just a touch. "I like all your versions, Agent Hotchner." 

"Good. Remind the version that's your boyfriend to treat you accordingly tonight. Okay?" 

You nod emphatically, both relieved and chastened. "Okay. Thanks, handsome." 

You look tired. Tonight, he'll kiss you like he means it, maybe a touch too rough but apparently you're a hard ass now who can handle it, and he'll hold you close even if he can't give you the attention you deserve until the case is done. He'll make sure you know how much he appreciates your protection, rub your back for hours just the way you like it while sleep fails. 

"You're welcome," he says. He has more to say but there's no more time to waste. There's still work to be done. 

It'll come easier with you at his side, he's sure. 

[avcdgrdn]

── .✦ [ FIC ]: coffee date with ford ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝

stanford pines x reader fluff // based off of this headcanon post.

˙✧˖° ༘ ⋆｡˚

you could tell that something was off as soon as you walked into the house.

the mystery (s)hack has officially run out of coffee beans ... and there's a grumpy grunkle to show for it.

"uuugh..."

six rough fingers moved to wearily rub the forehead of their owner: a sleep-deprived scientist who'd stayed up late last night working on a project. of course, whether the project was actually worth losing sleep over or not wasn't entirely relevant ... ford just didn't want to go to bed and deal with his thought-filled brain. despite his troubles with bill being behind him, there often are nights where he just can't fight the paranoia.

trudging out into the kitchen, the broad-built man leaned against a countertop with one arm, heaving a low and rumbling sigh.

"well, well. good morning, sunshine." a gruff voice called out from across the room, accompanied by the sound of cereal pouring into a bowl. stanley was ' making breakfast ' for dipper and mabel, who waited eagerly at the table. "didja get enough beauty sleep?"

"i'll answer that question after i have my coffee." ford huffed, eyes still half-shut and darkened with exhaustion. upon hearing those words, stan trailed out an 'uhhhh' and glanced towards the coffee machine.

"about that, sixer ... it's all gone. i was gonna grab another bag the last time i was out, but i got distracted."

if, by being distracted, he meant attempting to shoplift a twelve-pack of pitt cola and getting caught, he was technically telling the truth.

"what."

the corner of ford's left eye twitched. no coffee? how could he have overlooked such a possibility? great ... just great.

after a moment longer of taking in the unfolding scene from the open front door, you decided to speak up.

"uh, everything okay?"

everyone's attention shifted to you. you'd only been staying with the pines family for a few days as a temporary fix for your living situation, but somehow, it was beginning to feel like home. mabel grinned brightly upon seeing you, waving her small hands in the air.

"hiya, cutie !! back from your morning walk? how'd it go?"

you met her honey brown eyes, and a smile crept onto your expression.

"it was lovely, thanks." you made your way into the house, closing the front door behind you and promptly taking a seat beside the smaller twins at the table. the grunkles observed you, following suit and each coming over to fill the remaining empty seats.

"i hope ya like cereal, cause i can't cook for my life!" stan grinned, gave everyone a bowl of cereal, and the feasting began.

mabel scarfed down her bowl, akin to how waddles might eat his own breakfast. dipper and stan both ate slowly, while you were somewhere in the middle. the only odd one out was ford, who hadn't touched his spoon at all. his head was rested against one hand, and his eyes were shut, as if he were deep in thought or (more likely) dozing off. still, he looked like he should at least eat something ...

"ford?" you called from across the table, spoon in hand.

"i- wh- ... huh?"

he stammered, a faint shade of crimson tinting his cheeks as he snapped awake and stared at you like a deer in headlights. stan snickered.

"what's wrong?" your voice was concerned, with an undertone of amusement. it seemed unnatural for him to act so disheveled, considering how your first impression of him was extremely put-together and educated. although, you couldn't say you disliked this side of him.

he cleared his throat. "well, you see, we've ... run out of coffee. during days like these, i rely on the caffeine to keep me awake."

"i see." you crunched on another mouthful of cereal, swallowing with a thoughtful hum. "isn't there a good café somewhere near here?"

at that, ford raised his bushy brows. a café? that's a good point.

"it must be relatively new, because i can't say that i've ever been to such an establishment in town." he mused, stroking his chin stubble as he attempted to recall the various changes that had occurred in gravity falls since he'd returned after being gone for thirty years.

"i could take you, if you like."

"...what?"

and now, all eyes were on you.

blinking innocently, you restated your offer.

"i said, i could take you, if you like. i've been there a few times myself, and they've got a lot of good options."

"gasp !! like a date ??" mabel squealed, only to be elbowed by her twin brother. her comment earned a darker blush from ford and a choke from stan.

"u-um ... i wouldn't necessarily say a da-"

"ahem! i accept your offer. it would be good for me to get out of the house, anyway." ford hurriedly interrupted you, averting his gaze as he straightened his trench coat and adjusted his turtleneck. a stifled squeal of joy could be heard from the kids' end of the table.

and just like that, you found yourself strolling down the sidewalk, side by side with the tired scientist. he had freshened up somewhat, having taken the time to tame his bedhead hair and clean his dusty glasses. even while sleep deprived, he looked handsome in the warmth of the sunlight. catching yourself staring, you quickly averted your gaze to in front of you, focusing on where you were walking. ford had most definitely seen you looking, but chose not to say anything about it.

the silence wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but it certainly was not commonplace for either of you. you've been living on your own for a while now, so you're acquainted with silence, but not the kind shared with another person. on the flip side, ford has slowly been learning to cherish peace and quiet again after getting rid of bill's voice in his head.

upon arriving at the café, the two of you took in the inviting atmosphere, inhaling the scent of brewing coffee and sweet pastries as the little bell hanging from the door jingled to signal your appearance. ford visibly relaxed, already pleased.

"you know what you want?" you questioned with a smile, glancing up to meet his eyes.

"mm, i think i'll have the cold brew with vanilla cream." he replied, the corners of his mouth tugging up in a somewhat shy grin. you swore you could feel butterflies in your stomach.

"alright." making your way up to the cashier, you put in your order for two drinks, pulling out your wallet and selecting the appropriate bills to pay for the both of you. ford was somewhat shocked that you had made the move to pay for his drink, and his bashful smile grew as you found a table to sit down at.

"thank you, that was very generous of you." he adjusted his glasses, sitting across from you and giving you a brief once-over. "i could have covered it, you know."

"ah, don't worry about it." now that you thought about it, this was the first time that you were spending one-on-one time with him, apart from the rest of the family ... was this really a date, like mabel had said? your face began to heat up at the notion, but you quickly distracted yourself by looking down to fidget with the edge of your sleeve.

feeling the need to break the silence, the silver-streaked man shifted in his seat. "so ... tell me about yourself."

he was clearly showing interest in getting to know you, which was flattering, and somewhat endearing. given his quiet demeanor, it was obvious that socialization was not his strong suit. still, you couldn't deny that he had a certain rugged charm about him.

staring out the window, you thought for a moment, then spoke. "for starters, you know that i'm working on moving into a house." there was another pause as you mulled over your next words. "i'm interested in the strange phenomenons here in gravity falls. i was raised in another state, but my family relocated here while i was in high school. that's what got me curious about certain ... abnormalities." you smiled softly, fixing your gaze onto him. "i think unusual things are wonderful."

stanford was practically slack-jawed, his dark brown eyes shining with the wonder of a child in love. any previous hesitation was completely abandoned.

"why, that's what i've dedicated my life purpose to for years!" his wide shoulders leaned over the table, bringing his face closer to your own. "i've been keeping journals-"

he was interrupted by a barista calling out your name across the café. regretfully, you had to tear your attention from his enthusiasm, standing to go collect your drinks from the counter. for some reason, the thudding of your heart was very loud.

returning to your seat, you put ford's cold brew in front of him before taking a swig of your own drink. he carefully picked up the cup, observing it from a few different angles before raising it to his lips. he took a long sip, then made a low, content hum. "yes ... this is exactly what i needed." you could already see the caffeine revitalizing him. "now, where was i? ah, yes! the journals."

the next hour and a half consisted of him infodumping about the journals and all of the wonderful things he's seen and done. he earned quite a few reactions from you, each of which inflated his ego even further. by the end of his rant, he was on an energetic and emotional high.

the two of you were laughing at some corny one-liner he'd thrown in, and ford leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his broad chest as it heaved with deep chuckles.

"you know, i haven't talked with anyone like this in a while, besides stanley and the kids, of course." a warm smile graced his features. "i'm glad that you invited me here. and ..." he trailed off, his eyes narrowing. "... i think you're an interesting person. clearly, we share the same passion."

oh, crap. why was he looking at you like that? why was it hot? you could feel yourself slowly losing your composure. why did your type have to be nerds?

"t-thanks. i think you're interesting, too." you blushed, smiling and feeling giddy.

"we should do this again, yes?"

"i would love to."

end (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

author's note:

expect more ford content from me (he's literally my pookie)

also if you give me feedback i love you

if you have any fic ideas, shoot me a request!

[obsessedwrhys]

Hey so how do you think rise donnie would deal with a magical crush who is very chill with his tech and magic ramblings. He is in the room when April asks magival crush “is he bothering you? He can be a bit insufferable sometimes. He can’t just let things go and just accept magic as is”. And crush is like “oh. I don’t mind it. I mean, everyone thought rainbows were magical. They still are, but now you know how they work. I kind of like watching his big head try and figure this stuff out”?

A LOVE BEYOND LOGIC

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ just lots of fluff and flirting (I went overboard with the flirting), reader does get hurt but it's just minor, used of (Y/N) but only once, I hope this is a good read ☹, reader is fem!!

ᯓ★

It was another normal Tuesday for everybody in the lair, like always, you found yourself sunk into the bean bag your best friend plus boyfriend, Donnie, personally installed in his lab just for you. Well how he manages to become your boyfriend is a different story.

It all happened so fast, you were both blabbered about magic and science and suddenly he's pouring his heart out for you. What's more surprising is that this ain't exactly your home realm. You're pretty lucky enough to have score yourself a bunch of friendly people willing to let you stay at their place, not to mention be fine with your whole magical fiesta.

Anyways, you were concentrating on the game in your phone until you hear Donnie let out a frustrated groan. Curious, you looked to see him struggling with what seemed to be his next hopeful project. It's just not looking too hopeful right now.

"You okay?" You asked and his gaze darts towards you. He waves his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I must have gotten the formula wrong" He said and at the same time, he walked over to the other table to check on his notes. You put your phone away before getting up to approach him.

"Can I help?" You asked.

You then stood beside him, your eyes examining how his hands are placed at both sides of the notebook as he has his head focused at it in the middle. His brows were slightly furrowed from trying to figure out what went wrong. Even with the stress, you can't help but find the concentration on his face somehow making him appear more attractive.

"No... no... I wouldn't wanna trouble you with this burden..." He muttered almost like a whisper since his mind is already preoccupied with focusing.

"Watching you torture yourself with this is already a burden" You joked and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"You're right, I'll try my best to figure this out sooner" He shoots you a sweet smile before walking off to the table in the center that has his project on top.

"Maybe after this we can go exploring. You said you wanted to visit the museum right? If we're lucky enough, I can shut down the surveillance so we can go in undetected, it'll be like the place is ours" He said, putting on his safety goggles as he continues on his work. You couldn't help but feel all giddy inside just hearing him remember you telling him that a few days ago.

You clear your throat, calming yourself.

"That'd be awesome. I don't know if you know this but I can detect old magic in artifacts. Connecting with them makes me stronger" You grabbed an unfinished rubix cube from his shelf and began to play with it as you made yourself float. Even with your body levitating a few feet above him, he didn't mind but was more focused on the task at hand.

"Huh... is that why you're so eager to go? To make yourself more powerful?" He said, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Not entirely, I did say I wanted to explore it with you" You said and just hearing you say that, he tried to bite back a smile, a sense of pride swelling up in his chest.

"Gaining power and spending time with me? You're awfully greedy. Are all magical beings like this from your realm?" He playfully teased and you couldn't help but let out a humoured scoff.

"Too bad it must just be me" You responded and it made him laugh to himself while shaking his head.

"What else should I be aware of about your powers?" He asks and you hummed as you thought it over.

"Well... my powers get crazy strong when I feel a strong emotion. Whether it be sad or anger. Somehow being overwhelmed can 'cause me to lose control" You said and it automatically caught his interest.

"Lose control?" He repeats while putting on gloves before using the angle grinder on the metal.

"Huh... I can understand why... the heightened emotions you feel can create a swirling vortex of energy that can overwhelm your conscious control, making it easily for you to lose any sense of control over yourself, it's almost inevitable" He asserted like he always does when he's invested with every new discovery about your magical abilities.

"Really? Are you saying that's a bad thing?" You raised an eyebrow as you finally landed beside him, at the same time Donnie stops using the angle grinder and puts it aside. He pulls over his goggles, letting it rest just above his head.

"Not exactly, there are other emotions that can also work... Magic is no different than science. There's always a different formula available to replace the other" He said, twisting some screws onto the machine and once he's done, he turns it on before stepping back to see it on and working.

"And maybe sometimes... different is better" He smiled, satisfied with his success. He then turn to look at you who seemed puzzled, in your hand holds the rubix cube you have yet to finish.

"I'm sort of getting it but what other emotions is there that doesn't involve me turning into a raging monster?"

"There is one... an emotion that makes you feel calm yet overwhelmed at the same time... but you'll have to fall"

"Fall?" You watch as he goes to the other side of the room to grab a handkerchief to wipe his face clean.

"Fall in love... can't be hard right?" He looks at you, his eyes warm like it'll be enough to melt you. The way he stares at you makes it seem as though you're the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. You blush as you let out an awkward chuckle.

"Love? Are you saying that because half of the movies we watch, the main character happens to win in the last minute against the bad guy because of the power of love?" You joked, trying to hide the fact that your heart is beating faster than it would.

"This is purely science. I don't recall any movies using that trope" He says and you couldn't help but tilt your head, your brows raised in disbelief.

"Beauty and the Beast"

"Hey he was cursed by a witch"

"Tangled"

"That was more about cutting her hair"

"Uh Hero? Frozen?!??! Every freaking Christmas movie ever created?!?!!" He stares at you, silent for a second and you can see from his face that he's thinking it over.

".... you had me at Frozen. Ah alright, you're missing the whole point of all of this" He approaches you and you can't help but try to at least avoid the effect he's having on you.

"What I'm trying to prove here is that maybe you can try focusing on that emotion. Maybe it can even save you out of a messy situation one day. Who knows?" He crosses his arms, a confident smirk on his face. You roll your eyes with a smile of your own.

"You and your science talk. I do appreciate it but sometimes it's a wonder you haven't talked my ear off" You joked and it makes him laugh once again.

"Oh please, my voice is not irritating, at least not compared to yours"

"Excuse me??"

Right as you finished talking, April enters. She stops in her tracks as she awkwardly shifts her focus from Donnie's face to yours. Sensing the clear look of annoyance on your face, she decides to step in between in whatever conversation you two are having.

"Hey now, I've been gone for only a few hours and you guys are already trying to tear each other down" She laughs half heartedly. Clearly sensing the shift of emotion in the atmosphere, Donnie shrugs as he chooses to walk back to his station.

"Oh well, and uh (Y/N), you should go with April. It's almost evening and you usually eats at this hour. I'll find you later" He says with his back turned to you. Not really caring much about it, you also shrug before turning the other way.

"I was gonna go eat anyways" You said but deep inside you could feel that flutter of emotion again. Without much complain, you decided to go to the kitchen to April, the rubix cube still in your hand.

You're seated at the chair and toying around with the cube that you failed to acknowledge the concern look on April's face. She hands you your plate of food before taking her seat beside you. It was when you both started eating that you finally notice. But before you can ask, she beats you to it.

"Are you okay? I saw your face back there and it seemed like you guys were arguing. Is Donnie bothering you again? I know how far he can go trying to experiment on you" She said and her words nearly caught you off guard. You're aware of her concern about your safety but you weren't sure she would be THIS concern. Especially directing it towards Donnie.

"Wait no we weren't arguing just now. He just said some stupid comeback at my joke. Besides, what makes you think he'd do that?" You asked and she turns to look at you as if your question was a dumb one.

"Um, hello? He's Donatello. The 'Magic is not a real thing' Donatello... Did you forget how he was trying to have you join his crazy experiments when you first got here??" She said and you couldn't help but laugh a bit from how unreal the situation you're in.

"Okay first of all, he doesn't hate magic. He's just amazed about it you know? It's like giving a baby their first taste of sweet candy"

"You're comparing him to a baby now?"

"It was just a metaphor"

"Fineeee!! But how is he okay with letting you hang around in his lab? Doesn't magic and science not work together?"

"Oof if that was the case then people would think that thunder and lightning was a sign of God's fury from above"

"Okaaay... you have a point but... why do you like hanging around in his lab? It doesn't seem to be your cup of tea" You look at her and you see a teasing grin on her face.

Oh boy.

"His lair is... quiet... it's comforting"

"Ah yes... the sound of him drilling for hours is very relaxing. Not to mention the loud noises of his hammer! Wh-What a paradise!!" She says while ending up laughing at her own sarcasm. You let out a defeafed sigh.

"Okay maybe I happen to enjoy watching him work. It's exciting!! Do you see the way he puts things together?" You said with pride that you failed to notice the smile on your face.

"Uh huh" She looks at you and its clear that she doesn't buy it one bit.

Minutes later after you both are done eating and chatting about your everyday lives, you found your way back into the lab.

As expected, you found Donnie in his chair and seemingly working on his next project. Seeing how busy he looks, you decided to just go back to your place on the bean bag... but the sound of your footsteps caught his attention. His eyes slightly perked up as he swung around in his chair to look at you.

"You're back so quick...?" He said, his tone coming off surprised.

"Yeah... why? Do you need some alone time?" You took a step back and he quickly got to his feet like he's trying to stop you.

"That's not what I meant... uh I need to ask you an offer" He then leaned his back against the table and from the way his eyes is struggling to maintain eye contact with you, you could tell it wasn't anything good.

"Do you mind if you could used your powers to give my machine a boost? I need to make sure if it's resistant from getting fried easily" He looks at you, his gaze making him appear hopeful that you'll be fine with that... and honestly why wouldn't you be?

"Sure, just tell me how much is too much" You walk over to the machine displayed on the center and he mirrors your action. You stand side by side as you gently place your hand on top of the core.

"How about we start with something small and we'll work our way up from there?" He suggests which you nodded in agreement.

Just like that, you activated your powers and at the same time made sure you weren't using too much of it. In relief the machine didn't blow up but was running just fine. Almost at the same time, You and Donnie exchanged thankful smiles when turning to look at one another. With the first stage cleared, you decided to up the heat a bit.

"ZZZzzzz" The machine buzzes a bit from the increased intensity of your powers but surprisingly it's still intact and working right.

"Alright... moment of truth..." You grit your teeth anxiously... then activated the full force of your powers.

⌁KRRRRK⌁

Almost like a flash, you could feel surges of electricity coursing through your vines so due to your instincts you quickly pulled your hand away cause of the pain. And for the machine it was now overloading but somehow still functioning. Before you could even do anything, Donnie is already by your side with a med kit in hand.

"Are you okay? I know you're an enhanced being but still that must have hurt" He places the kit on the table and opened it to take out anything you needed.

"Just a small wound" You said, showing him the tiny burn on your pinky. Instantly he's already treating it with the petroleum jelly.

You don't say anything but choose to watch him tend to your minor injury. From his body language you could tell that he was very focused on not hurting you in the slightest. Soon after he wraps a clean bandage loosely around your pinky, he looks at you with a wave of warmth on his face. How he looks at you so softly is making your heart beat like it did not long ago.

"So... are you still up for our visit to the musuem?" He asks and you chuckle in disbelief.

"Seriously? You're not gonna even explain why you invented this thing in the first place? Not after my effort of helping you out?"

"Oh that? I wanted to surprise you but since you asked, this is gonna be our one way ticket to shutting the surveillance off. Just stick this bad boy into the breaker and the cameras are out" He picks it up and effortlessly puts it into the back of the truck, you follow him not far behind.

"You built all that just to spend one night with me at the musuem?" You tilt your head and he freezes in place, his back facing you as he stands at the back of the van.

"Uh... yeah... why not?" He rubs his neck awkwardly. From that you could tell that you've somehow made him flustered. You laugh and the sound of you laughing made him turn around out of curiosity.

"What are you laughing about?" He said despite the movements of his lips beginning to form a grin.

"Nothing nothing..." You look at him, a smile still present on your face but soon you show him your pinky, the same one he helped bandage it up for you.

"Kiss it to make it better?" You said with your hardest attempt of making puppy dog eyes. He shakes his slightly out of amusement.

"Only because you asked" He takes a few steps forward and carefully holds your arm by the wrist before guiding it towards his lips. He kisses it delicately and while he does so, his eyes are remained locked on yours. The intensity of his gaze made you blush that you couldn't help but look away.

"There... is my baby done whining now?" He said with his hands now intertwined with yours. You roll your eyes as you let him pull you into his embrace.

"Yeah yeah... let's go to the musuem now smarty pants" He chuckles at your response with his arms wrapped securely around you, his fingers tracing gently down your spine.

"Should we watch a movie after we get back?"

"Frozen?"

"Perfect"

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Quiet Ones 2

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You live a quiet life, but your peace is fractured by a chaotic man.

Characters: Lloyd Hansen, short!shy!reader

Note: don’t ask me why I did this.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Asking for more or putting ‘part 2?’ is not feedback.

Love you all. You are appreciated and your are worthy. Treat yourself with care. 💖

You watch as the man looks along the door frame; back and forth, up and down. He knocks again and you flinch. You back up as you push on the door, as if it can make the barrier thicker. 

“Come on, baby cakes, I know you’re in there,” he says, “I just brought you a treat. It’s Wednesday... hump day, some call it.” 

You step back and hit the table. You squeak and wince away from it, rubbing your forearm where it met the corner. This can’t be happening. He can’t be there. How did he find you? 

“London fog, or whatever? It’s the one you like,” he calls, a taunting tinge in his voice. 

“Go away,” you force out. 

You hear a snort and a softer tap on the wood, “come on, jelly bean, I know you’re a sweet girl. Don’t be like that. It’s a nice gesture so don’t be rude.” 

You shake your head and turn, rushing away to grab your phone from your desk. You fumble to unlock it and come back to hover, just a few feet from the door. You can see his shadow underneath, seeping in through the crack. 

“I’m...” you gulp dryly, “I’ll call the police.” 

“Go ahead,” he sneers as the door shifts. He must be leaning on it. 

You don’t say anything else. There’s not point arguing with this man and no point calling the police. They don’t come when your neighbours scream all night long. You just go back to your desk and sit. 

You look at the monitor and skim the document, trying to refocus. Where were you? You can’t remember. 

“You’re really gonna hang me out to dry?” He raises his voice so you can hear. 

You just shake your head and type. He’s not there. The door is locked and you’re all alone. This is your apartment. Your life. It’s Wednesday and you already have your tea. Your tea! 

You get up and go to the kitchen to retrieve the lukewarm Earl Grey. Oh well. Just means you don’t need milk. You take it back to your desk. 

“It’s the quiet ones you gotta look out for,” the man says as the floor creaks and betrays your movement, “not as nice as they look.” 

You stop just at the end of the entryway and look over. His shadow shifts and retreats. You listen to his footsteps recede. You should go over and make sure he’s gone but you’re too afraid to go anywhere near the door. It’s like those recurring dreams where the door is always unlocked and you just can’t twist it back into place. 

You stand there for a while before you can make yourself move again. You return to your desk again. You clasp your hands in your lap to keep them from shaking as the screen blurs in your vision. 

Should you call the police anyway? 

You grab the mouse and swirl it around. You open the notes app and type in last Wednesday’s date. 

‘Man approached me at cafe. Grabbed my order. Followed me out and down the street.’ 

Your hands shake over the keys before you enter that day’s date. 

‘Same man appeared at my apartment. Did not let him in. Left after several minutes.’ 

You check the autosave and click out. You watched too many shows with similar scenarios. There wasn’t much to do but to keep track. The police won’t listen if you have no record. Even then, it’s not likely. This is why you hide from the world. It’s too dangerous. 

You bring your last task back up and squint at the handwritten notes scanned crookedly. It’s difficult to fall into your usual process. You’re typically a quick worker but you have to think of every word. You can’t focus past that man’s spectre. 

Your nape itches as if he’s still looming right outside your door. As if you might look over and he’ll be standing right there. That thought has you sitting back, recoiling from the computer as you make yourself look at the doorway. Empty. 

You get up and approach the entryway. You have to urge yourself forward, “it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay...” you whisper to yourself. You clutch the seams of your pants as you near the door. You turn and stand on your toe. You close one eye and press it to the hole. It's black. You can’t see a thing. 

Oh no. 

That’s not good. 

You get down on your knees and hands and been to see beneath the door. You only see a narrow little shadow. It could be nothing at all.  

You sit back on your heels and your heart pounds. You shouldn’t look but you have to. You can’t function no knowing for sure. 

You stand and check that the chain is in place. You turn the lock back and slowly twist the handle. You inch it open, a hand flat on the wood, your shoulder braced, ready to push back against any force. You peer around and find the hallways empty. 

All except the pink cup at the threshold. Just standing there. Taunting you. 

You shut the door, nearly slamming it, and lock it once more. You turn and put your back to it. You exhale and shake out your fingers, the crescents of your nails imprinted in your palm. 

He’s gone, but you’re not to certain he won’t be back. 

👄

You submit your last task for the day, an hour later than usual. You shouldn’t be this far behind. You didn’t even go to the cafe. You should be sixty minutes in the other direction. 

You shut off the computer and stand. The stiff wooden chair always leaves you numb but achy. The cushion you put on the seat doesn’t help very much either. What’s especially agitating is the tension locked between your vertebrae. 

That man. You haven’t stopped thinking of him. Not just today, but really all week. Since that first time you saw him. He was easier to deny then, but now... he could just be waiting for you on the other side of those walls. 

You shudder and carry your untouched tea into the kitchen and dump it. You hadn’t drank a single sip, you haven’t even eaten. You’re not hungry. Your sick to your stomach. 

Restless, riled, and rigid. You don’t know what to do with yourself. Usually, you’d read for a while, or watch TV, those old forgotten 70s shows that other people call boring. Yet you know, you can’t find comfort in any of that. 

Even behind closed doors and drawn curtains, you can’t feel safe. The thought of making the phone call flickers again but you know better than that. You’ve peeked through the windows as the sirens flash, watched as the police offered nothing more than dismissals and remonstrances not to waste their time to the woman with the bruised cheekbone. It’s just the same as it was when you were a kid. That makes you still feel like one. 

Are you talking yourself out of it because you’re scared or stupid or because it’s the truth? It’s hard to know. You never go out of you way to talk to anyone if you can help it. It’s always of utmost necessity. This might be one of those moments but you’re embarrassed. You don’t want to let anyone into the life and if you call someone, you have to do just that. You have let them in. You can’t. 

So you won’t. 

You sit on the sofa and cross your arms. You won’t let anyone in and you won’t go out. You’ll stay here. Maybe he’ll think he got the wrong place. Maybe he’ll give up. You can outlast him, right? 

👄

There’s a rattle in the window. It keeps you awake. You fixate on it. You blame the knot in your chest on it. 

Not on the memory, the persistent chill rolling up and down your spine. It’s the window not him. Not that stranger. He’s gone so why are you still thinking of him. 

You keep the lamp on. The darkness is too much. You lay staring at the the refraction circle interspliced with the metal frame on the ceiling. The curve is slightly skewed by the angle. The window rattles again. 

You huff. You’ll put a book against it to hold it steady. You go to the shelf on the wall and take the heaviest hardcover you can find. You take it to the window and curl your fingers around the edge of the curtain. It feels like stone. You can’t make yourself move it. 

You take a breath and pull it away from the frame but don’t look outside. You lean the book on the frame, pushing it snug until you’re sure. You pause, a glint gleaming off the pane. You let go of the book and stare at the brief spark of light, an odd glare. 

You inch close to the frame and peek around. You search the sky, a few stars glimmering through the city haze, the moon in a crescent. You search the silhouette of the city and the flicker comes again, this time directly in your eye. You’re drawn to the movement. 

You back up and look down at you rub your eyelid. What was that? The curtain fall back into place but the light pierces through. You follow the odd laserlike beam centered on your chest. You put your hand over the green dot there and it shines on your skin. What the hell? 

You dodge out of the way in disbelief and stare at the laser at it hits the wall instead. It’s bold, even in the hue of the lamp. It moves up, then down, side to side, then stops. You hold your breath. This isn’t some strange phenomenon. There’s someone out there, doing this. You know who. 

You watch the beam terrified. You’ve only ever seen something like that in movies. It’s more than those little red lights you buy for cats. It’s strong, thick. That’s a target and it had just been right on you. 

You rub your chest subconsciously and suddenly, the lightly moves. You watch as it swerves around so fast to make a precise shape. A shape you can’t believe. A shape you must be imagining. It stops, centered again on the wall, then retraces the same figure. 

A heart. 

That can’t be. It’s not real. Your dreaming. 

You close your eyes and cover your ears, bending your legs as your curl your shoulders over your knees. You fall onto your side, balled into a fetal position as you shake your head. It’s a dream! Wake up, wake up, wake up... 

👄

The morning rises to a thumping in your temples. You don’t know if it’s the lack off food or sleep. You’re wrought and worn from a night spent hiding from reality. 

Water. Your mouth is dry. You’re dehydrated. You haven’t been paying attention to the cues. You haven’t wanted to be in this body. 

You unfold yourself and sit up. You stare at the wall. The dot is gone. Is he? 

You hang one leg over the edge, then the other. You nearly retract them. Like a child, you could believe in a monster under the bed. You push yourself to your feet and stagger forward. 

You nearly fall through the open door into the main room of your apartment. You shuffle forward, rubbing your forehead as a sandy fog clings to your lashes. You stumble into the kitchen and lean on the counter as you fill a glass with water. You gulp until you feel queasy. 

You put the glass down and flinch at your own force. You back away and wipe the stray droplets from your fingertips. You turn and teeter back into the front room. You need to get your head on straight, you have a full day of work ahead of you still. 

You look towards the front door. You cross your arms protectively. You inch forward and turn to face it. You bring yourself to your toes and lean in. You still can’t see through the peep hole. You stand flat again and frown. 

You go back to the kitchen and turn the kettle on. You have instant coffee in the mornings. It’s fast and efficient. No clunky machine or ridiculous press. You just need the boost. 

You open the cupboard and take down the box of single packets. You slip one out and count the rest. It’s a newer box. There’s ten left. You look up and consider the bag of minute-oats. If you parse back your typical serving, that can last a little longer. You don’t need sugar in it either, that you can spare. The pasta you can ration as well. The sauce has a shelf-life once open. 

You put down the packet and set the box back on the shelf. You leave the cupboard door open and go to the fridge. The eggs won’t expire for two weeks but you only have half a dozen left. The milk will go quicker. The butter... that never runs out very quickly, it hardly matters. 

Are you really meting out how to wait out this man? Are you really stooping to this? Your defense is no defense. You’re just going to hunk down and hope he goes away. What else can you do? 

You can’t go anywhere. You can’t even see out to make sure he’s not waiting for you. You could order groceries but that means also opening the door. How would you know it wasn’t him knocking?  

He’ll get bored. He has to. It’s your only hope. 

[victusinveritas]

Life advice from Tom Waits: "“Run away and join the circus. Get a tattoo, hop a train. Plant a garden and save the seeds. Get married, have kids, wear a hat. Get good with a bullwhip. Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal. Everyone must put beans on the table. Be devoted to the unification of the diverse aspects of yourself. Remember, most of what is essential is invisible to the eye. The quality of time you spend with someone far out-weighs the quantity. And there’s a lot you can do with a wah-wah pedal and a bullet mike.”

- Rolling Stone Magazine's millennium edition, 2000. Photo: Paul Aubin.

[jaesvelvet]

together with you

SUMMARY ➤ in which you team up with spiderman (unoffcially) to beat your boyfriend who appears to be the green goblin.

PAIRING ➤ green goblin! park jay + fem! reader (ft jake as spiderman and a little bit of winter from aespa)

GENRES ➤ action, super hero ft villain bestie, villain boyfriend,

WARNINGS ➤ a lot of fighting scene, profanity (not too much), angst, choking, talk about death, violance, there's a scenes i copied from the amazing spiderman 2

WORDS COUNT ➤ 11.1k words

NOTES ➤ IM BACK!!!!! it's been a while but here we are (another mcu! fic) hehe this time i made jay as a villain instead of hero! i hope yall enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it!!

As soon as the class was dismissed, you quickly made your way to the Coffee Bean– the usual place you and your friends would meet. You turn on your phone, checking if he has replied to your text but to your dismay, he didn't even open your text at all.

Your worries turn to anger, the least he could do is text you why he hasn't been to class for the past few days and stop making everybody worried sick. Silencing didn't make anything better.

Nevertheless, you put your phone back in your pocket and walk toward the Coffee Bean that is not so far away from your university.

“Jake!” you exclaim happily, it’s been a while since you met him in Coffee Bean. Jake is one of your closest friends at the university, he’s the one who reached out to you after seeing you sitting alone during orientation week.

You are so thankful for the brunette’s extrovert side for making a small group of friends including him, you, Winter, and Jay.

Speaking of Jay, he is the one who is much closer to you than Winter and Jake due to both of you attending class together in the business administration course meanwhile Jake and Winter attend Biochemistry.

At first, everything went on smoothly and the four of you never missed hanging out at Coffee Bean as soon as your class ended or hanging out at night just to kill time. However, the hanging out spot is starting to get unfamiliar with the faces of the four of you since each one of you is occupied by the piles of assignments.

You give Jake a quick hug before ordering your choice of drink from the counter. As the two of you settle down, choose the table next to the picture window of the cafe, wanting to see the view of New York City. Usually, Jake must be in the lab for his experiments or working part-time as a photographer at The Daily Bugle, there’s no in between.

Hence, that’s the reason why you are beamed seeing Jake in the cafe.

“Where’s Jay?” he asked, seeing you come in alone.

You sigh.

That’s the thing that made you restless and angry for the past few weeks. You take a sip of your drink before leaning to the back of the chair.

“That bad, huh ?” he chuckles

“He has been absent for two weeks now Jake! He doesn't tell me anything at all, not even a single call or text. Nothing, Jake. It's like he's dead and I think if there's an award for the most anxious girl for her best friend it would be me as the winner”

“He still assigned all of his work on time, and that's what makes me angry! He could tell us what's been going on instead of abandoning us like this…” you added.

Jay is the cheerful and kindest friend you ever had aside from Winter and Jake. He always cracks the dumbest and lamest joke you ever heard and honestly, it’s one of his charms and that's why you and him click so well.

But for the past few months, after the death of his dad, his entire demeanor changed 100%. He started to skip classes, hanging out and didn't even show up in the group chat. The three of you understand he needs time to heal and Jake is the one who always checks up on him from time to time but due to his busy life, he can't go to Jay’s house for a moment until to this day.

No one ever got to see Jay’s cheerful personality anymore. You miss that, you want to help but he keeps avoiding everyone which makes it difficult for you.

Jake clicks his tongue after hearing your story. Honestly, on Jake’s side, he feels awful because due to his busy life, he can't be there for Jay. He knows how hard it is to lose someone you love. For him, losing his Uncle Ben was mournful for him.

“I'll check up on him on the way home… I think he’s not fully healed yet” Jake assured you

“Can I go with you?” you asked, eyes filled with hope. You never step inside Jay’s house since you have feelings that his father disliked you and Winter so it's always Jake who is always going to Jay’s house.

Jake nods his head

“Let’s just hope he open the door for us” the brunette jokes

–

As you and Jake arrive at Osborn’s penthouse, your mouth turns into an O seeing how big his house is. You are aware Jay is a billionaire son, but still you didn't expect his house would be this big.

Before the two of you can even knock on his penthouse door, Jake freezes on the spot for a few moments, his face frowning for a second, making you worried.

“You okay, Jake?” you asked genuinely. You noticed this behavior of Jake since you knew him but never got a chance to talk to him about it since he is rarely around.

“Uh.. y-yeah… you know what, I forgot something in the lab! You go first, I will come back later” he trailed off.

He didn't give you a chance to talk or even react to his weird behavior and quickly ran off from Osborn’s penthouse.

Once again you sigh, now you’re alone in front of this huge penthouse. You licks your dry lips, suddenly feel nervous, nonetheless you press on the bell. It didn't take more than 5 seconds before the wooden door opened.

“Yes?”

“I’m Y/N! One of Jay’s friend–”

“Jay doesn't want to see anyone” the old grumpy woman spat to you, with annoyance in her tone.

Honestly you didn't predict that the answer would be no and it makes the situation more awkward with you standing like a figure in front the door while the old lady looking at you with obvious frown plastered on her face.

Besides it would be awkward to walk back to campus, you can't let the thought of Jake coming back from whatever business he is doing and find out you didn't even visit Jay although you’re the one who insists on coming.

It would be the top 3 embarrassing moments for you.

“Please! I’m Jay’s friend!” you begs

“He made it clear to everyone, he doesn't want to see anybody, miss”

“Uh, can you just let me in? If he doesn't want to see me, then he can tell it to my face”

Your adamant makes the old lady sigh in annoyance nonetheless, she opens the door widely, giving you space to enter the huge penthouse.

“I trust you to not touch anything in this house” she warned and led you to Jay’s room.

You nodded although the maid didn’t see it, your way to Jay’s room feels forever due to many corners you take, this penthouse feels like a maze for you. Your eyes are locked on the portrait frames that are hanging on the wall. The more steps you take the more evolution you see in those portraits.

From the family portrait to Jay’s solo portrait hanging on the wall alone. His face gloomy, eyes slightly swollen from crying you assume, it must be tough for him. On top of that, you also noticed how Jay already lost his smile in the portrait since his mother is out of the picture, you didn't want to profile anything but yet you can't help but to presume that Jay's relationship with his father did not click well.

Moreover, before his father’s death he rarely went home even it’s holiday season.

“We’re here. Knock before you enter, if you get yelled at, don’t blame me.. I already informed you” she said and quickly left the scene like she doesn't want to be there at all.

You take a deep breath before knocking on his door twice.

No answer.

Once again you knock, a lot louder than the first one.

“Jay, it’s me… Y/N”

One, two, three, four, five

It took him five seconds to get to the door, you don't know why you counted it in your brain but you blame it on the nervousness that filled you.

The door opened, showing Jay with an obvious dark circle underneath his eyes, his face pale and his veins looking green? It’s so obvious since his skin is fair. To say that your reaction is shock would be an understatement, you are horrified by his conditions now, it looks way too different from the old Jay.

“Oh my, Jay– what happened to you? God, your maids didn't do anything?” suddenly feels anger towards the old lady earlier, is she not aware of the physical change in Jay?

Jay shuts his eyes tightly for a second before pulling you into his big room, his room is clean and you could smell the lavender scent coming from automatic air freshener. He gestures to you to sit on his bed before drawing the curtain, letting the sunlight to lighten the dark room.

“Jay..” you called him, you did not like the silence and it's killing you seeing him showing his back towards you and just stare at the window like a mannequin.

“I’m dying, Y/N” he says after a while.

You quickly get off from his bed and pull his grabbed biceps to make him face you.

“What are you talking about, Jay?” your eyes for sure are already forming tears, one blink away from it to fall. Jay shooks his head seeing your watery eyes, he’s mouthing no for several times before pulling you into a hug, a long hug.

It's the first time both of you share this kind of physical connection yet it feels natural, you feel comfortable being wrapped around Jay’s arms and you hope he feels the same too– at least you can comfort him a little.

“Don’t cry please, Y/N” he whispered while kissing the top of your head.

You slowly loosen around his arms and take a look at his pale face. Oh god, how you love to see his face on daily basis– his happy face, free from worry and stress. You can't afford to see his condition right now, it feels like his soul slowly disappears.

“It must be some way…”

“I’m currently searching for the way, but for now I’m dying”

“Is that why you didn’t come to class?” His nods make you mutters oh god under your breath.

“Jay, you know you’re not alone, right? You have me, Jake and Winter! We’re your friends, and we’re–”

“I only need you right now, Y/N” he cuts off your nagging and it makes you freeze.

Need you?

“I like you, like a lot. I like you more than friends…I wanna spend my last moment with you”

You slowly push him away, take a moment to process what he just said. The sudden confession he just made didn't make you flutter at all but more to confusion and mixed feelings. This is not what you imagined how someone would propose to you to be their girlfriend.

“Jay, what the hell? You can't put me in the position like this, if I reject you and then you die I would literally be in guilt forever in my life! This is unfair”

“Are you rejecting me right now?” he asked

“What, no! Of course no, if you asked me properly I wouldn't say no because I also like you a lot!” you answer in a hectic way, too much for your brain to process.

Jay chuckles seeing your panic state and hugs you to calm you down. He swings your body to left and right to soothe you. It’s a bummer that he got balls to confess to you when he has incurable disease and is in the state of waiting for death. Nevertheless he dont regret for a bit because instead of dying alone like his father, he at least has you– you are the only one who can make his short time precious as it ever be.

He still vividly remember the first time Jake introduced you to him and Winter, at that time he felt his heart stop for a second, you are attractive in his eyes, your laugh whenever Jake making science joke is the most wonderful sound he had ever listened to, he thought he was going crazy on how he quickly attracted to you. He never really understands the concept of love. He can’t barely remember how to be loved or to be cared for by someone, hence it’s hard for him to show affection to others. Even his father didn't treat him as his son.

It took him some time to realize it was love at first sight– he keeps falling for you every single day, every single hour you spend with him.

“I don't know how to confess since I have never had an interest in someone. You’re the first one and it’s sucks that I'm dying”

“We’re gonna make sure to find the cure, there’s no way your father company didn't do any research” you said

“I’m gonna go to the company tomorrow, my father said he's working on something before he died so I'm just gonna check on it… hopefully something positive” he said

You close your eyes and rest your head on Jay’s chest finding it comfortable, hoping for a miracle to happen.

–

“He what?!”

You nod your head and let out a small sigh, seeing Jake and Winter’s shock face doesn't surprise you since you are almost facing with a grim reaper after you heard the shocking news coming out from Jay.

“How is that possible?”

“He said, it’s a genetic disease, if they didn't treat it fast, he could ended up like his father”

While you and Winter are talking to each other about Jay’s condition, the both of you didn't realize Jake fell into deep silence. He didn't say a word after you opened up about Jay’s condition. You only took a glance at him and could sense how hard it must be for him to learn about Jay’s condition in this way, after all he and Jay have already been friends since high school.

Jake didn't say anything and just burst out of the cafe. You and Winter can only look at him leaving, after all both of you didn't have any place to stop his action.

“You’re looking at the world’s first human-spider hybrid.”

“The hope is to extract the venom from their glands and turn that into a cure. An agent that heals diseased cells.”

“And if I can be cured, imagine what this could do for other diseases like Alzhemier and even cancer”

Jay immediately pauses the unreleased video of his father and Jake’s predictions based on their experiment towards the human-spider hybrid.

“They never made it to human trials. It's 14 years of research, and nothing to show for it.” Jay muttered.

Jake worriedly took a look at his best friend. What you said about the condition is true, Jake clearly could see the green vein around his neck and his under eyes getting darker than the last time he saw him.

Jake wants to visit him at first but after a quick catch up, Jay asks him to follow him to his father’s secret lab and he made Jake watching the unreleased video with him together, Jake’s father already died when he was a child thus it’s confirmed that this video already been in Oscorp’s company for a long time and Jake also sure that there’s must be a reason this video never released to public view.

Nevertheless, he is overwrought by what would happen after this.

“Except maybe this” Jay gets up to get the newspaper from the cabinet in front of the projector and slams it on the desk.

The Daily Bugle

Jake's face turns serious, he could sense where this conversation is gonna end up.

“Spiderman” Jay utters.

“What about him?” Jake asked, his voice came out a little shaky but went unnoticed by Jay.

“He was bitten by one of those things, and it worked. I don't know how and I don't know why, but he can do everything else a spider can, including self-heal. I need to find him, I need his blood.”

Jay’s statement makes Jake look at him with mixed feelings. Scared, anxious, worried and he can’t even look at his best friend's face right now.

“You need… Spiderman’s blood?”

Jay nods his head, his deadly eyes looking straight to Jake’s making his knees wobble resulting in him sitting on the chair.

“It’ll save my life”

“It may not, Jay. It may not be that simple. You saw what happened to Curt Connors, right?”

Jay let out a big sigh and rubbed his face using both of his palms. Of course he knew Dr. Curt Connors, that man was one of scientists in his father’s company. He didn't exactly know why his father fired him but he knows that Dr. Connors turns into a lizard by using his failed experimental serum.

“Connor was weak, this is me Jake” Jay muttered, feeling annoyed by Jake that seems not on his side.

Jake gulped, he’s the one who fought with Dr Connors, he knows the serum was no good for any human being besides Jake only survived the spider’s bite only because of his father’s DNA or else he’s gonna end up like Dr. Connors too or maybe worse.

Jake feels bad towards Jay, he wants to help him so badly, he could give him his blood as much as he wants to recover but he knows it will go haywire. His blood is poisonous to him, he didn't come from his father’s bloodline and surely his blood is gonna make him die slowly or instantly.

“I don't think you can just set up a van and have him donate. I mean I'm sure he’s sensitive about people shoving needles and–” Jake tries to hide his puzzled emotion by cracking a joke but to his dismay Jay seems like have no time for a joke by looking at his serious face.

“Ah he's sensitive, okay..” Jay chuckle dryly

“Well then maybe you could just sensitively tell me where he is, and I will go ask him myself!” he added

“What?”

“You took his picture”

“So?”

“You know him”

Jake is speechless, he could hear Jay’s quavering voice and see how desperate Jay’s eyes are right now.

“Jay, I took pictures from a long way. I used a long lens. I don’t know him” Jake trailed off, at this point he was also desperate; he was hoping for Jay to throw away all the dumb ideas that were already planted in his mind.

“I put together what you said at Coffee Beans.”

“About how he give people hopes”

“You know, that spider guy is so weird” Jay speaks up, looking at Jake who’s currently reading some science comic book

“What do you mean?” he asked, a little offended not gonna lie

“He wears spandex to save the kitten from the tree” Jay snickered. It’s not like he holds grudges to the spider guy but he dont take him seriously just like others or more precisely, like J.Jonah Jameson.

“Well, I kinda like to think he gives people hope…”

“For what?”

“Maybe eventually everything’s gonna be alright”

Jay chuckles hearing Jake’s answer, he didn't know that his best friend is one of Spiderman’s fans

“Okay dude, let's not get serious now shall we” he teased and continued to read the science comic book that Jake brought to the cafe.

Jake mentally cursed himself, that’s not what he meant at all! Jay is so desperate to the point everything is a clear path with no hazard to him.

“Come on, just say yes…” Jay begged, he doesn't have much time and seeing Jake seems hesitant making him slowly lose his patience.

Jake takes a look at Jay for a mere second before getting up and taking his backpack– leaving the secret lab and his response to Jay’s wish only making the sick guy lose his patience immediately.

“Don't turn your back on me!” Jay yelled, he grabbed Jake’s shoulder harshly to face him. His brows furrowed and jaw tense. He is dying and can’t Jake see how desperate he is right now?

“I don't wanna end up like my father, Jake please…” he pleaded, Jay lowered his face and in his mind, mixing spiderman blood with his father’s antidote is the only way to survive, to spend forever, together with you.

“I'm gonna try and find Spiderman” Jake said after a moment of silence and left Jay alone in the lab.

—

“You know, we can have a date inside your penthouse instead of at this cafe, I don’t mind it” you said, your left hand softly rubbing Jay’s slightly rough hand.

Jay gives you a small smile and uses the other hand of his to softly rub your hand.

“Nah, don’t treat me like a sick person Y/N… Let me bring you to a normal date”

“But Jay, it’s hot outside and you wearing long sleeve and wrapped scarf around your neck tortured me”

Since Jay is a public figure, many journalists follow him everywhere he goes for a picture or some useless news just to filled on the newspaper’s cover to attract the public and that's why you are worried about him, the journalists for sure will make up some fake news after seeing him dressing like it's cold outside even though it’s summer.

“Hey, nothing to worry about, okay? If I’m not feeling good, I'm gonna inform you but right now I'm feeling relaxed for a while because I’m having a slice of cake with my wonderful girlfriend” he bragged while looking at you mischievously.

You let out a small laugh hearing his words and take a spoonful of the cake you bought earlier at the cafe. You trust Jay but you don't hesitate to call his bodyguard if things go south.

“Did you see Jake?” you asked, suddenly remember the other day that Jake burst out from the cafe to meet Jay.

“Did he tell you anything?” Jay asked

You shook your head while taking another spoonful of cake to your mouth

“I don’t see him since the day we met at Coffee Bean”

Seeing Jay didn’t respond to your statement making you frown, usually he would tell you everything about what he discussed with Jake but right now it seems off, he didnt wanna talk about it at all.

“Hey, has anything happened between you and Jake?” you asked, you worried if these two best friends caught in argument since Jay is a bit sensitive lately.

“Nothing you have to worry about, I promise”

His words don't convince you at all, but you respect his decision at the moment. Maybe if he’s ready to tell everything, he will..

–

It’s been a week. A week had passed since Jay asked Jake for Spiderman to see him, but to his dismay, the guy in red and blue spandex didn't come to meet him at all. He was more furious rather than disappointed in Jake. His green veins became obvious, his skin became rough and green patches started growing on his scalp, face, hands, and everywhere on his body and his body getting weaker and weaker everyday. He needs the Spiderman’s blood to survive but since Jake was too selfish to help him, he decided to do everything by himself.

There’s no way he's gonna die, he is not gonna leave you this quickly.

Thus, Jay makes his way to his father’s lab, ignoring all of his maids saying that he should be in bed to rest. He is not gonna rest until he gets what he wants– the cure.

Jay steps into the cold lab and locks in from the inside in case anyone in the house is following him. With energy left in his body, he grabs the lab coat and everything he needs from the shelves to enhance his father’s old formula. If the formula that his father uses fails, then he is going to depend on his science understanding to make improvements to the formula.

“Good evening, New York. This is Betty Brant reporting live from Central Park. In an extraordinary event that unfolded earlier today, our very own friendly neighborhood Spider-Man made headlines once again.”

As it cut to the scene, Jay could see the spider guy swinging from building to building and quickly climb onto the tree to save the poor cat.

“Behind me are the charred remains of what was once a towering tree, a familiar sight to many park-goers. Earlier today, this tree was ablaze, and trapped within its branches was a terrified feline” the reporter on the scene reported.

"I just saw the flames and heard the poor thing meowing. It was awful. But then, out of nowhere, Spider-Man swings in! May God bless him”

“According to eyewitnesses, Spider-Man arrived just in time–”

Jay throws the remote away, he unconsciously turns on the television as he sees a small television across the lab. He doesn't have any idea why his father put a television in the lab but he is pissed off now.

Nowadays it's all about Spiderman. Everywhere he goes spiderman must be their main topic making him sick. Does the world revolve around spiderman? Jay's hatred towards the super hero increases as he thinks; that the spider guy that got his power from his company and didn’t even wanna help him when he's dying but he can make an effort to save a useless cat?

Well, Spiderman needs to be humble once Jay completes his own brand new improved formula.

–

“Here’s your favorite pretzel” Jake handed you the hot pretzel, fresh from the oven perhaps. You called him last night to meet him at the park since it’s so hard to meet him unscheduled. The brunette takes a big bite of his pretzels, humming while he chews on it. You can't help but giggle at his undying habits.

“You looks like you didn't eat for a week”

“Yeah fighting with criminals–”

Jake stops chewing and looks at you with a frightened look. Did he just…

“You need to stop playing video games, Jake. You’re like addicted to it”

Jake exhales his breath, awkwardly laughing at your face and takes a bit of his pretzel. Your dumbness saves him from leaking his own biggest secret ever.

“Y..yeah haha”

You take a bite of your pretzel after a while, your eyes locked on the scenery in front of you. The view of the park at night plus the wind successfully makes you calm from thinking about Jay for a while. These past few weeks, after you and Jay ended up together, both of you have been occupied by doing research about Jay’s cure every night to the point you keep late to class.

“Uh, how’s Jay?” he asked

“He’s changing.. And his temper is getting worse, sometimes he acts not like himself” you trailed off. You get caught in an argument with Jay one night when your theory clashes with his theory, it’s a small matter but Jay’s yelled at you as if you’re making a terrible choice which makes you cry but luckily Jay comes back to his senses and keeps apologizing to you the whole night.

“Did you argue with him, Jake?” you asked

Jake nods his head, looking at his shoes. He feels sorry for Jay for not helping him but he can’t. His blood can't help him heal.

“I assume it’s bad, Jay didn't even want to talk about you at all”

“He asked me for a Spiderman’s blood”

“Oh, he once said that Spiderman’s blood was gonna save him…” you remember that time when Jay said Spiderman’s blood could cure him but you didn't say anything to him. His theory of science, making your mind puzzled.

“And you trust him? In a logic mind person kind point of view, not girlfriend’s point of view” Jake asked

“Honestly, I don’t– like there’s must be other way to cure him instead taking that weird guy’s blood”

“I know– wait a minute, you think Spiderman is weird?” Jake frowns, he tilts his head a little.

“If you think about it, yes! Like why does he associate with spiders in the first place?”

“Hey there’s a thing called an accident. Accident happens!”

“Whatever, he’s such a weirdo but what he is doing is good”

“He is nice,” Jake agreed.

“Hehehe”

Sounds of a creature let out a hideous chuckle from the air frighten both of you and Jake. The two of you look up to the air and there’s a green creature in the air riding a glider.

You let out a gasp.

“Monster!”

“Run, Y/N” Jake yelled and grabbed your wrist to run away from the park. His pace is fast, you almost couldn't catch up with him and for a moment you slightly feel that your feet didn't even touch the ground, it feels like he dragged you along.

“Now, go home!” he panted.

“What the hell? Me, alone?” You couldn’t believe what you have heard, Jake is sending you home alone, with this green monster flying in the air?

“Sorry, I need to check on Aunt May!” he nervously swallowed his saliva.

“Okay, I’m following you”

“What, no!”

“What do you mean, no? Jake, we're in danger!”

Jake runs his finger through his hair, he let out a big sigh and dragged you to the street. He can’t casually say that he is Spiderman and needs to save the city, it would be more complicated than how things are going now.

Jake ignored your squealing and he stuck out his hand to the street after he saw a taxi.

“Jake, what are you doing? Let me go!”

“Please send her to Empire State University, thank you!” and with that Jake closes the taxi door leaving you alone in the taxi while he runs off back to the park.

“Jake, you bitch!” you scream at him but are suppressed by the window.

–

“Oh ho, what did we get here? A green man? We have a hulk and it’s enough, imposter” Jake uttered, he was grateful that he was fast enough to change and the creature didn't harm the citizens yet.

“Spiderman!” the creature bellowed, his voice echoing through the park. Jake raised his brow underneath his mask, the face of the creature seems familiar but his voice is so deep and rough. Jake quickly shot a web to the nearest tree and swung his body towards the creature; he was so close to kick the glider that the creature was riding but failed as the creature swerved on his glider, avoiding Jake’s attack.

“What, green goblin?” Jake muttered, he remembered the glider and all green costume was Green Goblin persona, he fought Norman Osborn five months ago. Does he come back? Is his death news fake?

“I defeated him five months ago after the lizard attacked the city…” he added, if this is Norman Osborn and he can't imagine how Jay’s gonna react to all this

“Well, the generations continue, Spidey Boy…” he growled and took this advantage to glide towards Jake and punch him in the face numerous times.

With their distance so close with each other and with every time his fist landed on Jake’s cheek, he became aware who’s the green goblin in front of him now, it’s not Norman Osborn but his son, Jay.

Jake isn't the type who felt sympathy for all the villains he fought, he despised them. He hates how they all use their power and intelligence for their own benefits. But this time, it was different.

Suddenly he has no strength to fight Jay back since he knows it’s not Jay that is fighting him but it’s the demon inside his body– the parasite that takes control of his body once they knew their host was already weak.

He can’t make Jay’s fate end up like his father.

Jake kicks the Green Goblin on the stomach, making the boy slightly back away from Jake and he webbed his hand to prevent the Green Goblin from punch him, along with this opportunity– Jake kicks the creature off from his glider and was about to make the real Jay conscious of the situation but luck wasn’t on his side when the demon inside Jay have strong power than his web have. He easily ripped off the web and took out his blade from his costume, his eyes full of rage.

“You are not a hero, you can’t even save him” he scowls

But before the Green Goblin can make his move, a loud thwack resonates through the park. The Green Goblin stumbles, caught off guard by the impromptu action.

Jake’s eyes widen seeing Jay fall to the ground while touching his dizzy head and releasing his breath that he didn't know he held. He quickly got up and grabbed your wrist, going a bit further from the creature.

“You!” Jake swore

You give him a side smile, it wasn't your intention to minding in Spiderman’s business but you are worried sick about Jake, he can't even fight ants if his life on stake and seeing his running back to the park make you uneasy and you get off from the taxi on the first traffic light.

Long story short, while looking for Jake you saw Spiderman about to get killed and thanks to the kid who left their baseball bat in the park, you used it as a weapon to hit the green creature.

“Thank you, but NEVER do that again!” Jake warned

“Oh.. okay, but do you see my friend, Jake?” you asked while he dragged you away from the scene

“How on earth do I know Jake?” Jake asked, sometimes he wonders how you would survive in this world if Spiderman didn't exist.

“Uh, if you found a boy wearing a flannel with black backpack, please get him home safely, he can’t fight!” you said

“Okay! Just go home, run, now!” Jake screams and pushes you away as Jay slowly returns to his senses.

The Green Goblin growls, turning his attention to you.

You immediately run after Spiderman yelled at you, you swore you using your 100% your energy to run away from the dangerous spot yet in a seconds you felt your feet not touching the ground and your body float into the air it took you a moment for you to realized that the creature already capture you into his arms.

Your screams were loud and clear but it didn't flinch. He turns you to facing him and his rough hands wrap around your neck and put pressure on it making you gasp for air.

Your eyes are glossy at this point, your mouth wide open for air and your fingers scratch his hands. At this point you can’t focus on your surroundings, your eyes locked on the creature. Something about his eyes seems familliar.

Those eagle-shaped eyes…

“J-Jay?”

Your guess was correct after seeing the creature was taken aback after you called your boyfriend’s name.

“J..Jay it’s m-me” you try your best to speak although it’s hard for you to breathe at this point.

“Shut up!” the Green Goblin scowls. You know Jay didn't even control his own body, so you tried to call his name numerous times until you could see his green pupil slowly turning brown yet the creature didn't give up and took control of Jay’s body back and he is choking you harder than before.

Your mind is hazy and your vision getting blurred, you are one second away from fainting? Dying? You can’t think at this point but you are so sure you’re about to black out.

Jake swung from the lighting pole, his speed and agility allows him to snatch you from the Green Goblin right as you’re about to pass out. He pulls you into his arms and immediately starts to descend back down to the park's grass. As he landed on the ground, he loosened his grip on you, allowing you to catch your breath as he hovered over you protectively.

“Are you alright?” he whispered, his expression one of concern despite his heroic actions.

You slowly nod your head, give yourself a moment to catch your breath.

Yet the Green Goblin didn’t lose, not yet. Not when the demon in him is aware that Spiderman is alive and just pulls a heroic moment and you, the disturber is safe on Spiderman’s hand. Without thinking twice, the furious creature once again wings its way to both Jake and you, he immediately grabs your waist so fast, it feels like a wind passed by.

“No!” Jake yelled as the Green Goblin snatched you away from him and flew off on his glider. As he watched the two of you disappear into the night sky, a wave of worry and fear washed over him. He knew he had to catch up to them quickly but the creature quickly acted and threw a pumpkin bomb towards Jake.

Jake dodged the pumpkin bomb just in time, but the force of the explosion knocked him off balance. He stumbled and fell to the ground, feeling incredibly dizzy and disoriented. He tried to get up, but the world was spinning and he couldn't get his bearings.

Behind him, he heard you yell out his name as Jay took you away, but he couldn't gather enough strength to fight back. All he could do was try to hold onto consciousness as the seconds ticked by. He knew he was running out of time and would have to do something fast before it was too late but he can’t do anything when his vision gets blurred and black in a matter of seconds.

–

The Green Goblin pushed you off from the glider as soon as both of you landed on his lab, his head felt like it would explode any second, and you stood by the desk lab, watching your boyfriend or other thing grunt in pain.

“J-Jay?”

You see the obvious green veins slowly disappear from his skin and his pupils turned to brown and his skin becoming normal, no more green and yellow patches on it.

“Babe?” you called him, your voice low– still shcoked by the creature that took control of him.

“Y/N…” he panted, his rough voice earlier is gone and it’s replaced by his soft voice.

“Jay, Oh my God” you make your way to him, helping him stand up and settle him down on the chair. You take a look for his pale face for a few second, just to make sure it is the real Jay before you pull him into a comfort hug

“What happened?” he asked, he is drained like a person who overworked themselves for 20 hours per day

“You don’t remember?”

Jay shook his head, he doesn't remember a thing. He lets you hug him for a moment while his eyes scan his lab.

“Wait–” Jay slowly pushes you away and walks towards his lab benches. It is so messy, too many books, paper works, lab’s essentials on the benches. He shut his eyes real tight, trying to recall what happened before he knocked out.

“Baby, I think you should rest…” you urged, honestly you have no idea how to tell him the real thing as he can't remember anything now. But for sure, tomorrow you will ask Jake for help.

“I made it!”

“Hm?”

“Baby, I successfully made the serum!” he exclaims, he turns to you and grabs your shoulder, shaking your body a little due to his excitement.

Seeing your puzzled look making Jay chuckle and kiss your forehead, finding your reaction cute.

“Look at me, there’s no patches left and the hideous green veins are gone! I am fine!” his beams

“Are you sure? We still need to see a doctor…”

“We’re gonna see them tomorrow! Damn, I can’t fucking wait to do all the things with you”

You slowly exhale your breath, Jay needs to know he isn't getting better but worse. There’s something inside him that he isn't aware of yet.

“Babe, you really don’t remember what happened tonight?”

“Yeah, I made the ser–”

“Not that! The part where you turns all green and riding a glider–”

“What are you talking about, Y/N?”

“You’re about to kill Spiderman tonight, and if it's wasn’t me–”

“You’re taking Spiderman’s side now?”

“Huh?”

Jay didn’t reply to you, he touched his head again and his face frowning. Your eyes immediately scan the lab, searching for any weapon if the creature decided to take full control of Jay’s body.

“Uh…” he groans, his fingers turns white on how hard he gripped on the lab benches

“Jay?” you called

“You take Spiderman’s side Y/N…. How dare you?” he gruffs, his eyes looking cold and his jaws tense.

“ I do not take anybody's side! But you’re about to kill someone!” you yelled, your voice come out shaky but goes unnoticed by him

“Oh, fuck it! It’s Spiderman, he deserves to die!” he screamed back

You gasped, this isnt Jay you know.

“There’s something inside you, Jay! He controls everything in you and I don't think you’re healed, the thing just uses you as a host!” you explained but Jay only smirks in response.

“Yeah, I remember, we had a deal… I lend my body for him and in return I will not rot like my damn dad did!”

“Jay…”

He takes a step forward until you can feel his hot breath over you, his palm wrapped around your neck but doesn't put any pressure on it, he leans in– his face is an inch closer to you and his lips lingers on your lips but he doesn't move it. You close your eyes, your body suddenly feels hotter than before and since he didn't move an inch you open your eyes back and see he is staring at your eyes deadly.

“I don’t like how you’re siding with Spiderman, you should let him finish his business. Spiderman should die!”

You didn't utter any words to him, you leaned in to kiss him but he backed away, not giving the things you wanted leave you alone in the lab.

–

The next morning, the both of you didnt talk to each other but Jay was still stuck by your side since you left the bed. Bathroom, kitchen, living room, just named it. He still lingers around you even though he did not say anything to you yet. And that’s the reason why he tags along with you on your way to Coffee Beans, to meet with others.

“Oh God, Jake!” you immediately pull Jake into a hug but Jay quickly grabs your shoulder, preventing you from hugging the brunette but you ignore his bitch attitude. Jake, who noticed Jay’s fierce eyes looking straight to him could only mutter sorry to his best friend, he did not want to pour oil on the flames.

“Hey, I’m sorry for letting you home alone last night–”

“Wait, alone?” Jay cuts him off

“Dude, look I’m really sorry but–”

“Cut the bullshit Jake! You fucking left her alone at the park?!” Jay snapped, he swiftly pushed you back and face to face with Jay.

All of the attention is on them, some of the customers already take out their phone to record.

“Winter, things are about to get messy isn’t it?” you asked the blonde girl which she replied with a nod.

“Look, I worried about Aunt May–”

“Oh, please! Just say that you want her to die right?! You failed to kill me and now you’re attacking her too?”

“Jay, you knows it’s not true”

“I know damn well it is the truth, Jake! You’re just selfish human being”

Realizing all the attention is one them, Jake’s ears turned slightly red

“Dude, come on…”

“What? You’re about to kill us and you want to discuss it privately?”

Jay let out a big sigh, he felt disgust by Jake ‘innocent’ face. How dare he play victim here? It is so obvious that got the intention to kill you and him.

“You know what” Jay said before he threw his fist to Jake and with his Spidey sense tingling, Jake noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that Jay’s arm had begun to move towards him.Without hesitation, he quickly side-stepped and grabbed Jay’s fist right before it hit him. Jay tried to pull his hand away but Jake, with his superhuman strength, was too strong. He looked at Jay and said calmly,

“You need to calm down, Jay. This is getting of control”

Jay struggled and tried to pull away again, but Jake wouldn't let go. Despite the heated argument, he still cared about Jay and didn't want to see him hurt. Jay let out a grunt of frustration, but he stopped struggling and listened to what Jake had to say. Meanwhile, adrenaline was pumping through Jake’s veins and his spider senses were in overdrive. He could feel the danger, but with

Jay’s hand firmly in his grasp, he felt safe.

Jay harshly pulls away from Jake’s and is about to leave the cafe but his step pauses for a moment as you didn’t follow him, standing beside Winter with frowns on your face. It’s not like you are betraying your own boyfriend right now, but he isn't in the right state of mind. With the creature inside him, you don’t feel safe around him.

Jay scoffs seeing you seems to make your mind up, he didn't say anything and left the cafe with disappointed feelings. He can’t believe people he loves turn their backs on him.

After the chaotic scene in the cafe, you tell Jake every single thing from A to Z and you also hand Jake the serum Jay created from his lab. You didn't know much about science but with the genius person next to you maybe he can figure something out.

“Follow me” Jake said and brings you to the lab that he always uses with Winter to complete their work.

As the two of you step in the lab, Jake provides you a lab coat for you to wear and he makes sure you’re sanitized well before touching any equipment in the lab.

“What are we doing here?”

“I think we can make the antidote for Jay, strong enough to let the creature die once I figure out what’s materials inside this thing” Jake stated which you only nod as a response.

The lab is filled with the hum of high-tech equipment. The room is bathed in the soft glow of computer screens and the harsh light of overhead fluorescents. Jake, with a serious expression on his face, is hunched over a microscope meanwhile you, on the other hand, are standing nearby, looking lost amidst the scientific equipment.

“Y/N, I need you to hand me the blue vial on the second shelf” he uttered, looking up from his microscope, his expression still focused, it’s not like the Jake you usually encounter, the one who is always smiling and jokes around.

You look at the shelf he mentioned, your eyes scanning over a bunch of vials and pick up the blue one that Jake asked you for.

“Here you go, Professor Jake” you joked

“Thanks” he chuckles and takes the vial from your hands, he carefully adds a drop of the liquid to the green solution resulting in a teal vial. Jake sighs in relief

“That should do it, This should neutralize the Green Goblin’s serum” he stated, looking at you who was already grinning from ear to ear and your eyes shining from excitement. You may not understand the science but you know how important this antidote is.

“But only for temporary”

Your smile faded a little

“What do you mean?”

“The antidote… it’s not permanent. It will only suppress the effects of the serum for a short time, we– I mean, I still need to create a permanent solution” Jake explained

You nod, the fact that Jake successfully makes one with a temporary solution already gives you hope.

“For now, you keep these vials to yourself first, if the goblin is about to take control, quickly inject him with this, okay?”

“I'll try…” you answer with a very unsure tone in your voice, it’s not an easy job for you.

–

The sun was high in the sky, casting shadows between the towering skyscrapers of New York City and it’s a good day for the Green Goblin to hunt his nemesis; Spiderman.

The Green Goblin, cackling maniacally, was darting between buildings on his glider, a trail of green smoke following him.

“Spiderman, come out and play!” he screams with rough voice

It took Green Goblin a minute to scream Spiderman’s name before he, with his web-slingers at the ready, was hot on the Goblin’s tail. The two of them ‘danced’ in the sky, a deadly ballet of power and agility.

“Give it up, Goblin!” Jake yelled, launching the sticky web at him but Goblin was fast to avoid the attack as if he already learned all the Spiderman’s move.

Their fight took them higher and higher, until they were level with the eleventh floor of a nearby building. The Green Goblin, grinning wickedly, suddenly veered towards the building, crashing through a window and into an office space. Jake followed, landing gracefully amidst the shattered glass.

Inside the office, employees screamed and ducked for cover as the two adversaries faced off. Jake, ever the protector, quickly webbed up the exits, ensuring no one would get caught in the crossfire.

“End of this, Goblin!” Jake declared, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. The Green Goblin just laughed, his eyes gleaming with madness.

“Oh, Spiderman,” he sneered, “The fun is just beginning.”

And with that, their battle continued, the eleventh floor of the building becoming their battleground.

“Everyone, please evacuate the building!” Jake yelled while he shot his web to the Green Goblin. In the middle of chaos, Jake tries to protect all the employees from the villain’s glider while avoiding the villain's attack.

While the guards and the polices are trying to get all the employees safe and sound, you on the other hand is running as hard as you can when you heard the villain is attacking again, you just finish class and was about to go to Jay’s before someone from your class pointed out that the Green Goblin is attacking again.

You sneakily enter the building as all the frontliners are too focused on the employees and citizens' safety, you take the stairs until the eleventh floor.

“Hey, attacking private property isn’t cool dude… How about we talked about this with coffee? Do you like coffee?” Jake asked, while kicking the Green Goblin’s glider, making him fall to the ground with a loud thud.

“You need to die!” he grunts

“Oh no no, you need to die not me” Jake utter while emphasizing the word ‘You’

The Green Goblin quickly gets up and attacks Jake with his blade, his move was so fast that Jake almost couldn’t catch up with him. And the next thing Jake knows, he is being thrown to the hard wall, the Green Goblin using his glider to limit his move. With his hideous patches green hand holding the sharpened blade, the Green Goblin swung his arms towards Jake’s face wanting to stab him using his blade but you burst through the door with heavy panting.

You swore under your breath, being a Spiderman’s unofficial sidekick is hard. You don’t even have a costume.

You ignore the feeling of your legs that start to shake and run towards the villain, with a syringe filled with the powerful teal liquid and precise aim– you inject the antidote directly into the Green Goblin’s neck.

“W-what are you doing here?” Jake asked as soon as the pressure of the gilder got low as if he didnt know the main purpose you are here.

“No time for explanation! I need to take this guy somewhere safe and you need to help me!”

“Wait, you know this guy?”

“I said I had no time for explanation! And please distract all of them, they can’t see him in human form” you pleaded, while swinging unconscious Jay’s arm to your neck.

“But hey, the antidote is working, you did it?”

“No, my genius friend made it”

Jake smiles underneath the smile, ah how he loves the honest compliment coming from you.

“He is indeed a genius” Jake muttered underneath his breath before helping you with Jay. Jake wrapped both of his arms to your and Jay’s waist and then he shot his web to the ceiling.

“We gotta keep this lowkey, no scream okay or else they’re gonna notice us” Jake warned

You nod your head, you tighten your arms that wrap around his waist and pursue your lips together. Not wasting any time, Jake jumps through the middle space of the stairs. You shut your eyes real tight due to the speedness, luckily the hero beside you landed the three of you very carefully before leading you to the emergency exits before take off to distract the citizens and the frontliners.

–

“Jay, thank God, you’re awake!” you exclaim, it’s been three hours since the chaos and you are afraid that he won’t awake since the antidote that Jake created did not test on any living things yet.

“Out” Jay weakly said, his eyes staring to the ceiling instead of you.

“Jay–”

“He said, you helped him again!” he yelled making you flinch, this time his deadly eyes stares right into you.

“I don’t want to leave, you’re not stable yet” your voice is shaky, suppressing yourself from crying in front of him.

“That day when you decided to side with Jake is over for us, Y/N! I don’t need people who turns their back on me”

“You’re about to murder people, Jay! I can’t let you do that when I know there’s something else that has been controlling you” you fight back, you hate that parasite for manipulating Jay. He knows Jay is desperate and willingly says yes to anything to get his old life back, he uses Jay’s body for a host to kills Spiderman.

“Baby, we can work together…” you holds Jay’s cold hand

“Jake created this antidote for you, it can neutralize the serum that you created, he’s been working on it and if it’s successful, then you will be able to cure and the creature inside you will be gone!” you try to persuade him, you could see his eyes soften for a slight moment before it turns fierce again.

“Just go, Y/N” he urged, he got up from the bed and pushed you out of his room and slammed it on your face.

“If you change your mind, me and Jake will be at his lab. We’re on the final step to finish your antidote, hopefully” you said before leaving the Osborn penthouse.

–

That night, Jake and you were working hard to finish an antidote for the Green Goblin. After weeks of trial and error, he had finally cracked the code and created the perfect serum that could stop the villainous goblin in its tracks. As the duo were wrapping up their work for the day, they heard a loud crash from outside the building. Startled, they looked out the window and spotted the Green Goblin hovering in the air in front of the building. Fearing for their safety, Jake knew they had to act quickly and get the antidote ready before it was too late.

But before Jake can even think of his plan, the Green Goblin crashes into the floor Jake and you are in and as if he got a dog’s nose, he glides straight to the lab and smirks when he captures both of you frozen on the scene.

“He was too weak, a word from his girlfriend and he wants to surrender” the raspy voice spat.

Jake and you immediately know who the creature is referring to.

“Why do people like you need to destroy everything I had planned from the start?” he asked, looking sharply at Jake then at you.

“Now, now… give me the antidote before I need to kill Spiderman” he said, he got off from the glider walking towards the two of you. Your breath hitched, usually Spiderman will come at the right time. Where is he?

“Mr Goblin… we still can talk..” Jake said, his hands grabbed on his backpack.

“No more talking! I am done with talking, now give me the antidote before I waste my time to kill the two of you!” he snarled

“Well, I guess we need to do a plan B” Jake said to you

You turned to him with a puzzled look, both of you didnt come up with any plan at all, what did he talk about?

“What plan B?” you half-whispered to him

“Plan B is, Y/N, run!” Jake yelled and grabbed the nearest chair to throw to the creature making him growl in pain.

He quickly takes his backpack and leaves the lab to change into his costume meanwhile you are running for your life until you find an empty classroom. You hide under the table and cup your mouth using both of your hands, you don’t know what Jake’s plan is since the antidote is on your hand nonetheless, you trust him.

On the other hand, the Green Goblin was furious. He couldn't believe he got tricked so easily by human beings, so he quickly left the lab and started searching for the two of you. His steps are slow but impactable, from inside the classroom you could clearly hear his footstepping the cold marble.

Creakkk…

The sound of the door being open makes your heartbeat faster to the point your breath becomes uneven due to cupping your mouth too tight, but you need to be safe, the Green Goblin can’t know you here until Jake comes to the rescue.

On the other side, Jake crouched down and made his way towards the door, his eyes locked on the Green Goblin. He silently crept up behind him, ready to swoop in as soon as the goblin sensing you hid under the table. Just as he was about to leap out and attack, however, he overheard something that made his blood run cold.

As Jake listened more closely, he heard the Green Goblin's voice, speaking quietly in his trademark raspy tone.

“I can sense you, Spiderman” he hissed,

“I know you're here somewhere. Come out now and face me like the hero you pretend to be.”

Jake’s heart dropped as he realized what had happened - the Green Goblin had seen straight through his plan and was waiting for Spiderman to come to the rescue. Suddenly, the villain began to charge towards the direction of your hiding place. Unable to leave his friend behind, Jake quickly jumped out and intercepted the Green Goblin.

With a burst of speed, Spider Man tackled the Green Goblin to the ground, preventing him from reaching you. The impact caused a loud crash as they tumbled across the floor together, but neither of them let up in their struggle. Jake quickly grabbed the Green Goblin by the neck and pinned him down, but the villain refused to give in. He wriggled and kicked, his sharp claws coming out and slicing at Jake’s costume. Jake gritted his teeth and did his best to hold on and keep the villain pinned down while trying to avoid his vicious attacks.

The battle raged on for what seemed like an eternity, but neither Jake nor the Green Goblin was willing to back down. They both fought for every inch of ground, refusing to let their opponent get the upper hand. Jake’s eyes were focused on keeping his grip on the villain's neck, while the Green Goblin was doing his best to wiggle and wriggle out of his grasp. With the antidote ready in one hand and a syringe in another, you watched from your hiding place, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Nevertheless, the Green Goblin seems stronger than before, he managed to break free from Jake’s grip. With his much energy, he threw Jake off the building and wasted no time to take you with him. He leapt onto his glider and flew off while laughing maniacally.

Jake grunts, he takes a deep breath to hold the pain after being thrown from the 4th floor. He curses under his breath seeing the creature successfully take you away. Ignoring the pain, he quickly swings to chase the two of you.

“Jay, let me go!” you screams

“No Jay anymore, he’s weak!” he spat and flew off towards an unfinished building. He landed on the unfinished floor that was filled with steel rods. The green eyes stare right into your soul making you shaking from tears.

“Give me those” he demand

You shook your head, lips quivering seeing the monster in front of you.

The Green Goblin grunts and wrapped his rough finger to your neck

“I’ll save my blade for Spiderman’s blood until then I have to kill you using my hands” he said and he tightened the pressure on your neck making you gasp for air. With his strength force, lift you up to the air, your legs wiggling for a release and your eyes looking straight to the villain's eyes; searching for Jay’s but to your dismay the monster did not lie when he said Jay is gone.

Your vision getting blurry, suddenly getting a flashback when the Green Goblin almost killed you at the park. You don’t even have strength to lift your hands and be sneaky to inject him with the antidote that Jake’s created.

For the last time, you try searching for Jay– hoping that he fights the demon that terrorized his body.

Your tears fall when he is nowhere to be seen.

Unnoticed by you, your hands that gripped on the antidote slowly loosening resulting in the antidote to fall to the ground.

“Gotcha!”

The Green Goblin growls seeing the person he hates– Spiderman successfully caught the antidote before it landed on the ground.

Jake makes his way to the top of the floor, which is where you and him are right now.

“Let her go” Jake said, his voice is serious

The Green Goblin smirks, using one hand that still grabs your neck he lets you hang by his hand for support, your feet don't touch the ground but the air instead.

“Very poor choice of words” and with that, the Green Goblin releases his hand that has been wrapped around your neck, sending you plummeting down towards the ground below

You can’t even have the energy to scream, at this point you accept the fate that you are losing for helping your own lover.

With lightning speed, Jake webbed up his web shooters, launched himself off the ground, and used his web to catch you and the Green Goblin, pulled you away from the edge of the building and pulled the Green Goblin off the building causing him to drop immediately to the ground. He managed to pull you to safety, just seconds before you would've hit the ground. As the duo caught their breath, Jake glared at the creature.

Jake puts you down and uses his strength and punches the Green Goblin numerous times to buy you some time to fill the syringe with the antidote and to make him slightly less powerful.

You tried your best to fill it and your shaky hands did not help the process, your heart still beat faster and your mind still hazy due to lack of oxygen but nonetheless you need to help Jay.

With a steely gaze, you injected the serum directly into the Green Goblin's neck, who let out a howl of pain as it took effect. The antidote worked almost instantly, and the Green Goblin slowly transformed back into his human form, Jay. A look of confusion and horror crossed his face as he looked at the two of you, having no memory of his villainous alter ego or the crimes he had committed.

“Y/N…” Jay panted, you quickly gave him a hug while crying, relieved that everything was over.

Underneath his mask, Jake is smiling. He was also relieved because he got to save his best friend with the antidote he created.

“Oh my God!” you let go of Jay and turn to the Spiderman who is standing right next to you.

“My friend, Jake!” you gasped, you literally forgot Jake is still in the building, maybe he is still searching for you.

“Spiderman, please look for Jake!”

“That Jake you searched in the park? Damn he need to take care of himself”

“Please! We can take care of ourselves here. Thank you so much!” you said

“Uh.. okay.. But make sure to take a taxi, this is criminal’s favorite spot” he warned

You nods your head and thanking him for the second time before he off to ‘search for Jake’

–

“Are you feeling okay?” you asked as soon as you entered Jay’s room.

He weakly nodded, after the night he told the goblin that he’s gonna surrender himself, the creature getting violence and taking full control of his body for that night, he can't even fight the creature because his power was too strong for him.

Luckily the antidote that Jake created saved him, it neutralized all the chemicals and radioactive in Jay's body. His skin didn't have any patches or green veins left, it feels like he is a normal person again.

“Thank you for not giving up on me” he said, his voice sounding strained.

You pull him into side hug and plant a kiss on his forehead

“I don’t wanna lose you as much as you don’t wanna lose me, Jay” you uttered.

“Uh.. should I leave?” the two of you flinched at the sudden voice and laughed as you saw Jake standing awkwardly at the door.

“Dude, come on in,” Jay exclaims.

The two best friends smile at each other before high five each other.

“Thank you, Jake and I’m sorry for every shits I’d done to you” Jay utters.

“Nah man, all good. That’s what best friend for” Jake beams.

While you and Jake are chatting, Jay smiles at himself, it’s been awhile since he felt a spark of joy inside of him. Since his father’s death he has been nothing but miserable. He is thankful he didn't end up like his father and for the two people in his life; you and Jake for not giving up on him.

It’s hard to believe that his wish to be together with you is not a wish anymore.

[yawneon]

PROJECT : REBUS !

a/n : my second little fic thingy on this app 🤭 i’m writing this at 4am, sorry if there’s any little mistakes. (i’m feeding my own mattheo riddle delusions)

pairing : mattheo riddle x gn!slytherin!reader

summary : you hated mattheo riddle, loathed him almost but all shit hits the fan when things go missing in your and his dorm, so the only logical thing to do is to band together and find out what in merlin’s name is going on.

!!! : sherlock holmes era, im funny i swear, fluff, enemies to teammates to lovers, im gonna write this one longer promise, a little bit on y/n (we love them), nicknames, references of non-canon slytherin characters (lorenzo berkshire, mattheo riddle.. obviously 😭😭), half-blood reader, mattheo is annoying

part 1! / …

★・・・・・・★

it wasn’t out of the ordinary for mattheo riddle, son of the dark lord, to be annoying you in some way. it was his hobby, (or atleast that’s what he’d like to call it). no matter how many times you tell him to fuck off or leave you alone he just could never grasp the idea of it, it was out of his nature to leave you alone because it was like you two were made for eachother (again what he would like to describe it as).

“back off riddle.” you warned. you were currently at a slytherin party, your team had just won the quidditch match and your whole house seems over the moon. well everyone but you.

“come on, jelly bean.” mattheo looks at you with a shit-eating grin on his face. he pokes your side causing you to swat his hand away in an instant. it was hard to hear him over the blasting music and the sight of blaise on a table singing his heart out but you just knew that whatever he said was a teasing little snarky comment. “riddle.” you warn again giving him a stern look, “just one dance cookie and then i’ll leave you alone..” he gives you a fake pout, his bottom lip jutting out. looking him up and down you fake gag causing him to pout even further, a cheeky smirk ghosting on his lips.

you roll your eyes at him and your legs move away from him (for what felt like the fifth time that night ((it was.)) and he tries to follow you to annoy you further but he’s interrupted by a soft hand on his forearm pulling him, with one quick look to the hufflepuff student who somehow found themselves snaked into the party. his gaze leaves you as he’s quickly distracted by the person and you keep walking. it was going to be a long night obviously so since they had only just started.

you find yourself stood with your friends pansy, daphne, theodore, and draco . you stood around drinking a mystery concoction made by lorenzo and you wonder to yourself who the fuck gave him the job of making these drinks. “these are deadly, merlin.” you groan wincing at the burn in your throat as you swallow the liquid in the cup. pansy snickers at your comment bringing the red cup to her lips, “i mean yeah look who’s behind them.” she laughs taking a sip. “hey [name], are you and mattheo like a thing?” daphne ask, fiddling with her golden necklace that hung around her collarbone. you almost spit your drink out and the two boys around you chuckle at your reaction. “why would you ever make such an assumption?” your face must contort into a disgusted confused mix because everyone around you starts chuckling to themselves.

“well, i’ve got a friend in ravenclaw and i’d think they’d be a great match. it’s just that he’s always around you so i just assumed you guys were i don’t know.. into eachother?” daphne smiles shyly, her intentions seem true and you knew that she doesn’t like mattheo since he’s not really.. her type. “daphne..” you put a hand on her shoulder comically, “you can have him.. on one condition.. you make sure he never speaks to me again.” you snicker, daphne beams and nods profusely promising you that you will not be disappointed.

you and mattheo had been what seemed like enemies since like forever. the first thing he did to make you hate him was when he dunked your head into a volubilis potion in first year causing you to sound like a chipmunk for 3 days and since that day you have never had a break from mattheos constant efforts to humiliate you. first it was the potion, then pushing you off your broom, setting your robe on fire in transfiguration, the list goes on really. but mattheo continued to play dumb all the way up to sixth year. it was weird, the fact he acted absolutely oblivious, but you thought he was just teasing you again.

the night died down slowly and after about 3 hours of talking, laughing and drinking you head back to your dorm. you arrive at your dorms door, met with it slightly ajar. you think that it was weird before venturing onwards sinking yourself into the chair at your desk, you were a lucky student, having a dorm to yourself was a blessing. hearing daphne’s and theodore’s constant complaints on snoring, messiness and fights you found yourself encapsulated in the warm fortunes of being able to have a room to yourself, (even if it did get lonely).

sitting up from the wooden chair, you shower and change into more suitable sleeping attire which was obviously your pajamas you brought from home accompanied by slippers. you fall into your bed with a tired sigh, your eyes wandering over your dorms ceilings, then walls, the lights, the desk and your jewellery stand in which your rings that your family have kept as an heirloom for years centuries were missing.

they were missing.

the. rings. were. missing.

you sit up from the bed in a comical way, you could’ve sworn there were onomatoepias surrounding the air around you. jolting up quickly you rush to look for the rings. you check in the holder, on the desk, on the floor, in the blankets, under the pillows, anywhere you could think of. if you were found to have lost your prized family heirloom your mother would have your head on a stick and you would be fed to the dogs. you HAVE to find the rings. even if you died doing it.

you were searching for that shit, like it was your life elixir. as if it was the elder wand. people would hate thought you were crazy by the way you were looking. it was funny almost seeing someone squirm and rush around such a small area. your sheets were being yanked off your bed and your chest at the foot of your bed was being emptied and rearranged. you looked like you were on drugs, it was bad. you looked like a lunatic, it was horrid. but you gotta do what u gotta do..

to say you were panicking would be an understatement. you were frantic, desperate even. you were on all fours checking every single crevice and crack of that room 15 times over just for there to be nothing. it hasn’t even been an hour since you stepped foot into your dorm. your eyes are wide with anxiety sinking in and you unconsciously start pacing your room.

your mind runs laps thinking about any and every possibility. maybe they grew legs and walked away, maybe there was no rings in the first place and you were just crazy, maybe you’re family was crazy. maybe nothing was real like ever.

you paced up and down your room, hands in your hair basically clawing at it thinking of every scenario possible and every single step you took that day.

1. you woke up.

2. you went to the bathroom and did your business.

3. you changed into your uniform.

4. you checked the rings were still there, they were.

5. you went on about your day.

every single day you check the rings are there. you wouldn’t wear them incase they got damaged so you settled with keeping them on a porcelain plate next to your notebook. every single friend and basically everyone in your year knows how valuable they are and you would a word (avada kadavra) anyone without hesitation if they touched them so no one ever did.

well there is one person that might have and would if he felt especially annoying that day.

-

you found yourself pounding on mattheo riddles dorm door. the knocks echoed throughout the hall. some partygoers are still hung around in deep conversation, lorenzo seems to be off his shift as the bartender and he is seemingly in his dorm.

you wait for an answer at the door for what feels like eternity (2 minutes) and you being hammering at the door next.

a muffled voice pleads for you to stop and blaise opens the door groggily, fatigue from the party taken over his state of mind.

“where is he.”

“where is who?”

“you know who blaise.”

blaise looks behind him, looking over the beds in his dorm. enzo is in bed, and blaise just got out of his. he looks at mattheos bed and its unmade but its empty.

“not here.” blaise sighs, wiping a tired hand over his eyes.

“then where is he?” you grumble.

“astronomy tower maybe, he likes taking a smoke out there at night. to see stars or some sappy shit.” blaise replies.

you thank blaise quickly and you apologise for the intrusion before quickly picking up your feet from the floor and going to the astronomy tower.

the halls of hogwarts when it was empty were always cold and a bit uneasy when you walk through them at night. knowing that there are ghosts in the walls and there might be other students or things around frighten you but the only thing your running on right now is the drink lorenzo made and pure anger.

your slippers tap on the tile beneath your feet echoing through the walls. you twist up the astronomy tower stairs quickly and you silently enter the icy breeze of the open class. the smell of smoke quickly comes over you, foretelling you that your target was indeed here.

-

“riddle.” you growl looking at the boy. he felt as if your eyes were piercing holes straight through him and he turns around slowly cigarette still in his mouth. mattheo’s eyes were wide and his face looked guilty.

“i swear whatever theo said he’s lying.” mattheo blurts out quickly. his eyes trail down to your slippers up your long fuzzy pajama pants and then to your night shirt, a quiet smile grows on his face but he’s quick to hide the pink on his cheeks with a snarky remark. “cute outfit, [name]” he laughs taking a long drag of his cigarette.

“did you steal my stuff mattheo?”

“who?” he replies, his lips curl into a smile.

“what?” you make a weird face at him, “did you steal my things?” you say again.

“you said my name.” he laughs out softly his eyes meeting the sky above him. “also no.” mattheo sighs out.

you walk to the ledge of the astronomy tower where he stood and you lean your elbows against the chill metal. “riddle-“ you try to begin but your cut off instantly, “mattheo.” he says. “call me mattheo please.” he says almost shyly, you narrow your eyes at him before shaking your head giving into the boys request.

“mattheo i really need you to be honest with me okay?” you turn to look at him, “did you steal my stuff?”.

“i didn’t [name].” he looks back at you, “right.” you reply, slight mistrust laces your tone but mattheo ignores it as he finishes up smoking his cigarette.

“im being serious!” he whines, the top of the cigarette being dragged across the railing. you give him a nod, coming off a tad sarcastic but mostly trusting.

“my stuff went missing too.” mattheo blurts out, he looks at you breathing out a smoky sigh. you look at him puzzled, you squint your eyes at him trying to read his expression.

with your squinted eyes and mistrusting expression an idea pops up into your head.

not one you like and most definitely not one you’d pitch to mattheo riddle.

but it was better than just sulking around.

“well if we both got robbed, on the same night what are the chances it was the same person?” you sigh out your eyes drawing to the stars above you.

“high?” he replies,

“so as much as i hate this- why dont we help eachother out and look for them together.”

“are you asking me to become your detective partner, honey bun?” he teases you with a sly grin.

“don’t make me change my mind riddle.” you glare at him.

“fine.. i will since your prrrractically begging me to ~” he smiles childishly, a slight gleam in his eyes.

you roll your eyes and groan,

this was a bad idea.

-

@yawneon

[tornadoeffect]

Thinking about how similar yet how different Max and Rachel are...

Rachel is obviously destructive and impulsive in some ways, whether it's intentional or not, but so is Max! She does fix things a lot in the game, or at least tries to, but there are various occasions where she can act upon destructive desires mainly thanks to her newfound powers. For example, she immediately decides to blow up the doorknob to the principal's office when she can't find a key with Chloe and the latter can't pick the lock open. She can also spill Frank's beans onto the ground unprovoked. These are minor examples, but the greatest one of course is the Bae>Bay ending where she quite literally lets a tornado swallow up her entire childhood town to keep her best friend (girlfriend?) from dying. Her very powers are associated with the chaos theory. She says herself in her dream: "You're a goddam hypocrite. You've left a trail of death and suffering behind you.". She also says later in the game: "I can't keep fixing everything, if all I'm gonna do is just break it, over and over again!" Sure, this is her low self esteem and slight self loathing talking (as well as her having a normal reaction to the awful situation she's been put into), but the words have some merit if you look into them. Her powers, seemingly designed to fix things, seem to just make everything worse or break something else instead.

More under cut.

Meanwhile, Rachel turns a small, controlled burning of a picture into a forest fire. She spikes Victoria's drink on one occasion to keep her role in a play. She throws a bottle near Chloe in a junkyard in anger. She develops a self destructive drug usage habit. I'd argue her relationship with dangerous, older men is self destructive. Her difficulty with communication adds a chaotic element to her and Chloe's relationship (even though she's by far not the only guilty party involved). She breaks a table when her pent up anger towards her father escapes containment. She's associated with fire and the storm. There's obviously nuance to her actions, which is why I mentioned them being intentional or not at the start, but it doesn't erase their destructive or impulsive nature.

Now, I use the terms "destructive" and "impulsive" loosely here. And obviously, most of the examples I provided for Rachel are a lot more extreme than the ones I provided for Max, but I still think I got my point across. They both cause chaos, destruction, and disharmony around them, mostly guided by their feelings and what they consider to be "right" or "wrong", "deserved", "necessary", etc. And if the theory about Rachel being the one to grant Max her powers is true, then destruction links them together even more.

Furthermore, they're both young women onto whom destiny shoves great burdens and seems to play painfully ironic games with: Rachel must maintain her perfect appearance despite her unstable and crumbling sense of identity and freedom and the sudden revelation of her family's past, and she ends up an aspiring model dying horribly in a dark room; Max unlocks super powers out of the blue one day and tried to do good with them, but as she figures them out she ties them (and by consequence, herself) to a deadly approaching tornado without mentioning the extremely traumatic events she goes through in a matter of a week, and ends up having to decide whether to sacrifice an entire town or her closest friend.

And most importantly of all: they are both trapped by or in Arcadia Bay, albeit in differing ways. Rachel's case is more obvious: she's literally, physically trapped due to her family's unwillingness to move and her inability to leave alone, which is especially suffocating for her free spirit, and she's also metaphorically trapped by heavy expectations from everyone around her, feeling like she has no room to define herself.... herself. She's buried in the town's junkyard after years of dreaming of freedom. Max physically leaves/"escapes" Arcadia Bay as a child with her move (though she didn't especially want to), and does go back voluntarily, but is almost immediately chained to the very fate of the place and its people out of nowhere. I'd also argue that her past with Chloe and the guilt she feels because of it also traps a part of her in Arcadia for a long time. And after the ending, no matter what she chooses, Arcadia Bay will never let her go for the rest of her life.

[silverynight]

Welcome home

<---Previous

Chapter 5

They decide to go to a cafe; the place is nice and cozy, and Izuku will have the opportunity to ask questions to every single one in order to get all the details about the mission; he wants to know how they used their quirks and why they decided to use them that way.

The tables have bench cushions around; Katsuki and Izuku sit on one and Uraraka, Hagakure and Todoroki on the one in front.

Even though he tells himself to calm down, Izuku can't help it and starts asking about the rescue. He listens with a fascinated smile on his face as Hagakure explains how she used her quirk to blind the villain when he tried to attack them.

Then he starts rambling about her quirk for a while, all the data he has gathered about her during the time they have met each other, she seems interested or at least he hopes so. He's too focused he doesn't even realize Uraraka is looking at something with amusement until she makes a gesture with her hand towards it.

Izuku turns around, only to find Katsuki with a hand on his chin, quietly staring at him with a fond smile on his face.

"What?"

Katsuki looks a little bit flustered when he notices Izuku's confusion, but he doesn't say anything.

"Midoriya, do you want something to eat?"

"Right!" He says, embarrassed. He looks back at Todoroki as his cheeks turn slightly pink. "Sorry for rambling! You must be hungry!"

"It's alright, I don't mind," the pro hero with mismatched hair assures him. "Actually, everything you say is fascinating. I feel like I'm learning a lot about quirks after listening to you."

Izuku can feel the moment his face turns even more red; Katsuki hisses next to him. When he looks at him again, he realizes he's get irritated. He must be starving too.

"What do you want to eat? I'll get it for you."

"Uhh..." Before Izuku can answer Todoroki's question, Katsuki is already getting up while glaring at the other pro hero.

"Don't bother. I always get Izuku's food."

"Well, I want a strawberry churro and Uraraka wants a croissant. Thanks for asking! Yes, we both are here too, in case you have forgotten!" Hagakure cuts in, half irritated half amused at the situation.

"Sorry! I'll go get them for you!" Izuku says.

"Not you, darling! Sit down!"

However, no matter how much Uraraka insists, Izuku ends up in the line with Katsuki and Todoroki.

"Midoriya."

Katsuki growls as a warning, but Todoroki ignores him completely.

"I'd like you to consider working at Endeavor's agency instead."

That definitely wasn't something Izuku expected to come out of Todoroki's mouth.

"I was really impressed by your performance these last two days; you're really smart and I think you'd be a great asset for our agency."

"Oh, fuck off!"

"Kacchan, please," Izuku has to grab the blond pro hero's arm in order to calm him down a bit. Then, when his friend looks less murderous, he turns towards Todoroki again: "I appreciate the offer, but I'm really happy where I am."

"Take that, half and half!"

Rolling his eyes, Izuku is glad they're next in the line. It's a nice distraction. Perhaps food is what everyone needs to feel less irritated.

"What happened?" Uraraka asks, grabbing her croissant and the coffee Izuku decided to buy for her. "I was watching you from here and Bakugo got more grumpy than usual."

"Half and half here wants to steal Izuku from m–us!"

"What do you mean?" Hagakure asks, sounding curious already. By the time Todoroki explains, even the women get slightly annoyed.

"No!" Uraraka huffs, grabbing one of Izuku's hands in hers. "Get your own green bean! This one is ours!"

They keep playfully scolding him for it and even he starts smiling at them. However, Katsuki moves closer to Izuku until their legs are pressing together even though there's plenty of space on his side.

After a while, the four pro heroes start talking about their time in the UA; Izuku can't help but laugh at all the things they tell him about Katsuki.

"They had to put a muzzle on him because he was so angry at Todoroki for not trying harder at the sports festival!" Hagakure chuckles, while Katsuki narrows his eyes at her.

"He even won, but didn't look happy with the results!" Uraraka adds, laughing along with Hagakure.

"He probably thought he didn't deserve it," Izuku cuts in. "That's why he was so mad."

He looks up at the blond pro hero before stroking his cheek; Katsuki closes his eyes and leans into the touch, content.

"It's alright, Kacchan. You did your best!"

"I didn't," Todoroki says then, getting Izuku's attention again. "But that's because I didn't truly accept myself back then."

"But now you do, right?" Izuku asks, smiling kindly at him.

"Now I do."

***

As they sit back in Katsuki's car, Izuku realizes that he's still frowning. Probably because Todoroki asked Izuku to think about his offer.

"I'm not going to work at Endeavor's," Izuku assures him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He relaxes somewhat before looking back at the green haired man with an intense expression on his face; Katsuki does that a lot lately and he has no idea what he's thinking about.

"Stay with me tonight."

"Okay, Kacchan," he says, smiling at him softly. The truth is that he still wants to spend a little bit more time with his friend after what happened.

But staying is a mistake because Izuku likes Katsuki's apartment; it feels like home even though it shouldn't.

The next days he barely stays at his own place and every time he goes back to it, it feels colder and less like the cozy apartment he once acquired.

Katsuki basically gives him one of the guest's rooms; he has a closet for himself in which he keeps a few clothes because he also stays during work days and it's more "convenient" that way.

Somedays, Izuku feels like he's fooling himself.

There's green tea now in Katsuki's kitchen, chocolate, and blueberries on the fridge that Izuku makes disappear quickly.

"You seriously don't want the last bit of honey?" Izuku asks, looking tempted to pour it all over his bread, but he wants to offer it to Katsuki first. He doesn't think he has ever seen him touch the bottle, but he's not there ALL the time.

"I don't like sweet food," Katsuki says from the couch, browsing through Netflix's catalog, looking for a good horror movie.

"But you do like honey!" Izuku argues. "I mean, you bought this..."

That bottle was there before Izuku started staying in that apartment a few times a week.

"I bought it for you," the pro hero says casually, already selecting a movie. The thumbnail looks like it'll give Izuku nightmares.

He looks back at the now empty bottle, feeling warm inside out of the sudden. He smiles, thinking about all the things Katsuki does for him...

"Well, I'll go back to my room now!"

"None of that, nerd!" Katsuki turns around, looking at him over the back of the couch. "You promised!"

"Fine!" Izuku pouts, getting ready to close his eyes. "But if you complain about me clinging to you, I'll leave, okay?"

Being as close as possible to Katsuki is the only thing that makes him feel safe when they watch those kind of movies.

Katsuki snorts.

"Have I ever complained about that?"

"No, but just in case," Izuku mumbles before sitting right next to him, even though there's a lot of space on the couch. "I don't know why you want me here, to be honest. All I do is cover my eyes, gasp and wrap myself around you every time. Sometimes, I even end up on your lap! That can't be pleasant for you!"

Katsuki's smirk makes his eyes glimmer with amusement.

"That is actually very pleasant for me. You have no idea."

It must be because he enjoys Izuku's suffering... his friend is still a jerk sometimes. But he buys a lot of sweets for him and lets Izuku cuddle him so he'll forgive him for that eventually.

To no one's surprise, Izuku ends up covering his eyes and Katsuki's space.

The pro hero looks like he's having the time of his life, but he's kind enough to put a hand over Izuku's shoulders and nuzzle against his green curls to calm him down.

He falls asleep like that but wakes up on his bed in the morning.

***

"Trying a new style?" One of his coworkers asks as a form of greeting. "Well, you look good with everything, Midoriya!"

"Isn't that too big for you though?" Another one says, frowning a bit.

Some days, he wishes he didn't blush that easily; it makes him look like he's hiding something.

"Kacchan gave it to me," he mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. It's not his fault that Katsuki's clothes are very comfortable; it's true that wearing black is not Izuku's style, but he likes the fact that the hoodie feels like it's hugging him.

He's not sure if that's completely true, though, because most of the time is just Izuku "stealing" things from him that the pro hero ends up giving him.

"I see," the man in front of him grins in a way Izuku doesn't like. There's nothing to "see" there.

He runs back to his station then.

An hour later, he decides to pay a visit to Hatsume. He wants to ask about Kaminari's gear; something happened during his latest mission and it ended up damaged, but Izuku doesn't understand what prompted it to act the way it did. And he needs to understand in order to write a report about it.

But he's also very curious.

Right outside Hatsume's department, Izuku remembers why other people are not allowed there unless they let them know they're coming beforehand.

Izuku forgot to do that.

"Not again!" He manages to hear someone complaining before Hatsume laughs.

"It's alright! We always learn from our mistakes," she says right before something inside explodes and sends Izuku backwards.

There's smoke everywhere; his ears start ringing a bit, but he realizes he's alright, although his back hurts.

"Are you okay, Midoriya?" Hatsume asks, leaning over him. "You shouldn't be here."

He gets that now. At least the people from support are completely fine, mostly because they wear special clothes all the time. In case something like that happens.

"Are you sure you're fine?"

"Yes, don't worry!"

"Alright, then let me turn off the alarm in your device before he comes running here..."

Honestly, Izuku had forgotten his pretty necklace was a security device. But now as he looks down he sees a red dot in the middle of the X.

"IZUKU!"

"Too late," Hatsume mumbles, right before turning it off. She moves away from Izuku to give room for Dynamight to fret over him.

"I'm fine, Kacchan, I promise," he assures him as he manages to sit.

Katsuki kneels on the floor next to him and Izuku notices his hero suit; it looks clean and impeccable, which means he was about to go out.

His red eyes start scanning his body from head to toe, desperately looking for wounds.

"Where does it hurt?" He asks, touching Izuku's back of the head with his fingertips. When the green haired man flinches, the pro hero's eyes lose their shine. "I'll take you to the infirmary."

"Kacchan, wait!"

Katsuki growls. He's obviously still in distress, and Izuku can't have that. Pretending no one is watching, he cradles his friend's face and rubs their noses together.

The fear he notices in his eyes shocks Izuku for a moment.

"I'm fine, Kacchan," he whispers, smiling softly at him. "I promise."

He watches as the blond's broad shoulders lose some of their tension. His arms wrap around Izuku's completely before he presses his lips against one of his freckled cheeks gently. After he takes a deep breath, he does the same against the other.

Izuku's heart skips a beat.

"Alright! Let's go back to work, everybody!" Hatsume says, clapping her hands together to get her workers' attention. "There's nothing to see here!"

As the smoke clears, Izuku turns as red as a strawberry.

Katsuki doesn't seem to care about having an audience or not.

"When I heard the alarm, I panicked," he admits, pointing at a bracelet on his right wrist. Izuku had thought all this time it was a simple accessory.

"I'm fine," he repeats, mostly because his own heartbeat doesn't let him think that much.

Katsuki leans to give him a kiss on the forehead, making even more difficult for Izuku to actually focus.

"Let me take you to the infirmary anyway. Please, it'll help me feel better."

"Okay, Kacchan."

As the doctor explains to them both that Izuku doesn't have a concussion and the incident only got him a few bruises, he realizes, as he remembers Katsuki's soft kisses on his face that me might have feelings for his best friend.

And that could be a problem.

***

Perhaps the best thing is to stop staying with Katsuki; Izuku's feelings will only grow if he keeps spending that much time with his friend.

It's a good thing he never moved in with him like Katsuki wanted. He'd be kicked out immediately if the pro hero found out about Izuku's crush on him.

Except that it doesn't feel like a simple crush.

As they both walk down the stairs, Izuku takes a deep breath and thinks about an excuse to stay at his own apartment this time.

"Here, take this, nerd," Katsuki stops for a moment to give him a key. "This is just in case you need it, but you know you only have to type the code to get in."

A copy of Katsuki's apartment door key. And he's going to give him the code too.

"It's 0715," the pro hero says in a whisper. His face turns so red Izuku worries about him for a moment. "So when... I'm on late night patrol you can get in without me and stay there."

"Oh, that'll be easy to remember!" He says, chuckling. His friend probably hasn't even realized what those numbers mean. "It's like my birthday! What a coincidence!"

Katsuki chokes on air, blush spreading down his neck. Maybe he's getting sick or something...

"I know you are really smart, but sometimes you make me question your intelligence."

"Kacchan, that's so mean!" Izuku tries to look offended, but he fails miserably. Besides, his mind is preoccupied with something else.

When they're inside Katsuki's car. Izuku takes a deep breath.

"Take me to my apartment, please."

"Why? Did you forget something?"

"No... it's just," he bites his bottom lip before continuing: "I mean... I live there after all, I should stay in my own apartment."

"Or you can finally move in with me."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Katsuki turns his head towards him; good thing he hasn't started the car yet.

"Why not? Does something in my apartment bother you? We can redecorate it if you want. I just bought you a display cabinet to put your ridiculous All Might figure collection. It was a surprise, by the way. So pretend to be surprised when it finally arrives."

Katsuki is making it really difficult for Izuku not to fall in love with him.

"Uhh... it's..." Izuku blinks as his eyes start getting wet.

"What is it, Izuku? Talk to me. You know you can tell me anything," he says; he's never heard him speak that softly to him. His thumbs wipe his tears off before he presses his forehead against the sweet nerd's.

Katsuki deserves to know so he can decide for himself if he wants to keep some distance between them from now on.

It'll break Izuku's heart, but he can handle it.

"Listen, Kacchan, don't freak out, but I think I have f-feelings for you. So it'll be better if we–"

"Wow," Katsuki chuckles, shaking his head in disbelief. "You really are an idiot, Izuku."

"This is not funny, Kacchan! I'm trying to tell you something important!"

"So am I!" He smiles, red eyes glimmering with unrestrained happiness. He cradles Izuku's confused face, before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "Izuku. I am in love with you."

"What?" He blinks, getting slightly dizzy as Katsuki keeps pressing their lips together. Kisses pressed against his face as he turns so pink his freckles disappear momentarily.

"I have never been subtle about my devotion to you," Katsuki smirks, enjoying the fact that Izuku gets so flustered after being kissed to speak properly. "That's why everyone in the agency thinks we're dating. Yes, I know about those rumors too, the only difference is that I have never shut them down."

"But why you never told me anything?"

Katsuki's smile vanishes for a moment and Izuku wants to take the question back immediately.

"I thought you didn't love me the way I did."

This time it's Izuku the one who initiates their kiss, although Katsuki is the one in control. He smiles against his lips before taking his time to explore Izuku's mouth.

"Move in with me, Izuku."

"I'd love to, Kacchan."

***

A lot of things have changed in a month; Izuku finally left his old apartment and is now living with Katsuki.

And sleeping on his bed too.

Waving a hand in front of his face to stop himself from blushing, Izuku focuses on the task at hand.

He has practiced that curry recipe a lot, torturing his friends in the process, although Todoroki claims that the first time was perfect.

Uraraka couldn't even finish it, Kirishima gave him a thumbs up, but didn't look like he was enjoying it.

However, the last one was a success, which means he's ready to make it for his boyfriend.

He wants to surprise Katsuki this time; he's the one who cooks for them and he knows he does it gladly, but Izuku wants to show him he can make an effort too.

A loud sigh escapes from his lips when he finishes just in time for the door to open.

"I'm home, Izuku!"

He rushes towards the entrance because that's one of his favorite parts of living with Katsuki, that he gets to greet him in his own home.

In their own home, and wants to do that for the rest of their lives.

The realization hits him by surprise, and both Izuku and Katsuki just stand there, frozen, staring into each other's eyes like they know exactly what they're both thinking.

"You look cute with that apron," Katsuki breathes deeply, as if he had forgotten how to and pulls Izuku into a tight hug. "Is it too soon to ask you to marry me?"

"It's us," he whispers back, trying not to cry. "We have never been a conventional couple to begin with. It's fine."

"Is that a yes?"

"It is."

After a long kiss, Izuku pushes his boyfriend away a bit, chuckling when Katsuki chases his lips desperately and pouts when he keeps turning his head away.

"Come on, nerd! Just one more!"

"Wait, I need to tell you something first."

"What is it?"

"Welcome home, Kacchan!"

Katsuki rolls his eyes, but the glimmer in them and the wide smile on his lips tell Izuku that he's just as happy to hear that as Izuku is to say it.

***

Thank you so much for reading this story!

Patreon

[girlypopbops]

A girly pop's guide to hosting an at home coffee shop day ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.•

Between the social appeal of coffee shops and the delectable treats and beverages they offer, a coffee shop date is always a go-to with friends. Sometimes I wish I could take all my friends out for coffee at once, but coffee shops aren't built to accommodate that. However, you know what is? Your own home! Recreating a coffee shop at home is a fun way to host your friends and enjoy all the luxuries of a coffee shop.

Here’s my idea for the perfect setup and execution for an at-home coffee shop gathering:

The Setup:

⋆˙⟡ On a large counter, island, or table, setting up a cute tablecloth and doilies for your coffee machine is essential.

⋆˙⟡ Have various coffee mugs and glasses neatly arranged for your guests to use.

⋆˙⟡ Additionally, have small, cute jars with various sugar packets, little spoons, and straws (glass ones are eco-friendly and aesthetic! Paper straws are also an adorable way to add pattern and character to the drinks).

⋆˙⟡ Ask everyone to bring their own milk or creamer. This way, everyone's preferences and allergies are accommodated, and it’s also a great opportunity to try different milks and creamers. The drink options are endless—like an open bar, but for coffee!

⋆˙⟡ Depending on your coffee machine, have coffee beans, pods, or similar items in a container tied with a ribbon. You can also include chai or matcha for variety.

⋆˙⟡ Embellish the table with flowers and other miscellaneous trinkets to add character.

⋆˙⟡ For pastries, a cake stand is ideal for displaying treats, but a cute plate with a patterned napkin underneath also works.

⋆˙⟡ Baking the pastries together can be a fun activity to add to the event, if you choose!

⋆˙⟡ Creating a fake menu to put on the wall is a sweet addition and ties the event together!

Activities:

⋆˙⟡ Crafting: Everyone can bring their preferred craft supplies or you can provide collaging materials. Chat, craft, and sip!

⋆˙⟡ Book Club: Have everyone read the same book before the event so you can discuss it over a cute beverage.

⋆˙⟡ Coloring: Similar to crafting, guests can bring their favorite coloring books or you can print out coloring sheets that match the day’s theme, like a coffee shop coloring sheet.

(This can even become a monthly ritual to catch up with friends, set new monthly goals together, or even align with moon phases!)

Ambiance:

⋆˙⟡ Music: Play upbeat tunes, as real coffee shops always have lively music! I’ve attached a playlist that might fit the event below.

⋆˙⟡ Visuals: Have something on the TV or a projector (preferably with the sound off). This could be a girly movie, a visually appealing YouTube video, or even a fake yule log.

⋆˙⟡ Lighting: Lots of natural light is a must. Additionally, candles and warm-toned lamps will make the space cozy.

⋆˙⟡ Seating: A table setup for guests is ideal, but you can also arrange pillows for alternative seating. If possible, set the table with placemats, a stack of books, and a flower vase in the middle. Tea light candles and scattered dried fruit or flowers will add a gorgeous touch.

Attire:

⋆˙⟡ Encourage everyone to dress cozy and cute! Having a similar vibe will really bring the event together. You can include this in the invite (digital invites are cute and make the event feel more special).

[fantasyqueen502]

Mrs. Miller: Chapter 3

Summary- (Before the infection/apocalypse) A look into the life of Mrs. Miller. It's Sarah's 1st birthday and the Millers live each day to the fullest.

Relationship- Joel Miller X female Reader

Rating: PG Mentions of a chronic illness R in the last third dipictions of sexual intercourse

Word Count: 1,268

One Year later…

Pink and white balloons tied to mailboxes and fences of the cul-de-sac.

"Happy birthday to you." Everyone in the neighborhood sings.

The two brothers descend the steps of the home to the picnic table out front. Joel leading with Tommy following close behind with a camcorder in hand. Joel places a tower of cupcakes onto the table lighting one cupcake with a candle.

Sarah bounces excitedly in Y/N's lap at the head of the table.

"Happy birthday, dear Sarah!"

"Happy birthday to you!"

"Blow out the candle." Y/N kisses her child's curly head of brown hair. She looks to her mama then back to the candle. Opening her mouth wide, taking in a deep, dramatic breath before blowing a wet raspberry onto the flame. Fortunately this does the job.

 Everyone cheers and claps. Conversing with one another, enjoying the cupcakes or burgers and hotdogs Mr. Adler prepared on his grill.

Sarah grabs a fistful of pink frosting shoving it into her mouth, in the process smearing it all over her face. Taking another handful smearing pink frosting across her mama's cheek. Y/N doesn't mind, she grins down at the child who giggles at her work.

"What about pop pop, Sarah bean." Tommy instigates camera ready as Joel takes a seat next to his girls.

Sucking on her fingers looking up to her uncle Tommy at the call of her name. Looking at her dad who makes faces at her.

"Pop pop wants some birthday cake." He points to his brother. She squeals, giving a two tooth grin. Wiping her frosting and spit covered hand across Joel's face.

"Yay!" Everyone cheers.

"How are you feeling?" He mumbles into her cheek, seen to others as him just being affectionate.

"A little tired." She shrugs avoiding his eyes.

"Cake!" Sarah shrieks, holding up a handful of cake.

"That's right." Y/N coos clapping as the child copies the gesture with glee.

                         ~•~

Cleaning up the yard by the light of street lamps. Collecting party hats and paper plates that littered the grass into trash bags in hand.

Tommy groans, reaching down to pick up the thirtieth plate. Twisting his body left and right with a wince. "Man, I'm tired."

Joel scoffs. "Wait till you have a kid." He advises. "Then you'll truly know what it means to be tired."

"Boys!" Catches their attention. "It's getting late." Y/N informs. "Do we need to prepare the couch, Tommy?"

"I'm alright, Y/N. Kiss Sarah goodnight for me."

"I will. Get home safe." She waves stepping back inside.

"Y/N looks good." He says looking to his brother busying himself with knotting the trash bag. "Treatments must be going well." 

"She decided---to uhhh…." Joel struggles to say. "We decided to---uhhh---stop…" He swallows. "Stop the treatment."

"Oh." Was all Tommy could say. "I'm here for you bro, and the girls." he assures.

"I know." He nods, clearing his throat. "C'mon. Need to put these in the bins."

                         ~•~

Joel exhales a breath rolling his stiff neck and shoulders when entering his and Y/N's bedroom. Spending the past few hours putting away the many toys and clothes Sarah was gifted. The sound of a running faucet grabs his attention. Turning to see Y/N in the bathroom taking off the wig she had been wearing that day.

Her H/C short with patches littering her scalp. Leaning into the mirror, turning her head, tracing them with her fingers. Ruffling through drawers on his side of the bathroom. The buzzing of clippers sound and without hesitation shaving the front of her head. 

He makes his way to the doorway. Silently watching her e/c eyes taking note of his presence. He watches the many scars in various states of healing become visible from the numerous surgeries that promised results.

Struggling with the chord to reach behind. He stands behind her taking his clippers into his hand helping her with the back. Rounding her ears and base of her neck. Finishing his work turning the clippers off.

 She exhales, her shoulders releasing tension. Running her hands over her head, closing her eyes.

 The clippers turning back on startles her. Looking to the mirror catching Joel running the clippers straight down his head of curls. She gasps, eyes wide holding her hands over her mouth.

He smiles continuing to lop off his hair. As tears welled up in her eyes. Now her turn, she takes the clippers helping him with the back.

"So handsome." She gushes, running her hands over his head.

"You pull it off better, mama." Giving her a passionate kiss. She swoons.

"Wait here." Taking the baby monitor from their bedroom into the bathroom turning the volume up. "We never got to have mommy daddy time." She whispers.

 "Can't have that."

"No, we can not." She agrees. Placing the monitor on the sink.

 "If you're not feeling up to it. At any moment--"

"I'll let you know." She shimmies off her panties. Stepping out of them her flowery sundress is his only obstacle. Turning the shower on she turns peeking over her shoulder with sultry eyes. "Unzip me."

He does so. Tracing his finger down her spine making her shutter. She turns, gathering the hem of his shirt, lifting it up, placing hot kisses to his broad chest. 

Stripped bare, stepping into the hot water breathing in the steam. Suddenly feeling bashful she tries to hide herself, but he unwrapped her arms from her chest with the scars from many entry points from chemo. He traces them with his thumb looking at her wrists where more marks are laid. He places a kiss on them. His hands ghosted around her in an embrace. Thumb skimming her shoulder blades. Anchoring herself by his shoulders to lower him to her level, capturing his lips. There was tension in his muscles and a stiffness she wasn't used to. His hands almost cradling her. "I'm not fine china." She reminds.

He stifles a chuckle giving a nod. The water coasting along his brows. "Tough as nails." He smiles. She hasn't seen him smile without a sadness behind his eyes since her diagnosis.

"So treat me as such." She purrs, digging her nails into his back. He groans, watching his slack jawed expression as she drags all the way to his hips. A thrill stirs within her seeing she had succeeded in awaking the lust within.

His hold of her tightens, pulling a gasp from her throat as he spins her 'round, pinning her to the wet linoleum. She grins, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth. Breath hitches in her throat, his hand interlocking with her own. "Right there!" She breathes. "Oh, Joel." She moans the knot in her stomach tightening. With her heart drumming in her ears the rhythmic thrusts of her love. His hips stalls as he groans grow deeper.

"Almost there." He moans. "Oh, Y/N."

She lets out a shuttery whine. "Slower." She urges wanting the moment to last.

"Oh---J-Joel." Her back is arching. He grunts burying his face onto her neck, hot breath fanning her neck. Letting out a long moan as she squeals. Her legs buckle as he wraps his arms around her waist as she leans into him chuckling.

"Still with me?" He coos.

 "Mmm." she hums. "This tops when we christened the house." Mouth now flooding with the taste of copper.

 "Nothing beats our wedding night." He chuckles, guiding the both of them under the stream of the shower head. "To be young again."

"God knows how we didn't have Sarah sooner."

Author's Note: I did not except so many readers and love for my little one shot idea. I decided to change the title hopefully there is no confusion to "Mrs. Miller" an idea that blossomed into my own story using context clues from the games and show of what happened to Sarah's Mother.

(Hopefully the tag list worked. It's my first time doing one. Please let me know.)

Series chapter order:

Mrs. Miller

Mrs. Miller: Chapter 2

Mrs. Miller: Chapter 3

Mrs. Miller: Chapter 4

Mrs. Miller: Chapter 5

Tag list:

@impala1967666

@minaxcarter

@blairfox04

@pedr0swh0r3

@thomasshelbee

[guzzlingplastic]

band au ch4 snippet!

hi everyone, it's been a while! we have a little chapter 4 preview for you, and keep an eye out, because the full thing could be coming very, very soon 👀 you can catch up with all the fun and all the drama here! and poster inspo here!

“Ooh, have you thought about doing a Kit and the Situations Christmas album?” Stacy says, as she gestures for Graydon to pass the green beans across the table.  

Kit chokes on her mulled wine. Over her dead body will they produce a Christmas album. 

Even Elora’s mouth twitches into a smile. “I don’t think we’re that popular yet, Mom.” 

“I’m sure you are. One of my clients wanted to know, would you perform at his gay wedding,” Stacy says, as if that settles the matter of their popularity. 

Elora outright laughs at that, while Graydon lets out a restrained giggle. 

“What did you tell him?” Graydon asks, taking a bite of his beans. 

“That you’re very busy with your little tour. Of course you don’t have time for a gay wedding.” 

Jade nudges Kit, catching her eye, and mouths the words ‘little tour’ to herself, suppressing a laugh. Kit smiles. It’s the most normal she’s felt with Jade in weeks. 

“You can just say ‘wedding’,” Elora says, gently correcting her mom. 

“They’re the ones who keep calling it a gay wedding!” Stacy protests. “Won’t stop, in fact. I politely suggested they put ‘Jake and Mike cordially invite you to our wedding’ on the invitations and they said, ‘Absolutely not. It has to be Jake and Mike’s gay wedding.’” 

Kit could gag. She restrains herself to a subtle eye-roll instead.

“That’s cute,” Graydon says. “It must be really rewarding working to make such a special time for people the best it can be.” 

“Oh, Graydon, aren’t you just a sweetheart?” Stacy grins at him, and, oh my god, Kit just realized that she’s literally in the meet-the-parent scene from a romcom, only it’s Graydon meeting Elora’s mom. 

Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew. 

[k0k0naty]

📌attention 📌

the characters in this story have the opposite sex from the original game, and are not 100% identical to the original work, I hope you understand and enjoy.

Charles: Charlotte

Arthur: Agatha

Jonh: Jane

Dutch: Dina

Hose: Rose

Micah: Misa

Abigail: Benjamin

Lenny: Linda

Tilly: Tito

Jack: Joyce

Javier: Frida (whoever understood, understood).

─────────ೋღ 🌺 ღೋ─────────

When Agatha left the barn, she realized that the others had not yet entered the house, so she approached to find out what was happening?

Agatha: It's freezing out here! Why don't you come in?

Linda: Misa and Dina are fighting with a crazy guy inside!

Agatha: What??

Agatha quickly goes in to see what's going on and finds Misa threatening a man who has an axe in his hands.

Dina: Misa! Put that gun down!

Misa: So this cutie can stick that axe in my face? No way!

The man cried and threatened them, but didn't get any closer. Man: This house is mine and my wife's!

Misa: Your wife is dead!

Dina: Misa!

The angry man uses all his anger to kick the table towards Misa, making her fall with the impact and letting the gun fly from her hands. The man approaches ready to cut Misa in half, but Dina shoots him in the hand, making him drop the axe.

Dina: Sir! Calm down! The man looks at her with pure sadness and hatred in his eyes.

Arthur: Sir, we are so sorry for your wife, we can't even imagine the pain you must be feeling, but you need to understand that we are not here to hurt you, so please calm down.

Dina approaches the man to try to calm him down, and it seems to work, he seems to be calmer, so Dina takes him to the chair and makes him sit down, offering him some water from the metal bottle that always stayed in his coat. Agatha helps Misa get up from the floor and slaps her on the head.

Misa: AA!.. what's your problem? 

Agatha: What's YOUR problem? Using such a low blow against a widower. 

Agatha really wanted the man to stick the axe in Misa, but unfortunately “she was family”, after that, Agatha goes outside and calls the others inside, Benjamin was still a little reluctant to go in for the safety of his daughter, but it was too cold to demand certain luxuries. Dina takes the firewood that was already cut and piled in the corner of the house and throws it into the fireplace, uses the fire from the lamp to light the fireplace and takes the opportunity to light her cigarette. 

Dina: The situation this poor man is going through is horrible. 

Agatha: They made him a widower, bastard animals. 

Dina: Sir, what's your name?

Man:... Sandro, Sandro Adler. 

Dina: Very well, Mr. Adler, you're safe now. 

Man: They... They abused and... They killed... my wife, we were fine until they... they. 

Dina:... We're sorry about your wife, but it's great that at least you're okay. 

Everyone huddles in the house, even though there isn't much space. Misa takes advantage of Sandro's indisposition and grabs some blankets from the closet and gives them to the others. Agatha looks at her judgingly, but doesn't do anything. It turns out that all the supplies and medicines they put in their bags for the trip were taken out and placed on the table to have a fair separation for everyone. 

Dina: Let's be fair, okay? 

Benjamin: My daughter is hungry, she can have mine. 

Agatha looks at Benjamin with a look of pity, and even though she's still hungry, she made a small sacrifice. 

Agatha: There's no need for that, Benjamin, you can eat mine, I'm not hungry. 

Benjamin: Are you sure?

Agatha: Sure, and another thing, I already ate a can of beans a few minutes ago. 

Benjamin:.... Thank you Agatha. 

Agatha: Don't thank me. 

Dina: Okay, now we need the others. 

After separating the food for everyone, Dina goes to rest a little, since she hadn't slept in 3 days. Misa sits near the fireplace with one of Sandro's blankets and Agatha sits near the window drawing in her diary, her train of thought is interrupted when a can of beans is offered in front of her. 

Charlotte: We can share it. 

Agatha: What? No need for that Charlotte, you can eat it. 

Charlotte: You're hungry Agatha, let's at least share the can, okay? 

Agatha tries to resist, but she knows that Charlotte was too good to see a poor outlaw pass by and do nothing, so she gives in. 

Agatha: Okay, but only a little. 

Charlotte sits next to Agatha and shares the spoon to eat.

Charlotte: Are you tired?

Agatha: Very tired, I haven't slept well in 2 days.

Charlotte: I'm tired too, but if you want, I can offer you my shoulder to sleep on.

Agatha: No need, besides, I need to keep watch.

Charlotte: Hm, then I'll stay awake with you.

Agatha: Charlotte, no need-

Charlotte: Two minds are better than one, don't you agree, Miss Morgan?

Agatha thought about resisting, but it wouldn't do any good, in the end, the one who would come out on top would be Charlotte, so she just accepted.

Agatha: Okay... you win, but just this once.

Charlotte: Sure, just this once.

They both stayed up all night enjoying each other's company, Agatha drawing in her notebook and Charlotte just watching the fire in the fireplace dance. It had been 2 days since Jane disappeared, Benjamin was getting worried and making it clear to everyone, complaining, trying to convince someone to go after her and staying at the door or window waiting for him to return. Agatha was in the barn feeding the horses until Benjamin showed up. 

Benjamin: Agatha.

Agatha: Hm? Benjamin

Benjamin: How's your day going?

Agatha:... Don't play this mind game with me, tell me what you want.

Benjamin lets out a long sigh.

Benjamin: Please, go after Jane.

Agatha: You worry too much, she must be fine.

Benjamin: Damn Agatha, she hasn't shown up in 2 days

Agatha: She's a strong and very intelligent woman, she shows up.

Benjamin: It's been 2 days.

It seems like someone was eavesdropping on their conversation. Misa appeared by surprise, paying attention.

Benjamin: Agatha, please.

Misa: Oh, no need to waste your breath, Mr. Marston, me and... Charlotte are going to look for your dear Jane.

Agatha: Are you really going to have the courage to face all this snow?

Misa: Of course, all to help our friend.

Agatha: And why are you taking Charlotte?

Misa: She's good at hunting, maybe she's also good at tracking.

Agatha was silent, the answer made sense, but something about her bothered her a little, what was her real intention?

Benjamin: Wow, thank you very much, I owe you.

Misa: Oh, you definitely owe me, Agatha, set aside 2 horses please

Misa left, maybe to inform the others that she and Charlotte were going to do a super rescue and wanted to win praise, maybe that's it, Agatha didn't think much about it, she just took the horses and prepared them for the big mission. Charlotte looked around carefully for clues, but all this snow made things difficult.

Misa: Frida said that the last time she saw her, she had gone north.

Charlotte: Let's hope she hasn't run away again.

Charlotte and Misa headed north, and luckily found some clues, and one of them was the scarf Benjamin made for Jane hanging from one of the tree branches and footprints.

Charlotte: horse footprints.

Misa: how are you sure they're from a horse?

Charlotte: they're big and round.

Misa: it could be a deer.

Charlotte: no, deer have triangular footprints and they're smaller than a horse's.

Misa: it's incredible how you can see footprints so well in this snow, is it some kind of black skill?

Charlotte fell silent at this comment, clearly offended, but chose to swallow her answer. They continued their search in the silence and the howling winds, until Misa spoke again.

Misa: grr it's a hard wind.

Charlotte: We have to be quick if we don't want to lose the tracks.

They both sped up a bit, but the wind was getting stronger, it was almost impossible to see, Charlotte almost fell from a monstrous height because she couldn't see what was in front of her.

Misa: Are you okay?

Charlotte: It was nothing, I almost fell.

Misa: Be careful.

Her answer sounded a bit mocking, almost as if she wanted Charlotte to have fallen. Walking further ahead, they found a trail of blood that stood out in the snow, and ended up finding a frozen horse's corpse.

Charlotte: Poor animal

Misa: That horse was weak, if it died it must have been no good.

Charlotte ignored Misa's comments and stared at the horse with pity, but then her mind returned to its place and she continued to find more blood trails.

Charlotte: The path we're going to follow now is narrow, we can't take the horses.

Charlotte spoke as she got off Taima and slapped her on the butt to make her run away, Misa did the same thing.

Misa: Are you sure you know what you're doing?

Charlotte: Shoot in the air, maybe Jane will hear.

Misa grabs her gun and shoots in the air making a loud noise, but at least they hear someone calling for help.

Charlotte: It's her! Let's go

Charlotte was in front, the path was very narrow and full of holes, if your foot steps in the wrong place it's a death certificate. They were going down a small snowy hill when Charlotte felt pressure on her shoulder making her slide down the hill, by reflex, she put pressure on her shins on the ground to slow down and she saved herself by staying on the edge of the cliff.

Misa: Are you okay?

Charlotte: I am! Yes I am! But come down here quickly and help me!

Misa takes a while to get down and pulls Charlotte up, Charlotte's coat now covered in snow.

Misa: Be careful where you step, hunter. Charlotte didn't like the nickname, but she appreciates the concern. Walking further ahead, the calls for help become clearer, it was Jane, and she didn't look very well.

Misa: You have a big scar on your face.

Jane: I noticed. Charlotte gets down to help Jane.

Jane: It's so good to see you Charlotte.

Charlotte: It's good to see you too, friend. Charlotte picks up Jane and carries her on her shoulders, Jane wasn't as heavy as she thought. Misa informed them that they couldn't go the same way, so they had to be creative and find another way out.

Jane: I'm freezing.

Charlotte: You'll be fine, hang in there.

They managed to find a way out, and luckily the horses weren't that far away, but all good things come to an end quickly, when Charlotte put Jane on Taima, they heard wolf howls.

Misa: shit. 

Charlotte: protect Jane, I'll keep them busy. 

Misa: no, YOU protect Jane, let me keep them busy. 

Charlotte: whatever you want. 

Misa grabs her gun and calls the wolves' attention, in a few bullets she kills them all, but gets deep bites as a gift. 

Charlotte: let's get out of here quickly before more of the "family of joy" show up. 

Misa: that joke was good.

Charlotte and Misa ran away with their horses. 

Jane: Those fleas killed my horse. 

Charlotte: And how did you survive? 

Jane: Unfortunately, I had to put my horse down and run away. 

Misa: At least they didn't take your head to the puppies. 

Jane: But maybe I'll die from the bites. 

Misa: Don't exaggerate, it's like being bitten by a dog. 

Jane: I knew a family whose uncle was bitten by a dog and died. 

Charlotte: You're not going to die, not yet. 

Jane: Not yet? 

Charlotte gives a light laugh, but her happiness is erased when more wolves run towards them. Misa aims at them and tries to kill them while Charlotte runs away on her horse. 

Charlotte: Don't get too close to them! 

Misa: I know! 

Misa shot each one, leaving a trail of blood in the snow. 

Misa: Can you see any more? 

Charlotte: No, none.

Misa: Holy shit, that was really bad. I guess it's Jane bringing me bad luck.

Jane: Agatha once told me I'm very lucky.

Misa: But luck isn't on our side today.

Charlotte: Benjamin will probably want an explanation for those scars.

Jane: I think being eaten alive was the best option.

After walking around in the snowstorm for a while, Misa asks for help to take Jane inside and Benjamin appears, picking her up and carrying her inside.

Benjamin: You're alive!

Jane: But I'm on the verge of death, honey.

Benjamin: Don't talk nonsense, you'll be fine.

Benjamin took her inside while scolding her for her stupid behavior. Charlotte offers to guard the horses while Misa goes inside to warm up.

Rose: Are you guys okay?

Misa: Yeah, just a few dog bites, nothing hard.

Rose: Let's go in and take care of this.

Agatha: Where's Charlotte?

Misa: She's guarding the horses.

Agatha: It's good to see you two okay.

Misa went inside with her arms bleeding and Agatha stood at the door waiting for Charlotte to return.

Misa: Is there any other maiden to be saved?

Dina: No, not yet

Misa: Hehe not yet

Dina: Good job, you two.

Charlotte comes inside shivering from the cold, she doesn't talk to anyone, she just grabs a blanket and lies down on the floor near the fireplace. Agatha approaches.

Agatha: Are you okay?

Charlotte: I am, I just need some warmth.

Agatha understands that Charlotte isn't very well, so she leaves a can of beans nearby in case she gets hungry later.

Agatha: Better rest then.

Charlotte: Thank you.

[negasonic9403]

The Dichotomy of Eating

Trigger Warning: Disordered Eating (restrictive and binge eating behaviors), Dissociation, Vomiting

Featuring Deaf!Peter Parker pov

Basically Peter gets tired of everyone worrying about him even though he has a problem

I hate when the team watches how I eat for a day and decides it's enough to get worried over. No one seems to understand that what I eat in a day isn't how I always eat. I can't help that when I get stressed, I can't eat anything. I can't help that some days I get so hungry that I can hardly control myself. I can't help everything that's changed since becoming Spiderman.

The team always seems to get worried about if I'm eating enough after we have missions. We get back and they all have a tradition of eating a late night meal together. I'm never hungry after missions, even if I should be ravenous, because of all the adrenaline still pumping through my body. It's hard for me to focus after missions and I tend to zone out while everyone else eats. Mr. Stark always orders me something because Mr. Rogers says, "Tony, he's a growing boy and he has an enhanced metabolism that's even faster than mine. He needs to eat something!"

No matter what's ordered, I never eat it. I just can't. The thought of eating after a mission makes me feel sick. They only worry more when it takes me a week or more to get back to normal. I can't help that it takes me time to get back into my routine and to feel normal again. I can't help that it takes me time for my anxiety to calm down. Since when did having anxiety become a crime? Every other avenger has issues, issues a lot worse than mine, but they only ever want to know how I'm doing. I'm doing fine. Sure, it takes me a week after a mission to be able to eat a full meal with everyone but I can't control how big or small my appetite is. Really, I'm doing fine. I just wish they wouldn't worry about me, especially when we have multiple missions in a span of a couple weeks. Someone is always nagging me to eat, but I can't eat when I'm stressed. I always tell them I'll eat when we get back, but I don't say when. Eventually I do eat, just not right after. My appetite always comes back, and it usually comes back strong for a couple of days. I don't understand why that makes them worried. I'm fine.

I blink a few times as I notice Mr. Stark waving his hand in front of my face to get my attention. I must have zoned out after the mission again. I look at the food in front of me and feel myself grimacing before focusing on Mr. Stark.

He looks concerned as he signs to me, 'Peter, are you okay? You've been zoned out for the last half hour.'

I just nod in response, hoping to stop the conversation before it can start, but that wasn't enough to stop him. Mr. Stark nodded before signing, 'You should eat kid. You haven't eaten much the last few days.'

I can feel my stomach grumble angrily at the thought of ingesting anything. 'I'm fine. I'm not hungry anyways.'

I watch Mr. Stark frown at that. 'Peter, you always say you're not hungry. You've hardly eaten anything all week. You need to eat something.'

I know he won't let it go so I take a deep breath and eat a few bites of the green beans that are on my plate. As soon as the food is in my mouth, I feel like vomiting but force it down anyways. After I manage half the green beans, I put my fork down and have to focus hard on not vomiting. I rubbed my stomach gently and took a few deep breaths. The nausea wouldn't go away so I tapped Mr. Stark's arm to get his attention. 'I don't feel so good.'

Mr. Stark looked concerned, but I couldn't focus on that for too long because my stomach gave a sudden jerk that sent me running from the table and to the bathroom to throw up. It wasn't unusual for me to vomit after a mission, especially if they made me eat something. I was just usually able to force it down until no one was around before it happened.

After a few explosive moments, the vomiting was over and I sat down on the floor beside the sink I just violated. I wiped my mouth on the fabric of my suit and took a deep breath before letting it all out. I blinked hard before making eye contact with Mr. Stark. He was leaning against the door frame and seemed to be waiting for me to notice him.

Once we made eye contact, he asked, 'Are you okay?' and I nodded. I did feel a lot better, but my stomach was still upset.

After giving a small thumbs up, I managed to stand up, but wobbled slightly. I leaned into the wall behind me, begging the world to stop spinning. I felt Mr. Stark at my side, making sure I didn't fall over. I leaned into him and let him lead me back into the restaurant.

I can feel Mr. Stark speaking to the rest of the avengers as he makes sure I stay up right. The vibrations grumble through his chest and against my body. I'm not sure what he said, but I can only imagine he told them he was taking me back to the Tower because I watched everyone else stand up to leave without a word.

I could feel the eyes of all the other avengers on me and I wished they would stop. I'm fine. I don't need them worrying about me. This is normal. They've just never seen me like this.

Mr. Stark gets my attention and he signs with one hand, 'We're going back to the Tower, okay? You need to get some rest.'

I couldn't help but roll my eyes before replying, 'I'm fine.'

Mr. Stark sighed and shook his head. 'Peter, you threw up in the bathroom sink. You're going to rest when we get back.'

I nodded, knowing that no one on the team would let me get my way this time, but really, I'm fine.

After a relatively short drive, we arrive back at the Tower and I go to my room to change into my pajamas. In truth, I was exhausted and I probably did need the rest that Mr. Stark was making me get, but I was fine. I decided to go ahead and lay down though because I needed to let Ned know I was okay.

I messaged my best friend that we were all back to the tower and safe before I put my phone away and went to sleep.

———

The next week consisted of all of us recovering and everyone nagging at me to eat more. It was starting to get on my nerves because whether or not I had an appetite wasn't up to me. My metabolism and appetite did what they wanted and I was just along for the ride.

I hoped everyone would stop nagging me now because today I woke up so hungry I thought I was going to throw up. I got up, got dressed, and went to the kitchen for food. I grabbed the first thing I could, which happened to be about half a loaf of plain white bread, and started eating. Before I knew it, I had finished the bread and I was still starving. I decided to go for some fruit this time and went to the fridge to get the green grapes.

Once I had the package, I went and sat down at the island and started eating them. I loved grapes so much and it was obvious by the amount that I typically went through in a week. Usually, one bag would last me for a couple of days and then we would need more.

I reached into the bag for another grape, only to realize I had already eaten them all. Huh, that was a full bag too. Stupid metabolism.

I threw the container away and went back to looking for more food. I was still hungry and felt insatiable. My eyes landed on the leftover Thai food and I grinned. I loved Thai food.

I got the container out and didn't even bother heating it up before chowing down. While I was in the middle of a bite, I felt a hand being placed on my shoulder. Food in my mouth, I turned around to see who it was.

I made eye contact with Mr. Stark and gave him a bit of a grin around my food. I assumed he would be relieved that I was finally eating again, but instead he looked concerned. What had gone wrong this time? Did they need to leave for another mission?

I must have looked confused while I swallowed my food because Mr. Stark told me, 'Peter, you need to slow down. You're going to hurt yourself.'

Now I was even more confused. He was concerned because I was eating now? Just yesterday we'd gotten into an argument because I wasn't eating and now he was telling me to slow down? In return, I asked him, 'Why? Yesterday you were telling me to eat something and now you're telling me to not eat something? Which is it?'

I watched the man sigh before he replied, 'That's not what I meant. I want you to eat, but you're eating too much too fast. I watched you demolish half a loaf of bread and over a pound of grapes in less than half an hour. You need to give your body time to digest what you've eaten before putting more food in.'

Quirking a brow at him, I replied, 'But I'm hungry. Just let me eat.' After that, I walked back to my room with the Thai food in hand. Mr. Stark didn't follow me, but I could tell he was worried. I just didn't understand. I'm fine, but no one else can see that.

After finishing the Thai food, I paced around my room. I was still hungry, but my stomach felt full and bloated. I probably should wait a little bit before eating again like Mr. Stark said, but I didn't want to feel this hungry.

Groaning, I went over to my mini fridge and snack shelf. I grabbed a snack size bag of chips and an energy drink before plopping down at my desk to eat.

Before I knew it, I had eaten five bags for the chips. I felt a little embarrassed, eating in secret like this, but at least no one was judging me for eating and I finally felt full enough to take a break.

———

The next few days were just like the day I started eating again. I'd wake up ravenous, go eat in the kitchen for awhile, someone would get concerned and try to talk to me about it, and then I'd retreat to my room to snack until I felt full.

I was already at the retreat part of my day when the lights in my room flashed a couple times slowly. I knew that someone was at my door and had Friday alert me they were there. Hiding my snack wrappers, I got up and went to open the door.

Mr. Stark stood there and asked, 'Can I come in?' I nodded and stepped back for him to enter. A sudden spike of anxiety went through me as I thought about whether or not I'd hid the snack wrappers well enough. I didn't want anyone knowing that when I retreated to my room it was to eat more. That was embarrassing and they'd only worry about me more I didn't need that. I'm fine.

I watched Mr. Stark sit down on my bed and he patted the spot beside himself so I sat down. He patted my shoulder before telling me, 'Pete, I'm worried about you.'

I chewed my lip and asked, 'Why are you worried? I'm fine.' To be honest, I knew I wasn't exactly fine but I also knew my problems weren't that bad. I knew everyone else had so many more issues that needed to be addressed.

Mr. Stark looked at me like I should know what he was talking about before signing, 'I've tried to not bother you too much about it because I know we all have different ways to deal with being an Avenger, but I'm worried about your eating habits. You get so stressed on missions that you can barely eat for a week and then you'll eat everything in sight for the next three or so days. That's not healthy.'

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I knew he was right, but I could handle it. I'm an avenger. I can handle anything.

Averting my eyes a bit, which is rather rude in the Deaf community, I signed back, 'I'm fine. I can handle it.'

I could see Mr. Stark sigh out of the corner of my eye and he tapped on my shoulder until I looked back at him for him to tell me, 'I know you're not fine and that's okay. None of us are fine, but if you can't admit it then we can't fix it. You can't handle this alone, but we can help you.'

I didn't realize at first, but there were tears running down my face. I wiped them away once I felt them before responding slowly with shaking hands, 'I'm not fine... I don't think I've been fine for a long time.'

I watched Mr. Stark nod, as if encouraging me to tell him more. I took a deep breath before continuing, 'I don't know what's wrong. I feel like I can't control myself around food. After we get back from a mission, the thought of eating seems disgusting and it doesn't gradually get better. It just seems awful until it doesn't and then all of a sudden I'll realize how hungry I am and then I want to eat everything I see... I don't know what to do anymore... I'm sorry.'

I didn't expect what happened next. Tony pulled me into a hug and I cried into his shoulder. I felt raw, but lighter at the same time.

Once we pulled apart, I wiped my eyes and he signed, 'You don't need to be sorry. It's okay to not be okay. We'll figure this out and get you some help, okay? And if the two of us can't find something that helps then I'll find someone else who can help you. Okay?'

I nodded and took a deep breath. I managed a little smile at Tony and I knew someday, things wouldn't be like this. I'm not fine, but that's okay. We'll figure it out and handle it together. Someday, I'll be fine and I'll have Tony to thank for having the hard conversations with me, just like a real dad does.

[imonawholedifferentlevel]

𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲

⇛𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗲⇚

𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗣𝗢𝗩 ‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

The next day we walked through the halls and I felt a bunch of eyes on us, well mostly on me.

"Do humans stare like this a lot?" Willa whispered to me while glaring at some people making them back up in fear.

"You'll get used to it" I said this wasn't the first time people stared at me like this when zombies were able to attend school. People were surprised to see a she- wolf and not in a good way.

We walked into the cafeteria and everyone stopped what they were doing and cleared a way.

Willa smirked under her breath and flipped her hair dramatically which made me roll my eyes. That girl always had an obsession with her hair next to her makeup.

We picked a table and sat down with me and Willa sitting on the table and the rest of the pack sitting on the chairs or in tables next to ours.

"So Moon, do you know how we're going to pursue when we get to Seabrook power?" Wynter asked.

"I honestly don't know at first I wanted to go full on badass mode and just bust in there but that would trigger the alarm" I explained.

Wyatt snickered a little at what I had just said "is there like a switch that can deactivate it?"

"No I don't think so" I said just as I felt a vibrate in my back pocket.

I pulled out my phone and Wynter let out a gasp.

"Woah! What's that?!" She asked taking it from me and examining it.

"It's called a phone Wynter" I chuckled out taking the phone from her hands.

"Why is it shaped like a box?" Willa asked, cocking her head and looking at the phone.

"I don't know, ask the inventors" I laughed and unlocked it to see it was a message from Zed.

Big Green Bean 💚- hey can we talk?

I felt a hand squeeze my thigh and some pressure on my shoulder and saw Willa leaning on my shoulder giving me a grin.

Wolfy 🐾- I can't talk right now I'm busy

I put my phone back in my pocket and Willa leaned up.

"I gotta go to the restroom real quick" she said and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

"Mwaa!" She said when we pulled away, making me let out a laugh and roll my eyes.

She got up from the table and walked off towards the restrooms and I started to talk with the pack unaware of Zed following after Willa.

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As Willa walked through the halls her eyebrows furrowed as she felt the sensation of being watched she turned around and was confused to see Zed leaning against the lockers.

"Umm can I help you?" Willa asked.

But Zed didn't say anything and just walked towards her.

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

After laughing at another joke that Wynter told I was starting to wonder what was taking Willa so long she had gone to the bathroom but that was thirty minutes ago.

"Hey guys I'm gonna go find Willa" I said getting up from the table and walking out of the cafeteria.

I was walking through the hallway and turned the corner but stopped in my tracks when I saw Zed and Willa talking and by the looks of their body language I can tell it was getting heated.

I decided to hide and listen in on their conversation "you can't keep Moon away from us" Zed exclaimed.

"I'm not nobody is, it's her own choice whether she wants to see you or not I don't have any brainwashing abilities" Willa said in an agitated tone.

"Well everything was fine until you guys came into this school-"

"For her! We came to this school for her!" Willa snapped.

"And now because of you my sister won't talk to me!" Zed snapped back.

"Must I remind you where she came from had those hunters never had attacked us she wouldn't even have known you from the start" Willa explained stepping closer to Zed and I saw her claws start to slowly get bigger.

"Stay away from Moon" he replied, balling his fist.

"And what if I don't, what are you gonna do?" She pouted, cocking her head.

"And even if I did stay away from her, what's the point? She can't stay away from me so all your little efforts would be in vain. She's my mate and you can't go against our traditions!" She said.

"Stay away from her!" He said.

"Over. My. Dead. Body" she said and turned to walk away and I was taken aback when Zed grabbed her arm and yanked her back towards him with excessive force she quickly growled at him but by then I had already marched up to them and pulled Willa out of Zed's hold.

"What the fuck are you doing Zed?!" I shouted while holding Willa to my side by her waist.

At this point the bell had rang and students were starting to flood through the halls.

I looked down and saw that she was holding her arm. I moved her hand and saw a slight bruise forming.

I growled and without second thought punched Zed right across the face knocking him down, gaining the attention of almost everyone in the hallway and my pack as they rushed towards us.

"Who the hell do you think you are huh?! Werewolf or not enemy or not you don't put your hands on a girl like that and especially if it's my girl for that matter!" I snapped.

"I'm sorry Moon it's just ever since you left you changed you used to be bright and playful but now you're just serious and you don't even hang out with us anymore" he explained getting off the floor.

"Yeah that's my job as the great alpha, the leader of this pack I have to stay by them and protect them at all costs it's basically a suicide mission I'm putting myself on and it's not that I don't want to hang out with you guys it's because I'm trying to protect the people I love!" I shouted.

"Well you don't show it! Before they even came to this school you were always sulking in your room and just closed yourself off from everyone just because you couldn't find your wild family-"

I cut him off by grabbing him by his collar and slamming him into the lockers "you wanna see just how wild I can be Zed?" I growled and my pack followed after me surrounding and exits I'f Zed tried to run.

"Let me pour some common sense into that undead brain of yours huh? You're trying to act like a human when you know good and damn well you're a monster

So instead of being a fucking hypocrite you grow some damn balls and pick up a book and learn about how to treat a real woman before you go to third base with snowflake" I snapped.

I leaned closer to him my eyes turning gold as I stared directly into his eyes "put your hands on Willa or any of my pack again and that Z- patrol is gonna have a hard time finding your body I tend to get a little crafty with my prey" I snarled before pushing him away.

"Wolves! Let's roll out!" I said as I grabbed Willa's hand and led her away from the eyes that were watching us.

We burst through the doors and walked to one of the tables and sat down.

"Are you ok?" I asked Willa examining her wound which was more visible.

"Yeah I'm fine it's slightly irritating but nothing I haven't handled" she said.

"He shouldn't have ever touched you in the first place" I said, massaging the wound.

"Babe, it's fine," she said.

"Let's head back to the den it's almost time to go" I said and got up from my seat taking Willa's hand and walking away from the school with the pack following.

After some time we reached the edge of the forbidden woods and I turned to Willa "wanna race?" I asked and she turned to me, her face slowly contorting to a smirk.

"You know it," she said.

Everyone let out a howl before we rushed off into the woods at top speed.

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

"Zed, are you ok?" Addison asked, rushing up to her boyfriend as the rest of the crowd started to disperse away.

"I messed up big time Addi now Moon really won't talk to me" Zed mumbled putting his head in his hands desperately trying not to cry.

"Zed look at me," she said, making him raise his head.

"You gotta let her do her part, it's not like she's gone forever she's just trying to make sure her and the pack lives because if they don't find the moonstone then they'll die" Addison explained.

"I just miss her," Zed said.

"We all do but for now it's best to just give her space and let her work this out," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek before skipping off down the hallway.

Zed took a deep breath before fixing himself up he knew Addison was right and plus he also had to focus on winning this whole election thing so that monsters can go to Prawn.

Zed went through the halls and ran into Eliza "there you are, the election is just about to start" she said and pulled him towards the auditorium.

"You got your speech?" She asked and he nodded.

"Wait, where's Moon?" She asked and he sighed.

"We got into an argument not long ago. She's not coming" he said.

"Oh" Eliza mumbled.

"I just want to win so that I'll be able to take Addison to Prawn" he said.

"No, Zed. This is bigger than that, okay? This is for you, for me, for all zombies everywhere this is more important than anything else look, we'll deal with this later, okay? Just become president that's what zombies need" Eliza said and Zed nodded feeling hyped up.

"Alright let's do this" he said and they entered just in time to see principal Lee at the podium.

"Your first nominee for... Running for president, wearing the sequined Mighty Shrimp uniform... Three time MVP, lean, mean, cheering machine... And captain of our hearts... Bucky!" She said and Bucky did a backflip onto the stage smiling when the crowd cheered loud for him.

"Your other candidate of... Why not? Introducing our soon-to-be first green-haired president and repping a proud people, Zed! Hear him roar!" She announced and Zed gave her a look.

"Um no, actually, we're not going to roar. No roaring." He laughed out over the cheers.

"You know what, um, I'm not going to fight. 'Cause, no, this isn't a fight. This is just a nice lil' cordial debate we're having here today." He said and Bucky crossed his arms.

"Good to hear, Zed. Oh, did you see that? That was a high-five." Bucky said with a sarcastic tone as the aceys laughed behind him.

"No," Zed bluntly said.

"Are you ready to battle?" Bucky said just as Bonzo started some music and everyone started to cheer.

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

(Bucky) It is my mission

(Acey's) We got a goal in mind

(Bucky) Save our tradition

(Acey's) That is the bottom line

(Bucky) We're always winning

(Acey's) Look how the trophies shine

(Bucky) You're going down Bury you back underground

(Zed) I'm the one who stands up for the people I embrace diversity, treat everyone as equal

(Eliza) Zed is thoughtful

(Zed) Thanks

(Eliza) He's a natural born leader

(Zed) True

(Eliza) And if ya think about it Bucky is neither

(Bucky) Yo, I will win this race I'm a cheer rock star Mirrors love my face

(Zed) Your ego makes your head so big you can't see You got no shot to beat me Oh!

(Bucky, Acey's) I know ya hear me If ya with me stand up

(Zed, Eliza) No way you win if you go against us

(Bucky, Acey's) In pictures we're more glamorous

(Zed, Eliza) Ya wanna battle with the best, good luck Let's go!

(Zed) You need a leader who looks out for the crowd

(Bucky) Then I'm winning! Someone that'll make you proud

(Zed) Then I'm winning! There through the ups and downs

(Bucky) I'm winning! Let me hear you scream it loud I'm winning!

(Zed) I challenge an old way of thinking

(Bucky) Yo! I know I'd be a much better president

(Acey's) Tell 'em your reasons!

(Bucky) I'm a real human! There's no danger in that. They're real monsters! What if they turn back?

(Zed) We aren't monsters, man, we win the football games We join the cheer squad; monsters wouldn't do those things We got a good attitude

(Bucky) Dude, you eat brains.

(Zed) If I did, you don't have one So you'd be safe!

(Bonzo) Ooh, zigna do dinga badda do Bidda ba dida bow, deda zaga dada doo, ah

(Bucky) You're all weird and strange

(Zed) We are here for change We need a president who will do whatever it takes!

(Bucky) Look, we can go back and forth But in the end it's fact You're a monster, and you can't debate that Yo, hey!

(Zed) I know ya hear me If ya with me stand up

(Bucky, Acey's) No way you win if you go against us

(Zed) I know we'll be victorious

(Bucky, Acey's) Ya wanna battle with the best, good luck Let's go!

(Bucky) You need a leader who looks out for the crowd

(Zed) Then I'm winning! Someone that'll make you proud

(Bucky) Then I'm winning! There through the ups and downs

(Zed) I'm winning! Let me hear you scream it loud I'm winning!

(Bucky) You wanna change Seabrook?

(Zed) Yeah, for the better.

(Bucky) Aha, I knew it How's it better to have zombies at Prawn?

(Zed) Our dance game's strong

(Bucky) What?

(All) Go, go, go, go Go, go, go, go

(Bucky) Zombie tongue at Seabrook zabba dabba zinga

(Zed) I think I'd make a fine president, too Thanks for the compliment I think you'd like Zombie as a second language It's an easy A

(Bucky) What's next - More zombie dates on calendars? More holidays

(Bucky) Woah, woah!

(Zed) And as an added perk If I'm president, no more homework!

(Zed) You need a leader who looks out for the crowd

(Bucky) Then I'm winning! Someone that'll make you proud

(Zed) I'm winning! There through the ups and downs I'm winning Let me hear you scream it loud I'm winning

(Zed) You need a leader who looks out for the crowd

(Bucky) Then I'm winning! Someone that'll make you proud (Zed) I'm winning There through the ups and downs I'm winning Let me hear you scream it loud I'm winning!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

All of a sudden, the wolves moonstones began to flicker, and the wolves started to cough.

Moon looked at Willa and they both nodded knowing that there was no time to waste if they were gonna survive, they had to move immediately.

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

"Wolves gather around!" I announced.

"I'm gonna need anybody who is strong enough to accompany me to Seabrook power. We're going to find this moonstone" I said and some of the pack raised their hands including Wynter but I didn't want her to go.

"Wyn you need to rest who knows what they'll do to us-"

"Which is more of a reason why I need to come with you. I'm fine I promise" she said giving me a soft smile.

I sighed deeply and nodded "ok" I mumbled.

"Moon" I turned and saw my dad walking up to me.

He put his hands on my shoulders and gave me a serious look "promise me you'll be safe?" He said and I nodded.

"I promise" I said and he kissed my forehead.

"Do you have your beta with you?" He asked.

Oh shit I honestly forgot about that.

"The thing is I didn't really choose them" I said and turned to look at Willa who was comforting Wynter.

"But I think I found em" I said and walked towards her.

"Hey Wils, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked and she looked up at me before looking back to Wynter "sure" she replied getting up and following me outside.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I know this mission might be the last one we ever go on and I know that I don't want to take a risk with anyone else but you so would you become my beta?" I asked.

Her face contorted into a smile and she wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a quick kiss "of course I will" she said.

"Shall we go then?" I said and she grabbed my hand.

"Wolves!" I called and my pack came out of the den.

"It's time to go" I said, and we all dashed into the woods.