#girl help I’m stuck on my back like a bug again

[strange-aeons]

YOU'RE IN HOSPITAL?

HAHA AS OF TODAY I AM ON THE LOOSE

[lemonjamdraws]

early posting for @lilanette-week day 3- bodyswap

small ficlet to accompany it as well

“Marinette? Are you okay?” There’s a strange high-pitched voice in her ear. Lila shakes her head, pressing a hand to her temple.

“What the hell…?” Her back is sore as hell, but she’s definitely not where she just was, and her own voice sounds different. Like, sweeter and rounder somehow. Just then, she registers the name she heard.

“Marinette?” She blinks as she pulls herself up to standing, squinting down at her paler skin and pink capris. What?

“Yes, you, Marinette!” The voice comes again, shrill and piercing, and she looks to the side to see a tiny red creature floating before her. Her jaw drops as she steps back. “Wait- you’re not Marinette-”

Just then, a force flies into her side and smashes her into the wall again.

“Ack! Sorry!” Another voice says–her voice–and she looks incredulously at the huge mass of dark brown hair against her. When the perpetrator looks up, she’s stunned. Like she’s looking into a mirror, except there’s a completely different expression than usual on her face.

“Who the hell are you? Is that my body? And what is the fairy? What-?”

“An akumatized villain swapped our bodies,” the fake-Lila says, pulling back to stand up straight. Lila looks around, having lost sight of the red thing. She does not trust the situation. “Oh boy, this got messy fast. Um. Tikki, help me out?”

Just then, there’s a tickle at her ear. Lila practically jumps, whipping her head around as goosebumps rise on her skin. Her hands rise automatically to protect her ears, but already there’s that red thing flying away towards the fake Lila, two black earrings in hand.

“Sorry!” That high-pitched voice calls out again.

Dots connect as she stares.

“No way,” she says, “you’re Ladybug, Marinette?”

“Umm,” fake-Lila says, “uhhh. Noo, that would be ridiculous, hahaha. Your ears are pierced by the way, right?”

Lila fixes her with a pointed glare and folded arms as fake-Lila manages to slot the studs into her ears with actual impressive ease.

“Okay, so. I’ll definitely explain this later. But if I don’t do this then we’re gonna be stuck like this forever,” fake-Lila says. Lila looks down at herself, at the painfully bright pink and honestly boring shirt and jacket combo.

“And that would be awful,” Lila finishes, “I certainly don’t want to walk around dressed like this.”

Fake-Lila’s mouth opens in protest. “Hey! I’m literally a fashion designer.” Lila makes an unimpressed sound, making a show of observing her own outfit.

“You certainly don’t dress like it,” she sniffs.

“I don’t have time for this,” Fake-Lila huffs, “Tikki, spots on!”

Miraculously, Lila watches as her body is consumed by a swirl of pink sparkles. When the VFX dissipate, the girl is standing there with a spotted red jacket and high-waisted shorts. Lila’s long hair is pulled into two different loose ponytails, and her face partially obscured by a classic red mask, complete with a single red spot on the center.

“Looks like even the miraculous can tell that I’m more fashionable than you,” Lila says with a smirk, satisfied at the much more attractive design that formed for her, versus that awful, awful spotted suit that Ladybug normally wears.

“Wait, really?” Fake-Lilabug takes a long look at the layers of her new outfit, shifting her feet out to observe the black boots complete with antennae-like bits flicking out the back. “Dang, this is not fair at all. I’m going to need to have some words with Tikki.”

“Is Tikki that bug thing that literally pickpocketed me?”

“I’m not sure removing my earrings from my body counts as pickpocketing,” fake-Lilabug returns. “So, I’m going to need you to stay quiet about this whole thing. But here’s the bonus! After I defeat this akuma, you can say I lent you the earrings to be Ladybug this time and actually are my best friend. We both win!”

Lila cocks her head.

“Oh, really?” She didn’t expect that, but since Ladybug’s on a time crunch, it makes sense she might try to buy Lila’s favor as quickly as possible. “That’s very nice, but my price for silence is much higher.”

Lilabug frowns, her foot tapping impatiently. “What do you want?” 

Lila smiles sweetly.

“Take me on a date as Ladybug and let me do a vlog about it.” Her words are accompanied with a big grin, and it’s all too amusing to watch fake-Lilabug’s face fall, even if it’s with her face. “Prove me right and let the whole world know that we’re very close.”

Fake-Lilabug looks left and right, biting at her lip.

“You’re going to put yourself in more danger if you do that,” she says. “Hawkmoth will go after you.”

“Let’s just say it won’t be the first time,” Lila returns easily, looking down at her (Marinette’s) nails. “Deal or no deal, darling class prez. Clock’s ticking.”

“Damn it,” the girl swears. “Fine. You stay right here, though. I’ll be back soon.”

“Of course,” Lila says with a smile. “See you soon, bestie~!”

When the room is finally empty of everyone but her, she hums nonchalantly and pulls Marinette’s phone from the pink crossbody bag. 

Hopefully, she has fingerprint ID turned on…

[xcyphoz0a]

4 steps to (not so) discreetly show interest + the one moment you do.

Recipient: @yuellii , secret santa event! Enjoy :)

Gender neutral reader, fluff TW/CW: injury(minor) Word count: 2739 Proofread: n/a | she think’s she’s discreet, her act is to perfection. is it? oh, no, no– you know. it’s painfully obvious but you can’t help but watch in amusement, watching as she trip on her own heels, but you’re there to help. | A/N: set in modern times, highschool au, ITS CHRISTMAS, SNOW!! :D

Furina, as confident and enthusiastic she may be on stage, still has sides that she feels difficult to show– perhaps some of her more softer and ‘weaker’ sides that she kept behind the facade of flamboyancy.

Recently having found newfound interest in you, the school librarian, she couldn’t help but subconsciously make her way to the school library, taking a seat near your station, peeking from the top of her book as she watches you work on your laptop.

Perhaps it was in the spur of the moment, or it was her muscles that moved on their own, when she had walked up towards the small desk, slamming her hands down on the table.

Eyes moving rapidly from your startled form towards the book ridden wall, she finds her words stuck in her throat, unable to form a coherent sentence.

You adjust your posture as you form a small smile, not knowing what to say.

“May I help you?”

Furina finds her face flaring up into fire as she rethinks her sudden movements, finding herself at a loss of words. She stares at you for a good while until you wave a timid hand in front of the famous school actress.

“Ah, I thought I saw a bug near you– haha…”

The heterochromia girl wanted to sink into a hole and never be seen again– what kind of excuse was that? – to her, it seemed like a loss of face as one of the best students with great acting in the drama club. 

“I… see. Thanks for your concern.” Your voice is laced with some bit of confusion, watching the flustered girl run outside of the library.

Interesting…

1) Befriending you

Furina, at first, finds this idea of hers quite easy.

“You know, I think befriending them is the easiest way to win their heart!” Her voice is filled with anticipation, until she gets shut down by another club member.

“But that can make them only see you as a friend, perhaps?” Yun Jin suggests, “It may not be a 100% possibility, but there’s a chance.”

“True, true, like, you might become one of those second leads that finds their romantic interest get taken away by someone else!” Hu Tao chimes, hands animatedly flailing around.

Furina slumps down on the chair as she sighs. Perhaps she just had to keep it to herself.

“But you can try to woo them, find out their interests maybe?” Nilou pitches an idea.

The white haired girl straightens back in her chair again, grabbing a hold of the red haired’s hands, heterochromic eyes sparkling as she hurriedly mutters out a thank you, running towards the library.

The three look at the door that Furina dashed out of, sharing a knowing look as they hear her footsteps fade.

The sliding door of the library opens as the girl slumps down a bit, taking some breaths as she makes her way to her usual spot to ‘read’, sneaking glances at your form typing away on your laptop. Tapping sounds of the keyboard is heard throughout the ambient silence as Furina closes her book, walking towards your desk as you look up at the approaching figure.

“May I help you?” You close your laptop as you tilt your head.

“Ah, no– I just, well, wanted to know you better– I think my actions yesterday shocked you a little, yeah?”

You smile as you nod slightly, finding some amusement in the obvious stuttering the famed actress’ words. You think you know what’s going on.

Furina conjures up a small smile, “So, as an… apology! I’d like to treat you to something you like, if you have the time…” voice fading as she waits for your response.

“I’m free today after club activities, is that okay with you?”

The girl in front of you perks up as she nods, the single lock of hair seemingly also bouncing up and down, thanking you for your time as she makes her way out of the library– in a calmer manner.

As the door closes, you can hear a faint, ‘Yay!’, with excited footsteps fading into the distance.

Cute.

2) Sitting closer

After Furina’s apology, the two of you became closer, finding the two of you going out regularly towards the small cafe outside of the school after club activities from school. Some days when one of you didn’t have the time, it felt slightly odd and empty, finding nothing interesting to do.

You haven’t noticed yet, but Furina thinks it’d be better for you to not to know, as she takes the seat opposite of you in the library as she opens the book to the bookmark she placed, blushing when she finds the exact book next to your arm, with a small paper folded saying ‘Furina’s’

The white haired girl thinks her club members– friends– are delusional when they tease her about how you may like her back.

She wishes it was true, but the chance of you liking her back in that way was way too low. Always slamming her forehead onto the round table in the drama room.

Today, she came from the drama room once again, though with a slight red marking on her forehead from the excessive slamming of her head onto the table, smiling weakly as you turn your head towards the library’s entrance, greeting her like you always did.

You refocus on your laptop again, until you jerk your head back towards Furina, eyebrows furrowing at the circular red swelling of her forehead. Standing up from your seat, you walk towards the white haired girl, brushing her hair from her face.

“You’re hurt…” 

Furina’s unable to think nor respond as she slightly malfunctions between the small distance from you to her, once again, finding herself at a loss for words.

You take the girl’s hand as you lead her towards the infirmary, setting Furina down on one of the beds as you search for a cooling pack in the fridge.

“You should be more careful next time, what if you get a concussion?” Your voice is laced with concern as you carefully pack the cold pack with tissue, setting it on the girl’s forehead.

“I accidentally slammed my head on the table too hard today– nothing serious!”

You sigh as you let Furina hold the ice pack on her head, making sure to check for any signs of other damage, until you find a small but bleeding cut on the top of her knee.

“What happened here?”

“I don’t know how that happened, really! I’m serious… I didn’t feel anything there–”

You rush to get some disinfectant and a bandaid, setting a chair towards the bed as you sanitise the cut, applying some pressure. Setting the bandaid on the small injury, you look at the girl as she stares back at you, dumbfounded and flustered.

You squint your eyes in confusion until you recall your actions, finding yourself flustered and bashful as well.

3) Trying to impress

The day after that small interaction was pretty normal.

“...I’m telling you, Furina, they definitely like you back!” an energetic voice is heard outside of the drama room as the said girl slaps her hands on Hu Tao’s mouth.

“Be quiet! I don’t want anyone to hear about this– I want to keep my dignity today!”

Yun Jin laughs as she agrees with Hu Tao, “I’m sure (y/n) likes you back, you said they were also flustered in the end as well, no?”

“But still– they could be just caring…”

This time, Nilou shakes her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of (y/n) doing that to any of their friends– I can try ask Tighnari– he’s one of their closest friends, if my memory serves me right.”

Slightly– quite obviously– desperate, Furina nods, clasping her hands around Nilou’s own.

“That’d be wonderful! Thank you so much, Nilou~”

A few days later, Nilou brings in newfound information from Tighnari about you.

“Apparently, they aren’t outwardly caring, but do care for their friends… oh! And he did say they seemed to find interest in someone in the school, but didn’t tell him who…”

Furina, with the first bit of information, perked up in glee, though soon dropped on the floor in some despair when she heard the latter.

“They definitely don’t like me back… archons, what will I do?”

As the imaginary rain and thunder cloud splashed tears of despair onto the white haired girl, Yun Jin speaks.

“That mysterious person could be you–”

“That, is being delusional!” Furina chides.

“Maybe you can try impressing them in some way?” Hu Tao mumbles, chin on hand, “They’re the librarian, right? Try reading something they like or something, I don’t know~”

With the brunette’s suggestion, the girl in distress seem to have a weight lifted off her shoulders as she smiles.

“Great idea, Hu Tao!”

And off went Furina, skipping towards the entrance of the library once again.

Yun Jin sighs in amusement, closing the room’s door, chuckling at how this situation felt like many cliches in romance dramas.

When the familiar footsteps of Furina’s shoes clacked on the wooden and marble tiles of the floor, you look towards the library entrance, expecting the white haired girl to arrive soon enough.

“Welcome back.”

Furina’s eyes seemingly brighten when she hears your voice, as she nearly skids towards the opposite seat, sitting down in front of you as she leans towards your laptop.

“So, (Y/n), I think I’ve ran out of books to read, any suggestions for books you like?”

The girl prides herself for not stuttering this time– she thinks that now, she perfected her acts to hide her feelings.

“Oh? Well– I don’t really have much suggestions, but I can lend you a book that I finished reading last week, if you’d like?”

The floating lock of white hair bobs up and down vigorously as Furina hears your suggestion. You smile a little, reaching down for your back and picking up the hardcover book.

“Tell me about it after you read it, yeah?”

“Alright~”

4) Jealousy?

Furina thinks she really isn’t the jealous type– especially when she isn’t in a relationship at all.

She also thinks that she shouldn’t really be jealous when she thinks–thinks– you smile more when you’re talking with Neuvillette.

But she can’t help but find a grimace settling on her face whenever she sees the tall white haired man in the library, taking her seat as you both talk about some matters surrounding costs in the library– it wasn’t something really meaningful, but perhaps it was the jealousy setting in, as she feels like the person you were interested in could be one of her friends– moreso babysitter– but still, she disliked the odd feeling in her chest.

“What if they like Neuvillette? I definitely saw them smiling–”

The rest of her words are muffled in her sweater sleeve as she buries her face, unable to knock the odd feeling in her chest.

“That’s your feelings acting up there, messes up with your logical view on a situation, Furina.” Yun Jin sighs, patting the despair stricken girl on the back.

“But still, think about it– it’s possible!”

Hu Tao seems to be fed up with Furina’s continuous despair, drawling out,“Yeah, yeah, what were they talking about anyway?”

The latter’s mouth thins out to a straight line. “Costs…”

Several sighs are heard from her club members, as the white haired girl peeks up from her arm.

“Yeah, no chance of (Y/n) liking Neuvillette, he’s in the student council, of course he’s going to talk about costs with the student librarian!”

Hu Tao sighs, hands and shoulders creating a shrugging motion as she slumps down to her chair.

Furina sighs as she slinks down on the chair, heterochromia eyes staring up at the ceiling.

However, the four club members’ attention is directed towards the door, several knocks heard from outside. Furina weakly speaks,

“Come in…”

Your hand slides open the wooden door to the drama club, waving a small ‘hi’ towards the startled three. Your shoes make little sounds on the floor as you tap the white haired girl’s shoulder, watching the girl immediately correct both her posture and expression.

“Are you still coming to the cafe? You weren’t near the library for a while, so I wanted to ask–”

“Oh, it’s already time? I guess I was a little caught off, haha– shall we go now?”

You nod, already near the entrance door as you wave back towards the three other members, taking the much happier girl in tow with you as the two of you walk towards the cafe outside of the school.

“I’m like, 1000% sure that they both like each other, it’s so suffocating–”

“Definitely.”

“I think so too…”

5) Your own interest.

In your opinion, you didn’t really find anyone in the school pretty interesting– though your friends, particularly Tighnari and Cyno, did comment that it was most likely due to how much time you spent stuck in the library.

It all changed when a random girl– which you later knew as one of the most popular and famous actress in the drama club in the school– slammed her hands in front of you.

After the small interaction, you found slight interest towards her, finding amusement whenever she tripped on her own heels, both metaphorically and literally, stuttering in the moments when the both of you were alone, and how she became more fidgety during those moments.

You didn’t know that you’d find someone as interesting and funny like Furina in your school years, but you think that this pretty much changed when you saw the girl hurt.

It must’ve been your subconcsiousness acting, because you barely remembered what happened, but you know you remember how Furina stared at you, face red hot, as you found yourself close and taking care of the injury. You remember how after that day, you’d find yourself blushing and warm thinking of the girl.

It was until Tighnari told you that Nilou– one of the other drama club members– asked him for some of your information, telling you his own thought– which you can directly quote,

“Maybe Furina asked her? They’re all pretty close, so it does make some sense.”

Especially when you told Tighnari about how you did find some interest in Furina, Tighnari did convey some information, though taking away some information just for some amusement.

It also didn’t really help when one of your other friends, as well as senior, Lisa, told you that your interest was most likely romantic attraction after you told some of your feelings about Furina towards the senior librarian.

With you, nearly a hundred percent sure about your feelings being reciprocated, waited for Furina to be at the library or its vicinity, but weren’t able to find her after your conversation with Neuvillette.

Perhaps, you think, she went home because of the cold? It is winter…

You take some hesitant but haste steps towards the drama room, knocking on the door as you hear the familiar yet uncharacteristic deflated voice of the white haired girl speak out a weak ‘come in’. You sigh in slight relief, knowing that she didn’t go home yet.

When the two of you make your way towards the cafe that the both of you mostly went after extracurricular activities, you decide to say your feelings– it was now or never.

“Wait, I have something to, uh, say.”

The girl next to you turns towards you, attention focused on your tensed form, eyebrows raising up in both confusion and anticipation.

“Uh… I– I like you, a lot, really…”

Furina’s face heats up, blinking incredulously at you as you look away, unable to look at the heterochromia eyed girl, finding interest in the falling snowflakes from the dark but nice clouds in the sky, though your head immediately turns back as you feel her hands taking your own.

“That’s– that… I– I like you too!”

You smile. Your confession definitely wasn’t one of the smoothest, nor was it the best– but you knew that now, your feelings were reciprocated.

“So, we’re official now?”

“Of course we are– besides, you should be feeling grateful that I– Furina– even liked you back~”

You bonk her head slightly as the two of you make your way towards the cafe, snow crunching on the pavement as you watch the warm orange fairy lights decorate the cafe.

“Merry Christmas.”

[writing-until-i-drop]

What's In A Name? Chapter Nine

Meg Harding and Kate Carter were inseparable until their friends died five ago, then she ran to New Orleans to save lives as a paramedic. But when Javi calls on his two oldest friends to help him collect data, counting on their matching natural instincts for tornadoes, Meg goes home for the first time in years. That's where she meets Tyler and the rest of the Wranglers, the YouTube storm chasers her dad likes to watch, and finds herself fitting in more with them than with Storm PAR. Meg only plans to stay for the week but will it be easy to leave when the dust settles?

If a certain cowboy has a say in it, nothing about leaving is going to be easy.

A/N: The OG chasers make a group chat and the twister shifts towards a crowded town.

AO3 Link

Previous Chapter

Katie and Tyler had their plans all laid out, the science behind them seemed solid enough. Cathy had practically kicked them out of her house but made them promise to come back before heading home. Meg’s heart twinged when she thought of her life in New Orleans but she didn’t dwell on the thought long, quickly falling asleep in the back seat as Meg and Tyler talked science. Nick’s ringtone is what pulled her back to the land of the living some time later.

“Hey, Hot Stuff. My cougar still purrin’?” The whole truck jerked, Meg assumed there was a pothole, her eyes barely open.

“You know it, Honey Buns. You know, since you’ve been gone so long I was thinking of getting her some training wheels, in case you forgot how to do your job.” 

“I’m better than you on your best day, I’ve got moves you ain’t ever seen,” The truck jerked again and Meg finally opened her eyes, Kate was looking back at her, eyebrows up at her hairline. She pointed at Tyler, who was blocked by the seat at the angle Meg was leaning against the window. “Hold on, babe. My boyfriend is trying to kill us.” Nick’s laughter rang in her ear.

“It’s Nick isn’t it?” Tyler sighed, chuckling to himself. “Sorry,”

“Who’s Nick?” 

“Her partner at work,” Tyler explained, Nick was still laughing his ass off.

“Nick, if you don’t stop laughing, I’m fixin’ to tell your wife,” She kicked the back of Tyler’s seat, making sure he heard that part. “About Tommy’s bachelor party.”

“And I’ll tell your man ‘bout the supply closet. Truce?” 

“Truce but it’s official, I ain’t ever lettin’ y’all meet, nuh uh, over my dead body.” Nick and Meg laughed, continuing to chat about all the workplace drama she had missed so far. 

“Can’t wait to have you back, Meg.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Meg couldn’t tell if she was lying or not. “Gotta go, Hot Stuff. Make sure you scrub that rig good tonight, you know she’s a dirty girl after a shift.” When she hung up, Meg sat up straight in the seat, catching a glimpse of Tyler’s pink cheeks in the rearview mirror.

“You always talk like that to colleagues, Mud Bug?” Meg snorted, knowing how out of place the flirting sounded to anyone who was outside of the field. Fire fighters, police, and medics all had a twisted sense of what was appropriate. Normal people had a line that they’d never cross, fearing being impolite or crude, the people in Meg’s line of work however crossed that line with glee. 

“Only the married ones,” She reached up over the seat, resting both hands on Tyler’s shoulders. “How much longer we got on the road?” 

“Not long,” He squeezed her hand, keeping the other on the wheel. “How’s Nick?” 

“He’s annoyin’ as ever, they assigned him a rookie EMT as a partner while I’m gone and let’s just say, it’s goin’ interestin’ for the both of ‘em.” 

When they pulled into the auto-garage, the rest of the Wranglers were standing there waiting for them, including the reporter.

“Ben, you stuck around,” Tyler greeted the man, hopping out of his truck. Meg rolled her eyes, heading straight for Lily, who pulled her into a hug.

“How’s everything going, darlin’?” Meg asked, “Saw y’all chased without us.” 

“Boone won’t stop moping that Tyler left him behind,” Lily snorted. “How are things with you and him?” Meg pulled away, blushing,

“Let’s just say, I’m wonderin’ what kind of rings you’re picking out for us.” Lily squealed with excitement and Meg had to clamp a hand over her mouth when everyone’s head turned her way. “Not all of Oklahoma needs to be in on this conversation.”

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll text you pictures later.” 

“Hey, y’all ready?” Dani called out to the group and everyone converged, Meg and Lily hanging towards the back of the group while Dani ran the salesman down the specifications of what they needed.

After settling on an aluminum trailer, the Wranglers drove out to a field and started working on preparing the barrels and rockets. 

“What are you doing over here, Meg?” Boone stuck the camera in her face, grinning like a dope.

“I’m checking all of my supplies, making sure everything’s ready to go in case there’s trouble.” 

“Y’all, meet Meg, she’s a badass paramedic that’s got T wrapped around her little finger,” Meg batted at him. Boone laughed, dancing away to go check on Lily and Cairo. She felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. 

“Oh lordy, they done made a group chat.” 

Dad: You’re on the livestream!

Rabbit: Wrapped around your finger?

Haynes: Leave her alone Rabbit

Dad: When are y’all getting married?

Lawrence: She’s never getting married out of spite at this point

Meg chuckled at Lawrence’s text, appreciating the throwback to when she looked her Grandma Harding in the eye after being admonished for not “sitting like a lady” and how “no man wants to marry a wild animal” and said with all of the conviction in the world: I ain’t ever gettin’ married. 

Dad: Don’t say that

Joey: Yeah, shut up Lawrence

Haynes: Don’t be mean to him

Preacher: Be careful out there, Meggy

Meg: Always am, Preach <3

Mama: Wear your harness!!!!

Meg tucked her phone away, going to stand by Kate who was quietly snapping pictures.

“You ready to tame a tornado?” Meg rested a hand on the middle of Kate’s back, waiting until she stopped snapping photos tto bring her in for a hug.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. I’m real glad you’re here, Meg,” 

“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” Not even New Orleans. The two of them stood there, hugging for a long while before breaking apart, both of them feeling the atmosphere start to change. 

“Let’s do this.” 

“Something’s not right,” Meg said just as Katie announced that the Doppler went dark. “I don’t like this.” The twisting feeling in her gut only got worse when Cairo went down. Kate was silent but Meg knew by the look on her face that she was thinking the same thing. 

The tornado came through the rain out of nowhere, flipping Javi’s StormPAR truck like a toy. 

“Javi!” Kate screamed, her hand flying back to hold Meg’s. “Tyler, we got to do something.” 

“On your left guys, it’s hitting something big!” Boone’s shout crackled over the radio and Meg let out a string of curse words that would make any sailor blush. 

“Shit,” 

“Oh my God,” They watched in horror as the storm barelled into some type of factory, becoming wrapped with fire.

“Oh my God. Oh my God,” Tyler quickly put the truck in drive, trying to flip them around. Meg squeezed her eyes shut, panic coursing through her veins. Was she going to die this time? Was the tornado finally going to claim what slipped out of grasp all those years ago? She vaguely heard Kate and Tyler squabbling over what to do about Javi, feeling the panic inside of her shift to an eerie calm, her training coming back to her like the second nature it was. 

“Get us out of here, Cowboy.” Tyler’s eyes met hers in the rearview mirror before he high-tailed it out of there, following Javi’s truck which had somehow flipped back onto its wheels while her eyes had been shut, shouting at them to hold on. 

When light started breaking through the storm clouds again, Tyler called out on the radio to check in with the team and Meg felt herself relax a little with each confirmation of safety. 

“What was that?” Ben shouted somewhere in the background and Meg knew the answer in her soul. Tornadoes weren’t classified until after the fact, their strength determined by how much they destroyed, but she could feel it. They were running from the finger of God. She twisted in her seat, looking at the storm.

“It’s shifting course.” 

“Shit,” Kate groaned. “It’s heading straight for a town. It’s heading for El Reno,” Kate started spouting orders over the radio and Meg undid her harness, pulling her medical bag out from under the seat, throwing the strap over her shoulder so she wouldn’t have to waste time when they stopped. 

“You okay back there?” Tyler asked, reaching one hand up over his shoulder for her to squeeze.

“I’m okay, baby. Let’s get these people to safety.” That’s all he needed to hear, picking up speed as they drove past the StormPAR truck. 

The town was in chaos, everyone running around and screaming. They started shouting instructions, pushing vendors away from their tents and towards shelter. There was debris flying all around, the wicked wind making it hard to stay on their feet. 

“Go, go to the movie theater,” Meg guided people towards the theater. Her heart stopped when she heard Tyler scream.

“Tyler! Kate, help me.” Tyler was pinned beneath large debris, and even with all of her might, Meg knew she wasn’t strong enough to move it.

“Meg, you have to go.” 

“I’m not leaving you,” She grunted, shifting her feet for better leverage. “Kate, go inside.” 

“I’m not leaving you either,” Her best friend gritted out as they tried to lift the boards together. There was another large crack that sounded through the air, the scream of warping metal shooting a bolt of panic through her. 

“Javi?” Meg spotted him running towards them with a board that he wedged beneath the debris.

“C’mon, guys, lift!” They managed to pull Tyler out just as the water tower crashed down, thousands of gallons of water knocking them off of their feet. The rushed into the theater just in time to see the ceiling start to cave in and began to check for a basement. 

“This building isn’t built to withstand what’s coming,” Javi shouted over the roaring winds. At the sound of crashing and screaming, both of the men took off back towards the theater, leaving Kate and Meg to stare at the storm. Meg felt that calm again but it was different, it wasn’t the calm she felt under pressure when working on a critical patient. It was the calm she felt before she ran into an unsecured scene, knowing that she could die.

“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” Meg asked, praying that she wasn’t.

“I swiped his keys,” Kate held up the keyring, offering it to her. The scrunchie Meg had lost a few days ago dangling from the jump ring.

“Then let’s go.” They ran for the truck.

If they survived, their friends and mamas were going to kill them. But if this worked, they would save a lot of people too. It had been a long time since Meg had driven anywhere near a tornado but she did her best to pretend that the shaking of the cab was nothing more than the death wobble of an ambulance going 100 mph on the freeway. 

“That way,” Kate pointed. Meg took a moment to strap into the harness, Tyler’s cologne overwhelming her senses, reminding her that this was a bad idea, then she shifted into gear. Meg didn’t need the directions Kate was shouting, she knew where the storm was going. And with a reckless kind of fearlessness, she pressed the gas pedal to the floor. 

“This truck ain’t made for this,” Meg shouted even though they both already knew it.” 

“Hope he’s got insurance,” Kate’s humor was still intact, even if her sanity wasn’t. The truck caught air going from the road to the grass, eliciting shrieks from the two women. Out of the corner of her eye, Meg saw Kate pull out her phone.

“My name’s Kate Carter and this is Meg Hardiing and today, we’re going to tame a tornado or die trying.” She locked her phone into the mount on the dash, capturing the whole cab with the camera.

“Right now there’s an EF-5 heading towards the town of El Reno,” Meg narrated. The recording was almost comforting, Jeb used to record them all the time, making them explain what they were doing. And just like when they were in the swimming pool, Meg felt like he was there with them. Kate must have felt it too, her voice shaking as she listed off the science of what they were going to do.

“If we don’t make it, we just want to say that we love you guys and mama, I’m sorry.” 

“I’m sorry too,” Meg shouted, swerving to avoid debris. “You know I love y’all but you know we have to do this.” She cursed, narrowly avoiding a large tree limb. “And Ty, I love you, and I really hope you’ve got full coverage on this baby.” 

“This is how you’re going to tell him you love him for the first time?” 

“Not really seeing any better options here, Katie. Shit!” She stomped the breaks, deploying the anchors as soon as they stopped. “Rockets?” 

“Rockets,” Kate fired them and they watched as the twisters sucked up the chemicals. Meg felt completely calm, watching the monster tornado moving closer.

“It’s beautiful,” She couldn’t help but whisper with childlike wonder. It was probably going to kill her but it really was beautiful.

“Let’s deploy together,” They hovered their fingers over the button. “One.”

“Two.”

“Three,” The mechanism went off without a hitch, the compound being pulled up by the storm around them.

“I love you, Katie my Lady.” 

“I love you too, Mud Bug.” They held hands and did nothing to stop what was coming because what else could they do? 

The trailer went first, lightening the weight of the truck enough for the force of the winds to move it despite the anchors. Meg’s eyes fluttered shut and her body relaxed in acceptance. Never before had the universe heard such silence in a truck being flipped like a quarter through the air, both women just waiting for the end. 

Taglist: @theforevermorereject @beltzboys2015-blog @writingrose @sinners-98-world @nerdgirljen @candlejuice @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby @football1921 @katiemcrae @emma8895eb @itsdesiree86 @closetspngirl @lostinwonderland314 @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @winterassassin1804

Next Chapter

[reminiscingtonight]

Almost In Love

Leah Williamson x Reader

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: I was in a mood 🤟 Happy December everyone!

Lover Of Mine (Part Two)

[WOSO Masterlist]

Leah’s in LA.

When you wake up this morning, you go about your business like normal. You go for your morning jog. You facetime your parents. You join a yoga session on the beach with Christen. 

When you get the text from Tobin, you forget how to breathe. 

The last time you saw Leah was years ago. 

You could have fallen in love with her. 

Scratch that. You did fall in love with her. 

Leah just didn’t want to make it a thing. 

---

It was never supposed to be serious. Leah made that clear.

The first night you fell into bed together she knocked those words into your head between each mind-blowing orgasm traded between you.

You couldn’t help but fall in love with her anyways.

It’s easy to fall in love with Leah. She’s funny, sweet, caring. Every touch lingers on your skin, every word warms your soul to the core. You find yourselves spending more and more time together off the field.

What starts as hot and heavy secret nights together grows into early morning coffee dates, late evening strolls. Things become softer and softer between the two of you. You catch Leah staring at you more than enough times.

You practice the words in your head. “I really like you,” “Would you like to go out on a date?” “I know we said we wouldn’t, but I’m falling for you and I think you are too.”

The night before you confess your feelings, everything falls apart.

You’re at a bar with the rest of the girls. You can’t help but keep checking your watch. Leah’s late. She’s never late.

It all makes sense when Leah walks in hand-in-hand with Jordan. 

“Woah, when did this happen?”

Leah blushes when Caitlin hoots at the two of them. “We just thought we’d give it a go again.”

Jordan tells them about how they’ve been slowly rebuilding their relationship. Long nights talking things out. Mornings watching the sunrise together. “Our feelings never faded. So we wanted to try again.”

Bile rises to your throat with every word.

You spend the night avoiding Leah. She spends the night glued to Jordan’s side. You pretend it doesn’t hurt when she doesn’t seek you out.

It’s only when you’re ready to call it a night that Leah tries to approach you. 

You extract yourself from her hands with ease. “I’m happy for you.” The words taste bitter in your mouth. “Hope you and Jords make it.”

Something flashes in her eyes. 

Pity? Regret? Guilt? 

You don’t keep eye contact long enough to figure it out. 

You’re out the door before Leah can stop you again.

---

[We’re thinking about getting drinks after the game. You wanna join?]

You leave Tobin on read. 

You know Christen knows something is up when you don’t entertain her quiet musings on your drive to the BANC. 

You’re stuck in your head during warm-ups. You miss one too many shots. Freya pulls you aside, asks if everything is okay. The way you lie through your teeth must be enough because she lets you go with a gentle warning to pick it up once the game starts.

You can’t help but think of blonde hair in red and white when your teams line up. You can’t help but think of accented words and a warm touch when Ali pats your back before you’re led out.

When the refs start marching, you do your best to clear your mind. 

---

When the team finds out you’re leaving, they throw you a going away party. 

You take shots with Beth. You sing karaoke with Katie. You pretend you don’t see the way Leah keeps watching you.

It’s easy to pretend you don’t care. It’s easy when you spot the way Jordan has a hand on Leah’s waist at all times. It’s easy when you can see the way Leah lights up every time Jordan whispers something into her ear. It’s easy in the same way your nerves are lit aflame and you have to fight the urge to scream.

Leah tracks you down after the night has died down. 

“I thought you were extending your contract.”

You purposefully avoid her eyes. “I have to head home for our friendlies soon anyways. The Spirit has been bugging my agent about bringing me home for the 2021 season so it just makes sense to stay after the national team games are done.”

“And there’s nothing that can convince you to stay?”

“Leah,” you sigh out. “We both knew my loan was going to come to an end eventually.”

A part of you wants her to fight for you to stay. To convince you that what happened between the two of you wasn’t only in your head.

You make a move to leave. Leah moves to block you again.

“(Y/N).” 

When you turn towards the defender she looks nervous. You can’t help but feel a flutter of hope in your chest.

Tell me you want me and I’ll stay. Tell me you’ve made a mistake and I’m yours.

“We should keep in touch.”

You want to say no. You want to tell Leah to go fuck herself. 

You bite your tongue. “Of course.”

.

You return to the states.

The two of you very much do not keep in touch.

---

Leah comes to the game. Because of course she does. 

You’re not sure why you thought she wouldn’t. 

You spot her, Keira, Lucy, and some of the other English girls with ease. They’re not doing much to keep a low profile. You would’ve thought they would’ve gone up to the suite with Tobin. Instead you see all the English players sitting near the field. 

The whistle sounds and you push all non-soccer thoughts out of your head.

You think you’re doing pretty good. All of your passes connect, all of your shots are on target. You think you’re doing pretty good until you get nailed by the soccer ball right in the face. 

You drop like a sack of rocks.

Christen’s instantly by your side, concern etched on her face. 

“I’m fine,” you groan out, raising two shaky hands to your forehead.

The glare she gives you is enough for you to fall silent and follow all of the trainers’ instructions without a fuss when they run you through the concussion test.

You stick your tongue out at her when you pass with flying colors. It earns you a couple chuckles from your teammates.

When Christen forces the own goal minutes later, you’re sure to throw yourself onto the dogpile without care. 

Christen ushers you up to the suite the second you’re both showered and done changing after the game. A feeling of dread starts to sink in. It’s easy to forget about Leah when you’re on the field. It’s harder knowing who exactly is waiting for you upstairs.

You nearly sigh in relief when Tobin is the first to greet you.

“How’s the head?”

You shrug. “Fine. A little sore but feels alright.” 

Tobin looks like she wants to say something else. She doesn’t get the chance to.

“You played great.”

You give Leah a curt nod. You’re well aware of the way Tobin’s eying the two of you with interest.

Tobin joined Arsenal not long after you had left. She was never there to witness the way you tore yourself apart for Leah. A part of you is glad she didn’t have to see it. You’re not sure how your best friend’s partner would react if she was placed in a position like that. 

That’s a lie. You know she would’ve torn the younger player apart for hurting you the way she did.

You play nice to save Leah the trouble of having to explain anything to Tobin. That doesn’t mean you don’t do your best to always have at least one buffer between the two of you though.

Keira greets you as if you’re two old friends. You feel awkward, knowing her closeness with the lioness who broke your heart.

You’re even more confused when she tries to talk you up to Leah in the rare occurrence you find yourself stuck between the pair when you’ve gone out for drinks. Leah blushes at something Keira says. You do your best not to read into it.

You count the minutes until you can politely excuse yourself. When the clock strikes 11, you make your excuses, claiming to be exhausted from the game. There’s a chorus of whines but you just wave them away.

Christen presses a kiss against your forehead, telling you to text her when you get home. You’re headed for the door right after you promise.

You’re not expecting it when Leah follows close behind you.

“Do you think we could’ve been something?”

You freeze, back still turned towards the English defender.

“If I hadn’t chosen Jordan and if you hadn’t left. Do you think we could’ve fallen in love?”

The air hangs heavy between the two of you. 

The question’s one you’ve asked yourself every day since you left. If you had tried harder, would Leah have picked you? If you had stuck around, would everything have changed for the better?

Slowly, you turn around. You raise your eyes to meet Leah’s. 

You’re not sure what you see there. Maybe a little bit of regret. A little bit of hope.

You’re not sure what you want to see there.

“I guess we’ll never know.”

This time when you leave, Leah lets you go without a fight.

[thegreatwizardelwin]

I Won’t Say I’m In Love - Part Two

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joanne Harcourt x Male Reader

F/N L/N is a student in the Sapphire Owl house at Weston College. For some reason, he keeps running into a Scarlet Fox student in his day to day activities. Intrigued, he tries to learn more about him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had watched as Harcourt scuttered away from the bookshelves. 

He really is just a little creature of sorts, you mused, heading the other way. You signed out your book at the door before leaving the library.

You let out a heavy breath, thinking back to the moment when you touched his shoulder and his attention all fell on you. It couldn’t be helped; something inside you sparked at the way he looked at you. You brushed it off as just anticipation of the friendship to come. 

The cycle continued on for quite some time. You would pass in the halls, meet once again in the library, and sit with him as you both studied. Occasionally, you would lean over and show each other parts of books or ask for help with the aforementioned studying.

One particular evening, you leaned over with a book about fossils, pointing to some photographs of feathers and bugs preserved in amber.

“Your amber eyes are very pretty. Did you know that amber is very effective at preserving fossils? It’s like a time capsule, saving exactly what it captured for millions of years.” you whispered.

He stared at the pictures with much interest, leaning over in his seat, his cheek close to your shoulder. Then, he processed exactly what you had said.

(Cue the anime sparkles and flowers)

Pretty.

Harcourt quickly snapped his head towards you. He gazed at you with wide eyes. Flattery, it seemed, was one of his weaknesses. 

He shifted, now shyly looking down at his fingers. He picked at his nails, pressing his lips together.

“I-I didn’t know it could do that..” he whispered back.

My, how adorable, you couldn’t help but blush a bit too. 

And it stuck with you for the rest of the evening.

That night- after bathing- you entered the dorm, buttoning up your sleepshirt with a very stupid smile. Your friends paused in their conversation, noticing your demeanor. 

“What’s got you all smiley, L/N?” asked a boy called Moore. 

You turned to him, unable to wipe that look off your face.

“Huh? Oh, nothing. I just… finished an amazing book tonight.” 

As you made up the hasty excuse, the others shared doubtful glances. They knew you well enough to know that you were trying to hide something.

“Are you sure that’s all? You look ecstatic!” noted a boy named Blair.

“Maybe I had too many sweets tonight.” you proposed.

“Sure, Sure. It’s the ‘sweets’ that have you all red in the face.” Moore scoffed.

You smirked at him.

“It’s always possible I’m coming down with a fever. Perhaps you should keep your distance.”

You folded your clothes for tomorrow and sat them on top of a small chest.

“Maybe you’re right.” Moore said, with a fake innocence in his tone. “It’s not like you’d ever have feelings for a girl. You’re too focused on grading papers and reading studies to notice anything else!”

You sighed.

“How would I even meet a girl? This is an all boys academy, mind you.”

They ignored you, turning their backs to you and discussing amongst themselves.

“Perhaps he’s been sent a love letter…”

“Or he snuck someone in…”

“Or he’s fallen for our lady housekeeper?”

Each suggestion was delivered with both mockery and amusement.

You made a retching sound.

“No, no, and NO. ”

They cackled and the sound was audible in the dorms on either side of yours.

“It’s all in good fun~” Blair grinned slyly, “if you ever need someone to cover you just give us a heads up.”

This time you couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that was even a thought that occurred to them.

“You lot… ah. Seriously though, it’s no girl or anything.”

They were still unconvinced.

“Well, you certainly must catch the eye of many of them. I’d wager even some boys, what with having looks like yours. Poor Harcourt certainly notices.”

You cocked your head, now curious.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“It’s true. He watches you with those big dreamy eyes when you pass him in the halls.” they egged each other on with their snickering.

“Don’t be mean to the boy,” you chided them, “he probably just wants me to review a paper or something but is too scared to ask.”

“Oh, you’re right, L/N! He probably spends his nights under the covers, fantasizing about you writing down comments on his papers with a stern yet gentle gaze.” teased a boy called Lemmens.

You tossed a pillow at him, shaking your head.

“What a filthy mind you have.”

“I’m just saying, you shouldn’t be surprised when a love note lands on your pillow one of these nights~”

“Well, now I’ll just assume it was you who put it there!” you retorted.

“I wouldn’t blame the guy. Your charm is irresistible.”

You viscerally cringed, flopping back under the covers. They just couldn’t stop themselves.

“So, he’s not immune to compliments? Better watch your back. He might just win your heart.”

Lemmens rose from his bed and placed a hand on his chest dramatically. 

“Oh, L/N! Your hair is the richest velvet, and your eyes more vibrant than sun on the water. Your blush, more brighter than a sunset on the Mediterranean. Your name rolls off my lips like a delicious sip of Tuscan wine-”

You leapt over to him and smothered him with a pillow. Chaos erupted, once again disturbing the other dormitories.

“For the love of all that is holy, will those infernal boys shut up?” grumbled Ciel, mimicking the others in his dorm and wrapping his pillow around his head.

At some point, Master Michaelis interrupted the commotion and threatened you all with Ys.

A week later, you arrived at the rendezvous. You signed your name in the “returned” column of the book records as the door and made your way back into the library. 

Harcourt was seated at a small table, his nose deep in a book of his own. Perhaps just appearing to look busy.

You sat across from him, subtly sliding the book across the table. You noticed a new red rose in the buttonhole of his jacket. Those could only be worn by the Scarlet Fox prefects and the drudges who were close to them.

You reached over and poked it, giving him a questioning stare.

He leaned forward a bit, adjusting the flower as if you had moved it.

“I’m Redmond’s new drudge.” he whispered with a hint of excitement.

You hummed with intrigue.

“What happened to Cole?” you asked.

“He got exposed for using his popularity to manipulate other students.” Harcourt explained, his eyes flicking up from the page. “Also, he’s not really as stunning as he looks. He uses make-up to get that way.” he added.

You crossed your legs and started pretend-reading too.

“I saw the photo. Even so, what a nasty personality for a rather nice face. But, I must congratulate you on becoming a prefect’s drudge! Oh, the privileges you have now…” you trailed off, almost wanting a bit of that for yourself. It was a shame Bluewer already had Clayton. Oh well, you could always hope for next year.

In the meantime, Harcourt beamed. Compliments were always welcome with him, especially from you.

“Thank you, L/N.” he said in a hushed tone.

Chatting unobtrusively in the library for another hour or so, you hardly noticed the way the sun began to set. Clementine rays of light created dark shadows on the wood floors, bathing you both as you sat below the window.

Harcourt closed his book and set it atop the one you had given him. A soft pink hue made its way onto his cheeks, struggling to be prominent through the power of the orange glow.

“We can talk so long that we forget about time.” he observed.

“We just get along so well, like toast and eggs.” you said, lightheartedly. 

He smiled at your comment and stood. You followed suit.

“I suppose you won’t be able to meet like this again, with your new duties.” you noted.

He stopped by the door to sign the book out.

“Perhaps not, but the cricket tournament is coming up quickly so we will have time to socialize once again!” he replied with a bright smile.

You walked along the corridors and came to an intersection where you had to split. You exchanged words of parting and started down your separate ways.

He looked back at you, his long bangs sweeping across his face. 

“Good night.” he muttered to himself once more, clutching his book to his chest, embarrassed and confused about how you made him feel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You might not have fallen for the lady housekeeper, but she slays each day anyway. I hope you’re enjoying it. 🌺

Link to part 3!

[spicywhenspeaking]

If I'm There: Chapter Twenty-One

when you realize the significance of the monkey (∩˃о˂∩)♡

read from part one here!

summary: Noah and Natalie met in high school and developed a relationship through their love of music and art. Falling in love, innocent and young, they think nothing can keep them apart. However, sometimes in the pursuit of your dreams the things we love the most get left behind.

this is a complete work of fiction, some characters while based on real people are totally made up. :)

word count: 3.6k , edited by me ....soooo if you see something spelt wrong no you didn't.

taglist : @lma1986 @cookiesupplier @notingridslurkaccount @blackveilomens @thisbicc @laurpartyprogram @concretenoah @thebadchic @jessitpwk @madomens @samanthasgone @myownthoughts12

I picked up Erin from Ashely’s house at around 10 am the following morning. I don’t think anything will ever compare to her seeing me and running with excitement into my arms for a big hug. I just hope she still feels that way later today when I tell her about Noah.

“I missed you Mom!” she calls out and I pick her up and swing us around in a circle. “Oh my sweet girl, I missed you so much!” I tell her and kiss all over her cheeks and the top of her head. We finish gathering her things and thank Ashely and her mom again before we eventually get into the car and head off to begin our girls’ day. “So nails first or food? How are you feeling?” I ask as I turn on the radio and begin backing out of the driveway. 

“FOOD! Please! We only had cereal for breakfast and you know I need more than that.” I laugh because I know exactly that. My girl can eat! “Okay, so first food and then nails!” I say, then reach over to turn up the radio when I hear “Dancing Queen” by ABBA come on. We sing our hearts out on the drive to our favorite breakfast spot near our house. We sit in our regular corner booth by the back window. I order a coffee and a full stack of pancakes with eggs and bacon. Erin orders an orange juice and the same amount of food and I know she’ll finish it all. She recaps me on the last two days and all the fun she had with her friend, “but I missed you and Hales a lot. I’m happy to be back home now.” she says stuffing a huge piece of pancake into her mouth. “I’m happy you’re home too little bug, but why don't you take smaller bites? I don’t need you choking thirty minutes after getting you back.” She smiles with her mouth full of food, “okay” her muffled voice comes out and I can’t help but laugh. 

With breakfast finished the two of us head to the nail salon and I decide we should really pamper ourselves and we get the deluxe mani/pedi package. The salon I like plays old MTV music videos on big TVs all around the room. The sound of Paramore while my feet soak in the soothing heat and the massage chair digs into my back puts me into a state of complete relaxation and I find my mind wandering. Stuck on a moment from the night before, Noah and I sitting together on the couch and our almost kiss. If things were different, if we lived in an alternate universe and it wasn’t ten years later I would have closed the distance and would have let myself be sucked into his gravity. He has everything he wants now, his music, his band, it’s what he left to find ten years ago.

I look over at Eric who’s set the chair to the back-patting setting that has her voice bouncing “Ah, ah, ah, m-o-o-m, d-o-o-o I s-o-u-n-d w-e-i-r-d.” the smile that breaks across my face is full of love as I take in the beautiful girl in front of me. “You sound perfect baby,” I say and ruffle her hair softly. The rest of our appointment goes by in a relaxing daze. We laugh while Erin tells me about her last two days. We finish up and I mentally prepare myself for the conversation we are about to have. I am going to tell her about Noah. I just hope she doesn’t hate me afterward. 

We get back to the house and she rushes into her room to unload her dirty clothes and reunite with the stuffed animals she had to leave behind. “Fluffy! I never want to be separated again!” I hear her exclaim from outside of her room. Before talking to her I head into my room and open my closet door, I’m looking for a certain shoe box. “Where the hell is it?” I ask myself, “Ah ha!” It’s nestled deep into the corner hiding under the Carhart hoodie I borrowed from Haylie who stole it from who knows. I take a deep breath and lift the lid of the box. On top are several photos of me and Noah, some of the two of us, and Nicholas as well. Wadded up in a tight ball is the Bring Me The Horizon shift Noah gave me all those years ago. There’s also a CD, some random ticket stubs, drawings, and more pictures at the bottom. I decide to just take the whole box and head towards Erin’s room.

Knocking on the door I hear a soft, “Come in!” I walk into her room and see that she’s decided today is the day she’s going to reorganize her bookshelf. 

“Hey sweety, can I talk to you about something?” I ask and try to hide the nervousness in my voice. “Umm yeah, is everything okay? You sound weird.” So I didn’t do a great job at hiding it. “Yes, everything is okay. There’s just something that I need to talk to you about. Something important.”

Two lines appear between her eyebrows and her face contorts in confusion. “Is this an I can keep working and listening important or do I need to sit next to you on the bed?” she asks and I pat a spot next to me on the bed to wordlessly answer her question. “Oof, okay,” she whispers out and climbs next to me on her bed.

“You remember how I told you that I got pregnant when I was still in high school but my boyfriend and I had already broken up?” she continues looking at me with confusion all over her face but nods slightly, “Yeah, I remember. You said you two never saw each other again.” I take her hand and smile, trying to fight the tears in my eyes.

I open the box and hand her a picture of Noah and I. “His name is Noah. This is your father.” She takes the photo and looks back and forth between me and and younger version in the photo. “You look so different,” she says and I huff a laugh. “Yeah, that’s what growing up will do to you.” 

“Where is he?” she asks quietly looking up at me. “Well, he’s actually in town for a few days if you would like to meet him.”

“Where has he been?” she asks and that takes me off guard. I struggle with what to say, not wanting to keep anything from her but also not wanting to upset her. “He’s been in Los Angeles. That’s where he works.”

“What does he do?”

“He’s in a band, playing music, and sings all around the world.”

“Hm,” she says and I’m not sure what she’s thinking. 

“So he didn’t want me?” and there it is. The knife in my heart makes it hard to keep the food down from earlier but I push through, remaining strong.

“Oh no sweety, that’s not true at all. He didn’t know for so long. It’s very complicated adult stuff. Things that took me a long time to understand myself” I try to explain to her. 

“Will you tell me when I’m older the complicated stuff?”

“Of course baby, I’ll tell you anything you’d like to know about him.”

“Is he nice?” Erin asks in a quiet shy voice, “Do you think he would like me?”

I wrap her up in my arms and squeeze her tightly, “he is very nice and he will like you very much I promise.” I run my hand down her head, soothing her soft brown hair.”Does that mean you’d like to meet him?”

The air is still in the room as Erin takes time to think. Her small face scrunched in concentration. “I think I would like to meet him, yes. But are things going to change? My friend Brody’s parents don’t live together and he goes to his dad’s house every other weekend. Do I have to do that now?” I pull her closer until my head is resting on top of hers. “Nothing will change without you making that decision. Right now, we take things one step at a time.” she nods her head and wraps her arms as tight as she can around me.

“Would you be interested in meeting him tomorrow? He will be leaving again soon with his band so we won’t see him again for a few weeks. I can tell him we can wait if you’d be more comfortable.” I’m also definitely scheduling an earlier therapy appointment for her this week. Her head remains buried in my side while she takes everything in. I am giving her all the time she needs to process, so if she wants to wait until he’s more available I don’t blame her. 

“I think I would like to meet him. But what if you just invited him over here? So I can show him my stuff and maybe he will like me even more?” 

I move back so I can take her small face into my hands. “I can do that but I need to to listen to me now, there is no one on this planet that could possibly not like you Erin Howlston and I know for a fact that he will love you so much because you are you and you are perfect,” I emphasize my point my giving her cheeks a little squeeze. “But you have to think that because you’re my mom.” she quips through pursed lips. “And he’s your father, so by your logic, he must also think that,” I argue back and I see her eyes turned down slightly in the corner.

“But he made you sad right? That’s why you broke up when you were in high school. I don’t want him to make you sad again.” My heart swells. While I drop an atomic bomb of information about her life she’s worried about my feelings. I must be doing something right with this whole parenting thing.

“Sweetie, that was a long time ago. My heart is all better now and I’m not sad anymore. I am so so so unbelievably happy with our life. With you and Aunt Haliey, Uncle Kyle and Aunt Mags, and little Natasha. I think Noah is a very good person and he wants to be in your life because he cares about you. Even without having met you.” She gives me a small smile and hugs me again.” okay, I want to meet him. You said tomorrow right?” she looks up at me with her deep brown eyes that have always been just like his. “Tomorrow it is. I will give him a call later today, but what do you want to do now? Play? We could watch a movie? Or draw together?”

Quickly detangling from my arms she races to pick up her paper and stretching pencils, “Drawing please! I need help with the cat I’m drawing.” 

We spend the next few hours drawing together on her bedroom floor laughing and listening to music. For Christmas last year she asked for a Google Mini so she could ask it to play music whenever she wanted. Now we are listening to “The Very Best Of Otis Redding”. When she was a baby I listened to it all the time. I used to sing “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” while rocking her to sleep. Sometimes I walk by her room and she is listening to it while reading or playing with her toys and it reminds me of holding her when she was so little and how she would hold my finger so tightly.

I feel the tug of guilt in my gut about Noah having missed those moments but force it down, there’s nothing that can be done about the past but we can create new memories with the three of us together. Even if Noah and I aren’t together we can be the two parents that Erin needs. Maybe we can even be friends.

Later, once Erin wanted time alone to play with her toys I went into my room to call Noah. I haven’t been able to talk to Haylie about any of this yet, she woke up late with a hangover and had to run out of the house for the day to meet with her editor to talk about her next book release.

I close my door most of the way, only keeping a small sliver open in case Erin calls out for me. I sit on the edge of my bed and hit the green call button on my new Noah contact page, It rings a few times before I hear the sound of him picking up on the other end.

Hey! Natty, how are you doing? How’s it going?

Hi Noah, things are good. How are you? 

There’s rustling in the background of his call, “oohh is that Natalie??” I hear who I think is Folio.

Yes, shush…not you Nat! You don’t have to shush. Sorry, Folio is being an idiot.

I’m good, just working on some new remixes for our deluxe album.

I just finished talking with Erin and she suggested I invite you over tomorrow to meet. Is that okay?

Tomorrow sounds great! What time is good for you two?

How does 12:30 work? I can order us sandwiches from the sub shop in town, Erin’s favorite.

Perfect, 12:30 is perfect. Thank you so much, Natty. I won’t let you down again. I promise.

I try not to blush like a preteen at the way his voice goes almost breathless as he makes his promise to me. 

Um. so I’ll see you tomorrow then, bye!

I try to rush off the phone as fast as possible before I let myself word-vomit anything stupid.

Bye Natty, I’ll see you tomorrow, looking forward to seeing you and meeting Erin. 

A few minutes I hear Haylie unlock the door and head into the house and she calls out like she did the night before. “Honeys!! I’m home!” she calls from the front room. “Hey Hales!” Erin and I both call out.

Before I have the chance to call down to her to come up so I can relay everything that’s happened since we separated after the concert, she is racing up the stairs taking two at a time. She swings my door open, stepping into my room with a huge face-splitting smile on her face. “Sooo?? How did it go?” she asks moving closer into my room and creating the same small gap in the door before sitting down next to me on the bed. “Well, before I drunkenly barged in. sorry about that. That Folio knows how to throw them back, he’s pretty hot don’t you think?”

She has this twinkle in her eye when she says it and I laugh and roll my eyes at her. “It went well, he was a little upset at first which I wasn’t surprised by. He cried I cried, it was very emotional. He wants to meet her and then stay in Austin during their break in between tour dates.” As I recant my mind whirls and everything hits me more than I expected. “He said that he wanted this life with me, wanted the family and the happiness and the love that he should have fought harder for me, should have never let me go.” I try to keep my voice steady but I can feel my throat getting thick with emotion. Haylie wraps her arm around me and remains quiet while I continue telling her all about what happened. “And then when I was showing him pictures in her baby book there was this moment..” I slowly trail off and she pops forward and her eyes widen in surprise.

“What kind of moment?” she asks in a voice that goes all jelly-like and I manage to look slightly shameful before I tell her. That I so easily folded in his presence is borderline embarrassing, just shows how powerful his hold is still over my heart. But right now I can’t think with my heart, now is the time to think with my brain. While also considering Erin’s heart. 

“We might have almost kissed,” I tell her while I bury my face in my hands. “OH MY GOD! NATALIE !” she shrieks and I quickly throw my hands over her mouth. “Shush! Haliey oh my god, Erin will hear you!” and just like that I hear her little voice calling from down the hall, “everything okay in there?” she asks. “Yes!” “Everthing is fine!” we answer in unison and I think she retreats back into her room.

“You almost kissed him! How? What did he say? Did he lean in? How did he act after the almost kiss,” she shoots out the questions in a rapid-fire succession and I rub the sides of my temples before answering her. “Um. I guess he was kind of leaning in, he was doing that thing you know. When a guy looks between your eyes and your lips. I felt so weak. Oh my god, I almost kissed him, and then the book fell and I remembered what we were doing and why he was there and I felt so stupid.”

“You are NOT stupid! There were a lot of emotions flowing, you hadn’t had a moment alone with him in years and it’s not like when you broke up you two weren’t completely and totally in love with each other. It’s not like those feelings just go away.” she says while rubbing up and down along my back. 

“I just can’t do that with him, It’s not a good idea for the two of us to do anything that could jepordize Erin’s happiness.” I nod to myself, wiping one of my hands down my face and then raking them through my hair. Haliey and I flop backwards onto the pillows while I finish catching her up on everything that happened, including my conversation with Erin and then my phone call with Noah right before she got home. 

“You want me to clear out tomorrow so y’all have some privacy?” she asks and I balk at the thought. “No way! I would never ask you to leave your own house. Plus, you’re such an important person in Erin’s life, I’m sure she would also want you here.” 

The three of us spend the rest of our evening lounging in the living room watching TV in our pajamas. We make homemade pizzas and cookies for dinner together in the kitchen while singing along to Disney’s greatest hits. We end the night all cuddled together on the couch watching Erin’s favorite movie “The Secret Life of Arrietty” and when she falls asleep I carry her up the stairs into her room and deposit her into her bed. I gently kiss her forehead and turn on her glowing nightlight before closing the door and heading back to help Haylie finish cleaning the kitchen. 

The next day is quickly upon us and I nervously watch the clock ticking away as we get closer and closer to 12:30. I picked up the subs a few minutes ago so hopefully Noah isn’t late. No one likes a soggy sub.

Just seconds before the second-hand crosses over the 12 on the clock there is a knock on the door that causes me to jump straight out of my seat. Haylie laughs at me as she rubs my shoulders walking past and into her room. She told Erin that if she needed her at any time to just barge in and get her. I walk towards the door and Erin suddenly looks very nervous and gets up to hide behind my back. “Are you okay baby?” I ask her quietly before answering the door. She nods her head against my back and whispers, “Yes, I’m fine.” she gripping the back of my jeans but I think if she didn’t want to do this anymore she would say something, she’s just nervous. Hell, I’m nervous. 

I open the door and Noah is standing there with a bouquet of wildflowers in one hand and a stuffed monkey in the other. “Hi,” he says in a soft and nervous voice. I return his greeting with a warm smile. “Come on in” I open the door wider so he can come in and Erin scoots along with me not quite ready to reveal herself. “How are you doing?” he asks and hands the flowers over to me, “these are for you.” He gestures to the monkey, “And this is for Erin.” she peaks her head out from behind me and looks up towards Noah and the monkey. “That’s for me?” she asks quietly. Noah crouches down to be at her eye level and hands out the toy to her. “Yes, this is for you. Do you like monkeys?” He asks and I see a small smile appear on her face. “I do like monkeys. I saw some at the zoo a few days ago with my friend Ashely.” She holds out her hand to accept the offering. “Hi Erin.” he says with a warm smile, “I’m Noah, it’s very nice to meet you?” She slowly eases out from behind me and is now standing beside me and at eye level with Noah, still crouched. “It’s nice to meet you too. Even though you made my mom sad.” 

Oh, Jesus, this is going to be an interesting afternoon.

Next chapter

[beefros-sin-bin]

Goodbye 2023!

Thank you to everyone who sent in submissions - I have so much reading to catch up on now! 🥩💜🥩

If you have more fics to recommend for the SinBin, keep sending them my way.

I was originally going to break everything by category into the various P-boys, but the majority are one specific character. So we have two categories:

Joel Miller Fics

Other P-boy Fics.

I've included the comments (if there was one) for each fic submitted, but kept the submitter anonymous.

Beefro & the SinBin 🚮🥩💜

Joel Miller Fics (in no specific order)

Left in Lincoln - @toxicanonymity

Left in Lincoln. It's no secret my love for this series, and for my favorite Joelkémon, but this story is one I love not only for the slow burn sexiness but the horror elements in general. The balance of fear and horror with the soft, beautiful descriptions of the characters and setting make it one I return to over and over. The musical references and influence on the story is just the icing on the cake 🖤 Or ice cream on the pie, in this case 🍑🌸 Ty for the beautiful stories Toxy, and community to obsess over our mutual obsessions 🥰🖤

Scarecrow & Fear Thy Neighbor by @xdaddysprincessxx

So my first rec is @xdaddysprincessxx and her Farmer Joel series 🚜 All of her work is amazing but this one is so fun and soooo hot! (Heed the warnings though if you choose to read) I'm biased because I got to hear about her writing process and contribute some of my own thots 🤭 But it's not only sexy af (just like her!) but scary too!!! Be sure to read the sequel too 😉 She's not only a talented writer but a wonderful human in general 🖤

Help I’m Stuck! By @nosesitter

Reader gets “stuck” in the dryer. Luckily her father in law Joel just so happens to find her and helps 😉 her. When I read this I finally got the whole “oh no I’m stuck!” sex scenario lmao I always found it kinda funny bc in porn they’d be stuck in ridiculous spots but this fic? Fucking hot as hell. I get it now 🤷🏻‍♀️

I can be your pretty girl by @walkintotheriveranddisappear

Okay so I’m almost positive she is tired of me recc’ing & talking about this series lol it’s the hottest fucking fic ever. I genuinely am obsessed. It has everything. She deserves a Nobel peace prize for this idc idc.

A Secret Worth Keeping by @multiversed-daydreamer

Vamp Joel. I repeat Vamp. Joel. 🥵 and his vampirism is a secret and readers blood is his krptonite and she has to keep what they do hush hush. It’s so goddamn delicious 🤤

Fall into Temptation by @joelsgreys

Whew okay where do I start? Reader is the pastors daughter. Joel is Joel. 😏 they end up falling for each other and having a beautiful love affair. That has to be a secret bc her father would forbid it! Duh! It’s spicy, they have to sneak around to meet up with each other (again I am paraphrasing ish I don’t wanna spoil lol) and the religious tones in it? My baby is feeding me. This heals my religious trauma. Feeds my daddy issues and desire to fuck this old man.

Deliver Me From Nowhere by @atinylittlepain

It is beautifully written, touching a delicate topic with such care, it is truly an amazing work.

Just This Once by @talaok

Okay hear me out: this one brings the angst. The emotion. I felt so bad for reader, bby girl just wanted love. It tore me up inside. I had tears.

Self Indulgent Tendencies by @strang3lov3

So this was actually the first fic of Bugs I ever read. And. I. LOVED. IT. I’m trying not to spoil anything but long story short; Joel catches reader and fucks her to teach her a lesson. (I am extremely paraphrasing this lol) it still lives in my damn brain 🥵

Meet Me in the Back by @atticrissfinch

Sleazy gas station Joel. That’s it. That’s all. He is so sleazy and ugh I need his dick. And so does reader after she gets it. And she keeps coming. Back for more that is 😉

All You Wanna Do by @atticrissfinch

Now I am an angst queen. And boy this one is not for the weak. It is dark, please please please heed the warnings on this one. But personally I love this one. She has truly ripped my heart out, made my chest physically hurt. She invokes emotion so well.

No One But Me by @koshkamartell

This is a small blog's series that deserves to be promoted!

The Wrong Way by @romana-after-dark

Raider!Joel Miller and Raider!Tommy Miller x fem!Reader

Other P-boy Fics (in no specific order)

Dirty Uncle Ezra by @bonezone44

😏 yea I said it. Dirty Uncle Ezra. Hottest fucking concept I’ve ever heard. He’s so dirty and sleazy and ngh I’m already moaning. Also this beautiful human is an amazing artist so plz check out their art work 💜 (a note from Beefro: the fact that the age tag on this is 56+ made me laugh out loud)

Pascals Pursuit of Love! by @elvinaa (all the P-Boys!)

The innovation! It has all the P boys Bachelorette style. It’s so much like the show, it’s got twists and turns, there’s funny moments, cute moments. I look forward to each week aka each chapter lol I love it so much.

Apple by @romana-after-dark

Bisexual!Dark!Santiago Garcia, Bisexual!Dark!Frankie Morales, and Bisexual!Dark!William Miller x fem!Reader

[rengokuswif3]

Inosuke Hashibira x Shinazugawa! Reader

The two of you met when he was recovering at the Butterfly Mansion. You were there with your brother, Genya, visiting the Butterfly Girls and helping out around the place

You weren’t a Tsugoku, but you were damn near close in skill. You trained under your other brother, Sanemi, sometimes and also under Gyomei, Genya’s mentor. So you were a fine swordsman with lots of strength and vigor, and just as much of a resting bitch face as your brothers

You always looked like you wanted to bite someone’s head off, so lots of Slayers naturally avoided you. You didn’t mind that though, you didn’t have time to chit chat and dawdle, you had things to do and places to be

So when some kid in a boar head rammed into you on your way out of the mansion, you were pissed off and annoyed. He was shouting about something that you couldn’t understand, something about Gonpachiro and Monichi? Whoever those two were, you didn’t care

“Get out of my way, freak! The hell do you think you’re doing running around a hospital?! You could’ve hurt someone already injured you damn moron!”

“HEH?! WHO YOU CALLING A MORON, SPIKY HAIR?!”

“What is going on?”

You both turned when you heard a grouchy voice. A tall, broad shouldered figure blocked your path, their spiky mohawk making them look even taller

“This idiot in a pig head ran straight into me, that’s what!” You snapped at your brother. Despite being the same age, he was taller than you by about a whole head, so you had to strain your neck to look him in the eye

“Hey you! Why are you running in a damn hospital, you stupid boar?” He towered over the shorter boy

“NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, OTHER SPIKY HAIR!”

The boar kid ran off, despite being yelled at not to run. You looked to your brother, who had a glare on his face as he looked down on you, opening his mouth no doubt to scold you. But you walked away from him, not giving him the chance to. You were late for training anyways, Genya’s complaints about you were going to have to wait for later

It wasn’t long after that you were sent on a mission with the board headed kid, along with some boy in a checkered haori carrying a box on his back, and a kid with yellow hair who whines about everything

“AH! WE MEET AGAIN, SPIKY HAIR!”

“It’s Y/N, you dimwit! Y/N Shinazugawa!”

The name caught the attention of the checkered haori boy. “You’re a Shinazugawa?”

“Yeah, what’s it to you, punk?!”

“Nothing! I just recognized your name was all.” He shrugged nervously.

You rolled your eyes at them all, grumbling that it was time to get going. You wanted to get this mission over with, already sick of their presences

The mission took place in a creepy forest, filled with dead trees and creepy bugs that the yellow haired kid whined about throughout the entire mission. You stalked ahead of them all, hearing them whispering or bickering occasionally

When you all finally located the demon, you decided to split up according to the checkered haori kids orders, and you were stuck with the annoying boar headed guy, or, Inosuke as you learned during the trip

“I say we charge it!”

“No, idiot! Stealth is the better option!”

“Whatever, Shitzuwana, I’M GOING IN!”

“DAMN YOU, INOSUKE!”

Thanks to him, the demon heard you both coming a mile away, easily stopping Inosuke’s attack and knocking you aside. You saw the demon go for Inosuke’s throat, so you quickly got up and ran at the demon, going to slice it’s head. But it was too quick for you, and you almost sliced right into Inosuke’s neck if you didn’t have such good reflexes

“HEY! YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!”

“IF YOU LISTENED TO ME, I WOULDN’T HAVE!”

“THATS A STUPID EXCUSE, WAZUSHIA!”

“ITS SHINAZUGAWA!” You yelled as you fought the demon, until Inosuke shoved you away to fight it himself. You groaned, knowing you’d never win this fight if you fought the boar kid as well as the demon. “Look, let’s fight each other later, alright? We gotta work together!”

Inosuke remembered the fight at Mount Natagumo, where he had learned how to fight alongside somebody instead of by himself and against them. So he nodded and listened to your plan, deciding to challenge you to a fight later to settle who was the better slayer

Eventually, you killed the demon together, but not without busting your leg. You limped as you walked with him to find Tanjiro and Zenitsu, causing him to pick you up without any warning

“HEY! IM FINE! PUT ME DOWN!”

“YOURE SLOWING US DOWN, SHITZUWANA! NOW SHUT UP!”

On the way back to headquarters, Inosuke carried you nearly the whole way, either on his back or in his arms. He bragged that you weighed nothing to him, and how strong he was for carrying you the whole way, but it somehow was less annoying. He also talked about beating you once you recovered, cause fighting someone injured was no fight!

When you got back to headquarters, you unfortunately saw your older brother, Sanemi, sparring with the Serpent Pillar

“What happened to your leg?”

“WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!-“

[nullsleepy]

The Strike of a Villainess

Chapter 5: The Huh of the Huh??

Chapter 1 Chapter 6 Ao3

——-//——-///———

A small rustle could be heard as Marinette looked through her desk’s drawers, attempting to find some paper and a pen. How anyone could live without having a single paper in their desk, Marinette couldn’t understand. With no luck, the girl stared deadpan out the nearby window.

Instead of continuing to look hopelessly, Marinette turned her sights to the room’s door- one that might lead somewhere where she could find something to organize her thoughts.

“Are you sure about this, Marinette? There could be danger out there and you don’t have any of your kwamis with you. There could-” She took a long, deep breath, keeping herself from panicking as she walked over to the doorknob, reaching out and grabbing it.

“Let’s do this.” She opened the door into a silent hallway, decorated with endless paintings and valuables. The hair raised on the back of Marinette’s neck as she entered the hallway, constantly trying to keep her balance so she didn’t knock over something expensive.

“My lady?” Eloise’s voice reached Marinette’s ears, causing her to turn towards the maid that was certainly NOT there just a moment before. “May I help you with something?”

For some reason, the maid’s smile was unnerving to Marinette, though she couldn’t figure out why- couldn’t place a single detail that bothered her.

“…could you help me find some pen and paper, please?” Marinette gripped her own hands together, looking down at the ground. “I can’t find any.”

“Of course, my lady!” The maid smiled again at her, disappearing down the hall. “Just wait in your room for me!”

Marinette shuffled back to her room, a bit weirded out that her journey was cut short so suddenly. Or why the maid hadn’t let her see where the paper and pens were. Maybe she was just too paranoid…

As she entered her room, she noticed something on her desk- something that she knew for certain wasn’t there before. A book. A colorful book. A GLOWING book.

“What. The. Flip.” Marinette stared up at it, barely able to keep her hands from reaching up and pulling out her hair. This was weird. This was scary. This was absolutely TERRIFYING.

But for some reason, Marinette didn’t feel scared of the book, it actually felt like it was pulling her closer. It radiated a warmth she hadn’t felt since the last time her maman had hugged her. She couldn’t stop herself as her hand rose towards it and softly touched the book.

But just as she touched it, the glow wrapped around her arm, pulling her forward, forcing her completely against the desk.

Marinette let out a shriek as she felt her hand go inside the cover and something sharp touch her. She immediately yanked her hand out of it, falling backwards as she continued to stare up in fear at the book.

A small bat flew out of it, looking like it was smiling towards her. “Hello, master.”

Marinette gaped at it before throwing the closest thing at it- her hand. She immediately went into “if I’m going to die, you’re gonna die with me” mode as she swatted at the bat. “Just try me you bug-bat-fluff creature! I’ll get rid of you faster than my papa rolls out dough!”

“Hey! Wait a moment!” The bat flew around her room, trying to escape her. “Just listen to me!”

“No way! Last time I listened to something like you- I was stuck trying to save all of Paris!” Marinette threw a nearby perfume bottle at it- which somehow did not break, though the bat barely got out of the way. She immediately into a Crane style kung-fu move, eyes sharp as she stared it down.

“Nettie sent me! The kwami you spoke to!” The creature screamed, hiding behind a bed post. It’s wings wrapped around it, holding onto it for dear life. “Please don’t hurt me!”

“Nettie?” Marinette regained a normal standing position, crossing her arms. “And I’m supposed to believe you? The kwami never even told me their name!”

“They had told you they were going to send you stuff, remember? Like abilities and stuff?” It shook, letting go of the bed frame to curl in on itself. “I’m not lying!”

“Alright, fine. Let’s say I believe you, why are you here? How can you help me?” Marinette kept her stern attitude, but she could feel her heart waver at how cute the small bat-thing was.

The creature smiled as it rose up, puffing out its fluffy chest. “Nettie sent me here to help you! I am the keeper of the book of eternal knowledge! A creature beyond fathomable form! I know everything there is to know about this world and every timeline that there ever has been or will be!”

“…So you’re a guide of sorts? Or are you here to give me this book of eternal knowledge? You haven’t explained anything.” Marinette glared down at the creature, raising a brow.

“I was just getting to that, human! I am the kwami of secrets, a guardian of which few can see! I was sent here to help guide you along the path of change- to ensure you save this world. With the book of eternal knowledge, you will be able to gain abilities that you have only ever dreamed about- though you’ll only be able to use it when you are ready.” The bat kwami flew up to her, staring her in the eyes. “Can I ensure that you will only use this knowledge for changing the world? For changing your role?”

“Of course.” Marinette’s hands fell down to her side. “You aren’t the first kwami to make me swear to saving the world and keeping secrets. But.. do you have a name? Something I can call you by?”

The kwami looked down as if in deep thought while its form slouched. Suddenly, it looked back up, as if reluctant to say anything. “I have no name, human. I have only ever been known as the keeper of Eternal knowledge.”

“… I see.” Marinette put a hand on her face as she looked carefully at the creature. “Then I’ll just call you…”

An image flashed into her brain, causing a small, sad smile to form on her lips.

“Paris.”

“What does that name mean, human?” The creature flew onto her shoulder, looking up at her.

“It’s a name that symbolizes everything I hold dear.”

“So your own secret? I see. I shall accept this name then! I am Paris, the keeper of Eternal Knowledge! And for our first order of business-” Paris suddenly went still before flying off to behind her desk.

“Paris? What are you-?” The door suddenly opened and Eloise came in, a large stack of papers and some pens in hand.

The maid’s stare lingered on her desk - where the kwami was hiding - before smiling at Marinette. “Here are the items you asked for, my lady.”

“Thank you.” Marinette mumbled, taking the items. For a few minutes, the two just stared at each other silently, with only their breath being audible. “…was there anything you needed?”

“I thought I just saw a rat, my lady. But I seem to have been wrong.” Eloise smiled before backing up to the door. “Just the ring the bell if you need something.”

The door began to close before Marinette’s voice rang out. “Wait!”

“Yes, my lady?” The door was still as Eloise continued to smile at her.

“Have you always had green eyes?” Marinette clutched the items in her hands, barely able to keep in her shaking.

“Whatever do you mean, my lady? Of course they have always been green.” Eloise tilted her head, grinning before closing the door.

Marinette fell back onto the floor, her heart racing as Paris flew out to her.

“You shouldn’t trust her, human. She is a-”

“Doppelgänger. I know.” Marinette continued to stare at the door. “But I didn’t think one would be able to sneak into the villainess’ home. I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit.”

——-///——-//———///———

Next

Taglist(open): @fangirlingfanatic @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks @iinhalemayonnaise @kking13 @xxcalypso-phoenixheartxx @khneltea

Notes: I’m now officially out of pre-written chapters so gotta wait to be motivated again. Also am sick 🤒 Anyways, love y’all!

[giggly-squiggily]

Prove Me Wrong (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Heyo! Guess who's back with more of the OG chaos trio? This girl! I freaking love them your honor- and after rewatching JJK 0 recently (as of writing this anyway) I wanted more fluff with them- and so I made it :3 I hope y'all like it! :D

CW: Swearing

Cloud 9 (Taglist Peeps):

@thatbigbisexual29 @duckymcdoorknob @gladdygirl18 @baby-tickles2022 @cupcake-spice13 @rachi-roo

Summary: Gojo refuses to believe Shoko isn't ticklish- so he convinces Geto to help prove her wrong. Things get silly.

Shoko Ieriri was without a doubt, a hundred percent ticklish. Gojo knew this like the back of his hand.

He…didn’t have any actual proof of this information, but the vibes were there- she had to be!

“You can’t just decide someone’s ticklishness based on a feeling.” Geto rolled his eyes when Gojo declared his theory, finishing off the last of his soda. “Besides- we’ve tried tickling her before, remember? She didn’t even react.”

“Well yeah- she wasn’t ticklish on her sides! That doesn’t mean she isn’t ticklish somewhere else!” Gojo was slumped in his spot beside him, arms over the back of the bench, his abandoned can of cola a delightful trap for bugs. “I bet she’s one of those people who you need to turn on their ticklishness- has that one spot that when prodded, it sets off the rest of them!”

“Or she could just be immune.” Geto reached across him, stealing the remaining cola before the local wasp could. “Some people are. Maybe it’s a reverse curse thing.”

“Yeah but anyone can learn that- hell; I bet I could!”

“Probably. Then you’d never be ticklish again.” Geto jabbed his side, making him spasm and scrunch. “Or it’d make it worse. It’s always so tingly when she does it- the whole healing thing. You can barely handle it.”

“She touches too softly, that’s all.” He fussed, cheeks dusting as he sank in his seat once more. Geto smiled around the can. He went to drink.

Without any warning, Gojo jabbed him in the hip.

“GE-AH!” The other boy wheezed, soda spitting everywhere as he coughed and choked.

“That’s what you get. Now- are you gonna help me or not?” Gojo raised a brow, eyes dancing when Geto glared at him.

“Fine. But first- I’m gonna kick your ass!”

~~~

“Hey.” Shoko waved at Gojo as she walked in, kicking her shoes off by the door. “What’s up, Satoru?”

“Hello, my dearest Shoko. Please- come in and have a seat.” He waved his hand in a flourish, the table a semi-organized mess of notebooks, pens, textbooks and snacks.

 The medic made a low sounding whistle, brows raised at the spread. “And here I thought you were full of shit about studying. Bummer- I was looking forward to goofing off.” Shrugging, she came over and took a seat, immediately grabbing a bag of sour cream chips. “Where’s Suguru?”

“He’s running late- likely talking up some pretty girl in town.” Gojo leaned into his hands, eyes dancing. “Can you believe it? He actually has admirers!”

“Jealous?” Shoko smiled around a chip, earning a tongue stuck out at her.

“Please- I’m simply too hot to handle.” While he talked, his eyes found Geto’s looming shadow by the hall, waiting for his cue. Time to get this show on the road.

“So, Shoko darling. What would you say are the biggest drawbacks of your curse technique?” Lead her in- nice and slow.

“What’s with all the darlings and dearests? Are you practicing for Suguru?” She tilted her head at him before growing thoughtful. “I guess the biggest drawback is fatigue. Reverse curse technique- it takes a lot out of you.”

“Ah, I see. What else? I’m curious!” Gojo leaned in, fully engaged. Geto moved closer in steady paces.

“Knew you were full of shit. Hm…well, it’s a high demand technique, so I’m always busy. And I suppose walking in on gruesome sights is another bummer. Oh- and my friends try to use it as a distraction technique to get the jump on me.”

Geto froze- face blank. Gojo’s glasses drooped.

Silence.

“Suguru, do it!” Gojo cried before anyone could move.

“Right! Take THIS!” Geto shot his hands into her armpits, wiggling his fingers.

The reaction was…

“Ah. So you’re still trying to tickle me, huh?” She blinked at him boredly, something amused in her smile at Geto’s blank stare. “Go ahead- I already told you I’m not ticklish.”

“T-There’s got to be somewhere! Here?” He tried her neck. Shoko merely rolled it to the side.

“Here?” Gojo scrambled around the table, squeezing her hip.

“It’s got to be bad here!” Geto pressed into her ribs.

“This is a good spot!” Gojo poked her belly.

“Oh ho ho. Please, guys stop. I’m soooooo ticklish.” Shoko snickered, unfazed by their antics. No matter where they touched, she was unmoved, finishing off the last of her chips. “I can’t handle it. Please, don’t.”

“My god.” Gojo sat back, wide eyed and mildly spooked. “She’s a god.”

“Unfazed and untouched.” Geto put his hands on his hips, shaking his head.

“Praise me.” She flexed, satisfied. “My turn- which one of you got the bright idea?”

“Satoru.” Geto wasted no time.

“T-Traitor!” Gojo cried, scrambling back just as Shoko went to grab him. “He helped though! Get him first!”

“Nah. I like tickling you more. You make funny noises.” She dived, grabbing his ankle as Gojo tried to wiggle free. Within seconds she was upon him, sitting by his hips as her fingers worked along his torso. “See what I mean?”

“Aheahhahahahhahahha! S-Shohohohohohokoohohohohohooho! Gehahahahhahaa, nohohohohohohohohohoohoo!” The pale haired teen was a mess of giggles almost immediately, flopping like a fish out of water as he batted at her hands. “Dohohohooohn’t tihiihhihickle mehehehehehehehe!”

“Heh- I tried to tell you, Satoru.” Geto snickered, eyes falling to Shoko as he watched her work. She was sitting on her knees, socked feet tucked under her butt as she carried on pinching Gojo’s waist.

…..Hm….

Without any warning, he dragged a finger down her sole.

“AH!” A sharp squeal shot out of her mouth, full body spasming at the feeling. Geto stared, brows raised. Gojo was equally stunned, staring at the reverse curse user with equal amazement.

“Oh my GOD! I freaking knew it! You’re ticklish!” Gojo cackled, pumping his fist in the air like a happy child. “Shoko’s ticklish! Shoko’s tickli-EEHEHEEHEHE!”

“Eh. So I am- but you’re more.” She grinned, prodding the terrible spot along his lower third rib. “See what I mean? Funny noises.”

“AEHHHAHAHHAHA! SKEHEHHHEHHEHE! SUHUHUHUGUHUHHUURU HEHEHEHEHELP!” Gojo cried out, flailing his hands for mercy. “GEHEHHEHEHT EHHEHEHEHEHEHER!”

“So demanding…” Geto grinned before shuffling over, hands raised and fingers clawed. “Here I come~”

~~~

It was safe to say Geto tried.

The moment his fingers touched Shoko’s foot, she all but flailed, arm swinging backwards and knocking him sideways. Before she could check on him though, Gojo all but leaped across- tackling a groaning Geto and going right for the hips. 

"SAHHAHAHAHTAHAHHAHRU YOU SHIIHIHIIHIT!"

"Hehe, gotcha Sugu-EHEHEHEH SHOKO!"

"Hehehehehe~"

More antics ensued. A foot connected with Gojo’s stomach- likely Shoko’s, one of Geto’s curses came out (“Let’s kiss!” “GET THE HELL OFF ME!”) and the little table of snacks and books that weren’t even real textbooks went tumbling over with a kick.

When the dust finally settled, the three of them were spread out across the carpet of Gojo’s apartment, giggly and exhausted.

“Heh…hehehe..new ruhuhle. No suhuhuhuhmoning curses.” Gojo declared, earning a tired round of “Hurrahs” from his friends.

“Ihihin my defense- I was gohoing for the hahands.” Geto huffed, rubbing his jaw with a snicker. “That’s ohohne hell of a right hook, Shoko.”

“Heh. Bet.” She sat up, patting herself down until she found her cigarettes. “I’m gonna take a smoke break.” She reached out, pressing her fingers into his cheek until the bruise was no longer there. “Sorry about that.”

Once the door shut, Gojo grinned, raising a tired hand. “Told you she was ticklish!”

“She’s also violent when tickled.” Geto rolled his eyes, slapping it anyway. “Was it worth it?”

They sat there, reflecting for a moment. Her laugh was so….gremlin-like. Snickery and snorty, shrill at points. Completely different than you’d expect from her…

“Worth it.” They nodded.

Thanks for reading!

[turretistrying]

The Caged Bird and Chased Mouse

Chapter 2: The Mouse Rests

HOLY HECK,,, lots of people seem to like this idea, i wasn’t expecting people to like it or want to be part of a taglist no less! Im still not a writer by trade,, im an artist so maybe,,, just maybe,,, ill draw some scenes if you ask politely (they;ll be sketches but hey if it helps you visualize then I’d be happy to help!) also If you want i can answer things if something’s unclear in the story *this is just me asking for asks tbh,, i need friends haha* anyways i’ma make this one longer to compensate for the shorter one last time.

No Warnings!

You were in a void of darkness, sitting down on the non-existent floor. You look around hoping you’d see something at least vaguely familiar to latch yourself to, but it was truly empty. You started to stand up to gain some bearings on where you were.

It felt like a dream, you thought, it had the same sort of fuzzy quality you’d feel when dreaming with nothing truly concrete. Or perhaps, it’s a worse, torturous nightmare than the one you just escaped, your traitorous brain supplied. You shook your head to make sure the thought didn’t linger for too long and started to wander in the void.

After a while of walking around aimlessly you started to think of your life before this whole fiasco, your comfortable bed with plenty of blankets, pillows and plushies. Your walls decorated with assorted posters and trinkets. Your windows that gave a clear view of your yard and the bird feeder you put to watch them come and go. Your plants outside that needed water regularly, making you one of the few Genshin players that touched grass nearly everyday.

You didn’t even realize you had closed your eyes. You opened them, expecting to see the void once again but…

It was your room. Your magnificent room. You could’ve cried at such a familiar and mundane sight.

You were about to fall into your bed but you noticed it was alright occupied by someone. It was the child that was trapped in the orb thing, she was here sitting in your bed looking at you expectantly. You sat next to her in the bed (damn, it also felt the same,) and stared back.

“…” The white-haired girl kept opening and closing her mouth as if she couldn’t think of what to say to you, “You seem so… Familiar to me. Do you know why?”

You were taken aback, but worried, was she also going to accuse you of being an imposter? You spoke after a bit “uhm, no, I’m sorry.”

“Oh. I was hoping you knew, it’s frustrating to not know something when its… uhm” She puts a finger to her chin in thought

“On the tip of your tongue?” You try and supply helpfully

“Yes! Hehe, I guess that was also ‘on the tip of my tounge’!” She giggles at what she thought of, you also laugh but mostly because of her enthusiasm. You both settle back into silence but a question was still bugging you in the back of your head;

“Why were you trapped in that… Orb thing,” You gesture a circle shape with your hands ”back in what I assume is the real world.”

“Ah, well I’m the Archon of Sumeru and-“ Your eyes widen at that but you decide to stay quiet, “I’m not fit to rule Sumeru, so I let the Sages run everything and because of that I’m not really meant to be outside of the Sanctuary so I’m stuck here.” Her head sags down when she finished speaking, making her look incredibly downtrodden

You tilt your head slightly to the side at mention of ‘Sages’, but decide to just ask simple questions since, well this has been the first character that has shown you friendliness towards you and you’d like to make a friend before they turn against you. “What’s your name? I’m sorry, i know I should’ve asked earlier but, I forget i guess. I’ll tell mine in return, its only fair.”

She lifts her head back up and gives a smile “That’s okay, I also should have asked. I’m Lesser Lord Kusanali but you can called me Nahida.” You tell her your name, your real one and not the one you used in the game, which seemed to be the name given to ‘The Creator’ from what you’ve gathered in your terrifying travels across Teyvat.

You yawn and lean back into bed, “I know this is a dream and yet I still feel tired, I wonder why that is.” Nahida looks at you while you lay down, as if she wants to do something.

“Do you want to.. cuddle Nahida?” You offer, unsure

Her eyes widen and she gives a shy slow nod to you. You open your arms as you lay on your side for her to come over. She hesitantly gets closer, almost nervous about it. Once she’s close enough you wrap your arms around her and pull her closer, she’s like a plushie shes so smol squish her, you thought as you started to drift into what felt like an even deeper sleep. Nahida’ s small arms wrapped around you waist and snuggled her head into your chest as you fell unconscious.

_________________________________________________________________________________

The Traveler felt… Lost. The force that seemed to guide them throughout Teyvat seemed to disappear, they no longer felt the warmth that the being dubbed ‘The Creator’ gifted them when they led their body to new areas and helped with everything. Paimon has been asking them what’s wrong and why they haven’t been traveling (or talking for that matter) as much as of late, because Paimon didn’t seem to understand anything about The Creator at all unlike the Traveler’s other companions. “Maybe Paimon isn’t worthy enough to receive The Creator’s warmth like me” thought the Traveler as they absentmindedly pushed around the ash from the campfire they’d set up an hour earlier.

They decided to bring out their Adventure Handbook and flipped to the Map, it seemed like they was one marker left from the last time they had been controlled by The Creator. “Hey Paimon, Tomorrow we’ll be back on the road.” Traveler said to his flying friend who was currently devouring an entire Honey Roast.

“*Nom Nom* Where to? Paimon’s bones have been aching for some good adventure!” Paimon ignored that Traveler had finally spoke a full sentence to her after weeks, more focused on the idea of going somewhere new.

“Sumeru.”

_________________________________________________________________________________

So? How you like it? It’s probably not that long if im being honest ehe. So yeah Traveler is coming into the mix, which btw you guys can decide if you want the Traveler to be Lumine or Aether! (Because I can’t deal with using They for both you the reader and the traveler because i will get confused when writing) Also the whole room thing is based on what my room is like, other than the bird feeders but I’m getting those sometime this year i promise. I also had to read the lore for Nahida and it seems there was never like,,, a solid reason for why she was trapped in the orb thing other than “Sages wanted to and she did it out of her own freewill” and didnt have a larger purpose.

If your name is crossed out it means I couldn’t tag you I’m sorry :(

Taglist: @no-name-omo @moosieman123456 @tinandabin @esthelily @d0rmiens-fact0rem @lunalily19 @meerpea @justasleepyboi @lunarianillusion @cumbermovels @allblognamesaretakenlikereally @dulleyeddreamer @ello-its-me-ya-boi @jayastronomicnova

[abbysleftbicepp]

Abby being your comfort person (your family has been ruining your day and your ex is bugging you).

Ughh this hits a little close to home rn I can’t lie. Tysm for the prompt!!! This was kinda rushed but I wanted to finish it because I loved the Idea so much. (Not proofread!!)

“You need to get out there and get a real job! You can’t just keep living off of a dream that you know will never work out.” Your mom nagged at you all day, she tried supporting your small business but she was fed up with you because it wasn’t going anywhere.

“Your mothers right. You know what I could ask my boss if we’re hiring at the moment, he could get you kickstarted at a job in the company.” Your dad added to the conversation. You held your head in your hands at the dinner table, you did not have the energy for this tonight.

“I’m not working at your stupid office job, I’m not gonna get stuck in a 9 to 5 and not have a life like everyone else my age. This business is going somewhere, it just needs time.” You retorted. You were tired of their nagging, but you knew they would give you a harder time if you up and left.

“Making jewellery out of trashy beads is not a way of living! You will give up, and when you do don’t even think about crawling to us because we warned you.” Your mother yelled, startling you. You tried hiding the fact it startled you, so you asked her calmly;

“May I leave now?”

“Yes, you may.” She snapped, leaving the table herself.

When you pulled into the porch of your small home that you and Abby rented together, you were immediately bombarded by messages from your ex.

Ellie: hey

Ellie: r u busy tnite

Ellie: I know ur seeing my msgs, answer me pls

Ellie: cmon babe I just wanna talk.

You switched off your phone, you couldn’t be arsed with her usual shit. It had been 3 weeks since you found her fucking another girl at a party. 3 weeks since you ended everything with her, and 3 weeks since she started spamming your phone with apologies and horny texts.

Once you walked through the door, you kicked your shoes off and your breathing came uneasy.

“Hey where have you been? It’s pretty late I was getting worried.” Your amazing roommate, Abby, asked. She noticed how your breathing had hitched and tears brimmed your eyelids, threatening to fall out at any given moment.

“Hey it’s okay. Cmere.” She said, before gently grabbing your hand and walking you to the living room. You both sat down on the sofa, and she looked into your eyes with concern.

“Wanna tell me what’s happened?” She asked softly. Her voice alone was enough to send you over the edge. The tears fell down your cheeks as the dam broke, she knew that she didn’t need an explanation, all she needed to do right now was to make sure you were comforted.

She wrapped her large muscular arms around your back, pulling you into her chest. She rubbed small circles into your ribs, trying to soothe you.

“Try to focus on my heartbeat okay? Let my heartbeat be the only thing on your mind.” She whispered into your ear. A few moments passed, and your tears had stopped. The dam had dried. She still drew circles into your back, in an attempt to keep you calm.

Eventually you pulled away, slightly. She was still holding onto your shoulders as she looked into your eyes.

“Wanna tell me what happened?” She asked softly, trying not to pry.

You sniffled as you wiped your eyes, noticing the tear stains on her sweatshirt.

“Sorry about your shirt..” you sniffled again.

Abby let out a quiet laugh. “Don’t you worry about my shirt, I don’t mind as long as you’re okay.” Abby spoke, her voice bringing you the peace that you oh-so needed.

“I don’t really wanna talk about today..I just wanna sleep it off if that’s okay.” You spoke, not looking at her.

“Yeah that’s fine. I won’t push you to say anything.” She smiled.

“Can you stay with me tonight, please..?” You asked, your heart beating slightly faster.

“If it will help you sleep, of course I can.” Abby smiled softly at you.

When you both got into bed, she wrapped her meaty arm around your waist, pulling you closer.

“Don’t you worry, I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you while I’m around.” She whispered into your neck as you fell into a blissful sleep.

[hyperfixationrn]

Liked by username and 12,283 others

gioupdates gio out again with injury. this is heartbreaking.

username wtf

username can he catch a break

username we need him too

username does this mean i can’t thirst over him on my tv screen

View all 1,473 comments

yn ln

my flight lands at 11:15 pm.

jude bellingham

??

yn ln

can u pick me up.

jude bellingham

you’re too good for him

jude bellingham

course i can tho

yn ln

shut up bellingham. see ya.

jude bellingham

be safe. lmk when you land and if anyone gives you a problem.

ynn🤟

hey baby. you played your heart out. injury isn’t fair. i’m hurting really badly for you. i’m flying out and i’ll see you tonight.

ynn🤟

and don’t say no g!!! because my sister already dropped me off at the airport and my dad paid for the ticket. i have a three day weekend from school and i’m stuck on rest anyway because of my own injury. i probably need you as much as you need me.

giovanni❤️

i love you. please be safe so i can see you soon.

little bug sister🐛

arrived safely!!! judey picked me up.

big bug sister🦋

JUDE! i miss him. how’s giovanni?

little bug sister🐛

JUDE! g is really down. just trying to keep his mind off of it. it’s just not fair and i’m having a hard time “cheering him up” because i’m so sad for him.

big bug sister🦋

i can only imagine. just enjoy the time with him and try and forget the reason why. you guys need this.

Liked by judebellingham and 23,873 others

yninstagram halloooo gioooo (rhyming) 🫂

username if you want to tag team comforting him i’m right here yn

teammate rest up urself!

yninstagram only running i will be doing is through your mind

username gio :(

gioreyna thanks for the hug

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yninstagram jude. my knight in shining armor. thank you kindly for coming to help me in my moment of need. 🤝

username i love y’all 😭

yourmom Send the sweet boy our love! 😊

yninstagram i guess i can hug him again 🙄

gioreyna feeling so much of it from your daughter already :)

View all 4,971 comments

Liked by yoursister and 358,927 others

gioreyna american girl 🇺🇸

judebellingham such a sap brother

gioreyna u took the photo dude

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yninstagram 🤟 eagle. boston tea party. bill of rights.

gioreyna ❤️‍🔥

jjscally_3 bro get back on fifa

gioreyna gimme like 2 minutes

yninstagram let me on the mic

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[darl-ingfics]

Sicktember Day 1: “I’m not hungover, I’m just sick”

Fandom: EXO

Sickie: DO/Kyungsoo (stomach bug)

Caregiver(s): Suho/Junmyeon (Chanyeol, and SHINee are there for, like, two seconds)

Word Count: 1615

Notes: LET’S GO Y’ALL!!!!!! Also, for the story, I've always been a ho for the SM Town family lore as long as I’ve been a Kpop fan, so don't be surprised if that comes back sometime this month...

There was no party like an SM town party. Not the ones sanctioned by the company, of course, but the unofficial ones the artists threw themselves. To their knowledge, the company had no idea about these parties, and only trusted managers were made aware that they were even happening. Every month, a different group was tasked with setting up the event. Sometimes they were super themed, super fancy affairs. Others, they were meet ups at one of the dorms, casual and low key. Most often they were somewhere in the middle, glorified hangouts at bars within the radius of all of the groups’ dorms. 

This month was Girls’ Generation’s pick, and Taeyeon had taken them to a bar that was only a short walk from EXO’s dorm specifically. Which ended up being a blessing in disguise when Junmyeon’s conversation with Jinki and Minho was interrupted when Chanyeol ran over, calling the leader’s name. 

“Hyung, can you go check on Kyungsoo? He ran off just now, and he didn’t look too hot,” Chanyeol declared, breathing heavily. He grabbed the older man’s shoulder for emphasis. “And I really don’t think he’d want to see me right now.”

Junmyeon cocked his head to the side, fighting a smile.“And he’d want to see me?” he asked. 

Chanyeol shrugged. “Well, maybe. I’ve just been told to ‘get my drunk ass out of his sight’ several times, and I don’t really need another.” 

Junmyeon nodded, looking to his friends. Jinki dipped his head with an understanding smile, and Minho waved him onwward. With a quick smile of his own, Junmyeon offered both men a quick salute before speeding through the crowd as fast as he could, which was surprisingly easier than he’d been expecting. He’d made it to the wall in a matter of seconds, and followed it until he came across the doors to the restroom. Junmyeon pushed through the door with his shoulder, taking a deep breath to calm the worry growing in his stomach. 

“Kyungsoo?” he asked, voice ringing slightly in the small, tiled room. The sound of a toilet flushing sounded in response. “Kyungsoo?!” 

“Here.” A pale hand stuck out from beneath the door of the second stall. Junmyeon hurried over, pulling back the door just as he heard the lock click open. Kyungsoo was sitting on the floor… well, sitting was a very liberal term. He was actually slumped against the stall wall, knees bent up to keep him steady. His face was ten shades paler than normal, tinted slightly green. The hand resting on his stomach was shaking. The eyes that met Junmyeon’s were tired, a lackluster brown instead of the bright hazel they usually were. 

“Gee, how many drinks did Yeollie trick you into tonight?” Junmyeon joked automatically, a smile pulling at his lips. 

“I didn’t even drink, I swear,” Kyungsoo moaned, rubbing at his eyes with both hands. He moaned again. “Not even water…” Junmyeon’s eyebrows wrinkled with sympathy as he knelt down next to the younger man and pressed a hand to his forehead. The skin was both hot and clammy to the touch.

Junmyeon clicked his tongue, rubbing Kyungsoo’s shoulder sympathetically. “Come on. We should get you home. You think your stomach can handle a ten minute walk?” Kyungsoo nodded, taking a deep breath before holding out his hands. Junmyeon clasped his hands around his dongsaeng’s and helped pull the other boy to his feet, wrapping an arm around Kyungsoo’s shaking shoulders to stop the swaying. “Come on,” he encouraged gently, helping walk him out of the stall. 

“Wait,” Kyungsoo said, pulling away from Junmyeon’s grip. The older man froze, expecting him to be sick again. Instead, Kyungsoo stumbled to the skin. “Gotta wash my hands. These floors are disgusting.”

Junmyeon chuckled lightly, watching Kyungsoo closely as he washed the dirt from his hands. The leader offered his elbow when he was finished, earning him a look of confusion. “You’re swaying.” Kyungsoo simply nodded and wrapped his arm through Junmyeon’s, allowing the taller boy to lead him. 

Junmyeon pushed open the bathroom door, nearly hitting Chanyeol in the face. 

“Whoa! Hey! We were just coming to make sure everything was okay!” the rapper exclaimed quickly, tipping back on his heels as Junmyeon automatically apologized for almost hitting him with the door. Chanyeol’s eyes found their linked arms. “And it looks to me like everything’s fine. Maybe even more than fine?” 

Junmyeon’s cheeks lit up like a Christmas tree, but his mothering instincts were able to suppress his embarrassment. And both Jinki and Minho were right behind Chanyeol, and looked about ready to jump in lest he say anything more. “Don’t worry. Things are just fine,” Junmyeon said as simply as possible. “We’re just gonna head home a little early though. Kyungsoo’s not feeling too great.” 

“Aw, dude, that sucks,” Minho sighed sympathetically. “Did this one trick you into one too many again?” He slapped a hand around Chanyeol’s shoulders as the other man whined in protest.

“No,” Kyungsoo moaned pitifully, his grip on Junmyeon’s arm tightening. His shoulders began to cave like a child trying not to hide behind his mom. 

“No, he’s actually sick,” Junmyeon spoke up, patting Kyungsoo’s hand reassuringly. Even Chanyeol’s face fell at that. “So we’re going to go home and watch a movie or something.” A tiny smile peaked on Kyungsoo’s lips, and Junmyeon inwardly high fived himself. 

“That sounds like the best course of action,” Minho nodded approvingly. 

“Do you need any help getting home?” Jinki asked. “I’d be happy to walk back with you.” 

“Thank you, but we should be fine,” Junmyeon answered with a confident smile. “He seems steady enough and it’s only two blocks. I’ll text you as soon as we get home?” Jinki nodded, sticking with them until they’d reached the door, and making Junmyeon promise to text him a second time. 

~

Getting home had been surprisingly easy. The crisp night air had put Kyungsoo at ease, allowing him to forget how awful he felt for a brief moment. The two had walked together, mostly silently, joking every now and then about things they’d seen at the party. Junmyeon had hope that maybe, just maybe, this was just a fluke and Kyungsoo would be just fine. 

He was, of course, proven wrong as soon as they walked in the door, and the younger man sprinted towards the bathroom, the greenish look returning to his face. 

Junmyeon had decided to give him his space, setting about preparing Kyungsoo’s room in case he had to be carried back. When Junmyeon finally returned to the bathroom, he found find Kyungsoo lying on the floor like a starfish. “Kyungsoo?”

“Hm?”

“What ch’a doing?”

“This feels nice,” Kyungsoo replied, words slightly slurred from the fact that his cheek was plastered to the floor. 

The leader settled against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. It took a lot for him to not burst out laughing. Kyungsoo was the LEAST likely of any of his members to willingly lay on a bathroom floor. Yet here they were. “We haven’t cleaned that floor in weeks,” Junmyeon commented, making a mental note to put that on the to do list for tomorrow. 

“That’s okay,” Kyungsoo said in response. “It’s just our germs. And I’ve already got those so...” Junmyeon rolled his eyes. 

“How’re you feeling?”

“Not bad, but not good either.”

“Think you’re gonna get sick again?”

“I don’t think so, but that’s really not up to me.”

Junmyeon fought back another eye roll. “You want to go to bed, then?”

“Can’t I just stay here?”

“No. Sick people need to sleep in a proper bed,” Junmyeon insisted, moving into the small room and, careful as can be, stooped down to pull Kyungsoo into a sitting position. The shorter man didn’t protest, but was dead weight in Junmyeon’s hands, slumping against his shoulder once the leader had got him up. “Think you can walk?”

“Well, it would be embarrassing if you carried me,” Kyungsoo said plainly. He didn’t move away from Junmyeon’s shoulder, though. 

“Why?” Junmyeon asked with an amused smile. 

“Cause I’m not a princess,” Kyungsoo said as if it were obvious. “We had the archetype talk the other day. We decided that I’m the villain, not the princess. Baekhyun’s our princess. I don’t want you to treat me like a princess when I’m a villain.”

Junmyeon had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. “Oh, I’m sorry for even vaguely suggesting such a thing. I’m just thoroughly curious if you have the strength to walk to your bedroom.”

“Yeah, I should be good,” Kyungsoo nodded, this time pulling away from Junmyeon and running a hand over his eyes. “Dear god, my head hurts.”

“That’d be the flu, my friend,” Junmyeon replied, spotting Kyungsoo as he pulled himself up onto shaking legs. “Can you walk?” 

“I got this.” Kyungsoo was able to walk about halfway down the hallway before he stopped stock still. Junmyeon rushed slightly closer, eyes quickly scanning for the reason the younger man had stopped. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Kyungsoo’s head slumped against his shoulder. “Soo? You with me?” 

“Hm?” 

“How’re you doing?” 

“I’m tired,” the younger man replied, not moving his head. 

“I can tell,” Junmyeon laughed, readjusting his arm to better support his member’s leaning. “We’re so close to bed, though. Come on, I’ll help you the rest of the way.” 

“Sure.” 

Junmyeon bit his lip as he half led, half dragged Kyungsoo the rest of the way to his bed, forced him none too gently into clean pajamas, and helped him settle under the covers. Based on tonight, this was going to be a long week.

[nicistrying]

40-something yr old man, together with my wife for 20 years/married for 13 years. Not sure how old you or your man are, but I look back at my 20s and 30s and I was 100% the same (not cleaning up/etc).

No good explanations, not sure if it’s brain wiring or what, but things my lady would see needing done, I just wouldn’t see, or wouldn’t see as needing to be done, or wouldn’t see as needing to be done *right then.*

If it helps or gives you hope, I’ve evolved past it (mostly evolved, I’m sure she’d tell you that nobody’s perfect), largely (I think) after we became parents, and specifically after she had to travel for long periods (months) so I was left to tend house and be single-dad.

Relationships largely fall into one of two categories, either they get boring/stale/complacent, OR they take continuous care/nurturing/work by both people. As long as your relationship is safe and healthy, and you believe it’s headed in a positive direction, then far as I can tell you’re like most of us. Focus on the positives, and continue to work patiently on the things that need improvement. He may not be able to (or want to) articulate it, but there are things like this about you in his eyes too.

PS, Single parenting is the absolute hardest role an adult human can possibly have, it’s not ideal for the parent or the child(ren). But in a healthy loving environment, adversity can and often does lead to growth.

Thank you so much for taking the time to send this, I really appreciate the insight. We just got married, mid-20s and I just don't want to start off a marriage being all bitter about stupid things like housework which in the grand scheme of things aren't that important, he is super supportive and we get on really well together, literally everything else we share pretty equally and work together, we very rarely argue and we try to communicate before things fester. This is the only thing we really get stuck on.

I know there will absolutely be things that bug him about me too. Maybe we should sit down and have a roast or something and get all our frustrations out to laugh about them. I just don't know how to address it I think, I can laugh about it sometimes but the rest of the time I'll get in such a bad mood about it and just feel hurt that it gets left to me, but I don't say anything because I don't want to be a naggy wife.

He says the same thing, maybe he is wired different, I don't know. As a society are we still only telling girls that things need cleaned when you can see dirt and dust on them? Is it a deeper issue that I can't really blame him for? Is it his parents? I don't know. I don't want to disrespect him by trying to make him do housework that he doesn't think needs done. He's a grown man. But I can't understand how he would not think it needs done when the doors are muddy and the benches are covered in crumbs.. I don't know. I think I'm being overdramatic but I just really don't want to end up being one of those partners that constantly gripes about things and wrecks the relationship by being mean and bitter. I've seen it with older couples in my family and I'm determined not to end up the same.

I think you're right, I just need to patiently work at it and not let it get the better of me. We have a lovely relationship and I shouldn't let crumby benches get in the way of it.

Again thank you for this I really do appreciate it ❤️