#grandma got put in high gear

[honeyfolklore]

And all at once, the postmortem second part is complete. 🖤🪶

Please repost, it helps me reach more people!

Sincerely, your grim pathologist. Xxx

Ps, you can thank @froggy713 for the How Did It End wallpaper request. X

[fishy0bishy]

Mission upcoming

AN:after a minute of bringing up Mrs.Unamed and at one drawing I did of her and Merrit fighting reunited I wrote a little something leading up to that fight (long way of saying I wrote Merrit lore.)

also all of North’s crew is here! And Gilded!

Start of something bigger.

It was a cozy evening and Lizzy was wandering about and stumbling on Merrit in her lab making and testing some Filter soil but before doing or saying anything Merrit pauses and goes “Goggles and coat before doing anything in here”. 

Lizzy rolls her eyes and puts on the gear “what did ya parents told you to do the same thing beforehand?”

  Merrit smiles and nonchalantly goes “Nope never knew them. But my grandma and my other caretaker did” 

Merrit pointing at two photos on a bulletin board. One image is of two tiny elderly women, one a ferret and the other a possum. But the other photo is blurred by a drink spill stain but Lizzy could still make out ferrets one with creme colored fur and the other brown colored.

  Lizzy blinks at the photo and turns saying “wait what? You don’t seem like a person to have as trauma as everyone else on this ship.” Merrit exclaims and shakes her head

 “Woah woah it’s not like that. I just never knew them and I don’t mind it. All I know is that they’re space riders so I assumed they were always busy” 

“But wouldn’t you see them even when you became a space rider?”

“Someone is getting curious are we? You can ask poppy when we’re at HQ”

“We’ll I’m just say-“

Before the conversation (or questioning if you will) continues North interrupts by loudly knocking on the door and yells “Mission time! Suit up we got a big boss on our hands!” 

 Both Merrit and Lizzy look at the other and they go to the halls removing their Lab gear and Merrit going to her locker to change up and Lizzy leaving with north but a time skip and the whole crew is meeting up and discussing plans. the first to speak up is Zane “i heard we have a big boss what’s that about?” North smiles and leads by excitedly going “I found a lead with the cult and I’ve tracked down a High ranking member! There’s no photos of her, not a lot of information well except that she leads supply raids from our docks and only seen a total of 2 times within 22 years that she’s appeared and apparently there’s a urban legend about her!”

 “Woah she’s pretty tough and sneaky if there isn’t anything about her!” Jaz exclaims and stares at an artist rendition of the woman. A red cloaked figure with a twisted smile and crème colored ears sticking out the hood. But North nudges Lizzy’s shoulder and asks “Hey you were a high member ever seen them. If you don’t mind answering of course.” 

“A please would work but sure-“ Lizzy looks at the photo and her ears raise up and turns back to north pointing to the photo going “you do know who you’re dealing with? I dunno if the urban legend said something but she’s crazy scary. Even I didn’t get buddy buddy with her.”

They all stare at Lizzy till Zelda breaks the silence and tells North “what’s the legend about? Can’t be that bad.” 

“Well from what I gathered from Poppy apparently this lady used to be a space rider. A very honorable one as well. And she had a husband who’s was a medic in the crew she was in but he also disappeared but myth states they had a child but I couldn’t find anything on files dealing with Rider disappearances. Except the crew Zane’s mother was in. The room immediately goes quiet and they all give each other looks but Merrit speaks up “are we even qualified? Sure we are B+ rank but this woman is maybe a S rank cultist. And remember what happened with Gilded.” 

  Jaz teases Merrit and North by saying “oh the cultists that Merrit has the doki dokis for and the one who whooped North?”

 “Jaz this is serious.. but yeah you’re right…But let’s head out crew we don’t wanna lose track of this woman” “oh changing the subject so quick boss? Sunny remarks as the meeting ends with everyone nodding their heads and the crew leaving to their bikes flying to the upcoming red filled planet.Lizzy and Sparky waving bye waiting for their return. 

Meanwhile Mrs.Unamed with a treat left by a certain kitsune (cough cough @truelazymaker )

All Ocs Belomg to the listed!:

NorthHeat(@north-heats-stronghold) Lizzy and Sunny(@novalizinpeace) Jaz(@fanofanythingsblog)

Zelda and Sparky(@fandomssvetlanafrom) Zane(@moonspiritleaf) And finally Gilded(@qxurugosk)

And this Au Belongs to @onyxonline!

[alwaysteveswife]

Snow Ball | Steve Harrington x Fem! Reader.

a/n: This is a moderately short piece of writing I found in my notes 😃 it's one of the first ones I wrote in general like with Steve, so it's not as amazing as others, still I'm fond of it, hope you like it <3

It happens in the finale of the second season, on the same night as the winter formal. In this version Steve was going to attend the ball.

Warnings: Nothing, maybe a little bit of dislike towards Nancy, but only that (in my defense, I was very angry with her after what she did to Steve 😞).

Number of characters: 4,533

"Are you sure you don't want to go? We still have time to go to your house and find something you can wear" Steve muttered, looking at Y/N.

"I already told you I'm not going, Steve" she laughed, finishing adjusting the collar of his shirt, "The idea of going to a dance is dancing, and doing that with a broken foot doesn't sound like fun to me at all" she picked up the tie, ready to start adjusting it, "Besides, Nancy's going to the party, and I don't feel like seeing her tonight.

"I still don't understand why you hate her so much" He grabbed the car keys and hugged Y/N's waist to start down the stairs.

"I don't hate her, it's just that if given a choice between being with her or a wild tiger, I'd definitely choose the tiger."

"That sounds like you hate her to me" He opened the car door once they were outside, helping her into the passenger seat.

"We're going to go get Dustin, right?" She changed the subject quickly once he got in the car, she didn't feel like talking about Wheeler right now.

"That's right, after I pick him up I'll drop you off at your house" Steve started the engine and put the car in gear.

She nodded softly, opening the window to get some fresh air. The ride was silent, neither had a topic to talk about, and Y/N didn't want to distract him while driving either, so she preferred to stay quiet as they made their way to Dustin's house.

Unfortunately, Dustin had never been good at keeping quiet.

"Hi, Steve" The boy greeted as he got into the car with a big smile on his face, "Hi, Y/N."

"Hi, Dustin!" Y/N turned quickly to give him a high five.

"Are you ready to party, kiddo?" Steve started the car again, this time smiling big.

"Sure am!" He rested both hands on the seat backs, leaning out to look at them both "Are you going dressed like that, Y/N?"

"Oh, I'm not going" she lifted her leg as best she could, pointing at it with her hand "Fracture."

"Right, I forgot" he turned to look at Steve "Does that mean you don't have a date for the dance?"

"No, I might ask some other girl to be my partner for tonight, I'm not too worried about that."

"Dustin, keep a close eye on Steve, there's never a shortage of girls after the one with the girlfriend" Y/N joked, laughing under her breath.

"Roger that, Miss Y/L/N" He nodded proudly.

Steve just laughed as he parked the car in front of her house. She wasn't in the mood to spend the night watching Nightmare on Elm Street and eating whatever knick-knacks her parents had left behind before heading off to Grandma and Grandpa's house, but she didn't have a choice either.

"Well, gentlemen, I guess this is goodbye" she unbuckled her belt and opened the door, ready to have a 'spectacular' night "By the way, the suit looks great on you, Dustin."

The boy smiled at her, showing her his new teeth. She got out of the car and walked to the door, pulling out his keys to unlock it.

He turned to look at them one last time to wave goodbye.

Once inside her house she sighed heavily. She was exhausted by everything that had happened these past few days and couldn't understand how those guys had the energy to go to a party after the hell they went through.

Just as Y/N had predicted, today was nightmare on Elm Street, which meant spending an hour and a half watching youngsters being chased by a psychopath appearing in their dreams, while she enjoyed a nice jar of chips and a glass of booze.

She was getting to the part where Freddy was taking his first victim and, just then, her doorbell rang. Her paranoid side came out. She stood up, gripping the TV remote tightly in defense. Y/N turned the knob, ready to strike whoever was on the other end.

"Hello again."

It was Steve. He was no longer wearing his suit jacket, just his shirt and untucked tie.

"What are you doing here?" a sense of relief and happiness washed over her.

"I didn't feel comfortable being at a party while you were here, alone, so I decided to keep you company" he smiled as he held up his hands full of bags "And I brought burgers."

"God, you're the best non-boyfriend in the world" Y/N stepped back from the doorway so he could walk through, smiling big.

"What do you mean, not-boyfriend?" he asked teasingly, sitting down on the couch and setting the burgers on the little table.

"It's the term I put on our relationship, it will be that way until one of us takes the final step" she sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

After all, the night didn't turn out to be as boring as I thought it would be.

Masterlist

[misc-obeyme]

Oh. The chibi is huge….. ANYWAY!!! OC Info dump part 2!!!

Jazz!!! He’s giggling his signature giggle ((Kekeke)) which is the best I can get for a fox’s laugh.

So, Twisted Wonderland is basically “What if Disney Villains weren’t as bad as the films made them out to be? MC gets pulled into this magical Twisted Wonderland and has to deal with these powerful and talented yet dysfunctional boys while they search for a way to get back home” it’s a rhythm/RPG battle visual novel. It’s made by the same author as Black Butler, if you know that anime.

The outfit in the chibi is what Jazz wears as his ‘casual’ outfit in the Devildom. It also has a matching jacket and many pockets! He keeps his magic-pen, which is a fancy ballpoint pen that has an enchanted emerald on the clip and a stylus at the end, ((basically his magic focus)) in the breast pocket of the vest or the jacket depending on if he has the jacket or not. In Nightbringer he adds a pair of black and white gloves, which are like artist drawing gloves for screen drawing tablets. So pinky and ring finger and that half of the palm are black while the rest is white.

He LOVES to make clothes, so much that was what he chose to make a sustainable business out of as the requirement to get access to his family’s wealth. ((5 times great grandma started a brewery that has become world famous, Grandma Takara is also the reason he’s not human, more on that later)) Will absolutely make stuff for Asmo and Levi if they ask him. his favorite fabric to work with is canvas and so he’s really strong for his small size. He can pick up demon form!Diavolo if he wants. He also really wants to make the dress from that one sticker for Dia, as he thinks Dia would absolutely rock it. ((Don’t ask Jazz to wear that dress as the frills to non-frills ratio is too high for Jazz’s tastes))

Speaking of Diavolo: won’t act on his crushes because his brain is mean >:( thinks that this prince and future king can do better than a humble tailor. And thinks that he’d fuck up the friendship they have by trying to romance him. Also thinks that being romantically involved with a literal prince would be too much of a spotlight ((ignoring the fact that dating the brothers and Solomon already puts a huge spotlight on him….)) ((same reasoning why he would not act on his crush on Barbatos)) But he really admires Dia. It will take somebody noticing the wistful stares and sighs and forcing them talk ((person: hey, Jasper, Diavolo, come to this dinner with me. Oh wait, I actually have plans but I don’t want the reservation to go to waste, so have fun you two!! ☺️))

So, the ‘human enough’. Grandma Takara wasn’t human at all. She was a fox fae from Twisted Wonderland that found herself on Earth and couldn’t get back home. She was basically a kitsune from Japanese mythology. And at the start of Jazz’s adventures he was 98% human, 2% fox fae. Then during Twisted the human and fox fae flipped, so he’s now 98% fox fae, 2% human. Which is just enough human for pacts and Earth sorcery to work.

Because of the kitsune stuff: he’s allergic to tomatoes. If he has them, then he’s in the bathroom for the next hour. Is a shapeshifter, but prefers to keep the form he had to begin with ((except for the female bits, those got shifted away to being male ASAFP)) but will change for pranks or safety.

Loves pranks, lives by the ‘confuse, don’t abuse’ motto ((has used a vodka bottle for a water bottle, has use chocolate syrup bottle for a water bottle, eaten vanilla pudding out of a mayo jar etc.))

HATES being underwater without a viable source of air, be that potions, spells, scuba gear, or just straight up shapeshifting himself some gills. So when in the Aquarium Event they all swam to the source of the poison, he was internally going “I hate this. I hate this. I am so glad for magic.”

Ending on a positive note: is poly lingual. Can speak native Japanese, English, German and French. And can add to that with a bit of magic, just straight up copies what the person knows about the language. So, he copied Celestial from Beel.

OMG so much loooore!!

Okay I'm so into the fox fae situation a;sldkfjdf.

He's just a mischievous little guy with a big ole crush on a demon prince!! I would be their wingperson. Let me be the one who's like oh oops I planned plans on top of my plans have fun see ya!!! LOL that's so cute though. I get why he would feel that way.

I love that he's a tailor and makes stuff for Asmo and Levi too!

I too am allergic to tomatoes alsdklfjf no not really but the only food I don't like is raw tomatoes. I don't know why 😭

Anyway, I love him he sounds so cute~ Thank you for sharing him with me!!

[yourkimjaejin]

~ 6:28 pm, Sometime in 2021, Aurora/Moxy/Haechan/Taeyong ~

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

“Did you get along with the 127 members noona? Like when you were added to the group.” Aurora asked out of the blue.

Moxy barks out a laugh, “HA! No!”

“What.” 

“Yeah seriously. The only members that I was cool with were Donghyuck, Johnny and Doyoung oppa. I’m pretty sure Taeyong hated me. Like the day of my high school graduation, Taeyong lied about having a dance practice just so Johnny and Doyoung couldn’t meet Grandma Jin. He almost made me stay back to practice alone for two hours. Thank God for Soonjae-noona. She covered for me.” 

“Why didn’t any of us know?”

“Unspoken rule. No 127 drama reaches the Dreamies. You all were going thru a lot at the time. Debuting. Jaemin injury. The ticking timebomb that was Marks graduation. There was no reason for you guys to get sucked into our drama.”

Moxy could see the gears turning in the maknaes head. “Huh.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Haechan was sitting on the couch watching a new drama with Johnny and Taeyong. His phone buzzed with an incoming message. Haechan grabbed his phone. Taeyong looks on seeing the younger puzzled at the message before texting back. 

“Who’s that?” 

“Rora,” Haechan took a sip of his coke, “She wanted to know where you were.” 

“Oh.” The three turned back to the show. All was silent for a moment before Haechan sat up. 

“Just putting this out there. I hold no responsibility for what Aurora does with the information I’ve given her. Her actions are her own and I, Lee Donghyuck, am not to be held accountable. Thank you.” Haechan leaned back onto the couch ignoring the looks from his elder members. 

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

There was a knock at the door. The three boys were taking a break to order food. Johnny figured it was the delivery man so he got up to open it. Before he could get the door open, Aurora barged in. Aurora looked like a girl on a mission so who was he to stop her. Aurora stormed over, stopping directly in front of Taeyong. He tried to greet her but before he could Aurora clocked him with a right hand

“OH!!” Haechan jumps out of his seat in shock. Quickly, color fills Taeyong’s left cheek as the bruise takes form. Taeyong sat shocked at the actions of nct’s youngest members. One look at the fury written in Aurora’s eyes and Taeyong was hit with reality. 

He knew exactly Aurora was mad. 

And honestly he deserved it. 

“Thats for treating Moxy noona like crap and because she’s too nice to give you the punch you deserved.” And with that Aurora stormed right back out the door. Leaving like nothing happened. They all sat quietly, not really knowing what to say.

“I just want to reiterate, I have nothing to do with that. My hands are clean.” 

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Just a little side note. Those of my readers that are in the nct oc discord server, this post is for you if anyone remembers suggesting this but its been sitting in my drafts waiting until I posted the finale to the Taeyong!angst

Taglist: @alixnsuperstxr / @1-800-call-ria / @sophrodite / @sunflower-0180

[roastyoualive]

color

time of year

time of day

personal object

Hi!

Color -> My favourite is purple! My room is purple, my hair is  purple, my phone case is purple… Even my entrance gear for wrestling lights up purple! Life’s too short not to surround yourself with happiness, you know? 

time of year -> Okay, here’s the thing. I love the spring time, but recently, I’ve developed a NASTY pollen allergy. It’s kind of ironic, really. But yeah, spring or early summer. I like it warm, but not too warm - especially if I want to train on our deck or go for a walk with my family. It’s also nice then because it’s before it gets really humid and buggy. Plus, I was a spring baby, so. Birthday bias! 

time of day -> I’m a night owl. … Which should be obvious with the influx of drafts I just put out, and what time it is now. Don’t get me wrong, daytime is great, but at night, I feel like I have time for me, if that makes sense. 

personal object -> Oh, this is tough. There’s a kimono my head teacher gave me that’s got a LOT of significance I’m only just learning about now. There’s an antique necklace my grandpa gave me that used to belong to his mother. There’s a ring with my birthstone that my grandma got me to match a birthstone ring I bought her for her birthday. There’s a little sparkly stuffed snow leopard my youngest brother bought me for my birthday one year, and it was the first thing he ever spent his own money on. There’s the cards, drawings, and crafts my students made me ‘just because’. There’s the spear my dad surprised me with for Christmas when I jokingly asked for one, not thinking he’d be serious. There’s the empty beer can from the drink my wrestling coach bought me to celebrate my first-ever match. My first cat’s favourite toy. A necklace my best friend in high school made for me for Christmas. That kind of thing. So, yeah, I guess while there’s no one answer, there’s a theme - the things people I love gave me, with the stories behind them. That’s what makes them my favourites.

And hello!! :>

[boombird]

Here’s Why a Personal Safety Alarm for Women is a Must-Have in Today’s Modern World

Concerts, sleepovers, parties, travelling, and late-night dinners with friends — life is truly a gift that keeps on giving. 

While having fun and letting loose is equivalent to modern-day happiness, the question of safety always lingers like a dark cloud. 

So, how do you stay safe while navigating in a world full of exciting adventures? 

It’s time to get a rechargeable personal safety alarm that comes with a promise to always have your back — a must-have for everyone, for all occasions. 

Meet Boombird – India’s first rechargeable safety alarm that blends functionality and aesthetics while ensuring your safety in tricky situations. 

Read on to discover why personal safety devices have become a necessity today. 

So, how do the best personal safety devices work?

It’s simple yet powerful: When activated, the alarm emits a loud sound to alert people nearby in situations when your security is at risk. 

Picture this: You're heading home after a long day of classes, or maybe you're taking a peaceful evening walk through a quiet street. 

Suddenly, you start feeling uneasy. What do you do? 

Well, you whip out your trusty personal safety alarm for women! It's like your very own Bat-signal—just a press of a button and bam! The loud alarm goes off, alerting everyone around you that you’re in need of backup.

This little gadget isn’t just for students either. Picture your grandma rocking her independence, strolling around town with the same safety swagger. A personal safety alarm for seniors will be like her secret weapon if she needs help in a pinch. 

Whether you're concerned about theft, safety, or just staying prepared, having one of these alarms in your bag is like carrying a little insurance policy for peace of mind.

In this regard, BoomBird can be your tiny lifesaver—sleek, stylish, and ready to jump into action. So, whether you're a student or are looking for safety gadgets for your grandparents, having one of the best personal safety devices is a must. 

Not just a personal safety device, but a symbol of empowerment

Let’s be real—waiting for the cavalry (a.k.a. police or security) to swoop in every time something feels off isn’t always the best option. That's where the best personal safety devices step up, putting the power to protect yourself literally in your hands. 

A personal safety alarm for women means no more relying on others to save the day. Whether you're taking a solo stroll or navigating busy streets, this little device gives you that instant "I’ve got this" confidence. 

With just a press, you can alert everyone around you like you're calling for your Avengers team (minus the fancy suits and explosions, of course).

If you are searching for a rechargeable personal safety alarm that ticks all the boxes (in terms of functionality and style), don’t worry – BoomBird’s got you covered on all fronts!

Our alarms come in trendy colours and designs, so they’re more runway-ready than you’d expect for a safety tool. Plus, they’re tiny, affordable, and slip easily into that handbag of yours. 

The best part? When things get stressful, Boombird’s straightforward design makes it super easy to use. 

Today, personal safety & modern technology go hand in hand

One of the coolest perks of modern tech? The glow-up of personal safety alarms! 

They’ve gone from being simple noise blasters to full-on high-tech gadgets, ranking among the best personal safety devices out there today.

For women, these alarms are like their own personal safety gear—think of it as your pocket-sized safety gadget that screams confidence and empowerment. 

Whether you're a kid, a woman, or even a senior, carrying one of these is like having a built-in radar for your surroundings, helping you stay sharp and ready to take action if need be. 

To sum up, prevention is the ultimate style move

A personal safety alarm isn’t just another gadget—it’s your modern-day shield in a world that could use a little more security. It’s more than a device; it’s like carrying your personal bubble of confidence and protection everywhere you go. And if you haven’t hopped on the personal safety alarm trend yet, well, lucky you—we’ve done all the legwork!

BoomBird’s rechargeable personal safety alarm is a game-changer. It’s the ultimate safety tech—sleek, stylish, and packed with features that keep you safe and looking cool. It's proof that safety can be as functional as it is fashionable. So, why settle for anything less when you can get the best of both worlds? Time to level up your personal safety game!

To Know More  https://boombird.shop/blogs/news/why-personal-safety-alarm-for-women-must-have-modern-world

[the-firebird69]

Asia was there on Mars after the war and they were collecting things some of the balls and some of the masks and she was seeing grabbing this one and it was 20 miles high it's as big as a 20 mi ship and she put it into a 500 barely it's very heavy just barely got off the planet Earth she saw it shrinking it became half the size over a period of one week after 8 weeks in space it was one third the size finally it was about a foot high and it wasn't to radiate she put it on her face and began to hurt she took it off and it was not contaminated and she turns the mirror and her face was ripped off completely gone she passed out and she died on her spaceship and the machine failed to reviver because it couldn't find her to the secret chamber. This was my great grandma this is Chen and that's how she died and I have the ring on and it's on my left middle finger and nobody says what she said to me when I my husband was in China

Katia Equiz

Caa

These things are incredible and very gross but they work for us and these two work for us and that's what we like to see and Halloween the series has started tonight is Halloween too and it is also Friday the 13th is in gear and it's the third installment tonight and she's screaming with Glee. The attacks on the bases are intensifying and was supposed to be afraid but we know how many of them are left so we're not and they are attacking the nephilim base they're attacking the ships the tunnels the caverns and now the empire bases and the saucer factories. I'm going after these trumpsters here and for their threats and today's threats and we're going to kill them. The attacks on our bases are somewhat mild but on the Mac bases that they formed on their former lands they are pouring in they finally built all of it out in the Western hemisphere and they're loading the rest of it and they're firing like madness from the bases and they are bringing ships and hitting and this is in the south and also in Georgia there's two bases in Florida that they're attacking they're not getting near them yet but they're not completed and there are three bases in Nevada and they are diminishing in those areas and the East Coast has one and they are diminishing there and all the warlocks are attacking we think that they're going to pretty much cease to exist in the East and the South fairly soon and all die in the South because they'll move in after this battle and the crabs will kill them and I think that's tomorrow the ships are fully fueled fully loaded and waiting for a window. West and Mac is Mac is moving in ships and more armaments and troops and they're moving in a lot of shield chips huge huge numbers to them and they're hitting giant armies they're probably going to be gone from the states fairly soon.

Thor Freya

Us too

Olympus

[mariacallous]

With the power balance in Congress at stake in this year’s midterm elections, the GOP money machine kicked into high gear. Spending on advertisements and drumming up votes was fueled by hundreds of millions of dollars from the party’s mega-donors and Super Pacs. Many donors’ spending figures marked new records.

Their return on investment, however, is probably not what they had hoped: some donors who spent eight figures notched zero wins in the Senate, while others spent far more money on losing candidates than winners. In the midterms, some of the biggest losers were Republican donors.

Among the clearest of those losers is Mehmet Oz, who self-funded much of his own failed run for office – loaning his Pennsylvania US Senate campaign about $22m, or about 55% of the roughly $40m he raised.

Meanwhile, candidates backed by Peter Thiel, the rightwing tech investor hyped pre-election as a new GOP “kingmaker”, lost in Arizona and Washington, calling into question his judgment and contributions’ value.

Other mega-donors and Pacs came out behind despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars collectively on multiple candidates who lost, according to Open Secrets, a campaign finance watchdog, and federal campaign records. Among those is Mitch McConnell’s Senate Leadership Fund Super Pac, which spent $239m; the billionaire financier Jeff Yass, who spent $47m; the hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, who spent $67m; the packaging giants Elizabeth and Richard Uihlein, who spent $77m; and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, who spent $34m.

By contrast, Democratic candidates in high-profile Senate races generally had a larger share of small donations. GOP mega-donor and Super Pac money couldn’t overcome weak candidates that many swing voters viewed as extreme.

The results highlight that “candidate strength matters”, said Gunner Ramer, political director at Longwell Associates, a conservative communication firm. “Voters have real concerns over crime, inflation, gas prices and the economy … but all these really poor candidates – these crazy, extreme Republicans – got beat up hard.”

In Pennsylvania, Oz’s self-funding functioned as a double-edged sword that benefited him in the primaries and made him attractive to GOP base voters “who still think that you can buy a race”, said Sam Chen, a political strategist in Allentown. But once in the general election, Chen said, it meant that Oz received relatively few small donors in part because he was viewed as a self-funder.

Still, he wasn’t alone: McConnell’s Pac put up $47m. That combined with Oz’s personal spending accounted for nearly half of the stunning $140m Oz forces spent in the campaign. Two largely billionaire-funded single-candidate Pacs also went all in on Oz: Honor Pennsylvania spent about $15m, and its largest donor was Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, who gave it at least $8.8m; and American Leadership Action Pac, funded by Wall Street tycoons or mega-donors like Susquehanna International Group CEO Jeff Yass, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and Actua CEO Walter Buckley, dropped another $15m.

Though the outside spending in Pennsylvania set a new record, Oz was a “uniquely weak candidate”, Chen noted, and his failure highlights how wealth and Super PAC money “is not the end all be all”.

“Small dollar donations, the grandma who writes you a $5 check, they are locked in and voting for you … and they are probably the type of person who tells their neighborhood, their soccer mom group, their bible study that they gave you contributions,” Chen said. “Those contributions mean a lot more.”

In Arizona, Thiel spent at least $17.5m backing Blake Masters’ failed US Senate bid, while Thiel’s Pac, Saving Arizona, which received significant funding from mega-donor Richard Uihlein, spent at least $21.5m.

Thiel’s potential to become a powerbroker was the subject of intense media attention in part because he funded a breed of rightwing populist GOP candidate that broke with the party establishment. Voters, however, were “completely repelled” by Masters, Ramer said, and though Thiel had success in primary races across the country, his money couldn’t overcome swing voter skepticism in the Arizona general election.

McConnell’s Senate Leadership Fund ended with a mixed record, but spent far more on losing races. Data released just ahead of the election by a marketing industry analyst found McConnell had shelled out $178m for advertising in five states – New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Ohio.

Campaign finance records show the Senate Leadership Fund spent nearly $140m in four of those five states in which GOP candidates did not win, though Georgia is yet to be decided.

The Club For Growth Super Pac, one of the nation’s most prolific outside spenders, also fared poorly. Its primary funders were Uihlein and Yass, who put at least $46m into the Pac. It backed Masters with over $7m and spent $15m in Nevada attempting to unseat Democratic senator Catherine Cortez Masto. It also spent $12m total on winning campaigns in Ohio and North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the Sentinel Action Fund spent over $10m in Nevada and New Hampshire, and didn’t put any money in winning Senate races. Its primary funder is Tim Mellon, grandson of banking tycoon Andrew Mellon, who spent about $40m during the election cycle.

Focus groups run by Longwell Associates found Pacs’ ads were probably ineffective because voters didn’t like the Trump-backed, extreme GOP candidates that the Pacs supported – such as Adam Laxalt in Nevada, Don Buldoc in New Hampshire or Masters.

“You can hit Catherine Cortez Masto on gas prices and tie it to Joe Biden, but at least a meaningful slice of voters just were not buying it,” Ramer said. “At the end of the day, if they don’t like the Republican candidate, and it becomes a lesser-of-two-evils thing, then it may not move the votes the way that Club for Growth was hoping, and that is a reflection on Adam Laxalt.”

Many of the mega-donors’ spending totals come with a caveat. They may not include all the donors’ contributions, and Pac records may omit spending by some individuals altogether. Pacs are required by law to disclose their donors, but more are shielding their contributors’ identities by exploiting a loophole that allows donors to give to a Pac’s affiliated dark money nonprofit, which does not have to disclose its donors. The nonprofit then gives those donations to the Pac, circumventing disclosure laws.

Pacs only “have the facade of being transparent”, said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of Open Secrets, adding that the loophole adds another layer of uncertainty to the nation’s already murky campaign finance disclosure laws.

Regardless, the money means little to the GOP if the party continues nominating extremist and Trump-backed candidates in swing states, Ramer said. “The gap between what it takes to win in a Republican primary and what it takes to win in November is continuing to grow, and that is a difficulty the party will be dealing with in future elections.”

Whether the funders will have a change of heart is another matter. Republican mega-donors “clearly have money to burn and they may lose, and they may be dissatisfied with their return on investment, but they are also clearly risk takers – and it’s a low risk to them because of how much money they have”, said Krumholz. “It shows the limits of their money.”

[nightingaelic]

Badly injured companions react to a high-strength courier carrying them like they're weightless.

TW: Blood

Afternoon walks in the Mojave were usually quiet, with most animals sticking to the shade during the hottest hours of the day. Cazadores weren't most animals, and a nest of them rose up to surprise the courier in the middle of their latest delivery. While the courier immediately tossed the package and their traveling gear aside in order to fight off the giant insects, their companion wasn't as quick. They fell to the ground with a cry after one of the cazadores got in an early strike with its stinger.

Incensed, the courier screamed to attract the attention of the mutated wasps. It did the trick, and they disappeared within a whirl of wings. Once every cazador lay twitching in its own yellow blood, the courier tossed their weapon aside and lifted their injured companion easily, as if they were as light as a ray of Mojave morning sunshine. "I've got you."

Arcade Gannon: "Holy..." Arcade coughed, then felt the courier's arm muscle. "That can't be natural. Are you on chems?"

"That thing really got you good," the courier said, staring in horror at the bleeding gash in his stomach and ignoring the inquiry. "Should I get us to Novac, or do you think you can..?"

"Who's gonna look at me in Novac?" Arcade asked, mildly insulted. "Ada Straus? She'll kill me."

"Well what else do you suggest?"

Arcade waved his hand weakly. "Simple procedure. I could use a doctor's bag if you have any handy."

The courier laid him down carefully on the asphalt of the road, shoving his pack under his head as a pillow. "I've got one in here somewhere," they said, reaching for their own belongings. "Talk me through it."

Craig Boone: "Save your strength," Boone insisted. "There might be more hiding out here."

"We'd hear more buzzing," the courier replied, glancing around. "It's quiet, and you're hurt."

Boone couldn't deny that. He nodded. "Need a medic. Can't feel all my limbs."

The courier gave him a curt nod. "Camp Golf. Sawbones. Keep your eyes open."

"Give me my gun."

"Boone-"

"Please."

The courier somehow managed to pick the fallen sniper rifle up from the ground and tuck it in the crook of Boone's arm. "Happy?"

"Mm-hm."

Lily Bowen: Lily didn't appear at all fazed by the courier's feat of herculean strength, even though the jaws of the residents and traders at the 188 trading post were dropping. "Grandma's limbs aren't doing too well, pumpkin," the nightkin said weakly, sounding more like the frail old woman she used to be.

"I know, Lily, I know." The courier glared at the crowd around them. "Don't just stand there, get me a medic! Is anyone here a doctor?"

The crowd began to titter and disperse. Samuel Kerr came forward with a few stimpaks, and the courier eased Lily to the ground before jabbing the syringes into her upper thigh.

Lily winced, but it was unclear if it was from the pinch of the injections or the voice in her head. "Yes it hurts, Leo, but the doctors can fix me right up!"

"That's right, Lily," the courier reassured her. "Just take it easy, now."

Raul Alfonso Tejada: The old ghoul groaned. "Hijo de puta, I'm not as young as I used to be. Put me down, I think I can walk."

The courier tried to oblige, but immediately swept Raul back up when he cried out in pain. "I really don't think you can, vaquero."

"Nope, maybe not," Raul agreed. "These bones are about to give up the ghost, boss. Lo siento."

"It's okay." The courier looked around, desperate. "Too far... too rocky... fuck, we'll have to go back to Bitter Springs."

"Won't Lieutenant Markland be surprised," Raul replied. "And after you just restocked his medical supplies, too."

"Nothing for it." The courier set off, holding the ghoul close.

"Once I'm better, you'll have to tell me what your secret is," Raul said with a smirk. "It'd better not be Buffout."

Rose of Sharon Cassidy: "Well, look at you." Cass smiled up at the courier. "Been quite a while since someone picked me up without harboring lustful intentions."

"Cass, you're bleeding out," the courier indicated. "Can the flirting wait?"

"Fair enough. Not firing on all pistons here." Cass bit her lip and hissed. "I'll take a doctor's bag and some whiskey, if you don't mind. Can patch myself up just fine."

"No you cannot," the courier insisted, shifting her carefully to check their Pip-Boy. "Nearest town is... Goodsprings. Due southwest. Try to stay awake."

"Fine, I'll make do with just the whiskey," Cass replied hazily.

Veronica Santangelo: Despite the pain that accompanied the sudden movement, Veronica couldn't help widening her eyes at the courier's arm muscles in motion. "Im... impressive," she said weakly. "I know I'm not that tall, but I'm well-fed, by Mojave standards."

The courier looked down at her, bewildered but still slightly amused. "Do they do monthly weigh-ins, down in that bunker?"

"Not for... not for Scribes." Veronica chuckled, then winced. "There's a clinic nearby. Inside... outside... Freeside?"

"I'll get you there," the courier replied with a nod. They started walking quickly in the city's direction.

"Mm, swell." Veronica closed her eyes. "Doctor Usanagi's a real peach, and I'm gonna need some new limbs."

ED-E: The courier's eyebot let out a weak set of blips, each descending in tone as if its power was running low. The courier looked it over quickly and found the disconnected panel that hung loose, save for a few sparking wires. They struggled to reconnect the broken pieces, cursing with each shock and fizz.

"Nothing for it," they said finally, re-positioning the eyebot under their arm and retrieving their belongings. "Old Lady Gibson lives just up the road. We'll pop in for a visit."

ED-E let out one last determined beep before powering down.

Rex: Rex whined in the high-pitched keen he reserved for moments of intense pain and fear. "I know boy, I know," the courier murmured. "Come on, we're almost to Jacobstown. Doc Henry and Calamity can fix you up no problem."

Rex licked the courier's face.

[erodasfishtacos]

imagine mlbrry at one of the kids peewee baseball games and hes getting wayyy to into the game and yn is just like amused/embarrassed because hes the loudest dad there and the umpire threatens to kick him out because hes like heckling the other teams coach

Okay but this is deadass him. I also really love this blurb.

—

YN hated bringing Harry to the peewee kid games because of how invested he got into them as if they meant anything.

Most parents would be too busy watching him rather than their children because The Harry Styles is sitting in the bleachers.

He didn’t get to come to many games because of work but when he did, he was a bit too excited to see his children win.

It was a cool thursday night, still light out but getting darker, and it was Easton and Cash on the same team because they were close enough in age.

Ezra was asleep in his stroller, as his parents sat on the lowest row, and of course, Harry’s hand was a little too high up on his wife’s thigh to be appropriate.

When Cash comes up to bat with the little helmet nearly bobbling of his head, he pulls up his bat, and it didn’t surprise anyone how good his children were at such a young age.

When the opposing team coach throws a ball towards the child, Cash doesn’t swing, and the umpire calls strike.

Just like his dad, he squeals out, “That was a ball! That wasn’t a strike!”

YN rolls her eyes at her husband’s mini me as Harry claps loudly and says, “Tha’s right, Cash. That was a ball, ump needs to get new glasses!”

“Harry, shut up,” YN laughs with a hard elbow that only earns her a kiss on the cheek, “I really don’t need two of you.”

He whispers lowly in her ear, “Y’already got three of ‘em because you’re a good girl and let me put as many as I want in you.”

He was such a fucking menace, the same teenager she met how many years ago now?

When Cash hits a ground ball, Harry is out of his seat and clapping loudly, putting his fingers in his mouth, and whistling as he gets to first base.

“Atta boy, Cashy!” Harry praises loudly, uncaring of anyone who’s giving him a side-eye because he didn’t give one fuck.

YN had to admit it warmed her heart to see her husband so supportive of their little kids and what a good dad he is.

Easton is up after a few more kids, batting stance perfect as he swings fiercely at the ball, and the umpire calls a strike.

“S’okay, East! Y’got this, bub!” Harry encourages, now with a bubbly and very much awake Ezra in the crook of his arm.

“H, I gotta go feed him,” YN murmurs as their youngest starts to smack his puffy lips in search of his mum.

“Okay, baby. Want me t’come with you?” Harry offers, sweetly as ever as he shuffles the infant into her arms.

“I’m just goin’ to go in the car, please be good,” She warns, allowing one kiss before heading toward their massive SUV ***

Spoiler alert: he wasn’t.

Easton attempts to slide to third base, and is safe, but the ump calls it out because technically they’re not supposed to be sliding.

Harry is biting his tongue but when he sees his son pull of his helmet with tears in his eyes because he was proud of his slide.

Well, Harry goes into papa bear mode, “Oi! Y’callin’ him out because he knows how to play the game?”

“Sir, there is no sliding in peewee baseball,” The ref replies with annoyance.

“Y’let the kid from the other team do it!” He argues, standing up and crossing his arms.

“Must have not caught it.”

“Not caught it m’arse!” Harry scoffs, he sees Easton chuck his gear off and make his way to his father.

“I don’t want t’play anymore tonight,” He sniffles and tucks himself against his father’s thigh.

“I don’t blame y’East. Not when you got blind as a grandma umpires who don’t know how to play a game of baseball,” He agrees, hiking up the five year old with a kiss to his cheek.

Cash also toddles over with a glare at the refs.

God, they both have definitely watched way too many of Harry’s games because the crowd can tell how much they act like him.

The other parents in the crowd didn’t say anything because they were watching the best player in baseball history get mad over a peewee game and it was quite funny.

When Harry gathers up both of his boys, trotting off to the car with a sour expression, and buckling them in.

YN who’s still feeding Ezra, isn’t even surprised, and huffs out a sigh when Harry opens her door to smile softly at his hungry baby.

“Can we get ice cream, baby mama?” Harry asks with a kiss to her nose then lips. She can’t help but smile when the two little ones start chanting ice cream!

“I guess, only if y’good,” YN relents with a faux groan.

Harry steals another kiss, lingering, “I’ll be extra good for you tonight, mama.”

[augustinescruelsummer]

Bug Boy • Peter Parker

In which Spider-Man and her are friendly acquaintances; and she’s developing a crush on a certain skater boy.

Genre: Fluff.

“Are you not a swiftie?” I turned to my friend and asked, and she shook her head no. I rolled my eyes at her reply because everyone needs to be a Swiftie. We both got off at the same stop, except she went towards Harry’s house for the glorified party of the weekend. I, unfortunately, would be skipping said party. My grandma needed groceries for the house, and she’s my main priority.

I wrapped my scarf around my neck as the wind picked up suddenly.

“Ma’am!” A muffled voice called, and I wheeled around. I grasped my keys between my knuckles, and then dropped them when I saw the suit.

“Um,” I stuttered, “How can I help you bug boy?”

“Bug boy?” He chucked to himself. He extended his hand out, and in it was my wallet. “You’re an Ohio State fan?” The masked man asked me, motioning to the keychain that attached my car keys and wallet.

“Sort of,” I replied. Thinking of Ohio State didn’t bring pleasant thoughts, “Can I have my wallet back?”

“Oh yeah, here!”

It had been three weeks since my encounter with Spider-Man, and I’ve been seeing him swinging around town more lately. Whenever I’m running errands, I find myself looking for his lanky form swinging in the sky. I always try to ignore the pang of disappointment that hits me when I don’t see him.

Advanced placement chemistry. The bane of my entire existence, if I do say so myself. There’s nothing more I despise than the high B I have in that class, and my scholarship dangling in front of me.

“That’s a transition metal,” the voice beside me said. Peter. Smart, soft, beautiful Peter Parker. He cleared his throat and I realized I hadn’t said anything.

“Oh, you’re right! The charge goes beside it. Thank you, Peter.”

He laughed to himself, and I found myself questioning why I was familiar with the laugh. It reminded me of the web swinger I was yet to see again.

I sighed and put an earbud in, trying to see if I could figure this out by myself. It was sort of embarrassing to have to need Peter’s help, and his little corrections had been growing increasingly as the semester went on. As I worked on the sheet in front of me, our teacher placed a threateningly large packet in front of us.

“This is partner work. Due by Friday. Your partner is the one next to you.”

I glanced over at Peter, and saw him already looking over. My cheeks lit up at this, and i softly smiled.

“I say the better we knock this out the better,” I told him and he nodded his head with me.

Three hours later, Peter Parker sat on my couch with a relaxed expression. I was making us both tea, and he was stretched out with his arms behind his neck.

“Lovely place you have,” he said as I reentered the room.

“Thank you!” I replied with a grin. “I live with my grandma, but she’s on an overnight retreat.”

He hummed in response, and we began to work on the packet together. He was an easy partner to work with. I found myself smiling at his dumb jokes, and staring at his perfect jawline when he wasn’t looking. His hair was messy over his eyes but he still looked presentable.

We got through half of the packet by the time he abruptly announced his departure, and scattered his books together. I went through our conversation in the past five minutes, wondering what I said.

“I have to go, I’m sorry.” He had said, cutting me off mid sentence. He had been spacing out for the past minute, and my over thinking was kicking into high gear.

“I guess I’ll catch you later?” He said, before closing my apartment door. Leaving me with two tea mugs and a chemistry packet. I sighed and ran a hand down my face.

What could I have possibly done now?

I knew I shouldn’t have tried anything with Peter, he was too smart and cunning for whatever I wanted.

I was wallowing in my sadness when a sudden grimace of pain came from my window. I got up briskly and threw the curtains away, and saw a battered Spider-Man staring back at me through the window. I gasped in horror, and threw the window up.

He climbed through noisily, and I was grateful Nana wasn’t home.

“What the hell are you doing in my apartment, bug boy!?” I inquired as soon as he flopped down onto the floor. “Oh my God, you’re dripping blood on my floor!“

The masked boy muttered an apology and flipped over onto his back, and I grimaced at the amount of blood soaking his Spider suit.

“So, do you think you could help patch me up, perhaps?”

I could feel the smirk underneath his mask, and I slowly nodded my head.

“You have so much explaining to do, bug boy.”

“Yes ma’am.”

I smiled to myself at the nickname as I padded into the kitchen, grabbing the first aid kit.

“This is gonna hurt, but since you showed up here randomly, you can take it.”

“Yup,” he replied heavily, and I tried not to find it attractive. “So why are you alone on a Saturday night, madam?”

I sighed to myself and began cleaning the cut on his abdomen, “I got ditched.” Bug boy’s eyes shot up. “By a guy?” He asked timidly, and I smiled softly at his tinder tone.

“Yes, bug boy, it was in fact a guy. We were studying and then I think I said something that fucked it all up, because he randomly got up and left me.”

The masked hero put two fingers under my chin, “That guy’s an asshole.”

“He’s actually incredibly sweet, Spidey,” I defended. His eyes widened at the response and I chuckled. “He’s the reason I’m not failing chemistry, he’s adorable, a dork, and handsome. What’s not to love?”

He winced as I put a large band-aid over one of his minor cuts before replying. “Sounds like a great guy.”

“Yeah,” I muttered to myself and went to put the first aid kit away.

“Wait,” Spider-Man called, and I turned expectantly. “Would you date said guy?” I pondered for a moment and then gave him my answer.

“Yeah, I would.”

I put the kit away and returned to the infamous bug boy lost completely in his won world. “Hey buggy, what’s going on in that head of yours?” I asked him softly, sitting on my bed. He was leaning against the side of it, with his back pressed to the mattress. I sat above him on the actual bed to the left, and he tilted his head up at me.

“I guess I should do this now,” he said with hesitation, and I furrowed my eyebrows. The mask was ripped off his head aggressively by his strong hands, and there stood

Peter.

Peter Parker.

“Peter?!“ I screamed, horrified at the sight in front of me. I had poured my heart out to Spider-Man, and turns out bug boy was Peter.

“Just let me explain,” he began, wincing as he got up. “I wouldn’t have taken the mask off if the feelings weren’t reciprocated.”

My heart fell to my feet. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?

“I rushed out earlier because, as you can see, I’m Spider-Man.”

I nodded my head slowly, my mouth slightly agape at the fact. He offered me a sweet smile that made the corners of my lip turn up.

“I would try and make a move right now, but I can barely stand.”

“Take it easy, bug boy.”

“As you wish, madam.”

[stardew-mermaid]

im WEAK for my faves as parents and i know lots of y'all are too so here are

bachelors as dads vibes

(bachelorettes as moms will come soon too ❤️ under cut cause it got very long lol)

sebastian

a chill dad. when u were very little he'd let u sit in his lap while he codes and consequently u find heavy metal soothing cause he would be playing it while he works and u would always fall asleep against him

if he wasn't using his second computer u could play around on it while he works. 'existing in each other's company while u both do stuff' time becomes a regular thing even as u get older, u would do ur homework next to him at his desk and he'd help if u were confused

the first time u were deemed old enough to go for a ride on his motorcycle u were SO fucking hyped even if u had to be absolutely decked out in protective gear. sometimes while u were in high school he'd help you flex by picking you up/dropping you off on the bike

would bundle u up in his hoodies as a toddler and there's a few pics of u absolutely SWIMMING in them with the hood all the way over ur face pretending to be the grim reaper. he'd never been so proud

elliott

an eloquent dad, but still has goofy dadlike tendencies. he may be the picture of a dark academia dilf with his slacks and button ups sipping coffee in the morning over a manuscript, but he'll still make the jokes. calls u things like little one and taught u to play piano

he got u ur own little bookshelf for all ur baby books and he'd read to you every single night without fail. he'd make up stories too and u would help and make a collab tho it often got u more excited than relaxed for bed but it was worth it!!! when u were grown up u helped him compile the short stories u made up together and published it. he'd also share with u poems he wrote for you and about you over the years, lots of them to do with the wonder of watching a whole tiny person grow into a big person

would always take u on nature walks and play at the beach!!! u would find shells and rocks to give to him and he'd always look like u just handed him pure gold

u made a pact that u would sit still for him while he did ur hair if u could braid his hair in turn. u both looked very stylish

sam

cool dad!!! fun dad!!!! watches anime with u when u get into it and is forever ur player 2. if u had a skateboard or a scooter he'd always show u up by pulling off sick tricks and it became a friendly rivalry. taught u to stick it to the man at a very early age. teaches u to play guitar and took u to ur first rock concert when u were like 8

there are baby photos of u wearing sunglasses that cover half ur face and when asked about it he'd say 'u were just a rly cool baby!!!!' in some of them he's wearing matching sunglasses and carrying u in one of those front baby pouches. he'd also always sing to you as a baby and still does it idly sometimes and has written songs for u!!!!

ur #1 hypeman. praises u for everything and always makes sure u know how cool u are just for existing. he loses his mind at ur grade school talent show and at ur graduation he's there holding up his phone and crying like FUCK IT UP KENNETH!!!!! 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️

tho alongside all the fun he teaches u to be very responsible and polite and above all extremely kind!!!!

shane

has the most potent typical dad energy. the socks with sandals, the jokes, the ac/dc, the funny hobby projects, the rivalry with other pta parents, all of it. calls u squirt and kiddo and the kind to ruffle ur hair. always gives u piggy back rides even as u get older, says it helps him stay in shape. when u were little you'd always bap ur baby hands against his stubble cause heehee funny scratchy face

u loved when he was in charge of dinner growing up cause it was often takeout pizza/burgers. 'hey im making a pot of kraft dinner should i double it for u' kind of guy, adds cut up hot dogs and after ur other parent voices a need for nutrition adds frozen veggies too. VERY good at cooking all kinds of eggs tho, would always feed u eggs from his own chickens and would accept nothing less!!!

teaches u a lot about chickens and some of ur fave memories with him are in the coop or chillin in a field in spring with him and the new chicks. some other faves include the regular tea parties with him and cousin jas, and even as u both get older u all sit down and have tea together sometimes and occasionally break out one of the old barbie movies for funsies

u learned how to say fuck from him when u were 3 and he died laughing. if called and told that u got into a fight at school would reply with 'did they win'

harvey

sweet, dorky doctor dad. would get SUPER worried whenever u got so much as a cold, made u stay home and rest and HYDRATE. taught u proper medical standard handwashing from when u first learned how to turn on the tap, also taught u a lot of basic first aid. when u were fussy he would read u his old textbooks from med school and it'd get you to sleep in minutes

refuses to let u leave the house without eating something first and would often get up early to make u a big breakfast before school (it's the most important meal of the day!!!!). yes it's ok if ur late ur english teacher can wait until you've had ur veggies. when u were a baby his standard of keeping u fed was 'if i had to change less than five diapers a day it wasn't enough'. encourages taking a snack and water everywhere

as u got older u realized how hardworking he is so u make sure he knows how much u love and appreciate him, goes all out for his bday and father's day like how he goes all out for u every day and it makes him cry. he cries at ur first birthday and ur graduation too, cried when u got him a #1 DAD mug specifically for his morning coffee, he just cries a lot and it's very endearing, dad taught u it's okay to be emotional. u also gift him funky socks to wear at work and he goes bananas for them

he taught u how to assemble model planes and u would sit with him while he tuned his old radio, u liked the bwee bwee sounds. he would play jazz and swing and dance with u standing on his feet. when u were little u liked to play with his moustache and occasionally he would fall asleep while watching u but the most u ever did was add a goatee to the stache with washable marker which he thought was pretty funny

alex

strong dad!!! jock dad!!!!! would flex and let u hang off his bicep, play wrestle (u would always win), sit u on his shoulders and run around making airplane noises, play sportsball in the yard and would come up with fun challenges for u if u got bored of catch. pretty much the master of keeping ur baby self entertained and was always there to tuck u in for a nap when u got tired out

makes an extra protein shake for u every morning and loads of scrambled eggs, will also sneak u a cookie tho

he's always super encouraging and positive and enthusiastic about everything u do which u pick up fast. u go to his games and even if sports turns out not to be ur thing the fact that ur there rooting for him makes him put in 1000% effort, calls u his good luck charm!!!! he will also throw u over his shoulders and use u for weightlifting while u shout encouragement directly into his ear. this continues until ur grown up (and sometimes even then so he can flex even as an 'old man')

gets really really worried about you whenever ur sick or get hurt and will lose sleep over it but stays upbeat for ur sake. he will cuddle u tho. sometimes you'll ask for stories about ur grandma and he'll tell u and it's so nice to him to talk about his mother and smile instead of being sad, you help him heal because it's so wonderful to think of her as a grandmother and how proud she'd be. he plays her music box for u to help u sleep when ur little and it still makes u feel sleepy and safe when ur older

[kai-uh-arcadian]

Ackersmith Cafe 

Pieck x Reader

Word Count: 2.7k Cw: minor cursing Disclaimer! This is my first story/fic/head canon type thing ever, so feedback is much appreciated! ( :

enjoy!

* Lots of wholesome fluff ( : <3 *

Ships involved: Pieck x Reader, Hitchani, Eruri, Yumihisu,  Implied EreMika, Implied Niccolo x Sasha

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

⁃ Ackersmith cafe, a quaint, dark academia type coffee shop

⁃ Leading local competitor “mom and pop shop” of the Shiganshina county against Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Bakers Dozen

⁃ Used to be called “Smith Cafe” owned Grandma and Grandpa Smith before Mr. Erwin took over and married Mr.Levi

⁃ You and your parents have been going here since you could remember! Even before Mr.Erwin won his battle against cancer but lost his arm

⁃ Even though you’re in college now, it’s still walking distance from Paradis University and the neighbor university—Liberio University

⁃ You introduced your college friends, Sasha, Mikasa, and Annie to this place

⁃ You go here almost everyday to study and do uni homework

⁃ “Mr. Erwin!” You announced every time you walk in with Annie, Sasha, and Mikasa as the bells of the cafe ring

⁃ “(Y/nnnnnnn!)” he says waving his bionic arm that Hange, the other barista, made for him

⁃ (Hange chooses to work here every other weekend as a way to “relax” from their researching job, crazy right?)

⁃ “Hey twerp, when did you get so tall?”Mr. Levi flashes a smile from behind the counter, remembering you getting hoisted up on your dads shoulder while ordering a hot chocolate from when he was a trainee here a few years ago

⁃ “Mr. Levi, it’s been years since I was your height” you chuckle glancing at Mikasa, Sasha, and Annie stifling back a laugh at they witness this interaction

⁃ “Tch. You brats, I’ll kick you out any second!” he jokingly gets defensive

⁃ “Levi” Mr. Erwin puts a hand on the small of Mr. Levi’s back “Be nice to my favourite and most important customers! You’ll drive out our daily revenue” he laughs

⁃ “Yeah yeah whatever. The usual, brats?” Mr. Levi rolls his eyes holding back a soft smile

⁃ “Yep!” You all say in unison

⁃ “Should’ve guessed” as his rings up your guys’ total “I’ll bring it right out for you guys” he says before disappearing into the brewing station

⁃ You, Sasha, Mikasa, and Annie go to your usual booth right by the front window of the cafe

⁃ You 4 begin to pull out your computers and begin to do homework

⁃ Sasha and Mikasa are typing away on a shared Google Slide for a project they were both assigned to for their ENGL 2273 class they both happened to have together while you and Annie are looking out the window dozing off

⁃ “(Y/N),” Mikasa says grabbing your attention “Do your work.”

⁃ “Alright alright” you begin opening up a blackboard assignment your Professor assigned to you

⁃ “Slacking off again (L/N)?” Mr. Levi’s voice startles you as you look up

⁃ “No!” You shyly smile at him as you pretend to type away at the assignment

⁃ “Tch. Anyways, a white chocolate mocha latte with a glazed donut for you Annie, a hot, unsweetened, caramel latte for you Mikasa, a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant with a cinnamon dolce frappe for you Sasha, and a matcha frappe for you (Y/N). Anything else brats?” He smiles as he hands everything to you guys

⁃ “No thank you!” You say in unison once again before he nods and walks away

⁃ As you sip on your delectable drink, Annie’s face lights up and it’s not from the donut (this time)

⁃ “Eh? Annie, what’s got you smiling?” Sasha says nervously chewing on her croissant at Annie’s surprised face

⁃ “Oh.” Annie’s face goes back to the typical stoic look “nothing, it’s just I know those people about to walk in” she gestures to a tall, muscular blonde man, a tall, brunette who is visibly sweating, a dirty blonde man with an undercut, and breathtaking black haired women with languid eyes and a perpetual soft smile

⁃ “Huh? How?” Mikasa looks up from her work and towards the girl sitting to her left shoulder, peeking a glance at the group about to walk in

⁃ “Eh, I went to Marley high school with them. I had a few classes with each of them throughout the years but never really interacted too much. They aren’t mean or anything— I just recognize them. I think they go to Liberio university” she says taking another bite of her donut

⁃ “Her names Pieck Finger” Annie said with a mouth full of donut directly at you “I’m guessing you were wondering” she smirks

⁃ Your face heats up. Did Annie notice you were staring at her?! Oh no… if Annie noticed… did this mean that Pieck girl also notice?!”

⁃ “No no” you laughed it off, “I wasn’t wondering I was just staring off into space!!”

⁃ This earns a chuckle out of Mikasa, she read you like a book

⁃ The Liberio squad orders as your little Paradis squad begins to pack up after being there for about hour and a half

⁃ “Annie?” The muscular blonde says from a few tables over

⁃ Annie lights up a bit at the seemingly familiar voice coming from behind her

⁃ “Reiner?” Annie walks over to the table as you, Mikasa, and Sasha continue to pack up

⁃ “Oh! These are my friends (Y/N), Mikasa, and Sasha. We usually come here almost everyday” annie says as each of you light up at the sound of your name

⁃ “Nice to meet you all! This is Bertolt, Porco, Pieck, and I’m Reiner”

You 4 wave to the Liberio 4 and you make direct eye contact with Pieck, she smiles softly at you

⁃ “It was nice seeing you all again, we were just on our way out” Annie waves to the group

⁃ “It was nice meeting you!” You, Mikasa, and Sasha say in unison

⁃ You made eye contact with Pieck once again before exiting

The next day

⁃ you text the group chat during your last class of the day “Ackersmiths?

⁃ Annie replies “Hitch nagged at me this morning claiming she deserves more attention so I'm taking her on a date tonight. ”

⁃ Mikasa replies “I’m being forced to meet Niccolo today😐”

⁃ “Okay so you all hate me😩I’ll go alone” you respond to the group chat

⁃ “Yeah that’s exactly what we mean (Y/N)😪😪😪” Sasha replies

⁃ “Yeah whatever.😫 I’ll be over later tonight and bring you guys your usuals if you want” you reply

⁃ “You’re a saint!🛐” Sasha says

⁃ “Sasha’s dorm as usual? I’ll be there around 8 o’clock” Annie says

⁃ “Perfect, I’ll see you guys then, i know you guys love me🥰🥰🥰🥰” you sent the text and began walking to Ackersmith’s

⁃ you walk in and greet Mr.Levi and Mr.Erwin like always “Mr. Leviiiiii! Mr. Erwin!!! It’s your favourite customer!”

⁃ “Oh? I didn’t see Sasha walk in though?” Erwin banters back as you walk towards the counter

⁃ “Yeah yeah, be glad or else you wouldn’t have any pastries left to sell today” you laugh “could I get the usual please?”

⁃ “Of course! I’ll have Levi bring it out to you in a second” Erwin beams and heads towards the machines

⁃ You begin to head to the table usually sit at when you aren’t accompanied by your usual gang but it seems to be taken

⁃ “Grandpa Arlert!?” You exclaim

⁃ Distracted by your excitement, that ethereal black haired Pieck, walks in and sits at a table closest to the entrance by the window. She instantly notices you chatting with (in her eyes) a random sweet old man

⁃ “(Y/N)!” He begins to get up

⁃ “How’s Armin doing? I haven’t heard much from him while he’s been in France but Mikasa tells me so much, maybe too much,  about Eren’s studies abroad”

⁃ “He’s doing well, I miss seeing you 4 all the time. I’m about to be on my way but come see me anytime kiddo” he pats you on the head

⁃ “I’ll come by this weekend okay Grandpa Arlert?” He nods as you sit down and pull out your computer

⁃ Pieck is gazing out the window but every now and then she glances at you. She can’t help but find you adorable when you focus on something— you furrow your brows a bit, squint, and bite your bottom lip

⁃ As Pieck is totally engrossed in your cute little studying quirks, she quickly averts her eyes and your head snaps in her direction as the entrance bells chimes and a couple walks in

⁃ You focus on the couple as the blonde one in a flowy pink dress pushes the stroller to nearby table and the taller brunette one in slacks and a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow goes to order (for the blonde one as well, you assume)

⁃ The gears in your head are shifting as you begin to figure out who the hell that couple could be as they are SO familiar to you

⁃ Then. A lightbulb! “Historia?!” You say to the women about three empty small tables away

⁃ (It’s a local favourite, how could you not see people you know here?)

⁃ (Y/N)?! You get up and start walking over to Historia’s table accompanied by a stroller

⁃ (Y/N)? The tall brunette walks over with a strawberry pastry and a plain croissant

⁃ “Ahh, Ymir!” You exclaim embracing her

⁃ “And who might this little one be?” You question while lovingly waving to inside the stroller which held a baby with dark hair, freckles, and bright blue eyes

⁃ Somehow(?) a perfect mix of Ymir and Historia

⁃ “This is baby Freida” (after her late sister) Historia grabs the about 7-month baby girl and gives her a kiss on her chubby cheek

⁃ “Sooo this is what you’ve guys have been doing since we left high school. I always wondered where you guys took off! You both completely went AWOL “ you chuckle while holding your index finger out as baby Freida grasps it

⁃ “Yeah, after high school I decided to take a gap year and Historia decided to become a CNA, I’m working on my realtor license” Ymir says taking a chomp out of the croissant

⁃ “I’m so happy for you guys! Seeing you guys and plus this cute little one just made my day. Could I hold her?” Your eyes looks as if they’ve been possessed by literal stars

⁃ “Of course!” Historia gingerly hands you baby Frieda and to your surprise, little Frieda giggles while you rub your cheek to the baby’s chubby one smiling

⁃ While this interaction is happening, Pieck has her eyes GLUED to you

⁃ Her heart is bursting at the seams right now. From seeing you interact with the sweet old man you refer to as Grandpa Arlert to you holding a cute ass child AH! Her heart IS exploding

⁃ It’s like she’s emitting a pink aura out of her body and little hearts are circling her as well

⁃ You hand baby Frieda back “it was nice chatting with you guys, text me if you guys are ever back in town!” And with that you retreat back to your original spot

⁃ Hyper focused on what you’re supposed to be doing on your screen you’re interrupted by Levi’s booming voice

⁃ “Hey brat, sorry it took so long. The blender got jammed, probably from all the stupid ice it took to make your dumb frappe”

⁃ “Also, you’re probably too oblivious to notice but, don’t look now, there’s a dark haired girl by the window who has been making googly eyes at you the moment she walked in”

⁃ (WINGMAN LEVI?!?!?!)

⁃ You nonchalantly glide your eyes over to where he was talking about and he referring to Pieck

⁃ THE PIECK FINGER from yesterday

⁃ Your face turns red as you grab the drink from Mr.Levi and begin to stutter

⁃ “I— uh-“

⁃ “Don’t think I didn’t notice your little interaction yesterday” he scoffs hiding a smirk

⁃ …is he referring to me staring at Pieck from the window????

⁃ (That sounds creepy but in an innocent young teen/adult puppy love way)

⁃ “If you’d like, I can send a drink over from you. She ordered the weirdest frappe-combo-shit yesterday so I remember it. It was a matcha frappe with strawberry purée and strawberry drizzle with matcha dusted on top of the whip cream…” he scoffed “but what do I know? I’m just an old married man”

⁃ WINGMAN MR. LEVI!!!!!!

⁃ “Yes! That would be perfect, I trust your gut Mr.Levi!” You hand him your card and he smiles as he begins to walk away

⁃ At this point you’re nervous. Yes you’re looking at your computer but you CANNOT think about anything else but how Pieck will react

⁃ Does she have a boyfriend? That (stupid) undercut guy?

- The tall sweaty guy?

⁃ Or maybe the muscular guy

⁃ No no, she looks too smart to date a meathead

- She seems too outgoing to date a super nervous guy

⁃ Or a seemingly fuckboy

⁃ But who am I to judge her preference?

-Is she even gay?

- She probably has a girlfri--

⁃ “Thank you for the drink” a sweet voice danced in between your clouded thoughts

⁃ You look up and you meet eyes with the one and only, Pieck

⁃ “May I sit here?” She gestures at the empty seat in front of you

⁃ (Mr. Levi’s plan worked?)

⁃ “Of course!” You shyly smile rubbing the back on your nape

⁃ “Your names (Y/N), right?” She took a sip of the drink

⁃ “Hmm.. Doing a bit of stalking I see. How’d you know my exotic drink of choice?” Those heavy words came out so smoothly you could barely react to the accusation

⁃ “Oh! Uh— no it’s not that” you instantly became flustered

⁃ The laugh she let out was so beautiful that it made you stop in your tracks

⁃ A bit of the puree was on her lips, which made them glossy and her head tilted back which let her flowy silky black hair waterfall off her shoulder

⁃ A bit of confidence shot through you

⁃ “Actually, a little birdy told ME that you were the one “stalking” and they decided I should do something to get your attention” you raised an eyebrow

⁃ Pieck’s angelic laughter came to an instant halt and her face become the same colour of the little bit of strawberry purée on her bottom lip

⁃ Now YOU were the one giggling at her reaction

⁃ “Don’t worry don’t worry! You waved your hands in a surrendering motion “in all honestly Mr. Levi said he saw you looking at me today and remembered your ..interesting.. drink from yesterday and also remembered about how I was looking at you when you walked in with your friends and suggested I send a drink over to you” you reassured

⁃ Oh shit

⁃ She giggled at how red your face got after realized what you had just told her

⁃ “Well if you’re going to be honest I will too, I thought you were the cutest thing yesterday. Today really solidified that thought because I mayyyy… have noticed you with that cute little baby” she gave you a languid smile fiddling with her hair nervously

⁃ Taken a bit aback from this

⁃ Are you hearing this correctly???

⁃ “Could I possibly get your number? Maybe later this week we could go on a proper date or something?”

⁃ “I’d love nothing more than that, (Y/N) she gives to the sweetest most genuine smiles there can be

After you exchanged phone numbers, you and Pieck spent about 2 more hours there talking about everything and yet nothing at the same time. You both shared pointless stories about each other’s upbringing, majors, fun stories about your mutual friend Annie, your own friends, and little sarcastic shots at one another here and there before walking her back to her dorm at Liberio University (about a 30 minute walk back to Paradis University)

She thanked you for the fun night by giving you a small peck on the cheek.

When you both returned to your assigned dorms

Pieck spent the night fangirling about you to Porco, Reiner, and a 4th year named Zeke

While you spent your night fangirling to Annie, Sasha, and Mikasa

“Oh (Y/N)!? Speaking about great things you find at the cafe, where’s the drinks? ” Sasha asked after your little spiel about Pieck

“Shit!”

Ackersmith Cafe has always held a special place in your heart but the love you’ve had for the place just got deeper.

sorry if the ending sucks but lmk your thoughts!!!!!! (:

- Kyah

[kisskeiji]

6. Love me right.

Lost & Found.

WARNINGS: language, mentions of self doubt and spiraling 

The closer the Volleyball Association awards ceremony was, the busier your schedule was, with the end of the season and the team winning their final match your phone wouldn’t stop ringing with reporters from sports magazines and channels trying to get a word from the athletes, the team went on for at least three weeks without a break; everyone was way too exhausted to bear with another interview. You had to travel around the country for away games every other week and the moment you came back home after the season finale you had to jump back into ‘babysitter duty’ supervising the press conferences, television appearances and exclusive interviews. You tried to relieve the soreness of your neck by rubbing it as you walked to the meeting room where everyone including the team waited for you. 

“Please no more interviews, Y/N, we are begging.” Inunaki said as soon as you entered the room. Everyone looked at you with pleading eyes — everyone except Bokuto who was busy stuffing himself with cookies—, you sighed and took your seat next to Imai.

“We are done with your schedule, don’t worry about that.” You said and turned to greet your team, taking the coffee one of your assistants got you and taking a big sip almost forgetting the drink was hot, your face contorted in pain but you tried your best to hide it, you were wide awake now, not from the coffee but from your burnt tongue. 

“Let’s make this quick guys, I think we all want to go home.” Hideko got up from her seat and buttoned her coat. “Season’s over, congratulations on your win, the sponsors and everyone’s pockets are extremely happy.” Everyone laughed at her comment as she kept talking. “I think the promotion period was even more exhausting than the matches for you guys, and we are thankful to all of you because surprisingly no one messed things up, so our headlines are clear.” You nodded along her speech while you reviewed your notes. Hideko thanked the staff and also talked about what was about to come with the new year approaching. “We are holding to our usual holiday agenda, the training grounds and the gym are open if you want to train by yourself but I don’t think coach Foster wants to see your faces for at least a month.” 

“She’s right, please stay away from me.” Coach Foster said massaging the bridge of his nose and the team smiled, they all knew the man cared deeply for them and their well being. Bokuto, who was sitting beside him, gave him a side hug that made him grasp for whatever surface was in front of him. 

“Bokuto, stop tormenting the poor man.” Hideko glared at him. “As you might know, the big night it’s on New Year's eve. Some of the staff is required such as Y/N and her team, me, of course.” She rolled her eyes with her hand on her chest, stating his presence as a given. “And our athletic trainers, so don’t make plans this year. The rest of the staff is invited too but have the option not to go and spend the holiday with their families like normal people.” She sighed, not precisely delighted with the idea of spending new year technically working. 

“I can take care of things if any of you want to go home.” You said to your three assistants and they nodded. 

“Players are allowed to bring a plus one, blah blah blah, you know the drill. Please, you are grown adults and it’s the time of the year you can drink, don’t do something stupid that can end in more work for us.” She took her coffee cup from the table. “Any questions?” She asked before drinking from it, having the same reaction you had earlier to the hot beverage. “That’s really hot, shit.” She cussed.

“Do we have to wear a suit and tie?” Bokuto asked. 

“Yes, Bokuto, it’s a gala.”

“But I don’t know how to tie a tie.” He said, looking at Hideko with sad eyes. 

“Wear a bow one.” She answered without enthusiasm. “Y/N take the lead, I have another meeting with scary people with money.” She really meant the sponsors and the team owners, for someone as fierce and imposing to be intimidated by them meant they were business and one she had to tiptoe around to keep them happy, after meeting them at the team party you understood why she avoided them like the plague. 

“I just have some things to run with you guys and then we can go home, I’m not taking too long.”  You stood up when Hideko left. “No more interviews, your schedule is closed for the rest of the month and I will start booking once we announce the team tryouts on mid January. Like always, I'm not responsible for paparazzi’s but if you get spotted you already know what to do.” Taking a deep breath you continued as you reviewed your notebook. “Regarding the awards, if you win something the interviews are not in my hands, so expect casual interviews the day after. We will be monitoring during the holidays too, so you can call me if something happens.” You looked up to everyone listening to you attentively. 

It felt good, being respected felt good. You were more than thankful for the opportunities you had and for taking the position, specially with the Black Jackals, it was a family in every aspect and you felt welcomed since day one and being recognized for all your work the past six months was enough for you to walk with your head up high again proud of your work and your team. “And lastly, I would like to thank all of you for working so well this season and putting up with the hell sent schedule we had the past month. I think we all did a great job.” You offered a bright smile to everyone in the room. 

“Are you kidding? You saved our asses this season, Y/N! We should be thanking you.” Inunaki said and everyone agreed. 

“That’s true, you did an amazing job since day one.” You looked at Meian who smiled at you fondly. 

“Well, it was a team effort, my girls worked really hard too.” You pointed at your three assistants who looked at you with pink cheeks and shiny eyes. “Well, unless any of you have any questions I think that’s it for today.”  Everyone gathered their belongings and left the meeting room, you went straight to your office to get your purse and lock the place before heading home. 

“Wanna have some lunch with ‘Samu?” You heard Atsumu say. 

“That depends, can I pay for my food?” 

“Not a chance.” He shook his head. “He invited Kita-san and Suna apparently likes you better than me and asked me to invite you.” He explained and you raised a brow. 

“You don’t want me there?” You laid on your desk, hands resting on your sides and legs crosses in front of you, he rolled his eyes and walked closer to you. 

“Of course I do, what are you talking about?” His warm hand caressed your cheek and you held to his wrist moving his hand to rest on your shoulder. “So? You coming or not. If you don’t ‘Samu will be mad at me.” 

“He’s a big boy, he’ll live.” You joked and he poked your side. “Let me lock the place and we can go.” You grabbed your keys from your desk and locked your office, hoping to not have to come back in a few weeks. Sighing, you turned back to see Atsumu holding his car keys and a smug grin, you walked out the training grounds and to the parking lot where some members of the team had a conversation outside their cars, you waved goodbye and Atsumu opened the front seat door for you. 

“Driving her again, Miya?” Barnes asked boarding his own car. 

“Such a gentleman, I’m so proud.” Inunaki followed. 

“Very funny, Inu-san. But no, we are having lunch with my brother.” You couldn’t really hear what they were saying right after he closed the door, but figured that they were still messing with him by Atsumu’s expression. “God, they are so annoying.” He grumbled when he got in the car. 

“Everything okay?” You looked at him in the eye, his brows were furrowed and a few creases showed his frustration and annoyance at his teammates. You ran your thumb across his forehead and smiled. “You are going to get wrinkles before you turn thirty, ‘Tsumu.” His ears turned red at your sudden touch and he tried to hide it by frowning even more. 

“Let’s just go.” He could almost swear his heart was about to burst out of his chest. He started the car engine and maneuvered in reverse turning his head back and his hand intentionally placed on the head rest of your seat. “You have plans for the holidays?” 

“My family is coming for Christmas and we are visiting some relatives not too far from here; and of course the awards, I might travel to Miyagi to see some friends but I’m not sure yet.” You played with the seatbelt as you recounted your plans. “What about you?”

“‘Samu and I are going to Hyogo to see our parents, we usually visit Kita and his grandma with the rest of the team the day after christmas and then Suna and I are driving to Tokyo for the party.” With his body slightly forward making sure there were no other cars, he took the turn to the avenue where Onigiri Miya was located, his finger drummed on the gear shift to the music from the radio. 

“Osamu is not going to the party?” You questioned. 

“He gave vacations to all of his employees and has to take care of the shop.” He explained and stopped the car in front of the shop. “I'm starving.” You took your seatbelt off and opened the door at the same time as him, not giving him time to open the door for you like he always did, but he was faster than you and opened the entrance door. It was almost noon so the shop was quite busy, people in the stalls and booths enjoying their food and talking about their days, the constant sound of silverware jingling and the smell of fresh rice welcomed you into the shop as you walked to the counter where Suna’s slouched figure waited. Atsumu greeted him with a pat on his back, making Suna turn around to shake hands and ‘bro hug’ him. “Where 's ‘Samu? 

“The kitchen, he should be done by now. Hi, Y/N.” Suna pushed Atsumu to the side and grinned at you lazily. 

“Hey Suna, I haven’t seen you since the match in Sendai.”  Like Hana, Suna got along with you pretty fast, you caught up with his sarcastic humor and easy going personality, he showed you a lot of photos from his high school memories, he was a great story teller, never missing embarrassing details and adding snarky comments here and there. On said match at Sendai, you finally figured out why he looked so familiar the first time you met him. It turns out he went to the same university as you and you interviewed the middle blocker once for an article when you were a journalist for your school’s newspaper. When you told him he laughed at you saying he already knew but wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out.

“Well, you’ve been busy.” He looked to the side, his tone was bitter, the taste of defeat lingering on his tongue after losing the finals to the Black Jackals. 

“Don’t be a sore loser, Suna.” You said taking the seat by his side, almost missing his jaw clenching. “Losing is normal, you don’t have to feel bad about it.” You teased. 

“You are not going to let me live that one down, aren’t you?”  

“Absolutely not.” You looked at Atsumu this time, he was looking at his phone screen clearly bored, he was extremely moody when hungry, that’s something you learnt during the season when he would go quiet for hours and back to his usual self once he had something to eat. “You okay?” You asked and he laid his head on your shoulder. 

“I’m hungry.” He groaned. You gave him a few pats on the side of his face and felt his body relax to your touch as you continued your chat with Suna. 

“Am I interrupting something?” Osamu chimed in coming out of the kitchen, making his brother get up instantly. “Food is almost ready, before you ask.” 

“Perfect timing.” You heard a stern voice behind you and all three tensed, you looked behind you to see Kita removing his cap. “I need some help with the rice bags, mind helping me?”  Atsumu and Osamu made their way to the door and to Kita’s truck in no time, Kita trailing behind. 

“Why do you guys look so scared?” You asked Suna. 

“Are you kidding? Kita popped out of nowhere!” Suna whispered, as if Kita could hear him from outside the shop. “He’s really scary sometimes.” You rolled your eyes. Kita was intimidating and really severe, but not enough to make you shiver.

“You only say that because you guys always do something to upset him.” 

“That’s not true.” He exclaimed. 

“Nothing to hide, nothing to fear, dear.” The restaurant doors opened, showing Atsumu and Osamu fighting to get in first, pushing each other, Suna and you watched unamused, knowing one of them would get hurt sooner or later, you were now used to their sometimes not so playful fighting. Just as you were placing your bet with Suna, they stopped on their tracks and Osamu stepped back to let Atsumu walk in. “What just happened?” You asked yourself rather than Suna, Kita stood behind the twins , Atsumu walked past you and lifted the countertop door, leaving the rice bag on the cold table. You heard Osamu mumble ‘I’m sorry, Kita-san.’ from the door and went straight to the kitchen. You couldn’t believe how easily he made the twins calm down. 

“Sorry about that.” Kita apologized to you. 

“Don’t worry about it, I’m already used to it.” You said calmly. Kita and Atsumu sat down and Osamu came out of the kitchen with another server, one plate of onigiri on each hand. You thanked him and the server who gave you a water bottle. Atsumu, as impatient as he was, scarfed down the extremely hot onigiri and immediately opened his mouth, steam came out from it and he whined in pain, placing his hand under his chin to prevent food from spilling. Everyone watched him jump on his seat chanting ‘hot, hot, hot’  as he tried to chew the rice ball, you giggled and opened his water bottle for him, when he finally swallowed his food he exhaled in relief and gulped down half of the contents from the plastic bottle. 

“Where are your manners, Atsumu? You can’t do that kind of thing in front of the girl you are courting.”  Kita reprimanded him and Atsumu choked on his water, little droplets spilling on the counter. Suna and Osamu couldn’t stop laughing at the setter — you were laughing too, but you felt bad for Atsumu— you made sure he wasn’t choking anymore and excused yourself to the bathroom, ears burning from Kita’s comment. “What was that?” Atsumu’s eyes almost popped out of his face. 

“What?” Kita asked, unbothered. 

“The girl you are courting? Really?” Atsumu stressed running his hands through his hair. 

“Well, aren’t you?” Kita inquired. 

“Yes! But it sounds weird when you say it like that.” Embarrassed, Atsumu rested his head on the counter looking at  Suna’s direction, Osamu wiped the wet surface and yanked Atsumu’s hair lightly to make him sit correctly as you joined them again, asking him if he felt better, he nodded and moved closer to you. As always, Osamu’s food was amazing and you had fun messing with Suna and Osamu, so much that you didn’t noticed the moment they all started planning the next reunion at your place, claiming that it was your initiation as the newest addition to the group, but you knew they just were nosy, even Kita was curious to know where you lived, so you couldn’t say no. 

You waited outside the restaurant with Kita who insisted on keeping you company while Atsumu and Suna helped Osamu with something in the back. “How are things going between you two?” He asked, completely aware of how vague the question was, just wanting to test the waters. You gulped and met his eyes.

“Atsumu and I? Uh, fine, I guess.” You answered uncertainly, tilting your head.

“He’s taking too long.” He asserted with his arms crossed.

“I guess you are right, but I don’t want to rush anything or make him feel like he has to do something when I could easily take the first step, but I’m afraid he’s not sure yet.” You rambled in your place, Kita grinned and looked away. “You meant inside the shop, right?” His grin widened at your question and you huffed in frustration. “That was not funny.” 

“I didn’t do anything, but now that you got that out of your system, I think that’s a conversation you should have with Atsumu. It’s almost painful seeing you two being limited by a simple title when you can fix that rather easily, I don’t know what’s stopping you.” He pondered. 

‘A lot of things.’ You thought. You fixed your eyes on the glass door, you could see Atsumu coming out of the kitchen along with his brother, he looked upset, dragging his feet with every step like a kicked puppy. “Think about it.” That was Kita’s final remark before Atsumu walked out the door, you waved goodbye to Osamu and Kita and walked to Atsumu’s car, feeling a familiar numbness on your limbs and the stinging sensation on your head increased with every passing minute. 

Kita’s words were crude, but you were sure he meant no harm, but even so, the last thing you wanted to do was thinking about the stage of your pseudo-relationship with Atsumu, the reality check tied to it was terrifying. You didn’t want to ruin everything, afraid of not being what he wanted but what he settled for, —or even worse, a distraction— you tried to shrug it all away, but it was hard to believe after all you went through. The thought of not being enough was enough to make you shiver, muscle memory taking you back to the time where you lost yourself to the viciousness of your own brain and it’s deprecating self speech of unworthiness and pity. 

You were stronger now, yes, but at what cost? You now lacked trust and silently craved reassurance or a sign that you were doing things right for yourself this time. 

Staring at the road lost in your thought you couldn’t hear Atsumu calling your name, you felt a big hand on your knee, moving it slightly to get your attention. “Are you okay?” He was clearly worried, luckily the traffic light turned red, you turned your head and stared at him confused. “You are a bit out of it since we left the restaurant.”

“Sorry, I was just thinking. You said something?” 

“I was saying that my building’s management called and said the complex is out of power and that it would take a few hours to fix the problem, and I asked you if I could stay with you for a few hours.” He repeated himself. 

“Sure, it’s still really early, we can watch a movie if you want to.” You offered trying to ease the tension. “Anything but Fast and Furious.” 

“Come on! They are amazing.” He protested. The light turned green and he moved the car.

“We watch them every time you are at my place.” You complained. “Let’s watch something else, it’s getting old.” Atsumu gasped, offended by your comment. 

“Terminator then.” He laughed at your annoyed expression and kept driving ‘til you reached your building’s parking lot. You changed your clothes while Atsumu picked the movie. He was really worried about you, what happened at the restaurant? He texted Kita asking if you said something or looked uncomfortable while he was being lectured by Osamu and Suna. ‘You need to talk.’ was Kita’s reply, sighing he left his phone on the coffee table and waited for you to come out of your room. 

‘I don’t know what game you are playing here, but don’t waste that girl’s time.’

Osamu’s words replayed in his head. Was he really taking too long? He knew the answer to that question, but uncertainty always fogged his thinking, and a thousand other questions creeped inside, making it harder for him to tell you how much he needed you. How much would things change if the unspoken pact you two created turned into a real talk, would you stay? 

He was not afraid of commitment, he was afraid that he never committed to anything that wasn’t volleyball, he didn’t know how to be a boyfriend but he knew he wanted to be yours. You never treated him differently and cared enough to see past the bad reputation he had, you cared about him. He got used to your nature but oftentimes forgot about how important stability can be, you weren’t teenagers anymore and sooner or later you would get tired. He had all the intentions, but just like you, the fear of not being enough held him back. 

You were scared of being replaced and he was scared to hurt you. 

“What are we watching?” You sat by his side and crossed your legs. You were now wearing a hoodie with the team logo and signature claw scratches, sweatpants and your hair was tied in a high ponytail. 

“I couldn’t pick one, so you choose.” He passed you the remote and laid back on the couch. You ended up watching Bride Wars, the two of you had terrible taste in movies so you alway went for the safe options, and you always ended up chatting halfway through and not paying attention to the film. 

“She deserves better than Fletcher anyway.” Atsumu played with your hair as the movie credits appeared on the screen, your back was on his chest raising slightly with his steady breathing. 

“She really did, she settled because she felt pressured.” You held his hand and interlocked his fingers with yours. 

“What do you mean?” He looked down at your hands now connected and smiled to himself. 

“When you spend that many years with someone you think the only reasonable thing is to stay forever with them, and sometimes that’s not what you want, but that realization comes really late, look at her, she was about to get married when she came to her senses, she was getting married because it was what everyone expected her to do, she had to convince herself she wanted it, that she wanted him.” You explained. “He made things hard for her, and still she tried to make it work for both of them, it wasn’t fair for her.” Atsumu hummed in agreement and noticed how your tone decreased with every word. You went silent for a while lost in your thoughts again. 

“You’ve been acting weird since we left the restaurant. What 's going on?” He asked, shifting in his place trying to get a better look of your face, your eyes were glossy and your brows slightly furrowed. 

“I don’t know.” You sighed heavily. “I’m scared.”  You played with the strings of your hoodie. “I don’t want to feel like someone just settled for me again.” You continued, fighting the memories from last year when you felt his arms tightening around you. “I don’t want to go through that again, I got so used to giving more than I could, to trying to do my best and beyond and still that wasn’t enough, I wasn’t enough.” You weren’t crying, there was nothing to cry about in the first place, you were just tired of battling your inner thoughts, you wanted a break.

“Don’t say that, your ex was an idiot for letting you go. Y/N, you are the most caring and dedicated person I’ve ever met, if anything, you were the one who settled for someone who couldn’t give his everything for you.” He felt the vibrations of your body as you chuckled. 

“Yeah, my friends always tell me that.”  He kissed your temple gently.

“See? He was just a scrub.”  ‘And I would treat you so much better.’

“Sorry I got too emotional.” You looked up and he placed another kiss on your forehead. 

“Don’t apologize for having feelings, it’s normal.” You raised an eyebrow and tried to break free from his embrace to rest your chin on his chest. “What?” He asked. 

“I never expected you to say something like that, you are very wary of showing your feelings.” You pointed out, running a hand through his blonde hair and he poked your side making you laugh, it was your turn to peck his chin. You enjoyed the comfortable silence that set between you two, propping your head on his chest close enough to hear his heart beating, eyes closed in bliss. You were safe. 

“I’m sorry for being too slow.” He said. “I think it’s obvious I like you, and while I enjoy what we have now, you deserve clarity and I need to get this out of my chest.” He made you sit correctly,  you lightly stretched your limbs as you got up. Atsumu took your hand and played with your fingers trying to word his thoughts. “I’m scared too. I’ve never been in a relationship and I didn’t know how to talk to you about this, I thought maybe you weren’t looking for something serious, especially with me, you know? But I like to think we are on the same page now.” You nodded and he continued. “Give me a few days, let me make it special for you to see I’m serious about this, and that I want to treat you better, please.” His eyes finally met yours. 

“Take all the time you need, ‘Tsumu, I think I need some time too and  I don’t want you to feel pressured to do anything.”  

“You are not, stop saying that. I want this.” He grumbled frustrated.

“Me too.” You kissed the back of his hand and he hugged you again. You watched another silly rom-com and talked about the party a little more before Atsumu received a call from his building’s management to notify him that the power was restored, it was around 7 p.m. so he got ready to leave, with his keys in one hand and his phone in his pocket he walked to the door with you following behind. “I’ll see you at the party then.” 

“That’s a lot of time.” He complained.

“Stop whining, it’s just two weeks.”  You scrunched your nose when he bent down to kiss it.

“I’ll call you everyday if I can’t see you.” He smirked. 

“Please do.” You rolled your eyes. He puckered his lips, waiting for his mandatory goodbye kiss but you took the chance to pinch his lips with your fingers making him instantly step back. “Good night, ‘Tsumu.” You said before he could say anything and closed your door. A muffled ‘That’s not fair.’ could be heard from the other side, Atsumu stared at your door, he tensed his jaw and shook his head for a second. He couldn’t hide the lovesick grin adorning his face as he walked to his car. 

He had two very long weeks ahead.   

(a/n: uh hELLO, this chapter ruined all my planning but i think those two are really cute, now QUICK QUESTION, would you like to see what iwaizumi aka mr. cheater is up to??? maybe?? no??? you guys tell me! i have the wip but idk if y’all would like to see it, i’ll be reading y’all. anyways, remember the fic has a playlist and y’all can check it out, also if you have song recs to add i would love to hear them!! i hope everyone is healthy and doing great at school or work :)) please stay safe and wear your masks!!) 

masterlist

TAGLIST (closed): @aonenthusiast @wiseeggspickleslime​ @koushisun​ @airheadpillar​ @sunflwrsandprettyskies​ @bbkiyoomi​ @daphnxy​ @shephard17895​ @avatarkyoshithewarrior​ @for-rebloggery​ @vv-bee999-vv vv @fi16ns @asdfghjkl7things @glassykaashi @strawhatshepard @hawkssnugget @msby-kei @toobsessedsstuff @a-moon-fairy @cuteissei @ramblingsofagoofyperson @pinoyrella @kiyoomisimp

[peralta-guaranteed]

Jake and amy putting presents under the tree while mac's asleep at Christmas

“You need to be quiet! He’s gonna wake up!”

“I am being quiet, Jake, and nothing short of an earthquake is gonna wake that kid up after the day he had at the softplay centre.” Amy gives him a quick glare, setting the first laundry basket of gifts hidden high up in their bedroom closet down on the couch.

They usually go to the Santiago family home for christmas - a massive affair of the whole gang, especially for Nochebuena - and end up bringing only a select few of the gifts Mac receives because hiding things in a car for a three hour drive with the most inquisitive toddler in the world is kind of difficult. But this year, some disastrous shift shuffling and a case that had Jake working until 11pm yesterday when they were supposed to start their drive at 5pm meant that they had to cancel those plans, and only ended up facetiming abuela and abuelo for a while until the grandkids that were at their house pulled their attention away. Amy’s worried that Mac will feel sad about it all - he loves to meet his cousins, and the uncles that throw him around and roughhouse with him, and the grandparents that keep feeding him sweets before Jake can steal them away - so she’s tried to keep him occupied with their own version of celebrations, spending the day before christmas morning at his favourite softplay space, getting hot chocolate from that little cafe with the sweet kids corner, and allowing for four instead of 3 extra chicken nuggets with his veggie dinner.

Seeing the mountain of gifts they’re currently collecting on the couch, though, lets her know that Mac is not going to be missing anything at all.

Terry, Rosa and Charles, all working just as late as Jake, had handed their gifts to them yesterday instead of waiting until after Christmas to give them to Mac at the precinct like they usually do. Captain Holt and Kevin had presented their gift a week ago, of course, to be as polite as possible. Karen had brought over her own little basket of gifts a few days ago, ignoring her son’s pleas of ‘not spoiling Mac like that’ like a proper grandma should. Even Gina had sent something via singing + dancing messenger, which Mac was absolutely delighted about even if he didn’t get to open the box yet, and Amy’s parents had promised to overnight as much of the family gifts as they could without breaking the bank.

Adding all that together - plus, of course, the most sensible gifts he’s getting from his parents, who’ve handed out all the actually fun gift requests to their friends and family - amounts to a good two and a half laundry baskets of packages that Jake and Amy are now standing in front of.

“If we stack them all right, it’s probably gonna be taller than Mac himself.”

“If we stack them, it’s gonna be taller than the tree.” Amy eyes their little christmas set up in the corner of their living room, barely up to her hip - they’ve never really needed a bigger one, and there wasn’t any space for it in a Brooklyn apartment anyway.

“We could make an arch over the tree.”

“Some of these things are breakable, Jake, and Mac is gonna topple that arch in seconds.”

“Why are we getting breakable things for mini-Hulk?!”

Amy sighs before an idea blinks into her head.

“Easter egg hunt.” She says with a grin that rivals the Peralta one, and Jake only gives her a questioning eyebrow raise.

“Wrong holiday, babe.”

“No. Imagine. We hide the gifts all over the apartment. The smaller ones, at least.”

Jake’s eyes light up from her explanation. Mac has been the most inquisitive toddler they’ve ever known, able to take apart pretty much anything to find out how it works, climb up things they never imagined as climbable, and generally being a perfect little detective in the making.

Having him hunt for his presents instead of simply presenting them in the living room will make sure Christmas morning entertainment will be pretty much sorted.

“Ames, you are a genius.”

-*-

It takes a lot longer hiding gifts in places that a toddler could safely find, but also won’t discover in the first few seconds, than simply putting them under a tree. It is a massive amount of fun, though, as well, as Jake and Amy keep exclaiming to have found the perfect place for the next box, giggling about hiding things behind curtains and under cushions. Amy has started a list to keep track of what hides where, so they don’t randomly forget a box tomorrow. Jake, meanwhile, has been a bit shifty, disappearing into the bedroom once or twice - where they’ve agreed not to hide any of the gifts in fear of Mac absolutely wrecking the place to find them. When all the boxes are stashed, and Amy sticks the list behind the to do schedule on their fridge, she gets a quick peck on the nose. “You go first in the bathroom.” He says, totally not suspiciously, when they usually share the bathroom for their night routine. “I’m gonna check in on Mac first. We were pretty noisy after all.”

No we weren’t, Amy thinks, and you’re not fooling anyone, but only nods and tries not to smile when she catches him with an awkwardly wrapped tiny box in his hands through the only half-closed bathroom door. She pretends not to notice when he slips under the covers almost an hour later than her.

-*-

Christmas gift hunt might have to become a new tradition for the coming years.

Mac is absolutely going crazy toddling through the place, Amy or Jake in tow to make sure he doesn’t break anything or hurt himself, squealing and giggling and running back to show off the next box he’s found. The stash around the couch keeps growing, and half of them haven’t even been opened yet, because he drops them and immediately runs off to search for the next one instead.

He even finds the one hidden behind all the pots and pans in the kitchen cabinet, a hiding place Amy definitely didn’t notice Jake picking, but he’s the one sorting all of that stuff back into the cabinet, so she can’t complain much.

They all end up cuddled together on the couch several hours later, still in their pyjamas although it’s almost noon, with Mac making vroom noises along with the new toy car he’s gotten from Charles.

“Absolutely brilliant idea, Ames.”

“Yeah. I’m glad we found all of them now, though. It’s almost time for lunch, and we promised to call my parents after...” She trails off as Mac hops off her lap to find another one of his new toys to play with, giving Jake an almost apologetic look. “We can do our own gift exchange tonight, maybe? When things have calmed down?”

“Mh, I don’t know.” Jake grins at her in the most mischievous way, and she kind of knows what’s coming, but she’s still getting nervous. “I have your gift right here.”

He holds up a little envelope that Amy snatches out of his hands maybe a tad too quickly - that is definitely not the box she saw him hold yesterday.

“Is it a coupon?” She asks, trying to play along, but Jake’s rolling eyes tells her he knows the jig is up as well.

“Open it and see, no guessing.”

So she does, and unfolds a wonkily folded paper to reveal -

a handwritten crossword puzzle.

“I suppose it’s not really a gift.” Jake explains. “But I think you’ll find that the clue at the end is going to lead you to one.”

-*-

It takes her pretty much their entire lunch to solve it. The little clues are about them, of course - some reaching as far back as their early dates, and she half considers texting Rosa to ask for help with some things, but then again insists she can do it herself. (Mac helps, though - practically shouting a few of the answers that seem to be geared towards him, as Jake only grins and feeds him some more brokkoli.)

She practically jumps from the table when the final word clue is revealed to be ‘paperstacks’, and races over to her desk. How she didn’t notice the little box hiding between her binders during Mac’s hunt through the apartment is beyond her.

Jake walks over with Mac on his hip as she unwraps it, clicks the velvet box hidden under the gift paper open to reveal her favourite necklace - the one Mac’s grabby hands broke over a year ago, ‘irreparable’, the jeweler she went to had said, and that she’d dropped into her jewelry box with a sad sigh. It’s joined by matching little golden earstuds.

“You fixed-...?”

“No, I asked the goldsmith we got it from and even she said she couldn’t mend it. But she did have another one from that discontinued collection, and the new earrings that match.”

She smiles at him with the biggest Aww expression on her face before kissing him, and Mac in his arms squeals.

“Y’found it!” He yells, repeating what they’ve been saying to him all morning whenever he came back with a new box. “A gift!”

“Yeah.” Amy laughs as he leans over to switch from Daddy’s arms into hers. “I did. I found the best gift ever.”

“So cheesy, Ames.” Jake quips, but his smile and his soft eyes show that he’s more than agreeing with her.