#he is quit cute but I think I struggle to let myself see myself in him because of my self hatred but whatever whatever

[sockeyesidequest]

Fursona fursona fursona!!!

[bakugoushotwife]

kinktober day five: size kink

>>> so obviously there is no other option size kink and toji fushiguro are synonymous in my book! i do call him zen'in in this so i guess we can be mama fushiguro lmao! i hope you guys are having a good time with kinktober so far :D

>>> starring toji (zen'in) fushiguro x curvy!fem!reader >>> cw: size kink duh, daddy kink i'm not apologizing anymore, reader is stuck in a washer, doggy, oral (fem receiving), reader is used to shit men lol >>> wc: 2.3k >>> event masterlist

toji is massive, in every form of the word. he’s tall, towering over most people he comes across at his looming stature. most of the time, tall people were lanky and lean, slender with limbs that stretch for days. he didn’t fit the stereotype. toji was beefy, his biceps were the size of your head and his hands could cover your entire face. his arms aren’t where it stops either, his chest is broad; he’s so impossibly wide, always struggling to find clothes that fit him right. not that you mind too much of course, watching those poor t-shirts try to contain him rile you up to no end every time. he was always there to grab whatever you needed off of high shelves, changing lightbulbs and dusting the ceiling fans because it was all too easy for him to do. he was ridiculously strong, able to open even the tightest of jars and sweep you into his arms like it was nothing. it wasn’t like you ever overlooked toji’s size, it’s just that you never thought yourself all that small. 

in fact, you struggled with your figure a bit, never quite knowing where you fit in for most of your life. boys either made you feel too insecure over your size or only ever wanted you for that curvy and voluptuous figure. at first, toji was no different, knowing how to talk at a beautiful girl when he sees one. he approaches you, lays out some dirty and cheesy pick up line that’s not even remotely close to original, and is honestly surprised when you snort through your nose and roll your eyes. 

“i had more hope outta you, you were actually cute.” you sneer, quickly turning to keep walking down the quiet streets without any more trouble. and that was it–you really weren’t going to give him a second glance even though you admitted he was attractive? he had never really been turned down before, his looks alone enough to open any door. seems with a body like that you were used to gross one-liners. 

“hey, little lady, wait.” he said, his voice a little softer than it had been when he was hitting on you before. you had already walked a few feet away, but noticing the slight change in disposition, you halted. “maybe that was a bit much, i got ahead’a myself.” he says, tilting his head down in an apology. “let me make it up to ya?” 

your eyes narrowed at him. his arms were folded over his chest, the fabric of the struggling shirt expanding to its fullest potential. his hair ruffled a bit with the warm breeze that blew through, the color of his locks as dark as the night sky—though his eyes shone like the stars above too, something in the green expanses of the hazy orbs twisting your gut and making you decide that if anybody deserves a second chance, it was this sexy stranger. could you even be that angry at him for his lewd comment when you were eyeing him down too, only thinking of his physical attributes?

at your hesitation he speaks again. “let me walk you home. it’s late, and like i said, you’re very pretty.” he raises his brow as if asking one final time. you breathe some air out through your nose, suspiciously looking him up and down at the offer. “no funny business, just protection, little lady.” he swears with his hands by his head. 

you hum, nodding your head for him to follow you as you start walking, hips swinging and hair swaying. when he thinks back on it maybe he fell in love right here, watching you stomp towards your house with way more attitude than your tiny body should contain, doing your damndest to try and play hard to get. but toji’s no fool. he follows you, he increases his strides to catch up with a small effort, but he’s walking beside you with a smug look on his face. 

he makes meaningless chit-chat, learns about some of your hobbies and about your job. he gets your phone number, and apologizes one last charismatic time before you shut the door of your apartment and he’s walking back home, thinking of how he rarely plays the long game for a woman. but he knew you were worth it, the perfect little thing to brighten his days. 

unlike you, toji realized how tiny you were immediately. sure, you were curvy and your chest and ass definitely were not small–you even had a little tummy to you, but you were just so short and compact, he knew he could manhandle you like a toy. not to mention how cute and bratty you were, he was all but compelled to be your man and fuck that attitude right out of you. 

so the long game he played, talking to and courting you like a proper adult, though it isn’t long until you’re accepting him into your home and letting him tame that bratty streak of yours. 

and you’re so glad you decided to give the ginormous stranger another go. he earns his place in your heart and in your home in under a year, and you’ve been grateful for his presence around the house. he makes you feel safe and protected, your own personal security guard. no place could be safer than those hulking arms trapping you to a chest at least two times as wide as yours. his hands always felt so warm and rough against your frame, seeing them against your body always made you feel like the daintiest thing in the whole world. god, and the way those enormous fingers moved inside your little hole—

maybe that’s why you thought you thought you could rely on the burly man you’ve come to love to be the perfect boyfriend he’s shown you he can be, despite the weird looks you get walking around in public with toji zen’in. you never minded the whispers or the rumors of his reputation, you knew him better than anyone, another reason you thought that when you screamed out his name for help, that he’d come running to your rescue. 

to which in part, he did, to his credit. when he heard your voice far away in the laundry room hollering for him, sounding a little too afraid for his comfort, he was there in an instant. but rescuing? nah. he couldn’t help but laugh at your compromising situation. you’re face first in the top load washer, your top-half completely invisible, ass and legs squirming in the air. of course you’d fall in, the height of the washer was something you often complained about; you had to basically crawl inside the machinery to get clothes in and out, and it annoyed you to no end. now, the worst had happened and here you are. you couldn’t even just push yourself out due to how high your legs dangle, you’d surely fall. 

you know what they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and as good as toji has been to you, he can’t repress the perverted fantasy his mind drums up at the sight of your tiny body stuck in the washer. you kick your feet harder at the sound of his laughter, to which he can only belly chuckle harder.  

“you need some help, darlin’?” he teases, large hands wrapping around your ankles, halting your kicking immediately. he holds your legs there by his thighs, standing between them. he smirks down at your fat ass jiggling and recoiling as you try to squirm your way up the washer. he chuckles at your failures and the sounds of frustrations that follow, until you finally whine out for help. 

“toji— just get me out of here.” you pout flatly, folding your arms over your chest inside the barrel. he chuckles deeply again, sliding his hands up your bare legs until they came across the mounds of your ass. he squeezes the flesh almost tenderly. 

“but little lady,” he hums as he hooks his fingers under the waistband of your shorts and slowly drags them down your legs. he has to kneel to get the garment completely off, but he doesn’t mind. he decides kneeling is advantageous for him, especially once he sees your pretty little hole clenching around nothing, just eager to be filled. “ya look like a little toy from down here,’nd i’m thinkin i oughta play.” he has to spread your ass cheeks a little bit to see you in all your glory before he leans in to lick a stripe from glistening slit to your puckering asshole. he growls at the flavor, something he just can’t stop himself from doing no matter how many times he gets to taste you. you can feel the soft tickle of his hair against the insides of your thighs, the searing heat of his tongue making your squirm back against him in a desperate search for more. 

you should have known toji would be greedy, taking advantage of your inability to move and abusing that to the fullest. he laps at you, shoving his fat tongue into your tiny little hole, fucking it wider for his cock to use. after all these months of him fucking you open, you were still so tight and small. you hug even his tongue, silky wet walls making his eyes roll back a little bit. his large hands hold your asscheeks, kneading like a kitten making biscuits, even though it felt more like a lion pawing at you. you taste so good, it has his cock jumping against his zipper and begging for freedom. he decides to deny himself that simple pleasure, focused on driving more of those cute little whimpers from your lips. the tunnel of the washer was amplifying all your sounds, and he felt the torture of not having your tiny cunt wrapped tight around his cock every passing second. 

you were panting, beginning to feel dizzy from being nearly upside down. every stroke of toji’s tongue massaging your fluttering entrance and the intensity of his deft fingers flicking your clit combined sent you spiraling, both physically and literally, towards the edge. he can’t help but lean back and watch the way you fuck yourself back on his mouth for more, picking up the pace of his fingers to send you over your limit. it’s so cute to watch your thighs clench down and shiver as you cum, screeching and begging for his dick next. 

and who was the feared sorcerer killer to deny such a sweet request from his beloved? his pants are off, belt clinking against the floor. you ready yourself, feeling the rough warmth of his hands envelop your sides and his hips cleave your thighs apart yet again. he’s so strong, he doesn’t even have to use his hands to toss you around, positioning you exactly the way he needs you to fuck you into pieces. his cock splits your lower lips and he unceremoniously bottoms out, eyes clenched shut at how your tiny cunt grips him. your jaw drops with the feeling of being so full at once, his cock just as broad and long as the rest of him. he kisses your cervix before he’s even started moving and you’re already squirming and crying like always. the stretch burns, every time feels like your first with toji. especially like this, you’re bent in half and he’s so deep in doggy that you’re seeing stars—though that could be due to the dizziness swirling around your head. 

“so tight f’me like always, gorgeous.” he chuffs, drawing back to the tip and plowing his length back in, entranced by how you clench and release around him. you mewl your acknowledgement, your hips eagerly moving back against him for more friction, his strokes deliriously slow. 

he notes your impatience, amused. 

“need more, little thing?” he teases, licking his smirking lips at the sound of your pathetic whines and kicks. you nod eagerly, realizing he can’t see it. 

“yes, daddy, please! need you to make me cum–” 

before you can finish your sentence, he’s punishing you for asking for it. this angle is so unforgiving, you can feel every vein decorating his shaft as he destroys you, the tip colliding with your womb so hard it has your toes curling and vision going white. his grunts are so low and delicious, a reward for the perfect pussy you offer him nightly. it’s so good, he can’t stop until he beats your insides into the shape of the dick making you scream right now. 

your ass bounces around his thrusts, absorbing every snap of his hips into your unsuspecting and fragile body. he loves watching you break, like his own personal little doll.

“cum–daddy oh my god i’m gonna cum so hard!” you whine, thrashing. 

“oh coat this cock, babygirl.” he groans, feeling himself letting go, unable to fight back against your vice grip anymore. “cum with me, need to feel it.” his head falls back as you spasm around him, the vision of your little pussy accommodating his size too much to bear. 

“god, please toji!! cum, cum, i need it so bad.” you whimper, your voice so breathy and tired, so beautiful as you beg for his load. it’s already established that he can’t deny you, so he doesn’t. he slides his cock in and out of your slick one last time, hissing as his balls tighten and explode into your cunt, white-hot and heavy. it fills you to the brim like it always does, even when his enormous dick withdraws from you and the mix starts to escape down your thighs you still feel impossibly full. 

finally, he rights you onto your feet, his strong steady hands keeping you upright as you wobble a bit. when your vision stops spinning and you bring yourself to open your eyes again, you’re met with toji’s smirking face. his eyes are lazy with amusement and love as he looks at you, giving you an affectionate pat to the head. 

“kinda wanted to leave you there ‘nd keep usin’ ya like that.” 

[tellafairy]

Hi, can you please explain in detail how you changed your marks + got into your dream uni and how you always stay lean? This would change my life.

i have already answered this but i will re answer it more in depth !

when i was 16, i really wanted to attend a university quite far away. it was a dream i had for a while, but i was scared things wouldn't work out — especially when my counsiler told me over and over again that my grades "weren't good enough" and i "didn't meet the requirements". i was also scared about finances and the uni being to far away.

with this, when my senior year came and i turned 17 — i had saw a sucess story on tiktok of a girl who manifested her dream university experience simply through LOA. this prompted me to do the same, and i began to completely ignored everything my counsiler said. i told myself over and over again that i am attending the university, no ifs ands or buts. i repeated simple things like "i literally got into the university, is he crazy?" "my dorm room at university is so cute i love it" over and over again inside of my head whenever the topic of university was brought up or came to mind. whenever someone asked me where i'm going for uni, i told them this university. spoke about the uni as their student would. and when filling out my application, i was laughing to myself. "why am i even doing this? i'm already a student at __.. i guess it'll be fun to show other students what an application should look like if they wanna get into __ like me!"

id also saturate! sometimes i'd spend 1-2 hours just sitting there thinking of life at that university in my head as if i was already there. id go into detail about the financial aid id get, how my dorm would look, meal plans, etc etc — everything i wanted my uni life to be like. (this part is quite important to me, i made sure to incorporate the fact i wouldn't struggle with paying for uni or finding housing). id ignore any thoughts or worries whenever they came to mind, i always made it my priority to remind myself that i already attend the university — nothing else matters.

as for changing my marks; in my home country, your highschool submits all of your grades to the universities for you. and after graduation, they send you one final copy of your transcript. so when i was applying to university, i only saw my transcript once before graduation through my guidence counsiler, and it didn't even have all of my final grades because i was still taking classes, it only had my midterm marks (which are basically ur final marks before the final exams which would usually bring ur mark up by 5-10%)

anyways, after seeing it and realizing how bad my midterms were, i just affirmed that the transcript was wrong and that my final marks would be 10x better. i told myself that i'd ace my fianl exams so well that it would bring my marks up by more than 10%. despite this — after graduation, i received a transcript with my exact same mid term marks.

but, i didn't let this discourage me. i simply disregarded the email and deleted it, i didn't even save the transcript because i knew it wasn't right. i kept affirming and affirming and saturating and telling myself that they accidentally sent the wrong transcript. and i think you know what i'm gonna say next; that's exactly what they did. my principal had emailed me alongside my counsiler, both emails had a copy of my real transcript where my grades met the standard i had created in my mind — and they also apologized for giving me the wrong transcript, informing me that the universities i applied to all received the correct one.

i had already gotten my acceptance letter into the university before i had received my final transcript, so i think that's what made it easier for me to accept and know that the first transcript they sent me was wrong.

i'm not sure what anon means by staying lean.. so i'm sorry i can't answer that part 😅 but i hope the rest makes sense!

[cosmicdahlias]

What You Deserve

a ford x reader fic

MINORS DNI

read part 2 here!

Ford and you both like each other, but he’s too afraid to go for it so Bill does him a favor.

warnings: HEAVY NONCON, smut, possession

i really went wild on this one i hope y’all enjoy

Ford has been worrying you lately. His sleep schedule is erratic, he barely eats, and it seems like he’s always talking to someone that isn’t there. But there is someone, you’ve come to know him as Bill.

In Ford’s words Bill is his muse, his inspiration. You hadn’t questioned it at first, it kept him so driven. But now things were different, Ford wasn’t quite the same as when you first met him.

You’ve never spoken directly to Bill, only when he speaks through Ford via possession. You never let Ford know but it terrifies you to see Ford so unlike himself. He turns wild, dangerous, unpredictable. Sometimes disappearing for days at a time and returning with no recollection of what transpired. One time coming back sporting a tattoo that he had no memory of getting, but a tattoo was the least of your worries.

You’ve started to hate Bill for what he’s done to your partner. You fear the day that you turn on the news and see that the local mysterious scientist in the woods has turned up dead.

You secretly love him too. He captivated you, perhaps that’s why you cared so much. If he was just your coworker it wouldn’t keep you up as often as it did. You wanted to take him away from all of this, to just kiss him and tell him that there was more to life than being Bill’s puppet.

These thoughts consumed your mind as you sat at your desk going over your research notes. You were so in your head that you didn’t sense the looming presence behind you.

A hand grasped your shoulder, you jumped nearly a foot out of your chair. It was Ford.

“JESUS Christ, Ford. A little warning next time?” You gasped.

He released his hand. “Oh dear I’m sorry I hadn’t realized I’d scare you like that, you just looked so wrapped up in your own thoughts. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

You huffed. “Yeah, it’s just… I have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Oh? Perhaps I can take your mind off things.”

“How so?” You asked.

“Well for starters sweetheart I can rip off those clothes.” He cooed.

“What?” You stammered.

“You heard me.”

You blushed, this was so unlike him. “Ford are you feeling okay?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve never felt more like myself.”

It was then you noticed his eyes, the yellow tint and catlike pupils. Your heart sank. Bill.

“I know it’s you Bill. What do you want?” You spat through gritted teeth.

“I’m just doing old sixer here a favor. I’ve seen inside his mind and I know what he thinks about you. Thing is, he’s too damn shy to just go for it. So I figured, why not do it for him?”

You felt like a rock just sank to the pit of your stomach, you knew what that meant. Your thoughts quickly screamed at you to defend yourself. You knew you had a small knife in the drawer of your desk, but could you grab it before Ford, rather, Bill reached you?

You decided to take the risk, you shot up and darted your hand to the drawer, pulling it open. You quickly grabbed the knife and held it out in front of you. Your hands trembled.

Bill laughed coldly “That’s cute of you, but here’s the thing, you try hurting me and you’re just gonna kill Fordsy. And we wouldn’t want that now would we?”

Before you could say anything Ford descended on you, coming up behind you his hands gripping your wrists and wrestling the knife out of your grasp.

“Now listen to me toots, we’re gonna have some fun on behalf of my good old pal here. You can struggle all you want, but I think you and I both know he’s a lot bigger and stronger than you.” He said, running the knife against your throat.

You felt his teeth sink into your neck, rough kisses left at every bite mark, his hands traveling up and down your body. He hooked the knife underneath your clothes and began to tear away at the fabric, leaving your top half exposed.

You wanted to run, to scream, to cry, but you knew it would be in vain. Where would you run? To whom would you scream or cry to? You were all alone in a cabin in the middle of the woods with a man possessed by a twisted demon.

The knife slowly cut away at your skirt, next your bra and panties. Ford kept a hand on your waist, the other still holding a knife to your throat.

“Now,” he said, his fingers massaging your breasts “I’m going to have my way with you.” His voice sent a cold chill down your spine.

In one quick motion Ford spun you around and forced you to the floor, hands holding down your wrists.

“But first, I think Ford deserves a good look at my work, don’t you?”

As you looked up at Ford you saw his eyes return to their normal whites and rounded pupils. He looked down at you, confused, then the horror set in.

“Y/n, what are you- oh god no, Bill what have you done?”

Before he could even remove his hands from your wrists his head snapped back violently, when he returned his gaze to you it was with the same terrifying look, Bill had retaken control.

Keeping a hand on your wrist he began to wrestle with his belt.

“I’ll never understand you humans and your complicated clothing.”

He slipped his pants low enough to reveal his cock, which was dripping with precum. You tried hard to fight against him but your efforts were in vain, Bill was right, Ford was stronger.

Sharply and violently he slid himself into you all the way to the base. You screamed from the pain and Ford let out a loud groan. He began to thrust hard and fast, growling and breathing heavily into the crook of your neck.

“Ah fuck, now I see why sixer wanted this so bad.” He hissed.

You felt your will begin to fade, you were stuck like this, there was nothing you could do, no one was coming to save you.

“I think Ford should feel this too, I never know if he feels anything I’m doing.”

His eyes reverted again, they widened.

“No no no, dear god, make it stop. I’m so sorry, y/n.”

Ford tried to fight it, he struggled to get himself off of you but Bill began to take hold again.

“Fordsy might be sorry, but I’m not. Quite frankly I always feel like you’re getting in the way of things, perhaps this will teach you to stay away.”

He resumed his brutal pace, the loud slapping echoing through the lab accompanied by his grunts and your whimpers. All you could see was his yellow eyes and wicked smile. This was pure hell, you wanted Ford, but not like this, never like this.

He could feel himself getting close, he grabbed your legs and hooked them over his shoulders. His nails dug into the soft flesh of your calves.

“Hahhh, hahhhh. I’m going to… make you regret ever agreeing to work with Ford. You’re gonna… keep your distance. You hear me?”

Tears began to stream down your face, you started to hope that Bill would just kill you after he was done.

Ford was fucking you at a punishing speed, as he forced a hand to your throat Bill released him right as he began to cum. Ford let out a deafening moan and his whole body shook. Everything went white for a few seconds, when his vision returned he was greeted with a frightening visual beneath him.

Ford let you go and backed up against the wall, he had to focus all of his attention on not vomiting.

“Y/n, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

All you could do was lay on the floor, nothing felt real. Ford took off his trench coat and wrapped you in it. Tears began to fall down his face.

“I’m so sorry, y/n. I never meant to hurt you.”

~~~

click here to go to part 2!

[petrichorca]

Hello, I am slowly figuring out how to use tumblr effectively. I thought I'd give an update on fics I've written in 2024, but keep forgetting to talk about here in a meaningful way.

As We Go Hand in Hand (explicit, gentlebeard, 7100 words) follows Ed as he processes the past few months while living on the island with Stede, massively in love but struggling with himself. I wrote it while feeling a lot of delayed grief around the (confirmed) s2 cancellation, and while it's sad at points it's also quite romantic I think. I really love this story.

Behind Closed Eyes All I See is You (explicit, gentlebeard, 5300 words) is a smutty PWP my dear friend @chaoticturtleturtle invited me to write with her. Stede lets Ed take the lead in a scene with some sensory deprivation, pwp, and aftercare.

like sugar to my heart (mature, gentlebeard, 4200 words) is a silly fic I wrote for my Animorphs OFMD AU co-writer as a birthday gift. Our blue four-legged four-eyed mouthless alien Stedeth gets foiled by a vending machine (based on the tumblr art of the giraffe centaur), and Ed consoles him.

like a bird (teen, gentlebeard, 3700 words) with @ghostalservice gives some backstory about Stedeth's life prior to the events of our 177k fic and features some very cute art of Mary and Stede's children (as Andalites, of course) by @theogem

Stede’s Cursed Red Suit as a Metaphor for Grief and Moving On (teen, stede + izzy, 1717 words) explores the squishy time of season 2, episode 5, and the dynamic between Stede and Izzy in season 2 overall. I am also obsessed with how Stede acts in the cursed suit. I find their s2 relationship really interesting so this is me looking a bit at that via a missing scene starting with Stede yelling OH FUCK OFF.

Calypso’s Dawn (explicit, gentlebeard, 1800 words) centers around how Ed made his boyfriend blush the morning after Calypso's birthday and how Ed feels about it. I love this fic. I've been trying to challenge myself to write more self-contained, shorter stories and this one turned out really well imo.

Life as a Series of Forward Rolls (teen, gentlebeard, 9900 words) features Stede running into his teenhood crush, the gold medalist in men's gymnastics from the 1996 Olympics. This fic also centers around a Barbie doll in Ed Teach's likeness, which @swashbuckling-sweethearts made an INCREDIBLE art of (embedded at the end of the story), inspired by my own 1996 Olympics Barbie. Silly and light modern AU!

Did you mean to do that? (teen, gentlebeard, 700 words) explores Stede's grief around Ed dying, even when he knows Ed is alive. I had no idea I would be so interested in writing missing scenes, but long conversations with friends have really ignited me in exploring these. (The length - I was trying to channel @brigdh, whose ability to write devastatingly brilliant drabbles inspires me, and I'm pleased with this one!)

Perfectly Ordinary Tuesday (mature, gentlebeard, 4900 words) with @ferventrabbit follows Stede and Ed deciding to get married on a perfectly ordinary Tuesday, and drag their inn guest Dave along for the ride. We split up writing the vows, and I balled my eyes out writing mine and then reading em's. This story is fluffy and fun, and it was a great way to start 2024. :)

What's next: I'm working on or noodling a lot of projects, solo and with different collaborators. Imminently, I've got a fic with @veeagainsttheday coming for AUpril on April 1st. Hoping to get something else out in April for @ofmdjanuaury's AUpril 2024 event, which I highly encourage folks to check out - it's for all sorts of creators!

@ghostalservice and I continue to think about our blue alien Stede and his human boyfriend Ed. Wanna Fly Away was such an important project to me while we were writing, and it's become even more special as folks find it. WFA now has art embedded in most of the 15 chapters, so if you haven't seen those check it out. More to come in that space.

Where was I going with this? Well, I suppose I want to say I'm still here. OFMD changed my life, and the OFMD fandom community is deeply important to me. I still hold out hope for a third season, or a follow-up that brings us more closure, but no matter what I'm still thinking about our pirates and will for a long time. If you read this far, thanks for being part of my community. <3

[ohsohoney]

When it comes to love you're just as blinded.

Part Eight

Eminem x Musician

Summary: It starts with a drunk embarrassing video, it spirals into something a whole lot more.

Note: A real long one. Honestly don't know how I did it but it was one session and now I'm dead, hopefully it's good enough! Lots of cuteness though and another snippet with Danny! Be warned cake mix is too baking. So :)

| Set in 2014, just after the release of LP 2

taglist: @thelastemzy

Masterlist

“This is a bad idea, right?”

“Oh, for sure.”

“Marsh.” I admonished, sighing as I rolled my head to the left to level him with a long look before my eyes eventually wandered back on over to the store’s front. 

“What? You said it.” Marshall chuckled lowly, hands interlocked in his lap. 

We were currently sat in the car park of a Trader Joe's, in a spot at a roundabout the midway mark. I hadn’t thought too much of the ask during my sudden excitement to roam around a grocery store I’d yet to see (What? I was showing my age. Bite me.). But it was now hitting me at full force.

“Why’d you say yes anyway?” I was quick to shoot back at him, voice a tad bit strained. I shook my head and eventually resolved into brushing the whole idea away, “Let’s just forget it.”

A scoff and Marshall was rolling his eyes at the notion, “We’re already here. No point in leavin’ now.”

“We didn’t think this through though. I mean, what if somebody spots us?” I pointed out, gaze already surveying the mostly empty parking lot for the next potential pap. 

“You make it out like we’re about to case the joint,” Em snorted, earning a wry smile off of me in retort, a reaction I couldn’t quite help. “Said you wanted to bake a cake, so we gonna. ‘Cause I’ll let you know now, I ain’t got the shit to make this back at the house.”

I blew a soft breath from out of my nose, vaguely amused. “No shit.” I replied, unable to imagine the man in a frilly pink apron and covered in flour on a casual Tuesday afternoon. I ended up sighing again anyway, “You sure? I mean, I could just run in.”

Marshall was already shaking his head at me, “Nah, it’ll be fine. If you really that worried you can take my cap. Or think I got another hoodie in the trunk.”

Blinking, I was unable to say much else before Em was hopping out and rounding the car to pull apart the contents of his boot. He muttered away, mostly to himself, before he returned a couple of moments later, standing by the driver’s door with an oversized hoodie in his hand. He held it out towards me and I found myself taking it with a gentle smile in thanks. 

It didn’t take long for me to tug the jumper on over my head, the hood messing up my hair and catching on the seat belt before I had the commonsense to just unbuckle the stupid thing. Marshall watched the struggle with a mirthful smirk, the silver watch on his wrist glinting in the sunlight from where it rested against the edge of the door, until he eventually moved to close it, cropping up outside of the passenger’s side a second later. He tugged on the handle and I blinked over at him when a gust of wind washed over me.

I guessed I must have looked a tad bit pathetic as I turned in my seat to face him, legs moving to dangle out the side of the car, or at least it felt that way, what with how Marshall’s expression had since settled into something almost akin to fondness. 

My nose wrinkled just as he let go of a soft laugh. It was a sound I found myself feeling a hint of pride about whenever I heard it, even if it meant that I was the victim of the current joke.

“Here, let me.” He spoke, already reaching out to fix my hood and to brush a tangled strand of hair behind my ear. If he heard the way my breath hitched at the sudden motion he didn’t mention it, but I witnessed how his keen eyes flickered back and forth between my own. “There. Screams incognito.”

Snorting at the heavy use of sarcasm, I smiled up at him, only to notice then how he’d crowded himself between my legs to help aid me. My stomach swooped at the realisation and I swallowed thickly, but before I could question the feeling, Marshall was stepping away again, sporting a wry grin of his own.

“Need my hat, Kim Possible? Or you good?”

Rolling my eyes, I shuffled further forward in my seat to jump out of the SUV, feet hitting the gravel with an audible scuff. “She doesn’t wear a hat and even if she did, I doubt it’d be Kangol.” I retorted, slipping by him to reach out and shut the door. 

“Aye, what’s wrong with my cap?” Marshall prodded as the headlights flashed behind us to signal the car locking. I noticed how his brow had wrinkled at the slight when I looked over at him and so I nudged my shoulder with his as we walked across the lot. 

“Nothing.” I claimed with a growing smile, reaching up to knock the brim of his hat just as we made it to the entrance. “Suits you.”

Marshall hummed a sound that was vaguely disbelieving, eyes lingering on me before he turned to pick up a basket. “Know what you need?”

“Sort of.” I replied distractedly, trying to take everything in. “This place is like every Hallmark movie I’ve ever seen come to life.”

“The fuck?”

Rolling my eyes, I just continued on, walking past Marshall, who’d since paused to shoot a bewildered glance my way, and towards a horde of fruit and veg stalls. “It’s just so fuckin’ American. Back home the closest place you’d get to this is a Big Tesco’s and even that’s like a standard food shop. This. It’s something straight out of one of them films.”

“It’s Trader Joe’s.” Marshall deadpanned, blinking back at me now with an expression that just had me cracking up.

“Stop making me feel dumb.” I rebuked lightly, head darting every which way as he slid on over to catch up to me before he then barrelled straight past. I let him lead, figuring he’d be better off knowing where everything could possibly be more than I ever would. “It’s just a big change, ‘s all.”

His cheek twitched with the beginnings of a smirk. “Everything's a big change with you.”

I poked his side in retaliation, pleased when he bristled but didn’t comment further on it. “Where do you reckon cake mix would be then?” I wondered out loud, peering around the aisle we were headed down. Honestly, cereals galore. Captain Crunch, Coco Pops, Cinnamon Toast Crunch… And those were just the C’s. Hang on a second, Eggo’s?

“Cake mix?” Em questioned me, flicking a raised brow my way and tugging me from my observations, “Bitch, I thought you was bakin’.”

Snorting, I couldn’t do much other than shrug. “It is baking!” I attempted to defend, but he was having none of it, shaking his head mockingly back at me. “Just the easier version?” I attempted to argue sheepishly.

I was rewarded with a soft tut, but Marshall did in fact then tilt his head over towards the right to signal where he figured the box mixes might be, “Cheat.”

Giving into the childish urge, I poked my tongue out at him and dipped around the next corner, smiling at the way his low humoured huff followed after me. It was only when I saw an all too extensive stock of baking goods parked up ahead that I quickened my pace, leaving him to trail behind.

“What do you reckon then, red velvet or vanilla? You sort of seem like a vanilla guy.” I commented when he finally caught up, gaze flitting between the two cake mixes I’d since picked up off the shelf before my eyes then darted over to meet his teasingly as he approached.

He kissed his teeth and batted the box of vanilla I held away from his view, rolling his eyes even though we both could see that he was trying to withhold another grin. I allowed the motion. “You don’t know me at all.” Marshall scoffed, getting in my space once more today to make a grab for a box sitting on the shelf just above my head. “All about the chocolate, sweetheart.”

Biting my tongue, I worked hard to keep my face from giving way to how the proximity seemed to make my skin prickle. His eyes found mine though as he held the winning mix up between the two of us. I swiped it from his hold, scanning over the necessary ingredients to keep myself from focusing too much on– whatever it was I was feeling. “Hm, only need to add eggs and milk. Could deck this out though.”

“Whatchu thinkin’?” Em asked me in that way he usually did, like he was genuinely invested in everything I had to say. He’d propped his forearm up on the shelf as he waited for me to weigh in and my stare tracked its way up from the back of the box to roam over the steady way he was now watching me. I reached up to tuck another fallen strand of hair behind my ear, the hood making the typically effortless action that much harder. 

“A shit ton of chocolate?” I proposed with a raised brow. 

“That mean you gone put my kid to sleep then?” He said, then snickered at my sudden change in expression, the corner of his lip tugging upwards. “Z will be bouncin’ off the walls.”

“It’ll be portioned!” I rebuted in the face of his amusement, quick to fall back on all my so-called years of parenting, “She’ll be fine!”

Marshall snorted in retort but appeared to relent, pinching the cake mix from my hand and throwing it into the basket haphazardly, “I’ll be sure to bring this moment back up when I’m right.” He added before he took off, probably in search of the confectionary aisle. 

But see, since knowing the man, I’d long since come to realise that he had a big enough sweet tooth that could rival that of my own, meaning that all this posturing back and forth about decking out the cake was just a facade of sorts, him attempting to put my neck on the line for when the fallout eventually happened. I couldn't bring myself to mind though, not when he was wearing that stupid smug smile and not even when he ended up tossing a majority of the chocolate we’d collected into the basket. 

I ended up grinning all the way back to the car.

“See! It was well worth it now, don’t you reckon?” I said with a sardonic smile, covered in cake mix, egg and frosting, my dirtied hands settled on my hips as I stared down at the hazardous cake we’d gone and created.

My head tilted just so, allowing myself to look at it from a normal perspective seeing as it had somehow managed to slant far left whilst it’d been baking in the oven. But I blamed Em for that one, the idiot having set the temperature up way too high.

“What, so we can cover up the monstrosity?” Marshall shot back at me from where he was stood by the kitchen sink, washing his hands free of all the frosting he’d been licking from the bowl moments before I’d stolen it out from under him. “Yeah, but you know what they say, a pig in lipstick is still a pig.”

Haughtily, I spun around on my heel just enough for my hip to press against the counter and for my eyes to hone in on him. I smirked, “Saying’s actually, a hog in armour is still but a hog.”

“Same fuckin’ thing.” Marshall admonished in a grunt, flicking his sopping wet hands out at me when he pulled away from the sink in search of something to dry them with. I tensed at the attack, feeling the splatter hit me before I peered down to spot a couple soup duds clinging to my arm and the collar of my top. He just chuckled, greatly amused.

“Dick.” I huffed and picked up an M&M from the bowl I’d just poured the bag into to toss back at him in retaliation.

Irritatingly, Marshall managed to snap the treat up out of the air with ease, pushing the blue ball forward on his tongue to flash it tauntingly between his teeth before he finally chewed on it. The crunch resonated in the quiet hum of the house. “You were sayin’?”

I narrowed my eyes, “Show off.” 

But all that did was earn me another light laugh, Em sliding on closer to pinch a few more from the same bowl. “I’m just that good.” He retorted egotistically, before he turned to level me with the last M&M he held, titling his chin ever so slightly to goad me into trying to catch one myself.

Relenting to the fight all too easily, I braced myself in a steady stance and waited. When he tossed it, I managed to extend my neck near enough that I was close to capturing the colourful sweet, but just not close enough, my nose scrunched in annoyance when it bounced off the side of my cheek and onto the counter with a clatter. “Fuck.” I sighed, but not one to be outdone I looked towards him again, “Again.”

He raised a single brow at the demand but followed, picking up another handful and smiling as he prepared to pelt them my way one by one. It was something we continued on with for a short while, tossing the things back and forth between us as we tallied up a score, he was winning of course, but surprisingly I wasn’t too far behind, which actually eased the loss a fair bit. 

We were actually at it long enough that we’d begun to squabble, calling one another a cheat, aiming for anything other than our mouths, even going as far as to switch up tactics by propping ourselves up on counters and barstools to annoy the other, before then crouching down as low as we could on Marshall’s tiled floors. It was there that we were eventually found.

Marshall spotted her first, arm already propped up before him and preparing to aim when his eyes shifted over to the left and caught sight of something standing in the kitchen doorway. His grin wobbled in further amusement, most likely due to the face I’d gone and pulled when I followed his line of sight, still stuck in my current position; squatting by the backdoor. 

We were trying for a record, okay?

“Hey creep, what’s with the face?” Marshall greeted, his laughter carrying throughout the room when he finally tossed the chocolate treat my way only for it to actually make it into my mouth this time around, hitting the roof and sending my startled frown into a gasping smile. 

Rosie was stood there, just off to the side by the counter now, seemingly content to simply watch us with a soft, goading smile on her face, her school bag settled by her feet. She shrugged, glancing over at her dad whilst I bounced on back to where I’d left Em to guard our semi-completed cake. “Nice to come home to noise, is all.”

The tip of Marshall’s nose did something odd then, a reaction to the words that went unnoticed by the girl, but he continued on smiling, dropping the few remaining M&M’s he held back into the packet we’d opened once the bowl had run dry. 

“Didn’t hear you come in.” He mentioned as he rounded the counter to pull his daughter into a hug, steering her away from the onslaught of chocolate that littered the side when Rosie attempted to make a grab for the nearest share-pack of Hershey’s Kisses. “Nuh-uh. Dinner first, kid, then we can talk about you gettin’ a slice of our masterpiece.”

“Masterpiece?” Rosie’s eyes widened as she gifted the two of us a disbelieving snort, gaze jumping back between her dad and me, I narrowed my eyes playfully in retort whilst Marshall settled for poking her dimpled cheek. “It looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.”

“Hey!” I chided, just as Marshall responded with, “What we were aimin’ for.”

The pair of us shared a mirthful look before we both started cracking up, Rosie merely shook her head at our antics but it was with the distraction that she finally managed to grab a wrapped Kiss. My eyes widened at the flash of silver I caught sight of just as she darted around the island to escape Em’s outstretched arms when he caught on too, crowding into my side when he shot her a long look, obviously hoping to put her off eating the treat. But it was already unwrapped and on her tongue before I could even blink back down at her. 

I snorted, forever amused by the duo’s antics, and ran a hand over the girl’s plaited scalp. “Snooze you lose, Mathers.” I said encouragingly with a lazy shrug.

Z grinned at the show of support and sent a smug look back at her father, baring her chocolate covered teeth to him. Marshall leant forward so that his palms could press against the countertop and levelled the two of us with another long look, only this one was out of exasperation.

Rosie and I shared a glance of anticipation before we both turned back to face him with a matching set of innocent smiles, Rosie doing a much better job than me seeing as she could work that whole doe eyed perspective. Em heaved a hefty sigh. “Dinner, then cake. Cool?”

The girl beamed and was quick to nod her assent, squeezing my waist in what must have been a delayed embrace of hello, or maybe thanks, before she took a moment to assess our handy work. The cake was sparsely decorated, topped with a plethora of icing, at Marshall’s demand, and scattered with pieces of chocolate that we’d managed to stick on during our M&M disaster. I grimaced a tad whilst Em just looked on in pride.

“This is what you did whilst I was at school?” Z asked, dipping down to get a closer look at the disaster we dubbed a cake. Her expression truly was hilarious when she slowly stood again to dart a quizzical look between us.

“What d’you mean ‘this’?” Marshall answered her, raising a brow high enough to rival his daughter's own. “This is where hard work gets you.”

“Yeah,” I laughed, only adding fuel to the fire with my next comment, “Besides, we made it just for you. Don’t you like it?” I asked teasingly, batting my eyes over at her in hopes to see her crumble just a tad. 

Rosie looked back at the sad excuse of a cake and didn’t falter, “Cake is cake. But next time you guys should probably wait for me.”

“Oh, ‘cause you’re such a chef.” Marshall smirked, having moved to join us on the other side of the island to allow his eyes to roam over the tilting structure, he shucked Z’s chin in addition which only earnt him a prod to his bicep.

“A baker, actually.” Rosie corrected with a smile, ever so pleased with herself.

“Oo,” Em dragged out, taking a stripe of frosting off the cake’s side just so that he could wipe it across the tip of the kid’s nose. “She’s a smartass, too.”

Rosie’s eyes widened in alarm to the smear and her jaw dropped as she gasped, not having anticipated the move. “Dollar!” She exclaimed in turn, wiping the chocolate off her nose before smearing it down her dad’s front.

With a roll of his eyes, Marshall huffed but it was more of a chuckle than an actual sigh as he looked back up from his ruined tee. “Touche.” They shared a laugh as Em went to grab a kitchen towel to wipe his hands clean with, “Go ‘n grab my wallet.” He told her and I watched on as Z did exactly that, swiping a green bill from its contents so that she could go and stuff it in the jar.

I shook my head ever so at the dynamic they made, continuing to smile as Marshall dropped the tissue he’d just been using into the bin before he made a grab for his daughter, causing her to jump and laugh as they tumbled about the kitchen together. I was perfectly content to watch on, slowly packing away the ingredients we had yet to use whilst wiping down the sides, the pair of them eased up after a minute or two, making their way back to the island, Marshall still defending our chocolate monstrosity.

“It’ll taste good, so who cares what it looks like?”

“Most people, Dad.” Rosie countered with a sly smile as she settled onto a barstool, handing over a frosting covered spoon that had apparently strayed during our decorating. I smiled softly in thanks, grabbing the other utensils that littered the space and crossing the floor to wash up.

“I got that.” Marshall assured me, hip checking my side before I could even reach for the dish soap. 

My forehead wrinkled, “I don’t mind.”

He smiled in return, already moving to further roll up his sleeves, “I know, but I got it.”

I let it go, knowing when to pick and choose my fights with him now, and instead wandered back to see if I could make the cake work, picking up a couple of Whoppers that were supposedly meant to be the equivalent of a Maltesers, but I just couldn’t taste it. 

“Can I help?” Rosie asked after a moment, capturing my attention when she sidled up to join me.

“‘Course,” I replied easily, already handing over the bag, “I think if we just cover it with as much chocolate as we can it’ll look…”

“Better than it does?” Z finished for me, her giggles spilling from her lips seamlessly whilst she began to dot Whoppers around the rim of the highest tier.

“Hey, it’s not that bad.” I tried, nudging her elbow with mine, but ended up chuckling too. “It was your dad’s fault anyway, all my previous cakes have turned out perfect.”

“I can still hear you.” Marshall’s voice cut in from behind us, garnering our focus for a split second before I waved him off.

“Yeah, yeah. Just letting Z here know I’m not to blame.” I told him, scattering the remaining M&M’s we had to spare over the top, managing to cover up some of the frosting we’d gone and butchered with a colourful swirl. Rosie snickered, having since switched up with her choice of chocolate so that she could place a few Kisses to the lower layers.

“I was just followin’ your instructions.” Em argued with me, the huff that followed was evident.

“Not well!”

A giggle had me smiling down at Rosie, who was happy enough to let her gaze drift between the two of us. “I bet it still tastes good.” She interrupted, trying to soothe her father’s bruised ego probably. But it was sweet enough to have me agreeing.

“Yeah, I mean who doesn't like chocolate?”

–

Dinner was apparently a Mathers Household classic. Spagbol. Or well just spaghetti to these lot. Something I hadn’t been able to let slide what with me being a fan. Though Marshall seemed amused rather than put off by my attempts at rapping the opening to Lose Yourself whilst he’d cooked, something which earnt me points with Rosie seeing as she could spit it far better than the composer himself.

It was sort of strange to be a witness to him doing such a mundane task like cooking though, but I enjoyed it all the same, watching him talk with Rosie about school as he drained the pasta and added a couple of herbs to the ground mince. An odd sense of privilege came with the slight peak into his daily life, figuring that most would have just expected him to have a live-in chef or a plethora of meals waiting to be reheated in his fridge. But no, Marshall appeared to actually enjoy the activity, enjoy the hush of music that played overhead whilst the steam from a boiling pot simmered under his steady hand, enjoy how slowly the process came together so that he could boss Rosie and I into setting the table when the food was almost ready. 

Rosie had led me into the dining room they used, a room more intimate than the larger one the man had shown me during his grand tour, obviously used for when he had more than just one person over. As I set down a couple placemats, I guessed it was a room that only he and Rosie typically got use out of, the table circular and just large enough so that you had your own space but could easily be roped into another’s. It reminded me of the one we’d had as a kid, wooden, small and quaint, but that had been before one of mum’s boyfriends had fallen through it.

“You okay?” Rosie’s questioning broke me from my thoughts and I looked up to find her settling a fork down onto the mat opposite.

I blinked and then smiled, feeling how easy the gesture came to me. “Just lost in thought.”

She smiled too, hers crinkling the corners of her eyes as she finished setting up by dropping the last spoon down. “It’s nice having you here, you know. Sometimes it’s quiet just me and Dad, even when Ayla comes over.” She remarked, mentioning her older sister with the kind of sincerity that you only really held for your siblings, “You make him laugh, too. Like a lot.”

Blowing out a soft breath that sounded more like a chuckle, I reached out to fix a placemat that was a tad bit crooked, finding it simpler to focus on the small task rather than what the meaning behind Rosie’s words might possibly mean. “He makes me laugh too.” I replied and shot her a slight grin, it was then that Marshall emerged carrying two plates.

“And voila.” The man said as he set the dishes down, butchering the French word enough to have me hiding an indulgent smile.

“Smells good.” I commented, watching as a plethora of steam erupted up off the mountain shaped plate of spaghetti. 

Em flashed me a bright grin, an actual one with teeth that had my mind short circuiting for a split second before he was speaking again, “Lemme grab the last one. You want some drinks?”

Rosie, who had already settled into the seat she’d been standing behind, nodded eagerly in answer, “Soda?” When she received a single brow in retort, she giggled and relented, “Juice, please.”

Smiling at the exchange, I was only caught a little off guard when I looked back at Marshall to find him waiting on my own reply, I silently scrambled for an answer, “Um, just water, please.” I said and he gave a dip of his chin to show he’d heard before he turned to head back to the kitchen. “Want help?” I called out, just managing to catch him before he slipped past the hall.

He looked ready to wave the offer off, before he thought about it. Three drinks and a single plate was easy work for a girl who’d worked a majority of her teens in pub restaurants and the like, but Marshall seemed to realise the slight struggle he might face. “Sure.”

As easy as that. Or so it only appeared, because from the expression that clouded Rosie’s face when I glanced back over to shoot her a quick smile, the exchange seemed to have perplexed her ever so. 

Em had already continued on his route to the kitchen when I looked back to him, hoping to catch something in his answer to the face she’d pulled, but it seemed he hadn't been witness to it at all. “You okay?” I found myself asking, mimicking Z’s earlier question.

She looked a little startled when her eyes flew up to find mine, before she blinked and blew out a gentle laugh. “Didn’t think he’d go down without a fight.”

And oh. I had to chuckle a little at that too, having seen the way he’d been so prepared to deny the help just before he’d nodded. It made me wonder how much she’d bared witness to throughout the years. Em was strong, yes, but he also had a stubborn streak a mile long. 

“What can I say, Z?” I sighed dramatically as I headed towards the door, “I just have a way with people.”

Her cheeky grin was the last thing I saw before I was padding around the corner and then into the kitchen, finding Em stood by the counter with a bowl of grated cheese and the drinks we’d asked for already waiting to be picked up again. 

I snorted softly at the picture he painted, a handful of the shredded cheese halfway to his mouth and face only a tad bit surprised. He flipped me off as I came around to take hold of the drinks, only furthering my amusement. 

“I mean, what an appetiser.” I teased, the words followed by a bout of giggles when he flicked the remnants at me. Thankfully though, most of the cheese only made it about halfway over the countertop, causing my grin to widen that much more.

Marshall went to pick up another load and so I squeaked, grabbing the drinks and darting back out of the room before he could toss it at me.

I was chuckling away to myself by the time I made it back to the table, Rosie having already started in on her dinner, the dead giveaway being the slight red smear of sauce that stained her lower lip even as she pretended that she’d just been waiting patiently for us to return. 

I wiped the corner of my own mouth after settling down her juice in an attempt to warn her and watched as her eyes widened before she cleared the smear away with the back of her hand, the action seemingly saving her from another one of Em’s disapproving looks because not a second Marshall reappeared.

Taking to my seat in an attempt to hide my slight smile, I thanked him for the food, to which the man merely rolled his eyes, ignoring the gratitude altogether. I bit down on my smirk and instead opted for shaking my head as I picked up my fork.

The food was honest to God some of the best I’d had in a long while, whether it was down to it having been ages since someone had cooked a proper homemade meal for me or just him having mastered the art of the dish, I didn’t know. But I made sure to tell him.

Never in all my life would I have expected to have been a witness, let alone the cause of the light flush that coloured the tips of his ears. But it was impossibly endearing, so much so that I refrained from playfully mocking him for it. Rosie though, had no such qualms. “You look a little red, Dad. You gettin’ sick?”

If Marshall could have he would have scowled at the ask, but this was his baby and so I knew that the smile he gifted her as he turned was levelled with a strained edge. “Fine.”

I snorted quietly, but from the way the flush dropped to the back of Em’s neck it seemed he’d heard it all the same. 

Cake followed dinner, as promised. And to my surprise it hadn’t tasted half bad. The chocolate frosting wasn’t all it was cut out to be, not much of a shock seeing as I was alright with it in small doses but even my cupcakes lost their tops nine times out of ten, so Em was gifted the majority of it, something he seemed both pleased and a little guilty about, probably down to the excess amount of sugar. Still he worked his way through it, the three of us talking about Rosie’s day and then our own, leaving out the more exciting details as to not make her feel left out, before we all started packing away.

“Told you so.” Em commented when we’d loaded the dishwasher and wiped the sides free of cheese, his gaze was trained on his daughter, who appeared to be talking a mile a minute about the movie her and her friends had watched at their last sleepover whilst bouncing from foot to foot.

Ah, the inevitable sugar rush. I turned my face away to hide my growing smile before I lifted a shoulder in a small shrug. “It’ll die down soon enough, might even make it easier for her to fall asleep.” I murmured, passing him a tea towel that he used to dry his hands.

With a grunt that was more an amused hum, Marshall paused by the counter and waited for Rosie to take a breath before he cut in, “You got homework?”

The girl seemed to think about it, eyes flitting to the ceiling as though she could see the inside of her brain and was set about working her way through a catalogue there, before dropping her gaze back to him and shaking her head. “No, but I did promise Sara I’d call her tonight.” At her father’s expecting look, she tacked on, “If you said it was okay, obviously.”

“Obviously.” Marshall blew out a soft chuckle, lips quirking ever so before he waved the kid off, tossing the tea towel over his shoulder. “Go on, just not too late, yeah?”

“Promise!” She grinned, darting around the kitchen to knock into his side, arms encasing his torso in a brief hug before she jumped to do the same to me. I barely had time to wrap my arms back around her before she was darting away again, this time headed for the stairs after stealing yet another Hershey’s Kiss from the last of the cake we’d yet to hide away. 

“Z!” Was the only scold she heard before she was gone from sight, leaving only a trail of laughter behind her. 

I snorted too, shaking my head mirthfully whilst I worked my way around the kitchen counter to place a cover over the cake slices and putting them up out of reach.

“Kid’s gonna be the death of me.” Marshall added in a low sigh, still staring off after his daughter before he cracked a soft smile, eyes then flitting over to meet mine. “Best pray the sugar wears off quick.”

I widened my eyes in jest to his warning, but paid it no real mind, knowing he was only being stupid. “Dinner really was good, you know.” I mentioned it again, mainly just to see if I could provoke the same flush from earlier, but also so he knew I meant it. “Where’d you learn to cook like that?”

To my pleasure the tiniest hue could be made out from across the island, but Marshall hid it all too easily with a calculated tilt of his head. He shrugged softly when he answered me, “Know how it is, sort of had to provide for myself for a long while. Mom wasn’t always around when I was a kid, Nate grew up and relied on me most nights, then when I was out in LA tryna make it big, was skimming money off the top of the odd jobs I worked jus’ so I could eat and send some back home.” He levelled me with another look then, palms coming to rest on the countertop, “Sort of enjoyed it, I guess. After a while, just helped me escape.”

I nodded slowly in understanding. Before I could say anything though, the silence the kitchen had gotten swept up in was quickly broken by the sound of my phone.

Jumping at the ring, I blinked out of the dazed staring match I hadn't even realised I’d been a part of with Em before looking around to try and spot the last place I’d left it. Marshall picked it up and handed it over with a sly smirk, having caught on to my short term memory. 

“Thanks.” I breathed out in appreciation and then looked down to see who it was that was calling, my grin grew. “It’s Danny.” I let slip to Marshall before hurrying to pick up the call, “Hey stranger!” I greeted the second the line connected, surprised to note that the signal wasn’t as shitty as it usually was.

“Oh, it’s you.” Came my brother’s short reply as though he hadn’t expected exactly that, his face cropping into view from where he perched on a lower bunk, all tanned from the Cyprus sun. 

I let my eyes fall into a narrowed glare, “Know you’ve always been short of two brain cells, but who did you really expect to fuckin’ see when callin’ me?”

Danny’s smirk came into full focus before he was grinning away, stare jumping away from the camera for a brief moment before it darted back. “Love you, too.” He chided halfheartedly and with a slight tut, leaning forward to rest his forearms against his knees whilst I moved to settle my phone down onto the kitchen counter, “Just figured I’d give you a bell whilst I had some time, that so hard to believe?”

Even when rolling my eyes, I couldn't dampen my smile. “Yeah, it is.” I chuckled, taking in the background and anything else I could, “You at camp?”

He hummed around a nod, looking off to the side probably to get a feel for what I was seeing. “Told you, din’t I? At a base here for a couple weeks, doin’ some more trainin’ for the deployment followin’ my leave.”

“Well, you mentioned the first half.” I acknowledged, but wasn’t surprised. Danny always tended to stick to the most basic of explanations, such as the time he’d gone away with his mates to a festival for a weekend and said he was on his way back– failed to mention that it was a days fucking trip though.

The twat just waved me off, “Exactly. Anyway, what you up to, where you at?” He came in a little closer then to the screen as though he was attempting to look behind my head. “Not still in New York are ya? Thought you’d want shot of ‘em by now, all them Americans.”

Snorting and casting a chance glance up, I found Marshall by the sink, rinsing the few glasses we’d used earlier, he shot an unimpressed brow my way. “Not in New York, no. But still in The States, with said Americans.” I answered him, shaking my head at the way his lips pursed in a low hum, “So be careful, there are big ears listening in.” I also remarked, thinking back to Drew’s nickname for Em.

“Aye.” The man mentioned then warned, having since finished by the sink so that he could now point a warning finger my way, I rolled my eyes but my smirk was far too playful. 

Danny’s voice dragged back my attention to how he had since crowded in closer in an stupid attempt to see through the screen and into the kitchen. “Oi, who’s that? Don’t tell me I was spot on with the mystery man, El! Shit!”

The reminder of Dan’s earlier words the night before I’d met Em had me flushing slightly and immediately my traitorous gaze shifted over towards the man himself, who seemed far too amused as he slid on closer. “Fuck off, Danny.”

The twat only laughed though, all too happy with my reaction it seemed. “Ah, come on! Lemme meet him, just wanna say ‘ello!”

I pressed my lips together to keep the biting words which lined my tongue from springing forth, could always trust your own flesh and blood to turn on you at the drop of a hat. The traitor. “Fuck off.” I repeated, but my words lacked any real heat when Marshall rocked into the side of me to catch a quick peek of Danny’s glinting eyes.

My brother paused as he took in the sudden newcomer and his face was a right picture when he started to stumble over his next sentence, “Ah– right, hang on. Fuckin’ what?”

Unable to help myself, I laughed freely, feeling a little euphoric now that I was no longer on the end of all his ribbing. Em seemed to get a kick out of it too, even now that he was no longer in view he was still close by, smirking at both Danny and I’s reactions.

“Elia!” Danny called hotly, eyes wide as they flickered all over my face as if he hoped to find some sort of answer there, “Tell me that wasn’t who I thought it was.”

Snorting, I gifted him a smug smile, “Can’t do that, sorry.”

“Lia.” Danny practically hissed, before pulling out the face he knew I hated, one which he’d mastered decades ago and had since taught Lottie, seeing as it was the kind that always had me feeling guilty or had the two of them forcing my hand. “Come on, you know you can tell me anythin’.”

I flipped him off, scoffing at the attempt to butter me up but even so, I still felt my walls crumble. “Ugh, you’re such a prick, Danny.” I blew out, eyes straying away from the screen and over to where Marshall still stood, looking back at me, “Do you mind?”

With a smile that I couldn't quite place the emotion behind, Em rolled his eyes at the ask and slid back into view, close enough now that his entire side pressed against mine. I chewed on my lower lip as I watched my brother observe Marshall whilst slowly losing his mind.

“Jesus Christ, man. Shit.” Were the first few words he spouted, a hand coming up to rake across his face whilst Em shook a tad with a light chortle, “I mean, fuck.” Danny continued once his arm had fallen away, attempting to take in the scene again before his stare dragged back to me, “I know you’re in with these lot, El. But shit– Eminem? How the fuck does that even happen?”

I had to laugh at that, knowing full well how he was feeling.

“I mean, come on! Mate! It’s an honour, I swear.” Danny started to fangirl, jaw still agape and eyes almost starstruck.

“Good to meet you, man.” Marshall said in his usual voice, not the one reversed for the public, for interviews and the like, but the one he used with Rosie, with Soup and Drew, with me. I was immensely thankful for it. “Heard a lot about you.”

Danny seemed to remember himself at that, sitting back a bit in his bunk, dog tags rattling with the motion, as he dragged out a long breath. “Only good things I hope.” He chuckled in that charming way of his, the type that used to get him free sweets down at the local shops and have the old ladies outside the cafe swooning.

“Nah, I let him in on that laundrette heist you committed when you were fifteen and told him ‘bout the times you wet the bed.” I interrupted, smirking when Dan’s eyes cut to me.

“You know that weren’t me, it was Danny Evans.” Danny sniped back far too quickly, “How many times do I gotta tell you?”

I chuckled around a small a-huh, “Sure, Dan. How’d you barrel into the pub the same night and piss away a load of ten pences on the fruit machines then?”

He sniffed, feigning ignorance as he glanced away, “No idea what you’re on about.”

Shaking my head, I found Em watching me with a smile of his own. 

“So you ain’t gone deny pissin’ the bed then?” Marshall wondered out loud, chin coming to rest on the fist of his hand.

Startled, Danny’s head shot back round to the camera, he raised a finger at Marshall, “It’s slander, is what it is.” He told the man, “Always been jealous of me, she has. Me bein’ the fitter one of course.” 

“Ha. Hilarious.” I deadpanned, but allowed a small smile to creep through when Em’s knee knocked into mine. “What you been up to anyway, arsehole?”

“Fuck me and all my shit, question still stands, Li.” Danny was hasty to retreat back to his previous ask, “How’d you two meet?” 

Thankfully Em was the one to answer him. “I reached out.” He told him, gaze straying over towards me as he carried on, “Listened to her stuff for a while before I saw that video your sister posted online, figured it was a shot in the dark.”

“One which worked out,” I teased, before I shook my head over towards Danny, who appeared to be watching the pair of us with a dopey grin, “Acting as though I didn’t shit myself the second I found out it was him.”

Marshall snorted beside me, probably remembering the conversation, the way I’d stressed over sudocrem spots and my sound system, whilst he'd been perfectly content.

“Nah, I can imagine.” Danny laughed in ridicule, knowing how much of a fan I’d been growing up, “Failed to fuckin’ mention it though, din’t you?”

The way he’d levelled me with a look, which spoke more words than said, had me shifting somewhat sheepishly. “It was new!” I exclaimed, “Didn’t know how it would all work out. No one but Mila knows where I am, well Lotts too– sort of, I know she’d kill me if she knew knew.”

Smiling at that, Danny’s chuckles dimmed into a low titter before his eyes wandered back on over to Marshall, “Take good care of her for me, yeah? She acts tough but she’s soft as.”

I scoffed lightly, already prepping to roll my eyes when Marshall’s reply caught me a tad off guard. “I’ve realised.” He said gently, giving me a quirked smile when he caught me watching, “But no, she’s in good hands here. Me and my daughter are enjoying havin’ her here.”

My heart warmed at his words, the smile which overwhelmed my face too sappy even for my own liking. I made a vague sniff, pressing further into the man’s side as I hung my head to hide my reaction. Em didn’t falter, in fact he pressed closer too.

“Good to hear it.” Danny’s voice came through before there was a rather loud crash on the other side of the call, one which had Danny’s head shooting up, his eyes widening a fraction before a rowdy figure flew into him, knocking my brother sideways. 

I shared a startled look with Em, completely confused, but noted the way Marshall backed away ever so at the new figure who’d come and intervened. A few more blokes fanned in and around the background, though those seemed to be preoccupied, not even paying Danny and his fellow soldier anymind, as though it was all normal.

“Er?” I heard myself say and it was after Danny had managed to shove the man off him with a breathless laugh, attempting to right himself once more, that I caught sight of the slight amusement which shone in Marshall’s eyes. 

“Fuckin’ lump, I told you to stop doin’ that.” My brother exclaimed, and where I’d expected him to sound a bit miffed by the sudden attack, I was surprised to hear real affection there.

“But, my darlin’, I missed ya!” Came a bright Irish lilt just as a plethora of fawn coloured curls spilled over the bunk’s bedsheets before following his body back up into a standard sitting position. His grin was overwhelmingly white and almost large enough to hide his green eyes from view.

There was a bit more roughhousing as Danny shoved his army mate away when the kid started making kissy faces at him. “Piss off, you twat. I’m on the phone.”

It was that which had the other lad pausing in his messing, his head rolling over to the left where he found Dan’s phone, as well as me, I supposed. I waved, still a little surprised by the whole ordeal. “Hiya?”

“Fuck me.” The Irish man murmured lowly, eyes wide enough for me to see just how light his green eyes actually were, before he shuffled forward to flash a charming grin my way, “Aye, you’re lovely, have we met before? You look awfully familiar, mhuirnín.”

I had zero idea how to answer that, though I wasn't confused enough not to recognise the sweet name he’d used for me there. “Uh.”

“Leave it out, Lynch.” Danny huffed, swatting the other soldier who was still geared up in his tactical vest. “That’s my sister, you dickhead.”

“Wha?” Was the reply Danny received, before his mate turned back to the camera with another endearing grin, “I’m Tadhg, darlin’.” He introduced, name sounding more like Taig. “But I swear I weren’t lyin’ when I reckoned ye looked familiar. We din’t mess ‘round behind a Spoons on me last leave, did we?”

His brash words and assumption startled a loud laugh out of me, one which had Em’s brow furrowing slightly and Danny’s face falling into a scowl. “No we did not, you little shit.” I said, my head shaking at the cheek of it even as he continued grinning cheekily.

“Lynch, I’m warnin’ you.” Came my brother’s low mutter as he yanked his mate back away from the camera, Tadhg didn’t seem to mind the manhandling much.

“I’m just introducin’ meself, Danny boy!” 

“Well don’t, she’s taken.” Danny retorted, confusing me a tad, yet I didn’t deny it, rolling my eyes at my brother's obvious displeasure. 

My stare wandered over to Em, who was fiddling with his thumbs, he looked up at me as though sensing my gaze, I smiled. The gesture grew when it was returned. 

“El. El– aye, Lia!” Dan’s voice rang through, I snapped my attention back towards him but it was almost as though he hadn't expected his shout to draw in one of the lot behind him–

“Oh shit, is that Elia?”

It was sheer impulse, the way my head turned towards Marshall at the unexpectedness of hearing my name. Em seemed to sense my sudden dismay because he was plastered back to my side in a second, arm coming to wrap around my waist. The touch settled the anxious response that had been drilled into me and I was a tad bit thankful for the fact that he was only portionally in the frame when I looked back to my brother.

A third guy seemed to have joined our Facetime call, his eyes as dark as his braided hair and caught on me from where he’d come to kneel on the bunk behind both Danny and Tadhg. “Shit, it is!” His voice was layered in a thick Mancunian accent, one which reminded me of a friend I had back home, “How’d you know Elia, pal?”

“Elia?” Tadhg wondered, eyes flitting across my face before a sheen of recognition settled in there, “Fuck, I just asked Elia if we shagged behind a Spoons.”

“You did what?” The Manc spluttered slightly, his eyes alarmed.

I bit my tongue to keep from chuckling at that, but Em had no such qualms, apparently having picked up on a bit of slang whilst he’d been in the UK, that or just having been ‘round me far too long. 

“Idiots.” Danny sighed, giving Tadhg one last final shove before he let his shoulders drop and glanced over at me, “Sorry, El. I wouldn’t have called if I’dve known this lot would come bargin’ in.” 

“You’re alright.” I told Danny genuinely, I’d take any sort of interruption if it meant I got to talk to him for a little while. “It’s nice to meet your mates though, you lads doin’ alright over there?”

“All good, Els.” Danny assured me, but it was short lived because Tadhg was turning to grace the third soldier with a perplexed look. 

“How’d you know who she was anyway, Sully?”

Sully, the dark eyed lad with the Manc accent, shrugged as he looked back down at his friend, “Mate, she’s been like my crush for years. Had a poster of her on me wall when I were back home.”

My eyebrows raised at the admission (I mean how old was this kid? Fresh out of school?) and it was then that Marshall chose that exact moment to clear his throat. I shot him a knowing look, one which he returned with a rueful smile.

The three lads turned to us at that exact moment, Tadhg laughing at the sudden sheepishness Sully’s smile took on, whilst Danny just heaved another prolonged sigh. 

“Fuck, that’s well awkward.” Sully noted, only furthering said awkwardness. 

Marshall looked over to me, that smile still as present as ever, “Didn’t know you had posters.”

“Me neither.” I snorted quietly in return, leaning into him until our moment was cut short.

“What the fuck, Danny!”

Both Marshall and I’s head spun around to see what had happened, only to realise that it had been us. We were what had happened.

“What the fuck, man?” Tadhg said after a long moment had passed. Too long.

I cringed a tad, expecting to have Marshall move away now that he’d been spotted too, having leaned too far into the camera’s view when his head had ducked down to join mine. But he didn’t, move that is. Didn’t shy away at all. In fact, he nodded to the duo in a small hello. “Sup.”

Tadhg and Sully’s eyes were boring into us now, utterly stunned, which would have been funny if it wasn’t for the shock of it all. Danny sat off to one side with his face buried in his hands before he slowly lifted his head, showing off an all too apologetic smile.

I waved him away before he could open his massive gob to say something as stupid as sorry, it wasn’t his fault and it wasn’t like we’d really discussed anything, about his army friends knowing who I was and certainly not about them meeting Marshall, who Danny himself had only just realised was said ‘mystery man’.

“Alright, clear out.” Danny ended up saying instead, shooing his pals off his bunk. 

Seemed that the pair weren’t all that easily led though. “Oi, whaddya mean? Let us meet the famous people!” Tadhg hassled, shoving back on the hand Danny was trying to push him away with.

“Yeah, man! I mean, fuckin’ hell, Eminem was the last person I figured I’d be meetin’ today, lads.” Sully added as he rocked further into the little space that sat between Tadhg and Danny, elbows coming up to rest on either man’s shoulder. 

“He’ll be the last person you’ll ever meet if you two don’t piss off.” Danny huffed, swatting Sully’s hand off. 

“Ooo, tetchy!” Sully laughed, prodding Danny further by deeming it alright to hang over his shoulder instead now, Tadhg’s face being squished against his torso. “Heya, mate! Your last album? Fuckin’ fire, fella!”

Surprisingly, Em seemed to snort at the kid’s words and had since settled into the fact that he was now wholeheartedly a part of this conversation. “Appreciate it, man.”

I watched on as Sully continued to rant about all the emotions he’d felt whilst listening to the LP and was warmed by the way Marshall answered each of his and Tadhg’s questions with a genuine acknowledgement, delving when and where he could. Danny appeared to watch it all too, observing how his mates fawned over Marshall and even me at times, though Tadhg’s, I figured, was more down to the fact that he was a massive flirt, having picked up on him even trying his luck with Marshall, much to the man’s obliviousness. 

A while must have passed before Danny finally cut in, giving Marshall a small reprieve, “Alright, as enlightening as this has been,” He mentioned, eyes flitting over to Tadhg, who simply winked at him in return, “I wanna talk to my sister for a bit.”

“Awh, mate! We’re soldiers, this is like our make a wish or summat!” Tadhg almost whined, Sully and Danny snorting at his huffy behaviour as though it was typical, but the pair did eventually make a move to leave, Sully giving us a big thumbs up and a toothy grin whilst Tadhg shot us a joint wink. “Here if you ever need a rebound!”

Danny kicked his arse with the side of his boot as the man dipped out of view, though we heard the hearty laugh that followed in the Irish boy’s wake. He was shaking his head ever so when he glanced back at Em and I, “Sorry ‘bout them. Army life makes meetin’ normal people that more exciting, you know?”

I huffed a quiet chuckle whilst Marshall gifted Danny an easy but tired grin, he rapped the counter as he pushed to stand back to his full height. “I’ma go check on Z,” He mentioned to me before turning back to face Danny again, “Was good meetin’ you, man. Have to do this again sometime, for real.”

Knowing my brother like I did, I could see the slight ripple of surprise that echoed through his reaction to that statement, but on the surface he just dropped his chin and gave Em a sporting grin in turn. “‘Course, mate. Lookin’ forward to it.”

Just before he could slip away, Marshall lingered a second longer, hand squeezing my waist where it had failed to fall away in all the time we’d spent speaking and his smile widening just a fraction for me to see. “I’ll come find you in a bit.” I promised, he dipped his head and I listened as he padded out of the kitchen and over to the stairs.

Danny was the one to break the quiet we settled into. “He’s nice.”

I peered back at him to find him wearing a genuine smile, not a trace of animosity to be found in his voice. My grin was small, an attempt to hide the fondness I knew he’d find there. “Yeah, he is.”

Shaking his head around a knowing smile, Danny took his phone into his hand, “I was so right about there being a mystery man.”

Scoffing at the words, I cut my eyes at him but still looked back over my shoulder to make sure that Em hadn’t heard, even though it was impossible that he had, he was upstairs with Z. 

“Shut up, idiot.” I told him, slipping over to the backdoor and into the cool air the garden offered. I’d only been out there the once but it was just as lovely as the house’s front driveway, though a lot larger. “It isn’t like that.” 

Danny hummed, unconvinced. “Sure it ain’t. Remember though, I know you.”

“And what’s that meant to mean?”

He laughed giddily in reply, “You’re smitten!”

“Fuck off.” I huffed, looking away.

He wasn’t having any of it though. “You fuckin’ are! Know it too.” He continued to chuckle, all smuglike, “Deny it all you want if that’s what makes you happy though.”

I rolled my eyes, “It really isn’t like that, Dan. He’s– well, he’s him.”

“You’ve always been a right idiot, you know that?” Danny fired back, voice a little heated though his sigh told me that he wasn’t willing to expand on his statement, “What you been up to anyway? Seen his Porsche yet or is that reserved for red carpets?”

“You’re such a prat.” 

Danny grinned. “So I’ve been told.”

Blowing out a breath, I resolved to let the argument go. “It’s been good here, nice. It’s so different from London. I mean, I’ve seen so much already. Even had a fuckin’ rap battle with this friend of Em’s.”

Danny looked like he didn’t believe me.

“I swear it, Dan!” I laughed in defence, pressing my knuckles into my mouth to keep from being too loud.

“Come off it, you?” He asked, though there was a slight note of awe there.

“Me.” I retorted with a great big old smile, “It was so surreal, like I don’t know how it even happened.”

Danny started chuckling and he shook his head at me in utter disbelief, “Only you, I swear. Wish I could’ve been there.”

“Me too.”

A wave of quiet passed between us. 

“I’m glad you’re havin’ a good time.” Danny finally murmured, looking at me with those eyes that so often reminded me of Lotts, of Mum. “If anyone deserves a bit of happiness, it’s you.”

My eyes flickered between his, a tad bit teary after hearing that, and so I sniffed and looked away in hopes to cover it up. “Hush up.”

Danny’s chuckles resonated even through the phone, bouncing around me and filling my chest with a sense of nostalgia. “Okay, only if you let me know when it happens.”

Brow furrowing, I looked to him with a question, “When what happens?”

All I received was a gentle smile, “You’ll know.”

[harleehazbinfics]

Home is where my Heart is.

Chapter 3: The First Time Table of Contents | Profile

Word Count: 1100+ Warning: implied rape and abuse A/N: idk i feel weird that he's kinda ooc; tbf he is very different here in this ff BUT LISTEN crazy meets sweet, ITS KINDA CUTE also also, imma take a break and continue my devout!reader ff, you can check it out here. thanky!

mmmmm i changed so much dialogue i wonder how this'll go. (edited as of Feb 20)

It had been quite a few months after Alastor and I have started going out. Nothing drastically different happened when we were still friends then transitioning to lovers.

Both of us would mind our own business, however, that didn’t really mean that we weren’t thinking about each other. If Alastor went on radio, I would listen to him while doing mundane chores, listening to his voice through the vintage filter of the stereo, I'd even retort to his witty commentary as if he was in the room with me. While, I would be out doing shows across the city, ranging from clubs and cafes to the early television programs.

Today was one of those days, where I would be waiting for Alastor to pick me up after performing a show, as he promised to bring me out to drink for our date. I stood at a lamp post waiting for him, looking down at my shadow.

“Well, look who it is. Lil’ Mel out in town?” a raspy voice said to me, “Must be nice to finally get out of that orphanage, huh? How’ve you been liking it so far? Missed me?”

Hearing this familiar insistent voice sent shivers down my spine, having flashbacks of my days in the orphanage. I wrapped my arms around myself.

“Go away, Aidan. I don’t want to talk to you,” I announced, fear creeping up on me.

“Oh, don’t be like that, babe!” he said putting his hand on my shoulder, “Don’t you remember all our fun times?”

I wriggled out of his grasp and angrily answered, “Fun? Hah, you’re insane. And never call me babe! Goodbye.”

I tightened my grasp on my sling bag and briskly walked away, looking for a more crowded area. But I never got too far when he suddenly had my arm in a tight grip making me squeal in pain. He covered my mouth with his other hand hushing me, and placing his knee between my legs. This scenario was all too familiar that tears welled up in my eyes automatically, but I gathered all my courage tensing my body and biting his hand, frustration clear on my face.

Meanwhile, Alastor was already a few buildings close to your arranged meeting place when he stopped when he heard a familiar voice.

“I told you to let go of me!”

This shout reaches his ears following a thud, fearing the worst he then bolts toward Miledy’s direction.

“Miledy!” he yells however freezes when he sees a man looming over her with a metal pipe in his hands.

“AL!” she screamed scared out of her wits.

Without a second thought, he lunges at the man throwing the both of them to the side leaving me on the floor. I looked at Alastor in fear for him when I saw him struggling to wrestle the larger man off of him.

“STOP! GET OFF HIM!”

Aidan seemed to falter when he heard me, creating an opening for Alastor and managing to stab him through his chest. Aidan gathered the last of his strength to wrap his hand around Alastor’s neck. I panicked and grabbed the forgotten pipe and bashed him over the head, making him go limp on top of Al.

Alastor moved the body to the side and with a relieved look on his face, he moves forwards and pulls me in a tight hug.

“I was so scared. Did you get hurt?” he frets over me.

“You’re not scared of me? I just killed a-a person, Al,” I asked afraid of his reaction.

“Heavens no! I’m more relieved you’re not hurt,” he replied letting go of the hug and placing his hand to the side of my face.

Relieved that Alastor didn’t leave her despite her sins, she finally broke down as she recounted the traumatic events that had happened, including the times where she comforted herself to sleep crying after Aidan was done playing with her, causing all these bottled up grievances to burst out. While Alastor did his best to comfort her in an embrace.

“We should probably leave now. It won’t take long before someone calls the police,” he explained holding on to her shoulder. I only nodded my head shakily still rattled and followed his lead.

He covered the body and lifted it over his shoulder keeping it steady while his free grabbed my hand and ran far far away. We eventually ended in a forest where we buried the body. I wiped the sweat off my brow breathing deeply from all the extraneous activities. After that was all done, Alastor led me to a cabin outside the hunting grounds.

“Where are we?” I asked while looking at the old furniture and the floorboards that creaked.

“My house,” he stated simply offering me a glass of water. I took and drank all of it without a second thought making Alastor tug a very subtle smile on his lips at how she completely trusted him.

“Al, we just killed a man and buried him. What if they figure out that we did it? What will happen to us?” I ramble, face going pale from different scenarios going through my mind.

He kneels in front of me a frown adorning his face when he saw how distraught I was and replied, “I’ll never let them hurt you. I promise, they will never know.”

“What about you, Al! What if they take you away from me. I don’t want to be separated from you!” I yelled hoping he’d care about his own well-being.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he said reading through me and holding my face in his hands, “I’ll never ever leave you, not if I can’t help it.”

My eyebrows furrowed still unconvinced, “How can you be so sure?”

His eyebrows drooped and a wry smile takes place while putting his hands on my knees obediently, “I’ve been hiding from them for years now. They haven’t had any idea that it was me. Knowing a lot of people surely has its perks.” I looked at him confused. “The first person killed was when I was 16, on the day that my mother died, and I’ve been running ever since.”

“I’m sorry I lied to you. But I never wanted you to be involved in this dirty past of mine,” he apologizes. “But I swear on my life that I never had any bad intention towards you. All I want is for you to be safe and free from worry.”

It took a very long time before one of us did or said anything. I took his hand, stood up and walked him towards the balcony that we walked past getting here. And just watched as the sun slowly rose hand in hand.

“I guess this is how we live for the rest of our lives now,” I uttered just above a whisper to the wind.

“I’ll protect you. No matter what.”

“Me too. You can depend on me… I love you, Al.”

“Thank you, Miledy.”

[hells-wasabii]

Hi!

So I just finish watching the 7th episode of Hazbin Hotel and I just couldn't help myself! I was wondering if I could request (separately) romantic headcanons for Rosie and Carmilla with a male imp reader? Ngl, Helluva Boss still has a hold on me and I just find the relationship between lower class demons and royalty demons really charming! :) And I would die for Rosie and Carmilla

A/N: I’ll be honest, I struggled a lot with this one which is why its on the shorter side. I just didn’t know how to approach it. While I did my best, I’ll admit i’m worried i might not have done this request justice. It has a lot of potential, but i’m not sure i was able to tap into that. I’ll let you guys decide that though.

Characters: Rosie, Carmilla (separate)

Type: Headcanons (x imp m!reader, General)

Rosie

In terms of actual romance I don’t think much would change. She may be a little less tempted to take a bite out of you so to speak compared to if you were a sinner demon, but that’s pretty much it.

Rosie might be an overlord, and a sinner demon to boot, but she knows, to a degree, how it feels to be treated as lesser than. Cannibals are often outcasted by other sinners in hell, other demons were weary around them. It was to the point that they’re designated their own district, Cannibal Town.

That being said, she would never let you feel that way. With her, she would make sure that you were treated as an equal, no matter the company. She herself has friends in high places, and if it were something you wanted,

Cannibal town is a strong community, proud to follow Rosie’s lead, so you wouldn’t really get any slack for being an imp, or for being in a relationship with Rosie. From them at least. Other sinners were a different matter. Most looked down on imps.

Rosie however, despite being one of the weaker overlords, still held sway. While she couldn’t do much about her fellow overlords, she could at least silence lower sinners.

Carmilla

Just like with Rosie, the actual romance wouldn’t differ much, though she would worry about you more. You’re an imp, they’re less durable than sinners and she can’t bear to see those she loves hurt. That worry is only increased when you travel to other rings where she can’t go along with you to make sure you’re alright.

Carmilla has had dealings with imps for a long time now, they were one of her biggest sources of clientele after all. In fact, that was how she initially met you.

At the time you had been working with some up and coming mob boss on the greed ring, but to be able to keep up with other already established gangs, you needed weapons. And a lot of them. That’s where you came in. The boss had approached you, one of the newbies, to go up to the pride ring and start a supply contract with Carmilla. Why he picked you of all the other members was beyond you.

Meeting the overlord was quite the experience to say the least. She thought it was cute how nervous you were. It was obvious you were new to dealing with well, deals. You stuttered, avoided eye contact, She specifically requested for you to be the main contact and things went from there.

When it comes to your relationship with Carmilla, a lot of imps simply thought you were trying to get in good with one of the biggest arms dealers in hell. Others thought you had entered into some sort of deal with the overlord. Not many would openly speak out about it however. No one wanted to get their weapon supply cut off. She’d done it before, the arms dealer would do it again in a heart beat.

[ensignsimp]

Sleepy Snuggles TOS Kirk, Spock, McCoy HCs:

A/N: It was almost time for bed when I sat down to write this.

A/N+: I was so happy to find that this one had survived!

Prompt: It's been a long day, you and the rest of the away team have just returned from a mission.

James T. Kirk

GIF by spacewizardtrek

Taking You to Bed

After returning Kirk gives everyone strict orders to return to their quarters.

He notices you wobble a little bit before having to lean in a doorway before nearly collapsing.

He quickly and quietly sneaks up behind you and scoops you up in his arms.

"No falling behind (rank)(L/N)." He winks

He doesn't realize that he's taking you back to his quarters.

He puts you down on the bed and starts removing his uniform. He kindly tosses you a pair of spare pajamas to wear.

He's too tired to think of the consequences when crawls into bed next to you.

He wraps an arm around you spooning you gently.

He's so big it's hard to wiggle away from him but the weight feels nice.

He even nuzzles your hair and murmurs softly, it's just too cute.

Taking Him to Bed

When Kirk orders everyone to bed you notice he's having a hard time staying up himself.

He stumbles a little bit when stepping off the transporter and you have to catch him by the hand.

You carefully wrap an arm around your shoulders and help him to his quarters.

"Thank you (rank)(L/N), you're too good to me." He says giving you a sleepy smile.

You take him back to his quarters stumbling slightly due to his size.

When you get him back you try to gently lower him into the bed but he just falls in pulling you with him.

Eventually, you wiggle out of his grasp and help him change his clothes. He whines, begging you to stay.

You can't help but feel a little sorry for him and decide to change into a borrowed pair of pajamas.

You barely have your clothes on when he pulls you back into bed with him.

He rests his head on your chest and wraps his arms around your waist.

Spock

GIF by groovyqueer

Taking You to Bed

It is so obvious that you are exhausted that even Spock notices.

You protest trying to prove that you're not tired when you trip over your own feet.

Spock catches you in his arms, and in one fell swoop he picks you up in his arms. You quickly wrap your arms around his neck.

"It is all too apparent that you are exhausted (rank)(L/N). I shall escort you to your quarters myself." You could have sworn you saw a smirk.

When your hold slips, he takes it as a sign of further exhaustion. So instead he takes you to his quarters.

It is only logical with his quarters being closer.

His room is far more decorated than you expected. When he sets you on the bed he even removes your shoes and tucks you in.

He sits across from you to make sure you fall asleep.

He may even pull out his harp or read poetry as to ensure you fall asleep faster.

Taking Him to Bed

He let out one of the largest most discrete yawns you had ever seen.

You were almost tempted to ask if he was alright when you noticed the bags under his eyes.

You wrap his arm around your shoulder and insist that he get some sleep before you get Dr. McCoy involved.

"It is illogical for me to continue while I am tired. Can you assist me to my quarters (rank)(L/N)?" You can see a light tint of green brush his cheeks.

You try to take him back to his quarters, but he stumbles a bit and due to his strength you struggle to keep up.

You eventually get him to his quarters by now he's mumbling things that you can't quite make out. (Partly because it's mostly Vulcan.)

When you get him into bed and help him out of his uniform and into his pajamas. He suddenly gets quiet and stares at you.

His eyes are soft and his gaze is sad, almost longing.

He holds his hand out to you as you lower him into bed and pull the covers over him.

His fingers graze your cheek and he whispers something unintelligible in Vulcan. You smile as you take his hand and place it on his chest.

Dr. Leonard McCoy

GIF by garnetshell

Taking You to Bed

Dr. McCoy wastes no time and gives everyone strict orders for bed rest.

He notices you are struggling to pick yourself up after stumbling.

He even lets out an annoyed groan before wrapping an arm around your shoulders to pick you up.

"Come on Doctor's orders, don't make me drag you there." He says

He takes a while to drag you to sick bay. He convinces himself it was just a precaution to make sure you don't have anything else wrong.

He puts you into bed and orders the others to leave the two of you alone.

He's too tired to try and return to his quarters so he takes a bed next to yours.

You're fast asleep by the time he sits down in his own bed. He watches you for a moment wondering what it would be like to snuggle with you.

He shakes the thought from his mind until he feels you grab the back of his shirt. (You're worse than Kirk.)

He tucks you back into place before gently patting your head. He's a doctor, not a teddy bear. (Though he would love to be your teddy bear.)

Taking Him to Bed

He may be a doctor but he is also a hypocrite, even though he orders everyone to bed he insists he's fine.

When he almost falls off the transporter you have to catch him and wrap an arm under him to keep him steady.

He protests slightly but eventually gives up when realizes you're stronger than him.

"Fine, this is ridiculous I'm a doctor, not a baby!" He grumbles

It's almost kind of sweet how he tries to drunkenly tell you how he can take care of himself as you drag him to the sickbay.

It is safer to take him to the sickbay that way other doctors and nurses can keep an eye on him. He tries to protest yet again but he gives up.

You finally get him into a bed and help him out of his uniform and into a pair of spare pajamas.

He gets really quiet when he sees you helping him and not teasing him like Spock or Kirk would.

He knows he'll hear it tomorrow though.

Once you have him tucked in he reaches out to try and touch you but he holds himself back. You notice and decide to give him a peck on the forehead.

[kkongdakz]

“ I MISSED YOU. ” ft. shen ricky

ricky x gn!reader, genre : pure fluff, warning : a very cheesy and clingy boyfriend, wc : 834

three days. three days had passed since you last saw ricky. summer holidays had just begun but he already seemed to miss you, if you judge by the number of messages you had received since this morning.

📩 ricky : are you home today?

📩 ricky : are you busy?

📩 ricky : do you have any plans?

📩 ricky : is your family here?

📩 ricky : do you feel lonely?

📩 ricky : can i come?

📩 ricky : hello? y/n?

you ended up calling him after you were fully prepared — and it took no less than half an hour for him to show up in front of your house. opening the door when you saw him, your boyfriend literally threw himself on you, wrapping his warm arms around your body. « i missed you. » he said, as you let a scoff slip from your lips, slipping your arms around his waist after pushing the door closed, « this is what i thought i noticed. »

moving slightly away from you, ricky placed a soft kiss on your cheek while slipping his hand into yours. you guided him through the empty house, to the kitchen, where you hastened to serve you both a nice cool soda on this hot day. but ricky didn't seem to mind giving you a break, and climbed behind you to hug you from behind, resting his chin on your shoulder. « and me? didn't you miss me? » he asked, placing an innocent kiss on your jaw. finishing serving the drinks, you turned around to face him, giving him a nice smile, « i didn't have time to ask myself about it, you were already back with me. »

a pout appeared on his lips, which you hastened to kiss chastely. it was quite unusual to see ricky so clingy and desperate for your presence, but this situation made your heart beat a little faster, so you didn't mind. taking the glasses in your hands, you went into the living room with him, the boy walking behind you like a lost puppy. his hand clinging to your shirt as if he was afraid you would disappear, made him look awfully cute. as he dropped into the couch, he pulled you with him, practically dropping you into his lap, which made you cry out in surprise.

ricky's arms slipped around you, holding you close to him as his eyes watched your face in the most tender and loving way. moving one of his hands, he brushes your cheek with his fingertips, caressing your skin as if it were made of porcelain, « you're so pretty. » a shy smile crept across your lips as you leaned in to place a kiss on the tip of his nose, « i feel like you can't live without me anymore. »

ricky nodded positively, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear — you were right, one minute without you was like hell for him. but obviously he won't admit it out loud. pressing gently on the back of your neck, he placed his lips here and there on your face, coming close to the corner of your lips. « do you think your parents would be willing to let me spend the whole vacation with you? » looking at him with a raised eyebrow, you struggled to contain a small mocking laugh. your hands slid down his face, pressing his cheeks to make a pout appear on his lips, « even though they love you, i don't think my dad would agree. »

letting a small sigh leave his throat, ricky grabbed your hips to tip you both onto the couch, the latter now on top of you. your hands now clinging to his neck, your thumbs gently caressing his skin, « and as much as i would love to have you with me every day, don't you think you'd get tired of me eventually? »

ricky seemed so offended by your remark that he shook his head negatively, bringing his face close to yours to nibble your cheek. « you're saying nonsense. i will never get tired of you, love. » — to say that your heart didn't explode at the sound of that pet name would have been a lie, then pressing on his neck delicately, you let your lips appropriate his, the time of some loving kisses. his delicate fingers caressed your skin in the most tender way possible, you felt truly loved. even if it was quite rare to see ricky so soft and clingy towards you, you were going to enjoy it as much as possible. which led to a long session of passionate and loving kisses, your hands making a mess of his hair, and his hands going here and there under your shirt.

it was a hot afternoon you wouldn't have wanted to stop for anything in the world, or at least — until your parents came home from work.

·˚ ༘ taglist (fill out this form to be added to the taglist) : @invuwrld @deafeningtyrantmilkshake @snowflakemoon3 @watamotee33 @annoyingbitch83 @kpoprhia @ilovechanhee @shiningstar-byulxx @wtfhyuck @zuzu-the-simp

[giamee]

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 prev. OG 5 GUYS INTRO!

masterlist. next. ᯓ ᡣ𐭩

INTRODUCING THE ISLANDERS ...

"i'm ayato, i'm 25 and from inazuma. i work as an accountant (wink). no no just joking don't keep that in-"

"(cough) i work as an accountant, i really love my life to be honest. the thing i love most on this earth is my car- it's a porsche, and the longest i've ever had a girlfriend for is about.... 2 weeks? so good luck to the next one haw haw haw-"

"my type? i like pretty women. let's hope there are some on the show haw haw haw"

"hello!! my name's tighnari, nari for short, i'm 22, and i'm currently studying biochemistry at the akademiya in sumeru"

"i really love being outdoors and nature, so my perfect first date would be a long hike in the woods, or just any physical activity. i think you can really tell a lot about a person when you're out in nature with them"

"so.... i guess that makes my ideal type someone who also loves the outdoors? i have a thing for more nerdy girls, too- it's something i've noticed. i just find it so cute when a girl has glasses"

".... an ick? if she litters, it's an instant no from me"

"i'm alhaitham, i'm 25, i'm from sumeru and i'm a court stenographer"

"to be completely honest, i'm here because i lost a bet with my friend. he thinks i need to try harder to find a girlfriend so i'll see how it goes on this show. it would be funny to see the look on his face if i do end up meeting a girl i like, i guess."

"a fun fact about myself? i can type 120 words per minute"

"i don't think i've really struggled with romance. there's been many girls who have tried to get with me, i'm just not really the type to get with someone for the sake of it. does that sound like i'm bragging? oh well."

"i don't think i have a type, either. i like who i like, simple as that."

"how's my hair looking? ok, good."

"i'm kaeya but you can call me handsome, im 24, and i live in mondstadt. i work in sales, so that definitely helps when i'm chatting up girls, heh."

"my go to pick up line? do you believe in love at first sight or do i have to walk past you again? (chuckle) nah, nah, i'm joking. i don't really use pickup lines, i'll just buy a girl a drink and we get talking and then... you know. it's a pretty good tactic. or maybe it's just me, heh."

"i like women who are confident in themselves. i don't want to have to spend all my time reassuring her, you know? and a girl who can keep me on my toes, someone who can beat me at my own game, you get me?"

"i have yet to meet a girl like that, i guess that's the reason why i've never had a proper girlfriend."

"my name's xiao, i'm 26, and i'm a tattoo artist from liyue"

"i get told that i look young for my age quite a lot- i guess it's to do with the height? it'll pay off when i'm 40 and still looking 20, at least"

"my type? ... to be really honest, i love girls with thick thighs and pretty smiles. there's nothing better than that"

"an ick? girls who go around saying if he's under 6 foot i don't want him- they're missing out on some good dick because they can't pull their heads out of their asses, that's for sure... oh shit, am i allowed to say that?"

𝜗𝜚 gia's notes :: and now the five guys! all the og islanders are now introduced 🥳🥳

[junespriince]

Fictional vs reality au

Roy, crying laughing, telling the Batfam who is also laughing at him: you're jealous haha, over your own self!

Dick: I didn't think the dating sim would have gotten this popular, let alone him playing it... There's a life-size Nightwing plushie he cuddles instead of me, his own boyfriend! How am I losing to myself!?

Garth: I don't understand why you're mad, it's still you.

Dick: it's my alter ego, it not me, Wally has spent six grand on a life-size Nightwing! I'm losing to myself! I rather he had chosen to romantic anyone else.

Donna: really? I wouldn't mind having a cute redhead fanboy obsessed with me~

*

Dick: scratch that, anyone but you.

Kori: at least I'm his second favorite, he's spent quite a lot on my builds.

Dick: well... He does have eyes and taste... I don't think it should warrant a grand on a figure nobody but us we'll see, he's a vtuber!

Kori: just enjoy it, he's on articles as your number one fan and the money the game makes goes to charities so don't be so hard on him.

Dick: I guess....

Jason: could be worse dickface, he could have hated Nightwing.

Dick: ... I didn't think of that

Meanwhile in Wally and Dick's apartment

Kyle: WHY HAVE YOU REJECTED ME!?

Wally: because you're my best friend it would be weird!?

Connor: but you both max out my romance bar...

Wally and Kyle: of course, duh.

Kyle: you're special.

Wally: be rude to not do it.

Connor: that doesn't make sense at all!

Kyle: okay losing the plot, how much to do my romance scenes?

Wally: six dollars.

Kyle, gasp in struggling artist living in California: that's expensive!

Wally: then wait, my fans want me to romance my hubby again. I can't deny them Nightwing scenes.

Kyle: ain't your rich boy toy jealous of you calling a hero you don't know you're husband?

Wally: nah, he's so supportive!

Kyle and Connor, seen Dick in full Nightwing gear telling himself he better stop stealing his mans: ... Sure

* because it too long lol

[screamofdespair]

An An Magazine N°2394 (17/04/2024) : Interview with Miyamura Yūko (Kazuha's VA) & Horikawa Ryō (Heiji's VA)

General & Movie 27 (The Million-dollar Pentagram)

[宮村優子 Miyamura Yūko as 遠山 和葉 Tōyama Kazuha]

M.Y : Please, propose to me as soon as possible (laughs).

Can you tell us what you like about Toyama Kazuha ?

Kazuha-chan is a calm and peaceful character who almost never gets involved in incidents or crimes, unlike Heiji. She’s genuinely sweet and cheerful and her love for Heiji is sincere and deep. She’s so fixated on him that she doesn’t realize when other men are interested in her. I think she’s quite popular, though...

Kazuha is a character who speaks Kansai dialect, is Miyamura-san also from Kansai ?

I myself am from Kobe, so i can speak the Kobe dialect, but Kazuha-chan is from Neyagawa in Osaka, and speaks Kansai dialect. Actually, there are various types of Kansai dialect and the one she speaks is a very strong, somewhat classical version of it. I used to hear it a lot when i was a child. I think it's probably the Kansai dialect that my father's generation spoke, and that’s what i have in mind when portraying her.

How do you see the relationship between Heiji and Kazuha ? 

When will these two realize that they have mutual feelings for each other ? (laughs). I really don’t mind about finding a nice romantic setting for their confession... I just want them to confess as soon as possible. I hope they both jump straight to a proposal! (laughs). And honestly, Kazuha-chan seems to be giving off a bit of a resigned vibe lately...

When you heard that Kazuha will appear as a main character in this movie, how did you feel ?

I'm really hoping for some progress in their romance, so please make it happen! (laughs).

What do you like about Heiji ?

First of all, his sparkling eyes when he solves mysteries! Then, how cool he looks when he’s riding his bike. It’s also adorable to see that despite his abilities, he becomes clumsy in the presence of the girl he likes. Heiji also gives us the impression that he comes from a good family. My favorite moment between Heiji and Kazuha is when they are on the bike together, and Heiji says, 'If you let go, I’ll kill you! To me, that felt like a proposal on the level of ‘stay with me forever’.

What advice would you give to the two of them, who aren’t making much progress, as someone with more life experience like you ?

Well... to begin with, i think Heiji should hurry and go greet Kazuha's parents with a greeting like : Please, let me take care of your daughter!

By the way, there’s an episode where Kazuha carries a matching charm with Heiji. Do you have something similar that you carry around, like a charm ? 

I don’t have a charm, but i maintain my peace of mind by looking at pictures of my pet dog on my smartphone. (laughs).

Do you have any thoughts on the relationship between Kazuha and Ran ?

When there is progress in the relationship between Shinichi and Ran in the original work (manga), i'm as happy as if it were my own. Even during the recording sessions the scenes where they support each other's love are really fun and cute. I think there’s something only Kazuha and Ran can understand, like the ‘struggles of falling in love with a detective’. But at the same time, i also wish for Ai Haibara’s happiness. So, i want Dr. Agasa to develop cloning technology that can create multiple Shinichis (laughs). Also, there aren’t enough Conans compared to the crime rate! So i hope they increase the number of Conans as well. If it’s Dr. Agasa, he should definitely be able to do it!

Do you have any memorable moments from the recording sessions of this movie that you’d like to share ? 

Minami Takayama, who voices Conan, is always amazing, and this time was no different, she was incredible as ever. I even took notes, listing what exactly made her performance so impressive. It was just astonishing...

Each character in Conan is very popular. Do you hear such feedback from fans ?

Of course! As a fan myself, i watch the show with my Conan fan friends all the time. Every character is charming, and the story is interesting no matter where you dive in. Sometimes, there are occasional small plot elements, so i can't take my eyes off it from start to finish. Personally, i really enjoy the scenes where Kogoro looks competent, and even though Gin and Vodka don’t appear in this movie, their buddy dynamic is something that i love. Oh, and i was really moved by the relationship between Inspector Nakamori and Kid.

Finally, can you please share the highlights of this year's movie to our readers ?

This time, the culprit and the mystery-solving aspects are very intriguing, but there’s also... Kid’s secret!!! Look forward to it!

[堀川 りょう Horikawa Ryō as 服部 平次 Hattori Heiji]

H.R : I believe there's a certain appeal in things that are not easily achieved (laughs).

Can you tell us what you like about Hattori Heiji ?

First of all, he doesn't back down. Heiji gets really annoyed with people who give in and say things like "it doesent matter." That kind of passion is very much like him, and i like that. By the way, although he is the greatest detective in the West, he becomes a complete failure when it comes to Kazuha-chan. She is his weakness. That’s definitely where to hit him!

Heiji is a character who speaks in Kansai dialect. Horikawa-san is from Kansai, isn't he ?

You know, while portraying Heiji, i sometimes think, ‘nobody talks like that in Kansai these days!’ (laughs). Expressions like 'seyakate,' 'souden ga na,' and 'chaiman ga na' you wouldn’t hear them even if you crossed the street in Kansai these days (laughs). As a high school student, what era is Heiji even from? But well, since it’s fiction, i understand the desire to exaggerate a bit. This time, the story takes place in Hakodate, and the Hokkaido dialect 'waya' is used.

When you heard that Heiji would appear as a main character in this movie, how did you feel ? 

Here we go again! (laughs). I was really excited. Especially because there wasn’t any talk about him being a main character next year. About a year ago, i got a call saying, ‘sorry, we need to record a preview for next year’, and i thought, ‘wait, does that mean... next year?’ ‘Yes, that's right.’ That’s how i found out. I was really happy.

How do you see the relationship between Heiji and Kazuha ?

In the previous movie, ‘The Crimson Love Letter’, Heiji said to Kazuha, 'If you let go... I’ll kill you.' To me, that’s basically a confession. It’s almost equivalent to saying, ‘i love you’, so i think his feelings have been conveyed... But i wonder if they’ve actually reached her. It doesn’t seem like it, does it? (laughs).

What do you like about Kazuha ? 

She often scolds Heiji with some harsh words, but from my perspective, they are just messing around like a married couple's quarrel. I’m always like, ‘oh, they’re at it again’. But actually, i don't mind being scolded like that, as does Heiji. During the recording sessions, i often think, ‘she’s so cute’. Honestly, i wouldn’t mind if she scolded him a bit more… (laughs).

What advice would you give to the two of them, who aren’t making much progress, as someone with more life experience like you ?

I think their feelings have already been conveyed, so isn’t that enough ? (laughs). Of course, i’d love for them to finally get together, but that slow progress seems so typical of Heiji and Kazuha, don’t you think? (laughs).

Do you have any memorable moments from the recording sessions of this movie that you’d like to share ?

There’s a scene where my character has to fight an opponent in an unbelievable location, something that could only happen in an anime. It’s a completely unrealistic situation, but the characters are fighting with all their might. So, as voice actors, we have to give the same level of effort to make it work. That particular scene left me really exhausted during the recording sessions. But that’s exactly what made it so entertaining. Being able to immerse yourself in the role to the point where it feels like you’re stepping into the picture is one of the best parts of this job. The feeling of accomplishment and the exhaustion afterward were incredibly satisfying.

Each character in Conan is very popular. Do you hear such feedback from fans ? 

Yes… but it’s a bit embarrassing (laughs). Well, there’s no denying that all the characters are really cool. But if people feel that the appeal comes not just from the way they look, but also from the acting, i think it’s because all the actors aren’t trying to ‘be cool’. We’re just giving it our all. I truly believe that fully committing to the role is what makes it come off as cool.

Finally, can you please share the highlights of this year's movie to our readers ?

When it comes to Heiji, it's not only about his feelings for Kazuha but also his dedication to pursuing the truth. I hope the readers can truly appreciate this admirable aspect of his character. There’s plenty of entertainment too, such as Conan-kun’s skateboard sequences, but also more profound emotions and nuances of life that adults will relate to, alongside the action and mystery-solving. This film is packed with so many elements that i recommend watching it at least three times (laughs). You really can’t catch everything in one viewing. Personally, i watch any movie at least three times!

Note : The translation might not be the most accurate word-for-word, but i did my best to make it coherent.

[mirx-xko-offical]

You wanted asks, and in here to ask, what about Ruggie getting sick because he overworked himself, and the reader/mc takes care of him and goes a few of his tasks for him, I think it'd be really cute!💚

So sorry for how late this is😭

I already had most of this written but Tumblr and google docs did me dirty n' shit by not saving it.

Here it is now though<3

Overworked!

Tired/Sick!Ruggie x Worried!GN!Reader

TWs: Mainly fluff but mentions of medications is included!

(Story underneath cut!)

_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--

"Eh, Ruggie? you're up?"

"Yep..."

"I'm so sorry for waking you!"

"Quiet down jeez-..."

_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--

[Name] has always been the worried type. While, Ruggie was about the complete opposite, usually not having a worry for the world unless you're someone he'd consider close. So every time Ruggie has overworked himself, [Name] would be there to help (not without worrying first ofc).

[Name] looked over to the beastman, seeing how tired looking and hearing how raspy his voice was. This wasn't the first time Ruggie had seemed this way. In fact [Name] saw this quite often nowadays. Ruggie tried to avoid them seeing him this way but he always seemed to fail.

"Ruggie!" [Name] called for him, chasing after him as he started to run upon hearing his name being called. "Get back here! You shouldn't be running!" [Name] continued, trying their best to catch up.

Once Ruggie thought he'd lost them, he turned a corner just to be tackled by the said person. "Aha! Looks like I gotcha! Are you okay?" [Name] asked as they pinned the poor boy down.

"I'm fine." He tiredly responded to them, his dry voice wasn't helping him at all.

"You don't sound fine..." [Name] looked at him suspiciously which made him more nervous by the second. "You've been overworking yourself again, haven't you?" [Name] leaned in to get a better view of his face, making him redder than before.

"Psshhh~ Of course not. " Ruggie blew it off as he pushed [Name] to the side, allowing him to sit up. He still tried to play it off as if he was fine but his back seemed to be sore from the way he got up. "I told you that I wouldn't overwork myself anymore."

"Nice try Ruggie. I can tell that you're all sore and tired." [Name] gave him a glare before dragging him back to his feet. "You're going to go rest and that's final." [Name] stubbornly stated as they grabbed his ear, leading him back to the dorms.

"You're gonna make me more sore with the way you're draggin' me." Ruggie complained as he rubbed his ear, giving [Name] a pouty look. "Plus I'm fine, I don't need rest." He said in a rather mocking tone which led [Name] into shoving him into his room, holding the door closed.

"You're gonna stay in here whether you like it or not!" [Name] replied as they finally felt Ruggie's struggle end, sighing before letting go of the door handle. "Now. Just so you don't get in trouble any, I'll be doing your work today." [Name] smirked as they walked away, heading out of the dorm to their next class.

After classes ended [Name] couldn't help but let out a long sigh, equally exhausted as Ruggie. "How can he do all of that? I can barely make it through a day.." [Name] slowly dragged themselves to the Savanaclaw dorm, heading to Ruggie's room to check up on him.

Knocking on his door without a answer, [Name] quietly opened the door, peeking inside to see medication on his rather messy desk and him laying sound asleep in his bed. "Good, he's sleeping." [Name] whispered to nobody as they walked into the room, not bothering to shut the door.

"Why are you back in here?" [Name] jumped at the sound of Ruggie's slightly deepened voice and the feeling of his hands wrap around their waist.

"Eh, Ruggie? you're up?" [Name] turned to see his half asleep expression.

"Yep..." Ruggie sleepily responded, dragging [Name] close enough to where he could rest his head on their back.

"I'm so sorry for waking you!" [Name] apologized panicked, turning around to face him.

"Quiet down jeez-..." Ruggie's ears flattened as they yelped an aplology.

"Right, right sorry." [Name] whispered as they bent down to hug Ruggie back, resting thier head between his ears. "How are you feeling?" They decided to ask, looking down to him.

"Tired." He mumbled, nuzzling his head into their chest. "I bet you are too." He guessed as he lifted an eye to them.

"You're correct-" Just as [Name] answered, Ruggie dragged them into the bed, holding them close. "R-Ruggie!-" [Name] whispered again, surprised as Ruggie squeezed them.

"Just sleep." Ruggie grumbled sleepily as he loosened his grip, allowing [Name] to breathe again.

"Alright then..."

I didn't realize how much love Ruggie got until I posted ideas for him-

Tysm pookie for the ask though! Again I'm so sorry it's late. I'm currently working on a part 2.

Also you guys might just get some Incorrect quotes later ;)

[arminsumi]

hm.. shy vampire armin who’s scared to admit that he’s a vampire to you. when he finally does, you obviously have millions of questions! one of them being about sucking blood 👀 - let’s just say he’s not so shy after he gets a taste of your sweet blood

IM SORRY I DIDNT MEAN TO MAKE IT LONG SISBIWS IM SORRY JAYYY

DRINK ME

↳ ARMIN アルミン + fem!reader

Note : V-VAMPIRE ARMIN?! you needn't apologize when u have blessed my inbox with vampmin 🧛‍♂️❤️ i used to be obsessed w the idea of vampire armin n even made a vampy ver. of him and me in the sims lol it was a whole jay era no one saw. anyways i think i deviated a bit pls forgive i was in a vampy daze 😵‍💫 and p.s. the length of ur req is all good!! no worries 👍

Warnings : vampirism, 🔞 suggestive/smutty content : mdni/mdnr, blood, blood drinking, possessiveness, marking, biting, it's a lil goofy i'm ngl

🍒 More from Jay : Armin works

He bows his head in shame, avoiding your gaze after telling you the truth one night, while the two of you were cooped up in your dorm rooms like two very normal students. Er... well, one normal student now.

"Min... that's..." you begin, too surprised for words.

"... I'm so sorry if it makes you uncomfortable. I just couldn't bear lying to you anymore. Do you... hate me for it?" he asks sheepishly.

"Not at all. I'm just surprised... kinda into it..."

"WHAT." he widens his eyes.

"Nothing." you backtrack, giggling nervously. "I didn't say that. You didn't hear that."

"Nahhh..." he looks at you with an intense gaze. "You definitely just said that... what, do you, like... have a kink for vampirism?" he jokes but your sheepish smile tells him he's right.

His heart pangs.

"Wow... that's freaky." he giggles.

Ooh... his fangy teeth are so subtle, so cute. Lil' chompers craving nothing more than to sink into your warm flesh.

"Sorry..."

"... don't be." he creeps closer to you. "It's cute... but... don't tempt me. Or I'll bite you. Joking... of course."

"Min... I'd let you bite me."

"What... 😳"

"... not to turn me! Just... for a snack."

"... a snack...? Angel, I can barely control myself when you have a tiny cut on your finger, I think I'd lose it if you let me suck your blood. It would be too sweet..."

He'd get a sugar rush, for sure, from gulping down your saccharine blood.

"I wouldn't mind. I lov— I uh... I'll offer it to you anyways. Um... incase you ever want to."

Well now he's looking desirously at your neck, struggling to maintain eye contact. He was so taken aback by you forwardly permitting him to take a sip of you.

He stares at you silently for a moment.

"Uh... would it hurt...?" you ask.

He drops his tone into a serious, concerned voice.

"Yeah... it would hurt quite a bit..." he informs you, "And it takes a while for the mark to heal... but if you're o-okay with... me having just a taste..."

"I am..." you say, "Mmm... weird question, but is it possible for you to drink all my blood in one go?" you suddenly ask, curious.

He chuckles a little, "Um, considering there's like... about five liters of blood in your body... no, I couldn't drink it all in one go." he lightens the darkening atmosphere with a joke, "It'd give me a major tummy ache."

"So... how much would you drink from me right now, to replenish yourself?" you inquire further, pawing closer to him.

He gulps, enticed by your scent.

"Probably a glass' worth...? That's typical." he looks away, too shy to say more. The thought of drinking a glass of your blood felt like asking for too much. "More than a glass would just be greedy..."

"Would it get messy and ugly?"

"Nah... I pride myself on being a clean eater." he winks, endeared by your giggly reactions to his subtle flirting.

It's bizarre to Armin; he expected you to be repulsed by his vampirism. But you're not. You're still flirting as hard as you did before he told you tonight.

"Armin... drink from me." you say seriously, seeing how he was holding his hands behind his back so tight when really he just needed to give into his raw desire.

"Uh—" he gulps as if his mouth is watering, "Are you sure you know what you're offering me?"

"Yes." you say more serious than ever. "Drink me."

Did you intend for that last part to sound so seductive? He can't tell.

He looks at you with eyes blown open, and bats his lashes in disbelief.

Then a a few moments later... he's pinning you to the bed and slotting his slender leg between your thighs.

His lips graze your neck, he kisses it... licks it... takes his time with it. You ask a bit more, breath staggering at his feverish licking.

"Do you always lick this much?"

"Mhm..."

"Why?"

"It's um... like a taste test..."

You feel your cheeks and chest warm up. "Oh... I see."

It's a minute later and he's sloppily making out with the area he intends to bite and drink from, while you happily allow him and run your fingers through his tawny blond hair.

"A–angel... your neck is so..." he swallows his drool, "so pretty... I'll be as gentle as p-possible... promise..."

"You don't have to be..."

"... really?" he asks breathlessly.

"Mhm."

He anyways encourages you to hold his hand and squeeze it if it's too much pain. "I'll stop if you tell me to... I have good discipline, I swear."

When his fangs fully come out, he slowly grazes their sharp point across your skin and gives testing pokes across the sweet curve of your neck. He exposes your neck more, pinning your shoulder with his hand.

One small gasp escapes you as he sinks just a tiny bit of his fangs in. He's trying his best to make it a smooth and clean incision. He's good and disciplined, he reminds himself, he can't just tear into you like you're nothing but a blood filled sac.

"Ah...!" you hiss in pain. It hurts way more than you anticipated, two sharp fangs pricking into your skin.

The way he sucks your blood out feels... sensual. Romantic. Like it's intimate... because it is. How many vampires does he know of that suck necks? It's the most erotic place to suck. It's an unspoken rule in his world to avoid the neck... because it's such an erogenous zone. Usually only lovers poke their fangs there...

Simply said? Armin sucked blood from your neck just to slyly turn you on. Because he had the hots for you. The cute human who wormed into his sexual fantasies.

"Mmm!" you squeal softly for him.

"Mmm..." he groans back, sinking his fangs as deep as they can go, spiraling into pleasure as his lips press flesh against your skin and squish flat.

"Min..." you moan, and now he knows he's got you.

Some blood dribbles down your chest and forms rivulets down his chin. He pulls his fangs out and licks at the wound lustfully, eyes lidded and breath heavy.

"F-fuck..." he curses, feeling himself getting a bit too excited after that intimate moment.

He's quietly patting himself on the back for not losing control even though the taste of your blood made him dizzy.

He inhales deeply to stabilize himself. Then he checks on you, caring eyes peering into your soul.

"Are you okay?" he asks, voice deep and low.

"Y-yeah..." you nod.

"It stings a bit, right?" he asks with a slight glint of sadism in his eyes.

You nod, "Not too much..."

He smiles at you, fangs cutely poking udner his upper lip and peaking out a bit.

"Good... don't wanna hurt my sweet Y/n."

Oops... did he just get a little possessive? Mhm yeah he did. And you don't realize it, but he made sure is fangs sunk deep enough to leave a longlasting territorial mark... he had to let the world know you were claimed as his little human possession.

"Min... you okay? You zoned out." you laugh.

An hour has passed. He cleaned up all the blood and now laid snuggling with you in bed. For the first time, he was spooning you; a small show of dominance that he never showed before biting you up.

"Yeah... just a bit dazed."

"In a bad way?" you ask.

"No. I just get dazed after drinking sweet wine." he says.

"Hm...? Is that so? Dazed and dizzy 'cause of me?"

He smirked, eyes admiring your bite marks in the dim moonlight. He thumbs the skin around them.

"Yeah... dazed and dizzy for you..." he says slowly, voice washed with drowsiness.

He clutches you tight and sleeps.

© arminsumi

Do not plagiarize / repost / translate / copy layouts / etc.

Do not steal what I've worked hard to create.

[fatuismooches]

Hello! Former 🐺 anon here! (I always struggle to not forget the "-🐺" at the end of the asks so uhh I guess imma make the job easier for myself by revealing true identity, i guess?? 😅)

Anyway. I don't remember if this has been written about before, but... Can we talk about Dottore's earring? The connection between segments? And fragile reader?

That little trinket is one of the mysteries surrounding our beloved Doctor. Is it just a fancy accessory? Perhaps. But then why do all of his segments wear one? At very least, the ones we've seen? I feel like it might have something to do with connection between them. Could it be a hive-mind device? Basically something that connects all the segments into one net so they can communicate telepathically? That would explain how Omega managed to delete all of the segments so easily.

But yes. Imagine if theory about it being a telepathy bond device. What if Prime gifts fragile reader one of those? So that when he's away on a mission or something, fragile reader could reach out to him! Almost like the two were having a phone call! (Since Teyvat doesn't have phones apart that strange dodoco ball thingy).

Or it could also be used for when the reader is too scared to speak their thoughts. Imagine Dottore holding them tightly in his embrace, his soothing voice whispering in the reader's head to just think what troubles them and use the telepathic bond to tell him. I just feel like Zandik would use this as a way to reassure the reader. Like, it's silence, but also not. Of course, many forehead kisses and headpats are included in this procedure.

YESSS DOTTORE'S EARRING... <3 I love that thing... :3 (Webttore and Dottore actually have two different designs of earrings so I love to hc that each segment's earrings are a little bit different, even though we see they're the same in-game 😭 Maybe it's a way to tell them apart from each other as well 💗 Alright moving on-)

Besides the signature masks of the segments, they are never seen without their earring, the mysterious blue liquid inside squishing around with their movements. What could it be? That is unknown, but the agents would prefer not to know considering it's the same color as that vial he always carries around. And the vial's contents are similarly unknown... no one wants to be the first one to try. Well, regardless of that, most would never guess the earring is used for the segments' communication with each other. Truly technology far more advanced than what the majority of Teyvat could ever dream off.

It was when you complained about how long letters took to be delivered back and forth that he realized a rather easy solution. The earring's communication device was no easy procedure, with the materials and skill, but for you? He got it done with ease. Obviously, you're elated! Though there are probably times you abuse your new privilege now. For example, even when he's not away, you'll call him. He'll think it is urgent, considering your health and all, but what did you call to tell him? That you love him, and are coming to give him lots of kisses and hugs and- he hung up on you.

It would also be quite cute if your earring could connect to various other earrings like the segments while they're away on expeditions as well... they have most definitely slacked off when you've called them. Them being in the middle of killing/threatening/general Dottore things but pausing to take their beloved's call while the guy watches them in fear and confusion.

Dottore using it as a way to comfort you though... 🥺 that is just so cute. Because sometimes it's too hard for you to verbalize all of your troubles and negative thoughts, and the words get stuck in your throat. Making it quite hard for the two of you to communicate with each other since you can't open yourself up like that. But now you can let out your feelings telepathically and your husband can know, and perhaps get a further reach into what your mind is like. The silence around you combined with Dottore's soothing voice is the perfect aid to make you feel better.