#he wont have enough counter space for them soon

[sunshineandlyrics]

Fans and John Delf with his growing flock of rubber ducks.

FITFWT Raleigh, 21 July 2023 x x x

[grimfalcon746]

Humans are Space Orcs

This came out so much longer than I expected. Kinda sorry but also not sorry.

***

The peaceful alien world had heard the stories. Although they had not achieved space travel themselves, they have, on occasion, received visitors from other worlds. The overwhelming message from every other race: Humans are brutish, vile, violent, and most importantly cunning. You can never trust a human, and, if possible should kill on sight.

The villagers had gathered around the crashed ship. The elders were sure of it, these were humans. They could not mistake the description given to them by the other races. Four of the five were clearly deceased, while one was unconscious and severely wounded. No one wanted to get too close, while the warriors gathered their arms to do the deed.

One little girl, however did not share the fear of the others. Walking through the elders, and right past the warriors, the girl approached the wounded human.

"Child. What do you think you are doing!" One warrior barked.

"Saving a life." The girl replied casually.

"That is a human. You must let it die." One elder spoke up.

"Since I was old enough to think, you elders have taught me that life is sacred. So I am going to preserve this life." The little girl remarked.

"We can not allow it." The warrior spoke back up.

"Well than you will have to kill me." The girl bluffed.

She knew the warriors would not dare raise their arms against a child. even if she did defy them, they would be dishonored for life. This did, however offer protection for the wounded human. They could not finish off the human without killing the girl, and they would not do so.

"The human will kill you when they awake!" The warrior tried to reason.

"Then I will have died to save a life. If there is a just deity, I will be rewarded." The girl countered.

A few tense minutes passed, before the villagers relented. Retreating to the safety behind theirs doors they left the girl to attempt to save the human. She knew little of their physiology, only that the red fluid leaking from the skin needed to stop. She bandaged them up the best she could.

Several tense hours passed before the human started to stir. The girl retreated several feet. The human opened their eyes shortly after that. Taking a few minutes to assess themselves, The human realized they had been bandaged up.

"Did you dress my wounds?" The human asked.

"Yes." The girl replied, retreating a bit further.

"Why do you seem afraid?" The human questioned.

"You are a human, right? You might kill me." The girl answered.

"What kind of monster would kill someone who saved their life?" The human asked in disbelief.

"The elders and warriors thought you would." Came the answer. "My name is Terralia.

"You can relax, I wont hurt you. I am Jacob." Jacob replied.

Jacob recovered slowly. Turning on the distress beacon from his damaged ship, he knew it would be months, if not years before anyone received it. It may not be received at all, given that few species responded to human distress signals. Jacob lived in the woods outside the village, as the townspeople where not comfortable with a human living among them.

Terralia would sneak out of the village whenever she could, to visit her human friend. She would bring food and supplies when she could. Although Jacob managed to get by without them, he still very much appreciated the gesture. Years went on and Jacob and Terralia became good friends.

Then Terralia stopped visiting. Jacob tried not to worry at first, but as the weeks went on, his concern grew too large. Heading to the village, Jacob was determined to figure out what happened. The villagers avoided eye contact with the human. Some scurried away when they saw him. Others simply ignored his existence, hoping he would go away soon.

"You must be Jacob." Came a voice behind him. The voice belonged to an older villager, one of the elders.

"Aye." Jacob replied. "I am simply wondering if Terralia is okay."

"Dreadful business." The elder replied. "A high ranking warrior from another village tried to bargain for her hand. The offer was refused, as she was our most powerful priestess and we could not give her up. Not to mention she had no desire to wed the warrior. A couple weeks ago, the warrior attacked with a band of his comrades and kidnapped her. We would have mounted a rescue, but the villages military strength is far greater than ours."

"Where is the village located?" Jacob asked.

"Face the setting sun. It is around a two day journey in that direction. Their village is not like ours. Where we welcome travelers with open access, they have high walls and gates. Fearsome as your species may be, I fear even you may not be able to do anything." The elder explained.

"Let me worry about that." Jacob replied

Jacob returned to the remains of his ship. Heading into the cargo hold, he opened the vault he hoped he would never have cause to. Inside, the pinnacle of humans man to man combat suits. The suit muffled movement noise and was bullet proof. It was also equipped with state of the art camouflage tech, adapting to its surroundings to make it near invisible. With it, a six shot grenade launcher, assault rifle, sidearm, copious ammunition two breaching charges and a grenade belt.

Equipping the gear, Jacob set out the direction the setting sun. Arriving at the edge of the enemy village as the sun was setting, Jacob set up post in the treeline, observing their patrol patterns. Quickly analyzing the pattern, he built a plan, then put it into motion.

The walls had only one gate, however they were made of moderate size logs. Jacobs breaching charge could get through it with ease. With the cover of night, Jacob applied the breaching charge to the side of the fort, then retreated to the tree line and waited. Before long the patrol came back, and the gate opened. Once the gate was all the way open, Jacob set off the breaching charge, blowing a ten foot hole in the wall of the fort.

The warriors reacted exactly as Jacob had hoped, abandoning the open gate they charged towards the new hole. As Jacob walked through the open gate, he found nearly all the warriors gathers in a tight pack around the hole in the wall. Thinking to himself how easy this was, Jacob fired all six rounds from his grenade launcher. Explosions threw bodies left and right, and bodily fluids splattered the area. Those who survived clung to life, desperately trying to crawl away from the area.

A group of warriors not in that pack charged hard at Jacob. Bringing his assault rifle up, he open fired. A new body dropped with every shot Jacob took. The small band lay dead meters away from him, as he turned his attention back towards the dying men who were hit with the grenade launcher, he finished them off with ease.

Moving through the rest of the village, Jacob easily slaughtered everyone he came in to contact with. Burning down the buildings after he cleared them, he continued through the village. Eventually he came to a large building. Banners hung on the walls around the entrance, and silver donned the window and door frames. Booting the door open, Jacob entered.

"Terralia was sure you would come. Kept saying it over and over. She is locked in a cell in the next room. You have slaughtered my comrades with your infernal weapons and orcish violence. If you have a shred of honor in your soul, you will lay down your arms, and fight me, with the weapons of our people." The warrior demanded, gesturing to a weird looking sword. Bladed on one side, the other formed into a pick at the top. With it a shield and dagger.

Without hesitation, Jacob raised is assault rifle and put three rounds into the nameless warrior. The warrior dropped, coughing up blood. Standing over him, Jacob fired more rounds into the helpless soldier. When the coughing and twitching stopped, Jacob fired two more rounds into the warriors head for good measure, before heading into the next room.

"I warned them you would come for me." Terralia said from behind bars. "I told them my human friend would not sit idle while I was abducted."

"How did you know?" Jacob asked. "I have not done a single violent thing in the entire time you have known me."

"It does not matter," Terralia replied. "I have heard the stories from visitors from other worlds. Humans can be compassionate, however they are also capable of great violence."

Unlocking the cell, Jacob left the village with Terralia. Returning her to her village, he was regaled as a hero. Continuing to live in the woods, he made frequent trips into the village, being welcomed by nearly everyone from that day on.

Eventually another human ship came across his distress beacon. Landing near his crashed ship, he met them shortly after they landed. After ensuring they were they for him, he returned to the village one last time. This time to say his goodbyes. Terralia was sad to see him go, as he was sad to leave his alien friend as well, but they said goodbye to each-other and Jacob was off.

The weeks went on, and life in the little village returned back to normal. Many had already forgotten the human was ever there, but not Terralia. One night, as she hover on the edge of the village star gazing, she caught sight of a ship approaching the surface. Hoping it was her human friend, she became excited. Her excitement faded though, as she soon realized the ship was coming in much too fast to land. This was an incoming crash.

The air exploded with thunder as the ship crashed a short ways outside the village. The village warriors gathered up, along with their priestess Terralia. As they entered the wreckage, there was no doubt this was a human vessel. On the flight deck all humans were accounted for, none still alive. The blood soaked the room, their computers still displaying their screens. Targeting system still live, it was clear this ship had been knocked out of the air in combat.

Finding all life forms deceased, there was nothing that could be done. The group turned to leave, before spotting a slogan above the door to the flight deck.

"Demons flee, when good men go to war"

[theoceantot]

Chapter 4

It was morning time. The birds were chirping loudly and the butterfly hashira was checking on all her patients making sure they were all in stable condition. Meanwhile you were still sleeping peacefully in your purple crib dreaming about chasing butterflies with your mama. Then all of a sudden in the dream turned dark and you saw a woman that looked like you.

No

It WAS you

Your eyes were glowing a bright purple and you had butterfly wings on your back that were slightly flapping. Your other self approached you slowly trying not to scare you knowing that your still in your little space.

"You're the first demon that will be able to counter the sun. But be careful. It wont take long for Muzan and the other demons to find out"

"Why you have wings?"

"You'll get them soon enough honey. We aren't strong but we can make ourselves useful in other ways"

The dream was beginning to fade to white and the older version of you was slowly dissapearing.

"Looks like you're waking up. Be safe and look out for Shinobu"

Your eyes slowly opened to see Shinobu standing above your crib smiling softly. She carefully helped you out of your crib and changed you into a cute outfit.

"You look so cute today Y/n. I guess you look cute every day though"

The two of you planned to play in your room for a bit and then feed you a bottle but Kanao and Aoi came in the nursery looking concerned and worried.

"Tomioka is here" Aoi said with wide eyes

"He knows" Kanao said and looked at you with worry

Shinobu maintained her composure and stood up gently taking your hand and walking towards her office. When the two arrived Tomioka has his blade in his hands ready to attack if necessary. Shinobu glared at him and stood in front of you protectively.

"Why are you helping a demon. Its not like you at all"

"Thats none of your business Tomioka" Shinobu said through gritted teeth.

At this point you were starting to connect the dots and it scared you to the point of crying and running off.

"Y/N WAIT, YOU CAN'T RUN OUTSIDE" Shinobu called after you as she and Giyu tried to catch up to you. They didn't make it in time. The door was open and the sun was shining in. Shinobu was crying at this point thinking you were gonna turn into ash

But you were fine

You were alive

Shinobu was too shocked to move so Giyu quickly grabbed you and shut the door. Since you were scared of him you started to cry and scream yelling for your caregiver. Shinobu snapped out of it and got you away from Giyu. She held you in her arms as you cried. The only thing you could say was "Mama" Shinobu knew you were probably regressed very young due to the stress of the situation.

After awhile you tired yourself out where you fell asleep on her. She tried to move but you wouldn't let her. Giyu sat on the floor in front of you two and looked down at you.

'She's not dangerous just scared'

"I owe you an explanation"

"You do"

A tick mark appeared on her forhead

"I found her on the last mission I went on. She was going to die if I didn't help. She was injured but her wounds didn't heal right away. In fact it took a few days for them to be completely healed" Shinobu explained.

"Her being immune to sunlight makes me happy but it also scares me. Now Muzan and all the other demons are going to try and take her"

Shinobu held you closer

"What about the way she acts? Why does she act like a infant?"

"Shes an age regressor. Its when a person reverts back to a younger state of mind due to trauma or just to use as a coping mechanism"

Giyu nodded in understanding. He didn't completely understand but he wasn't judging either.

"Do you mind carrying Y/n to her room?"

Giyu carefully picked you up and went to your nursery where he layed you down and covered you in a purple blanket. He couldn't believe that this sweet girl was a demon.

Meanwhile, Shinobu sent her crow to Kagaya to inform him of everything and that a meeting needed to happen. She prayed that everything would go well and that the other hashira would accept you.

Shinobu headed to your nursery and when she opened the door she saw you playing with Giyus hair fascinated about how long it was. Shinobu started to laugh while Giyu sat next to the crib with a blank expression on his face.

"Awwww are you having fun with Tomioka baby?"

You quickly nod a bright smile on your face.

"How did you get her to like you?" Shinobu whispered

"I had some candy I forgot about"

[oh-for-fic-sake]

(humor me)

Henry's Little has to have a wisdom tooth removed and asks Daddy!Henry if she can put it under her pillow, for the tooth fairy.

omg yes! i have done another wisdom teeth one but i completely forgot about the tooth fairy?! and i love this idea. i hope you like it!

"Daddy.... Daddy Daddy" you moaned head lulling back on the seat of the car you felt funny and sick and really, really woozy.

"What poppet?" henry said peeking at you from the drivers seat trying not to chuckle to himself. You were completely out of it.

It was just his luck to have to have to book you am emergency dental appointment whislt on holiday in America. And the verdict? Wisdom teeth removal.

Luckily henry had pre planned for such events and had health insurance for the both of you for the duration of the trip, so he could go right ahead with the procedure... Now he had a very spaced out little chipmunk on his hands.

"Daddy... my mouth feels funny" you babbled resting your head on the cool window of the car.

You felt like crying and giggling at once.

"That's the medicine poppet" henry tried explaining seriously but.. It was hard, with the drugs and anaesthetic you were in a right little mess, dribbling all over the place and had cotton balls in your mouth making you look all cute and tiny.

"Oh...o-okay" you huffed sniffling before beginning to cry quietly unable to hold your tears back.

"Why are you crying love? What's the matter?" he asked glancing at you again whislt driving down the road trying to get home as quickly as possible.

"I-I'm sick!" you cried sobbing in earnest but the statement sounded like a question, as if you didn't really belive yourself.

"no...no love your not sick honey your not sick, its just the medicine" henry tried explaining watching over you as best as he could whilst driving safely.

"exactly! I had medicine! I'm sick!" you sobbed harder into your hands smothering your face.

"oh love no, no poppet we went to the dentist to have your sore teeth removed... Remember you had a bad ouchy?" henry coaxed wanting to calm you down before he had to pull over and give you a cuddle.

Which wouldn't be the end of the world but he wanted to get you home and hop in the bath with you, treat you to a little pamper session.

"M-my teeths gone! S'gone poof" henry snorted as you waved your hands up in the air making a 'poof' motion. He couldn't help it you were too cute!

"Oh poppet, that's okay they were bad teeth" he countered

"B-but is gone- tha nasty lady stole my teeths!" you growled as best you could then winced as your mouth hurt.

"She didn't steel them love, they were painful, she took them away so you wont hurt"

"But I not got em... how will I gets money!? How?" you whined then began bawling again.

Henry frowned not following but didn't stay idle for long as you broke your heart in the seat next to him cry your eyes out.

"Money? What do you mean love"

"Fairy! She wont come! I have no teeths!" you breathed out, forcing the words between gut wrenching cries. You were distraught.

"...You mean the tooth fairy?" henry finally clarified. In all honesty he had forgot about the tooth fairy.

"Yeah! I got no teeths to give her! So I wont get money!" you sobbed pitifully stamping a foot to make your point.

Henry was stumped. Blinking he tried to think for a second as you cried next to him. Wow this had really got to you.

Deep down he knew it was just the medicine wearing off but either way he didn't like this one bit. He hated seeing you cry.

Suddenly an idea struck him and he smiled mentally patting himself on the back.

".... oh love but the dentist has emailed her about it... she knows and will give you money for your two big teeth" he said proud of himself.

His victory was short lived as you still sobbed.

"But-no daddy that's middle man! I want all the money!" henry was a little surprised but managed to think on his feet and continued to sweeten you.

"Settle down sweety, its fine daddy checked before he left, because you were soo very good you'll get all the money for both teeth...Don't worry about paying the middle man that's daddies job"

At that your crying slowed and you turned to him rubbing your eyes whislt breathing deep breaths trying to calm down just like he taught you.

"Yo-our sure daddy?" you asked lip wobbling as you spoke slowly still sniffling and trying to wipe your nose.

"I'm sure nugget, daddy checked and double checked"

The car fell quiet once more and you twiddled your fingers in your lap then looked at your daddy again.

"H-how much for my nasty teeths?" you quizzed. Henry laughed you were never a stupid little, very meticulous with your pocket money. This would be no different.

"How does twenty dollars sound?" he offered raising a brow at you smirking. What you'd never know was he had literally just tried to think about what he had in his wallet right now that he could pop under your pillow tonight.

"Wow twenty?!" you gawked at him, all tears ceased at the prospect of a full twenty dollars for two nasty teeth.

"Yep absolutely nugget your earned it!" he preened watching as you flopped back in the seat now happy, if not still a little out of it.

"...daddy can we go back?" henry frowned at that, you want to go back to the dentist? He was sure you'd avoid all dental visits for the new year atleast.

"Back? Why are you okay? Are your stitches out?" he asked thinking there was something wrong.

"No.. Just ten pound a tooth daddy! I got more teeth!" you cried eye glittering with the idea of all that money!

"Oh gosh poppet were not going back to start a black market in teeth" he chuckled and turned off of the main road heading out of town to his home.

"But... But I want the game daddy" you pouted, which was made even cuter by the stuffed swollen chipmunk cheeks

"You'll sell all our teeth for that game?" he asked knowing full well what game you were talking about. A new one for your nintendo. Over priced if he was perfectly honest but you'd been waiting, and whinning about it for weeks before its release.

"Yeah daddy" you said quickly nodding to him not seeing a problem with selling your teeth for a game.

"No poppet"

"But their my teeths i can sell em! Your mean!"

"Yes poppet I'm mean for not letting you sell your teeth"

Your eyes watered and you lip wobbled as you got ready to bawl again but henry saw and quickly cursed.

Shit why didnt he just say 'wait and see'

Henry panicked quickly before reasoning with himself. You had been very good lately and you were such a brave girl today, what harm could buying you the game do really. What's the point in money if he cant spoil you?

"Tell you what, I will have a chat with the tooth fairy and see if I can convince her to give you enough for your game... How does that sound?" he offered.

"R-really?" you asked unsure if you should belive him or not.

"Really really~"

"Ok daddy... I don't feel good" you complained closing your eyes feeling queasy.

"I know poppet, don't worry love we will be home soon and we can have a bath" he offered, and he wasn't lying you were about two minuets away from home.

"together daddy?" you asked quietly feeling tired from all the crying and worrying you'd done today.

"yes little one together" he confirmed moveing a hand to ruffle your hair making you tip your head towards him.

[kaz11283]

44 and 45 for writing prompts?

44) Close Your Eyes

45) Will You Marry me

Your Favorite Suprise

Warnings: fluff

Characters: Your favorite God of Mischief, Nat, Clint (brother, I know I have a weird problem ok?), Steve, Tony, Thor

Summary: you and Loki had been dating for a while now it only made since that he wants to take the next step.

Announcements: Ah yes, while I should be working on the next chapter of my series Im doing a Loki Request list...makes sense to me. I have decided to start posting a chapter a week and I have decided to start posting The chapters on Fridays. But I'll probably still be doing one shots and drabbles randomly during the week along with request. *its like really early in the morning here so if I am not making any sense i will probably post another update soon.* love you guys, thank you for the request! 💚💚💚💚

Loki Masterlist

~~~~~~

Loki had been distant all day, he wasnt in any of the normal places that he normally would have been. You had checked in the library, his room, even the lab none held signs that the god had been there all day.

"Guys, have you by any chance seen Loki?" You asked walking into the living room where your brother and Nat were wrestling, for some unknown reason, Thor and Steve sat watching.

"Tall guy, wears to much green, pointy hat?" Clint choked out from a chokehold. Sometimes you wondered if you were really the oldest with the way he acted.

"Last time I seen my brother he was heading out to the large balcony on the top floor with a rather heavy looking box." Thor called over his shoulder. "No no no Hawkman, you odviously doing it wrong. Let me show you." He said getting up walking over to the two on the floor.

"Whatever, he'll know where to find me I guess." You said jumping over the back of the couch sitting down next to Steve.

"Hey! No jumping on the furniture. I swear its like I live in a house full of kids between you and Parker jumping and flying around." Tony yelled from the kitchen door.

Steve rolled his eyes and looked at you. "Thor is trying to show them some Asguardian fighting moves. Nat picked up pretty fast, your brother on the other hand..."

"He does better in a roost high above the ground. Only reason I use to hate fighting with him is because he could climb higher than I could." You laughed.

"Ok Lord Thunder if you can do better be my guest." Clint took a step back allowing Thor to stand in. Thor gave a bellowing laugh and got in a fighting stance.

"My people invented these moves I can easily take down Nat."

After a few rounds and Thor definitly losing causing the room to howl with laughter at his confusion Loki walked in.

"So the man of mysteries returns. Where have you been darling." You asked as he came to stand beside you.

"Just working on a suprise for you my dearest." He laughed leaning down and kissing the top of your head.

"Please stop, there are young eyes in the room." Clint groaned from a recliner across from you causing you to roll your eyes.

"Yeah, if your going by shoe size." You mocked. Turning to Loki you looked at him. "What does the god of mischief have up his sleave for me?"

"Come dear, I would rather show you." He offered you his hand and you walked from the room.

He lead you to the room where the balcony was located and turned to you. "Close your eyes."

"Ummm why? You planning on pushing me off?" You laughed realizing that he had a serious look on his face. "Nevermind." You closed your eye, as soon as they were shut you felt a cloth wrap around your head. "If you wnted something like this all you had to do was ask." You smirked.

"Oh nine realms y/n. Get your mind out of the gutter for just a little bit." You couldnt see it but you knew he was rolling his eyes. "This is serious." You could hear the smile in his voice.

"Ok fine, serious, I can be serious for like 5 minutes. I cant guarantee the comments that will follow after the time is up though." You laughed.

"Sometimes I feels like I'm dating your brother." He huffed taking your hand and leading you onto the balcony.

"We are basically the same person, I just look alot better than he does in a cat suit." He let go of your hand just after walking out of the door and disappered.

"You know that mouth is one of my favorit things about you." He whispered in your ear cauing your heart to flutter. "Always quick to the punch, it never fails." He said kissing the side of your mouth.

"But my absolute favorit thing about you is your willingness to over look a persons flaws, to give everyone a chance, even if they dont deserve it. You have such an open mind forgiving everyone that you feel need forgiving. Looking for the good in a person and giving that person hope that maybe there is hope left for them." This time he brushed your hair from your neck kissing you behind the ear sending a shiver down your spine.

"Loki you was never a bad person-" you saod trying to defend him aginst hisself

"I brainwashed your brother." He countered. "You didnt just do it for me though. You stood up for Wanda, for Bucky, you stand up for the underdogs that wouldnt have a chance other wise."

"Wanda needed a family, Bucky was Steves best friend and I seen how it hurt him for eveyone to be aginst him. Also brainwashed. Im kinda seeing a pattern here though." You smiled.

"Y/n, honestly would you jusy be quiet for a few more minutes." He sighed.

"Ok, lips are sealed. Continue telling me how great I am." He sighed again pulling you closer to the middle of the balcony.

"You have been my light in the darkest tunnel I had ever been in. When the others shut me out you were always there to let me know I wasnt alone. I could travel to all nine realms and never find another soul as caring and as trust worthy as you, who holds me at night when nightmares wake me up, who actually seen good in me and who has made me a better person." You felt him reach behind you and untie the knot from the blind, you kept your eyes closed as you felt him grab your hand again this time there was a slight pull. "Darling you can open your eyes."

When you opened them you were awestruck with the sight in front of you. Farie lights had been hung from the rafters causing a warm glow around the balcony, ivy and white flowers hand been drapped on the walls givingbthe whole place a cozy feel. You looked at Loki noticing him kneeling in front of you, you opened your mouth to make a comment but quicky shut it not wanting to ruin the moment.

"Y/n Barton there is no one else I would rather travel the nine realms with but you, I would walk across time and space to see you smile. Would you please do me the honor of being my princess? My Queen? For all eternity? Will you marry me?" He pulled out a small black box for his pocket and opened it revealing a silver band entwind with a beautiful type of black metal a small emerald sat nestled between the two holding the jewel in place. Your eyes shot up to his and tears started to flow. You didnt trust you voice in that moment son you simply shook your head.

He was on his feet in no time easily slipping the band on your finger before wrapping his arms around your waist pulling you close to him. You placed your hands on either side of his face pulling him into you for a kiss. "Yes." You mumbled aginst his lips as he smiled into the kiss. "A million times yes!"

"We are going to have a wedding!" Thor yelled from the open door causing you both to jump. You looked up in time to see everyone that had been in the living room crowed around watching the two of you. "Lady y/n, a fine sister you will make!" Thor beamed picking you up into a crushing hug.

"You can have her! Ive had her as a sister long enough." Clint said beside you as he leaned down to kiss you cheek. "Congrats sis."

"You knew didnt you?" You smiled.

"Of course I did. Hes kinda old school, asked if it would be ok if he asked you. Nice guy, once you get past the whole mind control thing." You smacked his in the chest.

"In my defence you did try to shoot me woth an arrow that exploded." Loki said wrapping his arm around your waist.

"Ill take back the approval to marry my sister." He saod looking straight at him.

"No you wont, ive already said yes. Besides he really makes me happy. Truly honestly happy." You smiled looking up at Loki giving him another kiss.

~~~~~~

Tag list:

@kgirardin

@sophlubbwriting

@supbeeches

@high-functioning-lokipath

[waiting-for-motivation]

small spaces

summary: On the outside, the Razor Crest might seem big enough for a little family but it‘s a whole other story on the inside.

pairings: Din Djarin x Reader, The child

warnings: nothing but fluffff :)

words: 1360

MASTERLIST REQUEST RULES

The kitchen is filled with the scent of freshly baked cookies. The sweet biscuits are laying still warm on a plate. (Y/n) is finally done cleaning the dishes and turns around to catch the child climbing on the counter. With a smile on her lips, she helps him up. It‘s quite obvious why the child wants to be up there - he wants some cookies.

“Be careful. They are still hot, little one“, (Y/n) tells her son and hands him a cookie. It doesn‘t burn her hand so it must be ready to be eaten. The little child takes it with a giggle and stuffs it in his mouth.

The next moment the hiss of a door makes (Y/n) look at her husband. Din holds his helmet under his arm and smiles softly at his wife. Quickly, he sets the helmet on the counter and then wraps his strong arms around the females body.

“You are back“, (Y/n) states and burrows her face in Dins neck, his scent filling her nostrils. One of her hands wanders to his neck and starts to play with his curly brown hair. This makes Din sigh and close his eyes. He is finally home, in the arms of his beloved wife.

“The bounty was quick to capture“, the Mandalorian explains and parts from (Y/n) to look her in the eyes. For some time they only smile at each other, enjoying the peaceful moment.

Then Din leans forward and presses his lips to (Y/n) in a passionate kiss. Their lips move as if they were made for each other. The mandalorian warrior wraps his arms around (Y/n) once again and lifts her on the counter. Unfortunately, her head meets the cabinet above and interrupts their lovely kiss.

“Ouch“, (Y/n) whines and rubs the back of her head. She giggles at Dins scared face. Then the giggle turns into a kind laughter because the box full of flour falls on Dins head. While the box falls to the ground, most of the flour stays on Dins head.

With flour all over his gorgeous face and his precious armor, the Mandalorian stands there and tries to stifle his own laughter. (Y/n) wipes away the flour from his eyes and kisses his lips while giggling.

“You should take a shower“, she says while combing her fingers through Dins dirty hair.

“Yeah, we should take a shower“, Din replies with a cheeky grin and wraps his arms around his lover, lifting her from the counter and walking towards the refresher.

The Mandalorian stops in his tracks when he hears the little on burping. Both his parents let their gaze wander to the counter and widen their eyes. He ate all the cookies (Y/n) made which were a lot when still existent.

“How can he eat that much?“, (Y/n) asks shocked and can‘t take her eyes off the empty plate. She was working hard on those cookies because they are Dins favorite and now they are gone.

“Well, I wont judge him. Those cookies are like...drugs“, Din says and once again walks to the refresher to take a shower with his beloved girl.

The fresher is something Din and (Y/n) only rarely use because the water is scarce on the Razor Crest. When they get to take a shower, they will share it because first, it saves water and second, it‘s more fun together.

Today is one of those days, especially because Din got flour all over his body. They are going to clean the whole Crest later because he lost a lot of flour on the floor but that doesn‘t matter at the moment. Right now only their love for each other matters.

(Y/n) helps the Mandalorian out of his beskar armor and places it carefully on the floor. She turns back to the man and has to laugh again. Din looks so silly with the white powder all over his face.

“Stop laughing, cyar‘ika“, the Mandalorian tells (Y/n) and watches her unlace his heavy boots. He loves that she helps him undress because after this bounty hunt he feels drained. It was short but exhausting.

“I can‘t. You look so funny“, (Y/n) giggles and makes Din smile. He steps out of his boots and raises his arms for the female to take off his shirt.

“I‘m sorry, I just couldn‘t stop myself kissing you“, Din explains and is finally standing in front of (Y/n) with only his underwear. Now it‘s his turn to take off his wifes clothing. He is faster in undressing her which must be because (Y/n) isn‘t wearing an armor.

When both of them are naked, they step inside the shower and close the door behind themselves. The light inside is dull but better than none.

Before Din and (Y/n) swore their vows and got married, they showered in full darkness which was difficult sometimes. But it were those rare and special moments that made them love each other even more.

The warm water runs over their entangled bodies. Both have their arms wrapped around the other. While (Y/n) leans her forehead against Dins chest, the Mandalorians head lays on hers. This is necessary because there is no other way for both of them to fit in this little space. They are almost touching each wall of the shower.

For some time they stay like this but both know that the water wont stay warm long and that it will stop entirely soon. So they start to wash themselves. (Y/n) purrs some shampoo on Dins head and starts to wash his curls. The mandalorian does the same to her hair.

When (Y/n) straightens her back after bending to grab some body lotion, one of her feet slip, and she loses her balance. Quickly, Din grabs her arm and pulls her towards himself.

“Everything alright, love?“, the Mandalorian asks, and he can feel the warmth of (Y/n)s palms against his chest. The female nods and hands Din the body lotion with a smile.

Their cot almost invites the couple to lay down after Din opened the door. It‘s the smallest room on the razor crest because there is nothing else inside but the small bed. Above it hangs a makeshift hammock for the child.

“Sweet dreams, little one“, (Y/n) whispers as she places her son in the hammock and gives him one last good night kiss on the forehead. She strokes one of his huge ears a little longer and then turns around to Din.

“I love you so much, cyar‘ika“, Din confesses with a lovesick grin and takes one of (Y/n)s hands, pulling her towards him. His brown eyes are almost glistening full of love as he looks at her.

“I love you too“, (Y/n) giggles and gives Din a short kiss on the lips before turning towards their shared cot. She sighs because she knows what awaits her. For a few minutes both of them will toss and turn because there is almost no room for comfort. But then finally, they will find a very comfortable position and sleep with smiles on their lips.

Din is the first one to crawl inside the cot - he is always the first. (Y/n) watches him disappear and then hears a dull sound as well as a groan. Immediately, she follows the Mandalorian inside and sits down on his lap, staring at a pained expression. Din holds the back of his head.

“Please don‘t tell me you hit your head“, (Y/n) says and covers her mouth with her hand. At first, she is concerned but then Din lowers his hand and closes his eyes in shame and (Y/n) has to giggle. “Where is your bucket when you need it?“

The Mandalorian lays on his back and stares at the ceiling, ignoring the laughter of his lover. (Y/n) lays down with her whole body on his chest and their legs entangled. The door closes and the little room is filled with nothing but darkness. Din takes the blanket and covers (Y/n) as well as himself.

They don‘t have to toss and turn that night because both fall asleep quiet easily in the arms of the one they love.

[shadowturtlesstuff]

To-do list

i have no idea when i posted last, it has been a while. sorry, but i have been a little sick and unmotivated but alas, i am back with the normal cressworth. i read a post by @ink-insomnia about thomas making a list with absurd things (kissing audrey rose, being a god amongst men) so i made a fic out of it. it is pure fluff, pure ecresswell being dramatic. enjoy!

Audrey Rose has always claimed I am less organised than her. Despite my plans that surprise her in everyday life, I am more scattered. I disagree of course, Audrey Rose may be meticulous in how she leads her life but I am just the same even if she doesn't realise it. My sporadic ideas are part of my charm. Nonetheless I have devised a plan to help convince my love of her mistake. I shall leave a list of plans on our shared desk, much like she does, in order to show how organised I can be if I tried but I tend to make plans that are open to changes whereas she does not. I also rarely write my plans down but my darling wife loves to sit us down to make plans so she feels comfortable in the knowledge she wont forget an important date. 

~

I watch my ridiculous husband write something at our desk, a small smirk playing at his lips meaning only one thing: he is up to something that will only be bad. I roll my eyes and leave the door quickly before he spots me watching him. We had spent the weekend at Thomas's holiday home, taking a much needed break after one of the longest cases we’ve ever experienced. We were only going to take the weekend off but uncle had decided to take the entire week off so Thomas insisted we do the same. Perhaps that insistence has something to do with what he is writing now. 

Sir Isaac walks out of one of the spare rooms, his room as Thomas claims, despite the beast sleeping in our room and pestering us in every room but that one. However, every time I mention that to him he waves me off saying our little baby needs his own space and it's not his fault he adores us so much he stays with us as much as possible. I smile at the memory of him telling me that he was lying in bed playing with the cat, using one of the many toys he has brought to keep the cat occupied. I had brought up some breakfast for us both, as well as coco for thomas. He gave me a wide smile and came to me as soon as the door opened, taking the tray from me and setting it down, wrapping me in a hug that made sir Isaac jealous enough to start climbing up my leg. He laughed at my scowl and thus began that conversation. 

The cat walks alongside me as I set myself down in the kitchen, resuming the book I was reading earlier this morning. We sit in silence until Thomas enters the room, a smirk that only results in problems, one that he is trying to hide from me. 

I debated just asking him what he's done but he would not tell me so easily. Instead I chose to ignore that smirk and ask: “how are you, love?’”

“Perfect darling, how are you, how is the book?” He sits beside me and starts stroking our cat who purrs loudly at the attention. 

“I’m well, the book is interesting, mostly, though I am wondering whether I should find another for the night.” my own plan formulates as I begin to stand in order to go to our room and find a new book and peek at what he was writing. He holds my gaze with a knowing look. Of course he knows what I'm going to do, but the question is, will he let me? 

To my surprise he does and I make my way upstairs. I place my book on the desk, moving around the papers and finding what could be what he wrote today. It is a list. I bite back a laugh as I begin to read.                         

 To-do list

-Be a god amongst men (as always)

-Get Audrey Rose to call me a scoundrel

-Kiss Audrey Rose

No longer do I bite back my laugh. My husband took to heart my complaints about his jokes about lists. Well, almost. In his own fashion of course. I put it back and go to our bookshelf to find another book, contemplating whether or not to tell him I know his plan or make my own just for fun for him to deliberately find. I was fully aware he knew I would look for it, which leads me to believe he saw me standing in the doorway but refused to look at me. He was infuriating at times, but little did he know I would play his absurd games. ‘A god amongst men’ was completely foolish, and the fact he wrote about kissing me, as if it was some hard task or something that was to plan for. Sitting, I picked up the discarded pen and wrote my own to-do list.                                      

  To do list

-stop whatever my foolish husband has planned

-kiss said husband

-remind Thomas to act his age

I put the list inside the book and walked back downstairs, to the kitchen where there was a familiar sight of Thomas and sir Isaac playing on the kitchen counter. I smiled at the peaceful sight, a wave of gratitude washing over me. Every case, very close calls made me cherish these smaller moments more. Every ridiculous act of Thomas he got to do just to make me smile was something I felt could be snatched away from us so I stood for a second and let them play. I set my book down, opening it so the note was visible but folded so Thomas had to open it up. 

“Found one?” He asks not to turn to face me because our cat demands attention and Thomas always complies. 

“Yes. enjoying playing?”

“Of course,” this time he turned and winked and I nearly blurted out ‘scoundrel’ but I didn't want to make completing his list easy. Instead I sat and moved the sheet of paper and opened the book and began reading. Silence descended for a while until I felt Thomas's hands around my waist. Instinctively I leaned into him, savouring his warmth and love. He kissed my temple as sir Isaac jumped onto the table and nudged my book, forever in need of our attention. Thomas, as usual, obliges by scratching his head then he reaches for the discarded page.

“What is this love?”

“A list, but also a bookmark.”

“Another list?” He smirks at me and flips it open, reading the list and then I hear his laugh fill the room. I should have added to make Thomas laugh, although that is my goal everyday even if I never go out of my way to try and make him laugh. If his laugh was the only sound I could hear I would still be happy. “My love,” he sets the list down, a smile still graces his face as he squeezes my side, “i agree with only one of these, I’m sure you can guess which one.” he adds a wink.

I roll my eyes and mutter scoundrel. Of course he would focus on the kiss and not the fact I implied he is an immature child that is pranking his wife. Again. 

“I have a list of my own, but I’m sure you already know that, and one thing on my list was to hear you call me a scoundrel as it is my favourite word to hear from you. Your filthy mind truly amazes me.” 

I twist and face him, eyes narrowed. “My filthy mind? You are ridiculous Thomas. Why did you make that list?”

“I wanted to understand your obsession with them. I think I do now.” 

I roll my eyes at him but all he does is press a kiss to my forehead. Both of his hands rest on my hips again and he gives me a soft smile. “My love, may I kiss you, and complete something off both our lists?” he asks, moving his head so it rests on mine. My absurd husband makes it hard to be mad at him, or even annoyed. Even though this began with him mocking my habit of making lists, even unintentionally mocking me, i have to admit this has been a fun game and knowing my husband he will keep doing this now as ways to distract us from cases or just to kiss me. Even though he can kiss me at any point now. 

I lean into him, pressing my lips to his and I feel him smile into our kiss. His hands reach up and cups my cheek, his other tightens slightly on my waist. My own hands rest against his chest as he deepens the kiss. We stay like that, lost in each other until our cat nudges my back making me jump. I curse as Thomas laughs at me, sir Isaac finding his way onto my lap. I scratch the little pests' ears. 

“I finished my list before you, I kissed you, you called me a scoundrel and I am always a god amongst men.” he winked at me, picking up sir Isaac and moving to sit across from me. I twist, looking at my own list. He out-does himself sometimes with his dramatic nature. 

“Thomas, neither completed the list, I can never stop your immature games, and you cannot be a god amongst men. It's absurd you even put that.”

“I can, love, and this wasn’t immature, it was-”

“Foolish? Childish?” 

“Okay fine, it was a tad childish, I never meant to mock your list making by the way, I just thought it would be fun and to prove I can make lists to you.” 

“It wasn’t just a tad childish, but Thomas love, I know you can make them you just choose not to, and there are more things we can do than make lists for each other. We needn’t make lists just to kiss each other. We’re married, if you want to kiss me, kiss me.” 

He smirks, the cresswell charm in full effect, “you are obsessed with kissing me.” he leans over the table and kisses me. 

The rest of the week follows similar patterns, sir isaac always interrupting our kisses, Thomas being dramatic and a constant smile on both of our faces. We are both reluctant to leave, to start work again, but we pack our bags and return to our home, uncle already with a case ready for us to uncover.

@fangirling-again @kittycat2187 @goatahoan @city-of-fae @purplecreatorhorsewagon @boredbookwormgirl @goddess-of-writing-wars @lovecakeandmore @yikesitsmaddie @loveyatopluto @bookscressworth @androgynousdeputylawyershoe @fandomtakeover @throneoftsc @the-hoofflepooff

(Let me know if you want to be added to my tag list)

[famouskittychild]

Cheeky Mandos - Five: Coming home

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Word count: 2828

Summary: They’re coming home! They’re coming home... a visit to home and facing some important questions.

Rating: M

CW: multiple references to sexual activities, relationship talk, references to polyamory (OC's parents) and open relationships, some angst, pining

Author’s note: Lots of pick-and-choose world building here. I mostly disregard / am not familiar with Legends except for the language, I love languages ( *insert Penny loves steak* gif here) and there’s barely any canon/also am not very familiar with whatever there is so I made up what I would like mandos to be; which is a very open and egalitarian society with a focus on family that comes in many forms (and is sometimes a single person with five tookas, other times it’s your three buir’e, your five vod’e and about thirty cousins.). Din is so alone and his covert has (had? :( ) to fight so hard to survive, I gave my Armourer a big, loving family and a community that fared much better.

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Series: Prolouge - One - Two - Three - Four (NSFW Din/Cobb special)

Cheeky Mandos - Five: Coming home

**

When you get back to your covert, you leave Djarin behind as soon as politely possible. You need your friends, you need advice, and you need company that isn’t confusing you.

You find your friends at Thlolla’s place; they have small ones so the rest gather at their quarters, scattering in the kar’yai’s couches and on pillows on the floor. You commed them before you got back. They would’ve gathered anyways for the occasion that you came home, but your message made sure that everyone showed up for at least a little chat.

They know what it is all about, of course. They know you well enough. They saw the shiny armour. It’s easier than putting two and two together.

“It’s basically like putting one and one together” Tav winks at you, and Hill’it smacks their back.

“You are so bad at math, that’s the only thing you could ever calculate” and you all laugh at that because Tav is terrible with numbers.

All the couches and floor pillows are occupied as your friends and some of their families lounge around the karyai of Thlolla’s home. You stretch out on the soft rug, resting your limbs on as many people as you can. You missed them dearly. Jama, who has your left leg draped over his knee, rubs your calf before speaking.

“So. What is your problem, mate?”

He knows you the longest. You lived at the same covert from the time you were entrusted with your own rifles, moved three times, and only separated years later after you both went through your verd'goten. His clan is the reason you still have the same accent as him when you’re tired or angry: that was the first time you were around more people than your immediate family.

You let your thoughts linger on the past because it’s safer than the present. Or the future.

“No problem. Just the usual ‘I’m an idiot, innit’ situation.” You pause, and try to swallow your regrets. “When was I good with choices?”

There’s a collective sigh and rolling of eyes, but you can’t help to feel that way and voice it. All your friends have found their places a long time ago. Some on their own like Haika; others have families, some with children like Thlolla does, or with partners of some kind. Except you. To-Ran, Tav’s foundling, crawls over to you and leans against your chest. They have been formally adopted by their current clan only recently and probably feels you are in something of a similar situation. You squeeze their shoulders reassuringly.

“Let’s be honest, hun” Jama says, “Neither of us has the burden you do. We don’t have to vanish off to space for weeks at a time, or if we have to, we can work together.”

That is the crux of the matter. Unless you get with another Armourer, your professions would pull you apart.

“I’m just thinking… maybe it’s because I was alone for quite a while now. I just latched onto the first person that came along and stayed for a bit.”

Hill’it pulls up an eyebrow before answering.

“Maybe you need a friend so you won’t feel so alone.”

There are small ones in the room hence the careful wording, but the adults understand the added meaning. They offer friendship, yes, but the definition of that word can vary. You aren’t sure how outsiders do it exactly - you have met people who have definitely had a more stricter separation between friend, person to have feelings for, and person to have sex with, than your people do. But they didn’t seemed to navigate things any better, so you stick with what you know and what worked.

But your people, at least those you know closer, tends to deal with problems head-on. You can’t fight well if your thoughts linger on problems in your private lives. You were thought early on to face your doubts and fears and anything that could be a distraction - and how that includes feelings and libido too. How people have needs for emotions, attachments and intimacy, that those varies, each their own way and degree. And that these are some of the things that can spur people to make rush decisions the most. You and your friends watched others make those mistakes and made some yourselves too.

Life thought you that if you have people around to talk to and to hug and to trust, you wont jump on a stranger you’ve barely met and feel attracted in some way just to fulfil those needs. You can wait until you get to know them, until you actually want them for themselves, and not just for the feelings or the intimacy, emotional or physical.

*

Hil’it is a good partner, familiar and fun, and tonight, extra caring. You wake up together sometime way before dawn, and the worry must still be on your face.

“Rivets for your thoughts?”

You sigh, and try to gather said thoughts. You remind yourself at another hard learned lesson: talking about a problem is often half the way of solving them.

“I’m just wondering… “ you start, than your words stuck in your throat.

“..what if it works out?” Hil’it smirks at you, lips pulled into a lopsided grin as they rest their head on their arm. You furrow your brows in disapproval.

“No, don’t try to derail the conversation. What if I say something, or do… and he takes it as an offence?” You stop their objections before they could open their mouth fully. “I’m serious. He was sent on this… mission. From high up. Pissing him off can have political consequences.”

“You mean that he could take your advances the wrong way and exact vengeance on your clan, or even the entire covert?” They look at you with an eyebrow raised. Put it like that, you know that’s not very plausible. “We are talking about a vod who was basically ready to enter your service and accept any of your terms, after seeing you for the first time three minutes prior when you said ‘hey I’m a wandering armourer, I visit some coverts sometimes’ - all so he can reach more of our people.”

“Yeah… he won’t turn on us just because I make him feel a bit uncomfortable.”

“Not very likely.”

You nod, glad you managed to voice your worries.

They lean their forehead to yours, and you share a breath, the tradition as old as the Creed. Hil’it than tugs on your arm, pulling you closer onto their chest. You scoot over and snuggle up beside them with your back to them, their arms around you and resting their hands on your chest. You sleep much better until dawn.

*

Three of your buirs live at a smaller enclave some distance from the main hub of the covert. You go over to them for breakfast after Hil’it leaves for her job early. It’s only Tis-buir who’s up, as usual, pattering about in the kitchen making long breakfast just as you expected.

He pulls you close and touches your helmets together. He didn’t need to wear his helmet in his own home, or even his armour, and definitely not at this early hour, but he got into the habit since you became a Master. His set was forged before you were born and you’re grateful that he’s still around, together with your other buirs. Every time you get home, they seem to look older and older though. You wonder whether part of your panic about relationships comes from the dread that they might not be able to give their blessings to you.

“How are you doing, ad’ika?” he asks, and the way he says it is always with so much more meaning than people usually throw that question around. When Tis-buir asks it, he means it. He wants to know if you have any fears, if something bothers you, if there’s something that made you happy but don’t talk about it because you think it’s too insignificant to talk about. You hesitate, and that’s an answer in itself that he understands. “That bad, eh?”

He chuckles and steps away, back to the steamer. He checks the rice cooking there before turning back to you.

“What is it, cyare? Pirates? More beskar thieves? Or that stowaway getting in your way while you work?”

Your helmet is on so he can’t see your face, luckily, and you’re quick to deny anything.

“No, it’s not that. It’s something more… personal.” You could just end the conversation, like you often do when you don’t want to trouble your buir’e, but you came for advice. You nudge yourself mentally. Better to spit it out - it’s nothing to be ashamed about catching feelings after all. Your buir’e told their stories enough times to know they have no problem hearing about the topic.

“Oh. So, it’s about a special person. And they are.. an aruetii?” He asks, and he keeps his helmet on still, to allow you to do the same. As much as you’d like to see his face, it’s better this way.

“No, it’s… he follows the Creed too.” You admit, and your stomach is doing a flip. It’s entirely different talking to your family about this. With your friends, they’d just say their opinion and you can take it or leave it. With your aliit, you want their approval.

Tis-buir nods slowly, weighing your words. Then he reaches for his helmet and takes it off, placing it on the shelf near the counters that is there for this purpose. He leaves his scarf on, the handwoven fabric soft around his white hair and beard. You may take off your own helmet now, and you do that, placing it on the shelf beside his. You turn your snood down from your head and fold it back around your neck. He’s smiling at you.

“Shall I put two and two together, or…?”

“Why does everyone want to do math around me all of a sudden” you mutter under your breath, turning your face away in embarrassment.

“Because your friends and us know you well enough, Buy’ce’ka” he winks at you while stirring one of the pans; he knows you met your friends last evening. Using your childhood nickname brings a smile onto your face. You took into your head to became an armourer the moment you touched your first helmet. You wore it all the time even though you didn’t needed to and told everyone who would listen that one day you’ll be making buy’ce’se, helmets, yourself. Even some of the tutors called you that instead of your real name.

You go to help with breakfast. It’s not the usual simple fare but the multi course, heart-warming, belly-filling affair for a special day. You remember with a sudden pang how Djarin is probably having ration bars on his own in a sparse guest room, or maybe some porridge if he remembers to go to the communal dining hall. You somehow hope he has company, even if he is fine with solitude. You are too, but you have all these people to recharge with. How alone is he?

You almost burn the mushrooms while getting distracted. You focus back on the food, and as the house slowly stirs awake, the members of your family show up one by one and greet you over stirring pots and chopping vegetables. When all is ready, Tis-buir calls to table and you move everything into the karyai. The heart of every home where most of life happens - eating, living, receiving guests, defense during a battle - is a spacious room, and you only half fill it.

It’s only your three buir’e who live here now, and one of your vod’e lives next door. She comes over with her riduur and their usually grumpy teen who fails to hide how happy they are to see you. You don’t even make an attempt to hide anything and after touching foreheads, you pick them up and give them a hearty squeeze.

“Ba’vodu! I’m not a child anymore to just pick me up like that” they grumble after you put them back down, and you pat the top of their head.

“You’re going to need to grow a little more, vodu’ad.” You smile at them, but they suddenly go nervous.

“Are you going to come home to my verd'goten?” they say, face solemn and showing them older than they are. You see this often: the fears of a foundling, someone who lost their roots once already. The little things that a person born into a mandalorian family would never worry about rear their head in them, and you hug them close.

“Well that’s an unnecessary question. Why wouldn’t I?!”

They make you promise to come back, and you let them make a reminder of the date and time in the form of a holo message on the comm of your vambrace. You have made their first helmet years ago and they barely can hold themselves back for a few minutes before asking about the possibility of vambraces. Their new pair, forged to include pieces passed down at both side of their family’s, are hidden in the house, finished months ago, waiting for them to prove worthy to receive them.

You wouldn’t miss the occasion for the world. You’ve been there for all your vodu’ad’s, the children of your siblings; and even some of your younger cousins and unrelated ade in your clan. As you eat with your aliit, your thoughts go back to Djarin again. He must be missing that foundling he was responsible for. Who does he have for family? He mentioned some friends who helped him through bad times lately. You hope he’s on the comm with them right now, using the covert’s better equipment to reach them after having to do with what the Brick has for weeks.

*

You spend the day chatting, visiting the elder of your clan and more family, and one of the old warriors of the clan too, to receive her last blessings. She might still be alive the next time you visit home; she might not. You are thankful for being able to say goodbye to her. You visit the Forge last, and help out with whatever work needs doing with the other masters, until it’s time to leave for the dock.

You almost start to make excuses to prolong your stay before steeling yourself. Twenty-four hours, a standard day, that was the schedule you agreed on with Djarin. Unless he comms you that something came up on his end, you’ll leave in the evening.

*

The first thing you spot in the hangar is the shiny armour. That suit looks good at every angle, at any distance. Than you feel your ears flush when a little voice says in your head how that might be partially because the person under it makes it look good. You try to shove the thought to the back of your mind.

As you draw near, you can see he’s talking with your elder Thrilla. Your heart does a double-beat as all your thoughts from before come flushing back for a moment. No. They must be talking about his mission, not you. And he’s basically clan-less, or at least elder-less. It’s good to see him seeking the guidance of an elder too.

He’s standing in that hip-twisty way you’ve seen him do, with one hand on his belt. It’s a strangely relaxed and playful stance from a person who’s usually as focused and sombre as him. Thrilla glances up at you, the black of her visor glinting in the blue and green helmet. Than she shoos you away with a barely visible battle sign, turning back to Djarin. You’re a bit surprised, but make yourself scarce. Than you spot a grey head near the cargo ramp of the Brick. It’s Kad, Thrilla’s riduur and a mechanic who had helped to rebuild your ship. You go over to greet them before getting on with the preparations to leave.

This time you two will be away for longer and will travel further away. The trail to known coverts had dried up, and from now on you will be going by uncertain informations and rumours. You have experience in that, but the fact that he used to be a bounty hunter should help. You often spend days just trying to pinpoint which spaceport, which town, which mountain or cave or farmstead is the one you are looking for. You hope his expertise will help.

Your hopes are proven right. He reduces the hunting time to hours, and you scramble to finish preparing your tools and equipment.

“Nice job, hunter” you smile at him. His helmet turns towards you and he nods.

“You’re welcome, armourer” and you hear the smile in his voice too. Than you mentally chase away the butterflies that suddenly seem to have taken over your stomach.

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[sif-the-tsunami]

Of fathers and daughters

This is a Coffeehouse!AU with a one word prompt brumous (adj.) - of grey skies and winter days; filled with heavy clouds or fog for @its--fandom--darling​ 1000 follower celebration!

I don’t know when I’ll really feel like mixing up some word salad again so I’m throwing myself in this one. This is probably the last Henry piece I’ll work on for a while so, might as well, right? Henry takes his daughter to his favorite little coffeehouse and gets some help when he least expects it.

Warnings: talks about a very difficult pregnancy, PPD, and new parent struggles. aside from that, ITS SO FLUFFY YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!!! Also mom jokes, which are like dad jokes. But they cute you to the core.

Not beta’d: all you can eat typos.

“Hush, my darling. Lets give Mummy some time to nap, sweet girl.” Henry said in a soothing tone to the baby as she whimpered in discontentment. The infant was just so tiny as he held her against his warm chest. The diaper bag was on the handle of pram, a cozy blanket was readily available as was a snuggly puppy stuffy that looked just like Kal. A fan had hand stitched it for the growing family shortly after the Cavill clan announced the pregnancy.

The tiny manifestation of he and his wifes love for each other loudly protested her sudden change of scenery and cold air on her face as soon as they walked out the front door. The motion of the buggy seemed to calm her. “I know, my love, we wont be outside for long, I promise. We are just going to go see Auntie Sif. She’s just down the street.”

The sky was a dark grey as they trekked down the road to Henry’s favorite coffeehouse. It perfectly matched his mood for the afternoon. Being parents to a baby that after everything was said and done the doctor was even surprised made it full term had been emotionally taxing. Her umbilical chord had only one artery, and the increased hormones made his wife miserable practically as soon as implantation even happened. It started with an aversion to eggs and just got worse from there. 

They were both exhausted, but his wife definitely didn’t have the easiest time. If his love could cure what ailed her, there would be no bad days. But depression just doesn’t work like that.

Arriving at the coffeehouse, the warmth and laughter inside welcomed him. The smell of soup and the occasional notes of espresso greeted his soul. 

“Well hey there, stranger!” A bright voice called out from behind the counter. “Oooh, you brought my littlest sweetheart to see me! Where is Momma?”

“Hello, Sif. We are on a daddy-daughter adventure so Mummy can take a nap. My god does it smell good in here.” The tiny woman came up and hugged him hard. She then pivoted immediately to look at the pink wrapped baby laying down in the pram. 

“Good man, and it smells so good in here because I made your favorite soup today.” She said, smiling, her eyes teared up a little at the little girl wiggling.

“You didn’t even know I was coming.” He laughed. When they had gone to 

“You go take a seat, darlin’, I’ll get you set up. Your usual, right?” Her vaguely southern accent popped out when she was really happy. He looked around the space. Her husband was in the corner teaching a younger patron how to play Warhammer. He never remembered his name, but in his mind he called the red bearded man Thor. He looked up and waved at new dad.

“For coffee, yes. Can I get the soup and sandwich thing you make me?”

“Of course.” Moments later, Sif came out with a tray in one of her hands. She placed a steaming bowl of soup in front of him with a heel of a fresh baguette from a local bakery. The sandwich was so big he almost couldn’t wrap his lips around it. The latte was perfect, but like always, she made the foam look like a dick.

As soon he dug into the sandwich, his baby started screaming until her face was bright red. Henry tried everything, checked her wants, needs, but the crying continued. Before he could run through the mental checklist again, he looked up and saw Sif walking over. “Oh no, sweet girl, are you giving Daddy a hard time? How can I help, Hen?”

“I don’t know what she wants, her nappy is clean, she didn’t want the bottle.”

“Maybe she just needs a new view, can I hold her?” Henry nodded. “Alright, Chicken, come here. Daddy should be able to eat his lunch while it’s hot, right?”

“Did you just call my daughter a... a farm animal?” Henry asked between mouthfuls of soup.

“My Grammy used to call my sister Chicken and I was Chicken Little. I think it’s a Massachusetts thing. Or Irish, her grandmother used to call her Chicken too. I call my daughter it occasionally.” The woman stood up and started rocking back and forth and pacing a little. Soon the little girl was snuggled into her chest, perfectly content as long as she could see her daddy. In a smooth voice, almost musical, she rubbed the two month old’s back. “See, everything is alright. You just relax, my littlest sweetheart, that way my biggest sweetheart can take good care of you once he’s eaten. Yeah, does that sound like a good idea?”

Before long the baby drifted back to sleep so Sif leaned her back to hold her more comfortably, Thor walked up to his wife with his car keys in his hand, chuckling. “Before you get any ideas. No.”

“No, I know. I like my babies these days the way I like my library books, returnable.” His wife said. “Getting the wee shebeast from school? Drive safe, my love.”

Continuing to rock back and forth with the expertise of someone who has helped many babies fall asleep, Sif hummed gently. Henry finished his food as quickly as he could. “I appreciate how good you’ve been to us, Sif. The Missus loved the cookies you baked her.”

“I am happy to make her more whenever she wants them. You both have been far kinder to me than I could have ever hoped for. You told all your friends how much you liked our place and honestly that made a huge difference. I wouldn't have made some of the friends I have without you, and I can’t thank you enough for that. How is your wife doing?”

“Its been rough, but she’s been hanging in there.”

“Well, give both of you some grace. I know you will get a million people telling you that you should enjoy every minute because they are fleeting. And I’m sure you will get more people who will give you a hard time for not being grateful for every sleepless night. But I’m going to tell you this, as an unsolicited veteran parent to a new one, sometimes babies are hard. You don’t know each other yet and you don’t understand what the other wants. They have no idea of patience, or object permanence. Whenever something go wrong for the first, like, I don’t know, eight years of their lives, try to remember that it could very well be the worst thing that could have ever happened to them so they will react accordingly.” Sif gently stroked the soft hair on the babies head. Looking at the little angelic face in her arms, “So much hard work, so much heartbreak. But, if you do the right by her, you’ll make the world a little bit better. But you know that, you have nieces and nephews. You guys are doing great.”

Henry nodded taking the baby back into his arms. “Thank you, Sif.”

“I’m going to go package up some soup for Momma, give you guys one less thing to worry about tonight.” She said, squeezing his shoulder gently. She came back a few minutes later with a container with some supper for his wife. 

“We’ll see you soon, my friend.” Henry said, tired still but ready to go home. He leaned down and hugged the small woman. “We love you, thank you again.”

“Be safe, give Kal some love for me.” 

[if-you-built-yourself-a-myth]

Check Ignition: Part IX

That Sobbe fake-dating Hogwarts au that one person asked for and I dove into headfirst

First part // Previous part // Next part

This fic is wrapping up and I love writing longform, so send me your new requests! (or ideas for oneshots, I love those too)

Robbe was ashamed to admit many of the things that made his apartment home. Here it was, the truth of it: everything here was in some way tainted by sickness. He didn’t talk about it while he was at school. He didn’t talk about school while he was here. It made sense to keep the two lives distinctly separate, save from a few consolation sessions with Jens and the occasional fact for Sander.

He bumped his shoulders on the narrow doorframe as he lugged his trunk inside, his mother right behind him. In the entryway, on a tiny side table, three bottles of prescription medication waited their arrival. Each had a sticky note designating the time of next dose. Past that, the hall led straight to a kitchen at its end. Three rooms—two bedrooms, one bathroom—broke off before then. Their living room branched from the kitchen, big enough for a couch and a flatscreen TV as well as a small-ish Christmas tree.

This apartment worked in a way that his friends’ magic-filled homes did not. Sure, when his father was around, they never did the dishes manually or resorted to blankets when the heating went out, but it wasn’t what Jens had. Perhaps that was why Robbe did not see Jens much over the holidays.

Robbe crossed the threshold to his bedroom and dropped his things on his bed. His thoughts returned, as they were wont to do, to Sander. Sander must be all alone at Hogwarts right now. Robbe didn’t know what to make of him.

“It’s Christmas,” said Robbe aloud to jar himself from that rabbit trail. He put away everything that mattered. Scattered everything that didn’t across the floor. There, now it felt like his dormitory at school.

Against his better judgement, he scrawled out something on a scrap of paper. Maybe if he could contact Sander, things would make more sense. Or maybe he was stupid. Either way. A simple tracking spell, an open window, and it would zip its way to its recipient at Hogwarts. He doubted he’d get in trouble for such a simple use of underage magic.

Happy Christmas. Sorry you have to spend it alone. Yeah, it totally didn’t sound sarcastic.

Robbe let the message go. He watched it disappear over the London skyline, dancing above the twinkling lights of the city. This view had nothing on the view from Hogwarts. After that, he was exhausted from exams week. He curled up on his mattress—the sheets on this one were a nice touch—and went right to sleep. There was time for life to happen tomorrow, and he didn’t fancy making conversation with his mother so soon into their two weeks of forced proximity.

***

Robbe spent most of the next days hiding out in his bedroom. Jens took care of his required communication rather early in their separation; the owl arrived at Robbe’s window before lunchtime the second day: Robbe, my parents invited Jana for Christmas dinner. She'd going to be there. Please inform me of your plans as soon as possible, so I can join you instead. Not really. I honestly think we're going to get back together. Wow, it sounds dumb as I write it. Have a Happy Christmas, if I don't write again before then, and make sure you eat all your vegetables. Love, Jens. Robbe hastily scrawled a reply and sent it right back: Jens, I never have any plans. You can come whenever you want to. Love, Robbe.

Around dinnertime on the fourth day, Robbe walked back into the hallway and down to the kitchen, where his mother poured hot chocolate powder in two mugs. She dumped a can of soup into a pot and set it to simmer on the burner, stirring occasionally, while she microwaved a measuring cup of water. Something rammed into the window at full force, startling her into dropping her spoon.

She put a hand on her forehead as if checking for fever. “Robbe, what was that?”

“Owl, Mom,” said Robbe. He tried not to be frustrated with her. There was just so much on his plate, and he wasn’t supposed to be here, because he was supposed to be with Sander at school. If Sander was doing okay.

Robbe’s mother had never gotten the hang of a magical household. Robbe didn’t have the right to be bitter about it.

“Should I open the window?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

His mother slid the window open. A barn owl flapped into the apartment building, despite their landlord’s explicit animal-of-any-kind prohibition. It landed on top of their refrigerator and ruffled its brown and white feathers. Clutched in its beak was a folded piece of parchment, tied with a long twine thread, sealed with a stamp of red wax. Robbe recognized the owl from the Hogwarts owlery. They were general-use.

He jumped up to take the note. Jens did not usually send two owls in one day. Aaron’s owl was white.

“I’ll never get used to that,” said his mother as the owl flew back out the window. An alarm on her cell phone beeped several times. “Oh, pills. I’ll be right back.” She rushed into the foyer.

Robbe surveyed the apartment in her absence. A sprig of mistletoe hung over the space connecting the kitchen to the living room. Several wrapped presents rested beneath the tree, one or two with his name in brightened cursive that he could see from this far away. He spotted the special picture ornament he made for his mother when he was little, the photograph of her and him riding on a swing in a public park. They used to get along.

He looked down at the paper in his hands and broke the seal.

There were no words written. Only a telephone number. Jens and Aaron did not have phones in their houses; muggle technology was useless in areas permeated with magic. Moyo owned one for clout purposes, sometimes, and this could be him—except, he did not use the school’s owls if he could help it. He borrowed from Jens.

That left one person who might want to contact Robbe.

“Alright, soup,” said his mother, reentering the kitchen. “Tonight, I was thinking we should catch up on TV. Honestly, I don’t know how you survive without it at Hogwarts.”

“There are other things to do,” said Robbe.

“Maybe, but not as exciting.” She took the soup pot from the burner and poured it into two bowls, which she then carried into the living room. They stored a small folding table under the couch. She set it up like a coffee table and left their bowls there. If they had any class, they might have the money to afford something made of wood, at least.

“Can I actually—” Robbe began. He gestured to the phone number.

“You’re spending your quality time with me,” said his mother. She patted the spot beside her on the couch. “C’mon. I’ve been recording everything. Oh, hang on.” She waited until he sat down to lean over. “What’s been going on at school. Tell me all about it. You never write.”

“You never got used to owls.”

“That’s an awful reason.”

“Nothing important happens,” he assured her. “I’d write if it mattered.”

“Nothing? No one special?”

“No, Mom, nothing you’d want to hear about.”

“You know I don’t believe that,” she said. “Handsome boy like you.” But she sat back and turned on the television. Christmastime here was TV shows, silence, dancing around one another. This was why Robbe would’ve liked to stay on campus with Sander, when Sander still wanted him there. If Sander ever wanted him there. They watched three whole episodes of Call the Midwife without saying a single word to each other.

Robbe’s mother was a good person. He knew she was a good person. She tried so hard to be things for him, to be involved in his life. He understood her illness wasn’t her fault at a basic level. He understood that he was wrong to be angry about an innocent, poking question that any parent would have likely posed.

But there was a part of him missing that she couldn’t give back after she’d taken it. What kind of parent leaves their fourteen-year-old in the house to care for everything while she lies in bed all summer? What kind of parent—

There was someone special, there was Sander. Sander and his mother were apart because they needed to be, because school and home did not mix.

Robbe rose from the couch during the credits of the third and motioned apologetically to his mother. He pointed toward the bathroom. On the way there, he snatched her phone from the kitchen counter. His fingers shook as he dialed the number.

Someone picked up on the second ring. “I just got home,” said Robbe. He didn’t know why he felt so bad about not calling sooner.

“You got my letter,” said Sander. Robbe’s heart turned into a dozen origami butterflies. He tried to catch them in a net and stomp them underfoot.

“Owls are cool,” Robbe said.

“How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

“Good.”

“Good.”

The line went silent. Was that it? Did Sander send a whole-ass latter to hear Robbe’s voice for two seconds? Kind of romantic, yes, but it didn’t do anything to fix anything. Robbe couldn’t reconcile the way Sander spoke to him with the way Sander acted around him, the way Sander acted around other people.

This could have been their time. Two whole weeks of kissing, or whatever it was couples did went they were unsupervised.

“Listen,” said Sander. “I’ve been thinking.” His sentences took on a sort of pregnant quality, as if each contained multitudes more within it. Sander was fighting down dozens of others to say each one.

“About what?”

“About, um, you. I guess.” Sander cleared his throat. “You really liked me?”

“I guess so.”

“How is—how’s your mother?”

Robbe didn’t know where something like that would come from. “She’s fine for now. We’re watching Call the Midwife.”

Sander’s laugh sounded forced. “My mother likes that too. Is it… not good to be there?”

“Well, she hasn’t drowned me in a bathtub yet. You sound like you have something to say.”

“I was thinking we could just—talk.”

What the hell was this? “Sander,” said Robbe, doing his very best to sound like a prefect. “It was a Christmas card. If you have something to say—” He tried to channel the voice Jens used when he was disappointed after a Quidditch match, the kind of steely cool that could only come from a place of care. As it was, he knew Sander could hear the hope festering beneath his skin. He wants to tell me he loves me.

“I—I don’t have anything to say,” said Sander, but it was an obvious lie.

“Then I’ll hang up.” Robbe braced himself against the bathroom counter. Polished marble reflected his face almost as clearly as the mirror ahead. “I said I didn’t want to be friends. I can’t handle being friends yet.”

“No, don’t hang up.”

“Any more questions about Mom?”

Sander’s breath caught. “You don’t like me.”

“Not this again.”

“No, really, you don’t.” Sander spoke faster. “You said so. I don’t know, when it was fake, I thought—” He coughed. “I can’t go back to nothing.”

“I said I liked you,” said Robbe. “You don’t make any sense.”

“Yes, but—”

“Did you really send an owl back to talk me out of a crush? Or are you in love with my mom?”

“No, I—”

“Good.” Robbe knocked his toothbrush cup off the sink, sending it clattering to the floor. He heard his mother shifting around in the living room, poised to come check on him any minute. This conversation would have to end sooner rather than later. “I have to go. If you’ve still got something, spit it out.”

There were a few seconds of silence. Robbe could hear the beginnings of a sentence several times, nothing quite reaching the air.

“Okay,” he said. “Goodbye.” He tapped the end button. That might have been a little harsh, yes, but it was Christmas. The couch and Call the Midwife awaited. He rejoined his mother in the living room, leaving her cell phone plugged into its charger beside their toaster.

They watched another whole episode. It pained him to think of her loitering about the house while he was gone, rearranging the cabinets and recording television shows, even if he hated the thought of staying with her more. He didn’t get Sander’s interest… come to think of it, Sander was concerned about her during their make-out session in the workshop.

The phone started ringing.

“I’ve got it,” said Robbe, before his mother could get off the couch. This time, he took it all the way to his bedroom and locked the door to answer it.

Sander was quieter this time. “You called the number.”

“It would have been rude not to. You didn’t sign it. It could have been anybody.”

“You knew who it was.”

There wasn’t much to say to that, so Robbe waited instead of responding. Sander filled the gap after a while, in something even smaller than a whisper, something that sent shivers down Robbe’s spine. “I miss you.” A whistle sounded somewhere in the distance.

Too much. Ugh, why did Robbe think he could handle something like this? He did what he always did when Sander was involved: he was honest. “Look, you don’t make any sense to me. I hear from Noor that you’re head-over-heels in love with me, I hear from you that you’re back with Britt. Well, you’re not, so I’m hearing you’re a liar, too.” Robbe bit his lip to keep from getting choked up. “We barely even had anything, Sander, but I loved every second. You can’t keep pulling on my strings, okay? I can’t handle it.”

“I don’t mean to be pulling,” said Sander. Something ruffled against the receiver. “Your mother, though, she—”

“Good, then don’t bother calling again unless you have something new to tell me. Goodbye.” Robbe smashed the end button this time, scratching the screen protector with his nail. He promised himself he’d fix it later, provided no one got him trouble for his magical Christmas card to Sander.

Back into the living room. His mother lay down across all the cushions and monopolized the space. She pulled a crocheted blanket across her legs, her eyes glassy as she stared at the TV. Robbe flashed back to his worst year again—getting up for school and seeing her there, unmoving.

The last Christmas they spent together, her medication mixture made her violently ill at the slightest hint of indigestion. That could happen this year, it could. There was too much going on in Robbe’s life to deal with her right now.

They’d make blueberry pancakes together. She’d microwave soup for dinner. This was his life.

The phone screen lit up once more with an incoming call from the number as before. Robbe let it ring out. Another came. When he let that ring, another. He answered on Sander’s fifth attempt.

“Please don't hang up this time. Your mother is sick,” blurted Sander on the other end, almost as if he read Robbe’s mind. If his speech was unhinged earlier, now it was a runaway train. “She’s sick and you hate her and I’m sick so you’ll hate me. That was it.” He took a deep breath and the phone line crackled—Hogwarts wouldn’t have the best reception, would it? “I have liked you for forever, okay? That’s my something new.”

Wow. Okay. What the fuck.

“What?” managed Robbe.

“That’s what I needed to say. Before. You don’t like me because you can’t. It has to be over because it can’t ever happen.” Sander’s voice lowered. “I thought it might hurt you less if you knew. But I also can't sit around and pretend that nothing's wrong.”

Robbe rehashed every conversation they ever had in a second. He did not talk about his mother much in any of those—he tried to keep her out of it. She frustrated him to no end. Her stupid pills, the stupid genetics that doomed him to a future of dealing with the same problems, his stupid father walking out. If it wasn’t for her, everything would be fine. But he didn’t—he didn’t hate her.

Why would Sander think he hated her? What was going on?

The library, the offhand comment on Lexapro. The workshop, how he said he didn’t want to return to her because she’d ruin Christmas. The way he referred to her on his and Sander’s second astronomy tower rendezvous: “sick in the head.” Every little thought he had about her.

“It was always going to be like this,” said Sander. Wind blew against his end of the phone; Robbe had to strain to hear most of the words. “I thought when it was fake, it could be okay, because, well, you know, but then you kissed me and I just—There’s no hiding it forever, is there? It's got to come out.”

“What did you say about my mom?” Robbe demanded.

“I stopped it because it isn't what you want.”

More than that. Britt came to Robbe in the astronomy tower with a slip of paper and a warning of sorts—He isn’t going to tell you. And what had Willem said to his friends, when Sander was asleep the day after they kissed? Was that something that just happened? Were there times that Willem couldn’t wake Sander up?

Robbe knew what that meant. Britt’s voice echoed in his head. It’s hard to tell between what he wants and what’s a symptom. He’d thought it controlling at the time, and it was, but he also understood the feeling. When you loved someone, you wanted to keep them safe. Robbe was a certified idiot. Puzzle pieces falling into place.

Sander did not slow down. “You were going to stay here with me to avoid being there with her. But we’re the same. We’ve always been the same. It’s bipolar, Robbe, and it’s fine that you don’t want it. What matters is that I can’t live with nothing from you, okay? We can’t just not talk.”

Robbe’s hand went numb from gripping the phone so hard.

“I don’t want you to hate me. I don’t want you to hate me like you hate your mom.”

“I don’t hate my mom,” said Robbe. “I won’t hate you—don’t hate you.” He felt bewildered, standing in the middle of his living room, with this crisis happening a whole train ride away. What the fuck was going on? His mother raised her eyebrow at him from her position on the couch.

“You do, you said so. And you’d hate me. I didn’t want to upset you, I didn’t—” Something in the background blared, loud enough to mask the rest of Sander’s sentence. Wind? Rain?

“Where are you?” Robbe asked. Britt’s piece of paper—what did it say? He should have taken the time to set it aside, stupid stupid stupid—

“This was stupid,” said Sander, suddenly even more rushed. “I’m sorry. I should have sent another letter. I let Jens talk me into it—” Robbe waved his wand in the general direction of his bedroom—the Ministry of Magic could expel him for underage sorcery—and summoned Britt’s paper. Still a mess of cursive lines. Still blurry.

His mother made a face like, is everything okay? He nodded back.

“I’m putting too much on you,” Sander continued on the phone. “I don’t want to be another thing you have to worry about. That’s why it has to be over. We’re over. But I don’t want to never hear from you again. That’s not what I want.”

“Are you alright?” Robbe whispered.

“I’m fine. I’m, out--” Sander sounded a million miles away in a snowstorm. The end of the sentence got lost. "Moyo and Jens said you'd be here, and free, so...I'm in love with you. This is my something new." The line clicked dead, although Robbe couldn't tell if it was Sander's decision to end the call or fate had intervened. His arms dropped to his sides, the phone to the floor. Something sounded at the door to the apartment. A knock? Robbe remained rooted to the spot.

There wasn't a list he could put together for this situation. He did not hate his mother. Sometimes he hated her. He hated what her disorder did to her. He hated coming home and finding her somewhere, not doing anything, holding a glass of water without the will to bring it to her lips. He hated having to search all the cabinets for bowls when she reorganized their kitchen at three in the morning. Everything he said to Sander, he meant. Everything about her. That could be number one on the list. Number two, he loved Sander. Sometimes he convinced himself he didn't. He thought of his mother wasting away on their couch, lying about taking her pills, camping out on the bathroom floor during rough weeks. Home and school were supposed to be separate. He did not want to think of Sander throwing up blueberry pancakes after taking a handful of pills. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He needed time to think.

The knocking came again, harder. Robbe walked over as if in a dream, barely touching the floor. He vaguely remembered Jens saying something in his letter about visiting, though this seemed short notice. He only said yes to the proposition because he knew Jens would never actually make good on the offer. Robbe opened the door to Sander, hair ruffled, eyes wild. Fucking Sander. What the fuck. Sander's brown roots were more visible than the bleach blond, even though they did not seem to be any longer. He wore the same leather jacket as their first date wrapped tight around his shoulders. In one hand, he held Moyo's broomstick— Robbe could recognize it by the scrapes on the wood. He had the same look on his face that he had that night in the dormitories when he was drunk and reaching out for Robbe. This wasn't happening. What the hell was happening?

"We need to talk to each other," said Sander, without pause for breath. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about everything, and I'll ruin anything else, I know I will, but you have to tell me we can."

[imagine-loki]

Toxic

TITLE: Toxic

CHAPTER NO./ONE-SHOT: One-shot

AUTHOR: fanfictrashdump

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki loves telling everyone that he fears nothing and no one. Tony asks him to check in on Character, who has been in a pissy mood all week. Loki chuckles. “Oh, I fear no one, but I’m not suicidal.”

+

The first sign that Loki was a soft boy wasn’t anything big or particularly mushy. He stopped on the street and got down on one knee to help a boy whose laces had come undone and was struggling to do them up himself.

RATING: T

NOTES/WARNINGS: I entirely forgot about this one-shot in my drafts. I kinda lost steam with it and I decided to post it kind of unedited, so there should be errors and boring valleys galore! Language! Reference to suicide.

SUMMARY: Lily is usually a sweetheart, but there’s a bit of poison flowing through her veins, right now. Meanwhile, Loki has a short bout of good conscience. 

=

“Where are you going?”

Lily jumped, startled, immediately grimacing as her left shoulder smarted. Her arm was in a sling, having crash-landed onto it during a mission last week. The medic had said that she had likely torn one of the tendons in her rotator cuff, but that they would not be able to do anything about it until the swelling came down. Now, her whole arm lay useless in its cloth cradle while the other side bore the weight of bags and baskets.

“Um…,” she hesitated in her place, unsure as to why she was feeling a little like a schoolgirl caught out doing something she wasn’t supposed to. Well, maybe it was the fact that Stark had told her I don’t want you doing anything for the next month… “I was just going to the bodega. I’m out of snacks.”

“No.”

For a second, they stood in silence, staring each other down while she waited to see if there was going to be anything added to his sentiment. “That’s it?” He nodded, looking bored. “Yeah, I’m not a child. I’m going to the bodega.”

Loki groaned. “Lilian…”

“Not my name, dude.” She made the mistake of bumping into his shoulder with her injured side. On any other occasion, with any other human, it would have been no issue. Loki, however, seemed to be as dense as the center of a collapsing star, and though he barely swayed from his spot, she let out a sharp hiss and gritted her teeth painfully.

“You humans are so pathetically feeble, I swear,” he remarked, bending at the knees to gently prod at her shoulder. “Give me the list, I’ll collect your supplies.”

“No,” she replied, instantly, imitating his haughty tone, perfectly.

“Don’t be a child. I can go there and back faster than you can.”

Baby blues shot up and hardened at him. “What do you need? What leverage are you trying to get?” Loki frowned, tilting his head minutely to explore her incensed semblance. “You know what? I don’t care. I don’t need to be coddled. I can take care of myself just fine.”

“I didn't–”

“Leave me alone!” With the last shouted syllable, her veins glowed bright green and thorns seemed to sprout from every bit of her skin. Loki held his hands up in surrender, and took a step back for good measure.

With one last withering look, she skirted past his imposing form, and pressed the elevator call button. The doors opened almost instantly, and she slipped in, pressing the button for the ground floor. She did not expect, however, for the elevator to dip slightly under the weight of another person. Despite the fact that she had not seen Loki follow her to the hallway, he was standing there, silently, a few feet between them as they rode the elevator down in silence.

At the lobby, he waited for her to exit the car first, following like a spectre right after. They had made it half a block before Lily could no longer resist the urge to scream, and she turned on her heel to face a calm Loki.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Loki fought the smile creeping onto his lips for a bare minute. “Accompanying you. I thought that much was obvious.”

“I don’t. Need. A babysitter.”

“Never said you did, flower,” he riposted, off-handedly before he gestured her ahead.

Letting out a barely restrained groan, she stomped her way back down the street towards the bodega. Loki, for the most part, followed silently, gently fetching things from the top shelf that he knew she was trying to get to, crowding her side when other people got a little too close, generally treating her like she was a porcelain doll about to shatter.

It was annoying the shit out of her.

The bodega owner had barely reacted when she slammed her basket down and unpacked her groceries to pay for them. Her usually charming, chummy demeanor was extinct and replaced by a surly, snarled lip. Why would he be doing this? Was it just to drive home the point that he thought she was incompetent? Weak? Whatever it was, it was gnawing at her very soul and all she wanted to do was to go back to the tower and hide in her room until her shoulder had recovered.

Snatching her receipt from the bodega owner, she turned away from the counter. “Let’s get moving, Snakeb… Loki?” She glanced left and right, not finding him there, nor could she feel the heaviness of his presence anywhere around her. She glanced out the glass doors and found her missing demigod on the sidewalk. A child of about five or six, who was clearly waiting for his mother to get through with her transaction at the bodega, stood still with a gentle smile. Loki was down on one knee, equally easy grin on his face with a shoelace in either hand.

“I’ll show you again. Pay close attention, alright?” He pulled the strings up taut and made two loops. “Around the trunk of Yggdrasil, the little rabbits go, they twine around the knitted roots and sink deep down below. After they have had their fun they jump up to spring free, but every part of their spirit’s tied to the Great Tree,” he singsonged, knotting the laces easily. “Got that?”

The child nodded, giggling before going off with his mother who was looking at Loki a little too hard to be comfortable.

Loki glanced up, sensing Lily staring and offered her a smile she didn’t return. “Are you ready?”

“You taught him how to tie his shoes.”

He brushed aside her prickly tone, unbothered. “Yes… is that a crime, now?”

“Why?”

“He didn’t know how.” He shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“I thought you didn’t like weak things.”

“You know, at some point you’re going to have to tell me why you’re so cross at me.” He snapped, finally, though he didn’t look angry. Disappointed, maybe? Sometimes it was damn near impossible to place any emotion on his face that wasn’t blind rage.

“I heard you talking to Tony, OK? When I was taken to the medbay, she snapped back with double the fervor.

Loki sighed, counting backwards from ten. He was fond of the mutant and he didn’t want to frighten her by barking at her, as he would anyone else. "Despite what you might think, that doesn’t help explain anything.”

“You told Tony I was weak and didn’t belong in the field!” She shrieked, pushing her index finger into his chest. It hurt her more than it did him, but it was a matter of principle.

“No. I told him it was stupid to send you out to the field to somewhere you’d become weak. Foot-thick steel walls zap your energy and I warned him repeatedly about the repercussions. You got hurt because of it.”

Her anger sputtered and idled at the clarification. “You were looking out for me…?”

Loki laughed, a little mirthlessly. “Imagine that,” he replied, sarcastically. He reached out for her basket, carrying the snack-laden vessel himself to give his hands something to do as he marched stoically down the street. People seemed to sense his mood, as they all parted like the Red Sea for him, though they barely allowed her enough space to squeeze through. Glancing backwards, he caught her eye, slowing his pace considerably to allow her to catch up.

“But… you hate me.”

A little notch formed between his brows as he considered her closely. “When have I ever said that? You’re my friend. I don’t make friends with people I hate… Or people… Or make friends, in general, so you should count yourself very bloody lucky.”

Lily shuffled uncomfortably where she stood, and Loki could have sworn there was a flash of a shadow over features, but it was gone a moment after.

“Can we go back or are you going to stand here and glare at me some more?” He joked easily, gesturing down the street with his chin. The mood seemed to lighten, instantly. He didn’t pay her transient anger any mind.

Perhaps he should have.

The Tower was tense, to put it simply. Laughter, which was commonplace whenever the team was home, was nothing more than a distant memory. It seemed like every little noise and movement set off a chain reaction of unpleasantness from what was usually their most pleasant resident. No one had really expected this side effect. After all, when the mutant decided to tell Tony her secret after having worked for him for five years, she assured that she had it well under control. And it was. Her abilities were second nature at this point. Of course, the pressures of battle are something else, entirely, and little quirks popped up just as little quirks are wont to do.

And pop up, they did.

The first time it happened, the team had come back from mission somewhere in the South Pacific. They were all tired and sun-baked enough that if they never saw the great wide ocean ever again, it would be too soon. Heroes all piled into the kitchen with far too many containers of Chinese food, chatting in quiet hushed tones to give their raw throats and over-sensitive ears a chance to rest.

In the far end of the kitchen, Lily stood on her tip toes. Her small frame strained to reach a mug at the very top of the cabinet so she could make herself some tea. Steve, helpful and gentlemanly as ever, rested a hand on the small of her back to signal her that he was there. Reaching above her, he easily grasped the mug, offering her the handle with a dazzling smile.

Usually, she would beam up at the soldier and give his hand a squeeze. Today, her eyes narrowed dangerously. “What, do you think I can’t fucking get a mug now, Rogers?” She snapped, and the soft murmur of the room cut out immediately.

As if in slow motion, they whole team craned their necks over to where the pair stood. Steve had frozen in well-placed shock, mouth opening and closing to grasp for an appropriate apology that he couldn’t understand why he owed. Guilt flashed for but a second across Lily’s features before she cracked her neck awkwardly. Her veins, which would glow a bright green only when using her abilities, pulsed a sludgy brown. She had barely mumbled an apology before going off to hide in her bedroom.

That first encounter had been the mildest, by far.

No one had any idea how to remedy the situation. After all, Lily was usually such a bundle of bright, brilliant energy. She was the one who would always wake up to make breakfast for the group, leave them flowers, bake cookies when one of them seemed sad–she was not a dark, angry entity that yelled at her fellow teammates. Or snarled at anyone for entirely arbitrary reasons (that was Loki’s job, after all). The attitude usually waned after a few days and she’d be back to her bubbly self, which was all the more terrifying.

Right now, however, they were in a dark period.

“Are you truly using a children’s game as a selection tool for whom has to go disturb the plant witch from her self-imposed exile?” Loki asked, a little smugly as he happened upon Natasha and Tony playing Rock, Paper, Scissors to take Lily her new uniform. “You’re pathetic.”

“Don’t act like the sudden goth girl phase isn’t weird. I can tell she scares you,” Nat quipped, rolling her eyes.

Loki gave her a withering stare, looking smug as he circled her in a predatory manner that annoyed the hell out of her. “I fear no one and nothing, Miss Romanov.”

Tony snorted, before a glimmer in his eye sparked and left Loki looking weary. “OK, great. How about you go take this to her, then?” Tony held the bundle for Loki to take.

Loki chuckled, knowing full well the terror that the woman could inflict if provoked. “I said I feared nothing. I didn’t say I was suicidal.” He considered a little longer. “Well, not anymore, anyway.” Tony frowned, making a mental note to follow up at a later date.

“Come on! You two seem to be all buddy-buddy the rest of the time, anyway. Why don’t you just look in on her?”

The god rolled his eyes. “Has it ever occurred to you idiots that perhaps she’s protecting us and not herself when she locks herself away?”

“You are absolutely no help. Fine, Nat–” Tony turned around, sweeping his gaze left and right. “Nat? Where the hell did Nat go?” Frowning, he turned back around to glance at Loki and, instead, found himself alone. “Yeah! Great! Let's… er… regroup later! Good… talk…”

=

Loki sat at the kitchen table, poking at the, frankly disgusting, plate of eggs and bacon that Bruce had genuinely put all his effort into making for the crew. Glancing around the table, he found a sea of faces with the same sad expression. They all definitely longed for Lily’s pancakes and bacon breakfasts right about then. Loki was the only one who wasn’t even making an effort to be polite and put down some of the meal down his gullet. He had eaten some pretty grim things in his life, but he was not about to make that conscious decision when he wasn’t under any type of duress.

“It’s been two weeks, Tony,” Clint quipped, oddly undisturbed by the state of breakfast and munching full speed ahead. “She’s never been dark for this long.”

“I know. Is this you volunteering?”

“Last time I volunteered, I nearly got impaled on barbed thorns the size of my arm. I barely made it out without looking like Swiss cheese.”

“Barbs?” Loki asked, tilting his head curiously.

Clint nodded, eyes widening. “Yep. Big ones.”

Tony caught the whiff of an idea brewing in Loki’s mind. “Why? What are you thinking, Reindeer Games?”

Loki frowned, waving off the interest. “Nothing. Making a rather satisfying image in my head,” he replied, earning him a dark look from Clint and an annoyed sigh from the rest of the table. It wouldn’t do well to get their hopes up, after all.

After breakfast, Loki found himself pacing the corridor of their living quarters. Lily was only a few doors down and had not seen much of anyone in the whole two weeks since they had gotten back from mission. His brain continually told him that there was nothing he could do, no way for him to remedy this situation. That whatever this state of being was, he would only make it worse. It was better if he just went back to his room and waited for her to seek him out.

And yet, there was a small little voice in the back of his mind, his conscience, he would begrudgingly admit, that urged him to knock on her door.

She would go to the ends of the earth for you, if you needed it, it soothed.

The thought sparked images of the annoyingly sweet woman keeping his handful of secrets and being genuinely interested in his life. He could admit that his conscience was speaking the truth, but only because he knew the imp had little in the way of common sense and self-preservation. This was not the creature hissing at them all from across the threshold, though. And, why would he willingly put himself in the line of fire?

Out of the corner of his eye, a figure caught his attention. A vase of flowers on the windowsill, one of her creations. They were no longer the fresh white daisies they had been when they were placed there. Now they looked like some sort of Nightshade and he was certain they were not the nice kind.

“Oh, you fucking bleeding heart,” he ground out with a groan just as his conscience won out. Without allowing himself time to think or change his mind, he pounded his fist on her door. “Open up or I’ll break it down, Lilian.”

“Fuck off, popsicle!” Her voice was rough and shuddering, like she was trying very hard to keep everything out–or herself in.

Loki swallowed at the venomous retort that brewed at the tip of his tongue on its own accord. Being the bigger person was never quite his forte (nor did it ever get him good results), but he was able to reign himself back in. Rolling his eyes, Loki placed his hand on the door, letting the golden glow of magic envelop it before a satisfactory click let him know that it was open. He had barely crossed the threshold when he jumped back with a yelp.

On the floor, where flowers usually formed a dense, soft carpet, were twisting brambles and thorns. Flytraps and pitcher plants lined the walls, all too large to be considered just houseplants, and blooms burst open, letting out plumes of pollen that Loki dared not to breathe.

This was definitely worse than what he was expecting.

His eyes tore away from the dark forest with a little effort. “Lily,” he tutted softly, watching the woman tucked into a tight ball, tears leaking from her tightly lidded eyes.

It should have been obvious to him. Every living creature had a defense mechanism. Predators had their teeth, prey had their speed, and plants had adapted in similar fashion. Thorns, barbs, poison, giant vats of acid–they had made sure that their lineages survived. It stood to reason that Lily’s mutation, tired of the fighting and the constant worry of missions would also develop some dark effect. Since she wasn’t allowing herself to be dry and acerbic to her friends, her biology had found an alternate solution.

He should have thought of it before.

“Gods, how much pain are you in?” He asked, kneeling beside her on the bed. He ignored the spines digging into his trousers from where he walked through some cacti. There was no response, but rather a whimper and a sigh. “Flower, look at me.”

“Leave me alone, you self-aggrandizing asshole,” she growled, not bothering to open her eyes.

The corner of his mouth twitched, even as he pushed her hair out of her scowling face. It had gone from a bright silver to a dark, smoky grey. “You forgot self-serving and maddeningly good looking.”

“You’re not funny.”

“Agree to disagree.” At his touch her skin erupted in prickers as though they were goosebumps. He swallowed the hiss at getting his fingers skewered, blood pooling at the tips.

Lily’s fists flew in his direction, though he easily caught them in one hand. This time the groan of pain wasn’t silent and blood trickled down his wrists from his palms. “Stop it! Don’t touch me! FRIDAY, he’s hurting me!”

“Disregard that, FRIDAY. Lily, I swear–” She struggled in his grasp, eyes opening and flashing pitch black at him. He was shocked enough that he released her wrists. Her nails grew into sharp wooden talons and just as she reared back to swipe at him, Loki had enough sense to lay his hand on her temple and command, “Sleep.” Her body stiffened and slumped down a second later. “That bloody stings,” he complained, letting her rest back on the bed and bringing the covers over her oddly cool skin.

Loki couldn’t help but compulsively stroke his fingers through her hair, eyebrows pulled together in concern. For all his knowledge of magic and aliens and different realms, he could not figure out for the life of him how to soothe the poison threatening to consume her. In her slumber, she whimpered, shuffling closer to the gentle heat that radiated off of him in waves. Loki convinced himself that he was allowed to dote on her, so long as she wasn’t conscious to remember it. The sludgy brown lines going up and down her exposed skin lightened somewhat under his careful evaluation. Enough that he did not feel threatened when he tapped at her temple and took the sleeping spell off.

He offered a small smile when her eyes blinked up at him in confusion. They were back to their normal baby blue, though her hair still resembled plumes of smoke. “Easy,” he whispered as she jerked away from his touch, all at once. Instead of a hiss or an insult, she frowned, settling back to rest against the pillows, body barely brushing against his. “You’re safe.”

Lily nodded, breathing deeply. This time she didn’t hesitate when he brushed his fingers over her hair. “What are you doing?”

“Tending the garden.”

She rolled her eyes, exasperated. “I’m not a garden.”

“Yeah, you are. A few brambles and prickles here and there. Nothing a good prune and a hug won’t fix.” He used his index finger to lift her chin, having essentially buried herself into one of her pillows, cheeks burning. “You don’t have to keep us safe, flower. Sometimes, you’ll need to vent all that ill will and it is not up to you to avoid that.”

“Says the frost giant masquerading as an Asgardian.”

Loki let out a bark of laughter. “I think I liked you more unconscious.” Sadness flashed through her features, eyes downcast. “I was joking. You know I was.”

Lily nodded and the two fell into a tense silence for a long while. The mutant had sat up, fidgeting with her hands on her lap while Loki watched her, expectantly. He wouldn’t press her, of course, but he could tell that there was something on her mind that she wanted to get out in the open. When she didn’t say anything, he simply placed his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“I’m scared,” she blurted out.

“Well, you’re very scary so that makes sense.” The look she gave him told him that was not the answer she wanted and before she could look even more dejected, he added. “And that’s good. You’re powerful. You should be scary. Scary keeps you safe. Fear is a great motivator.”

Loki was starting to panic. It didn’t seem like any of what he was saying was helping her, though it was possibly the most honest and candid he had ever been. If anything, the quickly gathering tears in her eyes told him that he was making it leaps and bounds worse. Shouldn’t she be ecstatic that she could make anyone bend to their will by looking a little ominous? She certainly had the whole of the Avengers acting like she was some sort of displeased deity.

Except she wasn’t. She was gentle and giving and cared. It was becoming very apparent that this was her own personal hell.

“I don’t fear you,” he muttered, brushing hair away from her face. This time there were no barbs to prick him. “And honestly, the rest of these idiots don’t, either. They’re just worried for you.”

“I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Maybe because there’s nothing to fix. I’m guessing that with a little training you can learn to use… whatever the hell this is to your advantage.” His mouth twitched in a small smile. “Sometimes you must learn to embrace the darkness, dear.”

Lily was quiet for another long while, picking at her nails while she thought hard. “Loki?”

“Yes, pet?”

“Can I have a hug if I promise not to tell anyone?”

Loki barked out a laugh, pulling Lily into his arms and squeezing her tightly. “I don’t give a shit if you tell anyone. They probably won’t believe you, anyway,” he murmured into her hair, noting the soot-like material that clung to his fingers as he stroked her hair, turning it back to silver. “Don’t suppose you know if this is dangerous or not?” Lily shook her head against his chest. “Of course you don’t. Why would you?” The mutant giggled against him when he squeezed her a little tighter.

“Loki?” The Prince hummed his recognition against her crown. “Thank you for being a good friend.”

It took Loki supreme effort to blink away the tears that for some reason had sparked to his eyes, unbidden, at the sentiment. “It is my distinct honor, flower.” Comfortable silence filled the room for a moment longer. “I also couldn’t take Bruce’s cooking for another day.”

Lily scoffed, pushing away from his chest with a glare. “Why? Why do you ruin it?”

“Have you met me? Come on!”

“I hate you. Next time I’m poisoning you,” she whined, pulling Loki after her.

“Where are we going?”

“I can tell you haven’t eaten because you’re a child. We’re going to the kitchen.”

Loki grinned, following dutifully after her, as if the imp had any physical means to drag him anywhere. “Do I get pancakes?”

“No!”

“Please?”

“…fine.”

[breanime]

How are you doing lovely? "Why wasn't I invited?" With my sweet Angel Reyes please?

Angel Reyes was a lot of things. He was reckless, and careless, and loyal, and loving, and frustrating, and confident, and unsure and just… A lot. And the more you got to know him, the more time you spent together, you realized something else, too.

He was your soulmate.

You’d never been so in love with a person before, never cared this much about someone else—

—you’d never been so irritated by another human being before.

“Por favor, mi dulce,” Angel said, following you around the house as you packed, “You don’t have to leave, alright? I’ll leave…”

“I need a break,” you said, stuffing a pair of sweatpants into your duffle bag. You glanced back at Angel, and your heart almost stopped. He looked like he was about to cry. “Not from you, mi amor,” you clarified, going over to him and putting your hands on his firm chest, “just from… this house. Just for a day or two. I’ll be back.”

He covered one of your hands with his—the one that was over his heart. “If that’s what you need,” he said, his voice and eyes soft, “I just… Lemme at least drop you off, okay?”

You smiled, nodding. “Thanks, baby.” You kissed him, trying to let him know from that small gesture that you loved him, and you just needed some space.

Angel dropped you off at your best friend’s house, lecturing her—a mother of three—on what a pregnant woman such as yourself needed to eat before being shooed away. The kids were at their Dad’s, so you and your friend stayed up watching movies and talking—which was fun…

…but by the 4th film, you were starting to miss Angel.

Everything you saw reminded you of him: the way the dashing rogue in the movie charmed the reluctant heroine into loving him reminded you of when you and Angel first started dating. The pile of toys haphazardly thrown in the corner reminded you of how excited Angel was to be having a child with you, how almost every day he came home with a new set of toys or clothes or tiny baby shoes (and a custom onesie that said “My Papi is A Mayan, and My Mommy is A Babe”). Even the freaking couch cushions—which you were holding onto in place of Angel—reminded you of the safety and security of his arms.

“Damn girl,” your friend said, coming into the living room with a bowl of mangoes, “It hasn’t even been a full 12 hours and look at you. Pathetic.”

“What?” You said, taking a mango from the bowl. “How am I pathetic?”

“Just look at yourself,” she countered, plopping down next to you, “You look like you’re about to start dry humping my pillow and calling it ‘Angel’…”

You laughed, throwing your head back. Truth be told—she wasn’t far off. “He’s been on my heels all week,” you admitted, wiping your chin as you bit into the ripe fruit, “but now that I’ve had a few hours away from him… I miss him.”

“Oh my God,” she rolled her eyes, standing up, “Your love disgusts me.”

You laughed again, turning back to the TV as she walked off. She came back a few moments later with your duffle bag in her hands.

“Come on,” she grinned, “Let’s get you back to your baby daddy…”

Twenty minutes later, you were pulling up to your driveway. There were a couple of bikes parked outside, and you knew Angel’s brothers were there to keep him company. You grinned. You were in love with a softie. You thanked your friend for the ride, took your duffle bag, and headed to the door. When you walked in, you saw…

…a spa day?

Coco was sitting on the floor getting his hair braided by Letty, who was on the couch and wearing a face mask. EZ was also wearing a face mask, and he and Gilly were drinking what you assumed were mojitos and arguing about the pros and cons of natural births. Bishop was taking a nap on the other couch, covered in a blanket with a half-eaten plate of fruits on his stomach while Taza and Riz were walking to the bathroom. You caught their backs, and saw that they both had hair masks and were probably about to go and wash them out. Angel, however, was nowhere to be found.

“Hey,” EZ said, turning to you with a grin, “I thought you were at your friend’s.” He got up and walked towards you.

“I was,” you said, letting him take your bag, “but then I wanted to come home, so… What the hell are you guys doing?”

“We’re having a relaxing day in,” Bish said, his eyes still closed.

“Your man was being a real pussy about you taking some time for yourself,” Coco said, “so we came over to show him how to chill.”

“Ooh, Y/N,” Letty turned to you, “Can I braid your hair next?”

“Uh, sure… Where’s Angel?” You asked.

“Back room,” EZ reported, fanning his face so his mask didn’t crack, “with Pops.”

“Felipe is here?” You asked, walking towards the back. You hadn’t seen his truck. You turned the corner, and you heard your father-in-law’s deep voice.

“I was afraid, too,” Felipe was saying, and you stopped to listen, “when your mother told me we were going to have a kid. But when I first saw you… I knew that there wouldn’t be anything in the world more precious or important to me than you.”

“I just wanna be good, Pop,” you heard Angel say, “Y/N is so perfect, I just want to be the best husband and father I can be, but… What if my best isn’t good enough?”

“It is, son,” Felipe assured him.

“Yeah, but what if it’s not? What if I can’t provide for them or love them right?”

“Hey,” you heard the soft sounds of Felipe’s footsteps, and you knew he was standing close to Angel, “let me tell you something, son. That girl loves you. She loves you like Marisol loved me. And that baby inside of her is going to love you, too. I know I wasn’t the perfect father or the best example, but I love you and your brother more than anything in this world, and I know you’re going to be a good father, Angel.”

There was silence, and then you heard Angel’s soft voice. “Thanks, Pop…”

You smiled; your heart full. You loved Angel so much. Clearing your throat, you walked in the room. “What’s going on in here?” You asked. “And why wasn't I invited?"

“Baby!” Angel greeted you with a hug, and you melted in his arms. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” you put your hand over your stomach, “I just missed my family.”

Angel’s answering grin was beautiful. You moved away and greeted Felipe, who pressed a chaste kiss to your forehead before walking off. “Leticia said she wants to give me a ‘cucumber treatment’,” he said, “so I guess I’ll go see what the hell that is…”

Angel hugged you again, kissing the top of your head. “You missed us?” He asked.

“I missed you,” you replied, “We missed you.” You stepped up and kissed him, and you could feel Angel’s smile against your lips.

“If I would have known you were coming back home so soon, I wouldn’t have invited the guys over,” he said.

“Nah, I like this whole spa day thing,” you said, taking his hand and leading him back to the living room, “I didn’t know you guys had it in you.”

“Give it a few hours, baby,” Angel grabbed your hips and pulled you back towards him, “and I’m gonna be in you.”

You laughed—you did that a lot with Angel: laugh. For the rest of the day, you and the guys and Letty enjoyed a relaxing day in. You ended up calling your best friend over, and she stayed most of the day before disappearing with Coco.

“We’re gonna have to unpack that later,” you whispered to Angel as he gave you a foot massage.

“What’s to unpack?” He said back. “Coco’s been trying to hit that since our wedding day.”

“You lie!”

“Nah, I’m forreal—ain’t that right, Letty?” Angel called.

You giggled, leaning back into the couch and engaging in gossip with your guys (and Letty). As the night went on and people started to leave (a well-rested Bishop was the first to go, followed by Taza and Riz who couldn’t stop tossing their hair), you couldn’t help but be grateful for all that you had. It was a lot, of course, but you loved it all. And as you leaned against Angel’s shoulder, laughing as EZ and Felipe compared who’s face was now softer on their way out, you looked up at your soulmate, and saw the swirl of emotions in his dark eyes. But that was Angel—he was a contradiction, he was a mess, he was perfect…

He was yours.

And you couldn’t be happier to be carrying his child.

*******************************************************************************************

GAWD, I love Angel. Thanks for reading! Tag yourself, I’m the best friend. 

Everything Taglist: @encounterthepast @jigsawlover10 @gollyderek  @charlylama @realduckvader @teacuplotus @whovianayesha  @lexxierave @loveintheroyalfamily  @fanfictionrecommendations-com  @maxslime-blog @songforhema @lucielandss @themadhatter92  @christinawxxx @anabella-baby @blackcoffeeandgreenteaforme @luminex3 @ashkuuuu @luckysstrikes @carlaangel86 @floralpeaceofmind @dylanobrusso @iaintnofurry  @ymariejp @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @mrsjaxtellerfan @holamor @drinix @rhabakoli @stories-you-wont-hear @king4thesirens @leahnicole1219 @evanlys19  @binbons-is-theloml @aikeia @bitch-imma-head-out​  @witchygagirl @geeksareunique @sparrows-books  @nyxxnoxx

Mayans MC Taglist: @vicmackeybullshxt  @glorified-angl @ben-c-group-therapy

[rosenmarille]

First of all: that One Day bit is quality content. Second of all I read "3.5 for Holly" and am Highly Interested

HI yes! i will explain, however i first have to correct myself. its actually a part 2.5, not 3.5. like i mentioned in the other post, the part is called “heart unbound”, this is about 25 years after battle tendency, when holly is in her early 20s!!

the rest of this im gonna put under the cut

so the setting. joseph (43), suzie, and holly (21) live in new york, smokey is in georgia, lisa lisa (75) is Somewhere in the states, erina and speedwagon have passed away (sad). its 1963! the speedwagon foundation has continued expanding, with joseph and lisa lisa closely involved after speedwagons death. they’ve mostly moved their attention into new territory, but still have all their old research kept. stands aren't a thing yeeet, but its been long enough that the pillarmen have faded into unpleasant memory.

until one night the power at the swf hq goes out for just a moment too long, and santana manages to escape.

joseph and lisa lisa are contacted asap, and they decide to travel down to texas and find him (preferably take him out for good this time). holly, who has grown up hearing about jojo’s wild escapades, really wants to come along. she knows some hamon! she can defend herself! come on!! (yes i said it, holly learned hamon, do you think having lisa lisa for a grandmother would result in anything less?) anyway, joseph and lisa lisa Really don't want her to come since it could be really dangerous and they'd rather not put her in harm’s way.

so holly (rich, unsupervised) books a plane and goes after them.

we skip to texas!! joseph and lisa lisa investigate at hq and the surrounding area and find practically no trace of santana or where he might have gone. when holly arrives, she decides that since she can't look into hq without getting caught, she’ll ask around with locals, and manages to hear rumours about a new sort of cryptid (only appears at night, weird anatomy etc), both cattle and people have been disappearing, but on a very small scale. she looks into similar stories and realizes that santana must be moving south, though what he's planning, she doesn't know. but she will follow!! (and leave breadcrumbs for her family to pick up on this pattern too, she guesses. not so helpless now, huh?)

so this goes for a while, taking her down into mexico, until she is pretty sure that she can triangulate the missing people reports accurately enough to actually Find him. holly isnt stupid, she doesnt think she can win in a battle against a pillarman. what she’s hoping to do is prove herself to joseph and lisa lisa by prepping and helping out enough for them to then take care of the problem. she's an adult now and she doesnt appreciate being treated like a child. (you may say this contradicts how she behaved towards joseph in part 3, but to that i counter: she's in her 40s in that one, and her being an adult is established enough that she knows she can act a lil silli without that being put in question)

but hey!! she does find him!! she decides to stalk him for a bit, see what he does. so she happens to be there when santana attacks a young woman (midnight snack), who pulls a KNIFE instead of running away, so Holly rushes in and deflects an attack with a quick hamon swipe. santana has learned from his previous hamon encounter and instead of sticking around, he decides it isn't worth it and absconds instead (smart). (at this point you might notice this is the first fight of the part. yeah it be like that in this one. call it battle untendency) 

holly and the woman (who later introduces herself as Maria (no last name yet; but named after Maria Maria by Santana (lol)) also get out of dodge and hide out in an alley, where maria decides that she needs to know what the fuck that Thing was, yesterday. magic?? sparkling?? hello??? and hollys like uhh hah yes so. that's an ancient semi immortal vampire creature? and this is sunlight breathing magic, which he's allergic to. yea. and maria is like ................yeah okay i buy it. teach me sunlight breathing magic, i wanna come.

maria side paragraph! she's our oc and we love her. remember that awful scene from the santana arc with all those prisoners and the one kid who doesn't get sacrificed? that's her older brother. he was “let go” but “let go” basically did just mean “free to wander the desert and find civilisation maybe”, so when he did eventually find his way back home, he'd been severely traumatized, plus on death's door. other prisoners had been turned into vampires to test on the pillarman discovery, so the word “vampire” is something he'd have heard and conveyed to his family, who didn’t. really believe him. he also hasn't really recovered from that experience :( then the war happened and maria's dad served in it, and afterwards decided that his other child needed to know how to defend herself, and maria learned how to handle a knife, as well as how to physically fight. their family managed to avoid post war financial problems for the most part, and maria was able to finish her studies! she's a pilot :)  she is, however, harbouring very deep anger and resentment for what happened to her brother, and has not really had a face to direct that anger towards, so it's been on a relatively low burner for the most part, but now there’s talk of vampires and a person she can blame for her family’s trauma.

they exchange notes and she realizes that yeahh, that is pretty much exactly what her brother had told them, so it was true. hah :) yes actually, i would like to learn vampire killing magic please holly. and holly, who didn't really want to bring someone with her, but kind of does believe in accidents not being a thing, decides that yeah, she probably should bring maria along. and sure!! if they have to deal with sanata again, why not teach her hamon!! they share stories and continue to follow the trail while they train together, and become really close friends! jobro time.

we've now reached the first third of the story.

we travel further south!! soon, holly begins to realize......... ohh..... the temple they found santana in.. that's south of here, isn't it? oh huh. what could he want there?? the masks have been destroyed as far as she knows?? she doesn't know enough first hand to know what significance there could be, but the girls prepare for anything. maybe a big weapon the researchers had not been able to identify?? MOre pillarmen, secretly living underneath the temple??? 

(there are gonna be some scenes that involve lisa lisa and joseph figuring out where they need to go, and maybe also realizing who set that trail, maybe they have smth else going on, who knows) 

holly and maria follow santana and eventually do find the temple, and prepare to stake it out, hopefully hopefully not alerting him to their presence, because that would be.........bad. (tho tbh marias kinda itching to try out vampire begone magic. wouldn't You want to if you suddenly learned how?) neither of them have ever been here so they're honestly pretty floored by the temple interior, the tunnel that leads into the main chamber dark and uninviting, with who knows what hidden dangers are lurking about. 

and then they see him. santana is investigating the place where the pillar had been cut out of the structure, the stone masks crushed and broken, strewn around the floor, running his hands over the broken stone. Then he walks to one of the murals carved into the wall, a large one, similar to the one speedwagon had been investigating, with the 4 faces representing the pillarmen, and he lingers there. dips his head, then walks back to the empty space of the pillar and sits down where it was, crosslegged, and closes his eyes. and then he stays still. what does That mean?? 

the girls decide this is enough, they should fall back and formulate a proper plan, maybe wait for joseph and lisa lisa to catch up. buuuut we can't have that be the end of it, and so something happens, maybe one of them trips? steps on rubble that falls loose? they make a noise. and get noticed. 

change of plans! fight now! except there isn't an attack? they stay still but “i know you're there.” damn it. battle formation, stances ready, they make their way into the chamber, where santana hasn't moved at all. he's still sitting there, but he's looking at them now. holly asks what he's doing here, he asks the same back. she says not to play dumb, hes been killing people this whole time, he has to answer for that! and to that, santana honestly looks a bit confused because. has he? in his defense, he's not human, his prey is humans. pillarboy has to eat.

marias like “well? aren't you going to attack us?” and he's like “not unless you bother me.” and closes his eyes again. the girls aren't sure what to make of this.

santana side paragraph: first of all, this is a santana stan account. name one (1) thing he's done wrong, canonically. woke up in a strange place. captured?? got his bearings, tried to Leave and was accosted! shot some nazis (go king), and finally only snapped when joseph got mad he didn't laugh at his clownery. anyone would get murderous as a result. tried to escape further, ultimately was stopped and detained Again! morally, he's above joseph. 

so they're just standing now. since their earlier encounter where holly used hamon, santana refuses to talk more at first, but holly has the bright idea to get his trust by having maria restrain her and then stand back with her weapon -- a show of putting herself in a helpless position and promise she wont attack. that’s enough for santana to agree to come closer and have a proper conversation.

holly asks again why he's here exactly? what's here? and he tells her that if she Must know, he's waiting. waiting for what, she asks. and maria looks back at the carvings and realizes “oh. there should be 4 of them.” now santana looks mildly uncomfortable, and holly rememebers that “oh fuck, dad killed all of them.” and then “wait they were evil tho??” and then again “wait fuuck, didn't the leader guy say they left this one behind in mexico on purpose? oh man does he Know?” holly finds herself in the position of “not only do i have to tell this guy his friends aren't coming because they're Dead, they also kinda abandoned him.” yikes.

meanwhile maria is kinda pissed that her one chance at revenge might have just been taken from her. she still blames santana for what happened to her brother, and she refuses to let that go. she’s too stubborn and proud for that. and now, especally since holly seems to be focused on creating a bond, it feels like a slap in the face. so she kinda… snaps, ruining their chance at resolving this peacefully and causing santana to run off again. she and holly have a fight. it sucks.

soon after that joseph does find holly and he Does send her home. maria, after explaining her intentions, stays with them. holly is heartbroken :( after shes gone, joseph and lisa lisa make a plan to trap santana, aimed to go off in a few days prep, and during this, maria is starting to realize that that... really isnt the right thing to do... shes now had some time to sit alone with her guilt and regret about how she handled the situation, ssso she gets an idea on how to make up for it...

meanwhile holly is sitting at home and is sad, until suzie drives her somewhere in guise of going to a fancy lunch with smokey (whos in town), but really she drives her to the joestars airpad where her friend marua(!!) is already waiting in front of joseph’s plane, which, turns out, she hijacked in the south and flew all the way up here, and suzie tosses holly a bag with clothes and stuff and tells her to hurry up and get going :3

and hollys all "but what about lunch with mr smokey? :o" and suzie winks at her and says "don't worry, he's waiting for me to tell him everything went well at the restaurant ;)" and then holly gives her a big hug, runs to her friend and hugs Her, and they are off to fly back south to save some lives. on the way, maria apologizes and explains -- how she had harboured this resentment for so long that the sudden target for her blame put in front of her, plus the immediate removal of it were so jarring that she acted impulsively... she knows santana isnt at fault for what happened with her brother... and now she just hopes they make it in time.

as luck would have it, they catch up with joseph and lisa lisa just in time to jump between them and santana (maria accidentally cuts off joseph’s prosthetic hand in the process and freaks the fuck out before realizing it’s fine) and try to talk it out. it’s a tense few minutes, but holly is determined and stubborn, and she manages to get her dad and grandma to see her side of things and santana is saved! they find something for him to eat, giving him the energy to heal his wounds. pillarmen absorbing shit never gets old.

And from there it’s mostly just everything getting settled down and smoothed out. they get back in touch with the swf and tell them the problem is handled. santana turns out to be a relatively peaceful dude when his life isn’t being threatened, and he becomes a good friend with all four of them, but especially holly and maria. they help teach him about the modern world and he decides that he’s going to do some travelling and learn about the history of his culture and other ancient mesoamerican cultures he interacted with in his youth, and he shares the things he learns with the swf so they can get the info about where theyre needed etc.  maria gets hooked up with one of the many therapists we decided work at the swf that has experience with the supernatural things she and her brother have gone through. holly, maria, and santana stay in touch and go on regular trips together. holly receives many post cards.

it’s all really good and happy :) thats heart unbound baybee!! <33

[chimswae]

BTS Caretaker CH22

Summary: She may think she has Bangtan Sonyeondan wrapped around her fingers. She may think it is easy to love the members equally without hurting any soul. She may think the boys wont fall head over heels for her. She assumes it is okay to show a little love and affection towards the boys, what if she gets it all wrong? What if it only brings more complication to her already complicated life? Can she survive their charms? Will she be able to resist them? What if they just wont let her go?

- Pairing: BTS x Oc ( Yoongi x OC, Jungkook x OC)

- Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst, Romance, Idol!au

- Word Count: 4, 225

- Author Note: I have been busy working from home :< apparently third wave of virus really hit us hard here, stay safe everyone xx

Previous | Next

Chapter 22 

“What should I wear” Seul rummaged through her closet finding a perfect outfit for her to wear to this so-called date with Yoong. “First of all, why should I pay attention on my outfit? It is just Min Yoongi. Doesn’t mean he is going to show up” she plopped on her bed with sour face.

“It couldn’t be a prank, right? Is he planning to embarrass me?” Seul talked to herself letting out a dramatic gasp in process.

“So, you have a date with Yoongi” her mother voice spooked her a little, causing her to sit up immediately. Mrs Hwang was leaning against the door with a teasing smile on her face. She made her way inside taking a seat beside her daughter “When is the date?” Seul turned crimson red.

“It is not like what you think. He asked me to accompany him to do this stupid bungee jumping” she scowled in annoyance “And it is random” Mrs Hwang gave her hand a soft pat. “Once in a while I’m glad you are living the life like a normal girl at your age” her mother smiled affectionately.

“Living the life like a normal girl at my age, yes. But not with Yoongi” she sassed earning a soft chuckle from the older woman. Seul’s eyes scanned the clothes scattered on her bed trying to spot the best outfit to wear, but it failed her again. Groaning in frustration, she turned to face Mrs Hwang “If I wear this white blouse and skirt, I am not overdressing myself, right?” chewing her lower lips, Seul hoped her mother could be a great help.

As Mrs Hwang soothed the soft fabric, she shot her daughter a bewildered look “Who wears skirt to bungee jumping? You got to be kidding me Seul” realizing her mistake, Seul slapped her forehead scolding her short-minded thinking. Why was she acted all silly today? Was it because of Yoongi? Not this issue again, she had enough.

The older woman pulled out blue skinny jeans underneath piles of clothes and handed it to Seul “Wear this with that blouse you picked earlier, don’t forget to bring your jacket. It is still cold outside” beaming cheerfully, her heavy breathing normalizes. She had no idea choosing an outfit to go out with Yoongi would be this hard, alright maybe she’s the one who complicate things.

“Mind to tell me, what happen between you and the boys? To be exact, Yoongi. You two seem friendly” her expression was unreadable, not even Seul could read what’s on her mind.

“Nothing much, we become friends. The boys are friendly and relatable. I like having them as my friend. As for Yoongi and I, do not have any weird idea because we both are just frenemy? We are not even friend or that is what I thought” her confident level deflated at the thought of Yoongi.

Mrs Hwang eyed her girl with a disapproval look. She was sure there’s more of the story that Seul tried to hide from her. This girl had been showing her resentment towards Yoongi since day one making it appeared suspicious to her.

“Mom, don’t you think Yoongi is a complicated man?” the question had been playing in her head for quite some time, it was matter of time to express it aloud.

“He is a complicated man. But he has the softest heart of all. Seul, Yoongi-ah has been going through a lot of thing in his life. Are you aware that he had depression before?” Seul’s eyes widened in pure shock. It never occurred to her a rough man like Yoongi would have that kind of illness because from her eyes, Yoongi has the strongest character in comparison to others.

“How is it possible? He looks fine to me..I mean…from the way he acted around me, he looks quite strong” she murmured.

Mrs Hwang shook her head “He appears to be strong, but he is a broken young man inside. He too has insecurity. Never trust what they show to you. It is how they mask themselves. What I am trying to say, try to see the other side of them instead of judging how they acted around you. Those boys are still kids to me. Poor kids to experience such thing at this age” she sighed deeply.

Seul forced herself to smile yet it came out bland “It must be hard to live their life as celebrity” she empathized them.

“It is not easy. The only reason why I insist on preparing meals for them because out of all things happen in their life only that makes them feel normal. They work hard all day, shielding their pain and tiredness from the world to chase their dreams. Those boys deserve to be treated like some normal boys, who crave for normal life” her mother’s words got Seul to reflect her attitude towards them back then. She felt small and disgusted of herself. How could she be selfless and refuse to see other point of view? She is not the only one with issues and problems, there are other people outside have awful fate as compared to her.

Her mother stroked the top of her hand and flashed a motherly smile “Do not be too hard on them and yourself. Serious relationship can wait, as for now focus on what makes you happy. Don’t feel burdened by it” her eyes were brimming with tears now. Mrs Hwang could read her like an open book without she needed to tell her everything that had been haunting her these days.

“Aw, why are you crying?” she cupped Seul cheeks, stroking away the tears that started to stream down wetting her cheeks. Seul chuckled softly “Thank you, mom. You are the best” pulling the love of her heart into a tight embrace.  

Will it be harmful to follow the flow of life?

What if someone gets hurt in the end?

What if she needs to make a choice?

Seul shuddered at the though of making a choice when she was not sure of her own feelings.

Bad move, Ji Seul.

 ------------------

Tapping her feet anxiously, Seul was getting annoyed of waiting. The more she anticipated Yoongi’s face to appear before her, the slower the time moved. It was 5PM and he was nowhere to be seen. Not even a text from him, Yoongi stood her up for sure. She shouldn’t have trusted that guy. Grumpy Seul decided to leave the scene before she made fool of herself. Hugging her jacket close to her body to seek warmth, she stood up from where she sat and left the area.

Sound of heavy footsteps behind her along with faint hollered put her steps at halt. Turning her heels to the source of the voice, she was greeted by the image of Yoongi sprinting for his life towards her direction. Eyeing the guy carefully, Seul grew concern “Yoongi are you alright?” he held his palm out while panting heavily.

The weather was cold, yet she could see bead of sweats on his forehead that started to trickle down his milky skin. She felt guilty. Judging from the way he dressed, he did not even bother to put his black mask over his mouth. Thankfully, his signature bucket hat was enough to cover half of his small face.

“Lets sit down, you look dead” she reached out to touch his arm, leading him to the bench nearby. Yoongi leaned back in his seat, steadying his rapid breathing. His heart was about to jump out soon. Seul on the side couldn’t stop worrying over Yoongi condition, she feared the guy might pass out there by any second now.

She used the end of her jacket to wipe off the sweat on his face gently. The small gesture flustered Yoongi but a soft smile was evident on his face as he enjoyed this little attention that he got. “Calm down your breathing, you will be fine in few minutes” she whispered.

Yoongi took the chance to watch how she puffed her cheeks in and out while dabbing the sweats on his face dried. Even to this extent, Seul knew how to shake the deepest core of his heart. How ironic for someone who’s madly in love. Was he in love?

Inhaling a deep breath, Yoongi held her hand down while smiling softly “Thank you Seul. I am fine now. Sorry, for making you wait” he muttered.

“I thought you stood me up. I was about to leave” she grimaced. Not that it was something to be upset of, but she was freezing. Today’s weather was not helping her either. Yoongi chuckled upon his eyes landed on her Rudolph nose, and gently rubbed it with thumb. Her heart pounded madly at this slight touch, causing her to pull away slowly giving a little space for her to normalize her breathing.

Yoongi softened “I won’t do that because it is a date after all” he winked. She cleared her throat allowing the redness engulfing her cheeks. Seul would never get used to Yoongi sudden change of attitude around her and some more to see Yoongi in different perspective was hard for her. It came to her realization, this softened her as she learnt to accept Yoongi’s rough side. She no longer had negative thoughts on Yoongi well unless he annoyed the hell out of her.

“Are you ready, lets go?” without giving her time to digest, Yoongi had already dragged the clueless girl to the counter. After flashing their admission ticket, one of the workers led the couple to elevator, making their way up to the 24th floor. Her mind started to get dizzy just by hearing the numbers. Just, how tall it would be? She rubbed her sweaty palms against her jeans.

“Yoongi, I am here just to watch you jump right?” she gulped showing off her fear. Yoongi looked at her in disbelief, his forehead creased into a frown “No way, I am dragging you down with me” she shrieked.

“WHAT? NO NO GET ME DOWN NOW. I AM NOT GOING TO JUMP WITH YOU” she started to panic.

Yoongi laughed “I don’t know you are a scaredy-cat” Seul let out a low disapproval scowl, glaring her way to playful Yoongi. “I value my life, so I am not going to jump especially with you. Hell no. You are going to cut off my wire and let me die!”

“That sounds like a good idea. Plotting your murder sounds easier than I thought” he fired back with playful smirk on his face.  

“I KNEW IT! You are planning to kill me since start” she hissed. Bemused, Yoongi swayed his body to face pale Seul, like a reflex she pressed her back against the elevator “Wait, wait. Don’t come close. I know what you have in your mind” she squeaked.

Clicking tongue inside his mouth, he trapped her between his body, tilting his head with an amused look, “You can lean on me. You will be fine” he whispered dangerously close to her ears. Seul felt extremely high right now. Yoongi quickly pulled away when he heard the ding sound opening the door not long after. Seul walked after her with flushed face, as her mind diligently spout curses after curses.

The staffs greeted them warmly assisting the couple to get ready with the safety gears before their jump. Seul kept on pestering Yoongi about not wanting to jump with him but to her dismay, the stubborn guy won’t budge and pretended like her cries never existed. He insisted of bringing Seul down with him which was sounded absurd to her.

What was his motive?

Yoongi walked over to Seul as he noticed how she appeared scared and panic, making it hard for the staff to put on the safety gears on her. He motioned the staff to let him take over the task which he gladly complied. The staff left not long after giving the space for the couple. Her gaze who at first diligently scanned the area seeking for some sort of strength were now on Yoongi. His hand found its way to her waist, clasping the gear near her torso. The closeness of their body was killing her heart instantly.

“Relax Seul. It will be fun and as soon as you open your eyes, you will realize it is already over” fiddling with the clasp on the other side of her waist, he whispered. “It is never too late to back off now” he exclaimed.

“You should have said that sooner!” she gasped in delight. Yoongi rolled his eyes at her response knowing how unpredictable this girl could be, what did he expect from her again.

She is Ji Seul for pete’s sake.

Yoongi shot her disapproval look upon seeing Seul showing her agreement on his words “So, you are planning to waste my money and just watch me jump?” he teased her in hope this stubborn girl would find even the slightest guilt in her heart. Which appeared to be none.

“I didn’t ask you to spend your money on me. In fact, who brings a girl to bungee jumping on their date!” he heard her protest as her lips was tugged into a small pout. He’s going crazy over Seul, everything that she did was either too cute or sexy to him. Insane.

He snickered “You consider this as a date then?” she found herself being cornered. As much as she felt like smacking the sense out of Yoongi, she was trying to contain her annoyance and anger at once. If an only she could smack Yoongi hard. She would gladly do that.

“That is not the point. The point here is no one brings their date to a 24-floor building to do free jump. THAT IS NOT ROMANTIC AT ALL”

“Missy, it is not a free jump it calls bungee jumping for a reason. I have no idea that you want to do romantic thing with me, I will schedule our second date as soon as possible” he sneered sarcastically.

“Whoa hold on! No more dates with you! Your definition of romantic would involve scary thing like this one” she knocked Yoongi’s head over his helmet causing him to groan in frustration. Did her nasty remarks weren’t enough now she’s using her fist to harass him? Great, he had to put up with her weird antic, again.

Yoongi put on the small helmet over her head, squishing her face just to annoy her “That is up for me to decide, now let’s get ready. We are going to do the free jump” he gave her cheeks last squish, pulling the girl with him to the platform.

She could feel rush of fear in her blood stream, as she gulped upon her feet landed on the platform. Her grips on Yoongi’s arm tightened as soon as she saw the dizzying image beneath her feet. Seul felt like bursting into tears right now, and Yoongi sense the girl trembling hand.

“Are you ready?” one of the staffs stood at the edge gave them an encouraging smile.

Seul took a small peek at the image underneath her again, and quickly hid her face in Yoongi’s soft arm. “Yoongs…I don’t think I can do it” her inaudible mutter was crystal clear in his ears. He softened and told the staff to give them a moment. Yoongi released his hand from her strong grip and cradled her head in his hand “Do you trust me?” his sugary smile melted her heart. Her fear earlier on starts to subside, even though she was not confident whether she could handle the aftermath of the jump.

“If anything, happen you will be responsible. But what if you let go my hand” she blinked her tears away. Seul’s biggest fears were height and she had never been good in coping with it. Yoongi awed at her change of attitude in contrast to Seul sassy and fierce side, she could be a baby sometimes.

He encircled his arm around her body, embracing her tight “I will not let your hand go, trust me alright? Let’s do this” he stroked her waist. Yoongi slid his hand underneath her thigh, lifting her up causing the girl to squeal.

“MIN YOONGI WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck in reflex.

“So, I won’t let your hand go?” he said with a cheeky smile showing of his gum.

“This is your plan?”

“Yes”

“Let me down. It is even scarier this way. I am like one floor higher!”

“Just hold me tight Seul. Stop complaining!”

“How can i-YOONGS YAH-“ she screamed loudly when he purposely dangled one of his legs of the platform. Seul could feel his body wobbled to regain balance making the girl to clutch onto his back shirt tighter.

“I fucking hate you” she spouted some vulgar words out of annoyance.

Yoongi let out a low chuckle “Language, Seul” he signalled the staff that they were ready to jump, “Ready your heart, this is going to be the best jump!” he whispered softly. Her nervousness doubled as soon as she felt he moved slightly closer to the edge of the platform.

“Oh my god, this is bad idea. You are dead meat min yoongi” she buried her face in his shoulder, biting it slightly to ease her nervousness. It came out really naturally not that she wanted to flirt him in the middle of their life or death.

With a last smile, Yoongi pushed his body completely off the platform while holding onto Seul closed to him “OH GOD” she squeaked upon the cold breeze hit her already freezing skin. Yoongi pushed her upwards a little causing the latter to squeal fixing her position so she was more comfortable.

Both of them bounced a little following the tightness of the wire, a wide grin never left his face since then. He had fun holding onto Seul in his arms. The happiness that he never felt before.

When she opened her eyes, she found Yoongi was staring into her dark orbs. Confusing as it sounded, Yoongi was using his eyes to communicate. Ugh, only if she could decode it. His gummy smile was back on his face “I told you it would be fun and I won’t let you go” he leaned closer, however Seul buried her face at the crook of his neck shyly.

Why was she feeling embarrass and affected by this?

Biting his lower lips, Yoongi stroked her back as they waited until they descended safely on the ground. He set her down as soon as they feet landed on ground. He helped Seul to take of her safety gears, and she thanked him, avoiding his gaze at all time. Yoongi liked to see her shy side, for some reason he looked calmer than her fierce side.

The couple bowed politely as gratitude before leaving the site with mixed feelings inside. Seul and Yoongi walked side by side in total silence. They seemed to enjoy the cold breeze and the empty street. It was calming this way. To her distaste, her belly gurgled loudly as she patted it to quell its sound from being heard.

His brows quirked in amusement “Someone is hungry. Let’s find something to fill that empty tummy” Seul looked down embarrass with her own weird antic. Out of all day, her stomach acted weird only to throw shades on her face.

“Any idea where to eat?” his lips were pressed into thin in a deep thought.

“Fish cake and ramen?” she suggested.

It was his turn to protest “Who eats those on a date?” he scoffed.

“You consider this a date?” she teased.

“Yes I am. Unlike that someone” his response made her pout slightly.

“Killing yourself is not a good date!” she disagreed.

“But you survive. Thanks to me” Yoongi intertwined his hand with hers before she could say something nasty again. “Let’s get your fish cake and ramen” Seul swore to god, one day she would definitely straggle this man for dragging her around without her consent.  

The couple ended up walking further along the river, and Yoongi’s handsome face alight with merriment as his eyes fall upon the small convenience store. Coincidently, just beside the store there was a small stall selling their hot fish cake. They entered the store selecting their favourite ramen, and Seul insisted on paying the food considering Yoongi had spent his money on the force free jump. Even though he never agreed on it yet who could stop Seul?

Exiting the store, Seul set her ramen on the table “You take a seat, I will purchase the Eomuk!” she exclaimed in excitement. Reluctant, Yoongi sat down watching the girl swaying her body happily purchasing her favourite food.

“Aigoo, young lady. Why are you out in this weather without extra jacket?” the old lady shook her head showing her concern. Seul rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish smile “I was in rush, so I forgot to bring extra sweater with me. Don’t worry, I am fine” the old lady handed her the fish cake in a cup.

“Are you on a date?” her eyes travelled to Yoongi as the corner of her lips was tugged into a meaningful smile.

Seul smiled nervously “He is a friend of mine. It is not like that”

“You two make a great couple. Be happy” she thanked the old lady and made her way to Yoongi. She sat across him, placing their food on the table “What took you so long? Did the ahjumma know me?” he asked with curiosity.

She cringed “Why would she? You are just Min Yoongi” “BTS Suga” he corrected.

“Yes, bratty BTS MIN SUGA” she rolled her eyes. Seul ignored the guy in front of him and started to dig in. Ramen and fishcake are the best combination for this cold weather. At least her empty stomach now was well fed. Occasionally, she would steal a glance at Yoongi. He was struggling with his food as it appeared to be too hot, yet he insisted on pushing the noodles inside his mouth.

Their humble dinner was quiet and calm without their endless banter. For once, Yoongi and Seul could sit together in one place without throwing shades on each other. That was a huge improvement.

“Can I ask you something?” Yoongi put down his chopstick, resting chin on his palm. It made him even cuter than he already is. Seul tried to focus and stopped herself from ogling the man in front of her.

“Go on”

“This is quite personal though” she gave him an assuring nod letting him to continue. After the talk that she had with her mother this morning, she was determined to change her attitude and treated Yoongi better if he didn’t pick any fight with her.

He gulped the heavy lump on his throat “Do you like Jungkook and Jimin?” he questioned. The questions were rather unclear to her, yet Yoongi was dead curious of this. The mere thought of it made it hard for him to fall asleep.

“Of course, I like them. They are kind and friendly”

“You do realize they like you more than just a friend, right?” Seul froze at his question. Not this again, she thought no one would question her this after that night. “I know Yoongi. They told everyone about it” her palms started to get sweaty again. She disliked this intensity.

“Have you given it a thought? Whether you are going to accept them or reject them?”

“I can’t sort my feelings right now. Everything happens so fast. I never thought of this to happen even, so I am sorry if I appear selfless. However, I have made it clear to both of them that i don’t have the answers with me. I can’t stop someone to fall in love. Love is too subjective. What I know now, I am giving them a chance. A chance for them and for me to discover my feelings further” sighing deeply, Seul looked disturbed.

Yoongi gazed at her face longingly “You are reconsidering their feelings?” she nodded in response. He ran his hand along his neck, giving it a little massage as he continued “There is still a room for someone in your heart, am I right?” she threw a weird glance at his way.

“Of course. I haven’t made up my mind, it is still available. Now, why are you asking me this?” she examined his expression with so much interest.

“Just wondering if I have the chance. Seems like I do have the chance” he muffled.

“Excuse me?” her eyes rounded staring at him blankly.

Realizing his foul mouth had said something that he was not supposed to, Yoongi arose from his seat “Lets head back! I must get to the studio in an hour. I will walk you back” he started walking away leaving dumbfounded Seul in her seat.

“YAH!” she strutted behind him following the guy quietly. I swear I heard him said something about him having a chance. Was it just me? Seul moaned mentally not liking this game that he played with her.

Don’t be weak now Yoongi. This is not right. Yoongi mentally scolded himself.

  This work belongs to  Chimswae © 2020. All Rights Reserved

[natalia-alianovna-romanova101]

Daisies

So I wrote fanfic. It’s on Wattpad too called the same thing. I’m sorry if this sucks this is my first real story. It’s mostly Stucky but there is xfemreader at the end of it. Based slightly on a fanfic I read about Peter Parker but definitely not the same. Hope you like it idk if I will write an epilogue but lemme know if you want to see one.

Warnings: my shit writing and swear words its sad (i think idk i almost cried but i’m emotional so maybe it wont be for you)

"Hi I'm James but everyone calls me Bucky what's Your name,"  The young brunette said holding his hand out to help the small blonde boy stand up

"my names Steve, people just call me Steve," 

Bucky starts to brush the leaves off Steve's shirt. 

"Well you looked lonely so I we can be friends now," Bucky said smiling grabbing Steves small hand to drag him to the swings

Bucky walked down the sidewalk of New York. Next week it will have been a year. It was early in the morning just a few minutes before the flower shop opened. He had done this a million times since he had died. Every morning at 7 am he would stop at Starbucks for a black coffee then walk a few blocks to the small flower shop on the corner, buy 1 daisy then walk to the cemetery. He didn't understand why he did this. Steve had left him. But he couldn't let go.

"C'mon Stevie we are teenagers we gotta have a little fun," 

"getting fake IDs to vote is fun,"

"thats illegal,"

"so,"

"so we could get arrested and then never vote. What if we went to Coney Island instead,"

"no,"

"yes. we are going let’s go,"

7:30. That's when the flower shop opened. Every day. He was there at 7:30 everyday. 

The girl who had run the shop was never late. She had become accustomed to keeping fresh daisies underneath her desk for the man who came every morning. They had become close, not yet friends but getting there. She knew about Steve but not enough. She knew who Bucky was what he was made to be, and always accepted him. 

Steve was bleeding again. He was always bloody. But Bucky didn't care. He had developed feelings for his best friend. Feelings he didn't understand. 

"Steve you have to stop getting in fights what if I don't get there in time next time and you get seriously hurt."

"c'mon buck I'll be fine you know that. Why do you worry so much,"

"because I care about you,"

"I know that but you still care a lot. Even my mother has stopped worrying about me,"

"don't worry about it,"

"Why do you care so much Buck c'mon tell me," 

"Because I'm fucking in love with you Steve and if you died I don't know what I would do with myself ok. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Steve stopped walking staring up at Bucky. 

"stop looking at me like that I know it's wrong and stupid but I can't help it."

"Bucky... I love you too but we both know this can't happen."

"no one has to know it could just be you and me punk, no labels," 

"Bucky..."

Bucky kissed him. He didn't know where it came from but it felt right. And Steve didn't pull away which is always a plus. Pushing him against the wall his body was on fire. He knew they couldn't ever be together really but maybe just maybe they could be more than friends. He broke the kiss, looking at Steve breathless. 

"See no one has to know," 

Steve nodded leaning back in

Bucky walked into the flower shop right on time

"Good morning James how are you today," the soft voice of the store owner said as soon as he walked in.

"I had another panic attack yesterday," He said looking down ashamed. He hated his anxiety but he learned fast that she would see right through any of his lies. 

"Oh James it's all right." She walked around the counter to hug him. She was much shorter than him so she had to stand on her toes to get her arms around his shoulders. 

He didn't understand why he trusted her so much. Something about her presence was comforting. He only ever let Steve hug him and only his therapist (and Sam because of his therapist) knew about his anxiety problems and PTSD. But he found her comforting. 

"Next time call me ok. I used to get these all the time. It's alright there's nothing to be ashamed about."

She took his hands into her taking off the gloves he knew she hated so much. He normally took them off before he walked in but today he couldn't he was too ashamed. He knew she didn't hate his metal arm, but he didn't know just how much she loved it.

 “What’s your favorite flower?” the question had come out of nowhere. They had been sitting on couch cushions that had been moved to the floor listening to the radio

“What,” Steve asked

“Well everyone assumes that only girls like flowers but I like flowers too, my favorite are sunflowers. What about you” 

“Daisies. They are elegant,”

“Elegant really where did you even learn that word,” Bucky laughed

“My mother, now stop bullying me you asked,”

“Oh Stevie I thought it was gonna be roses or something not daisies. They are so boring,”

“No they aren’t,”

“Ya they are,”

“No they aren’t,” Steve picked up a pillow and hit Bucky with it. Bucky looked at him shocked before getting his own pillow to hit Steve with.

"Now the usual I presume," she asked calmly

He could only nod in response. She walked behind the counter picking a daisy and placing the gloves next to the vase. After handing it to him, she continued to walk around the store. Confused, Bucky followed her. She stopped in front of a display of orangy pink roses. 

"These are english roses, also known as the Grace Flower. They are my favorite," She said picking one out

"They are pretty," he said inspecting the flower. Not as pretty as her though

No

Bucky couldn't think like that 

He just lost Steve a year ago

he left you  the voice in his head said 

He hated the voice in his head. 

Bucky stood in front of the memorials. The funeral had just finished but he couldn’t leave just yet. 

“Hey,” Sam said softly trying not to disturb the silence

“I know this is hard for you Bucky,”

“You don’t know anything,” Bucky snapped back. Sam would never understand what it felt like, he never lost someone like this

“He was my friend too you know, you aren’t the only one who lost someone Bucky,”

Bucky looked over at Sam. His eyes red from crying darkened

“I loved him and he chose her,” 

Sam’s face fell. He didn’t know about them. What they had before the war. Only the stories that they told.

Bucky turned around and walked away

"I am going to come with you today James. Figured it's time I met Steve. Now c'mon," She started walking to the door. 

He walked over to the counter to get his gloves. He knew it was stupid but he couldn't leave without his gloves. 

"James leave them. It's time to let those go,"

"But it's embarrassing," he argued. He didn't want her to be seen with a freak like him.

"No it isn't now c'mon it's I can't keep the shop closed all day," he sighed and walked over to the door. 

It was almost 2am but Bucky wasn't tired, he didn't think he would ever have to sleep again. Running hand in hand with Steve around Brooklyn was a dream come true.

It was raining and he knew Steve could get sick but it was summer so it couldn't be that cold. Besides not anything that hasn't happened before.

Steve was a terrible dancer but he didn't care. Spinning and dancing in the rain hand in hand he was having the time of his life. He kissed Steve, holding his face with his hands, continuing to spin around. 

"Buck my parents are gonna be worried when I don't wake up early tomorrow."

"Who cares,"

"My parents,"

"oh c'mon Stevie you can't tell me you haven't been having fun. Just one more hour please," he bit his lip knowing Steve wouldn't be able to resist. 

"Fine," 

After kissing Steve again, Bucky laughed and dragged Steve with him further. The night was beautiful and he wished it would never end. 

She had held his hand the whole way ignoring the stares. His metal hand. The one he hated. But she walked the whole 15 minutes from the flower shop to the cemetery hand in hand with him talking about the buildings. Bucky didn't know how he was feeling. 

They made it to the cemetery. Passing the Captain America Memorials, Bucky walked all the way to the back of a small gravestone in the corner. 

Steve Rogers grave. Not Captain Americas. The one that Bucky had done himself. He had bought a small tombstone and buried Steves ashes there to honor Steve. Not captain america. The 90 pound asthmatic that he fell in love with. 

battle of wakanda infinity war

About 15 minutes in Bucky found Steve in the woods fighting off the creatures.

He helped him fight off the rest in the area then turned to Steve and pulled him into a kiss. 

"for good luck," Bucky said before running back out to the battlefield to help the racoon with the gun

'weird' he thought

She let go of his hand as he walked closer to the grave to give him some space. 

This happened for the next week. He started really talking to the flower shop owner, got her number. She had to help him work the phone though. They talked all the time now. Bucky could finally feel himself moving on. 

On the one year anniversary of Steve's death Bucky went alone. He brought the daisy to the grave and knelt down.

"Steve I don't know what would have happened if we hadn't "died" in the army ending up 70 years in the future. Maybe we would have made it to the end of the line like you always said. But clearly it wasn't meant to be. I think I am ready to let you go now. I met a girl. You would love her. You clearly loved Peggy more than me. But that's ok I hope you had a great life. Your grandchildren always love to talk about you. I will never regret the days I spent with you completely in love. But I had lost you a long time ago. Thank you." 

He was ready. He left the cemetery walking to the closest flower shop (not the one he usually went to) picking up a bouquet of English roses. He walked to your small flower shop on the corner of the block where it had always been. As soon as the other customer left he walked in, hiding the roses behind his back. 

"James long time no see," She laughed at herself. She was adorable. 

"Please y/n call me Bucky," He walked over pulling the roses from behind his back. 

Her face lit up  "Those are my favorite thank you. What's the occasion?" 

"Will you go out with me," he looked at her hopefully

"of course I will," She hugged him

And for the first time on years, Bucky finally felt truly happy

[camomills]

Title: Old Souls Relationships: Sinon/Lisbeth; Sinon & Agil Fandom: Sword Art Online Word Count: 1767 Summary: Sinon realizes she is allowing others to become closer to her, and that scares her. A conversation with an older friend might help assuage her fears. Notes: Made for SAO Pride Week 2020 - Day 1: Small Steps. This is a reworked draft from last year's SAO Pride Week that I turned into some Sinon/Lisbeth, mostly Sinon-centric. I also just really wanted to do something with Agil because I think he's a fun character, and I personally think his wise demeanor makes him a nice character to bounce off the younger cast.Thanks to redbluezero for beta reading!

AO3 Link

-

The smell of coffee has always been one of Shino’s favorites. It reminds her of rainy days spent in the company of a book in her favorite bookshop, staring mindlessly at the steam as she waited until her drink cooled. It’s no wonder Dicey Café became one of her dearest places.

“Here’s your order!”

The company might have something to do with it, too.

“This one’s on the house,” Rika declares as she sets the cup on the counter, then winks.

From behind her, she hears someone clear their throat.

She slowly turns to meet Agil’s gaze, and sure enough, he’s scowling at her. The grip on the glass he’s drying has turned vice-like.

“That one’s on your salary.”

“Agil, c’mon! Let me be cool!”

They bicker for a short minute, Rika being cheeky whereas Agil is composed. The tone of the discussion is more akin to foolish banter between friends than a squabble between a boss and his employee, so Shino allows herself to laugh at it. 

Rika’s shift soon ends and she heads to the ladies’ room to change. As per usual these days, Shino waits for her so they can keep company to one another on the train ride back home. 

*

Yesterday’s commute was much like any other.

The train car shook and rattled against the steel and gravel tracks as the whirls of metal and the passengers’ chatter filled the compartment. The two girls partook in idle chatter, holding onto the same metal pole to keep their balance inside the box car. Shino’s proximity to Rika allowed the girl to filter the blacksmith’s words through the fog of sound.

Shino’s hands scraped against Rika’s on each stop. 

“So, so,” Rika continued telling excitedly, “he destroyed the best sword in my shop! My masterpiece, turned to smithereens.”

Shino let out a horrified gasp in jest.

“Oh, my. I lost my dear Hecate’s scope trying to help him out in BoB. I wonder if we’re liable for some sort of compensation?”

The two nodded in tandem over their two-person class-action lawsuit plans. They broke the comical act when the train stopped at the next station a bit too roughly, bumping them into each other. They couldn’t contain their chuckles at their own silliness.

“Ah, next one’s my stop,” Rika announced.

Shino knew. They’d been sharing this commute for a while. 

“I’ll be seeing you then. Until next time, Rika.”

Shino expected Rika to leave as the train doors opened, but she approached Shino instead. Rika’s arms bundled around Shino’s frame.

It’s a moment that allowed Shino to take note of a small list of Rika Things. Rika is only taller than her by a few inches, but it’s enough that it allowed her chin to rest on Rika’s shoulder slightly. The fake fur on Rika’s coat bristled against Shino’s nose, gentle and irritating— much like Rika herself, she thought. The pressure at the shorter girl’s back where Rika’s slender fingers intertwined was rough, yet fond.

A wave of warmth radiated through Shino’s body. She weakly squeezed Rika back.

“Until next time!” Rika said as she uncoiled her arms from around the other girl. 

She beamed at Shino before hopping through the train doors, waving as she exited at the station. 

That was the first time Rika had ever hugged her. 

Shino’s body wanted to feel elated, but her brain didn’t allow it; the affection in Rika’s gesture got muddled in her spiral of guilty thoughts. Since when did she allow people to get so close? 

Since when did I let myself want that?

The rest of her commute was spent staring out the cart’s window, hoping that the train’s AC would manage to cool down her emotions before long.

**

As the bathroom door slams shut, Agil rests his arms on the counter and leans against it, a hand sitting upon his bald head.

“Can you believe her? I offered her this part-time job because I knew it’d help her with college, but...” He throws his hands out, his fondness for Lis peeking through a smile fighting his scowl. “You know?”

Mm-hmm, Shino nods empathically, as she’s wont to do with Agil. The company that lures her in here, of course, includes both of the bartenders.

She had grown to care for all of her new friends, but she was caught by surprise at how much she related to Agil, of all people. He is the oldest in their merry band of players, by far, and despite that– no, because of that, they got along.

People her age, throughout most of her experience, were uncaring at best and cruel at worst. The adults around her, dry as they could be, served as the closest to good company she had growing up. There’s a bitter taste in her mouth as Shino realizes she’s grown more proficient in talking to adults due to the past cruelty of all the people her age in her life up until very recently. Thankfully, it’s easy enough to wash it down with the sweetness of the cappuccino Rika had mischievously handed her.

Agil, on the other hand, appreciates having a regular other than Asuna with whom he could default to intellectual conversation and wouldn’t call his establishment, ‘a dump’. How did Kirito manage to rope even Silica into it?

As their conversation strays away from Lisbeth’s demeanor, they fall to their more usual topics: Shino asks about how he manages to do latte art so perfectly every time and he asks if she finally reached the fourth chapter of the book he lent to her a couple of days ago. One “final” plea for him to try out Gun Gale, and his unacceptable excuse that he doesn’t have the time.

Mundane topics like that are their speed, but for once,  Shino has something less mundane in her mind. There’s something in that space, with the gentle ambiance music and the calming presence of a wiser friend, that brings her to feel that Agil is the right person, at that time, for those thoughts.

“I think I like Lis,” she professes like a secret she wished wasn’t true. It doesn’t seem to be the meat of what she has to say, judging from the way her jaw clenches.

Agil simply hums. He’d rather talk about latte art.

“Yeah, I figured. I mean, you really started coming here more often once she started working here.” 

He laughs, a wry, good-natured sound, hard to define between his fondness for the girls and his apathy for the topic.

“I mean… yes. But that’s not the point. How do I…”

 Shino gulps. Her gaze turns to the counter in front of her, where her hands lie. She fiddles with her fingers, watching as her thumbs graze each other through their rotations; staring at them without thinking about the words she’s about to say, are the only way she manages to go through it.

“I guess…  I don’t know if I remember how to be around people. Or if it’s... right, for me to be around people?”

She remembers what those hands did; the cold of steel and the heat of gunfire, the maroon of splattered blood and the gray of post office tiles.

Is it okay for a broken person like me…?

Agil would be lying if he said he’s particularly interested in involving himself in the romantic squabbles of teenagers. The other aspect of her plea, though, is something he’s unfortunately familiar with. He ponders, his face a mix of sagely and worried, as the soft thudding of her trembling hands are barely drowned out by the bar’s blues music.

“I was worried, too, back when I had to come back to my life after SAO.”

Shino raises her gaze to Agil’s eyes. 

“I mean, it's not the same thing, but… it’s hard being around people who judge you for what you went through, and trying to make connections when everyone thinks you’re screwed in the head is a pain in the ass. ‘The game where those freaks killed each other.’ ‘The murderer girl’.”

Agil knows what Shino did. Shino told all of them, eventually. 

“But everyone who spent those two years in the flying castle went through a lot of things they shouldn't have had to, and probably did some things they regret. To others. To themselves. I did, Kirito and Asuna did, and so did Rika. We talk about it…” 

His eyes turn to the ladies’ room’s door, where Rika is changing. He decides her past is not his to divulge.

“Uh. I guess all I’m trying to say is that you’re friends with people who get it, because none of us are sure it’ll ever be okay with people. So, we just stick together. I doubt Rika minds… whatever it is you're worried about? I think people like us have little besides each other.”

The last bit sticks with Shino. As she chews on the words once more, she stares at her hands. The weight they carry is impossibly heavy, but if what Agil says is true, then that means others, too, carry the same burden. 

Her trembling ceases.

He pauses. “Or something?” 

He’s not sure how much sense he is making. 

“I’m not sure how much sense I’m making.”

That gets a chuckle out of her, and that’s good enough for him.

*

Rika exits the bathroom, her former bartender-y, formal-ish ponytail from a few minutes ago undone into a mess of brown hair. Her lack of an apron reveals the cute hammer patterns on her graphic shirt.

"Are you two nerds done talking about nerd stuff?" She says, as if not just as much of one.

Agil and Shino roll their eyes.

"Yeah, we’re done with our nerd stuff."

Rika starts sliding her arm into her jacket, then turns to Shino. “Sweet. Are you ready to go then?”

Shino looks at Agil, who simply offers her a friendly wave and a knowing smile.

“Yeah, I think I’m ready.”

*

The two girls walk off together to the train station. The empty night streets give them quiet, with little to focus on other than the sound of boots hitting pavement, the cold breeze, and each other. It’s then when, bashful yet confident, Shino tries to interlock her fingers with Rika’s.

Rika squeezes her hand in return, rough yet fond. 

As Rika wordlessly taps her fingers on Shino’s knuckles, Shino realizes that Agil was right. There’s no way that those hands, fitting so perfectly together, were meant to be apart. Perhaps such heavy hands have no other pairs but each other, and that is fine.