#hmm should i make a new tag for stuff like this or is it enough for me to be weird in the tags on other posts. would i make enough posts

[smol-tired-binch-blog]

There is such despair in his eyes I need to fuck him like a rabid animal

[twignotstick]

Liar, Liar

Note: The characters in this fic are from @rufwooff 's teenage mutant ninja everything-but-turtles au. Leo is a salamander, Mikey is a toad/frog, Donnie is a gecko, and Raph is an alligator. It can sort of be read as a rise fic if you ignore the... frog stuff? But there are things that might not make sense without knowledge of the au. This post specifically inspired the fic.

Tags: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ROTTMNT, Leo-centric, NOT MY CHARACTERS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Everything-but-Turtles, tmnebt, turtle tots (still unsure abt that one), dialogue written like a child, lying, extremely fluffy, but with a hint of angst

Warnings (if there's anything I should add here, tell me please!): nothing, why would i ever hurt kids :)

Words: 4,647

Summary: Leo finally gets to spend a day alone with his little brother, Mikey. When things go wrong, he decides to save himself. After all, what's so bad about a little lie?

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

“Can grow to doo-ble the size in a few… h-owers…”

Leo held the small package he'd found close to his face, trying his best to read what the label said. Donnie had told him it was some kind of toy, but it just looked like a plastic whale to him. Mikey watched Leo from the bowl he was quickly outgrowing, listening intently to Leo's somewhat successful attempt at reading.

“Leave in a cup or bowl of wwwater and watch the magic!” Leo read triumphantly, holding the toy in front of him. The salamander looked over to his little brother. “We just need a cup or something to use it!”

“Wah'der!” Mikey noted wisely, bracing himself on the edge of the glass.

“Right!” Leo nodded, face turning pensive. “But I can't reach any of the cups or bowls in the kitchen, and Dad doesn't want me climbing on stuff anymore…”

“Waphie?” Mikey suggested.

“Raph's busy with Dad cooking dinner. Bo-ring.” Leo sighed. “And Donnie said he was studying today…”

“Hmm…” Mikey hummed, before his eyes lit up. “Bow’!” He squeaked, rocking his bowl side to side. “Bow’! A bow’!”

“No Mikey, we need a-” Leo caught on. “Oh, a bowl. You're a genius, Mikey!”

Mikey squeaked and squealed in response to the praise, wiggling what was left of his tail in the water. “Tank you.”

“Alright then, Mikester. You're gonna have to show off how good you are with those new legs.” Leo wrapped his arms around his baby brother's body, struggling for a moment to get a good grip with both of them having slippery skin, but he eventually hefted Mikey out of the bowl under his armpits and placed him on the stone floor. “This'll be a good oppa-tunity for you! You just gotta stay here while I fill up the bowl the rest of the way, okay?”

“Okie-dokie!” Mikey replied cheerfully, patting his newly grown hands on the floor. They had been fully developed for about a week, but he had yet to do much with them other than waving and clapping.

Taking Mikey's word without any doubt, Leo picked up the half filled bowl and carried it away to the nearby tunnel. Sure, he knew he wasn't supposed to go into the tunnels by himself. And sure, he knew he wasn't supposed to leave Mikey alone when they were playing. But Leo was a big boy! And so was Mikey! Mikey had all of his limbs now! That, Leo didn't exactly understand, because Leo always had all his limbs, just like Raph and Donnie. Mikey was just a ball with a tail and eyeballs. A tadpole, Donnie's voice reminded him. Now Mikey was a toadlet, which meant surely he was grown enough to be on his own for a few minutes.

It wasn't like Leo didn't like spending time with Mikey. He loved watching movies with him, coloring things with him, even chatting with him despite his more limited vocabulary. Mikey just… couldn't play a lot of the games Leo liked to play. Leo liked to move, and Mikey couldn't move a lot. Mikey couldn't play tag, or hide and seek, and he could only play Jupiter Jim if he was playing as Godfred, the Goldfish King. Even then, he was no fun to play with without his royal guards.

Today, Leo got to play with Mikey without supervision, a job usually reserved for his older brothers. It was a total breeze, he had found out, because Mikey was so stationary. Babies were boring, but they were easy.

Leo carried the bowl back, making sure to spill as little of the mildly murky sewer water he had collected as possible, and put it down right next to the toy he had left on the floor. Right next to the puddle where Mikey was sitting before.

Puddle?

“Boys! Come eat!”

“...spit.”

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

Leo walked into the kitchen with a nervous smile on his face, finding that Raph and Donnie were already seated with food in front of them. Both plates were filled with vegetables and meat, and Splinter was preparing two more plates with more of the same.

“Hello, Blue,” Splinter greeted, glancing around Leo's sides. “Where is your brother? I thought he was with you.”

“H-he was! He just got reeeally tired,” Leo lied, swaying on his feet and swishing his tail slowly. “So I tucked him in bed. He was really, indubitably tired.”

“You don't even know what that word means, Leo.” Donnie glared right into Leo's soul, pushing his glasses up as Leo sat down next to him.

“Yes I do! I-it means Mikey was really super tired!”

“Purple, do not be rude to your brother,” Splinter scolded. “If Orange was tired, he should sleep. He is a growing boy. Thank you, Blue, for tucking him in. He can eat later, after he wakes up.” Splinter finished preparing a plate for himself, then sat down next to his sons and began eating. “Did you all enjoy yourselves today?”

Raphael nodded. “I showed Cheech how to beat up the practice dummy right! He wasn't too good at holdin’ Raph's sais though.”

“That is very kind of you, Red. I'm sure that Cheech will improve if you keep training him.” Splinter smiled kindly.

“He won't,” Donnie whispered, leaning into Leo's ear. “Teddy bears can't do ninjutsu.”

“I think Raph can teach him, Raph's good at teaching,” Leo whispered back.

“What about you, Purple?”

Donnie straightened his posture, his tail sticking straight up for a moment, straightening his glasses again. “I actually did some very helpful research using the encyclopedia that Dad found and the book on reptiles we got a while ago.” He looked around at his brothers. “I learned a lot about our different species. I looked pretty closely into toads and frogs so I could talk to Mikey about his current state, but apparently I can't, because he fell asleep at 6 pm.” Donnie side eyed Leo questioningly.

“You can tell him about what you learned tomorrow, Purple,” Splinter said. “I'm sure whatever he and Blue did today was exhausting, was it not?” He asked, redirecting the conversation to Leo.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Leo agreed fervently. “Me and Mike were having so much fun. Like, Mikey was having sooo much fun, he literally passed out! And I put him in bed, like a good big brother!”

“He… passed out?” Raph asked worriedly.

“Yeah! Like, knocked out hard. Totally asleep. And I tucked him in good!”

“In his tub.” Donnie raised a drawn eyebrow.

“That's right!”

“Boys, there is no need to argue about this,” Splinter said with a strained smile as the brothers finished eating and put their plates away in the sink. “We should all be happy for Blue, who has proven himself as a big brother.”

“He's sure proving something, alright…” Donnie murmured with crossed arms. 

“You can spend a little more time up, but I want you to get to bed soon as well. Meanwhile, I will be taking this opportunity to take a nice, long shower.” Splinter shook his robed arms, showcasing the small clumps of fur gathering across his body. “This stuff gets oily way faster than you would expect.”

“Don't worry Pops!” Raph said, standing absurdly tall for a child of his age and swishing his unruly tail. “I'll check on Mike, then I'll make sure Leo and Don get to sleep too! You have my word!” Raph tried to hold up a military salute, but he caught his hand on his large jaws and hit his head backwards, tail and arms flailing to make sure he didn't fall. He looked distraught for a moment, before making a show of shaking off the pain to be strong for his dad.

Splinter sighed. “Thank you, Red.”

Leo straightened up, eyes widening as he saw his brothers going toward their room,  and dashed over to the sink to drop off his own plate so he could follow. Quickly, would be preferable. 

“Blue? May I speak with you?”

Spit.

Leo stood with the most relaxed posture he could muster as he faced his dad, leaning on the countertop behind him with one elbow. “Sure, Pops!”

Splinter kneeled down in front of the salamander. “I wanted to thank you for spending the day with your little brother. I know that he is still unable to do many of the things that you can, but it is good to hear that you included him in your games anyways.”

“Oh,” Leo said, losing his fake nonchalance for a moment. “It… it was no big deal, Dad.”

“I would say it was a big deal, Leonardo.” Splinter placed a paw on Leo's shoulder, smiling softly at his son. “Once Orange hits the growth spurt he is bound to, it will be much more difficult to keep you boys from bouncing off the walls. I am glad to know I can trust you to take care of your little brother.”

Leo's heart dropped in his chest with guilt, but he kept his outward appearance well enough. Internally, he was screaming to run away and stop his brothers from reaching the bedroom. “Of course, Dad. Mikey was actually really really super fun to hang with! Not boring at all! He actually was playing way more than me, and like, he was really cool and stuff. And fun to play with,” he added carefully.

Splinter stood up, cracking his back. “That is great to hear. Now-” he clapped his hands- “to wash the gunk out of this gross fur!” 

As soon as Splinter skipped away, Leo fumbled over his feet to rush to the bedroom. He kicked his tail a few times, but ignored it in his frenzy. His brothers were already there! It was over! He would never be trusted again! Not by Raph, not by Donnie (though who really cared about that), and most importantly, not by his dad!

When Leo got to the shared bedroom, he slid on the floor to turn in the doorway as fast as possible, only to find Raph terrifyingly close to Mikey's tank.

“WAIT!”

Both of his brothers looked up at him immediately. Donnie's glare from where he sat on his bed quickly changed from confused to exhausted. “And why, dear Nardo, would Raph need to wait?”

Leo hesitated. “Well, b-because-”

“No, Leo. You've been super suspicious ever since you came to dinner.” Donnie stood up, putting the book he had in his hands down.

“No I haven't!” Leo defended. “I don't even know what that means, so I can't be that.”

“It means you've been acting weird because you're hiding something!” Donnie accused.

“Am not!” Leo defended.

“Yes, you a-”

“Guys!” Raph whispered furiously, catching the other boys’ attention. “If you're gonna fight, do it quiet. Mikey's still asleep.” The oldest brother turned away, not being able to see the despaired expression on Leo's face, and approached Mikey's corner of the room where his small tank sat.

Donnie looked back at Leo with disdain. “Whatever you're hiding, you should just cough it up. Dad doesn't like liars.”

“Well that's great, cause I'm not lying. I'm like, the least liar-est person ever.”

“Uh, Donnie?” Raph asked quietly from his spot by the tank. “Didn't you say Mikey was supposed to mecha-morph-uh.. whatever?”

“Metamorphosis. It's the process through which a tadpole becomes a frog or toad. Commonly associated with frogs and butterflies, which come from caterpillars. And technically, the word would be ‘metamorphose’, in this context.”

“I think he meta-morph-osed into a whale instead…”

Leo held his breath.

“What?” Donnie walked over to the tank, continuing to ramble. “No, he's supposed to metamorphose into a fire bellied toad, not a whale. There's no way that- GASP!” Donnie plunged his hand in the tank, coming back out with an unmistakable item. “You left his bowl in the tank?!”

“What?! I-I don't know how that got there, I swear!” Leo stammered, grabbing the hem of his shirt.

“You said you put Mikey to bed! Mikey isn't here, but his bowl is!” Donnie shouted. “You lied! You lost Mikey!”

“N-no I didn't!”

“Oh yeah? Then how did his bowl get here?”

Leo puffed his cheeks, fuming. “It wasn't even my fault! Mikey said I could use his bowl!”

Raph gasped this time, like a normal person. “You really lost Mikey?”

Leo's anger faltered at the sad face on his big brother. The reality of the situation was finally settling in. “I-I didn't mean to. I just went in the tunnel for one second-”

“You went in the tunnels?!” Raph screamed.

Leo winced. “It was just for like a second, and nothing even happened!”

“Clearly, something did happen,” Donnie interjected, putting the bowl down. “You. Lost. Mikey!”

“I did not! Mikey said-”

“GUYS!” Raph slammed his tail on the ground, scaring his brothers into attention. “Right now, Raph's gonna ignore all the rules you broke. We don't need to fight about who to blame, because Mikey is missing. He could be in danger, or worse, already hurt. We need to find him before Dad finds out.” Raph stepped closer to Leo. “Now, where did you lose Mikey?”

“I didn't lose hi-”

“Mikey was under your supervision. Now he's gone. You lost Mikey,” Donnie said sternly. “Where did you lose him?”

Leo stared down at his feet, then sighed heavily. “It was right by the tunnel entrance, by the toy room. When I came-d back in, there was just a puddle where he was sitting before.”

“A puddle?” Donnie asked.

“Yeah, that's what I just said,” Leo groaned.

“No, that could be a clue. Show us where the puddle was,” Raph urged.

“Uh, okay.” Leo turned around and walked down the hall with his brothers in tow. He couldn't help but feel their eyes glaring into his back, judging him. Hating him for lying. For putting his baby brother in danger.

Maybe he wasn't a good big brother like Dad had said. Mikey was the only little brother he had. How did he screw that up?

They reached the end of the hall, and Leo was surprised to see a little bit of dampness still on the floor, even after almost an hour. “He was right here,” he said, crouching down to look.

“Hm,” Donnie hummed, crouching down as well. “Just as I thought.” He put a finger in the spot on the ground, surprising his brothers when his hand came up with something slimy. “Mikey didn't just leave the water from his bowl, he also left mucous.”

“Mucous? Like, he snotted everywhere?” Raph questioned.

“No, it's not snot. It's mucous. Many frogs and toads produce mucous with glands on their skin that helps keep it moist. In some, it also helps them breathe through their skin,” Donnie explained.

“So, Mikey left his skin snot on the floor,” Leo gathered.

“No. It's mucous, not snot.”

“Hey, look!” Raph pointed to another spot on the floor. “More snot!”

“Follow it!” Leo said, running over to the spot and searching for more.

Donnie pinched the bridge of his snout. “Again, not snot, but okay, we have a lead.”

“Why's it in spots, and not, like, little froggy footprints?” Raph asked, following as Leo spotted more spots.

“It's possible that Mikey figured out how to hop,” Donnie said.

“Ha! So this was worth it!” Leo said, pumping a fist. “I taught Mikey how to hop!”

“Or, you taught him how to hop off a cliff and die. Or hop right into a human's home,” Donnie replied.

“Donnie…” Raph whispered.

Leo didn't respond, instead choosing to keep following the spots. There were a few he saw on the walls, which he noted curiously. They traveled all throughout the lair, slowly becoming more recent. Eventually, the brothers found a place where they entered a door.

The bathroom door, where soft singing could be heard on the other side.

“Aw, spit.”

Raph elbowed Leo's shoulder. “Dad said you shouldn't say that anymore.”

“Why? It's not a bad word. I can say it all I want! Spit, spit, spit-”

“Guys,” Donnie said, “let's worry more about the mucous going into the room where Dad is showering.”

“Oh, right.”

The trio opened the door slowly, getting facefuls of steam that fogged up Donnie's glasses, causing him to back out. Leo and Raph stuck their heads in, surveying the area. Splinter's operatic singing filled their ears, making them wince. However, in the midst of the steam filled bathroom, they spotted what they were looking for.

Mikey was perched on the edge of the sink, looking at the closed shower curtain with wide eyes.

“Mikey!” Leo whispered, getting Mikey's attention and drawing his eyes. “Hey Angelo! Come here, come to Leo!” He held his hands out, beckoning.

Mikey squeaked softly, waving at Leo, then pointing at the shower.

“Nonono, don't go there buddy, hop over here!”

Mikey grinned, then readied himself to jump straight at the curtain.

“MIKEY!”

The clattering of metal and screams of the boys cut off Splinter's singing, as Mikey hopped right onto the curtain and pulled the curtain rod down. Raph pushed past Leo into the room, catching Mikey before he fell to the floor with the curtain.

Splinter, despite being covered with soaked fur, tried to cover himself and turned the shower off. “Boys!? What is the meaning of this?!”

Raph fumbled to keep Mikey in his arms. “Sorry, Pops! Mikey was just-”

Mikey turned around in Raph's arms, reaching out to Splinter. “Hi Daddy!”

“Orange? What are you doing awake?”

“He, uh, he woke up!” Leo said, pushing in front of Raph. “We had to follow him here.”

“Follow him?” Splinter raised an eyebrow.

Raph looked at Leo, unsure.

“Yes?” Leo said nervously.

They all stood still, Leo patting his toe on the floor. He couldn't tell if he was sweating of fear, or if it was just the steam in the room. The tension felt as thick as the steam filled air.

“LEO LOST MIKEY!”

“What?!”

“DONNIE, YOU SNITCH! I DID NOT!”

“YES YOU DID! AND YOU LIED! LEO LIED!” Donnie screamed from outside the room.

“Donnie! Stop being mean to Leo!” Raph said, struggling to keep a hold on the boy in his arms. Mikey wriggled around, bracing his feet on Raph's chest and hopping off, sending himself flying into Splinter's arms while also hitting Raph's jaws shut with a clack and nearly sending Raph falling backwards.

“Orange!” Splinter caught Mikey deftly, checking him over. Then, he looked back up to his other sons. More specifically, at the one who had just been basically slapped by his own jaw. “Red, are you okay?”

Raph grunted, but nodded slowly as he held his snout.

“Good. That was very rude of you, Orange,” he said to the son in his arms. “What do you say?”

“I'm sowwy, Waphie…” Mikey mumbled with innocent eyes. Raph gave a weak thumbs up in response.

“Good job. I'm very proud of you for learning how to jump.” Splinter looked at Leo, who physically shrank.

“I-I swear, I didn't meanta lose him. We were just playing, a-and he said-”

“He can tell me what he said.”

Leo felt tears trying to force their way out behind his eyes.

Splinter sighed, dropping his shoulders. “Red,” he addressed, “make sure your brothers get to bed. With no screens,” he said, shooting a glare at the door.

“I would never!” Donnie scoffed from outside.

“I will come to tuck you in as soon as I am done with my shower. I have a feeling that Orange won't let me go without giving him a good bath, too,” he added, causing Mikey to squeak and laugh in his hold.

“No problem, Pops,” Raph said, walking toward the door.

Leo blinked, confused. Where was his scolding? Where was his slap on the wrist? This couldn't possibly be that bad, right? “B-but I-”

“Go to bed, Leonardo.”

Leo shut up fast, swallowing all of his tears and excuses. He followed Raph glumly out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Raph was standing outside with a concerned look on his face, while Donnie wore a smirk.

“I told you Dad doesn't like liars.”

Leo walked past, trying to get to the bedroom with as little eye contact as possible. Raph reached to grab his shoulder, but he shrugged it off and walked faster. Donnie's words echoed in his head.

Dad didn't like liars. Leo was a liar. Dad was the one that took care of them.

He could kick Leo out.

He'd have to live in the tunnels. Or maybe, Dad wouldn't let him live in the tunnels. He'd have to live on the surface, with the humans. The humans who wanted to catch him. Who wanted to pull him apart to see what he was made of and then piece him back together to see what he could do. He would die without his dad. He didn't want to live without his dad. Without his brothers. Without Mikey. Because he did love Mikey, even if he lied. At least he thought so.

Maybe Dad wouldn't care now. Maybe Dad didn't love him now. Leo was a liar. Dad doesn't like liars. Why would he?

Leo flopped into his bed as soon as he reached it, pulling the covers over himself and turning in to face the wall. Raph attempted to talk to him, but Leo only curled up tighter, pulling his tail up so far he could see it in front of his face.

Eventually, Raph gave up. Leo heard him softly scolding Donnie, but tried to ignore it as silent tears fell off his cheeks.

Just when he thought he was about to fall asleep, Leo heard the bedroom door opening. He wiped his face and turned slightly, seeing Splinter walk first to Donnie's bed, then to Raph's, before finally coming toward Leo's.

He noticed Mikey sitting in the doorway, who waved when he caught Leo's eyes. Leo waved back slowly.

Splinter kneeled by Leo's bedside, just like he would any other night to tuck him in. Usually, this would bring Leo warmth and comfort, reminding him that his father loved him. This time, Leo couldn't fight the sense of dread that filled his chest, making it feel like he was breathing something heavier than air. He wasn't getting tucked in. He didn't deserve that anymore. He was a liar.

Dad doesn't like liars. 

His father's eyes seemed to see right through him. “I am very upset with you, Leonardo.”

Leo tensed, but kept looking at Splinter.

“I am not upset that you lost track of your brother. You are a child, and I cannot expect you to be perfect. Do you know why I am upset?”

Leo nodded slowly, then mumbled, “Because I lied…”

“Exactly. It is because you lied. You could have told me as soon as it happened, and I would have helped you look for him. Instead, you lied and put your brother at even more risk. You could have fessed up when I saw Michelangelo in the bathroom. But yet, you still didn't. You didn't admit to your own fault. It took Donatello telling me for you to finally confess. And even then, you tried to rid yourself of all guilt.”

Leo sniffed, tearing up again. “Are you gonna kick me out?”

Splinter's eyebrows raised in shock. “What? No, I will not kick you out. Why would I ever do something so horrible?”

Something shattered.

“But… but I lied! I hurt Mikey! I-I'm a bad brother!” Leo's tears started flowing openly.

“No, no, Blue, you are okay. Shh…” Splinter rubbed his hand across Leo's face, wiping a tear away.

Leo sniffled and hiccuped, holding onto the back of Splinter's hand and softly sobbing. “I'm sorry, Dad, I-I didn't want to…”

Splinter rubbed his son's cheek, hushing him quietly. “I know. But that does not change what you did.” He looked deeply into his son's eyes, ensuring he had his full attention. “I forgive you, but this cannot go without punishment. I will not kick you out, and I never would. You are my son. Instead, you will be grounded for a month.”

Leo whined, but nodded. “Okay…”

“However, I believe that taking away the things that bring you joy will not make you learn the lesson that you need to learn. That is why, during this month, you will not be disallowed from doing anything in our home. Do you understand that?”

Leo nodded.

“The only caveat is that you must spend the entire month with your brother, Michelangelo. You will only do things that he wants to do. You will not plant ideas in his head or put words in his mouth. You will only do things that he says he wants to do. If he ever wants to spend time away from you, you will spend that time with me. Do you understand?”

“Mhm.” Leo nodded again.

“Perfect.” Splinter smiled. “I forgive you for this, and I hope that through this grounding period you can regain my trust.”

Leo smiled as well and nodded one last time, wiping one last tear with the heel of his hand. “I hope so too.”

Splinter turned to the doorway and waved Mikey over with his hand. Mikey grinned and hopped over, much quicker than Leo had expected. He stopped at Leo's bedside, slowly using the bed to brace himself as he stood up on shaky legs, then looked at his father.

“Tell Blue what you told me, Orange.”

Mikey wobbled for a second, then looked up at Leo. “I, um, I'm sowwy I went away when you said not go away. And I'm sowwy, um, I jumped at Daddy when you said not to do… And, um, I wwwanted to s'eep in a big boy bed tonight, cause imma big boy now, but I don't got a big boy bed, can I s’eep wi’ you.” Mikey finished the sentence like a statement, not a question, but his intention was clear.

Leo looked for just a second at his dad, who nodded encouragingly, before looking back at his little brother. “Sure, Mike. Hop on up here.”

Mikey did just that, with more force than Leo had expected. “Wow, Angelo, you've really got good legs now!” Leo said, catching Mikey in his arms and helping tuck him into the blankets. Meanwhile, Splinter walked to Mikey's tank and came back with his bowl and a towel.

“Alright, boys. Orange, your bowl will be right here if you need to soak, and your tank will be there if you want it.” Splinter pulled the blanket up, kissing each boy on the forehead. He cringed and wiped his lips after kissing Mikey, making the boy squeak and giggle. “Sleep well, my big boys. I am so proud of you, and I love you.”

“Love you too, Dad,” both boys chorused. Mikey snuggled into Leo's chest, letting Leo hold him like a stuffed animal. Leo only flinched for a moment at the slimy feeling of Mikey's skin (mucous, not snot).

Splinter walked out of the room, and it was barely even 20 seconds after he heard the door close that Leo heard a whisper coming from beside him.

“I'm sowwy, ‘eo,” Mikey murmured.

Leo looked down at his brother, confused. “You already said sorry. You don't gotta say it again.”

“But I said sowwy then cause Dad said,” Mikey explained. “Now, I said sowwy cause Mikey said.”

“Oh.” Leo settled back in, putting his chin on Mikey's head. “Well, I'm really sorry too. And that's cause Leo said,” he added, smirking.

Mikey giggled and squeezed Leo tightly, wiggling beneath the sheets. In a matter of minutes, the young amphibian had completely fallen asleep, slightly drooling on Leo's pillow. He didn't mind.

Leo grabbed onto Mikey and closed his eyes as well.

He never wanted to let go again.

○●○●○●○

Did I tell myself I would write au comp propaganda? Yes. Did I write a fic about an au completely unrelated to the comp? Yes, and I'm not sorry. I figured since another round finished up today, why not post something?

For real, I've had some insane art block recently, and writing has been keeping me sane. I tried writing propaganda, hated it, then realized, you know what makes me feel better every time? Turtle tots.

In this case, everything-but-turtle tots.

Shoutout to @rufwooff for making one of the most serotonin filled aus I've seen in a while, and fueling my exhaustion-induced writing spree. And go check out @tmntaucompetition! We're getting closer to the end! AAH!

[thezombieprostitute]

Lmao this made me think of Jakey Poo

You know what? I'm making this canon for how Jake and Sunshine met.

Summary: Jake knows he's the luckiest man in the world and it's all because of you.

Warnings: None at this time. Please let me know if I missed any!

A/N: Reader is female. No physical descriptors used.

Part 1

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Poor Jake didn't have much going for him when he left military service for the civilian life. He's just not sure what to do with himself outside of work and gaming. He tries to go out, especially when he's meeting up with The Losers again, but often he finds himself just feeling lonely with too much time on his hands.

Then he gets a ticket from you. The problem seems like an easy enough fix so Jake, still being the new guy on the team, gets assigned to it. He signs onto the Zoom app that he despises with all of his being, but it's company policy to use it.

When you answer the Zoom call your voice is so sweet that it takes Jake a second to respond. You actually think there's something wrong with the connection and he hears you saying, "frick. Even in the future nothing works."

He laughs, recognizing the Spaceballs reference, and startles you. "Sorry about that," he chuckles, as he hears your gasp. "That was just...really funny. Don't meet a lot of Spaceballs fans these days." He shakes his head, "anyways, I'm going to take control of your computer for a bit so I can try to fix it."

"Of course," you reply. It is standard procedure.

Jake gets a remote look at your desktop background and gasps, "you're a Pokemon fan!"

"Gen 1 and proud," you reply.

"That might explain what happened," he starts. "You let your Magnemite get too close to your laptop!" You laugh at the joke and Jake feels his cheeks heat up.

"Well it certainly isn't a Rattata chewing on the wires," you chuckle back.

"Hmm. Maybe we should get maintenance to double check," he jokes. He starts poking around your system files and is immediately at a loss. "What the..."

"Everything okay?"

"Umm..." Jake starts floundering. "I, um, I think. Hmm..."

Shit, he thinks. He was really hoping he could impress you. He's never even seen you but you're so nice and a fellow geek. He wanted to go in, press a button and fix your problem, but this is something more complicated than the ticket implied. He's wishing he had his pirate hat to help him think.

"Okay," he shakes his head, clearing his thoughts, "I think I'm going to need to take a look at the computer itself to figure this out."

"Sure thing." You exchange names and give him your cubicle number and quickly start cleaning up your desk. He might be an IT guy but his voice is very sexy, his laugh even moreso. And he's a fellow geek! Not someone who looks down on you for liking "childish things". You want to make a good impression.

By the time Jake gets to your cubicle you've tidied up pretty well. You smile up at him and Jake swears he's never met a more beautiful woman in his life. He's barely able to get out a "hi" because you've taken his breath away.

You're trying hard not to giggle and kick your feet at how cute Jake is. The fact that you've flustered him isn't lost on you and it makes you feel even giddier.

"Um, I um, I like your, your Gravity Falls sweater," Jake finally gets out.

Looking down you realize you're wearing your handmade Mabel Pines sweater and your face lights up. "Oh, thanks! I made it myself!"

"That's so cool," Jake says, earnestly. "I'm always so jealous of people who can make their own cosplay stuff."

"I could make you something," you quickly offer. "If, that is, um, if you'd like."

He smiles at you and, for the first time in a very long time, he feels like everything's going to be okay. The clouds are parting and you, the sunshine, are lighting up his life.

Part 1

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Tagging: @alicedopey; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82; @ronearoundblindly

[berylcups]

Abbacchio x Reader :drabbles

“Just Friends”

Cw: drinking, dubious consent? (It’s like tipsy consenting but imma tag it as dubious just in case. Drink wisely lovelies 🍷) also this is OOC AF but for it’s myself indulgence lol MINOR DNI

Notes: here’s some drabbles from my storage. Hopefully this will keep y’all full until I got my other work completed. Let’s just say there’s some cuck fuckery going on mwahaha 💜 Beryl

Y/N was the 2nd to last addition to Bucciaratis' team. They were quiet,and reserved. They didn’t like to talk much so it was a breath of fresh air for Abbacchio. The last thing he needed was another talkative brat to annoy him. He did find them to be a little suspicious…of course it turned out they just had social anxiety.

The rowdy boys would scare Y/N back into their shell and they’d stop opening up for a while. Much to bucciaratis dismay he would have to scold the others into behaving properly so Y/N felt comfortable enough to open up and bond with the rest of the team.

What’s a way for Y/N to loosen up? Alcohol of course. Specifically wine. The team was celebrating another win for taking down a rivaling group in their territory. It was past hours at the restaurant so they all drank and ate as much as their hearts desired. Now all that’s left is Abbacchio and Y/N. Y/N is much more relaxed and talkative when they are tipsy. They 're pretty fun to be around!

“Prosecco? Pfft you’re a lightweight and a wine newbie.” Abbacchio teased.

“I only like what tastes sweet. The dry stuff makes my face pucker and upsets my stomach.” Y/N stuck their tongue out.

“Of course it upsets your stomach. You’re drinking it way too fast. You’re supposed to sip it.” He snickered. “ Here, try some of mine with the dark chocolate since you like sweet things so much.” He offered his glass to them and they took a sip and ate a piece of chocolate.

“Hmm…tastes better this time .” Y/N said concentrating on the flavors lingering in their mouth.

“See? I told you it’s better when you drink it slowly. Now you don’t have to rely on those cheap newbie wines anymore.” He said acting smug.

“Yeah but… I still like the sweeter one better .” Y/N teased.

“ You uncultured brat.” He chuckled.

Abbacchio was surprised to find someone that he could genuinely get along with. This was the first time Y/N truly bonded with any of the team. When sober, Y/N was still a little shy and pretty reserved but around Abbacchio they felt completely at ease. They were low key about it but they became close friends.

When Y/Ns CD player stopped working they were pretty frustrated. He offered one of his ear buds to listen to his music. This raised a few eyebrows, abbacchio never shared his music before.

You two had an evening ritual that just seemed to develop on its own where you would be the last ones up at night. You both enjoyed each other’s company and the comforting silence that came with it. Just drinking wine and listening to music. An occasional conversation would eventually pop up whenever he felt the need to say something.

“You should really stop biting your nails Y/N. It’s a bad habit and can cause nail damage.” Abbacchio would gently scold. “ Let me paint your nails. That will help you curb your habit. I think this color would look good on you.” He held your hands and filed your nails to an even length. Feeling how soft and small your hands are compared to his larger ones made him feel some sort of way… he never felt a feeling like this before. Is this what love is? No way, you wouldn’t like someone like him. Better suppress those feelings. He doesn’t realize how his low confidence is blinding what he’s seeing in front of them. He can’t see that you like him just as much but lack the confidence yourself as well.

————————————-

When Giorno joined he saw how quickly you went back into your shell again. Great- we made all this progress and this brat waltzes in and fucks everything up. You always clam up around new people and get shaky. He’ll gently place his hand over yours under the privacy of the table to calm you down. He’s gonna put you at ease by doing an old party trick…perfect for tea parties. You completely forgot about your anxiety seeing him put his back to you and hear him pissing into the teapot.

“You gotta be shitting me…” You thought in shock.

“Here… I hope you enjoy it. I made it myself.” He said deadpan to the newbie.

“?!” They clasped a hand over their mouth to keep themselves from bursting out laughing. They could feel the tears beginning to prick their eyes.

Of course your laughter would turn to horror when you see the young blonde down the “special tea” like it was his first drink he’s had in days.

Giorno would be a hindrance to your peace of mind but if it wasn’t for him, Abbacchio wouldn’t feel the desperate need to hold onto you tighter.

—————————————

“Eggplant parmigiana again Y/N? You don’t wanna try anything new? Here, try my Pasta alla Genovese. You’ll like it I promise.” He knew you were afraid of trying new things in case you didn’t like it and end up offending someone. He didn’t really understand the fear of offending someone but he knew it was just how your personality is. You were considerate of everyone and he thought that endearing but could also be a hindrance to you.

He pushed his plate closer to you so you could get a forkful, and you hesitantly put it in your mouth. He was right! It was delicious, you kinda regret not getting it.

“Wow you were right. That is good. It’s super meaty.” You said covering your full mouth while talking.

“I’ll give you half of mine if you give me half of yours.” He offered.

“Yessssss” You said excitedly.

“But you can only drink Chianti.” He smirked

“ fine— you wine snob.” You huffed pretending to be annoyed.

“Hey- how about sharing with us huh? Give me half of half your Genovese and you can have half of half of my fagioli!” Narancia complained.

“Shut u-“Abbacchio says before getting cut off by a fuming Fugo.

“Half of half?! Don’t you mean a QUARTER?! Have you LEARNED NOTHING?! you STUPID BASTARDO!.”Fugo blew a gasket and stabbed Narancias with a fork…again.

———————————————————————

You have a habit of falling asleep during long travels and you always somehow end up with your head on Abbacchios shoulder knocked out like a log. The smell of his shampoo and his cologne blend together perfectly and listening to the music he shares just puts you into another world where you forget about being crammed in a van with a bunch of rowdy boys.

“Aww aren’t you sweet letting Y/N sleep on you like that!” Mista teased. “You both look adorable ~”

“Shut the fuck up. You’re gonna wake them up and we’re just friends.” He gave Mista and the rest of the giggling crew the middle finger.

“…just friends…” you repeated in your sleep.

“Suuuuurrrreee buddy.” Mista teased as he gave him the finger guns and a cheesy ass wink.

“Get bent.” Abbacchio proceeded to throw an empty water bottle at him for that.

“…Are we there yet..?” You yawn, squinting your eyes as you adjust to the light.

“Not even close…” he growls. “ just go back to sleep. Y/N.”

Abbacchio gives Mista a scornful look that could kill him.

“H-hey don’t look at me like that! You throwing shit is what woke them up!” Mista said, trying not to fuel Abbacchios anger further.

———————————————————————

It was another night of you two drinking together but you decided to take it up into his bedroom for some privacy since a couple were still up playing video games in the living room. You were admiring the amount of makeup he has.

“You always know how to look so nice. I don’t even know how to put the stuff on other than foundation and mascara.” You sheepishly confessed .

“You have a nice natural look. But if you’d like I can show you how to use some of mine to change it up a bit. I have a few lipstick colors that would look amazing on you” he said getting some makeup off his makeup vanity.

His hand was gentle when he held your face, his ametrine eyes felt like they were staring directly into your soul as he applied the eyeliner on your face. You could feel your face getting red from the intense eye contact, his eyes were so gorgeous. You have never seen a 2 toned eye color before.

“If your eyes are hooded it’s best to go with a thinner line so it doesn’t smudge…” he said, focusing on the other eye now. “You can go thicker if you want but you need to wait a little bit to make sure it dries.”

“Okay…” was all you could mutter out. Him being so close made you get a little shy again like when you first met.

He wanted to keep staring into your pretty eyes, they were hypnotizing up close but he had to break contact to get out the lipstick.

It was your favorite color and it compliments your skin tone well. Looking at your lips as he put it on you was giving him impulsive thoughts. The way he instructed you to pout your lips made you look so kissable. His mind went into autopilot mode, he moved closer to you and you did the same. He kept staring at your perfectly colored lips and gently brushed his lavender ones against yours.

“Shit!” He realized what he did and jumped back and started apologizing profusely.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to do that—I’m kinda drunk so I’m not thinking straight-“

You cut him off by kissing him back.

“?!” If it wasn’t for his full coverage foundation his entire face would be red.

“You’re fine.”you say. “I…uh… kinda always wanted to do that.“ you confessed looking away sheepishly. “I really like you a lot .”

“Oh? And you kept this from me all this time?” He said trying to regain his confidence.

“And you didn’t notice all this time?” You gently teased.

“You brat.” He smirked and roughly pulled you closer to kiss you deeply.

You never did get a good look at how he did with your makeup. Confessing your feelings and making out is much more confidence boosting than a makeover.

———————————————————————

You two decided to be lowkey about your relationship, the last thing you two wanted was to be teased by the others. Also neither of you are a fan of PDA, it just adds unwanted attention and it’s kinda gross having people watch you.

That doesn't mean he doesn’t mean doesn’t make his affection known. Under the privacy of the table he likes to hold your hand. If he’s feeling flirtatious his hand is on your thigh. He'll run his hand up your inner thigh, give a good squeeze and massage it a bit. You have to do everything you can not to blush or just cream yourself.

———————————————————————

At the restaurant he would sneak off with you into the bathroom to have some impromptu alone time. Around you he just gets so needy so easily. He has you against the wall with one of your legs hiked around his hip as he grinds his clothed erection into your crotch. He’s muffling your moans with open mouth kisses and lots of tongue. He always tastes like his favorite wine and with how good he makes you feel it’s like you could get drunk off of his kisses.

He always has to have a handkerchief and an extra tube of lipstick on him to keep both of your little secrets a secret. He’s definitely looking for a transfer proof brand of lipstick for both of you to wear so you don't have to worry about all the smudging. But… seeing his lip prints all over you gets him off hard.

———————————————————————

When you don’t have missions together and you’re spending a few nights apart it’s tough on you both. But distance does make the heart grow stronger, and so does your neediness for him. You both make the best of the situation with what you have. Late night conversations that end up leading to some heavy sexual topics. He texts the lewdest things that you have to go read in private and even touch yourself to due to how graphic he’s being.

“Oh the things I would like to do to you right now... I’d kill just to have you with me.”

“You think you could ride me when I get home? I love watching your cute face as you try to take me all in.”

“ I want to watch your mascara run down your face as I make you cry my name.”

“You think you can take my entire load or do you think it will leak out? The thought of creampie-ing you is making me feral.”

“I can’t wait to get out of this hell hole. These brats are annoying me. The minute I get home I’m going to blow your back out. I swear I’m going to fuck the living hell out of you”

———————————————————————

When you have missions together you make sure to get a room. Bucciarati spares no expense and makes sure that everyone has at least a decent place to stay for the night. You think a nice hotel would have thicker walls but poor Narancia and Fugo did NOT get any sleep that night.

He had you on to your back in a mating press pounding mercilessly into your sopping wet cunt.

“Shit Leone~!”you mewled clinging on to him.

“That’s right bambina. You keep saying my name” he panted while nibbling on your ear.

“Fuck you’re tight… I’m never sharing you. You’re all mine” he growled.

Your feet were hitting the wall as he buried his cock deep into your tight cunt at a brutal pace. He let go of one of your legs and rubbed circles on your clit.

“Oh god~ Leone~ you’re going to make me cum!” You cried as tears ran down your cheeks.

“That’s right- you cum for me. Cum with me!” He grunted.

You felt the warm release inside making you feel pleasantly full. The knot in your belly tightened and legs spasmed, your toes curled, you felt the fire in you intensify and the knot finally snapped.

“Oh fuck~ Leo I’m cumming!” You howled as you arched your back.

You didn’t have time to bask in the afterglow, you both suddenly felt weightless for a brief second and a loud crash. You both broke the hotel bed!

A zip sound came from the door-“ I heard a commotion! Abbacchio are you being attacked?!” Bucciarati burst in and his eyes fell on the both of you and his face went red.

“!!!” You quickly covered your chest with the sheet. “Uh-um….” You couldn’t form any sentences.

“Let me guess…Just friends huh?” Bucciarati teased with a shit eating grin

“Bucciarati…with all due respect-please get the fuck out.” Abbacchio said deadpan trying not to get embarrassed.

“Oh alright… but you’re paying for the damages.” He smirked as he opened the door and left.

So much for keeping everything a secret…

[dame-zoom-a-lot]

Week one submission for @steddiesmuttyseptember Thank you @stervrucht for beta reading! The first draft was rough. Any grammar / flow mistakes are my own. Tags: Human/Monster Romance, Mention of blood and knife play, Top Eddie Munson, Bottom Steve Harrington, Soft Dom Eddie Munson Prompts used: make-up sex, service dom, mile high club, pillow princess 

Word Count: 3700 (approximate) Rating: M Excerpt: “So, anyway. You’re supposed to be my top priority and I fucked it up. And… I’d really really like to make it up to you.”

“How?”

“I want to draw you a nice long bath first,” Eddie says, slowly stroking up and down Steve’s thighs, going in and out of his shorts. “I want to wash your hair, soap you all up, lotion you, do all the skincare routine for you that you’ve had to miss during tour.”

“That sounds… not terrible,” Steve muses. There’s no way Eddie actually got all the stuff required for his skincare routine.  Eddie hasn’t needed any skincare in forever. The man is covered in some sort of water-proof fuzz. Even the hairless patches of scarred skin heal from anything within a day or two. But Steve can play along for tonight. “After that?”

“Then I want to lay you down on the bed, all relaxed and pampered, and give you a deep, deep massage.”

“Since when do you know how to give massages?” Steve says laughing.

“Dude. I was sleeping on the ground for months! It was either learn or fight off the Demo-jackasses with a kink in my old-man back!”

“Hmm…” Steve’s pretty sure Eddie wasn’t massaging his own back in the Upside-Down, but he did decide to play along. “Alright. Then? After the massage? We just have a good Christian sleepover? Leave room for Jesus?”

“Well no, I was thinking that I’d tie you up.”

“Mhm? Mhm. Mhm?”

You can read on A03 here

“Right, I understand that Eowyn is a big draw. But as I said before, your backstage doesn’t have enough space for—”

“Bullshit! There’s plenty of room for a fucking dog! Cleveland got to have her. You’re saying my venue isn’t good enough? She’s just running across the stage!”

“No, Cleveland had plenty of room for us to—”

“I’m going to tell the label you’re ruining the show you piece of shit!” The asshole on the other side of the line, John? Dick? Lil something? Screams and slams down the phone. Steve’s ears ring. He can feel the beginning of a headache. He needs to go find a quiet place to lay down before this turns into a migraine. But he’s in the middle of a tour. His bedroom is a bunk in the crowded tour bus. He hasn’t had privacy in weeks. He’s ready to chew someone’s head off.

The entire Corroded Coffin crew barges into Steve’s sad makeshift office—a picnic table about ten feet away from the tour bus.

“Eowyn won’t eat,” Gareth says accusingly.

Goodie is close behind him. “You gave her the same thing again Steve. Where’s her beef kibble?”

“We’re out of that,” Steve says, trying to stay calm. Eowyn gets antsy when he sounds upset. “She’ll have to make do with the food we have. We can get her a different bag tomorrow.”

“You’ve given her the same food for days!” Gareth explodes. “You know she likes variety! How would you feel if you had the same thing every fucking day?”

“How would I feel? I’d feel the way I have over this entire fucking tour where I had the same fucking thing every day Gareth! That’s how I’d feel!” Steve finally screams.

Eddie just stands off to the side uselessly. Not standing up for him. Not fighting his boys. What’s new? Steve gets up and goes out of his way to push into Gareth and Goodie as he marches away. He’s done with this. Fuck this. Fuck this tour. Why the fuck did he let this band of assholes talk him into bringing a whole ass husky on a metal tour? ***********************

“Steve?”

Steve burrows deeper into the blankets in his tiny bunk on the tour bus. He’s pretty sure he’s overdue for Eowyn’s second daily hour-long run. He should be clipped behind her right now, letting her pull him along on a run around the isolated track he’d managed to find around where they were staying. His head throbs. He feels scrubbed out, rubbed raw. Mostly, he’s ashamed. “Sweetheart, can you please look at me?” Eddie begs. Gentle palms trace the back of Steve’s neck and into his hair. Steve hates how he automatically relaxes and leans into the touch. Maybe it’s because the skin-colored fuzz that grows all over Eddie now is so soft. Maybe it’s because that’s a reminder that Eddie is safe now, back with him in the right-side up. Whatever the reason is, it’s really cramping his tantrum. “I told the boys to run Eowyn themselves for once. And I booked a hotel room for you to stay in tonight so you can take a breather. Can you please let me take you there?”

It’s a sweet gesture. But it’s also a little too late. Where was this when Steve was fending off angry venues who all wanted a piece of Eowyn, Eowyn—the lovable, needy bastard, and all the various needs of the entire tour crew, including the band? Besides, Steve’s not about to cry in front of people like some ten-year-old. Steve burrows deeper into his flimsy sheets instead. It smells like sweat and stale air.

Eddie and the band might be pissing him off. But. But he literally signed up for this. Begged for this job really. Only got the job because Eddie vouched for him to the label. And he’s humiliating them both. Steve summons all his self control from his Scoops Ahoy and Family Video days. He sits up to look at Eddie and puts on his best customer service smile. Eddie flinches.

Steve resists the urge to throw the sheet back over himself so he doesn’t have to watch Eddie see right through him, fake smiles,  fake confidence, fake strength. “Sorry I made you feel like you had to do all that,” he says instead. “I’m alright. Can you cancel the hotel room?”

“No,” Eddie says firmly. “I mean, maybe? I’m not going to find out though.” Eddie licks his lips the way he does when he’s panicking. He gently cups Steve’s face, eyes shiny, voice shaking. “Please, please let me do this? I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have let Gareth talk to you like that. It’s going to eat me up alive Stevie. Please. I’ll stand guard. The bus will be standing when you’re back. We’ll get to our next venue on schedule. You deserve a break. Let me give it to you.”

“You’re standing guard?” Steve asks, confused.

“Well, we’ll need one responsible adult to guard the bus right?” Eddie says with a vague smile. Steve scoffs involuntarily at the idea of Eddie being a responsible adult. Eddie’s face falls. “Ok, so maybe I’m not quite the responsible adult the bus deserves, but I can be the adult that stepped up. And besides… I’ve been an ass. I figured you’d want a break from me tonight as well.”

“And sulking by myself in a hotel is going to be a break?” Steve asks, incredulously.

Eddie’s mood immediately shifts. He gets right up into Steve’s space with a delighted grin. “What was that sweetheart? You forgive me? You want little old me warming up your bed?”

“You’re not off the hook that fast you asshole. That room better have a couch,” Steve says, flicking Eddie gently on the nose.

“Aww Steve, my love, my only, let me on the bed. I’ll show you a good time, the best time. The ye olde Munson special.”

“Aren’t you the one who’s always insisting that ye is pronounced ‘the’?”

“That was the old me, full of misguided loyalty to my band and random medieval facts. I’m the new me now, full of chagrin and excitement that I’ll finally have a chance to pamper you the way you deserve.” Eddie kneels and takes Steve’s hand, pulling it into a kiss. “Shall we?”

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

Steve tries not to think too hard about how much Eddie must have spent on this room. Corroded Coffin has been doing ok, just about enough to pay the bills. It’s not rock star money. He’s definitely not making enough to get a room this nice in a five-star hotel. Steve takes a deep sniff and wonders if Eddie got them to spritz the room with Steve’s favorite vanilla and mahogany scent.

He throws himself into the soft plush sheets and thrashes around, luxuriating in sleeping on something so clean again. He tries not to freak out about how Eddie left right after showing him the room. He did say he’d be right back. Said he needed to grab something.

What was he grabbing? A pink slip? Was this some sort of severance, a last hurrah before Steve gets fired for throwing a tantrum in public?

Fortunately, Eddie comes back before Steve can spiral any harder. He’s carrying a small bag in one hand, and a very familiar duffel bag in another.

“Did you… bring our kit on tour?” Steve squawks.

“In my defense,” Eddie says sheepishly, “I’m nothing if not unreasonably hopeful. How else would I be in this line of work?”

“What,” Steve sputters, shaking with laughter. “What were you going to do if the whole hotel thing didn’t happen? Make everyone look away for a hot second?”

“Excuse you! I would have made everyone look away for at least five minutes!” Eddie says with mock indignation. “Now can you please stop making fun of me so I can focus on adding us to the mile high club?”

“What?”

“We’re in the mile high city, my heart. I believe that-” Eddie drops the duffel bag on the hotel room’s floor. Steve’s dick twitches at the familiar thump. “-qualifies us for the mile high club? Unless… you’re attached to the traditional definition? And if so… I…”

Eddie hesitates, nose wrinkling.

“Fuck it. Stevie, baby, we’ve had sex in much worse places. I will happily add an airplane bathroom to one of those spots for you.”

Steve leaps off the bed to pounce on Eddie so he can mock retch on him. “Don’t you dare make me cum in an airplane bathroom. We’re counting this.” “Oh thank fuck. Let’s get this show started then.” Eddie rummages through their ‘bag of holdings’ and pulls out a familiar coil of rope. Steve’s stomach flips with anticipation.

“How do you want me?” Steve asks, plopping down on the floor. He could get back on the bed. But then Eddie wouldn’t get to throw him on it, and where’s the fun in that?

Eddie hums, head cocked the way he does when he’s trying to condense like five paragraphs of rambling thoughts into reasonable sentences.

“Eds? We doing this tonight?” Steve asks, running his feet gently over Eddie’s leg. Eddie squeaks.

“Well Steve, sweetheart, darling.” Eddie joins Steve on the floor then plops his head down on Steve’s lap. “I was thinking… I’m trying to make it up to you, for being such a shitty boyfriend.”

Steve shrugs, running his hand along Eddie’s soft, fuzzy face. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m not mad. But I get it. Those guys stuck by you after you went AWOL for nearly a year then resurfaced as a cat-seal-human hybrid. And this is your career…”

Eddie sits up abruptly so he can grab Steve’s wrist and moves his hands to Eddie’s chest. Steve can feel Eddie’s razor sharp talons against skin. It’s not drawing blood. Not yet. But it’s a reminder of all the times when Eddie did, the times when Eddie let Steve feel the sharp pain of claws going through skin, the times Eddie dragged his claws over his body, covering him in beautiful specks of blood and pink lines that would last for hours. Eddie lets the silence drag on, tightens his grip a bit so the claws are digging almost deep enough to break the skin. Steve feels his shoulders relax as his world narrows down to Eddie—his eyes, his claws, his grip.

“Steve,” Eddie says finally.

“Eddie?”

“My career means fuck all compared to you.”

“I…”

“I mean it. I’ve failed you spectacularly if I’ve been making you feel like you deserve anything less than being my top, top priority.”

Steve shrugs as his world widens again. It feels bad to say that yes, Eddie hasn’t been making him feel like a top priority this tour. Or any type of priority. Especially when Eddie’s saying that that’s a spectacular failure. It’s not like Steve isn’t used to this.

“And don’t you dare say something like how you’re used to it in that casual tone,” Eddie growls, “I’ll cry on you. I’ll get snot all over your perfect hair. Watch me.”

“Ok, ok!” Steve says. There’s a knot at his throat that’s threatening to turn into tears. But he’s not going to do that. He’s a grown ass man. A grown ass man who’s running a tour. A grown ass man who’s supposed to be the safe rock in Eddie’s supernaturally fucked-up life.

“So, anyway. You’re supposed to be my top priority and I fucked it up. And… I’d really really like to make it up to you.”

“How?”

“I want to draw you a nice long bath first,” Eddie says, slowly stroking up and down Steve’s thighs, going in and out of his shorts. “I want to wash your hair, soap you all up, lotion you, do all the skincare routine for you that you’ve had to miss during tour.”

“That sounds… not terrible,” Steve muses. There’s no way Eddie actually got all the stuff required for his skincare routine.  Eddie hasn’t needed any skincare in forever. The man is covered in some sort of water-proof fuzz. Even the hairless patches of scarred skin heal from anything within a day or two. But Steve can play along for tonight. “After that?”

“Then I want to lay you down on the bed, all relaxed and pampered, and give you a deep, deep massage.”

“Since when do you know how to give massages?” Steve says laughing.

“Dude. I was sleeping on the ground for months! It was either learn or fight off the Demo-jackasses with a kink in my old-man back!”

“Hmm…” Steve’s pretty sure Eddie wasn’t massaging his own back in the Upside-Down, but he did decide to play along. “Alright. Then? After the massage? We just have a good Christian sleepover? Leave room for Jesus?”

“Well no, I was thinking that I’d tie you up.”

“Mhm? Mhm. Mhm?”

“Dude, I just felt your dick twitch. You’re adorable.” Eddie leans into Steve’s crotch to blow raspberries into the fabric.

“Anyway, I was thinking. I would tie you up real nice and loose, but only enough so you don’t get all in your head about repaying the favor or whatever,” Eddie says, gesturing vaguely. “Then I’ll suck you off with the breeder dildo up your ass. Make it vibrate. What do you say?”

“But… what about you?” Steve asks. He hates how quiet and uncertain he sounds.

“Baby, please. Just for tonight, can it be about you? Just you?” Eddie says, “If it really bothers you, just think of it as payback for all the times you had to jerk me off by yourself before we figured out how to deal with my talons.”

Steve wants to say no. It’s not fair. But Eddie’s deep brown eyes are hypnotic. “Ugh, alright.”

“Yes!” Eddie says, punching the air, way too happy for a man who just decided he wasn’t getting off for the night. “Now, please undress to your comfort level while I go run the bath.”

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

Steve looks on in disbelief. All his products are laid carefully out by the foot of the tub so there’s no risk of them falling into the tub. The water’s even the perfect temperature. There’s bubbles.

“Where did you get all this?” Steve asks, touched.

“Well, after I yelled at the boys for being unreasonable dickheads, I ran out to the city.” Eddie lifts Steve easily and gently lowers him down into the tub. “And I know what products you use because err… I like to sniff them? When you’re gone? They smell like you?”

Steve looks at Eddie, an eyebrow raised. Eddie squirms a little. The bathroom is damp. The tub’s steam wafts over Eddie, wetting down the fur so it forms beautiful cowlicks and waves. The bright light of the bathroom bounce off the scales scattered across Eddie’s body, making them glitter. The hairless patches of scar tissue only accentuate the gorgeous strangeness of all that is Eddie. He looks ethereal, shy, adorable. Steve feels the last of his anger melt away at the sight of Eddie’s clawed hands nervously curling and uncurling.

“Oh my god,” Steve hears himself say.

Eddie turns his head. If he weren’t covered in fuzz, he’d be blushing.

“No no, don’t get all fluttery on me now. That’s insane in the best way. You’re such a perv.” Eddie flashes a shy but pleased smile.

“I mean, have you seen my boyfriend?” Eddie says, gesturing at Steve in the tub. He squeezes himself behind Steve. He pulls Steve into his chest and Steve rubs his back into Eddie’s torso, relishing in the contrast between the fur and ridged smoothness where there’s no hair, just scarred skin.

“And the water’s perfect too,” Steve sighs, settling deeper into Eddie.

“Oh is it?” Eddie chuckles, “I’m glad I called Robin then, even if she did threaten to bury me.”

“Why… does she know my bath temperature?”

“Was she not supposed to know that?”

“No? Though… she probably just gave you her perfect bath temperature, which apparently is also mine because of course it would be.”

“You know what? I’m not going to think too hard about that. Anyway. Yeah, so I was going to set up the hotel room like this for you as a surprise. But I like this better.” Eddie kisses Steve’s hair. “Thanks for letting me in with you. For… giving me a chance.”

“You deserve all my chances.” Steve closes his eyes and relaxes into the water as Eddie runs water over his hair. Eddie clears his throat loudly.

They don’t need words while Eddie pulls off Steve’s entire bath routine perfectly even though he has to work with his knuckles because of the claws. By the time they’re done, Steve feels wrung out in the best way, the way he does after Eddie’s been playing with him for hours. When they’re done, Eddie helps him out of the bath and even dries him off. He probably doesn’t need to pay quite that much attention to Steve’s asshole and balls, but he’s not about to complain.

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

“You still want that massage and blowjob?” Eddie asks as he lays Steve on the bed, carefully placing his head on a pillow.

“Mmmm…” Fuck, thinking is hard. “I’m real tired. So I’m worried I’ll fall asleep if you give me a massage. But… I do want you to tie me up.”

“One big boy sausage coming right up,” Eddie says, gently kissing Steve on the forehead. Steve stretches out while Eddie grabs the rope. Then he stretches out a little more because he likes the face Eddie makes as he watches. By the time Eddie comes around to the bed, Steve can see that Eddie’s fully hard. But Eddie doesn’t touch himself at all, choosing to use both hands to wrap Steve in ropes instead. Soon, Steve can feel the pressure of the ropes all around him, pressing exactly where he likes them. Eddie stands back and admires his handiwork.

Steve wiggles around and flutters his lashes coquettishly. Eddie giggles.

“Do you want the breeder dildo still?” Eddie asks, smiling fondly.

Steve hesitates. Eddie looks so tired. He’s already taken an hour so just for Steve’s bath and that was after he’d been running all over to find Steve’s products. “You don’t have to,” he says.

Eddie frowns. He retreats to go grab the toy. Standing at the foot of the bed, Eddie strokes himself a little so he can gather his precum. He mixes it in with the lube he slathers onto the toy’s length. Steve watches.

“I do Steve,” Eddie leans down to suck at Steve’s neck, grazing down a little. Steve shivers. “I do have to. Right now. Tomorrow. Every day.”

The knot returns to the base of his throat. Steve throws his head back to force it down. Eddie takes advantage, running a canine over the extended length of Steve’s neck. Eddie preps Steve blindly, keeping his mouth on the moles along Steve’s inner thigh as he slowly and carefully works him open with dildos of varying sizes. His talons occasionally nick at the soft skin around Steve’s rims–at first by accident, then a few more times on purpose when Steve moans at the hot, pleasant burst of pain. By the time Eddie pushes the dildo in, Steve is already shaking. Eddie turns the vibration on low and licks along Steve’s cock as Steve writhes and whines.

Eddie swallows Steve’s entire cock in one go and it takes all of Steve’s self control not to buck up into his throat. Steve seizes up. That sends the dildo up higher so it’s vibrating directly into his prostate. There’s too much sensation. It’s too good. Eddie’s hot, soft mouth bobs up and down. Eddie’s hands roam everywhere. The dildo is setting his nerves on fire. All of it chinks away at Steve’s control over the growing knot in his chest.

Steve sobs when he cums. Eddie nearly spits out Steve’s cock in his hurry to get to Steve’s face. “Baby, what’s wrong? Did I do something?” Eddie wraps Steve, bound and with the vibrator still quietly whirring in his ass, into his chest. When Steve doesn’t stop crying, Eddie moves his legs so he can use all limbs to wrap around Steve. Steve sobs harder. Eddie clutches Steve harder, crooning nonsense words. Steve feels Eddie’s dick go from fully hard to soft in record time against his thigh. It reminds him of a snapping turtle for some reason. Steve starts laughing hysterically in between sobs.

“Sorry, sorry,” Steve gasps, laughing and crying. Jesus, he can feel his nose running but he can’t do anything about it because he’s still trussed up in Eddie’s arms. He feels flayed open. The only way out is to cry through it. The realization is weirdly calming. “It’s not you. It’s just… today was a lot and that was a lot of sensations.”

Eddie, thankfully, lets Steve continue hiding in the safety of his chest. “So it was like a release?” He nuzzles into Steve’s hair. “Come to think of it, I think this is the first time you’ve cried around me.”

“I don’t, you know, cry. And it feels especially unfair to cry at you when you’ve literally been through hell and back.” Steve says, sniffling. “Besides, I have a hideous cry face.”

Eddie pushes Steve’s face away from his chest at that, the bastard. “Who dared make fun of your cry face?” He whisper-shouts in his signature medieval bard voice. “It’s so pretty.” Eddie starts pecking all over Steve’s face. “So shiny.” Another peck. “So handsome.” He licks this time.

“Dude, my nose is running,” Steve says giggling, trying to move his head away. He squeals when Eddie grabs his hair to hold his head in place. But Eddie isn’t laughing along. He looks at Steve with that dark look that won’t allow Steve to hide behind quips and self-deprecating humor.

“Steve Harrington,” Eddie says slowly. “It’s not unfair to feel things around me. I want you to.”

There’s silence. Steve swallows. Eddie continues to stare. The tug at his hair gets a little mean, perfectly so, enough to knock away at the last shred of Steve’s dignity. Maybe it was never dignity.

“What if it’s too much?” Steve whispers.

“It’s not too much,” Eddie whispers back. He loosens his grip. The tug turns into gentle caresses. Eddie pulls Steve back into his chest. Steve nuzzles into it, rubbing the snot all over his face and Eddie’s remaining nipple. “Please trust me on that?”

“I’ll try.”

[gojosoath]

wilted grace — nanami/gojo fic

MINORS DON'T INTERACT // 18+ ONLY!

pairing: nanami kento x gojo satoru x fem!reader (uses she/her pronouns) x poly relationship

tags: romance x angst x smut x polyamory x AU (no sorcerer stuff in this au, nanami and gojo are just normal dudes living in a normal world, lol)

warnings: a bit of an age gap (everyone is a consenting adult fyi) x implications of SA done to Y/N x Y/N has a panic attack x dissociation summary: (AU) The story follows Y/N, Nanami and Gojo in a polyamorous relationship; the three of them navigating the new dynamic relationship for the first time in their lives. The three of them begin exploring aspects both emotionally and sexually, finding themselves on a complex journey of facing their inner demons and also healing themselves.

Table of Contents // my ao3 // taglist form taglist: @adequate-superstar ; @chifuxu ; @moonlightchildz ; @crown5 ; @frankiesteins-world ; @peachytears11 ; @chaneleden ; @soumies ; @nanamingojo ; @sunfairyy ;

DO NOT REPOST/COPY MY WORKS ANYWHERE ELSE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©gojosoath

a/n: umm so sorry for not updating in a while. my writers block is the worst...i have no excuses, forgive me yall. enjoyy x :)

Part 11: One, Two, Three... (wc: 3.1k)

8 hours earlier

“Mr. Kento, do you realize what you have done by leaving early and not even attending the conference you were supposed to lead?” The boss’ voice is sharp and cold, making Nanami pinch the bridge of his nose. He paces the hallway, letting his boss bite his head off for leaving the business trip too early.

“I notified you that it was an emergency, something came up,” Nanami reminds him.

“Last minute,” His boss retorts, “it did not give us enough time to send in a backup.”

“I know, I know,” Nanami rubs the back of his neck hoping that it will somewhat give his tense muscles some relief. When he gets to the end of the hallway, he stops in his steps when he sees you and Gojo in the kitchen; you are crying in the high chair while Gojo is kneeling, both of your guys’ hands together. Nanami tunes out his boss continuing to give him a hard time, while he continues to watch the two of you. He doesn’t hear what Gojo says but he sees his lips moving. For some odd reason, Nanami doesn’t feel jealous but rather…thankful? Even though Nanami doesn't fully understand it, he feels he should be jealous. 

“...I’m expecting you in the office tomorrow, we will talk about the details then…” Nanami hears his boss say.

“Hmm,” Nanami hums, his mind completely occupied with something else. The call ends, and Nanami is left standing there, phone to his ear and watching as the two of you continue eating breakfast. 

Nanami walks back into the kitchen, coming up to your side and placing a kiss on top of your head. Your eyes are red and your cheeks slightly wet but you still smile at Nanami, making his heart feel like it’s melting. 

“You doing better?” Nanami asks you.

You sniffle, “Yes, thank you,” You whisper to him. Nanami glances at Gojo and he seems preoccupied stuffing his face with pancakes. 

“I can take you back to your dorm,” Nanami tells you, his hand rubbing gentle circles on your back. 

Your club dress is in a plastic bag that Gojo had secured for you to take home. You sheepishly thank Gojo and Nanami notices the light blush spread across your cheeks. Nanami takes you downstairs to his car, you look awfully tired. The drive to your dorm consists of you two holding hands, his thumb rubbing gentle circles on your hand. 

At a stoplight, Nanami continues to reassure you, “Don’t worry about my job, everything is going to be okay.”

“But is your boss mad at you?” You press on. 

Nanami sighs, “He’s not the happiest.”

“Please, just be honest with me,” You plea wearily.

The light turns green and Nanami steps on the gas, “He’s pissed off,” He finally says. 

You nod your head, “That’s the feeling I got…” Your voice trails off, and then you add, “is he going to fire you?”

“No,” Nanami consoles, “I’m probably just going to get an earful.” 

You inhale shakily, looking out the window, “I’m sorry, Nanami.” 

Nanami brings the back of your hand which he holds to his lips and presses a soft kiss, “Nothing to be sorry about, you always come first.”

You turn your head to look at him, eyes shimmering with tears, “It means a lot,” You whisper. Nanami parks the car once he’s made it to your dorm parking lot. He looks calm on the outside, but you know that he’s wanting to talk to you about something. You’re the one to initiate it, “What’s wrong?” 

“I’m worried about what happened last night,” Nanami voices. 

“Are you suspicious something happened between Gojo and me?” 

Nanami shakes his head, “No, not you two. It’s about what happened at the club. Do you remember how you ended up on the second floor?” 

You look lost in thought when Nanami asks you the question, face becoming pale. He doesn’t push it any further, he embraces you in a hug. You find yourself crying into his chest again, his lips against the crown of your head. 

“It’s okay,” Nanami says softly, his hands rubbing circles on your back, “we don’t need to talk about it right now. Just know I’m here when you’re ready.”

“I’m sorry,” You blabber into his chest, “I’m so sorry,” You have, your body trembling in his hold.

“What are you sorry about?” Nanami holds your face in his hands, his thumbs wiping at your tears. “You haven’t done anything wrong, my love.”

You’re hyperventilating again, tasting nothing but the saltiness from your tears, “I’m sorry,” You keep repeating. 

“Baby,” Nanami persists, “hey, look at me.”

“I’m sorry!”

“For what?” Nanami asks, his brows pulled together in concern, his brown eyes scanning your face. 

“I don’t know what is wrong with me!” Your voice cracks and your fingers are wrapped around Nanami’s wrists where you squeeze them. 

“Hey, Y/N, look at me,” Nanami continues to try to ground you, “you’re okay, I’m here.” 

You finally bring your gaze to meet him, biting your bottom lip to close off any more cries that threaten to fall past your mouth. You don’t know what it is, and your heart stops for a moment, you love Nanami but there’s more space in your heart than you know it; 

“I think I like Gojo, too.” Nanami is silent, his gaze doesn’t break away from yours. You can’t seem to put a pause to what’s spilling from you, “I like you…I like Gojo, too.” 

You hold your breath, you’re expecting Nanami to retaliate in disgust, in anger. Instead, he surprises you when he hugs you again, pressing a kiss to your hairline; “That’s okay,” His voice vibrates against you, “I accept all your feelings.”

“I don’t know why I feel this way,” You say wearily into his chest, closing your eyes as he gives your body a light squeeze, “it’s not possible, right?”

“I don’t know,” Nanami says, “we’ll figure it out together.” 

“Are you mad at me?”

“Not for a moment,” Nanami reassures you, giving you another kiss, “I just want you to be happy.”

Nanami walks with you up to your room, and thankfully your roommate is already in the room. She is relieved to see you, hugging you the moment she sees you and explaining how sorry she was that the two of you got drifted away. Nanami helps you get into bed, tucking you in and sitting beside you until you’re drifting off into sleep. Nanami doesn’t leave without a kiss on your forehead and then heads out where he knows he will have to meet up with Gojo to talk with him. 

┅

“What?” Gojo asks.

“She said she likes you…that she likes both of us.”

Again, Gojo says, “What?”

“That's why I asked you if you liked her,” Nanami says, “again, it’s okay if you do.”

Gojo's palms are sweaty, “She is very pretty,” He confesses, attentively watching Nanami’s reaction. 

Nanami agrees, “I know, she’s gorgeous.” 

“She seems nice,” Gojo continues, “so…I might like her?” Even Gojo is confused, he’s not sure what he feels either.

“I know this is a lot,” Nanami steps in, “I just feel we should get together and talk about this,” he shrugs his shoulders. 

“Look, you can like multiple people at the same time,” Gojo retaliates, “so, I’m sure it’s just a crush that will fade away.”

“Can I be honest with you?” 

“Yes, of course.”

“I don’t think I’d mind her dating the both of us…” Now it’s Nanami’s turn to attentively watch for Gojo’s reaction, and Gojo is caught off guard. 

“You want her to date me?!” 

“If she wants to, I’d be okay with it,” Nanami clarifies, “would you be okay with that?”

“I’ve never…” Gojo’s voice trails off, and then tries again, “I’ve never been in a relationship with more than one person.”

“Neither have I.”

“Is this what Y/N said she’s willing to try?” 

Nanami says, “I was thinking the three of us would go out for dinner and discuss it.” 

“If you two are comfortable with that, sure, we can do that,” Gojo agrees. 

Nanami and Gojo hold each other’s gazes, the two men sharing an undeniable silence between the two of them. Brown eyes holding blue ones, they take a sip from their drinks in sync as the world around them continues to rustle. 

┅

You’re awoken by your phone vibrating with a text message. After Nanami had dropped you off, you were lights out. It feels as if you’ve been sleeping for days but when you take a look at the time on your phone screen, it’s only been a couple of hours. You have a text message from Nanami; 

Nanami: Hey love, just got back to my place. Hope you’re sleeping well. I miss you and love you

You sit up in bed, rubbing your eyes to adjust to the brightness on your phone screen. You receive another text from Nanami;

Nanami: I also talked with Gojo earlier, know we both support you

You feel your heart beating fast, at the thought of Nanami and Gojo talking about you — were you being narcissistic? It wasn’t that, it was something else. Something that had crossed your mind and heart several times; you wanted to be with both of them. You’re pressing Nanami’s contact icon and putting the phone to your ear, which he picks up in a heartbeat;

“Y/N,” His deep voice reminds you of home, “how are you doing? Did you sleep well?”

You bring your knees up to your chest, warmth making its way up to your cheeks, “Yes, I did. How are you?” 

“I’m good, just worried about you.”

Your fingers play with the edge of your blanket, “Can I see you?” 

“Of course,” He says, “it’s pretty late, too. Did you want to stay over?” 

You nod eagerly, “Yes, I do.” 

“Get your stuff ready, I’m on my way.”

┅

The two of you don’t talk about the elephant in the room on the car ride to Nanami’s place — at least, not yet. Once you two got into his place, Nanami hugged you. His scent overwhelms your senses, his arms around your waist tightening. You allow yourself to relax against his figure, feeling through his work shirt the defined muscles that lie beneath it. You feel that you could melt into him for how safe he feels as his arms engulf your figure. The two of you put your foreheads against one another, you can feel the heat radiating off from his body. Your hands are placed over his chest, your fingers fidgeting with the desire to remember how he feels until that’s all you can breathe.

“I know I’ve already said this,” Nanami’s hands move up to either side of your jaw, his fingers laced behind your ear and in your hair. He guides your head up towards him, “but I’ve missed you so much.” 

You sigh, “I’ve missed you, too…so badly,” you’re the one to lean in so your lips meet his. The kiss is sensual and soft, the two of you taking your time drowning in each other’s taste. Nanami leans his head to the side for more access and you mirror his actions, opening your mouth for him. You feel him shudder as he slips his tongue into your mouth, lapping against the top of your tongue. Your hands grip the material of his shirt by his shoulders, his other arm inviting you to clash against his body by pushing your lower back into him. 

You can feel his hardened bulge against your lower half, which makes you let out a strained whine into his mouth. Both of you pull back to catch your breaths but you have more in mind. You don’t waste time, you get down on your knees in front of him, your hands placed onto his thighs, and push him until his back comes in contact with the front door. Surprise is plastered across his features at your brazen ways, your nails running down his thighs as you say;

“Can I?” You motion with a nod of your head towards his bulge. You see Adam's apple go up as he swallows, still looking taken off guard. His eyebrows furrow in submission, eyes softening as his hand goes to the back of your head, his fingers threading throughout your hair. 

He breathes out a ‘yes,’ and your fingers work at his zipper and button. You’re practically salivating at the thought of having him in your mouth, but that’s the thing, he deserves you to take your time with him. You push his pants down past his knees, pooling down by his ankles. You press your palm against his clothed bulge, making his hold on your hair tighten followed by a muffled moan. You press the flat of your tongue against his clothed bulge, your eyelids fluttering close with heavy pleasure. 

Nanami doesn’t mean to, but due to the friction of your tongue against his aching cock makes his hips jerk forward. He knew himself to always be composed, being able to stay rigid no matter what circumstances went around him. But with you, with your hot tongue against his bulge and how you look on your knees for him — he was falling apart at the seams. Your fingers made their way to the top of his boxers and pulled them down, with his hardened cock springing up and falling against your already open mouth. You had your tongue out, too. Nanami wasn’t even aware of how hard he was panting, sweat building by his temples. 

“Put it in your mouth,” He finds himself saying, pulling your head back by the hair so that the tip of his penis comes in contact with your tongue. You make his wish come true and wrap your sweet lips around his head, looking up at him, and Nanami understands. “Suck on it,” He instructs you, your cheeks hollow as you do so. He puts his cheek against his shoulder, a shaky breath dancing out from his lips. 

“Fuck,” He grunts as you take him in even further, he can’t help but feel both surprised and proud as to how this is only your second time giving head and you already feel like you’ve been doing it for years. You bob your head up and down, your hand accompanying his heavy balls, giving it small squeezes. 

“Good girl,” Nanami praises you in a rasped tone, “just like that, suck me off like the good girl you are.” 

His words only make you take him in even deeper until it touches the back of your throat and you gag. You pull back, a string of thick salvia stretching from the tip of his bright pink cock and connecting to your bottom lip. Nanami swipes his thumb across your lower lip, your glistening eyes holding his gaze. He has never been this way before; yes, he’s had his cock sucked before by his previous relationship but it was just good. Whatever this was, it was the gates of heaven. His body was burning — no, trembling from the inside, and out. 

Nanami bends down with his thumb and the rest of his fingers pinching your cheeks, your lips puckered out. He gathers saliva in his mouth and says, “Open wide, princess,” and like the good girl you are, you do so. He lets his spit dangling from his mouth and into yours, swallowing all of it. It was like he was a completely different person from you, never in a million years would he think that he would be this…filthy.  

You grab his dick and put it back into your mouth, your other hand going on top of his that continues to hold your hair. You give it a nudge and Nanami pushes some more against the back of your head. At first, you have to take some breaths of air and Nanami is patient throughout all of it, “You’re doing so good,” He reassures you, “you’re making daddy so proud.” 

Once he’s back in your mouth, Nanami finds a rhythm of pushing your head back and forth on his cock. The sounds of you choking are making his vision go blurry, his breath catching in his throat when he feels you drag your nails down his thighs. 

“You should see yourself,” Nanami is a rambling mess, “how good you look…choking on my dick, angel.” You come back to catch your breath, his precum and saliva glistening around your mouth and running down your chin. “As much as I want to cum in your mouth,” Nanami breathes out, “I want to be inside of you more.” 

You nod your head eagerly at him, standing up on shaking legs to indulge in a sloppy, fervent kiss. His strong arms lift you by your legs which wrap around his waist as he brings the two of you to the island in his kitchen that’s right by his front door. His hands roam your body eagerly yet attentively, his lips on your neck that give you open-mouthed kisses. His tongue against your skin sends shivers to tremble you in your bones. You lean your body back, setting your palms on the island counter. 

Nanami’s large hands are all over you, he’s pushing your shirt up and his mouth latches around your nipples. He needs you so badly that he’s impatient. Your back arches into him while his other hand works down at your pants, moving underneath the fabric until you feel his fingers against your clothed pussy. You're unbuttoning his shirt, you’re impatient as well. Both of you are panting messes as the two you undress one another until you’re both bare. Your shirt is pulled over your shirt, while Nanami’s is pushed off his shoulders. Your pants and underwear are thrown somewhere to the side. He tugs at your hardened nipple with his teeth, looking up at you to watch your reaction. You hiss from the pain but it feels so good. Nanami trails kiss down your navel and stomach until his head is between your legs. 

He plunges his face into your wet pussy, tongue licking over your plush nub. You let out cries of pleasure, your fingers in his hair. He lets out a growl against your pussy, followed by plunging two fingers into your wet entrance. Your thighs tremble, not even realizing how fast you’re reaching your orgasm. Nanami can tell, with his tongue working at your nub and fingers curling up inside you. Just as you're about to reach your high, the doorbell rings. 

You and Nanami stop dead in your tracks, nothing but the sound of your heaving breaths can be heard. Nanami’s lips and chin glisten with your wetness. He stands up straight, running a hand through his messy hair (thanks to you). 

“Fuck,” Nanami breathes out.

You ask, “What is it?”

Nanami says to you, “I forgot I invited Gojo tonight.” 

[beginningobserver]

Heyyo everyone. I wrote a new Rui-centered thing.

⚠SPOILERS FROM THE MOVIE AHEAD ⚠

Bonds

[AO3 version]

Summary:

Rui is invited to try Daisuke's new ramen recipe with the rest of the group.

Rui + 02 kids • Canon-compliant (KenMiya/Kenyako included) • Post-movie events.

----------------//-----------------

A few months after meeting Daisuke and the others, Rui started to visit them a little more while he waited for Ukkomon’s egg to hatch. He was patient and optimistic that everything would be fine now.

He was invited by Daisuke to eat his newest ramen-creation with the other five. But would they still want to tag along with him? Rui had no idea what true friendship was, because he believed every friend he made after meeting Ukkomon were just manipulated by the digimon like his parents had been.

It could mean that this group he just met would be his first and legitimate friends. Right?

He stood in front of the Ramen Yamatoya building, his hands shaking out of anxiety. He thought -- Should I get in? We were just strangers and I don’t come here too much to not… Bug him--

The door opened from inside and it was by V-mon.

“HEYYOO RUI!”

“A-ah… Hello.”

“Wow, you came really fast!!” the blue digimon exclaimed, and looked outside to see if anyone else was coming, “Really fast!”

“I… I was around, my workplace is in this area.”

“Oho! What do you do for life!?”

“... I work at--”

“THERE YOU ARE!!” Daisuke pooped out from the door, “HEY-WELCOME! GET IN, GET IN!!”

He was interrupted by Daisuke’s energetic voice. And dragged inside. He didn’t manage to answer V-mon’s question and at this point V-mon had lost interest in it, because he tried to answer it again and V-mon just started preparing the counter and led to the stool reserved for him.

He felt like a celebrity with that reception, and this really felt awkward -- Do friends do things like these…?

“Here’s the menu!” and V-mon handed him a card with the stuff included in Daisuke’s ‘Ramen Motomiya’ business;

“Oh, thanks…” he gently took it from V-mon’s hand.

“Hey V-mon, this isn’t needed! Everyone will come here to try out my new creation!”

“What is this new… menu item you were talking about?” Rui asked, out of curiosity.

“It’s a top secret! I’ll reveal its details once everyone is here!”

“Oh, so it’s a surprise…”

“Yup!” Daisuke smiled, “But no worries it’s not sweet! I mean, I know you’re not a fan of sweets so… I had to find the perfect balance of flavor that would make everyone satisfied.”

“Hmm…” He didn’t know what to say, it felt a little odd someone thinking of him and his preferences… But it made him relieved that Daisuke cares enough about him to pull things like these -- This is… True friendship right?

“Iori hates tomatoes,” V-mon explained, “So when Daisuke cooks stuff for everyone he has to remember to not add tomatoes on Iori’s portion.”

“I see…”

“And If someone is lactose intolerant I have to know beforehand so I can prepare a special version of the recipe! Or if they’re vegan. Or if they’re allergic to gluten. Lots of things, culinary school prepared me for this!”

“Yeah!” V-mon nodded, “And that so we cannot get into legal issues! I mean, the boss wouldn’t like to have this place closed because of a little mistake!!”

The door opened and the others came in. V-mon greeted them the same way as Daisuke did before -- Maybe it’s part of their business' greetings? -- and they all got reunited at the counter.

Hikari also came in with her backpack stuffed with something. Rui didn’t know why, it just felt a little… strange??

“So, what is the menu for today, chef?” Takeru chuckled, “You said you created something new.”

“Hehe, glad you asked” Daisuke had the sunglasses on and did the ‘anime glasses thing’ with the light reflection, “V-mon, please.”

“Alright!” and then V-mon served the bowls to the six people, “Bone appetit!” 

“It’s not ‘Bone’ !” Daisuke babbled, “Man, Takeru didn’t ya say it was something like ‘good meal’…”

“Oh, yeah” Takeru nodded, “V-mon it’s ‘ Bon’ , which means ‘good’ in French. And ‘bon appetit’ means ‘enjoy your meal’ ”

“Okay but why is Daisuke using French out of nowhere?” Patamon blinked.

“It’s good to know a bit of each language if I want to open my business in New York!” Daisuke explained, “And maybe I’m considering the idea of doing deliveries later.”

“Is it because of my suggestion?” Iori asked and then Daisuke nodded.

“With the digital gate we can go everywhere!!” V-mon added, “So! We can do something cool like this!!”

“This is just one step to be made!” Daisuke bragged, “Now, enjoy the bowl. I’ll be waiting for your feedback on my most recent creation.”

“Don’t forget to describe the flavors!” V-mon added excitedly.

“So uh, what’s different in it?” Miyako raised an eyebrow, “It doesn’t seem different from the usual bowls you served before…”

“Just… Try it first,” he pouted.

“Will you keep using the sunglasses indoors?” Tailmon seemed quite bothered by that. Even Takeru had taken his beanie off!!

“Well, I’m not a real ramen chef if I don’t have them on.”

“It’s missing the spirals, dagya!” Armadimon commented.

“... I left them at home,” Daisuke shrugged.

“YOU HAVE SUNGLASSES WITH THOSE ANIME SPIRALS!?” Everyone seemed pretty surprised by it. Except V-mon, of course.

“Yeah, and they’re mine!” V-mon replied with a grin.

“THEY BELONG TO V-MON!?”

“I don’t think that should be a surprise” Daisuke took the shades off, “Takeru does the same thing, but with hats!”

“Ah, that’s true,” Wormmon blinked.

“Takeru-san has something equal to that too,” Hawkmon replied with a nod.

“We should quit arguing and start eating!” Takeru babbled nervously when everyone glanced at him, “Or else Daisuke will be even more upset than he is right now!”

The only person not taking part in that discussion was Rui, who was just sitting in the corner and already eating his bowl. Somehow him being this quiet made them all forget he was there… But he didn’t mind it either. He’s still just a stranger, maybe Daisuke only invited him out of courtesy…?

“...”

It’s good -- Rui thought. He didn’t expect something so simple to be good. But isn’t this what Daisuke is in a nutshell? Simple-minded and a box full of surprises. Now he had to compliment that, which is the hard part. The group were already chatting and even arguing about fashion accessories… He felt it would be rude to interrupt them all.

But… This is really good.

He felt even more awkward…

“AHEM!” Daisuke managed to spot he wasn’t involved in their shenanigans, so he just called everyone’s attention to the main subject, “Now, really… Just eat it. And tell me what y’all think about it.”

The group looked at each other and then to Rui sitting there in silence eating. V-mon noticed Rui was… crying??

“Oh no-- is it too bad!?” V-mon gasped, mortified “Daisuke, you made something so horrible he’s--”

“No.”

“Huh??”

“It’s good,” he said, quite awkwardly.

“Then why are you crying??” Patamon asked.

Why am I crying…?? -- Not even he realized the reason for those tears. The group then tried their own bowls, trying to understand Rui’s reaction to the food.

“Oh! It’s tasty!” They all commented.

“See the difference?” Daisuke chuckled.

“What did you do this time??” Hikari asked, impressed by the flavor.

“It’s a secret~”

“He was bored last night and accidentally dropped the wrong seasoning to the broth and then he tried it and got… this new ‘BOOM’ okay??” V-mon explained.

“So it was an accidental discovery,” Iori mused.

“What seasoning was?” Tailmon asked the next question.

“It was…”

Seriously, why am I crying by eating something tasteful? -- Rui kept wondering why a simple ramen bowl could bring him tears. Was it the spice? Was it too spicy? Or too salty?? It didn't make any sense, because he didn’t feel it was too spicy or salty… He just sat there eating in silence and trying to get it, why was he…?!

“Oh, I know! Is it love??” Patamon asked.

“Can you put love in a bowl?” Wormmon asked, innocently.

“Well, putting it that way, yeah it had a ton of love while preparing it for my best pals so…”

“Excuse me,” Miyako stared at Daisuke, “I’m the one who got the Digimental of Love here. Better you teach me your secrets.”

“Then, better you give me your Digimental of Love because I deserve it now.”

“Not a chance!”

They all laughed.

“...”

Meanwhile Rui, oh poor Rui… He was so confused about what the heck is going on with him that he was feeling like spacing out again. He didn’t even realize he finished his bowl quite quicker than the others.

So now he was just watching the empty bowl and thinking how can he describe those feelings and flavors and -- WAIT WHY ARE THEY ALL LOOKING AT HIM NOW?!

“Wow…” Wormmon exclaimed.

“Well… It was d-delicious!” He babbled aloud. Dang it, he’s feeling like a fool…

“Hey, take it easy” Daisuke said, “So uh… How’s that?”

“... It was good.”

“And?”

“... I don’t understand why, but eating this bowl gave me joy… Something I haven’t felt for a long time ago.”

“Oh, so you liked it!?” V-mon gasped.

“V-mon, crying does not always mean sadness” Ken started explaining, “It can mean joy too. Like when Daisuke says something dumb and funny, making everyone cry out of laughter. It can also be out of relief, and so do other reasons as well.”

“... I think I was crying because…”

“... You feel happy to be here, right?” Daisuke tried to guess it.

“H-huh?”

“How’s Ukkomon’s egg going?” Miyako asked, “Did it hatch already?”

“... Not yet,” and then he showed the tiny watch-clock sized egg from his pocket. They all looked at it, “I always take him with me, just in case…”

“That’s a good signal,” Tailmon smiled, and then looked at Hikari, “You have to never lose hope, he will come back. Right, Hikari?”

“Yes, We never lost hope so that’s why we were able to meet each other.”

“... I feel safe with you guys,” Rui blushed a bit. Oh so that’s why he felt a little nervous, right?

“We can help you form connections,” Hawkmon said this time, “But sometimes you need a little push.”

“??”

“Yeah, so that’s why I got you here, dude” Daisuke chuckled, “We want to know more about you!”

“And we want you to know more about us, dagya!”

“... Oh.”

“Ah, I have something to show to everyone!” Hikari then took the stuffed backpack and opened it. Then Tailmon handed each of them a knitted scarf “I made those!!”

“That’s so cute!!” Miyako exclaimed with glee.

“Wow, it has cool details on them!!” Daisuke was in awe, “It reminds me of my Digital World’s jacket!!”

“Mine is Patamon-themed” Takeru commented, then looked at Hikari, “You made all of those, with details… All alone?”

“Oh I helped too” Tailmon started to brag, “I evolved into Angewomon and helped Hikari to knit. So they have an angel touch, haha~”

“Literally an angel touch… (dagya)” The digimon repeated together.

Rui also had one in his hands. It looked like Ukkomon, somehow. Hikari is really nice to give him something too, isn’t she? He kinda needed a little more color in his wardrobe… He had just started to wear some black-and-gray tones after the day he discovered Ukkomon had been hijacking his parents’ bodies (and possibly the rest of the people he had contact with?)… He kinda liked his usual outfit, but this was kinda giving him the will to risk changing a little.

So he put it around his neck. Somehow the colors were too bright for his dark clothes… But he was feeling happy with that humble present. He looked really funny and just felt like a tiny puppy with a new dog collar and wagging his tail happily.

The others just looked at him being more relaxed and comfortable, but Daisuke had to hold his laugh. Yeah, it was a little funny to him. And if he laughed now he could give the wrong message. But that made them all just feel the barrier between them and Rui had turned a little less thicker.

“I can’t use it right now, it will get dirty!!” Daisuke said, blushing, “B-But I will do it later!! And I won’t take it off ever again!”

“It will get stinky and we won’t let you approach us!” Patamon pouted.

“I… I will wash it though!!”

“You can’t wash it if you don’t take it off!”

“I didn’t mean literally not taking it off!!” Daisuke’s awkwardness increased. At least no one was paying attention to Rui feeling so warm and happy with those people taking him to eat ramen and giving him a gift!

More laughs.

“T-thank you…” it was interrupted by Rui simply thanking Hikari, “I… I appreciate it.”

“When Daisuke-kun said he wanted to gather everyone to try a new recipe, I decided to knit those. Now we all have matching scarves. Isn’t it fun?”

“This is the closest to having your crush give you a gift,” V-mon nodded sagely.

“HahahahaHA-- WHAT DO YA MEAN, V-MON!?” Daisuke panicked.

Daisuke-kun is acting weirdly… He probably likes her -- Rui thought. He wasn’t disappointed, but he was now frowning?

“I appreciate it as well, Hikari-chan” Ken thanked her, “Thank you.”

“Yeah, everyone here agrees, right?” Takeru smiled. Everyone agreed in a nod.

“Oh, there’s one more inside” Patamon noticed a 8th scarf in the backpack.

“This one is for Wallace,” Tailmon explained, “He’s part of our friend circle too, don’t forget it.”

“Wallace?” Ken and Rui asked.

“He’s a friend from America,” Hawkmon explained, “But uh… He tends to flirt with girls.”

“He was flirting with Miyako when we first met him,” Daisuke added with an annoyed tone.

“He what ?!” Ken gave Daisuke a legitimate ‘Kaiser-like’ look.

“I think now that you and Miyako-san are dating he would respect that” Iori tried to calm Ken down. He could present the sadistic Kaiser just by that reaction.

“Better he does,” Wormmon said, also sounding very… creepy?

Ichijouji-kun and Wormmon are scary… -- Rui gulped in silence. That murderous glare and the group trying to calm them down… Oh yeah.

“Anyway,” Daisuke slammed his hands on the other side of the counter, “Better you give me your notes. I need approval from this team here. And this includes you too, Rui.”

“... Ah, right… I think I liked it…?” 

“The flavors were well balanced,” Ken said nonchalantly, “and your presentation of it looks refined even if you’re just starting this business. And I think it would’ve been good if…”

They watched Ken just rambling about Daisuke’s ramen  like a legit restaurant reviewer and it made Rui quite impressed.

“... And serving it with a good shot of the client’s preferred drink could improve the experience.”

“Is… Is Ichijouji-kun a food critic…?”

“He tends to do those long reviews,” Tailmon shrugged, “You will get used to him.”

“Yeah, he’s a nerd” Daisuke rolled his eyes. Ken blushed out of embarrassment.

“But we love him so he’s our nerd!” Miyako added, and the blush in Ken intensified.

“Sooooo… Do y’all approve this one?”

“Yeah!/Yes!/Mhm!” They all said.

This group of people and their digimon seem so refreshing… Is this what friendship means? Is this… what having real friends means?

Rui felt his encounter with those people and digimon had helped him to start healing his heart. Somehow… He realized what Ukkomon had said back in time, on his 8th birthday.

The ‘friends’ Ukkomon couldn't bring that time… They weren’t his classmates.

It was those people. It was exactly this group of people, apparently.

He took the egg from his pocket and looked at it, with a calm and warm smile:

Thank you, Ukkomon. For leading me to them.

[loregoddess]

14, 15, 25 for the Love your fandom ask

14) the ship that always makes you smile Hmm, for long-running media, probably Midna x Link from LoZ:TP, bc that's basically the oldest ship in my fleet and it still brings me lots of joy. For mid-running media, probably Kay x Franziska for AA (my first rarepair), Rinea x Faye for FE:SoV (rarepair I wasn't expecting to see others ship), and Ashe x Dedue (literally got me to go out of my comfort zone to figure out how to draw cute ship art, when I was really bad and afraid of drawing people interacting). For stuff that I've gotten into over the past year, probably Alear x Pandreo from FE:Engage, and Mineru x Purah from LoZ:TotK (also I'm kinda silly goofy happy about Jin x Xiaoyu finally getting some development in Tekken 8, but that's bc I had to suffer watching it come to fruition over like, 20 years of my life, slowest goddamned slowburn I've ever had to endure).

15) the character that always makes you smile Oh, lots and lots. Long-running media would be Shad LoZ:TP, love that guy, I get excited anytime I see him. For mid-running, Satoru Hosonaga, my beloved from DGS/tGAA, a decent number of FE characters (Kurthnaga, Rhys, Libra, Flora, Lukas, Faye, Dedue, Ashe, and Ferdinand come to mind off the top of my head), most of the FF7 cast but esp. Red XIII/Nanaki. For more recent things, Alear and literally any of the Engage characters actually, the Octo2 crew (and also the Octo1 crew, and a fair amount of NPCs from both games); I also read Dungeon Meshi recently and I gotta say one of the most casts of all time, I haven't settled on favorites yet but damn were there some good characters.

25) a piece of advice for taking care of yourself in fandom spaces Block button is your bestie, don't feel bad for blocking people for any reason whatsoever so that you can peruse the fandom tag in peace. But also, if you find other fans who are making stuff you enjoy, support them by reblogging their art or headcanons or writing or whatever, or even just liking their stuff.

Do what you want to see in your fandom if you have the energy. I like to see people excited about things they love, whether that's a character or a ship or something about the story or their OCs or their own headcanons, like, doesn't even matter if it's not my Thing, I genuinely enjoy seeing people happy and brave enough to share that happiness in the main tag, so I try to also share stuff that brings me joy when I engage with fandom stuff too. Share joy when you can.

This is not to say you should never be negative ever like, you should also give yourself space somewhere to be a petty snob about things that tick you off. You don't have to make it public, but at the very least give yourself an outlet to let the negative move through and out of you. Believe me there are so many things that tick me off so much about either fandom spaces or various media that I could rant about for hours, but I just choose Not To Share It after I've written it out bc writing it often makes me feel better--or I go and find a trusted friend who I can be like, "Hey I gotta vent about something stupid real fast, will you hear me out?"

Lots of things in life are never all positive or negative feelings, but no emotion is inherently good or bad, so it's important to let yourself feel those emotions and let them pass without bottling them up. Otherwise they stagnate or explode, and neither is fun to deal with the aftermath for. But like, it's okay to be pissy about things from time to time.

Have fun, but never feel like you have to engage with a fandom just because you used to be a part of it, or you got into a new thing. I treat fandom like a public park, I can go there when I want to enjoy myself but I can also leave anytime I want. If a bunch of mean people are hanging around the park I know there are other parks, and I can just go to those instead and cultivate my own little garden to make up for the park I won't go to anymore. I might even get to invite some friends to that garden. Honestly, most of the time I'm some weird forest hermit who only comes out sometimes to haunt the park, and I think that's just fine as well. Engage with fandom in a way that makes you comfortable.

[allthelittlecreepycrawlies]

Originally another thread for @grtr3's little sangyaoFES, this one got even more heavily edited than the other, with a whole ending added and such. Could be read as a prequel to A Second Glance

Title: The Golden Cure

Ship: pre-SangYao

Tags: Sickfic, Mostly Fluff, Author Has Nothing Witty This Time

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

His new sect leader had warned him that of all the sect territories, Qinghe Nie's was the coldest when winter hit.

Staring out at the heavy piles of snow as he shivered, Meng Yao thought that Nie Mingjue had still managed to undersell just how cold it could be this far north.

Well, there was nothing else to be done for it. He'd lit both of the censers that had come with the room, had worn the warmest of the clothing he'd taken from the disciple stores he’d been shown, and was wrapped in the heaviest of the blankets he'd been provided.

And still he shivered.

He turned his attention back to his desk, trying to concentrate on the day's unfinished records, but it was only a matter of moments before another set of harsh, chest rattling coughs escaped his mouth.

"Here."

Blinking through watering eyes, Meng Yao found a little golden bear on a stick being held in front of his face.

"What is it?" he asked, hating how rough and alien his voice sounded.

"It's made of salted jin ju paste and honey. It'll help with the pain in your throat," Nie Huaisang said as he laid down a tea tray with more of the bears sticking out of a jar and a pot of tea that had a strong smell of xiangcheng fruit.

Meng Yao took the stick, eyeing the golden bear a little warily, then popped it into his mouth.

The taste wasn't bad. He could see using these for flavoring tea on occasions.

He watched as Nie Huaisang poured them both full cups, and then took notice of the faint tremor in his hands and how pale he was.

Oh. 

Now he remembered overhearing his sect leader discussing winter preparations with the head of the infirmary hall, and one of the topics had been supplies for when his younger brother’s health took a dive "like it does every winter."

Which meant Nie Huaisang probably knew about all kinds of remedies and treatments for bad weather illness from personal experience.

Reassured, he simply rested his too-heavy head on his hand, letting the honey bear slowly melt in his mouth.

"This is your first northern winter, isn't it?" Huaisang asked as he set a steaming cup in front of him.

"Mm-hmm."

"Ouch, and with this one predicted to be especially harsh, too. On the bright side, with how hard you've been working, you should have your core built up enough that next winter will hardly touch you."

Meng Yao took the bear out of his mouth to speak. "If that's the case, why are you so adamant about not improving yours?"

Huaisang rolled one shoulder in a little half-shrug. "Most of my health issues are things I was born with. And some of them a core just can't fix unless I were to break all the way through to immortality."

A fair point, though it made Meng Yao a little morose about his own training goals. He rather hoped that the pain from cold spearing into injuries that had never fully healed wouldn't be on the list of things a stronger core couldn't fix.

"Then I will defer to your medical knowledge,” he said instead of any of those thoughts, pushing his uncertain feelings down deep.

Nie Huaisang snorted, amused. "Medical knowledge, he says. All I know is the stuff healers do to make picky kids not complain about how bad medicine tastes."

Still, the honey bear was helping soothe the roughness all the coughing had left in his throat. "It's good advice all the same. Thank you."

Nie Huaisang grinned at the praise, then motioned to the tea cup he'd set out. "Once you finish a couple of bears and the tea, we're heading to storage to get you some proper fur blankets, okay? Then I'm going to order you some heavier robes. Though… actually…" 

Meng Yao looked up, not liking the frown on Nie Huaisang's face as he tapped his cheek in thought. "Gongzi?" he asked hesitantly around the honey bear.

"You should have had winter clothing and blankets given to you already. Didn't one of the quartermasters talk to you?"

He could tell the truth; that when he’d picked up his first allotment of supplies on being brought to the Unclean Realms, the man who’d handed them over had snidely implied that it was all the generosity he’d be getting from the sect, and anything more would be coming out of his pay. 

While no one had actually made good on that threat, they'd given him enough runaround that he'd learned to stop requesting anything months ago.

He could say so. Nie Huaisang would believe him.

He could-

No. 

No, he wasn’t going to do that. 

Bad enough that there were some who mockingly accused him of hiding behind the sect leader; he didn’t want to give them any ammunition to use against his tentative relationship with the young master as well. 

He bit the last little part of the melted bear off the stick and laid it down. “Things have been busy. We probably just missed crossing paths,” he said.

“Hrm… If you say so,” Huaisang murmured, still looking dubious. “Alright, then. Next time you need something, come to me first, got it?”

“Your brother already disapproves of your spending, gongzi. Won’t he get angry?”

“He complains about inks or aviary supplies, he can’t complain when I’m making sure his best aide doesn’t spend the whole season sick because he’s not been equipped for the weather.”

A fair point. 

He still probably shouldn't be allowing this. While it wasn't the same as Nie Huaisang pulling heir rank on his behalf, everyone in the sect knew he wouldn't personally go commissioning clothing and such for just anyone.

Ah, but that particular ship had already sailed, evidenced by the braids and guan in his hair.

(And the little custard cakes that appeared like magic in his desk drawer on occasion, but no one knew about those besides the two of them.)

And… honestly… a part of him enjoyed the fact that his young master saw him as someone he wanted to spoil. Someone his young master would make the effort for.

He smiled as he reached for the next bear on a stick Nie Huaisang held out to him.

"Very well. I accept your offer."

[kafkaoftherubble]

突然觉得...好像很好玩那样？

// It actually does seem kinda exciting!

Seeing Crow's beloved Mononoke successfully getting a zine going is so swell! Really reminded me of that one time when a handful of people in the fandom were floating the idea of making a To Your Eternity zine.

I mean, for that one, I can at least contribute something in terms of content!

Sorta!

Kinda.

Maybe...?

Look, my confidence is not too high lately and it's still recovering, okay? Damn, I miss my yellow font. These quiet asides being visible just ain't right. If Tumblr wants to take away my yellow font, at least give me a spoiler tag function à la Discord.

Nukes has been nursing some really amazing fanfic ideas lately, which made me think it could get its debut in the zine or something. It would be so fucking cool (source: my imagination)!!! And I'm sure π could whip something up in both the writing and art department, too. AND—

Honestly? I doubt we're lacking in the art + writing department. Maybe I don't need to pitch in for the content, after all. Which is a relief, I guess, because bruh what can I even contribute

I mean, surely we can easily pass an interest check, right? TYE is not that small a circle! It's just smaller apropos of, I don't know, stuff of Jujutsu Kaisen's status. But there are quite a few of us; surely it's enough to get the train moving.

Hmm... It's the logistics and management that will be the problem, you say?

Agree. I recall Nova's got experience in this sorta thing, but who else is interested in taking up tiring positions like these? There ain't no way one manager is enough. And she seems busy with her life as it is.

M-Me? But I'm a total greenhorn! I don't even know what the fuck are zines until recently! And I have only learned more about it because I answered that Interest Check questionnaire for that Mononoke fanzine and read all of its items to make inferences. Bruh!

Hmm. Maybe the timing is not completely right. Maybe one should pick a time when most people might be a bit freer/less hectic with real-life shit like school and college. So, uh, during the summer? It's always summer here...

But according to the Mononoke zine's uber-transparent timeline projection, producing a zine actually takes quite a lot of months! Is the team playing it safe, or overextending the time it actually needs? I have no idea.

Hmm. Or shall we only suggest this idea in earnest when Season 3 is announced in more definite terms? To drum up the excitement for the dawn of a new era in the story, ya know? And renewed interest from the anime-only gang could mean more candidates for both content creation and manning the logistics team.

And then the zine preferably gets published right around the time Season 3 is out. Consolidate To Your Eternity food into one period! Tasty.

I don't know what Future Lyns will think, but this present one certainly thinks if this zine is a go, I'd love to help out with the logistics. I love statecraft watching people handle things from the shadow and doing it myself. And I can always ask Crow for advice. She's so charmed by my rizz, there's no way she would ignore me! Right?

...Right?

Either way! The experience will certainly be very intriguing!

It's not one of my New Year's Resolutions at all, though. Damn. Now we don't have the satisfaction of crossing it out on A List Of Some Kind.

[gryffindorhealer]

WIP tag

Thanks for the tag @takearisk-ao3 Y'all gotta keep tagging me in this kind of stuff cause it really lights a fire under my butt to write.

Rules:

List the titles your top five priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers!) An upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you’re looking forward to writing Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIP they are most excited to see an update on! Then tag 10 writer friends!

Top 5 priorities for WIPs Well. Hmm. This may depend on the way one defines Work in Progress. Partly this is due to me not starting to post a fic (multichapter, specifically) until the first draft is done, and I'm done editing enough chapters to stay ahead of the curve. I made this decision some time back; far too much time for my taste elapsed between Proposals Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.

That said, the work I'm currently posting is Mystic Dream. I posted Chapter 15 yesterday (1 March), and this is a bit past the numerical halfway point. It's a crossover: Ginny and Harry Potter are on a quiet bus-man's holiday with the boys off to Hogwarts and their daughter staying with her grandparents. She's interviewing American magical athletes for a book she's working on, he's attending an International Law Enforcement conference (with a magical, secret track). What could go wrong? Obviously, something, and since there's a dead American sailor involved, so is Special Agent In Charge Leroy Jethro Gibbs of NCIS. The question is, post a snippet, or a link, or both? It's a WiP in this sense; it's finished (or mostly, minor edits may or might not be happening), and I'm posting one chapter a week.

Snippet, I think. After all, I linked to the fic in the Posting Friday post. In this chapter, they are at a formal dinner-dancing event, and Harry's just asked Ginny how she likes her dinner selection:

She shrugged, ‘It’s good. Not sure Mum would approve of it, but then she doesn’t cook many Italian dishes.’ She winked at him. ‘Doesn’t match your lasagna.’

‘Mr. Potter cooks?’ Bishop blanched slightly at the surprise in her voice, particularly when Patil, Mags, and Gary all exclaimed.

‘His breakfasts are to die for,’ Mags exclaimed, curved fingers touching her lips in a chef’s kiss.

‘He’s surprisingly good at barbecue as well,’ added Patil. Gary chuckled at the expression on Bishop’s face.

‘I can make a passable meal, but Harry’s the cook in our family. You should hear our children complain when he’s home but I make dinner,’ Ginny laughed. Bishop looked at Harry, who shrugged.

‘Benefit of a misspent youth, I suppose,’ he said, grinning, then attacked his steak and kidney pie.

Now, for other priorities, if you call plotting and researching (plus all the other bits and pieces involved in writing) as Work in Progress, I've got three others I'm working on.

Skyclad: I hinted at this one in a later chapter of Dreaming a Life, when Luna visits the Potters at their home in Wales. Luna and Rolf decided it's finally time (what with twins and all) to formally declare their relationship. And, Luna being Luna, it's happening on actual Midsommer's Day, in a very traditional ceremony, that requires a very specific dress code. Or, would it be more accurate to say, undress code…

It's mostly notes so far. Here's a paragraph that is written:

If someone flying a small, private airplane at no great altitude along the western shoreline of Cymyran Bay, even being attentive to their surroundings so as not to collide with either other airplanes or birds, they might well see a small family step out of their brick cottage. They might see a very pretty woman walking with a toddler, both of them with fiery red hair that rivaled the lowering sun. Behind her might be walking a russet-haired boy, waving some toy (possibly a spaceship?) through the air as he walked. And not far behind them, a handsome man with another, younger boy, both of them with a shock of messy raven-black hair. All of them appeared to be wearing dressing gowns. This might bring the pilot of this airplane to presume the smaller building they walked towards, which resembled some far-eastern house or pavilion, to be a bath house.

A Scene I'm looking forward to writing for this one:

Well, I don't want to spoiler too much. There are two. The scene when Harry discovers exactly what the dress code is. And the scene after the ceremony, when Ginny gets to point out to him that yes, once again, she's right.

The next one is Loving Vigil:

Still quite newlyweds, Ginny's busy with the Harpies and Harry's on limited duty after a run-in on a mission with Kedavra Hornets. So he's charged by both Gawain Robards Head Auror, and Kingsley Shacklebolt Minister of Magic, to oversee the training of a new Corps for the Aurors. Field Healer Corps. He doesn't need to teach the Healing parts, because Minister Shacklebolt arranged for an expert in that to help, Gary Gillies, RCMP (Royal Canadian Magical Police) Field Healer. Here's the start:

In a world known for people accepting some rather outlandish clothing, he stood out like a sore thumb.

He strode out of the floo absolutely unphased by the spinning effects of the travel, the heels of the knee-high brown boots (so highly polished they reflected the aged oak floor of the Ministry Atrium) tapping a drum-like cadence as he marched towards the Security Check-in, silver un-rowled spurs flashing in the morning light. Midnight blue breeches flared wide above those boots, a yellow stripe running up the outside of both legs. His scarlet red serge tunic robe caught a number of eyes, all shiny brass buttons and gold badges at the corners of the high collar. Only a few individuals spotted the badges on both epaulettes; a crown over a caduceus. He nodded a friendly greeting to those that caught his eyes, even with his quite businesslike demeanor.

There are a few scenes in this one I'm looking forward to writing, including when Harry brings his new associate and his partner/wife along to Ginny's first birthday party after they've tied the knot.

Third,

Kreacher: He's one of my favorite characters, one that truly does have a redemption arc in canon. When Harry promises to do what Kreacher could not and complete his beloved Master Regulus' last order to destroy the Evil Locket, when he gifts Kreacher the decoy locket, Kreacher finds he can truly respect this new Master. What Kreacher never expected (since the need never arose in his long lifetime in service to the House of Black), is his Master ordering Kreacher to teach Master about the ins and outs of Magical Society that Hogwarts doesn't teach. It's a difficult assignment, someone has to do it, and Kreacher's been ordered to do so.

I'm still outlining the Professor Kreacher stories, but you can see Kreacher featuring in six of my stories, stipulating that one of those is a crossover AU. This still means in five of them, this lovable curmudgeon plays some part in moving things along. In Eloped - Sort Of I wrote his first appearance, and hinted at much more to come.

Kreacher looked around as the Colours in the walls began to glow a tad brighter. “Seven generations of the House of Black Kreacher served, and now the first of Potter-Black.” Stretching a bit to ease the aches in his joints, brought on no doubt by the day of rain, the thought that with a bit of luck he would see the next generation arrive for him to serve warmed his bones. He resumed his walk to his room, looking at the portraits with which Master Harry had replaced the heads of the previous House Elves of the House of Black. He nodded to himself, pleased that Master found a means to honor the service of Kreacher's predecessors. It seemed odd, perhaps, that Master did not like being called that, but Sir sufficed to show proper respect for the Head of House. “Kreacher has served the Dead long enough. It feels good to serve Life again.”

Scene I'm looking forward to writing? Kreacher's reaction when ordered by Harry to teach him. There's just so much opportunity for a House Elf to dread needing to correct, and therefore offend his Master of the House.

Sorry, no poll. I'm not particularly enamored of them.

Tags: Right, here are some (maybe not the required number) @ginnyw-potter (because you tagged me too), @takearisk-ao3 @whinlatter @johnmchacker @nuninho2000 @rmwb-fanfics

[polyamorouspunk]

I just figured out I'm polyam, and I'm moving out of my hometown to a very queer city (one of the queerest in the world). I'm scared that even there I'll have trouble making friends and finding people as a non-binary, bisexual, polyam person (especially one that leans alternative). Do you have any advice for being your authentic self while still grappling with a lot of internalised stuff and moving to a new place?

Hmm. When I moved to a new place I found comfort in being able to dress more as a girl even though I’m afab. I felt like people in my hometown had put me in a box (“I bet you hated wearing a dress!”) and I felt like I was having trouble breaking out of that box. I’m able to dress more femme comfortably now. As for other genders, I don’t really consider myself in or out of the closet. I’m just someone who doesn’t enforce my pronouns or gender because I just don’t care enough about it/to make a fuss about it. I have pronoun pins I don’t really wear. If there was a day I was feeling really adverse to being gendered as my agab then I guess I would wear them but right now I present so femme that there’s no real point to it for me because I just don’t feel masc. And I’m just never out as plural. I just use genderfluid instead, which is more accurate right now anyway. Not that anyone really. Asks.

Working at Michaels Craft Store I’ve found other queer people who are out and have pronouns on their name tags and stuff. They are properly gendered by other staff. I’m not saying make friends with your local craft store employees but like yk it’s a start. Ask them if there’s any cool queer places if they look openly queer or something.

In college I’ve found openly queer people but college acquaintances haven’t lasted for me. There’s no point in really talking to someone once your not in a class with them anymore. The exception has been @princess-pathetic-112898 and I love her so so much and I had the pleasure of dating her for a bit and it was wonderful and she was such a blessing. When I was feeling so alone in the world she was there for me, and I’ve been praying for someone like her ever since but let’s be honest she’s a once-in-a-lifetime friend. I haven’t met anyone like her since.

As for polyam people, and scenes, I would check Facebook! Someone on here (I think it was Key but if I’m misassigning credit I’m sorry) said to check Facebook and that’s where I found the local punk venue in my city last week after finally looking. Honestly as “Punk” I don’t really look like… “myself”, so I’m not going to go until “Punk” feels comfortable going as himself, though we’ve been so solid I haven’t heard from him really in months. But I won’t be going right now until I can comfortably pass as transmasc for myself. I have other plans for the body right now I want to focus on and I don’t mind putting that on the back burner, which it feels like some people don’t really understand.

There’s a wonderful pagan store I go to that I hung out at the other day, and they decorated for pride, but there weren’t any other shoppers in there but I hung out with the cashier for almost an hour. She was cool, in her late 30s early 40s, and she told me about a summer harvest festival they’re hosting and suggested I come to try and meet some people there. I go to a lot of Pride events and I’ve followed some people on Instagram from them in the past but I haven’t made any friends.

Truth is: I’m really lonely. All of my friends are back home. I miss them. My mom has asked if I want to move back but other than being lonely my mental health is SO much better here. But I haven’t been able to make friends since moving here and it sucks. I feel like I’m doing everything I’m supposed to be to make friends (getting a job with other college kids, going to college, becoming a regular at a local store, going to events and concerts, etc.) and nothing is working and it’s extremely disappointing. I feel like I should be doing more but that really pushes my physical limits. People seem surprised I’m not out ever Friday night at the punk scene thrashing around and I feel like I have to explain I live in rural North Carolina 40 minutes away from the city, and if I’m not already working it’s a haul to go there, and if I am already working I’m tired and depending on how many hours I’m working in a week I’m already pushing my physical limits just to make ends meet at home. At this point it’s looking like I’m going to need physical therapy. I’m not sure I want to head to a punk show after work OR drive 40 minutes just to go to one on a Friday night when I have a day off.

I think that moving to a new place can really help you overcome some internal things. I was able to break out of a box I felt like I had put myself in/been put in and start experimenting with my style and fashion. I moved where I know people and while I’m out as bisexual and polyam I just haven’t bothered to broach the gender subject because I’m not ready and it doesn’t bother me enough to push me to say something other than a comment here and there. The idea of being “out” is overrated to me anyway. I’m just me.

Making friends used to be so easy for me but I guess that’s what happens when you’re someone years spending time with people 5/7 days of the week. Now that I only see people a few times a week it’s a lot harder, and even though other people I know have made friends with college companions and coworkers I have not. I wish I had better advice and I’m wishing you better luck than I’ve been having.

[logicheartsoul]

17 questions, 17 people

tagged by @bisamwilson! Thanks, Mak, this is gonna be fun

nickname: I’ve been known as A-Chan for a long time but you can also call me Aya too, either one works for me honestly (though I’ve only been known as Aya since 2017 because a friend gave me that nickname)

sign: Sagittarius! My birthday is in a couple weeks actually lol

height: Exactly 5 ft lol

last thing i googled: I can’t remember it’s been a couple of days lol I THINK it was to see if that new Japanese restaurant that I’ve seen as coming soon is already open for business

song stuck in my head: Currently at the moment my brain has been blissfully silent on that front lol but always changes in a heartbeat lol

number of followers: 1750, which is surprising and I know I need to weed out the bots lol hope whoever has followed me enjoys me and whatever I reblog or post on their dash and had a good day/night/afternoon

amount of sleep: Somewhere between 6-7 hours last night lol I think

lucky number: Don’t really have one?

dream job: This is a hard question, like…I’m still trying to figure out what makes me happy career wise 😔 it’s one thing to work a job coz you need to and be ok with it but a dream job? It changes all the time lmao I think I would love to be able to do multiple things and be paid for it and still have a good life/living like voice acting, being a professional paid singer, be able to do counseling (I always liked the job Deanna Troi had on tng, being ship’s counselor but she was also more than that) or being a ghost writer or whatever. The world in Star Trek just is like !!! because that kind of living seems to be the norm and I wish that was for me (and everyone).

wearing: a tshirt and some Pokémon sweatpants I got as a gift years ago lol just pjs really

movies that summarize you: uh… this is a hard question lol I have seen enough movies but nothing that’s like “this is formatively me” so

favorite song: This is the worst music thing you can ask me as someone who has been singing all my life (14 years of it “professionally” and in 5 choirs) and I couldn’t choose just one song! Lmao

favorite instrument: hmm… piano or guitar? Kinda basic ngl lol

aesthetic: It’s all dependent on mood and how I feel — I can go from extreme femme to extremely masculine but I like colors and also like mixing styles in a pleasing way (even styles that don’t seem like it should mix but end up working)

favorite author: Don’t really have one, there are too many great authors in the world

random fact: Uh, let’s see lol Tea is not officially tea unless it’s made from the levels of the official tea plant (can’t remember the actual scientific name rn lol), the stuff that’s classified as “tea” but doesn’t contain leaves of that plant are called tissanes. Well this was fun! Tagging whoever wants to do this, feel free lol

[amnesid]

obscure headcanons !

what they smell like.  sid doesn't really like a lot of strong or "fancy" smells ( having senses that work a bit differently than a human's will do that ) so he usually just has the typical clean, basic soap smell. under that is a hint of salt and something warm.

how they sleep, sleeping position, schedule, etc.  his sleep schedule varies. he tries to settle into something resembling consistency, but it gets interrupted at times by flashes of memories or a feeling that he has a memory ‘on the tip of his tongue’ that is lost upon waking. he tends to sleep laying on his stomach and spread out, but if he's sleeping with a partner he will want to curl up to them instead. he's definitely a cuddler.

what music they enjoy.  hmm... he mostly likes alternative / indie music because he finds it calming. also a lot of instrumental stuff. it's not technically music, but he's also taken to listening to ocean / beach sounds or white noise when he needs sleep badly and can't settle down or when he just wants to be at peace for a little while.

how much time they spend getting ready each morning. sid doesn't strike me as the kind of person to spend too much time getting ready, especially if he doesn't have much planned for the day. essentially he wakes up, bathes, gets dressed, brushes his teeth, etc. related note: he prefers baths over showers, but if he needs to get ready quickly for whatever reason he'll opt for the latter.  

favorite thing to collect.  i feel like he likes collecting marbles, especially those clear ones with the little swirls of color inside them. he likes the smooth texture and the sound they make when he rolls them around. he's also fascinated by snow globes.

left or right handed.  right, but can write using either hand without a noticeable shift in his handwriting.

favorite sport(s). swimming, for, yknow, obvious reasons. even without his memories sid is naturally a very good swimmer and he enjoys being in the water.

favorite touristy thing to do while traveling.  collect little knickknacks from wherever he is. if he has enough money on him, expect him to come back with the most random trinkets.

favorite kind of weather.  that midway point where it's just barely out of spring and into the summer. perfect beach weather, but not stifling hot ( even though he'll end up staying in the water nearly the whole time regardless, and doesn't even bother putting on sunscreen. )

weird / obscure fear they have.  because he's not yet aware of how he lost his memories in the first place, he's afraid that he'll wake up one day with all his 'new' memories gone and have to start all over again. yes, he has had nightmares involving this.

the carnival / arcade game they always win without fail.  this is a harder question than i feel like it should be, because sid isn't very familiar with arcades and i don't like carnival games that much. ( take sid to an arcade and see what he's drawn to first i guess? )

tagged by: stole it from @moldcursed

tagging: @inkscribe, @viburni, @weregonnagetyou, anyone else that wants to steal it from me

[ranhaitanisgf]

Hello so glad to see you write for Shinichiro!! Could I have some headcanons of spending the day as Shinichiro’s s/o with Shinichiro, Mikey, and Emma? Maybe having a picnic or going to the mall together? Just some fluffy Sano family time!

spending a day with shinichiro sano (feat. emma & manjiro sano): headcanons

[𖤐] hii anon; thank you for requesting this!! it was so cute and fluffy to write i kinda melted a little bit when i was writing this aaaa, i hope you like it!! <333

❧ masterlist

--

✂︎ honestly, the day was supposed to be just a casual date with shinichiro; going to the mall and doing some window shopping and maybe buying a few things, then going to the food court to get some food before riding to the riverside to watch the sunset. nothing really out there, but just spending time with him was enough for you, so you didn’t really need any sort of fancy date.

✂︎ at least, that was the original plan. you weren’t sure how you had ended up taking emma and mikey along with the two of you, but frankly, you didn’t really mind. there’s probably a lot of other people who would have some...thoughts, if their boyfriend’s little siblings tagged along on their date, but emma and mikey were always such sweethearts, (to you at least) so you actually thought it was a nice change of pace.

✂︎ hm, well, now that you think about it, the both of them coming wasn’t really supposed to happen in the first place. it was pretty nice weather out, so you and shinichiro had decided to walk to the mall instead of taking his bike. the both of you had figured it would be a nice change of pace and that the fresh air would do both of you some good, but you two were so wrapped up in your conversation with each other that you didn’t even notice the steps following you two. it wasn’t until you were almost at the mall that you and shinichiro had realized emma and mikey had tagged along.

“what were you thinking of buying, (y/n)?”

“hm, i’m not really too sure yet, maybe some-”

“i can’t believe that didn’t see us the entire walk!! we’re just that stealthy, emma!”

“what the hell-”

✂︎ and just like that, your date was crashed by the two little kids who had followed you on your way to the mall. according to emma, the only reason she was here was because she was trying to stop mikey, but by the time she finally was able to pull him back, she didn’t know how to get back home, so she just decided to follow you. according to mikey, he had followed you two because...well, just because he wanted to.

✂︎ mikey’s response earned him a punch on the head from shinichiro, who started yelling about how he can’t just crash his date, ‘just because he wants to’.

✂︎ it was obvious from his body language that shinichiro was feeling pretty exasperated from all this, and you can’t really blame him. i mean, who would expect for their little brother to purposefully follow him while he goes on a date?

“sorry about this (y/n), i should’ve noticed they were following us sooner. if you don’t mind, i can run them back real quick while you go look at some shops, how’s that?”

“...hm, actually, if it doesn’t bother you, how about we just take them with us? i don’t really mind that they came along; i really like emma and mikey, and if we take them with us, then you don’t have to go all the way back. is that alright with you?”

“are you sure, (y/n)? mikey can be a little troublemaker sometimes-”

“hey, shut up!! am not!!”

“yes you are!!”

“i’m sure it’s fine, now both of you stop yelling at each other, people are staring!!”

✂︎ gonna be honest here, the two of you looked like a family when you walked into the mall. mikey was sitting on shinichiro’s shoulders while shinichiro kept a firm grip on his legs, and emma was holding your much bigger hand in her smaller one, looking around a bit curiously.

✂︎ as you all walk around, looking at the different shops, there’s going to be a lot of commentary about literally everything from mikey. he’s going to be commentating on everything he sees, whether it’s clothing or a food stand that he wants to go try, his commentary will just be endless.

“do girls really wear that sort of thing??”

“woah, that looks super cool!”

“can we get the dorayaki that’s over there, (y/n)-nii?!”

✂︎ you’ll probably start to notice emma’s longing glances at some of the things that she sees in the windows. she won’t really say anything about it, but you can tell that it’s something she wants, so you’ll go into a couple of the stores with her, asking what it is that she wants. she’ll definitely be surprised at first, but she’ll get really excited that you’re willing to get stuff for her and will show you the things that she thinks are pretty. she’ll probably start talking about how she wants to be able to wear all of the cute stuff she saw in some of the other windows someday, so you just ruffle her hair and tell her that when the time comes, you’ll definitely buy it for her.

✂︎ your actions don’t go unnoticed by shinichiro, so he’ll just be waiting for you outside the store with mikey, looking at you with a small smile on his face. he doesn’t know why, but whenever he sees you getting along with her and mikey, it just warms his heart and reminds him of how much he loves you and how much he wants to be with you for the rest of his life.

“stop staring at (y/n)-nii, it’s weird.”

“wha- i wasn’t-!”

“yes you were! i saw you!!”

“be quiet mikey, i’m trying to have my moment!”

✂︎ ah, well, he actually does know why his heart skips a beat whenever he sees you smiling and getting along with emma and mikey, but he’ll save that for later.

✂︎ when you and emma walk out of the store, the giddy smile on her face makes shinichiro smile down at her before turning his gaze to you, who was looking at her with a giant grin on your face as well.

“let’s go look at some more places?”

“definitely!!”

✂︎ emma is a lot more vocal from that point onward, pointing out all the different things in the shops that she thinks would look best on you. she actually has a pretty good fashion sense, so you ended up buying some of the stuff that she suggested.

✂︎ she’ll even have you try on all the clothing that she picked out for you so that you can show shinichiro, (she whispers to you it’s so that he’s struck with love when he sees you). her plan definitely worked though; when you came out of the dressing room in the clothes she had picked out for you, shinichiro was wordless for a few moments, so captivated by you that he doesn’t even know what it is he should say. he’ll probably stutter out some words after a few moments, the broken sentence resembling that of a compliment, but you’re not quite sure since it’s all pretty broken up.

“wow, uh, you look, uh...wow, you’re very...wow…”

“shinichiro-nii, can’t you think of anything else?! i thought you were supposed to be their boyfriend!! you’re making my plan fail!!”

✂︎ mikey will probably be more interested in going to the food court, and will be asking every five minutes when you guys can be finished with window shopping so that he can eat because he’s absolutely starving, (it’s a lie, he just wants dorayaki).

✂︎ you’ll probably tell shinichiro that he should probably get some new clothing as well, with emma chiming in that his taste in clothes is kinda boring and that he should spice up his wardrobe, (he feels very wounded by this and puts a hand to his heart as if he’s been fatally shot). with that, the four of you will start to look for new clothes for shinichiro. it’s quite the serious mission, so the three of you will be closely examining him whenever he steps outside of the dressing rooms. it’s also like you three are judges at a fashion show, and if you could, you would all be holding up numbers that were rating his outfits, (the employees are fairly amused by all of this).

✂︎ after you all finally find some new clothes for shinichiro, you’ll be making your final stop at the food court, the place mikey has been pestering you about going to for the entire time you were there. he immediately dragged you all over to the dorayaki place, eagerly asking if he could get one. really though, how could you say no to those eyes?

✂︎ after getting everyone something to eat, you’ll all be sitting down, emma and mikey chomping down and their food, and you and shinichiro resting your feet after all the walking you had just done.

“remind me to never bring you to the mall on a date again.”

“what, you didn’t have fun?”

“no! no, that’s not it, i just...my wallet feels lighter than before…”

“you’re so dramatic sometimes, i swear.”

“but you love me.”

“...yes.”

✂︎ by the time you all are done with your food and are exiting the mall, it’s dark out, and emma and mikey are barely able to keep their eyes open, meaning that for the walk home, you were carrying emma on your back and shinichiro was carrying mikey. the walk back was rather peaceful, but what you enjoyed the most was the whispered conversation you were keeping up with your boyfriend, who was complaining about how mikey was drooling on his neck and he could feel it dripping down to his shoulder.

✂︎ after putting both the kids in their respective bedrooms and tucking them in, the two of you just crash on shinichiro’s bed, tired from all the events that had happened that day. you really had to admit though, it was times like these that you would always remember the most. the way he looked like when he was beside you, his eyes already closed as he rested his head on your arm. god, he looked so pretty…

“hmm, what do you think you’re doing?”

“just fixing the hair of my beautiful boyfriend, that’s all.”

“i see...carry on then.”

✂︎ neither of you bothered to change out of your clothes into pajamas, just deciding to leave them on and stay in each other’s embrace. in your opinion, there was truly no better way to end a day than to have shinichiro on your arms, his head fixed into the crook of your shoulder as he peppers kisses all over your neck and jaw.

“love you so much (y/n)...”

“mhm, i love you too.”

--

[scuttle-buttle]

What's One More?

WC: 3204

Rated: M

Tags: brief mentions of crime/mental illness/child abuse and neglect/substance addiction/theft, fluff, family dynamics, mentions of aging, mentions of difficult pregnancy, softness, anxiety attack

🧠

The harsh vibrating of a phone on the nightstand breaks your slumber. Still half asleep you toss your arm back to thump against your sleeping husband's side. With a groan he answers. You try to settle back into your pillow and the warmth of the blanket. Whoever has the balls to call at this hour has another thing coming - but later because your priority is going back to sleep.

He can't have been on the call more than fifteen seconds before he sits up in bed suddenly, turning on the bedside lamp; his movements grab your attention. You roll over. The light blinds you and you rub at your eyes to adjust. You can't make out what's being said. Looking at the clock to see that it's barely 4 am you know something bad has happened. Quietly you slip out from the covers.

Making your way down the hall you peek into your daughter's room, grateful that she's still fast asleep. Her soft snores punctuate the calm. Your nerves abate knowing she’s safe. By the time you get back to the bedroom Laszlo is up and getting dressed. "What's going on?"

He doesn't answer at first. You wait until he's finished buttoning his shirt to ask again. "Sara was called to consult on a triple homicide case - she's asked for me to come down to the police station. I don't know much yet, but it's something involving a young boy and she wants me to speak with him."

“Did he…?”

“No. He was not directly involved, that much we know.”

You nod, leaning against the door frame. This wasn't the first time that Laszlo had been called in by law enforcement and social services to assist with children and teens that needed psychological help. He had become more active around the time you graduated with your doctorate. After Sophia was born Laszlo helped fund an after school program for kids that focused on support for mental health and behavioral issues. He was so passionate about being able to help these kids. But it was never at this ungodly hour. "You'll call or something when you know what's up?" you ask through a yawn.

"Of course, Bärchen." He gives you a chaste peck. Gently he guides you back towards your bed and sits you down. "Go back to sleep, there's no need to worry. I love you." With that he left.

Your sleep is fitful with him gone. You worry over things that you aren't even aware of, over who is hurt, over how severe a situation it could be to have been called in the middle of the night, over the poor boy that needs Laszlo’s help. When your daughter tiptoes into the room around 6 you welcome her into the bed with open arms.

"Why are you up, baby bug?"

"Where's Papa?" She climbs up on his side of the bed and rubs his cold pillow. On her face is a deep frown.

"He had to go help some very important people early this morning. He'll be back to see you soon, I promise."

"I miss him. He always helps me with my shoes."

You can't help the smile that crosses your face. "I know, baby. But it's still early so let's take a nap before we have to get ready, hmm?" The two of you snuggle under the covers. With her curled into your side you do find rest, even for the short time before your alarm chimes.

The day moves sluggish as you wait for word from your husband. Little work was to be done today at the museum, so there wasn't much to keep your mind off the wondering. You considered calling. You considered texting. But you knew that when the time was right he would let you know. No news is good news, you think.

Finally the day came to a close. You picked up Sophia and stopped by the store on the way home to grab supplies for dinner. She insisted that she carry one of the bags inside - little miss independent that she was. “Careful not to drop it, okay? Use those muscles of yours to hold the bag tight.”

“Mama I know, I help Papa carry all the time,” she explains matter-of-factly.

The townhouse is quiet as you begin to unpack. You do a quick glance into the dining room and parlor to no avail. "Laz, honey? You home?" A few seconds later you hear movement from the stairs.

Your husband rounds the corner into the kitchen, swooping down to scoop your daughter into his left arm, peppering her face in exaggerated smooches. Her giggles light up the room from the dim atmosphere. He perches her on his hip. “How was your day my little dove?”

“So good Papa - I practiced my counting today at school. I can get the biggest in the class! Mommy said I must be the most smartest," she prattles on.

“Wunderbar!” he praises her before turning to you. “I didn't hear you come in." Laszlo kisses you.

Pinning him with a look you say "you also didn't call me today? You said you would and I've been worried all day."

Sophia crosses her arms and harrumphs from her father's hip; "me too Papa." He quirks an eyebrow at her before speaking.

"Yes… there is something I wished to speak with you on but didn't think it was suitable for the phone." You raise your own brows but continue to put away groceries. "I do not wish to discuss certain aspects of the case in present company-" he nods towards Sophia minutely "-but we do have a houseguest for the foreseeable future."

"Oh?" Your brows dip in confusion. This is not what you were expecting.

Laszlo peeks around the doorway and calls out "Stevie, would you come join us in the kitchen please."

Stevie? You don't know a Stevie...

A moment later a lanky boy with scruffy dark blond hair shuffles into the room. He can't be anymore than 15. His clothes are too big on him and his shoes are worn beyond belief; nevertheless he gives you a slight smile. “This is Stevie Taggert, he’s going to be staying here with us in the guest room for now.”

“Good evening Mrs. Kreizler,” the boy says nervously, his voice cracking.

You spare a look at your husband before turning to the teenager with a smile. “Ah, no need for that, kid. You can just call me by my name instead. And welcome to our home. You like spaghetti?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Awesome! And I’m certainly not old enough to be a ma’am,” you give him a wink. You set up a pot to boil the water for the pasta. Laszlo excused himself to spend some time with Sophia, leaving you and Stevie in the kitchen.

He clears his throat behind you. “Would um… is there anything I can do to help?”

"I would love that, thank you."

The two of you get to work on making dinner. Stevie doesn’t say too much, but he is very polite and does his best to be useful. Once the food is nearly finished your family has returned ready to eat. You send Stevie and Sophia to set the table.

“Should I be worried?” you ask Laszlo quietly, watching the doorway the two left through.

“I don’t think so. I just felt that I would rather he have a familiar face to adjust with instead of being placed in a group home like many end up.”

You study his face. “You’ve taken a liking to him haven’t you?”

“Well…" his face reddens at your question. "He reminds me a bit of myself when I was his age.” The conversation is cut short by the kids returning.

The rest of dinner and the evening goes smoothly. You make it a point to not bring up any questions that could trigger the teenager, especially before you’ve spoken with Laszlo about the situation at hand. When Stevie nearly eats his weight in pasta you say nothing, wondering how long it's been since he's had a good home cooked meal. He insists on helping clean up the dishes afterwards. Without even knowing what the boy has gone through your heart aches for him.

You set him up in the small renovated basement downstairs while Laszlo puts Sophia to bed. Handing him one of your husband’s old Harvard t-shirts to sleep in you tell him “I’m sorry you’ll be down here by yourself, but if you need us for anything don’t be afraid to come get us - no matter what time it is, okay? And if you get cold there’s an extra blanket right here for you. I know it's July but….” you shrug. “Tomorrow after I get home from work we can go to the store and get you some stuff to use, some more clothes, that kinda thing.”

“Yes ma’am.” At the teasing look you give him his ears burn red with his mumbled “right sorry.”

“Alright Stevie. We’ll see you in the morning, sleep well.”

Laszlo is in bed reading when you enter the room. Nothing is said as you ready yourself for bed. Slipping under the covers you face him. He sighs and closes his book.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call. I became caught up in the day and only arrived home with Stevie maybe half an hour before you did.” He sighs a second time. “Most of the case I cannot talk about, but what I can say is he was living with his mentally ill father, whom was also an addict. He missed the last few weeks of the school year and has been regularly stealing food to get by. He has no other family. I just… it didn’t feel right to let him process his experiences away from someone properly trained to deal with these sorts of things, in addition to how traumatic entering foster care at his age can be. I spoke with those in social services and was granted temporary custody until we find another more permanent solution.”

“Of course.”

He takes hold of your hand. “You aren’t upset with me?”

“I mean it would’ve been nice to have a bit more warning… but I get it. He can stay as long as he needs to. He’s a sweet kid,” you reassure him. “I told him that I would take him shopping after work tomorrow, so if you could pick up Soph from preschool that would be great.”

“Perhaps instead we can all go? I was thinking that I would bring him to the university with me so that he’s not alone all day. You could get her and then we could meet somewhere, get dinner afterwards?”

You lean closer to him to curl around his arm and rest your head on his shoulder. He always thought so much about others, especially children. Laszlo had such a heart of gold and it honestly left you in awe of just how much he was willing to give so that others could find peace and happiness. Like the older he got the more he had to give. The thought warms you. “How are you literally the best person I know? And to think you used to be so worried about being able to be a good father and now you’re the best of all of us.” He huffs a little as you nuzzle into his chest.

“I have you to thank for that, Bärchen.” He drops a kiss to your head. “But it’s getting late and I’ve been up all day. We should get some sleep.”

Soon after you're both dreaming.

___

Stevie had been with you for three weeks. It only took him a few days to start to settle in, and you discovered that he was quick with his wit and far smarter than he let on. He was a little bit of a sarcastic smart-ass at times, but all in good nature. He was endlessly entertaining. Laszlo sat down with him almost everyday to talk about what he was feeling, the things he experienced, and ways to deal with the loss of his family. Already you both saw improvement.

Even Sophia got on well with him. Most teenage boys wanted nothing to do with little kids, let alone a 4 year old that loved playing 'spaceship barbie'. But not Stevie. On his fifth day you'd found him sat on the floor playing with her and going along with her childlike imagination. When she insisted he play the barbie that needed saving he went along with it, high pitched voice and everything. He even encouraged her to pick up her toys before bed - a feat you and your husband struggled with at times. It struck you how much Stevie became a big brother of sorts to her.

Laszlo grew even more fond of the boy. He wasn't really one for TV, but every evening he sat and watched some show on Netflix about racing with the teen and didn't complain once. Laszlo had tried to explain the role of adrenaline in racing drivers as a psychological function, but Stevie just brushed it off and said it was the driving so fast that made it "cool".

The two did bond over an unlikely subject - punk rock. When you got home from work two weeks into his stay and heard the music blasting in the parlor you worried someone had broken in. Whipping into the room you saw Laszlo in his chair tapping his foot to the intense guitar and singing; Stevie nodded along to the music as he held an old album cover. It didn't take long for Sophia to start jumping along to the music too.

"What is this?" You yelled out over the bass - you couldn't recognize it and it clearly wasn't English.

"Die Toten Hosen, a band I listened to growing up in Germany. Stevie found the record and asked to listen."

"Listen? I think you mean blow out your eardrums!" Even with needing to shout to be heard you had to laugh at the situation. How your husband had a secret love for German punk you'll never know; yet you would never let him live it down.

And when Stevie came and woke you both up in tears three nights ago you made him hot chocolate while Laszlo sat down with him. He confessed that he had never been treated or cared for like he was in your home. How he wished he could stay because he felt wanted. Your heart broke for the boy. To be so young and so lost, craving someone to simply be there for him.

Yet everyday he grew more open. He broke out of his shell. He had goals and ambitions; he wanted to amount to something bigger than he had thought he ever could. It almost shocked you at how much fire was within him.

At how much he fit in with your little family.

At how it was like he was meant to be there.

___

Laszlo was oddly quiet when you got home. Sophia had run off to find Stevie, and you tracked your husband down to his office. He listened as you talked about your day for a good ten minutes; he said almost nothing the whole conversation.

You move closer to him. Placing the back of your hand to his forehead you check to see if he's feverish or sick. He didn't feel warm. "Laz, are you feeling okay?"

He gently pulls your hand down and leaves a kiss on your palm. "The department of social services called this morning to inquire about what we want to do with Stevie. This would be the third time they have asked."

He hadn't mentioned it to you at all that they were calling already. "Okay. What do you think we should do?" You pause for him to continue.

"I told them I would need to speak with you before any further decisions were made regarding him…" His fingers tap against the wood of his desk. "I'm not sure I have an answer for them. Nor for you." He swallows. "I'm afraid of what might become of him should he go into the system. Or that he will not get the support he needs given his past. Any option involving allowing him to stay for a bit longer is a commitment I won't make without your full support, of course. I could never ask that of you." As he speaks you can hear the frustration pouring from him, feel the irritation radiating through the room. "I refuse to give up on him- I- I just don't have the answers on what to do without them hounding me and he deserves better than this, dammit."

"He does… Do you remember on your 50th birthday, what you told me?" Laszlo looks up at you confused. "You said that you had wished you were ten years younger so you had the energy and time to do all of it again. That if you were younger we would've had a whole gaggle of kids - brothers and sisters for Sophia."

"Wishing I was younger doesn't make a difference in helping Stevie-"

"Laszlo - let's adopt him." Your words stop him in his tracks. You had decided not to have any more after your daughter was born. Laszlo was nearing 50 and the pregnancy had been hard on you. But regardless you knew that you both had the means and the love to give another child, probably five or ten more children if you really wanted to. So why not start with one that's already wormed his way in to the family? "I've seen how fond you are of him already. You've taken him under your wing as if he was your own. And how good he is with Sophia? Hell I couldn't ask for a better older sibling for her - and she loves him already. And honestly, Laz, I do too."

"You think we should adopt Stevie?"

"I think we should ask, yeah. He deserves a good home and a strong father figure that's going to put him first. He looks at you like you hung the stars, Laszlo. He needs us, and truthfully I think we need him. So yeah - what's one more added to this little shindig we've got going for us?"

"Have you-"

"-thought it through? Yes. Completely."

You can see the smile he fights to hold back. "We should call tomorrow and see what the protocol is for stating our intent to adopt and getting the paperwork."

"Um…" You shuffle your feet. Nose scrunched, you confess "I may have already called them. On the way from work I asked about what would need to be done if we wanted to pursue that route, but since they already know who we are from you working with them for years it can be fast tracked." You pull him out of his chair to stand before you. "All we have to do is say 'go'."

He has no hesitation.

"Go."

Laszlo doesn't hold back his smile or his laughter as he spins you around his office floor. You're certain your children downstairs can hear your giggles.

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