#i can always revisit these later in the year if i want nothing's stopping me

[lighthouseborn]

𝓜𝓮𝓻-𝓶𝓪𝔂 3/31 • tropical shallows

[kingboohoo37]

KBH RANDOM RANT

I'M BACK... at least I try to post more often. Streams will also come more regularly (surely...).

I'm slowly getting back to work so my time is still very limited. I thought this was a good time to bring back my random rants about fandoms since I just revisited an old classic from my childhood.

YEP we're talking about Kim Possible one of the most ludicrous fictional universes I've ever seen... In a good way!

First up: This show is FUDGING 22 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR... I'm really getting old...

The funny part about that is it was made during the peak of the 2000s... and you really notice that. The language that most teenagers use in this show is so stereotypical for that time it feels so nostalgic even watching it XD

Anyway, let's get the obvious out of the way. I know this is supposed to be a kids cartoon and I know that I'm an adult man but that doesn't stop me from watching it.

So, why is this show so great?

Good question! Its primary charm probably comes from its simple comedic attitude of telling a story.

The characters are so ridiculous that you should never be able to take this show seriously simply because most of their actions or the situations around them don't even make sense. This show just requires you to take in its vibe and go with the flow. I mean... a teenager knowing 16 forms of Kung Fu and saving the world on any given occasion is nothing that can possibly make sense. Don't forget: "Anything's possible for a Possible!"

Let's get into the characters:

Kim is your basic teenage girl, and she's here to save the world. You can't stop her 'cause...

Okay I'll stop xD

Apart from her being an ass-kicking girl boss, her main character traits are kinda the things you expect from a main character. She saves the world out of sheer will to stick to her morals. In short: she wants to help people. That obviously doesn't always work out and she sometimes ends up judging people by what they are instead of who they are. On top of that, she gets jealous easily.

BUT she is brave, smart, and makes usually good choices in the heat of the moment (except when it comes to love xD), and is otherwise very mature for her age.

Well... the opening song didn't lie. She really is your basic teenage girl. That doesn't mean she isn't cool xD

Well, obviously I can't end it without talking about the man and his very smart and hungry naked little friend.

What makes this show so funny is well... its ability to deliver comedy simply by a character existing and Ron Stoppable plays a big part in that.

He is pretty much a normal guy who just happens to be Kim's childhood friend and later somehow steals her heart xD

He is an absolute doofus. He is silly and rarely takes anything seriously. He is also lazy and loves his favorite junk food joint Bueno Nacho.

Despite all that he still cares for his friends, his naked mole rat Rufus, and usually learns a very important lesson after an episode.

He accompanies Kim on pretty much every mission and is usually more of a hindrance than a help. Despite all that Kim still loves him in her own way. And he also saves the day a couple of times, so it's not like he is a complete slob.

Rufus is just the cherry on top. Both of these guys are hilarious and I was honestly surprised by how much I laughed watching this show.

I could go on and on but I'm gonna try to finish up this post here before it gets too long xD

Even though every episode has kind of a similar structure, it never gets boring. The villains, the side characters... all of them add something very unique to the table. You just throw some characters together and boom the story kind of writes itself XD

Season 4 was my absolute favorite part of the show since guess what ... that was when Kim and Ron started dating and BOY DO THEY MAKE A CUTE COUPLE.

Ahem... anyways. I do not regret watching all 87 episodes in the last 2-3 weeks. If you're looking for a comfortable. goofy and funny way to escape reality for a moment I can only recommend this old classic.

[evelynlowry]

I’m at an all time low for my capacity to be around people at all, and trying to set up a life externally before handling the internal has absolutely collapsed in on me. Last year I read all my journals from the past 10 years, I lost interest in revisiting my old blog which has always been a habit, I stopped posting on it, I filled more journals than I ever have in a year and then stopped writing at the end of the last one. I got to a point where I was so frustrated with my fixation on figuring out my own identity, I wanted desperately to finally see past myself into the outside world and live only in it. I thought that must be maturing, your early 20s and teens are all about the question of yourself, and you never get to a final answer but at some point it becomes less important, you have enough of a foundation to start living your life on. So I tried to start living my life. And it even became clear the parts of myself that do need addressing. So I said, I’ll set myself up to live in a place I like near the person I care about where I can be independent and start working on long term goals, and when things are stable enough I’ll do the real work of addressing my health inside. Sure. The latter is the broken leg I tried to walk on to get to the former. I took about two steps before it gave out. And now I’m seeing the doctors, I’m taking the time, and it’s good I’m finally doing it but it’s the only thing I can do. I can’t even think about anything else. It doesn’t feel hopeless in the twisted crushing existential way that this kind of thing would if I was still focused on my identity. It’s not about anything so broad and abstract. I still have in my mind the basic truths I know about who I am, who I care about and what I want. I just can’t move around this obstacle towards them. There’s nothing else I can reach for over it. It’s simple and undeniable. It’s the opposite of the crushing abstract problems of the past, it doesn’t make me want to die. I just can’t keep living and put it off for later. It occupies my whole brain, my whole body. It’s this first. This first and then everything else, okay

[jaderimehardt]

So, Cali is in the middle of another storm, yay me~ 🙃. Tomorrow I get to go out in it because I have appts and errands. We're in the middle of a flood watch with wind advisory and potential power outages atm. Nothing new, I guess? 😅

Yesterday I had my bedroom window open listening to the deluge of rain, because I actually love the rain. For the longest time, Cali was in a draught and I wished for nothing more than rain. I can't help but feel that phrase "be careful what you wish for" is coming back to haunt me.

I'm sure it'll be okay. It's global warming, surely. Everything's out of whack. Just gotta hang in there until the next season's crazy weather, and then the next, and the next.

I've also been watching lots more vids on Youtube (to no one's surprise), but from all the things I like; ranging from culinary, to Myer Briggs, to art, to science, to resin... man I miss working on resin.

I keep checking the weather forecast and I need 70+ degree weather to come back (to work on resin) but I also really don't want warm weather back, lol 🫠. So conflicted.

And then I remember I still have a ton of things I can work on with graphics- on the computer and on mediums. I just seem to mentally skip over that. It's like I need a huge checklist or sign right in front of my face. Even if I'm watching vids most of the day, when I get free time to actually sit and do something- I give that time to something else- I prioritize something else. I don't know what it is. Or why that is.

When I work on resin, I'll literally wake up in the morning, go out into the garage first thing, won't come back inside until it's like 1am or 2am. I'm out there all. day. long.

It's like an escape.

I think there's a disconnect with other things when I compare it to that. Because when I find an attachment to projects, I don't pry away. It's almost impossible to pry me away.

🤔

Another thing I've been doing lately is watching movies in the evening. Some new, some old. But I'll put them on with a sketch book in front of me, and doodle.

For the record, doodling is different from working on an actual project (for me at least).

I'm also still trying to figure out what graphic to make for that puzzle. Thinking some kind of scenery with focus on ~something~. I might actually pull some places from a book I once was writing back in college (that I never finished). It might be time to revisit that.

My skills in drawing scenery though... 🫠. Yeah, this will be a fun challenge /sarcasm. Let's just reference all the trees and foliage necessary to get this task done 😶

Because, I mean, it's still all here in my head. I just never followed through with writing the whole thing.

I was like 170 pages in at 8pt font or some nonsense, and not even halfway done with the book. That's why I stopped, lol. It would have had to be chopped up into multiple books with multiple "climatic" endings 🤷🏻‍♀️. It put me in a position of "I dunno what the heck to do" and we see how well that went 🙃

That turned into "I'll come back to it later" and "later" turned into months, months into years, and years into indefinitely, and indefinitely to..... I think about it occasionally. It's in a folder in my bookcase where the last time I looked at it was years ago.

I still use my OCs in a lot of things though.

And if anyone is curious why my blog posts tend to lean more on the ramble-y side:

This is one of the handful of vids I watched today. When watching it, it was kind of like a lightbulb 💡; I was like "Oh! This explains a lot."

He has good Myer Briggs vids /nods (I'm an INFJ -t)

Edit: Oh, my god. Let me edit in this tweet I just found on Twitter.

It's a visual chart for pencils and this is awesome.

Marcel aka Draw Like a Sir, on Youtube, has a video that I'm pretty sure I've linked in a previous post- about how the B pencils are not easy to erase, but they're great if you're "coloring" or "filling" with them. Use the others for sketching, as they erase better. Always remember to sketch lightly, so your eraser will have an easier time to erase.

I think the vid was called "5 worst mistakes" or something 🤔

[homespun-stories]

One Of Those Lists Again

I’ve just turned 40. In those four decades, I’ve lived and worked in five countries, moved home around 20 or so times, and done jobs in more than 24 different kinds of places from the age of 15.

Those kinds of numbers aren’t that unusual, particularly for Elder Millennials like me who found their opportunities and trajectories accelerated by the Internet. We are the cohort who remembers the agonising wait and drop of landline dial up Internet whilst we were studying in High School, but have every reasonable expectation today that we can do the entirety of our knowledge economy jobs wherever and however we want with a seamless wifi connection. We had the chance to make fools of ourselves learning how to be someone before people could take photos and videos and tag us on social media, but bathe in the benefits of technology that makes holding down a job, running a household and growing a family easier than any generation before us.

Anyway, because absolutely no one asked for it and despite many greats having done this far better than I ever could, here are 40 things I have learned in that time:

Nora Ephron was right, you’ll regret not having worn a bikini for the entire year you were 26.

Remember to send that thank you note: for Christmas presents, for party invitations, for job interviews, for the bouquet of flowers your friend sent you when the Very Hard Thing Happened.

Anyone can rustle up a please or thank you, but showing up on time is the most effective way to show respect.

You’ll never regret traveling. Even the worst adventures are worth their weight in anecdotes.

Not everything can be reached through relentless pursuit; sometimes you need to sit still awhile and wait for it to come to you.

Your gut is as complex as your brain. Listen when it tells you things.

Whatever they taught you in school about reproductive health is so lacking in substance that one day, decades later, you will find yourself in a doctor’s office whilst they show you a laminated diagram to explain how ovaries work.

Even then, you will learn something new and overwhelming about your body every time you see a medic.

The things you tell yourself in your twenties that you cannot possibly do are almost certainly the things you will face in your thirties.

You will hurt the people you care about. It’s the price you pay for loving and being loved in return.

Not everyone will like you.

You’ll get things horribly wrong and disappoint people who thought you could do better. You will probably do this more times than you’d like to remember. Some of these moments will still make you burn with shame at night when you can’t sleep, many years later.

It’s never too late to repair the rupture.

Nothing is ever equal in a relationship, but it should always feel fair.

Don’t save nice things for a special occasion. Wear the shoes, use the plates, burn the candles. Life’s too short.

Find a way to talk about money with your partner, even if it makes you want to peel your own skin off.

Do something properly or don’t do it at all. People will know if your heart’s not in it.

We all turn into our parents eventually. But you get to choose which parts you take, and which you leave behind.

There’s no job worth doing just because it pays well or looks good on paper if it makes you cry every morning on the way to the train.

Be prepared to revisit whatever timeline you’ve set yourself. Again. And again. And again.

At some point, the place you call home will stop giving you everything you need and it will be time to leave. Sometimes you’ll see it coming down the road and sometimes you’ll wake up in the middle of the night with the realisation. This is how it goes.

Remember to wear sunscreen.

If you’re lucky, someone will give you feedback so critical you feel like your skin might blister. It’ll confirm every worst thought you’ve had about yourself, but in time it will act like an inoculation against future harm.

As a woman in leadership at work, you can be good at your job or you can be liked. Entrenched sexism and numerous studies show that you can’t be both.

Just because someone said it, doesn’t make it true.

Having a child is like watching your heart leave your body and walk around on the outside. You will never recover.

There will be times when you experience loss and grief so gutting that your insides will feel bruised. And yet you still don’t know the half of what’s to come.

Words matter.

Early on in your life you will make choices that are different by only a matter of one or two degrees to those of your friends. But as time goes on, and you continue to walk your respective paths, you will find your realities have moved continents apart. Send a postcard every now and then.

Some of your closest friends, with the nearest of realities, will live on literal other continents from you. Those friendships will endure, even when you only see each other every few years.

Try not to go to sleep on an argument.

Cut flowers are extravagant, wasteful, and unsustainable but you will continue to buy them by the armful because they bring you so much joy.

Some things will make you shudder at the thought.

You will do them anyway.

Just get in the goddam photo.

Don’t say things about yourself that you wouldn’t say to someone else.

A well timed joke will always make it feel better.

There are very few hard and sad things in life that are beyond the immediate salve of popping on the kettle and making a cup of tea. Always knowing that you can do this first gives you time to work out what to do next.

Education is a constant and lifelong journey. So is love.

What are you waiting for?

[strawberriianime]

Basically y/n and Hanma are childhood friends and former neighbors.

Y/n had family problems and Hanma (despite always being a rascal) made her laugh and in general they were fine together, but at a certain y/n moved into another neighborhood.

They then meet years later (in 2005, just before the story begins) and begin to reconnect.

I don't want 18+ or anything like that, maybe something fluff/angst but still taking into account Hanma's character. I hope it is not too long but in any case do as you can ^^

♡ sure thing :)

♡ I hope you like it!

♡ hanma x reader

You picked over some of your food at the dinner table. Your mom wouldn't be home until a couple hours so it was just you there. It's been about six and a half years since your parents split. No matter how much time passed, you couldn't get use to this. Nothing was the same anymore. All your friends where left behind and you where just forced to start over. Your mom got a better job here and was able to enroll you into one of the best private schools here. Sure you made new friends, but they where different. They spent every weekend at the mall buying the most luxurious things, enjoying fancy parties and you just wanted to do average teen stuff. Cleaning up the dinner you picked over, you went to your bedroom to grab your bag. Since it was the weekend, you decided on going to the park just to get out of the house. Slipping your shoes on, you where on your way. Walking through your neighborhood you decided to go to your favorite park when you where little. You had met the best of friends there, learned how to ride a bike, broke your first bone, got into your first fight and it would be nice to revisit the park. Your new neighborhood was about 30 minutes away from the park you had knew, yet you where walking making the journey much longer. Once you finally arrived, you saw happy young children running, mother's bonding with other mothers, and older children playing basketball. You made way to the swings and sat thinking about the time's you had spent here. You stood up and made your way to a tree that seemed familiar. Caressing its bark, you walked around the tree and noticed it had writing in it. The little writing messily read, "S.H & (Initials) friends 4L". You smiled remembering the boy you had befriended after he seen you crying in the park. You where upset about losing your favorite bracelet and he went through all the trouble to find it. This was your first time at the park, your parent's wouldn't allow you to be outside much. So just this one day, you snuck out the house after hearing them arguing. The boy you met had ended up becoming one of your closest friends. You where both equally shocked once you found out you stayed in the same neighborhood as his house was parallel to yours. Due to him, you where able to come to the park more. He was always there when you where sad, sick, happy, he was there for it all. The day you moved was dreadful. You two had been friends for nearly 2 years. He was upset to watch you leave, and due to being so young you two had no way of communicating with each other. So that was goodbye for now. You left the tree and began making way through the field. You heard a sudden grunt and thud, you where smart to know not to intervein. You scurried quickly and as you walked by you heard a voice call your name. "_____?" he said as you turned you head being met with familiar golden eyes. Your eyes glossed over with surprised as you recognized the boy from your childhood. He had grew much taller than you expected, and despite that he looked the same. "Hanma?" you questioned as he began making way to you. He dropped the cigarette he was smoking and was not standing in front of you. The feeling was surreal. "I was wonderin' when you'll come back." he said. "I came to the park every day just about." he added. You fiddled your fingers as you replied, "I just stopped by for the first time today...I'm sorry for keeping you waiting.". "It's no problem, how ya been?" he asked you. You two spent hours catching up. You told him about your new school, your mom and father split officially, and basically how nothing about you changes. You felt as if that empty void in your life had finally been filled. There was just a glimpse of happiness that you had longed for. Things about him had changed. He was smoking cigarettes', he had tattoos along his hand, he had bruises on him that began to fade away. "Hanma, what happened to you?" you asked him as your finger fan along his hand tattoos. What would sin and punishment mean? "Life, life changes as you get older. Not everybody is fortunate enough to live a happy,

beautiful life." he began. "I'm not gonna lie to ya, I'm in a gang." he said standing up. A gang? What caused him to take part in a gang? "It was nice catching up with you, but I don't think you should get yourself involved with someone life me. You seem to live a nice life, and I don't want to ruin that for you. It was nice seeing you, but I think it's best if we don't continue this anymore. We caught up, and that's good enough." he said lighting another cigarettes. "Goodbye ___" and just like that he left you stunned in the park. On that sunny day of August 13th 2005 you felt a piece of your heart shatter. This time it wasn't you leaving by force, he was the one leaving by choice.

-

I'm not good at writing angst or fluff :((((((((( . I really hope you like it!

[hobidreams]

june 1869.

you’ve never been able to hide from him.

pairing: joseon king!yoongi x reader genre: smut, angst, fluff? words: 2.3k contains: choices, consequences.

moonlit throne index. this is drabble 21. start from the beginning?

The moment you reach your private chambers, you collapse against the door. Your heart softly shudders with strain as you finally let the first tears fall, trickling steadily down your cheeks. The bundles you carried in fall to the floor as you cover your face with your cold hands, trying to stifle the quiet sobs that seem so determined to come.

You had gone into town after your work today. Walked down, escorted by a guard that you pretended wasn’t there. (The king now insisted upon such a thing whenever you left the palace walls, but you could tell the guard thought the job much beneath him.) You had just finished picking up a few ingredients from the market traders and was on your way to see if the bookstore had received new products when your attention had been caught by the sizeable crowd gathered outside the town clinic.

“Please, please, give me medicine for my daughter!” The peasant woman clutched a child that couldn’t have been more than two years old. The babe’s crying was as raucous as the yelling, the noisy mix of voices all clamoring with want.

“I need to see someone! My side— It hurts every day. I can’t work anymore. My family’s going to starve. I need treatment!”

The physician’s assistant stood on the clinic steps with folded arms and a bitter, hard look on his face. “Are we running a charity? We need to eat too! If you can’t pay, you can’t see the doctor!” He slammed the door in their faces, leaving them out in the sweltering heat, crying out that they could pay next week or as soon as they could, they just needed help right now, but the door remained shut.

Your chest felt stiflingly tight at the sight, compassion’s hand squeezing hard around your heart because you knew you could help. You had to help. You took a step forward, ready to offer your services only to have the guard block your way.

“Su-uinyeo-nim. We must return to the palace.”

“No, I want to stay.”

He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. They could harm you.” And if they did, then his own head would likely be on the chopping block. Ridiculous.

“They won’t. They just need treatment, and I’m a physician.” You didn’t have many of your tools here but you could at least take a look, provide a diagnosis or recommend some easily obtainable herbs.

“The king would not approve of putting yourself in danger.”

You opened your mouth only to shut it. The king wouldn’t approve of a lot of things, but how could you just stand here and do nothing? These people, they needed your skills.

You took another step forward.

“Su-uinyeo-nim.” The guard’s voice was firm. He indicated for you to start walking away, towards home.

You shot him a stare, the hardest look you could conjure, but didn’t move. Not yet, damn it.

“Oh—uinyeo-nim!”

You dallied long enough. One of the women had evidently recognized your outfit and was now barreling towards you with a fire in her eyes. “Uinyeo-nim, you can help me, right!? It’s my daughter, she’s been having a fever and—”

“No, she cannot.” The guard’s glare was as sharp as the blade that the hand on his sword promised.

“Oh, please!” She threw herself against the arm the guard tried to reign her in with. Threw herself forward trying to reach you. “My daughter, my daughter will die if she’s not treated!”

“Let me—” You started, only for the guard to shove her harshly back since he could not do the same to you. She cried out, almost toppling over from the force as she clutched her baby, but he did not relent.

“We are leaving.”

He began to boldly walk towards you, practically into you, leaving you no choice in the matter. You were too afraid he might hurt her further if you did not comply even though every step away felt like a blow to your chest, like tiny fists pounding against your ribcage, making you sore and ache because the stark truth was that your inability to help her wasn’t even entirely the guard’s fault.

All those years ago, you chose to stay.

You never opened the affordable clinic mother had dreamed of. You put your feelings before the wellbeing of all those people you could have helped then, and you did it again today. Selfish. Selfish and helpless and selfish. For all the work you’ve done, it never feels like enough. There are always more patients in need and here you are, living among this extravagance and opulence but really getting nowhere. Not with the king. Not with how much change you can bring to the people.

Even your tears can only be shed here, in privacy and cowardice.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” you whisper through your blurry vision, but these are just words. They do nothing in the end and every choice feels like the wrong one and that there will only be dire consequences to follow them.

“Su-uinyeo-nim?”

At Eunuch Kim’s muted voice, you startle. Hurriedly, you wipe the backs of your hands against your eyes. “Y-Yes?”

“The king has requested your company tonight.”

“Oh.” Shit. You’re in no state to face him, not for what he has in mind, but you must go. “I-I’ll be ready in a few minutes. Just allow me to… change.” You push to your feet, onto shaky legs as you sniff.

“Of course.”

The brief walk over in the cool summer evening helps to pull some of the sorrow from your mind (or at least tucks it away to be revisited later when you find yourself as always, alone). Eunuch Kim is kind enough not to probe into the heaviness about you today; he simply chats about the latest novel he has picked up in town, a study of birds that he recommends heartily to you. The king is not so kind. The second you enter his chambers, tilt your head just enough for him to catch your eye, he frowns.

“You’ve been crying.”

It’s not a question.

“I, um, simply had some dust in my eyes, jeonha.”

Searching for a distraction, you begin to undo the tie of your blouse. You’ve never purposefully let him see you openly upset, or at least not since this ‘arrangement’ began.

“Dust. Really.”

You nod, unwilling to meet his stare.

The floorboard creaks as he steps towards you. Covers your hands with his own so he can strip you instead. You can’t tell if he believes you; he is so quiet while he pulls layer after layer from you, letting the fabric drop to the floor in bunches of crumpled white and light blue. The warmth of his fingers on your skin feels like comfort, even when it’s only a prelude to his desire.

Isn’t it stupid, that some excessive part of you wants him to openly refute your lies even as you tell them? To undress your mind as hungrily he does your body until you have no choice but to be bared and free, released from the burden of your own thoughts?

“Get on the bed.”

Maybe it’s better like this. You are the only woman he has ever known in this way; you can’t let yourself be so greedy, to again let that selfish part of you want and want and want so much that appetite consumes you, bones and all. You press your palms and knees to the hard bedding. Squeeze your eyes together. Force the tears to stay back while you wait for the burn to come.

His calloused hands land on your waist, but it’s to urge you to turn over instead.

“J-Jeonha?” you question, confused when you see him already on his knees, that piercing gaze provoking goosebumps from your skin. “Why…”

His hands find your ass, urging you towards the edge of the bed. He throws the top layer of his robes aside before he spreads your legs apart, letting them rest against the wood.

What… What is he doing? You find your answer as the sokgot strips fall to the floor beneath his touch and abruptly, before your poor heart has time to prepare itself, his breath blows warm across your clit.

“Ah, this—!” Wild-eyed, you try to squirm back, hot with embarrassment that his face is this close to your crotch. It floods you with worry after worry about your scent, the possible bumps marring your skin, the tufts of hair, but he doesn’t seem to care about any of it as he hooks his hands beneath your thighs. “You’re not—”

Soft lips and a slick tongue are pressed flush against you.

Your entire body seems to quiver at the first lick; a single taste of wetness followed by a second, a third, a relentless fourth that makes liquid pleasure crest, surging upwards, a high, rushing tide in mere seconds. You buck, hands finding no support upon the sheets and part of you wants to cover your face instead, to let die the moans that surface with each gasp but that means you would miss the sight. This unforgettable sight: inky eyes between your thighs, the quick, pink tip of his tongue swiping heat directly into your veins. It feels messy before he finds his rhythm, settles into a beat that only reaffirms how he is irrefutably dominant even while he is on his knees before you, for once not breaking you apart but making you feel so dizzyingly whole you could burst.

While his fingers have learned almost every inch of you, this remains a scenario you never even thought to entertain, never even thought he would want. His pleasing only you. His putting you at the forefront of even his own satisfaction. Stop. The grip on your thigh tightens; you never want him to let go. Stop giving me hope. He does anyway with a drawn out suck, his stare as hazy and heady as if he’s been drinking the most exquisite cheongju.

Your body is taut, sweat beading down your spine. “This is— I can’t—”

“You can,” he quips back, and whatever words you could have said are stolen by orgasm. Taken, and made unbecoming moans that blow past the last shreds of your resistance now resting between his teeth.

It overwhelms you, this newfound sensitivity from being consumed; it makes you want to shirk back but he doesn’t let you. Somehow one of your legs finds its way over his shoulder and he uses that momentum to keep you against his stunning mouth, giving you what you need but never what you want. Each lick nudges you further off the edge, finding an acute bliss past every limitation you thought you had and you think, feverishly you think — it’s like he’s giving you permission to fall apart.

Tears coalesce at the corner of your eyes but you don’t notice. You don’t even know they’re there until wetness trails down your cheeks and even then you’re distracted by another peak, this one a muted swell that makes your muscles tense around his thin frame; he supports your weight without a word of complaint as his strokes finally dwindle in time with your pulses until both drop off entirely.

As he lets your leg roll off his arm, his breaths come almost as unsteadily as yours. Slowly, he retracts his wide hands from your thighs. Rolling his tongue against the inside of his own cheek, you watch him paint your taste in his mouth and don’t know what to make of any of it.

It’s only when a few tears cling to your eyelashes and blur your vision that you realize what’s happening. How embarrassing. You told yourself you wouldn’t do this on the way here and look at you now. You’re about to reach up to wipe away the tears, the damning evidence of your weakness when the king wraps his hands tight around your wrists. Pushes you back. Presses his knees to the bed as he hovers above you, all silence and heat and him.

“Um, j-jeon—”

He leans down and cuts you off with a kiss.

You gasp into his mouth but he doesn’t pull away. He is just soft, persistent, firm, and soft as he moves naturally across territory that should have been unfamiliar, but instead it feels like he’s been mapping, planning this capture for as long as you have. An impossible dream, yes, but the warm breath ghosting across your skin, lingering, is real. You open for him. For your first kiss. Your first kiss with him.

The warm fingers at your wrist squeeze harder.

“You… You can cry.” His voice is a murmur, delicate and hesitant against your lips, as if imparting a secret. “If you want.”

So you do.

You finally let yourself cry while he kisses you again and again, adjusting his angle to push you further into the pillows, releasing a wrist to cup your wet cheek. He kisses you with his nose pressed to yours, a tiny, precious moan finding freedom from someone’s throat.

Yoongi, your mind recalls, clinging to the syllables that belong to a word you’ve never dared to say aloud as he kisses you, kisses you, kisses you until both your mouths are swollen and your chest feels a bit lighter, his a bit heavier in exchange.

And when he finally pulls away, he holds you. His arms accept all your gravity for just a few lingering minutes more, a few heartbeats more, until it’s time for you to go.

[yourgoldengirls]

not alone

Pairing: SingleDad!Bucky x BestFriend!Reader

Summary: Bucky is a single father struggling to raise his son. But maybe he doesn't have to do everything alone.

Warnings: baby crying, one swear word.

W/C: 888

Ao3 | BearCub Masterlist

A/N: this is the first drabble from the series of single father Bucky and baby Grant. all the chapters can also be read as one-shots. I know I haven't been actively writing here for a while now. I'm sorry. This year have been the hardest of my live in every aspect and I've been struggling to find motivation to do things that I once loved. I deeply apologize to everyone that I let down. I hope some of you are still here. I wrote this really fast to comfort myself while I was super depressed so I might revisit this later. English is not my first language so if you find some mistake please let me know.

--

Two hours. 

His baby has been crying for two hours and he didn't know what to do. 

He tried everything. His boy wasn't hungry, sick nor his diaper needed a change. He even tried playing with the child but it only seems to make it worse. 

Bucky knew that being a single father would be tough. When he received the call from the hospital that changed his life, he knew that nothing would ever be the same. But every time he looked at his son's face, he knew it was all worth it. With only eight months, Grant was the most sweet and calm child there ever was. He rarely cried, always ate his fruits and rarely made a fuss about anything. Which is why his father was having such a hard time understanding the reason behind two hours of screams.   

Bucky was minutes from givin up and crying himself when FRIDAY speaks, scaring the child who starts to scream more.

"If I may, Sergeant Barnes, Agent y/l/n just landed with Agent Romanoff."

With the mention of her name, Bucky's body relaxes a little before remembering that she was on a three weeks mission, probably tired to the bone and it wouldn't be fair to ask for her help at this hour.

"It's okay, FRIDAY. I got this" no, he doesn't. 

Even after all those months he is still a little hesitant to ask for help, not only with the baby, but with anything in his life. The team - his friends, he reminds himself - are always offering to babysit, change diapers or anything that he may need, but he doesn't feel all that comfortable accepting anything from the people who have already done so much for him after he escaped HYDRA. 

"Agent y/l/n is already on her way" FRIDAY announces. 

Because of course she was. 

If there was a stubborn person on this tower - besides Steve - was y/n. When Bucky first came to the tower, she was the first friend he made. Not because they had a lot in common, but because she wouldn't leave him alone. And after a while of her following him around, he finally stopped being annoyed by her presence and started to crave it. After that, they became fast friends and would do everything together. 

Grant is still screaming when the door opens. 

"FRYDAY told me he was crying. Is everything okay?" she says looking at the baby in his arms and Bucky notices that she was still wearing her uniform. 

"I told her not to call you. I got it under control." 

"I told her to alert me every time he cries too much. You know that" she checks his temperature with one hand while using the other to look at his diaper. 

"I already checked everything. He is literally crying for nothing." he says frustrated with his lack of parental skills to help his son. 

"It's not just nothing, baby's only cry when they want to communicate something. Let me see." She puts her hand under Grant's arms, taking him from his father, and uses the other hand to support his bum. "Hi, baby. You are upset with something, huh? I know, I know." She coos while lulling him in her arms. 

Grant then realizes who is the person holding him and slowly stops crying to inspect her face. He then puts his little fist on her left cheekbone and smiles. 

"What the hell?! This little traitor." Bucky can't believe that he spended the last two hours trying to calm his son down only for y/n to succeed in less then five minutes. 

"Hi, little guy. Did you miss me? I know I missed you. How about you and me play for a while and give you daddy a break, huh?" Grant then smiles and hides his head on her neck.

"I think he is too tired from all the screaming." Bucky laughs and rubs his son's back who gives the biggest yawn. 

"That's okay. We can play in the morning. Right, bubba?" 

She then takes him to the nursery and by the time she lays him down, he is already fast asleep. 

Bucky looks at his son and his best friend from the door and smiles affectionately. He knew his son was attached to her but not to the point of crying just for missing her. 

"You could have called, Buck." She says with a sign. "I know you don't like asking for help but I don't care. I love this little boy with all I have and if he needs me I'll be there. Same goes for you. You're my best friend. We're family." They walk out of the room and close the door so the baby would not be disturbed by their conversation. 

"I know, dollface. I just knew you were tired and didn't think it was fair of me to ask for help when you were out there saving the world.". He gives a sheepish smile and she rolls her eyes. 

"I think being a single father is harder than fighting bad guys. HYDRA has nothing on that little guy over there." They laugh and while looking at her tired face full of understanding, for the first time, Bucky thinks that maybe it really is okay to ask for help. 

Thank you for reading! please like/reblog and comment if you like this fic or let me know here.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 302: As the Todoroki Turns

Previously on BnHA: 

Today on BnHA: We have a very fun chapter in which (1) Shouto grows up lonely on account of his parents being worried that his siblings will literally try to kill him, (2) Natsu and Fuyu grow up neglected on account of not being special and/or self-destructive enough to attract attention, (3) we get to revisit all of that exciting spousal abuse from chapter 39, and (4) Touya burns to death right on cue, pretty much exactly like we expected it to happen. Thankfully since this is a shounen manga, Horikoshi finds some hope in all this misery as the Todoroki family rallies together, with Shouto getting his long-overdue credit for being a perfect sweet angel who put up with all of this shit for sixteen years and somehow came out of it strong and kind and empathetic and determined. Anyway, so that flashback was a barrel of laughs. But now that it’s over, we can put all of that angst behind us, and move on to... well I guess, probably, more angst. Look, we’re short on variety at the moment. Bear with it.

ouch. we knew this was coming, but still

A+ parenting move there. “ho boy, our eldest just tried to murder our youngest, now what? hmm how about we isolate our youngest from all human contact”

though in their defense, we probably shouldn’t have expected this rabidly strength-obsessed fire man and his wife who was groomed since childhood to obey her family’s whims to have any idea of how to raise stable, well-adjusted offspring

SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS

this is a perfect example of Enji’s tragically self-revolving viewpoint right here. just because being a hero is your entire world doesn’t mean you can just excuse yourself from anything outside of that and act like it’s out of your control. “alas, all I care about is hero stuff and my son can’t be a hero, we are doomed to inhabit two different worlds” no you jackass, it’s called having more than one hobby?? figuring out how to spend some time with your son that doesn’t involve training?? the same exact thing you were telling him to do last week, while ignoring that you’ve never done that yourself in your life??

that said, yet again we have that complexity though because it’s obvious that Enji at least on some level is aware of his own flaws, even though he seems unwilling or unable to confront them. honestly, from what we’ve seen so far, Enji’s obsession with surpassing All Might might be more accurately called an addiction. he literally can’t let go of it even though he’s fully aware of how it’s slowly destroying his life. and so in the same way that a lifelong smoker or alcoholic might tell their child to stay away from cigarettes and booze, Enji tells Touya not to follow down the same path as him, even though he himself doesn’t know how to leave that path. so yes, it’s hypocritical as fuck, but there’s also an element of helplessness there as well because Enji literally doesn’t know how not to be like this

though all the same he sure could stand to put in more than just a token effort. but it is what it is, and we already know how much he’ll come to regret it

and meanwhile Baby Shouto has frozen his sleep bubble with his quirk lmao. so I guess his quirk did come in early. that’s a recipe for chaos right there

once again Shouto is ruining every single dramatic panel in this flashback

this was so dark and intense... and then I spotted the lil bubs in the corner. Horikoshi please control yourself

“some hero you are, running away” and then all of a sudden, “FIVE YEARS LATER” lol what. OKAY THEN

(ETA: love the confirmation that eight-year-old Natsu comes from the Iida school of puberty and is basically a fully grown man, and meanwhile Touya comes from the hobbit school of puberty and has been perpetually eight for the past five years.)

“HEY BIG BRO WANNA COME RECREATE AN ICONIC FLASHBACK SCENE WITH US. WE’VE GOT THE SOCCER BALL RIGHT HERE, BUT HURRY UP OR WE’LL BE TOO LATE FOR SHOUTO TO WALK ON BY AND STOP TO LOOK”

lol and that’s literally the next three panels. but Horikoshi did add this extra bit after Endeavor starts to drag Shouto away

seriously Enji what the hell did you expect was going to happen here. “Touya went nuts and tried to kill his little brother out of jealousy, so let’s make it clearer than ever that Shouto is the important child and all the other children are just rejects. this will definitely not make the problem 100x worse, and will surely lead to Touya giving up and living a happy life, having been emotionally abandoned by the person he admired more than anyone.” good for you pal you figured it all out. no need for that plan b, “we all just go to therapy”

anyway so he’s telling Shouto he can’t play because he needs more endurance training. and meanwhile Touya’s patented Todoroki Drama Genes are going through puberty as well

definitely the face of a happy, emotionally stable child who’s not still plotting to murder his younger brother in his sleep

“WELL ACTUALLY MAKESTE” lol I stand corrected??

apparently during the five year interim Touya actually stopped blaming Shouto and realized Enji was the one at fault. good for him! a bit inconsistent, given what we know happens later, but I assume we’ll get to that in good time

anyway. “yeah man I agree that dad sucks, but it’s the middle of the night and I’m only eight and you’ve been monologuing for the past two hours bro”

LMAO

the manga is making my jokes for me, only better. fine then

looks like someone’s still miffed about that disagreement he had with his baby sister back when she was like four

“Fuyu doesn’t get properly riled up like I want her to so ranting to her is annoying.” okay but having been in Fuyu’s shoes, it really is just a different way of coping, and I can guarantee she’s not as fine with the whole situation as Touya might think. but making your peace with something is often a decision that’s made for emotional self-preservation reasons. and I sure as hell don’t fault her for trying to shut out a situation that she had no control over, and trying to make the best of it, and scrape together as normal a childhood as she could manage

and now in Touya’s defense as well, that is of course easier said than done, and I’m sure if there was a “push this button and instantly get over all of the trauma in your life” switch readily available for Touya then he would have pushed it too. unfortunately it’s not always that simple

so now Rei is pleading with Touya not to go train up on his little emo hill again, but it doesn’t seem like much has changed since he was eight

I don’t think he gives two figs about being a hero; he just wants his father to look at him again with pride. fucking hell, stop doing this to me you damn Todorokis

guh, they keep telling him the same thing over and over again

even if we hadn’t already known he was gonna go melt his jawbone off soon, I wouldn’t have expected a line like that to go over well

yep. fuck

that Todoroki puberty angst, though. nothing else quite like it

“you have a part in this too, Mom” ooooooh man

okay but look, he’s not entirely wrong. like, I’m not saying any of this is Rei’s fault at all! she’s in an impossible situation where she’s afraid to stand up to Enji (who by this point has shown that he’s willing to physically attack her if things get too heated, which is terrifying), and doesn’t really have anywhere to turn for support. her parents aren’t helping much if at all, and Japan in general is just a terrible country to be in when you’re in a domestic abuse situation. everyone’s expected to put on a brave face and deal with their problems all on their own in private. Rei is basically completely isolated at this point, and she doesn’t know what else to do, and so she’s just trying to keep the situation as stable as possible for the kids

but on the other hand, “for the kids” is also where that argument starts to break down a bit, because at this point Shouto is also being physically abused by his father, and the other kids are continuing to be neglected (emotionally if not physically), as they have been for years. so the situation really isn’t stable at all for them. and as a kid, what you end up learning in that type of situation is that you can’t rely on either parent. not the abusive one, certainly, but also not the other one who can’t protect you from any of it. even if they love you and they’re trying, they’re just as helpless as you. Rei is struggling to deal with all of this with one hand tied behind her back, and I get it, and I’m not blaming her at all. but all the same, particularly given that she’s (understandably) putting almost all her focus on Shouto, the end result is that the other kids have basically been left to fend for themselves

so yeah! a shitty situation all around. and one of those cases where it’s not really anyone’s fault (aside from Enji’s), but I can understand the resentment Touya is feeling all the same. and I’m so glad Horikoshi is acknowledging this, because it’s something I probably would have been too uncomfortable to bring up otherwise. as it is it’s still an incredibly heavy subject, and one that I probably have too many personal feelings about

anyway, so once again the whole “we’ll try talking to him and then just shrug our shoulders when it doesn’t work” parenting strategy doesn’t really pan out for the Todoroki fam

sob this boy is Anakin Skywalkering before our very eyes. all that’s missing is AFO to come and start whispering in his ear. any minute now...

“anyway so then he got taller and his fire changed from red to blue”

guess we’re getting pretty close then huh. this is the part of the flashback that I really don’t want to see, but also unfortunately the part that I’m most curious about :/

oh for fuck’s --

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN IGNORING HIM FOR FIVE YEARS DIDN’T ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM” sob. back to the drawing board I guess

I thought he got taller, why is he still only like a third of Enji’s height here

oh fuck me these are armor-piercing feels. this is the heavy artillery right here

ENJI I’M BEGGING YOU PLEASE STOP AND THINK FOR ONE MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE BEFORE DOING SOMETHING YOU’LL REGRET FOR THE REST OF ALL TIME. your child just told you that he still thinks beating All Might is the only thing you care about, and that he believes his existence is a mistake unless he finds some way of doing that for you. please stop for a moment to contemplate that and choose your next words with care and grace and oh who the hell am I kidding

-- OR WE COULD JUST BLAME REI

go on and blame everyone but yourself then!! that’s a great solution!! jesus christ man I know this is Endeavor at his literal worst but still this is fucking hard to watch

POOR BABY SHOUTO IS YELLING AT HIS DAD NOT TO HIT HIS MOMMY THIS LITTLE BRAVE BOY NEEDS SO MANY HUGS OH MY GOD

AND MEANWHILE THE OTHERS ARE HUDDLED IN THE NEXT ROOM TRYING NOT TO CRY AH FUCK

(ETA: Fuyu covering Natsu’s ears cuts RIGHT TO THE CORE OF ME. Horikoshi if you’re really not gonna get these kids some therapy then at least consider giving your readers some. what is this.)

you know it’s bad when you’re starting to think the part where the kid burns to death might actually be a less traumatic thing to cut to right now

holy shit, actual Rei thoughts

“I was the one who ultimately made that choice” well there we go, wonder if that’ll put that whole argument to bed at last. I doubt it, but you never know. actually who am I kidding it’s not gonna settle jack shit lol

oh thank god, they decided it was getting too intense and cut away back to the present to narrate this next (final?) part

get ready to cue up that Alicia Keys. THIS BOY IS ON FIREEEEEEE

yeah I think that’s one thing we can mostly all agree on. neither of them had any clue what the fuck they were doing pretty much at any point. though I will say that the hypocrisy of him being all “WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP HIM” followed by him IMMEDIATELY DOING THE EXACT SAME THING is a bit rich

(ETA: and he still has this problem, doesn’t he? he froze up when Ending snatched Natsuo, and again when Dabi was attacking Shouto. he’s so afraid of doing the wrong thing that he ends up not doing anything, which of course is exactly what led to Touya’s death. damn Enji I guess you’ve still got some additional character development to unlock.)

and of course neither of them could possibly have known how badly it was going to turn out. like, the consequences here were WAY disproportionate even for the shittiest of parenting. no one expects “I didn’t know how to talk to my son” to snowball into “my son burned to death and then somehow came back as a villain and murdered thirty people”

ohhhhhhhh fuck me

LITERALLY INCINERATED THE ENTIRE HILLSIDE. fuck. and I am so not ready for the scene of Enji finding the remains of his jawbone afterwards. at least we were spared anything super-graphic (for now at least)

I feel like the timeline here is off, btw?? wasn’t Touya’s death supposed to happen after Rei got hospitalized? this might be the first actual retcon of the entire flashback. although I think it makes more sense this way tbh

I do appreciate that ten years later Enji is finally reflecting on the fact that if he’d just given up his stupid obsession he could have stopped his family from crumbling apart. that probably sounds sarcastic as fuck, but it’s not. there are countless jerks out there who would have still managed to find a way to blame literally everyone and everything under the sun except for themselves. at least he finally figured out how to take responsibility, even if it came too late to stop his son from dying and being radicalized into a villain terrorist organization

and speaking of, it seems to me we’re missing a third and final part to this little tale of woe, and one which only Touya himself will be able to shed any light on. so we’ll see how that goes

oh man seeing the other kids blaming themselves even though none of it was their fault hits hard af. Rei wasn’t kidding when she said they’d been bearing that burden of guilt far longer than Enji

SHOUTO I SWEAR TO GOD IF THE NEXT PANEL IS YOU APOLOGIZING FOR BEING BORN, I WILL... WELL I’LL BE VERY SAD, I GUESS. SO DON’T DO IT

oh good he’s just being quiet. good. it absolutely is not your fault lil bean. it’s not theirs either, but feeling guilty about things that aren’t your fault is a time-honored shounen tradition

goddammit I braced myself for the angsty Shouto panel a page too early. gotta do it all over again now lol. okay here goes

;_;

well well well would you look at that

imagine that. talking things out with your child before they make a rash decision. looks like the Todorokis’ parenting skills are finally leveling up

OH MY GOD

holy shit. this is the most quintessential moment of father/son Todoroki bonding in the entire series. for me it even tops the “nice scar” scene lol. Enji sobbing at the fact that he still has a chance to set things right. and Shouto offering his hand in what is actually the most mature and selfless gesture I’ve ever seen, and being all “we’ll stop him together” to his dad who he hates, but also doesn’t really entirely hate anymore. and all of that is incredibly moving... BUT ALSO HE STILL REFUSES TO MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH HIM AND HE WOULD LIKE HIM TO STOP BEING SO FUCKING DRAMATIC ALREADY IF YOU DON’T MIND. “WHEN YOU’RE DONE CRYING...” fkjldsk

OH MY FUCKING LORD

(ETA: wouldn’t be a Todoroki drama fest if there wasn’t somebody listening in on the whole thing in secret just around the corner lmao.)

“you think we should have waited somewhere else?” “yeah, probably.” “are you feeling a lot of secondhand embarrassment too?” “god, you have no idea.” STFU HAWKS IT’S NOT EMBARASSING TO BE MOVED TO TEARS BY YOUR FAMILY ALL COMING TOGETHER IN YOUR DARKEST HOUR TO GIVE YOU HOPE THAT YOU PROBABLY DON’T DESERVE BUT ARE NONETHELESS INDESCRIBABLY GRATEFUL FOR

and anyway you chose these guys as your found family, bucko. too late to back out now. next time go get yourself adopted by the Iidas then

AND MEANWHILE NO WORD ON THE WHOLE “HOW DID A THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD SURVIVE A FIRE THAT COVERED HIS BODY WITH HORRIFIC SCARS AND MELTED HIS JAW OFF, AND HOW DID HE SOMEHOW THEN MANAGE TO GO INTO HIDING FOR TEN WHOLE YEARS, AND WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT INTERIM TO CHANGE HIS GOAL FROM ‘SURPASS ALL MIGHT TO IMPRESS MY DAD’ TO ‘KILL ALL HEROES TO MAKE MY DAD SUFFER’.” as if we don’t know the answer to that. but still, would it kill Horikoshi to just confirm AFO’s involvement in all of this already. at this point it’s basically just a formality

so here’s hoping next week we’ll either get that, or more Hawks action, or (DARE I EVEN SUGGEST, I’M AFRAID TO JINX IT) finally cut back to Bakugou and Deku and All Might omg. either way I’m hyped

[imkylotrash]

Meet Me In The Afterglow

Pairing: Hardin Scott x reader

Request: Hardin made a pros and cons list about his girlfriend and Tessa. When the reader finds the paper, everything goes wrong. And Hardin may not be able to fix this one. Anonymous

Tagging: @justyouraveragedorkygirl​

Skinny

Nice ass

Big boobs

You turn over the paper with shaking hands not sure if you’re prepared to read what’s under your own name. You blink several times to clear your vision but even then you stall time before looking at that piece of paper. You need to know, but you don’t want to know what’s been written on that small piece of paper. 

Nice laugh

Boobs? 

The question mark punctures your heart and the pain spills all over the floor. Did he write this? He really sat down and compared you with Tessa - or anyone for that matter - after three years together? 

“Babe?” Panic settles in your bones when you hear his voice. You’re not ready to face him yet. The paper falls to the floor as you flee to the bathroom locking the door. It doesn’t matter if you have the paper or not, the words have been etched into your brain. Every time you close your eyes, you see the words that makes Tessa better than you. It’s too much for you to handle. 

“Baby?” Hardin asks knocking softly on the bathroom door but you don’t reply. This has become your safe haven from the pain and hurt Hardin has created outside. Who knew a piece of paper would be enough to break the amazing bond between you and Hardin? 

“What’s happened?” You can hardly bear to hear him so upset when your heart is the one falling apart. Still you can’t bring yourself to answer him or even let him know that you’re okay, because you’re really not. Of course, Hardin isn’t stupid so it doesn’t take him long to find the note. 

“Y/N, baby. Open the door right now!” He’s pounding on the door yelling. Once again he doesn’t care if the neighbours hear your fight. Instead of opening the door you curl up on the floor and let the tears flow freely. It takes too much to keep yourself together right now so you let yourself fall apart with the promise that you’ll collect the pieces in the morning. At some point, Hardin gives up and goes to bed. You’re sure you’ll talk tomorrow but right now you’re grateful for the silence. The next morning you wake up shaking. One look in the mirror confirms your blue lips and pale skin. You’ve been freezing. In an act of bravery, you open the door and tiptoe into the living room to find a blanket. You have every intention of locking yourself in the bathroom again when you turn around and spot him. There are circles under his eyes letting you know that the screams you heard last night wasn’t something you’d imagined. He’s been having his nightmare again. 

“Hi.” Raspy voice from crying. 

“I’m sorry.” There’s the apology that you want but not sure you’re ready to accept. 

“You have to know I didn’t write this. You have to know that I’d never even look at another girl. I was at the frat house and the other guys were fooling around writing these things down.” It’s a logical explanation but experience with Hardin has taught you that there’s always more than what Hardin tells you. 

“But why keep the note?” 

“I crumbled it up and put it in my jeans. I didn’t even think about the fact that you might find it. I swear, I didn’t write anything on Tessa’s page.” 

“Did you write something on mine?” you ask remembering the question mark placed after boobs. 

“I wrote some of it. But Jace and Molly wrote most of it.”

“Did you tell them to stop?” You don’t want the answers but for some reason you can’t stop yourself from asking them. His silence is enough answer on its own. 

“I’m going to be sick.” You run past him and into the bathroom where you throw up. Hardin comes into and tries to hold your hair but you keep screaming for him to get out and eventually he does. You’re not sure how long you stay out there this time, but it’s dark outside when you finally open the door. Hardin is sleeping with his back against the wall. He’s been waiting for you to come out. 

“Hardin?” you whisper but he doesn’t wake up. There’s a sort of peaceful look on his face here in his most innocent state. It’s funny how sleeping people always look younger. You take a moment to study him knowing full well that even though he’s hurt you worse than ever before, you’ll forgive him. You always do. It’s the way your love works. He hurts you, he works for your forgiveness, you give it to him only for him to hurt you again. You accepted a long time ago that Hardin Scott was a broken man and you were not the one meant to fix him. 

“You’re staring.” His eyes stay closed and you feel relieved that you still have this moment of privacy. You don’t say anything as you sit down next to him. Close enough to reach out and touch him if you want. 

“I hate that I hurt you. I-”

“Again.” 

“What?” 

“You hurt me again, Hardin. It’s not like this is the first time you’ve ever done something to hurt me. And I truly don’t care how much or how little you had to do with the list. You should’ve stopped them. And you definitely shouldn’t have kept the note.” Nausea hits you again but there’s nothing left inside of you to come up. You clench your hands as hard as you can to give you something to focus on other than the nausea. 

“I fucked up. I know I did. And one of these days sorry won’t be enough for you to forgive me. But please don’t give up on me yet. I’ll do better. I know I can do better.” At this point, you already know the speech. It hasn’t changed much throughout the years but the effect is the same. 

“Of course I’m not giving up on you. I just need a little space before I’m ready, okay?” 

“Of course. I’ll stay out here tonight.” There’s a feeling of relief when you hear that you’ll have the night to yourself. You’re not sure you’d be able to think straight with him sleeping next to you. 

“Goodnight,” you say ready for bed in less than an hour. It takes precisely two hours before you hear the first scream. Instincts react faster than your brain. You sprint out into the living room just in time for him to wake up. He’s drenched in sweat and terrified of what he had to revisit in his nightmare. 

“Come here.” Everything is ancient history in this moment because Hardin needs you. And you realise that you’ll have to discuss some things later, but right now you push it to the back of your mind. 

“Come with me,” you say gently holding out a hand. He instantly grabs it and lets you lead him to the bathroom where you turn on the shower. You both undress before getting in and just letting the water rain down on you. 

“I love you.” 

“I know.” You’re not ready to say it back yet and Hardin doesn’t push you. You both know you’ll say it back tomorrow. It’s just the way these things go. 

[thefairyletters]

NaruSaku Fanfics

I wouldn't say much – I love NaruSaku and I hate to see great works shadowed behind the piles of popular NS stories that I never have liked as much except for a few, which also I'll drop below in the list.

I'll update this list whenever I come across a story that I particularly enjoy or finds worth spreading word across. So be sure to like and reblog this post so you can revisit it to add new story in your reading pile later.

Also, genres vary and are not mentioned, but does it make any difference as long as the story is good?

Warning: super long post featuring beautiful, beautiful stories that you wouldn't regret reading. I swear. I'm positive. Contains SNS and other side pairings.

Without further ado;

How I fell in love with my best friend: Krapo || ff.net || M || complete

How the little blond boy Sakura had always known had changed, changing as well her feelings. The unfolding of their life, while Naruto worked to become the best Hokage and she faced her own emotions. Growing Love.

(I have nothing but upmost reverence for this story. This author writes one of the nest NS and I have loved all. NS is beautiful and Sakura is badass. Everything we already know is here and more.)

.

Dangerous infiltration mission: Krapo || ff.net || M || complete

Naruto and Sakura are send by the Hokage for a difficult infiltration mission. They will have to face more than just the danger itself as they will have to keep their cover to be fake husband and wife credible. how it will impact the relationship between the two ninja. Growing Love. Misunderstanding.

(If you loved the aforementioned story, you'll love this one too. Mutual pining.)

.

All over again: Krapo || ff.net || M || post-war || complete

Sasuke come back, Team seven is reunited. But Sakura has lost Naruto. How will she make him fall in love with her again? What other difficulties lies ahead of them?

(Naruto loses memory. SasuSaku angst but not in romantic sense and I loved it all. Misunderstanding and more mutual pining. And I'm in love with this story too.)

.

Hit the floor running: Sakurablossom009 || A03 || M (but unnecessary) || Modern Hitman/Robbers AU || complete

Life was going great, Sakura thought. She was penniless, stranded in Europe without a way home, her fiancee had just dumped her for another woman AND her new companion was quite possibly a thief. How could things get any worse? Wait...was that guy pointing a gun at her?

(Now, personally, I don't prefer modern AU, but this story really had interesting characterisation and more character depth. NaruSaku is pretty spot on. It also features SasuHina and bamf!Hinata)

.

The greatest pretenders: snowyseas || ff.net || M || Borutoverse || ongoing

Fifteen years is a long time to not talk to someone you consider your best friend, and is made even more difficult when they (and you) are married. The things Sakura should have confronted Naruto about never came to fruition, but as an old saying goes, "the truth will always be revealed".

(Your typical I-made-a-wrong-choice-but-now-can-be-done story but unlike many other stories in this they don't admit their love for each chapter at the first chapter itself. In fact, it feels so canon and you can almost superimpose it upon the canon. Sakura is mentally strong and knows what's right. )

.

He was the sun: SavageTrickster || ff.net || T || Canonverse || ongoing

He had come a long way - from a lonely orphan ostracized by everyone to a loved hero. He deserved all these. His Hokage dream to come true. All the ramen he could eat. - Her eyes fell on a certain Hyuuga seated close enough for accidental touches. Her heart sank a little at a harsh whisper of reminder - And a deserving girl...who could give him all her love.

(So far so good. It's ongoing, and is at chapter 3. Sakura leaves Konoha much like how Naruto did, to explore the world aka seeing my headcanon in writing.)

.

Wilderness: Kanji no Sakka || M || canondivergent || ongoing

As the war screeches to a temporary halt, Naruto leaves the battlefield on a unique mission only he can complete. Sakura is ordered to go with him. In the days that follow their bond is changed forever.

(Although I hate any explicit stories that involve characters below age 17, I give this a pass because of the uniqueness of plot and characterisation. It has fine lemons that comes with a good plot.)

.

How It Should Have Been: OfPaintAndOil || ff.net || T || canon divergent || oneshot

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Sasuke was supposed to be the dark one, the unredeemable one. Naruto was the bright one, the good one. It wasn't supposed to be like this, with blood on his hands and glowing red eyes and a grin. Naruto was supposed to make everything better, and maybe he did, in the end, but Sakura had never expected the end to look quite like this.

(Featuring Yandere!Naruto. It leaves you wanting for more and is a fascinating read. It's dark themed so proceed with caution as your favorite character might or might not be dead.)

.

The Best Dates are the Cheap Ones: Shivakashi || ff.net || T || post!Timeskip || Oneshot

The whole point was to get the best date; that meant the richest and classiest guy, right? Sakura realizes what she has taken for granted and Ino learns a lesson in value.

(Sakura learns her lesson and snatches her boy. InoNaru is worth noting. Not the best characterisation of Sakura but bear with her jealousy for that is the reason why NS fluff exists. Story itself is very light and entertaining.)

.

mangoes and strawberries: ohthelinsanity || ff.net || T || postwar || oneshot

Sakura Haruno was elbow deep in Naruto Uzumaki's guts when he asked her to marry him. It was so not the right time. But she still said yes.

(This story just screams NS upon every single line. Diabetes warning. Too cute for this world. One of the best NS fluff I've read thus far. It kinda sticks to you forever!)

.

18 minutes, 23 seconds: ohthelinsanity || ff.net || T || postwar || oneshot

in which Naruto asks Sakura about that time she literally reached into his chest and grabbed his heart with her bare hand.

(Heartwarming. We all know how Sakura held Naruto's heart on her palms and how we love that moment. This is memory of that moment reminisced by our cutie pies.)

.

One Big Uzumaki Family: John Smith || ff.net || T || postwar || Complete

A set of drabbles revolving around Naruto, Sakura, and their children. It turns out that, when the war ends, these two get busy. Real busy.

(IF YOU DON'T READ THIS MASTERPIECE HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF NS FAN?!!! READ!!! This story should be on the top of your reading list.

UNDERRATED AF!

R e a d t h i s s t o r y and cry with me for this should have been canon. 100%)

.

My Life Would Suck Without You: peanutbutter126 || ff.net || T || oneshot collection

Sometimes it's the smallest things that matter the most.

(Read this and then One big Uzumaki family. You'll feel super satisfied. I promise.)

.

Colors and Carousels: Folle Sakura || ff.net || T || oneshot

She couldn't count the number of times she'd been mistaken for Naruto's girlfriend. Not that she minded. But Naruto acted like it was so… so… offensive.

(No words for this one. Just read and enjoy the confusion.)

.

Let's Get Married: luvtoshi || ff.net || M || postwar || complete

It was supposed to be a simple solution to their immediate problems. But maybe they took more than they can chew?

(This is one of my few favorites that is also popular. Spot on characterization and beautiful relationship growth. This is one of the few stories that always stuck to me.)

.

Chasing Smoke with Bare Hands: soulaire || ff.net || T || oneshot

"I could have loved her," Sasuke says flatly. "If she'd just given me the chance—" "Sakura gave you all the chances in the world," Kakashi cuts in, stern. "You underestimated her. And you underestimated her ability to walk away from you. At the core of it all, that's where things went wrong."

(This story is for those who loves both SS and NS but thinks Sakura deserves happier life than what she got in canon. Features NS and slight SS.)

.

Touch: ohthelinsanity || ff.net || T || oneshot

Kakashi watches as his student grow to be more physically comfortable with one another. He finds it kinda ridiculous.

(Fluff. Feelings. Kakashi's fed up and might have diabetes from all the observation.)

.

Moonlight shadows: luvtoshi || ff.net || T || oneshot

Sometimes, the moon brings out hidden feelings to the surface.

(Beautiful literature. NS feels. You can almost mistake it for canon with the way characters are written.)

.

Seriously Serious: Damsel in Shining Armor || ff.net || T || modern AU || oneshot

He confessed to her when they first met. He confessed to her years after. He confessed to her almost everyday. Her response was almost always positive... So why the heck was he still single? "I love you." "Love you too. So is Sasuke-kun taken or not?"

(The only reason why I even picked this story is that it is a oneshot. I have very little interest in modern AU. But this one makes another exception. Pining. Love at first sight.)

.

It was always you: luvtoshi || ff.net || M || postwar || complete

The war is long over. They have both grown. Now it's time to conclude their story. Naruto and Sakura.

(You know what, all stories from this author are just, Chef's kiss. )

.

A Safe Pair of Hands: Kanji no Sakka || ff.net || T || oneshot

Sakura heeds a stern warning to make it clear how she feels about Naruto.

(Feels. You'll love this if you like first person pov. This story told from Sakura's pov.)

.

Other Dreams: tricksie || ff.net || M || oneshot

"Naruto, you shouldn't endanger yourself—" "Stop it," he snapped. Dropping his arm to hook under her seat, Naruto pulled her firmly onto his hip, locking her to him. Sakura gasped, suddenly aware of just how very close they were.

(Sexual tension. Romance. Leaves you wanting. Also, high on feels and lust on equal measure.)

.

Heaven Unexpected: Folle || ff.net || M || oneshot

Because nothing can happen; it's Naruto. He always comes back. He's practically indestructible.

(Heavy on feels. There are chances that it might rain. Actually there are high chances. But oh well, it's beautiful and one of my favourites so here it goes.)

.

Shade of the Leaf: Ravyn || ff.net || T || canon divergent || complete

Sasuke is back. Naruto has joined ANBU. Sakura is spending more time in the hospital than in the field. Team 7 struggles to redefine itself, because sometimes you don't know what you really want after all.

(Featuring Mature but still in-character!Naruto, Badass!Sakura, (Bit)Supportive!Sasuke along with Team 7 friendship. Mutual pining. Ending but with a lot loose ends.)

.

Breaking Up Isn't that Hard to Do: Narf-for-the-Garthoc || ff.net || T || oneshot

This is not an epic tale of action, suspense and true love. Yeah, I'm disappointed, too.

(This is pure comedy. With a dash of romance. And insanity.)

.

Steamy Encounters: Narf-for-the-Garthoc || ff.net || T || oneshot

A flurry of coincidences and fateful machinations bring Naruto and Sakura together at the local baths. Can they rein in their animal passions? And do you really think that's the kind of story I write?

(Just r e a d. Please.)

.

Garden of Sanctuary: Nes Mikel || ff.net || T || Canon divergent || oneshot

An alternate ending to Naruto. The Heavens describe the Garden a peaceful paradise. The Hells describe the Garden a baneful prison. In here... which is it?

(This is part of a series which you can follow from the author's profile. This is the second part, but can be read exclusively. As far as the AU goes, this story and settings is brilliant and heartbreaking. This is told from Naruto's pov. To look at things from Sakura's, read the first part. It is multi-chaptered.)

.

Complications: Geno Calamari || ff.net || T || canon divergent || oneshot

While capturing the Kyuubi, Uchiha Itachi finds true adversaries in the form of Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto.

(Wanna see NaruSaku teamwork? This is it! You wouldn't find it anywhere better. Strong!Naruto, Strong!Sakura versus Itachi Uchiha)

.

Life is a waving feather: jusrecht || AO3 || T || AU || oneshot

Everyone thought they were inevitable.

(There's beauty in subtlety and this is that. Also, mentions of character death.)

.

Home: kirabook || AO3 || T || AU || complete

Shinachiku finds himself in a strange place with little to no explanation. Everyone he knows is there, but why are they acting so strangely? Why do they seem so different? And where is his home? 

(Cute and heartwrenching at the same time. Cameo Stalker. Read this for NS family feels pre-marriage.)

.

Things we never say: thekatthatbarks || AO3 || T || oneshot

She wished she knew how to hold things lightly. There were some things she was terrified of breaking. Whether it be from an honest misstep or simply because she could.

(Reminds you why we love NS so much.)

.

Open seasons: sazzafraz || AO3 || T || SNS || postwar || oneshot

The way Sasuke comes home is less myth and more devastatingly embarrassing happenstance.

(Featuring badass!Sakura, obedient!Naruto and normal!Sasuke, as well as Sakura's commentary on her life)

.

Five things Sakura will never tell Naruto: sowell || AO3 || T || AU || oneshot

Kunoichi know how to keep their secrets.

(NS relationship analysis story.)

.

Artistic purposes: StormyInk || AO3 || M || AU || Oneshot

Sai finds his favorite drawing subjects a bit lacking of late, and he sets a plan into motion to draw his team mates together. Simply for the sake of his art, of course.

(Aka Sai is fed up from seeing his teammates dancing around each other and decides to help them get laid–the story. You gotta admit Sai is the best wingman.)

.

I collect my tears (so I can drown you in them): amako || AO3 || T || AU || complete

The hardest thing is letting go. Or Sakura sees Naruto falling in love with Shikamaru a little more every day, and she does the only thing she can think of. Then it's only a matter of learning how to stop loving Naruto.

(Sakura and Angst that has nothing to do with Sasuke. Featuring Sakura-sensei. And Shikamaru. It's a great story if you know when to let go of canon)

.

Stranger than the wild: kiddattwell || AO3 || M || SNS || postwar || Ongoing

The war is over and Sasuke is home for good, but Sakura can't choose between the boys she loves. Sasuke still has his demons and Naruto still fights them and Sakura still follows them both, but this time down a path that none of them expected.

(This is canon. It is the best SNS story I've ever read. Story told in SNS POV in rotation. Slow burn, pining and relationship complication. YOU GOTTA READ THIS, I INSIST!!!! Also features SaiIno and InoShika.)

.

Bringing Back Sasuke: Blue Jeans || ff.net || T || post war || oneshot

Naruto brings Sasuke back to Sakura. Many, many times over. Sasuke does not appreciate; not the blood and definitely not the angst.

(I've read this story multiple times and it gets funnier and makes your heart hurt and swell simultaneously each time. NaruSaku wouldn't be blissfully happy together without Sasuke thrown somewhere in the mix, that's exactly why I love SNS. This story perfectly represents the dynamic of team 7.)

.

Yurei: Kanji no Sakka || ff.net || T || AU || oneshot

The past should stay dead and buried, but it won't if Naruto can't let go.

(Not exactly my favourite story, but I liked the concept. We all know how stubborn Naruto is once decides on something. If he wants to become Hokage, he will become Hokage. If he believes in Sasuke, he will believe in him forever. If he loves Sakura, he will marry her – uh, or should have, very OCC of him that he didn't.)

.

Tag NS fan you know so they don't miss any of this!

[t0wnspersonb]

Forever (Tsukishima Kei x Reader)

Anonymous said:

idk if anyone has done this but, can i request for kei tsukishima. where the reader and him are about to graduate, and she’s scarred that since everything’s gonna change she thought that he’ll lose interest and break up w her. but the ironic part is that they actually end up getting married and having kids lmaoo, pretty pls 🥺

Anonymous said:

Can you write sometimes where reader is pregnant and she’s hesitant to tell tsukki but he finds out anyways and it’s all angsty but ends on a fluffy note! (can this be when they’re in college?) also i LOVED your tsukki stories okay they’re my favorite!

~~~~

Word Count: 2,787

Summary: You and Tsukishima have been together since you were kids, after you had given birth to your guys’ first child Tsukishima revisits the past.

~~~~

I decided to combine these requests! I hope you guys don’t mind! This gave me all the fucking feels so I hope you guys like it! Again, I’m still shuffling through my inbox, I’m sorry that it took so long for me to write this one anons! Please enjoy and let me know what you think:)

~~~~

“I c-can’t! I c-can’t do this without Kei!” You cried, tightening your grip on Yamaguchi’s hand.

 The rising hysteria could no longer be beaten down, genuine fear overtook your body. It overshadowed the overwhelming feeling of pain, the urge to push being bitten down as your eyes scanned around the hospital room frantically.

 He still wasn’t here.

 Could you have a panic attack in the middle of giving birth? You thought so.

 “Y/n-chan.” Yamaguchi soothed, gently smoothing your sweaty hair away from your face. “He’s on his way, there was an accident a couple miles out from the hospital. The roads are blocked, traffic is at a standstill. But Tsukki will be here, I promise. But you need to start pushing now, it’s not safe for you or the baby to keep holding this off.”

 You whimpered softly as you gazed up at your childhood friend, his freckled face was calm and reassuring.

 At least… at least Yamaguchi was here right? You weren’t doing this entirely alone.

 But sadness still gripped at your heart, Tsukishima was going to miss the birth of his first child. He wasn’t here.

 “Mrs. Tsukishima. You have to start pushing now or we will have to do a C-section instead.” The doctor stated firmly.

 Yamaguchi squeezed your hand gently.

 “O-Okay.” You whispered out.

 You started pushing.

 ****

 Hours later, you were asleep in the hospital bed, completely knocked out from pure exhaustion.

 Beside you, your husband cradled your newborn close to his chest, gazing down at the small baby boy with the softest expression.

 Tsukishima had barely made it in time, right before the final push. The fear and guilt that Tsukishima felt was still present in his heart, but… love and complete joy was there as well.

 You and the baby were safe and healthy. That’s all that mattered to him. His eyes glanced over at Yamaguchi, he was asleep in one of the other chairs in the room. He would have to take him out for dinner in thanks for being with you when he couldn’t.

 God, he felt like a terrible husband. 

 The meeting at the museum had run late, and while the both of you knew that the baby was going to be due any day now… he didn’t think that it was going to happen tonight.

 “Mind if I take him?” a nurse asked quietly, Tsukishima looked up at her in surprise and nodded, carefully handing his boy over so they could finish doing their checkups.

 “Get some rest.” She said pointedly before leaving the room.

 Tsukishima sighed softly, removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. He was tired. But not like you.

 He reached for your hand, the one that was curled close to your face, carefully lifting it up and pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles. 

 His expression was soft as he stared at your sleeping face. Tsukishima had never felt luckier in his entire life.

 The fact that you were still his after all these years, the fact that you brought his beautiful son into the world… he was truly blessed.

 Tsukishima’s lips twitched into a small smile as he thought back to the past.

 ***

 You sat on the gym floor, rolling the volleyball around absentmindedly. It was just you and Tsukishima, the silence between the two of you was comfortable. Tomorrow was graduation day, tomorrow was going to be the start to a new journey.

 Your eyes glanced over at the tall blonde, he was finishing up some last-minute stuff for the volleyball team.

 Biting your lip softly, you turned your attention back to the volleyball that was in front of you.

 The feeling that you had beaten down since the beginning of the year could no longer be buried.

 You had to ask.

 “Kei?” you called out softly.

 “Hmm?” 

 “Are we… do you… do you like me?” 

 He looked over at you, a dumbfounded expression covering his handsome face. “You’re joking right?”

 You huffed at him in annoyance, a soft pout taking over your features.

 He sighed, closing the notebook he was currently writing in, facing you directly. “We’ve liked each other since we were kids Y/n. We started dating in middle school. Why are you asking me something so stupid?”

 “Well do you love me?” you tried again.

 “Yes.” 

 Oh. You looked away from the blonde male, doubt and unease still clouding your heart. This was stupid. Asking him those questions wasn’t truly going to give you the answer you really wanted.

 You heard Tsukishima sighed loudly, hearing the soft squeak of shoes against the floors, and then he was pulling your chin up, forcing you to stare at him.

 He was squatted down in front of you, his lips turned down in a frown. “What is it?”

 “Nothing.” You mumbled, attempting to avert your eyes from his own.

 “Don’t lie. Something is obviously bothering you. Tell me.” he demanded, his grip on your chin tightening only slightly.

 You weren’t sure what it was in his face, but you felt tears begin to cascade down your cheeks. Much to his surprise and yours.

 “Y/n -” 

 “You’re going to break up with me!” you wailed, all of your feelings bursting from you like a broken dam. “You’re not going to want me anymore once you go to college… you’ll find someone better, prettier, more athletic than me! Everything is going to be different after tomorrow, you’re not going to love me the same way and -”

 His hand covered your mouth, stopping the flood of words that were rapidly escaping your quivering lips.

 “Are you stupid?” he asked incredulously, his eyes holding a fiery passion as he stared at you intensely. “Why would you say such ridiculous things? I thought you were smarter than that. You’re acting like Hinata.” he scowled, stretching and pulling at your cheeks.

 “That hurts Kei.” You whimpered out, but at this point you had stopped crying. 

 “Good. It’s punishment.” he said bluntly, pinching your cheeks harder.

 “Ow, ow, ow!”

 He finally released his grips on your cheeks, sitting down in front of you as you rubbed at your sore face, sniffling slightly.

 “Have you calmed down now?” He asked, reaching up to wipe the remaining tears from your eyes.

 You nodded wordlessly.

 “Good. Now listen closely.” he said seriously. “You seriously think that after all the years we’ve been together I’m not going to want you anymore just because we’re going to different colleges? Have you forgotten that I deliberately chose a college that was close to yours so that I could still see you every day?”

 You didn’t say anything, so he continued on. “Do you really think that I would be unfaithful to you, and look at other girls just because you won’t be by my side as often?”

 Again, you were silent.

 “You really think that I’m going to want someone smarter, prettier, more athletic than you? I’m going to be too busy worrying about your stupid ass the entire time that I won’t even have time to think about my classes, much less try to find someone else.” You started getting more nervous as Tsukishima’s voice gradually began increasing.

 “Of course, things are going to be different after tomorrow.” He said, tone sharp and biting. “That’s to be expected, we’re graduating high school Y/n. Nothing can stay the same forever.”

 He was right. Tsukishima was always right.

 “But…” his hand cupped your face, urging you to look at him. You felt your breath catch in your throat, his expression was full of adoration, his gold eyes burning into yours.

 “One thing will never change, and that’s how I feel about you. I love you. I want only you. Don’t you ever question that again dumbass.” he murmured, leaning forward and capturing your lips in a passionate kiss.

 ****

 Tsukishima’s lips twitched at the memory; you were truly a crybaby back then. While it had gotten better over the years, you still cried about everything.

 Tsukishima felt his stomach twist as he thought about when he had truly made you cry. He still felt guilty about that.

 It wasn’t even that long ago when it had happened.

 *****

 “You need to go to the doctors Y/n.” Tsukishima said, frowning as he watched you rinse your mouth at the bathroom sink.

 You had just finished puking your brains out for the third time that day. This has been going on the past couple of days, both of you under the impression that you were coming down with a stomach bug.

 “I made an appointment for later today.” you mumbled, drying your face against the hand towel.

 “Do you want me to take off of work to take you?” he asked, gently wrapping his arms around your waist.

 You shook your head. “The museum needs you Kei. I’ll be fine.” you said quietly, leaning back into your husband’s strong chest.

 He hummed softly, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of your neck. “If you say so… I’ll be leaving first then.” 

 You waved goodbye to him at the door, watching him drive off.

 You sighed softly, heading into your office to finish up some last-minute work. It had been three years since you guys had graduated college, both of you finally getting to work at your dream jobs, Tsukishima at the museum, and you, working at a design firm.

 Things were finally falling into place it seemed. You guys had only gotten married last year, and it was just a couple of months ago that you guys had finally bought your first house.

 Life was good. Really fucking good. 

 The ring on your finger caught your attention as you typed, pausing for a moment to appreciate its beauty.

 Tsukishima had kept his promise. He’s continued to love you unconditionally. He even married your dumbass, something that you hadn’t imagined at all.

 Yes, life was really good.

 Nothing could go wrong at this point.

 Right?

 Wrong.

 Fuck you were so wrong. 

 You inhaled shakily, wringing your hands together nervously as you stared at the doctor in shock.

 “You’re… are you sure? Can we take it again?” you asked, voice shaking.

 “I’m very sure. But we definitely can do the test again.” The doctor said.

 You nodded. Maybe it was defective? Maybe the second time it would…

 No.

 It was still the same.

 It was still positive.

 You were pregnant. You were definitely pregnant.

 It wasn’t a stomach bug. It was morning sickness. You were already six weeks along.

 You were too busy in your life to even realize that your period was late, you had thought it was from the stress of work and moving.

 The rest of the day you were on edge, you couldn’t even focus on your work. 

 What did this mean for you?

 No… what did this mean for your relationship with Tsukishima.

 You guys had never talked about having children, it something that was never brought up. 

 What if… 

 What if Tsukishima didn’t want kids?

 The tears flowed easily down your cheeks at the thought, your hand resting on your stomach unconsciously.

 But this was… this was Tsukishima’s baby. The man you loved the most. You already knew deep in your heart that you loved this baby.

 The thought that Tsukishima wouldn’t, the thought that Tsukishima might not want anything to do with you or baby caused more tears to fall down your cheeks.

 You didn’t say anything to him for three weeks.

 The fear you held ate away at you, you wanted to tell him, but each opportunity that came up, you backed out.

 Until one day when you had come home from the grocery store, Tsukishima was staring blankly at the tv. His hands folded in front of his face; his expression unreadable.

 “Kei are you ok-”

 “How long?” he interrupted you, his eyes holding so many different emotions as he stared at you.

 You frowned in confusion at his statement. “I don’t -” “How long have you been pregnant Y/n?” he cut you off, rising from the couch at full height. He glared down at you.

 You could feel your lips tremble. “You have to understand -”

 “How long?” he repeated again.

 “I’m nine weeks.” You whispered, tears stinging your eyes as you stared at the carpet beneath your feet. 

 You heard his sharp intake of breath, your body flinching hard at the noise.

 “When did you find out?” he asked.

 “Three weeks ago.” You whispered.

 “Why… why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you tell me the minute you knew!? Why did I have to find out that my wife is pregnant from a voicemail the doctor left on our phone!?” 

 He’s… Tsukishima has never yelled at you like this. Your head snapped up to see his furious expression as he stared you down with an icy glare.

 “Kei you have to understand I was scared! I didn’t know if you -” you were reaching for him, only for him to jerk his arm back at your touch, stepping further away from you. 

 “Don’t touch me.” he said coldly. “I can’t believe you. I’m leaving.” he walked past your trembling form, grabbing his jacket and his car keys, the door slamming behind him.

 Your heart broke, you collapsed onto the floor. Loud sobs escaping your lips as you hugged yourself. One of your hands clapped tight over your mouth as you desperately tried to quiet the despair that was coming from your lips. 

 ****

 By the time he had gotten home it was incredibly late, Tsukishima had never felt more exhausted in his entire life.

 He quietly closed the door behind him, discarding his coat and keys onto the kitchen table.

 He fucked up.

 He shouldn’t have overreacted like that. He shouldn’t have left you like that.

 He just… he didn’t know how to handle it. He was angry because you kept such an important secret from him. He was shocked because - well - because you were pregnant, something that wasn’t planned at all. He was scared because… what if he wasn’t a good dad?

 He definitely didn’t feel like a good husband right now.

 His heart broke as he took in your form. You had cried yourself to sleep, curled up tightly on the bed, your hand clutching at your stomach protectively.

 He had hurt you so much, he had left you when you needed him the most… you dealt with a large burden on your own, all because you were fearful of how he was going to take it.

 He fucked up.

 He hated himself. 

 Tsukishima had to make it right now. The thought of losing you forever. The thought of losing his child forever, he couldn’t stand it. Carefully he slipped under the blankets, his long arms wrapping protectively around your body as he pulled you tightly against his chest.

 He buried his face into your hair, his grip tight on you. His hand gently pushed yours away, his fingers rubbing carefully against your belly.

 A baby.

 You were carrying a baby in there. You were carrying his baby. 

 He’s never loved you more than this moment.

 “Kei?” you whispered; you woke up when you felt your body being tugged into a familiar chest.

 “I’m so sorry.” he whispered back, kissing the skin behind your ear. “I shouldn’t have acted that way… I just… I’m sorry. I love you. I’ll love you forever Y/n. I’ll love our baby forever. They will want for nothing. I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of both of you. Don’t leave me.”

 You felt tears sting your eyes once more, your hand gently rested on top of his. “I won’t leave Kei. I love you.”

 He squeezed you tightly to his chest, his fingers tracing patterns into your stomach as you both began to drift off into sleep.

 ****

 “Mmm… Kei?” you mumbled sleepily, eyes gazing at your husband. He was staring off into space, his hand still holding your softly.

 Your soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts, his eyes finding yours immediately.

 “You did so well.” he praised, gently pushing your hair away from your face. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner.”

 You shook your head, leaning into his touch. “You��re here now. That’s all that matters.”

 He didn’t say anything as he continued staring at you, gently touching your face with soft fingers.

 “He’s beautiful.” he finally said.

 “Takes after his daddy.” you cooed, eyes fluttering back shut in exhaustion. You felt a gentle pressure of cool lips press against the top of your head. 

 “Sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.” Tsukishima breathed out.

 So you did.

 Tsukishima’s heart has never been more full. 

[lambourngb]

a skeleton of something more [2/6]

previously here. malex wip fic. a short serial leading up the premiere.

spoilers for the trailer and promo, will be instantly AU. If I’m going to the trouble of writing a malex fix-it for the season 3 opener, why not fix 2x13 too?

**** THEN **** 

After Alex closed Tripp’s journal, he met Michael’s gaze across the table at the Crashdown. 

His golden-brown eyes were heavy with pain, the reminder of how his mother’s story had ended was still fresh between them despite the span of months since the fiery end of Caulfield. What had resulted in being the fiery end of them, even though Alex hadn’t known it at the time. The look of sleeplessness in Michael’s face reminded Alex, that outside of this small piece of Nora, he had the weight of Maria still in the hospital recovering from the pathogen Flint had released. The press of the Deep Sky ring in his pocket warred with the hesitation to place one more burden on Michael, would the abacus of their fragile friendship balance out?

He flashed to that last argument in Michael’s bunker, a disaster of his own making, thinking he could believe in his father, but thankfully harm was averted at Crashcon. That recent memory was motive enough for Alex to decide. Whatever happened next, he needed Michael on the same page with him.

As Isobel moved to leave the table, explaining to Michael that she needed to check on Max, Alex held Michael’s gaze deliberately. Then he folded his fingers down, until the last three fanned out in a downward W. 

“After what happened with Maria, maybe you should come with me, Michael. You can help me shake some sense into Max,” Alex heard, tuning back into Isobel’s voice. Her eyes moved back and forth between them, a crease of suspicion wrinkling her upturned nose, as she stopped on him. “It’ll be a good distraction.”

Without looking at Isobel, Michael’s eyes remained trained on Alex’s hand. “No, thanks, I’m good here. I’ve had my fill of stubborn ass people who don’t want to listen to sensible advice from me, so I’ll catch up with you later, Isobel.” 

She made a dismissive huff but did not argue, leaving with the barest semblance of a polite goodbye to Alex, but that was typical Isobel Evans. Michael waited until his sister was on the other side of the door, before speaking quietly, his gaze finally moving up from Alex’s hands to his face. “I haven’t seen you flash that sign to me in years.” 

“Glad to know you haven’t forgotten it.”

“You, making the ‘wait for me, I want you now’ signal? Nah, that’s been burned into my brain over the years.” Michael said it with a faint trace of bitterness. “I guess news travels fast, Maria only dumped my ass this morning.”

Alex winced and looked down, swallowing the surprise and spark of hope that welled in his throat at that disclosure. It was better to concentrate on the unique talent he had of stepping on landmines around Michael, than wonder about what had happened with Maria. It looked like he was still good at causing harm without intention, judging by the stung bite in Michael’s voice. “Fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have-”

“No, I’m sorry,” Michael cut off his apology firmly with a wave of his hand, calling a time-out. Alex waited, his teeth pressed into his lower lip as Michael rubbed his eyes with a weary half-smile. “I’m being an asshole right now, and that’s not fair to take it out on you. It’s been a shitty day already, and — anyway, … you definitely know how to get my attention, Alex.” He tilted his head, self-deprecation on his face, “for better or worse, you’ve always been good at that.” 

It had been the sign they had developed whenever their paths had crossed over the years while Alex had been on leave in Roswell, but it had started that summer after high school. After Michael’s hand had healed poorly from Jesse, the last three fingers had been left frozen in a claw, it had been a shared fuck-you to his dad to use it to form their own secret communication. A three-fingered W, turned upward meant it wasn’t a good time, and he would find Michael later; turned downward, well, that meant it was safe to approach him, and it had often ended in a hurried blowjob in his car. Perhaps he should have used more care in using it now, but Michael wasn’t the only one running on the fumes of insomnia and stress. “Sorry, I needed to talk to you, and I wanted to make sure you didn’t leave with Isobel-”

“It’s fine, really. It’s not a bad memory either, remembering that we had our little secret language.” Michael wiggled his fingers in reassurance, his left hand still wrapped with a bandanna. “I can make that signal a hell of a lot easier now, too. But anyway, what did you need?”

There was still a voice inside Alex’s head that said ‘you’, no matter how long it had been. He shoved that down deep, along with his curiosity about Maria, and concentrated on his purpose. “Your advice on something, and then if it’s not too much to ask, your help.”

“Anything.” 

Alex blinked, nonplussed by the easy acceptance. 

Michael gestured encouragingly, “seriously, anything, just tell me what’s going on because the way you’re hemming and hawing, it is freaking me out.” Suddenly, all expression washed out of Michael’s face as a horrible thought occurred to him. “Did you get deployed or something?”

“Not exactly, not how you’re thinking,” he winced at the earned glare from Michael as he continued to stall while the words still tripped and fumbled around his mouth, heedless to the mounting frustration between them both. He sighed, and regrouped. Pushing the closed journal aside, Alex dug into his pocket and laid the signet ring on the table before Michael. “Let me start at the beginning, I found this in my dad’s things.” 

“Jesse never seemed like a jewelry kind of guy to me.” Michael picked up the ring, examining it closely with a sarcastic smirk. “Other than parading around town with that wedding ring, when everyone knows your mom left him back during the Bush years, Dubya that is.”

“My father is all, was all, about appearances.” Alex placed the photo of the group on the table, sliding it over to him. “That ring marked his membership in this paramilitary group called Deep Sky. Every man in that photo worked at Caulfield, at one time or another.” He tapped his finger over the face of his father, then moved it to the right. “That’s my dad, and that is Ricky Long.”

Michael frowned, pulling the picture closer to squint at the faces. “Wyatt’s dad?”

“No, Forrest’s.”

“Nazi guy? Seriously?” He rubbed at his chin, the stubble longer than usual painting his jawline. Alex dragged his eyes away with effort as Michael considered that information. There was a reluctant understanding in his eyes, having recalled that Forrest Long wasn’t just ‘Nazi Guy’ to Alex, but someone who had expressed interest in Alex. Personal interest. “I guess that’s something you guys have in common then, dirtbag dads.” 

He didn’t look thrilled to admit that to Alex, but it was a mark of how far they had both come as friends that Michael had said it anyway regardless. It was kind of him. It was the same type of empathy Alex had extended toward Michael, when he had expressed interest in Maria. Cut open, bleeding under his skin from all the ways he had squandered his own chances, he had said something similar to Michael once upon a time. That was what love was all about. Then he had kept saying it, until he believed it most days because wanting Michael to be happy was the easier ask.

It was a gracious sentiment that was entirely wasted by Michael when it came to Forrest Long. 

“It would be, uh, something to bond over, if I hadn’t noticed that Forrest wears the same ring now.” 

Michael’s eyes sharpened. “Family heirloom or do you think he worked at Caulfield?”

“I don’t know, but he is an ex-Army vet.” Alex tapped the photo of the members gathered together, “That was part of what I’ve been looking into, identifying everyone who worked at Caulfield right until the end. As for Deep Sky, I don’t know if it’s military service, Caulfield, or a family legacy that ties every member together, I just know that Dad kept in touch with those who were involved at the prison.” 

“Makes sense, Jesse was able to get a hold of the atomizer and pathogen that Charlie developed from somewhere. For all of his strutting around at Crashcon with a uniform on, that didn’t look like it was an official use of government property.” 

“Right, it definitely wasn’t, and before you tell me to leave it alone-” Alex began, remembering Michael’s response to the investigation into 1947. He had considered Alex’s actions back then to be an act of futility, something that could only hurt by being revisited. The past being the past, unable to be altered. 

This time Michael cut him off, “No, I was wrong about that. I, um, I finally realized that just because I don’t see you connected to that place or the rest of your family, doesn’t mean you don’t. And while I wish that you didn’t, Alex, if digging into this gives you some sort of peace over it, then do it.”

Alex looked down, feeling the weight of relief that Michael understood. After his father’s body had been removed, after the questions and lies had been spun, he had spent the entire night sleepless over having been made into an effective weapon to force Michael’s compliance. Helena had known where all the weak spots were thanks to Flint, and had armed herself with a depowering agent. Once Flint was recovered, there was nothing stopping him from employing a similar tactic in the future.

“If anyone’s going to destroy me, it might as well be you.” Michael had once declared with a bold carelessness that had infuriated and terrified Alex at the time, but that was nothing compared to now having a lived experience to back it up. His mind had easily used the memory of Maria’s collapse after the faintest exposure at the Crashcon and had exchanged her with Michael, being torn apart molecule by molecule, by an invisible threat.

Give him an enemy that he could see any day, especially one that bled. 

“I’ve been fighting so long, I don’t know what peace looks like anymore.” Alex held out his hand for the ring, and Michael gently laid it in his palm, brushing his fingertips over Alex’s skin. A lifetime of controlling himself kept the reaction off his face as he rubbed his thumb over the raised emblem of Deep Sky. “But I have learned recently that when something seems too good to be true, it is.” 

Neither of them mentioned Jesse and his performance from the last few months, but Michael frowned again, “Wait a second, you think Forrest targeted you on purpose?” 

“A member of a secret paramilitary organization just happens to ask me out after I was involved in the destruction of Caulfield? You really think that’s a coincidence?” Alex raised his eyebrow skeptically at Michael, before looking out the window to watch the pedestrians on the street. 

“I think you’re the hottest guy in Roswell, so I’m not surprised he asked you out.” Michael flushed a little when Alex turned back to stare at him in surprise over the flattering comment. “Seriously, you’re a catch, but I will agree, it’s not a good look that he’s got that ring. But maybe it’s crap he wears because of his dad, and he’s got no idea he’s parading around?”

“You’re being awfully generous.”

“Isn’t that what you want? Because last time I checked, you were the one telling me that I should have faith in people, even if they give me no reason to.” Michael flattened his hands on the table, drawing Alex’s attention to the bandanna on his hand again. That damn fight kept echoing between them to Alex’s dismay, but Michael didn’t let him linger over it, “While I stand by what I said about Jesse, ‘cause he messes us both up, all I know about Forrest Long is that he is way too interested in Nazi history and he has good taste in guys.” Michael wetted his lips, nervously to tack on, “I also know that I trust you, and your instincts, so if you say there’s something not right about him, then I believe you.” 

“There’s something not right about him,” Alex repeated seriously.

“Then I believe you, so what do you need me to do?”

“He wants to get close to me for some reason, probably related to what I know about aliens, so I’m going to let him. And I need you to back me up in case something goes wrong, and maybe use that lock pick you have in your brain?” Alex waited until Michael nodded in agreement, feeling the swell of gratitude at his support. Anyone else would probably think he was being paranoid, or that this was a delayed reaction to his father trying to kill them, but Michael, for all of his previous counter-arguments, had never truly believed in the good of humanity. Maybe in a few days, Alex would feel guilty in relying on that. Maybe in a few days, his suspicions about Forrest would be eliminated.

“He’s involved in running the open mike night at the Wild Pony with Maria, so I thought maybe I could perform a song or something? He drives a Prius, and while he’s listening to me sing, you could slip out mid-song and insert this into the code reader of his car.” 

On the table was a small device that mimicked a thumb drive, small and black. It was the type of technology that Alex had used in the Air Force, tracking terrorists abroad. It had taken a fair amount of searching to purchase the equivalent stateside to have on hand. Michael picked it up curiously, turning over his hands.

“It’s designed to download the GPS history of his car,” Alex explained, before rubbing the back of his head in thought. “That’s how I uncovered what my dad was up to, first by tracking his movements. If I let Forrest take me home, I can gain access to his laptop and phone.”

Michael furrowed his brow in concern, “You’re really willing to go that far? And what if he is involved in something shady, what then?”

“My father and brother both used me to get to you, there’s really nothing I wouldn’t do to keep that from happening again and if it means playing along with this guy, letting him lead me to the members of Deep Sky? Then I will.” If anything, his words only deepened the concern on Michael’s face, but Alex had been committed for a long time. Since the red level threat. Since the short ride to the recruitment office. Maybe as far back as his guitar going missing in the music room.

“I’ve slept with guys for worse reasons.”

CONTINUED HERE

[supercorpkid]

The date.

Supercorp, Kara Danvers x Daughter!Reader, Lena Luthor x Daughter!Reader, Lillian Luthor x Granddaughter!Reader

Word count: 2202.

“MOOOOOOOM!” You open your bedroom door and stick your head out just to yell. You leave it open and go back inside looking at your entire wardrobe on top of your bed.

“What’s going on?” Lena walks in two minutes later and looks at the situation of your bedroom. “Oh my God, what happened here? A hurricane?”

“Far worst.” You complain sitting on your bed, about to cry. “I have a date with Maya.”

Lena looks at you confused. You’ve been having dates for weeks now.

“A real date. In a restaurant.” You add, pointing at yourself. “I can’t go looking like I’m a fugitive who just robbed a bank.”

You get a chuckle in response, which makes you huff, upset.

“Stop laughing. Help me!” You beg, picking up your clothes. “She’s just so gorgeous.”

“You’re gorgeous too, babygirl.” Lena reaches for your face, but you step away.

“Mom, seriously. I get it, you think I’m cute and pretty and nice, whatever.” You cross your arms. “I want to LOOK pretty. Can you do that, please?”

“Ok. Let’s see what we have here.” Lena starts trying to untangle the clothes from your bed, analyzing each item of clothes you have. She keeps making combinations, and talking at the same time. “Remember to eat slow. The way you and your momma eat it’s not cute.”

“You married her.”

“Well, I’m-well-It doesn’t matter what I did.” She looks back at you, handing you an outfit. “Let’s see this one.”

You change using your superspeed and Lena looks at you, raising an eyebrow.

“No.” She goes back to the pile of clothes. “I know you are an alien, but Maya doesn’t, so she won’t think it’s cute.”

“Yeah, ok. Got it.” She gives you another combination and you change again.

“Too formal.” Lena shakes her head in denial, making you roll your eyes. “Also, please pay for dinner.”

“I will.” You agree, showing her a sweatshirt, she denies with her head.

“Oh, I remember one that I think will look great.” Lena goes to your closet, and you hear her voice coming from there. “So, do you need me to drive you there?”

“Mom, I can literally fly.” You answer a little bit louder, and she comes back with a suit jacket. You deny with your head. “No, mom! I’m not gonna wear a suit for my date.”

“It’s not a suit.” She goes to you, putting on your shoulder. “It’s a part of a suit. You can put it with jeans.”

“Please don’t make me regret asking for your help.” You pout and she breathes deep.

“Hey, what are you two up to?” Kara asks leaning over the door frame from your bedroom and you look at her.

“I have a date, mom’s helping me pick something to wear.”

“What?” Kara looks outraged. “Why haven’t you asked me?” You just give her an eyebrow raise, and when you look behind you Lena is doing the exact same thing. “I have great style.” She mumbles to herself.

Kara makes space in your bed for her to sit, and keeps playing with your clothes. You can see Lena is two seconds away from kicking her out of the room.

“You know, I think you’re due a haircut.” Kara says and you run to the bathroom’s mirror.

“What’s wrong with my hair?” You yell, desperately.

“Nothing’s wrong with it!” You hear Lena’s voice. “Honestly Kara, if you’re not going to help…”

“I am helping!” She huffs annoyed. “I don’t know why you two are making such a big deal about this. You have been seeing Maya for weeks!”

“Uh.” You groan, going back to your bedroom. “You wouldn’t understand. You were friends with mom for years before you made a move on her. She knew everything about you, and still wanted you.” You look at Lena. “Why, exactly?”

“HEY!” Kara defends herself, then pouts looking extremely offended by your comment.

“I’m not saying she shouldn’t!” You rush to reassure her. “You’re cool, funny, and so handsome!” Kara smirks to that. “But you ARE an alien. So, what made you fall for an alien?”

You look at Lena, still shuffling through your clothes, and Kara also looks at her, very expectantly, like she doesn’t know the answer herself. Which is absolute bullshit, because you’ve never seen two people more in love in your life, and they are constantly talking about it and showing affection.

“Really? Just look at her.” Lena points at Kara, whose smirk just grows bigger. “Look at those guns!”

Kara flexes her arms, and Lena’s eyes zeros in it in hunger.

“You know what? Forget I asked.” You go back to your pile of clothes. “Stop looking, JESUS!” You clap your hands in front of Lena’s face. “Can’t you guys just wait until I leave for my date?”

“When is that exactly?” Kara asks, and you roll your eyes, feeling kicked out. But you still look on your phone.

“In ten minutes.” You look at some clothes. Your eyes slowly widen when you realize what you just said. “TEN MINUTES! MOM! I have TEN MINUTES!”

“Ok, calm down. You have super speed.” Lena shoots a look at Kara. “Come on, help.”

Kara mumbles something about the fact you two don’t think she has great style (which is true), but helps you to pick up a long-forgotten jeans jacket you loved so much. Lena picks up the rest of the outfit around it, and you’re ready with three minutes to spare.

“Hey, don’t forget to compliment her.” Kara says walking behind you, while you make your way to the backyard.

“Be a gentleman. Pull the chair.” It’s Lena’s turn to advise you.

“Oh, and if she asks how you got there, please don’t say you flew there on a bus.”

You snap your head back at Kara, squinting your eyes.

“Why on Earth would I say that?”

“Trust me, it could happen.” It’s Lena who answers and you look on your phone just to make sure you don’t have time to ask any further questions about it. “And don’t forget to pay-”

“Oh, dear Rao, I’ve got it!” You fly away after that.

You don’t got it. You absolutely do not. You’re revisiting the entire list they gave you from ‘compliment her’ to ‘pay for dinner’, when Maya walks in the restaurant and you almost choke on your own saliva.

“Hey, babe.” You hear her voice and you scramble your brain for words and the list. Oh, the list!

“Wow, you look… Wow.” You say and she chuckles, coming closer to kiss your cheek lightly.

“You look ‘wow’ yourself.” It’s her answer. Oh, the chair! Pull the chair.

“Here.” You pull the chair and she sits, with a smile on her face.

“What a gentlewoman.” Maya says and you celebrate inside your head. You sit across from her. “Did you moms drive you here?”

“Um…” Don’t say you flew here on a bus. Wait. Of course, you won’t. Rao, Kara is such a dork. “Yeah, Kara gave me a ride.”

“Oh, I thought Kara didn’t drive.” Maya is looking at her menu and you’re in front of her in absolute panic. It’s good she’s not focusing on you at the moment.

“No, she does. Just not well.” You say, making her laugh. And you breathe relieved and happy at the same time. Her laughter is something else. Maya, herself, is something else.

You try not to order too much food, so you don’t look like an actual alien. Usually, you know the exact moment when to stop ordering food by the way the waiter looks at you like you can’t just simply eat all that. This night you stopped way before the look, which probably means you’ll need to buy an entire pizza on your way home. But it’s cool, it’s fine. If not eating like a monster it’s the price to pay for having a girlfriend, you’re more than willing to comply.

“So, I’ve noticed you always have headphones with you. I figured you must really like music.” Maya says and you shake your head agreeing.

Yes, you really like music. And what you like about it so much is the fact that you can drown the noises down with it. Having something to focus on always works for you, when your powers are hard to control.

“I made you a playlist.” She gives you a keychain with a code. You smile from ear to ear. “In case you want to think about me, those are my favorite songs.”

“Oh, I think about you all the time, trust me.” You smile at her, holding her hand on top of the table. “Thank you, I really love it.”

You’re too enamored to notice your surroundings, but you hear an awfully familiar voice that shoots a spike of adrenaline through your spine. You look around to see her there. Oh, no. Not Lillian. Not at the same restaurant you are.

“Can you excuse me for a minute?” You stand up and Maya shakes her head agreeing, but she looks confused. She lets you go, and you pretend you’re going to the bathroom. When she looks down to her phone, you run to Lillian’s table.

“Grandmother.”

“Granddaughter.” She tilts her head, doing her signature move. “Are you here on a date?”

“Maybe.” You shrug. “Are you here to attempt a world take-over?”

“Maybe.” It’s her answer, but she isn’t. She is just eating like a normal person. Why does every day Lillian look more human to you? “You’re looking great.”

“Oh. Thanks.” And now you’re embarrassed.

“You shouldn’t keep your beautiful date waiting to talk to your old evil grandmother.” Lillian points at Maya with a head tilt, and you look back at your table and see Maya sitting there looking amazing. You can’t help a smile that comes up on your face. “Go! I won’t do anything evil today. We’ll talk more soon, dear.”

“Yeah. Ok.” You are almost going back to your table, when you turn around and salute her off. She nods with a tiny smile.

“You cool?” Maya asks and you agree with your head. “I ordered dessert.”

“That’s awesome.” You sit in front of her. “You’re awesome.” You fidget your necklace around your neck trying to calm yourself. “Um, so. I don’t know if you would like this, but um-” Maya holds your hand on the table, and gives it a gentle squeeze, like she’s telling you don’t have to be nervous. You smile. “Well, I applied for this robotics thing, and I have to work on something for it.”

“You know I’m not smart like you, right?” Maya jokes and you laugh.

“No, it’s… I have to work on it next week, and I thought maybe you would like to go to my lab at L Corp with me after school, and like, hang out?” You don’t even give her time to answer and you’re already adding. “But if it doesn’t sound fun, then you don’t have to, at all. Honestly, it’s-”

“Really? That would be great, yeah!” She smiles and you feel your heart easing out a little. “I would love to see this great brain of yours working.”

“Yeah?” You ask and she squeezes your hand again.

“Can’t wait to spend time with you.” She adds and you feel your heart beating so fast, you’re scared she might be able to hear it even without super hearing.

Honestly, you’re a big pile of mess after that. Actually, you’ve been a big pile of mess for this entire dinner, but Maya doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, she seems to like it.

When it’s time to leave, you pretend to call Lena for her to pick you up. It feels horrible lying to Maya, but you’re well aware that sharing your secret identity is something far too big than few dates. You hope one day you can tell her, but for now, you wait until she’s gone, find an alley somewhere, then you fly back home.

Before going inside the house though, you actually call Lena, just to make sure they’re decent and you don’t see more than what you would like to (again).

“Did you meet Lillian at the restaurant?” Lena asks, going in the living room at the same time you’re walking in.

“Yeah, she was having dinner there.”

“She sent me Maya’s entire family background check.” Lena says looking up from her phone.

“WHAT?”

“Oh, and apparently-” Lena looks at you smirking. “She approves.”

“Is it weird that I feel like I should break up now?” You joke, making your mom laugh. She comes closer and kisses your forehead.

“Don’t worry, I also did the background check once you told me about her.” She smiles when she sees your shocked expression. “And Alex looked them up in all systems worldwide. She’s cool.”

“You guys are so weird.” You half complain, half smile, and make your way to your bedroom.

They are weird, and also unnecessarily overly protective, because you have superpowers and can handle anything. But the fact that your entire family (even Lillian!) were worried about you, it’s extremely adorable. You just freaking love them so much.

Notes:

@hermen0404 and I got so carried away with Maya existence, so yeah.

[jovialluminaryalpaca]

True Beauty | Little by Little | Han Seojun x Kang Soojin fanfic series/one shot? Idk

Part 2 , Part 3

This is the first time, I'm posting something on Tumblr, so bear with me haha, I don't know why but I kinda would've loved to see Soojin with Han Seojun after the time leap and her redemption. It's my opinion and I'll feel absolutely grateful if y'all respect it, thank you, I hope y'all will like it.

Warnings: Slight panic attack trigger mention (not edited)

It was late in the evening and it had been an hour since Seojun left the studio for the day, he now sat on one of the stools staring at the empty glass in front of him. He didn't know why he was here but there he was, he remembered coming to this place for the first time, the night he let Jugyeong go back to Suho and after that night, he found himself coming back to this place often, whenever he needed a break or to get away from everything for a while.

He rubbed his face a little too harshly to check if he was sober enough to move and to his luck, he was just tipsy. He paid for his order and bought himself a simple soda before leaving the place. He put his mask and beanie on and kept walking as the cool wind hit him. He kept looking around to see if anyone recognised him but much to his pleasure no one did. His eyes stopped and soon did his feet when his eyes fell on a familiar figure. He blinked twice to make sure if he wasn't hallucinating.

What was she doing here?

He felt bold and decided to walk up to her. He kept walking till he stood a feet away from her. She had pamphlets in her hands and struggled as she tried to hold them steady and approached people to help people in need. She took out another pamphlet out as she felt a figure walk near her and looked up only to freeze in her place. Her words stopped in her mouth as she looked at those eyes. She was not blind to not recognize who was standing in front of her.

He expected his face to lift in a scowl as usual but it didn't. He was surprised, indeed and definitely had no words to speak. He knew that she met Jugyeong and reconciled with her but he never really bothered to know about her whereabouts. But after what he saw in front of him, he definitely didn't want to be that person who would laugh on her face and blame karma and he obviously didn't want to ack like a jerk and rub salt on her open wounds. So he didn't speak a word and just observed her as she stared right back at him.

She changed so much, he observed. Something about her was different, it wasn't like she was not the Kang Soojin he knew in his teen days, she was still her, but she looked so much better, somewhat relaxed and for some reason it felt like whatever that ate her then was not there around her now and it was very visible on her face. He shook his head wordlessly and turned around.

"Ya, Han Seojun." She called out as he stopped in his place. There was silence for a while as she took a deep breath and walked closer to him.

"I owe you an apology." She said as he blinked while his back faced her.

"Can we go somewhere where we can talk alone?" She continued hesitantly expecting him to walk away as soon as those words left her mouth but to her surprise he turned around and looked at her.

"Okay." He said and followed her.

-

"Thank you." Soojin said and bowed a little to the helper and sat in her chair as Seojun studied her.

He leaned forward and took a bite of the food in front of him and she gulped as she faced him finally.

"What I did back then was very foolish of me. I despise myself for stepping down to that level." She said as he listened to her.

"And I don't expect you to forgive me because I am asking you to. I know I'll always carry the guilt of hurting people who trusted me. I owe you an apology, even if what I did wasn't directed towards you." She said as she looked down and placed her palm on the table.

"I'm sorry." She finally said as he slurped his drink.

"It's alright." He said and she looked up with slightly wide eyes.

"What?" He asked as she opened her mouth to say something but closed it again.

"I didn't expect you to forgive me so easily." She said as he placed his drink on the table.

"Like you said, what you did wasn't directed towards me. If Jugyeong gave you another chance, I can do it too. Anyways, We weren't really friends in the first place, so yeah." He said as she nodded and then there was a wave of silence that surrounded them.

She felt grateful that he forgave her.

"You didn't come to Heegyeong unni's wedding?" She asked.

"Yeah, I was busy with my debut and all of that." He replied with a shrug.

"Oh." She replied as he nodded.

"So, you are an idol, now." She said as he looked and rolled his eyes slightly.

"Yes, that I am." He said.

"How does it feel to be one?" She asked.

"Stressful. But, I feel happy that I get to live my dream." He said with a small smile on his face. She smiled back and nodded.

"I thought you didn't come because of well...nevermind." She said as he looked at her and she ignored his gaze and went back to eating her food.

"Honestly, I didn't come because Jugyeong told me that she invited you." He said as she looked up.

"Well, of course, you hate me." She mumbled and to her surprise he heard it.

"I did. But, I don't think quite the same now." He said.

"Does it mean you hate me less now?" She asked as he chuckled to her surprise.

"Weren't you the one who despised me?" He asked as he raised one of his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes.

"Maybe, I was and it was because of obvious reasons." She said in a light humourous tone.

"Is that so? Can I know the obvious reasons please?" He asked as she cleared her throat and lifted her fingers to start counting and he could not help but notice how her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as she revisited those years.

_

"Soojin-ah" Soo ah called out as she held her friend's hand and pulled her along and made her sit on the table where all her friends were seated on. She looked around and found Cho rong eating as Hye min tried her best to control her laughter while looking at her partner and eating her food in silence, Tae hoon was asking Soo ah to eat first and take selfies later because the food might cool down and not taste the same, Jugyeong was explaining something on her phone to Suho as he fed her and then there was Seojun who looked appalled at the sight of the couples that surrounded him. He was seated right in front of her at the corner of the table and sulked as he leaned his head on the pillar next to him and waited for his food. His eyes were closed and disgust was clear on his face. It had been two months since she first ran into him on the road while distributing pamphlets for a charity event and now they were friends and dare she say best friends because it haunted her how comfortable she felt around him and how she actually liked spending time with a guy who once so full of himself. She pushed her leg forward and tapped his shoe. He got startled and opened his eyes to look around and then looked at Soojin who smiled innocently at him. He lips lifted in a scowl as he murmured something and went back to sleep as Soojin chuckled, ofcourse sleep was important.

He jolted up again and looked at her as she was looking at the menu.

"Ya Kang Soojin. When did you come?" He asked.

"A few minutes back." She replied as her eyes checked the menu out and he looked at her and couldn't help but smile as she observed the prices of the food items.

He missed her, it had been a week since they last saw each other because he was busy with recording his new album and couldn't find time to catch up with her as she was busy arranging and hosting charity events.

He cleared his throat as he saw Suho look at him and then at Soojin and went back to feeding Jugyeong as she opened her mouth wide. Seojun rolled his eyes at Suho and scrunched his nose up, he sighed as he relaxed his face and then looked at his phone and scrolled through his social media to find something interesting, his order appeared in front of him when he sat his phone aside. He thanked the waiter and dug in. Soojin just stared at with disgust as he finished the entire plate by the time her food arrived and he shrugged as he looked at her.

A smile appeared on her face before she could stop herself, she shook her head and looked at her plate, neither of them knew what was happening but the entire table looked at them start a new chapter in their own books.

_

Soojin sighed as she sat on her table and removed the hand that covered her forehead as she completed her work. Today was a very stressful day for her with so many events to plan but she was happy that she got to relax later as Seojun promised her a meal at her favourite restaurant and then a game night.

She switched the lights off, picked her belongings, locked the room and walked out. She smiled as she remembered how many times Seojun apologised to her for not attending the event which was arranged by her and promised to make it up to her. She didn't know how both of them got there but they did. Her younger self would've laughed on her face if she said that she would be one of Seojun's close friends one day.

To be honest, they were nothing alike, she was smart and he was well kinda dumb, she came from a very different household where she yearned for love from family and he came from a family who absolutely loved him and provided him with as much comfort as possible, she was terrible at singing and his voice was absolutely beautiful, but maybe the difference was something that made them different than the others out there, it made them unique.

She bumped into someone and her smile faltered as she looked at the person. Her heart raced in her chest and she felt terrible memories flood her head and she froze in her place. Tears blurred her vision as she looked at the person in front of her.

"Soojin?" The figure, her father asked and she heard footsteps approach them but she didn't turn around to look at who it was as her eyes were fixed on the person in front of her.

"Ya, Kang Soojin. See, I'm early..." Seojun trailed off as he noticed the presence of another figure around her.

"Get out." She said with anger in her voice as it broke in the end.

"Soojin..." Her father asked again.

"GET OUT." She screamed as both the figures around her remained still in their place, while one was in shock and the other was worried. She waited for a while for her father to leave and when she noticed that her father wasn't leaving anytime soon, she turned the other way and walked past him as Seojun looked at her and followed her outside.

"Soojin?" He called out as she kept walking.

"Soojin?" He called louder but she still didn't stop, her vision was blurry with the tears that kept running down her cheek and she kept wiping them off aggressively. He ran towards her and held her hand to stop her and she turned around to snap at the person who did that but she couldn't when she looked at who it was.

"Come with me." He said softly as he took her to his car and both of them sat inside in silence, he started the car and drove to her apartment. When they reached, she got out without saying a word to him and walked towards the elevator. He locked his car and ran behind to stop her. He was surprised how she managed to get into the elevator in the time he locked his car.

"Soo jin?" He called as he finally caught up with her in front of her apartment and she stopped in her tracks.

She didn't turn around and sniffled quietly.

"Are you alright?" He asked hesitantly. He heard no response, tears didn't stop flowing down her cheeks. His heart dropped at the sight in front of him, he didn't like watching her cry, it hurt him and he didn't understand why it did, but it did. He hesitantly walked closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Say something." He said and at that moment she turned around, wrapped her arms around him and broke down in his arms. He was taken aback but he caressed her back slowly to calm her down. She hicupped as he stayed still and let her let it all out.

After a very long time, she finally stopped and let her hiccupping self dettach from him feeling a little embarrassed but he didn't care about it. He held her face and brushed the remaining tears off from her face and gave her a small smile.

"I don't know who that was and what happened. But, all I'll tell is, our past never defines us, it's behind us, it's like a closed book, you are not what you were years ago and I know that after getting to know you in the time we spent together in past few months. Don't let it bother you too much. Okay? Take care." He said as she looked into his warm brown eyes wordlessly and nodded, while she did that, a warm feeling spread all over her body at the closeness of his face and the softness of the tone of his voice and her heart fluttered in her chest.

"Call me if you need anything, but for now, go rest, when you feel better give me a call and no, I didn't forget that meal, we will go grab it when you feel better. Alright?" He asked as she nodded in his palms.

"Good night." He said and smiled at her before letting her go.

"Good night." She managed to croak out as she walked towards her apartment.

She walked in and waved at him and he waved back at her and walked away. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she closed the door and leaned her back against it.

It was ironic how someone who once called her a piece of trash and despised her so much comforted her and said that what she did in the past doesn't define who she is now.

A sudden realization hit her like a truck. How was she so oblivious to it? She wondered.

She never felt comfortable around anyone in her life but in Seojun's arms, it felt as if she belonged there. The way he caressed her calmed her wrecking nerves, it just made her feel safe there and as much as she didn't want to accept it and as much she was afraid of being heartbroken again, she knew at the moment that much to her dismay she developed feelings for someone who will look at her the way a friend does, again.

[phoenixrising0308]

The Promise: What they stole from us (b)

Books: The Royal Romance 1

Rating: G (This rating will change due to the plot as the story progresses)

Pairing: Liam & Jessica (MC)

This week’s wackydrabbles takes a serious turn with this miniseries that complements my ongoing series The Promise. The prompt is “ ...how about once more -- for good luck! ”

Series Playlist

Detailed disclaimer

Catch me here

A/N #1: Leo dances with a suitor

A/N #2: Applewood revisited in the Agent Phoenix: Forged In Fire A/U canon divergent series.

A/N#3: In my HC Liam is a lefty and this is a rare trait only 8% to 9% of the worlds population share. I’m sure that I am not the only author nor the last that would HC this trait. I can only hope that my attention to this detail differs from theirs and offers something to the story.

Word Count: 1,600 *As always, forgive my typos and grammatical errors.*

Reading time: 8 minutes

*I suppose you can read this on its own but the story below is related to the promise as a whole. Once completed part four will pick up. This story is central to the plot *also this story has been in my drafts for two years so I wanted to give it its own moment so consider this a story within a story*

Applewood- Dinner

Jessica sat at her table pushing around roasted wild duck with an apple on her plate as she occasionally looked up to watch Liam dance with Kiara.  Her house ring an Owl covered in black and white diamonds glimmer as she wrapped her arms around his neck then leaned in to whisper his and leaving red lipstick stain on the side of Liams face he seemed unaware of. Kiara made eye contact with Jessica and smirked as she continued to dance.

'Why am I here? He is humoring me because his best friend brought me over. You tried there was nothing there...at least for him. Be grateful you saw a bunch of new places, met new people, and learned new things. In few weeks you get to go home and put this all behind you.'

The thought felt heavy in the pit of her stomach. Jessica got up from her chair. “I lost my appetite. I'm gonna go up to my room and maybe eat a pop tart later.”

Drake chewed on his duck and swallowed with an accusing glare. “You have fucken pop tarts and said nothing!? I'm eating a duck with an apple up its ass, and you had pop tarts?”

She shrugged, “I would share, but you took the whole box from the last care package. You can have my S'mores pop tarts.”

“Garcia, stop fucking around with me. I want the strawberry unfrosted.”

“Fine, I will share SOME of my pop tarts with you. Hana, will you cover for me? Tell Bertrand my stomach hurts, or better yet, tell him I have some female affliction, so he gets all weird and doesn't bother me AT ALL.”

Hana looked around at the table of suitors and sighed. “Jessica, will you come back?”

Jessica sighed, feeling bad but just not able to fake her reluctance to all of this anymore.

“Hana, I'm not too sure. I will text you if I'm staying up there.”

Hana gave Jessica a saddened expression.

Penelope noticed the conversation and picked up her phone, and began to text. Then shouted from across the room, “Hana, come sit next to me.”

Hana looked opposed to it as she glanced back at Jessica with the same sad expression.

Jessica took one look at Liam on the dance floor and sighed before making her way to exit, bypassing the head table.

“Lady Jessica.” A loud voice called out to her that was similar to Liams.

She turned and gave an automatic curtsy, “Your Royal Highness.”

“Nope, you already greeted me. So it's Sir." He secretly thought, 'No, you didn't. Correct me; I'm wrong. Liam doesn't need someone that won't challenge authority.'

Jessica responded. “Actually, no, I haven't. So the greeting is correct.”

Leo looked at Jessica for a few moments. “So, you are correcting ME? A senior member of the royal family.” 'Say yes. Don't back peddle. My Father will walk all over Liam. I will need you to stand up for him as well as yourself.'

Jessica cooly responded, “Yes, I am. When you're wrong, you're wrong. Sorry.”

Leo gave her a pleased smile. “I was hoping to steal a moment of your time… For a dance.”

Jessica glanced at the dance floor and quickly looked back, trying to avoid watching

Liam dance with Kiara, then said, “I was just headed to my room.”

“Just one dance.” Leo extended his hand. Jessica took a deep breath and took it. He led them to the middle of the dance floor.

“So, Lady Jessica-”

Jessica gave Leo a warm smile. “Please, just Jessie.”

“Very well, Jessie. I have a few questions for you.”

Jessica eyes got wide, “Okay-”

“Jessie, these events are designed for Liam to get to know you. But do you think you know Liam?”

Jessica bit her lip and said, “I do.”

Leo nodded his head, “Let's test that knowledge, shall we?”

“Sure, shoot”

“Favorite music.”

“Liam loves American crooner music, something I know all about because my Father loved that kind of music.”

“Liam's favorite color?”

“To the world, he favors Cordonian blue, and although he does like it ...He prefers navy. Which is also my favorite color.” Jessica closed her eyes and trailed off. "He looks great in a navy suit. He wore one on Tuesday and -”

Leo laughed. “Okay, next question. What's Liam's favorite book?”

Jessica “You know I was expecting something Shakespearean, but his favorite book is 'The Old man by the Sea.'”

“Have you read it?”

“On the ride here. I wanted to share my thoughts on it with him.”

Leo quirked a brow. “Interesting, yet another thing you did for the sake of getting to know my brother?”

“It came highly recommended. And Drake was really into his book, 'Gunsberry potato peel pie society' so I had no one to talk to.”

Leo gave a hearty chuckle.” Drake and romance novels; I will never get it. Okay, next question. What's Liam's biggest pet peeve?”

“Pens without caps.”

“Very good. He is so uptight about pens.”

Jessica continued, “Yeah, he writes with a Montblanc fineliner point pen. It caught my eye when I noticed he was a lefty. Only 10% of the world's population is left-handed”

Leo raised a brow and thought 'Geezus, Liam she really is perfect for you.'

Jessica continued “Anyway, I mean it's an $800.00 pen; I looked it up. I guess if I spent that much money on a pen, I would be obsessed with it too. God, his handwriting is impeccable. No man's handwriting should be that neat. I'm jealous.”

Leo could notice her eyes wandering around the dancefloor. Jessica gave Leo a soft smile, then said, “I know all the suitors get fresh flowers every day with a personalized card in the morning. I love how he writes my name and signs his own. I like to trace his L's and J's with my fingertip sometimes… Okay, all the time. Sorry I know that's weird.”

Leo smiled softly, 'They don't get daily floral arrangements, and you're the only one with handwritten notes.' “So, as you know, Liam's days are filled with matters of the Crown, and his day starts at-”

Jessica interrupted, “5:45 AM. He is running around the palace grounds with Drake.”

“Why are you up so early?”

Jessica blushed and mumbled, “No particular reason. I'm just up.”

“Well, If I didn't know any better, I would think you are trying to catch a glimpse of my little brother.” He smirked as she averted her eyes.

Jessica sheepishly smiled as she responded, “Maybe.”

Leo pursed his lips. “Interesting.”

“Next question, please.”

Liam began to dance with Penelope and Jessica said, “Songs over.” Her eyes became glossy and she looked as if she would burst into tears.

“Well, I’m not done. Give me one more dance”

Jessica snapped back “I am. Why dance with me when clearly I’m no one. You got other girls here from classier places. Their rooms are bigger than my block, nothing special, nothing to offer your brother just commoner Jessica, completely opposite of what your brother is looking for.”

Leo responded “Jessie, I have never taken the time to talk to any other suitor. If you don’t think you're special then let me clear this up for you… YOU ARE. I know more about you than anyone else here. I know your hopes and dreams, quirks, and dislikes, Wonder why that is? SO ...how about once more -- for good luck! I will make this dance worth it for you I promise.”

Jessica took a shaky breath and said, “Alright.”

“What is your favorite thing about my brother?”

Jessica gave Leo a glowing smile. “God, everything. I love the way his eyes sparkle when he gets excited about something. He wears clear contacts. One day in his library I walked in and he had these black thick-framed glasses and shoved them in a drawer when he saw me. He was squinting the whole time which was adorable. I love the sound of his laugh. And gosh, his smile...He has the most amazing smile. I could list so many things, but I'm embarrassing myself by gushing over him.”

“Actually, I like to hear that you have an affinity for HIM. Jessie, my brother will require patience and understanding. Can you do that? Can you be the person who he comes home to and who he shares his worries with?”

Jessica closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Leo, I know I don't have anything to offer compared to everyone else, and I am still trying to figure it all out. But I want to be that person for him. I want to build a life with him. One filled with love, happiness, and laughter. So his worries aren't just his; they are mine too.”

Leo could hear the sincerity in her voice; he liked her already, but her words solidified for him that Liam could have Queen and a wife.

“Liam will face opposition from the council; a lot of them are loyalists. They will come to you to persuade him to take their advice. What would you do?”

“I know that people will think I have no business in meddling governmental affairs. But I firmly believe that Liam would carefully analyze everything that's brought to the table. If the council is trying to get me to go against my husband." Jessica smiled to herself at the thought of the title, and Leo noticed. Jessica took a deep breath and said, “They have another thing coming. I would tell them to fuck off.”

Leo laughed at the statement, and Jessica did as well. He touched her shoulder and said, “Liam was right. You do have a charming laugh.”

Jessica blushed. “He said that?”

“Yes. He also said you have a great sense of humor and a smile that lights up a whole room. I agree with him.”

From the corner of Leo's eye, he saw Madeleine and Godfrey at the edge of the dance floor, with Madeleine focused on being Liam's next dance partner.

Leo got her attention back on him. “If Liam picks you, you will be our Queen. Tell me, what are you looking forward to the most?”

She instantly had the answer. “Waking up next to Liam.”

“Does Liam like dancing?”

“Yes, he does. He is so fun to dance with.”

“Trick question. No.”

Jessica quirked a brow.

He smirked at her. “Sorry. When you're wrong, you're wrong. He only likes it if those dances are with you.”

Leo gave Jessica a flawless twirl just as the music ended and let go of her hand. When she stopped, she bumped into Liam.

Liam gave her a warm smile and said, “Fancy seeing you here.” Liam grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips, “I would love to dance with you. May I?”

Jessica gave Liam a glowing smile and said, “Well, since I’m here.”

Leo smiled at Godfrey and whispered as he walked by “What brings you here your second-hand suitor daughter? One Rys has been there done that… completely uneventful.”

Godfrey’s eyes widened “You are out of line.”

Leo shrugged his shoulders and said, “Ask me if I give a fuck.”

“This will not stay this way,” Godfrey said through gritted teeth.

Leo sucked his teeth “Give it a rest Freddy. I wouldn’t want my brother with a Social Season repeat offender. I mean isn't one fall from grace good enough or is it that she is the type that's always a bridesmaid but never a bride?”

“Leo, you have always been so crass.”

“Okay, so I have nothing to lose. I think they make a lovely couple.” Leo gave Godfrey the finger and turned on his heels. He smiled at his brother and Jessica as ‘I can’t help falling in love’ played in the background the perfectly queued song he arranged with the band with timing mapped between him and Liam.