#i don't know if they'll brighten someone's day but

[mire1li]

Reader as Alastor's Mother part 2

Part 1!, Part 3!

𓋼 You would absolutely decorate his microphone with a bunch of ribbons you found!

And he would absolutely allow it in fear of upsetting you, although he began to take them off later on when he had to leave, but seeing you get sad at his actions changed his mind… It did not help that the ribbons were glittery.

“Oh look, Sparkles got sparklier!” Angel had said when Alastor was passing by.

𓋼 He wants you to be happy but don't even try having feelings for anyone in hell, they'll most likely 'disappear under mysterious circumstances' and then you'll just so happen to hear their screams on Alastor's radio broadcast <3

Lucifer tries to flirt everytime he sees you outside (or once he comes back to see the hotel which… would be 'some' time later…) But it's not long before Alastor shows up bcs he has a shadow follow you everywhere

“My mother certainly would not want someone so… ancient…”

“are you trying to make me sound like a fossil?”

“Maybe~ I can’t say for sure though!”

"Y'know, I've stolen wives before… maybe it's time to steal a mother instead!"

"I'm going to fucking kill you"

𓋼 Lucifer would play silly games with you and bring you gifts by leaving them at the hotel’s doorstep, although you never received any (like he thought you did) because Alastor would always take them before you saw them. Or he would make them his own to give to you if you were having a worse day than usual!

“Mother, I had noticed that you weren’t feeling all too great so I brought you a wonderful gift!”

“Oh, thank you, darling!”

Your mood always brightened when he gave you these gifts. 𓋼 One time when Lucifer visited the hotel, he went straight to you to ask you about how you liked the gifts.

"[Name]! Hello, deer, how are you? Did you like the gifts that I left you?"

"Hello Luci, I'm fine, thank you! … Gifts? what gifts?"

"The ones… that I left on the doorstep of the hotel!"

"I dont recall seeing any gifts there… but Alastor recently started leaving the hotel more often! Not for very long though…"

And then Lucifer realised. You never received his gifts because Alastor got to them first! After that, he made sure to put a note with his signature on them. Though, that still didn't deter Alastor, to Lucifer's dismay.

𓋼 One time, Angel returned to the hotel at an unreasonably late hour, so you went to make sure everything was alright.

"Are you alright, Angel?"

"Huh? No, I'm totally fucked!"

"Why? What happened?"

"You know Valentino right? My boss?"

"Of course I do, everyone hates him quite a bit here and you always talk about him"

"Right, well, fuckin' Val made me work an extra 10 hours!"

"He what?!"

"Yeah! Absolute bitch move."

Naturally, Alastor was watching and listening to you two so you turned to him, with quite the menacing look in your eyes.

"Oh Alastor, prepare your radio broadcast!~"

𓋼 You noticed that most of the residents of the hotel all came to you for advice quite often (except Niffty, she's just an entirely different entity)

"It seems they have become quite fond of you, Mother"

"They have, haven't they?"

Alastor's expression was always one of annoyance whenever someone came to you for help. He wouldn't dare admit it, but he was most certainly jealous of anyone who even stood too close to you, let alone talked to you.

𓋼 Because of that one time that Alastor stood right next to Charlie to spite Lucifer, Lucifer decided to stand just that close to you to get back at him.

"An eye for an eye, Mr Radio!"

"I recommend you watch yourself."

𓋼 One time, when you were out of the hotel and walking around Hell with Alastor, Vox just so happened to see you on one of his tv screens, Valentino sitting by him, messaging someone.

"Hey Val, who the fuck is that with that old-timey prick?"

"Hm? No clue."

"You didn't even look, fuckhead"

"How would you know? You're too busy eyefucking Alastor."

"I am not"

"She's probably just another one of those redemption hotel idiots. It doesn't matter"

But Vox still just glared at the screen.

𓋼 Vox continued to keep an eye on you, seeing just how wonderful you are and so when you were outside the hotel alone (or so he thought) he went up to you. Somehow he didn't catch onto the fact that you're Alastor's mother.

"Hello-"

"What do you think you're doing?" Alastor, of course, suddenly appeared out of thin air, standing in between you and Vox, with an even more annoyed smile than usual.

"Alastor, is this another one of your friends?"

"No-"

"Yes, absolutely, ma'am. Great friends, in fact!"

"Ha! Well, you see, this is my Mother."

"Your what?"

Yeah, Alastor simply walked away with you whilst Vox was buffering.

𓋼 Vox constantly tried to talk to you alone but Alastor was always there to stop him, so unfortunate.

"Would you stay away from my Mother, you-! Ahem, my apologies, Mother."

"Hah! Your mother? I think you meant our mother!"

𓋼 Alastor would absolutely cover your ears when swearing at, or insulting, anyone.

𓋼 When you first met Valentino, you were so mad at him on Angel's behalf that you knocked him out and brought him back to the hotel with you. Of course, Vox was there with Val but he was like a lost duckling, just slowly trailing behind you, unsure what to do.

"I'm back!"

"What the fuck did you do??" Angel was lying down on the couch when you entered, dragging the unconcious Valentino behind you.

"A favour to you and hell!"

"No, but how?!"

"That's a secret~"

"Ok… so why'd ya bring him here?"

"Redemption"

𓋼 Back to Lucifer! He would tell you random animal facts to try and impress you! He would also unironically ask around, and search up (if necessary), how to impress a woman.

𓋼 Lucifer would suddenly start playing the violin for everyone in the hotel 'for everyones' entertainment' as he called it. (It was meant for you though). Each time Lucifer did this, Alastor told you that something important happened that required your attention. You always stayed for the beginning though.

𓋼 One day, you were baking cookies and you and Alastor left the kitchen for a while whilst they were in the oven, however, you both somehow managed to forget about them… so when the smoke alarm suddenly rang, you ran into the kitchen, everyone wondering what happened.

"Fuck!"

"Language, Mother."

"Don't you 'language' me, young man!"

𓋼 You redecorated his room. He wasn't a fan of all the new colours, but he still appreciated the gesture. (There was a lot of glitter involved)

𓋼 After a while of you staying there, everyone definitely sees you as a mother figure (Alastor didn't appreciate this much either but he's willing to look past it for his friends)

𓋼 As small gifts, you made everyone items that resemble them and filled them with different colours of glitter and paper that remind you of them. Bonus: Behind the scenes! 1. Yuri's bad timing:

2. Vox and Val:

[abiatackerman]

Red Date

Warnings: Description of sexual arousal (NSFW)

The atmosphere in your office is so calm and peaceful as you work. The day's temperature is comforting also it seems the bugs have also decided not to disturb you today. You keep working as you hum in a peaceful mind until you hear someone calling you by your name.

"Y/N!"

You look up from your paperwork as you hear Levi's stern voice. You were so consumed in your work that you didn't even notice him entering.

"Hey Levi! Sorry, didn't notice you. Need anything?"

You speak, smiling sweetly as always.

"I want to take you out tonight"

Levi says with a straight up blunt tone making you look up at him with shock. His face shows no emotion on it. He stares at you waiting for your answer. Though, on the inside, the nerves and butterflies were going crazy.

"Take out? Where?"

You ask him with shock, confusion and curiosity.

"Dinner. Somewhere with no people. Somewhere nice"

Levi says as he shifts the weight between both his legs. A sign of nervousness.

He is nervous. He has never dated anyone. Hell, he has barely been around women. Yet you are the exception. You're the one he wants to keep, being around and spend time with and never let go.

You smile at his slightly nervous expression.

"Well, I'm free tonight. Also it's boring just to eat the regular bread and soup of the regiment... So why not?"

Levi's eyes brighten when he hears your answer. Yes! You said yes! Yet the excitement is hidden behind a stoic poker face.

"Meet me behind HQ an hour after the sunset."

His words are straight to the point as usual.

"Why behind the hq?"

You ask with confusion.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out"

Levi speaks bluntly as he answers your question simply. You just chuckle.

"Since you saved my life twice... I guess I'll trust you."

Levi nods his head to your answer. His face is still expressionless. Though inside he's happy as hell after knowing that you trust him.

"Now…keep preparing your papers. And don't be late."

Levi says before he turns and leaves the infirmary.

An hour after sunset, as promised, Levi is behind HQ, waiting on you. His usual expression on his face, and his hands shoved into his pockets. A slight look of boredom in his eyes as he waited for you to show up.

Something red catches his eyes and he looks at the gate. His eyes widened slightly seeing you in your red dress. You're wearing a simple round necked wine red dress which reaches upto your knee. As always no makeup on your face without that damn red lipstick of yours. Your hair is tied up in a loose bun, revealing your soft addictive neck.

On the other side, your eyes are widened too. The wholes place is nicely decorated by candles and in the middle there's a red blanket on the green grass which has a table on the corner of it. The table is decorated nicely too. With dinner set and by the smell you can tell it's spaghetti hidden under those legent utensils.

"Levi?"

You look around and gasp again.

"You look beautiful Y/N. Now come, sit."

Levi speaks as he gestured for you to come over to the blanket. His eyes taking you all in.

"Ahhh thank you."

You gasp in shock again as he compliments you. This is the first time you're hearing him calling someone beautiful. You walk towards the blanket and sit down on the chair Levi pulls out for you.

"You know, I thought you wanted no one to know that we're going out. That's why you told me to come here... But I never even imagined these arrangements! How many people helped you?"

Levi shrugs his shoulders before he sits down, across from her. He seems pleased with himself at your expression.

"Four people. Hange included."

Levi says simply and calmly. He gestures to the rose near you, then to the food and wine before them.

"Who are the three others? Erwin is one of em I'm sure... But the other two?

You ask softly, taking the rose and sniffing it.

"Miche and Eld. They're trustworthy. They'll keep their mouth shut. Now, eat. There's plenty to share, and don't even think of complaining about the food, because I won't listen."

You ignore him as you take a deep breath and gather your courage. Leaning forward,  you softly press a kiss on his cheeks, letting your lips linger on his cheek for a bit as you close your eyes and take in his scent. The small gesture is more than enough to light a fire in his lower regions. He gulps as he feels himself getting hard.

Not now, damnit!

He curses himself as his heart beats crazily.

"Now…if you would sit back, we shall eat"

Levi speaks, his mind is reeling.

"Sorry there's uh... Lipstick stains on your cheek."

You speak in an embarrassed and shy tone as your lips are pressed into a thin line and your cheeks are pink.

"It's fine… It'll wash off."

Levi says as he grabs the glass of wine and took a small sip to calm his mind down. He sets the wine down on the edge of the table. His eyes go to the food.

"I wanted to thank you. It's so romantic. I never thought you would do something for me."

You smile shyly as you speak.

"You can thank me properly later. Now eat your food and keep those gorgeous lips off of me until you finish eating. I'm not complaining either way.…"

Levi says as He takes another small sip of wine. You sigh and look up at the sky.

"These types of moments..... In a silent place, in between nature... Heaven."

Levi looks up at the sky as well at your words. It is relaxing. So quiet and pretty. He can forget there are any titans, or people in the outer world who wanted them dead.

Just him, and you.

"Yes…it's nice. To not think or have a worry in the world, even if momentarily…"

"Yeah right. Anyway who cooked them?"

You look at the delicious spaghetti as you ask.

"Eld cooked it. Miche made sure it was cooked right. And no, they didn't spit in the food before they gave it to me. I'm not that cruel for that."

"Spit in the food? That's hilarious, Levi!"

You laugh loudly.

"Shut it. Now eat up. You look like you're about to faint from no food."

He mutters before he pushes a plate full of spaghetti towards you. You roll your eyes.

"You know I don't eat much. I have a petite body. I need a little food."

You say as you take the spaghetti and start eating. Your eyes widened at it's delicious taste. Also not to mention you are hungry.

"You eat like a small bird…"

Levi says as he watches you dig into the food. You furrow your eyebrows.

"Do you want me to eat like a pig and look like a mini elephant?"

You ask as you take another spoonful of spaghetti.

"No, I'm not saying you have to eat like a pig. Just eat a normal meal every once and a while. Learn from Hange and Erwin. They eat like animals."

"Erwin's gonna love to hear that. Eat like an animal? Levi... I really love talking to you. You're funny."

"Just eat. Don't be picky. You're skinny as a stick as it is"

"No, I'm not."

You protest, still smiling. Levi smiles a little too. It is entertaining watching your sarcastic way to get back at him for insulting you. The way you insulted him was cute and bravely to him. When everyone gets scared and despise him because of his rude words, you enjoy them.

He loves it. Addicted to it.....

"You're the only woman I know who's attracted to being insulted by someone."

"You're the only man I know who is attracted to a girl like that."

You talk back, immediately.

"True. I can't imagine other men being attracted to a woman who's as small as a stick"

"I had a lot of men wanting me. You can be sure of it."

Levi raises an eyebrow at your cocky smile.

"Then go ahead. Name them"

Levi says with a pissed tone and a slight expression of jealousy in his face.

"I don't want you to beat them up."

You chuckle as you hold a spoonful of spaghetti in front of his mouth.

"You're not feeding me."

He says as he reaches forward and shoves a large portion of pasta in your mouth so that way you can't speak… Or protest. You groan and gulp the pasta and glare at him.

"It's my turn!"

You say and without any hesitation, you suddenly get on his lap with the spoon.

"What are you doing?"

He asks, as he feels himself getting slightly harder. Not to mention you are sitting right on his bulge. The softness of your ass almost made him moan.

"Feeding you. Say aaaaaa...."

You say as you hold his chin and the spoonful of spaghetti in front of his lips ignoring the large hardened cock under you.

"Aaaa"

Levi opened up his mouth and leaned forward to take the food in. You can't help but laugh loudly as he says "aaaah" sarcastically.

"I just wanted you to open your mouth, fool. Not to say aaaaa..."

You laugh louder.

"Tch, shut it."

"I have a mouth for speaking so I definitely won't stop using it."

You speak and Levi's hands holds your hips in place as he looks at you.

"How about I shut up that mouth of yours?"

Levi says before he crashes his lips against yours in a heated kiss. You smile against his lips and hug his neck and kiss him back passionately. You part your lips as soon as he licks them. His tongue slips inside of your mouth and he deepens the kiss, taking in everything about you. He has been craving this for so long.

His arousal grows and he groans slightly at the feeling of your core pressed against his hard, clothed length. He runs his tongue over every inch of your mouth before he finally breaks the kiss, needing a break for air.

"That should shut you up…"

You breathe heavily as you smile.

"Your mouth is a mess, Levi! With my lipstick... And you're hard."

You say chuckling softly as you take a paper napkin to clean his face.

"Your fault. Not mine. You're the one who straddled my lap and put your lipstick everywhere"

Levi mutters as he looks at you, staring at the way your chest rises with every breath you take.

"Pervert!"

You say shyly, smacking the napkin on his face as you catch him staring at your chest.

"You're the one who's sitting on my hardening member and you're calling me the pervert?"

Levi's breath is hot against your skin as he leans in and places a few hungry, open-mouthed kisses along your neck and shoulders. You chuckle and moan, grab his hair and pull his head backwards to make him look into your eyes.

"I didn't know you were hard when I got in your lap."

You say staring into his eyes as you take the bowl of spaghetti again and get off his lap.

"It's called the hormones of an aroused male. You're wearing red lipstick and a red dress. It's almost like you are begging me to devour you. So don't fucking blame me for getting hard you stupid ass!"

Levi speaks in a frustrated and pissed tone as you just laugh loudly.

Later, after finishing eating and talking about nothing important, you two sit on the blanket. You sit between his legs and lean your back on his chest as you yawn tiredly.

"Levi... I'm really tired. I might fall asleep here, yk..."

You say sighing as you sip your wine.

"We can stay here for a little while longer. Not too long though or else the idiots are going to snoop around"

Levi mutters as he sighs.

"Why do I feel like the brat's are already watching us while blushing and giggling?"

Levi sighs. He can almost hear the little brat's giggles. He has a few ideas of what he would do to them later but now he couldn’t focus on that. Not when the girl of his dreams is pressed up against him and holding his hands.

"Shut it. Stop reminding me that they're probably watching us"

Levi mutters, slightly glaring off to the side before wrapping his arms around her.

"Thank you, Levi. I really enjoyed tonight."

You mumble as you slowly start to doze off in his arms.

"Me too…"

Levi says softly as he stares down at you. He is slightly jealous of your ability to fall asleep so fast. He runs his fingers through your hair and gently plays with the strands.

"Rest up, Doll."

[intimidating-fettuccine]

Silly light headcanons because I really need them

I've been going through a very tough time and today I really need some fluff to distract myself. I hope you enjoy.

BEN teaches the older creeps that are bad with electronics how to play video games. They have creep family game nights, and the older creeps usually don't participate because they aren't as good, so BEN has been taking them aside and teaching them how to play so they can feel more confident in participating too. He never laughs or judges them for their skills, and he reminds them that the others would be happy if they participated too.

There's a game of tag that has been going on in the mansion for several years. They keep switching who the one person that's It is, but to the point that people will forget who is It. Jeff was once It for seven months, to the point nobody could remember, and he tagged Toby in the middle of dinner which caused absolute chaos. They can choose to tag someone immediately, or hold onto it and wait for a moment of surprise, but you can't tag someone who was just It on the same day, and you can't tag people when they're asleep or working. Everyone in the mansion has been It at least probably 10 times, but they keep it going because it's so amusing. Tim is currently It, and he's been It for three months. He wants to get Slender, but Slender knows this and has been careful to avoid physical contact with Tim. Tim is a patient man. He will win this.

When someone can't fall asleep due to nightmares or bad memories haunting them, they're allowed to go to Slender, and he'll play piano for them. He'll sit with them, and play whatever song they'd like so long as he knows it or can see the sheet music for it. Sometimes they'll sit there for hours, the creep leaning sleepily against Slender as he plays for them. He'll even make a delicious warm drink for them first if they request it or he feels they could benefit from it. Slender doesn't mind missing out on his own sleep, as he likes to put the residents first and foremost. When they're calmed down and drowsy enough he'll walk them back to their room, give them a hug and a pat on the head, and send them off to bed. He'll always stay awake a little while longer in case they come back to him.

Sally has started sneaking people candy. Lately, she's been using her allowance money on others, as she feels it's one of the few ways she can help out. If someone has been very down lately, she'll ask someone to run her into town, and she'll go to her favorite candy store and pick out the creep's favorite candy if she knows it, and a few things she thinks they'd like. Once home, she'll grab some stickers from her collection, and put the stickers and the candy in the creeps room for them to find later. She does this purely to try and give them a little something to brighten their days and doesn't need anything in return, although the creeps that receive these little gifts always return the favor and get something for Sally to repay her. Her gifts have often made a few of them quite emotional, and it makes them all feel quite special.

There is a shared mansion Minecraft world. They have a rule that you can't destroy things someone else builds which everyone respects, and it's become common for people to play together. Sometimes it's the whole mansion, sometimes it's just a group of them, but they all have a lot of fun exploring the world together. BEN has built the most and often volunteers to build cool houses for everyone. Jeff helps people with mining the most and if someone asks him to get a certain amount of things for them he's happy to do it. Toby and Sally are making a zoo together, collecting a bunch of animals, and making beautiful and nice places for the animals to live in. Some of the creeps play more than others, but they try at least once a month for everyone to play together, in the same room or on a call, and it always devolves into happy chaos as everyone plays in their own special ways.

[f411en-4ng31]

It had been a strange week for Diavolo and the brothers. Clink, who had been accompanying them most days whilst they planned for the construction of RAD, had not shown up at the Demon Lord's Castle at the time she normally would. In fact, nobody heard from her for several hours after her usual arrival time. Even Solomon, who frequently stayed at her house, hadn't heard a thing from her.

They were beginning to get worried when Lucifer received a single text. Everyone found it odd that she'd choose to message him — it was no secret to them that the two had been on rocky terms since her fall from the Celestial Realm.

The text was simple.

I will not be coming today. My wing is wilting.

It was a message that Lucifer read out to the others, and the brothers nodded in understanding.

It was Diavolo that spoke first. "I don't understand, why can't she come still? None of us would mind a few feathers falling."

Lucifer shared a look with Asmodeus, not wanting to explain the embarrassment that accompanied the wilting period, who took it upon himself to explain.

"Ah, well, shedding is a personal thing for angels. Feathers hold a lot of power, and the act of giving them to someone is a deeply personal thing. We tend to stay on our own when wings wilt, because none of us like the idea of others collecting our fallen feathers. And it hurts sometimes." Asmo shudders as a thought strikes him. "It might hurt more if it's her first wilting since her fall."

"Ah, that makes sense. Should we send her a get well package?"

Solomon shook his head at that. "She might react unpredictably if anyone shows up at her house unannounced during a period of weakness. If anyone goes, it should be one person, and they'll need her approval first."

"One of the brothers could go, since they'll understand the process best?" Diavolo suggests, turning to Lucifer once more. "Who would you suggest?"

This makes the brothers all pause. None of them had ever witnessed Clink's wilting period. None except...

Asmo turns to Lucifer, a pout on his face. "You should go. You're the only one of us that she let near her wings when she wilted before."

Clink, despite having been a trusting and loving angel, was known to keep her personal stuff private. It often helped during a wilting period to have someone groom your wings, but Clink refused that closeness from most angels, save for a select few.

Lucifer, Michael, Raphael, and Simeon were the only ones she allowed near her wings. The first three were because they were archangels, and she felt like she had to listen when they told her to let them help. Simeon was because she was good friends with him before her fall.

Knowing this, Lucifer shook his head. "No. I'm no longer her leader, I don't know if she'll listen to me. Besides, we have been on strange terms recently. I believe it would end badly."

"Who is she on the best terms with then?" Diavolo asked, looking to Solomon. The human immediately raised his hands in surrender.

"Don't look at me, she barely trusts me to be alone in her kitchen."

"Didn't you set her kitchen on fire last month?"

"I don't see how that's relevant to my point."

Diavolo sighed, shaking his head. Satan, who had been quietly observing the exchange, took this time to speak up.

"How about Barbatos? She seems to be friends with him."

Diavolo brightened at that, clapping his hands together excitedly. "Yes! They have tea together each week. I'll ask him to go check on her!"

He exited the room before any of them had a chance to speak, focused on finding his butler.

"Should we have told him that she can't control her abilities when she's like this?" Asmo asked slowly, turning to look at Lucifer.

Lucifer tensed, eyes narrowing. "Oh, hell."

[itwasthereaminuteago]

|| Clouds ||

Frank Castle x female reader

Tags/warnings: depressed reader, comfort. Been feeling low for no reason, wrote this for myself and hope it helps anyone in a similar place.

He's been holding you for a long while, ever since you came home and he saw the way you were detached and unresponsive to him when he asked you how your day had been.

One of his hands strokes slowly, deliberately, up and down your back, the other cradling your face, thumb rubbing lightly over your damp cheek as you slump in his lap.

"You wanna tell me what's wrong, baby?" Frank gently urges, still spooked by the quiet sobs that choke out of you.

"Nothing."

You won't meet his eyes but he doesn't force you to, simply pulling you closer into his body, the skin of his face pressing to your own, hand smoothing over your hair as he hugs you to his warmth. The simple action draws a fresh flood of tears from you as you feel the heavy pull of the void within, the melancholic thoughts that had been swimming around your head all day.

"Hey, hey s'alright." He soothes, letting you cry absolutely everything out. When you stop shaking he reaches across the coffee table to get you a tissue and dry your eyes.

"It hurts seein' my pretty girl like this. S'there anythin' I can do?"

"I– I don't know…" you eventually reply with a sniff.

He considers for a moment. "Maybe there's someone I gotta beat up? Hm?"

That manages to raise a tiny hiccuped laugh from you and Frank dares a smile. "S'that a yes? You just tell me who and I'll take care of it honey, you know I will."

You shake your head, eyes cast downward again. "No, it's no-one. Just me."

He tips your chin up slowly with his fingers and nudges his nose to yours before he kisses you chastely on the lips, and for a moment you forget your reasonless grief as your eyes flick up to meet his patient and loving gaze.

"C'mon now, I don't need you beatin' yourself up sweetheart." Frank snuggles you against his chest again and you close your eyes as you breathe him in. After a time you find yourself taking deep breaths along with him and the racing din in your overwhelmed mind eventually starts to quiet.

"It's gonna be okay honey, you know you gotta just feel what you feel, even if there ain't any reason for it." He softly kisses the top of your head. "Those shitty thoughts in there, they're just clouds across the sun and they'll be gone soon enough, and I'm gonna be here until they are."

He keeps his word, stays cuddling you on the couch as long as you need, distracting you with the odd light kiss as you gradually begin to feel the grey skies break and brighten up. He makes dinner after hearing the loud grumbling noises of your stomach, and runs you a bath before bed, sitting on the bathroom floor as he gives you a head massage while shampooing your hair.

And when he's curled close around you in bed, not leaving any room for intrusive thoughts to come back, you make your gratitude known.

"I don't know how I got so lucky with you Frankie, I'm sorry I've been such a mess lately."

"Don't apologise for anythin' darlin', and you know you do the exact same f'me when I'm having a shitter of a day." You turn in his arms and he strokes a stray lock of hair away from your face.

"I mean it, you do so much for me."

His smile is so warm and you return it. He doesn't miss the little glint in your eye as you sidle up closer to him.

"Well now, there anythin' else I could do to make you feel better sweetheart?" He asks.

You nod "I'm sure I can think of something…"

you say as you run your fingers through his thick hair, humming as you lean in to capture his lips in a soft, languid kiss.

[soupofmushrooms]

Karasuno Hair Salon!AU headcanons

I went to get a haircut a while ago and my hairdresser had silver hair like Suga's and it inspired this whole mess. Also, I don't know much about the hair salon business so take this with a huge chunk of salt?? Mostly assessing based of the qualities of the characters. Do not look too closely because there will be gaps.

Characters: All of your Karasuno volleyball team favourites + Yachi, Kiyoko, Ukai, Takeda

Sawamura Daichi

He takes on a senior/ manager role, has plenty of experience under his belt.

Makes small talk with the customer

Knows the regulars by names

Assigns shifts

Trains the rest of the staffs and is fairly good at all the roles

Covers whoever who can't make it

Used to give his siblings haircuts while they were growing up

I feel like he'd be open to going around to elderly homes and giving them free haircuts

Man's a guy who serves the community!!

Sugawara Koushi

He is so loved by all grandmamas and children.

Man can butter up ANYONE

and he lays it on thick

He's respectful, cheerful, and a good yapper

Children thinks he's kind and friendly

Generally pleasant guy

Will bribe children with candy so they stay still

Azumane Asahi

He knows the way he looks may scare kiddos away, so he uses his long hair to his advantage and styles it with lil' butterfly clips, pigtails and other accessories.

Has won a couple of hairdressing awards

Mostly the go-to person for more experimental styles

Has contacts in the modelling and fashion department which brings in a ton of money for the salon

The less shy children would go up to him and demands he lifts them like a lil' plane

He will never say no

Man makes a mean matcha though

Shimizu Kiyoko

Handles the makeup and photography should anyone come in with needs for bridal makeup services and other events.

Works closely with Asahi

Sometimes, they'll be out in the city together for side quests

She's a woman of many talents so pre-booking required!!!

Has a popular Instagram account dedicated to the bridal looks, mostly spread through word-of-mouth

Ennoshita Chikara

The hair salon prides themselves on incredible service as how they were trained under Ukai Sr.. So expect a nice lil drink while getting your next hairdo. The person behind the delicious coffee? Ennoshita.

Personally handles the coffee stock and orders

Has a good working relationship with the roasteries in town

Ensures each cup of coffee will brighten up your day

Does some cute doodles sometimes on the cups

WILL NOT GIVE OUT PHONE NUMBERS!! MAN'S KEEPING IT PROFESSIONAL

Cakes and other drinks are served too

Kinoshita Hisashi

Don't tell me this guy isn't the biggest gossip in this place. He easily encourages his customers to talk more, and is good at giving advice and reacting in an affirming way.

Him and Suga is always on top with the neighbourhood tea

He isn't a snitch but will act dumb about the drama

Narita Kazuhito

He plays a regular hairstylist role but helps out with Kageyama at the hairwashing station on busier days.

Has an adaptable personality so Daichi pairs him with new customers to have a feel for their personality

Tanaka Ryuunosuke

What many don't know about him is that he is a rather creative and artistic guy.

Paints nails and does incredible nail art

Can get eerily focused unlike his usual loud self

Practices new skills on Kiyoko (HIS WIFE!!)

Kiyoko ofc gets compliments and directs them to her incredible husband

And he recommends his WIFE'S makeup and photography services

SUCH A COUPLE

BUSINESS IS BOOMING

BIG MONEY BIG MONEY

Will also rock some sick nail designs, man does not care

The team also enjoy getting their nails done by him

Hinata's down for whatever's brightly coloured and funky

Kageyama doesn't do colour but does a clear coat

The team usually play with colours and designs but no rhinestones for them since it can get in the way

Nishinoya Yuu

When you need a dye job, he's the man.

Gets very excited when someone needs his services

Will talk you through the process, how to care for your new hair, and recommends the right shade for your skin etc

Does a very thorough job in explaining it all

Has a little steppy stool

I feel like he will change that dyed part of his hair quite often. Different colours. Same part. It's kinda funny.

Is very patient throughout the process

Will send a complimentary cake your way as a thank you for the many hours it takes

Hinata Shouyou

Makes light conversation with the regulars when he gives them a haircut.

Daichi also sends new customers his way since Hinata has a certain knack of interpreting someone's requests

Loves it when customers give him free reign

Usually uses that opportunity to film those blind pick challenges

Nails it usually

Kageyama Tobio

King of scalp massages

Gives a killer scalp massage

And a neck massage

Is very attentive to his customers and will always ask if the pressure is too hard or too soft

Instantly relaxing

Plays an assistant role to Noya, incredible eye for colour mixing

Approaches every task with dedication.

Man's also turning to Asahi for advice on creating the next big look

Star employee!! Despite being a little socially stunted

Is working on that though!!

Yamaguchi Tadashi

Apprentice under Ennoshita and handles social media with Yachi

Appears in their TikToks

Likes making different latte art designs. His current go to is a bear since it appeals to everyone. The peacock is a challenge though.

Brainstorms a lot of the content ideas with Yachi, but he's usually the face of it

Has a strong online presence though despite being a little shy in real life

Occasionally, he goes to Suga to ask for tips and learns from him. Suga's more than willing to share his knowledge!

Tsukishima Kei

I see him as taking this only as a part-time job though just for the money.

I see him working together with Daichi to go around giving free haircut to the community centres

He's being paid for it and that's fine by him

It's not the ideal part-time job but it's near his college, pays decently and fits his schedule

His best friend works there and enjoys it, so that's a little bit of a bonus too

I can imagine his brother being the type to be quite fond of caring for the community, so it rubs off on him a bit too

Daichi is understanding of his frank personality. In the end, it really is just a job so no big deal.

Yachi Hitoka

Handles marketing and social media.

It started as a kind deed to help the small business grow but ended up liking the team and stayed on.

Is definitely why they're blowing up online

Usually films the TikToks but plans the content with Yamaguchi

Very on trend, very quick on trends

Also knows who what the people want to see

Ukai Kenshin

Runs his mother's store but spreads the word about the hair salon.

His grandfather started hair salon, and when his dad married, his dad didn't realise that tending to the farm would be incredibly demanding and it was impossible to hold on to both businesses.

The hair salon went to his uncle for a while until he fell ill.

Somehow it fell into the hands of the Takeda family.

Completely entrusts it to the new team to run it.

Is very fond of the new team.

Takeda Ittetsu

He grew up going to the hair salon.

His grandfather used to hang out there with Ukai Sr. all the time.

They'd sit outside and have a smoke, next to lil Takeda who would be doing his homework.

Has many good memories with his grandfather at that hair salon.

So when it was struggling, he struck a deal to run it instead.

Now he's out building opportunities for them, getting them signed on with new businesses and partnerships.

He has a meeting with Shiseido next week.

[randomthefox]

Like on the whole, men are actually extremely easy to manipulate

All you have to do is be nice to them and make them feel happy.

You can do basically whatever you want to a man and get him to do whatever you want as long as you're nice to them and make them feel happy.

Step one to being nice to men and making them feel happy: cook them food.

Men are, like, biologically programmed to respond positively to this. If you make your man a meal, especially unprompted, they will be over the fucking moon about it.

Step two: compliments. Frequent compliments.

Honestly this isn't even a men thing, it's just a people thing lol. Tell someone they look very handsome or beautiful. All the time. Laugh and say how funny they are whenever they make a joke. Tell them how good they make you feel whenever they're around. Stuff like that.

Just never stop complimenting them.

In terms of making people happy, this one pulls so much weight.

Step three: gifts. THOUGHTFUL gifts.

Gifts that either took effort to create like something handmade, or something that demonstrates you were thinking of them during the day, or something that shows you know and pay attention to their interests.

Men fucking love getting presents. Little treats like homemade cookies can also count as this and also the first step btw.

Step four: physical affection (with appropriate timing)

Especially if you're a woman, this will get men wrapped around your little finger.

Hug them. Pet them. Smooch them. Love them with your body.

However men are like cats and too much will overstimulate, so know when to stop

Step five: leave them the fuck alone

Men will not communicate this verbally but there are times when they just don't want to deal with you or anyone or anything else right now. Understand the social cues they are providing and give them their space. Don't impose. Wait for them to become receptive again. Be patient.

There's also a step 6 but it's a bit more advanced and high difficulty because there's a wrong way to do it

Step 6 is asking men for help with something.

Now if you do this wrong it won't work. If you just go "honey go bring the trash cans in" that's not gonna make him happy.

If you ask like that they're just gonna do it hoping to avoid a lecture cuz they think they'll get a lecture if they don't.

You need to frame it correctly. Say it like

"Honey these are really heavy, would you mind carrying them in for me?"

"Honey my mom is flying in but I don't have time to pick her up, would you be able to do that for me?"

Ask them like that and it'll make them feel like they're useful for having done it.

Follow this up with compliments for positive reinforcement after they're done.

Follow these basic steps and you too can make a man happy. Their face will brighten up as soon as they see you.

And then you can basically do whatever you want to 'em. You REALLY have to start fucking the dog to get a man to want to break things off after that point.

[moon7jay]

If you have someone in your life, it can be either online or offline, who you think is beautiful, pretty, kind, funny, comforting, anything, and you haven't ever told them that, then you should. cuz most of the time, the things that we think are obvious to other people are actually not obvious at all. And these people need to hear it the most because no one in their life has ever told them these things about them before. even if it's something obvious, just say it. cuz you don't know how many people might have held back just like you, cuz they thought that the compliment was obvious.

It's sad to think about actually because so many people are living their lives in a miserable monotone, not knowing that they brighten someone's day or someone out there actually looks forward to seeing them or how safe they make someone feel and they'll probably fade out of life just like that yk? Not knowing.

ranting because I remembered this one time I told my old physics professor she had really pretty and comforting eyes that's why it was easy for me to approach her with my problems and THIS WOMAN. This woman was so taken aback she got teary eyed and I didn't know what to do so I excused myself awkwardly but I think that encounter will stick with me forever. Mind you she was a widow and very old and didn't have any children so to think that no one had ever told this woman in her entire life how pretty her eyes were?? Baffling and heart breaking.

[cringecannon]

Post Tadpole'd Durge seems to brighten up so much after meeting this stranger (IE, remeeting their little assassin) and gets the gang to make them join the party by implying they help Durge's memory. Surely it's the least that can do to aid the Grove's savior! It's okay if there's not enough tents, they can share :)

The amnesia appeared real. They almost seemed sheepish. I don't mean to intrude, they'd said politely. Do I know you?

Know you? Bile rises in your throat as memories flash through your mind. They know you better than anyone. The taste of your flesh, your blood, the way your skin splits under their blade. Every scar, every mark, every pathetic, traumatic noise that could be drawn from your suffering.

You hadn't even noticed that your eyes had glazed over until they managed to catch your attention again. Concern is a strange look on them. You smile when they ask if you're alright. It's strained, forced. Too wide. You apologize. Once, yes. You knew them once. Acquaintances, nothing more. Their pale companion scrutinizes you behind them. You pray your nerves won't betray you.

The lie works. Their sudden look of excitement sends a bolt of fear through your spine. You are a godssend, they gush. Finally, someone who can shed some light on their situation. You'll be at the party, yes? You can talk more at camp.

With the Grove saved, you find yourself in an unfavorable position. You refused to go back to the city with the tieflings. Regardless, now that they knew where you were you couldn't stay here with the druids. You can't risk them looking for you, and if you don't show to the party odds are someone will see which direction you went and rat you out.

So you show. You stay to yourself, making polite conversation until the time is right. The festivities make a decent enough cover, but you feel eyes on you wherever you go. Multiple times you have to remind yourself to breathe and calm your nerves. When everyone is distracted, you'll make your move. You'll run into the woods, and run until they'll never be able to find you again.

That was the plan, anyway. You creep through the darkness, all too aware of an echo to your footsteps that should not be there. You anticipate the ambush and swing around, the point of your dagger pressed to the lean neck of their pale companion. Red eyes narrow dangerously, his own weapon pointed at your stomach. It's rude to leave without so much as a goodbye, he purrs. You don't humor the man with a response, instead giving him a warning. Leave now, and he can walk back into his camp with all his entrails still on the inside.

He moves closer, and you take a step back. There's a gleam of malice in his eye as he sneers. All bark and no bite. What do they see in you? You falter, gritting your teeth as your hands start to shake. He wastes no time and pounces on the opportunity. A cold hand finds your wrist, pulling your blade away from his vitals. The elf leans in close, eyes boring into yours as he makes a proposition.

You can leave. Run into the woods, try your luck. Hells, you could even kill him while you're at it. No witnesses. They will find you though. He doubts they'd be very pleased to find one of their allies dead.

On the other hand, you could come back to camp and he'd be more than happy to pretend this little incident never happened. Water under the bridge. He doesn't understand how yet, but clearly they think you may be useful. You may be able to shed some light on this situation, and he'll be damned if he lets such a pretty little opportunity go to waste. To him, the choice is obvious.

On the walk back to the party, you feel sick. Their face lights up when they lock eyes with you. The elf squeezes your wrist, thin fingers digging into your skin. The message is clear. Be good, play along. He stalks back to his tent and you glower at his back as your master leads you somewhere to talk. They've thought about this all day. They just can't wait to catch up.

[youcouldstartacult]

Got the urge to listen to Mirrors live earlier (love the high note he's added and the sort of fake out ending they do) and it got me thinking, so much of Niall's music is about connection. I mean there's the obvious romantic connection songs but even in non love songs like Mirrors, with the "you're beautiful have you ever been told" moment of connection between two strangers that brighten one of them's day, or in Meltdown where someone is having a crisis but someone else is telling them they'll be there to support them. And like, I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this, but as someone who has struggled with things and often felt quite isolated because of that, it really gets me you know, this emphasis of connection and reassurance that you're never actually as alone in the world as you think you are. Like I said, I don't really have a point here but I just think it's neat and I appreciate it a lot lol

i’m sorry i’m just seeing this! but yes! i think niall is very intentional about his music and he definitely knows his audience is mainly young women, so i think his decisions to write so many songs lifting people up, and refusing to put any physical descriptors about the subjects of his songs is so important and rarely seen nowadays.

he always talks about how he wants his music to be relatable to as many people as possible and i think the connection you have and so many of us do to his music is all that he ever wanted to accomplish at the end of the day :’)

this was so sweet and i feel the same way

[foundtherightwords]

The Quiet Chaos - Chapter 6

Pairing: Billy Knight (Lethal White/Strike) x OFC

Summary: After a bad breakup throws her carefully-planned life into disarray, Esme has sworn off dating forever. However, when she forms an unexpected connection with a young man named Billy, who's dealing with his own struggles, Esme is forced to face the truth: sometimes you can't plan for love.  

Warnings: mental health issues, angst, slow-burn, developing relationship, dysfunctional family, some violence (non-graphic), some smut (non-explicit)

Chapter warnings: discussion of parental neglect/parentification

Chapter word count: 4.1k

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5

Chapter 6 - Christmas

As Esme had predicted, her parents didn't care about Billy's condition at all. But then again, she had never worried about that. If anything, her worries were the opposite—that her parents would be too nice to Billy and smother him with their affection. On Christmas Eve, she called them again to run through a list of do's and don'ts that she'd compiled.

"Please don't whisper around him, that'll make him paranoid. And don't shout either. I know you can get very loud when you're excited, Dad. Oh, you do. Please just remember to tone it down a bit. And please, please, Mum, don't ask him a million questions, and if he doesn't want to say something, please don't make up an answer for him. Don't make up stories about him or put him into one of your books."

Mum took offense at that. "Darling, when I do put someone into my book, I only use them as inspiration, you know that!" she said. "They never recognize themselves."

Yeah, like I didn't recognize myself, thought Esme bitterly, but she only said, "I'd know, alright? He's had a very tough life, he's not a source of inspiration for you."

"All right, Esme, we'll be on our best behavior," Dad assured her.

"And please do a normal Christmas dinner for once. None of your weird foods or experimental cuisine."

"We promise."

But Esme still didn't quite believe that they would keep their promise. It wasn't that they were malicious or deceptive, they were just terribly scatterbrained and it would slip their minds. So just to be on the safe side, she made a Christmas pudding with some brandy butter and brought it along. She was determined to give Billy a proper taste of Christmas, even if her parents fell through.

She had also told Billy that if he wasn't feeling up to it, he could change his mind about the visit or leave early. But he seemed quite calm when they met at the train station—calmer than Esme herself, at any rate. He only showed a bit of nervousness when he held out a package. "I know you said I don't have to bring presents," he said. "But I made these. Are they OK?"

It was a set of wooden cooking spoons, their handles carved with leafy vines and flowers, almost Art Nouveau in style. Just the day before, when he dropped by the clinic, Billy had given her a similar present—only hers were six measuring cups, and carved with what was easily recognizable was Angua and her five pups. They were almost too cute to be used.

"Oh, Billy, these are beautiful," she exclaimed over the spoons. "They'll love it. But—"

"What?"

"My parents don't really cook." That wasn't entirely true. "And when they do, they wouldn't use fancy spoons such as these." That part was true. Dad, the cook in the family, was the type who viewed recipes as more of a guideline, and to him, anything could be used as a kitchen utensil if you were determined enough. But Billy looked so crestfallen that Esme's soft heart took over. "You can still give them those though. They're so beautiful, my parents will probably put them on display or something." 

His face brightened up. "You sure?"

"Of course!"

As they got off the train at Rochester, Esme saw a familiar figure waiting outside the station by her parents' old car. "That's my sister, Sybil," she said to Billy.

"Photographer, lives in Edinburgh, right?"

Esme nodded, just as Sybil ran up to her and wrapped her in a bear hug. "Hiya, big sis!" She bent down to Angua. "And this must be Angua! Let's see if we can find her a Carrot, yeah?" Sybil was the one blessed with looks in the family. Esme's soft and rounded profile made her look meek and sometimes dumpy, as she was wont to describe herself, while Sybil was all sharp angles and delicate, elfin features, made all the more striking by her short black hair. But as the sister closest to Esme in age—only two years younger—she was also the closest Esme had to an ally in the family.

Esme introduced Billy. Sybil shook his hand, then whispered loudly to Esme, "He's cute, sis!"

"You have a girlfriend, Sibby," Esme chided, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I'm allowed to appreciate beauty, am I not?"

"Don't mind her," Esme told Billy, who was looking like his whole face was on fire. "She's a terrible flirt."

On the drive from the station to their parents' house, Sybil insisted on making a detour to show Billy some of the sights. "That's where Charles Dickens used to live," she would say, or "That's the house used as the model for Miss Havisham's house in Great Expectations." Meanwhile, Esme became more and more aware of a permeating stink in the car, a nauseating mix of manure and decaying flesh. By the crinkle of his nose, she was sure Billy had noticed it as well but was too polite to say anything. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and asked, "Sibby, what's that smell?"

"What smell?" Sybil replied. "Oh, in the car? That'll be the lamb."

For a second, Esme thought it was her younger siblings' stupid idea of a prank. "What lamb?"

"The lamb for our dinner." Sybil chuckled to herself. "So Dad saw this chap on TV making this thing called '24-hour lamb', right, and he wanted to recreate it, so yesterday he and I went to pick up a freshly slaughtered lamb from some lady he knows who has a farm. Had to drive all the way down to Lydd too."

Esme exchanged a look with Billy and groaned inwardly. Either her dad had forgotten his promise to do a "normal" dinner, or this was his idea of normal. She didn't know which was worse.

"What on earth is a '24-hour lamb'?" Billy chimed in.

"You dig a hole in the ground, start a fire in there, put some damp straw on top, then you put a lamb in and cover it up and leave it there for 24 hours," said Sybil, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Supposedly the meat will just fall off the bones."

Billy turned to Esme with a raise of his eyebrow, either of curiosity or concern, but Esme only shook her head hopelessly. "Don't get your hopes up," she told him. "Knowing my dad, you'll be too busy picking bits of straw and dirt out of it to enjoy it. That is if it's even edible."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Sybil said over her shoulder. "It'll turn out fine."

Esme wanted to point out the many times Dad's experiments had, in fact, not turned out fine, but she knew she was fighting a losing battle and had no choice but to resign to what fate, or rather, her family had in store for her.

***

Finally, they arrived at the cottage that Esme's parents had chosen to settle down in seventeen years ago, a low, rambling building with a sagging roof and whitewashed brick walls that were usually hidden under a curtain of clematis and wisteria in the summer, and even now, still retained a certain romantic air thanks to a web of skeletal vines. A sprawling garden surrounded it.

Sybil parked the car out front and they all went in. The front door was pushed open with some difficulty, and it soon became clear why—jackets and scarves and wellies and umbrellas were piled up in a corner of the front hall, just behind the door, nearly obscuring the floor tiles. Esme was appalled to see Sybil casually kick the pile to the side before adding her own jacket and scarf to it. With a sigh, Esme picked the pile up and tried to sort it out, but there was no place to put the clothes except for a long dresser, and this was already covered in mail. She attempted to clear off the letters and flyers and parcels, but her hands were full of clothes.

"Oh, Esme, get off it," Sybil said, not turning around. "You know that once you leave, it'll just get messy again."

Billy stepped in. "Here," he said, putting the post into a tottering stack, leaving some room on top of the dresser for Esme to put the clothes down into a vague semblance of order. She gave him a grateful smile.

The house seemed deserted, but they could hear excited voices from the back. "They must be in the garden, digging up the lamb," Sybil said.

While they followed her through the house, Billy grabbed Esme's hand and whispered, "Relax." She nodded uncertainly.

The back garden was as unkempt as the rest of the house. For some, the place might look picturesque, with the bare tree limbs and raggedy bramble bushes forming a perfectly muted background for the bright red and orange of the holly and firethorn berries, but for Esme, it just brought back memories of getting scratched by stray branches and fending off the bugs that bred like mad under the cover of the thickets. The only place that looked like it had some attention was the shed at the bottom of the garden, where her dad did his glassblowing.

Four people were gathered in front of the shed, looking intently at something on the ground and arguing amongst themselves. "I'm telling you, Dad, it's not ready yet!" This was Tiffany, shaking her head of bright magenta hair.

Sam and Dad were both waving their long, gangly arms in front of her, looking like two windmills in dispute. "But it's called 24-hour lamb, and it's been 24 hours!" Dad said.

"Yeah, it may be burned, Tiff!" Sam always took Dad's side in every argument.

Mum looked up and saw Sybil striding toward them, with Esme and Billy trailing behind. Her face broke into a smile, and she ran to them with her arms wide open. Before anyone could open their mouth, Mum had engulfed first Esme, then Billy in a tight hug. Only after she'd let a startled Billy go that she seemed to remember herself. "Oh I'm so sorry," she said. "I should've asked if you'd like a hug first, shouldn't I?"

"No, it's alright," Billy managed to say. "Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Pendergast."

"Please, call me Ivy. It's lovely to meet you too, Billy. Hello, you," this was to Esme, along with a pinch of her cheek.

"Hi, Mum." Out of all the kids, Esme was the one that resembled their mum the most, at least in terms of their physical traits—the same dark hair and hazel eyes, the same soft features—and yet the way they carried themselves was so different that most people didn't pick up on their resemblance right away. Mum filled every space she was in with big, exuberant gestures, and even her hair was always loose, flying all over the place, while Esme always hung back, kept still, trying to make herself smaller and unnoticed, her hair in a neat, tight French braid.

She introduced her dad, Tiffany, and Sam. Their greetings were no less enthusiastic than Mum's, but Esme was glad when they didn't heap their attention on Billy, instead turning toward the mound of dirt on the ground. "Ever had salt-marsh lamb, Billy?" Dad asked. "Sorry, do you eat meat? I forgot to check with Esme."

"I still don't think it's ready," Tiffany said.

"But I'm hungry," whined Sam.

"Esme brought a pudding," Sybil said. "Eat that if you can't wait."

"No!" Esme shouted. "That's for later!"

She recognized in Billy the nonplussed but amused look people often had when they met her family for the first time, as he answered Dad, "Um, yes. No. I mean, I do eat meat, but I've never had salt-marsh lamb."

"Great! This will be your first taste then! Sam, fetch me the spade."

Under six pairs of watchful eyes, seven if you count Angua, Dad uncovered the mound of dirt with the solemn air of one of the Sutton Hoo excavators. Esme expected a plume of smoke, a cloud of steam, or the smell of cooking meat, to come out, but there was nothing, except for the smell of dirt and that stink she'd smelled in the car, getting stronger and stronger the further down the spade went. Dad, however, didn't seem to notice anything wrong.

"Aha!" he exclaimed triumphantly as he unearthed a blackened lump in the shape of... yes, the shape of a whole lamb. Billy turned away, his face turning a worrying shade of green.

"That looks... that looks raw, Dad," Sam said, as Dad scraped away some of the soot and ashes and opened the piece of burlap wrapped around the lamb.

"How can it be raw?!" Dad roared.

But if the smell was any indication, the lamb was indeed raw. And, to further drive home the point, Angua took an appreciative sniff and bounded forward, ready to sink her teeth into the haunch of raw sheep. "Angua, no!!!" Esme shouted and pulled her back, just in time.

She looked around at her family. Mum was shaking her head. Dad was red-faced and scraping in vain at the hole, trying to figure out where it had gone wrong. Her younger siblings were trying to suppress laughter, but a narrow glance from Esme sobered them up. Billy was still looking queasy. Her heart sank. He probably thinks we're all a bunch of ghouls.

"Dad, leave it," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "Mum, what are we going to do for dinner? Do we have anything else in the house?"

A panicked look crossed Mum's face, as if someone had just asked her to recite the first 100 digits of pi from memory.

"Are you telling me that this—lamb—was going to be our entire dinner?" Esme felt close to tears. "No sides, nothing?" But nobody was listening to her.

"It's the damned straw!" Dad shouted. "It's wet! I told you it was supposed to be damp, not wet!"

"Back in medieval times, people would've been glad for all this meat," Tiffany, who was studying history at Cambridge, said. "They wouldn't need side dishes."

"We—are—not—medieval—people!" Esme said through gritted teeth.

"Relax, Esme. It's fine," Sybil said.

"Hey, maybe we can put it in Dad's kiln!" Sam piped up. "That ought to cook it, right?"

Esme buried her face in her hands.

***

And so for Billy's first Christmas dinner with Esme's family, which took place on Boxing Day, they ended up eating Chinese takeaway before finishing with Esme's Christmas pudding, which had gone a little stale and had to be fried up in some butter, but that was actually quite delicious, so it was all right.

Still, the slight irritation Esme had felt the moment she arrived home and saw the messy front hall refused to go away. It wasn't directed at anyone in particular, just a general annoyance when the two parts of her life collided and she couldn't decide which part she belonged to, the sensible, practical one in London, or the chaotic but charming one in Kent.

The one thing that cheered her up was that Billy took it all in his strides. While waiting for Sybil to bring back the food, they lounged around the kitchen for a bit of a chat, and the inevitable question of how the two of them had met came up.

"Billy brought Angua into the clinic—" Esme began.

"Then we found her pups under a bridge," Billy followed. "We didn't meet a troll though, despite my name," he quickly added.

Everybody laughed, and Esme turned to Billy with a surprised grin. He grinned back. He must be feeling quite relaxed to be making jokes like that. Perhaps this would turn out well after all.

Once they sat down to eat (another oddity in the Pendergast household, which had no set mealtimes), Billy gave her mum the spoons, apologizing for not wrapping them nicely. Everybody oohed and aahed over them, and Dad started asking Billy all sorts of questions about woodworking, which Billy didn't seem to mind talking about. In fact, he was looking quite at home, though from time to time, he would take Esme's hand or touch his knee to her leg, either to assure her that everything was fine, or to assure himself that she was still there.

When the conversation turned to childhood, Esme started feeling a bit nervous. Mum was telling Billy about how the kids had all shown their aptitudes from a very early age—Sybil snapping away with the Polaroid camera she found at a flea market when she was five, Tiffany insisting on stopping at every historical site they came across while driving around in the camper van, and Sam going to bed as a baby with a paintbrush in his fist. "And Esme was always bringing home little injured things, of course," Mum said. "I still remember the first time. It was a worm that she accidentally cut in half while playing in the dirt. She was in tears for days after."

"I didn't know if it grew back or not, alright?" Esme said to Billy, defensive. "I thought I'd killed it. Not all worms can grow back, you know."

"What about you, Billy?" Dad said. "I bet you were the same as a kid, always tinkering around with chisel and things, right?"

Esme closed her eyes briefly. I've told them a million times, don't ask him about his life! She was trying to think of something to change the subject, but to her surprise, Billy was answering, calmly, "I suppose so. I used to carve the Uffington White Horse on little pendants for my dad, to sell in shops." His hand was clenched around hers under the table, but he gave her a brief smile to say it was all right.

Mum suddenly asked, "How come you're not wearing your White Horse necklace, Esme? I thought you loved it."

Esme hadn't worn the necklace since she and Billy started seeing each other, and she'd completely forgotten about it. "The silver's a bit tarnished, so I want to have it cleaned," she lied, ignoring Billy's questioning look.

Her answer seemed to satisfy Mum. They talked about the White Horse a bit, and then, to Esme's immense relief, the conversation veered toward prehistoric hill figures in general, and nothing more was said about horses or childhood.

It was only when they were on the late train back to London and Esme saw Billy almost visibly sag down in the seat that she realized how hard he'd tried to mask his anxiety during the visit. "You didn't have to put so much pressure on yourself," she said. "My parents really like you."

Probably even more than me, an unkind thought flitted through her mind, before she could stamp it down. Oh, she knew her parents loved her, albeit in a general, abstract way. But like? They didn't like her much. They tried to hide it, but Esme could always tell, even as a child. Kids can pick up on that kind of thing. She was too serious, too rigid for them. Well, they shouldn't have named me after a certain stern old witch then...

"Are you mad at me for giving them the spoons?" Billy asked.

"What? No! I told you it was fine."

"Then what is it?"

Was her irritation that noticeable? Esme knew that if she tried to change the subject, Billy would brood over it and become convinced that it was his fault somehow, so she spoke the truth. "It's not you. It's my parents. They always get on my nerves."

"So they're a bit absent-minded. It's not the end of the world."

"Try growing up with them, never knowing what you're going to eat, because they forget to prepare a meal, and you'll be having chocolate cake for dinner." In her anger, Esme had forgotten her self-imposed rule of not whinging about her parents to Billy. "Sibby and I constantly got into trouble at school because they kept forgetting Parents' Evening. When Tiff and Sam started school, I had to be the one that reminded them. I had to be strict with my siblings, so our parents could be fun. Sibby understood a bit of that, but Tiff and Sam never did. And all of my friends were always banging on about how they wished their parents were as cool as mine—"

"They still love you. They're still nice people."

Esme retorted, "You're just saying that because they're not your parents." Next to her, Billy flinched, almost imperceptibly—she felt it, rather than saw it, a slight stiffening of his shoulder, a tiny shift of his body away from her, and realized how cruel she'd sounded. "I'm sorry."

"No, 's alright." Billy gave her hand an awkward pat. "Just because I have a shit childhood doesn't mean you can't tell me about yours. We're not competing to see who has a shittier childhood, are we?"

"But I don't want to burden you with all this..."

"Is that why you stop wearing your necklace too, because you don't want to burden me?"

She was shocked at his accusing tone. "No! I just thought—I'm just being considerate..."

"What, you think I'm so fragile that I can't even look at a necklace?"

She didn't know how to respond to that. Billy was watching her intently, but when she didn't answer, when she couldn't even look at him, he turned toward the window and kept his eyes fixed on the glass, though there was nothing to see but darkness, broken by pockets of light from some village or town. They remained silent for the rest of the ride.

***

Esme decided to accompany Billy from the station back to his flat, hoping the walk would erase the strange tension between them, although this meant she would have to take the bus home. Billy just shrugged and said "Whatever you want," which she took as a bad sign. Silence thickened between them, heavy and sullen. More than once, Esme tried to say something to break it, but her mind was drawing a blank. Talking about it would make him feel bad, but not talking about it would confirm his accusation. So they just walked, Billy with his shoulder hunched, avoiding her eyes, while Angua scampered between them, looking from one person to another as if to ask what was wrong.

They had almost reached Billy's flat and the turn for the bus stop, where Esme planned to say goodbye, when Billy stopped so abruptly that she nearly walked into him.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"I don't remember leaving the lights on," Billy said. Both windows of his flat were indeed ablaze with light.

They approached slowly. The front door was closed but not locked. Esme's slight concern edged into panic. "Do you want me to call the police?" she asked, digging her phone out of her bag.

Billy shook his head, but his hand trembled as he pushed the door open, and he looked frightened, like a—like a lamb being led into slaughter, thought Esme. It was a silly idea, but it stuck, perhaps because her dad's horrible cooking experiment was still fresh in her mind. Yes, Billy didn't look like he was afraid because he didn't know what was behind the door. He was afraid because he knew exactly what was behind it.

And what was behind it was a man. A man, sprawled on the sofa and stuffing his face with the pigs in blankets Esme had made for Billy the other day in lieu of a proper Christmas dinner. He looked to be in his late thirties, with close-cropped hair, a square jaw, heavy stubble, and muscular, tattooed arms accentuated by his wrinkled T-shirt. Angua growled.

The other man's eyes, of a lighter brown than Billy's, turned to them, regarding them coldly.

"There you are, Billy. Thought I'd missed you," he said. "A family reunion at Christmas. Isn't it nice?"

Billy seemed to shrink in front of those malevolent eyes.

"H-hello, Jimmy," he said.

Chapter 7

A/N: I totally stole the lamb story from Joe Thomas's insane episode of the Off Menu podcast. If you haven't listened to Off Menu (or have only listened to Joe Quinn's episode), I highly recommend it.

Also, some spiciness is coming next chapter (properly this time, not like the embarrassing scene in Chapter 5!)

Taglist: @quinnypixie, @accidentalslag, @etherealglimmer

[salchat]

I just wanna say that your art is absolutely beautiful. The moment I come across it my day brightens and it just makes me so happy. Its gorgeous.

I send my love and hope only the best for you. (Hope the chemo is going well. I don't know too much right now but im learning about it!)

❤️

Thank you. That really means a lot. It means more than I can say actually, because there's so much darkness in my life at the moment that being able to brighten someone else's day even through my own troubles says a lot about how life works - that it's not black or white or even one shade of grey at a time, but a marbled mix of every shade and colour. And it's always worth living.

Chemo is actually not going well. I mean, I have no idea whether it's actually doing anything in terms of fighting the cancer - I get to find that out next week, I think. But it's been pretty hellish in terms of symptoms so far - crippling headaches and dragging exhaustion and hopelessness like I've never known before, not to put too fine a point on it.

However, I want to say that chemo isn't always like that and anyone facing it shouldn't think they're necessarily going to have a really awful time.

I had one of the notoriously bad types a few years ago and, yes there were a few bad days and it had its negative effects, but mostly I just got on with my life and was as silly and happy as ever and that was the time I started writing fanfic and I was filled with the joy that that brought.

And I'm still hopeful that I can be the same on this type - I'm going to get them to give me a lower dose and ask what else I can do to minimise symptoms and maybe if no more cancer pops up and it shrinks or stays the same, maybe they'll do the microwaving thing again, which was just so straightforward and then you get to pretend it's all gone, never to return...

That's probably more information than you wanted. Oh well. I'm really glad you like my art and it's a positive thing in the world.

[astraystayyh]

OMGGG HII AGAIN I MISSED YOU

(I will not apologize on my knees with tears u caused me to be unbelievably soft for Hyunjin and now u must suffer the consequences of my overactive imagination but seriously ☹️☹️☹️☹️ him painting on u oml I love him)

I WISH I HAD QUESTIONS FOR U LOL I DONT I JUST WANTED TO SAY ILY LOTS 🫶 and also your latest fic will never let me see an orange the same way again 🥲 I want someone to peel my oranges now (I actually don’t know how to peel an orange 💀)

ok actually one tiny question hehe. I love how u see the members sooooo what’s like one thing u would say u love about Hyune? Yes essays r allowed I wanna hear them all :3 just how would u describe him to someone that has zero idea who he is! Ur fics always make me see the members in different lights and I just wanna see how ur brain sees them in general hehe

-💫

AKDJDJJDJD the consequences of my own actions...... (never complaining i LOVE ur scenarios) & ILY TOOOO,, manifesting someone to peel oranges for uuuuu U DESERVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now for ur hyune question wow the deep breath i had to take. u said essays are allowed so. U BROUGHT THIS UPON URSELF

okay if i were to describe hyunjin to someone who doesn't know him I'd say he's brave. I've always believed that it takes immense courage to feel in a world that vilifies you for it. real strength is when you keep on feeling, loving, trusting, even after being hurt, because those are the emotions that make us humans at the end of the day, and to open your heart again, to not give up on seeing the good qualities in people even after being disappointed takes a lot of strength.

it's so easy to hate, to close your heart off because there is nothing to lose in hate, or indifference, you know? but there is so much to lose in love.. sometimes you leave parts of yourself in other's people's lives that you won't be able to recover, since loving someone, whether romantically or platonically, is to blindly hand your soul to them, not knowing if they'll treat it with care or toy with it.

but for hyunjin the risk is worth it. hyunjin saying that he trusts easily, gets hurts easily, but repeats again because isn't that what life is about. hyunjin saying that he always tries to look for warmth in people even after being hurt. hyunjin saying that he doesn't love someone hoping for a good outcome, he doesn't love someone because he knows he won't be hurt but because they're lovable. hyunjin who's still so open about love, who still regards it in a pure manner, who thinks it is the very center of our world, who views the feeling under a good light despite being disappointed. all of these things take so much courage.. that's why i said he's brave

but also since we're on the same topic, and u said essays are allowed AKDJDJ i'd say he's the embodiment of hope, the way he views our world, the way he talks, the way he reassures stays. he feels like sunlight spilling between tree leaves, not fully there to brighten the forest, but enough to infuse you with hope to keep going, to keep seeking the way out of darkness. "there will be an end to the sadness too even if you don't end it" (this one stuck with me because someday you wake up and you haven't really done anything new but suddenly breathing feels easier and you swear you're okay again) "you have to find happiness in your daily life, because if you look for it in ideals then it will become an untainable illusion" like his words aren't like u will be happy always!!!!!! or you will quit being sad this instant!!!!! but more of, happiness will sneak up on you when you least expect it, you just have to meet it in the middle. and i find that very comforting, and hopeful.

i could keep going but i will shut up now. ur words about u loving how i see the members always make me feel very warm :')) thank you i truly love you

[lynne-monstr]

hi it's the anon who's stopping by, I hope you're doing well! I can't really say the same for myself unfortunately, I've been doing pretty badly lately. I'm starting to feel hopeless and like I've ruined my life and that's how it will always be from now on, even though objectively I know that can't be true. surely ten years from now my life will be completely different from how it is now, and I'm only in my mid twenties, I'm only getting started. but yeah although my brain knows that (sometimes), I still feel terrible... although right now I feel stuck and don't know what to do to improve my situation, hopefully things will get better, and hopefully they'll get better soon.

anyway I'm sorry for being a downer in your inbox. I did want to say thank you for your tips on making nice salads. I haven't had much of a chance to give them a try yet, but I will, and what you said about identifying what the problem is really helped me figure out why I don't like salads and potential ways to address it.

as always thank you for being such a nice and positive force on my dashboard, I always enjoy seeing your posts! I hope you have been enjoying the summer and getting to wear your summer wardrobe, I think you mentioned that last time I wrote! have a nice rest of the week!

hi there anon! i'm so sorry to hear everything is crappy right now.

I can definitely relate to experiencing that gap between knowing something and believing in it. it's a frustrating headspace to be in. i hope it's helpful rather than being annoying to hear, but I know many people who didn't start down their current life path until their 30s or 40s. you're so right about life being different in 10+ years. definitely still lots of time for good things to happen. i'm sending lots of happy thoughts your way! i hope things get better soon💙💙

and yes, I'm enjoying the summer, thanks! i love cute skirt weather and balcony weather and flip flops weather. and it's nice to be able to run outside again. i know a lot of people hate the heat but i prefer it to the freezing cold so i'm very happy right now (even if my air conditioning bill makes me want to cry).

thank you for the nice words. it's lovely to hear that my silly ramblings can help brighten someone's day. it's been a rough year and the positivity is hard-won. i'm going to keep taking it one day at a time and, until proven otherwise, will continue to assume/hope that each new day is a good one.

[dispatchwithlove]

Please tell Detective Vakarian that he is a fine specimen of hot and sexy turian and that if Jane wasn't in love with him that I would absolutely date the shit out of him. And please tell Detective Jane Shepard that she is an angel among mortals and I would date her if I didn't know that Garrus was in love with her. They just- they're so perfect and beautiful and I am in love with them both!

Also I would definitely be gay best friends with your Nihlus. He is wonderful and we would get into so many shenanigans together.

It usually takes me a long time to respond to tumblr asks or ao3 comments, but I have to say I was having a really dumb day, but I saw this and it gave me the biggest smile, and lifted a bit of heaviness from my shoulders. So, thank you Anon, for brightening my day with such a fun and lovely comment! 😊 I'm sorry to say they're very much attached to each other, and I don't think they'll ever be into a poly relationship in the detective au, so you're unfortunately out of luck. But, I'll pass along your message to them 😁 It brings me so much joy that these two nerds are so loved! I think they'd both blush if someone said such flattering things to them ❤️ As for Nihlus, I love that you want to be gay best friends with him! I think he's an excellent friend, despite being a butt most of the time, lol. He is, however, available for a poly relationship, so if you're interested there might be a spot for you! He'll get a girlfriend AND a boyfriend in the sequel to The Boy, both of which are very into shenanigans themselves. Garrus and Jane's kids will have the BEST uncles and aunt.

[cwarscars]

Unsolicited relationship headcanon time:

Rio probably reads extensively about Heidegger after their first tryst. But rather than just see him as a bullet list of accomplishments, she reads articles and listens to interviews extensively. Eventually she convinces herself that she has a good understanding of the kind of person he USED to be. She sees that he was (relatively) kind, maybe even (relatively) fair to people.

She finds a candid of him during some operation, helping a soldier who was clearly exhausted get back to camp. She knows deep down this is someone he'd easily kick in the face now. He'd step over a wounded soldier to get back to camp.

In her naivete, she convinces herself that Heid must keep fairness and kindness hidden away because his station demands it. He's just so responsible with his power! But if she does everything he asks, he'll let her experience real tenderness with him. If she can endure and show him how good she can be, then someday, she won't just be this woman whose face he presses into the expensive carpet of his office.

She has a copy of that candid saved in her phone so she can ask him about it someday.

this shit got me -

URGH, that's the good cush. i love that so goddamn much cause y'know - her analysis is right but also something that a relationship as toxic and insane as theirs perhaps has little time for. like, when she tries to pry open that past ( but TO him ) - you know his brows will narrow, his eyes will redden; to him, it'd be opening himself up to her. becoming vulnerable to her. and can he do that to her? can he let her see that side of him? his weakness?

LETS PUT IT THIS WAY; when she turns the tables on him, ABSOLUTELY.

but also this makes my brain worms squirm so hard you don't even know. please let her deadass meet the younger version of him. an alternative verse, a timewarp, that wierd whisper shit that remake has a hard-on for.

she could meet the man he was face-to-face (or face-to-ass, cause they'll fuck lol). she could meet the slightly quieter soldier, who actually gave a shit about something. who would fall head over heels for her and maybe even look after her PROPERLY.

gIVE ME GIVE ME GIVE ME.

as always, your analysis and spice brightens my day. i love them and their fucked up lil thing.