#i had been sitting on this animation for months but I’m so glad I got around to finishing it!

[withlove-xixi]

— SPENDING SPREE: sylus x reader

ᥫ cw: sugar daddy sylus .. or at least, he's trying to be ᥫ wc: 817 ★ probably not the first person to have written something like this w sylus but ... but i want him so badly ... cross posted on ao3

— IT ALL STARTED AS A TREAT.

[♡]: “here, sweetie,” he had said as he handed you his credit card, “get yourself something nice.” and you did get yourself something nice, a couple of different pastries that had gone on sale and a cold drink since it had been hot when you went out. though, sylus decides that’s far from enough.

IT STARTED OUT SMALL, REALLY SMALL. Simple things like treating you out to lunch whenever you two went out, always having your favorite snacks and drinks when you’d come over the base. Then things quickly started to escalate.

It went exactly downhill when he had simply handed you his credit card, smirking as he busied himself with paperwork and waved you off, suggesting you treat yourself to something nice when you go out to run some minor errands. And you, somewhat skeptical from his sudden show of trust, hesitantly take the card from between his fingers and tuck it safely into your wallet.

Now, Sylus has fully expected you to go all out, after all, he knew you were well-aware of his wealth and his willingness to do anything for you; no matter what you wanted, Sylus would make sure it was handed to you on a silver platter within the next five minutes. Safe to say he was a little disappointed when you had come back to the base with a bagful of assorted pastries, a half-empty drink in your hand and a satisfied smile on your face.

“Is this… that something sweet I had told you to treat yourself too…?” He asks as you sit yourself on his desk, nodding with a wide grin on your face.

“I got bread!�� You announced cheerfully, digging through the plastic bag to show off your spoils.

“You got… bread…” Sylus repeats incredulously. His hands instinctively rest on your thighs as he rolls his chair closer to you.

“They were on sale too since it was midday, so I ended up buying a lot so it’d be worth it!” You say, pulling out one of the pastries packaged in plastic with cute animals on them.

“On… sale…” He repeats again, eye twitching slightly as he stares at the marked down price tag stuck on the packaging.

“Mhm!” You hum, oblivious to your boyfriend’s annoyance. “Look, this one’s shaped like a bear—”

“This is nice and all, sweetie, but was this all you got?” He asks, caressing the skin of your thighs as you blink at him.

“Hm? Oh, no.” And for a split second Sylus is hopeful. “I got this drink too since it was hot outside.” And just like that Sylus is back to being mildly annoyed.

Honestly, some part of him told him he should’ve expected this. You were never one to spend much, be it your money or his. Sylus isn’t all that sure if it’s because there just wasn’t much you desired or if it was simply because you didn’t like spending money, but either way, every instance he’s had the chance to offer to pay for your things, to buy that bag that been sitting in your cart on a tab left open for months now, to get you that book you had been wanting to read, to take you on lavish trips to the places you had only been dreaming of going, but you’ve shut him down every time. It was always a “maybe next time, Sy” or “I’d feel bad though” or “well, yeah, the bag is cute, but I don’t really want it, it was just on sale so I added it to my cart.” Sylus had thought that maybe giving you the liberty to spend his money on your own as you please would finally get you to loosen up a bit when it came to spending, but as you pull out a loaf of milk bread from the plastic bag with a content look on your face makes him think maybe it would take a bit more than that to properly encourage you.

“Sweetie,” he calls gently, pulling your attention away from the bread and pastries you had been pulling out of the plastic and arranging neatly on his desk. “I’m glad you’re happy with what you’ve gotten, but is that really all you want? Did you not want anything else?”

You hum for a bit, thinking back to the shops you had passed by and all the things you had seen, but inevitably you shake your head, pouting slightly. “Hm, no, the bread was it.” You reply softly. “Why? Is something wrong?”

Sylus sighs softly and shakes his head. “No, nothing’s wrong, kitten. I’m… just curious. If there was anything in the world you could get, what would it be?”

“Anything?” You ask and he nods. “Without any consequences…?” You ask again and he nods a bit more enthusiastically.

Sylus lets you think for a moment, fingers tracing patterns on your thighs as you look around the room, searching for your answer. His lips twitch, ready to smile because he thinks he’s finally cracked the code.

“Well… there was a tiramisu cake at the bakery earlier…”

Maybe it wasn’t that you didn’t like spending or didn’t have much you wanted… maybe… maybe you just liked things like bread.

[meitantei-shitpost]

ENAMOURED with your amv! I just watched it like four time and slowed it down to see it frame by frame. Holy shit, your smear frames are incredible and I’m not sure how to say this but the way that you rotated the perspective so fluidly several times is just really amazing! Really really really cool animation!

(Referring to this post)

AAAAAAAAAAAA TY SO MUCH ANON!!! Literally kicking my legs and rolling around reading this, you really just made my day!

Here are my favorite fucked up Conan frames. In any frame that isn’t the main focus he just kind of devolves into some sort of creature

[thesuperiorrobin]

Damian Al Ghul was livid.

He leaves you on your own, after a month of convincing him that you’re fully capable of taking care of yourself with no help from his men, and now he’s starting to regret leaving you alone as he paces back and forth in his study, green and gold silk crumbling under his hold. Everything in the room is either pushed over or flipped. His hair is a mess from the amount of times he ran his fingers through it. His heart sank when he got a letter—a Ransom little from a long-time enemy of the Al Ghul family. They’ve taken you hostage and want something in return, and if he’s unable to meet the requirements then they’re sure your head will look pretty on their wall. The paper is ripped in shreds on the floor. The doors to his studies are slammed open and out he goes—jaw clenched and everybody fearing the dangerous aura that spills from him.

But you on the other hand hold no worries as you sit on the ground patently as you wait for your dear husband to rescue you. Locked up behind bars, Knees brought up to your chest—humming a soft tune as you feed a small mouse, that had caught your attention by squeaking at the very stale loaf of bread they have given you, you don’t hesitate, breaking it into pieces and give it to the poor starving animal. You don’t know how long it’s been since you’ve been taken, but you know it’s been more than a day. The silk on your body is torn out the bottom, and bits of dirt cling to it. You bring your hand down—palm up. And the dirty mouse climbs, settling down comfortably with bread in its hand. Legs are not straightened as you place your hand on your lap, holding the dear animal softly. A soft sigh escapes your lips, head falling back and up against the wall. “How much longer?”

You don’t know how much passes right after.

But you hear screams and gunshots.

Tried eyes bore onto the door that’s on the overside of the bars. The mouse starts to shake in your hands—you feel it as you try to calm it down by gently rubbing the top of its head with your finger. The gunshots and screams get louder—they’re getting closer and you feel your heartbeat quicken a bit.

The door is kicked open—and you jump. Green and gold catch your eyes and a smile forms on your lips. “Finally,” you say, pushing yourself up with your green hand. Damian holds a frown on his face and a worried expression. His katana is placed back in its hilt.

“I apologize for being so late—“

“Don’t apologize” you cut him off “I’m just glad you’re here”

He says nothing and hums, opening the gate that held you secure in place. His arm is outstretched to you—waiting patiently for you to grab it and you waste no time in doing so. The minute he feels your hand against his, he pulls you closer in a heartbeat. In his arms he left you up your feet in bridal position. A giggle erupts from your throat, oh how he missed that sound, and you shake your head. “I can walk Damian. I’m not hurt, I kicked their asses before they did anything” your hand is brought up to his cheek, cleaning any blood that was left behind on his skin. He leans into your soft touch as he makes his way out of the room.

“That’s my beautiful wife,” he says in a murmur that makes your heart throb.

“Enough sweet talking me, let’s hurry and head on home” You wrap your arm around his should “Me and Perla need a nice bath”

Damian takes a glance at you, eyebrow raised in confusion “Who’s Perla?” He questions.

And just as you were about to answer a soft squeak comes from his shoulder, and a white small mouse stands still. Your other hand is brought up and a finger rubs against the white fur.

“She’s our new pet!”

Adding the mouse was so random! 🎊

[ilovebubblegum]

Playing House (Joel Miller X Reader)

Pairing: no-outbreak!joel miller x f!reader

Warnings: fluff, sweet joel, domestic joel, rom-com

Summary (Series): reader as Joel’s neighbor. Joel’s wife left him so Joel asked his neighbor for help in babysitting Sarah. 

Summary: Zoo date with Joel and baby Sarah ended up in agreement to play house? What more could you ask for?

Words count: 1.7k

A/N: I’m trying to make this as a rom-com, hope you like my new series! This is part 3 of Where It All Starts. But it can also be read as a standalone. I'm beyond happy that many of you liked it so I hope you enjoy the next parts. Stay tuned and love you!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20

It had already been a month since you babysat Sarah and you got closer to Joel. You spent almost every dinner with him. You even spent your weekends with him and baby Sarah. Joel and you probably even attached to each other at this point.

“We’re going to the zoo, yayy!!” You extended your hand to the back seat hyping up Sarah who was sitting in the baby car seat. 

“You excited, babygirl?” Joel turned his head to look at Sarah before he drove.

*Sarah giggled*

“She’s definitely excited.” You laughed and looked at Joel.

“Seatbelt?” Joel reminded you.

“Right.” You grabbed the seatbelt and wore it.

“Okay. Done.” You told Joel.

“Alright. Let’s go.” Joel put his hands on the steering wheel and drove to the zoo.

At the zoo

“There’s so many people here.” You said as you cradled Sarah on your chest while waiting for Joel who was setting up the baby stroller.

“Maybe because it's the weekend?” Joel shrugged.

“Yeah.” You nodded and looked around.

“Ready?” Joel asked as he put the baby bag on his shoulder and held the baby stroller.

“She’s sleeping? Want to put her here?” Joel offered to put Sarah in the stroller.

“I’ll hold her for a while.” 

Joel went to buy the tickets while you sat on the bench with Sarah. She slept so soundly so you decided to put her in the stroller.

“You got it?” You stood up as Joel was walking towards you.

“Yep.” Joel pushed the baby stroller and walked to the entrance with you.

It had been a while since the last time you went to the zoo so you got excited. You remembered when you were a kid you went to the zoo with your parents almost every month. You loved animals so you always asked your dad to bring you to the zoo. 

“I missed this feeling.” 

“Going to the zoo?” Joel raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, I used to go to the zoo every month with my family.” You chuckled.

“Glad I asked you to come.” Joel smiled.

“Thanks, Joel. I feel like a kid again.” You stroked his muscly upper arm.

“You’re welcome.” 

*Baby Sarah babbled*

“Someone is awake.” You walked forward and crouched to see Sarah.

Joel stopped and crouched beside you. 

“Hey, babygirl. You want to see around?” He caressed Sarah’s cheek with his index finger.

*Sarah giggled*

Joel lifted Sarah from the stroller and carried her with one arm while the other arm pushed the stroller.

“Give me the bag. I’ll carry it.” You wanted to help.

“No, no. It’s heavy.” Joel refused.

“Why don’t we put it in the stroller?” You suggested.

“Oh, yeah. Right.” You took the bag from Joel’s shoulder and put it in the empty stroller.

*Saw a lion*

“There! Look sweetie, it’s a lion.” You pointed at the lion. Joel turned Sarah so she could see.

“Roaarr..” You roared and made a claw gesture to Sarah. 

She just stared at you confused. 

“She has no idea what you’re doin’.” Joel laughed. 

“Yep. She didn’t even flinch.” You laughed.

“We should bring her back here again when she’s bigger. I’m sure she won’t remember today.” Joel added.

Joel froze for a second. He thought to himself, “I did not just say that.”. He was embarrassed with the words he just said. Did he just ask you to come to the zoo with him and Sarah a few years in the future? Did he just include you in his future? He was flustered but he had to act cool.

“Yes, she’s too small to remember. But she looks happy now.” You stroked Sarah’s head who was resting on Joel’s chest.

“I haven’t seen monkeys. Where’s the monkeys?” Joel tried to change the topic.

“Wait. Let’s see the map.” You looked at the map and found where the monkeys were.

“Here.” You pointed at the location and guided the way.

You and Joel walked around the zoo and enjoyed the moment. You introduced various animals to baby Sarah even though you know she didn’t understand and she wouldn’t remember it. But it was fun and important to interact with the baby so you did it anyway. Joel also interacted with Sarah, he made animals sound to her and you laughed at him. 

The day at the zoo was really fun. And you couldn’t stop thinking about what the waitress from the Mexican place said. She said that the three of you looked really cute as a family and even said you two made a beautiful baby?! You actually got butterflies when you heard that. You had always liked playing house when you were a kid so you enjoyed this moment with Joel and baby Sarah. You felt like you were spending your weekend with your family with a husband and a baby daughter. It felt real and you liked it. You wondered what other people thought when they saw the three of you. Did they see you and Joel as a married couple with a baby? The thought itself made you giggle but you tried your best to hide it. For a moment, you forgot that you weren’t ready to commit to a relationship.

“Do you want to sit for a while and get somethin’ to eat?” Joel pointed to an empty seat and table.

“Yeah, I’m kinda hungry.” You put your hand to your stomach.

“Sit here.” Joel dragged the chair for you to sit.

You moved the baby bag from the stroller and Joel put Sarah in the stroller.

“Hot dog?” Joel asked.

“Yeah, anything.” You nodded.

“Okay, wait here.” Joel nodded and walked away to buy hot dogs.

While waiting for Joel, you pushed the stroller back and forth so Sarah could sleep.

“Here.” Joel passed you the hot dog.

“Thank you.” You grab a bite to the hot dog.

Joel and you talked as you ate. Joel suggested that you sit for a while and rest. 

“Joel..” 

“Yeah?” 

“Do you remember the last time we met my ex that morning months ago? I haven’t talked to you about it..I-uh-I’m sorry I let him believe we were married. I just-I just want him to believe I’m happy without him. I mean I am happy. I’m sure you heard me that day. Well, long story short, he cheated on me. So I hate him so much.” You rolled your eyes as you tried to open up to him.

“I totally understand. You don’t have to apologize. He’s a jerk. Let him believe we’re married, I’m your husband, that’s okay, as long as I can help you.” Joel’s words touched your heart. How could a man be this sweet?

“Thank you, Joel.” 

“I-uh-I also haven’t told you about Sarah’s mom.” 

“Wait, I have a confession to make.” You stopped Joel.

“Confession?” Joel raised his eyebrows.

“I actually overheard you and Sarah’s mom on the night she left.” You confessed.

“Oh..Yeah so she left us. We had a shotgun wedding and she decided to leave 3 months after Sarah was born. Said we’re not meant to be together. Doesn’t want a baby and everythin’.” He sighed. 

“You deserve better, Joel.” You put your hand on top of his.

“Thank you.” He smiled at you.

“You know what? Should we keep doing this?” You lightened up the mood.

“Do what?” Joel was confused.

“This. Us playing house.” You pointed at him and yourself back to back.

Joel raised his eyebrows, pouted his lips and nodded. 

“Should we make a contract?” You joked.

“Contract? I don’t follow.” Joel rested his chin on his palm.

“You know. Like in movies where they make contracts for fake relationships and stuff.” You explained. Joel nodded as he listened to you trying to digest what you were saying.

“At least we could do it in front of our exes. You did that for me. I’ll do that for you too if you want me to.” 

“That sounds fun.” Joel was interested in your proposal.

“So should we write a contract now?” Joel asked.

“No, no. I was just joking. How about just a verbal pact?” You laughed.

“Deal.” He stretched his hand to you to shake your hand.

“Alright, Mr. Miller. Deal.” You shook his hand.

*baby cries*

“Time to eat.” You laughed.

Joel took the baby bottle from the baby bag and put Sarah in his arms to feed her. 

“You hungry, huh?” Joel looked at Sarah as he fed her.

After Joel fed her, he stood up and put Sarah facing away from him to help her burp.

“Can I do it?” You offered.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to.” 

“I want to.” You insisted.

Joel passed Sarah to you and you placed Sarah on your chest facing back. You supported her chin on your shoulder and gently patted her back. After one or two minutes, she let out a burp. 

“Good girl.” You chuckled.

“Oh!” You suddenly felt damp on your shoulder.

You turned away to show your back to Joel.

“Is there something on my back?” You asked Joel.

“Uhm..Yes..” Joel didn’t know what to say.

“What is it?” You panicked.

“I think Sarah just dribbled some milk on you.” Joel rubbed his mouth.

“Uh-oh.” You put Sarah back to the stroller and tried to look at your back.

Joel quickly got some tissue and helped you wiped the milk on your shoulder and hair. 

“Here. Why don’t you change into this?” He took off his outer flannel shirt and gave it to you. He was now wearing only a white shirt.

“Thank you.” You went to the restroom to change and went back to him and Sarah.

“It looks like I’m wearing a dress.” You chuckled.

“You look cute.” Joel praised you but his voice was so small. 

He didn’t want you to hear him. You heard him anyway but you acted like you didn’t. In fact, you were blushing. You and Joel continued wandering around the zoo, joking and laughing until the zoo closed then you went home.

“Today was fun.” Joel said as he parked the car in the driveway.

“I had a great time. Thank you.” You reached his hand and gave a slight touch.

“She’s sleeping.” You whispered as you looked at baby Sarah in the back seat.

“We gotta keep quiet.” Joel whispered and chuckled.

“I’ll wash your shirt and give you back tomorrow?” You pinched the shirt. 

“Don’t worry about that.” 

You went home smelling Joel’s shirt and giggled. His woody, musky, masculine smell gives you comfort and you wished you could keep it. But you had to give it back so you gave it a last smell before you put it in your washing machine and got back to reality.

To be continued…

Taglist:

@lovelyygirl8 @skysmiller @moonlightdivine @crocodiile @angie2274 @pulchritudinousrogers @peqchsoup @msecho19 @happinessinthebeing @nyotamalfoy @nakedmoondiaries @dzaga890 @pa1g3-t0mm0 @prettysbliss @wanniiieeee @one-sweet-gubler @x-ap0llo-xx @feministfanboi @ordinarylokix @afterglowsb-tch13 @param8re @tomorrowseverything @hummusxx @iranispunk @mrsyixingunicorn10 @likeanimagepassingby2 @mediocrewallflow3r

[sturniololuvz]

Hi I found you yesterday and I so love your stories! Could I have a story about how their sister is very small and says her first words or takes her first steps? Thx 🫶🏻

awww! so glad you found me🩷 sorry i couldn’t get to this sooner!

“First Words & First Steps”

Sturniolos x sister

Warnings: none

The Sturniolo house was always full of noise—whether it was Chris and Nick arguing over the TV remote, Matt trying to keep the peace, or their parents telling them to calm down. But lately, all eyes had been on the littlest member of the family—baby Y/N.

At just over a year old, she had been babbling nonstop, her tiny voice filling the house with giggles and nonsense sounds. The triplets had been making it their personal mission to get her to say her first real word.

First Words

One afternoon, all three brothers sat on the floor in front of Y/N, who was propped up on a blanket, playing with one of her stuffed animals.

“Okay, Y/N,” Chris said, leaning forward eagerly. “Say Chris. It’s the easiest name, and obviously, I’m the best, so—”

“Uh, no,” Nick interrupted. “She should say Nick first. It’s short and simple.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “She’s not picking favorites. Let her say whatever comes out.”

Y/N just blinked at them, big innocent eyes staring at her brothers as they bickered.

Chris grinned, changing tactics. “Y/N, say brother!”

Matt nodded, clapping his hands to encourage her. “Yeah, say brother!”

Y/N stared at them for a moment before opening her mouth.

“Bwubba!”

Silence.

Then—

“OH MY GOD, SHE SAID BROTHER!” Nick practically shouted, jumping up in excitement.

Chris gasped. “She actually said it!”

Matt beamed, reaching over to ruffle her tiny head of hair. “Good job, Y/N!”

Y/N giggled at all the excitement, clearly enjoying the attention.

“Bwubba!” she repeated, clapping her hands.

The triplets melted on the spot.

“She’s so cute,” Chris groaned.

“Best little sister ever,” Matt agreed.

“Okay, but for real, which one of us was she talking to?” Nick asked.

Chris waved him off. “Dude, doesn’t matter. We all won.”

And just like that, “Bwubba” became Y/N’s go-to word, and the triplets had never been prouder.

First Steps

A few months later, Y/N had mastered crawling and was pulling herself up on furniture. The triplets had been waiting for her to take her first steps, constantly trying to get her to stand on her own.

One evening, they were all in the living room when Y/N, standing against the couch, looked at them with determination.

“She’s thinking about it,” Matt whispered, nudging Chris.

Chris grinned. “Come on, Y/N, you got this!”

Nick held out his arms a few feet away from her. “Come here, bubba!”

Y/N’s little fingers gripped the couch, her tiny legs wobbling as she pushed herself up. For a moment, it looked like she might just sit back down—but then, to their absolute shock, she let go.

One step.

Then another.

And another.

Until she stumbled right into Nick’s waiting arms.

The room erupted into cheers.

“NO WAY!” Chris shouted, jumping up. “SHE WALKED!”

“Y/N, THAT WAS AMAZING!” Matt clapped his hands excitedly.

Nick held her up, grinning from ear to ear. “You did it, bubba!”

Y/N giggled, clearly proud of herself, as Nick lifted her into the air and spun her around.

Chris ruffled her hair. “We gotta tell Mom and Dad!”

Matt shook his head, still smiling. “Nah, we got to see it first. This was a triplet moment.”

And as they all sat together, celebrating their baby sister’s big milestone, they realized that no matter how much she grew, she’d always have her three big brothers right by her side.

[cailinsblog]

A Christmas to Remember | lando norris

Lando Norris x reader

Guyssss it’s almost Christmas

The cold winter air bit at Lando Norris’s face as he stood outside his apartment, looking out over the twinkling lights of the city. It was Christmas Eve, and the usual hustle and bustle of Formula 1 had quieted down for the season. For the first time in what felt like forever, Lando had time to truly relax, and he was about to spend it with the one person who always made him feel at home — his girlfriend, Y/N.

Lando had been counting down the days, excited not only for the Christmas festivities but also for the surprise he had planned for her. After months of searching for the perfect gift, he had finally found something that he knew would make her heart melt — a puppy. But this wasn’t just any puppy; it was a fluffy, playful Golden Retriever, with soft fur and eyes full of curiosity. Lando could already imagine the look of joy on Y/N’s face when she saw it, and that was all the motivation he needed.

As he unlocked the door to his apartment, he stepped inside, where he was greeted by the warm glow of Christmas decorations. The room was filled with the sweet smell of cinnamon and pine from the candles he had lit, and there was a large, beautifully decorated tree in the corner. Underneath it, a pile of carefully wrapped presents sat, some of which Lando had already picked out for Y/N. But there was one more — the one he was most excited about — sitting on the table, waiting for the perfect moment.

Y/N was in the kitchen, humming as she prepared their dinner. She looked up when she heard the door open, a smile spreading across her face as she caught sight of Lando.

“There you are!” she said, wiping her hands on a towel and walking toward him. “I was starting to think you’d be late for our Christmas dinner.”

Lando chuckled, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, love. You’ve got everything set up so beautifully.”

Y/N blushed slightly, her eyes lighting up with happiness. “Well, you know, I wanted to make it extra special for us. It’s our first Christmas together.”

Lando’s heart swelled at her words. He’d spent so much of his life on the road, traveling from race to race, that he often forgot the simple joys of life. But with Y/N by his side, he was reminded every day of how much he had to be grateful for.

They sat down for dinner, chatting about everything and nothing as they shared their favorite holiday foods. The sound of Christmas music played softly in the background, and for a while, it felt like time had slowed down, just for them.

After dinner, Lando couldn’t contain his excitement any longer. “I’ve got something for you,” he said, standing up and walking toward the table where the puppy’s gift was hidden.

Y/N tilted her head, intrigued. “What is it?”

Lando pulled out a small, plush puppy and handed it to her. “I know it’s not much, but I thought you might like it.”

Y/N looked at the little stuffed animal, a soft smile crossing her face. “Oh, Lando, it’s so cute! Thank you!”

But before she could say anything else, Lando went to the door and opened it slightly, peeking inside. “Actually, that’s not the only surprise I have for you.”

A moment later, the real surprise entered the room: a playful, golden retriever puppy, bounding through the door with its tail wagging and ears perked up.

Y/N gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in shock. “Lando… is this…?”

“It’s ours,” Lando said, his voice full of excitement. “I thought it was time for us to have a little bundle of joy. What do you think?”

Tears sprang to Y/N’s eyes as she bent down to scoop the puppy into her arms. The little dog licked her face, its tail wagging furiously as Y/N giggled with pure joy. “Oh my God, Lando, you are the sweetest person in the world,” she whispered, cradling the puppy close.

“I’m glad you like him,” Lando said, his heart bursting with happiness. “What should we name him?”

Y/N looked down at the puppy, her mind racing with ideas. “I think… we should name him ‘Charlie,’” she said, her eyes lighting up. “It feels right.”

Lando nodded. “Charlie it is. Welcome to the family, little guy.” He leaned down to give Y/N and the puppy a kiss on the cheek, feeling like the luckiest man alive.

The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and love, the couple spending time with their new furry friend as they exchanged stories, gifts, and holiday wishes. As the clock struck midnight, signaling the arrival of Christmas Day, Y/N stood up and handed Lando a carefully wrapped box.

“Your turn,” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Lando smiled as he took the box from her, carefully unwrapping it to reveal a custom helmet. It was a work of art — a helmet painted with intricate details, featuring his McLaren team colors, and the faces of his closest friends and family, including Y/N and himself. On one side of the helmet, there was a small but detailed image of the two of them together, holding hands, with the puppy sitting beside them.

Lando was speechless, staring at the helmet in awe. “Y/N… this is amazing. How did you—?”

“I had it commissioned,” she said, her smile widening. “I wanted you to have something that would remind you of home every time you get in the car. And no matter how far you go, you’ll always have us with you.”

Lando’s eyes softened as he gently placed the helmet on the table. “I… I don’t know what to say. This is perfect. You’re perfect.”

Y/N blushed, a shy smile curling on her lips. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it,” he said, pulling her close. “You’ve made this Christmas unforgettable.”

With Charlie nestled between them, Lando and Y/N spent the rest of the night by the fire, exchanging stories and dreams for the future. They had both given each other the perfect gifts — one that symbolized the promise of a new beginning, and the other that was a reminder of the love and family they had already built.

As the fire crackled and the lights on the tree twinkled softly in the background, Lando couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of peace. Christmas was no longer about the races, the fame, or the fast cars. It was about moments like this — quiet, intimate, full of love.

And in that moment, Lando knew that no matter where the road took him, he would always have Y/N and Charlie by his side. Christmas had never felt more complete.

[ijwrsmff]

hiiii, I was wondering if you could write live action mihawk and reader dining at the baratie?(it doesnt have to be meeting the crew, it could just be a date?) have a wonderful day! <333

I most certainly can!!! He was cast so well, my god. I don't think there's been any casting in the Live Action that wasn't just. Perfectttttttt. Sanji shows up briefly, but it's before he joined the strawhats. I've also only seen Mihawk's intro, so all my knowledge of this fic was based off that and what I know about him in the anime. So if things are a little bit off I'm sorry :,3 I plan to watch more tonight after writing for a while.

He's very soft in this one.

Word Count: 1,270

Today was special! It would be your six month anniversary with your boyfriend. It was odd at first, even considering dating the greatest swordsman in the world. He was cold and calculating, but he did have a soft side. You were glad you gave him the chance, and got to see it. 

He was never embarrassed to be with you, and in fact…showed you off with pride. He would sit and feed you if you asked, doted on you, whatever you wanted. A dominant soul, but he was aware of that and embraced it. He would always be at your beck and call. Protecting you, even just with his status in the world. No one dared mess with you. 

Mihawk had suggested the place that you met as your anniversary date. The Baratie, world renowned. Often people would sit on the waitlist around holidays, or even just weekends. But he never needed a reservation, he was a loyal customer at this point. It was a special place to you both, and it would be the perfect location for any anniversary. 

“Would you like me to order for you?” He knew you could get anxious about ordering, so he always offered. You didn’t always even need him to, but it was a nice gesture. “What would you like? I could order it. Never worry about price, darling.” He smiled momentarily, not showing his smile often. Unless he was with you. It was heartwarming, to say the least. 

Mihawk wasn’t the most wealthy man in the world…but he was pretty damn close. Not everyone can afford their own island and castle. But he certainly could, and with ease, too. He still managed to be humble, in some ways despite that fact. He would continue to buy you anything you could ever want. He’d make sure you got it, as soon as you did so much as to look at something for a few seconds. 

“I’m okay! I can order this time.” You smiled at him, and he nodded in confirmation, smiling back momentarily. “What are you gonna get?” You looked through the menu for a little bit, trying to decide on some of your favorites. They always have such good food. It was hard to pick most of the time, and they probably knew it too. 

“I’ll go with my usual, do you need help picking something?” He offered, always willing to help you. He could be so considerate, and kind. Not to everyone, but especially to you. “I can recommend something based on your likes and dislikes.” He smiled, this time for longer. He could always relax more when you were around. It may not look like it to others, but he was pretty relaxed right now, enjoying your anniversary with him as much as you were. 

“Hm…I was thinking about these two, but I can’t decide which one I want more!” You looked at the menu for so long that you didn’t notice the waiter coming to your table until he spoke. It startled you a bit, and you jumped, making both the waiter and Mihawk chuckle. 

The waiter’s name was Sanji, and he looked at you with what could have been hearts for eyes. But he knew better than to say anything after last time. Wouldn’t stop him from looking though. When you were here before, he had flirted with you. Mihawk…being him was confident you wouldn’t leave him for the waiter. But he did warn him with a “If you’d like to keep your hands, I suggest you keep them away from my partner.” He was protective, but you knew he wouldn’t actually fight the waiter. 

Mihawk didn’t result to violence, so you knew it was an empty threat. His amused look he directed at you proved that fact. Sanji didn’t know that though, and raised his hands in defeat, saying you’d be protected well by the greatest swordsman in the world. “Allowed” Mihawk to be with you. Because apparently according to him you needed that affirmation. It was amusing to the both of you, at least. 

Dinner went by smoothly, and you talked the majority of the time. Mihawk was an amazing listener, but not too much of a talker. He was more content to listen to everything you said, and his memory was so good he had no problem remembering all the stories you told. Sometimes he would pitch in, or ask active listening questions to show you had his undivided attention. 

Out of nowhere though, he tilted his head and looked at you as if you were the brightest star in the sky, uttering an “I love you.” As you were about to finish your food. He did like to throw that out there often, and only became more frequent as your relationship progressed. “Would you like to order a dessert?” It was another way he said he loved you. By offering you what he could effortlessly provide. 

“Mhm! And I love you too.” You giggled and finished your food, as he flagged down the waiter and ordered your favorite dessert they had. You didn’t even have to tell him what it was, he remembered. He always did. “Would you like to share it?” Was your offer, though you already knew his answer. 

“One bite will suffice. The dessert is for you, afterall.” He smiled, and allowed you to talk until the dessert arrived. Once it did, he opened his mouth expectantly, waiting for you to feed it to him. 

You did so, without being prompted to. It was always so cute to you when you fed each other. He could care less if the people in the restaurant saw the display of affection. He swirled the spoon with his tongue, making eye contact with you the whole time. 

“You’re such a tease!” You giggled and he smiled softly. It was a funny and domestic moment, and it made you say, “I do love you though. No matter how much of a tease you can be.” As you winked at him. He winked back, but relaxed in his seat while you ate. 

Reclining a bit, you finished the dessert. He talked for a bit through it, mostly how his island was doing since you hadn’t been to it in a couple weeks. As much as you loved him listening, he had such a soothing voice. It was cool, and deliberate. He never said something that wasn’t important. Or a compliment to you, which was just as important to him as it could be. 

He packaged up your remaining entre for you, and stood up to leave. “That was a wonderful date, darling.” He said as he left the money on the table. It had a generous tip, since he always makes sure to do so. “Would you like me to drop you off at your island?” His arm was around your waist, to make sure you didn’t fall off when getting onto his small “boat”. 

“I wouldn’t mind spending time on your island! I know we won't get back anytime soon…but it’s your home.” You smiled, and sat on his lap when he made his place on the boat. “I’d like to spend more time with you!” He wrapped his arms around your middle, and the boat began to move. 

“One day it will be OUR home. I never mind spending more time with you, either.” He sighed, and rested his head on your shoulder. “Whenever you’re ready, it can be yours.” He placed a soft kiss on your cheek, making you giggle. 

“We’ll have time. As long as you’ll have me.” 

“Now and always.” 

[thetriplets3]

Hi I have a request! In Taylor's new song there's lyrics "in the world of boys, he's a gentleman" could you do something about matt or chris with it??

❝𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧❞

matt was the first person to show me what love looked like. i had only been in one relationship that lasted 5 months then he “got bored” and started seeing someone before he even broke up with me.

i had my fair share of blind dates my friends insisted on setting me up with but none of them left me feeling loved. i always felt like an afterthought on these dates. they walk in the restaurant and head to a table leaving me trailing behind like a lost puppy. they’d spend the whole night talking themselves and finding a way to make it about them barely letting me get a word in, and they’d always ask for separate bills. those were the better of the dates. some of them would text me all day telling me how excited they were to see me and as soon as it came time for our date i was met with radio silence. i sat at countless tables repeatedly telling the server “he should be here soon”. i was embarrassed to be in this situation, especially since it isn’t the first time it’s happened.

there were plenty of times guys showed they were really just boys.

the last date i was on the guy wanted to take me to a fancy restaurant, saying i deserved to be given the best treatment. that was a lie. i’d been waiting in this high end restaurant alone for nearly an hour waiting. all my texts to him asking where he was got left on read. i was feeling self conscious, suddenly aware of everyone giving me pitiful looks, i don’t belong here i stand out like a sore thumb and it’s very obvious i’ve been stood up. my phone buzzed, causing me to immediately pick up my phone hoping he’d finally texted me back. a sigh escapes my lips when i see it’s a text from nick checking in on me.

nick

sooo how’s mr fancy treating you??

me

he ain’t shit. i’ve been waiting for him for almost an hour i feel like an animal at the zoo being stared at this is fucking embarrassing

nick

wtfff that’s horrible i’m so sorry. men suck

me

correction boys suck

nick

i say give him 20 minutes, if he doesn’t show up by then, leave

✿

~third person pov~

what she didn’t know is that nick had mentioned her situation to his brothers and without hesitation, matt headed to his room and changed into nicer clothes. nick and chris weren’t shocked when they saw matt all dressed up and heading out the door without a word. they know their brother would do anything for that girl, which is why he told her to wait, knowing matt would be there in minutes.

she has been by their side since grade 4. her and matt have always been closer than she was with the other boys. they were the perfect pair, they were meant for each other, just too shy to say anything. they didn’t need to admit anything though, their feelings showed through their actions.

matt pulled up to the restaurant and quickly made his way in scanning the dimly lit room for her beautiful face. within seconds his eyes meet her heartbroken face. he practically sprinted towards her, out of breath and ready with a fake excuse as to why he’s late.

hearing heavy quick steps in her direction, the girl whips head up only to be met with the person she really wanted to show up. a smile replaces her frown as she gets up, shimmying the hem off her dress down, and meets matt’s open arms.

“i’m so sorry i’m late, chris hurt himself so i had to bring him to the hospital. i would have texted you but my phone died and i was too panicked to try and call you” he says loud enough for people around to hear, before pulling her chair back to let her sit and tucking it in before seating himself. “once they saw chris i left and came straight here. i really didn’t mean to leave you alone for so long. i’m sorry love” he says, eyes boring into hers with sincerity.

“that’s okay you’re here now. i’m glad you were there to help him” the girl said, playing along with his story.

after finally eating, he paid for their meals and led her to the exit of the building with a gentle hand on her lower back. before heading outside he took off his jacket and put it on the girl.

“it’s cold out” he softly started, before holding the door open for her as she walks out the door with a true smile and a growing blush on her cheeks.

“thank you matt you didn’t have to do that. i was perfectly okay with leaving and getting an uber” she said as she gave him a hug and placed a delicate kiss to his cheek.

“you might have been okay with doing that but i’m not. you don’t deserve to get stood up and you got all dolled up i’d be mad at myself if i didn’t come here and just let you sit there even longer looking all pretty with no one there to appreciate you. i’d do anything for you in a heart beat, you know that” he said before holding her warm face in his hands, his eyes searching hers for approval. with a subtle nod and a glimmer in her eyes he wastes no time placing a sweet and loving kiss to her lips.

✿

~reader’s pov~

it wasn’t long after that night when matt asked me to be his girlfriend. he makes sure to show me everyday what it’s like to truly be loved. it’s the little things; subtly switching sides with me if we’re about to pass a group of creepy men or drunk boys; he’ll reach his hand behind him if he’s in the middle of a conversation or busy with something to hold my hand, letting me know he hasn’t forgotten about me; he always has extras of things i use often with him either in his car, his room or his backpack he’s got it. if my hairs bothering me and i forgot a hair clip or hair tie, he’s got one clipped to his bag and a hair tie around his wrist. if i need lip balm he’s got about 3 with him at any point, and he gets a taste of the strawberry lip balm each kiss, he can’t complain; knowing how clumsy and spatially unaware i am, any time i bend down to get something his hand is right there to stop me from bumping my head on it. he’ll brush my hair and attempt to braid it which usually ends up with him just playing with my hair, knowing how relaxing i find it. he can read me like a book he knows me better than anyone else and he’s always one step ahead of me, going that extra mile.

he makes me feel seen like no one has done before. i am his never ending thought, never an afterthought, like every boy made me feel like i was. matt has shown me what it’s like to be loved, i don’t know why i put up with being treated poorly for so long.

he’s a gentleman in a world full of boys

(not the lyrics but close enough)

taglist:

@antisocialties @iluvmatt @dwntwn-strnlo @fake-coolbeans @opheliaofficial07 @angelcake-222 @oneirophobic @strniolo @lollibumblebee @ssturniolo @20nugs @abbie13sworld @strniolo @luvsturniolo

[winchesterwild78]

The Tutor

Master List

Characters: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Warnings: Nothing too bad yet, just a chapter to establish the story. Some language and some physical grabbing.

**Trigger Warning: Some of this chapter could be considered Domestic Violence. It’s grabbing an arm, and being controlling.**

A/N: Just a quick idea that popped in my head. A short series, maybe 2 or 3 chapters. I don’t know yet. No disrespect to Jensen or his family. This is a work of fiction. Jensen has children in this, but I do not use their real names. 

Reader is a teacher and is asked to tutor Jensen’s child. Things develop between Jensen and the reader. I do not condone cheating, again, this is a work of fiction.

This chapter got a little long. Sorry not sorry. 😀

Minors DNI 18+

It was about 5 am when your alarm went off. You rolled over, grumbled and turned it off. Your husband was still sleeping next to you. Crawling out of bed you went to your bathroom and jumped in the shower. 

About 15 minutes later you were dressed and ready for work. You’d been a teacher for about 10 years, and you loved every second of it. Your husband encouraged you to expand your talent and offer tutoring in the afternoons as a way to help save money for the summer months when you didn’t get paid. 

You talked to the principal of your school and she told you she’d put out feelers to see if anyone had a lead on a possible need for a tutor. 

Grabbing your coffee, lunch and bag you headed for your car. It was a chilly morning, but you welcomed the change in temperature. As you pulled in the parking lot to the school, you noticed you were one of the first ones there. 

You sighed, gathered your things and got out of your car. As you walked in the building you saw the principal was in her office already. “Hey, Y/N, hold on a second.” You walked to her office door and waited for her to get off the phone.

“Hey, Y/N. I’m glad I caught you. So I talked to a friend of mine and she said she knows a couple who is looking for a tutor for their children. They have 3 kids, an older daughter, and a set of twins, a boy and a girl. The mother is out of town, but the father wanted to come in and see you in action and then sit down with you. Is that okay with you?”

“Oh, yeah that’s fine. Is he coming in today?” “Yes, if you were okay with it he wanted to come in today. If they decided to go with you, they’d want you to start ASAP.”

“Um, okay. Yeah. That’s fine. Hopefully it doesn’t distract my kiddos, but sure. Tell him to come by whenever.” “Great! I’ll give him a call.” You nodded and walked to your classroom.

Before the kids arrived, you sent your husband a text.

You: Hey, I might have a potential tutoring gig. Ms Smith is having a dad come in today. He and his wife wanted to see me in action. I’d be tutoring their three kids. I’ll let you know how it goes. I love you, babe.

Hubby: That’s great, you sure three kids won’t be too much? I love you too.

You: 3 kids? I teach 22 kids all day. I think I can handle 3.

Hubby: Yeah, you’re right. 

You finished getting things ready for the day as the kids started to arrive. “Good morning Ms Y/L/N!” The kids greeted you as they came into the room. “Good morning everyone.” 

Once the students got settled you called them to sit on the carpet to talk about today and how there might be a visitor. They were excited. You taught 5 & 6 year olds, so anytime there was a visitor it was always a big deal. 

“Now I want you all to be on your best behavior, and if we have a visitor I want you to do your best to ignore them, okay?” The kids nodded in agreement. 

A few hours later you were reading a book to your students when you heard your classroom door open. Glancing over you saw the principal and a man walk in. You kept teaching, not paying attention to the people in the room. 

When you read books, you are very animated. The kids would giggle and were completely engaged. At the end of your story you asked questions and called on some students to answer. A few minutes later you had them go back to their desks to complete the writing assignment you had given them. 

As you walked around checking their writing the principal approached you. “Ms Y/L/N, this is Mr Ackles. Mr Ackles, this is Ms. Y/L/N, our favorite Kindergarten teacher.” Your eyes went wide. Standing in your classroom was Jensen Ackles. His green eyes sparkling like emeralds under the fluorescent lights, his sandy brown hair perfectly styled, and he smelled like heaven. 

He extended his hand to shake yours. “Hello Ms Y/L/N, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.” You took his hand in yours and your breath hitched. You knew who he was, you’d been a fan for years. “Nice to meet you too, Mr Ackles. I look forward to speaking with you more about the tutoring needs of your children.” 

He smiled and nodded. The two of you couldn’t tear your eyes away from each other. You unconsciously bit your lip. The sound of a little voice pulled you two out of your trance. “Ms Y/L/N, is this right?” One of your students came up with her paper for you to check. “So what should this sentence start with?” Her bright eyes looking at you and then down at her paper, “Um, oh a capital.” You smiled and nodded.

She went back to her seat and fixed her paper. “Okay guys, remember to capitalize, and illustrate your writing. Don’t forget your setting and color.”

Your principal came up to you, “We are going to head out, I’ll give Mr. Ackles your number so you two can set up a meeting.” You nodded and thanked them, then they left.

Your heart was still pounding in your chest and you felt a warmth fill your body. Girl, get it together. He’s way out of your league, both of you are married, and you might be tutoring his children. This is just a celebrity crush. Keep it professional. 

The end of the day came quickly. You were cleaning up your classroom when you heard a knock on your classroom door. Looking up you saw Jensen. Your breath caught in your throat. “Excuse me Ms Y/L/N, I hope I’m not disturbing you.” “Oh no, I’m just cleaning up before heading home. How can I help you Mr Ackles?” 

“Well I really liked what I saw today. You were engaging and gentle but you can see your students know your expectations. I’d like to offer you the tutoring job if you’d like it.” “Oh, of course. May I meet your children before I officially start? This won’t work if the kids don’t like me.” 

Jensen smiled and nodded. “I’ll text you my address and you’re welcome to come by this afternoon.” “Sure, that would be great. I can’t wait to meet them and your wife.” You smiled. “Well, she’s out of town right now, so that will have to wait.” “Okay. If you need to wait for her, that's fine. I want her to be fine with me tutoring the kids too.” “Nope, this was something we’d talked about before she left, and she knew I was going to hire someone as soon as I could.”

“Okay, great. I’ll come by this afternoon then. I’ll see you later Mr Ackles.” “Jensen, please call me Jensen.” “Jensen, then. Feel free to call me Y/N.” He smiled and so did you. When he left you pulled out your phone to text your husband.

You: Hey, heading to meet the kids I might be tutoring. The dad asked me to come by this afternoon.

Hubby: Okay, I’ll see you at home later then. Love you

You: I love you too. 

You set your phone down and finished cleaning. A few minutes later your phone went off.

Unknown: Hey, Y/N. This is Jensen. My address is 123 E Main Street. Can’t wait for the kids to meet you.

You: Hey, Jensen. I can’t wait to meet them either. I’ll be there in about 20 minutes. Just finishing up here. 

Jensen: Great! See you then.

You finished what you were doing and grabbed your stuff heading out of the school. Driving to Jensen’s house you were nervous but excited. You’d tutored before, but never for a celebrity and definitely not for someone you had been crushing on for decades. 

Pulling down the long driveway you were in awe at the spacious home that stood before you. Putting your car in park, you grabbed your bag and got out. 

Before you could knock on the door it opened and Jensen greeted you with a smile. “Hey, Y/N, glad you could make it.” “Hello, Mr. Ackles, thank you for having me.” “Please, call me Jensen.” You nodded and smiled, “Okay, Jensen.” 

He welcomed you into his spacious home and led you to the living room. “Please have a seat, and I’ll get the kids down here. Would you like anything to drink? Tea, water?” “Um, sure, I’ll have water if you don’t mind.” “Sure thing. I’ll grab it and the kids.”

You sat on the couch as Jensen left the room. You heard him calling the kids and the sound of feet on the stairs. 

Jensen and the kids came back to the room. He handed you the water. “Thank you.” He nodded and smiled. “Kids, this is Ms Y/L/N, she’s going to be your tutor. Ms Y/L/N, this is my oldest, Annie, and the twins, Jessica and Jensen Jr., we call him Jr.” “Hi guys, it’s nice to finally meet you three.” “Hello Ms Y/L/N, it’s nice to meet you too.” Jensen’s son walked over and sat next to you, “Are you married? Do you have any kids?” “Yes I am married, and no I don’t have any children yet. I’m a teacher so my students are like my kids right now.” 

The five of you sat in the living room talking and getting to know each other. After the kids got tired of talking and asking you questions, they left the room. Leaving you and Jensen alone. “So, Y/N, what do you think? Think you can handle them?” You smiled and nodded, “Yes. They seem really sweet, I’d be just fine with them.” 

“Well, all that’s left is to talk about schedule, pay, and the NDA. The NDA is to protect everyone involved. You’re more than welcome to contact an attorney to look it over.” You smiled and nodded. About 45 minutes later you and Jensen had talked about your schedule, the pay and he’d given you the NDA.

“So, Y/N, do you have any additional questions for me?” “Yes, when will your wife be back, I’d love to meet her too.” “She won’t be back for a few weeks, but you’ll get to meet her when she returns.” You nodded and stood, “Well, Jensen I better leave you to it. I need to get home anyway. I have some things to do for work.” “Of course, well thank you again for coming by this evening. Let me walk you out.” 

The two of you walked towards the door. “Thank you again, Y/N for agreeing to take this job. We’ve interviewed so many people and they couldn’t get past my status to focus on the kids.” “If I’m being honest Jensen, I’ve been a fan of yours for years, but I promise that will not interfere with my job.” Jensen stepped a little closer to you, and your heart beat faster, “I’m glad. I think this is going to work out for everyone.” A blush filled your cheeks and you bit your lip. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N.” “I’ll see you tomorrow, Jensen. Please tell the kids goodbye.” He nodded as you stepped out of the house.

Getting into your car, you let out the breath you’d been holding. Driving home you couldn’t focus on anything but how gorgeous Jensen looked. Stop it girl! You work for him now. If you can’t stop these thoughts there is no way you’re going to be able to work for him. Your focus should be on his children. Both of you are married, and his wife is absolutely gorgeous. 

About a half hour later you were pulling in your driveway. Your husband was already home. Walking in the house you announced you were home, “Honey I’m home.” Your husband, Jeff, came around the corner and pulled you into a hug and a kiss. 

“How was the meeting with the family?” He asked as he pulled back. “It was great. The kids are so sweet. The wife is out of town and the dad is super nice too. There is a little problem. Well, not really a problem, but something I need to tell you.” “Okay, babe, is everything okay?” “Yeah, so the dad asked me to sign an NDA.” Your husband laughed, “Why is he a secret service agent or a celebrity?” You got a serious look on your face and your husband’s laughter died down. “What? Is he really?” “He and his wife are celebrities. It’s Jensen Ackles.”

Your husband pulled away and looked at you in surprise. He knew how much you liked Jensen and how much of a fan you’d been. “Yeah, I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with you working for him.” You looked at him confused, “What? Why not?” “Oh I don’t know, maybe because you’ve had the hots for him for years.” 

“Jeff, come on, really? I have no interest in him. I love you and I’m married to you. This is a job to help bring in more income for us. Besides, the pay is incredible. I tried to negotiate because I felt it was too much, but he insisted. We’d make enough in two months to pay off our credit cards.” 

Your husband’s jaw tightened, “I don’t care. I forbid you to take this job!” “I’m sorry, what? You forbid me?!? What the hell is wrong with you?” He stepped closer to you, “You heard me. You can’t take the job.” You scoffed and walked away. Jeff grabbed your arm, “Don’t fucking walk away from me!” “Let me go Jeff!” You pulled your arm away and walked to your shared room, locking the door behind you.

You sat on your bed and cried. How could he act like this? You two had been married for years and never had you given him a reason to doubt your loyalty. He’d never grabbed you before and you would never let him do it again. 

You pulled out your phone and sent a text to your best friend.

You: Hey, can I come crash at your place for a bit. Jeff and I had a bad fight. I don’t want to be here right now.

Y/B/F: Absolutely. Are you okay? Do you need me and hubby to come over?

You: Yeah, I’m okay. No, I’ll be okay. I’ll call if I need you.

Y/B/F: Okay babes, see you soon.

You grabbed your suitcase and put some work clothes and casual clothes in it. You grabbed your toiletries and other things you needed. As you walked out into the living room Jeff was sitting on the couch. You could see he was still pissed. “Have you come to your senses, Y/N?” “Yes I have, I’m going to Y/B/F’s house until I figure things out. You will NEVER put your hands on me again!” 

He stood and your heart beat fast. As he walked closer to you, you could see the rage in his face. You had been with him for years and you had never seen him like this, you were scared. 

Jeff stepped closer to you, mere inches from your face, “That’s right, go run to her house and go be his whore.” You didn’t say anything. You grabbed your bags and left. 

Driving down the road the tears started to fall. How could he act like this over a simple job? Why was he so jealous over Jensen? Sure you liked him, but you would never act on those feelings.

Pulling into your friend’s driveway you saw her open the door before you got out of the car. She ran up to you and threw her arms around you. “Oh sweetie, what happened?” She saw your tear stained face. “I told him about the tutoring job I took and he lost it. Told me I couldn’t take it and then he grabbed my arm. When I told him I was leaving he told me to go be the dad’s whore. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.” 

“Let’s get you inside, eat and I’ll open a bottle of wine. Then we can talk.” You nodded and grabbed your things. Her husband walked over and gave you a big hug, “I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I’m gonna head out so you girls can chat. Enjoy dinner.” He placed a kiss on your head before heading out the door. 

Y/F/N and you grabbed the food, and wine and sat down in the living room. “So why would he get so pissed about a tutoring job?” “Well the dad asked me to sign an NDA, he’s a celebrity. I guess Jeff thought I’d sleep with the dad or something. I just don’t understand.” “Oooh who is it?” “I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. Maybe I can ask if I can tell you, but I want to respect his privacy.” “I get it, but Jeff still shouldn’t have gotten pissed about it. Sounds like he’s got something to hide honestly.”

You hadn’t thought about that before, but now you couldn’t get it out of your head. Maybe he was the one cheating on you and was projecting. “Well even if he is, I don’t think I can go back to him. After he put his hands on me and the way he tried to intimidate me before I left. I can’t live with that fear.” “You are welcome to stay here as long as you want. We’ve got you girl, and don’t worry he won’t get near you here.”

*Time Jump 3 months*

“Okay guys, let’s get up and stretch for a bit. We’ve been working hard. Who wants to go outside and play for a bit?” You asked the kids after spending about an hour working with them at the kitchen table. The kids jumped up and ran outside, laughing and racing each other. You smiled as you started to clean up the table. 

Jensen walked into the kitchen and smiled, “Break time, I see.” “Yeah, they needed a break and so did I. Can I get you a coffee, Jensen?” Jensen walked over to the coffee pot, “No, let me get one for you. You’ve been busy educating my children. It’s the least I can do.” 

Jensen grabbed a coffee cup and filled it up, sliding it to you at the kitchen bar. You nodded and told him thank you. He filled one up and leaned against the counter. “So, how are they doing? Are you still okay with working with all three of them?” “Oh they are amazing children. You and your wife should be very proud of them. I adore them.” 

“Thank you, Y/N. I appreciate that.” “So if you don’t mind me asking, when is Mrs. Ackles coming home? I know she’s been out of town on a trip for about a week.” “Oh, yeah she’s on a girls trip. I believe she will come back next week. Maybe she’ll be around more after she gets back.” You could see the pain in his eyes and it broke your heart. “Well I can’t wait to sit and chat with her. I enjoy talking to you, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy sitting and talking to her too.” 

There was a pregnant silence that fell between you two, you looked up and met his eyes. They had a softness to them and were full of kindness. You blushed and smiled. The silence was broken by the sounds of crying. Jensen and you jumped up and ran outside. His daughter, Jessica was sitting on the ground crying. You and Jensen ran over to her and saw her knee was bleeding. 

Jensen scooped her up and carried her in the house. He sat her on the counter and you stood next to her. “Shh, it’s okay baby girl. Your daddy is going to get the first aid kit.” You rubbed her back and wiped her tears. 

Jensen came back carrying the first aid box. You held Jessica’s hand as he cleaned up the wound. “So Jess, what do you want for dinner? I bet you can get your daddy to get you whatever you want.” “I want cheeseburgers and ice cream, she sniffled.” “Ooh that sounds yummy. Does your daddy make good burgers?” She smiled and nodded. 

“Okay baby girl, all done.” Jessica looked at Jensen, “It didn’t even hurt.” Her eyes were wide. You smiled and Jensen looked over at you and smiled. “Well I think Ms Y/N has the magic touch then.” “Yes she does. Ms Y/N, can you stay for dinner?” Jensen was shocked, “Oh honey, Ms. Y/N has to get home to her husband. She can’t stay for dinner.” 

“Well, Jessica, if it’s okay with your dad I’d love to stay for dinner.” “Yay! I’m gonna go tell Jr and Annie.” You helped her down and she took off. As you were helping Jensen clean up, he looked at you, “Thank you for keeping her calm, but you really don’t have to stay. I’m sure your husband is waiting for you.” 

You put your head down, trying to hold back the tears. Taking a deep breath, “No, he’s not. I really would like to stay if you’re okay with it.” “Yes, that would be great. Jess really wants you to stay.” “Okay, let me help you cook then.” “Oh no ma’am, you are our guest.” 

You smiled “Please, it’s the least I can do.” “I’m not going to win this argument, am I?” “Nope, you’re not.” You laughed. “Okay, fine.” He chuckled.

Thirty minutes later you and Jensen were calling the kids in to wash up for dinner. Dinner was delicious and after dinner Jensen pulled out the ice cream. Jessica was excited, because they didn’t get ice cream often. “My wife would kill me if she knew I was giving them ice cream. They tend to get a little wild.” You both laughed. 

After ice cream, the kids went to the living room to watch tv while you helped Jensen clean up the kitchen. His phone rang as you two were cleaning. He sighed before he answered and walked out of the room. 

You kept cleaning and a few minutes later he came back in. “Sorry about that. It was my wife. She wanted to talk to the kids.” “Oh it’s not a problem. That’s sweet she calls when she’s away.” “Yeah, it is.” His jaw tightened a bit. 

The two of you reached for a bowl at the same time and your hands brushed against each other. A chill went through your body. You two looked at each other and you bit your lip, he swallowed hard. 

“Sorry,” you said as you pulled your hand back. “It’s okay.” Jensen cleared his throat, “Well it’s getting late. I’m sure your husband is worried about you.” You took a deep breath, “No, we um, actually split up a little over 3 months ago.” Jensen placed his hand on yours, “I’m so sorry, Y/N. That has to be hard.” “Yeah, it has been. Things just got really bad, so I left. I’ve been living with my best friend and her husband since.” 

“Well, if it gets too crazy there we have a guesthouse you’re welcome to stay in. I know the kids would love to have you around more.” You smiled, “That’s a generous offer, but I think I’m okay where I am right now. Besides, that’s a decision I think your wife should be included in.” “I understand, the offer stands though. She’d be fine with it. She’s always willing to help people.” “Thank you, I appreciate that. I’ll keep it in mind.” 

About an hour later the kids were in bed and you were getting ready to head home. “Well, thank you for dinner and a wonderful evening. I will see you on Monday.” Jensen stood to walk you to the door. His hand brushed lightly on the small of your back and a shiver went through you. “Good night, Jensen. Thank you again for dinner and the conversation.” “Good night, Y/N, and you’re welcome.” Jensen reached out and pulled you into a hug. You took a deep breath and breathed him in. God he smelt amazing, and he was so warm. 

When you two pulled away he lightly ran his thumb over your cheek. You instinctively leaned into his touch. Your breath hitched, “I should go.” You whispered. “Yeah, you probably should.” 

Jensen stepped closer, you bit your lip. His thumb ran over your chin, pulling your lip out of your teeth. Your breathing grew more rapid and your heart beat wildly. His lips were inches from yours, your breath mingling with his. He licked his lips and leaned even closer. You felt his lips ghosting over yours. “Jensen..” “Tell me to stop and I’ll stop.” You looked at him, your voice caught in your throat. “Y/N, do you want me to stop?” “No,” was all you said. 

Jensen’s lips crashed into yours. Soft but forceful and full of passion and need. Your mind swirling, your heart pounding as his tongue licked your lips asking for entrance. You parted your swollen lips and his tongue took dominance in your mouth. Jensen’s hands went into your hair and pulled you closer to him. Your hands wrapped around his neck. 

The kiss seemed to last for hours, the need for air causing your lungs to scream for oxygen, but in that moment Jensen was the only thing you needed to live. When the need for air became too much, you both pulled away, panting with swollen lips. 

You were blushing and Jensen was smiling. “I’ve been dying to do that for a really long time.” You smiled and bit your lip. His hand brushing against your cheek, “So beautiful”. You took a deep breath, “Good night Jensen.” He placed a soft peck on your lips before you walked out of the house. 

Driving home all you could think of was the kiss. You’d dreamed of kissing him for years, but he’s married. What did the kiss mean to him, to your job? Would he want to do it again, would you? Your mind was racing with thoughts of the kiss and how you could still feel his lips on yours. The sound of your phone pulling you out of your head.

Jensen: So I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I swear I didn’t plan that. 

You: You didn’t make me uncomfortable. I liked it. Honestly, a little too much. 

Jensen: I liked it too. I’d like to do it again if you want.

You: I like that more than you know, but you’re married and my boss. I’m not sure it’s a great idea.

What the hell are you doing!? Jensen Ackles is telling you he wants to kiss you again and you’re shooting him down. Ugh!

Jensen: I understand. Please don’t think this changes anything or affects your job. It doesn’t. You’re amazing with my kids and I wouldn’t want to mess that up.

You: Thank you. I appreciate you saying that. Good night, and I’ll see you Monday.

Jensen: Good night, Y/N. Sweet dreams and see you Monday.

As you crawled into bed that night all you could think about was the kiss and how wonderful his hands felt on you. A small pang of guilt crept into your head when you thought about his wife. You still couldn’t believe you told him you didn’t think kissing him again would be a good idea. His lips were so soft and damn was he a good kisser. 

Could you really still work for him after this, or would the pull to kiss him become too much?

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[tulip-room]

“I Love You” “…still?”

Pairing: Akaashi x Reader

Content: Comfort -> Hurt, break ups

a/n: Enjoy angst :)

You roll over as sunlight flickered through the curtain. It was much later than you usually got up. Where was Akaashi when you needed him? You didn’t have to look far as a shadow flitted over your eyes. Slowly opening their eyes they saw it was a hand. One belonging to the very person you were just searching for. You smile and reached up to grab his hand and pulled it down for a kiss.

“Thank you my love, I’m awake now though.” Both of you were content to lay in each other’s embrace.

“I was hoping you would sleep for a little longer my darling.” It was moments like this that you lived for. The gentle humming of the A/C unit acting as background noise for their bubble. Suddenly their peace was interrupted by a cat jumping on their bed. Mogli was a tuxedo cat that Akaashi had rescued on a walk back home. Sometimes he liked to do that. Take a walk to clear his head. He had been doing that more recently. Not the point though, Mogli was hungry and you or Akaashi had to get out of bed to feed him. With a sigh Akaashi picked up the blankets and rolled out of bed. He leaned back down to kiss you on the forehead and Mogli was quick to follow him.

Once the door was shut, so were your eyes. The next time they were woken up was by the sound of a door shutting and the shushing coming from familiar lips. “Mogli. Be quiet, you don’t want to wake them up.” Akaashi shushed gently and sat down on the bed after placing the tray on the nightstand. He bent down and peppered kisses over their face. A smile soon spread across their face. “Good morning my love. I made you some food.” He caressed their face and moved a piece of hair out of your face.

You yawn and slowly sit up. “Thank you darling. You’re wonderful.”

And your soft morning continued on for the rest of the day. Akaashi hadn’t gone to work that day and you had the luxury of being able to work from home. Next week was your favorite day of the month. Once a month Akaashi would take you on a special date.

Akaashi laughs as you struggle to find the right shirt. “Hurry my love, we wouldn’t want to miss golden hour.” You shake your head and finally find a shirt.

“Okay! I’m done! I’m done!” You grab your wallet and put it in your pocket. Akaashi shakes his head before grabbing your hand.

“It’s sweet that you still bring your wallet but you really don’t need to my love.”

“What if I wanted to spoil you?” You smile and intertwine your fingers. As you head out the door you make sure Mogli has food and give him extra pets. “Be good.” You say to the cat before locking the door.

Half an hour later the two of you arrive at your destination. Akaashi remains the perfect gentleman and opens your door for you. He helps you out of your seat and you look around. “The place where we had our first date?”

He nods with a genuine smile and adjusts his glasses. “I’m glad you remembered. The same thing?” He asks as he points to the food stand.

“There’s no way you remember exactly what we had three years ago.”

Akaashi raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. “Wanna bet?”

“No way.” You smile widely and find a seat. “Of course I want the same thing. Gotta recreate the moment.” As he goes up to the counter to order you pull out your phone. You take a photo of him as he smiles at the worker. He was right, golden hour was the perfect time to come here. The golden light makes him look like an angel. He looks radiant. If you could keep him forever you would.

Nothing lasts forever. But we won’t dwell on that. Another year has passed and Akaashi’s walks have gotten even more frequent. No new animal additions have been added to the family though. He’s been distant recently but you assumed it was because of work. I mean everything else had been perfect so far, besides a few fights but every couple had fights.

Tonight was supposed to be your special date night. Akaashi had locked himself in his office since he got home and didn’t appear to be coming back out. You knock on the door and push it open a little. “Do you still want to go out tonight my love?”

You can see him tense up. He must be very stressed. His jaw clenches a little bit before he sighs. “Not tonight Y/N.” That’s new. You can count on your hand the number of times he’s called you your name in private.

You don’t want him to get worried though, he’s probably just really stressed. He does have a big deadline coming up. You nod and close the door.

He seemed back to his usual self two months later. Three special dates had been missed. Many more regular dates, too many to count, had been ignored. It upset you but you didn’t want to come off as needy. You didn’t need to go on dates to be in a relationship but maybe a few nights a month where you hang out.

That would be nice. It had been far too long since Akaashi had hung out with you. Maybe you could convince him to a stay at home date. Or even just watching a movie with some ice cream. Once again making your way to his dreaded office you knock on the door. This time he replies. “Come in!”

You open the door and lean against it a little bit. “Do you want to watch a movie and eat ice cream?”

Akaashi smiles and turns off his computer. He turns to get out of his chair and takes his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose before placing them back. “Yeah, let’s go.”

He’s been so stressed. Stressed because there’s a ring sitting in his dresser and he’s trying to plan the perfect way to ask. He realized that in his perfectionism he had been forgetting you. Odd. His friends never forget their partners.

The two of you enjoy your evening a cuddled up on the couch.

A month or so later it was over. One month after feeling perfect again. One month and it was all suddenly gone.

Five years suddenly feel like a blip. There wasn’t enough time. No more breakfast in bed, no more special dates, no more walks. No more Akaashi. As quickly as he provided you with security and stability it was gone. He was gone.

Now here you are. Two years later. You were cleaning out your apartment getting ready to move. Funny how the time flew. Here the both of you are. Sitting in the diner you met in, one box of his things that he had forgotten.

“I love you,” you say quietly. The statement feels odd on your lips. It’s been some time since it’s been said to anyone besides family.

Akaashi’s eyes widen a little. He takes an unsteady breath. “…still?” He never did give you that ring. The one still sitting in his bedside table. The one he couldn’t bring himself to part with.

I hope you enjoyed! I actually really like writing angst but for my own peace of mind I write mostly fluff. My requests are open if you wanted to request something!

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[cetaitlaverite]

Anything to Anywhere

Masters of the Air - John Egan x OC

masterlist is here <3

25. To Smile Or Weep

There was so much Stella wanted to tell John, so much she’d been dreaming of telling him in the lonely months they’d spent apart. And just like always, he was content to listen to her talk, watching her with a tiny smile as she spoke at length about the details of her life since he’d gone down.

The two of them were sitting on the floor beneath the window of their barracks in the stalag, John’s back against the wall, Stella on her knees, facing him between his legs. Her hands moved wildly as she spoke and she was so animated, like all the life had been breathed back into her just for seeing him.

John was mesmerised. He knew all the other men could see it, had noticed it, were probably talking about it, but he didn’t care. Stella Finley, his Stels, here, in front of him, babbling and happy to see him. She didn’t hate him, she’d just never gotten his letters. It made sense now; she’d been sent to another base and then she’d been a fugitive in France. It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted to reply, it was that she hadn’t been able to.

He’d never known love like this. He’d never even known attraction like this. If he’d ever looked at another woman and thought she was pretty it hadn’t been even half of what this was. Even the prettiest woman he’d ever seen beforehand, all dolled up in a fancy dress and makeup, hair styled to perfection, wasn’t half of what Stella was with her hair tangled and old blood crusted on her face and a too big uniform which was covered in dirt. He could have sat there with his back aching against the hard wood behind him, watching her talk, forever.

“... presents for my birthday,” she was telling him, managing a smile just at the memory, faraway thought it now was. “And cake!” she exclaimed. “I’ve never had a birthday cake before but they got me two, just in case I didn’t like the first one.”

John opened his mouth to say something to this but Stella didn’t notice, simply carried on talking, as was her way.

“And I have a best friend,” she added. “Her call sign is Lucky, because her last name means ‘fortunate’ in Polish, which is where she’s from. She fled to England when Poland was invaded. She’s a tiny force of nature and I love her so much.” Stella faltered. Her eyes became faraway. In a daze, as though hypnotised, one of her hands dipped beneath her - John’s - jacket, searching for something. When she withdrew it, she was holding a raggedy old toy rabbit.

She stared down at it as though she’d never seen it before.

“That hers?” John asked softly when all Stella did was stare at it. “Your friend’s?”

“My best friend’s,” Stella corrected quietly. “Her childhood bunny. Before my last flight she gave him to me to look after, to bring me luck, and I gave her Ralph.” Shaking her head, Stella sniffled, swiped at her nose, and lifted her gaze to the light streaming in from the window. “She’s going to be so angry with me,” she said. “She specifically told me to bring him back in one piece and instead I dragged him all around France and now he’s in a prisoner of war camp.”

John was watching her closely, his frown pronounced on his face. “I bet she’s just glad you’ve got her rabbit looking out for you,” he offered after a beat.

At this, Stella cracked a tiny, rueful smile. “We’ve been through a lot together, this rabbit and I.” She shook her head, sniffling and wiping at her nose once more. She placed the rabbit down on the table beside her and finally, reluctantly, met John’s gaze.

She smiled for him, as wide as she could, more secure now, more certain. “John,” she said softly. Her eyes were gentle and reverential, bright and sad all at once. “I’m so happy to see you.”

John was sure he felt his heart melt. Any second now he was sure to catch sight of it leaking out of the soles of his boots. God knew they were thin enough after being worn so relentlessly all winter.

He couldn’t find his voice for a second, struck dumb by her sincerity. She’d only shown him glimpses of this side of her before and only right at the very end, just before he’d gone down. It was new to him in its certainty. She was new to him in her vulnerability. Something in what she’d experienced in their time apart had softened her to him, had opened her up to him, had made her realise he wasn’t her enemy.

He wanted so desperately to take her into his arms and cradle her to his chest. The tips of his fingers were itching with the ache for it.

But he denied himself the pleasure, the honour. Just in case. He didn’t want to do too much too soon, be too much too soon. Baby steps, even now that they were reunited. He wouldn’t allow himself to chase her away as he had so many times before.

So he cleared his throat and offered a small smile. “Happy to see you too, Stels. Just wish it was under better circumstances.”

Stella took a look around at the small wooden room. It was dirty and cold, even in the spring. Crowded, too, with too many men and too many beds. But it was no worse, really, than the bedroom she’d spent her childhood in. There was maybe even something comforting about having so many familiar faces packed into one space. Here, no one would be able to get to her in the middle of the night. Whether they knew her well or not, Stella knew these men would look after her

Turning back to John, Stella shrugged. “I’ve been locked in worse.”

His eyes were hard as they searched her face, seeking an explanation.

She wouldn’t give him one - not yet, at least. Maybe not ever. Instead, she asked, “Can I sleep in your bed?” and waited patiently for his reply.

John didn’t have a reply - not yet, at least. His jaw was hanging slightly ajar, his eyebrows slightly raised.

Heat flooded to Stella’s cheeks. She had to look away. “Okay, nevermind.”

“No - I mean - wait,” John sputtered immediately. “I mean, yes, of course. Sure you can, Stels. Of course.”

From where he was leaning against the wall to Stella’s left, John Brady snorted. John shot him a dirty look and he promptly looked away, pretending to mind his own business.

“Which bed is yours?” Stella asked next, still blushing and furious at herself because of it.

Reaching out an arm, John patted the mattress of the bed on his left, in the middle of the three beds stacked on top of each other as bunk beds.

From the other side of the room, where he’d clearly also been eavesdropping, DeMarco said, “We can swap if you want.” When Stella turned to look at him he inclined his head in the direction of the beds.

Following the gesture, Stella noticed for the first time the photographs which were taped up on the wall beside each bed. The bottommost had photos of the dog she recognised as Meatball, the Siberian husky DeMarco had brought to Thorpe Abbotts with him. He’d been under the custody of Freddie Leroy ever since DeMarco had gone down with Buck - probably she’d been the one to send him the pictures.

Stella turned back to give DeMarco a small smile. “That’s okay. Thank you, though.” She didn’t want to cause any more upheaval than she surely already had.

DeMarco breathed a laugh. “Sleeping in a bed with two guys on top of you is one thing. Sleeping in a bed with two guys and a woman on top of you is another.” When Stella laughed he grinned. “You take the bottom bunk.”

“You tryna say the lady’s heavy, Benny?” John teased with a smile in his voice.

DeMarco rolled his eyes. “I’m tryna say I don’t wanna be stuck underneath the two of you rolling around in bed together. On top is bad enough.”

Stella choked on her next inhale.

“No, that ain’t -” John started to insist.

“I’m a virgin!” Stella snapped.

Silence fell on the room.

Buck coughed awkwardly into his fist from his bed.

No one knew what to say in response to that. And suddenly no one wanted to look at each other, either.

That was, until out of nowhere John could hold in his laugh no longer and it all but burst out of him, even when the eyes of the room were upon him.

Stella turned to the room at large and inquired curiously, “Is there a bathroom around here?” to no one in particular. All of a sudden the need to escape was so strong it was making her palms itch, her underarms sweat, her eyes water.

John, still chuckling, planted his hands in preparation to stand, but before he could Buck had jumped down from his bed, the topmost of the three on his side of the room. He gave Stella a small smile. “I’ll show you,” he said. “Make sure no one gives you any trouble.”

“Thanks.”

There were no men in any of the stalls in the communal bathroom of their block. Buck stood guard outside to make sure it stayed that way while Stella was in there. As quickly as she could, Stella took the opportunity to wash herself of the blood and dirt and sweat she was caked in. She scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until her skin was red raw and still didn’t feel clean, would never feel clean, but she was conscious of Buck waiting for her outside and all the other men who were likely waiting to use the bathroom.

It was against her better judgement that she washed her hair in the sink but she wasn’t sure when she’d next get the opportunity. She would just deal with the cold - she must have been used to it by now anyway.

When she reemerged, as clean as she was likely to get, with her clothes sticking to the wet patches of her skin where she hadn’t had a towel to dry off with, Buck gave her another tiny smile and started back the way they’d come.

Stella fell into step beside him easily. Their footsteps were loud on the creaky wooden floors, likely echoing in all of the rooms beyond the closed doors they passed. “Thank you for waiting.”

“Not a problem,” Buck replied.

Stella nodded, wondering whether she even wanted to say what she was about to, but she said it anyway. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’m probably going to cause you by being here.”

Glancing over at her, Buck furrowed his eyebrows. There was a confused smile on his lips. “You didn’t ask to be here any more than I did, Fin.”

Stella shook her head. “But John took me in before asking any of you. I don’t want to impose or -”

“We were never gonna let you go anywhere else, Fin,” Buck cut across her. “Me or any of the others. Even if John wasn’t here we woulda taken you in. It’s not a problem.”

Sighing, Stella relented. Secretly, the sentiment warmed her. The unspoken implication wasn’t lost on her and it wasn’t lost on Buck, either; she was one of them, whether she’d made a conscious effort to be when they’d all still been at Thorpe Abbotts or otherwise. None of them had ever had any question or any doubt about whether or not she’d bunk with them.

Back in the room, Stella took a seat at the table in the centre of the room and took another look around, at the photographs and letters pinned to the walls next to beds, at the primitive lights in the ceiling and the solitary window with its view out into the camp courtyard. She surveyed the books on a shelf in the corner and the mugs left scattered across the table. She smiled when she noticed the wooden aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling by the window, and smiled wider when she saw that DeMarco had already switched his bed with John’s, evidenced by the new location of his photographs.

John’s bed didn’t have any similar distinguishing features, no letters and no pictures taped to the wall, just the same threadbare blanket and pillow that everyone else had. But now there was a stuffed bunny lying back against the pillow, its body tucked beneath the blanket. Stella grinned when she saw it and she knew John had seen, had been waiting for her to notice, because when she looked over at him he was hiding his smile, busying himself with shuffling the deck of cards in his hands.

She didn’t say anything, didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his friends, so instead she took to looking out of the window, wondering just what she was going to do with herself all day.

She didn’t have to wonder for long.

The door banged open, slamming into the wall and swinging on its hinges, and three camp guards stormed in.

Stella was on her feet with her back pressed to the furthest wall in an instant because, by now, she recognised this aggression, had an idea of what was coming. Her heart was racing, loud and insistent, her back was sweating, all the blood rushed to her head. Her hands were shaking and her toes were curling in her boots and her breath was stuttering, as though someone had their hands around her neck.

John was immediately in front of her, the bulk of his frame covering her completely until she couldn’t even see the guards anymore.

The guards recognised his protective stance. “We just want to talk to her,” one of them said in heavily-accented English.

Stella’s hands curled into the back of John’s jacket.

“She’s already told you everything you need to know,” John replied, his voice calm but cold, unforgiving. Stella was sure his eyes were even colder.

The guard who had first spoken laughed. “No,” he disagreed, “she has not.”

“Then ask her right here,” Buck cut in, coming to stand beside John.

“Interrogations must take place in private to prevent interference,” the guard replied pleasantly enough. “Move aside.”

“I told the Gestapo everything,” Stella said. Her voice was shaky to her own ears. “I answered all their questions. Anything else I don’t know.”

One of the other guards, his voice significantly higher than the first’s, cackled. “You expect us to believe you do not know the location of your own airfield?”

Stella swallowed hard. Her hands were tight in the back of John’s jacket. “I don’t. They blindfolded me when they took me there.”

“You flew out of that airfield many times. Almost forty times, if our records are correct.”

“That doesn’t mean I know where it is.”

“That is exactly what it means!” the guard snapped.

Stella flinched.

John reached a hand behind him for her and she took it without a second thought, edging closer to him when he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

“You have not told us the call signs of any other pilot who flies for the Moon Squadron,” the guard continued.

“I don’t know their call signs,” she said.

John knew this wasn’t true because she’d told him her best friend’s call sign not two hours earlier. He squeezed her hand again in encouragement as well as reassurance.

The guards had evidently had enough of conducting this conversation here. “Move aside,” the first guard demanded of John and Buck once more, “or we will move you aside.”

“Then move us aside,” John replied evenly with a casual shrug.

The scuffing of feet along the floor, the shuffling of footsteps. Stella couldn’t see what was going on but she knew well enough what was happening. All at once, wordlessly, the rest of the men in the room came to stand in front of John and Buck, forming a human barrier between Stella and the guards.

She wasn’t sure whether to smile or weep.

There was a moment’s contemplative pause. Stella imagined in her mind’s eye the staredown which was taking place between the American airmen and the German guards. But after a long, torturous moment there erupted into the air a shrill, sharp laugh, almost hysterical in its suddenness and undeniably from one of the guards.

“Fine,” that same voice said next, his bitter smile audible even in the way he spat the word. “You may keep her. For now.” With that sinister threat said and nothing more, Stella listened with bated breath to the retreating footsteps of the guards. Only once the door was firmly shut once more did the men who had banded together in her defence disperse.

When John’s posture relaxed, Stella finally let herself breathe properly.

Even when John turned to face her, ducking his head and seeking out her eyes, Stella still didn’t relinquish her hold on his jacket. It twisted and bunched in her grip, the leather quietly protesting between her fingers, and she only relaxed her hold so she could grip another section, this time near his chest, then scrunched it right back up again. Tentatively, slowly, warily, like a guilty child knowing they were about to be reprimanded, Stella met his eyes.

Inexplicably, John was smiling. It was only a tiny smile, largely hidden in the corners of his mouth as though it was there entirely against his will, but it made his eyes scrunch just slightly in that way Stella had been dreaming of all these months. When he spoke, his voice was unbearably gentle, like the feathers of a docile bird. “You been lying to the Nazis, Stels?”

Reluctantly, Stella cracked a smile of her own. “Through my teeth.”

John breathed a laugh. He was so much bigger than she remembered him being, tall and broad and protective. “All this time,” he said, shaking his head a little bit but keeping his eyes locked on hers, “I been comforting myself with the thought that you were safe. Back at Thorpe Abbotts with Alice and Jessop, drinking and flying Hurricanes and outsmarting every fool who looked at you and only saw a pretty face.” He shut his eyes momentarily, still with that rueful, indulgent smile, half pained and half amazed. “Stels,” he breathed, “what the fuck are you doing here?”

“You know what I’m doing here,” Stella reminded him softly. “I always told you I was destined for greater, and I was right.”

“You were destined for greater than this,” John objected, peeling open his eyes and gazing deeply into hers. “You weren’t supposed to sit out the war like this.”

“Neither were you,” Stella pointed out. “But we are. And here is better than where I was before.” At least here I’m with you, she thought.

John’s eyebrows crashed down over his eyes. He opened his mouth and she knew he was about to ask about what had happened to her in her last prison.

Stella looked away. She shook her head. “Not yet,” she said before he could.

John let out a low exhale, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

“It’s okay,” she assured him. “If I was given the choice now I’d still choose to join the Moon Squadron, even knowing what would happen after.” She’d held onto that throughout her interrogation. She hadn’t always been so sure of the sentiment, had often felt like she was holding onto a lie, but she was sure of it now. She would still choose to do what she’d done. It had all happened the way it was supposed to. There was no other way she could think about everything which had happened and still believe it made sense.

John’s eyes fell resignedly closed. “I wish I never went down,” he confessed.

Stella smiled softly, fondly, and curled her fingers tighter into his jacket. “But then I’d be here without you,” she said, “and then what would I do?”

[captaincapsicle83]

The Little Pests

Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary- Sam’s friend, an IT worker for Stark Industries turned new recruit, has a crush on an avenger. Being a good wingman (hehe, get it?) does everything he can to get the reader and Bucky closer, even enlisting the help of other avengers.

It’s almost obnoxious actually.

Pairings: Bucky x Reader (main romance, rest platonic), Sam Wilson x reader, Clint Barton x reader, avengers x reader

TW: Cursing, Sam and Clint being silly, “suicide” but like, it’s a bobs burgers reference (you’ll see)

A/N: I was bored, so I pushed aside EVERY OTHER WIP I should be working on (about eight separate ones), left all my drafts open, completely ignored my old, geriatric ideas, and wrote something off a whim

Behold, my capricious work of art

“And, this is our kitchen, that’s our toaster. The toaster is always broken don’t try to use it,” Sam says. His right arm is on your shoulder, the left gesturing around the room, showing you around he compound.

“Why doesn’t it-” You’re cut off by a man with light brown hair swatting the toaster with his fist.

“You whore! I want my poptart!” He grunts.

“He’s why,” Sam shakes his head, and rolls his eyes. Clint Barton; Hawkeye, Destroyer of toasters.

Clint whips around, disgust evident on his face, “Oh, no, no, no, Sir. Don’t act like I’m suddenly the only one to blame here. Take a look at Mr. Banner and his anger issues, the cyborg, or, better yet Sammy, look in the fucking mirror.”

You decided right then and there that you liked Clint. “Sammy” scowled at Barton, before motioning for you to sit at the table. He had already shown you around the rest of the compound, including your room, making the kitchen your last stop.

As Sam rummaged through the cupboards, Clint sat in a chair across from you, groaning and huffing like an old dad with aching joints (Clint couldn’t be more than in his thirties or fourties’).

“Are you here to fix the toaster?” He asks you, his voice sad and his eyes even sadder. He was like those little animals with big eyes of pleading in Disney films.

“No, I’m sorry. I could try,” you suggest the last part, and he perks up. He sits up straight in his chair, rather than sprawling, and shifted to drumming his hands on the table.

“Met anybody else yet?” He asks, Sam still looking for food with not much luck.

“Nada, just you and Sam,” You say, truthfully. You had honestly expected more traffic, but were just the same grateful to be mostly undisturbed.

“Oh, good, you’re lucky. After us, it all goes down hill,” He “tsk-tsk”’s. “Let’s give you a run down. There’s Bruce and Tony, they’re our brains. They don’t sleep. They’re, like, tier two after Sam and I. Also tier 2, we got Natasha and Wanda. They’re scary. I will not elaborate. Tier 3, Vision, Thor, Rhodes, Spider-Kid. Mostly uneventful around the compound, Visions here the most, other three not as much. Then there’s our senior citizens in the bottom tier. Steve and Bucket. If they were a spice, they’d be flour.”

The way Clint was talking, it felt like the scene in mean girls where Janice and Damien find Cary in the bathroom. You were giggly at his little hand motions and theatrical way of painting the scene.

“What makes you and Sam tier 1?” You ask, Sam coming over with two jars of peanut butter, spoons sticking out of them.

“Birds!” They both yell to each other. When you make a face at Sam’s offer of a jar of peanut butter, Clint takes it right away. You watch in wonder as the two bicker with each other, getting the feeling they were the only ones who found themselves to be “tier 1.”

***

You had been with the avengers for, say, about 7 months, finding it easy to make friends and have fun between missions and SHIELD duties.

“Well,” Clint was saying to you and Sam, the three of you sitting at the compounds dining table, coloring with crayons on printer paper. “I’m glad you two are having fun, because I am going to kill myself.”

He holds up a poorly manufactured picture of a duck. You all convulge into a set of late night giggles.

It was four am, and you had all just returned early from a mission. After a mission, especially one where you could sleep on the way back, you sometimes found it nice to unwind with your teammates.

As you all tried to compose yourselves, you didn’t even notice someone else enter the kitchen part of the kitchen, not until Sam called out to them that is.

“Hey, Buck, what’s up?”

“Hmm? Nothing. Coffee,” He looked startled, then straight back to basically being dead tired. The bags under his eyes looked like they just took a trip to Costco.

He looks reluctant, and like his mind has to do a lot of mental gymnastics to convince himself to do so, but ultimately he sits down at your table.

You’re drawing a picture of some birds (well, what was supposed to look like birds) in a little bird house. Your heart was beating about 10 decibels faster, and your hands became more unsteady.

Clint and Sam both privately took note of your change in demeanor. The way instead of using circle motions either your crayons, as you had been, you were pressing harder and going up and down. And how you simply just layer them on the table rather than back in the box. And the short sweet glances sent to one new person at the table….

***

Private messages between Sam Wilson and Clint Barton that you should never have seen, had you not been playing candy crush on Clint’s phone one Saturday morning. You’re a snooper, you snoop, it’s what you do.

Wednesday 5:36 am

Clint: Are you sleeping bbb

Sam: that best better not stand for what I think it does…

Clint: Y/n left me after you and Bucky did. Think the girl needed time to fantasize

Sam: YOU NOTICED TOO

Clint: I see everything, always

Sam: ominous

Sam: Clinton have you ever watched the bachorlette

Clint: I loveeee where this is going

Sam: I think she has a little crush

Sam: we should set them up

Clint: I can already see the kids

Clint: they’ll be names Sam and Clint of course

Clint: after us

Saturday, 9:29 am

Unread

Sam: did you destroy my fucking coin master village 17 times???

Sam: Barton, your ass is grass and I’m gonna mow it

***

Dead. You promised Clint and Sam they were dead.

At first, you thought it was just a joke. Until the advancements started.

It was Thursday, the team gathering for a dinner, as they did every once in awhile. As soon as you entered the room, you saw Clint and Sam basically playing musical chairs to keep an empty seat open next to Bucky Barnes.

“Are…Are you two okay?” Steve asked, genuine fear and concern on his face.

“Totally.”

“One-hundred percent.”

“Why wouldn’t we be?”

“You’re acting weird captain.”

Steve sits, slack jawed, at a loss for a response. As you walk towards the table, your shoulders are grabbed by Clint, who is saying in a sickeningly sweet and chipper voice, “Y/n! Goodness, great to see you! Sit here! There’s a spot next to Bucky! You know Bucky! You love Bucky!”

You were a *mess* the entire dinner, unable to completely focus on anything but breathing patterns.

As the evening was coming to a close and others were dismissing themselves, you made cold hard eye contact with Clint, seated directly across from you. His hands were folded on the table like an innocent school child.

“Barton,” you said, your voice stern. “Wanna play Chinese Checkers?”

He shakes his head violently, but says, “Sam does too.”

Sam gets up from the table, so fast, his chair knocks over and silverware clatters.

You quickly jump up, chasing him down the hall. Clint follows, brandishing a phone camera, a will, and a way.

The rest of the group was frozen now, looking in bewilderment at what was going on. Or rather, their lack of knowledge of what the hell was going on?

“Anybody have input?” Tony asks after a long silence. Everyone looks equally lost.

They all look when a thud sounds in the direction your trio went.

***

Bucky and Steve are walking track to their rooms, later that evening. Steve had mission reports to do, and Bucky had thoughts to process and a diary to write in.

“So, what do you think of the new girl?” Steve pokes the bear, hoping to get a rise out of his friend.

“Hmm, oh. I dunno. She’s nice, I guess,” Bucky shrugs, and Steve’s goofy little smile grows like the grinch’s heart.

“Really? Because you look liked you were having an awful lot of thoughts tonight at dinner. And, you know, you stare at her long enough every other day…”

“Do not.”

“Do so.”

Bucky stares at Steve, unknowing of what to do in this situation. He shrugs again.

“So what?”

“So? So you should, oh, I don’t know, have a real conversation with her instead of just breathing into each others general directions. It’s nauseating having to watch Sam and Clint push you guys into the same space.”

Tonight may have been the first time you noticed, but in truth that kind thing happened in many many scenarios. Even before Clint and Sam connected that dots that you liked him.

They wanted their ship to sail.

***

“You took a shower!?” Clint says to Bucky, in a low and shocked voice. He held an incredulous look on his face, one Bucky wanted to smack right off.

“Yeah, try it sometime,” Bucky quipped.

“Y/n’s in her room,” Clint took a sip of his coffee. She has loads of paperwork. Probably will be in there all day.”

Bucky’s mouth opens and then shuts, not wanting to know why Clint was helping him. In truth, he wasn’t. Clint was helping you.

Within minutes, Bucky was outside your door, giving himself the cutest, peppiest of peptalks. Albeit, in his head because he could not handle the embarrassment of the e door opening to you seeing him babbling like a madman.

So when you did open the door, he tried flashing a warm smile. At the sight of it, you thought you would simply just faint. Right there, thud on the floor.

While your brain was debating whether you would prefer internal or external bleeding of the skull (internal, you decided, wouldn’t mess up your hair) Bucky cleared his throat.

You looked into his blinding blue eyes, the way a deer looks into headlights (meaning any minute you would get hit by the car…)

“Hi,” Bucky breathes out.

“Hi,” you say, your voice cracking.

You wanted to choke yourself out.

“I have something to tell you,” he starts. “Or- or I wanna talk to you.”

“…oh…” FUCKING CHRIST! Oh?? That was the best you had???

“Look, y/n I’ve sorta…I like you, quite a lot. And I’ve been nervous to talk to you or tell you about it, because I really don’t like opening up about my feelings. But-”

You cut him off by pouring out, “Ilikeyoutoo!”

“You- oh…Well…this wasn’t as bad as I had thought then.”

You let out an awkward chuckle, “Yeah, guess not.”

He doesn’t say anything, the two of you staring into each others eyes. He starts to lean in, his perfect face getting closer to yours. The action feels magnetic as you lean closer.

You take in his features. His brow, his chiseled jawline. The symmetrical two sides to his face, like if you took a meat clever down the center, you’d have matching halves.

Just as you can feel his breathe on your lips, right before the two of you can make contact, you both jolt apart at the sound.

Clint falls from your ceiling, Sam landing on top of him. The metal grate that filtrated the air in your room was below them, broken ceiling tiles, pink insulation and regret strewn about your flooring.

“I’m gonna kill you.”

[ricflairdrip20]

Can I request another one in which the reader is dating David and he later finds out that Ryan tried hitting on her and he is livid as he reacts by confronting Ryan about it later on?

David Protecting You (David Wallace x Reader)

You went to the table to grab a drink of water, before filling your plates with fruits and some veggies. Like Angela, you’re not a fan of meat due to your veganism. So filling up with fruit and vegetables is the ideal choice for your company Christmas party.

It has been over a year since you got an accounting job at Dunder Mifflin corporate. The previous accountant resigned due to family matters and David is quick to offer you the job. Not just by familiarity but for your work skills that is a great asset to the company.

It was also right around the time Ryan got hired to take over Jan’s old job as Vice President of Sales, which is puzzling because prior to that, he was just a temp who just happened to get Jim’s job as salesman in lieu of expiring out his contract. Despite working in a different department, you knew that sales isn’t Ryan’s strongest skill set.

“Hey, Y/N,” you were interrupted by a familiar voice while you were eating your kiwis. You looked up to see Ryan standing there with almost an egotistical smile on his face. Another thing you noticed about him since transferring to New York, his change in attitude. He went from a shy temp to someone who let the power go to his head from the job that he shouldn’t even be having due to lack of qualifications.

“Oh, hi, Ryan,” you waved to him. Despite his behavior, you were still nice and cordial, because that’s how you were raised.

“Enjoying the party?” You nodded.

“I do, actually. I just wish they had more vegan stuff instead of meat. It’s not fair to the animals,” you sighed and mentally questioned people’s “morals” at their choice of meals at the expense of the creatures.

Ryan smiled warmly at your compassion. He had a crush on you since his first day of Dunder Mifflin. Kelly noticed and since then, gave you a stink face every time she sees you—highly stemmed from her insecurity—which is something you were a little confused about. You knew Kelly likes him a lot, until one day she saw Ryan sitting next to you and talking to you at the break room. Which explains her attitude towards you. Odd girl.

“That’s really kind of you, Y/N. Um, Y/N? Can I tell you something,” he asked, almost shyly. You nodded.

“When I look in your eyes, I see a very kind soul.” That sentence made you blush, but you had to put it aside because you have your eyes on someone else.

“Thank you,” you replied, but he kept going. The next thing he said caught you off guard.

“You’re like a fine wine. The more of you I drink in, the better I feel.” You started to get a little uncomfortable as Ryan kept talking, at this point wishing he’d shut up and/or somebody showing up.

Your wish came true as you saw your boyfriend David approaching the two of you. He must’ve noticed the look of discomfort on your face while talking with Ryan, because he asked you if he was bothering you, to which you said yes.

“He’s hitting on me and saying these weird pick up lines,” you added. You were glad that the man you’ve been dating for a few months came to your rescue.

David sighed and looked at Ryan.

“Ryan, may I speak to you somewhere private?” David asked before walking to a more secluded area.

Cut to Third Person

“That woman is my girlfriend, Ryan! You know we’ve been dating yet you have no sense of respect and decency in other people’s relationships. Have you lost your mind?! Because I’ll help you find it!” David was yelling at Ryan as he stammered on his words, trying to lessen the blow.

“I’m sorry- Okay- I’ll stop…”

“…Won’t be able to help you if you don’t stop hitting on my girl!”

Cut to Ryan’s talking head

“David yelled at me tonight. That was one of the most frightening experiences of my life.”

[elkian]

Oh yeah since it’s Homestuck Day here’s a post I’ve been sitting on for a bit.

Davesprite’s tragedy is even deeper than is immediately obvious.

The scale, time-wise, of the base game - the Alpha Timeline - is something of a joke. It pokes fun, I think, at the concept of Webcomic Time - that an event taking place over dozens of pages over the course of months is, in-canon, only taking place across a day or two.

But Davesprite. Oh, Davesprite.

Dave-the-sprite came from a timeline 4 months (chrono) past Day 1. He’d been hopping enough for it to come out to maybe 1 year for him. He’s very lanky in the animation, and when Rose’s dreamself merges with her Alpha self, the sprites are very slightly different sizes. Future Mutie is visibly older.

But then The Alpha Timeline? The Course Of The Game?

One. Day.

What an absolute whiplash, you guys. He’s been grinding and prepping and mentally readying himself and fucking grieving for his pretty much only friends for nearly a year. Remember how Dragon Ball Z had the Hyper time chamber and it was mentioned that it’s hard to use alone? Because being in there on your lonesome, that’s tough. That’s Dave. He had Rose, who was also grieving and having her own crises that he may or may not have been equipped to help her through at all, and he’s doing all this.

And in like, maybe 12 hours, it’s suddenly all over.

And then he finds out it’s gonna be another three years, but hey, this time he has Jade and John, the people he missed so desperately that he was willing to give up being The Real Dave, a real human, for.

And to them? He’s an extra.

He’s Bonus Dave. He’s Davesprite. He’s Basically Dave, (almost) As Good As The Real Thing!

Like, it’s very hard for me to articulate, but the way that both of them refer to him during the course of their cruise is... dehumanizing, in differing ways.

John calls him Dave, because He’s Basically Dave. (This is after John asked him to let The Real Dave in on their convo, recall). He doesn’t need to be treated any different, because he’s indistinguishable from The Real Dave, Pretty Much!

Jade isn’t as bad - possibly her stint as+fusion with Jadesprite helped - but the way Grimbark Jade loses her temper with Dave post-jump is... telling. She blames a boy she hasn’t spoken with in 3 years for something that a person who is not actually him did.

And he just! Fucking gets forgotten! I know Davepeta feels like an asspull to many readers, but honestly, it’s probably the best thing to happen to Davesprite since his John bit it. Like, was he the one from John’s timeline, or did he not die when the rebooted planet blew up or what? I’ve never understood that.

At least as Davepeta they have multiple people who are genuinely glad to be around them. At least Equius cares about one half and AR doesn’t not-care about the other and they’ve basically got a bestie in Arquiusprite! Getting fused with a reanimated alien catgirl in an alternate timeline(????) was probably the best thing to happen to Dave for a long, long time.

And I’m not even done!

Let’s talk Terezi.

Once we get through Act 5 and the trolls connect with the humans, we get a whole Fairy Godtroll situation that’s kinda cute. John gets Karkat and Vriska in his ear, Jade gets Tavros and Feferi and Kanaya and Karkat (Jade gets a lot of new people, doesn’t she?), Rose still has her Kanaya convos.

And Dave.

Gets.

Terezi.

They’re a great duo, very fun to watch - even with Vriska and Terezi’s weird rivalry shenanigans getting tangled up in it from time to time. As far as he knows, she’s just a bit of an internet weirdo who’s fun enough to hang out with.

As far as Alpha Dave knows, that is.

Davesprite came back, remember, to fix the timeline after Terezi got his John killed. Dave comes back, and argues with his John - that’s the first thing he gets to say to his best friend, one of his only friends, after a year of grieving in a dead, lonely session with only Rose for company. If he loses the fight, John dies.

After some effort, he gets his dumbass (beloved) pal to stop doing the stupid thing, then gives up his humanity (his existence as a core player, his role, his autonomy) and jumps into the sprite. Calsprite was a void of dead-eyed laughter and horror, so he wants to give the kids the best shot they can get, and having a non-cagey sprite on their side is a huge boost.

And Dave, Alpha Dave?

He ignores this.

He takes Terezi’s advice, over and over. Davesprite gives him the medallion, and we never see it used (we never see any sprite medallion used, as far as I can recall). Davesprite has to actively contact his player (his luckier, prime, Alpha self) and make him accept help, like guarding his body in his sleep. Meanwhile, Alpha Dave is getting codec support from the person who killed John, precipitating Davesprite’s entire existence in the narrative.

With the way the comic is structured, it’s really easy to blip over this, but this is what’s happening. Davesprite’s POV must be a goddamn horror movie, complete with futile shouting at the protagonists to stop going into the scary tunnels and following the advice of people who are blatantly out to hurt them. No fucking wonder he eventually fucked off the find Bro, who despite being an abusive piece of shit (did Davesprite ever get the chance to work that one out for himself?), is at least a constant. He’s the sole tie to the life this Dave left behind. Damn. And Dave doesn’t even come looking for him after he “dies”! If Davesprite didn’t vandalize that poster, would Alpha Dave have even known he was alive?

....fuck, is that why he keeps pasting orange text onto things? And provoking John into anger? Is he just doing his damnedest to keep from being trivialized and forgotten?

In the story, in the grand scheme of things, Davesprite is key to keep John from getting killed, and past that?

He has no purpose.

There’s no point to his existence.

His player seeks neither his advice nor his protection. His friends consider him part of the game they’re playing, rather than (an iteration of) their friend. The trolls mock him by doing nothing he can stop or really argue against. His rage has nowhere to go, so he has no rage.

No wonder he chases after Bro. No wonder he chills with Jadesprite. No wonder, no wonder. What a mess. What a disaster. He spends three years on the damn ship and as soon as the groups meet up, Jade begins projecting the time he spent with her on a guy she hasn’t seen since she was 13! And Alpha Dave just says “well, he’s bird me” and accepts this, except when he might get blamed for something he didn’t actually do!

God.

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

“I Love Taking Risks”

Returning for the second season of his hit comedy series Our Flag Means Death this month, Rhys Darby chats to us about becoming ‘The Gentleman Pirate’.

It was the surprise hit of 2022 no-one had on their bingo card. Loosely based on the real-life exploits of Stede ‘The Gentleman Pirate’ Bonnet (Rhys Darby), Our Flag Means Death tells the hilarious and heartfelt story of the wealthy Barbadian landowner who gave it all up for life as a pirate in the 1700s.

After encountering the actually not-so-terrifying Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) of legend, who teaches him how to be a fearsome pirate – to little effect – in exchange for wisdom about the finer things in life, the two formed an unexpected romantic connection.

Of course, with the first season ending with the pair sadly going their separate ways, creator and writer David Jenkins previews things will be challenging for our star-crossed lovers in season two: “I think [we’ll be] watching… both reorient themselves. This is their first love… You’re rocked when that happens. You go into a crisis.” With the second season premiering this month, picking up a short time after the first, Darby sat down with FOXTEL magazine to give us the lowdown.

What’s your take on ‘The Gentleman Pirate’?

It’s an interesting role because this is a guy who has a midlife crisis, leaves his wife and kids, just runs out in the middle of the night and creates a pirate crew, heads off into the sunset. And in order to sort of get to grips with who would do that, you need to have someone play the role that you’ve got to root for but, at the same time, you go, ‘Is he crazy? Why has he done this? Does he not love his wife and kids?’ So, you know, I did a bit of reading about him and tried to get into that mindset as to why he would do such a thing. And I think what I got to was just midlife crisis and boredom, and he had the wealth to change his life.

Are you a risk-taker yourself?

I love taking risks; I could drop everything and suddenly fly to Mars, but I’d be sitting in the spaceship before launch and thinking about my kids and I would have opened the door and run back to them.

So there was something there, some deep-seated darkness in his soul that led him to that point. He’s a complicated guy. I’m glad I had to rise to the challenge and try to pull that off.

Will Stede ever be respected by his crew, do you think?

Yes. I think he will be. People did respect him eventually because he did become a decent pirate. If you look in the annals of the pirates and all the booty they took, there’s lists of who did the best and all that kind of stuff, and Stede’s up there.

Do you think he had any regrets about choosing that life in the end?

That’s a good question. If I was to guess I would say no, because he wanted the adventure. He regretted, in the end, not taking the pardon when he could have – the King put out a pardon and he said, ‘If any of you pirates come in and drop your swords now, you’ll be spared.’ A lot of them did sign that they would do it and then just went back to pirating.

Even in the end, Stede tried to get out of it – he really begged and pleaded and wrote letters to the King saying, ‘Please, I’ll do anything.’ But they wanted to make an example of him: it doesn’t matter how wealthy you are, you do what you did, you’re gonna hang. So they got him in the end. But they won’t get me!

You seem to have a knack for picking great roles. What does your process entail?

Yeah, it depends what you’re doing. You know, I’m not at a point where offers are rolling in left, right and centre. So you still do things because you need the money. But I’ve been lucky that my uniqueness has only really gifted me roles that suit me, for the most part. Usually they’re smaller roles and I do a lot of guest starring on comedy shows. Also, I have been lucky enough to do a lot of voicework through various animation channels and video games and things.

A few years ago, people started to realise that, and it’s through working with Taika and a few others in the comedy industry, that if you’re going to hire me, he’s going to give you a bit more than what’s on the paper. And he’s going to do it in his manner and his way, and that’s what you’re sort of paying for.

And so that meant that I wouldn’t get a lot of roles, but the ones that I did do, I would always shine in. So thank you, universe, for giving me anything.

Source: Foxtel Magazine Australia (October issue)

[endofradio]

A DEVIL IN THE WOODS — CHAPTER ONE: A FAMILIAR FACE

notes: hey chat i decided to rewrite my abigail fic for the third time already because i was Still unhappy with it. i downloaded this app called novelist to help with organization and development and it’s been super useful. well. at least i got my writing muse back. and this fandom desperately needs a revival anyway.

warnings: none

summary: while sitting in her bedroom alone, sylvie ends up encountering a familiar person from her past — and not in a way she would’ve expected to. as it turns out, she’s needed for something important.

word count: 1.5k

tags: @trelaney @not-alesha @hesawifebeaterdanusethegun @berrysemifreddo @maggotssmichael @blackwolfstabs @atcarpenter @sophies-blogs (let me know if you’d like a tag!)

Quietly humming a tune to herself as she sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor was a young, dark-haired woman with a sketchbook.

And she was an incredibly lonely woman, known as Sylvie.

For all her twenty-five years of living, she had no one except for herself. Art, literature, and music were the main things that did bring her happiness. Primarily, they were distractions to use when she was feeling particularly vulnerable.

And tonight, Sylvie was having one of those moments.

Sometimes, everything just became too overwhelming for her. Today had been a decent day for the most part. She went for a walk in the park, took herself out to a café, visited the local library… and then returned home. She picked up journaling while she was in jail five years ago, but eventually quit because it felt… unfulfilling. It was just writing words on a page. How was that helpful? Nobody was listening to her.

But a lot of things have changed since those five years. A month ago, Sylvie chose to pick up her old journal and pick up where she left off. She never even managed to fill 20 pages before she decided to quit. After coming home tonight, she decided to look at some of her past entries.

That was what triggered the sudden emptiness she now felt.

When Sylvie picked up journaling again, she never looked at her first few entries. Just to see how much changed since then, she chose to flip through them. Bad idea. Fuck, how miserable was she? She sighed and took a glance at her very first entry:

“I’ve only been here for a day and I want to fucking go home. It’s so miserable here. I’m barely able to have anything with me. Hell, I’m glad I’m even able to have my journal with me. Everybody here’s so fucking weird. This room is so cramped. It’s making me feel like I’m going to lose my goddamn mind. Is this how it feels for animals to be kept in a zoo? It’s not like I killed anybody. Why am I being treated like this? That New York fuck (think his name is Adam but I don’t care) keeps bothering me too. This is seriously my worst nightmare.”

The flashbacks… oof. Seeing Adam’s name again was a harsh, unfriendly reminder. Sylvie could feel herself getting angry again just from remembering him. The annoying, cocky manner in which he spoke, his fucking personality… she thought she hated her parents enough.

But at the same time, she couldn’t exactly deny that a part of her missed Adam. At least he saw something in her, even if that “something” was just some chick to piss off. Besides, on rare occasions, they had conversations that weren’t so bad. He didn’t treat her like her parents did. Maybe that was why she missed him. Hell, he was even somewhat better than Charlie.

Once Sylvie started thinking like that, the lonelier she felt. As much as she hated to admit it, Adam really had been her chance to finally talk to someone — like, really talk to someone. She got to know some things about him, and he got to know some things about her. She never even got to that level with Charlie. She didn’t even understand how they were ever in a relationship. Their “relationship” was founded on having sex for substances and money. With Adam, they just… talked, nothing more.

Now, Sylvie was sitting and drawing, feeling too aware of her thoughts and feelings for her liking… until she suddenly heard a noise coming from inside her apartment.

Shit. I forgot to lock the front door, didn’t I?

Sylvie slowly stood up, peeking around the corner of her room to see where the source of the noise was. It sounded like it was coming from the kitchen… and she was right.

I wasn’t expecting anybody.

In the kitchen was a man wearing all-black. He was masked and wearing a beanie, completely disguising his identity. Sylvie just knew the man was tall and appeared to be wearing glasses, and that was it.

What the fuck?

The man appeared to be looking for something. What could he possibly be looking for, though? In Sylvie’s opinion, there wasn’t anything around of any significance. If anything, her most valuable items were in her room.

Then, the man turned around, and the two of them made eye contact for a couple of seconds. Fuck.

Sylvie quickly slammed her door shut and locked it, turned the light off, and scrambled to hide under her bed. If this stranger was supposed to be robbing her, then so far he wasn’t doing the best job at it.

But, the man was no stranger. She eventually made that conclusion when she heard him speak.

“Sylvie… really? C’mon, I used to be a fuckin’ cop. Did you forget we know how to break down doors?”

Just as he said that, the man started to kick at the locked door. Sylvie flinched at the sound, crawling further under the bed. Adam? How the hell did he get here? How did he even know her address? When they knew each other, they were in New York, not Boston. What the hell was he even doing now? He wasn’t a cop anymore. Ironically, it seemed like he’d switched sides.

Sylvie wanted to say something, but she couldn’t. She only slowly peeked her head out from her hiding spot when Adam kicked at the door a second time, successfully forcing it open.

“Ah, there you are. You left the front door open. Not too smart, if you ask me.”

When Sylvie spoke, her voice was unsteady. After not seeing him in five years, this is how they meet again? She felt a confusing mixture of emotions — anger, shock, fear.

“Adam…? What… what the hell are you doing here?”

Adam pulled his mask down. Though he rolled his eyes, there was a part of him that weirdly appreciated the fact Sylvie still recognized him after all this time.

“It’s ‘Frank’ now, actually.”

Sylvie raised an eyebrow, still reluctant to come fully out of hiding. “Why?”

“That’s not important.” Frank scoffed. “I’ve got a job for you, so I suggest you quit hiding. I’m not gonna fuckin’ hurt you, for fuck’s sake.”

“A… job? What do you mean?” Sylvie asked, crawling out of her hiding spot and slowly standing up, staring at Frank warily.

“Quit asking questions.” He rolled his eyes. “You’d probably like a job that doesn’t require you laying on your back. I know you need the money, anyway.”

Sylvie took a seat on the edge of her bed, staring up at Frank and tilting her head to the side, an unimpressed look on her face. “I’m not taking any offers from you.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

Now, Sylvie was really confused. “The fuck are you talking about?”

Frank shrugged, a nonchalant expression on his face. “If you don’t come with me, you’re going to wind up dead. I don’t make the rules.”

Was he just trying to scare her? Yeah, but at the same time… he knew damn well something bad would most likely happen to Sylvie if she didn’t obey. This was an important mission.

Wait, why did he care? She was some chick he arrested five years ago and picked on. Why should it matter if she died or got hurt? Maybe it would just be an inconvenience.

Jesus Christ, quit overthinking it.

“Okay, what kind of fucking job are you talking about here?” Sylvie asked, her tone growing increasingly suspicious. “I’m not risking my life over some bullshit.”

Frank lowered his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, sighing. “Just… just get fuckin’ dressed. I know you have plenty of black clothes. Use ‘em. We’re running out of time.”

Sylvie was still wearing flannel pajama pants and a worn-out Black Sabbath shirt.

“Fine. I’ll get dressed if you get the fuck out.”

Frank shook his head, crossing his arms. “I can’t be certain that you’ll call the fuckin’ cops and ruin everything.”

Sylvie sighed and facepalmed, starting to feel stressed. “Okay, just… turn around, then. Don’t look.”

Once she was certain he wasn’t looking, she reluctantly removed her shirt and pants, searching in her wardrobe for an all-black outfit. As she stood there in just her bra and underwear, Frank turned to sneak a glance at her… right when Sylvie was looking at him, too.

“The fuck are you looking at?” She asked, her tone unfriendly as she quickly crossed her arms. “I told you not to look.”

Frank shrugged, his demeanor nonchalant. “Hm, I don’t know. Just wondering what the fuck’s takin’ you so long. Hurry up.”

Once Sylvie put on a black skirt, shoes, a long-sleeved shirt, and a hoodie, she rolled her eyes at the man. “Fine, I’m ready, I guess.”

Frank smirked. “Good.”

“Can I… bring something with me?”

“Make it quick.”

Salem quickly grabbed her phone and put it in the pocket of her hoodie, then grabbed her wallet. Then, she followed Frank out of her apartment.

This was surely going to be an interesting night.