#i had like two meltdowns trying the coloring for this

[disposal-blueeee]

( stereotypical mexican music starts playing

[puckinghischier]

The 7th Year

Nico Hischier x fem!reader

summary: reader wants to celebrate Nico’s 7 year anniversary of being drafted to the Devils

notes: i really wanted to post this on his actual draft anniversary but i’m a slacker and didn’t finish it in time, so here it is now. it still counts cause it’s still draft week, right? anyways, i hope you enjoy and happy reading! 🫶🏼

[4.4k]

“Jack, it’s all wrong!” you cry out, looking at the orange cake sitting in front of you.

“Listen, we can fix it. I can run down to the nearest grocery store and have them make me a new one really quick,” Jack tries to reason with you, attempting to avoid the incoming meltdown.

Today was Nico’s seven-year anniversary of being drafted to the Devils. You know it’s an in-between milestone, most people celebrating every five years, but you didn’t care. You weren’t with him two years ago, having only been dating the hockey captain for a little over a year, so you were determined to make a big deal out of this milestone instead.

Your apartment was decked out in every tacky, red or devil related decoration imaginable, from cardboard cut-outs of Nico littered throughout the large living space to a custom ‘pin the horns on the nico’ party game you ordered for the occasion.

“Jack, I special ordered this cake four months ago, because the bakery he likes had a waiting list almost six months long for their cake decorator. I literally told them I’d pay extra if they could have it done by today,” you shut the lid of the cake box, not wanting to look at the orange monstrosity any longer.

You had sent them several reference pictures of what you wanted done, confirming with them last week that they had the correct pictures and color scheme.

“Well, at least they got the logo right?” Jack tries again, watching you run your hands through your recently curled hair.

People were set to start showing up any minute now, and you were panicking about being ready in time for Nico’s return home in a little over an hour. You barely had time to shower and make yourself presentable after spending all day transforming your apartment into a Nico museum.

All of his trophies and medals from childhood up until now are displayed on various surfaces around your shared apartment, action shot posters are taped on the living room walls, taking the place of your decorative pictures, and several of his old jerseys are on display in shadow boxes propped up in the high-top chairs that usually sit around the small table on your balcony, but are currently placed in various spots around the large room.

“Yeah, sure. The logo says Devils, but the colors say Flyers,” you mumble, pinching the bridge of your nose, trying to stop yourself from crying off your fresh make-up.

Jack had been a trooper today. Luke too. The two of them had shown up to your apartment not even twenty minutes after Nico left with Jesper and Timo this morning for their early tee time. They helped you decorate and arrange your entire apartment, ran all over Hoboken with you grabbing last minute stuff for the evening, and Luke is out right now picking up the catering order that was supposed to be delivered but somehow got marked for pick up.

Your phone starts ringing in the middle of your deep breathing moment, trying to calm your nerves.

“Luke, please tell me you have the food and are on your way home,” you answer the phone, praying Luke is calling to check in and not to give you bad news.

“Yeah, I got it. On my way now. Just calling to check and see if you need anything else while I’m out,” he tells you, the sound of his car door shutting heard in the background.

You breathe out a sigh of relief. At least the food is taken care of, you think to yourself. “No, I think we’re good. I double checked everything before I got in the shower. And Jack has been setting stuff up while I was getting ready. Just please get here in one piece with the food before I have a small stroke,” you attempt a joke, but your tone sounds more strained than anything.

“Aye Aye, Mrs. Captain,” you hear through the phone, picturing the small salute Luke is likely doing right now.

You chuckle out a goodbye and hang up your phone.

“So, am I good to go get changed now, or do you need me to talk you off a ledge right now?” Jack asks you, treading lightly.

You send him an unamused glare. “No, I think I’ve done everything I can do until Luke gets here with the food. Go, change. Shower if you need to,” you wave him off, grabbing the cake on the counter in front of you and walking to place it in the large fridge.

“Alright, but if I hear the balcony door open I won’t hesitate to run out here butt naked to make sure you’re not trying to make an escape,” he sings out as he walks out of your kitchen, turning down the hallway towards your guest bathroom.

You flip him off even though he can’t see you, a smile on your face nonetheless.

Thirty minutes later, Jack is showered and dressed and a few of Nico’s teammates have shown up, decked out in the t-shirts you had ordered and distributed to everyone.

Each of Nico’s teammates are wearing a shirt with his picture from his draft on it. No matter who you were looking at, Nico’s smiling baby face, devils hat on his head and devils jersey pulled over his formal attire, with one finger pointed in the air to signify his being picked first overall, was looking back at you.

You thought it would be funny to have Nico walk into a surprise celebration with his face staring back at him from nearly everyone in attendance, and when you pitched the idea to his teammates they were all for it.

You had ordered your own shirt with Nico’s face on it, too. Although, yours was one of the shirts in the WWE style, overlapping, various pics of Nico making up the design.

As the time got closer to Nico coming home, more and more of his teammates and their significant others showed up, ready to surprise their captain.

Ten minutes before Nico was due arrive, you get a call from Jesper.

“Hey, you guys almost here?” you answer, walking away from the noise of your living room.

“Yeah, leaving the bar now,” he tells you, pausing to bid someone in the background goodbye and ringing out ‘thank you’ a few times as he walks out of the bar.

Jesper and Timo were tasked with keeping Nico busy and away from home today. It started with their game of golf, but quickly turned into an additional eighteen holes and trying to kill time at the clubhouse bar when their games went by far quicker than they anticipated.

Around lunchtime, Timo called you and told you Nico kept saying he was going to bow out early to come home and spend some time with you, but you begged them to find a way to keep him occupied. You ended up having to send him a message, telling him you were out with a friend for a quick lunch before a fake nail appointment that turned into a real one once he asked to see what design you had chosen this time. Which is why you were late getting ready, having to leave Jack to decorate the apartment during your impromptu salon trip.

Most of the time you love that Nico is so invested in your relationship. He always wants to spend time with you, going with you to hair and nail appointments, following you around like a puppy when you go shopping, and simply sticking around the house on days when he has nothing planned just to catch up on your latest reality show obsession he always gets hooked into.

Today, though, you wish he was a little more apt to spending time with his friends. The amount of ‘I miss you’ and ‘can’t wait to come home and binge love island!’ texts you got today made you love him even more – if that’s even possible – but also made your anxiety sky rocket each time, because you know if he wanted to, he would simply leave in the middle of his plans with Timo and Jesper, no amount of convincing able to keep him there.

“Alright, don’t forget your shirts,” you start to remind him. You turn your body to look behind you, hearing a chorus of “Lukey!” and “Moose!” ring out, signaling Luke was finally back with the food. “Hey, I gotta go Jesp, Luke just got back with the food. Be safe!” you rush out before hanging up, making your way back into the small crowd.

You weave through bodies until you reach your kitchen, watching Luke attempt to sit down the large disposable trays.

“Luke, please don’t drop those,” you run over to him, helping him slide the heavy food onto your kitchen island.

You unstack the pans, making sure each one is unharmed and an appropriate distance from the edge of the counter.

“C’mon, Y/N, have a little more faith in me than that. I can carry a few trays of food,” he tells you, dramatically flexing his arms at you.  

You roll your eyes at the curly-headed giant. Checking the time on your phone, you figure you have enough time to try and set up the food a little bit before Nico gets here. Opening the various pans, you freeze.

“Luke���what is this?” you ask him, a cold feeling washing over you.

Luke furrows his brows at you, peeking over your shoulder from his spot behind you. “The food you asked me to get? Is this a trick question?”

You dropped the flimsy lid, condensation from the hot dish flying everywhere.

When you were thinking about what food you wanted to have for the party, you knew it would be in the off-season, the Devils losing their playoff spot pretty early this season. So, you figured it would be a good time to order a few pans of his favorite dishes from his favorite Italian restaurant.

You ordered a pan of their lasagna, chicken parm, and a large pan of a steak and pasta dish specific to the restaurant. You had called them to confirm this morning, which is how you found out it was marked as pick up instead of delivery, causing Luke to have to drive forty-five minutes one way in order to grab the food.

What you were unaware of, however, is the fact that this restaurant, apparently, also caters an array of vegan options.

When you opened the three pans, you were met with a large pan of what looked like roasted cauliflower with tomato sauce, eggplant boats covered in pesto, and what looked like breaded and baked zucchini. 

You had no issue with vegan food, some of it being some of the most delicious food you’ve ever eaten, but this is not at all what you envisioned surprising Nico with.

“I ordered lasagna, chicken parm, and steak pasta. There is no chicken, parm, steak, or layered noodles in front of me right now,” you try to keep your tone even and calm, knowing it’s not Luke’s fault.

“I swear, they handed me the box of food that had your name on it. I even checked the receipt and everything,” Luke defended himself.

You can feel the tears welling up, despite your attempt at taking big, deep breaths to avoid your emotions getting the best of you.

When the first tear falls over, the rest come crashing out before you could even stop them. You bring your face to your hands and start sobbing, upset that you couldn’t have everything be perfect for such an important day for Nico.

“Hey, don’t cry,” Luke coos as he wraps you in a hug, your face still hidden by your hands. “You’re going to ruin your make-up. You don’t want to greet Nico while looking like a little raccoon, do you?” you let out a chuckle at Luke’s words, his attempt at cheering you up working for a quick moment.

You bring your hands away from your face, sniffling and trying to carefully wipe your eyes. Luke keeps you trapped in a hug, giving you a few moments to collect yourself before stepping back, rubbing your arms instead.

“I just wanted everything to be perfect. I wanted Nico to walk in here and see all of his friends here, ready to celebrate him. I wanted to surprise him with his favorite meal and his favorite cake from his favorite bakery, since he doesn’t ever get this stuff during the season. But instead he gets an orange cake and a vegan dinner,” you huff, gesturing to the food in front of you.

“Well, he’ll definitely be surprised,” Luke attempts another joke, this one earning a sarcastic laugh instead of a genuine one. “Listen, we can fix it, okay? We’ll call the place and get a refund then order a few pizzas, alright? It’ll be fine. Everyone likes pizza.”

He bends his knees so he’s eye level with you, trying to gauge your reaction to his suggestion.

You look over to the food on the counter, bringing a sliver of your bottom lip in-between your teeth, mulling the idea over in your head.

“Yeah, we can do that. Everyone does like pizza, don’t they?” you try to convince yourself pizza will be fine, you could just take Nico out to dinner for his Italian food later this week.

“They sure do. And lucky for you, I have the best pizzeria in Hoboken on speed dial. I’ll make them do a rush order for their favorite customer,” Luke winks down at you, stepping away to pull out his phone and make the last-minute order.

You cover the food in front of you back up, picking up each tray and tossing them in the trash can at the end of your island, knowing that a group of hungry hockey players wouldn’t want three trays worth of vegetables to eat for party food.

You stand in the middle of the kitchen, trying to compose yourself and wipe away any mascara residue when Jack comes running through the open doorway, frantic eyes landing on you.

“Y/N, what’s wrong? Why do you look like you’ve been crying? Jesper just texted and said they’re on the elevator on their way up,” he rushes out, walking towards you to make sure you’re alright.

“Catering mishap, Luke’s ordering pizza now. Don’t worry, I’m fine. Go grab him, quick,” you suddenly perk up, nerves bubbling in your stomach.

As you follow Jack out of the kitchen and make your way to the front of the small crowd at the end of your entry way, all you can think about is hoping Nico likes what you’ve done. You hope he doesn’t think the decorations are too tacky, or that the shirts are weird. You hope he’s okay with eating greasy pizza and orange cake. You hope he likes the custom Halifax and Devils split jersey you plan to gift him later to represent where he started and where he is now. Overall, you just hope he understands how proud you are of him.

You see Jack and Luke walk up beside you out of the corner of your eye, matching with the rest of their teammates that are surrounding you. Luke leans down to whisper “Pizza’s ordered, it’ll be here in twenty,” into your ear before standing back to his original height and facing forward, waiting on his captain to walk through the door.

You’re suddenly hit with a thought about how thankful you are for the people surrounding you. For Jack and Luke who dealt with your demanding and crazy self today, talking you off of ledges and running around doing your bidding all day long. You’re thankful for the teammates that showed up today, ready to celebrate the captain they love almost as much as you do. You’re thankful for Timo and Jesper, making sure Nico stays in the dark about the surprise, doing everything in their power to keep him out of your hair until this moment.

You’re so incredibly thankful that the universe has allowed you to not only love someone as kind, loving, and special as Nico, but that he loves you back just as much. You also gained an entire family through Nico, his teammates treating you like one of their own, showing you just as much love and care as they do him. You’ve found some of your best friends through him, Jack, Luke, Timo, and Jesper being four of the best people you’ve ever had in your life.

The sound of the front door opening distracts you from your sentimental thoughts. You see Jesper enter first, his Nico shirt looking a little out of place paired with his golf pants. Nico follows him in, blindfolded. You have to stop a snort from making its way out, not knowing Timo and Jesper were going to resort to blindfolding him. Timo follows a step behind Nico, hands on his shoulders, guiding him and preventing him from bumping into anything.

Timo guides him to a few feet in front of you, stopping him before dropping his hands from his shoulders.

“Alright, Cap, you can take your blindfold off now,” Jesper tells him, him and Timo quickly stepping over to where you stand, joining the rest of their team.

Nico reaches up the untie the blindfold on his head. “I swear to god, if you guys did this just to mess with me and take me to another bar I’m going to kill both of you. I told you I just wanted to go home to Y/N-“ Nico stops mid-sentence when the cloth falls into his hands.

A loud, “Surprise!” rings out around the room, Nico’s eyes darting to each person, then down to their shirts.

You stand there, smiling at his shocked face.

“What-“ he starts, but stops, speechless at the scene in front of him.

You step forward the few feet to him, his gaze finally landing on you.

“Happy draft anniversary, baby,” you tell him, smiling up at him.

He looks down at you, eyebrows furrowing. You can tell he didn’t remember what day it was until this moment, his eyes looking around the room again, understanding settling in on the choice of shirts.

“You did all this? For me?” he asks, a smile taking over his face as he looks down on you.

“Well, duh,” you tell him. “Your seven-year draft anniversary is a big deal, you know?”

He beams down at you, the amount of love in his eyes enough to nearly knock you down.

“I love you, you know that?” he asks, wrapping his arms around you, pulling your body close to his.

“I think you’ve told me once or twice,” you tease.

He rolls his eyes at you, bringing his lips down to meet yours. The kiss is innocent and sweet, considering most of his team is stood behind you, but it was enough to cause a feeling of warmth to wash over you, all the way down to your toes.

When you pull back from the kiss you can’t help but to keep smiling at him. “Alright, go greet your teammates now. I’ll find you later,” you tell him, patting him on the chest as you step back.

Nico gives you a wink before he walks over to his friends and teammates, making his way through hugs and handshakes.

You mostly sit back and observe for most of the night, splitting off from the festivities when the pizza was delivered, placing it in the kitchen and announcing everyone to just serve themselves.

You make your way around your apartment, conversing with Nico’s various coworkers. You cross paths with Nico a few times, each time he tried to whisk you away to your shared bedroom, but you insisted he have a good time with his friends, there’ll be plenty of time for the two of you later. You stick around Jack and Luke some, but finding yourself in a corner talking to Nicole, Jesper’s girlfriend towards the end of the night.

“Y/N, seriously, this is great. I wish I would have thought of something like this for Jesper. Nico hit the jackpot with you,” Nicole compliments.

Your cheeks redden. “He deserves it. I mean, he left everything he’d ever known in Switzerland to come here and pursue this. And look how well he did for himself,” you turn to look over at him standing with Jonas and Erik, Jonas attempting his turn at pinning the devil horns on the large poster of Nico on the wall.

You’ve always been amazed at Nico’s bravery and determination to pursue this dream, knowing how hard it was for you to move just a few states away from your family, much less halfway across the world. He proved every single person that told him he wouldn’t make it wrong, not only getting drafted, but being the first overall pick. And now he earned his captaincy on top of that, proving he’s not only a phenomenal player, but an even better teammate and leader.

“I think he did very well for himself, and not just in reference to hockey, either,” she tells you, leaning over and placing a hand on your leg to emphasize her point.

You look down, not particularly knowing how to respond to her compliments.

“Hey, Y/N, want us to stick around and help clean up,” you hear a voice ask you, turning around to see only Jack, Luke, Jesper and Timo remaining.

Nico walks over to you as Nicole stands and joins Jesper.

“Nah, you guys head out. We’ll call you tomorrow if we need any help,” Nico answers for you, standing behind you and placing his hands on your shoulders, giving them a light squeeze.

“That’s code for ‘get out you goons, I’m trying to be alone with my girl right now,’” Jack says, earning a chuckle from the group.

You and Nico walk everyone to the door, saying your goodbyes before shutting the apartment door and turning around to observe the state of your apartment.

“Don’t even think about trying to clean anything up tonight. You’re not lifting a finger for the rest of the night,” Nico threatens, slipping his arms around your torso from behind, burying his face in your neck.

“C’mon, at least let me clean up the cups your lazy teammates didn’t throw away,” you pat his hands, starting to walk him over to start picking up the red, plastic cups.

“Alright, but after that we’re going to the bedroom and aren’t leaving until this time tomorrow,” Nico points a finger at you as he separates from your body.

The two of you gather all of the stray cups, bringing them into the kitchen to throw them away. You notice the empty pizza boxes, breaking a few of them down while asking Nico to put the leftovers in your fridge so they don’t ruin.

“What’s in the box?” he asks, grabbing the white cake box and dragging it out of the fridge.

“Oh no! I totally forgot about the cake!” you exclaim.

“You bought me a cake?” Nico opens the box.

He looks up at you, amusement in his eyes. “Schatz, why did you get me an orange Devils cake?”

You groan, bringing your hands up to rake them down your face.

“It was supposed to be red, but the bakery fucked it up and I didn’t know until they delivered it,” you explained, walking over to stand next to him as he looks between the cake and you.

“The catering was messed up too,” you continued. “I tried to order your favorite dishes from that Italian place you like, but they sent a bunch of vegan dishes instead, so Luke had to order pizza last minute.”

Nico lets out a laugh at your confession. “So, you threw me a draft anniversary party with an orange cake and vegan food?” he teases, closing the lid to the cake box and turning his body to face you.

You give him a pout. “Don’t make fun of me, I was trying to be nice to you.”

This earns another laugh, Nico placing his hands on either side of your pouting face.

“You could have thrown me a party with water soup as the entrée and ice cubes as appetizers and I would still think it’s the best party I’ve ever been to, simply because you planned it,” he tells you, looking down into your eyes.

“You meant it? You enjoyed yourself tonight?” you ask him earnestly, that small seed of worry making its way back into your brain.

Nico doesn’t answer, he leans down to kiss you for the second time that night. This time, though, he wasn’t as slow and sweet as he was when you had an audience.

His kiss isn’t rushed, but with his tongue slipping its way into your mouth, it quickly turns into a partial make-out session in your kitchen.

He pulls back once the two of you need to come up for air, resting his forehead against yours.

“I had a blast tonight. The shirts were a nice touch, by the way,” he smirks at you.

You let out a giggle, thinking of how funny it was when he registered all of his teammates were wearing his face on their chest.

“Thank you, seriously,” his tone turns serious. “I can’t even begin to explain to you what this means to me. I just wish I could’ve had you by my side from the start.”

You look at him through his long lashes, not being able to think about anything except for how much you love him at this moment.

“Well, you’ll have me until the end of it. Or until you get sick of me, whichever comes first,” you joke, causing Nico to pull his forehead back from yours.

He uses his hands that are still on your face to tilt your head up to look at him. “Not possible. If anyone gets sick of anyone around here it’s going to be you getting sick of me, because I never want to be anywhere but by your side.”

You just stare up at him, shaking your head in a no motion, the intensity of his stare taking any words from the tip of your tongue.

You both just stand there, staring at each other for what feels like hours, but was really just a few moments.

“Enough of us just standing in the kitchen, I think it’s time we take this little party to our bedroom so I can really show you how thankful I am,” he breaks the silence, his eyes going from love to lust before you could even blink.

He doesn’t give you a chance to respond, just throwing you over his shoulder while you squeal, carrying you to your bedroom. As you pass all of the decorations on the hallway walls on your way to the bedroom, you’re already thinking of how you can make year eight’s anniversary even better, especially if Nico is as thankful next year as he proves to be this year, thanking you over and over and over again once you reach your bedroom.

[multifandomfanficss]

Never Listen To Venkman

Egon Spengler x Reader

(With platonic!Peter Venkman)

Prompt: When you and Peter are left alone to experiment with a suspicious, blue, viscous slime, things go south and Egon comes home to you having a paranormal induced panic attack.

Warnings: panic attacks, autistic meltdowns, sensory issues, detailed descriptions of sensory issues, feeling uncomfortable in one’s own skin.

A/N: Back in my Ghostbusters era. It is contractually obligated that I must re-obsess every time a new movie comes out. I’ve loved Egon since I was a little kid. I can’t believe I’ve never written for him. The italics are flashbacks. This is crossposted on my AO3 adriansglasses.

The reader is intended to be autistic, but can be read any way you’d like. Anyone is allowed to relate and see themselves in the reader wether they’re autistic or not!

You were sitting at your desk with in your small shared lab with Egon in the firehouse when you heard footsteps. You thought you had been home alone until Peter walked in.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were going on a double date with Winston while Ray and Egon were at the movie.” You questioned him, putting down your pen. You had been taking notes on a new kind of slime the boys had found. It was different from the other slime they’d found last month when Vigo was trying to take over. While Vigo’s slime was pink in color, this slime was blue and had a more viscous consistency.

“Oscar had a fever, so Dana and I decided to cancel. She thinks he’s getting his first tooth.” Peter smiles. Despite the jokes he’s made and the amount of times he’s said he was nowhere near ready to be a father, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t happy being back with Dana again and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t love Oscar just as much as he loved her.

“Did Winston still go?” You ask.

“Oh, yeah. He’s probably back in her apartment with the bed rocking as we speak. No way he’s coming home tonight.” Peter laughed at his own joke as you cringe.

“You’re disgusting.” You roll your eyes.

“What are you up to tonight? Got a hot date with a slime? Not too different from your usual dating life.” He chuckles.

“You’re such a dick, Venkman. I figured while everybody was out tonight I’d try to find out SOMETHING about this new slime. Egon and I have been studying it for two days and we have literally nothing.” You gesture to the blue goo on your desk.

“Do you need help?” He asks.

“Are you offering to help me on your night off?” You ask, shocked.

“I’ve got nothing better to do.” Peter shrugs.

“Are you gonna take it seriously?” You hesitate.

“I’m always serious!” Peter bluffs. Peter was never serious. Egon was always serious. His bluntness and black and white thinking had always been a comfort to you. He wasn’t some puzzle you had to figure out. He just was. Being with him wasn’t a guessing game the same way it was with Peter.

“Somehow that’s hard to believe, but I could really use your expertise in parapsychology, so I’ll say yes.” You sigh. You know this probably isn’t the best idea, but Peter knows more about this topic than you do. You’d be stupid to reject his help.

“If you’ll be the subject, I’ll run the experiment.” He says, taking out the helmet with wires.

“Okay.” You agree. Once the helmet is on you should be connected to a series of machines able to read the energy of your emotions, as well as the slime itself, giving you a more direct connection without touching. Peter starts asking you a series of questions, trying to draw different emotional responses.

“Think of a time when you were happy, really happy.” He prompts. Your mind, wandered around the room, trying to think of something, when your eyes landed on Egon’s book sitting on his desk.

It made you think of the first time you realized you had deep feelings for him. While you’d always thought he was attractive, you realized your feelings were deeper than you thought, far beyond a harmless little crush, one day when he let you borrow his book. As you read his notes in the margins you were able to analyze things like him, see the world through his eyes. You saw how his brain connected and processed things. You always liked the person he’d shown you, but writing in the margins is different. When you take notes in a book, you’re not putting on a mask for people to see. Notes in the margins are just for you. There’re your unfiltered thoughts. Seeing who Egon was when nobody was watching was different. He was funny, smart, deep, curious, not as confident as he pretended to be; he didn’t censor himself in his books. He wasn’t quiet in his books. Reading his margins felt intimate.

“You’re thinking about Spengler, aren’t you?” Venkman teases.

“Why would you say that?” You look at him, embarrassed.

“Because you’re in loooooove!” Peter mocks.

“Can we change the subject?” You practically beg.

“Think of a moment where you were uncomfortable.” Peter prompts.

“This conversation.” You fiddle with your fingers.

“No, really. I wanna see how it reacts to discomfort.”

“Fine.” You sigh. You think back to one of your many lab accidents. Working in a lab with sensory issues is never easy and that was something you and Egon both struggled with.

You think back to the day when you superglued your fingers shut by accident. You got them apart, but you couldn’t get the the residue off. You started to hyperventilate, on the verge of tears. You wanted to hit your hands on things, but you knew that wouldn’t help. You couldn’t peel off the glue without peeling off your skin.

“What’s wrong?” Egon looked at you puzzled, and a bit worried.

“Superglue! I- I- I can’t get it off!” You shake your hands, violently, your whole body is tensed up.

Egon quickly takes a bottle out from his desk drawer and runs over to you. He grabs your hands.

“Look at me, (Y/N). It’s okay. I’ll take off all the residue.” He promises, giving you a soft smile. Despite not liking seeing you in such discomfort, he forces the smile to help calm you down. He begins to massage the liquid from the bottle onto your fingers with a rag.

“See, it’s okay. It’s coming off.” He continues to speak softly, calming you.

“What is that stuff?” You ask.

“I wish I could say it’s some sort of fancy, scientific, protective disinfectant, but as it so happens it’s only nail polish remover.” You both chuckle quietly. “Janine gave it to me the last time I got superglue on something and couldn’t get it off.” He smiles down at your hands, still focused on getting the last little bit off.

“This slime is so different from the mood slime. I thought I saw it let go of a bubble, but it’s mostly doing nothing. I think it might be dead. I think it might be time to bury it in the backyard.” Peter begins to fake sob.

“Knock it off.” You laugh. “What backyard? This is Manhattan!”

“You should try touching it.” Peter suggests.

“Egon, said I should under no circumstances touch it directly, especially while he’s not here.” You inform him.

“Well Egon, is being overprotective. Nothing bad happened when everyone else touched the pink slime and I accidentally ate green slime once.” Venkman says.

“What do you mean accidentally?” You ask.

“It was our first mission. Slimer ran through me. It was a whole thing. I think you should touch it… You might be able to figure out what it is before Spengler gets back…” He tries to change your mind.

“You’re sure there were no serious side effects from touching the other slimes?” You ask, hesitantly. Egon would be annoyed if he found out you went against his pleas to keep your hands away from the plasma, but you wanted to impress him.

“Nothing serious. I grew an extra pinky, but they cut it off.” He jokes.

“Haha, very funny, Venkman.” You roll your eyes.

“Fine.” You sigh, taking a deep breath before plunging your hand into the blue viscous goo. “Oh…This is literally fine.” You feel no effect, but when your heart rate picks up you realize you spoke too soon. You fall onto the floor, knocking over the slime. You feel like your heart is racing, like it could beat out of your chest and you can’t suck enough air into your lungs. You’re terrified.

“(Y/N)!” Peter yells, rushing to the floor to help you. He tries to touch the the hand not covered in blue slime, but you push him away, sobbing. You don’t want him anywhere near you. You’re slipping away from reality into a deep state of panic and paranoia.

“Please! No!” You sob. It’s the only thing you can manage to get out. You barley recognize Peter anymore. He doesn’t feel like a friend. He feels like a threat.

“Honestly, the movie was quite terrible. Ray stopped for a 99 cent pizza on the corner. What did you- (Y/N)?!” Egon speaks as he enters the room, cutting himself off when he notices you’re in distress.

“Pete, what happened?!” Egon questions once he sees Venkman.

“We were doing an experiment and they touched the goo and they just started freaking out. They won’t let me near them.” Peter tells him, obviously shaken. You hear the two men, but you don’t process them. It’s like you’re underwater.

“This is different from their usual sensory issues. I think they’re having a panic attack.” Egon kneels in front of you. “(Y/N), you’re okay. You’re safe. You’re in the firehouse. I’m here.” He tells you slowly.

“I- I can’t breathe!” You gasp for air.

“Your lungs are expanding and contracting at a rate too fast for your body to intake oxygen. I need you to try to breathe slow and deep with me. In…and out. Nice and slow.” He prompts. “Peter, I need latex gloves and towels.” Venkman could have made multiple jokes about Egon’s command, but looking at you this way made him uneasy. It wasn’t the right time. After being handed the gloves, Egon slipped them on and got to work cleaning off your slime covered arm. You begin to sob, overwhelmed by the feeling of the slime, the latex gloves, and the towel. It was difficult to handle on top of your panic attack. “Peter, we need to get them into the decontamination shower.”

“No!” You gasp between sobs.

“Come, on. I’ll go with you. We can get all the plasma off of you.” Egon speaks softly, but with a gentle urgency, as he tries to coax you to the shower. You shake your head no. “Are you against touch right now?” He asks.

“They did not like when I touched them.” Venkman warns.

“Only you-“ You break out in a sob. It doesn’t even cross your mind that you may be offending Peter by only wanting Egon. Luckily he’s not offended. Egon begins to take off his glove to provide skin to skin contact on the arm not drenched in slime in an effort to comfort you.

“Aren’t you worried about getting that stuff on you?” Venkman questions, worried Egon will shutdown like you.

“I’m getting in the decontamination shower anyway.” Egon shrugs, turning to you. He takes your hand in his, softly rubbing the top with his thumb.

“But- but your clothes will get all wet!” You sob. You knew Egon had his own sensory issues. You’d often have to help him when his long sleeves would get wet during experiments. It would drive him crazy. He avoided puddles like the plague and always had an umbrella nearby.

“Try not to worry about me right now. I just want you to focus on your breathing. I can always change my clothes.” He smiles. While it hurts him to see you so distressed, he was happy to know you cared about his comfort. “Let’s go shower. You can’t leave all that slime on you. I believe it’s worsening your mental state.” You nod, still crying.

“I’ll get them under the shower, I’ll need you to turn it on. Make sure not to touch the slime. I got a minuscule amount on my finger and it’s making me rather anxious. I can only imagine what this amount is doing to them.” Egon tells Peter. He helps you to stand, walking your trembling form over to the shower. “There we go. Just a few more steps. You’re doing wonderfully, (Y/N).” Egon softly attempts to comfort you.

Once you’re under the shower head, Venkman turns it on. Both you and Egon jolt at the sudden water pressure. He tightens both his jaw and his grip on you, holding his eyes shut tight. He can’t stand the feeling of his wet clothes against his body, but he’s brave for you. Once adjusted to the water, Egon begins to wash the slime off your body with care. Peter leaves to go upstairs and get you some towels. You feel the panic and paranoia start to leave your body. Despite still being incredibly anxious, you were starting to phase out of your slime induced panic attack. You lean against Egon, struggling to hold your own body weight. Maybe you’ll be more embarrassed tomorrow, but right now you just needed to be held. You were craving pressure on your body. You felt as if you would float off the ground if you weren’t held down. Egon wraps his arms around you, bringing you closer. He places a kiss on your forehead before placing his chin on top of your head. You snuggled into his chest, finding his pulse. You didn’t have the time or the bandwidth in your brain to think about what the kiss meant. You just wanted to be close to him.

“You’re okay, (Y/N). You’re safe.” Egon tells you. You’re not sure if it’s for your benefit or his. It’s for both, really.

You’re quiet for most of the night, unable to bring yourself to speak. Egon doesn’t mind. He thinks a verbal shutdown is more than understandable after the night you’ve had. After the shower, you follow Egon around the fire station. You don’t want to be alone right now. He doesn’t mind. He puts out some of his clothes for you to wear; pajama pants and one of his soft sweaters. He goes to leave the room for you to change, but you stop him.

“Can- can we just like? Turn around?” You ask. “I’m sorry. If you’re uncomfortable, that’s okay. I just really don’t wanna be alone right now.” You voice is hoarse from crying.

“Of course.” He smiles, turning around.

“I’m decent.” He informs you after a minute of rustling.

“Me too.” You tell him and you both turn around.

“I’m sorry.” You tell him, near tears again. You feel awful for how tonight went. This was supposed to be the boys’ day off. Egon gives you a sad look.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. You were just trying to help. Venkman told me he put you up to it anyway.” Egon sighs.

“I probably shouldn’t have listened to him.” You let out a sad chuckle, one tear slipping past you, down your cheek. You wipe it quickly.

“Never listen to Venkman.” Egon gives a sad laugh.

“At least we figured out what the slime does… Egon, can I ask you a question?” You hesitate.

“Well, you just did, but yes.” He smiles, joking to lighten the mood. You smile at him.

“Why did you do all that? You took off your gloves, putting yourself at risk and then you put yourself through sensory hell just to get me cleaned up.” You question him.

“Isn’t it obvious? (Y/N), I care about you.” You look at him, thinking about the tone in his words. You can’t quite decipher it, but there’s something else there. Is it possible he could feel the same way about you that you feel about him? “You should get some sleep.” He interrupts your thoughts. “If you’d rather not be alone, you may sleep in my room tonight. I would find it beneficial to monitor you overnight to watch for long lasting effects, anyway.” He adds.

“Only if that’s okay with you.” You hesitate.

“Of course it’s okay with me. I just suggested it.” He smiles.

Once you’re settled into bed, Egon turns off the lights and climbs in next to you.

“Egon, I’m still anxious.” You blurt out into the dark.

“Do you need pressure?” He asks.

“Yes.” You say, hoping he doesn’t mind. He doesn’t seem to mind, as he scoops you into his arms. You cuddle into his chest, surrounded by him, surrounded by safety. You know this should be weird, but it doesn’t feel weird. As Egon kisses the top of your forehead again, bidding you goodnight, you wonder what this all means. You wonder what you are to each other. You feel you’ve crossed the line as friends, but you’re too tired and too awkward and too anxious to talk about labels. You and Egon never quite fit into boxes as people anyway. Your relationship didn’t need to either. Whatever this was between you was comforting. It was safe and it was going to help you sleep tonight.

[p0lyn3sian]

Can I plz get a child reader?

A child reader with undiagnosed autism x multi slasher/whatever you want to write fandom

YESSS OFFFCCC!!!! I only added slashers that would be great with kids!

I also had to search up about undiagnosed autism, so this was maybe or not accurate, so I'm really sorry about that!! Also your age would be 6 or 7 or whichever you want! Also, this was kind of off topic for some of these characters, so I hope it's okay!

Slashers: Carrie, Hewitts & Sawyers (Mama Luda, Hoyt, Monty, Thomas, Drayton, Nubbins, Chop-Top, & Bubba), Jason, Hannibal & Will, Sinclair Brothers (Bo, Vincent, & Lester), Norman, & Chucky & Tiffany!!

Slashers w/ a child reader that has undiagnosed autism!

Carrie:

Carrie understands what stuff you hate and what stuff you love/like! She looks out for you while you play on the playground, and she knows now that you don't like to socialize and you would rather play by yourself.

Carrie knew that you hated loud things or sounds, because you would cover your ears from those noises. Sometimes Carrie would call out your name, and you wouldn't respond to her so she'll rub your back or lightly tap your back. Carrie would then walk to the kitchen with you and make your favorite food!

Hewitt family & Sawyer family:

Living with a cannibal family is sometimes scary for you and okay. Most times the whole family is busy doing their own things, and sometimes they'll argue about things.. Mama Luda knows that you cover your ears if someone is too loud, so she'll make everyone shut up, or she'll hit every single one of them (She did it a few times with her wooden broom, which left red marks on some of them 💀.)

Except for Thomas and Bubba, these two would try and make you laugh or happy! Nubbins and Chop-top would mostly likely bother you, because apparently these two have nothing else to do, and just bother you without a care in the world. You'll sometimes be with Monty and his little dog, just only petting the dog if you're bored or playing with his little dog too! You'll thank Drayton for cooking his delicious chili every time he cooks it! Hoyt is something else, he'll yell at you for this and that has never even done before. Until, Mama Luda will start beating him and make him do something else instead of screaming at you. You love hanging out with Mama Luda, because she loves to give you hugs and kisses on the cheeks and forehead!

Jason:

Jason would see you do stuff repeatedly with your hands or spinning around in circles, etc. Jason would try and calm you down with your meltdowns, he'll try hugging you, making your favorite food, or reading your favorite book to you! When it's camping day at camp crystal lake, Jason would always keep a look out of where you are. Jason would see that you don't really interact with people, just small talks here and there but nothing more than that. Jason is not worried about that at all with you not socializing with other kids your age or people that are older than you!

Jason gets really worried that you don't answer him, like you're staring at him while he's signing your name, so Jason would tap on you gently to see if your trance would stop. It did and you would kinda see Jason crying, because of how close he is and he would give you a big hug, while you will hear sniffles from him. Jason also knows what things and/or food that you love and what you hate!

Hannibal & Will:

Hannibal and Will know about the undiagnosed autism you have! Hannibal has seen your reactions with different types of smell and even food too! Will also see that you would avoid eye contact when Will would ask you things! So, these two would try and do things to help with your undiagnosed autism! For example, Will would buy you coloring pages and water color pages too! Hannibal would try and find you other calming activities, like toys that aren't loud for your ears or toys that can be really boring over time!

Hannibal and Will have put you homeschooled, because they have a feeling that if you are in a public school with your last name being the same as Hannibal's and if the FBI would find out about you, they'll take you away which they wouldn't want at all. There's been some difficulties with you not responding to your name, Will or Hannibal would tap you softly and make you do something else and would do the work later for your undiagnosed autism! Hannibal and Will would soothe you from your meltdowns you would have and make you a warm cup of tea that is great for your taste buds!

Sinclair Brothers:

You would always hangout with Vincent, because it's quiet and you love seeing Vincent do his work! (Vincent would make a spinning circle with his index finger, to tell you to turn your whole body around, because some of his work is not for you to see.) You love hanging out with Lester and Jonesy, because Lester would always try and make you laugh whenever you feel down, or Jonesy licking your face which also makes you laugh too! You still kinda think Bo is scary, but Bo would try and get things from people that are interesting or something in the house they owned when they were little.

Bo would give you Vincent's coloring pages with coloring stuff he has found in their toy boxes! He would also give you toys that are interesting for you too! So, little by little time hanging out with Bo, you would sometimes go with him and people would try and kidnap you even though they're trying to get you out of that scary place. Until, Bo would hunt them down with your cries screaming for Bo to help you from them. All three brothers would try and make time to play board games with you, or cook food for you too!

Norman:

Norman knows a lot of things about undiagnosed autism! He has a book or two that's about autism and other stuff too! So, Norman would examine what food you hate and food that you love to eat! Also, smells that would make you go into the other room. Norman would buy toys or things that are calming for you and that you wouldn't get bored while Norman is working!

Norman sometimes calls out your name for something or to eat, and he would see that you aren't reacting to your name being called. So, he would tap on you gently to come do some stuff or eat! Norman would also soothe you from your meltdowns that you have, he would hug you for a little bit until you feel better, or do things that you love!

Chucky & Tiffany:

Chucky and Tiffany would try anything to calm you down from your meltdowns! They would make you laugh, or do something that you love! Tiffany would give you kisses on your cheeks and/or forehead, she'll also give you a hug if you want hugs too! You would smile at Chucky to see if he smiles at you too, and Chucky will give his smile, because he sees people not smiling back at you which makes you not look at them until they smile at you!

Tiffany knows what food you love and hate, even smells too! She would always tell her husband what things to buy for you and other stuff too! If you're eating a snack at the table, Tiffany and Chucky would always sit with you and talk with you so that you wouldn't have a sad face! Chucky and Tiffany would always make time for you, and take you out somewhere instead of you staying in the house! They would take you to a fun place and a restaurant that you'll definitely love!

[stars-tonight]

THEY HELP YOU BABYSIT (FT. OIKAWA TŌRU, SUGAWARA KŌSHI, KAGEYAMA TOBIO, AKAASHI KEIJI)

oikawa tōru

word count: 410

“are you sure you know how to babysit, tōru?” you ask suspiciously. “this isn’t going to be like babysitting takeru. she doesn’t know you like she knows me.” you had babysat for your neighbors multiple times before--their six year old was the cutest little girl--but oikawa had never met her, and for some reason you had a sinking feeling that he wouldn’t be the best babysitter.

“of course!” he assures you. “takeru says i’m the best babysitter he’s ever had. i’m practically a professional.”

~

“takeru always goes to sleep when i tell him to,” oikawa mutters.

you sigh, rubbing your temples. oikawa had spent the last fifteen minutes insisting he could get the little girl--akari--to fall asleep. out of curiosity and amusement, you decided to let him try.

his efforts had been wholly futile.

“tōru, let me do it,” you begin. he had originally tried singing akari to sleep, but he was wildly out of tune and actually started annoying her. that, paired with the fact that you always read akari her favorite story before bed, has resulted in a very unhappy six year old. now you’re starting to see the telltale signs of a meltdown--quivering lower lip, crossed arms, whiny tone of voice.

he huffs, pouting. “i thought bedtime was supposed to be quiet time,” he insists, as you push him out of the chair and onto the ground.

you clamp a hand over his mouth before he can say anything more. you sit down on the chair yourself, next to the bed. “hey, sweetie,” you say to akari. “how about a bedtime story?”

she perks up immediately. “beauty and the beast?” it’s her favorite one, partly due to all the colorful illustrations in the book, and partly because belle is pretty.

you grin. “you remember which part we’re on?”

within minutes, you have her quiet and sleepy. you end the story and close the book softly. oikawa is also quieting down. he’s sitting on the floor, resting his head in your lap and arms wrapped around your waist.

“[y/n]?” akari asks suddenly.

you brush some hair out of her eyes and smile at her. “what is it?”

“is this your boyfriend?” she asks curiously. she looks at oikawa, scrunching up her face. “you’re too cool for him. he’s an idiot. you should date my friend instead. he’s way cooler.”

oikawa’s jaw drops open. “so rude!” he whines.

great. now you have two children to take care of.

sugawara kōshi

word count: 789

“is it normal for him to climb the curtains?” suga frowns a little, studying the screaming toddler who’s clinging onto the window drapes.

“yeah,” you say. you had been at your wit’s end for the last thirty minutes, finally deciding to call your boyfriend for help dealing with your little cousin. suga is an only child like you, but with his personality you expect him to be great with kids. “normally i just wait him out, but i’m worried he’ll fall and hurt himself.”

he nods thoughtfully. “not a bad idea in this state. when kids get really upset, they can become physically inconsolable.”

“how do you know that?” you ask, surprised.

he shakes his head and chuckles. “remember what i want to do in the future? i’ve taken so many classes on early childhood and developmental psychology. . .”

~

whatever information he’s learned from those classes, it must have worked. suga asked your cousin why he was so upset--he had a paper cut--and promptly gave him a bandaid. now your cousin is sitting happily at the kitchen table, kicking his feet as he eats the mac and cheese you microwaved. you and suga were originally going to sit with him at the kitchen table, but he wanted independence, so you’ve been banished to the living room couch. at least you can still keep an eye on him this way.

you shake your head. “i don’t know how you do it. with how he’s acting, we might be able to get him into bed and asleep by seven. he normally doesn’t calm down until an hour after that.”

“kids get upset for a lot of reasons,” suga says. “and younger kids cry because they don’t know the words to express why they’re upset. it’s important to understand their feelings and empathize with them. the more you know about their situation, the more effectively you can deal with it.”

you nod in understanding. you realized pretty early on that you don’t have the patience to babysit your cousin by yourself. but suga is so gentle and patient with him, and he makes it look so easy. “hey, he’s almost done,” you say. “he’s usually pretty calm after dinner. i can get him to work on some coloring pages or a puzzle.”

suga nods approvingly. “good things to be doing,” he agrees. “i’ll wash the bowl if you get him started on that.”

you hug him. “what would i do without you?”

"die,” he says honestly. you roll your eyes, but don’t move away when he hugs you back and kisses your head.

your cousin can be extremely loud and obnoxious--you’ve never seen another kid climb the curtains like an actual cat before--but when he’s calm, he’s actually pretty good. he’s laying on the living room floor, calmly coloring some drawings you had made for him. he’s picking clashy colors and scribbling outside the lines, but he looks happy with himself, so you don’t have a problem with it.

suga comes into the living room with a mug full of warm milk. “you should drink this before bed,” he says to your cousin, and despite the fact that you have never successfully given him milk before, he drinks it without a peep.

you shake your head. “he likes you better than me,” you say. “you’ll make a great teacher, kōshi. kids love you.”

he smiles at this, but you see a proud little blush on his face. “can you help me get him to bed?” you ask, as he sits on the ground next to you.

he drums his fists on your back. “i think you’ve got this. he is your cousin.”

so you try to convince your cousin to go to bed. at first he doesn’t agree, and you’re starting to worry he’ll freak out and climb the curtains again, but then you remember some advice suga had given you. you offer a bedtime story, he asks for a simple story about a dump truck, and then you’ve convinced him to go brush his teeth.

bedtime is a breeze after that; he falls asleep soon after the story. you turn on the fan to circulate the air, leave the door cracked open with the hallway light on, and head back to the living room, where suga is calmly reading a book.

“he’s asleep!” you whisper-cheer, a big smile on your face. a quick look at the clock tells you it’s only seven fifteen--a record.

“there you go! proud of you.” suga gives you a quick peck on the lips. “i’ll make dinner. what do you want?”

you run a hand through your hair and shake your head. “what would i do without you?”

“die,” he says smoothly.

“rude.”

he’s not wrong though.

kageyama tobio

word count: 562

“why is there applesauce on the ceiling?”

“she likes to fling it,” you respond.

kageyama frowns a bit. “and she does this often?”

“any time i take my eyes off of her,” you respond.  “do you think you could distract her for a bit while i scrape it off?”

you’ve been babysitting this little girl--who is barely four years old--for almost a year at this point. you had invited your boyfriend, kageyama, to come visit you after his volleyball practice. to be honest, you liked to see him suffer just a bit, and the bewildered look on his face right now is completely worth the applesauce on the ceiling.

kageyama frowns. “how do i do that?”

you shrug. “i’m sure you can come up with something. she’s easily entertained.” you pull out a chair and get a spoon and a bowl.

he stares at the toddler, before stepping closer to her. “do you like to play volleyball?” he asks bluntly.

you stifle a laugh and take out your camera, taking a quick picture of the two. the camera prints the photo out, and you slip it into your pocket to save for later.

the toddler looks up to see him towering over her and bursts into tears. kageyama’s face scrunches up a little in confusion. he reaches his hand out like he wants to touch her, but hesitates at the last second. “get eye level with her,” you suggest. “so you don’t intimidate her as much.”

he takes your suggestion, bending over and resting his hands on his knees. “volleyball?” he repeats.

you shake your head and get onto the chair, scraping some of the applesauce off the ceiling and into the bowl. one problem at a time, you think to yourself. at least if she’s still crying it means he hasn’t accidentally killed her.

and then she’s not crying anymore. the silence strikes you as deafening. you jump off the chair and set the bowl of applesauce on the counter, staring in shock and horror at the empty chair where she had been sitting barely a minute ago. you’re alone in the kitchen.

then you hear laughter coming from the living room. curiously, you walk toward the sound.

kageyama is laying on the floor, calmly setting a volleyball to himself. plopped on the floor next to him, giggling and clapping happily, is the little girl. you doubt kageyama is even aware of her, but she’s fascinated by the volleyball going up and down in the air.

you sigh, shaking your head to yourself. that’s your boyfriend, unintentionally inspiring new volleyball players everywhere he goes because he’s too cool. you head back into the kitchen and clean up the rest of the applesauce.

the sight you set your eyes on upon reentering the living room is part hilarious, part awkward, and all wholesome. kageyama is sitting on the floor, eyebrows creased in confusion with the toddler in his lap. she tries to climb on him like a koala as he stays completely still. you quickly snap a picture of flustered kageyama, the toddler settled in his lap as she reaches up to pull at his hair. his face is pink, lips pushed into a subconscious pout as he holds her, unsure exactly of what to do.

the camera prints the photo. you take it and hold it up to the light.

cute.

akaashi keiji

word count: 556

“please stop putting spaghetti in your hair.” akaashi frowns as your little brother drapes long strands of pasta on his head, laughing wildly as he does so.

you fight back a smile. you’ve been wanting to see serious, calm akaashi with your brother for the longest time, so you offered to host a study date at your house as long as he agreed to help you babysit your brother. needless to say, he had agreed immediately, and now here you are.

“haruto,” akaashi says sternly. “i’ve asked you to stop doing that three times now. i’m going to count to three. if you don’t stop putting your food in your hair, you’re getting a timeout.”

whoa. how does akaashi know how to deal with your brother? it had taken you weeks to figure out that haruto understood actions, not words. timeouts and proper consequences were pretty much the only way to get him under control.

haruto obeys akaashi once he counts to two. akaashi thanks him for stopping and offers a trip to the playground to burn off some steam, to which your bother excitedly agrees. akaashi plays a game of i spy with haruto while he puts sunscreen on him. you don’t have to do anything as you walk to the playground together. akaashi quietly stands by the slide, watching your brother as he runs around the jungle gym. he agrees to push haruto on the swings and even offers to push you as well. (you agree happily, excited to be the one being pushed for once, which hasn’t happened since you were ten.) when it’s time to go, akaashi gives haruto a five-minute warning, and then a three-minute warning, and then a ten-push countdown. and your brother, who usually throws a fit when he has to leave the playground, agrees more smoothly than you’ve ever seen.

all in all, the day passes by extremely smoothly. when you get home, akaashi makes dinner--you didn’t even know he knew how to cook--and helps haruto with his shower. he gets haruto into bed and fast asleep by nine. throughout all of this, you only have to step in a couple of times, and you can tell by the smile on your brother’s face that akaashi has been a huge hit.

after haruto is asleep, you two settle down on the living room couch together. you brew some of akaashi’s favorite tea for him, and you finally have the chance to do some homework together. “i hope you don’t mind that haruto had so much energy,” you say. “i know you wanted to study.”

he shrugs. “i didn’t mind. he’s a pretty good kid. and i know this was just a test to see how well i would get along with him. so . . . how’d i do?”

you chuckle, surprised he saw through you. “i’m impressed, keiji,” you say truthfully. “haruto can be pretty wild. i didn’t expect him to listen to you that well. you did good.”

“did i?” he fidgets with his fingers. “i was worried he wouldn’t like me. last night i read a bunch of articles about how to interact with kids. i don’t have siblings, so i was worried he’d think i was mean, or not cool, or--”

“keiji.” you take his hands in yours and kiss him on the cheek. “you were perfect.”

A/N: inspired by @saraswritingtipps, did some research and got information from the awesome @chloiyoomi (i've never babysat before so i needed help lol)

i don't know how much i like this tbh, i love the idea but because i have no babysitting experience i feel like it still came out a bit weird

shoutout to all the babysitters out there, you don't get enough appreciation 💪

[bradshawsbaby]

What Christmas Means to Me, My Love

Pairing: Bob Floyd x Wife!Reader

Summary: You're determined to make your first married Christmas the best one yet. But when you start to overextend yourself, Bob steps in to remind you what's most important.

Word Count: 10.6k

Author's Note: Whew! The relief I feel that I was able to get this story completed before Christmas Eve! This is my contribution to @lewmagoo's A Lew Magoo Christmas challenge! It was inspired by the Stevie Wonder song, "What Christmas Means To Me." I hope you all enjoy!

(Special shoutout and thanks to @luminousnotmatter and @ryebecca for listening to me ramble when I was having a total meltdown about writing this story. I'm very thankful for you both!)

Warnings: References to being stressed during the holidays and a few brief innuendos, but it's mostly just fluff, fluff, and more fluff!

From the time he was a young boy, Bob Floyd had been cognizant of one very fascinating phenomenon—his bed never felt so comfortable or so warm as when his alarm clock was blaring in his ear, giving him a rather forceful reminder that it was time to get up and start the day. After he met you, that troubling phenomenon seemed to increase tenfold. As responsible as he was and as much as he prided himself on getting to work early each day, Bob would be lying if he said there weren’t times when he felt like chucking his alarm clock across the room and playing sick just so he could stay tucked away in bed all day, cocooned under the blankets and wrapped around your sweet warmth.

This morning, as his alarm started roaring at 7:00 on the dot, Bob let out a small grunt of protest, blindly reaching out from beneath the comforter to pound a resentful fist on the top of his alarm clock. Once it was silent, he rolled over in the bed the two of you had been sharing as husband and wife for nearly six months now and reached an arm out, fully expecting to wrap it around your soft, pajama-clad body. When he was met with emptiness instead, Bob blinked his eyes open in confusion and sat up slowly, rubbing the last vestiges of sleep from his vision as he grabbed his glasses off the nightstand and slipped them onto his nose, albeit a bit crookedly.

“Sweetheart?” Bob called out, frowning when he was met with nothing but the early morning stillness of your quaint little home.

Immediately, he flung the covers back and climbed out of bed, padding towards the bathroom to see if maybe you were in the shower and couldn’t hear him calling you over the sound of the running water. That theory was quickly disproven, however, when he found the bathroom door hanging open, lights off and no sounds of a shower in progress. But as he flicked on the lights, Bob discovered that you must have been in there not too long ago, for the mirror above the sink was still beaded with condensation and the bathmat had the imprint of damp footprints.

“Honey?” Bob called again, thinking maybe you’d stepped outside to enjoy your morning coffee on the front porch. Although why you’d be up this early—and showered already, too—on one of your days off from work was beyond him.

Walking into the kitchen, Bob immediately spotted a piece of festive note paper resting on the countertop. He recognized it instantly, the cream colored paper outlined with a ring of cheerful poinsettias. You’d been ecstatic when you’d found it at the dollar store a few weeks ago—"You never know when something like this will come in handy during the holidays, honey," were your exact words. But what stood out even more was your delicate handwriting etched across the paper in dark ink. Picking up the note, Bob adjusted his glasses and read the message you’d quickly penned on your way out the door.

Good morning, honey! I decided to head out early to try to hit some of the stores before they get too crazy. There’s a lot that I still need to pick up, so I’ll probably be gone most of the day. Also, Lorraine and I are going to run over to check out the venue for our staff holiday party and finalize the menu. Speaking of which, I also need to finalize the menu for OUR party, plus Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Text me if there’s anything you want me to get! Hopefully I won’t be home too late. I love you!!!

P.S. I almost forgot—I packed some lunch for you and left it in the fridge! And there’s a pot of coffee ready to brew. Have a great day!!!

He sighed softly as he set your note back down on the counter, running a hand through his honey brown hair, a tender smile tugging at the corners of his lips even as he silently lamented your early departure. He could hear your voice in his head as he read your words, chuckling to himself as he pictured you quickly gulping down a cup of coffee—in your favorite Christmas mug, no doubt—and shoving a piece of half-burnt toast in your mouth before running out the door.

You absolutely lived for this time of year, and all the hecticness that the season entailed.

Bob had known, almost from the very start of your relationship, how much you adored Christmas. It was one of the things, in fact, that had made it so easy for him to fall in love with you. Seeing the way you lit up like a firefly when a Christmas song came on the radio or when your favorite coffee shop started offering peppermint-flavored drinks made Bob’s heart melt in absolute love and devotion. He had never known anyone as whimsical or as full of genuine Christmas spirit as you. And your joy was infectious—Bob had never loved the holiday season so much as he did once he started celebrating it with you.

Waiting for his coffee to finish brewing, Bob couldn’t help but grin as he glanced around the kitchen at all the decorations you’d been putting up since Thanksgiving. They gave your home a warm, cozy feeling that had nothing to do with aesthetics and everything to do with the loving care with which you’d hung them.

To Bob, every day was Christmas so long as he got to spend it with you.

Which was why he sighed again as he poured a splash of cream into his coffee mug, brows furrowing above his glasses as he considered how little he’d seen you these past couple weeks.

With both of you working full-time jobs, it made sense that you couldn’t possibly spend every waking moment together. But Bob looked forward more than anything to your routine of dinner in the early evening and then hours spent lounging in each other’s arms, talking about your days or listening to music or watching a movie together. It was a habit you had gotten into even before you were married, and it was made all the sweeter by the fact that your lives were now entwined so intrinsically.

These past few weeks, however, that routine had been seriously upended by all the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Bob knew you took this time of year seriously—and he really did love how happy it made you—but it seemed like this year more than ever, your schedule was jam-packed and filled nearly to bursting.

On top of the usual shopping that needed to get done—you bought gifts for everyone, even down to your mail carrier and the barista who made your favorite coffee—there were preparations for not one, not two, but three separate parties you had volunteered to host. First up was your staff holiday party. Your colleagues knew that no one loved Christmas more than you, and so they had unanimously nominated you to spearhead the planning, which you’d graciously agreed to, with some help from your co-worker, Lorraine. Then was the party for the Daggers and their families that you had convinced Bob it would be fun to host a few days before Christmas Eve. All of your friends couldn’t stop buzzing about it, and you were going to great lengths to make sure it was perfect. As if all that wasn’t enough, you were also going to be hosting both of your families for the holidays this year, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, and all.

“It’s our first Christmas as Mr. and Mrs. Floyd,” you’d told him one night, when he’d asked if you were really okay with all of the planning that would be involved. “I want it to be special.” Your smile when you said it warmed him from the inside out. As introverted as he could be, he’d gladly host twenty parties so long as it made you happy.

The reality, however, was that you were swamped. Every day after work, you were either running around to stores or scouring the internet for the best cyber deals or researching recipes that you wanted to try for Christmas dinner. One night, Bob had even found you making an alphabetized list of holiday games you could play at the parties.

“Are you sure you’re really okay?” Bob asked at one point, when he caught you yawning over your dinner. “I know I’ve been busy with work, but I can help more. Just tell me what you need.”

“I’m fine, silly,” you giggled, waving off his concern with a hand. “I just want everyone to have a good time.”

“They will,” he told you, resting his large, calloused hand over yours. He looked intently into your eyes, sincerity shining in the blue depths of his. “They’ll have a good time no matter what. You don’t have to make yourself sick over planning.”

You had just smiled at him and given him a kiss, but clearly you hadn’t heeded his words because now you were even using your day off to run errands, waking up even earlier than your naval aviator husband to do so.

Rinsing his empty mug out in the sink, Bob frowned as he thought of how tired you’d seemed these past few days. Your joy and your sweetness never diminished, but he could tell just from looking in your eyes how exhausted you were getting. You were overextending yourself, and he was terrified you were going to burn out before Christmas even arrived. Not being able to fully enjoy your favorite time of year would devastate you, and nothing would hurt Bob more than that.

You needed to take a day for yourself, Bob decided as he let the warm water flow over him in a quick shower. No shopping, no planning, no organizing—just a day where you actually got to enjoy all your favorite things about this season.

That idea remained buzzing around in his head as he drove to work, hanging on the periphery of his consciousness even as he spent hours flying test runs with Phoenix and the rest of the Daggers. On his lunch break, he enthusiastically hunkered down in the rec room to research some of the plans that were percolating in his mind. And by the time he drove home that evening, he was wearing a smile bright enough to rival any of the Christmas lights twinkling in your neighborhood.

The fact that you still weren’t home when Bob unlocked the front door and carefully placed his work boots on the shoe rack only further solidified his plan. As if you could somehow read his mind, his phone buzzed suddenly with an incoming text.

Are you home? I’m so sorry I’m not back yet! I’m on my way now. I picked up some dinner from that BBQ place that you like 😋

Bob’s heart squeezed with affection as he read your words. You’d been up for nearly twelve hours at this point, and you were no doubt exhausted, but you were still always putting others ahead of yourself. He typed out a quick response as he walked into the living room to turn on the lights on the Christmas tree.

Yum! Thank you, sweetheart. Can’t wait for you to get home ♥️

About twenty minutes later, just as Bob was stepping out of your bedroom after changing into a pair of sweatpants and an old T-shirt from his time at the Naval Academy, he heard your key jiggling in the lock and hurried to meet you.

“Oh!” you gasped in surprise when your husband swung open the door before you could finish turning your key. “Hiya, honey,” you beamed, holding up the bag of take-out food you’d picked up especially for him on your drive home.

“Man, I tell you, these delivery people keep getting cuter and cuter,” Bob teased, drawing you close and taking the food out of your hands as he dropped a kiss on your lips.

“Mmm,” you giggled against his mouth, kissing him back as you felt some of the tension you’d been carrying in your shoulders slowly dissipate. “Maybe this delivery girl can join you for dinner tonight,” you winked playfully, smiling when you felt Bob’s fingers lace through yours.

“I was counting on it,” he chuckled, tugging on your hand as he turned into the house.

“Oh, just give me a couple minutes, honey,” you exclaimed, suddenly remembering you’d left your car idling in the driveway, the backseat and trunk filled to the brim with your purchases of the day. “I just want to get everything out of the car.”

“Sweetheart, it can wait,” Bob insisted, glancing longingly between you and his dinner. “Your food’s going to get cold. I’ll help you unload the car after we eat.”

You bit your lip in hesitation, but finally relented when you saw the puppy dog expression on your husband’s face. “Okay, fine, let me just go turn the car off.”

A few minutes later, you and Bob were seated side by side at your small kitchen table, your legs pressing together and your fingers brushing against one another as you nibbled on wings and scarfed down some chili mac and cheese.

“How was your day?” you asked curiously, glancing up as you took a sip of water and wiped your fingers on a napkin.

You always asked that question so sincerely, even after all this time. It made him feel so seen and loved. Smiling, he rested his hand over yours and squeezed your fingers gently.

“It was good,” he said lightly, not yet ready to divulge the plans he’d been formulating all day. “You know, same old, same old. How about yours?”

“It was great!” you chirped, beaming brightly.

Bob smiled and nodded as you told him about the gifts you’d picked up for all the nieces and nephews, the menu you and Lorraine had decided on for your staff holiday party, the grab bags gifts you’d snagged for the Dagger party, the new gingerbread recipe you’d just heard about, and a whole host of other things.

“Sorry, I’m rambling,” you murmured sheepishly after you realized you’d hardly stopped for a moment to take a breath.

“It’s okay, I love it when you ramble,” Bob grinned, kissing the corner of your mouth. “Mmm, I love it even more when you taste like barbeque,” he laughed, nudging your nose with his own.

Laughing, you wrapped your arms around his strong shoulders and kissed him tenderly. Pulling back, you rested your forehead against his with a contented sigh and gazed into his eyes. “Want to go find a movie to watch while I do the dishes?” you suggested.

Bob pulled back slightly to more fully look at you, though he kept his large hands wrapped loosely around your waist. “As much as I love the sound of that plan, I think we should call it an early night tonight, honey,” he said softly, reaching up to lightly brush your cheek with the pad of his thumb. “You look exhausted.”

You pouted slightly, but couldn’t stifle the yawn that suddenly came upon you, which made the both of you laugh. “I guess you’re right,” you admitted ruefully, resting your head on his shoulder for a moment.

“How about you get started on the dishes and I’ll unload everything from the car? Then we’ll head to bed, alright?” Bob asked, hyper aware of the drawn look around your eyes.

“Deal,” you nodded, giving him one more kiss as you jumped up to clear the table.

Thirty minutes later, the two of you were cuddled up under the covers, the warm glow from the little battery-operated lantern you kept near the window casting a cozy feel over the room.

“Do you have any plans for Saturday?” Bob asked softly, running his fingers up and down your arm gently as you lay in his embrace. Saturday was the one day that the both of you had off, and he intended to make the most of it this weekend.

You let out a soft sigh, snuggling up further against his chest. “There are a few new recipes I wanted to try for dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas, so I figured maybe I should test them out ahead of time, just in case they end up being a disaster. Saturday seems as good a day as any to do that. Want to be my taste tester?” you grinned, eyes crinkling as you smiled over at him.

“Uh-uh,” Bob shook his head, a slightly mischievous smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

Your eyes widened in surprise as you looked at him. “Why not? You’ve got other plans?”

“Mhm,” he nodded, his blue eyes twinkling, which you could see even in the dark of your bedroom. “I’m going to have a very full day.”

“Doing what?” you huffed jokingly, arching an eyebrow as you rolled onto your side, gazing at him curiously.

“You’ll find out,” Bob grinned, not letting the cat out of the bag just yet. “You’re coming with me.”

“What?” you asked, clearly taken aback as your eyes widened once again. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see,” he chuckled, leaning over to give you a quick kiss.

“Bob!” you exclaimed, nudging him lightly with your foot.

“Good night, sweetheart,” he grinned, rolling over and closing his eyes. He had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing as he heard you huffing softly beside him, clearly desperate to know what he was planning. Within minutes, however, he heard the sound of your breathing soften and deepen, your eyes closing in a deep slumber.

Turning back over, Bob watched you sleep peacefully and felt his heart clench inside his chest. You were going above and beyond this Christmas, and it was clearly taking its toll, whether you wanted to admit it or not. He was glad to see you sleeping so comfortably after such a long day.

You were striving so hard to make this Christmas magical for everyone else. This weekend, Bob was going to make it magical for you and remind you what this season was really all about.

Nobody deserved it more than you.

Saturday morning dawned bright and crisp, just as Bob had been anticipating. He’d been checking the forecast every day to make sure that nothing was going to interfere with his plans for today. The weather was better than he could have hoped for—the sun was shining bright, hardly a cloud in the sky, but the air had a nice winter chill as the temperature hovered somewhere between the high fifties and low sixties.

That was one of the only things you ever lamented about moving to San Diego—it was harder to make it feel like Christmas when it was still warm enough to wear shorts and go to the beach. But today’s weather, while certainly not cold by any stretch of the imagination, would at least give you an opportunity to wear one of those new sweaters you’d bought for yourself.

Grinning like a little kid on Christmas morning, Bob quietly tiptoed into your bedroom, where he was delighted to see that you were still fast asleep, buried so deeply under the covers that only the top of your head was poking out. Swallowing back a laugh, he sidled over to your side of the bed and carefully placed the treats he’d set out early to procure on your nightstand.

“Sweetheart,” he murmured softly, gingerly taking a seat on the edge of the bed to avoid crushing you. You stirred slightly, but didn’t open your eyes, so he bent down to drop a kiss on the crown of your head, still the only part of your body exposed to the mid-morning light. “Honey, wake up,” he tried again, his voice scarcely above a whisper.

Letting out a soft hum in response, you slowly pushed the covers back and ran a hand down your face before opening your eyes halfway, peeking up at your husband through hooded lids.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Bob chuckled, ducking his head to peck your lips tenderly.

“Mmm, good morning,” you replied, your voice still heavy with sleep as you stretched with a satisfied little groan. You were so distracted by the extremely pleasant view of your handsome husband hovering above you that it took you a moment to realize how much light was filtering in through the windows, and to catch a glimpse of the time on your alarm clock. Gasping, you bolted upright, looking at Bob with wide eyes. “Is that really the time? I thought I set an alarm!”

It was nearly 9:45am. You couldn’t remember the last time you had slept in that late. Between work and all the other things you were usually running around doing, even on your days off, your internal alarm hardly ever let you sleep that long. Not to mention the fact that you normally had an alarm set. You could have sworn you had set it last night.

Bob had the grace to look a bit sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck, gazing at you with those big blue eyes behind the frames of his adorably gawky glasses. “You did,” he began slowly, glancing guiltily at your alarm clock and then back at you. “I shut it off.”

“Bob!” you exclaimed in astonishment, uncertain what would have possessed him to do that, especially when he knew how busy you were lately. “Why would you do that?”

“You needed the extra sleep, honey,” he said in a voice so sweet and filled with concern that you couldn’t even dream of staying mad at him. Reaching out, he took one of your hands between both of his, gently rolling the pad of his thumb over your knuckles. “You’ve been running yourself ragged these past couple weeks. I wanted you to get some real rest.”

You bit your lip, averting your gaze as you silently thought about how busy you’d been lately and how exhausted you’d been feeling. You’d had three cups of coffee at work yesterday just to make it through the day.

“I guess you’re right,” you conceded, your lips curving upward in a rueful smile. “I do feel a little bit better already. Thank you, honey,” you told him, leaning forward to give him a kiss of appreciation. That was when your eyes landed on the cup of coffee and the small red-and-white striped bag on your nightstand. “Is that for me?” you gasped in delight, looking back at your husband eagerly.

“Mhm,” Bob chuckled at your open excitement, reaching for the cup and the bag and placing them in your hands.

Your very favorite coffee shop in all of San Diego, which also happened to be the spot where you and Bob went on your second date, was a tiny little hole-in-the-wall place not far from where you worked. From the outside, it didn’t seem like much to behold, but it was one of the city’s best kept secrets. Their coffee was brewed to perfection and their baked goods were a sweettooth’s dream. But what you loved most of all was the way they went all out for the holidays. The entire cafe was decked out in garland and bows and twinkling lights, Christmas music pumped through the speakers all day long, and their menu reflected everyone’s seasonal favorites.

At this time of year, your go-to order was a large peppermint mocha with extra whipped cream and a gingerbread scone that you swore you wanted to be your last meal on this earth. Bob had gotten to the cafe just in time that morning to get a scone fresh out of the oven.

“Oh my gosh, it’s still warm,” you sighed happily, the spiced molasses melting on your tongue as soon as you popped it into your mouth. You closed your eyes in bliss, washing it down with a sip of the peppermint mocha. “Thank you, honey. This is such a sweet surprise.”

“The first of many, I hope,” Bob smiled, resting a hand on your thigh as you enjoyed your breakfast in bed. “I have lots planned for you today, Mrs. Floyd.”

“You do?” you asked, raising an eyebrow over the rim of your coffee cup.

He nodded, his smile only growing wider. “Don’t you remember what I said the other night? We’ve got a lot to do today. So as soon as you’re done enjoying your breakfast, you better hop in the shower. We don’t want to be late,” he told you, his gorgeous baby blues sparkling as he rose from the bed and started towards the door.

“Wait!” you cried,  jumping out of bed with your coffee and scone still firmly in hand. “What are we doing?” you called after him, chasing behind him in bare feet. “Bobby!”

“You’ll find out,” he laughed, turning around and resting his hands on your shoulders. “Just wear something comfortable,” was all the information he gave you.

You sighed in a purposely dramatic fashion, shooting him a playful glance. You knew from the look on his face that he wasn’t going to tell you anything else, so there was no use in trying to get the information out of him. Instead, you quickly gulped down the rest of your coffee and finished off your scone—still trying to savor every bite—before tearing off your pajamas and jumping into the shower.

An hour later, you were ready to go, dressed in a cute pair of jeans and a new red and white sweater you’d just recently purchased. The weather today finally gave you an opportunity to wear it.

“Is this alright?” you asked Bob as you stepped into the living room, holding your arms out at your sides. It was hard to know what to wear when you had no idea what you were doing.

“It’s perfect,” Bob nodded, smiling as he rose from the couch and took in your appearance. “Just like you,” he added, winking as he wrapped his arms around you and pressed a kiss to the tip of your nose.

“I could say the same thing to you,” you giggled, resting your hands on his broad chest. He was wearing a dark green crew neck sweater and dark jeans that fit his long figure exquisitely. “Now are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

Bob just shook his head, laughing out loud when you released a groan of exasperation. “Patience, my sweet wife,” he teased, taking your hand in his and leading you towards the front door. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

You really hadn’t been sure what to anticipate when you climbed into the car with Bob. As many guesses as you tried to make to figure out what his plans were, your husband’s expression was impenetrable. He didn’t give anything away, no matter what you said.

What you hadn’t been expecting was to pull into the parking lot of Petco Park.

As soon as Bob put the car in park, you glanced over at him curiously, trying to figure out what you were doing here. Your husband wasn’t a big baseball fan. And even if he was, it was the middle of December.

“I’m guessing we’re not here for a Padres game?” you ventured with a playful smile, glancing around the crowded parking lot.

Your husband laughed, shaking his head. “Not exactly. Come on,” he told you, climbing out of the car and hurrying around to the passenger side to open your door.

Slipping your hand into his, you followed his lead as he guided you through the milling crowd towards the entrance to the baseball stadium. He seemed almost giddy as the two of you got closer and closer to the park, glancing down at you every few seconds as if to check that you were still with him. You had no idea what was awaiting you, but his excitement was infectious and you found yourself buzzing with anticipation.

You weren’t disappointed.

As soon as Bob handed over your tickets to the attendant, you were swept up in the crowd of people surging towards Gallagher Square, where you were met with a breathtaking display of Christmas beauty.

“Oh, Bobby,” you breathed out, coming to a halt as you stared, wide-eyed and in awe of the beautiful market that surrounded you.

“Do you like it?” Bob asked, a thread of nervousness in his voice as he looked at you, watching the way you were silently taking everything in.

Turning to face him, your face split into a huge grin and you threw your arms around him, peppering his cheek with kisses. “I love it! It’s so wonderful!”

It was as close to a German Christmas market as you had ever come, with vendors of all kinds set up in little wooden booths ringing the perimeter of the square. There were shopkeepers selling a whole assortment of things, from hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies to homemade candy to personalized ornaments to fine wine and jewelry. Amidst all the different stalls were small stages where performances ranging from choirs to magic shows were taking place, not to mention the life-size snow globes and the giant sleigh where guests could take pictures. And at the center of it all was a ginormous Christmas tree that had to be at least thirty feet tall.

It was magical. It made you feel like you were a little girl again, attending your town’s local Christmas fair with your family.

“I didn’t even know this existed!” you exclaimed, still holding tightly to your husband as you continued to gaze around you.

“I didn’t either,” Bob admitted, unable to stop smiling at how happy you looked. “But Phoenix and Hangman told me they took the kids here last week and had a blast, so I knew I had to get you tickets.”

“Oh, thank you, honey! This is amazing!” you beamed, wrapping your arms around him to give him an enthusiastic kiss.

Bob chuckled and blushed slightly as he adjusted his glasses with one hand, his other hand resting on your hip. “Should we walk around?”

Nodding, you took his hand and practically hauled him across the square, bouncing from stall to stall and oohing and aahing over all the various trinkets and baubles.

“Oh, honey, look! We should get this,” you cooed, holding up a sweet ornament of a hand painted Christmas tree with a little banner draped across it that read Our First Christmas as Mr. and Mrs.

It didn’t matter that you had three other ornaments with similar messages already hanging on your Christmas tree at home. Bob gladly pulled out his wallet to buy it for you, his heart fluttering at the gorgeous smile that lit up your entire face when the vendor carefully wrapped it up and handed it to you.

“Thank you, Bobby. I can’t wait to put it on the tree when we get home,” you told him, carefully slipping the wrapped ornament into your purse.

“Anything for you, honey,” Bob murmured softly, kissing your forehead. “Alright, what’s our next stop?”

You and Bob continued to wander among the stalls for the next couple hours, stopping on occasion to take a photo or grab a snack—"This is sustenance," you grinned, holding up the little brown bag of freshly glazed almonds that you’d purchased for the two of you to munch on.

At one point, as you were admiring the work of a local artist, you heard the sound of the sweetest voices imaginable. Following the music, with Bob trailing closely behind, you walked a bit further up the path before stopping in front of a small choir made up of the most angelic looking children you had ever seen. The sign in front of the platform declared that they were students from a local school for children with special needs.

“Oh, Bobby,” you whispered, tears sparkling on your lashes as they sang the most beautiful version of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” you had ever heard. Resting your head on your husband’s shoulder, you let the music wash over you, smiling brightly as they transitioned from one song to another.

You weren’t sure how long you stood there exactly—was it for three songs or six?—but when the children finally stopped singing, you and Bob burst into thunderous applause, prompting nearby onlookers to join in.

The pride on the children’s faces melted your heart as they shyly waved to the crowd and began making their way off the platform.

A little girl with Down syndrome, who couldn’t have been older than six or seven, suddenly broke away from the others and grabbed her mother’s hand, dragging her towards where you and your husband stood.

“Thank you for coming!” she said brightly, offering an adorable little gap-tooth smile.

“Thank you for having us!” you replied brightly, squatting down so that you were on eye level with her. “You all sounded amazing!”

To your surprise, the little girl lunged forward to wrap her arms around you in a tight hug.

“I’m sorry,” her mother exclaimed, touching her daughter’s shoulder and trying to pull her back.

“It’s alright,” you smiled, patting the little girl’s back before she let go. “No need to apologize.”

“Thank you for staying to listen for so long,” the woman said, looking between you and Bob. “The kids worked really hard on their program for today, so it was nice to have such a captive audience.”

“We were happy to do it, really,” Bob told her, smiling down at the little girl as he rested a hand on your lower back. “Christmas music is my wife’s favorite,” he told her conspiratorially.

Her eyes widened in delighted surprise. “Mine, too!”

You all laughed happily at that.

“Well, I hope you have an amazing Christmas and that Santa brings you everything you’re hoping for this year,” you told her, grinning at the way she lit up at the mention of Santa.

“Santa! Santa!” she cheered.

“That’s right,” her mother nodded, brushing her daughter’s hair back over her shoulder. “We should get going soon if we want to go see Santa. What do you say to the nice people who watched you sing?”

“Thank you!” the little girl said sweetly, giving both you and Bob another quick hug around the legs. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!” you and Bob replied in unison, waving to both mother and daughter as you went your separate ways, smiling from ear to ear.

“You’re going to make an amazing mother one day,” Bob told you softly, the unadulterated adoration in his eyes warming you up from the inside out.

You just smiled dreamily in response, very much looking forward to the day when you would get to see Bob Floyd become a father.

“Well I think that was a very successful trip to the Christmas Market,” your husband said a few minutes later after you circled back to the center of the square.

“I had so much fun, honey. Thank you for thinking of this,” you told him, touched by the effort he’d made to bring you here and make it such a lovely afternoon.

“Of course, sweetheart,” Bob smiled, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. He glanced down at his watch and raised his eyebrows. “Oh, but we better get going if we want to stay on schedule. Still have a lot to do.”

“Wait…what?” you questioned, startled. “There’s more?”

“I said I had a lot planned, didn’t I?” That mischievous twinkle had returned to his eyes. “You didn’t think this was it, did you?”

“Bob Floyd, what do you have up your sleeve?” you asked, crossing your arms over your chest and looking up at him with a quirked brow, trying and failing to mask the smile tugging at your lips.

“You’ll see,” was all he said, taking your hand and leading you back to the car.

If you had been uncertain about what your husband’s plans were when you’d arrived at Petco Park, you were doubly unsure what he had in mind when he turned onto the bridge connecting San Diego to Coronado.

“Are you taking me with you to work?” you wondered with a laugh, looking out the window at the afternoon sun sparkling on the San Diego Bay. You often told Bob that you were jealous of the view he got to enjoy on his commute to and from North Island.

Bob laughed at your question, but simply shook his head in response, turning up the radio as Mariah Carey began belting “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

“Hmmm, saved by the Queen of Christmas,” you joked, nudging him playfully as he took a turn off the bridge.

“Now, honey, you know that you’re the Queen of Christmas,” Bob retorted, winking at you as he made a few more turns.

“True,” you giggled, singing along to the radio until Hotel Coronado appeared in your sights, in all its glorious grandeur. You glanced over at Bob curiously, but he didn’t say anything as he searched for a parking spot.

“The suspense is killing me, Bobby,” you lamented, clinging onto his arm once he finally did manage to park the car. “What are we doing now?”

Turning to face you, Bob was struck once again by just how deeply he loved you. There was no one else he’d drag himself all over San Diego for on his day off from work.

“We’re going ice skating,” he explained, chuckling at the shocked expression on your face.

“You mean…Skating by the Sea?!” you gasped excitedly, practically bouncing up and down in your seat. “Bobby, you got tickets?”

“Sure did,” he nodded, pulling them out of his pocket to show you.

“Oh my gosh, how?” you breathed, reaching out to touch them as if you were afraid they would disappear.

“Mav knows a guy,” Bob chuckled, shaking his head affectionately as he thought of his boss and mentor.

As Hotel Coronado’s most popular winter attraction, it was nearly impossible to get tickets to Skating by the Sea during the Christmas season, but when Bob had mentioned it at work, Maverick had promised that he would be able to procure him a couple tickets. How he managed it, Bob didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know either. All that mattered was that you were looking at him right now like he had hung the moon and the stars, and there was no better reward than that.

“Ready to go?” Bob asked, holding out his hand to you.

“Ready!” you cheered, placing your hand in his and holding on tight.

It had been quite some time since you had actually been ice skating, and you were a bit rusty, especially in comparison to your midwestern husband, who had grown up ice skating on frozen ponds every winter. Still, despite your wobbly knees, you were determined to enjoy every moment of this experience.

“It’s alright, sweetheart, I’ve got you,” Bob murmured encouragingly, holding tightly to your hands as he guided you onto the ice, sticking close to the wall in case you needed extra support.

“If you had told me we were coming, I could have brushed up on my skills ahead of time,” you teased, glancing down at your white rental skates as you carefully slid one foot in front of the other.

“And ruin the surprise and the look on your face when I told you what we were doing? Never,” he grinned, gently squeezing your hands as you slowly started to become more confident and steady on your feet. “You’ve got it, honey. Try looking up at me. I won’t let go,” he promised.

Slowly, you lifted your gaze from your feet up to your husband’s midsection, and then finally up to his face, that face that you adored more than anything else on this earth.

“There you go, you’ve got it. You’re doing such a good job,” Bob praised you, his confidence unshaken as he moved backwards across the ice. It was incredibly attractive how sure of himself he was out here.

“I think I’ve got it now. Want to try letting go?” you asked with a grin, feeling a little nervous but willing to give it a shot.

Smiling proudly, Bob nodded and slowly released his grip on your hands, letting you glide independently for a few seconds. You moved forward tentatively, your hands still out at your sides so that you could grab onto him—or the wall—if needed.

“That’s it, honey! Look at you go!” your husband cheered, making you laugh as you carefully made your way over to the opposite wall, which afforded you breathtaking views of the beach and the ocean beyond.

Seconds later, Bob skated up beside you, resting with you against the wall and enjoying the same view. “Pretty beautiful, huh?” he asked, gazing down at you.

“Insanely beautiful,” you agreed, resting your hand over his and squeezing gently. “I’m so glad we’re here.”

“Me, too,” Bob nodded, lifting your hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “But it doesn’t matter what we’re doing. I’m just so glad to be with you.”

“Honey,” you breathed out, touched by the sweetness of his words. They actually made you well up a little bit.

“I mean it, sweetheart. It’s not the things we do that make days like this special. It’s getting to do them with you. That’s all I really wanted. I’ve missed you these past few weeks,” he confessed.

“Oh, Bobby,” you whispered, wrapping your arms around his waist and burying your face in his chest. “I’m so sorry, honey. I didn’t know you felt that way.”

Bob was quiet for a moment, just holding you close and resting his cheek atop your head.

“I love you so much, you know,” you told him, lifting your head to press a kiss to his jaw.

“I know,” he nodded, his mouth turning up in a tender smile. “I love you, too. More than anything.”

After a couple moments of comfortable silence, you took his hand and started to push away from the wall. “Come on, let’s go show everybody what an amazing skater you are,” you laughed, nearly toppling over in your eagerness. Thankfully, Bob had some of the quickest reflexes you’d ever seen and was there to catch you.

He was always there to catch you.

You and your husband spent the next hour twirling around on the ice, you trying your best not to fall and Bob trying his best to keep you from falling. By the time your legs were starting to ache in protest, the sun was just beginning to set over the beach, the sky exploding in hues of orange, pink, and red.

“Isn’t that the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen?” you whispered in awe, resting your cheek against your husband’s strong chest and soaking in the moment.

“A close second to you,” Bob replied, chuckling at the adorable way you got all flustered at his compliment. “C’mon, sweetheart, let’s get those skates off you.”

Stepping off the rink, Bob carefully guided you to a nearby bench and sat you down before squatting in front of you to untie your laces.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” you asked softly, reaching out to lightly caress his flushed cheek as he ministered to you.

“I ask myself the same thing every day when I get to wake up beside you,” he said, pressing a kiss to your knee before pulling your skates off. He then rose and plopped down beside you on the bench, pulling off his own skates with ease.

After you returned your rental skates and collected your things, Bob stopped you on the pathway near the beach and looked down at you.

“I hope you’ve worked up an appetite after all this,” he told you, a knowing smile on his face. “Because we’ve got one more stop.”

“We do? Oh, Bobby! This day has already been so special. I can’t imagine how it could get any better,” you declared, wondering what more he could possibly have in store.

“Wait and see,” Bob winked, taking your hand as you began strolling off hotel property and towards where you had parked “Oh, and I’ve got a little something in the car for you to change into.”

The last thing on earth you had been expecting when your husband handed you a small duffel bag out of the trunk of the car was to open it up and find the beautiful red dress you’d worn last Christmas—the one Bob hadn’t been able to stop gushing about or get you out of fast enough after Christmas dinner—and your favorite pair of high heels, plus the diamond studs and pendant he’d gifted you last year, the ones you only wore on very special occasions.

And yet, there you were, sitting beside your husband in the passenger seat of his car in your holiday finest, flying along the open road towards some unknown destination.

You weren’t the only one who had changed after your ice skating escapades. Bob had packed a second duffel, it seemed, for when you had returned from getting changed, he was waiting for you, no longer clad in his crew neck and jeans, but in a pair of black slacks and a dinner jacket, his crisp white shirt unbuttoned at the collar.

“For you,” he said with a wide smile, handing you a small bouquet of red and white roses—another surprise he’d been hiding in that trunk of his.

You held the sweet-smelling flowers close to your nose now as Bob made a few turns, heading in a direction that was not totally familiar to you.

“I can’t believe you did all this,” you whispered softly, a hint of emotion catching in your voice as you rested the beautiful bouquet in your lap. You couldn’t wait to put it in one of your Christmas vases when you got home and proudly display it on the coffee table in the living room.

Bob glanced over at you as he came to a red light, his blue eyes brimming with adoration as he soaked in how happy and content you looked. “You deserve it,” he told you, reaching out to rest a hand on your thigh, his fingers lightly stroking the inside of your knee. “You deserve all this and so much more. And I’m so lucky to be the man who gets to give it to you—or try anyway,” he added with a sheepish laugh.

Before the light could turn green, you leaned over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in for a kiss. “You succeed,” you murmured against his lips. “Every time. I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

“I love you,” he smiled, caressing your cheek with the pad of his thumb before returning both hands to the wheel, ignoring the disgruntled driver who was honking behind him.

You giggled as you settled back in your seat with a happy sigh. “I love you, too, honey.” You paused for a moment or two, then tacked on, “Now will you tell me where we’re going?”

“Nice try,” Bob laughed, shooting you a sideways glance. “I haven’t spoiled any of my surprises today. You think I’m going to start now?”

“Oh, fine,” you replied, heaving a dramatic sigh and then grinning. “I can’t wait to find out what it is though.”

“I have a feeling you’re really going to love it,” he said, his smile warmer than the San Diego sun as he tapped his hands excitedly on the steering wheel, his own anticipation building.

“I know I will,” you nodded, lifting the bouquet of roses to your nose once more and taking a delicate sniff. “I love anything so long as I’m doing it with you.”

A few minutes later, Bob made a final turn that led the two of you up a winding, gorgeously manicured road. Leaning forward, you gazed out the window eagerly, trying to place exactly where you were. At that exact moment, a large sign came into view that read FAIRMONT GRAND DEL MAR.

Gasping in delight, you practically had your nose smushed against the glass as your husband drove past stunning gardens and twinkling fountains, all decked out with the most darling, demure decorations you had ever seen.

Fairmont Grand Del Mar was one of the most luxurious and glamorous hotels in all of Southern California, and while it was basically right in your own backyard, you had never stepped foot on its grounds before.

You suddenly found yourself very grateful that your jeans and sweater were safely tucked away in a duffel bag. Thank goodness your brilliant husband thought of everything.

“Oh my goodness, Bobby!” you squealed, covering your mouth to try to control the delighted laughter that was bubbling up inside you. But it was no use. “It’s so beautiful here!”

“It is, isn’t it?” Bob hummed in agreement, taking in the view as he slowed his pace along the property’s winding pathways. “A beautiful girl in a beautiful place. Sounds about right to me,” he added, eyes sparkling behind his glasses.

You just smiled at that, a pleasant warmth rushing to your cheeks as you tried to take in as much of the views as you could. As if the hotel grounds weren’t breathtaking enough on their own, they’d clearly gone to great lengths to turn the property into a winter wonderland for the holidays and they had more than succeeded. You loved every inch of it.

Moments later, after Bob had helped you out of the car and handed his keys off to a valet parker, he wrapped an arm around your waist and led you into the lobby of what seemed to be one of the hotel’s restaurants. It was elegantly designed, with Persian rugs and cream-colored marble walls, scrolled detailing on the ceiling, and a roaring fireplace to give the room a cozy, inviting atmosphere. It was decorated for the season with class—golden candelabras, dark red poinsettias, aromatic garland wrapped in red ribbons and bows, giant wreaths practically the size of you hanging on the walls.

It felt like a little Christmas paradise.

You were thankful for Bob’s strong hand on your back, guiding you along as you tripped over your own two feet, gazing around the room in unabashed awe.

“Don’t worry, honey,” he whispered in your ear as you approached the host stand. “I’ll make sure to take lots of pictures of you in that gorgeous dress with this perfect Christmas backdrop,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to your temple.

“I want you in the pictures, too,” you whispered back, grinning as you squeezed his hand where it was resting on your hip. “Too bad we didn’t think to come here for our Christmas card photo,” you added, eyes crinkling in amusement.

“Next year,” Bob winked. He managed to tear his gaze away from you only when the two of you finally got to the stand and the hostess looked at you expectantly.

“Good evening,” she said in a voice that was calm, cool, and cultured. “Do you have a reservation with us tonight?”

“Yes,” Bob told her, squeezing your hip softly as he spoke. “Dinner for two. It should be under Floyd.”

The hostess checked her computer screen and smiled. “Ah, yes. We’re pleased to welcome you tonight, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd. Please, follow me,” she said, leading you through a small maze of elegantly set tables, bedecked with what appeared to be antique tablecloths, romantic candles, and subtle hints of holly and garland.

The three of you finally came to a stop at a cozy table right near a window which overlooked the gardens, a twinkling Christmas tree right in your line of vision.

“Your server will be right with you,” the hostess told you as the two of you got settled in your seats. “We hope you very much enjoy our special Christmas menu here at Fairmont Grand Del Mar,” she added with a gracious smile before turning to head back to her post.

“Thank you,” you murmured with a soft smile, maintaining every ounce of decorum you could possibly muster until the woman was out of earshot. Then you let out a delighted squeal, the same sound you used to make when opening your presents on Christmas morning as a little girl. “Bobby! This is incredible! How did you manage this?” you demanded, gaping at him in amazement. Then you giggled. “Wait, let me guess. Mav knows another guy?”

“Actually this time, it was Payback who knew a guy,” Bob laughed, reaching across the table to take your hand in his, brushing his thumb across your soft skin. “His cousin works concierge at the hotel, so he managed to pull a few strings.”

“Amazing,” you grinned, squeezing his hand lovingly. “Don’t let me forget to thank Mav and Reuben when I see them at the party.”

“Just Mav and Reuben?” he teased, pretending to be wounded.

You leaned in a little closer, lowering your voice as you told him, “Well I’m going to give you a proper thank you tonight.” Your eyes sparkled in tandem with the diamond pendant hanging around your neck.

Bob’s cheeks turned bright pink as he caught your meaning, and he reached up to tug lightly at the collar of his shirt, clearing his throat.

Winking, you leaned back with a smile. Your husband was saved from having to come up with a reply by the sudden appearance of your waiter, an older, dignified man named Antonio, who greeted you both warmly as he shared some drink recommendations.

Despite the fact that Bob hardly ever drank, he ordered the two of you a bottle of champagne that came highly recommended, which Antonio happily delivered along with a bucket of ice.

“To you, sweetheart,” Bob toasted, lifting the flute that your waiter had filled just a moment earlier. “This time of year wouldn’t be half as special if it wasn’t for you.”

“No, to you,” you smiled, raising your own champagne flute to mirror your husband’s. “Today was beyond words, and none of it would have been possible without you.”

“To us then,” he grinned, compromising as he tipped his glass towards you.

“To us,” you nodded in agreement, lightly clinking your glass against his before taking a sip. “Mmm, that’s delicious,” you murmured appreciatively, licking a drop of the champagne off your lip.

“Mhm,” Bob hummed, looking almost surprised. “I mean, not that I have much to compare to, but I’d say this is the best champagne I’ve ever had.”

“Better than at our wedding?” you joked.

“I stand corrected. This is the second best champagne I’ve ever had,” he chuckled.

You and Bob relaxed into smooth and easy conversation. Both your mothers would have scolded you for resting your elbows on the table, especially in such a fancy restaurant, but neither of you cared as you leaned in closer to one another, whispering over the candlelight as the twinkling lights outside the window illuminated your lovestruck faces. Faintly, in the distance, you could hear the soft sounds of classic Christmas tunes being played on a piano. It was the most perfect evening you could have imagined.

The food was some of the best you’d ever tasted. After much debate, you finally settled on the filet mignon with a bearnaise sauce, roasted vegetables, and what had to be the world’s creamiest mashed potatoes, while Bob selected the pork medallions with roasted garlic fingerling potatoes and a brussel sprout salad. Although really it was hard to say who had ordered what considering the way you kept picking food off each other’s plates.

By the time the sour-cherry cheesecake trifle that the two of you had ordered for the grand finale came out, you felt like you were going to burst right out of your pretty red dress. But like you always said, there was always room for dessert.

“You want to know the craziest thing?” you asked, looking up at Bob as you set your fork down on the plate resting between you and your husband. When he nodded at you, you went on, “I just realized that I didn’t think about any of my holiday planning at all today—the shopping, my work party, the parties we’re hosting, none of it. It didn’t cross my mind at all even though it’s all I’ve been thinking about these past few weeks. Isn’t that funny?”

Bob set his fork down as well and gazed at you from across the table, the corners of his mouth turning up in a small smile. “Good,” he said, reaching out to take your hand in his once more, gently playing with your wedding band. “That was my mission, and it sounds like it was a success. I wanted today to be a day where you just got to have fun and enjoy this time of year. I know how much it means to you, and I also know that it’ll be over in the blink of an eye, so we have to make the most of it while we can.”

Your heart melted at his words, and you felt the corners of your eyes pricking with happy tears. Your husband was truly the most thoughtful, selfless, caring man you had ever known. You would never know what you had ever done to get so lucky as to find him.

“Oh, Bobby,” you breathed out, mimicking his actions and lightly rolling his wedding band underneath your finger as you reached for his other hand. You were quiet for a moment, then thought of his words from earlier, the words that had been niggling the back of your mind on and off since you’d left the ice skating rink. “What you said before,” you began slowly, chewing on your bottom lip, “about missing me these past few weeks. Have I really been that busy? I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, honey, no,” Bob gasped, squeezing your hands tightly in his own. “I didn’t say that to make you feel guilty. I’ve just been worried about you, that’s all. You’re always so happy this time of year, and I know how much it means to you, so I hate to see you running yourself ragged like you have been. I guess I was starting to be afraid that you were going to burn yourself out before Christmas even got here.”

Your heart constricted at the genuine concern in his voice, at the way he was always looking out for you, even when you weren’t paying careful enough attention.

“And I have missed you,” he added softly, lifting one of your hands to his lips and pressing a tender kiss to it.

“I’ve missed you, too, honey,” you whispered, your throat clogging with emotion as you thought of the many nights you’d come home later than usual after running to the stores after work, too tired to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with your husband or just get to enjoy his company. “And you’re right—I have been running myself ragged. I can feel it. I’ve been so tired, and I feel like I don’t even have the time to enjoy all my favorite traditions.” You sighed softly, shaking your head. “I just—I just wanted everything to be perfect this year, you know?”

“It always is perfect,” Bob murmured encouragingly, gently stroking the inside of your wrist with his calloused fingertips, his movements slow and soothing.

“I know, but with it being our first married Christmas, I guess I just wanted it to be really perfect. I got it into my head that we needed to start all these new traditions and that I had to keep on top of everything at all times to make sure that it happened, but now I’m realizing that in the process of all that, I lost sight of what’s most important about celebrating our first Christmas as husband and wife—you,” you admitted, reaching up to lovingly cup his cheek in your hand.

He smiled softly at your words, turning his head slightly to press a kiss to the inside of your palm. “Sweetheart, the good news is that we have a whole lifetime of making traditions together. So long as it’s you and me, then that’s all I need,” he promised you.

You nodded, a couple stray tears spilling down your cheeks, which you wiped away with a sheepish little laugh. “You’re right. Today was a pretty good start to some Floyd Christmas traditions, I think,” you told him with a grin.

Bob reached out to thumb away the tears sparkling like diamonds on your skin. “I agree,” he smiled. “But the truth is, I don’t care what we’re doing. We could go ice skating on the beach or watch a movie on the couch. We could have a five-star dinner at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar or eat take-out on the kitchen floor.” He glanced around for a moment, just to check if anyone had heard him, his blue eyes laughing as he turned back to you. “I just want to do it with you. That’s what Christmas really means to me, sweetheart. All the other stuff, that’s icing on the cake.”

“I love you so much,” you whispered, leaning across the table and capturing his mouth with your own, the taste of sour cherries and champagne still clinging to his lips.

His fingers tangled in your hair as he cradled the back of your head and kissed you back until you were both sitting breathless in your chairs.

“You’re the love of my life,” he told you. “No matter how many traditions come and go, that’s one thing that will never change.”

As soon as you and Bob got home that night, exhausted in the best way after a perfect day together, you both ran to change into the Christmas pajamas you’d worn last Christmas Eve, then curled up on the couch with steaming mugs of hot cocoa to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.

“Tired?” Bob asked softly as the Peanuts crew sang “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” while the credits rolled.

“Mmm, a little,” you nodded, lifting your head from where it had been resting on his shoulder.

“Ready to head to bed?” he yawned, pushing the blanket back and rising from the couch before turning to hold his hands out to you.

“Mhm,” you murmured, slipping your hands into your husband’s and allowing him to pull you to your feet. “But not to go to sleep just yet,” you added pointedly.

At your husband’s raised brows, you giggled softly.

“I still have to properly thank you for today,” you reminded him with a playful wink.

You had never seen him move so fast.

That Christmas turned out to be one of the best you’d ever celebrated. Your work party went off without a hitch, the Daggers were already talking about how they needed to make a party at the Floyds’ an annual Christmas tradition, and your families loved getting to spend the holidays together as one huge unit. Every gift you’d purchased was well received and every meal you cooked was touted as the best anyone had ever eaten.

But that wasn’t what made it so special.

As you had been reminded this year, Christmas was about so much more than the planning and the presents and the parties. Those things were nice, sure, but they weren’t what made this time of year so magical.

What made this Christmas so perfect was the handsome man with blue eyes and a wide smile waiting for you beneath the mistletoe.

He was the only gift you needed, today and every day for the rest of your life.

[mysouleaten]

THIEF !! [part four]

PLATONIC! pet shop owners! baji, chifuyu and kazutora x teen!reader

summary... uh-oh... where'd your phone go??...

warnings... cuss words, description of injury, and soft baji at the end

[part one] [part two] [part three] [part four]

the final bell rings for the class to end

your teacher says goodbye and quickly tells everyone to prepare for the quiz on tuesday

putting on your headphones over your ears and walking down the crowded hall of students rushing either to get home or to their respective clubs

you thankfully didn't have a club to rush to and didn't have a bus to catch so you could take your sweet time walking home..

..or you could pop into your favorite pet shop to see if anything caught your eye to actually buy this time, you got your pay-check and your mother sent you around fifty bucks so that was a plus

looking down at your phone to turn up the volume in your headphones you don't notice how someone is about to run right into you until it was too late

a huge box filled with whatever had slammed right into your face

"ah! fuck!" you yelled, the heavy box slammed right above your brow giving it a pretty big blow that was gonna bruise

someone quickly came to apologize and help you to the nurse's office

great way to start your weekend..

looking in the mirror at the huge bruise that formed above your eyebrow was painful and very obvious

"just fuckin great, huh?" you curse

rolling your eyes you walk to your kitchen and get out an ice pack from the freezer then grab a couple of paper towels and wrap them around the ice pack

laying on your couch and holding the ice pack on your bruise

"mew"

you turn your head to the right and look down at a ginger cat staring up at you with big baby green eye

"oh..no don't tell me im about of cat food again..?" you whine

"meeeooowww"

hearing more cats on your balcony whining for more food indicated that you in fact have no more cat food

"damn.."

baji snapped his head up at the sound of the doorbell jingling

it was a teen that sort of fit the description that ryusei had given them a couple of days ago

the kid had [ec]eye-color eyes that fit the description, the same hoodie and mask, and a nasty bruise above their brow.. that wasn't part of the description...

baji just followed them with his eyes but the teen slipped away into the back of the store baji couldn't see them back there

spacing out while looking at the cat food, a horrible headache just formed while walking to the pet shop but you were already halfway there to the shop and didn't feel like turning back

and your bruise felt like someone was drumming on it

you look around and see the long-black-haired owner leaning on the counter watching you with cat-like eyes daring you to try and steal something..

yeah.. you weren't gonna risk it..

he could probably be able to catch you easily and body slam you..

which.. could be illegal? you weren't sure right now, you just wanna go home and take a big fat nap

picking up some wet food and kibble and headed over to the counter where the owner was still staring at you with an accusing look but he didn't say anything ...yet

.

.

.

"have.. you been stealing from here..?"

you swallowed the spit that built up in your mouth

"no?.. im paying aren't I?"

"yeah, I guess you are," he said and didn't bother saying anything else besides telling you your change

you finally came through the doors to your apartment, put the bags of pet food on the balcony, and sat on the couch to ease the headache

you then reach into your hoodie pocket to grab your phone but it isn't there, then reaching into the pockets of your pants... your phone wasn't there either..

you're about to have a meltdown

baji stared down at the lock screen of the phone the teen had left on the counter, he hadn't noticed it until a ringtone had started to play but he was too late to tell the kid to come back

but now he was staring at the face of their thief, who matched the description perfectly from ryusei's story..

it was you in your original outfit from a couple days ago when ryusei had tried to follow you, --you squatting down with your phone about your head catching the cats next to you eating from their food bowls and a large dog laying next to them..

.

.

.

at least you were stealing for a good cause.. baji thought

uhh.. I think like.. one or two chapters are left??? :D

taglist... @whatamidoing89

[watermelonlovershigh]

Can you write something where y/n is insecure about having a bigger vagina. maybe its during sex or when she's drunk or really however you want to write it.

Drunk Insecurities /blurb/

AN: i've had this in my inbox for a while and found the motivation to finally write it. i hope you enjoy. i know i said my next fic was gonna be a smut but when i thought about how i'd write this, i didn't see smut appropriate for my vision. hope that's okay. remember our bodies come in all different shapes and sizes and they are all beautiful. and remember to leave you feedback : ) also the words are orange rather then yellow in my authors note because tumblr must have took the yellow color away. i can't find it. 😭

This story contains: talks of what vaginas look like, insecurities, being drunk, mentions of sex, fluff

{ husband!harry - softrry - any harry era - non famous harry }

word count- 1,022

As Harry tries to bathe you in the shower after a night at the bar with some friends, you have a drunk meltdown with the thought that he thinks negatively about how your vagina looks.

You were currently drunk in the shower. Your husband Harry was in there with you, holding you upright and helping you wash off the smell of booze that lingered on your skin. You'd went out to a bar with a couple of your other married friends and now it was two in the morning and Harry's trying to help you get ready for bed. Key word, trying.

One thing to know about a drunk Y/n was that you get very emotional. You're an emotional drunk. Some people get silly when they're drunk. Some people get sleepy when they're drunk. Some people get sick when they're too drunk. But you, you'll burst into tears at every little inconvenience or negative intrusive thought.

Like right now, as Harry tries to wash over your body while also holding you upright, you burst into tears for the tenth time in a span of an hour. "Baby, you've gotta calm down f'me. Don't want you to make yourself sick from all the cryin' you're doin'. Then we'd have to shower you again."

"But, but," you begin though heaving breaths as you sob, "do you really like my beef curtains?" In your drunken state, you remembered a conversation you had in the bars bathroom with your friends Melony and Paige. Something about how Melony is insecure about having an "outie" vagina but she nicknamed it as her beef curtains. Then Paige saying she wished she had that problem because she's insecure with her innie. Oh the things girls talk about in bar bathrooms......

You kept quiet in the conversation because you didn't exactly want to share what your pussy looked like to your friends. But on the inside, you were just as insecure as Melony was. You know vaginas come in all shapes and sizes but what if your shape and size was unappealing to Harry. What if behind your back, he discussed how his wife had large beef curtains to his friends and they laughed. Your thoughts are totally irrational but your drunk brain can't help it.

Flabbergasted, Harry yells out, "WHAT!" Not in a mean way but in a shocked way. He's no idot. He knows what that can be slang for but he's not once looked at your vagina and thought, oh she has beef curtains. That sounds totally too offensive for Harry to ever think of saying to a women.

"Harry," you mutter annoyed, "my pussy!! Do you really like the way my pussy looks or have you been lying to me?" Now Harry knows your drunk, drunk. Sober you would never question his love for your pussy. Not with the way he treats it.

"My love, why are you askin me that right now? You know I love the way it looks, baby. I love the way all of you looks. All of your imperfections look." Harry responds as he takes the shower head in his right hand to rinse the suds off your body.

Crying again, you say, "Are you saying my pussy is imperfect?" Here we go again, Harry thinks. In your drunken state, you misunderstood his words and turned them into something he hadn't even meant.

Harry turns the water off and leads you out of the shower where he grabs a towel for each of you. He helps you sit on the closed toilet seat while he wraps his towel around his waist. Then begins to help dry you off. And as he dries you off, all Harry can think about is, are you really insecure about how your vagina looks? Or are you just super drunk.

Because in all the years of being with you, never once has he looked at your pussy and thought anything negative. To him it looks normal. Though he isn't blind with the fact pussies come in all shapes and forms, just like dicks do, but to him, your pussy is his normal. It's the only one he's had for nearly a decade and he almost forgot any other pussy even existed.

Coming out of his thoughts, Harry stands up from where he was kneeled down drying your legs, and coos gently, "Come on baby, lets go to the bedroom and get our clothes on so we can get in bed."

Now it's like you've completely forgot about your meltdown in the shower because you whine, "Can we sleep naked, pleaseee?" You don't always sleep naked. Most of the time you sleep in an oversized t-shirt and panties and Harry sleeps in just his briefs. But when you do sleep naked, it's usually after you've had sex and either you're too lazy to put clothes on or you want to feel close to one another after having sex.

So naturally, Harry's response is, "Fine, but no funny business. Your drunk, Y/n."

With no tears in sight anymore, you grin up at your tall husband and reply, "Hey, I know that. But, what about in the morning, hm?"

"If you're not puking in the toilet from how bad your hangover will be, I'll consider it, okay. But for now, lets go to sleep. I'm knackered." Harry helps you stand on wobbly legs from the toilet seat and helps you walk to the bedroom. Once in there, he peels back the duvet and sheets and carefully helps you crawl in the bed to get comfy.

Harry walks around to his side of the bed and slips his towel off before joining you in bed too. He turns the lamp off and slides over to your body so he can cuddle you. He's a big cuddler. Then before you both drift off to sleep, he whispers, "Wake me up if you need anythin', my love. Like if you feel sick or somethin'. I love you. Sleep well." Though he hopes the two glasses of water he made you drink before you got into the shower will help lesson the chances of you getting sick.

"Love you too, H." you manage to say before you're knocked out cold, loving the way his bare skin feels pressed against yours along with the alcohol in your system.

(PLEASE REBLOG BECAUSE WRITING IS NOT EASY AND IT'S FREE SO JUST DO IT)

(no more tags are allowed because i've hit my number limit. sorry : ( )

tag list: @one-sweet-gubler // @harryscherrysugar // @hsfanficsrecss // @lollypopsx // @harrycanyonmoonn // @itfeelslikemytherapisthatesme // @damnasstyles  // @mrsstylesharry // @softmullet  // @meetmyblondemuffins  // @thegirlnextdoorssister // @stanleystyles  // @haarrrys // @michellekstyles  // @skyangel57   // @the-gardener-31 // @lhharrylilpumpkin // @yousunshine-youtemptress // @clairestylessss  // @kissmyaxe14  // @goldenmelonsugar-hi // @kaitieskidmore97 // @florencepughily  // @alienorknight //@dancearoundthelivingroom  // @swiftmendeshoran

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______________

My Masterlist Masterpost

[in1-nutshell]

MORE SG BLACK ARACHNIA BUDDY

I'm stuck on a retelling of the episode where meltdown and black arachnia work together. But it's just meltdown pulling some extremism by essentially kidnappy buddy and saying, "I'm either gonna fix it by turning it full organic or kill it, which ever comes first". And Buddy is desperately on the phone with Optimus like

Op - look, I'm coming, but don't you have Decepticon allies that you can call?!?!

Buddy who knows that if Megatron knew she was in danger, then the island would simply be collateral damage - ...no

HAHAHAHA! I love the little description of the call there!

Here is the unintentional, intentional, after math of the Sentinel and Elita reunion.

Hope you enjoy!

Elita One's Twin sister gets kidnapped by Meltdown

SFW, Platonic, Familial, Hinted romance, kidnapping, slight mention of torture, mention of burns, Cybertronian (techno organic) reader

TFA

How did Buddy end up here?

Strapped to an experimental table, shock collars adoring her neckcables and servos, too many muti-colored patches one her frame while a disgusting Puddle Man taking notes on a weird looking monitor.

Buddy would have to start from last week to be able to tell you that.

Buddy had stayed on Dinobot Island for the night trying to calm down from that night’s events.

The Dinobots were more than happy to have Buddy over though they were worried about what happened the night before.

Buddy is sitting and patting Swoops head as Snarl keeps guard of the cave entrance.

Grimlock is sitting behind her.

“Buddy ready to talk?”--Grimlock

Buddy continuing to pat Swoop.

“No.”--Buddy

“Why?”--Grimlock

“Because I said so.”--Buddy

“You say that not real answer.”--Grimlock

“Well—”--Buddy

“And that way to—erm—avoid question.”--Grimlock

“… When did you get so smart?”--Buddy

Grimlock puffing chassis a bit in pride.

“Grimlock smartest of Dinobot’s!”--Grimlock

“Yes, you are.”-Buddy

“So… Buddy talk, now?”--Grimlock

“No.”--Buddy

Buddy made sure she went back to the base as soon as the next boat had arrived near the island and beelined straight to the base.

To her surprise and slight hurt, no one had noticed she had gone the night before.

Not even Megatron.

Then again, she couldn’t blame him.

The Elite Guard was still on Earth after all, he had more things to worry about.

After a week, Buddy decided to do something she hadn’t done in a while.

Buddy walking towards the exit of the base.

“And where do you think you’re going at this early in the morning?”--Starscream

Starscream leans against the cave wall with his arms crossed.

“I’m taking a walk outside.”--Buddy

“Don’t you have a med bay to re arrange again?”--Starscream

“I’m taking the day off.”--Starscream

Starscream’s wings slightly perk in question.

“You? Taking a day off? Has Megatron finally grabbed his bearings and asked you then?”--Starscream

“Asked me what?”--Buddy

“Ask you to—”--Starscream

Megatron appears behind him scaring the two.

“Go one Starscream what were you going to say?”--Megatron

Starscream chuckles a bit nervously.

“Ah he isn’t doing any harm now Megatron.”--Buddy

“Yet.”--Starscream

“Shh! Anyway’s I was telling him that I was taking the day off today. I sent the message through the link, and I was going out for a walk—”--Buddy

“You are… taking the day off?”--Megatron

“Yes? Why is it so hard for you two to believe that.”--Buddy

“Lugnut wouldn’t believe you.”--Starscream

“Oh that’s a bit of a stretch—”--Buddy

“Hey Lugnut!”--Starscream

Lugnut stops walking with Blitzwing by his side.

“Why is everyone awake? No one is up by this—”--Buddy

“Buddy says she’s taking the day off.”--Starscream

Random starts laughing hysterically while Lugnut looks confused.

“Buddy…taking the day off?”--Lugnut

“OH, COME ON! I am not that bad! I can take a break when I want to.”--Buddy

All the Decepticon’s having flashback’s of dragging Buddy away from her work or to sleep at a decent time, some getting out with injuries.

“…”—All the Decepticon

“…Look I’m going out today for a walk. No one is going to call me unless someone is dying.”--Buddy

Buddy hops off the ledge and swings away from the group who is left astounded.

“…So this is the future you have in mind Megatron?”--Starscream

“Starscream I swear…”--Megatron

While on the walk someone pinged her on her commlink.

Despite what she had just told the entire team an hour earlier, she still took the call.

Blame the anxiety and bad habits.

It was Prime.

“Hello?”--Buddy

“Prowl where—Buddy?”Optimus

“…Hey Prime…”--Buddy

“Wait don’t hang up, please!”--Optimus

Buddy pauses a bit.

“Go on…”--Buddy

“How are you?”--Optimus

Buddy lets out a shaky vent.

“As okay as I can be Prime. I take it you didn’t call me on purpose?”--Buddy

“No—I mean—that came out wrong…”--Optimus

“…Hey Optimus… I never got to tell you how sorry—”--Buddy

“No.”--Optimus

“What?”--Buddy

“You are not going to say sorry. You had good intentions that night. It on them now. If we are going to blame anyone it should be me—”--Optimus

“And I’m going to stop you there too.”--Buddy

“Wait no, I’m still stopping you.”--Optimus

“But now I’m stopping you.”--Buddy

“No, I am.”--Optimus

“No, I am!”--Buddy

“No, I am!”--Optimus

Silence.

Both friends on the line end up laughing.

They both knew it was going to be okay.

At least with them.

Sentinel and Elita were still another story.

“Why did you originally call for anyways Prime? You didn’t want to speak to your friendly neighborhood Spider?”—Buddy

“What I—I mean—”--Optimus

“I’m just messing with you Optimus. Tell away.”--Buddy

“I was trying to get a hold of Prowl. So much has been going down on the base. Mainly everyone has been a bit more… chaotic than usual. I was calling because I have a lens Prowl wanted.”--Optimus

“What kind of lens?”--Buddy

“His nature camera lens on Dinobot Island had gotten cracked last week and he has been… a bit moodier without seeing his birds.”--Optimus

“Well Optimus today’s your lucky day. I have the day off and—”--Buddy

“You have the day off? Really?”--Optimus

“Why is everyone surprised about this? I can take breaks.”--Buddy

Optimus having a flashback to the Academy were Elita, Sentinel and him dragging Buddy out of the study room with dents on them all.

“… Right…”--Optimus

“Anyways I can go to the island and fix it myself.”--Buddy

“I don’t want to interrupt—”--Optimus

“You’re not interrupting anything Prime. Anyways it gives me an excuse to go see the boys.”--Buddy

“Thanks Buddy, you’re a life saver.”--Optimus

“You got it Prime.”--Buddy

Now she was on Dinobot Island.

She managed to find the camera, but its lens wasn’t just broken.

It had some sort of … burns…

Buddy needed to inspect this more. Nothing on the island could have done these types of burns. Nothing organic at least.

She grabbed the camera when she heard some familiar pede steps.

Buddy turns to see the Dinobots coming towards her.

Buddy waves hello.

“Hey, guys!”--Buddy

Dinobots running faster.

“Hey, you slow down now…”--Buddy

Dinobots run even faster.

“WAIT, WAIT, WAIT—”--Buddy

Dinobot’s tackle Buddy to the ground.

“Guys…as much as I love you all… I’m not…as durable…as you…”--Buddy

“Dinobot’s get off Buddy who is just lying in a silhouette crater.

“Ow…”--Buddy

Grimlock picks Buddy up with one servo and dusts her off a bit.

“Thank you—Hold on what is that?”--Buddy

Buddy looks at a familiar looking burn on Grimlock’s thigh.

Grimlock shivers a bit as Buddy’s servo comes near the wound.

Buddy turns to see the others have similar burns.

“What happened?”--Buddy

“Dinobots… umm… Me Grimlock…”--Grimlock

“Is something hurting you?”--Buddy

Grimlock shaking his helm.

“…Is someone hurting you?”--Buddy

A hesitant nod from all three.

Buddy got out her med kit to look at the burns while gently petting them.

Buddy asked what happened to them after caring for each burn the best she could with her supplies.

They told Buddy that some puddle man hurt them.

Buddy’s optics harden.

Someone was hurting her friends.

They were going to pay.

Pay dearly.

Buddy finishing up the last injury.

“By any chance, do you remember the last place the ‘Puddle Man” was?”--Buddy

“Yes, it near gorge.”--Grimlock

Buddy nodding her helm slowly.

Grimlock suddenly looked nervous.

“Buddy not going to go see ‘Puddle Man’, right?”--Grimlock

“I just want a talk to the ‘Puddle Man’.”--Buddy

Buddy begins to move forward, but Grimlock quickly blocks her.

“No! Buddy no go! Puddle Man hurt Buddy!”--Grimlock

Snarl and Swoop nod their helms in agreement.

“I’ll be fin—”--Buddy

“No!”--Grimlock

Buddy shoots a web upwards and swings out of the Dinobot circle.

“Sorry guys! But someone’s going to pay for this!”--Buddy

“Buddy!”--Grimlock

Buddy quickly disappears into the bush.

Grimlock turns to Swoop.

“Get Truck bot.”--Grimlock

Swoop nods hurriedly and flies off.

As Buddy swung towards the gorge, something cut off her webs making her tumble to the ground. She slammed her helm on a sharp rock causing her to black out.

That brings us back to the present.

The Puddle Man had introduced himself as Meltdown.

Some wannabe scientist that got himself into a bit of an accident making him look like this, ‘Puddle Man’.

Buddy had tried to get out of the bonds but after a couple volts of electricity and a couple dozen acid burns to the pedes later Buddy decided that it was going to be better to wait it out for an opportunity to show up.

“Let me get this straight. You want to make me fully organic… so you can figure out how to turn yourself back to human? Am I missing anything?”--Buddy

“That sum everything up, yes.”--Meltdown

“Do you take constructive critic?”--Buddy

“…I’ll allow it.”--Meltdown

“That is the dumbest thing I have heard today.”--Buddy

“WHAT?!”--Meltdown

“You’re trying to turn me, someone who isn’t organic by nature, to become fully organic. We both have different biology and not to mention the methods of—”--Buddy

Meltdown cranks the electricity collars on making Buddy scream.

“I’d watch your tone if I were you. If I don’t find out a way to make you fully organic, you’ll be discard like the rest.”--Meltdown

Buddy giving him the stink eye while side eyeing the mismatched bones and fur in the corner.

“You can’t even dispose of your own garbage Meltdown.”--Buddy

“I’m going to enjoy this.”--Meltdown

“Enjoy whaaAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”--Buddy

The collar sparks with more voltage than before while Meltdown looked down at her with a sadistic smile.

Buddy didn’t know what was more surprising.

The fact that her original frame and organic frame was still intact from the electricity and burns or the fact that Meltdown had to leave his lab to use the bathroom.

Buddy wasn’t going to push it any further.

She managed to get a hold on the com link that was still in her audial and pressed on it.

“Optimus—”--Buddy

“Buddy where are you!?”--Optimus

Buddy wincing a bit at the volume.

“Shush! Prime, you’re going to get me caught.”--Buddy

“Caught?! Caught by who?”--Optimus

“You familiar with ‘Meltdown’?”--Buddy

Optimus paling on the other end of the line.

“Yes.”--Optimus

“I’m in some lab of his and I can’t exactly get out.”--Buddy

“I’m already on my way.”--Optimus

“That’s—urgh—fast.”--Buddy

“One of the Dinobots came and asked for me. We’re half way to the Island now.”--Optimus

“Oh, thank the Allspark.”--Buddy

“Did he hurt you?”--Optimus

“…Do you really want that answer?”--Buddy

“Buddy…”--Optimus

“I’m just trying not to look at them and get nervous.”--Buddy

“We’re almost to the shore.”--Optimus

“Good.”--Buddy

“Buddy, have you tried contacting your… team?”--Optimus

Buddy already having the vision of the island engulfed in flames.

“…No, I haven’t but there’s a good reason—”--Buddy

Toilet flushes.

“Prime I have to go! Find Me Prime!”--Buddy

Buddy releases her commlink silently tensing when Meltdown comes in.

“Shall we continue?”--Meltdown

Now all she had to do was stall Meltdown until Prime came.

Meltdown came back and began fiddling around with some of Buddy’s buttons near her helm.

To her horror she saw him press the mainlink to the Decepticon base, the one that would radio into the main computer.

While he was prodding around a few drops of acid fell on her.

She screamed as the acid met her chassis.

Buddy heard someone in her audial talking to her, but she couldn’t quite put her digit on it.

Mentally and physically.

Meltdown had somehow managed to figure out the link was something important and decided to play around with it.

He smeared more acid on her chassis.

She wailed in agony.

There was a bunch of noise in her audial now, but it eventually faded away as she blacked out from the pain.

When Buddy woke up again into was slow and painful.

Her optics were hazy and unfocussed, mainly seeing giant blobs.

She tried focusing on her senses first before dealing with everything else.

Buddy’s back was still on the table, but the patches were gone and so were the collar around her neck and servos.

Speaking of servos, something or someone was holding onto one of them with a death grip.

Strange enough, the touch felt familiar, nostalgic even.

Buddy tried focusing her vision on what was holding her servo and nearly had a spark attack right there.

It was Elita.

Okay this was surely a dream or Meltdown had failed to make her completely organic and this was her mind making a scenario to ease her into death.

She finally had enough consciousness to finally look around the room and was now fully convinced she was dreaming.

Next to Elita who was looking sadly at their intertwined servos was Optimus and Sentinel with Ratchet.

The three mechs seemed to also be looking across the room to…

Oh, Primus, why were they doing here?!

And how where the Bots not dead!?

On the other side of the room was Megatron with Blitzwing and Starscream glaring at the other Autobots.

Buddy gave Elita’s servo a squeeze making her snap up to look at Buddy smiling weakly.

Buddy gives Elita’s servo a bit of a squeeze.

Elita’s helm snaps up to see Buddy smiling weakly at her with barely opened optics.

“What’s with the look? Someone died?”--Buddy

Elita practically launches herself onto Buddy, hugging and crying on her neckcables.

Everyone else in the room finally understood that Buddy was awake now and tried to reach for Buddy.

Buddy gives them each a smile before motioning the door.

Motioning for privacy.

Her team was hesitant to leave, but eventually followed the Autobot’s out.

Elita finally released Buddy.

“Buddy, Buddy I’m so sorry—hic—I’m so sorry!”--Elita

“It’s okay Elita—”--Buddy

“No, it’s not! Look what happened to you! You nearly died here and…and--”--Elita

Buddy slowly takes her twins servo in her own.

“Things…things happen Lita…”--Buddy

Buddy pauses waiting to hear Elita tell her not to call her that.

She doesn’t.

“Somethings are out of our control, and we can’t just stick in one place for the rest of our lives. I got turned into a techno organic and made peace with it. This is a part of who I am now, and I accept it. Imagine if I didn’t and was bitter about it? I wouldn’t want to live a life were the only thing I have to look forward is revenge or something.”--Buddy

Elita sniffs a little bit.

“You took my place though. Aren’t you a little bit mad at me? At Optimus? At Sentinel?”--Elita

“I did at first. I wanted to blame everything on you guys and those Spider’s. But you know what Lita? It isn’t any of you guys’ fault. I made my decision back at that cave and I don’t regret it. Not for a nanoclick.”--Buddy

“But—”--Elita

“If I had the option of going back to that moment, I wouldn’t change a thing. I…I love Lita, and nothing’s going to change that.”--Buddy

Elita now fully sobbing on her twin.

Buddy starts bawling too as she hugs her back.

“Hey, I know this is off topic, but what happened to Meltdown?”--Buddy

Elita scowls.

“He got away. But don’t worry, I don’t thinks he’s coming anywhere near you ever again.”--Elita

“If you say so…”--Buddy

Buddy clung to Elita’s side as they both made their way out of the lab.

Buddy found it a bit funny how everyone was outside on their respected sides some silently glaring more than others.

Turns out the Dinobot’s had taken liberties to act as mediators between the two factions if things got out of hand.

Buddy waving at the group.

“Hi!”--Buddy

Dinobot’s waving back happily.

Buddy’s view was suddenly blocked by Megatron’s chassis.

“Are you all, right? Why are you even standing? Did the doctor do a good job? You shouldn’t be standing.”--Megatron

Megatron scoops Buddy up into his arms and walks back to his side.

Optimus looks relieved.

Sentinel too but tries to hide it in front of the Decepticon’s.

Ratchet also visibly relaxes a bit.

Starscream and Blitzwing stand close to Megatron nearly shielding Buddy from the other’s view.

“If there are any further complications—”--Ratchet

“I know where to find you field tech.”--Megatron

Megatron nods at the Autobot’s before taking off with Buddy in his arms with Starscream and Blitzwing following suite.

“Do you think she’ll be all right?”--Sentinel

“Of course she is. Don’t count her out of anything kids.”--Ratchet

Ratchet’s right. We’ll see her again, maybe not soon, but we will eventually.”--Elita

Optimus smiles at his friends.

“Let’s go home.”--Optimus

Meanwhile at the Decepticon base.

Megatron walks straight to Buddy’s room closing the door behind him.

He gently places Buddy down on the berth.

He sits down next to her.

“…Megatron—”--Buddy

“Not now.”--Megatron

He gently grabs her smaller servo in his.

Buddy slightly blushes at the action.

“…We can talk about this later.”--Buddy

“Yes, but now…”--Megatron

His servo lets go of her’s and pulls her into a side hug mindful of the injuries.

Buddy leans into his frame venting softly as exhaustion starts taking a toll.

“Buddy… there is something I need to tell you. I—”--Megatron

Megatron looks down to see Buddy fast asleep.

He chuckles a bit and gently places her on the berth.

His servo lingers on her’s before letting go.

He goes to the door and quietly walks out.

[honeysunai]

Hostess| Kyoya Ootori x reader

Part eight -  Operation : Make her happy

Pairing : Kyoya Ootori x reader

General rating : Fluff, enemies to love vibes

Word count : 5k

Summary: As only heir to your family you are bound to an arranged marriage with the third son of the powerful house Ootori. His cold behavior is only a mask for you to uncover when you stumble into music room number three.

This weekend, Haruhi and her father invited you to spend some time over their house because Haruhi needs more girl friends and experience sleep overs and such. You laughed at how bold and funny the two of them are and agreed, besides it’s not like you were busy. After quitting the Host Club a day ago and being in your feelings, you finished your homework and were too drained to want to practice any instruments or read anything. A friend would be better than anything else, right now that’s what you need. 

“And so, they kind of kidnapped me to be in the Zuka Club.” Haruhi finishes her story and you laugh. You were both sitting at the table drinking coffee while still in pajamas. 

“They do that often, don’t worry about it, they won’t press you if you say no.” You drink another sip of instant coffee and remind yourself to keep it together, because to this day, you still laugh that the boys at the club had no clue that this liquid gold existed before Haruhi arrived. 

“I have to do some shopping today, I’ve grown out of a few shirts and I wanted to go get some new ones?”

“I’d love to come shopping with you! We can even bring your dad!” Your eyes were sparkling with joy, it’s the first time since you’ve made new friends you were going to shop with them. “If you’re interested, I can take both of your sizes and ask my mom for designer clothes.”

“That’s very kind of you, but we don’t do designer clothes.” She politely declines your offer. Shoot! Of course you went a bit too far, after all, Haruhi is a commoner and doesn’t care to have the fanciest of shirts. 

“Speak for yourself!” Her father barges in the room and proceeds in deep details both of their sizes and and favorite colors. You took some notes before discreetly sending this info to your mom’s secretary even if you had promised Haruhi she won’t get anything. 

“Hey, did you really quit the club?”

You didn’t even hesitate to lie, you just blurred out the truth to her. “Yeah… I just made a fool of myself and I don’t think it would be appropriate to come back after what happened.” 

“I liked having you around, it was refreshing. Kyoya was on someone else’s back.” She jokes and you nudge her with your elbow. “Mori told Kyoya that he was a jerk and Tamaki had a meltdown after you left.”

“I bet they did.” You chuckle. 

“None of us are angry with you, I promise, but I won’t force you to come back if you don’t want to.” How you wanted her to force you into going back.  “Anyways. I don’t know if you need anything, it’s not as fancy as your mother’s couture, but feel free to shop around too.”

“I was planning to.” You smile. “Unlike Tamaki, I’m not awkward around “commoners”.” You try your best to imitate your friend and she laughs. 

She scrunches her nose and smiles. “He does that often doesn’t he?”

“It’s part of his charm.” You add. 

After an eternity in a local shop, Haruhi finally chose the three shirts she wanted. You, on the other hand, only picked out three bracelets, one for you, for Haruhi and Renge… Your two best friends. The one for Renge has large pink quartz beads, Haruhi’s are small red beads and yours has small lavender beads. 

Haruhi was pulling a few dollars out of her wallet, but you stopped her giving the cashier your card instead.

“If that’s alright with you, I’d like to pay for the expenses of today. You’ve only been kind and patient with me since we met. As a friend I would like to return the favor by paying for your purchases.” Your voice was noble and full of good intentions.

She scoffs in shock. “I can’t accept it.” 

“It would be a pleasure, plus you’ve fed me and sheltered me this weekend as your own sister.” She clearly  wasn’t taking your bluff anymore.

“You’re really not going to let it go, huh?” Haruhi asks, a bit annoyed, and you shake your head.

“I’ll even make you feel guilty if I talk long enough.” You joke and she giggles. She finally agreed and soon, you were on your way to her home. 

As you approached the building, you saw a black Mercedes parked in front of Haruhi’s home… It had to be the Host Club, who else would bother Haruhi on a weekend like this? You didn’t really want to see them today, especially after you made up your mind on giving back the uniform tomorrow after club activities. You were too much of a coward to face them now, you wouldn’t be able to do so the day after. 

“I have to go home, I forgot my French homework is due tomorrow.” You tried to lie hoping Haruhi wouldn’t see right through it.

“Aren’t you fluent in french?” She asked.

“Fluent or not, I still have to do it!” Right now she reminded you of Mauri with her cold stare. 

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She smiled and you were thankful she believed in your lie.

“Haru! Y/n!” Honey’s voice rang like thunder in your ears as he called the both of you. You clenched your jaw tightly before spinning around and met him with a bright smile. “We came to see you.” The rest of the group finally noticed their fellow member had left and joined you three. 

“Well, it’ll have to just be me, y/n has a French homework due tomorrow.” Haruhi smiles at Honey. 

“The homework is for next week, silly.” Tamaki snorted and you wanted to disappear. A soft chuckle echoes to the back of the group and you glared at Kyoya’s shit eating grin. 

You crossed your arms over your chest as you glared at Kyoya. “What are you laughing at, clownfish?” 

“Your poor attempt to flee us is just hilarious to me.” He adds and you swear you saw red. 

Tamaki cuts in before you get the chance to speak. “What he meant was that we are here to spend the most fun day together as a family.” 

“No we are not.” You snort. 

“Yes we are and we are starting with some bookstore fun!” He says proudly as he grabs both you and Haruhi and yanks you inside the Mercedes.

“Tamaki! That’s kidnapping what you just did there!” You yelled as he put your seatbelt on for you.

 “We are on a mission today and it’s to make you happy so stop yelling and enjoy your day with us!” He yells back and you shut your mouth. They wanted to make you happy. Were you unhappy? “We are going to the Nakajima Library.”

You stayed silent the entire ride, you did not want to speak to any of them. They kidnapped you! 

But they did it so you could be happy… It’s still kidnapping!

You’ve arrived at your destination and you can’t believe your eyes… It’s grandiose. You can’t believe you never went there yet. Obviously it’s attached to a university and obviously you don’t go there yet. You are meant to go to the US for your higher studies, but you’re really considering going to this one instead. All of your friend's eyes are on you. You felt Kyoya’s burning holes behind your head, but never looked back at him as you took the first step towards the library.

A smile was pinned on your face as you entered the colosseum shaped library. The dim lights warmed the place with a beautiful orange like light. You felt like you were back in Rome. 

You’ve been to Rome once in your life and you fell in love with the place. It was one of the only family vacations you’ve been on with both your parents. A month in the warm weather of Italy with your loving parents, without their work coming in the way. You strut confidently between bookshelves making sure to browse the titles as you go, it’s mostly books for the students that are part of this university. Tamaki’s bubbly self, followed you like a puppy and offered you books to read. You settled on a science book he offered you that you never knew about and brought it to an empty table so you could read it in peace. 

Peace didn’t last too long, as all of the Host Club brought their own books to your table. To “read”, but other than Haruhi actually reading, the rest of them stared at you. Minutes have passed and they still haven’t stopped watching you. 

“How long should we stay here for?” Hikaru whispers under his breath. 

“Until y/n is satisfied.” Tamaki whispers back aggressively.

Haruhi snorts. “Bold of you to assume she will ever get satisfied after one book.” 

You smile quickly at Haruhi’s words without ever looking up from your book. Soft fingers brushes hair behind your ear. You looked at the person beside you and was surprised Kyoya sat there, his whole body facing you. “Your hair was in the way.” He only whispers before getting back to his book. What was that all about? You feel your cheeks heating up, but shook off that feeling. 

After a few hours of reading and hearing Hikaru and Kaoru groaning, you’ve had enough and Tamaki, once again, dragged you outside like he was kidnapping you, yanking you in the car and you were on your way somewhere else. 

The car ride, this time, seemed more lively and chatty. It was warm and familiar. It was as if everything was normal and you liked that, hell even loved it. 

After a few minutes, the car parked on the side of the road and exited the vehicle. You were left in front of a rather beautiful industrial building that seemed modern and new. 

“Where are we?” You ask as you all walked up to the gates and were allowed inside without question. 

Mori speaks. “Your mother told us that you like that very fancy coffee.” This is the new factory of the French coffee brand you always drink at home. “Tamaki’s French heritage helped us get inside.”

“The owner knows my father, so we were able to get a free tour of the factory and some samples!” The blond man says excited as you meet a beautiful tall woman waiting for you at the door. 

“Welcome! We are really excited to have you visit our factory Miss y/n.” The woman shook your hand. “I’m Elise Hanako.” The combination of the French and Japanese names made you uneasy, but for politeness sake you ignored that funny feeling and smiled properly. “Danuja Hanako, the owner and also my father, gave me his property in Japan so that we can localize our french coffee.” 

“It’s an honor to be in your presence, Miss Hanako.” You were eager to visit the factory. 

“I’ve been informed that you are a huge fan of our brand.” You blushed. “That’s great! I do hope our factory will live up to your expectations.” She adds and the automatic doors behind her open letting all of you enter the building.

This place did not look like a coffee factory, it looked like a high tech law firm or some sort. The interior was in this mix of black and dark wood with plants here and there. Everyone was dressed in a proper way, just like at your father’s workplace. Miss Hanako explains that the magic happens behind the scenes and proceeds to show you where the coffee beans were sorted out and how they were packaged. People dressed like scientists were inspecting every bean before sending it in the “good bin”... Maybe that’s why your coffee was so expensive. 

The factory was huge and you appreciated every second Hanako spoke up to explain how things were made and was kind and patient over your millions of questions you asked over the tour. 

“This concludes our tour and I do hope you enjoyed yourselves.” You all answered with a polite “yes, thank you” and Miss Hanako was pleased with that. “I almost forgot! I have two bags of our new batch that’s coming up next month, Cherry Flower and Chocolate Pecan Caramel.” She snapped her fingers and one of the workers carefully placed two bags in your arms. “My assistant sent you my personal email, so please do give me feedback.” You were in awe. “Get home safe kids.” She smiled before you exited the building to the car. 

You were shocked that they would go beyond anything to make you happy, they were true friends. “Thank you–”

“Don’t thank us yet!” Tamaki shouts over you. “One last stop, the orchestra.” The Orchestra!?

“You don’t mean–” 

“The best musicians around Japan? Yes, I mean that Orchestra.” He smirks. You were there at the presale, but never got the chance to get tickets. You wondered how they got eight of them. “But we can’t go dressed as commoners.” He adds and Haruhi slaps him behind his head. 

You didn’t look awful at all, you thought you all were a bit underdressed for the occasion, but no one would notice. Right?

“Pick whatever outfit you want, it’s on Kyoya.” Tamaki bumps his friend with glasses and he smiles as if he was forced to do so. You gave him a look that almost said : “You just learned that as well?” You all stopped at The Thread Maker, the town's finest clothing store. 

“All of you, pick an outfit I’ll pay for it.” He adds and you smile at him, a bold and bright smile. 

You all scattered around the store and looked around. You kind of wanted to take advantage of Kyoya and decided to go to the more expensive part of the already expensive store. You didn’t even have to think twice, the dress in front of the mannequin was the one you would buy. No price tag = pricey. It’s a scarlet red Queen-Anne shape with a leg slit dress. It’s a fully flared gown, floor length with a corset built in with embroidered floral details all over it. It was from your second favorite designer (after your mother) Teuta Matoshi. Honey’s voice was heard behind you, ordering a worker to let you try it on. You were dragged by another worker inside a cabin… After this day, you won’t let anyone drag you anywhere ever again!

You look at yourself in the mirror and surprisingly it’s a perfect fit all the way around, not too long, not too short, not too big or tight. It was perfect and you looked absolutely beautiful. 

When you came out of the dressing room, you only found Haruhi in another beautiful pink dress that made her look more feminine. The dress was tight on her and she is probably making Tamaki drool, because you sure would’ve. The guys were sitting on the couch in complete silence, their eyes all over you both. 

“Why aren’t you dressed?” Haruhi asked and none of them were answering. You couldn’t help but glance at Kyoya that had his eyes on your body already. You put on a show and twirled.

“My idea of a perfect day would be if you all were dressed too and not undressing us with your eyes.” You chuckle and they all cough and grunt, suddenly bashful of their actions. They rushed to get a suit and you stood there with Haruhi enjoying each other’s company. 

They all come out at the same time from the dressing room and they all are dressed the same, black and white suit with black ties. They look amazing! The last one to come out was Kyoya and when he appeared out the curtain he was playing with a red bow tie around his neck. The other’s were holding their laughter at the sight of him being the only one with a bow tie. 

You chuckled under your breath as you approached Kyoya to fix his matching bow. He froze under your touch and you just couldn’t hold your giggles any longer. “Tamaki said we would all wear bow ties because that would’ve made you laugh, but it seems I’ve fallen right into his trap.” He grunts. “I look ridiculous.” 

“You do.” You smile. “In a good way.” You add. “We are going to be late if we keep mocking our dear Kyoya!” Mori gave you his arm that you gladly took and walked back to the car where you’d wait for Kyoya to pay. 

The conversation between all of you was even more lively and joyful, you were really excited to go see The Orchestra.  Once you arrived at the place, you weren’t confident that this was the auditorium they usually play at, but you let it go once you entered and saw the beauty of the place you were in. Red walls and gold decors, with crystal chandeliers made you feel like you were in a movie. Mori took your arm and led you to golden doors that two workers opened grand and wide for you to realize this was an empty ballroom. 

You were confused and asked: “Are we early?”

“We are right on time.” Kaoru answer. 

The empty room made you a bit uneasy, but once you stepped inside the large red curtain lifted to reveal The Orchestra on stage. It’s a private concert… You spin around to meet Tamaki’s gaze and he smiled proudly at the utter shock on your face. 

“May I have this dance?” Mori asked you and you nodded, not entirely sure of what to do. He leads you to the center of the ballroom and once you do, the musicians start to play. Melodious sounds of violin echoes in the room, followed by loud cellos. Tears were filling your eyes, but you blinked them away. They organized this whole day for you, and only you.

Mori spins you around, letting go of your hand so you were now partnered with Kyoya who held you tightly against him as you swayed with him. The other’s picked each other as partners and danced to the same rhythm as you were with Kyoya. You both stayed silent as he twirled you around slowly and brought your back against his chest, swaying you gently this way.

“I did not know you danced this well.” You whispered with a hint of humor. 

He brought his lips close to your ear and you can hear the smirk in his voice. “I’m glad my efforts are being appreciated, these last four years of dance lessons are being used well.” At that you laughed. 

You danced for hours with your friends to the most beautiful songs who, on multiple occasions, brought tears. 

At the very end of the concert, you all applaud the musicians and the conductor for their performance. You were ready to leave, but an unfamiliar voice called your name, and it was none other than Ayaka Saito, the cello player you looked up to since forever, walking towards you. You felt your knees go weak, she was the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen, she looked like she was royalty. 

“Y/n, this is for you.” She smiles as she hands you the bow that she used tonight to play with her autograph on it. “I heard you’re a great musician, with lots of potential.” You couldn’t seem to stop smiling without ever saying words. “Our manager would be interested to hear you play, especially if what your friends said is true. There would be a spot for you once you graduate if you impress Sara Nakamura.” Your jaw was on the floor. The Sara Nakamura! She is the face of the classical music industry in the modern era and she wants to hear you play? You were on the verge of fainting. 

You finally spoke to her in the calmest way possible. “It’s an honor to hear this coming from you, you are the one who made me start to play cello.” She smiles even more. “I would be even more honored to play for you and Miss Nakamura.” 

“Her assistant will send you information concerning this invitation.” She adds. “I bid you all good night.” She says before giving you a friendly hug. You were going to faint.

Once again you had to be dragged inside the car because you were frozen in place. You talked like a maniac the whole way back to your house. You were so happy to have finally met your musical idol tonight and that you’ve been given an extra rare opportunity. 

As the vehicle parks in front of your front gate you finally take a few deep breaths, the adrenaline wearing off. You hugged all of your friends inside the car and exited the car.

“We will see you for an early meeting tomorrow morning!” Tamaki smiles and yours drops. 

“Look guys…” You sigh. “I really appreciate what you did for me all day, but I’m okay I promise, I’m not sad.” It was a plain lie. “I just don’t have the heart to be the Host you want me to be anymore.” You tried to give your friends the coffee beans from France and returned the bow to them, but none of them tried to take it. 

“Keep it, please.” Tamaki’s soft smile broke your heart. “It’s a gift for you.” 

You nod and thank them again without ever glancing at Kyoya, you turned your back to them and headed inside your home. They did succeed to make you happy today, but when the door closed behind you, tears were falling down your cheeks as you held the objects tightly to your chest.

You drop your neatly folded uniform on the tea table and sigh. You really loved your club, but it was better this way. You linger a while staring at the blue fabric that you were giving up. You were never one to give up, but recently you have. You gave up on Kyoya, your family duties, your plan to get another financé, you also gave up on your club, your friends… You were tired and disappointed in yourself. You wanted to get better and be better.

“You don’t have to do that, you know?” A deep voice makes you gasp out loud by surprise. Kyoya. 

Your hand was on your heart. “Good God! You scared me.” 

He did not care for your reaction. “You don’t have to leave the club.”

You crossed your arms over your chest. “Did they ask you to tell me this?”

“They have told me multiple times, but I chose to.” He starts. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry won’t change my mind.” You scoff.  

“I know, you are stubborn as a mule.” He lightly chuckles.

“If that’s all, I’ll go. I have somewhere else to be.” You lied and started to walk towards the exit, but he put himself in front of you. 

“Why did you do all of this?” You were confused. “Why did you want Koichi over me?”

You scoff, absolutely baffled by what he was asking. “Because you don’t love me, Kyoya.” It was as simple as that. “Because liking on only one side is just too hard to do. You refuse to fall in love with me no matter how much I try to be perfect for you.” He was silent. You took that time to walk past him in a rush but stopped as you heard his voice once again. 

“I can’t fall in love with you. I– I can’t because if I do I am afraid I’ll end up doing the same mistake my parents did. They fell in love and then… They didn’t. It ruined the relationships between the family.” The look in his eyes… It was painful and sad, Kyoya was hurt. It probably took a lot of his courage to finally admit you spent months trying to figure out. Seeing him lose his composure in front of you saddened you. “It became a competition between me and my brothers, my mother being sad all– all of the time… My father… He doesn’t give any of us breaks, he’s relentless and he just cares about success. He doesn’t care about us, my brothers and I… My mother, his own wife who he is supposed to love and to cherish…” He was out of breath, all these feelings were finally out. “That’s why I can’t fall in love with you, because I don’t ever want you to end up like my mother if I end up like my father.”

It took you a good ten seconds to analyze what he had just confessed to you. All of it. Your heart broke for him and his family. No matter how much you wanted to console him, that was not what you needed to say. “That’s not good enough.” Was what came out of your mouth. He was perplexed. “That’s not good enough.” You repeated. “It’s not good enough for all of the times you put yourself in the way of a guy I talked to. For all the times you were kind and flirty and then you weren’t. It’s just not good enough.” He was hurt by your words, you knew it. His eyes couldn’t lie. “Is this hypothesis worth more than hurting me?” He doesn’t answer, but never breaks your gaze. You wanted to break and cry, but you stood your ground proud and strong just like your father taught you. “I can’t marry someone who’s afraid to take a leap and fall in love with me. I guess trying to make you feel what I felt was too demanding.”

“You loved me?”

“Does it matter? You don’t care, Kyoya. You don’t care about what my favorite songs are, you don’t care about my favorite books… Even Koichi was interested in what book was next on my list and he didn’t even love me one bit.” You scoff. 

“It’s Lucy by the sea.”

“What?”

“Your next read. It’s Lucy by the sea.” You were confused as to how he knows. “I got a hold of your list from your maid to know what book I should buy you next, in every stupid edition possible because that would make you happy. But no… I don’t care, right?” You were taken back from this confession. “I wore that stupid tie to make you laugh, I organized the whole day with Tamaki so that you would be able to understand that I am sorry.” He adds and something in your heart pinches. He made it all happen so that you would forgive him, but that’s not what you needed nor wanted from him.

“It’s still not enough.” You whisper with tears in your eyes. You blink them away before turning your back ready to leave the music room, you had enough. 

“Fuck.” He whispered before running after you, yanking you to the side to trap you between the wall and him. You wanted to push him away, but couldn’t as he lowered his head to crash his lips against yours. It was sudden and gentle. His lips tasted like mint and were so soft against yours. He was so careful with his next movements, his warm hands cradled your face opening your mouth just enough so his tongue could cross the borders of your lips to devour you entirely. Your arms wrapped themselves around his neck asking, begging for more. More touch, more passion, more of anything, you only wanted him. You raked your hands in his hair and fuck did it do something to him, his hand gripped your hips with such strength moving you against his thigh between your legs. It was so erotic you moaned against his lips which made him smirked. He pulled away enough to look at you in the eyes, truly look at you. “Don’t cry because of me.” He whispers stroking your cheeks so, so slowly, you want to melt in his touch. You pull him by his tie so his lips are on yours again. Your hands roamed his chest and shoulders and my god he was muscular, the uniforms didn’t do him a favor.  His hands were snacking around your waist underneath your dress shirt, memorizing the curves of your body. His touch was warm and soft, you were hypnotized by him. He slowly pulled away to kiss your cheek, then all the way up your jaw to leave one soft kiss under your ear. 

“Do you know how long I've wanted this?” He whispers in your ear. You were so warm, you thought perhaps you were running a fever, but one of Kyoya's hands carefully unbuttoned two of the buttons of your dress shirt, you knew you weren’t having any fever dreams. You looked up at him and you could see his gaze linger on your chest slightly exposed before facing you again. Hunger and lust was the only thing you could see in him. Without ever looking away, his fingers pushed the collar of your shirt to the side so your shoulder was bare for him. His featherlike kisses tickled your skin as he left a trail of them to the side of your neck all the way to your shoulder. He gently nibbled the sensible skin with his lips and tongue teasing you in a way that had you softly moaning, reprimanding for more. He smirked against your bare shoulder before biting the skin that had you rolling your eyes. 

The bell snapped the both of you out of our interaction making him pull away from you. You sigh in disapproval, you didn’t want him to leave now that you truly kissed him. He went to open the door, but stopped without looking at you. “Keep the uniform,” He spoke slowly : “and don’t replace me.” That’s what it was about… He wanted to prove you needed him, that he was better. He was jealous. Two can play that game especially if you are better at it.

You were back in your uniform and ready to conquer the day as you walked into the Music Room number 3 the day after, slamming your hand on the tea table in front of Tamaki. “I want in.”

“Excuse you?” He asked before sipping his tea. 

“I want my role back in the Host Club, I am so sorry for how mean I was that day. But this club means a lot to me and I made a promise to you that I want to keep.” You were practically begging for him to take you back.

“What changed?” Hikaru asks.

“I guess your operation worked a little too well.” You smirk.

“You’re still in the Host Club, you don’t need permission to come back.” Tamaki smiles and you nod. You turn back to Kyoya and he smirks at you before deviating his gaze back to his laptop.

Maybe it's not about finding someone else, maybe you just need another approach towards Kyoya and if it’s through challenges and working each other up that you’ll get through him, so be it.

AN: Hi everyone! So sorry it took so long for this update, this chapter was written, deleted, written, deleted... like a thousand times. I hope this chapter filled your heart with some Kyoya love. I hope you all had wonderful holidays and since today, for me, is still Dec 31. I hope you all have a great 2023 filled with love and happiness! I promise y/n and Kyoya will get some happiness and love in 2023 as well.

— 𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐬

✧ @gay-noble @vanicogh @hopeless-romanticnamed-s @idktbhloley @p1nkliquor @hellokittykuroo @batboob @kisskissshutmydoor @lemonrolls @hoku-killer @sunukissed @jessiegerl @lunalily19 @i7zha @asrainterstellar @arimoony24 @simp-lythebest @fan-g0rl @randobeetlehouse @glomp-me @yeeyeebabe @maackiimoo @kaelysian @noendingtolove @luminaaz @thewendyslogo @eri0-0 @arielbillyboy16 @aangsupremacy @yuriklol @lillunna @lostsomewhereinthegarden @chocorenchin  @sukcama @bratb1tch @topmeyelena

[eitaababe]

JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY !

a/n — part two of 'stars in your eyes' @fluloa convinced me 🕺

part 3

—

Oddly enough, the next few days of your life weren't complete torture. You were starting to get your breathing techniques down, and able to dive for longer periods. And with that, you were able to really admire the wonders that lay underneath the crashing waves.

Having the time of your life underwater, you swam with so many different creatures, creatures completely different from those in Pandora. Some as small as your hand, others double your size. And the colorful coral reefs were a sight for sore eyes.

You as well had finally gotten the hang of how to ride your own ilu. The ability to go somewhere on your own, hunting, and still being able to have night rides with your best friend.

And the icing on the cake, Ao'nung started to lay off. You're not sure what (or who) happened, but after your meltdown at the beach that one night, you had the chief's son mumbling an apology a couple of days later, saying how he didn't really mean any of his insults. You'd developed an interesting friendship with the boy, awkward albeit, but you'd take it over being bullied any day.

Speak of the devil.

"Hey, y/n!" Ao'nung shouted, jogging over towards you on your ilu. "What do you say, wanna race? Bet you won't come close to beating me," he flashed a smile, gesturing his head over to some rocks. "There and back. Winner gets whatever they want."

"Sure ocean boy." You were never one to back down from a challenge. Plus, you were feeling pretty confident in your riding skills now. "Quite ambitious now, aren't we?

Don't be crying when I wipe the floor with your ass. By the way, when I win, be prepared to find all the shells I need for my new necklace.

Shaking his head, the young male readied himself. "So lame, you want shells? That's even if you can beat me."

He gloated, clearly expecting to win this race.

"Fine then, what would you want if you won?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

From afar, Neteyam watched, his hands balled into fists.

Ao'nung sure had some balls, he'll give him that. He gave a firm talking to the kid, (which quickly escalated into a brawl between the two) so he would stop bullying you, not flirt with you! He huffed in jealousy, tearing his eyes away from you two, and making his way back to his siblings.

"Back so soon, lover boy? I thought you'd be out with y/n all day." Lo'ak questioned, tilting his head at his brother.

From what he assumed, you two would be out all day, whether it be diving, riding your ilus together, or even hunting. Whatever you two did, it was almost always together.

"Seems she's got a new riding buddy," he grumbled out in disappointment. It's almost embarrassing, really, how all of a sudden Neteyam was five again and whining because you didn't want to play with him. Did you grow tired of him? Or did you like Ao'nung now? Even after all he put you through? "She's with Ao'nung." he then sighed, plopping down onto the sand.

Laughing at his older brother's misery, Lo'ak shook him by his shoulders. "What, she get tired of your ass?" When Neteyam didn't retaliate, the younger brother grew more concerned by the second, sharing a look with Kiri. "Oh, you're serious. Look bro, I'm sure she's just being friendly with Ao'nung. He literally hated her two days ago."

'I guess you're right."

Meanwhile, you had just barely lost to Ao'nung. In your defense, you weren't expecting him to be so fast. And he caught you by surprise when you guys started, trying to leave you in the dust from the start. "Alright ocean boy, what do you want?"

"A date."

Not knowing what to say, you say there, jaw slacked and out of breath. A date? In all honesty, you hadn't considered that to be an option, especially for Ao'nung.

He was literally just torturing you two days prior! Of course, you had no say in this as he left, leaving you bewildered. A date. With Ao'nung.

Trying to ignore the previous events of today, you quickly hurried back to shore, trying to find Neteyam. You see him laying (on his stomach?) with Kiri and Loak, Kiri admiring the sand and Lo'ak doing... what it looks like giving a pep talk. You laughed under your breath at the thought, calling out their names and running over. You plopped yourself on top of the older sully brother's back, smiling giddily. "Hey blue boy," you greeted.

"Oi y/n! You're crushing me!" Neteyam wailed dramatically, making no attempt to move you.

"No, I'm not, you big baby. Now get off your lazy ass and let's go diving! I need to collect some shells for a new necklace Tsireya's helping me make." You got up, using all your strength to try and lift Neteyam. Geez, how much muscle mass did this kid have?

As it seemed forever, you two finally got up and walked along the beach, an awkward silence falling upon you two. You're not sure why, but you couldn't help but feel as if Neteyam was mad at you, but were too scared to break the quiet barrier between you two. It wasn't normal, having a tense atmosphere with Neteyam.

Eventually, he stopped walking, looking deep in thought.

"What were you doing with Ao'nung this morning?" He finally breathed out, impatient eyes awaiting an answer.

"We-" you paused, debating on telling him the whole truth. The two boys didn't clash well, and you didn't want Neteyam getting upset, especially since this was the same boy who made you cry prior. "We just went racing on our ilus, nothing more. He beat me and my pride is hurt, so let's drop the subject okay?" You joked, trying to avoid the subject.

"So nothings going on between you two? It was just a friendly race?" The young na'vi continued, eyes desperate.

"We're just friends, Neteyam." You confirmed, and you two continued your stroll along the beach, getting ready to take a break from the sun and dip yourselves into the ocean. But Neteyam stayed silent the whole time, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Afraid that he was mad at you, you stopped, taking his hands in yours.

"Neteyam, I don't like Ao'nung."

"I know," he quipped, his gaze lingering on your intertwined hands, a smile sneaking up on him. "I mean, even if you did, good for you. He's the chief's son and if he likes you then you won't be bullied anymore. And then you can go on even more rides together, and hey, maybe he can even help you collect shells! He's a better diver than me, no? Maybe you should go find him right now." He rambled on, dropping your hands and starting off.

You gaped, quick to chase after him. "Neteyam! Wait!" You shouted, grabbing ahold of his arm. "What're you talking about? I don't like Ao'nung! And I wanted to hang out with you, not him. You're my best friend. I want to spend time with you." You reassured, looking him in the eye.

Best friend. The words echoed inside his head. That's all you'll ever be. Ever since he was a child, Neteyam dreamed of being your mate. To him, it seemed like it was clear Ewya picked you two to be together since the moment you met.

"Neteyam?" you called out, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Snapping his head up, he nodded. "You're right. Sorry, I know you wouldn't ditch me for Ao'nung. I just tried to find you this morning and saw you riding with him, and I guess I got a little.." he trailed off, scared of what he might say next.

"Jealous?" you teased, poking his side. "I would never replace you with him as my best friend. He smells like fish anyways," you giggled, taking his hand once more and dragging him closer to the ocean. "Now can we do what we walked all this way for, please?"

You two spent hours on the beach, because after you dove and found all your needed shells, you forced Neteyam to stay and help you make your necklaces. (One of them was for him, anyway.)

As it got darker, Neteyam, being the goody two-shoes boy he is, grew concerned and you two started walking back toward your new home. And of course, fate just wasn't on your side as Ao'nung saw you two walking and decided it was a good idea to invite himself over.

"Hey forest girl, don't forget about later tonight, alright?" Ao'nung winked, nodding over to Neteyam to greet him.

"What's tonight?" Neteyam inquired, quickly glancing over towards you at his side.

"Well me and y/n's date, of course!"

—

a/n — ig this is turning into a three part series LMFAO

[ateriblewriter]

Unacceptable (j.h)

a/n: requested! Thanks for the request hon. I’m not sure how I feel about how this turned out. But I have three more requests, but if anyone wants anything please ask. I’m not afraid to take a stab at things.

Warnings: indications of self harm and scars, mentions of anxiety, anger?, coping mechanisms

Enjoy

“You ready babe?” Jack wrapped his arms around you, placing his chin on your shoulder. You had been looking at yourself in the mirror for a while now staring at the flaws that adorned your arms and legs. Many of them had faded over the years, some covered up with butterfly tattoos, yet the more prominent ones were still visible. Especially in the summer sun.

“Do you think they’ll notice?” You thought out loud, completely ignoring your boyfriend’s question. You normally didn’t care what people thought of the marks, but this was Jack’s family who would be seeing them for the first time. Their opinions of you mattered more than they should.

“No. don’t think they will. And if they do, you don’t have to say anything, it’s none of their business.” Jack traced over one of the butterflies on your forearm, trying to reassure you that you had nothing to worry about. Typically any soft touch like that over the tattoo was comfort for you. After all that’s one of the reasons you got them. But today the simple gesture wasn’t helping soothe your anxieties. Maybe you should bring along some clothing that covers the imperfections a little more. You didn’t want Jack’s family to feel uncomfortable around when they were just trying to get to know you better.

“Hey. Deep breaths. Five,” Jack turned you around to face him. You nod and start to list five things you could see around you.

The bathroom door, blue and white tiles on the floor, your makeup spread around the sink, the shower, towels piling up on the floor.

“Good. Four.” The cold tile on the floor, Jack’s hands, your clothing, the fly that just landed on your shoulder.

“Three.” Jack’s calm voice, the beat of his heart, his brother’s laughing about something in the distance.

“Two” The smell of home on your clothing, a bottle of Jack’s cologne sitting on the counter

“Almost there, One” You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. The taste of your chapstick on your lips.

“Everything will be alright. We’ll put another pair of clothing in your bag, if you need them.” Your boyfriend spoke in a soft quiet voice, trying to bargain with the anxiety swirling around in your mind.

Everything will be alright. They’re not going to care and the four of you are going to have a great day. You kept repeating to yourself as Jack took your hand in his, rubbing his thumb over your knuckles.. Who cares what they think anyways, you’re not that person anymore. You are better in a lot of ways. Of course you had your days where nothing was going right and you would have a bit of a meltdown. But Jack was always there to help you through it.

“Oh my god. What is taking you guys so long?” Luke barged into the room. He had lost at rock paper scissors and was sent by Quinn to retrieve the couple. He must have spooked the couple, they had a look on their faces like they had just been caught doing something they shouldn’t have been, but at the same they weren’t doing anything. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Yes you are. Y/N was just about to give me a makeover.” Jack thought on feet, grabbing one of your eyeshadow palettes. “What color do you think I should use Y/N?”

“Hhmm. Red. Definitely red.” You laughed, grabbing a brush and the makeup back from Jack. “Do you want in on this action Lukey?”

Luke was at a loss for words as you could feel his gaze moving up and from your arms to your thighs. Your smile left your face as you Instinctively you try to pull down your non-existent sleeves. Panicking, you look to Jack who gives you an encouraging little nod. Breath. Everything will be okay.

The rest of the day went rather smoothly in your mind but there were times that were more awkward. Luke must have mentioned something about the marks on your body to the rest of his family because when you were lounging in the sun you could feel their stares, and every now and then quiet whispers could be heard as well. Some were just in your head, others were spoken out loud barely audible between Jack’s brothers. It was hard trying to ignore everything and make the most of the trip with your boyfriend. Everything came to head at fire that night.

You were is the house with Ellen and Jack was outside with the boys.

“Honey, you know there is help out there.” Ellen mentioned nonchalantly as you helped her finish cleaning up from dinner. You were almost done when the comment caught you off guard.

Words escaped you as you couldn’t figure a way to tell her that you did get help. You were recovering. A pit of shame formed in your stomach as you shut down. A million thought ran in and out your brain as she continued to lecture you about getting help. It was getting too much to handle. You tried to remember to breath. But breaths kept escaping and not coming back in return. You needed to get away from here.

“Y/N? Where are you going?” You walked away from her to the room that you shared with Jack. Locking the door behind you, you started to panic again. The looks, the words, the anxiety, the mistakes, it was all coming back to you, You needed to find some sort of release. The answer you were looking for was in a bag in the bathroom.

“So what’s the story with Y/N’s scars?” Luke blurted out when he thought Y/N was far enough away from the fire.

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?” Jack nearly shouted at his little brother. He was always a pretty calm person, but when it came to Y/N he was a bit more over protective. He knew what she went through and wanted to make her safe from the scrutiny of other people, especially those in his own family.

“It's just a question Jack, calm down. I want to know too.” Quinn wanted to diffuse the scene but was curious himself. He was surprised that Luke had the gumption to do so. “The butterfly tats have something to do with it, right?”

“It’s not my story to tell. And Y/N doesn’t have to tell you guys anything.” Jack wanted so badly in that moment to hit his brothers like he used to when he was younger, but with his dad there it would probably cause more problems than solve any. They had been acting weird all day around his girlfriend, like she was possibly going to break at the slight notion. He was sick of it.

“The way you have been treating her all day is unacceptable. Don’t think she hasn’t seen the staring and heard the whispers. She notices things, she’s not stupid.” If he noticed how his family was treating you, then you definitely did. It wasn’t okay. “You guys have been judging her before you even got to know her.”

“Mom, where's Y/N? I thought she was with you.” Jack furrowed his brows when his mother arrived at the scene without you. His mother shrugged not wanting to talk about the little conversation she had been trying to have with you before you wandered away. “Mom, what did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything! She just walked away. I tried to tell her about different ways she could maybe get some help. And she left me standing there.” Ellen caved and told what she had been lecturing you about.

“What have you done?” He knew you didn’t like what people confronted you about your past problems, especially when you were on your own path of recovery, He could only imagine how this could have set you back. He needed to get to you, make sure you are okay.

Jack raced back to the house to find the door to the bedroom locked. Sniffles could be heard from behind the door. Fuck. What was going on? “Y/N? Babes? Can you open the door?” He asked calmly.

It took you a minute to get over there. At first you didn’t want to. You wanted to be alone. But you figured if you wanted to leave this place, you would need a getaway driver.

“Are you okay?”

“No.” You lifted your red wrist to reveal the hairbinder that you had been snapping against your wrist. It was red and sore, but it was better than certain things you could be doing. “Can we leave now? I don’t want to be here anymore.” Jack agreed with you, maybe sometime away from his family until they could figure out how to behave correctly was needed.

Please let me know what y’all think. Also if you have any thoughts, comments, or complaints. I’d like to know ‘em!

[apoptoses]

Marius is a jerk, Marius is terrible, blah blah- whatever, have you also considered that Marius is kind of a goober?

Like this is a man who:

invited people over for parties but instead of interacting with them sat in a corner painting the wall

threw food out the window of a ship with Avicus and Mael as they laughed like frat boys on a booze cruise

upon discovering his mind powers, orchestrated a meetup in the backyard with Avicus and Mael so he could try setting multiple rats on fire and exploding them with his mind

had a meltdown because his art wasn’t good enough

had a meltdown because his art was too good

got so horny for Botticelli, a man he’d spoken to once at that point, that he dramatically roamed the streets of Florence in such agony over whether or not to turn him that two baby vampires came and found him and were like ‘dude what’s your deal leave him alone’

walked the streets of Venice searching people’s minds to see if they thought he was hot and then strutted around preening when they did

ordered every single item of clothing in his wardrobe in red (which was totally fucking weird for the 15th century) just because it was his favorite color and then proceeded to walk around like some renaissance version of Clifford the Big Red Dog

flew back and forth between Venice and Florence for days so he could perfect his fanart of Procession of the Magi

got so horny for Bianca he roamed the countryside whining and, I quote, “sometimes pounding my forehead with the heels of my palms”

slapped on as much foundation as a teenager in 2008 with a pot of Dream Matte Mousse and was positively tickled when it settled into his wrinkles

And then after all of this goes home to write in his journal like “dear diary, it’s me, Marius, reminding myself that though I might look hot, smell good, and dress like a cashmere velvet candy cane, I am evil and I should feel bad.”

Like babes...you sure you’re not catholic? Because that is lot of guilt you have there, you big old weirdo. Get therapy.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Because all of the boys have severe PTSD, I like to imagine how they each cope with it (and help each other cope).

In previous posts, I've noticed that Epic deals with trauma by avoiding and dismissing it. He struggles with facing the fear head on because he doesn't want himself or others to get hurt again, so he runs away and downplays it to others don't get concerned because he can't deal with their emotions, much less his own.

Color often has panic attacks and tries his best to prevent the traumatic event from repeating. He struggles with the fear of his trauma repeating, insecure and afraid of others, and yet trusts them anyways due to his good nature. He and Delta take turns sharing the role of the 'therapist friend'.

Delta has two ways of coping; isolation avoidance, and doing everything they possibly can to prevent anyone from experiencing the trauma that they went through, no matter the cost. He struggles most with survivor's guilt because he refuses to accept that sometimes, people are just meant to die and not be saved, but if he admits that, then that means it was no one's fault - and he'd rather believe that they died in spite of trying to be saved rather than admit that sometimes, you really just can't save everyone. He does not cope well with failure, even if he didn't fail the person who died.

In short, they all care too much about saving others to the point where they forget to save themselves, too.

However, during flashbacks, depending on what it's about, these things might change.

For Epic, I think that if he had a flashback (maybe about a nightmare or something idk), his first instinct would be panic, and then he'd switch to what he always does during nightmares. He'd try to fight it. It would be very hard to snap him out of it, and harder to calm him down, no matter how much he denies it and tries to play it off once it's done.

For Color, he will most likely have a panic attack, but it might also make him aggressive, depending on what triggered him. Like if his friends accidentally left him alone for a long period of time, he'd most likely have flashbacks to his abandonment, and that would most likely cause a panic attack. But once his friends get back, he may grow angry and snap at them for leaving without saying anything, and then might have another panic attack from the idea that they might have forgot to say something. However, once he's calmed down, he'd probably apologize for snapping and they'd apologize for leaving.

For Delta, I like to imagine that he gets incredibly aggressive. If he has flashbacks to when he had to fight for someone (or himself), he will become violent and both physically and magically attack the person he thinks he's fighting, which could seriously hurt his friends if they're near him. However, once he's calmed down and out of it, he will have a guilt-attack (a panic attack from guilt) and try to heal them while also staying away from them so as to not scare or hurt them anymore. He will not let them near him. It will take a very long time for him to trust himself around them again, and he will isolate.

Thoughts?

I think I don’t know what to say because you said it all so well and amazingly that I just agree with it. I absolutely love it.

I really like thinking of ways the trio might help eachother cope from their respective traumas and neurodivergence’s—such as overstimulation, shutdowns and meltdown.

And I mentioned before how I think Delta likes deep pressure, so giving Delta weighted blankets or vests can help ground him during episodes of distress, offering a sense of security and comfort.

Gentle pressure massages can help soothe and ground Delta when he’s overwhelmed, if he’s comfortable with touch at the moment.

Delta could benefit from engaging his senses to stay present. Using calming scents (like lavender), soothing sounds (soft music or white noise), and textures (soft fabrics) can help him stay grounded.

Techniques like holding onto something solid (like a stress ball or a comforting object) can help him focus on the present moment. Maybe he has certain item he finds comforting, similar to the way Delta carries around a small toy for Beta. (I like to think Beta is actually obsessed with The Lion King, so the toy is a little stuffy of Mufasa.)

Zorox can also help by offering a calming presence by staying close to Delta, providing physical contact like leaning against him or resting his head on Delta’s lap. The pup’s presence can be soothing and reassuring, helping Delta feel less isolated during his distress.

Zorox can also be trained to perform specific actions, like nudging or licking Delta, to help interrupt and ground him during a flashback.

As Beta shares a body and mind with Delta, they can provide emotional support by offering reassurance and understanding, helping to ground Delta in the present moment. And helping walk him through grounding techniques when he struggles to remember.

They can also engage in calming activities together, such as listening to soothing music or practicing relaxation exercises, can help both Beta and Delta manage their stress. Maybe they’ll watch a favorite movie together.

Beta can also help monitor Delta’s reactions and communicate with him during moments of distress, helping him recognize when he needs to take specific actions to calm down.

And whenever Delta just can’t do it, is exhausted or too overwhelmed to handle the external world at the moment and just needs to be alone, he and Beta can switch places until he’s ready to.

Which is a concerning thing for Color and Epic of course, to know that their friend is hurting that badly, but they both instead just take the opportunity to spend time with Beta.

Neither want to get involved in how Delta and Beta manage things between themselves unless specifically asked for help or advice, and neither want to send the idea that they prefer one over the other.

For helping Color calm down, it’d probably be different for if he’s having a flashback/panic attack or if he’s having a meltdown/shutdown.

For a panic attack, I don’t think he’d like being alone, but he’d also be even more sensitive to sounds or touch or stimulation. Touching him after a panic attack can send him straight into a meltdown sometimes.

For a panic attack or a flashback, just having his friends quietly nearby is a great help. I’d think he’d be highly sensitive to being ignored, because he’ll fear he’s being forgotten again, so of course Epic and Delta make an effort to include him always.

They often use ASL a lot, the three of them I think.

For a shutdown or a meltdown, I feel Color would need to be alone and have quiet even if he doesn’t want to be alone. So instead he goes somewhere quiet, alone, with a comfort item/stim toy and some photographs of himself and his friends. So he knows they’re all still nearby.

For Epic, redirecting or distraction would probably be very appreciated by him—with Color and Delta doing things like redirecting his attention to puzzles and memes for a bit. Maybe puzzles are a common activity if in the Epic Sanses’ friend group.

For Epic, I feel like theres an established comforting routine they all go through. I feel like trying to make Epic seriously discuss what he isn’t ready to or comfortable doing would only push him away if not make the source of his panic attack worse.

I feel like Color and Delta would let Epic know that they’re always there for him and willing to talk when he’s ready, but will not push him into something he doesn’t want.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA For teaching my kid to clean up after herself? (suicide mention)

I (25nb) and my partner (27nb) have a daughter (4f turning 5 in 2 weeks). We always help her out with cleaning up her toys so she can see where things go and how to properly put them away. Today she just had a small handful of things under her fold-up table and a few things on top. It wasn't a lot, and I told her that if she cleaned it up she could set up her princess tent in the living room. She complained about it saying it was boring and that she didn't want to do it. I said "its going to be boring, you still have to clean up after yourself. If you want to do fun things then you need to be clean". She asked if I could help, I said "it's only a few things, and I won't always be here to help you. So for today I want you to learn how to do it for yourself without my help". She started crying and having a meltdown about it. My partner told her this was unacceptable behavior and said she wasn't allowed to have her tent or watch a movie until she cleaned up, and they turned the TV off.

My mother was here not long prior, and had seen the first half of the resistance and attitude we got. She tried helping by giving her positive thoughts and motivation. I also said that she's been super good and well behaved lately, so if she helped out I would give her a little candy gummy as a treat if she did it without much fuss. My grandmother (who we live with and is constantly awful towards us) stayed quiet during this interaction. She even laughed at my daughter.

When my mom left and the issue with the meltdown and the TV ensued, my grandmother started giving me attitude, saying I need to help her clean the solid 5 mini toys and the coloring book off the floor. She bitched at me for turning the TV off and complained that if we were turning it off anyways, then she should be allowed to watch TV. We said no, because the thing she wanted to watch was NOT child friendly (it was a crime murder movie with heavy sex scenes in it and a lot of swearing and gore). She took the remote and put on the TV anyways, but it was the news for now. She kept repeatedly complaining that "this is ridiculous" and "I don't want to hear crying and bickering". So I said "if it's stops you from acting pissy then fine I will help her clean it up". She then gave me attitude denying that she was acting pissy. I said "you're giving me attitude. I'm just trying to teach her how to be responsible and clean up after herself properly". And she kept scoffing and mumbling to herself. It took 2 minutes for the two of us to clean up. It wasn't that bad. It would've been quicker if my daughter wasn't complaining about it being boring. My grandmother then proceeded to complain about how she now needed to wipe the fold-up table (she didn't). I was stressed out and said "I'm going to go for a walk by myself for a bit". My grandmother scoffed and sighed audibly. As I was leaving she said I was a bad parent for making my daughter clean up on her own. She waited to say something when my mom left because she doesn't want anyone to witness how she treats us (cuz this is how she treats us on a constant basis).

This is all heightened by the fact that I just went on a new med recently that isn't working and is actually making me severely depressed. But if I stop taking the med, it makes me suicidal. And we got our snap benefits taken away from us because they didn't tell me what I needed for proofs and I missed some. So I'm under a lot of stress.

I've been sitting outside wondering if I really am a bad parent for not helping her. If I should have just helped right away to prevent all this drama. I keep feeling like I did something wrong. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[toffeechad]

✰ BATTLE IN LOBOTOMY CORPORATION: THE TRUMPET OF TWO AU INFO ✰

⚠ TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF DEATH, ALIVEN'T AND ALSO N00SE RELATED IMAGERY INCLUDED. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. ⚠

Do you want to proceed? (Click the read more block if yes, don't click the read more block if no.)

MAIN INFO

This AU has some parts of LobCorp & BFDI jumbled up together. The Agents get to take part in challenges. If their teams fail, one of the losing team's members get sacrificed to the Unnamed Fetus. You may be wondering, what would the abnormalities look like? Good question. For the abnormalities that have human-like bodies such as The Queen Of Hatred & Laetitia, they'd probably be based off the object that'll fit their design. For the abnormalities related to other categories such as Punishing Bird or CENSORED, they'll remain with the same design.

AGENT & SEPHIRAH INFO + DESIGNS (TW: N00SE INCLUSION ON FLOWER'S DESIGN)

Specifically by pattern, not only the line patterns on the robot are the same as the other, but also the colors are the same as the main color of that character's asset as well.

The sacrifice order of the AU is related to the BFB (presplit & postsplit) elimination order along with the TPOT elimination order.

These drawings were done way before tpot 9 truly came out, don't expect me to update their designs however!

OTHER INFO

SEFIROT BIOS

Loser: He was once a celebrity who was adored by his fans a lot, especially for Cake. He tried his best to aim for the perfect results and never gave up... but what he was trying his best to aim for became a personal obsession of his... it led him to a trap.

Black Hole: He's very strict when it comes to analyzing Abnormalities in the facility. But whenever he sees an employee from another team or his team die by being sacrificed, he gets extremely anxious. He has Thanatophobia.

Book: She's a dictionary trying her best to help out everyone with their problems so that she'd be appreciated. She has a habit of questioning her own sanity. Ever since Taco has been sacrificed, she's willing to befriend Bomby and Nickel during her breaktime in the facility.

Golf Ball: She's a scientist and mechanic who was formerly a responsible leader... but after suppressing the first 38 sacrificed victims together with the other employees, she tried apologizing to Puffball and Fries (with lowered cogito filters)... Yet she wasn't forgiven yet. They just stared at her angrily as if they're both in the brink of mutiny. Therefore, she then feels helpless whenever a trusted teammate of her dies.

Pencil & Match: Pencil's immature, whereas Match is positive at first. Both of them seem to only trust anyone that's affiliated with their alliance or their team.

Leafy: She was once a happy-go-lucky team member... until she was sacrificed. She just wanted to suppress abnormalities for the sake of helping out the facility. Although.... she's taking her duty too far.

Coiny: He's Pin's really sleep-deprived and mature best friend. While drinking his coffee, he mostly pretends to care for the other employees. While he was in his meltdown state, he struggles to control his own mind as if he had a mental breakdown.

Basketball: She's been through numerous agonizing moments ranging from 8-Ball's sacrifice to Robot Flower's memory loss. Someday, she'll find a way to get her back.... She deeply cares for Grassy's safety as well. She's in charge of handling physical materials for the facility. After the aforementioned events, she yearned for Bell to die soon as she'd enjoy seeing her suffer.

Clock: He's calm and collected. He doesn't really think there's a point to bond with Winner anymore. He's now in charge of recording everything that happens in the facility, especially for sacrifices. He has knowledge about time and cycles.

i suck at writing anyways, thank you for coming to my ted talk