#i love my grandpa so much that being said hes been offered to move in with both his girlfriend and my father

[wawek]

God if i had an apartment i think i could complain about nothing in life.

[starsfic]

we hear about pigsy's mom alot but what about the rest of his family? pigsy having a fairly big extended family that maybe lived more rurally. despite the distance, they keep in contact through social media and the occasional family gathering. showing support in any way they could. when they found out he adopted an abandoned child they were very supportive offering advice on childcare and a few even sending money to help him support the kid. They welcomed the child as easily, and though he didn't get to see them much Mk did have a good relationship with pigsys family, especially with the other kids. there was one set of relatives, who didn't quite approve but remained quiet since the rest of the family adored MK. that is until said relatives came to visit pigsys shop for the first time in years and saw that MK was still around. "Cus you still have that kid around? come on he's an adult now, any responsibility you have of had is over with just kick him out already" and this was why this cousin and his family weren't welcomed back in all those years. this particular cousin and his wife had a very negative opinion of "adopted kids" regardless of what pigsy and the others felt they saw MK as "a stain mudding the bloodline" or whatever bullshit. pigsy wasn't happy having to listen to the two grip at him about it. but he became really irate when they and their two kids started spreading their hatful viewpoint to mk directly. and on his birthday no less.

Anon: Monkie kid prompt: “Pigsy?”, asked MK “Hm?”, answered Pigsy “How come you never talk about your dad or grandpa?”

AITA for letting family drama ruin my son's birthday?

So, for context, I (44M) and my partner (42M) adopted my son (20sM) when he was about three, soon after my mother passed. I come from a very large family that mainly lives out in the country- I broke tradition by moving to the city, and we mainly keep in contact through email, social media, and calls and the occasional mass family gathering. Additional context, my father took my mother's surname because he was orphaned very young.

My family was delighted when I adopted my son, even though I was in denial about being his dad. There was a massive outpouring of love, advice, and even money since the adoption was a surprise (my son was abandoned and left to wander around). The only issues I had at that point were with my cousin and his wife, who had certain views about adopted children and bloodline purity. They tried to tell me once to just give him up to the foster system, and I told them to shut their mouths. They did because they knew they were outnumbered.

The second issue was when my son came out as FtM trans as a teenager. He didn't know his name when I found him, so I picked my mother's name on the spot. When he came out, he chose a name similar to hers but mainly used a nickname because the name was long. My father and grandfather took issue with this- as far as I knew, they had no issues with trans people until they found out about my son. I think their issues were based on grief, but the stuff they said was nasty and rude, and I cut them off.

Now, this past weekend was my son's birthday and Gotcha Day. My son has been going through a massive health struggle thanks to some massive events that happened one right after the other, leading to an attempt on his life last year. However, he has been getting help thanks to his friends and family, including a recently discovered bio-brother. My son has also gained a partner who decided to propose to him during the celebration (I have thoughts about the partner and how long their relationship has been, but I do know they love each other). Bio Brother owns a few buildings, including a large manor in between my place and my family's, and insisted on throwing a huge party because he loves the shit out of my son.

My cousin and his wife, including their two teenagers, were invited. I hadn't really thought about it since they had behaved ever since I told them to shut up. I assumed they would behave...except they didn't.

At some point during the party, they yanked me and my partner aside to ask why Son was still in our lives. "Cus you still have that kid around? Come on, he's an adult now; any responsibility you have of had is over with. Just kick him out already." was one of the few things said. I was angry, but then I found the teenagers cornering Son, saying the most vile things about him.

This included revealing why I didn't talk to my father or grandfather anymore.

The party was ruined after that.

Everyone has been telling me it wasn't my fault. I had thought that they would behave. I didn't know their teenagers would be so rude and nasty to the birthday boy. My son has been pleading with me not to blame myself, but I can see the shutters going down in his eyes.

Is this my fault?

[lostintransist]

Liaison | 3 - Costco Is Not For The Weak

Check out the part 1 or part 2.

Wandering into the kitchen on a break, you let your thoughts drift back to the second week on the job. You couldn’t work on your own yet and Kate had to be off-site for a meeting, leaving you with nothing to do. She had left you a book of names and faces to memorize but that tedious task did not appeal. That day Gaz tapped you to go to Costco with him and Harold, the receptionist.

“Come on,” he cajoled, “We need someone who can lift heavy things.”

Gaz’s easy manners and quick smile helped you feel at ease, and you liked Harold. He reminded you of what you expected it to be like having a grandpa.

“Fine, but I will be buying things I need for the office too.”

Gaz leveraged himself up using the desk. He had said when he picked you up from the airport that he had taken some shrapnel to the thigh and Doc wouldn’t clear him until PT said he could run on it.

“What kind of things would you need for the office?” He offers you a hand up.

You decline with a shake of your head and uncurl yourself from the office chair.

“Well, a better office chair for one. But I will be taking a lot of phone calls and I need something to do while those are going on so I figured I could make cookies, breads, and the like. The kneading dough will be a good way to avoid yelling at senators.”

Gaz let out a bark of laughter, “Good luck with that.”

Harold drove them to Costco, navigating the streets like a veteran. He chatted away about his garden, the growing conditions, and the soil’s acidity. Soaking in his voice’s warm timbre, you learn more about plants than you did before the drive started. You and Harold both flash a membership card, much to his delight. You spend the remainder of the trip pointing out the differences from a US Costco as Harold and even Gaz had many questions.

Harold, upon hearing of your penchant for baking, bought a full set of bowls, spoons, and baking trays.

“My late wife loved to bake,” Harold stares down sadly at the bread tin in his hand. “She’s been gone seven years and it still feels like she will walk through the front door with a smile and an apology for being late.”

“How long were you married, Harold?” Gaz asks as he rearranges the cart for the third time.

“Forty-two years with my Sharron, I don’t know that ninety years would have been enough.” The longing in his voice moved you to tears.

Gaz, aghast and concerned loudly points out the fact you are crying.

“Why are you crying?”

“Oh just leave me alone Gaz, it’s the Costco prices getting to me. Costco is not for the weak.” You fan your eyes, attempting to dry out the tears. “Harold, what is your favorite thing your wife would bake?”

“Peach pie, dear are you sure you are okay?” He pulls you into a side hug.

“I’ll be okay. Something about how much you love your wife just caught me in a tender spot is all.” A watery laugh and a sniffle seem to reassure both men. You take the handkerchief that Harold offers and wipe at your nose. “I’ll return this once it is clean. Now we have a lot left to buy so let’s go.”

The trip took several hours between the slow walking speed of Gaz and Harold and the excessive list Harold had. The cabinets and fridge were kept full as many members of the team would roll in hungry off jobs and would often sleep in some of the side offices set up for that reason. You hadn’t seen any of them yet but were told they were locked from the inside and indicated if they were in use.

“We all work such wonky schedules that sometimes a nap is needed to get through the paperwork,” Gaz groused.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Hopefully, I won’t need to use it.”

The side eye Gaz sent you said you would be using it, and often. He turned out to be right.

Checkout went smoothly, if a bit long. When the total rang up on the screen the comma caused you to wince. Harold swiped the company credit card without a hint of concern. With how much money the company made on a single man job you shouldn’t have worried.

The drive back to the office had been a tight fit. Once the boot of the car had been filled Harold instructed you in his best grandpa voice to get buckled in and he would load things in for you to hold. He did the same to Gaz.

“That’s it, Harold, you can’t wait so long between trips,” he let out a heavy oof as a box of protein drinks is set on his lap.

“Mr. Gaz I am an old man and unless you can convince Mr. Shepard to let me have the items delivered I must wait until someone can come with me,” Harold chides him gently.

You let out a small snort. Gaz flicks your ear while Harold is making another run to the cart at the back of the car.

“I will bite you,” you snarl at him.

You and Gaz had clicked into a sibling relationship so quickly it could be called concerning. It probably came from how he would sit and bother you as you were trying to work between his physical therapy appointments. He had broken three pens, a stapler, and a staple puller. The last one still didn’t make sense to you. How does one break such a simple tool? One of the extra purchases included a collection of small baskets that you would fill with fidgets for Gaz and others to play with.

Harold shut the doors and returned the cart. When he settled into the driver’s seat you caught sight of the time.

“I can help get as much in as I can, but I have a meeting with Kate in about forty-five minutes. Anything you can’t put away before you leave I can handle after my meeting. Anything that is for me if you wouldn’t mind leaving it on the counter. I can clear out a cabinet for my baking supplies.”

“I can do that for you dear, Gaz and I can handle moving everything in, we have a flat trolley for trips like this,” Harold replied.

Part 2 | AO3 (Up to chapter 27 as of this post)

Masterlist

[gay-dorito-dust]

Hello I love your short fics you do with LeonxReader. I also saw your “tired, trying and internally dying” and it describes me perfectly. I was also wondering if you would do a LeonxReader with some injury/angst and Leon or reader whoever is the injured one making jokes to try and lighten the situation??? Please and thank you💖💖

I appreciate that you enjoy my little Leon x reader stuff and Ngl I made that motto up on the fly when making this blog and now I’m only seemingly to live up to it nowadays 😂

Tw: Hatchets being thrown, injuries, violence, gun violence and reader having a gun.

‘Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s not good etiquette to greet guests with such hostility?’ You taunted the villager just as he threw his hatchet at your head but you moved out of it’s trajectory in the nick of time. ‘Ha! You missed!’ You exclaimed which would’ve proved in making the villager pissed, but you noticed the sinister look in his eyes as they moved over your shoulder before a sickeningly satisfied smirk stretched across his face.

Just then a pained shout came from behind you and your blood ran cold. ‘Leon?’ You said under your breath and the smile on the villagers face seemed to only grow, as though he was confirming your worst fear; A scowl then replaced your worried expression as your jaw clenched tightly and your blood began to boil out of anger.

‘Say good night you son of a bitch.’ You snarled as you were quick in drawing your gun before putting a couple of well placed bullets through the man’s head, chest and legs in rapid fire succession; Taking an unsettling amount of enjoyment as he fell off the side of the castle battlements and into the veil of smog below before a faint thud could be heard, indicating that the bastard was well and truly dead.

‘Hey, if your done patting yourself on the back, I’m still very much hurt and would very appreciate if my lovely partner would offer me a helping hand, if that’s not too much to ask for?’ Leon’s voice brought you out of your own head and you were quick to look at him; only for your eyes to focus on the handle of the hatchet that stuck out from his shoulder whilst the steel blade was buried deep into his flesh.

‘Oh my god, Leon.’ You said hurriedly as you rushed to his side, trying not to openly express your internal fretting over him but you obviously weren’t doing so well in keeping your composure, as Leon attempted a smile before placing his hand on your shoulder. ‘It’s no biggie, having a hatchet in your shoulder and all.’ He shrugs with his uninjured shoulder. ‘It could’ve been a hell of a lot worse, so I’d give this experience a five out of ten.’

‘Will you quit it with the joking?’ You said, not finding any of this even remotely funny as you gestured to the hatchet in his shoulder. ‘You’re hurt, seriously hurt-‘

‘oh is that what this searing pain in my shoulder is? I wouldn’t have guessed. Thank you for educating me doctor, you really saved my life.’ Leon cuts you off sarcastically and you looked at him with raised brows and arms crossed over your chest as you impatiently tapped your foot. ‘Your ability to run your mouth hasn’t seemed to be hindered much for an injured man, so you should be up to continuing the mission right?’ You told him, flashing a false smile as you patted his chest rather harshly, causing Leon to wince upon each impact of your hand.

‘No, I would like it very much if my partner got me medical attention before I decided to pull this fucker out myself and bleed to death.’ Leon retorted, mimicking you by raising his brows and tapping his foot. The sight was quite humorous that you had to stifle a chuckle behind you hand because of it, before regaining your composure as you then sighed loudly as you moved yourself to Leon’s side and usher him to where you met the merchant last.

Yet with how slow Leon was taking his strides, you couldn’t help but crack a joke at his expense. ‘C’mon grandpa, it’s time for your daily medication.’ Leon scoffed but couldn’t help the smile that slip onto his lips when he noticed how much you’ve calmed down since first seeing his injury; Being a little pain in the arse seemed to have finally pay off in his favour.

‘You’ve been waiting to make that joke you, haven’t you?’ Leon asked, voice light in humour as he gauged your reaction.

‘Maybe.’ You responded, neither denying nor confirming.

‘Bitch.’ Leon said.

‘Jerk.’ You replied.

[marymary-diva17]

He your son you idiot (6)

The saying the apple does not fall from the tree, and you are your father son had deeper meaning long ago. It seems like those phases were either still there but no longer the same, as the one child who was labeled a “bad child” had become their own person. Far from the image and reputation everyone else had placed on them, based on events that were out of their control.

Loak “ …….” Loak had woken up early and went for a walk before breakfast will be served, you had offered to come with him but it seems like he need time alone for a bit.

????? " hey kid you are out here early" lo'ak had turned his head a bit and saw Jake standing there.

lo'ak " hello sir"

Jake " so what are you doing out here already"

lo'ak " I woke up early and decided to go for a walk, mama had volunteered to come with me but I said I was good"

Jake " oh that good so we get some father and son time"

lo'ak " sure until anyone else shows up"

Jake " so what are you into these days seeing how much you have changed, and it been a long time since we seen each other"

lo'ak " wel I'm still into the same hobbies I was in before I left home, but I have tried out some sports meantioned from dinner and some school actives as well"

Jake " amazing"

lo'ak " I have done some actives with my friends from school and other with grandpa"

Jake " that great you are keeping social while being away from home"

lo'ak " yeah mama said it will be good if I made some friends when, I was at my school and it worked perfectly"

Jake " that is your mama has she meet them"

lo'ak " yes she has meant them they think she a cool mom"

Jake " so how was living at home I mean your mama home"

lo'ak " living at home is good she had some of my stuff waiting there for me, so that made coming back good and loved"

Jake " we are sorry we weren't there if we knew ...."

lo'ak " it okay you were busy with your lives and getting on this trip"

Jake " yeah busy but I think this trip will help bring our family closer once again"

lo'ak " yes it will be good"

???? " good morning you two" the father and son pair had soon looked back to see you standing there. You had seem to take a picture of them.

lo'ak " hey mama"

y/n " hey kiddo I had saw you both over here and thought it was good photo opportunity, as I have been taking pictures of everything else"

y/n " when I look at this pictures there still some similarities between the both of you, along with differences as well"

Jake " oh yes those old family photos of our boy and he looked so much like me"

y/n " yes but it seems like lo'ak it growing into his own person, and that makes me so proud"

lo'ak " I do my best"

y/n " oh yes your grandafather said he will be calling he will love to speak, with all his grandchildren"

tuk " wait grandpa is calling when when"

y/n " hello baby girl and it good to see you are hyper already"

tuk " yes mama so when is grandpa calling"

y/n " he said sometime this afternoon when we dock at first stop"

tuk " yeah grandpa is calling I can tell him about our days so far, and what I learn in school"

neteyam " so we hear grandpa is calling from tuk cheers and her dance"

kiri " it woul be good to speak with grandfather"

neytiri " yes it always good to speak with grandparents even, your grandmother will be calling as well we can do a group call'

y/n " yes that's sounds like a good idea"

Jake " well we can talk more about it later on maybe during breakfast or after"

tuk " come on lo'ak you can sit by me"

lo'ak " sure anything for you tuk tuk" the kids had wonder off leaving their parents standing there, looking at each other as the cruise ship sailed on the water.

y/n " it warms my heart and makes me happy to see the children getting along, after so long apart"

neytiri " yes it good we are a big happy family again after being away, with our lives"

Jake " you know we can be a big happy family again at home maybe, you and lo'ak can move home for some time and everything can be good again"

y/n " we can speak more about that later Jake some words had been said, painful ones that will not be easy to fix right away but that can be dealt with later the kids wiat for us"

Jake & neytiri " yes" you had walked away of them and soon had been followed by neytiri. As Jake looked at an old photo of him and lo'ak where had, the time gone for the father and son pair. When did Jake truly lost the last image that he had of his son, and did he still have his son after all that had happened.

[kata-sans]

Raising Stripe

Chapter 32

“Where's Nana's little Piggy? Peekaboo!” Stripe shrieked with giggles. Nana and Grandpa had finally arrived and Stripe was ecstatic. He and Nana quickly became inseparable. She was the first one to greet him and had refused to put him down.

“Laura, are you sure you don't need a break? You just had a long drive and Stripe can be a handful sometimes.” Tweek asked his mother-in-law.

“Oh Sweetie, I'm fine. I slept most of the trip here. Besides who can resist his wittle face,” she babbled towards the cooing baby in her arms.

Tweek smiled glad to see Laura so affectionate towards Stripe. Laura has always been caring and nurturing towards Tweek. It was no surprise Stripe would receive so much pampering from his Nana.

Suddenly Tweek's attention was pulled away by his phone ringing. “Gha! Hello? Craig…again!.. I don't care that he's divorcing, I make those lunches special for you!... He can make his own lunch! Nghh! ...Give me ten minutes to fix you a sandwich…”

Laura looked up in confusion, “What's happened?”

Tweek sighed, “My idiot husband has been giving his lunch to his boss. He is currently going through a messy divorce and doesn't know how to pack his own lunch.”

“Why would Craig do that?” Laura asked, surprised by her son's unusual generosity.

“Craig's been trying to get a promotion at work and he thinks this might help, but I think he's wasting his effort on the guy,” Tweek leaned down to Stripe and used his baby voice, “Cause Daddy's boss is a flirty scoundrel and an idiot.”

Tweek kissed his baby's cheek and stood up to venture into the kitchen. Laura set Stripe on his walker to help Tweek prepare a new lunch for Craig. They quickly prepared an uncrusted ham and cheese sandwich and packed a bag with Craig's favorite snacks.

Finally Tweek was ready to deliver Craig's lunch. He was pulling on his coat when he felt Stripe's walker bang his left knee.

“MAMA!” Stripe reached up intending to accompany Tweek.

Tweek sighed realizing his plan to leave Stripe with Laura would only end in tears. He reached for the diaper bag inside the coat closet and quickly confirmed it was restocked.

“Laura, I'm taking Stripe with me to see Craig. Is there anything you need?” Tweek asked his mother-in-law.

“No thank you dear. I will take you up on your earlier offer and take a nap.” She waved them away before moving towards the guest room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~```~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tweek walked into the lobby of South Park Mechanics. He fought the urge to groan as his eyes fell upon the man on the counter. Craig's boss, Bert.

Tweek hated the guy. Bert was bi and flirted with any pretty blondes. Unfortunately Tweek seemed to fit his criteria and Bert was eager to let him know.

Bert would go so far as to even flirt in front of Craig. Luckily for Bert, Craig is equal parts clueless and very secure of his relationship.

“Tweakers! What a pleasant surprise! To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?” The man winked in an obvious attempt to flirt.

“Bert, where's Craig?” Tweek asked, not interested in humoring Craig's boss.

“He’s test driving a customer's car. Can I get you something to drink or…wait, who's this little one?” The man quickly stepped around the counter and grabbed the baby from Tweek.

“HEY! B-be careful with him!” Tweek nervously watched for Stripe's reaction to being held by a stranger.

“Don't fret Tweakers. Kids love me, just watch.” Bert said gently bouncing the baby.Stripe was confused. He was held by a stranger that smelled strongly of motor oil and grime. Stripe was not bothered by the stench in fact he was very familiar with the smell. It reminded him of , “Dada?”

The adults froze in shock. Tweek felt the color drain from his face and he stumbled forward. He quickly snatched Stripe out of Bert's hands. “NO! That's not Dada! He's…”

The lobby door bell jingled to announce someone entering. “Bert the car is ready to be picked up… Honey! I didn't expect you so soon.” Craig casually walked in unaware of the awkward situation in the room.

“Oh! Is that Stripe? Did you come all this way just to see Daddy?” Craig held out his arms in invitation.

“DADA!” Stripe kicked his feet in excitement. He reached out to Craig babbling nonsense. Tweek passed him over wordlessly. He sighed in relief seeing that Stripe still recognize his real Daddy.

“Craig Tucker!” Bert growled, surprising them. Bert never lost his temper like that. “What is the meaning of this! Are you short on money? Is your paycheck not enough?”

“W-what? No I-i…” Craig stammered.

“NO! I see, is this about planning for future expenses like college! Well let me tell you something you don't need to worry about these things. No sir! Right now you need to work on being a more present figure at home.” Bert ranted. “Craig, I expect you to pack your things and leave this instance!”

Craig's jaw dropped, “B-but w-what?”

“You are starting your Christmas vacation early. I don't want to see you around here until after New Year's.” Craig trembled as he nodded. “Good! Now when you get back we'll make your new promotion official. I'll have your new contract ready for you to sign. I'll be sure to include a generous raise and a new schedule to ensure you get home in a timely manner.”

Craig froze in shock. He felt relief wash over him, “S-sir, I don't know what to say. Thank you!”

“Hush now, you're a hardworking young man and I now I can trust ya to manage the garage. Now, promise you'll go home and spend some quality time with your little nugget. You don't want him calling any stranger Daddy.”

Craig looked puzzled, “What?”

Tweek pushed forward, “Gah! Congratulations, Tiger! We need to go home and tell your parents.”

He pushed Craig out the door before he could ask any more questions. Tweek would never correct Craig when he claimed his plan to share his lunch earned him the promotion. It was better than informing him that Stripe had accidentally called another man dad.

Ch.31

Ch33

[berenwrites]

Late Again? - Stranger Things - Steddie - PG

Rating: PG | cw: mentions of sex | tags: fluff, rich Steve, post Vecna

Prompt: Love is being late to work because you can’t ever say goodbye in a reasonable amount of time (@sharpbutsoft)

A/N: Written for @steddielovemonth day 14. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Hope you are having a great day full of love be it platonic or romantic.

Also on AO3 soon | All My Other Stranger Things Fic

Late Again?: Love Is Too Compelling!

“You should just quit,” Eddie said, doing his very best to drag Steve back to bed.

“And leave Robin alone?” he replied, slipping out of his boyfriend’s grip. “I couldn’t. She took a year out so she could earn some money for college, and I won’t leave to her deal with Keith on her own.”

“Let me guess, you offered to give her the money and she said no,” Eddie said, flopping back onto the pillows.

“Yep,” he said, searching around for his work vest. “She’s being stubborn, wants to earn her own way. I’ve tried explaining that since my Grandpa died I have more money than I know what to do with, but she keeps telling me I might need it in the future. It was hard enough to get her to let me pay for some proper driving lessons. Her dad is great, but good at teaching driving he is not.”

“I’ve seen her dad drive,” Eddie agreed, “he’s almost as erratic as his daughter.”

“They do take after one another sometimes,” Steve said, holding his prize aloft when he finally found his vest down the back of the nightstand.

They might have been somewhat enthusiastic the previous evening given how their clothes seemed to be in very random places. Not that Steve would ever complain. His sex life with Eddie was amazing, which went right along with how much he had fallen in love with his metalhead boyfriend.

“Please come back,” Eddie whined. “Just for five minutes.”

“You mean like yesterday’s five minutes?” he responded. “If I am late again, Robin might actually tell Keith, and I’ll have to sit through another one of his lectures about company loyalty and responsibility.”

He was very glad to find he still had plenty of clean underwear in the drawer when he pulled it open. Laundry day was a way off yet, thank heavens.

“Am I not worth it?” was Eddie’s next gamble in the dragging him back to bed game.

“Of course you’re worth it,” he said, leaning down for a quick kiss on the way to the bathroom, “but I happen to have the keys today.”

“I shall lay here and pine away thinking of how I have been abandoned,” Eddie added with huge drama.

“Write me a new song,” Steve shot back, sticking his head back into the bedroom after grabbing his toothbrush. “You know how hot I think that is.”

“I feel like an old-timey bard with a rich benefactor,” Eddie replied.

“Yeah, well when you and the band are rich and famous, I’ll be your kept man, okay?” he said with a laugh.

Eddie had tried to find a job in town after he had been begrudgingly allowed to graduate, but no one would hire him. Even though he had been completely exonerated and even made into a bit of a hero by Owens’ carefully created cover story, Hawkins was slow to believe. After Steve’s grandfather had died and he’d inherited a ridiculously large amount of money and the house in Hawkins, which it turned out his parents had never owned, Steve had offered to give Eddie the time and space to chase his dream.

It had taken some persuading, but neither of them planned to go anywhere until the kids were graduated, just in case it wasn’t as over as everyone said, so Eddie had finally acquiesced. Eddie had a set up in the basement where the band could also practice and, these days, he’d just about moved in permanently too. Technically he and Wayne had a house thanks to government hush money, but Eddie spent most of his time at Steve’s, and they had Wayne over whenever Wayne was free.

“Stevie,” Eddie called from the other room as Steve started the shower.

“Yeah?” he called back.

“Have you ever actually told Robin how much you inherited?” Eddie asked.

“Um,” he said as he thought about that. “No,” he realised, “but I did tell her I had so much I didn’t know what to do with it.”

Throwing around numbers had felt kind of wrong.

“You do realise you don’t exactly live an extravagant lifestyle these days, right?” Eddie said and Steve turned to find his boyfriend now standing in the doorway.

He shrugged.

“Guess I got used to budgeting,” he replied.

“Which is very noble, gracious knight,” Eddie said with a grin, “but are you sure she gets just how filthy rich you are now? I didn’t until you showed me the numbers.”

Steve had never thought of it like that. Throwing some of the paperwork he’d been given by the lawyers at Eddie had been part of his last-ditch attempt to convince his boyfriend to take him up on his offer.

“Ah, maybe not,” he had to admit.

“Then I shall return to bed and mourn your parting quietly today,” Eddie said, back to his dramatic flair, “but give Robin the numbers and invite her to be your live-in lesbian of leisure.”

“Our,” Steve corrected as he laughed at Eddie’s choice of words.

This was why he was sure Eddie had more than enough talent to eventually go global. One day Eddie’s words and music would be famous, he had no doubt. Using the money he had never expected to receive to give Eddie the time and space to realise his dream, seemed like the perfect plan.

“I still don’t know if she’ll say yes,” he said, pulling back the shower curtain to climb in, “but I will tell her. Now shoo before I’m tempted to be late again, because if she’s mad at me she won’t even give me the chance to talk.”

“As my liege orders,” Eddie said and bowed, which was hilarious given he was naked.

Steve gave himself a stiff mental talking to and refused to look too long. After all, he only had so much will power.

All My Other Stranger Things Fic

[allmoshnobrain]

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

part 21 of ? | masterpost

word count: 4066 | ao3 link | fic's playlist

I blinked, seriously caught off guard. That was too much to take in at once. First thing slamming me was anger—what did she mean by her and my dad being here to pamper me? Weren't they the ones who kicked me out? Cut off all ties? And now, they popped back into my life, not because they missed me or anything, but to wheel and deal for the family name and business—that was their concern. Concern that grandpa's "empire" wouldn't last with me at the wheel. Concern that I wouldn't know the ropes when the time came.

✦ summary: Nore's sense of normalcy unravels as her parents resurface, offering support for her dreams—with strings attached.

✦ on this chapter: dave mustaine x female!oc, oc is cliff's cousin, +18, language, slice of life, angst, complicated/kinda abusive family dynamics

✦ a/n: Hello! This part was a bit longer, and focused more on Nore's relationship with her family. I hope it helped understand her character a little bit better! I haven't included all the "lore" regarding her parents in the chapter directly but I recently made a post here explaining it a bit for anyone who's curious! I haven't been able to write a lot because I had some power/internet outage problems at home, but now that everything's back to normal I hope I can update more quickly! And we'll have some more James x Nore interactions on the next part :) Hope you liked reading, feedback is welcome!

✧ nobody's daughter, she never was, she never will / be beholden to anyone she cannot kill ✧

The next few weeks weren’t exactly easy.

Dave and I usually kept our relationship light; we rarely argued, and if we did, we patched things up quick. We got each other too well and just couldn't stand being apart for too long. We were young. We were in love. At that time, no issue seemed big enough to mess with that.

But this time, it was different . It's not like Dave was giving me the cold shoulder, but I could tell he was still feeling the sting from everything that had happened with the album and his songs. He started isolating himself more and more, hanging out at David's place for long stretches, diving into his new band. When I tried talking to him about what was going on, he'd just smile and steer the conversation elsewhere. It was like all that easy, spontaneous intimacy we had from the beginning was vanishing, slipping through my fingers like water. 

And it freaked me out.

Being away from my cousin and my friends didn't make things any easier. I knew they had my back, but it's not like I could spill my guts to them over the phone about Dave. Since I'd left home, I'd felt sad and angry a bunch of times, but by September, I was more down than I had been since I first moved in with Cliff. Still, I held onto the hope that things would get back to normal soon.

Little did I know what the end of the year had in store for me.

It kicked off with a surprise phone call one evening. It was nighttime, and Dave and I were catching a break, chilling and watching some random movie on TV while sharing a cigarette and a beer when the phone decided to ring.

"I'll grab it," I said, jumping up from the bed. Dave gave a nod, his brow furrowing as he focused on rolling another joint for us to share. I rushed to the living room, picking up the phone. "Hello."

"Ellie?" a voice I knew too well replied, making my heart race and my jaw drop in surprise. "Is it really you?"

"Dad?" I blurted out in shock. In the whirlwind of my new life, getting a call from my father after nine months of radio silence was probably the last thing I expected.

"Hey, Ellie! So, this number is really yours. How've you been?"

"I... I'm okay, but... Dad, what's going on?" The words tumbled out, confusion turning into genuine concern. If he was calling out of the blue, something serious must have been up, right? I couldn't think of any other reason.

"Can't a dad check in on his daughter?" He said it casually, like it was no big deal. I furrowed my brow, annoyance quickly replacing my concern.

"You haven't said a word to me in months," I shot back, my voice shaking a bit, my eyes threatening to fill with tears as a whirlwind of emotions churned in my chest — first of all, anger. But then hurt. Confusion. And pain.

I glanced up at the sound of footsteps, spotting Dave leaning against the bedroom door frame with a lit joint in his hand. He gave me a questioning look, his concerned brown eyes checking out my state. I sighed, motioning for him to hold on. He came over, wrapping an arm around my waist and planting a gentle kiss on my shoulder, which managed to coax a small smile from me.

"So, Ellie, your mom and I..." my father hesitated on the phone, sounding a bit unsure of himself. "We were thinking that maybe we've been too hard on you. We just got back from London..."

"You went to visit grandma?" I snapped, my anger surfacing in the way my voice cranked up. "That's what this call is about, huh? I'm guessing she wasn't thrilled to discover you kicked me out. Bet she and grandpa gave you a reality check!"

"We went to celebrate your mom's birthday. And yes, we saw your grandparents," my father went on, his tone getting a bit sterner. "We were just thinking... It would be nice if you and your boyfriend could join us for dinner sometime. You know, your mom misses you..."

"Oh, bullshit."

"She does. Eleanore, it was her idea to send you that motorcycle as a gift. She thought it might lift your spirits a bit. Maybe you'd swing by..."

"She's always pulling that stunt!" I grumbled, annoyed, cheeks warming with irritation. "I can't be expected to read her mind. And for the record, I didn't ask for whatever gift she sent my way!"

"I get it. Ellie, I get it," my father reassured, clearly trying to ease my frustration. "Look, I think she regrets laying it on you like that. Especially after talking to your grandma... She just wants to fix things."

"Then why didn't she just call me herself?"

"You know how your mom is. She thought maybe you'd be more open to hearing me out. And, hey, it's not like I don't miss you too," he said, explaining. I took a deep breath, still annoyed but conceding that my father had a point. I could have a conversation with him, but if it were my mom on the line, I might've just hung up. "Ellie, she's trying, alright? It's more effort than she usually puts in. Give her a chance..."

"She didn't give me any chances. Why should I be the one handing them out?" I questioned, my voice now getting choked up as my anger gave way to the underlying hurt I was feeling. My father sighed, seeming uncertain about what to say.

"You can come next weekend if you want," he finally replied, straight-up ignoring my question and making me groan in frustration. "I'll ask Marcy to whip up that pumpkin pie you like, what do you think? Mull it over, alright?"

Then, he hung up, leaving me with a heavy heart and an anguish that had been haunting me for months but that I just didn't want to face. I slammed the phone back on the hook, maybe a tad harder than I should have.

"Hey. What was that?" Dave asked, leaning his chin on my shoulder and pulling me closer, his arms around my waist. I sighed. "Was it your dad on the phone?"

"Yeah," I murmured, my voice trembling a bit. He nuzzled into my neck, planting a soft kiss on my smooth skin, his lips moving up to my cheek for another kiss.

"Babe, you know you can talk to me if you need to," he whispered. I sighed, pulling away a little to meet his gaze, a mix of concern and seriousness in his eyes. I managed a faint smile, the hurt in my chest blending with the happiness of having, even if just for a moment, the old intimacy between us. "What happened? What did he say to you?"

"I just... I hate this!" I finally let it out, a tear rolling down the corner of my eye and making its way to my cheek. Dave cupped my face in his hands, wiping it away with the tip of his thumb. "My family’s always doing this. They act like the stuff they do to me, the way they treat me, doesn't matter. Like it doesn't hurt me! It's messed up."

Dave sighed, pulling me closer in a comforting hug. I knew he didn't have all the words, but I could feel him trying to ease my pain. I sniffled, a few more tears streaming down my cheek as I buried my face in his chest.

"My dad invited us for dinner... Both of us, him and my mom," I laughed bitterly. "It's funny, isn't it? They kick me out of the house, and then they think they can invite me to dinner, like everything's normal. Like nothing happened."

"And do you want to go?" he asked, softly, his hand soothingly stroking my back. I shook my head with a sigh.

"I... I don't know. I think that's the worst part," I admitted, pulling away and meeting his gaze. "I'm so angry, but I still miss them. I think that's what hurts the most."

"That you can't help but love them, even though some of the things they do hurt you?" he murmured, and I felt my heart tighten at the bitterness in his voice. "Maybe you should go, Nore. Maybe it's a good chance for you to patch things up with them."

"I don't know if I want to do that," I whispered, and he gave a slight smile.

"Yeah, I get it. Come here," he pulled me close again, his lips meeting mine with an unexpected hunger that sent warmth through my body. I clung onto his arms tightly, my nails leaving small crescent marks on his fair skin, while his lips moved down to my neck, kissing a spot that Dave knew would make me sigh and shiver, forgetting, even if just for a moment, anything but his body against mine. He pulled away, his familiar crooked smile on his lips making my heart race as he lifted my chin with his hand. "You can think about it later... How about coming back to bed with me?"

The car screeched to a stop in front of the big light-yellow house. I sighed, feeling more jittery than I'd like, despite the chill evening and the sun setting, casting warm hues all over the landscape. I knew my decision to visit my parents in Long Beach with Dave's car was a bit of a rebellious move against their expectations, and I hated it. They probably anticipated me rolling up on the motorcycle they gifted me. Instead, there I was, with my boyfriend and his car — two things that could potentially give my mom a nervous breakdown.

Dave raised his eyebrows, whistling softly as he checked out my parents' garden.

"You fancy-ass kid. So, this is where you used to live?" He chuckled and playfully nudged my arm, but I could tell he was a bit surprised. He seemed to catch quickly onto my nervousness; his eyes instantly turned serious when he saw my expression. "Hey," he said, his hand gently holding mine. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. Okay?"

I nodded. Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure why I agreed to visit my parents or let Dave come along and meet them. Maybe, despite all the drama and hurt, there was still a part of me that missed them. Perhaps deep down, I hoped they'd be proud of me — for standing on my own all this time, for finding someone who cared about me and loved me. For not turning out to be the failure they expected when they kicked me out, assuming I'd come running back at the first sign of trouble.

But deep down, I knew that wasn't happening.

"It's okay," I squeezed Dave's hand, attempting a confident smile. "We're already here, right? Let's do this."

Dave and I stepped out of the car, strolling across the well-kept garden until we reached the front door.I paused for a moment before ringing the doorbell. Then, the door swung open, and my dad appeared, beaming when he saw me, the blue eyes I got from him shining.

"Ellie!" he exclaimed, pulling me into a hug. I blinked, a bit confused, but returned the embrace. He pulled back with a smile, seeming only then to notice that Dave was by my side. "Oh. You must be David?"

"You can call me Dave, sir," Dave smiled, shaking my dad's hand, but I could see he was a bit nervous.

"Pleasure to meet you, Dave. I’m George." my dad smiled, a bit more serious than before. "You've arrived just in time! Marcy is almost done preparing dinner. Let's go inside."

Dad walked in first, and I followed suit. Dave strolled by my side, holding my hand gently. He leaned in, whispering in my ear:

"Ellie? So, is that what your parents call you?"

"Just my dad. And I hate that nickname," I murmured, and he laughed.

As we strolled into the house, Dave scoped the place with raised eyebrows. The living room was cozy and rustic, sofas, armchairs, and rugs thrown together just right. In the corner, a shelf showed off my dad's vinyl collection. From there, you could head to the dining room through the side door or hit the garden through the glass door at the back. Upstairs, you'd find my parents' bedrooms, my old room, and the library where my parents spent most of their time when they were home.

"Ellie, why don't you give Dave a tour of the library? I'll summon your mom for dinner; she was introducing the new gardener to the plants," he said, jokingly. 

"Oh... Sure," I mumbled. After being away for so long, everything felt way larger and unfamiliar than it should — especially after bouncing around from the little room I shared with Cliff to Leanne's house and then my cozy spot with Dave. I watched my dad head out the back door. Dave linked his fingers with mine, sensing my nerves, and stroked the palm of my hand in soothing circular motions with his thumb. I raised my gaze and met his brown eyes, locked onto my face. "So, wanna check out the library?"

"Actually, I had my eye on something else," he grinned slightly, and I blinked, intrigued. "Your room," he clarified, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "I want to see how you lived, you know? Before I showed up and changed your life forever."

I chuckled, rolling my eyes before tugging him along by his hand, leading the way to the stairs. We climbed up to the first floor, strolling through the lengthy corridor, passing several doors before hitting the last one right at the end. I twisted the knob, relieved to find that the door wasn't locked.

I sighed as I swung the door open, taking in the sight of my old room. The room was spotlessly clean and organized, meaning that my parents at least kept the place tidy. Next to the window, my bed was neatly made with the same sheets I'd left in a mess before heading to San Francisco. Above the headboard, posters of bands and movies adorned the wall. The door in the corner was open, showing my private bathroom.

Below the window, my study desk, with drawing and painting materials meticulously arranged. In the corner, a shelf with my books, records, and tapes, plus a TV and stereo. It stung a bit to look at it, to reminisce about all the time spent there; everything was the same, but I didn't feel anything like the girl who once called it home.

Dave seemed to understand the contemplation in my silence; he rested his chin on my shoulder, giving me a tight hug from behind before planting a kiss on my cheek.

"Nice room you got here," he remarked, and I laughed, a bit shakily, realizing tears were welling up in my eyes. Despite that, it felt good not to be alone. To have him there with me.

We quickly stepped apart when we heard a knock on the door. I turned around and found Alice, my mom's assistant, eyeing us with her serious gaze, her curly blonde hair pulled into a ponytail so tight it made me uncomfortable just to look at it. Of course, she would be here, I thought with a twinge of annoyance. She smiled, a cold and almost robotic smile.

"Welcome back, miss. Your mother is waiting for you in the dining room," she said, then turned and left, seemingly not even acknowledging Dave's presence.

I sighed, annoyed, feeling the anxiety in my chest rise in a wave of panic that subsided as soon as I felt Dave's fingers intertwining with mine again. He smiled at me reassuringly.

"Let's go," he murmured. "I guess it's time for me to meet your mom."

I stepped into the dining room hesitantly. It was funny how being near my mom always kind of intimidated me; she was everything I'd never been able to be, everything they expected me to be. I bit my lip as I spotted her, and she turned in our direction. 

My mother was probably the most beautiful woman I'd ever known, tall and statuesque like a model, with long, wavy black hair that reached her waist, a slim and charming face, and serious dark brown eyes. I was nothing like her — much more like my dad, shorter with brown hair, blue eyes, and a much less glamorous body.

"Eleanore," she murmured, with that familiar distinct accent blending Scottish and French. She walked toward me, holding my face in her hands, a faint hint of affection gleaming in her eyes before being replaced by disapproval. "Oh, God, what happened to your hair? Did you cut it yourself?"

"Leave the girl alone, Clémence," my dad spoke, sitting in one of the armchairs in the corner of the room, casually reading the day’s newspaper. He looked up, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "She's old enough to know how to take care of herself."

My mom pursed her lips slightly, then let go of my face. She shifted her attention to Dave.

"You must be David," she spoke resolutely. I could see the disapproval in her eyes shifting from me to him, like he was a pet she didn't really like but had to put up with. If Dave caught onto that, he hid it well. For the first time since we had met, he was completely serious, which probably meant he was a bit on edge. "Well, come along. Dinner is ready. We were waiting for you."

We sat down for dinner, and my nerves were all over the place. I could hardly taste the food, and it seemed like Dave was in the same boat. I reached under the table, giving his knee a reassuring caress. He shot me a smile.

"So, Dave... You're one of Cliff's friends, huh?" my dad asked.

I noticed Dave's jaw tense a bit, but he managed a polite smile.

"Yep, we used to share a place. That's how I got to know Nore."

"And what do you do? Are you a musician too? You know, I have a pretty large vinyl collection here at home. Love music. Always wished I had the time to pick up the drums," my dad kept the conversation rolling with a grin, and I could see some of the tension in Dave fading away.

They chatted about music for the rest of the dinner, and slowly, I started to ease up. Mom stayed pretty quiet, her eyes bouncing between me and Dave like she was trying to figure us out. But Dad seemed genuinely interested in getting to know my boyfriend better. By the time dessert was served, I almost felt like we were a normal family again.

When we finished eating, we cruised back to the living room. Dad and Dave went straight to the vinyl collection, and Dad put on a Led Zeppelin album, the music filling the living room softly. That's when Mom got up, giving my arm a light touch.

"Come with me, Eleanore," she said in a low voice before heading to the garden. I hesitated, glancing at my dad and Dave, still deep in their conversation, then decided to trail after her.

We wandered through the backyard garden, the flower beds and trees soaking up the gentle glow from the property's lamps. Mom sparked a cigarette with a sigh, and we drifted in silence until we hit the pool area. She eased into one of the lounge chairs under the covered spot before looking at me.

"Take a seat," she motioned to the chair right across from hers.

"I'll pass," I muttered, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you always have to complicate things?" she asked, and a surge of anger bubbled in my chest. Classic mom move: the woman who couldn't go an hour without emphasizing how I was a screw-up.

"Does Dad know you picked up smoking again?" I asked, a bit acidly. She looked up at me, a small, cold smile playing on her face. I knew my mom; she could front like she was flawless, but she had her flaws, just like I did. At least I owned up to mine.

"I smoke when I need to focus.You know how insane the end of the year gets at your grandfather's company," she shot back, sidestepping my question. "Or you would know if you cared about the family business instead of living in your love fantasy."

"My relationship is not a fantasy," I frowned, and she scoffed.

"If you say so," she flicked the cigarette butt to the ground, crushing it with the tip of her heel. "So, you know your dad and I just got back from Europe. I talked with your grandfather, and we came up with an idea... Oh, please, Eleanore, spare me that face. You haven't even heard what I have to say!" I tried to hide the displeasure that surfaced on my face. Nothing good ever followed when my mom claimed to have an idea. Never. "Well, as I was saying. Your dad and I think it's time for you to invest a little more in your future."

"Not this again," I grumbled. "Mom, I don't want to go to Law School!"

"I'm not asking you to!" she retorted, her tone sharp and irritated. Then she sighed, as if making an effort to calm down. "Look, we know you love art. You were part of the Theater Club in school, and you enjoyed your drawing classes so much! But I don't want my daughter to just finish high school and call it a day. It wouldn't be suitable ."

"And what's your deal, then?" I asked, getting a bit defensive. Until now, Mom didn't seem to be pushing me into anything specific, but I knew she never dangled anything remotely cool in front of me without expecting something in return.

"Your father and I are willing to pay for any course you want, at any university you want. What do you say?" she asked, a slight grin playing on her lips, but her eyes stayed icy. "You can study wherever you want! You can be close to your cousin, your new friends, your... boyfriend. Pursue the arts career you want. But," she raised an eyebrow. "you have to be aware of your role in the family business. So, you'll get involved in the day-to-day routine, learn the ropes, and be ready to handle everything when your father and I aren't around to pamper you. Fair deal, right?"

I blinked, seriously caught off guard. That was too much to take in at once. First thing slamming me was anger—what did she mean by her and my dad being here to pamper me? Weren't they the ones who kicked me out? Cut off all ties? And now, they popped back into my life, not because they missed me or anything, but to wheel and deal for the family name and business—that was their concern. Concern that grandpa's "empire" wouldn't last with me at the wheel. Concern that I wouldn't know the ropes when the time came.

On the flip side, it was kind of a tempting offer. I mean, having my parents backing my dreams would be awesome, even with a few strings attached. I used to dream about more than just ringing up customers in record stores; I missed the days when I had time to create , to be part of something. But, if I went for it, what would it mean for me and Dave? Would we drift even further apart?

I didn't want to dive into that mess. Too many details, too many what-ifs.

"You don't have to figure it all out now," Mom said, her tone soft, like she was reading my mind. "Whenever you want, Eleanore, you can come back home. We'll work things out then, okay? Just take your time."

With that, she got up and casually walked back inside, leaving me to grapple with my thoughts.

[gayhoediaz]

not any of my business AT ALL but noticed you said buck was too young for you at 6 years older and then I got curious....what is your type? (obvs feel free to ignore)

it’s absolutely your business my daddy issues is my favorite topic. just. imagine me tucking my feet up under myself 🥰

no read more link i'm making this everyone's business <3

(we're doing this mainly based off of looks just to make it easy. i'm also someone who values physical attraction greatly, so it makes sense to me. personally. i'll talk a little bit about just general personality and vibes at the end, though!)

get in losers, we're objectifying men! (with respect, and the acknowledgment that just like women, they are all real people, and have a lot more to offer, even the characters, they're played by real people. and i'm sure they're all wonderful people until i'm proven otherwise.)

okay. so.

i’m a pretty introspective person and i’ve actually been thinking about this lately because my taste is. relatively. unpredictable.

i did indeed say that buck would be too young for me at roughly 6 years older and i stand by that because here’s the thing: i feel like when people think of daddy issues in terms of age, they think of. people being interested in people who are. a little bit older. my personal daddy issues run so deep, i need them older. (we’re specifically talking about men. i like women too - but that’s neither here nor there and i have a good relationship with my mom, so that’s not what we’re talking abt rn.) i’m into men that like. if i told you they were my dad, you would not fucking blink.

and it’s not just the age. being an objectively attractive man roughly 20 years my senior? that’s not necessarily enough. we’re going off of celebrities and fictional characters right now cause it’s just an easy way to explain things but there are plenty of men who are very objectively attractive and are twenty years older than me, but who just. don’t look it. and i absolutely see why people thirst after them but they’re just. not for me. like. okay.

manny montana? very pretty. i love looking at him. and he is much older than me. and yet, not my type.

same with like. andy samberg. so. very. pretty. and roughly a couple decades older than me. my type? nope.

now - tony dalton?

yeah. yeah.

^^^ and it’s not just “lalo’s hot” no no no no no my ass is in the discord server at 3am losing it over pictures like this:

(^^^ he's not btw. not to me.)

when i tell y’all i’m hopeless i am HOPELESS

anyway moving onto someone else i’m feral about: billy burke but ONLY when he’s scruffy okay?

this? i mean i wouldn’t… not let hit, but

when i say im feral abt billy burke i’m talking about charlie swan and i’m talking abt this:

honorable mention i am also feral as fuck abt robert knepper

and now, i can hear you saying "oh nie, i get it, so you're not attracted to men who have like chronic boy face, i get it!!! you're into like. the jeffrey dean morgan, joe manganiello types!"

nope. i am not the slightest bit attracted to either of those men. like. *vanessa hudgens voice* i get it. i respect it.

not for me tho.

NOW. there is a little bit of a gray area when we talk about men who like... have chronic boy face and everything else about them is just... not that energy.

like. raul castillo for example.

(he looks a lot like a young version of my maternal grandpa, but that's just. something we're not gonna touch rn.) first of all? my immediate reaction is not "let me hit" my first reaction is very similar to manny montana in the sense that like. so. pretty.

but also? tummyyyyyyy so nvm let me hit yk what i mean?

(for some reason jon bernthal also goes in this category. they don't look anything alike but. same vibes to me in terms of how attracted i am, personally. where it's like. sure. yknow?)

i am also forever a mustache warrior, okay, shave off a mustache? doesn't usually necessarily ruin it for me, but grow one? it's better. immediately. actually, while oliver, just like buck, is too young to be my type, the only picture in existence where i am even the slightest bit attracted to oliver is the one from that photoshoot where the lighting accidentally made it look like he had one:

that's it. that's the only one.

(while we're on the topic of 9-1-1 cast: ryan also is too young for me, but i am very attracted to him when he has long hair. the second it's gone, he's just a silly little guy to me. i'm not really attracted to peter, although i wouldn't... say no. i'm here for kenny, though. absolutely. anytime.)

now so i feel less bad about objectifying every single man mentioned in this post, let's talk personalities (not specifically the ones mentioned, because i don't know them. this is just abt me and just general vibes that i'm drawn to) i need the vibe to be like. relaxed, which i think loops right back around to daddy issues, of course - it's not that i would be turned off if i'm with a man and he needs to cry on my shoulder 'cause something happened, that's fine - but generally there needs to be a feeling of just. not a lot of stress, not a lot of anxiety, things are handled, things will work out - you know. and usually, you tend to get that from people who are. a lot older. even people in their 30s don't usually have their shit together like that. (which is fine!!) but it's just so. just. easy to breathe when someone's like "eh, i'll fix it" (and yes, my love language is indeed acts of service)

as i put it in another post at some point: [billy burke in twilight] awakened the innermost parts of me that yearn to be railed by scruffy, mustached men old enough to be my father who look like they smell like a campfire and taste like tobacco and like i would tell them i wanted dick and they would nod once and say "yes ma'am"

the end <3

[stargazer-sims]

I need to make more frisky old folks to live at Windward Shore Estates. Grandpa's going to need some neighbours to get up to no good with. Plus, I'm seriously loving the idea of an independent elder community.

I realized that Victor's grandfather, Michael, is from Brindleton Bay as well, but after meeting a woman at Grace & Julian's wedding, canonically he moves to Willow Creek to be nearer to Grace and Victor (and of course his girlfriend Juliet). Michael and Juliet might live in a place like this, but it'd be in Willow Creek.

So yeah... I have to think about older characters.

__________

For anyone wondering why Nikolai's grandpa is still around and active, here's the story. Also, Nikolai's grandfather is called Nikolai too, so to avoid confusion while I'm explaining this, I'm going to just refer to him as "Grandpa" even though he was a teen/young man through some of it. (Within their family, our Nikolai is called Kolya to avoid confusion, and Grandpa is called Nikolai)

The simple version of the story is that Grandpa was a young and dumb stud back in the day, and became a father at sixteen. The baby's mother was fifteen and her parents were trying to force her to give the baby up for adoption, but Grandpa, despite his irresponsibility, was not happy with the idea of his son being given to strangers. He said he'd raise the baby, which his own parents were not happy about but ultimately agreed to. His own mother helped him with little Mikhail so he could work and continue to go to school.

Eventually, Grandpa met another woman who he fell in love with and later married. He continued to pursue his education and work as much as he could, which was much easier with his new partner taking care of Mikhail. Grandpa and his new wife had three more children, so Mikhail ended up with three half-siblings.

Unfortunately the marriage didn't last. When Mikhail was twelve, his parents split up. She took the three younger children, and once again it was just Mikhail and his dad.

Fast forward to when Mikhail is seventeen and Grandpa is the tender age of thirty-three. With his doctorate in biochemistry and a yearning for some sort of change in his life, he looks for international opportunities and gets offered a job in Canada. He and Mikhail are excited about the possibility of immigrating, but there's a snag. Mikhail is madly in love with a girl called Elena and they don't want to be separated. Luckily, Elena is eighteen and can legally immigrate without her parents' consent, so Grandpa agrees to get the paperwork done for her to come with them as well.

But, the thing is, Elena has a secret which grandpa doesn't find out until they're already in Canada. Elena is pregnant. With twins. Like Grandpa, Mikhail is about to become a teen father.

Mikhail gets a job, does his best to learn as much English as quickly as he can, and asks Elena to marry him. Just before Christmas, twins Natalya and Nikolai are born. The family's first year in Canada isn't even over yet, and it's already been a total whirlwind.

So now... fast-forward to the present day, when the twins are around 40-41 years old. If my math checks out, this makes Grandpa 74-75 years old in the present storyline. Definitely still young and spry enough to have a good time and make trouble in the neighbourhood.

[s-creations]

26 Ways to Feel Mortal - H: Hollow

26 Chapters based around experiences that newly arrived Geno experiences while trying to find the Star Pieces.

Fandom: Super Mario & Releated Fandoms, Super Mario RPG Rating: Teen and UP Audiences Relationship: Mario/Geno (Nintendo), Mario/Princess Peach (Nintendo) Additional Tags: Rating for Teen needed for later chapters, but shouldn't be to worrisome, I'll have warnings if I'm worried, Poly relations!, Main characters will always be named, Minor characters will arrive as needed, the chapters are not in a specific order, just meets the needs of the given word, please be aware of spoilers.

Hollow: (adjective) Having a hole or empty space inside.

“Geno?”

The puppet, who’d been staring at his hands for a while, looked up hearing his name. “Mallow, are you okay?”

“I was going to ask you that. You’ve been sitting here for a bit now.” Mallow made their way over to Geno. Happily plopping down next to the puppet. 

“Oh, I’m fine. Just…thinking.”

“About?”

“Well…can I ask you something?”

“Sure!”

“Do you ever feel…not like yourself?”

Mallow frowned in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“This body isn’t mine. I know I’m borrowing this until I can complete my task. I mean, that was the intended purpose. But I’ve been in here for so long now, it’s starting to feel like…myself. Except, it’s not. Because this isn’t what I really look like. It feels right though. How is that even possible? It leaves me feeling…lost.”

Geno clenched his hand together tightly. Seeing Mallow’s face full of worry. “How do you feel like yourself but also an imposter, is that even possible? Am I still myself if I change so much? I’ve been stuck in this mindset for a while now, going around in circles trying to find some solution.”

 Letting out a slow sigh, Geno offered a small smile to Mallow in hopes to offer some comfort. “I’m sorry, this… You shouldn’t be worrying about this. It’s just a silly thought bouncing around my head.”

He fell quiet when Mallow wrapped his arms around one of Geno’s. The puppet falling quiet to allow the other to collect his thoughts.

“Before Grandpa told me I was adopted, I sort of knew I wasn’t a frog,” Mallow spoke softly, “I didn’t look like a tadpole, but I wasn’t old enough to be a frog. Even if everyone was super nice and grandpa told me he loved me, I felt…wrong. I didn’t look like anyone else, but I didn’t know what I was or where to go to figure it out. Even with everyone’s support, I felt like I didn’t belong.”

Geno flinched slightly as a raindrop landed on his cheek. Looking up as the sky began to turn a steely gray, rain starting to fall. He moved to wrap his arms around Mallow.

Mallow sniffed before continuing, “I felt like a fraud. I wasn’t a frog, I wasn’t a Toad, I was nothing. But I just smiled and said everything was fine if someone asked. Even now, being told that my suspicions were right, I still feel lost. It’s a jumbled mess of thinking, if I don’t belong where I’ve been raised, where do I belong, who am I really?”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while…and then I remember something that Grandpa always told me growing up. I thought he had been just trying to comfort me when I was younger. You know, how adults just say things to make things better but make no sense.”

“Uh…of course.” Geno replied weakly, honestly having no idea what Mallow was relating to. 

“I remember, he said,” Mallow sat up a little further and cleared his throat, “Uh…it was something like: ‘There is no one right answer. You’re shaped by what you learn, not what you are. If you focus on what you think you’re supposed to be, you’ll never become you’.”

“I see… What does that mean?” Geno asked. 

Mallow kicked his legs, “I’ve started to take it as… I can’t get stuck on what I don’t know. I’m not a frog, I’m not a Toad, I’m Mallow. And I need to be the best Mallow there is. When I find my parents, I want to connect with them. But I don’t want the not knowing to be the only thing about me. No matter where I go or what I do, as long as I’m still me and I’m happy being me, that’s enough.” 

“Oh…”

“I think you’re forcing yourself to figure you out too soon. Do you like being Geno?”

The puppet blinked slowly in thought, “Yes.”

“Do you like how you look?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want us to use your other name?”

“No.”

“Do you…hate your old name?”

Geno frowned softly. “I mean…no, but it doesn’t feel like me anymore. I mean, if someone called me that, I wouldn’t be offended. I’d just ask that they call me Geno instead. I…I like being Geno.”

“Then be Geno! You’re still you, your name’s just different and you’re more comfortable. That’s not a bad thing.”

“...I suppose so.”

“And, if you’re still having trouble, then I’ll help! So will Mario and Peach. I’m not so sure about Bowser… But what ever is happening Geno, we’re here to help. And whatever happens, you’re still you. Whoever that will eventually be, I’ll still care about you.”

Geno let out a heavy breath, he swallowed down a lump in his throat as he felt Mallow hug him back.

“Thank you, Mallow.”

“You’re welcome, Geno.”

[mechazushi]

Kitagawa's Soulmate Customs Order.

Soulmate Customs is a channel on Youtube. They specialize in spicy/sweet/sad custom embroidery clothing for the loved ones in your life. This is a short story about Marin Kitagawa getting a reason for an order, giving it to Gojo, and the consequence of getting him a spicy sweatshirt. #not sponsored, just really like what they do. also #i am single and channeling my lonelyness through fanfiction.

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It was a cold and windy day in Japan where Kitagawa was at. It was January so she shouldn't have been too surprised, but the biting chill in the air felt a little over-dramatic for the season. Part of her knew she would've come to regret the decision to wear a pencil skirt and should have compensated for the weather with more than thick, fur lined leggings, but she wanted to look cuter than usual today. She was on her way to meet her boyfriend Gojo for a very important coffee date. It was important because they were finalizing the paperwork outlining Gojo's moving details into Kitagawa's apartment.

After working everything out and being the one to finally admit she liked him, it had been a few years and some life altering changes had gone down in this seemingly brief period of time. Kitagawa had gotten approval and started working as an official cosplayer for Sparkle Productions. Working with them meant she got a consistent income at a much higher rating. Meaning she could afford her own apartment in an inner-city location. It was close to work, but it inadvertently made it farther away from Gojo's home. It made her feel like she couldn't see him as often as she wanted. Speaking of which, Gojo's gone off to college.

He's still striving to become a Hina doll maker, but him and his grandpa thought it wouldn't hurt if he had some knowledge running a business. He was also partnered with Sparkle Productions as well, seeing as it was made very clear that him and his skills were inseparable from Kitagawa. Between the commissions he's been getting paid with from the production company and commissions from doll making, he's raking a bit of money as well. He's been living with his grandpa since the beginning of their relationship however, and some people( no stories will be told, but the grandfather has been the biggest advocate for this) felt it was time for that to change. Gojo has just ended his most recent semester, so now the time for this was about as best as it was going to get.

Tightening her pink fleece and strawberry decorated cardigan against a sudden blast of chilling wind, it made her wonder if she was going to die of freezer burn before she reached the coffee shop. The only thing keeping her warm in her mind was the possible chance she could convince Gojo to let her crawl into his lap in the public cafe. She knew he would object if she said it outright, but probably wouldn't notice if she came at the plan slowly. Start off with complaints about the weather while giving a longer than necessary hug, lather him in compliments about how warm he is, snuggle up as close as she could get away with and just... slowly invade his innermost personal space an inch at a time. She could see it working.

She turned the corner and charged in the direction of the glass doors to the building, before stopping herself as she caught a glimpse of her boyfriend sitting against the wall in side-view of the long expanse of glass acting as the front of the building. Gojo played on his phone as he was cross-legged and reclined languidly in the bench seats that lined the left wall. The low coffee tables set in front of them offered a full view of the daring outfit that he walked out with. Black from the shoes up, he wore leather loafers, corduroy pants, and a tight turtleneck. The main focus of the outfit came from the quilted biker-style jacket made out of boldly patterned and oddly shaped patches of red, grey in varying shades, and white fabric.

She recognized the fabric as scraps coming from a cosplay she did last year. The long and wide, tri-tiered, ruffled mermaid skirt it had was made out of geometric chunks that had to be individually sewn together, meaning there were a lot of off cuts left and were considered unusable. Despondent and irritated at the waste it created, Gojo was left puzzled as to what to do with the scraps, not wanting to toss it all out. Marin had sent as many pictures as she could, hoping it would inspire him to try his hand at street wear. While some of it ended up getting patched together as a Hina doll's outfit, she was told that the rest of it did end up as a couple personal projects, ones that she wasn't given any hints as to what they were.

She knew he was still uncomfortable with non-traditional clothes, but had been making personal strides in his own time. It was still a shock nonetheless, to see him not only in something that wasn't his usual samue, but something that he'd created. She knew it had taken a lot of willpower from him to commit to walking out of the house in something that absolutely would have sent his anxiety straight through the roof three years prior. Sitting there in the warm shop lighting made him come across as more of a model than she did most days. Seeing him without an ounce of fear in his dashing appearance tugged on her heartstrings and filled her body with pride.

Snugging the manila file full of paperwork up into her armpit, she reached up and tightened her high ponytail up even tighter, straightened her curled side bangs, and pulled down on the hems of her outfit. Checking her outfit in the mirror finish, she giggled a little once she noticed she was wearing a turtleneck as well under the cardigan. While it was white, she couldn't help but smile at how the two of them were going to look as they sat there. Lounging against each other, drinking hot drinks and sitting the warm cafe, soaking up each other's body heat- God she needed to get out of the cold.

As she entered the shop, Gojo looked up from his phone and immediately brightened. He stood up as Kitagawa got closer and pulled her into a friendly hug. Gojo tried to let go, but she clung onto him a little longer and hummed as the warmth began to replace the chill she developed walking outside.

"Blisteringly cold out there, isn't it?" Gojo questioned as he chuckled, realizing why Kitagawa was holding on so tight.

"You wouldn't mind if I just weaseled my way into your new jacket, right? I feel like my bones are shivering." Her eyes were closed as she tested her chin on his chest.

"So you noticed it, huh?" Gojo said as he tightened his arms again and swayed her lightly from side to side.

She opened her eyes as she looked up and saw that something was different about him. Feeling transfixed by his gaze, she noticed that his eyes seemed more intense than usual even though she could see the soft love he had for her in the plains of his face. Drawing attention to the shape of his eyes, she could see that they were rimmed in a thin, but noticeable line of smoky black. It helped emphasize the dark pools that were his ebony irises and strengthened the emotions in his gaze.

"You- you look different." Marin uttered out sweetly, not wanting to break eye contact.

"Ah. It's... noticeable, isn't it?" Gojo turned his head away in embarrassment

"N-no! It's good! I've just... never seen you in guyliner before." Kitagawa broke from the hug and the two of them sat down. She passively clocked the half finished mug of milky tea on the table before turning back to Gojo.

"Yeah, I was leaving an Economics lecture and a girl next to me retouched up her makeup with something I haven't seen before. I might have interrogated her over it, the poor thing." Gojo said as he looked somewhat ashamed, "Anyway, I bought it because it's never a bad idea to have more options for makeup with you. Before I left I had noticed that my eye bags were a little more obvious than usual and you had left your makeup bag in my dorm, so I might have helped myself to the concealer. Since I was already applying makeup I thought it would be a good idea to try it on myself and make sure I know what I'm doing. You know?"

"You've gotten really good with the color matching. I couldn't tell you had any on!" Kitagawa said as she tilted her boyfriend's head back and forth, "What did you use for the eyeliner?"

"It was this." he said as he pulled up a picture of the product listing and showed her an image of a surma stick.

"That's... Are we sure that's not a torture device?" Kitagawa said as she visibly paled.

"It does look like one, doesn't it?" Gojo giggled, "When I asked about it, she gave me some tips, but it still took me a few tries to get it to look straight. It's probably for the best that we keep the makeup on you though."

"Why? You look amazing!" Marin said, being very adamant in hopes it encourages him to be just as bold in the future.

"Maybe." Gojo said simply as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"Did something happen? I really think you look good." Kitagawa said as she inched closer, removing any space she could between their laps.

"it's just... I think I might've scared the girl at the front counter. She looked nervous before I started talking to her and I think she was shaking when I left." Gojo said as he pinched his lips and looked downcast.

"I sincerely doubt that was the reason." Kitagawa said as she patted his thigh. She tested her head against his shoulder and looked him in the eyes while smiling. He returned her smile, but it didn't seem as bright as it could be.

"Speaking of the counter, I should go order myself a drink. I still feel frozen on the inside." she said, already regretting having to leave his very warm side.

"I know it looks like I'm almost finished with mine, but I ordered yours a few minutes after you texted me saying you were leaving your place." Gojo said as his hand drifted to her wrist, preventing her from leaving.

"Oh, really? What did you get?" she asked.

"This place is serving the strawberry hot chocolate you saw on the TV. That sound okay?" Gojo questioned.

'OMG, You are amazing!" Kitagawa said as she threw herself into his arms.

An attempt was made to see if she could wiggle her way onto more of his lap, but she quickly slid off as she missed the landing. Almost as if summoned by their conversation, a nondescript looking waitress walked over to them with a tray carrying two drinks.

"A hot chocolate covered strawberry and a refill of the chocolate truffle chai." the rather petite looking woman said as she stuck around to confirm the order.

"Oh, I didn't order the refill." Gojo said, trying to be polite.

'It's okay. It's on the house." the waitress said as she winked before nervously scurrying away.

"Huh. That's never happened before. I think that was also the lady I talked to the first time as well." Gojo said as he watched her tip-toe back to the counter, puzzled. Immediately feeling skeptical of the waitress's intentions, Kitagawa began to inspect the outside of the fresh mug of tea that was placed on the table. Looking closer at the decorative napkin, she found that someone from behind the counter, probably that waitress, had scribbled down their number with the words 'Call Me' next to it.

"I take it you've never had a girl give you their number on a coffee napkin before either?" Kitagawa said as she held up the evidence to Gojo.

He was taking a sip from the first mug as he turned to look at it and proceeded to choke a little when he saw what was written. As Gojo was trying to recover from the lukewarm liquid almost invading his lungs, Kitagawa looked at the offending napkin a little harder. While she recognized that it happened through no fault of his own, she still felt mildly threatened and had a desire to make the waitress rethink approaching a taken man. Putting the number into her phone, she waited until Gojo had fully recovered from his coughing fit and asked him to lean into the camera's frame. As he adjusted his face, Kitagawa turned and planted her lips in a solid strike against his mouth. When she could tell he had relaxed into the sudden bout of affection, she took the photo and uploaded it to her text messages.

"Not that I mind getting surprised like that, but what was that for." Gojo said dreamily, his eyes only focused on the now smudged pink lip gloss she was currently sporting.

"Just sending a message. Literally." Marin giggled as she sent the photo to the unknown number with the caption saying 'He's taken." under it.

"Kitagawa... Isn't that a but much?" Gojo replied worriedly once he saw that the picture had been sent. No less than a minute had passed before everyone had heard a loud cry of disappointment echo through the cafe.

"Nope!" Marin giggled.

It was later in the evening now, hours after the date had ended and Gojo had walked her home. She was in bed relishing in the afterglow of a warm shower and wrapped in her fluffiest pair of pajamas. She knew it was late, but couldn't help herself as she scrolled down the infinite chain of short videos in an attempt to stop thinking about what had happened at the cafe earlier. She knew her Gojo was handsome and she felt it was an appropriate reaction to seeing him spending a little more effort on his appearance. Mainly because she could see herself pulling the same stunt if she hadn't known him before that day. It didn't change the fact that it had happened.

They had known each other before they started dating, but their relationship still felt a little young. She had no doubt that she could trust him to stop other people's advances, but Marin couldn't help but want to do something that would stop that all together, or at the very least make people think twice about it. It was impossible to spend all her waking hours by his side, not to mention that it would be an obsessive and quite toxic move on her part. She already felt that Gojo was the one for her, but since she made the first move she wanted to give him the chance to be brave and propose. Kitagawa had already accepted that it was going to be a while longer before that was going to happen anyway. A quiet, unhinged part of her said "Get a dog collar." but that was quickly disregarded as soon as it was brought up.

Deciding on one last attempt to clear her mind of the turmoil, she made the decision to scroll for three more minutes and then put the phone down. She had noticed that her For You page had begun to fill with happy couples recording their happy moments together. She would always joke with the people in the comments, all of them relating to each other about how single and alone the couple on screen made them feel. Now she just smiled and laughed imperceptibly to herself in the dark, feeling better about her situation because now... now she could relate to the happy couples. The ads felt like they were picking up on this too. It kept sending her listings for couple's gifts, with some being actually cute and some she just couldn't find a reason why there had to be a couple's variation.

Getting close to the end of her self imposed time limit, she almost scrolled past one that seemed to be an American ad, but upon closer inspection it didn't have the usual banners or the click bait links bordering the edges of her screen. What really caught her attention was the red faced and sweating emojis that took the place as the video's title. Kitagawa considered herself to be a simple girl. Hot emojis probably meant that the video's contents were going to be something she might be interested in. Yeah, it was a cliche tactic, but it is how she found some of her most recent eroge games and manga. Letting the video play out, she saw a pretty red-headed woman looking at the camera, her face looking shocked by what she found. Cue the camera angle panning over to a gold engraved key-chain with an outline of a woman in lingerie with the back of it saying "Cum home safe <3"

Kitagawa let the clip play over again, just to be sure that is what she actually saw. After confirming that, she immediately clicked on the clip's link to the redheaded woman's main page. Disregarding the self imposed time limit for the sake of research, she looked at videos after videos on this woman's page. She got the clear impression that this woman had a custom engraving and embroidery shop that didn't shy away from its more... risque submissions. Sure there were some fluffy, more sentimental pieces and a few sad memorial works, but the ones that had the half naked women on them clearly got more views (Go figure). To be fair, there were one or two male submissions. Kitagawa got a little chuckle at the thought of putting a shirtless Gojo on an embroidered hoodie for herself, but that would be next to impossible as even in the middle of summer she wouldn't find him just casually shirtless.

As she scrolled down one more, she found out that they did jewelry as well. Different types of necklaces as well as bracelets. That got Kitagawa thinking. Bracelets weren't as obvious as a ring could be, but an engraved bracelet could be something she could get away with. Gojo didn't seem like the kind of guy to be down for wearing a necklace, hell it took him four years to try and wear something that wasn't a samue. But she could probably convince him to wear something as small and innocuous as a wrist band. Getting him a sexy sweatshirt with her almost-bare ass plastered on the front of it should have been an immediate no as an option, but she had to admit it was right up her ally.

Kitagawa left her phone on the clip's main page and turned it off for the night. She wanted to take a closer look at what was available in the morning as she wanted to put some real thought and effort into what she wanted to get. She had already decided to buy something from them anyway, seeing at how cute and personalized each item could get. She knew she couldn't spend forever making a decision however, with Gojo slated to move into the apartment in less than two weeks. She was going to pay through the nose for express shipping, but it would be worth it.

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Two weeks had passed and it was finally Moving-In Day for Gojo. He was a minimalist at heart, but due to taking up cosplay as well as keeping up with Hina Doll creation, there was quite a bit of equipment to lug over. Thankfully the heaviest thing he owned was a sewing machine. Kitagawa would never admit this willingly, but she bought an apartment with a second bedroom with the intention that Gojo would move in eventually and take over that space and turn it into his hobby room and office. Four hours later, all furniture was rearranged and the boxes were flattened and put outside the door. It was a bit early for lunch yet, so Gojo decided to collapse in the main room and stretch out in the new environment. He landed on the floor with a comically long and low groan.

"Enjoying yourself down there?" Kitagawa said as she giggled at him, watching from her place on the low couch parallel to him.

"I'm going to get used to seeing this view, aren't I ?" Gojo responded after a moment, the realization of moving in settling into his mind and body frame. Kitagawa crawled on her hands and knees over to where he laid and gave him some deep and unhurried kisses on his lips. An activity Gojo reciprocated gladly in a similar fashion.

"You're gonna get used to the view of my bedroom ceiling first, I bet." Kitagawa whispered salaciously as she pulled away and moved her head to his chest. Gojo rolled his eyes hearing that and shifted his arm to lay across her waist.

"If someone had told me that I'd not only be in love and dating the most beautiful and extroverted girl in my class, but also living with her in a few years... I'd think it would have given me a heart attack." Gojo said and he sighed deeply.

"I think you would have the heart attack from finding out time travel exists." Kitagawa responded.

"Why time travel? Could have met a fortune teller." Gojo playfully interrogated.

"You're too skeptical to believe a fortune teller." Kitagawa offered simply as she moved a hand to the back of his head, longingly gazing at his face.

"That is true. Guess it would have to be a time traveler." Gojo chuckled out tiredly. His eyes were closed, but he could feel Kitagawa play with his short tufts of hair. Her hand brushing in a relaxed and loving manner, acting as an anchor to this moment.

"Oh! Almost forgot." Kitagawa said as she clumsily got to her feet as quickly as possible. Gojo watched over the kitchen counter as she got a footstool and used it to gain access to the top of the fridge. She pulled down an already opened cardboard box and walked around the counter with it.

"I know you're just moving in and all. buuuut I decided to get you a few housewarming gifts." She said as she sat down and crossed her legs, placing the box on top of her lap. Gojo propped himself up onto his elbows as she got herself prepared to show him the surprise.

"Do you want the Sweet gift or the Spicy gift first?" Kitagawa bit her lip as she offered and drummed her acrylic nails on the top of the box. Gojo groaned loudly in mock agony at hearing that one of the gifts he would be receiving was described as "Spicy".

"You know what, humor me. The Spicy one first." Gojo said, already preparing himself for the gift by throwing all expectations out the window. Hopefully mentally preparing himself this way meant that Gojo wouldn't be sent into a heart attack that he seemed to be prone to getting around her. Kitagawa giggled maliciously as she opened the box and pulled out a vacuumed sealed, plush feeling, rounded, and black object. After she handed it over, he gently pulled away the plastic wrapping. He could already see the outline of what could be a leg dressed in fishnet stockings.

"Oh, this already doesn't bode well- what is this?" Gojo exclaimed as he unfolded the black hoodie.

The smile on his face was unmistakable, but he was still very shocked at what he was seeing. Taking up as much space as it could on the front of the soft hoodie, was a detailed white outline of what he assumed was his girlfriend dressed in a very complicated looking lingerie outfit with her hair up in a bun. She wore a high cut pair of baby blue underwear paired with a similar colored bra that left little to the imagination with matching strips of fabric crossing her midsection. There was a garter belt harness holding up some white fishnet stockings and a bunny ear headband completed the look. She was posed sitting on her thighs with her knees spread and holding her phone off to the side so as to not obstruct any part of the outfit. Curiously though, her head was turned and looking behind her. The phrase "Dress me up" Was plastered in bold lettering at the top of the framed image.

"Wait till you see the back of it." Marin tented her fingers and continued to laugh manically.

"God, there's a back to this?" Gojo said astonishedly. He quickly turned it around and moved the hood out of the way before he held it up again.

It was the same pose, but seen from the back. The high cut underwear had a large white pompom stuck to it to represent a bunny's tail and he could see why her head was turned away in the first picture. While it didn't show the rest of her face's features, it showed her tongue sticking out. If one looked closely, they could see the smallest dot of silver on the tongue that was supposed to represent the piercing that she had. Under the photo this time was the phrase "I'm your mannequin.".

"You... you know I can't wear this outside, right?" Gojo stuttered, taking in the magnitude of the gift he was presented with.

'Come on, I know you better than that! Wasn't expecting you to!" Kitagawa continued to giggle though her fingers at her boyfriend's embarrassed appearance.

"Th-then why...?" Gojo tried to ask while processing the gift in front of him.

"You've been in the guest room, right? That room can get super cold in the winter. I think it's got a weird draft problem." Kitagawa answered as she sucked on her lips and rested her elbows on the edges of the box .

"I figured we would have gotten a heater?" Gojo questioned.

"Yeah, I think the money for that is gonna go to getting a window air con for the bedroom. You know by now that I'm a cuddler and you like the room arctic when you sleep, sooo..." Kitagawa left the sentence to hang as Gojo nodded in agreement.

"I'd hate to get paint on it if I'm going to be working in this." He said as his eyes landed back onto the hoodie.

"So what! Get some paint on it!", She said as she scooted over to sit behind his back, "You know what? I think you should get a fat dollop of white paint on it. Right about there, don'tcha think?" Kitagawa moved her finger over his shoulder and pointed to her right ass cheek.

"K-Kitagawa!" Gojo exclaimed in embarrassment once he remembered why she would say such a thing.

"What? It's what happened last time I wore that!" She laughed as her arms tightened around Gojo's neck playfully, making sure he didn't run away from the conversation. He could feel himself melting at the playful goading.

"I'm still surprised you would get me a hoodie in the first place. Not that I don't appreciate the gesture." He said as he tapped on her arms in hopes she'd give him back some breathing room.

"Well... to be honest... This might be playing a part in a master plan." Kitagawa said mysteriously as she side-eyed him.

"A-and what plan would that be?" Gojo replied, his tone already dripping in fear.

"To steal... YOUR SHIRTS!" Kitagawa stealthily pulled on the strings that held his samue together and swiped his top off his body with surprising ease. Before he could counter the attack, she stood up and had already put her arms into it. She grabbed the sides of the top and wrapped it as tight as possible around her. As he stood up to look at her, Kitagawa took a handful of the top's fabric and brought it up to her nose. He continued to watch in amazement as she took the heartiest snort and sighed in satisfaction.

"Ahhhh. Been wanting to do that for years." She continued to look content even as she heard Gojo try to hold back a fit of laughter.

When he finished, he looked at her like he saw what love really looked like for the first time. She looked at him like she always had. With the deepest, most complete understanding of what happiness really was. Gojo picked up the hoodie from the floor and shuffled it over his head. After tugging it into place, he spread his arms out for a hug. Kitagawa gladly fell into them, just like they fell into each other's heart years ago. They held each other in place in the middle of the room for a moment, savoring the other's presence and heat in the room.

Love never looked so damn good.

"Didn't you say there was a second gift?" Gojo muttered into the top of Kitagawa's head after a long beat of time. She shook her head in his chest and slowly pried herself from his embrace. She walked back over to the box and pulled out two bracelets.

"I know the hoodie is never leaving the apartment, but I wouldn't mind if you did start wearing a little something for me. If it's not too much, 'cause I know you're not really a jewelry person." She handed over a metal bracelet plated in rose gold and held onto the silver one. On the top of the rose gold one was an emoji of a needle and a spool of thread, while the silver one had a bow and hands making a heart.

"There's a little something on the inside too." Kitagawa said looking sheepish. Flipping them over, Gojo could see that there was a line of kanji etched on the inside.

"She's my doll." in the rose gold bracelet

"He's my doll maker" was in the silver one.

"Kitagawa..." Gojo sighed affectionately.

"Is... is it okay?" she slid the silver one on before she asked nervously. Gojo sliped the rose gold one on and gently took her by the hands before he responded.

"It's perfect." Gojo whispered as he leaned in for a kiss, one that Kitagawa was happy to return back. They gently played with each other's lips for a moment before Gojo broke it off to ask a question.

"Surprised you didn't get the rose gold one for yourself. I figured that color would be more up your alley."

"I didn't because of what you said right there." Kitagawa smiled. Gojo only tilted his head in bewilderment.

"You saw the color and thought of me. It's why I chose mine to be silver." She purred. Gojo chuffed at hearing that, understanding how it made sense. Kitagawa went to lean in to continue the kiss, but was stopped when Gojo asked another question.

"This is to get me used to the idea of wearing a wedding band, isn't it?" He said with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Wha-why would y-you say th-that?" Kitagawa sputtered as her eyes darted nervously, not thinking that her line of thought would be discovered and revealed so soon. He just chuckled quietly as he placed the adorned hand on her face. He held it still as he leaned down for a silencing kiss.

"I will. At some point." he offered simply when he pulled away again, thumb brushing her rosy cheeks.

"That's all I ask for." Kitagawa grinned.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It was another month later and Kitagawa had a short workday planned out for her. There were plans to head home early because Gojo also had a short day ahead of him. Well, short enough. He had more classes after five, but he had a window of time around three. Their schedules had become fairly out of wack between the classes and the photo shoots, so they wanted to make the most of this opportunity. Which really just summed up to Gojo coming home and making dinner with an hour of watching shows or gaming before he had to leave again. As Kitagawa was wrapping up getting her normal outfit on, she received a text from Gojo.

Hubby <3<3<3] I'm out of class right now. I need to stop by the store before I head home however because I don't think we have enough dumpling wrappers for gyoza. Could you do me a favor when you get home and chop the vegetables that we have and defrost the meat?

She sent back a sticker of a rabbit saying okay and left the studio. Now back inside their apartment, she made a beeline for the bathroom and dug out a previously worn samue top and replaced the shirt she was wearing with it. She made it back to the kitchen and took the meat out of the freezer to let it thaw on the counter. After she gathered up the vegetables, she prepped them and started cutting, getting lost in the rhythm of the work. Nearing the end of the green onion she was chopping, she heard the door open.

Gojo? You're back already?" She cleaned her hands and went to see him at the door. As she turned the corner, she was stopped in her tracks at noticing a familiar black hoodie that he was wearing.

"Notice something Kitagawa?" Gojo said in a clearly playful and passive aggressive tone. He removed the strap connected to his duffle bag and let it drop unceremoniously to the floor.

"Uhhh... maybe?' she replied, her voice ticking upward several notches.

"You want to know how my day went?" Gojo continued, still in the same tone of voice, "My day was interesting, to say the least. I found out early this morning, that every time my girlfriend comes over to my dorm, she's somehow been maliciously stealing my samue tops and replacing them with the shirt she was wearing at the time." He said as he passed her and rounded the corner with some grocery bags to shove them onto the counter.

"Someone also thought it would be funny to put the hoodie that was never supposed to leave the apartment into my bag of clothes for the week. Which, if you can't tell where this is going, means that I had no shirts with my only option of tops for today being either a woman's top that is mostly likely too small for me or the sexy hoodie that was never supposed to see the light of day." He rapidly stalked over to her and grabbed at her waist before she could make her getaway.

"I had people giggling at me the entire day at college! I got yelled at by old ladies! Three different old ladies yelled at me and called me a prude!" Gojo began a vicious tickle attack on his girlfriend as punishment for the treatment he had been receiving all day. Kitagawa was rendered useless and disarmed as she helplessly fought a losing battle against his experienced hands.

"I had some guy on the train ask me who the anime character on my hoodie was and where I bought it! I had to tell him it was my girlfriend and when I did, he scoffed and said 'Yeah right. Guys like us don't get girlfriends.' It took me showing him my home screen and the bracelet for it to get through his dense head!" The attack never let up as he continued to berate her with his precise, wriggling fingers. Kitagawa started to feel lightheaded as she had a hard time taking in oxygen.

"Di-didn't I l-leave one o-of my m-en's si-sized sh-irts ov-over there?" She found it difficult to speak as she was still being tickled. Miraculously, Gojo stopped as he processed what Kitagawa was trying to say. Letting her have a moment to breathe again, he walked over to the duffle bag left at the door and rummaged around looking for a sign of what she had said.

"Aaaugh, I'm an idiot." Gojo groaned as he pulled out a shirt he recognized as having a men's design on it. Leaning for support against a corner of the wall, Kitagawa slowly gained the ability to speak again.

"Almost makes me wonder if you wanted to wear it out in public." She joked dangerously as she gasped. Gojo turned and started daggers through her soul.

"Alright, that is it." He snarled. He ran back to her and lifted her up into a princess carry. Using one hand, he pulled back the hem of the samue she stole that hadn't gone unnoticed by Gojo, and began to blow massive raspberries into her stomach. Sending her into another fit of laughter, she didn't notice until it was too late when he dropped her onto an open space on the counter. Moving to stand in between her legs, he continued his assault of raspberries while Kitagawa shrieked and squirmed while trying to knee him in the ribs. Another moment of relentless tickling passed and Gojo could feel the slapping against his shoulders start to make their intention clear. He lifted his head up to see Kitagawa's face before him.

Flushed red as a bright cherry with unfocused eyes and gasping for air, it was a familiar sight to him. He could feel himself flush a little in response, but decided to keep the angry act up.

"Well? Do you feel like apologizing?" Gojo smirked as he loomed above Kitagawa.

"If I say yes, will you let me breathe?" She gasped out tiredly.

"Only if you really mean it." He muttered into her belly, planting little suckling kisses while it twitched. Kitagawa giggled as her hands drifted to his hair.

"There might be a problem then." She moaned lightly as she felt the attention her midsection was getting, wishing that type of care was placed in other areas on her.

"Guess I'll just have to find other ways of making you pay, now won't I?" A small groan was muffled as he felt the heat of her exertion radiate through her skin.

It was still very cold outside and she felt oh so warm now. A hand came up and tugged on the tie holding the panels of the top together and used his hands to bunch up the sides of it to pull the panels away from each other. Opening up the stolen shirt, he could see that there was only a plain white bra under it. Using the grip on the shirt, he slid her down the counter's edge and used the opportunity to kiss a path up her stomach. Kitagawa moaned louder as she felt Gojo lick a strip in between her breasts, feeling the tip dig under the border of the fabric.

"I thought you were going to make dinner, Gojo?" Kitagawa goaded as her hands betrayed her thoughts, carding and tugging pleasantly on his short locks of hair.

"Dinner? I've got a juicy rabbit roast right here." His head continued up to her shoulder where he bit and pulled on the strap of her bra, letting it snap back on her skin.

"And use my first name." Wakana growled hotly into the spot where the strap landed. Marin rolled her body into the attention, not feeling guilty in the slightest for what she had done.

[bokettochild]

Opera house AU, had a Flora and Four idea

Based on my own experiences, Flora, Groose and Four all apprentice under Grandpa. Flora's an electrician, Groose a carpenter and Four a plumber. However, they all have plenty experience in each other's trades (I was an electrician for years and learnt plumbing and carpentry as part of the job)

They all passed their theory tests, they just need the hours working and thanks to the Opera House there's never a shortage of it XD

Grandpa gave Four his old plumbing wrenches, Groose his toolbelt and Flora a set of overalls. She's always wearing them

I don't think they're all apprenticed officially, but I like the idea!

None of the three have official areas of expertise. Four's nickname is more because he's mastered four different fields (plumbing, electric work, programming, mechanics). Groose is more their special effects and stunt gear worker, and tends to work more as a set builder and stage manager (preparing the stage between scenes and working the ropes and whatnot for special effects or stunts while four handles lights).

Groose was an accident for the opera. Sky brought him over one day because he needed to pick something up from work and Groose just wandered around and got himself lost before proceeding to insult Legend and Twilight's set design. Both were insulted, but then Groose showed them how to make it better and the affront was quickly fixed, especially when Groose lifted the set for them to help them move it. Twilight asked him to apply for work on the spot and Groose did. Despite is attitude, Grandpa is fond of him. The redhead doesn't like being tied down and isn't much for having others tell him what to do, so he's not exactly apprenticed, but he does appreciate having Grandpa come around and review his creations and help him at times when even Four is stumped (or too tired to properly think).

Flora's parents are under the impression she's working at the Opera as an actress, and because she's underage she can't technically be apprenticed anywhere without parental consent. Four took her under his wing to teach her what he knows though so she could still work at the opera but do what she loves instead of being on stage, but I feel Grandpa probably helps out where he can. Purah and Robbie (the basement gremlins) have a claim on her as well, but it's generally agreed that no one lets it out of the opera house itself that she's not acting, so there's no official papers or studying going on, just unofficial (Wild's trying to help her apply to classes online though). She appears in minor roles on stage to keep up appearances but prefers this arrangement.

Grandpa doesn't work at the opera of course, he runs a bike shop in the downtown district, but he visits. He definitely supplies the techs with materials, and he 100% got Flora her first set of coveralls (and got a huge hug in return). He and Four adore Flora and are hoping to officially apprentice her once shes of age, but she doesn't want to have to leave the opera, so Four's probably going to become her mentor, with Grandpa offering assistance and advice whenever they need it.

That said, Grandpa practically sees Flora as his bonus grand-daughter, and they spend her days off together a lot and get coffee or go bike riding. She doesn't own a motorcycle, but Four and Grandpa let her ride with them and she loves it! Grandpa's working on a battle-jacket for her as well, but shhhhh! she doesn't know, it's a birthday present :)

Flora's own father (Rhoam is a business tycoon) doesn't make much time for her, so he has no idea he's almost been replaced by a common bike mechanic and his weirdo grandson. Her mother has a bit of a clue, but she doesn't mind because it means Flora is out of the way and safe so she and Rhaom can work without worry that their daughter is up to no good behind their backs.

[sundaynightlive]

You Are in Love (Steddie)

Yeah, I’m a Swiftie, deal with it.

(TW: blood and death, I guess?)

Steve and Eddie’s dramatic ass reunion after the Upside Down debacle, secretly-daring-before-season-4 edition.

Just some sappy, fluffy shit. So short—impossibly short.

I have so much I wanna write and post but my wifi is down and I hate writing on my phone so we all out of luck until my grandpa fixes it lmao.

You can hear it in the silence.

Quiet, as the dust clears. Steve’s heartbeat is in his fucking throat—the tear is closed, and they’re alive. They’re all alive, even—

You can feel it on the way home.

It’s time he was honest, he knows that. He knows how long he’s been lying, how much he’s been hiding from his people—his family. They didn’t deserve that, but he couldn’t help not being ready.

He’d only managed to tell Rob, for obvious reasons.

He’s far from Steve, separated by the chaos, bleeding profusely from long scars on his back where there used to be wings—dirty, hair soaked with rain and blood and sweat—he’s looking at Steve, wide-eyed, probably shocked to be alive when not too long ago he was undead, and not long before that, just dead.

God, how that had torn Steve apart—no one to cry to except Wayne and Rob, nobody to talk to, avoiding Dustin like a plague, unable to offer a shoulder when he needed one himself.

More than a shoulder—whole bodies, whole hearts and minds to console him in his grief.

And Dustin is still pissed at him for this, and Steve has a lot of apologizing to do for the way he’s been. He has a lot of apologizing to do for his refusal to explain himself.

But right now isn’t the time to worry about that.

You can see it with the lights out.

Steve is crying before he’s moving, choking out sobs before he even thinks to go towards Eddie to hold him for the first time in ages.

He’s wiping his eyes, rooted to the spot, blubbering like a goddamn baby until Robin pushes at his shoulder, urging him forward, and he realizes that yeah.

Yeah, he should probably go.

“Go, Steve.”

You are in love. True love.

He stumbles first, and then he’s running. He’s never run while crying before, and finds himself teetering and stumbling, but it’s not enough to stop it.

It’s been so long. So long.

God, Steve can’t wait to bring Eddie home, to laugh and cry and settle in Wayne’s arms, too, and then get that fucker in a shower, and maybe climb in there with him.

Or a bath. Maybe even a bath.

He can’t wait to crawl into bed with him again, to wake up in the morning to coffee and breakfast, courtesy of Wayne. He can’t wait to show him all the things he’s missed, to bring him to Hellfire and let him learn Will’s campaign, to get him a job, to get him a life. Get him his life back.

He can’t wait to wake up whole. Without that empty fucking space, and that empty fucking vest.

“You fucking idiot,” he sobs.

You are in love.

Eddie holds him, bares the force of him and then holds him tightly, laughing hysterically, crying, too. Steve is smearing blood across his hands and Ed’s back, and he can’t bring himself to fucking care. It’s not terrible—the scars won’t be terrible.

Eddie’s alive. He’s alive.

And really, Steve could care less about the eyes on them, curious onlookers plus Robin, who is yelling something like—

“Fuck yeah! We’re alive, motherfuckers!”

“I’m sorry,” Eddie says, hoarse, and Steve pulls out of the hug, tears streaming down his face. “I know I said I—“

“You wanted to kiss me before we split up, you dumb son of a bitch,” Steve manages, voice breaking, shaking his head slightly at the intense relief washing through every cell in his body, “So do it, Munson.”

The smile he’s gifted is worth every second of agony.

Eddie’s hands come around his face and pull him forward. Robin hoots and hollers. Steve just pulls his boyfriend closer, crying profusely and hoping to never wake from this moment. Nothing in his life will ever feel like this again—

And, to be fair, it shouldn’t.

You can hear it in the silence…

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024- Day 3- Extra-Dimensional Being

Glass Cannon

Or, more specifically, Night Action- Monster March Style. With a Jumper twist. Now, while the term Glass Cannon has it's own meaning, this is obviously, a twist on it. And, hopefully, once I finish Monster March. I can go back and finish this. I'm trying extra super hard to stay on track and post these, on time. So I'm doing my best to post at least a part 1 of all of these prompts.

As always, a huge thanks to @borealwrites for their amazing Monster March 2024 prompt list. Enjoy.

Monster March 2024 Day 3- Extra Dimensional Being  

Night Action Monster March Style

Glass Cannon

Teagan pulled into the driveway of her grandparents house and couldn’t help but cry fresh tears. She felt like she just wanted to jump into a black hole and disappear forever. But she also knew her family would jump in to save her, no matter how badly she felt she needed to disappear. 

Teagan felt like her life was in chaos. 

Her partner, fell in love with a client. And her partner and the client practically took her business and all of her customers right out from under her. With no more clients, she couldn’t afford to rent the space. And had to move all of her things out of there and into storage. Her savings dwindled when she tried to restart the business but failed because where she had moved to, while it was good she was unknown, she just couldn’t get a foothold. She lost the new space, and her apartment, all at the same time. So she was essentially homeless, jobless, out of money and out of options. 

Her parents had already been moved to an assisted living community because of dementia and other health issues. And so she couldn’t go to them. 

All of her siblings just didn’t have room in their homes, with their families that always felt like it was bursting at the seams already. She had already couch surfed her few remaining friends and now, the only place left to go, was her grandparents house. 

Her grandma Hyacinth, came out of the house and came to her driver’s side door and opened the door to reach in and hug her. 

“Oh honey, it’s ok. It’s ok. You’re here now. You’re safe and sound. Come on, let’s get you inside.” She urged as Teagan nodded into her grandma’s shoulders and unbuckled her seatbelt and came inside where they had made Teagan’s favorite dishes to give her as much comfort as possible as Teagan sunk down into the dining room chair and while she didn’t feel that hungry before, now that she was sitting here, she realized she hadn’t eaten anything of real sustenance in weeks as Hyacinth scooped big portions onto Teagan’s plate as Teagan began to cry less and less with every bite she took. 

Her grandpa Jude had gone and gotten some help from a neighbor kid to start unpacking Teagan’s car of her things to move her into the guest bedroom. 

“Thank you Grandpa.” Teagan said between mouthfuls. 

“You’re welcome Sweetheart. You just go ahead and keep on eating. Sport and I got this.” He waived off as the young kid seemed to be like 12 or 13. Teagan had known the kid to shovel driveways and mow lawns for the neighbors for the last couple of years and Teagan could only hope he was charging enough to do such things. 

“I just…I just don’t know where to start.” Teagan finally confessed to her grandma. 

“Start fresh. That’s all you can do. Tomorrow will be a new day. And the important thing is, is that you’re safe here. You can rest here. You need to rest and give yourself time to adjust and once you’ve recovered and settled, then you can focus on where you can go from here. Your grandpa and I still have a bit of money in savings. It’s not enough to reset you completely. But it’s enough to buy a seed or two to plant and grow.” She reassured her granddaughter. 

“Here, have a drink. I got a new recipe, I want you to tell me what you think.” She offered as she inched the glass closer to her granddaughter. 

Teagan picked it up and took a sip. 

“Is this…is this a liquid marijuana?” Teagan asked as she could distinctly taste the midori melon liqueur. 

“I like to call it a Lady Green, sounds more sophisticated. I still have a firm no drugs policy, even in name.” Hyacinth waved off in a teasing tone as Teagan snorted a laugh into her drink before she drank more. This was one of her favorite drinks too. Sweet and fruity and lethal as far as alcohol content. Her grandparents were a bit eccentric, but adorable and lovable all the same as Hyacinth giggled with her granddaughter. 

“Have you gone to see Mom?” Teagan asked.

“Yes, she thought I was an old neighbor of hers. Poor thing, quite out of her mind.” She shook her head. 

“Yeah, she had no idea who I was when I saw her either. And Dad, his knee replacement surgery didn’t go as well as he hoped and he isn’t healing like he should. He's practically wheelchair bound now. I’m really worried about him.” Teagan admitted. 

“Me too. But, the important thing is that they are where they will receive the best care and help and support right where they are.” Hyacinth reassured her before her phone rang and she answered it. 

“Hi Hi.” She answered it once she got up and then went to a counter where her tablet was. 

“Yes of course, I’m going to send you the address and the code ok?” She offered before she went and seemed to do a few taps on her tablet before looking back up and away as she listened to who was on the phone. 

“Did you get it?” She asked and smiled and nodded. 

“Good. Have the day you deserve.” She offered before she hung up. 

“Another AirBnB reservation?” Teagan asked. 

“Yes. They come in all the time, both day and night.” She excused as she returned to the table with her. 

“But it’s how we afford to live here and take care of your parents when the facility can’t cover everything.” She sighed. 

“Once you get settled, I’ll take you around to all of them and let you have your pick of whichever one you want though. It’s the least we can do. But it will just take a while for that to happen. You just need to be patient.” Hyacinth offered before Jude got the last of the items and paid “Sport” for the help before Sport happily pocketed the money and bid them goodbye and to call him if they needed help with anything else before Jude came in and sat on the other side of Teagan at the table. 

“Glad to have you home Sweetpea.” He cooed as he hugged her from the side and kissed the crown of her head. 

“Thank you for taking me in.” Teagan offered. 

“Oh don’t say it like you’re some poor orphan. You’re family. You stay as long as you want and as long as you need to- to get your feet back underneath you. You’ve been through enough hell as it is. We don’t need to add to it. We know how much you love your independence and self sufficiency and the blows to your pride to just come to us and ask, have been too big and too tough if you ask me. Just sit back and let us take care of you for a bit. You’re not being a leech or anything. Everyone falls on tough times. This is just yours hitting all at once.” Grandpa Jude comforted and reassured her as he rubbed circles into her back. 

Teagan happily wrapped each arm around each of them on either side of her and hugged them. 

“Thank you.” She thanked them. 

“You’re welcome. Now eat up. You’ve lost too much weight as it is.” Hyacinth insisted once she dumped another spoonful of stuffing onto Teagan’s plate while Grandpa Jude gave her another scoop of gravy for her mashed potatoes. 

It took a while to get used to all the calls that they got, as it seemed like they were getting at least several an hour, as they would get a call and then need to make a few more with each one. Teagan wondered if her grandparents must have had dozens of places that they rented out. But couldn’t find it in her heart to be upset about it. It would hopefully just be that many more options for her moving forward. But she was not about to complain. She had a lot of aunts and uncles that were more or less “adopted” and the family was always going here or there and doing this or that. But her grandparents seemed to be home base and a touchstone for everyone else and how they kept it all straight was beyond Teagan’s understanding. 

After a few more days of this, Teagan seemed to acclimate and began to anticipate the calls and would hand her grandparent’s their tablets or their phones- only moments before their phones would ring as they would be around the house, doing various things and pause to direct the cleaning service they hired to clean the AirBnB’s after each guest would stay as Teagan was just happy to rest, help with meals and cleaning up to let her grandparents continue to “do business”. As it was clear that it was booming for them. Which, she could be happy for them. But also knew, it was a lot of work too and didn’t envy them. But Teagan rather liked all the distractions from what she was dealing with. She still remembered how her grandma liked her tea, how her grandpa liked his coffee and other little things like that. She was happy to play “caregiver” to them, even though they didn’t need that much “care” in that sense. Just the occasional reminder to eat and drink every so often and bring chargers to charge their ever ringing phones and tablets as they would move around their home throughout the day.

“You know Teagan, maybe we ought to train you on how to manage all of this. Your grandma and I might want to really, fully retire someday. And it would be nice to leave this business to a family member who would be able to manage it and make it grow. It’s like you have a sixth sense about it.” Grandpa Jude began as Hyacinth paused to give Jude a meaningful look. 

“I wouldn’t wish the constant phone ringing on anyone in the family.” Hyacinth gently contested. 

“Besides, we already have buyers cued up for our business. Who have been getting their feet wet and are gaining a lot of experience in handling this. I think if Teagan can wait it out for a little while, we can just give her, her share of the sale with everyone else. And really let her build something for herself. And not just continue this never ending cycle. These are supposed to be our golden years Jude. I feel like my mother when she was a phone cable girl, always patching calls through. Being a hub to receive requests and directing them to their final destinations.” She offered with a tired sigh as she tried to get back to her knitting from her last set of phone calls and at least remember to drink her tea while it was still warm. 

“Not that I don’t think you can do it. I just think you can do something more noble and worthy of your time than just managing this tangle.” Hyacinth reassured Teagan. 

“Yeah, I’ll be honest. It’s not my cup of tea. I like my peace and quiet and solitude.” Teagan offered with a polite smile as she lounged on their sofa and read a book as Hyacinth gave Jude an ‘I told you so’ look as Jude rolled his eyes before other calls came in that took their attention once again. 

However, that night, Teagan awoke and frowned when the house was deathly quiet. The phone calls had ceased and when she checked her phone. It was showing something similar to a blue screen of death. No signal, no wifi, nothing. Which was extremely odd. She tried to turn on the light, but the power was out. Which would explain the unsettling quietness. Nothing was on. Not even the clocks on the walls ticked. Something was wrong. Grossly so. Every hair on Teagan’s body stood on end as impending doom grew like a boulder in her gut. And suddenly, she got the sensation that so many people were jumping just outside the home and closing in. Like a pack of wolves. 

Teagan got up and went through the darkened house, and peeked into her grandparent’s room, to see it was empty. Bed wasn’t even disturbed. And just as she was about to go to the bathroom, she heard her grandparents frantically whispering downstairs. 

“We should have moved Teagan yesterday!” Jude harshly whispered as he racked some loads into his shotgun. 

“I thought we had more time!” Hyacinth defended as she was pulling her decorative cookie jars down and pulling weapons and ammo from them and tossing things over to Jude who was at the table loading their ever growing arsenal as Hyacinth seemed to pull more and more weapons that were hidden all around their kitchen! Teagan stared wide eyed and slack jawed. The most dangerous thing her grandparents had ever handled before was a chef knife. Where did all of this come from?

“We need to jump her.” Jude insisted. 

“Except that they will use that to track her that much faster. She can’t jump on her own. We can use our rabbit hole in the closet to get her out of here. Send her to the Fluers.” Hyacinth said. 

“She’s already so delicate, this would break her if we did that.” Jude argued. 

“Then we’ll make her Bullet Proof. I’ll go wake her.” Hyacinth decided before she went to get to the stairs to see Teagan already on the middle landing. 

“Oh good! You’re up. Put this on.” Hyacinth urged her as she brought her to the kitchen and put a backpack on her as Jude was writing something down. 

“What’s going on? Why do you guys have so many weapons? Are we about to get raided or something? Do I need to jump out of here?” Teagan asked.

“No, don’t jump!” Hyacinth sharply urged her. 

“We are going to put you into the closet. The closet is going to portal you somewhere safe, when you get there, get on a phone and call this number and say these exact words in this exact order. And then give them this message. Do not jump and portal back here! Do you hear and understand me, Teagan?” Jude asked once he put the paper into her hands and then held her face in his weathered hands. 

“Yes Sir.” Teagan nodded as tears soon glassed her own eyes. 

“Good girl.” Jude offered with tears glazing his eyes as he kissed her forehead and then left to get something. 

“And do not use your own jumping and portaling abilities once you are through. Because if you do, another jumper will jump through your portal to where you just portaled from. And once they get your portal signature, they’ll be able to track you and hunt you down. Do not, under any circumstances jump to true friends or anyone in the family because the people that are outside and closing in on us, will kill everyone in the family. Even your baby nieces and nephews. You can’t lead this danger to them. Got it?” Hyacinth urged her as she fitted the backpack to her granddaughter. 

“What the hell is going on?” Teagan asked. 

“We don’t have time to tell you. We only have time to save you. Don’t worry about us ok? We’ve been through worse. When this is all over, go to the Fluers. Tell them you’re a consigliere. They’ll give you- your true inheritance. But that’s only after this danger is gone. And you are truly safe ok?” Hyacinth urged her. 

“We love you.” Jude offered before he came up and injected something into her neck as she whimpered and hissed in pain before Hyacinth injected her with something else in the other side of her neck as she looked hurt and betrayed at her grandmother who could only give her an apologetic smile. 

“Go, go now!” They urged as they both shoved her into the closet and suddenly the closet floor vanished and she was suddenly falling and all around her was a blur of light and color as a glass tube seemed to encapsulate her and protect her from around her before suddenly it stopped, but only for a moment, just as she was about to leave the tube, it went again and by the second time it stopped, she tried to get out again, only for the tube to lock and send her again, this time the colors all around her moving in all manner of directions that made her so dizzy. She felt like she was in a roller coaster as her body’s center of gravity seemed to move and switch around before it finally stopped and the tube shattered all around her as she put her arms above her head to keep the glass from scratching her head. As she expected to feel the glass shards cut her hands. But thankfully they just slid off of her like snow. As that was odd. Now, all around her feet was just a ring of snow. 

But that roller coaster of a ride had made her sick but she wanted to throw up. But she couldn’t. She needed to get to a phone. She opened what felt like a closet door to find another house around her as she quickly grabbed the phone to call the number. 

“Yes, go ahead.” She heard a male voice answer on the other side. 

“Hi, Hi, Night Action! Jade. Soap. Ivy. Dove.” She read off the first line that her grandfather had written down. 

“Thank you. Is this Pheonix or Raine?” He asked. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What is going on? Who is this? Who did I call?” Tatum cried as she heard him take a measured breath. 

“What was the name of your primary school?” He asked.

“What primary school? I went to school in the US. Is that like an elementary school or something?” Teagan replied. 

“Ma’am. You’ve called the wrong number. I have to keep this line free.” He tried to dismiss. 

“No! Don’t hang up! My grandparents told me to call you. Jude and Hyacinth Smithenson. My grandparents are in trouble. They portaled me to…I don’t know where, they gave me this paper and told me to say “ Hi, Hi! Night Action!” and then ‘Jade, soap, ivy, dove and to tell you that “the hub is compromised, infiltrated and ambushed and that the hub is being flushed”. But you have to help them! Someone cut the power to their house. And the house is being surrounded and they’re probably after me too! I felt it. At least a few dozen people jumped all around my grandparents house. It was like a pack of wolves!” She exclaimed as she read the rest of the message. 

“The hub was compromised? infiltrated? And ambushed?!” He repeated, in shock. 

“Yes! You have to send someone to help them! They wrote down that they were flushing it though? What does that mean?” She asked before she heard him repeat what she had just told him. 

“What’s happening?” She asked before she heard him tell whoever else he was talking to- the address of her grandparent’s place. 

“What’s your name?” The guy on the other side of the call asked. 

“Teagan, Teagan Smitherson. I’m their granddaughter.” She answered before he seemed to whisper something under his breath that, if she had to guess, sounded like an ‘oh shit’. 

“Teagan. I’m Payton. The phone that you’re calling from, does it have a pie symbol on it, like the  square root of pie?” He asked before she pulled it away and looked at it. 

“Yes.” She confirmed. 

“Press that key. And the phone will tell me where you are so I can send you the right help.” He instructed before she did. But only a few seconds later, she felt a tingle and someone jumped to the middle of the street as she saw the rifle across their chest.  

“Shit, what kind of signal did I just set off? Someone just jumped outside the house!” She asked. 

“What?!” He exclaimed before he started barking off all kinds of codes and orders on the other side. 

“Teagan, I’m just now getting the signal here. Is the place you’re in- have either a basement or an upstairs?” He asked. 

“Both. I think.” She answered. 

“Ok, what you’re going to do is open the door to the basement and then run upstairs. But stay low and try not to get seen. 

“It’s gonna be hard with this backpack on my back.” She offered. 

“Then take the backpack off and throw it into the basement before you go upstairs. Chances are, they’re tracking whatever is in the backpack.” Payton directed her before she did as he told her and opened the pantry, then the bathroom before finally finding the door to the basement and tossed it down the stairs before she quickly and quietly closed the doors and then crouched and went towards the stairs. 

“Ok, the backpack is in the basement, I’m headed up the stairs. Now what?” She asked. 

“Get to any room with a locking door. Lock it and then leave it closed but not inside the room itself. But it’s going to give you time for help to come. Get to the farthest bedroom. Do not lock that door, but hide in the closet.” He instructed her before she heard the other jumper break into the house next door and then, the gun that they had, was being fired. 

“They’ve followed me here, they’re going to the other houses and they’re shooting the neighbors!” She whispered in a whimper from the closet before she heard guns go off form all the houses all around her. 

“They’re shooting all the neighbors! All around me! More jumped after me!” There’s a whole group of them!” She breathed before the door got kicked in downstairs. 

“Shit! They’re here! They’re inside! They’re gonna find me! But Grandma told me not to jump.” She shuddered as tears streaked down her face. 

“Yes, don’t jump. They will follow you. Don’t jump. We just need to get to you first. But for now, be quiet, be as quiet as you can be. But if they get to you first, fight, fight for your life and fight like hell until we can get to you ok?” He tried to coach her before the intruders came up the stairs. 

“You still with me Teagan?” He asked, but all he heard was shuddering breath. 

“Press the pound sign if you can’t talk.” He told her before she did. 

“It’s gonna be ok. Help is only seconds away. I have an entire team coming for you. And they will be in the house in only a second.” He tried to say before she felt the tingle and then suddenly all around her, a whole group jumped into every room of the house and suddenly all the guns were going off before she was in another glass box, this one, not moving but bullets were bouncing off of it. She was essentially a goldfish and in fishbowl. She could see and hear but not escape. She felt so helpless as she heard the barrage of gunfire all around her but was helpless to either help or escape. 

Then, once again, silence before the glass vanished. 

“Teagan? Teagan Smitherson?” She heard her name. 

“Someone is calling my name.” She breathed into the phone. 

“That’s Commander Juno. You can answer her, you’re safe.” He told her as he breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Juno?” Teagan finally answered before the closet door was opened. 

“Hi Teagan. I’m Juno Bexly. Payton sent me here to get you. You’re safe now.” Juno offered as she offered Teagan her hand to help her to her feet. 

“You’re safe now Teagan. That’s Commander Juno. She’s a badass. She’ll take great care of you from here on out ok? You did great. I’m so proud of you. You’re gonna be ok.” Payton offered. 

“Thank you Payton. Thank you for helping me.” Teagan tearfully offered. 

“You’re welcome. Happy to help. I’m gonna hang up now ok? I’m gonna check up on your grandparents.  You’ll be ok.” Payton urged. 

“Yes, please, thank you. Goodbye.” She answered before she hung up the phone. 

“Is the backpack still in the basement?” Teagan asked Juno. 

“No, they got it before we could get here. Half of them jumped out the moment we jumped in. Half of my team is jumping after them and hunting them down. We killed all the others.” She offered as Teagan watched as the dead bodies were tagged and then jumped to somewhere else.

“What about the neighbors?” Teagan tearfully asked. 

“They’re all dead, aren’t they?” Teagan asked before Juno nodded. 

“All for me? All for…a backpack?! What the fuck was in that thing?” Teagan asked before Juno enveloped her into a hug. 

“I don’t know. But backpacks can be replaced. You can’t.” Juno tried to offer. 

“But what about Granny and Papa? Are they still alive?” Teagan asked. 

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard.” Juno offered. 

“But for now, let’s just get you somewhere safe ok?” Come on, I’m gonna jump us back to base.

“Wait, where am I?” She asked. 

“We’re in a suburb of Nashville Tennessee.” She answered. 

“But…But I jumped from Oregon.” Teagan offered. 

“Actually you jumped a hundred and eleven times around the world. Which is why we had such a hard time tracking you and finding you. But now, we’re about to jump to Washington D.C.” Juno informed her before they stepped onto a jump pad. But Juno jumped. Teagan was simply left to stand there. 

“Oh shit. Boss, we have a problem. Miss Smitherson can’t jump.” Someone reported. 

“That’s ridiculous.” Juno answered before she jumped back and tried to jump again. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Juno barked at the others. 

“I don’t know.” They offered before they tried to give Teagan a body tag and the body tag itself jumped, but not her. 

“General Jordan, we have a problem. We can not get the target to jump.” Juno reported into a radio on her shoulder. 

“Try every dimensional jump we can.” General Jordan offered before Teagan was moved from pad to pad as they were all set up around the house. But with no success. 

“What the everloving fuck?” Juno growled. 

“This is not your fault Teagan. This is not your fault. I just have never had any being not be able to jump before.” Juno quickly reassured her. 

“When my grandma sent me, she put me in a glass tube.” Teagan volunteered. 

“And right before you came, another glass tube came around me.” Teagan added. 

“Gods damn it.” Juno hissed in realization. 

“Hey General Jordan. I think have to Glass Cannon her.” Juno informed her superior. 

“Glass Cannon?” Teagan repeated. 

“Glass Cannons is a very, very specific form of jumping. It takes glass from the mirror realm to encase the subject in a bullet proof, perfect case, The only time the glass cannon shatters is when it delivers the payload to a final destination. That’s how you survived 111 jumps with no harm to your being whatsoever, most can’t do more than 20 without getting violently ill.” Juno explained. 

“When I jumped here, the glass shattered. I expected it to cut me.” Teagan answered.

“Where? Where did it jump you here?” Juno asked before Teagan led them to the downstairs closet and the moment they opened the closet, it looked like there was a heap of snow on the floor of the closet before everyone else took a huge step back as Juno pulled Teagan away and behind her.   

“Oh shit. This isn’t normal glass. This is….this is snow glass. It’s the most specialized glass there is. When it breaks, it falls like snow. But it acts like fiberglass to everyone else. Only the most precious world leaders jump and portal in snow glass. Who put you into this?” Juno realized. 

“My grandparents, Hyacinth…” Teagan began. 

“And Jude Smitherson, also known as Raine’s Pheonix, orchestrators of the Central Hub.” Juno finished as she seemed to look at Teagan with more appreciation. 

“Excuse me?” Teagan asked. 

“They are very important people. I’ve never met a family member of theirs. Ok. If Raine’s Pheonix saw fit to send you in snow glass. We’ll…find a way to send you back to safety in snow glass.” Juno offered. 

“I need a snow glass sent here. Target is leaded out.” Juno directed into her communicator on her shoulder. 

“Leaded out?” Teagan asked. 

“It’s a thing for your protection. Your grandparents made it so that no one can jump you without snow glass. And no one can get that and we have to get all kinds of special permissions to even get one.” Juno admitted. 

“Captain, we have a problem. The target is leaded out. And can only be portaled through a snow glass cannon. The only way to bring her in is either we need to get one, or bring her back physically. I will need an envoy.” Juno reported. 

“Now that the target is secured. We need to secure the payload. I need your team to continue to track it.” General Joradan instructed. 

“I can take her back Sir.” Juno offered. 

“No, I need you to lead your team to secure the payload.” General Jordan contested. 

“I’ll go. It’s the least I can do for Raine’s Pheonix.” Payton offered from beside the General who had come into Headquarters once alerted that Raine’s Pheonix and the central hub had fallen. 

“Ok, go.” General Jordan insisted before Payton vanished into a shadow and came out of a second one on the other side as Juno nearly jumped out of her skin. But Teagan had turned her head towards the darkness seconds before Payton got out of it. 

“I hate it when you do that Blackwater.” Juno complained. 

“Sorry. Miss Smithenson.” He offered to Teagan. 

“You’re Payton. From the phone.” Teagan recognized his voice. 

“Yes. I understand that you’re leaded out. Practically bullet proof.” Payton began as Teagan blinked in surprise. 

“That’s what she meant.” Teagan whispered. 

“That’s what who meant?” Payton asked. 

“My grandmother, before she put me in that snow glass cannon. She said she would make me bulletproof.” Teagan repeated as she reached up to rub her neck where her grandmother had injected her. 

“Did she say anything else?” Payton asked. 

“It’s um, it’s just all fuzzy and then a blurr.” Teagan offered. 

“Well, it’s been a rough night. You should be getting some sleep. I’ll get you somewhere safe, away from all of this.” Payton offered as he gestured the shot to smithereens house. 

“Thank you.” Teagan nodded. 

“Do you trust Payton?” Teagan murmured to Juno as she was reluctant to let go of Juno’s arm. 

“Oh yeah. You’re in great hands. Think of me as a first responder and he’s a whole damn Emergency Room, if not- the whole ass hospital. He will protect you with his life. He has some real power behind him, I only have my team. I’m gonna hunt the bastards down and give those caught in the crossfire tonight, justice.” Juno nodded.

“Well, teamwork makes the dream work right?” Teagan reminded her. 

“Of course. Besides, with just you and him, you’ll be able to move to the D.C. Headquarters a lot easier and quicker than me and my team could get you there. One woman being protected by 6 armed body guards in a three SUV caravan is gonna turn some heads. But just the two of you traveling alone are gonna look like a couple on a road trip. No one is gonna give you and him a second thought or glance. You’ll practically be invisible to the average set of eyes. Plus Payton practically sets the standard for asset care. But when I’m done hunting, I’ll come back and check up on you ok?” Juno offered. 

“Ok. Thank you Juno. Good luck.” Teagan offered as she gave Juno another hug. 

“You’ll be ok. You’re in safe hands.” Juno reassured Teagan. 

“Here, since you had to throw off your backpack to throw your scent off. Take this ok? It’s practically a standard issue asset bug out bag. Chances are, that backpack was just a bug out bag. This is another one. It’ll get you by until you can get to home base, ok? You’ll be ok. Don’t be afraid to take and use everything in it ok? Think of this as a gift, one that you never have to pay back ok? Your grandparents most likely sent you with a bug out bag and you had to dump yours to throw off your scent. This is just a replacement,, ok?” Juno offered before she handed Teagan a duffle bag that was handed to her from another teammate. 

“Thanks.” Teagan offered as she took it from her and tried not to fall over when she felt like the bag weighed half as much as she did. 

“Come on, we should get out of here.” Payton invited before he escorted her out of there and into a vehicle parked in the driveway before Teagan got in the passenger side and just stared, rather blankly at her hands with the duffle bag between her feet as Payton began to drive out of there before a series of clean up vans came driving into the cul de sac as Teagan recognized the name of the cleaners. 

“The Wright Clean.” Teagan scoffed when she recognized it. That’s what they were really doing. They were probably always cleaning this kind of thing up. 

But now, how big was this mess that she found herself in now? And how far would go?

[bonesandthebees]

[“If we don’t hurry up, I’m gonna be Tommy’s grandpa by the time we get out of here,” Techno huffed] This seems like the perfect time to mention that I love the way you write Techno so much. He’s mainly a comedic character, but that doesn’t mean he bland or flat. He still very much has plot value and aside from being funny he’s also very protective. He has a clear personality to shine through. He’s also the character to make me laugh the most on a consistent basis and you always manage to give him quips to shift the tone of a second without it coming fully outta left field or feeling out of character.

And Techno and Tommy’s bickering is so much fun. It does fade to the background to show us something else. I said it in chapter 23, but Phil and Techno have learned to never leave Wilbur alone when he’s not with Tommy. Tommy moves with Techno and Phil stays with Wilbur (feels like a very q!Phil characteristic too).

And Phil has seen Wilbur zone out a lot over the past months. Our favourite Pythia is constantly in his own head. Which is not always a good thing. So Phil has to check on him. And you can see that this conversation has shifted Phil’s perception of Wilbur. And then one they are about to have shifts it further.

Phil starts by trying to figure out what has Wilbur zoned out since he probably looks at least a bit upset or conflicted. He starts by confirming that Wilbur and Tommy are like brothers. He might have picked up on the fact that Wilbur didn’t deny that bond outright, so it’s a safe place to start. He points out that they act like brothers, Phil himself has only just noticed how much they do now that Tommy put the idea in his head. (He could have noticed sooner, but this is probably the first time he labels the real action ship as such).

Wilbur then mentions that he never had siblings, which triggers Phil to realise that he doesn’t know shot about Wilbur’s family before he became the Pythia and that he’s never mentioned a family before.

[“Did you have any family before you were chosen to be the Pythia?”] He did not, which 1. Extra sus on Clara from Phil from now on. I’m sure he’ll make the connection to how much easier it is to take an orphan. 2. If Techno mentioned the rant the “nobody cared until everyone did” comment will make a lot of sense, and if Techno didn’t mention it, then it will make sense when when Techno hears about it.

3. I’m not saying this is the exact moment Phil adopts Wilbur (though I like to joke about it), but in combination with the conversation before this, an idea is very much starting to form. The idea of family wasn’t there, but it’s been offered. It’s more feeling than actual words. More tentative jokes than actual confirmation.

And found family doesn’t have to follow the same structure as a regular family. Techno and Tommy’s bickering shows that. He’s not Tommy’s father or uncle or whatever. There’s no label, but Tommy is still his kid. And Tommy confirming that he sees Wilbur as a brother turns that kid into kids, because these kids are very much a package deal.

But Phil realising that Wilbur has never had a family + they way he jokingly brushed of Phil being his dad, make it very clear that he has no idea how to be part of a family even if some part of him very clearly longs for one. As I said, and idea has been planted. The kid needs a family and Phil realises that he could give him that. Though they aren’t quite there yet.

(1/?) guess I have to start a new count since I closed the last one out of fatigue.

-🌲

aaa thank you I'm always so worried I don't give techno enough character in my fics but I also struggle so hard with his characterization so I'm just constantly trying to balance him, but I have a lot of fun writing his quips lol. and of course him bickering with tommy is always really enjoyable to write too

wilbur zones out literally all the time he's always stuck in his own head and it's definitely obvious to anyone who pays attention. phil can tell he has to check on wilbur, and like you said, his perspective shifts bc of that conversation

yeah phil of course could tell how close wilbur and tommy were at that point, but it wasn't until tommy said the word 'brother' that he really picked up on how much they act like brothers. and he wants to get a gauge for how wilbur feels about that comparison, and it's pretty easy to notice that he likes it more than he lets on

and then he realizes he knows nothing about wilbur's familial situation before he became the pythia. until it's confirmed. he definitely suspected that wilbur could've been a street kid like tommy, but the confirmation is certainly chilling.

exactly found family doesn't have to follow the structure of a typical family! even though tommy is basically phil's son, there's still something slightly different to their dynamic than father and son. tommy doesn't really think of phil as his father per se, but it's the closet word for it so that's what tommy rolls with most of the time. and then with techno he's very clearly some kind of combination of a parental/uncle figure to tommy as well, but again there's not a clear word for it which is fine. when it comes to ae duo, tommy's their kid and there's not much more that needs to be said. and now wilbur is slowly finding his way into this dynamic as well, and it's a careful balance to strike but phil sees what this could be