#i miss being able to vacuum and clean

[afusionoffandoms]

After destroying by foot, I had to come to terms with never being able to run/jump again.

Now I have to come to terms with not being able to walk.

How am I supposed to endure this for another 50 years?

[daddy-socrates]

GOD I'd rather clean the bathrooms than write this fucking thing

[xzaddyzanakinx]

Not That Kind of Guy

Part Twenty: Stalker!Anakin Skywalker x femme reader series

Warnings: stalking, weirdo behavior, psychotic/delusional behavior, possessive/protective, sexism/misogyny, sexual content/fantasizing, pervy behavior, panty/scent kink, mask kink(Ghostface), gaslighting/manipulation, public/semi-public, spitting, cumplay, nude vids/pics, masturbation, oral, PIV, dick piercing, forced orgasm, bondage/blindfolds, biting/slapping/ spanking/cutting, rape kink, NONCON/DUBCON/CNC, Somno, blood, knife, GEN. SMUT, [All possible tags listed, all may not apply] GORE, MURDER

Info: Aw ur having such a cute dinner party... wtf is that?? [diary entries from Ani] extremely not proofread. MDNI 18+

”Jesus Anakin, what happened?” You gasped, seeing the damaged door of his car as he walked you toward it. You crouched down and touched the big scrape, feeling the dented and scratch metal beneath your fingertips with a wince as you turned to look up at him, you were surprised to see a little smile on his face when you’d expected one of annoyance or anger.

”Some little girl backed into it.” He snickered, giving you a hand up from your squatted position. “Looks like there are worse drivers than you out in the world. Makes me shudder to think about.” He dramatically shivered, opening up your car door for you and guiding you into your seat with a hand on your ass.

”Was she alright?” You asked, eyebrows furrowed when he plopped himself down in the drivers seat and slammed the door shut. 

“Yeah, it was a stationary accident. She was fine, just real upset.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair before starting the car and reaching over to put a hand on your thigh while he drove. “She had the tiniest dent and just a bit of paint on the bumper. Worried sick her momma would be mad about the insurance going up.”

”Oh poor thing.” You winced, knowing all too well the worry of something like that happening from experience.

”No, don’t ‘poor thing’ her.” He snorted, patting your thigh affectionately. “I told her to get some WD-40 and a magic eraser, it’ll fix it up and her mom won’t notice the dent for a while, its so small.” 

“Well what are you gonna do about your car?” You asked, feeling a strange mixture of pride in Anakin for taking care of the issue for the young girl and a dash of irritation that he’d be paying for the damage on his car when it wasn’t even his fault.

”Cliegg will take care of it.” Anakin shrugged, clearly unbothered by the whole situation.

”Really?” You raised an eyebrow in surprise, not realizing his stepfather had any auto-body experience.

”Yeah, we’ll buff the paint and pop the dent out, its no big deal doll.” He said reassuringly. Squeezing your knee as he drove the short distance back home. 

After arriving at your apartment you were pleasantly surprised to see that your entire apartment was spotless. The dishes were gone, the trash had been taken out, the floors vacuumed and mopped so well that you could catch a whiff of the faint scent of the cleaning solution he’d used. Even the basket of laundry had been emptied and put away. It was so nice to come home to a clean, fresh smelling home like this, you’d missed it so much more than you’d realized. 

It nearly made your heart ache. 

“Anakin you didn’t have to do all this.” You turned around, giving him an appreciative smile and swallowing the little lump in your throat that was trying to creep up and stop your breathing. 

“I know that princess,” He said softly, the corner of his mouth curving up into a smile. “I just thought you might be able to relax a little better if i took care of it for you.”

”Thank you for being so sweet.” You whispered, inching closer to him until you were able to rest your head against his chest and allow him to hold you close.

“Anything for you doll,” He murmured, pressing his lips to the crown of your head lovingly. “You’re all tense sweetheart.” 

Anakin rubbed your back, one hand cupping the base of your skull, his fingertips gently scratching your scalp. After a moment of standing there comforting you, he pulled back and stroked your cheek with his thumb. He sighed, smiling down at you like you’d hung the moon just for him, you couldn’t help but blush. It was an endearing quality of his, the ability to love you so thoroughly that he didn’t even have to speak the words aloud. It often made you wonder if you exuded that same warm feeling for him, you wanted him to feel it like you did. 

It was odd, how one minute you were so completely enraptured in Anakin’s presence and the next you were punching down every guilty feeling or idea threatening to interrupt those sweet little daydreams. It seemed nearly impossible to get through a single line of thought without being intercepted and hijacked. It made you not want to think at all, made you wonder what it would be like to feel nothing but a void in your soul, not the kind that ached, the kind that burned your stomach and clawed your throat. You wanted the kind that was far removed from emotion the kind of void that was blank, empty and cold.

“Sorry, I- I was just thinking about getting in the shower.” you leaned back to look up into his face before getting to extricate yourself from his embrace.

“Let me come with you?” Anakin murmured, not entirely a question but not really a demand either. “I’ve missed you.” 

“I missed you too.” You said quietly, you had missed him of course, but there was someone out there you missed more. Not due to lack of love for Anakin, simply because it had felt like years since you’d spoken to the hunter who owned you as prey.

“Yeah, c’mon Ani.” Your voice a soft tone, hoping he’d accept the sudden subdued moment between you as one of reined in lust, rather than one of longing for another.

Anakin didn’t seem to notice, too busy ushering you toward the bathroom while he was ripping his clothing off. Whipping his shirt off over his head so aggressively that you heard one of the stitches pop, soon followed by the clattering of his belt and soft thud of his jeans hitting the bathroom floor.

“Mm.” Anakin grunted in a pleased manner as he watched you undress and toss your clothes into the laundry basket. “I love that pretty little set.” 

He whistled low and lustful as he stepped forward to fully appreciate the delicate fabric of your matching bra and panties. The snug bra had a cute, innocently sexy quality to it, the white and pink lace contrasting beautifully with your skin, the panties nearly entirely see through in the best way.

Anakin couldn’t stop smiling as he guided his palms over the soft planes of your physique as if he were seeing it for the first time all over again. Pausing his rough fingertips at the center of your spine he flicked his tongue out against your bottom lip and down your cheek to lave at your neck as a public declaration in purple. Both hands left a fiery wake as they slipped beneath the band of your bra and popped the clasp loose.

“Never gets old.” He shook his head and whispered quietly. “Every time I fall in love all over again.” 

“Ani, n-not yet.” You stuttered as he started to drag his tongue across your chest, goosebumps cropping up over your flesh so rapidly that it startled you. “At least let me rinse off the restaurant stink!” You squealed as he grabbed you by the waist and lifted you into the shower.

”Brace yourself.” He giggled, turning on the water once you’d pulled the shower curtains closed. The water sprayed down cold upon your skin, making you gasp before it grew warmer. 

“Shit, that was colder than I thought it’d be.” He shivered, chilly hands caressing your stomach until he reached the pillowy softness of your breasts, rubbing his thumbs over your pebbled nipples. “Worth it.” He grinned.

”Fuck you.” Swatting at his hands in playful defiance when you realized he wasn’t just being impatient, he’d wanted you to get doused in freezing water for his own satisfaction.

”Nope.” He shook his head, wrapping his arms around your slowly warming body, his lips tickling the sensitive skin of your earlobe. “I’ll be fucking you.”

The gravelly undertone of his voice rippled across your flesh and wormed its way down the planes of your body until it ripped into the coil growing taut in your core. Just like that, quicker than a snap of the fingers, you were putty in his strong, tattooed hands. His lips trailed down your neck, nibbled across your collarbone, and traveled to your breasts. His mouth and hands took their time massaging and tasting your water slicked skin, his little teasing nibbles turning into harder, needier bites as he moaned and fell to his knees.

”You just stay right there and make those pretty noises for me.” He murmured, lifting one of your legs to hook over his shoulder before nuzzling into your cunt.

”Anakin,” panting already as you grasped at his damp hair. “Anakin just fuck me already, you’ve been teasing me since we stepped in here.” You whined, trying to pull his face away from the apex of your thighs. 

Anakin’s hands roamed up your stomach and he shifted his position to tilt you farther back into the corner of the shower. He kept one firmly anchored to your hip that rested on his shoulder, the other gripped your chin with his thumb, pinky and ring fingers holding you in place. His middle and pointer finger forcing their way between your lips and pressing down on your tongue to shut you up.

”I want what I want and I’ll have it.” He growled, nipping your clit before diving back in to continue his work. His tongue tirelessly lapping at your folds, waning every time you neared orgasm until he had you desperately mewling around his fingers, your hips bucking against his smiling face. ”Keep your hands behind your back or I’ll make you wait longer.” He murmured, holding back a chuckle.

“Please?” You slurred, drool pooling in the corner of your mouth as you gagged on his fingers, your hands itching to move and force him to stay where you wanted him.

”You wanna cum?” He rasped, looking up at you beneath his thick lashes while flicking his tongue back and forth as he awaited your answer. A thick, garbled moan and rapid nod confirmed what he already knew, making him snicker as he slowly rose up.

”Well, you’ll just have to wait.” He whispered, wiping his face on your breasts, planting a kiss on your sternum before turning you until the water pelted your back so you’d face him while he soaped up your body.

”You’re joking.” You squeaked, your chest heaving with each breath as you shivered under the soapy loofah, the rough netting setting your already sensitive skin ablaze. “You can’t just-“

”Oh yes I can.” He interrupted you, a devilish smirk gracing his lips. “You were the one who wanted to wait until after the shower right?”

”But not like this! That was before you tortured me!” You whined, angrily grabbing the shampoos bottle, eager to get out of the shower and into the bed.

”C’mon doll, don’t complain or I’ll make it so much worse.” Promising more than just teasing, Anakin was promising a world full of nothing for you and all pleasure for himself.

”I need you, in a bad way.” He mumbled, spinning you to face the shower head so he could take over scrubbing your scalp and carding the shampoo down your tangled strands of hair. “Been waiting for you all evening, its your turn to wait now.” He growled, pressing his hardened erection against your ass, slotting it between your thighs to rub the tip against your folds, his rough hands gripping the base of his cock as he groaned. 

“This is so mean.” You whimpered, tilting your hips backward and grinding back on him.

”You better quit.” He chuckled, samcking your hip lightly before making you turn your back to the stream of water once again to rinse the suds from your hair. 

You couldn’t help but stare down at his hard, throbbing length. It stood there so proudly, so thick and pretty, adorned with that shiny silver jewelry that you never knew you needed before him. In the span of time that he’d had you distracted just by existing, he’d rinsed out your hair and rinsed himself off as well, the masculine scent of his body wash clinging to the steam of the shower. 

“Time for bed?” You grinned, wiggling your eyebrows as he led you out the shower and onto the soft bath mat, wrapping you in a towel.

”Oh you’re sleepy?” He teased, struggling not to smirk. “Well, I suppose I could wait until t-“

”No! You know that’s not what I meant!” You scowled, grabbing his wrist and dragging him along behind you to the bedroom. 

“Moody little thing.” He mumbled under his breath just loud enough for you to hear. He used his free arm to pull you back against his chest, using your tight grip on his wrist to his advantage by twisting your arm behind your back. With that arm trapped between yourself and his chest, he leaned in closer, his plump lips brushing against you ear. “I believe we’ve discussed this before. Do. Not. Raise. Your. Voice. At. Me.” 

Each word was punctuated with a pause that seemed louder than the words themselves. You’d heard that phrase. Heard it enunciated identically to this. The only difference between then and now is the person. 

“What did you just say to me?” You whispered, the warmth of your cheeks, flushed from arousal turned icy cold and pallid within milliseconds.

”I said not to raise your voice at me babydoll.” Anakin said sweetly, kissing your neck chastely before releasing you from his firm grasp, spinning you out of his hold as if on the dance floor. “It’s rude.” He chuckled, backing you up to the bed.

“Right.” You tried to swallow but it seemed as if you had temporarily lost that ability, “You’re right. I’m sorry.” 

You were startled, the aggressive embrace, the sudden change of tone, the familiar dialogue… that’s all it was. Familiar dialogue. Anakin was always a stickler for behavior, it wasn’t the first time you’d been chided by him over something small and it wouldn’t be the last. Anakin is aggressive sometimes too, this is fine.

“Atta girl.” Anakin chuckled, grabbing your chin in one hand, bringing your face closer to his for a slow, tender kiss. “I love it when you listen.” He murmured against your lips. 

“Doing my best.” You laughed uncomfortably, turning your head to the side to avoid his eyes.

”Aww, feeling shy?” He teased, stepping closer until you were forced to bend backward in order to look up into his face. 

Anakin cupped the back of your head in his large palm, using his free hand to hike one leg up over his hip. His tongue starting in the dip at the base of your throat, swiping side to side in a sidewinder fashion until he reached your jaw. The tip of his tongue traced the underside of your jaw lightly, traveling up the shell of your ear and ending with his teeth nibbling your earlobe. 

The sensation left behind was a cold flamed fire that spread from your flesh and began to seep deep into the marrow of your bones. 

“Shy?” You repeated in a whisper, having trouble forming a straight line of thought. Your brain felt off-kilter, like a switchboard operator had plugged all the cords in wrong. 

“Oh, poor thing.” He snickered, pushing you down gently. “You sound kinda stupid. Maybe just let me do the talking for now okay?” 

“S-sure.” You nodded, frowning slightly before one of his massive hands clamped down over your mouth.

”Good girl.” He grinned, pushing down on your stomach with his other hands laying flat, splaying his fingers to almost fully cover you abdomen. “Now lets see how long you can stay quiet.”

Diary Entry: October 14th

I love you. I love you so much. But I love that deer in the headlights  look on your face when I stitch your two worlds together even more. Why won’t you just admit it to yourself? Why do you continue to torture yourself like this? It’s baffling.  You’re sleeping beside me right now, if you could even consider what you’re doing to be sleep. Whimpering and mumbling in a  ‘being chased by a monster In your dreams’ kind of way. I’ve tried petting you, playing with your hair and even talking quietly. The only thing that seemed to work was  when I started to doodle in my notebook, maybe somewhere in the back of your mind you associate the sound of pencil on paper with safety. The brain is so weird in that way.  How is it that you couldn’t ever hear me break in and roam around your apartment but you could hear me sit in the floor with your cat in my lap and write in my journal? At this point I think even taking off my mask right in front of you wouldn’t convince you to see the truth.  What excuses are you giving yourself now?  What excuse are you going to come up with after you find out what I’ve done? 

Diary Entry: October 14th

I’m glad I kept the hall camera up. I’m glad I still check it, I’m glad I still have all the previous footage.   Lacey is a liar. 

October 15th

”Oh god, that’s just…” Luke gasped, the color in his cheeks draining clean to the floor beneath his as he stared at the tv in his living room. 

“Why the hell do they put crime scene photos like that on the damn news? Jesus.” Han said, whipping his hand out to the side to cover Luke’s face, knowing how squeamish he was compared to the average person. The photo didn’t reveal much at all, just a blurred figure sitting upright behind a counter.

“It’s the news Han, it’s not supposed to be puppies and rainbows.” Anakin said flatly, shutting the fridge door with two beer bottles in his hand, holding them by the neck and bringing them down on his knee. The first cap popped off easily and he caught it with his free hand, shifting the bottles slightly, he brought them down on his knee again and popped off the other cap.

“Well you’d think they wouldn’t put a dead guy on screen.” Han huffed, shaking his head.

”Show off.” You teased Anakin, watching him open the beers while you were busy rinsing the dishes from dinner off in the sink to then set up in the dishwasher. 

“That’s what I do baby.” He shrugged, a grin on his lips as he plopped himself down on the other side of Han, handing him one of the beers. 

“It was all blurred on purpose, they didn’t show anything gross.” Anakin said to Han dismissively. “Just don't watch the 20/20 special they’ll put out. They always get their hands on a couple gnarly crime scene pictures.” 

“Ain’t that right.” Luke gagged dramatically, recalling a memory of the true crime show that he and Han had watched a few weeks prior. 

“I don’t get why they haven’t released the name yet.” You mumbled, leaning against the counter as you glanced at the tv. “You think it was a minor?”

“No, they would’ve said that by now.” Anakin shook his head, sipping his beer. “They’re probably waiting for the autopsy or the family or something.”

_______________________________________________

“What you’re seeing on screen now is a security photo, taken from a CCTV camera inside the building.” A male news anchor gestured to the upper left corner of the screen where a black and white photo was being displayed. It was grainy and dark, half of the lens obscured by something. “This is the only image released to the press via the police department, we were unable to confirm if this is the only image containing the suspect.”

_______________________________________________

“What am I even looking at?” You asked, walking up behind the couch and leaning over Anakin’s shoulder.

“I don’t see a person there.” Luke said, craning his neck to the side in an attempt to see it from a different perspective.

_______________________________________________

“Sources state that the substance obscuring the camera lens is black spray paint, making the majority of the image completely useless.” The news anchor spoke with a clear voice, pausing for a moment before speaking again.

“Analysis has confirmed that this re-touched image holds the only current clue to who the suspect is.” He paused again while a new photo appeared on screen, slightly different in color tone and slightly less grainy. The difference of the pictures side by side was quite clear, just above the black spray paint splotch, a slightly different shade of black and grey could be seen. “Highlighted within the yellow circle, you can just barely make out the shape of a hand holding the spray paint can.”

“Police are fairly certain the suspect is wearing a black long sleeved shirt or sweatshirt, as well as black gloves. Due to the poor quality, they were unable to determine the material of the clothing and gloves.” The female news anchor took over speaking while live footage of the crime scene played on screen. Police tape, an evidence tent and a coroner’s van could be seen in the center of the shot.

”Investigators working the scene have claimed there seems to be no clear motive in the murder and no suspect has been cited. The victim was a young, well liked individual, whose family claims had ‘no enemies’.” The female anchor continued, pausing again before switching gears slightly.

“The mall will remain closed for the next two weeks while the police continue to gather evidence. All other information is being withheld from the public while the investigation is still in it’s beginning stages. More on this story tonight at 6:00pm.”

_______________________________________________

“That's it?” Han scoffed, shaking his head in frustration at the short ‘update’. “This is almost worse than ‘Frat Lake’.”

“What?” You squeaked, the heat in your body all rising to your head at once, making you feel light headed. 

“You know, ‘Frat Lake’.” Luke turned around to look at you, “Those guys they found in the cabin across the lake from ours.”

“Oh, no… I know what you’re talking about. I guess I just didn’t realize they’d given the case a name.” You said quickly, trying not to stumble over your words.

“Well it’s like one of the main things in the news still, of course they gave it a name.” Luke said, shifting in his seat to put his arm on the back of the couch. “I don’t know about you but I still don’t think that kid did all of that by himself.”

“What makes you say that?” Anakin asked, his hand reaching up to snake underneath your arm and squeeze your bicep as if he could sense your nervousness even if he didn’t consciously recognize it.

“It was all so weird.” Luke said, looking over at Han. “Didn’t they say there weren’t any fingerprints anywhere?”

“Yeah, no fingerprints, no serial number on the gun, no bullet in the one dude.” Han mused aloud, each syllable from his lips making your stomach rise an inch higher in your throat. “He left those others alive, in the closet. It just didn’t make sense.”

“Well, shit happens.” Anakin said nonchalantly. “Maybe the plan changed.” Anakin’s thumb brushed back and forth over the soft skin of your inner arm, tilting his head up and to the side to kiss your arm. 

“Maybe, yeah.” You agreed, your eyes shifting away quickly as your cheeks grew hot and your throat began to itch. “He probably realized he’d screwed up big time and panicked. Maybe that’s why he posted that stuff before he killed himself.” You suggested, growing increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation but feeling it was more awkward not to give any input. So you simply repeated a paraphrased version of what Ghost had said to you.

“Probably.” Han agreed, nodding slowly before he put his arm across Luke’s shoulder. “I mean they weren’t good people so I kind of have a hard time feeling too bad about it.”

Anakin snickered at Han’s comment, turning his head away from the group for a moment before returning his eyes to the tv. 

“What? You think they should’ve gotten away with it?” Han asked with a scoff. “Maybe they didn’t deserve to die, but I think a few days in that closet might have been good for them.”

“Oh no, not at all. I’m with you 100%.” Anakin said with a crooked upturn in his top lip. “I’d say you’re probably right on the nose there buddy. That’s probably what that little shrimpy kid had in mind. I doubt he planned on them all dying. He was probably hoping they’d get found before then.”

“Great so now Han has a true crime buddy to yap about the unspeakable with.” Luke grumbled, looking over at you with a look of understanding and sympathy. His face morphed into concern when he met your eyes. “Jesus babe, you alright?”

“Ani,” You said quietly, unable to come to terms with the fact that they were all so casually speaking about the case that you’d been involved in. “I don’t feel so good.” 

“C’mere.” He said worriedly as he stood up and walked around behind the couch to stand in front of you, cupping your face in his hands to inspect you. “What’s wrong?”

“Can we please talk about something else?” You whispered, feeling tired and drained compared to how lively and happy you were just moments before. Ghost was right to tell you that you shouldn’t watch the news on ‘Frat Lake’. You’d thought you were over it, but the guilt just smashed into you like a mac truck.

“Feeling squeamish?” He asked, his eyes soft and caring as you nodded. “Lukey, it’s your lucky day. No more crime-talk. We’ve upset the fairer sex.” Anakin joked, trying to break the mask of seasick green that covered your pretty face. 

“Thank god.” He sighed in relief, changing the channel immediately, searching for something more friendly and less murdery. “This was supposed to be a cute double date. Not a gorefest.” He muttered under his breath.

Diary Entry: October 16

You know what? I complain in this little book a lot but honestly I just can’t help it. I’m a whiny guy sometimes and that’s okay. I can’t complain out loud. Even if I really wanted to. The other day made me feel kind of bad, after we left Luke and Han’s you were in a sluggish mood for the rest of the night. That’s okay, I get it. But I haven’t gotten all my fuckin’ done. I’ve been debating the possibility of digging Ghost back up just to get in a few extra rounds with you. I know you can handle it. You’ve done it before.  Anyway, I get it. You need some time to process that conversation but please for the love of all things holy, do it quickly before I go bonkers. You’re always right here with me and I can’t get enough of you, it's always been like that but before I was able to have you so much more. I was fuckin’ for two. 

Diary Entry: October 17

You keep texting Ghost. Why? It’s never a question. It’s never begging. You just tell him about your day. You tell him things you don’t tell me.  Do you really love that side of me more? Is this love for the best version of myself not authentic? I wish you’d stop texting. It’d save me a world full of confusion. I don't know what the hell to do. I need you to stop. I don’t know that I want you to see the two of me blended together anymore. The longer this goes on, the more worried I’ve made a big fat mistake I become.  Why do you trust him so much? It’s not like I didn’t lie to your face constantly. Knowing how badly you want Ghost to engage makes me want to bury him even deeper. I separated these two sides of myself for a reason, to give you the best and only the best. I lost that original goal somewhere along the way. 

Date: oct 18th

“Can you hand me that big spoon please?” You asked Anakin as you worked around him in the kitchenette of his apartment. 

“No.” He said flatly, even as he was handing it to you before you finished your sentence, making you snort softly. 

“Thank you!” You said in a sing-songy voice, turning back toward the stovetop to finish stirring up the pasta sauce. “Are you almost done with those?” You asked over your shoulder.

“I’ll be done when I’m done darlin’. This takes time and precision.” Anakin said seriously, holding up a finger to signal you to wait. 

“Ani…” You sighed, turning off the burner you were using and walking over behind him, pushing him to the side with your hip so you could see what he was doing. “Anakin SKywalker!” You gasped, smacking his arm.

“What?” He grinned, looking down at your red and embarrassed face. “You don’t like my cookies?” His lips in a pout.

“Just put them in the oven, we don’t even have time…” You tried to scowl but ended up with a downturned smile that gave way to surprise when you heard a knock at the front door. “See? No time to change them anyway.” You sighed.

“It’s unlocked!” Anakin shouted, scraping the left over chocolate chip cookie dough off his fingers with his teeth. 

“Oh my god, this place looks… exactly as expected.” Luke snickered as he walked into Anakin’s apartment for the very first time, seeing his eclectic design and decor choices.

“Yeah, looks cool as hell.” Anakin nodded, a big grin on his face as he funneled a few stray chocolate chips into his mouth and then dusted his hands off over the sink before washing them thoroughly. 

“Where’s this record collection you're always going on about?” Han asked, setting a big tote bag down on the center of the table. 

“In my lair.” Anakin said, happily jogging over to his bedroom door to let Han look through them. “Feel free to dig around, I don’t mind.” He said as he flopped down onto his neatly made bed.

Meanwhile Luke was looking through the random trinkets and knick-nacks littered about the living area. Occasionally scooting something around to get a better look at it, like he was grocery shopping and searching for a ripe avocado. You heard a gasp and the sound of Luke’s ‘ew gross’ noise and quickly turned around.

“What the hell is this?” He squeaked, pointing to a jar on a shelf positioned above the couch. 

“Oh, shit Luke. You scared me.” You laughed, walking over and standing up on the couch to grab the jar and bring it down for him to look at. “It’s a wet specimen.” 

“It looks like a… I don't know.” He grimaced. “Is it a kitten?”

“It’s a rat.” You laughed, turning the jar slowly to give him the 360 view.

“Why the fuck would- Anakin?!” Luke shouted and after a few seconds both Han and Anakin came out of the bedroom. “Why?” Luke squeaked out, pointing to the jar is disgust.

“Oh! You met Bertie.” He grinned, walking over and picking up the jar. “Bertie was… a gift.” He said awkwardly.

“You got a rat in a jar… as a gift?” Han scoffed in disbelief.

“No, I got the rat as a gift. The jar came after.” Anakin grinned, putting the jar back up on the shelf. “Wet specimens are a form of taxidermy. Bertie was my first and only childhood pet. I wanted to keep him.” He shrugged.

“I’m… okay.” Luke blinked, sharing a look with Han. “Remember when I said he was too good to be true? I was right.” Luke frowned in disgust at the jar.

“Oh come on, it’s no big deal, we had stuff like this in the science lab in highschool. I thought it was sweet.” You defended Anakin’s odd keepsake because it really didn’t seem all that odd. 

“Sweet?” Luke scoffed. “Babe. No.”

“Ah, leave him alone.” Han snickered. “You just picked up a stray cat and named him after your dead one. You’re weird too.”

“No. That’s different!” Luke insisted, crossing his arms and looking at you in hopes you backed him up but you were too busy giggling at the exchange to even pay attention. 

“Ah, well. Don’t come crying to me when Art the second dies and you want him in a jar.” Anakin snickered, teasingly clapping Luke on the shoulder.

“That’s serial killer shit bro.” Han snorted, following Anakin over to the oven where the cookie timer was beeping.

“Oh yeah?” Anakin grinned widely, holding up his hand in a fist to bring down a few inches above Han’s chest. “What’s the Psycho sound effect? ‘Ree-Ree-Ree’?” He snort-laughed, bringing his fist down repeatedly in a stabbing motion.

Han laughed, dramatically going along with Anakin’s jest by slumping over on the counter and reaching out a hand for Luke, making a fake strangled gurgling noise. Anakin shot a big smile over at you before he bent down to pull out the cookie tray from the oven while Han straightened back up and went over to console a very unamused Luke. 

“C’mon it was funny.” He laughed, putting an arm around him and steering him toward the kitchen table. He pulled out a chair and gently shoved Luke down into it by the shoulder. 

“How do you expect me to eat when there’s a dead rat in the room?” He asked in whiny voice.

“Anakin? Do you mind?” You prompted him with an apologetic glance. 

“Ugh, fine.” He rolled his eyes and made his way to the shelf, grabbing Bertie’s jar and taking it to his bedroom to stow it away while Han and Luke stayed for dinner. 

“Don’t you dare fuck with my cookies!” Anakin playfully shouted as he reentered the room to see you plating the cookies out of order. 

“Oh come on.” You whined as he picked you up by the waist and carried you over to the table, sitting you down next to Luke. 

“I think they put us in time out.” Luke muttered, his chin resting on his fist as he watched Han and Anakin filling plates and bowls for the four of you. 

“Yeah.” You huffed, rolling your eyes as you flipped on the tv. “Feels like it.”

“Eat.” Anakin said firmly as he sat down a bowl and plate in front of you, returning in a second with a glass of water. “Please.” He added in a sweeter tone as he kissed your cheek and sat down beside you with his own food. 

“Gimme that.” Han said, snatching the remote from your hand. He turned his seat sideways to better view the tv as he searched for the local news. 

“Wait, they’ll run it again in an hour.” Anakin said, snapping his fingers to get Han’s attention. “Remember how the ladies acted last time? You want it to be worse?” He gestured to the food on the table.

“Oh. Yeah you’re right.” Han chuckled, switching off the tv for the time being, deciding that the latest press release could wait until after dinner. 

“Ladies?” Luke repeated with his jaw hanging open. “Han really?” 

“What?” He snickered, turning his head to grin at Anakin. “He’s right. Just looking out for you hon.” He said, ruffling up Luke’s hair. 

“Oh whatever.” You muttered under your breath. “You two are awful when you’re together.” You said jokingly to Han and Anakin. 

Dinner went smoothly for the remainder of the time everyone was sat together at the table. The food you’d prepared and cooked alongside Anakin was much better than he gave himself credit for. He’d wanted to order in, insisting that Granny Lee at Thai Palace was a much better cook than either of you. (She was.) But you managed to convince him that it would be like a competition to see who could host better and that seemed to change his opinion very quickly. Even more so when you allowed him to take over making dessert all by himself. Which you sorely regretted.

“Cookies?” Anakin asked, a wicked grin spread from ear to ear as he placed the neatly lined up chocolate chip cookies down onto the center of the table. You sighed, blushing deeply as you hid your face behind your hands when Han busted out laughing and Luke started to giggle. 

“Darlin’, go ahead.” Anakin prompted, rubbing between your shoulder blades while chewing on the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “Choose one.”

The pristine white ceramic cookie platter held a baker’s dozen of chocolate chip cookies, each housing a letter made of chocolate chips.

G-O-H-O-M-E-I-M-H-O-R-N-Y

“I suppose I’ll just take the G.” You laughed, hiding your blushing cheeks with one hand while picking up your chosen cookie with the other. 

“Momma always said you gotta send your guests home with a parting gift.” Anakin snickered, tonguing his labret piercing. 

“Are you kicking us out?” Han laughed, grabbing a random cookie without a second thought. 

“Nah, not yet. When the cookies are gone, you two better get going unless you want a show.” Anakin grinned, jabbing you in the ribs with his knuckles to tickle you and make you laugh despite yourself. 

“Shut up!” You giggled, reaching up and behind yourself to gently smack his cheek. 

“Ooh, feisty.” Anakin leaned down and tipped your chin up with his middle finger, planting a kiss to your lips before he yanked on your hair and sprinted away to the couch, leaving you with a scowl as you smoothed out your hair. 

“Ready?” Han asked as he walked over and plopped himself down on the floor in front of the couch to watch the press release from the local police department. 

_______________________________________________

A tall imposing police officer stood behind the dark stained oak podium, tapping a thin stack of papers into order on the wooden surface before clearing his throat and nodding to someone off camera. A few camera flashes could be seen as he leaned forward to speak into the handful of microphones situated on the podium. 

“On October 13, 2024, at approximately 6:32 AM, the Police Department responded to a report of a possible homicide located at Revival Records within the East Side Mall." He made a short pause.

"Upon arrival, Officers met with an employee who wishes to remain anonymous, who discovered the deceased victim, a male identified by family members as Eric Codgins aged 24.” The officer waited a moment to flip to the next page of his pre-typed speech.

“Investigators were called in to begin immediate follow-up." He stated, looking up from his papers into the crowd.

"Those on scene learned that the victim had passed away while inside Revival Records during closing hours the previous night. The Coroner took possession of the deceased, and the results of the full autopsy are pending. The current information available reads: Victim is believed to have expired between 6:30PM to 8:30PM. The deceased was found to be missing several body parts which were found to be stowed away on the victim’s corpse.”

“There were several tools and other affects found at the crime scene that point to the work of at most, two individuals involved in the murder.” The officer sat down his papers, cleared his throat and stepped back to allow another officer to take over the podium.

------------------------------------------------------------

“Body parts?” You asked in surprise. “I thought they found him sitting up in a chair.”

“They did.” Han nodded in agreement as you made your way to the couch and settled against Anakin’s side. 

“Well how did they… what parts are missing?” You asked in morbid curiosity.

“Baby they aren’t going to release that just yet.” Anakin said as he put his arm around you and planted a sweet kiss to the top of your head. “That’s the kind of thing they withhold for when they question someone.”

“Mmm, right yeah that makes sense.” You hummed in response.

-----------------------------------------------------------

“We will now allot for a brief Q and A session.” The new, younger looking officer announced as they stepped up to the podium. Looking immediately regretful as reporters and the like started shouting out questions.

“There have been many rumors circulating that this crime is occult in nature due to the brutality and mutilation to the deceased." The young officer paused with his lips pursed impatiently as the crowd began speaking over him.

"We have explored this lead in great excess and are confident that it does not fit the description of any satanic or otherwise occult crimes.” He responded, another round of loud shouting starting up the moment he stopped speaking.

“We are still working closely with the coroner’s office in determining the official cause of death as well as the murder weapon." He shifted on his feet as though uncomfortable with the information he was about to give.

"What we can share with you is that the main instrument used was some type of small, handheld double edged blade. Much like a tactical knife or pen-dagger. As well as certain types of butterfly or switchblade knives; both of these variants are illegal in our state.” The young officer responded, pausing and holding up his hand to signal for the room to remain silent as a fellow officer joined him for a moment to whisper something to him.

“I’ve just been cleared to confirm a frequently asked question on the case.” He cleared his throat as his colleague stepped back. “We are aware of the use of CCTV cameras that utilize time-stamped photos as a means of security are used throughout the mall and among several other stores and workplaces throughout the city."

"There is no immediate threat to other businesses or establishments that we are aware of, though we do urge business owners to update their surveillance technology to twenty four hour surveillance taping rather than timed photos.” The officer paused again while the crowd burst into another bout of questions.

“With that being said, our investigative team has determined the CCTV photos from the crime scene have not been altered, modified or tampered with in any way before or after the crime occurred." He continued, seemingly agitated that he was continuously being interrupted.

"The only camera on site that was tampered with was located in the service hallway behind Revival Records, via the use of spray paint.” He cleared his throat again, seemingly pausing for a deep breath before preparing to answer the next top question.

“It is not known how the perpetrators worked around the timed photos, though what we can say is that there is obvious movement of objects and the victim’s position in these stills. The only photo of a suspect we have at this time is the photo released earlier this week."

"The image is obscured in such a way that our team has been unsuccessful in enhancing it any further.” The officer stepped away from the podium as the first speaker came back into view to speak once more.

“This will conclude our Q and A session for the time being. Our hearts go out to the Codgins family who will be holding a public vigil for their son in the main square, downtown tomorrow at 5:00PM. We���d like to close this session by saying that while there are no current suspects, rest assured we are working diligently to find the persons responsible for this heinous act.”

------------------------------------------------------------

“Well that was a crock of shit.” Han scoffed, shaking his head as he reached up to his right side to squeeze Luke’s knee. 

“Do you want to go?” You asked Anakin quietly, a hint of concerned understanding lacing your words.

“To the vigil?” Anakin asked, his eyebrows raised as if he were surprised you were asking. “I mean… do you think I should? I didn’t really know him that well.”

“Well I don’t know, I just thought maybe since you saw him so often you might want to?” You asked, leaning your head over on his shoulder while playing with the rings on his right hand.

“You knew him?” Luke asked in surprise.

“Kind of?” Anakin sighed, looking at the tv screen as he spoke. “I go to that record store all the damn time so I saw him quite a bit but it’s not like we were friends or anything.” 

“Was he weird or like an ass or something?” Han asked curiously.

“What? No.” Anakin snorted softly. “He was just… normal I guess. I don’t know man, he was just the guy I handed my money to, you know?” 

“Right, yeah I get that.” Han nodded, while you on the other hand just quietly listened to the conversation happening around you. 

Noticing that something in Anakin’s voice had changed slightly, as though he weren’t fully engaged in the topic anymore despite still speaking about it somewhat in depth with the other boys. You assumed that he was busy watching the rest of the news broadcast still playing on screen and only giving the conversation a third of his attention, splitting it between petting you and halfheartedly watching the tv.

“Are you okay?” You whispered, disguising the question as a kiss on the cheek, knowing he probably wouldn’t appreciate you asking it aloud.

“Oh, yeah sweetheart.” He mumbled, bringing his hand up to twist the ring on the left side of his lip. “I’m all good, just thinkin’ that’s all.” He smiled.

“Okay Ani.” You said in a tone that let him know you didn’t exactly believe him, but you were willing to let it slide for now.

“So you guys want to watch a movie or something?” Anakin asked, licking over his top row of teeth. 

“Yeah sure, but I want some drinks or something.” Han said, rubbing his palms together. 

“I’ve got beer and that’s about it.” Anakin said with a shrug. “Or actually I think my girl’s got a bottle of wine, don’t you baby?” He asked.

“Yeah but we took it to my apartment, remember?” You said, patting his hand. 

“What a shame, you live so far away.” He tsk’d, smiling crookedly. 

“Speaking of, why don’t you guys just live together already?” Luke butted in, always one to ask awkward questions without a filter.

“Uh…” Anakin looked over at you as if he were asking permission to answer for the both of you, but you just shrugged. “You know, that’s a great question.”

“I guess we kind of already do live together. We always sleep in the same bed every night, just not always in the same apartment.” You said with a slight laugh. 

“I always imagined when I found my person that we’d move into a house, not an apartment. So maybe that’s why.” Anakin said, standing up and pulling you with him. 

“Are you saying you need a realtor?” Luke asked, his voice proving his excitement at having started this conversation and bringing up this topic. “I can call my mom. She’s got a realtor lady friend.”

“Oh yeah!” You nodded, “I remember her I think, blonde, scary acrylics?”

“Yep, that’s Amy.” Luke snickered, pulling out his phone and sending a text to his mother to get the information. 

“Well I guess we’re house hunting then, hmm?” Anakin grinned, smacking your ass lightly to usher you along. 

“I suppose we are.” You giggled excitedly, allowing him to usher you away from the couch without really knowing why he had gotten you up in the first place. 

“What are you doing?” You asked, looking down over your shoulder at his hand that was firmly planted on your ass. 

“Walking with you to go get that wine.” He chuckled, glancing back to see Han and Luke chatting while Luke hung off the edge of the couch. 

“Oh, right.” You nodded, letting him lead the way across the hall and into your apartment.

“So do you think I should go?” He asked the moment the door closed behind the two of you and you were in the hallway alone.

“Go where?” You asked in confusion. “The vigil?”

“Yeah, do you think I should go?” He asked, unlocking your apartment door and pushing it open for you, tonguing his lip piercings. “I knew him so like, i should right? Would it be weird if I did?”

“Ani, you’re overthinking it.” You sighed, picking up your cat as she sidled up beside you and rubbed against your leg. “If you want to go, then go and I'll come with you.”

“But I don’t want to go.” Anakin shook his head, leaning against the counter. “But I feel like I should.”

“Will it make you feel better?” You asked, scratching Boogie’s head.

 

“Nah, baby.” He shrugged. “I don’t feel bad in the first place, there’s nothing to feel better about.”

“Really?” You asked curiously, thinking it was odd that he was making such a big deal over it but still claiming he didn’t care. “How come? I mean you seemed friendly with him, didn’t you call him by some nickname?”

“Nickname?” Anakin scoffed. “No, that was an insult. Ferdinand, you know like the bull from that kids book? I called him that because he looked like an idiot with that big ol’ honking nose ring.”

“That’s a little hypocritical for someone who has a pound of metal in their face.” You pointed out with a sly smirk. 

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolled his eyes at you, but smiled anyway. 

“Ani, seriously though.” You said, sitting the cat down on the kitchen counter so you could walk over and smush yourself against him. “If you’re this worried about it, maybe you should go, just for your own peace of mind.”

“No, no you were right babydoll. I was overthinking it.” He shook his head, wrapping his arms around you and resting his chin on your head.

“If you change your mind it’s okay.” You said softly, pressing a kiss to the center of his chest. 

“I know darlin’. Thank you.” He murmured, tilting your head back in one of his massive hands to tenderly kiss you, barely parting his mouth to lick across the plumpness of your bottom lip. “You always know what to say. Always.”

“Mmm.” You hummed, smiling against his mouth. 

“I love you baby.” He whispered, squeezing you a little tighter as he tucked his face into your neck, his knees bent slightly. 

“I love you too.” You said quietly, your hand coming up to play with the curls at the nape of his neck.

“Alright let’s go back over there before I end up fuckin’ you.” He sighed, sniffing as he awkwardly tried and failed to shift his half-hard dick by kicking out one leg, resigning himself to shoving his hand down his pants instead. 

“Really?” You snorted, smirking as a pink tint grew across your face.

“Yes really.” He grumbled. “Your fault. Bein’ all hot and shit all the time.”

“My bad.” You shrugged and giggled, grabbing the wine bottle from the fridge and following Anakin on the short trip back across the hall where you found Luke and Han now cutely cuddled up on the couch. 

“Back already?” Han smirked, shooting Anakin a knowing look.

“We have company man.” Anakin grinned. “I can wait til after you’re gone. I’m not a complete horn-dog.”

You snickered, swatting at his chest before turning away to pour two glasses of wine, one for yourself and one for Luke, handing it to him before offering your glass to Han, but he held up a beer bottle to show he’d already found himself a drink. So you happily climbed back over into your preferred corner of the couch with Anakin, tossing the boys a blanket before covering yourself and Anakin up with another, getting settled in for your movie night. 

Just before Anakin picked up the remote to search for something suitable to watch, the newscasters announced the arrival of newly released, or rather, leaked photos from the CCTV at the Revival Records crime scene.

—----------------------------------------------------------

“The photos on screen now show very miniscule changes between frames. Each picture is taken at thirty second intervals, these three photos are shown chronologically.” The female newscaster held up her hand to gesture to the left side of the screen where three photos were lined up, each with a slight change between them.

“Our sources state that the majority of photos are similar to these, depicting very small movements around the victim, whether it be objects moving across the counter or even the digital footprint of the computer which showed activity during the time of the attack.” She said, looking over to her co-host for them to take over. 

“With no trace of the suspect or suspects in any of these photos, it’s hard to understand how this crime was committed. According to several twitter posts currently circulating, users are theorizing the crime was committed by someone with a military background or perhaps even a poltergeist.” The co-host said, cracking a smile at the end as a few different twitter posts went up on screen to back up their statement. 

“With such a brutal crime occurring on Friday the 13th in October, there was bound to be some wild claims, especially due to the seemingly invisible perpetrator of the crime.” They said, quickly switching back to their professional approach. “Online users have officially dubbed the suspect ‘The Ghost’.”

__________________________________________

Your eyes snapped up to the screen as your vision went blurry, unsure that you’d heard correctly, your voice sounded far away as you asked Luke to confirm the newscaster’s declaration. After having it confirmed, a sweet taste leaked out into your mouth. Your fingers went to your lip slowly and as you pulled your hand away, you heard Anakin speaking to you as though muffled by water. The words were unclear but his tone was understandable enough that you nodded along with whatever he was saying and allowed him to leave your iron grip to grab a paper towel for you. 

“Open up.” He said softly, his eyebrows pinched together in worry as he dabbed at your lip.

You did as he prompted and opened your mouth, hearing him wince as he pulled your bottom lip down carefully to expose the chunk you’d bitten out of the inside of your cheek. He sighed, tossing the remote to Luke so he could take over while Anakin tended to your self imposed wound. He carefully doctored you as best he could, wadding up a paper towel to soak up the blood trickling out to mix with your saliva while he put ice in a ziploc bag and wrapped it in a hand towel to hold against your cheek.

“You okay?” He asked worriedly, tilting and turning your face gently to check for swelling as he held the ice pack. 

“Uh huh.” You nodded, your eyes not meeting his. “I’m okay.” You smiled weakly, standing up and taking out the paper towel that hindered your speech, tossing it in the trash can. 

“Are you sure?” Anakin asked, following behind you closely as you curled back up on the couch and waited for him to settle beside you.

“I’m sure.” You said flatly, refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the room. “Can you just sit down? Please?” You asked impatiently as he stood in front of you, wearing that same concerned expression that had been there since the moment you injured yourself. 

“Right, of course babydoll.” He nodded, swallowing hard as he sat down and pulled you over into his lap. “Is this better? Can I get you anything? You’re comfy?”

“Can you stop talking?” You grumbled quietly, nestling yourself against his chest as he put both arms around you and settled your lower half between his thighs, cradling you in his embrace. 

“S-sure.” He nodded, furrowing his eyebrows but not complaining or prodding any further. 

“What we can share with you is that the main instrument used was some type of small, handheld double edged blade. Much like a tactical knife or pen-dagger. As well as certain types of butterfly or switchblade knives…” 

The police may not know what weapon was used. But you do.

The first half of Texas Chainsaw Massacre was spent in complete and utter silence between you and Anakin. An event that had never occurred before and you assumed would never occur again. He was always giving commentary, especially with movies he loved. This shouldn’t have been a quiet movie. He should’ve been yapping about what was going on behind the scenes, what props were used in place of other things, which lines were improvised, what he thought would’ve worked better had he been in charge of directing the film. But he was so, so silent. 

“Where is it?” You whispered. 

“Hmm?” He hummed as though he hadn’t heard you, but you knew by the way his heart sped up that he had. 

“Where is it?” You repeated yourself, trying to keep your voice as low and monotone as possible so you wouldn't alert Luke or Han. 

“Baby, I dunno what you're asking me.” He said quietly, shaking his head and putting his hand on the back of your head to hold you down against his chest when you tried to pull away to look at him.

“Anakin, no you-” You started, but stopped before the next word could be formed.

“Don’t tell me no.” He said sternly. Whispering into your hair as he threaded his fingers through it soothingly. “Everythin’s fine.”

“No, no I need you to tell me right now wh-”

Suddenly his mouth was on yours as he cupped your face in both hands, aggressively, passionately, angrily kissing you. If you couldn't have a verbal argument, he’d give you a physical one. He was telling you to shut up. You were telling him to please say something, anything. He was begging you to stop asking, you were begging him to come clean. 

“Jesus you guys, get a room.” Luke snickered quietly and you felt Anakin’s hand leave your face, his arm moving upward quickly, presumably flipping him off before returning his hand where it belonged. 

“Oh come on I was just joking, I don’t-”

“Shut up.” You and Anakin snapped at him in unison, turning your heads simultaneously and resuming your passionate wordless discussion. 

“Ew oh my god.” Luke groaned, nudging Han. 

“Leave ‘em be.” Han snorted, pulling Luke up from the couch and gently shoving him toward the kitchen to gather their things and before they’d even shut the door to the apartment Anakin was whipping his shirt off over his head.

Tag-List:

@tsugumiholic @kingdomhate @burnthecheshirewitch @exquisitcorpse @arzua10 @bby-imasociopath @depressed-kay @aliciaasky @naty-1001 @mrsmikaelsxn @bunnylovesani @ausskywalker @angelsadmired @slut4starwars @chocolatepalacecloudhoagie @starkiller419 @hearts4mitski4 @lethargic @allhailbuckybarnes-blog @shadowhuntyi @mortalheartache @fallinlovewithevil @sythethecarrot @chaoticantihero @vadersslut @luvvfromme @sweetcheesecakesblog @luvskywxlker @angelsadmired @kaminokatie @anakin-pilled @graveyard-stray @chiaraanatra @jediavengers @zapernz @salted-snailz @queenofchaos99 @ellie-luvsfics @dazednstars141 @hopesworld @lonaah @guiltycherries @syralix @demieyesore @hemmoxloser @ahano @astarionsgirl @popcosmi @purriteen

THE TAGS LIST IS FULL! But if you want to be tagged I will comment ur username for you. Love you all so many.

[amathslutsguidetofandom]

This is what I think living with Beefy!Bucky would look like:

THERE ARE TWO PARTS, SFW AND NSFW (please read the warnings before you start reading, and lemme know if I missed anything!)

Warnings: allusions towards sex, allusions towards unprotected sex, shower sex, oral sex (f receiving), fingering, spitting on v and Beefy!Bucky being hot (yes that's a warning). Please feel free to DM me if I missed anything :) SFW:

Bucky would walk around only in sweatpants (of your choice, obvi🤭). His muscular chest and back are on display 24/7, and he'll only wear a Henley (you bought one in every colour for his birthday) during the winter.

You would only wear either one of his T-shirts or Henleys around, with a pair of underwear and that's it.

Ya'll cook dinner together every night. Bucky bought an old record player so, he could play all the old records you got him for Christmas. And while dinner is cooking, he'll pull you to the side by your waist then slow dance with you to either Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra.

"C'mon, doll. The rice is not going to get burnt. It's jus' one dance. F'me?" He smiles, as he pulls you in by your waist. You smile at your man begrudgingly, and place your palms on his bare chest, "fine. But just one song." You say in your playfully stern voice. Bucky laughs and presses a kiss to your hairline, "anything for you, doll."

You sweep and dust, Bucky mops and vacuums.

He'll let you get any household accessory for ya'll's apartment, whether it be a trinket, a fake cactus, or a picture frame.

"Are you sure?" You ask, holding onto the snow globe with a little glass dachshund inside of it. Bucky laughs and rubs your back, "s'fine doll, I think it'll look great next to the record player," he gives in to your want to buy the snow globe. You squealed when you first saw it, and Bucky knew he had to get it immediately.

You'll be singing a song with headphones on, making some coffee in the kitchen, and just dancing wildly. And Bucky would just lean against the wall of the hallway, just staring at you lovingly.

Laundry day is actually fun, you would fold the cleaned and dried linen and clothes. While Bucky would put them back in their drawers and shelves (using his astonishingly tall height).

NSFW(alright here we go):

If you're bending over the counter to wipe a specific mark that won't go away, Bucky won't be able to hold himself back.

You bite your lip in concentration and scrub at the mark with a wet sponge, but it doesn't go away. Suddenly, you feel two large hands grab at your hips and pull you back. "Fuck me, doll. You can't do that," he growls into your ear, slowly shoving your underwear aside. You giggle and ask what does he mean. "You can't be bent over the counter and then not expect me to fuck you," he shoves his own sweatpants down. You roll your eyes, as you feel the tip of him at your entrance. "Bucky," you whine, slightly pushing your hips back in his direction. "Yes, sweetheart?" he smirks, pressing his lips against your neck. "Buck, I need you," you softly moan and throw your head back against his shoulder. "Oh I know baby, me too," he whispers in her ear.

When he comes home after a long day, and hear's you in the shower, he will not hesitate to jump in with you.

He drags himself to your shared bathroom and hears the creaky pipes of your shower being used. He smiles and walks into the bathroom. You smile when you see him, "Hey, love. How was your day?" He smiles as he starts undressing before hopping in the shower with you, "better now that I'm here with you." He kisses you passionately before pushing you up against the wall, he slightly bends and grabs the back of your thighs. "Jump" is the only word he growls against your lips. You giggle and jump slightly, and your legs are wrapped around his waist as he uses his godly strength to hold you up against the wall. You moan, as you feel him rub his tip on your sensitive button. "Bucky, baby, please," you whine as you grip onto his broad shoulders. "Oh doll, you don't have to beg me. I going to fuck you either way."

Morning sex is an everyday thing that happens at y'all's apartment. He'll either wake you up to the scene of him in between your thighs. OR. He'll wake you up with his cock inside of you. Either way, you're not complaining.

You stir at the tingly feeling between your thighs, and you open your eyes groggily to see Buck (and his beefiness) wrapping your thighs around his head. He winks and smirks at you, "mornin', doll." He licks a thick strip up your slit, and you arch your back at the sudden sensation, "ah! Bucky!" Bucky continues to swivel his tongue over your clit, knowing how much you love it. Your moans slowly get louder, as Bucky soon pokes at your hole with his thick fingers. Soon you're wailing in pleasure, and grabbing at Bucky's hair begging him to make you come. "Come f'me, princess," he says before spiting harshly on your pussy.

🎀🎀🎀

Please lemme know what you think, this is my first piece of work 😊.

If you have any feedback, feel free to DM me.

Thank you for reading lovelies!!

Stay Coquette-y,

Anya 🫶🏽🕊️🎀

[bunnys-kisses]

kink-o-ween - day twenty

lance stroll - brat

cw: smut/pwp, brat taming, brat tamer!lance, brat!reader, dom/sub, punishments, spanking, dirty talk, mean!lance, kitchen sex

kink-o-ween masterlist <3

"you've been a bad girl." lance's words curled into your brain. it made you feel hot all over. how could you not feel the heat? because when you were a bad girl, you got the punishments that you craved, "honey." he said after the montreal grand prix, "i'm going to enjoy taking you apart tonight."

you bloomed under his stern gaze. everyone knew him as a pretty boy. but, when you two were alone and you got under his skin just right. you saw a totally different side of him. the brat tamer

his place in montreal was where you lived most of the year while in university. lance expected for you to keep it clean. so imagine his surprise when he returned from the grand prix and found his apartment in a bit of a mess.

so after the first round of spankings. his heavy hand up against your achy ass, leaving it a bright shade of bruising. he made you clean up in just your panties. pick up the laundry, vacuum the floors, put away the dishes and even wash them.

lance waited by the couch, hard in his jeans as he admired you. you were living in his home, rent free. he made sure you were taken care of while he was racing around the globe. he watched your breasts jiggle with each of your movemennts. you almost looked like a housewife. that made lance twitch in his jeans.

"missed a spot." he said.

you looked aty him then to the mop. you muttered something under your breath that made your love perk up.

he asked, "what did you say?"

"nothing." you replied as you continued to mop the floors.

lace got up and crossed over to you on the wet floor. he grabbed you from behind and said. "oh no, honey. i think you said something." he groped your bare beasts, he even gave your nipples a hard tug.

you whined, "fuck, lance." then whined louder because he rubbed himself up against you. he then got you over to the kitchen island. there were now footprints all over the freshly washed floors.

lance slapped his hand across your ass, "you're a brat. you know that right? i take care of you all the time and you give me attitude?"

"fuck." you gasped as your panties were yanked down past your hips. your achy cunt was exposed to him. the wetness clung to your pussy lips. you enjoyed this. of course you were. you were a dumb little slut.

'you're such a brat." he said, "a huge brat. but you love it. you love being a stupid slut for me. no amount of education is going to fix that."

your ass was smacked raw, for sure bruised come morning. not that lance cared, too bad you won't be able to sit when you visited friends in the afternoon. hopefully you'll be finally good for him.

"are you sorry?" he asked. his voice was low and twisted your stomach into knots. there was such a mean streak to him. and the deepest parts of you yearned for it. for your mean lance.

you nodded and before you could form words, you heard the buckle of his belt. and before you could form a different sentence, he was pushing his cock into your quickly. he gave you little time to adjust to the size.

your back arched as you tried to find some support on the counter. but found none. your cheeks against the granite countertop. you almost yelled when he started to fuck your needy cunt. you liked it, you liked acting out and the consequences.

"this is so much better, don't you think? that you can take me so well with little prep. made perfect for me and only me. from your head down to your toes. you are mine." his pace was bruising. he loved you deeply, especially when you became his stupid little slut. when you acted out, it only gave him fuel to put you back in your place.

you whined.

he continued, "you're such a stupid little slut." which made you moan louder, his words were venom and it paralyzed you from fighting back. he pulled your head back from the counter and pressed a searing kiss against your lips.

he had you in a painful position as he fucked your poor pussy. no matter how much you squirmed or whined, he didn't let up. you gasped when he groped your bruised ass tightly. he was making such a mess out of you all over the expensive counter.

"if i need to spank you every day, i will. i'll leave your ass bruised and your pussy full." he said almost like a promise. if you were going to be a brat, then he'd simply treat you like a dog that needed to be trained. maybe he'd even throw a collar in.

you loved his words. it was commanding in a way that left your knees shaken. your could feel the pleasure of it all the way down to your core.

no one made you feel like that. not so sexually shaken that you almost came right on the spot. you whined to your lover, "lance." everything fel like as sexual blue as your body craved more of it. more of the bruising affection lance gave you.

it left you pathetic, letting lance run his mouth and it felt like you were on another planet. he pressed against you perfectly, hit all the right spots as you felt the drum of excitement course through you.

"please, lance." you near begged.

"my stupid brat. you're always try to get the upper hand but you never will. you'll always have to be a good girl for me." he pressed further into you further and made your back arch, "because i pay for everything, don't i? from the apartment to your schooling to your vast collection of toys to keep you busy while i'm away."

you didn't have a response. you knew he was true. you barely contributed, maybe lance was right to punish your bratty behavior. your bruised ass, your debauched pose over the counter, your slick cunt. you had potential to be the perfect woman for him. your ass jiggled as he continued to fuck you with heavy thrusts that bruised your hips against the counter. he was trying to fuck the brattiness out of you. to make you perfect for him.

"ah, fuck, lance!" this was the taming of the brat in lance's eyes as he continued to fuck you. you apologized so pretty.

he groaned as he helf onto you tightly, bouncing you on his thick cock. the kind of cock that made you mouth water at the sight of. you were at his mercy.

"fuck, this is what i like to hear, you could so sorry. you know how to behave. i want a good girl. not a massive brat." he was met with your sweet moans which only spurred him on further to fuck you up against the counter.

you arched your back a little and gripped onto nothing for some kind of leverage while your sweaty breasts stuck to the countertop. you whined, "lance, fuck, it feels so good!"

he kissed the back of your neck which made you shudder. your nipples grew hard and your pussy clenched. it didn't stop, the pleasure rocked your world. your noises became louder and more pathetic. your panted were animalistic. you were hanging on by a thread.

"that's it, honey." he groaned. the thrusts were uneven. his pace was erratic and fucked the breath out of you.

you soon came around his cock, your mouth hung open as he felt the crash of pleasure through your body. you tensed up and then relaxed. tour sweaty skin pressed against the counter as lance fucked you harder. he slammed his entire length into your as he finished. his pulse jumped as he came up against your softest parts.

lance stopped his movement, but kept his cock snug inside of you. he grabbed at your bruised ass and kissed your neck. between the heavy pants he asked, "are you going to behave from now on? be the good girl i know you can be."

you nodded dumbly, his words didn't fully register. whatever lance wanted, he got. you swallowed and raised your head from the counter. and lance patted your heated cheek.

-

the followed week, lance was at the track early. he was surprised to hear your voice when you called his name. when he looked over, he was in a bit of shock. there you were in a t-shirt that showed off more than lance wanted you to show off, and a skirt that was painfully short. your lips were glossed to perfection. and as lance looked at you for a moment longer, he wondered, would your mascara run if he choked you on his cock? <3

[inkdrinkerworld]

soft!hotch x non bau!reader. like maybe he comes home from a long case that wasn't supposed to end for a while longer, and it's before they move in together so hes surprised to come home and find her curled up in his blankets

aaron is all shades of exhausted when he gets into the suv back in virginia. he's been gone for two weeks, the case hard and grueling and two weeks without even being able to see you felt like it was neverending.

his eyes are hardly open when he pulls into the garage. opening his front door, he realises something is different.

the inside of his house smelled like apples and cinnamon, the sofa was neat and cleaner than he had left it, like it had been vacuum cleaned and the folded throw blanket looked new.

you'd been here. it warms his heart a little that you'd been here, even while he was gone.

"honey," he murmurs when he pushes open his bedroom door to find you cozied up under his thick duvet. "oh honey." he watches your face smushed into his pillow, and clutching a small beige fawn he'd gotten you at a fair a couple months back.

quietly, he snaps a couple photos on his phone of you before starting to the shower. before he can help himself, he presses a kiss to your lips and then goes to shower.

by the time he's back, you're blinking your eyes open slowly. "you're back early," your voice is groggy as aaron gets in beside you. "was it okay?"

aaron knows what you mean, "yeah, go back to sleep honey. we can talk in the morning."

you nod, leaning into aaron till your face is tucked under his chin. "i missed you," you say gently.

"i missed you too honey, so much," he kisses the top of your head gently, rubbing your back as you start falling asleep again. "best thing that ever happened to me."

[meetmypointlessaddiction]

Rescuing Ellie: Part One

This is the first chapter of a new series I'm hoping to start in which Ellie is fostered and then eventually adopted by the Miller family. I can't promise when updates will be but I'm hoping it won't be too long until the next one is posted, enjoy!

Warnings: mentions of trauma, Joel and Sarah being too cute, Ellie possibly being neurodivergent is touched on slightly, childhood trauma, I think that's everything, Sarah calls reader 'mom'

Words: 1,9k

Prompt: You, Joel and Sarah and made aware of Ellie’s existence as your little family prepares to add one more

Joel was pacing around the living room, Sarah sitting on the couch with a book in hand sharing a smirk with you. “Dad! Sit down. If they walk in and see you pacing like a mad man they’re gonna turn the opposite way. Relax.” Sarah told him sternly and he nodded, making you laugh. Sarah had always been able to make him do as he was told. 

“Is the bathroom clean? Did we vacuum the kitchen?” 

“Joel, baby. I love you but please shut the hell up. Everything is clean, everything is tidy but the house still looks homely and welcoming, ok? The social worker would be stupid to think that our home wasn’t good enough to bring another child into.” You said to him and he nodded, taking a seat next to Sarah and letting his arm extend around the back of the couch as she leant on his shoulder. 

“What book are you reading kiddo?” He asked and she smiled. 

“To Kill a Mockingbird. Miss Garcia recommended it so mom took me to get it from the library on Friday.” She explained and Joel shot you a small smile.

Sarah wasn’t your biological child but that never stopped the three of you from acting like a true family. You had met Joel in a bar when Sarah was just 4 and, after a few dates, you finally got to meet his little girl and the pair of you were on your honeymoon a year later. Giving birth had never been something you had wanted to do, stories from friends and family completely putting you off the idea, but Sarah was desperate for a sibling and you knew, deep down, that Joel would love to have another kid in the house.

A knock on the door had Joel shooting to his feet, almost falling into the table, as he walked to the door to let the woman. “Mr and Mrs Miller, it’s good to see you again. And I take it this is the Sarah I got to know so much about?” She asked with a cheeky smile and Sarah laughed. 

“Yeah my dad can get carried away with his bragging.” She said and Joel blushed, you squeezing his hand before he stepped aside to let the woman in. 

“Well, I’m sure you're aware of why I’m here. I’m Courtney, the social worker who’s been asked to come and have a look around, make sure everything is up to scratch and walk you through the next few steps.” She clarified and the three of you nodded, Joel gesturing for her to take a seat and then taking his seat back next to Sarah who was laying her book on the coffee table. 

“To Kill a Mockingbird? You like reading?” Courtney asked Sarah who nodded quickly. 

“I was always read bedtime stories from dad or my uncle Tommy when he lived with us and then mom would help me read the harder books because those too are hopeless when it comes to words with more than three syllables.” She teased and Courtney laughed while Joel looked at Sarah with faux offence while you snorted into your hand. 

“Well I can already tell that the three of you have a lovely dynamic going on. We’ve already discussed that it is your intention to foster a child and then adopt once the child is settled, correct?” She asked and Joel nodded. 

“We don’t think it’s fair for a kid to get used to living with us and then we just change our routine once another kid comes along, you know?” You said and she nodded. 

“Well, would you be able to show me around?” She asked and you nodded, Sarah opting to stay seated while you and Joel led her around your home. 

“That room at the back is mine and Joel’s, Sarah’s is on the left and then the room on the right is obviously the spare room. We’ve left it pretty plain so that we can decorate it to their tastes but the room design is their choice.” You explained and she nodded. 

“And you said you have two bathrooms?” She asked and Joel nodded. 

“There’s the ensuite in the master bedroom and then the bathroom on your left is the bathroom that Sarah uses.” Joel told her and she nodded with a bright smile. 

“It seems you’re all quite prepared for a new arrival. I believe there is someone in our system who would benefit greatly from being included in your family. If you’d like, I can set up a meeting for the pair of you to meet her and then another a few days later where you can bring Sarah along so the girls can get to know each other a little bit?” Courtney suggested and you and Joel both nodded quickly. 

“That’d be great.” 

“If we go and take a seat, I can go over some of her details and we’ll see what you think.” 

Sitting back on the couch, Courtney pulled out a folder and Sarah peeked over the book. “Someone that eager to come live with us?” She asked and Joel rolled his eyes, nudging her slightly. 

“Not when they find out you’re here.” He teased and she scoffed. 

“Your old man grunts when you get up off the couch would be enough to scare anyone away. Surprised mom didn’t escape when she could.” She threw back at him and you looked to both of them. 

“That’s enough with the pair of you, let’s listen to what Courtney can tell us about the girl ok?” You said and they both nodded, Joel smiling gently at you. 

“So, her name’s Ellie, she’s 10 and she’s pretty mature for her age. Became independent at a young age and is generally intelligent if that’s something that interests you. She does have slight trauma which can cause occasional nightmares and she can be generally nervous around new people but is fiercely protective once she gets to know someone.” Courtney said and Joel sat up straighter. 

“Sarah, you wanna go to your room for a little honey? We’ll call you back in once we go over some of the finer details?” He asked her and she nodded, collecting her book from the table and heading to her room. You looked at him confused and he cleared his throat. 

“When you say trauma, are we allowed to know what that trauma is?” He asked and you looked at him shocked. Was this going to be a dealbreaker for him? “Woah no not because of anything bad. I just meant would there be anything that we could do to make the transition a little easier. Like is it better to have her meet us one at a time or maybe Sarah first or-.” You breathed a sigh of relief as he explained himself. “Kids have trauma, it doesn’t put me off fostering her just because she’s had a shitty past. I just don’t want her to feel like she has to feel a certain way once she joins us, you know?” He said more to you than to Courtney and you nodded. 

“It’s probably better that she meets the pir of you first. Ellie’s mother died during childbirth and no one knew who her father was which meant that she was placed straight into foster care. She’s had some really bad experiences with foster homes which is why we are extremely careful of who we place her with. She struggles with men quite a lot which is why we always ensure that there are more women than men in whichever home she goes to. The best thing you can do for her is to just be yourselves. She has an extremely good judge of character so she’ll see straight through whatever facade you try to put up.” Courtney encouraged and you and Joel nodded, you watching as your husband took in all the information he could. 

“The only other guy that’s ever really here is my brother but most of the time his wife and son are with him. Would that be ok once she gets settled?” He asked and Courtney nodded. 

“As much normalcy as possible will help her settle. She doesn’t like to be a burden so feeling like your routine is being changed for her will make her feel awkward. We’ve had many fosters change their mind with Ellie due to some of her personality traits.” Courtney revealed and you frowned. 

“Personality traits? What do you mean?” You asked and she frowned slightly. 

“Many of the fosters believe that Ellie may be neurodivergent which could lead to some of her other traits such as her short temper and her objections to certain food textures or smells. She also struggles to divert from certain routines and some families found that hard to adjust to and it was making Ellie restless. It should also be noted that Ellie isn’t the ‘typical girl’ that a lot of families are searching for. She has very strong tastes in the clothes she wears and how she is viewed and will refuse to cooperate if it goes against what she wants.”

“We don’t expect her to stick to any kind of mould. As long as she’s her own person we don’t care.” Joel said and you nodded. “Would she be interested in any kind of sports? Sarah plays soccer so maybe signing her up for that would be a good idea?” He asked and Courtney shook her head with a smile. 

“Ellie is quite small for her age so she gets pushed around a lot whenever it comes down to sports or physical activity. Her favourite hobbies are music and drawing but I’m sure she’ll tell you all about that once you get to meet her. Once you find a topic she enjoys, the girl can talk for hours.” She said and Joel’s eyes lit up, your husband’s love for music shining through and Courtney seemed to notice. 

“Well, I can see you’re clearly excited to meet her so I’ll let you guys talk it over and once I’ve spoken to Ellie I’ll email with a date for you to come down to the home and meet her if that’s everything you had to ask.” You both shook your heads and Joel called for Sarah who bid goodbye to Courtney and then the three of you flopped onto the couch, Joel’s head dropping into Sarah’s lap as she shot him a stink eye for interrupting her reading. 

“Well that seemed to be a success. I can’t wait to meet her.” Joel said and you chuckled, Sarah just resting her book on his face and continuing to read.

“I say we order pizza to celebrate.” You suggested and Sarah cheered while Joel grumbled. 

“I hope it’s your money that’s paying for it.” He said and you and Sarah both burst into laughter. 

“Of course not. Don’t you wanna provide for your girls my manly husband. Inn’t that what all you Texas men are built for?” You teased and he scoffed, laughing as you kissed his cheek. 

“Make sure to order a ham and pineapple for the monster bookworm.” He told you and you nodded. 

“If anybody’s order was going to be forgotten it’d be yours dad. Just accept that mom loves me more.” Sarah said, prodding his cheek and you smiled. 

“What is it you want Joel?” You asked sweetly and grunted. 

“All I ever want is cheese and it’s always forgotten.” 

“Shut up you giant man baby.” You pushed his face into the couch cushion and he pouted. 

“Thought I was your manly husband?” He asked with a slight smirk showing on his face until Sarah hit him with her book.

“Stop flirting with my mom. You’re ruining my appetite.”

[kaminocasey]

Dream A Little Dream of Me Part 2

Summary: Your reality is different than theirs. But hopefully, you can use that to your advantage and help put a stop to the Clone Wars. If catching the eye of a certain captain is also in the mix, then that's also a plus, right?

Pairing: Eventual Rex x F!Reader

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI; Alternate Reality stuff, Angst, Insomnia, Pong Krell, Umbara Arc

WC: 3.2K

A/N: Hi, hello, hey. Sorry it's been a minute since I wrote the part one to this! I'm still incredibly excited about this series. Hope you still are too!

Part One │ Taglist Form

“You look sleepy as hell.” Your co-worker and old college roommate, Annie, smiles at you sympathetically from her desk that sits across from yours.

“Don’t I always?” You chuckle with a half shrug, as you continue logging the files you put back earlier for your bosses. 

You don’t have the most exciting job in the world. You work as a paralegal in your great uncle Robert’s law firm, but it’s really good money. And sure, it could be considered a nepotism hire if you really squint your eyes, but your uncle told you he’d treat you fairly in the hiring process. And he didn’t favor you to any of the other paralegals. At least, not really.

“Yeah, but like… you look especially out of it today.” She offers you a power bar and you shake your head, holding up your own from inside the top drawer.

You nod, drinking your coffee as you click out of excel on your computer. “I am sleepy, though. I had this insane dream last night.” 

Last night played over and over in your head, leaving you with so many questions. The number one being “How?” and what if you weren’t able to go back to that dream again? Why did it feel so real?

“Oooh. A sex dream?” Annie’s sweet smile turns into a smirk and you roll your eyes with a chuckle. “No, Annie. Not a sex dream.” You look at her as you ring your finger around the edge of your mug. 

You kinda wished it had been a sex dream, with the way that Rex had been looking at you. God, you missed him already. That’s not normal, right? How can you miss a fictional character of a show from a dream?

Then, your mind travels to just how real they felt. Like real flesh against your own. Fives’ face… Rex’s hand… Maybe you shouldn’t dwell on it too much. Just accept it for what it was. 

A good dream. Nothing more. 

When you get home from work, you avoid putting on The Clone Wars. It hurts a little to think about them right now. Plus, you’ve got a ton of other things you need to get caught up with. You’ve been putting off laundry for three days, along with vacuuming and dusting your living room. While it’s not an incredibly large space, it’ll still take some time. 

As you gather up the laundry hamper in your room, you can’t help but think about how silly this all feels… Your mind can’t even help but go back to the dream, to Rex’s hands on yours. How warm his skin felt against yours. 

You miss him… 

You miss all of them… 

As you clean, your phone starts to ring. You pull it out of your pocket after dumping a load into the washer, seeing that it's your mom.

“Hi, mom.” You smile. 

“Hi, sweetheart. How was your day?” She asks.

Maybe there was an upside to this whole dream thing. It seems to bring you and your mom a little closer. Although, with her, you’re always waiting for the shoe to drop. Though, maybe this would help. 

“Have you eaten dinner?” She asks.

“I have not. Just started doing some housework, actually.” You reply as you walk to your utility room to grab your duster. 

“Do you want me to come over and cook for you?” She asks.

You’d like to say yes, but you’re really looking forward to at least trying to go to sleep. And since you don’t have work tomorrow, you could sleep extra longer. 

“I would love that, but I’m actually really tired for once. Do you want to get a late lunch tomorrow?” You ask.

“I’d love to!” She seems genuinely happy that you’ve asked her. 

As you go through your house, cleaning a bit, and then make a quick sandwich, you and your mom talk about a lot of things. How your day was, how she’s joined a new book club, how your dad is supposed to be back in town from a long business trip so maybe he’ll join the two of you for lunch tomorrow. It’s just so nice being able to have someone to talk to again. You didn’t exactly have friends lined up at the door. Although, you didn’t exactly try your hardest to make them. Maybe you’ll ask Annie to get drinks over the weekend.

When you finally start to yawn, your mom suggests that you lay down and that she’ll start singing to you again. You definitely don’t put up a fight there. 

Your mom murmurs your name.

“Yeah?” You close your eyes.

“I know I don’t say this a lot, but I love you.” She tells you, softly.

You smile. “I love you too, mom.” 

And then she starts singing.

Stars shining bright above you

Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"

Birds singin' in the sycamore trees

Dream a little dream of me

You think of the men that you saw last night, how kind and compassionate they were with you.

Say "Night-ie night" and kiss me

Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me

While I'm alone and blue as can be

Dream a little dream of me

You think of how you need to help them win the Clone Wars. Maybe you alone can make a difference. Maybe they’ll listen to you.

Stars fading but I linger on, dear

Still craving your kiss

I'm longing to linger 'til dawn, dear

Just saying this

You think of Rex. His vanilla and warm ocean breeze scent. How could a man be so beautiful? How could a smile be so heartstopping? 

Sweet dreams 'til sunbeams find you

Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you

But in your dreams, whatever they be

Dream a little dream of me

You open your eyes. But instead of finding yourself on a gunship, or the barracks, you’re on an examination table. 

This can’t be right… 

In a slight panic, you quickly sit up right. 

“Woah, woah. Easy now.” You hear a kind, male voice to your right as his hands steady you. 

You’d know that voice anywhere. Rex. Instant warmth floods your veins at the realization.

“Re- Captain.” You murmur, looking around, realizing you’re on the Umbarran base. 

“I was beginning to get real worried about ya.” He smiles, patting your hand. 

Electricity shoots up your arm as butterflies settle in your stomach. 

“What happened?” You ask, looking at Kix as he approaches you to check your vitals. 

“Well… As soon as I walked away after our chat, you passed out, right there on the tarmac.” He tells you. “I had Kix transport you here with us.”

So, you’re picking up where you left off. Okay. Good. 

“Which I didn’t think was a good idea.” Kix smirks, knowingly at Rex. 

Rex rolls his eyes at his brother. “You passed out right after talking to me, I felt responsible in a way.”

You can’t help but look up at him in awe, a soft smile on both yours and Rex’s lips. He was worried about you twice now. 

“You’ve been out for quite a while.” Kix tells you.

“Missing all the action.” Rex teases and you let out a breathy laugh.

“Sorry, I must’ve just been exhausted.” You tell them. “What did I miss?” 

Rex gives Kix a look and then Kix excuses himself, leaving just you and Rex. He sits on the edge of the exam table, watching your hands before speaking.

He looks up at you. “You were right… About Krell… How did you know?” 

You shrug, not exactly sure what to tell him. It's not like you can just outright tell him the truth, right?

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” You murmur.

He puts his hand over yours. “Try me.” 

He’s looking at you so softly again, so full of warmth. And respect. With a sigh, you start to tell him everything, but another clone trooper walks in.

“Sir, the General is requesting your presence in the command tower right away.” The man tells him.

Rex nods once and the other trooper walks back out.

“Will you be alright here?” Rex asks you, still holding your hand. 

You nod. “Yeah.” 

Kix walks back in and starts going through some cabinets.

“Alright.” Rex gives your hand one last squeeze before letting go and you instantly miss his warmth. “I’ll try to swing back by to check on you.” You can’t help but grin at the captain. “That’s sweet of you, but not necessary. I’m fine.” 

To show him that you’re fine, you put your feet down on the floor and walk around the table. You’ve gotta try to stop Krell. You think you might just know the men to help you.

“You’re sure?” Rex looks you up and down, double checking to make sure you actually are alright.

“Positive.” You nod.

“Alright. If you need me-” He starts.

“Yeah, Rex. We know where to find you.” Kix rolls his eyes.

Rex gives Kix a quick glance and then smiles at you once more before leaving the medbay. When you turn toward Kix, he’s got his arms crossed.

“What’s up?” You ask, self-consciously.

“Something’s different about you.” Kix quirks an eyebrow. 

Your stomach drops. “Oh?” 

“You’ve got a thing for Rex, don’t you?” He smirks.

You almost let out a breath of relief. “Ha. You’re funny. I’ll be back. I’m gonna find the freshers.”

“Sure you are.” He teases before turning back around to go through the Umbaran’s medical systems.

You quickly walk down to the barracks, where you remember that Fives, Jesse, Hardcase, and Tup might be. But you have to remember that Dogma is supposed to be there too and he’s going to stick up for Krell, because he thinks that’s the right thing. 

When you reach the barracks, you walk in and find Fives, Jesse, Tup, and Hardcase. Just like you expected.

“She lives!” Fives sees you and immediately starts grinning.

“We really thought you were in a coma.” Hardcase jokes. 

“No we didn’t.” Tup gives Hardcase a funny look and then looks back over at you as you sit down on one of the bunks. 

“Glad to see you’re alright.” Jesse nods with a soft smile. “Shouldn’t you be resting though?”

These men are all just as kind and charming as you’d expected they’d be. It really makes your chest clench at the thought of not being able to help them in some way.

“I needed to speak to you guys.” You tell them. 

They all join around, looking at you with curiosity. 

“This is going to sound crazy… but I need you guys to believe me and then spread the word as quickly as you can, okay?” You look around at them.

“Sure, mesh’la. What is it?” Fives sits down on the bunk across from you. 

Well, here it goes…

“Krell isn’t a good Jedi. I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now, right?” You ask him.

Fives chuckles, humorlessly, glancing at his brothers. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“He’s going to continue the assault on the capital. But what you don’t know is that he’s given the 212th orders to fire at you guys, lying to them and telling them that you’re actually the enemy dressed as clones. He’s going to tell you the same thing.” You tell him, with a face as serious as possible, needing them to believe you. “I know you guys want to take the starfighters and-”

“The assault on the capital will continue as planned.” Rex’s reluctant voice is in the doorway of the barracks and everyone looks from you to him and then back at you. 

“See?” You whisper to Fives. 

“Why would he attack his own men?” Fives whispers quickly.

“Because he hates clones and he’s actually evil.” You stand up to look at Rex.

“So, that’s it?” Jesse walks over to Rex. “We just march into those missiles?”

Rex glances at you curiously but doesn’t say anything more. You give the men a quick serious look and then nod at Rex with a smile before walking back out of the barracks, across the tarmac, and toward the medbay. 

And then you remember Hardcase and him not making it back. So you start jogging back to the barracks, trying to think of a way to keep him alive. 

“Forget something?” Rex asks, walking toward you.

“I just wanted to tell Hardcase something, is all.” You smile. 

“Oh…” Rex murmurs, his expression confused. “I see.” 

And then you realize he thinks that you mean something entirely different. 

“Oh, Rex. No. Not like that.” You laugh.

He smiles softly. “Oh, good.”

“Good indeed.” You glance at the barracks.

“Fives told me what you told them. About Krell… and the clones.” Rex murmurs, glancing around subtly to make sure no one is listening.

“Oh?” You bite your lip, nervously.

“I… think it’s odd. But something is telling me to believe you. So we’ll march on, helmets off, blasters down, so they see it’s us. Alright?” He offers.

You feel a lot better and let out a breath of relief. 

“Earlier, you said ‘I’m someone you trust right?’ and that keeps replaying in my mind. You are someone I trust. Someone I even… admire.” He tells you, stepping a little closer. 

Your heart leaps into your throat and you try so hard to keep your cool. If this is truly a dream… Please don’t wake up right now. 

“I admire you too, Rex.” You smile up at him.

“Is there anything else you need to tell me?” He asks.

“Krell is only pretending to be in the Jedi Order. He still has them fooled… and it’ll be hard to take him down. But, if you get the 212th to tell Kenobi that he tried to put clones against clones-” You start.

All of a sudden, as if on time, there’s a huge blast taking out the hangar bay. 

“Oh shit. Fives!” You run back toward the hangar, forgetting that was supposed to happen.

You really need to focus.

Except Rex pulls you back against the building when he sees Krell heading that way, pushing you up against the building and accidentally pressing his body to yours so that he blocks you from view. Or at least, you think it’s an accident… but you hope otherwise.

You look up at him, parted lips, heat traveling throughout your entire body. He gives a shy half smile and your heart screams “KISS HIM!” but your mind is telling you, you need to find Hardcase.

“Sorry, don’t want you on Krell’s radar.” Rex apologizes, but doesn’t let you go.

You hear Krell start shouting at Hardcase and Fives, breaking you two apart. 

“I better go help them.” Rex pulls away, reluctantly.

“Wait! Tell Hardcase to take the ray shield down in front of the reactors, and if that doesn’t work, try tricking the battle droid into taking the missile toward the reactor. Okay? He’ll know what that means when the time is right.” You squeeze Rex’s hand.

“Alright. But you’re telling me how you know all this, later, right?” He glances down at your lips. 

“I promise.” You reach up and kiss him on the cheek. “Now go.” 

He smirks as he walks away, to go help Hardcase and Fives. You feel like you can breathe a little bit better now. Hopefully, the rest of your plan goes off without a hitch.

And then it kicks in. You just kissed Captain Rex on the cheek... and he liked it! How long had you been wanting to do that? 

You wait a few moments and then see Krell angrily storming off. Rex walks the opposite direction, across the tarmac and you follow him. 

“Perimeter sweep?” You ask, softly, falling into step beside him. 

“I won’t even ask how you knew that.” He chuckles. “But yes.”

“Did you tell Hardcase what I needed to tell him?” You ask, fidgeting with your hands, nervously.

“No, I didn’t get the chance to, I’m sorry.” Rex tells you.

That terrible feeling pools into your stomach and you feel the intense weight of a couple million clones’ lives on your shoulders. 

“Where is he? I need to find him.” You start looking around. 

“Oh, there you are!” Kix calls over to you. 

You don’t have time to deal with Kix though, you have to find Hardcase. You can’t let him sacrifice his life like he did in the show. All they need to do is get the ray shield down. 

“Sorry, I’ve gotta find him.” You start to walk away but Rex stops you.

“Listen, I will find him after my perimeter scan, alright?” He tries to get you to look at him.

“Rex, you don’t understand. They’re leaving soon. If you don’t tell him now, he’s going to die.” You rush out in a panic, barely making sense.

“What?” Rex’s brows furrow. “I-I don’t understand.”

“What’s going on?” Kix approaches, looking at the scene before him.

You probably look crazy with tears in your eyes and yelling about Hardcase. 

“I’ll tell him, okay? I’ll find him-” Rex starts but as he sees three figures coming toward the three of you, he turns you around so you can see them for yourself. “They’re right there. It’s gonna be okay.”

You lean against the 501st captain, letting out a breath of relief for the tenth time tonight. If you weren’t so stressed, you’d definitely enjoy the way he’s holding you upright, making sure you don’t go anywhere. It’s clear he cares about you. 

“Kix, why don’t you take her to get something to eat.” Rex guides you into the hands of Kix but you can’t take your eyes off of the captain and he doesn’t take his eyes off of you. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

You nod, trusting him, letting Kix lead you back to the medbay to find something to eat, even though you’re not hungry. This is a lot for one person. If you could just get ahold of Mace Windu or Master Yoda somehow… 

“Kix?” You ask, glancing at the command tower. 

“Hm?” He replies. 

It’s too bad that The Bad Batch hasn’t been introduced at this point yet. You could really use Tech’s skill at locating the jamming device that Krell has no doubt planted. 

“Who’s the most technologically inclined in the 501st?” You ask.

He stops to give you a strange look. “See, you’re being weird for real this time. Why are you asking that?” 

“Because… I need to know what sort of jamming device the “enemy” would use to cut off our contact with the 212th.” You shrug. “Who’s the most technologically inclined guy in the 501st?” 

He stares at you hard for a minute. This look says “I know you don’t belong here”, and you realize you’ve fucked up.

Then, he narrows his eyes at you. “You are.”

Well, Shit…

TAGLIST: @twistedstitcher27 @misogirl828 @rebel-finn @rexandechosandwich @madameminor @dumfanting @rain-on-kamino @corona-one @tecker @ladykatakuri @brynhildrmimi @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @zoeykallus @maulslittlemeowmeow @littlemousedroid @arctrooper69 @rexxdjarin @padawancat97 @hated-by-me @sleepingsun501 @quigonswife8 @idlenesses @redheadgirl @themcuwriter @ashotofspotchka @sunshinesdaydream @crosshairsimp73 @ariadnes-red-thread @rosmariner @heyitsaloy @starstofillmydream @high-ct5555 @echos-girlfriend @sleepywych @nekotaetae @justanothersadperson93 @aconstructofamind @book-of-baba-fett @chopper-base @palliateclaw @501st-rexster @dead-poolz @nahoney22 @where-is-my-mind-tho @jediknightjana @erishimoon @witching3 @queen-of-many-fandoms @wizardofrozz  @burningfieldof-clover

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

DOOM Prompt 10

A writing prompt from my doom discord, tied into the Garnets story. This takes place early in the story, before Valen comes. Making John feel old is oddly fun to write

.

10: “Lily becomes interested in that old box computer on doom dad's desk”

There were far, far too many things to explore in the Fortress with a clear head. Or mostly clear, Lily was still groggy as she just got a shot from one of the little hover drones from medical not long ago. Lily was walking to stay awake, and was not sure how but ended up in the half living, half workshop area. 

Lily stared, but Vega had let her in, and she looked around. Just trying to take in what she was seeing. The young woman took a step towards the books, before getting distracted at seeing a familiar plasma rifle on the display wall to her left. Reaching out, having to be careful even with her good left hand, Lily fingered the scar in the grip of her dad’s trusted rifle.

John found it somehow, Lily had not even known where it was on the Platform. It was cleaned and repaired, with the grips shifted just a bit. Likely so he could hold it comfortably instead of her dad’s settings. That was alright though. Lily hoped it could get some good use again in what seemed like the right set of hands. 

Being alone for the last few days had Lily used to just (very slowly) wandering around it seemed. Sure talking with Vega and Riggs helped, but it was not quite the same. Lily could not help but think her dad would like it up here. Some views outside the ‘windows’ aside.

She missed her dad, and mom, but the sheer difference of her location both helped a lot, and made her a bit homesick. So Lily distracted herself again by poking around where she was. Finding she had to be a bit careful where she stepped. 

The rug on the upper level with her was familiar. Lily had found what seemed like a cleaner one like that was placed in her room down in the gardens. She wondered if there was something like a vacuum on the Fortress. The little horseshoe crab like drones did not seem able to clean carpet. 

“How do they…?” Lily started to wonder aloud, the woman puzzling how the little drones cleaned the wide floors on a whole, not spot cleaning.

“What's wrong, Miss Lily?” Vega asked, keeping a close optic on his human charge.

“Nothing wrong,” Lily sat down on the stairs to the lower section. “How do the drones clean the bigger floor space?” 

“They spot clean, but for keeping the flooring clean is a different type of drone.” Vega explained, happy that Lily was talking again as it had been a few hours. “There should be two in that room, though they need some repairs that the Slayer has not gotten to.” 

“There's a lot of stuff that needs to be done here.” Lily mused, it really was like the platform, but in space. She blinked seeing what might be the mentioned drone, bulky having stopped mid cleaning. 

 Lily got up to investigate as best she could with her right arm still firmly tucked in the sling. 

That's when she noticed the weirdest thing. It looked like a monitor, but clunky and like those blocky computers in the old movies her dad would make Lily and her mom watch with him. Lily blinked, looking confused as she stood up “Where did this come from Vega?” 

“I believe it belongs to the Slayer. It was here before I activated into the Fortress’ systems.” Vega explained partly. He had all of the small amount of clearly precious data inside it triple backed up for the Slayer.

“Weird.” Lily noted running her fingers over the shell of the old, if not ancient computer. Lily shifted to look over at the desk area that had the Argenta tech, then looked back to the old computer. “It's like, ancient and out of history class…?”

“It is, though modified from the standard of the time, and not just the power source.” Vega sounded amused, as he saw the Slayer stop short in the still open doorway. Looking startled as if having forgotten that Lily was in the fortress, then frowned at hearing his favored old computer being called ancient.

He was not that old-!

The Slayer made a face as he grunted, remembering at least several, many centuries spent on Argent D'nur before the Divinity Machine. 

The Demigod groaned, feeling old again as he walked into the room. Wasn't it enough to make him feel like that on the platform? He caught the scent of oatmeal soap before finding where Lily was looking up at him. It was…

Oddly cute, wide hazel eyes staring up at his bulk from the beside the right side of his work area. What was it that she said… 

Rude. John signed and pointed at the girl as he came down the stairs, getting a guilty look back. Before she could say anything he stopped and hooked his right arm around Lily, careful of her right shoulder. Smirking at the startled squeak and half formed protests at being held like a wiggly bag of potatoes. 

John reached over to turn on and set a record on the player. Again feeling old but hell with it, it was something new to him in this world.

“Help?” Lily called from under his arm. Squeaking as she was, gently, squished against the solid wall of muscle on his side as the demigod huffed back.

[milkywaygg]

A Papa's Fears

AN: I’ve finally gotten around to writing again after not being able to sleep (3 hrs before work too rip) but I couldn’t wait around to write this. Mama Cosma in this is VERY different than the one I normally write her as, so you can consider this non-canon to my AU (or not even part of) if you like. I’ve just been going through a huge writer’s block lately, plus my Splatoon addiction doesn’t help lol. But I’ll try to post more often. Anyways, enjoy! Also MPREG is involved in this fanfic as most of my work is, so if that’s not something you’re comfortable with, this isn’t the story for you.

Mr. Cosma sighed a breath of exhaustion as he slunk down on the vibrant, purple couch: the weight of his belly finally overcoming him. Taking off the pink apron that he had sported ever since his wife had left for work that morning, he took a long look around the house, satisfied with his work. Every unused outlet plugged up, the kitchen counters and doors covered with child locks, furniture dusted, floors vacuumed, baby-gates installed. All that was left was for his wife to come home and help him install carbon monoxide detectors and make sure fresh batteries were placed in the smoke detectors.

The longer he sat around and looked however, he couldn’t help but feel like something was missing, but he couldn’t remember what it was. The cleaning supplies had been moved from the kitchen sink to his and his wife’s bathroom, the nursery was set up, and he had just about checked every aspect of the house, MULTIPLE times. What could he possibly be missing? As he shuffled around the couch to look over the living room for the hundredth time, he let out a yelp as a glowing, gold light ignited, forcing him off as he watched the couch shrink, becoming miniscule compared to is wand that he left on the couch. Letting out a small squeak, Mr. Cosma launched himself towards the wand and grabbed it, shaking it to stop its magic; the couch no bigger the size of a mint.

How could I be so stupid. We can’t be leaving these around! What if the baby gets a hold of one? What if…oh how could I forget so easily.

“Honey? What happened to our couch?”, his wife asked, closing the front door behind her as she placed down her briefcase, “And what are you doing? I thought I told you to take it easy today.”

“I-I-I I know hun. I just…”, Mr. Cosma stammered, unable to answer his wife. Smiling gently at him, Mrs. Cosma pulled out her wand and pointed it towards their mint-sized couch, turning it back to normal. “I-I’m so sorry darling. It was an accident. I-I was just so lost in thought that I-“

“Babe, sit down. You standing around all stressed out is not good for the baby.”, Mrs. Cosma said softly, placing his hands on her husband’s shoulders, sitting him down gently, “What’s the matter? How did this happen?”

“I-I just…”, Mr. Cosma stuttered some more, before tears started sprouting from his emerald green eyes, staining his reading glassed, “I’m sorry. I-I just wanted to help.”

“Shh…shh…baby it’s ok.”, she said soothingly, hugging him gently as she rubbed his back.

“I ruin everything.”

“No you don’t darling. Why do you think you ruin everything?”

“I-I’m such an idiot. I was trying to make sure our home w-was safe for our baby since he’s almost here and I…I left my wand on the couch and it shrunk..and I almost got hit..and what if that had been our baby”

“Ok babe, breathe for me.”, Mrs. Cosma instructed, grabbing his hands firmly as she demonstrated a proper breath. She let him continue sobbing before he started breathing, his tears finally coming to a halt. “Do you need some water?”

“No dear…”, he sniffed, “I just want our baby to be safe. I-I knew I was forgetting something. I didn’t even think about what would happen if he got a hold of our wands. He can’t use adult magic yet! He’s not ready!”

“Sweetheart, it’s ok. We’re going to lock them up from now on. It was just a little accident. Don’t beat yourself up. The fact that you’re even worrying this much just proves to me that you don’t ruin everything. I’m sure you’re doing to be the best father in the world to our little Cosmo.”, she said softly, wiping the last of his tears from his cheek, “Think about it. It’s a good thing this happened. If it happened, then you wouldn’t have remembered our wands, right?”

“I-I guess so. Just..”, Mr. Cosma sighed, anxiety still overcoming his body as he looked down at his belly, “I’m sorry darling. I’ve been such a handful lately. I-I’m just ready for him to be born so bad. I’m tired of all these hormones, I’m tired of the vomiting, and I-I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to come home to me looking like a mess. I haven’t even started dinner yet.”

“Then we’ll get something delivered. It’s no big deal. I just want you to rest. We don’t have much time left anyways, but you worrying about everything and stressing yourself out isn’t going to do any good.”, Mrs. Cosma said, “I know you want to give the baby a good home. I do too, and I’m glad you’re taking all the precautions into doing so, but you’ve got to take care of yourself too, especially since we’re due pretty soon.”

“Well..I just…I don’t want anyone to die from an accident. Of course, I’m especially talking about the baby but what if something happens to you or I? What if something happens to me that I can’t take care of my baby. What if an accident like this kills us-“

Mrs. Cosma interrupted her husband by kissing him on the mouth, pulling him close and allowing him to melt into her body, a sense of security and warmth around him.

“Darling, please just trust me. Trust me to provide and take care of his household, and trust yourself that you’re going to do a good job with the baby, ok? No more worrying. Cosmo doesn’t want daddy to worry anymore.”, she smiled at him, “Everything’s going to be ok. I promise you. I love you too much to lie to you.”

“I-I love you too. Thank you.”, Mr. Cosma said softly, sniffing though his tears were finally clearing up, “Honey?”

“Yes dear?”

“Do you know if we have any pickles left? And peanut butter?”

“Yes but don’t spoil your dinner. I’m about to order.”, she laughed softly as she made her way towards the landline phone in the kitchen, “Pizza ok?”

[shipskicksandgiggles]

The Meaning of Home (also on ao3)

Ever since he learned to drive, Steve had loved his BMW. He wouldn’t let anybody else touch his car, much less drive it. 

He kept it spotless. He wouldn’t consider himself a neat freak, but he kept the carpets vacuumed and trash out of the cup holders and off the floor. 

Not to mention he learned how to tune her up all on his own. His dad wasn’t around to help, and even if he was, he certainly wouldn’t be helping his son with dirty, disgusting work like changing the oil or cleaning out the filter. 

That was work for a mechanic. Someone you paid to get black sludge under their fingernails. 

Learning how to do it himself was a process. Without a positive male role model in his life, he resorted to reading books to guide him, starting with the car’s manual. 

Steve wanted his car in the best hands, and he trusted no one more than himself. 

He knew more about the inside of his car than he had any business knowing. Feeling her purr under his hands was the most satisfying part of his day. 

Even when he drove other people’s cars, feeling the thrum of the engine made him feel like he mattered. Like he had control. 

Nancy’s car was his favorite to drive. It was a shitty old station wagon, but he loved it. He was honestly a bit jealous. 

The truth was, he loved his car the most at first. He was able to use it to get around, to pick up girls, to impress his friends. That was when he was a younger man. 

Nowadays, his usual passengers were three kids and Robin, which his BMW was a bit too cramped to accommodate. 

Driving the Wheeler’s station wagon was a breath of fresh air. Sure, there was a suspicious rattle coming from somewhere, but he had all the kids with him, and he didn’t have to worry about them. He was even considering a minivan for his next car, if they survived all this. 

This being another apocalypse. They must be on four now, maybe five if he missed one last time he took a vacation. 

Not that Steve took vacations. He hadn’t left Hawkins for more than a day since he was 16 years old. Something about being anxious that one of the kids would need him, and he wouldn’t be there to help. 

Even the station wagon was too small to fit their whole group now, and not all of them were in Indiana anymore. Steve might have to reconsider his choice of a minivan. A bus might be a better option. 

Or a Winnebago. 

He could hear faint chatter behind him. The air was tense, but they were all trying to pretend like it wasn’t. 

Like they weren’t watching Max, in case she might float away. Like they didn’t check out the windows every few seconds to make sure they weren’t being followed. 

Like Eddie wasn’t on the run. Like Eddie hadn’t hotwired their vehicle. 

Like they weren’t on their way to get weapons to take out an evil, alternate dimension wizard. 

Steve had a headache, and no one had punched him in the face this time. 

His only relief came in the form of being able to count everyone, confirm they were all okay. 

‘Okay’ might be a bit of a stretch. 

Alive was good enough for him, even if they were all scraped, bruised, hungry, and tired. 

He focused on the thrum of the vehicle under his hands, and took a deep breath. 

As if she was reading his thoughts, Nancy plopped into the passenger seat next to him. 

“How’s it handle?”

“Not bad considering it’s a literal house on wheels.”

She huffed out a quiet laugh. None of them really had the energy for lighthearted fun anymore. 

Steve glanced over at her, and remembered back to when they were barely older than most of the kids in the backseat. They’d grown up so much since then. 

He sighed. “I used to imagine driving one of these actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you know, like when I was older, with a family, a whole gaggle of kids. I’d just pack everything up and we’d travel across the country every summer. Take a different route every year so we’d eventually hit 49 out of 50 states.”

“That’s quite the dream.”

“Well, when you still believe in the American Dream, a road trip with six kids sounds like a good idea.”

“Six kids? That sounds like a horror show.”

“I realize that now,” he said, gesturing vaguely behind him. Six kids were a nightmare.

“I meant for your future wife, my god. What angel of a woman did you picture in this scenario?”

“Honestly? I have no idea. When we were younger, I think I hoped it would be you, but now?” 

Steve turned in his seat to look at the people behind him. Eddie and Robin were attempting to distract Dustin, Lucas, and Erica while Max watched them with her Walkman secured over her ears. Their party had changed so much over the years, but he loved them nonetheless. 

Just as he was about to turn back, Eddie caught his eye. He smiled and winked before doing something dramatic that made Dustin yell. It was amazing how he fit right in. 

“Eyes on the road,” Nancy reminded. “You’ve changed a lot since we first met.”

“Is that a good thing?” he asked, suddenly shy. 

“Definitely,” she assured him. “I’ll let you drive.” She patted him on the shoulder as she went back to join everyone else.

A couple years back, Steve had kind of dismissed his dream. It was right around the time he woke up concussed in the backseat of his own car with Max driving. Kids were out of the question. 

Then he thought maybe he’d travel the country by himself, pack up just his car and drive until he hit the ocean. 

He didn’t think he could leave Hawkins anymore. Not after all this. 

Steve shook the thought out of his head and focused on driving. One day all of this would be over. 

Moments later, someone else dropped into the passenger seat. Thinking it was Robin, he didn’t say anything, expecting her to speak first. 

“I got Dustin and Lucas to explain Hellfire’s last D&D campaign to Nancy and Robin.” 

Not Robin. Eddie. 

“Oh?”

“Figured it might keep them entertained for a while at least. They’ll probably be quieter too.”

“They’re not that bad. You get used to it.”

Eddie snorted. “You must have a lot of patience, Harrington.”

“I’ve just been babysitting them for a long time.”

He nodded. “Since this all started?”

“Something like that,” Steve agreed. “Once you live through the end of the world with them, all the yelling doesn’t seem like such a big deal.”

“Imagine that. Are you sure you’re The Steve Harrington? Like the prom king, king of the school, lady’s man of Hawkins High?”

“That’s what it says on my driver’s license.”

“It says all that on your driver’s license?”

“My wallet’s in my back pocket if you want to check.”

“As inviting as it is to touch your ass, I think I’ll wait until we’re not around the kids. What do you say darling?” Eddie winked. 

Steve felt himself flush. 

Eddie didn’t seem to notice. “But you really have been saving the world this whole time? Kids and all?”

“Kids and all,” Steve confirmed. “It doesn’t get easier by the way, so if you don’t want to stick around for the next apocalypse, I wouldn’t blame you.”

“You stick around,” Eddie pointed out. 

“I’ve got a pretty good reason to.” It was the truth. He loved Hawkins, loved the kids, loved Robin and his shitty job and even his empty house. He couldn’t just leave it all behind. 

Speaking of, he adjusted the mirror so he could see them, and smiled softly at what he saw. Sure enough, Dustin and Lucas were still fully invested in explaining things to Robin and Nancy, who were actually expressing interest. Even Erica seemed to be getting involved, and Max had slipped her headphones off of one ear so she could listen to both her friends and Kate Bush. 

“We’re going to get them out of this,” Eddie said quietly. “Right?”

Steve nodded. 

“They never got to be kids, did they?”

“Not really, no. Ever since Will went missing, they had to grow up too fast.”

“Do you ever wish you could go back and change things, knowing what you know now?”

He studied Eddie carefully. “More than you could possibly understand.”

“So make me understand.”

Eddie looked at him like he held all the secrets to the universe, and Steve took a deep breath, turning his focus back to the road to avoid Eddie’s gaze. 

“Realistically, I know that this was the way things were meant to happen. That I wouldn’t be the man I am today without all this suffering. Still, knowing what I know now, I would go back and be a less shitty person. Because then maybe Barb would still be alive. Maybe Billy would be too. Maybe we could have been friends a long time ago. Instead we’re here, and I know I can’t go back and fix everything, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“Please, I forgave you the first time Henderson said you gave him rides home from Hellfire because his mom couldn’t make it.”

“Really?”

“Well, sort of. I thought he meant a different Steve Harrington until I saw your car pull into the parking lot and not leave until his seat belt was buckled. Then I forgave you.”

Maybe he was finally losing it, but for whatever reason, that was the first time Steve had really laughed for the first time in days. They were in the middle of the end of the world yet again, and he couldn’t stop laughing. 

His outburst seemed to surprise Eddie based on his expression. A grin slowly grew across his face. “Something funny, Stevie?”

“No, no, I’m sorry, I just-” he hiccuped. “I just can’t believe this is happening.”

“Didn’t we just establish you’ve saved the world multiple times?”

“Not that, I can totally believe that, but this. This stupid Winnebago and those kids and this. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m here. If you told Steve Harrington of four years ago that he’d be babysitting a group of kids with his ex-girlfriend, his best friend who he got tortured by Russians with, and the freak of Hawkins High, he’d think you were nuts, and yet.”

“Still think I’m a freak?” Eddie asked nervously. 

“Sure, but who isn’t?”

“Welcome to the party, your Majesty, it was good of you to join us.”

Eddie’s dramatics only caused him to start laughing again. “Sorry I’m late, honey, traffic was hell,” Steve mocked in return.

“Are you having a nervous breakdown? I think you have to tell us if you are.”

For a second, Steve thought he’d overstepped and offended Eddie, but a quick glance reassured him that he was just joking. 

“I think I’ll be okay. How are you though?” 

The past few days had been harder on Eddie than it was on most of them, which frankly he was handling like a champ, but Steve still worried. 

“Well, let’s see. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to go home, and even if I do I’ll probably be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life because the basketball team turned into a murderous gang. Also, I’ll need a list of everyone’s favorite songs because that seems important now which sounds insane, but it’s no less insane than anything else so what the hell, right?”

Steve got it. Not that he’d been accused of murder, but witnessing the upside down version of their town and facing the end of the world did tend to put things in perspective. What about their lives really mattered anyways?

He let Eddie’s words hang in the air for a moment before he figured out what to say. 

“My favorite song is The Winner Takes It All,” Steve said. “For when you start making that list.”

It seemed to take Eddie a moment to process that. “ABBA, Steve? ABBA? Are you kidding me? We cannot be friends, I’m so sorry, your taste in music cannot be that bad.”

His dramatics caused Steve to lose it. “Oh my god, I’m kidding. It’s actually Heroes. You know David Bowie?”

“Do I know David Bowie, he asks. Jesus Christ, Steve, of course I know Bowie. He’s not bad, but still, remind me to play you some better music if we make it out of this alive.” Then he paused. “When we make it out of this alive.”

“You’re already a natural at keeping a positive mindset with the constant threat of the world ending! I’m proud of you, man.”

“Might as well, right?”

“Exactly. And I can’t wait to hear you play. I've heard you’re a part of the best metal band in this part of Indiana.”

“Steve, we’re pretty much the only metal band in this part of Indiana.” 

“Which automatically makes you the best!”

“Fair enough. My favorite song is Rainbow in the Dark by the way. Master of Puppets would probably work too honestly.”

“I’ll make sure we get a tape of both of them, just in case.”

“Thanks.” His response was uncharacteristically soft, but Steve tried not to think too hard about it.  

They drifted back into silence after that. 

“Do you know what you’re going to do after we save the world?” Eddie asked. Sitting quietly for too long set all of them on edge now. 

“Same as always I guess. Might start taking classes at the community college.”

“Yeah? What are you planning on getting your degree in?”

“Something stable. Teaching maybe. If it doesn’t work out, I can always try my hand at being a mechanic.”

“Mechanic? You?”

“Hey, I fix my own car all the time, don’t start. Anyways, people always need mechanics.”

“We’ll always need teachers too, Steve. I can see it now, your classroom full of bright colors and smiling faces.”

“Now you’re just teasing me,” Steve groaned. 

“I’m not! I really think that’s a good path for you. Stability is a good route to go.”

“Would you ever want anything like that?”

“Oh god no. I want to be out on the road! Experiencing real, true freedom,” Eddie said with conviction. 

Steve certainly believed him. The relief was evident on his face, as if that freedom was finally in reach. 

“Really? You don’t even want someone to come home to? Something to look forward to when you’ve been away for a while?”

He could feel Eddie studying him. 

“I guess that doesn’t sound so bad,” Eddie said eventually. 

“Look man, I’m not saying you can’t do whatever you want. If you want to be out on the open road for the rest of your life, that’s what you should do. But I think everyone needs somewhere to call home, and maybe someone who helps make it a home.”

“Yeah?”

“It probably sounds dumb, but-”

“No no no, I think it’s sweet. I just don’t think that’s the kind of future I’m destined to have.”

“Why do you say that?”

Eddie sat back in his seat a bit. “Home for me growing up wasn’t the definition of stability, and I don’t know if I have what it takes to build that foundation with someone. And even that would require someone to want to have that with me in the first place. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that’s not in the cards for me.”

They lapsed into silence as Steve digested that information. Finally, he spoke again. 

“Okay, don’t take this the wrong way, but are you dumb?”

“Thank you for that, Steve.”

“No, listen to me. You’ve already got a halfway decent start on that foundation, I just think you need to take a step back and see that.”

He looked at him doubtfully, but Steve continued. 

“You created a safe space for a whole group of kids that wouldn’t have that if it weren’t for you, and they adore you. It’s that unconditional love and willingness to accept them that’s going to start you in the right direction. That D&D club of yours is a home of its own if you think about it, and you did that all on your own. Imagine what you could build with someone else.”

Eddie took a moment to think. “What if I don’t want kids?”

“That’s fine. Home doesn’t always equal kids. Good luck getting rid of Dustin though.”

“Which will prove to be a challenge I’m sure, that kid sticks like glue.”

“Trust me, I’ll be dealing with it for the rest of my life too, don’t you worry.”

“Maybe we should deal with it together then,” Eddie said nervously. 

Steve heard the hesitation in his voice like he wasn’t sure how he would react. 

He reached out a hand and patted Eddie’s knee. “I think that could be arranged.”

“Stability, huh?” Eddie asked. 

“If you want it.” 

Steve craved stability more than just about anything else in the world. He couldn’t imagine functioning without some surety of knowing how his life was going to play out for at least the next few months. 

He also craved validation and comfort. One might say he craved love.

A love he wasn’t so sure he could have. 

But Eddie glanced back at the kids and smiled softly, almost privately to himself had Steve not been there to see it. 

“Yeah. I could go for a little bit of stability.”

[toomuchracket]

todays dad!matty brain rot: introducing baba to Allen and mayhem and them being very protective of her and licking her when she learns to crawl. and when she’s a bit bigger, she likes to sit on a kitchen towel and the doggies drag her around the house while she giggles uncontrollably 🥹

this honestly made me SO EMO oh my god i love the dogs!! also not to harp on about makeup youtube icon/entrepreneur jamie genevieve, but this video of her dogs meeting her newborn daughter is genuinely the vibe i think you and matty would go for with introducing the baba to allen and mayhem. obviously, they'll be able to sense something is Up when you're pregnant, and innately they'll know there's another human in your stomach - i reckon they like to sit on the couch beside you when you're pregnant, noses nestled into your stomach, and they're quite overprotective of you. mayhem especially - allen's too mature and unbothered to care - seems to enjoy barking at matty (same lmfao) every time he walks over to you too energetically, as if he's worried his dad will trip over and squish you when he lands (not a totally improbable thing, given how clumsy matty is lol), which irritates matty and entertains you to no end.

anyway, in terms of baba's arrival - i think you come home from the hospital after two or three days post-birth, so matty quite sensibly takes the little outfits that baba's been wearing in the hospital back to the house (i.e. he leaves the hospital the morning after her birth with the outfit she had on the first day/night, and repeats this until she herself comes home), both to get them cleaned and also to let the dogs get used to her scent. and they're so gentle with her when you do bring her home! they're over to you first to say hello (they've missed their mum lol), before sniffing tentatively at the baby carrier and licking the baba lmao; she doesn't cry or anything, she just lies there blinking contentedly. and i think both dogs are very protective over the baba - allen stands guard at her crib while she sleeps, while mayhem follows her about the house as she starts to crawl and gently nudges her away from things that he thinks might hurt her (like the vacuum cleaner lmfao) - and they're so patient with her. you and matty kind of worry that they'll get crabby and bark at her if she's too rough with them as she grows and develops and all, even though you're always supervising and you teach her to be nice to them, but all of your babies (fur or not) are good as gold.

that little game you mentioned is so cute - i can absolutely see baba shrieking with laughter as the doggies tug her around the kitchen floor (matty films it the first time it happens, giggling just as much as his daughter), and i can also see the dogs being used more like horses after she learns how to climb. they put up with it, but you quickly explain to her that she can't do that to them and nominate matty instead (he's like "oh gee thanks sweetheart" but he does it anyway because he loves his kid and it makes her happy lmao). and as baba gets older and learns how to read, i honestly think that you often find her sitting on the dogs' big cushion in the living room, one on either side of her as she "reads them a bedtime story", bless her. but yeah - the doggies love the babas, and the babas love the doggies <3

[rbtreflyd]

In one hour everything turnee for the worst. I haven't lost my keys or wallet in a while in one night i lose both and no one is there to help.

Ppl say I am crazy for everythi g i need. But to me it makes sense. I have been isolating myself bc ppl use all my enery and then i have nothing left. Or they rub me ragged but when I ask for something in return i cant get it.or i just rub ppl wrong so i domt go to things bc i dont have the energy to spend figuring out what ppl need me to be and then pretendkng to be it.

The other big thing is i need pants . Not jeans, not stretch pants, not joggers, not tight. Good old cargo woork pants that arent relaxed fit. My keys and wallet need to go in a pocket I can zipmup.. yes i so walk around with a back pack but when I leave stuff innthere i lock it in the car or house or someone else's property. Plus yarn, a jumpboxm and keyboard or necessary for my work every day. And baggy stuff makes it so I can squeeze between car or I get yanked by everything or ahut it in the door and the world just tears it apart. And I dont have $180 to buy what i used to buy.

And life is just expensive I like helping and not have to spend every moment paying bills or cleaning (cause thats as close to God and a sanctuary as i can ge5). I miss taking ppl kids out for adventures.imiss volunteering in nursing homes. I miss teaching ppl crafts and to stop and smell the roses. I iss stocking shelves at the library and going in apecial needs classrooms to helptgem blv they can do forbthemseves even if its not the same way everyone else does it I miss riding on my bike for 18 hours i missbhelping strangers put groceries in their car or jupstart it. I miss standing on stage breaking pieces of myself to be used in someone else finding their greatness. I miss being the first ladies go getter and praise partner I miss my house being cleaned so regularly tered be nothing in the vacuum when i vacced and only enough dust to wipe with a papertowel when I swept and no blood spots on any bathroom surfaces ordirt ring in the tub. I miss being able to pic up a stranger and drive them to a whole nother state out of kindnesss and aee the gas needle not move.

Like im just sadthat i cant fill the gap anymore so that when i fuck up its not a thing bc all ppl will see if the good I put out tere and not my million moments of weakness

[pbandjesse]

Goodness gracious I am tired. Today was a pretty perfect day off. I am feeling really happy but I also just really on to go to sleep.

I slept okay. I woke up early and was feeling nice. I would scroll on my phone for a few minutes. But then j would get dressed and felt cute in my new outfit. I also felt like my hair didn't feel nice. I would brush it later but I knew I would be out in nature this morning so I wasn't to concerned about it.

James suggested we go out on the lake early so we can avoid the worst of the heat. My husband is so smart. We would wear our bathing suits and got ice water and our kayak and we're in our way.

When we got there we got a good parking spot. I was in a great mood despite it already being 90 degrees. I put together the oars and inflated the seats while James inflated the boat itself.

It was much more sturdy this time. James did a good job. I would bring an umbrella on the boat with me and it was such a good move.

Almost as soon as we got in the water I decided I didn't want my seat. And took that down and uninflated it storing it in the front. I would end up just laying side ways with my feet in the water and my umbrella in my hands. James was paddling us all over. They were sweating and having the best time exercising. And I was living my best life luxuriating and just hoping everyone who saw us got a little laugh about the dynamic. We were both just really happy. I told James stories from living on Playwicki and swimming throughout my teens and just how much I loved living there.

We were out on the water for more then an hour. We would get a little stuck at times

And I tried to take over rowing but in being silly I was doing it to make the boat go to the side. We were giggling and being silly. And I was really happy.

I could have stayed down there all day honestly. Even when the sun was to bright and I needed my umbrella. I was having a blast. You aren't supposed to swim there though. To deep, not safe. So no swimming today. And once James was out of water it was time to head back.

Getting out of the water was a little dangerous. I was a little wobbly. But we did it and while James's water bottle fell in the water they were able to get it and no one lost anything. Excellent.

When we got back to the car I took apart the oars and uninflated the seats. I would take off my bikini bottoms and changed back into shorts. James would get dressed too. I got my phone from the car and had a missed call from my dad.

I would call him and we chatted for a bit. About health and how there are no natural lakes in Maryland. It was nice to hear his voice.

Me and James would go to lunch at Pepe's. James breakfast and I got a grilled cheese. They told me about the tour de France and different types of football. I asked about timezones. It was a nice time.

We would make a stop at Canton crossing before we went home. We went to Michaels for me to get a double glass frame to try my stained glass paint. And then we went to target to get James something. We would accidently lose eachother in the store but James found me and we would pay and go home.

When we got back here it was very hot. I would spend some time cleaning the frog tank and tidying up the turtle tank. Moving some stuff around and moving the dirt. Giving him some enrichment.

We would clean the house a bit. Ruby was sent upstairs to vacuum. We would clean the floors downstairs and put away things around the first floor. It was nice. I love when the house is out together.

I would work on my stained glass project while James went to do laundry. I put a piece of paper between the glass and did the "leading" first. And would wait a few hours for that to dry before I would start filling the shapes with color.

I would have a snack on the couch and work on my knitting. I got 3 squares done and when I counted I have 55 squares now! Amazing. And since they are double sided it's actually 110! I am making great time honestly. It's a long process.

James would come home and worked on hanging out dried flowers in the kitchen and I'm so happy. They look so good. I love how our living room and kitchen space is. I can't wait the get more of our projects done.

James would go to the grocery store. And would make me pasta for dinner. Which was beautiful and tasted great. I did add more sauce because I wanted to dip my bread and also it was very hot from being baked so the cold sauce brought it to a more reasonable temperature. And it was very very good. I appreciate that they changed the way they cook the noodles to the way I like them. They love me so much and I love them so much.

After dinner we're just chilling in the couch. Eventually Brandon would come over to watch House of the dragon. And they set up their projector and sheets up and that's where they are now.

I would come upstairs and packed some clothes for the week because I'm trying to stay the majority of the week. Even thought I don't actually want to. I think I will benefit because of the sewing project. But I am still anxious about it.

I am going to take a shower soon. And get ready for bed. I am fighting closing my eyes. And I have a long week at camp starting tomorrow!!

It will be a good day. I will get rest. And I hopefully not be to overheated. It's going to be very hot the next few days.

I hope you all sleep well. Take care of eachother. Goodnight!!

[osamusbigtits]

the smell of old cigarette smoke greets suna when he opens the door. it's gross, yet suna still breathes it in. he didn't think he would miss it. the apartment is a bit of a mess: clothes thrown around, a couple of used tissues on the coffee table, a few empty soda bottles. suna looks to the kitchen to find it a mess as well. osamu's doing worse than atsumu said.

suna taps his phone screen to check the time. a little past midnight. osamu has to be fast asleep by now. suna debates for a moment before deciding to tidy up.

collecting the empty bottles and tissues to throw them away. he puts clothes in the laundry bin. does the dishes sitting in the sink and puts everything back in its place. the kitchen isn't to osamu's usual standard, but it's better than what it was. maybe it allow osamu to breathe a little easier.

soft footsteps trail their way to their bedroom. suna feels relieved when he opens the door and the bedroom isn't a mess. a lump snores on the left side of the bed and suna smiles fondly.

suna pulls off his jeans and socks and climbs into bed next to osamu. he wraps his arms around osamu, resting his forehead against osamu's back. osamu doesn't stir. he must have been exhausted.

exhaustion creeps at suna. he wants to stay away a little longer. to savor the warmth of osamu in his arms, to be able to smell the linger scent of food and osamu's favorite brand of cigarettes, mixed with his earthy body wash.

but traveling all night, right after finishing practice, left suna more tired than he thought. and swiftly, he drifted to sleep.

and then osamu's alarm went off. it felt like suna had blinked and now he was awake again.

osamu reached out and shut the alarm of and rested back in bed. he leaned against suna's chest and suna held him tighter.

suna was just about to drift off when osamu exclaims his name. suna blinked awake, again, confused for a moment.

osamu kisses him- when did he turn to face him? suna kisses back for a moment before pushing osamu away. "holy shit, dude, brush your teeth," suna says and buries his face into the nearest pillow.

osamu, undeterred, kisses suna's neck and shoulder. "when did you get home? i didn't know you were coming, I would've waited for you. oh, you have to be hungry-"

suna grabs osamu's face. "babe. get ready for work. I'll visit you later. I'm fucking exhausted."

osamu licks suna's hand and suna pulls it away. with a final kiss to suna's shoulder, osamu gets up.

suna falls back asleep to the sound of osamu brushing his teeth.

~

deciding against bothering osamu at work, suna calls him instead during osamu's lunch break. osamu fusses over him, asking if he's eaten, if he was safe during his travels, all that.

right after that call ends, suna calls atsumu.

"he is way worse than you said," suna accuses. "you should've told me!"

"I knew you wouldn't have been able to wait until the end of the season. I had it under control," atsumu replies. "has he talked to you?"

suna looks around the apartment. everything is wrong. osamu doesn't like messy things- neither of the twins do, actually. everything has a place, according to them. and nothing is in its place at the moment.

"no. I didn't get home until after midnight." suna uses his thumb to twist the ring around his pointer finger. he frowns.

"please talk to him. he wouldn't talk to me. just kept saying he's fine." atsumu sighs. weak. like he's been fighting this battle longer than suna knows. "maybe he'll talk to you."

"i'll try," suna replies.

osamu's a stubborn man. he likes to bottle up any negative emotions. and he always appears fine. a smile and a laugh and no one knows the difference. little things show, however. like the apartment being a mess. the kitchen untidy. like refusing to talk to his twin brother, the one he always talks to about everything.

suna finds himself cleaning the living room. it isn't bad. but suna doesn't like it. things are dusty, the carpet looks like it hasn't been vacuumed in weeks, the blankets on the couch reek of feet and sweat. living room blankets in the laundry first. then he'll do the bedding. and finally, osamu's clothes. which have been piling up- suna's positive osamu's re-wearing his work shirt, who knows how long that's been going on.

he uses cleaning to distract his wandering mind. clearing dust off of their knickknacks to avoid thinking the worse. he scrubs the house down with precision he's never cared about before. his mind still races. wondering how bad it could be to not tell atsumu. osamu had never once told suna he was doing bad.

suna's chest clenches.

he cleans the bathroom and bedroom. the faint scent of lemons, disinfectant, and just a touch of bleach overtake the apartment. he debates cleaning the kitchen, but that's osamu's area.

curious, suna walks into the kitchen and checks the junk drawer. box of cigarettes and lighter gone. osamu's doing bad.

suna walks into the bedroom and puts his own things away. he takes a deep breath. he needs to keep it together.

~

soft music played from the tv, suna's spotify hooked up to it. the lights were on in the apartment, but it was still dark. shadows crept in the corners.

it was lonely, suna realized. empty. an apartment made for two with only one living in it. suna realized how much of him, suna, make up the place. it was like a constant reminder that suna wasn't here.

suna felt sick.

the front door clicked and then opened, a creek sounding before it softly hit the wall. suna slowly looked over as osamu untied his shoes and took them off, shutting the door behind him.

"welcome home," suna says, softly.

osamu gives a smile and then looks around.

"you cleaned," osamu says. then his eyes catch the kitchen and his smile falters for a moment before returning. suna didn't miss it though.

"samu," suna says. nerves claw at his chest. maybe he shouldn't bring it up. maybe osamu will just get better.

osamu looks at him. osamu is right in front of suna, but he isn't with suna. his eyes are distant, distracted.

suna holds his hand out for osamu to grab and then pulls him onto the couch. osamu settles, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. suna keeps his hand in osamu's.

"can we talk?" suna asks. he sounds scared. why can't he just feign confidence for once? not like it would matter, osamu would see right through him. or would he right now?

osamu nods, still confused. suna gently squeezes his hand. he should've thought this out more.

"atsumu called me about a week ago," suna starts. he fights with himself to keep his eyes on osamu's, even when osamu looks away. "he's been concerned about you and asked me if I knew what was going on with you." suna bites his lip, giving osamu a chance to explain.

the explanation never comes so suna continues. "all he said was that you were off. I was hoping you'd tell me something was wrong during one of our calls." suna rubs his thumb against osamu's hand, a reassurance.

"i'm fine," osamu says softly. the way he winces, he knows it wasn't convincing.

suna sighs and moves closer to osamu. his free hand cups osamu's jaw. "I'm not mad, osamu. whatever is going on, I'm here for you. even if you don't want to talk about it now. but I can't have you lying to me about being fine."

osamu moves and wraps his arms around suna, burying his face into suna's shoulder. suna hugs him tightly.

"thank you for cleaning," osamu says after a long moment (the length of 2 songs from suna's playlist.)

"of course, baby," suna replies. "it'll be ok." voice soft and gentle. osamu's shoulders shake. "I'm here now."

the sob that breaks through osamu is the answer suna needs.

[johnsbleu]

Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 151

warnings: none hmh masterlist

The stress levels in the house this morning are a little out of control. John is nervous, which makes you nervous, which makes him nervous, and it makes you even more nervous. It’s just a big ball of nervousness. It’s John’s surgery day tomorrow morning. It’s been a fucking nerve wracking few days.

You know it’ll go okay. He knows it will too, but you’re both still nervous. John is so nervous since he’s not ready to not have control over things for a while. He’ll be down and out for about three to six weeks they said, which really isn’t that bad in your mind, but to John, of course he sees it as a life of sitting on the couch while you and Ronan run around and have fun.

Unfortunately with him being so nervous, he’s been a little bit of an ass. He doesn’t mean to be, of course, but he is being one. You obviously have no problem calling him out on it, and now it’s escalated into a massive fight where the two of you are just arguing with one another. It’s been going on all morning now.

You went to your room to take a shower and get ready for the day, but John just followed you and continued arguing. At this point, you’re convinced he’s just arguing to argue. Probably just trying to air out his frustrations, but you’re not his emotional punching bag. His arguments don’t even make sense, but you don’t dare say that. You’re not an idiot. That’s how a real argument happens.

“John! Stop!” you turn around and put your hand out, “I’m so fucking sick of this. You’re yelling at me and taking it out on me. I’m not gonna continue to let you yell at me.”

“I’m not yelling.”

You roll your eyes, “You’re not now, but you were! You’re taking all of this out on me like it’s my fault or something. You called and made the fucking appointment, not me. That’s on you. So, what? Now you don’t want to get the surgery?”

“No, I just…” he drops his hands to his sides and shrugs, “I mean, yeah, but…”

You roll your eyes, “If you want to be in pain every time you play with our daughter, then so be it. I can’t tell you what to do.”

“But I want--”

“Obviously you don’t fucking want the surgery!”

John huffs, “I wasn’t going to say I didn’t. I was going to say that I want to be able to do things and I can’t if I’m sitting on the couch.”

You blow out a big breath and put your hands out like you’re calming yourself, “John, listen to me, it’s for three fucking weeks.”

“That’s a lifetime to me. I do so much around here and I won’t be able to if I’m on the couch for weeks.”

You know it’s not true, but you immediately jump to a different conclusion here, “Like I can’t run this house? You think I can’t fucking run this house or take care of you? Of Ronan? I know how to do my fucking job as a mom. I know how to clean and vacuum. I can take care of you two.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“No, you didn’t but it was implied!”

John turns around and walks over to the window and looks out, “I never said you couldn’t run this house--you already do. But you don’t know what it’s like to give up control. You don’t know what it’s like to have to take care of yourself your entire life, then suddenly just stop. You’ve always had someone to take care of you, so you don’t get it.”

“Growing up with a mom who worked six days a week and missed a lot of things with me and Tess, yes, I kind of get it.” you say, but he keeps his back to you, “We had to fend for ourselves a lot. I don’t blame my mom one bit. She did what she had to do to make sure we had a roof over our heads. I still had someone to take care of me, you’re right, but I certainly wasn’t coddled.”

John glances over his shoulder, “I didn’t mean it like that. You know I think your mom is amazing.”

“John, I’m not asking you to fucking move mountains. I’m asking you to sit on a damn couch for three weeks while your body heals.”

He sighs as he looks at you, “I’m supposed to take care of you.”

“I’m not doing this again.” you whisper, and he shakes his head, “We said we’d take care of each other. Why can’t you let me take care of you?”

“That’s not how it works.”

You laugh in disbelief, “It literally is. I take care of you. You take care of me. We take care of Ronan. That’s how it works. Why are you fighting me on this?”

John walks over and sits on the bed with his back to you, “I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“I’ve had surgery before,” he says, and you walk over to sit next to him, “But this is the first time I’m having surgery and have something I could lose.”

You furrow your brow, “You’re just getting surgery on your knee.”

“What if I crash?”

“You’re not going to crash, John. You’re completely healthy.” you tilt his chin up so he’ll look at you, “You’ll be fine.”

“Completely healthy people crash all the time.”

You nod slowly, then you look into his eyes, “But not you, I promise. I always keep my promises, don’t I?”

He’s scared. You get it. You’ve never had surgery but you’d probably be freaking out too.

“Look,” you turn to face him as you reach for his hands, “It’s not up to me. It’s up to you. Do you want to get this surgery? If you don’t, we can call and cancel. No big deal. We’ll figure out something else for the pain. Maybe some physical therapy.”

“No, I made the appointment. The doctor is expecting to see me tomorrow. I’ll still do it.” he says, then he looks at you, “You don’t think I’m a wimp, do you?”

You laugh as you lean over to kiss him, “Of course not. With my anxiety, I’d be way worse. I’d have packed my bags and ran.”

John lets out a small laugh as he wraps his arm around your shoulder, pulling you close so he can kiss the top of your head.

“I should go shower.” you whisper to him, then you get up and grab your towel off the bed.

“Hey,” John calls out to you and holds your gaze, “I know you can take care of Ronan and me, and I’m glad that it’s you that gets to.”

You smile as you nod, “You were just upset.”

“I’m still sorry,” his eyes soften as he looks at you, “I should be taking care of you though.”

“Don’t you think that I want to take care of you?

John laughs a little, “I’m a grown man.”

“And I’m a grown woman,” you say, and John nods. “But you’re my husband. I know that…let me choose my words wisely here, I know that you did everything when you were married to Helen. She was sick, I get it. But I’m not. I can take care of myself.”

John laughs when you close your eyes and groan, “What?”

“I just sounded like every teen drama show where the male main character is trying to protect the female love interest and she goes on about how she can take care of herself.” you roll your eyes, “You’re 16. Neither one of you can take care of yourselves.”

“Peach…” John laughs, trying to get you back on track.

You walk over and sit next to him again, “I know that taking care of the ones you love is something you do, but it’s also something I do. I love you and I want to take care of you, so just stop being stubborn and let me do it. Because, I know you know it, I’m really fucking good at taking care of you.”

“You are.” he bumps your shoulder and looks at you, “I’ll stop being stubborn.”

“For today.” you tease, which makes John laugh. You lean up to give him a few kisses, then you grab your towel, “I’ll be out of the shower in a bit.”

John nods, “I’m gonna get Ro up.”

“Okay.” you smile at him, then you walk to the bathroom. You stop and look over at John as he sighs deeply and his shoulders droop.

Unfortunately no pep talk or even arguing will help with his anxiety over this.  

__

You took Ronan to Tess’ house earlier this morning, and now you and John are just getting ready to leave. Ronan will probably come home to visit John when he’s released from the hospital but she’s going to be staying with Tess for a few days.

“Ready, babe?” you ask softly as you lean against the door frame.

John looks up at you and nods, “Yeah.”

He’s been so quiet this morning. You really feel bad. You almost feel bad for suggesting this whole thing in the first place, but he needs to have it done and he knows that. You both know that. And at the end of the day, you suggested it but John was the one to follow through and actually make the appointment. You didn’t pester him about it. He’s a grown man and made the decision himself. A decision you’re pretty happy about.

“At least you don’t have to stay the night at the hospital.” you whisper to him when he gets to you, and he smiles softly. “You just have to stay in a recovery room for a bit until the anesthesia wears off.”

John touches your cheek lightly, “I’m not upset with you.”

You exhale in relief and relax, “Are you sure?”

“If I didn’t want to do this, I would have canceled it by now. I need to get this done. I need to do it.” he says, and you nod your head. He looks down at his watch and kisses your forehead, “We gotta go.”

You grab your keys off the table and hold them, then you stare down at them for a few moments. It’s only been a week since your car accident and you haven’t driven yourself once. John has driven everywhere, and even when he drives, you still cling to the door handle. Now with John about to be recovering for a few weeks, you’ll have to drive. That scares you.

“Hey,” John’s hand gently rests on top of yours, “I’ll drive us there. It’s my left knee too, so I can probably still drive after.”

“Oh, hell no. You are not driving us home after having been put to sleep.”

John laughs, “I mean in a few days. I’ll be fine. We’re stocked up so much on food, I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere for a while. Maybe I should call Jimmy and have him drive us home?”

“I can do it.” you whisper to him, and he looks at you, “I can. I can be brave.”

“I know you can,” he smiles, then he leans down and kisses me, “You’re the bravest person I know.”

You scoff since that can’t possibly be true, then you smile at him, “Ready?”

“I am.” he nods, then he takes the keys from your palm, “But I’m driving there.”

“Fine with me.”

__

“I’m starving,” John whispers, and you frown as you nod.

He was told not to eat before surgery and since the surgery was scheduled for the afternoon, he hasn’t eaten since dinner last night.

“I’ll make sure to have something for you when you get back from your surgery. You’ll probably be offered dinner since it’s…” you look at the clock, “Noon. You’ll be out in about--”

The door opens as the doctor comes in, “Mr. and Mrs. Wick.”

John sits up and shakes his hand, then you shake his hand too.

“I see you’re ready to go, got changed and everything.” he says, and you smile since John dreaded putting on the ugly hospital gown. “You might want to take off your wedding ring and whatever jewelry you have.”

John slides his wedding ring off and places it in your palm, “Better keep it in a safe place, Mrs. Wick.”

You laugh as you hold it close to your chest, “Of course.”

“I just wanted to come in and let you know what we’d be doing. It’s a pretty simple procedure and a pretty quick recovery.” the doctor says, and you nod your head when he looks at you and begins to tell you how they’ll insert a small camera into John’s knee to be able to look around and examine his knee. When they find the tear in the meniscus, they remove it and sew him up. He’ll be sent home by the end of the day when the sedation wears off. “Pretty simple and quick. We’ll give you some simple exercises to do at home, but you really won’t be out of the game for long. You should be able to put weight on your leg by tonight, but we’ll give you crutches to help you get around, and I’d also avoid stairs.”

“Sounds good.” John says, then he looks at you.

“Well, someone should be in shortly to wheel you down to surgery. We have a waiting room right outside, so you’re more than welcome to sit and wait.” the doctor says to you, and you nod. He looks at his watch, “I need to check on a few patients, then I’ll be waiting for you.”

John shakes his hand, “Cool.”

You smile at the doctor as he leaves, then you look at John as you walk around the bed to stand between his legs, “I think you’ll be running around in the yard with Ronan in no time.”

“I miss her,” he whispers, and you nod your head. “You’ll FaceTime her when I wake up, right?”

“Of course.”

John rests his hands on your hips, “And you’ll be there with me right when I’m out?”

“If I could sit in on the surgery with you, you know I would. If I could lay on the surgery bed with you, you know I would.”

“I know,” John laughs, and you cup his face to kiss him. “I love you.”

You smooth his hair back and smile, “I love you too.”

A soft knock at the door pulls you away from John, and a young woman comes in with a wheelchair. She smiles softly, then she does a double take when she looks at you.

“Hi,” you smile at her, and she laughs a little. She’s the nurse you threatened to punch the night of your accident. You sent her flowers and a gift card to a nice restaurant in Oyster Bay since you felt so bad for threatening to hit her. Hopefully she understood that it was one of the scariest nights of your life.

“Well, I didn’t expect to see you here.” she smiles, then she gestures to your forehead, “Still healing?”

You touch your temple, “Just a tiny cut, but nothing makeup and my hair can’t hide.”

She laughs as she nods her head, then she looks at you, “Thank you so much for the flowers and gift card.”

“Yeah, of course. Thanks for not slapping me when I threatened to hit you.”

“Hey, I’m a mom. I get it.” she says, then she looks at John, “We’re ready for you.”

John groans quietly as he stands up and looks at you, and you wrap your arms around his waist and bury your face in his chest. He kisses your head as he rubs your back, then he gives you a long and soft kiss.

“I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.” you kiss him once more, then you stand back as he sits in the wheelchair. A smile immediately spreads on your face when he looks up at you with red cheeks, and you laugh, “Hey, you saw my give birth. This is no where near as embarrassing as that.”

John laughs, “It wasn’t embarrassing, it was amazing.”

You smile, then you walk beside him as he’s wheeled down to surgery, holding his hand the whole time. You press a kiss to the back of his hand when you get to the door, then you kiss him.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” John whispers, and you lean in to kiss him again. “I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll be here the whole time.”

You smile softly as you stand back and cross your arms, and he looks over his shoulder at you and waves before the doors close.

__

The hospital was freezing while John was in surgery, so you quickly ran out and got his sweatshirt from the car. You got several texts from your mom, Tess, and Jimmy, all asking how it’s going, and you told them all that he should be out any minute now. Tess included a picture of Ronan sleeping in her text, and you keep looking at it.

“Mrs. Wick,” someone says, and you look up to see a new nurse, “Your husband is out of surgery and in a recovery room. He’s still asleep, but should be waking up within the hour. You’re more than welcome to go sit with him. Room 306.”

“Thank you.” you smile at her, then you take your bag and hold tight to John’s wedding ring.

You head down the hallway to the recovery rooms, then you find his and slowly push the door open to see him asleep on the bed. You smile as you walk over to him and take his hand, and you lean down and kiss his forehead gently before putting your things on the little table in the corner. You push the chair up next to his bed and hold his hand, then you look down at your phone when you have another text from Jimmy--he’s very worried about his bestie. You decide to open a text group with your mom, Tess, and Jimmy.

Just got out of surgery. He’s still sleeping, should be up soon. I’ll FaceTime with Tess when he’s awake and feeling up for it.

You look back up at John and laugh a little since he’s probably getting such good sleep right now--lucky bastard. You put your phone aside and hold his hand, then you lean your head down and close your eyes.

__

Even in your sleep, you know John’s touch. His fingers trail up your cheek and tuck your hair behind your ear, and you smile softly before his thumb slides down your jawline to your lips. You press a soft kiss to his thumb and  slowly open your eyes to look up at him.

“Hi,” he whispers softly, and you sit up.

“Hi, how do you feel?”

John shrugs, “Fine. A little pain.”

You stand up and lean over to kiss him a few times, and he pulls you onto the bed with him. You’re on his right side, so you’re not worried about hurting his knee. He presses his lips to your forehead and keeps them there, then he slides his hand down your arm to your hand where it’s clutched into a fist. He pries your fingers open and lets out a small laugh when he sees his wedding ring hanging loose around your thumb.

“I kept it safe,” you whisper, then you hold it up so he can put it back on. “Does it fit?”

John nods as he looks at the silver ring on his finger, “Of course. Felt weird without it.”

“How long have you been up?”

“Oh, about���15 minutes. I ordered something to eat too. Should be here soon.” he says, and you snuggle closer to him. “You must have been tired.”

You nod and let out a small sigh, “I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

“Were you worried about me?”

“Of course I was.” you sit up and look at him as he smiles, “You’d be worried about me too.”

John nods, “Aboslutely.”

“I was just worried because--”

“Because I’m old.”

You look at him and roll your eyes, “You’re not old. I was worried because…you got into my head yesterday, I won’t lie. You talking about crashing just freaked me out a little.”

John reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, “Well, I made it out alive, so you don’t have to worry about anything. I’m out, I’m alive, I’m just…starting to be in a fuck-ton of pain.”

“Oh, a fuck-ton?” you laugh as you walk over to the phone on the wall, then you push the button for the nurses station, “Hi, this is Y/N Wick. My husband has woken up and said the pain is starting to settle in.”

“We can bring down something for him in a moment.”

You nod and smile, “Thank you so much.”

John reaches out for your hand when you hang up, then he tugs it so you’ll lean down to kiss him. You grab your phone and show John the picture of Ronan sleeping, then you hold it up so you can FaceTime with Tess.

Tess’ face pops on screen as she runs and laughs, then she stops and waves, “Hey, currently running away from some kids.”

“Are one of those kids mine?”

“Yup!” she smiles, then she turns around and smiles, “She’s a little crabby today.”

You laugh, “I figured she would be. She didn’t sleep great last night either. None of us did.”

Tess grunts a little as she bends down to sit with Ronan, then she pulls her into her lap and moves the phone down, “How are you doing, John?”

“Pretty good. Just in a little pain right now but they’re coming with some meds for me.” he says, then he smiles when Ronan looks up when she hears his voice, “Hi, bug.”

Ronan makes a noise and looks up at Tess’ phone, then she squeals and reaches forward when she sees her daddy’s face.

You smile and hand your phone to John so he can talk with Ronan, then you get up and walk over to the nurse bringing in John’s meds and food. She tells you that it’s just ibuprofen and when he should take them and how many he should take.

“Yeah, after I eat, I think I can leave. Doc might wanna come check on me but yeah, I’m ready to get home.” he says, and you sit back down next to him, “I really hate being here.”

You lean over to look at your phone, “We’ll be home in a bit. If you don’t mind--”

“She’s your kid!” Tess laughs, furrowing her brow, “And I’m across the street. Of course I don’t mind. Just call me when you want me to come get her.”

“I can’t thank you enough.”

Tess waves it off, “Shut up.”

You laugh as you look at Ronan blowing raspberries as she sits in Tess’ lap, “Well, John is going to eat, then we’ll be home within, I’d say, two hours.”

“Okay. Just text me when you want me to bring her over.” she says, and you nod your head. She looks down at Ronan, “Say bye-bye to momma and daddy.”

Ronan looks at her and says ‘dada’, which makes John laugh as he eats his food. Tess laughs and presses a kiss to her forehead, then she hugs her tight as Ronan squeals.

“Bye,” you sing as you wave at them, then you laugh when Tess holds up Ronan’s hand to make her wave. You hang up and get up to put your phone away, then you sit on the edge of John’s bed, “You’re cool with her coming over for a bit?”

“Of course.”

You laugh, “We’re like part time parents.”

John laughs, “Yeah, let’s not keep it that way. I love our hectic mornings and late nights.”

“Me too.” you smile as you lean over to take a bite of his pudding.

“This is not filling at all.”

You cup his face as you laugh, “I’ll get you something on the way home.”

The door opens behind you, and you look over to see John’s doctor coming in.

“How are we feeling?”

“Pretty good.” John says as he sets his food aside.

The doctor looks at John’s chart and you finally get a glimpse of his name tag and nearly choke. Faartz. His last name is literally farts. John widens his eyes and shakes his head when you look at him, and you turn away to keep yourself from laughing.

“Mrs. Wick, you’re not the first.” Doctor Faartz says, and you look at him. “Trust me, I know. It’s an embarrassing last name. But you grow up with a last name like this, you learn to just roll with it.”

“I am so sorry. I’m usually so mature.” you say, and he laughs when you grimace.

Doctor Faartz laughs, “I actually love it now. Great conversation starter. My wife has a great sense of humor so she’s embraced it as well.”

You smile softly, “Then she must be pretty great.”

“You probably get jokes about your last name.”

“Oh, no where near what you probably get.” you say, then you look at John, “Most of the teasing comes from my brother in law always asking to start a candle company.”

Doctor Faartz laughs, then he sets John’s chart down and walks over to help John up, “I just want to make sure you can put pressure on your leg, then you’re free to go.”

John carefully puts more weight on his leg until he’s standing completely unassisted, “Yeah, feels fine. I mean, it hurts, but not too bad.”

“It might be a little more painful and sore tomorrow, so keep that in mind. Avoid stairs.” he says, and John nods. “You have kids?”

John nods, pride immediately filling his chest, “A daughter, yeah. She’s with her aunt and uncle though.”

Doctor Faartz nods, “Might want to keep her there for the night and tomorrow morning. You’ll be sore tomorrow.”

John nods, “Yeah, that makes sense. She’s 8 months, so she’s crawling a lot.”

“Oof, yeah, keep her clear of your knee.” he laughs, then he takes John’s chart and writes a few things down, “I have a pain killer down at the pharmacy for you. Take it with food. It may cause drowsiness as well.”

“Sounds good.” you say as you take the papers, then you smile at him, “Thank you for everything.”

Doctor Faartz nods his head and shakes your hand, “Of course.”

You walk over and get John’s clothes from his bag, then you grab the sweatpants you packed for him. He pulls the hospital gown off once the doctor has left, then he sits down and watches you as kneel down and help him put some socks on. You carefully put his sweatpants on each leg, then he lifts himself up so you can get them pulled up.

“I fucking hate this already.” he says, and you look at him, “You just had to put my goddamn socks on.”

“Jonathan, don’t start this right now.”

John sighs loudly and puts his shirt on, and he rolls his eyes when you put your hand out to stop him from getting off the bed. You step into the hallway to find the wheelchair waiting, and as soon as you come in with it, he rolls his eyes again.

“Don’t be stubborn. Just sit your ass down in the chair.” you say, and he looks at you. “Now.”

He does it, but not without a groan of annoyance. You know he secretly likes when you get bossy, so he’s probably eating this up.

“The crutches are down at the pharmacy, but the pharmacy is on the other end. I’ll have to drive over there.”

“Can you drive?”

You nod as you grab your bag and put it over your shoulder, “I’ll be fine.”

“Peach…” he reaches for your hand and holds your gaze, “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” you nod, then you lean down to kiss him, “Don’t be stubborn.”

John laughs quietly, then he shakes his head, “I hate this, Y/N.”

“I know you do.” you sigh as you stand in front of him, then you get firm with him, “Let me take care of you, Jonathan.”

“I’m supposed to take care of you.”

You put your hand up, “No, we’re supposed to take care of each other. We got married and agreed to take care of one another. I’m pretty sure in our vows it said in sickness and in health, and we both agreed to that. I get it. You hate giving up control. You hate your wife taking care of you for whatever sexist--”

John furrows his brow, “You know that’s not true.”

“I know. And we already had this fight.” you sigh, then you kneel down in front of him, “You’re only down and out for a bit. We’ll chill out on the couch, catch up on some movies, and just hang out. It’s fine, John. Ro will stay with Tess for tonight and maybe tomorrow, then I’ll bring her home. I know you miss her.”

“Thank you.” he whispers, and you lean in to kiss him. “For everything, peach. I mean it.”

You smile at him, “I’m your wife, it’s what I do.”

__

Holding tight to the steering wheel, you stare ahead at the hospital parking lot. Your heart is pounding in your chest as you cling to the steering wheel, and you feel John put his hand on your knee.

“You can do this.” he whispers, and you nod, “Just take it a little bit at a time.”

You gently push the gas and feel John grip your leg tighter. You turn slightly to the right to round the curve around the hospital, then you press a little harder on the gas.

“Good job, baby. You’re doing great.” John says, and you reach up to wipe the tear on your cheek, “We’re almost there.”

You slam on the brakes when a car pulls out in front of you, and John grips your leg.

“That was their fault. You’re okay.” he says, and you nod your head. “Keep going, sweetheart.”

You pull up in front of the pharmacy and put the car in park, then you grab your wallet and head inside to get John’s prescription and crutches. You run in quickly to get everything since you just want to get home and not have to drive anymore, then you rush back out to John and stuff the crutches in the backseat and hand him the meds.

“Can you believe that they almost didn’t cover the crutches?” you say as you put on your seat belt and start driving. “She said it’d be about $50 for some damn crutches until she saw our insurance covered it.”

“Yeah…it’s, yeah, ridiculous.”

You laugh and look in the rear view mirror as you switch lanes, “Thank god we have good insurance. Imagine if we didn’t when I had my hemorrhage, or when we had Ro. Yikes.”

“Costs about 14 thousand just to have a baby, and that’s a standard delivery. No private room. I remember looking up all that stuff when you first got pregnant. I was shocked.” he says, and you glance at him, “I am shocked. I am fully shocked, especially right now.”

You laugh as you turn down the road that leads to Mill Neck, “Why?”

“Just am.” he says, and you laugh again. “But yeah, we have great insurance so, that’s good.”

“Are you still hungry?”

John nods, “Yeah, but I’ll just order something when we get home.”

“Sounds good.” you say, then you turn the corner and head down the street to your house. You pull up to a stop and sit there when you realize you just drove from the hospital all the way here without second thought.

“So proud of you, mouse.” John whispers, and you look at him, “And shocked. See how easy it came back to you? The fear went out the window.”

You swallow as you look at him, then you nod, “I’m scared again. I’m thinking about the fact that I’m driving and now I’m scared.”

“You can do it, baby.” he whispers, and you nod as you look ahead. “You got this. We’re only a few blocks from home.”

“I can do this.” you whisper, then you press on the gas and drive through the intersection after looking both ways about five times. You drive slowly past the bookshop, around the construction, then you turn and head down the street, all while John squeezes your leg and tells you how proud he is.

As soon as you get into the garage, you put the car in park and exhale loudly as you relax back in your seat. John pats your leg and smiles when you look at him. He leans over and kisses your cheek, then he turns your face so you’ll kiss him.

“So beyond proud.”

You close your eyes and cry softly as you put your head on his shoulder, “I don’t want to drive again.”

“You will, peach. You like your freedom. You’ll drive again, but if you don’t want to in the meantime, I’m more than happy to drive.” he whispers, and you nod your head. He kisses you a few times, then he smiles when you quickly get out.

You get the crutches and help John out, then you wait to make sure he has his footing before you grab your bags from the back seat. You know he’d rather use the crutches by himself than have you hover, so you don’t. He wants to feel like he’s in control, so you allow him to walk on his own. He doesn’t put much pressure on his left leg, but he takes a few steps and winces in pain.

“Don’t bend it too much for today. We’ll just get you settled on the couch for tonight.” you say, then you jokingly roll your eyes, “I guess you can have the chaise.”

John laughs, “Oh, you’re so generous.”

You laugh as you hold the door open for John, then you put your hands out behind him in case he falls. If he does, you’re most likely going down too--he’s so much bigger than you. You close the door behind you and follow behind him as he walks his way to the couch.

“You’re doin’ good.” you say, and John scoffs.

You put your bag down and immediately start moving around the living room to get John comfortable on the couch. You grab some blankets and pillows, then you wait for him to move to the chaise to lounge out. He can’t quite move his leg, so you reach down and help him put his knee up on the couch, propped up by some pillows.

“Want some ice?”

“Yeah, that’d be good.” John says, then he grabs your hand when you start to walk away, “Thank you.”

You smile softly as you lean down to kiss him, “No need to thank me, Wick.”

Before leaving for the hospital you put an ice pack in the freezer for John. You grab it out and wrap it up in a kitchen towel, then you grab some water and John’s meds. He’ll need some food to take his meds with, but you’re sure he wants to see Ronan. You shoot a quick text to Tess to let her know you’re back and she can bring Ronan over, then you head out to John.

“Okay, what’s for dinner tonight?”

John opens his eyes and tilts his head up, “Pizza sounds ridiculously good right now.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”

“And that pasta they have.” he says, and you open the food delivery app to order some food. “And garlic knots.”

You laugh as you set your phone down, “Already ordered it all. Ro should be here soon too.”

John nods and watches as you gently place the ice pack on his knee. You sit down next to him and get the few papers the doctor gave, then you spending several minutes looking at the exercises John will need to do.

“Ooh, you can do some mini squats. Tone up that butt.”

John laughs, “What is a mini squat?”

You hop up from the couch and show John, and he laughs when you show him from the side angle too.

“Super simple.” you say, plopping down next to him. “You could get a butt like mine in no time.”

John laughs, shaking his head, “I’m pretty sure no one can have an ass like yours.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty good, huh?” you smirk, and John leans over to kiss you.

Looking out the window, you see Tess coming up the driveway with Ronan, so you get up and rush to the door since you miss her so much. As soon as Ronan hears you calling out her name, she kicks her legs and squeals loudly.

“Hi, baby!” you reach for her and kiss her cheek, “Oh, I’ve missed you so much.”

Tess smiles as she hugs you, “How are things?”

“He’s inside just hanging out.” you say, then you head in.

“Damn!” Tess snaps her fingers when she sees John on the couch, “I was hoping he had a cane instead of crutches so he could yell at kids to get off his lawn and shake it in the air.”

John laughs as he shakes his head, “I get it, I’m old.”

Tess sits down next to him and nudges his shoulder, “Nah, I just love to tease you.”

You bounce Ronan in your arms and walk over to John so he can hold her, then you glance out the window to see your food is here already--a perk of being well known in a small town. Quickly making your way to the door, you grab your food, then you bring it into the living room and immediately flip it open so you can take a piece of pizza. You didn’t realize you were so hungry until just now. John leans forward and takes the piece you’re offering him, and Tess sneaks a piece too.

“We’re going to Jimmy’s parents, but I just want to sneak a piece of this first.” Tess says as she gets up, and you smile at her, “We’ll be home around 8 probably.”

“Perfect.” you nod, then you pinch Ronan’s cheek.

Tess ruffles John’s hair, “Just text me and I’ll come get her.”

“Thank you again.”

“It’s no problem, goose.” she says, then she leans down to hug you, “We like having her. And before you ask, yes, Jimmy has asked about six times already today if I’m ready for another baby. He held Ronan for about two hours straight and is just in love with her. He’s begging for another baby.”

John chuckles, “And what was your answer?”

Tess shrugs, then she laughs, “We’re thinking about trying for baby number two this fall.”

You gasp as you look at her, “Tess!”

Tess laughs, “Yeah, but then I don’t really think I want to be pregnant in the summer. You were miserable.”

“Well, yeah, but Tess!” you get up and hug her tight.

“We’ll see. Nothing is set in stone, of course.” she says, and you nod your head, “Anyway, I better head home. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

You sit back down on the couch with John and grab the pasta that he wanted, then you grab another piece of pizza. Ronan is resting her back against the couch as she sits in John’s lap, and you lean over to kiss her before you get up and grab something for her to eat.

John has the remote and is picking something to watch, and he laughs when Ronan grunts a little, “Did you miss us today?”

“I bet she missed daddy.” you say, and he smiles before pressing a kiss to her head.

You hold up a little noodle for her to eat, and she takes it from your hand and tries to eat it but it doesn’t quite make it into her mouth the first few tries. You and John both laugh as you watch her, then you cheer when she finally eats it.

“Good job!” John smiles, then he takes another bite of his food and groans when he moves his leg a little, “Fuck, that hurts.”

“What can I do?” you ask, already standing up and going through his bag for the meds. You read the bottle and open it to take one out, “This says you might feel drowsy, do you want one now?”

John thinks it through before he shakes his head, “Not while she’s here. I just want to hang out with her before I take one and fall asleep.”

“Okay.” you say softly, then you put his pills back in the bag and set them in the middle of the table so Ronan can’t somehow get them. You reach over to give Ronan a few more pieces of food, then you sit on the couch and watch TV while you eat.

You’re starting to feel like the day is catching up with you, and all you want to do is sink into a warm bath and get into bed but you definitely can’t. You want to be up so that if John needs you, you can get up to help him.

Ronan starts to fuss a little, so you take her and put her on the floor to change her diaper, then you put her in her bouncer so she can play for a little bit while you clean up. You put the pizza and pasta away, then you throw away the rest of the garbage before you grab another ice pack for John. You gently place it on his knee and smile at him, and he grabs your hand and pulls you back to the couch.

“You look tired.”

“I’m okay,” you lie, then you look at John, “Just want to make sure you’re okay. Do you have to use the bathroom?”

John inhales and nods once, “I do.”

You get up and hand John’s crutches to him, then you follow behind him to the bathroom. You won’t sit in the bathroom with him since you don’t want him to be uncomfortable, but you’ll just be outside the door if he needs help. You close the door a little and hear John laugh, so you open it.

“What?”

“You’re so cute.” John smiles, and you roll your eyes as you shut the door a little. “Alright, I’m done, mommy.”

You open the door and roll your eyes again, “I’m just trying to help you without hovering.”

“I know,” he washes his hands and laughs, “You’re doing a good job, baby.”

“Thanks.” you smile softly, then you walk with him back to the couch. You see John wincing and clenching his jaw more as he sits down, so you grab the meds and hold it up, “Just take them.”

John sighs and takes the pill, then he drinks some water, “I just don’t want to miss anything.”

“I know, but look at her,” you both look at Ronan, then you laugh as she smacks her hands on her bouncer and plays with the attached toys. “She’s just hanging out. It’s only one day. She’ll be home with us tomorrow afternoon. And remember, this is a good thing. You had this surgery so that in a few weeks when she’s starting to walk, you can crawl on the floor with her and play.”

“A few weeks,” John exhales loudly, “Or six weeks.”

You sit down next to him and take his hand, “You won’t heal any faster if you don’t take the medicine and just rest and let your damn wife help you. You’re the most independent person I know, but for the love of God, just let me help you. Let me make your lunch and bring it to you while you lounge on the couch and heal. Let me do what you did for me after Ro was born.”

“I know, it’s just not in my nature to let someone else help me. I feel useless. I know I’m not, but that’s how I feel.” he whispers, and you smile softly, “I like taking care of you.”

“I like taking care of you. It makes me feel like you need me, it makes me feel…I don’t know, good?” you say, and John laughs. “I just love taking care of you just as much as you love taking care of me. It’s our job.”

John pulls you closer to kiss you, “You’re really good at your job.”

“Thanks.”

__

It’s been five days since John’s surgery and he’s doing amazing! He’s been doing some exercises with you every day. The first day he mainly just watched you work out and do them, but he eventually got into it himself. His movement in his left leg is really amazing and he’s able to get around the house without crutches now. He still doesn’t put too much on his left leg just to be cautious, but he’s doing really well!

Today is just a pretty rainy day but John is feeling very antsy from being confined to the house for the past few days, so the two of you decided to drive out to the Manhattan shop. He’s driving since you’re still a little freaked out and he’s been dying to drive for days now.

“How’s your knee?”

“It’s good.” John nods, and you smile at him. “How’s my peach?”

You smile at him and squeeze your eyes shut, “I’m good!”

“Good,” he takes your hand and kisses it, “Thank you so much for taking care of me.”

“Of course, babe.” you smile at him, “I like taking care of you. I know you don’t believe me, but I like it.”

John scoffs and shakes his head, “You shouldn’t have to take care of me.”

“Did Helen take care of you?”

“Well,” he glances at you, shrugging his shoulder a little, “Not really, since you know…”

You nod, “Yeah, well, I’m sure she would have, and I’m sure she did, you just don’t remember. She was your wife and I’m sure your vows weren’t that different from ours, which is to take care of each other. You’re so damn stubborn--trust me, I love that about you--but sometimes I wish you’d get that through your damn head.”

John laughs as he looks at you, “Okay, bossy, I’ll let you take care of me.”

“Thank you.”

“I can still wipe my own ass though, right?” he jokes, and you roll your eyes playfully when you look at him. He reaches over and ruffles your hair a little, “I get what you’re saying. I’ll let you take care of me, because you’re right, you’re really good at it.”

You smile so wide that your cheeks hurt, “That makes me feel good. I won’t hesitate to put you back in your place though if you forget that.”

John laughs as he reaches for your hand and kisses it, “Oh, trust me, I know.”

Pulling up in front of the shop, John parks the car and looks over at it. There are some racks of books outside on the sidewalk and a few people looking at them and even tucking a some into the crook of their arm before heading into the shop. You look over at John and smile at him, and he leans over to kiss you.

When you reach for the door handle, John puts his hand out to stop you, “Hey, I just wanted to--”

“You already apologized.”

John looks down, “Yeah, I know, but you need to hear it again.”

“I forgive you.” you whisper, and he lets out a small laugh. “We fight. It’s healthy. It’s normal. It’s marriage.”

John nods his head before looking up at you, “But you still deserve an apology. I am sorry for how I was talking to you a few weeks ago. I was just scared of losing you.”

“I know.” you turn to face him more, cupping his face and rubbing your thumb over his beard, “I tried my best to help--”

“You were perfect,” he whispers, and you close your eyes when he leans over to kiss your cheek, “You did so well, peach. You really did help ease my mind. I’m still sorry for talking to you that way.”

You start to laugh, “When we fight, you apologize for weeks. Even after we’ve talked it out and forgiven each other.”

“Because I don’t like to fight.”

You pull him to you and crash your lips to his, kissing him desperately. You lean your forehead against his and exhale slowly before you tilt your head back to look at him, meeting his heated gaze. You lick your lips and lean forward to kiss him again, and he smiles when you lean back to look at him again.

John slides his hand up your thigh and pulls you closer, “Can I keep making it up to you tonight?”

“Mr. Wick, I thought you’d never ask,” you put your hand on over your heart and smile, “Why, yes, you can.”

“Hate to break it to you, but…” he sighs dramatically and playfully, then he sits back in his seat and gestures to his knee, “You’ll have to be on top.”

You smirk when he looks at you, “Just where you like me.”

__

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