#i need to redo this one but for now ummm

[commoncoel]

sketch

[jadebone]

ohhhhh u wanna ship with them sooooooooooooo bad they are sooooooooooo normal and regular

thank u so much to arden @ depreciate for the wonderful template that made my life a 1000x easier...

[juyeonszn]

WHAT IS LOVE?

PAIRING ₊˚⊹ lee juyeon x f!reader

GENRES ₊˚⊹ fluff﹒crack﹒angst﹒slice of life

WARNINGS ₊˚⊹ mature language bc even on a different blog i won’t ever change, uni!au, reader is a matchmaker, juyeon plays baseball, lots of kys and kms jokes, sunwoo is an incel, a bunch of lesbian jokes, um one sided pining for a while, like i am absolutely ruthless to reader for a Hot Minute i am so sorry, but it’s okay!!! bc then i’m also ruthless to juyeon, the unrequited love in this series goes crazy, it wouldn’t be a fawn smau without a second lead — so there is a small second lead moment, most of the written parts are full of sheer Angst and i’m not sorry about it, there’s like idol shipping in here ? but it’s for the sake of the plot i swear i don’t condone idol shipping 😭 it’s literally in my carrd, the bullying in this smau goes even crazier, ummm for some reason there are a lot of barbie references towards the end

FEATURING ₊˚⊹ the rest of tbz, soyeon + yuqi from (g)-idle, seonghwa from ateez, lee know from skz, sakura from le sserafim, dahyun + tzuyu from twice, jaehyun from nct and mingyu from seventeen

SUMMARY ₊˚⊹ all is well in the business of matchmaking. except it’s actually not, because lee juyeon, the school’s star baseball player, has just come to you for help in obtaining the girl of his dreams. oh yeah! and he happens to be the guy you’ve had a crush on since your first year of university.

STATUS ₊˚⊹ complete!

BEGINNING ₊˚⊹ august 1st, 2023

ENDING ₊˚⊹ october 19th, 2023

MORE ₊˚⊹ HIIIII hello!!! my first smau on another blog this is crazy ?!!2!!22!!2 fun fact; in case the plot seems familiar, it was an old wip for yeonjunszn that i had for jake from enhypen and decided to scrap for reasons that i do not remember LOL but then it came back to me and i decided to redo it for juyo bc it was so juyo-coded and now we’re here 🤗 send an ask to join the taglist (bc note and dm notifs get swallowed up with the ones from my other blog)!!

PROFILES ₊˚⊹ realize real eyes real lies | ball hitters + the token lesbian | ouran high school host club (+ tzuyu)

ONE ₊˚⊹ i’m the ceo president and chair mama

TWO ₊˚⊹ the hwang yeji incident

THREE ₊˚⊹ i hide and u seek therapy!

FOUR ₊˚⊹ /s or /j

FIVE ₊˚⊹ setting virgins up with other virgins

SIX ₊˚⊹ POSER FAKE FAN

SEVEN ₊˚⊹ #mancrushfriday #mrstealyogirl

EIGHT ₊˚⊹ I HATE WHEN WOMEN ARE RIGHT

NINE ₊˚⊹ the start of a W matchmaking season

TEN ₊˚⊹ ur on THIN ICE JAMAL

ELEVEN ₊˚⊹ Just Like A Doughnut (2.04k)

TWELVE ₊˚⊹ need a comically large piano to fall on top of me

THIRTEEN ₊˚⊹ hit tweet follow me 🙌🙏

FOURTEEN ₊˚⊹ what the bell are u talking about

FIFTEEN ₊˚⊹ THAT WAS A CRY FOR HELP

SIXTEEN ₊˚⊹ chest heavy eyes misty

SEVENTEEN ₊˚⊹ they laugh at me cause i’m emo

EIGHTEEN ₊˚⊹ sangyeon boyfriend material era

NINETEEN ₊˚⊹ Blocked and Reported for threatening language

TWENTY ₊˚⊹ A Hole In The Shape Of You (2.17k)

TWENTY ONE ₊˚⊹ men against song yuqi

TWENTY TWO ₊˚⊹ i thought we were friends.

TWENTY THREE ₊˚⊹ u think i’m pretty??? 🥰

TWENTY FOUR ₊˚⊹ for research purposes

TWENTY FIVE ₊˚⊹ The Middle Of My Heart (1.60k)

TWENTY SIX ₊˚⊹ AND THE CROWD GOES WILD

TWENTY SEVEN ₊˚⊹ to me it was

TWENTY EIGHT ₊˚⊹ clown to clown communication

TWENTY NINE ₊˚⊹ A Space Just For You (2.05k)

THIRTY ₊˚⊹ THE JUYEON THERAPY FUND

THIRTY ONE ₊˚⊹ is this pic AI generated

THIRTY TWO ₊˚⊹ i’m gay…

THIRTY THREE ₊˚⊹ 11:11 make a wish

THIRTY FOUR ₊˚⊹ Our Love Loop (2.62k)

THIRTY FIVE ₊˚⊹ graduated from bitchless university

© juyeonszn. do not steal, claim, or repost.

[casually-salad]

Welcome to my sick and twisted mind....

hi im sal, this is my sideblog for all my art!!! and for my thoughts when i can push through being too anxious to post them! I thought id redo my pinned post because i have a lot of new people!

i may be too nervious to respond to any asks at any time but my inbox is always open if you wanna say hi!!!!

if youre here for my infection au you can find the chapter one masterpost right here: =====> yippie!

Here is the Cutie Pox Chronicles chapter two masterpost ===> chapter two

tags to look out for are #ocs to look at my funny little guys.. its a required reading before we can hang out and have a tea party or what evaer.. you can learn more about them with the thang below, although some of the information is outdated, and especially the art, but i cant. actually access teh carrd to fix it anymore oops. but =====> here!

i also have a webbed site that needs to be updated but if you wanna look you can see it here! ===> uhhhhhh this is a lot of links

ummm some stuff about me to know before going in, i do have arthritis so not everythign is picture perfect, and im also dsylexic so things might be misspelled every now and then but i sometimes dont fix it because it feels more authentic! if you want to hear me ramble you can check out the #salad says! tag! my fursonas are sheepy sal, the sheep and sometimes plushe and sniffy sal the anteater and sometimes pooltoy! baby sprout is my ponysona, theyre that fat blue thing

oh before you venture further, there tends to be disturbing content from time to time so id rather have 18 plus interaction ok? all gore is tagged though so you should be fine to block #gore to avoid it

ok thats it. ummmm have fun, bye

[sleepsonfutons]

Thank ye for the tag @seiya-starsniper!

current time: 7:16pm

current mood: neutral

current activity: Sewing a channel for a dowel at the bottom of my neighbor's flag to keep the wind from flipping it around on his flagpole

currently thinking about: How long it's taking to rip out these stitches I need to redo cuz the stitch setting I started with turned out to not be what I wanted

current favorite song: don't have a single fav atm, but the whole of this playlist is a mood lately

currently reading: mostly just alllllllllll the fic (these are my current open to read ones in my mobile browser) In Waking Dreams and Integration by @cuubism, More often than not. (ch17) by TrainWreckBeck, The Chandrasekhar Limit by @beauty-of-nyx, and Discover Check, and Incidentally, Mate by @arialerendeair

OH YEAH! Almost forgot my book club book: Ace by Angela Chen

currently watching: nothing atm cuz Netflix did a ridiculous split release on Witcher S3 so I'm waiting for the whole thing to drop for binging purposes 🤙🏻

current favorite character: like the song Q, no single fav atm, but my current spread of favs remains unchanged: Dream (Daniel & Morpheus)*, Hob Gadling*, The Corinthian, Fiddler's Green, Destruction, Geralt of Rivia, and Jaskier

*especially keen on Shaman!Dream/Nightmare!Hob from Soteria by @phinofthestorm, Dream!Randall in the collab WIP we're writing together, and the mer!Dream @beauty-of-nyx is stewing on writing and @aquabluejay has been drawing

current WIPs: Σ(´∀｀；) ummm... there're quite a few... (；´ ³`)ゞ the pile keeps growing, but now that I finished my Hobrinthian, exchange fic Dues Owed (Debts Collected), I'm gonna be circling back to my John Dee Wins bingo fic and see about FINALLY getting that one wrapped up. Others at the top of the pile are the previously mentioned collab fic with @phinofthestorm and then writing more of the story following the angst prompt fic Don't Ask Me To Say Goodbye ft. siren/mer!Dream

Tagging (but legit no pressure): @thranduilland, @mentallyinvernation, @blueberrymffn, @arialerendeair, @landwriter, @phinofthestorm, @spockandthings, and @beauty-of-nyx

[chickensarentcheap]

Esme stuff :) Tyler centric :)

@tragiclyhip​, @secretaryunpaid​, @youflickedtooharddamnit​, @munstysmind​

​

I don’t know.  We went out for Chinese last night for date night and I got up this morning and the husband had eaten my left overs after his morning work out.  that’s a pretty serious offence.  ;)

See that face? Not a stitch of remorse.   He eats my orange chicken and my battered shrimp and doesn’t even feel the least bit sorry that now I’m going to starve.

A sign that the old fella needs new glasses?

He was out in his office and I sent him this pic and he responds with  “You’re breaking that thing out during the day?  If you needed it that bad, you could have just told me to come inside.”

Ummm...whut?

Then I realized what he THOUGHT it was.

“It’s hand held blender! I’m making a devil’s food cake, you numpty!” 

LOL

Me: “What are you thinking about?”

Him: “Stuff.”

Me: “Could you be more specific?”

Him: “Guy stuff.”

Needless to say, I did NOT marry him for his fantastic conversational skills.

Brownstone living room :) Not as colourful as our living room at home, but it is husband approved, so there’s that lol

Why wouldn’t I want to go to bed early when this is what’s waiting for me?

That better not be porn you’re watching!

Those thighs though...

Just a dad, watching his babies.  Looking at that smile :)

#Iwuvhim

Good morning. From my husband and his package.

There’s no hiding that thing. 

Away for the week for our tenth anniversary and I woke up from a nap and I was told there was a bath waiting for me. This is what I found. And he says he’s not romantic.

#helovesme  

Him: “What the hell are you doing?”

Me: “Getting a close up of your gray hair. It’s sexy.”

Him: “Do you want a divorce?”

For the record, he would NEVER.

Me: “I really want to redo our bedroom.” 

The husband: “Do what you want. Just make sure I’ll like it.  Or I’ll move into the pool house.”

Is that a threat or a promise?  ;)

Anyway, challenge accepted!  And in the end, it was old fella approved and no one is sleeping alone. For now.

Tell me you have tons of kids without telling me you have tons of kids.

Looks like we run a bloody day care.

And those names at the end? Addie’s ‘boyfriends’.   I think her father aged twenty years when she started naming them off for Millie to write down.

Meeting new clients for the first time and this one had the nerve to refer to  me as his ‘second and current wife’.

Oh there’s going to be more, is there?

LOL

I am so getting the old fella this card for Valentines Day 

People:  “Your husband is sooooo big!  And so mean and scary looking! You’re so tiny! Aren’t you afraid of him?”

My ‘mean and scary’ husband:  *carrying around a two-legged puppy that he rescued from the vet after he (the puppy, not the husband) was surrendered to be put down*

[blue-jayyy8657]

(somewhat) LONG ASS POST!! redoing my about me post so i can pin it and look interesting:

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

heya:) i’m jay, and this is my blog,, where i do really just whatever the fuck i want and say whatever strikes me as interesting or funny at the time. welcome!! really all im gonna do here is kinda say a lot of random things, go on hyperfixation rants, talk about my creature moments, and occasionally sprinkle in things about my life that i feel must be shared….. and basically all i really wanna do with this blog is just make my own little,,, Place in The World……. like somewhere i can just kind of Be Myself? i guess? so here i guess this is my attempt at that lmaoo

ummm things i should prrrrobably say about myself to either make me more interesting or just kind of warn about:

- i have adhd and all the fun side effects that come with it :P

- maybe asd but im not entirely sure yet? i’m doing my research i promise promise promise

- pronouns: it/he/neos (+they, but preferably the ones i already mentioned)

- sometimes i use Random Capitalization to Emphasize my Point and that’s Funny To Me

- if you wanna talk to me or ask me something or whatever, just,,,, ask!! normally i’m really shitty at responding to asks and stuff but i promise i’m trying and not ignoring you, it’s just im really really bad at it and i think it’s just my executive dysfunction so….. sorry about that lmao but im tryingggg

- I LOVE EDITING STORIES AND THINGS - if you or someone you know is looking for a beta author or really anyone to just read your shit, i would absolutely fucking love to i promise

- i am transmasc genderqueer !! really doesn’t need much of an explanation ig?? that’s just part of who i am and i feel like it should be made aware of lmao

- if you send me an ask, i promise promise promise i’ll try to respond but i’m really not good at it so if i don’t respond to it i’m really sorry but i either can’t find a way to respond or i Forgor and i apologize ;;

- if you don’t like me or something i say or embody, just don’t interact with me? i don’t feel like i should need to say this but just in case,, like just don’t be rude? i will just block you so there’s really not a point but like… just don’t be an ass i guess

- more bullets as ideas warrant i suppose? i’m definitely gonna have more ideas it’s just i’m kinda sick rn so everything’s a bit fuzzy lmfao

my current list of special interests i will most likely post about/reblog posts about:

supernatural, marble hornets, neurodivergency/disabilities, horror, aesthetics (mainly dirtcore, crowcore, goblincore, grungecore, etc), five nights at freddys - movie AND the games!!, detroit: become human, LIST WILL PROBABLY BE UPDATED AND CHANGED AS MY INTERESTS EBB AND FLOW LIKE THE TIDES

MY DNIS:

if you’re just gonna be mean, don’t even bother like just don’t. i’m not gonna do shit with you, i’m probably just gonna block you and i don’t wanna like start shit. also homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, pedophilia, all the good shit - please also just….. don’t. um, i might add more but really i don’t honestly have any specifics, just if you’re gonna be an asshole just like stop lmao idk what to tell you i just Don’t Like You so go away?? thank yewwwww <3

but anyways, i think that’s it? at least until i decide to add more cause i don’t like the way i wrote things ……. i know this will happen because idk man it always does lmao :P hopefully i seem interesting or at least somewhat confusing?? maybe???? yeah but anyways imma shut up now so HAVE A GOOD WHATEVER-TIME-IT-IS !!!1!!!!11!!!

[touch-starved-switch]

I would be very flustered 😅 I would take all of that ummm could I have some more maybe your really fun 😋

(Some people might be popular with the ladies but I'm popular with the Lees tonight!)

You would take all of that? You must be in a pretty dire lee mood! Maybe I should do a check up to make sure everything's OK.

Let's see here how many ribs do you have. One..... two..... thr- your going to have to stop moving darling I'm going to have to restart over and over and over again. Five.... six.... sev- oh wait I missed one gotta redo!

Let's check your reflexes? Do you have tickly knees?what will haooen if I just squeeze just above them? Hey no need to kick me!! It's strange though your reflexes should make you squirm away but your melting into my touch?! Is there something you need to tell me?

Let's see if your hearings up to speed. Tell me if you can hear me when I say your the cutest little lee! You heard me! That's good cause I already see the redness in your cheeks.

Were nearly over! Which may or may not be so good for you. Now tell me is your belly more ticklish or your sides? Is your underarms more ticklish then your feet? And are these teases driving you mad?

Well I've made my diagnosis... you are submerged in a lee mood. I recommend you get tickled three times a day for the next week!

[inquisitorius-sin-bin]

1, 2, 6, 19, and 30.

Thank you for asking!

1. which of your fics is your favorite? why?

Ride or Die because I finally get to share in the rich Plainsman culture I've been building up in my head for so long. I'm writing songs, building languages, and currently thinking of folk dances.

2. which of your fics is your least favorite? why?

Ooooof ummm, I don't even remember some of my old Tsiri and Fay works, and I regret that I got so far into Dr. Victre's stuff before anything was known about the Inquisitorius and all those fics are SOOOOOO canon divergent. Not a huge fan of that.

I also just didn't have as many concepts or stories to share so those works were really unfocused and weren't telling a cohesive story.

6. pick one of your fics and tell us about a "deleted scene" from it.

In Explored and Worshiped, there was supposed to be a scene where HRH gets back to their ship and the crew opens a cask of ale to celebrate and they refuse it, and that's when they end up admitting their pregnancy. I felt it was a stronger character moment for them to not be backed into a corner when they chose to say something, but doing so because they wanted to finally tell Renson and Vanyiel the truth.

In Ride or Die, originally my plan was to have Tsino and Dralla go for "Jedi Training" and he had actually set her up to be captured by the Empire, and there would be a group of troopers on a transport to grab her, but he would change his mind and kill them. I just 1) had a hard time figuring out how she would EVER trust him again with a betrayal that large, and 2) how would he contact the Empire? It doesn't seem like he has a comm link on him, otherwise someone would have heard it buzz by now. It felt too "convenient" for him to suddenly be able to contact the Empire when he needed to.

19. which of your fics almost didn't get published and why?

Anything after Studied and Praised because when it first came out, I thought I had done a terrible job, the hits and kudos and comments weren't rolling in, I was scared my characterization of the Inquisitor might be perceived as "too soft", and I was like, "well this was a good exercise, never doing that again."

After a couple of days it obviously really took off and it has a sequel and it totally beloved. But man I really took a confidence hit and was panicking.

30. if you could wave a magic wand and perfect one of the fics you've published, which one would you bless? why that one?

Dr. Victre I want to redo everything in new canon I love her character and I want to pull her from the depths to have more xenobiology fun.

[chryzure-archive]

1-6 and 9 for the OC ask game!!

i’ll answer for tris bc UMMM i’m thinking of him so hard rn <33

1. What is their color palette?

pulled directly from my procreate app <3

2. What does your OCs handwriting look like? 

i’d say it’s blocky, but not in the jacks kind of blocky.. it’s very precise, i’d say?? think “mom writing you letters in kindergarten in all caps so you can read it” type of handwriting. unless that’s too specific of a phenomenon and not all parents do that 💀

3. What architectural or design aesthetic would best suit them?

honestly,,, i think he has a bit of a combo of dark and green coloring. tris likes a nice, homey architectural design with plants climbing over it.. he needs to get away from ppl, they cause him a lot of distress, so he hates a metropolitan sort of design so much. i don’t know if i’m making sense, but also a bit of modern mid-century flair to his interior design, but with a more cluttered aspect to it.

4. If your OC likes art, talk about which piece they would love best.

pretty much all of walter wick’s stuff… tris loooooves the little clutter, but how it feels homey this time. it’s not stressful to him—it feels so comforting to him. like:

this is tris’s home. he lives here <3 it makes him think of his childhood and tbh i think it makes him want to work on miniatures :3

also he likes chris van allsburg. similar thing, where it feels homey, but also bc he introduced him to some horror elements as a child. mysteries of harris burdick is lowkey terrifying, ngl

5. What character from myth or fairytale best represents them?

okay, so i’m slowly working through all of hans christen andersen’s fairy tales (for my luna rune series), and i know this is a bit of a well-known one, but the original little mermaid myth… aughhh, it fits tris too well. he would walk if it felt like he were walking on knives, jst to be with chrysi. he would give up his singing voice. he would let her marry azure and let himself die frm heartbreak, bc he had happy days w chrysi…. man, i love hans christen andersen ;;;;;

6. If your OC was a character in a novel from literary canon (doesn’t have to be western canon), who would they be?

he makes me think a lot of matilda from roald dahl’s matilda tbh… in how he has magic ??? idk, i can’t explain it. it’s the vibes of him, i think. he also makes me think a bit of nick carraway from the great gatsby. just an observer of someone else’s story, generally polite and reserved, and he views himself as very honest too, so. you know.

9. If your OC were to imagine their idyllic life (realistically or otherwise) what would it be like?

LITERALLY HE JUST WANTS TO GO BACK AND REDO THINGS WITH CHRYSI SO THEY CAN STILL BE TOGETHER. his idyllic life is him making music with his gf, and they both work on their respective art forms in a local coffee shop or in the park while they hold hands, then they go home to their little cute house with hanging plants and ivy climbing up the walls and they have cats that like to lay down in their laps… :((( also tris likes to imagine taking chrysi around the world to all the countries he’s toured in with his band, jst so he can take her to those quiet spots he escaped to when he was stressed. he knows how much chrysi likes to also escape from stressful/loud environments. god… i’m sad now :((

[redactedfrog15]

INTRO POST THING (REVAMPED) (CRAZY)

REMEMBERED THIS ACCOUNT EXISTS. I GO BACK TO SCHOOL IN TWO WEEKS BUT I WANNA START USING THIS AGAIN REGARDLESS!

I will be redoing my meet the artist post at some point soon:) Until then though!

HI! I'm Holly, or Frog, or REDACTED, or whatever the hell. Im in college studying zoology. My pronouns are she/her, I'm 19, and I'm here to creature around the place.

WILL LIKELY BE PRIMARILY DRAWING:

SGUIDE!!! (Campaign I've been in for 5 ish years? 6?? loosely based off of homestuck but off the walls bonkers. Makes me crazy all interests I have lead back to this one)

DND THINGS?? (Love character design love the concept of dnd.. haven't been in an official campagn but boy do I have schemes)

CREATURES!! (Woe! Beasts be upon you)

PROBABLY SOME FANDOM STUFF AS WELL MAYBE! IF I MANAGE TO KEEP POSTING ON HERE!

I use procreate, and have been recently getting into small animatic adjacent projects! Also have been learning how to use Blender for 3d miniatures, so I'll probably end up posting those here too.

need to revamp my tag system. lets ummm

#REDACTEDFILES will be talking tag. for the yapping

#FROGDACTEDZONE will now just be art. may have messed that up in past.

[diyadoesntdowhatshessupposedto]

nine people id like to get to know better

tagged by @canofholes

Last song I listened to: i think it was Overcome from the Link Click soundtrack cause i needed instrumental music for my aerial circus shareday tomorrow.

Favorite color: red! blue and purple are tied in second place though. fun fact, one of my friend's nicknames for me is Red because my hair has been dyed bright red for almost 2 years, and also a lot of my favorite clothes are red

Currently watching: Link Click also known as Shiguang Daili Ren. genuinely, probably my current favorite show. the music is really good and the plot is quite complex which are both huge draws for me in media.

Last Movie/Show: um i think the last thing i watched was Tattoo Redo with my sister and my mom but i might have watched something since then i don't remember.

Spicy/savory/sweet?: hmmm i like spicy foods a lot but i don't really go out of my way to make things spicy. savory foods are really common cravings for me, like pickles and rice and chicken, and most of my favorite foods are savory. i do love sweets tho, honestly like the only things that make me wish i made money consistently and had my own credit card are those snack subscription boxes from like different countries.

Last thing you googled: "bechdel test" i was trying to remember if i missed any of the criteria. i hadn't, the only reason i checked was cause the second and third criteria feel like they should just be condensed into one and it confused me.

ok now the tags part is kinda sad cause i don't actually know anyone on here who yk didn't tag me on this, i have literally 2 mutuals and one i know for a fact is not active cause they're an irl friend and i introduced them to tumblr ummm

@moon-pie-fae

wow thats so sad

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

Compromised - Part 12**

We're almost done!!!! This one is sweet and fluffy and there is a bit of smut. THE REUNION WE ALL WANTED TO HAPPEN!

WC: 6.1k

Fic Masterlist is Here

It had been several weeks since Harry and Y/N had been at his second home and in all honesty it had been a glorious and blissful experience. Y/N had feared that she would’ve grown bored of it by now, but she had never experienced something like this before. The things she felt for Harry were all new and the more time she spent with him the more they developed. She never thought she’d be the doting and sickly sweet girlfriend, but she fell into the role fairly easily, especially since Harry was still recovering from his injury. He was taking full advantage too, but Y/N didn’t mind.

“Hey baby.” Harry hummed as he wandered out to the garden where she was watering her plants. She had decided that she would try to plant some herbs a few weeks back and so far they looked like they’d survive.

“Hi.” She smiled as he stopped beside her.

“Everything’s looking good.” He complimented and she nodded.

“This is a first for me. Usually I kill things.” She informed and he chuckled, he wouldn’t be if he knew that she was being literal.

“Well, you’re doing amazing, baby.” He assured and she smiled over at him, “I was thinking about something.” He said and she glanced over.

“OK, what about?” She asked as she turned off the hose.

“Axel and Liam said that there’s been no suspicious activity around here since we arrived; they’ve kept an eye on the place remotely. I think it’s helped that they haven’t really been coming  by. And well, presumably they still don’t know where I am.” Y/N nodded, “And honestly, I’ve been giving this a lot of thought and I think I feel OK with having my mum and sister over for dinner one of these days.” Y/N’s face morphed into a surprised expression.

“Really?” She asked and he smiled and nodded.

“I decided that now is probably the best time for this because, well, things are peaceful right now and I don’t know when that’ll happen again. I can’t hide forever and I just know that when I get back out there all the shit I’ve been hiding from will make itself known. I need to see them and make peace with how things have been while I have the chance. I want them to meet you. I want them to know that everything’s going to be OK. I need to make sure that they’re OK too.” He said and Y/N nodded in understanding. If she could check on her family she definitely would. “Would you be OK with that? With inviting them over?” He asked and she smiled.

“Yeah, of course. I would love to meet your family and I want you to see them while things are good.” She expressed and he just leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“Oh that’s just perfect!” He said excitedly and she smiled wide.

“When do you want them over?”

“Well, I think I’ll text my mum now from my private phone.” He said and she nodded, “See what day works for them. We still owe Mitch and Sarah a dinner too.” He reminded and she nodded as she recalled that bit.

“Right! OK, well you text your mum and I’ll go grocery shopping when she confirms. Just let me know what I should make for dinner.” She smiled and he nodded. He hugged Y/N as best as he could with his injured arm, but he was so happy she was willing to do this with him. 

“Perfect! And ummm, when you come back inside can we watch a film while you redo my toe nails?” He asked more timidly and she smiled and nodded.

“Of course, baby. Just pick your color.” She assured and he grinned a bright and toothy grin before hurrying back inside. 

Harry was a lot more nervous than he let on as he made his way back into the master bedroom and dug out his phone. He hadn’t used his usual phone in case it was being tracked somehow. After all, that was the phone his associates and others knew about. He had about forty missed calls from Sally on it the last time he turned it on to check and he powered it down immediately after seeing that. He knew that he had to go back to his true reality soon, so he needed to take advantage of the anonymity while he had it. He needed to make things right with his mother and Gemma. It was weighing on him because he knew that the moment he stepped back into his world it was very unlikely that he would survive a week out of it. That “gala” event was in about 8 weeks, he knew there would be hell to pay for disappearing the way he had. It had been nearly a month of him hiding out, but he needed to be fully recovered because there was no way he could defend himself in a world where someone was trying to kill him in his current condition. He needed to wait and hope that now, the people on his side were not so angry with him that death seemed to be the most adequate punishment. He hoped. But he was mentally preparing for that being the consequence of what he had done. He tried to push out all negativity as he started typing out the message to his mum.

Hi mum, I know that you might be upset at me given you haven’t responded to me the last few times, but I’m really close by for a bit of time and I would love to see you and Gems. I miss you. Please let me know if you would like to come by for dinner sometime this week. I really want to you to meet someone I’ve got with me. Please think about it, mum. Please. 

I love you.

That’s what he sent and hoped that this message wouldn’t be ignored this time. It was of the utmost importance.

************

“Like it?” She asked quietly as she finished cleaning up the edge of his pinky toe with a cotton swab with acetone, just to get it all precise. 

“I do. Do you?” He asked and she smiled up at him.

“Yeah, s’a pretty shade of yellow.” She confirmed with a smile as she closed the little bottle of nail varnish and set it down. He patted the spot on the couch beside him and she hurried on up and set a cushion from the couch on his lap before laying on it and getting comfortable. His fingers of his free hand wove through her hair and she hummed at the relaxing and comforting action. Her mom used to play with her hair as a young child to help lull her to sleep. “Did you already reach out to your mom?” She asked quietly.

“Yeah. She hasn’t answered yet.” He informed and she nodded in understanding.

“I’m sure she will, H.” She assured and he hummed in response. He didn’t want to get too hopeful. He stayed quiet and she spoke up again, “How’s your shoulder feeling today?” She changed the topic and he was more than grateful that she had.

“It’s not as bad. I think we could do some more exercises and stretches for it.” He said and she smiled. He had been very adamant about not having his muscles atrophied from lack of use. He was a fitness buff and he had been researching about mobilizing and strengthening his arm after the trauma it had suffered. It was healing up nicely and she was proud of how determined, but patient he was with the process of it.

“That’s good baby.” She hummed before turning onto her back to look up at him. He had some stubble growing in around his lips and while it looked a little messy, it was kind of hot.

“What?” He asked with a grin.

“Nothing. Just this like scruff you got going for you, it’s hot.” She smiled at him and he chuckled.

“Hot, huh?” He grinned and she nodded before biting her lip to stop herself from saying anything else. He was about to throw in a little tease to start something that he very much wanted to continue and then his phone dinged from under the decorative pillow beside him on the couch and he reached for it and pulled it out. Harry felt his whole world pause as he saw a notification banner from “Mum”.

“It’s her?” Y/N asked and he nodded, swallowing hard and then glancing down. She sat up from the laying position on his lap and sat beside him, waiting for him to open up the message. He was a bit frozen and she “tsk-ed” as she planting a reassuring kiss on his cheek, “It’s OK.” She said to him softly and he glanced to her. She had never seen so much fear in a person’s eyes. He looked so small and young and it was a new thing for her to experience him being so insecure. 

“What if she says no, or what if she asks me to leave them alone altogether?” He expressed and she frowned.

“Based on what you’ve told me about them I doubt they’ll break your heart like that.” She tried to reassure and he suddenly felt nauseous at the notification from his mother. 

“Can you look for me?” He asked and she nodded, her lip bitten nervously under her top row of teeth as he handed over the phone. She typed in his password and she went to his messages and took a deep breath before opening it up.

Which Dalmatian was your favorite from 101 Dalmatians?

Y/N read the question aloud with a confused tone and Harry frowned at the response. She was awaiting a response from him.

“I think she wants to make sure it’s me.” He said and Y/N nodded, that made sense, only something he’d know. “Fuck… what was his name? I don’t remember.” He groaned, starting to freak out a bit.

“We can google it, babe.” Y/N assured and he shook his head.

“I was obsessed, if I take too long she might think it’s not me or that it’s a trap or that something’s wrong.” He rushed out, his chest starting to heave with panic.

“OK, I get it. Describe it to me.”

“He was one of the puppies, he had the spot on his eye? Was it spot?” He asked and she shook her head.

“No his name was Patch. I am certain.” She said to him.

“Are you sure?” He asked worriedly and she nodded.

“I swear. Do you trust me?” She asked.

“With my life.” He whispered and she offered a soft smile before typing that in as the response and hitting send. Immediately a call started coming in from her and Y/N smiled as she handed the phone to Harry who looked down at it with a blank expression.

“Answer it.” She assured with a smile and he seemed to get back down to earth from whatever thoughts he had been pulled away into and dragged his finger across the screen, putting it on speaker.

“Hello?” He asked and then he just heard a sob break through the speaker.

“Oh sweetheart, it’s really you!” She heard his mother cry and he frowned.

“It’s me. Are you alright? What’s wrong?” He asked right away.

“Absolutely nothing is wrong, I just wasn’t sure it was you.” She explained sniffling, “I had just been getting texts from you for so long that I just thought maybe someone was keeping up an appearance to not get me suspicious that something had happened to you. I wasn’t sure what to think and I… I’m so sorry for ignoring you, my sweet boy.” She cried and Y/N glanced up to Harry as his own tears started to roll down his cheeks.

“Yeah, it’s me, mum. I swear it is.” He sniffled and she sighed in relief.

“You really want to see me?” She asked.

“Of course I do! Well you know that I don’t want to put you both in any kind of danger, but I’ve pulled back a bit and things are safe right now. I want to see you and Gems before they go back to the normal way.” He explained.

  “Oh, sweetheart.” She sighed, “Of course we’ll see you. When’s a good time?” She asked and he looked to Y/N.

“Tomorrow?” She mouthed silently.

“Can you come over tomorrow for dinner? I’ll send you the address.” He asked.

“Yes, yes. What time?”

“We can do 7, so it gives Gem a bit of time to settle in after work.”

“I’m cooking for you.” She said right away.

“No mum, we’ll take care of you tomorrow night.” He said.

“We?” She asked, “You did mention there was someone you wanted me to meet, right?” She asked.

“Ummmm, yeah. S’my girlfriend.” He said and he heard Anne giggle excitedly.

“I’m so happy you’ve got someone with you. I can’t wait to meet them. And if you won’t let me make you a meal for tomorrow I’ll bring dessert, alright? At least that.” She insisted and he smiled.

“Yeah, alright then. If you insist.” He said and Anne chuckled, “Ummm, we should still keep the line clear as much as possible just in case, but I’ll send you the address and see you tomorrow?”

“We’ll be there, H.” She promised and Y/N smiled at the reassurance on Harry’s face.

“Perfect. I love you, mum. See you soon.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.” She sniffled once more and then they hung up and Y/N just reached forward and helped wipe away some of his tears with her fingers as she smiled at him. She was happy that Harry would get to see his family. She wished that she had the same opportunity, but while it was his, she wanted to ensure that everything went according to plan.

“I can’t believe they’ll actually be here with me.” He said softly and she smiled.

“I’m really happy they will be, H. Can’t wait to meet them.”

“They’re gonna love you. I just know it.” He hummed, “Thanks for helping me out.” 

“Of course. I always will, baby.” She hummed before cuddling into his chest.

***********

The prospect of seeing his mother had Harry absolutely on edge. The entire day he had been completely unsettled and running about doing a bunch of stuff that Y/N insisted she would get to before they arrived. He still couldn’t fully use his arm and overexerting it could cause more damage if he wasn’t careful - which was what she kept chasing him around the house to remind him about. She did give him things he could help out with while she cooked. He remembered that Gemma’s favorite meal as a kid was lasagna and so he asked Y/N to help make that up for dinner. And when they set the lasagna in the oven it was time to get ready for the dinner. 

Thankfully, Harry was at a point where he could shower himself, finally, he felt that he had recouped some of his dignity back. Even more so when he felt Y/N’s arms wrap around his torso and for her front to press to his back. They still hadn’t had sex yet. He wasn’t even sure how, but it was hard for him, not having full mobility. They had gotten close and done other things, but when it’d start heading in that direction he would always deflect. His excuse was that he didn’t want to give her a bad experience because he wasn’t at his best yet. She would assure him that it didn’t matter and that she knew he was still recovering, but Harry had a fragile ego and if he had to wait to fuck her how he knew he could, then he would. He was still getting her off and she him as well, but just not the sex part. And it was hard when she’d do things like this. 

“Baby…” he sighed and she smiled and pressed a kiss to his back as he felt his cock starting to grow heavier and harder.

“Yes?” She asked innocently as her hands trailed down his abs.

“You’re being a tease.” He warned as he suddenly turned to her and she smiled up at him.

“It’s not teasing if I intend on following through with it.” She said softly and he smiled at her, “I know you’re a little nervous, maybe I can help take the edge off.” She hummed as her index finger traced the shape of his abs down to his navel and then lower. He moaned as she reached down and wrapped her fist around his tip, giving it a gentle squeeze before stroking down his shaft.

“Yeah, baby that’s it.” He panted as he slumped himself against the wall and she looked up at him with hungry eyes as she picked up her pace. His eyes traveled down to watch her fist stroking at him and he groaned before tossing his head back again, his fists bunched up at his sides as he started being built up closer and closer to the edge. His chest was growing red and  his body hot, his breathing was getting shallow from the steam in there as she kept pumping his length in her fist. She pressed closer to him, tiptoeing to kiss at his jaw and neck, careful not to leave any marks until she migrated lower, sucking roughly at his chest to leave a little bruise blossoming on his right pec before sucking his nipple into her mouth.

“Shit.” He panted as his hands grabbed her hips. His  stomach and chest felt like they were on fire from the lack of deep breaths he was taking as his pleasure started to build. The way her thumb rubbed against his tip and her wrist flicked and twisted to add a new sensation had his toes curling and his legs feeling feeble.

“Feels good?” She asked glancing up at him and he nodded furiously, “Good, baby. Getting close for me, huh?” He nodded again, moaning as her grip tightened just a bit, “Good boy, want you to come for me. Want everything you’ve got, baby.” She encouraged and he swallowed hard.

“I need t’sit.” He gritted out and she guided him over to the little ledge in the shower and she knelt before him as she continued stroking. His legs were parted and she moaned at the sight of his muscular and inked up thighs. She couldn’t resist as she leaned down and sunk her teeth into the meaty flesh before sucking a patch of skin between her lips a bit roughly to leave a little mark there. Then she glanced up at him and sunk lower and his jaw tensed as he felt her tongue lap along his balls before she gently sucked one between her lips and his toes curled as she sucked with a bit more pressure, “Oh fuck yeah…” he slurred on a moan, “You’re gonna make me come, baby. Gonna make me come so hard!” He panted as he got closer and closer until his thighs were trembling and she replaced her fist with her mouth, sucking eagerly at his tip, her suction creating a delicious pressure that seemed to be pulling the cum out of him. “Fuck, I’m gonna come!” He warned and she sunk lower on him and his fingers tangled into her sopping mess of hair as he burst in her mouth. His vision was splotchy and the blood was roaring in his ears as he felt her swallowing down every bit of cum he spilled into her hot little mouth. She was gentle and cautious as she eased him through his orgasm. When she finally pulled him out of her mouth she rested her cheek against his thigh, looking up at him with a pleased smile.

“Feel better?” She asked and he nodded with a satisfied little smile on his face.

“Kiss me.” He requested and she pressed herself up on his thighs and planted her lips against his gently.

“C’mon, let's finish up this shower and then get ready.” She whispered and he hummed and held her close before they continued what they were to do before the dinner.

***********

Harry was a complete mess of nerves as the minutes before his mother and sister’s arrival diminished. He felt completely anxious and completely out of control as he just waited to hear a knock at the door or a ring of their doorbell. He was also fighting not to do much, he didn’t want to worry his mom and opted to not wear the sling he would usually have his arm in lately, he also just needed to be sure that he could properly hug her and Gemma when they arrived. Y/N was finishing up the set up of the small dining table located in their kitchen and Harry was just in there blabbing on and on about his worries for how wrong this night could go when suddenly a ring sounded through the home and he perked up.

“Shit, shit, they’re here!” He panicked as he looked to Y/N. She rushed over to him and grabbed his face gently in her hands and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

“Yeah, they’re here. And they’re here because they can’t wait to see you, baby. It’s a good thing, yeah?” She asked and he nodded, “Do you want to greet them on your own first?” She asked.

“I don’t want to be alone.” He said.

“OK, let’s go then.” She offered a small and reassuring smile. She turned to head out of the kitchen and right before she made it past the entryway he was tugging her back and crashing his lips onto hers. She let out a little surprised sound but easily fell into his kiss. 

Harry’s heart was pounding with nerves, but his body felt warm and comforted with Y/N in his embrace. It’s like the world had completely halted and it was just them two for that moment in time. He absolutely loved her for how she had been there for him and helped him the last few weeks, and for being here with him as he made amends with arguably the most important people of his life on that night. The realization of what he felt for her hit him so suddenly that he parted from their kiss very suddenly and she smiled.

“C’mon. Let’s get the door.” She insisted as she tugged him along through the house and down the small hallway that led to the front door. She urged him onward with a reassuring nod and he approached the front door. Harry’s mouth felt unnaturally dry, his heart was pounding, and his hands felt clammy as he turned the deadbolt and then moved down to the lock on the doorknob before exhaling quickly and opening up the door.

The moment Harry saw his mother and sister actually standing on the other side of the door his heart became completely overwhelmed and he immediately grabbed the dish they had brought dessert in and set it down on the little bench they had by the door before he broke into a sob and the two women hurried inside before hugging him tight. She could hear them all cry as they huddled together, it had been years. There were sniffles and mutters about how much they had missed each other and how much they loved each other. How much older and grown-up Harry looked. It was beautiful to watch, but instead of just standing there idly, Y/N rushed off to grab a box of tissues for the three of them. This was their moment, she didn’t want to intrude or rush them as they finally got to see and hold each other after so long. It had only been a couple of minutes before Harry glanced over at Y/N from over his sister’s shoulder before pulling back.

“Ummm, mum, Gems,” he sniffled, “I also want to introduce you to my girlfriend, Y/N.” He said with a small smile and the two women turned towards her, both just as gorgeous as he was.

“Hi.” She barely squeaked out as she raised her hand and wiggled her fingers at them. She had never met any guy’s family in this capacity. It was nerve wracking. She was now feeling like her head would explode from the anxiety and thoughts forming in milliseconds. She felt worried that they wouldn’t think she was pretty enough or good enough for him. That they would see the bad things or tell him later on that he could do better. She was trying so hard not to show the shift in her mood when suddenly Anne had walked up to her and hugged her as well.

“Hello, darling. I’m Anne.” She hummed and YN hugged her back with a nervous smile on her face as she looked to Harry who chuckled before draping an arm over his sister’s shoulder, she was also smiling at Y/N, “It’s wonderful to meet you.” She assured as she squeezed a bit tighter and Y/N did the same before they pulled back.

“It’s great to meet you.” Y/N giggled as her nerves dissipated.

“And this is my sister, Gemma.” He said as he let her go and Gemma also went in for a hug from Y/N.

“t’s great to meet you as well.” She hummed as she pulled back from the hug. “We made lasagna.” She said to Gemma with a smile.

“Actually Y/N made lasagna, I taste tested.” Harry said and she looked over at him with a smile.

“He made the pasta.” She assured and the women smiled.

“We can head on back if you’re ready to eat?” Y/N asked looking to all of them. She felt awkward still and when they all nodded she led the way back to their kitchen.

“Everything’s so neat and homey.” Anne pointed out.

“You taught me well.” Harry hummed and Y/N smiled as she spared a glance back and saw him wrapped around his mom as they walked through the living room. It was sweet, the way he was so close to her. 

As soon as they got into the kitchen Gemma handed over the dessert they had brought and let Y/N know it would need to keep warm in the oven. Anne immediately insisted on helping, but Y/N waved her and Gemma off, assuring them that she would handle everything and allow them catch up with Harry. She was assembling the food on the plates as she overheard them chatting about life, what had been going on, how they were doing. Watching him get to do this with his family made her feel a bit jealous that she wouldn’t get to do it with her own, but it was beautiful to see. He looked so happy that was all that Y/N cared about. Everything was pleasant, the meal, the conversation, the way that Harry’s hand was just glued to hers as they all spoke made her feel that she was part of something more.

“So dessert?” Harry said during a break in conversation and Anne smiled.

“Made your favorite, bread and butter pudding.” She smiled and his eyes practically lit up when he heard that.

“Baby, you’re going to die when you try this.” He turned to Y/N and she giggled in excitement.

“I can’t wait!” She chirped.

And well, Harry was right, it was absolutely delicious. Now that they had sufficiently caught up, the conversation topic shifted to Y/N. She was nervous all over again and she had a death grip on Harry’s hand as the questions flew towards her. She was getting by and then there is came up.

“You’re clearly American, did you make the move out here alone? Or did you come with your family?” Gemma asked with a curious smile and Y/N’s smile faltered and she squeezed Harry’s hand once again.

“Uh, let’s not talk about that.” Harry cut in and Y/N looked over to him with a sad smile.

“It’s alright.” She said quietly and looked back to Gemma who was looking rather apologetic, “My family’s…gone.” She said simply, “They were wonderful people, though and I miss them everyday.” She elaborated.

“I’m so sorry.” She said and Y/N shook her head.

“Don’t be. It’s nice to talk about them.” She assured with a smile.

“How did you and Harry meet?” Anne changed the topic and Y/N smiled and looked to Harry.

“I went in for a tattoo consultation.” She smiled and Harry did too.

“That’s sweet.” Gemma cooed and Harry giggled almost like a giddy little school girl.

“Yeah…and then turns out we lived on the same street.” He said and then they started talking about the few run in’s they had.

“How did he ask you to be his girlfriend?” Anne asked and Y/N’s face wanted to run bright red as she recalled the moment this all occurred.

“Ummm, it was nothing fancy. He just asked.” She shrugged and Anne shook her head and Gemma started protesting this.

“Mum, taught you better!” Gemma teased.

“Hey, hey, hey, she said that she didn’t want any of the formality of it.” He defended himself and Y/N nodded to confirm.

It was getting later and no one wanted this reunion to end, so Y/N put on the kettle to make some tea and they all sat around talking and laughing some more. Anne, Harry, and Gemma took a lovely picture to commemorate their time together as well. At some point Gemma asked Harry if she could speak with him for a little one on one, so Y/N decided she would just get to cleaning up and Anne insisted on helping her out to give her kids some time alone. Y/N was washing the dishes while Anne dried them and they were dwelling in a comfortable silence for a few moments before Y/N spoke up.

“I’m really Happy that you and Gemma were able to come. Harry’s been a nervous wreck about it for a while and I’m glad he actually reached out, he’s been meaning to since we’ve been here.” She explained.

“Well, of course. Anything for my little boy. Well, he’s not so little anymore, but you know, he’s my baby.” She said and Y/N nodded with a smile.

“It’s also sweet how well he and Gemma get along. I didn’t have siblings so I never really got to have that bond with anyone, just a cousin who was almost like a sibling. But, I am a bit envious of how well they get on.” She shared with a smile and a quick glance over to Anne who was looking a bit nervous before speaking.

“Ummm, I know this might be a bit out of turn, but do you… know about why Harry can’t see us?”  She asked carefully and Y/N nodded seriously, “I don’t know know… specifics of what it is that he’s involved with…” she sighed nervously and Y/N shut the water off.

“He’s a good man, Harry. And he’s so wonderful to so many people and-”

“I know.” Anne interrupted with a weary smile, “I know who I raised my son to be and I know that he never meant for any of this to happen. I just needed to know if the story you both told us about how you met is true? Or are you also involved in what he’s involved in?” She asked cautiously and Y/N’s eyes softened, “I just want to know that he’s safe with the person he’s chosen to be with.” She said gently, “I’m not judging your choices, it’s more for my peace of mind! I hope I’m not offending you or overstepping.” She said quickly and there was an edge of fear to her tone and worry in her eyes. Worry for her son and who it was that he was spending his days and nights with. Y/N’s eyes softened as she looked into Anne’s eyes with an easy smile.

“You’re not.” Y/N assured, “And you’re a wonderful mother for caring the way you do.” She encouraged her, “And I promise you that, that is actually how we met.” She confirmed, “Actually, I’d seen him tattooing at some expo in America before I met him. So I knew of him already and he’s so talented!” She shared with a smile, “Was trying for months just to get the consultation with him. Maybe like six months? He’s in high demand.” She elaborated, “And when I went into it, I mean, it kind of smacks you in the face how handsome he is,” Y/N smiled a bit timidly, “But he was really lovely. And quite honestly, I didn’t expect to care for him the way I do. He’s my first boyfriend, actually.” She disclosed and Anne smiled at her confession, “After I lost my family, I’ve always fended for myself, you know? I felt that I was my own problem, no one else’s, but Harry makes me feel like it’s OK to need somebody. He makes want to be better and he makes me feel valuable, safe, and cared for.” She told Anne, “I came to find out what he was involved in and well, the person I see and have grown to… love…” she paused with a crease in her eyebrows as the realization hit her right in that moment. She looked into Anne’s eyes with a sort of nervous look in her eyes. Anne’s own eyes then softened as she realized what was happening right before her eyes and she reached for Y/N’s hand and squeezed it a bit for some reassurance. 

“I’m so happy he has you.” Anne said softly with a smile, “And I can tell that he feels the same way about you. Thank you.” She said and Y/N’s eyebrows creased and she shook her head.

“No, thank you.” She insisted, “Without you I wouldn’t have my best friend.”

“Oh, darling.” Anne shed a few tears before hugging Y/N. Y/N relished in her hug, there was absolutely nothing like a mother’s embrace and Y/N hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time she got to feel this.

“Y’know, there’s not a bad bone in his body. He doesn’t deserve to go through this all alone just because of a mistake he made when he was a kid.” Y/N said and Anne nodded, she couldn’t agree more, “I want to be there for him and make sure that he’s OK.” 

“Thank you. And yes, take good care of my boy.” She whispered.

“I will. I promise.”

Their goodbye was just as teary as their greeting, if not more so. Harry didn’t know when he would see them again or if it was even possible, he obviously was hoping for the best, but he needed to be realistic. It was nearly 2am when they finally walked out the door with a final glance back before they drove off. They were so close, but it might as well have been a galaxy away from him. Y/N held him tight as he cried. They were sitting on the couch with her in his lap and his face buried into her neck, all hot and sticky from his tears, but she didn’t mind it one bit. Her heart hurt for him, seeing him this way made her feel sick to her stomach. She loved him and upon realizing that earlier, it made her understand a lot of the things that she was feeding into and feeling.

“You’re gonna see them again, baby. You will.” she hummed comfortingly as her fingers stroked through his hair lazily. He was hiccuping from how hard he was crying and she frowned as he struggled to catch a proper breath. She pressed him to sit upright and his swollen and glassy eyes met with hers, “H, baby, I know that this is probably the worst possible moment to… say this to you, but I…” she hesitated for just a second before deciding that she needed to tell him how she felt, if not she would surely implode, “I love you. So, so much and I will do everything I can to make sure th-” her words were cut off as his lips collided with hers. She felt his arms wrapped around her waist tightly and hold her closer as their lips melded and smacked together. 

“Love you too.” He mumbled against her lips and into their kiss, “With every last bit of me. Love you so fucking much.” He confessed.

Part 13

[howlingwolf23]

Commander Fancy Pecs 3

Was chatting with @qunari-and-turians and my wife @amloveabledeathmo and a joke became a full story.

Several months later while inspecting the troops, Sera calls out to Cullen “Hey there, commander fancy tits.”

Cullen decided the best option was to ignore her and keeps walking. Later that day some visiting dignitaries from Orlais come walking out of the castle. Cullen couldn't really hear them but could tell they were talking about him. He avoided the group as best he could but soon a page came to tell him he was requested by Josephine.

Josephine was talking to women in masks when he entered, he considered waiting but if what she wanted was urgent it would be best to know now. ”You asked for me, ambassador?”

Josephine turned and mouthed 'I'm sorry' at him before turning back to her companions, “Here is the commander. As requested.”

The two women in masks squealed seeing him. Another, the one in charge apparently, walked over to Cullen looking him up and down, speaking to Josephine “Will he model for us?”

Cullen was confused, “Will I what?”

Josephine moved slightly between them, “No, the commander is quite busy but as you requested, I have brought you to him and proven he is real.”

One of the Orleisan women, “Yes, but are his abs real?”

Cullen grabbed at his stomach “My what?!”

Josephine grabbed his arm and began escorting Cullen out “I assure you, his abs are real. There is a reason he is a commander. You know how rigorous Templar training is.”

One of the women kept step with them, “Seeing is believing.”

Josephine whispered to Cullen “I'm sorry. I know you hate The Game and Orleisan nobles but they swore they wouldn't leave until they saw you.” She spoke much louder, “Thank you, commander, for taking time out of your busy schedule.”

The woman stopped Cullen by placing a hand on his shoulder before she leaned in and whispered to him “If you ever get tired of this…” she licked his cheek and nibbled on his earlobe, “...let me know.”

Cullen begins to speak but just shuts his mouth and starts to march out, passing Dorian.

Dorian turns to Cullen, “If it isn’t the most famous man in all of Thedas?”

Cullen was still befuddled by the interaction with the Orleisan noble, “What?”

Dorian gasped and put his hand to his chest, “You don't know? No, I guess you wouldn't. I doubt anyone wanted to be the one to tell you the wonderful news. I don't want to tell you myself.”

Cullen could feel a headache growing, “Just tell me.”

”I will be blunt. Someone is selling paintings of you in Orlais.”

Cullen cocked his head, “There's what!?”

”If it makes you feel better, most of it is tasteful.”

”How is that supposed to make me feel better!? Is that why Sera was yelling fancy tits at me?!”

Dorian nods “I am afraid so. I confiscated this off of her as she was strutting towards the barracks.”

Cullen, slowly unrolls the scroll, looks at the scroll, balls it up, and storms away, briefly stopping and turning back to Dorian, “Thank you for telling me.”

”Now, no need to get sappy with me, commander.” Dorian waves him off.

Cullen storms into the Inquisitor's chambers “Inquisitor! You won't believe what is happening! First, Sera called me names, then an Orleisan noble tried to buy me I think, then I find out....Maker's breath, what's that?!”

The Inquisitor looking up from reading a book, “What was that?” They see where the commander is pointing and blush brightly “Oh that! That's just, ummm, I can explain.”

”Can you explain this?” Cullen thrusts over the balled up scroll.

The Inquisitor smooths it out “Oh! Oh my! This is quite good. They are missing your scar there but quite good indeed. Do you have anymore presents for me?” They look hopefully at Cullen.

”It isn't a present. I got this from Dorian, who stole it from Sera, and Maker only knows where she got it!”

”Oh! Oh no. Well you see I loved the painting I made of you but it bothered me. It wasn't good enough. So I hired an unknown artist to redo it better.”

Cullen’s mouth gapes, “What?!”

The Inquisitor held up their hands placatingly, “I made sure they didn't know you or really any of us. So I thought. I am guessing they were so enamored by you, they made more art of you. Quite good art.” They glance back at the scroll and bite their lip, “Quite.”

Cullen snaps his fingers “Inquisitor.”

They look back at Cullen quickly, “Sorry, but it appears you sell well and are now a famous model.”

Cullen sighs deeply, dropping onto the edge of the bed and placing his head in his hands “All because you wanted a perfect picture.”

The Inquisitor goes over and pulls his hands away to look him in the face. “I am sorry, if I knew this would happen, I would have nev-”

Cullen pulls the inquisitor into his lap “You fool, you already made the perfect painting.” He kisses the inquisitor on the forehead.

”So you're not mad?”

”Mad? I'm furious. This will take months to repair with troops. There will be jokes about this forever. Now I have to hide from every Orleisan that shows up.”

 “Like you didn't do that already.” The Inquisitor interjected.

Cullen rolled his eyes, “Anyway I am not mad at you. But if I ever get my hands on this artist..”

”Does this mean you will model for me more?”

”No need, you can just order a painting apparently.”

”Yeah but they got stuff wrong.” The Inquisitor whines.

Cullen kissed their nose, “Like what?”

The Inquisitor grins slyly, “Well they missed your scar here *rubs the hand across his chest* and another here *rubs another finger along his thigh* and you beauty mark here *reaches around him and pinches his butt*”

Cullen giggles, “You smooth talker.”

”Is that a yes to being my model?”

”I don't know. I may need more convincing.” Cullen tugs lightly at the Inquisitor and they fall back onto the bed. Neither are seen until the following day.

First            Previous         Next             Last

[riofann]

Rio Random 4

Things got a lot better after that, to your surprise. But you had both decided that you were basically going to do a redo and actively  work on your relationship. It was a bit difficult at first. But you felt better when you saw Mick removing drugs from your house. He also got you a security system that you could look at from your phone to see who has been in and around the house. You didn’t smell Beth around your house as often either. You actually didn't hear much about Beth, as far as you were concerned things were being dealt with.   

Rio would stop by two times a week at least on top of dates breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, or dessert. He was a romantic at heart actually, you would find flowers at home or at work sitting on your desk. He often used to look at you and smile which made you blush. You also met Marcus and Rhea one night at a state fair. Rhea was like Rio, hard to read you could see why the two ended up together. All together your relationship was far from perfect but you could honestly say you were happy. 

One late afternoon you rushed home from work. Rio had sent you a text saying he had left a present for you. He often did this when he found lingerie that he liked and wanted you to wear it. Some dates he had dressed you from head to toe, others he provided the undergarments. Not that your taste was bad but he enjoyed doing this. 

When you open the door to your home you hear voices coming from the bottom of your house before you could turn around and walk away you come face to face with a strange woman. 

“Uh hi” Ruby greets uneasily 

“Who are you?” You ask 

“Uh Krystal”

Quickly Beth comes around the corner “Oh Y/N I was just ummm....”

You close your door now pissed, what are you doing in my house. Mick had moved all the drugs from your home, Rio had promised you nothing was left in your house. You looked around to see your house in disarray before turning your attention back to Beth  and these other women.

“Oh well Rio wanted me to drop off something”

“Did he? Inside my house? He doesn’t even have a key, so how’d you get in?” 

“Well Mick helped with that” “Okay what are you dropping off” 

“Uh,” “Right let me just give him a call I’m sure he would love to hear about this”

“NO! Let's not bother him you know he is busy right Be... be be because he wouldn't like that right Krys?” Annie interjects

“Or should I call the police?”

Without warning Beth pulled out her gun and pointed it at you

“What are you doing?” Ruby asked in horror 

“Alright Sit” she says motioning with the gun 

“Are you gonna tell me what you're doing here in my house Elizabeth?”

Instinctively the two women looked at her as she looked shocked as well “How did you?” 

“Elizabeth Boland, you have  5 children with your ex husband Dean right? Used to be a stay at home wife? Did I get that right?” 

“SIT!” she demands “No, what are you gonna do? shoot me?”

“SIT!” she turns to look at Annie and Ruby before turning her attention back to you “Who told you?” 

“Oh uh Mrs. Doubtfire...  Yea i was stopping by to give you that book i borrowed and she said there was no such thing as Krystal had no idea what i was talking about then she told me everything”

“That damn woman” 

“SIT!” 

“NO!  If you're gonna point a gun at me then I expect you to shoot.” 

Ruby tugs at her arm “Beth lets just go” “NO ITS HERE” she yells while yanking her arm back  “you think you are so special, that's what he does you know. Make you feel special then he just dumps you like you're nothing!”

“But I’m not you Beth, and i'm not Rio, so whatever you're looking for its not here and whatever beef you have take it up with him”

“I SAID SIT!” 

“I'm not deaf i don't know why you're yelling” 

“Beth” Annie tries to calm the situation Beth with a bewildered look turns to look at Annie “NO!”

“This is bad” Ruby comments 

“You can't just threaten her life because of some guy....Beth” Annie states  

“I am not all I need her to do is sit Annie!....I know that it’s here it just has to be...” 

As they argued within themselves you felt like it was the perfect opportunity to sneak away as you got close to the door. You turned abruptly to open it when you heard commotion followed by  sharp pain on your side, you looked down to see blood seeping through your clothes. You slowly fall to the floor back resting against the wall. 

“OH MY GOD BETH!” “SHE WAS GETTING AWAY” she defends “HE IS GOING TO KILL US” Annie states looking at her sister like she had 5 heads “I’M SO SORRY Y/N” she says rushing towards you 

“YOU BITCH” You kick her in the chest causing her to fall back, you groan and hold onto your side 

“This isn't good please don't kick me none of this was supposed to happen” Ruby says slowly crouching down next to you

“Put pressure on it” Annie instructs

“I need towels!” 

“It's gonna be okay” Ruby tries her best to sooth you “I can't believe you” 

“I didn't” Beth says while holding onto your wound

Annie rushed back with towels in hand

“Uh guys we have to take her to the hospital” You don’t know when it happens but you start to fade away “Y/N! Can you stand?” “Y/N!” Annie calls your name “she's not... Y/N stay awake 

“What's wrong with you?” Ruby scolds

“What? Ruby..” 

“Why are you trigger happy”

“It was an accident, help me get her in the car!” 

“Well we can't go out the front door”

“Then help me get her through the fucking back door Annie”

“Oh my god” Annie says throwing her hands up 

When 30 minutes pass Rio is beyond infuriated with you. You were not picking up his calls or answering his texts and from what he knew you were at home.He doesn’t  know why you flaked on him, he thinks you were in a drunken slumber wondering how you got back into it, you had shown signs of improvement. 

When he gets to your house however he opens the door, he hears Coconut’s barking and he immediately spots the pool of blood by the door

“Go find her is all he needs to say to Mick”  

He walks through your home, there were multiple holes cut in your walls, holes in the cushion seat on the couch, furniture overturned. When he walks into the bedroom everything is in disarray just like the living area. Carefully he walks down the steps and spots your bag. He thinks you were ambushed. His mind goes into overdrive and is thinking of who would have the gull to do such a thing as far as he was concerned everyone knew enemy wise especially in this line of business that children and wives/girlfriends were out of the question. So whoever had the gull to do such a thing was bold and he’s wondering who it could be. He makes a few calls before he’s sitting in front of your laptop trying to log in. another phone call and he’s given the password. When he looks through the security footage nothing but rage takes over. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After pacing the floor in silence Ruby explodes with emotion “He is going to kill us!” 

“He doesn't know where we are” Beth counters

“I have a child Beth and I need to call Stan and let him know what’s going on!” 

“So do I Ruby, I have 5 to be exact,  he wont do anything she's just a placeholder anyway”

Ruby looks at her in disbelief “Are you kidding me he broke up with YOU to be with HER she is no placeholder”

“She's not special he can find another woman  like her anytime soon” Beth states dismissively 

“Beth i don't like this you need to call him and tell him it was a  mistake” Annie jumps into the conversation 

“Relax he doesn't know where we are he’s not stupid plus Dean will throw his ass in jail”

Putting her hands up Ruby states “I can’t believe you” before she walks away A brief moment of silence before Beth’s phone starts ringing

When they all look at the phone only unknown flashes through the screen after the 5th time the screen is black for good

“Elizabeth please for our sake just tell him” Ruby pleads “we can’t be hidden forever” 

“NO! Now shut up and let me think!” 

“Or what you're gonna shoot me” Ruby expresses frustrated 

“It was an accident!” 

Ruby scoffs, “Like shooting him too? I'm starting to think you’re trigger happy”

“Don't start accusing me you shot someone in the foot!” 

“That was an accident! We all know it was, but you just can't let this life go huh. You can't let this power go so whoever stands in your way you're gonna get rid of them” 

Beth walked up to Ruby looking at her right in the eye “You're right so move out of my way” she didn't have time to be arguing with her so if that meant intimidating her she would. 

Annie quickly got between the two and separated them. “Guys i cant right now please not now, i can't deal with this, we just need to stick together” 

Beth was right Rio couldn't locate them at first but he had found you. You were in the surgical icu stabilizing after your surgery. Because you were considered a Jane Doe no one was really allowed to see you, but Rio had his connections and he walked in to see you fast asleep before walking out. He says nothing as Mick drives him over to Beth’s house. Nothing was out of the ordinary except Beth was missing. He also had other cars posted outside of Ruby’s house and Annie's. 

“Aii bet” he hangs up the phone irritated that no one could locate Beth, she had become a protégé, so good at hiding things from him now. 

"You gon’ have to get rid of her” Mick states before looking at Rio,  “She shot you, planned your assassination," he scoffs "stolen, sabotaged, lied, how much more you gon let her get away with"

“I cant get rid of her, if i do i gotta deal with the other 2, not to mention the stupid ass husbands that's almost 10 kids in foster care, too much heat its bad for business now anyway, plus I'm still under the microscope cuz of Turner” 

“Both can’t co exist  though, so you either with Beth or you with Y/N.”

“Fuck me”

“Gotta make a move boss”

“Ima figure something out” 

It takes 2 days but he finally locates them. Abruptly woken from their sleep and thrown in a van they find themselves in an unknown place, kneeling in front of him, with plastic bags underneath them. 

“Please i have children” Beth tries to plead her case 

Rio’s shoulders roll back before he speaks “Nah see you can’t keep doing that mama, you can't keep provoking me and asking for mercy cuz you got kids.”

“I'm a mother, they need their mother!”

“Please Rio” Ruby interjects 

“See that's the problem, I hoped you being a mother, you would actually be more careful but I get it now. You just wanna be reckless and use me as your cover. Shoot me 3 times it's my fault. Steal my fault, lie my fault, plot to kill me my fault" his shoulders roll "what was Y/N’s fault why you shoot her?" Already knowing the answer he wanted to see what she would  say 

"She knows my name I know you told her"

"She's my girl"

"Right just like I was but unlike her you can't replace me you need me!” 

"Humor me Beth, are you jealous?" 

Beth scoffs “of what?"  

"Y/N"

She scoffs again "you wish! You probably get off knowing 2 women want you" 

He licks his bottom lip and smiles. It takes a minute before he speaks “So what should i do with you, all of you? I know I’m tired of this game, we’ve been playing it for too long. Aint y’all tired of wondering if im gon kill you?” He asks addressing Annie and Ruby

“Please I promise to walk away” Annie offers 

“Annie shut up!” Beth scolds 

“NO! YOU SHUT UP BETH GOD YOU ARE SELFISH! ALWAYS HAVE BEEN!” 

“Annie I’m trying to....” Before she can finish she stops after she hears her phone ringing  

Rio looks down at the phone “Talk it out I gotta take this call” he says before walking away 

The girls don’t say anything but look at each other. When they see him return Beth comments “I got this let me speak.” waiting for him to sit down before she begins “You can’t kill us and you know it. So you can run back to your little girlfriend and kiss her wound and tell her she's special and I'll go back to doing my thing” she says snidely Both Annie and Ruby looked at her shocked.

“She is, it could have been you but the 3 bullets kinda changed my mind”

“OH MY GOD! Can you let that go!”

“I did then I found out you hired a hitman and some kid to shoot me. Things change all the time between us,  you know this”

“So what are you gonna do? Because we have work to do”

“I know.” He nods at the men behind them. The zip ties are cut before he walks away “I’ll see you around yea?”

When he leaves they all look at each other shocked that he even let them walk away. They remain in that position until all the men leave. 

“See I told you!”

“I can’t do this Beth you need some serious help and I’m not willing to wager my family as collateral for it”  Ruby states “It worked” “For you! Not for us, you think it's just a one woman show where you do everything? Like your actions don’t have any effect on our lives'' “Ruby it worked I don’t know why you’re being such a baby about it” “Yea well better that than you” 

Annie interjects once again  before things get heated “Guys can we just figure out how to get home”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So what now?” Mick asks frustrated with the whole thing. “She still working for you?”  he knew the pattern all too well Beth would do something to get back at Rio 

“Nah we moving, leaving Michigan, getting new headquarters. She wanna run the business? Cool, but no protection, no muscle, no supply of weapons, no connections, yea she can print money but she can’t operate or deal, not without me. Make sure everyone knows if they entertain her they are dead. I don’t care what it is if I find out I’m putting a bounty on your head. She right though I can’t kill her but i can kill her business” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took a few days but when you regain consciousness in the hospital you see one of Rio’s men at least you’re assuming he is sitting by you. You two don’t speak and you go back to sleep. The next day police stop by to question you about your shooting, you tell them the story Rio’s guy told you, a home invasion gone wrong. They leave satisfied with the explanation. Rio comes to visit a few days after  you have been moved to a step down unit that was more private.

The door opens and you watch as he walks in “Rio”

Hey mama he approaches you with hands behind his back and as he gets closer a cute teddy bear that has ‘get well soon on it’ 

“How you feeling?”  he asks taking a seat next to you on the bed 

“I got shot” you state factually

“You got shot” he says moving the hair from your face 

“Where have you been? The cops came to see me”

“I know they stopped by, I was handling something. Did you tell them what Honcho told you to say?”

“Yes” 

He smiles and looks at you with a face you can’t quite read

“So where is she?” 

You were hoping he would say dead in a ditch somewhere or something along the lines of ‘you never have to worry about her’ but what he said made you more angry

“At home”

“She's alive?”

“Yea” 

You roll your eyes, was she gonna be thorn on your side for the rest of your life with Rio? “But she won’t bother you” “Yea said that last time and now i have a bullet hole on my side that says otherwise” “Nah she won’t be able to reach you this time cuz we leaving, after you get discharged” 

“What? You want me to move?” 

“Yea,we can...”  You interrupt "There's no we anymore, you're like a bad omen. In less than a year since  i met you I get shot and now i have a bullet wound because of your unhinged ex that you couldn't keep in check and you still think there's a 'we' " 

“I told you,” he runs his hand down his chin “i asked you to be patient” he speaks softly 

“Be patient, meant with you! So you could change not ‘be patient, my crazy ex who i can't control will shoot you months from now but i still need you to understand” you say sarcasm laced in your tone 

“Y/N” “You told me to treat you like any other guy on the street, so I am. We are done!” 

“You can't stay here” he stresses “Why not?” “Beth isn’t my only enemy, and once she finds out my plans she will go to them for revenge” 

“So where are we going? I have a career here! Aunt Brenda and Mia, my parents, I visit their graves often”  

“They can come visit you, You can always get another job, it’s not safe for you here Y/N”

“Was it ever safe? Didn’t you have enemies before? Was I not in danger then” 

“This is different, Beth is vengeful I can’t risk it” 

“Where are we going?” 

“I can't tell you, not now I’m still figuring that out” 

“Typical” “Listen i'm packing up your house I’m gonna get you a new place in a new city you'll get a job” 

“Rio are you kidding me you want me to just up and leave?” “Yea,” he stands up and looks down at you  “it’s non negotiable, i gotta protect you, after you get discharged we leaving” 

“Protect me? From who? The only person I need protection from is you. Rein que le diable (nothing but the devil)” 

He stares at you for a moment  “get some rest” he says before kissing your forehead. He didn’t care about how you felt in the moment protecting you, Marcus, and Rhea were his top priority and he knew that always came with push back no matter who he was talking to.

A/N: as always tell me what you think. Not really a fan of this chapter didn’t know how to go around it. 

[sleepingcrisis]

I love these two meeting over bugs and pets and all that, but what if I put them in the same class and they both live with single dads who have to drop them off at school early? What then?

***

Shokichi remained gently tucked behind his dad's leg as he was taken into class. It was far too early to be here but he already knew how it went; his dad had to deal with his sister and then head to work. Getting to school early had always been common, now he was going into grade two and his father was putting him in some snobby rich kid school. Great.

First day and he was here early, but so was someone else. At the back of the class sat a boy reading a book. Shokichi nearly missed him considering how he blended right in. Regardless of if he was magic or just really good at optical illusions, Shokichi decided that this was his chance to not spend every morning alone.

After putting his stuff at his seat he made his way over and climbed up onto the desk in front of the black haired boy.

"Hi! I like your..." Shokichi's dad had always told him that a compliment was a good way to make new friends, but this boy he sat across from now was plain and looked at him with dull green eyes. "I like your eyes," he said completely by accident and slapped his hand over his mouth to shut himself up. That probably was not a normal compliment to give someone. Oh well.

"Thanks," the boy said. He then did the strangest of things, he didn't return the compliment. Instead he continued with what he was doing (which was currently reading a book that definitely did not look like a picture book.

"What are you reading?" Shokichi asked.

"James And The Giant Peach," the black haired boy says simply and shows him the cover. Shokichi had never seen a kid willingly read a book on their own, but maybe that was normal at this school. Either way, he had heard of the book before... but...

"Can you tell me about it?" Shokichi asks.

"It is about a boy who ends up in a giant peach and goes on an adventure," the boy explains.

Shokichi can tell that he is getting the condensed version of the story and pouts slightly. He doesn't want to spend his mornings alone anymore.

"Cab you read it to me?" Shokichi asks softly.

He makes eye contact with the other boy and pulls out his best puppy dog expression (it works everytime on his dad), and after a moment the other boy lets out a sigh and scoots over on his large desk chair. Soon the two are sitting together, side by side, as the black haired boy grumbled about how he isn't restarting before continuing on from where he was at.

Shokichi definitely didn't like the book. He really didn't. It was boring and weird and confusing (although he had missed the first bit), but still he did listen to the other boy read it. He listened every morning until eventually the book was done and they had learned one another’s names.

"You didn't like that book," Tadashi mentions as he pulls out a different book from his bag.

"It was okay," Shokichi lies. "What do you like about it?" He asks since maybe he is just missing something.

"Something that happens in the beginning. You missed it," Tadashi says with a small shrug. He doesn't look like he wants to share so instead Shokichi sets his head down on the desk as Tadashi pulls out a new book; Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes. The cover looks more interesting, but it is also bigger then the last book.

Shokichi is very aware that he is about to be trapped into listening to Tadashi read another book for a few weeks if he doesn't say something.

"So... why do you get to school so early?" He asked when nothing else came to mind.

"My dad has to work, so I get dropped off early. I meet him at work after school," Tadashi explains with a small shrug as he runs a finger over the cover of his book.

"My dad works early too!" Shokichi explains happily. "What does your dad do for work?" He asked with bright eyes.

"Oh... he is a gardener for another family," Tadashi mumbled. He sounded almost shy about it.

"That's cool! My dad works in a shop!"

"Like a store?" Tadashi asked after a moment.

"No! Like a big shop for cars!" Shokichi said with an eye roll.

"So a garage?" Tadashi suggested with a small chuckle.

"Oh... yeah!" He said with a grin.

The two chatted for awhile. Shokichi learned that Tadashi likes bugs and Shokichi opted to tell Tadashi all about his fascination with dogs. The two go back and forth until eventually their other classmates arrive so Shokichi retreats back to his desk.

The next morning Shokichi arrived at the same time as always only to see that Tadashi wasn't there. He pouted slightly since in all this time Tadashi had always arrived first. Perhaps he was sick or something? That made the most sense. Still... Shokichi wasn't a super big fan of spending his mornings alone and without Tadashi reading for him (Shokichi had tried to read out loud to Tadashi and he wasn't nearly as good at it).

He didn't come to school that day. He didn't come to school the next day either. Soon the weekend came and went and on Monday Shokichi arrived to see Tadashi sitting in his spot as if he had never left.

"Where were you?!?" In his excitement he skipped over dropping his stuff off and went straight to Tadashi’s desk with his bag.

"Ummm—"

"Stop trying to think of a lie!" Shokichi said with a huff. He could see lies from a mile away at this point.

Tadashi let out a small sigh and seemed to be looking around for any listeners, so Shokichi scooted closer until he was right beside the other. Tadashi leaned up to speak quietly into Shokichi's ear, "My dad got hurt so I had to help him with work."

"Oh," Shokichi whispered in return.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Tadashi said softly as he flipped through the stuff he had missed while being gone.

"It's okay," Shokichi said and gave a nod. "Why don't I help you with your homework?" He suggested. That way they could still spend time together and Shokichi was being helpful after Tadashi had spent so much time reading to him.

"Okay," Tadashi said.

This issue with that was that Shokichi wasn't nearly as good at any of this as Tadashi. So they ended up spending quite a bit of time redoing Shokichi's work since Tadashi explained that it wasn't done right.

"I wish there was more then one right way to do it, maybe then I would get it," he muttered with a small definitely-not-a-pout pout. He laid his head on the table as he watched Tadashi neatly fill out the worksheet their teacher had given them last week that he had only gotten this morning.

"There is more then one process, but some things only have one answer," Tadashi said with a slight shrug. Shokichi liked that Tadashi didn't automatically agree with him just because they were— wait a minute.

"Are we friends?" He asked and kept his eyes trained on the desk. He likes being around Tadashi so he hoped they were.

"Are we?" Tadashi asked. Great. He wasnt very helpful.

"I don't know! That is why I was asking you!" Shokichi said with a huff.

"Can we be?" Tadashi asked after a moment of silence passed between them.

Shokichi felt his face warm in the same uncomfortable way it did when his father praised him. He looked from the desk to Tadashi and then back to the desk. "If you will still read to me then I think we could be..."

When Shokichi looked up from his desk he caught Tadashi smiling. A small smile that would be hard for someone else to notice, but he noticed. He smiled slightly too and looked back to the desk since that was all the conformation he needed.