#i should be working harder. i should go back to school. i should eat better. exercise more. go out more. be happier.

[ghostzzy]

like. my dad & my stepmom have such a skewed view of so many Fundamental parts of me. because i masked so completely while i still lived with them and didn’t have the vocabulary for what’s wrong with me until i was an adult so now they think i’m just making excuses and if i tried harder i could go back to the way i was when i was Normal and Fine. like hello. I WAS PRETENDING. I WAS LYING!!!

[kelstey]

mattheo riddle ☆ focus

mattheo riddle x f!reader

contains smut

❃゜・。. ・°゜✼ ゜°・ . 。・゜❃

"mattheo, i've explained this several times, what do you mean you don't understand?" you crossed your arms as you stared at the hot, godsend of a brunette boy in front of you.

"i don't understand," mattheo shrugged and sat back in the library chair.

"i'm going to explain one more time, and if you still don't get it then i'm going to leave," you gave him a stern look.

"yes ma'am," matthe smirked and you ignored him.

you went over the details of the spell again, making sure to emphasise certain words and go slowly so mattheo's hollow brain could take in as much information as possible.

at the beginning of you two studying, he was focused. he knew what he was doing and you were able to make great progress- for two hours only, though.

"mattheo, fuck! just focus," you snapped at him. usually you would've gotten screamed at by the librarian but it was past closing times, she allowed you two to stay beyond curfew on the deal that whatever happened, like being caught in the library by another teacher, would not be her problem.

"how am i meant to focus when you look so good? i thought i could help myself but fuck," he groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"and that's my problem how?" you shot him a death glare.

"is that an attitude i sense there?" he leaned forward.

"maybe, what are you gonna do about it?" you smirked back, knowing you were all bark and no bite.

"how about i fuck that attitude out of you?" mattheo's eyes remained on yours.

"yeah bet you'd love that, wouldn't you? but we have to get going with this studying," you huffed, slightly flustered but you weren't going to let him know he had that affect on you.

"i think i know a way that i could focus better," he smirked before getting up out of his seat and walking towards you.

"and that is?" you raised your eyebrow.

"let me eat you out while you read out those notes," he got on his knees in front of you.

you could've melted at the sight of mattheo fucking riddle being kneeled down in front of you. you felt the thin material of your thong quickly get soaked by the sight of him, his eyes quietly pleading at you.

"please?" he begged, his large veiny hands moved onto your knees, ever so slowly massaging up your thighs. you were beyond speechless- unaware of what to do or say, but you were absolutely loving it.

"if you don't want me to, you should saying something," mattheo said before kissing your thighs, each kiss making its way up to your skirt that was rolled up high. "such a slut aren't you? pulling your skirt so high, letting the whole school see what's all mine."

"mattheo, please," you breathed out as you could hear your own pulse from how desperate he got you in just a few seconds.

"yes ma'am," he said before pulling your legs apart, revealing your soaked underwear. "so wet for me already."

his gorgeous eyes flicked back up to yours, you watched him as he took a thumb up to your clothed clit before circling it ever so lightly. you threw your head back in pleasure despite him barely making any contact.

"tell me what you want," mattheo's thumb circled harder. his lips nipping down at the flesh on your thighs, undoubtedly leaving hickies but you couldn't care less, it felt amazing.

"i want you, i want your tongue eating me out," you moaned.

"that's what i like to hear," he smirked to himself before painfully and slowly taking your underwear off.

you opened up your notebook, trying to concentrate as mattheos mouth attached itself to your clit and quickly working on it. "fuck," you moaned.

mattheo's hands were cold, they found their way onto the sides of your thighs, holding on tightly as he did his magic.

"appare vestigium is the-" you couldn't even finish your sentence as you felt mattheo's tongue lap over your clit repeatedly. great heavens above.

you were puzzled when he quickly pulled away,

"keep reading."

you rolled your eyes and looked back over to your notes, "appare vestigium is a spell which," you held back a moan as mattheo stuck two fingers inside of you, "reveals the traces of magic-including spells- shit mattheo."

"keep going," he said while still going at it, the vibrations of his words made your back arch.

"it magically transports the caster to another location instantaneously," you bit down on your tongue, your hips grinding up onto his face and mattheo seemed to be enjoying every single second. "the destination is one that the primary user has been to or seen in some fashion previously. it can be used to apparate multiple people at once if holding each other. no incantation required."

your hands made its way into mattheos hair, pulling it slightly as he made your legs tremble in pleasure. "keep going," you moaned out.

"wasnt planning on stopping," he said. he pulled your legs over his shoulders, maintaining his grip on your thighs. you continued to ride his face, feeling your stomach tighten as mattheo made no efforts to slow down.

"mattheo- holy fuck," you barely breathed out,

"i'm gonna cum."

"cum for me, be a good girl and cum all over my face," his words only made you grow weaker as you rode out your high.

you sat back on the library seat, saying absolutely nothing yet so much was said. mattheo admired the state you were in, hair was a mess, your clothes all wrinkled, your legs shaking.

"i think i got the spell that last time," he laughed.

you shot him a glare, "you better have. i dont think i can do anymore." you went to stand up but quickly fell onto the table, your arms barely being able to hold you in place as your legs continued to ache.

"wonder who got you into that state," mattheo laughed before walking back to you. "allow me." he carried you bridal style out of the library and made his way to your dorm.

"think you can get into bed by yourself?" he asked.

"if you're asking to sleep over then just do it," you rolled your eyes playfully.

"you shouldn't be giving me that attitude, look where it got you last time," he said, referring to your current state of being unable to walk.

"shut up, riddle."

❃゜・。. ・°゜✼ ゜°・ . 。・゜❃

[feyhunter78]

Can you please do part two of Pink Pastels? Thank you 🩷

I definitely can!!! I'm honestly such a sucker for dual povs I swear it's like my calling card, so this chapter is in Miguel's pov! Fun fact: the bf in this story is based off my best friend's college boyfriend who showed up high out of his mind to her place of work SEVERAL times (I obvi changed his name though bc I'm a nice person)

Pt 3

Pink Pastels Pt 2

Miguel searches through every database, has Lyla run your face, your name, every detail he can find about you, and yet you only seem to appear here, in this universe where he swoops in right as your universe’s Miguel dies.

No one notices the switch. Not even his coworkers at Alchemax. In fact, they seem to welcome his “new attitude,” and he finds himself with a raise within the first two months.

This universe is quiet, the other him died from a fluke, embarrassingly enough. But it was so random, so unpredictable, that no one questioned “his” survival. So, life goes on as it had before, how he had watched it go on before.

The old woman who lives next door and watches Gabi when he’s “called into work late,” smiles at him, praises him for working so hard for his daughter. Gabi wakes up in the morning to him, her father, like always, eats breakfast, strawberries, blueberries, and honey on her toast, scrambled eggs with cheese, tomatoes, peppers, and a glass of milk. Then he drops her off at school on his way to work.

The monitors beep at him, and he turns back towards them. Finally, it’s found you in his universe, the victim of a plane crash, years before Gabi would even be born. It’s a painless death. You were among those killed on impact. Gone in a moment, but as he watches you here, in this new universe where his daughter is happy and thriving, he realizes just how desperately he wished he would have found you before you ever set foot in that airport.

“She’s pretty.” Lyla says, leaning forward, a teasing smile on her face. “Looks like someone’s got the hots for teacher?”

“No.” He deadpans, though he can’t tear his eyes from you. You’re sitting in a Mexican restaurant giggling into your margarita, another woman—Janey—sits across from you shoveling chips and queso into her mouth, making you laugh even harder.

You’re in that pink dress from earlier. It brightens your skin, hugs your curves but in a modest way, it’s more than appropriate for a teacher to wear, but he’s salivating at the thought of his talons tearing through it and exposing the soft flesh beneath.

Would you cry out for him? Cling to him as he fucks you? You look so pretty in pink, and he wants to go slow, keep you in that color for as long as possible, but he knows himself better than that. The moment he’s able to, he’ll shred the garment, leaving ribbons of fabric in his wake as he bends you over the nearest piece of furniture and slams into you. He wants to feel your warmth around him, hear you begging for him, his name falling from your perfect lips as he gropes your breasts, fangs scraping down your throat, marking you as his.

You laugh again at something the waiter said, and it’s musical, and perfect, you are perfect.

A twinge of jealousy, a foolish thing he knows, but the thought passes through his mind. It should be him making you laugh. He’s studied you now, he knows exactly what makes you laugh, what songs you hum as you prepare your classroom for the day, how you keep colorful Band-Aids in your purse because you just can’t turn off being a teacher, Janey.

And you’re Gabi’s favorite teacher, he wasn’t lying when he told you she talked about you, though he may have added the pretty part. She goes on and on about you, to the point where he almost doesn’t need the cams, he can get every bit of information from his daughter.

“And then, Ms. Y/N told us about her trip to Disney World! She went with her boyfriend, but I don’t know why.” Gabi says, collecting the animal shaped macaroni on her fork. He let her pick dinner, feeling guilty that he didn’t know she’d cried over her lost tooth.

He feels guilty about snapping at you too. He was already worked up, his job, the multiverse, traffic. And last night he forgot all about the Tooth Fairy, so in the morning Gabi was afraid the Tooth Fairy didn’t like her. But you don’t get rewards for losing things once you’ve grown up, and the idea of Gabi going into that pain blindly, having to watch as those she loves disappears around her makes him want to rip his heart from his chest.

“What do you mean Mija?” He asks, his own forkful of mac and cheese halfway to his mouth.

How had he missed you having a boyfriend? Was it serious? Did he treat you well? How easy would it be to make him disappear?

“Well, Ms. Y/N was really happy when she was talking about her trip, but then when she mentioned her boyfriend, she got sad.” Gabi explains, a frown tugging at her lips. “I don’t like him.”

“Yeah?” He prompts her, fighting the urge, to call up Lyla and have her run a search for your boyfriend.

“He came in one time on her birthday, but he was all weird and smelled bad.” Then she got up from the table and mimed stumbling and swaying. “And he walked like this. Ms. Y/N was really mad. Plus, he didn’t even bring her a present.”

Your boyfriend showed up to an elementary school—your place of work on your birthday, drunk, with no gift.

“That’s not nice, when was Ms. Y/N’s birthday?” If he was speaking to anyone but his daughter, he was sure they’d see right through them, but his sweet girl thought nothing of it.

“Last week, I wanted to tell you about it, but you were on your trip, so I told Tia Margo.”

Tia Margo, the old woman next door. He needs to speak with her about letting him know there was a drunk at his daughter’s school. Maybe next time he sees her in the hall, he’ll mention it to her.

“I wish you had told me, then maybe we could’ve gotten her a gift to make up for it.” He says, smiling at her, so she knows he’s not upset.

“I don’t think one gift would make it all better, she’s sad about her boyfriend a lot.” She emphasizes the last word, making the ending sound sharp as she stabs at her food.

“It sounds like he’s a bad boyfriend. Make sure you stay away from boys like him, Mija.” He can’t help but feel protective, even though she’s only six.

He watches as she eats, her hair in a simple braid, a sparkly pink hairband tying it off. “Who did your hair?”

She stops and proudly holds the braid up. “Ms. Y/N, well Emma did it first, but then it fell out when I did a cartwheel, so Ms. Y/N fixed it, and she said I could keep the hairband.”

If he focuses, he can smell the scent of you, mingled with the scent of his home, as if you’re already beside them in your rightful place.

“Maybe we should get her a thank-you gift?” He suggests, his heart warming at the excitement on Gabi’s face.

She is so good, so pure, and sweet. She is nothing like him, and yet she is everything he wished for her to be. He doesn’t know her mother, not in his original universe, but he knows her in this one, watched the other him break down over her leaving. Agony is a cannon event, no interference allowed. He hopes she never returns, that she stays away from his daughter. Doesn’t ruin her with her selfishness.

Just as your boyfriend is ruining you.

He waits until Gabi’s asleep to call out for Lyla. She appears and raises an eyebrow at the way he clutches your hairband.

“She has a boyfriend, find me everything you can on him.”

“I knew you had the hots for her.” Lyla laughs, disappearing before he can dismiss her.

He waits, packs Gabi’s lunch, slips two dollars under her pillow because he’ll be damned if his daughter believes some magical creature doesn’t like her, then cleans the kitchen and his bedroom three times over until finally Lyla returns.

“Okay, boss, you’re gonna want to sit down for this.”

Tag list: @nyctophilic0vitnir, @miggyoharaswife, @badbishsblog, @aeryns--playground

[chaoticneutralgood2627]

Advice to College Students (From someone who's trying to apply for a master's program)

Note that these are in no particular order and from my own particular experience. I will add if I think of more.

TAKE NOTES ON EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY IF YOU FIND IT COOL: your brain will tell you 'I'll remember that fact, it's so neat!' Your brain is a BITCH. You will not remember SHIT. Take ALL the notes. If you can record your classes, even better!

Write down who your professors are for each class. Make a big document. All the years. Write them. Write down their vibes and if you like them. Write down what sort of assignments they gave. Because I'm over here trying desperately to remember which professors I had multiple classes with so I can beg them for recommendations.

Save your assignments. Even if they're horribly cringey. You can use this to gauge how far you've come. I know it hurts your soul. I have fanfic from when I was 12. Do it anyway.

When they tell you the grad school shit, pay attention. Even if you don't plan to go back to school. Because I didn't listen and now I have changed my mind and I have no recollection of that section of school.

Networking. Gather contacts from your classmates. If for no other reason than because you think they're intimidating and you don't want your LinkedIn to look depressing. They're probably just as intimidated by you. And if not, you can pretend they are.

College is not high school. Next to no one has friends at first. Everyone is a disaster. Talk to people. You might not find Your People in your first friend group. That's fine. There are people there somewhere that can make life less awful. The worst they can say is no, you can't be friends with us (and most people aren't that bitchy). The universe is big and no one is judging you harder than you are.

It's not that friends Can't Live Together, it's that people have different organization styles and needs for survival and sometimes those Do Not Mesh. If you're going to live with someone, make sure that you have talked about things.

Everything can go on a resume if you word it right. Editing a friend's paper? Congrats, you have editing and tutoring experience. Playing DND on weekends? Cooperation and teambuilding to work towards a common goal, sometimes in the face of creative differences (your friends want to Fight Everything and you want to Stay Alive (or reversed)). EVERYTHING CAN GO ON A RESUME.

There are so many resources on campus. Use them, for the love of god because then you're going to be an adultier adult and realize that there is not a med center right across the campus.

Find what motivates you. Mine is spite, I am applying to grad school to get out of retail and to spite 2 specific supervisors. Cling to that when you want to drop out and quit.

There is not a specific route to take in college. Or out of college. Listen to yourself rather than everyone's advice (I am aware that this is ironic to be on an advice post).

If you think you can wake up at 9 after like 4 hours of sleep, that is the devil talking to you. Go to bed.

On the same note. I am aware that you woke up at like 5 for high school. You will not want to exist before noon. 8 am classes are not illegal, but they should be.

Take care of yourself. You're paying a shit ton of money to be there, you can take an hour to eat the food. Plus, if you take care of yourself, then you will work better.

There will be weird shit happening all over. Just roll with it. Unless it's hurting someone or has the potential to hurt someone (my one friend got stalked).

You are not required to stay somewhere social if it's creeping you the fuck out or if you aren't comfy. I think I went to a single party in my entire college life and I hid in the corner with their illegal kitten the whole time.

Speaking of illegal kittens. If you know someone has an illegal kitten, no the fuck you do not. There probably will be at least one. And you do not know about it.

[kairiscorner]

ok but imagine miggy with a perfectionist/overachiever/burnt out gifted kid reader

(tw: mentions of light self-starvation, keep yourselves fed babes, you deserve to eat)

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

...

summary: you really wanted to keep your number one spot, but at the cost of your well-being? miguel refuses to watch you do this to yourself any longer and takes matters into his own hands.

word count: ~1.7k

it was 2 in the morning, and you were still burning the candle at both ends. you were hard at work memorizing concepts, diagrams, easily mispronounced words and acronyms you'd never use or find useful ever again in your life unless you were on a trivia gameshow.

you were hard at work trying to understand what little was entering your mind already, a little overwhelmed by the concepts flooding your brain, but not ready to get to bed yet, out of fear someone will push you off your throne as one of the top students of the class.

you were intelligent, you had a gift; you heard those words all your life, every tine you came home with a new certificate, medal, trophy–or all three at once. you couldn't help it, school was just too easy for you back then; you could take the tests with your eyes closed and without even studying the night before.

but soon, it got harder for some reason. you originally didn't mind, you still passed with flying colors and with minimal effort–but at the cost of your sleep schedule and eating habits. you convinced yourself it was fine, it was okay, so long as you were on top.

that was all you could think of, "i just need to stay on top, then i'll be fine. nothing's better than showing them all i'm better, i'm smart, i'm... worthy of this, all this."

your mantra worked, but it worked too well that it backfired horribly.

hence, here you were, on an empty stomach that was growling, begging for you to fill it with sustenance, as the clock soon ticked to 2:15 am. the constant ticking of the clock irritating you, and thoughts of getting a digital clock to lessen distractions filled your head–ironically becoming a distraction in itself.

you groaned, you had to face it, you weren't going to get anything done at this rate. you decided to check your phone for something that might help stimulate you, maybe motivate you, even, to get back to studying.

you went online for a little, laughed at a few videos, got interested in some rabbit hole videos, found yourself singing along to some songs that you clicked on from your feed. it was peaceful.

but soon, you were greeted by a flurry of messages from your concerned friend, miguel o'hara.

you opened your latest message notification from him and read it as soon as it flashed on your screen. "what is so important that you should be up right now?" he asked.

you bit your lip as you tried to think of what to say. you knew miguel was the unyielding type of person, if you gave him a bullshit answer, you were going to get bullshit from him. you typed, erased, retyped and re-erased your message over and over again. but you finally came to the conclusion to type out, "why are you up rn?" you texted, sending him a duck emoji afterwards. he hated when you did that.

"it's 2:20 am," he argued. "correction, 2:21 in the morning," you responded. "are you even doing anything worthwhile right now? maybe rethinking which direction your life's headed before graduation?" he texted back, to which you giggled.

"you didn't answer my question," you replied, with a duck emoji again. "i was up because i saw your online status. don't think you're slick, you didn't answer my previous questions, either." he replied. "and what relevance does the duck serve in this conversation? i seriously don't understand."

you laughed aloud at his blunt answer, and in your half-tired daze, you accidentally pressed the call button. it wasn't until you heard his voice on the other end that you realized you accidentally called him.

"hello?" rang his voice from the other end, a little groggy. "um, hi." you responded as he groaned. "why the... shock are you up?" he asked, a little irritated. "we have our finals tomorrow." you replied curtly. "so? that doesn't answer my question. why are you shocking up?" he asked in a more annoyed tone as he shook off the grogginess in his voice.

"por el amor de Dios..." he muttered under his breath. you were a little taken aback by how... captivating he sounded when sleepy. a little grumpy, yes, but you felt like you could listen to his voice be like this every day. maybe you would stay up a little late just to hear him like this.

"go back to bed." he told you, trying to sound commanding. "and why would i ever do that? you know how important the finals are." you remind him. "...and how important being the top student is for me." you murmured out that last bit, to which he raised an eyebrow at.

he breathed a sigh. "i seriously can't believe you'd prioritize being a top student over giving your body a much needed break." he berated you as you hunched your shoulders, a little disappointed that he had a point. before you could say anything to retort, your stomach sided with miguel and let out a deep, rumbling whine.

the sound of your stomach complaining about how poorly you've been keeping it fed alerted miguel as he sighed yet again. "what time was it when you last ate?" he asked you, his voice soft as he tried to keep himself calm and composed.

"ah, well, maybe around... i forgot." you answered honestly. "you forgot?" he asked in a concerned voice. "you really can't live without me, huh?" he asked as you heard the shuffling of bed spreads and his big footsteps as he walked around his room. "what are you doing?" you asked him.

"more important question is where i'm going, and if you must know, i'm headed to your dorm right this–" and before he could even finish, there was a rapping of knocks on your door. you got up as you wondered if the person knocking was who you feared it was.

"–my phone died." he said in a low voice. "hope it rests in peace." you joked in a straight, nonchalant tone as miguel sighed at the bad joke. he entered your dorm without another word and set on your table the big white plastic bag he brought with him.

he didn't change out of his white shirt, dark and light blue striped pajama pants, and wore the jacket you bought for him on his birthday. "sit down." he commanded in a soft voice. "what is th–" "sit. down." he repeated himself in a more solid voice, which shut you up and got you to sit down immediately without asking any questions.

before you could get another word out of your mouth, miguel handed you an empanada. it was a little soft and limp, but it was warm. you could tell this wasn't made by just anybody. no, you recognized this style of empanda wrapping, the way it was golden brown on one side, slightly browned on the other–the abundance of meat in the filling with hardly any vegetables, just the way you liked it.

the only person who knew how to make it this way was...

"well damn, miggy, didn't think you were gonna make me anything." you said as you took a bite of the empanada. he shrugged. "i was going to give them to you today, but you were holed up in the library all day. if not the library, then in your dorm, locking yourself in your own misery." he said as he ate his helping.

you chuckled. "hey, don't laugh. i worried about you all day." he scolded you lightly with a half-full mouth. "oh. is that why you were online earlier?" you asked him, eating your empanada to satiate your starving stomach.

"i... i couldn't sleep." he admitted. "why not?" you asked him. "...a part of me thinks it was because i couldn't stop worrying about you. i didn't see you the whole day and i really, really wanted to know if you were okay. you know it kills me every time when you don't talk to me, let me know if you're alive, at least." he said as he looked up at you, his expression softening.

"oh, mig, i'm... so sorry." you said as you realized the weight of your actions, how it affected not only you, but miguel, and possibly other people who cared about you. miguel put his non-greasy hand on your cheek. "you should be." he said promptly. "but don't beat yourself up over it, you've been beating yourself every day since you were on top, not wanting to lose." he went on as he rubbed the side of your face.

"it's admirable, but please don't lose yourself over it. i think you're good enough already at second, third, or even no place at the top. you'll always have a place in my heart, that's the only thing no one can take away from you. that's the only place you'll always be number one in." he said with a small smile. "please promise me you'll take care of yourself, even if you can't accept losing once or twice or many more times in your life to someone else. i'd rather see you lose at everything but yourself. but i know you're good enough already, you don't have to overdo it anymore, okay?" he reminded you, to which you nodded and rubbed away at your eyes.

tears formed and rolled down your cheeks as he spoke, tears you never realized you were holding in, which suddenly came flooding right out when miguel talked to you. "ah... sorry." miguel apologized as he wiped away your tears with a napkin. "i promise, miguel." you sniffled out. "i'll... i'll try to take care of... myself." you promised as miguel held your face in his hands. "and if you can't... i'm right here for you. i've always got you, no matter what." he said as he kissed your forehead, a gentle and loving reminder that you can be number one at everything all you want, you already are his number one, but never forget that you have to be number one for yourself, first.

a/n: I NEEDED THIS WHEN I WAS 1 POINT AWAY FROM A 98 GENERAL AVERAGE ON MY CARD I SWEAR /cries HOPING YOU BABES LOVED THIS

tags !! @miguelswifey04

[space-invading-pigeon]

Roommates au but better ✨✨✨

Steve and Eddie have a nice routine. They go to their separate rooms, Eddie to work on his latest game (Vecna's Curse; he doesn't know why Steve freaked out the first time he heard about it) and Steve to try to sleep. On a good night, that's it; on a bad night, Steve will wake up screaming and it can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour for Eddie to calm him down.

They'll wake up sometime later, Steve will prepare for work, and Eddie to get some coffee before he starts working on his game again. Steve leaves, Eddie works and then babysits their neighbor's daughter until Steve gets home. Then, they'll play with her for a few hours, and once her dad picks her up, they'll eat dinner together. Sometimes they watch a movie, sometimes they play a game, and sometimes (if it's been stressful for either of them), they'll lay on the couch cuddling.

***

Their routine is disrupted one night by a pounding at their door. It had been a good night, one where Steve had been so relaxed that he had fallen asleep on the couch and had to be carried to bed. Eddie was angry at first: the last time they had a late night visitor, it was Mrs. Ryans trying to "catch him in the act" of vampirism.

So Eddie goes to the front door, holding Steve's favorite carving knife, and swings it open, fully prepared to tell an old lady where to shove it, but instead comes face-to-face with a teenage girl. Her hair is pulled into a tight bun, out of her face, which is set in an unimpressed glare. "Get out of my way," she snarls, shoving her way inside. Eddie is so surprised by this turn of events, he doesn't quite react until she's already storming through the apartment.

"Steve!" She shouts, and that really spurs Eddie to act.

"Shhh! He's sleeping right now, little girl, don't wake him up!" But the teen whirls on him, pointing one perfectly manicured finger at him.

"I'm not here for you, I'm here for your boyfriend. You're just a supporting character, and I will see him. Now." She says, her voice harder than before and trembling slightly.

"Erica?" Steve's voice called from the hall. "What are you doing here?"

At the sight of Steve, the teen- Erica, presumably- loses some of the tension in her posture and breezes across their living room to throw herself into a hug. Eddie feels like his face is just one big question mark.

"They said I can't go back," she huffs from where her face is buried in his shoulder. Steve seems to soften at that, and wraps her up in a hug.

"What happened, little rogue?" Eddie hears Steve ask, and with that, Erica melts, tearfully recounting the fight she'd gotten into with her parents and visiting grandparents, how she'd been all alone because it was during the semester and Lucas was in the city, and how she couldn't go to Lucas because she didn't want him in the middle of it.

After a long crying session, Steve and Erica settle on the couch while Eddie makes them hot cocoa. Steve manages to cheer her up considerably by reminding her about something that happened in their past (he says something about Starcourt, how nothing could be worse than that), and when Erica excuses herself to use the bathroom, Steve explains the situation to Eddie.

"She's one of mine," he says. "Some... Really bad stuff happened in my hometown, and her brother was a part of it. She ended up being dragged into it when she was eleven. I- I have to take care of them, they're my kids. I promise she won't be any trouble, she can take my room and I'll sleep on the couch-"

"Sweetheart, please. She can sleep in my room, I'll just share with you," Eddie decided promptly. "I like your bed better, anyway. If she's yours, she's welcome here."

Somehow, Eddie wakes up in Steve's bed with Erica cuddled up between him and Steve; she's changed out of her own clothes and into his pajama pants and one of Steve's high school shirts. He's convinced he should be annoyed, but the girl looks almost innocent when she's asleep and clinging to Steve like he's a teddy bear.

[hetafice]

Hi! Could I request the allies with an overworked s/o? Thanks!

hi! as usual reply is beneath the cut.

America:

It could go one of two ways with Alfred.

Alfred’s solution to the problem may just be to have you quit your job and find a new one.

As someone who gets paid to occasionally loaf off, he might not understand whatever incentivized you to stay at a job you weren’t completely in love with. In his eyes, if your job is too boring or too hard, just leave!

And should you try to explain that you do enjoy your job, just not the overbearing workload, he would be at even more of a loss. 

Another possibility is that you both end up being overworked together and forming a sort of late-night ritual where you work side by side. Sometimes talking, sometimes complaining, sometimes eating, sometimes sitting in comfortable silence as you both hustle to meet a deadline.

Although he is free by nature, Alfred is also keenly aware of just how constraining responsibility can be. To complete his duties to the fullest, he can also lose himself in pursuit of perfection. As someone who’s constantly moving the goalpost for himself, it’s sometimes difficult for him to slow down, to pace himself. As such instead of encouraging you to leave a situation that does not suit you, he might instead choose to remind you of your commitments and why you chose them in the first place.

He isn’t a complete robot, however. He understands the toll that hard work and sacrifice bring, so he’ll try and do something nice to take your mind off of things. It would likely involve one of his favourite coping mechanisms - food. Expect him to either drop food in front of you while you work at random increments or to be pushed into the car and accompany him to the closest fast food drive-in window.

Russia:

To Ivan, there is no such thing as success without a little bit of blood, sweat, and tears. While he may sympathize with you on some level, he believes that struggle is a necessary part of working hard and actualizing one’s dreams; and that to aid someone along the way is just to coddle them. 

On one level, you are someone he deeply cares for, and so he does not wish for you to suffer. However, he also knows from personal experience that without learning the lessons that come out of hard work, you are likely to take things for granted and make simple mistakes in the process of completing your goals. To help you at all would teach you that weakness can still beget success, which would not only then inspire weakness in your future endeavours and prime you for failure, but also place a massive target on your back.

In his eyes, weakness of any kind is ripe for exploitation and is to be avoided at all costs.

Besides, given his history, he knows that people can get pushed and pulled far beyond their limits before they break, so consider this a sort of litmus test. How far can you be pushed before you can’t take anymore? Where do your limits actually lie?

Canada:

Matthew has likely experienced the same things before and is naturally empathetic, so he is a great person to confide in in this scenario.

He would try his utmost best to ease your burdens in whatever capacity he could. If you were busy with work or school, he would compensate for that by doing most, if not all the work around the house. He would check up on you throughout the day to see if you need help with any tasks or even just a general morale boost.

He is more than happy to lend a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. His advice is usually pretty sound, and he could help you think of ways to better organize your time and/or minimize your workload. If that isn’t an option he could offer various mindfulness and wellness tips to help you keep sane until your workload naturally tapers off.

China:

With his work ethic and general philosophy on life, Yao would push you to be stronger, go harder, and do more. 

In his eyes, hard work is a unanimously good thing. If you are feeling overworked it means you're just coming closer to another limitation that can be surpassed. You may be dealing with uncomfortable feelings, but this discomfort will teach you a lesson and lead to character growth. What bad has ever come of that?

To be completely honest, he may very well be the one overworking you. 

If you are enduring mistreatment in the workplace, or it looks like things may be too much for you, he may try to offer a few words of advice. He would propose that the knowledge this experience would give you was well worth all the struggle, that it would likely aid in cultivating your character, and that you shouldn’t let an opportunity like this slip through your fingers; or worse yet, quit right before the finish line.

Should your body start to take a toll from the overwork, he would offer reminders to take care of your health, but his general stance would not change. Yao is not the type to intervene when things like duty and honor are concerned.

France:

Francis would not understand why you would willingly put yourself through this.

If it’s getting to be too much, why not just leave your responsibilities behind? If your superiors are giving you too many assignments, why not raise hell about it? Meekly sitting in silence is doing nothing to help the problem, and only teaches others that they can walk all over you. Why not just take a few weeks of leave and lounge around with him?

If for some reason, the prospect of potentially missing out on opportunities in favour of spending uninterrupted time with this man is not your style (shocking, I know), he would support you in your endeavours and try his best to help you unwind at the end of every day. He would make sure you ate regularly and continued to sleep well, while also providing you with as much wine as you needed to get you through it.

England:

As he has matured, Arthur has gotten better at consoling people. With that being said, he’s still not the best at it.

Expect an awkward, albeit endearing pep talk coupled with a bit of well-intentioned advice.

He may not be the best with words, but he’s the most concerned when he sees signs of physical exhaustion in you. Despite finding it a bit awkward to voice his concern for you, he’s seemingly always nearby with a cup of tea for you and refuses to head to bed unless he knows you are right behind him.

He’s more than willing to accompany you on those restless nights. Sitting beside you, either reading a book or getting ahead on a few of his assignments. He still remembers his younger days when he frequently worked late into the night. At the time, he secretly wished for a companion, and so now he happily fulfills that same role for you. 

A part of him also feels less worried knowing that should things go on for too long, he can step in and stop you before you work yourself too hard.

[chidoroki]

My Dress Up Darling ch107

*KICKS DOWN DOOR IN ABSOLUTE GLEE* I know I haven't rambled on about any other chapter previously despite following the manga for a handful of months but NOW I MUST! "But why now so suddenly?" Because confessions actually happened baby, that's why! To heck with putting spoiler warnings; we all wanted this to happen anyway! I honestly just wasn't expecting it to happen now of all times, especially after Marin stated in the previous chapter that she wasn't going to ask Gojo for help anymore.

Poor Gojo, zooming all the way over to her place worried because she wasn't answering his texts back and he's met with something he probably never imagined hearing. Sure, things have been a bit awkward between them ever since the Haniel cosplay at Comiket, but they still managed to have lunch at home with grandpa and Marin's dad and even visited a hina doll festival together. I'm not certain how many days it's been since Comiket, but it's no wonder Gojo is thrown off a little despite how distant they were at school too. We, of course, know where this sudden change is coming from on Marin's end though.

The mood shifted between them after she noticed how quiet Gojo seemed after the Haniel photoshoot and while she had every intention to ask him what's wrong during their hina festival trip, she held back and put on a fake smile just to try and enjoy a normal day together. The need to fix whatever gap that's forming in their friendship slips further away after Gojo admits to his cousin in ch104 that he hasn't been able to practice making hina dolls as much recently, which is true due to how determined he was as creating the perfect Haniel costume (& every costume that came before it really), but the truth hits Marin harder since Gojo had just mentioned previously on their way to the showroom in ch103 that he wants to show all his progress and achieve his dream of becoming a kashirashi while his grandpa is still alive. Understandable how that admission leaves her speechless and causes Marin to feel some guilt starting to eat away at her, since I'm certain she would feel absolute horrible if her requests got in the way of Gojo feeling that heartfelt praise from someone he admires so much. Hell, she even excused herself from the showroom with a lame excuse just for us to see her at the end of ch104 breaking down and crying at home.

Marin believes she's been a burden to him and interfering with his progress, now wishing that Gojo called her out on it earlier and while I'm very pleased he denies straight away that he never viewed her in such a way, I'm also so relieved that he manages to figure out exactly why she might be suddenly looking down on herself.

He then brings up his grandpa's advice about how doing all kinds of stuff can come in handy one day and improve his skills with hina dolls, which was confirmed by the sweet old man himself when he commented Gojo was improving his line work after doing Marin's makeup (ep7/ch18). Marin does indeed know this because after hearing about how closed off Gojo was during his childhood, she suggested the two of them should experience all kinds of places and activities during their summer vacation, to which Gojo happily agrees with that day at the beach.

He reiterates that choosing to create all of Marin's costumes was solely because he wanted to, not because she forced him into it (which further supports how dearly he listens to her advice from ep1/ch1 about not letting anyone use you for their own personal gain). Branching out really changed him for the better too. Not only is he learning more and more about clothing and designing but he's also making new friends and cherished memories through all these months spent with Marin which is something our once lonely boy desperately needed in his life.

And I appreciate that he expresses his thanks to her since it's usually her that's showering him with praise after ever perfect costume he spends countless hours making for her. I will admit that I wasn't expecting her to.. snap back quite like this though.

Of course I remember how desperately she wanted to know what's going on in his mind after Comiket, but to see her get ticked off like this? Damn. I mean, it isn't uncommon, as we've at least seen her tell off creeps before in both anime (ep1) and later manga chapters (only example I can remember atm is ch77), but to Gojo? Oh boy. It's not just him she's acting strange to either, as she wasn't nearly as lively and carefree as she normally seems around her other friends too when they went out for karaoke, so it's safe to say that this new distance between her and Gojo really put her mind in a bad place. Going from being incredible close friends to barely speaking a couple words is bound to throw anyone through a loop.

I'm not saying her shouting is a bad thing either. One of the first things she ever tells Gojo (ep1/ch1) is to not hide his feelings and speak up about them to others, so I can understand how she can be a bit annoyed with how closed off he's been for however many days it's been since Comiket. It can hurt even more considering how they became such great friends since the series started however many months ago too. He has the chance to explain himself, but cuts himself off and the silence becomes too much for her to handle, leading her to dismissing him.

It's not like Gojo doesn't have an answer for his recent behavior; he does, but he's purposefully holding back to avoid making a real big mistake which is saying something you know you'll regret.

I'm glad I actually went back a couple days prior to this chapter dropping to read the last 10ish chapters on a whim because I feel like I understand this big, internal battle Gojo has going on in his mind right now a bit better. I believe Gojo thinks of Usami first (the fabric store clerk who actually wasn't in the anime for some reason?) because Gojo is leaning towards the idea of remaining quiet as to not upset Marin, but then remembers the story Usami told him back in ch105 about how he originally wanted to design clothing but chose a different career path in order to please his father. While Usami does eventually follow his dream and switches jobs thanks to his wife's kind words, he tells Gojo his biggest regret was not being able to tell his father how he really felt back then. I'm sure this is what gets Gojo to consider telling Marin the truth about why he's been acting so quiet lately, but then remembers Nobara (the girl we saw from his first flashback at the very start of the series) and how harsh her words to him were back when they were both kids. We know how deeply those words affected Gojo all these years but also learn in ch106 that Nobara herself has been regretting that moment ever since as well. Fair to say that small snippet of life ate away at both of them in different ways, which is what leads into the memory about Marin from ep1/ch1 about being true to your own feelings and how keeping them to yourself will only hurt you.

So, despite us readers seeing in big, bold text how Gojo's repeatedly telling himself to keep his mouth shut in order to preserve whatever kind of friendship he and Marin have left, the flashbacks allow him to think a bit more clearly and push him enough to finally reveal why he's been acting so strange since the Haniel cosplay: our boy was jealous. And it's not a recent realization either. He's harbored such feelings for quite some time, at least since watching Marin model for her job (ch50) and from watching her slay in the Rei cosplay during the school festival (ch62). He just suddenly has a name for his mood.

I can't say I totally blame the kid. Having so many strangers admire a friend of yours in such a would no doubt instill some protective/jealousy vibes, especially if you really care for said friend a decent amount. Same kinda feelings if someone was ogling your bf/gf/partner, ya know? The whole "make me your prisoner" line is from ch96 and was indeed a request from Gojo to Marin for the Haniel cosplay. From what I remember, the creator of the fictional 'Mandate of Heaven' series is very hard to please and any adaptations of his work could never meet his high standards. I can't recall if there's a serious reason behind it or not, but Gojo took it as a personal challenge to create the perfect cosplay, but it could only be done with Marin's help by really showcasing an uncaring attitude and emotionless smile that would cause everyone to fall for her anyway. And oh boy, does our girl nail it. A bit too effective in Gojo's case too.

The "I wanted it to stop" and Gojo admitting himself as selfish does bring up the offer Marin received in ch100 to my mind. Basically, a lady from some fancy agency gave Marin her card and told our girl to get in touch with her if she wanted to cosplay full time. I honestly don't remember if Marin had ever mentioned that she wanted to go professional or if she ever believed she could reach such a level, as this seems to just be a hobby she finds joy in, but with such an offer now on the table, I wonder how that idea will play out now that we're all aware of Gojo's jealousy. Seeing Marin draw a crowd during the school festival and at Comiket seemed a bit irritating enough for our boy, so imagine how he might feel when Marin's influence reaches an even larger audience. I highly doubt Gojo would ever actually tell Marin to stop cosplaying just to spare him of feeling jealous though, and I don't think she would consider stopping herself either. If anything, she was about to tell him about it, until a phone call from Gojo's cousin interrupted their conversation, but perhaps this could still be discussed next chapter or sometime in the future.

Anyways, Gojo admitting his jealousy is one thing, but he's too good of a boy to tell Marin to stop cosplaying. I can't imagine all the cosplaying would end either since that is quite literally the main idea for the series. It also wouldn't feel right for him to continue to pursue his dream working with hina dolls if she can't go out to enjoy her passions either. All that aside, he's too busy figuring out why in the world he's feeling jealous in the first place.

I WISH I could remember exactly which chapters all these Marin flashbacks belonged to but for the life of me, I simply can not. I just skimmed through the entirety of it and quite possibly too quickly to find them all, so I apologize. That being said, I was certain the first one was from the first chapter when Gojo first showed Marin the hina doll inside the sewing room at school, but that panel isn't anywhere there, so I'm mistaken. I fall short with locating the second panel as well, since it doesn't give me any clue on what outfit she might have on like the others do. The third however! That's from ch61! Right as Gojo is getting ready to do her makeup for the Rei cosplay during the school festival. Their whole class is crowded around Gojo to watch him work his magic, unknowingly adding to the pressure he feels, when Marin notices his nerves and simply asks if he's okay. The fourth flashback is from ch89, when they're out shopping for supplies for the Haniel cosplay. Gojo is taking his sweet time browsing through all the fabrics, making sure he finds the best choice when Marin suggests she goes off and gets a head start at looking at other stuff they'll need to buy. She tells him to leave this part to her and that "cosplay is a two person affair, right?" So, two outta four ain't bad I think, but I do wish I had context for the first two flashbacks considering the next panel is just..

THIS. Our precious boy actually saying those wonderful three words! Sure, he's told her how beautiful she was during ep5/ch14 (though he was falling asleep on the train) and sorta offhandedly admits that Marin can be cute during his conversation with Shinju in ep9/ch28, but THIS is to her face! Out loud! With purpose and feeling! I honestly wasn't expecting him to openly confess first like this, especially with how much time we've spent in Marin's head as she wasn't shy at all with her thoughts and fantasies to us readers, but whatever! It's real and happening!

Dude feels so ashamed of himself for no reason. Okay, I know there's reasons, as we've just spent how long going through all his buried emotions to understand what he's been feeling for the past however many weeks or months it's been since he first had these feelings, but I can't be too bothered by it all since that grab of his scarf has captured all my attention.

YEESSSS SWEETIE! Get your man! No hesitation! No teasing cheek kiss to a big bunny costume he's wearing to a Halloween party like during ch48 either! Thank fuck! Damn, I'm gonna go crazy whenever this entire chapter get animated.

Ohhh it feels so long since she first admitted her love to him over the phone in ep12/ch39 to an already dead asleep Gojo, but girlie does not waste a single second to spill her feelings out for him to actually hear loud and clear this time!

Absolutely love how any and all tension that was looming over these two kids the past couple chapters effectively vanishes in an instant when Marin switches right back to her usual cheerful self. The big sparkles in her eyes and even the heart backgrounds in her excited text bubbles are too precious!

Pfftt, his completely blank face. Someone save our boy for he has no idea what he just got himself into.

I appreciate that Marin isn't mad about Gojo being jealous, since he was so worried that it could've ended their friendship, but I do hope they can both work to lessen their slight jealous tendencies since their feelings are now out in the open and mutual. I don't think the jealousy is gonna be a complete serious issue between them, but Marin has brief moments. The only moment that comes to mind however is when she finds out Gojo asked Shinju to come over to his place to work on her cosplay (ep10/ch30), but I can chalk that one up for laughs more than anything. With Gojo, I dunno. I'm certain Marin will tell him not to worry about anyone else and perhaps how she's only interested in him, or something along those lines.

Our boy has not moved an inch throughout Marin's adorable love ramble. Gojo is truly stun-locked.

And let's goooo, we even get another kiss! As high on cloud nine as I am for these two.. Marin, honey, you gotta slow down! Gojo is so overwhelmed by all this right now, he's practically shaking! Whether it's because she also confessed or because.. well, she's still laying right on top of him like this. Our boy needs a moment to relax!

Sweet lord.. I'm so thrilled for them. The confession was so worth the wait and done real well in my opinion if my endless chatter wasn't proof of that enough. I haven't a clue on what will happen next chapter, but for Gojo's sanity, I pray that Marin's dad does not walk through that front door. Other than that, I think Marin will eventually bring up the professional cosplay offer she received and ask for Gojo's opinion. I have a feeling she might discard it so their cosplay duo can continue just like it does now, but I can also see how Gojo might make her reconsider, like if he's gonna continue with his hina doll goals then she should have a grand dream of her own too. The whole jealousy thing might be talked out a little bit more, but maybe it's just solved for comedic purposes. I dunno, but we shall see.

So yeah. I've fangirled enough over these two cute kids. For now. Who knows if I continue these ramblings for upcoming chapters or not. It certainly wouldn't be first time I planned to chat about just one chapter and ended up writing out several more for a series. It's quite possible.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Nightlife 12

Warnings: dubcon, noncon, touching, coercion, manipulation. Proceed with caution.

Note: I know what you’re thinking, why the fuck are you doing this? Well, you wanted bouncer Lee and I did too. Also, short!reader, not sorry.

Part of The Club AU

You put a plate down in front of Lee. Nothing special, scrambled eggs and bacon. The morning is a bleary memory already, your body still thrumming and your mind rolling. Faced with the prospect of your classes, you’re filled with that anxiety that makes you want to hide away. Especially after that surprise awakening.

Before you can walk away, Lee has you by the hem of the borrowed shirt. He tugs you to him, angling you between his chair and the table. He guides you to sit across his lap as you let out a surprised squeak.

“Now, darlin’, you should enjoy your hard work,” he snakes his arm around your back, his hand firm on your hip. He takes a strip of bacon and takes a bite before offering you some, “you take such good care of me, don’t ya?”

You take a small nip and chew before answering, “yes, sir.”

“You know you do,” he smirks before eating up the last of the strip.

“Mmhmm,” you hum, fingers dancing on your thighs nervously. “I should, uh, get ready. I have class–”

“School going any better? Now you know, if that don’t work out, I can help ya out.”

“I… I’m trying,” you squirm atop him and feel a sudden prod from below. He groans and tilts his head back slightly.

“You tryna get me goin’ again?” He chuckles, “feel that, sweet thing. You still wanna go off to school?”

“I have to, sir,” you try not to move too much, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to uh, er–”

“To make me hard? Nah, you can’t help that, can ya? Pretty girl like you makes it hard to control myself,” he purrs, “but ya know, I’ve been saving it all for you. I won’t be touchin’ myself.”

“Oh,” you swallow tightly.

“As I was saying, if your daddy wants to give trouble, you don’t worry. He shouldn’t be so hard on you,” he rests his large hand over yours.

“I… He only mean well. He just wants me to do my best,” you look down at his knuckles, “he is my dad.”

“And you’re an adult. Shouldn’t be living by his rules,” he raises his hand to your chin, rubbing it with his thumb as he kisses your cheek, “should be thinking of your future husband.”

“What?” You reel as you bat your lashes at him.

“Well, now, you don’t think I’d be doin’ all this with you and not be intending to marry ya,” he drags his fingertips down your throat, “and I can’t… can’t do everything til we’re wed properly, huh?”

“I…” You don’t know what to say. You never thought of marrying him. Or anyone really. Not in any tangible way. 

“You do want to marry me, don’t ya?” His voice is thin, almost nervous. The first time you’ve heard him anything but certain.

Your chest locks up and you swallow tightly. Your lips part but no words come to you. He stretches his hand around the front of your neck. You flinch as he squeezes just a little.

“Don’t ya?” He repeats in a harder tone.

You tremble. There’s a promise in his grip that whittles you down. You gently place your hand on his forearm.

“Of course,” you answer shakily, “if that’s what you want.”

“You know you’re all I want, darlin’.” He pulls you closer until you turn your head, “and Hickory needs ya around too, hmm? You’re so good with him, ain’t ya?”

You murmur, “yes…”

“You’d be a great mama, won’t you?” His lips tickle yours.

“What?”

He smothers you in a kiss. You let him as your heart pounds and your ears ring. He can’t mean it, can he? You’ve barely known him more than two weeks. You’re not even twenty. You don’t even know how old he is.

“Hmm,” he parts from you, wiggling beneath you, “look what you done to me. Better take care of it.”

You quiver as your hand slips down his harm, “sir?”

“Wanna use your mouth for me, sweet thing?”

You nod as he lets you go. You get off of him carefully, his bulge pressing firmly against your ass. You face him, unsure as you wet your lips with your tongue. He leans back and unzips is fly, pulling out his dick, letting it stand on it’s own.

“Get on your knees, darlin’, like I said, I can’t take care of myself like you can.”

You stare at the floor as you lower yourself onto the tile. You hover your hand before him and he takes it, closing it around his length. He growls as his body tenses. He holds you there and removes his grasp slowly.

You stroke him, watching how his tip throbs. He lays one hand on his thigh, shuddering as his other hand urges your head forward. Your lips meet his swollen head and you stretch your lips around him. You dip down as he lets out another long groan.

You push to your limit and pull back. You repeat the motion, bobbing reluctantly as he sits back to let you take control. You keep your motion even, closing your eyes as you steel yourself. You don’t really know if you like this, or if you really want to do it. But it makes him happy and he’s been just as good to you, right?

You hear the plate clink. You wince but don’t stop. He chews noisily around his guttural grunts, urging you through a full mouth, “that’sit sweet thing.”

You nearly gag as he hits your reflex. You keep your hand around him, trying to ease the pressure in your jaw. He continues to eat as you sloppily slurp around his dick. The sound of his chewing and of your degradation make you sick.

You try to block out what’s happening. No, what you’re doing. You don’t want to feel or think. You just want it to be over.

“Mmm, darlin’, I–” He chokes and his hand lands on the back of your head, “shit–”

He pushes you down until your throat constricts. He spasms as you kick your feet helplessly. He spills into you, flooding you with his salty cum as you gulp and gag around him. Your eyes flow over as you struggle to swallow it all down, if only to keep from choking.

“Look at you, drinkin’ it all up,” he praises “ain’t it taste good, darlin’? You like how your husband feeds ya well.”

[cherrycocaineee]

31. Dally Winston - Red Hair

*Warning: fluff, cussing, bullying, whatever else is considered a warning.*

Synopsis: Your red hair makes you a constant target for bullying because of its color. Though you try to pretend that it doesn’t bother you, you’ve started to change and Dallas Winston is the only one who’s noticed. When Dally witnesses a group of Socs tugging and harassing you about your red hair, he steps in to protect you.

*Your p.o.v*

Getting up for school was harder than you ever imagined it would be; your once relaxing, euphoric morning ritual was now tainted with anxious fear of what today would hold for you. And while on the outside you looked unbothered by the constant harassment of your peers, on the inside you felt disgusting and ugly. Their words had you looking in the mirror teetering between dying your hair or dropping out of school permanently; sometimes you found yourself playing with a single strand thinking about the color. It was red, a copper red to be exact, and for some reason everyone at school found it hilarious. “Darling,” your mother’s sweet voice rang as she opened your bedroom door, “you’ll be late if you don’t get a move on it.” “Mom,” you hummed, pleadingly, “do you think I can stay home today?” Smiling endearingly, your mom glided over to you gracefully before sitting down beside you. Her movements caused you to push your body into an upright position, pulling your knees against your chest. “Is there a reason you aren’t wanting to go to school today?” She questioned. Since the bullying started, you hadn’t really told anyone about it; the only two people who did know about it were Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade, and you had made them promise not to tell anyone. You claimed that it was just them being childish and that it was nothing you couldn’t handle, but really you didn’t want to be a bother to anyone. It just didn’t seem like their problem to deal with. “I’m just a little tired today,” you lied, “haven’t really been getting enough sleep.” She eyed you for a moment as if trying to find any clues that would tell her you were lying; she was your mother after all, and she knew when there was something going on with her baby. But she also knew not to press, that doing so would only cause you to retreat more into your shell. “I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to keep you home this one time,” she stated, “it’s only Friday, so it’s not like you’ll miss too much. Try to rest."

Nodding your head, you tuck yourself back into your comforter while your mom heads back to the kitchen. Telling from the smell of bacon wafting through your bedroom, you knew your mother was cooking breakfast. Slowly, you fell back asleep relieved that you finally had a day of peace. Hours passed and you were awake again, this time feeling much better than you had earlier this morning. Even though being tired was a lie, it seemed your body actually needed a break. Fortunately, both your parents were at work leaving you alone at the house. There was a note on the fridge letting you know that there was left over breakfast inside the microwave for you. And all of a sudden you felt insatiably hungry, only noticing now that you probably hadn’t been eating as much as you should have. All of this because of your hair. Ridiculous! You’ve never been an insecure person, so why did it bother you so much that people found your red hair amusing? Shaking the thoughts from your head, you pulled out the plate of food and set it on the table before grabbing the juice from the fridge. Just as you grabbed a cup from the cabinet, there was a knock on your front door. It couldn’t have been Ponyboy or Johnny, they were still in school. You walked over to the front door, still gripping the glass in your nimble fingers, and pulled the door open. Standing on the other side was Dallas Winston, one of your other, older friends. Your parents didn’t approve of your friends, their only saving grace being that Darry was a responsible adult who assured them you’d be taken care of. And they held him to that, always popping by randomly to check in on you. Dally let his finished cigarette fall to the ground, putting out the flash of orange with his foot. “Dally?” You quizzed, your head tilted curiously to the side, “what are you doing here?” “Got a call from Ponyboy and Johnny,” he said, his voice smooth, “said you didn’t make it to school, so I came to check on you.” “You really didn’t need to do that. I was just extra tired, so I stayed home.” He eyed you suspiciously and that left you wondering if you were that easy to read, if you weren’t as bottled up as you had hoped. The thought left you nibbling on your bottom lip afraid that they knew more than you wanted them to.

“Well how about some fresh air?” He asked, “maybe it’ll be good for ya, you’re looking a bit bloodless.” As quickly as he said that, your hand reached up and touched your cheek. A smile appeared on your face as you nodded. “I guess that would be okay. I’ve just got to finish my breakfast and get dressed.” Dally nodded his head and you gestured him inside which he gladly accepted. After breakfast, you got dressed for the day and met Dally back in the kitchen. He was staring at some photos your mom had hanging on the fridge, most of them were family photos ranging from the time that you were six. “Ready?” You asked. “Yep, let’s get going.” It was a beautiful day outside, the sun was shining brightly in the sky above you, a quiet breeze rustled your hair a bit with each blow, the smell of freshly mown grass touched your nostrils and filled your senses. Everything seemed to be looking up for you; no bullying, no stress, no worries. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Dally pull out another cigarette. You remembered the time you had told him to slow down because he was smoking too much but now you worried that you came off too judgemental. Maybe he didn’t appreciate the helpful advice, maybe Dally saw it as you trying to boss him around, or bully him. You never wanted to make your friends feel like that, especially having gone through it yourself, you just cared about them so much. Dally must have noticed your longing glance because he pulled his cigarette out. “Sorry, I know you told me to slow down but…” “No,” you said hurriedly, “smoke as much as you want. Please, don’t listen to me! I didn’t mean to nag you about it.” Your sudden outburst made him arch his eyebrow. “What’s gotten into you?” He quizzed, shoving his cigarette into his mouth. “Nothing. I just don’t think you should feel pressured to do something you don’t want to do.” It was quiet for a moment, and for a second you felt that you had gotten your point across without exposing so much. However, by now, you should have known that all of your friends, specifically Dally, knew you better than anyone has ever known you. So you weren’t surprised when the next thing came out of his mouth.

“Have you been feeling pressured to do something you aren’t into?” It wasn’t so much as being pressured to do something, it was just constant teasing that was pressuring you to hide yourself from your fellow peers at school. “No,” you lied, hoping that it would deter him from asking anymore questions. “You are a terrible liar,” he hummed, smoke pushing past his chapped lips. He wasn’t wrong. Any time you lied, everyone knew it was just that: a lie. But despite him calling you out, you didn’t give him the real reason as to why you were acting funny. How would he react? Would you be bothersome to him, like you felt you would be? Would he start a fight with all of the people who were bullying you, get himself in trouble? There were so many possible outcomes whizzing through your pounding brain that it was starting to make you dizzy like you were drunk. Luckily, he didn’t say anything else about it and instead took the two of you to Dairy Queen and bought the two of use some Blizzards. Silence overcame the two of you as both of you dug into your sweet, summer treat. It wasn’t an awkward silence, more of a relaxing silence; one that you both seemed to welcome. Dally definitely knew you but you also knew him, and judging by the stare in his eyes he was thinking something over. So it seemed that the two of you were both dealing with something. For a while, everything seemed to be going smoothly; the two of you had started a conversation, Dally listening intently as one could as you explained the book you were reading. It seemed like nothing could ruin your day. “Ah, there she is.” The voice that came behind you sent a stinging chill running up your spine, a light shiver visibly stirring you. Standing behind you were the four Socs that typically picked on you at school; whether it was making disgusting comments about your hair matching downstairs, pulling on your hair pretty harshly and making some sleazy joke about your pain tolerance, or a stupid insult that you’ve heard a million times like whether or not you had a soul. You thought that you had escaped it, at least today. Today was what you needed to reboot your strength before going back to school tomorrow. “We missed you at school today,” one, who’s name was Billy, chirped while wrapping an arm around your shoulder. You wiggled out of his grasp.

“Leave her alone,” Dally snarled, a piercing glare stabbing into the Socs. “Mind your business, Greaser,” Billy huffed, causing his friends to laugh, “we’re just having some fun with our little redhead.” As quickly as those words came out of his mouth, you were out of your seat ready to leave. Dally got the hint too and stood with you. “Oh come one,” another, his name being Dylan, laughed, “what’s the matter red? We’re just messing around.” And it all seemed to happen so fast. All of the name calling, the shoving, the pulling, everything. Once again, you found yourself dizzy and unbalanced but this time it didn’t feel like a drunk feeling. The feeling was almost like you were suffocating. “Awh poor little red riding hood,” they mocked. Fat, overwhelming tears pooled in the corner of your eyes as you held your hands over your head. You felt someone tug your hair roughly causing a sharp yelp to escape you. Over their screaming and taunts in public, you could hear Dally trying to pull you away from them desperately. But what did it, what pushed you over the edge was one of the boys grabbing a big chunk of your hair and cutting it off with a pocket knife. Their laughs were deafening. “Maybe we should cut all of your hair off. You’ll look less hideous without it.” Those pooling, fat tears flooded your cheeks blurring your vision as you quietly sobbed, putting your hands in front of your face to hide it. When your tears became stains on your cheeks, you looked up to see Dally pounding Billy, the Soc who had cut your hair. The other two had taken off running; bystanders were too afraid to do anything, trying to keep to themselves. Billy’s face was starting to get too bloody, so you intervened; grabbing Dally’s shoulder, you pulled him off and cried for him to stop. His dark brown eyes flickered over to you, his bloodshot, wild eyes stared into your watery ones. The look on your face was enough to soften his, and even though he was beyond fucking pissed, he found the willpower to pull himself off of his victim. Wiping his bloodied hand off on his jeans, he reached over and grabbed your hand, pulling you away from Billy who was slowly getting up to his feet and holding his nose. He only glared, he didn’t make a move towards you or Dally. You now sat on the Curtis’s porch steps playing with the part of your hair that was cut. Dally, who knew where they hid the spare key, was inside washing his hands. You knew that once he was finished, he’d have some questions for you but you really didn’t feel up to answering them. This was the worst the bullying had ever gotten physically. Now they were starting to cut your hair, and you couldn’t help but wonder if you had let the bullying go too far. Maybe you should have told someone, then maybe you wouldn’t have been sitting on these steps cradling your butchered hair. “You better not be blaming your damn self for what happened.”

Dally plopped himself down beside you, a fresh cigarette dangling from in between his lips. “Sometimes it’s a little concerning how well you know me,” you joked, trying to lighten the mood. “Yeah, well not enough if I couldn’t pick up on you being bullied. Why didn’t you tell anyone?” There was disappointment, possibly a little bit of anger, written all over Dally’s face which made you feel even worse than you already felt. “Ponyboy and Johnny knew…” “Those asshole knew and didn’t fucking say anything?” “I told them not to say anything,” you fought, “I didn’t want anyone to worry about me. I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone.” Dally’s face twisted into something besides anger, it was concerned and disheartened. He reached over and touched your chopped up hair with his scarred up hand, his fingers played with the uneven pieces delicately. “You aren’t a burden,” he assured, “you’re our friend. We care about you, I care about you.” “I know but you guys are able to fight your own battles, handle things that are bothering you without running for help. I didn’t want any of you to think that maybe allowing a sensitive, little…” “Hey, we handle things with our fist especially me,” Dally said, “we beat the shit out of our problems. We know what you are, and that’s what we love about you.” He moved closer, his outer leg touching your outer leg. “It’s what I love about you. I love that you're sensitive, I love that you're caring, generous, and bubbly. It makes my whole body buzz with happiness. So if someone’s bullying you, I need to know so I can handle it.” Dally reached over and took your hand with his, using his other hand to remove his half cigarette from his mouth and throw it across the yard. He knew you hated smoke. But you couldn’t even focus on the smoke or the cigarette, your eyes were glued to his hand entangled with yours. It was a loving, caring gesture that Dally wasn’t known for. He was an ass, a flirt, a brute, the complete opposite of loving and sentimental. “Is there something wrong with you?” You asked, quizzically, “are you sick?” “Why?” He questioned. You looked back down at your hands as if your question was obvious. When he didn’t seem to catch the hint, you continued.

“You’re just not normally like this; so sweet and soft spoken.” A quiet chuckle left his lips, his eyes looking away from you as if the reasoning for it was embarrassing. Another abnormal trait of Dally’s. “Maybe it’s because I like you,” he muttered, still keeping his eyes glued to the bright blue sky, “or maybe I feel more than just a like towards you. Like I love you or something.” Now that was Darry all the way, avoiding heart to heart conversations and trying to play everything off coolly like it didn’t matter. But your eyes were wide, like deer stuck in the headlights wide, at his confession. When you didn’t say anything, Dally looked at you. His sudden movement was all you needed to wrap your arms around his neck, burying your head into the crook of his neck as fresh tears fell from your eyes even though you weren’t sure wide. Dally, though a tad bit uncomfortable and very new to this type of affection, wrapped his arms around you and held your sobbing form. His thumbs rubbed relaxing circles into your sides, hushing what he figured was comforting words. “I needed to hear that,” you whispered, “it’s been such a long few months that I’ve heard someone else say something other than mean.” “If you’ll let me, I’ll tell you ‘I love you’ everyday and mean it.” You nodded your head, still keeping your face buried into him taking in the smell of his manly musk. Dally eventually pulled the two of you apart, climbing to his feet and pulling you with him. You wiped the tears from your face, probably looking like a red mess. “And no matter what kind of trouble I get into,” Dally continued, “I’ll protect you, I promise.” “Thank you, Dally,” you breathe, happiness flooding your body. He doesn’t say anything else, instead, he takes your hand more carefully and the two of you head off to wherever it was he was taking you. You hadn’t realized it before but in some way, you realized that you did love Dally too. The same way you worried about his safety and health when he smoked, he cared about you physically as well. At the time, you’d only thought that it was because you were his friend but after hearing him tell you he loves you, something in you clicked. You loved him. And he loved you. So maybe you and your red hair weren’t such a burden after all.

[missmarveledsblog]

You're not wrong but don't mean it's right ( Billy butcher x doc reader ) part 7

summary : to deal with the cabin fever doc decides to create an effective supe sedative which means she is in need of few things which means the gang need to well go undercover to steal said equipment . frenchie has an embarrassing predicament to get them out of a tricky spot .

warning: mostly goofy fun in this part ,

It  had to be the trick of the light they were sure of it , coming home to see the two were actually not well butcher was less of a prick and doc wasn’t looking at him to guess which of the many ways she could kill him . For once things weren’t bad , for the first time in a long fucking time well things were actually good . everyone was seemingly in better mood even getting used to soldier boy being around . although one thing that was probably annoying was the cabin fever but giving the fact that the blonde supe thought he had killed doc well was probably for the best. They all sat watching a movie as she lay on chair while annie played with her hair , massaging her head .  they were talking about ways to catch supes. 

“ juliet wouldn’t work supe dna is completely different to normal humans  i did study in med school even low  level sort of supes some of our normal medicines don’t even penetrate the virus” she sighed at relaxation of her head being rubbed. 

“ so what  it has to be stronger dosage” MM asked attention turned to the young doctor .

“ sometimes yes but even normal medicine could have no affect that’s why their spent more research in cure for supes then regular people because it involves more money and investments” she shrugged.

“ that’s fucked up so what cancer research and that’s bollox” butcher scoffed. 

“ yeah for most part unless likes of one of seven were to get it well they would work harder to get cure  one of them then someones grandmother it’s a dog eat dog world even in the medical and chemistry field”. 

“ That's brutal but like wouldn’t compound V  help” hughie asked. 

“ no i mean it would but it actually does more long term damage then well a cure it more money game don’t get me wrong medical field preforms miracles and shit and there is advancements but other take priority too” she explained sitting up giving them her full attention. 

“ why did you become a doctor then” butcher asked.

“To help people i genuinely like helping those who need it plus money to work to a point i’d never have to worry about life again” she smiled . 

“ ain’t you little miss world peace” butcher winked. 

“ annd” frenchie looked at her pointedly. 

“ to kill people like my father to point they feel more pain but less messy” she hopped up head towards the kitchen 

“ she kidding right?” hughie gulped. 

“ i spent years learning nerves and the human anatomy  i know how to kill you to point you feel nothing or everything  depending on  mood” she  called back . “ 

“ she shared some with me back in the day it’s effective” frenchie nodded in agreement. “ before she went to med school” he added as they all looked at her even soldier boy look sort of shocked. 

“ hey actually we should use that” butcher called making every gaze turn to him . “ not like that i mean she clearly brainbox  how do we knock a cunt out the quickest” he called out. 

“ hmm supe or well normie” she asked taking swig out of the bottle of wine. “ usually with normal person you could induce them with a sedative or well juliet  and boom well they would be out cold in second but it doesn’t work on supes” she passed the bottle to her brother. 

“ how you know i mean we could test it on a supe and we can find one for ya” butcher smirked . 

“ tried it already as well as frenchies concoction to knock out on ben since i tried juliet on him works for a little , you would need a continuous flow” . 

“ you let her try something that could of killed you , you who hates doctors and scientist” MM Looked at the man surprised. 

“ she an exception , i trust her , she smart for a woman ” ben replied easily. 

“ get me  a white board  actually i’d say a couple and few other things and i think i could work on a supe strength version or even a fast acting sedative”. 

“Write a list doc” butcher winked. 

......

This wasn’t their first rodeo , it wouldn’t even be their last  as they began the plans on where to get the things needed through docs extensive shopping list. They stole few white boards from local elementary school which she wasn’t exactly happy with but she did need them . 

They stole the beakers and things from a college although was lightly putting it when they went to buy them off a dodgy professor she knew .  Willing to pay til he said some unsavory things about doc and then ben punched him knocking him unconscious  in his office . while that went down frenchie took a novelty  sex toy that someone left at the mans office an egg keyring and a small dildo keyring he thought were hilarious . 

Next on the mission log was the mentally insane sort of dump she interned in that experimented on the  patients there. They got security passes  from old friend of hers showing the sweet Doc had some  useful Connections .  listening To her through a ear piece where Each Person had to go  where Things where As well as trolly to carry Thing butcher was One to offer for that since well his compassion was lacking  then again so it would be a perfect job If this all fell To shit. The place was a dump completely and utter shit hole .  personally she wanted them to burn the place to the ground make sure  it was never used again but even  for hell hole  it unfortunately   had it’s uses .

“ how the fuck did you work  ere” butcher grimaced watching some patients doing fucking weird shit As he passed. 

“ That professor tried roofy me. So I asked him for the placement that got me the best grade , that sadly was the place” she called through an earpiece. 

“ place is fucking hell on earth” mm voice was heard. 

“ yeah but most Fucks in there are depraved fucks so it balances itself out” she rolled her eyes.

“ depraved like how?” Soldier boy asked sitting at her side watching her looking  the screen of her computer as she watched them making their way around. 

“ like the cell hughie is at is a family killer , he killed everyone  And if he wasn't caught he was gonna wipe His family tree off face of earth but he was caught at airport , then two cells down  a wanna be jack the ripper but with men “ she shrugged Easily. 

“ so we're in a criminally insane asylum great because a normal one just  isn't bad enough nah you gotta add crazy fucking psychos to the mix " MM huffed out. 

“ although it did help me With the grade I think the professor thought it would scare me nothing scares me well no man scares Me” she laughed as they walked through halls. 

“ can we hurry their flinging their shit like monkeys in a fucking Zoo “ butcher grimaced . 

They almost Had it all nearly til the security were Doing their round stopping as Kimiko And hughie filled a gurney with some supplies . 

“ who the fuck are you” the arched their brow looking the three Down as they went to grab the passes only for frenchie to find his lost .sharing look with other Panic on his face .

“ pretend to be med student Bringing A patient in , they usually give the interns that shit ” she called through. 

“ we're med student  on our internship we found this one trying to escape He needed in .. erm therapy” he called .

“ he doesn't look crazy” the man's brows arched. 

“ the voice Tell me to do thing like .. this “ he said pulling The sex toy key rings out and swallowing  them almost choking ad they went down  while starting To strip . 

“ we better get him back now” hughie and kimiko pulled frenchie Along. 

“ the Voices tell me to fuck your mother” frenchie yelled as they moved down the hall til they were out of view . “ shit” he winced. 

“ what happened ben covered my eyes ” doc called concern in her voice . 

“ he swallowed … Sex toys like mini ones from that weird professor and tried to strip ” .

“ mini like how mini?” she asked although they could hear her trying to keep her composure .  “ nevermind we have laxatives  But you'll need to Lube it gonna Hurt coming out” she snorted . 

“ hey I got us free … It won't hurt that much” frenchie stated  As she and Soldier boy shared a look . 

“ come on we got the shit let's get out of this hell hole” Butcher called as they all walked out. “ shit we got problem” . He looked to see homelander and what was left of seven walking other Side of the hall. 

“ I'm on my way “ was all soldier boy said as she nodded letting him know she be ok .

 She sat Turning off the communication  knowing homelander heard her through comms it Was all over, knowing  it would be about half an hour or less they would find a way back. She did hate the fact she was stuck in but it had to be Right time , that moment she could let him know he didn’t win and he wasn’t this glorious god of a man he projected himself .  oh she wanted the prick downfall as much as the rest of them he hurt more people than he “ saved” and this whole charade of him  being this savior the world needs well that really needed to end .  maybe she could be the one to help in the down fall of homelander she just needed to get it all right and she knew for certain she was in the right mix of people to do it with no matter how fucked and dysfunctional they were . But always the door breaking down just had to signal the good spell they had as she found herself surrounded.

" what do you want?" she stood watching them .

" simple, you " .

part 8

taglist : @xx-spooky-little-vampire-xx @dwinchesterspie1967 @bduchrnskei

[thewritetofreespeech]

Your Kunikida x reader was so sweet/well written! May I request Kunikida with an s/o (GN or fem) who's having a stressful time with eating right/properly...maybe they could be in a cooking or shopping together scenario? If the topic isn't one you're comfortable writing about, please don't worry about it!

Doppo Kunikida x reader

awwww! thank you so much!! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and was actually inspired to build off that story for a part 3! [part i, part ii ]

“How do you not have anything in your fridge?” Literally.

Kunikida had never seen a fridge so bare outside of an appliance showroom. Save for a few meager condiments, a single egg, one bunch of green onion (which had seen better days), and coffee creamer, it was completely empty.

“Uh...because I’m never here?” [Y/N] replied as they came out of the bedroom. “I’m never here that often, and it’s not like dad rents this place out when I’m not around. There’s no point in doing grocery shopping when I’m not going to be here that long as I’m usually out to dinner with him or friends, or just get take out.”

Kunikida frowned. As ‘sound’ as that argument was, he still couldn’t believe they didn't have any real food in their house. “You need to take better care of your diet. For your health.”

“What? You think my ‘health’ is suffering?” She flashed him a smile and lifted the bottom of her tank top & lowered the band on her bottoms to show off her body.

Kunikida had to gulp and turn away. He would not be distracted. “Come on. We’re going to the store. I can’t leave you alone like this with no reasonable means to feed yourself.” [Y/N] groaned but put up little more for an argument as they went to change.

The trip to the store was easy enough. At this time of day there weren’t many people. Just seniors and young mothers with their children too little for daycare. Kunikida glanced at them, then back at [Y/N]. Imagining, if just for a moment, a life where this could be their routine every Sunday.

Once the shopping was done, they head back to [Y/N]’s apartment and start cooking. “You know, we could have had food by now if we just ordered it.” She playfully grumbled. Cleaning the green beans as instructed beside him, while Kunikida diced some onion and put it in the pan with the chicken.

“Home cooked meals are better for you. You can get more of the ideal nutrients & vitamins needed for ideal health.”

“Yeah, along with all the work and gross wrinkly fingers when you have to wash the dishes.” Despite himself, Kunikida scoffed. “Why are you so worried about my health & diet? You’ve never shown an interest before.”

“I have!” He was offended now. He always encouraged her to get a salad or more vegetables when they went out. She just never listened to him. “It’s just…I’m here now. And you shouldn’t eat take out for every meal.”

“You know I cook my own meals when I’m back at school, right? I have a cheese grater and everything.” He doesn’t comment. Instead focusing more on the pan in front of him, as if should he take his eyes off it for a second it would burn. “Is that what this is about? Your bummed I’m going back soon?”

“I’m not ‘bummed’.” Kunikida insisted. He would never use that word. Devastated, depressed, desolate, those were all words he would use. “I just want to make sure you’re taken care of when I’m not around to do it for you.”

[Y/N] gave him a slight, listless smile, then wrapped her arms around his middle from behind. “I can take care of myself, you know.” She raised up on her toes to kiss his neck. “But…I appreciate the assist. It’s not for much longer. I’ll be finished with my program in another year, and I’ll be back for good.”

Kunikida whipped around and wrapped his arms around her to give her a full kiss. Overcome with emotion. Every time she came and left was getting harder for him. This….void she left when she was gone was getting wider & wider. The thought that soon she’d be here, within arm’s reach, every single day just filled him with so much joy that he had to express it.

“Kunikida…” Her voice was breathless in his ear as she clung to him. “…the chicken…”

“Fuck the chicken.” He growled back. Nothing else was as important as kissing her right now. They’d get takeout like she wanted anyway.

The two of them continue their kissing, quickly escalating into something more, when [Y/N] suddenly pushed him back. Kunikida had to catch himself on the counter to not fall on the floor. He was about to ask her ‘what the hell’ before his blood ran cold. “Oh…hi Daddy…”

“P-President….”

Nothing could have made this situation more awkward or worse as a tense moment settled neatly between all 3 of them.

Then the smoke alarm went off.

[wonwoonlight]

everything and more; chapter 1 / choi seungcheol

➝ Seungcheol x single mom!Reader (feat. original characters, Jisoo, Jinyoung, Jeonghan, etc.)

➝ best friends to lovers // single mom!Reader // slowburn // fluff // angst // slice of life-ish

➝ wc: 5.2~k

➝ chapter warning: character death (its literally the plot sjhdfhsjbf), curses, cliche probably lol, not entirely proofread, nothing more that i can think of

➝ everything and more masterlist

[✾✾✾]

You used to say you wanted at least three children growing up.

But then your sister gave birth to one beautiful son, a nephew you love with everything your heart can offer and more, and, after seeing the hardship she went through, you decided motherhood isn't for you. You had never thought motherhood was easy, but seeing someone so close to you going through it was another experience altogether.

The thought of being the aunt that spoils their nephew to no end definitely seems like the better choice. Given, your sister's journey is probably harder than most because the father isn't in the picture and God knows how cruel the world can be to single mothers, especially those out of wedlock.

Still, you had lived with her for the first three months after she gave birth to help her around, and you’re 99% sure (the 1% you keep around just in case your words will bite you back in the ass) you would never be able to care for a child 24/7. Even babysitting during the day was hard, but she had to care for Seungyoon during day and night and you don’t even dare to imagine the amount of patience it took her to do that.

“Seungyoon is… how old now?” Jisoo asks as she bounces your nephew on her lap. You’re on babysitting duty today, as Yuri has a business trip to Suwon and you’ve convinced her to let you babysit Seungyoon. That sister of yours can be too hard headed for her own good when it comes to her son, which you understand to a certain point, but you don’t see why she should bring her toddler son to a business trip when you don’t even have work today and you’re her sister for a reason.

It’s always been you two; three now, with Seungyoon. You don’t have any other family and it’s okay as long as you have each other. You’ve found a lot of family along the way in other people: like Jisoo, your best friend since high school, and Seungcheol, another best friend of yours from university. Not to forget Jinyoung, Yuri’s only and closest friend who’s basically your big brother. You’re happy with this family and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

"He's three next month." You grin as your nephew giggles uncontrollably on Jisoo's lap, the way Seungcheol is poking his belly making his giggle louder by the seconds.

"Already?" Seungcheol exclaims, his mouth turning into a small 'o'. "Wow. Felt like it was just yesterday we visited Yuri after her labor."

"Right?" Jisoo sighs as she hugs the kid closer to her. She has always had a soft spot for him, to the point where she was probably more excited about Seungyoon's birth than you were almost three years ago. "Now this brat can already talk back if we try to make him eat his carrot."

Seungyoon scrunches in distaste at the mention of the vegetable, frowning at Jisoo like she has personally offended him. "Auntie. No carrot."

"Why do you not like carrots though?" Seungcheol intercepts, indulging him.

"Yuck." His frown deepens, followed by a yawn that makes its way out of his small lips. 

"They're good for your eyes, you know." You poke his cheek to gain his attention and, just like that, the little kid turns to you and extends his arms so you'd take him to your lap instead. It's something he often does when his mom isn't around; seeks for your warmth when he's sleepy or uncomfortable. Because you're you and you're always there together with his mom that his mind already registers you as another safe place for him. It's something that Yuri has taught him too, to find you or Uncle Jinyoung if she's not there.

"Sleepy?" You take him into your arms and whisper with a soft kiss on top of his head, the way you endlessly caress his hair lulling him to sleep. "We'll go home in a bit, okay?"

Seungyoon doesn't answer, simply buries his face in your chest as sleep overcomes him bit by bit.

Almost an hour goes by just like that, with the three of you quietly continuing the discussion in the cafe, talking about work and whatnot as your fingers absentmindedly comb through Seungyoon's hair even if he's already asleep at this point.

"Hey, didn't you go on a date or something last week?"

Seungcheol looks at you, nods, then shrugs, not giving any details until Jisoo prods, prods, and prods. You're thankful she does it for you, because you're actually also curious but don't really have the heart to force it out of him.

Seungcheol is a romantic. Has always been particular with the girls he wants to date. If he's not interested, then he wouldn't spare them a glance. If he's only remotely interested, he'd still be skeptical and find a hundred reasons not to agree on a date. There's just something bothersome about going out with someone he doesn't know without anyone else present.

You and Jisoo have been encouraging him to go on dates though, if only because it's been too long and you recognize the longing in his eyes everytime he sees his friends with their partners. He claims he's not currently looking for a relationship, but it's also been quite some time since he even goes out with anyone other than you two, and that's why you've been telling him to be more open at least for the first meetings. If he doesn't want to continue from then, then it's up to him. But how would he find someone–anyone if he doesn't even want to go on the first date?

"It was okay… but, nothing special. She's nice and we have some common interests but…" His gaze falls on Seungyoon on your lap, then caresses his head as if seeking some sort of comfort from the little boy. "Not interested in a second date."

Jisoo is about to argue, probably meaning to convince him to tell more, but her phone rings and she immediately picks up when she sees her fiance's name. Jeonghan rarely calls when she's out with you both, that's a rule they've decided together: to respect the time they spend with their friends. So she knows it must be important if he calls her instead of leaving a text.

You see her panic the longer the call goes, hand already busy packing up her stuff as you barely hear Jeonghan's faint voice calmly speak through the phone. 

"Jeonghan’s sister got into an accident." Jisoo relays the information once he hangs up, voice shaking, and worry floods over you despite not knowing the girl personally. "I… I need to go. She's being taken to the hospital now."

"Want me to drive you?" Seungcheol offers, but Jisoo shakes her head and says she's going home first, that she'll go with Jeonghan because the accident isn't in Seoul and, even if he didn't mention it, she knows he needs her with him.

"Update us?" You try to be calm for her, your palm caresses her arm in comfort.

"I will." She bites her lip in worry, looking at the map on her phone that indicates the location of the taxi she's just ordered. "She's… she's on a trip with her friend and she's supposed to come home today. But there's an accident on Seocho and it's quite a big one because a loading truck caused it."

You blink at the location, the transition between your heart dropping then speeding up as the worst case scenario goes through your mind is a matter of seconds. Yuri would need to go through Seocho too on her way back from Suwon. 

It's only 3PM now. If she's on a business trip, surely she would go home later in the evening, right? Fuck, your phone is in your bag and you can’t take it without waking your nephew. You just had to put it on ‘do not disturb’ too, though you’ve made sure to let it ring if a call goes through.

Your tendency to spiral into worst case scenarios makes it hard to convince yourself everything’s fine because it hasn’t rung. You’re dying to just call Yuri and listen to her calling you dumb for worrying; because she’s okay and she’ll be home in a few hours. That you need to calm down because she promises she’s okay.

Jisoo doesn’t seem to notice the shift in your mood due to her own stress, but Seungcheol does and he doesn’t address it until Jisoo bids you two goodbye along with a soft kiss on Seungyoon’s head. He shifts closer to you, his palm reaching your shoulder before he asks if you’re okay.

“Can you get my phone, please?” You say instead, the tremble in your voice worries him. He goes through your bag like you ask him to, then hands you the device as he notices the way your arm tightens around Seungyoon.

You’re so tense that he almost reminds you to breathe, he sees you scroll but it seems like you find nothing by the way you’re biting your lip. Then he sees you type, another sigh escapes your lips as you anxiously stare at your screen. Before he can ask if something’s wrong, you bring your phone to your ear, an endless ring greeting your ear because whoever you’re calling isn’t picking up.

“Okay, talk to me.” Seungcheol finally says, his voice soft but firm. The way you’re looking at him isn’t helping at all, and he sees you gripping your phone like it has personally wronged you. “What’s wrong?”

“Yuri is in Suwon.”

“Okay?”

“She–she’d need to go through Seocho to go back to Seoul, right?” He nods, finally grasping your worry. “She’s not replying to my texts nor my calls and I’m–I don’t know, I’m freaking out.”

He doesn’t want to brush off your worries, because he knows how much Yuri means to you and he understands how your train of thoughts might’ve gone in the short span of time between Jisoo’s news and your current condition. But he’s not sure how to calm you down without sounding like he’s downplaying your worries; so he takes the one route that he knows would at least remind you that you need to get it together.

“Hey. Breathe, okay? You’ll wake Seungyoon up.” He whispers like it’s a secret, and you take a long, deep breath as you nod. Seungcheol has always had that effect on you; to make you calm down and be your pillar when you need someone to be. Jisoo is a little blunt and harsh at times, another type of friend you’re glad you have in life because you definitely need someone like her to knock senses into your head. But that means you don’t always go to her when you’re looking for comfort and validation. That role is Seungcheol’s and, while he can be strict at times, he’s better at sympathizing with your feelings (or everyone else’s, really) than anyone. “Maybe Yuri’s in a meeting and she’s not with her phone?”

He’s probably right, but the feeling inside your gut is starting to root deeper and deeper within you the more time passes by, it’s ugly and it’s unpleasant. Like you can feel something is going entirely wrong though you can’t tell if you’re making things up or not at this point. You try to find comfort in Seungyoon’s sleeping form, his cheek pressed against your shoulder and his arms limp on his sides. 

It works along with the deep breath Seungcheol reminds you once again to take, and when your phone does ring thirty minutes later, it’s Seungcheol who takes it because Seungyoon squirms in your arms at the sudden noise.

It’s an unknown number, but the way his jaw tenses at whatever he’s hearing is making your heart twist with worry. You can’t even try to understand what they’re saying, because Seungcheol doesn’t say anything but ‘yes’, but it must be important if he’s still listening, and the last thing you heard before he hangs up is not a sentence you wish to hear in midst of your worry. We’ll be there as soon as possible. Thank you for informing us.

The way he looks at you makes your throat tightens, you can probably feel dread at the tip of your tongue. You hold Seungyoon tighter for the sake of your sanity, the toddler has fallen back to sleep. When Seungcheol speaks, your eyes blur with tears and you hate the way you already know what he’s saying before he even finishes his sentence.

The one time you wish you were wrong, you just have to be right.

“Yuri’s in the hospital. She’s in the ICU and we need to get there immediately.”

You’re trying your best not to bawl on your way there, thankful for Seungcheol as he drives as fast as he’s allowed to, Seungyoon no longer asleep but cluelessly plays with your hair as he obediently stays on your lap. It’s like he knows you’re not okay, knows not to throw a tantrum and not to ask to sit by himself at the back like he usually would. 

Like he knows you need him with you to keep you sane.

Seungcheol looks calm, but the way his palm grips yours obviously indicates otherwise and you try to distract yourself from all the worst possibilities in your mind by thinking of how lucky you are to have him with you of all people. You know he’s worried out of his mind too, but he still takes your hand because he knows you need it, knows that it helps to keep you grounded even if you have your nephew on your lap.

It doesn’t last for long though, and you don’t know what to think of Seungcheol’s lack of explanation. Yes, he confirmed that Yuri is also involved in the same accident as Jeonghan’s sister, but he didn’t say anything else. But does he really need to when he’s already said Yuri is in the ICU? If she had been okay, she would be in the ER at most; but they felt the need to take her to the ICU and that must be saying something.

Did the speaker not say anything to him? Or does he simply not want to give you empty hopes?

“Hey.” His voice brings you out of your trance and you squeeze his hand out of reflex. “I’ll be here, okay?”

You tear up again and nod, your arm that’s around your nephew tightens.

Seungyoon shifts at this, buries himself in your neck and wraps his arms around your neck like he knows you need it more than you do.

[✾✾✾]

Jinyoung is already there when you arrive, and he hugs you tight like he’s preparing you for bad news, like he needs to calm you down because whatever follows after isn’t going to be pleasant.

Seungyoon is in Seungcheol’s arms, breaking the older man’s heart by asking why they’re in the doctor’s place over and over again. Seungcheol assures him he’s not going to get shot when the toddler almost cries saying he doesn’t want to see the doctor today, promises to buy him ice cream later on if he doesn’t cry and stays in his arms.

“Is… is it bad?” You manage to choke between your tears. Jinyoung is rarely unkept, but he’s disheveled and if he’s like this then you don’t know if you want to hear what he has to say. You’re sure the doctor has filled him in on something, Jinyoung is registered as both your and Yuri’s emergency contact and if he’s here before you do, they must have told him something.

He takes a few moments to compose himself and arranges his words, his hands holding yours like it’s his lifeline.

“They aren’t sure she’s going to make it.”

More tears spill out of your eyes, though you try to contain your sob because Seungyoon is right behind you with Seungcheol, though when Jinyoung gives your friend a look, he’s quick to take Seungyoon somewhere out of sight so you can finally cry, cry, and cry until your tears dry out.

Yuri might not make it. You swallow the words like needles between your throat, your lips trembling as you stubbornly try to contain your despair. But when Jinyoung pulls you once again into his chest and whispers words of comfort you wish you could tell Yuri who’s by herself in the operating room, the dam breaks and you grip the front of his shirt like it’s the only thing you know how to do.

You don’t want to think of the worst case scenario. Don’t want to think of a life without your sister. But how can you not when you’ve been there in front of the OR for two hours? How can you not when your consciousness is going in and out of your head and the only thing that reminds you you’re awake is Seungcheol’s soft breath and the steady pattern of his heartbeat?

“Drink something?” He asks, his voice hesitant. You haven’t talked at all since Jinyoung told you Yuri might not make it, and you’re thankful Seungcheol doesn’t force you to either when he comes back with your nephew in tow. Jinyoung fills him in quickly between whispers before taking the kid with him and Seungcheol doesn’t waste a second to hold you because you look like you’re seconds away from fainting.

You shake your head even though your throat is dry and you honestly feel like you’re about to pass out any moment now. The only thing that’s keeping you here right now is Seungcheol: he’s basically plastered to you and he refuses to let go of you since earlier, which you appreciate so much because you don’t know if you even have it in you to sit straight without him by your side. You’ve just been spacing out in his embrace for two hours straight, his arm around you and your forehead on the juncture of his neck.

“Mommy?” Seungyoon’s voice brings you out of your trace, and you find him with Jinyoung, though the boy immediately lets go of his hand once he sees the state you’re in. Seungyoon only calls you that when he thinks you’re sad, a nickname that Yuri has always encouraged him for because even if he doesn’t have a father, she makes sure to let him know that he has two mothers who would do everything for him and you’re one of them.

He calls Yuri Mama, and he usually calls you ‘Mi’ because it’s easier than ‘Mommy’. He very rarely calls you by the latter because no one refers to you as such and he’s not used to it most of the time. But he knows you usually smile when he does it, which is why he only calls you that way when he thinks you’re upset. 

“Mommy okay?” He climbs into your lap, making your eyes water once again. God, this precious child might lose his own mother and he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know a thing and you pray once again to every deity in existence that you wouldn’t need to tell Seungyoon he wouldn’t be able to see his mom again.

He frowns when you don’t giggle like you usually would, though you do force a smile as you pull him into a hug.

���I’m sorry I left you with Uncle Jinyoung.” You say instead, not wanting to lie to the kid when you’re obviously not okay. “He’s boring, isn’t he?”

His small giggle warms you a little, but then he shakes his head and tells you Uncle Jinyoung is fun today and he buys him food earlier. You hum as he continues to blabber, mouthing a ‘thank you’ to Jinyoung when he catches your eyes.

“Yoon, will you tell Mi to drink water?” Seungcheol hands the bottle to your nephew, knowing full well you can’t resist him. You pretend to glare at him, aware that Seungcheol knows how grateful you are with him by your side. Seungcheol has just texted Jisoo that you’re both in the hospital for Yuri, and she promises she’ll drop by as soon as possible after informing him that thankfully Jeonghan’s sister is okay even though she has a minor concussion.

“Mi, water.” He repeats after the older man, his hands can barely hold the water bottle straight.

You thank him as you take a gulp, only now realizing how thirsty you actually are. Seungyoon shifts to play with your hair, still blissfully unaware why you’re all in the hospital, though he’s just happy in his bubble to be surrounded by you and his uncles.

For a second, you let a little bit of hope pass through you. You hope it can stay peaceful like this, with Seungyoon in your arms as you pretend you’re waiting for Yuri to come home.

Yeah, you’re waiting for her to come out, aren’t you?

Right–you’re so going to give her hell for all the worry and tears she made you shed. For making you lose it in front of Seungyoon and making you cry in front of Jinyoung, of all people. Yuri is in for a lot of nagging once she wakes up. Sick or not, you’re still going to scream at her and you’re going to hug her tight because it doesn’t make sense how deep the dread she makes you feel right now.

Yeah, that’s what you’re going to do.

She’s going to make it. She might not wake up immediately after the surgery, but you’re going to do all that when she wakes up and–

Min Yuri’s family?

And you’re going to lock her in a headlock like you usually would when she’s being annoying–

We’re sorry…

And you’re going to bawl into her chest like you used to when you were six–

…tried out best… 

And she’s going to laugh at you because she never knows what to do when you cry–

…too weak and…

But she’ll still hug you back because that’s what sisters are for–

…we’re sorry.

Because you only have each other.

Only have each other.

Had each other.

Your eyes get more and more blurry by the seconds, everything came crashing all over your body from head to toe, it’s getting harder to breathe, someone is holding you and—

You don’t know what happened after.

[✾✾✾]

On your eighteenth birthday, Yuri gave you a silver band and said you’re not allowed to take it off unless someone she approved of proposed. That you’re only allowed to take it off on your wedding day where she’d definitely be your maid of honor because who else would?

It’s a promise that I’ll be with you until I’m sure someone else will take care of you as well as I do.

You have never taken off your ring since then, never had any intention to, either. But now that you stare at it as you pack her belongings in her place, you want nothing but to rip it off your finger like it burns.

Didn’t she promise to be with you until then?

Didn’t she promise to make sure that whoever’s going to marry you is worthy of taking her ring off for?

Didn’t she fucking promise you she wouldn’t leave you behind like your parents did?

“Hey. Maybe it’s time to rest?” You look up at Seungcheol who’s hovering on the door. He looks only a little better than you are, but who can blame him when he hasn’t gone home at all since that day in the hospital? He’s been with you since then; Jisoo and Jinyoung take turns going back and forth, even Jeonghan stays for a bit when he has the time. 

Seungcheol was with you when you spent that night in the hospital, when you cried next to Yuri’s body before they closed the coffin, when you went home with Seungyoon to your place because you couldn’t bear to go to Yuri’s place just yet, and now, when you finally gathered the courage to go to her place and pack her stuff because who else will?

“Don’t you have work?” You ask instead, feeling bad that he’s been with you basically 24/7 the past week.

“You know my work allows me to work from anywhere.” He smiles a little before taking the seat next to you on the floor. “Let’s get lunch? Seungyoon says he wants jjajangmyeon.”

Seungyoon. Your poor child. You don’t think he really understands what’s happening. Jinyoung had kindly taken over your role to relay the information to the kid, but he had simply asked if his mom was going somewhere when Jinyoung said he wouldn’t be able to see her anymore.

You’re sure he would’ve cried seeing you bawl if not for Seungcheol quickly pulling you with him and holding you in his arms as you tried your best to block your sob, barely making out the conversation between the two.

Mama is in heaven now.

“Is it nice?”

Hmm. The best. But you won’t be able to see her anymore.

“Even if I miss her?”

Yes. It’s too far and if she has to come here, she’ll get very tired and might even get sick. We don’t want that, right?

“But what if I want see Mama?”

Then you’ll have to wait until the sky turns dark and the stars are visible. Mama is one of the stars now. Is that okay?

“But… there are so many…”

Seungyoon is smart, though. Aren’t you?

“Hmm..”

Then I’m sure you’ll know which one is Mama?

“Mmm… Want Mommy… Where’s Mommy?”

“Mommy?” Seungyoon has been calling you that often now. You’re not sure if he’s simply too confused or if it’s because you’ve been looking too upset these days, but his small voice always makes your heart clenches in the most painful way possible because it sounds like he knows he can’t call his own mom anymore. It’s getting harder and harder to hear him call you anything of the sort because it reminds you that his Mama is no longer around. “Hungry.”

Jisoo looks at you in apology from the door. She’s been with Seungyoon earlier, telling him they have to pack his toys because he’ll be moving with you and no longer live there. The boy has been more quiet these days, and you feel bad because you think he’s quiet because he’s tired and he doesn’t know what’s happening; why you barely talk and why his mom is not here.

“Uncle Cheol said you want jjajangmyeon?” You say as you take him in your arms, the boy suddenly shy as he nods and buries himself in your neck. “Do you want to eat outside or here?”

“Out okay?” he asks, almost hesitant. Then continues to make your heart hurt when he says his next words. “Mommy always inside these days…”

“Oh, baby.” You bite your lip and murmur an apology against his forehead. The way you hug him is more for you then it is for Seungyoon, but he tightens his arms around you also and asks once again if it’s okay to eat outside. “We can. Let’s go with Uncle Cheol and Auntie Choo, yeah?”

Seungcheol opts to go to the jjajangmyeon place you used to go to during university instead of the one nearby. It takes almost an hour to get there, but he thinks you need it and he’s sure the owner of the jjajangmyeon place near Yuri’s apartment would definitely be asking about her–which you definitely don’t need.

It’s been quite some time since Seungyoon went anywhere too, so he figures he could at least give that to the kid.

“Been some time since we went here, huh?” It really has. The last time was probably a year ago or something, because life gets in the way and even though you’ve been saying you wanted to come here again, the both of you are always too lazy and the university seems too far away even if it’s not really.

Still, the owner recognizes you two and happily takes your order which hasn't changed since the time you were in university.

Apparently, the old lady hasn’t changed either, because her eyes sparkle with interest as she sees Seungyoon in your arms. You dread her question already, knowing what she’d ask before she even does.

But as much as you expected her words, nothing prepared you for her whole sentences.

“Oh my. Is this your kid? He looks so much like you. I knew you two would get married one day.” She says as she addresses you and Seungcheol, way too excited to notice the horrified look you share with your best friend, nor Jisoo who’s trying her best not to laugh at the sudden turn of events.

You don’t even get the chance to deny her statement, because she already turns back to the kitchen then returns just as quick, giving Seungyoon a pack of jelly that’s supposedly her grandson’s.

“What a nice kid.” She smiles at Seungyoon who thanks her with a cheeky smile, the boy clutches the jelly like you’d take it any moment now. “My grandson used to cry all the time at his age. What a nice mom you have, hmm? She’s brought you up really well.”

“Mommy the best.” Seungyoon replies cheekily, which concludes the conversation because that seems to be enough for the owner to leave your table.

Once again, you’re thankful Seungcheol is beside you as you exhale a deep breath and try to swallow your tears on his shoulder. This is just a taste of what you’d need to deal with more in the future; people mistaking you as Seungyoon’s mom and you’ll somehow get the credit for everything Yuri did to make sure Seungyoon grew up well.

It’s not fair.

Nothing is and you hate that there’s nothing you can do about it.

“Mommy?” Seungyoon tugs softly on your hair to catch your attention. “Feed me?”

You tear up again at this, because Seungyoon has actually been insisting on eating by himself the past few months, saying he’s a big boy and that he can manage eating by himself. Does he know? That you need him to depend on you? That you need something to distract you?

“Want Mommy to feed me.” He repeats, his voice faltering at your lack of response. How long have you been neglecting him? How selfish can you be, drowning in your own sorrow like Seungyoon hasn’t lost his own mother? He’s probably even more lost than you are, with Yuri gone and you disassociating for a whole week.

You’re lucky Seungyoon has always been a nice kid, that he simply accepts that his aunt and uncles were to take care of him for the week. 

How fucking selfish can you be? 

“Yeah.” You square your shoulder and drop a kiss on his head. It’s not only you that needs him, you remind yourself. Seungyoon also needs you and you’re going to give everything you have and more if it means he’s happy and healthy. “Mommy will feed you, okay?”

[✾✾✾]

A/N: i hope you enjoyed this aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa pls do send me your thoughts and feedbacks through ask or anything bc i'm still a writer that needs ur words to continue writing lol<3

series taglist: @cheolctrl @nap-of-a-starr @shiningstar-byulxx @itsveronicaxxx @shuahoshiscoups

➝ taglist is open, pls send me an ask instead of replying to the post so it's easier to keep track of the taglist!

[I don’t allow any reposting or translation, so please do tell me if you find anyone reposting my works. You can only find me on tumblr or my Ao3. –wonwoonlight.]

[toujokaname]

Matrix / Prologue

Author: Akira

Characters: Hiiro, Rinne, Niki

"Now please listen to it, Rinne Amagi's debut single...♪"

Directory ✧ Next →

[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Winter

Location: Forest

A dream, or perhaps a reminiscence. Rinne Amagi's hometown, among the surrounding mountains.

Hiiro: Nii-saaan?

(...Hmm. I've followed the "marks" left behind to this point, but I don't see Nii-san anywhere.)

(Maybe I've been deceived by him after all.)

(Those marks might've been a trick to throw me off his trail, and Nii-san might have slipped away to some unknown place by now.)

(Somewhere called the city.)

(If so, it'll be difficult to track him down. I haven't been told where Nii-san leaves the village.)

(In the first place, how did Nii-san manage to leave this village, which should have no contact with the outside world, and go to the city—)

Rinne: Ta-da~☆

Hiiro: ...! Nii-san!

Thank goodness. I thought you had gone back to the city, but you're still here.

Everyone is looking for you. There's so much work to do, so many rituals to perform...

Rinne: I don't care about any of that!

Hiiro: You should care. If someone doesn't fulfill their responsibilities, they'll lose their position.

And you, the next monarch, should be no exception to this rule.

Rinne: Jeez, shut up already! Just listen! Onii-chan's gonna show you something fun, Hiiro!

Hiiro: Something fun?

Rinne: Yep! After digging through books and composing my own tunes, I finally came up with something decent!

I'm gonna show you something fun I discovered in the city!

An idol dance thingy! Heh heh~♪

Hiiro: I'm not interested. Nii-san always says whatever he wants to, but I wish you'd listen to me every now and then.

Rinne: I refuse! Just shut up and watch, Hiiro! I promise you won't regret it!

Give me a round of applause! Rookie idol Rinne Amagi's first performance is dedicated to—my one and only, most precious little brother in the world!

Now please listen to it, Rinne Amagi's debut single...♪

Hiiro: *Clap clap clap clap...?* (Clapping without really understanding)

About a decade later, right after Rinne Amagi debuted as an idol.

At Rinne's place of residence, Niki Shiina's apartment.

Rinne: Mnnyu... Keep watching, Hiiro~ Onii-chan's gonna have a blast from now on—

Niki: Rinne-onii-saaan?

Wakey, wakey. Rather, don't cuddle me while you're half asleep. You know I'm not that Hiiro person, right~?

Rinne: ......

...Yeah. Good morning, Niki.

Niki: Yup, morning~ You're still as sluggish as ever after waking up, Onii-san.

I get it... We're not really eating well, so it's hard for blood to move through our bodies...

Rinne: Don't worry. I'll earn enough as an idol to feed you plenty every day.

Niki: I sure hope so! I'm gonna start working after graduating middle school, but I might starve to death before that 'cause we don't have money for food!

Onii-san's the only one I can depend on. So pleeease do your best today to bring home the bacon~

Rinne: Yeah. I'm not planning to become an ungrateful freeloader, so I'll work hard.

Niki: Just enough's fine~ You work to eat, but if you overwork yourself to death and can't even enjoy the food, that's backwards.

Well, becoming an idol's like Rinne-onii-san's dream, right? Maybe you wanna push yourself too hard?

Is it really all that fun~? Y'know, that idol stuff?

Rinne: That I still don't know. There's so many differences between the fantasies I had as a kid and reality, leaving me depressed and disappointed.

Still, that must be what it means to be a slave of love, 'cause right now I can only see the "good parts" ♪

Niki: Gotcha. As long as you're happy.

Oh crap, the miso soup's about to boil over... Onii-san, you'll have breakfast, right?

Rinne: Yeah. Thanks for the food. My bad for always mooching off you, huh, Niki?

Niki: If you feel that way, then work harder and earn enough for me to add extra ingredients to the soup. Just with that, I'd be plenty satisfied.

Rinne: I'll definitely make you happy! Niki!

Niki: Hm? Yeah... As long as I can eat every day, I'm happy~?

Well, I don't really get it, but I'm glad to see you're motivated ♪

—Hehe. Knock 'em dead at work today too, Onii-san.

Rinne: You bet! Rinne-onii-chan's gonna give it his all in idol activities today too~!

[ ☆ ]

Directory ✧ Next →

[skwpr]

Have you ever heard of the Pareto Principle? No? How about the 80/20 rule? They are one and the same. This is a rule that says that 80% of the result you get comes from 20% of the effort you give. This is from Wikipedia: The 80/20 rule is an axiom of business management that “80% of sales come from 20% of clients. This means if you aren’t giving the right kind of effort, you’re probably not get 80% of what you want.

1 . Answer questions | Study smarter, not harder

Reading your notes over and over again is not the best, or the smartest way to study. Sure, it’s great, and helps, but sometimes you can get more out of a different way of studying smart. One way to study smarter and not harder is to answer questions. Get questions from past exam papers, from online, or just make up questions form your notes or textbooks. This is a way to form super rapid connections in your brain. It makes exam taking so much easier than if you only read, read and read.

2 . Organize your notes to study smarter

When I say that you should organize your notes, I mean that you need to be completely aware of how all your study notes look like, whether it’s your class notes, textbooks, or study notes. Learn your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to school.

What subjects are you good at? What subjects are you bad at? What topics do you like? What do you find easy? That’s not all. Are all your notes up to date? Do you have all the notes you need? Do you have the textbooks you need? You need to fix up all the notes you don’t have. This will help you to learn how to study smarter and not harder!

3 . Set a strict routine to study smarter, not harder

This is one of my most recommended tips to study smarter and not harder. If you get into a strict routine and tell yourself that every day at 10am you will study, it will be really easy to study. Routines are very important for human beings. It makes us very efficient. If you study every day like clockwork, it means you will get better grades!

Sticking to your routine is important. That means you have to take other factors into account. These include, sleeping on time, eating right, and taking care of yourself in general. Set a time for studying right now. Are you a morning person, or maybe a night owl? Use this to your advantage and set a study time. If you try it out, you will see how much it helps you out.

4 . Be in it for the long run

Studying is about being in it for the long run. What does long run mean, you ask? This is when you know that you aren’t going to be studying for only one night every exam season. You need to finally accept that studying is going to be a big part of your life for a few years, depending on what stage of education you are at.

Face it – being a student is your only obligation right now. It’s the time to learn new things and decide on your career path for the next stage in your life. That’s why it’s important for you to have the right mindset when it comes to studying. The right mindset is what helps you to study smarter and not harder. Because you know that it’s not about the all-nighter the day before the exam. It’s about constantly refreshing your knowledge.

5 . Set realistic goals

Getting motivated and pumped up is great. It happens to me all the time. I watch one youtube video and think, yes! This is my time to finally shine! I have so much energy right now, I could do it all!

Don’t tell yourself that you will study all your notes, all your textbooks, and everything in between in one hour, or one day. It’s just not possible, or feasible. Break studying down into chunks. Set a smaller goal. Here is an example of a goal: Tomorrow at 6am, I’m going to wake up and study for at least one hour. That’s a more reasonable goal. It helps you to study smarter, not harder.

6 . Work on one new habit at a time

While it’s great to want to immediately begin to study smarter, you need to dial it back. And I mean that in the most compassion way ever. Don’t get carried away with wanting to transform your entire life overnight. It isn’t sustainable.

Choose one good habit that you will start today. Here is an example: Tomorrow, the moment it hits 2pm, I’m going to sit down at my study table and do some studying. That’s a really good goal. It teaches you the importance of a routine, and it ensures that you will study every day and stick to your goals.

[look-at-the-soul]

A new kind of love 🐾

Tommy Shelby x Reader one shot

🐾 I wrote this story as part of my 900 followers celebration 🥰 as you know by now, one of my dogs (and light of my life) got sick with pancreatitis back in December and my baby girl was hospitalized at the vets clinic for two nights, she had never been sick before and it felt horrible to not have her home, she’s doing so much better now, taking her meds so well and back to her usual self 💞 around those days I reached 900 followers which is crazy so I thought that making a celebration involving pups would be a good idea, and so far, I’m quite happy with the response! Thank you all for keeping her (us) in your thoughts!

Warnings: none just this got a bit longer than I expected 🐶👑

“Charlie?” You looked at him through the rear view mirror, he was so serious, so unlike the chatty little boy he usually was.

He flicked his green eyes at you, uninterested.

“Do you want to get something to eat? I could stop on the way back home for a hamburger or”

But he really wasn’t in the mood. “No, I like what Frances cooks.”

“Do you want to tell me how did school go?”

“Fine.”

Turning off the music from the car, you tried to find a way to get more information from Tommy’s son.

“Do you need to buy anything for your homework?”

“Nope.”

He was harder than his father, at least with Tommy you could bat your lashes, or make him talk during sex, but the same technique couldn’t be used with Charlie.

“How about you invite Daniel on Saturday, we can go to the country house and ride the horses?” You proposed.

But Charlie’s face showed you sadness instead of the excited reaction you were hoping for.

“Daniel is not my friend anymore.” Charlie stated looking down.

His tone worried you. Passing your arm to the seats behind, you offered your hand to him. Charlie doubted at first, but his little hand reached yours.

You cared about him deeply, after losing his mother and the long hours his father worked, you couldn’t help but get attached to him, he was a great child and it was a natural thing to love him.

“How about we go for a walk?” You proposed pulling over in an empty parking spot, changing your original plans to go back home. There was a small stream close, a spot you found by chance in one of your daily runs.

Charlie sighed, nevertheless he walked by your side in silence.

“I come here every time I need to clear my head, people don’t seem to stop by very often.” You pointed out gently after a few moments.

Leaning on the small bridge, you thought it had been a while since you visited this place.

“Don’t tell your Dad I do this or he will send one of his bodyguards with me.” You joked earning a surprised look from Charlie.

“My Dad doesn’t know about this place?”

“Nope, he’s too loud for this peace.” You winked. “Should we keep this as a secret for us?”

Charlie nodded throwing a rock to the water.

“Daniel told me his Dad got a girlfriend after his parents divorced and she’s mean to him and threatened to send him to school overseas.” Charlie confessed after sitting on the edge of the bridge next to you.

His confession took you by surprise, why was his serious attitude related?

“Y/N… would you send me overseas? If I piss you off?” You saw him rubbing his leg, the wind moving his blonde hair.

Suddenly it clicked in your mind.

Tommy and you got married a few months ago after dating for two years, Charlie had the time of his life at the wedding, since the beginning he was the most adorable bonus child you could ask for, he stole your heart from the very first time Tommy cooked for you in his country house and Charlie was so excited to show you the reading room his father made for him.

Touching his shoulders gently, you moved him to face you.

“Charlie has your Dad ever raised a hand on you?” You saw him shaking his head. “Has he ever lose his temper with you?” Again, the same answer. “He shouts at other people, yes, but he has never put a hand on you… just like him, I could never do anything to hurt you, because I love you.” It broke your heart to see the tears accumulating in his beautiful eyes. Gently you wiped them away from his cheeks. “I would never send you somewhere else. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

Bringing him close to your chest, you rocked his body from side to side.

“I want you to always trust me okay? And I need you to understand that I would never do anything to get in the middle between you and your Dad.”

“Daniel told me you would be just like his step mum and he laughed when I told him you were the coolest.”

“Daniel is fighting his own battle, and unfortunately we hurt people in the process, but you don’t have to worry abou-”

Your words were interrupted by something moving behind Charlie.

“What’s that?” He asked turning around to see better.

A little creature appeared sniffing around.

“It’s a doggie!” He shouted and tried to get close to the animal, but you pulled him apart.

He was small, but he could be dangerous or hurt Charlie.

Taking off your sweater, you wrapped it around the muddy pet, feeling it shake and wriggle under your arms.

“Where did it come from?” Charlie asked walking next to you, trying to keep up on your way back to your vehicle.

“I don’t know, looks like this little friend got lost.”

“Can we keep him?”

Reaching your car, you took one of the boxes you bought to use as storage for the Christmas decorations you just took down.

“Charlie, the owners will probably want their pet back, first we’re stopping at the vet.”

Taking the dog to the vet, they informed you it was a female Yorkshire Terrier, little over a year old probably and seemed to be in a good condition. But as you tried to look for a number you realized there was no necklace.

“What if they never look for her, Y/N?” Charlie asked looking over at the dog resting in the box curled on your sweater. You left your number at the vet’s clinic in case someone asked for a lost dog.

Stopping the car in front of the house you were more worried about Tommy’s reaction.

“We’ve to keep trying buddy.”

“But Y/N, we rescued her.” Charlie pouted again.

“I know sweetheart, first we need to give her a bath, so go to the kitchen and bring me a bowl, I’ll meet you in your room.”

“Mrs. Shelby would you like me t-” but the maid stopped mid sentence when she looked at something moving in your arms. “Prepare you something to eat?”

“Just a sandwich Frances, please.” As she kept her eyes locked in your arms, you explained. “Let me handle Mr. Shelby, you didn’t see anything.”

But your answer and wink worried her even more.

“I’m afraid of his reaction.” Frances stated.

“Relax Frances, is only a tiny pup, Tommy has worse problems than this.” You tried to hide your nerves. “He won’t even notice.”

But he did notice when you rushed out of your bedroom with the front of your blouse wet holding the hairdryer in your hands.

And now he was pacing from one side to another as you and Charlie were seating at the last step of the stairs. While he scolded you both.

“What was I supposed to do? Leave the poor dog there? Or at the vet?”

The dog sneezed, probably from the bath, but as you and Charlie told her Bless you, Tommy rolled his eyes.

Tommy looked down at you, hands on his hips, his cigarette hanging from his lips.

He knew that look in your eyes so well for your own good. It wasn’t only that his son wanted to keep the dog, you wanted as well.

“How many times do I have to tell you we can’t keep the dog?”

The small Yorkie yawned as Charlie tried to cover her ears.

“But Dad is small, she will be good.”

But Tommy was already shaking his head.

“We have to find a way to give it back to the owners.” Tommy stated as if he was planning his next move in a business.

“No! If they wanted her, they would’ve taken care of her.”

“Don’t raise your voice.” Tommy pointed his cigarette at his son. “We can’t -“

“You’re mean! You don’t want me to be happy!”

You were torn between comforting Charlie or calming Tommy as the kid went outside.

Sighting, you tried to reason with him.

“What damage could a small dog like that cause?” You touched his tie, deliberately playing with it. “I think it could benefit Charlie.”

“What if the owners want the dog back? Have you considered that Y/N?” He asked walking inside his office. You following his steps.

That seemed to take you by surprise, Charlie had been very adamant of the fact that the fluffy dog found you both.

“Unfortunately for the owner, there’s no phone and name…” You knew you had to choose your battles carefully, but you also knew you were on Charlie’s side in this one. “We can’t give it back without it.”

“We’re so busy all the time,” he tried to make you see his point, “dogs need time, patience, effort… who’s going to clean up the mess? And don’t think of Frances, she’s already busy.”

“I can help.”

“Food, daily walks, vet check ups, we can hardly keep up with everything we do, Y/N.” Groaning, he leaned back on his chair. “I’ve a zoom meeting with a vendor in China.”

Truth is his meeting got delayed, but Charlie’s words were on repeat inside of his head.

He didn’t want his son to look at him as a monster who didn’t care.

But having a dog wasn’t part of his plans either.

Pouring himself a drink, Tommy looked at the window, to the front garden. He could’ve gotten the penthouse, but you chose this one because you fell in love with the view to the fountain and garden.

Outside you joined Charlie and the dog as you allowed the small black creature to sniff on every flower. After a couple of seconds, Tommy saw his son posing with the dog in his arms, smiling for your phone camera as you clicked several times, trying to get the dog’s attention.

“Y/N, do you like dogs?”

“I do Charlie.” You answered while petting the adorable yorkie’s head, it had little parts of golden hair. “They’re one of the purest creatures out there. They give back all the love they get.”

“Why don’t you ask Dad to keep her?” Charlie asked as the dog licked the back of your hand, showing gratitude for the head scratches.

“Because your Dad doesn’t like dogs.”

“But he likes horses!” He folded his arms against his chest.

Motioning the boy to follow you back inside after spending the afternoon out, you told him; “Charlie is not nice what you said to your Dad, he wants you to be happy. You’ll need to apologize to him.”

“But is only a little dog.”

“Is not a toy, they’re a huge responsibility.” Running a hand gently over his head, you tried to ease the tension. “Maybe we can ask your Dad for a couple of days, while we find her family or someone who wants to adopt her. You can enjoy her as much as you want in the meantime.”

Charlie wasn’t convinced, but reluctantly he agreed. Over dinner, he kept asking endless questions about the dog, who wanted a bite of your food. And after helping him to pick up his things, you took the pup with you to the living room, in front of the fire, so Charlie could go to sleep. Tommy was still working locked in his office.

“Where did you come from ey?” You asked the cute pup, enjoying the soft hair against your palm. Using the brush you bought for her at the clinic, you brushed her hair, she seemed to enjoy the pampering session a lot, because once you stopped, she looked at you with pleading eyes and with her cold nose, tried to make your hand touch her again. “You’re so cute you know?”

It had been a long day, so you went to your room to change your clothes for something comfortable to sleep, taking your time to remove your make up as well, but as you went back, the little yorkie wasn’t sitting on the couch as you left her, no, she was curled in a ball next to Charlie, who brought his sleeping bag to the living room and the pair were sleeping together.

How could a small fluffy thing like that steal your heart in a blink?

It was a beautiful scene that melted your heart.

Tiptoeing into Tommy’s office, you pulled him by the hand without telling him anything.

“I didn’t have the heart to wake him up.” You turned then, to kiss Tommy on the cheek and left him to fight alone his own battle.

Several minutes passed by as Tommy stared at Charlie sleeping peacefully next to the dog, he couldn’t wake him up either. So instead, he took off his coat and placed it over the sleeping bag.

One brown eye spying on him, checking his every move, once she decided Tommy wouldn’t hurt them, she turned her back at him and with a loud sight, she got comfortable again against Charlie.

****

Saturday was the same, Charlie asking his father to let him keep the dog, Tommy ordering to let the dog locked in a room since he didn’t want any accidents on the carpets, if something was going to smell bad, it would be Charlie’s room.

The apartment was one more time, a battlefield. He got even more mad at you when he saw the dog wearing one of his socks as sweater, you took one with the pair missing and using some scissors, you opened three holes for the front paws and head, for the size it fitted her perfectly, but Tommy thought differently.

You though he was acting a little bit irrational and exaggerated, but by now, you knew him better than that, so you really tried to keep things as smooth as possible.

The following morning, Tommy woke up to an empty bed. It was something unusual that you were up before him, specially on a Sunday, but either way, he got ready but just as he was stepping out of your bedroom, he heard your voice.

“Look, we should be grateful that it will be us taking care of her at least for these days.”

Without making a noise, Tommy got closer to listen the conversation, staying outside of his son’s room.

“I just don’t understand, if she’s a good pet and alone in this world, why can’t she stay with us? I mean, I have you and Dad, and my aunts and uncles, and Frances! But she’s alone.” Charlie pouted showing his hand to the black and gold dog, as she stretched her neck, Charlie caressed her gold chest. “We should take her and go live somewhere else.”

You chuckled at his proposal, he simply didn’t care you were married to his father. Trying to keep the hair away from her face, you brushed it and did a little bun at the top of her head. She looked at you with those beautiful eyes.

“She has been a really good dog, to be honest, but Charlie, we can’t hold a daily fight with your father over it, he’s got his reasons and we need to do as he says.” The dog then walked over you and getting comfortable, she walked in circles three times only to then laying on your lap, she turned her belly at you.

“She likes you.” Charlie smiled as your fingers tickled her stomach.

“When they do this is because they feel secure.”

“When I grow up, I will buy my own house and have lots of doggies!”

Standing up, you asked him to keep an eye on the pup. Opening the bedroom door without a notice, and that’s when you found Tommy startled.

Playing with your necklace, you avoided his piercing blue eyes. “I hope you find someone soon, because it’s going to be harder…”

It was so hard for him to see you serious like that, he could tell you were getting attached.

Was he acting extremely strict? Selfish? Perhaps.

Frances announced he had a phone call waiting, so Tommy walked towards his office. Spending most of his time there, he could hear outside Charlie playing in the hall, other voices and laughs at times, focused on the email he was typing, he thanked Frances for the tea she brought at some point.

By the corner of his eyes, he saw the heavy door moving, but no one walked in, a little sound made him stop, looking suspicious at the door, if the windows were closed, why was the door moving?

Slowly, he took his gun from its holster, pointing it at the door, alert.

Then he heard a little cry, as he looked down, he found the small yorkie walking in, wriggling its tail and jumping excitedly towards him.

“Ah it’s only you, ey, was going to fucking shoot you.”

Standing up in her little back paws, the pup scratched his leg.

“What are ya doing here little rat? You don’t look like a real dog.”

As the dog looked at him with her bright brown eyes, he stared back, trying to scare her. But it didn’t work.

“Y/N really likes you, so does my son… they’re both a little off with me because of you.” He felt ridiculous talking to a dog, but she tilted her head to the side, as if she could understand what he was saying.

“Should I let you stay?”

Another head tilt.

“Your puppy eyes, do nothing to me, ey?”

A little whine came out from her, as she was trying to get comfortable on Tommy.

Walking out from his office, he found Polly chatting in the kitchen with you.

“I really don’t want to push anything Pol…”

Both of you stopped your conversation as Tommy appeared in the room, but it wasn’t because of him, you were surprised to see him holding the precious doggie against his chest.

“I found this little gatecrasher in my office.” Tommy cocked an eyebrow. “She asked me if she could stay with us permanently.”

“Y/N…” Charlie entered the kitchen looking pale, “I can’t find-” the kid gasped as his eyes found the puppy in his father’s arms.

Then, everything happened in slow motion; Tommy looked at the dog, and the dog looked back at him, then a pink little tongue could be seen and the pup licked Tommy’s cheek.

Polly’s hand dramatically came to rest over her mouth, while you held your breath.

But as you saw Tommy throwing his head back and letting out a loud laugh, your heart skipped a beat.

“I think that’s a yes,” he announced handing you the puppy. “But there will be some rules, though.”

Charlie started jumping around, he could barely hold his excitement.

“Listen to me carefully, you’ll take care of cleaning her mess, and she’ll need training…” Tommy warned, but Charlie wasn’t listening, his arms circled his father’s body.

“Thank you,thank you! I’m sorry I shouted.”

“I’m sorry too son.”

“Aunt Pol! Can we go and buy a bed? She needs a leash… oh! And a name too.”

As Charlie pulled Polly by the hand, you walked towards Tommy, smiling.

“Really? All I had to do to see you smile like that was getting a dog?”

“Thank you.” Your hands moved up and down his chest, kissing his cheek with a playful look.

“It doesn’t sound like you’re extra grateful you know?” He joked winking at you, pulling your hips towards him, kissing you with passion.

Until a little bark interrupted your kiss.

“You already know the love you feel for Charlie, and it’s different from the kind of love you feel for me.” You told Tommy. “But now you will learn about a different kind of love.”

“Really? You think a dog will love me?” You smiled at his doubts, he really didn’t know.

“Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them and filling an emptiness we didn’t know we had.”

****

Master list

A/N: if you made it this far, thank you!!!! ♥️ it means a lot, I hope you enjoyed this pup celebration as much as I did!

Tag list: @lyarr24 @runnning-outof-time @cillmequick @gypsy-girl-08 @datewithgianni @cloudofdisney @gretelshelby @lespendy @onlydeadcells @fastfan @stevie75 @prettylittlehoneyeyesxoxo @esposadomd @strayrockette @the-forest-witchh @elenavampire21 @forgottenpeakywriter @zablife @peakyscillian @evita-shelby @raincoffeeandfandoms @midnightmagpiemama @moral-terpitude @babaohhhriley @ange-thoughts @shelbydelrey @shaddixlife @sloanexx @cilliansangel @rangerelik