#i think it counts as fluff

[kakushino]

Haganezuka's apprentice - Fem!Reader

You'd heard about his temper, or rather, you heard his temper, long before you first saw him. The need for new swordsmiths went beyond personal wants and so, you found yourself as one of the would-be apprentices under masters of their trade. Your master though? Haganezuka Hotaru

Since you would be entering the Swordsmiths' village proper, as a citizen and not a visitor, you had received your own hyottoko mask, as ugly as the rest of them, yet crucial for its anonymity. You were grateful to it though, because it hid your scowl during your first few weeks under Master Haganezuka's dubious tutelage.

"Not like that, you stupid shithead!"

"This is shoddy as hell. Again."

"Useless brat."

"If Kamado got a sword like this, he'd be coming back for another in a day."

It was all you could do to not blow up on him. As it was, you just shut your mouth and tried to keep up. You weren't even sure if he knew you weren't a man; after all, the masks did distort even voices.

You understood though, really. He was forbidden from touching the forge until he healed up and just tried to focus his energy on you, but he went about it completely wrong. 

Every insult and snide comment fueled your wrath. It was time to show him what you were made of, what you learned and what you could do. 

With bandage-covered hands from the blisters and rawness of overworking, you did what you did best as of late - forge.

The day you presented your first 'passable' wakizashi (passable for him, very good for others) was the day his comment felt less offensive and more… like a compliment?

"Hmpf, guess you aren't that incompetent, brat."

With time, the heat of his words went out of the window, his vulgarity dwindling as you improved in leaps and bounds. Despite his harshness and unpolished way of teaching, you'd become a swordsmith who could stand on her own two feet. Your apprenticeship would last for years more though, giving you plenty of time to really get to know your master.

"You didn't buy yourself any dango? Idiot. Here, take one. Don't tell a soul or you're dead."

"Here… What do you think it is? I didn't know you were so stupid you couldn't recognize tea. You like this type, don't you? So shut up and take it."

"Tsk. Brat. As if you could distract me from my- is that Gyomaru's dango? Hand it over."

Haganezuka Hotaru was just abrasive on the outside, but a big softie on the inside. 

A big softie who couldn't take care of himself properly at times. 

"Master Haganezuka, you need to eat. You've been in here for over a day." You cautiously touched his shoulder, hoping beyond hope he would snap out of the Zone. You'd brought dango and tea, hoping to entice him with the smell at first. It wasn't working, obviously.

He said nothing, just continued to hammer away at his latest work. 

“Master Haganezuka?” you shook his shoulder a little, making him pause for a moment before he continued. Your patience wore thin. You scowled. You’d be surprised if the ugly expression wasn’t permanently fixed into your face with how often you wore it when dealing with him. 

Maybe taking off his mask would make him pay attention to me?

Spoiler alert: It did not.

But it did make your face feel hot when you saw how handsome he was under it. A few shiny scars from the not-so-recent village attack still stood out against his pale skin, making him even more attractive.

Sweat made his dark hair stick to his skin, and suddenly, you were curious about the whole picture; you untied his scarf - it wasn’t like he was going to un-Zone anytime soon, you reasoned. You were not ready for the dark wavy tresses spilling over his shoulders. It was not fair how much of a looker he was. Was this man really single?

You continued to study him, memorizing his features for long lonely nights in your accommodation. Soon enough, you realized you were being a creep and should stop at once; you needed to finish what you started after all.

“Master Haganezuka!” you reached for his other shoulder to shake it. What you didn’t account for was the fact it was his blind side. Instead of an insult or even a scathing remark, you were nearly slashed with a red-hot blade in the face. You took a quick step back and it thankfully only knocked off your hyottoko mask to the ground, the wood smoking a little where the iron made contact with it. You stared at it with wide eyes, your heart in your throat and terror pulsing in your veins. “...”

“...you’re a woman?” 

Your eyes met his, both of you staring at each other in disbelief. “You didn’t know?” 

A flush rose to his cheeks, before his expression turned to white ash. “The old man is gonna kill me.”

"How did you not know I was a woman? The Chief told you when he was introducing me."

"I wasn't listening," he huffed, looking away. 

"More importantly, you just tried to kill me!" 

"Not my fault you were being stupid, brat!"

"You were being stupid. You didn't get out of here for over a day! You have to eat! And sleep!"

"Sleep is for the weak! I need to finish this project-" Haganezuka turned back to his bench, reaching for his hammer.

You snatched the tool before he could touch it. "No, you don't-" You high-tailed it out of his forge, clutching his favorite hammer as if your life depended on it.

"Wait-! You useless wench!"

Your master swore up a storm, hurling insults, screaming at you and chasing you with his half-finished blade. 

Kanamori even ran out into the street in his pajamas, mask askew, a katana of his own in hand, thinking there was an attack again. Seeing Haganezuka, he huffed and went back to sleep, too tired to deal with this right now.

A few days later, the Chief came to officially scold your master. You had a kick out of it, thankful your mask hid your smirk.

[mistress-riddle]

thinking about cuteness aggression but with james and sirius.

james adores cute things. he's the type to see a cute plushie and immediately buy it because he likes it and he likes having something soft and nice to hold. so surely it's no surprise that he takes a likeness to your cuteness except what you should've realised beforehand was that he was most definitely a squeezer. and with his toned arms from all his athleticism, it was sure to knock the breath out of you every time you succumbed to one of his attacks. luckily, there is a pattern, his cuteness aggression strikes when you're in oversized (his) clothes and if your cheeks are full of a sweet treat. he just thinks it's so cute how soft you look and before he knows it, he's captured you, mid speech, in his arms and giving you an affectionate squeeze as he rubs his cheek against your own, cooing softly about how you're the sweetest and most adorable person to ever exist. he doesn't release you until the next morning when you need to go to the washroom, although very reluctantly because he enjoys being cuddled up in bed.

sirius has a different way of displaying his cuteness aggression and you're quite sure it has everything to do with his spirit animal. he gets random urges to nip at you when he thinks you're looking extra cute. his favourite places to leave a little bite are on your cheeks and thighs, your most supple areas that he adores. he just can't resist it, and it surely doesn't help your case that when he's in one of his episodes of gently nipping at you, you let out the most adorable and delightful giggles he's ever heard that just spurs him on to continue his ticklish attacks. he's obsessed with you and just loves leaving little marks to show how you grab a hold of his heart. (although he's absolutely on board if you reverse it on him and start biting him instead)

[omi-boshi]

thinking of little omi wanting a dog but his parents tell him he has to earn it because it's a big responsibility for someone as young as he is. so, he sets up a piggy bank to save up for adoption fees. he doesn't tell his parents about it because he wants to show them when he's saved up enough money.

surely if he has the money that means he's responsible enough right?

in the following months, omi sets aside a fraction of his daily allowance to put into his piggy bank.

it's slow-going until his siblings find the piggy bank labeled with "dog savings" in omi's messy scrawl. they're so charmed by their baby brother's antics that they slip in their own spare change behind omi's back.

they never tell him of course because knowing their brother —their sweet and earnest little brother — he would want to do this on his own.

by the time omi's 10th birthday comes, his piggy bank is practically bursting at the seams. he holds it tightly in his little hands as his family sings him a happy birthday.

when it's time to blow out the candles and he has to make a wish, he lifts up the piggy bank and tells his parents how he's been saving up the past few months. that he has enough to pay for the adoption fees. that he's 10, and he's a big boy now, ready for big boy responsibilities.

"i'm responsible enough for a dog now, right?" he would then ask, eyes bright with earnest hope he tries so hard to tamp down just in case they say no. his parents would exchange surprised looks followed immediately by shaking heads and laughter. lots of laughter. omi is rightfully confused. he frowns.

are they laughing at him? the thought makes him flush in embarrassment. his dad leaves the room, still laughing. when he comes back, it's with a box that's almost a little too big for omi. the birthday cake lays forgotten, candles melted, as omi looks curiously at the box in front of him, then to his parents, and then his siblings, and then back to the box.

his older brother nudges him to open it and when he does, omi doesn't know what to do with himself. the akita puppy yipping at him in the box was too much for 10-year-old omi to bear that he starts bawling.

he's hugging the puppy to hide his tears, and in the background he hears cooing and more birthday wishes from his family.

see, his parents had always intended to give omi a dog the moment he asked. omi rarely asked for anything so whenever he did, his parents were always more than ready and excited to give it to him. however, this time, they waited until his birthday because, admittedly, they had a hard time thinking of what to get him.

it seems they made the right decision watching their son pet the akita in quiet awe. they're happy that their little boy loved his birthday present but when they see his dejected little pout a little while later followed by a sad, "i saved for nothing then..." they knew they had to make right with him (not really but what is omi if not their precious youngest).

and that's how omi ends up with not one but two puppies for his 10th birthday.

[etoiile]

boys who are known as talkative and loud but go completely silent the minute a word falls out of your mouth. they hang onto every word you say and listen completely and carefully while his friends are just sitting there shocked at his quietness.

"huh? yeah, he's pretty quiet! he's a good listener."

"girl. NO HE'S NOT"

itadori, bachira, hinata, bokuto, and ur other energetic favs <3

©etoiile

[jadewritesficshere]

Bathroom

Eddie Munson x female!reader

An unserious moment becomes serious talking about love.

Warnings: peeing (NOT watersports, you quite literally just pee in front of each other), fluff

The trailer door slams open as you rush inside. You and Eddie had been stuck in traffic- thanks construction. What normally would have been an hour drive back from Indy took three.

And you had to pee. There was no place to stop after the last city, and you didn't have to go then. The usually empty roads to Hawkins were flooded with people going on detours. You couldn't even pull over and just go in the country due to the amount of people.

You rushed to the bathroom and shut the door. Your bladder was screaming at you. The chill of the toilet seat didn't even bother you as you sat down.

You were about to go when the door popped open and Eddie strolled in. "Move your legs i gotta go too," Eddie said unzipping his jeans. Your mouth dropped in shock for a second," What? No!" Eddie scoffed," I won't pee on you. I've got great aim."

You crossed your arms," Eddie, my thighs are too big. This bathroom is so tiny, I wouldn't even be able to spread my legs enough."

Eddie opens his mouth to argue but you speak again," Just go in the shower." Eddie gasps and throws a hand against his chest," Weren't you the one who said not to go in the shower? The hypocrisy!"

You roll your eyes," We aren't currently showering Eds, the shower is to get clean-" "You can pee and then get clean! You're in the shower and cleaning already!"

Your bladder screams in protest again," Eddie just wait for me to pee and then you can. Or you can use the shower."

Eddie grumbles but turns towards the shower. Theres a moment of silence between you both before you both start going. Eddie is the only person you would feel comfortable going in front of.

The relief your bladder feels is immediate. You hang your head for a second as you sigh, your hands clasped in front of you. The feeling of a hand on your head causes you to glance up. Eddie's eyes lock with yours as you both continue to go.

"What?" You narrow your eyes at him. "Just was thinking," Eddie starts but you cut him off," Eyes on the stream!" Eddie's vision darts back to where his stream had inched closer to the edge of the tub. "Whoops." "Great aim huh?" You chuckle, grabbing his hand off your head and holding it in yours.

Eddie smiled slightly," You thought i had good aim last night." You both chuckle as he squeezes your hand slightly," Nah I was just thinking. For better or worse yeah? Sickness and in health? We should add those who pee together stay together or something."

Both of your streams come to an end as you stare at Eddie. Your heart beats faster suddenly. Eddie tucks himself back in his jeans as you clear your throat. "You wanna marry me?" You ask quietly. You had hoped but...

Eddie's head snaps over to you," You didn't know?" You shrug as you grab toilet paper. "Hold on- shit!" Eddie stubs his toe against the sink as he quickly turns it on to wash his hands. You clean up as he scrubs soap quickly over his hands. He rinses it off as you stand back up, pulling your pants up. He haphazardly dries his hands on a towel and grabs your face in his hands.

You can still feel some water and soap on his hands drip down your cheeks. "Baby," Eddie's brown eyes stare into yours, " I love you. So much. I thought I made that clear, but if you have a single doubt then I havent done my job well. I. Love. You."

Eddie nods once before kissing your forehead," I would do anything. Even the gross things. Like letting you pop my pimples. Or rubbing your back as you throw up. Or holding your hand while you poop."

You wrinkle your nose," Ew. You've never held my hand while I pooped before." Eddie nods gravely," I would be willing to suffer thro-" you slap his arm in mock offense as he breaks down in laughter, causing you to join in.

Eddie grins at you," Yeah, no seriously. I would do anything for you. I would fight Vecna again- which was probably the worst thing I've been through. But I would do it again, willingly, for you. In the worst of times to the best of times, I want to be with you. You already own my heart and I would carve it out of my chest and hand it to you. My heart beats for you."

You smile at Eddie and pull him in for a hug," And I love you. I love you with my whole heart, mind, and soul. Every fiber of my being screams my love for you. "

You lean into his hold, swaying slightly as he hugs you. "I love you so much," Eddie mumbles. You pull back to look at him," Did we just say our vows in a bathroom?" Eddie barks out a laugh," I think we did."

Eddie grins at you and removes a ring from his hand," I'll get you a real one later, but uh since we already said our vows. Figure i should ask if ya wanna marry me." "Yeah, I guess I'll marry you," you feign nonchalance as you excitedly grab the ring and slide it on your hand.

You both laugh slightly, the love radiating from you two. You shake your head and grin, because only Eddie Munson would propose in a bathroom. And only you would say yes.

[emelinstriker]

Macaque ♡ Bath Time

First of all, this is all still SFW, but would be leading into NSFW with the ending implication. So this still counts as Fluff. Also I personally would call him Mac-Mac, so that shall now be implemented into my fics.

That being said...

CW: slight suggestive vibe, nudity, mild gore(? had to hold back a lot from making it full on detailed descriptions), maybe faint yandere behavior if you squint

♡ ~ Fluff ~ ♡

"I've told you before. Hands off my territory... No one to blame but yourself."

The dark-furred simian dropped the demon's corpse onto the pavement with a dark grin. It's been a while since he really got to do this to another demon. He's been holding back his true strength ever since he met you, in hopes of not scaring you off... Well, at least he didn't usually attack demons with you around. That didn't mean he would kill them even when you weren't present.

However... this particular demon crossed the line. Not only did this demon return to the apartment complex, the Six-Eared Macaque's territory, despite having been warned... But this demon also threatened to kill him, as well as you and your neighbors right after.

Little did he know that your husband was a lot more capable than any other ordinary demon this guy had ever faced before, by far. Despite his size compared to the intruder, he could easily fold him.

And of course, Macaque didn't take this random demon's threats lightly. Killing off a threat to you and your home once in a while wouldn't be so bad, no? Surely a little bit of self-defense in the name of your safety should be fine.

So he did what he seemed most fit. Getting rid of the pest that spoke of those threats. After all, endangering you in any way, shape or form was off-limits. Anyone attempting to break this one simple rule had to deal with the consequences and would be punished by your loving husband...

Violence may not always be the answer, but life is multiple choice.

And death was just one of the options.

A quite merciful one at that.

Macaque glanced down at the blood that now stained not only his clothes, but his fur too. He rolled his eyes, grumbling about needing to take a bath. After all, he wouldn't want his beloved to be stained by another demon's blood when he hugged them. And thus, he disposed of the body by engulfing it in a shadow portal. He was torn between letting it fall into lava or the ocean, but he decided that lava would be the quickest solution. If the corpse somehow managed to not be gone by the time the Demon Bull Family saw something floating on the surface of one of their lava pits, then they could simply see it as a nice aesthetic gift to their home.

He used another shadow portal to return to your shared apartment's living room. Everything was quiet, so much so that he had no problems hearing all your neighbors without even trying, which the shadow monkey already anticipated. Usually it was him that would come home later than you, but not today since his plays were scheduled for only half of the week. And it was a good thing he had the day off. Who knows what would've happened if you came home first and encountered the demon he got rid of instead!

After making his way past your bedroom door, he let a shadow clone enter and pick some fresh clothes for him. Meanwhile, he prepared his bath. The dark-furred simian noticed the lack of a shampoo bottle near the bathtub, so he ended up picking the plum-scented shampoo from the cabinet beneath the sink. Macaque was considering using body wash as well, but decided against it as most of what the blood got on was pure fur anyway. His shadow clone then walked in with fresh clothes, placing them on the closed toilet seat before vanishing back into his shadow.

However, before he could undress, his ears caught the sound of keys clashing by the front door. He smiled to himself at the implication- Only you had keys to the apartment since he didn't need keys to enter. And his assumption was indeed correct.

"Mac-Mac, I'm home!" Your lovely voiced called out from down the hallway as you entered.

"Heya, sugarplum! I'll be right with you, just gonna take a bath first!" He called back through he closed door. It did take a while until the tub was actually filled with warm water, so in the meantime he inspected his nude, scarred form in the mirror. He sighed to himself as he tried getting some blood off manually with his fingers, but to no avail. It would be difficult to clean up some spots, for sure. Especially those splatters that ended up on his back...

Another thing he did while waiting for the bathtub to fill up was to listen in on what you were doing. From what he could still hear past the noises coming from the faucet and your neighbors, apparently you were eating dinner. Presumably leftovers from the fridge as he did not recall you cooking anything earlier that day.

Once the tub was full, he turned off the faucet, then climbed inside and began to clean himself up. Macaque started off by washing all his fur on and around his head, at least that was easy to do. There wasn't even all that much blood stuck in there in the first place... Well, except for maybe the front.

He was so busy rubbing the blood off his arms that he didn't hear you walking towards the bathroom. At least until you lightly knocked on the door, pulling him back into reality.

"May I come in? I need a dry towel for the kitchen", you asked. Your husband told you that you may enter, so you did.

It was far from the first time you saw him without clothes, so it wasn't exactly awkward when you came in and picked one of the thinner towels. After choosing a fitting one, your eyes glanced over at the dark-furred simian. Honestly, he was already handsome by default. Him without a shirt was even better. But his wet, shiny fur glistening in the light of the bathroom made him look a lot more appealing on top of it all.

Suddenly, his own gaze landed on you. He seemed a bit confused, but this little bit of confusion was quickly wiped away as his smug grin took over.

Shit. He probably heard your heartbeat increase... Curse his intense hearing!

"What's the matter, sugarplum? Like what you see~?"

You were about to respond in a flustered, passive aggressive manner... Until you noticed the amount of red that was still very much present on his fur. You paused for a second before becoming concerned. "What happened? Did you get into a fight? Is that your blood?!" You asked frantically.

Macaque's grin left just as quickly as it came. "No, no! Well... I mean yes, I did get into a fight. B- But this isn't my blood!" That statement only eased your concerns a bit.  You simply stood there in thought with the folded towel in hand... Until he seemed to try wash off some blood his back, but to no avail.

"Do you need help getting it off?" You asked as you slowly put the towel onto the sink.

He raised an eyebrow at you before waving his hand dismissively. "I wouldn't mind the company."

You hummed in amusement as you made your way over to the bathtub, getting onto your knees next to it. Macaque handed you the bottle of shampoo and you put a portion of it onto your hand, putting the bottle next to you on the ground. You then scooped up a bit of water with your other hand and mixed both liquids together. Afterwards your hands were free to roam around your husband's back, trying to get rid of the red colors and the faint stench...

Honestly, you couldn't tell if it was just the blood because his fur seemed to stink on its own.

Suddenly, the dark-furred simian started to purr as you started gently cleaning blood around his tail. You actually had a somewhat hard time cleaning it... Macaque's joy over you handling his tail so gently only made it move around more. That in of itself wouldn't have been much of a problem, but we have to take his extra strength into consideration. He may be holding back by a lot, but his tail was still able to casually pick you up if he wanted to. So trying to keep it still enough to properly get rid of stains was a challenge.

You grinned at his tail's excitement, "Do you want me to wash the rest of your body too or what?"

The shadow monkey halted before fake-thinking with a hum. "Only if you get in here with me."

You gave him a blank look for a few seconds. Macaque thought this suggestion was a bit too much for you today. You barely got off work after all. Thus he was about to apologize... until he heard you take off your own clothes.

He paused as his tail's tip flicked back above the water in anticipation. His head whipped to the side to see you put your clothes onto his own pile or dirty clothes. With your body now in the nude, you approached the bathtub before demanding him to scoot over so you could sit behind him. You then positioned yourself so he was sitting between your legs, practically having been captured so he could never escape. (He wouldn't have minded to be honest.)

And without another word, you proceeded to continue washing him. Mainly his back and sides due to his fur's locations, but you occasionally would brush over part of his chest. Most of his fur in the back wasn't even bloody, but it was still nice to help clean him. At one point his tail wrapped around your waist as he leaned back into your hold, purring while slightly rubbing himself against you. You cooed at him being adorable and tried countering him by pushing your body firmly against his, trying to reach at least part of his legs better.

However, the moment you got to his hips towards his abdomen, he chuckled. "Not low enough, sugarplum~"

You rolled your eyes at his words with a flustered smile, "Mac-Mac, you can clean that area yourself. I can barely even clean your legs from here." He pouted as his head turned to face you, just so you could see his disappointment. You grinned at him in return.

"Do I at least get a reward for cleaning up the rest myself?" He asked with a knowing smirk as his gaze lowered towards your body below the water. That cheeky little bastard... You raised an eyebrow at the monkey's suggestion. The fact that his tail seemed to slowly make its way towards your thigh didn't help the situation.

You sighed in defeat as you nuzzled into your husband's furry back. "Okay fine. But, only one round, got it? I still have work tomorrow, and you know how much our stamina differs."

Macaque chuckled, using his hands to position your arms around his torso, your hands against his chest. "I can't promise anything, sugarplum~" He swiftly turned around more until he was able to give you a quick kiss on the lips, his hands holding your head for better access. "I love you."

In return, you leaned in as well for a kiss that would last a little longer. "I love you too..."

"Well, guess I better get to cleaning now, just so we have more time for my reward~", he said in his low voice as he pulled away. It didn't take long for Macaque to completely clean himself, especially with this new motivation literally sitting behind him with a flushed, yet amused look.

Maybe you should offer him this type of reward for doing house chores, just to motivate him into actually doing those more often.

> Masterlist <

[spiderin-space]

Next chapter up!! And sketches down below!!

[hiphopcherrrypop]

Would you draw some Jabashiri x Hagure fluff? Idk, just something where they are softies for each other ❤️

The brainrot is brainrotting

meoww

[l-in-the-light]

(Mis)adventures of Law with the Strawhats [fanfiction snippet, part 2]

"God Usopp's turn now!" says the guy as he snaps the die, holds it with both hands like in a prayer. "Give me six, give me six, give me multiple six!" and then he throws it on the table where it makes a lot of loud noise. The die spins and spins, till it finally stops.

There's one dot visible on top.

Usopp's jaw drops so low Law starts to think it might have dislocated. Their eyes suddenly meet when Usopp turns his attention on him. "YOU! That die must be a fake or you tampered with it somehow! Maybe using your powers. Admit it! I won't be mad, God Usopp is forgiving, as long as you admit to your wrongdoing!"

"Hey, Usopp, you actually land on the ladder!" Chopper shouts before Law has the time to answer to the allegations.

"Seriously?? My luck is perfect today as well! Not that it's anything special, I have perfect luck everyday!" Usopp laughs while Chopper moves his friend's pawn all the way up the ladder, smiling all the time while doing that.

"My turn!" Luffy already kidnaps the die and rolls it, and not even Yamato can stop him in time.

"Wait, it's not your turn yet!"

"It's not??" Luffy makes a face. "How long do I have to wait? I don't like waiting! I liked it better when I just played alone with Torao, I could roll the die all the time"

"I bet you could steal turns even if it's just two people playing" Usopp comments.

"You bet!" Luffy snickers.

"That wasn't a compliment, you know…"

Yamato in the meantime just rolls the die and moves his own orange pawn and hands the turn to Brook. Brook's die just falls to the floor, escaping his boney grip and they all decide to just use the number they found on it when they picked it up again. Brook's black pawn is way ahead of the others, because of constant sixes he somehow ended up getting at the beginning of the game.

"Your turn!" Yamato tries to hand over the die to Luffy who almost jumps on his seat, before they get interrupted.

"Your breakfast" Sanji says as he attempts to place the plate on Luffy's head. It doesn't stay there for long, Luffy's stretchy hands make sure of that. "You better eat all of it, it's the leftovers from the breakfast. I was thinking I would kick your ass and lock you in our aquarium with the sharks if I had to throw it all away, so I guess it's your lucky day"

"Thanks Sanji. That actually sounds pretty fun, we could try that someday" Luffy says as he stuffs his mouth full, for the second time in the last hour.

"Hey, you're interrupting our game!" Usopp complains. "Don't you have some ladies to please with your desserts or something?"

Sanji takes a look at the board as he slowly exhales some smoke from his cigarrete. That feels somewhat nostalgic.

"I'm on it. It's actually you all who are getting in my way. Why did you have to play in the kitchen? This is a place to eat, not play around, mama didn't teach you?" Sanji's eyes land on Law.

"This is literally the only table on the ship that can fit six people at the same time" Law explains.

"Next time just play on the deck. You all are distracting me" he points with his cigarette at him, and then goes back to his counter.

"Oi, Sanji, make us some snacks!" Usopp calls after him.

"No way in hell" Sanji calls back. Law takes the opportunity to look at Luffy's plate. It's literally just food scraps, probably not only from today's breakfast, and yet the captain gulps it up one after another. He's trying to eat and roll the die at the same time, and spits food as he shouts "A six!"

"It's actually a five, Luffy" Yamato corrects him.

"Oh" Luffy pauses. "But it's almost a six, so that's also great!" and then he moves his red pawn forward by six fields, but no one notices at first. Not before Usopp takes a look at the board again.

"Wait, aren't you too close to my pawn now?" he asks, scrutinizing the board like it hides some sort of secret from him, but finally gives up.

"Finally, my turn!" Chopper extends his short arms to reach the die, because he's sitting on opposite side of the table from Luffy, but the square remains just short out of his reach no matter what he does. Yamato finally notices and helps him.

"Thank you!" Chopper says as he sits back in his seat. Then he tries to roll the die, but it sticks to his fur for some reason. "Huh?" he huffs and then suddenly turns to look at Luffy "Luffy!! You made it all sticky with food!!"

Luffy just laughs and throws a halfhearted sorry in his direction.

"If you understand it, then it's fine" Chopper concludes and throws the die, shouts which number he got outloud, then quickly proceeds to move his pink pawn forward. It lands on a snake's head and Chopper ends up almost all the way back at the beginning as the result. "WHAT!! How is that possible?!"

Everyone laughs besides Brook and Law.

"I have such bad luck!" Chopper complains right after scolding people for laughing at his misery. He attempts to pass the die to Law, his small hoof reaching to the middle of the table. Law doesn't take it.

"You can throw it for me" he simply says. Chopper's eyes seem to light up.

"I really can?? Can I move your pawn as well??" and upon getting a short confirmation, Chopper throws the die again, it bounces off almost all the way to Luffy again, thankfully Yamato catches it before it can land in Luffy's plate. "Maybe try again?" he proposes, attempting to give it back.

And so Chopper does, it was a six, and then another six and a five, and his little hooves are trembling as he moves Law's blue pawn all across the board. "That was amazing!" he comments.

"It was all thanks to you" Law tosses back and Chopper snaps back at him, claiming it didn't make him happy, all while doing some pirouette.

"So it's my turn now!" Luffy says as he attempts to grab the die, his arm stretching all over the table, but it gets smacked by Usopp. "It's God Usopp's turn now, you peasant!"

Usopp's die this time lands also on the floor and Usopp tries to sell to them that he got a six and that they have to believe him, it's true, but they all just make him roll it again. "Four" he grumbles under his long nose and turns away from the table, so Chopper has to move his pawn for him again. Before he's done Yamato and Brook already played their turns as well.

"Finally!!" says Luffy, his breakfast already long gone, but his still greasy fingers wrap themselves all around the die. He clasps it in his fist, then he rolls his arm a few times till his skin literally wraps around itself like a twisted tissue. Once he releases it, his arm unwinds like helicopter blades and at that moment he throws the die that bounces all over the walls, causing everyone besides Sanji and Law to scream and cover their heads, before it finally lands on Law's hat, bouncing off of it.

"Oh no I'm sorry Torao!!!" Luffy is quick to apologize, shouting super loud and right next to Usopp's ear, which causes the latter to complain.

Law doesn't say anything, just flips his finger and the die magically lands on the table.

"How are you so calm?" Chopper can't help but wonder outloud, still covering his head with his hooves, even though Luffy's attack was over.

"He did the same thing yesterday night as well" Law answers simply. "Roll again. Normally, this time, if you can help it"

Luffy grabs the die while apologizing to Law one more time, and actually rolls it somewhat uneventfully. Usopp, who sits the closest to him, still hides under the table just in case. "Another almost-six!" Luffy declares and moves his pawn. It lands on same field as Law's one and Luffy turns to him, meeting his eyes. "OH. It's like we're on same team! Shishishi!"

On next turn the die lands somehow in a glass of water and as the result of the ruckus it caused they all forget Law's turn and it gets skipped. A couple of turns later it's finally Luffy's time to shine again. He gets two six and a one, and the red and blue pawns end up seperated by a decent amount of fields now.

"No good, you almost caught up to me again!" Usopp says with wide eyes.

"Uhum" Luffy answers and passes the die to Chopper, who seems a bit confused and tilts his head. "Are you still hungry Luffy? You suddenly seem out of energy"

"Right, what about our snacks, Sanji?!" Usopp uses the occassion to shout towards their cook. "I said I'm not doing any for you!" comes the answer that causes a small banter between the two for a bit and Chopper's question remains forgotten.

On Law's next turn he lands on a bottom of the snake, Brook is nearly at the finish line, Yamato got up the ladder which only gave him like five fields of extra progress, and Chopper finally caught up a little more to others, sighing out of relief as he passed yet another tricky field which could cause him to fall down to the bottom.

Luffy's pawn stops at the head of a red-white snake and he looks at it for a moment.

"Hey, Torao, we're meeting up again!" he flashes a smile once his pawn takes a dive down two lanes to join the blue one on the bottom. Brook just sips his tea. "Hm, this snake reminds me of Hancock's snake… how was it called again?…"

Usopp's pawn finally catches up to Brook, but in the next two turns the latter actually reaches the finish line.

"What? That's it?!" Usopp complains. "The game just ended while I was so close to the goal??"

"So boring!" Luffy complains as well, and few other voices join in with their disappointment. Brook apologizes.

"We can continue to see who will be the second and who will be the last" Law offers mercifully.

"That sounds like some half-assed pity" Usopp comments.

"So boring!"

"But I still want to play!" Chopper cries out. "I only made it halfway to the goal!"

"Not my problem" Law snaps finally. "I'm out anyway, you do whatever you want" and he attempts to get up, but sits down again, narrowly escaping outstretched rubber limbs heading his way. "Stop that!!"

"But you promised to play!!"

"I never said I will play more than one time"

Luffy's mouth gapes open, then he looks around the table with wide eyes and sends a voiceless SOS signal, hoping someone, anyone will pick it up.

"I can start over?" Brook proposes, putting his pawn at the beginning again. "I don't have eyes anyway, so I don't know if I reached the goal or not, yohohoho!"

"I still want to play!" Chopper is hitting the table with his little hooves. Yamato mimicks him as well, which makes the whole table jump in the air. "Ooops!" he grabs the board and pawns just in time so they won't scatter around.

Usopp looks at Luffy, then at Law, while poking his nose with his finger again, and seems to contemplate the board.

"Technically, you didn't finish playing yet, your pawn didn't reach the goal, did it?" he points out finally. "So you can't leave before that"

Law sends him a glare. "Fine, let's get it over with" He gives in and sighs. After all, he did propose that option himself, he would lose his face if he went back on that now.

Luffy's lips stretch from ear to ear. "I love you, Usopp!!" he says as he glomps him.

Usopp smiles at first, but then looks to the other side of the table, starts sweating a bit and tries to push Luffy away. "It's okay, okay, I get it, let's get back to it"

"Thank you, Torao!" says Luffy as he settles back in his own seat.

"Here you go, Yamato-chan!" Sanji chirps as he interrupts them again and sets down a plate with some chocolate delight right in front of Yamato. "And you, scruffy guys, can have this" says Sanji as he's passing by the table and drops off some bowls, already on his way to the ladies no doubt, seeing as he carries two more plates of a dessert that could be on the menu of most expensive Grand Line restaurants.

"Snacks arrived, thanks Sanji!!" Usopp approves and is already stuffing his mouth with two fistfuls of salty crackers. Sanji only makes a wave gesture back with his free hand, or well, not exactly since it's holding a lit cigarette, balancing the two plates with ease with another.

Just when Law snatches himself a cocoa cookie that tastes like sweet fairy dust and dissolves on his tongue like seafoam on a sunny shore, Usopp rolls up his sleeves. "Okay, time to spice things up, guys!"

"What do you mean? Those crackers aren't really spicy?" Chopper asks, already nimbling on some.

"That's not what I mean. I mean the game! Time to add new rules!"

"Like what?" asks Yamato.

"For example, penalty games!" Usopp smirks. "If two people land on same field, one of them gets blown up! And let's say ladders can go both ways, up or down! And if you land on the snake it eats you and you have to go back to the start. Also, let's draw some warp and mine fields as well!"

"Eh, that's too complicated, I'm not gonna remember all that" Luffy frowns.

"It's not that difficult!" says Usopp, but as he attempts to explain his ideas, everyone only ends up having more questions. "You're all no fun!"

Law just looks at the board the whole time. Finally, he says "Okay, let's do it this way. If someone lands on top of a snake while another person is on the bottom, they switch places. And the person standing on top of the ladder can kick it off temporarily so for the next few rounds it's unusable, but to make up for it that person has to queue one round" he looks up at them and adds, just in case. "That means they won't roll a die for their next turn"

Everyone blinks (besides Brook, he can't blink because he doesn't have eyes, yohohoho) and then look down on the board, and even Usopp listens and nods slowly.

"That sounds fun!" Luffy giggles.

"God Usopp approves" Usopp finally says, crunching his cracker loudly. "Well done, you can be my disciple from now on! What, you thought you could be my equal? Only if you add mines and warps as well, I'm not giving up on that!"

Law smirks. "Only if you call me commander-in-chief"

"Sure" Usopp agrees easily, his brows furrowing. "But can you actually cook?"

"AH!" Luffy cries out. Everyone suddenly turn to look at him. "I know! It was Slalom!!"

"What was?" Yamato asks.

"The name of Hancock's snake!" he declares with certainity. "Or wait, maybe that's not it…"

Law sighs and shambles another cookie. "When two people land on the same field, they have to battle it out, the loser goes back to the start"

"EH I don't like that!" Luffy frowns, but then reconsiders. "Or actually, that sounds fun. Can we decide it by having a sumo match??"

"No, it will distract you and we will never finish the game" Usopp answers instead of Law.

"Eh, fine, then how about finger sumo wrestling instead?" Luffy proposes and looks expectantly at Law. Soon all of them do.

He doesn't answer for a while. Luffy is about to ask again, when Law finally breaks through. "No."

Luffy's face fell.

"If two people land on same field, they will do an alliance instead"

tbc.

[love-marimo]

just a kaveh drabble bc my head is so full of him… (fem!reader)

(kaveh stops by reader's house after the whole event of interdarshan championship and laments and then they share a sweet and spicy moment~)

"Congratulations." You set your cup of tea on the table to greet Kaveh as he enters your home. He sighs as you take off his red shawl, setting it by the edge of the sofa.

"For someone who seldom leaves the house, you always seem to know everything." He says, placing a kiss on your cheek. He sits down and makes himself comfortable, you also do the same after fetching your cup of tea.

"My place isn't that far from the contest proper. It got crowded pretty easily and everyone was speaking your name in conversation." You smile, rubbing circles on his hands.

Kaveh runs his hand through his hair, brows furrowed. Time and time again he seemed to have so much on his mind.

"What's the matter? Are you not happy about it? With the prize, you can finally move out of Alhaitham's place." You ask.

"I donated it. I also destroyed the diadem because of its curse. I just… ah… sometimes I wish my thoughts don't plague my mind all the time. I wonder if the diadem didn't exist… if there was another trophy for the Interdarshan Championship… maybe things would be different… maybe… my father would still be alive…" He says, resting his head on your shoulder.

The cold summer night's breeze comforted the both of you as you cradled each other in your arms.

"You did your best. At least, in a way, your father can rest easy now. I'm sure he's proud of you." You reply, stroking his hair.

"I… know that. I feel quite relieved that I have people who I can turn to and celebrate with regardless, and that includes you. But still… I guess I'm still dwelling on it."

You turn to look at him and find him with teary eyes and quivering lips.

"Kaveh…" You wipe a stray tear and kiss the corner of his eye.

With bated breath, he finds your lips and kisses them, seeking your comfort and ardor. You kiss back as your hands travel all over his body, seating yourself on his lap.

He pulls back to kiss and suck on the crook of your neck, and you grind yourself on his clothed erection, whispering sweet nothings to his ear, doing all that you can to lull his tears.

"It's okay sweetheart. I'm here for you. I will always be." You hush him in his broken cries for your name.

You position yourself in between his thighs and you unbutton his pants. Kissing the tip, you lick a line on his shaft. He bites the back of his hand, suppressing a moan.

"D-do we really- ah- have to do this?" He asks as you start to suck him off.

"It's okay. Let me take care of you." You reply, giving him a reassuring smile before you resume your ministrations.

Lewd sounds and his saccharine moans echoed in your living room. Kaveh cries in overwhelm, in comfort and relief to have you by his side. He wonders where his loneliness would take him if he had no one, but his thoughts soon fade away as pleasure takes over, his eyes filled with haze and his lips chanting your name over and over again, in gratitude and admiration.

"I- I'm close…!" He whines, and you slow down, letting his load fill your mouth as you swallow every last drop of his cum.

You stand up to sit on him again, cockwarming him as he tastes himself on your lips. He kisses you all over, his soft voice telling you that he loves you again and again.

His cheeks are flushed and there are still stray tears, but you seem to have fulfilled your mission successfully as he smiles at you with lidded eyes.

"I love you. You're the sweetest thing that has ever happened to me."

Kissing his tear stained cheek, again, you reply.

"I know, darling, I know."

ー Lolita

[alienaiver]

"that's it. i'm removing you from the roster until you've stopped by the doctor."

you look at midoriya in disbelief. unable to keep yourself poised at his final decision, your shoulders slump and the exhaustion washes over you like a wave. he's seen through you.

it's been a year since your near-death experience with an all-too-powerful villain and while shinsou took great care of you during your recovery, something's been off ever since - you haven't been able to put a finger on it, though, so you decided to do what every self-sacrificing hero does: you powered through. until there was no power left to muscle your way out of it. and now it's become visible to others too. you have a feeling shinsou might've ratted you out, but you don't blame him. you'd done the same if it were him.

you get home in a daze and fall face first onto the bed. you don't wake up until you feel the weight shift and the warmth of shinsou's lips touches your cheek. but you don't have the energy to react with more than a hum. your eyelids are so heavy. there's a ringing in your ears but it's so constant that it just feels like a persistent buzz. shinsou says something as he settles behind you, arms wrapping themselves around you. for a while, you think there's silence but he says your name sternly in a voice he only uses when he knows you're not entirely listening to him. huh. you're mostly used to hearing it on the battlefield.

"i'm worried about you."

you sigh and hum, pushing yourself weakly back onto him, "'ve got a doc's appointment..... tomorrow."

he kisses the crown of your head, "okay... okay, good."

he's drawing soft circles into your arm and you drift away again. he wakes you when there's dinner and you perk up again slightly, but not enough to make him stop worrying his lip between his teeth. you fall asleep fifteen minutes into a movie later that night.

you put on your shoes and lock the door behind you, putting the keys in your pocket as you turn for the stairs at the end of the hall. you really wish there'd been an elevator in your building right now. as you walk down the steps, your feet feels heavier but you chalk it up to be your shoes. it's the sneakers you don't wear that often, but it's too cold for sandals today. you shrug it off and just concentrate more on walking.

the doctor goes through your symptoms with you but there's hardly any, you reassure her. you're just so exhausted no matter how many hours you sleep. she warns you that you may be sleeping too much. you agree with a laugh - you don't remember ever sleeping so many hours, having been an insomniac your entire youth. she does some blood tests and sends you home, saying you'll be called in when the answers are back.

the days that pass are all a blur. without your shifts at the agency, time becomes fuzzy around the edges. you don't have to get up, so you just stay in bed, since you've been told you need to rest anyways. on the third day you wake up to several notes on the bedside table, the bathroom mirror and the kitchen counter and fridge from shinsou with various reminders about eating and drinking properly and where he's stocked some snacks and prepped some food for you to reheat easily. you chuckle and shake your head at his antics. you're just tired, is all. the headaches comes with the job, you remind yourself as you try to gently massage out the tension in your neck to relieve your pounding head. he might be right about the water intake - you grab the cold bottle he's put in the fridge for you and brings it with you to the bed.

"i think you should call and ask if they've gotten the answers yet." shinsou says matter-of-factly and you nod, "yeah, it has been a few days. but it's the weekend, right? i'll call on monday." and that ends the conversation.

monday comes but you forget to call, even if you've been determined to do so. by the time you remember, the office is closed for the day. you sigh heavily and fall back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. you prepare the apology for shinsou on your tongue before you drift off.

tuesday morning your phone rings - several times. you finally reach out and pick up, thinking it's shinsou.

"i do apologize for the wait. the doctor unfortunately had to take some time off last week, but we have your results. will you be able to come in today?"

you agree, dragging yourself up. there's more energy in you today, but it should've been way more given the intense rest you've been having. you put on one of shinsou's hoodies and a pair of sweats before you drag yourself to the kitchen to grab a bite.

turns out, you suffer from anemia. an intense, prolonged form and need medication as soon as possible. shinsou's livid when he comes home and gets the news, angry that it has been missed when the agency periodically keeps an eye on their heroes' health. you sit on the chair with your hands folded like a child being scolded and try to laugh it off, "come on now, hito. i just need to take some medication and i'll be fine. the usual blood tests the past year haven't covered that - even if they should, i know," you hurry to add, "but i'll be fine, i promise."

shinsou sighs and his whole body slumps, leaning against the table you're sitting by. you take his hand, "i'm okay."

he visibly relaxes but there's something he's holding back. you've been together since high school, so you can read him like a book. you squeeze his hand, "open up."

he clicks his tongue with furrowed brows before he opens his mouth, "you've had these symptoms for months. why didn't you tell me?"

you look at the ground, guilt written on your face. mostly, because you don't have a proper answer to give him. you don't know why you didn't - the symptoms had all been sneaking up on you, snaking their way into your body quietly and suddenly it'd just become so chronic that you'd normalized it. you let out an apology and he squeeze your hand back, "it's okay to not have an answer. but please, can we be mindful of things like this in the future?"

you smile at him, "only if you continue to make the little post-it notes. they're adorable - especially your small doodles of dogs."

shinsou hides his face in his hands with a groan, "they were cats."

[idontknowmyownmind]

RokCale Soulmate AU

Everyone have a red string attached to thier pinky finger that will lead to their soulmate

Only themself who can see their own string that manifested when they were 4

Red means that your soulmate still alive;

White means that your soulmate cut your string; and

Black means your soulmate is dead

Even though your string spread out to the horizon, you can still be able to see them

And each soulmates have different ways to communicated with their other half, from sharing wounds, sharing emotions, meeting in a dream, and so on

Cale's string, since he first got his string, it's only 7 cm long and seems to be connected to thin air

He was confused for a long time and thought that he doesn't actually have a soulmate until he got a weird writing engraved on his arm

Apparently, his way to communicated with his soulmate is through writing on their skin

Since then, they always communicated with each other, telling each other their deepest secrets and insecurities

At first, they have difficulties to communicate because of their different language but they somehow manage to teach each other

But they never really tell each other name

At his end of life, Cale's last words to his soulmate is 'I Love You'

Both of them never trully tell each other that because they know that although their souls are tied, they aren't meant to be together

For the deal to be made he need to die first

Kim Rok Soo doesn't trully have anyone other his soulmate

When everyone he adores leave one by one, only his soulmate always remained in his life

Until one day, out of nowhere, his soulmate told him that he loves him

Right before his string turn black

They never trully tell each other about their feeling for each other, but they know it without telling

His heart feels tight and it's hard to breath

He fall asleep after reading a novel with tears silently streaming down his eyes

He wake up inside the novel, and instead of panicking, the first thing he checked was his string

His eyes widden when he found it vibrant red again

He bring his hand close to his heart as a single tear escaped his eye

He is speechlees when he see familiar language before he laugh incredulity

'Does that mean my soulmate is alive in this world?'

That's what he thought but his string still connected to thin air so it's unlikely

During his endeavor, he also try to find something about his soulmate but got zero result

For some reason they can't communicate with each other again

Until he met the original Cale Henituse in that space

For the first time in their life, their string connected to something to someone

They look at their connected string for a solid minute before they laugh breathlessly

They don't exchange words for a long time and found themselves in each other embrace

They embrace each other tightly and just stay there

But they have to part away

It may be better for them to cut their string, but they can't bring themselves to do that

Their first and last kiss happened before they have to leave for their world, their new home

[averlym]

,,, sun-dappled sheets...

[bleper]

Fuck it happened again. The writing demon got me.

I won't force my nonsense upon ye

Fluffy bs ahead

(do not be afraid to give judgement upon it, I'm still figuring this writing stuff out and input is fabulous)

The crackle of flames from the newly born fire filled the small clearing. The rustling and clanking of armor being removed, alongside the sound of weapons being sheathed and maintained. The chirp of crickets and the quiet noise of the creek moving by. The scrape of wood on metal from Wild and his cooking, the soft stamping of feet from Wind running around camp, the quiet murmuring of Legend and Wars speaking of plans for the next day, the sounds of his pack settling in for the night and readying themselves for bed. He wondered for a moment, how different his life would have been had he stayed in his small town, and casting that thought aside as soon as he could when Wild called the others to eat. Twilight was willing to do everything all over again, as many times as it took, to have a quiet evening like this with them again. Hylia knows they need it.

[vanmarkus]

Inspiration Saturday 🎄

Aaand this would be the aforementioned second christmas fic; the rough draft is already done and it's just over 2k so I expect it to total out somewhere around 3-4k. Anyway, please enjoy this tiny snippet:

Buck sat in the waiting room, his eyes vacantly following the line of fairy lights running under the edge of the reception desk. They flickered every now and again.

Well, not just every now and again, but every thirteen seconds. Buck counted it out 67 times already.

He just started again, but he only got to six when he heard the voice he was waiting to hear for nearly 15 minutes now.

tags under the cut 💛

I was tagged by the lovely @daffi-990 @thewolvesof1998 @watchyourbuck @disasterbuckdiaz @giddyupbuck thank you my dears and for all the bunch of people tagging me for FIF too mwuah 💛

✨no pressure tagging: @malewifediaz @spagheddiediaz @jesuisici33 @jeeyuns @ladydorian05 @steadfastsaturnsrings @eowon @heartshapedvows @nmcggg @rainbow-nerdss @jamespearce9-1-1 @evanbegins @eddiebabygirldiaz @theotherbuckley

[chaosduckies]

Restoration (Chapter 7)

I was in a fluffy mood this time. So, enjoy some with Angela because she’s just a littol baby plus Nathan and Ryker acting like responsible parents.

Word Count: 5.2k

CW: None! (I think)

7-Nathan 

It’s been a chaotic week. Well, at least for me. I don’t know about anyone else. But it’s the end of the week again. Yesterday’s counseling was fine. We had mostly talked about how things between Ryker and I were. They were… awkward. To me. He always looks like he wants to talk to me about something, but never says anything to me besides “Hi,” and, “Hey,” when we’re at lunch and last period. Otherwise, I just kind of sit there trying to ignore the bad thoughts in the back of my mind. It never works. 

It was a cloudy day, sort of smelling like it was going to rain as soon as I stepped outside. The bus ride to school was just as loud as usual. When I walked into the halls, they were crowded just as always. So why did I feel like something was off? Oh well. When has something ever worked out in my favor anyways? Nothing new to me. 

Classes were the same. The rain had started, but only lasted for about an hour before the clouds were clearing up. Everything so far had been the same. I don’t know why I was so on edge, but I was always like that. 

Lunch was just as loud and crowded as always. But somehow, Lucky had always found me before I found him. Of course scaring me before he revealed that he was behind me the entire time. I was never going to get used to that, but it was a nice feeling for some weird reason. 

“Hey!” He greeted me, showing off a big smile as always while he guided me through the mass horde of people. I just did a tiny wave back. I’ve felt a little bit better since those counseling lessons had started, but I haven’t really felt the same either. Actually, Mr. Smith says that he might recommend me taking some medications, which I didn’t even know counsellors could do that but he says he’s licensed and able to do so. I wasn’t entirely too excited to see how many medications he’ll have me take. 

As the table we usually sit at came into view, I noticed that Ryker wasn’t even there. Instead, Dylan was sitting across from where Ryker usually sits, on his phone and biting right into an apple. I stood in place. I’ve only really met him once, and even then we had never talked. Just that Friday two weeks ago. It wasn’t really that bad, but I just don’t what to expect when being around him. Dylan loves teasing with Lucky, and I already know I could never handle anything like that. What if he tries anything with me? Where was Ryker anyways? Wait… just breathe. Don’t want to have a panic attack. 

“Right… Ryker is taking care of Angel and Isabelle. They’re both sick.” Lucky had explained, answering one of my questions. The other being why Dylan was here in the first place. He had never sat here this entire week. Nor any of the weeks before. So why now? I wasn’t going to get an answer. 

Lucky stayed beside me when the elevator gate had opened. We walked out, I surprisingly didn’t stumble like I always do, and I was now in full sight. That didn’t sit right with me. At all. 

Dylan placed his phone on the table, smiling when he caught sight of Lucky and I. I took a few steps back. Everything will be alright. Everything will be alright. Everything will be-

“Oh hey! It’s Nathan right? I’m Dylan, I’m sure you know that though.” He laughed before stretching out his finger and thumb like he was about to give a handshake… Oh wait. It was a handshake. Or a makeshift one at least. 

I looked over to Lucky, hoping he would give some sort of hint to Dylan. Instead, he just gave a nervous smile and held his hand slightly out to me. He was giving the hint to me. I mean, it’s like like I haven’t done this before. Just one other time with Mrs. Kay. It’s just… kids are different. I learned that the hard way. I’m not trying to say Dylan would be like that though! It’s just not out of the question. From what I’ve seen, Lucky hasn’t been hurt. Yet. But I have no idea how long he’s lived there. 

Taking deep breaths, I extended a shaky hand. I watched my hand disappear under the surprisingly soft grip, nearly wincing as I had expected to hear a loud pop! Noise only to find out that my wrist or some other part of my hand was broken. That fear didn’t last long though. Dylan let go, my hand still fully intact with the rest of my arm. I shuddered at the thought of having another broken hand. That was not fun. 

Lucky was facing me with a wide smile with two thumbs up. I felt accomplished, but at the same time I mentally kicked myself for ever thinking that one of Ryker’s siblings would have purposely hurt anyone. Even if they haven’t really met me. 

Dylan chuckled, taking another bite out of his apple then throwing it away in the trash can by the wall. I sucked in a shaky breath, wondering what I was even doing here. I just thought that Lucky would be sad if I didn’t come, but now that I think about it, he knows that I’m afraid of giants. Is this his way of helping me? 

“You’re quiet,” Dylan tilted his head in confusion, “Shy?” I bit the side of my cheek, blinking a couple of times before nodding my head. He must think I’m crazy. Absolutely crazy. There was no doubt about that. 

Dylan just flashed a soft smile before talking to Lucky. I sat down where I usually did. Just a little closer to Lucky since he was laughing and having the time of his life with Dylan. Who was the older one? I couldn’t tell. They were obviously really close though. I wasn’t entirely paying attention to their conversation, just some bits and pieces. Who has the answers for their algebra homework. Lucky complaining about making something for dinner. 

My phone went off while I was reading a book the school librarian recommended to me. During those two weeks the librarian always asked me why I stayed in the library. I just explained that I had nowhere better to be. Ever since then we’ve talked more and more. She says she’s read almost every book in this library since rarely anyone ever goes in there unless they needed to print something or watch a movie while playing board games in their free period. Otherwise, she had always recommended me books to read and she’d always have the mini pretzel bags while I helped her place books back on the shelves. It kind of felt peaceful. 

Checking my phone, I read a text message from my mom. 

Mom: Work called me in. I won’t be home until around nine in the morning 

Mom: Will you be fine on your own for the night? 

Me: yeah 

I would not. Just something about a quiet house without hearing the sounds of the tv playing an episode of The Golden Girls while my mom lay asleep on the couch? I honestly didn’t like the idea of being alone at night. It freaked me out. Is it stupid that I was afraid of the dark? Yes. Do I care? A little. Okay, a lot. But it’s not like I can help it. I’m so used to knowing that someone was in the house with me. Oh well. There’s a first time for everything. Plus, It’s embarrassing for someone to find out that I was afraid of the dark. Doesn’t really come as that big of a surprise coming from someone like me though. 

Mom: Okay 

Mom: I love you I’ll call you when I can 

I sighed, standing up and seeing that the bell was about to ring. I checked my phone for any other nonexistent messages, but I wasn’t able to get a good look before Lucky snatched up my phone and started typing something. Panic rose in me, thinking he was texting my mom. Now that would be awkward for me to explain to her. I tried stealing a couple looks, even reaching for my phone, but it was useless given the fact that Lucky was practically an entire head taller than me. 

“Andddd here you go.” Lucky handed me my phone back, a smirk on his face. I gave a questioning look before seeing that he added a new number. Ryker’s number. What? Why would he give me this? I already I annoy him enough at school, I’m not going to do that outside of school. It’d be wrong. Plus, he’s watching his younger siblings, I don’t want to bother him. 

The worst part about this was that Lucky had already taken the time to text him. Saying that this was Nathan. Aka me. Panic took over my mind. I wasn’t really mad at Lucky per se, more a little sad because he didn’t ask me first. I don’t think I could be mad at someone even if I tried. Still, I wish that he hadn’t texted him for me. I would have preferred not having his number at all if I’m being honest. Not because I don’t like him as a friend though! 

I looked over to Lucky with a nervous look on my face. He just laughed, “You’ll thank me later.” 

“Gave him Ry’s number?” Dylan held back a laugh behind his smirk. He stood up and held his palm out, waiting for Lucky to climb on. Was this some kind of plan of theirs? What if I didn’t want his number? I can’t exactly get rid of it since he already texted him… But maybe this could be a good thing? No. I don’t think so. Never mind. 

“Anyways, if you’re not too mad at me, we should probably get going.” Lucky pointed towards Dylan, and with seemingly no effort, climbed onto his hand, waiting to help me up. I was not expecting this in the slightest. Wait, no, he won’t do anything while Lucky’s with him, would he? It wouldn’t make any sense at all. I mean, they are brothers, right? 

After a couple seconds of going over the pros and cons and all of the endless negative outcomes, I just decided that I would go. Nothing could happen while we were at school, and there was no way that Dylan would ever do anything harmful while Lucky was with him. Right? That was my way of thinking. 

Lucky helped me up, flashing an excited smile. I guess his way of helping is actually working. Huh. Wasn’t expecting that. 

———Ryker———

Isabelle was stuck in her bed, too weak to pull the blankets off and stand on her own two feet without falling. Meanwhile, Angela was snuggled up in my palm with her new stuffed animal she’s named Livvy. They both had a fever. A bad one at that. It’s gone down since this morning, but it was still burning hot. I couldn’t really tell with Angela since I didn’t want to make her too uncomfortable, so I had no idea how she was doing. 

They both insisted on waking up and then heading back to sleep after I tucked them back in, making sure they couldn’t pull the blanket off too easily, even if they tried. How they even managed to get sick? I had no idea. But, they were the only ones who didn’t go to high school, so I kind of thought that other kids at their school were sick too. 

Me? I felt fine. Well, almost fine. This morning I was worried I might have to take them to the doctor, or that I might not have any medicine to help them out. Turns out I did, and Lucky, given his name, was lucky to find some in the back of their medicine cabinet and gave some to Angela. 

Now when everyone had left was a different thing. The night before they had me work later than before, so I barely had any sleep. Then, of course, I had to make Isabelle something to eat that I knew they wouldn’t throw up. Turns out it never worked in the end because she forced herself to go to the restroom and vomit, thankfully, in the toilet. Then there was Angela, who had a slightly less severe case, and I couldn’t make her anything to eat. It didn’t really seem like she was up to the task either, but still. 

They’ve been sick before, just never this bad. Maybe just a little cough or a slight fever, but otherwise they’ve been fine. It’s been hard taking care of them, but I didn’t mind. Just as long as they feel better in the morning. 

Isabelle was fast asleep after I gave her another small dose of medicine. She was doing a lot better now, but I was more worried about Angela. I can’t exactly give her any medicine because I don’t know if it’ll do more harm than good. So I’ve just been holding her tiny body in my palm for the entire. Mostly because she refuses to get off for some reason, and another because I wouldn’t be able to hear her if she woke up and needed something. 

I was laying down in the living room, the tv on a low volume rewatching a horror movie that was supposedly supposed to be scary. So far it was not. At least to me. Angela had been stirring in her sleep, trying to find a comfortable position for a solid five minutes. I knew she was going to wake up soon anyways, so I just lightly pulled the blanket off, pressing the back of my finger into her tiny frame. She was burning up. I guess it was a good thing I pulled the blanket off of her then. 

My heart fell seeing her curl up on herself looking so uncomfortable. There was nothing I could do though. School didn’t end for another hour and Angela hasn’t eaten anything since last nights dinner. Even then she didn’t eat much, saying that she didn’t feel too good. I probably should have seen this coming. 

I paused the movie for a little, waiting for Angela to wake up and ask for a blanket. She stirred, turned, and I finally saw her rub her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time today. It’s been off and on. Again, nothing I could do about it except just let her rest. 

“Mmm… Ry?” She groaned, still holding her stuffed animal. I smiled softly, rubbing her back with the pad of my thumb. She slightly leaned into the touch eyes opening and closing, trying to stay awake. 

“Just go back to sleep, Angel. I’m right here.” I whispered, watching her snuggle up close and point to the human-sized blanket pinched between my thumb and finger. I didn’t want to give it to her. Her fever might just get worse like that. Dylan had texted me earlier to crush up an ice cube and wrap a tiny piece for her, but that wouldn’t work. 

“Aren’t you hot?” I frowned, seeing Angela shake her head and reach for the blanket in a futile attempt. I gave in, letting her wrap herself comfortably and snuggle closer to me. 

After a couple minutes, she was out cold once again. Didn’t matter when she was just going to wake up in an hour again. I unpaused the movie, and glanced to my phone. I grabbed it off the charger, seeing that I had an unknown number text me and a few from Lucky saying that he may have given Nathan my number. Of course he did. He brought the idea up last night after I came home from work. I only said no because what if Nathan didn’t want it? I mean, what if he wanted nothing to do with me. I’d understand if he didn’t, but then it’d be awkward just having it. 

I guess texting him wouldn’t be so bad though. As long as I don’t ruin it. 

———Nathan———

Last period was another free day. But Mrs. Kay says that she has another “project” she wants to try with us. I was not at all excited, but I just had to take this class for the next eight months and then I could go an do what I wanted… what did I want to do again? Didn’t matter. Still have eight months. I’ll be fine. 

As I sat at my desk aimlessly trying to pick a move to watch on my phone, there was a text. From Ryker. What did it say? Would it say not to text his number? That he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore than he already has to? That doesn’t really sound like him, actually. Why would I think that about someone? I bit the side of my cheek, opening the messages app and reading what he texted. 

Ryker: Hey! 

Ryker: I’m guessing Lucky gave you my number 

What do I text back? I’ve never really talked to him. I don’t want to say something stupid either. I can’t leave him on read. That’d be harsh. I groaned silently to myself, typing something out and immediately deleting it. Over, and over again. What do I say though? I ended up just typing something out and hoped he would say anything about it. 

Nathan: He did yeah lol 

Ryker: Of course he did 

He sent it along with an eye roll emoji. 

Ryker: It’s a good thing though 

So he does want to talk to me? I was so confused. 

Nathan: Yeah 

Ryker: Are things boring in last period without me? 

A smile took over my face. This was actually going pretty well considering I never text anyone but my mom. Or call anyone but her. A sad, sad life, I know. But it’s the story of my life. 

Nathan: Yup

Nathan: I heard your sisters were sick 

Ryker: Yeah I’m pretty sure they have the flu  

Nathan: Well I hope they get better :)

I’m pretty sure the conversation ended. That was short lived. Even in real life I can’t keep up a conversation for long. I either go silent or say something that ends it. Great, right? So I couldn’t even be on call until midnight because people lose interest in me fast. I’m surprised Ryker hasn’t yet. 

Ryker: They’re both asleep right now 

Ryker: If you wanna come over you can 

Ryker: I’ll just ask Lucky to take you or something 

Ryker: If you’re comfortable with it 

Going over to his house again? I mean I’m okay with it. It’s just that he’d have to hang around me while also taking care of both Angela and Isabelle. But maybe I could bring them some soup to make them feel better? It would be the right thing to do. I don’t want to go over there just to create more problems. But now that I think about it… why didn’t their parents take care of them? I feel like they can’t just keep Ryker away from school to watch his siblings. Don’t get me wrong I think it’s great that he does! But… they’ve never once mentioned anything about their parents, and I just feel like they should be taking care of their own children. It’s not my place to ask them though. I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually. 

Nathan: Sure

Nathan: Is it okay if I grab something for Angela though

Nathan: Like soup or something? 

There was about ten minutes until the last bell of the day rang, and I would have to find Lucky before he just walked out of the school. I have no idea where they live, and there was no way I wanted to get lost on those terrifying streets. Especially with all of the riots lately. I just hope I can go home this time. 

Ryker: If you want 

Ryker: I’d really appreciate it 

Nathan: Will do then 

I sent it with a smiley face, hoping that he wouldn’t tell me anything otherwise. I’m sure my mom would be fine with me staying over for a couple hours. I doubt that they’ll have a movie night when their two youngest were bed-ridden. Or at least I think Ryker kept Isabelle in her bed. I don’t know how he’s been taking care of Angela… Maybe I could help out? Seems like a plan. 

Ryker: Tysm 

Ryker: I’ll tell Lucky to wait for you by the exit 

Ryker: Thank you, again 

He sent a smiley face back to me. My lips twisted into a small smile

Nathan: No problem 

——————

I was expecting for Lucky to be waiting for me. Not Dylan. But I guess it makes sense because they kind of live together. Duh. I’m so stupid sometimes… 

“You’re coming over!” Lucky excitedly announced, Dylan rolling his eyes and waiting for us to climb onto his palm. I bit the side of my cheek, thinking that we were going off of school grounds. Anything could happen. Does Dylan even like me? Probably not. Do I care? Yes. A lot. 

“U-Um… yeah,” I stole a glance to Dylan, who was texting someone, “S-sorry for making you b-b-both wait on m-me.” I whispered to Lucky while pointing to Dylan who wasn’t paying attention to either of us at the time. Lucky nodded his head, seeming to understand. 

“It’s all good. We’re stopping by the store first, right? We need groceries anyways.” Lucky had asked. I hesitantly nodded my head, letting Lucky lead the way as I followed. This was a familiar sight. I was getting to used to being around giants. Was that a good thing? I’d have to ask Mr. Smith about that later. 

About five minutes into walking, and watching in horror as Lucky quite literally had half of his body hanging from the edge of Dylan’s hand, Dylan had decided to start a little conversation. Mostly towards Lucky.

“You’re gonna fall.” He sighed, cupping his hand a little more to prevent Lucky from falling to his death. I shuddered just at the thought of looking over the edge. It’s taken literally almost everything in me to not look over the edge and pass out. 

“No I’m not.” Lucky stuck out his tongue, fixing his position so only his arms were dangling. I could practically hear Dylan roll is eyes. We made eye contact for a while, him giving a smile and opening his mouth to speak, “So what made you want to come over?” 

I jumped at the sudden question directed to me. It’d be pathetic to speak and stutter in front of Dylan, but then again the same goes if I don’t speak. What would he think? Choices are so hard to make. What if I just shrugged? But then he might want to bring it up again and then I’d have to answer. 

Out of nowhere, Lucky sat beside me, wearing a sympathetic face that said, “I’ll tell him for you.” And I’ve never been more grateful in that moment. I would have hugged him if I knew how to. Also I might step over a boundary. Not something that I’d like to do. 

I whispered to Lucky what I wanted him to say, noticing that Dylan looked so confused. I would have scooted back had I not remembered that there was about a hundred foot fall from where I was. If the fall doesn’t kill me the injuries would. 

“He say he just wanted to help out. I told him Angela and Isabelle were sick earlier. Plus, apparently Ryker asked him first.” Lucky shrugged like it was nothing. I admit, I was jealous, but that was shortly lived. I’ll be able to talk someday. Hopefully. Maybe. I’ve done it once I could definitely do it again. If I really wanted to anyways. 

“Makes sense,” Dylan shrugged, “That’s also oddly… nice?” He raised an eyebrow, suspicious of me. I nearly let out a squeak as I brought my knees closer to my chest. I really wasn’t trying to trick anyone… I’m just a really nice person trying to help a friend out. Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t- 

“I was just messing with you. You should have seen your face.” Dylan laughed along with Lucky. Oh thank goodness. The last thing I needed was to be ditched on the side of the concrete not knowing where I was. I was pretty sure we were close to their house though. 

“But seriously, that’s amazingly nice of a stranger. Ry could actually use the help too.” Dylan told me. A tiny smile formed at the corners of my mouth. Maybe he really didn’t see me as a bother. 

——————

It didn’t take us long in the store. Only a couple minutes tops. Though, I didn’t know that the human-sized part of the store was connected. It really made things easier for Dylan since he didn’t have to wait outside awkwardly. Plus, he could grab one for Isabelle too. I was paying anyways. 

We checked some things out, I paid for the things I was getting, while Lucky kept on insisting that I just let him pay for everything. We agreed that we would pay for our own things in the end. It only took a couple minutes to reach the familiar neighborhood I saw two weeks ago. 

Dylan walked up to their house, unlocking it and announcing his presence to practically the entire world while he was closing the door behind him. Ryker turned his head an glared at Dylan, making him whisper a sorry and let both Lucky and I on the ground in front of the same human-sized door that led to their rooms before silently walking back to his own room. It was intimidating to see him from this point of view, but I sucked in a breath, and walked through the open door. I came here, so I’ll just have to deal with it. 

It looked the same as before. Just that there were a ton of blankets thrown onto the couch. I didn’t think about that too much. 

“So do I get a thank you?” Lucky teased. For the phone number? I just laughed to myself, “Y-yeah. Thank you.” 

Lucky was putting away some groceries he had bought. I helped clean up a bit before we both decided to head back outside. It was a long walk from the hallway to the couch, but that’s no surprise when you’re two inches tall to these people. Now I get why Lucky and Angela get carried around almost everywhere in here. 

“Are you staying for dinner?” Lucky asked, now walking backwards to keep up a conversation with me. Was I? I still haven’t told my mom that I was here. I’ll tell her when she texts or calls. She’ll probably be so happy to hear that I was here anyways. 

“I don’t know.” I replied, shrugging my shoulders. 

“You should. You could teach me how to make actually good food.” We both laughed. 

“If you want me to.” 

Lucky silently cheered, thanking me several times before we reached the elevator to get on top of the side-table by the couch Ryker was currently sitting down at trying to find something to watch. 

“Hey Ry.” Lucky grabbed his attention, standing near the very edge of the table. Nope. Could never do that. How is Lucky so brave? Does he really have that much confidence in himself that he won’t fall? Just one wrong step… No. Don’t think about that. I’m not the one on the very edge. 

“Hey” Ryker replied, letting down his free hand. We climbed on and slid back off onto the arm of the couch where there were human-sized blankets and pillows making a makeshift bed. But there wasn’t anyone there. Where did he have Angela then? She wasn’t in that room earlier. I sighed, sitting down. I’d just have to wait until she wakes up. 

“How are they doing?” Lucky asked, sitting beside me. 

Ryker let out a long sigh, “Off and on. Isabelle’s been asleep for a while and I managed to get her to eat some toast. I haven’t been able to check Angela’s fever, but I don’t think she’s getting any better.” 

He brought his other hand towards us, revealing Angela wrapped up in a pink blanket. She didn’t look like she was having a peaceful dream either. She kept moving around and mumbling things that I didn’t understand. Lucky went to check if she still had a fever, which she did. I just have to wait for her to wake up so I can start making something for her. It’s the whole reason I came anyways. My mom’s a nurse, you learn a thing or two. 

“Oh, um, thanks for coming by the way, Nathan.” Ryker thanked me, looking concerned for his little sister who looked like she was about to wake up. 

I came back with a small bowl of chicken noodle soup and some crackers, hoping that this would help in some way. Angela was struggling to keep her eyes open, but after she ate something she already looked a lot better. She didn’t go back to sleep either so I guess that was a good thing too? All I can say was that Angela was excited to see me. We were sitting on the arm of the couch where the pile of blankets and pillows were. 

“Nathan!” She forced herself up and wrapped me in the tightest hug she could manage. I laughed nervously, debating on returning the gesture, but she let go before I could. Thank you. That would have been one awkward hug in front of so many people. Though, I noticed Ryker trying to hide his smile. I didn’t know if that was directed to Angela or me. Or both. Nope. Not going to think too much on that. 

Angela let out a series of coughs and sat back down, wrapped up in her blanket once again. I noticed that she was also hugging the panda I gave her two weeks ago. My heart fell. I didn’t expect her to like it so much. 

Her fever had gone down a lot. Which was a good thing. She ended up falling back to sleep eventually. Then it was just back to the little one sided conversations with Ryker. Dylan and Lucky were hanging out in their own room, probably playing a game or watching tv. So it really was just us. 

It was nice, really. Even if I could only listen and react. I didn’t mind. There was nothing to say anyways. I loved listening though. 

Ryker mentioned something about Jasmine having a game to go to tonight, which explains why she wasn’t here. Then, he said he should probably get started on dinner, which, wow, I probably should start helping out Lucky. 

I helped Lucky with dinner, and once again he praised my cooking abilities, which weren’t even that good. At least to me. Afterwards, Ryker took me to the bus stop by my house and thanked me again. I walked back to my house, changed into comfy pajamas and fell asleep. 

Today was a good day.

——————

I think this was a good chapter. I think. I don’t know. I love how Ryker is trying his hardest to be a responsible parent and how Nathan tries his hardest to take care of Angela and Lucky as much as he can.

Anyways, thank you guys for reading!! Love you guys ❤️