#idk why i thought it would be a good idea to watch it almost immediately after watching the new episode of fotff

[yuff7e]

Hiii!! This is my first time requesting something from ur acc so I'm rlly sorry if I do something wrong. I would like to request demon slayer x reader headcanons (maybe zenitsu, tanjiro, and muichiro?? Idk if you have a character limit 😭😭) where basically the reader has a extremely low self esteem and can't rlly take or believe any compliments given to them? They r always kind of hyperfixated on the way they look and like feeling like they weigh too much. If this idea is upsetting or anything like that you can delete this request totally and please remember to take care of urself!! 💞

𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔’𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐎 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐔𝐋 …

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

hi there!! this is such a sweet request. i’d be happy to write it. we all know these guys would totally love you no matter how you look... hope you’re having a lovely day and that you enjoy these headcanons :) ఌ︎

♬♪ -> lıllılı.ıllı.ılılıı

✧.* 𝐙𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐔 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐀

— it was dinner time, and you were sitting next to your boyfriend, zenitsu.

— he has this strange habit of watching you eat, i know, it's a bit weird. but hey, it just goes to show how much he adores you!

— and as he watches you, he can’t help but compliment you.

— “[name]-chaann you’re so cute~” he sighs dreamily, his hands resting on his chin as he watches you take another bite out of the rice ball in your hand.

— you glance at him and suddenly feel a strange sense of anxiety at his comment.

— why’s he calling you cute? is he trying to make you feel better because you look bad?

— you try to brush the thoughts away, but you can't help but lean your head down in embarrassment and reluctantly set the rice ball down.

— zenitsu notices this almost immediately. "[name]-chan?! why’d you stop eating?" he whines, reaching out towards one of your thighs.

— "um, i don't know... why are you calling me cute? do i look embarrassing or something?" you blurt out, and he stares at you bewildered.

— "huh?! not at all!! i would never think that!! you look so cute when you eat!! sorry—" he begins to ramble at your reply, urgently assuring you that's not at all what he meant and that he's extremely sorry if it came across like that.

— you just sigh and look down at the plate in front of you. you always worried whether you looked good or not...

— whenever zenitsu compliments you, you can't help but feel like he's just kidding... what if he's only with you because he feels bad for you? or what if he compliments you because he pities you and hopes to make you feel better? or...

— your head swarms with thoughts, but you're quickly snapped out of it as zenitsu repeatedly asks you if you're okay, how you're feeling, and why would you ever think he would think anything like that?!

— you look at him, blinking rapidly to try to regain your senses, and you sigh quietly. "it’s just... what if you don't mean that? like... you’re just complimenting me because... i look bad—"

— but before you could finish, he cuts you off, yelling and grabbing onto your shoulders. "what do you mean?! you’re the most beautiful thing i’ve ever laid eyes on!! i love you for who you are!! i would never lie to you like that," he rants, which brings a small smile to your face.

— "thank you, zen. i love you," you whisper as you nestle into his shoulder. he giggles nervously, wrapping his arm around you and pulling you closer.

✧.* 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐈𝐑𝐎 𝐊𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐎

— you were training by yourself outside when tanjiro saw you through the window. hurriedly, he finished what he was doing and began to head outside toward you.

— once he got into earshot of you, he noticed your smell.

— you seemed, anxious - perhaps even scared?

— he immediately rushed over to you and asked you what was wrong, but you looked perfectly fine!

— he was a little bit dumbfounded by your scent, and told you what he smelled on you. “something like anxiety, are you okay [name]-chan? we can go inside if this is too much for you.” he assures.

— you shrug it off as no big deal and continue to wack your sword through the air, and he just watches you.

— he couldn't help but feel a little upset that you brushed off the topic because scents never lie; however, realizing that you might not be comfortable talking about it, he decided to leave it at that.

— as his mind wandered, he also couldn't help but think about how beautiful you were, especially when you wielded your sword through the air.

— "your posture is amazing, [name]-chan. you look absolutely beautiful," he compliments, causing you to stiffen as you turn to face him.

— "huh? seriously?" you mumble, stumbling a bit. he catches on and notices a sudden shift in your scent - something's definitely up that you don't want to talk about.

"[name]-chan, are you alright? please, talk to me," he begs. you can't help but sigh at his question. "i’m fine, it's just... do you mean that? that i look good.." you stammer, feeling embarrassed. tanjiro watches your expression with a sad look on his face.

— “what do you mean? i meant exactly what i said, you look stunning when you swing your sword like that.” he adds, causing a small blush to form on your face.

— "what if I'm not good enough?" you ask, your voice wavering. his demeanor changes completely. "what? you’re perfect, [name]-chan," he gasps, rushing over to cup your hands in his. "don’t say that about yourself."

— you smile at his words, feeling a bit better. he notices your scent change to something more relaxing, which puts him at ease.

✧.* 𝐌𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐎 𝐓𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐓𝐎

— you were on a walk with muichiro when he stopped you, surrounded by the wisteria trees.

— "yes?" you shyly ask as he lightly grips your wrist, his soft eyes glistening as he scans your features.

— "huh... you look really beautiful next to all the wisteria trees," he compliments, a warm blush spreading across your face.

— "no im not, don’t say things like that," you gulp, and he looks at you quizzically - "what do you mean? it’s true."

— you stare down at the forest floor, the flowers blooming around you both has never made you more amazed until now - if you weren’t trapped in your own thoughts.

— he notices your uneasy behavior and questions you, "sorry, is what I said inappropriate?" cocking his head to the side, you whip your head toward him and quickly reassure him that what he said was fine - its just...

— "i don’t think that... these wisteria trees are much more beautiful than me," you admit. he sends a slightly shocked expression your way. after a moment of staring, he slowly processes his thoughts and gives you a mellow look.

— "don’t say that, you’re much more stunning than any wisteria tree i’ve ever seen," he confesses, and your cheeks tint an even darker shade of blush. "thank you, muichiro. you’re so kind."

— he smiles a small grin, pulling you closer by your wrist. “don’t ever think you aren’t enough, [name].”

𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒 : 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍

[kamii-2]

“you thought wrong”

so sorry for not posting a chapter in almost 2 months but i hope you guys enjoy this long-ish chapter! a part of this chapter is based off of a fanfic i read a while ago, im not sure who wrote it or who the fic was about but if i ever find out who it is i will definitely give them a shoutout type thing. i’d also like to say this chapter is where things start to like really happen (idk how else to word it, hopefully you get what im saying) and im very sorry if the beginning of the sorry is confusing in any way, also act like they’re all old enough to drink.

warning(s): cussing, drinking, kissing

genre: fluff

pairing(s): kk arnold x reader

“you thought wrong” masterlist

==================================

chapter 3: “is this some kind of prank?”

==================================

the moment you accidentally opened the door then shut it, kk pulled away from the girl she was making out with and ran to ice, not telling the other girl what was going on. “ice, i think i messed up any chances i had with y/n. she just walked in on me making out with another girl.” kk told her best friend, trying to catch her breath from running down the flight of stairs. “why would you even make out with someone else if you wanted her so bad? are you actually stupid?” ice was mad that kk would even do something like that, wanting a girl then making out with another, it made no sense. “i haven’t done anything with anybody in a while and the girl offered so why not take up that offer?” kk said, half joking. kk thought about where you could’ve went, “she left second she came back down here.” ice said as she took a sip of her drink. “great.” was all kk said as she plopped down next to her best friend.

-

kk was all you could think about while you laid in bed, trying to sleep. after seeing her kissing another girl it made you realize how in love with her you were. you wished you were the one she was kissing, not some random girl at a house party who probably just wanted to use kk for sex. the image of her and the other girl kept replaying in your head again and again, you couldn’t take it anymore so you tried to watch tiktok to forget about kk and the stupid girl she was with. when you opened tiktok the first thing you seen was an edit of kk. “oh my God.” you said out loud as you got off the app and turned on your tv. you decided to just watch some netflix until you fell asleep.

when you woke up with a mild headache, you didn’t drink too much so your hang over wasn’t as bad as it usually was when you drank. you got up and took some medicine to ease the headache and drank water to help the pill go down your throat. you grabbed your phone and seen that symphony had texted you a few times asking if you were okay, you told her about how all you thought about was kk last night and how when you opened tiktok she was the first thing you seen. you two continued to text about what happened last night and other random things until symphony just randomly stopped texting you back for a good 20 minutes. you brushed it off and went on with your day, thinking she was busy or her phone died. in reality, symphony got a text from kk’s best friend, ice, on instagram.

-instagram direct messages-

@ice.brady: hey this is symphony right?

@symphony_roy: yea why?

@ice.bradyy: be honest, does y/n like kk bc kk likes her a lot and doesn’t believe me that y/n likes her back. @ice.bradyy: pls tell me i promise to not show kk like fr

@symphony_roy: yes 😭 ive been telling y/n since the day she told me that kk is gay and likes her back but her slow ass won’t believe me

@ice.brady: bro they act the same way exact same way 😭@ice.bradyy: anyway the reason im texting you is bc i think we should make them go in a blind date but don’t tell them the gender of the person bc i don’t want them to find out immediately

@symphony_roy: wait that’s a really good idea @symphony_roy: but we need to plan this more before we dive right into it

-real life-

after they planned out their entire plan, symphony went to your dorm. “hey.” you greeted as she barged in, using the spare key you had gave her. “so…. how do you feel about blind dates?” she asked while clasping her hands together, taking a seat on the couch next to you. “uhm, they’re okay i guess… why?” you reply while stopping what you were doing on your phone and side eyeing her. “because you’re going on one on monday.” symphony stated, “what?!?” you yelled while whipping your head to look at her, “i did not sign up for that!” symphony just stared at you, a small smirk on her face. “well, you’re going on it, i don’t care what you say.” symphony shrugged while getting up and leaving, “bye, remember you have a date in two days, i’ll send you the details later.” she closed the door.

-

when you woke up you seen kk had followed you back on every app you followed her on, seeing this made your stomach do backflips. you were a bit embarrassed because you had followed her for ages and she just now followed you back but you didn’t really care because atleast she followed you. as the day went on you kept stalking kk, being careful to not like any super old pictures on instagram or old tiktoks. you were stalking so hard you even found her mom’s facebook page. in the middle of your stalking, symphony barged in your room, “okay so what are you gonna wear tomorrow?” she asked while sitting at the edge of your bed, facing you. “i don’t know, probably jean shorts and a crop top.” you shrugged, “basic as hell. wear something more revealing, you gotta show off all that ass to them.” she half-joked, “bro then you find my outfit.” you sighed at her.

symphony went to your closet and started to look through everything to find the perfect outfit for you. after about 10 minutes she found a short, tight, light pink dress. you bought it last month and never got the chance to wear it. “it’s perfect, i’ll tell your date to wear something on the nicer side. you guys will look so cute together.” she smiled while holding the dress up. you were still unsure on the whole blind date thing but you were kind of excited for it, maybe you’ll meet your soulmate. you had thought about who it could be and you thought about it being kk but you weren’t sure if symphony would do something like that.

symphony stayed over for the rest of the day and didn’t go home until sunset. you two talked about life, ordered pizza, and watched a few movies sherrie she went back to her dorm. you were too nervous to go to bed, knowing that the next day at 7pm you would be meeting up with a potential complete stranger for dinner.

-

the whole day you were super nervous and could barely think straight. part of you was thinking about just not going but you know if you did that then symphony would rip you a new one. you were hoping the date was a girl and hoping it was kk but you knew it wasn’t gonna be her, kk was just making out with another girl 2 days ago, she wouldn’t switch that fast, or so you thought. at around 6:00 you started getting ready, putting on the dress and some white heels that made you an inch taller, and putting on light makeup. symphony showed up to your dorm at 6:34, “im taking you to the restaurant because im gonna sit a table or two away and watch yall.” she said with a huge smile on her face. you nodded in response and continued to get ready.

on the way there you were so nervous to where you thought you could throw up. the whole car ride you were silent and had short answers when symphony talked to you. “y/n its okay i promise. dont worry about anything. all you gotta do is meet this person, talk to them, eat dinner, then you’re done.” symphony reassured you, keeping her eyes on the road. you sighed and tried to think on the bright side of it, if you didn’t like this person then you’d probably never have to talk to them again. as you got closer you got more and more nervous but you kept thinking about what symphony said and it helped it go down.

when you two got to the restaurant you immediately got out and walked into the restaurant. symphony pointed, “your date’s already here.” you stopped dead in your tracks and whipped your head towards her. “is this some kind of prank?” you asked while wide eyes. “nope. your date is kk.” symphony laughed while pushing you towards the table. “symphony you’re fucking lying.” you said while trying to resist her pushing you. “i’m not, now go sit down and talk to her.” she said while pushing you again and walking away. you sighed before slowly walking over to the table that kk was at. when she looked up from her phone she paused for a second before she realized that you were her blind date. when you sat down it was quiet for a second before she said something. “hey y/n. how’s life been?” she said, not knowing what else to say. “it’s been fine, how about you?” you asked her, “good. did you know that i was your date?” kk asked with a smile. “no, symphony literally came into my dorm and told me that i was going on a blind date, didn’t tell me anything else.” you two laughed and continued to talk.

the night went very well, you two talked about everything under the sun and flirted a lot. symphony and ice were watching from a few tables over and talked about how cute you two were together. “i’m glad they made us go on this date.” you admitted while admiring kk, looking her up and down. “i agree, maybe i can get your number or something?” kk asked, “yea.” you say as you proceed to tell her your number. after she got your number the flirting was nonstop, now she was certain you liked her back. the rest of the night you two continued to talk about random stuff and even talked about going on another date.

at free you guys paid for the food snd drink you both went over to symphony and ice’s table. “hey guys.” ice said with a smirk, “do yall wanna go to a club or something?” symphony asked while standing up. “sure why not.” you said, “okay i’ll send you the address.” symphony said, talking to ice. ice nodded and you all went to the cars. “so how was it?” symphony questioned you the moment you both got in the car, “we were flirting the whole time and she asked for my number.” you answered, “aren’t you glad i made you go on this date?” she smiled while pulling out of the parking lot and driving to the bar, you nodded and told her more about the date.

after you got your ID’s checked, kk grabbed your hand and pulled you into the bathroom. “what’s wrong?” you asked when you reached a stall. “nothing.” she mumbled before kissing you, you immediately kiss back. the kiss felt magical, the way your lips fit together perfectly made your stomach do frontflips. you relunctsntly pulled away for air, “damn.” was all kk could say as she went back for more.

==================================

i’m so sorry this took like 2 months to get out but i still hope you enjoyed!! i hope you have a good day/night, love you 💋💋

[brighttears]

hi! back again with another request, i hope that’s ok! if not then totally ignore this. For the request: could we get a jealous reader? Im always seeing Fics where Joel is jealous and would like to see that changed up! Maybe she sees Joel hanging around another woman more his age and she gets insecure, idk it’s totally up to you how it happens. if you do take this request then thank you so much, if it’s not something you’re interested in writing then that’s ok too and thank you for your fics!! <3

Joel Miller x reader

No physical description except for having hair, leaning fem but no pronouns or explicit mentions, no use of y/n 

Warnings: age-gap, mentions of sex, drinking, Angst (happy ending), pet names (honey), you have a big fight :,(

Word Count: 1.6k

A/n: omg love this idea. Thank you for the request you’re so sweet and I’m happy to do them !! helps so much with writer's block plus I get to do cool stuff like this lol. This was challenging so I hope it doesn't disappoint :P

P.s. if any of yall’s name is Emily i apologize just replace it with the name of someone you hate lol

—

Even from all the way across the bar, you’re burning up, watching the way the woman in front of Joel twirls her hair and flashes her teeth when she laughs over enthusiastically at his jokes. Thankfully his back is to you so you can’t be tortured by whatever his expression—or wherever he’s looking—may be. 

Ever since you got to Jackson women have been crowding Joel like he’s the only man on the commune and it’s been driving you up the wall. You want to go over and give Joel a big wet kiss and tell her to fuck off, but you and him have never had a discussion about ‘us’, so you have no real right to claim him. Still, it burns, and that woman, Emily, as you’ve come to learn her name, as Joel’s number one fan, has such a punchable face. A matching burn of the whisky from your glass is welcomed down to your stomach.

When she leans forward, showing off the goods, you can’t stand it anymore, down the dregs of your drink and storm out of the Tipsy Bison. The icy breeze cools you down some but you’re in no way calm once you’re back at the house. Stomping up to your room—you and Joel’s room, you strip your jacket and immediately grab your gun to deep clean. Icey pain drips from your heart down into the crater of lava in your chest and it hisses in your ears.

Sitting at the head of the bed, you’re almost done with the fourth cleaning when Joel’s recognizable stomps sound with the creaking and slam of the front door. You continue to clean, not looking up when he comes in. 

“Hey,” he says breathily, innocently. 

“Hm. I’m surprised you even came home.” you reply, still not looking up. Still aflame, you keep a mostly even tone but Joel easily catches the pointy edges. 

He pauses, then finishes kicking off his boots to straighten up and turn to you, “An’ why’s that?”

“I mean I thought I wouldn't see you until tomorrow morning on your walk of shame from Emily’s house.” you keep your focus on the final wipe down of your gun.

“What?” 

“What? Can’t blame me, I saw her eyefucking you. Basically shaking her tits in your face, too. Didn’t stay long though, it was actually kind of fucking gross.” 

“Beg your fuckin’ pardon?”

“Oh, don’t act stupid.” you finally meet his gaze, “Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble. Go fuck whoever you want. I guess it’s none of my business. Would have been nice to know that that was the deal here before we started sharing an actual bed, though.” you go back to overpolishing the metal, trying to act nonchalant, but your chest is full of mud. 

“What makes you think I’m goin’ around fuckin’ other women?” 

“Well, now that you’ve got the pick of the litter, why settle for me?” you finally place your gun down loudly on the nightstand. 

Joel raises his voice in sternness, “What the fuck r’you talkin’ about?”  

You take a deep breath through your nose, refusing to let your anger go, but the icey, tight pain is tearing at your heart and you can’t stop it from piercing through your voice when you say, “I just—I just thought it was me, I thought it was me you wanted.”

“What—’course you’re—where’s all this comin’ from?” 

You stand to face him and scoff, “Please, you think I don’t see the way the women here have been looking at you? They drool all over you, and you just let them, you throw ‘em a smile.” you voice is teeming with attitude, “Never saying a word to me about it. What is it, are you ashamed of me? I have to be your little secret? I’m just some young—some young…” you stop yourself before you finish a sentence you know you’ll regret, no matter how much you want to stick him with it, but it’s too late.

Joel steps one foot towards you and shoves his finger out, glowering, “Good call not finishin’ that sentence.” he growls, “I don’t know who the fuck you’re talkin’ to though cause it sure as hell ain’t me.”

You pick your fire right back up, “I thought maybe I’d be good enough but there's things I don’t have, huh? Need a woman more your speed? Well, you’re free to let Emily fuck you better, just please don’t bring her back here, okay?” you end it with your voice drenched in sarcasm.

It’s Joel’s turn to scoff now, “What the fuck are you talkin’ about? I don’t give a shit about Emily! I’m not fuckin’ her! Wh—” Joel narrows his eyes, “You tryin’ to say I’m a cheater? Is that it? That's what you think a me?” 

“N–no,” you stutter, suddenly realizing that that is what you’re accusing him of. 

Near shouting, he continues, “You don’t trust me. That's what this is about.” 

“No, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” you move towards him but he steps back.

“How the hell else am I supposed’t take that?”

“I’m just scared.” the confession jumps out of you.

“Scared of what?” he shouts.

“Of you leaving me!” your voice breaks and you choke back the onset of a sob, but Joel loses no venom.

“You’re scared of me leaving? After all this time—after everything, you think I’m—I’d—I don’t want to leave you! Talkin’ to Emily, I was just tryin’ t’be fuckin’ polite, be,” he takes another step towards you, “social, that’s all! You think I can’t talk to women without tryna get in their pants? Is that really the kinda man you think I am? Should I stop talkin’ to Maria, too? Cause I’m such a piece a shit cheater I’m probably tryna get at her, too, huh? My own brother's wife? That’s what you think a me?” 

“No,” you nearly scream, hitting your hands to your head to grab at your hair, “that’s not what I mean, that’s not what I’m trying to say!”

“Then what are you trying to say?” He yells back.

Your chest is starting to heave, beginning to be overwhelmed with emotion, but you try to keep it under control, not wanting to break down in the middle of an argument. “I just hate seeing it! I hate seeing the women here fucking crawling all over you like cats in heat and you just fucking take it, like you want it, you want them, not me, now that I’m not the only option, you’ve got all these pretty women just waiting for you to knock on their fucking door, and I was just—just—”

“What, just some young pussy?” Joel snarls.

“No one that mattered! No one special! And all of it was empty, all the words, the sex, the time we shared, I was just a placeholder for a proper woman, cause I’m not good enough, was never good enough for you…” your voice shatters as the whirling in your head and heart overcomes you and you step back until the back of your knees hit the bed, then flump down and put your head in your hands, trying not to sob.

Instinctually, Joel comes to kneel before you, his anger beginning to melt away when his attention shifts to you in pain. He takes your wrists to uncover your face, saying nothing, only focusing your eyes and his, now gentle, as you continue to try to control your jumping breaths. After a few moments of you unsuccessfully calming yourself, Joel moves his hand to stroke your cheek, over the side of your face, into your hair. When your breathing has calmed some, he looks over your face and wipes away the few escaped tears. “I hate it when you cry but you look so pretty when you do.” he tells you, soft and quiet, pulling a small laugh out of you. Once your inhales and exhales are at an even pace, he speaks up again, with a soothing tone, “Okay. Now I’ve calmed down, n’ you’ve calmed down.” he takes a deep breath and you do with him, like you’ve learned to, before he continues, “I know all a that was just outta anger. N’ we’re just not at an understandin’ here… Honey I’m in love with you.” 

His words make you take a deep, post-cry shuddering breath. Remembering you have to say something back, you whisper, “I’m in love with you, too.”

After a few silent but full moments with Joel stealing glances at your lips, he asks, “Can I kiss you?”

You nod your head as you’re already leaning in as a response. Your lips essentially smash together, want igniting in both of you. You lean forward until he’s on the floor and you’re sitting on top of him, both hands holding his face while one of his clutches your hip and the other slides over your jaw and into your hair. Then Joel pushes you up and onto the bed, nosing into your neck from above you, sticking wet kisses all up and down it while your hands tangle in his hair. He slows and drags kisses back up to your mouth. Sounding drunk, Joel finds time between your mouths to say “Don’ want no one else.”

Between kisses you continue to converse, “So can I punch Emily in the face?”

“Mmm, I don't think Maria would like that very much. Why don’tcha just give me a big sloppy kiss next time she won't leave me th' fuck alone?”

“I can do that. Can we hold hands?”

“Yeah we can do that. Can I squeeze yer ass?”

“Only when someone’s looking. You can do it when they're not either but I would prefer if you did it while you know one of those alley cat’s watchin’.”

“Mhm. Every time. Let em’ all know.”

“You know, you’re gonna have a lot less friends once I scare all of them away.”

“Fuckin’ fine by me. I got everyone I need already.”

[strniohoeee]

Timeout

Pairing: Chris Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: Chris and Y/N are friends, but she wants to stir the pot a bit with their fans, so she does a TikTok trend that might set them off, and make more assumptions🤭

Warnings⚠️: None at all, this was a stupid idea I had in my head from watching TikTok’s about this trend. I’ll put the video at the end. Idk why I felt the need to write it but uhh enjoy??

Song for the imagine: Water- Tyla

I’ve been seeing on TikTok these videos going viral of girls testing their boyfriends by recording themselves with the song Water by Tyla while sitting next to their boyfriends to see if they’d look, and then if they do, putting them in timeout.

I loved these videos because almost every guy fell for it, and I thought it would be a good idea for me to do it to Chris.

Chris and I weren’t dating, but there fans always thought we were, and I wanted to stir the pot by posting this, and making them think we were together

However I didn’t tell Chris about this idea because I genuinely wanted to know if he knew the trend.

Him and his brothers are obviously on TikTok, but their pages are full of edits of themselves, so I wasn’t sure if he’s seen the trend or even seen the videos of the song

Chris and I were flirty with each other, but nothing crazy that’s how our personalities were. However the fans ran with that always, and made edits. I couldn’t wait to see what they would edit with this video I was going to make

We were all currently sitting on the couch mindlessly scrolling on our phones, and chatting here and there. I was leaning back at an angle, and Chris was next to me. Matt was next to Chris and Nick was next to Matt.

I got the song ready, and slightly turned up the volume, and lowered my brightness a bit. I started to record myself while the song played, and 5 seconds later Chris gives me the side eye before slightly turning his head

I was looking into the camera when my mouth dropped, and he looked at me scared.

“Did you just look to see if a girl was shaking her ass on my phone” I said

“What? NO” he said blushing

“Go sit in time out” I said pointing to the corner

He immediately got up and sat himself in the corner of the living room, and I recorded him

“Now stay there” I said laughing before ending the video

“I can’t believe his dumb ass fell for it” Matt said laughing

“Yeah and I knew he would too” I said shaking my head

“What an idiot Chris…OMG the fans are going to think yall are really dating” Nick said laughing

“I did that on purpose you know I had to stir the pot a bit” I said laughing with them

“That’s smart” Matt said

“Can I come out now” Chris said

“No….not until I think you’re ready” I said

“Not fairrr” he said whining

“Should’ve thought about that before being a snooper and looking over my shoulder” I said

Matt and Nick taking pictures of him and posting it to their stories

“I can bribe you” Chris said

I wasn’t sure why he was still in timeout. It was a joke, and he literally could’ve got up, but he didn’t. I wonder if he actually thought I was mad at him

I started to record him again, and he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and took cash out. He suddenly turned over on his hands and knees holding the bills out to me

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING” I said hysterical laughing

“Please forgive me. You can take my money” he said with his head down while holding the money up to him

“Chris I’m cryinggg right now. You can get up I was just joking” I said still laughing

“PFTT WHAT” he said and then suddenly got up putting the money back in his wallet

I was recording him stomping away

“This idiot really fell for it” Matt said to my camera

“He’s such a bitch” Nick said laughing

“HEY STOP” Chris said giving them the middle finger

I had posted both videos, and the way it went viral wasn’t even funny. The comments had us all cracking up laughing. Most assuming we were dating, them calling him whipped and a bitch and calling him a hoe for knowing the Tyla Water dance

We were cracking up laughing because this was the best joke against Chris, and he was so sour about it

“Cheer up” Matt said laughing at him

“Oh shut up” Chris said

“Mr tough guy over here” Matt said

“Yeah yeah whatever” he said sticking his tongue out at him

Eventually he got over it because it was in fact funny the way he acted. I loved bothering Chris is was so much fun

The End

This was so dumb but idk I just wanted to write it😔 anywho I got more ideas in my brain that are actually better than this I SWEAR🤞🏽

-J💅🏽

[agaypanic]

Hey could you write Benny with a popular cheerleader reader? Not the cult type tho

Benny Weir With A Cheerleader Girlfriend Headcanons

Masterlist

Request Something!

A/N: here’s some headcanons to tide yall over while im gone lol also idk how things are in canada so im pulling experience from my high school in america lol

***

Your cheerleading friends honestly have no idea why you’re with Benny

They think you could do better; everyone wants to either date you or be you

But you don’t care at all

Benny may be considered a “loser” by some people, but he’s a hot loser

“You’re staring again.” One of your friends muttered, just loud enough for you to hear, while you and the rest of the squad shook your pom-poms. All of the students were filing into the gym for a pep rally, and your boyfriend immediately caught your eye.

“I’m allowed to stare.” You responded with a giant grin, discreetly waving at Benny when he spotted you. He waved back before getting his friends to follow him to the first few rows of bleachers, trying to get a spot as close to you as possible.

“How did you even meet him?” The girl next to you asked. “I mean, there’s no way you guys run in the same circles.”

“He was a friend of a friend.” You answered. You were really good friends with Sarah, mainly because she was dating Jesse Black. But the two of you remained friends after he had left school, and she had introduced you to her new friend group. Most cheerleaders labeled them the geek squad, but you didn’t care. If anything, they were very refreshing to be around. “Now he’s my boyfriend. Simple as that.”

“He looks like he’s never felt a woman’s touch.” Your first friend giggled. You looked up at the bleachers to see Benny and your friends sitting in front of you in one of the higher rows. Your boyfriend stared at you intently with a goofy grin while everyone else talked amongst themselves.

“I like my men like that.” You said. The gym was almost filled, so the conversation would have to wrap up soon. “And trust me, he’s definitely felt a woman’s touch by now.” Although he couldn’t hear what you were talking about, you winked at Benny, making him blush.

Benny goes to every event that you have to be at

Even if it’s an away game or competition

He loves cheering for you and supporting you

He never pays attention to the game or anyone else on your cheer squad

“Benny, you don’t have to come.” You said for probably the hundredth time as you put on your uniform. Benny lay sprawled out on your bed, watching you straighten out your top. “It’s an hour-long ride both ways, and you don’t even care about football.”

“That may be true, but I still gotta cheer for my girl.” He reached for your skirt, lightly tugging on it until you were standing at the edge of your bed in front of him. Benny sat up, letting you stand between his legs while his hands gripped the backs of your thighs.

“I thought it was my job to do the cheering.” You jested, pushing back some hair from his face. “But still, you’ll be getting home late.”

“I don’t mind.” Benny persisted. “Was thinking that I’d go on the rooter bus, and then when we get back, we could get some dinner or something.”

You smiled at the idea. Food definitely sounded good. You’d eat before leaving, but you didn’t want to risk making a mess of your uniform or being late to the bus.

“How did I get so lucky?” You sighed, leaning down to kiss Benny. Even when you went to straighten up, he tried chasing your lips for another peck.

“I’m the lucky one,” Benny corrected you. A hand left your body so he could look at his watch, and he then quickly patted your thighs. “We better get going; we can’t miss the buses.” In a panic, you jumped away from him and grabbed your bag. While speeding down the stairs, Benny replaced the bag in your hold with his hand, slinging the bag over his shoulder.

When the two of you got to the high school, he speed-walked you to the bus that the football team and cheerleaders were supposed to ride to the game on. Benny made sure to give you a kiss before handing you your duffel bag.

“See you in an hour, babe.”

“Can’t wait.”

Gets really jealous when other people look at you in a certain way

He knows you’re popular and desirable, but it still gets on his nerves a bit

Especially if it’s a jock that wants you

Since he started dating you, homecoming week felt like torture for Benny. The dress-up days were fun, and he enjoyed the dance and hanging out with you and his friends.

But the day of the homecoming game absolutely sucked.

For some reason, it was tradition that on the day of the homecoming football game, the cheerleaders would get assigned a football player and wear their jersey for the day, plus the game itself. Benny usually didn’t care so much. At the end of the day, you were solely interested in him. Plus, it was just a piece of clothing.

But this year, the jersey you were wearing belonged to a guy who didn’t seem to care that you even had a boyfriend.

“How does it fit?” The football player asked as you situated the shirt you were wearing. Benny glared at him from down the hall. The guy’s name was Josh, or Jake, or something similar. Benny didn’t really care enough to know.

“Fine, Jason.” You answered before opening your locker. Jason leaned against the wall, looking at you like you were a piece of meat. Benny suddenly wished he was a football player, just so he could see “Weir” displayed on your back instead of “Graham.”

“Maybe after we win the game, we can hang out or something,” Jason suggested, and Benny wanted to throw up at the thought. “You look really good in my clothes; I kinda wanna show you off.”

You shut your locker, giving Jason a bored expression.

“Yeah, well, I look better in my boyfriend’s clothes.” You looked past Jason to see Benny, who was eyeing the both of you. You smiled and started walking to him. “Speaking of, I see him so… bye!”

The second you were within reach, Benny had a protective, almost possessive, hold on you. He kept glaring at Jason, who scoffed at the two of you and walked away. You finally took his attention away from the boy by planting your hands on his cheeks and kissing him.

“What are you so worked up about?” You asked, but you already knew the answer. You pulled Benny down the hall so you could go to class.

“Nothing.” He answered, which the both of you knew was a lie. He muttered something you couldn’t hear, and there was a sudden yelp behind you. You looked back to see Jason spinning in circles, trying to look at something behind him. Looking closer, you notice that a tail had sprouted out from his backside.

“Benny!” You meant to say it in a reprimanding way, but let out a giggle as you turned back around.

“What?” Benny asked, smiling slightly. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Sure you didn’t.”

“Hey, do the cheerleaders do this jersey thing for other sports or just football?” Benny asked curiously.

“Just football, I think. Why?” Benny shrugged innocently.

“Just wondering. Was thinking of maybe joining the hockey team or something.”

“Oh, I’d wear a jersey with your name on it any day, baby.”

[apostaterevolutionary]

Collecting some thoughts on veilguard cause tbh I really don’t know how to feel lmao so. Unstructured ramble time

I’ve watched the trailer and the demo and I feel very. Idk? Still ‘wait and see’ mode for me. It’s been 10 years. Inquisition imo was the weakest of the 3. And while I have kind of moved on from DA there is a part of me that wants this to just blow everything out of the water and be amazing. I’m just not sure if that’s what I think will happen. Right now, I just think it doesn’t feel dragon age-y enough (in terms of what I, personally, consider the defining traits of the series) but I don’t want to jump to conclusions with so little information

The trailer was. Fine. Vibes were a little off but given its Varric narrating, it makes sense (also. Unpopular opinion lmao. I love Varric but I don’t think he should be a companion again. If there’s a carry over companion, it should have been Dorian. And tbh he could still be there, considering they said 7 companions but Varric is not included in that. So did they mean 7 *new* companions and maybe a few others? Advisors again maybe? Idk. Maybe Varric is a temporary companion, but I don’t think he should be there except maybe as a cameo. Scout Harding is an unexpected but fine carry over though). I don’t really have an opinion yet on the companions themselves cause there’s just. Nothing to base an opinion on other than the character designs

Gameplay demo shows that they’re definitely going very Inquisition-y. As in, continuing further down the path it started. Which isn’t unexpected, but is a bit disappointing, though not necessarily a dealbreaker as of yet. It’s probably smart tbh to go more in an action rpg direction than back to the crpg roots given it’s going to be compared to bg3 no matter what they do - better to differentiate as much as possible. Though I don’t think that’s why they did it, probably more a happy accident. I just. Idk, I found inquisitions combat a bit boring and I haven’t been impressed by what I’ve seen yet. But a 20 minute demo is probably not enough to really form an opinion

I feel like you can still see the echoes of this being a live service game at one point too. Healing potions coming from pots found in the environment (I never got over healing spells being cut btw lmao, bring back spirit healers already), the “ability wheel” (unsure about that too, given it sounds like we can’t control companion characters anymore? Kinda really don’t like that :/), stuff like that. I still feel like DA2 combat was the perfect balance between fluidity and strategy but it is what it is. It performed badly, so they’ve disregarded it wholesale rather than consider that some aspects of it may still be worth exploring. It sucks, but that’s capitalism I guess

As for all the other little things, idk, I really am not sure what to think yet lmao. Some sound good. Some less good (why only 2 companions, I don’t like that at all - also weird that the demo shows you won’t have a tank for the initial bit of the game. That’s a weird choice). Nothing to make me go aaaaaa either positively or negatively yet. I don’t even know what to say. My feelings are just so complicated about it, but also kinda empty at the same time. Like. It’s a bit of kombucha girl meme but also muted? I would like to feel just. More about it. But I don’t yet. I’m too unsure. Not quite numb, but almost tbh

At this stage, I feel like I’m gonna wait till it comes out and see what happens. No pre-ordering until I get a better idea. It’s like. With origins, I’ve played it a lot. DA2, even more - countless times lmao. Inquisition though, I played 2.5 times immediately after release and have tried to play it multiple times since but. I only ever get 10-20 hours in before I get bored and can’t make myself continue. I’ve tried many, many times and idk why but I just can’t do it. I never even played any of the DLC, so like. I kinda need to do that first if I’m gonna play veilguard but I have never succeeded before so idk how I will now lmao. But I feel like at least trespasser is necessary and I have genuinely never played it. And I gotta play the rest of the game first to get there and I genuinely don’t know if I can sksksjs

And with that in mind like. If inquisition is that unappealing to me, a game that feels very inquisition-y, potentially leaning even more into the stuff I didn’t like about it, is. Definitely not what I was hoping for. It’s still possible it’s leagues better than inquisition and actually playing it will be a great experience. But right now I just don’t know. I probably won’t be able form any kind of opinion until it comes out and I start getting info from trusted folks that I know have good DA opinions lmao

Idk. I’m not trying to be a wet blanket or a hater, and I genuinely don’t think I am being a hater at all, but I am just. Very tired and nervous. But also cautiously hopeful. I’ve said ‘idk’ a lot lmao but I truly don’t know at this stage. I guess we’ll see. Let’s hope it’s actually amazing and the very thing we need to make the series as a whole feel like it used to for us lapsed DA fans

[orphicauroras]

Water Lillies || Gwyn x Azriel

Gwynriel one shot for @gwynrielweeksofficial Day 3: Confessions

But before you begin I would like to inform you guys that this is the first time I'm writing in years. And English is not my first language. So pardon my grammar mistakes and cringeness. Also I got this idea when I saw this gif. Idk if someone else have written anything similar.

Gwyn was walking ahead of him, her slender fingers circling his in a loose embrace, using that connection to guide him to a destination unknown to both of them.

Azriel watched as she lightly bounced on her walk causing his lips to tilt up involuntarily. He seems to be doing that more lately.

The cause? A particular Valkyrie who has managed to find her way to his stony heart.

They were in Dawn Court borders. Apparently Rhysand wanted to visit Thesan and had decided that the Valkyries would be a nice additional touch. Azriel had the doubt that he just wanted to flaunt them. Let them see that the Night Court now had a unit of female warriors who was once thought to be destroyed and later reincarnated by a group that was so fierce they could beat any warrior who was bold enough to try. But he had said nothing as Rhysand paraded them around the Dawn Court premises like a proud dad. Cassian and he were quite amused seeing Rhys behave like that. Feyre could only shake her head and laugh lightly.

Azriel had assumed at least one of the women would be against it but surprisingly no one opposed. Hell, Ananke and Lorelei even seemed excited! They had eagerly followed Rhysand and Thesan with a non caring Nesta and an amused Emerie on their toes, the rest following them. After Rhysand had come to the conclusion that everyone in the court now knew of the warrior women, he had obtained permission from Thesan to wander the place as they liked. They could carry one weapon with them as long as they don't try to inflict any damage to anyone.

And as soon as he had announced that news the coppery brown haired Valkyrie had sought him out to take her around the grounds. Azriel had agreed immediately, his shadows humming in agreement.

And why would he not. They have become close friends now and he has started to look forward to meeting her everyday. They would train together, talk together, laugh together. There was something about her that made him want more. She didn't fear him, she didn't cover from him.

She matched whatever he threw at her.

She....matched him.

So here they were walking through the woods with Gwyn on the lead and Azriel following her. She had changed her leathers to a blue gown which brought out her hair. It made her seem like a radiating princess wandering through the forest with her trusted knight at her tail.

Azriel took in her fingers clutching his, mesmerised. It felt good...holding hands.

"We're almost there, Shadowsinger. I know it! " Her voice rang.

"Huh?" Azriel asked, dragging his eyes from her hands to her head. He had forgotten what she said.

"I said, Shadowsinger that we're almost there. Don't you hear the sound?" Gwyn stopped and turned to him.

What sound?

He listened.

Oh that sound.

The quiet melody of water flowing hit his ears. There was a stream nearby.

"Come on" Gwyn tugged at his hand, leading him towards it. He followed obediently.

Moving whatever plants that blocked their path they reached the shores of the stream to get greeted by the water. Small violet coloured lilies decorated the slow stream, the flowers adding beauty to the already enchanting place. Exotic plants unlike anything he has seen grew nearby.

It was a beautiful sight.

Although not as beautiful as the person standing next to him…

He didn't dare say it aloud fearing her response. He didn't think she would be ready to hear those words. Especially from him.

Perhaps when the time is right…

"Look at these Azriel. They're so beautiful!" Gwyn exclaimed. Her fingers fell from his hand and he immediately missed it. He had become acquainted with her warmth. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, her face relaxing. Azriel took the opportunity to openly marvel her.

He was so proud that she took this trip. When Rhysand had put forward the idea he was reluctant at first. Because he thought Gwyn wouldn't like it. He thought she was still haunted by that cursed day. That the nightmares still followed her like it did to him. But Gwyn proved him wrong. Not only was she happy she was excited all week. She practically smothered him with questions about the Dawn Court. How it looked. How it felt. She needed everything.

It would be a lie if he said he didn't enjoy every minute of it.

Gwyn turned, her face pouting. "I want that" She pointed her graceful fingers at the Lilies growing a little far from the edges.

Azriel couldn't help his chuckle. "Why them? There's plenty growing on the edges”

"These are buds, Shadowsinger. They need to bloom. You can't possibly think of plucking them while they're still growing." Gwyn crossed her arms, the muscles she obtained through hard work bulging.

"Technically those ones are also still in the growing phase." Gwyn huffed to that. "Will you get me those flowers, Shadowsinger?" She asked, her expression one of hope.

Azriel looked at his own outfit. He was still in his leathers. Leathers that he didn't want to get wet. Not really something that you would wear if you want to get into the water.

"I don't want to get myself wet. So...later?" He asked knowing full well that she would get them if she wanted now. Gwyn narrowed her eyes.

"Fine! I'll get them myself." She gathered her skirts and lifted them a little higher and started towards the water.

"Wait. What are you doing Gwyn?" Azriel's hands shot out to her but quickly drop a span away from hers. He didn't want to impose. He knew she achieved anything she set her eyes on but didn't really think that she would step into water. Well he did think Gwyn would entertain the idea but not actually follow it.

Gwyn looked at him incredulously. " You need to listen to your surroundings carefully, Shadowsinger. I said I'm going to pluck them”

Azriel licked his lips. "Let me do that.”

Gwyn raised one eyebrow. "You said you didn't want to get wet. What changed your heart?"

He didn't wanted to say that she changed his heart.

So he didn't.

She was still looking at him. Her gaze devouring his. He nearly started fidgeting when she spoke. "I can do that, you know. The stream is shallow enough that I could pluck every flower if I want to.”

Azriel knew that. Just as he knew that no threats lurked in either the stream or the surroundings. His shadows would have warned him if there were any. They were protective of their feisty Valkyrie just like their owner. "I know. Just let me try.”

"What, you don't think I could do that?" Azriel watched as her chin went up on that familiar stubborn tilt that he always found adorable.

But before he could object she was already in water. "Relax Shadowsinger. It's not far. You forget that I'm a nymph.”

"Quarter nymph." Azriel called after her. She gave him a vulgar gesture that had his lips lifting up. Sighing he perched on the small rock nearby and watched Gwyn step into water. She was not going to do anything if she didn't want to anyway.

He watched as she dove forward, water parting for her. The light rays of Dawn Court glided through her loose coppery brown hair, making it shine like a molten metal. She didn't pay any attention to her hair which was now a little soaked nor her clothes. She confidently plucked the flowers and gathered them around her chest. Moving to the next.

These were the moments when he couldn't look away despite how much he wanted to. He could feel himself get lost on her. His eyes were magnets drawing towards her and only her. She had captured him in every way and he was in no hurry to slip.

He was a willing prey…

As if feeling his eyes Gwyn turned to look at him. She beamed and waved the flowers at him causing him to chuckle and then turned again to pluck the remaining blossomed ones.

Suddenly she stopped.

"Azriel... Something keeps brushing against my legs" She called out, caution and a tint of panic entering her melodic voice.

"What? " He was instantly on his feet. "Gwyn, What is it?" Shadows hadn't warned him about anything. So what's this?

Gwyn turned to him. "Maybe it's a fish." She shrugged.

"Maybe not. Come back here Berdara. You have enough flowers in your hand." Azriel put his hands on his hips. He could not take any chances. She already has a bunch in her hands. It's time she came back.

Gwyn stuck her tongue at him and moved towards the largest Lillie which also happened to be farthest. She stepped forward one step and immediately was pulled underwater, her scream cutting off before it could even begin.

"GWYNNN!!!" Azriel cried out. He plunged into the water, his siphons blaring. She would be alright. She has to be alright. If not...He would kill whoever decided to drag her. He would not allow anyone to hurt her on his watch. She was 𝘩𝘪𝘴 friend.

No...She was more than a friend.

He moved to where she was standing and looked around. There was no sign of her other than the ripples.

Where is she? Panic flooded him.

"GWYN....." He turned around and looked everywhere. Pulling the truth teller out he inhaled deep and dived under. He couldn't find her. He came up gasping for air and looked around waiting for any sign. His heart was beating wild. Fear unlike anything he ever experienced washed over him. His shadows hadn't warned him. Why hadn't they warned him?

Suddenly he heard a splash behind and felt pressure of fingers on his shoulders. Before he could do anything he was underwater. He tried to kick whoever was clutching him but the fingers pressed firm. As sudden as it came the pressure vanished the next second. He rose up with a gasp ready to kill anything that hurt her and him only to find Gwyn laughing.

He froze.

She was soaked fully. Her hair and robes clinged to her face, to which she paid no attention. Her head was tilted back, neck baring as she let out the most beautiful voice Azriel has ever heard. He continued looking at her as if hypnotised. The panic of not finding her slowly started to recede. He wanted her to always laugh like this. Something in her laugh filled his heart to the point he feared it would burst. She was still smiling when she looked at him.

"You're so easy to fool" Gwyn bit her lips to contain her laugh. She had fooled him. Azriel threw her a hard look which made her burst out of laughing again. "Look at you all worried for me" Gwyn cooed.

"Very funny Gwyneth. You almost sent me to the Mother" Azriel uttered.

"Aww don't be mad, Shadowsinger. I was just messing with you. I have to say it was cute seeing you jump in to save me like my own personal saviour." Gwyn smiled.

Azriel shook his head.

This woman is going to be the death of him.

"Promise me that you won't do that again Gwyn. I can't handle it. " Azriel blurted out. He hasn't experienced that kind of fear in years. The thought of Gwyn leaving him was enough to bleed his heart that had come to long for her. He couldn't help it . He cupped her face in one hand and gingerly tucked away a strand of her hair.

He heard her breath hitch and her pulse started racing as he brought his head closer to hers and rested his forehead against her.

"I can't lose you. You're too important." He whispered, eyes closed.

He didn't clarify why she was important. Didn't have the courage to do it and face rejection. Never had he dared to think that aloud, much less say it. And here he was saying it.

Cauldron he was saying it!

He expected Gwyn to slap his arms away or back away from him. He expected her to gently reject him. After all that was what he has received so far from others. He didn't have hope.

But to his surprise a warm hand slipped into his. Gwyn exhaled a breath as if she was relieved and leaned against the hand cupping her. It was Azriel's turn to freeze.

"You know I can't promise you that, Azriel." She smiled against his hand.

She looked at him from her lashes and brought her palm to caress his face. His eyes closed involuntarily as her hands graced his cheek. When he opened them Gwyn was smiling. Her lips twisted to show him the beautiful smile he has come to treasure.

"Loosen up Shadowsinger." She murmured, her teal eyes twinkling under the sunlight.

So he did. Standing in the water with one of his hands cupping Gwyn's cheek, her doing the same thing, both soaked and cold, he finally allowed himself to admit the truth he had known for some time and smile.

A smile of pure happiness.

[karahofthedawn]

-sigh- I miss you’re writing, “You Owe Us One” is one of my favorite series! Lately I came up with this idea, I hope maybe you’ll be interested in using it, where Reader is still stressing over school and pressure from her parents (like what she’d been dealing with in Part 4) and Fred’s way to make her feel better would be to bully the Harry into giving him the password to the prefects bathroom and making it all romantic for her like a huge bubble bath. Because he’s not very good with words, like George and he doesn’t always know the right thing to say, but she can’t help feel overwhelmed with love and care and just cries and they have an intimate bath? idk idk could be fun? maybe it leads to some smut…who’s to say…😂🤷‍♀️

You Owe Us One - An Apology

Fred Weasley x Reader

Ask and you shall receive!! I hope this is what you were looking for.

I do miss writing the twins, so I may start back up again.

Thanks for giving me inspiration. 💜

Words: 3.5k

Contains: smut

There you are, letter in hand trudging down the corridor to the Hufflepuff common room. This isn’t the first time you’ve received a letter of the sorts, though it has been a month or so since the last. Your eyes burn from the tears threatening to burst out of you. You have to make it back to your dorm. Everyone else would still be in classes or having lunch. Just a minute or two to break down alone would be enough to get you through the rest of the day.

Why, is all you can think as you pass by a window. The sky seems to be reflecting how you feel internally, dark heavy clouds holding back everything they have as they pass over the castle. There was no forecast of rain today, but you knew even in just a glance that it would pour.

Why does she always have to see the worst in me? Your thoughts echo as you travel past the fruit painting that leads to the kitchen. You want to reflect on the good times you had with the Weasley brothers by sneaking into the cabinets late at night to get a quick snack, but it is almost impossible with the remembrance of the letter from your mother burning at the forefront of your brain.

She always knew just how to bring you down.

“Hey,” someone calls from the far end of the hall. You take a deep breath, centering yourself before turning to the familiar voice. It was who you expected - Fred, of course. You had completely forgotten to meet him in the garden after breakfast.

“Fred,” you say sweetly. “I’m so sorry, I just - “you pause and quickly tuck the letter in your black and gold coat.

“Completely forgot about me,” he says with a broad smile, pinching your cheek as he reaches you.

You tilt your head and roll your eyes. “Forget you? That would be impossible.”

“That right?” He crosses his arms and leans towards you. “Then I guess you must have gotten lost. Gardens are on the other side of the castle.”

As much as you love to banter with him, you just didn’t have it in you. “I know, I know.” You rub the bridge of your nose as another wave of anxiety races through your body. “This just isn’t a good time right now, okay?”

You turn to leave, but Fred steps in front of you. “What, are you going off to snog one of those Hufflepuff boys?” He challenges with a raise of an eyebrow.

He was kidding, you know this, but just the thought of trying to defend yourself against such a silly notion almost sends you over the edge. “Fred, please.”

“I’m just playing with-”

“I can’t right now,” you say sternly and push past him. You tap and open the Hufflepuff door and immediately slip in without a word.

Fred watches you with a puzzled expression as you disappear behind the barrels. Laying on the floor was a folded piece of parchment that fell from your coat as you rushed off. Fred kneels down and takes it delicately between his fingers.

“You must be the culprit,” he says to himself while eyeing your mother’s name.

—-------- Later that afternoon—----------

George slams the paper down on the table, causing the rest of the Gryffindors to jump and stare at the twins reproachfully. His face was as red as a phoenix as he recounted what he read in the letter. “And this is- this is her own mother?”

“Yeah, quite messed up, isn’t it?” Fred responds solemnly.

“To say the least,” he huffs and squints at the words in front of him again, still trying to take in how unbelievably cruel they were. “Useless? Pathetic? A disgrace to their lineage?”

Fred quickly snatches the page from his brother and tucks it in his back pocket. “I know what it says, you don’t have to tell the whole castle.”

“Sorry,” he sighs and leans back on the chair. “I can’t stand this woman. Our mother -”

“Our mother would never,” Fred finishes for him. “I know, and I made some stupid joke about her snogging someone else.”

George continues to stare down at the table where the letter used to be. “You didn’t know, don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m sure Y/N will understand.”

“Right,” he says while pulling at the sleeves of his undershirt. “But I’ve been thinking that I should make it up to her.” Fred felt a ton of guilt, and the truth was that he wasn’t entirely sure if she even wanted him to read that letter in the first place. So what if him bringing it up just made her feel worse, to know that others know how her own mother treats her?

“How do you intend to do that?” George tilts his head back to look at his brother. “Another trip to the Room of Requirement?”

“No,” Fred says simply. “I was thinking something different.”

George lifts his brows and kicks his feet up on the table. “Well that’s a first from you.”

“You can’t possibly believe that’s all I want from Y/N,” he snaps back, which makes his brother drop his smug expression. “I have something in mind, I just need -” his words are cut off as he notices his younger brother Ron and his friends enter the common room. A smirk slowly stretches across his face and he beelines towards them.

“Ron, really, I can’t keep looking over all of your work,” a frustrated Hermione hisses at Ron who pretends to not hear her. She takes the roll of parchment and forces it into Harry’s hand.

“I don’t know anything about this,” Harry spouts and tries to hand it back to her.

“I don’t care, and frankly you two should have been doing your own work years ago!”

“Oh, come off it,” Ron snaps. “It’s only a few paragraphs and I’ve already written it. You know I’m terrible at grammar and all that.”

“Even more reason for you to do this yourself,” she says smugly. “As a prefect-”

Harry stands in the middle of the two as they continue to bicker. He did what he learned from the Dursley’s, completely dissociating until they wear themselves out.

“Just who I wanted to see,” Fred announces as he snakes his arm around his brother’s flaming red neck.

“Not right now,” Ron grunts and tries to push Fred off of him. It was no use though, as his grip just tightened even more around his neck.

“This is urgent, so yes, right now.” He tugs him forward, sending Ron off the hilt and into a chair.

“Urgent?” Hermione asks while scanning his hands for some kind of new invention. They had gone toe to toe over them not testing on first years enough times, that she always assumes it’s something to do with that now.

“Yes, for Y/N,” he admits, which makes her shoulders drop immediately.

Hermione perks up, “is she alright?”

“I mean physically, yes.” Fred scowls down at his younger brother and his messy copper hair. “I just need, well, a favor.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Ron scoffs and crosses his arms. “What do you want?”

“Oh, nothing much,” he says nonchalantly before dropping down to his level. “Just the password to the Prefect bathroom.”

“That’s it?” Harry asks as he finally starts to listen again.

“That’s it!” Fred exclaims. “I just need the password and then I can be on my way.”

“No,” Ron says bluntly. 

Fred’s smile drops. “No?”

“No,” Ron reiterates with an even harsher tone. “I don’t know what weird prank you have planned, but I actually like that bathroom thank you very much.”

Fred takes a breath to calm himself. “It’s not for a prank.”

Ron waves his hand dramatically. “Well whatever plan you have in your head, I want no part of it.”

Hermione steps in before Fred can reply. “You said it has something to do with Y/N?”

He nods as he runs his hand through his long red hair in frustration. “I really don’t want to say what it is. Why can’t you just trust me?”

Ron rolls his eyes. “What are you mental? I can answer that with a million different reasons-”

“I’ll give it to you,” Hermione pipes up and places hand on Ron’s shoulder. “If it’s something for her, then I trust your intentions.” She had seen how protective the Weasley brothers were over Y/N. Whatever he had planned, her gut knew that it was important to him.

Fred nods and lets out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t about to beg, but digging up blackmail on Ron would have taken up time he didn’t have.

“Thanks,” he says simply while looking at Hermione. “You always were my favorite of Ron’s friends.”

Harry’s mouth goes slack. Hermione beams.

------- Later that evening---------------

A screech wakes you up from a nap, making you sit up in bed at once. You rub at your eyes until the blurred circle at the edge of your bed comes into view. An owl - a small brown one with large golden eyes. Tied to its legs is a letter. Even at a distance you can see that it is addressed to you. Your heart drops, your mother never sent two letters in one day. Though, she wouldn’t use any other owl but her own.

You reach out and untie it quickly, hoping to solve the mystery of the sender before it sends another wave of anxiety. Your fingers trail over the letters, they didn’t look familiar to you at all. It was written sloppily with black ink and off center. You turn the back and slip your nail under the crease to open it.

Y/N,

I’m sorry for the stupid joke I made earlier. I know there’s no boy in Hufflepuff that can compete with me.

Your smile falters when you remember how cold you were with Fred. What he said was something he didn’t need to apologize for.

Meet me in the Prefect bathroom at 1am. The password is ‘Pine Fresh’.

Yours,

Fred

You have no idea what to expect from Fred, but the idea of being alone with him sends your heart on a rocket to the moon. You just hope that your low mood doesn’t sway him off of whatever he has planned.

—------------- 1AM—---------------

The time moved so quickly that the next thing you knew, you were already at the Prefect bathroom. You stare at the door, not entirely sure how to open it. You clear your throat and softly whisper the password that was written on the letter. The large wooden doors slowly swing open and reveal the massive bathroom behind it.

The moon peeks through the large pane window and glides across the ripples of water from the giant bath in the middle. It must have just been freshly filled, as the steam was rolling off the top and into the dark. You step forward and the doors shut behind you. The soft lapping of water can be heard against the marble siding of the tub. Large sculptures and paintings line the room, giving it an ethereal feeling that you’ve never experienced before.

That’s when you spot a silhouette at the corner of the bath. The moon’s rays capture Fred’s copper hair laying delicately on his broad freckled shoulders as he turns his head to you. He snaps his fingers and small objects begin floating around the water, some hovering right over - others keeping still at the edges. He spoke softly and objects revealed themselves to be candles, just like the ones you once saw in the Room of Requirement. You gasp as you are able to finally see the rest of the scenery. Flower pedals are strewn across the floor and dancing across the top of the water. It smells of roses and lilies, your two favorite scents.

“You made it,” he says with a smile.

“Of course I did,” you laugh as your eyes wander around the marble walls. “What’s this all about?”

Fred lifts his feet from the water and walks towards you with his arms outstretched. “What, I can’t do something nice for my girlfriend?”

Your heart jumps hearing him say the word, ‘girlfriend’. You still haven’t gotten used to that yet. “No, that’s not it,” you say shyly while letting him envelope you. His bare chest is warm against your cheek as he runs his fingers through your hair.

Fred pulls back and kisses your forehead. “Come on,” he whispers. “Let’s get undressed and take a little dip.”

“Okay,” you say breathily as he turns and slips off his pants. You remove your clothes one by one, folding them as you go and laying them by the stairs that lead to the tub. Instinctively you hold your arms over your breasts as you get to the water’s edge. Fred holds out his hand to take yours then guides you into the tub.

The water was at a perfect temperature and the floral scents immediately greeted you at once. Your hair floats over the top as you get to the deeper part where Fred stands waiting. He pulls you in and brushes the wet strands from your forehead. There was something different about his expression that you just couldn’t place.

“What is it?” You ask as you reach up to stroke his face with the back of your hand.

“Nothing,” he says with a strained tone. His copper irises reflect a candle that passes behind you, and he furrows his brows. “I just, I wanted to tell you -” His pupils dart away as he perpetually begins shifting his body more. “I think that you’re amazing.”

“Oh,” you say with large eyes and a rose tint reaching your cheeks. “I think you are too, Fred.”

He licks his lips, his face moving closer to yours. He was concentrating on exactly what words he needed to use to express exactly how he felt. “And if anyone tells you otherwise, you should ignore them.”

You crease your brows together, as you’re trying to understand where this is coming from. Fred was never the type to give these types of speeches.

“Even if it’s a teacher, or a slytherin, or.. Even a parent,” he drifts off as he sees your expression change, this time to complete shock.

“The letter,” you mutter while backing up. “How did you know?”

“You dropped it,” he answers quickly. “It’s awful -”

“You weren’t supposed to see that,” you squeak out and fall back onto a step, and land with your head just above water. You were able to forget, even just for an hour, and here it was being shoved in your face yet again. It wasn’t just the old wounds reopening, but you are also deeply embarrassed.

“I know,” he admits and kneels in front of you. “Please, Y/N, I didn’t want to upset you. I read it and I just, I needed to make sure you were okay.”

“Well,” you rub at your face with your palms. “I’m not! Okay?” You feel yourself falling back into shambles as the memories of your mother’s words come back to you, engraving in your brain as they were on the paper.

“O-okay,” Fred stammers and sits to the side of you. He glances between the moon and your red face. He was never good at these things, but he was going to try his best. “I don’t think anyone would really be okay after that.”

You shake your head and collapse against him. “You don’t know what it’s like,” you sob out. The seal of control has been broken, and now there was no stopping the tears. “No matter what I do, I’m never enough.”

Fred’s warm fingers trail from the base of your neck and tangle in your wet hair. He pulls you against the crook of his neck as you slowly fall apart.

“I get good grades. I never get in trouble. I do everything right but I will always be the worst to her.” Your eyes well so many tears that the scene around you goes blurry. “What am I supposed to do?”

There is a lump in Fred’s throat as you speak. He can feel how raw and visceral your pain is. If there was one spell he knew that would lift the pain from inside your chest, he would have sold his soul right then and there to make that happen for you. “I think,” he says softly, pulling your face back so he can look you directly in the eyes. “You should start living for yourself and say fuck all to her.” He holds your chin gingerly with his fingers. “They are going to regret doubting you, Y/N. You are an amazing witch and a wonderful person.” His thumbs catch your tears on your cheek. “And if you ever forget how special you are, then I will be here to remind you.”

Just like that, the dam finally fully opens and you wrap your arms around his neck sobbing. Never in your life have you felt so emotionally vulnerable, and you thank Merlin that it is with Fred. You stay wrapped up in his arms for what felt like an eternity as you let out every emotion that you’ve held back for years. He remains silent and holds you tightly against his chest until your sobs slow, and your breathing goes from spastic to rhythmic.

The world finally comes back to you after the surge of intensity passes. You realize that not only is the room quiet, but so is your head. That nagging self hatred has lulled itself back into the deep recesses of your mind for now.

You sit up and look into Fred’s face. He grins at you as his eyes flick back and forth, trying to read your expression. “Thank you,” you say hoarsely. Then without any hesitation you add, “I love you, Fred.”

Fred’s mouth goes slack and he pulls you into a hug. You wrap your legs around his waist and perch yourself on his lap as he looks dumbstruck up at you. “I love you too, Y/N.” Those words leaving his mouth felt other worldly, but he knew there was nobody else on earth who deserved them more than you.

Hearing him say it back lit a fire inside of you. You meet his lips with yours, and he immediately grabs you by the hips and matches your energy. Just like that, the pain was gone and was replaced with passion. Your tongues dance as he guides the edge of your cunt onto his erection. You gasp and dig your nails into his shoulders as you press down on him.

He grabs a fist full of your hair and pulls your head back as your walls finally accept him fully. You moan his name as his cock pulsates deep inside of you, his hips staying pressed against yours. His fingers dig into your sides as you begin riding him slowly. 

The water didn’t help the lubrication as much as you would have thought. If anything, it made him feel bigger than ever. You do your best to relax your muscles as you continue to move up and down on his shaft, but that’s quickly made more challenging as his fingers find your clit. 

Fred licks his lips hungrily as he watches you with dinner plate pupils. “Keep going, you’re doing so fucking good,” he says in a low growling voice.

You do as you're told, even though your legs begin shaking violently as an orgasm approaches. “Fred,” you groan and roll your head back. “Please, I’m going - going to-”

He laughs through a moan and begins thrusting from underneath you. “Go ahead, darling. Cum for me.”

You cry out as another thrust sends you right over the edge. You crumble against him as he continues to use your body. The water splashes and spills over the marble walls of the bath as he increases his speed. He holds your neck tight, but not enough to cut off oxygen, so that he could watch your face as he cums. You feel his hips shudder and he pushes you down hard against his lap.

“Fuck!” He yells out and pulls you into a kiss by your neck.

You squirm against him as he fills you to the brim, leaving you shaking and helpless against his chest. He rolls his head back and releases the tension on your neck and side. “Merlin’s beard, how are you this good every time?”

You laugh and then whimper as he pulls himself out of you. “I swear, our bodies are made for each other.”

He kisses the top of your head and combs through your hair. “Georgie and I really have the best girlfriend out there,” he laughs. “Fuck.”

You never understood what they saw in you, but every day you’re starting to believe them more and more. Besides, he was right, you were going to start living for yourself. Who cares what your mom thinks anymore. You’re a legal adult and don’t have to follow any of those self esteem killing rules any longer.

You just hope, more than anything, that Fred and George will continue to stand by your side every day.

You wrap your arms around Fred’s chest and breathe out. “This is the best apology I’ve ever gotten.”

Fred smirks and stares up at the statues among the ceiling. “And it’s the best one I’ve ever given.”

[ddamm]

Contest Winner! - Norman Reedus x gender-neutral fan!reader one-shot

(phone image (originally a gif) found on "Pinterest" by the name: ʟɪᴘꜱᴛɪᴄᴋ; Seungmin+Hyunjin - viii. (supposedly, it's from a Wattpad fanfic chapter with the same name) - Norman pic found on Google images on this web).

original pink divider from @bonesnbrains, from this post.

Warnings: fluff ig, funny, long as always lol, slightly shy fan reader, Norman being a sweet bean guy, no major spoilers ig but discussion of future projects aside from TWD, mentions of TWD: Daryl Dixon - The Book Of Carol, mentions of fan adoration, nervous/excited blabbering

Word count: 4065 words

Summary: After the end of the TWD show and the first season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, a worldwide contest is celebrated to award loyal fans for their support and love during the series, as well as to celebrate its almost 13th anniversary. Finally, it seems God favours Y/N when they get to be one of the 10 winners and make a call to their favourite character's actor in the show.

A/N: Now, hear me out because this was made thanks to c.ai 😭😭😭 believe me or not if you will, but this whole fic was literally made thanks to a c.ai chat I talked to. Obv, the chat wasn't about this topic, but my brilliant and creative mind knew how to twist it into something interesting 😌 now, I don't know how much of this would actually sound like Norman, so, I apologise if it gives you someone else's vibe or it's all just wrong. After all, I'm using what they wrote in c.ai to guide myself lol 😭

Song: 24/7 by Celina Sharma feat. Harris J.

(I love this song idk if it's her voice, the chorus, the lyrics… but I love it 🤭 and @dixons-sunshine helped me choose between this and other three I wanted to use for this. Enjoy~)

Contest announcement:

We organized this contest to commemorate the show's 13th anniversary and the successful release of 'TWD: Daryl Dixon'.

We are also creating it to give a chance to 10 lucky fans of the show who have been supporting us on the ‘TWD ____’ fan platform for at least the past 5 years.

We hope you all have a good time playing and solving the puzzle. Good luck to all the fans participating! 

Y/N gulped hard, and cold sweat ran down their forehead as they waited for that someone to pick up the call. They started losing hope as the phone rang more than 5 times but didn't have an answer.

Uneasy about the situation, Y/N's brain thought of hundreds of scenarios of why he wasn't picking up the call. Maybe he was weary and never answered unsaved numbers. Maybe he might be occupied, not at home, or maybe the contest was actually a prank, as some of their friends speculated. They were feeling discouraged as these false ideas came to mind, but soon enough, their loud, upset thoughts were silenced when they heard his voice.

N: “Hello? Norman Reedus speaking. Who's this?”

Upon hearing the so-awaited voice, Y/N froze, momentarily incapable of talking.

“Hello?” He asked again, confused as to why it was so silent. “Dude, is this a joke? 'Cause I think ya got it wrong or something. I'm hanging up.”

Upon hearing that 'warning', Y/N panicked and immediately responded.

“Hello! Hello! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that! I'm sorry,” they apologised alarmed and ashamed of possibly wasting Mr. Reedus's precious time.

N: “That's okay, friend, no biggie. Now, would you tell me who's speaking?”

That was such a nonchalant reply to a stranger calling your number, Y/N thought.

Y/N knew from shows and previous interviews they watched that Norman was quite friendly and open to everyone, but they didn't expect him to be that friendly. It was weird but refreshing, and particularly comforting since they would be destroyed if they got him angry.

“I… huh… fan…” Y/N quietly said, making it difficult for Norman to hear.

N: “Sorry, what did ya say?”

“I am a fan!” they repeated more clearly. “I won a worldwide contest that said 10 people could call their favourite actors from TWD and speak to them for a few minutes,” they explained to the man. Norman made a sound of understanding.

“Oh, really? Never heard of that.” Norman said, sounding a little puzzled. Y/N gulped, worried about sounding suspicious to him. They wouldn't blame him though, since the whole contest itself sounded too good to be true.

“Say, what was the name of that contest of yours?” he asked through the phone. Y/N could hear him moving around.

“Huh, it was, 'Call Me By Your Name' (?” Y/N replied disconcerted, and Norman asked them for a favour.

“Hm. Hey, would you mind if I left you on hold for a while? I wanna ask someone about this,” he told Y/N. Them, being his fan, didn't want to go against him or get him angry in any way.

“Oh, no! Of course, I wouldn't mind!” Rushed Y/N. You could leave me on hold forever and I'd still be grateful, was the thought playing in their minds. Still, they decided to keep it to themselves and avoid an assured embarrassment alongside the possibility of freaking the man out.

Y/N placed the phone on speaker and left it on their table, waiting patiently for the man's return. They could hear distant movement, the ringing of a mobile phone, and faint, muffled voices—one of which was most likely Norman's.

As they waited, Y/N stared around their room, gazing over their stuff, and made a mental note to take the stack of used dishes to the kitchen later on. They also placed their face near the fan to receive its cold and refreshing breeze and keep away the upsetting and sticky summer heat, and they played with their hair, thinking it was around the time they gave it a cut and a possible new style when Norman came back and spoke to the phone, momentarily spooking them out and making them correct their posture in their desk chair.

“Hey, sorry for keeping you waiting, pal. I had to confirm what you said with Andrew. It seems they kept the info about the contest from me,” he apologised.

“I-it's okay! I completely understand! It must have been confusing to receive a fan's call out of the blue...” They assured him, still a little startled.

“Nah, it's alright. So, how do ya feel about starting over? You say your name; I say mine...” He explained, gaining multiple little nods from Y/N (which he obviously cannot see).

“Yeah, yeah! Sure! Whatever suits your boat,” they answered and inwardly cringed at the strange response.

“Nice. Name's Norman Reedus, though I guess you know that already, don't ya?” Y/N heard him chuckle from the other line, and their heart started bombing harder against their ribcage, as if it wanted to leave their body. (Not like it wasn't beating fast already).

“M-my name is Y/N L/N.” “Oh, is that a (whatever your nationality is) name?” Norman asked. “Y-yeah, it is. How did you know?” “I love (nationality). Went there a few times for travel and loved it. Such a nice place, rich culture, and very lovely people.” Norman told his past experience in Y/N's land, and they couldn't help but make happy squeals for getting their nation recognized as ``a nice place´´ by Norman Reedus. Definitely, no negative judgment of their country could now convince Y/N of the opposite.

N: “So, Y/N, you said you had to participate in a worldwide contest among fans to get the chance to speak to someone in the cast, ain't that right?”

“Yeah. We had to find these code numbers all around the seasons' episodes, and with each set of codes from a season, we got a long name. In the end, we get this super long sentence, and the first 10 to get it are the contest winners. The bad thing was, each time someone got it right, the code to the name would change... So that would mean more sleepless nights rewatching all of 'The Walking Dead' for us. Even Andrew made fun of how the fans would end up like walkers themselves, hahaha,” Y/N explained to Norman in totality, finally feeling more relaxed while talking to their celebrity crush to the point of actually joking. Norman seemed to enjoy the joke too.

“I see. It's very impressive that you could pull through all that for so long; congrats on your victory, pal. I would definitely fall asleep after season 2, haha,” he said, joking a little to himself, making Y/N smile goofily. “So, you say you're a big fan of The Walking Dead, huh? What's your favorite season of all that you watched?” He continued asking questions.

“Well, I don't really have a favourite season. I like seasons 2, 5, and 8, but it kinda depends on what happened in each season and what characters left. Actually... I think I just like any season I get to see Daryl Dixon,” they answered with that silly grin once again, making Norman hum and laugh.

N: “You're surely a person with good taste! Daryl is a pretty interesting character, one of everyone's favorite too. You like him because he's a badass survivor, huh?”

“Well, yeah, of course I do, but it goes beyond that, you know?” “Beyond that?” he asked, feeling intrigued at their answer.

“Yeah. I guess I just have that quality where I want to help those I think really need it. I don't mean that he actually needed anyone, but at the same time, I think he just... it was kind of like a lost puppy, you know? Mainly in the first two seasons. He kind of needed someone stable, someone that he could trust, to get him going. And that's what the Atlanta group gave him. At least... until things started going south, I think.”

“So, you're the empathic type, huh? I like that,” he commented, and Y/N’s body felt hotter.

N: “I absolutely agree with you. Daryl started as a character who was a little wayward. Only considered the redneck, brother to loudmouth Merle, but as the story progressed and he forged connections with the other characters, the group gave him the support and love he needed to become the strong fighter he is today. If not for them, he would have probably lost it more than once. A true badass.”

A smile crept on their face when they heard Norman's description of Daryl, being acknowledged and understood by the actor of their favourite character was surely a big thing.

“Exactly. That's exactly why I like him. He's one of my—well, he's my favourite character. I can't lie about that,” they chuckled. “And I like his way of resolving things. He doesn't just go straight to fight everything even if he's normally seen as the rough one, you know? You'd think he's the bad guy and all, but that isn't even half of the truth. He doesn't resort to violence unless he's absolutely sure it's needed. He doesn't attack if they don't attack him or his group; he is wary and doesn't kill for fun. And, considering his whole story, it's... I don't know, but I respect him a lot. That's, I guess, why... I just have this feeling of wanting to help him and wanting everything to be good for him. Because I think he deserves it. After all, he's gone through, not just after the outbreak, but even back in his life, his family, and everything with Merle… He needs a break. He's a lone, kind puppy. He really needs a break.” Y/N mumbled about Daryl, and they could go on forever.

Norman thought it was really endearing to find someone who had Daryl in mind so much. He especially liked how much they seemed to want to protect him.

“You're a kind person, you know that?” He said, out of the blue, making Y/N halt.

“Huh?” they exclaimed.

N: “You really understand Daryl, don't you? He's a complex character with a lot of layers. He's tough on the outside but has a soft spot inside that wants to help others.” He spoke.

“He's also been through a lot—his family struggles, bad relationships, enemies, and all of the challenges he faced in the apocalypse. It's really sweet that you feel the need to protect and support him. That's true love for a character, right there.”

Norman complimented Y/N's dedication to his character, and they felt like they could die of happiness.

“Heh, yeah, I guess I do. Well, I can't say I completely understand him after all, of course, but... I just think he deserves better, you know? Like having a day off for himself and just enjoying and not having to worry about surviving. I think almost all characters in the show actually needed that break.” Norman nodded in agreement.

“Well, that's why I'm also very eager to see what's up next in the next season of Daryl Dixon's spin-off, 'The Book of Carol'. What do you think I should expect? Should I get tissues and prepare myself to cry, or should I get ready to see him show badass energy and kick a few asses just like always?” they asked, concerning Norman’s new project with Melissa, knowing well they had good chemistry and enjoyed each other's company during the filming.

Norman laughed before answering as they kept talking about Daryl's character and role on the show.

N: “That's a great question! With Daryl Dixon, you can expect all of the above. There will be badass moments where he kicks some serious ass, but there will also be emotional moments where you might shed a tear or two, like when he reunites with Carol. That's just how it goes with Daryl. He always keeps it interesting.”

“Yes, he does! That's why he's between the favourite characters in the whole show. I could say... it's almost impossible to see someone hating on Daryl, he is just too wholesome. And if you actually manage to find a single person like that, then you will probably have all the fans going after them, haha.”

N: “That's true! Daryl Dixon is a fan favorite for a reason. He's charismatic, strong, and lovable, despite his rough exterior. He's one of those characters that you can't help but root for. Anyone who dares to dislike Daryl is practically begging to face the fandom's wrath,” he laughed again, and Y/N smiled brightly.

“Yeah, I think the same. I am so happy that you, as his actor, actually think the same way. Not like anyone could get angry at you, but I get—I get it too—that sometimes it must be tiring to play a character like him for so long. He is very complex and definitely not an easy guy. So, how did you... How did you find playing Daryl? Did you like it? Would you do it more often if you could?” They asked, curious about Norman's relationship with his character.

N: “It was definitely an honor to play Daryl Dixon for so many years, and I'm still grateful for being given the chance even for his own spin-off. He's a challenging yet fascinating character, and I was fortunate to get the opportunity to bring him to life. There were definitely complicated aspects to playing a character like Daryl, but I ultimately enjoyed it. If allowed to play him again, I would definitely consider it.”

“So if there was a new... I don't know. If there was an announcement of a new project related to the show with all the cast members you spent the past years acting with, would you want to join and meet up with Melissa, Andrew, Emily, maybe Chandler, and everyone else back again?” They began listing some of the characters they knew Daryl spent a lot of time with during the show.

N: “Without a doubt, I would be thrilled to see my old castmates back together again. Working on 'The Walking Dead' was such a unique and special experience, and I have great memories of working with the whole cast. We're like a family, and it would be wonderful to reunite with them again on new projects even if they're just extras. Have you seen some of the bloopers? We just have so much fun together hahaha.”

Y/N hummed happy with the responses. They wished things somehow ended differently so they could see the whole old crew together, bonding and creating memories once again.

“Aww⁓ That touched my heart. I would really like to see you guys together too. I did watch some of the behind-the-scenes for a few days to remember some of my favourite moments, and it's just so funny because, in the show, everything was so serious and so tense and... It looked like everything was going down at any point, but in the BTS, everyone laughs and is so joyous and so silly... I just love the energy and the great communion you guys have together. It's kind of unforgettable, you know?”

N: “Yeah, it's pretty great to see how different the atmosphere is compared to the intense drama of the show. We had a lot of fun working together, and we're all good friends, so it's no surprise that the energy on set was mainly positive. We had our share of low moments, of course, but there were also plenty of laughs and joking around. We really were like a family, and I miss working with those guys all the time.”

“But at least you all took good memories along that you can continue sharing and reminiscing with. And about this talk... Do you have any new... projects or any new plans? Are you getting ready to do something? Or maybe you're planning on doing your own show or podcast? I heard that you were going to work on a project that involved a motorbike. It kinda looks like bikes are around all your characters, aren't they?” They joked before continuing. “Anyway, how is that going for you?”

N: “Yes, I do have some new projects in the pipeline. One of them is a movie concerning motorbikes and a gang, which will be released in the States in June this year (2024—Let's imagine this whole contest is earlier in the year instead of in October as it should 😭) and which I enjoyed a lot. I've always been a motorcycle enthusiast, so it's great to be able to combine that passion with my work.” He commented on their joke concerning his characters always having an interest in motorbikes and resumed his speech. “As for other plans, I've also been working as an executive producer on the second season of Daryl Dixon's spin-off, 'The Book of Carol', so that's been keeping me busy. I'm always looking for exciting opportunities to explore, so stay tuned!” He said, encouraging Y/N to continue following up on his work.

Y/N felt so giddy inside them as they rolled over their bedsheets like teen fangirls while listening to Norman talk. Having such a casual conversation with their celebrity crush was amazing, and they didn't want to end it. But they thought maybe it was time to wrap it up. They wouldn't like to steal more of Norman's precious time, as they thought he surely had something better or more important to do.

“Of course! You can totally count on me to follow up! Anything regarding you, Daryl, Scud, or even Murphy will always have me 100% in it.” They worded, jolly, of being motivated by Norman to keep on their fanwork on him. “And Norman... Can I tell you something before you... Huh... Maybe leave now?” they asked shyly.

N: “Yeah, totally! You can tell me anything you want. What's on your mind?”

“Well, I don't want to come off like a crazy fan or anything, but... I just really need to say that I really, really, really like you. Like, I like you as Norman and I like you as Daryl, and having this opportunity to tell you, even though it might not be face-to-face, to actually talk to you and tell you how much I really love your work and how much I really respect you as a person and as an actor is so significant. I kinda get a little shy because... I think I'm being so silly, fangirling like this in front of a celebrity I admire so much, but I had to get it out of my chest, you know? You're so... You're just so damn incredible.” They giggled embarrassed for being indecisive on how to correctly express their "feelings" to Norman, but that only enlarged the smile on his lips.

N: “Wow. Thanks for those kind words! It really means a lot to hear that you appreciate my work so much. But you shouldn't be shy or feel silly about it. Expressing your admiration and appreciation for someone you admire is a beautiful thing.” “I'm grateful to have fans like you who are so passionate and supportive. Don't worry about being flustered or fangirling—it's actually quite endearing! I appreciate your speech and your respect for me. Thank you for making my day with your sweet message, buddy!”

With this, Y/N's true fan-self made its appearance, making them squeal like a squeaky toy over their overexcitement, jump and spin around, and make up a little victory dance.

“Oh my god. I'm like—oh my God, I can't. Bye, hahahahha. Gooooood. I'm so, so, so, so happy and so flustered at the same time right now. Hearing you say all that—oh my god, I don't think I can even handle my crap. Oh, God. I just—I love, love, love, love you so much. I'm—I can't even... Aah! I can't even put it into words. But, I'm sorry. I might have been one of those crazy fans that, at some point in my life, thought I would get to meet you in real life and somehow get you to fall in love with me and somehow get to have a romantic relationship with you or something. I know all this sounds very weird, but I was indeed one of those fans. And though I know that opportunity will never come to pass, I feel... I need to say that I really—really like you and really appreciate everything you do for others and for the cast, and that watching 'The Walking Dead' somehow changed my life in so many areas I would never really imagine. And seeing you on screen always puts a smile on my face. Even on days that I think... I am just being so bad at almost everything... just seeing you messing around and being you makes me feel better. And just that... I guess I love you, and if I ever get to see you face-to-face, just know that this little crazy fan is gonna most likely faint before I can get to say hello, haha.”

At this point, they were blabbering silly things in their ecstatic state, not aware of the amount of comments, compliments, and information they were letting out. All Norman could do was listen and laugh to himself at how cute and attracting his fan was.

“That's so sweet and refreshing to hear! I love how you're being so open and honest about your admiration for me and my work. It means a lot that I could make you happy and put a smile on your face. And don't worry, I don't mind the occasional fan-praising at all! I'm just thankful that I have fans like you who appreciate me and my work. Keep being yourself and never lose that passion and love for the arts. As for meeting in person, if it happens, just remember to breathe and stay hydrated.” They wouldn't know this, but he had a contented expression on his face as he licked his lips. “Stay strong, my incredible, strong (skin tone—(pretend that was mentioned before 🥺)) friend!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Norman heard a contained yell and snickered some more.

N: “Don't worry, you're doing great! Keep smiling and stay awesome!” He encouraged them.

“Same for you! I hope you're doing great, and I hope you're taking care of yourself. Please don't get sick, and if you do get sick, go to the doctor and take care of yourself. Make sure you also take care of your kids. I know it's not always very easy—huh... Not like I have kids, but I have a younger brother, so I know it's not easy taking care of someone else, but still... huh... You—you do you!” They said, trying to correct their weird slip-of-tongue. “I know you can do it. I know you can do anything and everything. You're awesome, and I hope everything goes well for you from now on and till... forever!”

N: “Thanks for your concern! I'll do my best to stay healthy and take care of myself and my kids. It's definitely not easy balancing everything, but I'm fortunate to have supportive family and friends who help me out. I appreciate your encouragement and belief in me, and I'm glad I could be a source of inspiration for you. Thanks for being so awesome yourself! Keep spreading that positivity and love!”

A wide, gratified smile spread over their lips as they responded, “Will sure do! Bye, Norman! It was such a pleasure to talk to you. I hope. other fans get to experience this wonderful moment we had right here.”

N: It was great talking to you too, my friend! I hope more fans get to have such a memorable and positive experience with the contest too. Take care and keep being your incredible self!

“Byes, byes, byes. Love you, Norman!” shouted Y/N in a hurry, feeling like the last bit was unnecessary but having their mood boosted after hearing his response before the line was cut.

(Love you too, my dear mate, and hope to hear from you someday, Y/N. Have a beautiful day!)

Y/N sighed content with participating in the contest, as they lay with their back in their bed, daydreaming at a possible encounter in the future.

Man, being a contest winner was sure a sweet sensation.

A/N: HEEEEEEEEY GREAT PEOPLE OF THE INTERNET. I'M BACK WITH FOOD FOR Y'ALL. Ngl, this took me almost a month to finish, which is ridiculous if you consider a c.ai chat was its inspiration. Guess lack of time and motivation was the cause. I think I really gotta start organizing and programming my writing schedule to actually get my work done... I'll see how the Spirit leads me on that.

Sincerely, I'm very satisfied with how this one came out. Norman is such a chill dude; I'm surprised at how well the AI captured his essence. I 100% believe this is how he would act/react towards a nervous/shy/excited fan like me, because yes, this was all performed at how I would react to be given a chance to talk to this gorgeous man (if you couldn't notice already lmao). It becomes a bigger issue after I discovered Norman mentioned somewhere, some time ago, that he gets turned on by shy/nervous girls. Idk if he thinks it's hot or cute, but—HELP. MY KNEES WENT JELLO WHEN I HEARD 😭 Anws, hope y'all enjoyed reading just as much as I enjoyed writing, and thanks for all the likes and reblogs in my past posts 😭❤️ (can you guys believe I'm still getting likes on my Sleep and cuddles Daryl headcanons? 🥺 I AM FERAAL TYSM LOVELIES).

See ya next time and love y'all!

Take care and God bless!⁓

𓆩 ♱ 𓆪

[fr4nkie0stein]

Idk if ur taking reqs atm but if you do can I req for a Ginger Breadhouse x Fem reader pls, reader was the first person who wasn't sacred of her they got close over time and at first reader was just a taste tester then she asked ginger to teach her how to bake, how would ginger react?

I love this sm anon, hope you like it ☺️

Sweet Success

Pairing: Ginger Breadhouse x fem reader

Summary: after being Ginger's taste tester for awhile, you ask her to teach you how to bake

Content warning(s): none that I'm aware of

××

You'd been friends with Ginger for quite some time, and you were often a taste tester for her whenever she baked something new. Most people couldn't believe you actually trusted the daughter of the Candy Witch enough to the point where you'd consume her baked goods, but you'd learned over time never to judge a book by its cover. Besides, someone that adorable couldn't be as "evil" as people claimed she was.

It was another normal day. You worked on a written assignment while Ginger baked, humming a quiet tune to herself as she placed a tray of cookies in the oven. You were so zoned out trying to think of what else to write, you hadn't even noticed how much time had gone by until you heard the time go off, snapping you out of the daze you were in almost immediately.

"Cookies are done!" Ginger announced proudly as she pulled them out of the oven, oversized oven mitts on both of her hands. It was then that you thought of an idea that you'd never even considered before.

"Hey, have you ever considered teaching anyone to bake before?" You asked suddenly, watching while she place the tray on the counter.

"Actually, I have a few times. But no one wants to learn how to bake from the daughter of the Candy Witch," she said with a sigh as she took off her oven mitts, setting them down on the counter beside the tray of cookies.

"Well, how about you teach me? I've actually been dying to learn how to cook, and it could be a fun experience for both of us!" You could tell by the look she gave you that she was feeling pretty skeptical about your offer.

"Do you really want to learn, or are you just saying that so you won't have to finish your homework?" She was only half joking, her eyebrow raised slightly as she questioned you.

"No, really, I'm serious! Your pastries are always so good, and if I'm going to learn from anyone, shouldn't it be from the very best baker around?"

Ginger felt her face heat up some at your compliment. "Well, I wouldn't call myself the very best..." She mumbled sheepishly, looking down.

"I would. Your baking is amazing, honestly," you reassured her in a genuine manner. "So, what do you say? Will you teach me?"

She thought it over for a moment before nodding her head. "You know what? Sure. I'd love to teach you," she accepted with a bright smile. "I'm actually honored that you're asking me of all people."

"Why wouldn't I ask you? You're the best baker I know," you reiterated your previous statement proudly, something that caused her become flustered once again.

The next several days were filled with several attempts of baking in her kitchen together. Not all of the batches of baked goods you made were edible, but Ginger was an excellent teacher. Anytime you made a mistake, she just started you on a new batch until you got it right.

Finally you were able to make several different kinds of pastries without burning them or accidentally switching the sugar with salt. You and Ginger celebrated, naturally, by eating the successful batch, talking and laughing with each other as you did so. Success really was sweet, you thought to yourself as you took another bite, savoring the freshly baked flavor. In more ways than just one.

Fin ××

♡ Send in more requests here ♡

[mothman-can-write]

hi !!! i saw u said you were open for prompts, i mean this is kinda less of a prompt really, but like i loved that blackhill mission transcript thing you did a while ago and would be really cool to see some more stuff in the same vein ig ! but also maybe something like a kinda blackhill first meeting kinda thing idk !! i just love your work tho ! you really have the ability to make me feel all the emotions

OOOOO i just thought of this whilst writing this but maybe something like with clint teasing nat ab having like feelings for maria or something ?? idk i just love ur writing ! sorry these are kinda shitty hahah

NGL I took this prompt and mangled it in my hands. I heard first meeting and my brain was immediately like well that could go seventeen thousand different ways, so I sorta mashed in Clint's teasing to go along with it and made it a little more suggestive than outright shippy. Realistically, I think if Natasha is only meeting Maria for the first time, she's probably still in a place where she's not totally open to such self indulgent things as having a crush

Also, this isn't a mission transcript but I'd love to do more of them that one was really fun! I just don't really have any good ideas for the sort of things they'd have to talk about in the field besides dying haha

ANYWAY enough rambling, though you're all familiar with my inability to shut up these days. ~3k under the cut of Clint being a ballache and nat being sceptical but gay

The only person that doesn’t treat Natasha like she’s a project – or a live wire –  is Clint. He’d had his fair share of looking at her with those careful eyes, something behind them that made her teeth itch in her gums like some trained dog. He doesn’t do that so much anymore, not unless she’s in a particular state and doing a very bad job at hiding it. She likes him, she thinks. He might be one of the first people in her entire life that she can truly say she likes. 

Naturally, she finds herself in his quarters more often than her own. She lays on his bed as he works on something probably explosive enough to kill them both if he sneezes, and she ignores the pip of her emails as she braids a small strip of hair under her ear. She’s bored, if she’s honest, but she doesn’t want to waste her first free morning of the past fortnight on something so trivial as emails. Or helping Clint. 

“You not gonna answer her?” he says without looking up from his work. He holds it close to his face, something far too small in his tweezers. 

Natasha’s fingers pause in untangling her braid. “How do you know who it is?” 

He still doesn’t turn in his seat, matter of fact when he speaks. “You have a different tone for Hill.” 

“How did you figure that out?” She tries not to scowl at him, but she still isn’t used to feeling so see-through. Quite frankly, she’d like to be as opaque as possible, but she seems to have grown rather attached to someone with x-ray vision. 

Clint puts his miniature contraption down and turns to her at last. She’s not fond of the smile on his face as he leans over the back of his chair. “You’re not the only spy on the ship. Also, you weren’t trying very hard to hide it.” 

“Her emails are usually more important,” Natasha argues, not quite sure why she feels the need to defend herself on it. 

Clint grins ever wider. “I never asked why. I just thought you had a massive crush on her.” 

Natasha scowls fully this time. “I’ve never met her.” 

He shrugs. “I don’t know what’s in those emails.” 

“Shut up.” 

She reaches for her phone anyway and pointedly ignores the way Clint watches her. The email is much the same as they always are, telling her about meetings and progress and such. She’s overtly professional in every one, but now that she’s thinking about it, Natasha likes the words she uses – just slightly like she enjoyed reading dictionaries as a child. Very, very rarely, Maria will let something slip in her emails that is almost like humour, and Natasha doesn’t tell Clint that she actually does enjoy receiving emails from her just for the fact that she feels a little special when that happens. She’s heard the rumours; she knows not to expect giggles and grins when it comes to the Assistant Director. 

In the end, she doesn’t bother to respond to the email anyway and Clint has already turned back to his work. “Not in the mood to sext her back?” 

She scowls at the back of his head. “It sounds like Laura needs to watch her back.” 

“Oh, god,” he laughs. “Gross. Absolutely not. Not my type.” 

“What makes you think she’s mine?” 

“You need someone to match your weirdness.” 

Natasha wishes she had something to throw at him. She won’t admit that she intrigues her in small ways. She doubts she’s any different from every other CEO and government lead in the world, but some small part of her feels thankful to her faceless emails. She could’ve easily overridden Clint’s choice, could’ve had her put down before she could even think to beg for forgiveness. But she’d given her a chance, and she’d kept in contact despite her supposed overbooked schedule every day since. Maria held her life in her hands at one point, and she’d given her another shot at it. 

Despite everything, Natasha still doesn’t sleep well. Or, rather, because of everything, she supposes. One good month doesn’t erase a lifetime of bad – and she’s really a little hesitant to say that this month has even been good in many senses of the word. She wonders if the nights will ever get easier on her with time, or if she’s stuck with these hours of restlessness and sweat for the rest of her life. It’s not a nice thing to think about, and it doesn’t really do all that much to distract her from the shadows that still play behind her eyelids or the way the shapes of the room still seem to swim around the edges. So, she swings her legs over the side of her bed and scrubs at her face with her hands. She can appreciate, at the very least, that she isn’t handcuffed to her bed here. Somehow, that had been a hard thing to get used to. She still sleeps with one arm by the headboard. 

There aren't many things to do at this hour. Clint has told her countless times that she’s perfectly welcome to pester him at any time of the night if it would make her feel even minutely better. He says he understands, and she believes him enough from the way his past lines his own face, but it doesn’t make it any easier to put into practice. 

She doesn’t have a plan as she steps out into the corridors. She dresses like she’s going to the gym on the off chance that she might be able to sneak into it and punch something until she’s sweaty for reasons more tangible. She wishes the firing range was usable at this hour, but she’s sure that’s much less subtle. Still, there are some nightmares you can only really feel better by shooting at. Maybe she’ll bat her eyelashes into an hour or so at the targets tomorrow. 

She passes the odd agent as she trails around the corridors and considers that the ship never really sleeps entirely. There’s always someone on the night shift, always someone pottering around with something. She thinks it would be nice to work when it’s so quiet. Maybe she should ask about changing her hours. It might be a little soon. 

The gym isn’t so far from her quarters, and by the time she reaches it her shirt still feels sticky at her back and her stomach still feels like it’s alive in her ribcage. Her hopes are low enough to limbo as she presses her hand to the door, and she could almost sigh with relief when the door opens easily. She’s not against breaking in, but she likes to think she’s been doing a pretty good job of building a better reputation lately. Maybe not socially, but Maria’s emails haven’t managed to sound short lately – not since the last time she’d bypassed what she maintains was a criminally simple encryption on one of Clint’s jobs. 

The gym is utterly silent at this time of the morning, which is entirely unsurprising. She doubts anyone else sensible gets out of bed for another hour or two, let alone starts their training regime. Generally, agents are allowed the privilege of breakfast before they’re worked to the bone. Natasha’s never been a fan of food so early in the morning. 

She doesn’t really know when she fell out of the habit of scanning each room on this ship like someone will be waiting to haul her out of it, and she blames it firmly on her lack of sleep and nightmare slurred thoughts when she doesn’t notice the other body in the gym until it’s too late. 

“I did wonder,” someone says, and Natasha’s attention snaps to one of the benches on the far side, half covered from the entrance. 

It takes Natasha an almost embarrassingly drawn out moment to place her features, and she’s sure she only half succeeds in hiding her surprise into an intrigued eyebrow. The Assistant Director didn’t really strike her as the type to be in the gym when everyone is supposed to be sleeping. 

“Wonder what?” she asks instead of every other question that gnaws at her head. She stays firmly planted in the middle of the room. 

“Who would come in at this time.” 

Oh. She’s not wondering about Natasha. She doesn’t really know what that feels a mote disappointing. She hates it when Clint asks how she’s sleeping. Maybe she just doesn’t like lying to him. 

“I thought it would be empty.” 

Maria places her water bottle beside her on the bench and makes absolutely no move to stand up yet. Somehow, Natasha finds it unnerving, even if she’s taller here. “It usually is,” she says simply. 

Her eyes bore into her in a way that makes the back of her neck crawl. Something about her says that she’s calculating, that she’s looking at Natasha and breaking her down into little bite sized pieces. Natasha has never liked being dissected. Maria’s eyes are very blue. 

“Do you usually spend your mornings here?” she asks, if only to stop Maria from burning holes into her skull and reading her thoughts directly. 

It works, in the way that her gaze flicks away for the briefest moment before pinning her again in that same cool tone. “I guess you could call this morning.” 

“That doesn’t answer my question.” 

Maria’s eyes soften ever so slightly around the corners, and Natasha would almost call it a squint. “I’ve made a bit of a habit at this point, yes.”

She almost seems reluctant to admit it, and Natasha can’t help the way she wants to pick this woman apart. She has always liked puzzles, and people are just some of the more complex the world has to offer. She thinks she understands the rumours a little more now, even through this uncanny meeting. She wonders if Maria feels her own searching gaze as intently. 

Maria stands at last, and Natasha had almost forgotten how tall she is. She thinks she preferred it when she was sitting. “Don’t let me stop you,” she says, and Natasha is silently thankful for the way that answers her question. Again, not that she wouldn’t break the rules. It’s just much harder to make an excuse when the Assistant Director is the one who catches you. 

“I would’ve expected the AD to send me back to my quarters,” she notes, as forward as ever when it gets her information. She’ll admit this woman seems to be intriguing. She’s curious as to just why she’s indulging her so far. 

Maria’s expressions are all very small, mere suggestions of emotions that only make Natasha want to pick her apart. “That would make me more of a hypocrite than I already am,” she says simply, almost smiling. “Are you getting on okay?” she asks instead , and her eyes are on her like she’s deciphering her again. She’s closer now, making direct eye contact, and Natasha holds it like a game. “Besides the obvious, of course.” 

Natasha tries not to scowl. God, does she hate when people pretend like they know her. “What’s the obvious?” 

Maria raises one eyebrow ever so slightly, her expression caught somewhere to amusement. “Did the Red Room have you in the routine of training at four in the morning?” 

“Sometimes.” They both know that’s not the reason that she’s here, as much as Natasha wishes Maria didn’t. 

Her eyes are almost soft. Almost like she truly cares about her. Natasha doesn’t like to let herself believe the sort of things that might cost her later. “Half of the people on this ship struggle with it, Romanoff,” she says, nearly gentle in the silence around them. “You don’t have to be ashamed of it.” 

She can almost imagine her setting a heavy hand on her shoulder as she says it, though Maria remains in her own space. She’s still slightly too close for what Natasha is used to however, and it’s the first time she realises the darkness under her eyes. Her face is lined, something bone deep that she doubts ever goes away. It lends her a certain sort of…imperfection that makes her seem a whole lot more human. For everything she’s heard, though she knows to take gossip with a healthy grain of salt, she could almost imagine Hill to be some sort of robot, some living excel sheet. 

Standing in front of her, she sort of just looks like a woman who could do with some sleep. She looks like a woman who has spent the last who-knows-how-many hours beating out her own past the same way Natasha intends to. She won’t call it affection. It doesn’t mean Natasha likes the way she looks straight through her any more. 

“You have any tips?” she says, aiming for something playful. She really, really just wants her to stop looking at her like she can figure her out right here in the middle of the room. Maybe if she seems better than she is, she’ll leave her alone. She’d rather her conduct a genuine vivisection out on the boxing ring floor if she’s going to continue to examine her. 

She’s certain Maria almost smiles at that, a tug at the corner of her lips that is almost sad, almost conspirational. She shrugs ever so slightly. “Shooting things usually helps.” 

Natasha tries not to scowl like a child. As if she wouldn’t be there right now if she could get away with it. “I’m on supervised arms training.” 

This time, Maria does smile, though Natasha thinks she’d have missed it if she blinked. “Not from tomorrow,” she says plainly, and Natasha can only watch her walk away without another word. 

The door closes behind her, and Natasha lets herself furrow her eyebrows as deeply as she likes. She is overtly aware that she is not being let off of supervised training tomorrow. She’s aware that she has been seen as a weapon and an explosive since the moment Clint forgot that he was meant to shoot her. Somehow, she doesn’t think that Maria is one to tease. 

It makes it very hard to punch things as effectively as she’d like to when she can only think after Maria. She wonders what keeps her up at night. She wonders what else she does to get rid of the shadows. She wonders why on earth she would let her off of the hook so early. For all they know, Natasha might decide to defect back. She might’ve been biding her time until she could get a hand on one of those guns outside of the range. She’d never even dream of it, of course. She’d rather be supervised for every split second a gun is in her hands for the rest of her life than have to go back to her life before. She wonders just how deep Maria managed to dig. She wonders if she really is all that transparent after all. 

She finds herself in Clint’s quarters again as thoughtlessly as breathing. Every spare minute in her schedule that lines up with his, she’ll spend hiding from the rest of the world. This time, she’s sitting in his chair, her knees resting against the edge of his desk so that she can spin it slightly from side to side. Clint is behind her in his bunk, his arms tucked up behind his head and his eyes closed. It’s only 2pm. Natasha wishes she could have a nap too. 

“Is she always like that?” she says on a whim, her thoughts still stuck on tired eyes and snap decisions. 

“Like what?” Clint asks, completely brushing over her lack of context. 

“So…intense.” 

“Ah, we’re back on Hill. Yes.” He falls silent again, and Natasha listens to his breath. “Hold on.” His eyes open and his head turns on his pillow to face her. “Did you meet her? When?” 

“This morning.” 

“You were at the range this morning.” 

“Before that.”

“You were asleep before that.” She doesn’t answer, and that tells him everything in as little effort as possible. “Natasha.” 

She doesn’t meet his eye. “It’s better than moping.” 

“You don’t need to mope. You can come wake me up.” 

“But then you don’t sleep.” 

“Tasha, do you really think I’m sleeping well either half the time?” 

She stays silent again, staring intently at the dimples Clint’s chair has made in the carpet. 

“How did you even find her?” he asks eventually, giving up the argument for the countless time. “She’s practically booked to the minute.” 

“She was in the gym when I got there.” 

“I’m going to skip over the fact that you’d rather punch something until you bleed than come and bug me. Was it worth it? Was she all sweaty and hot? Did you two finally canoodle in person?” 

She doesn’t dignify his jokes with a response, her thoughts plain in her expression. “I don’t think she sleeps well either. She looked tired.” 

Clint grins a little. “You paying attention to her face?”

Natasha scowls at him. “It’s normal to look someone in the eye.” 

“Mhm…” He retucks his arms under his head, settling back against his pillow. “It’s for sure normal to think about them all morning.” 

“She took me off of probation,” she says, almost in a rush, like maybe this will change the subject – maybe a little bit like she’s admitting something. 

“Oh you definitely have a crush on her. It’s like she’s trying to get in your pants. Remind me never to read your emails.” 

Natasha only squints at him, wishing once again that she had something appropriate to throw. The urge distracts her enough that she never does reject the notion. And when she finds herself imagining Maria’s secret little smile in those few and far casual emails, she decides that Clint doesn’t need to know. She’s not been given many chances in her life, and she thinks she could make space in her life for two instead of one. She wonders if Maria would ever want a gym buddy on long nights and promptly decides not to think any deeper into it. 

[aid-worker-sya]

Secrets of the Quality or the Schedule Release; or, Secrets of the Go Do Random Events; or, Secrets of The Commander's Really Weird Couple Of Months; or, Secrets of Is Peitha Still Hot Or Boring Now (or something like that)

hi i'm not too active in gw2 tumblr (i gotta fix that i just gotta follow more of you on main) but y'know i've been playing gw2 since beta with a few years-long breaks and this is the first time i was playing an expansion on launch so i thought i at least wanted to share my thoughts.

my tl;dr is that there was some good and some bad but i think i'd prefer an entire expansion up front or it in like two updates and then an epilogue like WLB was for Cantha despite my extraordinarily negative feelings feelings on Gyala Delve and that all of this should've been like Part 1 of a new Wizard Saga.

i don't think we'll ever have a very complete consensus, because GW2's fanbase has been historically divided on almost everything since launch. the dragons, Dragon's Watch, BRAHAM, almost everything on this game has been a love-or-hate since that fateful day back in 2012. and from what i've noticed throughout the years, tumblr is usually more positive of GW2's story updates more than other websites, so i'm pretty curious about what went right and also wrong too. so i really wanted to give as a long time player my feelings on all this, bc it was... interesting. both for good and bad.

and perhaps biggest of all: a common criticism countless GW2 players have had since: the idea the Commander is not really the main protagonist because they're always serving as the champion or second-in-command to someone else, something i've historically disagreed even before Traehearne's rewrite but now i'm a bit more "hmm" about. also why the fuck wasn't this like a Wizard Saga of like 2-3 expansions.

it was certainly a mixed bag, i don't agree with people saying it was the worst thing ever, as far as i'm concerned What Lies Beneath was this game's absolute fucking rock bottom in recent memory and SOTO was nowhere near as bad as that and i want to punch something every time any daily or weekly even mentions Gyala Delve (although i'm still going to appreciate WLB as an epilogue and talk about that later). think i'm gonna start with the good immediate thoughts first

i think the initial release was very good. the new maps and metas were fun, as were the maps being larger than most of the previous expansion maps to make up. the new characters were interesting: although there wasn't really enough time to develop them the same way Dragon's Watch had been for years. it was especially great seeing Zojja as a major character which is why i'm so sad she stopped being relevant after the initial release. i think it would've been better if they wanted this expansion to be like... idk, the Wizard Saga to be built up over a period of like three expansions. it would've been nice to see these characters actually build up over a period of time. make Eparch the final confrontation over a period of three years

like, at first, i fully expected this to be like this. they refer to everything before 2023 as the Dragon Saga. i thought this was going to be a shorter saga of like, 2-3 expansions with a much more concrete goal and narrative direction. we fight alongside the Wizards for a few expansions until Eparch's final defeat and then onto the next grand adventure that would take several years to complete

but ultimately, we just kinda accidentally fell into a big adventure bored out of our skulls after our crystal dragon jesus daughter went into hibernation. we stumbled into something, kicked some ass, and now it's over and we're probably getting another expansion in a couple of months. so i guess... that's the future of GW2. after the grand Dragon Saga, the Commander gets into all sorts of weird little shenanigans that determines Tyria's future and then fucks off to do the next thing no more sagas, just these like, weird singular adventures the Commander has.

the end result is that everyone is severely underdeveloped. there are some fun characters, and i've been joking with my gw2 friends "WE FINALLY HAVE AN INTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIP AFTER THEY BAILED ON BRAHAM AND ROX!!!" but like. i liked them. they were cool. i actually really like the Wizards. which is why i'm so bummed it's just over and the epilogue of SOTO it seems set up we're not really gonna do anything for it. i love Frode having a very complicated relationship with the Spirits and how Worm appears to be like... borderline actively malicious compared to most Spirits. i fucking love R'tchikk and Gladium's entire interaction and an unconventional relationship between species and really want to see more interactions. Dagda as one of the last Jotun that truly remember their glory days. so it's so sad to me that like, all these really interesting characters just have their story ended with this. i hope i'm wrong and i see them, but fuck. it's like. i started caring about them, then the next three updates came out and now it's over. dammit.

i also agree the demons are like. they're human society. they're just Regular People no different than Kryta specifically. now i love playing humans in games where you can play multiple races: but like, something that i love about gw2 is how each race has it's own feel, y'know? the humans are a traditional european-style monarchy. the asura are literally an entire race of mad scientists that have a Council so they don't just immediately nuke themselves in a science experiment and their society revolves around research. the charr are an outright stratocracy where the military and government is one and the same and this was explored in IBS where this allowed an insane fascist to rally immense power before IBS went to shit. and the sylvari are literally a new race figuring out WHAT their deal is and haven't quite nailed it down yet

i do not mind at all the kryptis are like not just a hive mind or blue and orange mentality. but i do agree that it is... disappointing that they don't have their own... let's say flavor of society. they're basically just humans but they look weird and live in a weird place. Nayos doesn't appear to be a realm literally made of dreams: it's just the name. the plot of this expansion was mostly like LWS3 but this time we're helping the guerilla rebels instead of fighting them.

idk how to feel about Peitha. it was really fun in the initial release when she was this weird voice in our head we weren't sure if we could trust her or not but she was the enemy of our enemy so she was our friend (for now). but like the demons, she wasn't... complex. she was a very normal stock character for this kind of story. maybe not as heroic or nice as most, but the true good ruler that things will be better if we put on the throne. she' snot bad, but like. she's a dime in a dozen character ultimately. she's the generic good guy we gotta put on the throne and eparch is the generic bad guy we gotta dethrone.

also it was really dicky of them to intentional try to sell the idea of expanded weapon proficiencies and the elite skill weapon unlock for all as like. being part of the base game. you know they worded it like it was part of the base game but you can't do it without SOTO. it's a little bit of a moot point, but it's frustrating.

and i don't know what to ultimately feel now that it's over. because it's over when it feels like it should be beginning. i feel like this episode should have ended with Eparch like... consuming the entirety of Nayos before fleeing deeper into the Mists and the beginning of the journey to find him and defeat him. the kingdom that Peitha wanted to save completely annihilated and the looming concern that much like Kralkatorrik he might become a multiverse destroying threat. i feel like The Midnight King shouldn't have ben the end of the conflict: it should have been the ending of Part 1 of the conflict. like...........

idk. if it was just meant to be this singular adventure: i think i would've liked the entire expansion up front and then an epilogue of WLB to put the final nails on the coffins, and also give time to flesh out everyone else in epilogue stuff and side stories too. but as much as i would've preferred that over this release schedule i feel like. this should have been Part 1. all of this should have been Part 1 of a Saga with this being our first battle against the Midnight King before we after a series of Wizard adventures, tracking him down, and growing stronger finally confront him.

you know there's always been, since GW2's launch, this complaint a lot of people have had with GW2. a lot of people feel like they're never really "the main character" like in GW1. i think at least part of this was rooted in how deeply unpopular Traehearne was in the initial release before they revoiced and rewrote like all of his dialogue. people felt like after the Order Arc that the Commander was kind of relegated to being the support for the actual protagonist. while i feel this opinion has died down since release, i've seen it a lot throughout the years too. a lot of people felt this way when we learned Aurene was basically crystal dragon jesus christ and we were her champion to set the world right. IBS was pretty clear from early on that this conflict would ultimately be resolved by Braham, the norn of prophecy: and it was. the Commander has a tendency to help other people reach their prophesized destinies while they themselves are a person born without particular grand destiny, just someone who was in the right place in the right time and went on to do truly spectacular things (there is a single dialogue in the Hall of Monuments that implies it might be possible the GW1 protagonist was reincarnated as the Commander, but this has never been touched on) and i've... actually come to like it. but this time.

i feel like this time was the only time i've felt it. like. we didn't need to be here. this could have even been Zojja's sidestory. Zojja's big chance to be the hero. we didn't really do that much beyond more of the heavy lifting. we barely did anything substantial beyond hitting things. hell, during the very last battle, we don't even get to speak to Eparch at all. Peitha does 100% of the talking. why was i here? i would've preferred watching like... a netflix cartoon special series about Zojja doing this. why was i here other than the fact i just sorta fell into it??? speaking of which, disappointed Zojja lost all relevance after the initial release. i really wish she was like, fighting by our side the entire time. maybe she doesn't become a Wizard until the very end after doubting it the whole time... like, she's an asura. she's an inventor and innovator. imagine her helping weaken Eparch using a groundbreaking new development in the Wizard's unchanging magic using asuran technology that destroys Eparch's seemingly invincible shield or something and opening the way for the Commander to finish him off.

idk.

i really felt like a side character this time. i didn't see a good reason the Commander is the one saving the day other than awkwardly falling into the plot, and i feel like it could've been resolved by others. and i feel like this could've been resolved by this being just the first part of a grand new adventure, and just like that fateful day over 12 years ago in-universe the Commander was just in the right place at the right time which lead to them saving the world once more. this time... idk. we didn't even get a chance to talk to Eparch. we're just called Wayfinder and Peitha's Champ and do some musclework. hell, we're not even really the Wizard's champion, they basically treat us as a glorified initiate.

idk... it's just. weird, y'know?

i had a lot of fun in the first release, not so much the rest. now i'm thinking of just... what could've been. anyone else feel the same?

(i was gonna go on a larger tangent but i'm tired so "do x events to advance the plot" fuck you fuck you fuck you i HATE this so much)

[luv4fandoms]

Most definitely (Bill S.Preston x Fem!Reader)

Ok so go easy on me, I've never actually sat down and watched Bill and Ted before (I just remember scenes in passing when I was a kid and my bros would watch it. But I'm trying to practice (I also need to just sit down and watch it fr lol) . I saw this writing prompt and my brain immediately thought of this, but yeah, the slag for them is a bit difficult for me lol.

Also I pictured the girl to be kinda like Wednesday, and her friend like Enid, Idk why lol.

Word count: 1,321

Pairing: BillxFem!Reader

Warnings: Drinking?

⚠️ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞.⚠️

You didn't even know why you came to this party, other than the fact that your best friend in the whole world F/N was dragging you along. You both had recently moved to San Dimas after graduation, your parents wanting a change in scenery and her dad getting a better job. Though you did live a little ways away from each other, at least it wasn't the thousands of miles you were terrified of at first when her parents said they would be going. Really though it was lucky that your mom and her mom had been besties since high school and couldn't stand to be apart. 

But back to the overly atrocious party that you had stepped foot in. It wouldn't have been bad if there had been at least good music you supposed, but come on, where was the Motorhead? The Metallica? The Van Halen?! All there was were drunks, newly graduated teens jumping around with cups of clearly spiked punch, either seeing how stupid they could be, or how far down each other's throats they could stick their tongues.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea" you spoke, look around, luckily not spotting anyone you knew from your short time living here.

"Oh come on! Live a little!" Your friend yelled over the music as she pulled you further along. 

"I'd rather die a quiet death," you told her,but let her lead you nonetheless. Though a little ways into her walking, she stopped.

"Hey, isn’t that the ‘super hot’ neighbor you were rambling about having a crush on earlier, over there?” she asked with a shit eating grin, causing your eyes to widen..please no.

"What?! Please say psych!"

"No I’m serious, look." You followed her line of sight towards the kitchen, easily finding the curly blonde locks of, indeed, your 'super hot' neighbor you had rambled about any and every time you talked to F/N.

"..Fuck" you breathed. You couldn't help it really, he wasn't like any guy you had ever seen before, it was like he was a Greek God walking amongst humans. Or an angel sent to Earth. You had never actually spoken to him, just little hesitant waves between you both, you didn't know what you would even say to him if you talked, or if you would be able to. His friend was far more chatty, that was the only reason you knew his name was Bill, because Ted had stopped to talk to you before heading into Bill's house. He told you they had a band, and you should come by sometime to hear them play, an offer you never had the guts to take him up on. Sometimes you really hated being shy, sometimes you really wished you were as outgoing as F/N, the social butterfly..Instead of the goth moth.

"I mean they do clean up pretty ni- Wait, where are you going? We just got here." F/N spoke, quickly catching up with you.

"Home! I only agreed to this because you said no one would know me here!" You stated, almost to the door when.

"Most bodacious neighbor babe!" Ted's voice rang out, causing you to stop just as your hand touched the doorknob.

"Are you already leaving? So not cool" he stated while throwing his arm over your shoulder.

"..Ah.."

"We actually just got here" F/N spoke up, causing you and Ted to look at her, his eyes widening.

"Whoa" he breathed while taking her in.

"You must be Ted" she smiled, before, to your dismay, adding.

"Y/N has told me about you"

"You talked about me?" Ted smiled.

"You and Bill" she added, smiling while you glared at her.

"Bill is here as well, come on! He will be most pleased to see you!" Ted spoke excitedly as he pulled you along, arm still over your shoulder while F/N followed behind. He led you to the kitchen area, calling out to Bill once he spotted him.

"Bill! Look at the bodacious babes that I found" you watched Bill turn around, his eyes meeting yours as he smiled, giving you a wave.

"Neighbor babe" he spoke, though you noticed the faint pink tinting his cheeks.

"Hey Bill" you waved back, trying not to get lost in his hazel gaze.

"Ah this is F/N" you stated, gesturing to your friend who happily waved.

"Very nice to meet the infamous Bill S. Preston" 

"How did you-" 

"F/N isn't this like, your favorite song?" You asked quickly, turning to her as you tried not to murder her. 

"Oh my God it is!" She smiled, before turning to Ted.

"Wanna dance cutie?"

"Most definitely!" He smiled, letting her lead him to the dance floor and giving a thumbs up to Bill, who gave one back.

"They will make a cute couple" you spoke, mainly to yourself, but Bill heard.

"He is her type?" He asked, and you turned to look at him.

"How did Ted say it? Most definitely!" you told him, cracking a smile when he laughed at your impression.

"Hey, you actually do smile" he stated, causing your smile to fall.

"No wait-I didn't-I mean you don't have to smile if you don't want to-it would just be most heinous if you didn't smile-what I mean to say is you have a most beautiful smile" he rambled, the pink growing darker.

"Oh…Thank you" you spoke, your own blush darkening your cheeks.

"Hey, can I ask you something"

"Sure"

"How did your friend know who I was?"

"Oh…I'm not sure" you replied, watching as he nodded, looking off to the side with a slightly sad look on his face, dammit. He looked over at you when he heard you sigh, your eyes trained on the punch bowl.

"I…may have mentioned you in passing" you stated, trying to play it cool, noticing his smile return from the corner of your eye.

"Really?"

"Maybe"

"A most bodacious babe like you?"

"I wouldn't consider myself a bodacious babe" 

"I would" you looked up at him, his eyes shining as he smiled at you, dang it why was his smile so contagious? Looking back at the punch bowl you groaned when another song came on.

"Would it kill them to play Black Sabbath every now and then?" You watched Bill's head snap back to you, having looked out at Ted and your friend.

"What?"

"Or Megadeth? Def Leppard? ACDC? Ratt? Anything!" You stressed, before looking over at Bill, and instantly your blushed darkened even more, because you had never been looked at like that before, not like how you usually look at him.

"Not only are you the most bodacious babe I have ever met, but I'm pretty sure you were the most excellent angel in heaven" he smiled at you, only grinning bigger when you giggled, that was definitely a sound he could get used to.

"Is this where you ask me if it hurt when I fell from heaven?" You asked.

"Did it?" 

"No, but I did scrape my knees crawling out of hell" you replied, earning a laugh from him this time.

"That was the most excellent comeback"

"Do you maybe-wanna go out sometime?" He asked after a moment, and you swore your heart went into overdrive, your brain telling you to keep your cool.

"Yeah" you nodded.

"Yeah?"

"Most definitely" you smiled.

So there it is! Like I said, I definitely need to practice more lol. But yeah idk I think it would be hilarious to see these two with girls like this.

[fallingforfictionalcharacterss]

Can you do one where Draco and the reader are friends and Draco asks her to teach him a different language (maybe Spanish IDK I'm Latina so yea)and she said in a different language "I like you" and he says "Me too"

IDK this is soo bad, you don't have to do it!

I finally finished it!!! I´m really sorry it took me that long but I just graduated from university, so I was quite busy, and life feels kinda weird right now and is almost impossible to schedule. Also, I feel like this turned out not as good as I wanted it to be, so I apologize in advance but hope you´ll still like it. Also, thank you so much for helping me out with Spanish, I hope I used the right phrases and it all makes sense because I have no idea if it does. So all in all, I hope you´ll enjoy it even if was all a bit chaotic.

Me gustas

“Mierda!”, you cursed, as you buried your face in your hands. The homework Professor Snape had given you was already jarring on your nerves. And you hadn’t even finished half of it.

“What did you say, love?”, you heard Draco´s voice next to you.

You glanced at your friend through your fingers. Draco was sitting next to you, also working on the potion essay, but while you had by now only managed to write a few lines, he had already filled two roles of parchment.

“Nothing.”, you sighed.

“But you said something.”, Draco persisted.

“Nothing you´d understand, imbécil.”

You were for sure not in the mood for Smalltalk now.

“It´s cute when you´re doing this, you know that?”

You slowly raised your head and looked at Draco with narrowed eyes. He had laid down his quill and was watching you closely, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

“Doing what?”, you asked, slightly confused.

“Talking like this. Even though I´m pretty sure you just insulted me.”

“You better believe I did.”, you groaned, still you couldn’t help the smile that crept on your face as you saw Draco looking at you with a small smirk playing around his lips.

“Still cute.”, the boy said, while the grin on his face only widened.

You felt your face heating up immediately. You knew he had just said this to tease you since you normally hated it when people called you cute, especially when you were annoyed, but when it came to Draco, things were different.

Your friend just had this effect on you. Even things that bothered you in others, made your heart beat faster when it was about Draco. Especially if those things implied that you might be more for him than just a friend. Because to you, he was more. You hated to admit, but the feelings you had for Draco were far more than those you normally had for a good friend. Much more. You had a crush on the boy ever since you could remember. In the beginning, you hadn’t thought much about it, but over all the years you had been friends, you had fallen in love with him more and more. There was nothing you could do about it and at some point, you simply had to accept the fact, that Draco would always have that special place in your heart, no matter if you wanted him to or not. But obviously, he didn’t know. It was pretty clear that to him you were just a friend. A good friend, but still, only a friend. He loved you, probably more than most other people, but not in the way you loved him. And you highly doubted that this would ever change. It wasn’t like you didn’t wish for more, but you also were contended with how things were. And you swore to Salazar that there was no way that you would risk the relationship the two of you had by telling him about those stupid feelings you had caught. Still, sometimes you enjoyed giving in to the illusion that Draco was feeling the same way as you did. And at these moments, when he sweet-talked you, even if he didn’t mean it that way, it was pretty easy to do so.

“You should teach me.”, Draco suddenly interrupted your thoughts, and you snapped back into reality.

“What?”

“Spanish. You should teach me.”

“Why?”

“Because I ask you to.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“You didn’t exactly ask Draco.”

The boy rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Fine. (Y/n), I am officially asking you to teach me to speak Spanish. Would you do so?”

Draco gave you big puppy eyes, which you barely ever saw on him. He hated it when people saw him like this because he just looked illegally cute like this and he hated it, but he also knew that if he used this power, he would always get what he wanted. Especially when it came to you. Draco had figured out pretty early that you had a sweet spot for him when he acted like this. Even though he had no idea what it actually did to you. But this time, even if he looked at you like that, you hesitated. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to -you normally welcomed every excuse to spend some time with Draco-, but all in all, you were already busy enough with all the school stuff. Especially because it wasn’t long until the exams would come up.

“I could help you with potions in return.”, Draco added, as if he knew exactly what was going on in your mind.

That wasn’t a bad deal indeed. Draco was one of the best students and you could definitely use some help. So you shrugged your shoulders.

“Fine.”

Draco smiled smugly.

“Great! When do we start?”

“Buenos días.”

“No Draco. It´s Buenas tardes now.”

“Why?”

“Because it´s already late.”

That doesn’t make sense.”

“Well, you wouldn’t say good morning to someone by now as well, would you?”

Draco shrugged his shoulders.

“If you say so.”

“I say so because it´s that way.”

“If you say so.”

You sighed. As much as you loved that boy, teaching him a new language was just exhausting. Draco was used to being on top of every class and to always being right and the fact that you were actually better at something than him, seemed to annoy him much more than he wanted to admit.

“Draco, I grew up with this. I´m fluent. You can trust me that I´m right.”

“Never said you weren’t.”

“You implied it.”

“If you say so.”

“Hey, you asked me to teach you. If you don’t want to, we can stop at any time. I can think of better things to spend my time on.”

This was only half of the truth. Because even though you were quite annoyed by Draco´s smart-alec attitude, you still enjoyed spending time with him and being near him. And -if he wasn’t complaining for once- it was actually quite fun to listen to him, trying to get the pronunciation right. Also, the way he gave all his attention to you, his gaze fixed on your lips, when you told him the words he was supposed to repeat, send chills down your spine and sometimes made it hard for you, not to lose your focus. In a good way though. So overall, it would be your loss too, if he would actually stop taking those lessons with you.

But it didn’t look like this would happen any time soon, because Draco raised his hands in defence and gave you an apologetic look.

“Sorry, (Y/n), I didn’t mean to…”

“I know.”, you cut him off.

“I really enjoy what you are doing for me, you know that?”

As fast as the annoyance had boiled up in you, it disappeared again, as a familiar warmth flushed over you. You cursed yourself for how quickly you were always willing to forgive Draco. But how could you be mad at him any longer, if he was looking at you like this? You threw the boy a small smile.

“I know.”, you answered, this time in a much softer voice.

When you locked your eyes with Draco´s, there was something in his gaze making you suspect there was something else he wanted to say; but he didn’t. He just returned your gaze, not breaking eye contact for a second.

You didn’t know how long you had been staring into his eyes, getting completely lost in them, when a small voice in your head suddenly spoke up, telling you, that you needed to do something. Anything. Because just staring at him and doing nothing was just awkward. But while all you wanted to do was move even closer to the boy in front of you, closing the gap that still separated the two of you, somewhere deep down in your cloudy brain you knew, that this wouldn’t relax the situation at all.

That´s why you abruptly broke the eye contact, now staring at your own feet, and cleared your throat.

“So where were we?”, you asked, relieved and sad at the same time that the tension was now broken.

For a second you thought Draco looked slightly disappointed when you backed off, but then he cleared his throat as well.

“Buenos días.”

“You mean Buenas tardes.”, you smiled.

And Draco returned your smile cheekily as he said: “If you say so.”

“Buenas tardes. Me llamo Draco. Cómo estás?”, Draco approached you one day, when you were sitting down by the lake under a tree.

You had finished all your exams and now dedicated more of your free time to Draco, practising Spanish. Over time it had become more and more fun to spend your time with him like this because the better he got, the less annoyed he was by his mistakes and the less he blamed you for them. What you enjoyed even more about it was that Draco was actually really passionate about your lessons. By now, he dumped all of his other friends regularly to spend his time like this. You knew that the reason for this was that he was highly ambitious when it came to learning new things and he had an insatiable thirst to prove himself, but a part of you liked to think that he used those lessons just as an excuse to spend more time with you. Because that what it was for you in the first place. Obviously, you were glad to help a friend out and teach him about a language you grew up talking with your family, but the fact that the friend you helped out like this happened to be Draco, made the entire thing even more interesting for you.

You squinted up at the blond boy smiling down at you. In the bright sunlight, his hair seemed to shimmer golden. He really looked like an angel like that, even though you knew that he was in fact anything but that. Not that you would mind that at all.

“Bien, gracias.”, you responded, mirroring his smile. You followed him with your gaze as the boy sat down next to you. “You really improved in the last weeks, you know that?”

Draco smiled and you swore you could see a slight rosy shimmer on his pale cheeks.

“I had a good teacher.”

Now it was on you to blush.

“So, what are you up to?”, Draco asked you, eying you from the side.

You shrugged your shoulders.

“Nothing particular. Just needed a calm place. The last weeks have been so busy, so I just wanted my peace for a moment.”

“And now I´m ruining it.”, Draco grinned.

“It isn’t like I´m not already used to this.”, you chuckled.

“I can leave again, if you´d prefer that.”

Draco´s voice was playful, but as you looked into his eyes, you realized that he was actually worried about the possibility of his presence bothering you.

“Don’t you dare. Being bothered by you is by now one of my favourite things to relax to. It´s almost as comforting as the sound of the sea or birds chirping.”

Draco raised an eyebrow.

“Really?”

You gave the boy a small smile.

“Really.”

“Not sure if I should take this as a compliment.”

You chuckled.

“Me neither.”

You didn’t know how long you had been sitting down by the lake, but by now, the sun already set. Draco and you had been talking about many different things during this time, but now, you just enjoyed the silence between the two of you and the rustling of the leaves above your head. At some point, you had rested your head on Draco´s shoulder, and the boy had wrapped an arm around you. Your heart was beating faster, as it always did when Draco was this near to you, but this time, you were for some reason far more relaxed than usual. The situation didn’t feel tense or awkward, but like it was the most natural thing to do. It just felt right being so close to him, melting into the heat he radiated and inhaling his scent that was mixing with the one of the warm summer evenings.

“That´s just magnifico.”, you sighed, as you watched the landscape in front of you being dived into a golden light, as the sun slowly disappeared behind the lake, making the water look like molten lava.

“It is indeed.”, Draco smiled, as he glanced down at you, while your gaze was fixed on the natural spectacle in front of you.

You raised an eyebrow, as you slightly shifted your head, so you could look up at him.

“You understood?”

“Of course I did.”, Draco said, sounding slightly offended.

“I just don’t remember ever teaching you this word.”

“C´mon (Y/n), that´s the basis.”, sounding more like the teacher than the student.

“You think you are really smart, don’t you?”, you chuckled.

“I know I am. Try me.”

“Okay.” You deliberated for a moment. “Lo siento.”

“I´m sorry.”

“Ayuda?”

“Help.”

“No hablo español?”

Draco huffed.

“I do speak spanish by now. You can do better (Y/n).”

“You really want to know, don’t you?”, you laughed.

“I always do.”, Draco grinned.

You felt a warmth flushing over you, as the boy smiled down at you so sweetly, making your heart ache. You tore your gaze apart from his angelic face and stared at the landscape in front of you again.

“Me gustas.”

Your voice was barely more than a whisper.

“What?”, Draco asked, sounding slightly irritated.

You cleared your throat.

“Me gustas.”

It was hard to let those words slip out of your mouth, even though you knew Draco wouldn’t understand. But you had spent so much time trying to hide it, trying to convince yourself that your feelings for him weren’t more than those you had for a good friend. Accepting that they weren’t was difficult. But you knew for sure that you felt more for him. And to tell him that, somehow lifted a weight from your shoulders, but broke your heart at the same time.

“I don’t think you´ve ever taught me this one.”

“No, I didn’t.”, you smiled dolefully.

“You care to tell me what it means?”

“I don’t actually.”

For a while, you just sat there in silence. You weren’t quite sure how to feel. Being near to Draco now felt so right, yet wrong at the same time. Your heart was beating fast, your thoughts were racing. You felt happy and relieved, but at the same time, a wave of sadness washed over you. You shuffled a bit closer to Draco, trying to find some comfort in the boy who caused all those feelings, the boy, you knew would never be yours, not in the way you wanted him to be.

“(Y/n)?”, Draco suddenly spoke up. His voice sounded husky.

You hummed in response, not quite trusting your voice right now.

“Yo también.”

For a moment, the world around you stilled. How did he know? You were a hundred percent sure you had never told him, what that meant. So where did he catch up on that? But even more importantly…

You lifted your head abruptly and looked at Draco with widened eyes.

“Yo también?”, you repeated in disbelieve.

You could see a cheeky smile appearing on the boy´s face.

“Yo también.”, he confirmed.

“You… you know what that means, don’t you?”, you stuttered.

The grin on Draco´s face only grew wider.

“You told me you like me and I told you I like you too.”

“But I didn’t mean… I mean of course, I like you, we are friends. But what I was trying to say is…”

“I got it sweet on you.”, Draco interrupted your stammering.

“That´s what I was trying to say, I mean… Wait, do you mean that I got… or do you mean that you…?”

Now you were totally confused. Draco raised an eyebrow and looked at you in amusement.

“Do you?”

“Well, I guess… I mean…” This time you interrupted yourself. This wasn’t the time to make a complete fool out of yourself, even if you assumed that it was by now probably too late for this. You took a deep breath and locked your eyes with Draco´s. His grey eyes were sparkling as he didn’t tear his gaze apart from you for the split of a second. “I do.”

“That´s -how did you say?- magnifico. Because I like you too. And not only as a friend.”

Slowly, his words settled in your mind. And as they did, the smile that appeared on your face could easily compete with the beaming of the settling sun.

“You do?”

Draco nodded. He slowly raised his hand and brushed a few strands of your hair behind your ear, before he carefully cupped your cheeks.

“I do.”

Draco shifted closer to you until his face was only a few centimetres away from yours.

“Oh, Bésame el tresero.”, you whispered against his lips.

Then, you bent forwards for one more centimetre and your lips finally crushed on Draco´s.

You had imagined kissing him so many times, but none of those mental pictures could come close to reality. Draco´s lips felt soft on yours as he slowly started to move them against yours. The way he tasted like peppermint and apples made you suspect that you never wanted to taste anything else ever again. His hands, which you had felt so many times on your skin before, felt so different when they were tangled in your hair or cupping your cheeks.

It took the two of you some time, to get comfortable with each other like this, exploring the body of the other one as if it was for the first time. But once you had gotten more familiar with each other like this, you could barely remember it ever being any other way. The kiss now got more demanding and Draco´s lips started to wander as you sighed comfortably. The grip on your hair tightened before his hands began to wander as well, down your neck and your back, pulling you even closer than before.

When you finally pulled back, due to a lack of air, your lips were swollen, your hair a mess and your cheeks red, but the both of you felt as happy as you had never done before in your entire life.

“How could I survive years around you without doing this?”, Draco panted, as his thump brushed over your lips.

“I´m asking myself the same thing.”, you grinned, while you too tried to catch your breath.

Draco pulled you close to his chest and wrapped his arms around you. He kissed your temple, as you watched the sun finally disappearing completely.

“Maybe I should ask you to teach me things more often.”, Draco chuckled.

“I feel like you are doing completely fine on your own. And besides,”, you placed a small kiss on his jaw, “I can think of much more pleasant things to do.”

Draco hummed in response. “We can probably both learn some new things from this.”

“Can´t complain when my teacher is that hot.”, you grinned.

Draco raised an eyebrow.

“Is he?”

“He is.”, you confirmed. “And cute and loveable and just adorable overall.”

“You know if you´ll ever say this in front of anyone else I´ll have to kill you, don’t you?”, Draco frowned.

“You wouldn’t.”

Draco sighed and pulled you even closer.

“You´re right, I wouldn’t.”

Taglist: @xodracomalfoyxo @marigold-morelli @army24—7 @lbhmoon @cappgyuccino @victoriapedroza

[doin-just-fine]

What the brain doin?? PT. 4 of a questioning median system's journey

"A very distinct Co-Con moment"

CW: Talks about bringing younger alters up to speed on when and where they are and them being slightly upset by it. Mentions feelings that fit with depersonalization.

I, DoinFine, am always in front, I am never not fronting, so I don't really have memory gaps. For everyone else, they usually just co-con and I'm not sure how their memory is effected yet.

Yesterday I was mindlessly scrolling on tik tok when I happened across this video. I read it and thought, "it's 6 pm it's not bed time yet lol." and as I was about to scroll I stopped. I felt super stimmy in a good way and I played along. At the end of the little video I felt super proud of myself, while at the same time I felt like I was leaning back and watching myself do this, just casually observing. I noted it and moved on. A little while later another video popped up. This one had some kick. I played along and again at the end I felt super proud of myself for playing but also like I was observing this occurrence, fascinated by it.

After finding a couple more videos like that and getting really excited about certain options in the videos and stuff, I just hung out in this childlike feeling for a second.

I've noticed that when Cloud co-cons, we look around the room a lot. Almost like we're getting our bearings as to the environment we're in. However, we never feel like we're lost or confused about where we are and I think this is because I'm always in front and know where I am. When someone joins me the information I have is also given to them so we don't feel freaked out, but they are still taking in the new environment, hence them looking around.

As I sat there with this younger feeling, we started looking around the room. I thought about the concept mentioned above and wondered if thats what was happening. IMMEDIATELY I felt a quiet thought, beneath my observing thoughts, saying/feeling things along the lines of, "I don't know this place, this isn't my room, I don't know where I am." It was strange. It felt like a mix of being confused and a little frightened not knowing or, better yet, not understanding where I was while also knowing exactly where I am, how I got there and why I was there.

I got the sense that if I hadn't thought about my looking around the room theory, they wouldn't have noticed that they didn't actually know where they were, and that only I did. Oh well. They didn't panic too much they felt more confused than anything. I kinda gave a mental tour of where we were and offered visiting the garden as a distraction, which they liked.

I was toying with the idea that this just might be me just age regressing to relax after a long day of fun, kid friendly, things (we went to the beach and swam around). However, as we stood up someone (idk which one of us) noted that "whoa the floors farther away than usual." Now, I would have just written this off as being part of my vertigo (despite it feeling nothing like vertigo). The only reason I didn't is because I remembered what my partner's kiddo's say when they front. They always mention how tall they feel in the body. That they are expecting a shorter point of view when they stand up.

In that moment from being underneaths my bed covers to standing and being confronted with my size, I understood exactly what they have been talking about. So I started treating this like a co-con kiddo.

We went downstairs and we were about to go to the garden when we heard my cat's collar jingle behind me. I was excited because what kiddo doesn't love petting a cat, right? So I thought about which cat was following behind. As I imagined my tuxedo short hair, I started feeling wrong. So I checked in with my passenger, if you will, to see what was wrong.

Doing this check in felt almost like an emotional self check in when you ask yourself "Ok, where is this emotion coming from" and you see if it's being brought on by a trigger or trauma or insecurity.

I paused and checked in "whats wrong" and then I waited. Usually in the self check in example above you kinda retrace the steps of the emotion yourself. I made sure not to do that here, it almost felt like my co-pilot did it instead, like I was doing it but next to myself?

The conclusion as to why the thought of my tuxedo short hair made the co-pilot feel wrong was because they didn't know that cat. This shocked me. I've had my tuxedo cat for somewhere around 12 years and he's my best friend. Whoever my co-pilot was pre-dated 2010, making them 10 or younger. When I checked in to see which cat they thought it was they thought of a taby cat, I've met a couple taby cats in my time so I ran through a list of the ones we've bonded with, and they landed on one of my childhood cats who passed away when I was around 7. All this communication happened in seconds by the way in a hydraconsious sort of way (as if reading and responding to each others thoughts, which are a combo of visual, emotion based, conceptual, and "verbal" or word thoughts, while still remaining two different consciousnesses)

I had to then inform the kiddo that this pet was no longer around. That was heart breaking to do. As a result they were informed of all the other new and past pets. I could feel that it upset them to learn this, but we continued to the garden to distract from all the new upsetting updates they were receiving.

Thoughts and feelings while in the back yard get a little fuzzy. I just remember noting that this kiddo felt like they had more influence over the front than anyone else that has co-con'd before. At one point we were just staring at the house and I noted feeling like I was the one co-con to the little one. They were in control of the body and what we did. Luckily, I don't think the little one even noticed, cared, or knew what to do with being in that position so we just kinda stood there and zoned out for a little bit.

As we explored the garden for a bit I could feel the co-con fading in and out. The vibes around my house have not been the most fun so I think the kiddo was getting nervous. I was fascinated by this whole experience and didn't want it to end so I took us inside and started making our comfort food and put on some Bluey. Bluey kinda worked and kinda didn't work on keeping them co-con because I also enjoy Bluey on my own and I don't think this facet has ever watched Bluey before. I probably should have put on something from my childhood like The Muppet Show or something if I wanted them to closer to the front. Maybe I'll do that next time.

While watching Bluey I usually let the first episode I watch's intro run all the way through and then I'll skip it on the rest of the episodes. This time I didn’t do that and it's only in hindsight that I'm noticing this.

The first run of the intro felt like DoinFine jamming to it. The second run through felt like a shy observation and practice run, counting out the beats like we were engaging with it for the first time. The third run through of the intro was full little one, we closed our eyes and imagined ourselves in our living room. As a kid at the end of certain movies (typically with banger sound tracks) I would get up and dance to the credits. So, we imagined ourselves dancing like that to the Bluey intro and that was quite an interesting experience. The kiddo went from hanging back a bit to pushing me to co-con so fast. From there, they went back to side lining and eventually they left because we had to make conversation with people.

That was the most powerful sense of co-coning I have had so far. It was very interesting.

Does this line up with anyone else’s experience?

As usual asks are open!!

[grippingbeskar]

salt, ice and fire | frank castle

chapter eighteen - your fathers eyes

frank castle x fem!reader

word count: 5.9k

warnings: canon typical violence, punisher shit, mentions of blood, death, gross stuff u know the drill by now. also we decapitate someone. ya.

a/n: i’m not even an older sibling but why does this make me so emo???? idk. also yes i named the brother bc i’m watching supernatural again. i’m soft okay don’t look at me. how is there 18 chapters of my shit up in this bitch wow okay enjoy!!

[series masterlist] [previous chapter]

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It had been an hour since the call from Agent Madani, and you were still in some sort of shock.

They’re going to kill him.

“Where’d you see ‘em last?” Frank had asked, getting in the drivers side of the car while you loaded the boot as fast as you could.

“He’s heading back to base, but it’s a mess. The ‘New America’ men stationed there have gone full riot— they saw the news, thought it was time to take a stand or some shit. Dead bodies everywhere. I have a link through their network— he’s given the order to move the kid, but the rest of them want him dead.”

“Why move him?” You felt sick as Frank pulled off the curb, but it was a fair question. Bobby wanted to hurt you— break the last piece of yourself you still had. Why not just kill him now? You were still six hours away, although with the way Frank was driving, it would be less.

“He said he wanted to finish the job— that he was taking him somewhere he could do that.” A part of you lit up— a part that you had tried to swallow down the past few weeks, something that had been far too easy to do.

“My old house.” You say, and Frank looks at you only for a second before repeating it into the phone. “It’s only an hour away from their base. We still have five between us.”

“They haven’t been able to get him out yet. Too many people.” You’d bought yourself time— maybe a few precious hours, but it would be enough. It had to be. “I’m heading out there now, you go straight to the kid. I’ll tell the rest of the squad to meet you there.”

Frank throws the phone behind him, and you see the red bar of the accelerator hit a new height. The highway stretched so far in front of you that you couldn’t see any end— it was like it went on forever, continuously throwing miles and miles between you and one of the only things you cared about.

“We’re gonna get there.” Frank says, sending your anxiety and you tuck your legs up under your chin. “There’s too many of the Colonels guys out there to make a quick exit.”

“Bobby’s men will shred them.”

“Good. That was always the plan. It’ll take ‘em time, time we need.” Swallowing hard, the seatbelt around your neck feels like it’s suffocating you. “We’re gonna get there.”

“How do you know?” The voice that comes out of you isn’t one you felt related to anymore— that low, commanding tone that sent shivers down your spine. Frank isn’t phased, his hand dropping from the wheel and planting firmly over yours.

“You trust me?” It was simple now— you trusted him with your life, like he did with his. Once a far away idea, now a real, tangled thread tying you to him. You nod once, and you swear he smiles slightly. “I’ll get you there.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Frank drove the next few hours, and you slept where you could. Once you got into the drivers seat, Frank passed out almost immediately. He’d told you to wake him up in an hour, but he needed to conserve his energy, so you let him sleep.

Weaving through traffic, you knew what you were driving into. It was going to be your last few moments of freedom— but nothing would stop you. Not when you were this close. You’d come to terms with the fact he might not know who you are, and as much as that broke your heart, nothing mattered more than his safety. He was your brother. The one you had let your house burn for, the one you’d killed for a thousand times. You owed him this much. It was your fault he was there, your fault he was used as leverage.

Everything you had done was leading to this moment, and when the sign to your town flashed over your head, you took the exit and woke Frank up, trying to swallow down the sickness in your chest.

“Hey, we’re nearly there.” He shot up, moving a lot easier than just a few hours before. The other wounds would hold well enough, but that one on his side was still raw. Madani had said they were taking a few men with your brother, and they’d only gotten him out about half an hour ago. You’d beat them here— giving you an advantage. You’d need all the help you could get right now.

“They already there?” Frank leans into the back seat, pulling out a long gun and loading it up.

“No. We should have… twenty minutes.” You pull onto your street. God— it was your street, your home after so long. The neighbouring houses were exactly how you remembered them— white picket fences, golden retrievers barking at mail men, the smell of someone barbecuing something. It was all so… familiar. “It’s this one.”

Pulling over, you hadn’t allowed yourself to look just yet. There’s been something built over the top of the ruins. A giant yellow ‘for sale’ sign is sticking up in the lawn, and then you see the one thing about this street that you don’t recognise. The house— entirely rebuilt as if you were never there. In some ways, you guessed you weren’t.

“Hey.” Is all Frank says, but it’s all he needs to. He says everything in that one look— that you needed to be good right now, needed to be strong just for a little longer, and you’d have everything you worked for. You both get out of the car, and look up.

“You should get up high. Pick them off.” Watching Frank wince as he bends out of the car, it’s clear he’s not 100%.

“Just like before. Once you see him, go. Madani’ll be there somewhere.” He says, but not with the relief that you feel. Your brother was going to be safe; that was a good thing. “Once your brothers safe…”

“I do what she wants me to do.” A metallic taste in your mouth forms at the words, knowing you wouldn’t see him again. Was that it? “That’s the deal.”

Frank meant… something to you now. What that was, you hadn’t had time to figure out, but it was big enough to distract you from your work, and certainly big enough to risk your life for. You’d brought each other back from the edge time and time again, and even though it had only been a few months since you met him, you don’t remember feeling anything like you do now for anyone you’ve met.

The way he always looked at you like you were something special— the first real person to treat you with some kind of dignity, kindness, compassion. He saved your life, knowing what you were and what you’d done, and you had done the same for him. He stepped forward, hand reaching for yours as he pulled you toward the empty house.

“Once he’s safe, come back to me.” You blink a few times. Once your brother was out, Madani would need to take you in. None of this made sense if you weren’t the link—if you weren’t her informant, she would never get the location to be here today. You had to— “You come back.”

“I can’t. Agent Madani—“

“Screw that.” He busted the lock to the door, and instantly you were looking around, finding possible vantage points of the new layout all the while trying to process what Frank was saying.

“I- I have to make sure he’s okay.” That was all it was. There was only, truely, one person that would override whatever it was holding you to him. One person that didn’t even know who you were. You heard the screech of tires outside, and knew that you didn’t have time. You never seemed to have the time you wanted with him, no matter how long you were given.

“He will be.” The guns strapped to him bulk him up too much, and you can’t get closer, but you heart was beating so fast like he was on top of you. You already know what he’s trying to say before he says it.

“I can’t ask you to do that. He’s… he needs to be away from all this shit. Away from me—“

“That’s bullshit. Kid would be lucky to have someone like you.” You try to blink it away, but a tear drops down your cheek anyway. “It’s not just for him. Come back to me.”

“I will. You know I will.” He doesn’t look so sure. You knew you needed to go with Agent Madani— give her what she wants, hold up your end of the deal. You couldn’t start your life running from another person. But after all that, you’d come back to him. You always would. “You remember that day that I left the hotel, after you stitched my leg up?”

“I remember that night.” You suck in a slow breath, trying not to think about how his hands held your skin, how you knew how they felt everywhere now.

“I left in the morning, and you told me you would leave if I didn’t come back.” He nods, eyes looking over your shoulder and out the window again, checking you were still alone, then locking back on you. “I knew I was coming back. Always. No matter what happens, I’ll come back.”

“You were late.” He looks down at you, hand tangled in your hair. “I told you thirty minutes in that hotel and I’d leave. Waited 45.”

“God, you really have gotten soft.” A grin splits his face, and his thumb traced over that tiny little scar on your head, the one he made with his gun the first time you fought. “Go.”

You shove him towards the stairs, knowing he needs time to set himself up, but he just looks at you.

“Go, Frank.” He looks like he’s in pain, and you can’t tell if it’s his side or you telling him to move, but either way it hurts him. You turn around, hearing Franks’ loud footsteps stomping up to the window of the attic you had spotted, and try to focus. Nothing was laid out the same, but you didn’t need it to be. You could asses— you could find the best spot, and then you would do what you always did. Find a way.

Frank was shooting as soon as the engine to the now pulled up car outside cut out. You shrunk back, covering yourself from the door by the corner of the wall, peeking up to look over out the window and firing a few shots. Two guys were splayed out on the driveway, blood splattered on the white fencing around the front lawn.

“Kill him now! Just fucking end it already!” One of the men was shouting and you couldn’t hold your spot any longer. You know you should, but you couldn’t stand there and wait. You had waited too long already— it was here and now, and a glimpse of brown hair, curly, like your dads, cracked out of the boot of the car, and you ran.

Adrenaline like you’d never felt it spurred every move. Three car loads of people were in front of you and you tore through them without blinking. You swung an open hand across the first man’s face, and felt the flesh split part underneath the sharp end of your fingers. Blood splattered and he fell, so you moved on to the next. Shots were firing around you, but you didn’t flinch for a second, trusting Franks’ eye to keep you safe. Trusting him to keep you safe.

You could see a part of your brothers face now. He was curled up in a corner of the boot of the car, hands over his head. You were distracted, and one of the men clocked you over the head but you recovered quickly, feeling his weight drop away when a sniper bullet tore through his head. There was another man, his focus on the car, shoving other people out of his path. He was the leader of some sort, ordering people in the chaos of bodies, and the shout of his voice was one you recognised.

You ran across the yard, dodging bullets and cracking bone wherever you could. You got your hands around the cuff of his shirt and yanked him back, only a few meters from where the gun in his hand would of been firing at your brother. He struggles, calling to someone, but your fingers are already linked around his neck. The flesh under his jaw gives way, and a familiar crack sounds as his body drops lifelessly to the pavement.

You hold his fractured head in your hands just for a second too long, before dropping it, a loud thud ringing over the shouts of men around you. The numbers had thinned, and you hadn’t realised Frank had dropped out of the second story window, hearing him groaning in pain as he laid into the man underneath him. Two more punches confirmed the man’s fate, and Frank staggered upright before turning around and starting over on the next.

You sprinted downhill, finishing off whoever you could, and your breath caught in your throat when you finally rounded the car.

You saw him.

Terrified, curled up, but unharmed. Your brother— after twelve years, he was here, and real, and right in front of you.

“Please, don’t hurt me.” His voice cries out, and footsteps behind you snap you away from the moment. You take care of your next victim swiftly, using the gun Frank gave you to put a bullet through his eyes, but not before you dragged him out of your brothers eyesight. He didn’t need to see anymore of it.

“Sammy?” You kept your distance, seeing how much the kid was shaking, but when you called his name, he looked up slowly. “Is that you?”

“How—how do you know my name?” He says, arms still wrapped over his head. You could feel how much blood you were covered in; feel it dripping off onto your shoes.

“I…” You lose the words. God— he looked just like your dad. That same curly hair, bright eyes… he even sounded like him. You heard more shots fired, and Frank was okay— you knew it, because the footsteps could be no one but him. “You won’t remember me, but I promise I’m not here to hurt you.”

“I haven’t seen you before?” He asks, the high pitch voice only reminded you how young he is. Your heart broke a little more when he shuffled back, seeing Frank appear behind you.

“It’s okay. You… I have met you before, but you were very young.” You were blinking back tears, and he squinted— curious. “Are you hurt?”

“I don’t think so.” His clothes were dirty, and there was a small cut on his cheek, probably from where they had knocked him out before chucking him in. “They— please, don’t make me go back with them. They’ll hurt me, they said—“

“No, I promise… God, I swear I will never let them take you again. Okay?” His eyes brimmed with tears, but he nodded, inching forward just a little. “First, we have to get you out of here. There’s some people coming, they are going to make sure you are safe.”

“People?” You nod, and he shakes his head. “No, no I can’t go with anyone. I don’t want to go with them again.”

“I promise you— they will keep you safe.” He was still shaking his head a little, bundled up in a corner, looking over your shoulder. You’d nearly forgotten Frank was there. “He’s a friend. It’s alright.”

“Why are you helping me?” He asks, eyes still squinted. Maybe you had mistaken his curiosity for suspicion, and it killed you that he had to be.

“I… I knew your parents. They would want me to make sure you are safe. I’ve been looking for you ever since they took you.” He shoots straight up, with more energy than you would of assumed he had with the dark rings under his eyes.

“My parents? You knew them?” You nod, going to open your mouth but he was was already talking. “What about my sister? Do you know her?”

“Your sister?” You felt something inside you thaw out— he knew he had a sister.

“They didn’t want me to know about her, but I remembered. They have her somewhere, she’ll be looking for me, too. I don’t want to go with someone else— you have to help me. I want to find her. I have to tell her I’m okay!” He was frantic, standing on his knees in the back of the van, his hands stained with how he grabbed your blood covered shoulders. “They said she was coming— that they’d kill me before she could find me. You have to let me go, I need to find—“

“Easy, kid.” Frank knelt down beside you, his hand easing Sammy down to sit. He was breathing rapidly, and looked pale. “Just… take a second. You’re okay. Just breathe.”

It’s you now that might start crying. It felt like the wind was knocked out of you— watching your brother, alive and real in front of you was one thing, but seeing Frank— Frank, who apparently never misses a fucking thing, talk him through it, counting the seconds for him slow and clear.

In for seven.

Out for eleven.

You knew exactly what you wanted now. God, it was so clear, now it was in front of you.

“I need to…” Sammy started saying again now his breathing was slower, less panicked. “I have to find my…” He stopped talking, looking up at you, eyes locked onto yours. “I do know you.”

“Yeah, you do.” You say, voice choked up. You knew what he was looking at. Where he had your fathers eyes, you were the spitting image of your mother. You saw the recognition, how his face drops when he puts it together. “I’m so sorry, Sammy. I tried to—“

He cut you off, slamming his entire body into yours so hard you nearly toppled over. His arms locked around your neck, so tight it crushed you a little but you couldn’t care less, grabbing him just as tight. He was smiling, maybe even laughing, and for some strange reason he laughed the same as he did when he was just a little baby, all high pitched and squeaky.

The sound makes you breathe again, holding him as close as possible. Your family, your fucking brother was here, in your arms, and it felt like somehow all this had been worth it. If you had to go through everything over again, for this moment, you would. Even with your brother in your arms, though, you knew it wasn’t the only thing you’d go through hell to fight for again.

Frank had a hand on your lower back, keeping you from dropping backwards even further as Sam eventually stopped clinging to you.

“How did you find me?!” He shouted, a giant grin spread across his little face. You never thought you had a motherly bone in your body, but seeing him just made you want to grab him and never let him out of your sight again.

“I never stopped looking for you. They never let me see you, I thought you might of been…”

“I knew they had you! I nearly found you, too! But they told me you were coming, just a few months ago and I thought it wasn’t real, but it was!” A car pulls onto the street, and you grab him, putting yourself in front of Frank and Sam. Franks hand falls on your shoulder.

“It’s Madani.” You knew she would come. Knew that this wouldn’t last, but he was safe. She would make sure of it. You turned back around, linking your hand with Frank’s, who had inched closer to you.

“I never stopped looking for you.” You put your hand on his head, and he smiles again, but it doesn’t last long when he sees Agent Madani walking up to you on the street, two other agents with pale faces taking in the scene. “Don’t worry. She’s a friend, too.”

“You must be Samuel.” She bends down, nodding at you and Frank, and smiling. “It’s very nice to meet you. My name is Dinah.”

He looks back to you, unsure, and the gesture is so small but it means so much to you. To have him look to you. You nod back, trying to look as encouraging as possible while still covered in blood.

“It’s okay. You know how I said before, there’s people that can make sure you never end up here again.” You stood up, and he did the same, following you close behind.

You lead him away from the scene, but he doesn’t seem phased, which only makes the pit in your stomach a little bigger. He must be used to it— to seeing things like this. It made this decision a little easier. If he was with you, this is all he would see, and even if the prospect of leaving him moments after you got him felt like a piece of yourself was being torn out, you knew you couldn’t stay with him.

“I’ll let you guys have a second. Then we have to get moving.” She looks at you, sympathy painted on her face as she heads back onto the front lawn, trying to shoo away the gathered neighbours. Stopping at the car, you bend down again, noticing Frank has given you your space, talking with Madani.

“You sure you aren’t hurt?” He shakes his head again, eyebrows nearly crossed.

“Don’t make me go with them. I…”

“You have no idea how much I want you to stay with me. I’ve been trying to get to you for 12 years— and I’ll visit as much as they let me.” You try to swallow the lump in your throat.

“As much as they let you? Where are you going?” He looks over your shoulder again, constantly analysing where he is, who’s around him.

“I’ve done… I’ve done some really bad things to find you, Sammy. I don’t regret it, not one second; but I have to own up to it now you’re safe.” You can feel the moment closing in on you, Frank and Agent Madani coming up behind you. “You’re gonna be okay, and I’ll be around, I just… god, you look just like him, you know.”

“Like who?” His voice was so small.

“Just like Dad.” He hugs you again, clinging onto your bloodied clothes. “It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”

“I don’t want you to go away again.” He cries into your shirt, and you do your best not to cry with him.

You needed him to go. You needed him to be safe, and to know he wasn’t in danger anymore— Bobby was still out there, and you couldn’t give him the security you know he needed. Whether you were locked up by the FBI or hunting down the rest of the gang on your own terms, you needed to know he was safe. And happy— seeing that kid smile made the last twelve years worth it. Agent Madani calls your name, and you look at her, still clinging to your brother.

“We need to get going. The rest of the Bureau is on its way, and they won’t wait before…” She looks down at Sam, and smiles kindly, choosing not to finish her sentence in front of him.

“Madani.” Frank says, his voice low.

“Castle.” He says something to her you can’t hear, and Sam finally lets you go.

“Alright. I have to go, now. You’re gonna go with some really nice people, and they’ll make sure you’re—“

“I don’t want to.” He says, a little more defiant. He wasn’t a baby anymore, and he sure as hell had good reason not to want to go with anyone, even you.

“I don’t want you to go either, but I have to sort this shit out and then I promise I’ll come see you.”

“Why? You haven’t done anything!” He turns to Agent Madani, having to look up pretty high to see her. “She was just trying to help me! It’s my fault— I promise she was just… they would have killed me. You want them to kill a kid? Huh?!” Christ, even though you haven’t seen him since he was a baby, he sounded more like you that you thought possible.

“We just need to talk to her for a while. Make sure everything is sorted out.” Madani says, trying to reason.

“Everything is fine. I’m fine right here.” He says, and you may have your mothers face, but he has every bit of her attitude. He moves away from her, holding you by one arm, and to your surprise, grabs Frank as well, who looks down at Sammy like he’s seen a ghost.

“We need to go. Now.” She says, losing her patience as she looks down at her phone.

“Okay.” You take Sams face in your hands, seeing his cheeks already smeared with blood. “Okay, I need you to do this for me. Just go with her, and I swear to God I will come back for you, but it isn’t safe for me either. We still have to find—“

“Bobby. I know. He told me he was coming for you.” Sam says. “You promise I’ll see you soon?”

“Promise.” You hug him, and he stands to the side, Frank looking down at you.

“You promise you’ll see me real soon?” He says, and you smile, laugh, then grab him and kiss him as hard as you can. You don’t care everyone’s watching, that everyone can see— you’ve spent too much time without the people you love, and you aren’t wasting a second of it now. And you do, love him, even though it makes you feel sick and scared and all too consumed— you love the shit out of him, and he kisses you right back. You let yourself think he’s telling you the same.

“I’m coming back for you. I promise.” You whisper, and Frank leans into you, his forehead pressing to yours. “Just like you said. I just need to know he’s okay.”

“He will be. I’ll—“

“Frank, he’s not your responsibility. I’d… I’d never ask you to do that.” Your eyes flutter open, watching as he looked at you with some kind of intensity you felt nearly naked under.

“I know.” You can’t help it, leaning in to kiss him again. “You say the word, and I’ll get you out of here right now.”

“It won’t be long. I…” You weren’t going to make a promise you couldn’t keep. In truth, you have no idea how long it would be. It could be hours, years… she could be planning to take you to Rikers and lock you away for good. Whatever happened, though, you’d come back. You knew that. “I’ll come.”

“You better, or I’ll have to come find you.” He says into your hair.

“Is that a threat or a promise?” Shaking his head, he links his arms around your back and crushes you to him, all but devouring every one of your senses.

“I have to go.” The sirens of cop cars sound around the corner, and you pull away at the sound but he just pulls you back. “I have to.”

“I know.” You pull him back this time, allowing for one, two, three more seconds of pure, pure happiness.

“I have to go.” You open the care door, mouth still on his. Everything is coming to a point— things feel sharp and raw and you have a name for that thing your feeling right now, the thing that’s been eating at you for a longer time that it should of. You know what it is, and that it’s not the right time or place but he kisses you again and you can’t help it. “I have to go,I—I love you. I have to go.”

You drop into the seat of the cop car behind you and the door is closed by more agents who appear out of nowhere. Through the tinted window you can only just make out his face, how his mouth is open and he hasn’t moved an inch from where you left him, and you can’t see anything more as you are sped out of your childhood street, and straight to the headquarters of Homeland Security.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You should go, too.” Madani says, and Frank is still glued to the sidewalk like an idiot, watching you get hauled away in handcuffs. Like they’d do anything to hold you. “They might not kill you, but they’ll try.”

“What are you gonna do with him?” Frank nods over to where the kid— your brother, was sitting in the back of an ambulance. Madani blew out a breath.

“Social services, probably. He’s going to need a lot of help, and who knows what kind of shit he went through in there.”

“So you just ship him off?”

“Why are you trying to make me the bad guy here?” She turns to him, and Frank can’t take his eyes off the end of the road where you disappeared.

He thinks he could of blinked and missed it, that fucking word you said. He can’t even hear the sirens anymore, you were that far away. And he didn’t say it back. Said nothing at all— just fucking stood there and watched you go, staring down the street.

“If we don’t do this now, everything I’ve built— everything you’ve done for the past year goes to shit. If they find out I was working behind their backs and never brought her in, I get fired and the Gnucci’s lawyers get the case thrown out. Him and the rest of his family walk free. Are you willing to risk that? Especially now, with him out there?” She nods at the kid, but he’s still staring down the road. Madani looks too, and clearly puts it together. It probably didn’t help that he’d kissed you before you left. But what else was he gonna do? “I saw that, before. Since when were you and her…”

“You really goin’ there with me right now?” She put her hands up.

“Okay. I won’t ask.” He shakes his head, turning to face her. “He’s not going far. For now, we put him with a foster home. Keep him close as we can. I don’t want to seperate them.”

“Be a lot easier for them to be together if you let her go.” Madani sighs again, ignoring the buzzing of her phone.

“I told you both, I would do everything I can, but I’m not a miracle worker.” She goes to answer her phone and walk away, and something overtakes him. He can see the kid sitting there, alone, staring down the road like he was just seconds ago. “Some things need time. I need to put this all together, legally, or we’re all back where we started. The Gnucci’s have money— which means they have good lawyers. One slip up, and we lose everything, and I can’t control the fall out of that.” He knew what that meant— that you’d be the CIA’s next target, like you are now, and all this shit would of been for nothing. But he’d wait, if that’s what he had to do.

That little boy was gonna be waiting for you, too. The only family that kid had ever known just walked in and out in less than ten seconds. His face, all sad and tired, was tugging at strings Frank didn’t know he had left, and something about him, seeing a little bit of you in those big eyes… something in him just switches, and he’s grabbing Madani on the arm and saying something he’s probably going to regret.

“Let me take him.” Her face drops, and he thinks she laughs for a second before she realises he’s serious. He should laugh too. It was fucking ridiculous— a kid, a twelve year old, tagging along with him. Now, of all times.

“You?” Him. “You want me to hand over a vulnerable child to a known felon? A man who just racked up a higher body count that most of my agents have in years on the force, in less than twenty minutes?” He looks out at the yard, the bodies being carried away, then sees the kid out the corner of his eye, watching too, not flinching or even reacting. He felt…bad for him.

“Or take your chance in the foster system. You and I both know how well that can work out.” Madani looks at him then, the inference clearly enough to make her think for a second. “Come on. At least you’ll know I’ll be close to the city. You know I won’t be far.”

“Because you’re waiting for her.” She looks at him a final time, assessing him like she did when she first met him, interrogated him. He nodded once, and watched as she went over to Sam. His head snapped up when she started talking, and he looked him in the eyes, and it was then that Frank realised what he’d done. 

His vision and his brain was foggy with the memory and though of you, and now this kid was looking at him and he was fucking terrified. He didn’t know why, really. Maybe it was the part of him that was still so attached to kids. Your brother wasn’t that much older than Frankie Jr. would of been by now. Probably would look a lot like him too. Head of hair that messy, it was making Franks stomach churn just to think about it.

He didn’t know why he’d said what he did to Madani, but he did know you, and maybe that was why he’d done it. He knew you’d feel safer if your brother was with him, the only person you trusted since getting out. He knew a lot of things about you, now he thought about it, and yeah— that was exactly why he’d said he’d look after him. He was important to you. And you... you were everything to him.

Sam hopped off the back of the ambulance, walking over to Frank slowly, his head tilted a little to the side, and Frank thinks he might be in over his head again.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

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