#it immediately brought me back to this duo and their interactions <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[vole-mon-amour]

So Sherlock x Enola tag is still empty. After two movies. Siiiigh.

[moonydustx]

Hey!

I loved your story about the one piece boys and pregnant reader so much! Could you pretty pretty please write something to Law and Kid with the same plot? If you want, of course, and when you have time <3

Loved your writting, really!

hey hey! It took a while, but I arrived with your request :) In fact, as we already have Law's version, I brought the second part of that story. I really rlly hope you like it and thank you very much for all your support and requests <3

one piece masterlist

Warnings are place individually in each story.

*in both we have a brief smut (there are no descriptions or explicit content). Please stay alert and of course, minors do not interact.

Eustass Kid

warnings: Kid alone is a big warning. Brief mention of smut at the beginning, use of safe words, violence. But as always in this series, fluff with a happy ending. Killer is mentioned a lot in this one because, for me, there is no Kid without Killer and also the opposite (they are so good, I love this duo)

Your legs hung on his shoulders, the sweat between the two of you mixing each time he thrust deeper into you. Kid's grunts filled the entire void in the room, however, your mind wasn't there. It was more precisely under your bed, in a small box of things that you didn't use that often and therefore, it was the perfect hiding place.

"My fucking good girl, taking me so good." his teeth found the side of your leg, biting not so gently.

"Kid." you tried to stop him, it wasn't so good to have him there when your own mind couldn't even be there.

"You fucking needy, huh? I'm going to fill you up, make you stuffed with…"

"Red… Kid, please red." the safe word reached Kid's ears and immediately your legs found the bed back, his head almost hanging trying to understand what had happened.

For a brief second, the only thing the two of you were able to do was stare at each other. Him, waiting for you to explain what had happened while you - or at least a scared part within you - waited for an angry version of him.

"Did I hurt you? What happened?" he tried to reach you, but you were already sitting up and shrinking between the sheets. "Do you need me to ask for help? Do you want me to get out of here?" You had never reached the point of needing to stop the act like this, still, such kindness and concern were the last things you expected to receive from your boyfriend. You expected maybe a little silence, or him asking something like why you stopped. In fact, it was a somewhat different situation for both of them.

"Can you get my clothes, please?" you asked and watched him do it immediately.

As you got dressed, you watched Kid do the same, but he always took a few seconds to look at you, making sure you were okay. As soon as the last piece of clothing found your body, you reached under the bed and pulled out the tests hidden there. It didn't take long for the bed next to you to sink.

"I'm sorry I stopped you like that." you asked, staring at the tests and avoiding your boyfriend's eyes. "But we have to talk. I can barely look you in the face and hide this from you."

"What is that?"

"Pregnancy tests." you passed it to him, your eyes still locked on the ground below you. "All positive, Tass, I'm pregnant."

The silence in the room seemed to last forever. Enough eternity for you to think that maybe Kid was plotting a way to get you out of there. It wasn't until his laugh reached you that you could look at him. One hand holding the tests steady and the other covering his own face, while he laughed.

"I do not believe that." he said through laughter, standing up. "I'm going to be a dad, can you believe that? I need to tell the guys."

"Kid?" You stood up and watched him leave the room euphorically.

Before you could get caught up in fear and insecurity or before Kid had even had time to cross the hallway, you saw him coming back through the door. The arms - the arm and the metal prosthesis in this case - lifted you from the ground, covering your lips with his red ones.

"I love you so much." he stole a few more kisses, while you were still trying to process what was happening. "I love you! You're going to be a mom and I'm going to be a dad. Isn't that great? A little brat of ours?"

"Serious?" your excited voice was already joining his, a huge weight lifted from your shoulders.

"Come on, we need to celebrate."

If you didn't expect Kid to accept the pregnancy so easily, you expected even less to become a little puppet to reassure him. It didn't take long for the others to realize how much the captain was even more attached to you. Taking you out of activities, always leaving someone on your trail - which most of the time was himself. Killer was the first to realize he could use this to the entire crew's advantage.

You watched Kid shout something almost intelligible to other companions, the only thing you could point out was that his mood wasn't the best at the moment.

"Excuse me." Killer's voice startled you, appearing behind you. "Can you lend me your and the baby's presence?"

"What do you mean lend?" Instead of answering you, he guided you by his shoulders until he stopped you next to Kid. Sneaking up behind the two of you, Killer managed to leave you almost glued to the captain and it was only seconds before he threw one of his arms around you.

"I didn't see you arrive darling, how are you?" different from the shouts you heard, Kid said in a much calmer voice.

"I am great, what about you?"

"Just sorting some things out." he answered you and then turned to the others. "That's it, we need to catch that idiot and solve this problem once and for all." it was like watching another Kid talk, without shouting or rudeness.

The next time, all it took was an indication from Kid's first mate for you to end up next to the captain, or on his lap, or making some minimal physical contact. It was as if Kid's hard shell melted with your every touch. When the baby started to appear more in your womb, it became even worse. It was like your belly was his little stress ball, but seeing him calm was something you wouldn't complain about.

You wish you could go back to the past and understand what Kid's arrival into the world was like. After all, the arrival of your baby was being turbulent. A huge storm was shaking the ship, practically no doctors on board or supplies and a baby who decided to arrive a few days ahead of schedule. You could only think if when your boyfriend arrived into the world, it was the same way. With one last scream and almost tearing off Kid's remaining hand, little Vicky came into the world. Reddish hair and a cry as imposing as the screams and orders that the girl's own father always gave.

"A little girl, Kid." you spoke in a low tone, placing her in your arms. Next to you, you watched your boyfriend, still perplexed by everything he had seen. "Our little girl."

“I-I…” Uncharacteristically, you saw the words trail out of his mouth, lost in some ecstasy you had never seen. "She's so tiny, so fragile… so beautiful." the last part was nothing more than a small whisper.

"Do you want to hold her?" your question seemed to pull him back to reality, fear appeared on Kid's face, making it easier for you to understand what was stopping him. "I will help you."

"Are you sure, I mean…" he began, eyes going straight to the metal arm. "Won't it hurt?"

"Let me help you."

Holding the baby in one of your arms, you took the sheet next to you and folded it in parts, forming a small padded rectangle. When you handed it to Kid he immediately placed it against the metal arm and sat on the edge of the bed, next to you. Carefully, you placed the girl in his arm and watched him.

For a while, you saw Kid just analyzing, attentive eyes roaming over the newborn baby. Soon, a smile adorned his red lips and the hand - the one that originally belonged to him - touched the girl's cheek and soon allowed her little fingers to attach themselves to just one of his fingers.

"You look like a doll. A perfect little doll." he said without even taking his eyes off the child.

You didn't need much to know that the minutes he spent in silence, just contemplating the girl were actually filled with promises, in an almost mental transmission between the two. Something that maybe one day, you would discover what it was.

"I promise to take care of you forever, buddy. And I promise to be your friend too, well, they say parents should be friends with their children and I want to be your friend. Your mother will also be a great friend and you will love everyone and of course, they'll be drooling over you… Wow! You're beautiful. It's the most beautiful thing your mother and I could have done."

With each passing day, Vicky became even more like her father. You thought the similarities would only be in the reddish hair. When you least expected it, she was already walking up and down with him, spending hours in the workshop and bringing back some crazy inventions that she and Kid had wasted hours making. As a result, she became a shadow of Killer too - according to Vicky, she was his best friend, just like he and his father were. It was when she said she was going to make a metal arm that you and Kid - begrudgingly - had to stop her. Maybe she shouldn't look so much like her own father.

The clock already indicated that lunch time had passed hours ago and you hadn't seen any sign of the two red hairs that completed your existence. After gutting the ship, you found the two of them piled up in your room. Next to them, some of your and Kid's makeup. The typical red color of his lips had been replaced by pink, along with some glitter-filled blue eyeliner.

"What's going on here?" you closed the bedroom door, trying to avoid laughing when Vicky turned to you and you saw her wearing a much more chaotic version of the makeup on Kid's face.

"Daddy said I could get him some makeup. He'll look really nice."

"See, love? I'm going to be the handsome one in this relationship." this time it was almost inevitable not to laugh. "I think your mommy wants to put on some makeup too."

"Can we save this for later? It's lunch time." you warned and saw that they both remained standing still, a pretentious smile on each of their faces.

"Just today, mommy, pleeeease." Vicky asked, with bright eyes in your direction.

"Yeah, just today mommy." Kid repeated in a much more cynical tone, patting the ground next to him. "Sit here."

Without complaining - not that you had much room for it when those two asked you for something - you sat down next to Kid and Vicky immediately jumped into your lap. Her colorful fingers were responsible for part of the makeup, while Kid took advantage of the opportunity to paint you awkwardly too, exchanging ideas with his daughter.

As with all other things, Vicky had also inherited Kid's sense of fighting. A small part of him had become more cautious after the girl became part of the cew, a small part. This did not prevent him from retaliating against any threat of attack on his group.

When you heard the sound of gunfire in the distance, you knew something was wrong. The screams coming from the direction of the ship caught your and Killer's attention, who had disembarked in search of useful information for your journey. Almost connectedly, the two of you started running back to the ship, one thing on your mind.

Upon reaching Victoria Punk, you saw that most of the fight had been resolved - and thank whatever kind of god you could thank, almost all of it was enemies arranged on the ground. Your eyes, however, couldn't find the person you were looking for most.

"Where's Vicky?" Your scream attracted the attentive looks of your companions. Your eyes immediately searched for Kid's, who understood your concern.

"I want everyone hunting my daughter on this boat now!" Kid shouted and everyone immediately started circling Victoria Punk.

"Kid, what if…"

"They wouldn't leave here with her." he reassured you before you could even bring up your concerns. "They didn't leave here with her." he repeated, but this time it just sounded like he wanted to believe the words he had said.

"I found her!" you barely had time to recognize the voice that called you when you took off running in the direction of what you had heard.

If you looked to the side, you would find Kid and a few other companions running to the same place, almost as worried as you were.

"This was already here when I arrived." Heat warned as you were the first to enter the small room.

Vicky was standing next to him, one hand holding her wrist. Behind her, two bodies piled up, grunting in pain.

"What happened, my dear?" you leaned down to look her in the eyes. Relief hit you when you saw that in her expression, there was nothing but tranquility.

"My redhead" Kid bent down next to you, unlike the gentleness you had used, he already bent down checking every inch of the girl. The air in the room almost dissolved when he located the slightly marked fist. "What happened?"

"They said I would be a good bargain." She spoke with a smile, intriguing you both. "And then I did what Uncle Killer taught."

"What did he teach you?" You looked between her and the man who had just arrived.

"Knees, private parts, eyes and private parts again." she simulated the blows. "Oh, that one held me." she pointed to one of the fallen men. "And then I remembered private parts again." she simulated another kick.

The silence that followed was soon infected by Killer's loud - and genuine - laughter, soon followed by Vicky and Kid. Surely the two were already teaching the girl how to defend herself and this time, you were relieved that you hadn't won the argument with Kid when they brought up the subject the first time.

"You're awesome, baby." Kid squeezed her in a crushing hug, watching his daughter groan and try to free herself. As soon as he released the girl, Vicky lay on his shoulder. "What is wrong?"

"I'm just a little tired." she explained and he nodded, before making the decision.

"What do you think, you and your mommy go ahead and I'll find you two soon. We can rest for the rest of the day." he proposed and felt her nod.

"Actually… Killer, can you take her?" you stood up and saw Kid do the same, the girl tied to him "I have a few things to take care of, but I'll catch up with you soon."

"Leave it to me!" Killer promptly bent down and turned his back, giving the girl space and height to jump on his shoulders. "Ready?"

"Uncle Kill, instead of resting, can we make hot chocolate?" "Yes" "With marshmallows?" "For sure." "And chocolate balls?" "Your mother is going to kill me… but yes!"

Their voices began to become increasingly distant, as did the small murmur of the other companions. Once you and Kid were alone, a simple exchange of glances was enough for him to understand what you meant. Passing through the space he gave you, you bent down and picked up the man who Vicky had directly pointed out as the main cause of trouble for her.

"Hello dear bastard." with fake care, you patted his shoulder a few times. "Ready to say what you want to my daughter?"

"That stupid brat" your fist found his face, sinking him into the ground again.

"Wrong answer. Shall we go again?"

Kid watched the scene with a sadistic smile on his lips and one foot on top of the other man, preventing him from interfering in his activities. If they messed with him, that was fine, but it was better if they didn't mess with his girls.

Law - Part 2

you can see part 01 here

warnings: a little bit angst, a looot of fluff. mentions of common pregnancy problems (such as nausea, dizziness). At first, a jealous and insecure Rosi with the appearance of a brother or sister, but spoiler alert, they become best friends. And again, Law is such a great dad. Mention of the Straw Hats (mentions of Robin x Franky), brief discussions, but as always, a happy ending, very brief smut at the end (again, nothing explicit) (I should have taken a little more time to write this second part more carefully).

When the news reached Rosi about her being promoted to big sister, you and Law could see the girl filled with doubts. What do you mean big sister? When would this sibiling arrive? Why would arrive? Her critical and curious sense were directly derived from Law and you couldn't find it more adorable. It was like watching two versions of him - at different ages and heights - arguing. Law trying to explain how a sibiling would reach you and Rosi with questions and more questions that left him in a tight spot to explain how babies were made.

For the first week, everything seemed to go well. Despite the barrage of questions, you could both see the girl being genuinely curious and excited for the arrival of another member of the family. You saw the happy questions turn into a more serious doubt the first time she saw you feeling sick, being helped by Bepo. The second time, she followed you and Law into the bathroom, opening the door and seeing him holding you while you were leaning over the toilet.

"Mommy?" the thin voice, no louder than a whisper reached you both, immediately, you tried to demonstrate the best expression possible. "Are you okay?"

"Yes I am my sweetie." with Law's help, you stood up and leaned against the sink, washing your face. "I'm just a little sick."

"Daddy, aren't you going to give mommy any medicine?"

"That's normal, princess. Remember we said that some things would change while your brother or sister didn't arrive? Because of that, mom will get a little sick sometimes."

The girl just nodded and remained there at the door, both you and Law knew it was impossible to get her out of there. It didn't take long for the two of you to realize that your explanation wasn't enough for the girl to understand. This hit you both when you noticed her asking less and less about the baby that would arrive in months, or her becoming more and more attached to you, practically claiming that you were her mother and exclusively hers.

"Take it mom." she pushed her plate of fruit towards you, while the three of you drank coffee at the table.

"No need honey, I don't want to eat right now, but thank you very much." You smiled in her direction and saw her insist, with a discouraged face.

"Mommy?"

"What is it, my little one?"

"Can't we send this baby away?" she spoke naturally, you watched Law place the coffee mug against the table and analyze his daughter from afar, waiting for an answer. "I don't want to have a sibiling anymore."

"Why do you say that, Rosi?" Law's tone was more serious, while you just looked at what the girl had to say to you.

"Because I want him to go away, just get away from Mommy." the girl's voice became louder and even angry. "I already hate him."

"Rosi!" this time it was Law's voice that had raised a tone, much more serious than the girl had ever seen in the few years of her life. "Apologize to your mother now."

"No."

"Everything is fine." you interrupted the two and saw her eyes full of tears towards Law, who looked stunned.

You didn't need much to know that even he didn't expect such a reaction from himself. Rosi pushed the plate away and left the table, her feet stamping firmly against the floor. You and Law tried to call her, he was much calmer this time, but it seemed to be in vain.

"What the fuck did I do?" Law murmured to you, seeking affection as he nuzzled against your neck. "Why did I scream?"

"Babe, I've seen you yelling and swearing so many times, that was barely saying it out loud. I just think you're weirded out because we never have to do that." You took his hand, placing a quick kiss. "I think there are a lot of changes in her head, it's normal for her to feel lost."

You watched him take his face away from you and give a light laugh, followed by a wave that seemed to want to get the thoughts out of his head. Your look indicated that he wasn't going to leave without telling you what was interesting that had crossed his mind.

"Now that you say that, I clearly remembered a day when my mother was still waiting for my little sister." This explained why he was reluctant to voice such a thought. "I remember I asked if we could exchange it for Sora's new collection." he laughed weakly, once again tormented by the longing and distant memory of what it was like to have a sister, even if for a short time. "I should go talk to her, shouldn't I?"

"It would be amazing if you did."

He tried. He tried to talk to her, get to her, but Rosi made it clear with her little genius that at that moment, she didn't want to talk to her own father. The day practically passed with him hunting for her and without any answers. It was only when night fell that he could hear three light knocks on the door of his small office.

"Dad?"

"Hi, my princess." Law took his attention away from the book and turned to Rosi, standing at the door. Her eyes were redder than the last time he had seen the girl. "Are you sleepless?"

"I wanted to talk to you… Can you stay with me for a little while?"

Instead of responding in words, Law just closed the book and headed towards the door, ignoring Rosi's giggles and grumbles as he threw her over his shoulder.

"Um, where are we going?" he turned her around on purpose, he didn't really care that his daughter's laughter might wake someone up. The girl had already been too stressed that day.

"Daddy! To my room." he turned her around again and placed her on the floor, the girl was still panting from both the gyrations and his laughter. "Come with me."

She pulled him by the hand and the two crossed the hallway in silence, only their footsteps echoing off the metal walls. Law was surprised to enter the room and find you already sitting on the bed.

"I called mom too." Rosi guided Law to sit next to her.

Automatically, he placed a kiss on the top of your head and sat down, watching Rosi step in front of the two of you. You watched the girl take a few deep breaths, her hands clasping together in anxiety.

"Rosi, what's going on?" you called her and saw her stop, collecting the concentration she was missing.

"I know I was rude to you, mom, I'm sorry. But I'm worried." She began to speak, approaching the two of you.

You could see a certain insecurity in the way Rosi looked at you and then at Law, as if the words were too difficult to bring awareness to both of you.

"I don't want to have a little brother anymore, I know I said it would be cool, but I don't want it anymore" she said emphatically, waiting for a reaction from the two of you. Unlike earlier, her voice this time had no anger, just choked and low. The only thing you and Law could do was look at each other and turn your attention to Rosi.

"Why don't you want more?" Law started and you opened your arms, giving Rosi space and freedom to come and snuggle into you.

"The baby is hurting you, mommy. Today daddy had to help you and the other day it was Bepo." Her eyes shone with a few tears. Damn, your own eyes were already burning knowing that she was worried about that. "I don't want another little brother or sister if they're going to hurt you."

The idea that had crossed your mind, of how difficult it would be for her to understand the appearance of someone who would share the little world of the three of you with her, became even clearer after the girl's concern. Without thinking much, you squeezed her tightly, showering the little girl with kisses.

Little promises that everything was okay came out of you as you squeezed her while Law watched. At the same time that he found a certain grace and cuteness in his daughter's behavior, he remembered a smaller version of himself, the small fragment of memory he had given you that day. Rosi was nowhere near the little drama he had at the time.

"Rosi, look here." Law asked and the girl, still glued to you, just turned her face towards him. "What you saw today and what you saw before is normal."

"Exactly and it will soon stop happening." you completed.

"But it will take a while?"

"Maybe a little." Law resumed in a welcoming tone, you had realized that after Rosi had entered your lives, the little girl had unlocked a patience and calmness that you didn't know about in him. "All babies do this when they're in their mommy's tummy."

"Even me when I was inside?" she completely freed herself from you, sitting in the small space between you and Law.

"Even you." you and Law responded almost in unison, laughing together at the girl's euphoria.

"What else did I do?"

"You loved kicking when your dad was around, it was like you heard his voice and started making a mess." you explained and saw her smile, her eyes were now shining with pure curiosity, which you hadn't seen in a few days. "And to help, he kept tickling you."

"Like this." Law squeezed the girl's side, eliciting a surprised scream from her and then loud laughter. "And like that, then some more like that." Every time he moved, scratching the girl, she seemed to laugh more.

Her little face was already red and the tears that were once worried seemed to have been replaced by the overload of laughter and euphoria that settled in Rosi. Law finished tickling her as soon as he saw her lack of air and pulled Rosi into his arms, filling her with kisses on top of her dark hair like his.

"You know you'll forever be our little princess, right?" the girl nodded, earning a few more kisses from him. "And that we will always love you."

"A lot?"

"A lot." you replied as Law opened the girl's arms as wide as she could.

"A million times like this here." he reiterated, seeing you nod. "Now it's time for bed, don't you think?"

"But I still don't want to sleep." She mumbled and you stood up, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm dying for some sleep." You gave her one more kiss and then moved up your body a little, giving Law a quick kiss on the lips. "What do you think about dad staying with you for a while?" you blinked at him, so only he could see.

A thank you was muttered silently to you as a good night was exchanged. When you left the room, Law adjusted himself so that the girl was looking at him.

"I wanted to apologize to you about earlier today." he began, seeing her paying attention to what he was saying. "I shouldn't have spoken like that."

"And I was mean to Mom. She always taught us that we can't say mean things like that, right?" the girl replied, taking him by surprise by her little confession.

"Yeah, we shouldn't be mean." he lay down and patted his arm next to him, so she could do the same. "Did you know I already had a sister?"

"Same as what I'm going to have?"

"Well, we still don't know if you're going to have a brother or a sister." he pointed out, feeling her nod and snuggle into him even more. He knew her well enough to know that she must be falling asleep, but she wouldn't give in. "She was younger than me, her name was Lammy."

"And where is she?"

"Today she is a little star, just like your grandparents." As much as he didn't believe in this cute fantasy about life after death, it was the way you and he had found to explain the lack of some other blood ties in Rosi's life without traumatizing her. "But when she was still here, she was my best friend."

"And what did you do?"

"She loved playing tea time and between you and me, I hated it." he laughed at the memory, tormented by the idea that the old Lammy would get along great with Rosi. "But she played ninja fights with me afterwards, so it was worth it."

"Did your grandparents still love you after she was born?" the question made Law turn to her, trying to understand where that was coming from.

"Of course, our parents loved us very much, just like your mother and I will love you when the baby arrives." he explained and she seemed to be deep in thought. "You know, don't you? That regardless of anything, your mother and I will always love you."

"Promise?" she asked

"Promise."

"You pinky promise?" she raised her pinky and then Law crossed his with hers.

"That was the easiest promise I've ever made, you know?" he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, seeing the girl smile. "Now are we going to sleep?"

"I want to hear a story, the story of the ninja bear who stole honey."

Law started the story with a probably different beginning than the other thousand times he told it - the story was clearly made up about Bepo stealing food, but Rosi and you had agreed not to tell Law that you had noticed. It took a few minutes for sleep to take them both away.

In the following months, Rosi seemed to be much safer and more integrated into waiting for the baby. She helped decorate part of the room, participated in your consultations since Law knew that the girl liked practical explanations, it was an easy way for her to understand that her mom was fine. The name was her choice too, Linn, in her justification, remembered the name of the story that her father had told some time ago, about a nice girl called Lammy. The resemblance was very little, but her intention was enough to warm both of your hearts.

When Linn was born, Rosi was almost on duty at the bathroom door - again, the hot tub had been her best friend during the birth process. You and Law wish you could have recorded the first time she held her brother. Bright eyes, firm hands, there you two knew it was a partnership for life.

Apart from the small dispute over who would be the assistant every day when Law would deal with something more practical in the medical wing, the two complemented each other. All of Linn's fear was supplied by Rosi's courage, all the hard shell that she had inherited from Law were supplied by Linn, who had pulled your side of the molten feelings. And when the two of them got together, talking wasn't an impossible task for anyone. Whether it was when they asked to dye Bepo black and make him look like a panda or when they found the straw hats - which Rosi had already met - and all she had to do was say that she wanted a party like last time and immediately the banquet was organized. .

How long has it been since you wore this type of piece on your body? Looking in the mirror was like seeing a new version of yourself. A few more stretch marks and marks, but all with a good meaning: having brought two of your loves into the world. It was the voice of one of them entering the room that brought you out of your reverie, small hands clinging to your leg.

"Mommy, let's go!" Linn hung onto the dress you were finishing putting on. The four year old seemed to have more energy than you had ever had in your entire life.

"Where are your father and sister?"

"They've already gone to the party, mommy." you picked him up, feeling the boy celebrate as you started to leave Polar Tang.

The deck of the Sunny, where you were anchored, was full of people, crew members from the Straw Hats and the Heart Pirates gathered, talking, drinking and partying. It was already something common every time the two crews met on the way, of course, with a lot of influence from your eldest daughter who loved the lightness of your friends.

"Linn!" Nami came towards the two of you, picking the boy up and squeezing his cheeks. "How big you are!"

His cheeks flushed at the compliment, earning a laugh from you. Nami warned you that she was going to steal the boy for a few minutes to take him to show the other companions and you trusted her too much to oppose that.

In the distance, you saw Law sitting talking to Robin while Rosi was between his legs, practically being slathered in sunscreen.

"Mommy!" she called you, trying to get away from your husband. "Daddy's making me all dirty."

"It's just what's necessary dear." you replied, giving Robin a quick hug. "And how are you?"

"Great! I was even discussing with Law how you guys have been, how the kids are doing." she made room for you to sit next to her.

"It's been challenging, but amazing at the same time. Are you thinking about having one?"

"I don't know, Franky and I talked a lot about this subject, but if one day I have them and they look like yours, it would be lovely."

"Lovely?" Law inserted himself into the conversation, a cynical smile on his lips made even Rosi turn around. The girl's dark hair was being braided by Law, he certainly had more skill than you in that task. "Lovely until they get rebellious and against sunscreen."

"You put a lot of it on me, I'm sticky!" the girl grumbled and he lightly tugged on the finished braid in her hair, laughing when he saw her get even angrier. "Mommy, daddy pulled my hair!"

You and Robin just laughed at the implications the other two had towards each other, watching the girl run off to play. The three of you stayed there for a while, making small talk.

"Now it's your turn." Law warned you as soon as Robin left to get the three of you some drinks. "Come on, sunscreen for you too."

Without hesitation, you pulled off the dress you were wearing and let it pool on one of the chairs. A malicious laugh crossed your lips when you saw Law's inability to form any cohesive thought until you turned your back to him, arranging your hair to stay out of the way.

"You make things so much more difficult that way." he whispered, applying the lotion to you and sliding it down your body. "You look so hot in these."

"You say that because you're in love with me."

"That too, but other than that part, you should wear this bikini more often." He placed a light kiss on your shoulder, along with a small bite, almost as if testing if your skin - and you - were real at that moment.

"I found you!" Ikkaku interrupted the two of you, running until he stopped in front of you. "Shall we play? We find a ball and we can improvise a net."

"Let's go!" you answered her and looked at Law over your shoulder. "Want to come, baby?"

"Not this time." he almost completed it, saying that he would choose to just enjoy the view, but decided to keep the information to himself.

Well, at least he thought it was just for him. Anyone who looked at Law could without much effort tell which direction he was looking in and by the type of gaze, what his main intention was.

"Captain…" Shachi leaned next to him and Law didn't bother to look to know that he was accompanied by the two other parties - Penguin and Bepo.

"We have a proposal for you." Penguin started, not getting much of his attention. "Of course, when you can stop drooling over your wife's body."

"What do you want?" Upon realizing that he had been noticed, Law with great difficulty looked away from you and back to them.

"We want to make an exchange: two days of no service for an hour of safety for both of you."

"What does that mean?"

"For an hour we take care of the children, but not only that." Shachi bent down, creating some suspense until he got close to the captain's face. "For one hour, no one, I repeat, no one will come near Polar Tang."

"Three hours." Law responded immediately, taking the boys by surprise. When did it become so easy to make deals with the captain?

"Do we have a deal?" Bepo stretched out his paw and Law quickly shook it and walked towards you.

The excuse he gave was that he needed your help with something about Linn, he knew that for any other reason, he would make you suspicious. It was only when he took you to an emptier corner of the Sunny that you realized his real intentions - and you couldn't be more interested.

With no time to waste, as you were transported with his powers, your body barely found your room and Law's hands immediately claimed possession under your skin. His mouth covered yours and as he explored every inch of paradise inside your lips, his hands slid across your bare skin.

"No, love, please no." He held your hand that was about to undo the knot of the bikini you were wearing. "You look too hot in this for me to miss the opportunity to have you like this."

"I didn't know you liked it so much, you thought I was so…"

"Don't you dare continue this." He placed you on the small table, fitting himself between your legs and taking your lips again. "It was fucking torture, seeing you walking around, anyone being able to look at what's only mine."

"Fuck, you're mean." his hand slid down the front of your bikini, getting closer to where you needed him most. "Law?"

A grunt from him, as his face buried itself in your still covered breasts was the only thing you heard. Before he could sink too far into pleasure enough to not be able to think, you gently pulled him by his dark hair until his face reached yours.

"Condoms, Law."

"But babe…" he mumbled, almost like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Do you remember the last time we didn't use it?" You pointed to the height of your belly and saw him nod, sobriety returning to his features.

"Yeah, condoms are a good choice."

[mamirhodessxox]

His Strange Addiction

Pt 1, Pt2, Pt3.

I would also like to add that I have experienced family death & I often put my personal life into my writing to be connected to my work but also to remind people that it hurts but always gets better.

Cody RhodesxFem Wrestler!OC (Milena Reyz)

Desc: Milena is getting quite sick of Bianca eying her soon to be husband almost everyday so she takes it upon herself to be involved in a wrestling match with Bianca on Monday night raw & show exactly who Cody belongs, after their messy match Jey decides to be jerry springer for the day and start drama before the couple flies out to Georgia, but more unfortunate mishaps are to come, but there are brighter sides to this chapter.

Contents: Angst, Fluff, Arguing, Milena serving cunt, Cody being a whore for Milena, Mentions of insecurity, 1 Year time skip, slightly toxic duo, Violence, Mentions of death, MMMAAARRIIAAGGEEE, implications of smut, FINGERING FINGERING FINNGEERRIINGG IN PUBLIC, Cody is a WHHOOORREEEEE!!!!.

{~I'm very serious with you guys interacting with my writing!!!! it would make me so happy & excited, the more comments & reposts the more inspiration i have to write :) Votes and comments are strongly appreciated so please COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMEENNTTT the more comments the more content <3!!!~}

Milena stood there while Cody held out an arm in front of her given the fact he JUST got her to calm down the night before about Bianca being the problem within their relationship despite no affairs occurring, “Jey man what the fuck? You know Milena will absolutely rip Bianca’s throat open if she got the chance” Bianca scoffed and tried speaking but Cody glared holding out a finger “You shut the fuck up and sit there.” Milena stood behind his arm glaring down Bianca, Just as Jey was about to explain himself he was cut iff, “How’s your marriage going Bia? Miserable I assume? Boring? It has to be one of those if you’re trying to fuck up a relationship that’s about to turn into marriage.” Cody pinched the bridge of his nose while Jey spoke “Milena Cody, I brought you both here to try and uhhh- resolve whatever tension is happening between you & Bianca.” Cody groaned out into his hand squeezing his eyes shut “This cannot be fucking real right now Jey.” Milena glared and looked over at cody who looked at her and shook his head.

Milena nodded and decided to be the bigger person & just leave the suite with Cody following behind, Now would probably be the best time to book it to the airport so they agreed on doing just that, The wedding was just around the corner & it was planned perfectly, Milenas Mother was extremely ill & struggling but Cody insisted that she would attend the wedding & walk her down the isle Atleast before she passes.

Unfortunately while they were at the airport Milena sat in the cafeteria while Cody went to go fetch her a drink & got a random phone call from her Father, so, she picked up & almost immediately knew what it was about before her dad even shared the news, Milena’s Mother decided it was her time to be at peace when she was resting, She had finished up the phone call & Just as Cody came back he could tell by her body language she knew something bad happened, so he wrapped her in his arms and rested his chin on-top of her head while she let out all of her tears, Cody cleared his throat “Why don’t we go somewhere quieter alright?” She nodded up against his chest before he walked her into a more silent area.

“Tell me what happened sweetheart c’mon” he cupped her face with a frown but all the poor thing could get out was ‘It’s mom’ but he knew exactly what she meant, He read her mind & knew her like the back if his two bare hands “it’s gonna’ be okay angel, she’s in a much more better place and is at piece.” He mumbled before running his hand down her spasming back, It was finally time to board the plane so Cody held her close & walked back to where they needed to be & started boarding completely disregarding the food she was supposed to snack on.

The entire plane trip was miserable for Milena, her world felt like a disaster, her mother was her only best-friend aside from cody. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do without her mama being there for her little girls wedding. The moment Milena stepped foot on Georgia grounds with cody and made their way home she was completely silent, she couldn’t even look at her phone, It took hours to get back to GA and it was the most miserable flight for her ever in her life.

When they got back home & drove to their shared house Cody held onto her hand placing kisses on-top of it “y’kay baby?” She would let out a short hum followed by her shoulders shrugging, she didn’t even know if the wedding still went on but she also knew it would cost more money to reschedule since half of the area where it was being held was already set up and ready to go.

3 days passed by & it was officially wedding day, a day to be remembered and celebrated by Cody & Mills, Cody offered his mother to walk her down the isle but she politely rejected, he & his mom it wasn’t at all personal, Milena stood in her little dressing area until Becky & Liv walked in since they were her bridesmaids and wrapped her in a hug before liv Adjusted her hair “Your mother won’t be here presently but she will be here spiritually, so you’re gonna go out there, become a fucking rhodes, kick ass and get married got it?” Milena let out a laugh nodding while Becky grabbed her wedding dress “Now let’s get you ready before cody starts glitching out & busts in here.” She smiled as she helped Milena put on her dress & slide the garter up her thigh.

Liv smiled at her through the mirror “You’re a fucking goddess mills.” she laughed placed the viel on top of her head “mkay mills, me & becky are gonna get dressed and we’re gonna hit the isle.” She nodded and held out a thumbs up “see you guys out there.” A few minutes after the girls left Cody came in with her 4 year old niece in his arms who had his eyes covered “Cody what is this?” She laughed before walking over to him “Well I know you don’t want me to see the dress but your niece insisted on seeing you so she’s covering my eyes” Milena laughed and kissed the tip of her nieces nose “Your do silly Kelsey.” The little girl giggled and held up her flower basket that she was in charge of “I also wanted to let you know i’m very impatient so let’s speed it up so I can marry you, kay?” She laughed and kissed his cheek “Yeah okay Cody, now out with you!” She turned him around and pushed him out the door and shut it.

A few minutes later Liv & Becky returned to retrieve Milena, She hand her niece walk ahead of her before she started walking the isle while the girls started to line up, She smiled at Cody while his best man Jey of course slapped his back getting excited meanwhile Cody was already crying and wiping of his face until Milena stood in-front of him. They held hands & faced each other while the officiate of the ceremony had Cody start with his vows, Cody cleared his throat while her niece hugged onto his leg, “Jesus Mills I have a little bit too much to say but i’m gonna keep it easy for you, Sweetheart every day spent with you adds 30 more years to my life and I have no idea on how that works but it does, I have so many plans for us in the future, You’re probably the most gorgeous person in the world and it genuinely feels like a privilege to be marrying you today, I’ve never felt more grateful until now where you decided to marry me & start a family with me.” He finished while Milena teared up but he pulled out a handkerchief and tapped her tears away while Milena started speaking “I don’t even know what to say Cody, I’m so glad we were able to find each other again & even start things over, You’re what makes me believe in soulmates, I believe everything we’ve been through since 9 years ago was needed for us to be here where we are today in this very moment, every time I’m with you I can’t help but think about the moments we’ll share together.” She smiled while he kissed her hand.

The moment was so pure that even Jey himself started crying & covered his face trying to cover up sone sobs with coughs, as Cody & Milena shared their I do’s and swore themselves to each other Cody finally got the moment he had been waiting for to really tie the not, He scooted her viel out of the way and pulled her in for a passionate kiss that got everyone to start clapping, Milena placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled away to pick up her niece smiling while her father went up and gave her a quick hug before Becky & Liv pulled her away to get changed into a more loose comforting dress before the after party.

The night was still so young and exciting, all of the kids that were brought to the wedding were excited & having a blast until they had to be removed from the dance floor so cody could remove Mills garter from her thigh, She sat down in a chair while the DJ explained the rules to Cody which made him not and get on his knees before going under her dress “Not the first time i’ve been in this position.” Everyone heard Jey cackle and clap from all the way in the back while Milena slapped his shoulder laughing before he clasped the lace inbetween his teeth along with her panties causing her to choke on her own spit while Cody hummed against her thigh and pulled it all the way down her leg and placed a kiss on the side of her ankle before standing up swinging the garter around while swiftly putting the panties swiftly into his pocket while nobody was looking while Milena laughed and stood up giving him a kiss, while Cody leaned into her ear whispering “Wearing lace panties makes it obvious for me to see that your wet by the way sweetheart.” She widened her eyes & looked at him while he smiled cockily before tossing the garter into the mens crowd while one of his groomsmen caught it before Milena sat at their designated table with Cody following along.

He sat directly next to her and kissed her before running his hand up her dress “Cody-“ he shushed her and shook his head “Your going to be a good girl & be quiet okay? Let me do my thing sweetheart.” She sighed nodding until she felt him shove his two fingers inside of her so she quickly grabbed her wine glass and took a sip trying to control her moans but he didn’t allow that to happen, He curled his fingers while kissing her neck while he started pumping them in & out of her at a fast pace, her eyes became glazed over & cody grabbed her face pulling her into a kiss while mumbling against her mouth about how she was such a good girl for him & how she was taking him so fucking good.

He pulled his fingers out and patted her clit a few times which caused her body to spasm a bit and moan against his lips, luckily the music was loud enough & nobody was paying attention or bothering them, “gonna cum for me sweet girl?” He asked her in a taunting expression while she whimpered nodding her head so he plunged his fingers back into her pussy & grinned as she laid her face into his shoulder biting down on her lips while she started clenching around his fingers & let out a breathy moan the moment she hit her climax and started cumming, “Good fucking girl baby ‘m so proud of you.” She sat up properly and wiped off her eyes and glared at him jokingly “Your such a fucking asshole.” He hummed in response and kissed her smiling

🏷️ list: @ginswife @coolpastelartshoe @greatkoalawizard @cokolin044 @kotoriarlert @alicerosejensen @bunnybot55 @agent-dessis-posts @adollonyourshelf @valkyrurr @alyyaanna @niknakbucks92 @mini-rhodes @southerngirl41

xtripleiiix’s Masterlist

[driflew]

six sentence sunday! this time i think ill focus on torchlight, but ill throw in a fun fact about from here to there as well

1. basically every single watcher in the OG draft was a woman, simply bc every single time i went “oh, this'll be easier with a different set of pronouns” and defaulted immediately to she/her. i realized i accidentally implied the cult was woman-only and swapped two or three of them to men, but. not uh, not that many, cuz it still is easier to do dialogue when people have different pronouns,

2. how martyn gets the information he does abt ren varies pretty greatly from the version of this i made up originally, which isn't a bad thing but it is sort of funny. ive said this on tumblr the day i made up the au, but originally most of the information abt ren was supposed to come from being around the city. i realized it wasnt super feasible (and wanted to give bigb more stuff to do) so stuff changed, but this was definitely a different story to start

3. related, martyn wasnt quite so... hopeless? desperate? in the plan? that sprung up on me while i was writing and i doubled back upon editing to make him worse. worked out pretty well, id say, to make everything abt the emotional core of the fic more interesting, but it wasnt quite intentional

4. ive alluded to the desert duo plot on my tumblr a few times. it does exist, but i dunno if it'll ever come up on-page. if it does, it'll probs be me skipping to the end of it, bc thats when martyn and grian see each other again and this is a renchanting au. this is something im pretty excited for, tho i dont have it fleshed out overmuch. it did make me laugh how many ppl brought up curiosity over grian’s fate in the comments, tho. hes alive, i promise! haven't you guys ever heard no body, no death?

5. the magical deadzone concept for martyn and grain was more relevant in the OG plot from point 2, but some minor changes were made w jimmy and bigb that made it not quite work out the same. it still words--they have to leave bc martyn cant fly and they cant cast on him--but originally the watchers let bigb and jimmy go specifically bc they were explicitly, in-text looking for unusual interactions with magic, like deadzones. thats more... loosely implied now, i guess

6. finally, your fun fact about here to there. the OG draft of the scene w the bow had martyn trying to convince ren to essentially create a fire aspect sword. i scrapped it bc i realized one) ren would definitely go with this, not go against it, two) i dont know how that would work without melting martyn’s sword or ren falling off the sword on his hand, three) neither of these men would consider these and i didnt want to deal with the stupid mess they were about to create

[fanfiction-collection]

[Mapi, please don’t tell Ingrid about this, please please, you can’t, she’ll be so mad, she’s already mad, I can’t] - the panic over Ingrid knowing is so real but also so sad. The way you write makes it so easy to picture all of their actions and expressions and I think that's the most devastating part😭

[She was scanning over the paper over and over, as if she was hoping the contents would change with each reread] - for this part especially like, it's clear that Ingrid does care about sol so much but the realisation that she's gone about it wrong and made some massive mistakes? that's proper angst thereee

[You looked so small, though, so scared and so desperately sad, that it just slipped out. She didn’t regret it, not when you practically fell towards her. “Oh, honey.”] - the start of the healing for the best sibling duo 🥹

[She’d brought you up to bed, carrying you like she used to when you were little] - I do love how many things Ingrid immediately does that go back to a time where she and Sol were closer: with the nickname, speaking Norwegian, and then this, it's really cute

[Reading this hurts but it is nothing compared to what she has been feeling, and it is all my fault, so let me read it so I can fix this, because I need to fix this, I can’t lose her, María, I can’t lose her.] - her reaction is also devastating, but I love the couple dynamics and how much Mapi helps out both Engens in this (also [you looked just like Ingrid when you cried] is a painful comparison 😭)

[Why did Ingrid get to have this perfect life, and you didn’t? Why did she get to be happy so easily, and you didn’t?] - all the emotions and motivations for them are written so well; it always feels so, so realistic to how people would reasonably react to the situation.

[You made a fake retching sound, Ingrid slapped her girlfriend in the arm, and Mapi laughed to herself, but the tension was broken] - I love this trio

[while Alexia looked around anxiously, searching for anyone, anyone on earth, that would be better at dealing with whatever was going on than she would be]/[You threw your head back, laughing loudly, and Frido grinned, continuing on to tell any and every joke she could think of.] - I could say this about so many scenes, but I honestly just love all the dynamics in this: which teammates do what, how they all interact, and just everything <3

[Thank god for Mapi] - realer words were never spoken; she's putting her yapping skills to good use

[I don’t understand her. How she could bring someone so perfect into this world and not want to spend the rest of her life watching you grow up] - go off Ingrid!

all of my pain and all your excuses

part 2 of family line ingrid arrives home, and realizes how much she's missed with her sister. her and mapi try to figure out how to put the pieces back together. r struggles with the mess inside her head. cw: mommy issues galore 🙃 mentions of poor mental health. solstråle continues to be sad.

-------

It took you a few minutes of crying into Mapi before you realized what she’d probably done. At this realization, you pulled away from her in a panic, practically falling onto the ground. 

“Mapi, please don’t tell Ingrid about this, please please, you can’t, she’ll be so mad, she’s already mad, I can’t,” your gasps for air cut your words off and Mapi took your face in between her hands. 

“Breathe. In and out pequeña. Just breathe.” She instructed, dramatically exaggerating her own breaths. 

“Please, Mapi,” you whimpered after a minute. 

“I’m sorry, nena, I had to. I had to.” She said, seemingly begging you to believe her that she’d had no other choice. You couldn’t really blame her; you’d gotten yourself here, after all. You’d written the letter. You’d meant every word you’d said, and every word you didn’t quite have the guts to say. You’d collapsed into her arms. You’d given her no choice. 

“I’m really scared,” you mumbled. 

Mapi pulled you back in, tucking your face easily into her chest. “I know. You don’t need to be, but I know you are. Everything is going to be alright. I promise you.” 

You wrapped yourself tight around the defender, hoping with everything in you that she was right. 

When Ingrid burst through the front door, eyes immediately finding you on the couch, crumpled up into a little ball in Mapi’s lap, she knew it was bad. Mapi was holding you so tightly, expression unreadable when she glanced up at Ingrid, murmuring inaudible words in your ear. You looked so small, visibly trembling in your baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants, Mapi’s arms engulfing you. Ingrid practically ran to your side, sitting as carefully as she could next to the both of you. 

“María, what..?” Ingrid asked, trailing off when Mapi silently held out a piece of paper to her. Ingrid took it, having no idea what she was about to read. Having no idea what she was about to feel. 

You were hiding your face in Mapi’s sweater, much too distraught to care about how pathetic you probably seemed. You’d heard Ingrid enter, and you knew it was just a matter of time before you had to leave your safe little bubble and confront this. When it had been silent for too long, and you knew Ingrid must be done reading by now, you shifted away from Mapi. It was time to be brave, and it was time to take whatever was coming your way. 

The look on your sister’s face made you want to take it all back. Because, fuck, you weren’t sure your happiness was worth making Ingrid this upset. She was scanning over the paper over and over, as if she was hoping the contents would change with each reread. 

You acted stronger than you felt, sliding off Mapi’s lap and moving a bit closer to Ingrid. She didn’t look away from the letter. 

“I’m sorry.” You said quietly. 

Your sister’s head snapped up to look at you so rapidly, you almost jumped. 

“Solstråle,” Ingrid began, and you felt like the last stable part of you broke sharply at the nickname. Sunbeam, it meant. Ingrid had called you that your whole life. Her sunbeam, always breaking through the clouds to shine a bit of light. She’d assumed you’d grown out of it, recently. You looked so small, though, so scared and so desperately sad, that it just slipped out. She didn’t regret it, not when you practically fell towards her. “Oh, honey.” 

If you were crying with Mapi just minutes before, you were bawling now. Hysterical, hyperventilating cries that were painful to hear, and painful to let out, but somehow so cathartic. Ingrid pulled you into her, beginning to cry herself. 

When Ingrid spoke, it was in Norwegian, and nothing had ever sounded so safe. “I am so sorry, my perfect baby sister, I am so so sorry. I love you. I love you, I love you. More than anything in this world, I love you.” 

And though you still cried, you relaxed marginally at the comfort hearing her speak in your native language brought you. You relaxed, going completely limp against your sister. You probably would have slid off her onto the ground if she hadn’t had her arms wrapped around you so tight. Ingrid wasn’t sure she’d ever let you go. You weren’t sure you wanted her to.

-------

Ingrid stood in your doorway, eyes fixed on your sleeping form. She’d brought you up to bed, carrying you like she used to when you were little. You’d fallen asleep on her downstairs, and she hadn’t dared to move you for a while. She and Mapi sat in a rather stunned silence for a while, before Mapi suggested she bring you up to bed. So, Ingrid tucked you in, pulling the covers up to your chin the way she knew you liked them. She noticed something tucked under one of your pillows, and carefully pulled it out. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the plush polar bear in her hand. Snø. She’d given him to you when you were three, for your birthday. She thought you’d stopped sleeping with him, but apparently not. The thought that you’d pulled him out of your closet for some comfort upon arriving in Spain made tears flood Ingrid’s eyes. She carefully kissed your forehead before rushing out of the room, almost colliding with her girlfriend. 

“Oof,” Mapi grunted, steadying Ingrid, when she caught sight of the other womans’ face. “Amor,” 

Ingrid shook her head, wiping harshly at her eyes, and pushed past Mapi towards their bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she pulled the folded letter out of her pocket, smoothing it out, and began to read it. Again. Mapi had followed her into the room, and took the paper out of her girlfriend’s hands. 

“Give it back.” Ingrid said through clenched teeth. She sounded angry, but Mapi saw the tears in her eyes and knew better. 

“No, you’ve already read it.” Mapi said firmly. 

“María, give it back, I need to read it again.” 

“Mi amor, it's just going to hurt more, and you don’t need that right now.”

“Yes I do,” Ingrid cried. “I do, she’s been hurting like this for god knows how long. Wanting to–” She cut herself off, shaking her head almost frantically. “She said she felt like no one would care if she was gone. Reading this hurts but it is nothing compared to what she has been feeling, and it is all my fault, so let me read it so I can fix this, because I need to fix this, I can’t lose her, María, I can’t lose her.” Ingrid was sobbing by the end, making little to no sense, and Mapi placed her hands on Ingrid’s cheeks, forcing her to make eye contact. She noticed in that moment that while you looked alike normally, you looked just like Ingrid when you cried. 

It wasn’t enough, though, Ingrid was crying so hard, every sob shattered a part of Mapi that she hadn’t known existed. She climbed onto the bed, pulling Ingrid with her, guiding the younger woman’s head onto her chest. Ingrid clutched at Mapi’s shirt almost desperately, muffling her sobs there too, although her body shook heavily with the force of them. Her world was falling down around her, and it was all she could do to hold onto her María, and not let go. 

“I know, mi princesa, I know.” Mapi murmured, running her fingers through Ingrid’s thick hair. “You aren’t going to lose her. We aren’t going to lose her. We’ll fix it.” 

“I don’t know how to fix it,” Ingrid whimpered. Mapi tilted the Norwegian’s head up, until Ingrid was looking at her once again. 

“That’s okay, mi amor. You don’t need to have all the answers now. We’ll figure it out together. For now, just be her sister. Not her parent. Just be her sister, and if you don’t know what else to say, tell her you love her.” 

Ingrid nodded pitifully, scooting up and cramming her face into the crook of Mapi’s neck.

“Thank you. For helping her and for texting me and for being so perfect. You’re always so perfect.” Ingrid mumbled. 

“I’ll be perfect for you any day. I love you, and I love your sister. Now relax, mi princesa. Relax, breathe, calm down. We’re going to be okay.” 

And like you had earlier, Ingrid hoped with everything in her that Mapi was right about this. 

-------

Ingrid and Mapi fell silent the minute you walked into the kitchen the next morning. They’d been talking about you, clearly, and they looked at you nervously the minute you were in sight. You’d woken up irritated, though, as you sometimes did, feeling like your blood was boiling, as if one wrong thing would set you off. You wished you had more control than that, but you knew the minute you heard your sister’s voice, you would fly off the handle. Because this morning? You weren’t sad. You were furious. 

The room was a complete contradiction to how you were feeling. Ingrid and Mapi’s home was bright with sunlight, and warm with color. They were both holding matching coffee mugs, and looking at you with matching concerned expressions, and all of it made you want to scream. Why did Ingrid get to have this perfect life, and you didn’t? Why did she get to be happy so easily, and you didn’t? 

You were lost in your thoughts, taking the coffee Mapi handed you with a quiet thank you. The kitchen was uncomfortably silent. 

“Hi, solstråle. How are you feeling this morning?” Ingrid piped up. You clenched your jaw. How did she think you were feeling?

“Fine.” You snapped. 

Ingrid remained quiet and soothing when she spoke next, and it made you even angrier. “Honey, last night,”

“I don’t really feel like talking about it right now.” You said harshly, cutting her off. Ingrid tensed, trying to keep her reaction in check. 

“I’m sorry, solstråle, but that is not an option. We need to talk about what happened, we can’t wait on that.” Ingrid insisted, voice measured. 

Still it was like she’d hit you. Your head snapped up, your features contorted with rage, and you set your coffee down dangerously softly, glaring at your sister. “Oh now we have to? Now we have to talk about it? I’ve been here for 6 fucking months Ingrid. It took you months to realize something was wrong, and you didn’t even realize! I had to write it out for you. You told me last night that you love me, that you want me here, well then why didn’t you fucking show it before now! I said I don’t want to talk today and I meant that.” You yelled. 

Ingrid shook her head, her hands clenching tight into fists. “Do not yell at me. I am trying to help. I understand that you’re hurt, and that you’re upset, but-” 

You scoffed loudly then, interrupting her, and Ingrid got visibly more frustrated with you, her lips turning down into a disapproving frown. 

“You can’t-” 

“Ingrid, just take a sec.” Mapi cut in, her soft voice a sharp contrast to how you and your sister had been conversing. “Nena, we do need to talk, but it doesn’t have to be now. Let’s just all take a breath.” 

Ingrid was shocked when you slowly nodded your head and took a step back from her, inhaling deeply. It was like magic; she’d never seen an argument that you were involved in get de-escalated so quickly.  

“Go get your homework, okay? You’re coming with us to training.” Ingrid said after a minute. There was no room for argument in her words, and you fought against another surge of anger, fought the urge to yell. 

“Is this because of what I wrote?” You asked evenly. Ingrid and Mapi exchanged glances. 

“Listen, nena, we just want to keep an eye on you.” Mapi told you, realizing that you were a lot less reactive when she spoke to you than when Ingrid did. 

“I know what I said. I wasn’t going to do anything, though. Really. I wouldn’t- I wouldn’t do that to you.” You defended quietly. 

Mapi felt Ingrid’s hand slide into hers and grip tight. I wouldn’t do that to you, you’d said. Not I wouldn’t do that, period. Everytime she thought about what you’d written, Ingrid felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She wasn’t sure what would have happened if Mapi hadn’t gotten home when she did. She wasn’t sure how close she’d come to losing you. She was so scared. 

Ingrid had never been good at letting you see how she was feeling, and maybe that was why, until this point, you’d gone out of your way to hide your own emotions from her. She decided to take Mapi’s advice from the night before. Just be her sister. Not her parent. Just be her sister, and if you don’t know what else to say, tell her you love her. 

Ingrid approached you like she was worried you would lash out at her, which may have been fair. When you made no move to step away from her, she carefully stood directly in front of you, and put her hands on your shoulders. 

“What you wrote really scared me. I’m not mad, solstråle, I’m just really scared. And I trust you, I do, but if I left you here alone, I would just worry, and we haven’t talked yet, and I have no idea what you’re thinking other than the things you said on that piece of paper. So it would make me feel a lot better if you came with us to training today.” 

You blinked up at her for a minute, before you slowly nodded your head. “Okay. I guess that’s fair.” 

Ingrid seemed equally as surprised as you did, removing her hands from your shoulders, and gesturing for you to go get your bag. Once you’d disappeared from the room, she turned back to her girlfriend, who had a ridiculous grin on her face. 

“Look! You communicated! Like a real human being!” Mapi joked, opening her arms. Ingrid instantly melted into the hug, though she scowled at her girlfriend’s teasing. 

“I communicate.” She said stubbornly. 

“Sometimes,” Mapi allowed. “You’ve definitely gotten better. And you’ll keep getting better because I don’t think I’ve ever seen you as determined as you are right now to make sure that your solstråle is okay.” Mapi whispered, kissing the side of Ingrid’s head. 

“My solstråle.” Ingrid smiled. “I started calling her that when she was 3, and she had this shirt with a sun on it. I told her I liked it once, and whenever she saw me sad after that, she’d run off to put the shirt on and come show me. I called her my little solstråle. My sunbeam. She used to be so smiley, María. So happy. She’s so different now.” Very quickly, the smile faded from Ingrid’s face and she held Mapi closer to her. 

“It’s all gonna be okay, mi princesa,” Mapi promised. 

You cleared your throat from the doorway, then, and your sister and her girlfriend sprung apart, blushing like high schoolers caught in an awkward position. “Are you guys done making out?” 

“We weren’t making out,” Ingrid groaned, as you all headed towards the door. 

“No, we only make out after training,” Mapi said seriously.

You made a fake retching sound, Ingrid slapped her girlfriend in the arm, and Mapi laughed to herself, but the tension was broken. And you had smiled, a real smile. Ingrid didn’t care what she had to say to see you smile again, she’d do it. 

--------

As was the norm when you went to training, the younger girls immediately latched onto you, yanking you away from Ingrid and pulling you into some scheme to get back at Mapi for the prank she’d pulled on them last week. It was the usual suspects; Pina,Vicky, Salma, and a couple others pulling you from the room, already giggling. They kindly didn’t say anything about the bruising and cuts on your face, and for that you were grateful, although you did get a few raised eyebrows from the older players. Ingrid watched you go anxiously, only turning her attention away from the door you’d walked out of when Mapi squeezed her hand.

“She’ll be fine.” Mapi promised. Ingrid nodded, but she didn’t stop worrying. And when Mapi went off to work in the gym herself, the Norwegian had no one to pull her out of her head. 

She worried all through the gym session, paying very little attention to what she was supposed to be doing. Which wasn’t normal for Ingrid, and it caught the attention of pretty much everyone. 

Ingrid was staring intently at where you were sitting against the wall in the shade, working on your homework, when Alexia and Frido approached. 

“Everything okay, Engen?” Alexia asked. 

“Yep.” Ingrid said distractedly. 

“What did our dear solstråle do this time?” Frido joked, having known your sister long enough to know precisely why you were living with her. Alexia knew, too, and smiled, joining in on the joke. Until Ingrid’s eyes inexplicably filled with tears, and she turned away from you, wiping harshly at her face. 

“Ingrid? What happened?” Frido wondered, running a hand up and down the Norwegian’s arm, while Alexia looked around anxiously, searching for anyone, anyone on earth, that would be better at dealing with whatever was going on than she would be. 

“It’s a long story.” Ingrid said, her voice cracking. Frido and Alexia exchanged looks, before the captain turned to Jona across the pitch. 

“Ingrid needs her ankle taped!” She shouted, before leading both women off the pitch. Jona nodded knowingly, despite the fact that Ingrid hadn’t done anything to her ankle, and it was rather odd for 2 entire people to accompany her to tape it. Jona knew that Alexia wouldn’t be asking for a minute for Ingrid if she didn’t think it was necessary. 

Ingrid let them pull her into the locker room, rather desperate for some advice and some honesty. Because Mapi loved her too much to tell her how badly she’d really messed up, and both Frido and Alexia were known to be brutally honest. She needed brutal honesty right now. No matter how much it hurt.

-------

You were busy struggling through an essay you were supposed to be writing entirely in Spanish when Frido sat down next to you. One look at her face told you she knew exactly what was going on. You weren’t that surprised. She was your sister’s best friend, and you’d known her for a long time. If there was anyone that Ingrid was going to talk to, it would be Frido. 

Frido always spoke to you in Norwegian, a thing you were endlessly grateful for. It instantly put you at ease, and today was no different, as she tugged playfully at your ear.

“How is my favorite Norwegian?” She asked. 

“I know you already asked your second favorite Norwegian.” You replied jokingly. 

“Why would I ask Caro how you are?” Frido deadpanned. 

You threw your head back, laughing loudly, and Frido grinned, continuing on to tell any and every joke she could think of. 

Ingrid watched from the doorway of the building, and when Mapi turned the corner and saw her watching the two of you, she knew exactly what her girlfriend was thinking. 

Ingrid saw Mapi coming, though, and forced a smile onto her face. “How was the gym?” She asked. 

“Fine. I was distracted though. How is she doing?” Mapi replied, nodding in your direction. 

“Well. She’s joking around with Frido. So, better I assume.” Ingrid said evenly. 

“She’s joking with Frido because Frido speaks her language, and she trusts her, and she didn’t just get into a screaming match with Frido. Frido didn’t read a letter containing her most upsetting feelings. She loves you, Ingrid, she just needs time.” Mapi assured her. Ingrid kissed her cheek softly, very appreciative that her girlfriend always knew what she needed. 

“What if she doesn’t want to talk when we get home?” Ingrid asked, after another minute. 

Mapi sounded wiser than normal when she spoke. Ingrid wasn’t used to her being the voice of reason in their relationship, but she appreciated that the defender always stepped up, and was always willing to be what Ingrid needed. “What happened last night was a big thing. She needs to process, and she needs to take her time with it. She’ll talk when she’s ready. And until then, we keep an eye on her, we give her hugs, and we tell her that we love her, vale?” 

“Okay.” Ingrid agreed. It was going to be a long and difficult evening of not suffocating you with questions, it seemed. She’d do it, though, if it was what you needed. Ingrid thought that she would probably quit football or cut off one of her limbs if that was what you needed. 

-------

You didn’t talk much the rest of the day, as Mapi predicted, and as Ingrid feared. Your sister did her best not to push you, and was mostly successful. Mapi kept the conversation going, able to talk about nothing for hours. She knew exactly which topics to discuss and which to avoid, and she knew how to make both you and Ingrid laugh until your stomachs hurt. Thank god for Mapi. 

You were… relatively alright. Until later that evening, when you got up to head upstairs to finish some homework. You’d accidentally picked up Ingrid’s phone thinking it was yours, and saw a few texts from your mom to her. All about how much she missed Ingrid, how she was thinking of her, how she made Ingrid’s favorite for dinner that night. Nothing about you. You put it back down silently, grabbed your phone, and tried not to think about it, to no avail.

Instead of doing your homework, you sat on the floor of your room, thinking of the fact that your mom had missed your birthday, and not even noticed. Ingrid had, too, but she’d apologized over and over, and she’d promised to take you shopping over the weekend, and to dinner. Ingrid was trying. Your mother hadn’t tried in a while. 

You didn’t realize you were crying until Mapi knocked on the door to say goodnight. She peaked in, frowning when she saw the fresh tears on your cheeks. 

“Hey,” she said softly, carefully lowering herself to the ground next to you, minding her knee. She texted Ingrid to come upstairs, and pressed a kiss to the side of your head. “I’m not going to ask if you’re okay, because I know that you aren’t. But Ingrid and I love you. Ingrid and I want you here. Ingrid and I are gonna fix things, and that is a promise.” 

You registered the words, though you didn’t believe them. Still, you gave Mapi a watery smile and leaned into her a bit. Ingrid’s footsteps were quiet in the hall, but you recognized that she was walking faster than normal. She appeared at your door, then, giving Mapi a meaningful look, and took Mapi’s place, sliding down onto the floor next to you. You pulled your knees to your chest, wrapping your arms around them and holding tight. It looked as if you were trying to physically hold yourself together. 

“Hey, solstråle,” Ingrid said softly. You murmured a greeting, not moving your chin from your knees, and not turning your gaze towards your sister either. It was quiet for a minute before Ingrid prompted you. “Talk to me, please.” 

You sighed, a tear rolling down your cheek. “‘I just miss Mom.” You said finally. 

Ingrid’s chest squeezed uncomfortably. You were so stubborn, so willful, sometimes she forgot you were just a kid. Just an 18 year old kid living in a foreign country, who missed her mom. “Do you want to call her?” She asked, not very confident in the suggestion, but not really sure what else to say. 

You instantly shook your head. “No. She doesn’t want to talk to me.” 

“Kjære, of course she does,” Ingrid began, but she wasn’t really sure. Your parents were so different, now. And whenever Ingrid called her mom, she never asked about you. She only wanted to hear about Ingrid. Your sister wasn’t stupid, she knew she was their favorite, but she didn’t expect them to write you off completely when you moved to Spain. They seemed happier, now. Without you there. It was something Ingrid couldn’t understand. Neither could you, really, but you had long accepted it. 

“No she doesn’t. I stopped calling her, just to see. 2 months ago. She hasn’t called me once. She doesn’t want me, anymore, Ingrid. I know I was an accident, but if they were going to hate me for ruining their early retirement plans, I don’t know why they didn't just…” 

Ingrid was speechless. At a loss for words, and so so angry. You filled the silence, though, things you’d never said out loud falling out of your mouth like you couldn’t help it. 

“I miss what mom was like before, when I was younger. When you were still at home. I miss that mom. I don’t miss the one that I could call right now.” 

“I don’t understand,” Ingrid said quietly, her hand resting on your head, and pulling you closer to her. 

“Ingrid, I know mom is always nice to you, but,” 

“No, solstråle. I don’t understand her. How she could bring someone so perfect into this world and not want to spend the rest of her life watching you grow up. I’ll never forgive her for how she’s made you feel, and I’ll never forgive myself for not noticing earlier. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it better. I promise you.” 

“Thanks, Ing.” You mumbled, looking up at her for a minute before resting your head on her shoulder. 

The problem was, Ingrid could tell you didn’t believe her. She could see it in your eyes; they were still so guarded and so hurt. You were still angry with her, she knew. You thought she just felt guilty, and eventually she would go back to how she was before. Ingrid didn’t know how to make you believe what she felt and what she told you. She worried so deeply that she wouldn’t be able to. That too much damage had been done, and that maybe she wouldn’t be able to fix it. Late at night, early in the morning, right in the middle of a match, she worried about that. All the time until it consumed her, and all she wanted to do was sit with you, and promise you over and over that she loved you more than anything on this planet. What if you never believed her? 

-------

doesn't everyone feel so much better now!

[nicohischierz]

when in  jersey: jack hughes

warning: slight swearing 

summary: you, jack and Kai spend time together at the devils family skate. when you and the family go to new jersey

pairing: Jack Hughes x reader 

part one, part two, part four

thank you to @owenpwr for the collage I am in love with it <3

Kai rushed towards his father's arms as Ellen chastised the boy to watch out. Kai ignored his grandmother and hugged his father's legs, the younger boy had grown fond of Jack through their interactions over the summer.

Jack smiled at his son and picked him up and spun him around. You took your phone out and snapped a picture of the father-son duo as they spoke about the trip over.

After spending a month in Michigan with Jack, you gave in to his pleas of wanting to spend more time with Malachi.

It worked as Vancouver had another game against the Devils. Which meant that Ellen, Jim, Luke and Quinn would be there to help you with Kai and Jack.

“Jackie Jack, can see get something to eat please?” Kai whispered to the man. Jack looked at you but you weren’t busy on your phone having an intense text war.

“Sure buddy, let me call Ty and we’ll give grab something lunch.” Jack negotiated high-giving his son. The two boys hurried the rest of the group along as they waited for Ty to pull up to the front as well. 

Ellen and Jim decided to ride with Ty leaving you and Kai with Jack. “Okay, buddy, what are you hungry for?” Jack asked his son looking at home through the mirror.

Kai being the kid he was immediately shouted McDonald’s, earning a glare from you. Jack chuckled before agreeing.

“Here you go y/n/n, an Oreo McFlurry with french fries.” Jack placed your food in front of you. Kai gave the two of you a weird look but continued eating his burger.

You dipped a fry into the ice cream and turned to Jack who had his mouth open waiting for you to feed him. Jack smiled at you as he ate the fry, Ellen gave Jim a knowing look before hiding her smile behind her drink. 

A fan came over to Jack asking for a picture, she handed you her phone with a shy smile. You accepted and got up from your seat to take the picture, the girl called her little brother over for a picture as well.

You were about to take the picture when Kai exclaimed “mommy, spill.” he pointed at the toppled bottle of water. Jack moved away from the girl and picked his son up as you took a tissue and cleaned his seat and table. 

You searched for a spare shirt and handed it to Jack so that he could help Kai change. “I am so sorry about that.” you apologised to the girl and her brother, the girl shook her head and smiled at you.

“You two make a really cute family,” she commented before walking away. You were about to tell her that you weren’t a family but she was already gone, Ellen had heard what the girl had said and gave you a knowing look as her son and grandson arrived.  

“Mommy, Jack said he’s going to take me skating!” Kai exclaimed as he climbed onto your lap. Jack gave you a smile and nodded his head, “you can come too.” he proposed. You looked between Kai and Jack before agreeing, both boys cheered and gave you a hug. 

You woke up early due to jack’s obnoxious knocking at your door. He and Ty had offered to let you and Kai stay with them, but really you know Jack didn’t want to spend another moment away from his son. Especially with you living in Vancouver. 

Jack had brought you and Kai for a family skate at the prudential centre. Kai was quick to put his skates on and grabbed Ty’s hand as Jack waited for me. “This brings back memories doesn’t it,” Jack commented as he tied your skate for you. You smiled up at him and accepted his hand as he pulled you up to your feet. 

“Now come on, we don’t want to keep Kai waiting,” Jack called as he got on the ice. Jack skated towards his son and picked him up causing the little boy to squealed as he fidgeted against his father's hold. Kai started laughing loudly causing a couple of the families to look at the three of you. 

“Mommy save me, save me.” Kai let out through a fit of giggles, he and Jack were on the ice as you skated towards them. You got on your knees and pulled Kai towards you causing Jack to look up from his son. 

The three of you stood up when Jacks's captain, Nico, skated by the three of you. “Jack you didn’t tell me you had a son.” he smiled at you and held his hand out to greet you “you’re the girl from Vancouver?” Nico questioned.

Your eyes widened before you started blushing. Jack wrapped his arm around your waist as he held onto Kai’s hand “this is my girlfriend y/n and our son Kai.” Jack introduced. 

Nico smiled widely at Jack before giving him a hug. Kai wiggled his hand free of Jack's hold before tugging on your shirt “mommy, look look. It’s Dawson Mercer.” he whispered in your ear pointing at the Canadian.

Dawson looked up at you and Kai giving your son a wave, you pushed Kai towards him urging him to talk to the devil's player. You turned to Jack who had a pout on his face. You rolled your eyes and grabbed his hand skating with him. 

“Don’t be sad, you’re his all-time favourite.” you sighed before continuing “he asked me if you were his father last night.” Jack stopped skating and looked towards you. You knew his look was him asking what you said.

“He made father’s day cards for you, I umm asked Quinn to help me send them to you. We never got a reply so I just assumed you didn’t want anything to do us,” you told him truthfully. Jack furrowed his eyebrows looking at you with a sad expression.

“I never got any letters. Y/n/n, I swear if I found out I had a son I would have dropped everything and gotten on the first flight to Vancouver. I know I’m the one who broke us up, but I will always love and care for you.” Jack mumbled bringing your hands up to his lips.

Yours and Jack’s moment was cut short when Kai called for both your attention “mommy, daddy look I’m faster than Dawson Mercer!” he exclaimed as the two of them clapped at their son. 

It took Jack a couple of minutes to register what his son had called him and he started slapping your arm and pointed “he called me dad, y/n/n he fucking called me dad!” Jack whispered jumping up and down slightly. 

Dawson picked Kai up as the boy rubbed his eyes. He handed Kai off to Jack before sticking his hand out towards you “hi, I’m Dawson Mercer.” he introduced giving you a smile. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Jack glaring at his teammate. 

You took his hand and shook it “Y/n, thank you for skating with my son.” you thanked giving him a smile. You could see a faint blush on Dawson’s cheeks as you continued to smile at him, the two of you had a silent agreement that seeing Jack mad was entertaining.  

“Y/n/n, I think Kai’s feeling tired.” Jack interrupted stepping in between you and his teammate. You spared a glance at Dawson who was fighting his laughter as he caught sight of Jack’s red face. 

You waved at Dawson and Nico as you stepped off the ice. You, Jack and Kai had a silent ride back to Jack’s apartment. Kai had fallen asleep on your shoulder during the car ride and Jack helped you put him to sleep. 

“Daddy, stay.” Kai whispered in his sleep not letting go off Jack’s hand. You changed into a pair of sweats before climbing in next to Kai, Jack looked towards you and reached over to hold your hand. 

“We’ll go slow.” you whispered to him keeping his hand intertwined with yours. Jack smiled at you and couldn’t help but feel content with having you and Kai by his side.

[kat-inthewoods]

So I am fairly new to the bkdk scene but when I tell you this ship has me gripped by my non-existant balls, lawd have murthy. Anyways, I was re-reading the manga with my new shipping goggles on when I got a very sus feeling about the interaction between Dadzawa and Joke during the licensing exam. A feeling that could potentially be seen as foreshadowing, but I could also be reading waaaay into it and seeing things I just want to see but let's gooooo.

So right at the start of this arc we are immediately drilled with the idea of marriage, now obviously this doesn't have anything to do with bkdk..yet. Aizawa like the king his is, promptly shuts her ass down lol. Throughout the arc, their interaction is basically Joke making a remark and Aizawa having some type of rebuttal to it.

Damn Aizawa, you cold hearted fox! Of course none of that would sound happy to you, we know you got your husband Present Mic at home 😏. Again, still talking about marriage and Jokes teasing being shut down. I think it's very interesting that Tsuyu (a Deku parallel) is in this scene asking about them being friends in a jokey banter about marriage. Can two friends get married? Hmm.

Nothing very notable about this panel, just that Aizawa is still reacting to Jokes banter.

Again, Joke here is just making a ...joke and Aizawa is again reacting to her and blowing her off.

Awww, Dadzawa really does love his kids! We keep seeing the pattern here though of Aizawa reacting and responding to Jokes teasing.

So after 3 chapters of Aizawa shutting all of Jokes teasing down, and after he goes on this schpiel of the passion of the wonder duo and how he expects big things from them.

It's only natural that we would then get brought back in to the discussion of marriage, except this time it isn't Aizawa as the crux of the marriage joke but Deku and Kacchan and Aizawa is NOT SAYING SHIT. He doesn't have a rebuttal or thought dismissing it. Not one, and the comment is moved along quickly like it didn't happen. Am I saying that Aizawa will be officiating Deku and Kacchans wedding? Yes, yes I am. Your honour, I have solved the case. The end of the manga will be a dkbk wedding with Aizawa officiating and that's that.

[stellocchia]

Got some sleep, so now I'm on the Manifold grind!

Stream starting with Jack spending his birthday alone, drinking in his empty hotel is... quite depressing man...

"I don't think I left this room in 80 days" damn, welcome to the world of depression man...

He's wearing the L'Manburg uniform as well. Haven't seen that since Tommy's death

He's gonna tour the smp

He also keeps having "momentary blindness" (the screen going black) and I'm pretty sure he decided it's canon

Jack and Shroud one interaction my beloved <3 ("We're the only one on the server, guess that means we gotta become friends" yes, yes you do)

"It's been quiet without him, you know, Tommy. It's been really quiet. I'll be honest I've actually- there's been very little to do with him gone" man... it really does makes you realize how much Jack was reliant on his semblance of a connection to Tommy (the whole "muse" thing Wilbur mentioned in his own stream seems to apply quite a bit for Jack)

Ooooh, he's talking about the heist that he, Quackity, Tommy, and Tubbo did! Man... remember the cartel? Good old days...

Jack just discovered the remanents of the beetroot cult

And now he's going to the museum. Glad that that museum is getting the attention it deserves

Mood immediately going down upon entering the final control room as it usually is. Though Jack wasn't actually there for that but, you know, he joined just one day after

"I miss that part, I miss L'Manburg. This was a lot easier when we all were friends. And, I mean Dream- I mean, there were enemies, sure, but, I don't know, we fought them together. Everyone feels so distant now" I wish c!Phil heard this when talking about his bs on how people are better off now that L'Manburg is gone...

"This [Manifoldland] was my cut of- cut of the woods. And it was untouched as well until I-" o7

And now he's going over where Tommy was exiled through the Nether, trying to find the point where he was killed

*staring into lava* "I don't think I wanna visit this place. I don't think I wanna look at this one. I think I wanna go back. This isn't really where I wanna be" Jack your trauma is showing

"Since when was Tubbo's house back? Didn't Tommy burn that down? I think? It's what Tubbo told me" One of the times for sure, but wasn't it destroyed the final time by Dream? Do I remember that wrong?

"Let's go to Fundy's place. I have not seen him in FOR-EVER. I don't even know what he did. I don't even remember what he did after L'Manburg" In all fairness, Fundy also probably doesn't remember...

Oh yeah, I forgot that Jack was the one who built Fundy's tower. And now it's blown up... man...

"I don't know if you could tell, but I've been pretty purposeless for the past 80 days"

"I just wish that someone would have logged on" See, that's why I say that it would honestly be beneficial for Jack more than anyone if he and Tommy mended their relationship. He just really desperately needs a friend...

"Everything I care about on this server gets blown up or destroyed or taken advantage of or... or they- it betrays me"

"I know Niki became an anarchist or whatever- at least she's happy. At least she's happy" My rocket duo crumbs for the month...

Also, Jack noticing that Quackity's business offer fell through, though, to be fair, Las Nevadas is also without customers and still unfinished

"I've never done anything for me. Anything at all" That's sort of a stretch of course. I mean, he wasn't trying to kill Tommy for someone else. He didn't take over the Hotel for someone else. But I get why it feels that way to him...

And his new objective is to create a place for himself, that caters solely to himself and where he's the only inhabitant, which will not end well for him because clearly isolation has not worked this far either

"No one came looking for me"

Final thoughts under the cut

I genuinely enjoyed the stream. It feels like he brought up quite a few of the stagnation problems there have been with the server lately and he integrated them well in his own storyline. I do hope that this is gonna go somewhere though. Maybe get integrated with the sort of bigger storyline we got going on? The one revolving around Las Nevadas and Quackity in particular at some point. Because it feels like season 3 so far has just been a bunch of loose threads that never gave us any kind of payoff.

[fa-headhoncho]

Untitled TFATWS Fic: Part 3

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Prompt/Background: After turning yourself in to the government following the events of CA:TWS, they lock you up for the crimes you committed during your time at Hydra. Spending years there until Captain America got you on parole during the blip to help fight Thanos. Now, after doing community service acts and helping the broken society, when they give the new Captain America the shield, you’re thrown back into a life you didn’t want.

Word Count: 2058

Reader: Female

Warning: parole officers? canon level violence, john walker

Author’s Note: im being lazy and not writing rn but i have a stock pile of fics so get ready for shitty posts :p

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

=====

Once you get onto the plane, you don’t hold back your emotions. The fight was enough but how Walker talked to Sam and Bucky on the car ride over sent you over the edge. You had to admit, the kid had good intentions but there was something about him that was off.

You don’t even wait for his private jet to lift off before turning to him and pinning him against the nearest wall. Your forearm was laying across his chest while the other was hovering over the knife clipped onto your hip. His managers and friend stand up, rushing to try to pry you off of him but he raises a hand to stop them. “Who the hell do you think you fucking are, huh?”

“Captain America.” He simply responds, looking at down you with a cocky smile. You let out a scoff, the audacity of this man. “Look, I didn’t know that you knew them.”

“Yes, you did.” You exclaim while your forearm digs into his chest, “You read my parole reports, it shows where I spend my time and who I talk to, Bucky and Sam being the main two who I interact with. They’re my friends and you’re using me as a pawn. Steve wouldn’t have done that, Captain America wouldn’t have done that.”

“You talk about looking up to him but you’re nothing like him. You throw around ‘brother’ like it means nothing, you have no idea what those two have gone through with Steve. You hold the shield like it’s a toy and using it to get what you want.” Your voice is menacing low and you knew if you still had your parole officer that he would be scolding you for it.

“Captain America stood up for the little guys but you’re just using it as a title, abusing it to act like the hero you tried to be before. You’re a fucking joke.” You release him and walk away. The air in the room felt tense as you plop down on the chair closest to the exit, furthest away from his management team who didn’t know what just happened.

“If you think I’m going to stand by your side after how you just treated my friends, you’re dead fucking wrong.” You shake your head and lean forward in your seat.

He lets out a chuckle, taking a step towards you with his hands fisted by his side. “You’re going to help me if I say you are. I say the words and you’re locked back in the goddamn cell where you belong. Remember who brought you here in the first place.”

“Hey, John, calm down.” Hoskins finally buds in. Walker scoffs and shakes his head, following him to join the rest of their team.

You shift your eyes to the floor, knowing he’s right. The power the government is giving their new Captain is a desperate attempt to give hope to those after the Blip. It’s going straight to his head and you knew it was going to get worse in the long run.

The rest of the flight is awkward. The tension never settling even if Walker acts like nothing just happened. Hoskins was keeping a close eye on you like you were going to bounce back to your Hydra days and take out everyone on the plane. To be fair, you wanted to but you weren’t stupid and you didn’t want to give him another reason to send you back.

Once the plane touches down, you’re out the door. The group was barely out of the seats before they could see you disappear into the airport. Haling a cab and taking it back to the apartment they were renting for you, changing out of your gear and plopping down onto the bed.

The events of the day finally collapse down onto you. This situation was going to be a lot harder than you originally thought. Walker explained it as just one mission to see where the Flag Smashers were taking the stolen vaccines and you would be on your way. “Free at last” to use his words but now you were roped in for the long haul.

You couldn’t stop thinking about the look of betrayal on Bucky’s face either. He had confided in you about how he felt about the new Captain and how lost he felt. If Steve wasn’t right about Sam then what the hell was wrong with Bucky?

Before you realize it, tears were streaming down your cheeks. You knew it was too early to try to reach out to them so you decide to give them time. They were still processing their interactions with the new Captain and the new information about the Flag Smashers being super-soldiers.

If you were going to have to work with Walker, you were going to have to figure out a plan. Racking your brain for ideas, one comes to mind that would be risky. It would be worth it, though. Staring up at the ceiling, you start strategizing a way you could pull this off. You were one of Hydra’s best agents so hopefully, this would be easy. After going against your original thought and shooting Sam a quick text, you slowly drift off asleep.

=====

Your leg bounces under the table as you stare at the clock above the door. It was half-past seven and the breakfast rush was winding down. The diner was slowly emptying, leaving a hand full of tables with families and friends enjoying their meal. The waitress comes up to your booth, standing there until you notice her.

“Ready to order yet, hun’?” The nice older lady questions, breaking your gaze from the entrance to her. You shake your head no before turning back to the door. She gives you a sad smile before looking down at her watch, “It’s been almost twenty minutes, sweetie, are you sure your friends are still coming?”

You nod quickly, no matter what kind of circumstances the two soldiers would never stand you up. Their hearts were too kind for that. “I was just a bit early, I’m kind of nervous.” You shyly admit, sending her a smile.

“Well, I’m bringing you something to eat at least,” She commands, you open your mouth to reject but she cuts you off, “on the house.” She gives you a firm look before walking off to the back.

Right as she disappears into the kitchen, the bell of the diner dings. Your head snaps to it and you can’t help the large smile that appears on your face at the sight of the duo walking in. The two immediately see you since you placed yourself right near the door.

Sam sends you back a smile while Bucky just eyes you down. You were wearing a simple sweater and pants while they were in their usual civilian gear, a ballcap and jacket. You couldn’t help but ogle at how good Bucky looked in the blue Hently you two bought when he first came to Brooklyn.

They slip into the booth, their broad figures barely fitting on the small seat. Sam elbows Bucky as he tries to get comfortable but he doesn’t acknowledge it.

“Morning.” You try to make conversation. “How was the rest of your day yesterday?”

“He got arrested.” Sam bluntly says making your jaw drop. “He missed his check-in with the shrink.”

“I told you not to tell her.” Bucky makes out through clenched teeth, he just shrugs in response. You go to scold him but he holds a steady hand out, “You can yell at me all you want later, what do you want? We don’t have much time.” Your heart drops with how aggressive he’s being towards you.

“I want to help you.” You announce, ignoring Bucky’s eye roll as he remembers who you’re working with. He goes to tell you off just like he told Walker but you start rambling before he could utter a word, “I know it’s not the ideal situation but Walker wants me on his team. If I could earn his trust and figure out what their plans are, I can report back to you two.”

“And how do we not know this is a setup?” Sam points out, leaning forward on the table as Bucky looks around the diner for any sign of said Captain America, “They could be listening right now, they still have you under lock and key.”

You gleam at the mention of that, realizing that you haven’t told them the good news. “Not anymore.” You extend your leg out from under the table for Bucky to see your naked ankle. “Walker pulled some strings to get me off my parole earlier.”

A look of realization comes across Sam’s face once he pieces everything together. He knew how mad you were about the new Captain America, how you helped him and Bucky against the Smashers instead of the other two, and how you didn’t know anything about Bucky getting arrested made sense.

“So, you made a deal with the devil.” Bucky snarkily questions, a look of disappointment on his face.

You let out a scoff at his words, “I did what I had to do, James. Not all of us were lucky enough to get pardoned.” You spit back, tired of how he was acting. “He tricked me, told me it was just one simple favor to repay him. Now, he wants me to be a part of his team to take down the Flag Smashers. Told me if I didn’t help that he would send me back to jail and it would reset everything I had accomplished in the last five years.”

Bucky’s eyes soften at your confession, hanging his head in embarrassment at his assumptions. The waitress comes up and sets the small plate of food down in front of you, giving an awkward smile to the boys before walking off.

You let out a sigh, feeling bad for yelling at him. He was being a dick but that didn’t mean you had to be one back to him. He was going through a lot and this was the last thing he needed.

Grabbing the fork, you stare down at the pancakes. “You don’t have to forgive me or anything but just understand where I’m coming from, please.”

They share a look as they silently communicate. Bucky narrows his eyes and Sam tilts his head at him. You look between them as you try to figure out what’s going on.

“I can’t read your mind, cyborg. Use your words.” Sam finally spits out then elbows him one more time, “Will you please scoot over? I’m suffocating over here!”

Bucky sighs and rolls his eyes at his friend. He gets up out of the booth and slips in next to you, using his larger form to push you closer to the window. Your eyes widen in surprise as he slings his arm to rest behind your head. He then takes the extra fork and stabs it into your hashbrowns.

Sam lets out an awe as he watches the two of you eat from your plate, “Don’t you two look so cute.”

“Shut up, Sam.” You both demand at the same time. He raises his hands up in defense, leaning back in the booth with a smug smile on his face. The two of you easily fall into conversation, catching up on things and giggling at the little jokes he was making. Suddenly, after a few moments of silence as the two of you enjoy the meal, you remember what Sam mentioned earlier.

Bucky lets out a little yelp when you send a swift smack to the back of his head, making the hashbrowns he was about to eat fall off his fork. “What the hell was that for?”

“For getting arrested, are you kidding me, James? Do you know what could’ve happened to you? I swear to God, James Buchanan Barnes, you will be the death of me—“ You continue to scold while Sam lets out a booming laugh. Mad at him for being so careless, you poke and prod at his chest but stop when you notice the expression on his face. Your heart can’t handle the way he pulls out his puppy dog eyes and his pouted lip. “Oh, don’t pull that shit with me.”

_____

untitled tfawts fic: @crowleysqueenofhell @mischiefmanaged71 @thewinterrbucky @lizajane3 @ahahafudge @spookycereal-s @a-girl-who-loves-disney @kittengirl998 @ sebby-staan

[fanmoose12]

catch me if you can

Сharacters: Hange Zoe, Levi, Erwin Smith, Kenny Ackerman

Genres: Mystery / Romance

Summary: The Ackerman duo. Just the mention of this name filled Hange with so many feelings. Mostly, when she reread the files of their cases over and over, until her eyes watered, she felt pricking annoyance. Sometimes, when she stared at the dead bodies of those scarce unfortunates who stumbled upon their crimes, she was filled with hatred and a pushing need for revenge. Hange couldn’t deny, however, there were times when she marveled at the impudence of their crimes. And, when she was investigating the Ackerman’s cases and saw just how meticulously planned they all were, she couldn’t help but feel something close to fascination.No one knew who they were. No one had seen their faces, no one knew their true names. Almost everyone knew of their crimes.Hange was determined to unravel every last one of their secrets. She will put an end to their crimes and then she will get the elusive Ackermans behind bars.

Chapter 6/?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

The sirens were still screeching, the bright lights of police cars still moving from one neighborhood to the other and Levi’s heart still drumming in his chest when Kenny had grabbed him, pushing him into the dark, empty alleyway.

“What the fuck was that?” he hissed, as he pressed Levi against the rough surface of a brick wall. Even with his mask still on, Kenny’s rage was perfectly visible, his eyes a burning fire.

If he wasn’t so out of it, if he could have shaken off the image of Hange, covered in blood, if he could have heard something rather than her pained scream, the hatred that was radiating from Kenny would have probably scared him.

But now it had a diametrically opposite effect.

“I should be the one asking you that,” Levi roughly threw Kenny’s hands off him. He was shaking, the adrenaline, frustration and fear he had experienced just half an hour ago making an utter mess out of him. He wanted, needed to get it all out of his system. And Kenny’s outrage could be the perfect remedy. “What the fuck were you thinking when you had pointed that gun? Did you want to kill a cop? Do you know what they would have done to us if you got one of their own?”

Kenny’s demeanor changed in a flash – his shoulders relaxed, his breathing slowed down. Patting Levi’s shoulder, he took a step back. With a low hum, Kenny threw away his mask, pulling out a pack of cigarettes.

Lightening one up, he looked at Levi, revealing to him a narrow, foxy smirk. "You're so calm, Levi, so rational. Always know better than your uncle. But when I had that pointed that gun," he pressed a point finger to Levi's forehead, his palm imitating the pistol. "Were you just as rational? Because I swear – your eyes showed the exact opposite."

Levi held Kenny’s gaze steadily, refusing to be intimidated. "I was trying to get our asses out of here."

"Could have fooled me," Kenny chuckled, taking a drag of his cigarette and then blowing the smoke right in Levi's face. "I thought you were distracted by the pretty face of that cop," he looked Levi up and down, his smirk growing wider. His eyes filling with something darker.

"Need I to remind you," Levi waved his hand, getting rid of the smoke. "That we're in this mess only because you were distracted by a pretty face. Or you think that cops busting us was a coincidence?"

"No," Kenny lifted his head, releasing another ring of smoke into the air. The momentary silence was interrupted by return of the sirens. The police was getting closer. And that meant they had to run faster. "Traute will get what she deserves, don't you worry. And I hope, Levi," Kenny put his cigarette out, pressing it against the wall. He gave Levi a heavy, loaded look. "That you won't give me a reason to do the same to you."

***

Levi was a bad person. He held no other illusions regarding that matter.

Thief and liar, he wasn't blind or naive enough to pretend he was anything more.

If he was a good person, he'd surrender to police, confess his and Kenny's crimes and serve his time in prison.

If he was a mediocre person, he'd get on a first plane to somewhere far away and never show his face in this city again.

If he, at least, wasn't a complete piece of shit, he'd leave Hange alone and stop lying to her.

Alas..

Lying to her became surprisingly easy. And a sort of necessity too.

This is the last time, he told himself. The last time. I just need to make sure that Hange is alright.

Alas… Lying to himself was becoming surprisingly easy too.

***

Contacting Hange was even less difficult than he had expected to.

Her face was all over the news, the brave detective injured during a mission – there was no shortage of praise to her dedication and courage.

Something warmed in his chest at hearing these praises.

The feeling was almost enough to make him panic. It was one thing when his heart sped up in Hange’s presence. But now he was proud of her achievements as well? A sure sign that he was getting in too deep.

A sure sign that he had to leave.

The last time, he repeated, as he sent a text to Hange.

saw your sad face on tv. are you alright?

Turned out, it was everything he had to do to receive a photo of Hange, grinning at him from a hospital bed, along with an invitation to visit her.

Levi didn’t allow doubts to take hold of him. Before a logical part of him raised its voice and started screaming at him, he grabbed his jacket and left the house. Thankfully, Kenny was out, probably looking for ways to get his revenge.

Levi didn’t care enough to ask him where he was going. After their last fight, they didn’t talk at all. And Levi was more than okay with it. The lesser they interacted, the lesser chances were of them getting into another fight and possibly reaping each other’s heads off.

If Kenny was busy with getting even with Traute, Levi could take a moment to say a proper goodbye to Hange.

Then, he’d leave the city. For good this time.

***

The hospital – when Levi had entered it – was bustling with police officers.

At first, he almost bolted back home. There were too many of them, and the surge of panic he felt was almost too much.

What if Hange knew the truth about him? Her plan with Traute had failed, but what if she had tried to lure him out here? What if she set another – unescapable – trap for him?

But the police officers didn’t look intimidating. Almost all of them seemed tense – exhausted and worried. But no one had spared him another glance.

And when he told that he was Levi and he came to see Hange, some of them actually smiled.

The blonde woman, the one Levi vaguely remembered seeing in the precinct before, even squeezed his shoulder, as he passed her by. She thanked him for being there for Hange and told him he was a real sweetheart.

Levi didn’t think it was possible to feel embarrassed, ashamed and guilty at the same time.

These feeling grew as he met the tall sniffing giant from before. Was his name Mike? Levi was pretty sure it was. At least, he definitely remembered Hange mentioning some Mike. Most probably it was the exact Mike that was standing before him now. He beamed as he saw Levi approach, beckoning him to come closer.

“Man, it’s so good to have you here,” he said, and the sincerity in his tone almost made Levi wince. He was such an asshole… “Hange had been crawling up the walls ever since she was brought here,” the man appeared to be tired, visibly drained, but beneath the face of exhaustion, it was easy to see the genuine concern. Seemed, like Hange was extremely well-loved amongst her colleagues. “Our sweet Han is terrifying in her anger, but maybe…” he tilted his head, scanning Levi from head to toe. “Maybe, you’ll cheer her up.”

“That’s…” Levi cleared his throat, struggling not to fidget under Mike’s hopeful gaze. God, perhaps it’d be better if they just caught him there. It certainly wouldn’t make him feel so awful about himself. “That’s what I’m here for. Can I come in?”

“Sure!” Mike gave him thumbs-up, smiling in relief. “Hange is just behind that door. I’m not sure if she’s alone, I left her side to get some coffee, but…”

Levi was already on a move, already opening the door to Hange’s ward, and, naturally, he ignored the end of that sentence.

Big mistake on his part.

Because Hange, who was half-sitting on the white hospital bed with a bandage on her right shoulder… Hange certainly wasn’t alone. There was a man beside her, and when he shifted in his seat to glance at Levi, Levi recognized him immediately.

Admittedly, he had never met him in person, all communication was performed by Kenny, but that cropped brown hair, those vibrant blue eyes and stupid, ugly moustache… it was very hard to mistake Rod Reiss for anyone else.

Levi froze, heart in his throat. What was Reiss doing here? Did he know who Levi was? Did he recognize him? The slight uplift of his mouth said that he did.

But, thankfully… Reiss said nothing about it.

Instead, he turned back to Hange, a small smile on his thin lips and his hand pointing at Levi. “Is that your young man, detective Zoe? Didn’t know you were spoken for.”

“I’m not—” Hange flashed, shaking her head rapidly. Despite the tense moment, Levi stole a second to admire Hange’s embarrassed expression. She looked utterly ridiculous, and that served her right, a payback for all the times she was the one to embarrass him. “I’m not spoken for, mister Reiss. Yet, at least.”

Yet, at least.

These words sent a pang straight to Levi’s heart. If only… if only he wasn’t himself, and Hange wasn’t Hange, if only they met at the different time, in different place.

If only. A cruel, painful truth.

“Well, either way, it’s good to know that you have someone who cares about you,” Reiss reached out, squeezing Hange’s healthy shoulder. “Even heroes need that.”

“I’m not a hero.” Hange mumbled, utterly bashful. Levi rather liked that side of hers, he decided he wanted to see more of it. So…

“Don’t sell yourself short,” he grumbled, revealing in a vicious glare Hange sent him. It suited to her red cheeks perfectly. “Your heroic deed is all over the news. Certainly, the news wouldn’t lie?”

Hange’s face screamed ‘stop embarrassing me, you asshole’, but in the presence of Reiss, the only thing she could do was smile and grip the edge of a bed with her healthy hand a little too tightly. Perhaps, Reiss was the only obstacle between him and Hange’s proverbial fury. Still, Levi preferred the old bastard would just fuck off already. And— that he wouldn’t tell Kenny where he had met his nephew.

“It’s time for me to leave,” Reiss stood up, as though he heard Levi’s thoughts. “But hopefully we’ll meet again, detective.”

“Thank you for your visit and your help, sir. I’m sure that once we combine our forces, we’ll catch those Ackermans in no time.”

Levi had caught himself, before his jaw had met the floor. What were they talking about? Catching… Ackermans? Was it another one of Reiss’ schemes? Was it a careful move to boost his reputation? A way to protect him and Kenny? Or… was he covering up his traces? If so, how far was he ready to go to do it? He couldn’t betray Kenny, could he?

“It was nice meeting you,” Levi was so lost in his head, he missed the moment when Reiss approached him. Now he stood right before him, his hand outstretched towards him. Reiss was slightly shorter than Levi, which – in that moment – offered little comfort. “Mister?”

“Levi,” he schooled his expression into something polite and, more importantly, neutral.

“Levi,” Reiss hummed, his eyes narrowing just a fraction. “The name seems familiar. But…” he curled his lips in a smile for no more than a second. It was enough to induce a shiver from Levi. “That’s probably just a coincidence. Have a good night, Levi, and take care of our hero, please.”

“Will do, sir,” Levi promised, squeezing the offered hand just a little too tightly.

He watched Reiss walk to the door, then turn the doorknob, push the door open and then – finally - closed. Only when his short, round stature disappeared, did Levi allow himself to breathe out in relief. He moved a hand through his hair, shaking off the last bits of nervousness. With his heart beating that much slower, he turned back to Hange.

“Is that your new friend?” he asked as he plopped down on a chair Reiss had just vacated.

“Friend?” Hange scoffed. “A rich snob who thinks that money solves any problem.”

“Isn’t he right, though?”

“We’ll see about that, I guess,” Hange lifted her shoulders in attempt to shrug, her face contorting in pain as soon as she moved her injured extremity. Levi swallowed, as he watched her rub the wound gently.

“Does it—” his voice betrayed him, breaking right at the beginning. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Does it hurt?”

“Like bitch,” Hange confessed with a bitter smile. “They give me painkillers, and they help, but… I guess I’ll be away from active duty for a while.”

What happened was the next expected question, a friend ought to ask about that, right? However… Levi wasn’t too keen to hear the answer.

“Your friends are worried about you,” he said instead. He was worried about Hange too, but did he even have the right to be? Even if partially, but he was the reason she had been shot. And he was the reason she was now moping in a hospital.

“Sometimes, they worry too much,” Hange complained. “They don’t even let me work. Mike took my laptop away, and Erwin returned my notebook back to the precinct. I’m dying of boredom here, Levi!” she whined, accompanying that pathetic sound by a petulant kick.

“I’m sure they have your best interests at heart,” he reasoned, doing his best not to laugh. It was his fault Hange was like that, but even so, he couldn’t deny that she looked almost unbelievably ridiculous. And cute, really, really cute.

And… that was another sign that he needed to get out of this city as soon as possible.

“Rest may be good for my body, but it’s bad for my brain.”

Hange fell silent after that. With the thumb of her healthy hand raised to her lips, she stared into nothing. Levi could practically hear the sound of gears turning in her head.

He didn’t like where this was going.

“I know I’m asking a lot…” Hange mumbled, suspiciously avoiding his eyes. “And I’ll understand if you decide to refuse…”

Levi tsked and rolled his eyes. All these dramatics… “Just say what you want from me.”

“Like I said it’s a bit too much,” she began slowly, still unsure. Levi kicked the leg of the hospital bed to speed up the process. It seemed to have a rather positive effect. “But since you’ve already been there and I have the key, could you…”

“Steal your damned notebook for you?”

Hange’s face lightened up as she nodded, and, met with that delighted expression, Levi could only sigh. He already hated himself for it, but… he was a reason Hange was here in the first place, right? He might as well do something to make up for it.

Besides… he really liked that happy smile.

“I’m not asking you to steal!” Hange ardently assured. “You’re not a thief, after all,” she laughed at her own joke, while Levi tried very hard not to cringe. “I’m asking you to deliver my notebook from my office.”

Levi didn’t answer right away, and Hange, probably sensing his doubt, continued, “The precinct is almost empty, since it’s Saturday, and everyone is either here or at home. And even if you do run into someone, just tell them you’re running an errand for me.”

“You make it sound so easy,” he said, shaking his head. He had already decided he was going to help Hange out, but there was nothing wrong with playing a little too hard to get.

“It’ll be easy, I swear! And if you bring me the notebook…”

Hange winked, her smile enigmatic. Levi couldn’t deny, that smile had him intrigued. “If I bring the notebook?”

“I’ll think of a way to thank you for that! Perhaps, when we go on that date you promised me…”

The date on a skating rink, Levi almost forgot about it. But as Hange reminded him, the feeling of regret returned. He wanted to go there with Hange, wanted to hold her hand as they glide through the rink, wanted to see her spin around effortlessly, wanted her to teach him how to do the same, as pathetic as it sounded, even the idea of falling down and freezing his ass didn’t disgust him, if Hange were there with him, laughing her heart out, he probably would forget about the pain and cold. If Hange were with him, perhaps, he’d be able to forget about many things.

And that’s why he had to leave.

“Alright, I’ll bring your stupid notebook,” he conceded, getting to his feet just a little too quickly. Hange’s warm gaze was too hypnotizing. It was dangerous, it was doing something to him, and that something was making it very hard for him to leave her side. “I’ll be right back, just…”

“Stay here?” Hange snickered. “I can’t exactly run away right now, Levi.”

“Right, right,” he nodded, and then, because he was going to enter the police precinct on his volition, because he was doing this for Hange’s sake, because he was the most despicable human being in the world, he reached out and pressed her head to his chest. Hange could probably hear how loud and quick his heart was beating, Hange’s heart – if he deciphered the beeping of medical equipment correctly – was beating almost just as fast. “See you, Hange.”

The softness of her hair was surprising, the warmth of her body was so pleasant, the desire to kiss the crown of her head was almost irresistible, but…

Apparently, he wasn’t a complete asshole.

The hug lasted for no more than a second, but for Levi it seemed like hours had passed. And still, it wasn’t nearly enough.

That step back felt like the hardest thing Levi had ever done. As soon as Hange’s warmth had disappeared, he started to miss it.

“I’ll be waiting,” Hange promised with a smile so gentle, it was…

No. He had already done enough, far more than he should have.

If he did something more, if he kissed her, would he really be able to leave? Levi didn’t want to know the answer to that question. He wasn’t sure he’d like it.

He forced himself to walk away, his stride much swifter than usual. He hoped that breathing would be come to him much easier, when the distance between him and Hange grows bigger.

But apparently… he wasn’t lucky enough.

***

Getting inside the precinct was laughably easy.

The security guy at the entrance had attempted to stop him, but let him pass as soon as Levi mentioned that he was running an errand for detective Hange Zoe.

Either Hange’s name held a pretty significant value around here, or, more probably, the police was full of incompetent, lazy pigs.

Honestly, a middle schooler could infiltrate this place.

Not that Levi looked like a middle schooler. His face was much more mature. If he scowled hard enough. He hoped so, at least.

Just as Hange had predicted, the precinct was mostly empty. He passed a few closed doors that had a narrow ray of light coming underneath, but as he repeated the path Mike had showed him before, Levi didn’t meet a single soul.

The long hallways were scarcely illuminated, and some lightbulbs were flicking in and out, creating an almost eerie atmosphere. The tension in his shoulders grew bigger as he moved further and further... right inside the lion’s den.

Kenny would have called him a fool. Kenny would have called him shit-for-brains, a fucking idiot, a stupid fucker. Kenny, if he had known where Levi went, would have hit him until all his idiocy disappeared.

Although… the idiocy was too deep inside him now, Levi wasn’t sure that even Kenny was up to task of getting rid of it.

Perhaps, if he’d leave… Perhaps, perhaps. He’d had to leave the city first.

He had to leave the city, Levi decided and as he got inside the elevator that would take him to Hange’s office, he took out his phone and booked the closest flight available.

Singapore, awesome. He always wanted to visit.

The floor, where Hange’s office was located, was just as lifeless. All cubicles stood vacant and the rest of the offices were empty too. Perhaps, most of the officers were back at the hospital, watching over Hange. It was a good thing that she had someone to care about her. Hange deserved that, maybe, even needed that. Especially after dealing with asshole like him.

Just before entering the door, Levi paused with his hand on a doorknob. That tense feeling, that premonition returned and intensified. His stomach was in knots, making him almost nauseous.

It was ridiculous, stupid, the whole precinct was empty, he had seen so himself, but… the alarms in his mind were ringing, begging him to reconsider and go back before it was too late. Before it was too late for… what?

Levi couldn’t answer that question, meaning his sudden panic was stupid, and he himself was stupid for being a scaredy cat. It was so unlike him, and it was foolish, the last couple of days were probably just getting to him, making him more paranoid than usual.

Stop acting like an idiot, he chided himself, swallowing all of his worry down. He exhaled, relaxing the tense muscles of his back. With another mental kick, he pressed on a doorknob and opened the door, doing so unnecessarily slowly.

Just as he knew it would be, the office stood empty.

Levi didn’t waste another moment by being a damn idiot, and walked inside, heading to the desk Hange was occupying back when he had visited her that one time. The mess of paperwork, pens, paper cups and empty boxes from takeout food that had accumulated on the desk was a proof enough that this work space had really belonged to Hange.

Now, if only there was just a little more light… Levi located the desk lamp fairly quickly, but where was a switch to that fucking thing? He moved his hand up and down, his fingers searching and searching…

The light turned on before he found the switch.

It wasn’t the desk lamp though, it was a luster right above his head.

Levi jerked, whirling around, to the door behind him.

As it turned out, he wasn’t completely alone in the office. Hange’s boss, Captain Erwin Smith was still at work, despite the late hour.

“Levi,” he started to approach him, slowly at first. But the office was rather small, and, despite a step that Levi had taken back, despite his thigh pressing into the edge of the desk, the distance between them was shortening at a speed he wasn’t completely comfortable with. “I was waiting for you.”

He was? Why? Did Hange tell him something? Did she warn her boss about his visit? Why would she, if Erwin was the one who had taken her notebook in the first place? Something wasn’t adding up, and Erwin’s guarded face, damn that stoic man, wasn’t helping him solve that riddle.

“Sit down,” Erwin walked just a little too close to Levi, and then turned, taking a seat at Hange’s desk. Awkwardly, with his legs refusing to cooperate properly, Levi sat down at the opposite side. “Do you want some coffee? Or tea? Hange mentioned you like it a lot.”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

What was he going? What was Erwin doing here, why was he looking at him like that – like Levi was a test subject and Erwin was watching his every move behind the lens of a microscope. The comparison almost made him squirm.

“I’m glad you showed up,” Erwin had his hands folded under his chin, his eyes never leaving Levi’s face. His gaze seemed just as neutral as his expression, perhaps, even a little friendly, but the premonition had returned, so much stronger than before.

“I’m here because Hange asked me to,” he said, wondering why his voice sounded so quiet, almost shaky. Levi straightened in his seat, meeting Erwin’s gaze squarely. He wouldn’t let this man intimidate him. Unless, of course, Erwin gives him a reason to be intimidated. “She wanted—”

“Her notebook, yes,” Erwin nodded. “I guessed already. And I’m sure you’ve jumped at the opportunity to get inside her office. Isn’t that right, Levi? Or,” he paused, but Levi knew what he was going to say, knew what Erwin knew, could see it in his eyes that now had betrayed his true feelings and looked more like two icy shards. These eyes, they pinned Levi down, he helplessly stared into them, seeing nothing but hatred and disgust. “Or, perhaps, you’d prefer if I called you Mister Ackerman instead?”

Levi knew what was coming, and, still, his stomach fell. Millions of question swirled around in his head, and that was the only thing that kept him from bolting out of his seat.

How did Erwin find out? When did he find out? And most importantly, did he tell Hange? Or… was the she the one who discovered the truth?

All these questions had Levi on edge, but Erwin… Erwin didn’t seem too keen to answer any of them.

“Did you know there are only four men named Levi in this city?” Levi didn’t know if the answer was expected of him, but Erwin didn’t seem too interested in what he had to say, because after a brief pause, he continued, “One of them is a teenager boy, he’s an athlete, who is raised by a single mother. Another one is a middle-aged, bald man with three kids and a wife, the other is an eighty-year old man, who lives alone on the edge of the city. The last one,” Erwin’s eyes flashed, and Levi swallowed. Just like before, he knew damn well what was coming. “Doesn’t really count, I guess. He had died some twenty years ago, along with his mother. Do you, by any chance, know the name of his mother?”

There was a lump in his throat, one that appeared each time his mother was mentioned, one that made it hard to breathe and pressed on his chest, heavy enough to hurt. But Erwin looked at him expectantly, like his question was a test. A test of what, Levi wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t going to show his weakness, not in front of this particular man.

“Kuchel,” he said, his voice as steady as it could be, considering he was shaking from inside. “Her name was Kuchel Ackerman.”

Erwin nodded, his features sharpening even further, turning into a stone mask. “I refused to believe it at first, when I first looked you up after meeting you right in that office. It appeared to be a horrible coincidence, a weird conjunction. You seemed genuinely interested in Hange, not in her work, and I was ready to give you the benefit of the doubt, waiting for a sign that would support or destroy my finding. But last night was enough of a proof.”

Was it? How so? Did Levi make a mistake? If so, then were? And how did Erwin see it?

“Last night Hange was shot,” yeah, Levi was there, and Erwin knew that. What importance did it have now? “But she isn’t dead, not like that politician from a week ago. Your partner in crime,” ah, so Kenny wasn’t yet discovered. Apparently, he wiped the traces of his existence much better than Levi did. “I guess he is the one who usually dirties his hands, and that means he was the one who killed that man. Hange was supposed to die that night too, right? And you were the one who prevented it."

Having said everything he needed, Erwin fell silent. For a long moment, there was no sound, except the tick of a clock, Erwin's calm breathing and Levi's much frantic one.

"So, is my assertion correct?"

Levi said nothing. What was there to say? Say yes and stroke Erwin's ego? Or deny it and look like a fool?

"I'll take your silence as a yes."

His cockiness was irritating, despite it being very much deserved. Still, to be caught by a guy he had seen only once... Levi knew there was a possibility that his involvement with Hange may end with him in prison. He just never imagined that her overprotective boss would be the one to blame for his fall.

"Did you already tell Hange?" he asked quietly, admitting his defeat.

His heart was aching, as he thought of what was awaiting for him next. Was Hange going to be the one to put handcuffs on him? What her reaction would be - would she be gleeful about her victory? Or would that joy be overridden by disgust she felt for him?

"I didn't tell her. She won't know the truth about you. Not from me, at least."

Levi widened his eyes, staring at the man in front of him with shock and incomprehension. Was he... telling the truth? But why?

"Hange would be dead, if it wasn't for you. That's why I'm inclined to give you another chance. Leave this city, Levi Ackerman, and don't come back. Stop toying with Hange's feelings and don’t you dare contact her ever again. She deserves someone much better than you."

Well, in that aspect, Levi agreed with Erwin completely.

"You may bring the notebook to her, but that's it. I'm letting you go not out of kindness, but out of gratitude. Don't make me regret it."

"I'm leaving the city tonight." He promised to Erwin, as he stood up, Hange's notebook secured in his right hand.

Not that Erwin needed to know about it, but he was going to leave anyway. Just in two hours, he'd be on his way to Singapore. If he hurried, he might get just enough time to say goodbye to Hange.

A proper goodbye. He ought to give her at least that much.

He left the office swiftly, before Erwin could change his mind. With his heart still racing after a tense encounter, he ran to the hospital.

***

When he arrived inside, the hospital was much less crowded than before. There was a fewer number of patients and visitors in the main hall, and those who still were present, were much quieter, subdued and exhausted. There were only a few doctors around, and their faces were pale, eyes blinking tiredly, shoulders slumped after a long shift. The only ones who still kept their energy were nurses, who ran from one side of a hospital to the other, calling out to doctors or carrying the needed medicine.

Still shaken after his encounter with Erwin, Levi used that semi-calm atmosphere to take a deep breath and put his thoughts into order. He had – for the lack of better word – an eventful day, and who knew what would happen tomorrow? Perhaps, it was the last moment of peace he would have in a while.

He was starting a new life, but the prospect wasn’t thrilling or exhilarating. The only feelings it provoked was dread. And a bone-deep exhaustion.

No rest for the wicked, or so Kenny liked to say. It was one of the few things he and Levi agreed upon.

The hospital hallways seemed deserted too, only doctors and nurses still roaming the place. The visiting hours were already over, but Hange’s status as a new city hero allowed Levi to convince them to overlook that small detail. He had to lie and say he was detective Zoe’s boyfriend, but well… Hange wouldn’t know about this. Even if she did, Levi was going to be on another side of the world in just a few hours.

However, he had to admit… saying this out loud felt good. Unreasonably so.

Hange’s boyfriend… it had a nice ring to it. Perhaps, in another life…

The ridiculousness of that thought was almost enough to make him chuckle. Clearly, it was the long couple of days getting the best of him. He needed to rest, get his head cleared up, leave this city once and for all.

The hallway that led to Hange’s ward was almost as deserted as the rest of the hospital. The number of police officers patrolling her had diminished significantly, only two of them still present.

Levi was not at all surprised to see that tall weirdo, Mike, slumped down in the uncomfortable hospital chair with his hands folded beneath his head. Clearly, he was one of Hange’s closest friends. Levi took a mental note of that, storing that information in that corner of his mind that was dedicated solely to Hange. That corner was growing bigger, and that was another reason why he had to leave, disappear from her life. Hopefully, then Hange would disappear from his life and his mind too.

Next to Mike sat a thin blonde woman, whose name stubbornly eluded Levi. Nana… something. It didn’t really matter. The woman was asleep, her face pressed into Mike’s big shoulder. The scene was adorable, Levi thought detachedly. These people weren’t his friends, they didn’t provoke an emotional response from him, however… Hange would probably like to hear about them snuggling together outside her ward. Maybe, that would make her smile. Levi liked her smile, along with her deep, strangely alluring voice and big, look-inside-them-for-too-long-and-you’ll-drown brown eyes, her smile took the most of that special mind corner of his.

The first thing he saw upon entering the ward was the sight of Hange’s peaceful, relaxed face. Be it the exhaustion from last few days, the pain from injury or a simple, soothing atmosphere of the hospital, but Hange was asleep, her mouth slightly open in an expression that could be described as ridiculous if it weren’t so endearing. Without the ever present glasses, she looked much younger than she actually was, fragile almost.

The second thing Levi was saw the dusty black coat and the stupid bowler hat. The start contrast between white ceilings, blue walls, Hange’s still pale body and that black form was striking enough to make Levi wonder if what he was seeing was actually true. It was easier to write it off as a visage, an image of his biggest nightmare that was conjured by an exhausted mind.

Kenny shouldn’t, couldn’t be here. But he was. Sitting dangerously close next to Hange, his lips spread into a wide, bloodthirsty smirk, he stared at her sleeping form like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Levi’s blood turned to ice, his insides twisting painfully. He still couldn’t quite believe it.

Kenny was here.

How did he find out about Hange? Why did he come? What did he want? What was he going to do?

There were so many questions, Levi wasn’t sure the answer to which one would be the scariest.

“You know there are over a million people in this city?” Kenny’s voice was quiet, no louder than a machine that counted Hange’s heartbeats. It wasn’t nearly loud enough to disturb her sleep. “And out of that million you had to choose a fucking cop. Is she that special?” Kenny looked him in the eyes, seeming genuinely curious in his answer. “Or are you just that dumb?”

“Both, probably,” Levi shrugged, marveling at how calm, almost bored his voice sounded. Inside, he was anything but.

Kenny hummed, nodded, expressing his agreement, and stood up, popping the collar of his coat. “Let’s not disturb your sleeping beauty then. Follow me, Levi.”

It wasn’t a suggestion or a request, it was an order, and a clear one at that. Levi gladly obeyed it, because the alternative – whatever it would be – was much, much worse.

Kenny led him out of the ward, they passed through Mike and his friend, who were still sleeping, walked through a long hallway, arrived at the stairwell and then went up to the roof.

Once they were there, underneath pale moonlight and surrounded by bright neon lights of a nearby night club, Kenny punched him.

Levi didn’t even stagger, more than expecting that. He didn’t punch back and didn’t defend himself, knowing that he more than deserved that.

Clearly not satisfied yet, Kenny punched him again, then again, until Levi did stagger and fell on his ass. A thin drip of blood dripped from his lip. Levi wiped it off with a sleeve, briefly wondering if the ache on his cheek would turn into a bruise or not.

Kenny stood above him, his face darker than Levi had ever remembered seeing, his fists trembling from either cold or rage.

“You’re a fucking idiot, Levi,” he spat out, kicking his leg. The kick was light, born more out of frustration than anything else. Levi barely felt it. “What the fuck were you thinking? What the fuck were you doing with that damn cop? Have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten who you are?”

Maybe, Kenny was right, maybe, he did forget about it. Or, maybe, he pretended to forget, letting his heart have what it so ardently desired. But today he was reminded of his place. Several times already.

And he was an idiot, Kenny wasn’t wrong about that too.

He was an idiot, who followed his heart, who chose the one person he absolutely couldn’t have. That choice, although it was only his to carry, wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair to Hange and it wasn’t fair to Kenny, to him especially so.

Levi knew about possible consequences, had expected them, but what about Kenny? Had Levi been caught, had Kenny been caught alongside him, his life would have been ruined too. And if Levi made that choice, consciously, Kenny – didn’t. He would never make a choice like that, one that would jeopardize Levi. Kenny was an asshole, a scoundrel, a thief and a liar, but if there was one thing he treasured, it was his family.

He treasured his sister, and after her death, he treasured her son, even if he never actually showed that.

And Levi had betrayed him.

All this time, he was worried, afraid that Hange would learn about his betrayal and grow to despise him, but he had never even thought that he was also lying to the only person in this world, who actually gave a damn about him, to the last part of his family.

Perhaps, Kenny should have punched him a couple of times more.

“You look like a kicked dog,” Kenny rolled his eyes in exasperation, grudgingly offering Levi to take his hand. “Get up, before you catch some shit from this fucking cold. Doubt they’ll let you stay with that officer sweetheart of yours if you start coughing your lungs out.”

“Fuck off,” Levi grunted, but accepted the offered hand and let Kenny hoist him up. “You were the one to punch me.”

“Was hoping I’d knock out that shit out of you,” Kenny briefly glanced at him before burying his head into the inside of his coat to look for the pack of cigarettes, no doubt. One day, the constant smoking would kill him. Then again – with their line of job – they could die at any moment, anyway. Criminals like them had to treasure every second, before they end up in a ditch or in prison. Wasn’t he doing the same, wasn’t he treasuring every second he had with Hange? Perhaps, he was. And now, it came to an end, disappointingly abrupt. “Did I, by the way? Manage to knock some sense into you?”

Levi thought about a notebook, hidden inside his pocket, close to his heart. He remembered how good it felt to hold Hange in his arms, remembered how light her laughter made him feel.

“I think you didn’t punch me hard enough.”

Kenny didn’t hit him again, didn’t even scold him. It seemed like he didn’t have energy for either. He just shook his head - slowly, wearily, and sighed – in disappointment, not surprise.

He walked to the edge of the roof and sat down, his long legs dangling in the air. Kenny seemed spent, defeated, Kenny looked tired and unexpectedly old, like the weight of his years had finally caught up to him. Levi didn’t quite know how to act around him in that state.

Tentatively, staggering slightly, he approached his uncle and joined him at the edge of the roof.

Kenny wordlessly offered him a cigarette, and Levi took it, thanking him with a subtle nod.

The silence fell over them as they both smoked, their eyes glued to the sky above. It was comfortable, this silence. Levi hated to break it, but there were things he needed to say.

“I’m leaving tonight.”

Kenny didn’t ask where, didn’t ask why, he didn’t seem to care at all. Unfortunately, Levi did care.

“Do you want to leave with me?”

Kenny put a cigarette to his lips, took a long, deep drag, released a fat ring of smoke, watched it disappear into the night. He met Levi’s eyes – for a single moment – and then returned to gazing up at the sky.

“Sorry, kid. Still have some stuff I need to finish.”

Levi didn’t ask Kenny to reconsider, didn’t ask what stuff he was talking about. If there was one thing he knew for certain, it was a fact that Kenny had a lot on his hands – Traute and her betrayal, Reiss and whatever he was planning to do. Levi had a lot on his hands too, and the only way to deal with all of it was to leave.

Kenny obviously had a different opinion. Nothing surprising, there were lots of things they had different opinions about.

“That cop of yours,” Kenny put his cigarette out, flicking the butt down below, and took a new one. He lightened it up, the lighter briefly illuminating his grim features. The shadows on his face were almost frightening. “Does she know who you are?”

“No,” the word came out a little bit harsher, gruffer than he intended. Levi wondered what the cause of it was – shame or regret. “But she’ll find out someday, I’m sure. She’s more than sharp enough.”

“You got lucky then, if she doesn’t know yet.”

Lucky? Perhaps he truly was. Was he lucky because he was leaving before Hange discovered the truth? Was he lucky because earlier that day she was still looking at him with stars in her eyes? Or, maybe, he was lucky because he wouldn’t get to see how those starts turn to disgust and hatred?

“Her boss knows, though. He searched my name after Hange introduced us. Did you know there are only four Levis in this city?”

“Your mother’s fault, not mine,” Kenny shrugged. “I wanted to name you Bob.”

Levi choked, shock and laughter constricting his throat. “Bob?” he hoarsely croaked.

“Bob Ackerman,” Kenny smirked, taking off his hat and putting it on Levi’s head. It fell down, obscuring half of his face. “It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

“No.”

Kenny chortled, and Levi couldn’t keep a smile off his face. It seemed like things between them were returning to normal. Levi was relieved.

And at the same, he was sad. Most of the time Kenny got on his nerves, he constantly pushed all of his buttons, but Levi still loved him. In a strange, bizarre sense, he was the only Levi could look up to. And the only one he could trust.

Levi didn’t want to leave him behind, wanted to listen to his stupid jokes while rolling his eyes and calling him an asshole just for a little longer.

But his plane was taking off in an hour. And there was one thing Levi wanted to do, before he gets out of this city for good.

“Kenny, I—”

“I know,” he cut him off. Kenny looked him in the eyes, and if Levi didn’t know him better, he’d say that the smile on his face was sad. “Young love and all that, right? Go, Romeo. Make sure your Juliette doesn’t put handcuffs on you.”

Levi stood up, hovering over Kenny awkwardly. They never, ever hugged. But in this moment, it seemed appropriate. People did hug, when saying goodbye to your loved ones. It was a totally normal thing. Could he and Kenny be like normal people too?

Bracing himself, Levi turned to face his uncle. He only started raising his arms, when Kenny snorted.

“Don’t make this weird, Levi.”

Apparently, they couldn’t even pretend to be normal.

“And you can keep my hat.”

Levi scoffed. “Now you’re the one making this weird.”

“It’s my old age, I guess,” he said. “Now shoo, kid, you don’t have much time. And remember - whenever you go…” Kenny paused, winking conspicuously. “Stir up some trouble, alright?”

Despite himself, Levi chuckled. “Don’t go around being boring too, old man.”

“That you can be sure of,” Kenny tilted his head, at the last moment remembering that his loyal hat wasn’t with him anymore. “And if you go into hiding, make sure you don’t go too deep.”

“So you’ll be able to find and pester me?”

“You know me so well.”

Levi did. And he was going to miss his nuisance of an uncle. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “For everything, for—”

“Yeah, yeah, for raising you and teaching how to be so damn good at stealing stuff. I know you love me more than anything and you think I’m the coolest guy ever, Levi. Now stop being an embarrassment and leave me alone already.”

Hiding another smile, lest Kenny would think that his words were actually not so far from the truth and Levi did like him so much, Levi threw another glance at the night city, briefly squeezed Kenny’s shoulder and headed back inside.

The hat kept falling on his eyes, it was clearly a size or two too big, and Levi was sure he looked absolutely ridiculous, but… it brought along a sense of comfort.

When he came back to Hange, two police officers by her door were still sleeping. Levi passed them without a second glance.

Inside the ward, Hange continued to snore too. He had to hurry to the airport, his time was running out, yet Levi sparred a long moment to commit her face to his memory.

His eyes traced every feature – from the wide forehead and closed eyes with long dark eyelashes that fell elegantly on her cheeks, to the curve of her nose that had small dots of freckles and her rosy lips that were slightly curled upwards.

She was probably dreaming of something so pleasant. Levi wondered what that dream was about.

The only imperfection on her face, the one thing he resolutely didn’t like was a lock of hair that fell just over the tip of her nose.

With a feather light touch, Levi brushed the offending lock away, holding it between his fingers just a little too long.

You’re acting like a creep, he chided himself. Besides, he was going to be late to his flight.

With a heavy sigh and lots of effort, Levi took a step back. He put the notebook on the table next to her bed, briefly marveling at the amount of gifts that had already accumulated there.

Apparently, Hange was very well-loved.

Just at the edge of a small table, he saw a pen that was probably forgotten by the hospital stuff.

Overcome with a sudden impulse, Levi grabbed that pen and opened the notebook on the last page.

Since he couldn’t actually say goodbye, he should write a small note. Whether Hange would even see it or not, whether she would understand who he truly was or not… he wouldn’t be there to witness the result, right?

Right, he decided and started writing.

Too bad I couldn’t make it to that skating rink date. But we still had lots of fun, right? At least, I did.

Be good and kick all of their asses. I know you have it in you, four-eyes.

Whether his abrupt leave, the absence of any kind of conclusion was a good thing or bad, Levi couldn’t quite decide yet.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth, made him feel melancholic, lonelier than ever, but… maybe, it was for the best. Levi didn’t like goodbyes, avoided them at all costs. There was only one person he had ever said goodbye to, and his mother never returned.

He hadn’t said a proper goodbye to Hange, didn’t really say it to Kenny too, and perhaps… Perhaps.

As he left the ward, Levi didn’t look at Hange even once. He tried to pretend that he didn’t care, but the truth was he was afraid that so much as a glance would make it impossible for him to leave that what could have been behind.

He made sure to close the door quietly, but somehow the sound managed to wake up Mike.

He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes and blinking owlishly. “Levi?” he mumbled sleepily. “Are… you wearing a hat?”

Levi had forgotten about that thing entirely. But after Mike had mentioned it, he took it off, hiding it behind his back.

Once that embarrassment was dealt with, he cleared his throat. “Hange is sleeping. She’s fine, as far as I could tell.”

“You’re leaving already? Well, make sure to come back soon. Hange will be so happy to see you again.”

“Yeah,” Levi swallowed, the lump in his throat suddenly becoming too big. “I’d be happy to see her too.”

And at the same time he knew, it’d be best for both of them, if their paths never cross again.

“Tell Hange I said hi. And… that I’m going to miss her.”

Levi ignored Mike’s confused question, he ignored his insistent calls. He took one brisk step after another, resolute and determined.

He had done everything he wanted to. And now it was time to leave this city behind.

Once and for all.

[averinna]

002 itafushikugi and 003 sukuna for the ask meme :3

002 | Send me a ship and I will tell you:

When I started shipping them: Pretty much immediately? First platonically and then I thought hey romantically it's banger too

My thoughts: It's just so precious that in the canon material these three are a legit team. Their little shenanigan are adorable, you see actual adolescent interacting together while having their own view about life. It's just hard to separate them too you know? Even if I do ship Itafushi at side.

What makes me happy about them: How fresh their interaction are, how they feel like actual teenager and not the archetype that they could represent. Yuji is the hero, yet his kindness feel sincere and he immediately clicked with both Megumi and Nobara. Megumi is the second lead, always a bit darker than the hero, yet he show some animosity only because the two other ARE FUCKING ANNOYING ACTUALLY but he actually still like their presence else why would he stay with them? And he does get embarrassed about things too. Nobara just immediately brought herself in this duo of boyo by starting a clown to clown communication with Yuji, and just adapt as well with Megumi. Look the book I wrote just for each of them lmao.

What makes me sad about them: Ah oh well.... that we pretty much can't see them together anymore and don't know if we will ever again? It feel like something missing without you know who you know... even more

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: I don't read enough of them for that, I mostly look up fanart!

Things I look for in fanfic: Mostly Nobara taking the lead I admit, or Megumi trying to give the affection back. So far I feel like Itafushikugi center more on Yuji especially with the death sentence over his head, so I wish to see the other more. In a way, Nobara even more because her way to interact with the boys sound very funny. Nobara being protective of them sound cute too because usually it's the other way around. I think she wouldn't care that they're men and just go "they're my boyfriends now so no touchy" lol

I also would like to see Nobara's grandma

My wishlist:

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Ah easily Itafushi, but also Itakugi and even Fushikugi. Wait no that doesn't count. Then outside of that, TodoIta would be good for me too! Nobamaki too and Megumi... I don't know with who :')

My happily ever after for them: Somehow Yuji doesn't get killed and they graduate from the university of Jujutech. I don't think any of them would be teacher but they would stay near the school. Living all together, sleeping on a king size bed (gift from their sensei). Different job, same house, and just being comfy together, being together helping to heal the wounds.

Thank you for the ask! Sorry to have took so much time!

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you:

How I feel about this character: I want to bully him so bad. It's how I manifest my love. He's such a horrible motherfucker with no remorse and moral that I can't help but like him for being so unashamedly evil.

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character:

There's no much choice that make sense to me beside with Uraume.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character:

URAUME :D

I always imagine that Uraume is the only person allowed to be rude to Sukuna, and will roast him in the most respectful speech you could imagine lmao

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Well I don't want to fuck him? But it's more on the fact that I am ace here? I just find it a bit wasteful that people focus more on the horny than the funny. People did come up with hilarious headcanon about him though so it's not like I am alone!

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

Favorite friendship for this character:

...Sukuna have no friend-

My crossover ship:

Now that I think about it I think Sukuna would be perfect not with Macrophage but... Medea from Your Throne.

I think they would be able to handle each other and Sukuna do like people who are able to challenge him without being too weak to actually handle him. So he need someone who won't submit to him to take him as an equal.

Though there you'd have to imagine Medea as a exorcist, even though it's obvious to me she'd be one of the best.

I said Medea but it's more the idea itself of another character who won't be intimidated by his strenght. Someone he would see himself as strong and respect for that.

And not kill them like with Jogo lol.

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Business AU - Working Late, Part 5

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Sorry for the wait, I had a nightmarish week.... I won’t let this little fic die 💜 I can’t wait to write more about it, even though the chapters are hella short xD

She couldn’t deny the butterflies in her stomach. That evening with Donnie have had that je-ne-sais-quoi that made her smile mindlessly whenever she’d think about it. It’s been a while since she last felt like that...

On Thursday they barely had time to have any conversation, only to have their next interaction postponed to Friday - a single day without talking to him almost feeling like an entire week... Vee was going on and about from one corner of the office to the other, handing a pile of documents to various departments, until she passed before Donnie’s office. The door was wide open, giving him a chance to see her walk by. His reaction had been almost immediate, jumping on his feet and going straight to the door frame.

“Vee!”

The woman stopped in her tracks, looking in his direction with a surprised look. They were both frozen for a moment, speech a meaningless thing right at that moment... Donnie tried to redeem himself, quickly clearing his throat and straightening his posture.

“Need help?” he asked, gesturing the documents Vee was holding.

Her lips parted in a small “o”, glancing at her burden and then back at the mutant.

“... Are you sure you want to help me with that? Don’t you have important boss things to do?”

“I’m already done for the day,” he answered instantly.

He approached Vee, lowering his voice.

“Please, I need to look busy, or else Leo will drop more work on me. I don’t want to get something dumped on me that might interfere with my other plans.”

“Which are?” asked Vee, her voice a whisper as well, entering the game.

“As soon as he’s out of here, I’m jumping back to the Lowline drawing board. He considers it low priority for now, so he doesn’t really like when I get some work done on it while we have other more urgent projects in the works.”

Vee parted her pile in two, dumping some files in his hands.

“Follow me then, boss,” she smiled with a quick wink.

As both were on the move, Donnie couldn’t help looking at the woman once more, amused as he noticed:

“Looks like we broke the curse,” he started. “We’re not wearing the same colored clothes anymore!”

Vee was wearing a black shirt that had a pattern of colorful, jungle type leaves, the bottom of it tucked in her jeans. Her relaxed look was completed by her teal hair tied up in a messy bun. Meanwhile Donnie rather simple with a white shirt, an unevenly striped black and white tie, and beige pants.

“Huh! Beige suits you,” noted Vee, observing him as well.

“Wearing those clothes can be a challenge sometimes. Pale clothes are a nightmare whenever you do anything. I’m always so scared that I’ll spill anything on them.”

“Right?!” agreed the woman. “It can be such a nightmare. Imagine white pants! I’d be so scared to sit anywhere anytime!”

Small laughters were exchanged, the duo still walking. Their task was easily embellished with small talk of various subjects, Vee’s day suddenly brigthened by Donnie’s presence. All was good and she couldn’t be ever more grateful for any seconds spent with him...

***

As the rest of the day passed, Donnie thankfully avoiding any tasks from his older brother, people were starting to leave the office, this being the duo’s cue for their project. As Vee had a better understanding of the Lowline’s needs, she was able to provide better feedback about how to approach the plans and drawings, actively pointing whenever Donnie was doing something wrong and the woman simply grabbing a pencil, adding her touch here and there. She didn’t give a second thought about standing close to the mutant, her focus primarly on the drawing. She could sense Donnie’s gaze on her though, the turtle enamored with her work. He was truly open to her comments and loved to get the conversation going about how to proceed, appreciating her knowledge. They worked well together. ... So well that they didn’t see time pass and soon it was almost past eight in the evening. Exiting the small room in which the drawing board was in, they noticed rain starting to fall outside, the mutant then offering to drive the woman back home - to Vee’s greatest relief.

New York was restless. Even in the late hours of the night, it was still booming with life in certain areas, never a dull moment to be had. Vee loved looking at all the lights coloring the streets, the slight start of rain amplifying their shimmering on the pavement like an ephemeral oil painting. The vehicle's motion was creating a kaleidoscope of colors inside the SUV, slowly fading as the pair was rolling away from the busy streets to a somewhat calmer part of town. As Donnie parked near a sidewalk, the rain amplified, the drops drumming against the car's body. He wasn't close to Vee's apartment building, so the woman knew that if she were to step outside, she'd be soaking wet in no time.

“If you don't mind,” she started, looking over to the terrapin. “Can I wait in here for little while? I'm guessing this strong pour will stop at some point, they always do....”

Donnie gently smiled.

“They do indeed, and I don't mind at all,” he answered.

They paused, listening to the rain. This comfortable silence allowed Donnie to gather his thoughts, finally speaking up after a while:

“… It's rather nice, don't you think?”

“The ambient sound?” questionned Vee.

Donnie conceeded, while also adding: “Sure, it's calming. … But I just kept thinking; it's also nice to be here with you. It's nice that we seem to get along so well...”

Vee was suddenly speechless, her heart thundering in her ears. She tried to boot her thoughts back to her brain, tucking some strands of hair away.

“I- … yeah. It's nice.”

She felt his hand hold her left one, his touch soft as he brushed his thumb on her skin. “… I'm sorry, I'm making you uncomfortable,” he said.

“No!” reassured Vee. “No please, I... I simply wonder if this is right?”

She had said that last part with uncertainty, afraid she'd say something wrong.

"And what is 'this'?” questionned the terrapin, remaining calm.

Vee threw him an unimpressed look, getting a chuckle out of the male in return.

“Don't play this game with me, Donnie,” she said. “We're adults. I know flirting when I see it. … I just don't want it to be ill-intentioned on your part.”

His eyes grew wide, a slight distress felt in the air.

“I would never!” he added. “… To be frank, I'm not really used to flirting, so I'm sorry if I'm giving weird vibes.”

“Are you kidding?” lightly laughed Vee. “You make me blush so often, it might become permanent at some point.”

She brought her other hand to his, now properly holding him, simply to bring weight to her words:

“You've made me feel alive ever since we properly met... I simply feel happy, but considering our positions at work, that's why I'm asking if this is right? … I wouldn't want to dive too deep into this simply to drown...”

“People may say what they want, but I think as long as we remain professional, there's no harm?”

Their eyes met, trying to guess the right answer through unspoken words. As the rain was still gaining in strength, the loud pitter-patter seemed to break any barriers, Donnie gaining further courage to speak again:

“You're a beautiful and interesting woman, Vee. Just thinking about you makes me feel warm and I can't stop smiling... I realize that's a bit bold to lay out, but just as you said: we're adults. And I don't see why I should hide the fact that you're bringing me joy lately.”

Vee felt her heart melt, her hands slightly squeezing his. A faint sigh left her as she attempted to cling to reason:

“Let us see where things go from now on. … I think we need to rest our heads on this before anything else. … I appreciate you a lot, Donnie, I do. But right now we need to learn how to walk together before we sprint to any outcome.”

“I agree,” smiled the turtle. ‘’There’s no rush indeed. ... I like any moments spent with you.”

This moment felt so surreal all of a sudden. To openly express such feelings out in the open indeed was bold, from both of them, but it just felt so right. As a sign of fate, the rain was calming down, thus being the cue for Vee to head out and get home.  She wanted to stay here. She wanted to feel his presence and hear more about how he felt, but at the same time she wanted to stay true to her words.

“Well ... I guess this is time for me to go,” she said.

“Are you busy tomorrow night?”

That question surprised her at first.

“What now, I have to lay out my entire schedule to you?” she joked.

“Not really,” grinned Donnie. “But how about a date? That way we shall see how things unfold from now on.”

That caught her slightly off guard, but knowing she had thrown somehow the idea on their last evening out, she knew it was bound to happen.

“How could I ever decline?” she said, smiling. “... I’d like that very much.”

Donnie brought one of her hands up, leaving a soft kiss on top of it.

“Then you make me a very happy man.”

((Part 6))

[bitterepiphany]

haircuts

Archive Of Our Own

a little aruanixhitch request for somsss <3<3<3 hopefully it helps distract all you manga readers from the pain

Warnings: none

Summary: hitch is a good friend. a fantastic one, in her opinion. so what sort of friend would she be if she didn’t help poor annie out with that boy she has obvious heart eyes for? luckily for her, armin needs a haircut

Annie Leonhardt was not a subtle starer. She never looked at anyone for longer than a few seconds at a time, even during conversations, so Hitch found it rather amusing when she discovered her friend rather obviously ogling a certain blonde head of hair in front of them for more than three-quarters of their advanced biology class.

Hitch Dreyse was tempted to chide the girl for not paying attention in class; their half-yearlies were coming up rather quickly, after all, but she doubted Annie would listen to her. But Hitch was rather curious as to why this boy in particular had caught someone like Annie Leonhardt’s attention. She waited until their professor Hange gave them a few minutes to pack up, leaned over, and rested her elbow on Annie’s shoulder.

“So, Armin Arlert, huh?”

Annie’s reaction was immediate. Her head snapped around to face Hitch, her usually half-lidded eyes stretched wide with shock. A faint pink blush was spreading over her cheeks.

“W-what?” Hitch’s grin stretched wider at Annie’s attempt at sounding nonchalant.

“C’mon Annie, don’t act dumb,” she teased, “It’s pretty obvious when you stare you know.”

Annie flushed a deeper red, turning away abruptly. She began to shove her things in her bag roughly. She stood, brushing her bangs behind her ear. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mumbled, striding away quickly as soon as the bell rang.

“Ooh, Annie, darling,” Hitch crooned at her retreating back, “You’re not a very good liar..!”

Chuckling, Hitch barely caught the vulgar gesture Annie threw at her behind her back. She slowly began to pack her things away.

Hitch and Annie had an interesting friendship, to say the least. While Hitch was bubbly, outgoing, and popular (at least that's what she thought, well hoped people thought of her), Annie, decidedly, was not. Loner, was a pretty good word to describe the girl. She was quiet, unassuming, and pretty much kept to herself. In their freshman and sophomore years of highschool, Annie was one of the few kids who never attended a party, though not because she was disliked or unpopular; rather, she was always invited, but she just never showed up. But following Hitch’s discovery after an interesting English project together that Annie was, underneath that cold exterior, actually quite an interesting person, she made an effort to befriend the girl and bring her to social gatherings.

Hitch was proud enough to have the honour of being the person who brought Annie to the first whole year party of junior year, and since then, they had maintained an unconventional friendship. It had served useful for Hitch, as Annie was pretty smart and, surprisingly, skilled at forging signatures for late notes, and usually only requested a packet of something sweet, like donuts, in return for a favour. Annie had gotten Hitch out of a particularly tough spot after almost being caught in the boys change room one time (Hitch resolved never to go that far for a boy ever again), and Hitch was prepared to cover for Annie if her forging exploits were ever exposed.

One thing Hitch had never managed to get out of Annie however, was boys. Before befriending Hitch and occasionally hanging out with her, when she wasn’t alone, Annie was often in the presence of two other boys in their year; Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover. What puzzled Hitch about this however, was that the three seemed to be stuck in some weird, broken, love triangle. Bertholdt was hopelessly - pathetically, really - smitten with Annie, but she barely spared him a glance on a good day, and Reiner was clearly pining after his best friend Bertholdt, despite how hard he tried to hide it. From what Hitch had gathered, the three were old family friends, so they gravitated towards each other naturally.

Hitch was dragged out of her musings by a sudden bang on the classroom door. She looked up, and saw a certain brown-haired boy bashing his fist against the doorframe.

“Armin!” Eren Yeager called out, “What’s taking you so long man, I don’t feel like lining up for my lunch forever!”

A head of black hair poked over his shoulder and grimaced slightly in Armin’s direction. “It’s only been a minute since the bell went, Eren,” Mikasa Ackerman chided. Armin laughed and apologised, grabbing his bag and joining the duo in walking down the hallway.

Hitch made her way behind them, keeping her eyes trained on the mop of blonde hair as he chatted animatedly with his best friends. Hitch was intrigued at how this small, unassuming boy had caught the attention of her ‘I-don’t-get-along-with-people-so-leave-me-alone-if-I-don’t-know-you’ friend. As far as Hitch was aware, she had never seen Annie and Armin interact outside of a classroom setting.

Armin Arlert was an interesting boy. In the early years of high school, he was quiet, but an absolute genius in the classroom, and it soon became commonplace for him to be topping every subject he took. But it was impossible to resent the kid for it, since he was so damn nice all the time and would happily assist anyone with their studies if they needed it. Though it also couldn’t hurt that Eren Yeager and, more scarily, Mikasa Ackerman, would beat the ass of anyone who dared look funny at the kid. By now, in Senior year, Armin had a little following of kids who he helped study in the library every week.

Hitch knew him as a part of the theatre club. He certainly didn’t look it, but he had a surprising amount of presence on stage for such a small boy. He was cute and short, with his classic blonde bob haircut that hung around his face. Armin had a sweet higher-pitched voice compared to the other boys, and was often cast to play younger characters, but he never seemed to mind, simply enjoying being part of productions.

Hitch entered the cafeteria, glancing around and spotting the person she was looking for. She made her way over and plunked her stuff down next to Annie, who was picking away at a pastry. The other girl looked at her, frowning slightly. She probably expected Hitch to continue teasing her about the Biology class. Hitch just grinned at her cheekily, pulling out her food. Other people filed into the space, and a few friends of hers and Annie’s sitting at the table with them. Hitch winked at Marlowe opposite her, who just looked confused, and waved at Pieck, who stuck her tongue out in response.

Hitch leaned over to the dark-haired girl, glancing at Annie. “I think Annie’s got a crush,” she whispered to Pieck. The girl gasped softly, hand clapping over her mouth.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Hitch nodded, still whispering so she wouldn’t risk a kick to her shins from the blonde girl. “She wouldn’t stop staring at him during Bio…”

Pieck hummed, lips parting to presumably ask who, exactly, Annie was staring at, but was interrupted by a smack, as a pissed-off looking Reiner approached their table, whacking Porco on the side of the head, who spat out his milk, as he passed.

“What the fuck, man?”

Hitch decided then was a good time to zone out their conversation as angry swearing buzzed in her ears. She looked at Annie. Her friend’s head was tilted down at her pastry, but Hitch could see her eyes were angled to look at something on their right. Hitch followed her gaze, very amused to see they were looking directly at the table where Eren Yeager and a certain one of his friends were sitting.

Hitch supposed it wasn’t that surprising Annie had taken an interest in Armin. He was extremely sweet and nice, and very intelligent. Hitch looked at him as he turned his head and laughed at something Eren was saying. Armin wasn’t bad to look at, she guessed. He had certainly grown up over the years, and there was more of a noticeable change that she could see in him after the summer. He had grown a good couple of inches taller, and he had lost some of the baby fat around his face, showing off his impressively sharp jawline.

Well, I suppose a late glow-up is better than no glow up at all, Hitch mused, a plan forming in her mind. She had made up her mind. If Annie was interested in Armin, what kind of friend would Hitch be if she didn’t become the best wing-girl there was in this lousy school?

Glancing at Annie and throwing a grin over at Pieck, Hitch stood, striding over to where Armin was seated. Slipping into the gap beside him, she ignored the break in conversation and bewildered stares sent her way, just focusing on Armin.

He looked a bit confused, but smiled at her all the same. “Uh, hey Hitch! Is there something you needed?”

Hitch glanced back at the other table. Annie was staring at her, eyes wide, a red flush creeping up her neck. Hitch smiled sweetly at her, and winked, before turning back to Armin. “Why yes Armin, there is something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“See, I saw the posting for the cast list for ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. I saw that you - “ she poked him on the shoulder, ‘ - got the leading role, huh? Look at you!”

Armin blushed, hand drifting back to scratch at his neck awkwardly. “Ah, yeah I guess I did,” he said, eyes glued to the table. He looked at her briefly. “You got Alana Beck right?” Hitch nodded. “Congrats to you too!”

Hitch smiled at him. He really was too pure for this world. “But there’s an issue, mister!” She poked him again.

“T-there is?”

“Yeah,” she frowned, sticking her hand out and flicked his long hair. “This is the problem.”

His hands jumped up to his head, clutching at the blonde locks anxiously. “My hair?”

Hitch nodded earnestly. “You turned 18, what… a couple months ago, and you expect to play Evan Hansen looking like that?” She looked him directly in the eyes. “You need a new look Armin, and I have just the plan for you.”

Hands still tugging at his hair, he looked back at her sheepishly. “I mean, I guess... I -”

“I told you Armin! I told you! That old hair is so middle school!”

Eren’s voice suddenly interjected into their conversation, his friend leaning around Mikasa, punching Armin in the arm. Armin yelped softly, rubbing the spot. It appeared that the hot-headed kid had been listening in, after all.

Armin glanced between Hitch and Eren, looking panicked. Then he sighed, shoulders slumping. “Okay, fine. What do you have in mind, Hitch?”

Bingo. Bless his willing heart.

Hitch beamed, slinging an arm around Armin’s shoulders. “I have a friend, Annie Leonhardt, she’s in a few of your classes I think, and she is a great hairstylist. I can ask her to cut your hair for you?”

Armin’s eyes widened slightly, eyes flicking to where Annie sat, presumably watching them. “Annie? Are you sure she’d want to do that for me?”

Hitch began to stand, ruffling his hair lightly. “Don’t worry, she’ll be at rehearsal tomorrow afternoon, and you two can organise it then, okay?”

“O-okay?”

Hitch smiled, waved, and began walking back to Annie. Her friend glared at her when she sat down. “What did you say to him?” Annie hissed.

“Oh, Annie, who said I was talking to him about you?” Hitch teased, “So you do admit you’re interested in him?”

Annie’s eyes grew even wider, and she began to stutter. “No, that- that’s not what I meant, I just-”

Hitch cackled, resting her hand on Annie’s shoulder. “Don’t worry Annie~, I’ve got you. See, little old Armin has the lead role in the musical, but he needs a haircut. And luckily for you,” she grinned, “I happened to recommend you as the person who can do it for him! So, I’ll be bringing you to rehearsal tomorrow afternoon, and you two can sort it out, okie-dokie?”

Annie just stared at her.

“What.”

“You are free tomorrow afternoon right?” Hitch asked.

“Uh, yeah, but-”

The bell rang shrily, making Annie jump. Hitch blew a kiss in her direction as she began to walk away. “Then I’ll see you after class tomorrow then! Look forward to it!”

Annie just stared, a surprisingly open, shocked look on her face.

****

Annie wasn’t sure why she agreed to do this. But for some reason, she found herself following Hitch as they walked to the auditorium, after the girl ambushed her at her locker and dragged her away. Annie was sure Hitch wouldn’t really try to stop her from leaving if she decided she wasn’t going to follow along, but Annie couldn’t bring herself to walk away for some reason.

Her friend was too damn perceptive for her own good. Even Annie wasn’t entirely sure why Armin Arlert had caught her attention all of a sudden, but she couldn’t seem to keep her thoughts away from him these days. Annie knew what a crush was, of course, but she had never experienced it before, previously content to ignore basically all social interaction so she could graduate and get the fuck away from her restrictive lifestyle.

She had always tolerated the boy more than others in the past years; he was just too nice and innocent and Annie couldn’t bring herself to brush him off like everyone else. But since the beginning of Senior year (or maybe it was the middle of junior year, after his performance in ‘The Book Of Mormon’, she wasn’t sure), he became more present  to her, for some unknown reason. Maybe it was the way his face had gotten sharper, stronger looking, or maybe it was how his extra inches of height seemed to fill him out more, defining his lean but toned body, or maybe it was the way she wondered what it might feel like to be cared for by someone who seemed to love so unconditionally.

Stop. Why would he want some nobody like you.

Annie shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts as she and Hitch walked through the auditorium doors. Hitch bounded off, spouting greetings to her fellow castmates. Annie was overcome with that uncomfortable feeling of ‘I am not supposed to be here’. She stood awkwardly, until Ms Ral, one of the assistant teachers for the production, approached her.

“Annie, what are you doing here?”

“Uh...” Annie blanked for a moment. What was she doing here? “I’m here to talk to Armin?” She sounded like she was asking a question. “Um, about his hair.”

“Oh yes, yes that’s you Annie!” Ms Ral broke into a wide smile. “Armin mentioned it to me before. I think he’s in the change rooms right now, but you can talk to him when he comes out.”

Annie thanked her, feeling a little less like a fish out of water in this environment. She contented herself by watching and listening to Hitch and a group of some other girls warm up their voices, getting a bit caught up as they ran up and down scales repeatedly.

“Annie! Hey! Thanks for coming!”

She was jolted out of her stupor by the voice of the boy she came here for. Armin was dressed in a simple black getup, black jeans and a simple black t-shirt. Now that she noticed it, all the people here were dressed in black. It suited him, his t-shirt fitting him quite snugly, defining his lean torso.

“Annie?”

Shit. She was staring.

Pull yourself together Leonhardt.

Annie stood and managed to muster a small smile at him. “Sorry, yeah, you wanna chat about your hair now?”

“Sure!”

He gestured to a quieter corner of the auditorium, and she followed him and sat down crossed legged on a big fuzzy box thing. He sat directly next to her, meaning she had to turn her body to face him. She cursed her feelings for making her feel so damn nervous when she was near him.

They didn’t speak for a moment, just glancing to and away from each other awkwardly. Annie decided to suck it up, asking, “Uh, so do you know how you wanna cut it?”

“O-oh yeah!” he sounded flustered, hand reaching up to run through his locks. “I talked to Mikasa, and she thinks that having it short, kinda like Eren’s, but with like an undercut kinda thing?”

Annie tilted her head, trying to picture it. Not bad, Mikasa. She could see it.

“Yeah. Yeah I think that’ll work… I can do that.”

His eyes brightened almost comically, and he smiled so wide, Annie’s stomach lurched. “Really?” he gasped, “Oh thank you so much Annie, you’re the best!! I’ll pay you, if you want, I don’t want you to do it for free!”

Annie was blushing now at his offhand compliments, and she shook her head. “N-no it’s okay,” she mumbled, ducking her head. He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off.

“I mean if you want to get me something in return, you can… you can bring donuts..?” Her voice trailed off as her cheeks reddened even harder, her eyes refusing to meet his.

“Donuts?”

“...yeah, any kind really...”

Armin burst out in laughter. Annie couldn’t help the small smile that curled her lips as she looked at how damn happy he looked.

“Donuts it is then! I’m free on… uh let’s see,” he pulled out his phone, “I can do Thursday afternoon? Oh… is there somewhere you wanna take me to do it or..?”

“Oh no not really, I can come over to your house if that’s okay.”

Armin nodded tapping something into his phone, biting his lip lightly. “Yeah that should be fine. I’ll have to tell Grandad,” he mumbled, more to himself then anything, “But I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”

He nodded, looking back up at Annie with a grin. He slipped off the cube. “Thanks so much Annie! I’ll see you Thursday then!” He jogged off with a wave.

Annie found herself waving back, a bubble of warmth growing in her chest. She heard a small ‘whoop’ from behind her as she began to walk to the doors. She turned, finding Hitch smirking at her, thumbs up. Annie frowned. Hitch just giggled, blowing her a kiss and winking as she turned away.

Even her friend’s teasing couldn’t pop that bubble of warmth in Annie’s chest.

****

Armin waited nervously by Annie’s locker Thursday afternoon as she packed her stuff away. He had caught her the other day and they had exchanged phone numbers. They had exchanged a few messages that day.

Thursday, 11:30 a.m. To Annie

hey annie! armin here!

hi armin

just double checking everything is ok for this afternoon?

yeah

cool! just wondering if it’s okay if we walk to my place? it’s only about 15 mins away

fine by me. meet me at my locker after 6th?

great! i’ll see u then! :)

“Ready?”

Armin blinked. Annie was standing in front of him, eyebrows raised slightly. She held a plastic shopping bag in her hand; Armin presumed it held supplies for cutting his hair.

“Oh, yeah, let’s go!”

Annie trailed behind him as they left the school grounds and he led the way to his house. They walked together in a comfortable silence for a while. The weather was pleasant, sunny with a cool breeze blowing at their backs.

Why am I thinking about the weather, of all things?

“Um, Armin?” He turned to the girl behind him as she spoke suddenly.

“I was wondering if you had your license? I wouldn’t ask, it’s only that I don’t, and I live on the other side of town, and I’m not sure how long this’ll take, so…”

“Oh do you need a lift?”

She nodded. “If that’s ok… I can just call a taxi if not, it’s no big deal-”

“No, Annie it’s fine!” Armin interrupted, “I don’t drive much because I love so close to school but it’s totally fine! In fact, I’d prefer to take you then have you go in a taxi after dark…” He rubbed his neck sheepishly at that, feeling a blush creeping up his neck.

Annie didn’t say anything for a moment, but when he turned back at her he saw a similar flush adorning her cheeks. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

Armin was saved from his suddenly scrambled thoughts - a result of seeing her pink face, he suspected - as they approached his house. He waved her up the driveway and unlocked the door, letting her through first.

“I’m home!”

He waited for the usual response from his Grandad, but none came.

“Hmm, he must be out getting shopping or something… okay, come upstairs then, you can drop your stuff in my room.”

Armin had lived with his Grandfather since he was four years old, after his parents left on a trip to Europe, promising to return after six months. They never did. Armin was too young at the time to understand they had effectively abandoned him; there was never a need for a missing person’s case or police searching - any police found them just fine and they simply refused to return home. He was put into his Grandad’s care after that, and Armin had never had the time nor the energy to really investigate or ponder why his parents had left him behind; he had always figured it was a thing to think about when he was older.

But now he had just turned eighteen years old, and any memories he possessed of his parents were just brief flashes of feelings and sound. He had pictures of them of course, but looking at them had never really brought about that sense of yeah that’s my family, the familiarity that came with being raised by someone lost on them and placed instead on his Grandad. His Grandfather had been willing to answer basic questions about his parents if he had them, but always insisted that if it was something Armin really wanted to pursue, he would have to do it himself. But Armin never did.

Maybe one day after I graduate…

They made their way up the stairs of the two-storey house, and Armin let them into his room. Annie stood in the doorway for a moment and just stared.

It was a fairly normal room, Armin thought, with blue-painted walls and the usual furniture; a double bed with similarly blue covers; a desk with a monitor and a PC computer that glowed with multicoloured parts; and a bookcase filled with a range of books. Seeming to realise she was staring, she walked in and placed her bag next to his desk, and slipping off her shoes.

“It’s nice,” she commented.

“Oh, thanks.” They stood there for a minute, awkwardness threatening to bleed into the moment, before Armin broke the silence again. “Should we go to the bathroom? I think Grandad left some stuff in there that he thought might be helpful.”

“Okay.”

As they entered the bathroom, Armin realised that there was something missing that might cause a problem. “Ah, we don’t have a seat or anything…” he ran his fingers through his hair, thinking. “I could probably get one from the dining room, but that might be too tall…”

“It’s fine, we can sit in the bathtub.”

Unsure if she was making a joke or not, he looked at her, bewildered. When they had held eye contact for a good five seconds and her expression hadn’t changed, Armin decided that she was not, in fact, joking.

“I mean if that works for you?”

She just nodded, setting her bag of hair supplies on the edge of the tub. She gestured for him to sit down. He clambered into the bath as gracefully as he could (he came this close to slipping over on his face and making a fool of himself), and sat down. Annie gestured at a towel hanging on the back of the door.

“Can I use this?”

“Yeah,” Armin nodded, and she grabbed it, swinging it around so it rested on his shoulders, acting as a makeshift hairdresser’s cape. She settled behind him, causing him to shiver when she ran her hands through his hair suddenly, pulling it back over the towel.

“So, I’ve got red and lime green, that’s the colours you wanted, right?”

“W-what?” Armin turned around to look at her. She deadpanned. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then she broke into a breathy laugh, eyes crinkling with pleasure.

“Ah, Armin, that was a joke,” she giggled, hand moving to cover her mouth. “You should have seen your face!”

She continued to chuckle. Armin couldn’t help but join her; her amusement was possibly one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard. He resolved to try and make her laugh as often as possible.

She was still giggling softly as she began to run her fingers through his hair, feeling it out. They lapsed into silence as she grabbed a spray bottle, and she began to work, wetting it down and running a comb through the knots.

“You have really nice hair,” she murmured, “It’s really thick for a boy.”

Armin hummed, slightly lost in the way her fingers felt running across his scalp.

They lapsed into silence after that, the only words spoken coming from Annie as she requested him to move his head slightly to get the right angles. He couldn’t help his initial flinches as he felt her fingers run across his neck on occasion, couldn’t help the shivers running up his spine when her breath brushed against his skin. She would rotate around him, scissors and comb in hand, tilting her head this way and that as she concentrated on his hair, tongue trapped beneath her teeth as she snipped away. Armin was entranced by how utterly focused she became as she worked on him; it reminded him of how it felt when he got drawn into a good book, or lost himself when he was singing a song on stage.

Armin’s Grandad arrived home when Annie brought out the clippers, preparing to work on the undercut he asked for. Armin heard the door close, footsteps moving about downstairs.

“You here, Armin?”

“In the bathroom, Grandad!” he called out.

Annie paused in her work as the older man made his way up the stairs and appeared in the doorway. “Why hello there! You must be Annie, Armin mentioned you were coming over!” He smiled warmly at the girl. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too sir.”

“Will you be staying for dinner? I was just about to whip something up quickly.”

Annie glanced over at Armin. Armin nodded at her in encouragement. “Well, I guess if you’ll have me, sir, I’d be grateful,” she said politely.

Grandad clapped his hands. “Fantastic! I’ll set the table for three then!” His eyes landed on Armin, who was sitting in a pile of his own hair in the bathtub. “Looking good, Armin!” he chuckled, making his way back downstairs.

Annie went back to plugging in the clippers. They settled back into their quiet rhythm, the soft buzz of the clippers and Annie’s soft voice the only sounds permeating the room. Finally, Armin was roused from his dream-like trance - induced by Annie’s soft fingers running through his scalp intoxicatingly - when she unwrapped the towel from his shoulders and ruffled his hair slightly, leaning around him to look at it from the front.

She bit her lip, fingers brushing back his bangs. “I think it’s done,” she murmured.

They stepped out of the tub, and Armin hesitantly turned to face the mirror. His eyes widened, and he had to consciously stop his jaw from dropping. His hair was noticeably shorter, no longer in a bob framing his face. His bangs were the same length, falling over his eyebrows, but the rest of his hair was shorter, and it all fell over a short undercut. The result made him look… older? Less boyish? He wasn’t sure, but he knew that he loved it.

He turned to Annie. She was watching him with a nervous look on her face, obviously trying to gauge his reaction. “Annie,” he ran his fingers through it, marvelling at how different it felt. “It’s amazing! Thank you so much!”

Annie’s shoulders relaxed; she was obviously relieved at his reaction. She smiled softly at him. He felt something catch in chest. Suddenly, he wondered what it would feel like to kiss her. Almost trancelike, he stared at her and took a step forward. Her eyes widened slightly. His hand reached out with the intent to cup her cheek.

“Dinner’s ready, you kids!”

And just like that, the spell was broken. Armin and Annie flinched, the former jumping back almost comically, blushing furiously. Annie avoided his eyes, glancing around at the mess in the bathtub.

Fuck.

“Uh, don’t worry about that right now Annie,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, fingers gliding over the new undercut. “Let’s go have some dinner downstairs.”

“Okay.”

****

After a filling dinner of lasagna, with his Grandad showering Annie in compliments about how good of a job she did on his hair, Armin got permission to take his car and drop her home. Ducking into the fridge while she waited by the car, Armin grabbed the box he was looking for. He made his way outside, and approached the blonde girl leaning against the car door, face illuminated by her phone.

“Here, Annie,” he smiled at her, extending the box in his hands out at her. She took it, peeking inside. It was donuts, and her eyebrows raised in pleasure. “Payment and thanks for doing such an amazing job on my hair.”

“Ah… thanks, Armin.”

They hopped in the car, Armin easing it back across the driveway, and pulling out on the road. He was amused to see Annie eagerly open the box, examine the variety of donuts inside, before grabbing a plain glazed one and biting into it. She hummed in pleasure, eyes closed. It was possibly the cutest thing Armin had ever seen.

“These are good,” she mumbled, mouth still filled with donut.

He laughed. “I’m glad you like them.”

Armin was astonished to see her finish three whole, good sized donuts during the time it took for her to direct him to her apartment block. He pulled into the carpark, and she shifted slightly, balancing her donut box carefully as she grabbed her bags.

“Well, I’ll see you around then?” She stepped out of the car awkwardly, eyes lingering on him.

Unsure whether to walk her to the door of the apartments, he ran a hand through his new hair. “Yeah, I guess,” he replied, feeling awkward all of a sudden. “Thanks again for the haircut, Annie.”

She smiled a bit at that, and waved softly, before turning and walking to the door.

Armin’s mind raced. There were so many feelings that had become un-suppressed in these few hours they spent together, and now he couldn’t help but feel like he was letting some crucial opportunity pass by. Just as she reached the landing, he made up his mind.

Jumping out of the car, he called out to her.

“Annie!”

She turned, looking surprised. He jogged up to her, face burning.

“I- I, uh wanted to thank you again for today. I mean, uh, like this, I guess..”

Before he lost his nerve, he stepped closer, looking into her wide eyes. He leaned forward, and gently pressed his lips to hers. He felt her body tense up, but she didn’t pull away. A few seconds passed, and he straightened. She just stood there, and the look on her face reminded Armin of a deer stuck in headlights.

Shit. She didn’t want that.

He tilted his head up, grateful for the darkening sky that concealed his flaming face. “Uh, well, yeah. Sorry. Goodnight, Annie.” He turned away, feeling like an idiot.

“Armin, wait.”

Armin froze, shocked.

Surely not.

He turned slowly, and saw Annie placing her donuts and bags on the ground. She pushed her bangs behind her ears and strode up to him. Before he could process what was happening, she grabbed his shirt, pulled him down, and kissed him.

And just like that, it all clicked into place. He melted into her grasp, one arm wrapping around her waist, the other coming to rest on her cheek. She tasted sweet, the donut glaze lingering on her tongue. Her lips were softer than he could have ever imagined.

They stood there, wrapped up in each other for what felt like eternity, but was likely only a few minutes. Eventually, they parted, hands still lingering on each other, unwilling to let go. Annie gazed into his eyes, a slightly starstruck look lingering in hers. Armin was sure he looked no better.

“Uh, well, you’re welcome, I guess?” she whispered.

A wide grin split his face. Chuckling, he pulled her in again. And again.

Armin resolved to thank Hitch for her haircut suggestion as soon as possible.

[farfromtommy]

better than this (dad!chris evans)

summary: a little insight into life as a parent with chris throughout the years 

warnings: talk of preterm labor but nothing graphic or major

word count: 2,250

A/N: okay so like this idea came to me at 2 am and wrote it till about 5 in the morning and im crying at the softness. totally unedited and posted bc im so obsessed with it. i havent written in this kind of format before but i loved loved loved it. i was also thinking while writing this to do this but for steve rogers and i swear i lost my mind. if you guys are interested in something like that id love to write this but for steve <3 

masterlist 

add yourself to my taglist here! 

After meeting through some mutual friends you fell in love with each other. Chris swore he would have married you after your first date. A ring came about a year and a half later, Chris not wanting to call you anything but his wife for any longer. One dream wedding and a month-long honeymoon around the world, you were Mrs. Y/N Evans.

The conversation about kids came fairly early in the relationship. Him coming from a big family, he wanted the same for himself. He wanted a big house in the Massachusetts suburbs, the white picket fence, a couple of dogs, and the kids. He wanted to come home from work being attacked by a couple of kids and seeing you walking towards him barefoot and pregnant.

You were an only child to divorced parents, growing up mostly on your own. You never saw yourself as a mom, but always loved the idea of running after a couple of kids. Never wanting to bring a child into the kind of world you grew up in. The sad and lonely kind of world you endured most of your life. After meeting his family after a couple of months of dating and seeing the way he interacted with his nieces and nephews, you couldn’t help but hope to see yourself raising some kids with him.

He loved the idea of raising a family with you.

Grayson Christopher Evans

You brought your first child into the world not too long after your wedding.

You were in labor for about 16 hours before you were met with the screams of a baby boy.

Your baby boy.

He cried and cried until his skin met yours, calming him down almost instantly. Looking over at Chris who was at an absolute loss for words at the little person calming himself with the sound of your heartbeat. He looked at you for a while before looking back at his baby boy.

Chris couldn’t quite process the feelings he felt that night his son was born. He knew how much he loved you. You knew how much you loved him. But having this little person as a tangible expression of your love and commitment for each other was just beyond him. It was beyond anyone.

Grayson was just like his dad. Almost an exact copy of him if you were being honest. The same big blue eyes. The same soft brown hair. The same everything. Lisa often said how much Grayson was just like Chris was when he was a kid. There was little of you visible in him. Maybe he had the curve of your nose and the shape of your lips. But he was all Chris.

His little personality bubbling since day one. You couldn't have asked for a more perfect baby. He giggled as much as he could and played until he fell asleep with a toy in his hand. You were so lucky to have been gifted this little boy as your first baby. Chris had been struggling to balance work and his responsibility to you and Grayson but never failed to make sure you knew how loved you both were, even from thousands of miles apart.

Eleanor Olivia Evans

After another long labor, you welcomed a little girl into your new family of 4. A tiny little girl who, just like your boy once did, calmed themselves down at the sound of your heart and the warmth from your body. Chris once again sat there just absolutely beside himself at the sight of the love of his life with his little girl on your chest.

Introducing Eleanor, or Ellie, to Grayson was probably one of the greatest moments of your life. Chris walked in with Grayson in his arms telling him that we needed to use our indoor voices when talking to mommy and the baby. Grayson quickly climbed to sit right next to you, not bearing even 1 day away from you. You hugged your little boy and talked to him about meeting his sister. Grayson ran his little hands running along Eleanor’s cheeks as you sat there crying at the moment they were having with each other.

Now with a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old life couldn’t have been sweeter. You had hardly been working while pregnant with Ellie, still having to keep up with a rambunctious toddler. Before kids, you were doing some writing for all sorts of movies and TV shows. After kids, you took fewer jobs that require travel and stayed mostly local.

Chris not wanting to leave you at home with a toddler and a newborn had made sure his work kept him close or allowed you and the kids to go with him. You both wanted to make sure you were there when Grayson and Ellie needed you.

If Grayson was a mama’s boy, Ellie was 1000% a daddy’s girl. She refused to let Chris out of her sight if she could help it. She refused to sleep most nights without hearing the sound of her dad’s voice and would cry and cry if he didn’t sing her to sleep. When Chris was pulled away for a week for work you were losing your mind trying to get her to sleep.

After a mild breakdown, you gave in and called Chris knowing even hearing his voice over the phone would calm the baby down. He sat there on the phone and just talked to her. She fell asleep almost immediately and slept through most of the night. You thanked Chris and ended up asking him for voice recordings of him talking and singing so you could play them in case he was pulled away again.

Charlotte Rose Evans

Charlotte, or Charlie as she's been nicknamed by her siblings, came into the world with a crew waiting so patiently for her arrival. By far the most painful and complicated birth you have had, she had quite dramatically made her entrance into the Evans family.

You had been monitored closely the last couple of months of your pregnancy as Miss Charlie tried to make an appearance early. You had some complications about halfway through and your midwife had been worried about possible preterm labor. You had started to have what you knew were contractions at 30 weeks and were immediately rushed into the hospital to try and halt the contractions and luckily succeeding.

You were placed on strict bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy, not even allowed to stand at the stove making dinner, only getting up to use the bathroom and move from the bed to the couch.

It didn’t make your life with an overactive 4 and 2-year-old easy at all. Chris stayed home 24/7 to take care of you and his mom and sisters rotating taking the time to stay with you to help with the kids.

When Charlie did make her debut both of you were as healthy as you could be. Once again, bringing Chris to tears as another baby made their way into your family. He didn’t know he was capable of loving this much. He thought he had reached capacity after Ellie but the love he had for you and his kids just kept growing as you kept adding on.

If Grayson was all Chris, Charlie was all you. Except for her blue eye, which you figured would be a pattern with your kids. She was a copy of you and Chris ate it up. Eleanor is a perfect combination of the two of you. You could see the traits of you as well as the traits of Chris throughout her. But Charlie was completely you.

Grayson fit right into his role as big brother and protector of the Evans girls. He made sure every night he said goodnight to his sisters and told them he loved them with a kiss on their foreheads.

Ellie was excited that she no longer had to share her dolls with Grayson and would finally have a girl to play with. Charlie looked up to her big sister, seeing her as the most amazing person she has ever met.

Grayson, however, felt like he needed another sibling, specifically a boy sibling, and constantly asked you for a brother. He said to you over and over again that his friends at school had brothers and he needed one so very bad. You and Chris had agreed to stop at 3 but had given into the idea of having 1 more to try and even out the numbers. With Grayson in 2nd grade, Ellie in kindergarten, and Charlie starting Pre-K soon, having another wouldn’t be impossible.

Declan Robert Evans

The 2nd boy and the 4th and final child Chris and Y/N had brought into their world. Another perfect mix of Chris and Y/N.

His birth being the last time you would be in the hospital having a baby made it just that more emotional. You soaked in the first moments of his life just a little bit more. Chris cried just a couple more tears, seeing that angel on your chest for the first time. You admired the father of your children just a little more seeing him introduce the addition to the family to your other kids. Adoring the look on Grayson’s face when you set Declan on his lap, finally meeting the little brother he’d been wanting. Asking you if he could take him to class to show off to all his friends.

Walking around your house Declan’s first day home was more emotional than you had thought it would be. You brought every single one of your babies right through your front door. You had pictures littered around the house of moments in your life you were lucky to have immortalized forever. Knowing you had started your family here made you love everything just that much more.

Declan now 5 years old, Charlotte 8 years old, Eleanor 10 years old and Grayson at 12 years old you couldn’t imagine life any differently. You and Chris celebrated 13 years of marriage and almost 15 years together surrounded by the physical representations of the love you two shared for each other was unexplainable.

You had slowly started to get back into the work you loved doing so much after Declan started school. You were able to work on projects offered to you with Chris and had become an unstoppable duo professionally and personally.

Even having the amazing opportunities to do something you loved to do, nothing would ever beat sitting around a table listening to your kids talk about everything and anything that came to mind. Listening to them talk about what happened at school or about upcoming events they want to participate in was the highlight of your day.

Grayson had been playing with a football the moment he could pick one up. Chris nearly cried when Grayson had approached you guys about doing little league football at the rec center. Chris had been watching Patriot's games with Grayson since the day he was born. Taking him to games with Scott whenever they had the chance. The love for football ran in his blood and when he found out he could play on a team he took the chance as soon as it presented himself.

Eleanor had found a love for music and performing, just like her dad. She had picked up music and singing at a very young age, which probably came from her dad's love of performing. You encouraged her to pursue her love for music by telling her stories of when her daddy was young and used to stand on stage before he started doing big movies. She loved looking at pictures and watching old videos of Chris performing in high school whenever she'd visit Grandma Lisa.

Charlotte had picked up your love of reading and writing as soon as she could. Her favorite day of the week is when her class gets to spend time at the library finding new things to read and learn about. So far a running theme with her is books about nature and animals. She loves sitting down with you in the afternoon and telling you about what she learned in the science portion of her day. She had learned about how plants and animals interact and how important they are for all humans. She told you that when she's big she wants to make sure no one ever hurts plants and animals since they are so important for us.

Declan hadn't quite developed a love for something like his siblings had. All he cares about right now is the kind of snacks his mom packs for him and superheroes. You and Chris had introduced him to the world of superheroes recently, knowing that being in school someone was bound to mention to him about seeing his dad on a movie they watched. He was obsessed with the fact that his dad was a superhero once upon a time. He loved watching Chris' movies and would always ask to watch them whenever Chris wasn't home.

You looked at Chris from across the table as Grayson talked to him about football tryouts and asking him if they could practice after dinner. He felt your eyes on him and looked at you with a smirk and a wink thrown at you before giving Grayson his attention again.

You sat back a little to look around at this family surrounding you, knowing there was nothing better than this.

[themonotonysyndrome]

The Holy Quintet in Twisted Wonderland! (all 7 dorms - Part 5)

Our last girl, our favourite Goddess is finally here! Now it’s Madoka’s turn! I apologise for the delay. Work keep piling up, but I needed something to distract me so here we are! 

I also want to give a shout out to @lionheartanotheraccount​ for helping me out by sharing every bit of Madoka Magica info with me. You’re the best, Lion. I hope you know that. 

We have a discord where we gush about TW and discuss about this crossover. Come hang out if you want! 

https://discord.gg/K7bGwKK 

-

Kaname Madoka & the other dorms (except Diasomnia) 

HEARTSLABYUL!

Madoka’s first meeting with Riddle is not through Sayaka’s invitation for the Unbirthday Birthday or through school assignments. Rather, it involves a run a way horse and a basket full of apples. 

While helping Sebek search for a wandering Malleus, she came across Mami who was carrying two baskets full of ripe, shiny red and green apples. Courtesy of Epel, of course. 

Mami explains that once every month, the Felmier would send boxes of apples to Epel and since there was too much for him to eat, Epel often shared them with his dorm mates. 

And so Mami wanted to share a basket with Madoka. Madoka thanked her profusely and they parted ways. As she continues to search for Malleus, Madoka is already thinking of sharing the apples with Lilia and everyone else back at Diasomnia. 

Madoka’s search for Malleus brought her to a garden of beautiful roses. It’s only after she wanders inside for a few minutes that she realises that she’s unfortunately lost in a rose maze! 

Her saviour however, came in a form of a... horse. As in literally. As Madoka wandered deeper into the maze, hoping to find an exit, she heard the trotters of a horse and then a large, black stallion appear behind her. 

As a city girl, Madoka has never seen a horse this close before. Especially one that’s so huge! Honestly, the creature intimidates Madoka even when it tentatively approaches her. 

As both creatures warily observed one another, when the stallion nosed and nudge the basket of apples that Madoka was carrying, she broke out from her stupor. 

“Oh! Is Mr. Horse hungry? Do you want some apples?” Seeing how docile the stallion is, Madoka felt a little braver as she carefully offer a shiny red apple to it. When it started to feed from her hand, she notices that there was a riding saddle neatly strapped on the horse’s back. 

“Do you belong to someone, Mr. Horse?” Madoka wondered out loud as she continues to feed it apples. “I didn’t know that this school has horses! So cool...” Madoka then giggle when the stallion gently brushes its head against Madoka in an affectionate bump. 

It wasn’t long for the two to become friends (no longer intimidated, Madoka petted the stallion’s head and neck, cooing how its such a gentle and good horse while the stallion nip at her ribbons) until a running and panting Riddle appear. 

“Oh! You’re one of Sayaka’s friend.” Riddle didn’t expect Madoka - of all people - to loiter around Heartslabyul’s garden. Or being on her own. Usually Riddle would always see her with someone. 

“I-I’m sorry! I was searching for Draconia-san and I got lost...” 

Riddle sigh. While it was against the rule for someone outside of Heartslabyul to enter the rose maze without an invitation, he can let this slide since Madoka’s presence seem to calm his temperamental horse. 

It surprised Riddle to see how calm and docile his horse is around Madoka. Usually the stallion is very wary of strangers and Riddle had to both coax and discipline the horse for it to accept him as its rider. But here, the stallion is nudging at the petite girl for more petting. Riddle wondered if it’s because of her calm and gentle presence? 

Anyway, Riddle thanked Madoka for finding his horse and despite how Madoka tried to explain that it found her - not the other way around - and personally invited her to the next Unbirthday Party as thanks. 

During the party, Riddle was the one personally attending her. He makes sure that the party has all her favourite treats, teach her how to play their games - he play the part of a host perfectly well! 

Riddle could’ve wept at how kind, gentle and thoughtful Madoka is compare to the chaotic group that is Adeuce + Sayaka. Madoka could only gape like a goldfish when Riddle suddenly clasp her hands and request that she teaches him on how to manage Sayaka better. 

Observing the comedic interaction from the sideline, Trey merely smile widely as he hauls Ace, Deuce and Sayaka by their collars as if they were kittens and onto the empty seats before Riddle could punish them for misbehaving during the Unbirthday Party. 

Trey honestly thinks that Madoka is good for the Dorm Leader. In a way, Madoka understands Riddle. Around her, he completely let his guards down and allow himself to enjoy the world for once. Once, Trey even caught the most precious and adorable moment between those two. They were caring for the pink hedgehogs while he was trimming the rose bushes. Riddle wore a tender expression, even a small smile, and he later laughs over something that Madoka said. Trey decide to leave them in their world after that. 

The next time they met, Trey made sure to share some of his baked goods with her. Seeing her smile lit up from his gift is honestly a lot sweeter than his cookies, in Trey’s opinion. 

When it comes to Cater, Madoka is the littler sister that he always wanted. Always so sweet and would pout against his teasings, you bet that he loves showing her off to his Magicam followers. Seeing her running around the school with her friends oddly remains Cater of the tiny fairies that sweep away with the wind during his childhood. He was blessed enough to catch them dancing in the wind. Perhaps Diasomnia was right to call her a fairy. 

Madoka’s reaction to the 3 Heartslabyul’s seniors are overall positive. She sees the trio something like big brothers. Riddle with his disciplined lifestyle yet soft hidden side, Trey with his welcoming smile and helpful demeanour and Cater with his cheerful smirks and teasing remarks. Although they’re from different dorms, the trio would never fail to greet her should they ever pass by one another and for that, she’s grateful. 

Plus, she seriously appreciates Trey’s study session because school work? Yeah, that’s her mortal enemy. 

When it comes to Ace & Deuce, they’re fun to be around but sometimes they’re too rumbustious for Madoka to handle. Don’t get her wrong, the two boys are wonderful friends! After Sayaka sang praises about Madoka, the duo couldn’t help but look out for her whenever the circumstances show (EX: Being intimidated by the other students). 

Sometimes, Ace come across as too blunt and selfish that made Madoka uncomfortable and that would signal Deuce to punch him. Then cue the two brawling and Madoka, in the sideline feeling horribly guilty. For Ace, he thinks that Madoka is too tender-hearted for his taste; especially for a vilains’ school. He doesn’t say it out loud, but Ace believes that a school like RSA would suit Madoka. Still, he tries to hold his tongue around her. The last thing he needs is Sayaka and Riddle coming after his ass for making Madoka cry. 

Deuce likes Madoka ‘cause he gets to better himself at being a gentleman around her. He makes sure to always be mindful of himself and offer her help by carrying her books, showing her where certain classes are and etc. Madoka appreciate the gestures and always works hard to return the favour. She offers him a pair of ears to listen to his trouble, offer honest opinions/advice and practise their magic together. 

All in all, Madoka enjoys spending time with the Heartslabyul gang! They’re a different brand of eccentric from Diasomnia which makes things a lot more fun and unexpected! 

SAVANACLAW! 

Madoka was officially introduced to the Savanaclaw gang through Ruggie and some NPCs. 

She had just finished with PE and was on her way back to Diasomnia to freshen up and maybe catch up with Sebek to go over their homeworks for the day. As she was passing by the field, she saw a group of Savanaclaw students arguing amongst themselves. Since she didn’t know any of them, Madoka was about to leave when Ruggie - who is mitigating the peace between the group - spotted her and immediately called out to Madoka. 

His sudden shout startle the poor girl and before she realises it, Ruggie already jogs up towards her. Seeing the cautious stance and timid greeting, Ruggie made sure to present himself as friendly as possible. He recalls from Kyouko that this one is the shy type. A herbivore, Leona would call her.  

So Ruggie made sure to appear as harmless as possible and gives her a sincere smile. 

“Hey there! I’m Ruggie Bucchi! You’re one of Kyouko-chan’s friend, right? Do you know where she is right now? I tried calling her phone but she didn’t pick up.” 

“U-Umm, I didn’t see Sakura-san at all today, actually. Sorry...” 

Ruggie sigh. He thanked Madoka nonetheless and that’s when one of the NPCs suddenly shouted that it’s not fair if Kyouko is in the other team for the practise. And that spark an argument. 

Ruggie just rolled his eyes at their bickering and explain to a confused Madoka that the two teams are facing off one another in a simple game. It’s a game where they need to shoot their magic at flying discs. It requires accuracy and stern hold of one’s magic. But because one team is short of a member and wanted Kyouko on their side, they started arguing and Ruggie had to held them back. 

In a momentary burst of bravery and curiosity (because honestly, that sounds like a fun game to Madoka), she shyly asks if she can join in too. The boys immediately stop bickering and turn to stare at her. Even Ruggie’s eyes were bugged wide. 

One of the boys scoffed harshly and was about to say something scathing but was immediately silenced when Ruggie signal someone to punch him before he could regret it. Ruggie is well aware that Madoka is beloved by the entirety of Diasomnia. He doesn’t even want to think what would happen if they make her cry. 

“You want to join our game? Sure! You’re in your PE uniform anyway. You can be on their team and I’ll be in the other. Both teams have an equal number of people now.”

So Madoka dutifully follow Ruggie from behind, unknowing that Ruggie glare hard at the NPCs and silently promise punishment if they ever brought up the rivalry that Savanaclaw has with Diasomnia. Even though Ruggie is not a Vice Dorm Leader, the NPCs adhere to his command since he’s their Dorm Leader’s right-hand man. 

Madoka quickly introduce herself and after a round of gruff exchange of pleasantry, Ruggie went over the rules and how the game works once more so that Madoka is clear. 

Madoka and her team watch as Ruggie and his team go first. They managed to get a lot of good hits and score mad points. Ruggie score the most for his team because he manages to hit the discs that was the farthest. 

Then it was Madoka’s turn. The guys draw out their Magic Pens and Madoka summon her pink bow. The moment the whistle is blown, everyone starts shooting. Ruggie and his team gape when Madoka manages to destroy the discs that was the farthest rapidly without missing a single hit! 

In the end, Madoka’s team won. Her teammates were so happy that they cheer and hoist her up on their shoulders. 

Meeting and getting to know Madoka was an eye opener for Ruggie. He could understand now why she was sorted into Diasomnia despite her timid nature. Everytime she pulls back the bowstring and unleash a stream of pink energy, Ruggie could feel that there some serious firepower in it. Like she purposely fire off weak blasts to shoot at the discs.

To Madoka, Ruggie is a good senpai, if a little��callous and mischevious. Kyouko told them that out all the boys here, she could relate more to Ruggie than anyone else. From that, Madoka guessed that the two of them shared similar past but she refrain from poking into someone else’s business.

Leona, however, boy does this guy intimidate the hell out of Madoka! 

Leona heard of the game that Madoka joined and thought nothing of it. If Kyouko could punch someone and send them crashing straight through walls, it’s only safe to assume that the other girls are just as strong. However, because he kept catching Madoka saddle close to her friends and would lower her head slightly when talking to anyone that wasn’t them, it’s hard for him to view her anything but a herbivore despite living in Diasomnia with that overgrown lizard. 

The two meet in the green house. Madoka was tasked by Divus to collect some herbs and flowers for their class and as a mean to help her identify and learn more about alchemy materials more. Unfortunately, even with a book in hand to guide her, Madoka is still unfamiliar with the plants. 

When she spotted someone sleeping on a bench nearby, she was at first instantly drawn towards his kitty ears. Her hands already itching to pet them! Her second instinct is to ask him for help find the plants that the teacher requested. She’s unable to decide. 

Leona could sense someone is standing close to him and so reluctantly, he crack open one bleary eye. He could only sigh when he sees Diasomnia’s resident fairy acting so skittish at him. So gruffly, he asks, “What is it?” 

Madoka hesitantly explain that she needs help finding some of the plants in her book. The green house is so huge and she doesn’t have a lot time before her Alchemy class is over. 

Now, normally Leona would just scoff, roll over and go back to sleep, but something in Madoka’s pleading eyes makes him feel like the scum of Twisted Wonderland if he doesn’t help her out. Is this her Unique Magic? And so with a very much put out sigh, he got up and reluctantly told her to follow him. He knows where the flowers and herbs are around this place. When she thanked him profusely, Leona brush it off in embarrassment. Just... please stop it with the sparkles. 

Leona ended up teaching her how to identity the ingredients better. See here in the book about this particular flower? It’s unique because it gives different scent to different people. The matured ones would gives of the smell of your favourite food so pick those. This goes on until Madoka gathered all she needs with enough time to spare! 

Once again, Madoka thanked the Dorm Leader profusely in which Leona grumpily reply that the only reason he helped her out is so that she would know the herbs a lot more and won’t disturb him again. His prickly demeanour didn’t put her off though. 

To Leona, Madoka is the human embodiment of sunshine and rainbows. Sometime when she chases after him to wish him a good morning, Leona mentally wonder if he should buy a pair of sunglasses because her beaming smiles are blinding. Ruggie could only snicker quietly when Leona tried to feed the girl some half-baked excuse about catching his classes just so he could escape her rays. She’s a good girl, definitely, and less troublesome to boot despite being a Diasomnia member so Leona doesn’t mind her.  

Little did he know that Madoka is working hard to worm into his good side so he would let her pet his ears and maybe let her brush his amazing mane. Oh well, it doesn’t hurt him if he doesn’t know it! 

Madoka had already met Jack because of Kyouko. These two get along well due to their even-temper personalities. 

Jack appreciate that Madoka is working hard to improve herself as a person and her magic and would often offer to be training buddies so he could look out for her in case she ever overwork herself. Despite her gentle disposition, Jack wouldn’t treat Madoka as if she’s made of glass. He knows that being kindness does not equal to weakness. He has a feeling that when push come to shoves, Madoka wouldn’t hesitate to bite in self-defend. 

Bonus point: Jack lets her pet his ears and tail after she did a good workout session. It’s a good enough motivation for her! 

Usually Madoka is not too fond of physical workout but with Jack, every training session is fun. She feels so comfortable with him after some time that she would sit on his back whenever Jack does push up. Outside of their training sessions, these two mantained a good relationship and would often hang out with Kyouko and the rest of the first-year squad without problem.  

OCTAVINELLE! 

Among all the girls, Azul would soon learn that Madoka is the scariest.  

Azul and Madoka would only officially meet when Azul needed to be save from himself. For now, they only briefly exchange glances from one another. 

Madoka would be walking with Sayaka and Silver, talking and there across the courtyard would be Azul and the Leech Twins in their own world. When their eyes met accidentally (Azul turns away from Floyd in annoyance when the taller student tried to nibble on his cheek playfully), both of their eyes widen in surprise. 

Madoka saw something in Azul. Something painfully familiar and to Azul, at that brief moment, he felt like Madoka saw through him. It send shivers up his spine while Madoka’s heart would constrict in pain. The spell is only broken only when their respective friends bring them back to the present. 

It was only a brief moment, but both Azul and Madoka felt uncomfortable. 

After that strange interaction, Azul would contemplate in the dead of the night when he couldn’t sleep whether or not to stay away from Madoka or confront of her. He couldn’t help but feel that Madoka saw the ugly side of him that the desperately kept hidden. The small boy that wouldn’t stop crying just because he was different from the rest. From that single glance, Madoka manages to unearthed that boy. 

Azul hated this feeling. 

As for Madoka, when she stared at Azul that morning, she could see herself reflected in his eyes. More specifically, the helplessness that she always struggle with. Becoming a Magical Girl doesn’t change that. And she wonders, if his affable and put-together demeanour are similar to her need to always help out her friends. 

This puts her in a pinch as well. Should she try to approach him despite her friends’ warnings about the Dorm Leader of Octavinelle and the Leech brothers?   

In the end, the two of them gave each other a wide berth and the next time they met in campus, neither of them would even look at the other. Too caught up in their own struggles to know what to do about the other. 

Jade, ever the observant one, would definitely noticed how strangely indiffierent Azul is to Madoka. After all, weren’t their plan is to learn more about these otherworldly girls? So he would be intrigue as to why Madoka had rubbed Azul the wrong way when they didn’t even talk to the girl yet! 

Because of Azul’s indifference, Jade decide to merely observe Madoka from afar. For now. He’ll figure out this strange puzzle soon enough, he’s confident about it.

Floyd thinks that Madoka is like an axolotl. So cute! So tiny! So pink! Oh, he just want to squeeze the living shit out of her! Unfortunately, his enthusiasm appear very threatening to the girls. I mean, they don’t mind the usual hugs, but all of their warning alarms go haywire the moment they spot Floyd running to Madoka. 

Picture this scenario in your head. You’re minding your business, talking to your friend and then a 191CM boy suddenly run towards you, smiling widely so you can see his row of ridiculously sharp teeth and his arms wide open towards you. Now, can you actually figured out at that moment whether he wants to hug you or kill you? 

That’s Madoka dilemma right about now. 

As Madoka’s poor mind was racing whether to run or not and Lilia - who is with her - just smile at the incoming eel boy, Madoka immediately gape and Lilia’s eyes shine with mirth when a yellow ribbon suddenly shoots out from nowhere, wrap itself around Floyd’s ankle and yank viciously. He trips and falls face first onto the ground and he was then instantly hoist up onto one of the main lamp post. He was left confused and dangling in the air, but only for a moment. He grins menacingly when Mami and Kyouko (she has her spear ready) are looking up at him. The two saw him running and since he’s probably in one of his squeezing moods, Kyouko offer to help him blow off some steam. Needless to say that they definitely distracted him from Madoka as they fight right there and then. 

“Ah, youth. It never fail to bring joy into these old bones.” Lilia sigh happily as he and Madoka, as well as the wandering students, spectate Kyouko and Floyd’s battle. Mami already went away for her next class. 

“Floyd-san is... scary.” Madoka couldn’t help but admit with a shiver. Why does he always want to chase after her!? 

Poor, Madoka. Someone needs to tell Floyd that his usual way of making friends scare the absolute shit out of her. 

SCARABIA! 

It was a surprise not only to Madoka, but to the rest of the girls as well, that Homura willingly approach her to introduce Kalim. 

It was a sight to behold when the stoic Homura came forward to introduce a beaming and chatty Kalim to her. 

Needless to say that Kalim immediately set her at ease. By the end of the day, these two become fast friends. Expect her to join the tutoring sessions between Kalim and Jamil. 

Madoka absolutely adore how vivacious Kalim is. They relate to another so much - both are kind and love their friends. Kalim would coax Madoka into trying new things/experiences and in a way, these little things would unknowingly make her braver bit by bit. Especially after he brought her on a Magic Carpet ride to see the sunset.

Sometimes, when Madoka is feeling a bit insecure about her position as a Magical girl, the first person she would seek out to is Kalim. These two would often have heart-to-heart talks without their friends knowing. Only to the other, would they put down their smiles and cry. 

When Madoka would visit Scarabia to see her friends, Kalim make sure to roll out the red carpet for her. The first time was a bit overwhelming for the poor girl, but after realising that it’s just Kalim’s nature and love for parties, Madoka surprisingly roll with it. Jamil was ready to restrain Kalim but seeing that Madoka enjoyed it, he just sighs and let these two cheerful idiots be. 

Kalim finds that Madoka is super cute and fun! Her shy demeanour makes him want to help her come out of her shell. His attempts at throwing parties for her, going on Magic Carpet rides actually helps. It surprises him and everyone else. 

It’s not long before he sees her akin to a little sister. One that he must spoil! 

Like all the other boys in NRC, Jamil will freely agree that yes, Madoka is as cute as a button. But when he realises that Madoka is a more shy and reserve version of Kalim, he’s gonna relate to Homura even more now. He’s very grateful that Madoka is not as reckless as Kalim at least! 

Jamil would treat Madoka courteously, of course. Since Homura often look out for Kalim whenever he’s busy, Jamil would do the same to Madoka to pay her back. He would subtly look out for her from afar though. No need to let Madoka know. 

To Madoka, Jamil is intimidating but a lot less so than Azul. She wonders if it’s because Kalim is always plastered to his side and whatever shenanigans Kalim got himself into, Jamil would be there too.

After hanging with the two boys, Madoka could see that Jamil and Homura shares a lot of common traits, so she treats him the same way she treats Homura. Gentle and with the hopes that they could be even better friends.  

POMEFIORE!

When Mami once told him that one of her friends’ choice weapon is a bow and she’s quite proficient with it - despite what she may tell you otherwise - Rook immediately sets his eyes on Madoka. 

So he ‘observe’ her whenever he could. In less than a week, Rook basically learn more about Madoka than the girl herself. He memorised her routine down to a T, noted down the type of people she prefer to hang out with, knows which class she’s struggling and excel in and etc. 

Basically, Rook stalks her as much as he stalks Leona. 

(Funny enough, when Leona found out about this, it surprises Ruggie that he went out of his way to inform Madoka about it. It confuses her as to why Rook would keep an eye out for her and decided to approach him when she gets the chance). 

Well, that day arrives when Rook came by to fetch Mami after the girls’ training. He arrive just in time to witness Madoka pulling her bow and unleash a strong magical pink arrow at Homura’s shield. The impact was so strong that Homura even skidded behind. 

Rook startle the girls by clapping his hands loudly at such display of power and adorableness! 

He recalls that Vil requested him to fetch Mami, but he just have to show his skills with the bow and arrow off to Diasomnia’s fairy! 

“Ah, lovely mesdemoiselles, forgive me for my rude intrusion, but each and every one of your performance took my breath away. The sheer power and mesmerising beauty that accompanies it - it’s something I’ve never seen before!  

Kyouko exchange a weird glance with Sayaka who just shrugs. “Uh, thanks. I guess?” 

Before the girls could even react, Rook zoomed in front of Madoka, clasping her hands with his, pleading for her to let him bedazzled the fairy with his marksmanship. Behind him, Mami silently mouthed Madoka to indulged him with a small grin on her fond expression. 

So with an unsure smile of her own, Madoka nodded. 

Kyouko and Sayaka bid their goodbyes as they head back to their respective dorms to freshen up while Mami, Madoka and Rook went to the archery field. 

When Rook let his arrows fly, Madoka’s eyes widen in awe. Rook is so proud of himself for being able to impress someone who is also passionate with the bow. Cue Mami suggesting if Madoka would like some archery lesson from Rook. 

Madoka didn’t hesitate to agree. Anything to improve herself as a Magical Girl! 

From that point on, Madoka gradually learn more and more about Rook as much as the Hunter learned about her. The moment Madoka admits that she has a knack for drawing and art, Rook quickly share his passion for the arts as well. Expect for these two to spend their time together drawing and Rook teaching her all sorts of arts that they have here in TW. 

When Epel heard from the other Pomefiore students that Rook is quite smitten with Madoka, he would pull her to the side when they meet and ask if he’s overwhelming her. Rook can be like that at times. Much to his surprise, Madoka couldn’t stop singing praises over how much Rook had taught her in all sorts of things - archery, arts and he even helps her work on her confidence.

Speaking of arts, when Madoka caught Epel delicately carving apples into miniatures figures, she would shyly ask him to teach her. Already thinking of gifting her artworks to her friends and family. She wants to impress her mother with her new skills! 

Like Ace, Epel thinks Madoka is too good to be in NRC. It’s a good thing that the other girls tend to stick close to her and that her dorm is protective of her. In his opinion, it doesn’t matter if she can fight like the rest of the girls. Most of the low-life guys in this school tend to take appearance at face value. Just how they did with him until he introduces his fist into their faces. It felt so good to just go feral! Hmm... maybe he should teach her how to throw a good punch at least. 

As for Madoka, when she was first properly introduce to him, she was about to make a mistake by complimenting how gorgeous Epel is. Fortunately for her, there was a couple guys passing by cat-calling and whistling at him. In a blink of an eye, Epel’s tiny smile turn into a scary scowl and he immediately stated brawling with them. Madoka had no choice but to call a teacher for help. Despite being the one who landed him in detention, Epel is pretty cool with Madoka while the girl made sure to always remember not to say anything about how cute he looks. 

Vil would nod in a passing whenever he sees his rebellious little apple with Madoka sitting quietly in the courtyard, carving apples together. Vil hopes that being around Madoka would calm Epel for once. Completely oblivious to the plans that Epel has for Madoka.  

As the fashion seasons are approaching, Vil invite Mami and the rest of the girls to Pomefiore for some serious discussion. Madoka tilt her head in confusion when Sayaka look stricken when Mami came by with her Dorm Leader’s invitation. 

Sitting on his throne in all his glory and regalia with Rook standing beside his Queen, Madoka felt like she’s in a fancy court and talking to royalty. 

Vil wasted no time. He would like the girls to join him on this season’s fashion show and runway. There are still a few months left before the date and since the girls are no models, it’s a good time to train them. 

When she heard the word ‘fashion’ and ‘runway’ and more specifically, her on the runway, Kyouko already turn around and walk away. Rook however, was quick to intercept her with a wide smile and stated that the girls would be handsomely rewarded if they agreed to it. This was enough to make her hesitant.  

So as Kyouko and Sayaka argued with Rook and Mami is trying to calm things down, Homura crossed her arms and observe quietly when Madoka approached the haughty Dorm Leader. 

“Um, Schoenheit-san, I-I don’t think I can pull it off. I don’t feel too comfortable among a lot of people...” Madoka carefully admits. She likes the idea of wearing pretty clothes, but on a stage where a crowd will judge her? Just thinking about it nearly made her faint! 

Vil readily nodded but not deterred. “Mami informed me of your reserved nature. Under my teaching, I’ll transform you into a diamond that will glitter pink. This I promise you.” When Madoka still look unsure and Homura made moves to use her magic to bring her and Madoka out of Pomefiore, Vil continue, “Not only that, I will teach you how to overcome you timid nature. Aren’t you tired of hiding behind your friends all the time? You have beauty in you, girl. Give yourself the opportunity to bloom.” 

Madoka carefully studied Vil from top to bottom - his looks, posture and the way how he carry himself. However, what attracted her to him the most is his confidence. A confidence that Madoka dream to possess. 

And so she agreed. 

She didn’t complain under Vil’s Spartan training. She did her best to get used to wearing the dresses and clothes that Vil designed for them. She absorb every lessons that Vil and Rook gave to boost her confidence. 

“The moment you’re on the runway Kaname-san, you’re the star. Captivate them and you’ll have them eating from the palm of your hands. That’s quite a heady power once you get a taste of it.” Vil told her on the night before the fashion show. 

Needless to say that Madoka looks up to Vil quite a lot and in return, Vil appreciate all the hard work and efforts she gave to herself and to him that it makes him proud despite her not being his dorm member. He can’t wait to see Madoka bloom into something magnificent. 

Oh, and for those who are wondering, Vil designed a beautiful and elegant white dress with pink petticoat that flows behind her like a pair of wings whenever she walks. She feels strangely... powerful in it. 

IGNIHYDE!

While Madoka was trying to nudge a sleeping Silver awake for his next class, she was surprise that a robot boy suddenly approach her from behind. 

“Oh, hello there! I’m Madoka. Is there anything I can help you?” 

 The robot boy introduces himself as Ortho Shroud and that it was nice to meet with Madoka. She return the sentiment. 

Ortho then explain that she’s been looking for her friend, Homura. His big brother has been trying to call her all day and she’s not picking up any calls or seen her in any of the camera feeds around NRC. 

Now a little concern, Madoka and Ortho manages to roused Silver up. Together, they went around NRC looking for Homura after Silver left for his class. 

As they walk, Ortho continue to explain that since he and his big brother noticed that Homura often hang out with Madoka the most out of all the other girls, it would be better to approach her. Madoka regretfully inform him that she actually hasn’t seen Homura all day. 

Madoka then asked how did Ortho and his big brother managed to befriended Homura. Her friend is not known for being sociable after all. 

Ortho cheerfully explain that Homura went to his big brother for help. They often hang out at their dorm and work on their projects. When Madoka asked about his dorm, Ortho explains that it’s Ignihyde. Their dorm focus on improving magical technology of TW. 

Most of what Ortho try to explain about magitech fly over Madoka’s head but it’s fascinating to hear nonetheless. 

Ortho reminds Madoka of her little brother, Tatsuya. Thinking about him as they talk send a pang of homesickness. Before either of them realise it, Madoka had started crying. 

“Kaname Madoka-san! Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? My scanner didn’t pick up any injuries on you!” Ortho fretted. 

With a sad smile, Madoka shakes her head as she wipe her tears. “I’m fine Ortho-kun. I just remember Tatsuya-kun. He’s my little brother. I miss him and my family so much.” 

Well that wouldn’t do! Ortho could relate; if he was separate from Idia, he would be just as distraught as Madoka. “Whenever I’m unhappy, I usually talk to my big brother. He always make me feel all better! Kaname Madoka-san, would you like to hang out with my big brother and I? Big brother said that having fun can help when you feel sad.” 

Madoka really doesn’t want to be alone right now. Despite just meeting with Ortho, he’s so sweet and kind to her. She wants to know more about him and his big brother. So after they found Homura who absentmindedly admit that she just return to NRC, the three of them head towards Ignihyde. 

Honestly, Idia is ashamed to admit that he shrieks a little when he open his door to see a beaming Ortho with Madoka and Homura behind her. A guy could use a warning before girls suddenly barge into his room! 

When Ortho explains that Madoka misses her little brother and ask if they could help her feel better by playing games, Idia’s heart melts a little. Besider her, Homura suggest they talk about their latest project some other time. It’s been sometime did she unwind and hang out with the Shroud brothers anyway. (Looks like befriending Kalim made her more incline to spend her time with Idia and Ortho, not that she realised yet.) 

Idia introduces the girls some of his latest games and they indulge in tons of snacks. It didn’t take long for him to relax in their presence and Madoka to cheer up. By the time dinner came around and Lilia texted Madoka to ask about her whereabouts, Madoka sincerely thanked the Shroud brothers with all her heart for helping her feel better. Ortho cheers while Idia stammers in embarrassment as he reply that it was not a problem. 

At first, Madoka thought that Idia is just as shy she was until he explains that being in a crowd makes him anxious and he just didn’t like to mingle with people. Only a selected few. Madoka felt honoured that he feels comfortable around her. After heading back to Diasomnia, she resolve to help Idia feel comfortable outside whenever she can. 

She can’t wait to learn more about Ignihyde and the Shroud brothers. 

Idia share the same sentiment with Leona when it comes to Madoka. The girl is seriously too adorable and blinding for her own good. It was like having a personal sun when she was in his room. Oh well, at least Ortho enjoys hanging out with her, letting her pampered him. He hopes that she’ll be able to reunite her family soon. 

-

And we’re done with the girls’ reaction to the other characters and dorms! Oh, I’m so happy! We’re now moving to Overblots and the dorms arcs! Starting with Sayaka and Riddle~     

[danger-xylophones]

The Ice General Part 3

{masterlist}

Words: 3270

Warnings: Rex continues to be a dumbass but y’know, this is necessary for progress. Rex might seem kind of OOC but I would like to defend it by saying, this is early-war “Regs” Rex and that I’ve got a plan

Taglist: @tararuthven // @questforgalas // @000ayfh // @pinkiemme

<- Previous 

……………………………………

“I can’t believe you punched him.” A muffled voice filtered into Rex’s foggy mind, cutting through the haze the cool bite of a wintery breeze. 

“What? You were about to yourself!” A different voice lower and less controlled answered back. The owner sounded incredibly offended. 

“Yes but I stopped!” The first voice hissed back. “You can’t just go about bashing peoples’ skulls in whenever you feel like it! What if one of his men saw?”

A scoff followed the question and Rex fought to peel his eyes open. He was on a cot, that much was for certain. Above him was the ‘ceiling’ of a tent and to his left was a roll-away cart that looked to be stocked with all sorts of medical equipment. He was in the med tent. Great. But how the hell had he gotten there? “I will bash in whoever’s skull whenever I feel necessary. He made you uncomfortable, kih’vod, he got what he deserved.” A clone. The second voice belonged to a clone.

A low sigh barely filtered through the heavy tarp material of the tent. Stifling a groan, Rex propped himself up on his elbows. Backlit by firelight and lamps were the outlines of two figures outside the entrance of the tent. The shorter of the two looked a bit strange so Rex had to wager a guess that they had their head in their hands. “Rex didn’t know, vod. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t deserve having his lights knocked out for that!” There was so much frustration encapsulated in the first speaker’s voice that it took Rex a while to piece together that the one speaking was Y/n. When had he made her uncomfortable? 

As if attempting to answer for him, Rex’s attention was brought to the dull pain in the side of his head. Slowly, he touched his fingers to the epicenter only to find a small piece of fabric had been stuck to it. All at once, everything came back to him and the captain was confronted with a swirling mix of anger, confusion, and guilt. He should’ve known better than to grab at her like that. But, that didn’t quite match up with how violent her reaction had been. And why had Hyde punched him? Jjannex 1. He brought up Jjannex 1...Ice’s face appeared in his mind’s eye. Her e/c eyes were clouded and distant, shimmering with some long-suppressed memory that threatened to overwhelm her. Her mouth had twitched downward in a fraction of a second, a slight wobble of her bottom lip had accompanied it. Her eyebrows creased, her posture stiffened. She had looked devastated...he hated that the first emotion he got her to show was such a destructive one. 

“I still think he deserved it, if not for that then for sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. Nosey ol’ captain, ain’t he?” Hyde’s tone was abrasive and ignited something within Rex’s chest. 

“Watch it.” Ice barked back, her silhouette adjusting to accommodate the finger she jabbed into Hyde’s chest. “He still outranks you.” The duo lapsed into silence for a moment though it was tense and unpleasant even from Rex’s position inside the tent. While Rex was left to stew on his earlier actions that led him to this predicament, two more figures emerged outside the tent. 

Ice’s tone lightened considerably as she spoke though there was still the undercurrent of bitter frustration. “Ah, good, Bolt…” 

“What’s the damage?” The voice of Bolt was not what Rex was expecting. There was the twinge of an accent hiding within the low timbre of every clone’s voice. But his lilted on certain words, making him sound like he was singing. 

“Minimal. I did what I could for him.” Rex’s brow quirked at Ice’s words. She had done what she could? Rex’s fingertips danced over the bandage once more. “The skin was broken where Hyde made contact on his temple, that’s what knocked him out. His bottom lip’s split where he macked off Hyde’s cuirass and he’s got some bruising under his eyes from the impact as well, his nose took most of the weight.” Ice explained briskly and Rex had two seconds to fall back and pretend to be asleep upon realizing the general was on the move. “His temple wasn’t bad enough to warrant a patch,” The woman’s voice continued, unwavering, as she flicked the flap of the tent out of the way and began to approach. Three sets of footsteps followed her own. “So, I stuck with a classic plaster. I applied some ointment to his lip but wasn’t sure what to do for the bruises. Checked his nose, didn’t seem broken.” Her voice grew louder and louder as she drew closer. The Ice General was standing at the head of his cot, just out of reach. There was the familiar sound of plastoid shifting and Rex felt a hovering presence over his face like he was being analyzed. 

“Huh,” the presence backed off. “See what you mean. Well, he’s been mildly concussed and his bone is bruised but other than that, he should be fine. I’ll give him a bactashot when he wakes up, general, and he’ll be good as new come mornin’.” It was Bolt who had hovered over him, the field medic. “How long’s he been out?” 

“We just passed the eight-minute mark.” Her reply was immediate. He’d been passed out for eight minutes? Maybe he should let them know he’s awake...But, then Ice would fall back into her emotionless drawl and hearing her like this-so emotionally free?-it was surreal. Rex wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t want her to stop. 

A low whistle came from somewhere farther in the tent. “Damn, you sure did a number on him, Hyde.” The specific cadence in the man’s voice alerted Rex that Fritz was the fifth person in the tent. 

“He touched her!” 

A dead silence followed his reply. 

“He grabbed my arm.” Till Ice jumped in to rectify it. The captain heard a soft ‘oh’ fall from Bolt. 

A rustling came from the roll away and Rex would wager a guess that Bolt was digging for the aforementioned bactashot. 

“Y’know, I can’t say I blame you, Hyde. Pretty sure I would have done the same.” Fritz piped up, sounding as though he was deep in thought. 

A snort came from Bolt. “You almost did! When Skywalker clapped her on the back-thought we’d be finishing our mission alone.” 

“Lay a hand on my wife and I’ll end your life, that’s all I’m saying.” 

Rex’s heart plummeted as a chill seemed to creep through him. Wife? Rex thought. That, that would make sense. Fritz and Ice were awfully close. But Ice was a Jedi. They couldn’t…

“Awee, Fritzy!” Ice cooed in a high voice, “You’re an idiot!” 

Fritz chuckled, loud and boisterous.“Your idiot.” 

Someone retched close to his feet. “Gross. Take your grossness elsewhere please.” 

“Why? You jealous that I’m the only one that can get away with flirting with the general, Hyde?” 

“No, I don’t want your abhorrent flirting throwing me off my game when I see Kacrobe again.” 

“’Abhorrent’, that’s a big word for you, Hyde.” 

“Sadly, it still dwarfs when compared to your ego, Fritz.” 

“Can it, you two.” Ice cut in. “Did you ask him out yet?” Silence met her question till it was broken with a high pitched squeal that made Rex flinch. “Hyde! Ner ori’vod is all grown up!”

“Hey, vod, you woke him up.” Bolt’s lilting voice commented dully. Rex stifled a defeated sigh and fluttered his eyes open as if he had been asleep so he had just enough time to see Ice retracting from the hug she had wrapped Hyde in. 

“Ah,” her voice had returned to the emotionless drawl as she folded her hands in front of her and smoothed her face out till no emotion was present. “Good evening, Captain.” And Rex had never felt more defeated. 

…………………………………………………..

Ice had been avoiding him ever since and Captain Rex was more upset by that then he thought he’d be. It was odd because it wasn’t like he and the General had interacted frequently before but at least if she had a matter to discuss with him, she would do it in person but now she’d just send someone to tell him. This also didn’t prove helpful in his quest to understand what had happened to the Veterans as now he had to understand her. The story of the Battle of Jjannex 1 was apparently as intricately intertwined with the Ice general as it was with her men. 

There was also another issue that had arisen-the commander and the general’s...relationship. Rex hoped that it was just some elaborate joke he was misinterpreting but the alternate reality had to be examined as well because it was treasonous. It was so against both regulations and codes that Rex was almost flabbergasted that he had to consider it. What made it worse? If it was true, he had to be the one to call them out on it. He had to go against the Ice general and her commander and her devoted men. If he got this wrong, he’d never hear the end of it, if he got this right-the grand army was out a general and his vod would be court-martialed, and if he did nothing? It was unlikely anyone would find out given the perpetual stoic general and the rather fun commander. Most people would just assume that it was a joke. But he had heard him call the general his wife. He had heard it straight from the source. But who would believe him?

“Hey, vod, you haven’t touched your food.” Fives’s voice was accompanied by a rough nudge of his arm that caused it to slide off his thigh. The captain scrambled to right himself as he turned to look at his newest recruit. 

“Sorry, got something on my mind.” The captain hurriedly coughed out and resumed aimlessly poking at his food to get Fives off his back. It didn’t work.

“Yeah, I could tell. Wanna talk about it?” Fives asked, evidently not willing to drop the conversation. 

Rex sighed through his nose. “No, Fives, I don’t.” 

“Really? Does it have to do with the fight you got into yesterday?” 

Rex couldn’t help but roll his eyes. After he had woken up, he had been engulfed in a largely one-sided conversation between himself in Hyde that basically boiled down to they would tell the truth about what happened to his men and then they would never bring it up again. “The truth” they had decided to tell them though was boiled down to he had brought up a sensitive issue and things had escalated. True? Yes. The truth? Not to him. The truth was that the Ice general and her men were hiding something and he was trying to get to the bottom of it. “I said I don’t want to talk about it, Fives.” Rex was trying to keep his voice under control, he had no right to yell at the private when his foul mood was in no way Fives’s fault. 

“Does it have to do with Ice? You haven’t been able to take your eyes off of her since yesterday.” He persisted and Rex let out a disappointed sigh. He liked Fives but his stubbornness that proved helpful in battle could easily turn annoying. 

“Would you please not phrase it like that?” The captain groaned, finally setting his ignored meal to the side. “I’ve been trying to keep an eye on her because I need to talk to her. She’s hiding something-her and the Veterans.” 

“Ah, yes, because that makes it any less creepy, alor’ad.” The younger man huffed. “Sir, with all due respect, maybe you should let it go? I’m sure that whatever it is, the Vets took care of it and it’s just a sore topic now.” 

Rex’s eyes grew wide as he was struck speechless. “I...I’m surprised to hear you say that, Fives.” The captain fought to keep his face from going slack as he struggled to articulate what he was thinking. “Normally, you’re the first to question stuff like this.” 

The private shrugged and finished up his meal before setting it to the side. “‘Been talkin’ to her men an’ they all love her. They trust her, captain, why can’t you?” Fives turned away when one of the younger 205th boys called his name and asked if he’d lend him a hand with something which left the captain time to mull over his question. Why didn’t he trust her? Part of him wanted to say that it was because she was possibly committing treason with one of her men. But Rex knew deep down that he hadn’t trusted her from the beginning. Why though? Because she was mysterious? Because he didn’t know why she acted the way she did? Because he didn’t understand why her men all had the same tattoo? Because he couldn’t figure out what made her so different from the other Jedi? 

That had to be it. He hadn’t worked with many Jedi but he had seen how they interacted with their troops and generally, it was always the same. They were respectfully distant-it was clear that most of them were concerned for their well-being but none of them were really close. None of them were named vod (except maybe Plo Koon). But Y/n L/n was. She adored her men and had even been called kih’vod. That was a big deal. That showed that their loyalty was to her. That showed that they trusted her: so why couldn’t he?  

“Captain Rex.” a clone cleared his throat to his left and Rex finally looked away from where Fives had disappeared off to. Hyde, of all people, was standing at attention beside him. 

“Uh, at ease…” Rex ordered out of habit though his heart wasn’t in it. “What did you need?” 

Hyde took a low breath as though he was preparing to do something he’d regret for the rest of his life. “General L/n was wondering if you would like to join us for a sparring match.” 

The captain’s eyebrows shot up. She was…? Why? Hadn’t he horribly offended her not even 24 hours ago? “Um, sure. I guess.” He agreed hesitantly, not entirely sure that this was real. Hyde dipped his head and beckoned for him to follow. Hyde led him farther and farther away from where he had stopped to have his breakfast until he found himself in a makeshift enclosure made from a cliff and several tents. It was still early morning so it was relatively dark and cool, making it the perfect time for a quick match but what Rex didn’t understand was why only he had been invited.

“Hyde,” So, he decided to ask, “Why just me?” 

“Sparring is...personal for the general. And, since she knows you don’t trust her, she was hoping to make up for last night.” Hyde explained almost solemnly, as he came to a stop on the edge of the ring. What did that mean? ‘Sparring is personal’. Why? Once again, the captain found his already innumerable questions perpetually multiplying. “Wait here, I’ll go get her.” Before Rex could stop him, Hyde had swept away and disappeared into a tent the captain had come to recognize as L/n’s. 

As Rex waited in the blissful coolness of morning on the desert planet, he found himself distracted by the Ice general once again. She was looking to make up for last night, that much he could wrap his head around but what he didn’t understand was what possessed her to want to. Did she know he had overheard Fritz call her his riduur? Was this her way of keeping him quiet? Or was this her way of distracting him from Jjannex 1? By offering to let him in on a personal tradition, was she hoping to stop him from further investigating the matching tattoos? If it was, then she would be disappointed to learn that she would fail. If anything, it made Rex want to keep digging.  

“Ah, Captain Rex, it is good to hear that you decided to join us.” The blond man was pulled from his ponderings by the voice of the woman he was so troubled by. Her voice was still, as ever, betraying neither elation nor distaste for his agreement. She came around his left, clad in her light tan tunic that seemed to be the uniform of the Jedi. Her cloak had been done away with, presumably, so it wouldn’t get in the way while she fought and that left the captain with a clear view of the two lightsabers that hung on her belt. “I hope you were not busy when Hyde found you?” 

It took the captain a moment to realize that it was a question. “Oh, uh, no, no. I wasn’t.” Rex’s eyes fell away from hers, cold, calculating, frozen, and to the lightsabers once more. “Are you gonna keep those on ya?” He nodded to the weapons. 

Y/n’s head tilted to the side as she processed his question. She looked like a curious loth-cat. “They are my defenses, aren’t they?” 

“Your defenses?” Rex didn’t like the sound of that. Why would she need her lightsabers to defend her during a sparring match with a clone? 

“Indeed…” She dragged out before turning to Hyde who was busily fidgeting with one of his vambraces. “Did you not explain what sparring for us entails?” 

The red-head looked up for a moment, disinterested. “No, was I supposed to?” 

Ice took a moment to sigh, her face was still unfaltering. “Yes, Hyde, you were supposed to.” She shook her head before turning her unimpassioned gaze back to Rex. “I suppose you will just have to learn through observation, Captain.” Y/n moved on swiftly, spotting something behind the captain that had her enraptured in a moment. “Fritz! Who have you got?” She projected as she moved past the blond who turned to see what she was talking about. Commander Fritz was quickly approaching with Jekyll, Bolt, Empio, Codex, Boom, and two others the captain didn’t recognize. “Ah, Codex, I see you’ve returned. And we have Boom, Phantom, and Nexus as our three other newcomers? Welcome, boys.” The three men who were apparently new to sparring just like him quickly saluted Ice till she made a gesture for them to relax. “Alright, Phantom, Nexus you two take that corner. Jekyll, Empio, Codex, over there. Hyde, Fritz, beside the tent and finally, Bolt and-” 

“Sorry to interrupt, Ice, but I’m gonna sit this one out-prefer not to get my ass whooped today.” Bolt chirped from the seat he had taken atop three crates off to Rex’s left. 

...what? Rex couldn’t help but think. Ice blinked at the medic before shrugging. “Alright then, hand Rex your blaster.” ...what? He thought again as the dark haired man pressed his blaster into his hand. “And your helmet since he didn’t bring his.” ...WHAT? “Captain, I suggest you take up a position there.” Ice ordered softly and pointed to where she meant. Still perplexed beyond all measure, the captain complied. A few seconds passed as Ice observed the gathered men and how she had placed them and Rex couldn’t help but shift on his feet, his nerves getting the better of him. With a nod, Ice grabbed her lightsabers and moved to be equidistant from each man. “Gentlemen, set your blasters to stun.” ...W H A T? 

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