#it takes them a while before they hit their last straw and finally change their pcp — assuming they have options bc again

[wriokitty]

One day I’d like to pursue a PhD that studies ethics in the healthcare system and specifically my thesis would center around what factors make patients stick with primary care physicians that either mistreat them/provide very subpar care

[foldingfittedsheets]

I worked retail for a long time and people really do treat you like shit sometimes. But between selling sex toys, mattresses, and jewelry I can say definitively I got treated worst selling mattresses.

All three of my jobs were in sales but selling sex toys we were allowed to put people in their place, and in jewelry people didn’t want to misbehave in a fancy setting. But people at the mattress store had no problem yelling at me, hitting on me, or insulting me to my face.

For a while I was managing my own store for the company. I ran a small location and had struggling employees placed with me for rehabilitation. If their numbers improved they could go back to bigger stores. If not, they got fired.

So this meant I was the manager of problem employees. At one point both of my people had a foot out the door. The company was going downhill and changed computer systems and they were fed up. Consequently, they made a ton of mistakes, because they just didn’t care about the job or learning the new systems.

I strolled into work on what was essentially my Monday to a shit show. Deliveries scheduled without product, wrong things on orders, poor expectations of the process, you name it. I spent the entire morning getting yelled at for mistakes that weren’t mine.

The final straw came when a man called furious that his moms bed for her nursing home had a delivery window he couldn’t accommodate. This wasn’t a huge disaster since we still had time to deliver it before she moved. I ran him through the options and he just kept screaming at me. Not for a solution but because I was there and he was frustrated.

My heart filled with malice and a cold fury. A calculating part of my brain had a realization in that moment that I could stay a punching bag or I could strike back.

I quavered my voice delicately, taking in a shaky, warbling breath like I was trying not to cry. “Sir,” I quivered through fake tears, “I don’t know what you want from me! I told you what I can do, I didn’t make this mistake I’m just trying to fix it!” My voice broke pitifully on the last syllables, sounding in all ways like a sweet innocent person being yelled at who’s just trying her best, really!

It was like I’d doused him with cold water. My emotional act was the realization that he was screaming at someone who was just doing their damn job, and he was being an asshole. He hastily made an excuse and hung up.

I had a third employee covering with me from another store that day who heard everything. When I hung up, I looked over to see them watching me with an awed expression. “Did… did you just pretend to cry?”

“I absolutely fucking did,” I said with feeling, “and I’d do it a thousand more times. If that’s what it takes for someone to realize they’re behaving like a fucking prick, they deserve it.” The employee looked at me like I was their hero.

The man called back, apologizing profusely, having magically arranged his schedule to accommodate delivery. He came in later that week with an apology Starbucks gift card. I was gracious in my acceptance.

I pulled it a few more times before leaving the company. I felt no shame in the ruse. If someone behaves so poorly that it’s plausible their behavior would drive someone to tears they deserve to feel absolutely wretched about it.

[scoupsakakitty]

LOOOOOVE YOUR BLOG i'm literally obsessed with idol!scoups fics and u r soooo good in writing them <333

not sure if you are open to requests but in case that you are, i'd love to see an angsty one with idol!scoups, maybe one where they fight ??? and cheol has to go on tour or work or something so they're not okay for quite a while and make up once he gets home :(((

Silent Apologies | idol!Scoups x Reader | angst, fluff

The argument had started over something small—something stupid, really—but it had escalated far beyond what either of them expected.

"You always do this, Seungcheol!" Y/N's voice wavered with frustration as she stood in the middle of their living room, arms crossed tightly over her chest. "You shut me out, and then you expect me to just be okay with it!"

Seungcheol ran a hand through his hair, his patience already frayed. "Because I don’t want to fight with you, Y/N! I’m exhausted, I have so much on my plate, and the last thing I need is another argument!"

"So what? You think I don’t get tired too? That I don’t have feelings?" Her voice cracked slightly, but she refused to let it show any weakness. "You act like you're the only one who has problems, but you're never here anymore!"

His jaw clenched. "You knew what you were getting into when we started this! My schedule isn’t something I can just change!"

"I'm not asking you to change it, Seungcheol! I'm asking you to at least talk to me about it instead of pushing me away!"

He exhaled sharply, looking away. "I can't do this right now."

Y/N scoffed, hurt flashing across her face. "Of course you can’t. You always run away the second things get hard."

That was the last straw. His temper snapped. "You think I run away? I do everything I can to keep this together! I'm trying my best, Y/N! But maybe my best isn't enough for you!"

Silence followed his outburst, thick and suffocating. The words hung between them like a wound neither could take back. Y/N swallowed, blinking away the sting in her eyes. "Maybe it’s not."

The finality in her voice made Seungcheol’s stomach drop, but he was too proud—too angry—to reach for her. Instead, he turned on his heel, grabbing his jacket. "I have a flight to catch."

Y/N watched as he walked to the door. "Fine. Go."

The door slammed behind him.

The flight to Indonesia felt longer than it should have. Seungcheol sat in his seat, staring blankly at the screen in front of him, but all he could think about was her. The look in her eyes before he left. The way her voice had cracked. The way he had let his anger win instead of fixing things.

His chest ached with regret.

By the time the concert rolled around, he was running on autopilot. His members noticed. His energy was off. His mind wasn’t there. Even as he stood in front of thousands of fans, singing and dancing like he’d done a hundred times before, his heart wasn’t in it. Because his heart was somewhere else.

With her.

When the final song ended and the cheers filled the venue, Seungcheol barely let the sound settle before he rushed backstage. He ignored the cameras, the staff, the lingering adrenaline. He needed to get home.

Y/N had spent the last two days drowning in her own guilt. She hated the way they had left things, hated the last words they had exchanged.

What if something happened to him while he was away? What if those words were the last thing they ever said to each other?

The thought alone had made her sick to her stomach. So, instead of wallowing in regret, she did what she could to make things right. She cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, made sure everything was perfect. And then, she cooked. She made all of Seungcheol’s favorite dishes, the ones he always craved after long flights. Because she knew that he would come back to her.

And then, as if her heart had called out to him, the front door swung open.

Seungcheol stood there, exhausted and breathless, his suitcase slipping from his fingers and hitting the floor with a dull thud. But Y/N didn’t care about that.

She ran to him.

His arms were around her in seconds, crushing her against his chest as if he was afraid she might disappear if he let go. "I'm so sorry," he murmured into her hair. "I shouldn't have left like that. I shouldn't have said what I did."

Tears pricked at her eyes as she buried her face in his shoulder. "I was so worried about you. I hated the way we ended things."

"Me too," he admitted, pulling back just enough to cup her face in his hands. His thumbs brushed over her cheeks, his gaze soft but filled with remorse. "I never want to fight like that again."

She nodded, leaning into his touch. "Me neither."

A small smile tugged at her lips as she grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the kitchen. "Come on, I made your favorite."

Seungcheol's eyes softened even more when he saw the food on the table. "You really made all this?"

She bit her lip, suddenly shy. "I just… I wanted to do something for you."

His heart swelled with affection. "You didn’t have to, but thank you."

They sat down together, the tension of the past few days melting away as they ate. Seungcheol kept reaching for her hand between bites, as if he needed to remind himself that she was still there, that they were okay.

And they were.

Because no matter how bad the fights got, no matter how far apart they were, they always found their way back to each other.

[caffeinateddino]

Post Rumbling! Levi Ackerman x reader [18+]

title: i hit my toe

♡ warnings: sexual content, masturbation, masturbation interruptus, no actual sex

summary: You, a former squad leader in the survey corps luckily survived the rumbling and now you're staying with Levi in Marley, attending him and keeping him company

though there might more than basic comradery between you because you catch him mastrubating to the thoughts of you.

second part is here

"Peppers... cucumbers... milk... bread..." You checked the basket once more as you made your way toward the house where you were staying with Levi. "All done," you whispered, satisfied that the grocery shopping was finally complete. The day had been long, but at last, it was over.

You were a former squad leader in the Survey Corps, now staying with Levi in Marley to assist and attend to him following the rumbling. Your role had shifted from field leader to just someone who's living a domestic life with Levi, balancing your days between supporting Levi and working as a nurse at the local hospital. The adjustment had been significant, and you only saw him in the evenings.

Lately, you’d noticed some changes in him. His once sharp, hardened demeanor had softened—not that it was a bad thing. Perhaps he was just being kinder to you, the last person remaining from the original squad leaders. His habits had shifted too. Levi was sleeping better now, getting at least six or seven hours of rest, and even taking naps during the day.

It was a relief to see him taking care of himself after all the years of sleepless nights.

As you unlocked the door and quietly stepped inside, careful not to make any noise, just in case if Levi's asleep. You placed the straw basket down gently. After locking the door behind you, you slipped off your jacket and shoes, smoothing your hair in the mirror before walking further into the house.

But then, something made you stop—a soft whimper. You frowned, pausing to listen. Was Levi hurt? Did something happen? The sound was faint but unmistakable, coming from his room. The door was slightly ajar, and your heart raced as you cautiously peeked inside.

You stood frozen at the door, your hand flying to your mouth in shock. What you initially thought was pain turned out to be something entirely different.

Levi's slender figure lay on his bed, the blanket covering his thighs but not concealing the rest of him. He was slowly stroking himself, one arm shielding his eyes as soft whimpers escaped him with each stroke. Beads of pre-cum trailed down his tip to his fingers, and the usually stoic expression on his face was replaced with an expression of quiet need.

What startled you even more was the way his lips parted, and a breathless, almost inaudible whisper of your name escaped them. It was barely more than a murmur, but it was unmistakably.. your name.

Your heart raced as he whimpered your name again, this time with a strained groan. His hand's pace quickened, and despite his attempts to keep quiet, you could hear every muffled breath, every whisper of your name. The room felt suffocating, and your own breath grew heavy as you watched him.

What were you supposed to do? Say something? Give him privacy? Seeing him so vulnerable and needy made you feel both selfish and compelled to act. Levi, who had endured so much and carried the weight of the world, was here, letting go in the privacy of his while.. thinking of you. The realization struck you deeply. It was both shocking and disarming.

He looked beautiful. you felt a desperate need to reach out to him, to replace his hand with your own and share this moment of vulnerability with him.

You watched as his jaw tightened, his body arching slightly off the bed as he climaxed, thick drops of cum seeping through his fingers. He moved his arm away from his eyes and rubbed his face with his clean hand, a sigh of frustration and.. guilt escaping him.

your breath caught in your throat, and you couldn’t help but gasp softly in surprise. The sound was almost imperceptible, but Levi’s sharp instincts immediately picked up on it. His body tensed, and his eyes flew open, searching the room with a mixture of shock and embarrassment.

In an instant, he turned his head toward the door, his expression shifting from blissful vulnerability to one of acute awareness. His face uncharacteristically flushed, and he quickly pulled the blanket over himself, his movements a mix of hurried and deliberate.

Levi’s gaze locked onto yours, and a heavy silence filled the room. His usually stoic demeanor cracked, revealing an uncharacteristic blend of shame and vulnerability. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to regain his composure.

“Why... why are you here?” His voice was a low, strained whisper, a stark contrast to the softness it had held moments before. His eyes flickered with a mix of defensiveness and pleading, as though searching for a way to explain or make amends. You could see him grappling with the sudden shift from pleasure to exposure, his mind racing to process the intrusion. His hand trembled slightly as he tried to cover himself more securely, but his eyes never left yours.

“I'm sorry,” you finally managed to say, your voice trembling slightly. “I didn’t see anything.” you quickly turned yiur face away. "didn’t mean to intrude,” you said, your voice steady despite the turmoil inside. “I just… I must have hit my toe on something.. I didn’t actually see or hear anything.” You lied.

Levi raised a brow, a mixture of relief and lingering embarrassment flickering across his face. He nodded slowly, clearly still processing the situation.

“Right,” he said, his voice a little more controlled now. “I see.” You took a deep breath, determined to maintain a sense of normalcy. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything,” you said, forcing a calm smile. “I’ll make some tea. Just let me know if you want to join.” Levi gave a slight nod, his expression still guarded but appreciative of your attempt to give him space. “Thanks,” he murmured.

As you walked away, your mind raced with the revelation of what you had unintentionally stumbled upon. The image of Levi, so vulnerable and whispering your name, lingered in your thoughts. It was a striking contrast to the composed and stoic persona he usually presented.

In the quiet of the kitchen, as you prepared the tea, you couldn’t shake the feeling of being caught between an overwhelming sense of intimacy and the need to respect Levi’s privacy. The knowledge that he had been thinking of you in such an intimate moment was.. disarming..

No but, shit.. like..???

[ridher]

jj maybank running into the sweet new girl when stopping by a local smoothie shop

it was only your second day on the job, the first one where you were on your own to serve those strolling the hot summer beach packed with both kooks, pogues, and the occasional touron.

you hadn't even had a chance to make any friends beyond the other young girls you worked with, but even that wasn't more than friendly conversation. you'd gotten a job straight after moving to the south side of kildare — your family needed the money.

it was getting a bit stressful as soon as it hit late afternoon. the crowd of people in line along with the heat beating down during its prime hours, plus being so inexperienced, was overwhelming and starting to get to your performance.

pushing through, you get to what seems like the last group of people for a bit. by now, pieces have fallen from the messy updo of your hair and a thin sheen of sweat coats your body — even through the lenient dress code that allows you to wear a dainty tank top and jean shorts.

still, you greet them with a sweet smile that's mostly directed at the boy in front with brown, curly hair, sporting a bandana around his neck. your lips part to recite the words you'd been trained to welcome customers by when a blonde boy pushes his way up from behind and flashes a crooked smirk.

"um, what can i get you guys today?" you hesitate and it comes out less confident than when said to all the customers before.

"yeah.. let me get a uh— y'know, what do you suggest?" the same boy responds, arms crossing while his brows pinch like he's thinking awfully hard.

based on the expressions of the group accompanying him — two other boys and one girl — this behavior from the sun-tanned boy isn't an uncommon occurrence.

"this week's special's been my favorite recently." something about the attention of his intense eye contact has you nervous, shifting in your stance and brushing loose strands of hair from your face.

"shit, aight, gimme four of 'em." his haze only briefly darts to the little stand showcasing said smoothie before he agrees.

"wh—" the other boy behind him is ignored when he attempts to speak up, the girl only rolling her eyes and directing her attention elsewhere.

nonetheless, you get started on four of the same drink, back turned to the group as you move about — mind full thinking about the smallest interaction between you and the boy.

soon enough, you arrange the smoothies across the counter and ring up the price on a company tablet. that's when you finally look back up at the boy with a small but genuine smile and relay the total.

hassling the previous leader for money, he places the cash on the surface between you two, tonguing at his cheek with an almost amused look when his lips turn up slightly.

the smoothies get distributed and their change is returned, yet that one boy lingers across the counter.

"jj. you're new, yeah?" he finally asks, sticking out the hand that's not holding a drink.

you nod, shaking his hand and checking behind him to make sure nobody is waiting on the exchange before pulling your hand away and telling him your name.

jj nods, not so subtly taking in your full appearance with a sip from the straw. his eyes finally land back on yours and his expression is ever so smug noticing the flush on your cheeks.

knocking on the counter with his knuckles, he shakes his head to himself and starts to walk off in the path his friends went.

"i'll see ya 'round." drawing out your name at the end of his departing statement and winking, jj finally leaves.

it's all you can recall the rest of your shift, especially when you catch his stares from various spots across the beach before being punched in the arm or smacked on the back of his head by what you see now to be his group of pogue friends.

you can't help but smile to yourself, knowing he's just as intrigued by you that you are him — even if it just makes the hands on the clock move faster daydreaming about a cute surfer boy.

[multifandomfanficss]

Don’t Stop My Heart

Tyler Owens x Reader

Prompt: You and Tyler take a road trip up to Iowa to catch some of the last tornadoes of the season, but he takes the teasing a little too far.

Warnings: Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, mentions of car crashes, swerving, shitty ex boyfriends. No use of Y/N.

A/N: Hello! I didn’t proofread this one as many times as I usually do. I’m coming off a 4 and a half month writers block so I really just wanted to write and post while I was excited to do it. My job has been draining me as of late, so I’m trying to write when I get the impulse. I have so many Tyler ideas and no time to write them. Crossposted on my AO3 adriansglasses.

It was still fairly early, the sun was still rising. Last night you’d planned an impromptu trip up north to Iowa. It was about a 7 hour trip from Oklahoma, so you were on the road before 6. You were hoping to get there around noon. You didn’t love getting up that early, but Tyler promised he’d drive you and you could sleep in the truck. Tornado season was pretty much over aside from an isolated storm or two, but Iowa had been having very unusual storm activity all week. Tyler couldn’t resist hitting a couple more tornadoes in late August when the season was supposed to be pretty much over with.

You stayed awake for a little bit. You wanted to watch as you crossed into Missouri.

“Missouri welcomes you.” Tyler reads out loud.

“Yes! Finally!” You giggle.

“I didn’t realize you were such a big fan of Missouri.” Tyler comments.

“Oh, I’m not.” You pause, looking out your window.

“First you’re hypin’ her up, now you’re gonna disappoint her.” He jokes.

“I’m sorry, I’m sure Missouri’s fine, but I’m more excited about that.” You point to a Hardee’s down the street.

“Really? We’re crossin’ state lines and you’re gonna make me take you to Hardee’s? You can get Carl’s Jr. anytime you want back home. That’s basically the same thing.” He argues.

“Take that back! You’re just saying that because you’re a Texas boy! You’ve never had the luxury of Hardee’s.” You joke.

“If Carl’s Jr. is better, I’m not letting you pick where we eat for the rest of the trip.” Tyler puts on his turn signal and sighs.

“How is that fair? I’ve never eaten at this location. What if it sucks?” You laugh.

“You picked your Hardee’s hill and now you’re gonna die on it. Now keep your trap closed and tell me what’s good on the menu.” Tyler makes a pretend threatening face towards you as he pulls into the drive thru.

“How am I supposed to not talk and at the same time tell you what’s good?” You tease back.

“Hi welcome to Hardee’s, may I take your order?” The drive thru speaker cuts you off. Tyler shushes you and you giggle.

After getting your food you start unwrapping the straws and putting them in both drinks.

“Whatever score we give this we need to give it extra points to account for how good the curly fries would be if they were serving lunch.” You try to bargain, taking a bite.

“No, you can’t just change the rules after we already got our food, that’s cheating. Just because you’re from the north, doesn’t mean you can cheat me.” He argues. He continues driving, leaving behind the paved roads of the small town.

“You’re acting like I’m Canadian!” You giggle.

“Well, Upper Midwest is basically Canada. There’s literally a town in Iowa called Toronto!” He smirks, taking the last bite of his food, continuing to drive through the middle of nowhere Missouri, back onto the gravel roads through the soybean fields.

“Shut up!” You playfully hit his arm. He jokingly swerves and your stomach flips. You gasp air. “Tyler, knock it off.”

“You’re the one who hit me.” He pleas innocent.

“I didn’t hit you that hard.” You defend.

“I thought you were gonna sleep on the drive.” He says, smirking.

“I might later, I’m not tired.” You answer, falling for his bit. He does a big fake yawn.

“Well if you’re not tired, I might take a little nap.” He lightly swerves again.

“Tyler, this isn’t funny!” You plead.

“What? Oh. Do you mind watching the road? We woke up so early and I’m pretty tired.” He jokes before swerving again. He’s taking the joke way too far. Once was one thing, twice was too much. You start hyperventilating.

“Tyler, STOP!” You yell, tears starting to come to your eyes.

“Woah woah woah, sweetheart, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I’ll stop.” He has a concerned look on his face. He knew he had taken it too far.

“It’s not funny.” You cry.

“You’re right, it’s not funny. I would never-a done it if I’d known it would make you feel unsafe. I do it all the time on chases and that don’t seem to bother you. I didn’t realize-“

“That’s different! The roads and the fields when there’s no storms are different! We’re on an actual road! What- what if there were other people?! What if you hit somebody?! What if a sherif saw?!” You say, obviously still panicking. Tyler decides to pull over.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I was way outta line, but we’re in the middle of nowhere. There’s no cars or tractors around. We’re safe.” His voice is soft. “Just breathe, Darlin’. Just you and me.” He takes your hand, rubbing small circles in it. “I feel bad. I wanted a reaction outta you, but not like this. I never want you to feel unsafe with me.”

“I know.” You were still struggling to breathe. Tyler places your hand on his chest to feel the rise and fall of his breathing. He hopes you can sync yours with his own.

“Take it easy, sweetheart. You’re okay. Feel me breathing? We’re both okay.” He places a kiss to your forehead.

“I’m sorry… it’s not you. When I was in high school I had a crazy ex boyfriend who used to swerve in town just to scare me because he knew I was afraid of car crashes. He almost killed us a couple times, I think. I guess no matter how much time’s passed, dumb high school bullshit still affects me into my adult years.”

“Hey, that’s not okay. It’s not dumb bullshit. It’s trauma.” You lean over the console to be closer to him and he wraps his arms around you. “I would never put you in danger like that for the sake of a joke.” You could tell his blood was boiling on the inside, but he was trying to keep himself calm. He didn’t want to upset you more. He knew this was about you feeling better, not him.

“We gotta get going if we wanna try to make it by 1.” You wipe your tears.

“I don’t care how long we’re pulled over. Hell, we can even turn around if you’re not up to anymore. I don’t care about the chase. I care about you.” He moves your hair out of your face. “I can call the rest of the team and tell them to turn around right now or go without us.”

“What happened to Mr. If You Feel It, Chase It?” You joke, trying to lighten the mood. He looks into your eyes. You don’t know if you’ve ever seen him so serious.

“The only feeling that matters is the one I get when I’m with you.“

Tears start creeping up again. These tears aren’t bad, though.

“Tyler, I’m in love with you.” It just slips out, like the easiest confession you’ve ever made in your life. You both knew there was something there, but neither one of you were willing to say it. It had always been heavy flirting, awkward mornings after cuddling in the only bed left at the motel, a drunk kiss or two.

After a moment of staring in silence Tyler kisses you. Everything happened in slow motion, but in truth it was probably just the adrenaline slowing everything down. Tyler wasted no time in kissing you. It was the quickest decision he’s ever made. You don’t know how long the kiss was. Whatever it was, it wasn’t enough. Nothing would ever be enough. You’d swear off oxygen for the rest of your life if it meant this moment never had to end. You’d been pinning after your best friend for so long and finally the moment was here.

“I’m so glad you said something because you’re one of the best navigators I know and I really didn’t wanna risk losing you from the team by telling you I was in love with you.” Tyler laughs.

“Is that the only reason you didn’t tell me?” You ask.

“No, I was scared. Losing you from the team would be a bummer, but I couldn’t lose you from my life. We see a lot of loss in this business. Whenever I thought about it, the thing I couldn’t stand to lose most was you.” He runs his fingers through your hair, moving to cup your cheek.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

It was nice to finally say it. You’d waited a long time to tell him.

“Let’s get back on the road. This time just don’t stop my heart.” You give a small laugh.

“You’re safe with me.”

“I know. You’re not like those other guys, Ty.”

You hold hands and rest on his other arm as he drives. He’s lucky he’s good at driving with one hand because he’s happy to see about 30 minutes later you’ve finally fallen asleep. Today was going to be a long day, but Tyler knew forcing the team to wake up so early was worth it. He may have had to bribe Boone 20 bucks to drive the other car up with Lily, but at least he didn’t have a third wheel sitting in the back seat. Tyler didn’t get a lot of alone time with you. Now he had 7 hours of it. It was worth it.

[tinylilacbun]

The Real Reason

Pairing: daddy!john b x little!reader x papa!jj

Warnings: age regression, abuse, bruises, hurt/comfort, fluff at the end

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

You did tell John B and JJ that you regress due to trauma or stress but never mentioned said trauma. It's already a relief to you they even support your regression and take care of you when you simply can't so yourself.

You planned on telling them, you really did, it just somehow never came to it. They already do so much for you while you're in and out of headspace and you simply don't want them to worry.

Despite the constant pain from the bruises you receive from your abusive father you somehow manage to hide them.

Your father isn't dumb and doesn't hit or grab you anywhere it could be visible. So you mostly change by yourself and quickly so no one will notice, sometimes even wearing something longer if needed.

Today John B and JJ decided to come check up on you because you abruptly cancelled today's surf session without any clear explanation, which has them already suspicious and worrying instantly.

"She's probably just busy." JJ tries to ease John B's worries, trying to keep up his calm facade but the way he takes his hat off and back on multiple times gives him away.

"No, something's not right. I could hear it in her voice when she called." He insisted, his grip on the steering wheel tightening ever so slightly.

They pull up in your driveway and everything seems normal. The boys glance at each other before getting out of the Twinkie, their shoes crunching on the ground as they approach your house but stop in their tracks at the sound of things breaking and voices getting louder.

"What the..." JJ trails off when John B places a single finger against his mouth, silencing him.

The shouting of a man which they only could assume must be your father could be heard. "You're so ungrateful you're lucky I even put up with you! I swear to god, stop crying or I'll give you a damn good reason to!"

John B and JJ tense up, creeping up to the front door, their backs against the old wood. John B glances at JJ, seeing him shutting his eyes tightly and pressing a hand to his chest.

"Hey, look at me. JJ, look at me." He whispers at him, trying to get his attention. When the blonde finally looks at him he nods assuringly. "You're okay."

"Yeah...yeah." JJ nods, taking a deep breath.

Your pleading voice pulls them back into the situation at hand. "Dad, please I'm sorry I-"

The way you yelp and a clear slap being heard was the last straw for them, slamming the door open without second thought.

The sight of you cowering in the corner with your father looming over you snaps something in John B and he suddenly yanks your father away from you and onto the ground, straddling him he delivers a punch right against his jaw.

JJ who was momentarily caught off guard by the sudden action quickly composes himself when you crash into his chest, holding onto him for dear life with tears streaming down your cheeks.

"Shh, you're okay...I've got you." He murmurs, wrapping his arms around you and steering you out of the house.

When John B notices that he stops himself from beating your father into a pulp, grabbing him by his collar to pull him up. "You touch her again I'll end you."

He let's go off him abruptly, getting off him and storming out of the house his chest heaving form the adrenaline.

Scanning the property for you and JJ he sees the side door of his van open and you both sitting in the back.

Making his way over to you he gets in through the back, sliding the door closed his heart aches at the sight of you cuddled up in JJ's arms. He leans down to place his hand on your reddening cheek, sighing at the way you jump at his touch.

Not wanting to stay here any longer he kisses the top of your head before getting settled into the driver's seat, knowing you need to be as far as possible from this whole situation and your father.

The drive to the Chateau was silent except for your quiet sobs and JJ whispering softly to you, his hold on you having you feel secure.

As soon as the Twinkie gets to a halt, John B gets out and rushes around to slide the door open.

JJ carefully stands up while holding you close. After slowly getting out as well he carries you inside and sits down on the couch.

John B follows right after but instead of sitting down he stands in front of you and JJ, gently grabbing your face with both hands to look for any more serious bruises he's glad when it seems that they intervene at the right time before something worse could happen.

"Daddy..." You sniffle and he gives you a comforting smile.

"I know...you're okay, shh." He assures you. "How old are you right now, hm?"

You shakily hold up two fingers and he nods. He let's go off your face again, walking towards his bedroom to retrieve your bunny and for a spare pacifier they have for rare moments like these where you just need the comfort of those items more than words ever can give.

He joins you both on the couch, draping your legs over his lap as you sit sideways on JJ's lap with your head on his shoulder while he rubs your back in a soothing manner.

John B hands you your comfort items, watching you get comfortable and the way your eyes get droopy until they finally shut from emotional exhaustion.

Both boys sigh in relief, dropping their heads against the backrest of the couch. JJ glances to his side with a smirk. "I thought I was the reckless one."

John B chuckles, nudging the blonde's head with his hand. "Shut up. I'd do anything for you guys, you know that."

Taglist

For everything:

@my-river-lilly @pauntedblacknails @fanfictioniseverything @devilslilbabysblog @buckymydarlingangel @hallecarey1 @daybreakwinter @loveshineslikethesky @wandaslittlewhore @vase-of-lilies @white-wolf1940 @simpingbutch @mischiefsemimanaged @alina02 @teddybearsgrr @doozywoozy @angelbabydoll28 @glxwingrxse @lilymurphy03 @veryvaughnny @lokigirlszendaya @youngstarfishdinosaur @little--baby--bear @minideathgoddess @rach2602 @gh0stgurl @flourishandblotts-inc @lovelyy-moonlight @yoruse

@mythixmagic @iris-xoxo-juhu

For JJ:

@chiaraanatra @chimindity @flora-eva

[glassartpeasants]

I was doing a writing warm-up and made this piece. I kinda like it and might make a fic series about it if anyone is interested. Also, I call Kid 'Eustass' in this because it felt right for some reason?

Eustass Kid/ Trafalgar Law x F!Reader

warnings: Angst, small amount of blood, cheating, slut shaming maybe? Modern Au

~~~

“Does he think I’m a fucking idiot?! Does he think I can’t see the way his eyes follow girls’ asses as they walk by?” Gripping the edge of the bathroom sink, you struggle to hold back tears as you talk to your best friend on the other line.

“What am I doing wrong (....)? I’ve done everything right! I gave him all of me, and he’s out here eyeing other women!”

“That’s just the way he is (Y/N). I tried to warn you about him. You can’t change someone who doesn’t want to change.” You bite your lip as your body shakes. Emotion overwhelmed you to the point you could no longer hold back tears.

“I don’t understand. He told me he loved me and that he couldn’t imagine a life without me. He made me a matching ring to his. He promised me that his playboy days were over…”

“Well, if he’s staring at other girls, then obviously he broke his promise.”

~~~

You're feeling a lot more numb than you thought you would. At first, you thought you’d be yelling, crying, and screaming. Asking him why? But now that you're actually hearing his moans along with an unknown woman's echoing in your shared bedroom, no tears fall from your eyes. 

Maybe your heart and mind were mentally and emotionally ready for this. There were many signs he was starting to stray. Staring at other women, no longer being affectionate in public, you even saw him take off his ring once. He hasn’t done it again, but that was the last straw your heart could take when you tried to ignore the signs.

You should've known it’d end like this. He’s been a fuck boy all throughout high school and college. Slithering his way into vulnerable hearts and crushing them without a care about the people he’s heart. How you’ve been friends with him for so long and knowing what he was doing was something you criticized yourself for. 

While you weren’t best friends during high school and college, you both always had a class together. The two of you just ended up talking during each of them. Well, him hitting on you and you always telling him that you rather swim in hell’s flames than get with him. All throughout high school and college, he’d do this. In a way, you said no to avenge all the hearts he’s broken. But once college started, you accidentally started growing feelings for the idiot. Yet, you still said no until graduation day. He came up to you with a bouquet of roses made of metal that he made in shop class. Every rose was made individually, letting you pluck one out and hold it in your hands. Everyone in said class said he’d been working on it forever. Throwing away and remaking it more times than anyone could count. All to make sure it was perfect. It was then that you finally said yes. No one had done anything so thoughtful for you before. 

But when you told your best friend the news, she wasn’t happy.

“What?!”

“Listen, I know it sounds stupid-”

“That’s because it is stupid (Y/N)! We both know his past and how he still was before you agreed to go out with him! How are you sure he isn’t gonna do the same shit to you?!”

“He’s been asking me for years and actually made me this metal bouquet of flowers. Aren’t they beautiful, though?” Showing her the flowers, you watch her sigh. 

“What happens when he breaks your heart? What will you do then?” You were silent as you looked away from her. Her hands go to your shoulders, and it makes you look at her. 

“I just don’t want you crying over someone like him. I’m just worried about you, okay?”

“I know. Thank you for watching out for me. I’m going to give him a chance. Maybe he’s ready to grow up? But if I get my heart broken. Then you’ll get to say, ‘I told you so’.” Laughing at the last part, you pull (.....) into a hug and enjoy how you could always rely on her to be by your side.

Your eyes caught the metal bouquet on the kitchen table. The sun hit it just right to where it shined in your eyes. Furrowing your brows, an immediate disgust came over you as you looked at them. The one thing that had you thinking he’d changed was laughing at you and calling you a fool for falling for it.

Turning away from the bedroom door, you carefully and quietly walked to the metal sculpture. You pull one of the roses out from the vase they resided in and look at it. You twirled it with your fingers before gripping it tightly. Using your other hand, you encase the metal rosebud with the palm of your hand before twisting it harshly. 

The sharp metal cut into your hand as you ripped off the rose head. A small hiss escaped you, yet you continued. Putting down the first destroyed rose, you move on to the second one. Then the third, fourth, fifth, until every single rose had been ripped apart. By the time you were finished, the stems of the flowers were scattered across the kitchen table, as well as the blood-covered roses. A good representation of a broken heart if you say so.

You could still hear the moans coming from the bedroom, and the more you listened and paid attention, the more you swore you recognized the tone of voice. Tip-toeing to the door, you place your ear against the wood. Taking a few seconds, you listen carefully to try to pinpoint who it could be.

“Eustass~”

As soon as the words were heard, you felt your world shatter. That was (.....)’s voice. That was (.....) in there fucking your boyfriend. And your boyfriend was cheating on you with your best friend. The two people you cared about the most stabbing you in the back. It’s even worse knowing that (.....) was cheating on her own boyfriend, Trafalgar Law. The smartest person you’ve ever met. He was valedictorian in high school and had the highest grades in college. He's now a world known respected doctor who’s saved so many lives. Everything he’s done, and this is what happens to him? How could Eustass and (.....) pull this on you and Law?

A rage washed over you as soon as you heard her moan his name again. Grabbing your phone from your pocket, you unlock it and call Law. You thankfully had his number after a project you guys did together a month before college ended, and you just never remembered to delete it. 

“Come on, Law. Pick up.” Whispering, you cross your fingers.

“(Y/N)-ya? Why are you-”

“I really need you to stay on the line, okay? I’m going to facetime you now, alright?”

“What? Why? (Y/N)-ya, I have to go back to work-”

“(.....)’s cheating on you with my boyfriend right now as we speak. Don’t believe me? Listen!” You put your phone against the door, and all you heard was silence on Law’s side of the phone. A groan of (.....)’s name leaving Eustass’s mouth finally made you snap.

“That’s it!” Busting open the door, your met with a half-naked Eustass and a very naked (.....).

“Shit (Y/N)!”

“(Y/N)! It’s not what it looks like!” Clutching your phone tightly in your hand, you finally feel your anger bubble over.

“Don’t pull that shit with me! If your gonna be a backstabbing whore at least admit it! Fucking my boyfriend?! The boyfriend you hated?! Did you just want to fuck him the whole time?! How long has this been going on?!” You watched as (.....) scrambled to get her clothes on, and Eustass pushed his dick back in his pants.

“This is the only time it’s happened, I swear!”

“This is all an accident (Y/N), okay? I promise-”

“Oh, so your dick accidentally found its way into her? I don’t believe that for a second! And don’t tell me about your bullshit promises!” You can feel the cut on your hand finally start to sting as blood starts to puddle against the floor. The cut must have been much deeper than you originally thought.

“You're bleeding! (Y/N) are you okay?!-”

“Oh, don’t act like you care (.....)! If you actually cared, you wouldn’t be fucking my boyfriend in my bed! If you actually had a fucking heart, you wouldn’t have cheated on Law either!” The mention of Law's name has a look of horror appear on (.....)'s face.

“Please don’t tell him (Y/N)! I love him, and I don’t want him to leave me!”

“I’m breaking up with you.” (.....)’s face dropped when she realized Law heard everything. Tears start pouring down her face.

“That makes two of us.” You take off the ring Eustass gave you before walking over to (.....) Plopping it into her hand, you look at her with hatred and a disgusted smile.

“Obviously, this was meant for you since he loves you so much he can’t stop saying your name.” You grab the bag you left by the bedroom door before turning around and start to collect things around the apartment that you need.

“I’ll make sure to tell the landlord that my name’s off the lease and that I’ll gather my things tomorrow morning.” Holding everything you could gather at the moment, you make your way to the front door.

“Where do you think you're going?!” You feel Eustass grab your wrist and bring you closer to him. Looking into his eyes, you see panic, fear, and anger swirling around in them. 

“Leaving, obviously! I’m not gonna stay and shatter my heart more after seeing a man I loved, wanted to marry even, fucking my now ex-best friend.” The panic grew more evident as he pulled you to his chest. Both arms wrapped around you so you couldn’t leave.

“You can’t leave, alright! I know I fucked up, but please, let’s talk about this. She means nothing to me! She’s just some slut-”

“A slut you fucked knowing you were taken.” Tears started spilling from your eyes as you felt him hold you closer. 

“Why? Why would you do this to me? Why’d you say you loved me when you out fucking my best friend? How dare you hold me close and act like the stench of sex and her perfume isn’t surrounding you?”

“I’m outside in the car (Y/N).” Hearing Law’s voice shocked you as you remember you never hung up on him. He was so quiet, and you heard nothing on the other side of the line. Having him even show up was surprising, but you weren’t gonna throw away this opportunity to get away from Eustass and (.....). 

“Alright, be right there-”

“No, she won’t! Fuck off, Trafalgar, and take your bitch with you!” Eustass grabbed your phone and hung up before throwing your phone on the couch.

“Eustass! Are you-” You feel one of his hands push your head to his. His lips met yours, and you could feel the urgency in his kisses.

“Please don’t…leave me…” Kissing your between words only had your heart shattering more. How could he kiss you like he loves you after pulling a stunt like this?

It took almost everything inside you not to dig your fingers into his hair and kiss him back. You wanted it all to be a dream and that when you woke up, you’d be sleeping against his chest. 

Putting your hand against his bare chest, you feel his bare skin against your open wound. It made him pull away from his panicked kisses when he felt your bloody hand on his chest.

“Jesus (Y/N)! What happened?!”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Stay here, I’m grabbing bandages!” Letting you go, you see him rush to the bathroom. Taking this chance, you grab your phone and start running out the door. Anything you can carry in tow, you run down the stairs as you hear (.....) scream your name and Eustass yelling at you to stop. 

But who was he to tell you what to do?

Bursting out the apartment complex’s door, you see Law’s car parked waiting for you. Using all your strength, you run as fast as you can. Grabbing the car door, You swung it open before slamming it shut. Everything you brought with you on your lap.

“Drive!” Wasting no time, Law stomps on the gas, and as you see Eustass run out of the apartment, watching you and Law drive away.

~~~

If you guys do want this to be an actual fic series, let me know cause this concept is quite interesting to me.

[sturnshood]

𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. — 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞.

𖥔 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: angst and lots of it. matt is struggling.

MATTHEW B. STURNIOLO—

“how do you think I feel?”

“consider yourself lucky it’s nothing worse than this.”

“it can’t be that bad.”

matt has heard it all, and quite frankly, he’s vowing to never open his mouth again when it comes to how he feels about certain things. aren’t you supposed to be able to confide in your friends and family? if so, why doesn’t anyone ever hear him out? these are the questions matt asks himself on days like this; where any and everything is going horribly wrong and he just can’t catch a break.

“you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” matt mutters, frustrated, while trying to lug the heavy bags of film equipment out to his car. a little help would have been nice, he thought. the zipper was open on his backpack, resulting in SD card cases falling from the open compartment and scattering underneath the car. fantastic. he finally managed to neatly store the bags in the backseat, soon crouching down to his knees on the dusty floor of the garage. it was a struggle, but he retrieved the cases and shoved them into his backpack and slammed the car door closed. the front of his shirt and pants were disgusting now, just adding onto the list of things he needs to get situated before leaving.

he brushed the front of his shirt with his palms, groaning softly to himself at the fact that this shirt was brand new and most likely going to stain.

“that’s rough, man. the fuck happened here?” matt heard from the doorway of the garage, finding his same-faced brother, chris, watching with a cocked eyebrow.

don’t ever question someone who’s clearly going through it. matt’s throat felt like it was about to close up before he took a deep breath to calm himself. chris deserved a calm response, at least.

“dropped shit out of the bag, someone left it unzipped. it all went under the car, i had to get down there to grab it. fucked up my clothes. that is what happened.” matt explains, starting towards the door to head back inside. chris only chuckles, raising his hands in feigned defense, “wasn’t me.”

sure it wasn’t.

matt sped up the stairs and straight to his room to change. his jaw ached from clenching it so damn much, it was giving him a headache. filming today should go swimmingly.

﹍﹎☪︎﹎﹍

they were supposed to be recording a vlog today; a “go shopping and eat with us” type of thing, and honestly, it went much better than matt had expected, except for the consistent throbbing in the back of his skull. he hoped that eating would help. he sat down across from his brothers, leaning his elbows on the edge of the table to rest his heavy head in his hands for just a moment. he just wanted to close his eyes to relieve the ache.

“miserable matt is making a guest appearance today, I take it.” nick snarked, flicking a wadded up straw wrapper in matt’s direction, which matt very skillfully deflected onto the checkered tiles of the pizza shop they were currently filming in. matt narrowed his eyes across the table at nick; a warning.

“shut the fuck up. save that shit for when we’re not filming, alright? cut it out.” matt sighed, “I’ve got a fuckin’ headache, in case anyone was wondering.” he spat. chris immediately took the hint from that warning look on matt’s face and nudged nick’s knee beneath the table. at least chris tried to defend him this time. “yeah, bro, cut it out. he might hit you or something, quit fucking with him.”

“thank y–” matt started, cutting himself off entirely when chris interrupted him, “wittle matty is havin’ a bad day, isn’t he?” he taunted. if that wasn’t the very last straw, matt wasn’t sure what would be. he was quick to shut the camera off to address this in a more private manner.

“you know, I wouldn’t have such a fuckin’ headache if you two helped me out a little bit more. I mean come on, I woke up before both of you, hours before, just to make sure you guys had clean clothes to put on today. made breakfast to make sure you guys had food in your stomach so you wouldn’t bitch and complain about being hungry, as if you’re not two fully grown men who are perfectly capable of feeding yourselves. I took care of loading our camera and shit in the car without either of you even noticing or thanking me, I agreed to film today even with a splitting migraine and you guys still won’t let up? what the hell else can I do for you two to get you to ease up on me a little?” matt vented loudly, not caring who heard. he’d had enough.

chris and nick just stared at him, shocked that their normally quiet brother was actually raising his voice in public.

“take a joke, matt. fuck.” nick sighed, eyes wide while matt stood from his seat and shoved his chair up to the edge of the table.

“enjoy your fucking food, i’ll be in the car when you guys are done.” matt murmured, voice shaking as he walked around to turn the camera back on, facing it to his brothers before heading out to the car.

matt was so beyond ready for this day to be over. more importantly, matt was content right there in the car, alone, for the next forty-five minutes. the silence was deafening, but much needed. it was blissful.

﹍﹎☪︎﹎﹍

the car ride home was silent and so was the entire house for the rest of the night. matt was sure he’d really done a number on his brothers, and yeah, he felt a little bit bad about yelling in public, but a guy can only take so much. not a word was shared amongst them until matt finally came out of his room when the sun started to set. he tried to quietly sneak out the door without them noticing, and he should’ve known it wouldn’t work out the way he’d wanted it to.

“where you headed?” chris asked, craning his head over the back of the couch to look at matt. he stopped in his tracks, shoving a hand in his pocket. “out. probably gonna go grab a bite or something.” he was a liar. chris just nodded, returning back into his previous position on the couch without another word. it shocked matt to not have to explain himself any further than that, but he took his open opportunity and ran with it.

within the hour, matt pulled into the gravel lot of the park just a little ways away from his house; a place that he went when he really just needed to be alone. it was quiet there, no cars around, no people, just the sky and the trees and the faint light of houses shimmering and reflecting on the little pond. two wooden chairs sat at the edge of the water, where he’d spent numerous nights before just talking out in the open.

the gravel crunched underneath his shoes during his short walk to the chairs, and he sat down in one with a quiet grunt. he rested his head comfortably against the back of the wooden chair, his tired eyes focusing up at the sky above him. crystal clear, he could see every star surrounding the moon. he began to quietly speak out.

“if anyone out there is listening, please don’t judge me for my ranting. i’ve had such a bad week… I really need to get it off my chest.”

﹍﹎☪︎﹎﹍

matt spent hours out there alone, talking as if someone were sitting in the empty chair next to him and listening to his every word. he felt crazy for it, but he couldn’t help but feel a little bit of relief the longer he talked. it felt like someone really was hearing him. maybe it was the lack of judgment or snarky comments in response to his tired rambling, or maybe, just maybe, someone heard him after all.

she heard everything.

♯┆note from the author.ᐟ she needs a name.. what do we think?

please do not repost this and label it as your own.

© 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥

𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 ⭑.ᐟ @meatballlover10 @blushsturns @sturns-mermaid @sturnslotto @chrislilcumslvt @baestvrn @jeanncm @chrissbows @chrissysturnzz @sophand4n4 @courta13 @uhnanix @frankoceanfanpage @strnilolover @sturnvq @oopsiedaisydeer @sturniologirlzz @itsmaddielouis @pasteldreams @breesturns @isasflorals @middlepartmatt @allylovescody @y3sterdaysproblem @sofia-is-a-sturniolo-triplet-fan @rainy-darling @emely9274 @conspiracy-ash @stxrsniolo @slut4brunettes @cayleeuhithinknott @bellasstrniolo @sturniolofan10000 @nickmillersn1gf @2muchofaslvt @slutformatt17 @cykss @el3sabella @rinnsgalaxy @sophsturnioloz @erinelizabeth1989

[fivestaralien]

mingi x gnreader!

word count^^: 2,312

warnings””+: talks about mental health

a.n.//the way that i constantly am writing comfort fics...... yeah... anyway i hope you guys enjoy this one! Mingi is one of my comfort idols and i couldn't not post this. stay safe everyone:)

This is your own fault.

 Earlier this morning you had texted Mingi that you needed to be alone today. You had finally hit your limit after slowly noticing your tells of a burn out.

When this does happen, you need to be alone. Having other people around always made it worse, no matter where they were in the house. Just knowing they were here made you want to rip your skin off, so you made sure to never have anyone over.

 You and Mingi started dating a few months ago and you still had so much to learn about each other. Especially when it comes to mental health. Communication was something you still needed to work on, not used to having someone you could trust to give you what you needed. A week or so ago you had tried to tell Mingi some of your tells but it died in your throat when he had been called into the studio. 

 When he brought it up later you just told him you forgot. He didn’t believe you, but he was too scared to push you and make you overwhelmed. When he checked his phone this morning, the text you sent surprised him.

 ‘I know we had plans today but I just can’t be around anyone right now and I want to be alone. I’m sorry’

 Mingis mind was racing. When did it start getting this bad? How had he not noticed you were starting to slip into this funk? Now all he wanted to do was be with you, more than he already does. 

 ‘No need to apologize honey. I’m here whenever you need me. Even if I am working I will get out of it to come to you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out, okay?’

 He had sent that a few minutes after yours went through but you never replied. You had been so used to having no one by your side that you never noticed how much Mingi actually helps to calm the storm before it hits.  

 It started a few hours after you texted him. You changed into one of Mingis sweaters he had left here for you and just the lingering scent of him made you miss him so much. Then you begin to get hungry but you don't have the energy to get up and cook. It reminds you of the few times Mingi would notice you too physically worn out and he would make food for you. He would even go as far as helping feed you too, while praising you for how well you were eating.

 Your last straw was looking at your lock screen. You were straddling one of Mingis thighs and you had surprised him by using your thumb and pointer finger to squish his cheeks, lips pouting. His eyes are wide and sparkling and it makes your heart flutter at the memory of you taking this candid of your beautiful boyfriend. 

 Your emotions suddenly come full force through your body and you begin to let a few tears stray from your eyes. Quickly you wipe your tears and hesitantly click your message thread with him. 

 ‘I lied. I don’t want to be alone. Can you come over?’

  Mingis heart sinks. He doesn’t have to hear or see you to know you were struggling so much right now. Luckily he didn’t have any plans, seeing as he called off work thinking you were going to be hanging out today anyways. 

 ‘Of course I can. I’m going to stop by the store to get some food and your favorite drinks. I’ll be there in 20-30 minutes tops. Take that time to get comfortable and I’ll be there soon.’ 

You don’t reply but heart the message instead. Mingi feels his heart calm down and then leaves, not bothering to say goodbye to the guys that were hanging out in the living room.  

 You didn’t plan on doing anything extreme but you knew you just wanted to be as close to Mingi as possible for the rest of the day. You take 4 blankets from your hall closet and begin moving them around on the couch. Once you are satisfied with the pile you go to your room and grab some pillows and your favorite plushies, setting them on top of the blankets. 

 It took you less than 5 minutes to do this and now you were just waiting. Your mind wouldn’t calm down now that your hands weren’t busy. What if he gets tired of you. What if he wants to leave because you are being too clingy and needy. 

 You rub your eyes and lean back against the pillows and blankets, letting out a heavy sigh as tears well in your eyes again. You were so in your head you didn’t notice how quickly those 20 minutes passed. Mingi walks in with multiple bags in hand and his call out to you doesn’t register in your mind. He carefully sets the bags down on the kitchen counter and slowly approaches you.

He knew you didn’t like to be touched when you were feeling overstimulated or burnt out without your permission, so he opted to squat down to get eye level with you.  It takes you a few seconds to realize that he was actually here and with one look at him you start crying. 

 “I’m so sorry Mingi.” You cry out. 

 His brows furrow but he doesn’t say anything, knowing it wasn’t what you wanted yet. 

 “I wanted to tell you how I was feeling and that I could sense myself burning out but I got too scared.” You nearly whisper the last part and look down at the plushie you moved onto your lap. You couldn’t look Mingi in the eyes. Your distress was oozing out of you and it took everything in Mingi not to smother you in cuddles and kisses. 

 “I don’t want you to think badly of me or think that I am annoying with how much I need from you. What if I become too much and you can’t deal with me anymore?” You hiccup and wipe your cheeks with the sleeve of your sweater. When you don’t speak for a minute he takes that as his okay to speak.

 “Is that why you canceled? Because you thought I wouldn’t want to be around you while you were struggling?” His voice is gentle, you nod at his question. He sighs and cautiously moves closer to you, still not touching though.

“Is it okay if I hold your hand?” You think about it for a second before laying your hand out for Mingi to take. He laces his fingers between yours and rests your hands on your knee. His touch warms your body and soul, already feeling yourself being stitched back together. 

 “I would never think like that. I know what it’s like to feel like you are burdening people just by existing. I can say with my entire soul that you have never been and never will be annoying, too touchy, or a burden to me. I want every part of you and that includes the harder parts.” He lets his words sink in, hoping you would understand that you don’t need to hide from him. 

 “It must take so much energy to reach out, huh.” His thumb caresses your hand delicately. Your heart is pounding at his words and you can only muster up a nod. “I’m very proud of you for doing that.” 

 Gently you tug at his hand, signaling that you wanted him closer to you. Mingi squeezes your hand and stretches to his full height. “Where do you want me?” The question is so simple but it takes you a few seconds to figure out what you want. He can see the wheels turning in your head and brings his free hand to comb his fingers through your hair.

 “How about this? Let's eat the food I brought and give you some time to think about it. Does that sound okay baby?” You squeeze his hand in response and Mingi leads you to the kitchen. 

 You watch silently as he takes out different flavors of ramen and ice cream. Mingi then explains that he bought some extra ones for when you wanted some in the future. He takes the two drinks and opens them both, passing one to you. You take a few sips and set the drink on the counter. Turning towards Mingi again, you wrap your hands around his forearm, hugging his arm to your body. Mingi turns his head,  softly knocking it against yours and you feel like you can breathe again. 

 When he asks which one you want, you point and with that he moves to make it. Alarms sound off in your head at the thought of him moving away from you. Quickly you follow him further into the kitchen and clasp onto the hem of his shirt. Mingi turns to face you with a questioning look. He leans himself against the counter fully facing you now. Your fingers now toying with the front of his shirt. He doesn't say anything, letting you get your thoughts together. 

 “I don’t want to be away from you.” You whisper. 

 A soft smile graces his face and it almost pulls one from you too. Almost. “Come here.” Mingi squishes you against him, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and rests his cheek against the crown of your head. He gently sways the both of you and it calms your nerves instantly. It’s like everything that had happened before he came over never happened and you didn’t want it to stop. 

 The grip you have on him is so tight you are surprised he hasn’t tried moving away yet. You stay like this for a few minutes before he tells you that the ramen should be ready. Reluctantly you let him get everything set up but, that didn’t mean you let go of his shirt.

 He lets you follow him around like a lost puppy and it makes your heart swell. You’ve never had someone willingly let you be so needy and touchy with them. Always being called too clingy and smothering them. Mingi surprises you when he wraps his hands around your wrists and pulls your arms to wrap around his waist. Your body now snug against his back, you clasp your hands together to make sure you don't stray away from him. 

 “There, now you don’t have to be so far away from me.” He reaches a hand behind to gently pat your ass.

 When the two of you reach the coffee table with your ramen, Mingi pats his thighs as he sits on the floor. You look at him confused but he just repeats the same motion with a sweet smile. “Just let me take care of you baby. Come sit.” His voice is so soothing.

You make your way onto his lap, and he wastes no time in wrapping an arm around your stomach, pulling you as close as possible to him. “What do you want to watch?” He asks you. “Can you pick?” He nods his head and leaves a kiss to your temple. The both of you remain in comfortable silence while eating and watching one of your favorite movies. 

 Once you finish eating, unwillingly letting Mingi clean up and leave to take the trash out, he motions towards the mountain of blankets and plushies. “Did you set this up for us?” You nod shyly. He reaches his hands out for you to grab and he lifts you to stand on your feet. “Did you figure out where you wanted me to sit?” He asks and you shake your head. 

 “I kind of forgot.” You admit.

 He laughs and kisses your cheek. Mingi moves around you but not before squeezing your hand, making sure you knew he wasn’t leaving you. You watch as he makes himself comfortable and waves for you to lay on top of him. You don't hesitate and completely mold yourself to him, laying your head on his chest. He wraps his arms around your waist to keep you secure against him. He smiles as he feels your body relax and turns on a new movie for you to watch. Mingi begins rubbing your back and you let out a breath, snuggling closer to him.

  At some point you forgot about the movie. All you can think about is kissing Mingi. You move your head, resting your chin against the back of your hand and look at him. He feels your stare and moves his head to look at you.  “What’s on your mind?” He asks and playfully taps your forehead. Your cheeks heat up and you suddenly wish you didn’t look towards him. 

 “Honey.” He coos and moves his hands under your arms to lift you higher on his body, your face now directly above his. 

 “Can I kiss you?” You say quietly and Mingi nearly giggles from how adorable you were being. You bury your head into his neck now, extremely shy. You hear him laugh and it makes you laugh too. Mingi places his hands to cup your cheeks, lifting your head to look you in the eyes. 

 Mingi wastes no time pressing his lips to yours and the kiss is making your entire body heat up. He presses against you a little harder and it feels like there is no one else in the world. You could spend the rest of your life kissing Mingi and you hope you get to. 

 “You will never be a burden to me, and I will happily spend the rest of my life proving that to you.” He tells you as you pull away from each other. A tear glides down your cheek and Mingi gladly wipes it away with his thumb, kissing you again.

////

[struggling-jpg]

Some Things About Ma Feima (Yanqing) I Learned

And it matters to HSR Yanqing only because some people have had what they heard about Ma Feima affect their views of him even though it really SHOULDN'T imo.

The underlying point I'm trying to get at is that when we hear about parts of a story or characters we aren't familiar with, it'd be fairer to at least try to look into it more before making final judgments, especially if we only hear see memes and short summaries from a person over the internet.

If you're also interested in this topic then this will be very long, so thank you for bearing with me.

And if not, especially because you don't care or don't want to read about 7S/HI3 Yanqing then that's also fair, Ma Feima and Yanqing are different characters, and I hope you have a good day!

(NOTE: CW for the mention/discussion of a notable age gap between characters in the story. There are details surrounding that but I'd rather place this here for convenience. Look out for yourselves and stay safe!)

It's wild how many different versions of what happened in the Seven Swords visual novel, which is understandable due to its lack of official translation + not being complete (as far as I know? I am open to corrections overall). But the amount of details that go missing or are incorrect is notably large and I find this situation interesting. As mentioned, anyone who knows better (content, translation-wise, etc.), please correct me on anything if needed.

I will use some screenshots from the videos that translated the available chapters (1-2 and part of the beginning/prologue of 3, I believe). The translations are not entirely accurate so heck, I might be wrong on stuff too.

From personal experience, there were two things I heard about Ma Feima from HI3 players:

He killed his master, Fu Hua.

He cheated on his wife.

Legit, the first time I encountered these points, it was as simple as that. And I took it at face value because it understandably takes effort to look into this stuff and a lot of players from HI3 were saying it. But over time, curiosity got to me and I wanted to see the context surrounding it, and here's what I found.

However, here are some things to know about Seven Swords and Fu Hua's disciples:

The Seven in order are: Lin Zhaoyu, Su Mei, Jiang Wanxi, Jiang Wanru, Cheng Lingshuang, Ma Feima, and Qin Suyi

The present of the VN is set in 1496 while the assassination of Fu Hua was twenty years prior in 1476.

Ma Feima, despite being the 6th disciple, is the youngest.

Ma Feima's original name was Yanqing but changed it to Feima when he got older.

Qin Suyi, the 7th disciple, is Sushang's mother in both HI3 and HSR.

Lin Zhaoyu, the 1st disciple, and Ma Feima are married.

Onto the points:

He killed his master, Fu Hua.

Yes, he was involved but some attribute the plan to him. BUT he wasn't. The person who formed this plan was Su Mei, the 2nd disciple.

Supposedly, all seven disciples participated though most, if not all of them, were reluctant to do so.

They were all bothered by Fu Hua's, effective but cruel way of dealing with Honkai-infected people (She would wipe out whole villages if even ONE person was infected).

The last straw for the disciples was when Jiang Wanru, the 4th disciple, got infected.

It was in that battle that Ma Feima got the scar on his face.

Also to note, Cheng Lingshuang, the 5th disciple, was the one to get the last hit on Fu Hua.

This is a straightforward point, a lot of people know this stuff, and is probably the point that's more elaborated on. But I still wanted to mention it because, oftentimes, a lot of the credit for the plan, and sometimes the last hit is given to Ma Feima. It erases the actions of other pretty interesting characters and is simply incorrect.

Onto the second point, because this is where things get really interesting and a lot is going on.

2. Ma Feima cheated on his wife.

This has given the idea that he had an affair, cheating on his wife, Lin Zhaoyu

No, he didn't.

It is true that he was in love with Su Mei but she never loved him back and was very clear about it so in a literal-traditional sense, he didn't have an affair.

Emotionally, yeah.

It seems that he had been attached to her since he was a child.

Lin Zhaoyu seems to have always been aware of that and still pursued to marry him.

BIG NOTE: This is where I'm going to cover the age gap stuff.

One thing that I have rarely seen anyone mention is the large gap between Lin Zhaoyu and Ma Feima in age.

It's said that Lin Zhaoyu is 15 years older than Su Mei.

Supposedly, Qin Suyi was around eight years old when Fu Hua found her.

Remember, Ma Feima is the youngest of the disciples.

I wouldn't have harped as hard about the age gap if they met/didn't know each other in Ma Feima's childhood, but the disciples technically grew up together so I found it to be questionable.

For reference:

In order, that's Lin Zhaoyu, Su Mei, and Ma Feima when they were younger.

At minimum and based on all the searching and math, at minimum, Su Mei would be thirteen there, and by the 15-year age gap, Zhaoyu would have been 28 years old.

Now, based on the writing, Zhaoyu and Feima most likely got married in the twenty years between the assassination of Fu Hua and the present of Seven Swords.

The youngest Feima would've been at the assassination was seventeen years old at that point.

For the present of the story, Zhaoyu, and Su Mei are 56 years old and 41 years old respectively. Feima is likely in his thirties.

Like I said, I'm making a big point to this because, like, what the heck. That's MAJORLY concerning even if you tried to reason your way around it. Besides any potential "normal in the era" type stuff and that they got married when they were both adults, it's still a huge yikes, isn't it? Also, I've seen barely anyone mention that, and the ones I did see it from, it was when I was looking into the visual novel.

It's mostly because Yanqing is the one in HSR, he's the character that gets the most eyes. And when people only know him as a "master-killing wife cheater" without any of the context surrounding it, it's a huge shame, albeit fair if people don't want to actively look into it themselves. But because a notable chunk of players have let those perceptions have weight over an unrelated by anything but appearance, old name, and the parallel of (potentially) killing a master.

The circumstances surrounding the two are very different.

HSR Yanqing has Jing Yuan to raise and guide him safely through his early life. He's still very young and while stubborn, has a good head on his shoulders, and has a lot of potential to grow into someone strong and stable.

7S/HI3 Ma Feima on the other hand, is shown to have grown very differently from his younger self.

He is far from enjoying life, and don't get me wrong, he isn't completely innocent.

But he's completely aware and is miserable.

There's a lot more I could cover in terms of Ma Feima, his circumstances, and the things about the characters around them, but my brain is so fried lol. All-in-all, his story alongside the seven, is very...complicated.

My main thing is that, hey, maybe we should be a bit more vigilant when we learn things about characters. Beyond fiction, misinformation spreads very easily because we, understandably, take things at face value. In terms of media literacy, we see it time and time again when characters get reduced to a singular trait or a ship or get heavily misunderstood by the audience because a simplified summary will never do the context justice.

[thelovelyruin]

10 𝖏𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖗𝖗 𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖊𝖙.

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘 : nanami x fem reader (celebrity au!)

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖚𝖓 : being married to a celebrity comes with more than what you expected.

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓 : angst with a happy ending, smut, porn with plot, vaginal sex, oral sex, choking, praise, pet names (good girl and pretty), love, teasing, fingering, edging, overstimulation, mentions on stress and anxiety, arguing, stalking? (from paparazzi), hate sex, breakup sex, established relationship

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖙 : 3.1k

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗 : inspired by lyrics from 10 james orr street by strawberry switchblade.

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖊𝖒𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖘 : hello lovelies, thank you so much for reading! i hope you enjoy it, if so, follow me for more. au revoir!

18+ MDNI ADULT CONTENT

A note dropped through the door, tells us to go, but I know that you will tell them to go somewhere else.

You walk in front of Nanami now, your security guards trying to escort you two into your Hollywood Hills home. Camera flashes blind you as you attempt to walk to the front door, but one particular asshole decides to get in front of you both to take a photo. That was the last straw for Nanami.

“Give me that damn camera. You think it’s okay to take pictures of people on their property? I’ll get you arrested, motherfucker!”

Nanami took the camera and threw it on your stone driveway, destroying it. He realized at that moment that his actions would result in even more drama for the news to exploit. He could see it now, "Kento Nanami gone crazy, commits vandalism". You guys finally reach the door, the security guards open it for you as you rush in, Nanami slamming the door shut behind the two of you.

Because you know that I want to stay in this house forever, I don't want to ever leave.

It all started when you and Nanami decided to go public with your engagement. His fans were shocked, considering you guys kept your dating lowkey, but once you agreed to marry him, Nanami thought it would be appropriate to let the world know you were about to be Mrs. Nanami. Then, there was the wedding, which thankfully you had in Greece, meaning less paparazzi, but more of them waiting for the newlywed's arrival back home. All you could do was prepare for the change that came with being Nanami’s wife.

For a while, you were hiding out in Nanami’s second home in Bel Air, but why were you hiding? Because you wanted to go on a simple trip to the beach with Mei Mei last month. You went onto social media that night and endlessly scrolled through posts of people commenting on your bikini-clad body. She’s gained weight. She’s getting thinner. It’s like they couldn’t make up their fucking minds. Then there was the next week when you and Nanami walked the red carpet for his new movie premiere. You were absolutely stunning, at least that’s what your husband and friends told you, but you felt anything but. Being overstimulated by the camera flashes, you let go of Nanami’s arm before you could get overwhelmed, in which he didn’t force you because he was aware of your intentions. Oh, but you were so stupid for that. Constant break-up rumors hit the internet, and that was a hot topic. So much so, Wendy fucking Williams featured you on her show. Humiliated, Nanami decided you should stay home for a while to let things cool off, and of course, you couldn’t listen.

How could I ever live in another? This is where I want to be.

You walk towards the kitchen, grabbing a drink of water to decompress as Rob and the other escorts work on closing every curtain in the house. Nanami, obviously furious, walks to the living room, grabbing the TV remote. He turns it onto TMZ, where they’re talking about you out for lunch at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood earlier today.

“Are you fucking kidding me? I give you one fucking rule, don’t leave the damn house without me!”

“Kento, I-”

“Then, not only do you leave without me, you leave without an escort. Anything could’ve happened to you!”

The next clip shows you throwing your middle finger up to an undercover paparazzi taking pictures of you while you were eating, causing Nanami to begin pacing about the living room.

“And that, what the fuck is that? You’re practically begging to get bombarded with negative articles.”

You fix your face into a fit and walk up to Nanami in the living room, slamming your things down on the table, you two yelling at this point.

“Negative articles, that’s what you’re worried about? Excuse me, MR. BIG TIME MOVIE STAR, I didn’t mean to go outside to take a breather and spend time with myself. ALONE. ”

“That’s not what I’m saying and you know it. I could care less about what they say about me, I’m trying to protect you! Every fucking thing I’ve done has been to protect you!”

“I’m tired of this shit, what did you want me to do? Smile for the fucking picture while I chow down on my fucking ravioli?”

Nanami sighs and wipes his hand down his face, walking up to you and grabbing your hands in his.

“You know what? I’m tired of this shit too. Trust me when I say I love you, but I can’t have you going through this constantly. We should get a divorce.”

At that moment, you felt your entire world crashing. Your house began falling apart brick by brick, the curtains were burning, and the floor was crumbling. You throw his hands out of yours, pacing back and forth with your hands in your hair. Long story short, you were losing your shit.

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do. It’s the only way-”

You know that there won't be a high wall I can’t climb and find the things that I find.

“Kento, you’re not serious. You’re not fucking serious right now. Is it because I didn’t listen to you? I’m sorry, okay? I should’ve stayed put and waited for you or Rob to take me out.”

“It’s not that simple. You’ve been harassed for weeks on end, just for fucking breathing at this point. I can’t keep seeing you hurt.”

“I can go back to Bel Air and hide out there again. I’ll stay there as long as you need me to!”

“So they can follow you there? And then what, hm? We have to move you all over again? No, we get a divorce and then my fans and the media will leave you alone.”

“But, baby, I, just please…”

“I’M NOT ARGUING WITH YOU ANYMORE. Start packing your things and Rob and the others will help you move them out. I’ll get you an apartment in Soho, but you’ll have to wear a disguise for a while. I won’t be seeing you anymore, it’s for your own good. ”

 I'll have to leave them where they are, I don't want to go far.

And with that, you begin to cry. Grabbing your purse off the table, you wipe away your tears and run towards the grand staircase, throwing your MACH & MACH heels over the balcony. Nanami hears the sound of your heels hitting the floor, rushing to the lower landing to ensure your well-being, only to be met with your clothes being thrown over the balcony at him.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Throwing all of the shit you bought for me out! Keep all of this shit, I don’t want it anymore.”

“Oh, don’t be such a goddamn cunt about this. You know I fucking love you.”

You stand at the top of the balcony, looking him in his eyes as you throw your rolex over the edge, diamonds scattering all over the floor below.

“Fuck you.”

A tear-stained pillow doesn't seem to help me, I can't make you change your mind.

You begin to grab your cosmetics out of the master bathroom, frustratedly dropping toothpaste and lotion bottles amidst your tirade. You run back into your separate closet, scouring the shelves for a bag big enough to hold your clothes, but alas, you realize your efforts were in vain when all you find are your Birkins. Pacing about the room, looking for the clothes you had before you met Nanami. Then you remember, you have your Goyard duffle in his closet, which as much as you hated it, you were gonna have to use. Walking across the hall, you see Nanami coming up midway on the staircase. You chuckle a bit, running to the closet to grab the duffle before he can stop you. Unfortunately for you, when you turn around to exit the room, Nanami stands in the doorway.

I look through my window and I see all I want to, how can I leave it all behind me now?

“What the fuck are you doing?”

You push by him, pissing him off even further. You’re walking back to your closet now, Nanami closely behind.

“What do you mean, Kento? I’m packing my things.”

“No, you’re going on a rampage!”

As you walk into the master bedroom again, you get a glimpse of the backyard through the window, memories of you and Nanami dancing on the patio together and friends coming over for discrete cookouts. And now here you are, leaving it all because he was picking his fans over his wife.

I've done all I can do, I want to stay here.

“A rampage? Bitch, I can show you a rampage.”

With that, you walk back into your closet, throwing clothes off hangers as he stands in the doorway, scorching with anger. Every piece of clothing you throw, Nanami picks up and places in a pile on the bed, presumably to organize later. In revolt, you walk out into the bedroom, throwing them back on the floor again.

“The fuck are you doing?”

“The fuck am I doing? You mean, the fuck are YOU doing?”

This could be my home forever, but you say I can't come back ever.

You walk up to Nanami, glaring up at him, considering he was much taller than you (not to mention his bigger frame).

“You tell me you want a divorce, how do you expect me to react? Be a good little wife and kiss your ass, ‘Oh, Kento, I understand.’ Then you must be fucking DELUSIONAL!”

Picking up the clothes from the bed, you begin throwing them at him.

“You ungrateful motherfucker… I BUILT THIS HOUSE, ME! I picked the goddamn floorplan and the furniture and everything? Who do you think manages things around here when…you’re off shooting another movie…or screenwriting another TV show? Me, you asshole! You get to come home and relax after working, and what do I get?... Harassed by your…fucking…fans…because you’re too scared…to tell them to FUCK OFF!”

You don't know just how much I wish I could stay in this house forever… 

In a swift motion, Nanami comes over to where you’re standing on the other side of the room, grabbing the back of your neck and kissing you roughly. At first, you try to push him off, but eventually, you give in. You know you can’t resist him, not when he’s kissing you like he’s gonna eat you alive. He quickly brings his hands up to lift your legs off the floor, wrapping them around his waist as he drops you on the bed, much too frustrated to be gentle with you. And that’s where the love bites come in, licking and sucking at your neck like some kind of animal and it just feels so good. Especially when he brings his hand up to your tits, pulling your shirt down to release your breasts, expeditiously putting one in his mouth, rubbing your nipple between his tongue and teeth. You push him back, leaving him in an upright position where he has the perfect view of you. Frantically, you begin making work of his button-up, and when you get caught on the top button, he rips his damn shirt off. But who cares right? What’s another $300 shirt? He makes it quick when he pulls your shirt off of you, then your shorts, and finally, flips you onto your stomach so he can unstrap your bra. His lips are back on you now, licking and sucking his way down your back, breathing down your spine as you let out soft moans into the pillow. He stops at your panties, bringing the fabric of your thong between his teeth as he brings his fingers up to hook under the strap. He rips them off, which was the least of your concerns, especially when your husband is lifting your lower body up so that you’re on your knees.

…I don't want to ever leave.

Nanami pulls you closer to him, hooking his arms under your legs to bring you close to his face. And then, well, he goes to town. His tongue starts to pump in and out of your pussy, hearing the mewls and squeals you’re trying to hide in the pillow. He pulls his tongue away, watching you squirm and whimper for it to come back.

“Stop moaning in to the pillow, I wanna hear you, baby.”

“Oh, I thought I wasn’t your ‘baby’ anymore?”

He’s angry, bringing his face down to eat you again, and he’s fucking amazing at it, making you feel like a virgin with how fast your orgasm was coming. He’s got your clit now, sucking at the bud like there’s no tomorrow. And you’re a mess, moaning his name into the air and gripping your fingers into the bedding. Nanami bring his hands up over your legs to massage your ass, gripping and slapping the skin and he swears he’s fallen in love with you all over again. 

You’re nearly at the end now, that fire burning inside you and Nanami’s tongue being the damn gasoline. Sure, you were still mad at him, but currently, all you could think about was the way he was fucking his tongue into you, lapping your juices up happily, dedicated to making you cum on his face. And that’s exactly what you did. As your body began to jerk, he brought your pussy closer to his face, so close that it was suffocating him, but who cares if he couldn’t breathe? His pretty little wife was cumming so lovely on his lips, to which he drank up, fully indulging your essence. As you were coming down, your body turned to mush and you sank into the bed, but that didn’t stop Nanami from continuing.

“Ken, I can’t…”

“I know you can, pretty girl. Give me one more.”

How could I ever live in another?

Overstimulated and spent, you come down from your second orgasm, but you knew Nanami wasn’t done with you. He quickly pulled you to the end of the bed, pumping his fingers inside you to prepare you for his dick, which he was pulling out of his pants. Your mind was still fuzzy, because you hadn’t even heard his belt fall to the floor, or his pants, or his boxers, or his watch, or his chain. Well, you woke up pretty damn fast when you felt him slowly sink into you. You swear you died in that moment, drowning in lust as Nanami parted your pussy like the red sea. But now, he was teasing you, moving his hips at a terribly slow pace, and to be frank, it was pissing you off.

“Kento…”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Please, just fuck me already!”

“If you insist, dear.”

You’re beginning to wish you hadn’t said that. Nanami started fucking you at a dangerous pace, bouncing you back onto his dick just to slam his hips back into you again. His hands were on your hips now, fucking you deeper and harder, making you moan gibberish into the air. He brings a hand up to slap your ass, reveling in the sound of it smacking against his stomach. He laughs a bit as you moan with every slap.

“Look at you, such a brat earlier, and now you’re falling apart on my dick.”

“Fuck you.”

“Trust me I am.”

Immediately, Nanami halts, pulling up your upper half, his hand gripping your shoulder as he begins fucking the shit out of you. If you thought you were going mad before, it was definitely happening now. All you can say is his name as he drills his dick into you, hand around your throat as he makes your eyes roll into the back of your head. You can tell he’s close from the way he’s panting and moving at a more rhythmic pace. He lets your shoulder go slowly, bringing your body back down to meet the sheets. One hand on your side and the other gripping the bed, he lowers down to your face, sucking on your neck as he fucks into you deep and slow. His face is nuzzling in your neck and hair, taking in your scent as he hears you moan and groan at the pace of his hips. You’re so close and Nanami knows too, that’s why he’s fucking that spot in you that has you throwing your head back and losing yourself on his dick.

“C’mon baby, give it to me. I wanna feel you cum for me.”

That was it for you, body spasming from your third orgasm. You ride it out as you feel Nanami fill you up, groaning and whimpering your name into your ear, sucking the skin there and panting.

“That’s it, that’s my good girl. My pretty little wife.”

This is where I want to be.

Nanami falls to your side, groaning sadly as he pulls his dick out of you. Both of you stare at the ceiling now, panting like you ran a marathon. He looks over at you and then gets up to go to the bathroom, you hear him organizing something as you remember you pretty much moved like a tornado in the bathroom trying to pack your things. Shortly, he come out with a washcloth in hand, cleaning you up while you squirm from overstimulation. He cleans himself and throws it into the hamper in the bathroom, walking back to you on the bed and lays down. He pulls his arm around you and you can’t bring yourself to take it off of you. 

“I’m gonna get you more security and tint the windows on the Ghost, the Aventador too. We should probably get you therapy too for all the stress and anxiety this has given you. I’ll have Alexandra fix your things back in the closet and I’ll take you to replace the damaged items. I’m gonna talk to my manager and see if he can organize paying some of the snappers to fuck off, I’ll be going on to my socials to tell my fans to relax. Can’t keep fucking with my girl.”

As he kisses your forehead, you feel yourself exhausted, lying on Nanami’s chest as you fall asleep. He nuzzles his face in your hair, holding your hand and rubbing his finger against the 4-carat diamond ring that adorned it. There’s no way he could leave his pretty little wife.

You know that I don't want to go.

♱ the song used in this story is 10 james orr street by strawberry switchblade. 🖤

♱ masterlist.

♱ all fics playlist.

𝖆𝖚 𝖗𝖊𝖛𝖔𝖎𝖗, 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑𝖞𝖗𝖚𝖎𝖓.

[m-musings]

Bullseye: Din Djarin x Fem! Reader

Word Count:1.3k Summary: Din teaches Reader how to shoot a blaster & Reader tries not to lose her cool in the process. Warnings/Other Notes: pre-est. relationship, teensy bit of ooc Din, M doesn't know how guns work lmao & cheesy ass ending

"Do we really have to do this? You know I'm no good at using these things..." A voice called out in the lava flats on Nevarro.

As another voice grumbled out an irritated huff, the sound of a blaster charge hitting it's target hissed through the air as the smell of smoke wafted up from the straw bundle.

Currently, the famed Mandalorian sat outside of his home, watching as his partner tried her best to hit the various targets he had set up for her to shoot at.

"Yeah, we do. After yesterday, It's obvious that you need the practice."

"Din, I can fight just fine with my billhook, so why do I need to use a gun?"

"'Cause you nearly got killed by that bounty hunter in the marketplace! He was a foot away and could've killed you if I hadn't shown up when I did." Responded Din as he shook his head in disbelief.

Scoffing at the notion, (Y/n) clicked her tounge before setting the blaster down on the stool next to Grogu, who had been sat next to Din, watching the show as he ate his blue macarons.

"I was perfectly in control of the situation! I had my hand on my weapon the entire time he chased me down! I was just... looking for an opportunity to attack, y'know?"

"Mmhm, sure, (Y/n). It really looked like you were in control when he had you backed against the wall." Din drawled with a chuckle as he leaned back in his seat.

"Oh, c'mon, gimme a break here! You, more so than anyone, know I'm just as good of a fighter as you are and would've kicked that guys ass had you not jumped in last second and shot him."

"But you didn't."

"But I would have!"

"Okay, okay, I concede. You probably would."

"Thank you. Now, quit distracting me since you wanted me to work on my blaster aim soooo badly."

"Alright then, show us what you've got in store." Din agreed as Grogu let out a happy babble.

Sputtering her lips, (Y/n) gave Din a curt nod before the blaster fire began again, bathing the small group in brief flashes of bright red.

(Y/n) attempted to hit each target with as much accuracy as possible but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hit theirs center. Angrily growling as she kicked at the ground, she turned to face Din with a mad look on her face and motioned exasperatedly towards the targets.

"Again, (Y/n). I know you can do this." He stated as he gave her a shrug.

With a sigh that barely hid her distain for the task at hand, she spun around to shoot again, continuing until the sun met the peaks of the surrounding hills.

As soon as the Nevarro sky began to change colors- And with no further progress in hitting her mark- (Y/n) had finally reached her limit.

Trying not to throw the blaster in a fit of outrage, she took a breath through her nose as she stomped over the small porch to take a breather.

"These things are so frustrating! I don't know how you're so good with them, the recoil alone is killing my arm."

"That's just because you aren't used to it yet."

"I don't think I'll ever be used to it..." The woman stated as she rolled the aches out of her wrists.

Here, let me show you what to do about that." Din stated, pulling himself up from his chair to march over to (Y/n).

With a small roll of her eyes, (Y/n) held out the hand holding the blaster to hand it to the armored man, but to her surprise, instead of taking it from her, Din opted to hold her by the waist with one hand while guiding her arm into position with the other.

A surprised gasp left her lips as she felt the warmth of his palms seep through his gloves. Quickly turning his head in her direction, Din gently ran his hand along her side.

"You okay?"

"Uh, y-yeah. I'm great. Let's just get this over with..." Stuttered (Y/n) as she tried to fight the warmth blooming on her face.

Giving a small pat to her hip beforehand, Din lifted his hand from (Y/n)'s waist to her empty one. As he snaked his arms around her, he led it up to the handle of the blaster.

"Alright, cyar'ika, The first thing to remember about using a blaster is to keep both hands firmly on the grip. That way, the recoil won't impact you as much."

Following Din's instructions, (Y/n) held onto the weapon as securely as she could before looking back to her lover for more guidance.

"Once you do that, line up the shot with the scope. As soon as you think your positioning and stance is good, let that laser fly."

With a hesitant nod, (Y/n) spoke the former hunters instructions to herself before lifting the gun. Squeezing her eyes shut in anxiety, (Y/n) whispered an "I hope this works" before pulling the pistol's trigger.

A few seconds of silence passed as (Y/n) tried to figure out what had happened after the pull. Not a minute later, a laugh transmitted through the modulator on Din's helmet.

"Well... would you look at that?"

Finally finding the courage to open her eyes, (Y/n)'s jaw dropped as she was met with not just 1, but 2 targets hit right on the bullseye, one right through the other.

"Yes! I can't believe it!"

"See? Told you you could do it. And you did even better than expected." Din said proudly as he was very obviously grinning under his helmet.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't sound so pleased with yourself, that was all me!" (Y/n) smirked as she did a little dance.

"If you say so." Din said, slinking his way back towards their homestead.

"Wait, wait, wait, fine! I'm sorry, okay? I admit it... you did help.... a lot." (Y/n) conceded as she tenderly pulled Din back by the arm.

"I thought so."

"And.. I'm also sorry for being kind of mean to you earlier. Please don't be upset with me."

A quiet scoff was heard from inside of his helmet as Din reached down to grab both of (Y/n)'s hands in his.

"I was never upset with you in the first place, (N/n). I just worry sometimes. After what happened to Grogu, I can't bear to think of anyone else wanting to harm someone I love. I know you can handle yourself but I only want to make sure you're safe..."

"I know & I appreciate that, but as long as you're around, I know nobody could ever come close to hurting me. You'll never let anything happen to me or Grogu and I adore that."

As she smiled up at him, Din skimmed his thumb along the top of her hand. He then gently placed his helmet covered head on her shoulder while lowly whispering in her ear.

"I love you so much, mesh'la. I promise as long as I am breathing, no one's gonna harm you."

Placing a kiss upon the helmets' visor, (Y/n) tenderly wrapped her arms around the Mandalorian's frame.

"I love you too, Din. More than all the stars in the sky above."

As they embraced under the setting sun, a short gurgle was heard from below. When they parted, the pair looked down to see Grogu running towards them with arms outstretched.

The couple laughed at the sight before picking the small child up and including him in the hug.

"Yes, we love you too, Grogu!" Din told Grogu as (Y/n) peppered him with motherly smooches.

The laughter of a happy family rang into the air as the moon rose over the rocky plains of the planet they called home.

[hbyrde36]

for @penny00dreadful

Ch 1 <-

Chapter 2: Yellow Brick Road

WC: 4946 | Ch 2/4 | AO3 <-

They’d been walking for quite a while, nothing to see save for the fields of corn spread out on one side of them, wheat on the other, when they came upon a fork in the road. 

Steve stood in the middle of the intersection, peering as far as he could down one path, and then the other, but there was just no way of knowing where each of the winding roads led. He threw his hands up in frustration before settling them on his hips. “Great, just great. Now what do we do?”

“Convenient how no one thought to mention the road split off.” Eddie grumbled.

“Right or left?”

“Flip a coin?”

Steve shrugged, it was as good a way to decide as anything else. “Sure, why not.” 

Eddie stared at him expectantly. 

“What?” Steve asked.

“Well, I don’t have any money on me.”

“Then why did you suggest flipping a coin?!”

Eddie bristled, as if Steve were the one being ridiculous. “Because you’ve always got spare change on you!” 

“It’s those damn kids, always begging me for quarters for the arcade.”

“Did you ever think if you stopped carrying coins, the little shits would stop hitting you up for them?” 

Steve frowned. “That’s… hmpf.” Because no, he hadn’t, actually. He started to rummage through his front pockets—a feat, frankly, given how tight his pants were, and wondered how big a fit Dustin would pitch if he were to actually stop handing out free money like he was a goddamn ATM machine.

“Hey!” A voice called out. “Dingus one and Dingus two!” 

Steve startled—they hadn’t seen another soul for miles. 

He looked all around for the source of the sound and finally spotted something—a lone figure mounted to a pole just inside the split-rail fence, nestled between a few stalks of corn. One of its arms was propped up, pointing, the other resting at its side. He grabbed Eddie’s hand and rushed towards it, swinging his legs easily up and over the wood planks, glimmering heels and all, before helping the other boy do the same. 

As they got closer he could see that it was a girl made of straw and burlap—a scarecrow, his brain supplied offhandedly, though her face looked remarkably human and alive. 

She winked, and smiled down at them. 

Steve gasped, his eyes raking over the dusting of freckles painted over the girl’s cheeks and nose. “No—No way.” He shook his head, taking another step closer. Was every person in this place a version of someone from home? 

“Robin?” 

The Scarecrow frowned. “Never heard of her.” 

Steve deflated. “Right.”

“Is that the way we’re supposed to go? The way you’re pointing?” Eddie asked, getting right to business as if he were unfazed at this newest encounter. Which was fair. It was pretty tame compared to the horrors of the last alternate dimension they’d been trapped in. 

“That way’s okay.” She said with a small shrug, before dropping her left arm and raising her right—rotating it like a windmill in the process. “But that way’s pretty good too.”

“Very helpful.” Steve deadpanned.

“Of course,” she went on, ignoring him as she crossed one arm over the other—pointing in opposite directions at once. “People do go both ways.”

Eddie snickered, immediately clapping a hand over his own mouth to stifle his laughter. 

Steve felt a rush of heat as he broke out in a full body flush, cheeks flaming. Surely The Scarecrow hadn’t meant—

The thing was, Robin—the real one—had been talking to him a little bit recently about the possibility of going both ways, as it were. He’d been starting to suspect, for no reason in particular, that he might not be as entirely straight as he’d previously thought. 

Okay, fine.

There was a reason, and the culprit, cause, and source of his suspicion was standing right next to him, looking at him with those big brown eyes, sparkling with the last remnants of laughter, and smiling in that very particular way that showed his dimples to full effect. 

It made Steve feel wild, like a swarm of butterflies had taken flight in his stomach. 

He wondered if Eddie knew, if he should tell him, but he wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

It wasn’t the possibility of being bisexual that frightened him. More than a possibility, he supposed—clearly that ship had sailed—what with the way he practically salivated anytime Eddie raised his arms to stretch or reach for something up high, exposing that delicious little strip of tummy and—

Yeah… definitely not straight. 

And he knew the other boy was gay, Eddie and Robin had both come out to the rest of the group a few months ago, so, the possibility was there, but just because Eddie liked guys didn’t mean he liked Steve. 

All of that to say, his fear lay more in the worry of ruining their friendship if Eddie didn’t feel the same way about him.

“We’re looking for the Emerald City, do you know it?” Eddie was asking The Scarecrow when Steve tuned back into the conversation. 

“I can’t say that I do, no, but that’s not much of a surprise. I haven't got a brain, you see.”

“How can you talk without a brain?” Steve asked. 

“Seriously?” She quirked a brow. “Have you heard what comes out of most people's mouths? It’s not that hard.”

Well, she had him there.

“The thing is, my words come out faster than my thoughts sometimes, and I just wind up rambling on-and-on until I stop making any sense at all! No one understands me, and I just know if I had a brain it would solve all my problems. “She sighed wistfully, staring off into the middle distance for a moment before seeming to remember that they were there, and snapped back to attention. “What’s in the Emerald City anyhow?”

“A wizard, hopefully.” Eddie said. 

“We’re going to see if he can help us get back home to Hawkins.” Steve added.

“Hawkins, huh? That’s a funny name.” The Scarecrow mused. “Well, if he’s capable of interdimensional travel, surely he could handle one measly brain. I’ll even take a second hand one, I'm not picky! Can I come with you?”

Steve resisted the urge to point out that her figuring out all on her own that multiple dimensions even existed was proof enough that she did, in fact, have a brain. He didn’t mind the idea of her tagging along, even if she wasn’t Robin.

“It’s fine with me,” he said, looking to Eddie, who nodded his agreement. “We should warn you though, there's a witch after us.”

“I ain’t afraid of nothing except rabies and talking to girls, which is completely normal.” The Scarecrow paused, thinking it over. “And maybe a lighted match.”

With a little finagling they managed to get her down with minimal damage. Steve held her around the waist while Eddie loosened the nail in the back of the pole, and it would have been fine, but in the heels his center of gravity was a little off, not to mention the uneven ground, so when she was set loose and suddenly he was holding all her weight, it put him off balance, sending them both sprawling to the ground. 

She lost a little hay in the fall but quickly shoved it back in, rearranging it this way and that in the front of her top. Steve looked quickly away—it was like watching his sister adjust herself in her bra or something.  

“What? You don’t like boobies?” The Scarecrow asked, finally done fluffing herself up. 

“Not yours!” 

“Well that’s just rude,” she huffed, pushing herself to her feet. She vaulted the fence, and started slowly making her way down one side of the yellow brick road.

Steve glanced up to find Eddie already above him with a hand out ready to help, and he let the other boy tug him to his feet, his skin burning where their palms touched. But Eddie accidentally pulled just a bit too hard and they wound up chest-to-chest, while Steve struggled to find his footing.

“Thanks,” Steve said softly, tongue darting out to wet his lips as his gaze flicked down to Eddie’s mouth, heart beating like a jackhammer. 

“Anytime, Stevie,” Eddie whispered back, sounding just as breathless as Steve felt.

They were so close, it would take nothing at all to just lean in and—

“You dweebs comin’ or what?” The Scarecrow shouted from a few yards away.

They broke apart in surprise, sharing an awkward laugh, and hurried to catch up with their strange new friend.

“It’s Steve and Eddie, actually.”

“I’m starving.” Eddie griped for the dozenth time in the last half hour alone.

It wasn’t like Steve couldn’t sympathize, he was hungry too, but Oz didn’t exactly have a convenience store on every corner, and whining about it incessantly wasn’t helping anyone.

Even if he did find Eddie’s whining to be sort-of… cute.

God, he was in so deep.

Thankfully, as they walked, the scenery began to change and the fields that had been flanking them on either side for so long gave way to a grove of trees, and not just any trees– 

“Oh!” Steve tugged on the other boy’s shirt and pointed excitedly ahead. “Eddie, look, there's a bunch of apple trees.”

Eddie curled his upper lip in disgust.

“Were you, or were you not, just complaining about our lack of food?”

“Yeah, but I was hoping for a cheeseburger or something, not… fruit.”

“Don’t be a baby,” Steve rolled his eyes as he stepped off the path, heading towards the nearest tree, and reached up to pick one of the many shiny, red, and delicious looking apples. 

Before he could even register what was happening, the tree moved, a cluster of its branches wrapping around his wrist like a hand, squeezing tight. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” A deep voice croaked.

A voice that seemed to be coming from The Tree.

Had Steve not faced down a demogorgon, demodogs—plural—the Mind Flayer, an entire swarm of demobats, and fucking Vecna, before, he probably would have been terrified at the prospect of a talking goddamn tree, but when he got over the initial shock he was mostly just annoyed that he couldn’t get himself free. 

He wrenched and pulled but it was no use, until Eddie appeared at his side, taking hold of The Tree’s other arm—if you could call it an arm.

“Hey man, let go!” Eddie yelled at it. “You didn’t have to hurt him, we were just hungry!”

“How would you like to have someone come along and pick something off of you?!” The Tree barked.

Eddie snarled, bending back several of its smallest branches until the thing squealed in pain. It released Steve abruptly and he stumbled sideways, right into Eddie’s arms, and together they backed up to where The Scarecrow stood.    

“It’s alright, Steve. You don’t want any of those apples anyway.” She said, looking down her nose at the offending plant. Er, creature? 

Whatever.

“Are you hinting my apples aren't what they ought to be?!” The Tree grunted.

“That depends, are they supposed to have little green worms?”

“Get out of here or I’ll–” 

“You’ll what? Grow at me?” She taunted.

The Tree growled, struggling in place and waving its branches at her.

The Scarecrow stuck her tongue out, blowing a raspberry at it, and pulled the boys away by their collars. 

They were only a short distance away when she stopped on a dime, whirling back around to face the small orchard. “Get bent by a stiff breeze you weeping willow!”

“What are you doing?!” Steve hissed.

“Getting you some apples, duh,” She shot back. “Come on, catch!”

Steve turned, and sure enough The Tree, along with several of its brethren, were now hurling perfectly ripe apples straight at them. He caught as many as he could, cradling them in the front of his shirt until he couldn’t hold anymore, while The Scarecrow hid behind him. 

Eddie, for his part, tried his best, but sports had never been his thing, and it showed. He wound up on hands and knees chasing after a few of the fruits that had rolled away in the soft grass. 

The other boy was only out of sight for a moment, but Steve’s heart still dropped when he called out from behind a tall shrub.  

Steve rounded the overgrowth in an instant, bracing for whatever new threat had come to find them. He was prepared for a lot of things, a pack of rabid bunnies perhaps, or a sentient rose bush, what he wasn’t prepared to see was a girl made out of tin, and not just any girl—Nancy.

“Nance?”

“I… don’t think that's her name.” The Scarecrow said, circling the other girl’s still form. “I’ve heard of these things. She’s a Tin Woodswoman!”

Steve stared. The girl was frozen like a statue with one arm held aloft wielding an ax, and though she couldn't blink or move her head, her pleading eyes were looking right at him, following him wherever he went. 

Suddenly, a sound much like a squeaky wheel came from between her unmoving lips.

“Was that… did you try to say something?” Steve asked. 

“Ooooooool ca,” The Tin Woman tried again. “oooooooooil–ca”

Steve snapped his fingers. “Oil can! She said oil can!” It didn’t take long to find the small container with its built-in dispenser stashed behind a nearby tree trunk. “Where should we oil her first?”

“You should probably get her consent before you start in on all that.” Eddie muttered.

“Eddie,” Steve glowered. “Be serious.”

“Not that I know much about these things, but maybe start with her mouth so she can talk?” The Scarecrow suggested. 

“Right.” Steve aimed the end of the spout, dispensing a small amount of the liquid to the corners of her mouth.

Within seconds the oil went to work and her lips loosened. “Oh thank goodness I can talk again. Can you oil my arms next, my elbows?” The Tin Woman said.

Steve worked quickly, lubricating all of her joints, but still her one arm was stuck up in the air. Seeing her struggle, Eddie grabbed it and yanked. The limb finally fell, axe and all, the sound of it like an old car door being forced open.

Eddie grimaced. “Oh shit! Sorry, did that hurt?” 

“No, it feels so much better, I’ve been holding that ax up for ages.” The Tin Woman assured him, taking a few tentative steps. She only creaked a little. 

“What happened to you?” Eddie asked.

“Misread the forecast. About a year ago I came out to cut a tree down when it started to rain. I rusted solid—mid-chop!”

Curious, Steve continued to examine her, wondering what enabled her to walk and talk. Not that it was any weirder than The Scarecrow, really. He knocked on her middle, the sound reverberating like a drum. 

“Wow! What an echo! How’d you pull that off?” The Scarecrow asked.

“It always sounds like that.” The Tin Woman shrugged. “I guess the tinsmith forgot to give me a heart.”

The Scarecrow gasped, “no heart?!”

“No heart,” The Tin Woman sighed, hanging her head. “It’s not that I mind not having one exactly, they are easily breakable from what I understand. It's just that, well, it makes me come off kinda cold, y'know?” 

Now, this wasn’t Nancy, Steve knew that, but damned if he hadn’t had the same thought about her once or twice after she’d so thoroughly crushed him, calling him and his love bullshit that night in the bathroom at Tina’s Halloween party—and the betrayal that had come after.

Heartless. 

He knew it wasn’t strictly true. Those were the thoughts of a boy who’d had his heart stomped on by the first girl he’d ever given it to. Nancy had the capacity to love, and fiercely. He’d seen it in the way she protected the people she cared about, willing to do anything to keep them safe—including him. She just didn’t love him in the romantic way. It had taken him a long time to accept that, to be okay with it and get over her, but as he looked into Eddie’s eyes over the top of The Tin Woman’s pointed funnel hat, he knew it’d all been for the best. 

Nancy had a heart, she just didn’t always know how to show it, and he was willing to bet this Tin Woman had one too.

“You should come with us!” The Scarecrow said.

The Tin Woman tilted her head. “Where are you going?”

“We’re going to see a wizard! Eddie—that’s the long haired one.” The scarecrow leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. “And Steve here are trying to get home. I'm in the market for some brains, and I’m sure the wizard could manage a heart for you too!”

“Do you really believe he’ll get you home?” The Tin Woman asked, turning to Steve.

“I hope so, we’ve come such a long way already.” He said.

A shrill cackling laughter filled the air, and in a plume of red smoke The Wicked Witch appeared out of nowhere, atop the roof of a nearby log cabin.  

“Long? You call that long? Why, you’ve only just begun!” She sneered down at them, turning her attention on the two newest members of their little party. “And you two lovely ladies, helping them along are you?”

“Yeah, what of it?!” The Scarecrow taunted.

“Stay away from them, or I'll stuff a mattress with you!”

“And you—” The Witch paused, pointing the tip of her broom down at the Tin Woman. “I'll use you for a beehive.” 

“You wouldn’t dare.” The Tin Woman growled.

“Oh, the crumpled up wad of aluminum foil wants to play with fire, huh? Let’s see how your highly flammable friend fares against this—” The Wicked Witch raised her hand palm up, conjuring up a fist full of flame that she hurled at their feet.

The Scarecrow shrieked and threw herself to the side, even Steve and Eddie shrank back from the heat of it, but The Tin Woman, who had nothing to fear from a little unfriendly fire, quickly put it out, using her hat to smother the blaze. By the time it was done, The Wicked Witch was gone. 

“You weren’t kidding about a witch being after you!” The Scarecrow said. 

“About that,” Steve began, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think it would be best if Eddie and I traveled the rest of the way alone. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to either of you because of us.”

The Scarecrow narrowed her eyes. “Not a chance. I'll see you safely to the Wizard, whether I get a brain or not.”

“Me too!” The Tin Woman agreed.

-

Not long after their confrontation with The Wicked Witch, they continued on their journey down the yellow brick road, where their surroundings changed yet again. The scattered trees thickened into dense woods, dark where the canopy blocked out most of the sun, and the air was filled with the sinister sounds of unfamiliar wildlife. 

“I know I said I wasn’t afraid, but I don't like this forest. It’s dark and creepy.” The Scarecrow said.

Steve shrugged, bumping his shoulder against Eddie’s. “We've seen worse. Anything is better than a sky full of demobats, right?”

“What’s a demobat?” The Scarecrow asked.

“It’s like a regular bat,” Steve began. “Except… not at all? They’re bigger than you might think, with gray leathery flesh, and wings, and these long tails they like to choke you with. Their mouths are small but don’t let that fool you, they’re full of razor sharp teeth.”

Eddie glanced at him sideways, a crooked grin playing on his mouth and a light blush spreading across his face. “I dunno, Harrington. I’d pay good money to see you take a bite out of one of those little fuckers again.”

Steve grinned back, cheeks burning under Eddie’s attention. “That so, Munson?”

The Tin Woman gaped at them. “What is wrong with you two?” 

If possible, Steve’s face grew even hotter, but as luck would have it a series of bellowing roars sounded off in the distance, and their flirtation, if it was indeed that, was quickly forgotten.

“What was that?” The Scarecrow whisper-shouted.

“Lions?” Eddie guessed.

Deep growls filled the forest next.

The Tin Woman hung onto the Scarecrow’s arm. “And tigers.”

Steve strained to listen for what else might be out there, and heard a long huff and a distinct gnashing of teeth. “And bears.”

“That doesn’t seem right, all in the same woods?” Eddie murmured skeptically. “Lions, and tigers, and bears?”

“Oh shit.” Steve shouted as something came barreling out of the trees and onto the path, coming straight for them.

They all reared back, cowering away from the oncoming threat and The Tin Woman stumbled in the process, dropping her axe to the brick road with a clang.

Steve scrambled to pick up the fallen weapon, twirling it out of habit as he took up a spot in front of his people, stepping between them and the overgrown stuffed toy who for whatever reason seemed to mean them harm. In hindsight he should have known better than to expect Eddie to stay back with the others and let him handle it, for as much as the guy liked to call himself a runner and a coward, not once had he backed down from a fight when the safety of his friends was in question.

Now being a prime example. 

Armed with nothing more than Steve’s tied-together discarded sneakers, which he was swinging around wildly like every teen boy who saw The Karate Kid in theaters and decided to try their hand at nunchucks, Eddie joined Steve at his side, facing their foe head on. 

“Put ‘em up, put ‘em up!” The Lion sneered.

Steve was pretty sure he’d had footie pajamas that looked like this guy once. 

Mid swing, the laces on Steve’s sneakers came loose from their knot, and one of the shoes went flying out of Eddie’s hands, beaming the lion right in the forehead with a loud smack. 

The beast’s paws flew to his head, cradling it as he began to cry hysterically. “What’d you do that for, I didn’t bite him!”

Eddie furrowed his brow, looking from the pathetic sobbing creature to Steve and back again. “Were you… going to bite him?”

“...No?”

Steve scoffed.

The lion moved his giant mitts from his face, tilting it up into the light. “I-Is my nose bleeding?”

“It would serve you right if it was!” The Scarecrow scolded.

Now that Steve had a better look at the guy, he realized he’d seen The Lion’s eyes somewhere before. He peered closer, squinting into the oddly humanoid looking face when it clicked.

He looked back at Eddie and mouthed, ‘Jonathan.’

Eddie snorted.

“Hey, can’t you see he’s just scared?” The Tin Woman said, pushing them both gently aside. She gazed down at The Lion with a telling softness in her eyes, and took up the end of his tail, drying his tears with it. “There now, that’s better.”

He blinked up at her in awe. “I-I’m sorry.”

She patted his hand and smiled. “Now, do you want to tell us what that was all about?”

“Oh, I'm just a stupid coward is all.”

“I don’t know about that,” Steve cut in. “I mean, you did come after the four of us all by yourself.”

“Naw, that’s not being brave. I saw you coming and I got scared, like I always do, and decided to lash out first before you could do the same to me. If I was really brave I'd have just come out and said hello.”

“Well, no harm done I guess, but we should really get going.” Steve said.

“But we can’t just leave him here all alone.” The Tin Woman insisted. “What if we brought him along? Maybe The Wizard can help him too. Even if not, the world is much less terrifying when you’re not alone.”

Steve couldn’t help but look Eddie’s way at that, feeling the truth of her words in his soul. They’d been through so much together since their fraught beginnings at the boathouse—made countless trips into the Upside Down before it’d been destroyed, faced Vecna and his hoard of monsters, twice, and it’d all been that much easier to bear because they’d been together.

Eddie nodded as if he’d heard all of Steve’s innermost thoughts though he hadn’t said a thing out loud, and he knew they were on the same page.

“The more the merrier, I guess.”

-

Before long they reached the edge of the forest, which opened up into a sprawling meadow full of bright flowers in shades of red, pink, purple, and orange, growing right over the yellow brick road. That sight alone was enough to take Steve’s breath away, but it wasn't the only thing that caught his attention. Just on the other side of the vast ocean of blossoms was a cluster of tall brilliantly green buildings, a city, shining just like the emerald gemstones it was named for. 

“There’s The Emerald City!” Steve shouted, pointing towards the horizon excitedly. “Oh, look! Eddie, we’re almost there!”

But Eddie didn’t respond, he was squatting down at the edge of the growth, eyeing the colorful blooms with suspicion. 

“What is it?” Steve asked.

Eddie turned concerned eyes up at him. “Something doesn’t feel right about this, like maybe it’s some sort of trap?”

“How can flowers be a trap?”

“Well, for one thing they’re not just any flowers, they’re poppies.”

Steve crinkled his brow. “Okay…”

“Poppies? Y’know, the thing they use to make opium?”

“Oh!”

“What’s opium?” The Scarecrow asked.

“I don't think they have drugs here.” Steve said.

Eddie tilted his head thoughtfully, and shrugged. “That’s fair, no need to trip balls when you already have talking trees.”

“So what do you want to do?” Steve asked. 

“I don’t like it, but it doesn’t look like we have much choice. The only way to the Emerald City is through it, so.” Eddie shook his head, pushing himself back to his feet, and reached for Steve's hand. “I guess we’ll go as quickly as we can, and hope for the best.”

The unlikely quintet formed a chain of linked hands and ran together as a unit through the vibrant meadow. At first Steve thought Eddie had been wrong, that it was just an innocent field of wildflowers, but by the time they’d reached the top of the first small hill he was gasping for air, and his legs felt like they were pushing through molasses, unusual for someone who exercised regularly, jogging at least four times a week.

“Wait, wait.” Steve panted, leaning heavily into Eddie as he tried to regain his breath.

“Steve?” Eddie looked him up and down, worrying his bottom lip.  

“I can’t run anymore, I–I’m,” Steve cut himself off with a yawn. “I’m so sleepy.” He wobbled in place, knees going weak. The other boy caught him around the middle, lowering him gently to the ground.

“What’s wrong with him?” The Scarecrow asked.

“I don’t know.” Eddie said, studying his face as he hovered over him, eyes wild with panic.

“I have to rest for just a minute.” Steve babbled, knowing it sounded ridiculous. They were so close to their destination, he could practically see the individual windows on the buildings of the Emerald City, and suddenly he wanted to take a nap? Something wasn’t right, but he couldn't seem to fight it. 

The Lion yawned loudly. “Now that you mention it, catching a few winks doesn’t sound like a bad idea.” He swayed on his feet, kept upright only by The Tin Woman’s grip on him.

The next thing Steve knew, Eddie was gently prying his eyelids open, though he didn’t remember closing them. “Fuck, I knew something was off about these flowers. It’s that damn Wicked Witch, it has to be!”

Not that Steve was paying much attention to what he said, because god was Eddie pretty like this—his big brown eyes even larger and more beautiful up close, so dreamy, with his dark curls hanging down around him like a curtain. 

Eddie's lips parted in surprise as his hands still cradled Steve’s face. “What did you just say?”

Oh shit, in his tired stupor had he actually said some of that out loud?

“Eddie, I–” Steve managed to force out, but Eddie swayed above him, eyes rolling back in his head for a moment before he tipped sideways, falling gracelessly to the ground beside him. 

It was becoming harder and harder to keep his eyes open, and Steve knew it was only a matter of time before he succumbed to the magical sleep that was pulling him under. He turned his head and found Eddie looking at him too, doing the same long blinks, both of them fighting a losing battle. 

With his last bit of strength Steve reached out, and Eddie reached too, clasping their hands between their bodies, fingers entwining with practiced ease like they were made to fit together.

As Steve’s eyes slipped shut there was another thunk nearby, the distinct sound of a body hitting the ground, something he had unfortunately heard enough times to know, and could only assume The Lion must have been felled by the same thing that’d gotten them. 

The last thing he heard as his consciousness faded away, were the terrified shouts of The Scarecrow and The Tin Woman calling out for help.

Chapter 3

Thanks again to @pearynice and @hitlikehammers for all your help with this!

[lxdymoon0357]

Imagine, A Male reader who have read A novel and Webtoon Both them are Remarried Empress.

And he made all analysis, theories and Thinking that Sovieshu is Only being dumb but what if he was dumb then it would have happy ending for Sovieshu and Navier.

While overthinking male reader Crossing the road and he somehow stopped at middle of road and he got new theories, while thinking about it, Trunk-kun smashed it and Male reader got isekaied

Male reader transmigrated into Sovieshu/ Heinrey's body.

If Male reader transmigrated into Sovieshu's body then he would tell everything and apologies to Navier to understand it ( Best friend Kinda). He would go and see Heinrey and starts falling in love (and so on idk)

If Male reader Transmigrated into Heinrey's body then he will use Letter exchanging to Emperor Sovieshu until Emperor falls in love with Secret Admire.... But Emperor Sovieshu and Heinrey are Rivals ( Not enemies )... After Heinrey revealed his secret admirer, Both them will became best friends then Lovers ( sounds like Enemy to best friend to lovers, almost like enemies to lovers trope 😁 ) and Navier is Cupid cuz Her lover ( Rashta) shared plenty of BL/GL/Smut Novel with them

That's all are on my mind, this is my request

But before isekaied, He had huge simps on both ( Sovieshu and Heinrey)

(....I just couldn't...I'm sorry..how long is this WIP? 2 years old...Yes that's right humans, 2 YEARS OLD! Kill me...)

Isekaid! Sovieshu X Heinry:

Your chance is my change!

※ The burning pain in your back was stopping your vision from clearing up , as you heard a voice continuously calling you “Your highness…”, as it started to get louder, "Your highness..!” and louder, “Your highness!!!!!!!”

The colorful void finally started to clear up as you head started to hurt. As you finally opened your eyes and your vision cleared up…You saw a lady with long straight blonde hair with golden-green eyes, as you continued to look at her, she reminded you of something you would see back at home....

"Who . . .who are you?" You asked, you throat sore and hurting as you tried to get out words. But as you asked her, the lady immediately looked surprised, before turning to the doctor on the other side, as if he was losing memories....

"Uhm, I'm not sure, you're highness, but I'll try my best to understand this, maybe try to remind him of himself again, I'll come back tomorrow, my grace." The man bowed before taking his leave and going out of the room, as the lady turned to you, before brushing strand of hair behind her ear, she says,

"You highness, You're name is Emperor Sovieshu Vict, I'm your wife, Empress Navier Ellie Trovi. Your the Emperor of Eastern Empire, I'm the empress of Eastern Empire. You've been unconscious for four days now...."

That was the last straw of this weird place...WAIT! Did she just say, her name was NAVIER ELLIE TROVI?! As in from your favorite manhwa?! As you whipped your head back on her face and stared at her intensely, her hair was long and blonde, with mature green eyes and soft yet sharp features..

"So how did I faint???" You asked Navier,

"An object fell from the sky and knocked you out..." Navier replied, completely stoic. As you tried to comprehend things, Navier sighed before asking for dismissal from you, which you granted hastily, as she walked out, she said, "Also your highness, please look after you dear concubine, she's been crying horribly..." Before walking out, you tried to understand your situation...You were just walking back from the grocery store buying some ramen when a truck hit you and did you just isekaid into a manhwa like those in your favorite ones?????

"This is just weird, I just isekaid into Remarried Empress in the emperor's body, do I have to survive this now?" You mumbled, while laying back on your bed cushioning yourself into the soft duvet, before there was a knocking on the door, which caught your attention to it...

'Well, if I have to play an emperor, might as well do it!' You thought before calling out, "Come in!" As you sat up back in the bed, fluffing you pillows in the process, as you turned to look at the door, you were frozen as you saw a beautiful lady with bright, blonde nearly white hair and dark grey eyes, it was Rashta, who was crying her eyes out…As you sat up straight, putting on a façade of caring to hide the maybe upcoming annoyed expression

"How- how are you- you, your highness...Rashta- Rashta was worried..." Rashta said, wiping her eyes and nose with a dark blue napkin, as she rubbed her eyes out and sat on the chair right beside your bed. As you reached out and brushed some strands of hair out of her and behind her ears, before wiping the few stray tears falling down her eyes. You were honestly expecting to be annoyed by her actions, but instead you were her feeling pity for her, she really did love Sovieshu in the manhwa after all....At-least in the beginning, until Ergi manipulated her to make her power-hungry person. As you wiped her tears and talked with her to make a friendship with her, as you both talked while having dinner, you learnt many things about Rashta, mainly that she was a lovey person actually, quite mature and smart along with being imaginative but put on a child-like and cheerful façade to make herself likable by other stuck up nobles and Sovieshu...

Over the course of the next two weeks, you would be again taught the way to live as an emperor, talk with Navier as well and build a friendship with her and Rashta, you both spent time with each other as friends, while she took care of the empire with a little bit of help with you. You met different people from the manhwa, including countess Eliza, Laura and a few others, you pretended to play the emperor so nobody would suspect the emperor forgetting his memory, you knew your favorite manhwa to heart and you knew Sovieshu even better so it was no problem playing him except the fact that maybe you weren't straight....And you were in no way, shape or form in love with Rashta or Navier.... You were actually (y/s) and were not interested in Rashta or Navier, but you didn't know what to do....

As you were sitting outside, reading a erotica, sneaked in by Rashta who was having her education under your guidance, she saw you eyeing that book in the library, luckily since she didn't know how to completely knew how to read, she borrowed it under the excuse of "Buying for a friend" without knowing it was about BL...

As you flipped the next page, too fixated in it to realize somebody had sat next to you, as you heard somebody's voice read the lines, which made the blood run out of your face....Well Sovieshu's , but you get it....

"Well, well...I didn't realize you liked these types of novels your highness...." Navier said, as she leaned beside your shoulder reading the next few lines of the erotica, which was quite rough for a time setting like this one... But still a little bit better than those dumb ass erotica you were reading as compared to those amazing smuts.....

But back to your mind, you smile nervously as Navier sat beside you also holding a book in her hand, "I've read that one before, is it to your taste?" Navier asked, tilting her head. surprised, you shook your head to tell her, "Well, I've read this one before and it is quite boring..", "I have a collection of better ones...Would you like to read them?" Navier asked twirling a strand of her hair in her fingers, obviously blushing after asking such a scandalous thing...

You were shook as you were frozen into place and not being able to answer back and zoning out before Navier snapped her fingers in front of your face, making you snap out of your trance as you frantically nodded your head, your cheeks also warming up, Navier took a deep breathe before opening her book, which was a encyclopedia, in the first eight pages, she took out a list of her favorite eroticas you guessed, she handed it to you, saying she has all of these ordered by her brother and if you wanted to read it you could always visit her room.

As a week or three passed you though about it, reading over the titles of these books and their summary that Navier had written down. You decided which books you wanted for the time being while she gets more for you both. As you walked to her room, face with a faint blush. As you knocked on her door, when she didn't answer as you waited out the door, you knocked again a little harder this time and waited but still no answer from Navier, finally as you slowly opened her door and walked in her room, you saw a sight you weren't expecting in your whole life of Rashta sitting on Navier' s lap only in her corset and a underskirt as Navier pulled on her corset strings slowly opening them. The two ladies were deep into kissing, Rashta whining and panting as Navier and Rashta's tongue were exploring each other (and their mouths).

You were absolutely blushing finding your "wife" in such a compromising state with your "concubine" ... Trying to make known of your presence, you cleared your though as the two ladies pulled away and Rashta immediately screamed as Navier pushed Rashta's head into her neck, muffling her scream and quieting her. Navier looked back at you without a emotion on her face, her and Rashta's lipsticks smudged across her lips and neck and hickeys on her neck and shoulders, you showed her the list and named the books you wanted as Navier pointed to a bookshelf, which had a shelf of fake coloured ombre covers, you pulled on it before taking the books you wanted, and walked out the room before waving to a again making out couple, where Navier who was making out still waved her hand a bit.

As you walked through the hallways, you turned the book on the top of the bunch over to read the summary at the back, not realizing where you were headed as you bumped into someone who was running, the collision was so strong throwing you both away from each other and on the ground, making the books scatter like a drama scene, you picked up all the book before turning to the guy who you bumped into about to put some sense into their heads, as you were met with Heinrey looking at you, annoyed. You walked away, you knew Heinrey was already annoyed with you, because of the the way you treated Navier you guessed before you fainted.

As you sat in your room around 20 minutes reading a book with series of different erotic stories and were reading the first story, where the couple finally confessed their feelings as they had their orgasms together, you were unknowingly blushing and giggling and squealing like a high-school girl, as there was a knock on your door, you without lifting your head allowed the person inside, Rashta immediately jumped up on your bed, she had been very affectionate about these things and talked with you for hours on end,

"And weren't you just kissing Navier in the other room, Rashta?" You asked, curious as to why is she here.

"Well, Sir. Heinrey came to Darling's room and we had to stop kissing and pretend we were doing something important so we had to clean ourselves up real quick and so their conversation was too long and I got bored so I got out!" Rashta rambled on as you nodded your head listening to her but unfortunately zoning out half-way through, but luckily Rashta didn't notice and continued to ramble and talk about how things were going...But also you didn't notice her leaning over in your book, until she read the whole two pages as she yelled for some reason, knocking you out of trance and breaking your eardrum, probably...

"WHAT?! WHAT RASHTA?!" You asked yelling back, until she pushed your face angrily, "WHAT LECHEROUS THINGS ARE YOU READING?!" She asked angrily,

"BECAUSE I WANT TO! STOP PUTTING YOUR DAMN NOSE IN MY THINGS!"

"YOU'RE AN EMPEROR, YOU CAN'T READ THIS!!!"

"WHY NOT?!"

"BECAUSE NAVIER DOESN'T ALLOW ME TO READ THIS AND I WANT TO AS WELL!!!!"

"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WIT-...Oh...It's fine! I'll convince her!" You said coolly, patting her shoulders as she squealed in excitement like a child getting a present, ignoring the fact that you both were screaming like shit, until you got a multiple bangs on your door, "You highness, lady Rahsta are you both okay?!" "LADY RASHTA, EMPEROR DO YOU NEED HELP?!" And multiple people asking you both,

"Oh, A BIRD! A BIRD Flew into the window?" Rashta answered back as she locked the door..Breathing a sigh of relief, you silently yelled at Rashta for causing a scene as she also silently yelled back at you, you both were bickering in your room until there was a knock on the door "Your highness, is Rashta with you?" You hear Navier's voice call out as you jumped out of bed to open the latch of the lock to let her in. Navier enter the room, as Rashta pounces from your bed and jumps into Navier's arms, who has to carry her like a koala. As Navier sits on the bed while you and Rashta try to convince her to let Rashta reads some books,

"Come on! Rashta will learn to read and once she gets through with such books she will learn to mask her expression better!" You say, Navier still looks very doubtful as she sighs, disagreeing,

"No! She only learnt to read and she's too young to read!"

"I'm 20 years old now your highness, that's not young, I also had a child remember!?" Rashta whines and reminds Navier, "I basically know everything there is need to know to create a child!" "This is different." Navier comments, "SO?!" "UGH FINE! YOU CAN READ THEM!" Navier whines loudly as she finally gave up against you and Rashta as you both cheered loudly around the room,

"ON ONE CONDITION!" Navier interrupted your celebration, "Your highness and Rashta will have to attend a dinner with his highness, Heinrey, and duke Kaufman for my business with Duke Kaufman and also because I want you both to have manners, you've been very chaotic since you woke up your highness!" Navier says and comments on you, your faces drop as you listen to Navier's bet... "AND NO TRYING TO RUN AWAY FROM THE DINNER!! AND YOU CANNOT BEHAVE IMMATURELY, YOU NEED OT HAVE ETIQUETTE..." Navier finished her argument with yelling before taking a deep breathe and sighing...

So that's why you both were sitting on the dinner table, dressed up; prim and proper yet all bored as they ate the amazing food with "etiquette" around them Navier was conversing with Kaufman, Heinrey and Ergi, as you looked under the table and bit to see Navier's hand under Rashta's dress which was bunched up on Navier's wrist, you mentally gagged before lifting your head up making Heinrey look at you annoyingly as he asked, "Are you okay, majesty??" You jumped a bit but answer, "Uhm, yea-yeah! I'm good.." as you drank water and mentally cursed for stuttering..

Finally finishing up on dinner, Kaufman and Ergi decided to retire earlier as Navier said she'll take Rashta, you nodded before waiting for the dessert, ain't no way in hell were you going to bed before having your favorite sizzling brownie with ice-cream and warm chocolate syrup. Heinrey also with you, but he was reading a book for some reason as everyone left. As your dessert finally came and you finished eating, you were finally so full it felt like you were gonna burst...You sighed and started standing up, as Heinrey said, "Your majesty, may I escort you to your room?" He asked, catching you completely off-guard, as you smiled and hesitantly declined, he still somehow convinced you saying you're sick and it would be bad if something happened to you on the way back and nobody would be there to help you as it was very late now, so you hesitantly agreed as he was walking you to your room.

Finally reaching your room, you thanked him and entered your room before closing the door behind you. As you removed your shirt and pants and changed into comfy loose pants for sleeping, as there was pecking on your door. You quickly put on a shirt, as you walk to the balcony and open the door to let a letter fly in...

You wanted to open it, but as you laid in the bed you found it difficult to even sit up and then you realized you're body was so tired and you were too lazy to anything else other than sleeping... Soon the sun rises as the morning rays hit your eyelids, burning your eyes even when they're closed...you angrily open your eye about to throw something, but deciding against it as you freshened up and got ready, when your eyes fell on the letter, you decided to open it which said,

"Your highness, you looked very good at the dinner, I hope to talk to you again soon...Even though I'ma man, I feel like falling in love with you is like being in love with the moon, it's very beautiful but it could never be mine...

Secret Admirer."

As you read, butterflies popped up in your stomach, you silently giggled and brushed a hand up to your chest, feeling your heart thumping loudly and quickly, as your cheeks warmed up, you took a few deep breaths to calm down as you walked out and to your office, Rashta was already there doing some of her paperwork or something, you couldn't tell, but when you entered she smiled brightly at you and you smiled back just as brightly as you started your work while gossiping with Rashta in the middle, until it was time for lunch, while you and Rashta were eating lunch, in entered Navier who sat beside Rashta and Heinrey who sat across from her near you, while you four ate food, you slowly saw Heinrey being less hostile towards you and Rashta, and so you all were having a good conversation...

The next day when you woke up, another letter was there with the same writing,

"Good morning Handsome, hopefully you'll converse with me today and make my day with your gorgeous smile!"

You again giggled and felt your day getting better already as you got ready for the day...and it was a thing for everyday, in the morning you'd find a letter from the secret admirer with pretty comments, speaking how pretty you'd look, how your smile was brightening up the room, and more..you had a hunch who it was, but you still kept it a secret for yourself..

Everyday you'd find Heinrey getting more and more enamored and nicer to you, you knew it was him sending those letters, but you wanted to see how far he would go before coming clean...

[gavinisqueer]

Gavin confused as to why nines is giving him so many gifts

Thank you for the prompt! This was the only one I got, so I went ahead and wrote a whole fic for it lol

If there was one place that Gavin couldn’t be said to be disorganized, it was his desk. His closet? There was stuff in there he’d lost back in 2029. Fridge? The amount of expired condiments lost in behind his recent purchases could make a health inspector cry. His own pockets? He lost his keys at least 2 times a day, and was always finding random receipts he’d shoved in his jeans and forgotten about until after they’d gone through the wash.

But his desk? He kept that thing clean, organized, and free of clutter. His work was everything to him, so every shred of his executive function went first and foremost to making sure he could find everything he needed at a moment’s notice.

Which was why the recent additions to the desk were getting to be pretty annoying.

It had started with a small stuffed bulldog. The thing had appeared one morning while he was on a coffee break, returning to find it sitting behind his keyboard. He’d blinked, looking around for the source, but seeing nobody nearby except his partner, Nines, who was sitting at their half of the shared desk, he shrugged it off. It wasn’t taking up much room, and if someone liked him enough to gift him something dumb and cute like that, he wasn’t going to complain. Most of his coworkers steered clear of him, so it was nice to be appreciated for once.

If that had been all, it would have been fine. But more things kept appearing over the coming days. A small potted cactus. A tiny fishbowl, empty of water but painted on the inside with little fish. A die where instead of numbers, each side displayed a different insult - that, he had laughed at. A month later and it was starting to get a little ridiculous. Most of his desk space had been taken over by the little knickknacks, to the point that he barely had room to put his coffee down. If the DPD were still using physical files, he’d already have had to shove some of them to the floor so he could work.

When he got back from a scene one day and trudged off to the bathroom, only to come back and find a tooth-shaped stress ball in the one space he had left for his coffee mug, it was the last straw.

“Goddamnit,” he grouched as he sat in his chair, spinning it to face Nines’ side of the desk. “Hey, tincan, you see who keeps leaving this crap on my desk?” He could have asked the android before, but he was having fun trying to guess who it was. It really needed to stop before he was drowning in the random shit that kept getting left for him, though.

Nines’ LED switched from the calm blue it had been projecting to red, surprising Gavin. It changed back almost immediately, the android having hacked the thing ages back so they wouldn’t be broadcasting their emotional state constantly, but Gavin knew what he’d seen. “I’m afraid I do not know, detective.”

“…really?” Gavin asked, “You’ve been sitting there the whole time, and you haven’t once seen who keeps leaving stuff here? I find that hard to believe.”

The android was silent for a moment. “I have been… very consumed by my work.”

Bullshit. “You’re telling me Mx. Best Android Ever can’t connect to the computer system and watch the bullpen at the same time? Even Connor can do that.” He knew bringing up the RK900’s predecessor would be a hit to their pride, and as expected, Nines looked annoyed at the comparison. “Seriously, just tell me. If they swore you to secrecy or something, I promise I won’t let them know it was you.”

Nines looked at him with an unreadable expression, and Gavin waited, giving them a few seconds to come to a decision. Finally, they said, “…I am the one who has been gifting you with that ‘crap’, detective.”

…well, shit.

Gavin winced, realising he’d just insulted the android right in front of them. “Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “It’s just a lot of sh- stuff. And it’s cluttering up my desk. One or two things, fine, god knows everyone else around here has got enough personal affects to stage a garage sale in the break room, but this is getting excessive.”

LED cycling blue in a steady pattern that Gavin knew meant they were controlling it, Nines looked down at his desk, taking in the lack of space between all the random items that had accumulated there. “Oh,” they said quietly, “I see. My apologies, detective, I didn’t consider that my gifts might be taking up space you find valuable. I can remove them for you at the end of our shift.”

They turned back to their computer, as if Gavin was going to let the conversation end there. “You don’t have to remove them,” Gavin sighed. “I mean, I do need the desk space, but I can bring them home with me. You’ve just gotta stop adding more, or else my apartment will be taken over by this stuff, too.”

Their light cycled a natural yellow. “Understood. I only had two more gifts for you, anyway.”

“Oh, well, I guess I can take those, if there’s no more after that. But I gotta ask,” Gavin added, “why’re you leaving gifts on my desk, anyway? It’s not my birthday or anything, and even if it was, you would have given me more than enough presents to cover that a few weeks ago. Is there some android holiday I don’t know about? Shit, was I supposed to get you something?”

That brought a small, rare smile to their lips. “No, detective, there are no holidays at this time. If there were, I’m sure Connor would have outdone me in that regard with the lieutenant.” They seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing. “They are… gifts of thanks.”

“Thanks for what?” Gavin asked, frowning as he tried to remember if he’d done anything last month to bring this about.

“For deviating me,” Nines told him. “The anniversary of my deviation is in two days.”

“Oh,” it was Gavin’s turn to say. He had only been told the android’s deviation was due to him, rather snidely, by Connor a few weeks after the fact. “Well, damn. I didn’t exactly do that on purpose, tincan. And you probably shouldn’t be thanking the guy who annoyed you into deviancy.” He looked back down at his desk, then asked, “And if that’s in two days, why’ve you been giving me stuff all month?”

“Because one month ago was the anniversary of when we were partnered,” the android answered, smiling. “And I can assure you, detective, you did not annoy me into deviancy. You did annoy me,” they added, “but that was not why I deviated. I had already been activated for six months before I came to the DPD, after all the efforts of Markus and the others at Jericho failed to break through my programming. Only for you to cause me to deviate within just a month of our meeting.”

Gavin frowned. “How…”

In answer, the android pulled out one of their desk drawers, taking something out and setting it on the desk beside them. Gavin stared at the tiny stuffed hippo in front of him, not understanding the significance.

“You gave me this when it came with the food you ordered,” Nines explained. “Despite how much you seemed to dislike me, you thought of me when you needed someone to give it to. I had never been given a gift before.”

“That’s what made you deviate?” Gavin asked, “Not, I dunno, the dozen or so times I threatened to throw you into a trash compactor the first week?”

“It was eleven times,” they corrected, “and yes. I had been programmed to withstand all manner of ill treatment and abuse so that I would not succumb to deviation. And the efforts of Jericho were never going to work, because I knew that everything they were doing was only because they wanted me to deviate. But you… You showed me kindness with no ulterior motive, a fact I could be certain of because you had made it quite clear that you did not want anything from me. So, if it were not for you being yourself,” Nines summarized, “I may never have deviated.”

Well, that was… a lot to get hit with on a Monday morning. “You still didn’t need to get me this many gifts,” he said, “but, uh, you’re welcome, I guess? And thanks. Some of this stuff is pretty neat.”

The smile they gave him at that had him turning his eyes back to his own computer to hide the red that rose to his face, even though he knew Nines would be able to tell from scanning him. They didn’t comment on it, thank fuck.

Later that day, when their shift ended, Gavin pushed all the things on his desk that he wouldn’t risk breaking into his bag, and carried the rest out to his car in his arms so he could take them home. His cat was about to get a lot more stuff to swat off of his shelves.

He did decide to leave behind the little stuffed bulldog Nines had gotten him. Just to give his desk a little personality so it didn’t look so sad.

If it happened to find a companion in the form of a blue hippo that had been given its own place on Nines’ desk, well. That was complete coincidence, an he would threaten violence on anyone who implied otherwise.