#its fine i just have to get through this week (its not fine)

[a-mint-bear]

Comfort Object

Male Yandere x Reader

You see a really weird "job" post online, and the money seems too good to be true. But you aren't really in a position where you can turn it down...

You hope it doesn't get weird.

---

It was a very… concerning “job” posting.

But desperate times, and all that. 

It had shown up about a week ago, and it wasn’t hard to see why no one had taken the poster up on it as of yet. 

Bedmate Needed

● 11 pm to 6 am

● $25/hour up front

● Riverside Motel

● Room 44

● Not a sex thing

The last note seemed tacked on in a later edit, but it was still… not great.

You’d have to be either a gullible idiot or a desperate one to go for a job like this. Unfortunately, you were the latter. Very much so.

You couldn’t take another night on the street. It was getting so cold out. The promise of a warm bed was almost enough to lure you in on its own. But the money… 175 bucks just to sleep in the same bed as some internet creep?

Despite the clarification in the post, this had to be a sex thing, right?

You hadn’t gone that far, despite everything. It’s not like you hadn’t considered it… but the thought was too terrifying. Making yourself completely vulnerable to a stranger that could just decide you were less than a person and do whatever they wanted to you? You had to draw the line somewhere.

But at this point, you weren’t sure that there was a line you weren’t willing to cross anymore. 

. . .

The Motel wasn’t the seediest you’d ever seen around town but it wasn’t a place you would’ve voluntarily stayed at even two months ago. Back when you had options. 

Creepy post guy opened the door after a couple of knocks, with an awkward, pregnant pause between them. He wasn’t quite what you expected for an internet creep, but he was still a sight to see.

Really bad posture and dark, greasy-looking hair, with the darkest circles under his eyes you’d ever seen. He looked like he was about to pass out at any second, but he held it together long enough to gesture you into the room. 

“Hey…” His voice was low but he sounded nervous. And so, so tired. “You’re… You’re a little early. That’s…that’s fine. Uh, come in.”

You felt his eyes on you as you passed him, and it didn’t help your anxiousness. Not one bit. 

“Hey so, I-I really…I uh, need a shower.” He stumbled over his words with a breathy, nervous laugh. “Unless you wanna sleep next to a… fuckin’ sweaty mess all night. Do you wanna go first or…?”

You must’ve looked nervous because his eyes went wider, digging into his pocket.

“I wasn’t tryin’ to… Oh, uh…here.” He nodded, pressing the money into your hand. “Up front, just… just like I said. You just…just seemed like you maybe sorta needed one too.”

Some part of you must’ve still had an ounce of pride left because your whole body felt on fire with shame, embarrassment so consuming that you froze up. It had been a couple of days…

He just looked away, seeming like he was embarrassed himself. 

“I w-wasn’t gonna like… try to join you or peep on you or nothin’!” He tried to assure you, eyes darting in a panic and talking a bit too fast. “If I, like, go first? I won’t get mad if you change your mind and leave… I get it. I’m not gonna like… go after you or call the cops or nothin’ like that. I just…”

He stared at the floor, nails digging into his arm as he seemed like he was having trouble breathing.

“I really… I really need this.” He was so quiet, but his voice was so desperate.

You couldn’t really be considering this, could you?

He seemed more like a weird, awkward, sad guy than a real danger or some kind of pervert.

And you really did need a hot shower. 

It seemed like a safer bet to have him go first, if you were really going through with this. And it would give you a chance to look around the room for a spot to tuck away your pocket knife, just in case.

When he was in the shower, you did just that. The spot between the mattress and bed frame would be easy to grab at if things got hinky.

If things got all touchy-feely, as you suspected they would, him finding that on you or leaving it in your pocket when your clothes got tossed wherever would be really inconvenient. 

Steam rolled out of the bathroom when he stepped out, shirtless but with sweatpants and a towel around his neck. He was thin, almost alarmingly so, but you could still see muscle, enough to pose a problem should he decide to overpower you.

This was your last chance to back out, before you’d be vulnerable to this odd stranger.

But even if you left, the money wouldn’t last long, and it’s not like you had any other options. 

You were so grateful that the motel tub wasn’t disgusting, but you would’ve gotten clean regardless. Two days worth of sweat and funk was washed away and it felt so heavenly… But it was hard to relax when you were trying to stay hyper alert of any noise that could be that man trying to get in or even eavesdrop.

But…

Nothing. 

You finished your shower and brushed your teeth, doing everything you could to feel clean that a motel bathroom could provide. And there was no sign of the guy. 

But you had to go back out there eventually. You supposed you could lock yourself in here and get a full night’s sleep indoors, even if it was on the floor of a motel bathroom with your back against the door, but part of you just said ��fuck it” and warily peeked around the doorway into the bedroom.

The lights in the room were dim, but warm. He was sitting on the end of the bed, one knee tucked into his chest, staring at the tv as the bright colors of a nightly talk show reflected in his eyes, but something told you he wasn’t really watching. His eyes met yours and you froze.

“It’s almost eleven…” He mumbled, his head resting awkwardly on his shoulder. His hand ghosted over the spot on the bed next to him. “… Will... will you stay?”

So many thoughts raced through your head. What would happen if you laid down beside him? You could probably deal with sex… even if it felt a bit wrong. But if he wanted to hurt you?

Your brain reminded you:

What do you really have to lose?

When you told him you would stay, sitting next to him, you could see him relax. Just a bit.

“If you still want to leave-”

But you cut him off, almost afraid he would talk you out of it after you’d made up your mind.

Avoiding his stare, you told him you had nowhere to go.

The bed was cold, it might take a bit to warm up with the two of you in it, but it was the least of your concerns at that moment. 

“So it’s...” He’d spoken up so suddenly, you hoped he didn’t see you flinch. He was staring at the ceiling, seeming just a tiny bit calmer. “... it’s fine if you just… lay there or h-hold onto me, or play on your phone or whatever, anything is fine. Just… just don’t leave ‘til mornin’. Okay?”

A worrying pause, but you told him you understood.

And that was that. He laid next to you unmoving for almost an hour before you had the nerve to move at all, shifting slowly to your side to face him.

His eyes were shut, his breathing even, but somehow you knew he was still awake. It was like he was trying to sleep but it just wasn’t coming to him. He looked so worn down, like he could just keel over any second. It definitely made him less intimidating, but you weren’t letting your guard down, no matter how much your body was screaming at you to just let go.

Despite your better judgement, you wondered if he really was being genuine about this not being a sex thing. It was a relief, sure, but it just raised more questions.

Why were you here?

. . .

You’d stopped looking at the bedside clock a while ago. It had to have been hours by then.

Your anxiety and dread somehow felt quieter under the lull of impending sleep. Despite everything, your body was at least grateful for a warm bed and hot shower, and if you didn’t sleep there now, you didn’t know when you’d be able to sleep somewhere warm any time soon. 

Every moment that ticked by, you felt your resolve slipping. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, just to let go… This whole situation was weird, but you just wanted to sleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He hoped against everything that he would just fall asleep.

Just this once, he didn’t want to have to follow through with it. But he was so damn tired. There was this ache behind his eyes that he could feel in his bones, his mind never stopped racing… 

He could feel your body heat in the bed next to him. You had either been very scared or very considerate, you’d only moved once since you laid down with him. 

He hated that he had to do this. He felt sorry for you, he really did. But it was drowned out by the buzzing in the back of his brain. The constant whispers in his ear. 

There had been so many before now, it was a miracle he hadn’t gotten caught. But this was a huge, dangerous city. Everyone in it was just a blip to anyone paying attention. 

He could feel their skin under his palms buzzing at the back of his brain. How their eyes stared into his, burning with betrayal, fear, helplessness. How he saw them fade away.

How it was the only thing that worked to let him finally sleep. The only thing that quieted the whispers, at least for a little bit. 

Some booked it after getting the money. Some just showed up and straight-up robbed him. Some tried to leave in the middle of the night, thinking he was asleep. But if they stayed and fell asleep, that was that.

He told himself that he gave them all a chance. 

If you managed to stay up all night, you’d be safe. But he really needed this… It was already day three, and he’d never made it past day five without completely losing it. Trying to fight this, it was too hard. The longer he stayed awake, trying to avoid what had to happen, the worse he felt. The louder the voice got. The deeper the ache in his bones. But the more often he did it, the easier it got. And that was worse in a different way. 

It was wrong. He wasn’t so deep in it that he couldn’t see that. The morning after, he always hated himself and what he did. 

But as the days went on, it would all creep back in. And doing it again felt less and less horrifying to him. 

You were scared. He could tell. And you had every reason to be, he told himself. But it just meant it would take you longer to fall asleep. 

He could wait all night. And if you made it the full seven hours, you weren’t what he needed. You’d be free from him, from this. Hopefully you wouldn’t come back, no matter how badly you needed the money.

He wondered what you meant by having nowhere to go.

But he tried not to wonder too much. It would make this harder. 

He could hear your breathing getting slower, your body relaxing into the bed. You wouldn’t last much longer. 

His eyes shot open when he felt you suddenly touch him, tucking your forehead into his shoulder. You weren’t quite asleep, a cuddler? He almost laughed to himself when half-asleep you looked a bit frustrated, like it wasn’t enough.

You muttered something about being cold, lazily scooting your body closer to him up the bed. He felt his breath catch when suddenly, his head was pulled to you, tucked into your chest as your arm circled him. He was suddenly the little spoon, but facing you. He could hear your heartbeat. 

He wanted to say something, wake you up or wriggle free to make what he had to do easier on you when you fell asleep. He felt a hand in his hair, playing with it and idle gentle nails on his scalp. 

It was… nice. Everything felt calm, the buzzing and horrible thoughts were still there but they were being drowned out by the warmth of your skin, the thump of your heart in his ear.

You were mumbling something. He held his breath, trying to hear.

You told him, or whoever you were dreaming about, maybe even no one at all, that he was okay. That he was safe. 

He couldn’t keep his eyes open. Something was different this time. He felt all his control slipping away, and for once, he wasn’t scared. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You woke to a sunbeam across your face, and the strange man in your arms, sound asleep. According to your phone, it was 10 am. You were grateful for the extra hours in a warm bed, but would he be mad? Did he have somewhere to be?

You couldn’t remember anything past drifting off next to him, but the two of you were tangled together, he seemed so comfortable.

Now that it was over, and your anxieties were much quieter, you really got a good look at the guy. He wasn’t… unattractive, you supposed. He was all elbows and ribs but laying against your chest made him look so soft and harmless. 

Wasn’t the worst way you’d ever made 175 bucks.

You wondered if he’d shell out the extra 100, or if that would be pushing your luck. 

Either way, it would be best to wake him up.

Gently scratching at his scalp, you told him it was getting late.

You watched as his eyes struggled to open, and for a few calm moments, he just laid against you. After a beat, he gasped and jolted up, head swiveling around the room in a panic.

“I…” He seemed really out of it, almost scared. “I actually…”

He stared at you, eyes wide. You told him it was ten in the morning, hoping everything was okay and if it wasn’t, that he wouldn’t take it out on you.

He grabbed you by the shoulders, and for a moment you were sure something bad was going to happen, but somehow, it was even worse.

He was crying.

Breaking down, sobbing hard as he just kept staring at you. Even with the odd night you’d just had, this was somehow the weirdest part. 

Despite yourself, you asked him if he was okay. He pulled himself together and you were startled again when he touched your face, his thumb gently grazing your cheek. It was tender and sweet, and it was freaking you out a little. Just a tad. 

“You… It was you…”

All you could think to ask was if you should get going, maybe trying to make it seem like you had someplace to be, or were at least trying to be considerate of his time. But it didn’t seem like he was taking the hint. 

He grabbed your hands in his, the sudden contact made you jump. He pulled them to his chest, he was too close. The way he was looking at you…

“Can we… Can we do this again? Like tonight? Please?” He was practically begging, the look in his eyes changing. That nervous, achingly tired gaze was hopeful. And so warm.

“You can have the room, if that’s what you need!” he offered, maybe somehow having picked up on your current situation. “I can pay more too. Just p-please…”

He held your palm to his cheek, staring up at you.

“I need you.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a bit of a different one from me, but i kind of liked how it turned out

that feeling when your new yandere was totally gonna off you but you were just too comfy

he's never gonna let you go. you're the only thing keepin him from killing again, ya know?

i don't have a ton of yanderes that actually kill, as odd as that seems. but this guy is one of them

he's not supposed to be a huge commentary on any particular mental health conditions, i did a bit of "research" into psychosis induced insomnia (using that term VERY loosely), but like does he hear voices because he can't sleep, or can he not sleep because he hears voices? who can say? certainly not I, the dummy who made him

i wrote this one pretty much right after my last big deadline ended, but it got reworked a bit cause it just needed some tweaks:

the yandere started out as tired but crass, kind of a dick, and when he switched after that good night's sleep it felt off. It felt more interesting if he was a bit pathetic and creepy, it felt like less of a red flag for the reader to stick around

the reader was originally going to be a straight up s*x worker that got hired by the yandere for him to kill, but it didn't really feel like my place to make that commentary on violence against s*x workers or to more or less soften it with a yandere love interest. it just didn't feel right for something so unserious

but ive been having horrible writer's block lately, so i thought i'd finally put this one out. i need to read/play some yandere stuff and get inspired. let me know if you have any recommendations y'all ✌️

[aangelinakii]

HALKIDIKI HOLIDAY.

— define "like."

summary : after going with damian and his family on holiday, pretending to be his girlfrienf no less, you realise pretty quickly that neither of you are pretending anymore. you've been simply friends for so long that it's difficult to cope with. it wouldn't make a difference if you just went back home, would it?

note : female reader !! apologies,, this was a request and they askef for a fem reader, but i have tons of other works with gender neutral readers :)

note 2 : i also hope it's okay that i changed some of the stuff because i decided to only write a certain chunk of the story, and i made it so they were friends before everything, so they aren't enemiez like you asked,, so sorry but i hope this is still okay !!

when your lifelong friend had offered you to go away with him and his family on a holiday to greece, you hadn't expected to be laying in your bed, staring out the window at the waves swishing in the darkness; what's more, you hadn't expected to have to pretend to date him.

you're not sure what the reason was, really.

maybe it was that damian felt out of place when dick asked bruce if he could bring along kory, his girlfriend, or when tim asked if bernard could come; this still left jason, duke, cassandra and steph without anybody. and it wasn't like bruce was bringing any love interests, either.

it was during lunch one day that damian sprung the question on you — "will you go to greece with me?"

it seemed quite forward at the time, but then after you asked your parents and whatnot, and came back to him the next day to say you could and that you were really excited, and to send you the details, you came to see really just how forward damian wayne could be.

his browny-green eyes stayed staring at his alfred-made sandwich as he unwrapped the cling-film, like he couldn't bear to meet your eyes as he said it. "and do you think you could pretend to be my girlfriend, too?"

at this point, your miso soup almost shot out your nose.

it had started off all fine, smiling and holding hands, but dropping them as soon as all eyes were off.

but after a week, sinking into him became all too easy; sitting on a terrace restaurant as the sun sank below the sea, and all you could look at was the way the oranges and pinks danced along his face. perhaps you should've looked at the sun.

each night you went back to your shared room, although bruce had forbade you from sharing a bed — much to both your relief — and talked long and deep into the night until one of you stopped responding, and only soft breathing followed, meaning it was time for the other to sleep.

before this trip, you'd been friends and that was that.

when he enrolled into gotham academy, you'd been eager to make a new friend, especially since he was such a loner at that time; strictly speaking, he still is quite, but you've forced him to open up his shell.

thinking about it, you didn't like him, of course you couldn't. you were friends and that's where the line ended.

eyes were supposed to wander when you splashed in the crystal greek waters with a cute guy your age, even more so when he tussled around with his brothers, muscles rippling with the waves.

it was just hormones, it didn't mean anything.

but now, the most you could see illuminating the world outside was the fragmented reflection of the white moon against the blackened ocean. the sheer curtains were pulled open, and the window had been pushed to, but not a breeze ran through the room.

you're not sure how long has passed since you and damian were talking after getting ready for bed, but one of you stopped speaking, and you were left here to rest, although your day played back in your mind.

that morning, your eyes had blinked open as the sun coming in through the curtains ebbed out of sight, something blocking its shine. standing before your bed — it would've been terrifying had you not been used to this for a week now — was one damian wayne, your boyfriend for this trip. his tan was dark, defining his features, the white t-shirt he wore a stark contrast, but making him look all the better; in one hand he had a ceramic bowl, santorini blue, with a spoon perched inside it.

"eat," he'd said, and you're sure you'd seen his jaw twitch, like he wish he'd been less brash but it was too late to go back.

after seeing dick take back kory a bowl of greek yoghurt, mountain honey and chopped peaches, damian had been doing it, too, though you weren't sure if it was because he wanted to or because he thought he was supposed to.

you weren't complaining anyhow.

biting your cheek to hold down a smile, you pushed yourself up, joints aching and cracking as you did so, and took the bowl from him.

this morning he'd added banana slices along with the usual peaches, but you weren't sure whether to comment on it — maybe he just hadn't been thinking; surely it hadn't been anything to do with wanting to give you a little more flavour and nutrients.

then, after eating, you'd changed into your swim stuff and joined the rest of everybody on the beach; maybe you were seeing things — heat does that to people — but, even in the water, damian seemed to straighten up and get a bit more rough playing around with dick and tim, like he was trying to be stronger than them or something.

it had to have been a mirage, your eyes playing tricks on you.

after dinner — another one of those terrace restaurants with the sunset and you can't even focus on your food — you and damian stood in the mirror, struggling to bite back smiles as you brushed your teeth. although your mouths hung either wide or clenched shut, the crescent of both eyes was impossible to miss, and the gap between your shoulders was practically non-existent.

and then once you'd got into bed, lights off, listening to the rest of the villa get ready to sleep, the two of you talked mindlessly, but you weren't getting any more tired.

recalling it now, it must've been damian who'd stopped talking first, letting your statement on how good your souvlaki had been that you would definitely be dreaming about it later hang loose into the darkness, and you'd stayed staring out the window since.

he had to be asleep by now.

shuffling in bed, you redirected your gaze to the bed at the wall opposite yours, where, although you couldn't see much of him, the outline of damian's shoulders shuddered with sleep.

if he were awake right now, sitting on the floor, leaning back against the bed frame, laughing with you like it didn't matter it was keeping jason and duke up next door, you'd be watching how his cheeks, kissed a rose by the sun during the day, plumped up with his smile.

oh, god...

never in your life had you counted the beauty spots on someone's face, or revelled in the mess of their hair after a shower.

never in your life had you memorised the lines on someone's hand, or laced up someone's shoes when they couldn't do it themselves.

you were just friends, you couldn't... you couldn't be.

suddenly, all the souvlaki you were sure to dream about gurgled in your stomach, and you were quick to sit up so it would all settle back down there. you couldn't have fallen in love so quickly, could you?

and, in the dead of night — the time when all decisions made little sense — there was only one thing left for you to do: leave.

being here for a week already, you knew the town stayed up deep into the night, and you could probably find a taxi to thessaloniki airport with the click of your fingers; the only problem being staying in a house of vigilantes, where any creak of a floorboard was bound to wake the whole villa up.

regardless, you decided you were going to take any chances, and you carefully pulled your feet out of the light covers, a light shiver running up your legs as your toes came into contact with the cold linoleum.

constantly checking over your shoulder to make sure damian was still facing the wall, snoozing away — though he certainly was rather quiet — you quietly approached your suitcase in the corner of the room.

knees clicking as you kneeled down, you, as silently as possible, unzipped it round, leaving it open so you could gather all your things.

"are you looking for something?"

a voice breaking the silence of the night, your body gave an immense jolt, sending a spring through your shoulders, and you spun around to find damian sitting up in his bed, eyes almost seeming to glow with the way the moonlight hit them.

"fuck, damian!" you whispered, heart still thumping like a rabbit's when you pressed a hand to your chest. "you scared the shit out of me."

damian reached over and clicked on the lamp, filling your shared room with an amber light, of which you could audibly hear whirring through its wire.

trying not to change your plan with him staring so intently you could feel holes drilling into the back of your head, you continued rummaging through your bag, stuffing a t-shirt you weren't even sure was yours in there.

"what are you doing?" damian's voice asked, soft but confused that it was evidently difficult to not be a little forward.

after a few breaths in and out, you turned around, rising fully to your feet, as self-conscious as it made you feel. "i can't stay here anymore, damian, i'm sorry."

in the dim light, you mistook a flash in his features; a furrow in his brow causing a crease in his forehead, the corner of his lip twitching.

"why not?" he asked first, then, after a few silent beats. "have i done something?"

your head began to move before your mouth did. "no, not at all, it's not that... i can't say."

now you really saw it — it wasn't just a trick of the dark — his mouth was tugging down in the corners, very alike to a frown. "why not?" he asked again. "please tell me. i can fix it."

"you can't, though, that's the thing." and you turned to look out the window, arms coming to fold over your chest. you were so close to the open window that you could hear the water sloshing even from here. "i'm going home."

another gap of silence.

"i think that's a bit dramatic," damian replied, but his voice wasn't harsh. "if anybody has made you feel uncomfortable, i can talk to them. anything you want."

a long breath brushed from your nose, and you began to step back to your bed. when you crawled back on top of the messed covers, you sat your back against the cool wall and drew your knees to your chest, hugging them close like it would save your from this illness they called love.

"i just don't fit in with your family here," you shrugged. it was easy to lie, but, with damian, difficult to make it believable.

"that's not true," he shot back without a beat. "bernard is having fun, tim told me. and kory is from an entirely different planet; their beaches probably rival our earth's, and i can tell she likes it here. we embrace both of them, so i know my family embraces you."

shaking your head uncertainly, you let out a shaky sigh. "what's there to embrace? we're lying to them, we're not actually dating."

with a quick glance his way, you saw the crease in damian's brow soften. no way he'd forgotten you weren't actually dating. surely not.

"you're right, we're not," was all he returned with. his hands had began to fidget with the linen bed sheet.

yet another empty song filled the room, a fluttering of eyelashes but gazes never meeting.

"can you turn the light off?" were the words you spoke when you finally broke the absence of sound. damian wasn't one to ignore your wishes.

once the room was bathed in black once again, you felt less vulnerable, less seen. damian couldn't see you — he knew you were there, but he couldn't see you. if he wanted to, he could reach out, get up from his bed and step over to find you, but even then he'd just be groping around in the darkness for a warm body that he'd never find.

with one deep breath, you spoke again.

"i'm not your girlfriend, but it's feeling too real. i think that's why i want to go home; because i hate the thought of lying to you or your family anymore."

"i know we're lying to my family, but how are you lying to me? we're just pretending." he didn't sound accusatory, just confused.

lips trembled, tremoring to stay together, aching to come apart and spill it all. when a big beast is fighting against you, it's difficult to hold it back.

"i'm beginning to think i'm seeing you in the way a real girlfriend would see her boyfriend. and i can't do it, i can't let that happen. it would ruin our friendship, ruin everything we spent years building. it would be easier for me to go back home and pretend like none of this ever happened."

with a blink, you turned back to damian's side of the room, only for the view to be obscured.

you craned your neck up, and, instead of perched in his bed still, damian wayne stood by your bedside, fingers still fidgeting, but now with the light linen trousers he'd bought from the merchant in town.

for a moment your heart stopped — would he slap you for being so stupid? shout at you? shove you? eat you? god, you hope not, that would be going a bit far.

when his arm flinched by his side, moving an inch, your body stilled, but it took a lot to not outwardly start.

carefully, slowly, he rose his arm, bringing a soft hand to your head.

first it was the tips of his fingers that made contact, like a watt of electricity jolting through your bones, starting at your hair follicles, and they brushed back sweetly along your scalp. once they'd done one full sweep, they pulled back and came back to where they'd started, doing the action again, softer.

"so be my real girlfriend."

not the answer you were expecting to that.

your forehead tightened as your eyebrows pulled together in a furrow. "what?" you couldn't help but blurt.

damian pulled back, the hand running itself through your hair finding his other hand and cracking the knuckles cathartically. "no more pretending. for either of us."

despite his words, you could practically feel the nerves radiating off him, a warmth that seemed to be embarrassed to be so warm. an uncertain kindness.

"you... what?" you stammered again, that ill feeling in your stomach beginning to subside finally.

and then he had the audacity to laugh — well, more of a chuckle, damian wasn't much of a laugher. but he turned on his heel and began to step towards the gap in the curtains. "i think you're amazing; i think you're intelligent, but really? i'm surprised you hadn't figured it out."

"figured what out?"

"what guy asks a girl to pretend to be his girlfriend on a vacation with his family? no sane guy, that's for sure." he gave a scoff directed at himself, and you could see a moonlit silhouette shake its head in self-deprication. "i don't know why i did it. i sort of regretted saying it when i did—"

then he quickly spun around. you couldn't see his expression, but you could guess alarm. "that's not me saying i regretted bringing you— i suppose i just realised afterwards that it was quite forward. i would have said no if i were you, but..."

"but here we are," you breathed, finishing the sentence for him.

"yeah..."

a new heavy cloud hung low, like a fog of confusion.

"so, you like me?" you finally asked, watching him in faint curiosity.

"i'm not sure 'like' is a strong enough word," damian replied with a chuckle, which ended in a gulp. he brought a hand up to scratch at the back of his head awkwardly. had he already ruined this? "are you still leaving?"

this was what he was most worried about.

but your lips only curled up.

"hell no."

[winters-light]

Sip and Paint

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 1k

A/N: bucky at the stark expo in tfa letting the girl drag him around??? this is 1000% realistic and I have had this idea for weeks but was too lazy and then when I finally sat down and wrote half I forgot to save it and had to rewrite it so rip :')

please comment and lmk what you think because i’m still new and so in my head about my writing!

“Oh my god, Bucky,” she gasped suddenly as she stopped in the middle of the aisle.

Currently, the pair were in the supermarket on a Friday evening - the first Friday evening they'd both had free in weeks - doing their weekly food shop. It had been a long week and honestly, she was so exhausted the last thing she wanted to do was to go out drinking with the rest of the team. Instead, she and her fiancé had decided to cook dinner together and have a quiet night in.

“What?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice as he glanced over to where she was pointing.

“Look it’s us,” she excitedly gestured towards some paint your own avenger figurines.

They had somehow found themselves cutting through the toy aisle and the Avenger section had caught her eye. She had been part of the team for nearly two years now, yet somehow it was still so surreal whenever she saw toys and other merchandise modelled after herself.

A small smirk appeared on his lips as he took the two figures in. He picked one the boxes up, allowing his eyes to study the miniature version of himself, finding himself impressed with the attention to detail on his uniform.

“Damn… This actually looks pretty good,” he chuckled, running his metal hand through his hair before carefully placing it back on the shelf.

Noticing the way his mouth subtly curved up in amusement, an idea crept into her mind. "Pretty please can we get them?" she asked sweetly, widening her eyes ever so slightly as she blinked up at him.

"Fine,” he sighed softly, rolling his eyes and shaking his head though the small smirk remained in place. He was hopeless against her pouting and they both knew it. She had the Winter Soldier wrapped around her pretty little finger; he could never deny her anything.

Her lips quickly flicked up into an excited smile as she added two boxes to the trolley before pushing it along so they could continue with their shopping.

***

Once they had finished cleaning up from dinner, she excitedly set up the figurines and paints on the dining table, snapping a quick picture for her socials - as cheesy as it was.

The scene looked like something straight from Pinterest, she had lit candles and got out their fanciest wine glasses determined to make a romantic evening of it. This week in particular had been extremely stressful, and she figured they both deserved to relax and spend some quality time together.

“Baby,” she called out for Bucky to join her. She greeted him with a gentle kiss on the cheek and instructed him to sit down. She giggled softly shaking her head as he sat down in front of his own clay figure. “Nope, we’re painting each other, it’ll be more fun that way.”

“Fine,” Bucky groaned and reluctantly agreed, unable to deny her. This whole ‘paint and sip’ thing she had insisted on as soon as she saw the figures in the supermarket sounded ridiculous to him, but she looked so excited by the prospect he couldn’t bear to refuse her. Besides, he found the whole 'sip' part of the night extremely agreeable. And maybe he did secretly adore all the effort she had put into their date night; it had been so long since anyone had cared for him like this.

Bucky shook his head in slight amusement as he picked up his wine glass and took a long sip before picking up the clay figure of you. He ran his hand over the smooth clay with a soft hum, impressed at its likeness to her.

"Just don't laugh at me, if mine looks completely awful," he grumbled though a hint of a smile played at the corners of his lips as he grabbed the brush and dipped it carefully into the paint.

“I won’t,” she chuckled softly and shook her head, watching him as he began to work. She was surprised to see how seriously he was taking this, the way his metal hand held the figure so gently and his whole face had scrunched up in concentration. She smiled at the sight taking a sip of her drink before picking up her own brush.

***

The hours passed by quietly, the couple surprisingly more invested in their art projects than either of them expected to be.

“This is a lot harder than I thought it would be,” she muttered swearing under her breath as she accidentally smudged some of the paint on her figure. The paint that came with the kit was awful and patchy and had preferred to stick to their hands and anywhere but the model. She had been struggling to paint in the details on his face for the last hour and was just about ready to give up.

"You're telling me," Bucky replied with a soft chuckle, equally as frustrated as he smeared away and attempted to start on the painting again. His brows were furrowed in a deep look of concentration, his tongue sticking out between his teeth as he focused intensely on the figure in front of him. "This is impossible."

“Ready to call it a night?” she suggested as she poured the last of the wine into her glass and practically drank it in one sip.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea,” he murmured in agreement, letting out an exasperated sigh as he set the figure down. He looked a bit disappointed in his work, but at the same time, he couldn't help but to chuckle at how ridiculous they looked sitting there, frustrated over a painting meant for children.

She nodded, chuckling softly as she looked over their figures. Despite their best efforts, the paint messily smudged over the figures barely even resembled humans anymore. She stood letting out a soft yawn deciding that tidying could wait until morning. She grabbed the remaining bottle of wine on the table and took it into their bedroom with Bucky in an attempt to salvage the rest of their night.

[moonyswifee]

Nemesis and Tutors

Remus Lupin x fem!reader [part 3]

summary: enemies to lovers, full moon week. remus is pretty exhausted, snape and avery being jerks like always.

warnings: violence, swearing, fluff, banter, she/her pronouns used for reader, mentions of blood and injuries, use of wizard blood slurs.

word count: 1.5k words

a/n: hi lovelies, i knoww this part is late, so sorry to all the people who wanted a part 3, but here it is! sorry i couldn't write it sooner, i have been so busy lol. i have had such a bad writer's block, i could not come up with good ideas for the plot at all. i had this idea, and i think its pretty good, but hope you all like it!!

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

-------

You return back to your dorm, your mind still reeling. What the hell was that? You did not know why you were suddenly feeling this way, and more than that, you definitely did not know why you were feeling this towards your sworn nemesis, Remus freaking Lupin.

Those were just feelings…of annoyance. That’s it. Nothing, nothing more than that. You sigh heavily and dump your bag on your bed.

Lily looks up from her bed as you enter. “Hey, how was tutoring? By the way, I got us those ginger cookies that were out of stock”

You shrug absentmindedly. “Eh.”

Lily chuckles softly and shakes her head, the response valid from you. She leans back on her bed, flipping through her book. “Was Remus terrible, then?” She asks teasingly.

You blink and look away, your heart skipping a beat at the name. “What? Why would I care what Remus was like? I mean-" You scoff a small nervous laugh. “Remus can just like, go missing, for all I care. Like, I just hate him, you know, I hate his guts. That man is intolerable. Completely and utterly infuriating. Did I mention I hate him?” You blabber defensively, almost like you were trying to convince yourself that you hated him.

Lily blinks and furrows her eyebrows in confusion and surprise. “Oookay? Are you okay?” She asks in concern.

You nod with a wide grin. “Me? I’m fine- I am. I am just…amazing. Why, how are you?” You say with a nervous laugh.

Lily narrow her eyes, and looks at you with a tilted head. “Why did you get so…defensive when I mentioned Remus?” She asks in amusement.

You huff. “Because…I hate him. Yep. I. Hate. Him.”

Lily nods slowly, with a slight smirk and goes back to reading. You’re relieved Lily seems to have dropped the subject. You walk inside the shared bathroom, sighing.

Lily calls out from the bed, still looking down at her book. “Do you like him?” She asks with a knowing smirk.

The bathroom door opens so fast it might have broken. “WHAT?”

You look at her with a horrid expression. “Why would you say that? I hate Remus, I don’t like him, Jesus.”

Lily smirks up at you triumphantly. “I never said anything about Remus.”

You groan and face palm yourself. How did you fall for that one? Lily, unbeknownst to your agony, sits up in bed and looks at you with the most excited grin. “Oh my god! Do you have feelings for Remus?”

You huff and narrow your eyes, pointing a threatening finger at her. “I don’t have feelings for Remus.” You grimace. “The only feelings I have for Remus are hatred. Pure hatred. And anger. And frustration. And infuriation. Is that a word? Is infuriation a word?” You ask, threatening finger still pointed.

“Yes, it’s a word.”

“Great! That is exactly what I feel for him, then.”

Lily puts her hands up in defense, smiling. “Okay. You hate him. I got it.”

You huff. “Good. Now where are those cookies?"

-----------

The next time you saw Remus, he looked as pale as a ghost. There were deep bags under his eyes and he looked like he could pass out any moment.

You knew why it was. It was the week of the full moon, and those days had to be hard. You would know, you had read all about lycanthropy the day you found out about Remus. Out of pure curiosity and thirst for knowledge, of course. You found yourself almost concerned for him, in a sense. You weren’t one to empathize with Remus, but you weren’t made of cold stone, either.

You sit down, late as always, on the desk next to him. Remus sits up, wincing slightly, and opens his books. “Where did we leave off last time?”

You open your books and show him the last topic. You look at his tired expression. “You’re not going to lecture me this time? Scold me for being late?”

Remus sighs and closes his eyes for a moment before opening them again, looking at his book. His head was bursting. “Not really. Sorry to deprive you of the pleasure.”

You narrow your eyes at him and start working. You look at Remus as he explains the topic to you, and you almost feel bad, listening to him drawl on about the effects of Veritaserum.

His eyes are tired and his face is pale. The brightness in his expression is gone. You find yourself thinking how unfair it is, for someone innocent to be affected so much by something that wasn’t even their fault. You almost feel yourself pitying him, stuck in this library and teaching you Potions. But you know Remus would never want pity. He’s just not like that. It’s the one thing you can bring yourself to admire about him.

As you study, you try to keep to yourself as much, to not bother him. Not because you care, but because you don’t want to get into an argument.

After a while, you hear hushed (or not so hushed) voices from the other side of bookshelf. The voices snicker quietly. “I would be embarrassed if I was him.”

You distinctly recognize the voices as Snape and Avery’s. The library is quiet, and you and Remus can hear every word they are saying.

“Yeah, always hanging out with those two arrogant pricks like their lapdog. I can bet they only keep him around because they feel bad for him.”

“And have you seen his face? It’s all scratched up, like some scary monster. He’s such a freak.” They snicker.

Remus feels his entire face heat up, and looks down at his book. Normally, he would say something, stand up for himself. But, he was too exhausted to even stand up right now. You notice Remus’ embarrassed gaze on his book, and your hands clench subconsciously. Why wasn’t he saying anything?

Avery snickers, “Must run in his blood. I mean, what would you expect after his father married that filthy muggle?”

Snape continues, “No wonder he doesn’t hang out with many people. I don’t know why Lily goes near him, anyways. Hanging out with Half-bloods like that Lupin. Serves her right for being a mudblood, I guess.”

That was the last straw. With a loud scrape of chairs, Remus and you both got up. Before Remus could make his way to them, however, you had already beat him to that. You stood with your hands clenched into tight fists and a death glare fixed on the two slytherin boys.

“What did you say?” You ask dangerously, your jaw tightened.

Avery and Snape faltered beneath your stare but retorted back, “You heard what we said. He’s a lousy, fucking filthy Half-blood who can’t keep his mouth sh-"

A sickening crack was heard as Snape was cut off with the courtesy of your fist to his crooked nose. He groaned in pain, clutching his nose. Remus stood with his eyes widened, his gaze fixed on you. Was this a dream? Had you really defended Remus? Had you just punched someone for him? He almost felt surprised at the little flutter his heart did.

You lean down, your glaring eyes level with Snape, who was still holding his bleeding nose. “No one gets to talk about him like that except for me.” You say, in a threatening dangerous voice. Remus would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little intimidated by you himself, as he watched with his mouth gaping.

You stand back up, and Snape and Avery scuttle out of their seats, running away from there as fast as they can. As they leave, you shake your hand slightly, wincing as you look down at your now injured knuckles.

Remus stands there speechless for a moment before he finds his voice again. “I didn’t know you could throw a punch like that.”

You grimace at you hand and look at him. “Well, there’s plenty you don’t know about me, Lupin.” You say, but there’s no real hindrance in your voice, only a weird gentleness and concern in your expression.

You both stand in silence for a while. “Thank you.” Remus says sincerely. “For…doing that.” He’s touched albeit a little awkward. Who knew Remus Lupin would be thanking you one day?

You didn’t, that’s for sure. You blink at him, caught slightly off guard by his gratefulness. You look away, flexing your hand. “ Yeah, well…He was saying stuff about Lily, too.” You say attempting to be as nonchalant as you can with your knuckles bleeding from punching a guy in defense of Remus.

Remus nods, looking at your hand. “You should, um…You should probably get that cleaned up.”

You huff slightly with a slight smile. “By Pomfrey? No way. She’s scolded me far too much for scraped knuckles and bleeding noses. I would never hear the end of it.”

Remus finds himself chuckling slightly at your statement. “I could help.” Remus offers casually.

You look at him, surprised by his offer. “What?”

He blinks. “Oh, I mean…I um, I have some experience with…this stuff.” He says, gesturing vaguely to your scraped fingers. “I just…I could clean that up. I mean, I kind of owe you now.” He shrugs.

You nod slowly, looking thoughtful on the outside. “You do owe me. Okay, fine. How do I know you’re not just taking me to your dorm to murder me in cold blood?”

Remus rolls his eyes with a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Ha-ha. Very funny. I still hate you. Come on, smart-ass.”

You smirk slightly as you both pick up your bags and make your way out of the library. “Yeah, I know. I hate you, too.” Your heart felt otherwise. You sigh quietly.

This was going to be one long night.

-----------

thank you so much for reading!! ♡ let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist!

taglist:

@boromoony @blueikky @daydreamandforget @lupinzlover @cinnamongirlmmaya

[sturniololuvz]

“Shattered Words & Unspoken Fears”

Chris sturniolo x reader

warnings: fighting, crying use of y/n

Chris sat slouched on the couch, flipping through his phone while his brothers, Matt and Nick, sat beside him. The room was dimly lit, the only sound being the low hum of whatever YouTube video Matt had half-heartedly put on in the background.

Nick was sprawled across the couch dramatically. “Bro, I’m telling you, if I have to hear one more person say, ‘You just haven’t met the right girl yet,’ I’m gonna lose my mind.”

Matt smirked. “What, you mean the world isn’t secretly conspiring to make you straight?”

Chris chuckled under his breath, but his attention was soon stolen by the buzzing of his phone. His eyes flickered to the screen, and a small smile tugged at his lips.

Y/N: “I’m outside :)”

Chris stood up, stretching. “Y/N’s here. I’ll go get her.”

Nick waved lazily. “Go get your queen before she freezes out there.”

Chris rolled his eyes but couldn’t fight the smile as he grabbed a hoodie and stepped outside.

—

Y/N was sitting in her car, scrolling through her phone, looking annoyingly adorable. When Chris opened the passenger door, she looked up and grinned.

“Hey,” she said softly.

Chris leaned in, kissing her temple before she climbed out, immediately reaching for his hand. “Hey, you.”

As they walked inside, Y/N let out a dramatic sigh. “Your driveway is awful. Almost slipped and died.”

Chris smirked. “Damn, and here I was hoping you’d live long enough to see me get famous.”

She elbowed him playfully. “Guess I’ll have to hold on a little longer.”

They stepped inside, and immediately, the energy shifted into its usual chaos.

“Y/N!” Matt called from the couch. “About time. Chris has been so boring without you.”

Nick grinned. “Yeah, I was about to file a missing personality report on him.”

Y/N laughed, slipping onto the couch next to Chris. “You guys are such menaces.”

They all settled in, conversation flowing effortlessly. The topic bounced around from stupid childhood stories to ridiculous internet trends, filling the air with laughter.

But then, the conversation took a sharp turn.

Matt, stretching his arms, casually asked, “Oh, Y/N, didn’t you mention last week that you had a family thing coming up? How’d that go?”

Chris didn’t think much of the question at first—until he felt Y/N tense beside him.

She hesitated. “Uh… it was fine.”

Chris turned his head toward her, eyebrows furrowing. “You never mentioned how it went.”

Y/N gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Because there wasn’t much to say.”

Chris didn’t buy it.

Nick, being Nick, picked up on the shift immediately. “Ohhh, this sounds like some tea. Spill.”

Y/N sighed, rubbing her temples. “It’s just… the usual. My parents arguing about stupid stuff, my mom making backhanded comments, my dad acting like we’re all burdens. You know, classic family bonding.”

Chris clenched his jaw. He hated the way Y/N talked about this so casually—like it was just normal.

“It was bad, wasn’t it?” Chris pressed.

Y/N hesitated. “…Not any worse than usual.”

Chris exhaled sharply, sitting up straighter. “That’s not the point. You shouldn’t have to deal with that at all.”

Y/N forced a small laugh. “Chris, it’s whatever. I’m used to it.”

Chris’s expression darkened. “That’s exactly the problem.”

Nick and Matt immediately sensed the shift. Matt leaned forward slightly, his gaze flickering between them, while Nick’s usual lighthearted expression faded.

Chris clenched his fists. “I don’t get how you can just act like it’s normal. Like it’s okay for them to treat you like that.”

Y/N’s shoulders stiffened. “I never said it was okay. But I can’t change it, Chris.”

“That’s bullshit,” he snapped.

Y/N flinched slightly. “Excuse me?”

Chris let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “You just sit there and take it, Y/N. Every single time. You let them talk down to you, make you feel like shit, and then what? You pretend it doesn’t bother you?”

Her eyes flashed. “You think I let them do this? Chris, what the hell am I supposed to do? They’re my parents!”

Chris scoffed. “So what? That gives them a free pass to treat you like garbage?”

Y/N’s face reddened, her breathing becoming uneven. “You don’t think I want to stand up for myself? You don’t think I wish things were different? I don’t need you to tell me how messed up my family is! I live with it every damn day!”

Chris’s voice rose. “Then why don’t you do something about it?”

Y/N stood up abruptly. “What the hell do you want me to do, Chris? Cut them off? Run away? Because news flash—I can’t!”

Chris stood up too, his hands gripping his hair in frustration. “You could if you actually wanted to!”

Tears welled in Y/N’s eyes. “That is so easy for you to say! You don’t get it, Chris! You don’t know what it’s like to feel like you owe the people who hurt you!”

Chris opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Nick suddenly stood, stepping between them slightly. “Okay. Let’s all take a second.”

Y/N let out a shaky breath, her chest heaving.

Chris, his hands still clenched into fists, turned away, his whole body tense.

Matt stood and grabbed Chris’s shoulder, forcing him to look at him. “Chris. Stop.”

Chris’s breathing was ragged, his anger radiating off of him in waves. But beneath it, there was something else. Helplessness.

Nick gently touched Y/N’s arm, his voice softer. “Come here for a second.”

Y/N hesitated but let Nick pull her aside, guiding her away from Chris before she completely broke down.

Nick whispered, “Hey, hey. Breathe, okay? You’re okay.”

She sucked in a shaky breath, blinking rapidly. “I just—I can’t talk about this with him when he gets like that.”

Nick nodded. “I know. Just breathe.”

Meanwhile, Matt was staring Chris down, lowering his voice. “Dude. What are you even fighting for right now?”

Chris let out a shaky exhale, rubbing his face. “I just… I hate that she thinks she’s stuck. I hate that she won’t let herself believe she deserves better.”

Matt’s voice softened. “Then tell her that. Don’t yell at her for it.”

Chris’s shoulders dropped slightly. He ran a hand down his face, his anger fading into exhaustion.

After a moment, he turned to look at Y/N. She was still leaning into Nick, her body trembling slightly as she tried to steady herself.

Chris swallowed hard before walking toward her.

Nick gave him a warning look but stepped aside.

Chris gently touched her arm. “Y/N.”

She sniffled, wiping her eyes as she looked up at him. “Chris, I—”

Chris pulled her into his arms before she could finish.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, voice thick. “I was an asshole. I just—I hate seeing you hurt, and I don’t know how to handle it.”

Y/N melted into him, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks. “I know.”

He pressed his lips to her temple, squeezing his eyes shut. “I just want you to be happy, Y/N. And I know I can’t fix this, but… I need you to know you’re not stuck. You have me. Always.”

Y/N let out a shaky breath, gripping his hoodie. “I know, Chris.”

Matt sighed, flopping back onto the couch. “Jesus. You two are exhausting.”

Nick smirked. “You love it.”

Chris held Y/N tighter, silently promising himself—he’d never let her feel alone again.

[katharine1994-blog1]

Aaron Hotchner xBAUreader!

I Will Find You Part3

CW; adult themes, violence and sexual references and sexual violence

Its a late night in February, the sun sets early as you all set to greet the cold air to head home, the team had found out through Morgan and Penelope that it was actually your birthday today, Hotch had insisted on all of us going for dinner to celebrate, not wanting a big fuss you had protested, saying everyone must be tired after the case and it could be done another time, but they all pushed telling you how much they wanted to go, Emily took your arm linked with hers out the front door, marching you round the block until you realise your heading to your favourite Asian restaurant not far from the office, you hadn't realised anyone knew how much you loved this place, did someone pay that much attention to you? you think maybe Morgan had guessed seeing empty takeaway containers at your place when he's came over, when you arrive through the doors Hotch is at the front desk and enquired about a booking he had made, Hotch booked this place?

"when did this get planned? I know the waiting list is quite long for tables here?" you whisper to Emily

"Weeks ago Hotch sorted everything, didn't he ask where you would like to go?"

"no he didn't" you grim to yourself, so clearly he did notice things about you. Of course he knew when your birthday was, he does have your file, this place is so close maybe it was just out of coincidence, you chastise yourself for thinking he did it for any other reason

"I love this place, always wanted to try inside rather than always getting take out, but booking is a nightmare" you say smiling to Emily as you're all lead to your large round table as you arrive, Hotch pulls out a chair and tilts his head for you to take the seat, you do and swing round to thank him, as you begin taking off your coat you feel his hands slowly take it away and carefully hang it on the back of your chair before removing his own jacket

"I remember you saying the exact same thing a while back so I figured no better time then your birthday" he says with a smug grin taking the seat next to you

"Really? you remembered that? thank you" you look at him bashfully tucking a stray hair behind your ear, you stare for far too long at his kind face before clearing you throat and turning away

Hotch didn't always smile, never at work anyways, not like this, but when he did you felt as if the room was warmer and you were the centre of his attention, outside of work he was a calmer person, more at ease, you always felt he was warmest with you, but it was likely just because he's protective of you being the youngest of the team. Morgan took the seat on the other side after winning a fight with Emily who rolled her eyes and giggled as she sat next to him, lightly punching his arm, he made a dramatic fall against you and you laugh with them, everyone else settles into there seats with Rossi to Hotch's left signalling for a waitress

"I don't know about you guys but I need a drink and I think this birthday girl needs a cocktail" Rossi says shooting you a wink

"oh yes please, a Cosmo for me, in fact make it two" Penelope craned over to the waitress and immediately going back into her deep conversation with Reid

"ah I will join you with that, make that two more will you" Emily said a full smile across her face

"a scotch for me please, just one is fine" Hotch chuckled, turning to you "what would you like Y/N?" he reached his arm around the back of your chair and gazed at you sombrely, you felt your face redden as you smile coyly towards him, catching Morgan in the corner of your eye look at you knowingly, he knew about your stupid crush but had also said how he felt like Hotch might feel the same, you shook your head giggling

"I will have two of your Sake Mojitos please" you say confidently gesturing towards the drinks menu, your answer gains a cheer from your team with a few claps of excitement and teasing, everyone's drinks arrive as you are all deciding what to get for dinner, mouths practically watering with hunger

"before we get started" Hotch begins pulling a gift bag from under the table "happy birthday Y/N, this is from all of us, we are so happy you're apart of our team, lets raise a glass"

You blush and hold your hands to your face smiling so flustered by all the attention from everyone, you feel so overwhelmed as you watch them all wish you a happy birthday and drink to you, you pick up your glass and thank them, you turn to Hotch who hands you the gift bag

"you might want to save it till you're home, there's a few bits in here" you nod and store it next to you on the floor, your grin is beginning to hurt your face and you mouth to him "thank you so much", this is really the best birthday you've had in a while.

After the meal you all sit round the table with your empty desert plates laughing and chatting lowly, you cant remember the last time you felt so comfortable with a group of people, you smile towards them all looking at them one by one, listening to Reid going off on a factual tangent, JJ shoving him and rolling her eyes playfully as Morgan throws small pieces of ripped up napkin at him, Penelope grabbing them and hurling them back at him, Emily asking him why he knows this useless piece of information, as Rossi laughs and claps his hands, you turn and see Hotch has a smirk on his face, his cheeks lightly red from the warm room and scotch he's had, you've lost count of the cocktails you've drank as you rest your head on your hand as you lean against the table, you head feeling light and fuzzy, you still feel Hotch's arm rested on the back of your chair and you lean back fanning yourself with a napkin as you come over all warm blowing out making a your lips trill, you feel his fingers caress your shoulder playing with your hair, you stomach does flips and you try to seem unbothered by this contact but you feel heat pool in your stomach as you cross your legs, he leans closer to you slightly not being too loud

"are you feeling ok, you look a little flustered?"

at the question you turn your head to see his face, he's quite close to you, you can feel his warm breath on your neck, his eyes are almost sparkling, his soft expression is always hard to get used to out of the office, it almost takes your breath away feeling lost in his hazel eyes, you suddenly remember he asked you a question and clear your throat trying to focus, wow maybe you've had too much to drink

"yeah I'm good, I'm having the best night" you sigh and whisper "should probably head home though, otherwise my park run is going to be rough in the morning, I cant keep up with this bunch"

"you plan on making it out of bed tomorrow? you're braver than me" he chuckles as you feel him look you up subtly "how's about I take you home? believe me when I say these guys are just getting started" he arches a brow towards the others

"gosh really? yes that sounds like a good idea" you both laugh together and begin untucking your chairs

"ok guys birthday girl is wanting to make tracks, I will take her home, make sure gets there in one piece"

there's a chorus of boos and pleads to get you to stay, Morgan takes your hand and plants a kiss on your knuckles

"get home safely sweetness, I hope you've had the best night" his words are slow and almost sultry, he's so handsome and so knows it, you take his hand to your lips and plant a kiss on his knuckles, you both laugh

"good night handsome, and good night everyone thank you so much for this, its honestly been the best night I've had in a while" you smile to your friends as you rise, Hotch has beaten you and is already holding your coat out ready to put on, you chuckle softy and roll your eyes to the others, he leans down for your gift bag and begins ushering you towards the door, he then stops and puts his hand into his jacket pocket taking a black card out his wallet, and popping it on the table

"meals on me guys, Dave can I trust you to bring it back to me on Monday with the bill?" he raises his brow at the team almost like he knows what they are like once they get going

"of course, now get that young lady home, another round everyone, its on Hotch?!" Rossi smirks and waves you both off.

Your apartment block isn't far from the restaurant, you even often walked to the office rather than drive and Hotch only lives 10 blocks away, him taking you home wasn't unheard of, so it didn't shock you he was willing to leave with you, besides Morgan was having a great time you didn't want to force him to leave early as he had already offered to take you home when you were ready. The cold air hit your flushed cheeks and you took in a breath as you fastened your jacket, its a frosty night, you could see a few stars in the sky, or were they satellites? you stood for a moment looking up at the sky smiling, Hotch moved in front of you and mimicked your gaze upwards, he then looked down to your face, his eyes resting onto your lips, you caught his eyes in your own and you could've sworn he was- no he wouldn't want to kiss you, he hovers for a moment and you really wonder, will he? but instead he steps back and offers you his arm to link, you take it happily, your feet not 100% straight and you did not want to face plant to ground, not tonight

"come on star gazer, lets get you home, don't want to miss that run do we?"

you begin walking huddling into his arm to keep warm, you don't know whether its the drinks or the cold making you feel bold but you huddle even tighter to him, wrapping both arms around his resting your head on his strong arm, your a bit smaller so you head doesn't even reach the top of his shoulder, you make a deep sigh and he looks down to you, trying to read what little he can see of your face

"you doing okay down there?" he says smirking and taking your hands in his other hand while gripping your gift bag gently between his fingers as you wrap tighter around him

"hmm, yeah I- I've had the best time, the best night" you smile wistfully to yourself "tonight's been - so great, I honestly can't remember the last time I've been out with people like that, i don't think I ever have"

you moved to DC for your job with the BAU but even at home your old colleagues often didn't ask to go for drinks after work, you didn't like admitting it but you were a bit of a loner, it took time before you ever really let people in and by that point they would lose interest, you've had a few boyfriends since school but it never felt right, before they ever got too close you pushed them back, it felt safer after a while, those who did get close would either hurt you or get hurt so why risk change right? that's what you told yourself, until this team, until the BAU taught you that actually its good to have friends, until he showed you, you were worth getting to know. Hotch had always pushed you to give more of yourself away, even when at first you pushed right back, but he noticed something in you even you didn't see, even he didn't at first know what knowing you might mean.

"Well you better get used to it, the team loves you and we can't imagine you not being here" Hotch says gently, you wonder did he mean the team or just himself?

you stop suddenly wanting to say something feeling brave maybe even reckless, but as soon as he looks at you its as if all words have lost meaning, you cant figure out how to piece a sentence together, damn cocktails! he waits for you to speak keeping a tight hold of your hands still clinging to his arm, like he knows you're panicking and just need a second to gather your thoughts, he does know you well

"I wanted to thank you, you've always supported me and helped me, since I arrived, I- I felt as if I was a fish out of water here, being apart of the BAU was my dream and you helped me realise I do deserve to be here, you make me feel seen, the team is amazing and I love working with them, so thank you, for giving me that chance, Aaron, for seeing me"

you blurt out, not stopping for breath you begin panting slightly tears prick the corner of your eyes as the panic rises again in your chest and you feel even warmer than when you were in the restaurant, you should've just kept quiet, what is he going think of you, was saying his first name too much? He stands looking at you for a moment, his expression is so hard to read, like he's building up courage to speak himself.

"Y/N, I hope you realise, you belong in this team and you- you are very special to me, I cant imagine my life now without you in it" now its Hotch's turn to look flustered, you both look at each other, your breaths in sink when he steps closer to you, you cant help but close your eyes, he bends down to your ear, his words tickle at your ear

"its freezing I think we should finish this upstairs, if you want me to stay?" he whispers in your ear, your faces are so close your cheeks touch and he lingers there for a moment taking in a deep breath, you feel his cheek rise into a smile before pulling away from you to look into your eyes, you realise you've not took a breath since he spoke and you let you breath out slowly while looking through your lashes to him, you realise you're actually just outside your building and you grin to him "night cap?"

"I thought you'd never ask"

you both make your way to your apartment building heading for the 12th floor, you step into the elevator with your fingers tangled into Hotch's hand as he holds on to you tightly pulling you close, you're both alone in the box as it begins to move up, you watch the numbers 2,3,4,5,6, tapping your foot impatiently, Hotch chuckles and pulls you closer to him wrapping his arm around your waist, your gift bag bouncing off your hip, he pulls his other hand up to your face and brushes your hair behind your ear, you fall into his touch, he cups your chin in his palm and leans his forehead to yours as your noses touch you bring your hand to his hanging on to his wrist, you smell the whiskey on his breath and the sweet ice-cream from his desert, your desperate for his lips to be on yours but before you inch closer the door ping's open onto your floor, you both giggle and step out and head to your apartment door.

You riffle through your pocket for your keys and fumble with all the key rings trying to find your front door key, his begins boxing you in as you feel his tall frame right behind you resting his arm on the door frame, you hear him place the bag on the floor as he begins gently running his hand through your hair, you sigh and let out a small moan you hope he doesn't catch, you feel a deep rumble from his chest as he steps even closer to you, his hard body pushing against yours as his hand travels down your back and around your waist to the soft of your stomach pulling you even closer against him

"that's very distracting you know" you say confidently, still intently searching for your keys, you need to get him in there now!

suddenly your being spun around as he pushes you against the door, taking his arm from the frame and resting in behind your head so you don't bang your head, he slides his knee between your legs still holding onto your waist, you gasp

"what about this?" he says breathlessly as his lips collide with yours, this kiss is hungry, it takes you a moment to take in what's happening, as you drop your keys to the floor you bring your hands to his face and through his hair pushing back hard into the kiss, your mouth opening allowing both your tongues to explore. his free hand runs around your back and untucks your shirt, feeling is strong callused hand on your bare skin drives you crazy with heat pooling between your legs as another moan escapes your mouth wrapping your arms tighter around his neck, you feel his knee pushing higher as you feel him lifting you off your feet and pressing your whole body into his, at that moment you hear a noise, a click from down the corridor, as you turn to look you swear you see a small red light, he pulls away from you panting seeing your distracted face he places you back down and removes his knee still holding you tightly

"are you alright?" he asks with a concerned frown

"I thought I just saw... never mind, lets get inside, I don't want to disturb my neighbours" you whisper to him

He smirks and nods leaning down and picking up the bag and your keys, and handing them to you

"my apologies, I just couldn't wait anymore" he says licking his lips and readjusting his jacket, you blink in disbelief, is this the same Hotch?

You finally open your door, throwing your keys into a bowl on a small table by the door, switching on the lights and removing your coat, Hotch steps in closing the door behind him, surveying the area, its a small apartment with a living area and adjoining kitchen, down the hall is your room, the guest room and main bathroom, your kitchen is a box with a breakfast bar, he places your gift bag on the bar, your living room is well furnished with artwork, fun and playful ornaments on the walls and shelves with bold colours on the woodwork, with 2 large bookshelves filled with books all well organised, framing the TV, he takes his jacket off and heads over to the books, neatly folding his jacket in his arms

"this is a lovely place, and I have to say exactly what I expected"

"oh really, you been profiling what my home would look like?" you smirk walking over taking his jacket and hanging it up with your own, you head over the the breakfast bar which has a drinks trolley in front, you grab too glasses and a bottle of brandy, and begin kicking off your small cat heels and lounge of the couch, placing everything on the coffee table, you watch him study your books smiling, he looks so at home here.

"you're a reader, even at work, and even though your clothes are sometimes a muted colour I've often thought you're a lot bolder behind closed doors, less profiling more trying to figure you out"

"am I that hard to read?"

"yes and I think its how you like to be"

for a moment your feel almost bare, like he knows things about you most don't or don't care to, you push the uncomfortable feeling down, you want him to know you.

he turns seeing you seated and joins you, you face each other with his arm up resting on the back of the couch, he gently starts playing with your hair again looking into your eyes softly, he leans closer and kisses you again, this time its gentle, soft and slow, you bring your hand to his chest and rest your hand there pulling yourself closer to him, his other hand gently strokes down your arm before resting on your leg you've brought up onto the couch, he pulls away with a wistful sigh smiling

"this wasn't what I was expecting to happen, not tonight anyways, I had hoped... that what I felt, you felt too" he confessed rubbing his hair

"I didn't even think your liked me, not in this way anyways"

"really? I thought I was being obvious, I suppose I am very much out of practice, I do like you, very much, and I would-"

but suddenly you feel like something catches his eye, he shifts away from you, his brow begins to furrow, he starts turning away and clears his throat

"you've dreamt of the BAU, and working in this team, its what you've always wanted" he says very matter-a-fact

taken aback you sit straight with a puzzled look "yes"

"if you also want this" he says gesturing to you both "you have to realise you would be over looked for other promotions, opportunities within the FBI" he turns back to you "basically being with me, will effect your career, I know how driven you are, is this what you want? am I what you want?" his stern face has became unreadable, what's happened, what did he see? you look around you not seeing anything obvious, sitting up straighter

"where is this coming from, a second ago I thought... yes I want you"

"are you sure, there's no one else? you can tell me, you're young and beautiful, part of me didn't want to believe you had feelings for me, I am way older, I have Jack-"

"I love Jack you know that, please stop this, I do, I do really like you and I want to try this, if you do, do you?" you wait for him to answer, still confused as to where this self doubt seems to of come from

"who is sending you roses?" he says suddenly looking at the ground avoiding your eyes

stunned you slowly turn seeing the last roses sent in your living room bin, petals scattering the floor, you had forgotten to take them out with the last trash run, you clear your throat and try to calm yourself

"they are nothing, please forget about them, can we just-"

"you've been getting them for months, he - he must like you a lot, and I don't want to stand in the way of someone whose better suited to you than me" he begins to rise from the couch making his way to the door

you stand with him in shock still, how is this happening, how is this guy ruining everything right now, fuck, you need to think!

"please Aaron believe me, its no one, there is no one"

Just tell him!! you think, how to say, these flowers, letters he doesn't know about, you've been getting from a total stranger, you've never met, Morgan's been taking you home trying to figure out who it is and has no new ideas! he'll probably think you're crazy, or in love with yourself, come on just say something, he will understand right?

"is it Morgan? I know you two have gotten pretty close and I-"

"Derek? no, no its not him we are just friends, no wait please let me explain, there is someone but-"

"that's all I needed to know, I am sorry for pushing myself on you tonight, we've been drinking, this was- this cannot happen again, we need to- I can't ruin your career Y/N, over something you aren't sure of" he begins putting his jacket back on, his face beat red looking at the ground still

"Aaron please just let me explain this isn't-"

"this was a mistake!" he blurts out, looking at you finally, and you see it, in his eyes, the resolve, the embarrassment, his words cut you deep in your chest, you press your lips together, he needs to know you understand and you will be professional about this, you take a deep breath and bring you eyes back to his after a moment passes, show nothing, you cannot let him see

"you're right, please don't be sorry, you're right, we've been drinking, its late and- lets pretend this didn't happen" the words feel cold and final from your lips, but he needs this, he didn't want you, not really, everything in you body screams for you to grab him and hold him, but you can't, you cannot be that girl

"you should go"

you gesture to the door and take a step away from him, your legs feeling like led, his eyes are filled with pain but you know he agrees.

he turns to leave opening the door, without looking he steps out, slightly turning his head back to you still refusing to look you in the eye

"I hope he makes you happy, you deserve to be happy" his voice catches and he walks out slowly closing the door with a click.

you stand for a moment, wondering what the hell just happened, what kind of fever dream or nightmare did you just have play out on your birthday, you turn and look at the roses still in your bin wilting, was that really what set him off? you know he hadn't been too happy with the roses appearing at the office, was he jealous? or was he just looking for an excuse, he wanted you sure, but did he want more? maybe? maybe not? you slowly make your way to your bed room and curl up under the covers, not even changing out of your shirt and black trousers, you need sleep, you'll wake up and this will all be over, fuck doing that run in the morning.

Your head thrums as you lay on the ground, you see stars, you feel your legs being pulled dragging you along the ground, the gravel catching your skin, you try to move but nothing happens, then you're being lifted, you land on something hard and metal with a thud, your hear another thud like car doors slamming, you try to open your eyes, wincing with the pain another thud and an engine being turned on? you see red in your right eye, is that blood? you see small tv screens, CCTV? you feel the ground beneath you moving, is the ground moving? no its a van, you begin to hear voices, Hotch's voice in your ear

"R/N I will find you, please don't give up! sweetheart do you hear me?"

you begin to realise what's happened, he's got you, you go to look at the driver, your breathing becomes rapid, tears stream down your face, you try to concentrate on where you are, you need to help them know where he's taking you, your pushed close to the back of the drivers seat, when a gloved hand reaches down to you and pulls at your shirt, he taking your comms, your phone is pulled using the wires as he rips it from you, you cant move you feel yourself whimpering but you cant cry out, he lifts it to his ear, he's wearing a black hoodie you cant see his face

"I wouldn't count on it" you hear him say, as you watch him toss your comms and phone out the window

your heart drops in your chest, you begin panicking you breath coming out faster, when the gloved hand appears again holding a white piece of cloth, he places it over your mouth and nose, you smell ether as everything goes blank again, before you fall unconscious you think you should've ran after Hotch that night.

part 4 to follow

[tkdb-hell]

40 - Ren would be great 🫶

#40 - A gentle kiss that quickly descends into passion, with little regard for what’s going on around them.

Kisses Prompt List • Kisses Masterlist

(I do my best to write the reader as gender neutral unless otherwise specified - if you send me an ask and prefer masc or fem, please let me know)

♡ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT ♡

“Okay, okay… Last pull for the day,” Ren muttered, his eyes locked on his phone screen. The Jabberwock lounge was quiet, save for the occasional chirping of birds outside and the soft rustling of leaves as the weather shifted once again. You sat beside him, watching with mild amusement as he furiously tapped through his gacha game, clearly frustrated.

“Ugh, trash again. This game hates me,” Ren grumbled, tossing his head back dramatically. “I’ve been grinding for weeks, and all I get is useless three-star junk.”

You leaned in, resting your chin on his shoulder. “Want me to try?”

Ren turned to you, raising an eyebrow. “You? What, you think you’ve got some kind of luck magic?”

You grinned. “Maybe. Can’t hurt, right?”

With a sigh, he handed you his phone. “Fine. Knock yourself out. But don’t blame me when it spits out more garbage.”

Taking the phone, you navigated to the summon screen. You gave Ren a quick glance before tapping the summon button, watching as the animation played out. The familiar swirl of colors filled the screen, but then, something unexpected happened—a golden light burst, signaling something rare.

Ren sat up straighter, eyes wide. “Wait… No way…”

The summons continued, and with each flash of gold, another SSR appeared. Not just one or two, but multiple—all characters Ren had been chasing for weeks.

You turned to him, smug. “Told you I’m lucky.”

Ren stared at the screen in disbelief, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to process what just happened. “This—this isn’t real… There’s no way… I’ve been pulling for weeks and you just—”

Before he could finish, you leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, a teasing smile on your lips. “See? Luck magic.”

Ren blinked, still stunned by the summon results and now by the unexpected kiss. But something shifted in his expression—his usual sarcastic demeanor melted away, replaced by something deeper, more intense. Without warning, he turned, cupping your face in his hands, and kissed you back.

This time, it wasn’t gentle. The kiss quickly descended into something passionate, hungry, as though all the frustration he’d felt moments ago had been channeled into this one moment. His fingers tangled in your hair, pulling you closer as if he couldn’t bear to let you go.

The world around you faded—the game, the lounge, even the ever-changing weather outside. All that mattered was the warmth of his lips against yours and the way his hands held you like you were the only thing keeping him grounded.

When you finally pulled away, both of you were breathless. Ren’s eyes, usually half-lidded with boredom, now gleamed with something brighter, something raw.

“You really do have magic,” he muttered, his voice low and hoarse.

You laughed softly, brushing a strand of hair from his face. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m just your good luck charm.”

Ren smirked, the familiar teasing glint returning to his eyes. “If that’s the case, you’re never allowed to leave. Ever.”

“Oh? So now I’m stuck summoning for you forever?”

He shrugged, leaning in again for another kiss. “Not just summoning. Everything.”

You rolled your eyes, but the smile on your lips betrayed how much you didn’t mind. “Fine. But if I’m doing all the work, you owe me something in return.”

Ren’s smirk widened as he pulled you closer again. “Deal.”

The forgotten game continued playing its cheerful victory tune in the background, but neither of you paid it any mind. Ren had finally gotten his lucky summons—but somehow, he felt even luckier now.

[pipwritesoccasionally]

your loving family (two little lines pt. 5)

word count: 1592

toji x reader

warnings: pregnancy, birth written by someone who has never given birth

per usual I tried to make it as gender neutral as possible, if I missed something just let me know.

parts: 1 2 3 4

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

hey hey! sorry it's been forever since I've written, and frankly this was kind of thrown together after months of a little progress here and there. I just happened to be inspired because I have been scrolling through the jjk tags and have found nothing but smut, which there is no shame to anyone who enjoys that, I just want to read some fluff. anyways, I felt like I would finish this now. also, this will be the end of this mini-series, so thank you to everyone who has engaged, liked and reblogged these parts!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

to be frank, you had no clue what you were looking at. you had just gotten out of bed, needing an afternoon snack, when you felt…pee? your gaze dropped to the floor, where a puddle now sat, and your pregnancy brain stopped you from connecting the dots. 

that is, until the first contraction hit. your hand came up to cup your mouth as you groaned in pain, body tensing with panic. 

‘toji. i have to get toji,’ this one thought cut through the rattling in your head, and you began to waddle to the door, bracing the wall with one hand. 

“toji!” you yelled, ever grateful that he had stopped taking jobs so frequently these last few weeks in preparation for the baby. 

“yes?” he yelled back, gruff voice echoing off the walls. 

“i think the baby’s coming!” a faint “shit!” came from your husband, followed the sound of feet hitting the stairs rapidly. toji appears in front of you, coming to cup your elbows. 

“okay doll, let’s get you to the hospital.” 

you nodded, shaking slightly. you’d never given birth before, and now that it was actually happening, all of your apprehension was hitting you at once. 

“you can do this, (y/n),” toji said, running his hands over your arms lovingly. he had known about your fears, and had been reassuring you throughout your entire pregnancy. 

you breathed slowly, giving him a soft smile. the two of you made your way to the door, and finally to your shared car. toji helped you get settled in the passenger seat, and you turned to him. 

“okay, we need the diaper bag, and then we need to find someone to pick up the kids from school and watch them, because who knows how long we will be in the hospital-”

“breathe, doll. i’m going to get the diaper bag and call shiu to get the kids.” toji turned away, but you grabbed his wrist. 

“shiu? we’re going to trust shiu with megumi and tsumiki?” 

“i’ve worked for him for a long time, and he doesn’t kill people if there’s no reason to. besides, i’m his best employee, so killing them wouldn’t benefit him.” you weren’t entirely convinced, but you didn’t have many options, so you had to relent. 

“fine, but please hurry?” he cups your face, then runs to grab the bag. another contraction hit, sending pain through your body, and you had to squeeze your hand into a fist just to distract yourself. 

the pain was like nothing you’ve ever had before. sure, period cramps were similar, but they could not compare to the pain of a human being trying to push its way out of your body. the car door slammed and you vaguely registered toji’s form in your peripheral vision, but it was hard for you to focus. 

toji rests his hand on your knee, and you intertwine yours with his. 

“squeeze, doll,” you shake your head, balling your other hand to distract from the pain. 

“what if i hurt you?” he gives a small chuckle.

“i love you and believe you’re strong, but you could never hurt me.” you roll your eyes, but when the next contraction hits, you squeeze his hand. 

the drive to the hospital is, thankfully, quick, and toji leaves to quickly grab you a wheelchair. you settle in, before making your way into the hospital. you somehow manage to check in and get into a room between contractions, and you’ve just managed to sit on the bed when the next one hits. toji’s there again, with his strong, reassuring hand in yours. doctors and nurses are running in and out, tucking an iv into one of your arms and bringing ice for you to chomp on. 

“alright! you’re about 4 centimeters dilated, so we have a bit of time. is there anything we can do to make you as comfortable as possible?” the doctor asked, smiling at you warmly. 

“um… some water would be nice, i think?” you respond, and she nods quickly before leaving. 

your husband squeezes your hand, and you turn to him. 

“how are you feeling?” he asks, worry striking across his features. 

“like a human being is trying to come out of my vagina?” 

“okay, besides the obvious,” he fake glares at you, making you laugh. 

“scared, but i’m ready to be not-pregnant.” 

the doctor brings a glass of water and places it on the side table. you’re at 5 centimeters now, but that it could take a few hours until you’re ready to actually start pushing. you shrink a bit, knowing that you’ll be in pain for potentially over 10 hours here, and start preparing yourself mentally for the long day ahead of you. 

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

when the doctor last checked about an hour ago, she said you were 7 centimeters dilated, and so you thought you’d have a few more hours to go before actually pushing the baby out, but apparently the world had other plans for you. 

a nurse came in, just to do a quick check, before her eyes went wide. she ran to the phone, dialing quickly, and let out a “they’re fully dilated” before immediately hanging up. 

you look at toji and he just wraps his hands around your right one. 

“i don’t care how hard you squeeze me. whatever you need,” he leans forward and places a kiss on your palm, and you smily lightly. it’s go time. the door swings open as the doctor runs in, pulling on new gloves, before sitting in front of you. 

“alright, it’s time to start pushing.” you nod, and push. nothing could have prepared you for the pain of childbirth. people always said it hurt, but now that you were here, you felt like they were downplaying it. 

“fuck!” you yell, exhaustion waving over you. your husband is leaning on your hands, whispering words of encouragement. you continue pushing, and pushing, and pushing, before the doctor yells “the head’s through!” 

while most people would think it would be encouraging that the baby is almost halfway out, the entire world has lost its focus, caving to the immense pain you feel throughout your entire body. your back hurts, your legs hurt, everything hurts. 

you just keep pushing, and pushing, until at last a shrill cry echoes in the room. tears are streaming down your face, both from all of the pain and the happiness of bringing a new life into the world. your body slumps against the mattress, and you turn slightly to face your husband. 

his large hands delicately hold your right one, and he leans in to plant a kiss on your temple. 

“you’re amazing, you know that?” his voice is lighter, almost awe-stricken. you smile at him, pulling your hand from his grasp in order to run it through his hair. 

“i did, but i don’t mind hearing it more often,” you grin, using what’s left of your (very depleted) energy to engage in your favorite hobby: bantering with toji. 

“i know you’re trying to be funny, but seriously, you’re amazing,” it wasn’t exactly uncharacteristic of toji to be so sweet (marriage had changed him slightly) but it still isn’t exactly something you’re used to. you sink back and avert your eyes, now slightly embarrassed at his compliments. 

“thank you, and thank you for always being so great to me,” you whisper in response, before cupping his face, and closing your eyes to rest a bit. 

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

your few days spent in the hospital had been filled with a lot of well-deserved naps, and, of course, spending time with your child. while it wasn’t a horrible experience, you really just missed your own home and your own bed. so, when the doctor finally cleared you for discharge, you happily made your way to the car with your husband and new son. 

the car ride home flew by, your heart filling with joy as the car turned onto the familiar street. once fully stopped, toji got out to grab the baby’s carrier and diaper bag, telling you to head inside. 

the house was dark and quiet, but before you could worry about the cause, the lights all flicked on at once, accompanied by a loud “welcome home!”

the source of the greeting was none other than your stepkids, and your eyes welled with tears. a large banner with fun colors and block letters spelling “welcome back!” was hanging on the wall. your stepkids ran up to you, hugging you tightly around the waist. 

“we missed you so much! we wanted to visit you, but shiu said you might want to rest. where is he?” tsumiki asks, clearly looking for her new baby brother. 

“he’s right here, you little brat,” toji’s gruff voice sounds through the house, and your stepkids give you one last squeeze before going to take a look. 

“he’s so tiny!” tsumiki squeals, giggling happily. you move to take a seat on the couch, your husband walking around and placing the baby carrier in front of you. of course, tsumiki and megumi followed behind, waving and smiling at their little brother. 

you had never felt such warmth, and watching your family all gathered around to welcome the new arrival, you realized that there was no better feeling than being here together. 

you leaned your head on toji’s shoulder, smiling widely. he put his arm around you, squeezing you lightly. 

“i love you doll,” he says softly, amplifying your warmth. 

“i love you too, toji,” and you both looked happily upon the family you had created together.

[rachhaven]

Hii! How are you?? I come from Elle's post (where you told them about the requests) and want to give my two cents.

How about poly!marauders (or any of them alone really, I love them all) with reader who is being too hard on her/their self (whatever pronouns you want to use). Like reader doesn't get bad grades, they are rather good but she/they is too much of a perfectionist. It can be comfort to fluff.

Change anything you like or don't write at all if you don't feel comfortable! Hope you have a wonderful day <3

here you go lovely, its my first proper go at this so I hope you enjoy

437 words :)

“Dove?” Remus’ voice breaks through your concentration, drawing your head up from “the battles of the elves: a history”, your latest homework from the dreary professor binns. The three of them are stood there, hovering in the doorframe of their dorm, the dorm you took over to perfect your understanding for the test tomorrow. 

“hi?”, its tentative, shy, your throat hoarse and dry from how long you’ve been working on this, and it suddenly hits that its dark outside, it was the bright sunshine of 2pm when you started, so what time is it now? You were meant to go for a walk with the boys before dinner. “did I miss our walk?”

“you missed dinner lovey” Sirius gently scolds, worried about how much effort you’re putting into this, sliding towards you and dropping down into the pile of notes you’ve created on James’ bed, disrupting your focus completely. 

“you’re gonna smash this test y’know, darling, you’ve already passed the class, you don’t need to worry about this one” James reminds you, but it does nothing to stop the pull you have to see higher than at 85% on that test paper when you get it back next week. 

“But- I mean, it still means something, doesn’t it? I don’t want him to think little of me for the rest of his life”, you practically ramble, both James and Remus now coming to join you and Sirius on James’ bed. Its crowded, but it always is, and the close contact actually slows your racing heart. Remus is hiding something behind his back, you cant see what it is, but you can smell it, and its exciting. “I’m sorry, do you have mac and cheese?” 

“couldn’t let our girl go hungry, could we?” Sirius grins as Remus passes you the bowl, its your favourite dinner, still warm and with a fork, they really are the best. You quickly take it and start to eat, James piping up now. “honey, you need a break, tomorrow will be fine, I swear. Why don’t we head down to the common room once you’ve eaten? We can tidy up later and just watch a movie for now” 

The idea softens your soul, curling your legs up as you eat your food, blinking away the stress of the mess around you, and looking between your three boys, the ones who love you more than anything else in the world. Eventually, you nod, “yeah, that sounds nice”, and sooner than later, you’re all curled up on the sofa, eyes drooping as you curl more into Remus, sleep welcoming you while you’re safe and sound. 

[clarisse0o]

The Mayor - Chapter 31

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternate Universe: Mayor and Architect

Words: 800

Masterlist

———————————————————————

  This Monday morning, I smiled, reminiscing about the weekend. On Sunday, we had explored the turquoise blue coves around Marseille. It was with regret that we returned to the gray skies on Sunday evening. She had to go back home to her children, while I returned to my place, greeted only by an empty fridge.  

I grabbed my computer and sent her a message.

 How’s the easy girl doing? 

 "Did you eat a clown this morning or what?" 

It was Alexia, who had just arrived at the office. She observed me, surprised.

 "Ona! What did you do this weekend? Your face is all sunburned!" 

Indeed, Lucy had been right. September's sun could be ruthless, and it had clearly left its mark on me. I was busted.

 "Uh, I was in Marseille!" 

She sat down in front of me, staring.

 "You didn’t tell me! With who?" 

Caught.

 "With Marie! It was a last-minute plan, Saturday morning." 

 "Marie, that girl? Why don’t you ever tell me anything? We’re supposed to share everything! Does she work for the FBI or something?" 

I smiled at her.

 "Sorry, Alexia, I’m telling you now. It just happened, that’s all!" 

 "Tell me, are you having romantic little weekends now?"  she teased, winking as she walked out of my office.

 "Very funny, Alexia. We’re just enjoying life, that’s all!" 

My gaze shifted back to my computer, where a new message had just arrived.

 Fine. And you, Miss Tease? 

We fell into the habit of seeing each other regularly, Lucy and I, almost every two days in the weeks that followed, sometimes at her place but mostly at mine. She also took me on a weekend trip to her parents’ chalet in the Alps, filled with walks, restaurant outings, and passionate nights. I let myself go, not thinking about what this relationship was or where it was heading. Nowhere, I assumed. Sometimes I wondered what Lucy felt, but we never had that conversation. Out of modesty? Fear of hearing the truth?  

Through small hints, a few words, we showed our affection. But what level of affection was it? It was especially hard for me to go more than two days without feeling a longing for Lucy. I had a visceral need to touch her, to see her, to feel her presence.

  That Thursday evening, we were at my place.   I had work to finish on my computer, while she was poring over a huge city map, punching numbers into a calculator.

 "What are you working on?"  I asked her.

She turned toward me, her glasses perched on her nose.

 "I’m calculating the number of people responsible for security during Saturday’s Pride parade along the route. A real joy!" 

I frowned, and she added:

 "there’s a real risk of disruptions from extremist groups like Civitas. They’ve made threats. So, I’m double-checking everything the prefect and police have planned. I don’t want any incidents!" 

I smiled at her.

 "Are you going?" 

 "Yes, I go every year as Mayor. This will be my tenth! Impressive, huh?" 

 "More than me, clearly. Incredible!" 

I remembered seeing her several times at Pride, inaugurating the start of the parade. I teased her:

 "This year, you could ride on a float given the circumstances. I’ll come with you if you want!" 

 "Why not!"  she replied with a smile.  "Even though I’m not gay!" 

I began stroking her arm, still teasing her.

 "Hmmm, not even a little?" 

I moved closer, whispering in her ear. She turned to face me.

 "I’m a straight woman having a special experience with a gorgeous girl." 

 "Don’t take it that way, Ona. I didn’t mean  experience  like that." 

I pulled back, taken aback by her words. The term  special experience  didn’t sit well with me. She noticed my change in mood and tried to backtrack.

I pouted, turning my gaze away.

 "Words have meaning. It’s fine, I get the message." 

She moved closer and grabbed my hand.

 "Ona! Don’t make that face... Consider me however you want." 

She placed my hand against her lips. I pulled it back, straightening up.

 "What matters most, Lucy, is how you see yourself." 

She raised her eyebrows, clearly tired of the direction this conversation was taking.

 "Ona, seriously! Maybe you want me to come out this weekend at Pride? And then you can move in with me next week with the twins? And we’ll live happily ever after with lots of kids?" 

She spoke sharply. I was stunned, unable to find a reply. Realizing her harshness, she softened her tone.

 "I don’t like where this conversation is going, Ona. I didn’t mean to put it that way..." 

But the words had been said, unmistakably. She took my hand again.

 "I have to go; it’s already 9 PM."  She kissed me before leaving my apartment.

I was shaken. Even though I had suspected this wouldn’t go anywhere, the conversation forced me to confront the truth I didn’t want to acknowledge. I realized, deep down, that I had hoped for something more—a real relationship with Lucy, though I hadn’t admitted it to myself. Now, I knew it would never happen.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

crusty evolution redraw. in theory.

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

(DATV thoughts with spoilers ahead; i think my tags will keep it filtered but just in case it doesn't since i dont want this in the actual game tags)

i just... man. i don't have a well formulated thought for this yet (and its my PERSONAL OPINION and other people can feel as different as they want, this is not an attack) but it keeps bouncing around my head, so. i know the popular thing right now is coming up with in-universe justifications for The Pantry Almost-Kiss Scene in ways that imply Lucanis didn't mean it/it doesn't represent him as a person/he was Faking It.

and i just don't like any of them. they make me sad!!!!!! i don't like the idea that one of the like 4 romance scenes we get in this game is him Pretending in some way, even if he does at that point like Rook back at least somewhat. None of the justifications i've seen make me feel Better about that being the point where we declare him as a romantic interest, which is what it is in the game, functionally. It doesn't lock you in yet but that point IS where the game says "they will take your flirting more seriously now". I did those same scenes for Davrin, Emmrich, and Taash and this is the formula the game uses (the "interrupted almost-kiss/confession" happens for almost all of the companions).

so if the answer for Lucanis' is "actually he stopped because he Didn't like what he was doing/feel that way yet" or that he felt he had to pretend for Rook's sake... it's kind of a letdown you know? esspecially when it comes right after what seems like an actually authentic moment (dispelling his "perfectly gathered clouds of doom"). Because, at that point in the game from my/Rook's perspective, it was like he finally was reciprocating. It made me hope that he'd acknowledge whatever was between him & Rook more in future scenes, especially because you get so little else from him at any other point, in terms of flirting back/showing you he IS interested. like up to that point I felt kind of bad for continuing to flirt at him, when he'd just change the subject right after! if someone did that in real life i would take it as a hint to stop. This is pixels and not real people so I didn't but they have done "reluctant/fearful interest" better in other characters if that's truly what they were going for in this one.

so after finishing the romance and getting the rest of content... idk. I don't like saying "one of the major chunks of characterization we get needs to be Thrown Out Actually because he was Pretending". because it's not like he or Rook ever actually address it in game--you just don't get to talk about feelings until some dialogue choices only in the act 3 romance scene, and then his speech at endgame (not even a full conversation, so much as his personal declaration). like it takes until the VERY end of the game for him to say the thing about "he was afraid to want you", but that comes after you've already hooked up, even.

I think truly what annoys me is that it's a story choice that can only make sense in HINDSIGHT not AS PLAYING. Only once you have all the scenes can you say "this one is out of character" and then you either have to accept it as bad writing, or come up with some in-universe justification to explain it... and so far none of the in universe ones feel good to me. i wish they did because maybe then I'd be less annoyed, rip. but at the end of the day i think even if there was some intent there, it was a poor choice for his story arc, because it doesn't effectively convey anything... and the reason why we can project a lot of different explanations onto it is simply because it is never addressed again (and again, Lucanis Dellamorte is NOT A PERSON he is a CHARACTER used to further a story for you the player, and so the reasons I don't like this choice are story-level and not a dig at how real life people feel or act).

So yeah at the end of the day. that is simply not a narrative device I would ever personally use in this way on a player/reader. certain kinds of hindsight revelations have their place (see: what the devs tried to do with Varric though I also think that falls apart on close inspection, but at least it has justification in-universe), but for a romance it just makes me embarrassed for Rook. In a game where you don't have nearly as many back-and-forth conversations with characters and have to resort to eavesdropping on them talking to each other, it's sad that one of the like 5 times you actually get to talk to Lucanis one on one we're maybe supposed to believe he wasn't being authentic, and also that Rook can't respond to this ever. It would be different if it had any kind of follow up, imo. or honestly as i've said before i would rather it have been swapped out with something entirely different or where we get to talk about their feelings instead, before i get labeled as one of the "people mad he's not Zevran 2.0/a sexy latin sterotype".

But having to step back to player-level analysis versus in-character analysis when looking at his whole romance arc just feels sloppy. but i'd much rather stick to "bad writing" than "intentional character choice" in terms of how to interpret the scene I guess, at this point, for poor Rook's sake. and i know people disagree with when I've said that before bc as much as I love Mary Kirby in other areas, she has said many times that she doesn't like writing romance, and I think it really does show here. As much as I love Lucanis and the scraps we got I wish I didn't have to do so much filling-in-the-blanks on our own.

[kerizaret]

[phagodyke]

the masculine urge to take a saucepan off thr draining board and bash myself repeatedly over the head with it until I pass out and no longer have to experience feeling Bad 😍

[seaofreverie]

I knew about the post concert depression but no one told me about the post concert constant feeling of AAAAAAAAAHHH that lasts days and makes everything much more bearable and beautiful and some sort of ethereal type of hope is restored into the world, or maybe it's just the "seeing your favourite band after first thinking that it would never happen and later spending many months waiting for it all the while fearing that it wouldn't happen after all because of circumstances outside my control or feeling like it was too beautiful and wonderful to be true so ofc it wouldn't come true" part of it all

[scopophobia-polaris]

first female loz director and the gerudo seem to be written fine enough? wow... there ain't no way I thought we were in the worst timeline after totk

Yeah got through the main quest with the gerudo, it wasn't painful! It wasn't even bad! Still got them outfits but for the most part it was like oh cool!

I would say a lot of that oh cool is from the fact they didn't do a lot to even fuck it up to begin with, I'm gonna be real with yall this game is NOT worth $60USD

Edit: lemme say one thing, you know when people were being like damn totk story wasn't dark or mature at all why was this compared to Majora's mask again? And then all the zeldatwt people came out and said zelda is just a kid series domt expect good writing uH

This one feels like a kid's game. That ain't to say it's terrible I would say, hell I'm not far in it if I get something crazy that's like OH FUCK I'll reblog this post and say something but uh.....game for babies I'm gonna be shocked if anyone struggles with any puzzles cuz you CAN CHEESE THEM EASY ITS 🫢🤭

EDIT EDIT: I SWEAR IM NOT EVEN TRYING TO BE A DOWNER..... @ezlo-x HAS BEEN THERE THE WHOLE TIME IVE BEEN PLAYING....THEY KNOW I HAVENT BEEN A PARTY POOPER.....