#just remind myself it'll all be over soon

[codenamesailordarillium]

I think it's probably best that there are times when I think of some really mean shit to say, let myself type out the post, then promptly discard it instead of posting.

[joeys-babe]

Joey B Blurbs: Hickey

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Summary: You prank Joe by using makeup to create a fake hickey on your neck.

Warnings: Fluff, slight sexual tension, unserious/funny, pranks!

Pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

Imagine Universe: Into The Mystic

A/N: Part 1 of Blurb Night! (Sneak Peak)

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No particular date for this blurb!

Joe and I were currently cuddled up in bed. The twins were already asleep, and they had been for hours. I lay restless due to the baby doing somersaults in my stomach.

“Gah-lee!” - Joe

“Did you feel that?” - you

“Yes! She's not letting up at all, baby.” - Joe

“It’s your fault! You make me sit in the living room and watch UFC with you, she’s probably reenacting everything you commentate to my stomach!” - you

“Aye, let's not point fingers!” - Joe

I rolled my eyes, which Joe didn't like a bit.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me.” - Joe

“You’re not the boss of me.” - you

Joe leaned forward, his lips just barely hovering over mine but not quite touching them.

“I think you’re forgetting who’s in control here, mama. Need a reminder, maybe?” - Joe

His blue eyes flashed darkly as Joe trailed his hand down my arm, over to my belly, and down.

Just as his lips were about to meet mine, the baby kicked as hard as she had all night.

Joe groaned as he pulled away and flopped onto his back.

“You just got cockblocked.” - you laughed

“Probably for the better. Baby girl knew I needed to get ahold of myself since we aren't doing anything like that while you're pregnant.” - Joe

I rolled onto my side and placed my hand on his bare lower stomach, some of my hand covering the waistband of his boxers.

“I don't care to get you off, Joe. All you gotta do is ask.” - you

“You know I can’t do that. I can't just let you pleasure me, and you get nothing in return.” - Joe

My eyes were glued to Joe’s hand as he reached down and rearranged his forming hard-on. God, I wanted him so bad.

“I- I'm gonna splash some cold water on my face…” - you

Joe mumbled a ‘k’ as I quite literally rolled out of bed. I went into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

After splashing some water on my face, I took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm my raging hormones.

Why does Joe have to be so sexy without trying? I asked myself in a whisper.

I pulled my phone out to check my notifications because there's nothing less sexy than business emails.

That's when I got the idea to prank Joe. It'll be a way to calm us both down and kill some time since there's no way baby girl is settling down anytime soon.

After scrolling through my saved videos, I found the perfect one.

——

“You okay? You were in there for a while.” - Joe

“I’m fine. Just needed to cool down.” - you

“Sorry, guess that's my fault for getting worked up.” - Joe

I got into bed and rolled over into Joe’s chest, scratching my nails over his back.

“Don’t be sorry.” - you

Joe sighed out of contentment and began running his fingers through my hair. He knew I hated it when my hair touched my neck, so Joe began moving my hair away from my neck.

“I love you.” - you

The sentiment made him smile, his eyes still focused on his fingers running through my hair.

His mouth opened, about to say the statement back, but the only thing that squeaked out was a gasp.

“Joe?” - you

“Did you burn yourself curling your hair yesterday?“- Joe

“No… why?” - you

“There's a huge mark on your neck.” - Joe

“Oh.” - you

I reached up and pulled my hair to cover the mark back up. My heart fluttered at the realization that Joe didn't have the same reaction to the prank as most other partners have.

“What is that then? Did you hit your neck on something?” - Joe

Letting him stew over the options for a little bit, I couldn't help but bust out laughing after a few minutes of silence.

“Why are you laughing? That looks like that hurts, baby. Why didn't you tell me? Do you need ice… or ointment?” - Joe

“Joe…” - you laughed

“What?!” - Joe

“It's a prank! It’s supposed to be a hickey.” - you

He stared at me dumbfounded, confused more than anything.

“How is that a prank? I'm the only person giving you a hickey, so if you had one, I would know about it.” - Joe

“You were supposed to think another guy gave it to me, but I think it's sweet your mind didn't go there.” - you smiled

“Oh! No, I never would’ve guessed that. I know I'm the only guy you have eyes on.” - Joe

I rested my hand on Joe’s bare chest, and we lay face to face, just looking into each other’s eyes. It was a sweet moment, and just as Joe began leaning in to kiss me…

The baby kicked again. Joe jumped back and groaned out of annoyance, but I was laughing my head off.

“Damn it!” - Joe

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Authors note: Can y’all tell that I'm ovulating 💀

This idea came from some TikToks I've seen!

Hope you enjoyed! 💕

[justdontaskme]

A Promise to Keep (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

A/N: Hello! I got a request and a sudden spurt of inspiration. If seems a little all over the place, I apologize, I wrote it quickly in one sitting and feel like it might be the best it'll get. Please let me know what you think or anything else you want to see.

After your morning training session, all you really wanted to do was to head home and cuddle with Nala until your second session later today. So, you bid your teammates farewell with a promise to see them later. 

Preseason had been going well, but it was quite obvious the number of gaps missing as many of your players were still out representing at the World Cup. Speaking of missing players, your phone started ringing just as you entered your apartment. You placed your bag down, scooping up Nala as you made your way over to the couch. 

“Hola, mi amor,” Alexia greeted you over the phone, a tired but happy smile on her face at finally seeing your face today. 

“Hi, Ale. Say hi to mama, Nala,” you said, grabbing one of Nala’s little paws and waving it at the camera. You listened as Ale talked to Nala all about what she had done today and how much she missed her. 

Eventually, Nala got bored, and you placed her back on the floor to roam the apartment. You turned sideways, using the arm of the couch as a backrest, pulling your feet up to stretch across the seats. 

“Are you okay, Ale?”

“I wish you were here,” she mumbled, and even though you knew it wasn’t meant with any malice, you couldn’t help but detect that tone of bitterness in her voice, just hitching at the very end. 

You sighed deeply, not really wanting to replay a fight you two have been enduring for the last few weeks now. 

“I miss you,” you said instead, trying not to feed into another inevitable fight. “Enjoy this while you can, you’ll be home soon.”

“I’m here, and you’re there. How am I supposed to enjoy this when you are sitting back home when you could have been here.”

“Ale,” you started, your voice soft and gentle, trying to soothe her before she worked herself into a frenzy. “This is your moment, don’t worry about me.”

“But this is supposed to be our moment,” she said, her voice raising slightly. “You and me. It was supposed to be us. Now, I’m here by myself.”

“You’re not alone, Ale,” you reminded her, asking her to lean on her teammates for strength in this monumental moment. 

“It’s not the same, and you know it. We made a promise.”

You turned the phone away from yourself for a second, allowing your face to fall forward into your knees. She was right. The two of you had made a promise to each other that you would do whatever it takes to be on the grandest stage of the World Cup together. 

“I know, but you and I both know why I’m here. I’ve made peace with this situation. I hate it, but I wouldn’t have done anything different.”

“Not even to be with me?” Alexia knew she was selfish and wrong for asking that, but she had been struggling to really find her footing this tournament, and to have you thousands of miles away wasn’t helping. Her feelings were taking over. She felt like she was floundering, one second away from drowning every step of the way. 

“Ale, as much as I’d love to be there with you, I can’t put myself in that situation again. Not unless things change,” you said.

While you loved and enjoyed your time on the national team, there was so much going on behind the scenes that many people didn’t know about. Unfortunately, it had taken a huge mental toll on you, a toll you were still paying to this day and maybe for the rest of your life. 

“You always said you and I could get through everything together. Why is this any different? Why can’t we get through this together?” Her voice was strained and you knew she was not going to back down on this tonight. 

“Alexia, let’s not go down this road tonight. You have a big game tomorrow. Let’s not do this right now.”

“I’m suffocating. I feel like I can’t even take a step without everyone criticizing my form and my right to be here. And now I’m here telling you that I need you, and you just push it aside,” she yelled, causing you to almost drop your phone. 

“Hold on, Alexia. That’s not what I said.”

“But it’s what you meant.”

“Don’t go putting words in my mouth. You know I hate when people do that,” you warned her, feeling yourself slowly losing your temper as well. 

“And I hate when people go back on their word, yet you did and I let you.”

That stopped you for a moment. Everything Alexia has been saying all made sense. But you couldn’t just take a whole month off especially with preseason starting just to follow her halfway around the world. 

It didn’t stop you from feeling guilty for not being there when she needed you. Since she had gone, the time difference had really made its mark on your relationship, speaking much less often than normal. Calls were either less frequent or shorter in comparison to the ones just before the group stages started. 

You hated yourself for not noticing how much Alexia was apparently struggling throughout this month apart. Each call you remember trying to comfort and reassure her you were her biggest fan, but she didn’t just need some to believe in her, she needed your full support in fighting the demons in her heads that have been there since she went down before the Euros.

“Ale,” you tried to form a coherent sentence. One that was genuinely what she needed to hear without feeling forced. 

“No, you know you were right. I have a game tomorrow. I should get some rest.”

Before you could say anything else, she hung up on you. You tossed your phone to the other side of the couch, sitting in silence as the pent up anger from this and previous fights coupled with an insurmountable amount of guilt bubbled inside of you. 

****

From your seat next to Patri, your hands curled into fists when you saw Alexia being subbed off, knowing that she wasn’t happy with the decision, and even worse, she’ll be upset with the way she had played with the limited minutes she had. 

You started to worry and feel a twinge of guilt, wondering if your fight last night had anything to do with her performance today. You quickly shook your head, tossing the idea out of your head and reminding yourself that Alexia was a professional and she wouldn’t let something like that mess with her game. She must just have had an off day.

Things from the night before were still unresolved, but you hoped that it would all work itself out when you spoke to her later.  

It was a bittersweet win. You were in tears seeing the absolute happiness on the players’ faces, especially Alexia’s, yet when you turned to Patri and Mapi, you knew they already understood the feelings you were fighting.

Mapi came over and draped an arm over your shoulders, nodding her head without saying anything. There were only a few who would truly understand what you were feeling as you watched the Spanish national team reach heights that were before unachievable. And they managed to do it all without you and your fellow teammates. 

You waited by the phone all night, but never got anything from your girlfriend. You had tried calling once, but it had gone straight to voicemail, and you figured that it meant that she wasn’t ready to hear from you yet. 

Then, you reached out to Ona, who assured you that Alexia was okay and that she would keep an eye on her for you. You then asked her to pass on your congratulations and her love, which she easily agreed to. Thanking the younger girl, you went about making the necessary arrangements for your trip. 

****

As you stepped into the stadium, you were in awe of the atmosphere. The crowds of people here for this game, cheering along and choosing sides, even though their own nations have already gone home. It was a full stadium of people here to love and champion the game everyone loved. A wave of sadness swept through you as you imagined what could have been. 

You were supposed to be experiencing this with all your friends, the grass beneath your feet, not the concrete of the seating area. You should have been out there decked out in your Spanish uniform, your name and number proudly on your back, instead of being in the stands with your girlfriend’s name and number on. 

You let yourself wallow for a minute more before quickly reminding yourself why you were really here. While you continue to wish things were different, you didn’t regret your choices, but now you were to live with the consequences of those choices. 

Instead of dwelling, you stood on your feet, cheering along with the rest of the Spanish fans as both teams made their way out for warmups. You cheered loudly anytime Alexia touched the ball, but with all the people in the stadium, you doubted she could hear you.

Once the Spanish team finished warming up and started heading into the locker rooms, you did your best to catch Alexia’s eyes without making a big show. As far as you knew, Alexia didn’t even know you were here. 

Eventually you managed to make eye contact with Ona who sent you a bright smile before rushing over to Alexia and pointing you out in the crowd. Despite the countdown until kickoff and the protests of a certain coach, Alexia ran straight to you, meeting you at the edge of the stands.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, reaching one hand up to cup your face while the other went around your waist, pulling your bodies as close as the barrier between you two allowed. 

In the moment, it didn’t matter if there was a small wedge driven between the two of you since the start of this tournament, Alexia was beyond happy to finally have you back in her arms. She wasn’t going to waste a second of it. 

“I made a promise, we’d be here together,” you said, resting your forehead against hers, this closeness drowning out everything around you. “I came to fulfill that promise to you. Even if it’s a little different than the way we planned.”

“I’m sorry,” Alexia said, ready to jump into her rehearsed spiel of how she shouldn’t have reacted the way she did the other night. 

But before she could say anything, you quickly interrupted her with an apology of your own. “No, mi corazón, I’m sorry. You were right, we made a promise and I went back on it.”

“No, I know why you and the others did what you did, but that doesn’t mean I don’t support you. I just really wished I could have shared all of this with you by my side.”

“I know, bebé, I know. But we can’t change the past.”

“I’m so happy you’re here,” Alexia admitted, sniffling slightly. You reached up to wipe the pooling tear in her eye. 

“Me too. I promise we can talk about this more later. For now, go out there and make me proud,” you told her, not caring about the crowd as you leant forward and kissed her for the first time in over a month. “Te amo.”

The blinding smile on your girlfriend’s face and the returned ‘I love you’ was worth the month apart. Alexia snuck one more quick kiss to your lips before rushing off to the locker room before she was benched for the entire game. 

You sat back in your seat as you awaited the players' walk out. 

“My sister is such a sucker for you,” Alba said, knocking her shoulder against yours from her seat beside you. 

You burst out laughing, “Never hurts to have her wrapped around my finger,” you shrugged.

“Yet you were the one to skip practice in order to book a last minute flight to Australia just so you could apologize in person.”

“It’s called supporting your girlfriend,” you countered, eyes on the tunnel as the players were set to come out any second. 

Alba rolled her eyes goodnaturedly, joining you as you both sported your Alexia jerseys, loudly cheering for the superstar as everyone came out. You blew her a kiss and wished her the best of luck. 

This wasn’t how you two had thought a World Cup together would be like, but even with all the obstacles, you had finally made it to a final together. And really, that’s all that mattered because at the end of the day, you two would always have each other. 

[bosbas]

Chapter 10: even my daddy just loves him

series masterlist previous part || next part

pairing: colin bridgerton x enemy!fem!reader WC: 3.5k words

Warnings: period-typical gender roles, small part of the dialogue in French, period- and class-typical views about the economy, idiots in love being idiots in love, heavy on the idiots, heavy on the in love

Summary: It took precisely two days in England for you to utterly despise Colin Bridgerton. It took him approximately twelve hours after that to hate you right back. But he doesn't care that you're the only person in the ton who doesn't like him. You're set to marry someone else anyway, right?

A/N: the first TTPD chapter title :,) also no interaction between reader and colin in this one IM SORRY it'll come soon i promise

June 23, 1816 – In the wake of yesterday's lackluster ball, one can't help but lament the dreary fashion choices on display, particularly the Featheringtons' blinding ensembles in shades of yellow. Sadly, the absence of Lady Y/N Montclair was acutely felt, as her impeccable gowns and Parisian flair were sorely missed. However, tonight at the Ashbury ball proves a wonderful opportunity for her to dazzle us with her sense of style.

“Well, don't you look gorgeous tonight,” gushed Eloise upon seeing you, kissing your cheeks in greeting. 

Your heart soared, delighted that your best friend had taken to your French customs so easily. 

“I didn’t particularly have a choice after Whistledown’s column today,” you joked, smoothing out your skirts. 

Of course, it was flattering to have the ton’s most trusted source speak about you in such a positive manner, but at times it did build a fair amount of undue pressure. Though you supposed you preferred feeling pressure to dress well over pressure to marry someone as you had with Lord Barlow.

“Either way, you look stunning. I’ve caught more than a few gentlemen staring at you already. You’d think they would have been able to pick up their jaws off the floor by now,” Eloise teased, linking arms with you, and leading you toward the far end of the ballroom. 

You politely covered your laugh with your hand, shaking your head as you assessed who was present at the ball today. More accurately, you were assessing whether Colin Bridgerton was present. 

It had been two weeks since you’d even seen him, and you were exerting more mental energy than you cared to admit pretending that you were unbothered. You supposed you couldn’t blame him. You were the one who had asked him not to speak with you anymore, and he’d listened to you better than you could have hoped. 

Secretly, you’d been hoping he would still have shown up and tried to talk to you. It was an absurd desire, you knew, but you couldn’t help it. Apart from balls like these where all you did was speak with Eloise, you had to admit that arguing with Colin was the most fun you’d had in England, and perhaps everywhere else, too. 

You hated him, you reminded yourself. And he hated you, too. Worse, actually. He had no respect for you. Or any woman in general. Which only brought you back to the shameful burning at the top of your ears every time you searched for him in a crowd.  

But you were only human. And there were times when you couldn’t help but give in to your self-sabotaging. “Is the rest of your family in attendance tonight?” you asked Eloise, trying to seem casual and uninterested. 

“Anthony and Kate are,” she responded brightly. “Benedict was able to weasel his way out of this one, I’m afraid. But it’s all for the better. He was being quite irritating at dinner last night.”

You turned to her, eyebrows raised. “I assumed you’d stay home if Benedict stayed home, too. I thought you hated these things.”

“Oh, not at all! Now that you aren’t being swarmed by suitors at every moment and I have you somewhat to myself, the balls are far more enjoyable.”

Shaking your head at her fondly, you laughed in disbelief. She was truly the only reason you hadn’t gone completely mad these past two weeks. 

Lady Whistledown, whoever she was, had proven to be quite perceptive. As she had reported, you effectively had laid your parents’ dreams of marrying you off to an Englishman to rest. You’d only told Pen and Eloise about your disillusionment, but you supposed it was rather obvious to everyone else given that you barely danced with anyone anymore. 

You looked through the crowd once again searching for the face you knew would not be there, and you felt your gut twist, but you couldn’t quite tell if it was in relief or disappointment. 

“And what about Colin?” you asked, internally cringing at not being able to help yourself. “Has he left the country again?”

Eloise looked at you carefully, noting your barely hidden grimace and shifting eyes. She would’ve laughed at how obviously painful the question was for you if she didn’t completely understand what was happening. Eloise still had no idea why you hated Colin in the first place, but she could tell that it was tearing you up inside anyway.

“No, he’s still at home, believe it or not. He just doesn’t particularly enjoy these kinds of events anymore, I suppose. It must be the ambitious mamas wanting to auction him off to their daughters,” Eloise finally responded, trying to keep her tone light. 

Although that wasn’t the whole truth, Eloise couldn’t just come out and tell you that her brother was completely in love with you and that you had broken his heart enough that he had no desire to come to ton events anymore. It would have been unusually cruel for her to do so.

Besides, she could tell you had been feeling the same way. The only difference was that your parents were not as forgiving as Violet Bridgerton, and you had to come to most balls whether you wanted to or not.

“Oh, that’s a shame, I guess,” you said, not particularly knowing how to respond. In a pathetic attempt to make it seem like you truly were unbothered, you added, “It’s rather nice when he isn’t here, though, isn’t it?”

Eloise stared at you suspiciously. Though she always thought it easier to stay away from your conflict with Colin, the curiosity was killing her. And she could only go so long before she went insane trying to figure it out.

“Why do the two of you hate each other so much, anyway?” she asked, hoping her disinterested tone would make you more likely to open up.  

No one seemed to know why you hated Colin. You weren’t particularly forthcoming with the information, but Eloise could sense that it wasn’t something trivial. Having grown to know you fairly well over your time in England, Eloise was still perplexed by this specific detail. 

Next to Eloise, you were tactfully avoiding eye contact and staring intently at the floor in front of you. You couldn’t tell her. You simply couldn’t. It wasn’t that you were worried about your reputation. You knew Eloise well enough to know that she wouldn’t spread rumors that would sully your image. 

But if you told her the truth, she’d be heartbroken. If someone were to tell you that they hated one of your brothers for the same reason you hated Colin, you would crumble. You were incredibly close with them, and knowing that they thought of women that way would crush you. And you couldn’t bring yourself to do the same to Eloise. 

Luckily, some man you’d never spoken to before asked you for a dance right at that moment. He had barely finished speaking before you placed your hand on his elbow and rushed him to the ballroom. Dancing with someone was far easier than having to figure out what you were going to say to Eloise. 

Eloise stared silently as you were whisked away to dance. She let out a small laugh in disbelief, amazed that her question had been what finally propelled you to start dancing at balls again. 

But her work tonight was not done. Shaking her head, Eloise looked around the ballroom, looking for your brother. Unsurprisingly, he was by the refreshments. 

“Hello, Louis,” greeted the Bridgerton. “I believe you might have some information that would be of interest to me.”

“I do?” asked Louis, confused. 

Eloise nodded over to where you were dancing and smiling politely and turned back to your brother with an expectant look. 

“Oh,” said Louis, catching onto what your friend was saying. “I don’t, unfortunately.”

“Are you serious?” she responded, exasperated. “She would rather dance with that…man than tell me why she hates Colin!”

Louis shot her a sympathetic look. “She won’t tell me either. But she’s never been this upset over someone, so I wager it must have been something serious.”

“Colin doesn’t even know! And he only hates her because she hated him first! It’s terribly unreasonable.” 

Having overheard the conversation about you and Colin from a few paces away, Carlos quickly joined Eloise and Louis with a knowing smile. He considered himself to be somewhat of an expert when it came to matters of the heart, having found a true love match after falling completely head over heels for your sister.

“Yes, but Colin is completely in love with Y/N,” he said. “So, I suppose he doesn’t hate her that much.”

“We know,” responded Eloise dejectedly. “That’s why I need to know why she hates him.”

“Excuse me, we? We know?” scoffed Louis. “I most certainly did not know this. What do you mean Colin loves Y/N? I should think that I would know if someone was in love with my little sister.”

Eloise looked at him, unimpressed. “I fear you only have yourself to blame, then. Colin came to every single event on the social calendar until your sister told him to stop talking to her, and he hasn’t come to another one since. Why exactly did you think that was?”

“I don’t know! I suppose I thought… I don’t know what I thought! But it doesn’t matter. He does not love her, Eloise. I know because Y/N is the exact same with Colin as he is with her.”

This time Carlos looked at Louis in disbelief. “Yes, Louis. Precisely,” he spoke slowly, nodding to make sure your brother understood.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows, eyes widening as he came to grips with the realization. “What do you mean? Does this mean that…”

“Yes,” confirmed Carlos. “Y/N loves him too.”

“What? How did I miss this?”

---

Colin was standing in Anthony’s study, arms crossed tightly over his chest as he glared at his eldest brother. 

“I won’t go,” he said defiantly.

“You will, and you will be the perfect gentleman while you’re there.”

“Why do I even need to be there? It’s not like I know what I’m doing when I hunt, anyway,” Colin huffed, uncrossing his arms and fiddling with a quill on Anthony’s desk.

Watching his brother, Anthony sighed, exasperated. “Because it would be impossibly rude not to go. And the Bridgertons, especially Colin Bridgerton, if I recall correctly, are never impossibly rude.”

Colin groaned. “It’s one hunt without me! Please-”

“Y/N won’t be there if that’s what you’re worried about. She and Eloise went to the modiste and won’t be back until later.”

“But what if-”

“She won’t be there,” assured Anthony firmly. He had an inkling about why the Montclairs had suddenly invited the Bridgerton brothers on a hunting outing, and he was not about to let Colin ruin what were most likely some very well-laid-out plans.

Colin blinked and licked his lips, still considering whether being rude to your family was worth the risk of running into you. Resigned, he sighed and turned away from his brother.

“Very well. But this is the only time I’m doing it. I’m not particularly eager to have a run-in with the woman who wishes I didn’t even exist.”

Not seeing you for two weeks had proven to be an extraordinarily difficult challenge. But it was better than having to look at your face and know that he would never be in your good graces. You wanted nothing to do with him, and it was more than he could take. 

Even though Colin had relatively successfully convinced himself that the only reason he was upset at your rejection was because he wanted to maintain his status as the best-liked member of the ton, he’d still barely been able to get out of bed since he’d last seen you. His heart ached too much when he thought of seeing you at any events. Yet it also ached when he thought of not seeing you. So he was confined to his chambers night after night, pacing as he thought of you laughing with someone else while he sat in agony at home.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. She can’t hate you that much,” said Anthony, rolling his eyes as he patted his brother on the back, leading him out of his study.

“You’d be surprised,” muttered Colin lowly.

---

“Frères, il nous faut causer,” announced Louis upon entering the mudroom (Brothers, we need to talk).

Seeing Edward preparing for the afternoon’s upcoming hunt alongside Philippe and Jacques, Louis cleared his throat and tried again. 

“Brothers, we must have a chat. And Edward too, I suppose.”

Philippe and Jacques looked up at their younger brother in surprise.

“A chat about what, pray tell,” asked Jacques, fiddling with his hunting boots as he placed them on his feet.

“It has come to my attention that our dearest sister Y/N might be in love with Colin Bridgerton. I thought it best to discuss the matter between us before we go out and hunt with him.”

Philippe shot his youngest brother an amused look. “Well, yes, Louis. That’s why we’re having this hunting trip.”

Louis’ face contorted into an expression that was a funny mixture of disbelief and annoyance. He most certainly did not like to be the only one out of his siblings who didn’t know something. “How does everyone know this except for me? Am I truly that clueless?”

Laughing, Jacques clapped his younger brother on the back. “I suppose it’s a certain sensibility that comes once you’re married, Louis. Don’t feel too badly about it.”

“A sensibility that comes from your wife telling you that the man is obviously in love with Y/N, is what you mean, Jacques,” Philippe quipped, looking even more amused. 

“I would’ve been able to tell!” argued Jacques. “If Chiara hadn’t told me within five minutes, I could’ve figured it out. Probably. In a few days. Who cares! We still have an advantage over Louis because we’re married, and our wives are more attuned to those things than we are.”

“Carlos was the one who told me, actually,” commented Edward. “Charlotte would have been the one to do it, but she thought it was so obvious that it wasn’t worth mentioning. I doubt I would have been able to tell on my own, anyway.” 

Louis laughed, not feeling so bad about how oblivious he was anymore. “I suppose you’re right. But I still want to be included in the scheming! How is our little hunting trip going to help Colin and Y/N come to their senses?”

Philippe sighed deeply, and Louis got the impression that he had aged about ten years in the making of this plan. “Y/N has been spectacularly miserable these past couple of weeks. That is certainly no secret. And as much as it is not in my nature to meddle in her affairs, I don’t take any joy in seeing her like this.”

Jacques nodded in agreement. “Especially after what Nigel Berbrooke said to her, we think it would be nice for her to get a love match. Something that has been made much easier by the fact that she is already in love, even if she doesn’t know it.”

Although it had been two weeks since you’d told the rest of your siblings what Mr. Berbooke had said, Louis still felt a surge of anger rise in him when he remembered his words. “He’s worse than Barlow, that one.”

“I was at Eton with Berbrooke, and I assure you it was torture,” agreed Edward, crinkling his nose as he recalled his younger years alongside Nigel. 

Sending his brother-in-law a sympathetic look, Louis continued, “That still doesn’t solve the main problem. Even if Y/N does love Colin, she still absolutely hates him. Despises him, actually.”

“Actually, the main problem is that Father wants his daughters to marry a title and a fortune. No offense, Edward.”

But Edward, ever agreeable, waved Philippe’s apology away. “Not at all. It was an advantageous match for me, too. I’m just lucky we grew to love each other. But I do recall your father being quite insistent that she marry nobility.”

“Precisely,” agreed Jacques. “I’ll wager that Y/N will realize she loves Colin quicker than Father will come around to the idea of her marrying for love.”

Louis hummed thoughtfully. “But what if it goes wrong? What if Father hates Colin, and this hunting trip only makes it more difficult for him and Y/N?”

“Not a chance.”

“Absolutely not.”

“That won’t happen.”

Louis just stared at the three men in front of him, looking entirely unconvinced. “How can all three of you be so sure?”

“Because it’s Colin Bridgerton!” said Edward. “Everybody likes Colin. He’s the ton favorite.”

“Y/N doesn’t like him,” argued Louis, still unsure about how effective the plan would be. 

“But she loves him, so that’s different,” said Philippe, smiling brightly. “Don’t worry, Louis. Father will surely like him and it’ll be a step in the right direction. Now, are you ready? I believe the Bridgertons should be arriving shortly.”

---

All in all, Colin was having a lovely time this afternoon. As Anthony had assured, you were at the modiste when he arrived at your home, and he was barely there long enough to spend time looking for any trace of you. It was just as well because he feared what would have happened if he did find anything that reminded you of him.

Hunting, and specifically shooting, was not Colin’s greatest strength. As a result, he’d been mostly hanging toward the back of the group, chatting pleasantly with Edward, who didn’t seem to be very enthusiastic about hunting either.

That is until your father started talking about his travels. Truly, Colin’s biggest weakness was the opportunity to talk about his time abroad. That and you, he thought longingly. 

Colin jogged to catch up to your father, Anthony, and Jacques so he could join the conversation.

“You and Chiara are settled in Tuscany, then?” asked your father.

Jacques laughed. “More than settled, I think. Hello, Colin! Lovely afternoon out, isn’t it?” 

“Quite,” Colin agreed. “You would think it would make me a better shot, but I think this just proves I’m completely hopeless.”

Lord Montclair laughed, and Jacques felt an internal sense of pride as he saw their plan progressing. 

“My sons tell me you’ve traveled a lot,” said your father, turning his gaze to the younger Bridgerton. “Have your travels taken you to the Persian Gulf, perchance? I am contemplating investing in pearl diving there.”

“Indeed, I have,” confirmed Colin. “However, if you seek pearls, might I suggest Ceylon instead? I visited last year and witnessed firsthand the expanding pearl industry.”

“Really?” said Lord Montclair, immediately immersed in the conversation. “But wouldn’t the Persian Gulf offer the most promising returns?”

“It certainly would right now, but trust me, Ceylon holds vast untapped potential.” Colin was in his element. This was practically all he did, and he was glad it was proving useful, and interesting, for once. “The industry there is on the precipice of greatness. In five years' time, mark my words, it shall surpass all others. I've even noted down a particular lagoon in my journals that I think will be particularly successful, based on what the locals have said.”

Impressed, Lord Montclair arched an eyebrow in interest. “You have my attention, Colin. Shall we meet next week to explore this further? A partnership between us could prove quite lucrative.”

Colin’s eyes widened, momentarily taken aback by your father’s offer. “Absolutely, my Lord. It would be my pleasure.”

“Please, call me Philippe,” he replied, clapping Colin on the back. 

Turning to Jacques, your father spoke softly, “Je suppose qu'un titre n'est pas tout” (I suppose a title isn’t everything). 

—

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[chaotic-toasters]

Gone

Cortnee Vine x Reader (taken from my Wattpad)

ANGST ANGST ANGST ANGST ANGST

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

"Y/N, you good?" Kyra's usual mischevious grin was gone, replaced with a look of concern that was quickly mirrored by Charli. "You seem out of it."

It took a moment for you to realize she was talking to you, eyes snapping up to meet hers. "Uh– yeah, yeah, I'm... I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" the Gunner's voice was soft as she placed a hand on your shoulder. "It's okay to not be okay."

"I'm sure," you insisted, shrugging her off. "You and Charli have fun."

You weren't fine. That much was clear to anybody with working eyes. You'd come down for meals, only to eat half of the amount you should have. You'd train, only to act like a robot who didn't know how to have fun. You spent hours cooped up in your room, only coming outside when Mini and Steph physically dragged you out. It was unhealthy, and everyone was starting to worry.

"Y/N?" Macca questioned, sitting down next to you. "What's going on with you?"

You glanced around briefly, taking note of all of your teammates gathered around the sofas.

"What is this? An intervention?" you joked dryly. "I'm just going through something small. I'll get over it soon, don't worry about it."

"Y/N, if you're going through something, you need to tell us," Sam chided. "We're—"

"We're a team, and a team is family, blah blah blah," you rolled your eyes. "I know. But I told you it's fine."

"It sounds stupid, but it's true," Mini crossed her arms. "So are you gonna tell us, or are you going to keep suffering alone?"

"I think I'll keep it to myself, thank you," you stood, patting your knees. "I'll see you guys later."

"Sit," Steph growled, forcing you back down. "Tony's already worried about you, but we've told him we'll handle it. Do you want us to get him involved?"

Your nostrils flared. "You wouldn't."

"We will if you don't open your fuckin' mouth and talk," the Defender glared. "You know I'll do it."

You were silent.

"Come on, Y/N, just tell us what's going on," Cortnee pleaded. "We're your friends."

Friends. Something you didn't want to be with the Sydney FC Winger. Since the first time you met her, and she'd smile shyly while offering you her hand to shake, you'd fallen for her. Hard. And it hurt. Because you knew she didn't feel the same. To make matters worse, she already had a girlfriend who she was happy with. Much happier than she'd be with you.

"Just... mind your own damn business," you retorted weakly, attempting to shake Steph off you. "I can handle my own problems."

"Your problems are our problems," Mini reminded you. "If something is bothering you, we're here to help."

"You and Steph," you nodded to the door. "No one else."

You stood first, leading your two mentors outside.

"Well?" Steph placed her hands know her hips.

"I like Cortnee," you blurted. "I— um..."

Mini raised her eyebrows. "Which one?"

"Uh... Vine."

"Okay. Continue."

"I've liked her for years," you swallowed. "But she doesn't like me like that. And she has a girlfriend. It's hard to— to see Cortnee when... when I know I'll never compare to her."

Steph and Mini shared a look.

"Come here, kiddo," Steph said gently, opening up her arms. "It'll be okay."

You slumped into her warm hug, crying softly into her shoulder. You didn't know if you should have been glad or upset that they didn't tell you to confess your feelings to Cortnee. That meant that your suspicions had been correct, and that she didn't feel the same, but that also mean your suspicions had been correct. A total catch-22.

"Why don't you take a nap, kiddo?" Steph whispered, caressing your forehead. "I'll be here when you wake up."

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

"I'm not gonna lie to her, Sam," Steph's voice was quiet. "I can't give her false hope. It's not like she believes it, anyway. Cortnee sees her as a friend. Nothing more."

"I just feel bad," Sam mumbled. "Are you sure there's nothing we can do?"

"I'm sure," the Defender confirmed sadly. "If she tells Viney, then things'll probably be awkward for one of them or both of them. If she doesn't tell Viney, then she has to keep her true feelings bottled up for the rest of her international career."

"No, I don't," you said suddenly, startling the the two captains. "I have a way out. And as much as it hurts to take it, it'll hurt more if I don't."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked worriedly. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just as Dutch as I am Australian," you refused to meet both of their widening eyes. "I'm eligible to play for the Oranje Leeuwinnen Vrouwen."

"What?" Sam was dumbfounded. "But you can't... we're your family!"

"If you and Kristie both played for the same national team, but Kristie was in a relationship with someone else and didn't love you back, would you still want to play with that team?"

Her silence spoke volumes.

"It's been quite the ride," you stood, offering a faint smile to both Sam and Steph. "Thank you both. I don't know when my transfer will be approved, but... I can't see Cortnee anymore. It hurts. A lot."

Sam looked ready to protest, but Steph instantly wrapped you in a motherly hug. "I'm so proud of you. You're gonna do great things. Make sure you call me though, yeah?"

You swallowed. "Yeah. Could you—could you do me a favour?"

"Of course."

"Tell all the girls that—" you sucked in a breath. "Tell all the girls that I've loved every minute of this journey with them, and that it's none of their faults I'm leaving. Could you—could you tell them the truth? The whole truth? I would, but I can't be there to see Cort's reaction. It would kill me."

Sam nodded, a small, sympathetic smile on her face. "Good luck, Y/N. We'll be cheering you on, always."

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

"Thanks, Tony," you shook hands with the manager gratefully. "You've been great."

"You as well, Y/N," he stated kindly. "Just remember that you've always got family in this team. You can come to us if you've ever got a problem. The Matildas are behind you."

Your lip wobbled. "I'll see you around, boss."

"Have a good one, Y/N."

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

"As of today, Y/N will no longer play for Australia," Steph's voice shook slightly. "She'll be transferring to the Netherlands for the foreseeable future."

The room was dead silent.

"What?" Ellie was the first to speak. "Wh—why?"

Sam lowered her head. "She fell in love."

"With who!?" Cortnee looked upset. "She doesn't even have any Dutch teammates!"

Mini shook her head. "She didn't fall in love with a Dutch player."

"Then who—" Cortnee's eyes widened. "She likes one of us? Who?"

That's when it clicked for everyone else. The longing glances, the overly kind gestures, the touches that lasted just a bit too long; you loved Cortnee, but she hadn't even realized you liked her in the first place.

"Oh, Viney..." Lydia grimaced. "Poor Y/N."

"What is it?" the Winger was clearly starting to get annoyed that everyone knew something she didn't. "Just tell me already!"

Steph, Mini, and Sam all shared a look.

"Cort, there's no easy way to say this, but—" Steph felt as though there was something caught in her throat. "Y/N loved you. But she knew that you didn't feel the same."

Cortnee's breath hitched in her throat. She was suddenly taken back to a night at one of last year's training camps.

"Hey, Viney?" you started, slipping your phone into your pocket. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Shoot."

"Are you happy in your current relationship?" your tone was innocent.

She smiled. "Yeah. Char's so sweet, how could I not be happy? I could totally imagine a future with her."

Something in your eyes had shattered. That much was clear to her now. But she'd been too preoccupied thinking about her girlfriend that it had slipped her mind.

"Oh, Y/N..." Cortnee's voice was barely above a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You deserve to be happy," her head snapped up at the sound of your raspy voice. "Who am I to take that away from you?"

"Y/N—"

"Thank you, girls, for my time here," you smiled weakly from the doorway, meeting each of your former teammates' eyes, though you struggled to meet Cortnee's. "It's been fun. I'm glad to have met all of you, to have shared the pitch with you, and most importantly, to become friends with all of you. I'll see you soon."

And just like that, you were gone.

[ranbowkng]

His Kingdom, His Power, My Glory

Gary thinks it'll be a good idea to infiltrate the church. A tired priest, with an adorable face, reminds him why that's a bad idea.

Gary smirked as he pulled the hood of his jacket tighter. This plan was genius. Why keep sending cultists to sneak into the church in the dead of night to make a mess of things when he could just spark turmoil in the middle of the day. The best part, they wouldn't kick him out, and they wouldn't know he was doing it. Perfect.

"Morning Father," he nodded, walking right past the priest standing at the door, greeting church-goers.

"Good morning! I- oh hold on!" The priest grabbed Gary by the sleeve, pulling him back slightly, "You're new here aren't you?"

"Ah, was it that obvious?" Gary smiled, fearing that his genius may have betrayed him already.

"Just a bit," The priest chuckled. Gary got a good look at him, he had dark brown hair, and royal blue eyes that seemed to glow. Gary could have gotten lost in that expression for hours, but he had a mission to attend to, he had far more important manners than pretty boys to worry about, "We actually have a rule, no hats or hoods in the congregation."

"Oh? My apologies," Gary said, pulling his hood down, "My old church was a bit less strict."

"No sunglasses either unfortunately," the priest smiled, but his grip on Gary's sleeve tightened.

"Afraid I can't do that," Gary said, "Got a bad eye disease. Don't wanna scare the kids away."

"Hmm," the priest's look was brimming with disappointment, but he resigned, "Alright then, we will keep you in our prayers, but please consider how you're affecting other members of the church."

"Yes, sorry Father," Gary chuckled, wanting to sigh in relief. He would not have been able to explain the peculiar case of his eyes to the priest.

Once he took a seat, he grinned ear to ear. What a fool the priest must have been to believe such a stupid lie. Regardless, the sermon was starting soon. From here Gary would be able to learn just what happens at a church service, and just how he can tear it apart.

As it turns out, there was too much sitting and standing. Too much listening and not nearly enough talking. Too much and not enough of everything, it was mind numbingly dull. Not even the Order would stoop so low as to make it's devoted followers sit for an hour doing nothing with no freedom to move.

But Gary-begrudgingly-endured it. He was certain that eventually something would happen that would be worth it. Then again, if he had to endure one more of those godforsaken psalms! They weren't quite songs, because a song required being good.

Eventually he found something, a payoff. The priest who had greeted him at the door had finished reading the gospel, and he spoke directly to the audience.

"God loves us all," he began, speaking slowly. You could hear the sound of his careful thought between each word he spoke, "The other day a woman had come to me asking how I knew."

This was perfect! If he wasn't reading off of the text then that only meant one thing, an open discussion. And when people spoke without reading off of their source, they were prone to making mistakes. And one slip up would be enough to pick him apart piece by piece.

"So I was open with her," he said, "I have suffered loss, divorce, and failures over and over again."

"Sounds like God hates you!" Gary shouted. As soon as he spoke everyone turned to him. A smirk was plastered on his face. He'd win over the crowd in twelve seconds flat.

The priest just gave him a tired glare before he continued speaking, "Despite my grievances, I still have the privilege of waking up every day. I have a new chance to prove myself every day. And the Lord tells me that I am his child and he will continue walking with me."

"I thought Jesus was the only son of God!" Gary yelled. He did his homework. Well, he read just enough to know where the hypocrisies stood out.

"We are all children of God under Abraham," the priest spoke through grit teeth, "We will be going over that next week."

"Sounds like God needs to close his legs!" Gary's smirk was growing into a grin.

"Alright," the priest took a deep breath, "Let's start over, since you clearly seem confused. I was trying to explain to a woman that God loves her and is with her through her every struggle. And to do so, I used my own life as an example."

"How did you manage to prove it?" Gary said, "Hey! Father! How do you know it's actually God talking!? Are you-"

"Some of us clearly need to start working on our relationship with the Lord!" The priest said, his chest rising and falling quickly as he tried to calm himself, "Some far, far more than others, but regardless. God is patient and will wait for us until the end of time."

"If God's so patient why are you getting so upset?" Gary argued.

"God is a patient man, I am not," John said calmly, "And that's okay! Because God gives us strength. Strength to overcome any challenge like frustration, or an inability to respect your church leaders."

"I fail to see how-"

"God gives us strength!" The priest spoke over him, "I believe we all have it in us to become better people through the Lord. Amen!"

Gary wanted to speak up, but the congregation seems to have accepted it was time to shut up. Unbelievable. How does a man who looks so pathetic manage to control the situation so well? Oh well, at least he can still figure out the weak points in the sermon simply by listening.

Meanwhile, said priest was glaring at him. A far older priest had taken over, but he still was looking straight through Gary with furrowed brows. Gary stared back, not that the priest could see past his sunglasses.

When the sermon was over, Gary was about ready to collapse. How does an hour of doing absolutely nothing become so exhausting? He would never blame his acolytes for their boredom during a meeting ever again.

He stood, prepared to leave, only to be stopped.

"Excuse me sir," it was the priest. He had gripped Gary by the sleeve, a soft smile on his face, "May I speak with you for a minute?"

Gary tried not to let his confident smirk falter, "Of course! What can I do for you?"

The priest chuckled slightly, "Oh no, I meant at the front. I have a couple things I'd like to discuss with you."

"Ah," Gary said. Had he been anywhere else, there was no doubt in his mind he'd be able to strike down the priest with a single glance, but this was a church. He was already weakened here, but this is where the priest would thrive. And yet, he was cocky, "Well, I don't see why not."

"Good," the priest said, "Follow me."

The priest waited for the entire congregation to leave. He stared up at the stained glass window as he waited to be alone with Gary. Gary kept a hand in his pocket, rubbing over his claw-like nails.

"I can explain," Gary said, "It's actually my first time in a catholic church, I didn't know the proper proceedings for the gospel."

"No no, I have to thank you," John said, "When one questions the bible, it means they simply wish to apply it to their life. I'm glad you gave me the opportunity to expand on what I had to say."

"Wait, really?" Gary said.

"Of course," the priest said, his nails digging into his palms, "Although, I would like to make a request." He turned towards Gary.

"Oh?" Gary raised an eyebrow, "What can I do for you?"

"Take off your sunglasses," John said, "I'd like to look you in the eyes when we speak."

"But my eyes-"

"I am not a child," the priest said calmly, "I will not panic at the sight."

"But-"

"Is that a no?" The priest asked. Gary felt that he didn't have a choice.

"Yes, of course," Gary said, reaching for his glasses, slowly taking them off. He and the priest's eyes never stopped looking on to each other.

"Mmm," the priest looked at his eyes, black with glowing red irises, "You're a demon."

"Nonsense!" I'm a normal human being just like you!" Gary argued.

"I'm no fool," the priest said, "I knew you were a demon from the moment I saw your face. Your eyes are a simple confirmation."

"I apologize," Gary said, "I simply needed information about the church."

"I'm afraid that this isn't your territory," the priest said, "Now I have to request you leave before I exorcise you."

Gary chuckled, despite the priest's clear advantage, "I'm afraid I won't be doing that." He used a clawed finger to tuck a piece of the priest's hair behind his ear, "For you see, I have a new interest to pursue, and I have no reason to leave just yet."

"Then allow me to give you one," the priest said. Before Gary could even process what was being said to him, the priest gripped him by the wrists and pushed him backwards, slamming his back against the altar, "Leave this church. If you come back I will give you a fate far worse than an exorcism."

"Heh, I suppose you reciprocate my interests," Gary smirked, only for the priest to increase the pressure he was using to hold him down.

The priest glared at him before speaking again, "You will not come back, but I will keep my eye on you. When I find your lair then we can...discuss things as adults. But for now, I expect you out of my sight, understood?"

Gary's breath hitched slightly. It's been so long since someone's given him a command without solicitation, "Yes sir~"

"Ah-ah," the priest said, "Use my proper title."

Gary rolled his eyes before smirking, aiming to piss the priest off, "Sure thing, daddy."

The priest's eyes remained unamused. He slid his right hand away from Gary's wrist and down to his throat, "I said..." his grip tightened. Not enough to constrict, but enough to cause pressure, "My proper title."

Gary did not want to admit out loud the things that those words did to him, "Of course...Father."

"Good," The priest's voice was quiet, mumbled only so he could hear. God he'd kill to have that done to him with a mattress beneath them, "Now go on, get out and don't show your face. I expect to be meeting with you very shortly."

"Of course Father," Gary said, turning to leave before the priest could get any ideas about exorcising him.

After all this, perhaps information wasn't the only thing he could get out of the church. This would be far less boring as well.

[ssaeri]

for your eyes only

☆ tags: elliott x gn!reader, elliott and farmer are married, he writes love poems for his spouse and is told to monetize them, oh boy is he not happy about that ☆

You pat your pig's backside encouragingly and coo as it digs its snout into the ground, unearthing yet another truffle that you add to your basket. Can't believe you were worried about this one being the runt of its litter—it's quickly proving to be one of the fastest learners, taking to truffle hunting like a duck to water. It'll do just fine with the rest of the adult pigs.

Taking care of the farm by yourself has always been a gargantuan task, but as the years go by, everything grows bigger—the coops, the barns, the ponds, the crops, the expectations—and exhaustion wears you down to the bone. You sigh and push to your feet, ready to head into the nearest coop to collect more eggs. Collect animal products, drop them into churning machines, harvest and sell. It feels like the cycle never ends. Against your neck, the small mermaid's pendant slides on its chain, another reminder of your absent husband. An extra pair of helping hands made the daily work light; you wonder if it's selfish to ask him to stay home more often.

"I know, I know," you say to your angry chickens once you open the door. You miss your husband, but these girls like to remind you that they miss him more. "He'll be home soon. Bear with me, okay?"

After giving each of them pats on the head, a motion they accept with reluctance, you dig around the hay for eggs. The large chicken and dinosaur eggs are easy to spot, but for the delicate duck eggs, you prod every corner with your fingers until you come across something warm and smooth. You push away your hens as they peck at your hands. The ducks are fine with you. The chickens, however...how in the world did Elliott win them over?

Outside, your dog barks. A single warning to the intruder before the tone shifts into excitement. Someone familiar, then. Maybe Marnie is stopping by to give you some hay like she mentioned last night. With winter approaching, any addition to your reserves is appreciated, and you're already wiping your hands on your overalls to greet her.

"Hey, Marnie! I'm just in here—"

You stop in your tracks when the visitor raises his head, though he's not exactly a visitor. Elliott smiles as you draw close, ignoring the horde of chickens now lining the fence for his attention. Their wings flap, clucking loudly as they hit each other.

"Good morning, my love," he says over the noise, as if it really is the start to a normal day. His thumb reaches out to rub at a dirt smudge on your cheek. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Just some leftovers and coffee," you reply, dazed. Your husband tends to have that effect, and after two weeks apart, you feel it more than ever. You lean into his touch, comforting against your wind-blown skin. "I thought you were coming home tomorrow?"

"I decided to come back early. The office didn't need me today, anyway."

"You should've messaged me! I would've picked you up at the train station," you say. Behind him sits his traveling suitcase, the wheels speckled with mud from being dragged through the road. He steps in front of it. "Why don't you go get unpacked? I'll be done soon."

He leans his elbows onto the fence, tilting his head until his fiery hair spills over one shoulder. "You're rather quick to dismiss my presence. If I didn't know better, I'd say that you're unhappy to see me," he says, though his words hold no accusation. It's merely a way to boost his ego when you reassure him. After all, you practically radiate by his side. "Would you like me to help?"

You glance at the dress shoes, the slacks, the spotless cardigan that he's already shrugging off to reveal a clean pressed button-down. Not exactly farm-friendly attire. "No, I'll be alright by myself."

"I could go change really quickly," he offers in a suspicious rush.

You search his expression then, and underneath the joy of being back, there's...something. You squint, unable to make it out. Sure, he must've missed you, but this feels like it runs deeper than that. When you give him a nod, he hurries towards the house, your dog chasing and barking at his heels. True to his word, he's back in minutes.

The chickens are much more cooperative now, and you roll your eyes at how they parade around your husband. They even hop around the coop, showing him where they've hidden their eggs from your intrusive searching.

"Thank you, dearies," he says to the hens. You swear they swoon.

"A real heart breaker," you deadpan. "Have you told them you're married?"

He chuckles, taking your hand as you move into the barns next door. While you lay out new hay on the feeding bench, he unhooks the stools and milk pails and sets them on either side of the door. It's hard to believe that just a few months ago he barely knew how to approach your animals, let alone help you with the chores.

He whistles lowly, and the first cow trudges to his station, ready to be milked. You get settled at your own station. One of the newer goats skids to the front of the line, eager to be let outside. It's not quiet in the barn—it never is, not with twelve grown animals waiting for their turn—but when you call Elliott's name, he looks at you. His ponytail needs to be retied.

"So why'd you come home early?" The young adult goats don't have much milk, just enough for a small container. You pat its hind leg, and it runs into the crisp autumn air with an excited bleat.

"I missed the atmosphere of our farm. The fresh air of the valley is good for my creative soul, unlike the bustle of Zuzu City."

You only raise your eyebrows, and he sighs from your all-knowing gaze.

"You read me a little too well, my love."

"I sure hope so, after all this time together. Did something happen at the office?"

Since the release of his last collection of short stories, he's been invited to the city more often for author-related events. This latest stint, running a series of writing workshops in partnership with Zuzu University and the local community, was organized by his agent in hopes of bigger opportunities. Maybe even a guest lecturer contract, they've said on more than one occasion, though Elliott refuses to be apart from you for too long.

Elliott gives another sigh. "Something like that. I just...it was admittedly negligence on my part. I was in the middle of writing you another letter when someone required my presence down the hall. I thought that it'd be a quick matter, so I didn't clear my desk. But apparently one of the secretaries came looking for me while I was out."

"Did they read...?" You wrinkle your nose, knowing how private Elliott is about his unpolished work. He's even more private about what he writes for your eyes only. "I'm sure they were embarrassed."

"That's what bothers me the most! She had the audacity to bring it up in front of everyone when we had a meeting, even quoted a few lines—"

The cow groans as he moves particularly rough. He gives it an apologetic scratch under the chin.

"So for the past two days, everyone has been trying to talk me into releasing a collection of love poems, which I would have no issues with if it didn't stem from such a personal...I mean, the poems were addressed to my muse, and when I explained that it was you, they said that was even better. Something about how the romance will really sell." He frowns. "I like being able to support myself—contribute to our funds, you know—with my writing, but it's not...a commodity. I'm allowed to make art for the sake of making art."

His forehead is furrowed, and you would reach out to ease the frustration if your hands weren't busy.

"What's your plan now?"

He scoffs. "There's no plan regarding that. I completely refuse. It's quite insulting, in fact, the idea that I'd put my love on display for a paycheck."

It's relieving, you have to admit. Even after getting a taste of success, your husband remains the same person you said your vows to. The same romantic who holds you in such high esteem. There's so many emotions—namely affection—swirling in your chest, but you're not the writer so all you manage is a simple Okay.

"Okay," you say again for good measure, but he must understand you because his expression smooths. "So what do you want for lunch?"

[soapsilly]

My Kind of Woman - Roronoa Zoro Imagine

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x Reader

Summary: Zoro being love drunk - and also a little drunk drunk - for (Y/N). A short story inspired by Mac DeMarco - My Kind Of Woman.

Requests are closed

************************************************************************

It was late... or rather early? Did it really count as the next morning when you never even went to sleep? There weren't very many people left - most of them had already gone home or were passed out. Nothing unusual for the feasts the Straw Hats would have regularly after a big fight. The huge bonfire had gone out hours ago but there embers still glimmered red and hot. Somewhere, Brook was still playing a song on his guitar. It was slow and almost sultry.

Zoro was more than a little buzzed as he watched (Y/N) drunkenly sway to the music. He was mesmerized by her. The way her hips moved to the music so perfectly. Her eyes were closed as she listened to the tunes, a small smile present on her face. He knew she was dancing for herself only, not to impress any of those men that were there this evening, not even for him. That didn't stop the swordsman from still watching the woman intently though. Zoro sometimes couldn't believe the effect she had on him. All the little nicknames, the nights they spent together, small kisses and hidden touches. It was all so foreign to Zoro but strangely he didn't mind at all.

"Here", she pushed something in his hands.

"What's this?", he blinked a few times.

"My wanted poster. It has a picture of me on it... It'll last longer", she winked at him.

The swordsman grinned stupidly as he unfolded the paper in his hands.

He took another swig of his drink, letting the taste linger in his mouth, watching the way her arms snacked themselves around herself in a soothing hug, a bottle of liquor dangling in her hands. He wasn't a dancer but his mind almost automatically imagined himself in her arms, swaying to the music. Oh, the things she did to him...

She was everything for him. How could a woman like her ever stay with a guy like him? He was stubborn. A brute. Not romantic in the slightest. And yet she was always by his side, making sure he ate, slept, rested. That shitty cook liked to remind Zoro that she was too good for him every chance he got - any maybe he was right - but as long as she would have him he'd do everything for her.

"Are you serious? You need to rest! Your wounds haven't even healed properly and here you are training again already! I'm not gonna stay and watch you kill yourself"

"Leave then, I never asked you to be here anyways", Zoro regretted the words as soon as they left his lips.

"You're an idiot, do you know that?", she told him before leaving the room.

He was sure he had permanently fucked things up with her this time, kicking himself over it, but in the evening (Y/N) came up to him.

"You shouldn't talk to me this way"

"I'm sorry", he meant it. He really did. He expected her to tell him to get lost, to not talk to her again but instead she hugged him. He didn't understand why she stuck right next to him, but he didn't dare to vocalize his thoughts, afraid of putting ideas in her head.

As if under a spell, he made his way over to her. He would blame the alcohol in the morning but he knew it was her that had this intoxicating effect on him. He knew the guys would tease him for his public display of affection but he didn't care. All he cared about right now was (Y/N). When he hugged her from behind, she didn't even hesitate as she turned around nuzzling her face in the nape of his neck.

"Didn't take you for a dancer"

"Couldn't help myself "

For a moment the two of them just stood there, swaying to the music, enjoying each others company.

"'M tired...", she mumbled into his shoulder.

"Want me to bring you back to the Sunny?", he leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear as he spoke.

"Only if you join me"

She didn't have to ask twice as he easily scooped her into his arms to carry her back to the Sunny. He'd never understand how he deserved a woman like her. He never was the romantic type but with her it was different. She was his kind of woman.

[krispycreamcake]

Reiji's perfect gift

From author: I'm gonna try just a tiny different writing style today sooo enjoy

Edit: I'M GOING TO KILL MYSELF OH MY GODDDDDDD I POSTED THIS BY ACCIDENT AND TRIED TO CNP IT BEFORE I DELETED IT BUT IT ONLY GOT LIKE ONE SENTENCE. I AM LEAVING THE EARTH.

"Mmmm... That's- hnng- good..." I grunted out in relief as I felt their gentle fingers easily glide across my aching muscle, pulling and tugging until I could no longer hold in my voice. Just the feeling of them on my skin made me instantly fall into a state of relaxation and pleasure.

Once they were done, I rose up from the bed and rolled my shoulders. "Thank you, I do appreciate it." The words left my mouth as if butter had been smeared all over my lips. I turned around to face them, looking into their eyes. I wish I could've stayed longer but I had important duties that couldn't be dismissed.

Truth be told, I've been certainly stressed out these past few days with the events father had planned for us. Convincing my no good brothers was hard enough as it is to attend, but making sure they don't make a fool of the Sakamaki name would be the harder issue at play.

"Reiji? You're kinda zoning out, you ok?" I heard their voice and immediately snapped my attention back to them. I cupped their face with a gloved hand and grazed their cheek with my thumb. "It's nothing you should be worrying about. I'm just focusing on making sure everything turns out the way father expects it to." They quirk an eyebrow at me before giggling.

"What's so funny?" I ask. "Well if things turn out the way he expects it to, then wouldn't that be a disaster?" I grin as the joke registers to me. As much as I do appreciate the humour, it was just another reminder that without me, this family would completely fall apart.

"I suppose you're right. Truly I couldn't imagine them being on any kind of behaviour, so it'll be hard to make sure they're even on their best one." They look at me a bit despondent as if they know what has to happen now. "Goodnight. I do hope you have a good rest, if you need me, you know where to find me."

I watch as their hands grab onto mines, not saying a word. It would be so easy to ignore what must be done and just stay here with them, but I'm afraid that that's just not in my character. "Don't look so troubled, you'll feel my fangs soon enough."

"I watch as their expression changes from one of surprise to embarrassment. What a predictable human. "I assume that's why you're so against letting me go no?" As their unbelievable fibs reach my ears, I can't help but think about how I'm only wasting more time. I say my farewells and immediately head to the game room to check on my brothers.

"Really Ayato, you never fail to disappoint me." I watch as he freezes in his spot, pool table clutched in hand. "Shit.... Reiji." I sigh before crossing my arms. "I don't expect anything from you other than to slack off, but even then you prove to me time and time again that you cannot be trusted with anything. You can't even set an example for your younger brothers! You agreed to come to the gathering and claimed that you had read the event's guidelines, yet here you are lazing off and playing games! You understand the severity of your situation don't you? Of all of us? We are to present the family's greatest accomplishments over the years and yet we have nothing to show for it."

I fix my glasses as my voice grows Stern and tense. "Tch- why don't ya take that damn stick outta your ass and have fun for once? Isn't today supposed to be your special day?" If I didn't have more important things to attend to, I'd slap that imprudent little boy across his face. Where does he honestly get the audacity to speak to me of all people like that?

"You know that as vampires, our birthdays are rather pointless and tiresome to celebrate. I am not some weak mortal that needs to be pitied for having gained another year to my age. Kanato, your advanced math class is having a meet-up tomorrow, you will be attending. Laito, I've arranged for you to be giving a tour in the demon world where you'll be teaching others about our history and culture, all your notes and resources are on your desk. Ayato, you have been designated to attend tomorrow's ball along with Subaru. You all have your work cut out for you so I don't expect anyone to be slacking off."

They luckily knew I wasn't asking but still, neither seemed pleased to be bossed around. "I think I'd rather die than have an old guy like you tell me what to do you know." Laito spoke with firm determination, I could see it in his face and sense it in his voice, no matter how smooth of a tone he may put on.

"These are not my wishes, I am simply carrying out our duties and making sure you low-lives don't drag the Sakamaki name through mud." I quickly spat back at him. Why must they oppose every single thing I say? I'm doing this for them! I sigh before taking my leave.... Until I heard Kanato murmur something under his breath.

I snapped my head towards him. "Speak up, it's rude to mumble, you're no longer a child anymore Kanato." I watched as Kanato looked at the floor, fiddling with that teddy bear of his before finally speaking up with such dead eyes.

"Teddy and I think that you should just leave if everything's such a bother to you.... You don't care about us anyway, but I can't say that we all don't feel the same! Uuu..... You want to abandon us, leave us here to rot!" I was almost taken aback before Kanato started to sniffle and cry like a child that lost its mother.

I once again adjusted my glasses before giving them all a stern look. I head back to my room to review the letters we received after a certain good-for-nothing let them stack up without informing anyone that they were delivered in the first place.

Just as I climbed the stairs, I immediately noticed that they were there. Watching perhaps? Sometimes I just don't know what's going on with that person after it seems like I have everything figured out. "It's highly unbecoming to ease drop on other's conversations."

I chuckle as I watch them jump in surprise. I grabbed their hand before giving their wrist a slap with my index and middle fingers. They wince at the jolt of pain before yanking their arm away. But something wasn't right.... Their usual playful stature in moments like these, was replaced with what I could only concur as annoyance and anger.

"Is something the matt-" My ears were immediately assaulted by a loud berating. "How could you not tell me it was your birthday??? Are you insane?? We spent the entire day doing nothing! I could've made you a cake or something or- or I don't know! Get you a present at least! You told me 'not to worry about it' when I asked because it didn't matter!"

My face drops and I feel exasperation creep up on me. "Is that what this is all about? I believe you heard my explanation when I was speaking to Ayato, I won't repeat myself because you refuse to listen to anything that isn't what you want to hear. I've explained before that I'm busy, so if you don't mind, I'll be taking my leave."

I walk past them before things could escalate more. I tried to remain as composed as I could but everyone seemed to be additionally unintelligent today. Truth be told, I couldn't care less! My birthday? Ha..... What a joke, it should be forgotten and buried with that woman.

I turn the knob on my door and see my room in the state of a pigsty. I hurriedly closed the door as it let out a small slam. "Hm, it seems I've let this place get the best of me. I don't have time for tidying right now..... I need to-" I don't know what overtook me, or perhaps I did, but I slid down the wall and thre my head back, tears streaming down my face. What a fool I've been, running around catering to others and I shut them out when they try to do the same.

"Yes?" I look down to see them... But not just them. The triplets are outside as well and Subaru even. A warm yellow glow was radiating off of their face. Candles that were stuck inside a strawberry shortcake.... My eyes grew wide as I realized. I didn't say a word as I opened the door for all of them to come in. Ayato was the second to bolt inside holding a bottle of wine.

It's that damn person's fault! Ever since they got here, they've made my life hell! Their outrageous tendencies to check in on me, to care for me, to hold me! How could they..... Make me see my own flaws, make me feel this way? I hear a knock on the door and immediately stand up, drying my eyes and taking a second to breathe before opening it.

"Happy birthday dear Reiji~ happy birthday to you!" I unintentionally gave a small smile as I listen to all their uneven voices try to sing in harmony, it was absolutely awful. But I can't say I didn't enjoy it nonetheless. "Thank you all.... And I'm assuming this was your idea?" I asked them.

They tried to be humble but I knew they really enjoyed the praise they got from me. I opened the bottle of wine and poured everyone a glass, using the ones I keep locked away in my room. They all seemed surprised to see me bringing them out.

I can't remember how many drinks we'd all had, but when they kissed me.... I can't explain it. It was more sweet than any blood that I've ever tasted, more delicate than the finest of pastries. In fact, if it wasn't for that kiss, I don't think I'd recall that night at all.

I feel a presence behind me and before I could see who it was, they left. The only thing to indicate that there was someone there in the first place, was a small store bought card with the words 'happy birthday' written on it in an ugly font with bright colours. "Hmph, you really are good for nothing."

[starlight-writer]

Randomly Cuddling Them

A/n: Hahaha hiiii (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）it's meeeee I'm baaaaack In all seriousness, I've been dealing with a shit ton of stuff and summer depression is kicking my ass. I'm sorry I haven't posted in ages even when I promised I would, I just haven't been able to motivate myself to write. I won't promise you guys a schedule or another fic anytime soon, but I will say that I have no intentions of deleting this blog or stopping writing all together. Just be patient with me and to those who have requested things, I'm sorry I haven't answered them. They'll all come in due time :) In the meantime, have some fluff to make you forget about your depression.

Warnings: none, fluff, slight angst(?)

Gn Reader Masterlist

Steven

Welcomes the cuddle with open arms

He'll ask if you’re ok a few times, just wanting to make sure his darling is feeling well

He'll pet your hair and start talking about his day or a new book he's read to fill the silence

"You wouldn't believe the ending though! The main character has to sacrifice his "

Just sort of talks about anything to fill the comfortable silence, hoping it'll distract you from anything that's stressing you out

Definitely playfully brags to Jake and Marc in the headspace during and after the cuddles

"They wanted to cuddle with me :D"

Once you're ready to pull away, he'll give you a kiss on the forehead and continue reading or whatever it was before, but keeps an eye on you

He isn't sure what brought on the cuddles, and while he loves them, he wants to make sure you're ok

If you start looking upset or frustrated with a task, he'll gently pull you away from whatever you're doing and sit you on the couch

"Lovey, you can finish it later, just sit with me for a bit yeah?"

He'll pull you into his chest and read aloud from his book or ramble about something to distract you

He'll play with your fingers, interlacing them and kissing your finger tips before holding your hand to his face

"Love you, darling"

He'll say in the sweetest voice, you'll forget all about the stresses of the day or the stresses of tomorrow

Mission accomplished

Marc

He's a little caught off guard, but pulls you into his arms eagerly

He'll never turn down cuddles (cough touch starved cough)

He'll run his fingers through your hair or rub his hand up and down your back

He'll ask if you're ok, but won't push past that

He'll stay silent unless you ask him to talk

"Uh... I saw a lizard earlier today. It reminded me of you cause it was cute :)"

He's trying his best

If you stay in his arms for a long period of time, he'll start to think something might be wrong so he'll start making really really bad jokes

"I went to the deli earlier and the sausage they gave me was the wurst :D"

He won't stop until you laugh and he's not above tickling you until you pee your pants

It's like he unlocks a little box inside his head of terrible jokes and playfulness just for the purpose of seeing you smile

After the cuddles session, he'll watch over you carefully

If you start looking stressed or tired or anything but relaxed, he'll pop off with another joke

"Ya know, babe, I used to hate facial hair. But then it grew on me."

Is that a frown on your perfect lips? Not on his watch

"I don't think I told you this before, but I used to be able to play piano by ear. Now I have to play it with my hands."

Eventually, if you start looking too stressed, he'll just pull you into another cuddle session

"Can't have my baby getting stressed."

He'll explain, kissing you on the forehead and shushing you if you try to leave

He'll carry you to bed or the couch, locking you underneath him with his head on your chest

"So comfy, might just fall asleep here."

He snores loudly, trying to coax a giggle or two out of you

And when you fall asleep from the warmth he gives off, he'll watch you with love in his eyes

"Goodnight, babe. I love you."

Jake

There're two ways this could go depending on how he feels

He could be very smug about it, hold you tightly to his chest, mutter things like 'poor bebito/a, so needy for their Papi~' and make sexual or teasing jokes to lighten the mood

Or he could hold you securely in his arms, run his fingers across your back, occasionally kiss your head, and ask in a hushed voice 'what's wrong, mi amor?'

He thrives on physical affection, so either way he's incredibly happy to give it to you

Whether it be a quick kiss, setting his hand on the small of your back as he walks by, resting his hand on your thigh as he drives, or just touching your knee with his in a crowded space, he loves all of it

And depending on why you suddenly held onto him, he'll be very attentive

If he's making jokes when you just want to be held, he'll pick up in it right away and mutter a small apology with a kiss

He'll hum a song he heard on the radio, he'll keep his breathing long and slow to help calm you down if needed, he'll even read you one of Steven's 'boring' books

He's like Marc in a way, they'll both do absolutely everything in their power to make you smile or laugh if the situation calls for it

If you've gotten your fill of cuddles and start to pull away, he'll pout and pull you back down, muttering something about feeling cold without you on top of him

Which is a lie, they run extremely hot which has cancelled many cuddle sessions in the summer because 'It's too hot, Jake! And don't give me those puppy eyes!'

He refuses to let you go until you explicitly tell him you want him to

He'll act all sad, but he lets you go after a passionate kiss

Openly watches you closely afterwards, determined to see any slip of annoyance or frustration so he can whisk you away to your shared room and cuddle the stress away

And the second your brow twitches in frustration, he's coming up behind you and hugging you

"Bebito/a, dance with me."

He'll say, already swaying to the music playing in his head

He'll spin you around and subtly drag you away from the chore or work you were doing with a charming smile and his swaying hips

When you've rested your head on his chest and sigh softly, following the shuffling of his feet and sway of his hips, he knows he's succeeded in calming you down

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Reader takes post Hisui Ingo (and possible Emmet) to Sinnoh where he takes them to Lady Sneaslers cave, Ingo would probably find her fossil and be sad until Reader reminds him that they can now bring back well preserved fossils. Que Ingo and Ladys reunion (headcanon that fossils retain their memories cos its cute)

It took quite some time for Ingo to readjust to the present, considering at least five whole years have passed since he got thrown back in time...lost in the ancient region of Hisui.

You've been stuck there too, but eventually you made a deal with Arceus after "seeking out all Pokémon" as requested and capturing it:

If you released your cherished team back into the wild, it'll let you both go home. Of course, that wasn't an easy sacrifice to make, though after bidding farewell to the Pokémon that helped you save Hisui--and the world as a whole--Arceus did fulfill its end of the bargain.

It dropped you and Ingo off into a familiar underground subway, where Emmet so-happened to be patrolling alone at that same time.

He nearly passed out upon seeing that you both finally back home, especially his older twin.

Fortunately, he remembered everything about him the second they met eyes....leading to the brothers hugging and sobbing for a solid ten minutes together. You simply stood on the sidelines as Chandelure and Eelektross gave their trainers space and celebrated your return.

After the media caught wind of the good news, life pretty much resumed as normal--except the brothers put a temporary halt on their battle subway operations as you suggested a vacation to Sinnoh. Obviously Ingo's mind was still foggy, so he wasn't quite fit to resume any dual battles yet.

He did, however, wish to show Emmet what he learned of this region based on his experiences in Hisui--especially Mt. Coronet. He took you both to the cavern that used to be his warden post.

"I gotta admit, you're turning into quite the historian." Emmet remarked, looking all around as the three of you ventured further into the cave. Only your flashlight shined the path forward. "You were just..guarding this so-called "Noble Pokémon" from danger?"

"Indeed. That's exactly it!" Ingo explained with much vigor. "As warden, it was my duty to ensure Lady Sneasler's territory was protected and that offerings were delivered to her from time to time. Of course, I didn't think Pearl Clan would ever trust a stranger like myself. But it ended up being a wise decision on their part."

Emmet simply muttered an "ahh" in surprise, nodding his head as you and him continued listening to the older twin's story. He went on to discuss the baby Sneasels that were under Sneasler's care, saying they were cared for in this very cave and that you were nearing her den.

However, you three would soon happen upon a rather...unfortunate sight. But neither of you knew it yet until Ingo abruptly stopped in his tracks, having found something he wishes he could unsee.

"...oh, so...that's all there is now...." His voice turned flat.

"Ingo? What's wrong?" Emmet asked in worry.

"I think I know.." You frowned slightly, standing beside Ingo and flicking on your flashlight, revealing bones embedded into the dirt of the den.

But they weren't just any regular old bones scattered everywhere...

They made up the fossil of a certain Sneasler.

"..of course, h-how could I forgotten? She's gone.." Ingo bowed his head in mourning, feeling the ache in his heart growing as the reality of this discovery hit him hard. But even with the bill of his hat casting a shadow over his eyes, you and Emmet could see his lips tremble, tears sliding down both cheeks.

"M-My Lady..."

Hearing his voice break was something neither of you expected, but of course....you understood why.

This had to be a difficult thing to confront, knowing that the Noble he formed such a close bond with, the one who helped him in that lost and unfamiliar distant past...was now extinct.

There will never be another Sneasler like her again.

The only proof of her existence was kept within a fossil-

'Wait...her fossil...'

You suddenly remembered something extremely crucial, and smiled, knowing exactly how to help Ingo in his moment of despair. So you gently put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention. "Hey, Ing-"

"I never even thought about what became of her until now.." He put his hand over yours, voice still trembling, as he believed you were only trying to comfort him. "We left so suddenly and...god, she must have been so confused. Did she think we abandoned her? Did she live out the rest of her days in anger or sorrow? Oh how I...I-I just wish I could see her one last time..."

"We can make that happen, Ingo."

"..huh?" Blinking, he stared at you with puffy eyes, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? We can't go back-"

"We've got the technology to revive fossils, remember?" You reminded him, seeing his expression shift for a moment. And then recollection seemed to flash in his eyes.

"Ahah..that's right. I-I must have forgotten..." He chuckled softly, wiping away his tears as he finally calmed down. "Is it possible to fully restore her?"

"I believe so! Her fossil looks verrrry well-preserved!" Emmet nodded, happy to see his brother's smile again. "We must dig this up post haste! It'd be an honor to meet this "Lady Sneasler"."

"Then it's decided, gentlemen." You grinned, clapping your hands together. "Let's get to digging!"

.........

The excavation of Lady Sneasler's fossil went off without a hitch, and you wasted no time heading to Oreburgh's Mining Museum afterwards.

The scientist in charge of reviving fossils was initially taken aback by the odd skeleton piece you gave him, though he accepted it nonetheless and insisted you three waited outside until the process was complete.

Yet his words left Ingo nervous as he paced back and forth in front of the museum sign. He kept muttering train-related facts under his breath, trying to keep calm. But he couldn't help wondering if something could go wrong.

What if it's impossible? What if she's brought back wrong or without any memory of who he was?

Would she be terrified of the sudden changes that modern society brought and go berserk??

Did..any Fossil Pokémon feel that way when they were first revived?

Fortunately, as quickly as these concerns descended upon him...they were just as quick to leave when he heard a familiar cry and footsteps growing louder. And he turned in astonishment to see who came running out of the museum, a frantic scientist in-tow.

Both you and Emmet looked on, the latter surprised to see it was a tall Sneasel-like Pokémon with purple fur jogging over to you all. But you had a huge smile on your face, knowing very well that's the Noble you hoped to see again. She looked the same as she did all those years ago.

"I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!! I-It ran out the second I brought it back to life!!" He kept shouting.

"Halt! There's no need to proceed further!" Emmet barked, putting his hand up to stop him in his tracks. "Thank you for your services. We'll take care of her from here."

"...a-ah yes, of course! Sorry." Coughing nervously, the scientist smoothed out his ruffled lab coat, before heading back inside the museum.

"Sneas?" While initially confused at Emmet's presence, Lady Sneasler perked up at Ingo's voice as he approached her.

"My Lady..."

For a moment, she looked down at the man, at first not recognizing him outside of his tattered Pearl Clan garb. But after sniffing him a few times, the usually stoic Pokémon smiled warmly and ruffled his head gently. "Snea!"

"O-Oh, thank Arceus...you remember..!!" He beamed, although her mood suddenly switched as she huffed, before stepping back and crossing her arms, foot tapping with impatience.

The look in her eye told Ingo "you owe me an explanation big time".

But before he could speak up, you intervened, knowing it was really your fault that they never got to properly say goodbye to each other. So you explained everything to her, and she seemed to understand, given how her facial features gradually softened.

After nodding her head in respect, she turned back to her warden, embracing him in an act of forgiveness. At first he was in shock, though he returned the hug seconds later, tears of happiness streaking down his cheeks this time.

He'll worry about how Lady Sneasler will adapt to this new world later on...but for now he just wanted to take in this moment.

You and Emmet just looked on, relieved to see the pair reunited after being thrown timelines apart.

"Awh, that is verrrrry touching." He clasped his hands together with a grin. "I wonder how she'd fair in batt--ough!!"

Elbowing him in the gut, you huffed in annoyance. "Not the time, Em."

"..r-right, sorry!"

[hoseokslefteyebrow]

005

Pairing : Miguel O'Hara X Best Friend Reader

Genre : fluff

Summary : Miguel being Miguel at his finest.

Wordcount: 1.4k

Miguel O’Hara Masterlist

This is a direct continuation of 004. : )

Surprisingly enough (or somewhat not),  it doesn't take long before the two of you fall into an easy routine. It takes Miguel a total of two days before he's completely used to having your presence the little amount more around than usual

It scares Miguel how natural it feels to share his bed with you, and to live with you. It's now been a little over two weeks since you've been staying at his place, and he absolutely loves it. Not that he's willing to admit that to anyone.

He loves how easy it is to come home to a freshly cooked meal, or to cook together when he finds the time for it. He loves waking up next to you, wrapped up into one another. You relax him to a level where he actually has to put an alarm clock on in order to wake up on time. Sleeping more comfortably with you next to him.

The attack at your place did shake him though, having brought him right back into his paranoia about losing you. Just a little more than before. He's strict in the simple rule of wanting to pick you up when you have a shift until late. He's also adamant about dropping you off when you start early. (The shop you work at is open from 8-21', morning shifts start at 6'.) 

Currently it's afternoon, and your shift ended about 10 minutes ago. You're on your way to his lab, and should be arriving soon. At least, he hopes you arrive soon. Peter B is in his lab, and keeps on telling him about Mayday, who's also crawling all over the place.

Miguel sighs once more as Peter just wouldn't stop talking.

" Peter. I really don't care. Go bother someone else." Miguel grumbles, hoping Peter will take the obvious hint and leave.

To his disappointment, he doesn't.  Things get even more interesting annoying when one of the recently recruited spider woman walk into the lab. 

He doesn't like her. Not even a little bit. He doesn't understand why Ben brought her in. She was an okay spiderwoman, but maybe not yet great enough for the multiverse. He still trusts Ben though, trusting his judgement on this one.

" Hi Peter, hi Miguel!" She calls to both of them with a smile.

Miguel can't even remember her name. 

Peter enthusiastically calls back to her whilst Miguel himself grumbles a forced greeting in response. 

She wordlessly slings herself onto his platform as well, smiling as she holds out a box to him.

He raises a brow at her in question.

" I heard you usually tend to skip lunch unless someone reminds you, so I decided to bring you some empanadas, I heard you like those." She smiles.

He admits the gesture is sweet. But he can't be bothered to give a damn when he knows you're on your way with freshly baked goodies. (The cafe you work at is also a fresh bakery.)

" Y/N's on her way with my lunch." He deadpans, no emotion visible on his face.

He has no idea if you actually are, but you usually bring him something.

Nameless spiderwoman blushes in embarrassment, something Peter is able to help with.

" Hey, Mayday and I haven't eaten yet! We'll take em." He smiles.

" Don't let Mayday eat in my lab, Peter. It'll be a mess." Miguel warns Peter, who hums and skip off.

Spider woman remains, something Miguel doesn't really understand, but whatever.

As if on que, he hears your footsteps nearing from down the hall, and so he lowers his platform wordlessly.

Just as the platform almost nears the ground, you walk in. Miguel can't help himself when a slight smile pulls at his face.

With some struggles, and a helping hand, you manage to climb onto the platform.

" Thanks. Also, here's your lunch. We were making croissants this morning. One has chocolate by the way, I'm only willing to share that one if you ask nicely." You tell him, setting a paper bag onto his desk.

You turn to the spider woman with a smile, surprising her.

" Hi, I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself yet- I'm Y/N. Not a spider person, I just mostly hang out around HQ when I'm not working." You grin, holding out your hand for her.

She takes it, smiling politely.

" Hi. My name is Mary Jane, but I mostly go by MJ." She smiles as well.

" Was I interrupting anything?" You ask as you glance back at Miguel, who's munching on a croissant.

MJ opens her mouth to reply, but Miguel beats her to it.

" No, you're fine. She was just leaving." Miguel says, giving MJ a pointed look.

MJ turns pink in embarrassment again before mumbling out a greeting and swinging away.

" You sure I didn't?" You ask him. " She seemed to have something to say." You tell him.

He shrugs.

" I don't really care to be honest. " He tells you.

You hum, before plopping into his desk chair and opening up something on your phone.

" Hey so I've been looking around, and I found a new apartment. It's a little farther away, and even smaller, but it's in a nicer neighborhood and has better security." You tell him, opening up the site on your phone to show him.

However, when you turn your phone to face him , you find him already looking at you, as if he meant to tell you something a while ago.

" Right." He starts, glancing at the screen of your phone before he wipes his mouth of crumbs with his sleeve. " So uhm, I was actually thinking...- What if you stay with me?" He asks, eyes showcasing that kind of vulnerability he only shows with you.

You blink at him.

" You can't be serious right?" You ask him eventually.

" What?"

" Look. You're my best friend. And you always will be. But don't be mistaken that I didn't notice how you cast me aside until I was in danger two weeks ago, Miguel. You can't just treat me like that, save me, and expect us to share a space on your name in which you could kick me out whenever you want." You tell him.

There's no bite in your words, no ill intentions. Miguel knows he messed up with the stupid idea of creating distance between the two of you, now he isn't even sure why he made that decision.

" Look, uhm, I- I don't know how to explain this to you, but I have a sort of valid... reason? I didn't do it because I was bored of you or something. I know I never will be, in fact." He tells you, stepping closer to you as he takes your free hand in his.

" I'll tell you when I'm ready. I promise. But for now, I just can't tell you." He tells you quietly.

In truth, his reasoning is pretty wacky. He's fallen for you. Hard. And he was afraid of his own feelings, still is, but just slightly less. 

You sigh, but nod.

" Look, I trust you. Just promise me you won't randomly kick me out and we can see if this works out." You tell him, your thumb running comforting patterns over his hand.

He visibly brightens up at your words as he nods. " Okay." He smiles softly.

The two of you are now so close, it's incredibly tempting to kiss you right now. Almost giving into the moment to bend down and connect your lips to his- he's grateful to be distracted when one of his screens showcase a circling movement, signaling an anomaly.

You turn to look at it as well- were you too swept up in the moment?

" Right. Work. " You hum as you pick out your chocolate croissant from the bag on top of his table.

[ A/N: Anyone one has any ideas for this one shot-series book? I'm lowkey running out of scenarios except for a selected few but I don't feel like quitting these two just yet.]

000 - Taglist

006

@adamsloverboy

@ihateuguys

@alchemist421

@julesclues

@bxrbiewrites

@dammittjanet

[guilty-pleasures21]

Another one?! Ugh, I get bored at work, okay?!

I am so sorry guys, but even I'm getting bored of this one 😭. I'm just going to work with what I already have in my drafts and not add on much more to this storyline so I can work more on the ones with actual plots 🥲. Thank you for following this far!!! Much love ❤️.

3. And on it goes

Part 1 - The apartment

Part 2 - the late night

Part 3 - the shirt

 Warnings: kissing and touching, mentions of sex

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

    The first thing she did was head over to the kitchen and open up the fridge. 

     “You hungry, cariño?” Miguel asked, leaning over the kitchen island. He'd taken her back to his place after they'd watched their movie, but they'd grabbed some food after, so he didn't know how she could possibly be hungry again so quickly. 

     “No. I just want to see what brands you use,” she replied, studying his fridge carefully. She closed it shut again, then turned around to face him, that sweet smile that she'd been giving him all day still stretched across her face. 

     “And?” Miguel asked. “Do I pass inspection?” X pretended to consider the question, her lips twisted to the side as she thought about it. Then she shrugged. 

     “It'll do, I guess,” she relented casually. Miguel smiled and shook his head. 

     “Help yourself to whatever you want, arañita. No questions,” he reassured her, moving to stand next to her. “Do you want some water?”

     “It's fine. I have my bottle.” She gestured to the translucent purple bottle she carried around everywhere with her.

     “You don't have to use your bottle, querida. Just use a cup,” Miguel suggested. “Or a glass. Whatever you want, it's all yours.” He never spent too much time at home, always working late in the lab or staying up to fulfil his superhero duties. He supposed it was a bit of a waste, leaving his luxurious penthouse apartment empty most of the time, but maybe that was about to change soon. For the better. X smiled and he felt his own lips curling at the sight.  

     “Thank you.” She walked over to the balcony next, crossing the living room to unlock the sliding door and step out into the cool night air. She took a few cautious steps to the railing, then clung onto it tightly as she glanced out at the city. “Wow. This is beautiful.”

     Miguel leaned against the railing beside her, puzzled by her awkward posture. “Cariño. What are you doing?” 

     X backed away from the railing, then breathed a sigh of relief. “I'm kind of terrified of heights.”

     He hadn't known that about her, but it wasn't something that would have come up in an everyday conversation.    

     “You know I'm Spiderman, right?” Miguel reminded her, gesturing to the buildings around them. “I can just web us away.”

     X backed away until she reached the door and pressed herself up against it nervously. “Uh, no thanks, querido. I'm fine!”

     Dios, he loved hearing her call him that. He started moving towards her, a wicked glint in his eyes, and X held out a hand in warning. “No way, Miguel. I'm good right here. You can go perform your death-defying stunts all you want, I'm gonna stay right here: on solid ground.”

     She slid the door open and rushed back into his living room before he could grab her, and Miguel grinned as he closed the door behind him. X sighed with relief, then turned to go explore the guest room. 

     “Why is your house so big?” she asked, her eyes travelling over the plain bedsheets and single cupboard at the corner of the room. She didn't think he had guests very often - he was always busy with work or being Spiderman, and he never talked about his family. Was he just not very close to them or had something happened that had driven a wedge between them one day? Miguel shrugged.

     “Why not? I mean, I'm pretty big myself,” he joked. X turned back to face him, her cheeks heating up as she bit down an embarrassed smile. Miguel folded his arms across his chest and flashed her a naughty smirk, and X swivelled away from him and squealed with delight: oh, she knew exactly how big he really was. She cleared her throat, composing herself, then straightened. 

     “Okay! So! Bathroom?” She walked over to the first floor bathroom and opened the door to take a peek. Pristine marble countertop, neatly folded spare towels, sparkling cream-coloured tiles. Did he hire a cleaner to take care of his house? She couldn't imagine him getting on his knees and spending an entire day scrubbing the bathroom clean. “Nice.” 

     “So? Are you gonna make an offer?” Miguel teased from behind her. X closed the door and turned back to him, confused. 

     “Huh?”

     “For the house,” Miguel elaborated, gesturing to their surroundings. “Are you done inspecting it?” 

     X smiled and pretended to consider the idea. 

     “Hmm, I still haven't seen the upstairs yet,” she pointed out, taking a step closer to him. “What's the master bedroom like? Can I … test it out? With a friend, perhaps?”

     Miguel grinned and curled his fingers around her waist, pulling her closer to him. “Depends. Who's this friend?”

     X wrapped her arms around his neck and pursed her lips in thought. “Hmm, I can bring him tomorrow? I think he should be free in the afternoon.”

     Miguel frowned immediately. “Who's this friend, querida?” 

     “I'm kidding, Miguel!” X laughed at the annoyed look on his face, then stretched up to press a quick kiss to his lips. “You're so cute when you're jealous!”

     She pressed herself against him in a hug and he relaxed when she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It's only you, querido, only you.”

     Miguel grunted in agreement and hugged her back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Then he followed her up the stairs. 

     “The bedroom is that way, arañita,” he informed her when she walked straight past it to continue down the corridor. He curled his fingers around the belt loops of her jeans and tugged her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her close to him. She sucked in a breath when he pressed his lips to the side of her neck, and he grinned at her response.

     “I know. I'm just … saving it for last,” she replied, shivering against him as he brushed his nose along the length of her neck. “I want to take my time testing it out.” 

     She turned around to flash him a mischievous grin and Miguel bent over to rest his forehead against hers. “Santo cielo, arañita.”

     She slid her hands up the back of his neck as he kissed her, her fingernails tickling the back of his scalp delightfully. He groaned at the sensation and pulled her tighter against him, arching her back so he could slide his tongue deeper into her mouth. She kissed him back a little more, then pulled back eventually, straightening so he'd loosen his grip on her. She turned around when he released her and continued making her way to his study.

     She let her eyes drift over the titles in his collection as she strolled past his bookshelves, then she called back to him over her shoulder. “Do you read anything for fun?”

     “Fun?” Miguel repeated, coming up behind her and sliding his arms around her waist again. “What's that?”

     She snickered at his response, then giggled when he nipped at her earlobe. She spun around in his arms and shot him an exasperated look. Then she curled her arms around his neck and leaned forward, bringing her mouth closer to his. 

     “‘Fun’ is what we had tonight, Dr O'Hara,” she informed him, her dark eyes falling to his lips and staying there. “Maybe you should try doing it more often.”

     Miguel grinned and turned her around to start guiding her to his bedroom. “The night is still young, arañita. Maybe you can teach me a little more about having fun tonight.”  

     She walked into the room, then stopped immediately, hesitating. She normally took the seat next to him, their elbows touching, their thighs brushing against one another’s, but … She saw the corner of Miguel's lips twitch as his gaze flickered from her to the chair beside him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. And she knew he wouldn’t let her concentrate if she sat next to him right now. 

     X edged closer to the other side of the room, aiming for the seat diagonally across from him; too far for him to try anything. But then he glared at her, his lips twisting into a frown and his fingers tapping on the table impatiently as he gestured for her to plant herself in the seat next to him. She gulped, keeping her head down as she scurried over to him, hoping no one had noticed the silent communication passing between them. Then she dropped into the seat next to him and shuffled away slightly, trying to keep some distance between them. Miguel huffed in irritation and grabbed onto the edge of her seat, rolling her right next to his side so that he could place his hand on her knee. 

     “So?” He glanced around the room, opening the meeting once everyone had taken their seats. “What’s the update?” 

     He slid his hand up her thigh as Aaron began speaking, his fingers brushing against her over her pant leg. X gritted her teeth and hunched over her laptop, hoping against hope that no one would find anything suspicious about their behaviours. She squeezed her legs together as Aaron continued presenting his report, lifting one to cross it over the other. But Miguel stopped her immediately, pressing down on her thigh to hold her in position so he could continue stroking her. She tried to keep herself frozen in place as she stared at the screen, tried to ignore the way he squeezed her thigh gently, his thumb rubbing along her as he calmly asked Aaron a question. But how could she think about anything else right now? How could he?! Looking up at the screen with his eyes narrowed in thought, his attention entirely focused on Aaron’s presentation, even while he caressed her beneath the table. Miguel  moved his hand higher, inching his way closer and closer to her centre, and X reached down quickly, grabbing hold of his hand and twining her fingers with his. She saw the corner of his lips quirk as he relaxed into her touch, his skin warm against hers, and she bit down on her grin, her chest tingling at the ease with which she could put a smile on his face, even just a small one.

     “Well, if that’s all,” Miguel concluded, addressing the rest of the room, “then back to work.” X moved to pull her hand out of his - to stand up and return to her work as well - but Miguel held her firm, his fingers not letting go of hers even while he glanced at something on his laptop. 

     “X,” he began, his expression giving nothing at all away, “could you stay behind for a second? I have something I need to discuss about your project.” She nodded and waited quietly for everyone else to exit the meeting room. Finally, when they were alone, Miguel stood up and crossed the room to lock the door before making his way back over to her. 

     “Um, what did you want to talk about, Dr. O’Hara?” X asked curiously. She tried to maintain a professional tone as she spoke: a reminder that they were currently at work, but he just smirked at her, grabbing onto her wrists and pulling her up to stand before him. 

     “I wanted to talk about your performance yesterday,” he told her, guiding her arms around his neck before running his hands down her sides and settling them on her waist. He bent over her, his lips brushing along her neck as he began murmuring against her skin. “You did such a good job, querida, I was hoping to get a repeat performance tonight.”

     They'd hung out again on Sunday - after Miguel had coaxed her into another sex session when they'd woken up in the morning - but she'd insisted on going back to her apartment before work the next day. She'd been a little nervous about how he'd treat her once they were at work again, expecting him to adopt the stern and quiet demeanour he normally wore around the office, but oh, how wrong she'd been.

     He grinned at her silence, then pressed a soft kiss to her skin, his hands moving up her back to pull her closer to him as he continued making his way up her neck. Her head fell to the side in response to his touch, her body ceding control of itself over to him, and he moaned softly against her as he glided one hand down to the waistband of her pants. He snuck his fingers beneath the back of her shirt and skimmed his fingernails across her bare skin, and she sucked in a breath at the feeling. 

     “Miguel,” X breathed, the hoarseness in her voice drawing another low moan out of him. And then she could no longer speak, the only thoughts on her mind the memories of his skin on hers, his hands, his lips, his tongue. He pulled back, his gaze falling to her mouth before his lips followed, landing on hers so he could begin kissing her. She gasped, her muscles tensing in alarm even as she kissed him back, her body melting into his as he swept his tongue around her mouth, his movements slow and appreciative. Then he returned his lips to her neck, grinning against her as he pleaded with her to speak his name again. 

     “Say it again, querida,” he told her, taking her earlobe into his mouth and sucking on it. “Say my name again.” He moved both hands to her waist now, his fingers curling around her as he pressed her back against the table, his thumbs stroking small circles on her bare skin while he nibbled on her ear. 

     “M-” She bit down on her lip, stopping his name from falling from her lips - she wasn't going to indulge his naughty behaviour. Not at their workplace! “Dr O'Hara …”  

     He lifted her up and set her down on the table, then slid his hand up the side of her face to pull her mouth to his. He kissed her slow and deep, moaning into her mouth appreicatively at the taste of her, and she finally pulled herself away from him at the sound. 

     “Miguel!” she hissed, sliding backwards across the table to distance herself from him. “We're at work, cariño!” Miguel grinned at the term of affection, then began moving around to the other side of the table to stop her. She paused in the middle of her movements and twisted around to glare at him. 

    “Miguel, I swear, I'll … I'll withhold sex for a week if you don't stop!” She set her features into a hard expression, making sure he knew that she meant it, and the smile melted off his face. It was the worst possible punishment she could think of, given his unexpectedly high sex drive - not that she'd ever considered how high his sex drive would be. He’d just never seem too bothered by relationships or affection - no matter how freaking hot he was - so she'd been a little surprised by how he was constantly brushing his hands along her body or twirling her hair between his fingers or pulling her closer to him to shower her with soft kisses. But it was cute the way he kept following after her like an infatuated teenage boy - an infatuated teenage boy with absolutely no self-control when it came to his raging hormones.

          She couldn't be serious, could she? But she kept her face straight, her rosy lips not even twitching at the ends as she stared at him threateningly. Miguel clenched and unclenched his fists, thinking. They still had the meeting room for another fifteen minutes, so it was unlikely that anyone would come check in on them. But … he'd promised her they'd be careful and he was determined to keep that promise; to make sure she got the bright future she deserved. He sighed and stepped away from her, giving her the space to slide off the table and march over to the door. But he chased after her quickly and placed a hand on the hard surface before she could open it. X turned to look up at him, startled by the sudden interruption. 

     “Tonight. ¿Sí, querida?” he asked, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips as he gazed down at her. She folded her arms across her chest and fixed him with an exasperated look, prompting his stomach to start churning with fear once again. “I'm making fajitas?” 

     She narrowed her eyes, trying to resist the temptation of what he'd learned was one of her favourite dishes. Then finally, she folded. “Fine. But I want two!” 

     He grinned and let out a sigh of relief as he stepped back, allowing her to throw open the door and stalk out of the room. But of course he wasn’t going to make her any less - she was going to need the energy, after all, for all the activities he had planned for them tonight.

Tags: @heubstr

[shunin-gumis]

Netaro Initial SSR Story

Netaro's Soulmate Search, Group Date Edition (Part 1)

Any notes with a * are at the bottom!

Also Netaro has a unique style of speaking, I hope it was conveyed in the TL 😭😭

Netaro: Beatrice, oh Beatrice~ Where art thou~?

Momiji: Woah!? Netaro-kun!?

Netaro: Your good work is appreciated, Doudou~* Does writing up that report take up all your attention?

Netaro: Knock after knock and without a response, I simply couldn't wait any longer. So I had no choice but to break in.

Momiji: I-is that so... Sorry about that.

Momiji: Um, what was it about.... Beatrice?

Momiji: If I recall correctly... you're searching for your other half.... Your "Fate", right?

Netaro: Bingo~ You deserve a gold star!

Netaro: For the sake of this new dream I have discovered on this planet, I have been pointing my antenna this way and that on the daily, but alas-

Netaro: It is not enough! Simply put, I am severely lacking in new encounters! I must acquaint myself with a much larger scope of humans~!!

Momiji: Meeting more people huh... How about something like a group date?

Netaro: Group date?

Momiji: Yeah, it's something like a party where people gather to form new relationships. I heard that Liguang's little sister would be hosting one soon.

Netaro: Ooh~ Group date, a group date! It has an interesting echo indeed!

Netaro: Now that we have decided, it is time to intrude upon Luu-li!Let us depart, Doudou!

Momiji: Woah, wait! At least let me save my report!!

Momiji: ... And that's the current situation.

Liguang: ...

Netaro: Why do you look so displeased?

Liguang: ... It should be obvious.

Liguang: Since LinXing is hosting the event, I'm certain she would be pleased to have more participants join.

Liguang: But when said participant is you...

Netaro: I cannot help but get the feeling that you think quite poorly of me...

Netaro: How about this, if you would allow my participation, I could make these fluffy twin-eared critters even fluffier and cuter than ever!

Liguang: Try and lay a finger on them, I'll make sure you regret ever being born.

Netaro: You would make me regret my birth over something like this?

Momiji: Um, well, can you let him in just this once? I'll be with him too.

Momiji: ... I was the one who brought it up in the first place, I'll take responsibility for it.

Liguang: ... I'll allow it since it's your request.

Momiji: Thank you very much.

Liguang: However, Yowa.

Netaro: Oyo?

Liguang: If I hear that you caused trouble for LinXing or the other participants, we will need to have a "talk".

Netaro: Goodness, that Luu-li fellow. He need not be so dramatic about it. I am, as always, doing my best to stay on the same level as you humans.

Netaro: Oh well. Group date, group date~ I am bursting with anticipation~

Momiji: Netaro-kun looks like he's in a good mood. I'm glad I suggested this.

Momiji: But I get what Liguang-san was concerned about.

Momiji: Although everyone at HAMA Tours is used to Netaro's eccentricity, there's no way to know how people meeting him for the first time would react...

Momiji: I should try out some questions with him.

Momiji: Um, Netaro-kun, what are your hobbies?

Netaro: Nnn... As of recently, dramas and movies have been occupying my time, I enjoy them quite a bit.

Momiji: Oh! That's a pretty solid response, maybe it'll be ok-

Netaro: It is a splendid observation log for human nature indeed. Witnessing humans destroy themselves over intense feelings of love and hatred.... it is simply delectable.

Momiji: ...What are your favorite foods?

Netaro: Meat buns! Firefly squids are a no-go, they remind me too much of a superior of mine and make my stomach churn. Those eyes especially...

Momiji: ........ How about a special skill?

Netaro: I must say I am quite skilled at inventing amusing gadgets! My latest masterpiece is a glove that can squirt out orange juice indefinitely from the fingers-

Momiji: Stop, Netaro-kun. Just, stop.

Momiji: This is bad! I can't let him participate at this rate!

Netaro: Whatever is the matter? Would you have preferred it squirt out udon instead?

Momiji: That's not it. We need to practice on your Q&A skills today!

Momiji: The better you get at interacting with others, I'm sure it will better your chances at meeting your Beatrice too.

Momiji: I'll accompany your practice too.

Netaro: Doudou is kind indeed~

Netaro: Yes, I shall redouble my efforts as well. Time to level up my speaking skills and aim to be the top conversationalist master~!!

Momiji: That's the spirit!

Momiji: Hmm, first, let's talk to Kinari-kun who's sitting right there.

Netaro: Roger~

Netaro: Nari, I think it would crack me up if we could get laser beams to shoot out of your eyes, but do you mind if I sit next to you?

Kinari: There is an error in communication. I fail to understand the logic behind your sentence.

Kinari: However... A beam is worth considering if it would help me protect Master from any villains. Please give me a detailed explanation.

Momiji: No, you really don't have to do that.

Momiji: The road ahead is going to be a long one...

Notes:

Netaro's nicknames

Doudou is the nickname Netaro has given Chief/The protagonist. I believe the origin of the term is from French, and there are two interpretations of his usage for it. One is where it's used as a term of endearment for a partner, and the other is where it literally translates to a soft piece of fabric or a cuddly toy, implying that Netaro finds the Chief a comforting presence. As far as I've seen, we don't see exactly when or why he gave this nickname to Chief, he simply started using it in the main story and no one showed any surprise.

Luu-Li is Netaro's nickname for Lu Liguang

Nari is Netaro's nickname for Kinari.

Part 2

[mirkwoodshewolf]

No following; Planet of the apes fanfic Chap. 6

*Author's note*

We've now reached the end for the first POTA Serkis movie. I'll continue to post up the chapters that I've got for DAWN throughout the day and then once I'm all caught up, it'll have to be a waiting game from then on out but like I said, I've gotten a bit of the sequel movie done so you'll get a lot of chapters your way. Thanks for giving this story a read guys and remember, if you'd like to be tagged for this series, leave a comment below.

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@psychosupernatural

@waddles03

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@gay-and-ready-to-cry

@queen-paladin

_____________________________________________________

Things after that afternoon between Will and I were strained.  I had refused to talk to him or even look him in the eye, and even though he’d try to patch things up, there was always this tense, awkwardness in the air.  So most of the time, he just gave me my space.  Even when Caroline tried to play mediator and have us be in the same room to try and talk, nothing ever got done.

I was already in the process of packing my bags for college so that way when the day came that I could move into the dorms, I’d just pack up and ride as far from here as possible.  At this point, there’s nothing for me here, and hell there’s no need for me to visit every weekend anymore.  With Caesar gone and grandpa dead, home just didn’t feel like home to me anymore.

I woke up and stretched myself out, but I was surprised to see a couple of things.  First of all I had been placed in my bed and was covered up.  I know for a fact I hadn’t gone to my bed cause I was at my computer looking at my schedule and seeing if I had received any emails from any of my professors for the first term.

Also my violin had been brought back into my room.  I had tossed it out just shortly after grandpa had passed away.  I couldn’t even look at it cause it reminded me too much of our times making music together and remembering those days still made my heart ache.  So I had placed it in the shed and maybe until I’d leave for college, I’d take it out.

“Lin.” Caroline’s voice spoke up as she opened my door.  “Lin, I know this is odd for me to ask but—have you been into Caesar’s room recently?”

“Why would I go there? He’s not here anymore, nor does he want to be here.” I replied.

“Will says he saw the pully rope that attached to his stairway was moving. I haven’t been in it and neither has he.” I perked up and turned to my violin and things started to click.  That’s when she noticed my violin, “Hold on, didn’t you—”

“I had that put in the shed after grandpa’s funeral. And I didn’t fall asleep in my bed last night.” Our eyes both widened as she urgently told me.

“Get dressed.” I threw the fleece blanket off of me and raced over to my closet and grabbed the first shirt and jeans I could find.  Once I got dressed, both Will and Caroline were now dressed as Will filled me in.

“No one’s answering at the shelter. You following on your bike or—”

“I’ll get there faster on my bike.” I said as I ran towards it and getting the tarp cover off of it.  I mounted it and immediately turned it on as Will and Caroline got into Will’s BMW station wagon.  I revved my engine a few times before taking off down the street as quick as I could towards the shelter.

Hundreds of thoughts were going through my mind.  How did Caesar escape with no one noticing? Why did he come back to the house? What did he get? And why bring my violin back inside or take the time to tuck me into bed? I sped up as I now drove up the winding hills that led to the shelter until I finally reached the gates.

Surprisingly, neither Rodney nor Dodge were at the front gates.  Usually it’s the two of them first thing in the morning before Mr. Landon comes around for a few hours and then leaves.  I shut off my bike and as I got off it, Will’s car soon pulled up next to me.

“Neither of them are at the gate like they usually are by this time.” I told them as they got out of the car.

“Alright, come on there’s gotta be another way in.” The three of us raced around towards the back entrance to find the doors were broken off their hinges.  We looked at each other worriedly before racing inside and coming around towards the back office.  “Landon? Landon!”

“The cages are down there.” I told them as I led them across the backroom and down the winding ramp where all the cages were, but it was shocking to see all of them were completely empty.  Not a single ape could be found in the long corridors, and each cage door had been opened.

But what truly stuck out was the sudden smell of burning flesh.  I looked down and right at my feet was Dodge Landon.  I shrieked as uncle Will came over and pulled me away from Dodge’s body.  He knelt down to check his pulse but I could already tell from the severe degree of burns he had, and the fact that he wasn’t breathing that he had to have been dead for several hours, at least.

I continued to walk pass each cage hoping to find some sort of clue when Caroline called out.

“Will! Lin!” we raced towards the last cage that she now opened up herself and I proclaimed.

“Rodney!” I knelt down beside him, the poor man was curled in feeble position, fear and shock was permanently etched to his face, and I could see the faint bruising around his neck and face.  “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s Lin, remember?” he whimpered but I saw him mouth out my name and I gave him a soft nod.  My uncle knelt down beside me and asked Rodney.

“What happened?”

“He spoke.” Rodney whimpered softly.  Almost so quietly, we almost didn’t even hear him.

“What do you—what?” Will asked perplexed.

“Your ape…..he spoke.” Rodney said again, this time an intensity to his voice.

Oh. My. God.  Caesar could…..speak now? Holy shit.

“We have to call this in.” Caroline said.  “Tell them that they’ve all escaped. And get Rodney some help.”

“I agree with getting Rodney help, but you know what they’ll do. They’ll just start shooting at every ape they see, including Caesar.” Said uncle Will.

“It’s better they hear it from us than from Landon.”

“She’s right. He’ll just spin it as rabid apes that killed his son. At least from us, it’ll be an unbiased report of an animal escape.” I agreed with Caroline.  Will took a few deep breaths before taking out his phone and called 911.

Within minutes, police and an ambulance arrived as Rodney was being wheeled outside, I heard Rodney call out my name.  The medics stopped and I came up to him.

“He—he also told me. To give you a message.” My eyes widened.  “He said….. ‘keep playing nightingale.’” And with that the medics rolled him out after deducing his statement as part of the shock he was experiencing.  My heart felt heavy but at the same time, lighter than it had been since grandpa passed away.

I went back to the security room where some officers, Will, Caroline and now Mr. Landon all watched Dodge’s last and final moments that were captured by the security camera.  We all saw Caesar come into the frame with the hose, while Dodge stood with the cattle prod in his hand.

“What the hell?” a cop spoke up.

“‘I’m gonna skin each and every one of you!’” Those were Dodge’s final words before he was sprayed by the hose but also electrocuted by the cattle prod that I could hear was at full charge.

I know it’s not right to speak ill of the dead, but Dodge kinda deserved it.  Didn’t he know that water is a strong conductor for electricity? If he hadn’t had the prod in his hands, all he would’ve gotten was a spray full of water.  Probably given a taste of his own medicine, Caesar would never have done it to kill him.

But the evidence was all the police needed.  Immediately they started moving out to go on the hunt for every ape loose in San Fransisco.  I came up to the car window and asked.

“What do we do now?”

“I know where’s he’s headed. Keep on our tail.” I nodded and soon Will hit the gas and drove away from the shelter and I followed close behind them.

Will took us across the backroads in order to avoid the city.  And when I saw the Golden gate bridge pass the fog, that’s when it hit me.  Of course he’d take them there.  That’s all he wants is to take them home, to a place where there’s nothing but rich green grass and trees taller than the tallest buildings San Fransisco has.

I revved my engine as I drove up close to Will’s station wagon and Caroline turned to face me.  I quickly pointed at the bridge and I saw her say something to Will and he and I nodded to each other as I revved my engine faster and he drove behind me.

But as we finally came to the bridge, traffic was piling up and a crowd of people were being evacuated.  Police, SWAT team, riot police, every law enforcement officer was now on the bridge trying to get everyone off the bridge, while the crowd were screaming in a panic.

I had a sinking feeling that Caesar and the other apes must’ve already passed through here and were somewhere pass the fog shrouding the bridge.  Both Will and I weaved our motor vehicles through the crowded traffic until police force stopped us right in our tracks.

“Turn that bike around, keep moving. Get off the bridge, now!” I took off my helmet and the officer told me again.  “Ma’am I won’t ask you again, turn the bike around and evacuate the bridge now!”

“What’s the reason for officer?” I asked.

“You need to evacuate the bridge now. This is your last warning ma’am.”

“I can’t turn this bike around until you give me a better reason. Is there a bomb? A hostage situation with children on a school bus?”

“Alright, get off your bike and put your hands behind your back.” I revved my bike and sneered.

“Not this time.” I drove past him and several other officers.  I drove past the barricade they tried to make and I stopped just midway through the traffic.  I then ditched my bike as I saw the riot police coming up through the narrow pathways the cars would allow them on their horses.  Fully armed and ready to take down the apes.

“This is gonna be a blood bath.”

“Push them north!” I heard a riot officer cry out as their horses began the charge across the bridge.  I got behind a black SUV and I quickly peeked pass the car to see my uncle running down the street with a riot officer running right behind him.  I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him to the side as the horse ran right by us.

“Lin?”

“It’s too late to turn back now. You and I can settle our grievances later, right now we’ve got more important things to deal with.” He panted heavily but nodded.

“Don’t leave my side for a second. If there’s gunfire, you get low and don’t come up for any reason. Got it?” I nodded.  At that moment we heard the sound of apes shrieking in pain as the riot police force began swatting at every ape they got up to with their batons.

Now these riot police are more than just your average cops, but not on the extreme level of the SWAT team.  They are hired because of how hard they can hit someone with brute strength alone, and be practically emotionless when taking down panicked rioters.  And when riding on top of their horses, it was like seeing a modern day calvary charge like back in WW1 England.

“Let’s go.” Will said as he took my hand and we both ran ahead down the street.  It felt like being in a horror movie with how vacant the Golden gate bridge was without all the traffic noise and no person in sight.

The second we heard any sound of gunfire through the fog, Will immediately stopped and had us hide behind some cars and he shielded me with his body.

“Don’t get up!” he warned me as he buried my head into his chest.  The faint sounds of gunfire from both semi and automatic weapons as well as pistols echoed through the dense fog, and I didn’t know whether not seeing them or seeing them was scarier.  Then as quickly as they started, it all went silent again.  After a few moments of silence, a roar soon pierced the air and I muttered.

“Caesar.” It had to be him.  Soon the sounds of apes shrieking aggressively and panicked screams of the police and guns going off soon took over the deserted bridge.  Will and I looked at each other and he said.

“Keep low and follow me. Once there’s no more gun fire, we make a break for it.” I nodded as we stuck close hiding between car to car, and any chance we heard gunfire, we quickly ducked behind the car before moving again.

After about 5-10 minutes, the sounds of gunfire finally stopped and all that could be heard was the sounds of the apes shrieking and screeching victoriously.  That’s when Will and I made a break for it and sprinted down the bridge until we came the turned over bus that the apes must’ve used as a decoy before ambushing the officers.

“CAESAR!” both Will and I cried out.  Caesar, who was on top of a police car, let out a roar before quickly turning toward us, a stunned look on his face.  But our brief reunion was cut short by the sound of helicopter blades whirling.

Once the chopper was over the bridge, the sound of rapid gunfire rang out as bullets were flying everywhere, including us.

“CAESAR NO!!!” I cried out as Will pulled me behind the bus and as the bullets bounced through the entire bus, uncle Will encompassed me with his entire body as we got as low as possible as the bullets continued to rain hellfire.

Okay, this was actually more frightening than just hearing the bullets just a quarter mile down the bridge.  Actually hearing a gun go off and bullets brushing leaves you with a high-pitched ringing in your ears.  Your world goes muffled and faint and you can only hope and pray that you’re not shot by the next several rounds as they get closer and closer to you.

It almost felt like an eternity before the rain of gunfire finally stopped but as both uncle Will and I looked up, we saw the helicopter suddenly start to spin out of control.  That’s when I noticed the form of a gorilla had somehow managed to launch himself into the chopper and bring it down.  And it was heading towards us!

“LIN GET DOWN!!” Uncle Will threw himself over me as we got to the other end of the bus, Will’s body on top of mine as the helicopter crashed into the side of the bridge just hitting barely a foot from where we had stood to get Caesar’s attention.  I felt the heat of the explosion even through my uncle’s body as I heard the sound of a few cop cars blow up along with the chopper before all went quiet once more.

The air was tainted with the smell of burnt fuel and rubber, and the stray flames decorated the Golden gate bridge like flowers in a meadow.  But what caught my attention were some of the dead ape bodies that now lined the streets of the Golden gate bridge.

All of this…..for what? All they wanted was to go to their new home, but like always we humans would rather shoot a wild animal first and ask questions later.  Supreme intelligence, more like egotistical supremacy.  I shook my head shamefully at all this destruction and death when I felt uncle Will gently take my arm.

“They’re moving out, come on.” We ran past the bus and headed towards one of the few police cars that somehow miraculously wasn’t hit when the chopper crashed.  Will got into the driver’s seat while I got into the passenger’s seat, and the second I closed the door, he shifted the stick to Drive and he floored it down the bridge.

We drove over the same road we took practically every weekend to take Caesar to the Redwoods entrance.  The second we came to the entrance, Will put the car in park and we both ran out the car and raced into the forest’s main entrance. 

We ran through the redwoods as fast as our legs could carry us, all the while uncle Will called out Caesar’s name.  From above, I could see the faint silhouettes of apes swinging from above us.  We came to clearing where Caesar’s favorite tree to climb was and this time I called out Caesar’s name.

When out of nowhere, both uncle Will and I were knocked to the ground, my chest aching from having the wind nearly knocked out of me.  Uncle Will came in front of me as a scarred-face bonobo chimp stared us down snarling.  He got closer and closer to uncle Will, but he made sure that this ape wouldn’t get to me first.  But just when I thought I was going to see my uncle’s face get ripped apart, another figure came and pushed the bonobo aside.

The bonobo was tossed and rolled across the ground a few feet away from us.  As it tried to come back toward us, it soon stopped as the figure stood tall and dominant.  The figure turned out to be none other than Caesar.  He gave the bonobo a dominant grunt and a hard stare, daring it to challenge him.  But the bonobo refused and ran off deep into the woods.

Caesar turned to us and we all stared at each other for a moment.  Caesar then slowly extended his hand out to uncle Will and after a brief moment of hesitation, Will took his hand and Caesar pulled him up.  Caesar then turned back to me and extended his hand out to me next.  I took it and he gently helped me up.  At this point I couldn’t contain myself, I immediately embraced him and choked out.

“Thank god you’re alright.” I tried to suck in my tears but I could feel them burning behind my eye lids.  Caesar pulled away from my embrace but cupped my face between his hands and gently placed his forehead to mine.  After our sibling reunion, we turned to Will and he said to Caesar.

“Caesar, I’m sorry. This is my fault. This has to stop, this isn’t the way. You know what they’re capable of. Please come home. If you come home, I’ll protect you.” How? This—this is so much bigger than us now. Plus…. At that moment, the rest of the apes soon came out all looking to Caesar.  Without him, these apes are lost.  They need Caesar even more than Will or I do.

There was silence as the two of them looked at each other, Will’s eyes pleading for Caesar to come home but I knew from the look on his face that Caesar made his choice.  Softly and slowly, he brought Will into his arms and pulled him close.  One hand around the back of Will’s head while the other was resting over his shoulder.  Then just loud enough for the both of us to hear, he spoke into Will’s ear.

“Caesar is home.” Whoa.  That deep, gravely yet warm voice sent chills up my arms.  Uncle Will jumped back in surprise as Caesar kept his arms near his body but allowed him to back away.  His eyes widened in shock as he stared at Caesar.  Caesar gave uncle Will a pat on the shoulder as uncle Will finally began to understand.

“Okay, Caesar’s home.” Finally there was an understanding between the two.  Will finally learned to let go and Caesar could finally be himself, and not who we tried to make him be.  Then Caesar turned his attention to me.

Even though I’ve now accepted his choice, it still didn’t make it easier.  Tears burned my eyes as I looked down, my shoulders shaking.  I soon felt Caesar’s rough, leather hand come up and touch the edge of my right eye, wiping the tears that bled out with his curled fingers.

“Lin,” he said to me.  I looked up at him as he told me as he signed what I’d used to sign and speak to him, “You…stay. I—go.” My heart shattered and my throat clenched as I looked down again.  He lifted my chin up before finishing as he waved his finger at me, “No….following.”

“You’ve been waiting eight years to finally say that back to me.” I choked out a laugh as Caesar huffed one out.  His green eyes looking at me lovingly but held such strength to them.  I embraced him once again as I cried into his shoulder. “You’ll always be in my heart.”

We rocked back and forth softly before he released me and slowly backed away from me, the last bit of touch I felt from him was his fingers brushing against mine.  Uncle Will came up to me, holding onto my shoulder to not only hold me back but to give me comfort.

“Goodbye Caesar.” I softly whispered as the tears continued to spill down my face.

“Go.” Will told him.  Caesar then turned his back on us and walked over to his troupe.  All of them looking to him as their great leader, much like the figure he was named after.  Some began to give him the supplicating gesture, to which Caesar accepted from them as they parted like the Red Sea and let him stand before his tree.

Caesar looked to each of his apes as they now all stood up on their back legs just like him before racing towards his tree and began climbing up it, followed by the other apes going up the various other trees nearby.

My tears that were once filled with sorrow and heartache, now turned to joy and pride as I smiled and watched as Caesar climbed far past the skyline with his people.

Caesar was home, and he didn’t need me to follow him.

[agirlwithdemonblood]

The Celebrity Next Door: Chapter 12 - Brewing Affection

Pairings: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Chapter Summary: Y/N and Jensen get back on track after a horrific night, and he has a request for her.

Warnings: Nothing, just a little panic but mainly fluff.

Series Masterlist here!! & Main masterlist here!

The morning arrived too soon, its bright light invading the bedroom and causing me to wince. I turned over and checked the time, frowning at the digital display that read "10:00 am."

Even though I slept in for the first time in a while, exhaustion lingered. Rolling onto my side, I watched the figure beside me lying still and snoring softly.

A small smile crossed my face; at least he seemed better than last night. We were both a mess of emotions last night, but Jensen... God I hated seeing him like that. I vowed to prevent him from ever reaching that point again.

I was careful slipping out of bed, not wanting to disturb him, as I tiptoed across the carpeted floor of my bedroom, my injured foot throbbing with every step down the stairs.

Finally downstairs in the kitchen, I silently thanked myself for suggesting we spend the night here, or else we wouldn't have been able to make coffee in the morning, which I desperately needed.

As the coffee machine sputtered to life, I began gathering pans for breakfast but froze at the sound of movement upstairs. Heavy footsteps hurried across the hallway, echoing loudly down the stairs.

"Y/N? Sweetheart?" Jensen's voice called out, stained with panic.

I peeked around the kitchen counter, meeting his eyes. "I'm here. Are you okay?"

He sighed, a small smile spreading across his face as he walked over and wrapped me in a tight hug. "I'm good.. I just..."

I understood his concern all too well, having had my own moments of doubt and fear, I nodded. "You don't have to say anything."

"What are you up to?" he asked, eager to change the subject.

Leaning against the counter, I kissed his forehead before reaching for the coffee pot. "I was trying to surprise you with breakfast and coffee, but you woke too soon."

He chuckled softly, "Don't be silly. Sit down. Your foot must be killing you."

I shrugged, settling onto a barstool with a wince. It hurt more than I wanted to admit, each pulse a reminder of my injury.

I watched Jensen move around the kitchen effortlessly, a routine he knew all too well. It was still new to me, and I found myself admiring his composure and soothing presence.

He turned to face me, his cheeks burning red at the way my eyes traveled along his face to his body. "Stop looking at me like that," he teased.

I laughed, my eyes moving back to lock into his. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He grinned, a smile that melted me every time. "What do you want to do today?" He asked, his eyes searching mine nervously.

Shrugging, I took a sip of coffee. "Not sure, what about you?"

He hesitated, his anxiety evident. I reached out, placing my hand on his, offering a reassuring smile. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Nodding, he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around me. "I want to take you somewhere, show you something."

"Okay," I replied, curious.

"To Texas." He blurted out, the panic rising in his face.

I blinked in surprise. "Texas? Today?"

He nodded, a nervous smile tugging at his lips. "I know, it sounds sudden and maybe crazy. But after last night, I think we need to talk, and I want to show you some things to help you understand."

My heart ached at the vulnerable look on his face. I smiled reassuringly, "I guess we're going to Texas."

His eyes lit up, and he gazed at me sincerely. "Really?"

"If you think it'll help us, then yes. But first, let's grab breakfast on the way to the airport." I suggested.

He grinned, rushing upstairs to get packed before pausing and turning back to offer his arm. "Oh, sorry I forgot you are one leg short."

I slapped his arm playfully, laughter bubbling between us. "I'm not 'one leg short' you jerk!"

He chuckled, whispering, "Whatever you say, Limpy," just loud enough for me to hear before my hand found his head in a playful smack.

"Oops" he said, chuckling harder, My bad."

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter 13 coming soon stay tuned!

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