#let it be known the rule of the thumb in this household is: It was definitely Donnie.

[mushangaa]

wips to look back on to for myself and wonder quietly, why i have zero chill.

I wanted some sort of funny lil "oh we go to a competition" intro comic thingie like I saw others do and was like "eh.. 3 or 4 pages right?" I worked up 20 so far because idk flow?? Madness?? Zero chill? No idea but I am loving the ride I am on honestly. And yeah sketches / undersketches /linework all over the place because I sketched out almost all the pages roughly and instead of going page by page I just... jump back and forth on what I like to do first and build it up from there. Also like.. 8 characters to bounce around. And horses. Can't forget there are also some horses because they decide to take along some of them for bribery or to endear themselves to their competition to maybe team up and get past the prelims together. As normal people do. Jus.. a "little" comic for the @tmntaucompetition prelims in the works with my "The Unicorn Paradox" crew

[storiesforallfandoms]

captive ~ blackbeard/edward teach; our flag means death

word count: 3808

request?: no

description: in which his crew takes a hostage without his permission, so he decides to make her a reluctant part of the crew

pairing: blackbeard (edward teach) x female!reader

warnings: swearing, mentions of raids, raid typical violence, can say this is pre-canon or non-canon because stede isn't mentioned, bi!blackbeard (we are not erasing mlms in this household)

masterlist (one, two, three)

The heavy pound of boots moved across the deck. The leather clad captain looked over his crew; some wounded from the raid but most were fine. His dark clothes hid the blood that was covering him - none of it his own. He grinned in pride to himself, proud of himself and his crew for another successful raid.

He stopped suddenly, noticing a new face tied up to their mast. The unknown woman glared up at him through the hair that had fallen into her face.

"Izzy," Blackbeard beaconed. "Who is this?"

"Captive, sir," Izzy responded. "We found her hiding below deck before abandoning the ship."

"I told you no captives," Blackbeard sneered. "Captives are just extra weight. We kill anyone on the ships we raid."

Their captive winced at his words. The fear didn't go unnoticed by the ruthless pirate captain.

"Bring her to me."

She tried to fight against the two crew members who grabbed hold of her, but there was no use. They untied her from the mast but kept her hands restrained in front of her. She stood before Blackbeard, trying to keep eye contact with him as to not seem afraid, but her trembling body gave her away. She flinched as he grabbed her bound hands. When he unsheathed his knife, nearby crewmates gasped and watched intently, both nervous and intrigued by the thought of seeing their captain slaughter someone on the deck.

When he cut the restraints, everyone let out a breath. The captive nearly collapsed and sobbed with relief.

"Come with me," he said. He started to walk towards his office, but the captive didn't follow. He glanced back at her. "That wasn't a question."

She reluctantly followed the pirate captain. All eyes followed her until she passed through the doorway and Blackbeard shut it behind her. She was so tense her body almost hurt. She didn't realize her hands were balled into fists until she felt her nails biting into her palms.

Blackbeard approached a table with an assortment of alcohol bottles on it. He took two glasses and filled them both. He gestured to a desk with chairs on either said - his desk. "Sit."

She did as he said. It was another "not question", and she figured it was best to follow those instructions at that point. She sat and Blackbeard placed the glass of alcohol in front of her. She glanced at it for a moment before looking back up at him. He rolled his eyes and took a mouthful of his own drink.

"Poured it from the same bottle, so there's nothing in it," he said.

"I don't drink," she said. It was the first time she had spoken since the raid. Her voice was scratchy and her throat felt raw. "Can I have water instead?"

She was shocked when Blackbeard stood and actually fulfilled her request. When he placed the glass in front of her, she immediately chugged down the contents of it. Blackbeard sat across from her again, studying her as he nursed his drink.

She didn't meet his eye as she placed the glass on the desk and said, "Thank you."

"What's your name?"

She hesitated, but eventually she responded, "(Y/N)."

"As a pirate rule of thumb, (Y/N), you show your captain respect. That means you answer the questions I ask, and you look at me when we're speaking."

Her head snapped up quickly. "Captain? You're not - "

"I didn't kill you, but I can't let you go, either. It risks you running off and turning our last known location in to the authorities."

"Then keep me captive."

"We don't hold captives here. Either you die or you join us. But I'm making the choice for you this time; you're joining us."

(Y/N) felt like she was going to cry. It felt like a lose-lose situation for her. She didn't want to die or be held captive by the most notorious pirate captain, but she also didn't want to become a pirate. She wanted to go home to her parents, who she was sure were going to be worried sick once they heard the news of the raid, and mourn the loss of her friends who were on the ship that was invaded. She certainly did not want to live alongside the savages who killed her friends.

But it seemed there was no choice. She wasn't about to fight Blackbeard on this when he was allowing her to live. But it truly felt like a fate worse than imprisionment.

"I'll have my first mate prepare a cabin for you," he said. "And I promise you, (Y/N), my crew will leave you alone. No one will harm you."

(Y/N) nodded, too upset to speak.

~~~~~~

The weeks went by and (Y/N) fell into a routine with her new shipmates. She was still keeping to herself, not wanting to see any of the crew unless necessary. She was still trying to pretend like this whole thing wasn't happening.

Blackbeard kept his promise, too. The day after her unwilling induction into the crew, Blackbeard had warned his crew that if he heard of anyone intentionally harming (Y/N), that he would deal with them in the most painful manner, and his warning definitely seemed to stick. No one even dared to look (Y/N)'s way most days, and after so long they started treating her like one of them.

(Y/N) wished that made her feel better, but she was miserable.

She was stood at the bow one night after everyone else had turned in. She had been doing that a lot lately: watching the calm, night water on her own, most times crying as she mourned the life she had lost. Tonight, though, there had been no tears. Just memories of her family and the friends she lost in the raid.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear anyone approach until a voice suddenly said, "You're up awful late."

She jumped and turned to see Blackbeard stood next to her. She looked away from him, still unable to maintain eye contact with the man who was supposed to be her "captain".

"I could say the same to you," she muttered.

"I don't tend to sleep very well."

(Y/N) dared a quick glance at Blackbeard. His face didn't give anything away, but she wondered the context behind his words. He was the most feared pirate captain in the world, what caused him to be sleepless? Was he haunted by the images of the people he had killed? Or was it something that went back even further than his pirate days?

"I'd ask if it's the snoring, but you have your own quarters so you should be safe from that," he said.

(Y/N) was shocked to feel a smile pulling at the corner of her lips. "Actually, Fang snores so loudly that I can hear it in my quarters."

She was more shocked to hear Blackbeard genuinely laugh at her comment. "Yeah, I feel like I can sometimes, too."

He was hesitant for a moment, but he decided to settle next to her, leaning against the small space of wall left next to her. His shoulder brushed against hers, but for once, she didn't feel the urge to cringe away from a touch.

"I like to watch the water when I can't sleep, too," he said. "It's very peaceful and calming."

"I think about jumping in and swimming away sometimes," (Y/N) blurted before she could stop herself.

Blackbeard looked over at her, but she refused to look back at him. "Where would you go?"

She shrugged. "To the nearest land, and then try and find a way back to my parents."

"I hope you're a strong swimmer, then, because there isn't any land for miles."

(Y/N) laughed, humorlessly. "Actually, I'm quite shit at swimming. I'd probably drown. But it's a fantasy I often have when I'm here at night."

A silence fell over them. Blackbeard was still looking at her. If she had dared to meet his gaze, she would've seen a look of pity on his face. Blackbeard was more than aware of what (Y/N) had lost when they raided her ship and his crew stupidly took her as a captive instead of killing her or leaving her on the ship they had invaded. Despite what most people thought, he wasn't heartless. Not completely, anyways. He had a soft spot that very few people were able to get to, and (Y/N) had somehow managed to get to do it with just one terrified look.

"Tell me about your parents," he said.

She finally looked at him, curious. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything."

She thought for a moment, wondering if this was some sort of test or something. But the look on his face was sincere, a look that she hadn't seen from him since being taken aboard the ship.

"My father is a painter," she started. "He met my mother at a gallery where his art was hung. She was betrothed to someone else at the time, but she always said she saw my father for the first time and immediately fell in love with him. She said she begged her father - my grandfather - for days and days to break off the engagement to the other man so she could marry my father instead."

"And did he?"

(Y/N) smiled as she nodded. "Eventually, yeah. It took a lot of convincing. The man my mother was supposed to marry was from a wealthy family, so my grandfather wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of her wanting to marry a painter instead. Apparently, my father ended up making some sort of beautiful painting that persuaded both of my grandparents."

Blackbeard raised an eyebrow at her. "Apparently?"

"Well, I've never seen it. Mum claims that my grandparents had it, but they passed before I was born and most of their possessions were sold."

"So you don't believe the painting exists?"

"I believe my father painted something beautiful, but he probably sold it for a lot of money to bribe my grandfather into letting him marry mum instead."

"Smart man, then."

The two of them laughed. The atmosphere around them began to feel less tense, which was probably the biggest shock to (Y/N). She didn't expect to see a softer side to the man who was known for breaking just about every law in existence, and maybe even some that hadn't even been invented yet. Although, she hadn't expected him to take mercy on her when his crew kidnapped her either.

"Are you their only child?" Blackbeard asked.

"No, I have five siblings actually. Two sisters, three brothers. Six of us in total."

He winced. "God, your poor mum."

(Y/N) laughed again. "Yeah, it's definitely not something I strive for in life. By my age she already had two kids, but I can't imagine even having one."

There was a pause, like Blackbeard was thinking, before he asked, "Did you have a husband? Or a betrothed?"

(Y/N) also paused, considering the question for a moment. "No. My parents didn't believe in the arranged marriages. They wanted us to marry for love, and I haven't quite found that love yet."

Blackbeard nodded and they fell back into a silence again. (Y/N) found herself leaning closer against him, the light brush of their shoulders becoming more than that. He leaned into her as well until she was all but pressed against his side.

"Thank you for sparing me," (Y/N) said, breaking the silence. "This may not have been my ideal outcome from being captured, but it certainly beats the alternative."

Blackbeard smiled. "You're welcome. I'm glad I spared you."

She wasn't sure how long they ended up standing there, leaning against one another and watching the water, but eventually (Y/N) felt her eyes growing heavy. Her head lulled to the side, resting against Blackbeard's shoulder. She felt him tense beside her for a moment, which was enough to jolt her back to reality.

"I guess I should get to bed," she said. She started to walk towards the cabins, but stopped to turn back to Blackbeard. "Goodnight, captain."

"Ed."

Her brows furrowed. "What?"

"My name, it's actually Ed. If you want to call me that, I mean. I wouldn't mind."

She smiled. "Ed. Goodnight, Ed."

"Goodnight (Y/N)."

~~~~~~

In the days that followed, (Y/N) found herself more drawn to Ed, and it seemed he felt the same way. He would often call on her to spend time together, leave her notes in her quarters to meet him once everyone else had gone to bed so they could spend some time alone, he even once allowed her to be present during a meeting with Izzy where they were trying to figure out the next destination of the ship. Izzy was very clearly not happy with the new addition, and that quickly became the last time (Y/N) was ever involved with those types of meetings.

She started to open up more to her other crewmates, but not as much as she did with Ed. It was a great shock to her, but she found herself developing a kinship with him.

Maybe even more than that. Maybe she was developing feelings for him that she was too scared to admit to.

But all those feelings came out one day when an otherwise beautiful, calm day at sea was interrupted by the harsh jolt of something hitting the water beside them, causing the waves to nearly capsize the ship.

"What the fuck was that?" Fang said, rushing to the side to look over. The other crewmates followed just in time to see a large black object fall into the water mere inches away from the ship, causing another wave to throw all of them to the floor.

"We're being attacked!" Izzy called from the crow's nest. "Everyone, get in position!"

(Y/N) was left confused and scared as she watched the other crewmates scramble around the ship. She had never been told what to do in the event of an attack. Surprisingly, they hadn't been the ones to be attacked since she joined the crew. They had done plenty of attacking, but Ed was insistent upon her not being involved in any of that. Not that she minded, the last thing she wanted to do was to fight other blood thirsty pirates.

But it seemed now she had no choice. She couldn't run to her quarters and hideaway from the attack. That's how she was captured but Ed's men in the first place, and she wasn't about to become a captive on another ship. Her only defense was to try and figure out how to fight.

Another cannonball hurtled through the sky, this time flying over the ship and landing in the water on the other side, throwing the shipmates off their balance yet again. (Y/N) fell onto the deck, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Her head was spinning as she looked up to see someone climbing over the side of the boat and onto the deck. She let out a shriek as she realized it was not a member of their crew, but rather their attackers were coming on board.

Before the attacker could get far, Izzy appeared almost out of nowhere and dug his sword into the attacker's chest. His eyes glazed over and his body went limp within seconds. Izzy shoved the lifeless body back over the side of the ship before turning to (Y/N). She couldn't tell if he was annoyed by her lack of fighting skills, or with the fact that the ship was being attacked in general.

"Get out of here," he said. "Hide below deck where the gunpowder and weapons are. They'll want Ed, so they won't go anywhere near there."

She nodded, still a bit shocked by everything going on and by Izzy's brief moment of kindness. He turned his back on her to keep fighting the other attackers that were starting to board the ship. While he and the other crewmates kept them busy, (Y/N) quickly slipped below deck and went exactly where Izzy told her to go. Their weapons hold was full of barrels and other large boxes holding the weapons they had taken from previous raids. (Y/N) wedged herself between a few barrels, hoping she was out of sight enough if anyone did happen to come down.

All she could hear above was the sounds of feet pounding against the desk, and louder sounds of bodies hitting the floor. She flinched with every loud thud over her head, wondering if it was an attacker or one of her crewmates that had gone down. She wondered where Ed was, if he had gotten wind of the attack before any of the attackers found him. She knew anyone who dared to go after the feared pirate captain Blackbeard would be no match for him, but there was still this fear in the pit of her stomach whenever she thought about the possibility of Ed being ambushed and harmed.

She froze as she heard footsteps descending the stairs leading into the weapons area. She waited, hoping that whoever it was would just move along, but she didn't hear any movement that would tell her what they were doing. She held her breath, but her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure that whoever it was could hear her.

Footsteps began to move through the room. She shrank further behind the barrels she was using as a hiding spot. She was shaking so violently that her vision was starting to blur. What was she going to do if the person who came down found her? She hadn't brought a weapon, she had no idea how to fight, and there was no way she was getting past the person and back up onto the deck before they could grab her. She was truly and royally fucked.

She couldn't contain a gasp as one of the barrels moved and an unfamiliar man sneered down at her.

"I thought I saw someone run down here," he said. "What's wrong, pretty girl? You don't know how to fight the big bad pirates?"

Suddenly, she had flashbacks of when Izzy had found her first and taken her captive. She thought he was scary at the time, but Izzy was nothing compared to this pirate. She was sure that if he took her, that would be the end of her. She would never see Ed again, and he would never know which of the attackers had taken her last breath.

Fear was starting to overflow within her, so much so that tears were starting to form in her eyes. This just made the man laugh.

"Ain't that cute? Tears aren't going to save you, pretty girl."

(Y/N) shut her eyes tightly as the man began to reach for his weapon. She didn't hear another set of footsteps coming down the stairs, nor did she see someone coming up behind the new attacker. But she heard the sound of a blade piercing flesh, followed by the sound of the man making noises she wished she didn't know existed. She opened one eye in time to watch the man topple over, lifeless, and to see Ed stood behind him.

"Ed," she breathed, a sob escaping her lips as she did.

He sheathed his blade and quickly took (Y/N) into his arms. He held her tightly as she began to sob.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled into her hair. "I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't know you were down here until I finally managed to find Izzy. I would've had you hidden in a safe place if I knew you were here."

"Izzy told me it was safe down here," (Y/N) said, her words muffled in Ed's leather. "He said they would be after you and no one would come down here."

"They normally don't, but this fucker saw you come down here and decided to come after you. Fuck, I should've come looking for you the minute they started attacking us."

"You had a ship to protect."

"I don't give a fuck about the ship. I only give a fuck about you."

She pulled away from his embrace to look up at him. For the first time, (Y/N) saw fear in Ed's eyes. He knew she was safe, he was holding her, seeing her, after saving her from being killed herself, but still she could see how scared he had been that he might've lost her. That if he had been just a few seconds later, he would've come down to find her dead body instead.

Ed wasn't afraid of an attack or of losing his ship. He was afraid of losing her.

Before she could stop herself, she took hold of his face and pulled him in for a kiss. He didn't stop her. In fact, he reached one hand up to gently cup her face. She held on to his leather like it was her lifeline, and he held on to her like she was his.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," he said once they pulled apart from each other.

"You didn't do it, though. I did," she teased.

"Yeah, but I still kissed you back, so it counts."

"But you didn't initiate the kiss."

"I still kissed you, so it counts."

(Y/N) giggled and leaned forward to kiss him again. Ed wrapped one arm around her lower back and pulled her closer to him. The kiss became passionate quickly, with Ed's hand starting to move lower on (Y/N)'s body.

If it weren't for the sound of someone clearing their throat, it probably would've gone further than that too.

Ed and (Y/N) broke apart and turned to see Izzy stood at the bottom of the stairs. He was looking between the two of them, an amused look on his face.

"Your wounded need you captain," he said.

"Oh, yes, right," Ed said. "I'll be right up. Can you, uh, can you send someone down to deal with this man? He's already dead, but I want to make sure his body burns the same way he will be in Hell."

"Right away, sir."

(Y/N) was sure she saw a smirk on Izzy's face as he climbed up the stairs again.

"Come, someone needs to have a look at you," Ed told her.

She shook her head. "I'm fine. No one hurt me."

"I just want to be sure. Then, you're staying in my quarters tonight. I can't have you out of my sights after this."

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, captain."

[dira333]

A moth to the flame - Ibiki x Aburame! Reader part 3

masterlist - part 1

The sun filters through the windows of Ibiki’s apartment. Nyan’s stretched out on your lap, purring up a storm.

Ibiki told you to stay in bed, turns every few minutes as if to check you’re still there.

“Shibi would like to meet you,” you say, think of little Shino and his new step-brother Torune, of bringing Ibiki over.

“Okay?” He flips a pancake, slides it onto a plate. “You sound so serious, what does that mean?”

“If I bring you to the Aburame compound, everyone will know you’re there. We don’t have guests often. It’s pretty official.”

“Is it like with the Inuzuka?”

“I guess…” It’s hard to explain without going into too much detail. “You could compare it, in a way.”

He’s silent after that, you can tell he’s thinking it through.

“We don’t have to, of course,” you start when the silence stretches on for too long. You don’t want to push too hard too fast. You don’t want to lose this.

“Let’s eat,” he puts the plates down and your anxiety is soothed by the sight of yours, your pancake decorated with blueberries in the form of a smiling face.

“I love you,” he says when the plates are empty, taking your hand and rubbing his thumb over your knuckles. “I want this. I just… Our profession is dangerous. I moved out and live alone for a reason. We need to talk about this openly, okay? What… What does it mean, for an Aburame, to bring someone over?”

Talking has never been one of your strongest points. There’s always so much that gets lost, misunderstood, misinterpreted. But you’re willing to try, for Ibiki, for this.

“So if you bring me over, it’s official,” Ibiki summarizes, “It’s like asking for your hand in marriage, basically.”

“Well, in a way, but it’s not-” You struggle to put it into words. His thumb moves in soothing circles over the back of your hand.

“Before we do that, we need to check we still want the same things. You still want five kids?”

Warmth blossoms in your cheeks. He remembered.

“I can go down to three if you-”

“Better to aim high, right?” He jokes softly before turning serious again. “Pets?”

You wrinkle your nose. “Aburame do not keep pets. We have our Kikaichu to take care of.”

“I’m not giving up Nyan.”

“You won’t have to. We’ll be the first Aburame household with a pet.”

Ibiki smiles, leaning back to check on Nyan. “Did you hear that?” He asks, voice smug. “You’ll be the first official Aburame pet.”

Nyan sneezes, but could not care less.

“We’re going to live on the Aburame compound,” you point out, realizing that that might be a thing to talk about as well.

Ibiki stiffens. “On the compound?”

“Yes. I don’t know if there’s a rule about that but it has never happened before that someone moved away from the compound after marriage.”

“No one?”

“No one. It’s important to stay close for the ritual.”

“The ritual?”

“At birth, a child is offered to several special breeds of insects as a nest, residing just under their host's skin. These insects will then live in symbiosis with their host from that point on. Every Aburame goes through this process.”

It’s a sensible topic. You’ve heard of relationships breaking because of this, the thought that every child will inherit the Aburame Jutsu, no matter what.

Ibiki’s thumb stops his movements. Cold dread rises in your chest.

Will this be it? Is there a chance to mend this, a compromise maybe?

“When did Shibi think? I’d be free this weekend.”

-x-

Shibi’s waiting for them at the front gate, two kids at his side that flock to you the moment you’re in sight.

“This is Shino,” you introduce the boys, “and Torune, my nephews.”

Ibiki’s never been through a visit like this, meeting the family, making things official. He’s never had anything like this before.

Your hand stays in his. Shibi suggests a walk around the compound, keeps up a light conversation. He’s a well-known Shinobi, a Clan Head, your brother.

Ibiki can’t help but think that he could be friends with the man. He doesn’t talk too much or too loud, his view on varying topics is sensible but rational. He obviously cares for you and his children, but he doesn’t belittle you.

They pass other Clan’s people on their walk, share nothing more than a nodded greeting. Everyone seems to mind their own business, and Ibiki can’t help but think that he could enjoy living amongst them. 

He’s not a social person. He doesn’t have any friends he talks to in his free time - well, besides you. 

The group stops at a patch of land, the floor has been dug up and the dark soil is a stark contrast to the snow all around them.

“Our house is over there,” Shibi points out, “The Gate is not far. This will be yours.”

Ibiki blinks. Your hand squeezes his so hard he fears for his bones.

“Ours?” He asks. Little Shino, already a Know-It-All, looks up at him with furrowed brows. “When you get married,” he explains like there’s nothing left to question. Right.

-

You stay behind at the compound and he desperately wishes you hadn’t.

Yes, you have to leave on a mission early tomorrow morning and need to prepare, but for the first time in a long time he feels like he needs to talk to cope with what he’s feeling and you’re the only one he trusts to understand. To listen. To care.

His drink tastes stale and bitter and does nothing to clear his mind. 

He wanted to visit his mother tomorrow, check on Idate, and spend some time. How can he do that when this is looming over his head? 

“Ibiki?” 

He turns, a little surprised to find Guy standing over him.

“What are you doing here?” He asks, a little surprised. “You don’t drink.”

“I was looking for Kakashi. Do you want to join us? The more the merrier, you know.”

He doesn’t, really. But he doesn’t want to go home either, where there’s only Nyan and his thoughts. 

“Why not,” he sighs, picks up his glass and joins them.

.

One drink turns into three. They reminisce about their days at the Academy, about awkward moments on missions, and the fact that Genma still hasn’t asked Anko out.

“What about you?” Guy asks, “You’re seeing someone, right?”

And it’s not like it’s a secret, at least not anymore. He threw that away when he barged out of your room at the hospital and made sure you got the care you deserved. 

But it’s the first time someone he knows well actually asks him about it.

“Indeed,” he agrees stiffly. “I am.”

“Nice,” Guy turns to Kakashi. “See. If Ibiki with his work ethic can find someone, there’s still hope for you. I don’t want to hear anything about being too busy anymore, you got that?”

“Yessir,” Kakashi jokes before turning his eye toward Ibiki. “You happy?”

Ibiki stiffens. He doesn’t like that question.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“No need to get all defensive,” Kakashi drawls, “I was just asking. So far you’re the only one at this table who can tell how it is.”

“Are you worried for their safety?” Guy asks, eyes big. “Is that why you’re keeping it on the down-low?”

“No,” he snarls, “I just don’t like talking about private stuff. And neither does she, so-”

“No no, I get it,” Kakashi nods slowly, “If I’d ever find someone who’s willing to settle down with me, I’d probably keep them to myself as well. Did you hear, by the way? Ebisu is getting married.”

“He is?” Ibiki blinks in surprise. “I didn’t know he was seeing someone.”

“Neither did we,” Guy’s grinning, “But why not? I bet he can’t wait to have a few children to take care of. He’s moving onto the Akimichi estate after the marriage.”

His chance is there, he only needs to take it. 

“Would you do that?” Ibiki asks, phrasing it as openly and carelessly as he can. “Move into a Clan that’s not your own?”

Kakashi looks up at him and even though his mouth is hidden Ibiki can tell that there’s a knowing smirk. He should have kept his mouth shut. 

“I’ve lived in a Clan,” he says, “I don’t have to do this again.”

“You’re just looking for reasons to refuse a relationship,” Guy pesters him before turning to Ibiki. “Sure, why not? I don’t think that it matters all that much. Loving each other is more important.”

When he leaves hours later he’s still not much closer to the answer he’s looking for. Not that he anticipated finding it amongst those guys.

-x-

Ibiki’s waiting at the gate when you return. You’re one day late, but unharmed, yet his brows are furrowed in a way that tells you he’s not happy at all.

Your teammates muster him with a mix of confusion and curiosity that only grows when he follows you to the Hokage, waits outside like the world's grumpiest watchdog.

His hand does not take yours when you come back out, and his shoulders are hunched up as he walks next to you down the street.

If he wants to break up, you wonder, couldn’t he have picked you up from home?

You turn toward the Aburame compound but his hand closes around your elbow. It’s not a tight grip, you could slip away easily, but you still, look up at him.

His mouth is moving as if he’s chewing on something he can’t quite get out.

“If you want to break up, Ibiki,” you tell him as calmly as you can, “then just do it. You don’t have to explain yourself.”

“What?” He hisses, his brows disappearing under his hitai-ate. “Why would I-? No, I meant to say… Ugh, this is hard, okay.” He takes a deep breath and looks to both sides as if to ensure you’re not being followed.

“I want you to meet my mother. And my brother too, but my mother… Well, she’s got something for you. I just- she’s going to embarrass me.”

“It’s okay,” you tell him, your voice scratchy from emotion. Your heart is hammering so fast you can barely breathe, “I already love you.”

.

It’s not his mother, who surprises you the most. It’s Idate. 

He is only a few years older than Shino, and oh so determined to prove himself to his big brother. He tells you about Jutsu’s he’s learned, shows off what he’s learned like a Kunai is just some tool. It reminds you of the magicians who work at festivals, their tricks not there to be useful but eye-catching.

But he’s young, you tell yourself. He’s going to learn, sooner or later, that a Shinobi’s life isn’t about catching one’s eye. It’s quite the opposite.

Ibiki dotes on his brother like a parent. It’s like looking into the future, sitting at the kitchen table. 

“Have you done your homework?” Ibiki asks, peering down at Idate.

“Yes!” He runs off, coming back with a few books. “And look. I got an A on my test. Sensei said I’m improving a lot.”

“Good,” Ibiki ruffles through his brother’s hair. “Keep it up.”

.

“Come,” his mother beckons you out of the kitchen, “I want to show you some things.”

One picture after the other you watch Ibiki grow up. 

He’d been a cranky baby, red faced and hardly ever silent. 

“He was very particular as a child,” his mother explains as she rummages through a cupboard, “I guess he still is. It was never my idea for him to move out but he got it in his head that it would be safer for us.”

Your fingertips move over a picture as if hoping to capture the feel of those silver strands that are becoming less and less on Ibiki’s head nowadays. Half of his head is already covered in scars. If you have children, will they have his hair or yours? 

“Here it is,” you lift your head to her and the small box she’s carrying. “I tucked it away so safe I could barely find it myself. This is my mothers jewelry box. When Ibiki told me that he was serious about me, I wanted to get my old wedding dress immediately but since you’re an Aburame you’ve probably got your own idea for a dress, am I right?”

You nod, surprised by her thoughtfulness.

“Now this is just a little something that has been passed down in my family. I wore it on my wedding day and I’d love it if you wore it too. No pressure there, though, I know those things aren’t modern anymore.”

And no, the necklace she offers you isn’t modern in any way, but you can tell how important it is and has been to her family. It’s the thought behind it that touches you the most.

With this offer you’ve essentially become a part of her family as well.

-x-

It’s become pretty obvious that you’re stressed out. 

Today you even snapped at Kawano when he ran into you and the poor guy instantly started crying. It’s a miracle he ever made Chunin.

“You okay?” Ibiki asks, locking your door when lunch break finally rolls around.

“I’m fine,” you huff, massaging your temples.

“Doesn’t sound fine.”

“I’m fine!” You insist, louder this time. A cloud of moths lifts from your body, hovering over you.

“You know I love you, right?” He asks, turning a chair so that he can sit across from you. “But I cannot read minds. What’s going on?”

You fall into him like there’s nothing holding you up any more. He’s lucky he got good reflexes because he might not have caught you otherwise.

“I don’t want to get married,” you croak, tears lacing your voice, “But I want to get married. I just… I just…”

“Tell me about it.” He rubs a hand over your back, knows by now how that relaxes you the most.

“I’ve been calling the Yamanaka’s three times already and everytime I call back in they’ve forgotten about my order. I’m a little scared of sending out invitations because the few people I wanted to invite personally had forgotten we were dating in the first place and…”

“What if,…” he asks in when you cut yourself of with a sob, “we only marry with our family present? I don’t have any friends aside from you and if they can’t remember basic things about you they don’t sound like great friends anyway. If we get married on the Aburame Compound your family’s already there and I’m sure we can fit in two chairs for my mother and Idate.”

“You would do that?” You ask, still sniffling a little. “I mean, I asked Genma mainly because I thought you were friends.”

He huffs. “I’d never call him a friend. I think I’d invite Guy, mainly because he would invite himself anyway, he’s never missed a wedding since he’s been old enough to attend, but that’s as far as I’d go.”

“What about the flowers, though?”

“Let me take care of those. I have nothing to do anyway besides packing my stuff. How’s the planning for the house going, do you need help there too?”

“No, that’s been going well.” You shake your head and dry your tears. “Shibi’s been really on top of it. Though, now that you ask, he wanted to know how many rooms we want. How… how many children we’re planning?”

Ibiki kisses you first, tastes the tears on your lips and the insecurity in your bones as you tremble.

“Are you still on for five?” He asks then, pressing his temple against yours, squints to see your eyes behind those dark glasses.

“Only if you-”

“I want you to be happy,” he insists, “And you’re going to be the mother, so this is mainly your decision.”

Silence settles between you, warm and lived in. You swallow thickly.

“I’ll tell Shibi then,” you conclude, though you don’t move away. 

It has taken the two of you some time, but you’ve grown comfortable in the arms of each other

taglist: @snuggleboots @missalienqueen @bennyb0i0 @kitty262 @burningbluegalaxy @ravenswife @shadowwolf202101blog @anaxst @satublueberry @neonrogueraven @bombshellbella @theferretkids @bjem

Buy me a Coffee

[sayahs-corner]

You Live Like This?

Rating: E

Pairing: STONY

Summary:

Mob-AU in which Steve Rogers in the head of the organized crime ring known as the Avengers. They rule New York with an iron fist and a take-no-prisoners attitude. Howard Stark has been getting in his way, bungling his deals, and selling SI weapons on the black market to the Avenger's enemies. Not to mention he is actively helping the police track down and capture his people. Steve can't let that stand. What better way to get back at man then to capture his only son? Tony is out of the frying pan and into the fire. Living under an alias in a rundown apartment in Brooklyn, it's been a little over a month since he escaped out from beneath the press of his father's thumb. Disowned for the crime of being gay, Tony has been flying under the radar and trying to keep a low profile. That is, until he is captured by his father's enemies. They want their money back, and someone is going to pay. Tony knows it won't be Howard.

Tags/Warnings: Rape/Non-con Elements, Mob Boss Steve Rogers, Twink Tony Stark, Angst, Whump, Beating, Non-Consensual Bondage, Blackmail, Humiliation, Face-Fucking, Enemies to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Homophobia

 @stonyauniverse

Chapter 1: Chapter One

Chapter Text

Tony stood in the doorway to his new apartment, tired whiskey eyes drinking in the sight of the amber afternoon light streaming in through the windows and dancing across the well worn parquet floors. It cast dancing shadows against the white, pock-marked, walls and across the freshly painted white kitchen cabinets. It was a studio apartment, small by most standards - Tony was actually sure one of his old closets had been bigger than this place - but it was solely his. Or, rather, it was Anton Valentino’s apartment. His new and improved alias. He shifted the small box on his hip with one hand, fingertips indenting the warped cardboard, while the other hand curled protectively around a small and rather sad looking potted fern whom Tony had named Geoff. It looked like Geoff had definitely seen better days, but then to be fair, so had Tony. 

The last couple of weeks had been nothing but a series of rather unfortunate events, starting with his father catching him in flagrante delicto with Chuck, the pool boy. Well, considering that Chuck was actually thirty six to Tony’s mere twenty two, he supposed it was safe to say that his father had caught him fucking the pool man. And if he wanted to go a step further he’d suppose that, technically, he had gotten caught getting fucked by the pool man. Semantics. What could he say? He had some pretty severe Daddy issues that he was doing his damndest to work through. With sex. 

Sex with older men. 

Okay, so he wasn't doing jack-all to work through any perceived traumas. Daddy or otherwise. Old, young, it didn't matter. Tony just liked men.

Which, you know, was kind of a major faux pas in the Stark household. He had been able to see the vein in his father’s forehead pulsing clearly enough that he was able to gauge the old man’s heart rate. So when dear-old-dad had exploded in a fit of rage, Tony had not been surprised. His tongue darted out to wet his still sore lower lip from the backhand that had sent him sprawling to the floor. Howard had stood there, murder in his eyes, and called him all sorts of homophobic slurs before disowning his only child.  

Tony rolled his eyes. How trite. Being disowned over his choice of bedpartners? Gag. 

How pedestrian. 

Someone call the 90’s and tell them they’re missing their textbook homophobic father-figure. The old man had even dragged out the whole “No son of mine” speech before throwing his ass out of the house with nothing but the clothes on his back. 

As a teenager, and then later as a young adult, Tony had run the gamut of rebellious behavior aimed toward getting Howard to do just that. With all the underage drinking, drugs, and generalized assholery, Tony had not once ever considered that it would be his sexuality that would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

He wasn’t complaining. 

Not by a long shot. 

His mother’s death ten years ago had changed his father irrevocably, turned him into some sort of control freak. Only, this particular control freak was in charge of a multi-million dollar company with endless power and money at his fingertips. Especially when he was using Tony’s original designs and formulas to turn more of a profit. Tony had been working, under the table, for his father since the time he was knee high. There weren't many pies at Stark Industries that Tony had not dipped his finger into at one point or another. Howard had been fine with that once, encouraged it even, as one day the company would fall to Tony. The heir. The golden goose who just kept laying. So Tony’s every minute of every day had been micromanaged to the nth degree.

If he had known that all it would take for his father to loosen the leash he had wrapped around Tony’s neck like a noose was to be caught in the act of sexual congress with another man then…

Well…

It didn't matter. Tony shook the thought away, lips compressing into a thin line before he stepped fully into his new home. He pinched off that spark of hurt, ground it out, refused to feel it or acknowledge it. He had a new lease on life, a chance to actually do what he wanted, to prove that he didn't need dear-old-dad or his wealth to make it in this world.  How many nights had he sat up, staring at his vaulted ceiling, and dreamed of having the opportunity to do just that?

He was going to win, prove them all wrong. He didn't need his father’s name, or his vast wealth, to make it in this world on his own. He was freakishly smart, with a photographic memory and an eye for detail. His ideas were good ones, no matter what Howard said to the contrary. He was so sick of people telling him who and what he could be. Telling him his worth.

For the first time in his life he was going to be allowed to determine that on his own. He was excited at the prospect. He knew his father thought that Tony would come back eventually, tail tucked between his legs, begging for his chance to be welcomed back into the family fold.

That was never, ever, going to happen. There was no forcing the rainbow colored skeleton back into the proverbial closet.  Tony wasn't going to give up who he was to pander to his father. He was done with all of that, and free for the very first time in his entire life. 

Sort of. 

Certified genius that he was, Tony was going to have to pump the brakes on the whole tech-savant thing. He knew that once his father calmed down he was going to realize just how much Stark Industries depended on Tony. He was, afterall, most of the R&D department. Once that happened it was going to be a matter of time before the old man started to keep tabs on him. Tried to manage him again. The last thing he needed to do was start making waves.

Hell, it had only been three days after Howard had kicked him out that Jarvis had pinged him, letting him know that the old man was looking for him - not with any real urgency, not yet. But the old man was putting feelers out there to see what cropped up. Jarvis was his new personal AI, named after the family butler who was more a father figure to him than his actual father, and although it was still a work in progress, he was far more advanced than any other AI that Stark Industries had to offer. Or anyone else, for that matter.

It was a matter of a few swift keystrokes to send his father looking westward, toward California to be exact. With the help of his AI he was able to plant a trail of false breadcrumbs, pointing Howard’s security team toward the opposite side of the country. If they ever did go looking for him, it would take weeks before they figured out that Tony wasn't where he was supposed to be. 

No, he was right under his father’s nose. He had never left New York, and he had no plans to either. It was the last place Howard would come looking for him. Most people would run, if given the chance, to try to put as much distance between themselves and Howard Stark’s empire. Tony wasn't so naive. He knew exactly just how far his father’s reach extended and Oceans apart wouldn't be far enough to escape that megalomaniac’s grasp. No, it was better to hide where he’d least expect it. 

Instead he had taken on an alias, Anton Valentino, and over the past couple of weeks had managed to beg barter and steal enough cash to get him a deposit on the cheapest apartment he could find. It hadn’t been easy.  He already had an interview lined up at the cafe three blocks over. His plan, for now, was to keep his head low and just… live his life.

Talk to strangers. Make mistakes. Have fun. Maybe, hopefully, make some friends. 

He was finally going to get to live life on his own terms. He couldn't wait. 

Nudging the door closed with his foot, Tony took a deep breath before a broad, unadulterated, smile broke out across his face.

This…this was going to be great.

________________________________

One Month Later…

This fucking sucked.

Tony fought off another jaw cracking yawn, his hands automatically going through the motions of wiping down the front counter of Bea’s Beanz. It was nearing eight o’clock at night, and Tony had arrived bright eyed and bushy tailed at about five am that morning to help open. The closer had never showed up, leaving Tony to pick up the slack.  Again. Taylor was officially on his shit list. No sob story was going to cut it this time. Tony had barely been there for a month and he’d already had to cover for Taylor at least three times this week alone. Not that he couldn't use the extra hours, if he was being honest. Making a living in New York was exhausting when his options were so limited. The first week he had sold plasma twice so that he could actually afford to feed himself. Right now his diet consisted of ramen noodles, rice and beans, and free espresso which was miles away from the caviar and steak dinners he was used to.

But he liked his new job. Loved the smell of fresh ground beans, the scent of espresso wafting in the air. He liked that he was busy, that it was one face after the other, all perfectly unique in their own way. He liked making small talk, getting to know the people in his neighborhood, and making his customer’s laugh and blush. Especially the old ladies. Tony was a hopeless flirt, a natural born charmer, and often used that to his advantage. Even Bert, the owner, had mentioned that the tip cup seemed to fill up faster when Tony was working the register. 

Working with Bert was great. Tony got to manage the counter, flirt shamelessly, and make money while doing it. At the end of his shift he got to keep all the tips - Bert never took any. With anyone else he’d have to split those tips, and potentially lose face time with some of the hot college boys and blue collar workers that rolled through the cafe.

He even had a couple of dates set up for later this week. Not that he was actually interested in the sex. If he were being honest, Tony was just looking for a meal that wasn’t rice and beans or maruchan beef ramen. If that made him a bit of a user? Well, color him shamelessly guilty then. It was well worth it, in Tony’s opinion. And  it wasn’t as if he was going to dine and dash. Tony was a great conversationalist. People enjoyed talking to him as much as they enjoyed his flirtatious banter. There was no way anyone was going to leave a date with him and say they had a terrible time. 

Not possible.

 Making people feel good made him feel good. And hey, it just so happened that he made a mean cup of coffee. It had not taken him very long at all to master the art of coffee making. He was, afterall, a genius with a photographic memory. His latte art was, admittedly,  going to take some practice though. 

All and all he seemed to be doing okay. Except, right now, there was nowhere he’d rather be than at home, slurping down some noodles and munching through the three day old pastries that had been slated to be thrown out. Working at a cafe did have its perks. Bert didn't mind if he took home the pastries, happy that at least someone would get to enjoy them. 

His gaze flitted over to the clock on the far wall, watching the seconds tick by with a sort of agonizing slowness. He’d already wiped down the tables, swept the floors, cleaned the machines, and restocked for the opening shift. Tomorrow would be his first day off this week, and Tony was planning on spending the majority of it sleeping. 

Being poor was exhausting .

He’d have to wake up at some point though, and get ready for his date with Craig, the very nice personal trainer that had asked him out on his first day at the cafe. Big bulky muscles, broad shoulders, and a receding hairline. They were going to meet at the pizza place about a twenty minute walk from Tony’s apartment. It was Craig’s second choice of restaurant, Tony had to veto the nicer Italian place Craig had wanted to go to originally. Too close to his old haunts, and too far to walk. Tony wasn't paying money to uber anywhere. If he couldn't get there by foot, he wasn't going. His lips quirked upward at the thought. He’d become a bit of a stingy penny pincher. 

He really didn't have a choice in the matter, though.

He’d gotten an air mattress a few days ago which had sadly depleted most of his funds. It would be a long time before Tony forgot the way his hands had trembled a bit as he counted out the bills. A few months ago he wouldn't even have sneezed at that amount. But he had been able to stumble across a dented, slightly wobbly, folding chair out by the dumpster. He’d get around to fixing the wobble sooner or later, and he’d also  been able to slap together a table using broken wood pallets. 

Was it pretty? Not by a long shot. Did he have to eat his ramen sitting on the floor? Also, no.

The rest, like a real mattress and dresser, a couch and tv… that would all come in time. There was a second hand shop that he’d stumbled across a few blocks from here that looked promising. Next paycheck Tony would see if he could find something to make his home… more home-ish. Cuz right now? It was actually rather home-ly.

But it didn't matter. Because it was his. Soon he’d fill it with things that sparked his passion, that spoke to him. Books and projects, art and tchotchkes. He didn't exactly have a five year plan lined up right now, but he liked to imagine that he wouldn’t always be in the little flat in Brooklyn. That eventually he’d find his way out from beneath the firm press of his father’s thumb. He wondered what that freedom would look like. What he would do then, completely unfettered, able to pursue whatever dream struck his fancy. He knew whatever it was, it would change the world.

He was Tony Stark, after all.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the sharp chime of the door. His eyes flicked again to the clock on the far well. 7:58pm. Tony managed to stifle the sigh that wanted to escape him. It wasn't too long ago that he would have been the type of person to just waltz into an establishment that was mere minutes from closing. He wouldn't have thought anything of it. Just smile, charm, and flash his palladium credit card. Oh, he had always been generous, leaving big tips and big smiles, but for the first time in his life Tony was realizing that he had also been kind of an asshole too. 

Perspective was crazy like that. 

So he did what countless other service people had done for him over the years. He simply put on a bright smile that didn't quite meet his eyes and a chipper “Good evening gentlemen, what can I get started for you?”

The gentlemen in question did not seem impressed by his cheery customer service if the scowls that marred their faces was anything to go by. There were three of them, all kind of broad of shoulder and a little rangy, dressed mostly in black. Tony wondered if that was an accident, or if they had coordinated their outfits - like some sort of grumpy looking boy band. The thought brought a smirk to his face. One of them hung back by the door, arms crossed over his chest with an irritated look on his face, as if he would rather be anywhere than right here right now. Tony felt his pain. 

The two men approaching his counter moved at a steady pace, their faces unsmiling. One was blonde, with short, spiky hair and bright blue eyes. The other had deep brown eyes, and close cropped jet black hair. 

“Yeah, I’ll take a salted caramel Latte.” His friend turned to stare at him, rather pointedly, to which blondie simply shrugged.

“I need coffee. I was up all night last night.Judge not lest ye be judged.” 

Tony shook his head, his hands already going through the motions of preparing the latte as he listened to the two of them bicker in furtive whispers.

“Can I get anything else started for you guys?”

“No.” Stocky, dark, and handsome spoke up - his voice colored with irritation. “That’s gonna be it.” 

“Though, I wouldn't mind a blueberry danish - if you’ve got one left.”

Tony slid the latte across the counter, a smile twitching at his lips. “One blueberry danish, coming up. Looks like you got the last one.”

“Shit this is some real good coffee.”

“For fucks, sake, Clint. What is wrong with you - we have a job to do.”

It was as Tony was bending down in the display case to grab the last blueberry danish that he saw, through the frosted glass of the display case, that which he had missed earlier. He’d blame it on a lot of things. The first being that he was so goddamn tired his eyes were starting to cross. The second that it had been almost two months, and he’d been given no warning of people looking for him through Jarvis. He usually prided himself on his attention to detail, both large and small. He had definitely missed the mark here, though. Both of these guys were packing heat. And the angry one actually had his fingers wrapped around the gun, safety off. It was an SI weapon. One he had designed himself five years ago. 

Fuck.

It was him. Tony was the job. Were these his father’s men? They didn't strike him as the type of goons dear old dad usually hired. They weren't starchy enough, for one, and certainly not professional by any stretch of the imagination. 

It was a monumental effort to keep a smile on his face as he took the danish out of the case with one hand, and reached for the full carafe of decaf coffee he had brewed only an hour prior. As the two turned away from their bickering, Tony threw the carafe in an arc. He didn't stay to watch as that scalding hot coffee splattered both of them. Nor to see if the danish that he had thrown at the blonde met its target. He was already bolting toward the back room.

You Live Like This? - Chapter 1 - sayah1112 - Marvel [Archive of Our Own]

[otterandterrierwrites]

First Lines Tag Game

Tagged by @virtie333, thank you!!

Rules: share the first lines of your ten most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway ❤️

#1 wonderful unknown: Han hadn’t meant to sneak up on his wife. It wasn’t his fault—first off, Leia knew he was on his way home. Second, he didn’t know she was already there herself. And third, he wasn’t even being particularly sneaky. 

#2 under starless skies we are lost: By the time the sandstorm abated, by the time Leia was yelling in his ear that they were reaching the Falcon, by the time he was thanking Luke before parting ways, Han was feeling much better than he had since waking up.

#3 oh yes, sweet darling (so glad you’re a child of mine): ‘No, you go, I’ll cover you. Go, go, go!’ Bail’s blood turned to ice in his veins at the urgency in the dear little voice, carried down towards him from just out of sight.

#4 There's things in there that scream and shout: The Organa-Solo residence stood out like a sore thumb in the Hanna City neighbourhood. Every year, as Masque Night approached, most of the households across the Chandrilan capital turned into an explosion of colour—the bright oranges, yellows, and purples of falling leaves.

#5 Night at the Grand Regent Hotel: Honeymoon suite. It was just a name—a denominator. A regular room with an enormous bed that would obviously not be shared. The name didn’t matter.

#6 Through chaos as it swirls (it's us against the world): She’s short and decked out in a modest gown that was pristine white at some point and her face is round and pale except for her pink-flushed cheeks and her coiled hair is glossy brown, and Han might have believed she was a princess before he heard her yell at him with a voice bigger than she was and grab a blaster from the kid to shoot her way out of there.

#7 'Cause when it all goes down, I want you by my side: ‘Let’s get married, then.’ Leia’s first reaction was to laugh, because he was obviously joking. But Han’s expression was so matter-of-fact that she stopped, not wanting him to think she thought it was a ridiculous idea that she’d marry him at all.

#8 Hair: ‘...’s got some kind of animal magnetism.’ ‘Such a brooding face, too, it looks carved in stone. But his eyes are dreamy.’ ‘And don’t forget the body. Guy’s ripped.’ Several voices hummed in agreement.

#9 for you, the shadows fight: The little boy sat alone in the balcony, surrounded by more green and blue than he’d ever seen in his life. There were wonderful things all around him, things he had only seen in Aunt Beru’s holostories, but he only looked down at the floor and sighed. Even the floor was interesting here, and he still didn’t care.

#10 The incident: Han Solo should have known things had gone a little too well. It had started with a smuggling job like any other, until it turned out to be for nothing else than the Rebel Alliance.

****

tagging: @lajulie24 @contrivedcoincidences6 @hanxleia @organanation @soloorganaas and anyone who wants to do it!

[babs-zone]

a covid conscious road trip diary

los angeles to portland and back, no viruses allowed | april 2023

by babs ✨

hi yes good to be back n writing here on tumblr dot com, and what better place to start than with a little joy? in this series (a companion guide to my tiktok vlogs) i'm going to share how my partner and i traveled from LA to PDX and back without contracting the novel coronavirus.

click here for the full playlist on tiktok. click here for the above video.

⏤

who this is for:

people still using mitigation against SARS-CoV-2 looking for ways to get out and have a lil adventure without throwing caution to the winds

people who stopped using mitigation and are tired of getting sick

people who stopped using mitigation and want to start again

anyone else that finds it interesting ;)))

who this is not for:

people who don't think SARS-CoV-2 is a big deal and don't care to have an open conversation about why that is

people who want to police others behavior— i understand that we may not always see eye to eye, make exactly the same choices, etc, but there is a way to have those conversations while still acknowledging the reality that i have never knowingly been infected with SARS-CoV-2; while there's no accounting for luck, there's got to be something to what i'm doing

on that note, let's talk about my covid reality so we have a baseline knowledge of where i'm coming from:

29 / have fairly stable lupus and sjogrens syndrome / white (ashkenazi background is the lineage to carry the autoimmune diseases with 3 known cases in my fam) / (F) on medical charts but she/they to y'all tytyty / queer

my most *acutely* debilitating recurrent symptom is head and facial pain, which can be (though isn't always) triggered by mask wearing. i experienced this pain prior to the pandemic, but as time has gone on, i've had multiple episodes of pain directly connected to the pressure of a mask on my nose/sinus area (kind of in the same place as the malar rash), that extends into my eyes, up/over/around my skull, and into the clothes-hanger area of my bag, which can then in turn irritate my ribs (though not always, chronically ill people know how these things can cascade). this pain leaves me with intense sensory sensitivity (so in the dark, quiet, unable to do a lot of things), and can also include vomiting. for this reason, i try to spend as much time outside as possible.

10a-6p day job in communications where i work in person ~twice weekly at minimum (gotta Make Content and photos), as well as freelance photography, so my work is hybrid. in 2021 when i returned to work after i got vaccinated, i was still working the same food service job i'd been at since 2016. i ultimately quit that job in september of 2021 when i wasn't able to take enough time off to safely travel to photograph a wedding i'd committed to (driving takes way longer than flying), but had that not happened, i could've easily continued in that position despite the risk, as i'd structured my freelancing around that service job.

polyamorous and live with 2/3 of my partners (one works hybrid, one in service so all in-person), but we all have our own bedroom (even if we sleep in each others sometimes)

our household is in a pod with our other partners' household, which is three people in two bedrooms, all of whom work from home

my entire pod masks indoors outside of our homes unless the environment is intentionally controlled (prior testing, planning, etc); this has been a basic rule of thumb that has not changed the entire pandemic

a few of us, myself included, have access to tests through our jobs, so my household ~usually~ gets two PCRs and two RATs per week

both households have at least one HEPA filter (though all the filters need changing ngl)

both households have one aranet4 CO2 monitors, which is passed around based on need

we've had two covid positives in the pod: separate incidents, both in 2022, where both individuals were successfully isolated before further spread. blessedly, no longcovid symptoms from either of them.

so going into this trip, we brought

a good plan based on the swiss cheese model (above)

lots of different kinds of masks, as switching up the way pressure hits on my face can mean longer time able to mask

a bunch of covid tests

that's it

we considered taking one of the HEPA filters, but, as mentioned, they need changing and we just didn't have time to do so

likewise, didn't bring the CO2 monitors so others could use

ok, i think that's good background, now on to the fun!

⏤

day 1 - LA to silicon valley

after packing up the car, our first stop was coffee at the palm in burbank (which has online ordering and a walk up window), then we drove drove drove.

next stop was for lunch in bakersfield at vida vegan eatery, which has outdoor seating, but it was covered on three sides with plastic. we could've asked the folks working to lift the plastic, or we could've just taken the chance and eaten outside there regardless, as we would've been the only ones out there, but we chose to eat in the car, because this was a driving day anyhow.

drove drove drove some more thru gilroy, the garlic capital of california, where we masked up to stop at a lil farm stand.

made it to silicon valley, where we stayed at the sunnyvale ramada. we looked at a lot of chain options in the area, and chose this one not because it necessarily had the best reviews, but because it clearly had rooms that opened to the outside as well as the AC unit visible on the window, so the room takes in fresh air.

when we arrive at hotels, we mask up while do the requisite once-over (check for bed bugs, etc). we turn the ventilation up real high, open any windows, and prop the door open. masks stay on til we get all the bags in, when we usually settle in.

on this night, we threw on some nicer clothes and took a rapid test (negiii) before heading out to grab my cousin for dinner. they mask regularly, and also rapid tested negative before we headed over. even so, we keep masks on and windows down when we share the car with anyone outside the pod.

ended up on a nice pedestrian street in mountain view for dinner outdoors at yugen ramen and it was so quiet; we truly had the place to ourselves. finally, topped off the night with a quick pop into the patisserie down the street, maison alyzée. it was close to closing, so mostly empty outside of the unmasked proprietor, but, to be frank, we went into this trip assuming we'd be the only ones masked anywhere.

alright that's all for day one, eleven more to go!

[kipenzistore]

Automatic Cat Litter Boxes for Multi-Cat Households: What You Need to Know

Managing a multi-cat household comes with its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to maintaining a clean and odor-free environment. One of the most efficient solutions to this problem is using automatic cat litter boxes. These innovative devices can significantly reduce the time and effort required for litter box maintenance. However, there are specific considerations to keep in mind when choosing and using automatic cat litter boxes for multiple cats. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Understanding the Benefits

Convenience and Time-Saving

Automatic cat litter boxes are designed to scoop and clean the litter automatically after each use, ensuring that the litter box remains clean throughout the day. This is particularly beneficial for multi-cat households where litter boxes can get dirty quickly.

Hygiene and Odor Control

With multiple cats, the risk of odors and the spread of bacteria increases. Automatic litter boxes help maintain a higher level of hygiene by promptly removing waste and sealing it in a compartment, reducing odors and the potential for health issues.

Stress Reduction for Cats

Cats are known to be very particular about their litter boxes. A consistently clean litter box can reduce stress and promote healthier elimination habits among your feline companions.

2. Choosing the Right Automatic Litter Box

When selecting an automatic cat litter box for a multi-cat household, consider the following factors:

Size and Capacity

Ensure that the litter box is large enough to accommodate multiple cats. Look for models with spacious litter areas and larger waste compartments to handle the increased volume of waste.

Durability and Build Quality

Choose a sturdy and durable litter box that can withstand frequent use. High-quality materials and robust construction are essential to ensure the longevity of the device.

Noise Level

Some automatic litter boxes can be noisy, which might deter your cats from using them. Opt for models that operate quietly to ensure your cats are comfortable and undisturbed.

Ease of Cleaning

Even though the litter box is automatic, it will still require regular maintenance. Look for models that are easy to disassemble and clean, with accessible components and simple instructions.

3. Placement and Number of Litter Boxes

Strategic Placement

Place the automatic litter boxes in quiet, low-traffic areas of your home where your cats feel safe and comfortable. Avoid placing them near food and water bowls.

Sufficient Quantity

The general rule of thumb is to have one litter box per cat, plus one extra. While automatic litter boxes can handle more waste, it's still advisable to have multiple units to prevent territorial disputes and ensure that each cat has access to a clean litter box at all times.

4. Training Your Cats

Introducing an automatic litter box to your cats requires a bit of patience and training:

Gradual Introduction

Allow your cats to get used to the new litter box gradually. Place it next to their old litter box and let them explore it at their own pace.

Positive Reinforcement

Encourage your cats to use the automatic litter box by rewarding them with treats and praise. Make sure they associate the new litter box with positive experiences.

5. Monitoring and Maintenance

Regular Checks

Even though the litter box is automatic, regular checks are necessary to ensure it’s functioning correctly. Check for any blockages or malfunctions and clean the sensors periodically.

Waste Disposal

Empty the waste compartment as recommended by the manufacturer to prevent overflow and maintain hygiene. Depending on the number of cats and the model, this might need to be done daily or every few days.

Conclusion

Automatic cat litter boxes can be a game-changer for multi-cat households, offering convenience, improved hygiene, and stress reduction for both you and your cats. By choosing the right model, placing it strategically, and training your cats to use it, you can significantly enhance the quality of life in your multi-cat home. Regular maintenance and monitoring will ensure that your automatic litter box continues to operate efficiently, keeping your home clean and odor-free.

[justtriple]

Budget planning notebook

Next, add your net income and subtract expenses. Next, prioritize your monthly spending, from necessary to trivial. To create a budget, first, identify important goals you want to achieve that require money. How do you put together a personal or household budget? Budgets are tools to help individuals and households get and do what is most important in their lives. Many consumers have negative reactions to the term, “budgeting” because they associate it with restrictions and deprivation. Household Budget: Essential Rules of Thumb for Planning Your Spendingīudgets, also known as spending plans, serve as tools for the individual or household to build financial stability and to make progress toward identified priorities. Make more than monthly minimum payments to credit accounts, including credit cards, mortgage, and auto loans. Prevent many of the arguments spouses have with regards to spending and finances. Understand your personal spending habits and eliminate wasteful expenditures.īe in a position to take advantage of financial opportunities, whether it’s for something on sale at the store or a chance to greatly improve your investment portfolio. Take care of financial priorities such as housing, food, and transportation, rather than disproportionate spending on entertainment and dining out.Įstablish regular investing habits in preparation for retirement. “If You Don’t Control Your Money, It Will Control You” If You Live Within Your Budget, You Will be Much More Likely to:īuild emergency and long-term savings accounts. If you still have difficulties budgeting, remember this: If you identify with one or more of the above myths, then make a personal decision to implement the “realities” into your thoughts. Reality: Following a budget increases the likelihood that I’ll take care of my financial priorities first, such as housing, food, savings, and transportation. Myth # 4: Following a budget inhibits my freedom of choice. Reality: The checkbook can’t help me prepare for unexpected expenses like car repairs or doctor visits. Myth # 3: If I balance my checkbook, that’s as good as budgeting. Reality: Budgets are for anyone seeking to stabilize their finances and avoid debt. Myth # 2: Budgeting is for people who are in debt. Reality: Actually, spending less than I earn may solve many of my money problems. Myth # 1: If I had more money, all of my problems would be solved. The following are a few such myths and their corresponding realities that may help us overcome our own resistance to budgeting. Many of these reasons are based on false assumptions or myths. There are a number of reasons why many of us do not create or live by a budget. The Myths & Realities of Household Budgeting Let’s begin by looking at what a budget is and what it isn’t. If you want to build wealth and get money fit with your personal finances you must live by a budget. First, let’s take an in-depth look into why maintaining a household budget is so important to the financial success of you and your family.

[stuff-from-the-void-matron]

-Being The Duke’s Assistant- (3)

(a/n: some people really like this fic lol so here’s another chapter for y’all! also if you want a chapter 4 then please comment and reblog! otherwise I won’t have the motivation to keep writing more! thank you! <3)

–

-Learning About The Lords-

–

You’d seen more of your ex-neighbors since your run in with Vasile Kazloŭ the week previous. Seems word got around the village that you’d not in fact frozen to death or been caught and dragged into the woods by some snarling beast. And you knew a good few of them were just stopping by the Duke’s carriage under the guise of shopping just to see if those rumors were true. Not that you particularly cared what your ex-neighbors did now. If seeing you for whatever reason got them to buy something from the Duke then no skin off your nose. 

But today was different. Today the Duke said he’d be educating you on his biggest trade deals. Such deals being the Four Lords of the village. You’ll admit you gulped at hearing that. The four lords were quite notorious to the people of the village. And not for anything good despite what the fanatics would like to think..

Lady Dimitrescu, the mysterious lady who ruled the imposing castle upon the mountain that takes young women in to work but never lets them leave again. There’s a saying in the village that if a girl you know is going to work at Castle Dimitrescu then you should shower her in kisses since you’ll never see her again.

Lady Beneviento, the mysterious veiled doll maker who lives in a shadowy haunted manor that makes all those who enter there see their deceased family members. Seeing visions of the dead drives all who enter there to insanity. Most never leave, but the few who do are never the same as they were upon entering.

Lord Moreau, the monstrous looking recluse who controls the giant killer fish that has swallowed whole more than its fair share of poor fishermen of the village. It terrorized the workers at the Reservoir, devouring men like fish until they’d had enough and abandoned the site. It now sits in decay, waiting for the next fool to wander in.

Lord Heisenberg, the lord who owns the cryptic factory on the very edge of the village, where all the dead villagers bodies are sent and never seen again. Rumor has it that it used to be a coal mine but nobody living from the village has set foot in the rusted structure in decades. But despite this the factory’s smokestacks constantly billow dark soot into the sky.

Every villager knew of the four Lords. 

But apparently you were going to be learning more detail on them. Which you admit to not having much of. All you knew is what most every other villager knew. To be wary, be respectful, to pay your tributes, and do not draw attention to yourself otherwise. Those that drew attention were quite often known to draw their last breath.

The Duke it seemed was on good terms with each of the lords, at least you assumed so since he talked about them quite candidly. Not whispering their names in a hushed tone or with any amount of fearful reverence. Actually he talked about them as if they were just fellow business partners he has evening tea with. Which... well as far as you knew, could very well be the truth. But despite the Duke’s blasé outlook you felt yourself tense up when he mentioned how, as his assistant, you would be accompanying him on his future meetings with them, so it was best he told you about them now so you didn’t go in blind. Part of you wanted to just avoid that by not even going into the same building as the four lords. But the Duke squashed that thought by saying he couldn’t very well leave you to sit and twiddle your thumbs in the carriage while he was inside. 

Which you supposed you should have seen coming. You were his assistant after all. Where he goes, you go. It’s your whole job. So you steeled your resolve and took solace in knowing that while under the Duke’s protection you would be fine. you weren’t some random villager now thankfully. But even still... seeing the towering Castle Dimitrescu looming in the distance made you queasy. Your mind swam with the stories you’d been told as a child, warning you of what laid in that castle. The carriage drew closer to the imposing structure but you remained straight faced, not wanting to reveal how anxious you were. Plus, if you were being honest? This was all pretty exciting in a way! You’d left the village years ago sure, met lots of new people while you studied abroad. You learned about all the goings on of the world outside your simple village. But all of that paled in comparison to getting to meet the Four Lords.

You hoped you didn’t embarrass yourself..

-0-

While you got closer to the castle the Duke told you about the first Lord, Lady Dimitrescu and House Dimitrescu. Apparently they were famous for their incredible wine. The Duke even admitted to having a bottle of it himself stored away in the back. “For special occasions,” he told you with a smile. You also learned that House Dimitrescu also had their own vineyard where they grew all the grapes that went into the wine they made. He also revealed that there was a ‘rumor’ that Lady Dimitrescu had a very special bottle of wine in her possession, one that has belonged to her family for generations, that was called Sanguis Virginis. And its literal translation is "maiden's blood". The Duke was a touch vague on the wine, but he said that Alcina Dimitrescu has a secret process that enriches the wine’s flavor and gives it a thick bouquet. 

After that he began talking about the second Lord, Lady Beneviento and House Beneviento. The Duke spoke with a sad tone here, saying the Beneviento family slowly fell apart a long time ago. One by one the family members disappeared. And the current head of the household, Donna Beneviento, had a sister when she was a child, Claudia. But Claudia grew ill and passed away, causing her parents to grow depressed and soon after take their own lives, leaving poor Donna alone. The Duke knows Donna to be very kind, but also very lonely. She’s an incredibly skilled doll maker, even better than her father had been when he was alive. But she has trouble speaking with people without the aid of the doll friend, Angie, that her father gifted her as a little girl. He warned you that Angie could be a bit of a troublemaker, chuckling as he did.

Then came the third Lord, Salvatore Moreau of House Moreau. You raised an eyebrow when you noticed the small hint of revulsion in the Duke’s voice as he spoke about this lord. It seems that Moreau was... an odd one. The Duke tried to speak kindly of the man but even he, with his usual jovial outlook, couldn’t hide the slight way he cringed as he explained Moreau’s history. It seemed he had been a sailor at some point, and the very last of his family line, but some years ago he’d... changed physically to the point where he avoided people. He hid himself at the Reservoir his family owned and scarcely stepped foot outside of it. And after one too many... accidents there the workers abandoned the place, leaving Moreau alone to wallow in his self pity. The Duke warned you that Moreau did not look... human. And he asked you to please not stare at the man. He wouldn’t appreciate it, surely.

And then the final Lord, Karl Heisenberg of House Heisenberg. The Duke warned you that despite Lord Heisenberg’s rather casual sounding attitude, the man was quite harsh. And his factory was incredibly dangerous. He warned you to never stray from his side while there, for your own safety. You gulped but nodded as he continued. It seems the Heisenberg factory was a coal mining factory. You discovered that the Lord was an engineer, but the Duke revealed that he’d been known to tinker with things other than machines as well. That ominous note made your stomach drop. But you felt your anxiety lift a bit when the Duke told you that he was Lord Heisenberg’s supplier for a certain machine part he needs in bulk, so the man knew not to upset him. So you would be fine.

“But I think we’ll have to cut our conversation short, it seems we’ve arrived at Castle Dimitrescu,” the Duke said in a cheery tone you weren’t matching.

‘For any god listening to me... let us be alright,’ you thought helplessly.

-0-

[bluesfortheredj]

The spy who loved me.

Smut ahead. Like, seriously. Smut.

It had been a long time, a very long time, since seeing Eggsy. Even professional spies weren’t immune to the restrictions and rules when it came to lockdown. The daily texts, phone calls, and video chats had satiated your need for contact with him only so much, and you were both desperate for some intimacy with one another in person. At this point even the thought of holding his hand was enough to make you feel giddy; those slender fingers of his linked with yours again before exploring your body… it was positively breath taking.

Eggsy had stayed in London with his mum and sister in the new house he’d purchased for them only a couple of weeks before the world turned upside down and finally, now that lockdown was being lifted and you could form bubbles with other households, you were on your way to join them thanks to your job allowing you to continue to work from home; not that you were planning on working too much when you arrived. Butterflies were fluttering around your stomach as you pull up on the driveway and see his car parked half in and half out of the garage, and when you knock on the door your heart leaps as you see his familiar shadowy figure walk towards it.

He opens the door with a breathy ‘hey’ and you immediately fall into his chest before his arms wrap themselves around the body he’d missed so very much the last few months. The two of you stand there for what seems like hours yet minutes all at the same time, only separating when you shiver from the cool breeze blowing around both of you in the doorway. His hands stay on your arms as he leans away with a smile to take in the sight of you standing there in person finally, then he bends down to scoop your suitcase up and leads you inside, kicking the door shut behind you both.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he sighs in disbelief as places your luggage down at the foot of the stairs before taking you through to the large lounge, “is this actually real?”

You press your lips to his in what begins as quite an innocent kiss but ends as a desperate, sloppy, heated embrace as he pushes you against the nearest wall before his hands begin to explore every inch of skin he can possibly touch underneath your top. Your hands grab at his jeans blindly, trying to find his belt so you could set him free from the confines of his underwear, and the two of you are freely moaning at the heightened feel of touching one another after so long. Neither of you hear the front door open and then close again, and Eggsy’s mum has to loudly clear her throat for the two of you to even notice that someone else was in the room.

“Shit!” Eggsy gasps, facing away as he does his jeans up.

“Oh my god,” you whisper with hot cheeks as you smooth your clothes down, “I’m so sorry Mrs. Unwin.”

“Sorry mum!”

“I think it can be forgiven under the current circumstances,” she chuckles, “good to see you again (Y/N)!”

Daisy sits in her pram giggling at her own foot and your heart melts at the sight of her, “it’s lovely to see you both, Daisy’s grown so much!”

“She’s eating us out of house and home!” Michelle exclaims, “she’s going through the longest growth spurt I’ve ever known of!”

“Well that’s lucky, because a little birdie told me that she’s partial to a certain dinosaur shaped biscuit, and I happen to have a couple of packs of them in my suitcase.”

“You’re a life saver,” she sighs in relief, “Eggsy, why don’t you show her around the house? I guess you didn’t quite get that far...”

“Will do mum,” he nods as a blush creeps up his cheeks, “this way.”

He picks your suitcase up and leads you up the floating staircase as you take in the very modern and expensive surroundings you now find yourself in.

“Bloody hell Eggs, this house is amazing!” you exhale in disbelief as your fingers glide along the wall.

“Nice, init?”

“Nice? Bit of an understatement!”

“Wait until you see our room… the walk in shower is to die for,” he says with a wink and a light bite of his lip, “plus we’re the opposite end of the top floor so we don’t need to be too quiet.”

You give his arm a playful slap and he takes your hand as the two of you head to his side of the house and the more than generous bedroom he got to call his own until life could continue as normal. It felt as if you were in an episode of Grand Designs with how modern and clean everything was, and you walk through the wardrobe space with long rails either side of you filled with variations of the same suit to the extravagant en suite with charcoal tiles lining the floor and walls and the biggest walk in shower you’d ever seen in your life; only one sheet of glass slap bang in the middle of the room to separate the shower area and the toilet and sink.

“This is literally bigger than my flat,” you groan, “I think I need to become a spy as well.”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Eggsy scolds as his brow furrows, “anyway, you’ve got me, and what’s mine is yours.”

“Yeah but that’s not fair for me to rely on you like that, plus I don’t have anything to give you in return.”

“Uh… I would disagree with that statement…”

“Huh?” you question as you look up at the square shower head and wonder what it must feel like underneath it.

You’re so transfixed by the fitting you don’t even notice Eggsy creep up to you until his sultry breath flows over your ear, “you have plenty to give me,” he whispers.

You shiver involuntarily as his fingers creep their way around your hips before walking along into the waistband of your jeans. Your head rolls back to lean on his shoulder as your hands grip firmly onto his forearms while his fingers tease your lips apart and stroke along your hidden folds gently, and you can feel his own excitement at the intimate touch against your backside.

“What would you two like for dinner?” Michelle shouts up the stairs, tearing you both away from your quiet moment and forcing you back to reality with a jolt.

Eggsy groans in frustration as he reluctantly retracts his hands from your body and you find yourself now completely worked up and more than ready for him to show you exactly what you’d been missing the last few months. A sigh escapes your lips as you steady yourself on the shower screen and Eggsy can see just how desperate you are to continue what he’d just started.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“It’s fine, I just didn’t realise how much I missed that.”

What the two of you needed right now was, quite simply, a fuck; something that would just purely release the initial tension that had built during lockdown. You had plenty of time to make love romantically now that you were staying there, and you could take your time with it hen Michelle and Daisy were out doing the food shop or something, but what you needed at this precise moment was a quick and messy release. The two of you look at one another, knowing exactly what was going to happen, and Eggsy quickly runs downstairs to give his mum an idea of what you wanted to eat that would take at least half an hour or so to give you a small window of opportunity.

“Right,” he exhales as he shuts the bedroom door behind him when he returns, “oh…” he pauses as he sees you’re already in his bed, your clothes and underwear in a pile on the floor next to it, and he discards his own clothing on his way over to you.

“How long have we got?” you ask as he settles on top of your body and adjusts the duvet accordingly.

“Like half an hour I think?” he grins before removing his glasses and leaning down to kiss you.

He’s almost pressing his entire body weight onto you as your mouths move around one another’s in a sloppy kiss that’s more teeth and saliva than anything else in all honesty, and your hands are grabbing at every inch of skin you can get a hold of as he manoeuvres himself between your legs hastily and carefully guides his length inside your already slick walls that had been waiting for him for what seemed like so long. The sensation of him inside you and his body on top of yours once more is overwhelming, and it doesn’t take you long to fall into a fast and needy rhythm as you two of you moan unashamedly while the bed rocks beneath you. This is exactly what you both needed; passionate, hot, fast, handsy, loud sex. It was purely to scratch an itch that was in desperate need of attention, and as the need to orgasm heightens with each deep thrust you find yourselves going out of rhythm as the aching for release takes over.

“Eggsy… Eggsy!” you moan as his lips attempt to kiss your neck.

“Fuck, (Y/N), I ain’t gonna last,” he pants against your skin.

The sound of your bodies slapping against one another in quick succession drifts up from underneath the duvet and the two of you are truly lost in the haze of impending orgasms just as Michelle opens the door while asking a question that isn’t even distinguishable to either of you until there’s a gasp at the doorway which shocks you both to stillness.

“Mum!” Eggsy shouts, “get out!”

She quickly retreats and slams the door shut before you hear her practically running away down the landing towards the stairs. You look up at Eggsy who slowly turns to face you, then his lips land on yours within seconds as his hips start up again; his stiff member filling you with ease as your legs wrap around his backside.

“You know I love you,” he breathes heavily between intermittent pants.

“I know,” you nod, “I love you too.”

“Good,” he smiles, then leans his head down and bites onto your breast so he can flick his tongue over your nipple.

You cry out with pleasure at his sudden move and your hands weave their way through his hair to keep him where he is as your muscles begin to tense inside, ready for the much needed release. Before you can get to yours though, Eggsy lets out a hot, stuttered breath over your chest and his entire body tenses as he finally lets go with the longest groan you’d ever heard him make. He soldiers on after his climax and with some encouragement from his thumb rubbing over your sweet spot, you soon clench around him and release to the sound of whispered pants of his name which are emanating from your throat without you even realising. You blink away the stars in your eyes and finally look at his satisfied face hovering above you, then he flops down next to you and takes your hand in his as you both catch your breath.

“You do realise I will never be able to look your mum in the eye again, right?” you chuckle after a few moments of silence.

“Same,” he grimaces playfully, “I think we’ll just hide up here the rest of the night.”

could you make it as smutty as possible with some fluff, there visiting his parents back home and they can’t keep their hands off each other and his parents notice but don’t say anything until his mum walks in on them on the sofa in a very heated and handsy make out they apologise and try forget what happened but then she walks in on them the next evening in his room having sex there embarrassed again but still continue after she has left as they just can’t get enough of each other – Taron or Eggsy – @sarahegerton96

[lettrespromises]

PLAN À TROIS.— TODOROKI, BAKUGOU.

A.N:

❝ dear reader,

why hello it is i, nikki, back at it again. this post was specifically written thanks to @sasukelore’s big brain, meaning that this one is for the boys with the booming system, top down, AC with the cooler system😔✊🏻. it’s my first attempt at writing smut (which means it’s a direct ticket to hell) so please bare with me, i hope you’ll like it! if you have any feedback, please feel free to send it to me! also, my requests are open for business hehe.

sincerely yours,

nikki.

P.S: “plan à trois” has a double meaning— it means “threesome” in french but it also literally means “a plan involving three people” which is the core of the story, both literally and figuratively. ❞

Genre: Smut. (All three of the characters have been aged up.)

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of drugs (but no actual use of drugs), unprotected sex (please use a condom), nudity, spanking, choking, cunnilingus, blow-job, temperature play, threesome, dirty things.

Word count: 6.5k (she’s a big girl, don’t be shy.)

Letter object: One hotel. One gala. One mission. One person to take down. Three heroes. You and Shoto have to play the perfect fake couple to gain your enemy’s trust, the only thing is, Shoto has no clue how to behave as a couple. The unexpected help comes from Ground Zero who seems a bit too impatient and eager to show Shoto how to really treat a lady.

Metaphorically speaking, the heroes are seen as the predators and the villains as the preys, it’s always been that way— an eternal game of hide and seek, which only ends in binary results, either victory or loss. The latest news concerning the hero world had put this little game to a halt: the hushed rise of the anti-quirks drugs were concerning. The enemy was everywhere and nowhere, it was all whispers, a thread of ‘who said what’, mere illusions replaced authentic clues. The rules of the game had been changed into a paradox where the villains became the predators and the heroes were deemed as the preys.

The rule of silence, which could have easily been personified as the ringleader of this dystopic scenario, was cruel— anyone could be suspected of being a link of the drug chain. But fret not, if you were suspected and voices started to echo around louder and louder, a little bit of hush money was the price to pay to reinstate the rule of silence. Anyone could be a culprit, even (or mostly) into the highest spheres of society. Those who are worshipped in an agnostic way, they were on top of the social food chain and, perhaps even, on top of the drug chain. These elites have been very vocal about their will to suppress the almighty authority pro-heroes possess— feeling threatened for their own sake and their own inferiority complex, they were willing to play dirty to be able to rule the country with an iron fist.

The corrupted elites still remained as elites and enjoyed their mondane occupations— galas being one of them. It was a dream opportunity for you as a pro-hero, a room crowded with highly potential culprits served on a silver plate with a cup of champagne to serve as the cherry on the cake.

Stealth missions were highly dangerous if you didn’t have a cover good enough, and treading on the playground of influential people could possibly cost you your career as a pro-hero, but if you managed to succeed, you were bound to bask in glory. Keeping a realistic cover is the number one check on the list entitled “how not to blow up your whole mission and be hated by the rest of the country.” Luckily enough, your agence had already done all the dirty work for you and sent you everything you needed— a flawlessly cut evening attire, a shockingly well-done fake ID and a full file regarding the background of your character, all down to the tiniest details. And I cannot emphasize enough “all” the details...

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me…” Amongst the myriad of details (and some of them were completely unnecessary, I mean, was your favorite fruit really important?), one of them was impossible to ignore. “Shoto Todoroki, really?” His name rolled off your tongue for a reason, you were supposed to play his pseudo fiancée for the night. Your thumb brushed the surface inked with his name, unconsciously wishing that if you were brushing hard enough, his name would disappear and so would your almost wilted high school crush on him.

Your silent complains were cut short, the sound of someone knocking on your door stirred you from the invasion of your thoughts. Then the knocking sound echoed once more. “Just a second!” Has anyone heard of the concept of patience? Waiting a few seconds for someone to open the door isn’t a inhuman task. Eventually (although it could’ve have been funny to let this mysterious person fume because you purposefully took too long), you opened the door to your hotel room and it just felt like you had welcomed a storm in. Much to your surprise, there were two surprise guests, two U.A alumnis just like you— Shoto and Ground Zero.

“Well, shit, were you planning on letting us fucking die in the hallways, woman?! What the fuck took you so goddamn long, ha?” When I mentioned a storm earlier on today, I meant Bakugou Katuski— his annoyance was transcripted upon his face through the frowning of his eyebrows and the wrinkle sitting between them. “It’s good to see you too Bakugou, glad to see you missed me after all this time.” His hands were shoved in his pockets, clearly not keen on listening to your sarcastic remarks nor wearing a tuxedo for the night. “Tch. Keep your smart ass talk to yourself, dumbass.”

You had indeed let a storm invade your hotel room. But unbeknownst to you, you had also welcomed a hypotizing breeze, the polar opposite of Bakugou, and apparently future fiancé for the night: Shoto Todoroki. His facial expression reflected nothing but pure serinity, a signature stoic face which radically clashed with Bakugo’s scowl. Todoroki was so discreet, almost blending his presence with the newfound silence. He was wearing an evening suit of his own, aquamarine was his color after all, it was a known fact since your high school years.

“Y/N, as you may be aware, I am here for the stealth mission. Bakugou is going to accompany us just in case something goes wrong. It was a last minute change, but considering the household names who are going to attend this gala, too much precaution is better than not enough.” Ohh, so that was the reason why the angry gremlin was here. Although, you wondered how Shoto felt about the two of you acting as a fake engaged couple, was he still serene about that? “Yeah, while you two fake lovebirds will be busy eating each other’s faces off, I’m gonna be around to check if there is any intell on these anti-quirk selling bastards.” Each of his word was accompanied by a hand gesture pivoting between you and Shoto and, of course, the same old look of annoyance plastered upon his face. You and Shoto, on the other one hand, appeared a bit surprised at the use of “fake lovebirds”, it just hasn’t sunk in yet... Denial, perhaps?

“Speaking of kissing and shit— you, half and half bastard, do you still have a fucking stick up your ass or do you know how to act in a relationship?!” His interrogation was accompanied with a daring glance thrown in Todoroki’s direction and an eyebrow lifted just to emphasize the characteristic of his question a bit more. A bold question which immediately found its answer from the mouth of Todoroki, needless to say, you felt this remark coming. “Bakugou, you’re the last person here who could pretend having the knowledge necessary to provide relationship advices.” You couldn’t help but let a laugh escape at Todoroki’s remark highlighted by its bluntness, although you quickly changed your mind once you felt Bakugou’s stare landing on you with such rage causing you to hush your laugh by biting your thumb.

“Ha?! What the fuck did you just say, half and half bastard? Use that fucking mouth for yours for good measure and let’s see if you can kiss Y/N correctly. I won’t let this mission be blown up by your stupid ass.” This time, there was a hint of amusement in Bakugou’s voice, it was hard to distinct if he asked that because he truly cared about the mission or if he just wanted to push Todoroki out of his comfort zone. But the ghost of a smirk drawn upon his face seemed to support the second hypothesis.

“Guys, just a second here. I understand why we have to take care of our cover but it’s not like Todoroki and I are going to kiss all night long.” Your gaze alterned between Todoroki and Bakugou, it became impossible to hold your gaze on a fix structure due to how flustered you felt, and soon enough, your cheeks were quick to adopt a rosy tone. “Y/N, are you scared of kissing me by any chance?” You secretly hated the obvious tone of concern in Todoroki’s voice, he was willing to do anything to make this mission a success but also make sure you were comfortable around him. “N-No! It’s just… I don’t mind it.” What a miracle, you finally managed to look at him in the eyes but the blush on your cheeks was as lively as ever. “Then damn, if you don’t mind it just fucking kiss already we don’t have all night, dumbass.” You could tell by Bakugou’s body language that he was growing more and more impatient by the second, his arms were crossed over his chest— he was getting pissed.

Todoroki captured your attention once more when his index brushed the surface of your skin right below your chin while his thumb was carefully set upon your jawline. His orbs shone by their gleam of reassureance, his eyes met yours, as a silent way to ask your for permission and you fluttered your lids shut as an answer. As if it was some kind of second nature to him, his other arm compassed your waist in order to bring you close to him. His lips finally touched yours. Each one of his actions was so soft, you could barely feel them yet, you felt like you were floating on a cloud. His lips were melting ever so perfectly with yours, as if your lips were the sole one which could fit is, you couldn’t help but to hum as the carefulness of his lips overwhelmed you. The kiss was shy, experimental, and yet so agonizing. He was temptingly and agonizingly slow, which only made you crave for more. However, given the lack of oxygen, you had no choice but to (relanctutly) break the kiss. You opened your eyes and basked in Todoroki’s beauty, still in awe at what just happ—… “Oi! Have you ever kissed anyone before, Icyhot? Fucking hell, what was that?!”

Of course this was bound to be expected— the angry gremlin in his natural behavior. You and Todoroki exchanged a look which held a thousand questions before you felt your wrist being caught by a much warmer palm, and eventually, you were yanked straight into Bakugou’s chest (not that you were complaining.) “Open your damn eyes and look, this how you fucking kiss a woman, dipshit.” The sound of his voice roaring against your eardrum made you flinch in the nicest way possible. Bakugou naturally made himself at ease all while maintaining his gaze upon Todoroki who was looking at him in return with a noticeable disdain in his eyes.

Bakugou was challenging him in a way, he perfectly knew that Todoroki was observing his every move, hence why he took the liberty to let his palm roam over the curve of your derrière as a way to taunt him. However, the taunt didn’t last too long not to make you feel uncomfortable. He quickly settled one of his hand on the small of your back (to maintain you as close to him as humanly possible) whilst his other hand was set upon your neck. He didn’t waste any more time and went straight to business.

Bakugou’s kiss was, as expected, a vivid contrast compared to Todoroki’s kiss. While Todoroki’s felt hesitant, caring, sweet… Bakugou’s kiss was rough around the edges and his sole purpose was to make your knees weak. Once he crashed his lips upon yours, he immediately swiped his tongue over the surface of your bottom lip, demanding immediate access to your mouth. You knew better than to upset Bakugou so you pleased and allowed his tongue to explore your mouth— your tongue was at his mercy for a few instants before finding a steady rhythm for you two. His presence was overwhelming— his smell, how close you were to him with nowhere to escape, his mouth, his tongue, everything caused you to rightfully let a moan escape into the kiss. At the sound of it, Todoroki’s eyes widened while Bakugou smirked into the kiss, he knew he made a point. You, in return, started to tug at his blonde hair— the rough atmosphere of the kiss affected your actions as well. Just prior to breaking the kiss, Bakugou’s teeth dug into your bottom lip and applied a few pressures while you were looking at him with pleading eyes to continue. Once he got what we wanted, he ended the kiss with a surprisingly soft peck upon your lips.

With his hand still settled on the small of your back, Bakugou turned to Todoroki’s direction and offered him his biggest smirk to show his secret victory. You were left breathless by the kiss, a series of uneven hot breaths crashed down onto Bakugou’s skin. 

If anyone were to walk in your hotel room, they would be able to feel and even touch the graduating tension in the air which almost felt agonizing. The tension was mostly radiating off of the two men, a silent battle for dominance had been declared through glances, holders of pure will to outbest the other. 

Todoroki observed the scene on his chair, and unbeknownst to him, Bakugou had indirectly offered him the best seat in the room to watch the manifestation of his talents. An almost inaudible sigh left Todoroki’s lips which translated into a sign of discontentment. “Y/N, come here.” The tone was strict, cold even, and you felt obligated to do as told. 

Detaching yourself from Bakugou’s embrace (you could tell he didn’t want to let you go judging from how his palm lingered on your back), you stepped away and made your way to Todoroki, a quizzical look noticeable in the reflect of your eyes. “What now?” You asked. Todoroki gestured to his lap and you knew what it meant, it was a speech without any word necessary. 

Paradoxically enough, Bakugou stared at the scenery in front of him in pure silence, and although it was very unlike him, he was mimicking Todoroki’s actions earlier on- he wanted to witness how Shoto was going to respond to his own deeds. 

You placed your hands over Todoroki’s shoulders to gain stability before sitting on his lap, it was a foreign feeling, but goodness, it was already addicting as hell and you were not interested in finding a cure. Both of Shoto’s hands crawled on the same spot where Bakugou’s hands used to linger just a few moments ago, you understood rather quickly that he was using his own methods against him. You were the center of Todoroki’s attention, his gaze graced your frame and he was loving the sound of your uneven breath, he wondered if he could make your respiration even more irregular.

He paid no mind to mind to the silent Bakugou who was already fuming in his corner as Shoto delivered a succession of pecks on the delicate flesh of your neck, and you tilted your head just enough to let him play on a wider surface. He traded the pecks for a few daring bites on certain areas, he needed to find your weak spot. “A-Ah... Shoto!” the sound of his name rolling off your tongue coated in such bliss was enough for him to curve his lips into a smirk. 

It was a brief moment of peace before he dug his teeth on the same spot and you failed to prevent any whimpers from coming out by biting your lower lip. He knew you were restricting yourself, prisoning these beautiful sounds of ecstasy, and he didn’t like any of it. He focused on your lower lip and rubbed the oh so soft surface with the pad of his thumb to prevent your from biting it, and thus, keeping your sounds of pleasure to yourself. 

“Don’t be shy, love. I’m pretty sure both Bakugou and I can agree on the fact that the little sounds you’re making are too divine to be hushed. Will you be a good girl and let us hear the sounds you’re making?” It was as if his voice was coated with honey, just his voice alone was enough to make you feel weak, and if you paid enough attention, you were pretty sure he purposefully blew a fit of cold air onto the skin of your neck. “Yes, please... I’ll be good, so good.” From that moment you knew you were at his mercy and he enjoyed every second of it. “You’re such a good girl for us.”

And so he continued, but it was rougher this time, a harsh contrast compared to his hesitant kiss from just a few moments ago. His teeth dug into the flesh of your skin harder this time, the sole purpose of leaving a mark on your crimson colored flesh was haunting his mind. To accomplish said purpose, Todoroki alternated between biting motions and a few swipes of his tongue on the newly bruised skin. The whimpers coming out of your mouth shamelessly only added fuel to his fire. He knew what he was doing, and you knew just how sensitive this particular area could get. 

Once he judged it was enough, he delivered a few pecks on the love bites, a way to kiss his art into your skin. “You’re so perfect, love, so perfect with my name written over your skin.” He whispered between kisses. Your head was thrown back, fingers grasping at the roots of his hair, your mouth agape- your whole body language testified of the addictive effect he had on you.

Such bliss couldn’t last for long, and quickly enough, another voice was being heard, a roar even. “Oi, oi, oi! Don’t even think for a single fucking second that you can have her all to yourself, half and half bastard.” It was almost a miracle that Bakugou had observed you in silence, but as expected, patience was nowhere near his forte. He had already crossed his limit long before you sat on Todoroki’s laps. Bakugou’s eyes were strictly focused on your frame, he was completely under your spell after observing how your chest would rise and fall unevenly to grasp any ounce of oxygen. 

Your knees felt weak already, you could only stare at Bakugou and silently ask him to continue, to make you feel even weaker, to make you experience pure bliss. You wanted to say his name, it was right on the tip of your tongue, but as you observed his figure reducing more and more the space between the two of you, you just admired him in silence. 

“Hah? What’re you looking at, brat? You want more? Is that it? You want fucking more? Say no more.” You should’ve known that the wicked smirk plastered upon his face was a pre-indicator of what was bound to happen. He lifted you off of Todoroki’s lap, the latter frowned a bit at the lack of your presence on him, and carried you to the bed before dropping you on the mattress. Todoroki was quick to follow from behind and stood right next to Bakugou, his hands already busy taking off his jacket and unbuttoning the first button of his evening shirt. “I’m sure that Bakugou and I can find a little agreement. After all, we can share, correct?” Todoroki’s rhetorical question found its answer once Bakugou let a discreet chuckle escape from his mouth after throwing his jacket God knows where and messily undoing his tie. “We’re gonna take real fucking good take care of you, baby girl.”

You were refraining yourself from already touching you, it took all the strength in the world not to give in to the most passionate temptations. But deep down, you already knew you were bound to be overwhelmed by pure bliss judging by how they were looking at you. You could only hum in response, unsure of how your voice would have sounded under the heavy influence of desire. 

Bakugou made the first move, after all, his poor soul felt left alone when Todoroki overwhelmed you with pecks and bites. He crawled over you, his knees were on each side of your waist, his hands however, assured total domination- his right hand clutched your wrists now pinned above your hand while his left palm settled by force on your throat, needless to say, the pressure was already applied on your windpipe. “You wanna’ play that game with me, hah?! Let Icyhot have all of you to himself and I got fucking nothing in return? Babygirl, I don’t watch, I fucking play.” It was too ferocious to be qualified as a whisper, and yet, when Bakugou pronounced the last bits of his sentence right in the shell of your ear, you felt like you were floating in pure bliss. “Answer me.” His grip on your throat felt a bit tighter. “P-Please... Ju-Just do whatever you want... With my body.” The lack of oxygen felt agonizing, you were deprived of fresh air and you were laying on the bed while Bakugou exuded pure confidence and domination, an aura so thick, you wished you could’ve touched it. “That’s my babygirl.” 

As Bakugou’s lips crashed onto yours, forcing its tongue into your mouth while maintaining the right amount of pressure on your throat to offer you a panorama of new sensations, Todoroki had already gotten rid of his shirt. If you paid close attention, you could see shy flames on his shoulders, he was absolutely adoring the scenery unfolding before him. Everything about you filled his senses, the sight of you giving in to Bakugou was nothing short of divine, the whimpers leaving your mouth in cascade whether the reason was the lack of air or the fierceness of Bakugou’s intentions was the sweetest melody he had ever heard. Everything was perfect. 

You felt the oxygen become one with your body again once Bakugou broke the kiss and allowed his hand to travel from your neck down to your chest, but his eyes were never leaving yours. He wanted to watch you come undone under his touch, he swore it to himself.

“I’ll take the bottom half. Icyhot, I don’t give a damn about what you do, just don’t fucking interrupt me.” His eyes were already set on the prize, your heat in all its glory. Shoto said nothing in response, you were the holder of all his undivided attention. As Bakugou took a firm grasp of your thighs, opening the way to his newfound purpose, Todoroki took over the top half of your body- he started by planting a succession of pecks from your lips down to your collarbone, passing by your neck, and each kiss was amplified by the cold air he was blowing on the surface of your skin. The contrast in temperature cause you to allow a few whimpers to escape, you already knew you craved for more, it was a way of manifesting it.

 “You won’t need that, will you, love?”  He said while pointing at your shirt, as his index was already hooking the fabric. It was a rhetorical question of course, you simply answered by humming. Your silent response was the only thing necessary for Shoto to send your shirt flying somewhere in the room. He continued his trail of kisses down to the valley of your breasts, the same cold air following him as he went.

Bakugou, on the other one hand, had already gotten rid off your skirt, but not before letting his palms explore the generous cheeks hidden underneath it, and eventually, leaving a slap right on this area which caused you to yelp in surprise. The pad of his thumb was already brushing against the surface of the fabric, oh what a pleasure it was when he felt the sensation of humidity coming through your underwear. A sensation so good, so addicting, so divine that it brought a sly grin to his face. “Already so wet for us, babygirl? You’re not wasting your damn time, hah?” Your skin was burning under his touch, you could already feel the chills running down your spine and he hadn’t even taken off your underwear yet. 

Todoroki took the strap of your bra between his thumb and index, and much to your suprise, he used the right amount of his quirk to burn the fabric and applied the same treatment to the other strap. Before you could even protest about the poor outcome of your bra, he planted his lips on your own to keep you quiet. Now, he focused his attention to your breasts and the bits of clothing left which prevented the upper half of your body from being fully exposed. He took the opportunity given by Bakugou who had gotten rid of your underwear which made you arch your back to unclip your bra. There was nothing stopping him now. He let his gaze fell on you, so full of adoration, while he leaned down and caught the last piece of fabric remaining of your bra between his teeth. His eyes held so much envy, so much desires which reciprocated in the reflect of your own orbs. 

Shoto threw your bra out of his mouth, and there you were- your body bare in all its glory. “Fuck, you’re so perfect...” He whispered right against your chest, causing you to let out a sigh you didn’t even know you were holding. He used his mother’s inherited side to trace the contour of your breasts, he knew he was going to earn a moan in return and he was so please to hear such a sinful melody at the clash of his cold fingers against your burning skin. His thumb and his index worked in harmony to twist the bud of your nipple and overwhelm it by Shoto’s cold touch while his tongue delivering hot saliva on your skin was already doing wonders on your other breast, a perfect balance between cold and hot which made your arousal erupt even more and someone was quick to notice...

“Oi, doll face, focus on me, not on this goddamn fucker. Don’t you feel so fucking good when I touch you like that, hah?” His burning jealousy amplified the voracity of his deeds. Every single one of his touch served the purpose of pleasuring you, but also outdo Todoroki’s touches. He needed to be the best at everything, including making you melt under his touch. You struggled to keep your eyes open, the desire to close your eyes and let your body attract all the attention while basking in pure bliss was too strong and yet, Bakugou’s voice roared into your mind, you couldn’t help but lay your eyes on him through half-closed lids. 

Once he knew he was the bearer of all your attention, he put his body and mind to work. Both of his hands planted your thighs on each side of his body, you felt too weak to move under his touch and did not dare resist the pressure. You whined in advance because you knew what was coming- and boy, did he look good with his face buried between your thighs. 

One long, sharp, vertical lick was all it took to let yet another moan escape your lips once more, and to Bakugou, it was the best reward. The heat of his tongue responded to the heat of your core, it was pure harmony. He licked the your core over and over again, tasting you, loving you, worshipping you even. One time he left lingering kisses to the side of your core, another time he was left licking motions all over your folds because your taste was the best thing he had ever felt. His motions echoed to your whines and moans, he was sure of hearing a sinful melody each time his tongue entered in contact with your skin.

“Keep making these noises for me, don’t be fucking shy.” His hot breath on the center of your heat embraced perfectly the succession of his actions, “Y-Yes... P-Please, I want... I need more.” Bakugou couldn’t help but let a low chuckle leave his lips, in response to your needy attitude, he left a harsh slap on the surface of your butt, to which you whined loudly in response. “Such a fucking filthy mouth you have there, hah?” He smiled to himself, knowing perfectly that what he was about to do was bound to leave you as a whimpering mess. Without any warning, he slid two of his fingers inside your core, and fuck, you were tight. His thumb was brushing against your sweet bundle of nerves which had already been cherished by Bakugou’s tongue earlier. 

You clutched the sheets of the bed to release some of the buildup pressure inside, it was as if a tornado, a volcano and a firework were exploding at the same time in your stomach, each of them resulting in a series of whimpers and moans at the overstimulation. Your lids were shut close already, yet, they kept fluttering over the invisible crimson touches left by both Todoroki and Bakugou.

Speaking over Todoroki, he was tasting you in such a different way as he started to get the grip of Bakugou’s mechanic. His mind kept roaming and roaming, he knew that just one mark on your neck was not quite enough and he needed to beat Bakugou at his own game- he positioned himself right over your right breast and blew a fit of fresh air, causing him to smile at himself for being the reason of such a reaction, and dug his teeth into your flesh. Motivated by the the way you kept tugging at his hair, he kept biting the same area over and over again until sucking your flesh just enough to create yet another love bite over your breast, such an intimate area, isn’t it? And now his whole name was written on it. 

“B-Bakugou... I can’t take it... Ahh! Anymore, please, please...” His fingers weren’t enough anymore, you were pleading his name, begging him to become one with you because you were unsure as to how you were going to keep the unleashed pressure within you ruin you. “So eager for my fucking cock, aren’t you?! You’re gonna count with me each inch entering your fucking cunt, got it?” You were willing to do anything at this point- Todoroki’s bites and his cold touch, Bakugou’s fingers and tongue, it made you fill dizzy but you knew, deep down, you were slowly approaching a pure state of bliss. “Yes... Yes I will.”

For his own purpose, Bakugou took his fingers off your core and flipped you on your stomach so you could be on all fours. You were giving him the view of worthy of a masterpiece: the crimson colored marks on your butt cheeks, the vivid rosy tone of your dripping core, oh he wanted all of you. “Love, don’t you forget that I’m here too, right? Open your pretty mouth for me.” You did as Todoroki preached, opening your mouth for him to stick his index in there. “Suck.” he commanded, to which you obliged by creating hollows in your cheeks and embrace his finger around your tongue, this feeling was beyond perfect, beyond the wildest fantasies his imagination had to offer. He could only let his subconsciousness roam about how his cock would feel around your perfectly pouted lips.

Bakugou’s hands gripped your hips tightly, his fingers turning white in the process while your flesh adopted a reddish tone in response. With the use of the pad of his thumb, he spread the pre-cum leaking all over his length, and so it began: the first inch. “One.”, it sounded more like an order than a statement, “...One.” you echoed, your response didn’t come quick enough to Bakugou’s liking, making you earn a harsh slap on your cheeks in return. Then another inch “Two.” , another faint sound coming from your lips “T-Two...”, yet another slap on your abused flesh. And so it went on, the process remained the same- another inch, another whisper escaping your mouth between sobs, another spank. 

On the other side of the bed, Todoroki was stroking his own length at the sight before him. You were on the brim of tears, and Bakugou didn’t show any mercy regarding your current state. “I’m sorry, her mouth is going to be full soon, she won’t have room to count out for you.” Bakugou grunted in response to Todoroki’s taunt. His strokes became gradually faster, like a crescendo if you will. His other hand, however, was placed right underneath your jaw to give you some support and your mouth was already open in anticipation for what was bound to happen. 

With his hand to keep your jaw steady, you welcomed Todoroki’s lenght into your mouth and he automatically let a groan as the tip of your tongue caressed his sensitive tip. You imagined how rewarding it must have felt for them to hear your own moans and whimpers because hearing Todoroki’s moan felt like a blessing to your eardrums.

Your tongue circled around his cock, your hand was pumping his length, and Todoroki wondered if this is what heaven looked and felt like. Your whimpers were hushed by the presence of his member in your mouth, but somehow, even these half silenced sounds of pleasure sounded even better to his ears. He felt his lids shut close under the miracle work of your tongue while his hand lingered in your hair to motivate you to keep going.

Bakugou, frustrated by this change of plans due to Todoroki’s own personal pleasure, slid the entirety of his phallus into you abruptly. The shock caused you to remove Shoto’s member from your mouth momentarily to catch your breath and release yet another whine before pleasuring Todoroki again. That came as a surprise to no one, not even Shoto himself, but Bakugou’s pace was rough and almost animalistic. 

The sound of his testicles clapping against your flesh testified of the pace and yet, it felt so enticing. Bakugou was not so vocal, but he did leave his fair share of grunts as he buried himself into you more and more until reaching your cervix. It was too much, your core was burning, hell your whole body was on fire. The tears that threatened to fall had put their threat to execution, you knew you were close, the overstimulation was getting the best of you leaving you in a whimpering, trembling mess. 

You continued to stroke Shoto’s length with your tongue, but his need to take control took over him. The same hand that rested in your hair suddenly took a firm grasp of your hair and he thrusted himself into your mouth and from there, his grunts became more repetitive. Truthfully, it was the only push he needed to bring him over the edge, the previous work of your tongue had put him under a spell. A spell he never wanted to wake up from. He knew what was coming, you felt it too but how the tip of his phallus was tickling your throat deeper and deeper. 

Shoto didn’t even notice the small flames making their apparition on the blades of his collarbone, meaning that it was finally time for him to cum. He set your mouth free and hinted his length towards your chest, letting the drips of cum color your skin, and allowed the most magical moan to leave his already parted lips in satisfaction. “Love, look what you fucking did to me. You’re so beautiful, so beautiful with my cum all over you.” Your first instinct was to fill your lungs with oxygen, something so common yet it was cruelly needed. You looked through your lashes at Shoto with pleading eyes while he looked at you with a glimpse of adoration in his. His digit was carefully wiping the excess of cum leaking down your chin to place it right into your mouth. He could only stare in awe at the sight of you tasting him. He felt so full, and fulfilled. He was finally at peace, soaking in pure bliss.  

The grasp Bakugou was holding over your hips became even harsher, which you though was impossible just a few seconds before. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He grunted, trying to keep his volume at bay by digging his teeth into his lower lip but it was all too much to be contained. He knew his climax was close, so close that he could picture it if he closed his eyes just for a second. Bakugou’s name fell on your lips like a forbidden prayer, his name had turned into the only thing you were able to say. “I-...Ah! Inside, inside, fuck, please...”, you felt a wave of pleasure taking over your body, a pleasure so intense, no word could have done it justice. Oh well, that was the sole indication he needed to hear before digging his nails into your sides, causing you to arch your back and bite the sheets, already preventing the cascade of whimpers from echoing in the room. “Fucking hell... Cum with me, now.”

 With one last thrust, Bakugou came within you, his face was facing the ceiling as he came undone with you. His cum slid within you and in return, your body thanked him by letting your own juice flow all over his length. 

Silence invaded the room. No more grunts, no more moans, no more cries. Pure silence inhabited by the uneven breaths of three protagonists who had just touched heaven by the tip of their fingers. Three victims of passion.

Bakugou pulled out of you, earning a whimper in return at the sudden feeling of vacuity. Your legs were shaking, and you secretly thanked every God for allowing you to stay relatively steady on all fours for this long and be able to endure the bestial-like pace of Bakugou. Needless to say, you were panting, you mouth was agape and you were crying for air. Your body immediately crashed onto the mattress, the soft feeling of the sheets enveloping your skin after reaching heaven made you feel as if you were floating on a cloud.

Bakugou and Todoroki shared a look, a small grin even, before crashing down onto the mattress next to you. You were unable to move, your mind was comparable to a wild blur as a result of your orgasm. A rush of words flew through your air but absolutely none of them was powerful and meaningful enough to qualify how you were feeling. At peace? No, not strong enough. Full? Nope, did not carry enough meaning. It was a unique feeling, worthy of all the praises in the world. 

Todoroki draped an arm over your waist and left a trail of kisses upon the flesh of your shoulder, a silent way to thank you for allowing him to experience heaven in a rush. Bakugou, on the other one hand, was facing your back and allowed his index to draw invisible patterns on the skin of your back. Paradoxically enough, the silence carried more words and emotions than an actual speech. Until...

“So... Um, about the mission?”

[warlockfemale]

Happy Birthday @jovialjuggernaut-draws I am so sorry that this is so late!

Bruce’s colors have always been muted.

He knows because he was told by a doctor after one of many tests. His parents had both smiled widely and told him just what an exciting thing it was. How he had a soulmate out there someplace and waxed poetry about just the sort of things Bruce would notice once he’d found them. He is one of the 30% of the world with someone made just for him that would be found out once his skin touched theirs.

What they hadn’t told him was how only 6% of the world consisted of people with soulmates that had one one another. What would have devastated Bruce once became a relief because he wasn’t destroying another’s life by making them step into the darkness with him. He was happy to date around and allow whoever had been burdened with him to go on with their own life.

And now he was staring in shock into eyes greener than anything Bruce had ever seen before in his life.

“Shit.”

“Shit!” Edward Nygma agreed. He stepped back, cleared his throat, and swiveled around. “Girls! I’ve changed my mind!” Bruce’s mind had frozen into a blue screen so all he could do was stare at the green clad (god is this how so many people usually saw the world?) trio stride out. As if Edward had an important dinner date he was almost late to while Bruce’s entire worldview was trying to stop tilting. He was sure the entire gala was staring at him or Edward at that point, wondering just what Gotham’s most popular billionaire had done to put the robbery to an end so fast.

“Bruce? You doing ok?” Hands started patting him all over. “Bruce? You’re looking really pale here.”

Shit.

* * * *

Bruce wasn’t brooding. He was analyzing the situation from all angles after debriefing it in the batcave to all persons that might get affected. Dick still refused to answer his phone so Bruce asked Wally to tell his son to check the text. Jason apparently thought there was nothing to worry about (and started laughing) and Alfred seemed less concerned about Bruce’s soulmate being a criminal and more worried about how Bruce was reacting.

Bruce wasn’t brooding and to prove it he went to answer the door soon as the bell rang.

“Delivery for a Mr. Wayne!” Nina Damfino grunted as she shoved a heavy green wrapped box into Bruce’s arms. Unlikely to be an explosive since she’d delivered it and Bruce doubted he could get away with chucking the thing away onto the lawn. So he regrettably started unwrapping the thing; hoping that Edward was watching and wincing at the unnecessary mess made of the custom paper. Taking a deep breath (and hoping that Riddler hadn’t somehow bribed Ivy into giving up some pollen) Bruce opened the box.

What. The. Fuck.

Those were Bruce’s statues. The ones depleting Zal and Rudabeh, stolen from the museum they had been on loan to years ago.

Bruce slammed the door shut in Nina’s face.

* * * *

Of course someone had noticed what was going on. Bruce hadn’t been able to stop himself from gawking at just how many different colors the world had now. Or maybe Riddler had bragged to the entire city about it. Either way Bruce was suddenly bombarded with reporters from the society page. One of them had the gall to ask when the wedding was.

“I have a preteen son,” had been Bruce’s statement hoping that could clear things up. “He is my first priority.”

In hindsight that might have been the wrong thing to say.

* * * *

“So I’ve changed the rules a little. My riddles will lead you to criminals and this time they won’t be me!” Jason was practically vibrating in place from mirth as Bruce stared fixedly at the letter laying on the table. Gordon was giving Bruce A Look.

“Word on the street is something happened at the Wayne gala.”

“Hrrn.”

“Riddler donated back some of the art he stole. Wrapped with a bow.” And with a two sheeted riddle that pretty much translated into one giant insult that the museum’s director was still trying to puzzle out. Jason had thought the entire thing was great after the director’s snub at the “newest Wayne charity case”.

“I heard.” The wall really needed to be repainted.

“Batman I need to know if this is going to explode into something I’ll need to worry about.” That had been Dick’s exact words when he’d come into the cave last night.

“I’m looking into it.” Alfred had already started to make pointed remarks about manners and facing life’s problems. “Now ‘You don’t have to look for a night on the lawn’-”

* * * *

“You know Riddler tried to bribe me into sharing information about you today at the library.” Jason tilted his chair back onto the back legs as if he had not just nearly given Bruce a heart attack with his words. “Don’t worry, I held out for a triple scoop sundae before letting him know your favorite color.”

“Jason, he's a dangerous criminal!”

“Eh I grew up with worse.” Bruce breathed in deep trying not to let Jason see just how troubled that fact always made him. Jason usually said things like that off hand, just another fact about the world. The sky was blue, Selina liked to steal things, and Jason’s childhood until now had consisted of trying to survive. “His eyes aren’t mean. And you’re soulmates.”

“I cannot tell you how little that reassures me,” Jason grinned and tipped his chair back into place the little brat. Bruce ruffled the boy’s hair as punishment earning a fake glare and slap at his hands. “But really Jason, you need to stay safe.”

“Uh huh. Think I could take on the Riddler.” Not reassuring. “I also made sure to be in sight of Barbie at all times.” Much more reassuring since Bruce had personally seen Barbra flip two grown men over her head at once. Another grin, bigger this time. More of a smirk that had Bruce raising an eyebrow. “I also told him that you liked flowers.”

“Jay lad please tell me-”

“Sir there seems to have been a delivery for you.” Alfred’s face was carefully blank, a sure sign of just what Bruce was going to find at the door. “If you do not mind.”

“Don’t worry!” Jason called out happily as Bruce stared in disbelief at the sudden garden now growing on his steps. “I made sure Ivy wouldn’t be out for blood!”

* * * *

“Ah detective!” Edward’s green suit might as well been the only spark of color in the diner as Bruce entered it. As pressed and clean as always while the man himself gave a small toast with his coffee cup. “Glad you could make it! And you solved my riddle! Very good!”

“Riddler.” Bruce sat down at the diner bar taking in Edward’s appearance. “What is it now?”

“Is that any way to talk to your new partner?”

“If you think this game-”

“Oh please,” Edward waved his hand like a magician retrieving their rabbit. “You might think Bruce’s secret is safe but I am a genius. He’s helped fund the Justice League.” Edward leaned in, eyes darting around the near empty diner as his voice lowered. “He’s funding you. I have to play on the side of angels for the only one in the universe that can understand me?” He stood up, throwing cash upon the bar and a grim smile on his face. “Now let’s get to chasing down those criminals. Quick crime question. Who was the biggest thief in history?”

Bruce stared at him, then the newspaper resting under Edward’s coffee cup. “Atlas News? Where is this going?” Edward’s face lit up, eyes gleaming as he didn’t even bother trying to hide his utter delight.

“The game, my dear Watson, is afoot!”

“Awwww.” Nightwing cooed into the communicator from his perch as Edward stumbled out the door. It was not adorable, Bruce reminded himself sternly, for a grown man to go scampering out the way that Edward did with such a look of utter pride on his face for having “bested” Batman. They both had a job to do and he was yet convinced that Edward wasn’t just trying to play another game. “Just for the record. Batgirl says you’re an emotionally repressed coward.”

Batman never sighed. In public.

* * * *

“Why hello there Mr. Wayne. Fancy seeing you um… here. At home. Working in your study.” Sometimes it was easy to forget that Riddler’s over extravagant self praise and mocking towards others covered up a socially awkward man. Alfred’s rather pointed eyebrow raise before the butler closed the door let Bruce know just how little the household held his own social skills. Perfect match Jason had cackled madly last night. One never shuts up and the other just grunts.

“I have a secret.” Bruce managed to grind out as he stared at the area above Edward’s ear. He could do this, he’d managed to disarm a bomb with Firefly setting things on fire last month. He has given this speech several times into the mirror and once to Alfred. “It is a rather large one and will affect any… relationship that I may have.” Bruce chanced a look at Edward’s face and was slightly alarmed to see the man’s lip’s twitching. “You deserve to know and if this makes you decide that a-”

“Unless your secret is that you’re Batman I don’t expect-” Edward trailed off as he stared at Bruce’s face. The green clad man’s face went blank as Bruce went through all the contingency plans for when this went bad. “You’re Batman?” Edward burst out laughing, hands flying to the desk to keep himself upright as his body shook hard. Bruce’s hand flew up to sturdy the man just to be swatted away. “I knew it!”

“You couldn’t have known I was-”

“No, no. Not that. Well, somewhat.” Edward’s eyes really were a bright green, brighter than any other color as he bent forward to give a quick peck to Bruce’s lips, one thumb rising up to trace the small scar on the corner. “I always knew you were the only one who got me.”

[captain-hen]

quiet my fears with the touch of your hand

title: quiet my fears with the touch of your hand

Summary: “In that warehouse,” Buck says. “I almost gave up.”

Eddie doesn’t bat an eyelash at his words. “I know,” He says, simply.

Buck isn’t sure why he’s saying this. He doesn’t know why he feels the need to confess this to Eddie, why this is something he needs for him to know. He also doesn’t know why Eddie is being so calm about it.

“I almost stopped fighting,” Buck continues, his voice breaking a little. 

“I know.” Eddie says, again. | Post 4x05: Buck Begins.

ao3 link

a/n: i wrote this when i should have been sleeping so it’s probably incoherent...pls excuse me..

tagging some people who may be interested: @malikjavaddzayn @evaneddie @matan4il @prettyboydiaz @firefighter-diaz  please let me know if you’d like to be added to/removed from my tag list!

Seconds after Buck knocks, the door opens and Eddie is looking at him with an arched eyebrow. "Since when do you knock?" He asks teasingly.

 Buck shrugs wordlessly. The weight of the past couple of days he's had—his parents arriving in town, finding out about Daniel, god, the fire—all had been momentarily forgotten in the time he spent with Maddie after his shift, the relief that came with forgiving her making something that had been unbalanced shift back into place in his heart. However, after leaving her apartment, it had all come crushing down on him again, leaving him shaking and breathless in the aftermath. Before knowing he was doing it, he was taking the turn to Eddie's house instead of his own apartment and now here he was.

 "You're just in time," Eddie gestures for Buck to come in. "Dinner's almost ready."

 "I—I didn't tell you I was coming, though," Buck says, confused. Eddie grins at him.

 "I had a feeling you would." Not waiting for a reply, he turns to go into the living room. "Christopher! Look who's here!"

 Buck is greeted with an armful of Chris when he enters the room and he can't help but laugh, hoisting him into his arms. Pressing his face into Chris' hair and hearing his bright laughter, Buck feels some of the tension drain from his body.

 "Hey, buddy! Hope you don't mind me coming over so unexpectedly."

 Chris giggles as Buck puts him down, as if he's said the funniest thing ever. "Don't be silly, Buck! We always want you around."

 Buck feels his eyes burn with tears inexplicably and he's relieved that Chris chooses that moment to turn around to search for a drawing he wants to show him. Eddie says nothing, instead moving past Buck to leave the room, pressing a warm hand to his shoulder as he passes him.

 Chris takes Buck's hand and tugs on it, leading him to the kitchen. Buck's eyebrows raise at the sight of Eddie pulling a pan out the oven

 "Dad cooked," Chris informs him. Buck chuckles.

 "Maybe I shouldn't have come over," He jokes. Eddie throws a dish towel at him, scowling.

 "It's just mac and cheese," He retorts. "And I'll have you know I've gotten better at cooking over the pandemic. Make yourself useful and set the table."

 Shifting into the usual routine of dinner time at the Diaz household has a comforting familiarity to it, Buck thinks, as he moves around the kitchen, grabbing plates and glasses, knowing where everything is supposed to be without even thinking about it. They sit down at the table to eat, Chris chattering away about his day as Buck listens on, barely suppressing an eye roll when Eddie not-so-subtly heaps two servings onto his plate. God, his best friend can be such a dad sometimes.

 As dinnertime comes to an end, though, Buck can feel the lightness begin to slip away, tension gathering in his shoulders once more and his smiles come less easily, not even Christopher’s cheer being able to bring them out easily. Eddie seems to notice (of course he does) and quickly stands to gather their plates.

 “Chris, I think it’s time you start getting ready for bedtime,” he says and Chris groans dramatically.

 “Dad, can’t I stay up? It’s not even a school night!”

 “Nope,” Eddie hums. “Rules are rules, Chris, you know how it is.”

 Chris groans again but doesn’t argue his point and gets up. “Goodnight, Buck,” he murmurs, and Buck bends down to receive his hug almost automatically, barely registering it. Thankfully, Chris doesn’t seem to notice that anything is amiss and pulling back, grins at him before leaving.

 “Hey,” Buck startles as Eddie taps him on the shoulder and looks up at the barely concealed worry in his friend’s face. “Why don’t you go wait in the living room? I’m gonna go tuck Chris into bed.”

 “It’s late,” Buck mutters. “Maybe I should leave.” He doesn’t want to. It’s almost more than he can stand, right now, the thought of leaving the warmth of Eddie’s house, of Eddie, to go back to his apartment, that has never felt like home the way Eddie and Christopher have. But he doesn’t want to overstay his welcome. He’d once told Maddie that he’s not really a guest in Eddie’s house, but now, with his entire world, with everything he’d ever known about himself turned upside down, he can’t be sure of anything.

 Eddie shakes his head and repeats, a little more firmly. “Wait for me in the living room.”

 Buck goes, helpless but to do as he asks. He looks around at the room as he sits down on the couch, Chris’ homework on the side tables, the video game consoles scattered around it, Eddie’s jacket tossed over a chair—just a few weeks ago, he had been on this couch with Eddie and Christopher, playing video games and teasing Eddie about his newfound fear of technology. Just a few weeks ago, he had been in this same spot, happy and lighthearted with two of his favorite people in the world.

 Just a few weeks ago, he hadn’t felt this overwhelming sense of wrongness and uncertainty, like everything was collapsing around him and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

 Eddie returns shortly, sinking down into the couch beside him, his shoulders pressing into Buck’s; solid and grounding. Buck lets out a shaky exhale, ducking his head as he feels his eyes burn with tears again. He doesn’t want Eddie to see him like this, cracked in a hundred places and this close to falling apart. Which doesn’t make sense, he knows, Eddie has been there during some of the worst moments of his life; he was there holding his hand while his leg was being crushed under a firetruck, he had seen him choke on his own blood during that welcome-back party; there was no end to it. But this—this was just too much. Too vulnerable. Too raw, and open and exposed.

 Eddie says nothing, just sitting there, a line of warmth and stability against Buck, waiting for him to open up. And Buck does, inevitably.

 “I forgave my parents,” He doesn’t look at Eddie while he says it, but can feel him stiffen momentarily before he relaxes again.

 “That must have been hard,” Eddie says, his words so similar to Maddie’s just a few hours ago. Buck shrugs in response, talking about it with his sister had been hard enough, he doesn’t really want to get into the why’s of it again.

 “I just feel like---” Buck stops himself and sighs in frustration. “I feel like this should have brought me some sort of relief, right? Taken some of the weight off my shoulders? Now that I actually have some context to what they did, and why-“

 “Hey,” Eddie interrupts, almost sharply. “Your parents lost a child, and that’s terrible. But them ignoring the two living children they had, not being there for their kids who actually needed them? That is on them and nothing can excuse that. You are well within your rights to feel angry, Buck.”

 Buck shakes his head. “I am so tired of being angry,” He says. “But---I still am. I thought forgiving them would make me feel less angry, but it didn’t. I am so angry that they kept my brother a secret from me, all this time. I am so angry that they forced Maddie to keep that secret, when she was just a child. I am so angry that I was finally, finally, doing better, feeling more secure and good about myself and my life and it took just one visit from them to turn it all upside down!”

 He sucks in a deep breath and buries his head in his hands, shaking slightly. He did not mean to explode like that. Hell, he doesn’t even know where it all came from. He had no idea he was even feeling like that before it all burst out.

 I sometimes hide my true feelings, Buck remembers telling his therapist that one time, and he chuckles hollowly at the memory.

 Eddie lays a hand on his shoulder, the pad of his thumb drawing soothing circles over his sleeve and remains quiet until Buck raises his head again, eyes wet.

 “It’s clear to me, now,” Buck says. “Everything I ever did to try and win their affection, to win their love—none of it mattered. I was set up to fail since the very beginning. The entire time, whenever they looked at me, all they could see was Daniel and I would never measure up in their eyes. How could I compete with that? God,” He scrubs a hand across his face roughly and lets out a bitter laugh. “I’m jealous of a dead person. How fucked up is that?”

Something shutters in Eddie’s expression and he ducks his head for a moment, swallowing. “I understand completely,” He murmurs. Before Buck can really think about it, Eddie is talking again.

 “It was never on you to win your parents’ love, Buck,” He says. “It’s not something that needs to be won, it’s something that has to be freely given. And your parents—they—no matter the loss they were mourning, the way they made you feel like every scrap of their attention needed to be earned was unacceptable. You have to know that. I mean—” He sighs and pauses for a moment. “I have made a lot of mistakes with Christopher, but I can never imagine doing to him what your parents did to you and your sister. It’s unthinkable.”

 Buck manages to smile at that and says, his voice breaking a little, “You’re a really great dad.”

 Eddie chuckles and shakes his head. “I hope so,” He murmurs. “At least, I try to be. And sometimes, trying is the best you can do. It’s what every parent should do.”

 Trying, huh? Philip and Margaret Buckley certainly hadn’t. They had given up on Buck the moment he’d failed to save his brother, Buck is certain of this no matter how they might say otherwise. They had given up on Maddie when she married Doug. They were never willing to try when things got hard, instead that burden had been placed on their children and Maddie and Buck had carried it even into their adulthood, without even noticing.

 He had never felt that burden so acutely as he did in the fire, as he relived his entire life, seeing his past through new eyes as he fought desperately to save Saleh from the flames and himself, from giving into all that despair and guilt and hopelessness. And in the end, he hadn’t had to carry it alone, because the 118, his family, stepped in to carry it with him.

 “In that warehouse,” Buck says. “I almost gave up.”

 Eddie doesn’t bat an eyelash at his words. “I know,” He says, simply.

 Buck isn’t sure why he’s saying this. He doesn’t know why he feels the need to confess this to Eddie, why this is something he needs for him to know. He also doesn’t know why Eddie is being so calm about it.

 “I almost stopped fighting,” Buck continues, his voice breaking a little.

 “I know.” Eddie says, again.

 “You’re not—” Buck clears his throat and says, hoarsely, “You’re not…I don’t know—” He can’t finish.

 Upset? Angry? Disappointed?

 Eddie, evidently, doesn’t need him to say it. “No,” He says, his voice impossibly soft. “I know what it’s like. I’ve been there.”

 Oh. Of course, that’s—Buck doesn’t know whether he is referring to Afghanistan or the well, when he was buried under thirty feet of mud. Or both.

 Buck doesn’t ask, and Eddie doesn’t elaborate.

 “It feels easy, to just stop resisting,” Eddie continues. “But then, you remember that you have something to live for. A family that loves you.”

 Buck shakes his head, almost automatically. “My parents—”

 “I’m not talking about your parents,” Eddie says, firmly. “I am talking about your sister, Bobby, Athena, the 118—”

 “—you?” Buck finishes, something in his heart lifting at the soft smile Eddie gives him in return.

 “Yeah, me,” Eddie says. “And Christopher,” He pauses, suddenly looking almost uncertain. “That is, if you’ll have us.”

 If he’ll have them? Buck almost laughs hysterically—what sort of question is that? Surely, Eddie has to know—to have him and Christopher as his family would be everything and more. He wants it, all of it, so badly that it’s almost terrifying. He wants Eddie, in any and every single way possible, no matter how selfish it is.

 “Eddie, you don’t know what that means to me,” Buck says, instead.

 Eddie smiles. “I think I have some idea,” He says, and reaches out, slipping his hand into Buck’s. Buck can feel his breath catch, his heart leaping at the gentle touch, at the way Eddie’s fingers slot so perfectly between his. It is at times like these, that he thinks that Eddie might return the feelings he has for him, the feelings that are definitely not those of friendship. But he can never bring himself to cross that line, too afraid of being wrong, of ruining one of the best things he has in his life.

 They sit in silence for a few minutes. After a while, Buck glances at the clock.

 “It’s getting late,” He says reluctantly. “I should go.”

 “Stay.” Eddie says. Buck’s pulse quickens, he knows that Eddie doesn’t mean it that way, yet—

 “I think—”

 Eddie shakes his head. “Stay. Please.”

 And how can Buck say no to that?

 He nods wordlessly and allows himself to lean into Eddie, his eyes drifting shut. This is slowly exceeding the realm of best friend behavior, but Buck can’t find it in himself to care at the moment, especially when Eddie turns into him, resting his head on his shoulder.

 For now, he can have this.

 For once, he can be enough.

[koreaweeb]

Marionette - Beach Arrival (1)

TW: SWEARING, VIOLENCE, SEXUAL VIOLENCE, SEXUAL CONTENT

-

-

Chuya Kurenai - Day 5 of Sojourn

Sat at one end of the dining table, Kurenai opened her eyes to find that she was bound at her wrists and ankles to the chair. It did not matter how much she struggled, her attempts to escape were futile. 

On the other end of the table was a familiar face. A face she had hated all her life.

Looking around for something that could free her, she froze when she looked above her. What looked like a large blade was hanging so precariously from the ceiling, swaying ever so slightly. There was no doubt she would die the moment it fell. 

“Welcome to Borderland. This is a simple game of choice, only one may survive. Player Chuya Atsushi must make a choice between his children.”

Stood on top of the dining table was her father, holding a rope in each hand. All he had to do was let go and that would be the end of either of them. 

She kept struggling, the ropes cutting through her skin from how much they were rubbing. She tried to scream too, to plead with her father but no matter how hard she tried, no sound came out. Not even a squeak. 

He did not look at her once, not a single glance, when he let go of the rope attached to the blade above her. He chose her brother. It had always been her brother.

Waking up abruptly from her nightmare, Kurenai found herself breathing hard. She looked down at her wrists, rubbing her thumb against her skin. It was just a dream but she could vividly feel the pain of the ropes cutting into her. She could still feel the pain now. What hurt more, however, was the fact that even in her own dream, her father chose her brother over her. 

She let out a sigh, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath to calm herself. 

Was her dream trying to tell her something?

That she would never be able to cut the strings her father had attached to her? That if she were to cut those strings, it would mean the end for her?

PAK!

With a hard slap to her cheek, Kurenai stopped herself from spiralling. 

Borderland was an unforgiving place, one mistake and she could be losing her life. She had no time to be thinking ‘what ifs’. Her only goal now was to return to the real world, so she could exact her revenge on her father. Every day she spent in Borderland, was another day he was winning.

Sitting up on the mattress, Kurenai let out a soft groan as she stretched her arms up in the air. She found herself a little home in the furniture store, in a shopping mall. While she loved a little shopping spree every so often, it was extremely eerie when the mall was abandoned and empty of shoppers.

As she got out of the bed, she adjusted her dress before frowning. It was crinkled from all the game activities and sleeping in it for several days. Time to go shopping.

The clicking of her heels echoed around the entire mall, coupled with her soft singing, it was almost as if she was in a horror movie.

With a few items on her arm, she went into a changing room to try the clothes on. She decided on a red A-line dress while holding onto several more outfits. Although she liked to look good, after the five of Spades game, practicality seemed to be more important. She even went to the shoe store and picked out a pair of comfortable sneakers. She kept her Louboutin still, she was not about to part with them.

Grabbing a backpack along the way, Kurenai was now ready to go on her way.

Before leaving the mall, she headed to the information desk and searched around. In the drawer of the desk was a stack of what she was looking for: a map of Tokyo. Shopping malls tend to have information pamphlets for tourists, whether it was for attractions or a map of the city. She picked up a map, browsing the area. 

Right now, her main problem was finding food and water, which she did not have much of. 

Carefully looking through the areas, she suddenly remembered something.

Maybe when we meet, it’ll be at the beach.

That was what Chishiya said to her last night.

Under normal circumstances, she would have dismissed this simple statement. But they were not under normal circumstances. Anything and everything one would see or hear around this place could potentially be life saving. 

Still, she was skeptical about trusting Chishiya.

Though as she was studying the map, she found herself looking at beaches around Tokyo. None of them were close enough, and if she was being honest, Kurenai was hoping to avoid any kind of physical activity. If she were to participate in games, it was better to conserve her energy.

Just as she was about to fold the map up, one particular place caught her attention. It was not too far from where she was, if she decided to explore.

Could this be the place?

--

So this is how the top 1% lived.

After spending forty-five minutes trekking through a seemingly empty Tokyo, Kurenai finally found it: Tama Pacific Beach Resort Hotel. On her way here, she had been doubting the place but now that she was just standing just across the river looking at the hotel, there was no doubt. 

Most activities seemed to be happening by the pool, where there was a DJ blasting music through the speakers while girls were parading about in their bikinis. The contrast was stark, between the bubble within this hotel and the rest of Tokyo. Almost as if there were no games of life and death going on every night.

As she was still processing the information, an arm snaked around her waist when she was suddenly grabbed and a hand was placed around her mouth. Struggling out of instincts, it seemed pointless as she was being dragged away. 

She really got herself in trouble this time.

Next thing she knew, she was put in a chair, surrounded by strangers in the room with an eccentric man’s face just inches away from hers. She could smell the alcohol on him, and see the crazy in his eyes. Just what did she get herself into?

“How many times do I have to tell you to treat the ladies with respect, Niragi?” the man hummed, never taking his eyes off Kurenai. She did not back down either, staring straight into his eyes. “Interesting…”

“I don’t take orders from you,” another man answered. 

“Anyway! Welcome to utopia, my pretty! Welcome to the Beach! We have the answer you seek for!”

Answer? 

So they held the key on how to return to the real world?

“And who are you for me to trust?”

“I’m the number one around here, I’m the Hatter. These are my executives who help keep order here at the Beach. Who might you be, pretty?”

“I prefer not to say.”

Someone suddenly yanked her by the hair, jerking her head back. She was looking into another pair of eyes, a very dangerous pair of eyes. If she were to stay here, she would have to take note to avoid this man. The man called Niragi.

“Don’t play games with us, little girl. You won’t come out winning.”

“Now, now,” Hatter said, shooing the man away. “I told you to be gentle. We are a community here at the Beach, building a utopia and working towards a goal together. We won’t want to scare people away. Come on now, pretty, just tell me. We’re not your enemies here.”

“Chuya Kurenai.”

The hatter’s eyes widened. 

“Chuya? As in the Chuya Group? That Chuya? Please tell me you are that Chuya!”

Even in Borderland, the Chuya name prevailed. 

The Chuya’s were one of the bluest and oldest blood in Japan, and they were a household name. While the Chuya Group was known for their real estates, they were involved in almost everything from politics to entertainment. If one were to carry the Chuya name, or marry into the family, they were set for life.

In a place like Borderland, however, what good would her name serve?

She still had to participate in games. Her life was still on the line every time she entered a game. If her visa were to expire, it would not extend just because she was a Chuya. 

“Well Miss Chuya, we welcome you with open arms.” Beckoning one of the others, the Hatter was handed something and he put it on Kurenai’s wrist: a key with the number 70 on it. “Now, let me tell you the rules here at the Beach. We only have three. First of all, since we’re at the Beach, swimwear is required. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Once again, at his signal, the others moved and pulled back the moving wall to reveal another room. It was, however, what was on the wall in that room that interested Kurenai. 

The entire wall was covered in graffiti. Not just any graffiti but the entire deck of playing cards drawn crudely with a few crossed out. 

“This is the answer, Miss Chuya. The one and only method to leave Borderland.”

A smirk crept onto her face. She was right. By her second card, Kurenai guessed that the objective of these games was to collect the cards. Otherwise there was no point in issuing the cards after each game. Still, it was a cruel objective. Did they really expect one person to collect all fifty-two?

“By collecting each and every card, one individual will be chosen to leave Borderland,” Hatter said. 

Her smirk was now replaced with a frown.

Only one individual would leave when all cards were collected? Was that why the Beach was formed? A large group would collect more cards and duplicates could be used for the next person in line.

She looked down at the key on her wrist and scoffed. The number 70 was really mocking her right now. 

“Which brings us to the second rule here at the Beach,” the Hatter smiled, putting his hands on either side of the chair and leaned close to Kurenai. All cards must be handed over. We are a collective after all, any and every card you own will be contributed to the Beach.

“I know it seems unfair that your number is lower and you have to wait around longer before you leave but we can’t help that you’re a new member here. However! Members die every night in games, so naturally you will be promoted. And what if you contribute more cards than a person higher in rank? Or...what if your card is one that we need? Well, my pretty, then you will be promoted to a higher rank. Fair, right?”

“Oh? In that case, you will most definitely promote me,” Kurenai smiled. “Not only will you promote me, you will make me an executive too.”

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Stark Spangled Forever

A Very Rogers Christmas.

Part 1- The Best Things In Life Are Tree.

Summary: It’s that time of year again and the Rogers family prepare to go and pick their Christmas tree. But when Emmy calls with a bit of bad news, it puts a little downer on the whole thing for Katie and Steve decides to call in reinforcements to pull off the best Christmas Heist he can…

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: So here we go, Part 1 of my Stark Spangled 2020 Christmas special- A Very Rogers Christmas.  This one was written for for @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​ and @sagechanoafterdark​ ‘s Winter/Holiday Challenge. My prompt- Finding the PERFECT Tree.

It feels like AGES since I wrote for my babies so I hope you enjoy this little three parter. Part 2 posting next Friday, and part 3 on Christmas Eve.

SSF Masterlist //  WIYPT Masterlist 

"Daddy, I found something else I want to ask Santa for, for Christmas." Rori bounced into the study and Steve closed his eyes on the papers he was trying to grade and sighed.

"I bet you have." He mumbled before he glanced up at his daughter and couldn't help but smile at her as she skipped over to him, her long pony tail swinging behind her "What is it, Princess?" "A capybara." she said, scrambling up onto his lap. "A what?" Steve frowned. "A capybara. Look!" she turned the tablet she was holding towards him to show him a picture of the brown animal "They're like huge guinea pigs. I saw one at the zoo with Uncle Buck yesterday and when I said I wanted one he told me to tell you that I was gonna ask Santa." "Course he did." Steve sighed, mentally cursing his asshole best friend. "You know, Rori, don't think Santa can get you one of those." "Why not?" "It’s too big." He attempted “There’s nowhere for us to keep it.” "Our garden is huge!" Rori blinked at him. "And when Emmy and Petey move into the Tower he can live in the cabin." Trust her to be as damned smart as her mother. "They're wild animals honey." Steve shook his head as he tried attempt number two. "But they live in a zoo." Rori looked up at him, her face full of eager excitement “That’s not the wild.” "Yeah but that’s different." Steve reasoned patiently. "They're not like dogs or cats or regular guinea pigs. They need very special care.” "Oh." Rori looked down a little, her shoulders slumping and Steve sighed.

Fuck you, Bucky.

"Okay. Never mind." She clicked off the screen of her tablet and turned towards Steve, looking up at him with those damned green eyes. "Do you think he could get me a kitty instead?"

No, just say no… "Maybe."

Way to go, Rogers. Rori's eyes lit up and Steve inwardly groaned. It was a well-known fact in their house that whenever Dad said maybe, it meant yes. Fuck.

“I love you Daddy!” she beamed, reaching up to press a kiss to his bearded cheek before she hopped off his lap and skipped towards the door “Oh, me and momma are going to make gingerbread men for tomorrow so we can have them when we decorate the tree.”

“Can’t wait baby.” He smiled

“Are you gonna be working tomorrow afternoon?” she asked a little shyly and he shook his head.

“No, I promise.”  He assured her. “All day tomorrow is family day.”

She gave him another huge smile, one that truly warmed his entire being as it made her look even more like his wife, and then headed out of the room, her feet pattering on the tiles of the hallway as she skipped back into the other part of the house. Steve exhaled and looked back down at the paper, groaning as he realised he’d lost his place. He’d been home early that afternoon hoping for more peace and quiet than he got in his office at the University to concentrate on getting through all these and for the most it had worked, until Jamie and Rori had arrived home from school full of it as usual. Katie had kept them out of his way for the most but the realisation that Christmas was well on the way had hit the eldest two and whipped them up into a fever.

Not that Steve particularly cared. He adored this time of year. It was Katie’s holiday and from the day after Thanksgiving the Christmas period started in full throttle in the Rogers household, and they’d picked tomorrow, 2 weeks before the schools broke up, to go and pick the trees for their lounge and hallway. He was a little disappointed that it hadn’t snowed yet, there had been a good covering the previous year but, still it was set to be a cold and dry day so they could still get bundled up and have their hot chocolate and snacks as usual.

He rubbed at his eyes and focussed, reading through the paper in front of him on the ‘Strategy, Diplomacy and politics of Axis and Allied forces in WW2’, wishing to God he was marking something on the course he was actually employed to teach now- Fine Arts- but all those had been done and graded last week. This was the module of History that he taught, because as the Uni said- he was a living, breathing expert.

Aparently.

An hour or so later he finished red-penning the final six paged essay, with a proud smile as that one had been particularly good and he quickly checked it over once more, making sure he’d captured all the notes on the electronic copy and queued it up to send on Monday, just like Katie had shown him how to, so that each student had the hard copy and soft copy back. He stood up, stretched, turned off his laptop and headed through to the main area of the house, the smell of baking and cooking hitting his nostrils as he went.

He walked into the kitchen to find Rori kneeling on one of the tall stools over the island-slash-breakfast bar, her hands and face smeared in pink icing as she decorated a gingerbread man, her little tongue poking out of the side of her mouth in concentration. Katie was stood supervising Harry who was also covered in frosting, this one bright green. Flossie sat in the highchair opposite, banging a spoon on the tray occasionally letting out a yell or babble of something incoherent. As soon as she saw Steve she gave a huge grin and her shouts became louder and he smiled.

“Hi Floss-Floss!” he beamed, crossing to drop a kiss to her head before he looked across at Katie “Where’s Jamie?”

“Upstairs in his room.” Katie gave a little sigh “He said, and I quote, ‘I’m ten now, far too old to decorate gingerbread, mom.’ I could have cried there and then Steve.” She finished with a pout.

Steve gave her a sympathetic smile, the fact her eldest baby boy was growing up was something he knew she hated “Yeah, I bet he won’t be too old to eat them, though.” He appeased and she smiled.

“That’s what I said.” Rori gave a dramatic roll of her eyes and Steve chuckled.

“You finished Grading?” Katie asked as she gently guided Harry’s hand over the cookie shaped like a Christmas tree.

“Yeah, all done. Sorry it took so long.”

“It’s okay.” She looked up at him, smiling “Your dinner is in the oven. I already ate with the kids. Sorry, I was starving.”

“I didn’t expect you to wait.”  Steve walked over the room and dropped a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks, Sweetheart.”

He made his way over to the Aga stove and opened the door, giving a little groan when he saw she’d done his favourite, a Mac and Cheese bake laced with chicken, chorizo and broccoli. He turned to look at her and didn’t miss the flicker of a smile on her face as she knew what he was thinking, before he pulled out the plate giving a yell as it burnt his fingers, dropping it onto the side with a clatter.

“Careful daddy, hot!” Harry turned to face him, and Katie burst out laughing.

“Yeah, thanks Son.” Steve tried not to roll his eyes as he sucked his thumb. Grabbing a tea-towel he gripped the plate, found some cutlery and sat down at the table to the side of the kitchen, tucking in.

“I finished all mine, Momma.” Rori grinned, placing the tube of squeezy frosting down on the side. Steve watched as Katie moved to look over Rori’s shoulder.

“Good job sweetie.” She smiled, “Creative, I’ve never seen a pink cat before.”

Steve paused and looked at Rori as she grinned “I know they’re not really pink, and my kitty won’t be, but it can have a pink collar.”

At that he winced and hastily shoved another forkful of food into his mouth, praying that the conversation stopped there.

Katie sighed “Rori we’ve been over this, you can’t have a cat.”

“Daddy said I could.”

Shit.

Katie’s eyes shot to Steve and he gave her his best innocent look, but from the way her features grew stern he knew he was utterly busted and he swallowed the food in his mouth which turned to cement in his throat.

“No, that’s not what I said.” Steve shook his head.

“You said maybe.” Rori shrugged “Same thing.”

“We getting a kitty?” Harry asked, looking at Katie.

“No.” she shook her head.

“But I asked Daddy if Santa would bring me one and he said maybe.” Rori looked at Katie.

“Well Daddy is wrong.” She glared at Steve and he visibly shrank in his seat. Katie’s green eyes narrowed before they turned back to Rori. “Santa can’t bring live animals. It’s in the rules.”

“What rules?”

“The Christmas Rules” Katie said quickly “No live animals. It’s not fair on them. They don’t like the sleigh.”

“But…”

“No buts Rori.” Katie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose “I’m sorry honey, but it’s not gonna happen.”

Rori pouted a little but she knew when she was beat and glanced down at the cookies on the tray before she looked up, grinning smugly. “I’ll just ask Uncle Bucky to get me one. He got me Dory.”

“Oh for the love of…” Katie spluttered “Uncle Bucky won’t get you one either.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ll tell him not to.” Katie looked at her “We have Stark. No more animals.”

Rori folded her arms and at that point Steve stepped in, sensing an impending tantrum.

“Aurora.” He said sternly and she turned her head to face him as he pointed his fork at her. “Enough.”

She glared at him before she sighed and looked at Katie “Can I get down now please?”

Katie obliged and pulled her stool out a little allowing Rori to hop down. “Stay right there little miss.”

“Why?” Rori frowned as Katie headed to the sink, coming back with a cloth. With a groan, Rori held out her hands so Katie could wipe them clean, along with the little smear of icing on her face “20 minutes and then its bath time. We’re up early in the morning.”

“Ooh, yeah!” Rori bounced excitedly “To pick our trees. Hey, can I get one for my room?”

Katie hesitated before she shrugged “You know, I saw some in the shop that already have the lights on and they change colour. We’ll get a big one for the lounge and hallway like normal and I’ll get you a special one. And you get to keep it for next year and the year after.”

Rori pondered this for a moment before she shook her head “I want a real one from the farm.”

Katie groaned, and threw her hands out to the side “Fine, just, go and watch TV or something in the Play Room.”

“I watch TV too please, Momma?” Harry asked and Katie nodded, cleaning him up too before she lifted him down off the stool. He toddled after Rori, yelling for her to wait and as soon as they were gone Katie rounded on Steve.

“Honey, I…” he began and winced as she exploded on him.

“Seriously? A damned cat?”

“She caught me unawares.”

“She always catches you unawares!” Katie scoffed “After six, almost seven years I’d have thought you’d be used it by now.”

“I only said-“

“And as usual I’m left to be the bad guy.” Katie ranted, shaking her head as she moved to turn Flossie’s chair so she was facing the table. “You’re an asshole.”

“This is technically Bucky’s fault.”

“Oh, no, Steven Grant Rogers! Don’t you are try and blame this one on Buck.” She hissed.

“But he took her to the zoo and told her to ask for a capybara!” Steve practically whined “When I said no she asked for a cat, the maybe just slipped out.” Katie paused, her arms folded, face furious and Steve peered up at her giving her a little smile “Don’t be mad, come on baby. I didn’t mean it.”

“You’re still an asshole.” She grumbled, before she crossed to the fridge and pulled out the wine. “And for that you can deal with bedtime. I’m going for a bath.”

“Sure, not a problem.” Steve nodded, swallowing more of his food. Katie poured herself a large glass before she moved to put the bottle back and then changed her mind. With the bottle in one hand, full glass in the other she made for the door. “I love you.” Steve shot as she passed him, and despite her annoyed demeanour, the slight smile that played on her face told him he wasn’t in too much trouble.  

****

All kids were bathed and in bed little over an hour later. The youngest three settled down to sleep, Jamie instructed he had an hour of TV or reading time before lights off.

“Ok Dad.” He nodded, running his hand through his hair as he tidied up his games console a little, Stark curled up on the bed.

“I’ll be in to check.” Steve looked at him, and Jamie rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I got it. You can trust me.”

“I know.” Steve gave a chuckle “Night son.” He crossed the room to drop a kiss to his head and Jamie pushed him away.

“Gerroff, I’m ten.”

“Yeah, well, you’re still my kid so…” Steve grumbled, and Jamie burst into laughter as the pair of them began to play fight, Jamie digging Steve in the ribs with a well-aimed jab. “Ouch! “ Steve stood up, rubbing at his side, that had hurt a little too much for his liking. “Nice shot.”

“Bucky said I had a good right hook.”

Steve rolled his eyes “I don’t wanna know how he even found that out.”

“He has a punch bag in the garage.” Jamie shrugged as he flopped down onto his bed. “Like yours. He was teaching me to swing.”

“I could teach you that.” Steve replied, a little petulantly.

“Will you?”

“No. You’re ten.” He shot back and Jamie let out a groan of frustration, before Steve chuckled “Ok, I’ll teach you a little IF you promise not to use it anywhere but on the punch bag.”

“But what if I need to use it?”

“Well, that’s different.” Steve pondered, before he shook his head. “But you’re far too young to be getting into situations like that.”

“Uncle Buck said you were fighting people form the age of six. And getting your ass kicked.”

“Well, you do as I say…”

“Not as I do, yeah I got it.” Jamie grinned and Steve arched an eyebrow before he made his way to the door. He paused and turned back to look at his son, not for the first time taking in how damned tall and broad he was for his age. He pointed to Stark “Don’t let your mother catch him on the bed.”

“You know she says the same thing about you.” Jamie looked at him and Steve chuckled.

“I do, but let’s just pretend I don’t okay?”

“Okay, night dad. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Steve smiled, closing the door behind him.

He made his way back downstairs and into the lounge, and paused as he saw Katie talking into the laptop, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Don’t worry about it.” She said softly, and he could tell she was fighting to keep her face straight as Emmy’s voice came from the other side.

“I’m just gutted we can’t get home to come with you guys for the tree.”

“What’s going on?” Steve frowned as he sat next to Katie on the sofa, looking at Emmy and Peter as they both waved to him on the screen “Hey Kids.”

“The UK has been caught up in a huge snow storm.” Katie turned to him. “Their flight has been cancelled.”

“Bummer.” Steve’s frown deepened “Is there nothing from another airport?”

“Not in London.” Emmy shook her head “And the roads are that bad, even if we managed somewhere else…”

“Don’t wanna risk driving Mr R.” Pete shrugged and Steve had to give it to him, that was a sensible move.

“Wise decision.” Steve bit his lip, before he turned to Katie “Can we not get The Stark jet over? You guys should have used that anyway, not gone commercial.”

The irony of his statement didn’t pass him by, as there’d been a time when he had hated using a private jet as he felt it was ostentatious, but he’d fast learned to live with it as it was less hassle and a damned sight comfier and quicker too.

“I told you we didn’t want to.” Emmy shot back and Peter hastily cut in to prevent an argument.

“Already tried Happy before we called. He can’t get in any airfield be it private or other. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Katie shook her head “If you need anything just call. Have you got a place to stay?”

“Yeah, The Savoy found us another room.” Emmy shrugged before she grimaced “I’m gonna have to put it on my credit card though.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Katie shook her head “Just do what you gotta do, we’ll sort the bill out. Do you need us to wire you some cash or-“

“No, we’ve got enough between us for that.” Pete smiled “Just the hotel. We could get somewhere cheaper if that’s-“

“If it’s that bad out there you can stay where you are.” Steve shook his head. “Don’t worry about the money kids, it’s not important.”

“Just call us if you need anything.” Katie added.

“Thanks Mom. Look, we’re gonna go try and get something to eat and then sleep” Emmy sighed “It’s past 1 am now.”

“Sure, call us tomorrow okay, keep us updated.” Steve instructed and Emmy nodded.

“Will do. Love you both.”

“And you.” Katie smiled “Stay safe, and look after each other.”

“Got it.” Emmy grinned and with that she blew them both a kiss as Peter waved and the screen went blank.

Katie bit her lip before she tapped at the keyboard of her laptop “I’m going to send her some money, just in case. I know she has plenty in her savings, but…”

Steve nodded “Good idea. Those are for a rainy day, not a snowy one.”

Katie gave a small smile as she logged into the banking, and hesitated before she transferred a few thousand over to Emmy and closed the laptop, running her hands over her face. Steve saw her shouldes shake and he gave a sigh, pulling her to him.

“Hey, come on. They’re safe. In the poshest hotel known to man.” He pressed a kiss to her head “No doubt thinking this is some kind of huge romantic adventure. Snowed in, in London, with a mini-bar, room service.”

At that thought he grimaced, as his mind took him to a very dark place about just exactly what the spider kid would be doing to his daughter in said hotel room but he shook himself out of it as Katie spoke, sniffling a little.

“I know it’s just, well we started this tradition with Emmy that first Christmas she lived with us.” Her voice cracked “We went with Tony, Pep and Nat remember?”

“I could I forget.” Steve chuckled, his hands rubbing Katie’s back “You were almost five months pregnant and had that jumper on with a huge Christmas pudding on the front.”

“I’ve still got that.” Her voice was muffled as her face pressed into his Henley.

“And Pepper was going mad when Tony bought that nine foot tree for their lounge.”

“Ours wasn’t much smaller.” Katie laughed, leaning back to wipe her eyes. “You had to trim the top off.”

Steve chuckled, his hands cupping her face “A few days after that we found out bump was blue. Hello Jamie.”

“God it seems so long ago.”

“It was.” Steve smiled pressing a kiss to her lips. “11 years.”

“Yeah.” Katie looked at him “We’ve been through a lot since then.”

Steve nodded, as he wiped her face with his thumbs “And a lot worse than this. I know it’s disappointing, kitten, and I’m gutted as well, but it can’t be helped. We’ll still have a good time and we can go out with Emmy and Peter when they get back, nice meal and a few drinks somewhere instead, just the four of us. Start a new tradition now she’s all grown up.”

“Yeah suppose.” Katie sighed “I mean when they moved out in the New Year, they might not wanna come with us to get a tree anymore.”

“Like that’s gonna happen.” Steve snorted “She’ll simply be getting one for her own place. You know she loves Christmas as much as you. All the kids do. Because you make it so special.”

“It isn’t all down to me.” She smiled “You help.”

“It’s definitely your speciality.” Steve shook his head “You do the baking, the carols, the cooking…suss the decorations out.”

“Yeah, but you hang them. And you’re the one that started leaving Santa footprints by the hearth.”

“Okay so it’s a team effort.” Steve shrugged, dropping another kiss to her lips. “It always is when the kids are concerned.” He pulled back a little and nodded to her glass “You want another?”

“I wasn’t going to but yeah, now I do.”

Steve chuckled “I’ll go get us a drink, you find us something suitably Christmassy to watch.”

He stood, pressing his lips to the crown of Katie’s head before he wandered into the kitchen. As he closed the door behind him he pulled out his phone. He’d had an idea, but hadn’t wanted to mention it to Katie just in case it didn’t work…but if it did, well, he was going to reunite his family for their tradition and earn himself major husband points.

Win win situation.

“Hey punk.” Bucky drawled as he picked up.“What’s crackalackin?”

“God you talk some shit.” Steve rolled his eyes and Bucky laughed

“Sorry, we were watching Madagascar.”

“Yeah, I know where it’s from. I got five kids, remember. Six if I count you.”

“Well you could argue Diva Doll counts for two so you really have seven.”

“Yeah, speaking of which, I got a bone to pick with you about her and a damned capybara.” Steve narrowed his eyes as he spoke and there was a pause before Bucky burst out laughing. “Yeah, laugh it up, jerk. That got me in some major shit before.”

“You didn’t say yes?”

“No of course I didn’t.” Steve sighed “But she sideswiped me asking for a damned cat and I said maybe, so…”

“You fucking moron.”

“Whatever, listen, that’s not why I’m calling anyway.” Steve sighed, his voice growing serious. “I need a favour, Buck.”

“I’m listening.” Bucky replied, before Steve explained the predicament and possible solution. When he finished there was a pause and Bucky let out a long whistle. “Man, that’s…”

“I know, I know.” Steve sighed “But I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate. Katie’s heartbroken Emmy can’t get home.”

“Well, we can’t have the second most important woman in my life upset now can we?” Bucky replied “Leave it with me.”

“Cheers buddy.”

“You’ll owe me a life time of favours if I can pull this off.”

“We’ll call it quits for you almost getting me couched.”

“Not my fault you can’t say no to your likkle Princessa.” Bucky responded and Steve snorted.

“You’ve met her, right?”

There as another pause and Bucky laughed “Point taken.”

“Not a word to Katie.” Steve instructed “Just in case you can’t do it.”

“You seriously doubt me after all this time?” Bucky sighed “That hurts Stevie.”

“You know what else will hurt?” Steve shot back “My foot up your ass.”

“You want me to do this or not?” Bucky scoffed “Because threatening me aint gonna make me wanna do you any favours.”

“No but not wanting to see my wife upset is.”

“You fight dirty, Steven.” Bucky’s voice was low and Steve could imagine the narrowed eyes he was pulling as he spoke. “Okay, I’ll call Sam now. Leave it with me.”

“Thanks Buck.”

Steve cut the call and stuffed his phone back in his pocket, running a hand over his beard. Buck was right, it was a big ask and ridiculously over the top but, well, nothing was too much for him where his family was concerned. And after everything they’d been through this year what with Flossie’s horrific birth and Katie’s post-partum depression, his amazingly brave and gorgeous wife deserved the damned world. With a sigh he yanked open the fridge as he pulled out Katie’s wine and a beer for him, simply hoping that it worked.

**** “You good?” Steve asked as Jamie hopped into the back of the Q7, taking his place on the rear row of seats.

“Yup.” Jamie grinned “I prefer it back here, Rori can’t bug me.”

“Wanna bet?” Rori turned her head and peered at him from her place in the middle of the second row and Steve shot her a look.

“Enough. I hear one sound outta you that’s annoying him, we’re coming straight home.” He said sternly. Rori eyed him shrewdly, as if weighing up whether he was serious or not and he raised his eyebrows, challenging her.

“Ok Daddy.” She shrugged, turning back round. Steve shot Jamie a wink as turned and collapsed Flossie’s little stroller. He slotted it down the side of Jamie’s seat before he shut the trunk and then quickly inspected the roof rack. Satisfied he looked up just as Katie came out of the house, Flossie on her hip, Harry jumping down the steps in front of her. He headed over to his dad and peeked up, Steve giving a laugh as his little woollen hat slipped down over his eyes.

“Come here, buddy.” He said, swinging him into his arms. The little boy gave a giggle as Steve pulled his hat straight so he could see.

“Thanks Daddy!” he smiled and Steve pressed a kiss to his rosy cheek.

“No problem. You ready to get a tree?”

He nodded “Big one!” he threw his arms out wide and Steve nodded seriously.

“The biggest.”

Ten minutes or so later they were sailing out of Brooklyn in the winter morning sun, heading for the tree farm some forty or so minutes away. True to her word, Rori was behaving and chatting to Harry, Jamie was quiet in the back doing something on his tablet and Katie was gently humming to something on the radio. Steve’s hand reached over for hers and he entwined their fingers, gently bringing her arm across his body, pressing a kiss to her wrist.

The journey pass uneventfully and as Steve announced they had arrived the kids all gave a cheer. He parked the car up and then the disembarking began along with issued orders for Jamie and Rori to stay where they were as they sorted the youngest two.

“I think I’ll just carry Floss.” Katie glanced around. “Pushing her stroller is gonna be a pain. I’ll put her in the carrier.”

“You sure?” Steve asked “I would say I’d do it but…”

“You’re gonna be carrying trees, yeah I know.” Katie waved him away. “Its fine, she’s not heavy. Besides, she’ll be too big to do this with next year.”

Steve smiled at her wistful tone, and between them they had Flossie strapped to Katie’s back in no time, having become experts at it over the years. Katie glanced over her shoulder as Flossie gave her a hug grin, before she peeked around and started to gabble animatedly.

“Ready?” Steve looked around and held the hand that wasn’t containing the saw out, Rori taking it as Katie took Harry’s, Jamie falling into step at her other side next to Steve who strategically placed himself between his eldest son and Rori to avoid any potential arguments between the two siblings.

“Want me to take that Dad?” Jamie asked, nodding to the saw. Steve hesitated then shrugged, it had the safety cover on so he handed it over, Jamie slinging it over his shoulder proudly, stepping in front of them a little and Harry wriggled his hand free of Katie’s and ran forward to take Jamie’s. Jamie smiled down at him and Steve shared a glance with Katie as she smiled at him, slipping her hand into his. The family made their way to the entrance and as they approached the various little trade stands, one of which was selling various hot drinks and baked snacks. Katie took a deep breath and smiled, the warming scents of spices, cinnamon and pine hitting her nostrils.

“Smells exactly the same.” She beamed and then frowned as Steve was looking around, blatantly not listening to her as he was busy studying something to their right.

“Hey!” she tugged on his hand and he glanced down at her.

“Sorry, honey.” He diverted his attention “Just saw someone I know.”

“Oh, from work?” she asked.

“Not exactly.” He nodded in the direction he had been looking and Katie spun at the same time Rori let out a shriek.

“Emmy!” she yelled, wrenching her hand free of Steve’s and bolting towards her sister as she strode towards them alongside Peter, Bucky and Sam.

“I don’t-how?” Katie was struggling for words at the sheer emotion of seeing her eldest daughter, who should still be stranded in England, sweeping Rori into hug. “Steve? What?”

“You got Bucky and Sam to thank.” He said gently, as she spun between them all, before she strode forward meeting Emmy halfway and throwing her arms around her.

“Hey mom!” Emmy smiled, before she pulled back and gently waggled Flossie’s hand. “Hi Floss!”

“How did you get here?” Katie sniffed, wiping her eyes, chuckling before she gave Pete a hug.

“Quinjet.” Emmy grinned “It was awesome. Hey Dad!”

“Hey, sweetheart.” Steve swept her up into a huge hug, picking her up slightly off the ground kissing her head. “Nice to have you home.”

“Hold up, a Quinjet?” Katie looked at Emmy, then to Bucky who shrugged.

“Yeah well Steve rang me last night begging for my help…” he began, putting on a whiney voice “Please Buck, I can’t do this without you Buck, you know the usual.” Steve rolled his eyes as Bucky sniggered. “So, me and Birdbrain set off on a daring rescue mission.”

“Yeah, we totally used and abused Fury’s equipment.” Sam chuckled, as he pressed a kiss to Katie’s cheek as he gave her a hug. “He’s gonna be pissed when he finds out.”

“Oh, screw him!” Katie gave a laugh as she turned to Bucky, wrapping her arms round him. “Thank you so much!”

“Anything for you darlin’” he beamed before she stepped back and spun to face Steve, reaching up and grabbing his face. With a smile she pulled him down to meet her in a long, deep kiss.

“Thank you.” She whispered against his lips, and he beamed at her, his nose brushing hers. “I love you, so much.”

“Love you too.” He smiled, before he drew himself up, a little embarrassed at their PDA in front of his two friends and the kids. “Right, who’s ready to go tree picking?”

“We’ll leave you to it.” Bucky smirked as various excited shouts rang out around them. “I’ve got stuff to do with Jen and Sam’s…ahhhh, crap.” The smile on his face turned into a grimace and Steve spun round to see a familiar figure in a trench coat and eyepatch stood by a black SUV watching from a distance.

“Son of a-” Steve snorted, shaking his head as Fury started walking towards of them. “He still knows everything.”

“You have no idea. “Sam muttered.

“Oh, trust me, we do.” Katie grinned as Fury stopped in front of them.

“Someone wanna tell me why one of my jets was in London this morning?” Fury looked at Bucky, then to Sam, then to Peter, all three of them giving him an innocent look.

“Well, there was a thing.” Bucky shrugged “Emergency.”

“Emergency.” Fury dead panned “So nothing to do with a certain Miss Rogers and Mr Parker being stuck in London in snow storm?”

“How do you know this stuff?” Bucky looked at him.

“I told you Barnes, you wanna get one up on me you gotta keep both eyes open.” He levelled him with a look. “Happy called me in a flap to see if I could action a pick up and I told him I wasn’t running a damned Uber service. And then one of them went missing so I put two and two together and looks like I came up with four” He paused and shrugged, smirking a little “Plus, you forgot to wipe the mission log.”

“Damned it Tin Man!” Sam shoved Bucky “You dick, I told you!”

As the two men began to squabble Fury raised his eyebrows and turned to Steve and then Katie, a small smile flickered across his face “Nova, Cap. Long-time no see.”

“Hi Nick.” Steve smiled, reaching out and shaking his hand.

Fury jerked his head as Katie shook his hand, his eyes roving over each of their kids in turn. “I’ll say. You’ve been busy I see.”

Katie gave a huff “One way of putting it.”

Nick arched an eyebrow before he sighed and turned to Bucky and Sam who were still bickering. “Imma let this one slide.” He spoke loudly, the two men instantly turning to face him. “But only because it’s the holidays and I’m in a good mood.”

“You know technically Stark Industries owns half those jets. Tony paid for and designed a lot of the tech on them after all.” Katie quipped and Nick looked at her, before he let out a laugh.

“You’re more like your brother than you’ll ever care to admit” he shook his head as she snorted, pointing at her.

“Worse people to be like.” She smiled fondly, and Fury gave one last scoff before he turned to Sam and Bucky.

“I’ll see you two later. Now, imma go get me some churros then split.” He looked back at them all “Merry Christmas.”

As they all waved him off, watching the curious glances he attracted as he strode towards the hot food stand and then Harry tugged on Steve’s sleeve, causing him to turn his attention from Fury to the little boy.

“Daddy, who’s the pirate?” Harry asked.

There was a pause before Katie burst out laughing, Steve following suite as they both shared a knowing glance, remembering Tony’s fond little nickname for their one time director.

The Goth Pirate.

“He’s an old friend of mine and your momma’s “Steve explained before he glanced up, not surprised to find that once more Fury had disappeared from sight. “We haven’t seen him in a while. And I doubt we will again for a long time.”

There were more hugs shared and after another final thank you to Sam and Bucky, Katie demanding they come over later for drinks, the four remaining adults and four kids all headed into the farm and the chaos began as they began to scout for their perfect trees.

“So we need two large ones.” Katie spoke, ���And one for Emmy and Pete in the Cabin and a smaller one for Rori’s room.” she paused “Jamie, did you want one for your room too?”

“Nah, it’s okay.” He shook his head “Thanks though.”

“So four over all.” Steve nodded. “Okay gang, let’s find us some trees.”

They decided to get Rori’s first as it would be smaller and easier to carry once they’d picked it. They set about walking down the various aisles, and before long the jokes started flowing and they were getting worse and worse with time.

“What would you get if you ate the Christmas decorations?” Pete asked and Jamie looked at him, arching a brow. “Tinselitis.”

“Oh God.” Emmy snorted “That’s as bad as one of dad’s”

“Which reminds me.” Steve said, a smirk on his face, “Did you guys hear the forecast for Christmas eve? They’re predicting rain, deer…”

Katie and Emmy both let out a groan as Jamie and Peter howled with laughter.

“What do you call an elf that runs away from Santa’s workshop?” Jamie asked and Steve paused before he shrugged.

“No idea.”

“A rebel without a Clause…”

Katie, Steve, Emmy and Pete burst out laughing as Pete held out his hand to hi-five him. Jamie grinned.

“That’s a good one buddy.” Steve chuckled. “Where did you hear that?”

“Moo text me before.” He smiled “She said her and Auntie Pep had been googling them to put in their cards this year.”

“Like Father like daughter.” Katie smiled to herself, a little nostalgically as a memory of her brother crashed over her and Steve pulled her a little closer, his hand tightening on hers as he dropped a kiss to her head.

After half an hour or so of scouting and plenty of excited shouts and laughter, Rori paused in front of a tree that was the same height as her and she gave a gasp.

“Daddy, that one.” She pointed.

“You sure?” he cocked his head to one side. The tree was leaning to one side, the branches completely uneven, sticking out at all angles and the top was bent. “It’s a bit-”

“It’s perfect.” Rori insisted.

“Okay Princess, whatever you say.”  He looked at Katie as she smiled, her hand dropping to the back of Rori’s head. “Jamie, you got the saw?”

“Yup.” Jamie nodded, passing it over and they all watched as Steve gripped the trunk of the small tree with one hand a little higher up and began to cut it towards the bottom. He could have easily snapped the trunk with his bare hands but he played the part and in four strong swipes it pulled free with a little crack and Rori gave a shriek and clapped her hands.

“I love it!”

Once the safety cover was back on the saw they continued their search, walking towards the slightly bigger trees they spotted and Katie paused in front of a large, Norwegian spruce and reached out, gently crushing one of the needles between her fingers. She took a sniff and stepped back, nodding.

“That one.”

“I still can’t believe you pick them with the smell.” Steve shook his head.

“It’s not all the smell.” She protested “There’s a lot to consider. The height, width and spacing of the branches…this one’s just right for the corner in the lounge. And that one two down will do for the hallway.”

Steve chuckled, knowing better than to argue. “Positive?”

Katie nodded and once more Jamie passed him the saw. This time they all stepped back as Steve crouched down on the ground, expertly cutting the trunk and just the right place. As he took the final swipe, the tree pitched over to a loud shout of “Timberrrrr” from Jamie and Peter and it landed with a thud.

Harry gave a loud cackle and clapped, Flossie shrieking too as Steve then moved two down and repeated the action with a slightly smaller one that would sit in the entrance lounge directly in front of the photo of the pair of them at their wedding, so it would be the first thing anyone saw as they walked into the house.

Emmy strode past the tree to one that was behind it and then nodded to Pete “I think this one will do. I kinda like the way it fans out at the bottom.”

“Sure, Em.” He smiled “Mr R?”

“Oh, here.” Steve handed him the saw and watched as Pete cut his and Emmy’s first Christmas tree down, his arm round Katie’s waist, lips softly kissing Flossie’s cheek as the baby grinned. He arched an eyebrow as Emmy pressed a kiss to Pete’s lips, giving a soft huff as Katie dug him in the ribs, shooting him a warning glance which he returned with an innocent one of his own.

“Well, that was easy.” Emmy commented “It took us 2 hours last year.”

“They need to be right.” Katie shrugged simply, Steve and Emmy exchanging a look before Steve watched as Pete hoisted his tree easily onto his shoulder. It still surprised Steve how strong Peter was, even though it shouldn’t, he knew he was enhanced after all.

“I’ll take Rori’s, Dad.” Jamie stepped forwards, puffing his chest out a little, picking the smaller tree up easily and placing it on his shoulder, in an identical manner to Pete. Steve actively fought the urge to laugh as Jamie began to walk besides Peter and Emmy, clearly proud as punch at being able to help before he turned to Katie.

“Don’t say it.”

Katie laughed “Oh I’m gonna.” she smirked “If he was any more like you I’d be convinced he was a clone.”

Steve snorted as he bent down and easily lifted their two trees onto his shoulders, before they followed a little slower due to Harry being with them. Steve maneuvered around the other tree pickers as they went, his boot clad feet traipsing on the damp of the ground as they made their way back towards the main entrance and joined Pete, Emmy and Jamie at the place ready to pay. As the various helpers, all dressed in little Elf outfits bustled around to wrap their trees and strap them to the roof of the Audi, Katie was suddenly struck with a little problem.

“Hang on.” she turned to Emmy as she thanked the man who’d been dealing with and handed over the cash. “How are you two gonna get home if Bucky and Sam left?”

At that Pete gave a little grin and pulled a set of keys out of his pocket, “Mr Wilson let me borrow his Chevvy.”

“Yeah they went home on Buck’s bike.” Emmy shrugged and at that Steve let out a huge laugh.

“What?” Katie asked.

“Sorry, I’m just picturing those two riding pillion.” He snorted “I give it five minutes before Sam ended up tells Buck to let him off on account of him driving his Ducatti like a maniac.”

“You’ve no room to talk.” Katie scoffed and Steve looked at her with mock outrage.

“Mom?” Jamie asked and Katie turned to him “Can we get a drink now please?”

“Sure, come on.” She smiled and they headed over to the stall. She purchased a hot cider each for her, Steve, Emmy and Pete before hot chocolate for each of the kids along with a selection of donuts, churros and Stollen as Steve took Flossie back to the car so they could pop her in the stroller. They made their way over to one of the benches by the side and sat down and Steve returned, parking Flossie besides them before he handed her a piece of a donut and slipped his arm round Katie, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“You have a good time?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She beamed, before she glanced over at the other side of the bench. Jamie was settled to Emmy’s left, talking to her about school, as she nodded along whilst Rori was perched on Peter’s knee as she animatedly told him about how she was going to decorate her tree in unicorn colours. Harry meanwhile sat in between both Pete and Emmy, his little frame chewing on a donut as he grinned at his parents who smiled back. Katie turned to look a Steve again, leaning up to kiss him softly “It’s been perfect, thank you for making sure we were all together.”

“Well it wouldn’t be a Rogers Christmas otherwise would it?” he smiled, kissing her again.

“Get a room.” Emmy grumbled and Steve turned to her as she smirked, shoving a piece of donut in her mouth.

“Watch it young lady.” Steve pointed at her.                      

“Daddy.” Rori asked “Can I go with Pete in their car to Target? I need decorations for my Princess Tree.”

Steve hesitated for a while and Pete hastily cut in “It’s no bother Mr Rogers.”

“Yeah we need some for ours.” Emmy nodded.”So we’re going anyway.”

“I come too?” Harry asked hopefully and Emmy shrugged

“If Momma and Daddy say it’s ok, course you can, squirt.”

Steve looked at Katie who shrugged “Fine by me. Sure you can manage them?”

Emmy rolled her eyes “They’re no bother.” She then turned to Jamie “You wanna come too?”

“Hell no.” he said hastily, peering round at Rori before he shook his head “I’m going home for some peace and quiet.”

Both Steve and Katie let out a loud laugh, as Katie shook her head “Oh Jamie.”

“What?” he frowned.

“Nothing pal.” Steve smiled, reaching for his cider. “Nothing at all.”

#ssholidaychallenge #sageandsweater

[gravesightings]

So, I see very little content with trans women so I wanted something like the slashers are dating her but they never had sex or saw her naked and she tells them she's trans, she's very nervous and scared about it. How would they react? For Asa, the Sinclair twins, Michael, Jason, Thomas, Bubba and Brahms (Again, if you don't feel comfortable or is scared to do something wrong, anything like that, it's super ok if you don't want to do it, i totally understand 😊😊). Have a great day!! ❤

sorry it took so long but I wanted to make sure I did this justice!! hope you like it! kiss kiss. 💕

slashers reactions to: their s/o coming out as a trans woman

asa emory / the collector

listens attentively and is very patient with you overall. when he sees how nervous you are, he would automatically turn all his attention to you. he doesn’t have much of a reaction – just gives you a curt nod in response.

not the most talkative so you don’t have to worry about him flooding you with questions. unfortunately this also means he’s not very good with verbal reassurance.

but hey, he’ll make up for it by taking your hand in his, gently rubbing them with his thumbs. feel free to wrap your arms around him and he’ll do the same.  

you definitely won’t be seeing any of it (yes, he’ll make sure), but he’ll do his research. anything and everything about trans women: coming out, dysphoria, transitioning. he’d be a little disappointed in himself for being so in the dark about it.

much more careful. he’ll try his best to be affectionate with you without coming off too strong. before he usually just leaves you alone to do whatever, but recently he’s been making a conscious effort to spend more time with you. wordlessly pats on his lap and opens his arms. a little awkward but just wants you to feel more comfortable around him.  

bo sinclair

would immediately sense your unease and try to force it out of you. not the best to approach with this kind of thing. bo would be the type to assume the worst right off the bat - so are you cheating?

horrible temper to match. either spit it out or he’ll force it out of you. once you actually do tell him, he’ll be speechless. unfortunately he’s not the most accepting of the bunch. immediately asks a million questions and expects you to answer all of it.

if you can’t, he’ll storm off and try to divert his anger elsewhere. maybe let him be for a while. this would probably be the only time he’ll ask his brothers for advice. knows he’s not very good at all this sappy emotional stuff, that’s vincent’s thing. bo doesn’t really take their advice however, but he thinks on it.

very awkward. does he treat you the same? do you want to be treated differently? tries to pretend like nothing happened but he’s clearly more withdrawn than normal. (cause uhhh he sorta fucked up and yelled at you for coming out to him and he still feels like an asshole.) he just doesn’t want to hurt you like that again.

has no idea what to do but god damn it, he’s willing to try anything. if he comes off as misogynistic you can call him out on it and he’ll be willing to learn. it’ll be a slow and painful process but he’s ready to give it a shot. (catch him beating up a fellow who misgendered you on purpose.)

brahms heelshire

just a lot of silent nodding. brahmsy here watches you a lot so he’s already had it figured out before you even approach him about it. would probably only say “okay,” and pull you in his arms to cuddle for the rest of the day.

was raised in a strict household so his views are super outdated but fortunately he doesn’t give a shit. all he needs is for you to follow the rules and give him all your undivided attention. do that and he won’t care for much else.

no further questions asked but he’s a curious man so he’ll start watching you more intently from now on. it’ll be painfully obvious but he’ll deny all your insulting accusations. him? watching you sleep last night? how dare you accuse him of such a thing!

so you ...won’t have sex with him then? ... okay, how about now? how about after supper? tomorrow, then? not much will change. still a giant hornball and won’t even try to tone down the touching unless you threaten to give him the silent treatment. distract him with the other kind of touching.

combat the horny with some yearning. pet his hair, cook for him, give him a kiss every morning, hold him like you love him and he’ll forget how to function. brahms would be too caught up in the feeling of being properly loved and cared for.

bubba sawyer

no clue what that is and what that means but he feels guilty that you’d be nervous around him. would pick you up and hold you in his arms until you feel better. this man will be glued on you the whole day unless you tell him otherwise.

if you decide to explain it to him more thoroughly, he’ll accept you in a heartbeat. don’t you worry! bubby loves you no matter what! if any of the family disagrees, he’ll automatically come to your defense.

goes on as normal. it isn’t really a big deal to him so there won’t be any big changes in your relationship. bubba would just be a little more attentive when it comes to you.

any hint of discomfort and he’ll come running to the rescue! holding you would be his go-to problem solver. if not, he’ll share with you whatever activities he does when he’s feeling down. listening to the radio while he works, taking short walks, playing with his little knick-knacks, etc. anything to take your mind off things.

bubba protective mode: activate! babe is this guy bothering you? BRRRRR. problem solved. he can’t bother you when he’s in pieces! nobody dares to even look at you wrong unless they have a death wish.

jason voorhees

equally as nervous. he doesn’t quite understand right away either, so please take the time to explain it to him. jason won’t have much of a reaction aside from the occassional bob of his head.

despite his very traditional upbringing, he’s quick to accept you. you’re the love of his life after all! he’s pretty much convinced himself that he won’t be needing anyone else besides you, so he’s already set for life.

what do you need, exactly? jason doesn’t know anything about being trans so he doesn’t know what to do. does he even need to do anything particular? what if he can’t find what you need and you want to leave because of it? overthinks and worries a lot.

also starts to keep a closer eye on you. he has no idea what that feels, but if you do decide to confide in him, it would give him a sense of relief. at least he'll be able to offer you a shoulder to cry on.

gives his all with the little things to make you smile. fresh flowers for you everyday! anything that could make your day just a little bit better, he’ll go to great lengths for it. if you somehow mention your favorite candy bar, he’ll trek all the way to the nearest gas station to get it for you. no really! it’s ok!!! six hours of walking is nothing!

jesse cromeans / chromeskull

chances are, he would have already known for some time. jesse would be paranoid enough to have placed hidden cameras all over his home. mostly for security reasons, but also because he likes seeing what you’re up to even while he’s away.

sensing your unease, he’ll instinctively tug you towards him to hold you in his arms. what’s wrong? jesse would stroke your head to soothe you, even as you start to confide in him.

again, he’s already very aware but he’s not going to confess to that. (don’t expect to know about the cameras either) wouldn’t say much initially, just does his best to let you know he’s here for you.

whatever you need will be given. even if you actually don’t need it, he’ll provide. would you want top/bottom surgery? medication? on it. he’ll even drive you to the hospital if you want. mental health issues? here, he made a contact list of all the available therapists in the area.

does his research and is well-prepared. however, he's decided that boundaries no longer exist. since he’s gained a heavy sense of responsibility over you, he believes that he owns you at this point. jesse’s going to take care of you whether you like it or not.

michael myers

okay, and? another stalker who already has it figured out before you even tell him. appreciates that you would trust him enough to tell him but he still has no reaction to it whatsoever.

michael is very observant so he’s going to notice if you’re acting even slightly different around him. problem is, he’s not willing to talk it out and would just grab you out of nowhere to intimidate you into talking about it. (grabs you and stares at you menacingly = michael-speak for “tell me what’s going on.”)

once he knows, he’s taken note of it and carries on like normal. michael won’t comfort you unless you’re on the verge of an emotional breakdown so don’t expect much from him. really, he’s just going to squeeze you in his arms and expects you to stop crying because he’s done the comfort thing.

unless the threat is another person then he’ll gladly get rid of them for you. emotional support is a whole different game he’s not willing to play. mental support? he’s not qualified for that. financial support? yeah sure, he’ll get you things you need if he happens to feel like it.

michael doesn’t appear to be outright supportive of you - but god forbid he happens to hear anyone badmouth you in any shape or form, they’ll simply cease to exist.

thomas hewitt

he would have mixed feelings about it because he was raised to think differently. the rest of the hewitts would have a lot to say about it, naturally. so expect frequent talks about your sexuality.

if that makes you uncomfortable, then feel free to confide in tommy. he loves his family a lot but he knows they can be too much sometimes, so he’s happy to help you in any way he can.

would keep you with him at all times. maybe not around the gore, but still with him in the basement somehow. the rest of the family don’t like going down there anyways, plus, he’s happy to spend more quality time with you.

with tommy on your side, the hewitts would eventually learn to accept you. they’d be horrible at first but if you have the patience to teach them otherwise, they’re willing to listen. luda mae would be the most accepting. hoyt would be stubborn, but there’s not much he can do.

once you’re fully accepted into the family, they’re with you ‘till the very end. (much like tommy himself!) nobody would dare cross you. not on their watch.

vincent sinclair

anxiety who? it’s mother-hen override time. all his previous hesitance would be out the window in two seconds flat. you’re nervous about something and he wants to comfort you asap. vincent would hold both your hands in his to calm you down.

“thank you for telling me,” would accept you and hold you in his arms without a second thought. not the type to barrage you with questions either but he’s also not very good with verbal reassurance.

big cat energy. he doesn’t have much to say so he’s going to do the next best thing: physical affection. while normally shy, he’s willing to push aside his own insecurities for the sake of making you feel better.

no words, just a lot of little things. since he doesn’t know what to say, he’s just going to sit and sculpt you this cool-looking dragon. do you like it? might be kind of boring if you’re not into that kind of stuff. if not, he’s willing to sit down and learn a hobby of yours instead.

a lot more willing to be open with you. he’s normally a very closed-off individual, but he’s willing to be himself around you in hopes of encouraging you to do the same.