#living as a hermit in your parents home

[furiousgoldfish]

parents will act like they weren't abusive after you spent your entire childhood afraid to go out of your room if they were home

[something-of-a-hermit]

Why is O Superman (Laurie Anderson) so incredibly comforting but also I’m sobbing my eyes out at 12am over the line “and when force is gone, there’s always Mom (hi, mom!)”?

[luveline]

kisses before dinner — steve comes home to his girls after a long day. 2k, mom!reader

Steve has a back ache twinging between his shoulders that takes his breath away as he treks the last step up to the front door. The door gets caught on the latch when he pushes it open, which is awesome, Steve’s so glad you’re being safe late at night, but deplorable in that he has wood grain etched into his jaw and no way inside. 

“Girls?” He knocks the glass pane. “Anybody home?” 

Everyone should be home. Your car is in the driveway, the girls’ shoes are by the wall. He pushes the door open as far as he can (not far) and weasels his face into the gap to look for you. It’s dark besides the upstairs bathroom light. 

Steve calls your name a few times, but eventually comes to the realisation that you’re all asleep and he’s locked out. He closes the door and heads back to his car to scrounge the spare back door key from under his seat. 

He fights through the garden gate covered in brambles to the backyard. It hasn’t been touched since summer, forgotten things left to the elements. Avery’s bike flakes with copper coloured rust against the wall. The trampoline net is tangled and fallen off of one side. There are plastic cups in the stinging nettles growing back beneath it and gummy bears swollen with water along the paving stones like some poor retelling of Hansel and Gretel. He unlocks the back door and promptly knocks over the trash can he’d left in front of it. His back whines as he cleans it away, but at least it’s warm inside. 

It’s good to be home. 

He shoves the toppled garbage back into the can, washes tomato sauce off of his hands in the sink, and lets himself bask in his own poorly lit company for a moment, rubbing his tired eyes. He was hoping for a welcome party. It took longer to help Robin move than they’d anticipated. 

“I won’t be back for a while,” he’d said apologetically down the phone. 

“Okie dokie,” you’d crooned. He didn’t need to see you to know there was a baby in your lap. “Just come home when you can, babe. And lift with your knees! I’ll put your plate in the fridge, yes? Love you.” Your voice turned to sugar. “Love you, love you, love you, honey.” You definitely weren’t talking to him at that point. Mother of my kids, he’d thought reverently, the strength of a thousand men restored for an hour or two before the fatigue truly set in and he and Robin considered leaving the rest of her furniture on her new front lawn.

He scratches his hair from his eyes with both hands. Mother of my kids, he thinks again. You’ve actually managed to keep the kitchen tidy, the only evidence of a day of play being the grape juice rings on the dining table placemats. How the fuck you’ve done it is a miracle worth marvelling. Three children, one (admittedly smaller) baby bump, and a full eighteen hours by yourself. You’re very impressive. 

He decides to tell you emphatically with his face in your neck. He should shower, and he will apologise to you for subjecting you to his sweaty hair in the morning. You’ll shrug off his apology, say something sweet about for better or worse or maybe wrinkle your nose and kiss him anyways. 

Steve honestly can’t find any shame about how much he likes you. Like and love can begin to diverge in a marriage, especially after kids when your duty as parents is more important than it is as partners, but you’ve yet to let him pull away, and he won’t give you a reason to. He’ll keep trying as hard as possible to be a husband you can adore. And you don’t have to do much, really. Realistically you give the majority of yourself every day to Steve and your kids, but he would cling to you if you got sick of it. He knows he would. You could turn hermit and live under the bed, and Steve would spend half his life on his stomach just looking at you.

Half trying to pull you out again. The other half getting the girls ready for school. He’s so tired he doesn’t realise that this is too many halves. 

When he gets to the top of the stairs he feels like a lifetime has passed since he left that morning, bright and early at 5AM. There’d been driving, car swaps, booing at people from behind the wheel, a hundred boxes, a million trips up and down the stairs, and a suspicious washing machine recalibration. This was without the cold coke drinking, peanuts, popcorn, mistimed movie references, and the obligatory insulting of Robin’s girlfriend’s mauve chaise, of which Robin refused to participate. 

Between all that, there’d been worrying, and a want for more phone calls. Promise me you’ll call me if you need anything at all, he’d said that morning, giving your face a fond caress. There’s a confidence that comes with this much love. Steve can pour every inch of his affection for you into one touch and knows you’ll soak it up like a sponge. Really. Any problems, any stress, any tantrums. Just call me. I’m ten minutes away. 

You were grateful if amused, telling him he didn’t need to worry so much, and then offering him another slice of toast. 

Is it weird how much I love my wife? he wonders, pushing open the bedroom door gently. 

You’re actually awake! He’s shocked and a little betrayed to find you looking at him, but the betrayal fades when he notices the swelling around your eyes and your trembling arm as you hoist yourself up under Avery’s weight. He’s woken you up coming in. 

“Sorry,” he mouths, frowning at your shakiness. 

You manage a smile and beckon him forward. The problem is the little ladies strewn about in the way. Avery drools on your chest while Dove takes up the entirety of Steve’s side, spread into a star shape, and Bethie snores loudly by your knees. An especially aggressive one makes him laugh as he rounds the bed to your side. 

“Hello,” he whispers, taking your face into a loving hand, “sorry I’m back so late.” 

You smile into his palm but don’t say anything. 

“You okay? Had a good day?” he asks.

You hum something nonsensical. He wipes at your cheek in the rough way you enjoy, your face bumped with every stroke of his thumb.

“Did you…”  Your eyelashes flutter closed. “Did you eat?” 

“Loads. Sorry. I’ll eat my dinner tomorrow.”

You wrinkle your nose. He’s been dying to see it. “Don’t bother, it wasn’t my best.”

“All dinners are your best.” 

You cover his hand with yours, and then you steal it away from your cheek and kiss it all over. Steve bends down to hug you.

“Missed you,” you say at the same time. Steve laughs. “Was it a long day?” you ask. 

“I could ask you the same thing.” 

“It was aeons,” you say. “The girls were good, mostly. Baby not so much.” 

“Aw, no,” he croons softly, “what’s she been doing?” 

“She won’t let me eat.” 

Steve rubs the top of your arm. “I’m sorry, honey. You should’ve called me.” 

“What are you gonna do, H?”

He breathes out into the side of your face. “You’re right, like always. What can I do?” 

He can’t do a thing to ease your morning sickness, so… Steve ends up taking a knee on the bed beside you to hold you for a while, no rush to lay down even though he aches in strings and shouts. “I’m glad I can’t get pregnant. I’d have hundreds of your babies if I could and it would be torture.” 

You laugh at his absurdity in the giggly startled way he’d been hoping for. 

“Did you throw up?” he asks, pulling away enough to see your face while his hand starts the soft journey down your front to your bump. You’re about three months along and the bump came quickly. It’s cute and Steve loves it and he tries not to be weird about it but he’s weird about you. 

“No, just kept churning. I made eggs for breakfast and we can’t eat them anymore.” 

Steve kisses your cheek, the corner of your eye, knowing it’ll make you happy. Your smile follows swiftly after, and he kisses that with gusto. “I don’t even like eggs,” he mumbles.

“You love eggs.” 

“What was it like being the stay at home mom today?” he asks. 

“Hard. But fun. Avery was being really nice to me all day, did you have something to do with that?” 

“Avery’s always nice.” 

Your smile widens impossibly, “Yeah, but she was asking me if I wanted to sit down and if I needed a glass of water all day.” 

Steve shrugs. “Doesn’t sound like something I’d do.” 

“Well don’t do it again, H. She’s just a baby. She doesn’t need to worry about me.” 

Steve strokes your forehead, totally in your orbit. “She’s not worrying. Are you worrying about her when you take care of her? And sometimes you need a reminder.” 

You chew it over. “Okay… you’re right. You win that one, Harrington. Mostly ‘cos I’m too tired.”

Steve always wins when he gets to slide into bed next to you. You push yourself over and bunch the kids up tighter. There’s not quite enough room for him. He feels as though he’s one little legged kick from falling back out, but he doesn’t mind, wrapping an arm around you and Avery where she’s sliding off of you and onto the mattress between you both. The poor girl is in a deep sleep, dribbling from the corner of her mouth. Steve wipes it away. 

“You comfortable enough?” he asks. 

“I’m fine. Thank you for asking.” 

He rests his head against yours on the pillows. “Missed you.” 

“But you had fun, right?” 

“It was great. I feel like I ran a marathon.” 

“Exhausted?” you ask. 

“And accomplished… You sure you’re okay? It was a long day by yourself. That stunt you pulled in the kitchen? Incredible.” 

“I thought you’d like that. I told the girls you’d buy them a pony.” 

“You did not.” 

You laugh into his cheek. “No, I didn't, you caught me… I’m fine, really. I did miss you. It’s not nice, not seeing you. I’m used to a couple of hours, but it started feeling wrong when it was dark out, I… it’s silly but I was thinking about how horrible it would be if you never came back–”

Your pitch lifts up as Steve gasps and slaps a hand over your mouth (doesn’t slap, but covers, big hand on your lips and pressing them shut without sympathy). 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He meets your eyes, smiling hard despite the fatigue clinging to you both, and doesn’t buckle, even as you kiss his palm again. “Pregnancy brain is a scary thing.” 

Your eyes turn to melting. He’s putty immediately, pulling your hand away to caress your cheek. 

“Wanna be crazy in love in the morning?” he asks gently. You put your arm behind Avery’s back and smile as she snuggles into your ribs. Steve kisses your nose. “Go to sleep, honey. I can feel how tired you are. Back to normal in the morning.” 

“Love you, Steve.” 

“Love you, too.”

[drgnflyteabox]

Imagine you're a sheltered woman from New York in the 1850s. By the time you're a young lady both your parents are dead, so you have no choice but to leave your cushy little family home, get on a train and meet your only living relative. You're kind of useless, bookish and naive. You've never experienced anything but comfort. Your uncle tells you he doesn't want you around, but as a woman you can't do much on your own, and what could you do? You're as helpless as a lamb.

Your uncle betroths you to a man in Oregon, and ships you off to travel the oregon trail with all your treasure (jewelry, bonds, antiques, etc). The only thing is that he can't just send you on your own- you've only been in the real world the past few days to travel to him!!! You've been an anxious little hermit, and who's gonna carry your trunk full of romance books?

Your uncle hires security company 141 to escort you through the grueling journey, and you're none the wiser that company 141 doesn't exist, but outlaw gang Ghost team does...

Anyways I neeeeeeed more western and cowboy 141 and I've been playing rdr2 lately soo

This could work for any of the boys :')

Gaz who's just like your fairytale men. Kind, considerate, kisses your hand. He gives you a little extra bacon in the morning when you whine and picks wildflowers for you when he sees a pretty one (like you). You're defenseless against his charms.

Price who's...... the embodiment of your daddy issues. Spoiler? But you grew up so sheltered because your dad believed your family was cursed, and made you scared to be in the world. Price is so big and solid and comforting, older and bearlike... you definitely could call him daddy :')

Johnny who's got you flustered and blushing the entire way, even when you're miserable, when you're beyond travel weary. He's carefree about touch and space, and for someone who grew up locked in a single space for so long, you're like putty at the simplest touches from him

Simon's a wildcard. He wears a bandana, which makes everyone but the company nervous, and he's always riding off. You rarely see him, but you're mesmerized by his pale eyes and pale lashes, his scars and his story. He kind of hates you for how you don't seem to know like... anything. He let's the others care for you, counting the days until they can meet up with Kate and abandon you for dead with all your ma and pas jewelry and valuables and onto the next robbery... unless (0)o(0)

Also the guy you're meant to marry is graves LOL. Your family is deep in the railway industry and filthy rich and graves is buying up land and planting vineyards. Hes getting rich off of wine :') that's the story in my head

Plsss forgive me if this has already been written!!! I had a dream about it and I couldn't remember if it was something I'd read, or something I thought up. I looked around tumblr and ao3 for anything but couldn't find anything. Pleaseeeeee contact me if its your idea, I'm terrified of accidentally plagiarizing lol

[waldau-archived]

hand in mine — lee seokmin | 1,550 words | fluff

slightly inspired by my friend and their partner, i didn't know it was possible for two people to be so in love :') here's just...dk being sappy. sappy dk.

gender neutral reader. warnings: bonus pov?

dokyeom swears you're like a portable human charger.

when he's away, whether it's because he's still in practice or because he's on tour or even when he's at his parents' place, a single phone call from you is enough to lift his spirits to get him through the rest of the day. weekends spent at each other's places together are almost enough to convince him to just become an apartment hermit.

it's been true for ages — and it's true again, tonight.

or it will be, if you'll stop talking to one kim mingyu.

dokyeom's getting antsier the longer you stand there talking to mingyu, nodding along to something he's telling you. can't it wait till tomorrow? doesn't mingyu see he's in dire need of recharging?

now he knows mingyu's not telepathic, but somehow the younger man realizes dokyeom's staring at the two of you, so he finishes whatever he's saying with a nod towards where dokyeom's sitting. you follow his gaze and smile when you see dokyeom, who swears his heart melts a little, right there.

but then you stop to greet joshua, chatting with him for a minute (a whole minute, in this economy?) before you're standing right next to dokyeom.

he stretches his arms out to you. you bend down, letting him wrap himself around you the best he can. it's good, but it's not enough. he lets go only to tug at your hand. "sit down."

you look around. "there's no place, kyeomie. i don't mind standing."

he frowns at you. "i mind. you can sit in my lap."

you give him a look. "in front of your friends? i'd rather not."

dokyeom pouts. "they're your friends, too."

"of course i know that, baby. but they don't ever stop teasing us, do they?"

"ugh. they'll make fun of me, not you. please?"

you run a hand through his hair. "i don't want them to make fun of you, either."

he huffs. "fine. c'mere," he mumbles, scooting to give you some more space. you go willingly this time, settling yourself into the minimal space next to him. it's not easy when there's already thirteen of them in a room, but he manages to nudge chan away to give you some more space.

"hi," you whisper, letting him throw his hand around your shoulder to pull you closer. "missed you today."

dokyeom pulls back to look at you. he feels almost shy to have all your attention on him, silly as it sounds. "just today?" he asks, grinning when you roll your eyes. "you got here safely?"

you nod, leaning up to press a kiss to his nose. "perfectly. there was way lesser traffic than i expected."

"good."

you snuggle into dokyeom's side, stretching your legs out next to his. this is always his favourite place to be — because he can have your words be all for his ears only.

but then he frowns when he sees your outfit — a shirt and a pair of shorts. he takes off his jacket and drapes it across your legs despite your protests.

"you should've worn something warmer," he frowns. you're never good with the cold, and you're not going to be comfortable with the way more than half the members need the air conditioning to be switched on at all times.

"i was almost ready to go to bed, kyeomie," you explain, adjusting the jacket on yourself nonetheless. "i wouldn't be here if shua didn't call me. thank you, though. how was your day?"

dokyeom sighs. he doesn't want to talk about his day when he's been living through it for the entirety of...well, the day, but he has to say something for you. "not...the best," he concedes, resting his head on your shoulder.

"do you want to go home soon?" you ask, your hand finding his, tracing random patterns on his skin. the tingles help ground him.

he shrugs. "i don't know."

it's true, as much as he hates it. he doesn't want to leave because it'll end up breaking up the party — it always so happens that the first person to leave is the catalyst for most others to start wrapping things up, unwittingly. he doesn't want to be a party pooper, but at the same time, he's had a long day. it's like he's been aware of every single second he's been awake, and it's exhausting.

"okay," you say simply. "let's stay for a while more. it's not like we're in a rush. and i know how hard you worked today."

dokyeom closes his eyes at that. he knows he's done well, today being one of those days where he's genuinely looking for the end, but hearing it from you makes it much better. "yeah?"

"yeah," you affirm, hand rising to comb gently through his hair again, left open now that he's discarded his beanie. "i love you, kyeom. so much. it's still hard to put it into words sometimes."

he snuggles a bit more into you at that, slightly satisfied when seungkwan chucks a piece of popcorn at him from the bed, telling you both to stop being so cheesy. he feels even better when you throw it back at seungkwan, letting out a triumphant ha! when it hits him on the knee.

he loves you.

there's no bottom to that endless truth. he's somewhat loved you ever since he first saw you, drawn to the way your sense of humour was so close to his, and the somewhat turned into a definitely the more he got to know you.

dokyeom isn't half of anything — he's all of himself, lee seokmin, content with the way he is except for a few gripes here and there, but you complete him in a way he didn't know any person could.

he's not worried about you leaving him — there's no way either of you are letting that happen. it's more about not knowing who he is without you, now that your lives are so intertwined.

"stop," you mumble, your grip on his hair tightening slightly.

"stop what?"

"thinking. about whatever you are. i told you i love you and i'm not going anywhere."

the haze he's in almost clears a bit at that. "how did you— i didn't—"

"you always get so pensive when you're tired, did you know? i should record you some time. it's like there's a philosopher hidden inside you."

pensive? when he's tired?

"i love you normally," he blurts out, scared at the insinuation that he thinks about how much you mean to him only when he's vulnerable like this.

you're not saying anything back, though. you're just smiling at him.

"what," he asks, breaths a bit shallow.

"i know," you press, hand lifting his to show the ring that sits on his fourth finger. "i love you normally, too."

dokyeom lets out a chuckle. he still can't believe it's possible to love someone this much.

"now let me get you home and help you get some sleep, okay?" you ask, punctuating your question with a tug to his chin. "the others will understand."

as if you have to ask him. he'll go wherever you take him, no questions asked.

joshua can see the change in dokyeom's eyes the moment you walk into the room.

the conversation doesn't stop; mingyu and jun are still arguing about how mingyu should stop taking inspiration from jeonghan when it comes to board games and cheating. jeonghan has a proud smile on his face. wonwoo and minghao have zoned out entirely, too busy with their phones to acknowledge the little fight going on. the others are busy eating or ordering more food or arguing about which movie to watch next.

there's just one person missing from the chaos.

dokyeom's sitting on the floor under the window, entirely in his own world, constantly checking his phone and looking at the door, shutting his eyes for a minute before repeating his actions.

joshua would've poked fun at him if he didn't know how tired dokyeom already was today. a particularly tiring day, especially with a comeback practice they'd just gotten back from, and a going seventeen shoot in which dokyeom had been on the losing team. even though he doesn't like to show it, joshua knows dokyeom is somewhat upset over not winning.

but the moment you walk into the room, it's like a switch has been flipped. dokyeom sits up straighter, the neutral expression on his face morphing into a tired but real smile. he holds his hands out to you and pouts when you stop to greet all the other members first, shaking hands with them or giving them a quick side hug.

joshua pulls you close with ease. "thanks for making it here on such short notice."

"are you seriously thanking me for that?"

"i mean...he really needs to see you. today hasn't been his day."

you look over at your husband for a moment. "i could tell. his texts were pretty dry."

"right? now go get your lover boy. he's been moping all evening long."

you wrinkle your nose at the term, just like he expected you to, but you nod and make your way to dokyeom.

joshua turns away when dokyeom gives you a dopey, lovesick grin. he'll let the teasing go for tonight.

taglist: @bookyeom @wootify @strnsvt @cloudycaramel @thepoopdokyeomtouched @minnieminshi @nonononranghaee @hrts4hanniehae

[marasvenus]

What Does Your Future Spouse’s Dark Side Look Like? — [♡] ;

☆ ミ book a personal reading with me ☆彡

Pile One ༣

Cards: The Sun, The Moon, Queen of Wands, King of Cups, The Fool, The World, Strength, Seven of Cups, Five of Cups

Your Future Spouse seems to hold in a lot of emotion. It seems like they have a side of them that’s shown to the public/those around them and a side to them that they keep to themselves. The side that others see is very self assured, stoic, hard working, straight forward, etc. and there’s another side of them with insecurity, doubt, fear, etc. that they hide from others and I think they also try to neglect that side of them themselves. They struggle with feeling invalid and unworthy but refuse to open up to those around them. It’s like they don’t even give themselves the option of vulnerability or true connection with others out of fear of rejection. They’re afraid others will reject them the way they’ve rejected themselves for so long. They are their own biggest critic and are very harsh on themselves.

They seem to be empathetic towards others and incredibly understanding of others and their situations. They might be an older sibling or just seen as a mentor or parental figure to others. They seem very wise but may struggle with connection with others. I’m hearing “tolerate it” by Taylor Swift. They may unknowingly neglect the needs and emotions of those around them because of this lack of vulnerability on their side. They do care and are an incredibly caring and emotional person but their inability to meet others have way and connection in a real and emotional way is a huge blockage for them in their personal relationships.

I do believe they will overcome and work through this before you meet them but it will take some time. I think their love and dedication to those around them will be the driving force behind this change in them.

Pile Two ༣

Cards: The Hermit, Five of Wands, Page of Wands, Page of Pentacles, Six of Wands, Queen of Pentacles, The Sun, The Chariot, The Lovers, Five of Wands, Three of Pentacles

It seems your future spouse comes from a very long and difficult history of abuse. Possibly very extreme abuse and they could be in therapy for it. They may have had to move out and pave their own way at a very young age or were possibly in foster care until they aged out of it. They’ve had to struggle through a lot on their own, though and build a life for themselves. It does seem they’ve built a very good life for themselves, though. I think they could be business owners or something like that. For some of you, they may own a tattoo or barber shop.

Your future spouse may be very friendly, social and kind but I think very few know what they’ve actually been through. I think they have a select few very close friends that they trust and that probably knew them as a child when they were experiencing the trauma they went through. Your future spouse may struggle with mental health and go through periods of time where they isolate themselves. If they own a business they may take time away from work during these periods of isolation and they just stay home. I do believe they have a very good support system that helps them out of this place, though.

I also think they have other ways of coping with their struggles like going to the gym, possibly meditating outside and walking. Being near large bodies of water also seems to help them. It may remind them of a childhood memory that was good. Possibly camping at a lake or maybe they lived near a body of water. For some of you, your future spouse may be Scottish. That was oddly specific but came in randomly lol.

Overall, your future spouse seems to be very kind and warm to anyone they meet and most of the time they seem to come off very happy and extroverted but they do struggle with past trauma and mental health and they fall into periods of deep depression and isolation that they may struggle to get out of but they have a good support system and good coping mechanisms that they utilize to pull themselves out of these difficult places.

Pile Three ༣

Cards: Eight of Swords, Ten of Swords, Page of Wands, Seven of Swords, King of Pentacles, The Chariot, The Moon, The Fool, Death, Five of Pentacles, The Magician, Knight of Wands, Queen of Swords, Two of Cups, Knight of Swords

I think your future spouse is their own worst enemy. They hold themselves back from so much. They’re bad about self sabotaging and letting their fears and anxieties hold them back from going after what they want. They lose opportunity after opportunity because they take any chance to achieve their goals/dreams away from themselves before anyone else can. They allow the fear of rejection or failure to keep them in this box where there’s no room for growth or development.

I think they have friends/family around them that consistently lift them up and encourage them to go after what they want and I think that encouragement work for a short period of time but they always immediately start tearing themselves down and erasing any progress those around them have made on their self confidence and assurance in themselves. They give themselves no opportunity for growth or change and honestly may have a sort of victim mindset where they blame their lack of growth or forward movement on their circumstances or “lack of opportunity”.

I think this will change for them though because I think a friend or family member, possibly a male friend or older brother? Will sit them down and be brutally honest them and that’s really what your Future Spouse needs. I think once their own illusions are broken down, they’ll finally see that the sky really is the limit for them and they have so much opportunity and potential for growth and expansion in all aspects of their life. It will take a lot of time and failure before they get to that place, though.

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

Hi First i really apreciate and Love your Work, it's often make my day,thanx for this.keep going.Now to my request can you write Something with Donna and blind Reader Like First Meeting Fell in Love First kiss First time what ever you want and be comfortable with i know i will Love everything what you do about it.sending hugs🤗.

Yesss!!!! Thank you for your words!!! Hugs to you too!!! Thank you for the request!!! I hope you like it and sorry about the language mistakes!!! :)))

A light in your darkness

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem, Blind! Reader

Warnings: Fluff, blindness, smut implied, angst, maybe? Idk

Word count: 7,324

Summary: You have nothing to lose, but someone to love...

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! I'm waiting yours :))) I love you all!!!

The fire was like a glow, like a sign of death burning around you. The smoke was intoxicating. The sound of the wood giving way to the flames was all you could hear apart from your screams.

Panic had your senses kidnapped. You couldn't know where you were, the infernal glow of the fire burned the darkness you could see, there was no way out.

A small cabin somewhere in the mountains, that was your home, your little world away from society, from a village where you knew there was no place for you.

A terrible illness took away your sight, forced you to live in darkness and dark images, blurred shadows that seemed to constantly haunt you. After that, with the fear of the village divinities considering you a useless villager, not good enough to be another link in its chain, your parents took you to that remote place.

But their death made things worse. You weren't useless, you could, more or less, take care of yourself on that mountain. Your life was quiet, peaceful, like a hermit, like a blind witch who lived on the fringes of society.

Praying to the Black Gods, helped by some of your old friends, you were able to survive, to subsist so as not to see the light of the sun one more day, so the darkness would indicate you had not succumbed to despair.

But, one night, sleeping, dreaming of a better life, an intense aroma, a horrible cough and a scorching heat forced you to stand up.

Panicked, you searched with your damaged eyes for some place that was not illuminated by those flames, a dark place, to take refuge. Dodging the parts of the cabin that seemed to want to finish you off, you managed to run towards that icy darkness, towards the outside of the cabin.

You didn't even bother to scream, you knew that no one would hear you. You could only run, run and not look back, not let the flames be a blurry dance in your darkness.

You panted desperately, walking through the thick snow, trying to lean on what you thought were trees, walking away from the tempting heat of that fire. There was no way out. On one side, a horrible death, consumed by the fire, on the other, your already well-known darkness, hunger, the dangers of the forest.

You stumbled in the snow, you continued to flee towards the unknown, you cried, you screamed. There was nothing, no one, just you, just that stupid blind girl who had met her end just the way she lived, alone.

Exhausted from the escape, with the snow making it harder for you, you slowed down, wondering if maybe it was better to let yourself fall, let yourself freeze, give up. But a part of you never considered giving up as an option. With a furious growl, you kept walking.

This was definitely not your night. The emptiness your foot felt when it returned to the ground was too abrupt. The balance you had left didn't know how to react to the lack of snow under your steps. Something, a cruel force pushed you towards the abyss, to the bottom of a small cliff.

“Ah!” you screamed as you fell, as you understood that this was your end.

The rocks dug into your body, cradling you in a sinister way as you rushed towards your end, one that never came.

You fell back into the snow, with a dull thud, with a horrible, stabbing pain in your arm. The pain was a good sign, you had survived. The cold snow muffled your pain and a strange calm invaded your senses.

All around you was nothing, just darkness.

You crawled along the ground, accompanied by the strange sound of a distant waterfall. For some reason that seemed familiar to you, but you didn't pay attention to it. You couldn't see anything, you didn't know if maybe you were on the edge of another cliff. You missed the blurry light of the flames.

“Help…” you murmured, trying to stand up, desperate, supporting your hands on the rock wall. Your whole body hurt, you could barely walk, you stumbled, fell, and you couldn't get up.

“Hey, you!” a shrill voice reached your ears. You turned around, but in vain. The darkness of the night was not exactly your best ally.

“Is anyone there? Hey, help!” you said, hoping that the voice was real, that your subconscious wasn't easing your conscience so you could die in peace.

“Help? You fool!” the voice sounded again and you, desperate to know where it came from, stretched out your arms. Nothing.

You could hear small steps in the snow, like a child's steps and behind them, firmer, subtler, almost silent ones.

“There you are, you little thief!” that voice shouted again, getting closer, followed by those quiet steps, those footsteps that got even closer.

“What? I’m, I'm not a thief,” you muttered, stretching out your arm to steady yourself, to stand up again, something you didn't manage to do.

“What have you come here to do, stupid?” that childish voice asked.

You shook your head, breathing with difficulty. That girl certainly had a bad temper.

“Hey, but, little girl, I didn't... I didn't come to steal... My house was on fire and I, I fell,” you explained slowly, with a broken voice but sure that you were telling the truth.

“Of course, and I guess I have to believe you right?!” that strange girl shrieked. She seemed to walk from side to side.

“It's the truth!” you shouted desperately, trying to reason with that distrustful little girl. “No, I didn't want to bother you, it was just an accident.”

“Accident? Don't continue or I'll burst out laughing,” the girl mocked, with a macabre laugh. “Come on, kill her, kill her.”

“No, no please!” you shouted again, letting yourself fall to the ground, joining your hands to ask for mercy. “I'm not a thief!”

“But you are stupid, clumsy and a moron,” the girl insulted you, making your hopes fade more and more. You crawled back on the ground, looking for a way to escape. The only thing you found was a cloth, a dress that quickly moved aside when you made contact with it. It didn't look like that girl. It looked like an adult’s dress, your hope.

“Take your dirty girl hands off! Don't you know who you're talking to?” the little girl scolded you.

You, nervous, couldn't do anything but shake your head, your eyes full of tears.

“N, no… I, I don’t,” you whispered with a tired, sad, defeated sigh.

“You don’t? Damn, stupid, are you blind?” the girl asked with an incredulous, mocking tone.

You, sighing again, sitting in the snow, nodded.

“Actually, I am,” you said quietly, closing your useless eyes.

Silence was the answer, along with subtle sounds and breezes indicating that someone was moving in an exaggerated way.

“Oh, are you?” that shrill voice asked, which seemed more mocking than before. “Can't you see anything?”

You shook your head, bringing your knees to your chest, letting the tears slide down your cheeks.

“Who are you?” a different voice asked, darker, hoarse, almost melodic, which made you raise your head with a mix of relief and terror. It was probably the owner of that dress.

“My, my name is (Y/N),” you stammered, relieved to be able to talk to an adult woman and not to a rude child.

“(Y/N)…” that feminine voice sighed, soft but somehow threatening. You didn't know why, but a shiver ran through your spine. “What are you doing here?”

“I, I've said it, I... My, my house was on fire, I tried to run away and... I fell, I fell off a cliff, or so I think,” you explained calmly, looking with your eyes for that bright reflection of the flames that you could no longer see.

“I told you it smelled like something was burning!” the girl exclaimed, jumping in the snow.

“Mm,” the woman murmured with disinterest. “What's a blind girl doing living alone? You must understand that I find it suspicious,” the woman in the dress said, with a darkness similar to your gaze.

You shrugged, thinking that, really, you had just lost everything.

“My, my parents died years ago,” you said in a whisper, turning your head away from the source of the sound, focusing on that calming waterfall. “I, I've managed things well until now but... The, the fire...”

“Bah, what a loser!” the girl shrieked.

You frowned. That kid definitely needed manners.

“No, I didn’t mean to be annoying…” you said, awkwardly standing up, holding your injured arm, ready to get away from that dangerous situation.

A strong grip made you hiss in pain, a hand grabbed your arm, burning it with its touch.

“You’re hurt,” that dark voice murmured.

“I, I don’t know, it hurts,” you said, removing your grip.

“Oh, no…” the girl sighed in a comical voice.

“Don’t really know who I am?” the woman asked, holding you in place with her grip.

You shook your head, stopping fighting the burning grip in your arm.

“No, but…If, if you help me, I guess you will be my savior,” you said in a sweet, desperate voice. “I don't want to cause any trouble, I just, I just want...”

“Come here,” that mysterious voice said, pulling you along, dragging you through the snow until your feet collided with something hard, it seemed like wood.

The creaking of a door, and the pleasant warmth coming from inside told you that you were in a house. The smell of humidity was strong, like a closet that had been closed for years. You could see lights, blurry shadows, a black figure that you couldn't make out, now pulling you along; next to it, another smaller blurry spot, the ill-mannered girl.

“Sit down,” the melodic voice ordered you, releasing you abruptly. Your legs collided with a piece of furniture that looked like a sofa and you obeyed.

The pain returned to your arm when a gentle hand lifted the sleeve of your dress. You protested, but she was stronger, she seemed to be searching for something. You couldn't tell, you could never know.

“It's nothing serious, but it needs to be healed,” that woman murmured, putting something on your wound, something that burned like the fire that destroyed your house.

“Yiahhh!” you yelled at that horrible pain, earning a mocking laugh from the evil girl.

“Silly, silly,” the little girl mocked, climbing onto the couch next to you.

From the size of that blurry spot, it was definitely a girl.

Silence fell over you again. The smell of humidity penetrated your brain, the warmth of what seemed like a fireplace soothed the cold. You didn't want to say anything. You simply stayed quiet, enduring the sting of your wound, trying not to give that girl more reasons to laugh at you.

“Thank you,” you sighed when you noticed how the bandages covered your arm.

 There was no answer, just a strange sigh.

“You say your house has caught fire,” the dark woman murmured, moving away from you. A lavender scent eclipsed the humid atmosphere of that place.

“Yes,” you answered, moving your arm, which barely hurt anymore. “I woke up in the middle of the night and… I could only make out the flames, and the smoke. I ran out of the cabin, but, but I tripped and… I fell, I fell here.”

“You are not from the village,” she commented, with a distrustful tone.

“No, well yes, well, I was,” you said embarrassed, lamenting your condition.

“Explain yourself,” the woman demanded, with an impatient tone.

“And don't dare to lie, you fool, or we'll know!” the girl shrieked.

“What would I win by lying?” you protested, more and more annoyed by that attitude. From the little movement you saw, you sensed that the little demon shrugged. “No, I… My, my family took me out of the village when I lost my sight. They thought, they thought that by not being useful, maybe I would be repudiated by the Black Gods and Mother Miranda.”

“They thought so?” the woman asked, with an almost amused tone, or so you thought. “Sciocchezze.”

“So, sorry, what?” you asked, confused. That strange word made you stir, as if there was something that was screaming to be heard.

The woman cleared her throat and sighed again.

“Nonsense,” she explained with a tired voice. “Mother Miranda would not despise anyone for that, your family was stupid.”

“Don’t, don't insult my family,” you hissed, clenching your fists, offended by those words.

“Oh, are you threatening us?” the girl mocked, too close to you. “Stop playing savior angels and kill her, D…”

You didn't know why, but that stupid girl shut up instantly, maybe because of the sudden movement you could feel in the woman.

“Mm, it's late for a girl like you to walk around here alone,” she murmured, seemingly unfazed by your threat. “You can stay tonight.”

“What?! You must be joking,” the girl complained.

“Can I?” you asked incredulously. “I… Thank you, thank you very much.”

“Get up, I'll take you to your room,” she ordered you in a cold voice. You, defenseless again, reached out your hand, looking for help, a point of support to be able to stand up safely.

A passive hand picked you up, pulling you to your feet, perhaps too hard, causing you to collide with that mysterious woman who smelled like lavender.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized. She growled annoyed and walked away from you.

You, lost and scared, reached for her hold, her arm, something she rejected, scared, annoyed by the contact.

“Lasciami!” she demanded, shaking from your grip. You sobbed in confusion.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that…I, I don’t know this place and…” you said in a weak voice, broken by feeling that useless. “I need someone to guide me.”

The woman sighed unpleasantly and took your hand again, putting it on her arm.

“Ugh, it’s okay,” she hissed annoyed, walking with you, slowly.

Without speaking, you climbed up some stairs, helped by the lavender woman, until, after opening a door, she let you go near what looked like a bed.

“Hey,” you said, when the sound of heels told you that the woman was moving away again. “I would like to know your name, so I can thank you.”

There was no answer, just a murmur that, you were sure, was not directed at you.

“Aye,” the girl said, comically.

Small steps on the wood approached you. You trembled knowing that this sinister girl was approaching, but when the door closed and the sound of heels disappeared, you sensed that perhaps you fear had betrayed you.

The dim light that illuminated the room was not enough to distinguish shadows around you and, knowing that you were alone, you lay down on that bed, with your hands running around your surroundings until they touched something cold.

“What?” you asked, puzzled by that object, which you ran your hands over. Wooden arms, legs, a porcelain face… “A doll?” you asked when you guessed what you had in your hands, leaving that strange puppet on the side of the bed.

The tiredness was overwhelming, but the loss of everything you had was even more so, forcing you to curl up on yourself and let your tears soak the sheets.

“Gods, what am I going to do now?”

Luckily, at least you were able to sleep, even if it was in the middle of a heartbreaking cry.

The morning light was already distinguishable, and, clumsily, you got up, resting your hand on the walls. Strangely, you didn't notice the doll that was there the day before. You didn't give it any importance.

After juggling to get to the bathroom, you leaned on the railing of the stairs, confused, afraid to go down them without help.

“Hello? I, I need some help!” you asked the void, walking along the wood until you reached the first step.

“She spent the whole night crying. She’s a pain in the ass, she’s a… Oh, silly girl, you woke up!” the girl shrieked, who seemed to be talking to someone downstairs.

“Hey, uh, little girl, help me down the stairs, please,” you asked, rolling your eyes, hoping that the mysterious woman would appear.

“Okay,” she said in a comical voice, approaching you, or so you thought from her steps. “Let’s see, silly girl, one… Two…”

With her help and leaning on the railing all the time, you went down the dangerous steps one by one, trusting someone you knew you shouldn’t trust.

“Okay, okay, that’s it, you can walk normally,” the girl said.

You sighed and nodded, taking the first step, one that made you stumble and fall resoundingly to the ground. There were still stairs to go.

“Oh, damn girl,” you lamented in pain, with your ears being harassed by the cruel laughter of the stupid girl.

“Angie!” the woman's voice interrupted that tasteless joke and her heels approached you hastily.

Angie. You didn't know why, but that name sounded familiar to you.

“Uh...” you complained, letting that woman who smelled of lavender lift you off the floor carefully.

“Are you okay?” she asked, grabbing your shoulders and shaking your dress.

“I, I guess…” you said, wincing in pain. “That daughter of yours is quite the joker, isn't she?” you asked.

“Daughter?” the woman asked, confused.

Another loud laugh sounded in that strange house. It seemed that the girl was lying on the floor, kicking and hitting it with her fists, as if she had had a cruel fit of laughter.

“Daughter, she says! Don't keep talking, stop. I'm going to have a heart attack! Daughter!” the girl mocked, making you snort.

“She's not my daughter, (Y/N),” the woman said, guiding you with her arm through the house while an increasingly intense aroma of coffee made you forget that incident.

“Oh, I... I, I didn't know,” you apologized, letting her sit you on a chair and bring you closer to a table, where the aroma of coffee was much more intoxicating.

“I'm sure you're hungry,” she murmured, handing you a steaming cup of coffee that you carefully took. “Take whatever you want.”

“I... Thanks,” you sighed, touching the table, finding a whole feast of toast, oil and buns, which you devoured eagerly.

Silence was your company again, silence and darkness, the duo that guided your life.

“What are you going to do now? Your house is destroyed,” she commented, breaking the calm with an exasperating truth.

“I, I don't know,” you sighed, wanting to cry again. “I, I guess... I don't know.”

“You don't know,” she repeated, with a disinterested voice.

“Well, you should know, stupid! This isn't a hotel!” the girl shrieked, jumping on the wooden floor.

“Angie, basta!” the woman shouted, severely. You raised your eyebrows again, blinking in confusion.

“Basta?” you asked in a small voice.

The woman sighed in annoyance, putting her cup down on the table with a loud bang.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” she said coldly. “But I want you to answer me, what are you going to do now?”

“I already said I… I don’t know,” you said through clenched teeth, furious at that girl, at the discomfort you were starting to feel. “I have nowhere to go.”

“I see,” the woman whispered.

“She doesn’t!” the girl mocked, eliciting an angry growl from the lavender woman, who stood up from her chair, dragging it along in an unpleasant manner.

“Angie! If you keep going like that I swear I'll deactivate you,” she hissed, making you shift in your chair, confused.

“Deactivate?” you asked in a voice so low that she didn't hear.

“Oh, come on, Donna, I'm just kidding,” the girl complained. “You have to laugh at yourself.”

“D, Donna?” you asked again, with the cup shaking in your hand.

Donna. That name made everything in your head make sense. You had been away from the village for a long time, but you remembered it, you remembered Mother Miranda, the Lords, you remembered their figures, their faces before you lost your sight. Alcina Dimitrescu, Salvatore Moreau, Karl Heisenberg and… Donna Beneviento.

Donna Beneviento, dark woman, doll maker, nightmare creator, mentally disturbed, owner of the living doll… Yes, you remembered, you remembered the name of that doll, Angie.

“Gods…” you said agitatedly, falling from the chair, kneeling on the floor, finally knowing who you were talking to, who you had upset. The waterfall, the musty smell, that black figure, that accent, those words. There was no doubt. “Gods, I… Please, please have mercy on me, Lady Beneviento. I didn't know that I had fallen into… I, I didn't know who…”

“Shut up,” the lady ordered you, in a stern tone, as if she were upset because you had discovered her identity.

“I, I shouldn't have bothered you… I, I'll leave right away,” you said, crawling on the floor, terribly scared, getting up and running towards the unknown.

“Watch your step, stupid!” Angie squealed mockingly, just before you tripped on a rug and fell to the floor again, on your injured arm.

The heels walked slowly, Lady Beneviento was approaching you again.

“Get up,” she ordered, bending down and roughly grabbing you by the shoulders, making you stagger. “Stop fooling around.”

“Fooling around? I, I… I didn’t know that…” you stammered with your dress being shaken again, your nerves blurring your almost non-existent vision even more. “I, I’m sorry I… I’ll, I’ll go and…”

“I said shut up… Idiota…” the lady hissed, grabbing your arm tightly. “You want to run away, huh? Do I scare you?”

“No, yes, I…” you stammered unable to speak clearly.

“You said I was your savior,” she snapped at you in a dark voice. “Has your mind changed because you know who I am?”

“No, I…” you murmured again, panic running through your body.

“So…” she growled, pushing you unpleasantly, your body threatening to fall again. “Sit down and eat your breakfast!”

“Hey, hey, Donna, aren't you going too far?” Angie intervened, guiding you surprisingly carefully towards the table.

“It's always the same, Angie!” the lady shrieked, stamping her feet angrily. “What I do doesn't matter! Even this blind girl is unable to stop looking me as… As a monster…” she sighed with a sob, a terrible one that stirred you as you fixed your useless gaze below.

“I, I can't see if you're a monster or not,” you whispered, trying to calm her erratic attitude, one you'd heard about before. “And even if I could, I don't think any monster would have saved my life.”

She came quickly, putting a hand on your shoulder.

“That's what everyone says and then... Then they run away in terror...” she whispered threateningly in your ear, squeezing your shoulders, digging her nails into your skin. “Leaving me alone again!”

“I’m, I'm not going to run away, it, it just surprised me,” you said calmer, regretting your attitude. “I... I'm alone too, you know?”

“You...” Donna growled, letting you go with a furious gasp, muttering something you didn't understand.

“I, I don't know what, what could have happened to you for, for someone like you to be alone but...” you murmured, letting the tears of terror stain your face.

“Someone like me? What do you mean?” she asked in a different tone.

The Angie doll climbed onto your lap, as if she was now the one protecting you.

“You're a Lord, I, I remember you from when I was little and we went to church,” you commented, with Angie comically feeding you. You pushed her away so you could continue talking. “You always wore black… You were always, always silent. I know it may seem silly but… You, you were my favorite.”

“Your favorite? What the hell are you talking about?” she asked furiously, nervous about not understanding your meaningless words.

“My friends and I used to play at being the Lords of the village,” you said with a smile, remembering much better times, when you saw something else than blurry shadows. “I always wanted to be you.”

“Yeah! Donna's the best!” Angie sang, lowering herself to the floor again. “Hey, hey Donna, easy…”

“I, I liked the way you were, always quiet, silent, observant… I, I don't know, I guess you were the one I identified with the most,” you explained, with your head down. “You, you don't seem like the others, you're different.”

“You're wrong, you're very wrong, (Y/N),” Donna whispered, sitting back down, hitting the table with her fist.

“Would your siblings have saved me?” you asked, in a risky question. After all, you realized that you had nothing to lose.

She answered with silence, with a strange sigh.

“I know, I know, I know, choose me, I know the answer! Ask me, silly, ask it to me!” the doll squealed, comically pulling at your dress. You couldn't help but smile. “They would have let you freeze!”

“That doesn't mean anything,” the doll maker murmured, with the same cold voice.

“It means you saved me,” you answered, with your lower lip trembling. “No matter what you think, I… I will always be grateful to you, and… Well, I guess my life is already ruined, so I have nothing to lose by saying this but… Maybe, if I could stay with you, I…Nei, neither of us would have to be alone again.”

“Do you… Do you want to stay with me? You?” she asked, startled again. “You are more daring than I thought.”

“I simply have nothing to lose,” you sighed, closing your eyes, hoping that a darkness different than the one you could see would be your end, that the memories would remain in your mind before you died of terror, before she finished you off.

The sound of the chair disturbed you again, along with the slow walk of those heels, along with that lavender scent that was getting closer, as well as soft hands that lifted your chin.

“I don't scare you,” she whispered, standing too close to you. You shook your head. “You ran away as soon as you found out who I was. You're full of contractions.”

“I was surprised, that's all,” you said, gently moving your head so her hand would move away from you and stop making you nervous. “I know you're going to say no, and that you'll finish me off right now. After all, I'm useless.”

“Are you a fortune teller?” -she asked in a mocking tone, walking away from you again.

“I was never good at being a clairvoyant,” you joked easily, letting a way of being that you had and never brought to light speak for you in the last moments of your life.

Surprisingly, a soft laugh came from the lady, a charming laugh that made you gain even more confidence.

“Sei divertente, mm?”

You shook your head, not understanding the words, breathing nervously, waiting for an end that seemed to never want to come.

“She said you're funny,” Angie whispered, climbing up your body again. The change in the doll's attitude was quite... Disturbing.

“It's okay,” Lady Beneviento whispered, after a few moments of tense silence. Little by little, you got used to that.

“What?” you asked confused, blinking repeatedly.

“Stay with me, then,” she finally said in a tone you didn't know how to interpret. “But it won't be free. You'll have to help me with my tasks.”

“I'll do what I can,” you said excitedly, seeing a light that you didn't know could illuminate the dark passage of death you had begun to walk through it. “Th, thank you, Lady Beneviento, thank you...”

“Ugh, you're so annoying,” she complained, sighing amused. “Call me Donna.”

So, by a horrible coincidence, your life changed. After losing everything, you found yourself on an uncertain path, in a strange place, with a strange woman. Yes, you knew who she was, you knew what she did, what she was capable of doing, but for some reason, you didn't find any danger beyond your problems.

You were clumsy, you constantly tripped and you always needed someone's help to get back to what was already your room. Normally, it was Angie who took care of that. That sinister puppet seemed to generate a strange sympathy for you.

The days, the weeks passed.

You weren't uncomfortable, you felt fine, the opposite of what you thought. Donna Beneviento, terrible Lord, fears maker, was a kind woman in her own way, elegant, cultured, who taught you a lot of things, who helped you stop being the clumsy girl you were.

Everything seemed to be going well, even too well, even at night, when you could dream, when you could see something in your mind, she started to appear, that lady in black who laughed shyly, who taught you Italian and things about plants.

Thinking about her was quite common in your moments alone.

“Okay, to the right now,” Angie told you, standing on your shoulder, guiding you through the basement. You, with your hands outstretched, obeyed, in a usual exercise of recognition of the old mansion.

“Right…” you whispered, touching the rickety wall with your hands and guiding yourself with your hand resting on it.

“A little more, just a little more,” the doll told you. “Watch out!” she squealed when your body collided with a wall again, for the fifth time that day.

“Angie…” you sighed, rubbing your forehead, tired of the puppet's vague instructions.

“Hey, I'm being good,” she protested, comically hitting your shoulder. “Donna asked me to be good to you and I am.”

“Did Donna ask you?” you asked curiously, with an involuntary smile, thinking that, just as you suspected, the lady was looking out for you.

“Yes, so help me, blind girl,” she said in a mocking tone. “Okay, there, there, in front of you, can you see it?”

“Of course I can’t,” you said sighing annoyed.

“Oh, yes, sure,” Angie said, regretful. “Go ahead, walk forward and you will find the two doors.”

You reluctantly complied, finally finding the workshop doors.

“Well, you did it!” the doll squealed, victorious. “Look, Donna, the silly girl has arrived at the workshop!”

You couldn’t see it, but from the lavender, you knew the lady in black was there, working on her dolls, as usual.

“Yes, thanks to Angie,” you said amused, extending your hands, which were picked up by the soft, gentle hand of Donna, who gently pulled you along.

“Did you hear that, Donna? Thanks to me,” the doll said, in a proud voice. Again, you heard that adorable laugh from the Lord as she guided you to a nearby chair. “What are you doing with that on?”

You frowned, not knowing what she meant.

“Angie, shut up,” the lady protested, sitting next to you, putting a hand on your leg to make sure you were okay, guiding you to check that there was a table in front of you.

“Shut up? You're stupid, Donna, what is the veil for? She's blind,” the doll sang.

“A veil?” you asked, thinking back. Yes, you remembered the lady always covered her face with a black cloth, dark, dark as everyone said it was her soul.

Curious, you raised your hand where you thought the woman in black was, touching with your fingers that black cloth that Angie spoke of.

“Don't touch me,” she said in a sinister voice, grabbing your wrists tightly and suddenly lowering them. You stepped back.

“I'm sorry,” you apologized confused.

“Don’t be,” she said, turning around, working on her dolls again. You couldn't, you couldn't help but ask.

“Why are you covering your face?”

“Why are you blind?” Donna asked back, with a thick accent that betrayed her nervousness and anger at your impudence.

“Well…” you sighed, moved by the memories. “When I was eight I got very sick and… Well, I managed to recover but… I couldn't see again,” you explained with your head down. She sighed, annoyed again, with the noises of the sewing machine stopping.

“Do you know what a rhetorical question is?” she asked mockingly, with a fake laugh.

You smiled amused, nodding.

“I'm not offended by you asking me about my blindness, even if it was a rhetorical question,” you said in a soft voice, running your hands over the table, trying to imagine what was on top of it. “You shouldn't cover yourself, I can't see you.”

“How lucky,” Donna sighed, sadly, but ironically.

“Why do you say so?” you asked again, letting yourself be carried away by curiosity.

“Listen, (Y/N), I don't feel like talking about it, and even less with a gossipy girl like you,” she told you sternly, her voice shaking.

“I know how to keep a secret. I can't talk about what I can't see,” you said amused, taking a risk again, knowing that this was the only way to make Donna be honest with you, to speak from the bottom of her soul. You had proven it several times.

“Right in the point, Don...!” the doll screamed, silenced by something black falling on her head, and which she fought against, in a comical way, you thought. “Hey!”

“Are you happy now?” the lady asked furiously. The black no longer reached her blurry head. You smiled, concentrating to make out something. You didn't manage it, you never would.

Amused, you shrugged.

Donna sighed, as if defeated by your insistence, staying still for a moment.

“When I was little, I fell while running with scissors and lost my right eye,” she explained, without you asking her to.

“Oh, I'm, I'm sorry,” you said hastily, noticing the discomfort of the lady in black, but letting her speak.

“All the children in the village laughed at me, they said I was a monster,” she said quietly, with a nervous sob. “I stopped going out of the house, talking to people…”

“That's horrible,” you said nervously, playing with what looked like a paintbrush on the table.

“Mm,” she murmured, leaning back in the chair. “It's the past.”

“I don't think it's a good enough reason to hide your face,” you said, shaking your head. “I'm sure my eyes are much scarier.”

“Nonsense, they're beautiful,” she whispered quietly, with a different voice, causing you to smile and a burn in your cheeks.

“Thanks, I guess I must trust your word,” you said embarrassed by the compliment. “But at least you were able to get revenge on them, right? When, when Mother Miranda adopted you.”

“She only made it worse!” she suddenly shrieked, kicking the ground again, losing her mind.

You recoiled in fear.

“She, she only made it worse… Now I… I’m, I’m…” she said nervously, trying to calm herself down.

You, still scared but determined, reached out your hand to that black shadow, finding soft skin and soft lips on your way.

“Hey, don’t… Don’t…” she protested, without moving, not preventing your hands from running over her face, exploring her skin.

Your brow furrowed when you found a bulging deformity on the right side of her face, making her gasp nervously. Despite that, you didn't feel anything that made you think her words were true.

“I don't see any monsters here,” you whispered, losing yourself in your caresses, running over the skin of the lady in black without her stopping you.

“You don't see anything, (Y/N),” she sobbed at the same time you noticed a tear on your hand, which hers rested on it, lowering it slowly.

“Yes, I see your soul,” you said in a sweet voice, moving away, breathing calmly, with a smile. “And it’s beautiful.”

Donna stammered confused, trembling, without letting your hand go.

Breathing with difficulty, she brought her other hand to your cheek, comforting you with erratic caresses while her body moved towards yours, while the lavender was much more intense until you could feel her breath very close to you.

You closed your eyes, enjoying those caresses, the subtle touch of her lips against yours, which soon ceased to be that subtle.

A kiss, your first kiss came to your lips, the soft caresses of a kiss of love, a soft, slow, fearful one. You returned it, you kissed her, you kissed those lips that until then had been hidden, you let yourself be carried away by her movements, by that unexpected act.

She pulled away after a few perfect moments, ones that made you sigh, and keep a smile.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it,” she said, taking her hand away from your cheek, letting a cold breeze to form between the two of you, one that made you feel terribly sick.

“I'm not sorry,” you said, with tears in your useless eyes, with the soft kisses of her lips still present on yours. “Donna, no one has anyone treated me like you.”

“No one has spoken to me like you,” she whispered, suppressing another sob.

You, erratically, searched for her hand in that black dress, the hand that had previously grabbed you, playing with her fingers, wandering over her body until you caressed her cheek again, until you pulled her back to your lips.

She let herself be drawn into a deeper, more passionate, romantic kiss. You cried with joy, with joy for having found an explanation for those strange feelings, for your eternal thoughts about the lady in black.

“If, if you knew, if you could see me, you would never, ever have done it,” she murmured, cupping your face in her hands, not stopping kissing you, not stopping caressing you.

You smiled again, exploring her body, hugging it, impregnating yourself with her lavender scent.

“If I could see you, I would be even happier,” you said, resting your forehead against hers, letting her arms surround your body, arrange your hair, subtly telling you about her feelings.

“(Y/N) I… I, I like having you with me,” she said shyly, embarrassed.

“I like being with you,” you whispered, playing with her hands, enjoying the softness of her skin, the beauty you knew she had.

“Oh, please, stop it! I'm going to get diabetes! Come on, come on, let her go!” Angie interrupted, pushing Donna away from you in a comical way. You looked for her again with your hands, which she picked up laughing amused.

Thus began a new stage in your life, one full of love.

Donna cared for you even more. She covered you with kisses, caresses, read you stories from her books, walked with you through the woods, always holding your hand, always watching over you. You, for your part, were madly in love, discovering that side of the Lord you didn't know existed, that romantic side, that deep desire to be loved.

Nothing could go better in the life of the blind and clumsy (Y/N). What seemed like a misfortune, became your greatest luck. Your wish was no longer to regain your sight, but to always be with Donna, always.

“Admit it, it hasn't turned out so bad,” you said amused, searching for the bed with your hands, that bed you now shared with her. Donna laughed amused, helping you cover yourself with the sheets.

“You almost cooked just boiling water but I guess you haven't done it that bad,” she whispered amused, kissing you quickly and joining you in bed.

“I'm sure I'll learn to cook as well as you,” you joked, snuggling up to her. The lady laughed again, caressing your hair.

“Mm?” she murmured, fleeing from the erratic sea of ​​kisses with which you covered her every night. “Hey, I'm sure you will, tesoro.”

You sighed, hugging her body again.

“Did you imagine this?” you asked, sinking into her chest, becoming a little melancholic. “You know, being in love with someone like me.”

“I could ask you the same thing,” she answered, with a tired sigh.

“Your voice is beautiful… I love it,” you commented, moving playfully on her body. She laughed, shaking her head.

“My voice?” she asked curiously, with her hands tangling in your hair. “Learn to lie.”

“I don't lie,” you protested in a childish way, stealing another kiss from her. “It's the only thing I can tell you without you doubting me, it doesn't matter how many times I tell you that I'm convinced of your beauty.”

Donna sighed, kissing your hair affectionately.

“Do you know what I love?” she asked in a soft voice, the one that made you smile. “Your beautiful face when you smile at me.”

“Mm,” you murmured, writhing in pleasure at hearing those words, at knowing that even someone like you could be beautiful to her. “Donna, I want to make love to you.”

“What?” she asked, startled by your unexpected request. “Uh, I mean… (Y/N)…”

“What's wrong? You don't dare?” you asked, nervous at that reaction. “Is it because I'm blind?”

“No, no, I… Well yes, no, no…” she stammered, getting tense. “It's just that I… I've never…”

“Me neither,” you said, relieved for knowing that was the reason for her fear, and not your problem.

“I see,” she whispered.

“I don't,” you joked amused, climbing clumsily onto her body, with your legs on either side of her hips.

“You spend too much time with Angie,” she said, caressing your cheek but not moving away.

“She's like my guide dog,” you continued joking, biting your lip with hunger, with a desire to love completely.

“I hope she doesn't hear you,” she said, laughing amused, positioning you so you were more comfortable.

“I’ve heard it!” an irritating squeal sounded behind the door and you both laughed amused.

“Donna, please... I want, I want to love you...” you begged, radically changing the subject, insisting on your desire.

“I...” she murmured shyly, resting her hands on your waist, something that excited you quite a bit. “It's, it's okay.”

The kisses came, the caresses increased their intensity, their journey. It was a fiery dance, wild kisses that traveled beyond your lips, down your neck, down your chest…

The clothes got in the way and you got rid of yours. Donna did the same, still adoring you, showering you with praise for something you couldn't see, because of the beauty she claimed you had. Gasps escaped from your lips, from hers.

The movements of your hips found a stable rhythm when your naked bodies danced, rubbing against each other.

You wouldn't know how to describe those emotions, those sensations of being able to touch her, of feeling that you were inside of her, that you were just one, just a mass of flesh in love.

Your hands danced happily over her body, hers over yours, inside you. The kisses softened the obscenity of the wet sounds that covered the room, kisses that were less and less innocent, that savored your arousal, that fed your uncontrollable desire.

You couldn't be able to know how long that act of love lasted, but you didn't want to either, you only cared about what you felt, what you touched, what you sensed... Donna and you, you and Donna, there was nothing else, no clothes, no fear, no trembling, just your two naked bodies dancing in unison, a romantic, passionate and lustful dance.

“Are you okay?” the lady asked, when the ecstasy ended, when your two bodies arched together. You nodded, searching for her bare chest, letting your head sink into it again.

“Yes, better than ever,” you whispered, kissing her soft skin, annoyed by so much concern.

“There's something I haven't told you yet and... I think, I think I should do it now,” Donna whispered, caressing you affectionately, calming your nervous breathing. “I, I love you, (Y/N).”

“Oh, Donna,” you said, excited by everything that had happened, by all the things that were to come. “I love you too. You, you have illuminated my darkness...”

[petrichor-han]

Hii, can you write a crack/fluffy drabble of tiny felix doll who fell out of your pocket and become human when get in touch with water or whatever like that? :)

tiny dancer | l.fl

PAIRING I felix x gn!reader

CAST | felix lee

WC | 1.0k

GENRE I crack, slight fluff, doll!au (?), magical realism

WARNINGS I explicit language, spooky magic (that's really all lol)

A/N | thank you for sending in an ask!! :) this was really fun to write, since i don't really do much crack/unserious writing LMAO i hope you enjoy!! and as for anyone seeing this in tags, my requests are open until july 16 if you want to send in an ask as well 🤍

REQUEST! | EVENT MASTERLIST

You probably shouldn’t have trusted the sketchy roadside shop that sold little doll keychains, but in all fairness you had a horrible day and deserved a little treat. 

It wasn’t the worst roadside stand you’ve ever seen either—once you’d come across a tiny stand that sold venus flytraps and other carnivorous, exotic plants, but upon driving closer you felt a chill run down your spine and you got the hell out of there before you were chopped up and made into plant food or something. That’s not even mentioning the countless stands that sell hermit crabs and baby turtles to irresponsible children and ignorant parents, nor the horror stories and myths about buying trinkets from mysterious pop-up shops and getting possessed or haunted from said trinket. With all that in consideration, buying a little keychain from a sweet old woman for a few bucks was the least of your worries. 

It was really cute too—it was nothing like the cheap, plastic keychains that were sold in every gas station and tourist shop. A small wooden doll carved out of wood and carefully hand painted to look like a cute blonde boy with freckles. His arms were extended above his head, as if he were performing some sort of dance move—but you weren’t knowledgeable enough on dance to name the exact one. 

There were plenty of other options, but this one caught your eye immediately with his cheerful painted expression and funny pose. You smile as you pick him up, and the old woman smiles back at you, hopeful about making a sale. “That one’s very sweet,” she says earnestly, tapping on the wooden doll’s face with a gnarled finger, “he’ll be a delight to have in your home.” 

Sweet? As if the doll were a living thing with a real personality, you think to yourself. But you pretend like she didn’t say anything odd, and hand her a few paper bills before returning to your car and heading home. 

“His name is Felix! Remember to call him kindly,” the old woman says, raising her voice as you retreat. Her words send an odd chill down your spine, her tone tinged with a sense of foreboding and warning. As you settle into your car nervously, you stare at the small doll sitting in the passenger seat next to your bag. Its—Felix’s, expression is flat, unchanged from the first moment you laid eyes upon him. You briefly consider tossing him out the window on the way home, feeling thoroughly freaked out by the old woman’s parting words to you, but then decide against it—if it were evil, wouldn’t it find its way back to you anyways, with a punishment twice as bad? It makes you feel a bit like a superstitious freak as your palms sweat against your steering wheel, thinking about possession and ghostly spirits, but you arrive back to your place with no issues—as if you were expecting the doll to cause a car accident, or something of the sort. 

You slide the doll into the front pocket of your jacket before grabbing your bag and locking your car, heading inside. Your apartment is dark and silent when you step through the front door, your automatic lock beeping softly behind you as the door shuts. Sighing, you turn on the lights and trudge to the bathroom, where you lean over the cramped sink to turn on the water. As you do so, the small wooden doll slides out of your pocket, clattering into the sink as the water rushes over the small figurine. 

“Oh, fuck!” you exclaim, your heart sinking as you watch the small doll get absolutely soaked—waterboarded by your bathroom sink. Quickly, you pull the doll back out and start drying it with the nearest towel; you know that wood warps and paint runs, so getting Felix wet was really out of the question. Annoyance bubbles up inside of you as you attempt to pat the doll dry—it really had been an abysmal day. First you woke up late, then had a terrible day at work, and now the one treat you’ve allowed yourself to buy has been ruined, and by your own doing too. The fact that you have no one to blame but yourself makes you scowl at your reflection briefly, before looking back down at the doll in your hands. 

However, the doll looks different now. 

At first you think, ah shit, there’s the wood warping from contact with water already, but then you swear you see the doll’s painted eyes blink at you. “What the hell,” you say out loud, muttering under your breath as you bring the doll closer to your face, squinting at its tiny face to try and see it happen again—or to confirm that you’re really losing your shit. 

“You might want to put me down.” 

The doll’s lips don’t move, but it very clearly blinks at you again; its large, round brown eyes look up to meet your gaze before shutting momentarily. You scream and throw the doll onto the bathroom floor, but instead of landing with a clatter it lands with a puff of smoke. With your lungs screaming for air, your heart pounding with fear, and your mind swirling with confusion, you fumble for the door handle and stumble out of the bathroom, choking on the smoke that exploded from your little doll. 

You squint as you look back at the bathroom, the smoke starting to clear from the small room as it airs out, and then your eyes widen—in the place of your little doll is a fully grown man, who resembles the keychain exactly. “Felix,” you say shakily, raising a hand to point at him. You’re still not completely sure you’re awake—this feels like some nonsensical fever dream, or a fucked up YA book plot. 

“That’s me,” he confirms, his deep voice sending a shiver up your spine. 

“You were a doll,” you say, your eyebrows raising in confusion and panic. “Now you’re… not.” 

“A doll?” he asks, his own eyebrows raising, his expression matching yours. The two of you stand there in doubled bewilderment. “I was going to ask you how I got here, and where exactly I am. The last thing I remember is meeting this old woman on the side of the road.” 

“Oh, fuck,” you mutter. 

So you are a fool after all.

© petrichor-han 2024, all rights reserved.

[captain039]

Lord and lady

Vampire lord Astarion x spawn!reader

Warnings: possessiveness, jealousy, gore, vampire things, eventual smut, swearing, hurt/comfort, sexual

Still haven’t played Baldurs gate three, I’m thriving on YouTube and tiktok videos without trying to spoil the whole thing xD also Gale? A precious baby but also out of body love making xD 😭

Hopefully I can really make red flags and evil Astarion (HAH)

(CHANGED TITLE)

You weren’t even sure why or when it happened, all you remember is cold throbbing and your world disappearing before you awoke. You were wrong though, changed, the sounds of the forest were horrible and loud, the sun felt like a fire burning you and you were so hungry. You’d gone home on instinct mind a craze for something you never thought you’d need, blood. You’d slaughtered your parents and drunk them dry, their blood flowed through your system and you finally came to reality. You’d been in shock horror, you had wailed out into the wooden house, trashed the place before going into a numbness and burying them. You ran from the village, took few things, you wanted to die out in the wilderness, only your hunger forced you to survive. You lived off rabbits, deer, whatever was unfortunate enough to cross your crazed being. Your clothes were ruined and you felt like a hermit, your hair was matted horribly and you looked like a skeleton. It’d been a hot day and you hid in a cave panting at thirst and the warmth, you felt like a rabid dog almost. You had no idea where you were, your backpack you once had was lost to the woods and your shoes and clothes were ruined. You jolted awake, senses on edge and alerted as you felt something close. Your hunger raged and you attacked whatever it was, praying for just a deer, problem was, it spoke. You bit down on its neck, power flooded your veins and your eyes went wide and you stumbled off whoever it was. You shuffled back before getting off the ground and ready to run.

“Stop!” You froze at the word and every single hair on your body stood up.

“Who are you?” He asked and you wondered why on earth he was talking to you.

“Nothing, monster! no one” your voice wasn’t yours almost, it felt wrong, hoarse. Your eyes twitched over the woods wanting to run, you heard critters in the night making you jolt and flinch.

“What’s your name, darling?” He said voice smooth as honey.

“Nothing” you shook your head flinching when he stepped closer, why hadn’t you run?

“Who on earth did this to you?” He said more asking himself as he circled you. Your mind flashed between brown hair, red eyes, strong body and sharp cold fangs.

“A master shouldn’t leave its spawn, the spawn should leave its master” he said huffing and you frowned.

You finally found the will to move your body and sprinted through the woods, you were too quick for yourself practically smacked into every tree before you fell to the ground in agony. You hadn’t been able to cry in a long time, you just laid in the bottom of the forest floor, listening to footsteps getting closed.

“I’ll help you” you heard as someone lifted you and your world went black.

You awoke with a jolt rolling off the overly comfortable surface, you hit the cold floor with a groan. Your mind eyes opened and you stared at the grey floor, where were you? The smells and sounds weren’t familiar.

“Darling?” You heard confused and turned snarling at them. The man from the forest stood there a silk black cape behind him, his chest on display from the extremely low v-neck he work, tight leather top with pants lined with red, black lace up boots, a black jewelled head piece around his forehead, disappearing into his white curls. He approached slowly and you quickly scrambled away and hit the back of the wall, your chest heaved and you couldn’t focus properly.

“Love, you need to calm down” he said and you groaned loudly. A burst of magic left you, knocking the vampire to the ground, a groan leaving his lips.

“Sire?” You heard come from the door.

“Don’t!” The vampire growled, but you had already got up and to run out the door. You knocked over who was at the door, you got lost in the big black castle, the occasional person looking at you confused. You were knocked to the ground though a body covering yours and fangs latching on your neck. You whimpered body going limp at the growl that filled your ears. You knew it was the vampire from the forest, he didn’t drink your blood though, he simply held you there like a wolfs jaw around a rabbits neck.

“Are you done?” He let go and whispered and you nodded hesitantly. You noticed others around you and closed your eyes hoping they’d disappear.

“Leave!” He snarled and hurried footsteps left. He hesitated but slowly lifted his body off yours. You lay limply though opening your eyes again.

“Up” he ordered and your body listened. You stood on shaky legs not looking to him, holding a hand over your neck feeling your blood before the wound healed quickly. You wiped your hands on your pants and tensed as the vampire moved behind you. You avoided looking at him as he stood in front of you.

“Tell me your name” he ordered and you hesitated.

“Y/n” you muttered the name foreign almost. He muttered your name and your body shuddered.

“Why’re you out in the forest living like an animal?” He asked.

“I’m a monster” you said fangs aching at the thought.

“You’re not a monster, you just haven’t been taught” you looked up as he said those words eyes wide.

“I know all vampires around here, who turned you?” He asked and you began to shake.

“I don’t know!” You cried as boots came into your view and a hand held your neck gently. You gasped looking to the vampire, his Ruby eyes stern.

“Open your mind to me” he whispered and you frowned, you didn’t know magic.

“I don’t know how to, I don’t know magic” you said shakily.

“You have it in you” he said as his thumb moved to your bottom lip. Your whole body lit up seeing his eyes intently looking at your lips. He frowned shaking his head slightly and letting your neck go, confusion in his eyes.

“Sire” you heard the voice from before and turned to the person. Another vampire stood there, a young woman, well she looked young.

“What is it?” He asked to the woman.

“There’s an issue requiring your attention” she pressed glancing to you briefly.

“I have issues already, deal with yourself” he snapped and she huffed.

“Syla” he warned and she gave a cold face before turning to leave.

“For a spawn she is defiant” the vampire behind you tsked, how many of them were here?

“How about a bath?” He said suddenly and you frowned at him.

“Kano!” He yelled and you flinched. A dwarf appeared, a human, a pissed look on his face.

“What you want?” He huffed.

“Please take our guest to the bathroom, get some of the ladies to help her” the vampire said.

“Apparently I’m needed” he sighed walking past you and the dwarf, disappearing down the hall.

“Who are you?” The drawf asked and you gulped.

“Y/n” you said.

“Kano” he introduced beginning to walk away.

“Come on then!” He called and you followed. You were confused from the halls and door before you reached a bathroom.

“Molly” Kano called and a black haired woman looked your way, a white dress on her body.

“Oh” she said surprised at you.

“What happened?” She asked looking to the dwarf.

“Our lord found her” he shrugged and she sighed shaking her head.

“Come let’s get you cleaned up” she smiled softly and you frowned, glancing at the dwarf as he left. She beckoned you over before running the bath.

Next part ->

[cosmoosims]

the beginner's drama challenge by @cosmoosims

*base game only*

Eight generations, each with their own unique storylines and drama-filled tasks to complete! I started making this sometime last year when I had less packs and mods than I do now (I literally only have 4 packs lmao) and I wanted something base-game friendly that also forced me to play emotionally different than I do now.

This is a base game challenge but feel free to use any and all mods/packs/etc to make it your own!

Feel free to play along with me, and post your own images using the tag #bdc :)

GOOGLE DOC

for the goals of each gen, click the google doc above!

Gen One: Evil Mastermind

Backstory Who says all villains are heartless? Despite aspiring to be the greatest criminal the world has ever seen, this Sim can’t help but want to begin a long, fulfilling generation. Being a criminal isn’t the wealthiest career but this Sim vows to give their children everything they want! Now, if only they could keep their evilness in check…

Gen Two: Adrenaline Junkie

Backstory Living with a criminal has turned this Sim into an adrenaline junkie! They crave adventure and anything that will get their heart racing. What better than to become a Secret Agent and work for S.I.M? As well as getting high on life, this Sim loves to make others laugh. Unfortunately, sometimes their jokes can be a little on the mean side, which doesn’t earn them many friends…

Gen Three: Homemade Hermit

Backstory This Sim's parent was always on the go-go-go and now all they want to do is settle down for a quiet life with only their paintings for company. Unfortunately, sometimes their independent nature gets the best of them, causing a rift in both family and friendships alike. Because of this, this sim is seldom happy tied to anyone, and often pushes others away. The only person they want to be with is a ghost they haven’t seen since their childhood…

Gen Four: Villainous Valentine

Backstory After living a sheltered life, this sim just wants to live a little! If that means breaking hearts left and right, then so what? Growing up alone has numbed them to human emotions, including their own. Oh, well! At least they have money to console them, and an increasing pile of bodies…

Gen Five: From the Ground Up

Backstory All this sim wants to do is rise to the top as an Athlete and destroy their competition. After running away from home as a teen, they're more motivated than ever to become the greatest. But their carelessness gets the best of them and soon they end up with too many kids and barely enough money to feed them! Guess it's time to pack up their dreams and crawl back home to a parent they hate…

Gen Six: Style Influencer

Backstory This sim’s parent did the best they could, but growing up with so many siblings really grated them the wrong way. There was no attention left for them! Now they’ve moved out and found their true passion in creating and crafting outfits, but that little spark of jealousy has never left them. Dating taken sims has its ups and downs, but one thing’s for sure; at least this sim is taking attention away from another!

Gen Seven: Ground Control to Major

Backstory This sim’s parent always had their head firmly planted in the ground, but they can’t help that theirs is somewhere up amongst the stars. Everything seems to be going well down on Earth, especially when they marry and have kids with the love of their life, but what could be going on up there on Sixam? What lies in the great expanse of space? This sim has to find out, even at the cost of their family…

Gen Eight: That’s 50’s Show

Backstory Having an absentee sim as a parent has messed this sim up in a big way, but they’re determined to work through it. Sure, a white-picket fence and kids running around the house is a dream for them, but it’s a lot harder to stay committed than it looks. Feeling trapped, this sim can’t help but reach out to someone that isn’t tied to as many responsibilities as their partner is…

[extremelyblackandwhite]

pairing: dad!bucky barnes x au pair!reader

warnings: age gap (reader is 10 years younger than bucky), smut (18+, dni if under 18)

author’s note: i got given a vinyl of go your own way/silver springs last week by my mum that she bought when she was younger, so i've been playing it time and time again and it bled onto this chapter.

masterlist

i know i could've loved you but you would not let me.

Bucky knew Y/N was upset. That's all he knew. He knew she'd come from her date and ever since she'd been quiet as a mouse and that was something considering Y/N gave her opinion anytime the opportunity presented itself. He'd even change the order her mugs in, to see if she would say something, instead she just grabbed a mug and went upstairs to her room whenever he was home to watch Sadie. If he was looking after Sadie, then Y/N would not be found for long stretches of time, instead looked into her bedroom with note and after note typing aggressively - a routine which made Bucky thankful he'd never pursued a PhD or anything other than a bachelors. He'd started to leave little snacks around her room whenever she went out, a pack of Oreos stashed in her nightstand, dehydrated mango slices from the brand she liked on top of her computer, little pots of coconut yoghurt. He knew she was always in that bedroom and he also knew she wouldn't come out no matter if it was breakfast, lunch or dinner.

He was sure there was only one person to blame - Christopher. Sure, Y/N and Bucky fought about it before she went on her date, they always did, but it never resulted in her becoming a hermit, locked in her room. As such, Chris was now enemy number one and Bucky was sure if HR discovered, he would get in trouble. He wasn't making the kid's life too hard, he was just making him work nights and overtimes and weekends. He'd also sent Chris on a coffee run. Yet Y/N continued in her little cocoon of sadness and tonight was no difference. Bucky had ordered Italian in and ended up the evening watching Beauty and the Beast with Sadie. The redhead had fallen asleep at the midpoint and as Bucky was ready to call it a night, he heard the soft steps of Y/N's coming down the stairs, holding a stack of plates and mugs. She was in her little white vintage chenille robe embroidered with blue and pink flowers, her hair up with a way too big claw clip and white fuzzy socks. If Bucky wasn't worried about her, he'd be wondering about what was under her robe.

      - You want some Italian? - Bucky got up to follow her from the kitchen. - I got some of that weird spinach pasta you like. Extra mozzarella balls just as you like.

      - No. - she placed the plates in the sink, starting to wash them with the cranberry dish soap that she always bought the moment the first autumn leaf fell.

      - You didn't come up of your little cocoon today. You know, the cleaning maid is wondering if I'm cutting your pay since you're keeping one bedroom and one bathroom hostage.

      - I can move to the guest bedroom. - she moved to grab a plate but the slippery porcelain slipped, crashing into a thousand bits to the ground. She sighed, her lip quivering and almost as if by seconds, she started crying.

Y/N went down to her knees, grabbing at the pieces of porcelain and shards, as if pushing them together would bring it back.

      - Y/N, shit, darling ... - he went back to his knees to put his hands on her arms to pull her up. - It's ok, don't pick them up, you'll get hurt.

      - I'm sorry. - she sniffled, her hands attempting to go and rub her eyes but Bucky stopped them in case she had little shards of porcelain stuck to her palms. - I'll clean it up, I promise.

      - It's fine. - Bucky kicked the big shards away. - What's wrong, Y/N? Is it Chris? Did he hurt you?

      - I'm gonna fail my viva. - she sniffled once more. - And I'm gonna have to go back to Ohio and I'm not made to live in Ohio.

      - Why would you go back to Ohio?

      - My parents bought a farm there after retiring. I am not Ohio farm material, Bucky. I'm afraid of horses.

      - Why would you even fail your viva? You're a smart woman, you're at a good university, you are okay. - Bucky wrapped his arms around her. - Probably not for long if you keep not eating. Go seat and I'll get you your disgusting pasta.

      - It is not disgusting. - Y/N rolled her eyes before making her way to the table. - Buck? Can I become your secretary if I fail my viva?

      - No. Your skirts aren't as short as I'd like. - he joked, bringing her pasta in a plate and pushing it towards her. - You're too fucking smart to be my secretary, if you were in my company you'd be CEO or something.

      - I worked my entire life for this. - she toyed around with her food, looking up with eyes still wet. - You know? I didn't come from legacy families or families who could actually afford to send me to college, I worked my ass off because I thought if I did I'd get somewhere. I'd be someone, I wouldn't have to count my pennies, I would be respected. Instead, everyone thinks I'm a joke on track to become your unfuckable housewife.

      - Now c'mon, if you do become my housewife, I would fuck you at least once a night. - he joked trying to lighten the mood but Y/N merely deadpanned at him. - Twice actually. You have a nice ass.

      - Not helping.

      - Because you're being ridiculous. You wanna know the reason I hired you? You had zero experience but you were smart and you were fiery and independent and I wanted my daughter to be like that.

      - You're just saying that because you're tired of bathing, Sadie.

      - I'm saying that because you're a great student and you're a smart woman. Besides, if they fail you, we'll just have to bribe the university. We'll donate a building for you.

      - You're not funny. - she swallowed in a giggle before taking the first forkful of pasta.

      - No, really, we'll get you a building. - he moved to seat next to her. - Maybe an astronomy one.

      - How swell.

      - I mean, maybe an astronomy building will be too much. Maybe a farming one.

      - God, I'm never telling you anything ever again. - she took another forkful of food. Bucky was glad he'd distracted her enough where she was eating, genuinely eating. - How's Sadie?

      - Sadie is doing well. She's supposed to go back to kindie next week but I was taking of taking her to the office for a bit. You know? I don't trust the roudy kids.

      - It's a private kindergarten. The senator's grandchild goes there, Bucky. I doubt they have their own fight club.

      - Have you ever seen a bunch of 2 year olds? They're terrifying and Sadie is a sensitive baby.

      - So you'll take her to a corporate office?

      - It's gonna be her company one day. Start them young. - he joked once more. - You want some ice cream? I tried to look for one that would be suitable for 2 year olds but then I came home and goggle it and they said I should blend frozen bananas instead.

Truth was, he'd bought a bunch of flavours thinking one would be Y/N's favourite and would entice her to eat something. That had ended up with him holding over 10 flavours of ice cream in his freezer. He came back with a selection of flavours he thought he wanted in a nice little dish. Y/N always liked nice little dishes.

      - Maybe I just don't belong, you know? - Y/N sighed. - In academic research. Most people come from well off families or are really smart, I'm just ...

      - You're just you. - Bucky said, leaning his chin on his hand to stare at her.

      - Yeah. I'm just me. Plain, old, me. Daughter of working class parents, me. Mediocre grade at masters, me. - she sighed once more, looking at the melting ice cream. - I can't even keep a relationship from falling apart.

      - Chris broke up with you?

      - I am not dating Chris so he can't technically break up with me. Besides, it wasn't like it would actually work.

      - I'm sorry.

      - No, you're not. - she looked at him, cocking her head to the side. - You'll probably be dancing in the grave of my situationship.

      - I don't dance, Y/N. I'm a respectable man. - he once again tried to make light of the situation. - What happened?

      - Guess I'm not suitable or good enough or don't do enough. One of the three. Whatever. - she chuckled dryly. - It was nice to have someone like me even if the me they liked was someone I'm not.

      - You act as if other people don't like you.

      - It's not that they don't like me but they also don't like me. You know what I mean? They put up with me, they are alright with me, they are cordial but they don't like me. They don't tolerate me.

      - I like you. - those words flew out of his lips like it was the most natural thing for him to say. As if he were stating an irrefutable fact like the sky looks blue or the Earth is round. - I like you. Just the way you are.

Y/N's lips parted as she waited for something to compliment the sentence. I like you just the way you are but less difficult, I like you just the way you are but prettier, I like you just the way you are but less argumentative, I like you just the way you are but as a friend. Yet those words never came and she found herself instead staring at the man in front of her, staring into those blue eyes like some sailor drawn to the sea.

      - Daddy? - Bucky recognised his daughter's voice. Bad timing, bad, bad timing.

      - Hey bug. - Y/N got up from her chair and walked up to the 2 year old, kneeling down to her level. - Are you alright?

      - Nightmare.

      - Aw that's awful, bug. I'll go and tuck you in and stay there while you fall asleep. Sounds good?

(...)

      - I'm telling you, Steve. I fucked up.

      - When you said we needed to have an urgent meeting, I didn't think this would be it.

Bucky had called Steve in London, the meeting screen showing Steve in his office. Yet, instead of one of their regular meetings to check with the state of the London office, it was Bucky talking to Steve. He'd fucked up, he'd fucked up badly and he'd only realise he'd fucked up once he woke up this morning and Y/N had left, leaving a note merely saying she had gone down to Ohio to be with her parents for a bit.

      - You just said you liked her, so what? At least you didn't tell her you loved her. It could have been interpreted differently.

      - You don't understand, Steve. I told her I liked her just the way she is.

      - Alright, Mark Darcy, pipe down. Have you considered that maybe, just maybe, Y/N wants to go see her parents because she hasn't seen them in ages? Maybe because she's upset and wants to be with her mum and dad?

      - I'm telling you, she's gonna quit.

      - She's not gonna quit, Barnes. She likes Sadie too much, besides, isn't she with Chris Davis anyway? - Steve leaned against his chair, staring at Bucky through his screen. - Just relax.

(...)

A week had gone by and Y/N woke up with the sun shinning on her face. Being here was different than being in New York, it was quieter, calmer and all the sounds she could hear were the wind and the animals allowed close enough to the main house. This wasn't her childhood home, her parents had bought it yet it was comfortable. The furniture was the same and the feeling of her home was still available, it made her calm. Things were ... too much right now and she needed to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

She moved herself to the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of tea and seating on the wooden chair with her feet on top of the seat. Her mother walked into the kitchen a few moments later, kissing the top of her head before sitting down next to her daughter.

      - Do you want me to make you some eggs, shortcake?

      - I'm okay, mum. - she smiled at her mother. - Where's dad?

      - I sent him out to get some groceries. I wanted to talk to you alone.

      - That's never good.

      - Shortcake, I love having you here. You're my only daughter and I love it when you come to visit but it feels like you're running away.

      - I'm not running away, mum. I just came to visit.

      - When you're 3 days away from defending your thesis? In the middle of the night? I've known you for 27 years, shortcake. You're not visiting, you're running.

      - I'm failing. - she sighed, with a scared laugh. - I've looked through my papers time and time again and in 3 days I'll make a fool of myself.

      - Y/N, c'mon. - her mother put her hand on her shoulder. - You said that about your undergraduate and your masters. You've never actually came to me and told me something is going well academically.

      - This is different. I've invested almost four years of my life into this and I'm just so tired. The thought of failing is just ... terrifying.

      - You've always doubted yourself, always put so much weight onto your own shoulders. You don't need to be the best, Y/N. You don't need to impress us or make us proud, we've been proud and impressed by you since the moment you were born. Running away here is not gonna solve how you feel and you, Y/N, have never been a quitter. - her mother caressed her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. - You gave it your best, that's all you can do.

      - There's more. - since she was airing out things, maybe she should talk about this. It wasn't like she could talk to her friends, she didn't have many and she couldn't talk to her colleagues about it either. - There's this guy.

      - Christopher?

      - Not Christopher. Another guy ... He told me he liked me and it just ... it freaked me out.

      - Do you like him?

      - I ... I don't actually know. I, I never really allowed myself to think of him like that. He's different.

      - How different?

      - I never considered ending up with someone like him, you know? He's not what I'd envision ever but he feels, he feels like the only person who seems me. He seems me not postdoctoral student Y/N, not who I may be if I succeed or if I fail. Just me.

      - Then what is the problem?

      - I think he also doesn't consider himself ending up with someone like me. I think .... I think I could love him but he would never let me because I'm not the ending that he pictured. I'm just not the one.

taglist: @talesofadragon @themermaidscales82 @winters1917 @vladsgirlxx @stinkerbelle007 @maybefoxysouls @blackwood-bodecker-housewife @chipilerendi @kandis-mom @belennasif @abitofblues @buckybarnessimpp

[deafeningbasementcolor]

Go Ahead and Fall- Yandere! Alien x Reader

Warnings: Yandere, Nonhuman, Mind Control, Bodily harm for reader, Violence, Alien Invasion, Mentions of parental estrangement, Reader breaks a leg

Please do not interact with my works if you are not over the age of eighteen.

"Somethings wrong, Daddy. I know you don't want anything to do with me, but I need you to-" The pleading words are cut off by a smile gracing your father's face. "Of course. I am your father, after all. Come on inside, I will keep you safe." A shiver goes down your spine.

That wasn't how your father would respond. He never would talk so formally for one, nor would he have such a kind paternal look to his face as he moves aside to allow you to enter his home. The inside is suspiciously free of the drug paraphernalia that was scattered across the coffee table last time you dared to visit. Instead, on the coffee table sits two cups of coffee. They're full, freshly made. Your father lives alone.

"Nevermind." You mutter, taking a step back. That serene smile is still on his face.

"Nonsense. I insist you come in." You take another step back. He follows. You take off running. He's about to catch you when you reach his truck at the end of the driveway, grabbing the handle. The door opens for you, the truck not locked, and you slam the door into him. You climb up and in, and you aren't super religious but someone up there is on your side because the keys are sitting in the ignition still. You turn the truck on before he can get the driver door back open, rearing out of the driveway.

The second you turn out of his neighborhood, you can't help but feel a sense of paranoia. You turn out to be correct in that, because a minute later three police cars begin to follow you. They turn on the sirens and yet follow you at an almost polite pace. More mind controlled zombies then.

You had been dealing with this all day, people with odd interactions trying to lure you into their arms. It had culminated into this.

You felt like this was a bad dream, as you turned onto the bridge. Your friend Isaac lived like a hermit right by it. Maybe he wouldn't be a puppet. Unfortunately, to get to him, you'd have to get past the damn two-way bridge that went over a fast flowing river. Not the smartest move, but in your defense you didn't have much time to strategize.

The police cars stop behind you, blocking off the road in case you try to backtrack. There's no other cars on the bridge. Ahead, you see three new police cars turn at the other end of the bridge, turning sideways and blocking the exit. What the fuck.

You stop, putting the car in park. Neither side has cops getting out of the cruisers. They seem to be satisfied just in the fact that they've blocked you in. You climb out of the car and run to the side of the bridge. Down below is the river. It's a scary drop, making you swallow bile as you consider it.

Suddenly, the cops climb out of their cars, walking calmly down the road towards you. "Do not panic." They call out to you.

"A-are-....are you gonna hurt me?" You ask, and you're surprised they can hear you. "No, of course we will not hurt you. We are just going to bring you to your mate. He has been waiting for you. Do not be frightened."

That just makes you panic more. You climb the rails of the bridge, tears pricking your eyes as you look down at the rush of the water. Is it even deep enough for you to jump without breaking something? But you feel like the only choice you have is to chance it.

Just as you climb over, clinging to the outside of the rail and preparing yourself to let go, you hear the sound of...something below you. You chance a glance down, palms sweaty against the rail as you crane your neck.

Something is in the river. You see it, the water beginning to part around whatever is there, and suddenly it stands. It's taller than any possible human, wider too.

How the fuck was it hiding in the river?

It holds out two blobs from it's formless body, and they turn to arms and hands. The hands are large enough to wrap around your body, held with their palms upwards for you to land into. A gigantic face is created, with human features....besides the fact that the eyes are pure black and the smile that forms is all sharp teeth.

"Come, my little mate. You have given me quite the chase. It is time to let me love you."

You scream, trying to haul yourself back over the rails and back onto the bridge. It's too late. The cops are there. How did they get there so fast? They smile serenely at you as they all reach down to peel your hands off.

You fall backwards, with a rush of air around you. You're too stunned to even scream, landing in one of those gigantic palms painfully. One of your legs lands beneath you. Agony burns through you, and you begin to wail in pain. The angle its in is all wrong. You don't think you could even get up to try and run, if the fingers of the hand weren't curling up to keep you contained in the palm.

"Oh, poor little human. You have broken one of your legs. Such a fragile thing. Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

[vivianbernadetteaurora]

Your moon sign 🌟✨💫and your relationship with your mother, and how your mother was, or how they were inspired🧚🏽‍♂️💘🌹🥀

Aries 🌑 moon ♈️🐏💪🤗

So you are an Aries moon, you may have had a mum who is very business orientated, very brave and cardinal . She got through a lot of situations on her own for being headstrong, a leader, a pioneer in the area , a fighter and just a strong force at a young age you may have felt very responsible for your mother, physically or mentally, it’s not always the case, but I’ve seen this a lot with Aries moons where they have a grudge against their mother, or Aries placements in general. They are quite independent people that aren’t always family orientated unless it comes to their own family they create.  I’ve noticed in some cases. Also that Aries moons can become of pies and also quite aggressive and fuck you stay away from me, resting bitch, tape face, kind of energy,your mum might of had similar childhood, Aries is the first sign of zodiac so represents you the new things that come in spring, how things can be created. The first person to do something you may on an emotional level want somebody who was action orientated but also has a need for passion and be able to live life in the fast lane, but also be able to quickly change that too. You don’t hold grudges for too long, but like I said,try not come across too angry ,as it might push people away .

Here are some example’s of Aries moons 🌒, KENDRA WILKINSON. KENDALL JENNER , RIHANNA , SELENA GOMEZ , PAMELA ANDERSON , ANGELINA JOLIE ,WHITNEY HOUSTON .

So you these ladies have a fierce role ,although some super girly and feminine nine,they definitely have a edge,also with these ladies ,here there is drug use and also alleged drug use SELENA , WHITNEY ,ANGELINA AND KENDRA ,FROM YOUNG AGE AND OF COURSE RRULES YOUTH .

If siblings the responsibility for them may be a lot this is because the parent may feel the other children in the family need more attention than this child. They can trust this child to get on with things. They can trust this child to be really grown up, but maybe you didn’t want to feel grown-up from such age maybe wanted to pay with your dolls for longer anyone with strong Aries placements may feel this strong sense of growing up from a young age, and it shouldn’t always be like that for children. They should be able to enjoy their childhood without feeling less, even if it’s just a feeling they got from the parent.

Taurus 🌙 moon ♉️🐂🍔💷

Having a tourist moon and your relationship with your mother, could be very revolved around money. Your mum may have worked very hard the home

worked hard for herself, she could’ve been really a workaholic. She could’ve been very stubborn. It was either her way or the highway,, she could’ve been very stable, you could of felt this was a way to feel secured, money from a early aged was etched onto you , your mum might be a hermit and rather unusual to social standards, on the darker end of the spectrum, there may be disputes and problems with environment and area because of Taurus walling that part of life they may have had really nice cooked delicious meals would be a big part of their childhood and growing up would be around the dinner table, expressions of luxury with a love language which grew into the adult hood because it takes a lot for a Taurus to change who they are if they ever do she could’ve been very self-indulgent leaving you to fend for yourself, you prioritise stability and commitment . you may be very fertile and your body. You’d be very regular with your periods and your body feminine movements. With anything, there’s a dark end and light end of the astrology spectrum, so on the dark end of a Taurus moon with their mother, there may be issues with getting into a conversation that doesn’t revolve around shallow issues such as money, houses finances, but on the other end, it can lead to you inheriting property , being set up with money for when you’re older . which we don’t always talk about in culture, but is very important to your life

I’ve noticed with Taurus means that they can take on the whole world and feel like nothing else is somebody’s problems problems and but sometimes it doesn’t really show who you are on a deeper level let people come in to that side of you they’re all gonna be the same ,.

Celebrity examples of Taurus moon,

Halle Berry , Christina Aguilera, Cameron Diaz, Zendaya, Demi Lovato, Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan, karrine Steffens, Method Man,  Nicole Scherzinger, Keira Knightley.

Taurus I don’t know enough  is aware the moon is at home. This is because of the feeling of security comforts and why the man feels relaxed unable to also get things done for the moon and that’s good. It’s good for fertility about . It’s an eye sign so it’s giving that purity of fertility makes things fresh, clean fertilised and a good tendency to grow on a spiritual and metaphorical metaphorical level out of all the Earth signs. It is the most fertile and the most earthy. It starts the season of spring able to share a good side emotionally without being too emotional if there’s such a thing.

There could all so be issues with food ,and /or body issues images looks,weight and social standards , this could be bulimia , anorexia and binge eating it and obesity.remember to love ❤️ who you are .

GEMINI MOON 🌙 ♊️🚫📞

Being a Gemini moon, I feel like you grew up with a mother who was very like dynamic you grew up in a very social household, with jokes and banter constantly and that’s how you communicated, you probably grew up in a household with lots of studies where you had to work hard at studies, or have a plan to get educated You are probably known in the area well as well and neighbours came in and out of the house parties and meeting new people were part of the agenda on your childhood with your mothers, especially your mother probably used her social side to to be a good mother and show you love by talking to you and putting as much into you and educating you about the world with words, which I myself am quite jealous of. There’s nothing you can never know too much knowledge and that was probably in the motto in your house. You never know too much on camera, herself. Gemini moon, you probably feel emotionally communication is key to your relationship and if there’s a lack of communication, this feels dead to you and you don’t know how to deal with it that’s not always the case, sometimes you need quiet time, sometimes quite good. You don’t need to always feel something it has to be going on in the way of social, some people don’t work like that some people are social animals and you need to be aware of that., This doesn’t mean these people don’t love you it just means that they have probably a different kind of love language.

Your mother probably grind it into that. This was the right way to be though and things were very fickle and there was lots of laughter and lots of fun. Also, which was good for your heart so it can’t be a bad thing side of this, they could have been a lack of communication, especially in certain degrees of the sign. You could’ve felt emotionally and cut off from the communication styles, your mother could’ve been too busy with work and socialising to pay much attention to you so in astrology you wanna look of each end of the spectrum and if you’ve got the dark side end of it then that’s what’s gonna play up and if you feel more of the lights sided end of it, that’s what may show up in your chart and depending on what house it’s in it will amplify that so let’s say you have a Gemini moon in the fourth house, they may be a strange relationship with the mother, and it may emphasise on the mother a bit too much whether it be good bad or abnormal or whatever . Gemini moon is Roseanne bar, ? And based around her family and her neighbourhood, there’s a Gemini man showing up and it was a good creative outlet for the writing. It’s a mercury road sign along with Virgo .

 celebrities with their moon and Gemini

Roseanne Barr, Bridget Bardot, Jennifer, Lawrence, Khloé, Kardashian, Alyssa Milano, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tina Turner, Heidi Klum, Rachel McAdams Kylie Minogue, Mila,jocavich , Jessica beil, and Aubrey plaza to name a few from what I’ve observed of Gemini means I feel like they are quite secure to themselves socially. They do feel like everything is a joke maybe sometime and don’t take life too seriously but that comes with the Sagittarius mutable Gemini spectrum system, sign energy they’re all quite jokesters think of Heidi Clement her parties for Halloween and how she puts everything into them and how that’s the social thing that everybody comes to like I said, Tina Turner , who is like a very sociable, singer and the stories about often like always not told to be true and told that she was good, give as good as she gets, Aubrey Plaza and her awkward funny sarky humour that peoples find awkward and funny at the same time with Jennifer Lawrence he’s an energy. I don’t jail with too well but maybe that’s cause I’m a Scorpio I mean there’s something with Geminis that can come across is a bit fake and a bit sometimes a bit mean sometimes a bit cold and sometimes a bit over the top like they’re the ones in control I like Khloé Kardashian .

[symphonic-scream]

Okay.

New Arcana Swap

(tag for now is Transboy Haru I need a new name for this I know)

Anyways. It's been like 2 hours here's everything I have so far

So it's a Fool Haru au, but as a trans guy. He's been transitioning since the year before he started high school, and he's had top surgery. Now he's in his final year, and he's being shipped out to Tokyo after a summer in Juvi, all for something he didn't do

Toranosuke Yoshida as the Hierophant with Goro as the Hermit too it's. This ex politician who has been adopting these kids who's rich and important parents abandon them

Emperor Makoto. And then with Makoto, she's been "staying" with Kobayakawa as a pupil and StuCo Prez, and once he's confessed, she reaches out to her sister and returns home to live with Hanged Man Sae. She's sorta non-binary genderfluid? She doesn't have a term coined yet. But pronouns vary each day

Makoto: thanks, so much. For saving me, for helping me find my sister again, for accepting who I am, and- and for loving me,

Haru: oh, Mako dearest,

Makoto, crying: d-dont look at me like that, Loverboy. Just- let's hurry, the others are waiting

(in case you couldn't tell yet, this is Okujima)

Haru: hey why are you so close with that pharmacist?

Yoshida: oh, cause. I take pills?

It's cause Goro's on anti-psychotics lmao

It's how he so easily got Haru in with the counsellor Death Maruki

Maruki: yep, I see your files are completely true. So, I'll get you set up with your old regime of hormones

Haru: just like that?

Maruki: yep, but I also have to give you anger management sessions. Your parole demands it

Haru: ...I understand. Just, thank you. For understanding who I am

Chariot Shiho and Lovers Futaba, and the Temperance is Kanji-

Cause his husband is the Judgement and their wife is Fortune-

Moon Joker, Magician Ryuji (he's a lil lizard), Star Ann, Empress, uh, Yusuke?

Shiho a recovering amputee. She got in an accident that ended her volleyball career, but she's trying to not get too depressed about it

She cost them the national title. She ends up starting her training again to aim for the Paralympics, and manages the school team

Shiho: hey, why was Shit Head calling you a girl?

Haru: I, I'm trans,

Shiho: THAT BASTARD! Urgh, I'm so sorry, I know a teacher who'll help report that bullshit. I'm Shiho Suzui, school cripple. Nice to meet you, transfer boy

Haru: thanks, I'm Haru Yoshida. Thanks for not, freaking out on ke

Ryuji's a little bearded dragon in the real world

And MORGANA! He's like, Shinya's age? Human

He's playing the hero, trying to take down the Yakuza that ruined his family and left him alone, but he's young and scared, and the group saves him and he moves in with Yoshida too and he's like Haru's little brother

Goro: you're getting soft, old man.

Yoshida: maybe I am. Or maybe, I'm finally doing what I was meant to all along

He runs a homey beef bowl shop and Haru helps out, and Morgana sits at the counter slurping his noodles and Goro studies away in the back booth. Little family of three brothers

Goro: thanks for changing my heart, I guess

Futaba: no problem, man

Goro: ...I, feel like I need to tell you all. My mom was schizophrenic, and I've been being treated for it since Yoshida took me in. I, I'm gonna get myeds adjusted too. So I can be reliable for you all as navigator

Shiho: whatever you need to be yourself, and to be healthy

Haru: and if you end up like that again, we'll race back in and save you

It's shown in how his palace would change every other day. Like if you wait too long the infiltration route changes

Once he's doing better again, he gets back into school, and ends up in the other third year class with Makoto

Goro: your partner is a pain in my ass. They're making it hard to get that #1 spot

Haru: isn't my love so smart?

Goro: fucking gross. Bleh. I'm going to go watch a documentary on serial killers.

Toranosuke and his three sons, such a proud dad

Haru doesn't leave Tokyo at the end of the year. He gets formally adopted, and moves from the attic to the proper Yoshida house

Naoto: so. You're the leader of the Phantom Thieves?

Haru: ...what's it matter how I answer? They got their signed confession.

Naoto: I knew it, there was no way they'd have gotten a genuine one so quickly... Those bastards... Well, hopefully our chat can clear things up. Tell me, why'd you do it? How? The more I know, the better I can help you out

Naoto recognizes the boy from his husband's class roster, from his chats about the transfer boy that seemed to affect everyone around him

Naoto: so. Your dad kicked you out?

Haru: yes. Not for being a boy, he accepted that part of me. No, I caught on about some of his shadier business deals. So, he framed me for assault, disowned me. I got lucky, that Mr Yoshida agreed to house me, otherwise I would have probably ended up back in Juvi,

Okay this is getting too long so MORE UNDER THE CUT BUT WHAT DO YALL THINK LEMME KNOW

Okay. More

Shiho with her slight hobble cause of her prosthetic, and when she just *can't* wear it, she's on crutches, Like at the beach

She wears her leg to the beach, but takes it off when Makoto and Morgana egg her into running out to the water with them. Makoto loads her onto their back until they reach the water and then it's just. Splashing and fun

Goro's reading a book while Ryuji lies on a towel in the sun, soaking in the heat. Haru and Futaba are munching on popsicles and watching the others

Two Jokers

Moon is Akira, and Ren was in Shiho's role

They're Futaba's foster brothers. So that's why Futaba really wants to join up. To avenge Ren. And it's why Akira helps out

Futaba: hey, so Ren's awake. He's going to need physical therapy, but he's keeping all his parts. He's, also going to testify. He won't be returning to Shujin,

Akira: he's going to finish at Kosei. It'll be a better fit for him

Makoto, fluid, having more they or he days but still having she days. Masc she days, but still

Coloured bandanas around their upper arm for their different days. Now embracing their baby punk side

And smiling so much more, back home with their sister and able to be themselves with support, and having friends and a sweet boyfriend

Hifumi for the Faith and. Justice Kasumi and Sumire TRSUT ME

Haru: hey!

Makoto, wearing a dark red bandana: hey Loverboy, can I get a kiss?

Haru: course, love. How's my girl today?

Makoto: feeling great, Sis and I are going out tonight. She said you're welcome to join if you want? And then maybe come over after later to "study"?

Haru: how can I say no to you?

[chaosduckies]

Rising Tides (Chapter 1)

So basically this is just a piece for Mermay. A very late piece, but if you guys like it, I’ll continue it! Honestly, this is very fast paced, and I’m very sorry, but it is STRESSFUL out here.

Word Count: 2.8k

CW: Mentions of Death, A little bit of violence (just getting chased my a shark), that’s pretty much it I think!

1-Nico 

The ocean was a dangerous place. Even for someone who has lived here their entire life. 

Living in the ocean meant knowing how to survive on your own. It meant knowing just how desperate other creatures were to survive. I knew that. I knew just how much of a light snack I was. I knew that I was small. Incapable of being strong or even giving one glare at someone and making them swim away with their tail fins behind their backs. 

Such is the life of a very, very insignificant, mer like myself. 

The little reef I lived in was small, but quaint. My parents love it. I don’t live very far from them. Occasionally I would go over and have dinner with them. Even if I wasn’t hungry. They would ask how my day was, and I would say: “It was good.” we would catch up since the last time we ate, and then they’d ask me if I finally made any friends. I would tell them no. 

Today, really wasn’t a good day. 

My job for the community was to gather kelp. Weird, right? Only some mers eat kelp, like myself. I’m weird. But that’s besides the point! I gather some at least once a week and give it to another person who just delivers it somewhere I don’t even know. I feel like I should probably figure that out, but I’m pretty sure that didn’t really matter- 

Everyone had their own designated job to do for the community. We didn’t have any currency, but the people who lead us told us to do our part, and usually mers are very reluctant to listen so, no one complained. It’s not like I didn’t like my job. Every time I eat I think to myself “Maybe this is the same patch I picked myself-“ Stupid, right? But, everyone has their jobs so they can keep on peacefully living in this community. Though, sometimes it’s not all that great. 

Some mers don’t like each other. When a fight happens, they like solving it civilly so it doesn’t encourage anymore to happen. That’s not it for my case. A lot of people don’t like me. Not because I did something wrong to them. Nonono. I could never hurt a person. Even if I tried. It’s mainly because people outcast people with brightly colored tails. Like mine maybe? They say it’s a liability. That it’ll only get me killed if I’m ever on my own. They’re probably not wrong either. 

Despite my parents having a dark purple colored tail, mine was a bright purple. It’s not good at all for camouflage, it reflects some sunlight when I’m closer to the surface, and it’s just basically like a sign to other mers saying “Hey! I can very easily be killed from a large predator!” And no one wants to be with someone like that. As for the soulmate thing? Despite humans having to find their one true love, mers just have to make a few friends, and if the universe decides that you were meant to be with someone, then there would be a matching tattoo on your wrists after a single contact. Again, weird, right? 

——————

I was swimming off to my small, but humble house hidden inside a huge piece of coral. I don’t even know how I found this place, but I remember loving it because it had a perfect view of the sun above the ocean, and it was far away from most people except for the occasional kid who was just exploring. It was a nice place. I just carried up some sand here made it look nice and decorated with some shells I find while gathering kelp. Turns out you can make a decent home if you really try hard enough. 

There were two shells I had today, a nice light blue one that was probably just a piece of an old clam shell, and a mixture of an orange and yellow one that came from a hermit crab that abandoned its home. I was going to give these to my parents later since they also love seeing the bright colored shells, but they were too scared to travel far from the little village we live in. There are predators out there that would love to snack on a helpless mer, and no one was going out unless they knew they could live on their own or they were hunters getting fish for the others. My parents were none of the above. They preferred the village life. They practically new everyone here and they were both soulmates. And here I am the entire opposite. What a great son I am, right? 

I grabbed a little satchel from my home and started to slowly swim off to my parents. The sun was setting, the water above reflecting a bright orange hue. It was a nice evening. Hasn’t been like this in forever because of all the storms happening above. It’s a wonder how those fishing boats humans have stay afloat when all the waves are just trying to rock them over. Well, maybe it’s because they have some help from other mers or something like that. It wasn’t unheard of. 

The path to my parents’ humble abode was lined with clumped up seaweed and some colorful rocks. Their house was dimly lit, but I knew that they were still awake. My mom was probably making some kind of bag while dad was eating happily in his chair. I swam in. 

“Hey mom.” I mumbled. 

“Nico! Your plate is on the table!” She cheered back at me. She was always happy to see me. Even if I came at least two times a week to visit. I was old enough to take care of myself. Or… at least in the community we live in. 

I looked at the plate on the table, shook my head and swam into the main room where they were doing just as I had imagined. Mom was almost done making a very small bag that she would probably give to one of her friends. I looked through my own bag, grabbing the two small shells I found and placed them on one of the side tables near my dad. 

He inspected them before smiling to himself. I knew he liked them more than my mom did. He said he used to bring buckets back home to his parents and just have a collection to himself. I see why he did. It was fun to find some. Better than sitting around the house all day and not having anything to do. 

I stared at the matching tattoos on both of my parent's wrists, slightly rubbing my own. I knew I wouldn’t find someone who would actually like me. I can’t even picture myself with anyone else. It was the sad, but indisputable truth. And I’ve accepted that fact. 

——————

The next morning, I woke up with my dark hair in my face and streaks of light I shining through some cracks in the little coral cave I lived in. I forced myself up, lazily rubbing my eyes. What should I do today? The question practically begged for an answer. I could just go swim around, but that does’t really sound all that fun if I were being honest. I mean, people would just sit and stare at me all day or do the exact opposite and whisper hurtful comments and rumors about me. Not that I really cared about that though. I said to myself that once I was able to, I would move away from here and just live on my own. 

Today I felt adventurous though.  

I grabbed my little satchel, and headed out, the morning sun still rising above the waters surface. The ocean felt great today. Today just felt like a good day. Something that’s rare to come by when you’re all on your own. 

Where was I swimming out to you may ask? Well, for your information, I was currently heading outside of the community I live in. It’s not like it’s prohibited, but most mers don’t find a need to venture out further when they already knew what was out there. Predators, other mers, food, fish, water. There really wasn’t anything new to find out here when you’re in this ocean. I guess what they really feared were the sharks that were found near the area though. But most don’t even bother with us. Mostly because no small mer like myself is crazy enough to venture out here alone. Yeah, I’m crazy enough. 

To a large shark, I’d probably be like, half it’s size. Most likely shorter. A purple tail is a sign that you’ll be a small mer, but big enough to be on your own. I was the exception though, given that I had a brighter color and was actually the size of like a small human basically. Yes, I was made fun of by some old classmates and sometimes my parents when I was still a pup, yes I know I’m small, and yes I can reach the top shelf on the counter (I mean I can swim so-) 

Swimming along the ocean floor along with the many overgrown plants and small anemones where I saw several clownfish leave to go get whatever is was that they needed. I had found a huge coral reef far into the ocean, there were tons of colorful fish everywhere I had looked. 

I want to say it was maybe an hour long of just roaming and admiring the many colors of the reef I had just found before my eyes drifted off to something big and dark in the distance. I squinted, slightly swimming closer where, for some reason, none of the fish dared to do. 

Filled by my curiosity, I swam towards the large object, wondering what it was. It was a long ways from the reef. It was dark, only seaweed and some kelp patches were the only plants. There were some starfish and snails, some crabs, but that was all the life I could find. It seemed like this part of the deep ocean was pretty much deserted. Strange. 

I kept going, seeing that the object I was looking at looked like those metal ships humans make, except it was wooden and had a bunch of holes. I swam cautiously in, minding that this was a place far away from home and there would basically be no hope in escaping a shark or something if I encountered one. I took a look at my tail, still bright when the waters here were dark and the sun was covered by a layer of seaweed. This would be fine. Nothing was going to find me here… Hopefully. 

The shipwreck didn’t leave much behind. Just some broken pieces of old wood and some old pictures. I doubt there would be anything of worth in here honestly, but I kept on looking, fueling my curiosity. What else was I supposed to do? If I do end up finding something maybe I can show it off to the mers back at home and maybe then they’ll stop ridiculing me and making fun of me for having a bright tail. There is no way I was the only mer in the entire ocean like this! 

There was a room that looked much like an office. Broken pieces of a desk, a little container that once held ink. What I was really intrigued about was the little open chest that revealed a round pice of flattened gold. I grabbed it, studying the rust colored piece of metal. Humans used this as currency once before, right? I’m sure they don’t use whatever these were anymore. Or if whatever I was holding was even a kind of currency. It just seemed like something a human would use. 

I stuffed the gold piece in my bag and continued looking. At least until I saw a large shadow swim fast in the corner of my eye. I kept my arms close to my chest, keeping my breathing controlled before I overreacted. It was probably just a big fish… yeah. Just a really, really big fish that can swim amazingly fast. 

I saw the same shadow swim by again, but this time it bumped into something, making me let out a little surprise yelp. I immediately clasped my hands over my mouth, hearing another thunk! Before I saw the full shadow of whatever the hell was outside. It was a shark. A huge shark. And it looked hungry. 

My hands were shaky, I couldn’t move. I wasn’t going to die, right? I didn’t actually think something like this would happen! I thought those were just rare occurrences that people were making rumors about. Was I actually going to die? No. There has to be some way out of this. 

Looking around, I found a small little crack I could probably fit in if I really tried. I swam slowly closer to it, noting that the thunks outside were getting closer. Please let me get out of here alive… I kept telling myself as I hurried to fit myself in the tiny crack. As soon as I was out, something fast was coming my way, and I was swimming just as fast to get away. 

It was hard to swim when you were in a life or death situation. I never realized that until now. I stole a glance behind me, letting out a weak yelp when I saw the sharks mouth open wide. Great. It seemed like I could fit perfectly in that thing. Imagine being killed by those sharp teeth- No don’t think about that. Not right now at least. 

The water around me only grew darker as we headed deeper into the ocean. There were some small caves, but I didn’t want to really trap myself in there. I had no idea why this shark was so desperate in the first place. It was so much bigger than a regular shark, couldn’t it find something else to eat other than a mer? Like a big fish or something? 

Eventually I realized why the shark seemed so interested in me. They like bright colors. I remember being told something like that when I was younger. It’s just great that my tail is just sooo bright, right? Wow I am so unlucky. My only hope to lose the shark (Who was gaining on me really fast, ohmygoshwhatdoIdo?) is to somehow lose it in a cave or something. Hopefully there was a small space I could get into that the shark couldn’t. And of course hope I don’t run into anything else that was hungry. 

There was a huge cave in front of me, and I took my chances. I felt the sharks jaws snap behind me, just mere inches from snapping on top of my tail. I shuddered, but kept swimming fast, trying to find some kind of small cave to fit myself into. Please oh my gosh I’m getting so tired I don’t want to die-  Stop thinking like that. I’m not going to die. At least not today. 

Just a couple feet ahead of me, I spotted a tiny hole that looked like it could fit me if I squeezed in fast enough. I stole another glance, seeing the shark right there behind me. I let out a scream, grabbing the bag around my neck and throwing it back at it. It slowed it down just a tiny bit, but it kept after me. Maybe just enough time to get myself safe. 

“Pleasepleasepleaseplease.” I muttered to myself, not noticing that something big moved in the dark. 

Right before I could fit myself through the crack hopefully leading to a small cave, I felt a sharp pain in my tail, The part I actually needed to be able to swim. I was forced out, seeing that it was caught in between the sharks sharp teeth. It let go for just a split second, before a loud growl was heard, making the shark almost instantly swim off. Tears stung my eyes (Weird because we’re underwater right?), but I blinked them away and stared at my tail fin, seeing all too many rips and tears. It hurt so, so much. 

That was when my mind had finally clicked and wondered why the shark had left in the first place. The growl. The two huge sets of dark blue eyes trained on me. The slight hue they gave off. Oh. It was just a really, really, really, huge mer. The ones that eat other mers? That destroy community’s for no reason? The one’s that were outcasted? That’s just wonderful. 

I tried swimming away, but the tears in my fins didn’t let me, making me whimper like a lost puppy. My breathing was fast, as I stared back into the eyes that would soon be the death of me. Oh I am so going to die. 

And suddenly I was encased in darkness again. 

——————

Yayyyy new characters. No worries, the giant mer is good. But oh noooo I totally didn’t hurt Nico’s tail on purpose for future purposes… Okay but I feel bad for my little mer. I’m not that sadistic.

But anyways, thank you guys for reading this little Drabble, and of course I know it’s not my best writing, but I was rushing and it’s just these last few days of school that are KILLING me. I hope you guys liked this, and thank you for reading!

[ereardon]

Friends Don't || Chapter 12

Synopsis: Bob Floyd has been your best friend for almost a decade, ever since he quietly agreed to tutor you in college. The two of you have spent years chasing each other around the globe – Bob as a WSO, you as a travel blogger. You’ve always been the anywhere-but-here girl, and he’s been your rock. But when a surprise diagnosis threatens to crumble your picture-perfect life, you’re on the first flight back to San Diego, desperate to put down roots for the first time. Will Bob finally have it in him to admit that you could be the love of his life? What will he say when he finds out the secret you’ve been skillfully hiding from him? Or worse, what if he doesn’t find out until it’s too late? 

Pairing: Robert “Bob” Floyd x OC [Reid] 

Tropes: Friends to lovers

Warnings: Cursing, angst, cancer, alcohol, mentions of death, fertility and pregnancy discussions, surrogacy

WC: 4.6K

Chapter summary: Reid confines in Phoenix about intimacy issues after Bob learns about her diagnosis; Bob and Reid discuss their future and how kids will play into that; Hangman tries to apologize for being an asshole

Series masterlist here; previous chapter here; next chapter here

You had told Bob you didn’t want things to change. He tried his hardest to take that to heart. 

You moved back in and that first night sleeping in Bob’s arms again felt like coming home to your own bed after a six-month backpacking trip. 

The issue was that you wanted him. You craved his touch. And Bob still touched you like you were a porcelain doll, ready to break. 

Before, you barely had to trace your fingers over his chest before he was pulling your panties down with his deft fingers, working himself inside of you, trapping your moans with his mouth. 

Now, you’d roll over, press yourself against him, and he would lay his lips gently on your forehead, trying to ease you back to sleep. 

After a week, you got sick of it. 

“He won’t even touch me,” you complained to Phoenix, taking a sip of your iced tea. 

She looked over to her right, toward the inside of the house where the rest of the guys were gathered. The two of you were sitting under the shade of a tree out at the edge of the small fenced-in yard, drinking iced tea and lounging on soft fold out chairs, the kind that parents bring to little league games. 

“He treats me like I’m going to break.” 

“He’s scared,” she said, sliding her sunglasses up onto the top of her head. “You’re the love of his life, Reid. You’re the one thing that means the world to him. And he’s grappling with the fact that he might lose you. He doesn’t want to ruin it.” 

You let out a sigh. “That’s the thing. We only have so much time. And I want him, so much.” 

“I’ll talk to him.” 

You reached out and grabbed her hand. “Really? Thank you!” 

She smiled. “Never thought I’d have to talk Floyd into fucking you. Talking him out of fucking you? That I can do. This wasn’t in the Navy handbook.” 

You laughed, settling back against the soft fabric of the chair. In the distance you watched as Jake and Bradley argued over how to properly grill the steaks. 

Phoenix turned to you after a moment. “Have you guys talked about what happens next?” she asked softly. 

“No.” Your eyes were trained on Bob as he bent down, adding another case of beer to the cooler next to the sliding door. “I’m just not ready. Neither is he.” 

“I get that,” Phoenix said. “But Reid, you have to. Sooner, rather than later. It’s going to ruin him. He should at least know how you want things to go down after you’re gone.” 

“Like what?” 

“The funeral. Your stuff.” She let out a breath. “How soon you’d want him to move on.” 

You turned to her. “He gets to mourn me as long as he wants. If that’s two days or twenty years. I’m not going to put a cap on it.” 

She nodded. “I know. But if you let him, he’ll never look at another woman ever again. He’ll live by himself forever, as a hermit. Is that what you really want for him?” 

You turned back to Bob. He stood and wiped his hands on his jeans before looking over at the two of you. You raised your hand in a wave and he smiled back. The sudden urge to run to him and toss your arms around his neck was overwhelming. But you knew that if you did he would be worried. About you running. About all of it. 

“Reid?” Phoenix’s voice shook you from your daydream. 

“He should move on,” you whispered. “I need him to be happy. He deserves that. He deserves better than this.” 

She grabbed your hand. The two of you sat there, holding hands, in silence. Until the sun started to set softly over the roof of the house and Bradley called you inside for dinner. 

Later that night, you watched Phoenix pull Bob aside. His eyes darted to where you were sitting on the patio, a glass of wine in hand, and you knew exactly what she was saying to him. 

“Want some company?” 

You looked up. Bradley stood with a beer in one hand, a smile beneath his mustache. You nodded enthusiastically. “Please.” 

He took a seat next to you on the large bench. Despite everything that had happened, Bradley was a comforting presence. You realized the two of you were always destined to be better friends than lovers. 

Sometimes it works out like that. 

“Couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.” Bradley tipped his head to where Bob and Phoenix were still in deep discussion. 

You blushed. “Oh, Jesus.” 

He chuckled. “For what it’s worth, I get where he’s coming from.” Bradley squeezed your thigh gently with his hand, closer to your knee, in a friendly way. 

“Can I ask you a question?” 

“Of course.”

“If we were still together, would you be like that?” you asked. “Would you be afraid that you’d break me?” 

“Probably not,” Bradley said. “But he loves you more than anybody else ever could.” You looked up at him. He set down his beer on the brick patio. “He loves you with his whole heart. I think he’s worried that any move he makes is going to take minutes, days, off of your time together. He’s so scared that he’s going to mess things up. And he’s never had to deal with death like this before. Not something drawn out. He doesn’t know how to handle it.” 

You squinted at him. There was something calm in his demeanor. Familiar in a way. “Have you? Dealt with this before.” 

Bradley nodded. “My mom. She died of cancer when I was twenty.” 

“Oh.” You reached out, taking his hand into yours and squeezing it. “I’m so sorry, Brad.” 

He shook his head. “Thank you. It’s been a while, it gets easier. But I know firsthand how he feels.” Bradley looked up at Bob. “He’s watching his whole world fall apart.” 

“This is why I didn’t tell anyone,” you whispered. “I wanted it to be normal. For a while. For as long as possible. I didn’t want people to treat me like a patient.” 

Bradley squeezed your hand. “Tell you what. If we’re ever doing that and it’s bothering you, tell me. I’ll make everyone stop.” 

You chuckled. “You promise?” 

“For you?” he whispered. “Anything.” 

You rested your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes softly, your hands still intertwined between your two bodies. 

***

“I’m going to take a sabbatical,” Bob said as he rinsed a few tomatoes in the sink, turning around and patting them dry with a well-loved dish towel that you had sent him from Turkey five years prior. 

You frowned. “What? You can’t do that.” 

He nodded. “They have special permissions. This is one of them.” 

“How?” 

He shrugged. “I said you were my domestic partner.” 

“Oh, Bobby.” 

You got up, winding your arms around his waist. He set the tomatoes down gently, cradling your head softly. “I want to be here,” he whispered. “I can’t risk getting shipped off for who knows how long. I won’t risk it. If I have to quit I will. Whatever it takes.” 

You pressed your face against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. Spicy oranges and jet fuel. After a moment, you leaned back, wrapping one hand around his neck, tugging his lips down to yours. You let your lips graze over his softly, gently. 

“Sunny,” he murmured, pulling back. 

“Please,” you whispered, a tear slipping down your cheek. “Please. I need you. All of you. I’m not a doll that you might break. I’m the same me as I was two weeks ago when you fucked me on the halllway floor.” 

The tips of Bob’s ears went pink. 

“I need to feel you inside of me,” you whispered and a groan bubbled from Bob’s throat as he leaned down, pressing his lips back against yours, his hands soft where he cradled your head, his other hand against the small of your back, creating a barrier between your back and the kitchen counter. “Take me to bed,” you murmured and in one swift motion Bob pulled you into his arms, floating down the hallway into the bedroom, setting you down gently. 

You let him pull off your sundress and watched his eyes widen when he saw you weren’t wearing any underwear or a bra. You spread your legs wide and Bob kneeled on the bed, pressing his face between your legs, one hand gripping your hip softly, his tongue licking a thick stripe through your folds toward your clit as you trembled on the mattress. 

“Oh!” 

Bob grabbed both sides of your hips with his hands, pushing his face closer into your wet cunt, his nose brushing across your clit as his tongue prodded your entrance. Your fingers gripped his hair tightly, tugging him closer, and Bob started to swirl his tongue across your folds, doing figure eights over your swollen clit as you moaned. 

“Bobby, fuck, yes, right there!” 

He grunted as you came all over his face, your arousal coating his lips as he pulled back, one of your legs shaking from the force of the orgasm. Bob smoothed his palm over your thigh softly, shifting on top of you. Your fingers grabbed at his shirt, pulling it over his head, before pushing at the waistband of his shorts. He kicked them off carefully, his hard cock landing on your thigh and you gasped as it brushed over your wet folds. 

“Want you so badly,” you murmured, sealing your mouth over his. Bob reached down, dragging the tip of his cock through your folds, spreading your juices over his length as he pumped himself, the tip of his cock hitting you repeatedly as he did so, causing you to groan. 

“Honey,” he whispered into your neck. “Fuck, so needy for me.” 

Your fingers tightened around his biceps. “Please, Bobby, please fuck me.” 

His blue eyes met yours. “I will, baby. Let me get a condom.” 

You shook your head. “It’s just us, right? Nobody else?” 

Bob removed his hand from his cock, looking at you long and hard. He nodded. “Sunny, from day one it’s always only been you. The minute you said you were mine, there was no one else.” 

“Then I want to feel you,” you whispered. “All of you. I never want anything to stand between us again.” 

He nodded, reaching down and sliding the tip of his cock into your entrance, punching a moan out of your mouth. You buried your face into Bob’s shoulder, eyes pinched shut, as the force of his cock splitting you in half took over. “Oh, fuck,” Bob growled against you. Your walls were clenched around him, so tight and warm and he had never felt anything that felt one tenth as good as you did. “Gotta relax, darlin’. It’s too tight.” 

“Sorry,” you whispered, letting out a breath, trying to relax. 

Bob leaned down, brushing hair out of your eyes, locking his lips gently on yours. You focused on the warmth of his kiss as he slowly worked his hard cock inside of you, spreading your legs wider, stretching you to your fullest point. When he was all the way in, he broke the kiss with a loud groan. “Oh, my God,” Bob whimpered. 

You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him in tighter. “Feel so full,” you moaned, locking your legs over his waist. “Holy shit.” 

Bob rocked his hips slowly forward, pressing himself deeper before pulling back and filling you again. You gasped as he moaned softly into your ear, his grunts making you even wetter, your walls sliding softly against his cock as he pressed the spongy walls inside of you. 

“I love you,” you whispered. 

He leaned back onto his knees, tugging your legs and hips higher, pressing a series of kisses to your calf. “Fuck, Sunny, I love you so much. Feel so fucking good, goddamn.” 

He was close, you could tell. So were you. You reached one hand down, brushing against your clit. “Come with me,” you murmured. “Please, Bobby, come inside of me. Fill me.” 

Bob groaned loudly, leaning forward, plunging his cock deeper inside of you and you gasped, pressing down hard on your clit, circling the bud quickly as you watched his beautiful face contort in ecstasy. “Oh, shit, I’m gonna come. Darlin’, I’m coming!” 

And then he was spilling inside of you as you shouted his name, your orgasm breaking as he shot hot cum against your walls, collapsing softly at your side, his cock still trapped inside your wet, tight walls. You ran one hand over his back, tucking a leg over his hip, holding him close. “Bobby,” you whispered. “I love you more than I even realized was possible. And I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.” 

He let out a sigh, running one hand over your cheek. “I’ll love you forever, Reid.” 

***

“Listen, Reid—”

You held up a hand, stopping Jake mid sentence. “Not tonight, Seresin,” you said quietly. You looked over at Bob. He was grinning from ear to ear, standing next to the old wooden piano as Bradley pressed down on the keys. 

It was Bob’s twenty-ninth birthday. The two of you had officially known each other for a decade. It felt like just yesterday that you had stopped him after class to ask if he would tutor you. 

If only you had met him sooner. If only you had more time. 

Jake opened his mouth but one look at your frown and he closed it, hanging his head softly. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, walking away. 

You leaned against the bar. It wasn’t often that you got to watch Bob lose himself in a moment anymore. It always felt like his mind was elsewhere. He was worried about the future. He was panicking. He so rarely was in the moment. You loved to watch him smile. Watch him enjoy himself. Even if it was only for a few minutes. 

Once Bradley had finished a few songs, Bob patted him on the shoulder, making his way over to you at the bar, winding his arm around your waist, dragging you in closer, planting a kiss on your lips softly. 

“Hi darlin’.” 

You smiled up at him. “Let’s go for a walk on the beach.” 

Bob nodded, sliding his hand into yours, leading you out through the back door. 

The two of you slipped off your shoes, setting off in the cool sand. You were reminded of only a month before when you had snuck out onto the beach during Jake’s birthday party. That was the night that had unraveled everything. 

The moon was bright, tossing a blanket of light on the dark ocean waves. You walked in silence for a few moments before Bob turned to you. “Sunny?” 

“Yeah baby?” 

He leaned in, tucking a chunk of hair behind your ear. “You know I love you, right?” 

You grinned. “Always.” 

Bob smiled softly. “I know you’re scared. I’m scared. All I know is that I don’t want to waste whatever time we have left.” 

He stopped and shoved his hand in his pocket, emerging a moment later with a plain gold band. You looked at the ring and then up at him in shock. 

“We don’t have to get married or have a wedding or any of that. I know it’s not your style,” he said. “But I just want to know that when it happens, we belonged to each other. That’s all I want.” 

You felt a tear slip down your cheek as you nodded furiously. “I’ll be yours, Robert Floyd. Always have been.” You held out your shaky left hand and Bob slid the ring on carefully. 

He smiled down at you. “That’s Meemaw’s ring, by the way. She told me a long time ago to give it to you.” 

You pressed your hand close to your heart. “Now I feel bad that I didn’t get you a gift,” you whispered. 

Bob leaned down, pulling you closer to him, your face pressed against his chest, your arms wrapped tightly around his core. “You’re my gift.” 

***

The last box of your things finally got shipped from Brooklyn. It had somehow gotten lost by the moving company, arriving months later than the rest of your items. 

You frowned, standing at the door looking down at the box. “Bobby?” 

“Coming sweetheart.” 

A moment later, he appeared at the front door in a pair of jeans and sweatshirt. Temperatures were starting to dip as you entered fall. 

Bob looked at the box. “What is that?” 

“It’s the last box, that one they lost when they were moving my stuff,” you said. “Can you help me get it inside?” 

“Of course, honey.” You scooted to the side, holding open the door as Bob lifted the box, carrying it into the dining room where he plopped it gently on the table. 

You grabbed a scissors, slicing through the tape, peering inside. It felt like another lifetime ago that you had boxed everything up in your Greenpoint loft. 

Peering into the box, you spotted a pair of old headphones, and then several manilla folders. “What is all of this?” Bob asked, pulling out folder after folder. 

You shrugged, opening one of the folders up, finding tax returns from a few years back. “Paperwork from my office, I think. I don’t even remember packing if we’re being honest.” 

You were flipping through old travel magazines — why had you bothered to keep those? — when Bob’s voice cut through the empty air. “Reid?” 

You looked up. Something about his tone. Bob held up a piece of paper in his hand, Mount Sinai’s logo embossed at the top. 

“What is this?” 

Squinting, it took a moment for you to realize. When you did, your heart sank a bit. You pulled out a chair, sitting down. Bob followed suit. “When I first got diagnosed, the doctor said that no matter what route we took for treatment, I should look into freezing my eggs.” 

Bob’s eyes widened. “Did you?” 

You nodded. “Yeah, I did. They got twenty four eggs.” 

“Is that a lot?” 

“Apparently it’s a decent amount.” 

Bob looked down at the paper. “What are you going to do with them?” 

“I actually hadn’t remembered until now,” you said quietly. “There’s a lot to think about.” 

Bob reached over and put his hand on yours. “I know. How can I help?” 

It was simple. Everything you had, you wanted to go to Bob. The two of you met with a lawyer who helped draw up your medical requests. 

Later that night, just as you were about to fall asleep, Bob rolled over so you were face to face. “Sunny?” 

“Hmm?” Your eyes were still closed. 

“Honey, can I ask you something?” 

You opened one eye. “What is it, Bobby?” 

“I can’t stop thinking about the eggs.” 

You frowned, sitting up against the pillows. “The frozen eggs?” 

He nodded. 

“What about them?” 

“What if we had a baby?” 

“You can’t be serious.” 

Bob was propped up on one elbow, his blue eyes shining in the moonlight that fell where the gap in the curtains couldn’t reach. “I’m completely serious. I want to be a dad, I’ve always wanted to be a dad. And those eggs are there. They’re healthy.” 

“I can’t carry a baby,” you whispered. “Not with the cancer.” 

“We get a surrogate.” Bob sat up, taking your hands in his. “If you don’t want a baby, I understand. I would never force you to. But darlin’, there’s nobody else I would want to have a child with. Even if we only have a few months together with the baby, or if we have five years, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we would love that baby more than anything in this world.” 

You looked at him. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You’re truly serious.” 

He nodded. “I am. I want to have a baby with you, Reid Coleman. A little girl with your eyes. A little boy with your smile. I’ll take anything. I want to be a dad. And I want to raise a baby with you.” 

“Let me think about it,” you whispered. 

“Of course.” 

You laid back down, Bob’s arms wrapped around you from behind. Kids. Babies. You had never thought too long or hard about kids until you were told it was unlikely you could have them. And then they started to dominate your thoughts. 

You knew Bob would be a good dad. He would be an excellent dad. The only thing you worried about was leaving them. 

At least they would have each other. At least he wouldn’t be alone. 

You floated off to sleep, the image of Bob holding his newborn child in his arms tattooed across your mind. 

***

You were sitting on the beach in a foldout chair, wearing a pair of linen pants and one of Bob’s old button downs, your bare feet buried in the sand as you watched the team play a confusing game of football. You had never been one for sports, so you didn’t even bother to learn the rules or objectives. Simply watching them all in their shirtless states was enough. 

Bob came over during a halftime break and pressed a kiss to your temple. “Hey darlin’,” he whispered. “Doing OK?” 

You nodded up at him. “Great. Can you just do me one favor?” 

“Anything.” 

You pinched the material of his yellow shirt. “Lose the shirt, baby. Let me watch my man destroy those idiots and look good doing it.” 

He chuckled, shaking his head but peeling off his shirt, dropping it on the ground near you. Your eyes grazed over his chiseled stomach and muscular arms and you grinned. “Better?” he asked. 

You nodded enthusiastically. “Now kiss me please.” 

Bob leaned down, brushing his lips over yours. You reached out a hand, running it through his hair, your tongue darting into his mouth softly. He pulled back with a groan. “Honey, you’re gonna get me all hot and bothered,” he whispered and you looked down at a smirk to his shorts which were already growing tight. 

“Go play,” you whispered. “We’ll finish this when you’re back.” 

Bob groaned and licked his lips, looking at you one last time before jogging back to the group. 

They were all beautiful. It was almost hard to choose who to look at. All tanned, taunt limbs, gorgeous faces, wide smiles. Once the game wrapped, everyone headed inside for a drink. Bob helped you put the chair and your stuff in his truck. 

On the way back to the Hard Deck, he turned to you. “Sunny?” 

“What is it sweetheart?” 

“Have you, um.” Bob looked flustered. “Have you thought about what we were discussing the other night?” 

Your chest tightened. He meant the baby discussion. 

The truth was, it was the only thing you had been able to think about. You were twenty-nine, going on thirty. You never saw yourself as one of those women. The ones who longed for a child, who so obviously were made for motherhood. Your childhood had been rocky at best. Your mother was about as good of a role model as a can of beer was to an alcoholic. 

And yet, something had changed over the last six months since the diagnosis. You started to notice babies and children out and about with their parents. At the store, on a sidewalk, on the beach. You would smile and wave and make little goo-goo noises to kids as they passed. And your heart would swell when they smiled back, chubby fingers raised in a wave. 

You turned your eyes to Bob’s. “Yeah, honey, I’ve thought about it.” 

“What do you think?” he whispered. 

You shook your head and watched Bob’s face fall. Immediately, you pressed your hands to both of his cheeks. “Sorry, that wasn’t a no head shake. It was an I don’t know.” You sighed. “I want a baby,” you confessed, the first time you had said it outloud ever. “I just don’t know if I could do that to you. Leave you to raise a baby by yourself.” You shook your head. “That would be so incredibly selfish of me.” 

Bob placed his hands over yours. “I’m asking you to do it,” he whispered. “It’s not selfish, Reid. It’s the most selfless thing a person could ever do.” 

“OK,” you whispered.

Bob’s cerulean blue eyes lit up, his mouth dropping wide. “OK?” 

You nodded and he let out a whoop, pulling you into his arms, spinning you around quickly before setting you back down and planting his lips on yours. You grinned, drawing your hands back, running your thumb over the cool metal of the ring on your fourth finger. So far, nobody had asked about the ring. 

The two of you walked back to the bar hand in hand. Natasha was sitting outside on the patio, drinking a beer, her arms propped up against the wooden railing. She smiled at the two of you as you approached, taking in your uncontrollable smiles. 

“What’s with you two?” she asked. “You look like cats that ate the canary.” 

Bob looked at you. “Do we tell her?” 

You squeezed his hand. “It’ll come out eventually.” 

Bob grinned. “We’re going to have a baby.” 

Natasha’s mouth dropped. Shock was written all over her face. It took her a second to compose herself, and when she did she shook her head. “Wait, but how. I thought with the cancer…” She trailed off. 

You nodded. “I can’t carry the baby. But before I left New York, I froze my eggs. So we’re going to have to find a surrogate. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s what we want.” 

You looked up at Bob. He was glowing. If he was this happy now, you couldn’t imagine how happy he would be when he held his child in his arms for the first time. 

Natasha’s voice pulled you out of your daydream. “I’ll do it.” 

The two of you turned to her, eyes wide. “What?” you breathed. 

She nodded, a firm confirmation. She was serious. “I’ll do it. I’ll be your surrogate.”

Tag list: (or turn on notifications for my library @ereardonlibrary)

@double-j @topguncultleader @momc95 @hangmandruigandmav

@minamisulemisa @shawnsblue @blue-aconite

@seresinhangmanjake @brehonodea @babyminghao @crthurston

@angelbabyange @taytaylala12 @mizzzpink @wkndwlff @mygyn @sadpetalsstuff @shanimallina87 @averyhotchner @oneelleandaneye @bobfloydsbabe

@wittywhispers @wildlyobserving @eyesthatroll @localhockeygirl @xomrsalliej4787xo @rosiahills22 @xoxabs88xox @teacupsandtopgun

@sexytholland @djs8891 @rxmtoon @darkestbeforethedawn16

@cactajuice @purplevortexx @dempy @lemur46

@louie-bug @arson-tm @valkyrja-siren-blog @avengers-fixation

@fudge13 @phantomxoxo @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby @not-two-shrimp @emorychase @horseshoegirl @abaker74 @evans-dejong @clancycucumber230 @storysimp @emma8895eb  @briseisgone