#mari is sick of forced dates

[pretty-little-mind33]

James Potter x fem!reader

Summary: You love James but he loves Lily. It's simple, until it isn't so simple anymore.

Genre: Angst (happy ending)

Warnings: James x Lily mentioned, "unrequited" love, idiots in love, swearing, violence, harassment, crying, arguments, protective!james, jealous!james, stupid!james, Lily isn't a villain—pls i love her!

JAMES POTTER MASTERLIST

You know two things for certain—

You're head over heels in love with James. 

He's head over heels in love with Lily.  

In the beginning, you saw the entire situation as some messy game of cat & mouse, and you'd been determined to win. You had foolishly been convinced Lily didn't like James in any way. It never seemed like she had any interest in him. 

And James? Well, James adored your attention. It very clearly sparked his already enormous ego, and you couldn't deny you liked the thrill of him liking your shameless flirting. 

It was fun and harmless while it lasted and it seemed like there was a mutual understanding to both pretend you didn't notice the stolen looks, or shy smiles, the feel of his hand brushing yours in the hallway, the small written notes in class, or the letters he'd sent over the summer…and of course the present he'd left you for your 17th birthday; a small, necklace with expensive tiny rubies. 

It felt surreal. 

It was surreal because the moment you find out James has been dating Lily since Christmas break you feel sick. "Lily? Lily Evans?" You ask your friends, almost choking on your scrambled eggs. 

"Yeah. Apparently, Marls said that Lily kissed James in the Common Room after his practice yesterday," Mary says, immersed in the gossip, "Either way, I heard from Sirius Black that they've been inseparable ever since New Year. He says it's rather annoying."

You hear her muffle a yelp as Pandora kicks her shin from underneath the table. "Oh, I forgot you like James, Y/n," Mary says and sends you a sympathetic smile. 

You feel crushed inside but you force a smile, "Me? Oh, please. I can find so much better than Potter. He was just a silly crush," you swat your hand in the air, "I'm already over him," you say.

Pandora doesn't look like she believes you but she doesn't say anything. Instead, she and Mary let you sit in silence and pretend not to know you're unintentionally staring at James and his friends from across the dining hall. 

James is laughing and your chest tightens. He seems over the moon as he has his arm around Lily's shoulder and she looks at him with a look you've never seen her wear. She actually looks like she's enjoying his jokes now. 

You can't help yourself as you start to compare yourself to Lily. You chew on your nails as you start to remember every insecurity you've ever had and you feel miserable.

You aren't really supposed to feel miserable, you reason, deep down you knew James wasn't yours. He was always hers. He was just waiting for her to claim him and you were a silly distraction.

You pry your eyes away from James and Lily when he stands up. You think he sees you for a moment because you can feel his stare. However, when you lift your head and make eye contact for a moment. James's expression is unreadable and he's the first to turn his head. He grins and continues his conversation with Lily as you're frozen in time.

"Y/n?" Mary calls your name and time resumes.

"Yeah?" you whisper, composing yourself and crossing your arms on the table. 

"Here," she hands you a crumpled-up note and points behind her, "It's from Danny."

You take the note from Mary and tilt your head to see Danny Dulac staring at you from the Slytherin table. Danny Dulac is the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. He's tall, extremely smart, and has the silkiest blond hair. 

Danny sends you a smile and motions toward the paper in your hand which reads:

~I heard Potter is out of the picture now. Does this mean you're free for a Butterbeer on Saturday?~

You think it's a joke but when you look up, Danny looks dead serious. Mary leans over and when she sees the note over your shoulder, she exclaims, "Oh my Merlin, Danny just asked you out!" she pushes on your shoulder excitedly and you shush her. 

You stare at the cursive and your mind races. You spent so many years liking James that it had never even crossed your mind that you could like other boys, or that they could like you. 

"Well? Answer him," Pandora insists and makes a little circle motion with her hand. 

Once you find a quill from inside your book-bag, you reply with a small, enthusiastic, 

~Yes!~

* * *

Over the week leading up to Saturday, you try to pretend James and Lily don't exist. 

It's much easier than you imagined because you have Danny's to pay attention to now. Turns out Danny Dulac is a gentleman who carries your books in the hallway and compliments you whenever he has the chance. 

You don't feel the loss you felt when you found out James and Lily kissed—at least not when James isn't staring at you from afar. You knew James wasn't that fond of Danny—being the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and all—but ever since Danny has been hanging around you it seems like James can't stand the guy. 

It's confusing, especially because James hasn't made any attempts to talk to you since his relationship with Lily became public. 

You sit in Potions next to Marlene when Remus Lupin comes up to you. "Y/n?" he asks in a quiet voice and you look up at him, "It's from James," he shows you the note in his hand and you stare at it like it's one of James's stupid pranks. 

You thank Remus and open it anyway, 

~Meet me at Hogsmeade on Saturday?~

Without a word to Remus, you scribble an answer, 

~I have a date~

You fold the torn parchment and hand it to Remus. You watch him walk back to James and Sirius. When James sees you've actually written him a response, his eyes sparkle and he hides a smile. However, his smile disappears once he reads the contents and you’ve never seen him so perturbed. 

He starts to scribble on the paper and, with his eyes focused on you, hands it to Remus. 

Remus shakes his head adamantly so James then tries to hand it to Sirius, who also shakes his head. James's last option is Peter but the poor boy has fallen asleep on his Potions book. 

You smile. Your attention is pulled from them when you see Danny next to you.

"Hi," he smiles.

"Hi," you answer and the last thing that could possibly be on your mind is James Potter. 

* * *

You pull at the hem of your dress and adjust your jumper nervously. Danny has just made the same joke he made a few hours earlier and you really try and force out another chuckle. 

"You ok? You look a little warm," Danny says foam from the beer lays across his upper lip.

You blink. You like him, you try to convince yourself, he's smart and super handsome and he carries your books for Merlin's sake— 

"I'm completely fine, continue?" you smile sweetly and lean in towards him from across the table. You want to look interested.

Danny smirks and looks around. "Wanna go somewhere quieter?" 

No, you want to say. You won't want to go anywhere with him because that means you have to listen to him some more and he's oh so boring.

Only you don't say no, you say, "Sure," and allow him to take your hand.

Once you've found a small, empty corner of The Three Broomsticks, Danny pushes you to the wall. His hand is resting near your forehead and he leans in as if he wants to kiss you. You panic and push him away, "Oh I'm super warm actually. One second," You turn and your hands tremble as you pull your jumper over your head and let it slide down your arms. 

Danny looks a little annoyed when you turn back around. His eyes lower and he frowns, "Pretty' necklace. Who's it from?" he points out and you look down. 

James's necklace.

"Oh. A friend," you say dismissively and rush to unclip it as it falls into your hands.

"A friend huh?" Danny crosses his arms, "Is it from Potter?"

You feel your cheeks become warm. Why would he ask that? You aren't sure what expression you're making but it cannot be a normal one.

"No!" you say and Danny yanks the necklace from your hands. Your heart sinks as you try to take it back instantly.

Danny holds it away from you, making you feel small, "You can't keep this." 

"Why not? It's mine," your lip wobbles.

"Because it's from him and he has a girl. It's completely inappropriate." 

You lower your arm and your heart hurts. Is Danny right? Maybe you have thrown away the necklace as soon as you found out about James and Lily? Why are you still wearing it? 

"Plus, if you want to be my girl you'll throw away this dirty necklace," Danny snarls as he runs his fingers along the silver chain. You freeze. 

"What?" you can't believe he just said that. 

"What?" Danny counters. He seems confused at your sudden shift in tone. 

"I am not your girl. I don't want to be your girl."

"Bullshit, Y/n," Danny rolls his eyes and stuffs your necklace into his robe. He walks closer, this time menacingly, and you feel stuck. Your hands press against the wall and you look at him. Your eyes brim with tears, mostly in hopes he'll leave you alone when he sees them. Danny just raises his hand and harshly brushes them away with his thumb, "You should feel lucky someone like me even likes you," he smirks. 

You feel like someone just punched you in the gut and you stutter, "Get away from me."

"No," Danny says and leans in. Only, he's suddenly ripped from in front of you and you inhale, surprised. You blink as Danny stumbles when someone seizes his collar. You feel someone else's hand on your shoulder and you turn to look at them. 

"Are you okay?" Kind, considerate, Lily Evans whispers, concerned at your tears.

"What the fuck?!" You hear a loud crack as Danny groans in pain. You look towards the sound and see James Potter take Danny's collar again, his knuckles already stained a little crimson. James looks furious. 

"Did you hurt her?" he hisses and shakes Danny like it's nothing.

Lily soothes you by rubbing your shoulders and she calls James's name as a warning.

"Hurt her? We're on a date, Potter. She wanted it," Danny snarls and you wince. You didn't want it. James looks at you and Lily from the corner of his eye and his heart breaks when he sees your expression.

"Fucking nutter!" James exclaims and punches Danny in the stomach. This time, Danny doesn't just take the hit. Instead, he tackles James and they trip onto the ground. Lily screams at her boyfriend and you scream Danny's name. 

You try to pull Danny away from James but it's only when you hear a loud crack as Danny lands on his left thigh that he pauses. You gasp, covering your mouth with your hands, which makes James pause and he looks confused as Danny pulls out your necklace from inside his robe. The small rubies have shattered and when Danny opens his hand, the chain and the shards drop onto the ground. 

He stands and taunts, "Some gift, huh Potter?" James's expression falls. 

 You crouch down, scooping the, now completely ruined, necklace into your palms. You try to hold in your tears and the world around you turns silent as you look at your present. "Shut it," You hear Lily snap at Danny and she doesn't hesitate to help you stand. Her arm holds yours and she looks almost as furious as James. 

"She's crying because of you, you prat! Does that make you feel good about yourself, huh?" James points out with frustration.

You know he means well, but it doesn't help that he basically announced to the entirety of The Three Broomsticks that you're in tears. You sniffle and look at Danny. His blue eyes shine with a mixture of embarrassment, pity, shame, and resentment.

"Whatever," he just snarls, "She's not worth it. She never was," he says as if you aren't standing directly in front of him. 

"You piece of shit," James hisses but Lily interrupts him.

"James. No," she scolds like a mother and James whips his head around to glare at her.

Instead, he makes eye contact with you and his face falls once more. His posture softens and, to your surprise, he doesn't move when Danny bumps his shoulder to leave. 

"I'm sorry, James," you say sadly, still holding his present. 

He looks confused and tilts his head as walks closer to you. Murmurs drift around the room as students continue to watch the scene. Lily looks around, seemingly just as uncomfortable as you, and James does the same. 

He gestures to the door and raises one of his eyebrows in a question. Lily nods. Quietly, you follow them outside and as you walk.

James and Lily somehow find their way next to each other. It's almost automatic for them and your heart breaks. Lily whispers into James's ear and his eyes glance at you. You look away, insecurities burning your chest. 

"You okay?" Lily asks, turning around when you start to fall back behind them.

You hum and pick at your nails, "I- I'm gonna go," you mutter. Lily wants to protest but, without a word, you stand before James and let the broken necklace fall into his open hands.

He looks at you with wide eyes and then clutches his hand around the necklace so fiercely. He shakes his head and your name leaves his lip but you don't wait for him to continue. You turn to leave—what can he possibly say now that will make you feel better?

"I like you!" His voice resonates in your ears as your breath leaves you. You turn around, almost hurting your neck. You couldn't have heard him correctly. Your eyes bounce to Lily but she doesn't look hurt. She doesn't even look surprised. Instead, she sends you a small smile.

You blink, "Pardon me?" You walk a little closer to James, "You like me? As in romantically or as a person?"

James starts to stutter, "R-romantically."

You look towards Lily, bewildered. "But, you're dating her!" 

  James turns to look at Lily just as she speaks up, "No, we broke up. We didn't even last more than maybe two weeks, Y/n." She laughs, "You two should really talk—" 

James nods at her and then turns to you once more. His arms stretch out as if he wants to make sure you won't run away from him. "Please, Y/n. Hear me out." He sounds so small and for someone with such a big personality, you're suddenly afraid.

You find yourself nodding slowly and let him lead you behind The Three Broomsticks. James lets you lean against the wall and then he nervously runs a hand in his hair.

"James, I don't understand," you say quietly, "You like Lily. You have always liked Lily—I was always just some girl you entertained because you liked the attention. I've always known that."

James's face falls as he listens to you and you see his hands hesitate towards you. "You were never just some girl," he says adamantly.

You frown, "Yes, I was."

"No, you weren't," His voice rises and you press your back against the wall, staring at him as he explains, "Listen, I ended things with Lily. It was my decision. I realized I couldn't stay with her and do you want to know why?" 

You shake your head instantly but he tells you anyway. 

"Because she wasn't you. She didn't make me feel as full as you always do. When she laughed, I never had the same butterflies in my stomach," James pressed his hand to his chest, "My heart didn't feel compressed in my chest whenever I looked at her. I didn't blush at her compliments like I would yours, or want her to smile only because of me. Just like you used to. Bloody hell, I thought of you when I kissed her."

Your entire body feels warm as embarrassment washes over you. "Why did you then?" your voice breaks, "Why did you put me through that? You knew what I felt for you and you chose Lily anyway. How can I trust you now, James?"

You watch his lip tremble as he looks at you with his doleful brown eyes and your heart shatters for the fourth time this hour alone. 

"I don't know," he buries his face in his hands, making an exasperated sound, " I know that answer isn't good enough for you, and I know I can't take back the pain you felt when you saw me with her. I do know that." 

You don't know what to answer. 

James runs a hand over his jaw and looks at you, "I suppose I couldn't let the fantasy go," he admits in a whisper. 

You turn your head away, "Y-yeah—Lily Evans, the fantasy. I understand." 

"W-what? No, that isn't what I meant!" James assures you, "I've been stuck on Lily for years. I know I didn't see you, but—but I see you now."

You stare at him. He looks so upset that your anger turns into pity, "James—"

"Y/n, please don't reject me. I can't bear it," his voice breaks as his eyes water. He walks closer and drops the broken necklace he'd given you in your palm. Your hand closes around it without thinking. "I've been such an idiot but I can't imagine losing you like this."

"You lost me the moment I saw you with Lily. You don't deserve to have me—not like this, and definitely not anymore," you say sternly and watch as you break the heart of the boy you're madly in love with. 

"James, you strung me along for months and months, and then threw me away without hesitation for her. If you liked me, you would have never let me cry over you for weeks," your voice becomes louder. 

James's hurt expression twists and his eyes darken, "You spent your days with Danny Dulac for fucks sake! What the hell was I supposed to do?" he also raises his voice.

"You aren't allowed to be jealous!" you say and push your index into his chest, tears streaming down your cheeks, "You ruined this," your voice dies as your hand flattens on his chest and he grasps it in his. James pulls you closer and leans his head onto yours. 

For a moment, you let it rest there, but then you pull away. "I can't do this," you mutter, "you only want what you can't have, James," you whisper and you know your words would hurt him but you don't care. You hear him call your name as you walk away from him.

* * *

Over the next few months, it's as if you and James never existed. 

You don't speak in class and when James wants to talk outside of classes, you ignore him. Eventually, he stops trying. He doesn't go back to Lily like you'd expected him to. Instead, time goes by, you both graduate, and it isn't until Marlene's 21st birthday that you see James Potter again.

He's in the middle of a small crowd: his smile as bright and wide as you remember. He's laughing like he would in school and you stand to the side of the room, suddenly unsure what to do with yourself.  

When James sees you, his smile falters for a moment. He looks you up and down and when his eyes land on the necklace you're wearing, his heart thumps in his chest and he can't help but wander over to you. You almost run from him, but enough time has passed for you to stay still.

"Hi," James says, looking into your eyes. 

You look up, your voice merely a whisper, "Hi." 

Weirdly, conversation flows easily. You talk about work, hobbies, and eventually you land on relationships. Somehow you've found each other in a secluded side of the room, you're leaning against the wall as James's arm rests near your head. It isn't confrontational—no, instead you feel safe caged in his strong arms. Your eyes train on the muscles of his arm—of course he plays Professional Quidditch now. You need to remind yourself to pay more attention to Quidditch from now on. 

"You seeing anyone?" James hums, his eyes flickering to your necklace again. You fiddle with it subconsciously and shake your head. 

"You?" 

James shakes his head too and he finally asks the question that's been burning his lips, "You fixed it," he raises his arm and his thumb skims the rubies. 

You hum and nod. "I did."

"Why?"

You laugh and look at James. "Because I love this necklace," you pause a moment and you whisper, "And it reminds me of someone."

   James seems surprised and he runs a hand in his curls. He looks at you and leans in a little. "C-can I?" he asks and a part of you wants to shake your head…tell him to fuck off. But, this is James Potter. He's the only boy you've ever loved—no matter who came after him. You nod and James's hand cups your cheeks as his lips press against yours. 

"I've been thinking of doing this for years," he says breathlessly through his kisses. 

I have too, you want to say but instead you just pull him closer. 

"I love you," James says suddenly and pulls away. He looks flustered as he tries to explain himself. "I- I never stopped."

You look at him and utter three words James didn't think he'd ever hear, "Neither did I." 

[wileys-russo]

mothers day II m.earps

another installment of the a date to remember series :) mothers day II m.earps

stirring awake you couldn't quite place why there was a strange feeling settling within you. rubbing your eyes tiredly you gently pryed off your wifes arm from where it lay locked around your torso, leaning over to tap your phone screen.

you frowned seeing it was nearing nine in the morning.

the strange feeling grew a little stronger when you realized you'd self woke for the first time in months, and that it was at least an hour after the time your daughter would normally be bouncing into bed with you and mary.

"mary." you mumbled, turning over and shaking her lightly as she hummed but her eyes stayed closed. "baby, wake up." you jostled her again as she groaned and moved her hand to cover her face.

"why?" she exhaled deeply still refusing to open her eyes. "its nine." you frowned at her as she moved her hand and cracked one eye open. "so? love its a sunday and we have nothing on. why are we awake?" mary sighed, hands grabbing at your shirt and pulling your body tightly against her own again.

"mary, its nine. when have we ever slept in this late without being woken up??" you pushed, mary pausing for a moment before she seemed to wake up a little more. "delilah." she realised, turning to get out of bed and letting out a scream which had you covering your ears.

"mary!" you smacked her for the noise as she recoiled back into you, and thats when you realised the two of you weren't in bed alone. "alessia?" you spat out in disbelief, reaching over and poking at the blonde lump curled up on the very edge of the mattress.

"would you both shut up? its too early!" alessia groaned, pushing her head under the pillow as you sat up. "why the hell are you in our bed alessia!" mary scoffed, kicking at her and ripping the covers away as the striker sighed tiredly.

"ella broke in, woke me up, forced me into her car, drove me here, told me to get into bed and here i am." alessia mumbled a very vague apology. "ella is here too?" you sighed in disbelief, a squeal sounding as mary shoved the younger girl out of bed sending her thumping to the floor.

"mary!" alessia sat up with a scowl, running a hand through her hair as your wife huffed and tugged the blanket back up and over her own body. "no, out!" mary barked at alessia who tried to get back in, pointing to the door as the blonde scowled.

"less why are you and ella in our house at nine in the morning on a sunday?" you asked rubbing your face with your hands. "how would i know!" alessia threw her hands up with wide eyes. "well...because we woke up and you were in bed with us and you don't live here!" mary growled with a glare.

"please just take ella and get out. i love you both very much but when we gave you both a spare key it was not for this!" you warned sternly as alessia rolled her eyes but held her hands up, making her way out of the room.

"love i warned you the pair of em are like stray cats. you feed them, show a little love, welcome them in and suddenly they're pissing on your floor, scratching up the carpet and shitting on your doorstep!" mary grunted, moving so her head rested on your lap as she hugged your bare leg.

"i'm more worried about our kitchen being burned down if ella is left to her own devices, do you remember when she insisted on having us over for a roast?" you chuckled at the memory as mary nodded.

"god don't babe i feel sick just thinking about it." your wife moaned, the pair of you getting a fierce bout of food poisoning after the meal.

"i'll go investigate and check on lilah so you can have your beauty rest." you chuckled, your wife gratefully patting your leg with a hum, rolling off you and onto her back. "have i told you how much i love you?" mary smiled lazily as you raised an eyebrow.

"not this morning." you hinted, mary only closing her eyes and grinning as you hit her with a scoff. "i love you very very much mrs earps." mary sang out, blowing you a kiss as you stood from the bed and rolled your eyes.

you frowned when you poked your head into your daughters room finding it empty, her bed neatly made as if she hadn't even spent the night sleeping in it.

rounding the corner you were surprised again to see alessia sat on one of the chairs from the dining table, effectively blocking your entrance to your living room and kitchen.

"less i thought i said-" "i know! but i have been informed by the boss of the house that its my job to make sure neither you or mary come in for another..." she checked the watch on her wrist with narrowed eyes, clearly referring to your daughter.

"eleven minutes at least. so back to bed you go, everything is all under control!" alessia assured with a charming smile, wincing at the sound of something very obviously smashing behind her and hushed whispers that followed.

"all under control! i promise." alessia crossed her fingers over her heart and scurried off to investigate as you sighed but retreated back to bed none the less.

"status report?" your wife mumbled as you slipped back into bed, latching onto her with a shake of your head. "we're banned from leaving the room for another eleven minutes at least, they're all up to something." you cuddled into her side with a shake of your head.

"well...there's a lot that can happen in eleven minutes." mary near purred as you craned your head back a little to see her smiling suggestively down at you, wiggling her eyebrows for extra effect which only made you laugh.

"down girl! you're not getting anything with our daughters a hundred or so metres away." you teased as mary pouted and you playfully rolled your eyes, the two of you falling into conversation as you messed about with her fingers which interlocked with your own.

you both looked up at a knock at the door, a second passing before it flung open and a body was zooming toward you at high speed, clambering up the edge of the bed and jumping down on top of you both.

"happy mothers day!" delilah sung out with a face splitting grin, wiggling herself in between the two of you as mary kissed all over her face and your daughters giggles filled the room.

"lilah mothers day is next sunday baby." you smiled a little in confusion, moving her flyaways out of her face.

"i know. but mama has a game and she has to go to london so we don't get the whole day together. so i decided today is mothers day, happy mothers day!" your daughter sung out again, flinging herself on top of you in a tight hug as you laughed.

both you and mary were again interrupted by a knock at the door, glancing up to see ella hovering in the doorway with a proud grin. "your table awaits mrs and mrs earps." the younger girl gestured with a deep bow, delilah scampering off you and dropping to the floor.

"should we be scared?" mary whispered as you both rolled out of bed. "oh terrified." you confirmed with a nod before smiling and pecking her lips a few times.

"no more kissin! come on." this didn't seem to please your daughter who grabbed one of each of your hands, trying to yank you out of the room as you both dug your heels in a little.

"ewww hurry up!" delilah groaned as you and mary exchanged a few more kisses, purposefully slow as delilah grunted and struggled to yank the two of you out of the room.

eventually giving in your daughter perked up as you both allowed her to pull you away and toward the kitchen and living room. "happy mothers day!" delilah sang out again as you arrived to a perfectly set table, little name cards dictating who sat where.

"oh tiny, this is very very thoughtful." mary melted, squatting down and drawing your daughter into a very tight hug. "did it cause i love ya!" delilah beamed, placing a wet kiss to your wifes cheek as you dropped down next to hug her tight, marys arm wrapping around your shoulder as you shared a proud smile.

"mama sits here." delilah grunted as she pulled out the chair and mary sat down. "mummy sits here." she pulled out the next chair as you sat down, hiding a smile and shuffling your chair in a little hearing delilahs little puffs and pants of effort to do so.

"lessi sits here." delilah ducked past the blonde who was already sat, patting her leg happily as alessia smiled. "because she's my godmother, so she gets mothers day too." delilah clarified with a wag of her finger as you and mary ohhed dramatically and nodded.

"i think i might cry." alessia spoke bluntly as you reached across to squeeze her shoulder. "where do you and el sit babe?" you questioned your daughter curiously. "we don't! chefs don't eat with the guests mummy." delilah rolled her eyes and scurried off to the kitchen.

"breakfast is served!" ella sang out happily, placing down yours and marys plates with another bow as delilah very carefully handed alessia her own. the three of you shared a look as ella and delilah hurried back to the kitchen.

"the bacons raw." alessia winced. "theres shells and whole peppercorns in the scrambled egg." mary added on. "is this...edible?" you frowned poking at the green garnish which looked suspiciously like grass.

"now the coffees!" delilah cheered happily as ella carefully placed down iced lattes in front of you and alessia and a long black in front of mary.

"because a coffee a day keeps grumpy mama away." delilah recounted matter of factly your own words making you snicker and your wife shoot you a playful glare, knocking her shoulder into hers.

mary choked a little as she sipped on her coffee, covering it out with a hum and a smile at delilah who lit up, gesturing for all three of you to start eating. a cautious glance shared between the table you all stabbed various forkfuls of food.

"oh its so good lilah!" you forced out, a sharp crunch bouncing around your mouth at the combination of eggshells, peppercorns and...dirt? which confirmed the garnish was indeed grass.

"very...crunchy!" alessia offered a smile with a nod, forcing herself to swallow with a slightly pained expression. "bacon is so good tiny, so good." mary winced as she swallowed her own mouthful, delilahs face beaming with pride as she jumped and clapped her hands together.

"hey you're not eating anything?" you questioned, more directed at ella who scooped up your daughter. "we already had cereal! aunty ella and i have...other things to do." delilah gave the brunette a grin who pulled a silly face and carried her out of the room.

the moment the door swung shut all three of you spat out the food in your mouths, mary hurrying to grab a bottle of water and chugging half before handing it to you which was then passed onto less.

"a for effort?" you sighed out, prodding at the meal with your fork. "they wouldn't let me help." alessia sighed apologetically, sipping on her coffee and paling, spitting it right back out with a firm shake of her head as you reached for your own.

"i think we're on a timer here, hurry!" mary hurried over with a rubbish bag, holding it open as all three of you scraped off your plates, glancing to the kitchen door every few seconds as alessia poured the coffees down the sink and washed away the evidence.

you were just tying a knot in the rubbish bag when the door burst open and the other two returned, the bag stashed under the table quickly as alessia sat back down.

"present time!" delilah announced, ella very carefully following after her with a few gifts in hand. "did you enjoy your breakfast mama?" your daughter asked hopefully spotting all three of your clean plates.

"i did! was that uh, was that grass you used to make the eggs look pretty?" mary asked with a cautious smile as again the four year old grabbed a hand each and pulled you both to your feet.

"yeah! but don't worry i washed it."

"well thank god for that." mary quipped sarcastically as you shot her a warning glare and pinched her arm, delilah thankfully too excited to note that insincere tone as you both took a seat on the sofa, accepting the gifts handed to you by ella.

"mummy first." your daughter nodded toward you, bouncing happily on the balls of her feet with a gleeful grin as ella sat down at the table with alessia.

"did you wrap these lilah? very very good. maybe we can get you a job working for santa next year!" you teased with a wink, carefully peeling off the paper as the four year old giggled.

you melted the moment your eyes laid on it, mary moving a hand to rub your back as you stared at the mug in silence. "i painted it! look." you opened your arms a little as delilah climbed up and into your lap, settling herself on one of your knees.

"this is me, you, mama and our house. then this is a football and i have my tutu on, and you have a little whistle cause you always coach me at dancing, and mama has her special gloves on cause they make her happy. and it says best mummy ever!" delilah explained pointing to the various little pictures painted on the large white mug.

"now when you have your coffee or tea if you're ever sad or grumpy or tired you can look at it and you can feel happy again!" delilah beamed as you squished her in a tight hug. "can't breathe!" she whined as you shook your head, shaking her a little and showering her face with kissses.

"like it?" she asked hopefully. "love it. best present ever from the best daughter ever!" you managed to get out without crying, dangerously close to cracking as you held it together as your daughter leaned up to kiss your cheek and wriggled out of your grip.

"mamas turn." she spun around and mary braced as delilah jumped into her lap now, wiggling about until she was comfortable and gesturing for mary to open hers.

"is it a football? feels like a new football." mary shook the package teasingly as delilah rolled her eyes. "no! open it."

"oo what about a car? is it a new car? babe i hope its a new car!" mary gasped as now you rolled your eyes with a smile and delilah groaned. "mama open it!" she huffed, smacking marys arm who grinned and kissed the top of her head before carefully peeling it open.

your hand flew to cover your mouth as a small wave of glitter came flying out as she did so, raining down all over the carpet as you watched alessia and ella do the same to cover up their laughter.

in marys hands were a pair of goal keeping gloves but not just any gloves, these were special gloves.

delilah had clearly made an effort to jazz them up as they were slapped with every colour of glitter you could imagine, clearly still a little wet as mary carefully tugged away the last of the paper and winced as a large dollop of glue dropped down onto her leg but at your daughters insistence she pulled them on trying to hide her disgust at the wet feeling.

"i was gonna just do united colours and england colours but then i didn't wanna leave out the other colours so used all the colours. and now you have special gloves for your big matches so if you're nervous you can wear them and think of me and not be nervous!" delilah explained, face plastered with a grin as mary and you shared a smile.

"they're perfect tiny. just like you!" mary also squeezed the life out of delilah in a hug, both of you attacking her face with kisses as delilah squealed and fought to get away, eventually dropping to the floor.

"now wait here." your daughter warned sternly, hands on hips shifting a serious frown between you and mary who both promised you'd stay put, delilah racing off with ella and alessia in tow.

"we made her." you laughed out in disbelief, smiling at your wife whose face near split into two with a grin. "hell yeah we did. go team earps!" mary hollered happily holding up her glove clad hand for a high five.

"nice try baby, you can keep your glitter to yourself." you teased, leaning over to sweetly kiss her but ducking out of the way as her hands moved to carress your face. "oh but my love sharing is caring?" mary smiled wickedly and before you could get away she'd tugged you into her body.

"i just want to touch my very sexy wife to show her how much i love her on mothers day! don't you love me baby?" mary teased, copping a feel and causing you to squeal as she cupped your boobs leaving glitter all over the two of you as you fought to get away.

"really!" you both broke apart and you smacked mary on the shoulder who stuck her tongue out, ella and alessia marching over with delilah perched on alessia's back.

"we leave you two alone for five minutes and now you've gone and made a mess." alessia sighed with a shake of her head, sending both of you an unimpressed dirty look which your daughter copied.

"look at the state of ya both! and the carpet!" ella moaned running her hands down her face with a huff. "pair of yas, go shower and change! theres clothes already in the bathroom. go!" ella ordered sternly a both you and mary stood, scalded as if you were a couple of naughty kids as mary very carefully removed the gloves and left them on the table at alessia's request, ella racing off to get the vacuum.

"no funny business you two." alessia warned, pointing menacingly as you made your way toward the bathroom. "yeah and be quick with it! lilahs got a full schedule planned and the pair of ya will not mess it up, mothers day or not." ella yelled out from the living room as mary rolled her eyes and tugged you into the bathroom.

"robes?" you questioned at the 'clothes' laid out, closing the door behind you. "judging by the amount of things missing from our cabinets i have a sneaky suspicion we're getting makeovers and a spa day?" mary laughed as she closed the mirrored doors which had been left open.

"hurry up then queen of stops, you heard the kids we're on a schedule." mary could barely turn around before your glitter covered pyjamas smacked her in the face and you were turning on the shower and stepping in.

your laughter was drowned out by the sound of running water as your wife almost tripped over in her haste to strip down, stepping in after you and promptly pressing your back against the cool tiles, lips ravishing your neck.

"no funny business earps." you warned teasingly feeling her chuckle against your skin, teeth tugging teasingly on your earlobe as your breath hitched and she palmed your ass in her hands. "well good because in about..." your wife pulled away to check an imaginary watch making you roll your eyes.

"...four and a half minutes, i don't think its laughter i'll be pulling from that pretty mouth my love. and remember, we're on a tight schedule."

[yoredoesmore]

Ya will get tired of me- Anyway. Do you know the scene from Marie Antoinette movie when she says 'a boy would be the son of France, but you Marie Thérèse shall be mine'. I've been in love with this. So here's the thing. How about reader x hoshina (I'm sorry, I'm just obsessed with him). Man idk how to describe it. How about Mina agrees to a mini tour for kids from kindergarten? (She probably wouldn't agree but we ignore that) Reader and Hoshina gives them a tour, they see how the weapons look from closer, with a safety distance ofc and etc. Then they go to the training room and they come across Hoshina team training? Like the kids are excited, the team like plays with them yk, Iharu and Izumo would bet (more like Iharu) who could do more push ups with kids on theirs back, overall every kid has a person who would give them attention. BUT. There a shy boy who stays behind. Reader sees it and ask him if he wants to see how strong she is, she asks about his name and she takes him and shows her special moves? Hoshina watches from afar how his team is having fun with theirs little fans and then he notices that reader is talking to a boy and he hears her saying 'the kids can have attention from others but you (kids name) shall receive mine' or smth like that? AND HE SEES THAT SHE'S GOOD WITH KIDS AND IT MAKES HIM FEEL WEIRD IN THE CHEST (they are dating) and he imagines how it would be with their kid? A pure fluff is all I want. 🥹💕

Special | Hoshina Soshiro

a/n: cherry you already have a special place in my heart, your requests are amazing! sorry this took so long, i'm sick ╥﹏╥ anyways, please never stop sending requests in <33

pairing: reader & little sosuke ft. Hoshina

summary: the third division hosts a tour for a small group of kindergarteners so that they can get special insight into the work of the defense force but one little kid seems to be in need of a little bit of extra attention and love.

genre: fluff/ angst/hurt & comfort

[wc: 2,7k]

another a/n: focus here is more on reader and the child than hoshina ^^

enjoy!

“A…tour? And not just any tour, a tour for little children..?” As expected, Captain Ashiro sounded more confused than convinced. Both you and Soshiro stood in front of her desk, eyes focused on your written request which she held in her hand. The Captain has been reading over it multiple times now, without giving much of a comment besides a “hm..” or a raise of her brow. A stern expression sat on her face, making it quite difficult to read her current opinion.

“Our job as Defense Force doesn't just stop once a Kaiju is neutralized. Taking care of the aftermath and trauma caused by the attacks is our responsibility as well.” You started.

“Many children have been affected by the destruction brought by the Kaiju– be it injuries, the loss of their home, friends and family or just mental trauma.” Soshiro continued.

“We want to show these children that we are a force they can trust, the people that will protect them from the terror. We want them to know that the second they see us, their life's will be in good hands.” You moved closer to Ashiro, determination glimmering in your eyes.

For a second her gaze shifted past both you and Hoshina, falling onto an empty space in her office. The woman had allowed her mind to lose itself in memories of the past, but only for a fleeting moment.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she folded her hands together and looked up at you with a serious face.

“I will ask the higher ups for permission to follow through with your..tour program, but don't get your hopes too far up. If we allow this to happen it cannot be a random group of children but rather a selected group of young individuals picked by the board itself.”

And that is how you ended up here.

Both you and Hoshina stood in front of the group of kids, each one more energetic than the other, waiting to show them around. It was a wild mixture of kids, yet they all seemed to look forward to what was to come.

Ashiro had told you that these were all children who came from special families, where at least one member was or still is part of a Defense Force. Meaning, that some or even all of them would be future soldiers.

Your husband's hands suddenly found yours as they pulled you closer, giving your fingers a soft squeeze before he clapped his hands together to address the children and caretakers who came with them.

“Welcome everyone, to Tachikawa Base, home of the Third Decision. I am Vice Captain Hoshina Soshiro and we, my coworker and I, will give you special guests a top secret tour around the base.”

Cheers and chants of joy erupted from the crowd, filling the atmosphere with excitement. Watching the children caused a warm feeling to engulf your stomach. To think that Mina actually agreed to do this, you owed her big time.

“Please make sure to walk in rows of two. If you don't have a partner, my coworker and I will take that role.”

Almost immediately the children started to assemble and divide themselves into pairs, until only one child was left.

“Guess we have a lucky one!” You smiled, reaching out your hand to the young boy.

“What's your name, little one?” The boy's eyes refused to meet yours and neither did an answer find you but you did not mind.

Being in such a huge, unfamiliar place must be quite intimidating..

You thought, hands wrapping around his small fingers.

“Let's begin with the tour, shall we?”

The base had been specially prepared for today's visit. Some more intimidating and top secret projects had been moved to different places of the base (that were more off radar) and all cadets had been asked to be on their best behavior today. Despite it being such a small group, both you and Hoshina made sure to take care of even the smallest details. Everywhere the eyes of the children landed, their gazes were sure to meet with something interesting. Weapon display, old badges and special uniforms, you name it.

“And right here is our control room.” Hoshina announced upon opening the door to the large space. Countless monitors hung on the walls, the light of the panels illuminating the dark space so that the visitors could see the technologies they were unfamiliar with.

The children shone like little balls of joy as they explored the operation room, trying to understand what monitor was used for what.

“This is Konomi Okonogi, the Operations Leader of the Third Division. When out in battle and in need of information about the Kaiju or when we need special permission to unlock our suits' full potential, she is the person we turn to.” The children nodded in amaze and immediately shot their hands up into the air to bomb the woman with questions.

But while she was trying to feed the hunger of their minds, one child remained quiet – the boy from before.

“Is there anything you would like to ask our Operations Leader?” You smiled, hands softly nudging the boy's shoulder. But the child simply shook his head, eyes once again landing on his feet. Maybe it was just wishful thinking but for a second it did look like he wanted to say something but refused to.

Unfortunately, your attention was pulled away as it was needed somewhere else in that moment– by a child that had asked a battle specific question.

The tour soon progressed to the next room. With each new space you visited the children grew more fonder of the place. When lunchtime arrived you all sat down in the cafeteria to enjoy a meal together and around afternoon the group went outside to the training ground to watch some cadets train. Every moment felt magical, well, to most of them.

On your way back inside you noticed one of the children walk on its own, a slight gap between him and his peers. Averting your gaze to Hoshina you were hoping to consult him on the situation, as it was starting to bother you greatly, but he was too busy talking to one of the caretakers. Thus you approached the child by yourself once again.

“And? How are we enjoying the tour so far?” You gave the boy another genuine smile.

“It's good..” He said, yet his words did not match the expression on his face.

Despite his lack of interest you continued to try and build up a conversation with him but your efforts went in vain. The kid was as quiet as they could come, unbothered by your attempts of warming up to him and overall not very excited to be here.

Just when you were about to try again, another child suddenly called out for you, like before, requesting your knowledge on a certain topic. The boy stayed behind the group, his eyes flickering with emotions you were unfamiliar with.

“Excuse me?” Your hands slightly tipped the shoulder of one of the caretakers.

“Who's that boy over there? The little one with the black hair.”

“Oh, him? That is our little Sosuke. Not much of a talker but a very sweet child.”

You nodded your head and sighed. “I see. Do you mind me asking why he seems so..down? Did something happen prior to your arrival or..”

The caretaker shook her head, dismissing your assumptions. “Unlike the other children, Sosuke does not seem to be skilled in any type of way. All these children come, as you already know, from renown clans that are recognized for birthing the next generation's soldiers. It is a hard burden to put on the children but all of them know what they will be once they grow up. But Sosuke..his body is too weak and frail to keep up with the other children, that becomes quiet obvious during the smallest activities like playing catch or during gymnastics hour. We tried many times to explain to him that he might be a late bloomer but the boy is strictly convinced that he isn't as special as the others and therefore deserves less attention from us..”

You felt a strong force pull on your heart while listening to the woman. To think that a child, at such a fragile age, would think so little of itself already..it was awful. Your eyes lingered on Sosuke for a while, trying to think of a way to cheer him up– but nothing came to mind. Therefore you were stuck watching the boy hide away in the bubble he had forced himself into throughout the remainder of the tour..

x

The day came to an end way too fast for anyone's liking. Although you traveled through the entire base, the minds of the children still hadn't been satisfied. They begged to visit one more room, see one more weapon– anything to postpone a goodbye. It warmed your heart, hearing them cheer you and the other cadets on, showing gratitude for all the service you provided. How could anyone resist such sweetness?

“How about we show them the training room?” Hoshina suggested and you immediately agreed. The man led the group to the indoor training area, where some of his squad members were going at it. On your way there you made sure to keep a close eye on Sosuke, still unable to give up on the boy.

“Attention everyone!” Hoshina yelled, immediately gaining everyone's attention.

“We got some visitors.”

Kafka and Reno sat in the back of the room, occupying the lifting machines while Shinomiya sat in front of the mirror to do some post workout stretching. The entire group sat focused on their work, until they heard the voice of their Vice Captain.

That's when sweet chaos broke out.

The children climbed onto everything their little hands and feet could touch, including the cadets. Kafka soon turned into a tree for the children to climb on and so did Reno. Shinomiya found herself being trampled by four of the children, meanwhile Iharu and Izumo found a way to incorporate the kids into their workout by having them sit on their backs while performing push ups. Hoshina immediately bursted in a fit of laughter, amused by the current situation.

You yourself could not hide a smile. But amidst all the laughter and giggling your gaze subconsciously searched for Sosuke. Like before in the monitor room and the training ground, he stood in the back, watching the scene unfold– but this time something was different.

He watched his peers and the cadets with admiration in his eyes, with a tiny spark of amazement that shone like the stars in the firmament. The urge to join the fun grew with every second that passed, you could see it...yet he was still holding himself back for some reason.

“Sosuke was your name, am I right?” You tried to approach him one more time.

The boy, surprised that you knew his name, only managed to nod his head, but that was one of the best reactions you have seen from him all day.

“Wanna see something cool? I got a secret move none of the other cadets can do.” As you spoke those words, you kneeled down to the child's level, now being eye to eye with him.

“But..isn't such a special move meant to be seen by the other children rather than me..”

“No, I want you to see it.” Sosuke gasped lightly as you spoke those words, confused by the overwhelming attention you have been showing him up until now. While the boy was contemplating your intentions, you took off your shoes and placed them aside. Then, he finally nodded.

Almost immediately the boy found himself being yanked up into the air. You had wrapped your legs around his waist to pull him closer and somehow balanced him on your feet– with whom you threw him up into the air, of course not too high, and caught him with your hands. It all happened so fast that little Sosuke had almost no time to react but once he calmed down he was glowing with excitement.

“Again!”

And you threw him up again.

“Again!”

And another time.

“Again!”

You continued to throw the boy into the air just to catch him like a circus ball with your hands. Seeing his eyes glow and gleam with joy was more rewarding than any badge.

As you were both lost in the moment, you failed to notice Hoshina who was now moving closer to the both of you. His feet halted midway as he saw you open your mouth.

“Oh little Sosuke, you may not think that you are desired but you are no less dear to me.”

The boy's eyes froze upon hearing your words. His body softly slipped off your feet and landed onto the ground next to you.

“But..I'm not special..I'm not like the other kids in the group. I appreciate your kindness ma'am but I don't think that you should waste your time on me.."

Sosuke felt a cold wind hush over his skin as he recalled past memories of him trying to catch up with the other children. He suddenly felt lonely and left out, forgotten by the world…until a warm breeze suddenly engulfed him. Your arms wrapped themselves around his body, pulling the child into a long, warm hug.

“The kids can play with the other cadets and get their special attention." You poked his nose. “But you little Sosuke, shall have mine.”

Both Sosuke and Hoshina stood speechless by your words, their hearts feeling emotions they could not comprehend in that moment.

Soshiro suddenly grabbed his chest, the warmth in his heart being too overwhelming to ignore it. Could you hear his heartbeat? It was beating in irregular motions, loud and clear for all to hear. Hoshina knew that you were a good soul but never would he have thought that you were this amazing with children. But that was only to be expected, was it not?

They did not go unnoticed by Hoshina, your attempts of trying to win Sosuke over. He knew that you probably saw yourself in the small, insecure boy and therefore felt a dire need to consult him and let him know that he was already special enough, simply for being born into this world.

“Alright children, it's time to pack up now! One of the caretakers suddenly called.

“Oh my, time is already up? Alright Sosuke, let's-” Upon looking down at the boy, you were met with a view you did not expect to see today. Sosuke sat in your arms, thick tears running down his cheeks and staining his clothes.

“Don't wanna!” The boy yelled out, loud enough to alarm everyone. He was clinging onto you tightly, refusing to let go. As you looked up for help you finally took notice of Hoshina.

“Soshiro..are you seeing this?” You chuckled softly, the feeling of accomplishment washing over your skin.

“I don't wanna leave!” Sosuke continued to protest as Hoshina tried to get the boy off you.

It took your husband ten whole minutes to convince Sosuke to go with the caretakers, but that was only possible after making multiple promises.

“Yes, I will visit your kindergarten every month, I promise.”

“And..and you have to show me your special move again!” The boy cried out, both his hands wrapped around your leg.

“Yes, I will.” You spoke in a gentle voice, your fingers tapping against his shoulder to notify him that your time was up.

“Goodbye Mrs. Hoshina!” Sosuke yelled as his head disappeared behind the bus door.

“Goodbye Sosuke..”

It wasn't until the bus drove off that you felt an overwhelming surge of sadness pull on your heart. Luckily Hoshina stood right next to you to embrace you in a warm hug.

“There there.” He cooed, smiling at your fragile self. You stayed like that for a while, feeling comfort in Hoshina's presence.

The children of this world are faced with hardship and terror from an early age– especially those who come from renown clans like yours and Hoshinas. You remember it all too well, the pressure applied to you by your parents to achieve greatness and make it big in the world of Kaiju fighters. Knowing that you managed to get through to Sosuke and reassure him that he was special despite not being as strong as the others, it made your heart feel just a little lighter.

[moonlightkitties]

Christmas/Winter Themes Prompts

These are the fics I will be writing every day up in December until Christmas! Most of them are fluff but I have a few angst ones I'm going to write. I'm so excited to write these!

First Snowfall of the Year (Sean MacGuire x Reader) - Celebrating the first snowfall of the year in your new homestead, you and Sean sleep in and spend some time with each other.

Snowball Fight (Micah Bell x Reader) - After doing all your chores and just wanting to rest, Micah ruins it by throwing a freezing cold snowball at your face.

O' Christmas Tree (John Marston x Reader) - John is struggling to put the Christmas tree up while you sort through decorations.

Snowy Horse Ride (Arthur Morgan x Reader) - After a long day of chores, you and Arthur relax by taking the horses out in a cozy snowy ride.

Snowstorm Cuddles (Charles Smith x Reader) - After getting stranded in a snow storm while on a hunting trip, you and Charles share body heat to help warm up.

Christmas Movie Marathon (Michael De Santa x Reader) - Having nothing to do, you and Michael spend the day watching every Christmas movie you find.

Gingerbread Houses (Trevor Philips x Reader) - After getting gingerbread houses for both you and Trevor, you get home and ask him to make one with you. Trevor being Trevor, makes it into a competition and gets frustrated when the icing doesn't keep the walls up.

Christmas Cookies (Wade Hebert x Reader) - You and Wade make Christmas cookies and get flour everywhere.

Peppermint Mochas (Dave Norton x Reader) - Wanting to spoil your older, exhausted husband, you surprise him by making peppermint mochas.

Christmas Lights (Steve Haines x Reader) - You force Steve to take you to go look at Christmas lights.

Pretty Kitty (Lenny Summers x Reader) - You and Lenny find a cat in the snow and take it home.

My Big Strong Man (Bill Williamson x Reader) - You watch Bill chop firewood from the porch of your home.

Mistletoe (Dutch Van der Linde x Reader) - Going to a Christmas party at the Marstons place seemed fine and dandy, until Dutch tries everything he can to get you under the mistletoe.

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas (Michael De Santa x Reader) - Michael hasn't been spending a lot of time with you now that he makes movies. Feeling bored, you take the Christmas decorations down from the attic and start decorating.

Northern Lights (Charles Smith x Reader) - Celebrating your first Christmas in Canada, Charles takes you to see the northern lights.

Winter Blues (Arthur Morgan x Reader) - When Mary shows up, unannounced, at your and Arthur's snow covered homestead, what should have been a happy December day, turns into an anxious one as you wonder if Arthur still loves her.

Ice Fishing (Kieran Duffy x Reader) - It's your first time ice fishing with Kieran and he makes sure he has everything before the long weekend.

Christmas Dinner (Dutch Van der Linde x Reader) - You and Dutch go to your parents for Christmas dinner and he hits it off with your father.

Ice Skating (Jack Marston x Reader) - You and Jack have been dating for a few months now, when it starts snowing and the lake has been frozen over, you convince him to ice skate.

Sledding (Kieran Duffy x Reader) - After buying a sled for the kids, you and Kieran spend the entire day pulling them around and pushing them down hills.

The Fat Man (Trevor Philips x Reader) - Ever since he was a child, Trevor Philips was scared of Santa. When you and him have children, he swore he wasn't going to introduce them to "the fat man." After pouting and begging him to let you do Santa with them, he reluctantly agreed.

Twas a night before Christmas (Lenny Summers x Reader) - Lenny reads "A night before Christmas" to your kids.

Sick on Christmas (Orville Swanson x Reader) - It's Christmas morning, and instead of opening presents like you wanted to, you're stuck in bed battling a really bad cold with Orville to help you.

Christmas Eve (Arthur Morgan x Reader) - After putting the kids to bed and putting the rest of the presents under the tree, you and Arthur slow dance in the living room.

Surprise! (Bill Williamson x Reader) - Bill has been weird all week, very giddy and anxious for Christmas day. When it comes, he brings out the one thing you have been wanting for YEARS; a blue merle border collie.

[arkhamsrevenge]

PS5 Harry Osborn x Reader requested by @seele-opal - how abt something with harry and the symbiote before he went full venom? maybe something abt how it'll react to its hosts' romantic partner

Trigger Warning! This story contains violence and talks about abuse, suicide  and death!

You went to high school with Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn. They were always nice to you but often left you to your own devices. A couple times you had scared off Flash and his buddies due to your wit and unwavering hate for the school bullies. When you heard Harry’s mother had died, you secretly started to make copies of your school work and put his name on them to lessen the load for him when he returned to school. You had kept your secret hidden well for a while until you ran into Peter Parker in the school library. Well more like he ran into you, papers scattered everywhere and as Peter helped you pick them up he saw doubles of each paper you were working on. 

“So you’re the one passing Harry in Honors Lit and Economics.” He whispered. You shrugged. 

“He’s going through it. Thought I’d lighten the load.” After that, Peter and MJ started eating lunch at your table. They never forced you to take your headphones out when you wanted to eat while listening to music or if you didn’t say anything at all. In fact, you were starting to like their company. Harry eventually came back to school and was surprised to know he wasn’t missing many assignments. Peter of course brought him up to speed and later that day you received a note in your locker. It was from Harry, a thank you note for helping him out. You smiled and tucked it into your bag then someone cleared their voice behind you. You turned to see Harry himself holding a small bunch of violets. 

“I know they aren’t much and I picked them outside the school but I wanted to get you something and MJ said you keep drawing violets on your paper when you're bored.” You blink not knowing just how closely those two had paid attention to you. You swallowed roughly and a small smile appeared on your face. 

“Thanks. That was really nice of you.” Harry laughed. 

“You…I’m the one that should be on my knees thanking you. I’m still going to graduate on time because of you.” You shook your head. 

“It was nothing really. It’s tough to go through…a loss. It sucks. Feels like you’ve been gutted and your chest feels like someone keeps putting weight on it. It’s hard to even get up and walk most days.” You chose your words carefully. 

“Sounds like you’re familiar with this.” Harry’s eyes dropped down, tears starting to well up in his eyes. Your heart started to break. No one had been there to hold you together when your sister died by suicide. You had to hold everyone together because they were falling apart and looking to you, the oldest sibling, to fill in the cracks. It was so hard but you got through it. Now you go to therapy once a week to correct all the damage done to your mind. 

“I am.” You say stepping closer. “If…uh…I’m a good listener. You know, whenever.” Harry met your eyes and a small smile appeared on his face. 

“Thanks. I gotta go meet up with Pete for a project but catch you later?” You nodded and laughed as Harry waved goodbye. A couple weeks later Harry took you out on a date and you guys were a thing, not really a couple officially but a thing. MJ and Peter had the same thing going on. You even had your first kiss together in Pete’s backyard when you guys hung out for a movie night. Pete and MJ had gone into get more snacks and silence fell between you and Harry. You turned to him to ask him something when he kissed you. It wasn’t a perfect kiss by any means but you both kissed each other and then DIDN'T SPEAK OF IT AGAIN. Awkward as both were, kisses were still stolen in private. Graduation came and went but all of you kept in touch until Harry just disappeared one day to go to Europe. Eventually Peter and MJ found out what had happened to him, he wasn’t in Europe. He was sick and dying, he had been diagnosed with the same disease his mother died from. Shock would be an understatement as MJ was telling you this over the phone. 

“Shit that's..awful. Where are you now?” You ask when you hear a honking noise from outside your apartment complex. “Outside. Come on.” MJ answers. You laugh and grab your bag and head out the door to run into…Harry Osborn? After not seeing him in months you expected from him to be sickly, dying but he looked just like you remembered him. 

“Woah. Sorry. Uh…” He said steadying himself with his cane. You held him, got his footing and waited. “I had this whole image of me learning on the wall over here all cool while you came outside but got too excited I guess.” He even sounded the same. He had the same bright tone in his voice and he didn’t sound out of breath or anything. The look in his eyes confused you. You couldn't understand what it was but he was looking at you like he was fighting something back. But still you huff out a laugh. 

“How bout you get more of your strength back then you can try to put the moves on me, OK?” Harry laughed and pulled you into a hug. You wrapped your arms around him and let him hug you for as long as he wanted. 

“Thought I’d never see you again.” He whispered. You held on tighter and Harry let you go. “I’m sorry. I was being treated here in the city and didn't want you to worry about me. I’m OK though. I’m in remission.” Your jaw dropped. 

“That’s great. I’m glad to hear it.” Then another honk came from behind Harry. Peter was honking Harry’s car. 

“COME ON! I’D LIKE TO GET TO CONEY ISLAND TODAY!” You laughed and rolled your eyes. Harry offered you his arm and you both laughed as you carefully assented down the stairs. MJ opened the car door for you and held out a hand as you climbed in. Harry got into the driver's seat and drove to the docks where you guys caught a boat to Coney Island. Once there, all four of you went on all your favorite rides. It was just like back in high school except trouble struck. The villain known as Tombstone was captured by other bad guys? You weren’t sure because all you could do was look for your friends as you all had been separated. Tombstone looked so scared. You felt bad for him, just seconds ago he was telling you where to get the best caramel apples on Coney Island and even said thank you for talking to him. Well these people were trying to take him so as SpiderMonkey was fighting most of them off you went to try and help Tombstone. A net had been thrown on him so you started to cut it with your pocket knife, trying to free him. 

“Get outta here kid! It aint gonna cut it!” He shouted at you but you were determined to help him until you were thrown to the side landing rough. You look up to see a man standing over you with a knife. You kick him in the shin and take off only to have a sharp pain run up your thigh. The bastard had thrown his knife and it sliced through your thigh. You fell and held your hand to you leg hoping to stop the bleeding. As you hid around a corner Spider-man ran off to save the people on the busted roller coaster. You started to get light headed, wanting to call out to the hero but didn’t want the people on the roller coaster to die. 

“OH MY GOD!” You feel someone jerk you which makes you yell out in pain. You look to see MJ’s scared eyes. “Ohmygodohmygod oh no nonononono. Just stay with me alright? I’m gonna…I’m getting you help just keep putting-HARRY!” MJ screamed. Your eyes started to get heavy. You're losing too much blood. “HEY HEY HEY! DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT! LOOK AT ME!” Hands grab your face and shake slightly. Your eyes try to focus knowing the voice belongs to Harry who was desperately trying to keep you awake. 

“We gotta stop the bleeding! Keep putting pressure on the leg. I'll go get a paramedic!.” MJ says as Harry carefully puts his arm behind you and his other under your legs. He pulls you closer to him and whispers

“Just say with me. OK? I’m not losing you a second time. We barely got a chance to- '' You suddenly feel something crawling up your leg, you don't have the strength to move it but you do have enough to open your eyes. Black goo like tentacles were creeping up your leg, stopping at the gash in your thigh, the goo covers it and the pain slowly fades. Are you imagining this? “Holy shit.” Harry. Harry’s still here? The goo continues to cover your body until everything fades to black. 

You gasp for air look around frantically, your still at Coney Island but on a roof top and someone was still holding you. You look up to see Harry, sitting with you curled up against him. 

“Hey.” He breathes sounding relieved that you woke up. 

“Hi? What happened?” You ask. 

“Well…we need to talk.” You turn to see Peter in a Spider-man suit. “Now I know this might be shocking but-” “Oh please.” You croak. “I’ve known for years.” You say starting to move trying to stand. 

“Woah. Not so fast OK? You lost a lot of blood.” Harry says holding you tighter. “Your body temp is still a little low so just…for now just stay.” 

“I should be dead.” You whisper. “How is it I’m not?” Harry looks to Pete who looks right back at him. 

“I…think I healed you.” Harry says. You blink thinking he’s lost his marbles. 

“Huh.” Then tentacles start peaking out of Harry's back. So you weren’t hallucinating. “Harry what?” 

“It’s my treatment. This exoskeleton suit is healing me but…it healed you leg and then like wrapped around your entire body until you were healed enough. I have no idea who it works but I’m glad it did.” Your jaw is still on the floor not knowing what to say. “Pete and I are going to run some tests and you're gonna come. I’m not letting you out of my sight until you see Dr. Connors.” Harry says picking you up with ease. He wasn’t able to do that before. 

“Harry, how-” “The suit. It really did heal me more than I could have hoped for.” 

[sixminutestoriesblog]

Mercy Brown: when superstitions go awry

Tuberculosis is an insidious disease that comes in quietly and sweeps away entire families, rarely content with just one or two before its run its course. This slowly dividing bacteria travels from host to host through aerosol droplets via sneezing, coughing, speaking and other airborne paths. Considering the fact that TB attacks the lungs most often, resulting in, among other things, coughing up bloody phlegm, this means its highly transmissible and yet, luckily, very slow to be caught by the average passer-by. The longer someone spends with the sick person, and the less well ventilated an area is, the more likely the disease is to pass on to the next victim. Most people that came down with TB caught it from sick family members. These days we have a vaccine against it but TB has been around for most of humanities' recorded history, with even Egyptian mummies having been found with physical evidence of it. In Victorian (and later) times the disease was referred to as 'consumption' with little understanding of its source or its cause, an unknown horror that seemed to come from nowhere, prey on an entire family or community and than vanish again just as mysteriously.

In 1883 (or 1884 or 1888 -the dates are all over the place), a woman in Exeter, Rhode Island by the name of Mary Eliza died of 'consumption'. Six months later, her oldest daughter, Mary Olive, joined her in the graveyard. The distraught husband, George, waited, one can only imagine, with terror for the rest of their children to be swept away as well but for the next several years, all was well in the family. Then, in the cold months at the end of 1891, his daughter Mercy Lena came down with consumption.

From our place, safely in the future, we can look at the case and wonder if she was exposed to a new strain that finally found a weak spot the previous one hadn't and laid claim to her. It's entirely possible however that the same bacteria that killed her mother was now killing Mercy as well. Mercy might have contracted what's known as latent TB from her mother, a case where the bacteria lies dormant in the system, the victim a benign carrier who can't infect others until something, usually an event that suppresses the immune system, triggers it into a full blow, active bought. Whatever the case, whether it was a new infection or the haunting family ghost of her mother's older one, Mercy, and her younger brother Edwin, both came down with active TB in 1891. Edwin, a teenager at the time, was sent to Colorado in the hopes it would heal him - but Mercy died in the first month of the new year, going the way of her mother and older sister before her to the grave. She was only 19.

The story should have stopped there.

I wouldn't be writing about this if it had.

Edwin returned from Colorado and his health continued to decline. Soon, if nothing changed, he would follow the majority of his family into the grave. The neighbors had a plan though. They just needed his father's permission.

What they proposed was that an evil entity was draining the life of the Brown family, picking them off one at a time and returning for each new victim. The evil that was killing the family - was a member of the family.

Here's where we get into the superstition part of things. If you read articles online about Mercy Brown you'll find the word 'vampire' thrown around a lot. It was the word used in the newspapers of the time, that caught wind of what the neighbors planned, and its also modern culture, thanks in large part to Bram Stroker's Dracula (there is speculation that his character of Lucy might have had its roots in stories he'd read about Mercy in the newspapers of his time. Dracula, remember, was published in 1897). A dark force, rising from the grave to suck the life out of its victims. Well, yes - and no. Modern vampires, the way we collectively view them now, with fangs and a hunger for blood, creeping around through windows and walking among us on our crowded nighttime streets is a new reskinning. During Mercy's time, and much much further back than that, the 'vampire' associated with disease like TB was much more nebulous. For many cultures, what was rising out of the grave to drain the life from its own family had more resemblance to an angry or hungry ghost, than a walking, talking monster. A distinction that, realistically, has no bearing on the end result but, metaphysically, the story changes. It becomes something personal, to the victim and the neighbors around the family, someone they knew in life, someone they watched die. It's the sorrow and the potential rage and absolutely the confusion of why it happened in the first place, rising like fog from the grave to whisper across the landscape, trying to take what it once had back to the cold of its tomb with it. It's the familiar knock of a friend at the door when the friend isn't there anymore. It's the smile you knew all the nineteen years of its life on the other side of the window on a moonless night. When the neighbors wanted to dig up Eliza, Olive and Mercy, there was the quiet whisper that traced back through a thousand ancestors into the far past of humanity that murmured that love doesn't die when the body does - and that that's terrifying, not comforting.

George, with his son dying, agreed to let the neighbors go digging up his family. Maybe he believed them, some accounts say he didn't, but whatever the case, he let them pull up the bodies of his dead loved ones out of their cold graves in the late winter and lay them out right there for testing. Mary Eliza and Mary Olive were safe. They were too rotted to be the hungry ghost that was trying to take young Edwin with it. Mercy however - Mercy, according to the reporter that was onsite to record all of this, looked far too fresh to be a two month old corpse. Her hair and nails had grown, her body looked unblemished, reports said her body had shifted since it had been laid out and, most damning of all, when her chest was cut open by the local doctor, her organs were found to still have blood in them. It wasn't important that Mercy's body had been in the ground during some of the coldest, and therefor most preserving, months of the year. They certainly didn't know about the buildup of gas in a body that can make it move or the way the skin shrinks and pulls back from nails and hair, making them seem to grow. No. What they saw was that Mercy wasn't content to travel into death alone. She wanted her baby brother to go with her.

So they burned her heart on a stone in the graveyard, put the ashes in a drink and had Edwin chug it down. In a move that dates back to, at least, Achilles desecrating Hector's body in the Iliad, you rob a ghost of its power by mangling the body that ties it to both this world, and its recognizable identity.

It didn't work. Within two months, Edwin was dead as well. The story however, lived on. Perhaps in Stoker's Dracula and certainly in the papers of the day. Mercy was, perhaps, the last body dug up in New England and given the 'vampire' treatment. She wasn't the only one however. There are at least six other recorded, and possibly other unmarked, instances during what came to be known as the New England Vampire Panic that swept the upper US during the 1800s. Mercy, at this point, seems to be the last, coming in on the tail end of the old century and the beginning of the new. A last flicker of the old superstitions dying out in the face of rising science.

[thatwriterchick222]

sweet release (james sunderland x bubble head nurse)

summary: then he saw it. one of the bubble head nurses, another name he coined himself.

it was draped over the grungy operating table, its body writhing in what seemed to be agony. its hands, which would have normally been brandishing a rusty metal pipe or blade ready to go in for the kill, were empty, gripping onto the edges of the metal surface. it was in pain.

its legs were spread in a way that james could only describe as tempting. white thighs apart and exposing white underwear below its skirt, long legs laying as if they were just asking to be grabbed and wrenched apart. helpless.

james felt his cock harden in his pants.

sick fuck. 

a/n: this one is a bit different than the stuff i normally write and definitely a lot more DUBIOUS so if you're not into that sort of thing please do not read lol.

i also have been obsessed with silent hill 2 recently (obviously) and i wanted to explore some dubious morals as well as unreliable narration, so i figured why not?

ANOTHER TW: references to r@pe, non-con, and extremely dubious consent

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

james was tired. he didn’t know if it had been hours, days, weeks, or even months since he got to silent hill. his limbs were heavy like they were filled with lead. his clothes were caked with blood and god only knew what else, and he was slowly losing hope.

every step he took blurred together, every twisting dark hallway and locked door after locked door, an endless purgatory for him to wander aimlessly.

he killed because he deemed it necessary. these things came at him with force, with an unprovoked violence that called for nothing but violence in return. his finger ached from pulling the trigger, his arms weak from swinging that fucking metal pipe. the squelch of guts and porcelain and the putrid stench of vomit permeated his senses until he was unable to do anything but kill. put them out of their misery. 

and he still found no sign of mary.

well, the real mary.

the few lives in this hellish place were the only things that kept him grounded, angela and eddie and laura and…

maria.

fuck… maria.

was she placed there to tempt him? brought to him to remind him of who he lost, who he was searching for, who he missed the most? or was it some sick fucking joke that this town wanted to play on him? 

she was beautiful. she was– well, she was mary– but different. she had her face, pleading eyes and shy smile, but her voice was seductive and uncanny in a way that he couldn’t quite describe.

he settled on the theory that she was there to tempt him. to draw him off course. 

that way it was easy. straightforward. don’t let her get to you. don't let her make you weak. she isn’t mary.

but why did she smell like her? why did she give off a sweet, deep, musky scent that reminded james of some old memory, a first date, maybe even a first fuck? 

why— when the chilling breeze caught her smell and brought it to him like it was teasing him with her pheromones— did it make him ache like he did all those years ago?

it had to be a sick joke.

as hard as it was, james resisted her. he acted like he didn’t feel some otherworldly magnetic pull to just give in and pretend she was mary because she was close enough , maybe even better in ways he didn’t want to admit. even when she got tired and weak, a sudden sickness hit her that made james’s stomach twist with familiarity, she lay down on the dirty mattress and the first thing james wanted to do was touch her. as he turned to leave he saw her knees, covered in the sheer nylon of her tights, propped up and suspiciously, teasingly open, as if waiting for him to pull them apart.

he was a sick fuck.

this place must have been getting to him.

but, like all things in this forsaken place, maria was killed. not by his hand, but by the mysterious creature james coined as pyramid head, an unrelenting beast that sought him out. this executioner plunged his spear through maria’s stomach, and james watched the life drain from her body. in that moment, she looked more like his mary than she ever had.

james was tired . exhausted to the point of delirium, alone again to roam in the dark, decomposing halls of the hospital. as he walked, he thought back to what he could have done. if he was a different man, he would have taken advantage of the opportunity; a beautiful woman attempting to seduce him, a woman who looked exactly like his late wife… deep down james felt that it was a dream come true. 

a dream that he passed up. and now he regretted it.

he could feel himself aching as he recalled her pink lips, her top teeth digging into the plump bottom one for a brief moment, the way she slowly blinked and looked up at him. the way she touched him, ever so casually, and left his skin burning for minutes after she had recoiled.

he imagined her knees propped on the bed again, except this time he imagined turning around and spreading them, pulling off her boots and running his hands up her calves, her thighs… 

james inhaled sharply and tried to push the thoughts from his mind.

but these halls were so quiet, so empty, and he was so fucking lonely . 

he imagined maria gasping in surprise as he touched her, and in her sick and fatigued state, not bothering to push him away. she had wanted this after all. maybe he would rip her tights, push up her skirt, put his mouth on her. maybe she would have tasted just like his mary too.

james was startled out of his thoughts when the radio in his pocket sprung to life, the jarring sound of muffled breaths and static making his stomach drop. 

he realized he was growing hard from thinking about maria. he continued on, turning the corner into one of the open hospital rooms as the feedback from the radio grew louder, making him wince with its high-pitched frequencies. 

and then he saw it. one of the bubble head nurses, another name he coined himself. 

but this one was… different. 

the nurses were normally hostile. they would twitch and stumble towards him, swing at him with malicious intent, but this one was… weak.

it was draped over the grungy operating table, its body writhing in what seemed to be agony. its hands, which would have normally been brandishing a rusty metal pipe or blade ready to go in for the kill, were empty, gripping onto the edges of the metal surface. it was in pain.

its legs were spread in a way that james could only describe as tempting . white thighs apart and exposing white underwear below its skirt, long legs laying as if they were just asking to be grabbed and wrenched apart. it had thigh-high white tights on that were held up by a garter belt, the straps disappearing under its skirt, and against his better judgment, he wanted to rip them off.

if james didn’t have the context of the world around him, he would have assumed this faceless nurse was caught in the grip of pleasure, its body open and ready for the taking. 

docile, weak, helpless.

james felt his cock harden in his pants.

sick fuck. 

mary was gone, maria was gone… he didn’t know if this place was just getting in his head or if he really was just that desperate. 

james kept his gun up, shakily on it as if all his attention wasn’t occupied with the throbbing below his belt, the intoxicating thud of his heart in his chest and his ears.

but the nurse just lay there, squirming, its back arching and its legs dangling from the table, white high heels not even touching the ground.

though it didn’t have a mouth, struggled inhuman gasps came from its throat, a wail that almost resembled the rattle of death. it sent chills down james’s spine, but he reached forward, placing his hand on its cold knee.

it didn’t even look up. its head was thrown back, faceless and wrapped with rotting cloth, its breasts bulging from its dress and rising heavily with each gasp it took. james licked his lips, his breath catching in his throat.

i’ll help you. he thought. just let me do this. it’ll feel good, i promise.

when he placed his gun down on the table beside it, he knew there was no going back. he was already imagining if it even had a pussy, and if it did, what it would feel like to plunge his dick into it as deep as humanely possible.

he ran his fingers up its thighs, his brows pinched together and his lips parted in pure desire as he felt its flesh. it was flesh . soft and plump, like a real woman. if he closed his eyes, he could pretend. maybe he could pretend it was mary, or maria, or some strange amalgamation of them both.

this thought only made him harder. 

james attempted to pull its legs further apart, but it seemed stiff, as if its body was old and worn out. 

the nurse choked out a pained rasp as james pried its legs apart, pushing them up as he yanked it closer to him. as he bent its knees, he was reminded of the pyramid head man, the way he wrenched the mannequin legs apart sadistically, toying with them. was he any different at that moment?

the only difference was that james wasn’t toying. he had one thing in mind, and it still wasn’t putting up a fight.

continue on ao3!!!

[perpetualproductions]

Im not sure if you already wrote this but can we get Jordan taking care of marie

(Am a big fan of your work)

Omg, yes. Say less. I haven't done this yet, so I will gladly write this, lol. (Thanks!!)

--

As You Wish

- Jordan Li takes care of Marie Moreau.

- Marie's not used to that

2k words (;-;)

If there's one thing Marie Moreau hates, it's being sick. The coughing, the body aches, the constantly stuffy/runny nose, all of it. The most annoying part of it all was how much of an inconvenience being sick was. Marie didn't have time to be sick. She had things to do, classes to pass, a superhero to become, and you can't do all of that if you're sick. So to say she was a bit annoyed to wake up feeling like utter death, would be an understatement.

Marie has always been stubbornly independent. Even when she was a kid, she always insisted she could take care of herself, (though she'd always fold when her mother made her favorite soup and cuddled up with her to watch some of her favorite movies). Sure, now she was sort of forced into it, but at this point it was second nature for her. She didn't need help, she could take care of herself just fine and a measly flu wasn't gonna change that. Marie tried to convince Emma (and herself) that she was fine enough to sit in a classroom, but her body betrayed her pretty quickly when she could barely pull herself out of bed. Emma promised to bring her some soup at the end of the day, then bolted out to avoid contamination. Apparently Emma was a bit of a germaphobe. Though Marie couldn't blame her after she'd already gone through a whole box of tissues just that morning.

-

At first Jordan didn't really think much of Marie's absence. Though they definitely noticed it. They were both in a weird, unclear, place in their relationship. Jordan wasn't even sure if they could refer to it as a relationship. Just a few months ago they couldn't stand her presence, then, she somehow wormed her way into their friend group with her big brown eyes and radiant smile. That's when they realized they had a stupid crush on the freshman, and Jordan being Jordan dealt with that by constantly arguing and pushing her buttons, which Marie retaliated with just as much force. Then they kissed her... And then they were kissing some more; in her dorm, in the library, in their dorm. The making out quickly evolved to sex in all those aforementioned places (and more). How that even began, Jordan was still confused about. One moment they're bickering about some pointless things that Jordan can even remember anymore, then they're pushing her up against the wall and taking each other's clothes off. That became sort of a regular thing, along with study sessions either before or after. Marie quickly cleared up Jordan's hold ups, telling them that she doesn't care what form they're in when they are with her (a massive relief to Jordan), but that was basically the extent of it. Not much further than being more than fine with each other's presence, study dates and sex. And after a month or two of that, Jordan became terrifyingly aware that there was so much more that they wanted out of this. The more time they spent with her, the more they really got to know her, they were beginning to realize their real feelings for Marie Moreau weren't purely sexual attraction... They were in love. But, too terrified to break the status quo, they decided to keep that hidden for now.

So by the time classes wrapped up and Marie failed to show to their scheduled study session in the library, they finally folded, shifting to their female form and near sprinting over to her dorm. Jordan had left a few messages already and Marie never answered any texts so they didn't feel bad banging on her dorm door, now half convinced she's either kidnapped or finally ghosting them (they never thought they'd wish so hard for the former option).

"Moreau! You in there?" Jordan shouted, continuing to knock after not getting an answer. Just as they were about to give up and look somewhere else, they heard some shuffling on the other side of the door. It takes a minute for Marie to shuffle her way to the door, slowly pulling it open and looking down at Jordan.

"Wow. You look like shit." Jordan states bluntly, looking Marie up and down in her sickly and disheveled state. She's wearing an oversized grey hoodie and black sweats. She looks miserable, face pale, and a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"Gee, thanks." Her voice was sore as she spoke. The look she's giving Jordan quickly made them aware that she wasn't in the mood for comments. She leaned on the door for support, too exhausted to stand. "what do you want?"

"uh-" Jordan wasn't really sure what they wanted. They were going to tell her off or at least ask why she blew them off today, but the answer to that was clear. And seeing her like this, all sick and miserable, it did things to their heart that they didn't understand. A protective feeling falling over them.

Without saying much else, they let themselves in, throwing their bag aside and reaching out to steady Marie as they close the door. "What the hell are y-"

"Just get in bed, Marie." Jordan interrupts, trying to lead her to the bed, but Marie pulls herself out of their hold, just to walk over herself and get in bed herself.

"what are you doing?" She asks, sitting up in her bed, looking at Jordan confused.

Jordan took off their iconic bomber jacket, leaving them in a black tank top, as they looked around the room. They noted the multitude of used tissues and discarded cough drop wrappers, along with empty water bottles. At least she's staying hydrated - they thought. They eventually registered Marie's question, looking back at her. "You're sick." They stated as if her question was ridiculous.

Marie just shook her head, looking at them, genuinely confused by their actions here. What were they doing? Yes, she was sick, but that was her problem, not Jordan's. So why were they in her dorm trying to, what? Take care of her? Don't get her wrong, she was always happy to see Jordan, be in their company, but it was usually under much different circumstances. Marie still wasn't 100% sure what they were yet, but they didn't think it involved this. "Yeah, okay... And?"

"And?... Being sick sucks. And your roommate's obviously not here to help you and I am, so just lay down, will you?" Jordan tries to reason with her. They decide to get moving, grabbing a trashcan from the corner of the room and scooping the used tissues and wrappers into it.

Marie just watches Jordan move, picking up after her. "Jordan, you don't need to do..." she waves her hands around as she tries to find the right words, "this-"

"-well what if I want to do this?" They argue, but they pause, realizing what they might have admitted. "I mean, you obviously need the help. You're really not looking too hot, have you taken your temperature yet?" They tried to backpedal, but it was hard to hide their worry.

Jordan can't help themselves as they lean forward, placing their hand on Marie's forehead, then moving it down to her cheek, letting it linger there for a second. They get lost in each other's eyes for just a moment, Jordan's words working their way through Marie's mind. Wait- they actually want to be here and help her? , the idea itself wasn't something Marie was used to. It's been a long time since someone actively wanted to be in her company and care for her... She wasn't sure how to feel, but looking into Jordan's eyes sent a flutter through her, and not to the kind that she usually feels when they're about to have sex. This was different... The only thing that pulls her back to reality is an oncoming sneeze, ripping through her as she pushes Jordan's hand away, turning away so she doesn't sneeze in Jordan's face. Marie's head rings as three more sneezes come on, leaving her reaching for some tissues, only to turn and see Jordan (now in male form), holding out the box of tissues for her. She reaches out and grabs some tissues, trying to decipher Jordan's unreadable, yet soft expression. There's an undeniable look of adoration, but a hint of uncertainty or shyness behind those deep brown eyes of theirs.

Jordan clears their throat as they put the tissues back down, moving the trashcan closer to the bed so Marie can throw the tissues away when she's done blowing her nose. "Look Moreau, you're obviously pretty sick, and I know you're too stubborn to admit that you need help. But- God, Marie, just let me take care of you. Cause I do want to help, I- I care about your fucking well-being, believe it or not." They sigh, scratching the back of their head, trying to collect their thoughts. "I- If you really want me to leave, I'll fucking leave, but... Just- If you need anything, seriously, just text me. I'll be right there." They said genuinely, radiating a sort of comfort that Marie hasn't felt in a long time.

All Marie could do was slowly nod her head, lips pressed in a thin line as she thought over Jordan's proposal. "Well... I don't want to get you sick."

Jordan just shrugged. "I'll deal."

Marie couldn't help but laugh at that. "and you say I'm stubborn."

Jordan laughs a bit as well, "Fine. Maybe we're both a bit stubborn."

Marie shakes her head, finally deciding to lie back on the bed, the exhaustion pulling on her bones. Her eyes drift close for a moment, before fluttering back open to meet Jordan's. They're looking down at her, a smile still on their face as they shake their head. "So fucking stubborn." They tease as they get up from the bed, grabbing their jacket and putting it back on. They then grabbed their stuff and began to head to the door.

Marie watches a bit confused. "Wait- we're you going?" She tried not to sound disappointed.

Jordan looked back, a soft smile still resting on their face. "Well, you haven't kicked me out yet, so I'm gonna go get you some medicine, more tissues, and cough drops. I'll be right back." They reassured, walking back over to give a quick peck on her forehead. "Also gonna grab a thermometer so I can properly take your temperature. You feel a bit warm." They said, rubbing her arm a bit before getting back up and heading to the door."

"wait!" Marie called, causing Jordan to stop and look back at her. "Do you think you could get me some soup as well? If it's not too much-"

Marie spoke shyly, really not wanting to ask too much of them, but Jordan swiftly cut her off. "Of course I will. What do you like? Chicken noodle?"

Marie nods, "creamy chicken noodle. From the can."

Jordan smiles, putting those beautiful dimples on display. "Perfect. I'll be back." They said, finally heading out the door.

Marie couldn't help the large smile, tugging at her lips. How did she get so lucky? Sure, her and Jordan weren't "official" by any means, but something told her that after this, things were gonna be different for the better.

Once Jordan came back, they both cuddled up on Marie's bed, eating soup and watching The Princess Bride on Marie's laptop. After that, anytime Marie would ask for something, Jordan would bow their head and say "as you wish," just like Westly would in the movie. They started it off as a joke, but continued, just to see Marie smile and laugh at it.

After a few days, Marie got better, just in time for Jordan to get sick. Which Marie did say "I told you so," only to return the favor and take care of Jordan (making sure to sanitize and wear a mask so she didn't get sick again. She refused to miss more classes). Marie also adopted the "as you wish", just to taunt Jordan back.

After that, there wasn't much question about what they were. They both knew they were more to each other than just casual sex. They loved each other, and would always be there when the other needed it. No matter how stubborn the other was about it.

--

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. I sort of just wrote this, stream of consciousness, so I hope it makes sense, lol. I wanted to write more, but was losing it a bit, so I just wrapped it up there. But yeah, thanks for the ask!! Love writing about these two so much. Hope you all have a good day.

Much love, 😎👍❤️

-PB

(check out my Masterlist for other fics n one-shots n stuff)

[whumpshaped]

First of all, I am equal parts amazed and terrified of your severe brainrot rn. Surely you don't sleep at night, eat or drink, just rotate those two like döner kebab and write? I binge-read it all yesterday (some pieces I read twice or thrice 😌) and I am overjoyed that the chapters keep coming but please don't write yourself into exhaustion 🥺

Second of all, Shadows for the vampire bingo! I imagine Helle likes dining out from time to time... Finds some other poor soul and is disappointed when they aren't as entertaining as Beck; or maybe they take beck somewhere, some park full of shadows - as enrichment 😊

i mean ur not wrong.. i do nothin but write recently.. but dont worry i'll be forced not to write for a good while starting saturday bc im going home :/ but until then its kebab time. heres how helle went about feeding while beck was out w the flu <3 not their best night

masterlist bingo card

tw vampire whumper, mind control, noncon biting of a married couple i feel like thats a special offence, noncon drugging, past trauma, death mention

Helle left the apartment feeling sick to their stomach. It was a dumb thing to still be so hung up about, it was merely the worst and last few days of their mortal life that gave way to a century torment right afterwards. Nothing monumental.

"This is ridiculous," they muttered to themself, quickly pressing the button that opened the front door of the building. The fresh air against their skin was definitely a welcome sensation — it made them temporarily forget about how suffocating their coffin had been.

They immediately spotted a couple on the bench by the playground, being all cute with each other. They thought about ruining yet another date night, but... no, they needed to get away for a bit. Just for half an hour or so. Take a walk, maybe, be around some other people so they could forget about the sight of their human lying on the bed with his face flushed.

'It's just the flu,' he'd said. Right. Because influenza was absolutely incapable of killing anyone, right? Because they weren't supposed to be thinking about the stupid outbreak, because it was three hundred years ago, because medicine had advanced since then, because it was just one human– Fucking hell, they had been that one human before. And if Beck was dying, they wouldn't even have the guts to turn him. Not like this.

They stopped and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. It was fine. Everything was fine. Beck wasn't dying, they weren't dying anymore, and Lady Marie was dead. What they needed to do was find an unfortunate, stupid human, have dinner, and go back to check on their unfortunate, stupid human.

They stuck to the shadows around buildings, places that the streetlights didn't quite illuminate. They looked around the area for any fresh meat, eventually bumping into yet another couple. What was it with them? Well, whatever. They would do.

It took all of two seconds for the women to notice them once they amped up the charm a bit, and suddenly they were walking towards the danger zone, compelled to be around such an alluring stranger. Helle didn't wait for either of them to strike up a conversation.

"Stay right there for me," they said softly, enthralling one of the women while they grabbed her... girlfriend? Wife? They glanced down and caught a glimpse of the matching rings they were wearing. Yes, definitely her wife.

They grabbed the woman and bit down, steadying her with one hand and covering her mouth with the other. She tasted fine, they supposed, but everything felt like a downgrade after Beck. They used enough venom to keep her discomfort to a minimum, but hopefully not enough that she would come knocking on their door a couple days later for round two. It was hard to tell whether the charm was even broken, or she still thought she was getting randomly bitten by someone she'd met five seconds ago and didn't even get to greet.

They pulled away and lifted the enthrallment, just in time for the first woman to see her wife slump against them like a giggly little ragdoll. "You should probably bring her home," they suggested helpfully. "I am no doctor."

~

taglist: @whumpsday @the-scrapegoat @hidden-dreamland @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @delicateprincepaper @whumppmuhw @florissimps @nicolepascaline @oliversrarebooks @the-cyrulik @pirefyrelight

[calliopes-corner]

shame — cate dunlap

fandom : gen v

pairings : mentioned jordan x marie & cate x marie

word count : 659

summary : cate realizes something about herself

warnings : internalized lesbophobia

author's note : i literally just finished gen v and i'm hyperfixating on it and cate ( especially cate ) so hard. . . she is a lesbian TO ME !!!!!!!!!!! mariecate is real TO ME !!!!!!!!!! ( i live in delusion ) i don't know if this is even remotely good but i desperately needed to write something for her so :33 , mitski title also

The pitch dark encompasses Cate, swallowing her and her surroundings, leaving her with nothing to distract herself from the unwanted thoughts. The kind of thoughts that creep in only in the dark when you’re unable to hide even from yourself. Her mind conjures up all of the moments she’s stared just a second too long at Marie, the shameful unsatisfied feelings she’s buried after sex with Luke despite how fucking perfect he is. Was she quickly corrects herself. And another memory resurfaces. 

Her stomach twists as she recalls the split second of relief she had felt when he’d done what he had done. It was sick and it was twisted and she blocked that memory out for a reason. Of course she had been heartbroken after that second and that’s what mattered. It didn’t mean anything, it was just a result of the shock of his death. She had lost her boyfriend after all. The boy that she had loved had been suddenly ripped away from her. 

She had loved him, hadn’t she? Yes. Of course. She tells herself firmly but she’s not so certain if it’s true. She was supposed to love him. She definitely had liked him but she’s not quite sure she’s ever really loved a boy before. She’s never felt the nervous butterflies or the giddy excitement that people always talked about when they talked about being in love. Not with Luke and certainly not with Andre. She had never been “boy crazy” or had particularly strong feelings about any of the boys she’d dated. She’d always felt uncomfortable when Luke told her he loved her- when any boy had. Forcing herself to say it back was even worse - how could she reassure someone of something she wasn’t even sure about herself? At least she told herself she wasn’t sure. Deep down she knows she just hadn’t cared about them the way they cared about her. She wanted to love them - she wanted it desperately. Maybe there was something wrong with her. Maybe there still is. 

Or maybe, just maybe it’s something else. Marie isn’t the first girl she’s caught herself staring at. There have been others… She’s possibly felt that shy awkwardness of wanting to be noticed by someone else you like maybe a little too much. She can’t help but feel the shameful nauseating feeling of jealousy whenever she sees Marie take Jordan’s hand or offer them a secret smile. And there are other things too… She often finds her fantasies full of soft skin and long hair, and too often she plays the role of the male partner in them. She’s never once questioned her gender, she’s definitely a girl, but it’s far too shameful for her to imagine her real self with another girl in that way. 

No, there’s no way that she, Cate Dunlap, could be anything but straight. It’s not that she’s homophobic or anything - she’s perfectly fine with other people being queer - but it’s not an option for her. Plus, everyone has had those kinds of thoughts about girls, haven’t they? They’re just a part of growing up, aren't they? It’s silly for her to even entertain the possibility of her being… like that. 

Still, she lays there in the dark and a part of her knows. Lesbian. She examines the word in her mind, repeating it over and over again. Lesbian. Lesbian lesbian lesbian lesbian. She repeats it until it doesn’t sound like a threat to her, to everything she’s ever known. She repeats it until it doesn’t even sound like a word anymore. 

Tears prick her tired eyes. She can’t think about it anymore. She’s overwhelmed and God she’s tired. She’s beyond tired - she’s fucking exhausted. She tries to think of anything else. Something calming, comforting even, anything to get these shameful thoughts out of her mind. Still, when she eventually drifts off into a fitful sleep all she can think about is Marie’s sweet smile.

[brighteyedbushybrowed]

𝐈 𝐒𝐚𝐰 𝐃𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐬

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 After you fall ill, Mary takes on the role of being the Ministry Santa for this year. What you don't expect, however, is to find yourself kissing Santa at the end of it 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐩(𝐬) Mary Goore x M!Reader 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 Suggestive content (18+ only, MINORS DNI!!!), kissing, making out, grinding, Mary dressed up as Santa Claus, Santa's Grotto, mentions of Copia dressing up as Santa 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 1443 words 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 I once again have Mary brainrot. This was written more for me than anyone else because mental health is a bitch and I just need some Mary content for comfort 𝐊𝐨-𝐟𝐢 𝐓𝐢𝐩 𝐉𝐚𝐫

Every year, for as long as you’ve been living at the abbey, you’ve volunteered to play Santa for all the Ministry children. Each year, you and your fellow siblings of sin would band together to buy the kids soft toys and treats that you would hand out all while dressed as Santa and giving the role your all. Seeing the children’s eyes lit up as they gazed up at you with excitement in your red suit and scratchy white beard made not taking part in the other festivities around the abbey worth it, especially when you’d give them a small gift supplied by one of the Papas. This year, however, is going to be different, though not out of choice.

Mary Goore is taking on the role.

Had either of you had the choice, you would still be playing Santa and bringing joy to the kids in the ministry’s care. Unfortunately, this would not be the case this year thanks to the current sickness making the rounds. Mary, thankfully, tended to never get sick because of their… unusual nature. You, on the other hand, were currently nursing mug after mug of hot lemon tea with honey in an attempt to soothe your throat and try to get your voice back. Instead of the deep, booming voice you had perfected over the years for your Santa act, you could only manage to get a few words out before painful coughing fits took over. As such, Sister Imperator had decided that it would be better for your health to rest your voice and hand the responsibility of playing Santa to a sibling of your choice.

Finding someone to replace you who you trusted to do the role justice had been difficult. Everyone that you thought would be ideal to stand in for you already had plans or were busy organising other festive events for the Ministry. Even Copia, who would normally jump at the chance to entertain the children and bring them some happiness, had too much work to do that he couldn’t put off or relegate to someone else. There was only one person left that you could ask that you actually trusted could do a good job. Unfortunately, in a cruel twist of fate, that person also turned out to be your crush who you had been hoping to ask out on a Christmassy date seeing as you were being forced into taking a break from the Santa job.

“You think the kids will figure out it’s me?”

You glance up from your fifth mug of tea of the day and fight to keep your expression neutral. Who would have thought that seeing Mary Goore clad head to toe in the iconic Saint Nick outfit and fake, fluffy white beard would ignite various thoughts about letting him bend you over his knee? A few stray strands of inky black hair poke out from beneath the crooked hat on his head, piercing pea-green eyes cast down as he picks at the hem of the jacket. Without thinking, you move closer and straighten his hat, tucking the hair back in.

“I think they’ll be too excited to look too closely.”

“Really?”

Smiling, you begin to smooth down the crimson jacket. “They’ve never guessed that it was me when I’ve done it. You’ll do great.”

Mary hums. “Yeah, but you’ve always done it. You’ve had practice. I won’t be as convincing as you are.”

“True,” you reply, adjusting their beard. “But I wasn’t always such a Santa expert.” Hacking coughs cut off the rest of what you want to say and you turn your head to the side just in time. It’s only when the metalhead retrieves your tea from your table that you realise how close the two of you were just now and your face grows hot. If Mary notices, they don’t make any mention of it as they press the mug into your hands and encourage you to drink.

“Just promise me that if I do a bad job you won’t hold it against me.” Mary looks uncharacteristically self-conscious as they speak. “And maybe don’t tell Imperator if the kids figure out it’s me and start crying because the real Santa isn’t there.”

Chuckling, you nod in agreement. “Promise. Although honestly, Mare, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Those kids are going to be too preoccupied with the fact you’re giving them presents and talking to them.”

“Wait, I have to actually hold conversations with them too? This wasn’t part of the job description, I’m going to do so bad.”

***

As it turns out, Mary is doing amazing as the Ministry’s Santa.

Sure, the first day they’d been a little shaky as they got used to the role and figured out their own Santa voice. After that, however, they seemed to be a natural. They spoke to each child that engaged them in conversation like an adult and didn’t talk down to or patronise them once. Time was taken with each child so that they could get to know them as well as they could in one short conversation before handing them their gift, making each kid beam with joy and give them an experience they wouldn’t forget. Mary had even managed to get the iconic Santa laugh down and it seemed to just spill from their lips as if it were their own laugh and not one that had been practised and perfected specifically for the role.

It’s kind of hot seeing them so at ease with entertaining children.

On the third and final evening of playing Santa, the two of you find yourselves sat in the little grotto Copia and his ghouls had set up. The last of the children have already made their way back to their dorms, leaving you and Mary to start packing up and getting ready to retreat to your own room for a night of movies and pizza. That had been your idea as a way to thank the metalhead for stepping in and making the kids so happy and of course Mary wasn’t going to turn down the chance of a free meal and movies.

You’re the one to break the silence. “Thanks again for doing all of this. I know I kind of threw you in at the deep end.”

Mary shrugs. “It was actually a lot of fun. I can see why you do it every year, especially after seeing how excited all the kids were.”

The two of you stand up and start to tidy up the grotto ready for the ghouls to start packing it up at a later date.

“They weren’t the only ones who were excited. I heard a few of the siblings of sin gushing over how attractive they thought you were in that costume,” you tease, plucking a stray bauble from beneath the tree.

“Oh yeah?” You can hear the smile in his voice. “Maybe I should wear it more often.”

“Careful now. If you wear it too often I might have to wrestle it off you and take my job back.” You don’t realise what you’ve said until it’s too late, immediately turning to glance at him and gauge his reaction.

Mary smirks and steps closer, entering your personal space. “Think about wrestling me often, do you? I can’t say I’d be opposed to that.”

“R-really?”

“Mm.” You swallow as Mary’s gloved hands grasp your hips. “You don’t even know how long I’ve been waiting for you to kiss me. I never wait, and yet here I am waiting for you.”

“Oh.”

Mary’s breath tickles your skin as they lean in closer. “Is this okay?”

You swallow, nodding silently.

“Use your words.”

“Kiss me, Mary.”

A groan rumbles in his chest as his lips finally meet yours, your mouths sliding against one another’s as your eyes flutter closed. Your hands rest on their shoulders, pulling them in closer before shifting to hold their neck and keep them in place. Bodies move closer until there’s no space between you, their bergamot and ambroxan scent invading your senses as their hands begin to crawl down to squeeze your ass. There’s a whimper as they push you up against the grotto wall that you realise a moment later came from Mary. You bite their bottom lip and suck it into your mouth, hips jolting and rubbing against theirs when they whine once again. You can feel the two of you growing excited, their clothed length hard against your own.

“Still want to wrestle this costume off me?”

“You know I do.”

Grinning, Mary takes your hand and eagerly pulls you in the direction of your room.

[dokkamj]

Under the rain-

I made this and make it correct, i hope this is good 😭

Thank you to spend your time to read this *gulps*

You were walking with the Captain of the Task Force 141 on a tranquil afternoon. You wore a black dress and a hat, along with a pair of Mary Janes that your lovely man had gifted you. The park was quiet as you two walked next to each other, him with a cigar in his mouth and you with a cigarette framed between your lips.

It had been five months since you had decided to start dating him. He surprised you with flowers every time he had the time to buy them. He would secretly take one from the bouquet and keep it on his desk to see when it was time to buy them again for you.

"You are so beautiful," he said, kissing your forehead. His fingertips caressed your soft cheek. You smiled at him, making his heart melt.

A sudden thunder made you jump. You looked up at the sky, now covered in grey clouds, and within a few minutes the rain started to hit the ground hard. John took your arm and searched for cover, but when he saw that you were not moving, he looked down at you with a confused look.

"It's raining, y/n," he said, not wanting you to catch a cold. Your gaze pointed up at the sky, letting the water fall on your face. "Why?" you asked with a smile, "Why is it raining?" he asked confused.

"What- no, I mean, why do we need to go?" you asked, wrapping your arms around his neck and stroking your nose against his. He was so tall and strong, and his touch made your heart skip a beat.

"I don't want you to get sick," he murmured, his hot breath teasing your neck as he hugged you tighter. "It's just rain, John. Don't be scared to get wet."

Every time you called him by his name, his heart skipped a beat, his hand grip your hips “and what if i make you all wet for me?” he asked whit a smirk, you open your mouth to say something but nothing come out. He was so handsome and brave, and his laugh made you feel alive. He pulled you closer and wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you up from the ground and spinning you around in a tight embrace.

"John!" you exclaimed, laughing. You were so small compared to him, so tiny in his arms.

He put you down, your hair now completely wet from the rain. You looked up at him while the rain continued to fall, your heart skipping a beat as he told you, “i love you y/n”.

You were stunned, and his words made it difficult to breathe, but you also felt a sense of peace. You knew that he was in love with you, that he wanted to spend every waking moment with you, to spoil you, and to hold you close every night. And you couldn't think of anything that made you happier than knowing that the man you'd spent your life searching for loved you back.

Your heart races each time he holds you, and the way he makes you feel is like nothing you've ever experienced before. His touch made your skin tingle, and his brown eyes drew you in every time. He always found a way to make you happy, and you knew that he was the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with.

"I love you, John," you said with confidence, and his lips curved into a smile before he pulled you towards him and kissed you with such softness. It was a moment that you would never forget, a moment that you would cherish for the rest of your life, a moment that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were right where you belonged.

[inkrabbit]

If I can't have you

I'm not immune to a scarier version of Mary.

The old horror movie plays as Mary sits on your couch, slowly eating his burger. They loved nights like these, lounging with you on the couch. Your apartment was a lot cleaner than theirs, and a lot more spacious. Not only that, but Mary found himself head over heels for you. While emotions had never been a particularly strong suit of his, they couldn't deny that they had finally fallen for you. What wasn't there to love? You were always so kind and understanding. You were always there to listen to him, even if others had turned away. Not only that, but the two of you got along perfectly. There was never any fights or disagreements. You two just worked. And while not all of your interests lined up, you both still had a lot in common.

Sitting on the couch next to you made their heart race as they thought about their feelings. Only recently did Mary finally decide to accept these feelings like an adult, but the whole “confession” aspect didn't come easy. They were sure you shared the same feelings, but actually verbally admitting they loved you more than a friend proved to be difficult.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you!” Your voice brings him out of his thoughts, the happy smile on your face making his heart melt. “Richard finally asked me out.”

And just like that, Mary's heart sank. They knew Richard, having met him a couple times whenever you brought him around the bar. Richard was cute, tall and a singer himself. But Mary knew Richard was better. Richard was the type of person you brought home to your parents, and he was the type of person to be immediately accepted into the family. Mary wasn't someone you could bring home, let alone be accepted by most families. It only made their heart break more.

“He did? Like, finally?” His tone carries a bit of resentment, but he tries to hide it. You happily nod, taking another bite of your own burger. Dammit, it stings. “So, you're going out with him, right?”

“Yeah. He wants to take me on a date tomorrow night.” Mary scans your face, seeing the joy in your eyes. A wave of nausea washes over. You were happy. You were happy Richard asked you out. You said yes to him.

“Huh...” They swallow thickly, trying to calm the rising jealousy that was making him sick. “I'm surprised you said yes, to be honest.”

“You know I've liked him for a while now. He's really sweet.” Sweet. Richard was sweet. Mary bites the inside of their bottom lip, putting too much pressure and feeling the skin break, the taste of iron flooding their senses.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know. Real sweet.” His tone is bitter as he seethes with jealousy. Come on, Mary, calm down. They had been so good with keeping their emotions in check. You brought them down. You made them feel better – less unhinged. But the thought of you with someone else...

Mary stands up as another bout of jealousy courses through. They have to leave before they act out. “I gotta get going. I gotta...” He snatches his jacket up, throwing it on. Your scent hits his nose, reminding him how perfect you looked wearing their jacket earlier that night.

“You okay?” You stare up at him with such innocence. You really didn't get it, did you? Their heart aches.

“Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just... got some shit I gotta do.” They give you a forced smile, swallowing down their emotions as head for the door. They're not even hungry anymore and the sight of their burger is making them even more sick. But still, they cast you once last glance. “I'll see you later.”

They hurry out of the apartment, closing the door behind them. The crisp night air greets him as he grits his teeth. Richard? Fucking Richard? What did that twink have that he didn't? Did you seriously like him more than you did them? Was Richard really that much better?

He takes a shaky breath, moving away from your apartment. Their mind races with thoughts. Had he known this was going to happen, he would've asked you out sooner. He would've confessed sooner.

“What the hell am I supposed do?” they grumble softly, running a hand through their messy hair. It wasn't fair. “That should've been me...”

They continue down the street, letting their emotions fester. Try as he might, he can't stop thinking about the news you just told him. With a smile on your face, too! Without a second thought, Mary turns, punching the wooden fence they were walking beside. The skin breaks on their knuckles, the wood splintering and embedding into their flesh. Fuck it. They could dig the splinters out later. Right now, it didn't matter. They couldn't control themselves.

And who was Richard to ask you out? He remembered that little bastard asking them if they had feelings for you. And Mary admitted to him, too! He told him that he liked you! But he still turned around and asked you out?

Mary felt that telltale snap somewhere deep inside their mind, where rationality goes out the window. They hadn't felt like this in a long time, and truth be told, they missed it. They hand moves to their waistband, fingers curling around the hunting knife they kept close.

“Tomorrow night, huh?” They couldn't let Richard take you on that date. Not after they had loved you for too long. So maybe it was time to pay Richard a little visit. He still remembered where he lived; a nice penthouse in downtown. You had taken Mary over for a little party before, one that he walked you home from. Not Richard. Mary wasn't as shitfaced and was able to carry you back to your apartment. But even through all of that, you still said yes to Richard.

Well... it's not like killing someone was something Mary's never done before.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

what are your top 5 favourite fics of all time?

Hey Lovely!

OOOOF! This is a question! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh are you looking specifically for Johnlock? Because my top 5 faves, if I was forced to choose, are multi-fandom fics LOL.

First, check out these lists, because I have a LOT of fave fics, and choosing just 5 hurts me so much:

Top 20 Fave 40K+ w. Fics (April 2017)

Ten Fave Short Johnlock Fics (Easy Reads April 2018)

25 Fave Johnlock One Shots (April 2018)

Top 10 Fave Fics (September 2018)

Top 20 Bookmarks of 2018 (March 2019)

Another Top 10 Fave Fics (June 2019)

Top 30 Read-Again Fics (March 2019)

Top 30 Read-Again Fics Pt. 2 (Sept. 2019)

Fave Read-Again Fics (10) (Dec 11/20)

Top 25 Fave Non-Ao3 Fics (Nov. 2019)

Top 25 Fave Non-Ao3 Fics Pt 2 (Apr 2022)

Top 25 Fave Non-AO3 Fics Pt 3 (May 2023)

Top 25 Bookmarks of 2019 (Dec. 29/2019)

Top 30 Bookmarks of 2020

Top 25 Bookmarks of 2021

Top 20 Bookmarks of 2022

Top 20 Comfort Fics (Feb 2022)

Top 30 Fave Angst Fics Under 10K

25 Fics for Fic Rec Bingo

-----

So, currently, in 2023, here are my Top 5 Fave Johnlock fics, I think. Probably repeated on one of the above lists:

Classified(s) by blueink3 (E, 36,153 w., 4 Ch. || Wedding Date AU || Fake Relationship, Jealous, Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Happy Ending, Mary is not Nice, Escort Service) – Clara's American father is the ambassador to some such territory that Great Britain probably used to own, but she (and Harry’s undying love for her) is the reason John is getting on a flight at 12:30pm, flying across the second largest ocean in the world, and pretending to be in a perfectly happy, healthy relationship with an undoubtedly perfectly coiffed stranger. See, Clara is not only American (and wealthy to boot), she's also best friends with John’s ex-fiancée. Whom she's placed in the wedding party. As Maid of Honor. And John just happens to be Best Man. Bloody brilliant.

A Promise Made to Be Broken by PlantsAreNeat (E, 37,018 w., 7 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Pining, Slow Burn, RST, Eventual Relationship, Primarily POV Sherlock) – A young John makes an ‘if we’re still single at 40, we’ll get together’ pledge to a woman who ends up all wrong for him. She keeps reminding him of the promise, and won’t let go of it. John asks Sherlock to pose as his boyfriend at a family wedding, so as to dash her hopes permanently. Sherlock, who has at last acknowledged his feelings for John, reluctantly agrees despite knowing how painful it will be to ‘have’ John, but not keep him.

Perdition's Flames by i_ship_an_armada (E, 63,435 w., 21 Ch. || Treklock AU, Est. Rel, Genetic Engineering, Angst & Fluff, BAMF!John) – Sherlock would do anything to save him. Risk anything. Give anything. His money, his life. His soul. What he does, though, is change both of their destinies forever. Genetic re-engineering is the only option left. It turns out researchers underestimated the life expectancy and potential abilities of genetically re-engineered subjects. The British government and what would eventually become the United Federation of Planets, however, had not. Part 1 of PF Universe

You Have Drawn Red From My Hands by J_Baillier(T, 67,085 w., 17 Ch. || Three Garridebs, Heavy John Whump, Hurt / Comfort, Pining, Heavy Angst, Case Fic/Adventure, Slow Burn, Sick Fic, Injury, Guilt & Depression, Just Talk Already Please, Medical Realism, PTSD) –  John getting injured leads Sherlock on a path of guilt and revelations.

Midnight Blue Serenity by BeautifulFiction (E, 151,907 w., 19 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar / For a Case, Drugs, Pining, Case Fic, UST) – When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate's charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim? 

SO hard to pick, y'all. Decided to pick the first five fics I thought of rather than arguing with my brain LOL.

------

AND if you're interested in other fandoms, here are 5 other fave fics:

The Picnic; or, the Drawbacks of Loving an Angel by sorrowfulcheese (G, 3,776 w., 1 Ch. || Post-Apocalypse/Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Misunderstandings, Moving On, Picnicking, Idiots in Love, Crowley POV, Cranky Crowley, Mutual Pining, Light Angst with Happy Ending) – Aziraphale lures Crowley out for a picnic. It doesn't go remarkably well. 

perilune by Pokimoko (T, 14,000 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S1, Marc / Layla / Steven, Jake & Layla Friendship, POV Layla, Romance, Fluff, Asexual System, Aromantic Jake, Queerplatonic Relationships, Light Angst, Protective Layla, Allosexual/Asexual Relationship, Established Relationship, Touch-Averse Jake, DID, Communication, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Soft Jake, Autistic System, Panic Attack, Insecure Marc) – In which Layla and Marc go to a party and share an important talk, Layla and Steven go on a date under the stars, and Layla and Jake go out for breakfast and come to a realisation.

Hand in Glove by lizardkid(T, 14,223 w., 1 Ch. || RED DWARF || Post-S9, Internalized Homophobia, Repression, Hurt/Comfort, Lister Whump, Worried Rimmer, Ableist Language, Cuddling) – Lister is mortally wounded in an accident. Rimmer is forced to reassess everything.

so this could be the death of me (or maybe just a better me) by darkerintheday (G, 25,029 w., 4 Ch. || MOON KNIGHT [2022] || Protective System, Hurt/Comfort, Dissociation, Feral Protection of Each Other, Emotional Protector Steven, Protective Jake, BAMF Marc, Smart-Ass Steven, Language Barriers, Kidnapping / Torture, Murder, Discussions on Morality, Loneliness / Light Jealousy) – One time Marc saves Steven, one time Jake saves Marc, and one time Steven saves Jake. (And so forth.)

Moving Forward, Circuit by Circuit by  DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricPolarBears  (E, 50,605 w., 18 Ch. || Post-Ending AU, Amnesia, Connor Whump, Alcohol Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Android Slavery/Trafficking, World Building, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Hank Being Hank, Memory Loss/Wipe, Rebuilding Relationship, Case Fic, Protective Hank, Interrogations, Police Work,  Love Confessions, Fixing Connor, Caring Hank, Friends to Lovers, Going Undercover, Self Depreciation, Bed Sharing, Kissing and Hugging, Flirting) – After the liberation of androids, society is changing ... for everyone except Hank. To him, it seems that life has returned to normal -- especially with the absence of his partner. That is, until he finds Connor, components modified and memories erased. The two must work together to catch the man responsible (and sort out their feelings along the way).

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Hope you this pleases you! <3

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: ML Season 5 episode 19 Pretension

(Spoiler warning. As this is once again not in order)

-Marinette and Adrien trying to fit as much time together as possible is f*** cute

-Oh s*** Argos is watching them.

-Marinette rushing up to tell Adrien she is done settling for 4 minute dates “oh hi Kagami “

-No Marinette, Gabriel is shit. You are incorrect.

-Kagami said she was inspired by Marinette. Cute

-Gorilla is the only G I respect.

-Gabriel seems to be getting worse and they trying to use Kwami magic to fix him,

-You drag his ass Roarr.

-Nathalie stop helping the man, let him die.

-Tomoe there just mocking him basically.

-“Get your kid under control.”

-so Marinette joins Adrien to meet his father.

-So confirmed Gabriel can only cook pancakes. My man needs to learn about nutrition.

-Gabriel commanding Adrien to go up stairs. Adrien obeying but not wanting to

-No cap, Adrien looked like he was in agony. Like he was trying to get back down but couldn’t.

-THE PANCAKE SPEECH, damn Gabe that’s cold.

-Though Gabriel is right about Fashion. It’s about crafting impossible standards.

-“I Create people” we get it Adrien is a sentimonster.

-I can give you the World but give up on my son. Such a fanfic trope but it’s exactly what i wanted

-But he is wrong if he thinks he can interfere with Marinette and Adrien’s love

-Marinette dashed like a pro to Adrien

-So he was Literally at the door just stuck?

-The Adrienette was cute.

-G knew to move out of an Alpha’s way

-YO MARI! ROAST HIS ASS!

-Someone please make a video of Marinette doing Riley’s F*** you speech in the fundraiser to that roast

-Mari held it together until out of view, respect

-Kagami stood up to her mom, but Tomoe ain’t having that

-

She is sort of right, but this is a tactic of control so… f*** you tomoe.

-Argos said “fuck that noise,”

-Argos just kidnapped Kagami after he crashed the car!

-Tomoe Blinging up!!!

-Ohh Ikari gozan got an upgrade, now she is riding the horse dog thing

-oh she gave herself super smell to track Argos, clever

-let’s see, Bee, Chicken, Mouse, and Horse. Damn that’s a solid combo

-Kagami gets put down and he IMMEDIATELY GOES TO STRIKE HIM WITH A CHAIR!

-You know what I realized… Felix is a kid. He is doing what a kid would do with super powers and no supervision. He doesn’t have a moral compass so he really doesn’t grasp what he did is wrong… it’s actually kind of funny how naive he is.

-“You can’t kidnap people!” “You’re right, I won’t do it again. I just got mad your mom was being mean to you.” Ohh that’s adorable.

-Marinette in shock at what she did

-Tikki was like “Yas Queen slay”

-Adrien gushing about his GF, then realizing he gotta fight akuma.

-Everyone there to save Kagami

-Chat noir thinking Tomoe has a point.

-“We technically all want to save Kagami.”

-“Akuma under monarch is bad. Can’t risk it.”

-oh no she got his scent!

-Kagami is right, she can take care of herself (yeets Argos)

-Tomoe really ruined that by trying to shoot her daughter too.

-Kagami reeling from that.

-“You never met my father, he was 1000x worse?”

-Is every rich person a s*** parent? Wait no, Amelie is nice. But that’s an exception not a rule

-Felix is still Felix, screwing with Tomoe

-Kagami is like “Why not make a sentimonster.”

-“I’m anti-Slavery” Felix saying the right things

-Felix showing he’s a better parent then most people in the show.

-Kagami is sick of being called a prisoner and defends Felix. That’s cute

-Ladynoir we’re not expecting Feligami either

-Ladybug deciding to help them out

-Kagami cutting the string is symbolic of her cutting the strings of control

-I’m convinced the most romantic place in Paris is the sewer

-“It was your pretension that failed us.” Gabriel salty

-She forced her to give back the crest. Wait… Omg. Welp guess it’s Slavery

-“enjoy your time with her son, make memories with Marinette. For when we move to london next year.”

-Did he Adrien just Snarl at his father!

-Nathalie is this close to beating Gabriel’s ass. Do it Nathalie. Just do it

-Adrien didn’t tell Marinette about london. Plagg is right.

-Plagg is a mood

-Bonus scene!

-Felix got the real ring and gave it to Kagami in the movie theater… I ship it

_____________________________________________

So on one hand… I hate the sentimonster bulls*** that’s all but confirmed… on the other hand Marinette’s speech was badass af.

I thought the feligami would be forced but it actually felt natural. I liked the episode

The Adrienette was good and I really hope they do SOMETHING that allows Adrien to break free.

8,5/10

[stackthedeck]

I haven't read any of his comics, what did Zeb Wells do?

so i'll be real with I haven't been keeping up with this run, I read the first couple of issues and was like fuck this is ass and decided to wait till the next writer (which is kinda a shame because Wells has written some good stuff in the past) so I've just been picking up the details from mutuals but I pirated the latest issue and god it's worse than I thought (oh shit this got long, rant under the cut)

so Peter and MJ are trapped in an apocalyptic dimension with this dude Paul because sci-fi bullshit, Peter gets sent back and MJ and Paul are trapped there with no other human beings. Peter proceeds to make enemies of the fantastic four and Captain America because he won't say the words "my girlfriend is trapped in an another dimension and I have to save her" but he does say that to Norman fucking Osborn (I don't care that he's "good" now I still can't stand him he's still a manipulative asshole). He gets back to MJ and finds out that more time has passed for her and she's got kids with Paul now.

Listen, Marvel Editorial has been character assassinating Peter Parker for years, I've given up on Peter centered comics past OMD but I'm just so fucking over the way they treat MJ nowadays! And everyone is framing it as "Peter got cucked by Paul" when it should be "MJ was trapped with one man for years in a hellscape and are we sure that she had a choice here?? Are we going to unpack her trauma??" No because it's always about fucking Peter!!

I get it, Marvel editorial wants MJ and Peter separated so Peter can date someone else, fine I'm good with that. But it shows such a flagrant disregard for MJ's humanity that the only way they can imagine doing that is by essentially locking her in a closet with another man. Who the fuck is this Paul guy and why is he entitled to MJ?! She's exposed to all of humanity again and she's like nah hell dimension husband. Like this is literally what Kang did to Captain Marvel like fuck and I understand that Paul isn't a bad actor here but this is so sketchy. If you want a jaded MJ that's been through hell and back in the apocalypse cool we did that in the 80s and it was so much better. MJ is a capable full character that isn't just a hole to be fucked goddamn!!

I'm sick of Peter and MJ being broken up by sci-fi bullshit, MJ has so many fucking reasons to leave his ass, but the fact that their relationship has to end every time through external forces is 1. lazy writing and 2. shows a disregard for MJ's agency in the story. Before one more day when Peter was on the Avengers and they were married and MJ was surrounded by heroes, she was at one of her lowest points emotionally, she felt isolated and overwhelmed and she felt so powerless. This was causing obvious strain on their relationship, if they wanted to break them up, MJ could have said "I can't live like this anymore, I'm not asking you to change, but I'm not cut out for this." but no it was the literal fucking devil!! And I know that Marvel knows that this could have happened because they did it in Life Story!!! Hey remember Judgement Day, where Peter's ultimate reward for being a hero was seeing his high school girlfriend again, not I don't know, getting his children back from the dead?? Yeah, what the fuck did MJ think about that! I want to see MJ lash out at Peter for that if there was ever a time to pull out the "I'm tired of feeling like the runner up to the perfect ghost of Gwen Stacy!" then was the time!!!

they can character assassinate Peter all they want, Miles is the better Spider-Man with the better stories and what I've been reading instead of the new run, but there is no other Mary Jane. Fans already discount the entire era of their marriage because of omd and fans and writers alike boil her down to the slutty party girl so her "cucking" Peter is only going to make it worse and I know she's going to be written out of Spider-Man comics or if she is there she's going to a cardboard cut out of her character. I miss when they were friends, but these writers can't imagine a woman and a man being friends without thinking the woman just wants to sleep with him. I'm fucking sick of the misogyny of the comics industry