#maybe i'll have ice cream for breakfast

[talaok]

Mornin', Birthday girl

Pairing: No-outbreak!Joel Miller x reader

Summary: it's your birthday, and Joel and your daughters have planned the perfect morning

Warnings: A bunch of overly fluffy smut (cause, as we've established, im delusional): Oral sex (f receiving), unprotected p in v sex, creampie.

a/n: Guess what, it's my b-day!!! And since I'm delulu I wrote myself a little birthday fic as a present (the fact that this is not my real life is such bullshit tbh) and i thought why not post it on here? maybe today's someone else's birthday too and that would be a nice surprise for them, no?

Sleep was still holding you captive when Joel started positioning himself, making the bed creak with his every movement and cussing internally each time, until finally, he was where he needed to be, right between your thighs.

And what a place to be.

A soft smile pulled at his lips as he watched you peacefully sleeping, your mouth slightly parted, your chest slowly rising and falling... You looked like an angel even when asleep, and his heart filled with that warmth only you knew how to create.

But enough of that, he had to get to work before you woke up.

He gingerly placed his hands on the outer side of your thighs, before slowly, oh so slowly, leaning down to start a trail of small kisses from your navel down to your clit, feeling your body react to his every move.

You still hadn't woken when he glanced up, so for good measure, he flattened his tongue and licked your whole slit like an ice cream cone, and like clockwork, your eyes snapped open.

"b-baby?" your voice was more of a whisper as you finally found the source of your sudden awakening.

"Good mornin', birthday girl" Joel murmured, wasting no time before bending down to taste you again.

"oh my god" you whimpered, having woken from a dream just to get thrown into a new one.

Good morning indeed

"I might just get used to this" A breathy chuckle left your lips, as he licked and sucked your cunt like it was his duty.

"Oh yeah?" the vibrations of his voice made a shiver run up your spine as he answered "I might too" he smirked "I'll just start having you for breakfast"

Your ability to tease and speak quickly disappeared when two of his thick digits plunged into your heat.

"Oh f-fuck" you choked, your hand quickly reaching for his locks to have something to hold onto as he started curling and moving his fingers inside of you, and his mouth closed on your bud to suck on it greedily.

"O-Oh- baby" your back arched from the bed, as he groaned at the feel of your walls tightening around him.

"fuck, you're delicious darlin'"

but you could only hum a low "Oh god" as your legs wrapped around him and your hips started desperately grinding on his face of their own accord.

It didn't take long before your orgasm was approaching, and your legs were shaking.

"C'mon mama" he murmured "Give it to me"

And that's all you needed.

Joel watched hypnotized as you threw your head back, your left hand going to your tits as your right hand gripped his hair for dear life.

He didn't stop, letting you ride out your high until your breathing had become more even, and your fingers in his hair had relaxed.

A soft smile pulled at his lips as he crawled up to meet his lips with yours in a sweet kiss.

"Happy birthday, sugar" he beamed

"thank you, baby" you whispered, one of your hands reaching for his cheek to guide him down for another kiss.

And as the kiss grew hotter, and his hands started roaming every inch of your body, you reached for the bulge in his boxers you could feel rubbing against you.

He groaned into your mouth as you freed his cock and started slowly pumping it.

"fuck" he breathed, leaning down to reserve some attention for your neck "Today's only about you, darlin'" he murmured to your ear, as he took his dick from your hand "let me take care of my wife like she deserves"

You beamed happily at his words, closing your eyes as you felt him position his tip at your entrance until-

"wait" your eyes widened

"what, sugar?"

"is the door locked?"

Joel grinned "Yeah sweetheart"

"oh" you breathed a sigh of relief "ok"

You learned the hard, and very embarrassing way, the importance of a lock to your bedroom door when having two incredibly nosy children.

You tried to get back to your previous excitement when you heard a faint buzz coming from outside your room.

"Is that...music?"

Joel's head fell to your shoulder in frustration as a soft chuckle fled his throat

"It is" he answered, kissing your neck "I told the girls to put on some music"

You frowned "Why?"

A mischievous smirk pulled at his lips as he leaned up to look at you.

"So that you can make all those pretty sounds you love to make"

Your mouth opened to say something, but all you could do was grin like an idiot.

"You're the perfect man, Joel Miller"

"mh" he considered, kissing the corner of your mouth as he got back to positioning his manhood to your entrance "Only 'cause you're the perfect woman, sweetheart"

And with one slow thrust, he was filling you to the brim, and for once, you could cry out like you always wanted to.

"Jesus Christ" he groaned into your neck "always so tight f'me sugar"

"oh my god" you moaned, as he started to move, finding a slow but, oh so fucking deep pace that made your eyes roll to the back of your head.

"I love you so much baby" he breathed, as he hit that spongey spot inside of you with each thrust "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but-" he paused to take a breather as your pussy squeezed him so good it was getting hard to breathe "but christ darlin' I'm thankful for you every day"

"J-Joel" you whimpered as your eyes watered and your hands clawed at his back "I love you too, baby" you promised, "I love you so so much" you murmured, nestling your face in his hair as your breathing got more and more ragged, and the mixture of his lips on your skin and his cock deep inside you started to get too much.

The bed was creaking with every thrust, and the sound of his skin meeting with yours was filling the room, but your hearing had become fainter... like you were still dreaming and the only real thing was Joel's broad body hovering over yours, and your impending orgasm

"o-oh god" you cried,

"let go baby" he murmured, sucking on a spot just beneath your ear as he kept pounding you like he wanted to split you in half "Come for me"

And that was it. Your vision went blank and the world went mute for a minute as a wave of pure pleasure took over your entire body.

Joel kept going, trying to last as much as he could for you, but once you let out yet another breathy moan resembling his name, he couldn't do it anymore, and filled you up completely with his cum.

Silence spread as you both tried to learn how to breathe again, but after a good minute, Joel finally reemerged from the crook of your neck to kiss your lips.

"Let me clean you up" he spoke, pulling out of you and walking into the bathroom "I think breakfast is almost ready"

You nodded mindlessly, too fucked out to realize what he'd just said, until, as he reappeared from the bathroom with a wet cloth in his hand, you finally realized.

"Breakfast?"

__ __ __

"Happy birthday mommy!" Your youngest, Eva, came running towards you as soon as you stepped into the kitchen to hug you as tight as she could.

"Happy birthday Mom!" Sarah smiled, joining the hug just a moment after as Joel stumbled into the room to watch the scene unfold.

You bashed in the warmth of their embrace for a moment, before coming back to earth.

"thank you, babies" you murmured, stroking their backs with your thumb as a gigantic smile spread on your face.

"We made breakfast!" Eva announced as they both leaned away.

"You did?"

"We made birthday pancakes" Sarah explained, pointing at a plate stacked with them.

"Like you do!" Eva chirped

And your words got stuck in your throat as you took everything in.

They did all that. Just for you. Your two beautiful daughters.

"I-" you stuttered, as your eyes started to water.

"You did all that on your own?"

"yup!" 

A tear ran down your cheek faster than you could wipe it away.

"mommy, why are you crying?" Eva asked, concerned "daddy, why's mommy crying? Did we do something wrong?"

"N-no baby, you did nothing wrong" you smiled, as other tears fell from your eyes

"I think mommy's crying 'cause she's happy babygirl" Joel explained, coming in to help.

"Oh" her eyes widened "Are you, mom?"

"yes baby" you reassured her, crouching down to their level to be able to hug them again. "You're the most amazing daughters in the whole world, you know that?" you smiled, soaking in their scent "And I love you more than anything"

"go sit down now" you urged, getting back up as they ran to the table, clearly eager to eat their own creation.

But as they did, your eyes couldn't help but focus on the kitchen.

It was a complete mess.

"I'll clean it up, don't worry" Joel spoke, meeting you by your side, and taking your hand in his.

You smiled for what felt like the millionth time this morning.

"thank you" you beamed "for everything"

"It's the least I could do" he shook his head, leaning in to tenderly kiss you 

And as much as you were enjoying the kiss, you couldn't help but laugh as you heard the comments it was eliciting from the audience.

"Ew," Eva groaned, making a disgusted face.

"gross" Sarah agreed.

You and Joel chuckled as you took a step back for both their sakes.

"c'mon, let's go eat," he said "Breakfast's gettin' cold, mama"

~~~~~~

The fic is done this is just a bunch of other shit cause i feel like it, and id like to take a moment to thank my friends for supporting and feeding my delusions

The birthday wishes a friend sent me

And what has now become one of my favorite things I've ever been gifted, the Italian literary classic: Il fu Pedro Pascal

[spanktony]

Madison Beer x Fem! Reader fluff. Like a date at the park or a library?

“MY FAVORITE” - madison beer

summary: you and madison have a date in the library, according to you.

words: 1.4k

warnings: fem!reader, established!relationship, fluff, and let me know if there's more!

notes: can you tell i suck at summaries?

navigation.

stressed didn't even begin to describe how you felt at that moment. cramped in the corner of your university's library, headphones blasting baby by the love of your life, you were surrounded by a fortress of open textbooks and your laptop.

with finals looming just a month away, your days were a blur of nonstop studying, leaving little room for anything else. the only thing keeping you going was the thought of christmas break, when you'd finally get to hear your girlfriend sing her songs to you in person.

madison had been on tour for months, and you'd been buried in coursework, meaning it had been far too long since you'd last seen her. even thanksgiving had passed without her, which had been a tough blow considering how much you'd been looking forward to spending it together.

just as you were about to dive back into your notes, your phone buzzed on the table. you glanced at the screen and smiled instantly—a selfie of madison popped up, her face glowing even through the tiny display.

madz 🩷: hi pretty

madz 🩷: what r u up to?

you: studying. crying. suffering. all the above

madz 🩷: omg

madz 🩷: poor baby

madz 🩷: did you eat?

you: no, not yet at least

you: after i finish this last page i swear 💪

you: i'll be getting my fav as my own reward

madz 🩷: that's what you want? your favorite?

you: yes, and ice cream for later on

you: and a call with you if that's okay.

seen

the "seen" notification popped up, but her reply didn't come. you frowned, tilting your head at the screen. madison was always quick to respond, especially when you were stressed.

you almost called her, fingers hovering over the screen, but stopped yourself. maybe she was busy, or her schedule had pulled her away. letting out a small sigh, you unpaused your music and leaned back into the endless maze of studying.

the minutes ticked by as you buried yourself in your notes, the soft hum of music in your ears barely enough to drown out the tension building in your shoulders. your stomach grumbled faintly, reminding you that you hadn't eaten since breakfast, but you ignored it, determined to power through at least one more chapter.

the library buzzed faintly around you—whispers of students studying, the occasional rustle of papers or scrape of chairs. you were so immersed in your work that the world outside your textbook faded entirely.

until the smell hit you.

familiar, comforting, and mouthwatering, the aroma of your favorite food drifted into your space, snapping you out of your focused haze. confused, you glanced around, your eyes landing on a takeout bag and a drink set on the table just inches from your laptop.

your gaze traveled upward, and your heart skipped a beat. sitting across from you, with a sheepish, knowing smile and her disguise barely holding up, was madison.

she was dressed casually in an oversized hoodie and grey sweatpants, her signature glasses perched on her nose, her hair tucked into a baseball cap in a clear attempt to stay incognito.

"madison?" you whispered in disbelief, your voice breaking slightly.

"surprise," she said softly, her eyes sparkling as she leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. "figured my baby could use a break."

you blinked, struggling to process her presence. your fingers twitched where they rested on your open textbook, and for a moment, you wondered if you'd fallen asleep and started dreaming. but the scent of your favorite food was far too real, and so was the way madison's lips curled into a soft smile as she watched your stunned expression.

"what are you doing here?" you finally managed to ask, your voice barely above a whisper.

her smile widened, and she shrugged casually, though the look in her eyes betrayed how much she'd missed you. "had some time off," she said simply. "and i couldn't just sit around knowing you were cooped up here, stressed and starving. so..."

she gestured to the bag in front of you. "thought i'd bring you a little something—and maybe force you to take a break."

you laughed softly, the tension in your shoulders easing just from the sound of her voice. "you're unbelievable," you murmured, shaking your head, but the smile on your face was impossible to hide.

"unbelievably in love with you," she corrected, her grin turning playful. "now eat. you can thank me later."

you reached for the takeout bag, the delicious aroma making your stomach grumble even louder. "you really didn't have to do this, my love," you said softly, though the gratitude in your voice was clear.

"of course, i did," she replied with another shrug, her eyes fixed on you like you were the only person in the world. "you're working too hard, and someone's gotta remind you to take care of yourself."

she watched as you pulled out the food and drink, her smile widening when you took a sip and let out a contented sigh. "perfect, right?"

you nodded, feeling your heart swell. "you're perfect."

madison's cheeks flushed faintly at your words, but she quickly ducked her head, the hat taking place of where her face once was, shielding the soft smile spreading across her lips.

before you could ask what she was doing, she circled the table, sliding into the seat right next to you. the proximity was immediate and cozy, her knee brushing yours as she settled in. she leaned back, her hand resting on the nape of your neck, her thumb tracing soothing circles, and you felt yourself relax.

she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to your temple before pulling back to look at you.

"this is our first...date? well, uh, since august—i mean i would count this as a date but i don't know if you would? would you?" you stutter out.

madison's lips curved into a small, teasing smile as she tilted her head, her thumb still tracing lazy circles against your skin. "a date in the library? wow, you sure know how to spoil a girl."

you laughed, the sound soft and breathy, feeling lighter than you had in weeks. "i mean, it's not exactly romantic, but you're here. that's all that matters."

her gaze softened, the teasing glint in her eyes giving way to something deeper, more sincere. "hey," she said, her voice gentle, "it's perfect to me. doesn't matter where we are, as long as i'm with you."

madison leaned in again, this time her hat hitting against your forehead, causing you to lean back and rub your head with a sheepish laugh. "smooth," you teased, biting back a grin as madison quickly adjusted her hat, her cheeks flushing pink.

"okay, maybe i'm a little rusty," she admitted with a soft chuckle, her fingers brushing yours. "but i stand by what i said—this is perfect."

you shook your head fondly, leaning back into her touch as her hand returned to the nape of your neck, grounding you in a way only she could. "rusty or not, you're still my favorite person," you murmured.

her eyes softened, and the faintest smile tugged at her lips. "and you're mine," she replied, her voice so quiet it felt like a secret meant just for you.

for a moment, the two of you sat there in comfortable silence, her presence washing over you like a balm for your frayed nerves. the stress of finals, the weight of your endless to-do list—it all seemed to fade into the background with her next to you.

she nudged the takeout bag gently toward you, her tone playful again. "now, eat before i have to feed you myself. and trust me, i will make a scene in this library."

you snorted, shaking your head as you unwrapped your food. "okay, okay. i'll eat!”

madison grinned, her hand sliding from your neck to rest on your shoulder, her fingers giving a light squeeze. "good choice," she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "and after you finish, we're taking a real break. no arguing."

you glanced sideways at her, "you drive a hard bargain, beer," you teased lightly.

she smirked, leaning in just enough to whisper, "that's because i love you, and i'm not letting you burn yourself out."

[delusionisaplace]

Quotes for the opposites attract kind of pairing ? Maybe like the upbeat, energetic and spontaneous character x the moody, serious, do things by the book and likes quiet character ?

i kinda already did smth like this (link here) butttttt i had a couple of ideas for the first one that i didn’t use, so im gonna do this again :)

𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩: 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙙𝙮𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙥𝙩.2

have fun with these :) | if yall want more prompts like this, jus drop an ask nd ill respond as soon as possible | tag me if you use any bc i love seeing what you guys write :))

“Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder why it was so peaceful.”

“Isn’t it so beautiful today?” “…it’s raining?”

“Let’s go do something, anything!” “It’s 3 in the morning…”

“I like being alone, but everything feels so lonely whenever you’re not around.”

“If you like it, then I like it.”

“Why do you keep smiling at me?” “Because you look like you need it.”

“You never seem to worry about anything.” “Well, there’s no point in worrying if you’re here, right?”

“You’re the brightest star in my night sky." “I'm just being myself."

“I bought you this little plant; it reminded me of you." “Thanks. I'll try not to kill it.”

“Did you see that dog? It was so adorable!” “I guess it was cute, in an ugly type of way."

“I saw this new ice cream place just down the block—we have to try it!” “I don't really like sweets... but sure, I guess.”

“I made us breakfast!” “You didn't have to do that, but... thank you.”

“I love your playlists. They're so unexpected, if that makes sense.” “They're just songs, nothing special.”

“Do you want to watch a movie tonight?” “I didn’t really have any plans so if you want to, we can.”

“You're always so helpful.” “It's not a big deal, I just…do whatever I can to make you happy.”

“I saw your favorite book on sale and thought of you.” “You remembered... thank you.”

“God, somehow you always know the right thing to say to make me smile.”

“We might not have anything common, but still…I’m lucky to have you.”

and sorry it took me like 2 months to get to this 😭 that’s my bad

[milkypompon]

Chapter 2 | Scrawled Nothingness

pairing: Marc Spector x Reader (implied Steven Grant x Reader, implied Jake Lockley x Reader)

summary: Even after a year living with Steven and Jake in the headspace, Marc struggles to quiet the buzzing chatter. He finds himself frequenting Coffee for Two, a place where brewing roasts fill the air and the cookies are as sweet as the barista.

content: coffeeshops, fluff, flirting, angst (mentions of Marc's past)

wc: 2.1k

a/n: Thank you for all the love in the first chapter! I'm so happy summer's started, so I'll have more time to write out more chapters AND get to the fun and silly asks you sent me!! My inbox is always open for unhinged thoughts and requests. Enjoy!

Moon Knight Masterlist || Main Masterlist

Coffee Doodles Masterlist

< Previous || Next >

–

Marc shows up at Coffee for Two at 11:59 p.m. on the dot every Monday night.

Not a Monday morning when people showed up in slacks or pencil skirts for a shot of espresso. And certainly, not a Friday night when teenagers line up for a tooth-achingly sweet drink they found the recipe for online. 

Besides, he likes his coffee black.

The closing shift was clockwork at this point after helping your Nan for years — prop the chairs snug against the table, wipe the floors, and cheekily bag up a couple of pastries for the next day’s breakfast.

Your eyes flick over at the clock nearly striking midnight, as you lean the broom against the edge of the countertop. 

Marc should’ve been here by now, shoulders pulled back and head tilted down, ready to sweep the to-go cup and splash stick.

You remember that he typically parked a white limo… Maybe he chauffeured for a party, hence the break in the weekly conversation. If you could even call it that. It was more like an exchange of stolen glances and nods before parting again.

The logical part of you yearns to walk back to the apartment sooner than you planned and plop down face-first onto the couch. But a nagging twinge irked you to stay a little longer to see if he’d stroll in as usual.

 You could already imagine his face if he saw the sign flipped to close, his bottom lip jutted out into a pout, and a crease between his brows. 

You laugh to yourself at the image of Melodramatic Marc instead of Moody Marc then ultimately deciding to give in to the latter. Maybe you’d curse yourself out when you have to wake up in a couple of hours to prepare the croissants for the next day, but you wanted to take your chances right now.

Rounding the corner of the counters, you duck your head under the cabinets and look for the roast you wanted him to try and the materials you need for a pour-over. 

You place the paper filter onto the dripper then unfurl the bag of coffee beans and toss just the right amount into the grinder. The crushing hum and toasted smell of the grounds was a welcome change after a day of listening to grating ice and spurting whipped cream. With a kettle in hand and the setup complete, you gently trickle the water into circles, watching the grounds set in and coffee drip down the other end.  

You grab a white cup, soon covered with drawings of stars and sparkles, reminiscent of the few you could see from the window. The moon outshined them all, full and on display without a cloud in sight. 

You pour the coffee into the well-dressed it (scrawled with Marc’s name in the annoyingly very pink Sharpie) and notch the lid.

Checking the time again, you realize it’s well past midnight. 

Maybe it’s time to go home, but you didn’t have the heart to toss the drink away. You take a sip, the liquid barely touches your tongue before you hiss at the bitterness. 

How does Marc drink this?

No sugar, no milk.

You drizzle in a couple of pumps and squirts of your preferred add-ons, vowing to yourself to never take it purely the way he does. Drink and purse in one hand, you turn the sign to “closed” and twist the lock with the other. 

Hermano, just check if the place for your coffee fix is open. It won’t hurt, Jake rolls his eyes.

Marc mutters, “No, we don’t need another pitstop after the shit Khonshu just dragged us through.”

Maybe they’ll still have those biscuits I like to eat with the tea! Steven's heart flutters at the thought of eating a couple of the raspberry linzer heart cookies. 

He concedes. “Fine, but the moment I see the closed sign we’re going straight home. I didn’t ask to be in charge of snack runs, ya know?”

A unison of hurrahs echoes in his headspace, he can’t help but smile. In the whirlwind of events of carrying himself in a country that reminded him of crumbled relationships and even faultier progressions of moving on, the desire to find a place where he belonged was something he hated to admit. 

Marc was good at playing the part of blending in for missions. Tugging on a disarming smirk to draw out intel from loose-lipped drunkards at the bar came naturally. As easily as turning on the charm while bargaining at the market for the first edition books Steven claimed was what he’d been searching for his whole life (Oh my days, I need those for my collection!). Or, yet another pair of leather gloves for Jake (Those are fingerless and the straps look cool).

But stripped of bells and whistles created by answering to every whim of humans and gods alike, Marc was just… him.

Steven had his apartment filled with knickknacks and collectibles. 

Jake had his car housing his armaments and gadgets.

What did he have? 

Marc frowns at the thought as he leaps across the rooftops, the moonlight catching the arc of the cape. 

A cot in the storage unit and a fuck ton of baggage that couldn’t fit in his duffel bag.

But maybe Coffee for Two could be his. 

As he leaps down behind the shop, his ceremonial suit unravels, tucking in on itself to reveal his black shirt and jeans. Surely, it’d be closed by now, but he still wanted to check.

Marc turns the corner and sees a sign written in big, loopy letters.

closed let's have "coffee for two" tomorrow

He sighs. “Told ya, who in their right mind would’ve kept open for one customer.”

A gust of wind ruffles his hair, Khonshu’s presence stronger than usual.

“Alright I get it, you damn bird! I get that we have another mission–” 

A post-it flutters onto his shoe. He bends over and holds it under the streetlamp.

If you’re Marc, keep reading.  if you’re not Marc, why are you still reading this?

I think you can keep reading.

“Jake, shut up.”

I drank your black coffee.  Don’t know how you drink this.  It tastes like battery acid.

Steven laughs out the last two words. Think this sweet ol’ message made up for you looking so miffed, mate! She’s right about it though. I oughtta steep her a good cuppa.

“Hey, it keeps us awake! Your hot leaf juice makes our piss smell like flowers and does nothing else.”

Marc carefully tucks the paper into his jacket pocket. 

–

A week after Marc’s absence, he walks in and you greet him with a tired smile as if there was no time lost in between.

“Black?”

He cocks his head up and grins. “Yes, miss.” 

That’s new, you note.

“Got any of those uh, berry cookie thingies?” He makes two “Cs” with his hands and connects them, forming a crudely shaped heart. 

Your eyebrow quirks up and the air is quiet with stillness before laughter bubbles up in your chest, pointing to what he was referring to. “Oh! The Linzer cookies!”

Marc flashes his teeth. “Mhm, a couple of those with the coffee.”

“I’m a little surprised you liked them. Did the sweetness grow on you?” 

“Not for me, actually.”

“Did you want a second drink to pair with it?” 

He replies cooly, “Nah, nothing like that. Just, for my brother.”

You give a noncommittal hum and turn your back to him, looking for a box to place the cookies in. 

Marc chuckles, the corner of his lips curling. “Woah, don’t come pouncing at me all at once.” 

“I just meant to mention that we have a promotion of buy two get the second drink half off for your partner.” You smile to yourself, the view obscured from him. “That’s why it’s called Coffee for Two after all.”

“Mm, right.”

Quietness blankets the pair as you assemble his orders. 

He couldn’t recall the last time his headspace wasn’t buzzing with chatter without gut-wrenching aid, a bandaid haphazardly stuck on. Drowning out the noise wasn’t necessarily the problem, it was finding a way to keep a constant peace of mind. At the very least, keep it at bay. The past year was saturated with blackouts and memory gaps, the swirling gold whiskey dipped him into a hazy state. It wasn’t his favorite way to keep the quiet, but it did the job.

Every twist of the cap dragged him back to what was soon to come.

Every whiff of the liquid reminded him how her hot breath, seething with disdain, warmed his cheek.

And the heat he felt after chugging it was reminiscent of how she would hit the other, turning his head to the side. 

The soft shifting of the pen on paper brought him back. 

“See? Told you I give good service.” You slide the decorated coffee cup and a box of cookies in front of him with a smile. 

Marc thumbs over his name, a little surprised you spelled it with a "c" instead of a "k", along with the twisting designs. “Nuh-uh. Think you forgot something again.”

“I worked hard on that masterpiece!” You frown, feigning annoyance. “You should be asking for my autograph.” 

“I should be asking for your number.”

You don’t reply for a beat. “Well, are you going to?”

He smirks, pausing to mimic your surprise before saying, “Can you write down your number?”

You nibble your bottom lip, failing to hide your giddiness. 

He reaches over to pluck the alarmingly pink Sharpie from the pot and hands it to you. “Think that godawful marker was made from toxic waste. Nothing in the natural world could create that color.”

You scrawl your number on it, careful not to spill the coffee. “Well that ‘godawful marker�� gave you an opportunity to claim that promo.”

“Can I use it now?”

“Not until you call me.” 

Marc chuckles and picks up his order. “Well, I’ll be sure to do that.”

“See you when I see you. Monday at midnight again?”

“Or sooner.” His eyes flit over to your hand, knuckles white from the grip on your apron.

“Uh, not sooner. I’m closing for the week. There’s a couple of things I need to sort out… for the shop.”

Marc nods, not bothering to push the matter further. “I have a funny feeling you waited for me to come before you closed.”

You smile, the tension eases from your body. 

–

Marc wakes up from the early sun rays filtering between the cracks of the curtain. He grumbles, Jake always forgets to pull it close before going to bed. He knew that if he stood up to fix it, his body would betray him and lose the cottony sleep he felt. With a groan, he flops over to his side, but before his eyes flutter close he catches an unfamiliar cup standing on his nightstand. 

He doesn’t remember buying it yesterday and god forbid anybody forces Steven to drink anything quote battery acid unquote.

He picks it up, he notices the drawings… and a set of numbers. 

So, it must be–

Marc flings the blanket off of him and stalks to the fish tank.

“Jake! I know you’re there!” 

Gus peers at him curiously and releases little bubbles.

“I’m gonna slash your tires if you don’t come out!” 

Jake stares back at him and raises his hands in surrender. Ay, you and I both know you wouldn’t do that. My driving gigs are one of the few ways we stay afloat these days.

Marc buries his fingers in his unruly curls. “It was mine!”

What was yours?

“Going to that place!”

I don’t get it–

“Of course you wouldn’t!” Marc bristles. “Couldn’t I just have this one thing without one of you weaseling your dick into my life?”

Hermano, look, I was just trying to help. We thought it was about time you make a friend... or something.

"And you didn't bother asking me first?"

“Oh and remind if I'm remembering this wrong, the last time you set up Steven was when you asked out his coworker to the steakhouse! He’s a vegetarian for god’s sake!”

Don’t get your panties in a twist.

Can we all just calm the “ef” out? Steven appears on the kettle’s reflection. Take a time-out or whatever you Americans say.

Marc fights the urge to raise his voice again in an attempt to dispel the ringing in his ears. If the pair tried to explain the situation, they’d be in for another scolding. 

He opens his mouth before they can. “We can’t do this right now.”

Don’t speak for all of us, pendejo. 

He fists the cup, it crumbles in on itself and tosses it into the bin.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and my inbox is always open for requests or if you want to chat!

Taglist: Open (let me know if you'd like to be added or removed!)

@rachelsnows @basicalyrandom @cleothegoldfish @batsycline69 @lonelyisamyw-0love

[moonydustx]

Hey, Brazilian here!!! Can you write about Law x Sick!Reader?

Oi oi! Mais um dia, mais um atraso om os pedidos. Primeiro, muito obrigada pelo seu pedido <3 Aqui e aqui temos algumas histórias sobre Law x Sick!Reader. Mas como é quase irresistível escrever sobre nosso pirata favorito, hoje eu trouxe mais uma. Espero de verdade que goste!

And here’s the translation: Hi Hi! Another day, another delay with orders. First, thank you so much for your request <3 Here and here we have some stories about Law x Sick!Reader. But since it's almost irresistible to write about our favorite pirate, today I brought one more. I really hope you like it!

Requests are back soon, don't give up on me!

one piece masterlist

The isolated

Law x Sick!Reader (F!Reader)

warnings: idiots who don't know how to show their feelings, maybe there is a wrong use of DF, certainly medical errors because I'm not very good at writing this topic.

The sun shone brightly outside the Polar Tang, matching the summer island you had stumbled upon. Beaches, parks, and even a small forest trail awaited you, and despite Bepo's grumbles, it promised to be a good time to relax.

"Are you two staying here?" you adjusted your backpack on your back and stopped beside your captain. "There's so much to do."

"I only leave here to buy ice, or ice cream." Bepo, sprawled on the deck, grumbled. Your eyes soon turned to the captain's.

"And you?"

"Maybe I'll go to the city later, need to buy some things." he said, assessing you from head to toe. "Aren't you going to the beach with them?"

"Not really. From what I saw, there's a pretty cool trail to hike, I can take the opportunity to get some new herbs."

"Hm, alright." he replied, returning to contemplating Bepo suffering in the heat.

"Any problem, Captain?"

"No, nothing serious." Lie. The invitation for you to accompany him on the small visit to the city lingered on his lips, but apparently, it would stay there. "Enjoy your trail."

"Thanks, Captain! I'll be back before the end of the day."

You disembarked from the ship without further difficulties, following the small map you had bought earlier. On the Polar Tang, Law watched from afar as you walked away. He held a certain fondness for you - one you would never suspect - making it difficult for him to approach. Despite the shared breakfasts and the plant and herb lessons you gave him, which he insisted on attending despite knowing most of the content already, he enjoyed being with you. It was a pity he didn't know there was a reciprocal feeling on your part.

On the other hand, you even expected an invitation to accompany him, but just as he didn't seem very interested in being on your trail, he also didn't seem interested in your company. The hours passed without end, and with each passing moment, you grew more and more exhausted. Even before the sun set, you were already making your way back up to the Polar Tang.

"What the hell happened to you?" Shachi was the first to ask, catching your attention as you headed towards the submarine's interior.

"What the hell what?" you looked over, seeing nothing abnormal except for the fatigue and heat in your body, likely from all the walking.

"We better call the captain." Jean Bart advised and didn't wait for a response, running further into the submarine.

You tried to see something in some reflection as you watched your colleagues avoid you as if you carried the plague within you. Your irritation with your friends was replaced by concern as soon as Law saw you. You expected a scolding, you expected some acidic comment from him, but you didn't expect the lack of words, except for the ones that made you teleport with him straight to the medical ward.

"Captain, what's happening?" you stumbled backward as he guided you not so gently to a stretcher.

"Open your mouth." he completely ignored your question, and you could tell he was more worried than usual, so you just obeyed. With a small flashlight, he checked what you believed was just your throat. "Can you breathe normally, have you felt anything?"

"I'm just a bit tired, that's all. I don't understand all this fuss." you grumbled.

Only then did Law realize that indeed, you knew nothing of what was happening or why everyone had practically become concerned. Looking for a mirror and finding it impossible to find one in the medical ward of the Polar Tang, he grabbed a small sterilized steel tray and passed it to you, indicating that you should look at yourself.

"What?" your cry echoed through the enclosed room. Your face, neck, and every piece of skin you could see were adorned with red and swollen lumps. "Law, what's happening to me?"

"At first, I thought it might be an allergic reaction. But with unobstructed airways, I rule out that possibility, given the size of these lumps, if it were an allergy you shouldn't be breathing." he touched your face, gently turning it from side to side.

"And you're speaking so calmly?"

"If I spoke more agitatedly, you'd get nervous, your body would pump your blood faster, and if it were poison it would only take a few minutes for you to drop dead here." again, that calmness in dealing with serious matters infuriated you. "It might be that," he muttered to himself.

"Poison? Am I poisoned?" you stood up and immediately stumbled, leaning against his arms. "Am I going to die?"

"Probably, maybe, and no." he helped you sit back down. "Just give me a minute, I suspect what it might be."

He disappeared from your sight, and immediately, it was as if exhaustion dominated your body. You allowed yourself to lie down and wait for a few minutes. When your eyes were already heavy - even though less than five minutes had passed - you saw him appear with a book in hand.

"Can you stand up and take off your clothes?" he asked, seeing you nod, even though it took minutes just for you to stand up.

Remaining only in underwear, Law took care not to touch your body disrespectfully. The lumps already occupied almost your entire skin, giving him some trouble finding what he needed. After turning you around a few times and bending down to see better, he unfortunately found what he suspected.

"Here!" he pointed to the side of your body and again picked up the small steel plate that served as a mirror. As soon as he showed you, you could locate two red dots. Law then stood up and took the book he had brought. "It's a type of bug common on this kind of island."

"And what does that mean?" you leaned on the cot, not bothering to put your clothes back on.

"Well, it's going to be a few difficult days, and I'll need to isolate you from the rest of the crew, but you'll be fine."

"What do you mean by difficult days?" you tried to grab his book, but he didn't allow it. The way the symptoms were written was much scarier than it should have been in reality, at least that's what he hoped.

"Some symptoms are quite annoying, but with the right treatment, in about six to seven days, you'll be cured." he explained, watching you nod slowly. "It's normal to feel a bit tired at first; you might feel a bit itchy tomorrow too."

"You said you're isolating me here, is there a risk I've contaminated someone?" contaminated you, you wanted to add, but preferred to keep the thought to yourself. "I haven't touched anyone, but you never know."

"Contamination is through fluids, so no, for now, we'll all be fine. Here, I can still use my fruit to ensure a bit more protection for myself." he closed the book and stooped down, picking up the clothes you were wearing. "I'll get rid of this, alright?"

"Can you ask Ikakku to bring something for me to wear?"

"You're isolated, for a few days, only I will be able to come here, okay?" His hand almost touched you, but retracted in the last moments. "While you're not feeling better, we'll stay here on the island, but visits to the trail will be prohibited to everyone. I'll bring your clothes in a few minutes."

Law left and left you alone for a few moments, only returning to bring your pajamas. Even though you said it didn't need to be that type of clothing, Law warned that you would still be thankful for it.

On the first day, you were completely alone as the captain made sure that no one was infected and that everyone was aware of the necessary precautions. The lumps on your face seemed even redder, and when you noticed, you were already scratching and clawing, seeking some relief from the agony crawling on your skin.

"Don't scratch, you'll regret it." Law's voice appeared, and only then did you realize that he had entered the room. "It'll hurt more afterward."

"But Captain!" you grumbled and brought your nails back to your legs, barely reaching them before he grabbed your wrist. "It's itching too much!"

"I brought this." Only then did you realize that he had come armed with things. In one hand, a small pot that from the smoke and aroma, should be food. In the other, a small bag. "Here are ointments that can help, Ikakku also set aside some more clothes and other things that you might need."

You barely waited for him to finish speaking and began rummaging through the bag, searching for the ointment. As soon as you smeared it wherever you could reach, under his attentive gaze, you didn't need to ask. It only took a single exchange of glances for him to reach out and take the ointment from you. As soon as the cold cream reached your back - and perhaps because of the gentle way his fingers slid - you swore you could melt.

"I think it's good." He returned the tube and lowered your blouse carefully. "I brought soup for you."

"I'm not hungry."

"But I need you to eat, please." His eyes seemed to plead on their own, making it almost impossible for you to refuse.

Law stayed longer than the day before, watching you eat and updating you on what had happened outside. From Shachi and Penguin almost getting beaten up by two women on the beach, to Bepo swimming with buoys and several other amenities. Although he stayed longer than the day before, it didn't take long for Law to leave you alone again.

The next morning, you understood what Law meant about regretting scratching. The vivid memory of your nails scratching your body was replaced by an unbearable burning sensation, which left you almost immobile. Except that it also itched, making you seek friction, however minimal. That morning, you were taken out of bed by Law's appearance. A tray was in his hand, and as soon as he placed it on the table, he transported two more bags in.

"How are you feeling today?" he stopped by your side, looking at your still-laying face. "Burning, isn't it?"

"Like hell!" you grumbled, and saw him laugh, as if to say he had warned you. "Can you fix this?"

"At best, alleviate it." he warned, and saw you nodding against the sheets. "But first, breakfast." His tattooed hand stretched out, and you used it as support to sit up.

Grabbing the bread and juice glass, you pushed the fruits in his direction.

"Eat too." he just waved his hand, and you insisted. "Please, Captain. It'll make me feel less strange."

"Okay, just a little." He grabbed one of the grapes and ate.

As soon as you finished, Law used the power of the Ope Ope no Mi to get you to a shower, and apparently, he had already left that isolation for you. He leaned against the outside and left you alone, washing your body. Even against his will, Law could hear your grumbles and sniffs, he knew that the contact of the water against the skin would be torture at that moment, but it was the best solution he could think of. How he wished he could take that pain away from you.

In the afternoon of that same day, you didn't expect to see him again, until once again he appeared in the room, armed with things that barely crossed your mind of what they could be.

"I-I…" he started, feeling a little insecure. He felt that perhaps, just maybe, he might be crossing the line between doctor and patient. "I believe you might be feeling lonely."

"You have no idea." you weakly laughed, accepting the package he offered. Some books, crosswords, and candies were piled in the package. "That's very kind of you captain, thank you."

"I brought more of these too." He piled some books next to you, with a glance you realized they were comics. "They help me pass the time, I think they might help you too."

"This is that story... Sora, right?" you flipped through some, excitedly. "I've always heard about it and even tried to read it, but I confess I didn't understand much."

"What didn't you understand?" he sounded almost offended, sneaking a peek at what you were talking about.

The idea was for him to just leave things there and leave you alone, but it seemed almost impossible that afternoon. Law got lost in the hours, what was supposed to be a simple explanation ended with him reading some issues aloud to you. He only realized this when he heard your stomach growl, knowing it was already dinner time.

In the following two days, you alternated between scratching, trying to avoid scratching, getting scolded by Law, and him losing hours again, talking to you. It had reached the point where Law and you were counting the hours to know when you would see each other's faces. You because you loved the company of your captain and how soothing his voice sounded when he read, or how he got excited gossiping about the "outside world," and Law felt he needed to see you up close, to ensure that you were and would be fine.

The last bout of symptoms was what worried Law, and it was when he entered the room and found you lying on the floor in a fetal position that he knew it had finally arrived. Although it meant that the illness was leaving your body, he knew it would be the most painful part.

"Law." your tearful voice called him as soon as he picked you up to put you back in bed. "My body hurts so much."

"I know, I know." he tried to calm you down and saw you curl up even more. "I promise, just one more day, and you'll be okay."

"I don't know if I can handle a whole day with so much pain." you sobbed and hugged yourself. "It hurts to breathe, it hurts to move, and-I-I don't know what to do."

He sighed, trying to think of how he could take that away from you. It was just one more day of symptoms, but it hurt him to hear from your mouth that you couldn't handle it. Just one more day, one more day, and you would be well again.

"Do you remember when the pain started?" he stepped away to start preparing a serum with medications for you.

"About two hours ago." you whispered, pulling the blankets against you and trying to press against your own body, the contact of your skin seemed like a relief.

"Okay, we have a few more hours ahead." he gently pulled your arm, and with the dexterity that only he could have, hit your vein on the first try, plugging the medication. "Maybe this will help a little with the symptoms."

Law stepped back again to get the book he had found the information about the insect that had bitten you. Most of it was that the symptoms were difficult, but they overcame themselves, and although it seemed like you were going to die, the probability was minimal. Pain and complications, pain and complications. Law finally found the topic he needed. When the disease was leaving the body, the heat provided by fire, blankets, humans could help, as well as pressure on the painful area.

"I have an idea." he murmured and began to take off his shoes.

While you were lying down, barely having strength to open your eyes, you saw him take off the shoes he was wearing and take off the hat he had on. The first thing he did was cover your head with the hat, making sure to keep as much of the top of your face covered and warm. Soon, he climbed onto the bed with you, his legs intertwined with yours, and his hands began to press against your body, promoting such relief that it drew a sigh from your lips and allowed you to stretch.

"Sorry." he apologized, his hands now pressing against your back intensely. "It's the best I could think of quickly."

"It's perfect." with some difficulty, you turned to him. "Thank you for taking care of me, Captain."

"This is my duty, isn't it?"

"Well, not when I'm a mess here, in pain, and crying." you tried to laugh, but a memory of a conversation you had some time ago struck you. "Enough, Law, you need to step back."

"And why would I do that?"

"Why do you think? Contact equals contamination, don't you remember?" you grumbled. Even though the massage he provided was the relief you needed, the last thing you wanted was to infect him.

"You're no longer so contagious. You're on the last day of the illness, full of symptom medications, and I'm protected, there's no possibility of you infecting me." he explained and felt your hand against his chest, trying to push him away. "Don't you believe me?"

"I'm a mess here, of course I'll infect you."

Instead of answering you, Law just stole a quick kiss from your lips, in an impulse of courage to show a little of what he felt and in the desperation to stop you from continuing to push him and, consequently, pushing himself out of the bed.

"I wouldn't do this if you were contagious, you know that." he simply said and pulled you closer, allowing your face and body to almost merge against his skin. "Now let me take care of you."

The last day of the illness passed faster than you expected, mainly because much of it you spent sleeping in the arms of your captain, who didn't stop for a second trying to ward off the pain from you.

The next day, you were finally free to walk around the submarine, take a shower freely, choose your own clothes, free from the small medical ward you spent those days in. As soon as you finished putting on your uniform, two knocks on the door caught your attention.

"Can we talk?" Law inquired, not waiting for the answer to enter the room. "About yesterday…"

"There's nothing I would change about that." you interrupted him, and you swore you could see a certain blush on his face. "Except the pain, I thought I was going to die."

"I would never let that happen."

"Captain?" you approached, stopping a short distance from him.

"Law, please." he corrected you. He liked to hear his title leave your lips, but hearing his name was a much more savory experience.

"Law, aside from all the pain and stress, it was good to spend these days alone with you." you confessed, seeing him nod. "Although I'm also ridiculous with those lumps that have now turned into scars, I really should have listened to you."

"Don't say that, even if you wanted to, you wouldn't be that." he refused to name you in such a rude way. "And I also enjoyed our time together."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I want to do it right." he cleared his throat, adjusting his posture and asking the question that could avoid all the stress of you having gone to do the damn trail. "Will you accept to visit the city with me?"

[echantedtoon]

A Lovers' Circle (Poly Haishira x Reader) Ch6 Date Weekend: Saturday

(Warning for some nudity mentioned in the boys part but absolutely nothing rude or nsfw!! Also it's cannon Hinatsuru and Makio can cook like really good in Kimetsu Gauken and Mitsuri.knows ballet from what we saw in s4 with flexibility training. My own headcannons are being slapped into here! AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME!)

Taglist: @shadyd3ar @jcrml @tengensangel

@miniverse-zen

Remember if you want to be added to the taglist lemme know

The colorful assortment of delightful sweets filled the eyes with childlike wonder. Cream and icing. Glaze and powdered sugar. Milky chocolate and sweet vanilla. All of which melted in the mouth and shook the senses with sweet dreams of sugary delight.

In in Mitsuri's case starting to stock up on food.

You sat down at the table with the other girls after the fun game of push ups. Taking your time to look around at the big but nice looking kitchen. Kyojuro must've had a good paying job if he could afford this. The nicely furnished space had pretty much a top of the line appliance set up complete with a nicely polished giant cherry wood table. Of which was stuffed to the brim with food. Three boxes of extra large pizzas took up the far left right corner, next to it was a box of hot wings, and a few six packs of different sodas and what was left of the canned coffee after Sanemi ravished through Obinai's gift. Two pink boxes filled up with day old sweets like donuts and mini cakes, what was left of the ohagi you made, and a few burgers Giyuu picked up. And a small pot of something you couldn't make out but it smelt like beef broth. Maybe a beef soup or hot pot?

It certainly was a lot of food but considering how many people there and how big Gyomei and Tengen were.

"Let me get you some food," Hinatsuru offered gesturing to the boxes of pizza stacked on the table. "We have pizza, burgers, cake- What would you like?"

A hand held up to her. "Oh no. It's ok. I can get it myself."

"Nonsense. You're our guest so I'll get it for you."

"Well alright then. Some pizza please."

"Sure! Pepperoni, sausage and mushroom, or meatlovers?" Hinatsuru was already shuffling towards the boxes Mitsuri was already rummaging through. 

"Pepperoni is fine. Thank you!'

You only smiled politely as the others say down or most of them grabbed ahold of whatever food was available for them, but you noticed only one of them had a tray instead of a plate. Mitsuri had taken out a large tray, the kind you'd use to carry breakfast in bed to someone, and just started piling on food after food item onto it. There must've been at least two or three slices of every kind of pizza they had, three small cakes you could make out including a fourth one just added to it, a few burgers peeking out from just under the pizza, and right now her main target was the pot.

The smells of beef filled the air with a snack of her lips looking inside excitedly. Producing a bowl from no where she proceeded to just scoop out boiled eggs, mushrooms, chunks of beef- Oh. So someone did bring a hot pot. But she wasn't done yet. She practically pulled two bottles of the soda to herself as a can of coffee got caught up also in her grasp and your poor ohagi was her next victims. Three ending up on top of their fallen pizza brethren. She plopped down right across from you as you continued to stare wide eyed. You didn't even notice Hinatsuru placing down a plate and cup of more soda in front of you.

"Here you go!" She smiled at you but slowly blinked noticing your wide eyed surprised look. "Miss Y/n?" Her face followed your direction and froze as she and everyone else saw the massive pile of food Mitsuri had in front of her and the fact that she was already shoveling a whole mini strawberry shortcake into her mouth. "M-Mitsuri!"

"Hm?" 

She happily looked up at the half horrified half worried faces around her, cheeks puffed up like a chipmunks. Huh? What was with those looks? She made sure not to take everything this time. It was only when green orbs caught the state of the girl in front of her. It was then that the before mentioned talk about everyone being on their best behavior and ensuring that they made a good first impression for Gyomei punched her brain in the memory bank. She sat there quietly and wide eyed, cheeks puffed up, and some strawberry syrup on her chin. Somewhere to the far right Makio groaned and facepalmed loud enough to a smack sound to be heard.

You blinked and that motion seemed to spur Mitsuri's panic as she quickly swallowed and held up her hands. "Um- Uh- ...HEY! No one touch this food!" She nervously laughed before pushing the tray away from her nervously smiling self to the middle of the table, a few boxes getting pushed aside as she did so. "Y-You know that I-..Uh! I-I always make sure there's a nice healthy serving out aside for the guys! Haha! Hmm!" She tapped her chin in thought glaring at the stacked up tray in pretend scrutiny. "Yep! Th-This will definitely be enough for all of them! Haha!"

She froze as a couple hot wings wobbled and fell lower on the pile of food she had created. Someone mumbled a 'nice save' somewhere as your eyes slowly looked away from her and down at the pile of food in front of everyone... before your face scrunched up into a funny looking face before you opened your mouth and-..

Started to laugh??

A series of giggles enveloped from her mouth and a hand reached out to cover those giggles to no avail as everyone stared at her.

"....Ok. Did we already break her or is she making fun of us?"

Your head shook as a hand waved. "N-No. It's just that-..Well, It's nice you're all going through all this effort to make me comfortable but Gyomei's already mentioned about this." To her surprise the tray was slid back over in front of Mitsuri who looked widely at you. "As I said before I want you all to be yourselves around me since I genuinely want to meet Gyomei's friends, so please don't hesitate to eat."

Mitsuri stared stunned by your smile, looking you up and down.... before just smiling back to her food and a second later she literally bit a burger clean in half as she hummed contently. Her happy face and bloated cheeks made more giggles escape her mouth. 

"That's quite the appetite you have there," you pointed out without being rude, "Do you like sweet, savoury, or spicy things better?"

She swallowed what was left of her first burger quickly before answering. "SWEETS! But I don't mind others things either! Bitter and sour things are good too if you make them right!" As if to hammer home her point, she practically devoured an entire hot sauce covered chicken leg minus the bone. The hotness didn't even seem to bother her because a slice of blueberry cheesecake was next. "Shoo yummy!~" She gushed between snacking.

Despite it you still smiled at her completely unfazed. Her eating was fast and not normal by any normal person's standards but unlike Jake's she wasn't rude about it at all. She wasn't chewing loudly or open mouthed, she didn't try to hog everything, and she DEFINITELY wasn't trying to get anyone's else's foods or getting food anywhere. ..Well except for the traces of said food on her mouth which you handed over a couple napkins she thanked you for. The others seemed completely unfazed by her appetite so this was probably a usual occurrence for them.

"So you aren't like grossed out or anything by..?" Makio gestured towards the pink haired girl like it was obvious.

"Not really. Why would I be?" You shrugged before picking up a piece of your own pizza. "She's not being rude about it so why should I care? Although I am a bit surprised at how much she eats. When Gyomei told she she had a big appetite I wasn't expecting it to be so literally. Not that it's a bad thing of course!"

Surprised looks land silence was what everyone gave you minus Mitsuri still eating the quickly shrinking pile of food. Eventually Shinobu broke the silence with her brows raised high. 

"Holy shit...Gyomei found a dam unicorn!"

"Shinobu!"

"He did.' shinobu rolled her eyes at her sister's scowl. "She said to be ourselves around her right? How is she supposed to know us if we aren't?'

"But the cussing? Really? First Nemi and now you."

"I really don't mind," you smiled at her. "I'm not offended at all. Really."

Kanae blinked but frowned at Shinobu's wide smile. 

"Subject change!" The blue eyed girl, Suma if you remembered right, shot up a hand and waved around her full arm. "This entire thing was to get to know her better! So let's do that instead!"

"Good idea, Suma!" She quickly changed the entire subject probably to avoid any awkwardness. "So. Y/n, how did you meet Gyomei? He told us briefly but I don't think he explained the entire thing." 

You paused a moment staring off into nothing. You smile had turned to a thin line and you turned to her so slowly that she thought she might've said something to offend you. "....Have you ever had a really bad date?"

Her pink eyes blinked. "I-...Well, it did rain once when I was on a double date with Kyo and Makio. We didn't get to do anything we planned."

"Oh. Well trust me. You haven't heard nothing yet. Let me tell you EXACTLY how I met the most kindest man of my life...after meeting the worst most vile human. It all started when this rat's parents paid my Auntie to set him up on a date. She's a REALLY good matchmaker you know and that's why they paid her and she needed the extra money because her car broke down, so she asked me to go out with him. I figured it was just a free dinner so what did I have to lose? BOY was I surprised!"

You told them the entire story. Starting from the very beginning from before you even met Jake the Snake to how he late he was to how Gyomei.actually noticed you first to how he acted and on and on. Most looked on in pity or disgust but Shinobu never lost that small smile. You nearly lost your appetite again remembering that night but the memory of Gyomei's smiling helpful being brightened up your entire outlook. 

"So one thing led to another and we ended up going on a coffee date." You shrugged drinking a little bit of the soda Hinatsuru was nice enough to get you. 

"That's so mean! How could a man be so cruel and rude?!," Mitsuri loudly protested. 

You shrugged again. "Spoiled too much by his parents I guess. But that's all in the past now." You smiled Brightly. "Gyomei is much more better than most of the men I've dated. Tonight is our third date actually."

"AW!! THAT'S SO SWEET! IT'S LIKE YOU BOTH MET OUTTA A FAIRYTALE!!" 

"How did you guys meet anyways?" You were curious about how these people met and got together especially when they were all polyamourus. You've never heard of twelve people in a relationship before but you guessed there was a first time for everything.

"Most of us are actually childhood friends and we met way back in elementary school!," Suma piped up and bit down into a pizza slice. 

"Yeah..most of them. A few of us didn't meet until like nearly graduated from highschool..." Makio shrugged. "But it is what it is."

"That reminds me. How did you three end up marrying Mr. Uzui? I've heard of having more than one partner but this is the first time I've ever seen someone be married to three people at once before. Um..no offense."

"None taken." Makio waved you off with a bored look to her face. "It was arranged between our parents a long time ago, I don't think Tengen's old man was too happy at the idea of him dating Kyo back in highschool and decided to give him a few beautiful ladies to change his mind."

"Oh that's awful." A hand covered your mouth. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It all worked out in the end."

"Really? He just agreed to it?"

"Yeah. He figured just going through with it would be easier, and we all got married right out of highschool..." Her gaze looked far away from the table as if gazing of into nothing. "..You know he offered all of us to divorce the day after? Said he wasn't going to force any of us to stay if we didn't want to."

Your brow rose at her. "But..you didn't?"

"No. I could've though. I could've divorced him and then left. Maybe I'd be somewhere studying something like cooking or maybe I'd be married again to a really, really handsome rich guy who's a renowned millionaire complete with little kids and a nice big dog. ...I could've had that, or I could stay with a guy who's 'flamboyant' butt cried when I said I loved him for the first time."

"Aw!" She was lightly surprised when you gushed. "Did he really cry?"

"Oh yes. I remember that." Hinatsuru finally got a cheeky look on her face looking at her other wives. "You two remember that right? He was so worried that Kyo would be mad at him for falling for us and he was so scared that we hated him from the start that he cried for a whole hour."

"I REMEMBER THAT!! HE'S SO CUTE!!"

"Yeah. Besides, where else are we gonna get a free portrait?"

Her joke wasn't lost on you either and a giggle escaped you. So they all grew up together? That's a cute love story! Well you guessed minus Tengan's wives who everyone met in highschool technically but you still were curious about one thing in particular.

"I do hope you don't mind me asking this but I'm curious about something," you slowly spoke catching most everyone's attention other than Mitsuri who was almost done with her giant tray. "If you don't want to answer it's fine, but how did you all.. Y'know. Well-.." You were trying to try to find a way to word it without sounding rude. So you made a half circle motion around the table gesturing to everyone.

"Find out we were all poly?," Kanae asked answering you.

"YYYes. I'm sorry if that's a sensitive topic."

She shook her head, pretty hair swaying. "Not at all. You've been nothing but respectful this entire time and honestly you're one of the few people who didn't make it weird." She shrugged her shoulders holding up her hands. "To be perfectly honest with you, it just sort of happened. Mitsuri used to date my sister back in middle school but they broke up and then she started dating Sanemi-" She gestured to Mitsuri. "-and she dated Obanai for a little bit before we all just shifted to who we wanted to have our main love be!"

"Oh..I see. So how did the whole main partner thing was figured out?"

"Simple. While I love all my partners, Sanemi is the only one I want to officially marry and start a family with." Her head tilted at you with a worried brow. "Do you think that's strange?"

A him escaped her throat as her eyes glanced over in thought. "...Well I can't say no because I guess to someone like me who isn't in a relationship like yours it would be weird. But-" orbs looked directly back to her pink ones. "I can't really judge you. Mostly because your relationship isn't any of my business so I shouldn't stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but also because it's really incredible."

"Hm?" Pink eyes blinked confused. "Incredible how so?"

"You guys have the healthiest relationship I've ever seen!" 

Kanae. Blinked. "What?"

You nodded. "I mean I've seen arguments but if-.. Sanemi, I think was his name, really wanted to punish Tengen I think he would've punched him square in the face. But it just looked like one big couples fight to me..Not the really bad kind but I don't think-" You stopped seeing everyone stared at you again. "Um..Was it something I said?"

"I told you. A dam unicorn."

Kanae shot her sister another glare before sighing. "Well to answer your question, we really just sorta melded together once we realized that there was more than mutual feelings. It took some time for everyone to come to terms with it especially Nemi and Obi but it works out for us."

"And your families?"

Clink-

You blinked as Hinatsuru suddenly placed her fork down and went quiet, a sad look suddenly found on her face making you blink and then noticed that everyone else had similar looks either looking away uncomfortable or sad. Mitsuri's eating had also ceased leaving her holding up an empty burger wrapper. Eventually Shinobu sighed.

"Some of our families have...Not been very nice hearing about it let's just say. My folks for example were pretty shocked but now they're the most supportive people on the planet. However... People like Tengen's dad or Obinai's family.." A grimace and 'yeesh' sound escaped her. "You'd think a guy who's entire family was mostly women wouldn't care if he dated girls-'

"I think I get the picture." You politely held up your hand and looked around feeling suddenly guilty about the mood dropping. "...You guys said you're studying to become teachers right?" You perked back up and changing the subject to a lighter tone. "What kind of subject do you want to teach, Mitsuri?" You asked the most cheerful person hopefully her bright happy attitude would help the situation.

Like you hoped she immediately lit up in a smile. "DANCE! Specifically ballet!"

"I didn't know you knew ballet!"

She nodded. "Mm hm! I love it!"

"And what about you two?"

"I'm focusing on biology and Shinobu is taking classes for becoming a health teacher," Kanae answered with a new smile. 

"Hina n' I are working through the thought of culinary schooling."

"OH! OH! I WANNA BE A PRESCHOOL TEACHER!!'

"You'd certainly fit right in."

"Makio! Don't be so mean to me!"

"Guys please."

You couldn't help but giggle at the lot of them in the end and went back to eating your pizza and waiting for Gyomei's return. 

"Hey. We're all going to the beach tomorrow!" You paused mid bite of your pizza before looking at Mitsuri who smiled widely and hopefully at you. "It's one of the few times we can go before it gets too cold. Why don't you come with us?"

"Oh. I'd really like to..but I can't." Your hand was held up. "I have a project to take care of before I can turn it in Monday and I have to clean. But I appreciate the offer. Are you guys going out the entire weekend together?"

"Oh absolutely! Tonight's just a big sleepover with a movie!" Mitsuri started quickly motioning with her hands with excitement. "Then tomorrow we're going to spend all day on the beach together and then Sunday it's just gonna be the boys hanging out with each other and we're all going SHOPPING!~" She sang out that last part throwing up her hands. "And then we're gonna go to the spa and get massages, and have our nails done and a whole bunch of stuff between those things! Then we're all going to meet up with the boys for a sauna and public hot springs!" She then gasped hands smacking her cheeks. "OH MY GOSH!! YOU SHOULD TOTALLY COME WITH US!!"

You blinked leaning back a little bit. "What?"

"ARE YOU BUSY SUNDAY?! IT'S PERFECT!! YOU CAN COME WITH US AND WE ALL CAN HAVE FUN TOGETHER!"

"I don't want to intrude on your guys' date and besides as much as I would like to, I'd only be a third wheel for the entire thing. On top of that I don't have much money for me to spend."

"Uh.. Didn't Gyomei literally win you three hundred fifty dollars?" 

You paused staring at them blinking.

"THAT'S RIGHT! You can totally still come with us then! Please say you will! You really didn't get a chance to really meet the guys yet and I promise it'll be so much fun!"

"Well I -.." You let out a light sigh. "Well I guess so. It might be fun."

"Oh this is going to be so much fun! I can't wait for you to see my favorite cat cafe! I'm sure the guys are just as excited!"

"You think so?"

"Absolutely! Why I bet they're thinking of fun things to do together right now!"

SMACK-

"OW! WHAT THE HELL, SANEMI?!"

Warmth spread off the tiles lining up the walls and floors. Most rising to coat their bodies like fog which was probably a good thing considering that most of them were completely in the nu- A loud smack loud disturbed the peaceful sounds of running shower heads and scents of men's brand soap and shampoo. The snack itself stopped Obanai from helping Gyomei get his back and the blind man tilt his head-

Buuuutt the very girly sounding squeal that left Tengen's throat had caused the rest of them to peer over. A stinging sensation throbbed from the side of Tengen's behind from where he was struck by something fast, and instinctively his hand clutched onto the now reddened skin. Magenta eyes narrowed with a snap of his neck and immediately found the culprit with a wet wring up towel in his hands. 

"OW! WHAT THE HELL, SANEMI?!", Tengen's voice angrily echoed off the walls.

The smaller white haired man gave Tengen one of those evil grins he always gave when annoyed and his fists squeezed around the towel harder making it creak in her hands. "Consider it payback for the stunt you pulled! I would've won if you hadn't distracted me!"

"Oh please. I would've won if you hadn't twisted the rules and tricked my wife." Tengen hissed rubbing at his bottom. "Fuck that hurt. Y'know if you wanted to smack my butt that badly-"

"SHUT UP YOU SHINY MEATBALL!!"

"Are those two still going on about that? I thought we all agreed Gyomei won fair and square."

Gyomei only sighed at Giyuu's words deciding not to engage with the argument other than shaking his head and sinking further down into the tub of comforting warm water. Those two would normally fight like cats and dogs if it wasn't with Obinai. He knew the routine of these fights. They'd be angry anywhere between a few hours to a day and then either forget about it or make up somehow. Even if the current cussing at one another over 'distracting him and making him lose' or 'sanemi didn't have to attack him with a towel' was starting to give him a bit of anxiety. He sure hoped they weren't loud enough for the girls to hear them.

"YOU WANT TO KISS ME SO BAD IT MAKES YOU LOOK STUPID!!"

"STOP BEING SO FUCKING PRETTY!!..PETTY!! I MEANT PETTY!!"

"Uh huh. Sure.~"

"RRRRRRAAHH!! FUCKING STOP IT!!"

"THEN MAKE ME, SHINAZUGAWA!!"

There was a small silence other than the sounds of the others ignoring their friends' usually arguments and continuing to finish up and then sounds of running water...but after a moment of nothing his head did turn in question towards the nearest person.

"Are they quite finished?"

"Yep. They're hate kissing again."

Even though he couldn't see Obinai, he knew the man was rolling his eyes. "I see. Well at least perhaps now they'll stop clawing at one another's throats." Water rippled in his wake as he moved to stand back up. "And I have to be seeing off Y/n soon. It's very impolite to keep her waiting for me on a date twice on a date."

"Relax, Mei. You brought her here for the sole purpose of meeting us. Let her get to know them. I'm sure Mitsuri's already talking about her cats or Suma's talking her head off. She'll be fine."

"Well..I should at least make sure it's going well."

"*sigh* If you say so. And will you two get a room?!"

Sanemi's answer was to chuck the clean but wet towel he had been holding and expertly nailing Obanai in the face without even looking up from where he was gripping Tengen's head to make him lean down enough to kiss. A loud smack sound again echoed beside him and a moment later Obanai fell into the tub with a splash. ...Gyomei only groaned rubbing his face. 

[impactedfates]

Can you do imbibitor lunar! Dan heng x troublemaker! GN! Child reader? (Platonic)

Dan heng was supposed to babysit the reader but the reader is a little bit a trouble maker.. The reader has a soft spot for Dan heng lololo

A/N: Hihi :D I’ve returned!! Sorry for leaving for so long, but I should be able to get back to writing!! Requests are still closed for now, once all my current requests are finished and maybe some short fics and/or scenarios are written I'll open them up again. Thank you anon for the request!! And thank you for being patient with me to write this, I hope you'll enjoy this :>>

W.C: 1692

Warnings: None (I hope - Not fully proofread but I’ll fix anything once I’m back from school Ü)

Extra: Dan Heng is in his Vidyadhara form // Child reader so ofc is younger and shorter then most characters // Trailblazer is whoever you want it to be lol // Reader has been babysat for awhile by the Express (specifically Dan Heng) but now lives with the express in the fic

“[Name]!! Get down from that…NO DON’T J U M P”

March let out a small groan as she ran and stopped you from trying to jump off the fridge. She sighed and shook her head at you.

“Just what would Dan Heng think about this”

You stook out your tongue at the tired girl as she carefully put you down. Shaking her head. You were a new member of the Express family, Dan Heng had found you hiding when he was walking around Scalegorge Waterscape. And you seemed to cling to him, always hugging his tail. He doesn’t say no to it but he is surprised you seem to like him so much.

The Express like you as well!...Expect you seem to only like Dan Heng…especially when he’s in his Imbibitor Lunae form, not to say you don’t like him when he’s in his regular form, but you seem a LOT more attached when he lets you cling onto his tail.

It’s obvious to all the express (except Dan Heng it would seem) that you won’t listen to anyone but him, and on one hand it can be cute, on the other hand…it can be painful.

“[Name] All I said was that you couldn’t eat ice-cream for breakfast…it is not healthy whatsoever!”

March explained, puffing her cheeks, though maybe she shouldn’t say anything as she herself tried eating ice-cream for breakfast.

“Who’s trying to eat ice-cream for breakfast?”

A tired voice came, as Dan Heng came walking in, rubbing his eyes as he had just woken from sleep, his long hair tied back. After you joined he seemed to be in this form more often, for different reasons, one of them being you refused to sleep unless his tail was your blanket.

“[Name] is! Dan Heng tell them they cannot have it, and we’re saving it for tonight!!”

“[Name], Himeko bought them so we can have them to eat for movie night later tonight…plus having ice-cream for breakfast isn’t healthy y’know”

Dan Heng spoke gently, crouching down to your level, March stood behind him with a victorious grin. She knew you wouldn’t be able to say no to him…and she was right, you pouted a bit and looked away, crossing your arms, mumbling out an annoyed and reluctant.

“Fine.”

.

.

.

“[Name] sweetheart, please give that ba-”

*C R A S H*

Yet another mug belonging to Himeko broke right in front of her eyes. She silently mourned the mug, taking a small deep breath and looked at you.

“Y’know…your auntie Himeko liked that mug a lot sweetie…”

She spoke, gesturing to herself, but you simply stook out your tongue at her, about to reach over and knock over ANOTHER mug, this time belonging to Welt. Himeko was quick to swoop you away from it and caught the mug from making another loud noise. She placed it on a higher shelf, away from your reach even if you climbed and despite your thrashing, moved you on the Express couch.

“I heard a loud crash, is everything alright?”

Dan Heng called out, walking in, spotting the broken mug on the floor, his eyes softened and looked at Himeko apologetically. 

“That was your favourite mug…wasn’t it?”

“Yep…”

She sighed, shaking her head disappointedly. Dan Heng was quick to grab a broom and start cleaning the broken shards, Himeko smiled at his gesture and began ruffling his head as if he was a child.

“Himeko…”

*C R A S H*

Himeko froze and her head snapped towards the source of the sound, the direction of your very own bedroom. You had seemingly left quickly when Dan Heng and Himeko were chatting and now you seemed to have broken yet another thing, you came waltzing in with a bunch of credits in your hand, lifting them up to Himeko, and with puppy eyes said.

“I’m sorry auntie, here. You can buy another one!”

Himeko smiled softly at you and shook her head, carefully taking the credits from your hand. Although you probably only ran to your piggy bank (assuming that’s what you broke for the credits) because Dan Heng entered, she could tell you did feel sorry upon hearing it was her favourite mug.

“It’s okay sweetie…just…try not to do it again”

You smiled and nodded. Promising her you won’t do it again…if you couldn’t actually keep that promise, she wasn’t sure. And she was sure you weren’t sure either but. She’d forgive you again in a heartbeat if she’s being honest.

.

.

.

Welt stared blankly at your wall, the wall that had now been decorated with some of his artwork…his artwork that had been torn up and collaged up without his permission. 

“[Name]...what…is this?”

He spoke, pushing up his glasses as he closed as his eyes narrowed, darting at each page, clearly with a rip. Though he will admit that the collage…was pretty nice. Just…he wished it wasn’t from one of his sketchbooks, old or not.

“Art”

You said proudly, and sure…you weren’t technically wrong. Welt simply sighed and shook his head, crouching down to your level and carefully explained to you that you shouldn’t take things without people's permission. It isn’t nice.

You tilted your head and grinned, before grabbing his sketch book from your bed, looking him straight in the eye…you did ask but you did it while…ripping the page in the process. Welt could only pinch his nose in slight irritation…until the door to your door opened and his sketchbook was thrown behind your bed as you looked at whoever entered innocently.

“Big Brother! Look what I made”

“Huh? Oh…looks nice [Name]”

Dan Heng spoke, his eyes looking at the wall before it noticed Welt, he turned to face you with a concerned expression.

“Did you…ask Mr Welt if you could use his things?”

“Well no…”

“[Name], next time ask, Mr Welt really treasures his drawings”

You simply nodded with a small pout, honestly you thought it was an old sketchbook Welt didn’t care about…but hey. You still got a compliment from Dan Heng right? Welt could only hope you’d listen now that Dan Heng told you.

.

.

.

“Did you both really just go hunting in trash?”

Dan Hen asked with a deadpan, looking at you and the trailblazer, now filthy. You giggled a bit, scratching the back of your head. As the trailblazer was quick to defend themselves.

“THIS TIME…this time it wasn’t me, believe me. This one right here jumped into the dumpster first, so I jumped in to get them. Then I tried to catch them but they kept…SWIMMING?? Around in the piles of trash…wait can you swim in trash?”

The Vidyadhara put up his hand to silence the grey haired trailblazer, before his eyes glanced at you. Raising an eyebrow, he silently asked if this was true to which you…slowly nodded again, embarrassed. He sighed a bit and rubbed his temples, he was still calm. He simply pointed in the direction of the bathrooms.

“You two, bathe. Now.”

“But-”

“N o w.”

.

.

.

Movie Night! Finally, nothing bad happens. Perhaps that was due to Dan Heng managing to keep you calm and quiet with just his presence. But no one complains, everyones happy enough.

Everyone goes to their own room after they finish up so they could go to bed and get ready for the next mission, but they seem to find something in their room, a gift it would seem?

March's eyes widened a bit as she looked at the new camera that was decorated too! With her family, and a small note near it, reading

‘Thank you big sister!! I know you like photos right? Dan Heng helped me buy this for you, I hope you like it’

March squealed a bit and hugged the camera, thanking you a million times in her head.

Himeko’s eyes landed on an (albeit badly) made mug, decorated with various shades of her favourite colours and writing that she knew instantly was yours.

‘Best Auntie Ever!’

Perhaps she found her new favourite mug already…now for some coffee to pour into it.

Welt flicked through the pages of the new sketch book, only one drawing was made, at the front cover. He recognized your art style and smiled softly as he saw the mini doodles of the Express family and a very angry Pompom.

He grabbed a pencil and began sketching on the first page.

The Trailblazer lifted up the small trash bin pin, they could till it was custom made…I mean who would sell bins of them peaking out a bin?...

But they didn’t care, it was cute. They knew exactly who got it for them too. Carefully they pinned it on their jacket.

Yes you could be a pain for them sometimes, especially if Dan Heng wasn’t there to settle you. But they all cared for you, and just these gifts alone told them that you indeed also cared for them.

.

.

.

“But you helped me with buying them all and writing the words”

You grumbled, crossing your arms as the raven hair tucked you into bed.

“And you were the one who decided AND knew what to get them, additionally it was also your idea”

He speaks, a soft smile painting his lips. He always knew how troublesome you were, from the day he began babysitting you to the day you were allowed to actually live on the express. He knew you only really behaved around him and with the others well, your ‘true colours’ would appear. 

It was the others who thought he didn’t know you had a soft spot for him due to him calmly telling you to stop things then going on about his day, but he just knew that all it would take is a few words and you’d do it.

 But he also knew you still cared for the rest of your family. Although sure, you had your favourites, you had the one you were most soft for…that won’t change the love and care you have for your other family members. But uh perhaps you should show it a bit better…still though

They were your family.

And you were their family.

Neither of you would change that.

It didn't occur to me until after writing this that the anon could've meant Imbibitor Lunae Dan Heng like Dan Feng, also I didn't exactly write babysitting (I mentioned it) but I wrote it more so as the reader living with the Express family. To the anon who requested this I'm so sorry if I messed it up ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥)‧º·

[matchadobo]

Hello! I absolutely love your work and wanted to ask for a request with Kidd and possibly Killer if you can fit him in! Basically I was thinking something with since Kidd and Killer are from the SouthBlue theyre probably used to being in warmer temperatures, so how about they have a partner who is from the North and absolutely thrives in cold temperatures, wearing regular pants and a shirt and only maybe a jacket if it’s sub temperatures and being able to live off cold foods even when it’s below freezing, meanwhile they’re looking at them like they’re mad crazy because they get chilled and annoyed at even the thought of a snowflake.

KIDD & KILLER; north blue s/o

wc: 955 warning/s: gn reader, all fluff!!

"how are you not cold?" kidd asked, buried in his fur coat. he tightly wrapped it around his burly build, shivering as he approached your tshirt-wearing ass. the cold wind of the wintry, evening air ruffled his crimson locks when he crossed the deck.

"we don't experience this shit in the south, shut yer trap." he rolled his eyes, sitting next to you and shuffling closer for warmth. "you're even having ice cream for dessert for god's sake."

"thought you didn't believe in god." you hooked arms with him, pulling him closer as he nestled in your embrace.

"know what? i'm fuckin' startin' to cuz of this goddamn snow." he scoffed, rubbing his shoulders to feel less frosty. he lied between your legs, head settled on the cushion of your chest. you placed your hand on his hair, you combed the strands between your fingers as you giggled at his remark.

"where's that beanie i got you? the one with cute bear ears?" your hands trailed down to his red ears, warming them up by your palms.

"it looks stupid on me." he rolled his eyes, sighing at the relief of your warmth. "keep your hands there." he told you, a little smile on his lips spreading.

"heeeyy, i made that beanie especially or these occurences!" you pouted, pinching his ears instead. "look at them! their red as hell! so is your nose!"

"that's because you pinched my fuckin' ears!" he protested, sitting up from his comfortable position to ready and argue.

"kidd, name." killer called out from the kitchen, peeking over the doorframe to see you two in a heated argument. "i made bread pudding." he donned a frilly, white apron that had flowers scattered on the surface.

when kidd was almost in your face, ready to kiss you to shut you up, he didn't hesitate to follow the sweet, delectable aroma of the freshly baked bread emanating from the brightly lit room. you did the same.

"you really are the wife in this relationship." kidd gave killer a little tap on the chin before walking past him by the doorframe.

"ah shut the fuck up, kidd." you blurted out, kicking his ass. "you cold, kil?" you tiptoed to place a kiss on his neck, he was wearing the mittens you made him.

"your hands are warm," he pulled you by the waist, hugging you to feel your embrace. "aaah i want to stay like this, name."

"fine by me, i'll eat the goddamn pudding for myself." kidd spoke through a full mouth, munching on the custard-filled pudding.

you and killer laughed a little at the pouting redhead by the counter before walking towards him. killer let you sit by the chair opposite to kidd's as he leaned by the chair of the head of the table. "how is it?" he asked, genuinely observing how you two stuffed yourselves with it.

"phenomenal." you clapped your hands, savoring how the pudding melts in your mouth. "c'mere, taste it!" you raised a spoon while your other hand acted as a support to catch any falling food as you gestured closer to him.

killer took off his mask and ate you offer, he sat by the chair and gave you a smile, satisfied at his craft. "what do you two want for breakfast tomorrow?"

"chicken noodle soup." kidd answered with a tap of his hand on the table. "just any goddamn soup that is hot."

"you, name?"

"oh i'm fine with leftover fruits by the fridge, i'll make a fruit bowl or smoothie bowl or whatever."

they both looked at you like you grew another head. desperately waiting to see if you're joking. kidd had that usual scowl but it was deeper and killer had an eyebrow raised, anticipating your next response to say sike.

"what?" you asked as if what you said was the most normal thing during the cold especially mornings are the coldest. "it's tradition in my village who always gave out cold foods at the start of winter to have plenty of hot foods for january which was the peak of winter. i'm just conserving!"

"you north blue people are somethin' else." kidd shook his head, munching on the pudding some more. "hardcore shit."

"not my fault you're too weak to handle the cold, love." you teased, sitting on his lap as you waited for him to feed you pudding.

"whatcha say?! the fuck are you opening your mouth for? not in the mood right now, name." kidd rolled his eyes, but he sturdied his thigh so you can have a proper seat.

"it's not that!- feed me!" you wiggled in your seat, poking at him to piss him off.

"you can fuckin' eat by yourself!"

killer just watched you two with a tender smile on his face. clutching the mittens close to his chest. "well, we better sleep now. name wants to go skate and snowman building tomorrow, right?"

"yes!"

"it's too cold for this shit!" kidd grumbled. he then carried you to your shared quarters when you start to nag and whine at him for his remark while killer cleaned up. they snuggled to you that night, since you were the warmest. they soon adapted to the cold; now eating fruit bowls for breakfast, cold salads for lunch, cold ramen for dinner, and ice cream for desserts because they kept eating with you. they soon began to see the charm of eating cold, sharing habits with you. kidd begrudgingly for that matter while killer enjoyed seeing you have fun eating cold with them. the crew had begun to surmise that you three are just on some kinda bullshit they can't relate to. because who would voluntarily eat cold foods during winter?

ok first of all, i just researched about the winter times bc i live in a tropical country so i have NEVER experienced snow or winter. i read that january is the peak so if that is wrong, please educate me and lmk what should be written 🥰. i didn't really know what else to put other than what was being asked and some flirtings here and there so this is pretty short 🥺

[pedrithink]

love is not easy (2) ✩ kylian mbappé

summary: everything seems more difficult when you are the shadow of your older sister and Kylian and her are in love with each other.

notes: don’t worry, it will have a part 3 (with happy ending) :)

@nightlockcornucopia @gaviandgrizisgirl @blubffsd @philipetchebest @sunnytkm23 @topguncultleader @http-isabela @bisexualbith @laylaynaynay130 @lovekm

(part 1) / (part 3)

Ky <3: Hey, are we going out tonight? There's a new pizza restaurant that opened and I want to eat all the new flavors with you.

You: I can't today, sorry.

Ky <3: Oh.

Ky <3: Another time then.

Ky <3: HEEEY, pretty. I have tickets to see the Beauty and the Beast musical. Let's go?

You: Hey, Ky. Sorry, but I have to review for the exam.

Ky <3: Oh, got it.

Ky <3: How about we go for some sushi tonight?

You: I've already made an appointment with a friend :/ Maybe another day. Seen.

Ky <3: Ice cream Saturday?

You: Not today, Kylian.

You: Sorry!

Ky <3: What's your problem?

Ky <3: I've been calling you out almost every weekend and you don't even make a point to set aside ONE DAY to be with me.

Ky <3: If I did something at least tell me so I can fix it, but don't leave me in the dark. It hurts.

You: I'm sorry, Ky. You didn't do anything, I'm just full of things to do.

You: Call Ana, I'm sure she'd be up for it.

Ky <3: What the fuck? I don't want to go out with Ana, I want to go out with YOU.

Ky <3: Is that so hard to understand?

You: I'll talk to you later, Ky. I need to get back to studying.

You turn off your phone and take a deep breath. Kylian has noticed your behavior and knowing you well, he won't settle down until he knows what's really going on. You understand the frustration he's been feeling because you've shared an 11-year friendship and you don't want it to end. You just need some time for your thoughts to reorganize themselves and for the loving feelings about Kylian to disappear from your mind.

Your thoughts disperse when you hear some knocking at the door and the figure of Ana appears. "Can we talk?"

You frown and take care to agree with a brief nod.

"It's just that you haven't been the same…I don't know." Ana says with a frustrated tone of voice, she makes clear when she lets out a sigh. "Did I do something? If I did I'm sorry, but I don't want to see you away from me. It's always been the two of us together against everything after we moved away from Mom and Dad."

You feel a huge weight on your shoulders for having made Ana imagine she did something, she is your best friend, but you just needed some time to yourself. That's all. "Ana, no. You didn't do anything, I swear. I'm just really busy with college."

Ana walks over and sits on the edge of the bed. "I know it's not just that.” Ana stares at you intently. "Kylian texted me that you haven't had a Saturday night together in almost two months, and it's been a tradition since you guys were 14." You take a deep breath and try not to feel bad about it. "What about that day at the breakfast? And seriously, you ALWAYS have something to say over breakfast." She lets another sigh fall from her lips and affirms. "I just want you to know that if anything is going on, you can count on me. You'll always have my support, always."

You throw your weight on top of Ana and remain hugging her for a few minutes. "I know that and thank you for everything." You hold her hands. "I guess…I don't know. I just need some time to myself, you know?"

She smiles and nods. There is no reality that you don't love Ana, she is your best friend and best partner in crime there could be. Since you moved to Paris, away from your parents, you have witnessed every good and bad moment together. You need her as much as she needs you.

After this conversation you had, Ana had to leave for some things at work, and you decided to finish an article for college. You had so much to do that you felt a little lost.

Halfway through your article, you hear the doorbell ringing and get up, a little confused, to answer it. Who would it be at 6:30 PM on a Saturday? Ana had the key, so you couldn't think of anyone else. Until you answered and found yourself face to face with a Kylian Mbappé with two pizza boxes and a mischievous smile on his face.

"Since you are running away from me, I decided to come after you." You widen your eyes a little and let a surprised expression take over your face. "Aren't you going to let me in?"

You, still a little stunned, to let Kylian go into the apartment. He faces you and watches your expression. "Aren't you going to tell me anything?"

"I don't know, Ky. I'm just a little surprised you're here unannounced." You say following his figure as he walks over to leave the pizza boxes on the kitchen counter.

Kylian turns to you. "Well, if I said something, you'd make up some other nonsense just to get out of answering me."

"That's not true…I'm just busy with college." You swallow dryly and try to help him get plates and cutlery. "What do you want to talk about?"

Kylian washes his hands at the kitchen sink and turns a little sideways to face you. "You're the one who should tell me, aren't you?" He says with a tired tone. "What's going on? And don't lie to me, that's all I ask."

You wait for him to finish washing his hands and move over to wash yours. "I don't know, Kylian. I guess I just needed some time to myself."

"Does that time mean without me?" Kylian lets a sad look take over the face you love so much and his tone of voice…sounded so brittle that you tried to explain yourself.

"No one, Kylian. I can't explain, I just…" You turn to him and make it clear that the problem is not him. "I've been feeling weird about everything and I just need to figure myself out, the problem isn't you or Ana, it's me. I'm the one who has to sort out my thoughts and I don't want to hurt you with my crazy head."

You bow your head after talking a bit about how you feel and Kylian tries to take both your hands and bring them close to his chest, you could feel every beat of his heart through your fingertips. "It was always you and me against the world, remember? When I lost my ground during the World Cup you held me by the arms and were my greatest source of strength." He pulls you close to him and fits his hands to your face. "Don't leave me in the dark, I'll take it if it's just to stand beside you in silence. But please don't push me away. Because I don't know what to do without you."

You let an exasperated sigh escape your lips and can only nod at him as you stare into those dark eyes. Your heart just wants to scream at him, "I love you. And I could never imagine someone with such intimacy and intensity, I didn't even know I had the capacity to love someone so much," but your brain commands you to push him away so that you don't suffer from the 99% chance that he will say he doesn't feel the same way.

Kylian pushes away this direct contact between you and pulls you over so that you both can sit and enjoy pizza together, like every Saturday of every month. Saturday was the sacred day for you to reserve a moment to spend together. It was always like this, you together against the fucking world.

You try to concentrate on what Kylian is saying, you really try. But, it seems your mind just tells you to throw the weight off your shoulder and tell him you love him. You hold on for a few more minutes, but you can't. You've tried.

"Hey, can you hear me?" You lift your gaze to him and whisper a "Kylian…", he just lets out a "Hm?" and lets his gaze fall to your trembling hands under the table.

Kylian takes your hands and lets a look of concern assume his face. Just as he was about ready to say something, you let go like a bomb about to explode. "I love you."

Kylian understands the way you mean it. You have already said "I love you" to each other, but he knew this time was different. He knew it from the way your hands trembled, the way your eyes filled with tears, and the way your voice sounded pleadingly. He knew.

"And I know it may sound crazy, but…it's been like this for 8 years and I can't hold it in anymore." Your voice sounds brittle and you try to hold back your tears, but two escape from your eyes. You close your eyes tightly to try to pull yourself together and continue, "I promised myself that this would never leave my thoughts, that it would be the single most intense secret I would ever keep from you. I just… love you. They say that true love transforms. How then could I doubt that you are my one, great love? You transformed and continue to transform everything in here. You gave me the joy of living, the pleasure of loving. I hope I can give you back at least a drop of the ocean of happiness that you have brought me since you came into my life. Even if it was unconsciously, you gave me the most beautiful way to love someone and I just want to thank you for it."

Kylian stands stunned in front of you and stares at every tiny part of your face, he doesn't know what to say and doesn't know how to act. He just stands there with his breathing fast and shallow, he didn't expect this and you know it.

You just hold his hands and smile weakly. This hurts more than anything you have ever witnessed in your life, but at the same time it is a relief that this weight is off your shoulders after so long. "Hey…" You whisper with a smile that hurts more than a knife through the heart. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything, just go home."

"But what about you?" That's the only thing he can think to say after you unleash a baggage of feelings on him and it makes you smile in the truest possible way.

"I just need a little time to think about everything and so do you, but know that nothing will change between you and me." You pull his body to the door and hand him his cell phone that was lying on the table in the living room.

After Kylian leaves you can only put your hand over your mouth and try to hold back a loud cry, you can only feel a burning in your chest and the pain of knowing that things will never be the same. To love and not be loved hurts, and it's not that pain that you take medicine and it goes away, it's the pain of the soul.

Ana comes home and almost gets into despair after seeing you like that, she can only take you in her arms and hug you to see if she can stop that painful crying that makes you shiver and your chest hurt.

You finally gave up this war and it hurts more than if he had screamed in your face that he would never be able to love you like that.

Kylian leaves the apartment with his heart racing and unable to think straight. When he gets home, all he can think about is "what have I done?" He should have spoken what has been in his heart for years, he just couldn't. He just couldn't react. He stood there and left you with a feeling of sadness, a torn heart and the thought that you were not loved back.

[yelenasdiary]

Bed for Three

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: Wanda comes home to find you and the twins cuddled in bed, sick. 

Fluff | Comfort | No Warnings | 1.4K

AC: Another late-night idea that I had! Also, sending get well wishes @mywitchy-assassin ! I hope you feel better soon, my love x

"Honey, I'm off to work" Wanda whispered softly as she placed a kiss on your forehead. Wanda hated waking you up, but she also didn't want you to wake up in a worry. "Have a good day, baby" you mumbled as you snuggled into the covers, you'd have at least another hour of sleep before you'd have to get up and start getting the twins ready for school. 

Wanda smiled softly at you, soaking up the last image she'd see of you until she came home. Mission reports and plenty of Avengers meetings were booked today and Wanda wanted to be at the compound early to get the reports out of the way. 

Your alarm was always the worst sound in the world to you, shut it off you sat up and stretched your tired body out before stepping into the bathroom to prepare yourself for a tough morning. The twins loved school, they got to see their friends of course, but getting them up at 7am was always a struggle. You'd take a quick shower before making sure their breakfast was on the table ready. 

"Boys, it's 7" you spoke softly as you opened their door, straight away you could hear in their voices there was no way they would be going to school. "Ma, I don't feel so well" Billy pulled the covers over his head while Tommy agreed, "my head really hurts" He spoke softly as if even the sound of his voice was making his headache worse. "Oh no" you said to yourself as you walked over to Tommy and gently placed a hand on his forehead, "you're a bit warm honey" you added. 

"I think I'm going to be sick!" Billy jumped out of bed in a rush to the bathroom. Your mother instincts kicked in as you quickly followed him. Luckily for you he made it to the toilet before throwing up last night's dinner and ice cream, you grabbed a clean hand towel and soaked it with warm water before handing it to Billy to wipe his mouth. "I think you boys are staying home today" you pressed your lips together before helping Billy back to bed. 

"Can we sleep in your bed please Mama?" Billy asked, his tired and weak tone made your heart break. You hated seeing your boys unwell. "Of course, my loves, come on. I'll make some tea and get you a bucket" you replied, both boys slowly got out of bed and made their way to your shared room with Wanda and made themselves comfortable as you placed a bucky and towel on Billy's side of the bed then made your way downstairs to make some tea. 

Water and light food for Billy, pain killers, fruit and honey lemon tea for Tommy should do the fix you thought, well, you hoped. Wanda was always better at this stuff than you were, she knew exactly which foods to cook to make sure you and the boys got all the goodness you needed to keep your body from feeling any worse. As much as you wanted to call her, you knew she was in for a busy day and that meant this mission was all yours to handle. 

The day was spent in bed with your boys as they both rested their heads on your shoulders while the three of you watched movies on Disney +. The boys fought over which movie to put on only to be reminded that if they could fight over movies, maybe they weren't too sick after all. For lunch it was light foods for Billy to nibble at, Tommy had some fruit and a sandwich before taking a cold and flu tablet when he started to complain about having a sore throat and his headache not getting any better. 

By the time Wanda got home you and the boys were fast asleep with the last movie the boys picked playing in the background as the end credits rolled. Wanda noticed the house was rather too quiet for a family of three to be home. The boy's backpacks weren't thrown on the sofa like normal, their shoes weren't in random places on the floor in the living room and their home wasn't sat on the dining table waiting for you and Wanda to help them. 

She wandered upstairs and followed the sound of low music coming from the bedroom, the soft smile on her face when she saw her wife and two children snuggled up in bed, tissues littered the bedside table next to Tommy while the bucket next to Billy sat clean. "My loves" Wanda shook her head softly as she turned the TV off and closed the door quietly behind her. 

The smell of food cooking downstairs woke you with hunger, your head now pounding with a headache and the boys still asleep beside you. One look at Tommy's red nose and cheeks and you knew that you'd caught whatever bug he had, you only hoped that you wouldn't also catch Billy's stomach bug. Carefully, you managed to slide out of bed without waking your boys and made your way downstairs where Wanda was in an element of cooking and singing softly to herself. 

"You're home" you spoked softly, now realizing your throat was itchy and dry. "Hi honey, you don't sound so good, go lay down on the sofa. Dinner is almost ready, pumpkin soup for the three of you" she smiled as she looked over at you. "The boys, they're not well. I don't know what Billy has but I think Tommy is coming down with a cold or flu" you explained with a pout, "I gave Tommy a cold and flu tablet and made sure Billy had light food, toast and water but I think I'm catching Tommy's bug" you added as you reached for the painkillers for your headache. 

"You should've called me darling, I would've come home" 

"I know but you said you had a lot to do today, and I didn't want to bother you" you grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and downed the two tablets. 

"Next time, bother me, okay? Now go back to bed or lay down on the sofa. I'm home now, I'll take care of yous" Wanda replied as she stirred the pot of soup. 

----

After dinner, Wanda put the boys to bed and made sure they were warm and had plenty of water to drink throughout the night, the twins completely worn out only confirmed with Wanda how sick they felt. "My poor loves, get some rest if you both still feel like this by morning, we'll make an appointment with the doctor" she kissed Billy on the forehead as she tucked him in. "I think we made Ma sick too" Tommy commented as Wanda made her way over to him, "I think you did" she chuckled, "we'll book an appointment for Ma too" she added with a kiss on Tommy's head. "Goodnight mom" the twins said in sync as Wanda made her way to the door, "goodnight boys" she smiled before flicking off their lights and closing the door over. 

"I just told the boys that we'll see the doctor tomorrow if they don't feel any better but morning, that includes you" Wanda smiled softly as she entered the bedroom where you were already snuggled and waiting for her, "I'm totally fine" you joked but your voice breaking wasn't convincing Wanda as she shook her head playfully at you. 

"I might take the guest room tonight; I don't think I want whatever you and boys have" 

"What? No" you pouted, "please stay, please give me cuddles, I promise I won't get you sick" you added with your best impression of puppy eyes. They always won Wanda over, she caved in and slid right in beside you. "If I get sick, don't cook for me" she chuckled as she wrapped her arms around you, "why's that?" you asked. 

"Honey, I love you so much but your cooking isn't that good and I feel it would only make me feel worse" Wanda replied with another chuckle before placing a kiss on your cheek, "fine then" you huffed playfully, "the boys and I will just order pizza" you added. 

"Goodnight honey" Wanda playfully rolled her eyes, "goodnight baby". 

A week later Wanda woke up with a pounding headache and a quick dash to the bathroom before making her way downstairs, looking between you and the twins with her arms crossed. "Oh no, you're not!" you said as you looked over at her while she nodded, "I'll call the doctor" You tried not to chuckle at your wife's unimpressed look.

Taglist: @red1culous | @sayah13 | @charl-lally | @when-wolves-howl | @bentleywolf29 | @fxckmiup | @lissaaaa145 | @high--power | @parkerdaramitzzzz  | @mmmmokdok | @wackymcstupid | @kiwiana145 | @shin-conan-kun | @nattyolw | @ripofflizzie | @goofy-goonie | @makegoodchoices | @wandsmxmff | @apollo2907 | @wandaroman0ff | @dumb-fawkin-bitch | @lovelyy-moonlight | @santana1437 | @fluffyblanketgecko | @puta1 | @inluvwithfictionalwomen | @tintedrose12 | @jaymieflorissssssss | @tita001 | @lizzieslcver | @youralphawolf72 | @donnietarantino | @natashamaximoff69 | @hehehehannahthings | @pandaemonium111 | @secrettoallofyou | @romantic-slaps-on-the-asss | @marvel-fan-2021 | @mmmmokdok | @riveramorylunar | @ripofflizzie | @marvel-madnessx | @scarsw1fe | @toldthatdevil | 

[petrichor102]

Is Boris Pavlikovsky real?

(Okay, fair warning: this post will get longer and longer each time you see it for each thing I notice about this masterpiece, and I'm sorry)

(Maybe I'll add pictures later to make it easier/nicer to read. I am aware I'm insane—)

I've seen this movie once, and I'm in the middle of watching it again 😅 but I'm getting serious Black Swan vibes here between Theo and Boris. And I'm wondering, did Theo hallucinate him? Because he's

• lonely and usually friendless

• has a complicated friendship with another dark-haired troublemaker who understands (and ultimately betrays) him

• gets saddled with an abusive, drunk, jobless, nomadic father trying to steal his money

• is living in filth and poverty, and

• is usually on drugs from adults to shut him up, and he has regular access to them by the time he reaches Las Vegas

Now, when Theo first arrived in Las Vegas, Xandra makes a point of informing Theo that they're the only ones who live in the neighborhood. Then, his life spirals into a nightmare for the next two years. There's nothing to do, no one to play with, he's eating ice cream for breakfast and stolen steaks, beers, and chips for dinner, and his "parents" neglect or abuse him. It's a hard fall from losing his mother and being taken in by some misguided but well-meaning aristocrats whose own lonely son plays chess with him. No one even sits next to him on the bus*.

And who shows up? Conveniently making him giggle in his favorite class (English) and on his bus*? With a situation mirroring his own almost exactly, yet... seems to have all the time in the world for Theo (in the film)? That's also closeted but, like, he's so cool and crazy and loose and fearless? Who’s also on a constant binge of drugs and alcohol (and just gives half his drugs to Theo for free)? Suspiciously living in the same "empty" development?

Throughout the film, perhaps because of the damage due to Boris's drug use and battery injuries, he never quite seems... all there. It's as though he's still rendering, or like an unfinished diary entry. And all he does in the film is try to make Theo happy, make him feel better. Theo wants to try drugs with Boris, he wants to escape reality through Boris, he feels safest with Boris.

Even Theo asks Boris if he has any neighbors and if anyone lives with him, almost in disbelief of Boris's existence himself. Boris manages to see what little "good" there is in his parents when it's really hard for Theo to do so (which is completely justifiable). And curiously, when Theo's father dies, not only does Xandra not seem to notice Boris in her house, but when Boris attempts to steal wine and is caught, he says, "I didn't think you could see me." Theo laughs at this, and Xandra scolds him and not Boris. She never looks at him once, even to throw him out for laughing at her dead boyfriend. Realizing he royally screwed up, but still too high to understand what he did, Theo immediately lays down plans for himself down to the last detail and runs away. He doesn't consider that maybe he and Boris could survive together in Vegas, because he doesn't know Vegas, and Boris makes no comment when Theo says he has no friends here—the game is over. Theo is in danger and Boris can't charm him into staying even for one day. He runs to the only place he knows: New York. Boris thinks this is crazy and too abrupt, as he doesn't know New York yet, and strangely, for the first time is insecure and afraid of how he'll live despite traveling so many places and multiple countries in very short notice before without problems. The seat next him on the bus* is now empty, just as it was when Theo first arrived to Vegas. Boris can't make him happy anymore because he can't promise Theo will even make it through the night. Though Theo wants rather than needs Boris to come, imagining somehow Boris will fit in, Boris vanishes, stating he "can't" leave with him.

...

...

...

WHAT?!

Next, once Theo arrives in New York, things are alright again. He lives with Hobie, is close to the Barbours, and his work life is going well... until he screws over Reeve and Reeve threatens exposure and ruin of Theo's life. Then, Kitsey, whom he's marrying out of obligation (because he thinks he owes the Barbours his life despite being distant and doesn't want to lose their friendship, as it proves he's respectable). And Pippa can't see a future with him that doesn't involve being trapped in her past. So, guess who shows up again, even cooler than before but suave and mature now, ready to help him cope with familiar company and more drugs.

(I gotta stop posting on my phone or at 3am because of all the edits I have to mak—)

Now, what about the painting? Well... somewhere, in the haze of drugs, alcohol, and grief, I think Theo either suspects it was stolen but was incapacitated/way too high as a child to verify this and then too scared to believe this as an adult, hence not unwrapping it for eight years due to a guilty consciousness the more the gravity of what he's taken presses on him; or he neglected it completely by mistake and he doesn't realize it was stolen at all. Mysteriously, Boris claims after Theo left and then Boris's father "left him", he fell in with Mr. Silver and Xandra, has done almost as well (if not better in life than Theo) for himself through a life of organized crime and dealing, and apparently used the painting for collateral on deals. This excuse—Boris's "cool," vague explanation of his disappearance and survival before arriving to New York—is eerie for three reasons:

• first, if Theo suspects it was stolen, the first people who'd have access to it still living are Xandra and Mr. Silver, and this may or may not have had to do with Theo possibly being abused (possibly SA'd) by one or both of them either out of spite or for money (particularly Silver, due to Theo's "good manners"). This could also explain why the film alluded to Theo and Boris being sexually active at such a young age but never talking about or putting a name to these activities during the first half of their friendship.

• second, if he doesn't realize it was stolen, he blames "Boris" for it going missing when he reads about the painting being spotted in Florida. In reality, he could have misplaced it (or been doing these deals himself), and news of the painting's reappearance made its way to Florida. And

• third, it once again mirrors (through a darker, more tragic reflection) Theo's own survival through sales and vague connections, by reconnecting with Hobie and the Barbours; continual drug use to cope with people he can't stand; and making it in New York by lying and stealing—after his own father "left" him. He feels like a gangster, but Boris is a gangster.

Finally, he loses the painting and attempts suicide. All he's thinking about is his mother, but Boris (who shows no signs of injury after being f🤨king shot) pulls him back into the land of the living, explains all is well again, and that the painting he swears he was going to give back is suddenly in safe hands and they get to split the reward. All is well... right? Boris conveniently solves all his problems, without any apparent injury to himself, his business or reputation, or his feelings for Theo—it was all for Theo to be happy, again. He fixes things, cleanly, just like how Theo believed suicide would. It's like his entire life of hell just came to an end.

He can't write about any of this to Pippa or Andy (while he was alive), and Andy and Mr. Barbour have drowned in a storm, but Boris understands who Theo is when he's not playing Gatsby with pills and clients. He's the only one who knows about the painting. He even held on to memory of Tom Cable being an asshole to Theo. Boris is the only one who treats him normally, but most of his time spent with Boris is under a dusty haze of secrets, drugs, and alcohol.

Sounds an awful lot like Lily and Nina when Nina's life is falling to pieces. Boris flickers in and out of life the same way. I can't tell if this flickering is all a coincidence and Theo found his soulmate in Boris or if he's a manifestation of Theo's unresolved grief, fears, addictions, debts, and repressed desires. Narratively at least, Boris is a dark reflection of himself—something Theo uses to convince himself that he might have done bad things but he's still a good person, something he might have become but didn't, something that pushes him to keep going despite his awful circumstances, and something he makes peace with at the end of the film.

[cherrycola27]

afterglow

Series Warnings: Language, alcohol and drinking. Military inaccuracies. Allusions to and eventual smut. Friends to lovers. Mutual pining. Unrequited love. Minors DNI. 18+. Banner Credit: @thedroneranger

Masterlist Previous Part Next Part

...........................................

Chapter 1: In My Head

The week passed in a blur of jets and clouds and sunshine. By Thursday, you were finally able to choke down the feelings you had for Jake, just in time for him to wreck them on Friday.

As the squadron sat in the briefing room Thursday evening, Cyclone came in, whispered something to Maverick, and then left.

"Well, folks, it looks like we need someone to make a late afternoon flight before they head home to test out some new software. Any takers?" Maverick asked.

There was a collective groan before Jake's hang shot up. "Glow and I can." He volunteered the two of you with a smile. He knew that you loved flying in the afternoon as the sun was starting to set. You always had.

"Are you okay with that, Glow?" Maverick asked you. "Yes, sir," you responded. Maverick sent everyone else home for the day. He met the two of you out on the tarmac to prep you for what you would be doing.

"Also, Admiral Simpson said whoever stayed late today could have tomorrow off. So, it looks like you two get a three day weekend." Maverick smiled at the pair of you. You and Jake exchanged a high- five before he helped you up and got himself situated.

The evening sky was absolutely beautiful as the two of you flew. The sun painted it in shades of pinks and oranges, and purples. The hues danced off the water and floated around the jet. You couldn't help but smile as Jake piloted back towards base.

"I can see why this is your favorite time to be up here." He said to you. "It's gorgeous."

"It is. There is just something about the afterglow that always gets me." You told him. And you meant it. In more ways than one.

After landing, showering, and changing, you ducked out of the locker room to find Jake leaning against the wall waiting on you. "Oh!" You exclaimed when you saw him. "I thought you would have already left by now."

"I was waiting on you, silly." He smiled before falling in step beside you. He lazily tossed an arm over your shoulders as you walked. His hair was still slightly damp, and you could smell his cologne. The scent of oak, whiskey, and tobacco filled your olfactory receptors. It was mixed with a hint of sunshine and salt water. A combination that was so perfect, so unique, so—Jake.

"So I was thinking." Jake began. "That's terrifying." You snorted. He lightly shoved you before pulling you back to him. "But seriously. I don't have any pressing issues I need to take care of tomorrow, and I assume you don't. So, I was thinking, what if we spent the day together?" Jake asked you as you reached your cars in the parking lot.

"And do what?" You asked him. "'We could get breakfast at that diner you love, and we could take the tops off of your jeep and cruise for a bit to our favorite ice cream place, hit the beach, get dinner, oh and Phoenix told me about the movie she and Lukas saw over the weekend. I thought we would check it out and maybe skip the Hard Deck because I, for one, don't want to hear Rooster bitching about how we got the day off." Jake smiled. He had the whole thing planned out.

"So? What do you think?" He asked you with a smile.

You knew this was a bad idea. If you were up in the jet, you'd have warning lights going off everywhere, and you'd be ejecting. "Sounds like a plan. What time do I need to pick you up if we are taking my car?" You asked him.

"Now, Glowy, you no good and well that I'm not going to let you pick me up." I'll be at your house at 9:30 sharp." He stated. You rolled your eyes and agreed. Jake pulled you into a tight hug before climbing into his Silverado and leaving.

....................

You set your alarm for 6:30 the next morning. Even though he said he would be there around 9:30, Jake Seresin was notoriously early for everything.

You got up and took a shower before drying and styling your hair. You took your time dawning some simple makeup for the day. After your finished with your hair and your face, you packed a bag for the day.

You grabbed towels, sunscreen, a change of clothes, some snacks and a few other odds and ends that you thought you might need.

Jake had mentioned the beach, so you slipped a simple purple two-piece on before deciding on a tea-length, bright pink floral sundress. You slipped on a pair of sandals and spritzed your favorite perfume on your wrists and neck.

You were giddy as you were getting ready. You had to keep reminding yourself that this wasn't a date. Just two friends enjoying an unexpected day off.

At nine on the dot, there was a knock at your door. "Good morning, Jake." You greeted him as you opened it. "Morning Y/N. I brought coffee and these." Jake smiled as he walked in. He handed you your favorite iced carmel latte and a bundle of fresh daisies. "They're your favorite, right?" He nodded to the flowers.

"Yeah, um—why did you get me these?" You ask him a little confused.

"My mother told me you never go to a lady's house without flowers." Jake stated matter of factly. "Plus, the farmers market is right near the coffee shop, and I saw these and thought of you." He smiled.

You quickly turned away from him to find a vase. You wouldn't let him see the pink rise in your cheeks.

After securing the flowers, he promptly stole the keys from their hook in your hallway and pulled the tops off of your jeep. He secured them in your garage. The weather was supposed to be bright and sunny all day, so you didn't bother storing them in the trunk.

You tried to argue with him that you should be the one driving, but he simply shook his head stating thst he was the pilot and you would forever be his back seater, or in this case, passenger princess.

..................

The weather was spectacular as the two of you drove to your favorite diner. You laughed and joked as the two of you feasted on bacon, eggs, potatoes, and French toast.

"I'm so glad that I got orders to come here. Lemoore sucked without you. The pilot they assigned to me after you got recalled was even more of a dick than you." You told Jake as you speared a potato square.

"Really? I doubt that." He chuckled. "And it is great that you got moved here." He smiled. Jake prayed you didn't catch the guilt behind his eyes.

It was no accident that you ended up in San Diego with him.

When pilots were being recalled for the uranium plant mission, the rule was that no pairs of pilots and their weapons systems officers could be called together. They didn't want to leave the original squadrons hanging for too long. That's why Jake flew a singe seater. He refused to have anyone in his back seat besides you.

It killed him to leave you. So, after getting word that he would be permanently stationed at Top Gun, he begged asked Cyclone and Warlock if they could transfer you, and he could get back in a two-seater.

Admiral Simpson and Admiral Bates reluctantly agreed, but it worked out for the better. Jake was much more tolerable with you around.

After you finished breakfast, Jake swiped the bill before you could set your card down, claiming once again that his mother would have his head if he let a lady pay. You had to take a deep breath and remind yourself that this wasn't a date.

You silenced the warning bells once again before getting into your car.

The two of you drove along the coast, stopping at a few shops and sent selfies to the rest of your friends who were stuck at work.

You had ice cream on the boardwalk for lunch. The two of you sat side by side and watched the waves roll in. Jake had asked you something, and when you turned to answer, he noticed you at the smallest smear of mint chip on your face. He leaned in with his thumb to brush it away, but he lingered before pulling back. His eyes darted to your lips, and he leaned forward ever so slightly.

The caution lights flashed before your eyes. No, he wasn't about to kiss you. Not here. Not out in the open like this. Your brain was screaming at you to eject.

You pulled away from him and cleared your throat. He pulled back and coughed before licking the melted ice cream from his thumb.

"So, beach?" You asked him after a beat of silence.

"Yeah, beach" He nodded.

The two of you tossed your cones before going back to your car and grabbing the beach bag you'd packed. You slipped off your sundress, and Jake's breath caught in his throat when he saw you in your purple swimsuit. His was barely able to keep his tough guy charade up as he helped you apply sunscreen.

The two of you froliced through the waves, splashing and laughing until the sun began to sink. After a quick use of the beach showers and a pit stop in the changing room, both of you were relatively sand free as you sat back in your car. You'd pulled your hair into a high ponytail and were humming along to the music as Jake drove the two of you towards the movie theater.

After getting more popcorn and candy than necessary, and two icees that would give you the worst brain freeze ever, the two of you found yourselves in the last row of an almost empty theater.

Jake had moved the armrest separating your seats out of the way, claiming it was easier to share snacks that way. But you didn't miss the way his bare knee bumped against yours through the slit of your sundress.

..................

At the Hard Deck, the rest of the Daggers finally concluded that the two of you probably weren't showing up tonight.

"It's not fair," Fanboy groaned as he leaned over the pool table.

"I mean, they did volunteer to take a later test flight yesterday, so it is kind of fair." Bob shrugged.

"Bob is right. We all had the same opportunity." Payback stated.

"So what do you think they are doing that is better than hanging out with us?" Coyote asked the group.

"Probably fucking." Rooster shrugged causing half of the group to choke on their drinks.

"Jesus, Bradshaw. Have some tact, man." Payback scolded him.

"What, I'm just saying what we are all thinking." Rooster defended himself. "Glow assures me that they are just friends. Very good friends." Phoenix tells the group.

"Yeah, and I'm a front seater." Fanboy laughed.

"Nix, you can't really believe that. I mean, haven't you seen they way they look at each other? Or noticed how they always leave together from here? And they are together right now?" Rooster pressed.

"Rooster does have a point." Bob chimed in.

"So I have a theory, well three, of what the situation could be." Payback began. "I'm going to present them in order from least plausible to most likely." He continued.

"One, they are secretly dating or maybe married. That would explain why she got transferred to here from Lemoore. Two, they really are just good friends and have worked together so long that they act like a couple. Or, three, and what I feel is most likely, they are hooking up, and one of them, Hangman, wants to keep it more casual, while ignoring the fact that the other, Glow, has feelings for him." Payback finished.

"Well, I don't know what it is. All I know is that Hangman is way easier to deal with when she's around." Phoenix said as she held up her beer. Everyone mumbled out an agreement as they went about their pool game.

.................

Nat was right. The movie was great, and you were glad you had seen it.

You and Jake were walking back to your car as the last rays of the sun began to dip below the horizon.

"Ugh, the sunsets here are so much prettier than the ones in Lemoore." You told Jake.

"Yeah, they are." He agreed with you. "Looks like some clouds are rolling in. We'd better get a move on." He said. You took note of the weather and agreed. You definitely didn't want to get caught in the rain with no cover on your jeep.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. The two of you were about halfway back to your house when the heavens opened up and rain came pouring down. Jake desperately tried to find an overpass for shelter, but there was nothing in sight.

He broke a few traffic laws to get you home, sliding into your garage on two wheels. The two of you sat there for a moment, soaking wet and out of breath.

You shared a look before breaking out into a laugh.

As the laughter faded, the air shifted between the you. The electricity flowing wasn't just the lightening from the storm. Desire radiated off your bodies as you both surged forward and connected your lips.

You basked in the salty, sweet taste of him, as you tried to ignore the warning bells going off. But eventually, you gave in and pulled away from him.

"We can't keep doing this, Jake." You told him.

"I know." He replied as he cupped your jaw, dragging his lips almost criminally slow against your skin. You could feel the subtle hint of the stubble on his chin.

Heat flushed in your cheeks and spread across you from the tips of your ears to the curl of your toes. You felt like you were doused in gasoline, and his touch was the strike of the match, ready to burn you down.

"One last time?" You breathed out.

"One last time." He whispered against the shell of your ear.

Taglist: @thedroneranger @roosterscock @shanimallina87 @desert-fern @teacupsandtopgun @mayhemmanaged @lovinglyeternal @lovingbradshawafterdark @wkndwlff @roosterforme @daggerspare-standingby @dakotakazansky @startrekfangirl2233 @hecate-steps-on-me @cassiemitchell @na-ta-sh-aa @milestellerlover @katieshook02 @mak-32 @je-suis-prest-rachel @soulmates8 @ohgodnotagainn @diorrfairy @eli2447 @xoxabs88xox @potato-girl99981 @djs8891 @roosterbruiser @roosters-girl @sebsxphia @roostette @rosiahills22 @dempy @olliepig

[w2soneshots]

Suprise -W2S

words: 0.6k+

warnings: pregnancy.

summary: you and Harry enjoy your baby moon.

Liked by wrotoshaw and 2,004,873 others

y/username: loading... 12/7/24🤍 @wrotoshaw

-comments-

freyanightingale: Im soo happy for you both!!

taliamar: ahh Im crying🥹

tobjizzle: ❤️❤️

behzingagram: Finally!😂

mollymae: so cute, congratulations!

y/nfanpage21: omg yesss!!

Me and Harry held out on announcing my pregnancy online and weren't sure how to do it but it was getting difficult to hide it in videos so we spontaneously decided to announce it while we were on our baby moon in the Bahamas. We told both of our family's and all of our friends almost 2 months ago. All of the girls cried, JJ started contemplating his life and Ethan was very excited to finally have another dad in the group.

Today is the 4th day of our week long trip. When I woke up Harry was nowhere to be found. I got up, slid on one of the two white, fluffy dressing gowns that were hung up in the wardrobe and headed down stairs. "Harry?!" I called out through the villa. "In here!" He called out from the kitchen. I walked into the room and was immediately hit with the smell of bacon and eggs. "Omg, that smells incredible!" I said taking a seat on one of the stools facing Harry. "I was gonna bring you breakfast In bed." he sighed while plating up our food. "It's the thought that counts, plus I wouldn't want to get food on those white sheets and have to pay a cleaning tax." I said. he laughed.

Once we finished our food we went upstairs to get ready because we're spending the rest of the day at the beach. Harry got dressed while I brushed my hair and slicked it back into a ponytail. I put on my black swimsuit and a matching cover up then slipped on some flip flops. Once I was ready I grabbed my beach bag and towel the went downstairs to meet Harry who is sat scrolling through his phone on the couch. "Im done." I said and he quickly got up.

When we got to the beach we picked a slightly shaded spot and set down all of our things. Harry left me for 5 minutes to grab some ice cream while I lay scrolling through instagram when I got a FaceTime call from Faith. "Hey!" I said after I answered. "Hi! I just wanted to check on you. How's the holiday going?" She asked. "Great, Harry's just gone to get some ice cream." I said with a smile. "Omg, I'm so jealous it looks so hot there." she said. "Ye maybe a little too hot." I said fanning myself. She laughed and then said "I remember when I was pregnant with Olive I was always so hot." just as she finished her sentence Harry returned with the ice creams and sat down next to me on his towel. "Well, I'll love you and leave you. Have fun, bye!" she said. I smiled and replied "bye!" then blew a kiss to the screen.

y/username just posted to there story!

Me and Harry spent a few hours sat relaxing on the beach when we decided to head back to the villa to get ready for dinner. We took a shower and Harry got changed while I dried my hair, curled it, put on a little bit of makeup and got into my dress.

"You look beautiful." Harry said when I walked down the stairs. He walked up to me and placed one of his hands on my stomach then gave me a kiss. I smiled and we left. When we arrived at the little restaurant we were taken to a table and given menus. "This all sounds amazing!" I said while my eyes scanned the piece of paper. Once I decided we ordered our food.

"Mmmm" I mumbled with a mouthful of pasta. Harry smiled "I love you so much."

[unnervinglyferal]

Hi Feral! How's it going? I'm doing pretty good, because my birthday is soon. I actually made a pros and cons list for turning a year older.

Pros:

-I'm closer to getting my driver's license, I already have my permit!

-I get to see all of my friends at the party I'm planning

-I get to eat ice cream for breakfast, and nobody can stop me.

Cons:

-People insist on treating it as a rite of passage, when I really doubt I'll feel any different in 2 1/2 days. They keep going, "You'll pretty much be an adult! Do you think you're ready for that responsibility?" I find it odd that they ask it as if I can just say, "No, actually, maybe I'll try being 16 next year."

-My father made a comment about how men much older than me could now solicit me without as much social repercussion, which I hope isn't true. One day isn't going to make me more mature, life events will do that.

Well, the cons list was longer than then I intended, but that's fine.

-Engineer Anon

We've been good, busy. Stinkbug is getting more independent and isn't letting anyone forget it, the little lump is growing and developing normally, my girlfriend is healthy. We submitted papers for getting married.

[yeonjunszn]

ASAP! — TWENTY FIVE

PAIRING! mark lee x f!reader

SUMMARY! you’re not exactly the best barista at zhong coffee, but for some unknown reason (his massive crush on you), mark thinks you can do no wrong. sick and tired of his favoritism and your lack thereof due to absolute obliviousness, your coworkers are determined to fix this problem. asap.

MORE! I CANT BELIEVE ASAP! ENDS A WEEK FROM TODAY THIS IS SO UPSETTING

◠‿◠ ‿◠ ‿◠ ‿◠ ‿◠

You can only watch as Mark walks back to his car holding two cups of ice cream, one in each hand. You stretch your arm to the driver's side of the car, opening his door for him.

He hands you your cup of ice cream, smiling sheepishly at you, "I wasn't sure if I got your order right. If it's wrong just tell me and I'll go back inside and reorder."

Peeking at your cup, you can't help but smile. He did get your order right. Strawberry and cheesecake flavored ice cream mixed together, topped with whipped cream and chopped up strawberries; your favorite.

"You got it right! That's amazing!" you comment, eyes sparkling at Mark, who can only flush in return. "Thank God I don't have a concussion or I wouldn't be able to have this treat."

Mark watches with admiration as you begin to scoop ice cream into your mouth happily.

"You really enjoy sweet food, don't you?" Mark asks, finally taking a bite of his own ice cream.

You nod, "I'm really into sweet things. Sweet food, sweet people... Sweets."

You don't know if Mark picks up on your hint, but he continues eating happily with you anyway.

"You're sweet yourself," Mark replies after a while. "Maybe that's why you like sweet things."

His response reminds you of when you bought the two of you breakfast during your retraining. It was a really good day for you — maybe just being with Mark was the cause. You know that Mark causes a lot of happiness for you these days.

You finish your ice cream and watch Mark, who's still digging at his cookies and cream ice cream. He looks up at you and purses his lips, "You got something there. I'll get it for you."

Before you can reply, Mark presses a chaste kiss to the corner of your mouth, pulling away after a while. You can't help but smile, hiding your face in your palms due to an adrenaline rush.

"Do it again," you mumble through your hands, hoping that Mark will catch on.

"Don't rush, I'll give you another one later."

Niki's Every Summertime plays on the radio as Mark drives the two of you back to the shop. He sings along and you can't help but relate to the song as your heart races in its place, swayed to the melody of Mark's sweet voice.

The end of your shift comes quickly, and you can't help but feel giddy knowing that Mark will be driving you home. But before you can make your way to the back, Mark calls you over to the side bar, where there’s a new grinder.

"Why did you call me here?" you ponder, resting your lower back on the counter to pout at Mark.

Mark just leans his hip against the counter closest to the steam wand, mirroring your facial expression, "Didn't you want to learn how to do latte art?"

Right! Chaewon had mentioned how fun it was to do latte art and then you wanted to learn how to do it yourself. Right.

Nodding, you stand upright, waddling over to the other end of the bar while Mark pulls an espresso shot real quick to dump into the paper cup. You peek over his shoulder as he pours milk into the milk tin and reaches for the knob to turn on the wand.

"Okay, so first you turn the knob clockwise," Mark demonstrates, turning the knob. "You have to turn it all the way so you can steam the milk faster. Just listen for the whistle sound to get lower and you’ll know it’s done"

You watch as he places the milk tin under the steam wand and then tilts, pulling it back to let the wand scream a bit. The milk starts to bubble as it warms up, the sound of steam reverberating in your ears. Once it gets quieter, he turns off the wand and grabs the hot cup. Mark tilts it slightly and begins to pour the steamed milk into the cup, moving the tin side to side and up and down to form a leaf pattern.

"Give me your hand," Mark says, reaching for your wrist. He places the handle of the milk tin in your grasp and gently guides you to add other smaller leaf patterns on the drink.

You smile softly at him and he gives you a comforting smile in return. You pray to God that this is a smile he reserves for only you. It's so soft and makes your insides melt into something similar to pudding.

"I want to do one for you too!" you exclaim, grabbing a hot cup and pulling another espresso shot. You pour the milk to the correct ounce line, your tongue poking out of the corner of your mouth in concentration.

You follow Mark’s instructions, turning the steam wand knob all the way. But as you put it inside the milk tin, milk starts splashing everywhere, including you and Mark.

Fortunately, Mark is able to help, tilting the tin with your hand under his. He allows you to do the rest, listening for the quieting of the bubbling milk and turning off the steam wand once it’s finished. You nervously hold the hot cup in your left hand so you can slowly pour the freshly steamed milk into the cup. Albeit a little sloppy, you form a heart at the top of the latte, smiling to yourself proudly.

As if on cue, Every Summertime by Niki begins to play over the shop’s speakers. You can't help but think of your kiss from earlier as Mark walks the two of you to the back of the shop, his free hand (the one not holding the latte you made him) gently intertwined with yours.

You think you're looking at him with stars in your eyes because he can only chuckle when he looks back at you.

"What?" Mark asks, a goofy grin on his lips as he pulls you past his break room and his office.

"I- uhhh..." you begin but trail off, not knowing what to do.

As you're caught off guard, Mark presses another kiss to the corner of your lips, bringing you towards the exit of the store, "Let's get you home, yeah?"

"Yeah."

You know somewhere deep in your mind that Every Summertime will play in your head whenever Mark kisses you. It's fitting. It's relatable. Every day truly feels like summertime with Mark.

TWENTY FIVE — every summertime

PREV! twenty four — shaking shivering sobbing

NEXT! twenty six — worlds worst barista. fired.

MASTERLIST!

◠‿◠ ‿◠ ‿◠ ‿◠ ‿◠

TAGLIST! @stardusthyuck @erin-calling @tddyhyck @bigheadchen @choiwonder @neozon3nha @sunflowerbebe07 @kissesfrmwonwoo @miyawwn @sserafimez @haechansbbg @lilyidk03 @mowchiie @jaemsrina @jeongintwt @shwizhies

[elly99]

Golden Hour

Part 4 of 5. Check here for more details.

"Wake up!"

Your phone screamed a recording from one of her Phoning lives. There was no better way to be woken up than by one of her morning calls. It helped you miss her less. And it made you love her more.

You'd been looking forward to this day all week. She was finally coming home. You barely slept last night. All you could think about was her. And that was still the case as you scrambled to get ready, the adrenaline keeping you going, despite running on only three hours of sleep. It was time to make her breakfast like you promised.

You had just begun preparations when you heard the bell ring. Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest. You were not expecting her this early. You could not have run to the door any faster, but she knew your code and was already in the hallway.

"Good morning, bunny!" Her eyes light up when she sees you and she immediately runs to you with arms outstretched. She gives you the tightest bear hug and you feel all your anxiety squeezed out of you. All you worries fly out the door she just came through. She was home and nobody could be happier than you.

Except maybe her. "I missed you so much," she whines, still hugging you tight. "I missed this."

"I missed you, too, Min. So much." You finally take a step back to appreciate how beautiful she was. Not that you were surprised. "Babe, you look amazing! I love your highlights!"

"Aw, thank you! And you look adorable, baby! Did you just get out of bed? Your hair looks funny again," she says giggling.

"Yeah, you got here so early! I've only just started on breakfast."

"Sorry, I just missed you too much. Had to get here as soon as I could." She gives you a quick peck on the lips.

Then you realize you owe her something. You cup her face with your hands and give her a gentle kiss in return, closing your eyes and letting time slow down. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too. Thought you forgot about that one."

"Luckily you reminded me," you wink and spot her blushing a little. "Wanna sit down? I'll just finish prepping breakfast."

"No. I'm going to keep hugging you and you can't stop me."

Not that you'd ever try to stop her hugging you from behind while you prepare food.

"What are you making?" she asks into your back.

"French toast! I also got you some vanilla ice cream and watermelon for later if you want."

"Oh my gosh, really?" She tightens her hold on you.

"Of course, babe. I know you love those."

"I love you more~!"

You almost drop the bread on the ground.

It takes a bit longer to prepare a meal with a clingy bear on your back, so breakfast turns into brunch. But it didn't matter, because with her here, you felt you had all the time in the world.

At the table you both talk about your week, feed each other, laugh together, and you realize you want nothing but this in your future. You just wanted her in your life forever. To see her smile everyday. To make her happy every chance you could.

Even as you put the dishes away, she back hugs you. Even doing the most mundane things, she manages to make you feel like you're in a dream. Despite being fresh out of bed, she tells you you're beautiful. And despite you knowing it already, she never fails to remind you that she loves you.

"Wait on the couch, baby. Let me just get something."

She comes running back carrying your stuffed bunny in one hand and her hair brush in the other.

"Oh, hey! It's Tokki!"

"Take good care of him, ok?"

"Of course I will!" you exclaim, holding the toy close. "I just realized we never named the bear I got you."

She starts brushing your hair. "Oh, I named it after you. I just forgot to tell you. I hug it to sleep every night," she says calmly.

But you were anything but calm after that. "Why are you so sweet, Minji-yah~?" you squeal.

She mouths the words, "I love you," then gets off the couch and hooks up her phone into your stereo system.

"Minji baby," you call. "I have a problem. Can you help me?" you ask, pouting.

She looks up from her phone, flipping her hair slightly, and smiles at you. "Come here," she says gently, beckoning you over. "Come dance with me." Ethereal piano starts playing.

I was all alone with the love of my life She's got glitter for skin, my radiant beam in the night I don't need no light to see you shine

You feel butterflies throughout your whole body. You quickly stand up and practically run into her arms. She holds you by the waist, pulling you close, and in a soft whisper she asks, "What's the matter, baby?"

Completely red in the cheeks with how tender she's being right now, you lock your hands around her and answer shyly, "I'm a little obsessed with you."

"I see," she says, grinning. "Ok, don't worry. Dr. Kim will help you." She leads the dance, pulling you gently back and forth. "What are your symptoms?"

"Um. I miss you all the time. I keep thinking about you. About hugging you. Kissing you. Listening to your voice and your laugh. Watching you play with your hair. Seeing you smile. I didn't get much sleep last night cuz I was so excited to see you again."

"Hmm. It doesn't seem like a huge problem to me," she teases. "It just sounds like you're in love."

You laugh softly. "I guess I am."

You slow down time In your golden hour

"I've been listening to this song a lot, actually. How did you know?"

"Well, in my professional opinion, it seems we're soulmates. I can read your mind."

"Oh, yeah? What am I thinking about now then?"

"Me. Hehe." She gives you a cheeky smile.

"I mean, yeah, but that's obvious. What exactly am I thinking?"

"Mmm, you're wondering whether or not I'm obsessed with you, too."

Goosebumps. "How did you know?"

"Like I said, I can read your mind. Don't you trust Dr. Kim?"

"With my life," you reassure and pull her in for a kiss. "So, are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Don't make me say it again, bro."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she smiles and kisses you back.

You fight the urge to just melt into her arms and instead try to give her your best puppy dog eyes. "Are you obsessed with me, too?"

She stays silent for a while and looks straight at you. Then with a soft smile she nods cutely and pulls you in for a hug. "I'm in love with you."

Can you even imagine falling like I did for the love of my life? She's got glow on her face, a glorious look in her eyes My angel of light

As the song fades out, your small steps come to a stop. Standing still in each other's arms, you bask in the lingering warmth of your first slow dance together.

"Why haven't we done this before?" you ask. "I loved it. I love when you take the lead."

"I'm glad! I really did want to dance with you. Been thinking about it for a while now."

"You were totally trying to rizz me up, weren't you?"

She laughs. "No~! Why would I need to do that, silly bunny? You're already mine," she says with a smirk on her pretty little face.

Who needs makeup when Kim Minji can make the brightest colors appear on your cheeks with just a few words?

Satisfied with her knockout blow, she lowers her arms from around you and takes hold of your hands. "You wanna cuddle and nap, baby? Since you said you didn't get much sleep last night. Doctor's recommendation!"

"I'd love that. Will you be the big or little spoon?"

"Neither. We're the same height, bro."

"You know what I mean!"

She lifts your hands up and plants a kiss on each of them. "I'll be the big spoon so you can sleep."

How was anyone allowed to be this perfect?

Now in her arms, on your bed, windows glowing in the afternoon sun, it was almost the exact same situation you found yourself in a week ago, when you pondered satellite metaphors. But this time around, in her golden hour, your thoughts were at peace. Cozy under the blanket with just her, you left no space for any unrest. You melt into her embrace and quickly let sleep take over.

You wake up to the sunset streaming through your window. You hear her gentle snoring and didn't want to wake her, but you realize that you'd both slept through dinner time. So you slowly get up from her embrace to sit beside her. She looked so pretty sleeping peacefully like this. You couldn't help but play with her hair. You knew she loved when you did. Sure enough, your gentle touch wakes her from her slumber.

"Hey, baby bear. We overslept. It's past dinner time."

"Let's order some food then. What do you wanna eat?"

"You choose! I made brunch, so it's your turn."

"Ok, I'll try to find something interesting," she says, already scrolling through her phone. "Can you spoon me in the meantime? My turn to be little spoon."

She didn't even have to ask. You gently lift her up so you can wrap one arm around her and pull her close.

"And keep playing with my hair, please," she says adorably and smiles when you oblige. "I love when you do that."

It was so soft. Just like everything else about her. Just like your heart for her.

Cuddling in comforting silence, waiting for your food to arrive, she asks, "Have you still been worrying about us?"

"A little."

"But why, my love? You know I love you, right? No matter what."

Your lips curl into a smile. "I know," you say as you kiss her cheek.

"So don't worry. I'm not going anywhere," she whispers and smiles back at you encouragingly.

"I just worry about people finding out. Like, I'm always so scared and I wish I didn't have to be. I know you just like staying home on your off days, and I love resting at home with you, too. But it just makes me sad every time I think about something couples do and realize we can't."

"Like what, baby?"

"Um, like, traveling. I've been thinking about going to Spain with you and seeing all the places where you shot your music videos. Or, like, dressing up nice to go on fancy dates with you. Like to that museum you visited with the members! Or even just going to the cinema and cuddling in the dark while watching a movie."

"We can do that last one at home, silly," she giggles. "And we can try to do more of those things, too! We just need to be careful."

"Aren't you scared?"

"I am. But then I remember I have you and I know everything will be ok. You're all I need."

All you can do is smile and hug her tighter. You, too, had everything you needed right here in your arms.

"You've been thinking about a lot, haven't you?"

"Of course! Haven't you?"

She pauses. "Honestly, I just think about being with you and that makes me happy."

You felt an arrow shoot straight through your chest. Speechless, you bury your face in her neck, smiling profusely.

"I know what you mean, though, baby. I want all of those things, too."

She gently takes your hands and holds on tight, like she'd never let go.

"The right time will come eventually. Then we won't have to hide anymore."

You had never believed in palm reading, but looking at the way your fingers interlocked in the golden light, the way your hands fit perfectly in hers, your future never seemed clearer. It was her. It would always be her.

"Just wait for me, ok?"

"Of course, baby," you reply softly. You didn't care that it was impossible to pull her closer to you. You tried anyway. "Always."

It would be hard, but you'd wait an eternity for her.

"I'm in love with you, Min."

It would be hard, but it didn't matter. Because you were all alone with the love of your life.