#maybe it this leftover love i have for her wouldn't be so bad if she had died of old age instead of lymphoma

[baellielurk]

dreamt w my old cat who passed last october. she was sleeping on a pillow in the new house i was moving into (in the dream) and i got to pet her - i think it was a thing where i could bring her back to life for a bit each day - and she stretched and showed me her tummy even. the boys were there, too, having a nap too, and she even curled up next to the one she did know. I'd like to think this was her visiting me now that she's spent sufficient time curled up with her previous owner. im glad to have seen her again ❤️

[bunnys-kisses]

single father simon (again!!!) ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡

the apartment building felt bad for simon riley. a military man with a newborn daughter, his lovely little ruby with her tuft of blond hair and big curious dark eyes. she was a spitting image of her father, except compacted into a chubby little girl.

ruby was precious though, which was why as simon's neighbour you made sure the riley's were taken care of. you'd often bring over leftovers, telling simon that it was impossible to cook for one person.

"simon." you said with your hands on your hips, "if anyone tells you that you can make a lasagna for one person is lying or trying to sell you something... which means they're also lying. so take it!" you weren't taking no for an answer!

you even went as far as to donate to him one of your old onsies from when you were a baby (it wasn't like it was doing anything in storage). it was a pastel pink with an embroidered winnie the pooh. when simon saw you holding her after he put it on her, his heart leapt. he wanted to put all of his babies in the clothes you wore when you were a baby.

it wasn't that simon was finding another womb to occupy, but you were simply so good with ruby. when he had to drive out of the city and to base or had to sit on boring online debriefs. you were more than happy to watch ruby. you worked from home at a lackluster office job, you didn't mind having the little girl nearby! she brought a little excitement to the job when you identified objects in your office.

"this is a stapler! you use this to i guess.. staple pages together! s-t-a-p-l-e-r!" then smiled at the girl in the playpen.

the nail in the coffin for simon was when you were watching her for an afternoon and all of a sudden you were feverishly knocking on the door. in your arms was the little girl, she didn't look hurt. but you looked scared.

"i'm so sorry, simon..." you swallowed, "she said her first word. i know it said between ten to fourteen months, but! i didn't think it would be almost right at ten!"

"what did she say?" simon said as he beckoned you inside, a strong arm curled around your shoulders as you carried ruby.

you looked at him with a big frown before you said, "goddamnit... her first word was goddamnit." apparently you were cutting peppers for dinner and nicked your finger. you said the word and she parroted it!

simon knew you were going to be his bride. his missuses, the new mother to his baby girl and the future mother of all the other riley kids.

the electricity between you two aided in your eventual tumbling into bed. simon spread you out on the big queen mattress as let that large cock of his bully the deepest parts of your sex. simon made sure that ruby was safe with another (much older) neighbour so you wouldn't worry. (you were already becoming so much like a mother, it was honestly endearing!!).

simon managed to take you missionary, the mating press and finally ending with doggy style. your sweet moans only made him go harder. he needed to breed his future wife!! did he maybe forget to mention that he wasn't using protection, maybe. there was no evidence that he did or didn't. but when that little piece of plastic came back positive, he was there for you.

he knelt in front of you while you sat on the toilet. his large hand in your hair, "don't be sad, love. you're already a mother to ruby, why not give her a sibling? a little brother to bully." he then took your hands and kissed you on the cheek, "we'll be a family. we could even get married tomorrow if that makes you feel better?"

you'd be married at the courthouse within the week. simon in his military finest and you in a dress that you thrifted only days prior. you had even made you own veil and it turned out well. your bouquet was flowers stolen from the front of city hall. daisies, roses and a few dandelions.

he pulled you in for the kiss, a promise that you two would be together forever. and the two day honeymoon with just the two of you (and technically the baby you carried) was nothing short of romantic. you stayed in the city, but you two played tourist. you both didn't want to be too far away from ruby. after all she was so small.

soon you became the mother of two with a loving husband. ruby and her future brother that was sound asleep in your womb as you laid cuddled up next to simon. maybe his methods were a little unorthodox to bag himself a proper mama for his daughter. but you melted into the role so easily.

"my beautiful wife." he said with his voice tinged with utter devotion. he didn't want another woman to be his daughter's mother! only you, and he had the ring to prove it.

you were the perfect wife to him and the perfect mother to ruby. and you'd only get better with your son on the way. <3

[ktaerssoi]

can you do a paige fic where paige is down bad like reaaaly down bad only has eyes for reader but reader is so oblivious and paige gets all sad and reader doesn’t know so then paige is like i fucking love you??

its always been you

relationship: paige bueckers x fem!reader based on this request! tysm for answering my post 😭 summary: paige has only ever had eyes for you. notes: omg this was actually sm fun to write tysm and also i would love to hear more of those requests you speak of. anyway ty again!! - kate not proof read!

"i mean really, she thinks she's the shit and just needs to shut up." you were going on yet another rant as you walked through your front door, paige not far behind with your leftovers from lunch.

"mhm, well maybe you need to express to her what she's doing wrong." paige sighs as she opens the fridge to put the food away, grabbing and water for you and herself.

"thanks," you grab the water bottle from her, leaning against the counter. "i guess, but anyway, how have you been." you nudge her playfully with your shoulder, giggling. "any girlsss?"

you watch as her face flushes and she rolls her eyes. you see the smirk on her face as she turns away, letting you know that there was most definitely a girl.

"oooo, who?" you watch as she turns back to you shrugging, taking another sip of water. "i plead the fifth." its your turn to roll your eyes as she keeps her mouth shut.

"oh come on, p! were adults! you can tell me who you think is cute, i wont judge." you cross your arms as you move to stand in front of her, blocking her in slightly. she shakes her head and smiles at you, and the look she gives you is different from the normal ones. she looks at you like you're the only person she ever wants to know.

"i don't know, i don't think you want to know. you guys are sort of close and i wouldnt want to make it awkward, y'know?" she makes direct eye contact with you, you guys standing at the same height due to her leaning on the counter.

"uh yeah, i mean i guess so but i wouldn't tell her." your shoulders drop a little, you didn't want to push her but you were also sort of hurt that your own best friend didn't want to tell you about a girl she liked.

"you seriously don't have any thoughts at who it could be? she's not on the basketball team." paige stands up straighter, now towering over you slightly.

not on the basketball team? paige's life is basketball, i'm like the only friend she has that doesn't live basketball 24/7

needless to say, you were confused. (and dense as hell my gosh)

"is it that one chick that you had to do that group assignment with? the really pretty girl with the braids?" you were thinking to everyone you had seen apige interact with that wasn't on the team, other than yourself you were lost.

"no, you guys are close remember?" paige is looking at you like this is the most obvious thing ever, and you just stare up at her utterly confused.

"you're horrible at this whole hint thing." you mumble, shaking your head as you walk toward the living room to continue your thinking.

paige follows behind sort of deflated, plopping down on the couch next to you, slouching down so her head could rest on your shoulder. "no i mean really, who could it be?" she shakes her head as she goes to grab the remote.

you watch as she channel surfs for the next ten minutes, not finding anything good and eventually turning off the t.v.. "take one more guess and then i'll tell you who it is." paige looks up at you from her spot on your chest.

"okay um, is it that one media girl that were friends with? the one who always comes to dinners with us??" paige's eyebrows furrow, and she giggles to herself a litte, shaking her head.

"nope, but listen, if- if i tell you, you have to swear to me that things won't change. okay?" you nod at her words, never have you seen her this strict.

"are you sure it's not the media girl?" you narrow your eyes as she sits up, sitting across from you now.

"no y/n, its you. i like you. no, fuck it, i love you. i mean, you're amazing and you're the sweetest, funniest person i know and i'm not even totally sure if you're into girls like that but i can help but like you."

she bites her nails as you nod, you're quiet for a moment before you smile. "you think i'm funny?" paige rolls her eyes at you and stands up from the couch, scared that you're trying to let her down easy.

"so if that's a rejection i'm just going to go-" paige gets cut off by you springing up and grabbing her hand to stop her. "definitely not a rejection. i like you too p, like a love type of like. just to clarify." you shrug as you drop her hand, struggling to express that you really do feel the same.

"seriously? you're not just saying that because you're my best friend and you feel bad?" she's looking down at you, studying your face for your honest answer. once you nod you feel her hand on your waist and feel yourself be pulled forward.

your body is flush against hers, you've been in this exact position countless times before, but right now everything was in a whole new light.

your eyes flash down to paige's lips, and then back to her eyes, and to her lips again. "you're really pretty." you mumble, not even thinking about what you were saying anymore.

you watch as her cheeks get pinker, smiling at your effect on her. "shut up," she looks down at your lips, "can i kiss you?" you have never nodded so fast in your life.

her lips come crashing onto yours and it feels so right. you taste her strawberry chapstick against your lips and the smell of her shampoo consumes your senses.

pulling away after a few seconds you look up at her in awe, a stupid smile on your face.

"you really think i'm funny?"

[runningfrom2am]

leveling the playing field II

summary: you didn't meet the requirements for the plinth prize, only to find out that you're not just missing out on that- you're missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. your friend wants to help, because maybe you can help each other.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 2.8k

tags/warnings: capitol brat!reader, maybe slightly ooc coryo, idk i tried my best. do they love each other or hate each other? who knows. also someone dies (but its not too graphic), mentions of blood and violence you guys get the vibes.

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a/n: embarrassed to say this is grabbing me by the cuff of my shirt and yanking me out of writer's block sorry to everyone who followed for drew's characters lmao. anyway idek if any of this is any good but as long as i'm writing something i'm pleased.

next part

Coriolanus clenched his jaw as he watched you eat from the plate of fruit your maid brought up after you called for tea, hoping that somehow you would just miss the sound of his stomach growling. He had said no, but you insisted because you were hungry. You don't even know what hungry feels like- he's already regretting letting you help him.

"So," You start, covering your mouth as you finish chewing so you could get down to strategy. If you were going to help, you had to go at this wisely. "What is your plan? Lay it out for me. I'll give you my thoughts."

"I talked to Tigris, she agreed that I need to get Lucy Gray to trust me." He tells you. "She said she would want someone here to care about her. That will have to be me."

"Okay." You nod, reaching for another slice of apple on the plate, trying to ignore the way his eyes track the fruit all the way from your plate to your lips. "So, I'm doing a more behind-the-scenes thing. I think that's better, for us and her. I don't want her to be overwhelmed."

"Yeah." Coryo agrees, staring at you. At this point, it's driving you crazy.

"Coryo." You state, pushing the dish across the coffee table in his direction. "Eat. Please."

"No, I couldn't." He tries to politely decline and you raise an eyebrow at him.

"I insist. It was made for two, I can't possibly stomach it all. It would be a shame for it to go to waste." You had laid your cards out just minutes earlier, making it clear you both knew more about each other's home lives than you cared to discuss, but that didn't mean you would torture him with it.

He hesitates before grabbing a slice and taking a few bites, looking past you and out the window. He wouldn't want it to go to waste like you said, after all.

"I won't tell anyone, you know." You say, your tone walking a line between joking and being serious. He'll interpret that in whatever way he chooses, and you're okay with that.

"I should be going, actually." He says, dropping the other half of the apple slice back onto the dish and standing up, smoothing the creases in his slacks.

You stand up as well, making your way to the door and ringing the bell that summons your maid. "I'll walk you out, just give me a second." You explain to him, and by the time you're done your sentence, she is there looking at you expectantly. "Take these leftovers and pack them up for my friend." You tell her, pointing to the mostly full plate. "And pack some of those pastries you made for his family as well, if you don't mind. Oh! And that bread, it will go bad soon if someone doesn't eat it." She just nods silently as you speak, walking past you to take the plate before leaving.

"Thank you." Coriolanus mutters through gritted teeth once your maid is out of earshot.

"Like I said," You smile. "I don't want it to go to waste."

The morning the tributes arrived, Coriolanus was late to class. He had never been late to class, not once, and you would know- because you hadn't either. Not that you were worried, but it was almost the only thing you could think about. It was odd, but he must have gone to greet Lucy Gray. That would be the only thing that made sense.

"Your little excursion is in violation of about five Academy rules, Mister Snow." Dean Highbottom says as the blonde boy walks in, uniform disheveled as he finds his seat across the room from you.

You make eye contact only briefly with him as the Dean goes on about how endangering the life of a student is against the rules, and your friend would be accumulating a demerit over the whole thing.

From what you can gather, he did go see Lucy Gray, which went farther than he intended when he ended up escorting her all the way into the monkey cage at the zoo. To you, that was comically appropriate. To Sejanus, it was a crime. Of course it was, his heart never left District Two. As much as you had your differences, Sejanus was a kind boy. You did like him, only after you got it through your mind that if you were to leave the Capitol, you would always be Capitol at heart. You're pulling on a loose string on the hem of your uniform sleeve, more, more, until you've almost undone the whole length of your wrist. When the thread breaks you want to hit something, for little to no reason, and you bite into your bottom lip.

You don't even know why you're so mad. You have a short fuse and you know that, maybe it's about Coryo. Maybe it's about your sleeve that's now slightly longer on one side.

You're drawn from your thoughts as Clemensia stands up from her seat next to Coryo, addressing Dr. Gaul who, as far as you know, had only been in the room for a minute or so. "Coriolanus and I do all our assignments together, I think it would be fitting for us to write up the proposal together too. I have some good ideas for things to be incorporated into the games along with betting." Your eyes roll so hard at this that it makes your head ache.

"I brought her a rose from Grandma'am's garden and she ate it. She needs food." Coryo tells you, walking alongside you down the hall.

"I'll get something together for her. Would you like to come with me to pick it up and then we can go to the zoo?" You ask, adjusting your shoulder bag as he holds the front door open for you.

"Okay. Are you sure you should come?"

"If you would like me to." You shrug, leading him in the direction of your parent's town car.

He thinks on it for a moment. Does he want you to meet Lucy Gray? You were technically also her mentor, even if you were taking a backseat. It struck him again, harder somehow, when he met her in person how similar she was to you. Besides the distinct accent, every word that came out of her mouth sounded as though it could have been written in a script by you. If you were district, that is. It was hard to wrap his mind around.

"I would." He finally answers, more so on impulse than resulting from his thought process.

You smile, linking your arm around his as you approach the vehicle.

"Then we can drop you at Clem's. if you'd like." You offer bitterly and he just gives a curt nod in response.

After getting your maid to pack some food for Lucy Gray with some extra for the two of you, assuming you would be gone for the evening, you got a ride to the zoo. The atmosphere was exciting, with people and children crowding the bars- this time including a few of your classmates. Sejanus, which you had expected, and Arachne- no doubt there to get attention.

"Lucy Gray!" Coryo called out, summoning the girl toward the two of you as you approached the bars marking the edge of the enclosure.

"Well hello, Coriolanus. You brought a friend, care to introduce us?" She smiles, looking between the two of you. Admittedly, you admire her poise, given the situation. Politeness in front of the cameras was a must- she's doing an exemplary job in humanizing herself.

"Lucy Gray, this is my friend Y/N Y/L/N. Y/N, meet Lucy Gray." He nods between the two of you and you reach through the bars to shake her hand.

"Hello. Pleasure to meet you." You smile at her, which she returns.

"You as well." She nods, clearly impressed as she looks between you and Coryo. You had decided back at your home to not introduce yourself as another mentor, just as a friend, after gushing the reaction to the other tributes thinking Lucy Gray was getting special treatment this morning when her mentor was the only one to show up. "Coriolanus, is Miss Y/L/N here your sweetheart?"

His face flushes red as he shakes his head, refusing to look at you. You laugh, not noticing his change in undertone as you answer for him. "No, no. Just a friend." You explain, digging in your bag for her food, wanting to quickly change the subject. "We brought you this." You hold out the napkin for her, containing a sandwich, a couple of desserts, and some plums.

"Oh wow, thank you!" Lucy Gray smiles, accepting it gratefully. "Hey, Jessup! Come eat." She calls out to the other tribute from her district, who you remember was assigned to Lysistrata Vickers.

He comes over, but doesn't acknowledge either of you as Lucy Gray holds out one of the dessert bars to him. "I'm not hungry."

"It won't do you any good to starve now. You need your energy." Lucy Gray insists, practically shoving it into his hand.

"I hope you like blueberry." You cut in. "It's a blueberry biscuit with pistachio filling. Made fresh this morning- I promise it's good."

He doesn't say anything, taking it and retreating to the rock he was previously sitting on to eat.

"Will you be sharing everything with him?" Coryo asks her quietly as he walks away.

"Why? So I can keep my energy up enough to strangle him? I don't think that will matter much in a few days."

"You can't trust anyone once the games start, so why trust them now?" You reply quietly, scanning over the other tributes, eyes landing on Arachne taunting her tribute. Of course she would- her arrogance never fails to impress you.

"Your friend over there seems just lovely." Lucy Gray says sarcastically, eyes following yours as you watch your classmate.

"Not our friend." You and Coryo respond at the same time.

"She's poison with perfect teeth." He continues and you nod.

"One thing I learned in twelve is that hunger is a weapon." Lucy Gray says. You're not sure what she means, but you nod anyway.

"Here, let's sit." You suggest, changing the subject as you crouch down to lay out a cloth on the ground to place the food on.

As you're laying it out carefully between the bars for Lucy Gray, you can feel Coryo's eyes burning into the backs of your hands. Lucy Gray notices this too, handing him a cookie from the pile.

"No, I couldn't." His default response. "You need it more than me."

"You were staring. Here, we'll share." She insists and he takes it gratefully, breaking off a piece and placing it in his mouth.

"Here..." You mumble, digging through your bag again and pulling out the glass container designated for his dinner. You place it in his lap, not giving him the chance to turn it down. "Packed it just for you."

He takes it off his lap, tensely getting up. "I'll be back in a moment." He tells you both, red uniform disappearing behind the small crowd.

"You can see it too?" Lucy Gray asks you, nibbling on half of a sandwich.

You nod slightly, eyes still trying to track him to see where he went, then landing on him talking to Sejanus who's desperately trying to get his tribute, Marcus, to eat some of the food he brought.

"He's quite sensitive about it." You explain. "I appreciate you being kind to him. No one else knows... I think. Regardless, you are very important to him."

She nods a little bit, watching you watch your friend. "Are you just buttering me up?" She jokes and you shake your head, returning your attention to the girl across from you.

"No, I mean it. It's more than the prize for us." You state. "Him." You quickly correct yourself. "I just want to help however I can, if you need anything else just ask, but I'll bring food every day. Or I'll send it with Coryo."

"Coryo, huh?"

"Well, yes. We've been friends for years."

"I see." Lucy Gray nods, both of you watching him make his way back over. You lift up his container of food and hand it to him before he even has the chance to sit down.

"What about you, Lucy Gray? Any friends back home? Family?" You ask, looking away from him as he sits. You want him to eat, but you know he would loathe you for watching, so you direct all your attention to her.

"I'm an orphan, just like Coryo here." She nods to him and his brows furrow at the nickname coming from someone new. "It's just me and the Covey."

"Covey?" You ask.

"Yeah, they're my family and we perform together. It's how we make our change."

"Well, you are a very talented singer. Jaws were on the floor in the Capitol during your performance." You smile. 

"I'm not one to go quietly, that's all."

"I'm not either." You agree. "I think we'll be fine friends."

Just at that moment, the three of you hear a scream that has you turning your heads as fast as lightning over to the source, catching the end of Arachne getting her throat slit by her tribute. You and Coriolanus are on your feet in seconds, running over to try and help her just as gunfire rings out, taking down her tribute for the crime of her murder.

You pull off your blazer, both you and Coryo using it to try and stop the bleeding, but you could tell it was no use. By the time you look up, the crowd of spectators was completely gone having rushed for the exits during the attack.

Just as you both realize it's no use, and that she's already dead, you're being pulled away by peacekeepers.

"Hey! Let me go right this second!" You shout, trying to pull away.

"You kids have to get out of here." One of them answers blankly.

"I have to get my stuff!" You complain, trying to wiggle out of their strong grip. "You want me to leave my knife over within reach too? Are you stupid?"

They stop, sighing as they let you go. "Thank you." You huff, readjusting your shirt before walking back over to where you were just sitting with Lucy Gray, quickly gathering your things but leaving food for her.

"Lucy Gray, are you alright?" You ask, seeing her lying on the ground a few feet away from the bars now, just getting up.

She just nods, the fear in her eyes starting to cease. 

"You're not shot?" You follow up with, looking over her at the same time she does.

"No, I'm fine. You go." She replies, standing up again and dusting off her dress.

"Thank god. Those idiots are awful shots!" You bite, looking back at the peacekeepers over your shoulder, Coriolanus now nowhere to be seen.

You stand up and pull your bag across your body, walking past them toward the exit as they attempt to guide you in the right direction. "Don't touch me!" You hiss, smacking their hands away.

"Coryo!" You call out, running to catch up with him in the academy hall the next morning. He slows down, glancing over his shoulder and stopping to wait for you.

"Y/N." He states, looking at you expectantly. 

"Shall we go see Lucy Gray today?" You ask, reaching up to tighten your ponytail that had come loose in your jog.

"No." He shakes his head, continuing to walk and you follow after him. 

"What? Why not? She needs us to bring her food, and we have to-"

"I'll discuss the games with her at the planned meeting this afternoon. You won't be going back to the zoo."

"Excuse me?" You ask, grabbing his arm to stop him in his tracks. "I know I'm like, your assistant, or whatever, but you will not tell me what I can and cannot do."

"It's too dangerous. They are dangerous." Coriolanus argues. "I won't have you ending up like Arachne."

He had been up all night writing his proposal for Dr. Gaul. It was the only thing that could get his mind off the death of his classmate, and off of you. What if it had been you? He should have known it was dangerous, it was his fault. It was his idea that the mentors get closer to the tributes and someone was killed. Arachne's blood was on his hands, and he was just relieved that it wasn't yours staining his uniform instead.

"No. No, she died because she was stupid." You whisper, looking around. "She taunted her tribute and handed her a knife, at that point it's natural selection. I am not her. I am smarter."

He stares down at you, scanning over your features as you beg him to let you continue to help. "You need me, Coriolanus. Admit that much to yourself."

"I don't need you," He spits back. "But I like you much better alive. You are the one person in this school I can stand, I won't lose you over something so reckless." He pulls his arm from your grasp and walks off.

You look around, seeing your classmates staring and you roll your eyes. "Take a picture or something." You say to no one in particular, prompting people to avert their eyes.

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[bnecaz]

Kim minji x F!reader

Cupcakes for hyein's birthday

warnings: Just minji and reader being a loving couple, hyein's parents, danielle and haerin are cute here but not mentioned as a couple, hope you liked it! bad writing

summary :You and Minji (she didn't want to) decide to make cupcakes for Hyein's party at night! But you don't know how to cook.

Minji is green and reader is pink

—“We should have bought ready-made cupcakes”.Minji mutters as she realizes that she's been mixing the cupcake batter for half an hour, she knew she should have bought a whisk and not beaten it with a fork, it's all her fault

"Stop your bad mood, minji! You know it wouldn't be the same as buying, it's much nicer to do it” you say while making a small pout as you add Pink food coloring to the icing that was too... soft to be in the right consistency.

"you're only saying that because danielle gave you this idea" minji murmurs once again as she sighs and stops hitting 

Minji looks away from you and then back to the penthouse and a soft frown appears on her face "that seems too soft..". then you look too and give an embarrassed smile "maybe I got the amount of milk wrong, maybe we should add more?" Minji's frown deepens and he looks away from the table as she says, "we'd better swap, yes? You try to look on your phone for how to make the batter thicker and I'll look for how to make this...cupcake frosting? thicker..."  So you sigh and nod your head visibly not so happy, when you arrive at the table with the dough you have an idea, what if you use the blender? You look at Minji and see her muttering things that you claim to understand are "we should have bought it" or changing it to "this is like water" so you decide not to disturb her, you go to the blender and put all the liquid in there, which simply it pours like water as if there was no flour inside

—“What are you doing?" you hear minji's thick voice and dripping with boredom. "i have an idea" you say as you put the blender cord in the socket and go to press the "2" button then minji looks at iyou "you closed the lid-" and then all the dough falls to the floor, and it dirty everything, the white wall, the cutlery, the countertops, all your clothes and your hair

“Ugh.....”you hear minji sigh in annoyance and you swear she would fight you right now, she leaves the table and leaves everything there and comes close to you "How does a person in their right mind forget to put the lid on?" she murmurs and places the palm of her hand on your face, seeming to examine to see if there is anything more than soft, sticky mass on your skin. “ sorry..." you mutter with an embarrassed smile then minji's gaze softens but still has a soft frown," We better ask danielle for help, it was her fault for giving you this idea, if she doesn't help we'll have to buy it for She and you say it was you who did it... the party is tonight" you sigh and nod, then minji slowly walks away and looks through the dirt "god what a mess"

Well, it didn't work, you used up the only leftover flour you had at home, Danielle pointed out to you that Minji read the recipe wrong and used unleavened flour, Minji apologized to you and admitted her mistake, she took you to a bakery to buy hyein's cupcakes and even bought you a milkshake even though you were a bit stupid...

"We're here" Minji murmurs as she looks up and sees the new jeans bedroom "finally" you sigh as Minji grabs your hand and walks into the company going to the elevator and touching the 4 button and getting into the elevator with you

 "Are you still upset?" Minji breaks the silence in the elevator and I look at the ceiling "No, why?" You speak and look at Minji and then she looks at you "You're just like Danielle, you always get upset easily" she murmurs and sees a pout on your lips "I I'm not upset, it was both of our faults, not just yours minji" minji widens her eyes a little and gives a smile "I guess so...but it was more mine" so you just roll your eyes and sigh 

When the elevator opens you find yourself face to face with Danielle and Haerin talking. when danielle looks at you an illuminating smile crosses her lips "it's good that you're alive! I thought minji-unnie had killed you..." danielle jokes and minji rolls her eyes and scoffs

Then haerin looks at you and murmurs "you guys smell like eggs.." then danielle looks at her and pushes her a little "stop it haerin!" and takes haerin's hand and then looks at you "dont mind her, she missed you" then you give her a smile and see minji looking at her with a deadly look and the two of them looking at each other "well.. why don't we go?..." you playfully break the tension and danielle agrees "it's been so long since I've seen hyein!" and you pout and you nod too, when you knock on hyein's door she automatically opens it and has the biggest smile you've ever seen "unnies!" hyein hugs danielle and haerin who stands still like a statue and then you and minji "you guys smell like eggs..." hyein frowns and covers his nose playfully

you see haerin with a smile and minji sighed excessively "come on in! oh! is this for a party?" hyein takes the bag with cupcakes from your hand and then from haerin's hand 

"oh.... the same cupcakes!" hyein asks curiously and gives a smile, you look at danielle and give a smile "damn...

[joelsbeard]

Domestic pre-outbreak!joel /no outbreak!joel hc's bc I can't stop thinking about my lil pookie bear

He loves whenever you take the time to make meals for him and sarah because he's always so busy and never has time to make anything. Not to mention his cooking skills aren't exactly the best, so its a godsend once you and him move in together and you start cooking for your man. For once in his life he consistently goes to work without bringing some shitty sandwich or getting fast food for lunch, and sometimes you'll even throw in a cute little note (or maybe not so cute 😈) that'll have him blushing for the rest of the day. You eventually start getting really good at packing him and Sarah's lunches, and she loves the adorable notes you leave for her and cute animal tooth picks you give her for her fruit. If you have extra time you'll even cut her food into cute little shapes or have a themed lunch like a bunny-shaped sandwich and fruits cut into flowers. If you have leftovers you give them to Joel and he opens it wanting to cry knowing that you put so much effort into making his little girl the cutest lunches. Sometimes his other crew members will notice his lunches with little rice panda bears or other cute things and they'll give him shit for it but it just makes him feel even luckier to be with someone like you.

One time he opens his lunch and finds a particularly spicy note and he has a hard on for the rest of the day :) and then he rushes through his tasks after lunch so he can get home to you faster and rail the shit out of you :)

One day you're in his car looking in his glovebox for something and you find all of the notes you've written him for his lunches, and he tells you he likes to keep all of them to read them especially if he's having a bad day or a hard time at work and needs to get through the day.

Even though he may not be the best cook (aside from a mean mac n cheese or fried chicken) he definitely beats you at grilling. No one makes brisket or steak as good as he does, as a Texan dad it's in his blood.

Although he always gets home tired after a long day of work, you're always there to greet him by running up to him and attacking him with kisses, saying "I missed you so much" and more often than not you'll already have dinner prepared, and he finally gets the time to sit down with you and his daughter for dinner most days of the week and you get to spend some quality time as a family.

Every time he sees you interact with Sarah he's so happy that you're such a great mom to her, he can't think of anyone better to take care of his baby girl

Sarah becomes your little helper when you cook or bake sometimes, and Joel will walk into the kitchen seeing you two giggling as you're making some brownies or some other dessert that Sarah requested, and you can never say no to her cute little face. Every time you go to prepare something she always says she wants to help, and she loves learning from you because you're such a patient teacher.

Sometimes you and Sarah like to let Joel sleep in more than usual on the weekends to give his body some rest after a long week a work, and you'll make him breakfast in bed. He pretends not to hear Sarah giggling as you two walk into your room and “surprise” him with a tray of an elaborate breakfast, and you tell him Sarah did such a great job helping make his coffee and pancakes.

The way this ended up being mostly about food was not planned haha but you know what they say, a key to a man's heart is through his stomach ;) and who wouldn't want to cook and bake for this man, no wonder he's always feeling like shit he never has any time or money to make nutritious meals for himself :(

[mandoriana]

HEADCANON - HANNIGRAM

We all know that Hannibal is a carnivore, but what few people know is that Hannibal abhors the consumption of red or white meat. He can eat fish, but any other animal meat besides seafood does not consume.

Hannibal hates the pain that animals pass on to humans to have meat to eat.

Hannibal had a sheep when he was a boy and took very good care of it, but one day one of the mansion's employees killed her for them to eat, and Hannibal killed the clerk for revenge.

Will, despite what many think, is a great cook, but not like Hannibal. In fact, Will is more in southern cuisine and comes much more than just fish. Ironically, Will doesn't care about the animals that die for him to have food; he honors all their parts.

Will's favorite meat is frog and alligator. His grandmother used to cook a lot when he was little because they lived in a swamp.

Hannibal dreamed of cooking with Will as they did during the second season, but he was horrified by the cruel way Will cooked. (I imagine a lot that Will came out one day saying that he was going fishing in the lake and came back with a cooler full of frogs. Hannibal was horrified by Will cutting off the frogs' legs while they were still alive.)

Once, Will came home with a living citizen and started bathing and "massaging" the swan and even hydrating its feathers. He was so careful that Hannibal really believed they had a pet city. Imagine his shock when he came back to see Will cooking the case that he had so affectionately called "Leda."

Once, Hannibal bought a pig to be his pet. Her husband ate the poor pig in two weeks.

Hannibal is traumatized to see her husband cooking.

During the escape, they hid in a cabin in the forest for a while. A turtle befriended Hannibal, who fed her leftovers from her meals. When the poor thing got fat enough, Will took the turtle and cooked it alive in a pot. Hannibal is still traumatized today.

Watching Will cooking, for Hannibal, is like watching a horror show.

Hannibal once fainted when he saw Will making food with peanut butter, animal meat remains and vegetable remains (he thought it was their dinner, but it was just the food of the ces.)

When Hannibal's complaints about his cooking get very annoying, Will begins to make atrocities in cooking, such as using canned meat and mixing it with peanut butter. Hannibal almost has an aneurysm every time.

Chiyoh was prejudiced against Will's food until she ate it and loved it. So the two stood against Hannibal about human flesh being tastier than animal flesh.

At Christmas, Will gave Hannibal a T-shirt that said, "Eat people, save animals."

The only meat Will wouldn't be willing to eat is dog meat and maybe cat meat, but he's not against eating the feline if he's hungry.

Will and Hannibal love recipes that contain eels. Will prefers to cook them while they are still alive, but Hannibal prefers to cook them only when they are dead.

Will thinks it's hypocritical for Hannibal not to have a problem with human violence, and Hannibal thinks it's Will's hypocritical not to have a problem with animal violence. (Will's excuse is that only a few animals are not food, while Hannibal's excuse is that comparing human pigs with sweet animals is blasphemy.)

When they watch "Chicken Run," Hannibal twists for the chickens from start to finish, while Will supports the "villain" who is just doing his job. They had an argument after watching the movie.

Will just doesn't eat stones because stone soup is bad and there are no other ways to eat stones.

Will cuts ingredients with scissors, and that makes Hannibal freak out every time.

During their escape from the FBI they hid in the woods and Hannibal is sure he once saw Will frying a snake.

Hannibal likes to eat raw ginger, and Will calls him a psychopath for it.

Will makes a cup of coffee with seven tablespoons of coffee grounds, while Hannibal makes a bottle with four tablespoons of coffee grounds. Whenever one wakes up before the other and makes coffee, one of them ends up making faces for the drink.

[ghostsandfools]

Interesting Stuff From Yesterday's LAES Episode:

DISCLAIMER: I go insane under the cut. There is swearing. You have been warned.

Okay first of all, where are they???? Obviously in a dream, which Lunar says "doesn't feel normal", which is already weird, but they're in a location Lunar's never been in before. Probably not important I'm just curious, like, is it just some random place conjured up by Lunar's subconscious or does Res have him in a specific location for a reason???

Res works for Cetus apparently.

Lunar sees Res for the first time and goes "You don't have a face" and Res goes "Oh, I can assure you, I do." I'm sorry???????????

This is off topic, but these episodes stress me the fuck out. Like, the writing isn't always the best and I've seen people leave the fandom over some of the decisions the writers make. Now, I don't really care about how bad the writing is I'm gonna watch it anyways, but I genuinely get stressed out over the lore, it is an issue. I worry about it on a day to day basis, I think I'm starting to get WAY too attached to these characters.

Res looks so much like Nebula, I mentioned it in a separate post but like seriously, it's not even funny how similar they look. They could be twins, at least in my eyes idk if y'all see it too. Also, I love Nebula and I would NEVER accuse her of such heinous crimes, but the astrals have basically stripped her of her rights and are making her work constantly with almost no breaks and no pay, and from what we've seen Taurus specifically treats her pretty awful, and Res did mention hating Taurus and Leo, so... I mean I wouldn't be surprised if Res and Nebula were the same person.

Res has met Castor and Pollux at some point and thinks that they're "entertaining" so I don't know what the fuck that means but I'm scared-

The order to begin the infection has been given :)

We're all fucked :)))))))

Res didn't want Lunar there??? Lunar says "I shouldn't be here," and Res goes "You shouldn't be, this was a very private meeting," so Lunar can just get dragged into antimatter shenanigans with no say in the matter randomly????? Res didn't even intend for this to happen???????

The fact that Res doesn't care about Lunar knowing is scary. Res doesn't try to hurt Lunar or kill him or get him not to tell anyone, they just don't care. Which is worrying, because Lunar could tell the astrals, and the fact that Res doesn't care about that means that they're already far enough into this plan that the astrals knowing about it will hardly be a setback.

I was thinking, maybe Res stands for Residual or Residue. Because, they said they're made out of dark star power, but they AREN'T a witherstorm, so maybe they're residual leftover dark star power.

THEIR VOICE EVEN SOUNDS LIKE A CORRUPTED NEBULA, am I going crazy here??? Their voices even sound similar, except Nebula's is much smoother obviously, but they both speak the same way, y'know? AM I INSANE??? Like, their voices are different but the way they talk and their enunciation of certain words is the EXACT SAME.

Res being Nebula could explain their inside knowledge about the astrals. I mean, obviously they could just figure stuff out on their own or through Cetus, I'm assuming dark star power entities can probably spy on people pretty well, but it would explain why they already know Lunar and that Taurus is coming to Earth, I'm just saying...

OKAY OKAY OKAY okaay okaoaksyaa SO. Res talks about getting rid of one of the astrals for good, which is interesting. Gemini said that astrals can die, but they usually come back because they're stars and stars will just supernova and reform. But Res says they could get rid of one of the astrals for good and how Cetus would love having one less to deal with. They also say one of the astrals is already out of commission??? Unless I missed something, this is the first time that's been mentioned. I wonder who it is. Probably not Libra since she's a leader, not Gemini since they've been around recently, not Taurus because he's showing up soon, probably not Aries since they're the one who helped Gemini get into Lunar's dreams, SO WHO?!

Res, (with that incredibly sexy voice of theirs~), says that they "Need Lunar" and that he's the "Perfect Catalyst". Which is interesting because like two minutes ago they described themself as a catalyst??? I wonder what they need Lunar for, maybe to get more inside knowledge about the astrals for them?

It is getting more and more difficult for me not to talk about how hot Res is the longer this post gets, they said Lunar was "Ample for corruption~" JESUS RES, JUST KILL PEOPLE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE HOT ABOUT IT, JUST KILL PEOPLE AND FUCK OFF!

WHY ARE THEY BEING SO SEDUCTIVE???? "What I'm going to do to you when I get my hands on you, I'm going to do so many horrid things..." I'M SORRY? EXCUSE ME BITCH??????

How do you turn positive star power into negative star power? Gemini said that when star power is harnessed, negative star power is the result. Lunar does not harness star power, he is basically an astral now which means he's MADE of it. Him using it won't produce any negative star power, which means Res has a way to convert pure, unharnessed star power into negative star power. Interesting. If I didn't have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to my hyperfixations, maybe I could tell you have that would work with stars and dark matter in real life, but I forgot so sorry :D

How many negative star power entities are there??? Res says Lunar will "become one of us". So far there are at least 2, Res and Cetus, but there HAS to be more than that. C'mon. There has to be. The astrals are also interesting, how many of them are there? Obviously there's the main 12, based on the zodiac constellations, but are there more based on other constellations? Are the "Astrals" just what the main 12 are called and any others are considered lesser than them? And then for the dark matter ones, are there 12 to act as dark zodiacs? Or are the less, or worse, are there MORE?

I wonder if Gemini made Taurus and Leo sound more scary as a way to get Lunar to behave himself. All they said was "Taurus and Leo destroy planets", but according to Res, they really don't. They only put planets out of their misery once they've been infected and already basically destroyed.

I wonder if Res did anything to Lunar while he was asleep? They say "you need to wake up" and then Lunar falls asleep in the dream only to wake up in real life, but I wonder if they could've done something to him in that time that he doesn't realize?

It's kinda interesting that Lunar's first thought was to go to Monty rather than Gemini or Moon or waiting for Taurus to show up. I actually have kinda a sweet reason why, more of a headcanon than a theory though. Whenever i have nightmares, my brain kinda goes back in time for a little while, and instead of calling someone I actually trust like one of my friends or my partner, my first thought is to go to my mom. Now, i don't talk to my mom anymore because she sucks, but I really liked her as a kid and when I have bad dreams I forget about all the people i have in my life now and wanna go back to her. And Monty and Lunar used to be so close, obviously Monty knows a lot about negative star power so they're a logical option of who to get help from, but i also think it would be really sweet if Lunar goes through the same thing and that's why they want to go to Monty first, because they're almost like a parental figure to him.

ANYWAYS, that's enough rambling and simping and theorizing and trauma-dumping and going fucking insane for today, if you read this far you have a VERY good attention span. I would not read a post this long, you are a better person than me.

[sillysillyprice]

Oh poor salt but well it is fault if he had talk and aloof that then maybe just maybe like man being a simp is good but express yourself is better ! Like dammit! Oh but we'll whatever poor him I understand him I too had a crush on someone before but we'll never confess and after we got separate and he lately came back to my school but we'll now I don't feel anything and well.....I'm getting a bit work up......but tell silent salt that in another universe (my au) hil and his angel are happy together and even two kids......but I don't have name for them one is born before corruption and the other after corruption but yeah good luck with your au and I'll do my best to stay informed oh and by the way can you explain more about the beast while corruption things? Please oh and a little bonus this is a picture I got in X

I'm sorry to hear that, it must have been sad at the time, but at least it's in the past now and you can move on, that's a good thing! Staying in the past is not good

Salt is a serious, quiet and completely mature knight, but if he knew that he would jump with excitement to at least be able to be with his angel in another universe!

things about beasts during corruption... let's see

— Shadow Milk

— He is the culprit of everything that happened, but why did he do it? Why cause so much chaos and destruction? ... because he was bored and wanted to screw the witches

— He hates everyone without exceptions! Well, if there is one exception, it's a cursor-shaped cookie that he sympathizes with hehe

— When he was Light Milk he wrote an entire library (and more), but Shadow Milk is a fool! He can't even read! His brain was melted and now he has mush in his head

───────────────

— Mystic Flour:

— She was the third to fall against Shadow Milk

— The veil (hood or whatever it's called, I don't know about clothes) makes her look like she's in mourning despite wearing white because, She is indeed in mourning, unable to overcome the death, through her own fault, of all those she loved, friends, and her own son

— And speaking of her son, Leftover Flour, he didn't show up because she had a partner or had a crazy night, but it was a gift from the witches so that she could learn what empathy was

───────────────

— Eternal Sugar:

— the second to fall under the control of Shadow Milk

— Since the corruption began she was not well, her ideas became more and more irrational, until they sealed her, And if absolute solitude in imprisonment ended up blowing her fuses and removing the screws she had left, she is literally crazy

— she ate the cookie dough on the grounds that they wouldn't find them, But it was useless! Everyone knew there were cookies dying

───────────────

— Burning Spice:

— The last to fall was the one who resisted the most but in the end he could not avoid being controlled

— And it's not just a saying, he was literally controlled, he became another puppet of Shadow Milk for a while

— When it was finally sealed, he says he was able to feel relieved, at least in part

───────────────

— Silent Salt:

— The first to give in, he didn't even put up any resistance

— he doesn't like killing in the slightest, he only did it to please Shadow Milk

— decided to change his name because "Service" even sounded like a bad joke

───────────────

By the way, the fanart is very nice! The artist who made it is definitely talented

[amarmoria]

Sempiternal 11

⊹ ⭑.ᐟ Yao x Reader ⊹ ࣪˖ᝰ.ᐟ

Synopsis: 10 days in some spa center with your family wouldn't be too bad right...?

Previous | Next

Wc: 1.6k

"I absolutely love how we have separate rooms with mom and dad" Zoe says, launching herself on the bed, you sit on the noiseless mattress as it bounces you, it's big, and clean, and bouncy, and tall, it's like a hotel room, 5-star hotel room. You let yourself fall on the cold and newly ironed bedsheets, even then it smelled like strawberries, or lemon, maybe both, you couldn't point your finger at it, but it makes you wanna shut down for the rest of the day.

"Yeah, I hope they don't keep fighting.." you whisper the last few words as Zoe pauses from her bed, slowly turning her head to you.

"Don't worry about it. They planned the retreat so might as well make it bearable for us"

"I guess.."

She frowns as she sits up, her legs crossing. "You worry wart"

"Hey! I'm not a worry wary!"

"Uh huh"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah HUH"

"Zoe!" You playfully threw a pillow at her, though it only hit the wall..

"Then stop worrying about nothing."

"I'm not worrying about nothing Zo.."

"Uhh, yes you are"

"Fuck you," you grumble, then it was your turn to sit up. "Since when then huh?"

"Since forever?!"

"Since never! I've never been a worry wart, it's called being curious, helloo?"

"Nyeh nyeh nyeh"

"Zoe!"

"Zoe!"

"I hate you" you laugh, continuously throwing pillows to her side and as did she. "You love me"

"Uhh eww!?"

She gasps, holding her chest like some grandma who heard you curse. "Oh you don't get to call me ew!"

You squeal as she hops from her bed to yours, the both of you bouncing very high as she attacks you at your sides, you screech and try to pry her hands off, you've never escaped her tickle wrestle once, especially when the twins gang up on you.

Oh.

She frowns as you abruptly stop laughing, she tries tickling your sides again, but you give her a tight lipped smile and sit up. It was only now that you'd noticed the ruined pillows, their feathers scattered across everywhere, you might've even found one near the bathroom floor, but you didn't care to stay in that subject any longer.

You stare far away at the window, it was open, a pretty blue sky would've made you think this was heaven, but that's where you brother is, not you, your here, reminded everyday of the things you three used to do.

That night, you didn't want to give him the leftovers from dinner, so you sneaked to the kitchen to hide them, but he was already there finishing every last thing in the fridge, including your newly bought chipotle bowl, so naturally, you got mad st him, smacked him, and called him a bad brother, you wonder if it was you, what if you just let him finish your food, would he even be here.

You look over your shoulder to Zoe, who was worriedly looking over to you. "I'm sorry.."

She doesn't say anything, only getting up and sitting behind you, the foot of your beds were facing the balcony windows so anyone could be watching, but who would wanna watch a crying session other than the birds and the trees. Zoe hugs your shoulders, rubbing your arms continuously as you let out a breather.

"I'm sorry, I, I didn't, it," you can't even finish what you wanted to say, your mind was saying a million things but your mouth can only say so much.

"It's ok, I'm here.."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" you repeated the words like a mantra, your grip on her arm tightened at every hiccup you get while bawling your eyes out. "Hey, hey, it's not your fault okay? It was never yours, don't blame yourself for it alright? I. Love. You, you hear me?"

She was now kneeling in front of you, cupping your cheeks in her hands, her thumbs wiping away your tears and doing the. work for you. "Y-yes, yes, me, me too"

"And don't blame yourself, don't"

Only just a few seconds when you finally calmed down, you liked how Zoe seemed to understand you even when you didn't say anything, it was always so easy with her, everything was, that's why you'd always stick to her every now and then when you don't have anything to do, you didn't have to worry very much when you're with her.

"I'm gonna go check on them," she pauses, mid-way to opening the door. "Are.. are you going to be alright here?"

You blinked, you hesitated in coming with her or stay, you wanted to see if your hunch was right, that they fought, and beat Zoe, but you also wanted to stay here and tidy up, the thought of the staff coming in here and seeing the mess makes you grow hot, you've only arrived and already caused a mess, especially when you assumed they'd just finished cleaning the rooms.

"I- I'll stay here," you shoot her a smile. "..tidy up after you know.."

You gesture to the feathers as she chuckles evilly.

"Okay, have fun~"

You laugh and throw one last pillow at her, you can hear her laugh outside when the pillow hits the now closed door

"Go away now!"

You didn't realize your mistake when your eyes focus on the shrewed feathers. You weren't too fond of cleaning, honestly you don't like cleaning, and the thought of doing it clearly takes a toll on you when you let yourself fall on the bed, you didn't really want to clean, at all, aside from your nose itching whenever you're near dust, you don't like the look of dirty, messy, unorganized stuff, but your also too lazy to clean it. Your eyes zone out on the non moving ceiling fan, the crystal made fan sparkling from the sun, you wonder how much it was, you assume it's super very expensive, as expensive as your house, maybe, but not impossible, rich people who don't know how to spend their rich money.

That's when a knock interrupts your thoughts, you groan while sitting up, the gears on your head turning, weren't the guests supposed to be in quiet and peace after arriving here, oh gosh, what if they've come to collect you out of your fake rooms and throw you in their cells, and now you've doomed yourself by not coming with Zoe since your in the scene of the crime and they're going to punish you for ruining their pillows!

"Hello?"

You freeze at the voice, oh my goodness, you haven't even finished your smoothie, your driver's license, and you still wanted to travel to other countries.

You gulp and peeked through the hallway to the door.

"W-who's there?"

"It's Yao, miss," you can hear him shuffle outside, it sounded like big bags. "Why— what are you doing outside?"

"Uhh I'm here to—" you can momentarily hear a loud, but not too loud bang on the floor, tour heart lurched, no way they brought you a casket, your not going to even get a cell, you're going straight to the coffin.

"No, I, it's okay, I'm, I'll stay here, inside.."

You hear him chuckle. "So you're going to wear that for the rest of the day?"

Oh good lord, he's here to get you changed for your funeral.

"... Y-yes, I don't, I won't let you in here." You stood your ground, planting your feet on the floor and crossing your arms, you weren't going to die today, not ever, you still haven't gotten a boyfriend yet, not even a first kiss.

"I, uh, think you don't quite understand little miss," you almost flinch when he chuckles, no, you won't be deceived so very easily. "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm— I'm not laughing—" once again, you hear him walk away from the door, his laugh fading out the more he goes, coming back as he clears his throat.

"We have a protocol for—"

"No!" You stomp right in front of the door, still not opening it, even just a peek. "I'm not letting you in! I came here so that my parents can enjoy the vacation and heal! And now your little website about, about stability, ha-happiness, and other lies when you're only job here was to scam us and, and kill us and put us in cells o-or coffins and torture us!"

You huff, swallowing the growing saliva in your mouth. The silence was deafening as you waited for his response but nothing came out.

"A-and, if you're, you're here t-to lock me up in a coffin then I'm not letting you."

And yet again, you waited a few seconds for him to answer but was only met by the buzz of the ac. So you slowly and quietly opened the door by a pinch, you scan the hallway for him but there was nothing, so all this time you've been ranting to nothing, to literal air.

You feel yourself growing hot. How can you even get passed this? Good thing no one was present and heard you, pretty sure you were loud enough for it to echo in the hallway, althought they wouldn't know who you were anyways.

You look down when your knees bump something.

"Isn't this..?"

Your luggage? You frown as you spin it around, yes, it is yours, it has the small stickers in the right place, how could it not? You whip your head on the hallway, tryna find any signs of people, or him, but looks you everyone was outside, or maybe exploring.

Was.. was this the thump you heard earlier and not a coffin..?

Oh gosh.

Nope, no, no way, you can't live like this, you didn't think your day could get any worse, you've embarrassed yourself for countless times already, you really hoped he didn't hear the coffin part..

[gyubaseone]

kim taerae. lovestruck

❛ i would do anything for you, always. ❜

pairing — kim taerae x f!reader

genre — fluff, just taerae being the best bf EVER

synopsis — taerae grew up with so much love surrounding him, he had to share that love somehow. of course, it had to be with his favorite human being.

warning — none! third person pov, lowercase intended, not proofread thoroughly.

word count — 1,126

notes — kind of went off from the request but i hope the anon who requested this enjoys still 😭 i was actually planning to do something similar so i mixed my idea with the request .. not really happy with it but 💧

★ ( please fill out this form to be on my taglist ) ❕

kim taerae was probably the kindest and sweetest soul that y/n has ever met. even after months of them being in a relationship, it seemed like nothing changed. he was still the charming dork that she fell for ; he was perfect in every way.

now imagine, if she thought that he was perfect then how would he feel? the answer is: he's absolutely smitten. since the moment they became a couple, he was always with her. even when he wasn't, he wanted to be with y/n or would be texting her about how much he wanted to be with her. taerae was so lovestruck.

every moment they spent together, all their date nights whether it was eating out or a movie night at his apartment — he was always his happiest when he was with y/n. there was nothing she could do wrong in his eyes.

taerae could literally stare into her eyes for days on end if nobody stopped him. his eyes were definitely heart-shaped whenever he looked at her with such fondness while smiling brightly.

growing up in a loved family, taerae had to be the best boyfriend anyone could ask for. he was definitely the best boyfriend y/n could have asked for. it's like he always knew what to say or do when he was with her.

whenever y/n was down, he was the first and only person she talked to ; taerae would be at her front door in a matter of 10 minutes. whenever y/n wanted to have a late night snack, he would sleep over at her apartment while they munched on the things he bought for them.

he just loved seeing her happy and he was the reason she was so happy. it's like taerae was her comfort place whenever she was sad or stressed about life. so when y/n suddenly shows up at his front door with a sullen look, of course, he had to take care of his favorite person.

taerae was heating up some leftovers in his kitchen when there was a subtle knock at his door followed by a louder one. "i'm coming, one second!" he yelled, putting his phone on the granite counter before walking over to the door.

once he opened it, taerae was met with y/n who embraced him immediately. he almost fell back due to the impact, not expecting his girlfriend to be over or to be hugged so quickly right after opening the door. nonetheless, his arms landed on her back as he regained balance.

"bad day, hm?" he inquired, only to be met with a nod as she still rested on his shoulde, "don't worry.. i know what'll make you feel better."

leftovers? they didn't exist anymore. taerae ended up putting them back into the fridge after settling y/n onto the couch and ordering food delivery for the two. maybe he could've taken her out to eat so that she could forget whatever was on her mind, but he knew her. she wouldn't want to go outside on a day she was sad.

"food will be here in 15 minutes," taerae informed, falling into the couch and laying down so his head would be on y/n's lap. he looked up, seeing her smile slightly just having him with her. "there's that smile that i love so much.." his hands ended up cupping her face, pinching her cheeks while she whined in protest. "wanna tell me what happened today?"

and so, y/n began ranting about how her boss had yelled at her for the whole morning even though she had done nothing wrong. "i just felt like breaking down in the bathroom by then but there were 3 hours left of my shift," she let out a sigh exasperated, "i'm so tired, taerae. i shouldn't be treated like this right?"

"you shouldn't, you don't deserve that," taerae agreed, changing into a sitting position to put his head on her shoulder. "i would hit your boss if it wasn't considered assault."

the two stayed in the same position the entire time they waited for the food, not doing anything but basking in each other's presence. it was nice ; peaceful. it was exactly what y/n needed after a day where she was constantly yelled at.

after finishing their food, taerae and y/n ended up in his bedroom to take a nap since they were stuffed from their meal. he was sitting down at the end of his bed, waiting for y/n to come back while passing time on his phone. but once she came back, he was in for a surprise.

y/n was wearing a different shirt, his shirt. in some way, taerae might've just fallen in love with her all over again. "is that my shirt?" he asked, a bright smile on his face as y/n walked closer to the bed and sat down beside him.

"yeah, i didn't want to sleep in my clothes.. they were too rough," y/n explained, looking over at taerae while fixing her hair, "is that okay?"

"okay? it's more than okay! maybe you should just keep the shirt, it looks better on you anyways," taerae placed his hands on her thigh slowly, patting her leg while he admired her.

"okay— well, let's go to bed! i'm tired," y/n looked away from taerae while pretending to yawn, feeling her cheeks burn up at his words.

the two got situated in taerae's bed, facing each other in silence. "did i do a good job at making you feel better?" taerae asked, running his hand through her hair.

"you did, just like always," y/n gave him a soft smile, nodding her head while she started becoming drowsy, "thank you for always being there for me."

"what can i say? i love seeing you happy," taerae smiled as he stared into her eyes, slightly tilting her chin while he suppressed a kiss onto her nose, "i would do anything for you, always."

before he knew it, y/n had leaned in for a kiss on his lips after he pulled away ; she could feel him smiling through their kiss. it started with small pecks, slowly progressing into a longer one before they parted and stared into each other's eyes for a moment. the moment was perfect.

taerae wrapped his arms around y/n's waist, pulling her closer to him as she rested her head on his chest ; nuzzling her head to be even closer if she could. but of course, taerae couldn't go to bed without peppering her forehead with more fluttery kisses ; making sure he didn't miss a spot. the two slowly drifted off into a slumber, holding each other close.

© gyubaseone — please refrain from copying, translating, reposting, or claiming my work as your own.

[darlingggdearest]

Loved your yandere Enmu headcanons!

Is it ok I could ask for yandere Enmu headcanons again but this time with a willing female darling?

Basically darling's father died, her brother stole all their family's leftover savings and consequently ruined all of darling's chances at a decent life, and her sisters refuse to help her out.

So when Enmu wants her to be his rather than fighting him she accepts his "proposal". How would their dynamic go? Thank you so much for answering! 🩷

Oh my gosh, you're an evil genius. I wanna eat your brain and absorb its power. I also had another request a lot like this, so I guess I can kill two birds with one stone on this one.

WARNING: Yandere Enmu, death, I do not condone any actions that Enmu does in this post, if you are in a situation like this, please seek help.

YANDERE ENMU x FEMALE WILLING READER

+ Enmu had been watching you for a long time.

+ Months, or maybe even years has gone by since he first laid his eyes on you. He's seen your life in vivid detail from the shadows, or outside your window. He's watched your best moments and your worst moments. Enmu closely waits for the best time to take you, the perfect time to snatch you away from those unworthy fools you call your family, and make you his for all eternity.

+ Enmu had never hated anything more than your family, he felt a sickening twist of jealousy and rage in the pit of his stomach whenever he saw you smile at anyone who wasn't him. He especially hated your brother, he saw something awful and untrustworthy in him, making the jealous feeling in the pit of his stomach morph into a strong urge to protect you from the bad vibes of your sibling.

+ In any case, Enmu had already decided when he was going to take you away. Your father had been ill for a long time, three years to be precise. Everyone knew it wouldn't be long before time caught up to him. Despite this truth, it didn't stop Enmu from speeding up the process by giving your father disturbing dreams that kept him up at night, further weakening him.

______________________________________________________________

+ The morning was duller than normal, you had prepared breakfast and was heading down to your fathers room to serve him his meal. When you arrived you saw your father dead in his bed, he had died in his sleep.

+ It wasn't a shock by any means, he would've been gone any day now, but yet it was so much more painful and... real than you thought it would be.

+ The next day after the funeral, you had gotten the news from your brother that he had inherited all of your fathers riches and was now moving away to start a new life in another town. That was it, you had been abandoned for good. Being a woman in the tashio era was impossible if you had no parents or husband to take care of you.

______________________________________________________________

+ That night Enmu emerged from the shadows to watch you once again. You were crying to yourself in the garden, an eviction note gripped in your right hand. Enmu, seeing your disheveled state, knew what had inevitably happened, and approached you.

"Why hello there darling!! Why so blue?"

+ You jumped suddenly as the strange man sat next to you, he sat closer than how a stranger would, thighs squished together on the bench, his warm breath warming your neck.

+ You had seen this man before, he was no stranger, as he had introduced himself to you at the market a number of times. But you never would have thought to see that same man sitting next to you on your property. Despite these obvious anomalies you croak out a response.

"My father died a few days ago, and my brother has left me with nothing, I'm being evicted, and *hic* I have no husband or family to take care of me."

+ You couldn't believe you were spilling your heart out to a man you hardly knew. But you were so torn down and broken you couldn't care less.

+ The strange man next to you did not seem as surprised as you thought he would be. Enmu looked at you with such warmth in his eyes you would've thought that he had known you for years. He put his hand on your thigh out of comfort and pity, and started to speak again.

"Sounds awful, I can't possibly imagine what you're going through dear... However..."

+ He took your face in his hand. His muscular form towering over you with a sparkle in his eyes.

+ You wouldn't deny that you felt a bit uncomfortable with his hand on your upper thigh, but you were in no position to deny kindness from a stranger right now.

+ You look up at him with your big eyes, mouth parted ever so slightly to show a sliver of your pearly white teeth and plump lips.

"You are clearly in distress, and have nowhere else to go."

+ Enmu couldn't believe how perfectly this was going. You would finally be his, and he didn't even have to kidnap you!

"Even though we only know each other in passing, I had fallen in love with you the first moment I laid my eyes on you. I will marry you (y/n), and treat you well. You won't have to worry about anything dear, I'll be the perfect husband for you."

+ Enmu brushed his thumb on your cheekbone to encourage you to choose the right choice. You were shocked, placing your hand on your mouth and closing your eyes as you sunk into your thoughts. A man you hardly knew was professing his love for you. You didn't know him, you didn't know his intentions for you, and you certainly didn't know what kind of man he was. However what could you do? You had no one, to say no to him was foolish. This was the best outcome for you. (Really it was the only outcome for you, however much to your oblivious nature, you didn't know that.)

+ So you excepted.

"You are a kind man Enmu, but I hope you are not marrying me out of pity.

+ He chuckled.

"I wouldn't dream of it darling."

+ He squeezed his hand around your thigh.

" Then I think... I shall except your proposal."

"Oh perfect!~"

+ Enmu leaned in and kissed your cheek, then placing a peck on your lips. He really wanted to do more, but he didn't want to scare off the little bunny he just caught.

+ You let him do as he pleased. If it meant getting out of the situation you were in, you would let him do anything. And oh how he relished in that wonderful knowledge. He would test that truth, soon. But for now he would enjoy just being able to touch you while you were awake.

Thank you so much for requesting!!! Please request anytime, my inbox is always open. I'll post a part two on what their dynamic would be like soon.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

Ok i just saw the finale and Jen has to be a link to Bloody Rose, right? Something about her just doesn't sit right with me. I think maybe next season they reveal she is a bad guy? Idk if you've talked about this but I had to share with someone.

Throughout the season, I thought this was a possibility, since it was hard to know what was real about Jen and what wasn't, since she was caught in several lies. I thought that it might be other secrets, not necessarily Bloody Rose related, but I really thought she had a secret that would come out. I was surprised that there was nothing new revealed about her before the end.

Then in the finale, I definitely thought things were going in that direction when she pointed Noa towards Johnny and Christian, and then they both had incriminating evidence around to be found immediately afterwards. It felt like a planned set-up (I mean, it was presumably a set-up by Wes, but Jen pointing them out just at the perfect time to send Imogen and Tabby off to investigate and find the planted evidence was apparently coincidental). I was very convinced throughout the season that someone's love interest would betray them, and when we got to the finale where Ash, Shawn, Henry, and Greg were nowhere to be found, and Johnny and Christian had highly incriminating evidence show up with over half an hour left in the episode, I thought it would be her. I also thought that would explain why they spent so much time on the love triangle this season. I was very convinced that would have a bigger role in the story than just relationship drama.

Another thing that pinged on my "this might be a clue" radar (to be clear, if this were a different genre of show and I weren't analyzing everything to look for lies/manipulation, this probably wouldn't stand out that much to me) was that Noa repeats Jen's exact words when she brings up Christian and Johnny. This kind of gave me the vibe of "she doesn't realize how influenced she even is by Jen, because she's literally got Jen's words coming out of her mouth." But that turned out to be nothing.

I read (but have not seen a cited source, so take this with a grain of salt) that they didn't actually know who Bloody Rose was going to be until they were writing episode 6, and if that's true, then it very much makes me wonder if there was just too much possible set up (if they were ever considering Jen for being part of that plot) for her character that they didn't remove when they decided she would not be involved. Honestly, I don't like this writing style. I know it's not all that uncommon in TV, but I am firmly of the opinion that when you're writing a mystery, you need to know the answer to it from the beginning. You don't necessarily have to know exactly every step along the path, you should be flexible enough to make changes when the writing takes you a certain direction, but you should not just be making it all up as you go. And a red herring should be an intentional red herrings, not just leftover bits from you being indecisive about the solution.

I think this style of "we'll just write and see where it goes," is exactly what made the OG have so many underwhelming and nonsensical villain reveals the further into the show they got. When they were sticking more closely to the general guidelines of the books, people mostly liked those reveals, and when they wandered off on their own without a plan, things got too messy. This is an area that I would really like to see improvement in if there are additional seasons of the show.

[lumiheartszz]

hihi this is the anon who sent the sirenbur req, i really wanna thank you for accepting my req that quickly! can i please have some wilbur (any persona) fluff where the reader is like super clingy and some other bitch flirts with wilbur and they get super mad and even more clingy and wilbur just laughs😭

also can i be 👁️ anon?

YIPPIE WELCOME 👁 ANON !!

I'm your only one, surely?

More fluff for yall :3

You clung onto Wilbur's shoulder, nuzzling in his neck. You two weren't really a big partygoer, but it's hard to refuse when the party host is one of your closest friends. You didn't EVER wanna be away from Wilbur, especially in this crowd. He held your hand tight, kissing your forehead. "Hey! Fancy seein' you here, Will!" One of the host's friends, Emilie, made their way over to Wilbur. "

Hey, Em. Nice to see you here, too." He waved, smiling at her. She was just being nice, so you simply shrugged it off, laying your forehead against his shoulder. She noticed this, obviously. "Who's this pretty lady? Never seen 'er." She asked, with... theoretically no bad intention... "this is my girlfriend, Y/N!" He smiled cheerily. He loved introducing you to his friends, he loves you, after all.

"Hi... nice to meet you, Emilie." You gave a weak smile. You were too tired to talk, but you still gave it your all. "Hahah, girlfriend? That's..." her eyes landed on you. She was smiling, but her eyes weren't being very... kind. "... nice. Anywayss, Wilburr, are you coming to the pool party this weekend?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him, smiling, and you caught on.

This wasn't right... she was being rather suspicious. Maybe you had to keep your eye on her... "oh, actually, me and Y/N have a date this Saturday. Can't come." He shrugged. "Well, you know, you could just... go on Sunday? I'm sure we'd still have some leftover barbeque and beer at that time." She leaned against him, running a hand through her hair. "He said no." You sternly stated. "And NO means NO. That's pretty clear, Emilie."

You were desperately trying not to tell her to fuck off and smack her. You can't lose your temper right now, not in front of your boyfriend. She simply rolled her eyes. "No need to be jealous, sis. I'm not like-- trying to take him from you or something." You knew it was a lie because your gut said so. You always trusted your gut.

"It's so cold in here, you know?" She hugged herself in seek of warmth, apparently. "Maybe it wouldn't be so cold if your dress wasn't so slutty." You mumbled to yourself. "Do you have a jacket or something? I'm freezingg~!" Emilie whined like a bitch. This was your breaking point. You clung onto Wilbur, burying your face in his side.

"Well, I feel cold as well. I don't really wanna take my jacket off right now." He ran a hand through his hair to fix it. "Oh, that's completely fine, hun!" Emilie giggled, playfully hitting Wilbur's shoulder. Your grip on Wilbur tightened, tears nearly falling from your eyes. His went over your shoulders, hugging you back. "You guys are soo cute together, y'know? I kinda wish I have someone tall and cute to hold me, too..." she pouted, crossing her arms. "Well, you'll find one eventually, Em. I'm rooting for you." Emilie grinned. "Thanks, honey. You know, i want a tall brunette boy like you. Your girlfriend is soo lucky to have you~" she cradled the side of her own face with her hand, looking up at him.

Her friends call for her later before she was able to continue her advances. "Aww, I gotta go, Wilby. It was nice seeing you in this party, by the way~" she winked at him before running on over to her friends. "... Wilbur..." you whisper in frustration. "What's up, love?" He looks over at you, combing his fingers through your hair. "I don't like her... I don't like Emilie." You grumbled as you put your face back into the crook of his neck.

"... no way. Are you jealous?" Wilbur snickers. After a moment of silence, he asks once more. "Angel? Are. You. Jealous?" He used his finger to tilt your face up. "... yes. Yes I am. But why wouldn't I be? She's literally hitting on you!" You crossed your arms, leaning on the wall behind you. "And you actually think her flirting would work??" He laughed, clutching his stomach. "Fuck, I--" he cut himself off with more laughs, eyes watering. "... what?" You look at him with a puzzled expression. "Shit, if I even do as much as to think about replacing an angel like you with a person like you, you might as well just kill me."

You looked at him. "So why don't you tell her to stop?" "Because, honey, she's so far up her ass that she's gaslit herself into thinking what she's doing isn't wrong. Too late to turn back." You started to nod in understanding before you clung onto his body again, like a spider does to it's web. "... remind me never to go to house parties again, please..." you tiredly mutter into his hoodie.

"You're the only girl I'll ever have eyes for, love. Only you."

Were the last words you heard before you fell asleep in his warm arms.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

[the73rdpostscript]

Tell me again about No Sleep Till JoeNicky - 7 - nice version and also tell me about aaaaahhhhhhh

(I know you know the background of this fic, but since most people don't I'm just gonna explain it.)

I'm writing a modern au where Joe develops really bad insomnia and discovers that the only way he can get some sleep is if he's sleeping...next to Nicky. He doesn't like Nicky but he REALLY needs to sleep before his big art show so they have to make it work and oh my GOSH wouldn't you know it they fall in love.

The first draft of this fic had Joe acting too rude for too long without adequate reason. I was essentially half-assing an enemies to lovers when the vibe of the story was just cutesy romcom stuff and it didn't work at all - even though I had some really fucking good scenes in there if I do say so myself.

So right now the story is being reformatted so that Joe is less of an asshole and the climax of the fic is no longer the two of them being vulnerable and apologizing to each other at a sleep clinic.

So since the sleep clinic climax isn't happening I'm gonna just share it here. It's a very long section but I really like what I had.

So....enjoy a massive amount of writing that is now totally irrelevant!

-

“I need to sleep! I want to sleep! And ideally I would be able to do that away from you!” Joe shouts.

As soon as the words leave his mouth, he wishes he could take them back. Across from him, Nicky has gone completely still - mouth pinched shut and eyes shifting from hurt to distant so quickly Joe would miss it if he hadn’t spent the last week looking into those same eyes every morning and every night.

“Then it seems we have no more need to keep up the charade, as you called it.” Nicky says quietly. He might as well be sitting in an office meeting with strangers.

“Nicky, I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

“I’d like you to leave now.” Joe thought he had heard the worst of Nicky’s coldness during the first fight they ever had. The ice in Nicky’s voice now would have shredded him that first day. It’s all he can do to look at Nicky long enough to nod and turn away.

-

He walks home, even though his hands are shaking and his legs feel weak. The cold air is an unpleasant sensation and he thinks he might be in trouble if it’s still better than the feeling he has after that fight.

When he gets home he walks past Nicky's shortbread and eats leftover takeout that smells questionable at best.

Maybe there was something to his false bravado about not needing Nicky, because after an hour of crying to himself he falls asleep on his couch, alone.  

-

The next day he can barely get any work done, and the Nicky painting sits in the corner, staring at him as he struggles with the other canvas – the one he was so close to finishing yesterday.

Around dinnertime, Quynh sends him an email with the options for an appointment at the sleep clinic – detailing the merits of the place, and asking for a response when he’s able. When they’re able actually. Nicky is the other recipient of the email, and though he hasn’t responded with his availability yet, Joe knows he’s seen it.

Nicky is always checking his phone – Joe’s seen him do it so many times he could paint the gesture from every angle. He would want to do one from just behind, and capture the privacy of the moment from over Nicky’s shoulder, highlighting the angle of his nose as the screen lights it up, and the clench of his jaw that he never seems to notice. Maybe Nicky would sleep better if he looked at his phone less.

The email stares up at him from his phone, and Quynh’s impatience is clear in every perfectly chosen word. There are implications there: Quynh and Nicky have spoken since last night, or Andy and Nicky. Maybe Nicky didn’t say anything and Quynh saw his mood at lunch. She’s been suspiciously quiet towards Joe since this whole thing started and it hasn’t escaped Joe’s notice that Andy introduced her to Joe after she was already friends with Nicky.

Joe’s pulse spikes at the idea of losing Quynh or Andy over this. But then he remembers the time that Booker almost hit Joe outside the nightclub, and the time that Andy disappeared for a week in the middle of her own wedding preparations. Joe doesn’t make friends with people who would turns him away over a single fight. Even if he feels like he might deserve it right now.

None of this matters in the moment, however. Joe had asked for a solution to his sleep problem that doesn’t include Nicky, and that’s what’s being offered.

With a sigh, he sends back his availability, and he only barely resists throwing his phone when Nicky responds less than a minute later with his own confirmation of a date that will work.

Before he can stop himself, Joe opens a text message to Nicky, and he gets halfway through his first sentence before he realizes that he doesn’t know what he could say that would even start to address everything that’s happened so far.

Instead he shuts his phone and pulls out an old canvas he once left half finished out of sheer annoyance. He paints until the sun comes up, and then he paints some more.

-

The sleep clinic is small. Joe only sees two assistants and one clinician. The assistants have Joe fill out forms when he arrives, perched awkwardly on a plastic chair next to Nicky.

Between the staff’s polite and distant demeanor, and Nicky’s stoic compliance, Joe feels like he’s alone in the room. It isn’t until they’re asked to detail what’s been going on that he feels a semblance of normalcy.

“So that’s why we’re here to see you,” Joe finishes, having taken point on explaining the situation.

The clinician behind the desk looks at Nicky. “Anything to add?”

Nicky shrugs, “Joe covered it all more or less accurately. I have been struggling with sleep for longer than him, but sleeping beside him has let me sleep regularly and more easily.”

“How much longer have you had trouble sleeping?” The clinician asks, looking down at Nicky’s chart.

Joe watches the lines of Nicky’s shoulder lift – tension clear in his jaw, “I don’t think that’s relevant.”

The clinician responds coolly, “I can’t help you without the proper background information.”

Glancing at Joe, Nicky lets out a sigh, “I stopped sleeping well in my late teenage years.”

Joe tries not to visibly respond, but he can feel his mouth drop open. Beside him, Nicky seems to tense more - as if he can sense Joe’s reaction.

“Any idea what caused the change?”

“I don’t think Nicky needs to share that,” Joe says, speaking before he thinks about it. The idea of Nicky being asked to tell a strangers details that he hasn’t even been able to tell Joe after a week of sleeping in the same bed feels inappropriate at best. This was not a part of his plans to get some sleep.

If Nicky has anything to say about the interruption, he doesn’t get the chance as the clinician addresses Joe, “We are not mind readers Mr. Al-Kaysani. We can’t tell you what is going on with you if we don’t have context for the things you’re experiencing.”

“That may be true, but Nicky didn’t want to share any of this with me before, and I don’t-“

“Nothing changed,” Nicky interrupts Joe with all the calm that Joe can’t feel, “I could not even guess why I stopped sleeping. I’m sorry if that hinders any part of this study.” Something in his voice sounds off, but the clinician doesn’t seem to notice as she nods.

“Okay. Well thank you for telling us what you could. I can’t promise any results tonight, but we will do our best with what we get.”

As the woman rises from her chair, Joe turns to look at Nicky. The other man is gathering his coat and his bag – avoiding Joe’s eyes.

It’s all Joe can do not to grab him and ask him if he still wants to do this at all.

-

When they’re led into a room with two twin beds, Nicky still isn’t looking at Joe.

They were directed to put on their own sleepwear before they came in, and Joe notices that the shirt Nicky picked is different than the worn out ones he usually wears to bed. Joe himself is wearing sweatpants that he normally works out in, and he isn’t even close to feeling relaxed as they get into their respective beds.

The woman speaks over the intercom to them, instructing them to try and sleep but not to feel pressure. They have time, according to her.

For a few minutes, Joe and Nicky lay in silence.

“Quynh didn’t come,” Joe observes at last, “I thought she might.”

“Her meeting ran late,” Nicky responds, voice stiff.

And with that, they return to silence.

Another few minutes pass by, and Joe knows they can’t have been there long, but he’s distinctly aware of how slow time is moving based on how loud Nicky’s breathing feels – uneven and overwhelming over the distance between them.

“I’m sorry,” Joe says, suddenly.

In the silence, Nicky’s breathing has changed, “Scusi?”

“I’m sorry that they asked you about your past, and that you have to be here at all. This wasn’t where I thought we’d end up.”

For a long time they lay in silence.

“Where did you think we’d end up?” Nicky asks.

Joe opens and closes his mouth several times before Nicky shifts in his bed and says, “We should try counting down again.” The lights of the room are dim but not completely dark and Joe can see Nicky laying stiffly under the sheets – looking as uncomfortable as Joe feels.

“Alright. 10, 9, 8,”

Nicky joins him on 7, and this time Joe is still awake when he gets to 1, so he hears Nicky’s voice slow down and drop off during the countdown. For a moment the only sound in the room is the unnatural hum of a different air system, and the steady inhaling and exhaling of Nicky’s sleep.

-

The clinician wakes Joe up, and after a moment of feeling disoriented, he looks over at where Nicky is already sitting up – waiting for one of the assistants to finish pulling the sensors off his face.

“Did you find anything?” Joe asks the clinician, not bothering to let her say anything before he sits up and reaches to help her pull the sensors off.

She catches his hands and tells him to be patient and to relax a moment, but he only lowers his hands and asks, “Did you get what you needed?”

“We got what we needed, but I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed with what we discovered.”

Joe can’t see Nicky’s face but he can feel the tension radiating off of him.

The clinician steps back to more clearly address them both as she says, “We’ve confirmed that there’s nothing unusual about your physical readings when you sleep beside each other. There’s nothing specific going on biologically that we can point to right now.”

Joe wants to scream. “What does that mean?”

For the first time all night, the woman looks a little soft as she addresses him, “It means I don’t have any answers for you, Mr. Al-Kaysani.”

"So why cant I sleep without him?" He can’t stop himself from asking.

The woman gives him a patient look as she responds, "It could be any number of things. External or internal. Rhythms of your apartment, lack of sound, a pet, nightmares, anxiety-"

Joe doesn’t know why, but the very word makes him choke. “Are you saying that being without Nicky gives me anxiety?" Before he finishes the question he’s looking over at Nicky, and Nicky turns to look back. His face is intense and his gaze unwavering. It’s the expression he made the night that they talked about his nightmares – scared and determined and so unbelievably vulnerable that it makes Joe choke on the last word. Something in Nicky’s jaw ticks, and Joe wonders about it for a moment before Nicky speaks and the moment dissipates.

"Impossible. Anyone who feels anxiety when I'm gone has never lost an argument about something as stupid as whether or not [team] will make it to [tournament]."

Joe crushes the urge to argue and takes the offering for what it is, turning to the doctor and asking, "Do you see what I have to put up with?"

The doctor hums and looks down at her chart, "if you don't have any more questions, I'll let you both go. We have all we need for now and you'll get results in your email within a few days."

-

They leave the lab in relative silence, and as they step out of the doors, Joe asks, “Will you come back to my place?”

Nicky looks startled at the question, and Joe remembers just as suddenly what day it is.

“Oh. Right, you have that thing.”

After a brief look of confusion, Nicky’s expression turns to something that might be either frustrated or fond, “That’s not tonight. I’d be happy to come back to your place.”

The radio keeps them company on the drive back to Joe’s apartment, and it isn’t until they get inside that Joe thinks to ask, “Did you cancel your mystery guests?”

“I did,” Nicky says, sounding tired. For a moment, they stand in the hallway together – Joe leaning against the wall and Nicky with his hands on his hips. They must paint a rather sad picture – half in and half out, of both the apartment and this peace that could be something deeper if they let it. If Joe let it, maybe.

“I’m sorry.”

“So you said,” Nicky replies, one corner of his mouth lifting, “Show me where your kitchen is. I think we both could use something to eat.”

Once Joe’s gotten Nicky acquainted with the space and convinced him to keep the cooking simple, he settles himself the counter he thinks will be least in the way.

“You know don’t have to cook for me. I wouldn’t exactly want to feed me right now after everything.”

“That is why it’s good that you don’t make decisions for me,” Nicky says, digging around in the fridge, “You could do something for me though.”

“What?”

Standing up straight, Nicky turns to meet Joe’s eyes. “Tell me what this has all been about.”

-

[terry-perry]

In the Wreckage of the World

2015...

After hearing the eerie voice of Khonshu in his head, it seemed it was time to go back to work.

He glanced over at you. You were still fast asleep, so he slowly moved as he slid out of his side of the bed. As he changed, he would peek at your sleeping form every few seconds. He memorized the way your slightly parted lips released your quiet breaths. It was hard for him to leave, but he had a job to do.

He hunched over and pressed a soft kiss against your forehead. He stilled when you stirred a bit, but then you returned to looking relaxed and comfortable. What he wouldn't give to join you.

"Be back soon, sweetheart," he whispered before leaving your room.

As he walked through the dark hallway, his mind turned to Marcy. He wondered if he should check on her, but only for a millisecond. Of course, he couldn't leave without seeing his little warrior.

He crept inside her room and found her fast asleep as well. She was well-covered in her soft, fluffy blanket and holding onto her toy pig, Kermit. When he approached her, he stroked her gently on the cheek and smiled down at her peaceful state.

"Be good baby," he muttered to her as he stood up.

He made his way toward the door, but then he heard a small "Daddy?" from behind. He froze before he slowly turned around to find his daughter sitting up on her bed and looking right at him.

"Daddy, where you going?" She asked him, rubbing some leftover sand in her eye.

He softly smiled as he went over to his little girl, crouching in front of her. “I have to be a superhero tonight, baby,”

When he heard that little whimper of hers, his heart raced up once more. "I wanna go with you, Daddy,"

He sighed, cupping her face. "You can't go, baby. You need to stay here and make sure Mommy is safe. If you go with me, all the bad guys will just take you away from me. They know it'll hurt me too much if something bad happened to you."

"But I miss you!"

She threw herself in his arms, continuing to whimper as she buried her head in his chest. He wanted to succumb to his emotions so badly now, but he had to stay strong.

"I miss you too, but I need to go," he mumbled to her, stroking her back while doing his best to keep his voice steady. He pulled away slightly so he could look her in the eye for what he needed to say next. "I'll tell you what, when you're older and have trained well enough, maybe I'll take you with me on my missions. Okay?"

At the sound of his offer, she lights up with a smile and big eyes. "Really?"

"I promise," he says, smiling back at her. "But right now, keep everything safe here. Do you still have your bracelet on you?"

She answered by lifting up her right arm and shaking her hand. This signaled that she still wore the special Eye of Horus bracelet he gave her on her last Birthday.

"Good girl," he said. "Take care of yourself and Mommy. I'll be home soon."

She nodded and gave his cheek a kiss. "Be safe Daddy. I love you."

"Yeah, I love you too,"