#miri saw and miri knew what she wanted

[rxttenfish]

as i'm writing this fic i'm a little worried how the first chapter will come off, since it's basically an argument between miranda and aaravi. they fully do end up with an understanding at the end, but it's just one of those things that i fret how it'll come off to people just coming into this.

mostly, this is just part of how their relationship works? as in, they'll have a disagreement about something, and both are vocal and intense about their requirements and wants, and in being aggressively upfront about it they manage to lay out all of their feelings and end up on each other's stride. they work well together because they argue with each other first, and the rest of the fic is just that, with this setup being leadup to them not having these issues since they already went over them.

in the same way, it introduces them to everyone else and explains how they work, just as much as its a setup and a foundation for all the more intense worldbuilding coming up. miranda walking things through with aaravi and explaining them is a good vehicle to explain the fundamental powers at work here, and are also what's keeping her alive through all of this.

[wyn-n-tonic]

That's a Real Fucking Legacy: The Marks You Saw

Pairing: Joel x f!reader (formerly Tommy x f!reader). Word Count: 2.1k+ Warning: Alcohol mention. Drugs mention. Emotional word vomit. Author's Note: And you can tell a friend to tell a friend...she's baaaaack. Not really but I have been dealing with some heavy stressors at work and in my personal life that has stunted my writing so it felt good to get something out that I'm actually proud of. I think? Anyway... no beta, we die like men.

“Do you ever see me?”

Leaning back, you assess the man across from you—the scar that’s nicked into his eyebrow, the freckles that are scattered like spray paint across his nose.

The deep brown, almost black, of his eyes that match his brother’s.

Your daughter’s.

“I'm looking at you right now,” you say and it’s immediately apparent that’s not what he meant.

But you knew that.

“No, sweetheart—“

“I asked you not to call me that,” you remind him. “That's not who we are to one another anymore, Tommy.”

A terse nod.

“And no, I do not see you when I’m with him.”

“Did you ever?”

Did you ever?

Did you?

It’s been so long.

Pushing out a breath, you suggest that maybe you did in the beginning. “I was devastated, Tommy,” you say. “I was imagining the worst things possible, I was having waking nightmares which”—you laugh—“says a lot given the state of our world today. Especially in the Zone.”

His eyes take on that glassy look, the one he gets when he thinks too hard or sits for too long. The same way his brother’s do.

Something you hope your daughter will never mirror.

“But never me? Never now?”

He’s so still, you wish he would move or stand—breathe. It’s still so weird to see him breathing, to see him talking. Instead he just sits there on the other side of the small living room where the only thing that seems to rise and fall is his gaze on every part of you not covered by the threadbare fabric of twenty year old clothes.

“Tommy, I saw you dead and then I saw white, hot blinding rage. But I didn’t go to your brother as a replacement for you, I went because you told me to. If you’re still holding a grudge, I suggest you find whatever’s left of a mirror and confront yourself about it because I didn’t do anything wrong and neither did he.”

“But—“

“Tommy,” you cut him off, “I will always love you but I will never again love you like I did.”

Another nod and he finally does move, readjusting himself slightly in the chair as if he’s uncomfortable. But this discomfort is his own fault. You tell him so as soon as he even dares to say it.

“At some point, Tommy, you have to find closure because we cannot keep having these conversations—“

“Because it’ll hurt my brother’s feelings?”

“Because it’s hurting you, it’s hurting me to hurt you like this over and over again. And, yes, it hurts Joel. If I had ran into your arms when you showed up out of nowhere, he would have stepped to the side and remained quiet and let you back into my life. He still would. He is still afraid that I will decide he is too far gone and too fucked up and he will wake up to an empty bed and an empty crib because I went back to you.”

“Because I’m so easy?” He asks. And, somehow, it’s the first time you smell the whiskey stuck so heavily to him.

At no point during the day have you seen him drinking. Not out in the gardens or the community center. He didn’t even smell like this when he showed up here and you didn’t think his presence was due to anything other than not wanting to be alone.

But that’s as far as memory can serve. Because your attention and all your senses have been occupied by other activities.

Like the smell of the stables when Miri wanted to see the horses.

Or the smell in the crook of her neck, the smell that lingers in her hair.

Pulling her sleeping form tight to your chest, you inhale it again—the soft baby smell that’s going away.

“You are far from easy, Thomas Miller,” you say. “An easy man wouldn’t torture himself like this. But that’s what you’ve always wanted, Tommy. You want to be some complicated soul who saves the day. You already did. Me, Joel, Miri… we’re all here.”

Tommy inhales, deep, and stands to his full height. “I should leave you,” he says, before laughing and pushing both hands through his hair. “I guess I already did that though, huh?”

“Tommy…”

Stopping at the door, he takes another deep breath, his broad back expanding and deflating just as fast as he says, “more and more, I see my brother wearing the same marks you used to give me but it’s different.” A hiccup escapes its way from deep within his chest and he turns until his back is to the door. “He is covered in you in every way I always thought I was.”

“Am I supposed to apologize?”

His head shakes. “No, I-I think I’m trying to apologize to you.”

Looking down again into Miriam’s fragile, sleeping face, you see all the parts of her father truly starting to take shape across her features. Golden skin with a smattering of freckles; a strong nose set against soft cheeks—perfect, gentle little girl who looks like such an imperfect but gentle man.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” you say but when you look back for Tommy, he’s already slipped through the door to make the short walk back across the street to his own home.

Purple blooms beneath the golden skin just below his ear, in that spot that smells most like him. By now, it’s about as permanent as any tattoo ever was because you spend your days and nights putting it there.

But not just there.

He has marks along his collarbone, marks bitten into his chest and shoulders and the side of his hand.

Some happened as a byproduct of stifling your pleasure against his skin. Others because you didn’t catch the moans in time so he had to do it for you. But, if you’re being honest, all of them are a subtle way of saying back off.

Not just to the curious eyes of the horny, lonelier women in the compound but to the world, too.

After all, all these bruises sucked into his flesh are the same purple-red of the knotted scars that have risen like unwelcome mountains across his body.

Your way of saying lust-filled eyes can’t have him and neither can the earth.

Your way of saying mine.

He came home far too late with eyes way too tired. He showered, rubbed mint soap across his body and tried so hard to be quiet on his big, heavy feet. But you were already up, eyes open to stare at the wall while you waited for him to come to bed and the only thing that kept running through your mind is Tommy’s question.

“He asked me if I still saw him,” you whisper across the short distance between where you lay.

“You see him all the time,” Joel says lazily, one arm draped across your body. “Hell, you could go see him right now. Just open the window and throw a rock at his.”

“Joel, you know what he meant,” you say.

“I do,” he affirms. “And I think about the possibility enough already so I don’t need to commiserate it with the target of all my greatest fears.”

A beat passes and his breathing begins to even out and, when you ask him if Tommy is really his biggest fear, you hope he’s already asleep so he doesn’t have to answer it.

So you don’t have to hear it.

Instead, Joel pushes up onto his elbow, body coming to hover over yours as he flips you back into the mattress and says, “he is now.”

“Why?” You ask, circling the edge of one of those darker patches etched into his skin. “Why would Tommy be your biggest fear when you know what’s out there?”

He shrugs and the movement of his body slips your touch further down, over the ridge of the scar to shatter the illusion that it could’ve been just another one of yours. They all look the same in the dark.

In the dark, he was never hurt.

“My brother is always going to love you and he’s always going to think our daughter should be his,” he says. “He's always going to be the first one of us that you loved.”

“That Tommy is gone,” you say. You don’t know how many times you have to say it.

“I see the way he looks at you.”

“It should be the way I look at you that matters,” you tell him. “It should always only ever be the way that I look at you.”

Joel smiles, that lone dimple pocketing his left cheek, as he drops himself down across you and all of his weight from all of this world comes down with him as your arms wrap around his neck with fingers tangled into wild, unkempt curls that have gone so gray.

That’s when his breathing does even out, soft snores overtaking him as you keep lying there and looking at the ceiling.

In the dark, he was never hurt and it hits you then that the dark is the only place Tommy lets himself hurt.

Sunrises aren’t your thing but you’re already up and dressed by the time it comes around. Usually, by the time you wake, most of the compound is up and working—playing in the sun where you don’t like to be.

For so long, night hasn’t been safe. Not even back in Boston. But here? It’s safe for you. He was never hurt in the dark, your face was never gray and bloodshot in the dark. Miri never had to see her parents falling apart in the dark.

That’s where Tommy finds you. Sitting on the rickety old bench outside in his yard, watching your breath swirl through the air in the early morning light, your feet kicking like a little kid’s.

“You're up early,” he drawls. He sounds like shit.

“Couldn’t sleep,” you say.

“You want coffee?” He asks.

“That depends,” you say, “you still slipping Seth’s rust bucket”—your nose scrunches—“whatever he has the audacity to call that in there?”

Tommy smiles for the first time in a while. “It's alcohol,” he says.

“It's piss,” you retort. “And no, I don’t want that or the coffee it goes in. I just need to say something to you.”

He moves to sit before you stop him, pulling back further into the old, worn wood as you push your hand out. If he’s hurt about that, he doesn’t let it show.

“I’m giving you until the end of the day to toss every drop of everything you’re hoarding,” you tell him. “The pills, the booze. I find it incredibly disconcerting that we’ve made it this far in a world without everything that you’ve been able to find it.”

“Swee—“

“No,” you cut him off. “I let you do a whole lot of speaking last night, Tommy, and I let you hurt me. I have continued to let you hurt me and hurt my husband and I will not let you do that any longer. I don’t care that you’re a grown man, I don’t care that you blame me for this broken heart of yours, but I do care about you. Because, yeah, I put myself all over him. I dig my nails and my teeth and the heels of my feet into him every chance I get. But I do it because of you.”

“To make me jealous?” He asks, eyes narrowed.

Laughing, your head shakes. “Because I lost you,” you tell him. “All I had was a note that said you wanted better for me and all I thought about was how it really meant you wanted better than me. You pushed yourself out into this world without so much as a goodbye and you had no parts of me stuck to you reminding you to come home. I don’t make that mistake with Joel.”

“He's the better for you.” It’s not a question. Tommy Miller may be a lot of things but he is not a dumb man.

“Yeah,” you affirm, pushing off the bench to stand, “and I need you to get your shit together so you can find the better than me.”

He doesn’t speak, there’s no response even as you step back towards your own house across the street but it doesn’t matter and you won’t hear it.

Quietly, you push the door closed, toeing off your shoes at the entrance and pulling each layer from your body before crawling back into the bed you left an hour ago.

And if Joel noticed, if he woke up, it didn’t keep him that way. He doesn’t stir when you force your cold body back beneath his either. It’s enough to bring a very silent prayer forward from your lips to the same ceiling you stared at for so long last night.

The Tommy that could’ve been died in your heart a long time ago and it’s about time the one who scares Joel does, too.

[dr-demi-bee]

primalweave + 10 for the hugs 💜

10. Celebratory hug where one has received good news/succeeded at something and the other is proud of them.

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Miri waits outside the gates of Blackstaff academy, leaning against a brick plinth and alternating her gaze between passers by and the doors of the illusory department.

Of which, her husband would be leaving any minute now. For the last time.

The first few years at Blackstaff had gone exceptionally well. Gale had thrown himself into teaching with all the enthusiasm he committed to every endeavor that caught his interest. And by all accounts he was an exceptional instructor - funny, engaging, interesting. His students flourished.

But as the semesters wore on, Gale on the other hand, did not.

The hours were long - not just at the academy, but also outside of it. Research and grading and preparing materials... it all took countless hours of mostly unpaid, thankless work. He bemoaned often how it took time away from him enjoying time in the tower - time cooking or engaging in his hobbies. And especially time away from his new wife.

Miri was patient, of course. She understood little of the rigor and expectations of the ivory tower, but she knew well the way Gale could get consumed in a project. His passion is one of many things she loves about him.

And while she was willing to entertain herself for his hours away or holed up in his office- she wasn't as willing to tolerate the way the stress was impacting him.

What was this professorship giving back to him?

Gale wasn't eating as much or as well. Distracted often. And he could get irritable if interrupted "too much" or at "the wrong time."

But she knew it was more than the stress of the job. Blackstaff was also a haunting specter of his past. It was in these halls where he had been led by the nose into a cycle of abuse. And there was little he could do when he saw other young, brilliant minds being drawn in much the same way...

Miri had broached the subject gently, numerous times.

Brushed off. Shouted over. Cried about.

The pride of being in such a coveted role - doing such important work - meeting the expectations and living up to his potential - none of it was easily discarded.

But as Gale had started to truly burn out - from the stress of the job, the lack of rest at home, and the constant reminder of some of his worst trauma... he had listened.

Miri had reminded him (again and again) that his worth had nothing to do with his job, or his ability, or his achievements.

And they had decided together that what they most enjoyed was the kind of adventurous experiences they had gotten on the road to Baldur's Gate together. And while they wouldn't give up the tower in Waterdeep - Gale and Miri would set out on the road. Live the adventurer's life. Learn and explore and discover the whole worlds out there. Together.

So Gale had tendered his resignation at the beginning of the semester. He would teach one last set of courses, and that would be it. The Blackstaff had made it clear he would always have a home at the academy, should he want it.

Today was his last official day. His office manually (and magically) cleaned and emptied over the course of the weeks. All that was left was to say his farewells and walk home.

Miri looks back just as the door is swinging shut behind her husband. No more teaching robes - just the smart slacks and button up he wore beneath.

There's a bittersweet sort of smile on his face as he turns towards the path. But when his eyes settle on her, he beams. Those brilliant, beautiful brown eyes alight with a happiness she hasn't seen in months. Gale practically jogs the rest of the way to meet her.

"Kweshta! It is finished?" Miri prompts with a grin once he's in earshot, her smile warm and affectionate. The lythari endearment never fails to make him grin.

"That it is," Gale returns with a broad grin and a half laugh. The relief pouring off him is unmistakable. "Plain old Gale Dekarios, as of today, officially unemployed."

"Nira'aan'ma!" Miri crows with a broad toothy grin. Many congratulations!

She wraps her arms around his waist and hefts him off his feet, spinning them around a few turns. Gale laughs, sounding delightfully carefree as he clings to her. "Oh, vhenan! I am so proud of you!"

When she sets him down they continue to cling to one another, both grinning broadly. Gale's hands find their way to her cheeks and he showers her with quick kisses.

"Thank you for encouraging me, my love."

Today could finally be the start of a new chapter together. And while there's no guarantee it would always be the best choice - they both knew the chance at something better was worth it.

[yandere-fics]

♡ Dark AU Miriel ♡

(miri obviously gets one of the softer stories in this au cause she's a sweetie(a sweetie who thinks she's smarter than you but like beggars can't be choosers.))

AU Rules

You knew almost nothing about your soulmate and that was the way you preferred to keep it, you never looked for anything identifying in the dream or paid attention to your surroundings in the dreams, you wanted to live blissfully and if she was coming for you, you would honestly prefer not to know until the moment of your life inevitably changing for the worst, it wasn't like you could do anything to stop it anyways, you knew humans who wrote down every detail of the dream so they could avoid those areas but that just ultimately lead to them finding it while trying to avoid the area so really what was the point, your dream would occur exactly as it was foretold. The only detail you had noticed about her, something you had zero'd in on every time you had the dream to try to avoid looking at anything else, were her ears, an elf, terrifying.

Your village had a particular hatred and fear of the elf populations and you couldn't say you disagreed with them, they walled your village in with trees and guarded it heavily, trying to preserve and protect their livestock of human mates, seeing humans as foolish and naive, needing everything to be done for them and while it had earned your village the protection of the elves, it had also meant those found with elf soulmates were carted off into the forest never to be seen or heard from again, elves never even let their soulmates send letters home to their families, so you had hide your dreams since the day they started, no one could ever find out, sure some people would protect their family members who had the dreams trying their best to hide them but some humans, those who had bought into the elves being your saviors would rat them out, and other more selfish humans would sell human soulmates out for extra rations or perhaps an upgrade in their accommodations.

You however had been smart enough to understand that you should never tell anyone about your dreams, not that it would change anything in the long run, you would likely still get carted off to your soulmate one day but hiding it at least meant other humans didn't avoid you, worried about getting close to you or earning your ire, after all all it would take to ruin their life is one human soulmate deciding they didn't like them very much and the elves would strip them of all their accommodations and they would no longer get to live as nicely as they had been or if the offense was more egregious they'd be kicked out into the wilderness left for the monsters to devour brutally.

"Babe, you really shouldn't be in the forest, humans can't survive on their own out there. Hmm, when we get back you need to tell me who convinced you it would be a good idea to be out there." You darted up from your dream in a cold sweat, this was the first time you'd actually heard your future captors voice in your dream and it sent chills up your spine. Hearing her voice had freaked you out so bad you had almost allowed yourself to look at her face in the dream, waking up right before you saw it which was very good, the less details you knew of, the better. Well you knew not to go into the forest now at least, it wouldn't change anything really but you could try to prolong it at least. Somewhat stupid to believe you'd be able to avoid her forever but you would give it your best shot.

Since your meeting with her was in the woods though, you were pretty sure today would be safe, an elf knight from another village, likely with similar circumstances to yours was visiting because her mate was from this village and she'd gotten sick of waiting and simply needed to collect them now, something elves did do on occasion though most were willing to wait for their mate to come to them since they had eternity, unless their mate died before they got to meet, you weren't sure what occurred when that happened but it couldn't be good, nothing to do with supernaturals was ever good.

Your village had been doing just fine on it's own before the elves had arrived, they'd been fighting off the monsters all on their own, only losing people occasionally on blood moons when the monsters seemed to become stronger but then one day an elf strolled into town to claim their soulmate, a warrior of the town and the warrior begged and pleaded on their knees for the elf to allow them to stay and defend the village, being the front line and not wanting their family to die, of course the elf did not accept this, elves know better than their human counterparts after all in their heads, humans couldn't possibly defend themselves and their mates should never be allowed to fight but out of an act of kindness to their mate, the elf stationed their own warriors around the human town to protect those who could one day be soulmates potentially and since then your village had been under the elves control for the last 4 decades.

You weren't the mate, you were already aware you were not because your friend had been carted off to be dolled up and have one last meal with her family but there was always the danger that a member of their entourage also had a mate here and wound up taking you along with them, as long as you stayed out of the woods though, you'd be perfectly fine probably. You were wrong, they'd been there for all of an hour and a princess of another elvish village had laid eyes on you, proudly declaring you her mate with a smile. You'd been so completely wrong, you had assumed those dreams were of your first meeting with your soulmate but it hadn't been, it had been about what happened after your meeting with her and while it was the stupidest choice you could make, you ran into the forest, maybe you'd get eaten by a monster, that would be better than being tied down with no freedom to a elf who assumed you were far stupider than her.

"Babe, you really shouldn't be in the forest, humans can't survive on their own out there. Hmm, when we get back you need to tell me who convinced you it would be a good idea to be out there." You sobbed a bit as you heard her speaking behind you, it really was just like the dream, you were trapped and finally you got to see the face of your mate, a mate you knew nothing about because you had spent years of your life trying to know nothing about her when most humans at least tried to learn about the supernatural they'd be bound to, perhaps you really were stupid after all.

[eyeslikewatercoolers]

sashmiranetra with pop girlies 🌸

Song is...These Walls by Dua Lipa

Because of the song's context, this got a tad angsty. Oopsies

Maybe we should switch careers 'Cause, baby, you know no one beats our poker faces And when the night ends up in tears Wake up and we blame it all on being wasted

Mirage woke up early after a night of heavy drinking at the bar across town, the bar Anetra won't shut up about. Her girlfriend suggested they go out since their nights together have gotten mundane.

Anetra makes dinner, they eat in silence, Mirage cleans, and then they watch reruns of Masterchef. It's this routine, every single night.

So Anetra convinced her to go out, which Mirage was surprised by. Anetra was the quiet one that looked like a tough, scary, wallflower. She wasn't surprised anymore when she saw her all over a woman at the end of the bar. Anetra introduced Mirage to the woman, Sasha, whom she met in the self-defense class Anetra taught.

Anetra passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow, Mirage knew she was a lightweight. But the alcohol turned Mirage into a crying mess until she was too tired to stay awake.

Mirage heard Anetra stirring awake behind her, as she's been staring at the blank wall since waking up.

"Mhmmm," Anetra's arms wrapped around her waist, and Mirage didn't know whether to recoil or get pulled into her touch. "Can we get IHOP for breakfast? Pancakes sound amazing for this hangover," Anetra asked.

Mirage put on her best closed-lip smile as she turned in bed. "Sure, we can do that," she said, not bothering to mention that they usually went to Waffle House instead.

"Great, Sasha said that the one downtown is better than anywhere else she's been to," Anetra smiled as she spun out of bed to get ready for the day.

Mirage rolled her eyes after Anetra left the room. The mention of this woman made her want to fall out of bed and hit the hardwood floor.

It's not supposed to hurt this much Oh, if these walls could talk They'd tell us to break up

Sasha started coming over to their place over the next few weeks. She usually brought red wine that Mirage could never afford, and she and Anetra would giggle at their own inside jokes.

Mirage felt stupid for her jealousy since she was the one to suggest inviting the woman over. But Sasha made Anetra happy, and that's what Mirage wanted, right?

She sat at the end of the couch, her and Anetra's pinkies hooked. Close enough for them to touch, even though she was leaning closer to Sasha's side.

Mirage shouldn't be feeling like a third wheel in her own relationship. But her and Anetra's relationship has gotten lukewarm at best, and this was the best thing she could come up with for Anetra to have what she deserved in a relationship.

Any sane person would tell her to just break up with Anetra already. She was the only thing stopping Anetra from getting into a relationship with Sasha. If they broke up, nothing would be stopping her.

"You've been wanting to watch this one, right Miri?" Anetra's voice pulled Mirage from her thoughts. She almost didn't catch the nickname Anetra hadn't called her in months.

She looked at the television screen to see a new rom-com selected. Anetra didn't care for the genre, and Mirage planned to see it with Xunami while it was still in theaters.

"Oh, it's okay. we can watch something else if you guys want," Mirage shrugged with a small smile.

"I've been dying to watch this. The trailer looked really good, and I haven't got the chance to see it yet!" Sasha said, leaning to talk to Mirage. Her smile warmed her insides, and Mirage wasn't sure how to feel about it.

Maybe after everything was over, she and Sasha could be friends. All she had to do next was get this break-up over with.

They tell us, "Go and face your fears" It's getting worse the longer that we stay together We call it love, but hate it here Did we really mean it when we said forever?

Mirage didn't know why she chose to break the news when Anetra was getting ready for work. She knew her girlfriend liked quiet mornings, and Mirage was about to ruin it.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Mirage said as she offered Anetra fresh black coffee, exactly how she liked it.

"Sure, what's up?"Anetra tried to sound natural, but her eyes said otherwise.

Mirage took a deep breath, "I noticed that when you are with Sasha lately, you seem to really like her,"

"She's my friend, of course, I like her," Anetra said, hands wrapped around the mug.

Mirage looked into Anetra's eyes, "No, like more than she's your friend,"

Anetra didn't say anything but nodded solemnly. Mirage decided to continue, "She makes you happy. I haven't seen you happy like that in a long time, and that's what you deserve,"

"What are you saying?" Anetra asked her. "You make me really happy too, Mire."

Mirage ignored the tears welling behind her eyes, "I think we should break up. I really don't want us to end, but-" She tried to muster up something to say, but Anetra cut her off.

"I don't want to break up," Anetra put her free hand over Mirage's. "I still love you, and I really want to get to know Sasha like how I did with you. I know we haven't talked about an open relationship before, it's something I really want with her."

Mirage thought for a moment. She and Anetra would still be together, and she'd be able to see her be really happy. Maybe the jealousy would die down if she knew that Anetra was still hers.

"Okay, maybe we should talk to Sasha about it, together." She offered, and Anetra smiled at her.

These walls are going to see a happy relationship soon again.

[mcclens]

Some things about Misaki that I always think about is

1. How she let her 4 y.o. child travel alone (by a train too?!) to find her biological dad that didn't want her and didn't want to pay for child support. You can only imagine the horrible things that could've happened to Miri, I mean she almost got shot by her bio dad. And Misaki didn't care that two random men took Miri in to take for her. She didn't care about that until she found out she's going to die soon and also SUDDENLY Miri is in danger because she's with Kazuki and Rei?! But she wasn't in danger before when she was left to travel around alone and stay in two random men's apartment for a year???

2. Because of that I'm convinced she pulled the "I know what type of work you do" card only because Kazuki and Rei clearly grew attached to Miri and didn't want to just let her go like that. If they did, Misaki would've never admitted she knew the truth. Miri was safe with them for a year, a whole year where she could've been who knows where doing who knows what with someone else if she ended up in wrong hands (human trafficking for example; Something her bio dad was involved with)

3. Which leads me to the next thing: Misaki knew she was going to die, so she wanted to spend time with her daughter -- fine. But what after? As far as the audience can tell, she's a single mother with nobody around, so once she dies what would happen to Miri? She'd end up in orphanage, probably. In the best case situation, a possible aunt or grandparents that maybe exist would take her in?

I wanna say Misaki's reasoning is selfish, but I also kinda empathise with her since she looked like she realized her faults, and that she actually loved Miri. (The anime showed that by making her try to be a better mom to Miri (like when she tried to cook, even though she clearly wasn't too experienced)).

But it still annoys me, writing wise. Because wtf, she did not have to die the way she did! She was already on her way to death! IMO the anime should've made her and KazuRei co-parent. She'd get to spend time with Miri, and once she passes away Miri wouldn't have been left alone since her dads would still be there lol. She could've dropped by and suggested the idea, Kazuki would be like hell no, Rei would be hesitant, Misaki would pull the mom card and "I'm gonna die soon" card, KazuRei would hesitate but feel empathetic enough to agree. Miri would be with her mom for sleepovers. She'd see her dads. They could've coparented while dealing with the organization. Cut the whole Ogino being after Misaki and Miri, or just make it so that Kazuki comes earlier and stops him, whatever, just put Misaki and Miri out of the trouble lol. And then in the timeskip its implied Misaki eventually passed away. It could've worked, while not separating any parent from Miri. MISAKI DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE THE WAY SHE DID!!!!

Sidenote. I saw people wonder what 15 y.o. Miri thinks about her mom, where is she, what happened?? Considering Misaki had cancer, KazuRei most likely used that excuse once Miri grew older or asked more seriously about her mom.

[lunalillyhbhb]

Lea's home

Chapter 4

The walk from college to Lea's home is a brisk 15 mins. It is sort of my cardio for the day, gets my blood flowing and engine back up and running after long hours of sitting/standing in lecture rooms. I used to love this walk, but as of late I get the feeling that someone's watching me...... following me. Especially today. My heart beat picks up, and I start becoming hyper aware of my surroundings. My pace quickens, as does my heartbeat, now pumping with adrenaline, preparing my body to fight at a moment's notice.

I hear footsteps close behind me, quick and agile like a cat, weaving through the roads hot on my heels. I turn on to Lea's street, thankful that her house is in view. If anything happens, her security cameras will pick up on it for sure.

The footsteps approach me quicker and someone lightly taps on my shoulder. Heart beating in my throat I whip around only to find Mirin, looking at me innocently.

"Hi! I saw you and thought I'd join you for a walk, but you walk too fast, it's hard to keep up!"

Oh. It was just Mirin. I clutch my hand to my heart, trying to calm it down before she sees the way she worked it up. She obviously sees it, with how my heart pushes my hands out with each thump. For a milli second I see a smirk graze her lips...? A smirk? From my sweet Mirin? No way. I must be imagining things.

"Hey Miri! You nearly scared me! I thought some creep was following me!"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. I've seen you walk the distance, do you prefer walking?" She asks, smiling sweetly, her cute twin ponytails waving in the wind. Yes, this is the Mirin I know.

"Oh you know how it is, I keep sitting in my lectures all through the day. Gotta work my muscles you know, get my heart working, get some blood flowing through my limbs!" I explain, trying to not bring attention to the heart part.

"I can see that, I mean, look at how hard your heart's going right now! It's shaking even your shirt!" She says with a giggle. Oh my sweet, sweet Mirin. If only you knew the effect these words have on me.

"It does that sometimes" I try and brush off the topic.

"Oh btw, I umm-" she looks nervous. "- I need your advice." Is she in trouble?

"Sure! What'd you need? I'd be happy to help you!"

"Can you come with me to the maid's changing room? I'd like to ask this of you in private. Before any of the other staff come in." Her small perfect face and pleading doe eyes persuade me easily. "Sure!".

I follow her into the house through the back entryway and go straight to the changing room. Setting my belongings down, I begin to strip and wait for her to initiate conversation.

"This is really embarrassing of me to ask but... You see I ummm....." She's very nervous as she says this. I can see her small breasts bounce slightly, her heart probably hammering inside in anxiousness. I'm in my black padded bra, and don't bother putting on a shirt. I walk to her and hold her hands, telling her to breath and calm down.

"I won't judge you sweetie. I will do my best to help you, don't worry about that! Just tell me what's on your mind."

She looks at me with resolve in her eyes. "I know what's going on between you and our miss Lea." I freeze in my place, heart slowing down dangerously and thudding deeply, almost rocking me.

"What do you mean?" I ask as calmly as possible.

"I always see you stay over late sometimes and used to think you were working hard so I wanted to be like that..... so I stayed over once and tried following you discreetly. I saw you enter Lea's room and.... I overheard it all. Everything. I recorded it as well."

This can't be happening right now. She's trying to blackmail me?

I look at her face, trying to figure out her game but... it's still strangely nervous and anxious. This isn't what she's after. I say nothing and wait for her to continue, eyes staring straight into her soul as I try to discern her.

"I heard everything you both shared and...... I want that too."

I feel my heart stuck in my chest, I am speechless. There's no way I heard that right. My Miri definitely didn't say that.

"I'm sorry...what?"

"I want that. I want you to do that...to me."

My mind is going a 100 miles an hour and I'm trying to make sense of this situation. Before I could react, she peaks out the changing room and with frantic eyes looks around, steps back in and locks the door. Her eyes dart everywhere and her face flushes a bright red, and she begins unbuttoning her blouse. Her light pink lace bralette, barely holding her B cup breasts come into full view. I spot a small mole under her left nipple, clearly pulsating with new vigor. I notice for the first time her heartbeat in full view, without any obstruction, in its full glory, vibrating her small breasts with such force I wonder if her heart is bigger than normal.

She bends over her bag, her mini skirt riding up revealing her slightly damp matching pink lace underwear. She came prepared for this. She pulls out a beautiful steth and nervously begins to fidget with it, sneaking quick glances at my chest, which is already jumping, asking to be pampered.

"Please, please just steth me before the other maids arrive... I want to know what you feel like.... I want to experience you... I want you..." her voice trails off towards the end, her breathing becoming waspy and labored.

My mind switches on, seeing this young, sweet, innocent naive girl begging me makes me loose all sense of rationality, my heart takes control of me. I yank the steth out of her hands, grab both her wrists up and push her into the wall behind her, pinning her down in place with my knee between her thighs. She lets out a small whimper and looks at me with her beautiful eyes, her heart pattering inside her like a doe caught in the headlights.

With one hand, I swiftly wear the ear pieces and push the bell into her apex, and the sound of her jittery heart, beating away with 120 bpm fills me. Her eyes start tearing up and she moans, making small noises I never knew her to be capable of. Her tiny soft breaths stir up a deep, dangerous beast in me, my body starts feeling warm in all the places possible. Her heart kicks so fast, it's a fluttering mess in front of me, rapidly skipping with random pauses and skip beats littered everywhere. Her ECG graph would look so dirty right now, and it turns me on.

Her weak fragile frame trembles against me, quivering with every muscle. She looks at me like she's begging for more, and I gladly oblige my little princess. I let go her hands above and trail my fingers across her slim neck, feeling her carotids bounding and overflowing with blood. Then I drag them across her sternum and slowly circle her small mounds. Her nipples, rock hard now, peak through her bralette, inviting me. I easily slip my hand under her bralette and flick her nipple. She takes in a sharp breath and arches her back, pushing her everything to me, praying for more.

I unhook her bra and with one swift motion i strip her shirt and bra off her, showcasing the beautiful sculpture of a body she has. Her perfect neck, beautiful slender waist, divine mounds with erect nipples as pink as her flushed face. Her torso with defined curves, her abdominal aorta shaking her very core. She is beautiful.

I bring my lips to her nipples, first letting my hot breath fall on her, arousing her more and more. Then finally, I cave and suck her, like I haven't had a sip of water in ages. Mirin is barely standing, unable to contain her moans any longer and starts moaning louder, breathing heavier. Sweat rolls off like beads down her neck, pulsating with her rhythm.

Still focusing on her breasts with one hand, I remove the steth with the other hand and put it on her. Her eyes widen with anticipation. A once sweet, naïve and innocent face was now a panting weak mess, with carnal desire igniting her every move. Any and all hints of that innocence washed away.

"Just who are you?" I ask between gasps of air.

Her voice, dripping in honey answers "I'm your girl, your little heartbeat slut". Never in a million years would I have ever imagined such words to cross her mouth, and I feel a wave over euphoria coming. And from her eyes and loud moans, she was feeling the same, and I knew just what she needed to come.

My knee still between her thighs pushes upward into her wet pulsating mounds, igniting her passion more.

"My sweet little slut, focus on this, come for me like the little slut you are" I growl, stroking her chin. And then I push the bell into my chest. My pounding beast of a heart consumes her from the inside out, she buckles under her weight and heaves repeatedly, her fingers immediately addressing her sensitive clit, rubbing so hard and so fast to match my heartbeat, that she is unable to speak coherently at all. The wave passes over and with a moan of release she rests, hands falling completely to her sides, tears all over her face mixed with sweat and her chest rising and falling deeply. Her heart continues to hammer away visibly and she stays there, collecting her self as she listens to my heart singing away.

A few minutes pass by and we hear the maids room open. In a flurry, we both quickly change into our uniforms and tidy ourselves up. Looking presentable, we exit the changing locker leaving no traces of the wonderful event behind, it's only existence living in our memories and in our hearts.

The head maid greets us with a warm expression, unsuspecting of anything. Mirin looks at me, tiptoes over and whispers sweetly and shyly in my ears, "If it weren't for the head maid, I would've taken you on for a few more rounds..... pity, isn't it?" and skips away.

My sweet, innocent naïve little Mirin has in reality never been any of that. She's now my little heartbeat slut. The girl with 2 faces.

Mirin is exactly what her name made her out to be: a sweet alcohol, capable of intoxicating you if you aren't careful.

[empyreanwritings]

i can't believe i'm actually writing a blurb about this but i need to-

kazuki's goatee is criminal. as his best friend, you try to convince him to shave it but he doesn't budge, so you have to try to convince rei to get him to shave it. rei doesn't see it as a problem either, and it makes you want to scream

you've been friends with the two idiots since they moved to your city and opened up their cute diner together. you enjoyed their company, loved miri as if she were your own, and helped whenever you could

but the second you saw the stubble? you knew it was going to be a nightmare. and it was. no matter how much you begged, he refused to shave it

so you did what any normal friend would do - pay his daughter to shave it off in his sleep

[satubby]

Prologue |The mysterious call|

Disclaimer : There could be misspellings and masculine/feminine pronouns etc. Enjoy your reading.

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Looking at the time on her phone, a girl sits waiting in the coffee shop she usually goes to. Her gaze does not stray from her surroundings. The tinkling of the doorbell alerts the girl waiting at the first table by the window.

"Don't you think you're late? You told me 8 a.m.," she comments, glancing toward her red-haired friend. Who, is still standing near the entrance.

"An apology for that, but I really hate the traffic at this time, there are many cars and I didn't see when we would advance. There are too many cars at this time of the morning!" Exclaimed the other girl.

Rolling her eyes, (Y/N) smiled and let out a sigh. Amirie walked over to her, and took the chair in front of her, sitting down.

"Okay, could you tell me about this so-called part-time job?" Her eyes (E/C) looked up into Amirie's blue ones, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, yes, calm down, I'll tell you now. But, do you want to order something? I haven't had breakfast for coming to this place. "Said the redhead adjusting the glasses she wore and setting aside her unicorn backpack. Raising her hand, she called out to the waiter standing nearby and asked for her appetizers "Aren't you going to order something?" questioned the rainbow-clad woman.

"Haven't you seen my empty cup and saucer? Anyway, Mirie, can you tell me now? Otherwise, I'm wasting my time and I still have to go to work in 30 minutes," snorted the (H/C).

At her friend's refusal, Amirie raised her hands in a peace sign. Then, the waiter arrived with her order: a cold cappuccino and a chocolate cake filled with pastry cream.

Taking a rather long sip, at least for our protagonist, Amirie turned to look at her friend. "Well, you see ... This job my sister's friend got. Still for some reason she quit, so Nata told me about it because she knew about your complaints about your current job and also the salary" She took another sip of her cappuccino and ate a piece of cake.

"I still wonder why that woman quit, the salary was too good to be real. At least for a college girl, you know school debts and stuff, pouff" The redhead uttered in a teasing tone, mostly whispering those phrases to herself. Amirie returned her focus to her food, forgetting her earlier comment and the presence of her companion.

"Well, what exactly does this job consist of? There should be a reason for the previous girl to quit just like that, if the pay was good" She said looking towards her friend who was still eating and taking a noisy sip, mostly playing with her drink.

"DELICIOUS! ... Ah, about that, who knows? There are some strange people in this world, you see. If it were me looking for a job, I assure you that without hesitation I would accept that position. However, my sister would die if she saw me working" commented the somewhat freckled girl, making a mental note and shrugging her shoulders. She could hear her sister Natalia shouting in annoyance, they didn't really let him have a job of his own.

"Mirie, please don't ramble so much, I mean I appreciate your comments, but I need to get to the point of this matter. How much does that job pay?" pleaded the girl somewhat desperate for distractions from her partner, who just looked at her with bored eyes.

"My mistake, sorry. I can't help rambling. And about the pay ... I think it was $3,000 or was it $7,000? I don't quite remember, but it's about the same. That's why I made those comments, and I think you get it every week. It must be a complicated job for what they pay you," Amirie added at the end, placing her hand under her chin thoughtfully.

Eyes (E/C) widened in surprise. "Do they pay that well?" the girl (H/C) thought.

"Mirie, are you sure it's not a scam? Please, I don't want this to be another one of your meaningless jokes" He looked at her seriously and moved his face closer to the other woman, although almost touching their noses in the words of Amirie.

"Are you calling me a liar? And here I thought you were my best friend!" .... Well no, I'm not kidding, you can ask my sister, she's more mature and serious about this. Anyway, it's getting late, aren't you going to work?" questioned the redhead still overwhelmed by the closeness of her friend, opting for another topic.

"Yes, although you still haven't given me the contact number, now that I remember" She sat back in her seat, much to the relief of the second woman.

"Well I just came with the information, I forgot to ask Nata for the contact details, you see how absent-minded I am. You can meet me at my place when you're done with your work, she has a break today so she'll be in the house for the rest of the afternoon."

Calling the waiter's back, he asked for the total of his order and with that, payment. Amirie and (Y/N) got up leaving the cafeteria, one hour had already passed, and (H/C) panicked saying goodbye to his companion.

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"Mr. Lombuarph, I'm sorry I'm so late!" Exhaling and inhaling, the girl apologized to her employer. Who only looked at her bitterly.

"I understand your situation (Y/N), but you're still late this week. Next week I will discharge you with your payment if you keep coming in a late girl, don't forget that." The man walked away, as the girl grimaced in disgust at her somewhat elderly boss.

Stepping away from the entrance to the store, the young woman put on her apron and grabbed a hairnet and headed for the kitchen. The store was a small bakery, owned by the old curmudgeon from before who, in the words of the tree employees, was not very nice.

"Don't tell me, did the curmudgeon scold you again for your tardiness?".

"HA HA HA HA, look how I laugh at your joke Josette" (Y/N) commented sarcastically, still annoyed by her employer's scolding. Josette, a dark-skinned guy with dyed red hair and hipster clothes, looked at his colleague.

"Come on, I just wanted to cheer you up. Although with your face, you'd scare even the flies ha ha ha." He went back to teasing the young woman as she only snorted. She has already used Josette's ungraceful teasing and practical jokes; a daily occurrence.

Resuming her position, she completely forgot about her surroundings and began to knead the dough already made by the brunette.

Josette walked over to the oven and put in several pieces of cheese-filled pie. Then, she approached the girl again, who, was still somewhat annoyed.

"Okay, I didn't ask you this time ... Still,now what was it?" the boy questioned somewhat vaguely enough for the female to understand.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead due to the heat of the oven, the (H/C)-ette turned to stare at him and, putting down the dough, replied annoyed and sarcastically.

"Nothing that really matters to a gossip like you, I just know that I'll leave this dump of flour and bread. "Josette's green eyes widened, giving that puppy dog look, pleading to (Y/N).

"Don't be mean, tell me the gossip. Although if I could, I'd quit this job too, you can see I can't. That old man ... I mean, my uncle, I still owe him the two thousand dollars he lent me" snorted the brunet averting his 'pretty' eyes.

"Jo, I'm not going to tell you even if you make those eyes, you suck at making that face and I long to leave you here too, I can't stand to have you hovering around like a fly in my ears. Anyway, Josette, you're burning the bread you put in the oven" She said ignoring the surprised cries of her brunette companion.

"Why didn't you warn me? Ugh, that old curmudgeon is going to scold me" Rolling her eyes, the (H/C)-ette returned to her stall, this time decorating some pasties.

Mr. Lombuarph entered the kitchen, followed by the smell of burning. His brown eyes widened and, clipboard in hand, he angrily approached Josette.

"Josette! Why did you burn the bread again? I told you to pay attention, that's why I don't pay you and you still have 1200 left in debt. Do your job right, for God's sake! I hope that on my next watch I don't find you making a mess" With that, the old man left the kitchen fuming out of his ears, not before turning to look at the brunette "Go clean the cellar, (Y/N) throw those burnt cakes away" Without further ado, he left the place.

"...Damn old man, see what you've done? That's why I hate this place, but I need the fucking money" Complained the woman throwing a reproachful look towards Josette.

"Come on! You know I can't help it, if I didn't owe my uncle the money, I would have run by now. Besides my parents don't want me to come back to the house until I finished paying him and 'call him to account' fuck what a stink" Snorting, the male walked away from the scene carrying an old broom to the side of the oven.

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After 5:20, the place was about already closed. Josette and (Y/N) were taking off their aprons, the brunette sighed dramatically, sitting down on a chair while letting out an exaggerated groan.

"Ah! I hate cleaning the warehouse, it's full of rats.... A-and ... and cockroaches. Why doesn't the old man refrigerate the cheeses or keep the flour in containers? I'm full of dust, UGH how disgusting!" she exclaimed looking at her clothes. Laughing, the girl just looked at him with no grace in her eyes.

"You know he's like that, an old man of yesteryear and somewhat old-fashioned. By the way, don't expect me tomorrow, I'll miss work" He commended, starting to walk away from the counter, heading for the door.

Josette got up immediately, while wiping her dirty, sweaty face with a rag that was on her apron.

"You're kidding, right? ... I beg you, Oh! humble goddess of bread, don't leave me with that old man! Who knows what he'll make me work for if you leave. Besides Marina is still sick, so it will be work only for me, I don't want to do the work of you two" He complained again while clinging to the (H/C)-ette.

Pushing him, he (Y/N) said nothing and walked out the door bidding farewell to the eccentric boy, hearing his boss yell to the aforementioned young man.

"Ah! I can taste the money lining my pockets now. Ash! I just want to finish my art design degree and make a living doing what I love to do. Even if this place sucks and my boss even more, I will miss Josette's antics and forgetful Maria though." Sighing, the girl walked away from the old bakery.

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Ringing the doorbell of the house, (Y/N) waited for a while until it was opened for her. She was greeted by the youngest of the red-haired sisters, Nerushka. 

"Nata, mirie, (Y/N) is here!" she turned to shout to her sisters. Amirie appeared poking her head out.

"What are you standing there for? Andale, come in." Asking permission, the (H/C)ette waved her hand and entered the kitchen. 

Nerushka's door slammed, after which Natalia came downstairs scolding the younger one. 

"Hi, (Y/N) sorry I missed you. Here's the contact number of the masion ... Oh, and one more thing! My friend gave me a warning: <Whoever gets hired, stay strong mentally and physically> I don't know what she meant, but that's it," Natalia explained.

Looking at the card, which had nothing special on it except for some initials and the phone number.

"Bye girls and thank you. See you later narushka" She said saying goodbye to the two sisters and the little girl, who ignored her because of the phone in her hands.

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Opening the door to her house, she greeted her cat and went upstairs to the second floor, plopping down on the bed. She pulled the phone out of her pocket, opened the contacts section and began dialing the number on the card. 

After a few rings, there was the strange sound of something clicking like a technical glitch, until it stopped. Then, a jovial masculine voice answered.

"Hello, good afternoon, you've reached SGM Manor, how may I help you?" staring at the ceiling, the girl hesitantly answered the young man on the phone "Hello? I hope you're not joking" waking up from her reverie, she (Y/N) sounded a little nervous.

"E-eh! Oh yes, I was looking for the vacancy left by the previous person. An acquaintance of mine is his friend and they recommended this position to me, so I know the pay is good". Then, the (E/C) paused for a moment to calm down and then continued.

"Could you, um .... I don't know, give me some information?" For the next few minutes nothing was heard, which made her nervous.

"Sorry for the lack of response, we were.... We were busy on another line. Sure, it's $7,000 a week and you only get one break between shift changes, are you willing to take it?"

"O-oh, s-sure, I'm fine with that ... But, I have a question what is this job about?" the woman inquired somewhat hesitantly, waiting for the other party's answer.

After a while, the aforementioned spoke again, this time sighing. "Excuse me, Miss, we can't give you this information here, but we could meet at a coffee shop near you."

Biting her lips, she debated whether or not to meet with this stranger, besides she didn't want to get involved in something improper.

However, her eagerness to realize her life's dream and pay off her debts ended up eating away at her mind.

Instantly, she replied shakily "O-okay, can we meet tomorrow at the cafe near the central park?"

Anxiety began to gnaw at his thoughts, why did he begin to doubt? He had already made the decision, it was no time to back out. So, her breathed, and left his doubts in the back of his mind; there would be time to think about the pros and cons. A breath was heard on the other line, the young man answered with a cheerful tone.

"Okay, see you tomorrow at 10? We'll text you, see you next time Miss (Y/n). "And without even waiting for an answer from her, the other line hung up, leaving the girl confused and even more scared. This left the girl confused and scared, how did he knows her name? A shiver ran down her back and red flags went up in her mind, but she shook off that worry.

"Calm down, m-maybe one of the sisters informed them of my interest, I need that job..... Now I'm going to go to sleep, thinking it's not going to get you anywhere!". Then, she got up to take off her clothes and lay back down in her underwear.

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Yes!!! I'm re-crazy publishing fics that I never know if I'll update, hehe anyway this is a mix of ideas that I had in 2 other fics on my wattpad account. But that platform kind of went to hell. I already have chapter 2, but it is half corrected

Status 《Half edited I think》

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

All the colours look brighter now

Note: The story’s setting happens during the end of Episode 7: After Rain Comes Fair Weather. Thank you once again @flashfictionfridayofficial for this prompt #FFF199 Didn’t Mean it. Also @fluffbruary ‘s April and May prompts Kid and Pillow. Thank you so much for considering. I blabbed so much on this story. Kazuki’s POV, missing scenes, kinda.

Fandom: Buddy Daddies

Pairing: Kurusu Kazuki/Suwa Rei

Words: 971

Rating: Gen up

“I am back!” Silence. Kazuki tried again. “I am home, you guys!?” Still no answer, but Kazuki noticed the chaos.

He was not at all surprised that the loft was not in tiptop condition when he returned that night given how slovenly his little family was. The kid’s toys were scattered on the floor. The discarded pizza boxes decorated the dining table and the carpet. Half-consumed soda in grimy bottles and cans. Cups and glasses were everywhere. And the little girl’s coat and daycare bag were still lying on the now dried floor. Truth to tell, the chaos was an eyesore. It reminded him of the day he got a first glimpse of Rei’s living condition back when they were not roommates yet. It was their fifth mission, and, for a change, Rei invited him to his loft albeit reluctantly.

Where are those two rascals anyway?

The apartment seemed empty except for the detritus of life that was present in front of him.

He searched all the rooms saved for Miri’s sleeping chamber.

When he finally went up to see it, he opened the door slowly and was a bit skeptic. He was still feeling cross, dejected, mind. Instead of boisterous laughter and raucous blabbering coming from an energetic four-year-old girl, there was utter silence. Kazuki raised his left eyebrow.

What’s happening here?

His eyes travelled to the medical prescription and the fever thermometer on top of Miri’s baby-blue nightstand. Next to the thermometer was a bottle of medicine and a half-empty glass.

Miri, with her fuchsia pillow highlighting the moist white rug on her forehead, snored softly, her face peaceful. Her right hand intertwined with Rei’s left.

Shocked and suddenly protective, guilt came up to him. He only left for a day, tired and still emotional, but hopeful. He returned to these two individuals and one of them was sick.

His heart quenched when he saw his friend took up the challenge to be a real parent to Miri. Rei succeeded all right. Affection and pride toward the younger man was brimming over him.

He was meant to be angry finding the state of the apartment, but seeing their sick child he couldn’t afford to be.

Wanting not to disturb the two further, he tiptoed back to the door and closed it gently behind him.

Kazuki did what he could do for now. He tidied the living room, set the vacuum cleaner in a pleasant noise. He took out the chicken breast from the freezer and rummaged for carrots, leek, and celery in the crisper. He also cleared the table off empty pizza boxes and plastic bottles. Preparing chicken soup for Miri was the least he could do.

Half an hour later, there were footsteps coming down from the second floor. Tired ones. The water began to boil, the chicken’s aroma wafted out from the kitchen.

“Hey, Rei,” Kazuki greeted him.

“Kazuki, you are back.” Groggy, the young man looked at him, a wide smile on his face.

“I am back, yes,” Kazuki assured him. Rei stopped before the countertop table. His head bowed. Kazuki was eyeing him waiting for his friend’s next sentence. He saw the prescription, knew that Rei stayed up all night taking care of a sick little girl, helpless.

“Miri is… as you can see, she got a fever,” Rei informed him apologetically. “I had to see Kyutaro-san for help. I called you up several times, but you didn’t answer your phone.”

“I apologise for not being here. I wasn’t ignoring my phone. It was probably ringing when I was on the train going to Saitama. I didn’t mean it. My thoughts were somewhere else.” The soup was now simmering. Whatever spices Kazuki added into it the smell was heavenly. Finally, Rei looked at him, but never said anything.

“You… Saitama? I … I thought you abandoned us, Kazuki,” Rei’s hands are on the table as if hanging on to it. Kazuki noticed his friend’s fingernails turning white.

“I didn’t intend to leave, Rei. It wasn’t my plan. I am sorry if I made you think that way, but I really had enough the other day. I felt doing this alone for Miri. It didn’t seem that there were two fathers in this house but two children. On top of that, it is Yuzu’s death anniversary,” his voice broke. A tear threatened to fall, Kazuki turned around hiding the surge of emotion from his partner as he stirred the soup. Cloud-like smoke rushed out from the pot.

“Oh… I am … I did not know,” Rei said.

“I didn’t tell you. Not your fault,” Kazuki faced him again.

“Tell me what to do so I could make it up to you.”

Huh? Did he hear it correctly? Was this the same Rei he met at Kyu-chan’s coffeehouse from less than two years years ago? Rei making amends?

Smiling, Kazuki boiled another pot for the noodles. He brushed the dust off the Enoki mushrooms under the running water and would blanch them later. Rei waited for the answer. If he could, he’d give everything to Kazuki as long he was able.

“I’d like to try how to make a French toast, maybe you could tell me the ingredients so Miri—god forbid she’s going to be well in the next days or so—and I could buy them at the store the next day,” Rei suggested.

Kazuki chuckled. Of all the things that he wanted to discuss with Rei the latter wanted to try cooking the French toast.

“Of course, she’ll be well. She has an excellent nurse,” Kazuki assured his partner. He touched his shoulder and squeezed it.

Rei, wanting not to break the silent truce, showed one of his rare smiles again. For now, everything was all right between them.

~ fin ~

[heavencasteel420]

WIP Wednesday

From Tomorrow’s a Long Way Off:

They turned onto Robin’s street, and her house came into view. Jonathan took in the yellow clapboard house, the overgrown vegetable garden in the front, the tents where the mushrooms grew in the back.

“Your parents grow all of this?” he asked.

“Yeah, they have a mushroom farm.” Robin watched his awed expression, bemused. She hadn’t expected him to make fun of her weird hippie parents or anything, but she definitely hadn’t expected him to be impressed. “Sorry about the smell. It’s…earthy.”

“No, no,” Jonathan said. He eyed the vegetable garden. “I would kill for these tomatoes. God, there’s so many of them.”

“You really don’t have to,” she protested with a grin. “My parents will probably just give you some.”

As they approached the front porch, she heard the strains of Motown coming from inside. This told her two things: that her parents were home, and that they were having a good time.

“I can go home,” Jonathan offered, as though he’d finally realized their destination. “It’s not that far.”

“No,” Robin said decisively. “You’re gonna tell them how much you want to murder them for their veggies. They’ll love you.”

When she opened the front door, she was greeted with a mortifying, but totally expected sight: her dad grooving around the kitchen and singing along with the music while chopping vegetables.

“Maybe you’ll go away and never call,” he crooned, “and a taste of honey’s worse than none at all. Oh, in that case I don’t want no part, I do believe—”

He stopped when he saw them. A grin spread over his face.

“Rob!” he said. “And Jonathan Byers! Come on in. We made bran muffins.”

From Tonight, Tonight:

Anya cracked a smile, too, and reached out her arms to Miri. Soon the two of them were slow-dancing to the old-timey-strip-club arrangement and overwrought vocals.

“When you’re young and so in love as we, and bewildered by the world we see,” Anya sang, in a low, pleasant voice, while Miri giggled into her shoulder. “Why do people hurt us so? Only those in love will know, what a town without pity can do.”

Jonathan smiled, too, even as he kept one eye on the clock. He had options. He could suggest, in a nice, casual way, that they pick up the pace so they could all go home for Thanksgiving. (He knew himself. It wouldn’t come out nice or casual.) He could tell them that he had a long drive, maybe even that his mom was in a hospital with limited visiting hours. (This shouldn’t seem so unthinkable, not when Anya freely discussed her sick dad and Miri talked about how her own mom had kicked her out, but he couldn’t open that door.) He could tell them to go on home, lock up, and come back to finish cleaning up after dinner with Lonnie. (His bones ached just thinking about it. He’d probably do it.)

Or he could get off the stepladder, jump into the Pinto parked outside, and drive as far east or west as the car would take him. Forget the diner politics. Forget Lonnie’s offer of KFC and easy money. Forget well-meaning ex-hippie Ms. Lafitte, who’d sighed over his half-finished English assignment on Wednesday. Forget Gloria, who was eating turkey with her family in South Bend tonight while he drove all over the state for people who didn’t care about him.

No, he thought, blinking at the mustard dispenser. That wasn’t fair to Gloria, not when he knew how complicated her situation was. It definitely wasn’t fair to Mom. She didn’t always know him, but that wasn’t her fault.

[yandere-fics]

♡ Their Darling Is Trying To Hide Being A Yandere For Them ♡

(I Had no ideas for Sawyer for this one.)

You really do feel guilty about kidnapping Miriel, sure she's acting like she's okay with it, although she has pleaded for you to bring her her work laptop a few times so she can earn money for both of you and spoil you but you had no choice to kidnap her! She found your room dedicated to her and even though you know she's your soulmate, there's no way she would be okay with the shrine you have dedicated to her, sure if it was a different supernatural they wouldn't mind but your Miri was an elf and you were sure such a fragile supernatural wouldn't be able to handle your overwhelming affection.

"Babeeee, can you please untie me? How am I supposed to cuddle you like this?" You sobbed placing yourself on her lap on the chair you tied her to, why couldn't she just accept she was going to be here forever, you couldn't let her go, you just couldn't lose her!

It was a very bad idea to try to knock Eliza out and kidnap her, she definitely hated you now but what were you supposed to do, your Eliza wasn't very smart. You told her not to enter that room over and over again, you told her it was dirty and you needed to clean it but she went in anyways and well when you saw she had seen all the pictures you took of her you had to act quickly to keep her but she was much too quick and caught the metal pipe before it could slam into her head, she was definitely going to hate you now, you just knew it!

"Puppy?" She whimpered and you felt your heart drop for a moment, yeah she was never going to love you the same way again you were sure of it! Maybe you should try to knock her out again! You wanted to cover your ear so you didn't have to hear what she would say next, it would probably be about how she couldn't stand you anymore. "You were going to clean up all these photos of me? Why?"

Selene was... well frankly she was gross and you hated that you loved her so much. She could never know how much you thought about her, how badly you felt the need to constantly be attached to her side, you didn't even know why you liked her, she was just so... gross. But you really couldn't hold yourself back from obsessing over her which lead to you taking a lot of photos of her while she slept and while you were very sure she wasn't looking, you needed something to loo at when she went out on runs since you couldn't join her outside due to needing to pretend you really didn't want to be around her. It was extremely embarrassing how angry you felt hen she went out on runs and left you behind.

Leading you to today where you were crying in the closet with Selene trying to coax you out, she'd found your photos and had teased you for pretending not to love her for so long when she was staring point blank at evidence of your undeniable passion for her.

Kassien was your boss meaning strictly off limits to you so in order to cope with being unable to have her, you had to get creative at times, taking little pictures when you were sure she wasn't looking, snatching anything you could when she left her coat behind on a coat rack at work... threatening people who saw talking to her a bit too long through anonymous accounts. You made sure to never go in her office however, you didn't want to leave your scent behind in there, then it would be too obvious that you were obsessed with her and you would lose your job but you knew she'd be in meetings for a long time today so what would be the harm in going in there just for a bit to bask in the scent of her cologne, you thought about buying a bottle of it just so you could smell just like her but that might make you see crazy so you refrained. Still it was nice to sit at her desk for a second.

But then Kassien walked in and while you tried to dart under her desk to hide, she still saw you. Honestly you couldn't pay attention to anything she was saying, you just knew your entire life was over, you were going to get fired and you wouldn't be able to see the love of your life anymore, even as she spoke in a soft tone you just knew she was definitely judging you.

Nikki seemed very... oblivious to the way humans behaved which is how you knew you could get away with certain behaviors because it wasn't like she would know this was a creepy thing you were doing, she would just blame you being human on why you would constantly follow behind her everywhere she went glaring at anyone who approached her, there were things you kept hidden because you felt like a bad person for it, like threatening rivals or taking feathers that had shed from her wings and hiding them in a jar beneath the floor board, it was risky putting them there but knowing your collection was there for whenever she went to work made you feel safe and comfortable, as long as she never found out what was the harm in it. She did inevitably find out however...

"I'm so sorry! I know it was so creepy of me to collect your feathers! Please don't hate me!" You didn't want to look up at her as you heard her ruffle her wings, probably in anger, until you saw a bunch more of her feathers fall from them.

"I don't understand why you couldn't just ask, mate, is not asking for things a human trait?"

You felt really bad about drugging Nora at night but she had a tendency to get up in the middle of the night to do stuff, you didn't know what, and you just couldn't have your Nora wandering around at night and so you started to drug her food every night so you could make sure she slept straight through the night and couldn't leave you. You were very sure your entire relationship would be over if she ever found out, though you supposed if she did find out then you'd just have to kidnap her, kind of like what you were doing right now, you just hoped the ropes would hold her when she woke up.

"Don't worry Nora, your reason for living will keep you safe in our apartment!" Her eye twitched a little bit, you knew your Nora didn't like being tied up, she would prefer the bondage be used on you, but you had to keep her and she'd found out your little secret. It did not take long for her to break out of the ropes and tie you up instead, happily cuddling into your side.

You ran a fan account dedicated to the notorious serial killer in the city, an account you tied to keep under the radar, one because you didn't want her to gain a lot of fans and then you'd have to share just how amazing she was, and two because she was a supernatural and you were mostly sure you weren't her soulmate so you could only imagine what would happen if she saw someone who wasn't her soulmate vying for a spot that was supposed to be exclusive to her soulmate. Still you very much enjoyed taking pictures of her and just following her everywhere she went, getting off on watching you kill people. You almost wanted her to find you in the closet, it would be bliss to die by her hands.

"Please kill me gently." You closed your eyes waiting for her to butcher you but it didn't happen. Oh well you could make her regret not killing you when she had the chance so now you could kidnap her!

[dk-wren]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "dk-wren"?

Hello Anon!

Thank you so much for the ask. I really wish I kept better track of the fics I've read and enjoyed for myself, as well as to answer your question a little better. The 10 I've chosen represent both a mix of my all time favorites and some of my recent favs.

(I'll link all of them at the bottom of the post for the sake of formatting and to help with the flow of reading. Also, if you are the author for one of the fics I've listed and would like to be tagged, please let me know! I'd be more than happy to!)

Buddy Daddies

Let's Make this Last Forever & Practice Makes Perfect by ZsBrainrot

Love these fics as they both explore Rei and Kazuki's relationship and some of their earlier moments as a couple (or as they begin to realize their feelings for each other). Love their other BD works too, but if I had to narrow it down, I'd say these are my favorites from Z.

Every Reason Not To by Jenanigans1207

Just a sweet little fic of Kazuki talking to Rei about how he is nothing like his father and that he is loved and wanted by both Miri and him.

Bolt from the Blue by AlexiasRei

Fun crossover with Spy x Family and the Forger family. Also, love how all the parents get a little slice of action to show off their (some more than others) hidden identities.

Spy x Family

Cold. by MyriadOfThings

I remember this being one of the first Spy x Family fics I read and it has continued to stand out to me. The angst of Twilight still having to leave the Forger family after Operation Strix was a success, seeing Yor as Thorn Princess going to any length to find out where her husband is, and the ending!

The Woman in Red by nightofmynyx8

I think this was the first series I read on AO3 as it was being released. Literally, remember being so excited whenever I saw a new chapter dropped. Also, loved seeing Yor take center stage in this mission and protective Loid.

Trigun/Trigun Stampede

Take Care by Lunarame

I'm always interested in how different artists explore Vash's wings and how he reacts to their appearance. For most of his life, Vash has constantly been on the run, so I love the tenderness of Wolfwood just wanting to take care of Vash and his wings in this fic.

Waiting at that shallow grave by riotintheheartt

I really enjoyed this piece from the Vashwood Big Bang that took place recently (and still might be taking place). This is the first one I started and quickly fell in love with it. I was super intrigued by the premise and loved how it was told in a non-linear way.

Banana Fish

I always wanted to protect you - Flying by Enora_Wings

Shorelines by snowcapped_detours

Guess who just watched Banana Fish? Me! And guess who's been reading fics to cope? Also me! Jokes aside, these represent some of my more recent faves, especially for the Banana Fish fandom. It's also fun(?) because they sorta represent two sides of the scenario of what if Ash reunited with Eiji.

As for your second question, Anon, yes, there is a story behind my name Dakota (or DK) Wren.

Dakota (and the nickname DK) was the name of my favorite doll growing up. Looking back, I realized how much the scenarios I would imagine in my head and how I would dress her should've been a big indicator of the geeky, fandom lover I am today. I knew others would play like school or mall with their dolls, and then you had me dressing her up and pretending she was going to SDCC, Star Wars Celebration, etc. In a way, playing with Dakota when I was little was the first time I could really embrace this side of my personality without feeling the need to simmer it down or pull back on how I expressed my love for all these things. That's why, when creating this name, I knew right away I wanted Dakota incorporated in some way.

As for the "last name," Wren, that was pulled from one of, if not my favorite character, Sabine Wren from Star Wars Rebels. I discussed why I love Sabine so much and what she means to me in a previous post, but basically, I loved how she used art as a form of resistance. For her, the power of art could cause as much change as physical power. And for someone who spends a lot of time in the arts, I just really loved this aspect of her. Likewise, I loved how she was portrayed in Star Wars Rebels as this character who was both strong and emotionally vulnerable. The complexities of her past, and how she must deal with them in the present, is what caused me to love her even more. Since Dakota Wren was going to be my pen/writer name, the way her artistic side is emphasized throughout Rebels, and my general love for her, is what caused me to pick Wren as the second part of my name.

.

.

.

Thank you again for the ask! I hope you enjoy the fics if you take the time to read them. I've only really gotten into reading fics from these fandoms (even though I'm in a few more) so I apologize if you were hoping for fics from a fandom I didn't list above. Also, if you (or anyone else) has any fic recs from these fandoms, please send them my way!

Thank you as well for asking about the story behind my name, it was really fun to talk about! Maybe not the most interesting or elaborate, but both parts of my name mean a lot to me, so I'm glad I could share the story of how I created my name!

-Dakota Wren

Links to the all the listed fics:

[helloitsari]

First time posting something like this hope it’s worth it

Name: Arian Ropesu

Quirk: still stealth

This is a quirk that involves a lot of thinking ,coordination and focus to use this quirk you must stand entirely still then you can move you mind around without noise or sound but if you break the focus on you have to restart so yes this quirk may seem powerful it has limited ability you can only use it for an hour then you get shot back In your body also just because it’s your mind doesn’t mean you can walk through walls your mind acts like a second body but no one can see you or hear you(also Ari does get motion sick so quirk won’t work in moving vehicles and this is just an obstacle that she will over come when becoming a pro) Gender:female Age: 15 Info: go’s to ua high school general studies(was able to make the hero course)student. Hates all general studies students bc they down the next generation of hero’s(will be given an opportunity to switch when one of the students gets kicked out). Also the top of her class in strength,speed,iq,(etc).All of this is after class 1a/1b are in class 3a/3b (aizawa is probably retired maybe maybe not let’s see when season 7ends). HER HERO ACADEMIA Arian has always wanted to be a hero she never wanted anything else more. she was very young when she learned that quirks run our society. One day she would learn how hard being a hero would be….To be continued.

“Her hero academia” Chapter 1. My mom yelled as I was training “Ari get out of your world your ua entrance exams are today” i left from my focus zone and hurried Downstairs ate breakfast with my mother and little sister as our dad was on tour. My family is quite well know not because of our quirks because of our talents my dad is a guitarist for a band he’s been in since middle course. My mother is a artist she left the art industry after having me. My sister is a grade school girls basketball camp. Me I’m the black witch because when I was younger I use to use my quirk to mess around with people. Anyways we’re here ua entrance exams “Why do I feel intimidated”. I mumbled in a weird way I guess I heard someone next to me whisper I looked at them and I didn’t say anything but they also looked at me they gave me a weird look. I mean i know I didn’t know them so that’s probably why. I started walking to the exam room very big. A blonde person that was kinda loud but I wasn’t hear to complain I taking the hero exam and hoping I make it in. I only defeated 2 robots I knew I would not be making into the hero course. But what happened after I was sent a welcome invitation to ua general studies. I was freaking out because I don’t think they just gave this to everyone who doesn’t past the exam I knew they saw my ability at least I hope.

“The walk” Chapter. I got my uniform on walked out of my dorm rooms oh did I not mention there are dorms for ua students after a couple o third years there first year they got attacked by villains so they built dorms for safety. So I’ve been living in the dorms for one week now and my class is a interesting one there is a certain group that is mad about the ones who only wanted to be in the hero course. students be handed a general studies spot because they saw “potential” in these students and didn’t make the hero track. I learned that I need to ignore them or they won’t listen quit talking. Not that me and my. Class aren’t close I just wanted to get to the school maybe meet people outside our track. And I did while walking I met Miri a hero course student she loved talking about mouses Her quirk is called mouse so I see why but she’s passionate about being a hero she’s very short like she’s as tall as a middle course student I say. She goes and looks at me asking why I choose general studies and what my quirk was so I just lied to her i know I shouldn’t but I did “so Arian what’s your quirk and why general studies?” I said my quirk was something simple like being able to see around me it wasn’t really a lie. Then I said I choose general studies because I had to choose something. Then we approached the school and what awaited next would change my point of view on hero’s….

“Hero’s?”

Chapter 3

“Wow what a school-“ Miri said with a smile she sounded surprised but I guess must just be here adrenaline boosting. I went straight to class but I wasn’t there for long I used my quirk to check out the hero classes I just wanted to know what was going on. I noticed Miri yelling at that one boy that gave me that glare during the exam. “I hate him” I lost focus and was immediately questioned after I fully returned to my body every thought I was dead apparently. “Are you okay” a girl in my class asked I don’t remember her name. Then a boy said “roko please she was probably spacing out.” He mumbled something after but I wasn’t paying attention. Roko? I remember her she stuck up for me in the dorm night we had when everyone moved in the dorms. Because this boy was picking on me because I was a h course which I think means hero course but I didn’t understand roko said “Leyon stop being rude!” I Snapped out of my thoughts and said “stop talking like I’m not here.” That made the stop arguing and then our teacher walked in it was the archer hero arch I guess it was cool to have a pro be out teacher but my other classmates weren’t impressed the seemed to hate any hero that wasn’t endeavor but this school had a lot in store…

[privilege-rpg]

MIRIAM WILDE

☆ FULL NAME: Miriam Elizabeth Wilde ☆ GENDER: Ciswoman ☆ PRONOUNS: She/Her ☆ AGE: 30 (February 10th, 1994) ☆ TYPE: Full sibling; twin ☆ HOMETOWN: Knoxville, Tennessee ☆ JOB: Accountant at Pacific Grace Church; OnlyFans Creator ☆ SCHOOL: Masters in Forensic Accounting ☆ SEXUALITY: Fluid ☆ FACECLAIM: Grace Van Patten

ABOUT MIRIAM

Tw: abuse, religion, sex work

It wasn’t that Miri was the golden child growing up, it was more like she was the perfect child. Not actually perfect, of course, but she wore the mask of the perfect christian girl extremely well. From quite a young age, Miri could remember feeling distrust in her parents, she felt anxious walking into her own home, she felt anxious when around her father, and she felt the desire to scream in his face and tell him she hated him. But wanting and doing are two very different things, especially when fear is involved. Instead, she protected herself from the fear that she felt under the surface by behaving exactly how her father expected her to.

While she gravitated towards her siblings, she kept her act up at all times, even around them, always doing anything to avoid her father seeing the real her. For years, she wondered if she was evil, if the reason she was afraid of him was because she was bad and her father, who was clearly such a good man, would find out that there was some kind of darkness in her soul. She hoped and prayed (literally) to be good, to get rid of whatever was inside her that made her so bad that she had to fear him. She thought if she could just play the role well enough, one day she would actually be a good girl, one day the way her father treated her, like she was good and pure, would be true.

She was only 10 when Zach had his panic attack, and while she didn’t know the full depths of what was happening, her parents sending him away caused a shift in her mind, and little by little she found herself wondering if maybe it wasn’t her who had darkness in her, but her father, if he could be the one wearing the mask. Of course, she talked herself out of that time and time again, convincing herself that that was the devil whispering to her, corrupting her, making her believe that her father was bad when he was a pillar of light for so many.

It wasn’t until she was 13 when the truth fully revealed itself to her. She’d seen her father yell at her siblings plenty of times, and forced herself to believe that it was just that he cared so deeply for his children, that he had to be assertive in protecting them, but she avoided anything that she felt would have his yelling aimed at her, afraid of him, afraid of him seeing that she was bad. A boy at school kissed her in the hallway, she hadn’t invited it, she barely even knew him, but a teacher saw and they were both brought to the office and suspended for 3 days, despite her arguing that she hadn’t done anything. She knew there was darkness in her, but in this case, she had done nothing, she knew that her father would fight to protect her. But he didn’t. When they got home he was so angry with her, he yelled at her for what felt like hours, he even accepted that she didn’t ask to be kissed, but told her that she must have done something to seduce the poor boy then . She had been his “perfect child” and here she was, kissing boys in school, getting suspended. He called her a slut, told her he’d send her to an all girls christian school if she couldn’t stop herself from seducing boys, and that was just what he did.

Miriam couldn’t even bring herself to cry, she just stood in silence as her fathers mask completely fell right in front of her eyes. It was that moment that she finally saw her family for who they were. Her parents were phonies, and her siblings had never deserved the way her father treated them. Perhaps it was selfish of her to not see it until she was the one being yelled at, but she couldn’t face that part just yet. She was in pure shock in the understanding that she truly did hate her father, and that didn’t make her evil, because it was him who was dark inside.

Though Aaron doesn’t know, his plan to send her to an all girls school really didn’t have the effect he’d hoped. Instead it just opened her mind to the understanding that being surrounded by girls was really not all that bad. The realization of that was like a domino effect. Suddenly, there were all kinds of things that Aaron had insisted were sins and evil and she had agreed to, and now questioned. And slowly, a desire formed in her very being to take every chance she could to unravel the man. She wanted him to get so angry he physically exploded, and yet she was still terrified of him, now more than ever. So, she did things in secret, half wanting to be caught, and half doing everything she could to cover her tracks.

She started dating girls, and then she also started dating guys, she started drinking, she tried drugs, and while so much of it felt so good, it just wasn’t quite enough. So, when she was 16, she started selling her panties online. Of course she never let anyone know who they were buying from, her family was known enough that her face could be recognized, so she’d post pictures of herself from the waist down of her wearing the panties, catholic school uniform skirt pulled up for added effect, and took requests for colors, materials, how long she wore them, and even going for runs or showering in them, or whatever was asked. It was terrifying, and exhilarating, and it didn’t hurt that she was piling away money into a secret account on the side for her future.

She grew bored, and the innocent catholic school girl virgin act was getting less believably the older she got and the longer things went on, so when she was 25 she thought long and hard about how to continue. She was back to being viewed as the perfect daughter by her father, having no further incidents once he changed her school, and she’d gone to college for accounting and promptly accepted a job from her father at the church handling their books and taxes for them. It was a comfortable job, and allowed her to remain in her father’s orbit while she figured out the next way to undermine him. She’d considered strongly trying stripping, but she wasn’t naive enough to not realize the exploitation of strippers and also the danger in being recognized. It would be much harder to hide her face to keep her father from finding out, or someone who just recognized her and her family from crossing boundaries.

It was then that she heard about a new platform called Only Fans, and it took her less than a day to decide to sign up. Again, she never shows her face, but there are certainly signs that would make it clear it was her to anyone who’d seen her body, including various tattoos that were well hidden from her father, but not from anyone who’d been to bed with her. The content was almost exclusively WLW or sacrilege, or both. Though she didn’t discriminate against willing guests, or fun requests from her followers. Again, she was making money that was going into high interest savings accounts, high yield CDs, stocks, etc. She had already done a lot to set up her future with or without the help of Aaron, knowing that if he ever did find out, there would be hell to pay. That on top of her actual job, and she was living comfortably. She thrived on her OF, it was fun for her, it was actually something she enjoyed more than just as a way to get at her father while being too scared to do it in the open.

There was another accountant who worked at the church, he had been her boss the whole time, but he was planning to retire in the next few years, and she felt it strange how much he and Aaron seemed the need to prepare Miri for this. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have all the same schooling and wasn’t doing mostly all of the work already. There was very little that Jim handled over her, but as he started slowly explaining his few remaining duties to her, she grew suspicious. There was something not quite adding up in the numbers (ba dum tss). She couldn’t be sure, but she suspected something illegal happening. It was with pride that Miri announced that while she’d be keeping her job, she’d be going back to college as well, wanting to be sure that she could serve Him in the best way possible by getting her masters in accounting. She didn’t tell Aaron that she was actually going to be getting her masters in forensic accounting, just another secret to keep from the man, wanting to use what she was about to learn to be sure about what she was seeing happening at the church before deciding what to do with it. She’s so determined that she’s even decided to take a break from her OF account, for once not wanting her father to find out - she couldn’t get disowned by the man when something like this was just beyond the horizon.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

At first, Aaron Wilde was just like any other pastor. He was loved by many in Knoxville, and that’s how it stayed for many years. As the years went on, though, he grew in popularity. Everyone in Tennessee would travel to see him - especially the housewives with nothing better to do. Did Aaron’s good looks have everything to do with his popularity? Absolutely. Which is why it was no surprise when someone in Los Angeles called him, asking him if he’d like to have his own church (that seated 17,000 people). He agreed, of course. Aaron moved his whole family to Los Angeles so he could be the pastor of Pacific Grace Church. Aaron Wilde became the best-known pastor in the United States, with several people from all over the United States coming over to see him give sermons. Every sermon was televised. Aaron did this for seven years, and then was offered a reality television deal. They named the show Wilde Faith, and it followed around the Wilde family to show off how they were a perfect Christian family. Wilde Faith was on for six seasons, as Aaron continued to be the pastor at Pacific Grace. After the six seasons, they decided to end because Aaron said “he talked to God and He said it was time to stop”. Aaron continues to work at Pacific Grace to this day. Elizabeth is the happy and dutiful wife to him, and that’s about it.

[peachsukii]

₊✩‧₊ ⎯  plus ultra-rare following an interview flop, dynamight & yourself are out and about at the local mall when you're stopped by a young girl and her mother.

content // a little follow up to this. pro hero fame, paparazzi's talk about infidelity rumors (they're not true just mentioned cause you know how it goes), reader is a support tech, bakugo & reader are married, bakugo being sweet to kids, thoughts of having kids vaguely, more paparazzi nonsense, fluff.

wc // 1.7k

『 k.bakugo masterlist | caramel & champagne series 』

It was the first day the two of you have had off since the interview "incident" weeks ago - that's what Bakugo's agent called it, anyways. The press didn't make any negative remarks against the two of you specifically, but they started a horde of nasty rumors anytime Bakugo was on patrol with a pro hero of the opposite sex. Headlines about "Dynamight searching for a New Wife?" started circulating, so much so that the agency started handing out cease and desist letters to the tabloids like candy. It wasn't to hide any sort of truth, it was simply not true to start with. You're successfully able to make it to the mall without catching any attention from the swarms of media assholes at the entrances, waiting to create some fake scenario and generate false pretenses.

"God, these jackasses are everywhere," Bakugo grumbled while you crossed the threshold of the mall and into the food court. "They warned us in school about this shit, but fuck, s'annoyin' as hell."

"I know," you console, thumb rubbing over the back of his hand in your hold. "It won't be like this forever."

He sighs, keeping his head down as the two of you approach the department store you planned to shop at. While you're heading inside, a small child and her mother pass by you, the daughter spinning on her heel and doing a doubletake with sparkles in her eyes.

"Momma! I think that's Dynamight!" she squeals, barely above a whisper, but enough for you to hear her excitement. Her mother kneels down and pats her on the crown of her head.

"I think you're right! But we should leave them be, sweetie. I promise to take you to his next signing."

She pouts and fiddles with her fingers. “But they’re always sold out!”

She’s a little louder this time, now catching Bakugo’s attention. When he makes eye contact with her, the little girl escapes from her mother's side and skips over to him - she's barely taller than his waist, maybe six or seven years old.

"Dynamight!" she whispers, waving frantically with both hands and looking up at him. "I know you’re in secret right now, but I wanted to say hi!”

She turns to you and smiles, dimples adorably accenting her cheeks. “You’re very pretty, Miss Support lady! I saw you on TV!”

Bakugo’s heart swells when you squeeze his hand tighter in response to her kindness before letting go. Something about this little girl’s genuine joy makes him want to melt into a puddle. Usually, kids were annoying in his eyes and parents never knew how to wrangle them around heroes - not this little one, though. She had way more respect than most adults did whenever they’d spot him on his day off, begging for an autograph or photo.

“Heya squirt,” Bakugo greets while kneeling to her level. Her mother has scampered over in the meantime, profusely apologizing for her daughter’s outburst.

“It’s alright! She’s very sweet and he’s more than happy to talk to her,” you assure, standing with the mom to watch their interaction.

“Thanks for sayin’ hi. What’s your name?” He asks as he pulls down his face mask, tucking it under his chin and lifting the brim of his baseball hat.

“Mirai! But my friends call me Miri.”

“Nice’ta meet you, Miri. I’ve got somethin’ for ya if you give me a sec.”

Bakugo shoots a glance in your direction, nodding to your bag. “Peaches, got any cards with you?”

You waltz over to him and dig out a stack of Dynamight branded trading cards in protective sleeves from your purse, handing them over with the a permanent marker. Bakugo takes them and fans the selection out in front of Mirai.

“Pick whatever one y’want and I’ll sign it for ya. How’s that sound?”

Mirai gasps, stars twinkling in her eyes as her fingers wiggle in anticipation over the cards. “I like them all! You pick one for me, please!”

That little shimmer in her eyes reminded you of a smaller Bakugo, specifically a picture that Mitsuki had of him and Midoriya in her living room, the two of them holding up their All Might cards from when they were kids. Her expression was identical to his back then - priceless.

“This one’s a favorite of mine,” you chime in, pointing to the card on the far right. “That’s the Plus Ultra-Rare edition, too. Super cool!”

Bakugo hands you the others and keeps the one card, pulling it out of its protective sleeve and popping off the cap of the permanent marker with his teeth. He signs the card, “Miri, go beyond!” accompanied with his hero signature. He waves the card back and forth to dry the ink before returning it to the sleeve.

“There ya go,” Bakugo says, handing her the signed card. “Keep it safe, yeah?”

Mirai gingerly takes it from him, holding it close to her chest with a toothy grin. “I promise, Dynamight!”

Before he can protest, Mirai rushes into him and latches onto his neck, her small frame clinging to Bakugo in an attempt to give him a hug. Her mom stammers out more apologies, but he stops her with a raise of his hand, mouthing “S’okay” over Mirai’s shoulder.

“Thank you for keeping me and Momma safe,” Mirai mutters sweetly, tiny hands grabbing at the back of Bakugo’s shirt. “You’re the bestest hero in the world!”

He bites his cheek in response, trying his damndest not to let this child make him cry in public. That phrase has been uttered to him thousands of times, and no matter what, it still makes his heart skip a beat. He’s barely holding it together as he pats her back tenderly, closing his eyes to focus on swallowing the emotions flowing through him.

You’re staring at Bakugo with hearts in your pupils, swooning over how patient he’s being with this little girl. A sensation you've never felt before invades your lower abdomen - nerves? No, it was a foreign yearning, a burning desire to....you tuck that feeling away to unpack at another time.

"Okay honey, we should get going now," Mirai's mother insists, tapping her daughter on the shoulder to have her let go of Bakugo. "We've taken up more than enough of their time."

"Don't worry about it," Bakugo comments, standing back to normal height and patting Mirai on the head. "See ya later, Miri."

Mirai does a little dance to herself before grabbing her mother's hand, turning to whisper-yell, "Bye Dynamight!"

The two of them leave you be, walking back out into the main concourse of the mall. You turn to Bakugo and elbow him in the side with a smirk on your face.

"What's got you so smiley?" you tease. "You look like you're ready to cry, too."

"Shut the fuck up," he sniffs, re-adjusting his mask and baseball hat. "She was a cute kid, s'all it is."

"The cutest. Let's grab what we needed and head home."

You two carry on with your shopping trip, surprisingly uninterrupted. Things seems to be quiet...that is, until you're ready to leave and forget about the media mobs at the main entrance. The second you two step outside, you're swarmed with flashing lights and overwhelmed with various shouting men.

"Dynamight! Is it true you're looking for a new wife after the interview last week?"

"Are you two on a break?"

"Do you think having a pro hero as a husband is detrimental to your relationship?"

These fuckers are ruthless, and quiet frankly, stupid as hell - the two of you are literally holding hands as they ask their absurd questions.

Bakugo shakes his head before letting go of your hand and removing his face mask. The glare in his eyes hints that he's about to have an explosive reaction, but color yourself surprised when his voice comes out velvety smooth and genuine.

"Listen up, m'gonna say this once and then you're gonna leave us the hell alone," he speaks, looking each cameraman in the eye before continuing. "This is the only damn woman I want in my life and nothin' will change that. She's the only one I've got eyes for, no one else. Got it?"

A few of the paparazzi pause their insistent squawking and put their cameras down, nodding in agreement to his words.

"Great. You can all fuck off now an' find someone else to harass."

You don't know what comes over you, knowing full well what the consequences will be, but you find yourself reaching for Bakugo's jaw and pull him in for a hearty kiss. He lets out a surprised grunt before tugging you closer by the waist, catching on to what you're planning and letting you take the lead.

"Quick, get the shot!" you hear the crowd yell repetitively. Bakugo responds by flipping off the cameras, continuing your kiss for a couple more seconds before parting.

The next morning, both of your phones are full of notifications from various sources - deja vu, huh? You've got e-mails asking you two to make appearances on TV networks while Bakugo's agent and publicist are scolding him for being unprofessional in public, but in the same breath, praising him for turning the opinion of the public in his favor.

"Holy shit," you mumble, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. "Kats, look at this."

Bakugo peeks over your shoulder from his side of the bed, laying his head on yours while you scroll through the articles multiple people have sent to you overnight.

"Dynamight & his Wife are stronger than ever!," "Fans Overjoyed to know Dynamight & his Wife are sticking it out," and "Dynamight remains off market."

"What's that one?" he asks, reaching over you to click the article titled, "Precious Moments with Fans - Dynamight Edition." The page loads an article detailing the encounter with Mirai from afar, a few pictures of Bakugo holding out the trading cards and giving her a hug.

"When the fuck did they even take that?!" he laughs, sighing as he flopped back over to his side of the bed.

"I think it's cute. Think I should print it out and frame it for the living room?"

"Don't you fuckin' dare."

You roll over to face him, pinching his cheek.

"Yeah, the picture of you flipping off the camera is more fitting."

tags // @slayfics @maddietries @starieq @liluvtojineteyam @jays-adventure3 @simp-plague @queenpiranhadon