#model ofc

[chaoticgeminate]

You're So Classic (vi)

Summary: When you own a diner there are a variety of people that come to get a seat, Zach has become familiar with the constant and changing guests that come in through those doors. The good, the bad, and the ugly all with their own stories and their own lives. He’s witnessed first dates, last dates, engagements, anniversaries, job gains or losses, and birthdays galore.

Enter Nanette Dougherty.

Former pageant child, debutante, and swimsuit model fresh off a bad date and needing to be somewhere that her roommates and agent won’t try to find her. Where better than a diner full of things she’s never allowed to eat? What Nanette never counted on was the handsome diner owner to change her life.

Pairing: Zach Wellison x Nanette Rose Dougherty [ofc]

Rating: Explicit (Blog is 18+ regardless but this is going to be a bit of a heavy story)

Notes and Warnings: Series will involve some heavy topics including but not limited to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), eating disorders, body acceptance, PTSD, anger problems, toxic narcissistic parents, and abusive relationships both platonic and romantic. This installment features toxic level parenting, bad relationships with Christianity, and corrupt authority. Beta read by the beautiful, lovely, amazing @leslie-lyman 💙

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BLT (k)

Zach wasn’t usually the type to buy style magazines, he hardly ever saw the need before, but now there was definitely a small stack he kept at home. All of them shared one thing, Nanette was featured in the spread somewhere, and his initial idea was to make a cut-out collage as a sort of time capsule for the growth of her career. Something tangible she could keep since the fashion world was so cutthroat, designers rose and fell in the same day even, but then he’d seen the pictures.

Beautiful, of course, there was no denying that she looked stunning. But Zach could see where the photos had been edited, where the few freckles she had were hidden with make-up and digital touch-ups, her waist was far too narrow here than what he knew it really was. But keeping these around felt like it might be a bad thing, taking into consideration her reaction to waking up bloated, he’d never forget that haunted look he’d caught so briefly on her face as she panicked about it and tried to hide it from him.

Instead he kept the magazines on his bookshelf, he knew that Nanette was aware of them since she’d giggled when she saw the first one earn its place on his side table, but she herself never looked through them so he had opted to put them up. He wasn’t going to assume the worst about what she might be going through since that wasn’t his place, but he kept those concerns in his back pocket for now until he felt they were valid or if she addressed it first.

Ramirez had seen the narrow magazine spines on his bookshelf when he’d shown up but he wasn’t willing to ask questions yet, Zach knew the other man had plenty of them but there was a lot of respect for privacy between the two of them. He’d let Ramirez disappear for two weeks, no questions asked, and just told everyone else it was a vacation when Zach knew it was much more severe than that; he didn’t know the specifics but it hadn’t been his business, and he refused to let the man go jobless because of whatever it was. Since then they’d been close, the other man had plenty of opportunities to leave and just hadn’t, and Zach knew that he had someone in his corner who would go to bat for him at the drop of a dime.

“Miso butter roasted potatoes. What do you think?” He was recipe testing with Ramirez, the other vet was not only his head chef but one of his best friends, and once a month they would spend a day or two off together to tweak the menu here and there. Ramirez hummed as he took a bite of the lightly crispy outside, fluffy inside, potato and the other man nodded in approval. Zach tried it and hummed too, putting a check onto the recipe card and dropping it into the box for approved recipes, and then Ramirez was handing him a ramekin with fish pie inside.

It was a European thing, he was sure, maybe even a specifically British thing but he didn’t know quite yet and would have to look it up later; the soft mashed potatoes and creamy filling were good, it wasn’t necessarily his taste but he couldn’t deny that it was worthy of popping up on the specials board. His diner definitely was known for American classics but LA was a food melting pot and the occasional times he offered something more international always earned new diners coming to check it out.

“This is kind of heavy but it isn’t bad, like a shepherds pie but with fish.”

“That’s what I was thinking, I put a little more mustard than what the recipe suggested to try and brighten it up a little bit. I think we should play with the filling flavor a little because we’re working with US ingredients compared to UK stuff which is bound to have even a little different flavor profiles, but I think this one works.”

Zach watched Ramirez go back to the pie filling and smiled, moving on to the next recipe on the list, and he smiled at the general peace involved with the routine of it all. A knock on the door made him exhale a little, patting Ramirez on the back after washing his hands, and Zach nearly froze at the sight of a police officer on his doorstep.

“Are you Zachary Wellison?”

“Yes, Officer. Is something wrong?”

“I need you to get down on your knees and keep your hands where I can see them. You’re being detained for questioning based on reports of assault.“

Zach found himself blindsided as he was handcuffed, though the officer did allow him to at the very least slide into his slip-on sneakers so that he wasn’t marched barefoot to the squad car, and the officer’s partner was reading off his Miranda rights. Ramirez was talking with the initial officer about options for bail if it led to an arrest. 

None of Zach’s neighbors were home at least. Maybe it was stupid but he didn’t want them to think he had actually done what he was being accused of. It was harder to prove yourself innocent than it should be in this day and age.

He didn’t ask questions, he didn’t speak up, because he knew that he needed to get a lawyer stat, but he was genuinely confused. From the wording it sounded like he was a suspect, not that it was a hard accusation, but he had no idea who would even accuse him of something like that. When he did go out to bars with others he never allowed himself to get drunk, he never allowed himself to have more than a few beers or drinks in general because he knew that he was sloppy, but even then he’d never been an aggressive drunk.

The squad car moved through the traffic with ease, finally arriving at the station, and Zach was led into a room with a metal chair and cheap table. As he took his seat the officer took off the cuffs, allowing him to rub his wrists slightly, before someone who could only be a police detective entered the room and sat down across from him.

“Hello Zachary, I’ve got a couple of questions for you.”

“I’d like a lawyer first, please.”

“Of course, there’s one on their way. I don’t want to keep you here longer than I need to, son.”

“I understand that, sir, however I will not be answering any questions until a lawyer is present as is my right.”

The detective leaned back in his seat and nodded, leaving Zach to stare at the table in silence as they waited, the ticking of the clock and the low hum of the fluorescent lights filling the void of the room with background noise. He didn’t know if it had been hours, or days, before the detective got up when a low buzz sounded and someone else walked in. The woman was professional, her salt and pepper hair in a loose bob that fell to her collar bones, and her eyes were sharp.

“Hello Zachary, my name is Margaret McCall. I am your state-provided legal representative.”

“Hello ma’am, thank you for coming.”

“Of course, young man, I appreciate your manners. Now I understand you’re being detained due to accusations of assault?”

“Yes, ma’am, that’s all I know at the moment as I refused to speak with the detective until I had a lawyer.”

Margaret nodded her head in approval before looking at the glass mirror, the detective returning and sitting down his his folder once again.

“Zachary, where were you three nights ago?”

“At work, sir, I own The Chow Hall. The diner on-“

“Ah, yes, the diner for veterans. So you’re a veteran then, thank you for your service.”

His jaw tightened as he gritted out a ‘thank you for your support’ despite wanting to be silent, the cops always seemed to think that just because he was ex-military that he bled blue, and the detective pulled out the photograph of a young woman.

“Do you recognize this woman, Zachary?”

“She comes into the diner after a night out drinking with her friends, it’s a pretty common event, usually weekly. But I only help on the floor when the servers need me, usually I’m in the office or the kitchen.”

“That’s the only place you know her from? You don’t go out partying in her circles?”

“No sir, I only know her from the diner.”

The detective put the photograph away and crossed his arms on the table.

“You have proof that you were at work, son? The whole shift?”

“Yes, sir, we have security cameras. I can access the feed and records from my phone, if you want that proof immediately.”

“Give me a few minutes, son. Let me check with the tech team.”

After he left the room Margaret hummed, scribbling something in her notebook, and Zach glanced at her as she closed the front page.

“The good news is that they have nothing to hold you here, especially with security footage proof on your end as to where you were, so you shouldn’t be detained much longer. In the event that they find something, do you have the name and number of friends or family I could call to confirm details of your week?”

“I do, would you like me to write them for you?”

“Yes, please, Mr. Wellison.”

He scribbled down the information for Ramirez and after only a moment’s hesitation for Nanette as well, though he did make sure to leave a note that she was currently visiting family in Texas and would only be available via video call if they needed to see her face for any reason. He looked up as the door opened and the detective sat down, empty handed this time, before Zach was handed his cellphone.

“If you could access those cameras for me, son, while I can watch you do it I would be appreciative. We’ll need you to send us a copy of the records from 20:00 to 03:30, unaltered. If they’re tampered with we will know.”

Zach made sure to keep his phone tilted so that the cameras in the corner could pick up what he was doing as he accessed the camera app, opening the video feed from three nights ago and creating the clipped segment that he sent to the detective’s e-mail. Once it was received, after the details were confirmed, Zach locked his phone again and handed it back. Margaret waited until the detective left to scoff.

“While I know you’re just looking to prove your innocence, they do require a warrant to request information from your personal devices.”

“I know, ma’am, I just want to go home.”

It felt like hours had passed as Margaret gave him her information, on the chance that they tried to pursue this case further, and the legal protections he had if they tried to disrupt his life over currently unconfirmed charges. He appreciated that she spoke as if he were innocent, because he was, but still with the reality that sometimes innocent people were convicted despite evidence he felt respected.

“You’re free to leave, son, your security footage is clear. Apologies for disrupting your day, thank you for your cooperation.” Zach took his phone back and Margaret led him out, making sure he had her information, and she slipped a piece of paper into his hand behind her business card as she shooed him away. Zach waited until he was in the car with Ramirez, who came to pick him up, to look at it.

Check your phone case for tracking and listening devices.

Zach hadn’t thought about that possibility and held up his finger to silence Ramirez when the other vet went to ask him what he was doing, and the man went on talking about the other recipes he’d gone over while Zach had been in the station instead. Zach found a small device tucked in the back of his case, barely the size of the top of his thumb, and he could see the microphone hole easily. There was even some sort of location tag tracker on it, no doubt they’d be trying to get it back, and he grinned as Ramirez pulled over at the gas station so Zach could drop it in the trash.

Only after he was sure his phone was safe did they head back, sharing a disgusted rant about the LA cops as Ramirez theorized someone had paid the woman to make the accusation against him, and Zach was willing to dismiss the idea. He didn’t have anyone out there who disliked him that badly, at least he hoped not, and the only thing that made sense would be someone who didn’t like that he was a veteran or that his diner was doing well.

Cassie’s nose was busted up but the proud smile on her face had Nanette grinning too, fussing with a rag to clean the blood off as her little sister cradled her trophy, and she could hear Paul’s nerves about facing her mother with Cassie this busted up. It had been right after the last game of the season ended that the goalie from the other school team had gone after one of Cassie’s smaller teammates, who had managed to get a shot past into the net, and Nanette’s sister had jumped in the second she realized Heather was going to get punched and pulled the smaller girl out of the way in exchange for a bloody nose.

“No matter what Paul or mother have to say, Cassie, I’m so proud of you.” Nanette ignored the look Paul shot her in the rear-view mirror, she’d chosen to sit in the back with her sister on the drive home, and focused solely on Cassie’s smile as the teen held the rag in place now.

“Thanks, Nana. Means a lot to me.”

“I’m serious, you’re killing it out there, I have the coolest little sister.” Watching Cassie’s smile turn shy made Nanette glance at her step-father, who was pulling into the neighborhood, and Paul scowled deeper when he realized she was watching him. He knew as well as Nanette did that her mother was going to lose it, the two of them had already been fighting over Paul allowing Cassie to pursue sports instead of pageants and débutante events, and Nanette knew it was in part because her mother didn’t want any other kids and Paul felt slighted that he’d only had one that was his to raise.

The two of them were just selfish and Cassie was being caught in the middle; Paul would always let her get the brunt of their mother’s temper for choosing sports over pageants.

Paul looked even more alarmed when Nanette’s phone rang, since he knew she wouldn’t take a personal or work call inside, and Cassie began heading in with her season MVP trophy. He knew as well as she did that without her going inside beside him that he couldn’t slip away while Nanette dealt with her mother’s anger on the subject of Cassie’s nose. Nanette answered the call and watched Paul skulk inside, hearing her mother’s shrill outrage even from out here, but she ignored it in favor of the call.

“Hi Delaney, is something wrong?”

“Do you remember Francesca’s friend, Lillian?”

“Lillian Hunt? Yes, she wanted to model but refused to follow the calorie restrictions and now she’s looking into acting right?”

“Correct, I called to warn you. Lillian went out three nights ago to celebrate getting a role in a commercial; Cheyenne called me because she showed up to film with bruises all over her and claimed that a stranger assaulted her. The man she described sounds like your boyfriend.”

For a moment Nanette felt that slither of surprise work its way through her, because that was definitely a surprise, but it turned into anger quickly.

“Delaney, first and foremost Zach would never put his hands on anyone like that and I’m insulted you would even believe that of him. Secondly, he was at work at the diner three days ago for a night shift, if the cops were called to the diner it would have been all over social media.” The Chow Hall wasn’t some massive Michelin Star restaurant but it was a very widely known place in LA being so focused on veteran hiring and rehabilitation to civilian life, the countless articles and travel blog posts about it had made it into an internet famous diner.

“As I said, I was just concerned. Please be careful trusting him.”

“Delaney, you are being ridiculous, Zach didn’t do anything like that. Now I have to go, my mother is not patient when it comes to disrupting family time. I’ll see you in a few days when I get back.”

“Of course, Nanette.”

As she ended the call Nanette sent a text to Zach first, asking him if he was okay, and when she didn’t get an answer she simply tucked her phone away. He was recipe testing with Hector today so there was a chance his phone was on silent, it wasn’t a huge deal, and her mother scowled when Nanette stepped inside.

“Was that your agent?”

“Yes, mother, that was Delaney.”

“Are you going to break up with that boy now that he’s proven he’ll run around and hurt people?”

Nanette stared at her mother in disbelief and realized that Delaney had called her already, likely during the game when she hadn’t been answering her phone, and that anger from before returned even as she fought to keep her tone level.

“Mother, Zach didn’t do anything like that and he would never do anything like that, he’s not a man that would go around hurting people. He was at work the night of the incident, if you must know, and the woman who made the accusation simply described someone that looked like him and everyone is up in arms for no reason. Do you know how many guys in LA have close cut brown hair and wear flannels? The answer is, a lot of them.” Nanette kept her tone as dismissive as possible, wanting to just cut this conversation off before it could lengthen, and a part of her felt guilty because the second she did her mother would just start in about Cassie’s nose without a care for how the injury happened.

Watching her mother’s perfectly shaped eyebrow raise and those pale pink colored lips curl into a disappointed expression had Nanette instantly on the defensive. The relationship they had was nothing like when she’d been a child now that she was living on her own and able to see how terrible the woman was. But any time she made the move of cutting her out entirely Nanette would panic and break within days. Her mother had always pushed her to do better and want more for herself, the idea of giving up her family like that was terrifying and she wasn’t brave enough to do it. Nanette’s mother wasn’t a good person but that was her mother, the woman who loved her and raised her, so instead she was as vocal as she could be trying to change her mother’s beliefs.

“Nanette Rose, I understand that you think you love him. I do, honey, I was there once too remember? But the fact that you’re willing to settle for a man that owns some diner in LA when you’re so much better than that feels like a slap in the face for everything I’ve ever done for you. I don’t mean to make you feel like I’m attacking you or your choice, God knows you’re like me and have to learn things the hard way, but I just don’t want to see you hurt or ruin your entire career over him.” The resigned tone of her mother’s voice felt like whiplash when compared against her expression, making Nanette back down since it was pretty obvious that her mother was not going to listen.

“He’s a good man, and a great partner, I hope that soon you get to see that for yourself.” Honestly she missed him, a lot, maybe it was the honeymoon phase or whatever but she really wished he was here; his comfort and care was something she could use right now. It was true that she’d begun spending a lot of time with him but Zach brought calm to her life that she hadn’t even known she’d been missing, and his consideration for her work was unparalleled. He respected her even though she was a model, not once had she heard him make any remarks about her intelligence the way others often did, and he even helped her learn about field hockey so she could talk with Cassie about it with no judgment.

Zach was nothing like some of the male authority figures she’d had in her life, who tried to talk down to her because she was a woman or act like her doing pageants and débutante events made her stupid by default.

“Alright, if you say so, just remember that you can always call if you need help okay? Now, please tell me you understand why I hate this sports thing your sister is doing, or are you delighted that her nose is leaking blood all over?” Nanette couldn’t help it, her eyes rolled and she let out the softest laugh.

“Mother, Cassie is having fun and she’s great at the sport, you have a daughter who has pursued modeling and fame. Let her live her life, please? Sometimes it seems like all you want to do is live through us.” The swat to the side of her head with a rolled up magazine was to be expected and her mother looked absolutely thunderous, the sting was just present enough to be annoying, and Nanette scowled right back.

“Don’t imply that I’m some washed up crone, I don’t live through either one of you, I only want what is best for you both. If I hadn’t taken you in after the divorce your father would have put you in an early grave with his drinking habit, all I ever did was give you opportunities.” Nanette’s ire faded as she was reminded, yet again, just how ugly the divorce had been for her mother; she’d talked to her dad who had confessed at the time he had a drinking problem. He’d told her that he didn’t know if he would have been able to step up and be the dad she needed at that point in her life.

“I’m sorry, mother. I know it wasn’t easy for you, Dad even admitted he didn’t know if he could have stepped up back then, but there was a lot of stress I was under trying to live up to your expectations that I couldn’t tell you about because I never wanted to disappoint you. Please don’t put Cassie in that position, let her play field hockey and be who she is, just let her be a kid while she still can.” Her mother’s annoyance softened to a resigned look as she shrugged, nodding and waving her hand to dismiss the conversation, it was a relief and slightly irritating that her mother would just end conversations she was tired of without a resolution but there wasn’t much Nanette could do without risking her mother getting angrier.

Cassie was sitting in bed, nose patched up and changed, when Nanette walked into the room; the three-bedroom house had one room converted into an office, for Paul, so the ‘guest’ space was the bunk bed in Cassie’s room. It was a twin over double style, so whenever there were guests usually Cassie was relegated to the top bunk, but Nanette was more than okay with her baby sister cuddling up to her so they shared happily and talked most of the night.

“Is mom really mad still?” Seeing the very worried expression on her sister’s face made Nanette immediately exhale softly and sit down, pulling her sister into a side hug gently.

“Not as mad but she’s still pretty heated about it, I’m sorry I can’t do more to help you.” It was hard to navigate standing up for her sister, and herself, while still showing her mother respect.

“I don’t blame you, Nettie, you had it worse than I did with all those pageants and stuff. I don’t know how you put up with it.”

“You’re braver than I was back then, I just wanted to make mother proud. I started to like it more as I got older but that isn’t me telling you to give up what makes you happy. You are Cassandra Dougherty, not Nanette or Marcelline Dougherty, you have to make your own way in life; as long as you’re true to who you are then I’ll always be proud.” The two of them switched to sitting on the floor so Cassie could tell her about the different plays, and how she was excited that she was set to be the Captain at twelve if she kept doing what she was doing, and Nanette helped her sister come up with easier ways to memorize the plays so that she had a better chance at achieving that spot.

If she finished out middle school as the field hockey captain for two years then it would make her more likely to get a good spot on the high school team, since Cassie was having a good time so far Nanette wanted to make sure her sister was able to do the things she aspired for. They were discussing teammates and who was cooperative for extra practice when her little sister got quiet, looking very shy, and Nanette waited for her to broach whatever topic it was she had on her mind.

“Nettie? What does it feel like to have a crush on someone?” Nanette’s brows raised a little and she felt her heart stop only momentarily, trying not to recall the days of her own youth when her mother would take her on dates with boys when she didn’t really want to. This wasn’t that situation at all.

“They make your face feel warm, your chest feels like it's exploding with butterflies, and when they’re telling you about something they really like -even if you don’t understand it- you always want to listen because seeing them happy makes you happy.” Nanette thought about Zach, about how infectious his own happiness was, and Cassie’s brow furrowed.

“Is it… is it normal to feel that way with… with another girl?”

“Absolutely, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. People around here think it’s against the word of God, that it's immoral and disgusting, but it’s not.” Nanette’s chest was tight with concern, outrage on behalf of her sister who hadn’t even figured out life but was already questioning it and would likely be mistreated for it because of how it was around here, and Cassie must have sensed it as she fiddled with her tee shirt hem.

“I don’t know if that’s what it is but I’m scared, I know that Harry’s mom kicked Mason out as soon as he was eighteen because he said he liked boys -she told the whole team all about it because she was really upset about losing her brother like that- and I think I like Nora but I don’t know.”

“Cassie, you’re eleven, you don’t need to know all the answers to everything. Did you know there are people mother’s age who realize that they’re actually gay or lesbian, that they’re trans or bi or anything people would consider ‘not normal’ in our community? You don’t need a label if you don’t want one, and there’s no rush at all to try and find one. Just be careful with who you talk to about this, okay? There’s only so much I can do from LA. Harriet seems like she’d be able to keep your secret, from the sound of it, even if it’s total nonsense that you need to keep it a secret to begin with.”

Cassie’s eyes welled up and Nanette crawled over to hug her, letting her little sister work through whatever she was feeling and glancing at her phone when it chimed. Zach had confirmed he was okay, a relief since she wanted to focus on her sister right now.

Zach glanced at Nanette as she read through articles on her tablet, ever since she’d come home she mentioned needing to do some heavy reading and he’d told her to come to his place since Francesca was doing line reads with other peers at theirs, and he had his music on very low so he didn’t disturb her. He trusted her to tell him what, if anything, was wrong when she was ready to do so and for now he focused on finishing up dinner for them both. He’d just gotten the bacon fried up when he felt Nanette’s forehead come to rest against his back, the light grip she had on his flannel making him smile, and Zach set things aside to turn around and pull her into a hug.

“Need to talk or do you just want me to hold you, pretty girl?” Nanette’s lips curled into a smile against his shirt, the very light giggle that escaped her at the pet name proved her mood wasn’t the worst it could be, and Zach wouldn’t ever be able to describe the warmth in his chest when she hummed thoughtfully since it always came with an explanation. He felt honored to have her trust him enough to share what was on her mind, good or bad, to be her safe place to just voice all the things bothering her.

“My sister thinks she might have a crush on her friend from field hockey, Nora, and I can’t begin to tell you how badly that would go over with the people in my hometown. Much less our mother and her father. I want to help her but shy of convincing mother to let her live with me, meaning I’d have to find a place to stay, there isn’t much I can do except tell her to be mindful of who she tells that she’s even questioning it.” He was floored for a moment, digesting this information, but Zach could hardly believe just how wonderful Nanette was sometimes.

“I think telling her to be cautious about who she opens up to about her feelings is the best given the circumstances, she’s really lucky to have a supportive older sister you know. I would hope that maybe your parents might think differently since it’s their little girl but you know them better than I do so I will not try to challenge what you foresee happening here.” Zach felt Nanette nod lightly, felt the way she was holding all sorts of tension over this, and made her sit at one of the tall bar stools so he could finish making dinner.

“Are you okay with telling me more about your parents? Why they’ll go nuclear about this?” Nanette looked surprised for a second and then offered a small, embarrassed, expression.

“Of course, I thought I’d told you about them already. My mother, Marcelline Dougherty, is also a former pageant champion but she never got into modeling; she became a cosmetologist and pageant coach, as soon as I was old enough to compete I was in kiddie pageants too. My step-father, Paul McReynolds, has been her husband since I was six but he wasn’t really a father to me since my dad kept shared custody and I lived with him two weeks out of the month. He lived nearby up until I was going into Middle School when he confessed to me how he wanted to move a little bit away, I gave him the green light because I just wanted him happy, so he moved to a different town in the city that was far enough that he wouldn’t see mother all the time.” He didn’t voice how odd it was to him that she used the title mother but also the title dad, all that told him was who she was closer to in terms of her parents. Zach held up an avocado after slicing up the tomato and earned a nod.

“Mother and Paul are both very religious, if I wasn’t at my dad’s house or doing pageants I was usually at church or bible studies, they don’t see their bigotry as anything but following the word of God -even if they do cherry pick what they follow and what they’re lenient about- and there are plenty of people who have straight up cut ties with their children because they ended up coming out. Cassie is terrified, and unfortunately she should be, so I’m just trying to figure out how to help her.” Zach set Nanette’s sandwich down in front of her along with a small plate of kale chips for them to share, he’d looked into some alternatives for chips and he didn’t mind these so much, but he could tell it was bothering her.

“Would you be able to get a place on your own? Or are you contracted to live where you are? If you got a house of your own, I mean, couldn’t you just tell your parents you want Cassie to get out of the local area and become a temporary guardian until she’s eighteen?” Nanette chewed on her lower lip for a second and shrugged, looking more than a little lost, and he had no doubt that her parents were the nosy type given the way she was addressing this.

“Mother probably wouldn’t care but Paul wouldn’t like it, Cassie is his daughter -his only kid since mother refuses to go through childbirth again- and he’s the reason she’s even allowed to do field hockey instead of pageants. Even if he won’t actually have her back when she needs him, which is frustrating.” Zach found himself nodding, already disliking the man for putting his daughter -and step daughter- in this position at all since it sounded like Marcelline was the worst kind of bossy Southern woman.

“Well, I can help you go over your employment contract to look at your clause for residency, if you need me to, or I can help figure out what you’d need to put down on a place. I can also just mind my business and let you handle this, I don’t want to overstep.”

“I think I’m going to just learn what I can do to support her for now and if I need to take her in I absolutely will, I don’t want to rush her into thinking she needs to come out with some sort of label right away either, Cassie is only eleven so I’m just trying to be mindful of allowing her to start making her own choices.” Zach nodded and unlocked his tablet, to flip on a video to watch while they ate at the table, before he found himself with another question. He’d left the tablet on his messages application, which had Nanette’s question if he was okay from the day of his almost arrest.

“Hey, uh, that day you messaged me? Why did you ask if I was okay? You never said.” He had confirmed he was fine and sent her a question mark in reply. Nanette blinked and swallowed the mouthful of food with her hand covering her face as she tried to eat quicker. It was a cute habit of hers, to cover her mouth before speaking if she was eating during a meal.

“Delaney called me being super annoying about a false accusation, one of Francesca’s friends named Lillian apparently described someone like you as her assailant when she went out drinking and Lillian’s agent called him so he was all worried about me. I reassured him that she was wrong and you’d been misidentified, but it’s still really annoying. He was so upset about it he called my mother while we were at Cassie’s field hockey game, I mean come on really? I knew you didn’t do what they tried to accuse you of, not only were you at work that night but you’d never do anything like that.” Zach felt torn between relief that Nanette so firmly believed in him and immediate confusion that her agent knew about the incident. He didn’t think it was totally left field for the two agents to know what another, but it didn’t sit right with him.

“Is that a normal thing, those two talking?” Nanette hummed as she looked up from the video before rolling her shoulders in a shrug.

“Kind of? Cheyenne -Lillian and Francesca’s agent- takes a lot of aspiring models that refuse to do the calorie restrictions to try and get them minor film roles. I couldn’t imagine why she’d bring it up unless Lillian’s condition is worse than what I’ve been told, and according to Francesca you wouldn’t even know she’d been hurt looking at her. I kind of think she faked it for attention, wouldn’t be the first time and her boyfriend is a make-up artist.” The food he’d eaten sank like a rock in his gut and Zach excused himself, hating what he was doing as he stood in the bathroom and messaged some of his old contacts. He’d been willing to let it go until Nanette mentioned Lillian’s condition and that she’d faked things like this before.

A confirmation and a promise to dig into it from an old commanding officer of his sent him back to the table and he hoped, against all his doubts, that maybe he was wrong.

All Fics Taglist: @haylzcyon @wordsnwhiskey @pagannightwitch @radiowallet @tauralmie @amneris21 @trickstersp8 @practicalghost @alwaysdjarin @alexxavicry @all-the-way-down-here

Just Pedro Taglist: @maievdenoir @beecastle @littlemisspascal @writeforfandoms @aynsleywalker @lovesbiggerthanpride @mswarriorbabe80

You're so Classic Only: @green-socks @whataperfectwasteoftime @harriedandharassed

[fecto-forgo]

kirbtober day 6 -royalty

king and queen.

[walrus150915]

I feel like a lot of people in the fandom tend to forget this, so I'm just here to give a kind, thoughtful reminder :]

Ambrosius Goldenloin in the movie is an East Asian man (Korean-coded), his skin is tan, his eyes are monolid and his nose is big

He's voiced by Eugene Lee Yang - a Korean-American actor who also has Chinese and Japanese heritage. Eugene Lee Yang looks like this:

During the production, when Ambrosius was decided to be East Asian, artists looked up queer East Asian-American men, and based Ambrosius off of them. Ambrosius is literally drawn to look like Eugene Lee Yang

Please draw him as such, thank you

[diamondcitydarlin]

WIP western AU !!! what do we think of outlaw Heisenberg ???

[florallylly]

i've seen model steve harrington aus. i've seen child steve harrington aus. i present: child model steve harrington

note: this came from my own desperate need to see this conceptualized and i SWEAR i've searched, i just can't find any content with child model steve so. :(

bc little steve harrington was remarkably cherub-like. his large brown eyes and soft pout ensured endless cooing and fussing from his mom's friends. and when he blushed and ducked his head in shyness, they only complimented him more. when he got home that day, his mom smiled at him.

so steve decided that he would put up with the cheek pinching and the squealing. he sat upright in his chair, sitting on his hands so he wouldn't fidget and ruin the image. because he'd do anything to keep his mom smiling at him. if he was being particularly good that day, she'd let him lay his head on her lap on the drive back home.

but everything changed at his father's birthday gala. a nearly eight year old steve harrington sat prim and proper in his seat, but a smile lit up his face--his cheeks round and his dimples showing up. he raised his hand up to cover his giggle, but he couldn't help but laugh at some silly old man with a loose toupee. then he sees his mom approaching, and his face quickly smooths over, going back to the more polite smile he usually adopted when it came to these events.

he'd ruined it. he hadn't continued being the sweet boy his mom wanted. but then, she smiles at him. and introduces him to the man behind her, who says he's a designer. the man holds out his hand, but when steve puts his hand into his palm, he doesn't shake it. the man simply holds his hand, his eyes scanning steve's face. steve tries not to squirm under the attention. but the man nods and smiles at his mom, and he gives two brief cheek kisses to steve, whispering in his ear "you're going to be a star, darling." steve looks at his mom, confused, but she waves him off to continue talking to the man.

a few months later, steve's mom whisks him off on a trip to france. and steve is so excited to go, nearly vibrating in his seat as the airplane prepares to take off. but instead of the eiffel tower and the seine, steve is taken to a studio. he's posed and changed. once again, he's being fussed over, but instead of wealthy socialites, gossiping make-up artists squeal over him. he's "perfect for the shoot" and "the most darling little boy." steve doesn't understand, but his mom is still smiling, so he lets the nice ladies brush powder over his face.

and he looks in the mirror. his hair is a little more tousled and his lips have a slight tint to them and his eyes seem to take up much of his face. he's put into new clothes, and he feels like a doll in their hands. and when he's put in front of the camera, he simply follows the photographer's directions. afterwards, he's bundled into the car and his mom can't stop gushing about how good he was.

apparently, he's a natural. and then she goes back to fussing over him, focusing more on appearance than his behavior now. but she takes him out shopping and they eat at an upscale restaurant along the champs-elysses. and steve is happy.

and then they go back home, and his mom is so much stricter than before. she has him try out all kinds of different hair products, determined to find the best combination to keep it looking shiny and soft. she controls his food intake and what he wears and makes him use weird creams and serums on his face. but this is what makes his mom happy, so he's happy to let her.

his mom is also on the phone a lot more lately, whispering harshly about the quality of brands and steve just assumes she's being picky about the clothes she buys. later, his mom picks him up and holds him, and asks if he'd like to move to italy. she looks at him intently and it's obvious what answer she wants, so steve nods. she smiles and holds him close, and it's the most loved steve has felt in a while.

so they move to italy, and suddenly steve is a lot more busy. he's put in front of more cameras for more people he doesn't know. but he's smiling and pouting and doing whatever they want him to do. his compliant attitude and polite nature have photographers and designers alike singing his praises, and steve always looks to his mom for approval. but she's been arguing with his dad a lot lately, so she's upset more often than not. but that's okay, the make-up artists are always kind to him.

but then one day, his mom takes a phone call in the middle of the shoot. and when it finishes, she's gone. steve goes back in, close to tears, but the make-up artists still hanging around look after him until a car is sent to pick him up. this becomes a trend. and eventually, steve goes alone to his shoots. he's always taken care of by the crew and someone is always there to pick him up, but it's not fun without his mom there.

but he knows that she's always enjoyed him taking pictures, so he continues to do so, hoping that she'll come watch him again sometime soon. and he busies himself with befriending the chatty make-up artists and the bossy photographers and the eccentric designers. and he's such a cute little thing that they can't help but dote on him.

steve is never catapulted into child stardom, as his mom is picky with his jobs, only choosing luxury brands and well known designers for him. but within the industry, they call him the "little prince."

and then steve is catapulted into puberty, but his intense skin regimen prevents him from getting acne, save for the occasional zit. and his diet and religious exercise schedule help maintain his look. and he's still doing remarkably well, especially now that he's fully aware that he is a Model.

and steve has truly grown into his looks. with time, he's grown more comfortable in front of the camera and made numerous friends. nearly all of them are older than him, but they're fun and loud and it fills up the space that normally surrounds him. and they're the ones who get him hooked on american movies. steve remembers living in america, but he's been in milan so long that everything he recalls is vague.

but he watches them and falls in love with the american high school experience. so when he finally catches his mom off the phone and actually in the house, steve asks if he can go to school in america. and his mom laughs. but steve keeps asking, which devolves into begging. and his mother snaps, slapping him across the face and calling him ungrateful. she cries and begs for forgiveness, cowed into shame by steve's desperate attempt to hold back tears.

and so she lets him go to school in hawkins, indiana. an odd choice, but his parents just so happened to own a property there. (in truth, both of his parents expected him to change his mind within the year). but steve finds his place at hawkins high, because even though nobody in hawkins has ever heard of versace, steve is pretty. he's pretty and charming and he knows the right thing to say. after all, he's spent his whole life perfecting his mask.

and even if his mom ended up moving back home with his dad, leaving steve all alone in that big empty house, steve is happy. he's finally hanging out with people his age and high school is so far removed from the glitz and glam of the fashion industry. and he's settled and content with tommy and carol by his side. while he misses his friends back in milan, steve finds himself longing for the clothes more often. hawkins was certainly the opposite of milan, what with the nearest mall being two hours away and only equipped with a macy's and jcpenny.

through it all, steve is determined to be normal. he laughs along with jokes he doesn't quite get and rolls his eyes at carol's cue, and he joins the swim team. and he joins the basketball team. and he goes to parties and kisses girls and wears dumb little polos with his letterman jacket and does everything that he saw in the movies.

but nancy wheeler is different. steve can't forget his time in italy and who he is and was, and he's reminded of his old life in everyone and everything in hawkins. but not nancy wheeler. she's all hawkins and all his. and then the upside down happens.

and then nancy wheeler breaks his heart.

even after three years, his parents continue to ask when he'll go back to modeling, but he's different now. the upside down and billy hargrove beat that starry eyed little kid who thrived in the spotlight. and nancy wheeler proved that adoration and love is fleeting, so what would even be the point of trying anymore? his dad was a little more approving of steve's retirement/hiatus, saying that steve must want to go to college so he can take over the family business.

but when steve doesn't get into college, he's once again badgered by his mom to go back. but he's grown and changed and he's not sure that he can pretend anymore, so he says no. and they cut him off. enter: scoops era.

the measly scoops salary is not nearly enough to cover all of the new bills and expenses steve has, but he's not willing to leave hawkins. so he reaches out to his friends back in italy, and they refer him to their american connections. steve doesn't model at the same level as before, but he poses for a couple of zines and one artist who got a little too handsy at his exhibition. but he's able to make it through until the mall blows up.

this routine continues and he starts working at family video with robin at his side, but he keeps his side job a secret from the kids, using the excuse of visiting his parents to leave town for his shoots. he's not ashamed, but he knows he wouldn't "be normal" anymore if they found out.

but how does he explain his near mental breakdown at the sight of his healing demobat scars. they're raised and ugly, ruining what should have been a perfect body. and even though he uses scar cream everyday, they refuse to fade away completely. and how could anyone stand to be near such an ugly thing when all his life, steve was meant to be pretty? after all, love and adoration is fleeting.

[akuma-tenshi]

telepathic conversation between melly and alice as orpheus wages psychological warfare on frederick at the breakfast table

original from @outofcontextdiscord

[tsunosagun]

/ᐠ_ ꞈ _マ

[doctorsiren]

at the time of sending this it is my birthday. .. Can you possibly draw an izutsumi dungeon meshi.... Pretty please.. for request (when you're feeling better of course. don't overexert yourself over some requests!!).. teehee

nya

[aurinkomoukari]

[funeralprocessor]

I feel like the Primaris should have been the catalyst for like, an imperial civil war. At the very least, much unrest in the house of Guilliman. Their existence, let alone rollout/integration, should have had many chapters absolutely rioting. It should be beyond the pale by several orders of magnitude and be seen as an enormous overreach by the more autonomy loving chapters, a blasphemy by the more orthodox chapters, and an existential threat to chapters with geneseed quirks. Plus anyone with any awareness of the thunder warriors should take one look at them and recognize the writing on the wall. Guilliman should absolutely recognize what they represent, what they imply. Like they're the leading wave of a paradigm shift that doesn't bode well for what came before. And I say this as someone who's not averse to Primaris, I just think they could've, should've, been a waaaay bigger deal. I know they loathe changing the status quo and we're never getting rid of the posterboys but I think we missed out on something interesting.

[chaoticgeminate]

You're so Classic (v)

Summary: When you own a diner there are a variety of people that come to get a seat, Zach has become familiar with the constant and changing guests that come in through those doors. The good, the bad, and the ugly all with their own stories and their own lives. He’s witnessed first dates, last dates, engagements, anniversaries, job gains or losses, and birthdays galore.

Enter Nanette Dougherty.

Former pageant child, debutante, and swimsuit model fresh off a bad date and needing to be somewhere that her roommates and agent won’t try to find her. Where better than a diner full of things she’s never allowed to eat? What Nanette never counted on was the handsome diner owner to change her life.

Pairing: Zach Wellison x Nanette Rose Dougherty [ofc]

Rating: Explicit (Blog is 18+ regardless but this is going to be a bit of a heavy story)

Notes and Warnings: Series will involve some heavy topics including but not limited to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), eating disorders, body acceptance, PTSD, anger problems, toxic narcissistic parents, and abusive relationships both platonic and romantic. This installment features sexual harassment at a work function, implied bad parenting, and smut. Beta read by the beautiful, lovely, amazing @leslie-lyman 💙

Last Chapter | Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

Chicken and Dumplings (8.4k)

Nanette didn’t usually remember her dreams, it was rare that she got anything aside from whatever emotions came from the images her mind created for her, and today was no different. Waking up warm and comfortable, calm in a way she hadn’t felt in some time, with only happiness and a low buzzing content to ease her into consciousness; soft breaths puffed against the back of her neck and Zach’s arm was draped over her waist and with the blessing of central air the room wasn’t too hot even though both of them had slept without clothes on.

Sometime during the night she’d rolled over, closer to the edge of the bed, and Zach had given chase; she’d almost forgotten about her habit of moving in her sleep, it was something she’d probably have to mention since she’d fallen off her bed a few times as a child. Nanette settled back into Zach’s embrace as he continued to sleep and the sun continued to rise, it was still very early -likely around five or six- so she didn’t even try to move away.

Nanette took stock of how she felt, the ache between her legs was familiar but there were only good memories attached to it, and her heart was racing when she slowly recalled all the things Zach had said he wanted to do with her. This was the first time she’d taken a weekend to herself, to just stay away from her apartment and Francesca and all of that other stuff, so there was part of her that wanted to explore all of Zach’s promises now.

But patience won out, it would be best to take this slow, she knew it was probably a dumb idea to rush into things just because she had a good time once. While she didn’t doubt Zach or how attentive he was to making her feel good it was still her own worries that she would learn something was wrong somehow, or that Zach would want to do something that just wasn’t doing it for her and he’d be disappointed in her. After exhaling softly she managed to slip out of bed, feeling jittery and like she needed to move, so she opted to go to the bathroom and then work on breakfast.

Pausing when she saw her reflection, running a hand down her stomach, Nanette bit the inside of her cheek since she felt bloated. It wasn’t a great feeling, she turned to the side to see if there was a noticeable change and tried to fight down the mild panic since she was sure there was. It just meant she’d have to go lighter on meals, which was perfectly fine, and she did have a higher weight allowance now so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she weighed in above her usual. She stepped back, taking in the shape of her hips and thighs, just trying to remind herself that it was impossible for such drastic change to happen overnight, that she was fine and it was okay that the hefty meal she had the day before wasn’t going to ruin her life.

Tying her hair back into a messy ponytail to escape the judgmental stare of her reflection, picking up Zach’s flannel and letting it hang open, she slipped on fresh underwear and tip-toed down the stairs into the kitchen. He had a one-cup coffee maker and Nanette made a note as she rustled through his cabinets on what his coffee of choice was, that way if she ever had him over at hers for breakfast she would have some on hand, and after making sure she had what she needed for the two cups of coffee it was time to see what she could make.

Zach had a variety of things in the fridge and she couldn’t help but smile seeing it organized in clear bins with labels, things specifically set aside for different meals like vegetables he’d separated from bulk purchases or proteins for each meal, and she decided on making omelets. One cured ham steak, an onion, bell pepper, a few mushrooms, and the sliced colby jack cheese made their way onto the counter with the eggs after she found a cutting board and his knives.

Nanette had just cooked the water out of the mushrooms and gotten some color on the onions and peppers after she added them to the pan when she heard the sound of footsteps in the hall, Zach’s hair was still a tousled mess and he’d thrown on some boxers and new sweats, but his eyes landed on her at the stove and she swore they went black.

“Good morning.” His voice was soft and rasped and sent chills down her spine in a good way, it made her feel beautiful and wanted better than any camera or job offer ever could, and her lips lifted at the corners before she could really even try to play coy.

“Good morning Zach, hope you’re hungry.” The words made him groan and walk over, hugging her from behind as he looked over her shoulder, and she giggled when the stubble of his facial hair rubbed against her skin as he nuzzled her neck. Nanette swayed with him as she tended the stove top, the fact that Zach hadn’t immediately jumped to take over made her relax, it was a real calm between them and just an easy morning.

“If you didn’t have the stove on I would start with dessert and bend you over the table.”

Zach stepped away from her to start the coffee as she cracked the eggs into a bowl, her brows shooting up as her entire face flushed, and Nanette knew the sound that came out of her was garbled and not really words but she just couldn’t find a way to form words after that. The conflicting emotions raging in her heart and the thoughts racing through her mind were all over the place from dread that he’d go to make good on his word until he noticed she was bloated to excited that he wanted her still, her grip on the whisk tightened as she beat the eggs she’d cracked without another word or sound.

“Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?” Zach was leaning on the counter beside her, his coffee in hand just watching her face, and she blinked before schooling her expression into a convincing calm. It wasn’t hard since she’d been forced to do this thousands of times before, even if it felt wrong doing it to Zach, but she didn’t want their weekend together to turn into her word vomiting and scaring him off over all the superficial bullshit that popped up in her head. Maybe Leon was right about her, that she was shallow, but it had to be different since hers were usually self-targeted right?

“You can’t just say something like that and not expect me to react.”

Zach’s concern melted to something smug and she felt an ugly sense of relief crawl through her, it wasn’t fair that she couldn’t admit what she was feeling to him but she was scared that he’d walk away, and it would just be easier to hide it for the weekend and face it later when she was alone to process everything. Louis would be able to help her with date dinner ideas that wouldn’t leave her feeling so gross the morning after, she could also have green smoothies for breakfast for a few days if she had to as well.

“I suppose that’s fair, Nanette.” Zach leaned over to kiss her and she turned her head to capture his lips with hers, it was slow and deep and made her whole body ignite like kindling in a wildfire, but before it could go too far she pulled away to keep cooking, Making two separate bowls for the eggs, hers having just the whites while Zach had her extra yolks, and he didn’t say anything but she did notice the very slight downward turn at the corners of his mouth.

“So, what are today’s plans? You mentioned wanting to go somewhere? Or are you going to change your mind and request a weekend in?” His frown became more pronounced and Zach leaned over to catch her chin with a gentle hold between his thumb and pointer so she looked him in the eye.

“We’re going out, don’t you worry, as much as I’d love to keep you here Nanette there’s no way I’m going to push you into more when I can tell you aren’t ready for it. You don’t have to hide or fake anything with me, okay? If you aren’t in the mood, or something is bothering you that has you up in your head, then don’t be worried about my reaction. I’m a grown man, if I really need to get off that bad I can do it myself without forcing anything on you.” Nanette felt her throat tighten with each word, a little glad she hadn’t poured any of the eggs into the pan yet since her eyes began to water embarrassingly, and Zach pulled her away from the stove to hug her tight to him after setting his mug aside.

Nanette felt relieved and conflicted and overwhelmed at the realization that things could be easy with the right person, she’d grown up seeing her mother and step-father have their fights and she could never forget the way her mother used to scream at her dad over every little thing, and other pageant parents had been just as intense and quick to fight their partners. This easy thing with Zach was so different that she didn’t know what to do. It was so good because the weight of expectation was gone but it was making her feel like she might end up messing up, that her bullshit would be what fucked it all up.

“How- how’d you get so insightful?” Nanette wanted to feel as emotionally stable as Zach appeared to be, he was so sure of himself and aware of others, she wanted that same peace.

“Therapy, a lot of therapy, I still go. I have anger issues, still do sometimes, I’m getting better but I don’t think I’ll ever be one-hundred percent. Can I- is it too heavy to ask you what you’re thinking? If it is then we can change topics.” He was giving her an out, of all things, and Nanette leaned against him more as Zach pulled her to sit down at the table, he had her perched in his lap and was just holding her.

“I just- it’s so easy with you and I’ve never… seen that. Experienced that. I felt pretty, like you still wanted me, even without make-up or having my hair done up and it feels nice but terrifying that it’s this easy. I’m scared that my superficial bullshit will get in the way.” Nanette didn’t see the way Zach’s eyes narrowed since she was too busy looking down and away from his face, ashamed to admit this much.

Zach bumped his forehead to hers, gently, so she looked up and met his gaze again; he looked worried again but it was a subtle look hidden under his softly fond expression.

“I want you to know that I think you are beautiful however you choose to present yourself, in or out of clothes with your hair up or down, make-up or not. As for your superficial bullshit, if you’re talking about your career I’m going to do my best to adapt to it, if you talk to me and communicate with me about what you’re feeling then I can offer insight and reassurances.” Nanette was so used to keeping quiet when things bothered her, to accepting the bad in someone because the good was always enough, and that was the exact opposite of who Zach was as a person. He valued her input, wanted to talk with her about any and everything, and if she was feeling down he wanted to know.

It was a stupid way to think about it but she felt less like a doll and more like a human than she ever had in her entire life.

Zach finished making the omelets for breakfast, tasking Nanette to put together a small fruit salad, and while he put everything together he studied her. Seeing her in his shirt definitely had woken him, and his libido, up for the day; he was a simple man and there was something about seeing his girlfriend in his shirt that ticked off the boxes in his caveman brain. But more than that he was seeing the way she was standing with most of her weight on one foot, the slight turn of her body away from him, and he chose not to say anything about her choosing to give him her yolk.

It was clear that something had happened after she woke up to make her feel like she had to hide from him and Zach hoped that, soon, she would feel comfortable telling him about it. He was just as guilty for hiding things, glossing over his anger problems instead of giving her deeper details, but he also didn’t want to scare her off by telling her about something that he’d gotten mostly under control this early. Instead of making a big deal over it Zach hoped his words were enough, that she would understand that he was here for her as long as she met him half way.

They sat down beside each other and Zach flipped on Animal Planet, it was some show about an alligator rescue, and Nanette settled beside him with her own food looking a little better than she had. After a beat of silence between them, just watching the team head out to some flooded church field where two gators were at, he felt Nanette lean against him and turned his head to glance at her.

“I, uh, woke up feeling… well feeling bloated from last night’s dinner.” Zach almost asked her why that would be a problem, he caught himself at least, but it sort of clicked before he managed to make himself look like a total idiot; to him it was a non-issue but he had a feeling something like that was a bit of a hard blow to Nanette’s routine.

“Do you want some lemon water? I know that helps some people at least lessen the feeling.” Zach was half out of his seat before she even said yes and he handed her the cool beverage with a smile as well as a Gas-X tablet. It wouldn’t be the perfect solution but he had a feeling that he’d have to work around the requests she made if they were heavier foods like yesterday, choosing leaner meats or going light on certain vegetables. Like her intimacy situation there was a lot of things Nanette was still learning about her body, adding calories and food types would be no different, and Zach made a mental note to look into some more lean versions of his favorite recipes.

“Is that why you looked upset earlier?” He didn’t want to make assumptions about what she was feeling and if she was willing to tell him then it would be easier to figure out how to handle it going forward.

“Yes, I uh, I was worried it was noticeable.” Zach had to admit her worry flew right over his head for way too long, mostly because he didn’t really get it, but when it finally clicked he caught her hand in his to kiss her knuckles lightly. Nanette’s eyes went round as she stared at him and he offered her as gentle of a look as he could manage, even if he was hurting for her and what she was dealing with, and her little hints about how easy they had it didn’t spell out a good image for what she’d gone through growing up.

“Nanette, I’m going to be entirely honest, there is nothing you could really do to change your appearance that would make me want you any less. I’m not going to dictate what you have to look like to be attractive to me because you’re always attractive to me, what matters is if you feel comfortable with yourself.” He had no idea if she had ever had anyone say that to her before, he was starting to think she hadn’t, but her watering eyes and relieved smile made him brush her tears away with his thumbs and kiss her forehead gently before he kissed her on the nose.

“Thank you, Zach.” He nodded and kissed her on the mouth, deep and slow and just trying to show her how much he cared without any additional words, and Nanette was panting when they parted with a flush on her face that he knew he could get to travel all the way down her neck and shoulders.

Finishing breakfast with much lighter conversation topics, as he recognized she was a little too raw and needed a break, Zach told her to go get dressed while he put the dishes in the dishwasher so that they could go out. Nanette looked stunning in the loose sundress, he didn’t know exactly what to call the light shade of pink or what the colorful flowers printed along the skirt actually were, but it looked very pretty. Zach went upstairs and grabbed one of his gray plaid button downs, a pink tee-shirt underneath paired with his dark gray shorts; Nanette looked up from where she was braiding her hair and smiled, the shade of pink he’d chosen was lighter than the one she wore but looked like it was in the same family of pinks.

Nanette walked over and undid the buttons on his shirt, leaving only one of them done to loosely hold the top together, and he slipped his watch onto his wrist before he could really think too hard about the way her eyes had raked down his figure. After she slipped into her sandals Zach got his socks and sneakers on, making sure she had her purse and he had his wallet and keys. And instead of his car they walked the short distance to the pottery workshop he’d told her about.

The owner was another vet he’d met through the VA, she had handmade figurines and piggy banks, plates, sets of cups and saucers, and really anything you could think of. He and Nanette would be painting something and then Katherine would dry and glaze them, whatever they chose, so it was exciting since it was a chance to experience and create. Nanette was beaming when they got inside, taking in the large stock of unpainted wares, and Zach told her to look around while he greeted Katherine.

“It’s been so long, I cannot believe how far we’ve come now that we’re civilians again.” Katherine earned a nod as Zach grabbed his wallet to pay for the booking, he’d gotten unlimited time for the day and the top tier selection on what to paint.

“At least it’s things we like to do, yea? I know you have to have fun with all the kids that come in.” Kat had always loved kids, Zach remembered meeting her at the VA building when they’d been waiting for their appointments, she’d mentioned coming from a massive family and that as much as she sort of resented her parents for depending on her like a third parent she did miss when her siblings were kids instead of teenagers.

“Loads of fun, I did get lucky that Sasha -the twelve year old- wants to do more pottery stuff so she’s here pretty often whenever she can catch the bus over.” Katherine handed his card back and Zach noticed Nanette looking between a teacup and saucer as well as a mug, making him smile as he walked over to see what she was thinking.

“Mug or teacup?” He paused when she asked him, realizing she’d seen him approaching in the small mirror on the shelf, and Zach grinned as he winked at her.

“I go with mugs because they end up at the diner, I try to come here a few times a year since it’s relaxing for me and it’s fun to see what I can come up with.” He watched the realization flicker across her face, the standard white mugs mixed and matched with the very vastly different painted ones finally making sense, and Nanette’s eyes softened before she grabbed one of the larger mugs since it was the ones he used. Katherine chuckled from the register.

“If you’re both doing mugs take two each.” He knew it was because he’d paid for the most premium choice but Zach still couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the other vet, earning a cheeky wave, but he and Nanette grabbed their mugs and made their way over to the painting tables. They picked one against the window since it had the best lighting, with Zach grabbing two palettes and filling them with a little of every color paint, and Nanette was beaming as she accepted the pack of cleaned paintbrushes from Katherine and Zach took his with a wave.

“I noticed you use a lot of warm shades, fire and autumn colors, for the mugs you have at the diner that are painted. Do you not really like cooler tones?” Nanette was already at work with a pencil, sketching a really rough design onto the unpainted clay, and Zach found himself watching her make the rough outline of flower petals and leaves.

“I tend to avoid green, which you generally see paired with blue for ocean themes or other shades for floral themes.” The motion of her pencil paused before she made a soft sound, returning to her sketching.

“You were deployed then.” Not a question, then again he hadn’t really tried to hide that his time in service had left it’s marks, and Zach whispered the soft ‘yes’ as he began painting the mug in his hand. His method was more abstract than planned, random swirls and patterns of color, but the motions of the brush were soothing and Nanette leaned more against him to tap his shoulder with the side of her head.

“My dad is a vet too, it got ugly for a while and that’s why mother stopped my visits with him, you don’t have to worry about it scaring me off. You said you’re in therapy, I don’t doubt that’s part of it.” Zach let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and nodded, the wide brush stroke that looked like a flower petal made him continue the pattern before Nanette winked and used her brush -dipped in green- to draw a stem for him.

Zach didn’t think about the fact that there were kids in the room already, he just pressed the softest kiss to her mouth as she smiled so softly at him, and Nanette pulled away first with a smile on her face that was so understanding that it made him feel like it was safe to open up more to her about his PTSD and everything he’d been through. To an extent, at least, he’d never tell her about active combat or the true horrors he’d seen but he could talk to her about the lingering nightmares and emotional baggage.

They fell into much gentler conversation after that, mindful of the giggly children and protective parents, instead talking about plays and concerts they wanted to see; Zach loved that Nanette preferred orchestral music and jazz bands, even if she did enjoy every other genre the instrumental pieces were her favorite, and decided that sometime he’d have to plan a trip to the East Coast where they could see a proper Christmas orchestra performance in the snow. His Mama had taken him to Boston once in the winter, his uncle had a boxing match there, and Zach would never forget how it felt seeing snow for the first time.

“So what’s the most exotic place you’ve traveled?” Nanette blinked at his question before turning an almost rueful gaze on her mug, the pattern was a lovely floral and he had no doubt her skill at applying make-up attributed to her steady hand as she worked over her sketch.

“I’ve only ever seen San Antonio, Houston, Austin, and LA; pageants, when I was younger, in Texas while modeling was here. Now that I have the evening gown exclusivity there’s a chance I could go to other places depending on shooting location, my goal is to be on the runway for Paris Fashion Week even if its just once.” He loved that it wasn’t a dream, that it was a goal, that she knew what she wanted and that she’d been working on the moves to get her there.

“Tell me what you need me to do, if anything, so I can help you achieve your goal.” Nanette glanced at him and smiled, the finished mug set down so she could get started on the second, and Zach felt that tension from the morning slipping away.

Katherine was sweet and she’d offered a gig to teach painting to the kids, if Nanette wanted it, but the model had to refuse. Instead she hit up a few make-up artists that she knew who specialized in costume and decorative make-up since the hours Katherine wanted were super flexible, it was a win-win for her to get steady-handed artists and for the make-up artists to find something to pad their wallet when they had no job lined up. Zach held her hand as they left, their mugs would be dried, glazed, and baked with the next batch before they were ready for pickup.

It had been a longer time than she expected but Nanette had a lot of fun, it was nice to do something creative and calming, so by the time they got back to the apartment she was no longer as anxious as she had been upon waking up. The measures Zach had taken helped too, she felt worlds better, and he led her to the couch with a promise of a light lunch; it was honestly the best she’d ever been treated by a partner and Nanette allowed herself to enjoy it.

Eventually she’d have to face the reality that for so long she’d allowed people to be awful to her, maybe with help she’d learn how to stop that from happening with people she worked with too.

A low chime from her phone made her check the device, a message from Madame LeMarc about her first contractual shoot for the Wednesday coming up, and after confirming the location and details she promised to have Louis send over her updated measurements when she got into the agency on Monday to verify that nothing had changed. That way Madeline wouldn’t have to worry if minor alterations needed to be made, or if there were touch ups to be done she could handle it before the day.

Zach set down a bowl of ramen, made with shirataki noodles instead of regular wheat noodles, and while the noodles had always failed to work as a spaghetti substitute they were great in a soup dish like this. The protein was just lightly poached eggs, so the yolk was runny, and the flavorful broth was meaty enough to not need something like chashu or chicken. He’d added mushrooms, lotus root, and bamboo shoots that Nanette had a feeling were all things he made regularly since they didn’t have the same canned taste as the few times others had made ramen from scratch.

Nanette flipped on ‘How It’s Made’ after they migrated to his dining table, sitting next to one another and trying not to stare when he sat down in a way that she would have hated on any other man. Zach tried not to manspread, she’d seen him fidget and shift in seats to avoid taking up so much room, but here at home he didn’t have the same reservations. If anything though, knowing he was hers, it made her want to crawl into his lap and straddle his thigh.

Before she could accidentally choke herself on her food Nanette turned her attention back to the screen, another chime from her phone making her glance at the device, and she noticed Zach look anywhere but the small touchscreen.

“It’s my mother, I’ll call her later.” Nanette wasn’t going to interrupt her meal to call, it’d be bad manners anyway, and there was nothing of major importance she could think of that her mother would need to speak to her about. Unless Cassandra had begun doing pageantry again, which was unlikely, her sister had loathed the dresses and jewelry and everything about the child pageant life to the point that she’d gotten banned from three for picking fights. At eleven there was probably little chance of Cassandra allowing their mother and her father to force her into that setting, if anything she was probably fighting back harder if they were persisting.

Nanette was seventeen years older than her sister, by the time Cassandra was the age to start child pageants Nanette was starting her modeling career, so most of their interaction was done through video calls. There’d been the odd visit here and there but nothing that would really lead to the two of them having a real sisterly relationship. Before she could even tell Zach about her suspicion, that it had something to do with Cassandra, her phone began to ring and he nudged her gently.

“Go ahead, if you want some privacy you can go into the office.” Zach’s offer made her nod before she was heading to the other room, not closing the door but respecting that he didn’t seem to want to get involved with potential family drama just yet. Which was fine, they’d only just gone exclusive had had only been dating for a short time.

“Mother, I was in the middle of a lunch date, is everything okay?” There was a small chance that would stop any of the long stories, since her mother was big on manners, and the camera finally loaded her mother’s face and the woman beside her. Marcelline Dougherty was the kind of woman that would go without voicing her opinion even if it was unwanted, the woman beside her was probably the exact same, though.

“Nanette Rose, are you serious right now? You’re at the biggest turning point in your career, do not throw it all away for some boy-“

“I can juggle my career and my dating life, I’m not a child and Zach has already begun asking questions to take measures to avoid problems over it. Is there a reason you’re calling?” Nanette could admit that she had a hard time talking with her mother, she’d grown up being taught to respect her mother and step-father while getting nowhere near the same respect in turn, sometimes it was a remedy for a bad mood and other times it made her want to rip her hair out.

“This is Alexandria Maldonado, she is the new chairwoman for several of the pageants you’ve won in the past, we think that it might be a good example for Cassandra if you came back and did a few of the adult pageants.” As she expected it was something to try and push Cassie into doing something she didn’t want to do, the wedge between her and her sister was already big due to the age but the fact that Nanette had done pageants and went on to be a model had caused more resentment from her younger sister.

“Why is Cassie doing pageants so important to you? Why can’t you just let her do what she wants as an after-school thing, she’s into field hockey right?” Nanette had tried to keep tabs on her sister’s hobbies so that maybe there was something they could talk about when she came to visit, the school paper had run an article that Cassie was looking at getting a spot as the team Captain next year if she played good and kept her cool.

“Nanette Rose, I cannot believe you want to allow your sister to continue to do something so crass.”

“If you force her to do things she doesn’t want to do, Mother, all you’re going to do is alienate her when she’s legally allowed to leave. Do you know how many people I’ve met that have gone no contact with their parents for the same reason?” That shut her mother up, the outraged look on her face melting to something else, and Alexandria’s smile had fallen too. As if they just expected her to try and make Cassie give up her thing just to fit into shoes she didn’t want to wear.

Nanette hadn’t wanted to be some role model for her sister, she wanted Cassie to be able to do her own thing, and it was clear that her mother didn’t agree.

“Where’s Paul in all of this? If Cassie is doing sports now then clearly someone had to sign it off, so you’re trying to go behind their backs to get your way?” Nanette didn’t mind coming back to try and cheer her sister up when she was down, to try and reassure Cassie that she was allowed to make her own way in life, but she wasn’t going to be a tool her mother could use to try and make Cassie feel like she wasn’t good enough. Nanette had plenty of her own hours crying over the harsh words her mother would throw her way whenever she didn’t do good enough at a pageant or whenever she wasn’t keen on whatever little new talent she was supposed to learn.

“I am her mother, just like I am your mother, I know what’s best for her and playing some sport with a bunch of fat teenagers will lead to her being ruined. Do you know that she doesn’t wear dresses to church?” Nanette looked up at the doorway when Zach appeared, holding up her food, and she nodded as she tapped the desk but grabbed his hand to squeeze it in gratitude before he could walk away.

“Mother, please, it’s not the nineties anymore; Cassie can wear pants and a nice shirt to church.” Zach shot her a look of full sympathy and Nanette leaned back in his chair, making sure that her mother didn’t see him at all just yet.

“Do you know she’s the only girl doing that? All the other girls her age are in pageants and doing débutante events, just like you did, but not Cassandra. No, she’s too busy beating other girls up with a field hockey stick and planning to go to university in the Northeast. All of my children leaving their poor mother-“

“Don’t you start that now, you’re the one who encouraged me to work with Delaney, as soon as I was offered a spot at his agency you were practically packing my bags for me.”

“Because I wanted you to be successful, to become famous, and now you’re going to work with designers who aren’t large names and ruin your figure. Honestly, you look like you’ve gained weight, you’re not trying to throw your whole career in the toilet for a boy are you Nanette Rose?”

“What? No, why would you think that? I haven’t gained weight either, I’ve been keeping track of my measurements and weight with Louis, so don’t try to scare me with that.” Zach was already back downstairs and Nanette barely managed to get her mother off the phone before she was escaping to the bathroom to inspect her reflection again.

She didn’t feel any bigger, she could swear she didn’t look any bigger either, but she began poking her cheeks and her hands itched for a measuring tape that she didn’t have. The tremor in her limbs faded when she reminded herself that her dress fit the same as it had the last time she’d worn it, loose only after it was past her hips as it needed to be and fitted everywhere else without being too tight. The pattern wasn’t pulled or stretched in a weird way, it’d been easy to get on and off, so she was fine.

Heading back to the study and pocketing her phone, bringing her food back downstairs, she earned a smile from Zach as he looked up from the book he was reading on the sofa. Nanette finished eating and went over to cuddle up to his side, looking over at his book before deciding that he was too far into whatever the plot was for her to pick up on it. Instead Nanette laid with her head on his thigh, just relaxing, and Zach used one hand to play with her hair as she watched How It’s Made.

Offering to let Nanette use his gym was an easy choice, it was clear she was used to exercising often, and Zach stared openly when she came downstairs in her sports bra and leggings. He helped her pull her hair up into a bun as she slipped on some flat sneakers, and he joined her in stretching out their limbs so that they were less likely to cramp up after. Nanette was slim and it was obvious, as well as what she told him, that her workout wasn’t to gain muscle but that she hated doing just cardio. Which meant stretching was a must for her since any overworking over the muscle she did have could lead to cramping if she didn’t stretch or hydrate.

The cardio thing was understandable, after his time in service and the PT tests he hated running for cardio even if he got a treadmill for that purpose, and Zach watched her get started on some dumbbell hammer curls while he decided to go for bar curls.

“Do you usually do bench press and dead lifts? Or do you skip those since you aren’t trying to build muscle?” He wasn’t sure what her routine usually was and if he didn’t have something she needed in terms of equipment it’d be no problem to get a hold of it, Zach didn’t necessarily want her to solely work out here but he wanted it to be convenient so if she had an issue like this morning she could go through her usual routines to quell her anxiety.

“I don’t, even though I know I should, my problem is that my dead lift form isn’t great and I’ll either over-correct it or I won’t correct it enough. I just tack on a few extra back exercises like rows and some push-ups to superset my workout to target my chest muscles.” Zach hummed gently and as they finished their curl sets he walked over to his rack, setting for dead lifts at her weight capacity, and Nanette came over as he beckoned her closer with two fingers.

Zach hummed and walked her through her form, to see what she was talking about, before he very gently corrected her starting stance.

“Try now.” He watched her go through to motion and hummed.

“There we go, you were trying to use a stance that was better for someone taller, that should make it easier for you to keep your stance. Do a set.” Zach focused on her back and knees, watched her run through the set of ten, and when she finished he was grinning because she’d done a really good job. Nanette set the bar down and hugged him tight, he had a feeling Louis had skipped her adapting to dead lifts since she had been willing to sub that out with additional exercises.

They worked through her entire routine, which was pretty well covered for what she needed, and Zach was definitely sweating by the time he was done since he might’ve definitely pushed himself to show off a little. After he started up the slow cooker, the meal he’d planned for dinner inside it already, Zach followed Nanette upstairs.

“Are we showering together?” Nanette’s curiosity might’ve come across as genuine if not for the glint in her eyes and Zach thought about this morning and how she’d reacted to the idea that he’d turn her down over being bloated. If there was one thing he didn’t want to do it was make her feel unattractive, even if it was unintentional, but he didn’t want to push her either. Zach nodded gently, since he wouldn’t be able to get a condom on he wasn’t going to let it go too far if she got handsy but he wanted to make sure Nanette didn’t think he was the kind of guy that had his fun and would walk away.

His shower was pretty big, perk of being able to renovate his bathroom on his own, and Zach grinned when Nanette actually chose to scrub him down first. She wrinkled her nose at his 2-in-1 shampoo and bodywash but didn’t say anything against it, he knew that it wasn’t the best thing to use but he did at least have conditioner. His sigh at the feeling of her nails lightly scraping down his chest didn’t get lost in the sound of the water and Zach almost hunched over as she got down on her knees, very carefully cleaning him up and skipping his now hardening cock as she lathered up his legs.

“Nanette-“ His attempt at getting her back up was lost when she toyed with his shaft before gripping him gently in her hand, the fact that her hands were so small hadn’t occurred to him until now and Zach throbbed as his brain finally registered the size difference between them. She wasn’t exactly petite but Nanette wasn’t above average height either, seeing her hand on his cock made him wheeze as he hunched over her with his arm braced on the tile as she slid her hand along his length.

“I want to take care of you, Zach.” The way she let her lashes flutter, the gentle smile on her face, made him surrender with a groan and fuck if she didn’t look gorgeous with water dripping down her and all her focus on him. The soap was washed away and he almost protested until Nanette’s furnace hot mouth engulfed the head of his dick, his body jerking as he immediately halted his hips to avoid hurting her, and Nanette didn’t even slow down.

He was panting hard with each bob of her head, with how she hollowed her cheeks out and licked a flat stripe up the underside of him, and Zach had his breath punched out of him when she used her hand to stroke what her mouth couldn’t reach. He cupped her cheek with his free hand, so that he didn’t tangle his fingers in her wet hair, and Nanette moaned at the gentle touch before she let him fall out of her mouth with a pop so that she could suckle at the head of him while stroking his shaft.

When her tongue brushed against his frenulum Zach moaned low and deep, the sensation making his thighs tremble. The wet and slick sounds of her hand on him, of their combined panting, the

“Fuck, Nanette, so fucking good-“ Her answering moan made him look down, her eyes locking with his as she mouthed at the side of his cock like it was an ice-pop, and Zach felt his balls pulling up before he could even try to breathe and stop himself from spilling his cum all over her face.

“Gonna cum-“

“Are you? Gonna come all over me?”

He groaned at the idea of his cum dripping down her chest and Zach didn’t even have a chance to fight it as she suckled at his head again, lines of his spend painting her skin as he moved the hand on her face to high thigh so he didn’t bruise her with how tightly he dug his fingers into his skin. Nanette was gentle helping him work through the last of the tremors, his eyes blinking open to see the line of spit break as his cock softened and the sight of him dripping down her chest.

Nanette stood up when he stepped back and Zach pulled her against him, kissing her deep and pressing her back into the tile as her hands went up to his hair.

“Let’s get cleaned up, I want you in my bed again.” Nanette moaned softly and whimpered when he slipped one hand up to feel how wet she was, her soaked folds making him change his mind, and she clearly was okay with it as she tilted her hips against his hand so his fingers caught her tight little hole.

“Too far, want you now-“

“Not going to do anything other than my hands or mouth without a condom.” Nanette whined and he used one finger first to see if she was sore from the day before, she didn’t even flinch and instead she whined like he was teasing her. Still tight as hell but no longer as cautious about being intimate with him, it made Zach groan into her mouth and slide a second finger into her carefully. Nanette gripped his hair tighter and her hips rocked back before she angled them forward again, he let her control how fast he filled her and when his hand was cupping her pussy Zach curled his fingers and smirked at her throaty whine.

“Zach please-“ He nipped at her throat as his free hand circled her lower back and angled her hips just a little more.

“Zach please~ please what, baby?” He teased her a little, wanting her to ask for what she wanted, and Nanette whined in response to it.

“Want to come all over your hand, want to go to bed so you can fuck me through the mattress.”

“Someone’s bold now that she knows how good it can be, I like that.” He began moving his fingers with them curled, pressing against that spongy part of her, and Nanette keened as her head pressed back into the tile and one of her legs reflexively lifted to wrap around his hip. Zach was mindful that she had surrendered her balance, making sure his feet were planted better, and his thumb played with her soaked folds as he pressed himself against her more.

“Do you hear how wet you are?” Nanette nodded, the very slick sound of his hand moving against her was almost louder than the shower, and Zach felt her getting close.

“Look at you, coming apart for me like this, so fucking sexy. Gonna take care of you always, gonna make you feel good whenever you want it, want you to fucking soak me until you’re begging me to stop.” His mouth was just running and his thumb pressed her clit with the intent to circle it before she was wailing his name and coming hard, panting in his ear like she’d just run a marathon, and she was so wet that he was hurrying through washing her off so he could get her to bed faster.

Nanette was giggling, breathy still, but not against his rushed shower or the way he basically carried her out of the bathroom and barely dried her off before he got her onto the bed.

Sore, in the best way, and now she was being served a lean version of chicken and dumplings; it was thick and warm and delicious, and Nanette knew that she was going to sleep like a rock tonight. Zach smiled as they sat together on the sofa but she couldn’t help the way she smiled as he turned on an old episode of Project Runway, right as the contestant was working with her model, and his eyes widened before he turned to look at her.

“You never told me you were on the show.” His grin was wide and she laughed too.

“I was still new to modeling then so I was only used twice, though it was crazy to meet Michael and Nina and Heidi in person, but that’s actually how Delaney got me into the swimsuit contracts that I had.” Zach watched them fit the cocktail dress on her, it was slinky and black leather with sharp cut-outs and had a long cape on one shoulder only, the shoes and accessories were all neon colors since the theme was city lights.

“So neither designer of yours got to do Fashion Week?”

“Nope, both got eliminated pretty early in. It was a bummer but it is what it is, I had fun and it was a great opportunity. If I hadn’t taken it there was a chance I’d been going back to Texas, since rent here in atrociously high, and then I wouldn’t have gotten to meet you.” Zach hummed and nudged her gently before the episode ended and the next one began to play.

They stayed up talking about what it was like to be on a show, Zach even mentioned he’d gotten suggested for the Guy Fieri show and was unsure of whether or not he wanted to be on it at all, and Nanette couldn’t help but smile knowing that if he was she’d have some major competition coming in. There was no way the local ladies would miss the chance to get someone like him in their lives.

“I think you should, if only to raise more awareness to the fact that it’s still a struggle for veterans to find work, but when you do warn me so I can be ready to beat off other women with a stick.” He blushed at her compliment and Nanette straddled his lap to kiss him.

“Don’t get all blushy with me, sweetheart, you know you’re hot as fuck.” The grip of his hands on her hips as she peppered gentle kisses to his cheeks made Nanette pinch his side, there was no way she could go again yet, and Zach locked gazes with her as he tapped his forehead to hers.

“I’ll take your word for it, baby.”

“Good, you should take my word for it.”

They laughed together as he tickled her and Nanette shrieked as she wiggled out of his hold, earning a laugh before he was dragging her against him to cuddle up for a movie.

All Fics Taglist: @haylzcyon @wordsnwhiskey @pagannightwitch @radiowallet @tauralmie @amneris21 @trickstersp8 @practicalghost @rominaszh @alwaysdjarin @alexxavicry @all-the-way-down-here

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[kidfur]

my cpm / blockbench model is all done!!!!

[fallskimarts]

Iron Malware

i loveeeee the porygon line and i really wished that they had gotten a paradox form, specifically a future one

so i went ahead and create this design which combines all three porys :)

i wrote some lore and pokedex entries for this little guy like it is shown in the bulbapedia page JHDKJSAHDK

under the read more are more variations of the data piece, including 2 versions with a pokedex entry!

Iron Malware: A Loose Computer Virus?!

This name given to this being reported in the mysterious Violet Book. It seems to be a combination of the Porygon line, having parts resembling them.

Apparently it was supposed to be used to store information but something went wrong and now it short circuits and corrupts it.

Pokédex entries

It seems to resemble the Porygon line according to a paranormal magazine, which describes it as an object meant to store information.

This Pokémon fits the description of a mysterious object by the name of Iron Malware, described in an old book.

[acornminiatureslog]

Chapter Master Olympia Vilaris

The current leader of the Hounds of Terra, Olympia assumed this post after the internment of the chapter founder in a dreadnought sarcophagus following an ambush by traitor forces and the fall of the forgeworld of Potassiar. She is a measured tactician, often found fortifying the chapter's position, or else rallying the core of offenses in which she finds herself deployed. Her bolt rifle is of her own construction, incorporating wood from the world of Coria which the chapter was born upon. Her thunderhammer is a masterwork forged by the chapter's master of the forge after she noted a power sword was not gaudy enough.

[mossmotif]

warning! suggestive!!! (making out)

thinking about applying gojo's lipgloss for him,,! just for him to smile at you all lovesick like and kiss you so hard that half of it is gone by the time he's done trying to devour you alive. all of it's transferred to your own lips, slick with the taste of pear and the wet of his tongue. there's evidence of it on his neck and jaw, sticky and shiny and too pretty for it to be smeared all over him so messily.

in between all the smiling and teasing and much too gentle sighs, you make him promise to let you clean him up and actually make him look nice. he's nodding his head dumbly, even though he leans into the grip you have in his hair. you're completely disheveling the 'messy but put together' style he spent hours sitting through, but all of that's pushed to the back of his mind when you push his chair further into the edge of the vanity. he laughs into your neck at the thought of you complaining about having to replace all the damaged blush and highlighter; a sound that's quickly aired and tensed into something breathless.

[cherbearsz]

every day i wake up hoping it’ll be the dawn of a super sonic model that looks as good as his sonic unleashed incarnation did.