#neither of my parents ever really cooked

[watermelinoe]

kraft mac and cheese save me. kraft mac and cheese. save me kraft mac and cheese

[dockaspbrak]

The night time dread is so severe rn;;;

[evilkitten3]

#first time I heard this quote I lost my shit#can u imagine if Yamcha cuffed Frieza and then got all domesticated n shit#and the rest of the main cast has to just. like. live with that#also I would pay good money to watch then fu

reblogging to main bc this is a bit too personal for a shitpost blog but i have an au in my head where vegeta agrees to bringing back frieza post-top provided that he gets to be the one to do so (claiming that he wants to lord that over him) and then promptly uses the wish to keep him trapped on earth (well, at earth's coordinates) so he can't go back to pto-ing

cue frieza crashing with yamcha

…yamcha just bc bulma banged a space terrorist doesn’t mean you should too.

[roosterforme]

Aim for the Sky Part 9 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: You were trying your best to enjoy the countdown to the arrival of the baby, but your emotions were all over the place. Even on your birthday, you couldn't tell if you were excited or anxious. Bradley planned to surprise you with something special, but he got a different kind of surprise instead.

Warnings: Fluff, smut, angst, swearing, injury while pregnant

Length: 4500 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

Your parents' departure after Christmas left you antsy and anxious, and you knew Bradley could tell. All the talk about them potentially moving to California had you on edge, especially since everything was beginning to feel very real now. Your due date was creeping closer and closer, and you were starting to remember one solidly scary fact on an hourly basis now: neither you nor Bradley had any clue how to take care of a baby.

Your husband was so excited, it wasn't like you could feasibly bring up this topic of conversation. Every time you tried, he reminded you that he had watched dozens of Youtube videos. He told you that your parents were always just a call away. He assured you that if he was ever going to be successful at anything, it would be taking care of Rosie.

"I'm ready for the Nugget, Baby Girl," he told you as you got dressed to go out to the Hard Deck on New Year's Eve. He was already wearing the pink shirt you gave him for Christmas. The tiny matching one was tucked away in the closet in the nursery which brought a tear to your eye.

"I know you are," you sniffed, "but I'm still scared." You'd had a headache for the last few days, and food just hadn't sounded appealing to you. Your belly was getting enormous as your third trimester wore on, and everything was tender. "She'll be here so soon."

Bradley looked at your reflection in the bathroom mirror, his eyes lighting up as he smiled. "Eleven more weeks, but who's counting? Not me," he said, holding up his phone which had a 'Countdown to Rose' background on the screen. When you didn't even smile, he sighed and said, "I know you're nervous, Sweetheart. I get moments where I'm really nervous, too."

You pressed your lips together and tried to hold back the tears. You already knew how much he struggled with coming to terms with becoming a parent when he hadn't had either of his for such a long time. "The whole thing is going to hurt. And then we have to figure out what to do with an actual baby. Like this is going to be way different from nursing Tramp back to health. And I suddenly feel like I'm going to be terrible at this."

He had you in his arms immediately, and you were trying not to get your smeared makeup on his pink shirt. "It might hurt, but I'll be with you the whole time. And then I swear I'll take care of everything right afterwards so you don't have to. I'm planning on taking a few days off from work after Rosie gets here, and you can relax and be an amazing mom while I clean and take care of everything else."

You looked up at him as a tear slid down your cheek. "You're going to cook, Roo?" you asked, finally breaking into a smile.

His eyes went wide, and his lips parted wordlessly. You laughed at the worried look on his face even as you cried a little bit more. "Well, we can figure that part out. Or maybe you can freeze some dinners? I don't think I should be cooking."

"I agree," you hiccuped, wrapping your arms around him awkwardly with your belly in the way.

You were quiet for a bit before Bradley finally asked, "Would you rather stay home tonight?"

Of course you'd rather stay home. Nothing sounded as good as your bed these days. That was where he fucked you until you weren't horny anymore and then let you fall asleep in his arms while he read to you from the Nugget notebook. "No, I want to go out and see everyone," you told him, because you knew he wanted to go out. "We can sleep in tomorrow and do nothing."

He kissed the top of your head and murmured, "It'll be a relaxing week since we're going out for your birthday on Friday night."

"Are we?" you asked, suddenly feeling excited that he always remembered your day and made it special. "Where?"

"Hot sauce restaurant," he whispered. "And maybe a little something extra."

"A cake?" you gasped.

Bradley laughed as he wiped away your tears. "You want a cake? I'll get you a cake, Baby Girl. Anything you want."

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

The Hard Deck was absolutely packed for New Year's Eve, and Bradley was getting worried that someone was going to bump into you. He tried to get you and your bottle of Gatorade tucked safely between his body and Nat's, but there were people shoving through the crowd in every direction.

"I've never seen it this crowded before," you said over the music. You'd just been talking to Jake about three feet away, but Bradley could only pay attention to anyone who looked drunk and unsteady on their feet while he sipped his own beer cautiously.

"Seriously," he replied. "Penny and Jimmy look panicked. That new bartender looks like she's going to cry."

You scanned the room, taking a small step away from him and Nat, and that's when you got bumped. "What the fuck, man?" Bradley shouted to some guy he'd never seen before when you stumbled back against him. "Watch where the fuck you're going."

"I'm fine, Roo," you assured him with your hand on his bicep, but Bradley glared daggers at him until he was out of your vicinity.

"You might be fine, but I want you to be safe and comfortable," he snarled, finally looking down at your pretty face as your straw rested on your lip. "I want you to feel as perfect as you look." Just then someone else bumped you into him, and his fingers curled into a fist.

You reached for his hand and shook it until his fingers uncurled and were laced with yours. "I want to tell you to stop, but you're seriously turning me on right now," you moaned, eyes glued to his face as your pupils grew wide. "Like a lot."

Bradley closed his eyes and took a deep breath as his body reacted to your words and the look you were giving him. His hand came to rest gently on your bump, stroking you through your shirt. You looked incredible right now, and you even tasted and smelled impossibly sweet to him. "It's way too early to leave," he rasped, glancing down your shirt as you took another sip of Gatorade. "But when we do, I promise you'll be well taken care of."

"Mmkay, Daddy," you replied, kissing his neck while Nat made an animated gagging face behind you.

"I was going to ask if either of you wanted to play darts with me, but not if you're going to start doing that all night," she said, but you were already bouncing with excitement. 

"I want to play!" you told her, shoving your drink into Bradley's free hand.

Nat grimaced but said, "Okay, fine. But only because you look happy, and the endorphins are probably good for the baby."

For the next forty-five minutes, Bradley acted as a human fence, trying to block anyone from jostling you while you and his best friends played darts. "You want to play, Roo?" you asked him at one point, holding up three darts in his direction.

"Who's going to guard you and Rosie if I play?" he asked, glaring at a woman who came tripping in your direction.

"She'll be fine," Nat told him, but he just shook his head and let you play. This was actually exhausting. He knew he'd be tired once the baby was born, but he hadn't been anticipating starting his protective duties this early. Soon he'd have his wife and his daughter to look after. Not that he minded. He was already living for it, but he didn't want to mess anything up. Your nerves were evident earlier as your hormones were constantly fluctuating, but he wasn't sure he had an excuse here.

"Are you listening?" you asked, patting his abs with the back of your hand. He could feel your engagement ring through his new shirt which made him smile unexpectedly. "It's almost midnight."

"Oh. Should we head home?" he asked, hoping he could get you out of here unscathed. The bar was getting a little wild now.

"Let's stay for the countdown and then head out. Get me a ginger ale?"

He grunted in response, looking for someone responsible to leave you with while he fought his way to the bar, but Bob was already gone on his deployment. Maria hadn't even come out tonight, and Cam was wasted. Bradley glanced at Jake and Cat who were looking quite cozy off in the corner, and he led you in that direction with his hands on your shoulders. "Stay with them," he told you, clearly interrupting the couple as you tried to dig your feet in.

"Hey, Angel," Jake said with a smirk. He had Cat's lipstick on his face and his arm around her waist, but he didn't seem too upset that Bradley dumped you there.

"Can you look after my wife while I get her something to drink? It's a little rough in here tonight. If anyone touches her, just punch them."

"I don't need a babysitter," you complained, but he kissed your forehead as Jake made room for you to stand against the wall.

"Yes, you do. I'll be right back."

Bradley fought his way up to the bar where everyone was reaching for the plastic champagne flutes that Jimmy was pouring. Penny saw him and immediately got him another beer, but he had to lean in and ask, "Can I get a ginger ale too, Pen?"

She shot him a little smile as she reached for the soda gun and a pint glass, and Bradley turned back to check on your current status. This time next year, you and he would be cozy at home with Rose, and there was nothing that could possibly make him want to be out for the night. A soft smile found his lips as he thought about coaxing his daughter to sleep and holding her against his chest while you and he watched New Year's Rockin' Eve on TV with Tramp on the area rug.

"Hey, handsome, you wanna buy me a drink?"

Bradley let his gaze shift down to the woman next to him, and he shook his head as she reached for his hand. "Absolutely not," he replied immediately, annoyed that someone was making his quest to get this drink and get back to you longer than it needed to be. He handed Penny ten dollars and grabbed your ginger ale before heading toward the back corner where you were waiting for him, safe and sound.

"Seriously, as soon as midnight hits, we're out of here, Sweetheart."

You sipped your soda and said, "Whatever you want."

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

It turned out you and Bradley wanted the same thing. He had you both undressed by the time you got to your bedroom, and then the two of you stumbled into the bathroom, laughing between kisses. He tasted like beer, and his two day old stubble was rough, and you wanted him so badly you were aching for it. But he took the time to light two of the candles you left near the bathtub for when you wanted to take a relaxing bath, his hard cock bobbing as he walked. 

"I'm setting the mood," he whispered with a smile, the scars on his face intriguingly handsome in the candlelight.

"Bradley, I'm always in the mood at the moment," you reminded him. You could probably handle him four times a day right now if he could manage it.

"Just let me try to be romantic," he whined, pressing your butt against the edge of the vanity before spinning you around to face the mirror. "I want to romantically fuck the shit out of you."

Your giggles turned to moans as he guided himself deep into your pussy before stroking your clit with one sure fingertip and bracing his hand on the vanity next to yours. His abs were hard against your back, and his pelvic bones were sharp, digging into your rear end. He pulled out a few inches before thrusting deep once again with a delicious snap of his hips. His eyes looked impossibly dark reflecting in the mirror as he watched your breasts bounce as he repeated that same thrust once again.

"Look at you," he crooned softly, leaning in to kiss the shell of your ear as he fucked you a little faster. "Oh my god."

He dragged his big hand up from your clit to cup your belly softly, kissing along your neck as you already felt yourself pulsing around him. Those rough fingers soon found your nipple, and you gasped, "Bradley," which just seemed to egg him on.

He was sucking on your neck and murmuring sweetly incoherent nothings. "Baby Girl, these tits. Gonna love them. My fucking god. Massive."

Where you just saw stretch marks and oversized body parts, he saw something that made him go feral for you right now. Your boobs were so tender, but there was something about the way he was grabbing at you that made you just want more. His voice was deep as his teeth grazed your skin, fingers kneading into the side of your breast as you clenched around his cock which was once again shoved deep inside your pussy.

"Your nipples look fucking huge," he whined, his hips starting to stutter after each fluid movement. "Do you see this?" he asked, hand sliding up the valley between your breasts to grab your chin and aim your eyes upwards until you were studying yourself. Your lips were parted, and he was right, your breasts did look pretty incredible as the candle light flickered. And somehow your swollen belly looked almost cute as he slammed into you from behind and groaned your name. "I did this to you," he whispered, hand resting over your belly button. "But the rest of it is just how fucking sexy you are. I can't get enough."

When you met his wild gaze in the mirror, you let your head tip back to his shoulder, maintaining eye contact as you started to come. He held you tight to his body as his hips met your butt and his cock stroked you exactly how you needed him to. "Oh fuck," you gasped, legs starting to shake as you got closer.

"Good girl," he crooned next to your ear, his mustache prickling your skin as your eyes closed. He fucked you through your orgasm, voice mingling with yours, and before you know it, you were standing there panting while his cum dripped down your inner thighs.

You were a little dizzy, but he kept a firm hold on you as he kissed and tasted your neck, cheek and shoulder. His fingers were stroking your furled nipples, and your skin was on fire with pleasurable little aftershocks that you didn't want to stop. But you were so tired, you needed to get off your feet.

"Roo."

Maybe it was how you said it, or maybe it was the use of that pet name in general, but he seemed to know exactly what you needed with just that one word. He helped you to the toilet and cleaned up your legs while you used it. He brushed his teeth while you did yours, and then he waited for you to remove your contacts and wash your face before leading you to bed. When he climbed in next to you, he kissed your lips and let you get as comfortable as you could before whispering, "I love you both." You were asleep before he turned off his lamp.

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

Leading up to Friday, Bradley kept trying to sneak off to confirm the plans he made for your birthday. But when he tried to call the lounge in Del Mar first thing in the morning, nobody answered, and if he tried later in the day, there was always an interruption. And that interruption was usually you. On Thursday evening, he finally managed to sneak away to the garage where he planned on working out as soon as he made the phone call.

Once he verified that you were nowhere in sight or within earshot, he had his phone pressed to his ear. When someone answered, he quickly said, "Hi, this is Bradley Bradshaw. I just wanted to confirm my rental agreement for the rooftop space for tomorrow night. I have the hour-long private event planned."

"Yes, sir. The space and the DJ are all yours from nine to ten o'clock tomorrow night."

"Great," he replied, head still on a swivel even though he was pretty sure you were doing a load of laundry inside the house. That's when you came strolling into the garage with a snack in your hand, and he quickly ended the call after a muttered thank you. "Hey," he told you as he awkwardly tossed his phone onto the tool bench and picked up one of his dumbbells.

You stood there in one of his old, stretched out tee shirts and a pair of maternity shorts and chewed on an unsalted pretzel. "Who were you talking to?" you asked. He should have known he wasn't going to get away with you not noticing.

"Uh... nobody," he muttered, and you raised one eyebrow in response. He sighed. "I don't want to tell you, because it's a surprise for your birthday tomorrow, okay?"

You smiled and told him, "Okay, Roo. No worries." You bit into another pretzel, and Bradley realized how tired you looked.

"Did you finish eating dinner?"

"No," you replied softly. "I just want a few pretzels. I have like no appetite."

Your next appointment with Dr. Morris was coming up in a week, and he had been wondering if it was bad that you hadn't gained really any weight since before Christmas. Work had been very busy for you the past few days with the arrival of some sort of new scientific equipment that completely baffled him. You were exhausted after one round of sex now, which was definitely a change of pace from a month ago. He almost blushed when he thought about how the two of you spent your first wedding anniversary.

"I think you need to eat something with some substance or protein or something, Sweetheart."

"I can't," you snapped. "Everything else makes me feel awful. You should try being pregnant, Bradley. It kind of sucks."

He didn't know how to respond, because the last thing he wanted to do was piss you off the night before your birthday. "Okay. Well, will you let me know if I can get you anything?"

You nodded as you chewed up another pretzel before yawning. "I came out to watch you get all sweaty for a minute before I head to bed."

"In that case," he said, laying back on his bench, "let me get started, birthday girl."

You were smiling again as he unlocked his barbell and got to work.

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

You woke up on your birthday to the feel of Bradley's hand on your hip and his voice in your ear, slowly coaxing you from your dream. "Happy birthday, Sweetheart." You rolled over and were met with his brown eyes and his messy bed head, and he collected you in his arms. "It's my second favorite day of the year."

His body was warm, and the last thing you wanted to do was go to work today. "Pretty soon it will be your third favorite day of the year," you croaked. When his brow furrowed, you guided his hand to your belly and said, "Don't even try to tell me the Nugget's birthday won't surpass it."

Your husband shook his head. "It'll be a tie," he whispered, kissing your forehead as the baby thumped around. "Hey, Rosie is saying happy birthday, too!"

You moaned softly. "Rosie is hungry but doesn't seem to like any foods right now."

Bradley ran his fingers along your cheek before kissing that spot. "I'm hoping the hot sauce restaurant will hit the spot for you tonight. Plus I have a fun surprise for afterwards."

It was worth a try. Hot sauce was one of the only things that didn't sound disgusting to you at the moment. In fact, Bradley poured you a little bowl of your favorite kind for you to dip your granola bar into while he made some coffee, and you did feel a bit better. Your stomach gurgled as he plopped down onto the piano bench to play the birthday song and sing to you. 

As ridiculous as he looked sitting there in his boxer briefs with his hair still a mess, you knew you could never love someone the way you loved him. He was going to be such a good dad. He already built the playset and had the nursery almost ready. He had a countdown going on his phone. He picked out an outfit for the baby to wear home from the hospital. And he took care of you all the time.

"I love you, Roo," you promised, wrapping him up in a hug and kissing along the gray hairs at his temple. "I can't wait for dinner later."

As soon as you were dressed in your hideous maternity tent, Bradley drove both of you to work, and you found yourself stifling yawn after yawn. You were beginning to doubt that you could make it through work let alone a whole date night, but you didn't want to tell him that. Not when he was playing your favorite songs and holding your hand while he drove. Not when he had his arm draped over your shoulders as he walked you all the way up to your office and kissed you like his life depended on it.

"I love you," he murmured before dropping down to one knee to press a kiss to your bump. "Be extra nice to Mommy today, little Nugget." You could feel her squirm around as she seemed to recognize his voice. "She's got a busy day planned for her birthday."

Then he was back on his feet, zipping his flight suit up fully, and with one last kiss, he was heading toward the elevators.

After just an hour in the lab, it was evident that the granola bar and hot sauce had not been enough for breakfast. You desperately wanted to sneak back to your office and dig around in your snack reserve in your desk to take the edge off if you could. You were currently waging a war between being hungry and simultaneously appalled by food.

"Are you okay?" Cat asked, nudging your arm with her elbow as Bickel droned on about the equipment that was on loan from Lemoore's engineering department. He was hoping that in the next two months, you and the others would be able to help him build a more streamlined interface for the F/A-18s. It wasn't that you weren't interested, because you were. You just couldn't focus very well at the moment.

"I'm fine," you told Cat who gave you side eye but stood quietly next to you. It would have been beneficial to have taken your birthday off and spent it in bed, but it was too late for that.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Bickel finally stopped talking, but then he called your name. You met his gaze and realized he looked very excited.

"Yes, sir?" you asked him, taking a step forward. You felt awful. Even the sound of your boot squeaking on the floor set your teeth on edge. Your head had begun to pound at some point in the morning, and now it felt like your brain was attacking your skull.

"Come help me test it out," he said, his voice grating on your nerves in a way it never had before.

Your next step was a bit of a stumble, and you tried to reach for the edge of the counter. You were going to throw up. The urge to gag left you reeling, searching for something to hold onto. Cat was calling your name as Bickel's eyes went wide, but when you reached for him, your hand caught on the instrumentation instead. It hurt a lot, but it didn't hurt nearly as much as your knee connecting with the cabinet. You needed someone to reach you before you hit the floor, but you weren't that lucky. You wrapped your arm around your belly the best you could, but as soon as you hit the floor, you were met with blackness.

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

Bradley didn't really need practice dogfighting, but it certainly was fun anyway. Especially when he was up against Jake late in the morning. The taunting was comical and getting more absurd by the minute.

"Hey, Hangman, why don't you hang it up, man. You're done," he said as he shot the other pilot down for the third time in a row.

"Lay an egg, birdman," came the response through his helmet that made him chuckle.

Bradley was just pulling up on his throttle to gain some altitude and go again when he heard Maverick's voice crackle through his helmet. 

"Wheels on the tarmac. Both of you. Rooster first, then Hangman." The tone of his voice left Bradley wondering what was going on. The weather was beautiful, and he was actually enjoying this exercise immensely. In a few hours, he'd be feeding you anything you wanted off the dinner menu at your favorite restaurant before indulging you in your very own, private silent disco.

But as soon as he touched down and started to taxi back toward the hangar, he saw Maverick and Nat running his way. Then he heard her voice through his helmet. "Open your canopy. You need to get out now. Your wife is in the emergency room."

A chill colder than ice shot through his body. Something was wrong with you or the baby, and he hadn't been there to help you. "What?" he gasped, saliva starting to pool at the back of his tongue, making it hard to swallow. "What happened?"

Nat didn't respond, but as soon as his jet came to a stop, she had his ladder ready for him. The rush of fresh air that hit him as his canopy opened did nothing to make him feel better as she shouted for him to climb down. Something happened to one of his girls. He hadn't been there. As soon as he was able to control his body, he climbed down as quickly as he could, skipping the last few rungs. When Nat reached for his hand, he could see the alarmed look in her eyes, and he started crying.

"What happened?" he asked again, but she just pulled her car keys from her pocket while she grasped his hand, and he ran with her to the parking garage.

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

Omg, why am I doing this? I hope Nat can drive fast. Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 10

@hotch-meeeeeuppppp

@chassy21

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@katiebby04

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@schoollover

@lex-winchester

@magicalmorg

@nicole01-23

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@nessjo

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@lyn-js

@marve2014

@furiousladyking

[alwritey-aphrodite]

“it’s your turn to do the dishes.” “let’s get a divorce.” “we aren’t married yet, my love.” “well we sure as hell aren’t getting married now.”

from the prompts 🥴🤭

Ok reader and Peter are parents in this, and if you’re not into that I will happily write another version for you!!!

Typically, there’s an even distribution of work between you and Peter in your apartment. If one of you vacuums, the other does laundry. If one of you does bath time with your daughter, the other does storytime. It’s easy to switch off so the tasks don’t seem too daunting, too repetitive, and it normally works like a charm, but for some reason, both you and Peter absolutely dread doing the dishes.

Before Charlie May was born, takeout was a frequent staple for the two of you because of the convenience, and even though you’re still young enough that takeout every night seems like a trendy lifestyle choice, it’s not the most nutritious practice to raise your daughter. It’s been hard for the both of you, making changes in your daily life in the hopes of doing right by Charlie, hoping that no one will comment on your parenting abilities or your age or Charlie’s wellbeing.

Cooking fun and tasty and nutritious meals hasn’t been a problem, and Peter is surprisingly skilled in the kitchen, but dishes are a fight every night.

“It’s your turn to do the dishes,” Charlie tells her dad as she sits perched on the countertop, legs swinging and her cheeks rounding in a smile as you squeeze her knee. She loves her dad, and sometimes she acts exactly like him, but she’s always been your little partner in crime. He likes to pretend to be put out by it, but you know that Peter grins behind your back at your scheming and your daughter’s delighted giggles.

“Let’s get a divorce,” Peter says with a sigh, turning towards you to lean an elbow against the counter. Charlie thinks this is the funniest thing she’s ever heard, laughing so hard you need to support her waist in case she tips over with the force of her giggles, even though you’re not entirely certain she knows what the word divorce means. Your daughter’s joy is so infectious that Peter’s faux-serious expression only lasts a second before he’s grinning over at you.

“We’re not married yet,” you remind him, even extending your bare ring finger to emphasize your point. The two of you have discussed your life plans in length, both before and after the surprise arrival of your daughter, and neither of you feel rushed to get married, wanting to wait until Charlie’s a little older and you’re both a bit more financially stable and maybe spending less time swinging above the city. Neither of you truly mind, but in your theatrical fights for the sake of your daughter, it’s nice to have a little pretend-leverage.

“Well, we’re definitely not getting married now,” Peter replies, all exasperation and sorrow as Charlie launches herself towards him, tiny body shaking with the force of her laughter. Peter’s reflexes have made parenting easier in many different ways, but his deftness in catching your daughter every time she launches herself at him never ceases to amaze you.

It takes you a second too long to realize that Peter has carried your daughter out of the kitchen, leaving you all alone to tackle the dishes. Just as you go to call out for them to return, Peter shouts out instead.

“Can’t help, my arms are all full of baby!” And Charlie thinks this is the funniest phrase that has ever left her father’s mouth, her laughing ringing through the apartment and you can’t help it when you smile at the noise, even as you turn on the tap to get started with the dishes. You really don’t mind doing them, and it was your turn anyway, but you’re already plotting your revenge and planning out how to get your partner in crime back on your side.

[wazzuppy-writes]

Making Cookies With Mob and Reigen

Characters: Shigeo Kageyama, Reigen Arataka, Reader

Relationship: Platonic

Type: Headcanons

Warnings: None

A/N: I thought I'd write something simple and cute for my first real post here. Platonic relationships are my absolute favorite thing to write, so I hope you enjoy this as much I did.

Neither Mob or Reigen are good at cooking. Like, at all. Mob can make simple things like rice balls and sandwiches, but he's hopeless when it comes to anything else. Meanwhile Reigen has been eating nothing but microwave dinners for the past twelve years, so any kitchen skills he might've had are gone now.

So when you suggest baking cookies together on their day off, they're incredibly reluctant. It takes a lot of pleading to get them to agree, and even then they still try weaseling their way out. But you're persistent and you have your heart set on spending time with them! They're going to make these cookies whether they want to or not!

Because of their disastrous inexperienced skill level, you have to take the lead while they do their damn best to follow it.

Turns out that they're really bad at following instructions.

"Master, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course it is! Why bake it at 375 degrees for fifteen minutes when we'd save so much more time by baking it at 500 degrees for five minutes? Use your head, Mob."

They were devastated when the cookies came out as charcoal. Well, Reigen was devastated— Mob kinda saw it coming. You're just relieved they didn't burn down the kitchen.

So you guys try again...and again... and again, but nothing comes out right. Eventually you run out of ingredients and have to stop. The boys are really embarrassed and apologetic, but you do your best to reassure them.

"I'm so sorry, Y/n. We let you down... And now you have to go grocery shopping, too..."

"It's no big deal, really! You tried your best and that's what matters. Besides, I'm just happy we all got to spend time together. How about we try again next week?"

"Really? Even after we wrecked your kitchen?"

"Eh. It's cleaner than I thought it would be."

From then on, baking cookies became a weekly ritual for you three. It took a few more tries for them to get it right, but when they did, they were ecstatic. Literally the happiest you'd ever seen them.

Reigen took a dozen pictures of you, him, and Mob posing with the cookies and sent them to all his contacts— like a proud parent. They were cold by the time he was done, but that's okay. He's having fun.

As you ate and celebrated, Mob eagerly talked about all the other recipes he wanted to try. Having something fun to do every week, and with two of his favorite people at that, really meant a lot to him. It made him feel like a normal kid with a normal social life. Reigen tried not to seem as outwardly excited, but it's still clear that he's just as happy.

The three of you continue meeting up every week to bake. You even bring back the leftovers for the others at Spirts and Such! Some of them, like Serizawa and Teru, like to join in on the fun— to varying results— but they're also content to reap the rewards without actually doing any work.

The fridge is constantly filled with leftover sweets and everyone keeps getting cavities, but no one has the heart to say anything. Not when you're having so much fun.

Dividers from here.

GIF from here.

[starryevermore]

begging for you to take my hand ✧ leo campo

angst city™ library | send in a request (consult request faqs first)

request: leo campo requests?? did i read that right because yes please!! if you’d like to write something angsty with reader being in love with Leo but Leo loves Nikki? it can or cannot have a happy ending, whichever you feel like (although i am a sucker for happy endings hehe) but yeah and it can be anything you like 

honestly anything with Leo you wish to write would be a great read 💙 thank you and no pressure, only if you’d like to  - @sunshine-on-my-mind

pairing: leo campo x fem!reader 

summary: you loved leo all your life, but he never spared you a second glance. when he finally starts to notice you, his attention is taken just as quickly. you’re ready to forget anything ever happened, but he can’t let you go. 

word count: 5,717

warnings?: angst with a happy ending, pining, unrequited love (or so you think), insecurities, miscommunication, misunderstanding, love confession, ending is a little rushed, not proofread

Leo Campo was an easy man to love. What was hard, was not being the only person vying for his attention. And for most of your life, the person who won his attention was none other than Nikki Angioli. You understood, of course. Nikki was everything you weren’t. Beautiful, charismatic, smart as a whip. It was easy for Leo to love her.Whenever you were with Leo and Nikki, it felt like you were a third wheel. After all, they were practically born to be best friends. Their parents worked together, they got to see each other pretty much every hour of every day. Meanwhile, you were just someone they sort of…Well, not tolerated. It was more than that. You were sure they considered you to be a friend. But you were never someone they really sought out. You were there, and therefore you were their friend. 

It’s just…it’s hard to be part of a trio. No matter how easy Percy, Annabeth, and Grover made it look, it was fucking hard. There was always, always, always someone left out. And that someone was almost always, probably 99.9999% of the time…You. You weren’t sure that Leo and Nikki meant to leave you out, but it always tended to happy. Perhaps it was because their families worked together for so long, perhaps it was because they were practically branded as besties ever since their mothers got pregnant, perhaps it was because they were twin flames or some cheesy shit like that. Whatever it was, you knew that you could easily fall to the wayside and neither of them would probably notice. 

In a lot of ways, they didn’t. 

It felt like every time something incredible happened to you, something awful would happen to either Leo or Nikki and all of the attention would be focused on making sure they were okay. If, Heaven forbid, something horrible happened to you, something would great happen to them and how dare you bring down the mood by talking about your struggles. Which—don’t get you wrong—it was absolutely valid to lend Leo and Nikki a shoulder to cry on or celebrate with them. It’s just, they so rarely kept the same energy for you.  

The friendship fell apart quite easily. Between the rivalry between their fathers that forced Leo and Nikki apart and you taking on more responsibility at the bakery when your mother died, everyone drifted apart. You were still friendly when you saw them at school or around the neighborhood, and so were they, but it was different. It wasn’t the same, and you weren’t sure it ever would be. As you all got older, the distance grew even greater. Leo took on jobs at both his father’s pizza shop and at Luigi’s. Nikki moved to London to go to cooking school. And you…You stayed where you had been for years, working at your mother’s bakery, hoping that one day you might catch Leo’s eye. 

Then, one day, it felt like the stars had aligned and all your wishes had come true. 

You were about to close up the bakery for the night when the jingle of the bell above the door alerted you to the last minute customer. You barely looked up from your sweeping, shouting out, “We’re closed! Come back tomorrow!”

“Ah, you’re really gonna turn your best friend away?”

The broom nearly fell from your hands. You tightened your grip on it as you looked up to see the beautiful blue eyes you always dreamed of. (God, this was pathetic, even for a hopeless romantic.) You swallowed hard. “Would you keep Luigi’s open longer just for one customer?”

“If it was for a pretty girl, I might.”

Was that supposed to be directed at you? Was he calling you a pretty girl? Or was Leo just being quippy? Fuck. Just being around the man made you an anxious teenager all over again. 

You huffed out a laugh and shook your head. You tried to not make it obvious the effect he had on you, but you weren’t entirely sure you were successful. “I suppose you’re pretty enough. What’dya need?”

“Ma’s birthday is coming up. I was hoping I could order a cake for her?” Leo asked, leaning against the glass case. “She always loved your cakes.”

You propped the broom against the wall and grabbed your order sheet and a pen. “Sure thing. Anything specific?”

Leo shrugged. “Nah, she’ll lover anything you make her. You can have total creative control.”

You smiled a little, jotting down a few ideas on the paper. “And when do you need this by?”

Leo was quiet. Which scared you, because Leo is never quiet. When you glanced up at him, he had a pink tint on his cheeks and he was trying to avoid your gaze. 

“Leo…When do you need the cake by?” you repeated.

“Tomorrow? Morning?”

You gasped. Without thinking, you threw your pen at him. Your aim was terrible, so it soared straight passed his head became hitting the ground. But Leo flinched nonetheless, throwing his arms up to shield himself from anything else you might throw at him. “You’re a terrible son!” you said. 

“I know! I know!” Leo slowly lowered his arms, trying to gauge if you were going to throw anything again. “I just got busy, ya know? Between Pa’s restaurant, and bartending, and coaching the kids’ soccer team, I lost track of time!”

“It took you all of five seconds to place the order! How hard would it have been to just call? Hell, you could’ve submitted an order on my fucking website!”

“I know!” Leo fully lowered his arms, pouting at you. “I just didn’t know if you wanted to hear from me.”

You were caught between wanting to yell at him more—because what did that mean? he was the one who stopped talking to you!—and wanting to melt into a puddle of goo. Instead, you found the happy medium of letting out a sigh. You said, “Leo, you know I always love hearing from you.”

Leo perked up a little. “So you’ll make the cake?”

“Only because it’s for your ma,” you said. “And you’ll be charged a rush fee.”

“Deal!”

“And you get your pretty ass in the back and help me make it, so I can actually get home at a half decent time.”

A smirk crossed Leo’s face. He leaned back over the case. “You think my ass is pretty?”

Fuck, you hadn’t meant to say that. Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck. How do you recover from this?

“You, me, and the rest of Little Italy,” you said. A joke, it was. At least that got a chuckle from Leo. As he walked over to the other side of the case, you added, “And if you ever think about making an order the night before you need something, I have no qualms with kicking your ass.”

“Ah, but then my ass wouldn’t be pretty no more, would it? And what a shame that would be.”

“So conceited,” you said. But as he passed you to walk into the kitchen, you couldn’t help yourself from swatting at his ass. Leo yelped, his hands flying to his ass. He turned, looked at you scandalized. “Dunno, still looks pretty to me.”

“You’re awful.”

“Yeah, but you love me.”

Leo stares at you for a long moment. You almost begin to wonder if you took things too far. You’d hardly said more than “hi” and “can I get an amaretto sour?” over the last few years. Was this crossing a line? But finally, he offers you a soft smile. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“Thank you so much, again,” Leo said the next morning when he came to pick up the cake. “I owe you big time.”

You shake your head as you ring him up at the cash register. “It’s for your Ma. I’d do anything for her after all the shit we put her through when we were kids.”

“True, but you really didn’t—” Leo frowned as he looked at the total. “Hey, where’s that huge rush fee you were telling me you were going to charge me?”

You raised a brow. “Are you really complaining about paying less?”

“When I made you stay after work for hours? Hell yeah I am. Charge me like anyone else!” Leo argued. 

“Not gonna happen. I already made you pay by forcing you to help me and listen to my Taylor Swift playlist the entire time.”

“Hey, I loved the Taylor Swift playlist! Now, you charge me whatever exorbitant fee you can think of right now!”

“No, no way. Consider it a gift to a friend. Or better yet, use the money you saved from not paying the fee to get your Ma a gift from me. I saw her eyeing a bottle of wine the other day. I could point the bottle out to you—”

Leo leaned over the glass case, narrowing his eyes at you. “Fine. I’ll let you waive the fee and buy Ma some wine. But only if you agree to let me treat you to dinner tomorrow night.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “That sounds like a threat.”

“Consider it one,” he said. His face softens a little as he adds, “And maybe consider it an apology? For me being a shitty friend?”

You reached across the counter and patted Leo’s cheek. “For you? Of course.”

A grin stretched across the face. “Great. Come over to my place tomorrow around five?”

“It’s a date.”

Leo’s eyes twinkled as he confirmed, “It’s a date.”

He picked up the cake and left the store, but before shooting you a goofy smile and waved. You laughed, waving back. You were so engrossed with watching him jog across the street to his father’s restaurant that you didn’t notice Gabbie, your best cake decorator, sneak up beside you. 

“A date, huh?” she echoed.

You jumped. How did you not see her before? Had you been that lost in Leo’s pretty blue eyes? Trying to play it nonchalant, you shrugged. “I don’t think he meant it that way.”

She raised a brow. “Are we talking about the same man? Because, lemme tell you, I don’t think he’s ever looked that mesmerized with a girl before.”

Gabbie never saw him with Nikki, you wanted to say. But, instead, you said, “He just feels bad because I didn’t make him pay the rush fee after he ordered a cake last night. He just feels like he owes a debt. Italian men and their pride, ya know?”

“That wasn’t pride and you know it, girlie. Look, if you wanna delude yourself, fine. But I’m telling you, there’s something there.”

What Gabbie didn’t know about you was, you were the queen of delusion. You spend practically your entire childhood deluding yourself with the idea that one day Leo would see you for the woman you are, to realize that you were his soulmate. And you got your heart broke in the long run because of it. You weren’t about to let yourself get hurt again. Leo was not going to break your heart. You wouldn’t let him. 

“We’re just friends. That’s all.”

Gabbie eyed you, trying to see if there would be a crack in your resolve. “Whatever you say.”

When you came in to open the bakery the next day, you knew something was wrong. Mostly because Gabbie was standing at the door, waiting for you, with her arms crossed and a nasty look on her face. As you unlocked the door, you eyed her, trying to figure what was the source of her frustration. But all she did was turn her glare to the pizza shops across the street. And, well…Whatever that was about wasn’t good. 

You were caught between addressing the issue and waiting for her to finally say what was on her mind. You leaned toward waiting, so you began running through all of the opening tasks. Gabbie would open up soon enough. She just liked to stew in her anger before she vented. So, waiting was the best option. If you pushed, she would only get more annoyed. 

Finally, she asked, “You wanna know what I heard from Bella?”

You looked in her direction as you wipe down the counter. “Probably some rumor that could swing either way in its truthfulness.”

Gabbie huffed. “Don’t make jokes right now. This is serious!”

A frown settled on your face as you gave her your full attention. “What’d she tell you?”

“Nikki’s back in town,” Gabbie said as she placed a tray of cookies in the case. 

“Oh?”

You wanted to read into it. You really, really did. But you forced yourself to stamp down your assumptions, your worries. That part of you was probably being irrational, anyways. All Gabbie said was that Nikki was back and that could mean anything—

“Rumor has it she and Leo went back to his apartment last night,” she continued. She leaned in, her eyebrows raised. “After getting drunk together and playing soccer in the rain.” Her face screwed up like she was sucking on a Lemonhead. “Isn’t that romantic?”

It felt like your heart dropped to your stomach. Of course. Of course he would take her back to his place. Why wouldn’t he? They were practically destined to be together. And with the family rivalry? It was a star-crossed lovers situation if you’d ever seen one. 

You swallowed your hurt. “So romantic.”

“So romantic I could kill him, you know,” Gabbie said. 

You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain in your chest. “Don’t. I’m sure it wasn’t what it…I’m sure he…Fuck, I don’t know. But don’t kill him, okay? Not until I get a chance to talk to him.”

“He doesn’t get to make you feel like he’s finally seen you for the incredible woman you are and then welcome her into his bed the second she rolls into town!” Gabbie argued. 

“He just said he was making me dinner to make off a debt. And I really don’t think he meant anything when I said it’s a date. Really, it would be my fault for reading into it—”

“I’m going over there right now to give a piece of my mind—”

You grabbed Gabbie by the elbow, stopping her on her warpath. “Don’t. Please.”

She huffed, rolling her eyes. Gabbie looked through the window at the restaurants across the street. If looks could kill, she would probably have exploded those buildings. “You’re too good for him, you know.”

But not good enough, you wanted to say. 

The entire day, the questions of what could be happening between Leo and Nikki ate at you. Was there something between them? Were they finally acting on the tension that existed between them for all those years? Had you let your hopes get too high when Leo promised your dinner? If you went to his apartment, would you be left with only pain and heartache? 

Though Gabbie was harboring all of your anger for you, she did her best to try to distract you. To not let your mind wander too far. But it was all for naught. Because, when you left the bakery, all you wanted to do was run home and forget all of this happened. If you ignored this, if you pretended you forgot, you could avoid all of the hurt. You wouldn’t be giving Leo the power to break your heart. And, in some ways, running away made you weak, but at least it would keep you whole. 

Nothing could have prepared you to see Nikki standing out when you reached Leo’s apartment. Had Leo forgotten that he had made plans with you? Were you that replaceable? You took a deep breath, trying in vain to steady your nerves, and walked up, hitting the buzzer for Leo’s apartment. 

Nikki looked at you, her brows furrowed together. She almost looked like she had something snarky she wanted to say before she realized who you were. “Oh my god! I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“That’s what happens you put an ocean between us,” you teased. You hoped you sounded lighthearted. You hoped bitterness didn’t creep into your voice. 

If it did, Nikki didn’t give any indication. She held a hand up in defense. “Hey, you got me there. What’re you doing here?”

You nod at the door. “Leo promised to make me dinner.”

Nikki’s face drops. “Oh, shit. Are you two—”

“He just owed me, is all,” you are quick to add. “He ordered a cake for his Ma after I already closed for the day, and he needed it the next morning. I wouldn’t charge him the rush fee, so he insisted he make me dinner as a repayment.”

“Italian men and their pride,” she laughed. She glanced up at Leo’s apartment. “So, is he…?”

“Seeing anyone? Nah, he loves the single life too much for that,” you said. “What about you? What’re you doing here?”

Nikki raised the soccer ball she had had tucked under her arm. “I just came to see if he wanted to play a game or two. We tried last night, but it was pouring the rain and we were drunk, so not really a fair competition. Gotta see if I can still kick his ass or not, ya know?”

You laughed. “I’m sure you could. His pride gets to him, so he’s still easy to knock down a peg or two.”

“Right?” Nikki’s face dropped. “Oh, shit. I can go? Because you already have plans with him and all—”

Before you could say anything, the door swung open. Yours and Nikki’s head snapped to look at him. Leo looked between the two of you, as if this perhaps was his worst nightmare. His gaze settled on Nikki first. “Hey!”

Nikki smiled. God, she had a beautiful smile. You could see why Leo always had a thing for her. “Hey! I just came to see if you wanted to play a few rounds?”

Leo smiled, too. A part of you wished he would smile at you like that. But that was just the schoolgirl crush talking. It was never something that could actually happen. Not when his heart still sang for Nikki, even after all these years. “Yeah, I’d love to. Let me go get my shoes—” He paused, his head snapping toward you. “Wait. Actually, I already—”

“We can have dinner another time,” you said, already turning to walk away. “Not every day your best friend comes back to town, right? You can just, like, stop by the bakery when you get a chance and we’ll figure it out, yeah?”

“Wait—”

“It’s no big deal, really—” You began to walk away, waving goodbye. “Nikki, make sure you get him some ice packs, yeah? For when you bruise his ego?”

Nikki let out a laugh, waving back at you. “Will do.”

You nearly made your escape when you heard Leo mutter something to Nikki. Your heart stuttered in your chest as you heard him chase after you. Though you wanted to turn, to see if he was choosing you, you kept going. You weren’t going to let him break your heart. But damn him. Damn him and his long legs and his long stride. 

Leo quickly overtook you, stopping in front of you, his hands held out in front of him like he was taming a velociraptor in Jurassic World. “Woah, woah. Stop, hey.”

You looked back at Nikki, who was staring at the two of you. “Go, Leo. I’m fine.”

“No, I promised you—”

“It’s Nikki, Leo. You could never say no to her before. I wouldn’t expect you to say no to her now.”

Leo’s brows furrowed together. He almost looked confused. But, how could he be? Was he really so oblivious to how he preferred Nikki over you for all those years? Did he forget in the few minutes that had passed that he was ready to ditch dinner with you to play soccer with her? Did he think you hadn’t noticed all of that? “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s obvious you’re into her. I’m not going to get between that.”

“There’s nothing going on between Nikki and I.”

You raised a brow. Seriously? Was he really going to route? Latching onto a technicality—that they weren’t really together? “But you want there to be. I mean, you have been head over heels for her since we were kids.”

“That’s not true!” Leo almost sounded desperate, like he couldn’t believe you were saying all of this. Was he this in denial about his feelings?

You fought the urge to roll your eyes. “Yeah? Then how come for years you chose to be with her over me? At every field trip, you wanted to be her buddy. For every group project, you chose her. How many times did you two run off without me? Leo, you didn’t even show up after my mother’s funeral because you spent the week helping Nikki look for her lost cat—”

“That’s not fair—”

“Whenever that stupid feud between your families started and you two couldn’t be friends anymore, you stopped hanging out with me. I wasn’t even fucking surprised by it, you know? And that maybe hurt more than you not being my friend anymore. Because you always meant more to me than I did to you. You haven’t spoken to me in years, and you only did because you needed something for your Ma. I’m not your first pick, and that’s okay. But what isn’t okay is you trying to rewrite history when you don’t like being confronted with the reality.”

Leo said your name softly. He reached for you, but you took a step back. You wouldn’t let him do this. You wouldn’t let him hurt you. 

You took a breath. “Go, have fun with Nikki. Forget you even promised me dinner, okay? Consider your debt forgiven.”

Leo tried to reach for you again, but you stepped around him. He turned to look at you, but you wouldn’t meet his gaze. “You mean more to me than you think.”

“But not more than her.” You took another breath. You could feel the tears pricking at your eyes. It took everything in you to not cry. Because you wouldn’t. You couldn’t. Not in front of him. “Let’s just go back to the way things used to be, yeah?”

“I don’t want to—”

“But I do. I won’t play second fiddle anymore. I won’t let myself be hurt anymore.”

“I never meant to hurt you.”

“And that might be the worst part.” 

You walked away, pieces of your heart leaving a path between you and him. If this was a movie, if this was a silly little romance novel, Leo might have been standing there, trying to collect the pieces so he might put your heart back together again. But, when you were turning a corner, you spared a glance back at him.

He was walking with Nikki, an arm around her shoulders. 

The one thing about Leo was, he listened. So when you told him you wanted things to go back to the way they used to be, you knew he would abide by that wish. And he did. The most you ever saw of Leo was when you glanced out the bakery window and happened to catch him coming in or leaving his father’s restaurant, or when you ordered something at Luigi’s whenever Gabbie managed to drag you out. And when you did see him, you would never meet his gaze. You didn’t want to be faced with his hurt, or, worse, his indifference. It was better that you forgot the brief glimmer of hope that Leo liked you in the same way you liked him. 

Gabbie would tell you that he was always looking your way, but you felt like she was only trying to make you feel better. Why would Leo bother himself with you? He finally had everything he could have wanted. It didn’t matter that you were not a part of his life, because it had never mattered that you were not a part of his life. If it had mattered, then how could Leo have spent all these years not paying you any mind? Little Italy was little. For Leo to avoid you, he would have had to gone out of his way to do so. 

Sometimes, though, when you were in your apartment, you’d look out the window and imagine that Leo was out there, about to confess his love for you like this was one of those cheesy rom coms you held so dearly. He was never there.

If you were honest with yourself, you were a little surprised at how much it hurt. You had been no stranger to Leo’s absence before. So why did it feel like he had ripped out your heart and stomped it? (Damn him. Damn him for giving you a glimmer of hope.)

“Eat.”

Gabbie dropped a plate in front of you on the coffee table. You eyed the slice of pizza, your nose wrinkling. As you pushed the plate away, you grumbled, “Seriously? You break into my home and put pizza in front of you?”

“It’s from across town. Not even a pizzeria in Little Italy. It’s, like, the ultimate form of rebellion.” Gabbie sat next to your curled up body on the couch and reached out to rub your back. “You need to eat something besides the scraps at the bakery. I mean, it’s not even something healthy, so you can be in your eat-junk-and-cry spiral.”

“I would rather just be sad.”

“You can be sad and eat.”

“And I haven’t been crying.”

Gabbie raised a brow. She didn’t look like she believed you. You could hardly blame her. Ever since that day, you had been elbows deep in a shame spiral, trying to forget the hope you felt that Leo might, just finally might, like you the way you always liked him. 

“I haven’t. Really, Gabs. I just…want to watch sad movies and pretend that he never showed up at the bakery.”

“You can’t even say his name, you can admit that you’re hurt—”

Gabbie was silenced at a loud knock at your door. She looked at you, her brows furrowed together. But you had no idea who it was either. You hadn’t ordered anything on lately, you hadn’t ordered takeout, and you certainly hadn’t invited anyone over. Gabbie was only here because she had a key to your apartment. 

Who else could it be?

“Do you want me—?”

You shook your head, pushing yourself up. No, you had to see this. You had to see who had the audacity to show up. You wrapped your blanket around your shoulders a little more securely and  padded over to the door. As you took a deep breath, trying to prepare yourself, when another series of knocks rapped at your door. You reached for the knob, turning it slowly, and pulled the door open. 

What stood on the other side made you want to slam the door shut again. And he seemed to know you had that very thought. 

Leo reached out, sticking his hand out, stopping the door from shutting. “Please.”

Your lip quivered. Fuck. You had been holding it together so well before. But now that he was here, standing in front of you, all of those emotions you were trying your damned hardest to ignore, were rising straight to the surface. But you couldn’t cry. Not in front of him. Not now. 

“I thought I told you to leave me alone.”

Leo stepped closer to you, stepping into the threshold of your apartment. Part of you wanted to push him out, kick and scream, tell him that he didn’t have the right to force himself into your life, to pick you up and act like your friend when it was convenient to him. That you were a person, and you didn’t deserve to be treated like that. But another part of you, the part that still hoped for good things, wanted to pretend this was your rom com moment where the guy makes a grand love confession that sparks the happily ever after. 

“You did. And I tried, I really did. But I missed you.” He tried to reach out for you, but you jumped out of the way. “I never wanted to hurt you. I know that doesn’t make this any better, but I’m willing to spend the rest of my life trying to get this right.”

You squeezed your eyes shut when you felt the tears start to prick. “You’re just saying this because you feel bad. You don’t…Look, just go be with Nikki. Don’t feel like you have to grovel or whatever for me. I’m fine. I’m a big girl.”

When you opened your eyes again, Leo looked like he might cry himself. But…That didn’t make anything. Why would he get emotional over this? He was the one breaking your heart? “Nikki isn’t the one I want. I-I don’t know that she ever was.”

A frown settled on your face. That…No, that didn’t make any sense. Nikki had always been the one he gravitated towards. Nikki was the one he always chose. You were just there. “I don’t understand.”

Leo took a step closer to you. This time, you didn’t move away. Not when he stood so close that you could feel his breath fan across your face. Not when he cradled your face in his hands. Not when his thumbs brushed away the tears that managed to fall. “I’m in love with you. I always have been.”

“B-But Nikki—“

“What about her?” Leo took a breath, his eyes fluttering shut. “I thought, once, that she was who I wanted. But, I realized that I was lying to myself. Trying to trick myself into thinking I liked her because I thought she was someone I could be with. I, I never thought I was good enough for you. You’re a fucking angel, and all I’ve ever been is a little shit. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell that you’d like me back.”

You sniffled. “You made me feel like you didn’t give a shit about me, Leo. You followed Nikki around like a puppy, and the second she left for London, it’s like you were finally free of me. Like you didn’t have to pretend to be my friend anymore.”

“I didn’t know how to talk to you. I know that’s no excuse, but it’s true. When Nikki was around, she was like a buffer. If I fucked up, she made sure things weren’t weird. With her gone, I was scared that I would lose you. I didn’t realize that I already was.”

You shook your head. “Then why were you going to ditch me to play soccer with her? Why, why did you take her back to your apartment the night she came back?”

Leo’s brows pinched together. “How, how did you know I—? She was drunk and she wasn’t ready to see her family yet. I offered her a place to stay. But nothing happened, I promise. She slept in my bed, I slept on the couch. That’s it.”

“And why you ditched me?”

“I was just excited to see my friend again, and I acted like a total ass. That was what I was trying to protect you from, because I knew that I would fuck up. I knew I would hurt you somehow without meaning to. I’ve been kicking myself ever since you left that day.”

You shut your eyes, leaning into his hand. You wanted to believe him. God, you wanted to so bad. “What took you so long to say all of this?”

“I was trying to do what you wanted. I was scared to lose you anymore that I already had.” Leo took a breath. “Then I told Nikki what happened, and she chewed my ass out. Told me I needed to get my shit together because you weren’t going to be around forever. I don’t want to lose you. I never did.”

You wanted to argue more. You wanted to push harder. You wanted to ask more questions. Because this didn’t feel real. This was the sort of shit that only happened in movies and romance novels. This wasn’t your real life. But…He was here. And he loved you.

“Kiss me.”

Leo’s lips were on yours in a second. You could feel every ounce of desperation, of love, on his plush lips. He kissed you like a man running out of time. Like if he didn’t do this right, he would lose you. He kissed you like he was dying and you were breathing life back into him. It was everything you ever could have dreamed of. 

“Holy shit, this is better than a Hallmark movie.”

You jumped apart, your head whipping around. Shit. You forgot Gabbie was still there. She eyed Leo, like she still might kill him for hurting you. But then she smiled as he tried to hide his bright red face. 

“I think you still owe her a dinner.” Gabbie pointed to the pizza still sitting on the coffee table. “She’s starving, and refuses to eat that shit.”

Leo looked back to you, letting out a chuckle. “You want me to make you dinner?”

“Don’t let her tell you no. She hasn’t been eating anything but junk all week,” Gabbie said. 

“Gabbie!”

Leo’s brows raised. “Well, we can’t have that, can we? C’mon, let’s go back to my place and I’ll make you something nice, yeah?”

You smiled, reaching for his hand to hold. “I would like that very much.”

You quickly slipped on a pair of shoes and grabbed your keys, ready to leave, when Gabbie called out, “Hey! If you break her heart, I get to break your neck!”

“Good to know!” Leo called back. To you, he whispered, “Your friend is scary.”

“And serious about the threat,” you said. 

He gave your hand a squeeze. “Well, she doesn’t have anything to worry about, because I’m not telling you go.”

[gingiesworld]

Tis The Season

Wanda Maximoff x GN! Reader

Warnings: Violence. Death. Happy ending

Word Count: 8.8k+

Taglist : @natashamaximoff-69 @canvascoloredin @wizardofstories @louxbloom @wandanats-goodgirl @the-ox-fan20 @ladyqueenxoxo @aemilia19 @wandaromamoff69 @mfd-101 @dorabledewdroop @marvelogic @dopeyouth @karsonromanoff @bimad (if you want to be added to my taglist, please DM me or comment)

18+ MINORS DNI

It is just your normal day in the small town of Westview. Everyone was putting up their decorations. Everything was as normal as could be, just like every year. The kids were playing in the snow building snowmen with their parents or older siblings.

Y/N was walking through the streets with their younger brother Peter. They were meeting their friends at the local cafe for some hot cocoa or coffee. Whichever they preferred. But truthfully they just wanted an excuse to leave their parents and their seasonal madness.

When they approached the coffee shop, Y/N was instantly engulfed in a hug by none other than Wanda Maximoff. Y/N has had a crush on her since grade school.

"I thought you weren't going to come." She said as the rest of their friends smirked at their interaction. Everyone else knew about their obvious crushes on each other but them. Wanda and Y/N were completely oblivious.

"Of course I would come. It's just this one here was too worried about his appearance before seeing MJ." Y/N said as they all started to tease the young Parker boy.

"Well I am sure you don't have to worry about . I am sure that she likes you too." Yelena smirked at her friend as they all entered the shop. They all got their orders and joined a couple of tables so they could all sit together.

"So, I hear that the Harknesses are hosting an ice skating event on christmas eve." Pietro said with a knowing smirk aimed at Wanda and Y/N who were sat together.

"Yeah, that will be fun." Wanda cheered as a few of them agreed as Y/N just shook their head no.

"I can't rollerskate so I know I will be on my ass more times than I can count." Y/N said as everyone but Wanda laughed

"I'll hold onto you." She smiled sweetly at Y/N who went red. Lucky they could say it's due to the snow outside.

"It's ok Wan, you don't have to." They said shyly as Wanda held their hand and intertwined their fingers.

"I want to." She told them firmly. They all decided that after the coffee shop they would all climb up the hill that overlooked the small town with their sleds.

"Ok so two to a sled." Nat spoke up as Wanda instantly latched onto Y/N. Y/N sat down as Wanda sat in between their legs ready for Y/N to push them off to start. When they were gone it just left Nat, Yelena, Pietro and Peter.

"Do you think they will ever tell each other?" Nat sighed as she rubbed her eyebrow.

"I don't think so." Peter replied.

"It's really giving me a headache." Pietro said as they all agreed before heading down the slope. Everyone laughed as Peter and Pietro went straight into the Lassiter's snowman covered in snow.

"Are you sure that neither of you need glasses?" Yelena teased them.

"Everything is covered in snow. It is all the same colour." Peter whined as everyone laughed as they headed back up the slope. They decided to have races down to see who was faster.

"You do realise that the results all depend on the weight distribution and gravity." Y/N stated as everyone groaned.

"The nerd is here." Pietro teased as Y/N decided to pick up some snow and threw it in his face. Everyone erupted in laughter before they started to have a snowball fight. The sleds were completely forgotten about. The laughter and screams of joy were all that could be heard throughout the town.

When the sun started to set, everyone went their own ways home. Their parents or guardians had cooked them a warm meal to warm them up from being in the cold.

But what they all didn't realize was that this was the year that when darkness engulfs the town, evil roams the town.

Through the night walked an evil being with horns and long fingers. No one had ever seen its face. The eyes were glowing red in the darkness. Everything was still as the residents slept peacefully.

It approached the first house on the edge of town. The Lassiters. It flew gracefully to the roof considering it had been dormant for a quarter of a century. It approached the chimney and entered the house. It crept through the house to the children's bedroom. It looked between the two sleeping boys before it smelled the aroma coming from each. It then approached the one who had the most prominent aroma telling it that he was older. It snatched him from his bed and carried him to the window. His brother Timmy opened his eyes just to see his older brother being carried off into the night.

Timmy screamed, alerting his parents. They both ran to their room.

"It took him." He whimpered as he pointed to the open window. His mother went straight to Timmy to hold him as his father ran outside to see if he could find his first born. He alerted the town sheriff about his son's disappearance. The sheriff assured him that he will do everything he can to find the missing boy.

The next day, the Lassiters were in shambles. Timmy was frightened as he described the creature that took him.

"I'm sure that in a few days you will remember it properly." Officer Langden spoke as he tried to keep his smile off his face.

"No. It's what I saw last night." Timmy said frantically. "Why won't you believe me?" He asked them all.

"These creatures don't exist, Timmy." His mother tried to soothe him as he shook his head.

"Well it took him mama. It took him." He cried. Begging for them to believe him.

"We will be back when he is less frantic Ma'am." Officer Langden spoke as Mrs Lassiter thanked him and walked him out. Timmy remained sat on the sofa, snuggled in his brother's blanket crying.

Y/N and Peter woke up to the smell of pancakes. They both loved Aunt May's pancakes. They both raced down the stairs to the kitchen just in time for her to plate them up.

"Thank you." They both said as they kissed her cheek taking a plate each.

"I have work today guys so I am going to need you to help around here." She told them both. "Y/N, you still need to finish the garage and Pete please make sure to help them."

"Yes Ma'am." They both saluted her, making her shake her head at their goofiness. She was being called in because of an emergency meeting and the extra workload they would get since Mrs Lassiter wouldn't be in work until her son is found.

The police went around his friends to see if he snuck out but he was stuck in a leather bag, big enough to hold an adult male. It was old and bloody from the previous victims. Henry Lassiter was trying to get free but he was stuck on a butcher's hook. It was cold and damp where it held its victims. To keep them fresh before it feasts on their organs. It would start with the heart. It thought that the heart tasted it's best when it was still beating.

Y/N was startled when the gang and Peter walked in as they were moving the tools around after building the new shelves.

"Did you hear about Henry?" Nat asked as they all sat and watched as Y/N did their task.

"What happened?" They asked as they found their Uncle Ben's old tool box.

"His brother Timmy is saying some creature took him but I think he snuck out to the city to see that girl of his." Pietro said as he looked around the garage.

"A creature? That's absurd." Peter laughed with Pietro.

"That's what I said." Pietro said as they both laughed earning a glare from Wanda.

"This is a serious matter whether you think he's run away to the city or not." Y/N scolded them both. "So don't make jokes about it." They went back to their task as the two remained quiet.

"What is going on between you and Vision, Wanda?" Nat asked the brunette as Y/N tried to block out the conversation.

"Nothing is going on between us. He likes me but I just don't feel the same." She told them as Y/N let out a breath that they didn't realise they were holding in.

"So do you have your eye on anyone?" Nat asked her with a knowing smirk. Everyone wanted either Y/N or Wanda to slip up but neither would.

"No?" She answered well, more like a question.

"I'm sure that whoever you do like Wan will be honored." Y/N told her as they brushed off their hands as Wanda blushed lightly which never went unnoticed by Nat. Peter and Pietro decided to head inside to have a go on the xbox while the girls stayed with Y/N in the garage.

As the day turned into night, everyone retreated to their homes while the creature lurked in the shadows awaiting it's time to strike at it's next victim in the middle of the cold night before leaving them in the bloodied leather bag hanging like a butcher hangs their dead animals ready to carve limb by limb after skinning them.

Another day and another firstborn child gone. The residents of Westview weren't worried just yet. They were thinking that it's another teen who ran away to the city. But the residents don't remember it happening 25 years earlier.

Everyone was starting to get their christmas gifts as The Lassiters and The Moores were mourning their children. The police still thought that the creature was still a joke even though the Moore's youngest described the same.

"Do you think it's true about the creature?" Wanda asked as everyone walked towards the coffee shop.

"No." Nat laughed as they entered. "Of course not."

"But the first born are the ones that are missing." She reasoned with the three oldest.

"Wan, there are just two teens missing. They have probably run away." Pietro said as they waited for their orders.

"Piet. I'm worried about you, that's all." Wanda huffed as she walked away to the table with Peter and Yelena.

"But should we be worried?" Pietro asked the two.

"I uh I don't know Piet." Y/N said as they were unsure about this situation. "Maybe they just went to the city to see the lights. You know how boring small town celebrations can be."

"Well tell your girlfriend that before she opens her own case file." Pietro said as Nat smirked.

"One. She isn't my girlfriend. Two. She is just worried about her brother, that's all." Y/N told him as he huffed picking up his and Peter's drinks leaving Y/N and Nat alone.

"You do realise that the Lassiters and Moores are neighbours." Nat whispered to Y/N.

"I know." They replied. "Pietro is only two blocks away from them."

"And if it is true about this creature, he has at most a week." Nat stated. Y/N was starting to worry about their friends. They knew that something wasn't right with this town.

"Uhm, I have to go." Y/N said as the five pairs of eyes landed on their standing figure.

"Why?" Wanda asked with furrowed brows.

"I promised Aunt May that I would have the garage finished before she finished work today." They said as they held their cup in their hand and finished.

"But we were all going to hang out today." Pietro whined as Y/N smirked.

"I know but I promised her." They told him. "And I don't break my promises." They said as they left the coffee shop and walked home.

"What was that about?" Yelena asked as they all watched Y/N walk home. They were wondering why they were acting weird.

As Y/N entered the garage, they saw Aunt May admiring their hard work. There was space for her car and all of Ben's things were neatly organised on a new set of shelves that Y/N had built.

"It looks good here, Y/N. Thank you." She beamed at them as she hugged them

"It's no problem." They smiled. "You've been given more work haven't you?" They asked her.

"I have. The Moore's have been frantic trying to find David and Debbie's workload has been passed onto the rest of us." She spoke tiredly.

"You should rest Aunt May." They told her as she shook her head no.

"I have to go back to work and I need to check on you and Peter." She said.

"Peter's at the coffee shop with everyone." Y/N told her as Aunt May let out a breath.

"You know I love you Y/N. More than anything." She said as she pulled them in for a hug. "You will find answers in Uncle Ben's boxes." She whispered before she left leaving Y/N confused and intrigued. They wanted to find answers and they looked at Uncle Ben's things on the shelf.

But they didn't realise that Wanda was coming with Pete and Pietro. So as they sat on the floor of the garage with their Uncle Ben's boxes.

"What are you doing Y/N?" They heard Wanda ask from the doorway making them jump slightly.

"Just some research." They mumbled as they looked through old papers. Wanda joined them and looked at the papers over their shoulder.

"What are you hoping to find?" She asked them.

"Answers." They said as they put the useless papers in a pile.

"For?" Wanda asked as she watched them concentrate.

"The disappearances. May said to look in his old boxes for answers." They told her.

"So you think that there is something." Wanda asked them as they sighed, putting the papers back in the box.

"Yes. I do." They said as they grabbed another box. They didn't want to tell Wanda that they were worried for her twin. They didn't want to worry her more.

They kept on doing their research until after the twins had left and they kept coming up with nothing but a name.

Bobby Sinclair.

So Y/N decided to do some research and found that he lived just outside of town. It was already dark out and they couldn't wait for answers. They got their jacket and hat and made their way across town. The only lights illuminating the streets were the colourful Christmas lights that everyone had hung. People were out caroling like two kids hadn't gone missing. Kids having snowball fights or making snowmen. Everything seemed as normal as can be but everything was far from normal. These disappearances were far from normal.

Y/N had approached an old run down house. There were dim lights shining through the curtains telling them that he was home. They remembered Bobby being labeled as the town crazy but they had no reason why.

They nervously approached the door and knocked three times. It was probably a stupid idea but they had to try. They needed to make sure that their friends would be safe.

"What do you want?" He huffed as he answered the door with a loaded shotgun pointed at Y/N.

"Hi. Uh I'm Y/N Parker. I have been going through my Uncle Ben's things and I saw your name come up quite a few times." They introduced themselves as calm as they could considering there was a 12 gauge aimed at their chest.

"I remember Ben, he was a great man." Bobby spoke sadly.

"He was." Y/N agreed, thinking back to before he got shot. That was the reason Aunt May packed them up and moved them to this small town where they met their friends.

"Come in." He said as he stepped aside allowing Y/N inside. They were met by the foul body odor and alcohol as they stepped inside. Bobby looked around his property before closing the door behind them. He led them through to his dimly lit living room. They saw articles of disappearances.

"These are dated 25 years ago." Y/N stated as Bobby nodded. "How?"

"The disappearances happened 25 years ago too." He said as he poured himself a glass of whiskey.

Y/N looked over the articles and another name stood out. James Parker. They picked it up and recognised the picture from moments earlier from inside their Uncle Ben's belongings.

"Why is there someone called James Parker here?" They asked him as he sighed.

"He was Ben's older brother. He was Jack's best friend. Jack was my brother." He told the teenager. "After they both were taken, your grandparents took Ben and your father and moved to Queens."

Y/N was shocked by this news so the Parker's lived here before Aunt May had them move here. But Y/N also noticed how he said taken as they saw one article:

25 children disappeared. FBI and Local Authorities set up search parties but came up empty handed.

"So this has happened before." Y/N stated as Bobby nodded. They saw a picture of an old sewer entry. "So they never found any of them?"

"No. They closed the case after the new year knowing that they weren't going to find them. 25 families have gone on not knowing what happened to their children. 25 younger siblings got called delusional with wild imaginations." He said harshly. "Your Uncle and I were one of those children." He moved around and got a file of older paper clippings. "But I have been doing research over the years. It is a cycle. It's a quarterly cycle. It has been going on for generations." He said as he handed Y/N the older clippings. He was finally happy that someone believed him.

"Did you find out anything on where it would store them?" They asked him as he sighed.

"All I know is that it likes cold, damp and dark places. And there aren't many here." He sighed regretfully.

"What about the sewage systems?" They asked him as he shook his head no.

"I went down there myself and I came up with nothing." He sighed as they looked at a map of the Town.

"But don't these old towns have an unused sewer system? One that hasn't been used in centuries?" Y/N asked him as he smiled at them.

"You know your stuff kid." He smirked at them.

"I did my research on the place we were moving to." They shrugged. "But clearly not enough research."

"That's ok kid. Towns like this one have their secrets." He told them before he looked at the time. "You should head home before it gets too dangerous. I will work on getting the old sewer entrance location and we can hopefully work together on getting this thing."

"Yeah." They sighed.

"Are you doing this for anyone? A sibling maybe?" He asked them as they sighed.

"My best friend. Her brother is only a couple blocks away so maybe in the next few days it's going for him and I want to stop it before it happens." They told him

"Do you have an older sibling?" He asked them as they shook their head no.

"I have a younger brother." They told him and his heart broke knowing that if they don't stop it, they will also fall victim to it.

"We will get this creature Y/N." He reassured them as he waved them off. Y/N walked through the dark streets not realising how late it was. When they arrived home, Aunt May was sitting on the sofa, a furious expression on her face.

"Where were you Y/N?" She asked them sternly.

"I was getting answers about what is going on." They told her as she sighed.

"Who did you see?" She asked them.

"Bobby Sinclair." They told her as she sighed.

"Did you find anything out?" She asked them.

"It's a cycle. Every 25 years it comes for the first born. It collects one teen a night for 25 days until the day of the winter solstice.” They told her. She was shocked at their knowledge.

"We have to get you out of here." She said frantically.

"No. We aren't leaving. My friends are here." They told her.

"You do realise that it is coming after you." She told them as they nodded.

"Yeah I do." They shrugged.

"I can't lose you Y/N. You and Peter are my everything." She told them as they gave her a soft smile.

"If I have a chance of stopping this Aunt May, I will do my best to stop it. Before it takes my friends." They told her.

"But what if it takes you in the process?" She asked them as they shook their head.

"Then it takes me." They told her. "If I can protect my friends I would die for them." They said before they headed off to bed.

The creature was slowly approaching the next house for its next victim while Henry and David tried their hardest to get out of the leather bags but they were too strong. They both realised that this is it for them. The creature will come back and take them from this realm placing them in their hell. They were mainly frightened of the how.

Y/N woke earlier the next day to her the news of another disappearance getting closer to the Maximoff residence. They wanted to get to the bottom of this as they made their way across town.

"So do you definitely believe this creature story?" Nat asked them as she approached Y/N.

"Yes." They said as they entered the library. They went to the old news spread section and collected papers from 25 years ago.

"So don't you think it's best that we all leave?" She asked them as they shook their head no.

"You guys all can. In fact, take the twins too." They said as Nat scoffed.

"And what about you?" She asked them.

"I am staying. I am taking this thing down." They told her. Nat noticed their Uncle's name on the current article that they were reading.

"Y/N. This is personal isn't it?" She said calmly as Y/N sighed.

"I need to do this Nat. For my Uncle Ben. He saw it take his older brother when he was a kid." They told her as she sighed.

"Ok. So where do we start?" She asked as she sat beside them. Y/N looked at her confused. "It's going to be coming for Pietro, you and me before christmas and I am sure that I want to be there to eat my christmas dinner." Nat stated making Y/N chuckle.

The pair sat and read old articles all morning, ignoring the vibrations of their phones from missed calls from their friends.

"So there is an entrance." Nat stated as she got up from her seat to show Y/N. "It has a location too."

"Well let's go." Y/N said as Nat shook her head no.

"We don't know what we are going after. It already has three. There is twenty two left. Pietro is in a few days and we need to know how to kill it, whatever it is." She told them.

"Ok, let's go and see Bobby." They told her as she shook her head.

"They're the town drunk Y/N." She told them.

"Nat. They also saw it. They have spent their life trying to find it. He was the one who gave me all of this information. He was Uncle Ben's best friend." They told her as she sighed as they both got up and made their way out of the library. Wanda and Yelena saw them both from the coffee shop as Y/N and Nat walked well, practically ran towards Bobby's place.

"Why are they in such a hurry?" Yelena asked the girl beside her.

"I don't know." She answered her, confused as they watched the pair disappear.

Y/N and Nat raced across town and soon found themselves knocking on his door. He let them both inside the same as he did last night.

"Do you always answer with the 12 gauge in your hands?" They asked him as they followed him into the living room.

"More or less." He shrugged. "So who's your friend?"

"This is Nat." They introduced their friend who just waved shyly. "We have a location for the old sewer entrance." They said as they handed him the paper.

"That's great. We just need to know what we are dealing with." He stated.

"You don't know what it is?" Nat asked him as he shook his head no. "You have been researching this thing your whole life and have no idea what it is?" She scoffed.

"I'm sorry that I had inserted "mourn my brother" into my already busy schedule." He shot at her as she laughed. Y/N couldn't help but smirk at his answer.

"Do you have any idea who might know?" Y/N asked him as he thought for a moment.

"The Harknesses. They have lived in this town longer than most folk here." He informed the pair. "Ask for Agatha." He told them as they thanked him. "Also when you find out what it, come for me and we will take it down together." He told them as they nodded.

"So you believe this?" Nat asked, still skeptical about the whole situation.

"I do, Nat." They told her. "I knew my Uncle Ben lost one brother when my parents died but found out that he lost another. I just don't want this to happen to anyone else."

"Anyone else meaning Wanda." Nat smirked.

"Anyone else meaning Wanda, Yelena and Peter." They told her as she nodded realising it wasn't just Pietro in danger.

"Then why are we going for it? Let's just get out of here." She told them.

"And in 25 years it will be back and maybe it will be our kids in danger if we're still living here." They pointed out as Nat sighed knowing she wasn't going to sway Y/N from their mission that they took on themselves.

They gulped when they approached The House of Harkness. They always thought it had a creepy Addams Family vibe to it.

"This house always gives me the creeps." Nat mumbled as they approached the door. Y/N chuckled as they reached for the huge brass knocker and knocked. They waited for someone to answer but it was a big house.

"Hello children." Agatha spoke as she greeted the pair. "What can I do for you?"

"We've heard that you can maybe help us." Nat spoke nervously.

"Do you know about the creature that takes its first born?" Y/N asked her to get straight to the point.

"You want my mother but she isn't returning to Westview until the weekend." She informed them.

"Is there no way that you can call her? It's urgent." Y/N said.

"I'm sorry. But I can look through her journals and see if I can find what you seek." She told them both softly. "So come back in a couple of days. It will give me time to do the research."

"Thank you Ma'am." Both teens said as they walked down the steps back to the street.

"I just hope we can get it in time." Nat said, worried herself for Pietro. "Do you think we should tell them?" She asked Y/N.

"No. Not yet at least." Y/N sighed as they walked back to their homes bidding farewell. Y/N didn't want to give up so easily just yet because they want to get to the bottom of it before anything happens to their friends.

Over the next few days, Y/N waited impatiently for Agatha to call them. Tonight was the night it was coming for Pietro and they are afraid that they may be too late. They lay in their bed staring at the ceiling unaware of a guest approaching their room.

"Hey Y/N." Wanda greeted her best friend as she lay beside them.

"Hey." They said as their eyes never moved to look at the girl beside them.

"Why haven't you returned any of my calls?" She asked them to get straight to the point.

"I have been busy Wanda." They told her as she scoffed.

"With Natasha." She snarled as Y/N jumped to their phone as a social media notification came through.

"Do you think your parents can take you and Pietro out of town today?" Y/N asked her.

"Why? So you and Nat can have a date without the twins and children in the way?" She scoffed as Y/N laughed. "What?"

"I don't like Nat like that. She's like a sister to me." Y/N told her which made the brunette feel slightly better. "It's just there's this thing going on and I just want you two to be safe."

"So you do believe this creature story." Wanda stated as she sat beside Y/N who nodded in reply. "And you think Piet is next."

"It fits the pattern. I just want you to be safe ok." They told her as she shook her head.

"What about your safety?" She questioned as they chuckled.

"I will be fine." Y/N told her as she shook her head.

"It's taking the first born. In case you have forgotten you are a first born." She told them as they just shrugged. "Y/N this is serious."

"I know it is serious Wanda. It is very serious. It is the 10th December and Pietro is next Wanda. He is next and if he doesn't get out of town he will be taken and probably killed." Y/N told her sternly as they stood up. "Do you want that to happen?"

"No but I don't want to lose you or Nat either." She told them. Y/N just sighed before wrapping their arms around her.

"You won't lose us. We are so close to getting answers and we will take it down." They told her as she just nodded. She hated the idea of leaving them to take care of this.

"I'll see what I can do." Wanda told them. "But I can't promise anything. You know what my mum is like this time of year." They just nodded before they pulled away when their phone started to ring. Wanda watched as Y/N answered it. She soon found out that it was Agatha. She watched as Y/N moved as fast as she had ever seen. They also sent a text to Nat to meet at the House of Harkness.

"I have to go. But please do as I ask." They told her as they kissed her forehead before they left her a blushing mess in their room.

Y/N got there at the same time as Nat. They both sighed as they approached the door but before they could knock, Agatha opened the door for them and let them in.

"Did you find anything?" Y/N asked her as she led them towards the dining room.

"Oh yeah. I found something." She smirked as she showed them a journal. "It is Streega. It's kind of like a witch. Hunts on a cycle." She told them as they looked over her shoulder. "They store the food for days and have a feast on the 26th day."

"So you're saying that the others will still be alive." Nat asked as Agatha gave her a sad smile.

"No. Some would have died from starvation or before that happens, they could start their feast." She said.

"You don't sound so sure?" Y/N stated as Agatha just shook her head.

"No one has gotten close enough to even see what it looks like. All it leaves behind is a ripe smell of death in its wake." She told them both.

"Any idea on how to kill it?" Y/N asked her.

"It's complicated." She told them. "You have to get close enough to stab it in its heart with a blade made of raw iron."

"Where are we going to find raw iron?" Nat asked as Y/N remembered something.

Y/N sat on Uncle Ben's knee as they had found his knife collection. He decided to show them the collection.

"This is a collection made of raw iron. Passed down from generations of Parker's." He told them.

"Really?" They said with a wide smile.

"Really. So when I die these will be yours." He told them as he smiled at the case with a velvet lining.

"I know." Y/N said as they left after thanking Agatha for her help. Nat chased Y/N as they ran through the town. When they reached their house, they ran straight up to their room.

"What are you looking for Y/N?" Nat asked as she rested her hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

"The knife set that Uncle Ben gave me." They spoke from under their bed.

"And how is that supposed to help?" She asked them as Wanda walked up behind Nat.

"The blades are raw iron." Y/N smirked at the red head. "Hey Wan."

"We're not going anywhere." She said sadly as Y/N sighed. There were three knives in the set. One for them, Nat and a spare. They took one out and gave it to Wanda.

"It's raw iron. It can kill it if you can get close enough to stab it in the heart." They told her.

"And you expect me to do it?" She asked them wide eyed.

"Ok then. We will have a sleep over at yours. I will stay with Pietro and Nat with Wanda." They said as the girls nodded in agreement.

They all settled in the Maximoff Residence. They had all told Pietro what was happening which he wasn't phased at all. He never believed any of them.

"You do realise how pathetic this is?" He asked the three.

"This isn't pathetic Pietro. We are trying to keep you safe." Wanda told her twin who just chuckled.

"This thing isn't real." He laughed as all three of them glared at him.

"It is Pietro. I don't care what you say anyway, I am staying here." Y/N stated as they settled in the chair for the night. Y/N was starting to wonder if this was a good idea. They made sure they had the blade secured in their boot.

"Do you think they will be ok?" Wanda asked as she and Nat settled for the night in her bed. Neither of them could sleep.

"I'm sure it will be fine Wanda." Nat reassured her even though she wasn't sure herself.

"Isn't Y/N older than Pietro?" Wanda then asked as the pair sat up and they frantically ran to Pietro's room.

"Hey where's the fire?" Pietro asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Where's Y/N?" Nat asked him.

"They were on the chair?" He said as he pointed to an empty chair.

"Fuck!" Nat exclaimed.

"They probably just went home." He shrugged as Wanda shook her head at him.

"No they wouldn't. They would have told one of us." She told her twin.

"You still can't say that you still think this thing is behind all of these disappearances." He told them both as they both huffed and went back to her room.

"We need to look for them Nat." Wanda said as she paced her floor.

"We have to wait until the morning. We don't know if this Streega is stronger at night or not." She told her as Wanda started to panic.

"Oh god. What if we're too late. What if I never get to tell them." She said as Nat rolled her eyes and stood up. She placed her hands on Wanda's shoulders to stop her movements.

"You will be able to tell them that you're in love with them." She told her. "We just need to see Bobby first and he will help us." Wanda just nodded as Nat led her to the bed. Wanda couldn't sleep at all that night. She was worried for Y/N. She didn't know where they were or how they were.

Meanwhile Y/N soon woke to the sound of David screaming as the Streega reached in his chest and pulled out his beating heart before his eyes. They realised that it was feeding on them 8 days after they had been captured.

They flinched at every crack and rip they heard coming from David's body. Every bite which sounds like a greedy man biting out of a chicken leg. This was the first time they were actually scared. They were scared for their life. Nat's life. Maybe Pietro if it catches on.

They searched their boot for the blade only to find it gone. They could feel their eyes fill with tears as this was the end for them. As much as they talked a big game about taking this creature down but they never thought that they would be caught.

As they listened to the thing eat its way through the flesh on David's bones. Wanda and Nat were restless. As soon as the day started, they raced towards Bobby's and Nat knocked on frantically.

"Where's the taller kid?" He asked them both.

"The thing took them." Nat told him.

"Do we know how to kill it?" He asked them as they followed him into the living room.

"Raw iron blade to the heart." Nat informed him as he nodded and took a blade from his own knife collection.

"Well this may be tricky to get close to it." He said as they both nodded. "But with three of us we will have an amazing chance." He said with a smile.

"Nope. Wanda isn't in on this." Nat said as Wanda scoffed as she glared at the red head. "Y/N would kill me if I let you go in there."

"We have to do everything to get them back, Nat." Wanda told her as Nat shook her head.

"The two of you are fucking oblivious." She sighed as Bobby watched the interaction between the two.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked her as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"The two of you. It's getting exhausting to watch how you love them and they love you." Nat blurted out as Wanda chuckled.

"They wouldn't love me like that Nat." She said as she shook her head as Nat sighed.

"Just think Wanda. Especially to these past couple of weeks." She told her as Wanda did. She remembered how Y/N hated hugs but they welcomed them with ease from the Sokovian. They always had a soft spot for Wanda and came to her defense whenever they had to. They always made sure that she was safe no matter what. They even tried to get Wanda and Pietro out of town.

"Do you think it was their plan all along to be caught?" She asked Nat as she shrugged.

"I don't think so. I think they wanted to take the creature down before it took Pietro but none of us thought that it would take them in his place." Nat told her sadly.

"We have to get them back, Nat." Wanda said as her eyes started to sting as they filled with unshed tears.

"We will Wanda." She said as she pulled her in for a hug.

"Ok we will have to come up with a plan. And we can only execute it during the day." Bobby told the pair as they got talking of a plan while Y/N tried their hardest to get out of the leather bag that was hung on a metal hook.

Y/N continued to swing on the hook hoping the bag would fall. Although they didn't know how far the drop was. They didn't care either, they just wanted out so they continued to swing as hard as they could until they heard a snarl and felt a blow which caused them to hit the wall behind them and fall.

Wanda, Nat and Bobby were walking towards the old sewer entrance. The three of them looked at it before they all used their strength together and opened it.

They all had torches as they walked through the unused sewer. It was cold, damp and dark. The smell was no better either. It smelt like Pietro's room after Y/N had been taken.

"It's here." Bobby whispered as the three covered their noses.

"It's going to take forever to find them." Wanda said as Nat held her hand.

"And we will take as long as we have to to find them." Nat said as they continued to walk.

"These old sewer systems usually have an octogonal passageway where it connects each sewer." Bobby informed them

"So do you think they may be there?" Wanda asked hopefully.

"I hope so kid." He sighed as they continued to walk along the never ending tunnel. Rats were running in the opposite direction, like they were running away from something. Wanda spotted something shiny in the distance. When they approached it she remembered it as Y/N's blade.

"It's Y/N's." Nat stated as the three of them looked at it.

"That means they are here." Bobby stated as Wanda put the blade in her other hand ready for when they found Y/N.

"Fuck." Y/N groaned when they made impact with the floor. They felt an excruciating pain up their left arm as they landed on it. "That's going to leave a mark." They groaned as they tried to move it but it only caused them more pain.

They tried to wriggle the bag open with their good arm to get out. They jumped back when suddenly the bag was ripped open and they felt cold bony fingers around their throat. They tried with all of their might to get it's cold hand from their throat but it was so strong. Inhumanly strong.

"Let me go." They rasped out as they gasped for air with their airways constricting due to the pressure that the streega applied to it. They completely forgot about their already broken arm as they punched and kicked the streega which then threw them across the room. "I hate christmas." They groaned as they managed to get into a sitting position.

"Did you guys hear that?" Wanda asked the pair as they listened again until they heard another thud.

"We heard that." Bobby stated as the three started to run to the source of the sound.

"Don't you think it is kind of funny that we are running to the thing that wants to kill Y/N, Pietro and I." Nat laughed earning a glare from Wanda. They hoped that they would get their in time before the Streega killed again.

As Y/N tried to get up, it struck a blow to their chest winding them. They soon ended up on their knees hurled over as they held their chest feeling the pain from the blow. They yelped as it gripped their hair and started to drag them to the table where it was still covered in the blood from Henri and David. Y/N tried to get free but they had angered it. They had fought back. Something that none of its victims had done before.

Before it could reach into Y/N's chest, Bobby fired a raw iron bullet in its arm. It yelped as it stumbled away from Y/N. He kept shooting it as Wanda moved to help Y/N up off of the table. Nat went to help the other teens down from the bags.

They all watched as Bobby got close enough to it and stabbed it in its heart. They watched as it screamed out in pain as it turned to ashes. Bobby stood there over the ashes as he had finally done what he had wanted to do all of these years.

"Hey, Y/N. You need to see a doctor." Wanda said as she looked at Y/N who looked out of it. She was worried about her best friend as she moved their arm over her shoulders causing them to cry out in pain. Wanda was extremely worried about them as Bobby walked over to them.

"Help Nat with the others." He told her as she nodded. "Come on kid." He said as he used their right arm and put it over his shoulders. He and Y/N trailed slowly behind the others as they exited the old sewer system.

Bobby and Y/N were falling behind as Y/N kept losing their footing and stumbling. When Y/N had completely gone limp he picked them up before they managed to reach the others as they all sat down. Bobby lay Y/N down as Wanda and Nat rushed over to them.

"I called 911." Nat said as Bobby nodded.

"Thank you." Wanda told him as he smiled at her.

"It was all them." He said as he pointed to Y/N. "They sought me out. I gave up but they made me want to fight again for Jack and those kids who were in our shoes." Wanda sat beside Y/N and handed Nat the blades.

"Yelena is on her way to take the knives home to keep them safe for them." She told Wanda who nodded. Y/N was out cold and Wanda was worried about them but soon enough those worries will be put to an end as they heard the sirens coming closer to them.

"You'll be ok Y/N." She whispered as she kissed their forehead.

The other teens were treated for dehydration since they hadn't been fed or drank any water in days. Meanwhile Y/N had fractured ribs and had to have pins put in their left arm. They had bruised lungs and a bruised back.

The Lassiters and The Moores were devastated at the loss of Henry and David. But the other families were happy to have them back.

Y/N sat on the hospital bed as Aunt May went to sign their discharge papers as Peter sat beside them.

"What actually happened Y/N?" Peter asked as Y/N turned off the TV. They placed the remote back on the side before shaking their head no. They didn't want to talk about it. They wanted to forget it all happened.

"I'm not talking about it Peter." They told him angrily as they got off the bed.

"I was only asking Y/N because it has clearly affected you." He said as Y/N just chuckled dryly. It was Christmas eve and their friends would be spending it with their families. They wouldn't get to see them until after Boxing Day.

"Are you ready to go home Y/N?" Aunt May asked softly as she entered the room. They nodded as they went to pick up their bag but Aunt May beat them to it. They walked out behind May and Peter towards the car. "Y/N is in the passenger seat Peter." She told him sternly as he huffed and got in the back with a scowl. Y/N struggled to sit in the seat as they were still in pain. They were healing but too slow for their liking.

When they got home, they just went to their room to lay down. They hated the memories of it eating David. They could still hear his screams and the sounds of his body being torn apart. They could still smell that awful smell of fear and death.

They wanted to sleep but they didn't. It was around 10pm and they decided to call Nat. They know that Wanda's parents can be strict on the holidays.

"What can I do for you Y/N?" Nat greeted them.

"I can't sleep Nat." They said quietly. Nat was shocked to hear them speak like they were so small and frail.

"What's going on Y/N?" She asked them softly.

"I can still hear them." They spoke shakily. "The screams and the sounds and the smell." They said as tears fell down their cheeks. "I can't sleep because I am back there everytime I close my eyes. There's no one to talk to without being called crazy."

"I know Y/N." She spoke softly. "I've seen the news."

"It's ridiculous Nat. They're saying it was an overdose that killed Henry and David and that the rest just wanted a place to party and get high before the holidays." They said as they sat up. "It infuriates me that they still don't believe us."

"I understand Y/N." She sighed and then she came up with an idea. "When are you going to tell Wanda?"

"Tell Wanda what?" They asked her, playing dumb.

"You know what Y/N." She scolded them as they chuckled.

"I'm tired Nat." They told her as she sighed.

"Well go to sleep." She suggested as they took in a deep breath.

"I can't Nat." They whispered with tears in their eyes.

"Well, think about the things you love the most about Wanda." She teased before hanging up. That was when Y/N decided to ask the brunette to meet them in the Town Square.

"Where are you going?" Aunt May asked Y/N as they put on their shoes and jacket.

"I need to see Wanda." They said before they left the house. Aunt May smiled at them as the door closed.

Y/N stood under the Christmas lights as they waited patiently for her. They smiled as she walked through the crowd of people. The snow fell perfectly as she walked with a smile on her face.

Their smile widened when she got closer. They admired how her eyes sparkled under the multicoloured lights.

"Are you ok Y/N?" She asked them concerned as she approached them.

"Yes. No. Maybe." They stumbled over their words. "I will be." They smiled at her as they tried to hide how nervous they were. "This is so hard to say."

"Just take your time." She smiled at them. They soon caught her family just beside the ice rink.

"I'm so sorry you're out with your family." They said with wide eyes.

"It's ok Y/N." She laughed which made them lighter. "So what did you want to say?"

"I uh well. I am in love with you. I have been in love with you for however long I can remember. And when I was there, all I could think about was I never got to tell you. And I need to tell you. Even if you will never feel the same. I just have to get it out because it's eating me alive." When they finished, Wanda just gazed at them with a fuzzy smile on her face.

"Y/N. I was worried that I would never get the chance to tell you how I feel either. You are my most favourite person in the world. My world literally spins for you and I would be so lost without you." She sighed before she reached up to cup their face. Their cheeks are cold from the winter air. "I am so in love with you too."

Y/N smiled down at her as they could feel their heart fill with joy. They both leaned in and let their lips meet in their first kiss. A kiss that sent warmth throughout their bodies as it became passionate as each second went on.

When they pulled away for air they heard cheering and clapping from their family and friends who had all decided to sneak out and watch as Wanda hid her face in Y/N's chest. Y/N rubbed their good hand up and down her back as she wrapped her arms around their middle. Just enjoying their embrace and happy to get all of that off of their chests after a hard couple of weeks.

They both soon joined their friends and families to celebrate christmas eve together. Everyone together is happy and safe.

"This is my favourite christmas eve." Wanda whispered as they watched everyone ice skating.

"Next year we will skate." Y/N stated as Wanda smiled up at them. They leaned down and gave her soft peck before they both opted to go for a walk around in the snow.

They had finally overcome every possible obstacle they could have ever dreamed of and only came out stronger.

[literallyjusthereformods]

Mod folder's cooked still, sharing photos of my sims from my gallery.

Not my preferred method, but I'm dying to share them! So anyways here's a mega photo dump.

Cade E Cherrypop! (Normal/Ruined)

My love for sentient entertainment animatronics is one that will forever remain unshaken. Cade E Cherrypop is the sentient android mascot of Cade E Arcade! (Thx to the new chibi preset by @sdmsims, another little mascot will be along shortly as a friend)

After society collapses due to a zombie-apocalypse-plus, the arcade falls into ruin, and Cade E eventually reawakens in the ruins in her second withered form, sun-bleached, dirty and damaged.

Xelleen Wisher

Xelleen Wisher's a gaming streamer in this world's analog to Twitch! Despite his anxiety disorder, he does his best to put up an optimistic and energetic persona for his audience. He really loves cute things, especially cats and small collectibles! He's also very, very good at videogames, dabbling in speed runs and challenge runs.

Xelleen was created by me as a very positive character. He combines physical traits that are painted as a stereotypical "neckbeard" image (acne, overweightness) with features of the "gamergirl" aesthetic (cute clothes, makeup, lots of pink.) He stands as his own person, defined by neither stereotype.

The bottom/last pic of the three shows his face without his makeup on!!

Steelie Buzzkill

(Wouldn't Be Possible Without @sdmsims's Anime Mod!!!)

Ordered as an Incarnate (an Incarnate is a special type of android commissioned to be a real-word version of a fictional character) of somebody's OC, Steelie's shipment was intercepted after the law recognizing android sentience was passed. His company dumped him and his peers on the side of the road near a rural town.

Since he was freed before artificial memories were programmed into him, he doesn't know what character he's intended to be, and he really doesn't WANT to know.

He works at IHopTopic, the compound store that exists because in this universe, IHop and Hot Topic had some sort of business deal from hell that led to a combined location.

(Between you and me, his design SOMEBODY's fannon ship child OC, but I won't say more than that, nor do the medias his parents are from exist irl.)

The rest will just be character images with short descriptions. I'll likely make individual posts later on going in more depth!!

Torren's a model! He models both clothes and makeup.

Torren's photographer, and general voice of reason. They're bascially buddies.

Aniyo loves hanging out in malls and drawing fanart for their favorite animes. Above all though, they love animals!! Their aspiration is to be a rescue caretaker for animals that need them.

A small trunked rodent I created called a 'rummager.'

It's too bad I'm missing the cc for this one, because I'd love to show their whole design in CAS. I really like this one. They have a lot to do with a certain collapse plotline.

Owner of a tattoo shop. VERY supportive of their artists, and probably one of the best bosses ever.

Tattoo artist working for Crim.

Another one of Crim's hired tattoo artists!

Third tattoo artist out of four in Crim's tattoo shop. (The fourth one's too short to show in gallery, sorry.)

Runaway teen after something really bad happened at home. Navigating the post-collapse hellscape with her horse.

Apex Zombie who's territory spans an entire abandoned city. It's antenna syncs up to the abandoned traffic cams, giving it eyes all over the urban ruins. As a side effect, the old digital billboards flicker to life in monochromatic imagery when it approaches.

@ssspringroll because I definitely used some of your CC in this. Idr where, but I DEFINETELY did. Also, you're one of my favorite creators, thank you for existing <3

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

which turtle do you think can handle spice? lol i made some spicyx2 ramen for dinner and both my parents asked me if this was food or nuclear war fare, they got scared of how red the ramen broth was lol

Spicy Food (Headcanon)

A/N: The lucky wheel decided on the 03 boys for this one, so here we go💚 I myself am very bad with spicy food, like it's really bad. Like, if the food does as much as touches anything spicy, I can’t eat it. But I think the guys generally would have a way better time handling it💚

--------

Leonardo:

Leo does pretty well with spicy food. He’s used to Splinter’s spicy noodle soup, and was always the angel that ate everything his father made for him, without complaining. Not that he ever complained. According to his taste buds, all of Splinter’s cooking was amazing.

When Mikey started taking over in the kitchen, Leo could not help but find the food a little… What is the right word? Uhm… bland? But don't get him wrong, Leo loves his little brother’s cooking, but he did prefer his father’s addition of spice to the food. It just that feeling in his mouth that reminded him of childhood.

Although Leo is a terrible cook, and has been ordered by his whole family to never touch the stove or the oven, Leo did know how to use the kettle for tea, and the microwave for making leftovers. But he also knew how to make instant cup noodles as a snack, often finding himself gravitating towards the extra spicy once. But even then, he often finds that they aren’t spicy enough, and adds a little more himself.

Raphael:

Raph has a love hate relationship with spicy food. On one hand he loves spicy snacks, but on the other he isn’t a big fan of warm and spicy meals. As a child it had almost caused several meltdowns at the dinner table, back when Raph didn’t have the words to clearly explain to Splinter that the noodle soup was causing him middle discomfort.

Raph could not explain it. It was as if the heat from the food made the spice so much stronger, to a point where he just couldn’t eat it. Even as a teenager and as an adult, he would let the soup cool down for a bit, before finally feeling comfortable enough to eat it.

But funnily enough, Raph LOVES spicy snacks. Chili chips or at least some kind of spicy dip with his chips, and this guy would be happy.

Raph once shared some of his chips with Casey, not thinking they were so strong. But neither Raph or April had ever seen someone run so fast to the fridge for milk, giving Raph a hint that his snacks may be spicier than he first thought.

Donatello:

No one knew for sure, but there was this theory in the Hamato family, that Donnie’s taste buds were immune to pain. Donnie did not seem to care if his food was spicy or not. The important thing for him was that it tasted good, and that the texture didn’t make him run for the hills.

Leo had long speculated that it came from years of caffeine addiction, but that did not explain how seemed to have shown the same behavior, years before he even tried coffee for the first time. Spicy food just didn’t bother Donatello.

With that being said, it’s worth mentioning a time where Donnie’s spice tolerance really came to show. One day, an absolutely sleep deprived Donnie had made himself a cup of coffee, but in his sleepy state, he had added hot sauce to his drink, instead of the milk. The horror on his brothers’ faces when he took a sip, and went as far as to say that it even tasted better than usual, before he went back to work in his lab.

Michelangelo:

Mikey had never been a picky eater, but if there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was spicy food. It had been like that since… pretty much forever. Sure, Mikey could eat mildly spicy things, but he just had a taste for more sweet things.

Mikey’s food making was therefore obviously less spicy than Splinter’s. But just because his food was less spicy, it didn’t make it any less good. Mikey’s cooking was amazing, even if Leo seemed to miss the good old days, where his mouth was about to burn off.

But Mikey’s mild intolerance for spicy food, gave Raph a great opportunity for a prank. One day while Mikey wasn’t looking, Raph added one of his spicy chips to Mikey’s already opened bag of salty chips. The scream that followed when Mikey then unexpectedly bit into that one chip, was so loud that people on the street above looked around in confusion. It was no surprise that all of Donnie’s milk suddenly disappeared after that, having been drunk by a hysteric Mikey that desperately tried to kill the fire in his mouth.

[skyward-floored]

Hello !! For your IAU requests, either Sky being a good uncle and babysitting the younger Links, or some kind of angst involving Four?

No pressure if you don't want to ! And please remember to take it easy if requests get overwhelming-

Don’t mind me answering this rather late lol, it took me a while to figure out where I wanted to take this! I already did some Four angst, so here’s some Sky babysitting when the kids are all a bit younger :)

————————————————————

“Yes, Sky babysitting!” Wild yelled, jumping on the couch. “Now we can stay up all night!”

Sky watched his nephew bounce around, the rest of his brothers all equally excited as their parents drove away to have a night for themselves for once, and chuckled. Warriors was busy, and Sun was feeling under the weather, so Sky was babysitting all six of his nephews alone.

Which he could handle. For sure.

“Sorry Wild,” Sky apologized, nudging him with a wing to get him to stop bouncing. “No staying up all night I’m afraid. Your parents said bedtime was eight o’clock, sharp.”

“Did they really mean sharp though?” Legend piped up, smiling innocently. “Maybe Mom said ‘shark’. And sharks don’t ever have to go to bed.”

“Never, huh?” Sky said, and Legend hesitated for a second, then nodded confidently.

“Yeah, never.”

“Never ever. They’d just bite anyone who told them to! RAAAWR!” Wild roared, and leapt off the couch and right onto Wind. His little brother yelled in protest, and Sky quickly pulled Wild off, his nephew still making biting noises and chomping his teeth.

“Why don’t we bite some dinner instead?” Sky said, and Wild paused in his biting, looking hopefully up at him.

“Dinner?”

“Yep. How does mac and cheese sound?” Sky asked, and Wild let out an excited whoop.

“YESSSSS! Can I help?” he begged, and Sky nodded.

“Me too!” Wind shouted, and Twilight wagged his tail where he was sitting with Hyrule on the couch.

“You all can help,” Sky said patiently, scooping up Four and heading into the kitchen. “But you’ve got to listen to my instructions, all right?”

“Yessir!” Wild chirped, and zipped over to the cabinets and began pulling out utensils.

Sky chuckled as his siblings followed, and then got to work on dinner.

Mac and cheese wasn’t hard to make, especially with multiple eager helpers, and everything was going fine as the cheese was added and the pot was stirred. There was a minor hiccup when Hyrule almost added twice as many noodles as were needed, but Twilight managed to stop him at the last second, and dinner was finished with no further problems.

All until his nephews realized mac and cheese wasn’t the only thing they were eating for dinner.

“Peas?!” Wind said in dismay, and Sky nodded as he got Four settled in the booster seat they had for his chair.

“Yep. That’s what vegetable your mom left me to cook.“

“But... peas?” Wind repeated, his face screwed up, and Sky raised an eyebrow.

“What’s so bad about peas?” he questioned, and Wind let out a loud blegh noise, face disgusted.

“Peas are gross,” he stressed, crossing his arms with a pout. “They’re are yucky an’ bad.”

“Wind, they’re not so bad, the rest of your siblings are eating them,” Sky chided, and Twilight suddenly squirmed in his seat, looking uncomfortably at his plate.

“Yeah, even Twilight, and he hates peas!” Wild said cheerily, and Twilight sank in his chair a bit.

“If you eat them with the mac and cheese they just taste like cheese,” Hyrule said helpfully, and Wind looked over at his plate, wrinkling his nose at the way Hyrule had mashed everything together.

“That’s yucky. I don’t wanna,” Wind pouted, putting his face on the table.

“I didn’t even give you that many. At least eat some of them Wind,” Sky pleaded, and Wind blew a loud raspberry, making Four laugh. “...Wind.”

“I don’t wanna!”

Sky looked at Wind, and Wind looked at Sky, neither of them willing to back down. The rest of his nephews watched in interest (all except Four who was throwing peas at Legend, much to his chagrin), and finally Sky leaned back in his chair with a casual shrug.

“Well... if you’re not going to eat them, then you’re not going to get dessert,” Sky said, casually folding his wings behind his back. “That’s a pity, too. I brought cupcakes.”

Wild gasped and shook Hyrule excitedly, and Wind narrowed his eyes, tilting his head up to look at Sky.

“...Cupcakes?”

“With blue frosting,” Sky added, and Wild let out an even louder gasp, nearly falling out of his chair.

“Upake!” Four yelled.

Wind pursed his lips, and looked down at the offending vegetable, obviously feeling rather conflicted. Twilight meanwhile, attempted to slip quietly out of his chair while everyone was distracted, his face strangely scrunched.

A wing stuck out and stopped him right as he began to walk away though, and Twilight froze as he looked up at Sky.

“All finished, buddy?” he asked, and Twilight cleared his throat, nodding. “You ate pretty quickly there. Don’t you want more mac and cheese?”

“No, I’m good,” Twilight said quickly, and tried to edge away from his feathers.

“What’s that in your pocket, Twi?” Wild asked loudly, and Twilight cringed, glancing at his bulging pockets.

“It’s... um... it’s just...”

Legend suddenly became visible behind him, and stuck a hand in his pocket, pulling out a handful of peas.

“Ah-HA!”

Twilight jumped, then gave Sky an extremely guilty look when he raised an eyebrow.

“Uh... how about that? I guess some just... fell in there...” he said with a hesitant smile.

Sky jabbed a thumb back at the table, and Twilight slunk back to his seat, more than one of his brothers giggling. Legend looked particularly smug, and Twilight shot him a foul look as he emptied his pockets back onto his plate.

“Okay. I’ll have peas. I’ll only eat some though,” Wind finally decided, and Sky nodded, inwardly relieved. He hadn’t been sure the dessert tactic would work.

“Thank you. How does five spoonfuls sound?”

“Five spoonfuls?!”

Sky sighed.

Dinner took another half hour to finish, Wild and Hyrule eating several more helpings of mac and cheese, Four throwing food, Twilight and Wind slowly eating their peas. Finally all the plates were empty though, and Sky went to grab the plate of cupcakes.

“Sky, can we watch tv and eat them?” Legend asked as he brought them over. “There’s a movie on tonight.”

Sky hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe... what movie is it?”

“Umm, I forget the title. But it’s the one where the guy has a talking hat and has to save the world with mice guys. And stuff,” Legend said helpfully.

“Four likes that one,” Twilight added, and Sky gave in with a little sigh.

“...Okay. But straight to bed afterwards, and you guys have got to use napkins,” he said, and Wild whooped for at least the third time that evening.

The napkins didn’t help a bit of course. Sky’s nephews got crumbs on the floor, crumbs on clothes, crumbs on furniture... not to mention the blue frosting, that Sky was really starting to regret bringing over. It was a very good thing Malon and Time’s couch wasn’t white.

The first hour of the movie was mostly talked over, sugar-fueled arguments and teasing and general chaos that happened whenever they all tried to sit and do something. By the time the sugar buzz finally wore off, Sky’s patience had grown rather thin, and he was exhausted.

Why did I agree to this again? he thought with a sigh, wiping fruitlessly at a smear of frosting on his shirt. There was big smear all over his sleeve, and it would take him ages to get all of the crumbs out of his feathers.

Before Sky could get any further with cleaning himself up (or griping), a hand pushed on his leg, and he looked down to see Four crawl into his lap.

He snuggled up to his chest, and Wind squished up next to him a few moments later, smile a bright blue. Legend noticed what was going on and wormed into the pile as a rabbit, and Hyrule settled himself under one of Sky’s wings, leaning on his shoulder. Finally Twilight and Wild sat themselves under the other, and they all watched quietly as the hero on the tv had a serious conversation with his talking hat.

Sky looked down at them all, sticky and covered in frosting and crumbs, Hyrule nestling tighter under his wing, Four resting his head back on his chest.

Then he sighed and gave them a soft smile, unable to hold on to any annoyance with six kids all snuggled around him.

Right. That’s why.

(...)

Late that evening, Time and Malon came home and found all six of their boys sound asleep in the living room under Sky’s wings, Sky himself snoring with a faint smile on his face.

...and blue frosting.

Lots of blue frosting.

[my-great-big-book-of-fan-fiction]

Gojo satoru x F!reader fic in which you and Megumi interact after his "adoption"

You guys I know Gojo's more like a mentor to Megumi in cannon, but pls pls pls just let me have this, I'll give you good vibes for a week if you do 😭 Also, Satoru is more like a side character in this one, sorry babes.

Warnings: Slight innuendo, some cursing, good feels

The walk home with Gojo was...interesting. No, scratch that. Annoying. Megumi could do nothing but listen to him talk and talk and talk, to the point that he wished he was getting sold to the Zenin clan.

"Man, you're boring for a 1st grader, huh? What are you, like 8?"

"I'm 6."

"Rightttt....most serious 6-year old I've ever met."

coming from him? Megumi liked that. Whoever Gojo found entertaining had to be crazy.

"You know, my usagi-chan is gonna looove to meet you,"

"Usagi-chan?" He stretched out the pet name, a confused and judgmental tone in his voice. What kind of parent names their kid "little bunny"?

Gojo beamed, holding his hand out and counting on his fingers all the things he liked about you. "Oh yeah, She's great! She's smart, and funny, and she's a great cook, and a really strong sorcerer, and..."

Megumi tuned him out. It was bad enough, dealing with this guy, now there were going to be two of you? He dreaded what the rest of his life would look like.

Gojo was still talking as they walked up the final steps to Jujitsu tech, making their way to the dormitories, only shutting up for a moment when he opened the door to Megumi's new room.

You were there, setting a bouquet of carnations in a vase and angling it perfectly on Megumi's new night stand. The second you realized they arrived, you nervously turned around and smiled sweetly. "Hi! You must be Toj- uh, Megumi Fushiguro!"

"Toji's son" sounded a little demeaning to you.

Megumi nodded, seeming to be examining your face, trying to get a read on you. "I'm (y/n), It's great to meet you...I was going to make lunch, but then I realized I don't even know what you like...so how about when you're settled you can tell me what you like and I'll make it for dinner?" So Usagi-chan wasn't your real name...

"Can you even cook," Megumi asked, the first thing he's ever said to you, his little voice mature sounding for a kid his age.

You giggled, his bluntness making you relax a little at how amusing it was. "Well, he thinks I can," you laughed, pointing at Gojo, who has now made his way over to be next to you, "But he thinks I'm good at everything, so how about you try it and find out?"

Megumi hesitantly nodded, satisfied with your answer, and plops his backpack on the ground. He's decided he likes you.

You made pork gyoza for him that night, some of the best gyoza he's ever had, yet to be matched in his mind. As time went on, Megumi came to realize that you and Gojo filled entirely different roles. While Satoru lived in the dorm right next to Megumi's, Megumi saw a lot more of you than him, even though you worked at the Kyoto sister school.

You came over every day, eating dinner with him and shoveling big portions on his plate because he was "a growing boy", helping him with his homework, listening to his problems, attending his elementary and middle school graduations. At first, Gojo really only interacted with him to train every weekend, to bring him up to his level, but as you took a more parental role, so did he.

Of course, neither of you wanted to be called mom or dad, and Megumi didn't want that either, so he just called you by either your names or "sensei" when being educated. That said, you and Satoru always joked with each other about being teen parents, lamenting the fact that you "got the kid without any of the fun." The very implication of you two doing that always made Megumi gag.

Speaking of that, having the talk with him was surprisingly easy for you and Satoru, disgustingly easy in Megumi's 12 year old eyes, and although at the time he never intended on putting the information to use, it was still good to have.

You were always patient with him, staying gentle during his angsty middle school years, and eventually helping him train even more once he entered high school. You even insisted he danced with you at your wedding, stating that you needed "at least one dance with a gentleman."

All of this said, none of the other first years in the Tokyo school even knew of your existence until the good will event. You showed up with your students, The first person you greeted being Maki. Despite being Mai's teacher, Maki loved you. You were just so...bubbly.

"Maki! Ugh, it's been forever since I've seen you," you squeal, bringing her into a tight hug. You greet Toge and Panda respectively, Before rushing over to your now husband and dramatically swooning into his arms. "Oh, Satoru," You sigh, the back of your hand resting delicately on your forehead. "Ah, Usagi-chan, How I've missed you in the time we've been apart," he sighed, holding you by your waist and the nape of your neck. The sight was completely cringe-worthy, but it was funny to you two and that was all that mattered.

The two of you kissed, much to the confusion of Nobara and Yuji. You opened your eyes, peaking at their faces, and quickly sprung out of the arms of your beloved husband.

"You never told me how adorable your first years are," You giggled, taking Itadori's face in your hand and examining it. You didn't release him as you turned back to Gojo, calling out, "This is the vessel, right?" Satoru nodded, saying, "That's him," proudly. Yuji finally spoke up while Nobara laughed at the sight, asking, "Uhhhh...who are you?"

You pulled back, posing a little and responding with, "I'm (Y/n) (L/n), Satoru's wife!" You never took his last name, seeing as just being connected to the Gojo clan made you a bigger target than you already were. Nobara and Itadori's eyes lit up, both of them shouting, "Tell us everything!"

You would have been happy to, but you saw Megumi out of the corner of your eye. "Ah, Megumi!" You zoomed over, hugging him so tightly his bones might crack. "I've been meaning to ask, what do you want for dinners this week?"

Nobara and itadori got even more excited, you being the best source of information on their closed off friend and surprisingly mysterious teacher.

"I don't care..." Megumi sighed, blushing a little at how open you were about all this. "Maybe Gyoza," he muttered.

Ok, you could be a little annoying sometimes, but that's how all mothers caregivers were. He wasn't mad, even when you invited Itadori and Nobara over for dinner after the event, or spilled all of the details (except for the ones not even Megumi knows) about your life with Megumi and Satoru. He was ok with this, albeit a little peeved, because at the end of the day you cared for him in a way he never would have imagined being cared for.

Life didn't turn out to be so bad after all.

I absolutely loved writing this, it's been on my mind for a while now! As always, let me know what you think :)

[pr0cyon-lotor]

Something reawakened my Alien Stage obsession! Have some modern AU headcanons/brainrot™ :D

(The alien keepers are just their parents or something)

General rambles

Till is a god in the kitchen. Mizi can only bake b/c she has set instructions, but can tweak the recipe if she needs to. Sua can't cook/doesn't know how to. Ivan burned something and isn't allowed in it again. LUKA IS NOT ALLOWED IN THE FUCKING KITCHEN OH MY GOD DON'T LET HIM COOK THEY HAD TO CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT LAST TIME. Hyuna can't cook for shit w/o proper instructions. Her ass cannot improvise in the kitchen.

Sus and Ivan are siblings (twins if you will) and absolutely terrible to each other (like normal siblings). They could be sitting together and suddenly Sua kicks him off the couch and puts her feet up. Or Ivan throw something at the back of her head unprompted. They are literally the most chill people in the group, until they're in each other's arms length. Then, they might as well be wild cats fighting over a piece of fish

Mizi and Till are childhood friends and talk shit together

Till knows how to apply makeup (both on himself and others) b/c Mizi would test out things on him.

Almost everyone is a cat person. Except for Sua, who is neutral, and Mizi, who likes dogs more.

Mizisua rambles

Neither of them are the warm hands to the other's cold hands. They sleep with a lot of blankets and a heater on

Mizi doesn't know how to braid hair. Sua barely knows how to braid hair. They were so used to their parents/servants doing their hair for them that they don't know how to do anything fancy. But Sua did learn how to braid hair for Mizi.

Sua was/is a rich kid. And she's SUPER irresponsible with money when it comes to Mizi. "You want this dress? Sure. Don't look at the price tag, you liked it so you're getting it."

They're both clingy if the other has to leave for an extended period of time.

Mizi likes climbing up places and napping. And Sua got really good at hide and seek.

They don't have separate wardrobes b/c both of them stole each other's clothes so often they lost track what was originally theirs or the other's.

Ivantill rambles

Till is cold constantly. Ivan is a walking heater. My point is they hold hands and cuddle.

Ivan definitely turls a piece of his hair, while kicking his feet and giggling when he's calling Till. At this point Till is unfazed by it

Ivan calls Till "my star" "my universe" or any other space related petname. (l accidentally predicted that in an old post oops) Till refuses to call him any pet name b/c he'd die of embarrassment

They also steal each other's clothes, but they can tell who's is who's b/c they both have very distinct styles

Till fumbled the bag with Mizi so bad he accidentally fell into lvan's arms and I think that's a funny concept

Have we ever considered that Till might be just as cringe with lvan as he is with Mizi once he starts catching feelings. Like it's possible. Till can just be cringe with the people he likes. Probably not as bad with lvan, but even a fraction would make me happy.

Hyuluka rambles

Luka is shockingly needy and clingy. He would prefer to get dragged through the mud than let go of Hyuna. Hyuna finds it endearing and worrying

There's a lot of heels and dresses in their home. None of them are Hyuna's

Luka is the type that NEEDS TO LOOK GOOD AT THE HOSPITAL! What if the doctors thinks he's not hot enough 🥺 Hyuna has to drag him to the hospital b/c he's fixing his eyeliner. And no you can't just put a little bit of blush on, your bone is stabbing through your calf

Hyuna's love language is acts of service and food sharing. Luka's is being a little shit and physical touch

[flowery-mess]

Homesick

I don't really know what this is, it came to me at 1AM like wave of feelings that I suddenly needed to write down. Let me know if you like it.💗

Today was perfect day. In every aspect, it was perfect, so why am I standing on the balcony, looking down at people celebrating Nick and his beautiful wife's wedding, crying and with anxiety attacking my body?

.

.

All of the Bad omens crew have been looking up to this day ever since Nick proposed to his girlfriend. Boys, including Noah, knew about it, but to everyone else it was surprise.

Me and Nick's girlfriend are close, we clicked immediately when Noah and Nick introduced us.

So I couldn't help but burst into happy tears when she send me picture of her hand with this beautiful ring Nick chose for her. It was almost a year ago, but it felt like yesterday.

.

Me and other bridesmaids spent the night before the wedding together with the bride to be, while boys used mine and Noah's apartment to hang out with Nick.

We woke up early and started with preparations. It was messy and chaotic, but I enjoyed it in a way. Seeing my friend with a smile on her face as she was about to marry the love of her life made me think about my friends back home.

I moved to the states 5 years ago for work. And for a change. My life back home was a mess and I needed to escape it. I stayed in touch with my best friends, but you can stay as close as the ocean between you allows you to.

We didn't expect that I would stay, I had work offer for a year. But then I met Noah. I never thought I would stay in a foreign country for a boy. When I extended my work contract we were dating only for 3 months, but it felt right.

After everything bad and sad that happened at home before I left, something finally felt right.

5 years later we are still together and I know I made right decision.

But it had sacrifices.

I never had a strong relationship with my family, I always considered my friends as my family. I moved from my hometown to a different town for university and saw my family just a few times a year, usually for occasions like someone's birthday. In a family aspect, I felt alone. I never called my mum to tell her about a boy I met or for cooking advice. She was always busy giving her time to her boyfriend, who I wasn't fan of. Neither he was of me. We drifted apart so easily and neither of us tried to put this so called mother daughter bond back together.

Between me and my dad wasn't a bad blood. We just had very casual relationship. We saw each other once in a few months, which now changed to phone calls once in a few months. He cares about me and loves me, we just weren't close at any point of my life.

So with my blood family, moving was easy.

But being without my friends? That hurts. Especially when I'm spending time with my new friends here in the states, like today.

I was part of the preparations, cake tasting, choosing dresses, making playlist and anything else you can think of. And I loved that. It just made me think of my childhood best friend's wedding. I could take only few days off at work, so I barely made it to bachellorete party, then wedding and then I came back here.

To help you understand my point, my friends went through every shit in my life. My parents divorce, my grandmother's cancer, my mom bringing home this new boyfriend, moving out of my childhood home to a new place, high school, moving for university, crying about my mother or crying about my heart breaks. They were there for me all the time.

.

.

After we had our makeups and hair done, me and other bridesmaids went to welcome the guests that started arriving at the venue.

It was family, friends and the BO crew, except for all four boys that actually created the band. Noah is Nick's best man and Folio and Jolly are groomsmen.

I started to feel homesick and guilty for enjoying my 'new' friends wedding that much with thought of my childhood friends. I couldn't wait for Noah to arrive to make me feel better.

.

"Excuse me lady, the legend says that the bride should be the most beautiful woman on a wedding day." I must have laughed at Noah's joke when he arrived while we had just a few minutes to talk before the ceremony started.

"Well I could say the same about you sir." I said as I placed my hands around his neck and pecked his lips.

"But really, you look beautiful Y/N." He said suddenly with a serious face, but with sincere look in his eyes as his hand caresed my cheek.

I think we both realized that our friends are getting married and that this day is gonna be full of love and happiness and that we're gonna spend it together.

.

The ceremony started just a few minutes after Noah and the boys have arrived. I was paired with Folio to walk down the aisle. I call Folio my Bad omens best friend. He's the one I'm closest with, we have the same sense od humor and I am voluntarily going fishing with him. I think that's how I get him to be my bestie.

.

I am very emotional person and I teared up a lot through the day, but when I saw Noah walk down the aisle I felt tear slide down my cheek. He was beautiful. I saw him in a suit only few times, so I am always amazed by how amazing he looks in it. Our eyes were locked the whole time he walked the aisle, we were smiling like it was ours wedding and I saw tear slip down his cheek too.

I was thinking if he's gonna ever propose to me, because we didn't talk about it yet. And with his family background and commitment issues, I am not sure if he even wants a marriage. He worked on himself a lot through our relationship, our begining wasn't easy. But we communicated and talked about our feelings to make it where we are today.

.

After the ceremony came to an end we moved to the lunch area, where me and Noah could finally spend some time together.

"It was really beautiful wasn't it?" I asked him with my mouth full with this delicious meal.

"It was. I didn't think I'd be this emotional."

"It was hard not to be."

We contiued to eat our meals, then there were some speeches and then the party began.

.

After few drinks the dancefloor was full with dancing bodies. Playlist was made of all genres and hits you could imagine. We were dancing in a circle, me and Folio the stars of the dancefloor.

Then Love story by Taylor Swift started playing and my mind went back to my thougts I had at the altar.

Noah came to me, connected our hands and started dancing with me. He wasn't fan of dancing, but he would do anything to make me happy.

We were swaying to the rhytm of the song and singing those famous lyrics.

"I can't wait until our day looks like this too." Noah said out of nowhere.

"Our day?" I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but I had a feeling.

"Yes, our day. I'm gonna marry you, did you think I am not going to?" He looked genuely surprised and maybe little hurt that I would think that.

"I just didn't know what is your opinion about marriage, we never had that conversation." I answered honestly. Taking his face in my hand and caresing my thumb on his cheek I couldn't resist the smile on my face.

"I know we didn't, but I was thinking about it. I never thought about it before I met you, but I also never thought I could have relationship longer than a few months, so I started thinking about marriage." He looks so cute and all flastered when he talks about his feeling, specially his feelings about me.

"I like that idea of you being my husband very much." I saw the uncertainty leave his face after my words.

"And I like the idea of you being my wife very much too."

.

After that song and conversation I excused myself and went to the bathroom.

I felt those anxious feelings in my chest and tears forming in my eyes. It was mix of happy and frustrated tears. I tried to compose myself and not to ruin the mood for myself and for everyone else.

.

That brings me to this moment where I'm standing at balcony and looking at everyone under me. Thank god the lights are pointing at the dancefloor, so I am hiden in a shadow and no one, especially Noah, can see the tears streaming down my face.

I should be happy. After today and the conversation with Noah, I should be happy. Why am I not happy? Or am I? Why do I feel like I have everything I ever wanted, but had to sacrifice my closest friends for it? Do I even like this country that I moved to? What if I want to move back home in the future, will Noah come with me? I suddenly felt so unsure about everything. So many thoughts running through my head as I continued watching those happy faces, while mine was soaked in tears.

[therealcocoshady]

Recovery - Chapter 34

Eminem x FemReader Fanfiction

Summary : Thanksgiving is just around the corner and Reader is planning Talia and Jamal's wedding when unexpected news happen.

Tags : Angst

TW : Mention of drug use - Mention of pregnancy

Author's Note : I hope you enjoy the chapter ❤️

Y/N’s POV

Ever since Marshall had informed you that Kim would be there for Thanksgiving, you were a little bit freaked out. However, you didn’t really bring up the topic, and neither did your boyfriend. After the conversation, you spent a few days pondering whether or not you should try and escape the situation. Not being American, Thanksgiving wasn’t important to you anyway so you wouldn’t mind skipping it or celebrating it the same way you had done since you came to the US - with Talia and Jamal. 

When you moved to Detroit, you quickly befriended Talia at the beginning of the school year. You were planning on spending your first Thanksgiving in your dorm room, on your own, watching a crappy movie and eating ramen, but she wouldn’t have it and invited you to spend the day with her, her boyfriend and her family. At first, you declined the invitation but she basically forced you to go and that’s how you met Jamal, as well as Talia’s mother and her three sisters. You got along with everyone and had an official, standing invitation for every holiday, your best friend’s family being just as warm and welcoming as her. Even when you were with your ex, you spent Thanksgiving with Talia. This year would be your first time celebrating it with someone else. When you told her about the change of plans, she was happy for you but made it clear that you would be missed. To be fair, you would miss them too. You didn’t know too much about how everyone else celebrated Thanksgiving, but Talia’s family certainly made it fun : everyone would spend the day cooking together in a relaxed atmosphere, making jokes, dancing to some 80s tunes and playing board games. 

You didn’t mind skipping this in order to celebrate with the man you loved, but knowing his ex-wife would be there certainly made you reconsider. However, he made it clear that he was looking forward to celebrating with you and told you how important it was for him that you be there. 

It’s a family holiday, he said. We’re officially living together, it doesn’t make sense to spend it apart, Y/N. We’re family, now. 

We’re still very new, you reminded him. What will your family think ? 

As far as they’re concerned, you can do no wrong, he chuckled. Apparently, they’re all relieved that my grumpy ass found someone who is actually willing to put up with me. And they all know and like you already. 

Except for your ex, you pointed out. 

Is that what it’s really about ? He asked with a raised eyebrow. 

You sighed and did not reply. Part of you thought that it was a good thing that Marshall and Kim were on friendly terms, for the sake of their daughters. It was a proof of maturity on their part and you had heard enough stories from your friends with divorced parents to know that it was actually a good thing. Everyone would like for their parents to be able to get along after a divorce. But being the partner of someone who was divorced made it a little challenging. After all, no one expected to spend a holiday with their boyfriend’s ex-wife, let alone relished the idea. 

I told you it will be fine, he said as he hugged you from behind while you were doing your skincare before bed. And it’s not just her, anyway. Everyone else will be there. 

Yes but she’s the only one I haven’t met yet, you said sheepishly. What if she hates me ? 

Why would she hate you ? He scoffed. 

Because I’m your girlfriend… Duh ? 

Look, Y/N, he said as he took your hands in his. Yes, Kim is my ex, and yes, we have a long and complicated history. But any form of romantic feeling between us is long gone. There won’t be any jealousy… On her part, at least. 

The end of his comment made you raise an eyebrow. 

You think I’m jealous of her ? You asked. 

I don’t know, he said with a smile. Are you ? 

I guess not, you shrugged. I do have many questions, though. 

So we’re gonna have that talk, huh ? He asked with a sigh. 

Do you mind ? 

No offense, babe, but even if I did… I know you well-enough to know that you’d toss and turn all night, and you'll drive yourself crazy and me as well. I love you, and I want to get some sleep tonight, so for both our sakes, let’s get this over with, he chuckled. 

Thank you, you said shyly as you felt your face redden a bit. 

You both sat in bed and you were nervously tugging on your nightgown, not really knowing where to start. 

I don’t have all night, though, he said playfully. Just ask your damn questions, babe. 

Did she sleep here ? You asked, as it was the first question that popped into your head - hell, maybe you were in her spot ! 

In this room or in this bed ? He asked. This is the master bedroom, so yeah, we slept here. The bed and mattress are new, though, if that’s any comfort. Next question ? 

Do you miss her, sometimes ? You asked nervously. 

He glanced at you and shook his head with a smile. 

What kind of question is that, Y/N ? He simply asked. Really ? You’re asking me if I miss her ? 

Can you blame me for wondering, though ? Everyone knows she’s the love of your life, your high-school sweetheart and stuff… 

Everyone also knows that our marriages were utter failures and that we drove each other crazy, he stated with an eye roll. 

So you never think about her ? You asked. 

That’s a different question. Of course I think about her often. 

Often ?! What the hell did he mean by that ? As he saw the expression on your face - that probably resembled that of a deer in headlights - he let out a laugh. 

I told you, babe, we have a history and three daughters, he said. Of course I think about her, whether it’s something about the girls or simply memories. I can’t erase twenty-plus years from my brain, you know ? But it doesn’t mean I miss her. I used to, for sure, but I don’t. Not anymore. You can think of the good times you had with someone without missing the relationship. 

I guess, you said. How do you feel about her now, then ? 

I mean… She’s the mother of my children and that will never change. In that regard, I respect her, because she’s doing her best to be a good mom, too. I might not always agree with her, in fact there’s a lot of shit we disagree on, but she’s high in my esteem. Also because she put up with a lot of me and my shit, he said. 

Do you have feelings for her ? You blurted out before you were able to hold back the words. 

As soon as you spoke these words, he frowned and shook his head. He sighed and took your hand in his, interlocking your fingers. 

I just told you I don’t miss her, he said. So no, I don’t have feelings for her. Not romantic, at least. I do have affection for her, though, in a way. I care for her and I don’t want anything bad happening to her. If she ever needs me, I’m here. I told you before - whether we like it or not, Kim and I will always be family. So I will always be there to support her. 

You nodded, a bit lost in your thoughts. He pulled you in his arms and leaned in, his forehead resting against yours while his piercing blue gaze held yours. 

I need you to understand something, baby, he said. Nothing I’m saying here affects the way I feel about you. Just because I care for Kim doesn’t mean I don’t love you. You are the woman I love and the one who makes me happy, and no one will change that. 

Ok, you said as you nodded softly. I love you too, you know ? 

And even if she did hate you, which she won’t, you’re the one person I chose to share my life with. Whether anyone likes it or not, you are my girl and they have to respect that. And I know she does, he said. 

Ok, you said. Does she know that we live together here ? 

She does, he  nodded. 

And that I’m… You know… Younger ? 

Yes, that too, he chuckled. I mean, I told her about you before so she knows a couple of things. She knows your name, your age, what you do in life, part of our story and, most of all, she knows I am head over heels in love with you. 

When did you tell her all that ? You asked, a bit surprised. 

I talked about you on a couple of occasions, he explained. When we got together, and a couple of months after our breakup, too. We don’t speak or see each other too often, but we keep up with each other’s life. 

He was smiling, which was sort of reassuring. His transparency made you feel at peace and, even though you were still a bit anxious, you eased up. You smiled back and kissed him on the cheek. 

Thank you for reassuring me, you said softly. I think you got yourself a night without me tossing and turning. 

Good, he chuckled. I get how weird it must be for you, you know ? But I’m sure everything will be fine. It’s just Thanksgiving. 

You smiled and nuzzled his neck as he held you in his arms, tracing circles on your shoulder. 

I love you, Marshall. 

I love you too, Y/N. And I’m really happy we’re celebrating our first holiday together, he added. 

That’s a milestone, you said. 

The first of many, many more, he said with a smile before pressing a kiss to your temple. 

So… What does a typical Thanksgiving look like in the Mathers household ? You asked. What should I expect ? 

Just classic Thanksgiving stuff, you know ? He shrugged. 

Well I only ever celebrated at Talia’s family’s, so… I don’t know, you chuckled. In my experience, it involves Talia’s mom preaching about how good God is and the blessings he gives, lots of cooking, lots of eating, board games and Talia’s sisters arguing over who Jamal prefers ! 

Sometimes I forget you’re not from here, he chortled. No preaching here, but lots of eating, just hanging out together, talking, watching movies, playing games… And I have my basketball tradition with Nate. 

Let me guess ? You usually win ? You asked with a grin. 

I lost the last one, actually, he chuckled. But I’ll definitely humiliate him this year. I have a lady to impress, I can’t lose. 

If you win, I’ll give you something to look forward to, you said teasingly. 

Like what ? He asked with a smirk. 

Win and you’ll see, you replied with a wink. 

I have an entire week left before the game, he said. Believe me, I’m going to train for victory. 

You giggled and kissed him softly before turning the lights off. You were a little reassured and figured that, even though your first Thanksgiving with him would be a bit stressful, you would get to admire him all sweaty on the basketball court and that would be absolutely worth it. 

In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, you were busy with wedding stuff and maid of honor duties. Talia and Jamal had yet to set a date for the wedding but that didn’t prevent your best friend from giving you tasks such as browsing ideas, looking at dress designers and searching for venues. You gladly obliged : you had sent out a few applications for jobs but you hadn’t gotten any answers yet and you were starting to get a bit bored. You would have gladly taken care of the house or garden, but there was staff hired for that and the only thing you could do to help around the house was to cook dinner for Marshall when he came back from work. You enjoyed it but it was clearly not enough to fill your days and you were starting to feel like one of those rich, bored housewives. Helping Talia with the wedding was a welcome distraction and you took the task with the utmost seriousness. You had always been a sucker for weddings and you knew full well it would be the only one you would get to organize so you decided to enjoy it. Every day after she got off from work, your friend would come to your place and your living room was soon filled with bridal magazines and moodboards for what was set to be the wedding of the century. Jamal’s work as a renowned beatmaker allowed them to have a very comfortable lifestyle and he had made clear that, whatever Talia wanted for the wedding, she would get. And she happened to have expensive taste, as well as a never-ending guest list. 

I will never find a venue, she loudly complained. I either hate the places we’re looking at, or they’re simply not big enough. 

You let out a sympathetic laugh. With the immense guest list they had, it was no surprise that finding a venue would be challenging. It seemed like every single person they had ever met would be invited. 

We will find something, you said with a smile. Or maybe you could try and shrink the guest list ? 

Jamal put you up to this, didn’t he ? She sighed. He keeps on telling me that we should keep it small. If it were up to him, we would elope… 

That could be super romantic, you know, you said tentatively. I mean… How many people on your guest list do you actually keep in touch with anyway ? 

I want my princess wedding, she said. You don’t know what it is. You’ll see when you get engaged ! 

I’m not getting married, you reminded her. Marshall doesn’t want to get married. You know it, I know it, everybody knows it. 

I can’t believe you’re willing to accept that, though, she said with an eye roll. You, of all people, not getting married ? 

You know I’m a sucker for weddings and all things “traditional family”, you chuckled. But I’d rather never get married and be with Marshall than the other way around. He means more to me than a dress I’d wear for a day. 

You know I love Em, but I just don’t get it, she shrugged before munching on a cupcake you had baked earlier. He’s old, so I get the “not wanting kids” part. But you moved back here for him and you decided to give up on kids to be with him, so the least he could do is put a ring on it, you know ? 

We just got back together, you giggled. And don’t get me wrong, if he asked for my hand, I would say yes. I mean, he is the love of my life. But he seems pretty adamant. And as long as I’m with him, I’m good, so really… Doesn’t matter. 

Still… I never thought you would be ready to renounce marriage and children for any man. 

You could absolutely see where Talia was coming from. You had spent countless hours talking about wedding stuff, since the two of you had met. You had actually bonded over your love of romantic movies and series and watched countless wedding-related TV shows. But you had made your choice and you understood that Marshall didn’t want that. And after all, he was right : you didn’t need to sign a piece of paper to be in a loving, committed relationship. As long as you got to experience life with him and make great memories, you were happy. And as for the fun you would have had planning your own wedding, you would live vicariously through Talia, who would be the most beautiful bride. The conversation shifted and you got back to your order of business : the wedding. You looked at venues while she took a fun break and looked at the Vera Wang website.

I’m going to be sick, Talia muttered after a while. 

Come on, you chuckled. The bridal collections can’t be that bad… 

No, I’m really feeling sick, she said before running to the bathroom. 

You heard her puke profusely and looked at the plate of cupcakes. She had eaten about half a dozen. You had eaten a few yourself, though not nearly as much, and you were feeling fine, so you doubted that your baking was actually to blame. When she came back from the bathroom, she looked rather ill and tired.  

Do you want some tea ? You offered. 

Yes, please, she said in a croaky voice. 

Lay on the couch, I’ll make it. Do you think you caught a stomach bug or something ? 

I don’t know, she said in a small voice. Maybe it’s my period ? I’ve been waiting for it to actually come for a while. 

Wait… You’re late ? You asked with a raised eyebrow. 

You stared at her in disbelief and started to put two and two together. In the past days, she had complained about being tired and bloated, but you didn’t think too much of it. However, now that you knew she was late, it made you think of your own symptoms, from when you were pregnant. That’s how it had started after all : feeling tired, hungry and bloated, with a bit of morning sickness to top it off. 

I can’t be pregnant, Talia said with a terrified look on her face. My mother gave me enough shit about living with Jamal before being married, she will kill me if I have a baby out of wedlock. 

Maybe it’s just a false alarm. You’re using protection, right ? You asked as you tried to reassure her. 

Of course, she said. I mean, except once, but what would be the odds ? 

When was that ? You asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Hum… The night we got engaged ? She said nervously. 

You opened big eyes. The night they got engaged was the night Jamal brought condoms to your room. And doing the math, it would make sense and explain Talia’s period being quite a bit late. On some level… You were the one who stopped taking the pill after your breakup and your best friend might as well be the one who ended up pregnant. You convinced her to take a pregnancy test and the two of you ended up driving to the nearest pharmacy, buying one from every brand. When you got back home, Talia was shaking with nerves. 

You’ll be fine, you said as you gave her a hug. You guys have been together for ages and you guys have talked about having kids before. You know he will be supportive. 

I know but… Right before the wedding ?! She asked nervously. That was not the plan, Y/N. I wanted to look good in my dress, I wanted to show off my figure in a bikini on a Hawaiian beach for my honeymoon… 

Only one way to find out, you said. Now, go and take the test ! 

In true bestie fashion, you sat on the tub while Talia was peeing on the stick. She handed it to you during the mandatory three minute waiting period. You had been there before and you knew damn well how she might be feeling. You held her hand and started to feel overcome with nerves, as well as many other emotions. You were probably a bad friend for this, and you would never confess to feeling this way, but deep down, you were feeling envious. You were content with your life, but some shameful part of you felt like you would have been in her place, if you hadn’t broken up with Simon. You would most likely be engaged, maybe with a rainbow baby on the way. In a way, you were envious. Of course, being with Marshall was everything you wanted and you loved him more than hypothetical plans of having kids or getting married, and Talia was more than deserving of these things, but it was stronger than you. When the alarm on your phone rang, both you and Talia took a deep breath. 

I can’t look at it, she said. 

You sort of have to, you pointed out. You have to know, right ? 

You look at it and tell me. 

You nervously took the stick and looked at it. Two lines. Positive. 

You’re… pregnant, you said in a blank voice. 

She gasped and looked at it herself. She freaked out and refused to believe it, trying to convince the both of you that it might be a false positive and she ended up guzzling almost a gallon of water and taking another test. Then another one. And another one. Of course, all of them had the same result : your best friend was definitely pregnant. 

I’m pregnant, she said in disbelief. I’m really pregnant.

How are you feeling ? You asked. 

I… I can’t believe it, she simply said. I am pregnant. 

She stared at the numerous tests on the sink and put a hand on her belly. She stared at you as tears welled up in her eyes. 

I’m pregnant, she repeated. 

Look, if you don’t feel ready, you can absolutely…, you began. 

No, she said. I think… I’m happy. I’m having a baby with the love of my life. I’m so happy. 

She took you in her arms and held you tightly as she sobbed with happiness. You were emotional - for a lot of different reasons - and you felt a tear roll on your cheek. Talia was the kindest soul you had ever met and you had absolutely no doubt that she would be an amazing mother. She was already so good at taking care of people. 

You’re going to be a splendid mom, you said softly. That baby is going to be so lucky. 

You’re going to be the best aunt, she said emotionally. 

And Jamal is going to be the greatest Dad on earth ! 

Oh my God, I have to tell Jamal ! She said. And my mom ? Do I call my mom ? And the wedding ?! What do I do ?!?! 

You could see her go through so many emotions at once. You tried your best to reassure her and walked her through what she needed to do. First, you told her to go home and break the news to Jamal before telling anyone else. Then, she would have to make some medical appointments to ensure everything was alright with her pregnancy. As for the wedding, you assured her that, whether they wanted to elope or wait until after the baby was born, you would do your best to make sure her dreams came true and that she would have the most beautiful wedding. Whatever she needed, you would be there for her. She hugged you tight before leaving your place, making you promise that you would not tell a soul, not even Marshall. 

MARSHALL’S POV 

Marshall sighed in relief as he drove past the gate of his property. The past few days at the studio had been pretty rough : nothing seemed to be going right and it was starting to get on his nerves. The week had started with an artist postponing a recording and writing session they were supposed to have together, as well as a sample clearing issue. However, there was a bigger problem : whenever he wanted to write, he couldn’t bring himself to. Whenever he jotted down some ideas or words on a page, everything felt insanely corny or simply wrong. He knew that was to be expected, though : whenever his personal life was peaceful, that’s when he found it harder to write and, right now, things happened to be going great at home. Every morning, he woke up with the biggest smile on his face, happy to be with the woman he loved. She was truly amazing and he loved living with her. She was easy to get along with and she took care of him by cooking, baking and providing him with comfort whenever he needed. There was literally nothing for him to complain about and, deep down, maybe it was what was lacking. When they were broken up, he was hurting and felt like shit but at least, it was a familiar feeling. As hard as it had been, he had learned to thrive on sadness, hurt, anger and resentment. Happiness, on the other hand, felt foreign to him, especially when it was this peaceful and domestic. There was always this irrational part of him that felt like it was too good to be true and was in panic mode. When he was with Kim, this kind of calm, peace and happiness only meant a storm was coming and that he was about to be brought to his knees. Same when he was a teenager living with his mother : when things were going great, it always meant drama was coming their way. So, obviously, he had developed trust issues and always felt odd when things were going good. Of course, he loved being with Y/N and he would not have it any other way. But at the same time, he couldn’t shake the feeling of anxiety. 

When he got home, he found Y/N reading yet another bridal magazine on the couch while a documentary was playing on the living room TV. He immediately joined her and pulled her in for a hug. Her presence was just what he needed. However, she seemed a bit more distracted than usual. 

How was wedding planning today ? He asked as he settled and pulled her legs over his knees. 

Eventful, she replied. 

Really ? What happened ? Did you argue about the color of the bridesmaids dresses ? He chuckled. 

No, no, she said. I mean, whatever, it’s not really interesting. 

Are you alright ? He asked. 

Yeah… How was your day ? 

She seemed a little nervous and preoccupied, but he figured that Talia was probably to blame. Jamal’s fiancée was amazing, but she did keep Y/N busy with wedding planning and he knew that she was definitely the type to turn into a bridezilla. He told his girlfriend about his day and a meeting he had about upcoming performance dates. He was set to be a headliner for Lollapalooza, not only in the US but also in Europe and South America. He tried to focus on the positive and keep his writing struggles to himself. 

How would you feel about coming with me for Lollapalooza ? He asked. 

I don’t know, she shrugged. 

Come on, he said with a smile. It could be fun. I don’t want to be away from you for too long. And you could also enjoy the festival, see concerts, and we could travel a bit between the performance dates and make it romantic. What do you think ? 

That could be fun, she agreed. I don’t know if I’ll be free, though. 

I think Talia can do without you for a little while, he chuckled. 

No, I meant… From work, she corrected. In case I find something, you know ? But maybe Talia will need me too. I don’t know. 

We’ll see, he said with a smile. Are you sure you’re ok ? You seem… Gloomy ? 

I’m fine, she shrugged. Sorry. I guess I’m just under the weather. 

You’re working too hard for this wedding, he said as he took the magazine from her hands and pulled her closer to him. Come here. 

She hummed and buried her face in his neck. They cuddled in this position for a while and he started to relax. The warmth of her breath on his skin was doing a good job soothing him and making him forget about the frustrations of the day. From the day she walked into his life, she had been a peaceful presence for him and getting to come home to her in the evening was a blessing he was definitely grateful for. He enjoyed being in a bubble with her and being able to forget about the pressure of his work. They didn’t need to speak, her mere presence in the room and her touch were enough for him to be able to ease up. 

I missed you today, he said as he kissed her temple. 

I missed you too, she replied. 

If you didn’t have that appointment tomorrow, I’d take you to work with me, he continued. I could use your hugs throughout the day. 

What appointment ? She asked, seemingly confused. 

Your OB/GYN appointment for your contraception. Isn’t that tomorrow ?

Oh, right, she said sheepishly. I forgot about that. 

Are you ok, babe ? He asked with his eyebrows furrowed. I mean… If you don’t want to take the pill, it’s fine, we can stick to condoms. 

No, no, it’s not that, she replied. 

What’s wrong, then ? 

Nothing, she said. Sorry. Mind if I go lie down before preparing dinner ? I don’t feel too well. 

No, of course not, he said softly. Do you want me to come with you ? 

Don’t worry, she said. You can stay here. 

She got up and kissed his cheek before heading to their bedroom. Something definitely seemed off. Ever since they got back from Europe, she had been in a rather good mood, even considering the situation with her Dad. Now, she almost seemed depressed and he had no idea why. He decided to let her rest, figuring that she was probably just tired or that her period might be on the way. A couple of hours later, he went to see her and ask if she was hungry. She immediately offered to cook something for him, even though she didn’t plan on eating, but he told her not to bother. Y/N was laying in bed, wearing one of his tee-shirts, doom scrolling on her phone, the preoccupied look still on her face. He kissed her and went to the kitchen for a quick sandwich and a can of diet coke. When he was done, he threw his can in the trash and saw three sticks that looked all too familiar : pregnancy tests. Ever since he got back with Y/N, they’d had protected sex and, on one occasion when the condom broke, she had gotten emergency contraception. There was no way she could be pregnant. So why the hell had she taken these tests ? In a matter of seconds, his heart had started pounding in his chest. He nervously grabbed one of the tests, hoping it was negative. But there were clearly two lines. Positive. So were the two other ones. He felt terrified and dizzy. That had to be a nightmare. He could not have a baby. Not at fifty-two. Not when he had sworn that he would not have any more children. If anything, he was the last person on earth that should have kids. He loved his daughters, obviously, and even though raising them was his biggest accomplishment, it was also the hardest thing he had ever had to do. Seeing the two lines on the pregnancy tests gave him flashbacks of all the sleepless nights he’d had, tossing and turning, doubting himself and being terrified to mess things up. There was no way he would be able to do it all over again. Now that his daughters were grown-up and out of the house, he wanted to take it easy, enjoy life with Y/N and be able to do whatever he wanted. The last thing he expected was to change diapers, get up in the middle of the night and just struggle all over again. He took his face in his hands. He could not do this, and especially not with Y/N. She had not even been sober for two years. He had been there with Kim and he knew what it was like to see the mother of his children relapse and struggle with sobriety. No kid ever deserved this and he was simply not strong enough to raise a kid with another addict. Not again. He tried to pace himself but he couldn’t. He had to talk to her. He did not understand. Why hadn’t she told him she was late ? When did she take the test ? Why didn’t she tell him she was pregnant ? He had so many questions. He grabbed the sticks and walked to the bedroom to confront her.

Please tell me it’s a prank, he said as he walked in. Please tell me it’s not true. Please tell me they’re fake. 

Fake what ? What prank ? She asked as she looked up. There’s no prank. 

So it’s real ?! He blurted out. How long did you think you could hide this from me ?! 

Hide what from you ? She asked as her eyebrows knitted. 

THIS ! He yelled as he threw the pregnancy tests on the bed.

He was livid. His anxiety had simply turned to anger. The idea that she could have the audacity to pretend not to know what he was talking about was driving him crazy. Had she even taken the plan B pill ? He couldn’t think straight anymore. He felt betrayed and trapped. He could see her face change as she saw the pregnancy tests. Her face started to crumble and tears started to roll on her cheeks. But if she thought he would fall for it, she was wrong. No amount of crying would work and she was not getting away with it. 

Don’t even try that shit with me, Y/N, he said coldly. You don’t get to pretend you have no idea when I’m talking about when I just found these fucking pregnancy tests. And you don’t get to cry when you’re the one who tried to hide that shit for me. What were you fucking thinking ?! Were you waiting for the legal delay for an abortion to be over ? For an ultrasound to soften me up ?! 

W-What ? She asked. No, Marshall, it’s not… 

What is it, huh ?! Fuck, we talked about this, we fucking broke up over this, so don’t tell me you didn’t fucking know how I feel about having kids, he continued. I’m not having another kid. Especially not with you. When you get to the doctor tomorrow, you better ask him to point you to the nearest abortion clinic ! 

She stared at him in shock. Her mouth was slightly open, she was still crying but she looked in disbelief. What was she thinking ? That he would jump up at the news ? He shook his head and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. 

It’s Talia, she said. She…

Of course it’s Talia, he scoffed. Of course your stupid friend put you up to this. Do you know the number of times she told me to suck it up and agree to marriage, babies and shit and get you back ? I gotta hand it to her, she’s fucking persistent. Though I must admit I didn’t think she would put you up to this. 

At this point, he wasn’t even thinking about what he was saying, just spitting his words in a spiteful way. As seconds went by, he was getting more and more worked up. He didn’t care about this pregnancy. He did not want to. He simply refused this possibility. There was no way he was having another baby. He loved Y/N but there was no way he would have a kid with her. 

You’re not the first person to try this with me, you know ? He spat. I should have known better. But you’re the last person I would have expected to try and fuck me ovI- 

I’M NOT PREGNANT ! Y/N finally yelled before throwing the tests back in his face. 

You’re not ?! He asked in disbelief. Whose fucking tests are they then ?! 

TALIA’S ! TALIA IS PREGNANT,  YOU ASSHOLE ! NOT ME ! 

He felt a sudden wave of relief wash over him. He didn’t realize he needed to breathe that much, but it felt like he had a whole bottle of oxygen poured into his lungs. He felt at least thirty pounds lighter. Y/N, on the other hand, looked absolutely livid. And why wouldn’t she ? He realized he had basically insulted her, blinded by anger. As his mind got a little clearer, he recognized he might have gone a little overboard. 

Thank God, he sighed. Babe, I…

Cut it, she said as she got up from bed and started to leave the room. 

Wait, he pleaded as he grabbed her arm. 

She jerked her arm and groaned before going to the corridor. He followed her, trying to apologize and get her to talk to him. 

Y/N, I’m sorry, he said sheepishly. 

Please, she scoffed. You’re not sorry. 

I am, he assured her. Nerves got the best of me. I’m really sorry. 

Well, at least I got to know what you really think of me, she said. 

Where are you going ? He asked as she went down the stairs. 

On the couch. I don’t know about you, but I usually don’t sleep in the same room as people who think I am capable of betraying them, she spat. 

I didn’t say that, he defended himself knowing full well he had, indeed, said that. 

You did, Marshall, she said coldly. You literally said I tried to fuck you over. And not only do you think I am a terrible person, you also insulted my best friend. 

You’re not sleeping in the living room, it’s stupid, he said. 

Well I would have appreciated waiting until tomorrow to gather my things and figure out my next move, she pointed out. 

Your next… Y-You want to… leave ?! 

She did not answer. She only shrugged. Her demeanor and gaze were cold. She was clearly pissed, understandably so. But… Leaving ? She couldn’t leave him. He couldn’t lose her. He had promised to himself he would do everything in his power not to. The idea of her leaving put him in a state of panic and brought him back to their breakup, to that fateful Saturday morning, over pancakes, about seven or eight months ago. 

You can’t leave. 

Why should I stay ?! She spat. Why should I stay with someone who thinks I am capable of betraying them ? 

I didn’t mean that, he pleaded. I panicked, I’m sorry. Babe, I love you. I know you’d never… Fuck, I… Don’t leave me. Please. 

Let’s be clear, she said as she looked at him dead in the eyes. The only reason I’m still standing here is because my best friend is telling her future husband that they’re having a child and there is no way in hell I’m ruining that moment for her. Otherwise, I’d be over there and back in my old room already. 

Don’t do this, he said on the verge of tears. Please don’t leave me. I just… You seemed a little off, today, and you said it had been eventful, and when I saw the tests, I… I don’t know, I panicked. 

The reason I was off is because my best friend just told me she was pregnant, you dumbass ! She yelled. I was off because I had to stand in my own bathroom and hold these fucking pregnancy tests and see that they were positive and they’re not mine ! 

She was starting to cry again. She mumbled something in French and went to the living room, as he followed in her step. She sat on the couch and brought her knees to her chin. He stood there, watching her. 

Just leave, she said. 

No, he replied. I want to talk about it. I want to make things right between us. I’m so sorry… 

You want to talk ? Let’s talk then, she said sarcastically. You said you’re not having another kid, especially not with me. What was that ? 

I just don’t want more kids, he said evasively. I’m in my fifties, I’ve had three daughters, I don’t want more. 

I know that, she said as she rolled her eyes. And I respect that. But answer the damn question, Marshall. What did you mean about me ?! 

It doesn’t matter, he pleaded. It really doesn’t. You don’t want a kid, do you ?! 

Believe me, the last thing on my wish list is to have a baby, especially with you, she replied. 

Then it doesn’t matter, he simply said. I was out of line, I shouldn’t have accused you and I’m sorry. Let’s go to bed, I’ll make it up to you. 

Just say it, she said firmly. If you don’t, I swear to God, I’m packing a suitcase, calling a cab and booking a hotel room. 

I meant addicts like us don’t get to make that kind of mistakes, Y/N, he sighed. Addicts are shitty parents. I should know. 

Wow, she simply scoffed. 

She was staring at him with a look of both pain and disdain. He had obviously struck a chord. She closed her eyes and sighed. 

Why do you even bother with me ? She questioned. Why did you take me back ? 

What do you mean ? He asked nervously. I love you, I want to be with you. 

Why would you want to be with someone who you obviously think is not good enough ?! That’s just stupid, she pointed out. Why bother ? 

What ?! No, Y/N, I don’t… Of course you’re good enough. 

You know, I’m fine with your choices, she said with a hint of sadness. I respect that you’re done with marriage, and that you’re done with having kids. But you thinking I shouldn’t get to have children ? That fucking hurts. 

I’m sorry… 

STOP ! She screamed. You’re not sorry. I was ready to renounce having kids. Because I love you more than any unborn child. But do you even realize how much it hurts to know that if I had actually gotten accidentally pregnant, the person I sacrificed everything to be with would not support me ?! 

He felt his heart strain a little. Seeing the pain on her face made him feel like the worst asshole in the world. To be fair, if she had actually been pregnant, he would have supported her. Sure, he thought abortion would be a better option, but he would never force her. If they had been in that situation - and thank God they weren’t -  he would have stood by her side and supported her to the best of his abilities. He had simply been mean and stupid. Once again, anger had gotten the best of him. 

I would have been there, he said. Of course I would have been. I love you, Y/N. 

But you think I would be a shitty mom, she pointed out. 

I’ve seen addiction ruin families, he explained. It certainly ruined mine, in more ways than one. 

You still think of me as an addict, don’t you ? She asked on the verge of tears. No matter how long I can stay sober, you think I can’t be trusted ever again ? 

I-I don’t know, he replied honestly. In my book, an addict is an addict. I still think of myself as an addict. It doesn’t mean people can’t improve or recover but… It’s tricky. But I love you. I love you more than life itself, baby. 

She looked at him and simply shrugged. No matter what he said, he got the feeling that it would not matter much. He hated that angry side of himself. It wasn’t the first time that his anger got the best of him and ruined everything. He had been to therapy for his anger for years but, right when he thought he had made progress, it had to come and bite him in the ass once again. 

Please talk to me, he begged. Please say something. 

I have my appointment tomorrow morning, she simply said. I’ll pack my things when I get back. I will be out of here by the time you get back from work tomorrow.

[unicorncornflakes]

Dark Desire - Modern AU! | Chapter 4

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Paring: Aemond Targaryen x Niece!Reader

Summary: Aemond doesn't know how he feels every time he sees you. Neither do you when you look at him. Your father Aegon has always been absent from your upbringing ever since he divorced your mother. That role has been filled by Aemond until last summer, when everything changed.

Tags: Alternate Universe – Modern/ Setting Emotional Hurt/ Comfort/ Drama & Romance/ Eventual Smut.

Warnings: This fic includes manipulation, violence, death, and inc3st, at some points. Reader has purple eyes and her mother is from Dayne House, the rest is complete free :D

Tag-List (If you wanna be tagged in thi series or all of my work, let me know): @thedamewithabook @afro-hispwriter @chainsawsangel @thetrueblackheart @atherverybest @itsabby15 @boundlessfantasy @partypoison00 @glame @tempo-rary-fix @tssf-imagines @aaaaaamond @imaloserbby @youngcomputerpuppy @aemondsfavouritebastard @cloudroomblog @queenofshinigamis @bluevxnus @wooya1224 @serving-targaryen-realness @darkenchantress @padfooteyes @mariannnavao @moonlightfoxx @jennifer0305 @ammo23 @iloveallmyboys

Author´s note: Pls, enjoy! Feedback, shares and comments are always welcome!

Word Count: 5.3K

When Aegon got up, his head ached. Then he thought he could use another drink, but it was twelve noon. He should control himself. Yes, you were there and what he would normally do he couldn't do. It also crossed his mind that this behavior was due to the guilt of the first days of summer that you spent there. The charge of conscience for not having been there for you. But, he told himself that he would get over it, like he always did. Although that time was different. It was your last summer there. For thirteen years, Aegon had told himself that it was okay, that he could reconnect with you the following summer. But… that was his last chance. Did he care enough to do it about you? He really cared about you. The problem was as always... the way he was. He stretched and yawned. He got ready a little in the bathroom and left his room. He promised himself that this summer would be different, as he promised every year... He shook his head. No, this summer would be different. Yes, it was going to be.

He went down to the kitchen looking for someone, but the cook told him that you had all gone shopping. Your father remembered and hurried off heading to your room. Good. If you weren't there, he would carry out part of his plan. He entered your room as if he felt that he was invading your privacy. Really, he was doing it. He remembered how terrible it was for him at your age that someone entered into his room. But, of course, he had always hidden marijuana in an old metal container gnawed by rust. He smiled to himself remembering how much fun his younger days had been. He had been funny until Aemond had screwed everything up. Mr. Perfect had found the weed and told their parents about it…and that even Aegon had offered him. As always, his little brother had to be proper and stoic, making Aegon look even more of a jerk than he already felt. He shook his head, refocusing on why he was there.

He saw that you had already left most of your things out of the suitcase, all placed and in perfect order. In that, you resembled Aemond, always with everything so in its place. But he smiled when he saw how you had left the suitcase open and unplaced behind the door. You had something of him. Surely it had not given you time and you had wanted to eliminate the evidence of the crime without much success. He checked that you had left your computer on. As your wallpaper, you had a photo of you with a couple of other girls at the beach in Starfall. Good. At least you had friends. You always looked so lonely when you were in King's Landing that he almost thought you always were. But, he was relieved to see that no. He kept looking through your things for his objective.

He opened the closet and found all the clothes that brought his mother to his head and smiled. In that he was glad that you had gone out to your mother. That was how he had fallen for her, so wild and determined…wait. He wanted you to end up with someone like himself? He stood still for a moment. Thinking. No, he definitely didn't want you to end up with someone like him… that being a father was bullshit. It was the only thing Aegon could think. How could his ex-wife spend the whole day of the year so worried about you, just like he was at that moment? But, what the hell…? He shook his head. He was the cool dad of the situation. He was only up for the good… if he ever was… he hated himself again, but he kept going through your things. He found it finally. In a corner of the closet. The fucking bandolier Aemond had given you three years ago. It was tattered, from wear and tear apart of your father's family heraldry. But, you still had it. You must appreciate it. Was what he told himself while he took it in his hands.

At that moment, he realized that this entire mission could have been solved simply by sending a message to Aemond, asking him where he had bought the damn bandolier. He wouldn't even have had to talk to him. But, it would have been acknowledging his failure as a father in front of his brother, and he'd rather die than give that asshole Aemond that satisfaction. He'd buy another sling just like it, have the Dayne of Starfall house crest put on it, and his daughter would be the happiest in the world at her family's next birthday party, which shouldn't be long. He opened the shoulder bag and saw that you had it packed with things. You were wearing a small cosmetic bag with a red lipstick that must have been very expensive. Aegon understood little of such things, but some of the girls he had been with wore it from that same brand. Then he realized that you must have liked animals because the keys you carried included two key rings: one of a dog very similar to Sunfire and another of an angry cat that resembled Vhagar. A couple of tickets from that same year to exhibitions on Ancient Valyria, a small sketchbook… Where the hell was the label?

He inspected the pockets and then found that in one of the pockets was a blister pack of birth control pills. OK. Good. Well... he scratched his head as if he had inquired too much... then, you had already... well, it was normal. At your age, he had already had three girlfriends and with all of them he had… well. Okay… you weren't a little girl. End of matter. He put them back and was relieved to find the label of the store where it had been purchased. He took a photo of it with his phone. He wasn't the least bit surprised by the store. It was where Aemond had bought all his teenage clothes. He rolled his eyes in boredom at his brother's always routine behavior and just as he put down his backpack, someone's business card fell out of another pocket. He took it and wasn't going to read it, but his eyes flicked to the heraldry on it. It was one of Cregan's business cards… He frowned. Why did you have one of his cards? But his surprise increased when he saw that right behind it, there was a phone number written. He left it in the same pocket from which it had fallen. He stood in front of the closet door once he closed it. Should he talk to you? Perhaps he was overthinking everything. Aegon left the room full of questions, and then he did go to make himself a drink. Why was being a father so difficult?

You had spent most of the day at the mall. You were very tired when you got home, but you didn't let your guard down for that. Aemond had been around in silence all day since you'd made him jealous with that dress. He had only growled at the maître of the restaurant where you had eaten and at the waitress who had taken your order. You liked how he looked at you at that moment. He was challenging you to continue. He was giving you a silent warning of how bad things could get between you if you didn't give in to his will. But you weren't going to give in. You liked to see him like this. He turned you on to tease him, and you knew he liked him too... you were a new challenge. Aemond was no longer used to losing. He had lost too much during his childhood and youth for him to continue to do so now. He parked the car right at the garden entrance of that mansion and got out of the car in a rude way. You saw that he was going to open the door for you and once he did, you looked at him provocatively with that innocent white dress that at the same time showed too much. "That asshole wouldn't know how to enjoy you in that dress" it was all he whispered in your ear. You loved making him so jealous that you just smiled at him with a mischievous look. Your eyes went to the poorly concealed bulge in his pants.

"It must be painful to be... horny all day..." you whispered to him smiling and he only sneered, an arrogant smile, but it hid a lust that only you two could understand "I'll tell you... if he enjoys it... or No" you said laughing. But then, just when the tension was building, your grandmother opened the car door, waking up you two from the fantasy you were in. You needed to be alone with him. You told yourself that was what you needed. If you were to be alone, you knew that your 'uncle' couldn't resist anymore.

Aemond separated from you with a smirk and went to open the trunk to get the bags of what you had bought. Your grandmother smiled as she walked towards you. “I love to see that you get along again. Nothing a day of shopping won't fix” your grandmother said sweetly as she took your arm as you walked towards the mansion. She started talking about the things you could do the next day. All things that only seemed to excite a woman of her age, but just before you spoke sweetly; you gave Aemond a sidelong glance that he could only answer by following you with his eyes fixed on you, while he undressed you in silence oblivious to everything. All his attention on you.

Aemond never went down to the pool. He never did. Being in a swimsuit no longer seemed to him to be the lifestyle he wanted to achieve, but at that moment, seeing how you swam, he didn't mind smoking and sitting in the shade. He told himself that this was what he wanted. Have you like this Always with him. He couldn't touch you, but he could handle you. You would not belong to anyone so that you could be his. You smiled at him all wet in the pool, sitting on the edge with that bikini that looked so good on you. He smiled again after blowing the cigarette smoke out of him. He was sitting at a table in front of the pool. His ashtray and his cigarette case there with him. He leaned back in his chair, his trunks not hiding the fact that he was hard and willing. With his shirt completely unbuttoned and savoring his cigarette as if it were you. Neither of you spoke but you said everything with your eyes. Aemond didn't know who he was playing with, but you didn't know who you were playing with either.

He kept looking at you as you went back into the water. Right now, it seemed to Aemond was a bloody winner again. You got out of the pool and approached him, completely wet and tremendously suggestive. The one-eyed man smiled when he saw you approach him. You sat in front of him in that black bikini and he took another drag without taking his eye off you. ‘How glad I am that you got along again!’ Alicent had exclaimed. He had no idea how well you two got along and Aemond smirked again.

"Aren't you still swimming? I find it very… entertaining” he said lustful and you smiled at him fixing your most suggestive gaze on his.

"Maybe, if you got into the water with me" you whispered to him before sucking on the straw of your cold tea. You preferred that summer. It was much better than before. You were still alone, as alone as ever. But at least Aemond was paying attention to you.

"Hmm" was all he replied, leaning back even more in his chair "I don't swim anymore, (Y/N)."

"A shame. It would help you with the swelling” you laughed coquettishly while your eyes went back to the bulge that was now pressed against the fabric of the swimsuit. At that moment, Aemond imagined that you knelt in front of him to help him, while he remained impassive, smoking and with the other hand grabbing your hair and setting the rhythm. He would return the favor. He always did… He shook his head. There were too many witnesses there... and besides, he knew it wasn't right. He focused again. He could play. Playing was fine, but he couldn't have you, not how he was interested.

"I don't think you knew what to do with a swelling like that" he provoked you arrogantly, trying to mock you down and you laughed beautifully and suggestively. He liked seeing you like this. He loved it, it drove him fucking crazy. By the seven, what was to become of him?

"Well, if you say so" you narrowed your eyes flirtatiously and gave him his pride again "My ex said that... I was pretty good at producing swelling... and helping them go down..." you winked at him, and all his smile disappeared again from her lips.

"What ex?" he blew out the smoke quickly and looked into your eyes, as if he wanted to know what the hell was going on, as if he really owned you. Playing with the fact of Cregan was one thing, affirming that you had already had a boyfriend was another... the prospect was getting on his nerves. It couldn't be…fuck, no…if someone had to fuck you it was him…and he couldn't, then logically…the fact that you had already been with someone bothered him…Where did that leave your standards as a Targaryen? Didn't you think of your… superior origin when you went to bed with someone? He didn't know who the hell that ex was, but he had a pretty good idea why he wouldn't like him.

"My ex in Starfall" you replied, shrugging as if you were an innocent child. You looked at him and you could see how he frowned again and kept silent. He saw him light another cigarette, although he did it in a bad way, without even looking at you. It seemed as if every single thing you said about your love and sex life bothered him…at the same time that it turned him on in equal measure.

"Then you…?" he asked you without looking at you, you saw how he clenched his jaw... definitely, you weren't a girl anymore. You weren't, and all the desire he'd had to covet you just for himself was fading from his mind. How many times had he not spent the last year wishing he was the first and only? He felt like an asshole again for ignoring you last summer. Now he would be the one who would have you all to himself if he hadn't ignored you.

"Yes, of course" you answered, not knowing what to think from what you could see from his tense appearance. You could see how he was trying to digest it in silence. You would have given it all to him, but not after last summer. Not the way he had treated you. Had you forgotten him during your time in Starfall? No, definitely not, but you had tried unsuccessfully to continue your life there. "His name is Bryden Rivers" you told him, wanting to continue playing with him, but Aemond only looked at you with contempt, as if something inside his heart had broken for not having you just like that.

“On top of that, he's a fucking bastard” he sighed disappointed, as if he was starting to lose his cool “Where the hell does that leave you? Were you not thinking before getting into bed with him? You're a Targaryen, damn…” he told you, truly angry, as if he had never expected that from you. He was really obsessed now that he had not been the first. He had imagined it so many times that now that his fantasy was not going to come true he didn't know what to do or think. He took another quick drag on his cigarette, actually seemed unfazed, though Aemond felt his heart racing at those confessions. You attacked him, really mad at him.

"AND? you fuck Alys, which is exactly the same” you told him nervously, completely losing your temper and he just attacked you again.

"It's not the same, damn it" he told you, looking at you with that look that could kill you on the spot, only to turn it back in front of  really disappointed with you.

"Oh no, of course not. Alys is a saint. She's just a bitch, and now you don't want me to do whatever I want with whoever I want” you said, whispering under your breath, not wanting anyone to find out what was going on between you.

“Alys can be as slutty as she wants. She's not a Targaryen like you ”he blurted out reluctantly, as if he had expected more from you just because you belonged to his family, as if you belonged to someone better just because of that blessed family name.

“You are a Targaryen and you fuck the same. Besides, I'm a bloody Dayne!” you answered him again, visibly angry. It was clear that you were going to continue arguing. You held a grudge against him for the last summer you spent alone.

“I'm a man; I can do whatever I want. The problem is you” he said through his teeth and you stared at him in amazement. You didn't even know how to respond to that. "A girl like you... she can't do whatever she wants" he blurted out to end up remaining silent. How could I tell you that? What was happening to him? He knew what was wrong with him; he was jealous, jealous of not being first, jealous of stupid Cregan, asshole Bryden and all the others you hadn't mentioned. His jealousy was leading him to a blind alley from which he did not know how to get out. The Targaryens had slept with each other for centuries, in the past. Not in the present. It had been at least 500 years since he'd stopped doing it, and he couldn't help but feel like a monster for such a desire for his blood.

You remained silent after the entire maelstrom that you had felt for each other. The problem had only been caused by Aemond, separating from you, and now he was demanding something he had denied himself until only a couple of hours ago. He took another drag in silence. He wasn't about to apologize for what he'd said, even though he knew it was wrong. He never apologized.

"What do you want from me, Aemond?" you asked, breaking the silence that existed between the two. Aemond sighed and spoke, though it was clear he still didn't know what he wanted. What he wanted made him feel like a monster actually...

“I can… I can take you out to dinner, and buy you lingerie, watch you dress it on. We could walk together and go to the movies... you could put on that black dress just for me, end up touching you while I look at you..." he said desperately "Just be mine, without me touching you... that way we'd be fine..." he said, he ended up looking at you when he finished talking, as if he had found the solution to what was happening to you, as if the great Aemond Targaryen had solved world hunger and had achieved world peace "No kisses, no sex... but, we would be together, like... you only mine... without any asshole touching you.” Yeah, that was the right thing to do. He would protect you from others, he would take care of you, you would be his, and he would not feel like a monster… you would be his, even though he couldn't have you the way he really wanted you.

"And would you fuck Alys while you're thinking of me?" you sighed, looking away, disappointed by his proposition. You didn't like what you heard, you wanted more. No, you needed more. Aemond looked the other way again, giving you the silent answer, as if that had already happened more than once.

"I can do whatever I want. I am a Targaryen” he replied, taking another puff again. He had given you a solution, what more did you want? He would keep it a secret. He knew that he could make you happy that way, but he also knew that he was being selfish. However, he needed you, in any way, his property. You had him fucking crazy.

You run away from there. It wasn't what you expected from him. He was being a complete asshole, and Aemond fell silent as he stared at the pool. Now, without you. He felt like a real failure.

“And this is Lya, (Y/N)” Daeron told you, introducing you to his new girlfriend. The girl, who you noticed that she was from the north, approached you and gave you two kisses while she introduced herself. She was younger than your uncle, by at least ten years, but she seemed nice and charm, with her brown hair and sincere but gentle eyes. It was quite clear that she, too, felt out of place in this house.

"And how long have you been together?" you asked, sitting in Aemond's chair in the garden. After you had argued in the pool you hadn't seen him again all day. And, you thought maybe it was better that way. The girl sat next to Daeron in the same chair, she smiled amused before speaking to you.

"Five months" she told you sincerely and you avoided twisting her face. Brilliant. She had only been with your uncle for five months and was in the family photo… you had been there all your life and they hadn't even notifyed you… You hated Aemond, with all your might, just like your father.

"Great, I wish you much happiness" you said, faking a smile, upset by what you had just learned, and your uncle Daeron snorted.

“It was just the same as Aemond said. You shouldn't spend so much time together” he told you with a smirk and Lya jumped on the seat amused. She seemed like a good person, even if you knew Aemond didn't like her. Your father just came by the door and sat next to you after ruffling your hair. You greeted him with a smile. The truth is that you were also dying for him to pay attention to you. You couldn't hate him.

“(Y/N), I go out with my friends every Friday night, in case you ever wanted to come over,” Lya offered sincerely, almost as if she wanted to be your friend. Just when you were going to speak, your father spoke for you, as if he cared what happened to you those summers.

“Oh, that would be fantastic. So you would leave the house, (Y / N), you would go with his group to have a good time” he told you with a smile, and you looked at him confused. You would never have expected that from your father. The truth is that Aegon was worried that you would spend all your day within those four walls during the whole summer, with Aemond as your only company. He was scared that you were around adults, and not people your age… For once he had a real concern. He had jumped him when he saw Cregan's business card in your shoulder bag, but he didn't dare say anything to you. He would just try to handle it differently.

"Yeah, sure, thanks" you answered with a sincere smile and looked at your father who smiled back.

“You have to come next Friday. We are going to the club that Joffrey Velaryon has opened, to the inauguration” Lya said excitedly and you laughed at her enthusiasm, while Daeron massaged her hips. At that moment, Aemond appeared there too and without saying a word to anyone and just a glass of wine in his hand, he sat next to you, in a very similar way to the one Daeron had with his girlfriend. But, nobody said anything. It was normal to always see you together. However, your heart was going a thousand an hour. Aemond leaned back in his seat while you stayed close to him. You almost looked like…his girl.

“But that asshole is still opening clubs?” Aemond asked with a sneer, fixing his single eye on Lya. A dark presence that seemed to hover over her with Aemond wearing his patch again, that patch that didn't cover the entire scar but that he always put on if there was a visitor or he was leaving the house. "I thought, after the cocaine bust last, He had never had the idea of opening any of his clubs again,” he said, arrogant, conceited and powerful. Daeron swallowed, as if he knew the truth about that raid and that drug that had turned up at his place. Joffrey had sworn that he didn't know where he had come from, while Aemond had been in good spirits for the next week, almost until the trial. Everything in King's Landing passed through the hands of Aemond Targaryen, absolutely everything. And you could feel the strength and power that emanated from Aemond... you felt powerful and excited in his presence, even though no one could see it, you became even more suggestive in the chair with him. You could say what you wanted, like the snatch you'd had at the pool, but you needed him, you coveted him. And he smirked as he watched you sat next to him. You were completely his. Even if he wasn't going to touch a single hair of you, he knew that he possessed you just the same.

You approached Aemond after dinner. Your father had gone with Daeron and his girlfriend for a drink, and you knew he wouldn't be back until late. Your grandmother had gone to bed early as always, so that left you and Aemond completely alone. You needed him You had realized it. You didn't care how I wanted to have you. You needed it, whatever it was. If he loved you that way, you would wait. You didn't care about anything. You had realized that you needed him. You needed him. You needed him. Your head repeated it over and over again as you approached his room. If he didn't want to touch you, then he shouldn't, but you needed him to want you. He didn't care how. You were desperate for him. You entered his room quietly. Dressed in those shorts that you knew drove him crazy. You found him reading, eyepatch removed. He looked at you with a cold face, leaving his book slowly on the table, while he got up to face you. He was still dressed in those pants and that shirt that pressed against him because of his slender body. He smugly put his hands in his pockets, while you looked at him like a girl just in love. You didn't care about anything. You just wanted to be with him. It didn't matter how. He moved closer to you and sighed, as if he knew in his arrogance that you had already bowed to him. Once in front of you, you grabbed onto his shirt, pressing your body against his and the only thing he offered you was a kiss on the forehead, as if that were the greatest example of affection he could give you. You felt your legs shake as if he had kissed you on the lips just as he finished. There was silence between the two of them, as if you had kneeled before him.

"Touch yourself for me" was all he whispered to you as he pulled away and sat in an armchair strategically placed in front of his bed. You smiled at him. That was the most you could hope for. You saw him smirk with triumph as you slipped out of your t-shirt sitting on the edge of his bed, arching your back for him. Your breasts aroused at the sight of him. Aemond was everything to you. He just remained stoic as he crossed his legs in front of you, ready to enjoy the show. You were going to give it to him, you would give it all to him even if he wasn't going to give you much more... but, right at that moment, his cell phone vibrated. His damn cell phone on his nightstand vibrated and he got up to pick it up. “Fuck…” he sighed as he got up and just at that moment, you could see that it was a message from Alys. That left you cold, as if it were a blow with reality again. Aemond took his mobile and put on that arrogant smile that he always put on, answering Alys. In that moment, all the desire you had for him vanished. You couldn't even have him like that? Without him touching you? Alys always seemed to be there and he put the phone in her pocket while he sat across from you. "Go on, niece," he said in command, completely excited at the use of that word. You put on the t-shirt you had taken off again in that docile way for him. And he looked at you raising an eyebrow.

"I... I... need more, Aemond" you told him getting up from the bed, while he quickly got up from the chair. You were back to reality. Either you had it all, or you wanted nothing.

"We can be happy like this" he whispered to you, almost mad that you had stopped. "Tomorrow... tomorrow we can go get lingerie for our game... and have dinner..." he told you desperate because you would have stopped. "Yes... if we don't touch each other, no... we won't be monsters... I won't feel like a monster" he told you between his teeth. In the end it all came down to him not succumbing to the worst of his dark desires.

"I need more" you told him just before leaving the room again. You needed something else. You waited for him to show up in your room that night, for him to tell you that he didn't care what other people thought, but he didn't show up. You had almost lost your mind that he wasn't there with you. You cried bitterly. You needed it, dammit. You needed him, and he didn't want to give you what you both wanted for fear of being found out or what they would say... At that time, it was fine, okay. He had Alys, and it drove you crazy. You were going to hit him back. It was the only game you knew how to play. You went to the bandolier, which seemed to have been stirred up that day, but you didn't care. You searched through the pockets until you found it. You saw that it was one in the morning. He wasn't going to be awake at that hour, but he didn't care. You added his phone number to the contact list. You just sent a short message. You wanted to see again how far you could go with the men, how far your power would reach. ‘Hello :)’ It was all you typed and, after a few mere seconds, he answered you.

‘Hello, I thought you weren’t going to write to me :)’ Cregan replied. The game had begun, and you were going to show Aemond that you too were a dragon.