#next chapter is actually coming along pretty well and Oh Boy. is it fun

[cinnaminstar]

This was supposed to be a sketch but uh. I got a little carried away.

Anyways I have brain rot for my own AU so more villain Sif upon thee

[javierpena-inatacvest]

Chapter 8.5: 007- Peña, Agent Peña

Summary: After Javi's surprise on the Peña ranch, you had already had the best night of your life. Little did you know, your night was just beginning.

Word Count: 4.9K (This is as short as it's ever gonna get, this is just who I am)

Warnings: SMUT (18+), unprotected p in v sex (wrap it up), creampie, praise (oh boy, does Javi tell you what a good job you're doing), semi-public nudity?? (not really, but you'll see!!), mentions of eating/food, mentions of alcohol, mentions of loss of a parent, you and Javi being absolute goofballs and being lovesick idiots

A/N: SO. I finished Chapter 8 and went to go walk my dog, and the song "Would That I" by Hozier came on, and it 100% is the inspiration behind this mini chapter. I literally came up with the idea for this chapter and wrote it in less than 24 hours because Javi and Osita live in my head rent free at all times being the cutest two idiots to ever exist. Enjoy this fun lil bit, it's honestly probably my favorite thing that I've written for this series so far!!!

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“I’m not sure if cold, post sex and first I love you’s is the way that your dad intended us to eat these enchiladas, but holy shit are they delicious.” You and Javi laughed, finishing the last bites of the enchiladas verdes Chucho had packed for the both of you. It probably would have made more sense to eat dinner almost an hour ago when Javi had first taken you out to watch the sunset in the back of his truck, but, no offense to Chucho’s enchiladas, having the most romantic sex of your life followed by Javi telling you that he loved you for the first time seemed to take higher priority to you. 

“These ones are actually pretty good, I will give him that. Thank God he’s finally starting to get better at cooking, a few months ago his food was practically inedible.” Javi shook his head, wiping his face with the back of his hand as gathered both of your cleared paper plates and forks, tossing them into the empty paper bag Chucho had sent them with. 

“Actually? I didn’t know he had come such a long way in his cooking career in such a short time.” You snickered, pulling some of the blankets laying at the edge of the truck bed over you as you scooted yourself closer to Javi, laying your head against his chest as you snuggled next to him. Pulling you closer, Javi wrapped his arm around you, fingers tracing gentle circles along the back of his sweatshirt you were now wearing. 

“Actually. He never cooked until my mom died. One day he called me while I was still in Colombia and told me he had found one of my mom’s recipe books and was gonna teach himself how to cook. When I came home, he insisted on making me dinner every night so he could show off whatever he was learning. I ate a lot of sandwiches after he fell asleep the first few months I was home.” 

“Well despite the terrible food you had to eat, that’s actually really sweet. Glad I came around when I did so I only have to reap the benefits of his good cooking and not suffer along with you.” You giggled as he squeezed you before giving you a playful shake wrapped in his arms. “Can you cook at all, or is this a warning that you’re gonna subject me to your awful cooking too?” 

“I can cook enough. Not a good cook by any means, but definitely not my Pops a few months ago. Can do more than Kraft Mac and Cheese, I’ll tell you that much.” He smirked, poking fun at the first meal you had made. You sat up, giving him the biggest stink face you could muster without bursting into laughter.

“Okay, first of all, rude. Second of all, don’t act like you wouldn’t have eaten an entire second pot if I hadn’t made one for you, Mr. Literally Will Literally Eat Anything Under The Sun In World Record Time.” 

“If I seem to remember correctly, you weren’t doing a lot of complaining after I ate, Osita.” He winked at you as you nudged your elbow into his side before he grabbed you, rolling you over and playfully wrestling you into the pile of pillows and blankets beneath you. “C’mere, Hermosa.” He wrapped his arms around you as you giggled and squirmed beneath him, trying to wiggle your way out of his grasp. You kicked your feet as he kissed at your neck, his mustache ticking you with each peck of his lips. Using all your might, you were able to roll over on top of him, straddling his lap as he lay on his back, breaking free of his grasp.

“Can’t get me that easy, Peña. Wrestling was the only way I got anything from my brothers for the first ten years of my life.” You smirked as you leaned down to kiss him as his fingertips gripped into your hips, pulling you further on to his lap. 

“Could think of worse ways to lose a wrestling match.” Javi’s face smug as he gestured to how you were sitting on top of him, letting out a quiet groan as you started to grind into his lap, feeling him already half hard beneath you. “Careful, Hermosa. Not gonna be so nice if you’re gonna try to play dirty.” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for you to make the next move. 

Still bent over him, you kissed up his neck and jaw before nipping at his ear. “Last time I checked, you liked it when I played dirty.” Your whispers left jaw slack, pressing up into you, his dick already straining against the fabric of his sweatpants. 

“Fuck me.” He murmured under his breath as you began to grind harder into his crotch. “You wanna play dirty, baby? I can play fuckin’ dirty.” You could see the lust filled in the dark pool of his eyes, biting down on your lip, already feeling the slick pooling between your legs with each sway of your hips. “You already wet for me, baby?” 

This man read you like a book- like he had every fucking page memorized. “Mmmhhhmm.” You nodded, feeling how soaked the fabric of your sweatpants already was as you felt your clit rub deliciously against Javi’s dick, hard and heavy underneath you. 

“I know you are, dirty girl. Want me to touch you baby? Want me to make you come before I fuck that perfect pussy again?” You nodded again, frantically shaking your head yes at his filthy words as you worked yourself against his length. He laughed to himself, shaking his head as he watched how blissed out you already were rubbing against him. “Too bad.” 

You paused, shooting him a confused look. “What do you mean, too bad?” 

“You know exactly what I mean. You wanna play dirty, I will too. You wanna come? You get yourself off like this.” He gave you a subtle nod of his head, gesturing to how you were sitting on top of his lap. 

“Are you serious? Javi, c’mon, please.” You rolled your eyes at him as you crossed your arms over your chest, trying to play off how desperate you already were for him. 

“Rules are rules baby. Fight dirty, play dirty. C’mon pretty girl, I know how needy you are, how wet that pretty pussy is for me.” He mewled as he toyed with the waistband of your sweatpants, fingers brushing against your skin. He dug his fingers into your hips, slowly pushing them back and forth against his lap, encouraging you to pick back up your pace brushing up against his dick with every motion. “There you go, hermosa. That’s my girl. Just like that, baby.” He praised as you found yourself rubbing harder and harder against him, slick coating your thighs. With his length, it wasn’t hard to feel how big he was, making it easy to find a sweet spot that brushed up against your sensitive bundle of nerves as you rocked your hips back  and forth over him. 

“Javiiiii, fuck.” You whined, feeling the heat build at the base of your spine as your clit rubbed harder and harder on his covered cock. 

“That’s it, Osita. Doing so good for me, baby. God, you look so fucking pretty riding me like that, C’mon, I know you’re close sweetheart.” His praise had you climbing towards your high, each time you ground your hips into him had you closer and closer to coming undone. His name fell from your lips, moaning as he was gripping your hips again pushing you deeper into him. 

“Javi, I’m so close. Fuck, fuck fuckkkkkk.” You whimpered as you felt the euphoria rush through you, gushing, feeling your pussy throb from the intensity of your orgasm. You slumped into him, face falling on to his chest as you caught your breath. 

“Such a good girl, Osita. My good fucking girl. Did so good for me baby.” He whispered in your ear as hand his hands along your body, trembling at his touch. “Still want me to fuck you, dirty girl?” 

“Yes, holy shit, yes.” You moaned. “Please, I need you so bad Javi.” He helped you pull your sweatpants down, kicking them off your feet as you straddled back over Javi, sitting on top of his thighs. Slipping your fingers under his waistband, you pushed the pants down, revealing his dick, already red, precum leaking from its tip, leaving a stain on his sweatpants. You lifted yourself up, slowly sinking down on his length, each inch splitting you open with the sweetest stretch. Even without his fingers to warm you up, you were so wet that you took him easily, feeling yourself bottom out on his cock as Javi let out an audible groan. His hands reached around, giving you a light smack on your ass before his fingers kneaded into your flesh. You began to raise yourself up and down along his length, swirling your hips as your hands tugged at the hem of his sweatshirt that you were wearing, ready to take it off. His hand grabbed your wrist, stopping you before you could get any further. 

“Keep it on. Fuck, I love seeing you in my clothes.” He bit down on his lip as you nodded, rubbing your hands up and down his chest as you threw your head back, drunk on the way his dick felt hitting against that sweet spot inside you. The hair around his base rubbed against your clit, making you whine as you picked up your pace. “Jesus Hermosa, fuck me. Taking me so well. My sweet girl.” His voice was thick and raspy between his heavy breaths, his eyes glued on your every move as you rode him. 

Suddenly, you felt him shift. Sitting up with his back pushed up against the truck, he wrapped his arms around you pulling you in so you were chest to chest, foreheads pressed against each other. You could feel him thrust up into you, his cock punching that magical spot that made the heat at the base of your spine creep up your back. “Javi, fuck baby, you feel so good. Fuckkk.” You tugged at his thick curls, burying your face in the crook of his neck, the scent of his sweet and spicy cologne clinging to his sweatshirt. 

“I know, hermosa, I know. Fuck, you’re so wet and tight, baby. Gonna give me one more? Soak my dick before I fuck you full of me again?” You wrapped your legs around his waist, digging your fingers into his back as you felt yourself snap, screaming his name as pleasure ran through every inch of you. You could feel how tight you were clenching around his cock as you came, his thrusts pounding deeper and faster into you. It didn’t take long for him to meet his own end, only needing a few more pumps before you felt his seed spill into you, leaking down your thighs and into his lap as you slumped into each other. 

“Fuck, Osita.” He whispered between his labored breathing, lifting his head off your shoulder, smiling at your blissed out face. “Jesus, I fucking love you.” 

“I love you too, Jav. Super romantic with your dick still in me and your cum dripping down my legs.” You giggled, still sitting in his lap. 

“It’s fucking hot, is what it is. Fuck me, you’re so sexy. What the fuck did I ever do to deserve such a beautiful woman who fucking loves me like you?” 

“God, you’re so sweet. Get your dick out of me before I start crying again, you menace.” You both laughed as you shifted off of him, grimacing at the mess you had left behind in Javi’s lap. “Do you have any towels, or leftover napkins? Sorry, I made a fucking mess. So much for those showers before we left.” 

Javi paused for a moment before a sly grin crept across his face. “Ostia, can you swim?

You raised an eyebrow at him, very confused by his question, considering you were surrounded by a gigantic, grassy field. “What? Yes, of course I can swim? Why are you asking me that? How is knowing if I can swim helpful right now?”  

His smile turned giddy, smirking at you as he shimmied his sweatpants back over his legs. “C’mon, get in the truck.” He slid himself off the back of the truck bed, standing up and outstretching his hand toward you. You quickly pulled your sweatpants back on too, following behind him as he helped you out of the truck and picked you up to put you in the passenger seat. 

“Javi, what the hell are we doing? Are you gonna go throw me in a trough or something? Listen, I love those cows, but I am not gonna be happy if you toss me into a bucket full of dirty cow spit water.” You crossed your arms at him, waiting for a response. 

“You’ll see.” He winked at you before shutting your door, hopping over to the driver’s side and starting up the car. 

“You’re lucky I love you.” You grumbled, still crossing his arms at him. He reached over the center console, giving you a quick kiss before pulling away and shifting the truck into drive. 

“I’m a very lucky man, indeed.” You finally shifted out of your playfully grumpy demeanor, melting as Javi stared at you, his sweet, puppy dog eyes making your heart explode every time they landed on you. You turned up the radio as Javi pulled away, heading the opposite direction that you came from, his headlights shining on a thick patch of trees at the end of one of the pastures. Driving a little deeper into the wooded area, Javi put the car in park, leaving you even more confused than when you left. He smiled at you as he shut off the ignition, hopping out the door before coming around to your side, helping you out of the car. 

“God, I thought driving me out to the middle of the field was bad, but taking me out into the woods in the pitch black? You really never are beating these serial killer allegations, I’m afraid.” 

“You’re the worst, do you know that?” Javi shook his head as he grabbed your hand, pulling you along with him as he began to walk through the trees. 

“I’m just saying! Listen, if you really wanted- Hey! Hey! Put me down!” You squealed as Javi picked you up, flinging you over his shoulder as you pounded your fists against his back, kicking and giggling with each step he took. God, was he strong. He carried you like it was nothing, laughing to himself as he watched you try to wriggle your way out of his fireman hold. Letting out a huff of defeat, you slumped further into him, staring at the ground as he took each step. 

“At least I have a good view of your ass from here.” You snickered as he continued walking. 

“You really like my butt, don’t you?” He laughed, rustling you in his grasp, still flung over his shoulder. 

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you are built like a God, Javier Peña. You’re very much proving your point right now carrying my fat ass through the woods.” 

He stopped, setting you down so you were facing towards him, placing his strong hand under your chin before tilting it up towards him. You gazed up at him, a surprisingly serious look spread across his face. “Hey. I love your ass. I love your body. Every curve, every single bit of you. Okay?”  

“Okay.” You softly replied, pulling you in tighter as he kissed the top of your head. “So are you gonna tell me where the hell we’re going, or are you just gonna keep carrying me through the woods?” 

“Turn around.” He nodded his head, gesturing behind you. As you spun around, you saw the moonlight sparkle off ripples of the pond in front of you. Rocks and tall grass surrounded the edges, water from a small stream flowing from behind the reeds into the pond. An old, worn wooden dock sat at the end, hovering over the first few feet out into the water. You turned back around to look at Javi, now smirking at your pleasant surprise with his most recent mystery. “I was out here every day as a kid in the summer. Nothing much, but it was deep enough to swim in. Haven’t been back here since high school, probably.”

“Is this where you’d take all the ladies to woo them with your swimming skills?” You joked, giving Javi a nudge as he stared around the pond. 

“No.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Just me and my friends, sometimes my cousins when they came over, if I was lucky.” 

“Well, I feel very honored to be the first lucky woman to get to see this secret pond.” You replied, slipping your sweatpants off your waist, leaving your bottom half exposed. Javi’s jaw dropped for the second time today watching you strip yourself of your clothes. “What?” You looked at him as your sweatshirt came next, dropping in a pile next to your pants, leaving you fully naked in front of him. “Aren’t we getting in?” You tilted your head at the pond, smirking at Javi who was now speechless. 

“You sure?” He said, gulping as he looked you up and down, your soft skin glowing in the moonlight. 

“Would I be standing here naked if I wasn’t?” You shrugged your shoulders as you raised an eyebrow at him. “You gonna swim in your sweats or am I gonna keep standing here like a naked idiot waiting for you?” Before you could say anything else, Javi’s clothes were on the ground next to yours, leaving you both bare, hidden amongst the secluded trees. This time, you grabbed his hand, running as you pulled him to the end of the dock, abruptly pausing as you got to the edge. “Are there like, weird things in here? It’s deep enough to jump in, right?” 

“Hermosa, just get in, you’re fine.” 

“Okay, but like-” 

“Osita, get in or I’m gonna push you in.”  

“You wouldn’t dare.” 

“You know I fucking will.” 

“Ugh okay, okay! Just promise me-” 

“1…” 

“Javi, wait-” 

“2…” 

“I’m being serious, don’t you do it! Javier Jesús Peña, I swear to God-” 

“3!” 

Before you could finish, Javi had his arms wrapped around your waist, swinging you back and forth, throwing you over the edge of the dock, limbs flailing as you splashed into the water. You peeked your head up, running your hands over your face as you watched Javi laughing hysterically. You flung your hand against the water, trying your best to splash him as he still stood at the edge thoroughly amused with himself. 

“I hate you, I hope you know that.” You grumbled, splashing him again. “Hey, wait, where are you going?” You shouted as you watched Javi turn around, making his way off the dock. It wasn’t long before you regretted asking the question, as Javi quickly turned around, getting a running start as he launched himself off the edge, drenching you as he drove into the water, making waves that splashed against you upon his entrance. You swam there for a moment, waiting for his head to pop up somewhere next to you, when suddenly, you felt something wrap around your ankle, making you absolutely screech at the top of your lungs. You swam as fast as you could back to the edge of the dock, clinging to the edge as you heard more hysterical laughter behind you, turning around to see Javi cackling to himself as you panted breathlessly, waiting for your heart rate to return to a semi-normal pace. 

“Holy shit, I didn’t think I was gonna scare you that bad, Osita.” He came down from his laughter, looking over at you hanging from the wooden planks still trying to catch your breath. “I’m sorry, baby. Are you okay?” He swam closer to you, now seeming like he felt a little remorse for what he had done. 

You took a few more deep breaths before letting go of the dock, looking back at him. Now only an arms’ length away from you, you swam full force towards Javi, wrapping your body around his, trying to wrestle him in the water. “You are an absolute jerk, you know that?” You grunted between your giggles as Javi grabbed you back, spinning you as you thrashed in the water, splashing it in his face before he grabbed your face to kiss him. Your legs locked around Javi’s hips, arms wrapping around his neck as his slipped behind your back, pulling you closer, feeling weightless in the water. He drew away for a moment, taking one of his hands to caress your face, rubbing his thumb along your jaw. 

“I forgive you, I guess.” You smiled as you sat there for a moment, taking in every detail of his face. His messy wet hair, his chocolate brown eyes, the way his mustache shifted above his lips as he smiled, everything about him that made you love him even more than you thought you already could. The way he looked back at you made you feel like there wasn’t anyone else in the world who could ever love you more. 

“God, you’re so beautiful. I love you, Osita.” 

“I love you too, Javi.” 

He brought you in closer, placing another gentle kiss on your lips. He pulled away again, this time with a look of panic washing over his face.

“What? Are you okay?” 

 “Was that your foot?” 

“My feet are wrapped around your waist?” You looked at him curiously. 

Trying his best to keep calm, Javi swam you both closer and closer to the shore, still carrying you with him as you stepped back on to land. This time, it was your turn to laugh at him, suddenly realizing why he had gotten out so quickly. “Not big and brave now, huh?” 

“At least I didn’t scream like you.” 

“Oh shut up.” You giggled as he set you back down, now sopping wet and shivering next to your pile of clothes. “Any way to explain to your dad why the hell we’re both coming back soaking wet?” You grimaced as you started to pull your sweatshirt over your wet body.

“We’re not.” His face smug as he followed suit opting to only put on his sweatpants, leaving him shirtless as you both headed back through the trees. 

“So…. What? You’re just gonna ask your dad to close his eyes and ignore us when we come back inside?” You raised an eyebrow in confusion looking up at Javi as he reached down to grab your hand as you walked. 

“No. To be honest, Pops is probably already passed out in front of the TV, but of course, you can’t walk through the front door without going past him. We’ll just sneak in through my bedroom window and he’ll be none the wiser.” 

You stopped for a second before laughing at him, continuing to walk as you shook your head. “Sneak in? What are we, 16? I know you said you’ve never brought any girls down here before, but I have a very hard time believing this is the first time you’ve snuck a girl into your room, Javier Peña.” 

“Only a few times.” He looked down at the ground sheepishly as you squeezed his hand. 

“I’m just giving you a hard time, Jav. Wouldn’t be my first time sneaking in either.” You admitted, your cheeks turning slightly red at your admission. 

“Really?” He perked up. “You don’t strike me as the type, but do tell.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You just seem like such a rule follower, maybe it’s the teacher in you.” He shrugged as you rolled your eyes. “What’d ya do?” 

“Fair, I guess. I was 17. One of my friends was having a party at her parents house while they were on vacation, and being the rule follower that I am, I asked my parents and they said no. I was so mad because it felt like they always let my brothers go out and have fun and I never got to. So, once everyone was asleep, I snuck out, rode my bike all the way to my friends house, got drunk out of my mind, which is part of the reason why I can never drink vodka again, and by some miracle, was able to ride my bike back home. When I came in through the side door of the garage, my brother David was in there, already waiting for me. He told me that he could hear me singing at the top of my lungs halfway down the block. He took pity on me and helped my drunk ass up to bed and never told my parents. He’s always been my favorite brother. Then, I pretended to have the stomach flu for the next 3 days to cover up for my hangover.” You both laughed as you finished your walk up to the truck, Javi opening the passenger door for you as you stepped in. 

“No vodka, duly noted. You trying to tell me your singing gets even more obnoxious when you’re drunk?” He smiled as you buckled yourself in. 

“You love my singing, don’t lie. But um… maybe… Just a little. You’ll just have to deal with my sober serenading for now, sorry.” You smirked at him as you shrugged your shoulders, Javi laughing to himself as he shut the door behind you. 

……….. 

As promised, you spent the rest of the ride to the ranch windows down, blaring “Go Your Own Way” from Fleetwood Mac, noting that even though Javi had put on the album not long ago, you were a bit distracted to actually listen to any of the songs. If it was anyone else, Javi would have rather been caught dead than singing along to anything, regardless of song, album or artist. But lucky for him, you weren’t just anyone. You were his everything. Javi was sad when you’re singing came to an end, lowering the music as you pulled up to the house, trying to remain as quiet as possible to not wake up his dad. 

“Too bad you don’t have the James Bond soundtrack in your car, I feel like we’re on some sort of secret mission right now.” You whispered, trying to close the truck door behind you as quietly as possible. 

“C’mon, you dork.” He replied, taking you by the hand and leading you around the edge of his house. You both tiptoed along the wood siding of the house, Javi leading you before stopping under one of the windows, slightly cracked open, pushing out of its frame. “Alright, if I lift you up, can you push it the rest of the way open and climb in?” 

“Sure thing, Agent Peña. What number do you want to be, since you clearly can’t be 007, that one’s already taken. I don’t think they’ll let you be the next James Bond with that ‘stache.” You mumbled, stepping in front of Javi as he got ready to lift you up. 

“Will you just get in the window, please?” He scoffed, squeezing his hands on your hips, getting ready to hoist you. 

“Fine, fine, just say you wanna be lame and move on. I’m ready.” As Javi shot you up, your fingers wrapped around the edge of the windowsill, humming to yourself as you shimmied yourself in. 

“Bada boommmm, bada booommmmm, bahnanah.”  

“Are you seriously singing the James Bond theme song right now?” Javi looked up at the window as you pushed open the rest of the pane, now looking down at him. 

“Yeah, at least one of us should have a little fun with this. You need my help getting in?” 

He hadn’t even answered your question before he was already halfway through the window, pulling himself through and landing on the floor.  

“Showoff.” You grumbled to yourself as he closed the window behind him. Wet and uncomfortable in your clothes, you stripped them off of you, drying yourself off from the towel you had left on Javi’s bed from your shower earlier. Javi did the same, shedding his sweatpants and throwing them next to yours before you both crawled under the covers, curling into each other. You pulled the comforter up over you, nestling against the warmth of Javi’s body. Laying your head on Javi’s chest, Javi ran his fingers through the ends of your hair, still damp from your swim. It wasn’t until you hit the bed that you realized just how exhausted you were, barely keeping your eyes open, your eyelids heavy with sleep.

“Javi?” You asked, looking up at him, your voice low and soft, letting out a quiet yawn. 

“Yes, Osita?” He peered down at you, fingers still twisting through your locks. 

“You really love me?” 

He chuckled warmly, planting a soft kiss on the top of your head. “I really do. Con todo mí corazón. (With all my heart.) Get some sleep, Hermosa, I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” 

He paused, waiting for you to respond. 

“Hermosa?”  

The only thing he heard after that were your sweet snores humming against his chest, you already sound asleep in his arms. He gave you one more kiss on the head before pulling you closer, shutting his eyes as he whispered one last goodnight.  “Buenas noches, Osita. Soy un hombre afortunado. Tienes todo mí corazón para siempre. Te amo.” (Good night, Osita. I’m a lucky man. You have all of my heart, forever. I love you.)

..........

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[fallinforerling]

Could you write Erling Haaland x reader

Reader meeting his dad and being great friends before she ever meet Erling and she didn't connect that they are related. So maybe her going to Norway with Erling to meet his family and his dad being happy to see her. Just a lot of fluff

-🌹🌹

HAVE YOU MET BEFORE? | chapter 1 - e.h

A/N: My 🌹🌹 anon, it wasn't my intention to actually create a mini series with this request but... IT'S HAPPENING. Hope y'all enjoy this, because it's so ADORABLEEEEEE. Thank you all for 722 followers, love you all xx

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ೃ⁀➷ erling's masterlist

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The fun part about owning any kind of shop was the fact that, after some time, you gained regular customers. Of course, they weren’t a lot, but they were yours. And you loved every single one of them. Well, most of the people. Some customers were just insufferable. Luckily, that wasn’t regularly the case. 

Nonetheless, it was weird when a new one joined the group; most of the customers that you saw during the week never came back more than twice per month, and you didn’t know what to do to keep them coming more often. Maybe a type of promotion? 2x1 on cupcakes? Buy two books and get breakfast out of the selection? You sighed, looking out of the window. You needed to think a bit harder about it. 

Just when you were starting to get deep into the analysis of the market and the endless options you possibly had in front of you, the little bell by the door rang, letting you know someone just came in. 

“Welcome!” You said, smiling at the man who was still by the door, looking around with curiosity in his eyes. “May I help you?” 

He retrieved his eyes from the few shelves full of books to his right, focusing on your face, and then on the counter, fully stocked with fresh pastries and cookies. You smiled again when his eyes focused back on your face, feeling somehow proud of the attention he was giving to your goodies. 

“They are all fresh; I baked them this morning.” 

“Oh, are they homemade? That’s amazing.” He finally spoke, surprising you with a little bit of an accent. “What do you recommend?” 

“If I were you, I’d totally get the butter cookie, a good croissant filled with cream cheese, and a cappuccino.” You made a little gesture with your hands. “It all wraps up pretty nicely; it’s my go-to thing when I want a good breakfast before work.” 

“Very well, I’ll take that.” He got closer to the counter, still eyeing the rest of the options. “And you know what? Let me get two nutella croissants and some of these little ham pastries right there. Oh, and maybe a couple of cookies... Mmmh, two with oats, two with chocolate chips, and two butter ones.” He smiled when he saw your surprised expression. “I have a son that eats a lot.” 

You laughed along with him, still writing down his order. 

“I can’t blame him, food is the best thing in the world.” You paused, doubting a bit. “Would you like all that to go?” 

“Please.” He sat down on one of the stools next to the coffee machine. “But I’ll have the cream cheese croissant and the coffee here. He’s training, so I’m free for another hour.” 

“Oh yeah? Training for what?” You liked to chat with clients whenever you could. They always had the most interesting stories.  

“He’s a footballer, you know? Just like his father.” He seemed very proud of it. 

“That’s so cool! I hope he does well.” You smiled at him after leaving his coffee in front of him. “I’ll give you some sugar if you want.” 

“Oh no, I’m fine... By the way, is this your shop?” 

“Yep, I opened not so long ago, but it’s going well. I really enjoy being an owner.” 

“That’s very good, I’m happy for you. It’s difficult to start a business when you’re young, but if you keep your mind on it, everything will go exactly as you plan.” 

“Thank you, sir.” He really seemed like a nice person. “Here you go, all packed up for the big boy. Make sure he eats some of it warm, it’s better like that.” 

“I will, I will. He’ll be thankful for this treat, I can assure you that.” He laughed along, and you hoped for him to come back more often. You could be happy with just one more nice customer like him. 

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

You were annotating some orders you got by phone, a reservation made by Thomas, a regular customer who really wanted one of the tables for him by lunch time, and counting how much milk you had left before you actually ran out when the bell rang. Your eyes immediately went from the notebook between your hands to the door, smiling a bit when you saw the person already walking towards the counter. 

“Hello there, Alfie.” 

The blonde man made a little reverence, making you laugh. Weeks passed by, and he, as you suspected, became a regular. Every time he could, he passed by and bought some breakfast for him and a big amount of things for his son, who you grew more and more curious to know more about. You didnʼt know why, but you already felt like you knew this son of his pretty well, although you hadn’t asked for his name, because it seemed a bit overbearing. Plus, the man was very funny, which made your morning bearable. 

“Hello dear.” He sat on the same stool as always, already eyeing the freshly baked items. “The usual.” 

You nodded, grabbing a cream cheese croissant and the milk, ready to make him his daily cappuccino. 

“Howʼs the big boy doing? Did that pain on his leg went away?” 

“Big boy” was the nickname you gave Alfieʼs son. None of you ever mentioned the fact that you didnʼt know his real name or age, but both of you seemed fine with it. You didnʼt want to appear extremely curious or anything like that, although you were. Alfie seemed to be a bit famous from how much he was recognized in the shop the few times he stayed longer than his usual hour, when it was just him and you. He also said he was a footballer when he was younger, but you didn’t dare to google him. It felt disrespectful. 

“Ah yeah, that thing was just a little discomfort, but the physio already said it was nothing. Heʼs good now, back on the field. Stronger than ever.”

“Iʼm happy to hear that.” You said, assuming that was all the information you were going to get. “Make sure he rests a lot and drinks water, the pain will be back if he doesn’t give himself a break.” 

“Ah, I try to, but the boy is as stubborn as I was back in the day. I guess thatʼs what I get by educating him with my mentality of never giving up, huh?” You giggled when he raised his eyebrows. “Oh, by the way, my dear. Iʼm going back to Norway a little bit earlier than expected. So I wonʼt be around here a lot for the next couple of weeks, take care, mmh? Iʼll miss these pastries you make.” He said after he finished his plate, already grabbing the box full of sweets to take with him. 

In the past few weeks, you learned that Alfie was from Norway, lived in the country-side for most of his free time, had five children, and hated Manchester United. It didnʼt seem like a lot, but since he was a private person, you knew it was a lot of information coming from him. 

“Aw! Well, make sure to take care as well. And say hi to your wife, she seems like a lovely person.” You doubted for a second before speaking again. “Why donʼt come here before you leave? Maybe you can take some of them with you?” 

“Iʼll think about it!” He finally got up, smiling at you one last time. “See you later, darling.” 

“Bye! Have a great trip!” 

Aw, youʼll miss that old man.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚⋆·˚ ༘ * ERLING’S TAGLIST @questionable-behaviour | @koufaxx | @xjval

[allwormdiet]

Tangle 6.5

Once more unto the fucking breach, huh?

They're fucking insane for this one, though

Jeeeeesus Christ what a maneuver though, what a stunt

What a fucking entrance! Absolutely legendary for this one, holy shit

Y'know, I guess when you're this deep into the fucking shark tank, you might as well feel some kind of zen, right? Like what's gonna happen, things get more dangerous?

Oh hey Emma, hope this scares the bejeezus out of you,

Aww, Tattletale wanted to do a fun little monologue

Also very clever that they brought the bugs along via Big Dog, way better than depending on the gallery to have enough wasps and spiders

They are clowning on these fucking PRT guys, oh my god this is embarrassing

You're getting comboed to shit by a pack of half-feral teenagers and you can't even use your foam things worth a damn. Like, Tattletale is contributing in this fight, and she doesn't fight for shit!

Right, yeah containment foam. Pretty neat actually, and it makes sense as the weapon of choice for an organization meant to handle parahuman threats. Not that it's working for them rn, but y'know, thought that counts.

I think one day Victoria is gonna make Tattletale pay for that nickname, but good lord today is not that day

Also yeah fuck Shadow Stalker

Yeah, fuck Shadow Stalker!

Hi Assault, bye Assault

Great fucking team move between Assault and Battery, their powers are remarkably complementary to each other, which means it's kind of a shame it didn't work

This fight is still so cool though, god

Yeah you know what I think I get why people would want to stay away from Triumph, that's a power combination that'll do it

Aww but he's such a good boy though, taking down the big shouty man

Not only lol, but also lmao

And here comes Armsmaster to ruin everything. Again.

What's that line from the old Mortal Kombat movie? "I've studied all your moves," but said in like a horrendous fake Australian accent?

Also Jesus Miss Militia who needs a machine gun to subdue a teenager, that's overkill

Anyway haha things can only get better from here right

Current Thoughts

It hasn't even been two weeks since they knocked over the bank, and now they're here, that's fucking ludicrous

Fucking incredible that the Undersiders have managed to put up the numbers they have so far. Four Wards, Glory Girl, Assault and Battery, and Triumph all down and out. They walked into this with like two-to-one odds and have turned the numbers around in their favor. Armsmaster is gonna be a fucking problem of course, and Velocity's gonna put up a fight (Miss Militia is about to get punked in the next chapter so her not as much) but still, that's way better odds than I think anyone would have given them

It's getting late and I'm tired, so I'm gonna leave it here for tonight. Let that cliffhanger sizzle where it stands.

[tearfallpixie]

Make Mama Happy - Chapter 1

Not too many updates to this chapter but will be more as it goes.

Tags: @nerdraging4point0 @thesazzb @synthetic-wasp-570 @circle-with-me @beaker1636 @itsjustemily @witchyweeb34 @agravemisstake @cookiesupplier @cncohshit @faceless-mirror @nonamessblog @yournecessaryevil @black-damask1999

@lyschko666 @vinyardmauro @skulliecadaver-blog @some-daniela

“Nichole!” My best friend Heather called. I had just walked into the restaurant where we were going to meet up and was looking around for her. I internally groaned when I finally spotted her, seeing her boyfriend, Richard, next to her. He was the guitarist from the band Motionless in White and he and I had a complicated relationship. We both loved Heather so we tolerated each other for her sake but when we were alone it was as if world war 3 had started. There was nothing in the world that could make us put aside our differences that I was pretty sure we didn’t even know what they were. I plastered a fake grin on my face and walked over to the table where she was waiting. When I approached it, she stood up and hugged me tightly before returning to her seat.

“Richard.” I nodded. He gave me his fake smile and returned the gestor. “How have you been? How’s the band?” 

“They’re fine. We go on tour next month, so we are all prepping for that. Speaking of which Heather. Vinny’s having a get together tomorrow night before we buckle down and really dive into the tour preparations. Would you like to go?” He asked, turning to his girlfriend.

“Oh that would be amazing. Nichole you should come.” My best friend said, turning to me.

“No way. I don’t get involved with the band stuff.” The waitress came over and took my order before disappearing again.

“Oh come on! It would be so fun. I bet you and Vinny would get along great.” I rolled my eyes at my best friend's antics and shook my head. She had been trying to hook me and the drummer up for years.

“Doubtful. Vinny has standards.” Ricky muttered, making me scowl at him.

“Richard!” Heather swatted his chest. “Please! I want someone there that’s a girl I actually like.” 

“Fine. Fine. I will come to this stupid party. But you are helping me get ready and giving me a ride. I haven’t been to his house before.” She clapped happily and started gushing about her newest project at work. She was a biologist and while she was excited about her job it may have been the one thing Richard and I could agree on as we made disgusted faces. 

“Baby, we are trying to eat. Maybe you could save the work talk for later.” Rick asked, giving her an unsure glance.

“I can’t believe I am saying this but thank you Olson.” I snickered. He shot me a smirk and for a moment, I could see why Heather liked him.

“Sorry! What about you Nichole? How has your job been?”

“I work at a winery. It's not that exciting.” I shrugged. 

“You were more interested in writing when we were in school. Please tell me you haven’t given up on being a writer.” I forgot that she had always been the one to encourage my passion and smiled. It had been a while since I had worked on one of my stories so I barely remembered them.

“It's been a minute since I had the time.” 

“Well Rick is a writer too! You should have him read over it and help you out.” My eyes flicked to the guitarist to see him glaring at me.

“Maybe.” We finished up our food and Heather insisted that she would be with me the next day so that she could help me get ready, much to the frustration of her annoying boy toy. I flipped him off when her back was turned, determined to prove him wrong.

~~~~

“Evening ladies. Ready?” Ricky asked when I opened the door. Heather was right behind me in her outfit, a simple crop top and low waisted skinny jeans. “You look amazing baby girl.” I rolled my eyes at his sickeningly sweet tone and shoved past him, bumping my shoulder against his and knocking him a few steps backwards.

“Yeah yeah, you can fawn over her later. Lets just go. I wanna see Aj.” Aj was one of the techs that toured with them a few years back and I had met him on a few outings where he and Rick were hanging out and I was tagging along with Heather. The guitarist rolled his eyes and nodded, opening the door for his girlfriend and all of us taking off to the drummer's house.

“I think you’ll love Vinny. He is super sweet and loves everyone. I don’t think he’s capable of hating someone.” My best friend gushed. I kept my mouth shut in the back seat as I glared daggers at the driver in the front, Ricky watching me too with an equally hateful stare. Knowing the fact that Vinny was Rickys best friend I doubted that he would like me in any capacity.

“Guess we’ll just see.” I muttered quietly. The rest of the drive was silent and I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough when we pulled up to the house. I left my friend and her boyfriend in the dust, determined to find the crazy tech that I adored. Luckily Aj was lounging on the couch in the living room. “Aaj.” I exclaimed, throwing myself into his lap.

“Nichole? What are you doing here?” He laughed, wrapping his arms around me to make sure I didn’t fall off.

“Heather invited me.” I giggled. We sat there talking for a bit longer as more people trickled in. Some of them I recognized from videos of the band and others I didn’t so it was really awkward.

“That’s Logan, you’ve seen pics of him. He’s the front of house manager.” Aj tried to give me names for everyone that showed up but even he didn’t know some of them. “Lets go get a drink. I’m parched.” He stood up from the couch and led me through the congregation of people to the kitchen where he grabbed a sprite for me out of the fridge.

“Thank you, Aj.” I said, cracking it open and taking a sip. 

 “Have you met Vinny yet?” My friend asked, pointing to a man in the living room with shoulder length wavey hair with red streaks in the front. He was wearing black cargo pants and a baggy dark green shirt that had no logo on it. While I normally wouldn’t go for guys like that (that looked like total frat boys) he made it look hot as fuck.

“No, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting any of the band. I typically avoid them. Well, besides Rick obviously. But I could do without knowing him.” I joked. Aj knew me long enough to know about the standing feud between me and the guitarist and he smirked. 

“We could all go without knowing Rick. But seriously he’s actually pretty chill once you get to know him.” I gave him a glance of disbelief. 

“I’ve known him for a few years. He’s still just as fucking annoying.” I rolled my eyes. 

“Come on. Let me introduce you to the man of the house.” He took me over to the red headed angel and waved at him. “Vin! I want you to meet Nichole.” Vinny turned to me and I got drawn into his gorgeous hazel eyes.  

“Nichole! Hi. Who did you come with?” He asked, holding out his hand. I shook it and was bemused by his strong grip. Next to him was a tall, well dressed, curly haired man who looked like he had a mop on the top of his head.

“I came with Heather.” I nodded over to my friend who was currently wrapped in her boyfriend's arms.

“Oh.” He said that one syllable so sharply and I froze. “You’re that Nichole. Rick told me about you.” His voice was so cold compared to the soft friendly one he had a few minutes ago. 

“Chole, what does he mean?” Aj asked, looking between the two of us. The entire room seemed to quiet down and everyone's eyes focused on us.

“I think I should go.” I whispered. 

“Yeah, you probably should. We don’t like your type around here?” Vinny growled.

“My type?” What the hell had Ricky said about me?

“You know, the type to flirt with their supposed best friend's boyfriend behind their back?” My eyes widened in horror and I rounded on Richard where he was standing with Heather. She looked confused, hurt, and angry.

“Heather- I never-“ 

“Don't.” She mumbled. “I don't know what’s going on right now but you should probably leave.” Aj grabbed my arm and held me for a moment.

“Heather, you know she wouldn't do that.” He tried defending me.

“I don't know what to think! Why the hell would Ricky lie to Vinny of all people?” She sputtered. “Just leave. I’ll call you later.” I calmly set my can down on the nearby table and turned to Aj.

“Just let it go. I don't want to put up with this shit right now.” I pushed past everyone to exit the house only turning back once to look at Rick. “Fuck you, Richard Olson.” I spit, before finally leaving. Once outside I let my emotions explode and found myself gasping for air as I made my way to the main street to call an uber. I just needed to get away from that house.

A few texts came through from Aj but I ignored them as I collapsed onto my couch. I curled under a blanket and buried my face into the pillow. I never thought Heather would trust her boyfriend over me like that and it hurt like a knife through the gut. 

[sk8termikey]

Chapter 7 of 21 Questions

better interface on wattpad

"Your boyfriend texted!" Alex called for her best friend who was in the kitchen, as the phone lit up from a message from Matt🍂.

"My hands are full of batter girl, just tell me what he says and maybe reply for me if it looks important", Lily replied as she was cooking. "And drop the boy in front of friend, unless you put a fucking space between the words.

As she used her fingerprint to unlock Lily's phone, Alex looked at the notification – she didn't want to actually open the message in case it could wait, fearing that she might leave the boy on read. She had been joking for the past month about Lily and her new friend's relationship since she discovered that he went out of his way to send a picture to Lily. This had been enough proof for Alex to start teasing her best friend about a possible romance – pretty pictures of the sky were in fact Lily's love language. Both girls did know it was just for fun, the same way they would qualify famous people as theirs when it was their ultimate celebrity crush.

Furrowing her brows at the phone in front of her, Alex didn't know whether to qualify the text as important or not.

Matt🍂

If I asked you to hide a body for me, would you?

Alex went to the kitchen where Lily was and read her the text, which led to the brunette letting out a laugh.

"Oh my god this kid I swear to god". Lily couldn’t stop laughing as she thought about an answer. "This sounds semi important lol but just tell him that of course I am always down to hide a body, I know a few tricks."

Alex laughed as well – more to her friend's reply than the actual subject – and wrote back a message, trying to imitate Lily's writing style. The two girls influenced each other a lot regarding their texting habits and the way they spoke, thus making it easy for Alex to fake it. Before sending it, she thought it could be funny to actually hold a conversation with the mystery guy as she had only heard about him and still needed to check if he was a good person for Lily.

Matt🍂

If I asked you to hide a body for me, would you?

Heya, your girl's bestie here

Obviously she would

Dw ab it

Oh

Hi

Thanks for the reassurance haha

You're the famous Alex?

I am, yes💃🏻

Glad to know I'm known even in whatever state you're in

I'm here to check if you're legit bro

Check all you want

I like to think I'm a good person

Well

You did ask help to bury a body

This doesn't help your case

Well

According to you, your "bestie" would help my case

Nice one

Ig talking for a couple of months led to you guys knowing each other

Yeah, it's fun getting to know Lily

She's really kind and we get along well :)

Friendship test then

You ready for it?

Go ahead

Simple questions to see if you deserve the honour of taking her time

Her favourite colour?

I know this one

It's purple

But she told me she actually doesn't have lots of purple things in her life, mostly blue

Wow bonus points

Yes!

I'm sure I can manage the rest

We'll see, pokemon boy

Her favourite food?

One of the first things we talked about 

I remember bc I don't like sushi

So it's this and pizza i think 

I-

I'm gonna ignore you not liking sushi and give you the point

Hmm next question 

Do you know where we work?

Like our job

Yeah, a café right?

With books

She loves talking about it

She just loves talking about you in general because you're related to her passions 

And also being the closest person to her

Damn this girl is absolutely getting the best birthday ever

She deserves the world

Ig you pass the test matty boy

Ok what

Unsent

The fuck is this nickname coming from

Unsent

We're just chilling, no need to panic

Unsent

Cool cool cool

Wait i kinda need a retake tho

What

Why

Idk her birthday??

I don't think we ever talked about it

Oh

That just means you'll never steal my best friend title

But yeah it's next week actually

Well in less than a week technically like in 4 days

Thanks, I'll wish it to her then

You better

I'm gonna delete the last texts so that she gets your text as a surprise

Counting on you bro

Of course, I won't let you or her down

As she deleted the last dozens of messages between her and Matt, Alex then put down the phone and looked up to see Lily smiling at her.

"You were having fun?" Lily asked her best friend. "I couldn't hear you for ten minutes and you looked like you were having fun."

"Oh". Alex was almost embarrassed to be caught enjoying a conversation with her friend's new friend. She shrugged it off and slided the phone back to its owner. "Just checking if the kid deserves your friendship."

"And? What's the verdict, judge Alex?" Lily playfully teased.

"Well, I guess he's not that bad. I trust you and you would have dropped him if he wasn't someone you liked talking to."

Lily's smile grew bigger at Alex's replies and took her arm to lead her to the couch as they would watch TV while waiting for Lily's desserts to cook.

~~~

A few days later and on the eve of Lily's birthday, Alex had everything planned: she was prepared to give her best friend a wonderful twentieth birthday, starting the day before with their out-of-work-coming-back-to-home ritual. As always for the last months, Wednesday meant a new video from the Sturniolo Triplets and Alex had prepared a comfortable scenery for Lily. The couch had been specially opened as a bed, with several blankets carefully folded on it. Snacks were ready and dinner was on its way as Alex had ordered some of Lily's favourites, which were pizza and sushi – damn Matt did get it right, Alex thought back to her conversation with him a few days prior. She hoped he could be part of Lily's happiness tomorrow, and maybe for a while after. Lily had always wished for simple birthdays. The sheer fact of knowing the people she loved took the time to think of her on this day was enough to her. Lily only needed her favourite people around her; just a day spent with her loved ones was the only gift she wished for and this is what Alex tried to stay faithful to, although a couple of surprises felt deserved for the special occasion.

As usual, Lily was coming home almost an hour after the video came out and Alex wasted no time to welcome her friend at the door. She took Lily's bag to put it down and closed the door behind them.

"Now now, just do whatever I say and don't ask questions", Alex ordered Lily who could only comply. 

The blonde led her best friend to the bathroom and to Lily's surprise, a bath had been drawn along with a few candles. Pink bubbles could be seen floating on top of the bath and Lily couldn't help but smile. It had been a long day at work – one of those rude customers who were unable to accept that their order was not ready within two seconds after having asked for it – so the girl had been exhausted and her mood started to lift up due to this pleasant surprise.

"I don't want to see you for at least the next half hour", Alex warned her friend. "Enjoy this and stay in it until your skin gets fucking wrinkles, okay?"

Lily nodded with a quiet laugh and got ready to enter the bath as Alex left the room, not without putting on a bit of music to help Lily relax.

Exactly thirty-one minutes later did Lily go back downstairs to see Alex setting up the freshly arrived food on the table in the living room. Lily definitely appreciated the bath and the calm music, but she had felt lonely and only wanted to come back to her friend so that they could do their weekly tradition in honour of a new vlog or challenge from their favourite triplets.

Lily saw the TV already set up to play this day's video which was entitled Chris forced us all to do COLD PLUNGES – it sounded even more chaotic than the previous videos and Lily knew it was possible for them to achieve that.

The two girls sat on the couch and put the food between them as the video started. What was a given from the title is that the triplets were going to bathe in ice cold water and so they had to go to the supermarket to buy ice. As they didn’t find enough – well in Chris’s opinion, the youngest triplet decided to ask if they had more in the back when they were paying. Luckily for them, the cashier managed to bring them more ice, which Chris thanked him for as he put them all in his arms.

“Damn, I feel cold just watching him with all this ice,” Lily said as she shivered. She had always been prone to being cold and getting sick easily so she knew the whole video was going to make her feel uncomfortable even though she wasn’t the one doing the activity with them.

Alex laughed at her friend’s comment and they started laughing even more when Chris wished for more ice, thus getting his brothers to go to another store and ending with a cart full of ice per Chris’s request.

“Okay, this is definitely too much ice like I gotta agree with Nick on this one”, Alex said as she was matching Nick’s apprehensive expression.

“Yeah for real”, Lily approved. “Chris is gonna regret saying that it’s never too much.”

After the bathtub was filled with ice and ice cold water, the triplets were finally ready to do their “cold plunges” as Chris tried to motivate himself by having to pretend to be a can of pepsi. Funnily enough, there had actually been a can of pepsi right before this. Therefore, Chris was the first to go in and he did regret it as he was barely able to put his feet in the bathtub. Followed Nick who imitated Chris with a spider-like position above the bathtub but did not end up fully in – unlike Matt who absolutely did not care and managed to get most of his body in the water.

“I. Am. amazed right now”, Lily commented as she was curled like a ball with a blanket around her. “I don’t know how he accepted the idea and succeeded in doing that. I would surely want to kill my brothers for this crazy situation.”

Alex hummed in agreement with her best friend and they both gasped when a couple of minutes later, Nick also fully went into the bathtub. The two girls then started laughing along with Matt and Chris as Nick ran into the shower while being shocked from what he had just done. After the middle and youngest decided to give it one last try, Lily couldn’t help but comment:

“Wait, I just noticed, is Chris the only one without tattoos?”

“Yeah, Nick and Matt both have an almost full sleeve but Chris doesn’t have any for now”, Alex explained. “I don’t know if he’ll ever get one but he would look great with a couple honestly.”

“I totally agree. And I absolutely love Nick’s and Matt’s tattoos, I might have to look at them more clearly to get a few inspirations for if I ever decide to get tattooed.” Lily was in awe of the triplets at the moment: since she started to follow them, Lily had to admit that they were all good-looking and tattoos really added something to their charm. “Also if I can say, Matt is slaying with the beard.”

“Right?” Alex exclaimed. “That was such a good move from him and I hope he’s gonna keep it for a while.”

As the girls kept talking after watching the video, Lily was feeling so much better. The simple things like spending time with her favourite person and eating her favourite foods were all Lily could ask for to enjoy life.

The night being still young, the two girls decided to watch some of their favourite Disney movies, such as Cars or Inside Out. They had a passion for animated movies that quickly brought them together when their friendship had started and everytime a new movie would come out, they would go see it together at the cinema. Lily and Alex had had this routine for a few years and none of them would ever trade the way they lived.

It was finally the actual date of Lily's birthday. As she had already spent a really nice evening the day before with Alex, she wasn't expecting much when she woke up. Obviously, everyone at the café had been giving a day off as the four coworkers were planning to maybe hang out to celebrate Lily's twentieth birthday. 

As it had happened last year as well – since the two girls started living together, both Lily's and Alex's parents called her to wish her a good day and catch up on what was new. The two families had been close since the two became best friends and would often have get-together, even as Lily and Alex moved out from their family houses.

After an hour spent talking to her parents and "second" parents, Lily received a message from the group chat with her friends.

gc: Caffeine addicts💃🏻💃🏻

Alexxx🫶🏻

Okayy guys

Everyone meet at noon at our house

We're going out :))

Luke🌈

Will I drive the whole way or be able to leave my car at yours?

Bc if i do, i need gas💀

Alexxx🫶🏻

Well-

That'd be great bc I'm not making my bestie drive on her bday

I'll pay for it even

Or you drive our car idk

Luke🌈

Kk, I'll go now

And no need dw<3

I'll regret not having gas and forgetting in a few days i know myself

Jade🌱

I'll be there, see you soon!!

Why am I only learning ab it now??

Where are we even going like

What's the dress code??

Jade🌱

Wear smth normal

It's gonna be chill, don't overthink

Okay😭

@Alexxx🫶🏻 where are you btw?

Alexxx🫶🏻

Just went to give back a plate to the neighbour 

Yk she cooked us the muffins last week

Oooh ye i remember

Ig I'll get ready then

What Lily didn't know is that Alex was absolutely not at their neighbour's. The plate had been given back a few days ago already but Alex took the opportunity of Lily forgetting to use that excuse. In reality, the blonde was at the bakery to get the birthday cake she had ordered: Lily's favourite, which was a triple chocolate cake with some fresh fruits on the top.

~~~

When she came home, Alex was right on time as Lily was descending the stairs. Alex went up to her best friend to wish her happy birthday for the tenth time – she had already said it the day before as a pre-birthday celebration, then at midnight, then she had sent a couple of texts to Lily during the night. The two girls hugged for a few minutes then let go as it was almost time for their friends to arrive. The four of them were all used to being punctual so it wasn't a surprise when at five to twelve, the doorbell rang. Lucas had picked Jade up as they were living near each other. Lily being ready and Alex having prepared what she needed earlier in the morning, they all decided to go. As agreed, Lucas drove his three friends to the secret place – secret only to Lily obviously – and for the whole ride, he had let the birthday girl choose the music, which was a once in a blue moon occasion for Lucas was very picky with what type of music was played in his car. Well, today was a special day and Lily took advantage of it.

After a ride full of pop music, the four friends arrived at the Weeki Wachee Spring State Park. It was not just a simple park, but it was filled with attractions and animals, appealing to both children and adults. Alex had purchased tickets knowing how much Lily loved nature and just walking around while admiring the beauty of the world they had the chance to live in. Speaking of the devil, Lilt was ecstatic when she realised where they were. She had been wanting to go there for a while but never had the chance so she was really excited to finally visit it. The weather was perfect for a day out and Alex knew it was because her friend brought happiness and warmth everywhere she went, just like the sun would.

After checking in, the group let Jade guide them as she had been to the place a couple of times and knew exactly where to bring Lily to make her have the best day ever. Lucas had brought some food and so once in a while they would just sit on a bench to eat as they appreciated what Mother Nature gave them. For the whole afternoon, they simply walked around and as Lily was smiling at every turn, her three friends could only be happy as well that she was having an amazing day.

As they were leaving the park due to it closing and coming back to Lucas's car, Jade suddenly gasped.

"Oh my god fuck–"

"What's wrong?" Lily immediately asked, afraid that her friend was in trouble.

"Oh sorry, I was just looking for my cardigan in my bag. I was so sure I packed it," Jade explained.

"Wait, do you mean the one you had on yesterday?" Lucas tried to confirm. "The brown one?"

"How did you know?"

"I'm pretty sure I saw it on the couch in the break room", Lucas replied.

Jade faced her friend as if he had revealed the world's biggest secret to her. The sad expression on her face was enough for Lily to react.

"Well, tomorrow is your day off so that would mean you won't get it back till Saturday. We can get it before coming home if you want, it's on the way." Lily suggested as she didn't want one of her friends to experience an issue.

Jade quickly thanked Lily for offering and so they all decided to make a quick stop by their workplace. Little did Lily know, she was so predictable that this whole conversation had been rehearsed and planned by her friends. Indeed, they knew the brunette would never let Jade go home without her beloved cardigan – which was actually at the café, but Jade didn't give a fuck about it as she could literally come get it the next day even if she didn't have a shift. It was usual for one of them to just come to the café and act as a customer who was absolutely not working there.

When they arrived at the café, Lily was the first to leave the car and take her keys to open the door. She was fully expecting it to take five minutes maximum as she just needed to go into the break room, take the cardigan and come back outside so that her friends didn't have anything to do – which was still according to their plan. As a matter of fact, when Lily entered the main room where most of the chairs and tables were, she actually stopped in her tracks and wondered why some of the chairs were down. Had she forgotten to put them all on the tables when she closed yesterday? To be sure of what she thought she was seeing, Lily turned the light on and was faced with a surprise. Nothing could have prepared her for the huge sign that was reading HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY and the heart balloons over the counter.

Turning back to the door through which she entered, Lily was met with her friends all smiling and singing to her. How had she not seen it coming? Lily had just expected the afternoon at the park to be the only thing they had planned, along with a small diner back at her house. She was still harbouring a shocked expression when Alex quickly slipped behind her to go open the fridge and took out the cake she had bought this morning. As she lit up twenty candles on the cake, Alex, Jade and Lucas started again to sing to Lily. When the cake was put down on the only table without any chair on it, they all sat down and told Lily to make a wish, which she did while blowing out her candles. Following some laughter during the explanations of how Alex had lied this morning as well as how Lucas and Jade had come in early to decorate the café, the four friends enjoyed the cake and discussed some memories of previous birthdays they had experienced together. Although Jade and Lucas had only been working with Lily and Alex for less than two years, it was enough for the four of them to develop a close bond.

After they finished eating, Jade, Lucas and Alex went to the break room to retrieve the gifts they had for Lily – plus the brown cardigan that Jade remembered. They all gave their presents to Lily, who started crying when opening them – emotions are really overwhelming sometimes. Lucas had bought her new headphones as her old ones stopped working a few weeks ago. They were decorated with heart and flower stickers which Lily found adorable. Jade, as a fan of crafts, had made her a set composed of a mug, a plate and a bowl that were all painted with Lily's favourite colour. Finally, Alex had bought her a Care Bear – the "Tenderheart" one, which was perfect to symbolise the girls' relationship. Lily thanked them all for their friendship and told them how glad she was to have them in her life as she hugged them first individually then decided she wanted a group hug.

Lily would never trade her friends for anything else and as she came home with Alex after bidding goodbye to Jade and Lucas who had dropped them off, she realised that another friend of hers was starting to be also important to her. Indeed, as she hadn't checked her phone since they left the park, Lily saw that she had actually received a birthday message a few hours ago from her new friend Matt, which brought a smile onto her face.

Matt🍂

Hi, I hope you had/have a good day

Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday, enjoy your twenties :)

Thank you so much omgg<3

How do you even know?

I don't remember ever mentioning it

Or i just have a bad memory-

It was actually your friend alex who told me

When she replied to me a few days ago?

Ooooh

Makes sense

So, did you enjoy your day?

Yess it was so fun!!

My friends organised me a great day, i love them sm

Good to know

While we're at it, I need to know your birthday now

It's only fair🤷🏻‍♀️

Here we go

Unsent

Hmm ok ok a random date far enough from now

Unsent

Oh yes of course 

It's november 6

Not very soon

I'll remember it :))

It's a bit late for me rn so I won't stay up long but thanks again

It was nice to know you thought of me

No problem

You're kinda in my thoughts lately tbh

Oh

I've been binge watching gravity falls so yeah haha

Oh haha

A man of taste

You know me!

Well i won't keep you awake so have a good night

Thaanks, you too

Talk to you soon

Thank you for reading. Votes and comments are always appreciated if you like this story :) The story is co-written w @/little_grapejuice on wattpad

[pinkoffice]

sukuna x reader (a lil experiment)

CHAPTER 1 

“Will you stop being such a pussy and go out with us?” Nobara’s irritated voice boomed through your apartment.  It’s become a tradition by now, ever since your first year of college.  

For as long as you could remember, the short-haired girl and Itadori have tried to get you to go out with them on one of their crazy friday nights, as they called it. 

Your record of giving in remained a very obvious zero. Getting drunk with some random guy you met on that very night wasn’t your ideal type of fun. Not anymore, at least. 

With that said, you still didn’t know how long you would be able to maintain your perfect streak of “Hard pass, Noba. Too many essays that won’t write themselves and too many hours to work this weekend.”  

Yes, they could see right through your poor excuse, but you couldn’t afford to care. Ever since your grandparents died, you have tried to be the (financially) responsible person they always taught you to be, even if that meant more than a few sleepless nights on your end. You wanted to honor the values they basically engraved to you as a child, even more now that they are actually gone.  

As annoying as it was to have to be aware of your expenses as a little kid who only thought about toys and chocolate, you had to admit it made your life much easier to handle now.  

With never quite grasping the concept of saying no growing up, you turned out to be a very gullible person, therefore, you could only turn down your friends so much before you caved in. Plus, you loved them way too much to handle their puppy eyes. 

“Oh my God, do you ever have work to not do? Seriously, when was the last time you took a break and enjoyed it?” Itadori replied, earning a very enthusiastic nod from the girl next to him. You sometimes wonder how Megumi puts up with these two 24/7. Your patience barely lasted through for their antics in class. 

Ignoring the pink-haired boy, you continued your argument of trying to be a responsible, sensible adult. Which meant no skipping class, and/or work and absolutely. No. Going. Out. 

“(Name), you need to take a chill pill. We’re 20, not 40. This is the time where we can afford to make these mistakes. Do you really want to reach adulthood regretting not doing what you wanted, or some mistakes you made along the way of making yourself happy?” You cringe at the straight froward, no bullshit tone from Megumi.  

Since when was he here, anyway? Either way, that would be a very plausible argument, for anything other than the one apparently all of them wanted you to do. 

“Oh, come on! You don’t even like going out!” Your poor excuse of a distraction failed miserably, as the raven-haired male just gave you one of his pointed looks. 

“It’s not about going out, (name), it’s about you relaxing for a change” He deadpanned. 

The swell of anxiety building in your chest was all too familiar: things were escalating way too quickly and your excuses from the last two years were rapidly running out and being dismantled. 

Truth was, you were scared. You knew the types of people that went to those parties. In fact, you knew them a little too well. Which was exactly why you didn’t go out.  

It’s not like you didn’t trust your friends to be by your side, the one who you didn’t trust was yourself, your lack of self-control, and overall lack of boundaries when it came to sexy, beautiful, smart, dangerous, fuck boys who made you feel alive again for one night, only to never speak to you again in the morning.  

Desperation flooded your brain and rushed out of your mouth through your words, “Absolutely not. Nobara, you know how I feel about going out. You have got to stop with this-this.. nonsense already!”  

Regret didn’t hit quick enough.  

Of course you didn’t mean to be so harsh. Nobara, Yuji and Megumi cared about you a lot, they just wanted to spend time with you, which was why it hurt even more seeing the sadness swell in the pretty girl’s eyes. 

“Look, (name), it’s not like we want to force you or anything, but we barely hang out anymore” 

Your mouth opened to protest, wanting to tell her that you do, in fact, hang out several times on campus.  

The short-haired girl interrupted you first, “And no, (name), being with us on campus does not count as hanging out. Even on campus, you always have homework to do, classes to attend. It’s exhausting trying to keep up with your schedule. You don’t even make time for us anymore!” 

Nobara’s eyes were shining with unshed tears when Megumi stepped in again. 

“We like you, (name). A lot. But it always feels like you’re hiding something from us, or worse, don’t want to be with us anymore and don’t know how to break the news. We share even the most embarrassing details of our lives here. Because this is more than a group. It’s a family who doesn’t judge and will always have your back. So, forgive us if it’s hard to trust you when you can’t even explain why you refuse to go out with us.” Megumi took over Nobara’s speech. 

The guilt in your chest was almost as overwhelming as the anxiety of ruining your 'no’ streak. 

One night couldn’t hurt... right? 

[misslisamiray]

A little delayed, but finally, here's Chapter 6 of Down With the Rickness! Those of you who remember the excerpts I posted before I started posting actual chapters may notice this features two of them, but longer now! New chapter is below the cut.

Back on Earth, Morty was looking for a place to hide the portal gun. He thought about just putting it back in the garage, but no – that would be the first place Rick would look once he noticed it was missing. After a few minutes of thinking and realizing there really wasn’t a “good” place to hide it, he decided that under his bed was as good a place as any.

“Rick will probably be out for a while. But I think I’ll need help once he wakes up. Better find Dad.” the boy said to himself. He decided to get dressed for the day, since going back to bed was clearly not an option, then went to find Jerry.

“Dad? You here? You didn’t listen to Rick and go next door after all, did you? Dad?” he called, walking through the house and checking anywhere he thought Jerry might be. Kitchen, no. Living room, no. Mancave, no. Bedroom, no. Then Morty heard noise coming from the attic.

“A raccoon or possum or something must’ve gotten in again. Perfect day for it, too. Good thing Rick made Dad immune to rabies.” Morty sighed, heading up the stairs to the attic.

“Hey, Dad? I know you’re having fun up here with your little friends, but it has to wait. I need a hand taking care of Rick, and… what the hell are you doing up here, exactly?” he said, puzzled by the sight in front of him. Morty had expected to find his father either playing with or being attacked by a wild animal or two, depending on the temperament of whatever had gotten into the attic this time. Instead, Jerry was sitting on the floor, surrounded by boxes, some of them tipped over, and piles of disorganized anime VHS tapes.

“Oh, hi Morty. You know what Sailor Moon is, right?” was what he received as an answer.

“Ummm, yes? Classic 90’s manga and anime that’s known for popularizing the magical girl genre in the U.S. And for the old dub making the questionable-at-best choice of trying to pass off two clearly lesbian characters as cousins. Why are you asking me about Sailor Moon?” an even more confused Morty replied.

Ignoring his son’s question while he went through another pile of tapes, Jerry said, “That’s right, Morty! I loved watching it before school as a kid, but I’d forgotten all about it. Then there was this time last year when Rick disguised me as his assistant using something he called a ‘reusable Sailor Moon transformation sequence’, and you see, it brought back all the good memories I had of watching that show when I was young. Along with the bad ones of the boys who liked Dragon Ball Z instead bullying me, but I digress.”

“Uh-huh. That’s great, Dad. Well, mostly. That last part sounds like it sucked… Anyway, nevermind the walk down memory lane right now. I need you downstairs to help me with Rick.”

“Oh. Is whatever the Mimicking Disease mimicking now really bad, Morty? Am I going to come downstairs and see it’s turned all his organs visible, and we can like, see the damage being done to them in real time? If it’s that you’ll warn me, right, Morty?” Jerry worried, getting squeamish over his own made-up scenario.

“No, it’s nothing like that. Rick made up the whole Mimicking Disease thing. Well, I don’t know if he made up that it exists. It might? But he definitely made up the part about him having it.” Morty replied.

He was about to explain further, but was cut off by his father saying, “So it is something worse after all? I thought Rick sending your mom and sister away was a little odd. *GASP!* Morty, you’ve been awfully close to him this whole time, haven’t you?” He quickly backed away from Morty, scooting backwards until he crashed into another box of tapes.

Morty rolled his eyes and said, “Dad, calm down. Rick just has a cold. A pretty bad one from the looks of it, but still just a cold. The thing is, he’s not dealing with it well at all, and apparently store brand otc cold medicine is the only substance out there he has like, no tolerance for. Or hallucinating melting walls is what those internet weirdos meant by the expired medicine ‘working too well’? I don’t know. I do know he’s making this whole thing a lot more of a problem than it needs to be. And it’s probably going to get worse when he wakes up, so come help.”

“But why would Rick lie about having some weird alien disease to hide having a cold? It doesn’t make sense. Now, him lying about having one alien disease to hide having a worse one, that makes sense.” Jerry continued to worry, gulping nervously.

“I don’t know, and I don’t get it either. I’m sure there’s a reason. Probably a reason no one but Rick would understand, or maybe even he doesn’t. But it’s Rick - that’s true for almost everything he does. Please just come downstairs. I see you’ve already given up on your big plan to help to do this instead.” Morty replied wearily.

“Given up? Oh, you couldn’t be more wrong, Morty. This is all a part of my plan.” Jerry stated, starting to look through another pile of tapes. 

"Your plan to help Rick feel better is... old anime VHS tapes? I mean... okay? Maybe it would distract him or cheer him up a little. He'd probably enjoy some, maybe even most of this stuff. That's actually not a bad idea, Dad. But it's also not a priority." Morty said.

"You misunderstand. I'm not looking for something for Rick to watch. I'm looking for something I need to watch. And once I do, then I'll know exactly how to help your grandfather." Jerry replied matter of factly.

After standing there for a moment, dumbfounded and not knowing what to say to that, Morty finally asked, "So, your big, great plan is to spend the day going through these boxes, then watching Sailor Moon? And that's supposed to teach you... something relevant to our current situation?"

"It's not going to take me all day, Morty. If your mom and I had done a better job of putting these tapes away, I'd already have what I need. And it's not as if I could watch all 200 episodes and 3 movies in a single day even if I tried. No, there's just one specific episode I need to find. I know it's technically a 'filler' episode, but it's a classic. Episode 71 of the original English dub, “No Thanks, Nurse Venus!” The bad guys infect the city with a flu virus as part of their evil plan, and all of the Sailor Scouts are down with it - except one." Jerry explained, his voice taking on a singsongy tone at the last part.

"From the title, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's Sailor Venus?" Morty said, the urge to scream growing by the second.

"That's right, Morty! For some reason, she and Artemis - that's her mentor/talking cat - remain completely fine, so Mina sets out to nurse the rest of the team back to health. She's honestly terrible at it, but she means so, so well." Jerry replied fondly.

"Dad, I - where do I even start listing everything that's wrong with this 'plan' of yours?! 1, that sounds more like a magic spell than an actual virus. 2, you can't learn anything about treating an illness by watching an old anime episode, and, and..." Morty sputtered.

"Oh, Morty. It's because I told you it's a filler episode, isn't it? Or maybe because I specifically need to watch the old DiC dub? For someone with only the most basic understanding of Sailor Moon, you really don't have any business being a snobby purist. And for your information, Mister, this episode is so good that even people who normally are snobs about that sort of thing enjoy it." Jerry said, shaking his head and giving his son a disappointed look.

“Dad, of everything that’s wrong with your plan, which is EVERYTHING, that’s easily what’s the least wrong! Just because Rick told you to go be stupid upstairs, does not mean you had to take that as literally as possible! You’re not going to come downstairs and help me, are you?”

“Obviously not, Morty. Until I find that tape and watch that episode, what help could I possibly be?” Jerry replied with a shrug. He was clearly annoyed his son still didn’t seem to understand his plan, even after he’d explained it so well.

“I mean, you could go out to get more medicine. Or keep an eye on Rick while I go do that. Or maybe make food? There’s a lot of things you could do, actually. But it’s fine. Just stay up here and keep doing what you’re doing, Dad.” Morty sighed, deciding there was no point in further trying to talk any sense into his father. Jerry was already back to looking through tapes, humming the Sailor Moon opening theme.

As Morty walked back down the steps, he muttered to himself, “What else is going to help Rick get better? I know he needs to rest, and that we need to get more medicine. And obviously that I can’t let him near more than a single dose at a time. But is that like, it? Feels like there’s more I should do. Aww geez, we really don’t have to deal with normal problems like this often, do we? Kinda makes it harder when they do come up. I hope Mom and Summer get home soon.” 

A few minutes later, Morty had made his way back to Rick’s room. Expecting his grandfather to still be asleep, and not wanting to wake him, he slowly, carefully opened the door… only to discover the bed was empty.

“Rick? Are you in here?” Morty asked tentatively, stepping into the room and looking around. He checked under the bed and in the closet. No Rick.

“God dammit!!!” he yelled, kicking the nearest wall before going to search the rest of the house.

“Rick! Where are you?! You need to go back to bed! Rick!” he called, walking through the house. First he checked the bathroom. Empty.

“You in here? Rick? Come on, this isn’t funny! Are you like, hiding because you’re mad about the medicine?” He checked the living room next. Still no Rick.

“He couldn’t have gotten far. Kitchen, maybe?” As soon as Morty stepped into the kitchen, he realized that it was also empty, but there was noise coming from the garage.

“Dammit, I should have known!” 

Morty ran into the garage and was immediately taken aback by the sight in front of him. Rick was dressed in his normal clothes again, but his labcoat was crooked and sliding down his left shoulder. He had a sock and shoe on his left foot, but a slipper on his right. His belt was unbuckled, and Morty was fairly sure his shirt was on backwards. He was trying to keep his blankets - there were now three of them - wrapped around himself while he set up another experiment and had to keep pausing to adjust them.

The experiment in question? Well, it wasn't clear exactly what Rick was trying to accomplish, but he'd gathered the petri dish containing the blood sample he took earlier, a couple of empty ones, and some used tissues, and was arranging all of them on the garage floor... in front of a large ray gun on a pedestal.

"What the hell do you think you're doing now, Rick?! Whatever it is, stop!" Morty yelled, startling Rick and causing him to stumble forward and bump into the ray gun. This led to it flipping so it was facing the roof, which it immediately shot a hole through.

"Ow! Dammit, Morty! Look what you made me do!" Rick complained, rubbing his forehead where he'd hit the ray gun.

"Uh-huh. Weird way to thank me for that hole ending up in the roof and not your head." Morty said wearily.

"Okay, so this wasn't on the right setting for what I'm *Cough!* trying to do just now. But I would've figured that out on my own without your so-called help." Rick grumbled, turning a dial on the ray gun and repositioning it so it was once again aimed at the assortment of things on the floor.

"And what exactly are you trying to do?"

"Isn't it obvious? I hate to admit it, Morty, but you were right about the idea I had before being terrible. *Sniff!* Shrinking you down to microscopic size to talk to the virus? I don't, don't know what I was thinking with that." Rick admitted as he rearranged the petri dishes. The pile of blankets slid down a little, and he started shivering again.

Noticing that, Morty helped adjust them around Rick's shoulders, saying, "Glad you realized that, but you still didn't answer my question."

"Huh? Oh, *Cough!* right. As I was saying, making you or a clone or a robot germ-sized is not the right way to handle this situation at all. In fact, the way to deal with it is the exact opposite. What I need to do for this negotiation thing to work is make the germs human-sized." Rick explained matter-of-factly.

"Rick, no! Don't you see how that's even worse than your original plan?!" Morty asked, rightfully horrified. 

“Huh? How so? There was a lot that could have gone wrong with the original plan. Even though I’d send you in armed in case the little peace talk fell through, you *COUGH!* woulda been seriously outnumbered in here, Morty. And God forbid anything happened to prevent me from getting you back out. Let’s face it, I am not in peak form today. And it’s not like there’s anyone else here to help. Shit, maybe I shouldn’t have sent Summer away. Eh, I’ll make it up to her once I feel better. Anyhow, *Cough!* *Cough!* if we do it this way instead, all those risks go away. We’ll be face to face with the bastards and on an even playing field.” Rick replied, not understanding Morty’s concerns.

“No, we won’t be! Instead of just me, it’ll be the two of us vs… How many germs are in a person’s body when they have a cold? Millions? Billions? It’s at least thousands, and I’m pretty sure it’s a lot more than that! If you make them all human sized, they’ll overrun the house, then the neighborhood, and, and wouldn’t being exposed to germs that size make everyone around really sick? How are you not seeing everything that could go wrong with this idea, Rick?!” Morty yelled.Visibly annoyed, Rick answered, “Obviously I’m not going to make all the germs our size, Morty. I mean, to do that, I’d need to remove all of them from my body first. Which would require, among other things, a full blood replacement. Which I *Cough!* might not live through, and if I did, I’d already be cured once I was done. And then why would I waste my time talking to over – to a bunch of oversized *SNIFF!* germs, huh, Morty?” Morty was once again at a loss for words due to the crazy plan being explained to him – something that had already happened too many times for how early it still was.

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 87 - Adventures in Sistem-Sitting, Part 1

Ophelia and Xander were able to set up most of the basic furniture, but not much decor yet. It'll have to wait. They're watching Marcie and Joaquin's kids while they honeymoon in Tartosa!

Ophelia probably shouldn't drink a PSL with how queasy she is but it's too tasty to resist.

The Sistems have arrived. Time for hellos and goodbyes!

Marcie: Now you boys better get along while Dad and I aren't around. I don't want you giving Ms. Ophelia and Mr. Xander trouble.

Vince: I'm really good, I promise, Ms. Ophelia. Valentin's the one who starts everything.

Marcie: I heard that, mister.

Marcie: I mean it, if you two act up and embarrass us, I'm going to make you sleep in the treehouse until you learn to get along.

Vince: THE TREEHOUSE?

Valentin: You're bluffing.

Marcie: You want to take that risk?

Valentin: Not really.

Marshmallow comes outside to see what all the commotion is about.

Violet: Hi, kitty!

Marshmallow: i sense greatness from you, small one

Violet: Hehe, fluffy.

Marshmallow: thank you for giving me your blessing, tiny hooman. i do not take this honor lightly

Marcie: Thank you again, you guys are amazing. We really would have been fine with just the sightseeing day.

Ophelia: You're out of your mind if you think I'd let you make your honeymoon less than a day. Now go on, have fun.

Marcie: Oh we will!

Ophelia figures the kids could use something to eat so she takes advantage of their new air fryer and quickly makes them some garlic parmesan chicken wings.

Violet "helps" by playing in the counter drawers.

Valentin wants to strike a deal.

Val: You don't want to sleep in the treehouse, I don't want to sleep in the treehouse. Let's just stay out of each other's hair for the next few days.

Vince: I always do, you're the one who's constantly annoying me.

Val: Be less easy to annoy.

Ophelia joins them after getting Violet settled and grabbing herself some leftovers.

Ophelia: What are you boys talking about?

Vince: Nothing! We're being nice, I swear!

Ophelia: Guys, I don't think your mom was being serious about the treehouse thing.

Val: Oh, she was.

Violet eats her wings with a spork and somehow still manages to make a mess.

Xander feeds Velma in the living room because you apparently can't sit with an infant on a barstool? Guess it makes sense on paper. Babies are bad bar clientele. They constantly throw up and never tip!

Once everyone's done eating, Vince helps out with the dishes. He's a good kid and he wants to prove that to Ophelia and Xander. He's not a troublemaker like his jerk brother!

Xander thanks him for grabbing Velma's empty bottle as he gets the baby ready for some playtime.

Val: So how's the retraiting thing going?

Ophelia: Great. I actually just finished. I picked the loyal trait.

Val: That's a good one!

Ophelia: Thanks, I thought it fit me pretty well.

Ophelia wonders if Val is still interested in changing his klepto trait too.

Ophelia: You know, I asked my old therapist, and she said there are plenty of retraiting therapists who specialize in working with kids and teens. I'd be happy to talk to your parents about it if you want.

Val: Really? Is it expensive?

Ophelia: It depends.

Val: I dunno…

Val: What if it costs too much?

The poor kid clearly doesn't want to get his hopes up.

Ophelia: You let the adults worry about that. But no matter how this shakes out, you're a good kid, okay? You just have some hurdles other kids don't. You're more than just your trait.

Ophelia: And I meant what I said, I'm always here if you need to talk.

Vince comes to finish his self-assigned chore.

Val: I can wash that.

Vince: Yeah but you never do.

Ophelia: Vince, I appreciate your help but please don't put Valentin down. He's not doing anything wrong.

Vince's plan to look like the better brother has backfired a bit.

Vince: Oh, uh, I'm sorry.

Ophelia: It's okay, hon.

As Vince walks off, Ophelia lowers her voice so only Val will hear.

Ophelia: Vince just doesn't understand how hard it is. He will someday when he's older.

Xander goes to put Velma down for a nap while the other kids watch the Brainchild Learning Channel.

Val: Mr. Xander, can we watch something else?

Xander: Yeah, sure. Pick whatever you want.

Either way, Violet is bored of TV and comes to ask Ophelia for something.

Violet: Can you read me a story?

Ophelia: Sure, sweetie. Our bookshelf has a couple books you might like. Go pick one out!

Valentin turns on the ScareMax channel.

Vince: I don't think this is what Mr. Xander meant.

Val: He said whatever.

Well, Vince can't argue with that logic. I mean, he could, but he's going to try to be the bigger Sim and get along.

Vince: Sorry about before.

Val: It's not like you were wrong. I suck at doing dishes. I don't wanna make Mom mad though, so I'm trying hard not to start fights, at least here.

Vince: I guess I'll try a little harder too.

Watching spooky movies is a great time for truces.

Valentin throws his brother a bone, since he knows what a goody two shoes he is.

Val: Ms. Ophelia's not mad at you, by the way. She just has to remind us to get along cuz she's the adult.

Vince: That's true.

Val: And I checked the backyard, there's no treehouse.

Vince: Phew.

The previous owners were parents, so they left some old kid and infant furniture behind after selling to the couple. Convenient.

Xander: Time to get some shuteye, Velly Bean.

Velma does a pretty good job soothing herself, but Xander helps soothe her to sleep as well.

[ayameyumesaki]

I'm glad I looked forward to Re;ssurection ch. 15 because damn I'm close to tears... Schnee, good boy good boy 😭

[Spoiler ahead, you've been warned!]

This chapter is talking about Schnee and Suzaku, along with Schneizel sending Lancelot and Guren's frame coat thingy. There aren't many differences in Schneizel scene, but hey, we're gonna get Cornelia talking to Zero!Lelouch next chapter.

The thing I want to talk today is the additional Schnee and Suzaku scene which is... pretty heartwarming and needed, especially in Suzaku's side. I'm not going to reveal everything, my main focus is what Schnee said to Suzaku.

In previous chapter, we saw Schnee going somewhere with Kallen which is kinda revealed here but anyway Suzaku was about to talk to Lelouch (yes shut up im totally emo he actually went out to search him in his condition just to say 'im glad you're alive' askdjaljfkahflajd) and Lelouch said he should talk to Schnee first and they did. At first Lelouch wants to leave but Schnee said it has to do with Lelouch too.

Then, he revealed that he saw the documents Ledo left behind about them so he knew the situation. He also said it was by his own will he came there. He then told Suzaku that he attacked Suzaku after the FLEIJA bombing because he was mad and tried to deny it, he also fled because of that. Since he was aware that it was never by Suzaku's will, he regretted the fact he attacked Suzaku that day.

That's why when Schnee said he found out that Suzaku is still alive, he was happy but also angry, much like how Suzaku thought about Lelouch in prev chapter :) Fun enough, he also questioned the same thing as Suzaku did in previous chapters, but in calmer way.

"Like, why don't you tell me anything about it,"

Fun enough, the way they showed this line was with Suzaku looking extra sad and guilty like how he always did in manga version, and Lelouch... Oh, Lelouch.

Then, comes the scene that makes me, cry. Literally cry, because the way Suzaku responded to it as well...

Schnee: When I heard your rescue mission is a success from Kallen-san, I was thinking about punching you at least once (hence, in prev chapter, Kallen told Suzaku to be prepared for another punch lol). But, like this... There's no way I can punch you who is hurted like this... Suzaku: Schnee...

Do you mean I waited two weeks for... Schnee trying to comfort Suzaku 🥺🥺🥺🥺 and he even cared for him.... I mean I just want Schnee to have a talk with Suzaku and this???????? Damn, Lelouch, step up your game before your bf is snatched by someone else.

Cough.

Anyway, Schnee brought Suzaku his Zero outfit.

Suzaku: To support my back, huh? Schnee: No, Suzaku-san's and Lelouch-san's. Both of yours. Zero is a hero you two created. That Zero must be able to save Nunnally-sama from this difficult condition.

Please notice about Suzaku's face. He looked kinda... mad or serious. It's certainly the face he showed as Knight of Zero, so I think it's serious. Lelouch also smiled. Zero is the symbol of justice they created together--- Lelouch is the Zero during the war and bring the peace to the world, while Suzaku is the Zero who protects the said peace with everything he has. Schnee told them that he supports both Zero.

Suzaku: Schnee, I... Schnee: Suzaku-san, even now, you are the existence I admired the most. That's why, the gratitude I wasn't able to convey that day, please let me say it again to you after this problem ends.

You see, it could be because our Suzaku is always and always been guilty driven boy he is since he was 10, so I think, here, he wants to deny Schnee's words. But Schnee is... Suzaku's subordinate for a reason. He didn't accept a no, much like his benefactor, so he just left without letting Suzaku spoke even a word and Lelouch commented on it.

It's beautiful to see how Schnee's act in Lancelot & Guren ended with him being able to tell Suzaku directly about what he actually felt. Schnee is always been the most honest one between Konoe Knights, and Suzaku was certainly grateful for his existence---and even Ledo's. Though it wasn't mentioned, you can see how much it pains him to meet Schnee, but he probably wanted to apologize anyway, because he always knew Ledo is someone precious to Schnee too, much like how they are to Suzaku. I'm glad Schnee showed to Suzaku how much he actually cares for him... Something that no one in the series showed it directly to him, probably, after Euphy.

Schnee's matter aside, we should remember that in the movie, Suzaku actually told Lelouch to return to be Zero. While Suzaku didn't say it during his conversation with Lelouch in the tower, through this scene, I think Suzaku actually wanted to tell Schnee about him stopping to be Zero. I think there is a scene where he said that his existence as Zero is a mere decoration---I think it was during that scene with Lelouch, I forgot in where though.

But clearly, through the manga, I could feel many reasons for him to think twice about his position as Zero. While Suzaku is ultimately accepted his fate to be hated as shown with the airport incident, with his inability to protect Nunnally and let her to be kidnapped and Lelouch returned, he felt even weaker than he ever was. Unlike during the wartime where he actually had a clear purpose to create a peaceful world and return Japan to freedom, Suzaku didn't have that clear purpose either, except he should live. His mentality was probably on the lowest, and you could see in that scene where he stood in the middle of an empty room, probably thinking, he was more than ready to return things back to how it should be. The manga showed how much pain he actually felt as Zero, which no one could see, through his expressions. And I'm glad this chapter explored it.

Additional comment: In this scene, Lelouch praised Suzaku about Schnee, and Suzaku said "it is something they imposed by themselves", then they stood watching the sunset. The author commented "one can feel the distance between the shadows of those two who stood next to each other, but Lelouch still enveloped the black cloth to his body".

Pretty good as a whole package. Can't wait to see Cornelia being mad and pointed her sword to Suzaku and Lelouch next. I want to see how that Cornelia goes about to kill him then say "I'm glad that you're okay". 😭

[everystephoftheway]

camp cloudtop: chapter twenty-two

Ok but writing the Briarwoods is kinda fun 

 This can be found on ao3 as well.      

“Man, we should’ve uncharmed Gilmore sooner.” 

Keyleth came around to look over Kash’s shoulder, and he pointed to some poll results on his phone.

“Since he’s started doing some of the videos with me, interest in the talent show and enrollment for next year have gone up a bunch.”

“That’s awesome! And Percy told me Gilmore’s actually answering the emails he’s been getting, so some people should be signed up already.”

Kash turned to look at her, his breath on Keyleth’s cheek, and Keyleth was quick to lean back, doing her best to smooth the motion into sitting down next to him. It’s easier to look at him from further away. she told herself. It’s not uncomfortable at all. The two hadn’t spoken about her rejection of ‘official status’ since that night, and it seemed like they weren’t going to, which was more than fine by her.

“We’re going to do another video this afternoon.” Kash closed his phone, sliding it into his back pocket. 

“That’s great. How’s your group’s performance coming together?”

“Good,” he smiled. “Zahra’s really loving teaching the kids all the little magic tricks. We still have to get everyone's costumes, but I think we’re gonna be pretty hard to beat.” 

Keyleth smiled too. “Well, you haven’t seen our group’s impeccable Macarena stylings.” 

“Are you guys talking about the group acts for the show?” Vex approached with her group in tow, hair damp from their last half hour in the pool.

Keyleth nodded. “Yeah, how’s yours going?”

“Fine, but the kids are a bit worried about time.”

“What do you mean?”

“We want it to be perfect.” Percy’s sister, Cassandra, stepped forward, voice small and polite. “And the free time we have during camp hours is not nearly enough for perfection.” 

“Well…” Keyleth pursed her lips as she thought. “I can ask Gilmore if we can have some extra free periods in the next couple days.”

“What about a sleepover?” Another kid from Vex’s group spoke up, a boy. “We had one last year.”

“A sleepover?”

“Of course!” Vex shook her head. “Why didn’t I think of that?” 

“Wait, what do you mean sleepover?”

“Every year, usually in the last week or two of camp, Gilmore invites everyone from your age group and up to sleep over one night on the grounds. We can do it the night before the show this year.” 

“It’d be kinda great for dress rehearsals,” Kash added, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s a really good idea.” 

“Oh. Okay. Yeah, sure. I’ll talk to Gilmore about it and let you guys know.” 

“I’ll come with you,” Vex said. “Persuasion’s always better with a team.”

X.X.X

“Of course we can do a sleepover night! What a wonderful idea!” 

Gilmore’s voice echoed across the lobby’s tall ceilings, arms up in excitement. Vex and Keyleth beamed at each other.

“Excellent,” Vex folded her arms, clearly proud. “It was totally my idea.” 

“I’ll need to get permission slips from everyone’s parents or guardians, but other than that I give my full approval of the idea. What day are we thinking about?”

“The night before the talent show,” Keyleth said. 

“Very good. I’ll print out the forms for you all to pass along tomorrow.” 

“Gilmore!” A high pitched woman’s voice called out from the door, and the three turned their heads to see Delilah Briarwood making her entrance.

Vex tensed, a hand reaching for a bow on her back that wasn’t there. Keyleth seemed to freeze, though the wind outside started to pick up through the leaves on the trees, her eyes laser focused on the woman walking toward them.

Gilmore immediately shifted his body to stand between the young women and Delilah, opening his arms in a warm greeting. “Delilah,” he crooned. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“Just checking in.” Her eyes briefly glanced at Vex and Keyleth, purple irises sharp and intense, before they focused on Gilmore. “I hear a talent show is in the works.”

“Ah, yes. The children really do love this place, it seems. They are trying what they can to keep it afloat.”

“How sweet and naïve.” Her head tilted slightly to the left. “Why let them try so hard when we both know the deal is all but done?”

“Nothing is done until my signature is on the dotted line, my dear.”

There was a flicker of a twitch in Delilah’s eyebrow, recognition that Gilmore’s response was perhaps different than what she anticipated.

“Well, it can always double as a goodbye celebration.”

“Why do you want the camp?” Keyleth’s cheeks burned as she blurted her question out, surprising herself. “Why this plot of land?”

Delilah simply smiled at the question, gaze burning into Keyleth’s forehead. “Oh, my dear, you know what they say. Location, location, location.” 

Keyleth’s brow furrowed, and Vex grabbed her wrist, a silent gesture to leave it alone.

“You don’t mind if we attend, do you?” Delilah’s attention went back to Gilmore. “We do love a show.” 

He smiled back at her, but there was a harder edge in his eyes. “Of course. As long as you are willing to pay the entrance fee.”

Her smile grew and she chuckled quietly through closed lips. “We’ll see you then, Gilmore.” 

[linabirb]

👀👀👀 For the bingo, I'd like to hear your thoughts on Aki (csm just to be safe because its quite a common name haha), Makima, Isagi, Kaiser, Reo, and Mikoto.

.. OH BOY I HOPE YOU'RE READY TO HEAR SOME OF THE WORST TAKES EVER

.. i'm going to be honest. I GENUINELY FORGET AKI EXISTS SOMETIMES. like my brain just goes "uhhh remember denji and power's big bro" and im like "OH". if you remember my akutagawa bingo, i think you can see a pattern which can only be described as "i am so sorry but i just cannot make myself care about brooding dark-haired anime boys" 😭😭 (dan heng from hsr is one of the few exceptions) idk i really do think his story was sad but i'm also kinda like. i was too focused on other things when i read and watched csm JSKDSLASLSL. "what things" well.. let's talk about the next character on our list.

feel free to shoot me or stab me for this. but yes, THIS WOMAN IS ACTUALLY MY FAV CSM CHARACTER 😭 (along with kobeni and asa) i just love evil women! and i love well-written evil women! and i have so much to say about her. i genuinely love the way she was written and she's a very realistic character, but i am not a fan of how the csm fandom just. doesn't care about her character at all and cares only about her crimes and i'm not even talking about her basically destroying the whole world and killing SO MANY PEOPLE, i'm talking about her relationship with denji. which is, OF COURSE, bad and extremely toxic and unhealthy, especially considering that denji is a minor. however, i think seeing that as her only "personality trait" is so.. it just doesn't sit right with me. like i would be okay with people talking about everything she's done and analyzing it and going "yeah she's still a bad person even if she's well-written and deep" but i am NOT okay with people going "yeah she's a groomer and also she killed my faves :(" like. i don't know. if you don't want to interact with such "problematic" content just don't read it? though i'm gonna be honest i'm pretty sure most csm fans are very young and from what i heard, a lot of them haven't even read/watched any "dark" content before csm. me picking "they are innocent if u ignore their various crimes" is obv a joke, i definitely agree that makima is a terrible person, but also. i can't deny that she's pretty <3 and also the fact that she just needed a hug breaks my heart every time i think about it. i actually have a plushie of her too! one of the best purchases i've ever made, she stares at me with her big ol' yellow eyes and i do everything she says. thank you for motivating me to do my hw, queen.

but enough talking about my faves. honestly.. i don't really care about isagi? which actually makes me very sad bc i found him very relatable at first but then i kinda got bored? like i can't even describe his personality, i can only say "uhhh he's friendly with other guys unless he's playing football and also. uh. he likes football"? and ig that can also be very fun and i'm usually a huge fan of characters that usually act nice but also have a very rude and mean side, but isagi is just. idk, i don't really find him that interesting and those moments when he's like, busy analyzing everything and coming up with strategies.. honestly, i just skipped them JSDKSLSLS. I WANTED MORE ACTION OKAY. i think his relationship with bachira is cute though!

BACK TO MY FAVES. i would bite kaiser's head off if i ever got the chance but he's also one of my fav characters. yeah. he's so cool, i love his design sm, i need to look like him. i want to get into his head and figure out what's wrong with him. i want to squeeze him and crush him and tear him apart, but i also love him so much. tbh i don't know anything about the new chapters, but i'd love to learn more about him, it's like, at the same time, i want him to have a backstory that's a little bit (or maybe VERY) sad, but i also kinda want him to be like that just bc he can (even though i'm pretty sure it was implied that he does have a reason for acting like that). and yes, i love his relationship dynamic with ness. yeah.

reo. another fave of mine. though i actually didn't like him that much when i first saw him, but. i knew deep down that a purple boy will become one of my faves. love this gay disaster of a man, everything that happened between him and nagi was more entertaining than every single romance movie that i've ever watched. i want him to get better and realize that he's capable of doing great things without him. i also want him to become even more dependent on him for angst reasons. it's hard. and i honestly both love and hate that moment when he decides to return to nagi right after he finally started to get some character development, because YES I WANT HIM TO GROW AND I WANT HIS PERSONALITY TO BE SOMETHING OTHER THAN "if i spend at least one day w/o nagi i will die", but also it's very realistic and as someone who was in MULTIPLE (platonic) relationships that were exactly like his relationship with nagi.. that moment was very painful. in a good way. and again, i wanna look like him.

my relationship with mikoto is very hard to explain bc it's like. in theory, i'd love to learn more about him. i'd love to stan him. but also.. i'm not a fan of how the fandom pretty much makes his DID his only personality trait? maybe i'm just on the wrong side of the fandom, but i rarely see any posts about his other traits? again, i'd love to learn more bc i have a feeling that we have a lot in common, but. but yeah. i'm a huge fan of his minigram version though <3 so silly. so squishy. so funny. (honestly, me being salty that almost all convos about mikoto usually discuss his DID is so funny to me now that after three therapy sessions i've found out that i'm most likely a system SJHSJDKDLSL like bro THAT IS YOU) about "i would push them down the stairs" i mean it in a silly playful way :) like i want him to fall down and scream in a very cartoony and funny way.

[chalterdh22]

Chapter 29:  Can we Talk About Last Night?

After my little meet and greet with Din, the night went sloooooooowwwwww!  At 6 am I made my way back to our patrol post, returned my comm and weapons, and made my way out to the speeder.  Stuck on the speeder was a note from Greef.  “Talked to your mom for you.  You should call her back though!”  Ugh, yeah, I should. 

I grabbed the note, threw it away and went back inside to use their long-distance comm.

“Suri to Peli.  Come in Peli.”  I spoke into the mouthpiece.  “Mom, hello?  You there?”

“Yes, I’m here!  What are you getting on about having someone send me messages about you?  You told me 7 days!  It’s been over three weeks!”  Boy, she’s upset.  I just let her yell.  She had every reason to be angry.

“Mom, mom, I get it!  I’m sorry!  I should have touched base.  Did Greef tell you I got a job here?”

“Of course, he did!  And I don’t know about that either.  It sounds dangerous, Suri!”

“Mom, it’s a safe city.  Not much happens here, not like Tatooine!”

“Ok, ok.  Whatever you say, I’ll believe.  So, what’s been going on?  Anything fun?  You didn’t kill off Din, did you?  No, don’t tell me, just tell me if my little man is ok!”

Grogu is great!  Din is still alive, thank you very much.”  I was full blown smiling at this point.  Ugh, I wanted to tell her about my predicament, but didn’t really want to involve her if nothing is going to happen.  One guy is gone for a few weeks, and the one is socially special, and super dangerous!

“I worry about you too, but honestly girl, I didn’t know how well you would get along with him.  I mean, you’re not like me!  I get along with everyone!”

“Sure, sure, Mom.  Of course, you do.”

“Hey, I have to go.  Some spider head is out back, and I think he’s trying to steal something.  Love you girl!  Hope to see you soon!”  And then she disconnected.  I shook my head, oh mom, I thought.  Somethings never change.  I should really get back and see her in the next couple of weeks though.

I walked back out to my speeder, hopped in, and rode back to the cabin.  Din was running through my head, like what would I say when I saw him?  Do I go up and hug him, or just act normal?  Would Grogu know something happened?  And then I felt the small beat of the necklace Trevo gave me flopping on my neckline.  Ugh, what am I supposed to do now?  Did Din know we had kissed?  Should I say something.

Seriously, years go by and nothing!  Now, there’s two guys, who are night and day different, who actually liked me, and I liked them. 

By the time all these thoughts went through my brain, I arrived at the cabin.  I just need to sleep I thought.  I hopped off the speeder, walked in and Din was in the kitchen with the kid, making him something to eat.  Well, here we go, I thought.  I threw my new bag, which now had a new swimsuit in it, on the sofa.

“Hey guys!  Good morning!”  Grogu was busy eating, who knows what, and Din was using the stove, so his back was to me.  I walked slowly up to him, hugged him around his waist.  “Good morning.”  I whispered softly.  He stopped what he was doing, removed it from the stove so it wouldn’t burn and turned to me.  He took his hands, and gently held me.

“Good morning.”  I leaned into his chest and gave him a big hug.  “Do you want something to eat?”

“Sure, but then I have to sleep.”  I sat down with him and ate at the table with Grogu.  The kid actually saw me sitting there and waddled over to me.  He touched the necklace Trevo borrowed to me and cooed.  “I know.  Isn’t it pretty?  It’s a gift, but I have to give it back.  It’s for safe keeping is all.”

“Where did you get it?”

“From a friend.”

“Hm, and why does this friend want it back?”  I kept shoveling food in my mouth as to not have to answer.  Finally, I stopped chewing and looked at him.

“He has to take care of some business on another planet and gave me it to hold onto for him for when he returns, is all.”  I didn’t really make eye-contact when I said that which made what I said even more weird.  I yawned and quickly stood up.  “I’m going to sleep now if that’s ok.”  I quickly said and dropped on the couch, as not to give him another option.  Ugh, I feel horrible acting like this.

Din got up, walked to the sofa by my head, and kneeled next to me.  “We should probably talk about last night.”  He put his gloved hand on my head.  It felt so good.

“I know.  We will.  I promise.  Can you wake me up in 6 hours please?”

“Yes.”  He stood up.  I heard the door open, and they both left.  I threw a pillow over my eyes and fell asleep.

“Suri.  Wake up, Suri.”  I felt my shoulders being shaken slightly.  I blinked my eyes open, and Din was right next to my head again, squatting down.

“Hey,” I said sleepily.  “Has it been 6 hours?”

“Yes.”  He stood up and took my hand to help me up.  I gave him a hug.  He leaned his helmet onto my shoulder.  “What were you dreaming about?”

My eyes opened wide.  Sometimes I remember and sometimes not.  “Why?  Did I hurt anyone?  Is everything ok?”  I asked panicking, sitting back on the couch.  He sat down next to me softly.

“No, no!  Nothing like that.  It’s just, you were whispering my Din a few times, and you had the cutest smile on your face.”  I had sunk back onto the couch, turning all red.

“Don’t watch me sleep, Din!  Geesh!”

“I wasn’t.  I heard you say my name and I went inside to see if you needed something.  I realized you were still asleep.”

“Oh, ok.  No, I don’t remember what I was dreaming about.”  I paused and grinned at him.  “Probably me taking you down in a real fight or something!  That’d explain my smile at least!”  I laughed, and he sighed, getting to his feet.  “Where’s the kid?”

“Pond.  Can we talk now?”

“Yeah, just let me wash up quickly.”  About 20 minutes later, I came out and felt totally refreshed now.  I grabbed a piece of fruit and bread off the counter and walked to Din who was outside, down by the pond.  I sat down next to him and started to eat.

“Feel better?”  I nodded with food in my mouth.  He chuckled.

He let me scarf my food down, like I usually do.  I leaned back on my elbows, stretching out a bit.  Din turned to look at me now.  “So,” I started.  “About last night,”

“Wait, can I start?”  he asked quickly, cutting me off.  He seemed to have something to say, which was perfect because I had no clue!

I sat up next to him now.  “Sure!”

He sighed and held my hands in his lap.  “Last night was one of the best nights I have ever had.”  He paused.  His voice sounded weirder than normal.  I turned and totally faced him, realizing how difficult this was for him.  He probably never has dealt with something like this before.  I squeezed his hands tighter.

“It’s ok.  Tell me what you want to say.”  Reassuring him, everything will be ok.

“I don’t know how to be there for you.  I don’t know what you need from me.”

“We can do everything at your pace.  I’m patient.  Your relationship with Grogu didn’t happen in one night, right?”

“No, it didn’t.”

“See, sometimes it takes time to figure out what we need from each other.  There’s no right way to handle this.”

He nodded and sighed again.  “I must take Grogu on a mission tomorrow.  We should be back in a week.  Is that ok?”

I all but laughed.  “Did a Mandalorian ask me if it was ok for him to go on a mission?  That’s a first!”  I said teasingly.  I looked at him and he was still.  “You know what I want?  When you are home, I would like to not be talking to a wall!  I want some reaction, good, bad, or ugly!  I want a small bit of sense of humor to come out of you!  That’s what I want!”  I all but was yelling at him.  I knew he wouldn’t just change completely, but at least he knew he could let his guard down around the kid and me.

“Ok, but I’m not telling any jokes.”  Wait, was that a joke?

[inairbinad]

Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson; 9/12 chapters; Explicit

Things are progressing for our boys...read chapters 8 & 9 on ao3 now!

A future fic where Steve gets a glimpse at an alternative universe where Barb survived, causing a cascade of changes in their lives that somehow leads to him being practically married to Eddie Munson. By the time he's thrust back into his regular life, he's got some decisions to make about how he wants to live moving forward, especially when Eddie comes crashing back into his world.

“I cannot believe you’re wearing that,” Robin had eyed him skeptically as they both got ready to work through closing. “I’ve only ever seen you in it when we go to clubs, and the very gay ones at that.”

“I have definitely worn this to work before,” Steve argued, once more checking his reflection in the mirror. He was wearing his best pair of jeans that he knew for a fact his ass looked great in, along with a black crop top that had Pretty Boy printed across the chest in stark white letters. 

“I’ve literally never witnessed that,” Robin countered. “You know he already likes you, and you don’t have to pull out your slutty outfits to get his attention?”

“But my slutty outfits are so fun,” Steve winked at her. Robin rolled her eyes and left him to perfecting his hair. 

Steve realized that she was right, of course. He probably didn’t need to whip out a crop top to get Eddie’s eyes on him, but he’d already decided that one of the best parts of charming Eddie would be getting to watch him sweat. So that’s exactly what Steve planned to do. 

Eddie didn’t come in until after nine, once again with his hair pulled up and wearing his “normal” clothes. Not that it would make a difference tonight, though. The new customers in the crowd were definitely the types to recognize Eddie on sight, even if he was mildly dressed down. 

No one else in the room mattered once Steve caught the exact moment Eddie spotted him. Will, Mike, and El were set up at a table near the door, so Steve heard their excited chorus of “Eddie!”s before he actually saw the man in question. It gave Steve the split second’s notice he needed to look up just as a sea of people parted between them, just in time to catch the small quirk of Eddie’s lips when his eyes landed on Steve. Then that smile drooped right off his face as he dragged his gaze down Steve’s front and his jaw slackened somewhere around where his shirt ended and bare skin started.

Using every bit of self-control he had to not do a victory lap right then and there, Steve instead shot Eddie a wink and went back to trying to take the next person up’s order. He could still feel Eddie’s stare on him, and, out of the corner of his eye, even caught the little way Eddie shook himself out of his daze before heading up to the bar. 

“And whoever said you weren’t humble?” Eddie said first thing, eyeing Steve’s shirt with a slight flush to his face. Steve opted to give him the benefit of the doubt on that front. It was hot in there.

“Oh this?” Steve asked, looking down at himself. “Funny thing, this is a magic shirt.”

“Let me guess,” Eddie said with a skeptical grunt. “‘Cause it helps you get lucky?”

God I hope so. Steve only thought it, but his smirk probably gave the hope away. 

“Well, maybe—but no,” Steve leaned his elbows on the bar, delighting in the way Eddie’s eyes widened just a fraction, and lowered his voice. “It’s magic because it tells the person reading it what I really think about them.”

Steve was close enough to hear Eddie’s breath hitch, and the sound of it sent a shiver through him. Eddie just stared back at him, almost disbelieving, but there was something else in his eyes that Steve had seen there before. Only now he knew how to recognize it. It was longing.

Then Eddie leaned forward too, until their forearms brushed and he could reach out to pinch the fabric of Steve’s shirt between his fingers. 

“Buy a pretty boy a drink, then?” Eddie hummed, eyes still locked on Steve’s and gleaming. 

Steve felt like he’d started off with the power here, but it was already slipping away from him. He wasn’t sure he minded.

“What’s your poison?” He asked, then wondered if that was entirely too cliche. Eddie didn’t seem think so.

“Whiskey,” Eddie smiled. “I feel like I’m gonna need it.”

[lemari-be]

So, I've read the latest chapter. Stayed up 'til 4am, but it was worth it. Gotta say, the whole endgame vibe with so many art pieces you' ve made really spells closure, and I'm sad. Happy to see the fic soon in full, but sad that I won't see updates again.

Problems are a part of life, and frankly, if we didn't have any problems and had nothing to complain about, life would be pretty damn boring. I kinda see that applied in your fic. Some things will get resolved, some new crap will appear, some wounds may reopen ocasionally, but hey, that's okay. It's...realistic. Not morbid or depressing, but a well established fact, and seeing it actually applied and shown here is... cathartic. It actually shows that these characters have a life. And that had drawn me to keep reading. It's just... life. Maybe it doesn't make sense, but sometimes real things make no sense at all. So yeah, I've enjoyed it.

Also, this is a wild guess, but I have this little feeling that you're projecting a bit on Hero. Dunno why, just a hunch. Some of his thoughts...really hit home. Maybe just all students feel that way or something.

Good night, you have some rest after writing this chapter, y'hear?

You know, writing this fic has kept me company for so long that it feels kind of bittersweet for me to know the next one I'll be working on is the final one. I'll let you in on a little secret. I may or may have not hinted two oneshots (or two-three chapter length stories) that I will be writing after I finish Bask, in the latest chapter :) It won't be a sequel of course, but one will definitely be taking place after the events of Bask, and the other is a story that I couldn't really fit in the actual fic because it's mostly fun times with the boys.

As long as the fic allowed me to do so, I tried to be realistic with things, but I never really tried to force it to be that way. Some things remaining unresolved etc happened naturally in writing, but I think it's better than everything to be... perfectly okay? I feel like it'd feel a bit cheap, or maybe the actual things our characters have achieved wouldn't have as much of an impact despite being so important. So yes, what you're saying is definitely applied in my fic :) I'm really glad you've enjoyed that part in the story. While I do try not to make everything overly depressing and add lots of fluff, we have to remember that even the smallest things to someone might be a huge success for someone else.

About Hero. I wasn't expecting reading this and oh boy did what you pointed out had me a bit stunned heh. I'll say it now, it's not just a hunch, what you said. Hero is honestly the character I relate to the most for so many reasons and ironically, maybe it's the reason I had the hardest time writing his parts in the story. Of course we gotta keep in mind, that is to how I've translated him as a character in general. The way I've written him in this fic is exactly how I felt like he is as a person, I don't like to self-insert in my stories, it wasn't the reason this is why I wrote him this way. So with that out of the way, yup. What you said here is true in any case, and especially in the latest chapter (the flashback segment) got quite personal. I like to think it's not every student that feels this way though... While I do believe Hero is trying his best anyway, going to med school was more to appease his parents expectations, same with why he mostly went along with whatever they ask him to do. He's a good guy by nature, but you gotta say 'no' too, because regret is a hell of its own.

Thank you again :) And I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I'll definitely be getting some rest – well, with exams coming up, as much as I can anyway lmao You take care of yourself too, and I'll see you on the next and final one!

[kats-chaotic-wonderland]

Clone Adoption Agency (Chapter 7)

So, this was originally planned to be chapter 6, but it was too long so double uploads! Woo! Enjoy!

Kaviir landed the ship with little incident and was soon back inside the stale white walls of Kamino. She was looking around rather hurriedly for Jango. However she bumped into Darman along the way.

“Ow, hey watch it- Oh! Kaviir! Hey!”

"Darman!" She hugged him excitedly, he could feel her clothes were soaking wet, "Have you seen Jango?"

“Uh, I think he and Kal’buir are speaking with Lama Su right now.” He nodded, sure of his memory, “Why? Want to talk to them?”

"Yes! Can you take me to them?" She asked

“Yeah!” He grabbed her hand, “Let’s go!” He led the girl to a large room with multiple chairs in it. Kaviir could hear arguing from the other side of the wall. She frowned and moved Darman against the wall behind her as she inched closer to listen in.

“You can’t seriously be okay with this, Fett!” Kal shouted

“I’m not, but this is their rules, and their facilities. We need to-“

“What? Play along? Bend to their rules? It was a KID, Jango. What if they-“

“Gentlemen.” A smoother voice spoke up, “I’m terribly sorry you both had to deal with this, we do our best to keep our personal affairs away from outsiders. I can assure you, this won’t be a problem again. And the responsible pods will be dealt with appropriately.”

Kaviir frowned, this didn't sound good.

Skirata cursed in mandalorian and stormed out, he didn’t even notice the two kids as he walked away. Jango spoke some more with Lama Su before leaving as well.

Darman gave her a worried look, but she nudged him to go around and catch up with Kal. He nodded, gave her another worried look, then reluctantly left.

Kaviir followed Jango as he left and got his attention,"Jango..."

He spun to look at her, “Oh, Kaviir, what’s going on?”

"Mom told me to come get you. " She looked worried,"Also... I really need to talk to you about something."

“What’s wrong?” He knelt down next to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, “Is she hurt?”

"Well..." She explained about the Aiwha

“Okay?” Fett sounded confused, “I don’t know what she’s planning, but it sounds like she just wants me to watch you, so… come on.”

"Okay." She nodded and followed him.

“So, you go to ride an Aiwha, eh?”

"Yeah." She grinned,"It was awesome."

“I’m glad you had fun, just don’t tell Boba.” He chuckled.

"Why?"

“He’s been pestering me to take him fishing for one. If he hears that you RODE one, I’d never hear the end of it.” He smiled and ruffled Kaviir’s hair.

"See, now I have to tell him." She giggled

“Ah, but then you’ll make ME sad.” He gave her a playful frowning face, “That wouldn’t be very nice, now would it?”

"Hmmm... Touchè." She grinned

“But more impressively, in my opinion, is that you learned to fly your moms ship. That thing is actually a refitted mandalorian blockade buster, don’t know if you know that.”

"I did not." She shook her head

“Yep. That bird has some major firepower. Broke through a federation blockade once back on Hutta.” Jango laughed, “Your mom was like a one woman army.”

"I believe that." She nodded,"one hundred percent."

“Maybe she’ll show you how to use the weapon systems too. You’ve never known funny til you’ve seen a Nemoidian cha’kaar trembling like a baby for you to NOT blow his treasury into low orbit.”

"That does sound funny." She giggled

They arrived back at his quarters where Boba was looking out the window. He smiled when he saw Jango, “Hey dad.”

“Boba, good news. I brought you a friend.”

Kaviir waved,"Hey Boba!"

“Oh, hey.” He smiled and walked up to her, “It’s been a while since you’ve been here.”

"Yeah, we've been busy." She smiled

“I can tell. How’s training going for you all?” He asked.

"Pretty well." She shrugged,"Eventually the boys will catch up to me in hand to hand."

“And maybe one day you’ll be able to shoot.” Boba teased.

"Ow, that hurts." She joked and clutched her chest like she was shot

“Call it how I see it. So what’s up? Why are you here? Not that I’m complaining.”

"Mom's busy, Jango gets to play babysitter for me.' she shrugged

“Fun.” He nodded, “Want to do anything?”

"Could play a game." She suggested

“What kind of game?” Boba asked

"Dunno, hide and seek?"

“Not a lot of places to do that in here.” He sighed.

'Hmm.... What do you usually do for fun?" She asked

“Umm, I usually go on jobs with dad offworld.” He shrugged, “Sometimes, anyway.”

"Wow, haven't been off world in a while."

“Really, your mom doesn’t take you?” It was weird seeing a clone call Vette anything other than commander.

"Nope. She doesn't leave either." She shook her head

“That’s weird. I wonder why dad can?” He looked over to his fathers dressing room.

"Probably because he's higher up?" She shrugged

“Fair enough.” He nodded, “Want to see some of the places we’ve been?” He smiled.

"Sure!" She grinned

Boba grabbed a holopad and began scrolling through captured images of all of the places they had visited. Kaviir looked with him excitedly and asked plenty of questions. They chatted about those things that kids do. And eventually Jango had to put Boba to bed. They said their goodnights, and soon it was just Kaviir and Jango.

Like usual when she was here after something chaotic, he brought out the sweets and they settled down to talk.

"So, you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?" He asked sliding her a bowl of frozen sweet cream.

She nodded and looked at it,"Jango.... I need you to promise you won't say anything about any of this to Mom, or Kal, or anyone. Ever." Her eyes flicked up to his, holding a pleading gaze.

He furrowed his brow and nodded,"Of course, but what's so worrisome you can't tell your mother or Kal?"

"Well.... I think it'll make things worse for everyone...." Then she quietly began to explain about seeing the incident with Kal, then the vents, then the kaminoan child hiding in her closet.

By the end Jango was a mixture of stunned and concerned. "Twins...." He mumbled while thinking everything over.

Kaviir nodded, realizing what he meant. Leruc had lost his mother, brother, and family that day. "Jango.... he's not safe here." She frowned,"They'll kill him."

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, this was a dangerous situation. They could take this childs rescue as an afront and make it a problem for them. Putting all the kids at risk. "Let me see what I can do. For now keep him hidden. I'll help with getting him extra food and clothes."

"Thank you Jango." She hugged him tightly, he sighed and returned the affection,"I know I keep asking a lot of you. But I really appreciate everything." She said softly.

"Don't worry about it kiddo, you're doing just fine." He said gently.

They ate and worked out a few details about how to help Leruc. After another hour or so, there was a knocking at the door as Vette stepped through, she was soaking from head to toe, but looked rather pleased with herself.

Kaviir looked at her concerned,"You uh....look kinda wet."

“We were out in the ocean, hun.” Vette removed her helmet and smiled

"Touchè." She nodded

“Come on, let’s get home. Unless you want to stay and pester Jango some more.”

"I do, but I am also wet and very tired." She sighed

“Then let’s go before you catch another cold and Scrubs has to give you another steroid booster.”

"Oh how terrible that would be." She said sarcastically

“So you admit it.” She ruffled Kaviir’s hair and walked her back, “Come on, little one.”

"Okay one sarcastic remark doesn't make it true." She sighed

“No, but it’s fun to tease you, I won’t get to do it forever, you know?” Vette laughed

"Eh I'm sure you'll find something." She shrugged

“Think so? What am I going to do when you’re all big and strong?” Vette pulled her close, “My baby girl all grown up?”

"Tease my husband?" She shrugged

“That will be your job, baby girl.” Vette smiled.

"Why?" She looked confused

“Teasing your husband? I’m not going to be there to pester you two all the time.” Vette laughed, “Now hush, I’m not ready for you to go yet.”

"I'm not ready for boys yet." She shook her head

“Damn right, you’re not.” Vette scooped her up and tossed her gently in the air, pulling her back down into a hug as they continued to walk. Kaviir could tell it was a little harder for her mom to lift her now with how old she was getting.

She hugged her tightly,"Yeah."

“So. Did you have fun riding the aiwha?”

"Yeah!" She grinned,"I love him, I've named him Squiggles."

“Her.” Vette corrected, “You’ve named HER squiggles.”

"Sorry, lady Squiggles." She corrected

Vette shook her head, “You named it…”

"Yes I did." She nodded

“Why did you name it?” She looked to her daughter.

"Because." She shrugged

“Well, who knows, maybe it bonded with you.” She shrugged as they returned home. She set Kaviir down and sat on her chair, leaning her head back, “What a day…”

Kaviir flopped onto the floor,"Seriously."

“What are you doing down there, goober?” Vette smiled.

"Dying." She groaned

“Aren’t you a little young to be doing that?” Vette sat on the floor next to her.

"Yes." She huffed

“That’s too bad. Guess I’ll just go eat the rest of that cake by myself.” Vette shrugged, and hauled herself up to go to the kitchen.

"That's just rude." She huffed,"I'm dying and cake is the only cure."

“I could also get you know who in here if you’re dying.” Vette teased.

"Don't you dare." She shot her a look

“Then come over here and get some cake.” Vette grabbed two plates and some cutlery.

She hopped up and went over to her.

Vette gave Kaviir the last corner piece along with a playful wink. She thanked her but was confused by the wink. Vette sat down with her own piece and they began eating. After they had finished, and Kaviir sneaking Leruc some cake, they all passed out for the night.

Hours later Kaviir woke up from a thunder clap, she went to get some water and peeked in to check on her mother. Looking at the bed she noticed that Vette wasn’t there. She frowned and rubbed her eyes,"Mom?" She called out as she looked around.

But she wasn’t anywhere in their quarters.

Something made her uneasy. Kaviir checked on Leruc, decided to let him sleep. Then she slipped out into the facility. She spent the next hour searching. Deciding it was best to narrow things down she went to see if she was with Jango. But she could hear as she traveled further the sound of an aiwha from somewhere in the facility, it did not sound happy. Furrowing her brow she followed the sound. She was soon standing over a massive hangar with a caged aiwha in the middle. Vette was feeding it something. She furrowed her brow and made her way around to get a better look. As she got closer, Kaviir could see they were simply large fish from a decently sized bucket.

She made her way down and went over to Vette,"Mom?"

Vette looked up suddenly, “Kav’ika? What are you doing here?”

"I woke up, you weren't in the room." She looked at her confused,"Why is he in a cage?"

Vette looked beyond tired, her head was swimming in thoughts as she struggled to find the right thing to say,“Kaviir, can I ask you a question, and you give me your honest opinion?”

"Sure?" She nodded still confused

“If you saw me with one of the boys, fighting off a group of bullies to keep him safe, but they killed him anyway, what would you do?”

She furrowed her brow,"Fight them? Or get an adult? Why?"

“Because your mom is about to do something very dangerous, but necessary, for all of our sakes. I can’t stop you from worrying, but please… don’t think any less of me.”

"Mom...what are you going to do?" She looked concerned, worry laced in her voice.

“I’m going to keep you safe. I’m going to keep them all safe.” Vette sighed, “Go back to bed, little Nexu.”

"O...Kay...." She said carefully,"....mom?"

“Yes, sweetheart?”

"Don't do anything stupid."

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure none of my kids get hurt… especially you.” She sighed and grabbed an long metal pole.

"Mom."

“Go to bed, Kaviir. That’s not a request.” Her eyes held dark circles beneath them as she looked back to her daughter, something was clearly eating at her, and Kaviir could guess it was only going to get worse.

She didn't move,"Mom."

“I said go to bed, Kaviir.” Vette’s voice became more stern. Her grip around the pole tightening as the Aiwha’s pupils narrowed between the two of them.

She face palmed irritated,"Mom!"

“That’s an ORDER SOLDIER!” She slammed the blunt end of the staff onto the ground as it roared to life with electricity. The aiwha roared angrily, but seemed to retreat from Vette as its eyes were filled with a primal sense of fear.

Kaviir pinched the bridge of her nose and mumbled something very aggressive in mandoa, then she crossed her arms and gave Vette a glare,"Will you knock it off. Why do you always get so pissy when I want to ask for a hug. Damn."

Vette sighed, “Because I can’t keep you all safe with hugs… I can’t be a mom if you’re dead on some battlefield, or taken away by the Kaminoans in the middle of the night…”

"No, but you can keep the nightmares away with a hug." She huffed,"especially the ones that come up when you leave me alone in the middle of the night."

“I’m sorry, little one.” Vette shook her head, “the nightmares will have to wait, I need to keep you safe. Once I know they won’t take you away from me… once I keep away the monster out here, then I’ll take care of the ones in your head.”

"Fine." She huffed and turned to leave,"whatever you say Commander."

Vette could feel the tears welling up. She wanted so badly to turn around and pull her daughter into a hug, to take her away from all of this. She hated that she had to do this just to make sure Kaviir was safe. She could hate her if she wanted to, all that mattered is that she would live.

Kaviir could here her mothers sobbing through her helmet.

Every ounce of preteen angst shattered at that. Kaviir stopped and felt her chest clench. It only took a moment, the next thing Vette knew Kaviir had walked back over and wrapped her in a hug,"Mom... please don't cry." She could here the girl fighting back a sob,"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have acted like that."

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Vette deactivated the staff and held on to her daughter.

She held her tightly,"I love you."

“I love you too, baby.” Her hair was mess still.

Kaviir tried to fix her hair,"You need rest mom." She said sadly,"Please."

“I know, baby girl, I know.” Vette sighed, “I just need to do this.”

"just please, take a break afterwards." She sighed,"Just one day."

“You should listen to her, Ruusan.” A familiar voice called out.

Kaviir looked towards them.

Walon Vau was standing there with Delta Squad. “You’re no good to any of them like this.” He folded his arms over his chest, and his expression looked almost sympathetic.

For once Kaviir didn't glare at him she just looked back to her mother.

“Funny coming from you.” Vette sighed.

“Then maybe you should be curious if it’s to the point where I’M the one telling you.” He looked over, “The boys can handle watch duty for tonight, I’ve been meaning to teach them about Sentry detail anyway.”

“Vau… that’s not-“

“I don’t care, Vette.” It was odd hearing him use anyones first name, “Get to bed. Or I’ll tranq the both of you and haul you back to your quarters myself.”

"Mom, please." Kaviir asked softly

Vette looked between the two of them and sighed before nodding towards her, picking her up and carrying her off towards their home.

Getting inside Vette dropped her armor and helmet haphazardly and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

Kaviir waited up for her.

Vette returned in nothing but a sleeveless top and her underwear as she collapsed into bed. Her hair was a bit neater now, but her eyes still looked glazed over.

Once they were settled Kaviir climbed into bed with Vette and cuddled up to her. Frowning she cuddled beside her,"I love you."

“I love you too, Kaviir.” She wrapped an arm over her shoulder and held her close.

"Sorry..." She said softly

“Why?” She mumbled from the pillow.

"Because it's my fault we're here.... it's my fault you're so stressed...." She wimpered and buried her face into Vette's side.

Vette pulled her close and held her, “No, don’t you EVER blame yourself for this. Jango called me in, not you. I was the one who accepted. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

"I did....I told you to stay.... I wanted to train with the boys." She mumbled

“And you’ve made them so happy. They feel like they have something to live for besides the fighting.” Vette kissed her forehead.

"But you're scared."

“Of course I am.” She sighed, “I’m always scared somethings going to hurt you, but I can’t let my own fears hold you back.”

"I want you to talk to me."

“I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to talk like we used to. It’s a hard one to get right. But let’s rest for now.”

"Okay..." She nodded quietly

“We can talk tomorrow, and I’ll take the whole day off… okay?”

"Okay."

“We can do whatever you want, just the two of us.”

"Mhm." She mumbled sleepily.

Chapter 8

Chapter 6

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