#okay i held back posting this but another day of it on repeat and i cannot handle it!!!!!!!!

[beej-hunnicutt]

Today will always be the most perfect, dreary, yet utterly romantic and beautiful love song. It's soooooooo 😭😭😭😭

[itzariafiles]

a culinary tragedy

— preference | fluff, slice of life | fem!reader

— ft. k.bakugo, s.todoroki, e.kirishima, i.tenya, t.amajiki

— file brief : You try to cook. They try to survive. Love wins.

— content log : post timeskip, pure fluff

— author’s note : written for all of us who try to show love through food and end up committing mild culinary crimes. we’re doing our best.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

⭑ Katsuki Bakugo

You tried, really. He knew you did.

And he also knew why you insisted so much on taking over the kitchen.

Since you moved in together, if he didn’t cook, you both survived on takeout. Everyone at U.A. had already known you couldn’t cook to save your life—he’d seen the microwave incidents.

Burned cookies. Deflated cakes. Mysterious jelly that had once wiggled off the plate and haunted his dreams.

But this. This was a crime.

You’d spent three hours in the kitchen. Your left cheek was smeared with rice. There was something unidentifiable in your hair. Your hands were still sticky. Your face held a terrified, hopeful almost-smile.

Your boyfriend stared silently at the dish in front of him.

A single onigiri.

A very deformed, weird-textured, slightly off-color onigiri.

The nori was barely hanging on. It leaned like it wanted to escape.

He poked it with a chopstick. It jiggled.

Onigiri wasn’t supposed to jiggle.

“…The fuck is this?”

“…An onigiri?”

Why were you asking him? You made it.

He narrowed his eyes at it. Like it had personally offended him.

Then slowly—reluctantly—he picked it up and took a bite.

He chewed. Once.

Twice.

Stopped.

“…Why is it spicy?”

“I panicked! I remembered you love spicy food!”

“…You put chili oil in rice?”

“I was trying to be thoughtful!”

He paused. Blinked. Stared into the void for a moment.

Then set the blob back down with the silent precision of a man who had faced war—and somehow found this worse.

“You are never allowed in my kitchen again.”

You gasped. “That’s not fair!”

He walked toward you, cupped your rice-covered face in his hands, and sighed like a man far older than his years.

“No, what’s not fair is what you just tried to feed me.”

“But I did it with love…”

“You tried to assassinate me with love.”

And yet—despite it all—he took another bite.

“Still tastes like shit,” he muttered.

But he kept chewing.

You smiled anyway.

The next day, just to spite you, he made criminally perfect onigiris.

You weren’t sure whether to be offended or grateful.

Probably both.

⭑ Shoto Todoroki

The first time you saw your Shoto’s face light up while eating Zaru Soba, you knew you wanted to make it for him. Just the two of you, a quiet little date in the garden near your apartment.

The idea was perfect.

The execution… well, you tried.

“They’re just noodles, right? And a dipping sauce. How hard could it be?”

You kept repeating that to yourself like a mantra, but calling your cooking skills lacking was being generous.

Your mother used to tell you that you needed to learn how to cook—that no one would marry someone who didn’t even know how to keep themselves alive.

Well. You proved her wrong when, after the war, Shoto proposed to you.

Your beautiful, quiet, wonderful fiancé didn’t mind that if it weren’t for him, you’d be living off takeout and absurdly easy, child-friendly meals.

But now? It started to bother you.

So you got determined. You spent hours and hours in the kitchen.

Finally, he came back from patrol to find you nervous-smiling, a basket in your hand as you immediately dragged him outside and toward the park.

The walk was short, but your thoughts were anything but.

What if the noodles were too soggy?

What if the sauce was too salty?

What if he hated it?

What if this was the day he realized he deserved someone who could cook real food, not just semi-functional carbohydrate attempts?

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, fingers brushing yours. “You’re quiet.”

You forced a smile. “Just hungry.”

At the park, you sat beneath the same tree where he’d first told you he loved you. You laid out the blanket, opened the basket, and presented the boxed meal like it was the finest bento in all of Japan.

He blinked.

Then blinked again.

“…Is that… Zaru Soba?”

“Yes!” you chirped. “I made it myself. For you.”

He looked at you. Then the noodles. Then back at you.

“I’m honored,” he said. And he meant it.

With his usual calm, he picked up the chopsticks and dipped the noodles into the tsuyu. You held your breath.

He chewed. Slowly.

Then looked up.

“…Did you… put sugar in the sauce?”

Your eyes widened. “Was I not supposed to?! I saw a recipe online that said sweetness brings out—”

“No, no,” he interrupted gently, a soft smile on his lips. “It’s… different. Unexpected.”

“…Bad?”

He studied you for a long moment. And then, sincerely:

“It’s the best thing I’ve eaten today.”

Your heart melted just a little.

“…It’s only three in the afternoon,” you mumbled.

“Exactly,” he said, taking another bite. “Plenty of time for you to top it again.”

You bit your lip to stop the grin forming as he kept eating without a single complaint—his quiet way of loving you, even in your culinary catastrophes.

Later that night, while he ate the takeout you’d guiltily ordered (despite his protests), he kissed your temple and whispered:

“Next time, let’s cook together.”

And maybe—just maybe—you wouldn’t commit crimes against soba again.

⭑ Eijiro Kirishima

Kirishima wasn’t a picky eater. He’d eat anything.

You once caught him snacking on slightly burned popcorn and calling it, “Kinda smoky, y’know? Cool.”

So when you told him you wanted to cook him dinner—a real meal, no microwaves involved—he immediately said yes, gave you a high five, and started setting the table.

The problem was… you hadn’t exactly figured out how to cook that real meal yet.

Cut to three hours later: the apartment smells like something vaguely edible, your shirt has… oil stains? (one can only hope it was oil), and you’re standing in front of him holding two bowls of very, very, very questionable gyudon. (If you could even call it that.)

He looked at it with wide eyes and the biggest smile, bless his heart.

“Whoa! Did you make this all by yourself, my love?”

“…I did,” you said, with a nervous laugh. “I think I might’ve burned the onions. And the beef. And maybe the rice.”

He grabbed his chopsticks like it was the most gourmet thing he’d ever been served.

“Baby, this is amazing!” he said, the big, loving smile still on his face.

You blinked. “The rice is crunchy.”

“Chips are crunchy too! It’s fine!”

He took a huge bite. Chewed. Chewed some more.

“…So?”

He gave you a thumbs-up with both hands.

“Amazing! I’ve never had crunchy gyudon before.”

“Because it’s not supposed to be crunchy, Kiri!”

“And yet,” he said dramatically, “I love it. And I love you. So it works out.”

He meant every word—and later that night, while you cuddled under a blanket watching your favorite movie for the hundredth time and eating actual ramen, he whispered:

“You’re already perfect, but next time… let’s cook together, yeah, baby?”

He grinned, nudging your shoulder.

“At least you didn’t burn the house down. That’s a win in my book, love.”

⭑ Tenya Iida

From the moment you told your fiancé that you wanted to prepare him a homemade meal, he assumed you must be planning something special.

Maybe a celebration. Maybe a grand romantic gesture.

What he didn’t assume was that you’d end up personally battling the recipe… and losing.

You spent the entire day in the kitchen while he was out fighting actual villains.

You chopped vegetables with total, surgical concentration—and absolutely zero technique.

You memorized every step like you were defending your thesis.

And despite your best efforts, by the time he got home, the kitchen looked like a post-battle disaster zone.

“W-what happened here?”

“Gourmet tragedy,” you answered with an apologetic smile, guiding him toward the table you’d beautifully set. Fresh flowers, a handwritten card, the shiniest utensils you owned—all in place.

He glanced at the bowl in front of him. It sort of resembled ramen.

He pulled out a chair so you could sit—bless his big, gentleman heart—and then took the seat across from you.

He straightened his glasses.

“Did you follow the instructions step by step?”

“Yeah. Well. More or less.”

“More or less?!”

He made that face. The one he made when mediating conflict at the agency or trying to solve a national-level disaster.

Then, with reverence, he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

Pause.

Chew.

Silence.

You waited. Terrified.

“…A curious texture. Bold seasoning. I must commend your initiative.”

“Tenya… does it taste like ramen?”

“…It tastes like effort. Which I greatly admire.”

He kissed your hands gently, a soft and loving smile on his face. He kept eating. You nearly cried.

He was way too nice about this culinary failure.

Later, while the two of you cleaned the battlefield (the kitchen), Iida admitted he was deeply moved that you’d done all of this for him.

He promised to teach you how to make his favorite dish.

Step by step. With diagrams. Color-coded notes. A three-part binder. You’ll love it.

He planned the whole day himself.

And that weekend was filled with kisses, laughter, and a perfectly decent beef stew.

Which, to be fair, was a huge win—for both of you.

⭑ Tamaki Amajiki

Tamaki had a rough day.

The kind of day that left him even quieter than usual, hood drawn over his face, head low as he walked through the door.

So, as the ever-loving girlfriend you were, you wanted to cheer him up.

With food.

His favorite.

Takoyaki.

Now… was it a complicated dish?

Absolutely.

Should that have stopped you?

Probably.

Did it, though?

Of course not.

By the time he woke up from a nap and came out of the bath, your kitchen was a scene of chaos.

Steam clouded the air. Flour dusted the counters.

There was… something in your hair. You weren’t entirely sure what.

He froze mid-step.

“Hi, sunshine!” you chirped, trying not to panic.

“W-what happened here?”

“I made you takoyaki! …Sort of.”

You presented him with a plate of misshapen, slightly charred takoyaki.

They looked… afraid.

You looked hopeful.

He looked traumatized.

Still, he sat down and picked one up like it was made of glass.

He took a bite.

Chewed.

Paused.

“Darling… is it that bad?”

He shook his head.

“No. It’s… chewy. And tasty, my love. A heroic effort.”

You bit your lip. “You don’t have to finish it if you hate it.”

He looked at you—quiet, nervous, soft.

“You made it. For me. That’s… really nice. No one’s ever done that.”

And that night, he ate every last deformed takoyaki. No complaints.

Later, while you cuddled in bed watching some sappy movie, you whispered:

“Next time, I’ll order sushi. That way our kitchen survives.”

A sheepish smile tugged at your lips—

Which he quickly erased with a kiss.

“Next time, we’ll cook together, my love.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

unmanly behavior detected. stealing is not plus ultra. - kirishima (probably)

© itzariafiles 2025 ✧ be kind, be cool. (do not copy, translate or feed to AI).

[kxsagi]

THE RIN ITOSHI 'love talk' ONE? beautiful. give me 50 more. and maybe a continuation. cough,

“𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮”

a/n: I AM GLAD YOU LOVED LOVE TALK BC I LOVED WRITING THAT ONE (i just love different languages, it's so fun to speak and study them, it's so beautiful)

love talk post is here :)

i know rin is canonically fluent in english, but maybe he could use more practice on pronunciation and grammar structure, so that’s what reader is here for. also reader may be visiting japan long-term for college or has chosen to move there for a long living situation. 

(art credits go to ft_st3 on X)

you text him that night. something simple. 

"this is me :) thank you again today." 

you don't expect a response right away. honestly, you half-expect him to ghost you. he didn’t strike you as the texting type. 

but a few minutes later, your screen lights up. 

rin: you’re welcome. 

rin: i was nervous to give you my number. 

rin: i’m glad you used it. 

you blink at your phone. okay. okay, so he is the texting type. the awkward, overthinking kind. maybe that’s why it feels kind of comforting. like you’re not the only one fumbling your way through this unfamiliar city. 

the next day, you get another text. 

rin: do you want to meet again? for english practice. and… matcha? 

and that’s how it starts. 

english practice becomes a regular thing. kind of. 

he shows up with a small notebook, where he’s written phrases like: 

“how was your day?” 

“do you like cats?” 

“you are funny” – that one’s circled twice. 

you correct his pronunciation sometimes, and he corrects your chopstick grip like it’s a matter of national security. you start teaching him slang, and he repeats your words back with a furrowed brow, like he’s trying to memorize them for an exam. 

one time he says, completely straight-faced: “that’s so slay.” 

and you nearly choke on your rice ball. 

but the thing is, he tries. he tries so hard. and not just with the language. 

he starts walking you home more often. sending you restaurant recommendations with little “this one is good” comments. you’ll look up and see him watching you like he doesn’t quite understand what you’re saying, but he likes the way you say it anyway. 

he never says much. but the little things build up. 

like the time you got caught in the rain and he wordlessly held his jacket over both your heads. 

or when he learned how to say “you look pretty today” and spent the whole hour trying to work up the courage to say it. 

eventually, you ask him, “why did you help me that day? at the station?” 

he stares at you for a second. then looks away. “… you looked scared.” he pauses. “and i didn’t want to walk away from someone who needed help.” another pause. “… and you were cute.” 

you laugh, flustered. “you practiced that line, didn’t you?” 

he nods solemnly. “three days.” 

and when you lean over to kiss him, just a quick, giddy little press to his cheek, he goes bright red. 

but he doesn’t pull away. 

he just looks at you like he’s found something he wants to learn fluently. 

© 𝐤𝐱𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢

[xoluvx]

1. can u do a billie smut where u (reader) r in bed naked and billies working late n she comes home to find u like that in bed and RAILS like proper RAILSSS the reader 😉

2. billie is frustrated and u help her relax

doing the first request for this one .. might do the second one in another post 😋 enjoyyyy

It'd been a long exhausting day. When you got home you headed straight for the bathroom. You were in desperate need of a shower. The cool water felt heavenly on your skin. Your muscles relaxed instantly.

When you got out of the shower, you didn't bother getting dressed. You'd air dry today since your girlfriend wasn't home yet, not that you wouldn't gladly walk around naked in her presence. She'd been working late in the studio this week, so you took this time to do whatever you wanted.

Leaving a trail of water, you wandered into the kitchen for something to snack on. The savory sweet treat lightened your mood and you sipped some water before heading back to your room.

Scrolling endlessly through your phone, you consumed the multiple posts that flooded your social media. You were so enthralled in your phone, you didn't hear the footsteps approaching the room.

The door was open so your girlfriend just sauntered in. Her smile grew bigger, if that was even possible.

"Wow, for me?" she goofed approaching the bed taking off her jacket. She threw it on the bench at the end of the bed and you sat up, breasts bouncing with delight.

You greeted her with open arms and she happily cupped your face kissing you tenderly. Your arms clung to her back, the roughness of her clothes contrasted with your lotioned skin. It didn't take long for the kiss to turn feverish. Her hand traveled to your neck and you moaned from the pressure.

"I'm gonna fuck you so hard," Billie snarled, her lips sloppily moving to your cheek where she planted a final kiss.

She stepped away getting rid of her clothes in a flash. Her toned body stared back at you and you drooled with anticipation. She flashed you her perfectly perky ass when she opened the closet. A small section of it dedicated to your collection of dildos and vibrators.

"Which one should I use?" she asked and you squirmed not knowing what she had in store.

She came back with a pink frilly blindfold. Fuck, this could only mean one thing. She wasn't going to be nice tonight.

"Is this okay?" she asked approaching you. Her face softened waiting for your response.

"Yes," you swallowed and she tied the blindfold around your head covering your eyes. Her fingertips dragged down your neck and your chest rose at the touch.

"Are you going to be a good girl for me?" she whispered, her face now close to yours. Nodding, you felt her presence disappear only to reappear a few seconds later. She pushed you back on the bed, your arms sprawled on the mattress. Nipples hardening in suspense.

Billie's wet mouth was on your skin in seconds; you shivered. Her tongue rotated around your bud, her other hand palming your breast. She focused on your nipple, sucking, licking, slapping your tit before repeating the same motions on the other. As she sucked, she let her teeth sink on your skin and you moaned loudly arching your back. You simply felt her chuckle on your skin.

Her tongue ran a stripe between your breasts and up your throat. Your hands didn't know where to rest, you just bunched the sheets instead. When she kissed your jaw you felt her fill you up. Slowly, painfully slow. She'd chosen the biggest dildo you owned. You didn't even have to see to know.

When she was all the way in, you felt her skin press on yours. She stayed like for a moment planting kisses along your jaw, down your neck, back up your neck and finally your lips. You kissed back feeling her breasts lean on yours, you took this as an opportunity to wrap your arms around her shoulders.

With little warning she was all the way out, only the tip of dildo held you open. Then she pounded into you and the moan that filled the room was pornographic.

Her hips were fast. Incredibly fast, pushing into you ruthlessly. You felt her so deep, you were seeing stars in the darkness of the blindfold. Your mouth remained open, moans spilling off your tongue.

"You like that?" she groaned and you replied with a 'fuck yes' only encouraging her to fuck into you harder. She adjusted herself moving off the bed. With her legs planted on the floor, she pulled you lower. You felt empty and confused.

She took your legs holding them up against her body. The dildo slid into your pussy again. You felt it deeper in this new position. Soon enough she settled on the same speed as before fucking you so hard your skin slapped loudly. She leaned down, your legs over her shoulders, and kissed you.

You attacked her lips like you'd never tasted her before. Each kiss interrupted by a moan, a fuck, a yes, a fuck yes, a right there, a don't stop.

Her hand found its way to your neck, stifling your moans and groans. Her skin rubbing against your clit each time she thrusted. Each time rougher than the last, harder than the last.

Letting go of your neck, lips still resting on yours swallowing your cries, she hooked her arms under your shoulders pulling you down with each thrust. The dildo hitting every sweet pleasurable spot.

"Cum for me," she purred and you held your eyes shut even though you couldn't see anything. The simple gesture of squeezing your eyes traveled down your body, piercing your nipples, shooting through pussy and down to the bottom of your tingling feet.

Billie nuzzled her face in your neck still thrusting with no mercy. She felt the way your body quaked. The sudden silence that only meant one thing.

"Please baby," she pleaded and you surrendered letting your body reach eternal bliss. Billie pressed her lips on your cheek.

"Good girl," she whispered and those words alone made your body quiver again. She was still deep in you, she started moving but your hands felt their way down to her ass holding her in place. You weren't ready for the emptiness just yet.

Billie obliged and she held herself in place. She pushed the blindfold up to your sweat coated forehead and your eyes fluttered open to witness her plump rosy lips. She smiled biting her lip and you smiled back giggling.

"That was-" you sighed contently feeling the rush in your nipples again.

Billie cupped your face kissing you gently. It was so soft in comparison to what'd just transpired.

[callme-naomi]

Happy Father's Day!

A Father's Day post for the best dad ever!

Third Sunday of June, and the second day of Nanami being out of city for a business trip. The first night he'd had to attend a long meeting, and on the second day he'd been all through town, which led him to not being able to check his pile of messages.

Finally, diving into the cozy embrace of his bed, he opened his chats to find your name on top. Hi darling, message me when you're free ok?

With a pang of guilt for making you wait so long, Nanami immediately opened your contact to find a charade of messages.

Hi sweetheart, have a safe travel!

Is there something I forgot to pack?

Send me pictures, okay?

I miss you already.

D/N said hello!

Don't overwork yourself, okay? Love you!

One by one, he replied to all of them, before sending two paragraphs of apology, and as if you were waiting for him, you immediately replied back.

Hi, Ken! It's good to hear from you! How's work?

It's fine. Tiring, honestly, he replied, and dull without the prospect of coming to you.

I know, darling, it's not home without you here either. Do you have time for a few minutes?

For you, sure.

With a heart reaction, you texted back, what's the date today?

Confused as to why you'd ask that with a house with three calendars and a phone, he nevertheless sent the date.

Do you know what's special?

Realizing the day today, he felt a smile creep on his face, but he wouldn't give in so easily.

Less than one month left to my birthday?

NO [Laughing emoji] okay guesses ended, here's the answer.

Immediately a video came, and as it loaded, your caption soon followed, was making a video to send to you, of course you'd be missing us (but you won't say it will you, you emotionally constipated human) and I'm so glad I made this!

Baffled over the term you used to describe his reserved nature, he opened the video to see you, and your one-year-old daughter lying down side by side, waving happily at the camera and just by the sight of it he felt he could melt. His smile grew wider as he saw you talking to her, her smiling face - exactly like his - babbling all sorts of noises back at you.

'You miss Papa?' you asked, and she nodded, a toothless smile emerging.

'I miss him too.' She kept looking at your face with the toothless grin. 'But I miss him more!' And that's when she attacked you with her little punches, making all these protesting noises, especially when you held both her punches with one hand, laughing. Even Kento couldn't help but laugh softly at this cuteness.

'Okay, let's then say I love you Papa!' Getting the indication, she tried to babble after you, but only bubbles of drool escaped as she couldn't get the words out, so she clapped instead.

'Do you know, it's Papa day!' You tell her. 'Let's say it, ok? Happy Father's Day!'

'Papa!'

Both your, in the video, and his jaw dropped the moment she sweetly said the word out loud, and began waving her fists while repeating it, 'papa, papa, papa!'

He re-winded it, and brought it close to his ear just to hear she said it right. You, gaping open mouthed at her, finally squealed and over a fit of cuteness aggression, began kissing her round cheeks hard and fast. "You said your first word! Wait till Papa sees this!"

The moment the video ended, seeing you still online, he rang you up, and the next minute, you picked it, your glee audible through your voice. "How was the surprise?"

"You're full of them, but it was the best ever. Though I'll show you how much I liked it when I come home."

You responded with a giddy laugh. "How does it feel to be her first word?"

"Unable to put accurately in words." he closed his eyes, relishing the sound in his ears.

"Of course," you grumbled. "I'll be her second word."

"We can have another for you to be their first."

"Took you long enough to suggest that," he heard your chuckle. Steering the conversation, he asked, "did she say it again?"

"Nah, she's gone all shy since that vide- Oh, here she is! D/N, wanna talk to Papa?"

He felt like he could love you two all over again as he heard her excited squeals, and the moment you said, 'over to her', he gently said, "hello, princess."

Babbles.

"Do you recognize me?"

More babbles.

"Who is it?" your voice came from the background, prompting her. and then with one loud laugh, she said, "Papa!"

He didn't know if he would have any more kids again, or if his name will be their first word, but if this is what his name sounded like, if just one word could fill his heart with so much love, he'll always come back to this one moment.

[illdowhatiwantthanks]

Postpartum

Amelia Shepherd x fem!reader Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI (NSFW), sex, oral sex, hella eating out, fingering, etc., mentions of anatomy/body parts, some explicit language, post-pregnancy times (please let me know if I've left anything out!) Word Count: 2.0k

Summary: You're six weeks postpartum, and your doctor has cleared you for sex, but you're worried that it might not be the same anymore. Amelia assuages all of your worries. 😉

Request Info: This was requested by an anonymous user, but the request itself accidentally got deleted! The user also requested that the reader be an ortho surgeon and a third twisted sister. Whoever you are, I hope you find this, and I'm so sorry to have lost your original request!

“You’re good to go,” your OBGYN declared, finishing up your 6-weeks postpartum checkup.

You raised your eyebrows at her. “As in, good to go?”

She laughed. “Good to go, as in cleared to resume any and all sexual activity as you feel ready for it.”

You nodded and repeated it to yourself. “Good to go…”

But as you left Grey-Sloan, making a quick stop at the ortho unit to say hello to the nurses and the other attendings, you couldn’t help but wonder if you really were good to go. Sure, you missed sex with Amelia. You missed her body, missed connecting with her in that way, but you were also so self-conscious. You hadn’t had any major tears or anything, but you had shoved a human head out of your vagina less than two months ago. It was bound to be different down there. It felt different. What if sex didn’t feel good anymore? What if it never did? Or, even worse, what if it looked or felt different for Amelia, and she didn’t like sleeping with you anymore?

You decided to text Meredith and Cristina about it, as you so often did about any and everything.

Y/N: You guys I’ve been cleared for sex

M: Yay!

C: Good for you bitch

Y/N: I’m kinda scared tho…

M: Aw, why?

Y/N: Does it hurt after? Or like idk was Derek weirded out?

C: It feels like I could have been left out of this conversation

M: Shut up Cristina we’re being supportive! And no Y/N it didn’t hurt. You just have to take it slow and do what feels good at the time. And stop if it doesn’t feel good.

C: You don’t have a dick to deal with so you should be okay

M: CRISTINA

Y/N: I mean tbh we have several

M: Ew she’s my sister I didn’t need to know that…

C: I need to know more…

You shook your head and smiled. You decided that you might as well try, if Amelia was up for it. And there was no question that Amelia was up for it. She’d powered through like a champ, but before this, the longest you’d gone without having sex was two weeks and that was only because you’d been brought in as a specialist on a case at another hospital.

When you walked into the apartment, everything was quiet–a rarity at your house these days. You crept through the rooms, looking for Amelia and Pippa, and finally found them in the nursery. Amelia held Pippa to her chest, bouncing her softly as she slept, little chubby cheeks pressing out like she was blowing bubbles.

You placed a hand on Amelia’s back and kissed her on the cheek. You nodded toward Pippa, eyebrows scrunched.

“I just can’t bring myself to put her down,” Amelia whispered. “How was your appointment?”

“Good.”

Amelia stared pointedly at you. “Good good?”

You nodded, smirking.

If Pippa had not been tiny and fragile, Amelia would have tossed her into the crib like a football.

She placed the baby gently on her back in the crib, then crashed into you with the force of a tidal wave–or six weeks of no sex.

She pushed you into the hallway wall, shutting Pippa’s door behind her, and pressed into you, her mouth and hands desperate. She ran her tongue up and down your neck and back to your mouth and yanked your shirt over your head. God, you’d missed this. You’d missed her. Even though she’d been right here next to you the whole time. She groaned as she pushed herself into you, and you smiled into her kiss.

At this rate, Amelia would be finished before you even had a chance to make it to the bed.

“No, no!” she whined as you pulled away, her blue eyes pleading desperately with you.

“Come to bed, Amy,” you teased, taking her by the hand and leading her to the bedroom.

You gently removed her clothes and pushed her onto the bed. “You first,” you said.

She grabbed at your face hungrily as you leaned over her, kissing you with all the fervor of someone who’s love has been lost at sea for several years. She gasped and arched her back as your hand grazed over her clit.

You couldn’t help but smile at how needy she was, her hips bucking into your hand as you held it still, cupping her heat.

“Y/N, don’t fucking tease me,” she scolded, her voice stuttering. “It’s been way too long for that.”

“Oh, you don’t like that?” you said, smug. It was not often that Amelia was this powerless in bed. Usually it was the other way around, so you were enjoying this moment.

She grabbed your face, rough, and then soft as she ran her hand through your hair. “Just finish me already so I can get inside you.” She pulled your face closer, her breath hot in your ear as she whispered. “I’ve missed the taste of you.”

You’d never switched gears faster. No more power trips, just getting Amelia off as quickly as possible.

You kissed and licked your way down her body, intoxicated by the way she pushed into you and pulled you closer. By the time you reached her center, she was panting and glistening and you knew it'd only be a matter of minutes before she was absolute putty.

You pressed soft kisses into her inner thighs, then closer and closer until she was nearly bursting with the want of you, so that when you finally, finally, wrapped your mouth around her clit, she nearly lost her mind. You held her hips in place as she moaned, licking your way through her, around her, inside of her until she was shaking in your arms, hips rolling to meet your tongue. And for the final touch, you slipped two of your fingers inside of her, curling down and around, just how you knew she liked it. Her hands were gripping your hair so hard you thought might pull it out. “Y/N!” she gasped, her breath coming out in short, sharp moans as she came on your fingers. You smiled as you buried your face in her, guiding her through her high and back down again.

“Holy shit,” she breathed, her chest still heaving.

“Good?” you asked, already knowing the answer, as you wiped your mouth.

She nodded, still struggling to catch her breath. “Give me a second.”

You lay down next to her, feeling wildly pleased with yourself, especially when Amelia rolled over on top of you and pressed her mouth into yours, moaning as she tasted herself on your lips.

But as she worked her way down your body, anxiety shot through you.

You grabbed her hand. “Amy, wait…”

She looked up at you, concerned.

“You don’t have to,” you said, avoiding her eyes.

“I know I don’t,” she replied, still looking at you curiously. “I want to. I’ve wanted to for months.”

“I think…” you stuttered. “I think I’d really rather you didn’t.”

Amelia’s eyebrows furrowed. “Hey,” she said, laying down next to you and propping herself up on her elbow so she could see your face. “What’s going on?”

“I’m just not ready.”

“That’s fine, but you seemed super ready about two minutes ago.”

You didn’t respond, fiddling with an edge of your comforter.

“Y/N,” she said, brushing your hair behind your ear. “Tell me what’s going on in that pretty head please.”

She took your hand and you played with her fingers for a moment before answering.

“I’m scared you won't like it.”

Amelia looked genuinely shocked. “You’re what now?”

“I got messed up down there,” you mumbled. “What if it’s not like normal for you?”

“Oh, babe,” she said, caressing your face. “You’re not messed up. You could never be messed up. You’re you and I love you. I love all of you.”

You stayed quiet.

“Honey,” she continued, more emphatic now. “Your body made a whole human. A human that is sleeping in the bedroom down the hallway. A beautiful, precious human that I love with all my heart and hope with all my heart stays asleep for a while so that I can get in there. She had her time. It's my fucking turn."

You couldn’t help but giggle a bit.

“Listen,” she ranted, excited that your mood was brightening and trying to make you laugh more. “I’m like the Lewis and Clark of vaginas, okay? The wilderness must be explored. I gotta get in there and get the lay of the land. And it might be new, right?”

You nodded, grinning and blushing.

“But new doesn’t mean bad. Lots of times new means better. So just… let me do my exploring, okay?”

“Okay,” you acquiesced.

Amelia was gentler with this attempt, slow and steady and worshipful as she moved down your body, taking her time especially at the place where your uterus still bulged, where new stretch marks had drawn their way across your abdomen. And when she got to your center, she was gentle there, too, mindful of your anxiety, mindful that it might take your body more time than usual to warm up.

She was loving and slow and obsessive, sighing with pleasure as she placed kisses along the inside of your thighs, on your clit, all over you. Amelia’s careful touch had washed away most of your anxiety, leaving behind your flushed face, the shuddering of your body each time her skin met yours.

And when finally, finally, she had you wet and whimpering, she dove in like a woman starved.

“Amy,” you breathed, lightly holding her head in your hands as you threw your own head back, your hips rising to meet her. You could feel her smile against you.

“You want more?” she asked, and you knew she meant, Do you want fingers or a strap or a toy or anything like that?

You shook your head. “No, just–” Your breath caught in your throat, replaced by a moan as the knot in your lower abdomen tightened.  “Just keep going.”

If there was one thing about Amelia, it was that she could eat you out forever. You’d been afraid that would change, but clearly your fears had been unfounded. She was insatiable.

“Amy–” you exclaimed, arching your back as your body approached the edge. You couldn’t even get the words out, just “Amy” over and over.

She reached up to grasp one of your hands in hers as you fell apart around her, Amelia lapping up every last bit of you.

You breathed heavily, watching as Amelia emerged from between your thighs, grinning like an idiot, her face an absolute mess.

You laughed as she wiped her face. “I take it your expedition went well?”

“God!” she exclaimed, flopping down beside you. “I missed you.”

“We literally have not been apart for weeks.”

“Okay, well, then I missed your vagina.”

You giggled, rolling over a bit to kiss her on the cheek. “You’re a dork.”

“Yeah, but I’m your dork,” Amelia retorted, pulling you in for another heated kiss.

You were interrupted then by a loud, crinkly wail through the baby monitor.

Amelia groaned, but you could see a smile creeping in. She stood and stretched. “I’ll go get her.”

“Amelia!” you hissed, throwing a pillow at her. “You can't bring her in here! We’re naked, and it smells like sex!”

“She’s six weeks old! She won’t remember!” Amelia nodded at you. “Go take a shower. Relax. Then we can switch. It's almost time to feed her anyway.”

You lay in bed a moment longer, waiting to hear Amelia on the baby monitor.

“Hello!” she cooed, her voice crackling through the speaker as Pippa continued to cry. “Hi, pretty girl! Oh, I know. I know. You want Mama? Let’s go see her. Oh, you love your mama, don’t you? Mommy does, too.”

You smiled, your heart full as you listened.

“We loooooove Mama, don’t we? Yes, we do. We love her so much.”

[kotonoba]

This one will be with Ace. Sorta beauty and the beast. Ace has a hard time admitting his love for reader but reader doesnt quite feel the same yet. When ace gets turned into a dog, reader takes care of him on the ship until she falls in love with and when she kissed his little head and say goodnight ily, the next morning hes turned back

Excuses (Ace/F!Reader)

Summary: You doubt the authenticity of Ace's words when he first confesses his feelings for you.

a/n: The dog I chose was based on their personality, so a mix of a Shiba Inu and Belgian Malinois, so a Shiba Malinois. Protective but playful. I also deviated from your idea a little, these past few days have been a little strange for me.

Warning(s): slightly ooc, comedic, comedy romance, fluff

Posted on AO3

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“I like ya, go out with me,” you glanced at the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates; he always had a weird spunk about him. This time, he held his hand out like he was waiting for a handshake while bowing at a 90-degree angle. 

“Again?” You chuckled, watching the other members of the crew laugh at his attempts once more. You sat on top of some crates to enjoy the sea breeze when he approached you for the 9th time this week with the same statement, but who’s counting? “I told you, Ace, you’re not my type, sorry.” 

“I’m not giving up, just you wait,” the determination in his eyes was amusing to you. He wasn’t unattractive to you; by all means, he was adorable in your eyes. You just found it easier to reject his offer because you were just a stowaway on the ship. You don’t know when they’ll decide to abandon you on an island one day during their excursion. You didn’t want to suffer the heartbreak. 

But you also didn’t tell anyone your grievances; truth be told, you think he probably lost a bet, which is why he’s been trying to pursue you all this time. “You’re better off finding someone other than me.” You laughed, closing your eyes to enjoy the sun. Half of you still think he’s most likely not completely honest with himself yet, either. 

As the ship docked on a neutral island to stock up, you were lugged around by Ace and Marco around town to pick out items to restock on; honestly, you were just another helping hand if anything. You wonder where your spark went when all you did was feel a pang of jealousy watching Ace get hit on by the town’s ladies. You repeated to yourself that you’d be abandoned eventually; there was no need to pursue a relationship, and you had no reason to feel this way, but you did. 

As the ladies flocked over, you found yourself straying away from the group, finding solace sitting by the docks and watching from afar politely, “I know that look,” you glanced in the direction of the voice to spot Marco with a worried look to his face, “if you like him, you should have agreed to his initial request.” 

“Request to…? Oh!” You shook your head in response, eyes trained on Ace who seemed to be enjoying himself, “I’m okay with watching on the side, I’m just a stowaway, one day, I’m sure you guys would leave me somewhere,” you didn’t let Marco respond when you smiled at him, “I don’t want the heartbreak.” 

“We wouldn’t–” 

“It’s okay, Marco, I think Ace would be better off if he were more honest with himself,” you whispered. You’re aware that it sounds like you’re just making excuses for your fears. “I’ll wait on the ship, I’m feeling a little under the weather today, sorry.” As you got up to leave, you paused, “I hope you know that you are the ship’s doctor and all means our conversation stays confidential.” 

You didn’t leave time for him to respond before you returned to the ship, finding it better to sit facing the ocean. A few hours pass by as the crew returns, without Ace, but with a dog that has some of his key accessories. Before you had a chance to ask about the dog, Marco gave you a devilish look that you were too aware of, “Here, you take care of the dog.” He pushes the Shiba-like dog towards you. No one expected to know dog, but the perks of being a stowaway were that you knew a little too much about everything. 

Your face lit up as you knelt to pet the dog, “It’s a Shiba Malinois, I didn’t know people crossbred like this here too,” you spoke, half to yourself, half to the crew. “They’re rare,” you reiterated, looking up at Marco with a smile, “they sell for a lot.” 

“We’re not selling him,” you laughed at the sudden anxiety written all over the crew’s face, “we’re just going to take care of him until his owner returns.” 

You watch them file into the ship to drop off their haul, as you’re kneeling to the dog’s eye level, he slobbers you with his saliva, practically pouncing on you. You laughed, settling to the ground, before asking Marco, who came back out to see what you were laughing about, “where’s Ace?” 

Marco eyed you, then at the dog, then back at you, “I’unno, probably same place as where you last saw him.” 

You smiled, petting the dog a little more as he calmed down to lie by your side, “I’m glad he’s having fun.” 

“I take it you’re not going to go get him?” 

“No,” you responded dryly, “I’m not that big on picking someone up, y’know, the whole, ‘we’re waiting on you at the ship,’ isn’t my vibe. If he wants to play around with the town’s ladies, I won’t stop him.” 

There was a huff of anger from the dog, a chattering of teeth as if to take offense to what you said; you watched the dog’s tail wag angrily, stomping at the ground angrily. You laughed at the response, “You see him as a playboy, yoi?” 

You nodded lightly, beckoning the dog to sit in your lap, and he obediently did. “I guess that probably also plays into why I’m reluctant to be with him, aside from what I told you earlier today.” You glanced up at the doctor, who also received a curious look from the dog. “You sure are nosy, I’ll give you that,” you laughed, petting the dog again, turning his attention back onto you. “But, I still do believe that one day, you guys will ditch me on an island, even if you say you won’t, who knows?” 

You buried your face against the nook of the dog’s neck, sighing softly, taking in the sunlight scent clinging to its pelt. The dog lets out a low whine. “Even the dog agrees that you’re wrong,” Marco laughed, walking back out of the ship. “Since you’re going to be on the ship today, keep watch, okay? Don’t burn it down while we’re away!” He laughs, but you do worry about that. 

You spend the day talking to the dog and combing him, but you laugh at the absurdity of everything: “Maybe I am lonely, talking to a dog like he can respond.” You stand up after grooming his fur, leading him to some crates to sit with you, “you know, I never watched the sun set or rise with anyone but Ace, but I don’t think he truly loves me,” you muttered aloud, the dog barks at you angrily, you laughed. Petting his head a little, “Let me finish, will you? You sure do remind me of him. You two are equally as fiery in personality, easy to please, and I suppose you’re quite loyal.” You smiled a little, “Call me a coward, I do love him, but I just–” you sighed, ruffling your hair in frustration, “I don’t want it to be a sick joke or just a one time thing, I don’t think my heart can take it, you know?” You laughed as you faced towards the dog, who was looking at you with sympathy. You wipe away the tear that threatened to come out. 

The Shiba Malinois barked at you to follow as the sun slowly sets, and follow you do. The dog leads you to the spot you last saw Ace, the place where the girls who fancied him were still gathered around. Awkwardly, you pulled the dog back, laughing uncomfortably as they turned their attention to you, “Oh, you’re the girl that pirate says he likes,” they started. Too stunned to talk, they notice your sudden shock, “Don’t tell me, you didn’t know? Yeah, we asked him to join us for a few rounds of shots, and he turned us down, saying: ‘I got a girl I like, she wouldn’t be too happy to find out I’ve been playing around with others.’ And left afterwards, no idea where he went.” They did a near-perfect imitation of him, causing you to laugh, your face burned with embarrassment. Perhaps your feelings would be returned if you said yes to him. “Stay safe out there, the nights aren’t as safe as you think.” 

You thanked them and hurried the dog back onto the ship with you. Your ears burned as you returned to the vessel with the dog. You glanced at the dog and smiled, inviting him into your room. As the two of you lay in your room, which is littered with books, you embraced the dog tightly, taking in his scent. “You don’t fool me, Ace.” A look of shock was painted on the dog’s face as he looked at you, “I’m not that stupid. You’ve been proving your point to me the entire day. Why else would Marco help a dog instead of leaving it on the streets?” You laughed a little, splaying yourself over the bed, “I must say, it is easier to confess my love for you when you can’t respond, so I wouldn’t know if you intend to reject me or not.” 

You glanced at the dog, whom you knew this whole time to be Ace, who whined and attempted to snuggle you as an apology. “I’m not offended that you tried to trick me,” you responded, petting him on the head and scratching behind his ears. “We can figure out how to get you back to your original form so I can hear your answer.” You smiled. It felt like weight had been lifted off your shoulders. “Good night, Ace,” you whispered, as your eyes grew heavy, before you clocked out, you leaned in to kiss him on the head gently, “I love you. Always have, always will.” 

As you stir in the morning, warmth blasted you as you snuggled into a human, which shocked you awake, eyes blurred from the sudden change in pressure of you laying down and getting up, “Hey there, beautiful, I’m ready to give you my answer,” the sultry voice that came from Ace caused your ears to burn in embarrassment. Unaware of how he even turned himself back, you were hoping he’d stay a dog for you to be more at ease. He can’t hurt you if he can’t talk. Before you have the chance to respond, he leans in to kiss you on the lips quickly, his skin flushed at his boldness, before he pulls back, “I love you too, so please, will you be mine?” 

You were initially scared by the prospect of a new relationship, but you decided to take a chance on it with him this one time. You gave him a light nod. “I would love to.” 

“When did you know it was me?” 

You glanced at him as you began to sit up, “When I suggested we could sell you.” 

“Were you going to?” 

You laughed as his face paled the longer you forced him to wait for an answer, “I would never.”

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[nayeoniiz]

U REMIND ME. 2

chapter 1 → @cinnawonbabe | masterlist

pairings ❀ jake x fem!reader

warnings ❀ drinking, public intoxication, jake is lowkey a dick

overview ❀ jake went through a toxic relationship with winter that ultimately resulted with him having a fear of ever loving again. one day, he encounters y/n, mistaking her for his ex girlfriend winter only to find out that it wasn’t. by curiosity, he’s made it a mission to find out who this mystery woman is. will this be the girl of his dreams or will it end up as another failure?

authors note: i’m so excited to announce that i am collaborating with my good friend isla @cinnawonbabe on this story! make sure to check out chapter one before you read this. chapter one of infatuated (jungwon’s story) is also posted so go check it out! the tag lists are open for both stories, so comment if you want to stay ahead of the crowd! enjoy :)

NOT PROOFREAD!!

“yo.” in the midst of the darkness that was jake’s slumber, he felt a cold hand wrapping around his forearm before shaking him gently. he remained unmoving. instead, he opted to squeeze his eyes shut, the desire to stay asleep for just a little bit longer seeming more rewarding than whatever sunghoon was trying to do. and he knew what the objective was, how could he forget? even his dreams wouldn’t let him escape the possibility. “wake the fuck up,” sunghoon’s voice sliced through whatever slumber jake had left to hold onto as his roommate began to shake his body more aggressively. jake let out a grumble, swatting the boy’s hand away, but he wasn’t letting up.

“do you want to get up on your own, or do i have to force you?” the question alone felt rhetorical as not even a second later, whirls of icy winds invaded his skin. sunghoon held the blanket that was once stationed so comfortably on jake’s body in one hand, while he yanked him to a sitting position with the other. “it’s time, my boy.”

“what kind of ominous shit is that?” jake questioned as he rubbed his eyes, the bright sunlight peeking through the curtains blinding him before he could fully adjust to it. sunghoon didn’t speak, just held a grin as he waited for the boy to look back at him.

“it’s time,” he repeated once again, his expression doing anything but faltering as he stared at the boy. he was sure he was starting to look like a madman, but he didn’t mind. there was one thing on his mind, and he had to make sure he saw it through.

“okay, okay. stop looking at me like that,” jake grimaced as he grabbed onto the hand that sunghoon held out to him. this was the first step to a new chapter. though he wasn’t sure how ready he was, he owed it to his friend to try. that was the least he could do.

“ight, i’ll leave you to it,” sunghoon said before making his way to the door for a swift exit. “i’ll be in the living room. and you better put that shit on.”

after mumbling a quick response, jake made his way to their shared closet to see what outfit he could throw together. it was already proving to be a struggle as he shifted through all the clothing options he had. he had a whole wardrobe to pick from, but it had been forever since he’d gotten dressed up. since the breakup, he’d been shuffling through the same variety of sweats and sweatshirts; his sense of style was faltering. he poked his bottom lip out, scanning and reshuffling through the hangers as he thought of what to do. “you can never go wrong with black…” he mumbled, grabbing a black collared polo shirt. he moved over to the pants section on his shelves, grabbing the first pair of black oversized jeans in his field of vision and threw it over his shoulder with the shirt as he grabbed a random pair of socks to shove into the pockets of his pajama pants. deciding on the shoes was the easiest part, you could never really go wrong with black air forces.

when he threw on the fit, he paired it with a silver cuban chain, and a variety of silver rings to spread throughout his fingers. he took some hair shaping gel and styled his neck length hair as a wet style, sprayed some axe body spray all over, before finally making his way to the living room to inform sunghoon that he was ready to go.

there, sunghoon was waiting. his feet rested on the ottoman while he scrolled mindless on tiktok, new audios playing every few seconds as he skipped through most of what he was watching. jake cleared his throat, causing sunghoon’s eyes to meet his. the boy pursed his lips, giving a small nod of approval. just a little dressing up, and it was already starting to look like jake was back in his element. “okay, ken carson i see you.”

“yeah just sum slight,” jake chuckled, grabbing his chain to display the jewelry. they both shared a small laugh and made their way to the door. with each step they took toward the door, jake couldn’t help but to feel less and less responsive of his movements. his heart felt heavy and the door only seemed to pan out, getting further away from him despite being less than twenty feet away now. he stopped the second they were almost out the door, averting his eyes the second he realized sunghoon had noticed his lack of movement. “you good?” sunghoon raised an eyebrow, dipping his head to meet jake’s eyes. he didn’t say anything back, just took a few steps backward and shook his head.

“aw come on man, we’re literally almost out of here. don’t pussy out now,” sunghoon groaned as he shut the door. he bit the inside of his lip, squinting his eyes as he looked off into the distance in thought.

“it’s five o’clock somewhere,” he bargained as he swiftly disappeared into the kitchen, coming back with a half drunk bottle of hennessy, and a shot glass that was definitely used the night before. jake scrunched his eyebrows as sunghoon handed the glass to him, pouring the liquid into it before jake downed it without a word. the hotness of the hennessy traveled down his throat and made an unwelcomed appearance inside his stomach. he let out a few breaths trying to calm down the heat that spread throughout his body. “fuck,” his face contorted as sunghoon stared in awe.

“no chaser? you’re crazy.”

“you didn’t bring me one,” jake retorted, head already spinning as he held the glass out, urging for sunghoon to pour him up again to which he complied with no question.

“you’re a big boy, you got it.”

one again, jake took the shot straight to the head and this time he shook his head as he breathed out. “fuck!” the more the alcohol settled, the more he felt like maybe this was doable. maybe this was okay. “i think i’ll be good after this next one.” he held the glass out again and sunghoon barely got to turn the bottle up once he finished pouring before jake snatched the glass away to down it once again.

“you ready?” sunghoon asked while jake kept his eyes shut, responding with a nod. “let’s go.” and just like that, they made their way to sunghoon’s supra. as they’re driving to the mall sunghoon decided to further set the mood by playing throwaway by future. jake’s ears perked up as the familiar beat invaded his ears, the bass of the car adding onto the vibe as he began singing the lyrics with his whole heart.

“fuck that bitch,” jake mumbled over the volume of the music, which sunghoon almost didn’t catch. but he did, and he was proud.

“say it with your chest!” sunghoon exclaimed, giving him two encouraging taps on his shoulder as if putting a battery in his back.

“fuck that bitch!”

“hell yeah, my boy!” they nodded their heads to the song as it continued playing until the point where the beat switch came into play. that’s when sunghoon switched it to a song of the same nature, excluding the tenderness. by the time they got to the mall, jake was hype. he was already imagining all the girls he could possibly speak to. upon getting out of the car, jake had somehow lost footing on the flat pavement, nearly stumbling to the floor had sunghoon not been quick enough to grab him by his collar.

“can you act normal?” sunghoon rolled his eyes while jake steadied himself, regretting his decision to give the boy “courage” shots to begin with. in his defense, he didn’t anticipate how much of a lightweight his friend was.

“i’m sorry. you know i didn’t eat anything yet, right?” jake nearly slurred as they continued walking into the building. the cold air nearly punched them as soon as they stepped foot inside, the cool toned artificial lights adding onto the chill as they moved forward.

“now, listen,” sunghoon turned to jake whose ears immediately perked. “the whole ordeal is to look inviting but not desperate. keep your head on a swivel and any eye contact you make with a girl, just smile and nod for them to come over.”

“what?”

“like this,” sunghoon’s eyes searched the seemingly endless crowds of people before they found their stationary spot that jake couldn’t quite find himself as sunghoon demonstrated perfectly what he had just said before he leaned down to whisper in his ear. “and just like that, bitches come flocking.”

the crowd remained a blur as the girls approached, jake didn’t see them until they were directly in front of them. it was two girls, their style was alternativeㅡ ripped stockings under their shorts, big boots, off the shoulders cropped band tees, elaborate eyeliner, black contacts, it was very put together. they were gorgeous and all, but jake just wasn’t… moved.

“hey, sorry this is so random, but we just had to say you two are really cute,” the first girl stated, her toneㅡ at least in jake’s opinion, overly light and feminine as if to reel the boys in. he didn’t care all that much. their eyes remained focused on sunghoon, but the quieter friend’s eyes seemed to sneak glances at him.

“yeah, like… mall trip made,” the previously quiet friend chimed in.

“thank you, ladies.” sunghoon failed to hide his grin of satisfaction, his canines displaying themselves almost immediately. it never failed to shock him how easily he could attract women, he was happy to be able to quickly bring an attractive pair to his friend despite the fact that they had only walked in less than ten minutes prior. he didn’t even have to try. “this is perfect, actually. me and my boy, jake, here just moved to this area. figured what better way to get familiar than a good old fashioned mall trip.”

“oh really?” the girl’s eyebrows lifted as she pursed her lips into a surprised looking pout. “that’s cool, how are you finding it so far?”

sunghoon slightly grimaced as he looked off to the side, sucking in a breath. “honestly? it’s been… kind of overwhelming. we could really use a tour guide…or two?”

“well i can be one,” the girl, who was primarily looking at sunghoon, chirped.

“and i can be two!”

sunghoon turned towards jake, whose face remained neutral. he could only offer a shrug, not wanting to express his reluctance to stick around these girls. he wasn’t sure what switched inside of him, but now all he wanted to do was go home. and it was clear on his face, but sunghoon couldn’t quite pick up on that.

“sounds like a plan!” sunghoon clapped his hands together and the quad started moving further into the mall. “i forgot to ask, can we get a name to associate with your pretty faces.”

“oh- yeah! i’m eleanor. nice to meet you,” sunghoon’s admirer smiled, extending her hand out to both of the boys who shook them upon the offer. “and this is maya. you guys are of age right?”

“yes we’re college students.”

“perfect!”

as the group continued walking, sunghoon and eleanor’s conversation flowed easily. their distance between the quad became larger the more they conversed, leaving jake and maya a few feet behind. every time he felt as though they were too far, he quickened his pace forcing maya to follow suit if she wanted to catch up, but the bounce in her step could only display her eagerness to engage with him.

a soft smile played on her lips as she tilted her head toward him. “so… do you have a major yet? or are you still figuring it out?”

keeping it short after an inaudible sigh slipped, he replied. “business.” he didn’t spare her a glance. his jaw was tight as his gaze remained locked straight ahead, each step just a touch wider than necessary—as if silently daring her to keep up. and keep up she would. for every one step he took, she compensated with several steps of her own. she rarely remained inches behind him for more than a second.

“oh cool! are you, like, into finance stuff?”

“not really.”

“okay… um, what do you like then?”

for the first time since they started walking, jake’s movements paused, prompting maya’s to do the same. his posture stayed stiff, hands still stuffed in his pockets as he turned his head toward her, offering the briefest eye contact before looking away again.

“quiet.”

the air between them chilled. “right. well, you definitely picked the wrong group for that,” she laughed once, lightly, almost to herself. when she leaned slightly closer to the boy, he subtly leaned the opposite way.

“seems like it,” he deadpanned and they resumed walking to catch up to sunghoon and eleanor. and though she stayed by his side, every second made it obvious—he was walking with her, not with her.

maya didn’t bother saying anything else, just pressed her lips together, nodded to herself, and picked up her pace. she didn’t look back to see if jake would catch up this time.

when she reached eleanor with sunghoon who was still only a few steps ahead, she walked straight up to them, brushing past the pair’s chatter as she spoke.

“i think i’m gonna go shopping on my own,” she said, not cold, but not exactly warm either. and she didn’t wait for a response as she turned toward the nearest store window and kept walking, her footsteps steadier now that she wasn’t chasing conversation.

“ahh,” eleanor’s eyes followed behind her friend, watching before subtly shifting her eyes to the side where sunghoon now stood still. biting the inside of her cheek, she shook her head. “i should probably go too, then,” she finally said. although sunghoon knew her friend’s departure would’ve been the end of his fun, too, it didn’t soften the blow. his lips subconsciously formed a thin line as he shook his head before he replaced it with a small, forced grin.

“aw, okay. well, it was nice meeting you.” before the words fully left his lips, she was already on her way, hair flipping when she briefly turned around to offer him a smile of her own. a genuine one.

“it was nice meeting you too, text me!”

“for sure, for sure.” his voice was low now as he rubbed his temples, anger brewing in his veins the second he sensed jake’s presence creeping next to him. he didn’t even have to open his eyes before he rolled them. “what the fuck is your problem?”

jake, surprisingly taken aback by his friend’s hostility, slightly flinched as he scrunched his nose and eyebrows. “i don’t know. she’s just not my type.” what a sorry excuse, sunghoon thought. but jake wasn’t sober, so maybe he just didn’t realize how shitty he’d just been.

“well no need to be a dick,” he retorted. “if that was the case, you should’ve said something!”

“i didn’t have much of a choice?” jake couldn’t understand where this pushback was coming from. they’d only been in the mall for a few minutes before being approached, there wasn't enough reaction time for him to object, and even if there was, who was he to decide? “they were literally in front of us, i’m not that rude.”

“whatever man.” sunghoon shook his head as he started walking again. “let’s go to the food court real quick, i gotta go piss.”

“okay, let’s get something to eat too,” jake nodded as they made their way to the overpopulated eating area. chatter filled the open space from wall to wall. jake got a glimpse into each group’s lives as they passed, hearing bits of conversations he wasn’t apart of. “what are we gonna eat anyway?”

“you figure it out,” sunghoon’s eyes wandered around the area until he found the restroom sign in the far right corner. “i’ll be right back,” he said, walking off before the boy could even respond back. though the mall’s volume didn’t change, silence took over him as he scanned each franchise’s sign, unsure of what he could even be hungry for while the bodies of other mall goers moved around his still standing one. nothing stood out to him, but a scent caught him off guard as a trio of women around his age walked in front of him. he blinked, each one lasting what felt like hours as his eyes stayed fixated on the back of one particular girl’s head. a cool toned, burgundy brown hair flowing down her back that sent shivers down his spine while his heart simultaneously dropped into the deep pit of his stomach. there was just no way. she couldn’t be here, right? why here? why now?

his body had a mind of his own, each step he made wasn’t his to take as he felt himself keep walking behind the girl’s until he was right behind them in line at the korean corn dog franchise. he felt like he was on fire. the heat spread from his toes to his fingertips, sweat pooling in the palm of his clenched hands. he searched for nicholas’s face. if it was truly winter in front of him, his old friend wouldn’t be that farㅡ anywhere winter was, nicholas was always in close range. but his face just never seems to appear. the tension in his body eased. his shoulders relaxed as he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. maybe he was just imagining things. the alcohol would be an easy blame, he wasn’t in his right mind to be here alone in such a crowded space, maybe he was seeing what he subconsciously wanted to. it was okay, for now. he was okay.

maybe not. there was no way he was imagining this vividly now. he heard her laughㅡ that damn laugh. the same one he used to elicit after goofing around, trying to ease the attitude she’d caught with him over something minimal that she had waited too long to speak up about. the same laugh that he’d get after one of his unfunny jokes finally landed in a conversation. the same giggle she’d squeal out when he’d just hold her in his arms, showering her with kisses after a long day at practiceㅡ when he’d miss her the most. he just heard it, she was really here. all the pain, all of his buried emotions hit him at once. all he knew now was that he wanted- no he needed to go home.

“y/n, stop!” a voice yelped before giggling. “there’s no way you actually said that to her.”

jake’s eyebrows furrowed as he chimed out the audio of the world around him, his focus zooming

in on the girls in front of him. they turned to winter as she laughed. but, if that was winter then why would they call her y/n? who the fuck is y/n??

“i have to get out of here,” he mumbled to no one other than himself, swiftly making his way to the area he saw sunghoon walk to before he stopped paying attention. it was quiet around him, his heartbeat boomed in his ears and he felt it through his body. breathing jagged, head spinning, and sunghoon was still nowhere to be found. tears began to well in his eyes, but who was he to cry? was that even winter? he sat down at the first empty table he found, resting his head in his folded arms at he sniffled, trying to swallow the remaining pain that was still brewing. lifting his head, he breathed out and rose again making his way back into the line where he previously stood. it was shorter than when he left it, but the group was nowhere to be found. he wasn’t watching where he was going until it was too late, he bumped into the very woman he was looking for, the collide crushing the drink she was holding loosely onto as the cold fizzy soda exploded onto both of their shirts.

“shit!” the girl exclaimed, her eyes darting down to the brown mess on her previously white blouse. “yo! watch where the fuck you’re….” as her eyes trailed back up, they met with his and the world felt like it had stood still for just a moment. “going?”

god, he sure was a looker. the anger she felt had dissipated and any of the crude words she wanted to spill were long gone. “um, sorry about that. are you okay?”

her behavior caught off guard, it was almost as if they were strangers. he blinked. “uh… yeah. i’m sorry about that. i should’ve… i should’ve watched where i was going,” his voice cracked, it was too many octaves too light and you could hear the tremble despite the volume of the room barely making his words audible. the distress was written on his face and it concerned the girl. he was like a lost child searching for his mommy.

“are you okay? do you need to sit down or something? you look like you’re going to pass out.”

“uh-“ his eyes flickered to her two friends, and it only left him feeling more deranged. it wasn’t ningning and karina, winter’s best friends. he didn’t recognize these two at all. “c'mon you can sit with us, hun. it’s okay. do you want anything to drink? water?”

“no, i’m good,” he followed them to sit down, still weary of winter’s possible tricks. he tried to search her eyes for some sort of malice intent, but all he could see was concern. genuine worry for him. he tried to sit as far away from them as he possibly could without it being noticeable. nobody said anything, almost as if they were waiting for him to break the silence first. he refused.

“well, uh- hi, nice to meet you, i’m y/n,” the girl finally spoke. y/n? the name he heard earlier? but how? she looked exactly like the girl he loved before, but somehow she was her own person. the more he looked at her, the more he couldn’t believe it. she was a spitting image. but she wasn’t her?

“i’m jake,” his words came out slowly. “i’m sorry, i should go. my friend is probably waiting for me,” he didn’t bother waiting for a response as he jumped up quickly making his way towards somewhere- anywhere else. he couldn’t stand to be around her any longer, afraid of projecting his anger towards a stranger that looked exactly like the woman who broke his heart. he didn’t care how rude his departure was or if it hurt her feelingsㅡ his was already hurt severely.

“jake, you good?” sunghoon’s voice pulled him back into his body as he looked at him. “you good?” the boy repeated walking closer to him.

“no i’m not fucking good! where the fuck were you?!”

“yo, chill,” sunghoon threw his hands up in defense as if that could diffuse the turmoil spinning in jake’s head and heart. nothing could make him feel better right now.

“NO, i just fucking saw her! orㅡ not her.. she looked just like her, but her name was different. i don’t know what the fu- i don’t know what’s happening! i wanna go home.” he stumbled on his words, still unable to make any sense of the events that just went down. none of it seemed logical. there was just no way.

sunghoon’s eyes widened. “calm down, you’re making people stare,” he whisper-yelled as he threw his arm around his shoulder, trying to guide him back to the main area of the mall.

“i wanna go home, hoon. i don’t feel good at all.”

“i hear you, buddy,” sunghoon tried to comfort him, but he couldn’t help but to stop in his tracks because he just saw her too. “what the fuck?”

jake’s eyes immediately landed on her figure, still sitting down directly in his vision and he swore he could see her looking at him too from the distance though it was all starting to blur now. “what the fuck? is that not winter?”

“don’t fucking say her name, and apparently not. those aren’t even her friends. i don’t know who any of them are.”

“okay, wait here. i’ll handle it,” sunghoon nodded as he jogged over to the area, leaving jake standing as he watched the pair interact. after a few minutes, he walked over waving his phone like a white flag in surrender but he looked anything but defeated. “count your blessings, my boy. i just put. you. onnn,” he smoldered as he handed the phone over. “put it in your phone and text her. she said you’re a little weird and off putting, but you’re cute enough to let it slide.”

“what?”

“this might be better than what i originally planned for you! damn i really outdid myself this time,” sunghoon boasted as he reached for jake’s phone to input the number himself. “same face, different person, endless outcomes. maybe you didn’t need to replace her, but you needed to replace her.”

what did he just get jake into?

[skeptical-orange]

Charles Leclerc x Male Reader

In fate we leave our chances, in life we live our chances

My first post, hope it's good.

No warning, slight angst

We were in the cooldown room, I was watching my defence against Max that ended him up on P2 and me on P1, and Oscar on P3.

"Have you guys seen the new McLaren engineer intern?"

Oscar asked.

"No, why?"

I replied.

"The whole team is pretty much gawking at him."

Oscar states as he drank his water and went back to watching the replays. I was deep in thought, thinking about the new person.

"You okay, Charles?"

Max asked as he smiled at me

--

Soon the anthems played and champagnes were spilled, I was happy spraying the others until I saw him, my world stilled.

"Charles?"

Oscar said as he stopped and looked at where I was looking at.

"Now I get why they are gawking at him."

He said as he smiled and continued spraying champagne. As I stared at him I noticed a waving hand, I glanced at the hand and saw the owner, my girlfriend. My world was in a mess, why did I stare at him? I felt the same feeling in my stomach when I first fell inlove.

"Charles."

Oscar repeated while I stare blankly into the crowd that was slowly dissipating. My eyes searched for him, my body wanted that feeling again.

"Hm?"

"It's over Charles, come down."

Oscar said as he slowly went down the stares and I followed shortly after.

--

"Charles?"

Alexandra held my hand.

"Hm?"

I felt weird, feleing her next to me, feeling her touch was... It was not like it used to be, I would be happy at her mere glance, now I fell nothing against hee touch.

"You're staring off again, amor."

Hearing her say that felt weird, like a piece of the puzzle didn't fit, I felt almost disgusted.

"Nothing, just reliving the podium."

I said as I pulled her hand up to kiss it.

"Where are we going for dinner?"

She asked as we walked towards my driver's room so I can change.

"I love you."

I said as I faced her, although it was more of, for me, making sure that I love her, that I am not confused.

"I love you too, Charles."

She grabbed my cheeks and pulled me into a kiss, I responded in kind, our tongues dance a rythm known only to us, our teeth clashes into a symphony or love.

"I won't leave you."

I pulled back and rested our foreheads together, my thumb slowly rubbing her cheek.

"Same her, Charles, I love you to the moon and back."

"I love you to the moon and back."

I smiled, yet I felt this feeling that I can't explain, it felt bad, like guilt, like I was lying.

--

Days passed and it was another gp.

I walked through the paddock to my hospitality, but I noticed something. It was him, standing there in a dress shirt and pants with sneakers. Something casual, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, and there was that feeling again, I wanted to go away but, I can't help but stare at him.

"There you go again, Leclerc, staring at him."

"I wasn't, I was trying to look at your strategies."

"Very funny, I know, Charles, better figure this thing out or your relationship will break."

"What do you mean? Alexandra is the only one I love."

"Tell that to the feeling you feel right now."

Oscar proceeded to walk away, but the feeling is still there. I take a look at him again, but he was already looking at me. And suddenly my knees wanted to give out, like he casted a spell on me with just a glance. I wanted to move but my feet were rooted to the ground, our eyes just stare into each other, like it's the only thing in the world right now, my eyes and his.

I waved at him and he waved back, then the feeling became intense, like I just wanted to kiss him-

"No no no no."

I whispered to myself as I finally got the courage to walk away, my heart was pounding and sotmach felt weird again, but this time, I know what it was thanks to Oscar.

"I love him."

"Him?"

Lewis said

"Ow shit, you scared me. Hm?"

"You just said you love him, so who is it?"

"No one."

"I don't judge, Charles, you know that, I will support you."

"I'm not inlove with him, I'm not inlove with him."

I repeated as I closed my eyes.

"Charles, come to terms with this or it will eat you alive, I won't pressure you."

Lewis patted my shoulder and went on his way.

"But, Alexandra, she's the love of my life, she-"

"She what?"

Alexandra said infront of me.

"She'd what, Charles? And who?"

She asked, with eyes that say 'I believe you are cheating on me'.

"You, me amor, I was thinking about you, there's no other woman, only you."

I said as I put my hands on her cheeks.

"Only you."

She placed her hands on mine.

"Good."

She replied as her thumbs caressed the back of my hands.

"Let's go in."

I said as I motioned to the hospitality.

--

As the practice finishes, I walked past the garages and saw him, sitting alone, with his head set on and his head laid back, his beauty was on full dipslay, the way his hair fits perfectly on his face, his red lip, his fit physique, he was a dream come true. He's perfect, perfect for me.

"No no, Charles no."

I whispered to myself as I stare at him. Maybe he's- no no no, Alexandra is the one for me, not him. Not him not him not him. I start to panic, the anxiety getting to me, what will Alexandra say, what will she do? Will she leave me? Will she ignore me? Will she accuse me of something inappropriate?

"You've been staring."

A smooth voice says, it was like a symphony performed by the angels above.

"S-sorry, I just wanted to introduce myself, I'm Charles."

"I'm Y/n."

He reaches out his hand, and I shake it, his hand is smooth.

"What brings you here, Charles?"

He asks, and the feeling is back, love is speaking and I need to listen.

"Nothing, just walking by, why are you alone?"

"I was sleeping, and they left me to be."

I nodded my head with a tight lipped smile.

"You're cute."

My body starts to heat up and I can tell my face is now pink.

"Do you wanna go out?"

I asked him, which surprised myself as I heard a gasp behind me, I turned to see, there stood My girlfriend, a hand on her mouth.

"Charles."

She said, hurt evident.

"Amor."

"Don't call me that."

"Let me explain."

"Nothing to explain, I understand, I was never the one, I will be mature and end things. Charles, let's break up."

"But-"

"No, I understand, you want men."

"Baby, it's- no- That's not true, I love you."

"Don't leclerc, just don't."

She walked off.

"Tough crowd, you okay?"

Y/n asked me as he stood up.

"You're crying."

My hand went to my face to feel, it was wet.

"I guess you're right."

"Maybe you two were never meant to be."

"Maybe you're right."

He came closer and enveloped me into a hug, I hugged him tight and cried, I cried loud and messy.

"Let it out."

He said a she kissed the top of my head.

"I'll help you be alright again."

-

[sweetchillipeppers]

Jason Todd x Reader - Teacher AU

Pairing: Jason Todd x Gender Neutral!Reader

A/N: Y’all what if I actually got back into writing fics? I didn’t know I could do that. But write what you want to see. And I want to see English teacher by day, Red Hood by night Jason Todd with History teacher reader so sue me. More importantly, I want to see Damian in reader’s classroom at lunchtime bitching about his brother. I already have part two, so that will be posted soon. (And y’all get to have a look at the Red Hood!)

Also I believe this is gender neutral if anyone sees gendered language let me know and I'll fix it.

Tags: Rivals to lovers, kind of mutual pining, Teacher AU Word Count: 3368

Pt 1 Pt 2

You were warned that teaching would be just like high school all over again. The same cliques and bullies and drama that plagued the halls when you were 15, to be repeated now that you’ve returned to the school as an adult. To think that fully grown human beings are still caught up in the same scandals, doomed to the same behaviour 10 years after they should have grown out of it. You never would have believed it until you saw it yourself. Until even you devolved to your teenage years, developing a deep hatred for a fellow colleague. Okay. Hatred was a strong word for the rivalry but the dislike you held for a certain English teacher was real. And right now, he was the reason you’ve had to delay a test for your students. The email you’d received less than 10 minutes before your class was due to start did nothing but add to the rage you felt.

“10th grade English stream A2 is running over. 7 kids still need to present their projects. They’ll be late for their next class. Sorry for the delay.” 

Attached was a list of students in the class who would be late. All unsurprisingly in your history class. Mr Jason Todd had no respect for you, no respect for your time and no respect for your subject.

As the two youngest teachers at the school, you were often paired together: volunteer work, lunch duty, after school workshops. It didn’t help that your two departments, history and english, also worked closely with one another. You hated that the kids adored him. You hated that the other teachers still adored him, especially after all his flakiness. You knew that he hadn’t appeared at over half the after school volunteer work you had to do, and that he likely had an active social or dating life that was the cause, something you missed since becoming a teacher. So maybe, the hatred was all just jealousy. NOT. As if you’d be so petty.

When you first met Jason, you liked him. Like really liked him. He was pretty and smart and you are oh so attracted to competence. You trapped him in literary discussions from the Brothers York to the Odyssey but he never minded. You threw a couple joint trip ideas around to go see a local Shakespeare play after Christmas or the early 19th century writers exhibition at the museum. He was also the rugby coach and his practice on the field coincided with your volleyball team’s in the hall so twice a week you tidied the equipment cupboard together. You were so certain the two of you would be fast friends. Maybe more. So when the librarian went on paternity leave in October and Jason needed help re-cataloguing the entire library onto the new system you volunteered. A chance to spend time with someone you liked and helping out the school: a win-win. What you hadn’t expected was that what should’ve been a couple hours at most after school for a week turned into a month-long endeavour for you. Only you. Jason would stay for at most 20 minutes before running away with some kind of excuse and vanishing for the rest of the night. By the third week, you’d started cataloguing during your lunch breaks to try speed up the process (and to avoid spending any time with him while your temper simmered under pleasantries). After that you distanced yourself. He clearly had no respect for your time and you by extension. No more literary discussions in the staff room. No more joint tidies in the equipment store and no more library cataloguing. Mr Jason Todd was the most unreliable colleague you had. The bane of your existence. And yet, everyone seems to forget this fact when he flashes a smile or starts talking about classic literature. But not you. No, you could see through his gorgeous face, past those good looks into the depths of his terrible personality. And unfortunately, the only person who agreed with you was a child.

“Todd irritates me far too often. I put in a request at the start of the year that I would not be in any of his classes.” Damian states matter of factly. The two of you were sat in your classroom eating lunch. The youngest Wayne opting to spend time surrounded by history displays instead of braving the lunch hall and eating alone. And, as the teacher, it was your responsibility to encourage him to make friends. After the two of you bitch about Jason of course. 

“I wish I could put in a request to stop seeing him in the staff room. But no, he wanders in with his fancy books and his fancy teas-”

“Those would be Pennyworth’s” He confirms.

“-Flashes a smile and expects me to be nice to him after how flakey he’s been. Can you believe it?”

Damian swallows a bite of his sandwich and nods solemnly. “I can.”

“He’s incredibly unreliable. I mean how do people give him any responsibility after this?” Your arms gesturing wildly.

“Perhaps this is weaponised incompetence. I always say to Father that he is too incompetent for his job.” Damian suggests, shaking his head. “But Father says that he is one of the most competent people he knows”

It’s not too hard to be competent in front of ‘Brucie’ Wayne. But you don’t tell Damian that.

“No, he's definitely competent enough. I know he’s incredibly intelligent and I sat in for one of his classes. He clearly just has zero time management skills.”

“And he lacks respect.”

“And he lacks respect!” You shout, then realise you should probably calm down and sheepishly rub the back of your neck. Although it seems that Damian hadn’t cared about your outburst.

“I am the blood son, he should at least be respectful to the rightful heir. But no, he and Grayson make a habit of tossing me about like a basketball.”

That sounds quite sweet to you, that Damian’s older brothers treat him so nicely and the disagreement must show on your face because Damian scoffs.

“Pennyworth tells me it’s ‘Sibling Bonding’. I do not wish to think of those two imbeciles as related to me.”

“The curse of being the youngest.” you offer in response, “Although it sounds like they want to be playful with you. That they want a good relationship.”

“I can’t believe you’re defending Todd right now.”

You huff at that, changing the subject. “Maybe you should make some other friends, that way you can spend less time with your brothers. Think of it as an escape plan.”

“Are you not my friend?” 

“Um well, yes, but I meant some kids your own age.”

“Ah. Father agrees. He says that Jon is not enough. That I need more than one friend. How many friends do you have? I will achieve the same.” Damian looks determined, which means you’re at least getting through to him. You, on the other hand, feel like a deer in headlights. Honestly you can count the number of friends you have from outside work on one hand. 

“I have lots of friends.” You brag. Damian does not look convinced. “How about you aim to make two more friends? Maybe you should join a club. Ms Song says you excel in her art classes. The art club meets on Tuesday lunchtimes and after school on a Wednesday.”

“I enjoy my lunches in the history room.”

“But this would work for both of us Damian. I start lunchtime duty next week on Tuesdays. I won’t be in my classroom.” A lie, of course, but you really want Damian to make some friends and be more social amongst the other students. You’re not sure who’s timetabled for Tuesday lunchtime duty but you’ll find a way to swap. And luckily, Damian doesn’t call your bluff.

“Fine. I shall join the art club. I suppose it is only fair that I do something uncomfortable as well.”

You have no idea what Damian is talking about but he’s joining the art club so that’s a win for you. He’s putting himself out there socially and that’s all you can hope for. The bell rings and Damian packs up his things, leaving you to get ready for your next class. 

By the end of the day you were still thinking about how much you hated Jason. It’s not like he was the only thing on your mind though. In all honesty the only thing you had learnt from the earlier half of your conversation with Damian is that you were acting like a 14 year old. Not to say neither of your grievances were invalid but you suppose you should maybe give Todd slightly more grace than you do currently. Especially if he already has one enemy in Damian. You think back to the incident this morning. Maybe it really was an accident. Sometimes projects and classes over run. You have to be flexible in teaching. You gather your materials together when the bell rings and your last class rushes out the door. 

“For those of you coming on the trip on Saturday, meet outside the school bright and early!” You call, “The coach leaves at 8.30!”

You sit back down and stretch your arms out as you log into your emails, sending one to the maths teacher asking to switch to her lunchtime duty on Tuesdays. She replies yes and you smile in success. Plan ‘help Damian make friends’ has finished stage one. Wonderful! Scanning the latest reminder from your principal, someone knocks at the door, drawing your attention away. You figure it might be Janice, one of the cleaners or Alejandro the receptionist. “Come in.” you say, and turn back to your emails.

“Where’s good to start setting up?” You would recognise that grating voice in a heartbeat. Jason Todd. You swivel so fast in your chair you almost fall out of it. 

“What are you doing here?” You try to sound as neutral and as unaffected by his very presence as possible. 

“Parents' evening. We’re sharing a classroom. The email went out three weeks ago and a reminder today?” You turn back to the monitor. The last unread email. Damn. You’d agreed to share a classroom when you were still on good terms. 

“I must’ve missed it. I’m ready to start setting up right now.” You smile through gritted teeth.

You were so wrong about giving grace. That man has done nothing but step on your toes all afternoon. That display should be changed, these books should be out, example essays from each subject should have no overlap. And the worst part is that he was right on most counts. But you don’t take lightly to being ordered around by a man who does nothing but infuriate you. In less than an hour the parents will be walking into your room and judging you and the school and you again and Jason still isn’t back. He better be in the toilet having a case of explosive diarrhoea or so help him god, the principal will have to scrape his remains off the teacher car park. It’s been 20 minutes. You suppose the classroom is prepped and ready for the parents so you could just wait anxiously by yourself. You suppose nothing was tethering him here when the displays were done as long as he made it back before the parents. You suppose he wouldn’t want to spend time with someone who had become so hostile and jagged towards him. Maybe he was talking with some of the other teachers, you reasoned. He hadn’t abandoned you again. Not after the promises about turning up and being here. And certainly not after the principal’s second reminder email that seemed more like a warning. Perhaps you should go see if any other teachers needed help last minute as well. To keep your mind busy and away from the failure Jason was setting you up for. You lock your classroom and walk towards the art room.

Jason was running late again. Dick had called in an SOS and he was closest. And to make up for it he figured it wouldn’t matter if he stopped to grab a coffee for you each as a peace offering. He did enjoy your company after all. He knew that your iciness these past few weeks had been well deserved. He didn’t mean to miss all the cataloguing but it was a particularly active week for Black Mask and Penguin and then the week after that he was recovering from a stab wound he’d gotten during a routine drug bust. Getting a second job had taken some getting used to. So he could hardly blame you for your hostility. He knew he deserved it. So in order to make amends, he grabbed you a drink from the cafe two blocks from the school before he joined you in your classroom, ready for parents evening. He signed back into the office before catching a glimpse at the time. Shit. You were going to be so angry if he was late again. So he sprinted like a madman, ignoring all his very new teacher instincts about running in corridors. As Jason rushed towards your classroom he didn't notice the art room door open and you step out, waving goodbye to Ms Song. 

The apology coffee ended up all over you. Seeping through your sweater and your shirt. Your nice, white shirt, ironed and pressed for parents' evening. You take a deep breath. 

“I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to-” Jason starts.

“It's okay Jason, really.” You swallow and turn to keep walking to your class. You were trying not to lose it. Not to cry or yell, when parents could walk through the door at any moment. Jason trailed behind you. When you walk into your classroom he calls your name. 

“What?” You snap. You have run out of patience and out of grace for him. He takes off his knit jumper, passing it to you.

“It’ll help cover the stain.”

“It’ll be weird though won’t it?” You question, eyebrow raised. You knew exactly what the staff room would sound like on Monday if anyone saw you. 

“Is that worse than letting the principal see you talking to parents covered in coffee?”

You don’t reply. He was right, per usual. You take the jumper, unenthusiastically and pull it on. It smells like him. Not that it would mean anything to you of course, it’s just a smell. It has absolutely zero effect on you. Jason was also not faring too well. Seeing you in his jumper was quite endearing. But it had no effect on him either. Everyone looked good in knit. Thankfully, you both hear the parents walking around the corridors and are able to break the awkwardness. 

“Ready to go?” He asks.

“People will like history way better than English.” You promise in response, looking at your display on ancient civilisations, matching your 9th grade class’s current topic. The bright colours and big posters were sure to catch everyone’s eyes.

Jason smirks, “More people like Shakespeare than you think.” He references his own display: a large, badly drawn, picture of Shakespeare with literary technique thought bubbles surrounding him. You roll your eyes, desperately trying to stop any trace of a smile. You were still angry at him. But right now, the parents need your attention.

The two of you finally finished the evening. It had been taxing, no thanks to your revived rivalry. You spent the entire evening one-upping each other to parents, as subtle as possible of course. When the principal had checked in on your pair, you were sweet as saints. No matter how much you disliked the man, even you couldn't deny how well you worked together. He apologised multiple times about the coffee. He really did feel bad about it all. The spill really was an accident. He also apologised for his flakiness, but gave no explanation as to why he had abandoned you for weeks on end. You found no reasonable explanation incredibly hard to believe. So you still didn’t trust him. 

When the final parents left and the two of you began the tedious task of tidying, you walked up to him. “Just because we’ve worked well together tonight does not mean I forgive you. I know you’ve said sorry but until you prove it I don’t believe you.” You used your teacher voice but kept it low enough that the few listening ears wouldn’t have the chance for any gossip. Jason nods, gulping. You continue to work in silence. When the two of you finished packing everything away, highly efficiently you might add, you knew you ought to talk to Jason about Damian. No matter how much his brother disliked him, you knew you needed to talk to him about Damian. You wanted his family to encourage his creativity as both an outlet and a means to relax and socialise. You casually leant against a desk and spoke up. 

“This might be too personal-” Jason perked up at your voice. “-but I was wondering if you could ask your family to encourage Damian’s art and creativity. I’m aware he doesn’t really have many friends-” Jason scoffs and you stare him down. He was a grown man. He needed to act like one.

Jason breaks the silence, “He has one friend, Jon. He lives in Metropolis. They see each other pretty regularly.” Jason shrugs. “Does he really need more?”

You pinch the bridge of your nose. “You need to think like a teacher. Stop looking at him like your kid brother and see him as a child having trouble connecting with his peers. I want him to have someone to talk to while at school. Someone who is not me. And not you.” You add, even though you know Damian likely ignores his entire existence. “I’ve asked him to join the art club and go on Tuesday lunchtimes. I’m sure Ms Song has told you about how talented he is.”

“She hasn’t. You’re the only teacher who knows we’re related.” Jason shrugs again. His nonchalance was getting on your nerves. 

“What?”

“The school board and principal know, obviously. But we thought it would be better that his peers didn’t. We didn’t want him being accused of favouritism.” You suppose that makes sense. That could have isolated him further. Jason stepped towards you. “And you only know because of your bitching sessions.” Your eyes widen. “Yeah I know about those.” Jason taunts. 

This man. The nerve! And after you had graciously half-forgiven him. Surely Damian had not spilled the beans to his asshole brother. No. Jason probably found out by spying or some very nefarious plot. Why would he care anyway? Everyone else at this stupid school adored him. You were indulging his kid brother and helping him talk about his feelings. You were not in the wrong here. Jason was. And he was also far too close to you now. You don’t even know when he got so close. So close to one another that you could see every freckle. Every scar. Every pore on his gorgeous face. You were too close. And you knew you were flushing. You felt so hot. FROM REVITALISED LOATHING AND HATRED OF COURSE. Not from embarrassment. Or any other emotion. You steel your eyes. He would not know how much he affected you. Stupid smirking men do not get to win. You stand up straight and look him eye to eye. “Encourage Damian’s creativity. Your brother deserves more friends.” You dodge past Jason and grab your bag from under your desk. You motion for him to grab his shit. He does so and walks out, heading straight for the office to leave. Allowing you to lock up your classroom by yourself, in the empty school, not thinking about how close the two of you had been. Never thinking about his eyes or his hair or his lips. Peeling off his jumper and staring down the ugly brown coffee stain on your shirt, only thinking about the ways Jason had wronged you.

Dividers by @/cafekitsune

[deniable-masterpiece]

this isn't really anything but I figured its long enough for a post. not proofread I just started typing and decided to expand a lil idea I had, it's not even 800 words long soooo. matt murdock x gn!reader, helping clean his ears out aka domesticism with a blind superhero can get a bit odd. works for any matt you want to picture

****

The bubbles burst and pop with little fanfare—there are too many to celebrate one vanishing with the hint of a pop to its final word. In the canal, you watch them crawl over one another, fighting to be at the very top. Scaling the skin, they don’t make it far out of the ear. 

His head is in your lap, shifting in response to the way the fizzing makes his skin crawl. For Matt, the sensation is almost that of a burning kind. Too many noises fill his ear that you just poured peroxide in. He can’t move too much or it will spill and he will have to start all over again, only with a cleaner, more raw and vulnerable ear drum to hit. Each bubble popped is a loud bang against his ear, amplified by the direct contact it makes and his begrudging powers. Like a pimple on his skin when he was a teenager and he could feel the rupture of it worse than anything else imaginable, like an earthquake that only he was affected by.  Even your whisper, your soothing voice that he loves to hear the slightest tremble in, is like a bloody scream falling on his ear as you whisper down to him. You’re doing amazing, just a few more seconds and you can sit up, okay?

Matt nods but it gets lost in the sea of twists and turns. His head is like cargo on a hull in your lap, nowhere to go but to bear the rough sea on the ship holding him up. One of your hands comes to hold his chin, but not to turn him towards you. To keep him still. The other grazes his forehead and pushes his hair back again like you did when he first laid in your lap.

You watched the fizzing slow, the bubbles stop coming to the surface and nothing but clear liquid remains in his ear. The towel next to you finds its purpose when you pick it up and place it to his ear, covering the side of his head. You gently pat him a few times—no speaking—to let him know that it is time to sit up. When he does, Matt feels the liquid drain from his ear and into the absorbent towel. It’s a necessary evil, days like these. Matt has trouble walking from the imbalance the buildup of wax causes, you joke about it happening so often that you could make candles to line your bathtub with, and he smiles he as falls into your lap, ready to embrace the pain of doing something as simple as cleaning out his ears.

It isn’t until the end that he can appreciate the pain he put himself through. He’s already feeling more balanced and in-tune than before, but he can’t stay happy for too long. There’s another ear to clean, another cycle to rinse and repeat. He moves around you and lays his head down to the other side so you have access to his opposite ear. It might not be as dirty as the other one, but cleaning both since you already pulled everything out of his cabinets and have him situated on you just makes the most sense. Matt’s a lawyer, he knows a good defense—a good rationale—and he hates that he taught you how to argue back at him through your own little squabbles. It helps that he can hear your voice better, too, and can live in a more vibrant and loud world than what he’s used to when the wax grows thick.

The best way to handle the little evils and the pain is to make them fun, to make them intimate. When Matt struggles to be vulnerable, you think back to times like these to remember that he’s human too. That he has let his guard down and melted into you instead of remaining the jagged edge that he so desperately wants to be to push everyone away. You think about how, in this moment, he’s dependent on someone else. It would be hard, but not impossible, to accomplish this task himself. 

You ran one hand through his hair, stroking it and pushing it away from his ear. Then, you held the bottle of peroxide over his ear, careful to hit your target. The liquid falls for maybe the better half of an inch and into the canal, rushing through like a flood. Matt squirms and shakes when the bubbles rise, and you’re there to hold him through it.

[dustmusings]

let me take care of you

Rex x F!Reader

word count: 5.7k

description: you have been suffering from depression for a few months and have shut yourself off from the world. a few weeks after getting laid off from your job, you get an unexpected knock at the door.

warnings: i'm gonna say this is 16+ just to be safe, heavily implied sex, depiction of depression, suicidal ideation, hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, mutual pining - let me know what I've missed !

a/n: okay so this is sooooo self-indulgent it's actually embarassing. I wrote the first bit of this when I was truly going through it and... yeah, it's just Rex taking care of the reader hehe, with a bit of suggestive stuff but not proper smut. if that's your kinda thing, I hope you enjoy! (also this is the first oneshot that I've actually posted so gimme constructive criticism pls !!)

Everything felt foggy.

For the past months, your life had felt like you were just going through the motions. Wake up, go to work, come home, struggle to sleep, and repeat. You didn't enjoy the things you used to anymore. It had been too long since you had taken a walk in the park, since you had sketched or written, and it hurt that you couldn't seem to even try and do them. Like there was an invisible force stopping you, and yet, there wasn't. It was just your own mind, lacking in whatever hormone would make you happy.

You couldn't find it in yourself to take care of yourself properly, and ever since being laid off from your job a few weeks ago, you had gone into the worst of it. You weren't eating properly, you couldn't sleep, sometimes staying up all night even though you would lay in your bed and just pray for it to be different. You hadn't seen your friends in months, though they would try and check in on you. You always told them you were busy, but you knew they knew what was going on. You had been like this before, though this time it was worse.

You shut yourself off from the world.

You hadn't been out of your apartment at all in days when you heard the knock. You made your way to your front door, and your breath hitched when you peered through the little hole and saw who was behind it.

Rex.

The clone stood in the hallway, his helmet at his hip, looking down the hall, and handsome as ever. There was no way you were letting him in while you were in this state. You hadn't brushed your hair in maker knows how long, you hadn't showered in… maybe a week? and the last time you had brushed your teeth was probably 2 days ago. Your personal hygiene was sorely lacking.

You watched the Captain through the door, your breath fogging up the glass, and jumped back when the knocking of the door reverberated around your small apartment.

What is he doing here?

You hadn't seen Rex since you lost your job, though he was among the few people who checked in with you regularly, trying to ask about how you were or convince you to come out of the house. Your stomach churned at the idea of people fussing about you, and now one of them was standing outside your door. A particular one of them that, in any given other state, you would be dying to see.

Your deep attraction and affection for Rex only made this situation more uncomfortable for you, the thought of answering the door making you feel physically sick.

You then heard your name called from behind the door in a deep, questioning voice, and your knees went weak.

“Are you in there?” He asked, followed by another knock.

You wanted to reply, to say anything, but you couldn't find your voice. What would I say? You elected to just go back to your bed, let him leave on his own, and pretend he was never here.

You scooted backwards but caught your hip on a table, sending a pile of your precious books hurtling to the floor. You held your breath, hoping Rex had not heard the noise, but it was no use.

Rex called your name again, and this time, it was gentler, “…Please let me in”

Your eyes watered as you walked up to the door, your finger hovering over the button that would cause it to slide open.

“I'm fine Rex, you can go” You tried to sound as resolute as you could, but the quiver in your voice was obvious.

“Cyare… let me in. I'm not leaving”

The nickname hit you hard, and you truly felt like clutching your chest as it pulled at the part of you that desired the clone on the other side of the door like no other.

You had met Rex years ago, at the job you had recently been let go from, working as a civilian medic on Coruscant.

The Captain could rarely be convinced by his brothers to take himself to the medbay, much more of the suffer in silence type. However, once you had begun working there, he had started making trips there for every little bump and scratch, and sometimes even when he was in perfect health, he would go claiming a cold or headache. He had always had a soft spot for you, and though he'd never admit it, he made it obvious. Everyone around him knew, everyone around you knew, but for whatever reason, you hadn't cottoned on at all.

He found you exceedingly beautiful, obviously intelligent, and just the most wonderful and bright spark of a person he'd ever met. Though, that was far from what you were feeling like at the moment.

You had also been enamoured by the Captain from the very start. The moment he walked into the medbay and made eye contact with you, you were done for. Whether it was his loyalty to his men, his commanding presence, or his wonderful smile that did it, you didn't know, but you were kriffed from the beginning.

“I can't let you in” You said, leaning your forehead into the door.

“Why not?” He said in a hushed tone that you could barely hear.

“I- I'm just not feeling well okay?” You choked out, vastly minimising the issue.

“I dont mind Cyare, just let me in. Please” He begged, but you just shook your head, squeezing your eyes shut.

You and Rex had grown into good friends quite naturally. In his needless visits to the med bay, he would often stay after hours and help you clean up, and you would fall into conversation about anything and everything. You shared many opinions about a variety of topics and would talk about your respective favourite things. Rex found that he learned a great deal about the wider galaxy from you, and he could hear you talk about art for hours upon end.

You were a fantastic artist, absolutely brilliant in any media, but Rex loved your sketches the most. You had brought him to your apartment once after work, when he had practically begged to see your work. He liked the simplicity of it, creating life with just a few stokes of a pencil. Your drawings held such character, such joy, such sorrow, and Rex thought that they were always so uniquely you. For that, he loved them.

“Rex I-” You didn't know what to say. You sank to your knees on the floor, letting your tears silently fall down your cheeks.

“Please…” He said one more time, and you finally broke.

You reached up and pressed the button, and the door zipped open to reveal your defeated posture to him. You dared not look up at him. You didn't want him to see you like this at all, but the thought of looking him in the eye when you knew how dishevelled, how weak you looked, you couldn't stomach it.

“Oh Cyare” He said softly and closed the door behind him, sinking to his knees in front of you. He tentatively placed a hand on your knee and began rubbing his thumb back and forth. “What's happened? You haven't been in the medbay for weeks”

“I was laid off” You replied quietly.

“What? Why would they do that?” He asked, genuinely confused. You were a talented medic. He could see no reason for it.

“Money is tight. We are at war after all” You chuckled a little bit, knowing that much was obvious to Rex.

“What are you upset about? I'm sure there's somewhere else that would take you, you're a great medic” He asked so innocently that you could almost laugh.

“It's not about that…” You sighed, running a hand over your face, still looking down.

“What is it about?” Rex said softly, shuffling forwards so his armoured knees touched your bare ones.

“I just… I can't do it anymore Rex” You whispered, the first time you had freely admitted it to anyone before.

Rex tensed up. He brought his other hand up and gently grabbed your chin, tilting your head to look at you properly. The look in your eyes already told him the answer to the question he was about to ask, “Can't do what?”

“It. Life. Anything. I just want to disappear” You said, choking on your tears and overwhelmed by the thoughts that weighed you down. Rex's amber irises burned into yours with such an intensity, but not for long, as his arms made their way around your body, and he pulled you into his lap.

You cried into his chest, with him stroking your hair and holding you close to him with the other arm, scared that you would somehow get your wish and disappear in his arms.

He was at a loss for words. He couldn't understand how someone he thought was so wonderful and incredible could be harbouring such hateful feelings about themself. He feared saying anything that would upset you, and the last thing he wished to do was deny how you were feeling by telling you that you were wrong, so he just held you in his arms, silently letting you know he was there for you, no matter what. The sound of your crying was making his heart break, but he stayed like that until it died down.

“How long have you been feeling like this?” He asked tentatively, drawing back and holding your jaw so he could see your face.

“I dont know… four or five months, maybe?” You replied, and it felt like he had been stabbed in the chest.

How had he not noticed anything was wrong? He felt like he had failed you, that your friendship was for nought if he couldn't even tell when you were upset. He didn't place any of the blame on you, but he had to ask…

“Why didn't you tell me?”

You sighed, “I didn't want to concern you with it. It's for me to deal with”

“What? It's not just for you to deal with, of course I'd want to know if you're not okay. I'm so sorry I didn't notice” He said, his tone so heavy with guilt.

“It's okay, it makes sense that you didn't”

Rex almost took offence to the comment, but the small smile on your lips didn't evade him, “Why does it make sense?”

“Uh, I guess I was always happy around you” You admit, “You- Uh we’re good friends, you know? I like spending time with you”

Despite the comment about being friends, Rex's heart soared, “I like spending time with you too Cyare”

“Why are you calling me that all of a sudden?” You asked. You knew what it meant, you'd spent enough time among the clones, and it was impossible to escape when you overheard their unabashed flirting on your few trips to 79s.

“Um” Rex gulped, not feeling like right now was the best time to admit that he was wildly in love with you, “I don't know, I care about you, you know? Like you said, we're good friends”

You nodded, seeming satisfied with the explanation, and Rex breathed out a shaky breath.

“I'm sorry you had to see me like this” You looked down, playing with your fingers as heat rose to your cheeks.

“It's fine, I really don't mind. Besides, you still look good to me” He said, and your eyes snapped back up to his instantly, your breath becoming short. Rex thinks I look good?

“Thanks Captain” You grinned shyly, your face feeling positively on fire at the compliment.

“It's no problem” He smiled, then he became more serious, “Have you eaten today?”

“Uh- no” You looked away again, feeling ashamed.

“Alright, let me fix you some food then” He readjusted his hold on you and picked you up, setting you down on your couch. Your head was spinning from the intimacy of feeling his breath fanning over your face.

“I don't really have any food here” You admitted sheepishly.

“Okay, how about this then” He crouched by the couch so that his eyes were level with yours, “Why don't you go and have a shower, do whatever you need to feel a bit better, and I'll go out and get us some food”

“Rex… I can't ask you to do that for me” You spoke hesitantly, but he shook his head.

“You're not asking, and in fact, neither am I” He said with a playful glint in his eye, “Go and freshen up, that's an order soldier”

You giggled at him and took the hand that he offered to help you up.

“Yes sir” You saluted him and marched off in the direction of the refresher, earning a laugh from the clone.

You stepped into the refresher and looked yourself in the eye for probably the first time in days. You did not look good. Your eyes held bags that looked so heavy that they could weigh down the skin they inhabited, your hair was a complete mess, and your skin was dull and lifeless.

You sighed, grabbed your hairbrush, and decided to start there. It took a few minutes, but soon, your hair was completely knot-free, and you stripped off and stepped into the shower. You took your time finding the perfect temperature, which ended up being almost scalding hot. You leaned your elbows against the wall, letting the water hit your back and relieving some of the tension you could feel there.

Now that you were actually in the shower, you didn't feel like leaving at all. Though, the idea of Rex being outside the door when you finished was enough for you to quickly wash yourself and your hair and hop out again. You brushed your teeth twice and moisturised your clean skin. Looking in the mirror, you looked a lot better than you did before you went in the shower, and you were eternally thankful for that. If you were going to see the person you had been in love with for years, you only wanted to look your best.

You stepped out of the refresher and headed for your bedroom with your dirty clothes in hand.

“Hey, are you-”

You jumped out of your skin when you saw Rex stood in the living area with a bag in hand, and he did too when he saw you with only a towel wrapped around you. Your eyes went wide, and you wrapped the towel tighter around your body on instinct, only fueling the less-than-pure thoughts that were spilling into Rex's brain. You looked so incredible, your hair dripping water over your body, which was seemingly glistening with its new cleanliness, and your towel left little to the imagination.

“Um yeah, you're out, cool, uh- I'll let you get dressed” He turned around and cursed silently to himself for being so awkward.

You just chuckled nervously, feeling utterly mortified, and made your way to your room as intended. You found a fresh oversized t-shirt and pair of soft shorts and slipped into them quickly, rejoining Rex in the other room.

He had taken off the top half of his armour, leaving just his blacks, the Republic insignia adorned proudly on his chest. The tightness of the top showed off his toned physique as if he wasn't even wearing anything, and you had to tear your eyes away from it.

“What did you get?” You asked quietly, sitting down next to him on the couch.

“Noodles, is that okay?” He asked, looking to you a little nervously.

You chucked at his demeanour, which was decidedly un-captain-like as he looked to you for approval, “It's perfect, thank you”

You both picked up the boxes that held your food and dug in, and your bodies turned to face each other as you rested against oppsite ends of the couch. It was good to have a proper meal, with actually nutritious foods. When you had eaten as of late, it had mostly been ration bars or random snacks you could find in your apartment. You hummed contentedly, and Rex smiled at you.

“Good?”

“Mhm” You smiled, swallowing a bite, “Thank you Rex”

“It’s alright” He said nonchalantly.

“I mean it, thank you for… taking care of me” You said, then looked down, “I'm finding that difficult at the moment, so it means a lot”

“Cyare” Rex moved towards you and placed a hand on your knee, “It's really no trouble, I just want to see you feeling better”

You looked up at him and gave a tight lipped smile, “Well, thank you anyway”

“No problem. You look a little more alive now, by the way” He teased.

“Hey! You're the one that said I looked good before, you cant take it back now” You challenged, and he smirked.

“I'm not taking it back. You just look even better now” He said, but his smirk dropped when you froze up at his comment.

“You dont have to say that just to make me feel better, you know” You said, looking down and taking your final mouthful of noodles.

“I'm not just saying it” He said quietly, and you looked up to see his light frown. You put down your food box as he continued to stare at you seriously.

“What is it?” You ask.

“It's nothing, don't worry about it” He said quickly and put his own food box down as he finished.

“Rex” You scooted closer to him so that your knees were almost touching, “What's the matter?”

“Nothing’s the matter” He avoided your eyes as he spoke, and you used the technique that he employed earlier on, gently taking his chin between your thumb and finger and guiding his gaze towards you.

“What is it?” You asked again, and his eyebrows pinched together as his eyes flicked between the two of yours.

“You're so beautiful Cyare” He said, tentatively placing his hand on your lower thigh.

Your breath hitched in your throat at the gentle touch, and you searched his eyes for any dishonesty but only found them to be as earnest as usual.

“I- I should've been telling you every day since I met you” He said, his voice breaking just a little as he spoke so softly, “I should’ve been telling you how much you mean to me, how much I care for you, how important you are” He stroked his thumb back and forth on your thigh, sending tingles up your spine.

“Rex” You breathed out in a whisper, your hand sliding around to cup his sharp jaw. He leaned into your touch, and you felt as if you could melt at the sight.

“Say something” He urged, his eyes pleading for a conformation that you felt the same way.

“I-” You didn't know what to say. You felt the same, but the words got caught in your throat. It felt wrong to truly admit to your affection for him after bottling it up for so long.

“Rex, I've always cared for you, far more than a medic should care for their patient” You admitted, and his eyes lit up.

“You have?” He asked, and you nodded in reply.

“And for the record, I think you're beautiful too” You let a small grin creep its way onto your face.

“That’s good to know” Rex smirked, bringing his other hand to your cheek.

He looked deeply into your eyes, the eyes that he always found so fascinating, and he leaned his forehead against yours before tilting his head towards your lips. You shivered with anticipation.

“Is this okay? I don't want to take advantage of you if you-”

“Just kiss me Rex” You whispered against his lips, your eyes fluttering shut. He didn't delay after that. With your permission, he couldn't say no.

His lips met yours tentatively, as if testing the waters, but as soon as he felt you kiss him back, he pulled you in more urgently. His lips moved against yours, melding together as if it was how they were made to be. You felt your need for closeness growing, and you pulled him towards you as you deepened the kiss. Rex slid his hand up your thigh, resting it on your hip and tracing small circles with his thumb as his other hand moved to the back of your neck, pulling you impossibly closer as he devoured your lips.

Rex pulled back, his teeth lingering on your bottom lip for a moment, and you both caught your breath.

“I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do that” You said, your breath still short.

Rex grinned widely, “Yeah? I can guarantee it's probably not as long as I have”

“Probably not” You chuckled, “Unless you somehow wanted to before you even looked at me for the first time”

Rex raised his eyebrows, “You've wanted to kiss me the whole time we've known each other?” He asked, and you nodded your head shyly. “Why didn't you say anything?”

“I dont know, I guess I just figured you wouldn't feel the same” You shrug.

Rex just shook his head with a smile and pulled you onto his lap “Oh, how wrong you were”

“Is that right?” You smirked, “I'd love to hear all about just how wrong I was”

Rex smirked back at you, and placed a kiss to your cheek, “I've wanted to kiss those pretty lips of yours ever since I laid eyes on you” He confessed, and your breath hitched as he continued to place featherlight kisses along your jaw. “I thought you were the most beautiful person I'd ever seen” He kissed down your neck slowly, gently nipping at you with his teeth at the point where your neck meets your shoulder, which earned a small whine from you, and you could feel him smirk.

“I've never felt the way I feel about you, about anyone else” He murmured against your skin, burying his nose in your neck and inhaling your scent.

His words were driving you crazy. They were all you had ever wanted to hear from him, and here he was, speaking them aloud as he kissed your skin so gently, as if you would break if he pressed any harder.

“Rex” You whispered, and he looked up at you, waiting for you to continue.

“What is it, Mesh'la?” He whispered back, his lips ghosting yours. You shuddered in his arms, your eyes fluttering closed, and he watched your every move with anticipation.

“Rex, I-” You leaned your forehead against his, needing an anchor before you spoke your next words, “I need you”

Rex's heart skipped a beat. Possibly a few beats. “What do you mean, Cyare?”

“Please, take me to the bedroom” You asked, begged, and Rex took action immediately.

He held you to him as he stood up, and you wrapped your legs around him tightly. He made his way to your bed quickly and gently laid you onto your back, crawling over you so he was holding himself above your body.

“You're sure about this, Cyare? If it's just a lapse in judgement because you're not in your right mind, I understand, no hard feelings” Rex stroked your cheek with his knuckles, looking into your eyes intently.

“Rex, please. My judgement is just fine. I want you. I've always wanted you” You said, the neediness so obvious in your tone. Rex's expression then settled somewhere between amusement and adoration.

“You want me?” He smirked, his lips hovering just above yours.

“Yes” You spoke breathlessly.

“Say it again” He commanded in a whisper, his amber eyes burning into your very soul.

“I want you, Rex”

He breathed out a shaky breath and brought his lips to yours, speaking between chaste kisses, “You have me, all of me. You always have. I've always been yours”

It was almost too much to hear. Your heart was pounding in your ears, and you thought you'd made it all up.

“I've always been yours Rex” You whispered against his lips, and his breath stuttered.

“You're mine?” He asked in a murmur. The flame of desire burning in his eyes was clear.

“Only yours”

He pressed his lips to yours with a newfound desperation, his hand trailing down your body and holding your hips in place as he slipped his leg between yours. You grasped at his body, your hands finding themselves underneath the top of his blacks, and he stopped kissing you to pull it off. You absolutely marvelled at the sight.

In all your time knowing Rex, mending up his various wounds, you had never had the honour of glimpsing at his form without a shirt on. You traced along a scar at the centre of his chest, “How did you get this?”

“I was shot” He shrugged with a grin.

“No big deal for a big important Captain like you, I suppose” You teased and matched his grin as he rolled his eyes.

“Shut up” He mumbled against your skin as he buried his head in your neck, leaving soft kisses and less soft bites. You struggled to keep small moans from escaping your lips at his touch, and Rex noticed you holding back. He wound his way up to your lips, pressing a short kiss to them before he spoke.

“Don't hold out on me cyar'ika, I want to hear you”

You bit your lip and nodded at him, then kissed a trail across his strong jaw, earning a soft groan. As your kisses made their way down his neck, and you brought your hands to trail down his body, he groaned more deeply. The sound was driving you insane. Before you could breach the top of his blacks, Rex gathered your wrists in his hand and held them above your head, your eyes blown wide with desire and longing, your breath ragged.

Rex just looked at you for a moment, committing the intoxicating sight to his memory. His other hand found your face as he shifted the leg that was between yours, earning a whimper, “Don't worry about that, just let me take care of you”

You shuddered at his words, your body tense with anticipation for what was to come.

He looked so perfect, angelic even.

Watching Rex sleep was never a luxury you imagined yourself getting the opportunity to indulge in, but with it right in front of you, you weren't going to let it pass you by.

You had slept for a little while, wrapped up in Rex's limbs, and held closely to his body. You had been completely at peace, every struggle and awful thought that usually plagued you was pushed to the back of your mind and there was only him, his presence enveloping you; his warmth, his scent, the feel of his skin against yours, his breath against your cheek and his chest rising and falling gently. Now, as you moved away from him and watched the cold light of morning creep across his features, you couldn't help but marvel at the sight.

You slipped out of his arms, a soft sigh escaping him in the process. Your heart clenched at the sound, only feeling your adoration for him growing once again.

You reluctantly tore your gaze away from him and went over to your desk, opening the left draw as quietly as you could. You took out your flimsi sketchbook and a pencil and made your way over to the chair that was against the large window overlooking the city. However, that wasn't the focus of your sketching today, not when there was a sight far more beautiful laying in your bed.

You opened up your small sketchbook and looked at the last thing you had drawn. It was a scene from the park. A couple sat on a bench at the edge of the man-made pond and smiling adoringly at each other. You smiled and pushed down the guilt at the realisation that you had drawn this over four months ago.

When you looked up to Rex again, your heart skipped a beat. The sun had risen a little higher in the sky and cast a golden light across the lower half of his face and chest. You took up your pencil and began sketching the view before anything could disturb it.

The sheets were pooled at his waist, showing off his toned physique in all its glory, especially as he slept with one hand tucked under his head. His features were relaxed, more relaxed than you had ever seen. His face often had a sternness about it that was undeniably militaristic, but that was nowhere to be found as he slept peacefully.

You had the outline and were now just adding the details. The small marks on his skin, some that you had fixed up yourself, and the large blaster burn in the centre of his chest. As you were adding some of the shadows to his face, you heard a small grumble, and your head shot up to see Rex opening his eyes, stretching his arms out.

“Don’t move” You spoke gently, and he looked to you, noticing your sketchbook in your hand as you sat curled up in your chair.

He smiled, a warmth spreading across his chest as he settled back into his previous position, “Like this?”

“Mhm” You hummed in reply, taking in the way the shadows on his face changed now that he was awake. “Relax” You laughed as you saw a small crease emerge in his brow.

He chuckled a little and relaxed with a contented sigh.

“Almost done” You said quietly, as if to not disturb your own work.

You quickly added the remaining shading, adding some small details of the bed and the room, wanting to capture the moment perfectly, so that should your mind ever forget it, which you doubted, it would be forever recorded. That was what you loved about using flimi over a datapad. The physicality felt more personal and permanent.

“All finished” You smiled as you closed your sketchbook and went to place it back in your desk.

“Hey! Aren't you going to show me?” Rex asked, and you looked back to him to see the crease in brow had returned.

“It's not very good, it's just a sketch”

“Cyare, I love your sketches. Please, show me” He spoke gently, an edge of seriousness to deny your self-deprecating words.

“Okay” You conceded, opening the sketchbook back up and sitting down on the bed to show him. Rex then grabbed you by the waist and pulled you into him, making you fall back into his chest as he laid down again. A delighted laugh escaped your lips at the sudden contact, and you looked up to Rex's face to see an equally elated expression.

He took the sketchbook from your hand and looked over the drawing of himself, his smile widening with each second.

“It's amazing” He said softly, meeting your eyes again.

“That's because it's of you” You smiled and brushed your nose against his, earning a small chuckle.

“No, it's… You make me look so…” He looked over the drawing and tried to find the right word to describe what he meant, “I'm not sure. It looks exactly like me, but… There's something else to it”

“Well, all the best things are made with love” You said before you could even really process what you were saying.

Rex’s eyes went wide as they snapped back to yours, “Love?” He questioned.

You shrank backwards, wanting the bed to collapse in on itself and swallow you whole, but Rex’s arm tightened around your waist, pulling you against him. You let the word hang in the air for a moment before clearing your throat and swallowing hard.

“Uh… yeah” You said awkwardly, looking away.

Rex said your name in a soft tone, pulling your focus back to him. He rested his forehead against yours, his amber eyes burning into yours, “You love me?”

“I do” You whispered, gnawing your bottom lip at the vulnerability of the admission.

Rex met your lips in a sweet kiss, slow and deliberate, and pulled away a few seconds later. He caressed your cheek with his knuckles before he settled his palm on the back of your neck. “I love you too” He confessed, and your heart leapt to your throat.

“You do?” You whispered.

“I do. I always have. It's like I said, I've always been yours” He confirmed, repeating the words he had said last night. You brought your forehead to his again and closed your eyes, taking in the sweetness of the moment.

“And I yours”

Nothing was fixed. You weren't back to being happy and full of life like you once were, but Rex had reminded you why life was worth living. You were reminded of all the things that made it worthwhile, all of the things you loved to do, the things that brought joy and colour into your life. If you could just take it one step at a time, one day after the other, you would get through this feeling, and best of all, Rex would be there to support you when you needed him.

[ditsyngel]

vulnerable times

꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂

{shoji mezo x f!reader}

summary: its you and shoji's 6 month anniversary! a quiet day in your dorm - drinks, snacks, and your boyfriends... face reveal? yes please!

a/n: my first ever time writing on tumblr! hope you guys love shoji just as much as i do! <3 enjoy

SONG REC: wildflower by billie eilish.

꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂

It was now or never.

That's what Shoji kept on repeating over and over in his head as he sat comfortably beside you on your bed. After 6 months of dating, he was finally prepared to show you his biggest insecurity, his face.

Taking a deep breath, he sat upright and turned his head to face you, but became rigid as you were already looking at him, which made his nerves skyrocket, something he didn't need as he was already finding it hard to gather up courage to show you his face.

"You okay, Mezo?"

You broke the tense silence around you, as you leant up while continuing to look up at him. Concerned about him and his sudden rigid posture, you brought a hand up to hold onto his bicep while having a confused, yet worried expression.

"I... have to... show you something."

Shoji replied after a moment of silence, as he looked down at you. However, seeing your worried expression he immediately reached down to hold your hand that was on his bicep.

"It's nothing bad! It's just... something I've been, well, keeping from you..."

He spoke quietly to try and ease your concerns, but once he saw how he in fact did not ease your concerns, but did, in fact, make you more worried, he took another deep breath and decided it would be easier to just show you instead.

Closing his eyes, Shoji reached up to grip his mask and yanked it down, finally showing you his true self.

Keeping his eyes closed as he was too anxious to see your reaction, he became tense as there was zero noise coming from you, which made him peek an eye open, only to see you with teary eyes and a hand over your mouth.

Having the wrong idea, Shoji immediately panicked and swiftly covered his mouth with his hand as his eyes grew wide.

"I'm s-sorry! I shou-"

He spoke hurriedly while turning his body away, but stopped his movements as he felt your small hand grip onto his shoulder before turning him back around. Once he had turned back around, his breath hitched as you moved your hand up to his mouth to pull away his hand that was covering his face.

"So... pretty." You murmured quietly, as you held onto his hand while reaching your other hand up to cup his cheek. Smiling up at him, your eyes continued to tear up from happiness as you spoke quietly with your tone full of love. "Thank you, Mezo... for showing me."

Shoji's eyes were still wide as you said your heartfelt words, and he felt his own eyes start to tear up from how genuine you were being.

"Y-You're not s-scared?"

He spoke quietly with hesitation, as he feared he had terrified you, but slowly felt relief enter him as you shook your head with a smile.

"I could never be scared of you Mezo."

You replied honestly, as you moved your hand that was cupping his cheek to wipe away his tears that were freely flowing down his face.

Smiling up at him with your own tears now falling down your face, you leant your face closer to press a gentle kiss onto his cheek, right against on one of his scars, to show him how you were not scared, but instead proud he showed you him vulnerable.

"I love you." You spoke with a tone of sincerity, which made him smile back down at you, before he locked his arms around you to embrace you while hiding his face into your neck.

"I love you too."

He replied with a voice full of love, which made you smile widely before you moved a hand up to cup the back of his head as you leant down to get closer to his ear to whisper quietly.

"Best anniversary ever."

꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂

a/n: so... how we feeling? hope you guys enjoyed reading this just as much as i did writing it! and if you've made it this far, please like this post and follow me so you don't miss any more works in the future!

do not copy, plagiarize, edit, or translate any of my works.

[merqki]

he loved like a funeral

cw: aki x gn!reader, hair mention (??), emotional damage™, hurt/comfort (minus the comfort), aki being aki, bittersweet everything, intentional lowercase

a/n: this is my very first time writing and posting a fanfic in english (i’m from the pizza pasta mamma mia country), so any constructive criticism or feedback is more than welcome! i’m also not great with the whole “aesthetic” thing, so feel free to drop any suggestions for that too!

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ 🪻 ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

childhoodbestfriend!aki who you were almost 100% sure forgot about you. you were best friends in elementary school and middle school, you were the only one he’d talk to.

childhoodbestfriend!aki who was utterly obsessed with you, but wouldn't show. all he’d really do was keep you close, listening to you rambling about whatever and scoffing at you in an unpleasant manner, secretly enjoying every single sound coming out of your mouth and hating himself whenever you would shut up because of his fucking evil mouth. he didn't mean to.

childhoodbestfriend!aki who didn't even show up at the airport when you had to leave for europe with your parents. your dad was a businessman, it wasn't your fault, but aki made you feel like it was.

childhoodbestfriend!aki who was left traumatized by the gun devil. you and your whole family were safe, but you just felt something happened to him. so you acted on it. it didn't take long to find out he enrolled in the public safety division.

childhoodbestfriend!aki who thought about you every single day, he'd hold onto a strand of your hair that had gotten stuck in a button of his old school uniform jacket. he'd cling onto the memories of you and the sound of your voice that slowly and painfully started to fade away.

childhoodbestfriend!aki who decided to make a contract with the fox devil solely because it reminded him of your eyes. how pathetic, he'd always repeat that to himself.

childhoodbestfriend!aki who rushed to rescue a civilian from some fuckass devil he couldn't even name now. the civilian had hair like yours, which doesn't mean anything — it could've been anyone.

childhoodbestfriend!aki who aggressively grabbed your shoulder to make you turn to face him. so you did. stared into his deep blue eyes that were paralyzed by the shock of seeing you after such a long time.

childhoodbestfriend!aki who would recognize your fox eyes everywhere. he held onto those strands of hair so tightly that now combing his calloused fingers through your hair while looking at your face seemed like an hallucination.

childhoodbestfriend!aki who would crumble and cry on your chest, sobbing like never before.

«i’m sorry. i’m so fucking sorry, y/n»

the floor was finally still, the devil had been killed. aki was holding the fabric of your shirt so tightly you thought it was going to rip, just like the bones and flesh keeping your heart from jumping out of your chest.

you couldn't believe your eyes, you’d tried to reach out to him, had been silently watching him from afar and now he was here — trembling in your arms.

«i regret everything. i regret not telling you how much you meant to me, not coming to the airport that day, being always so cold. i missed you so fucking much, i–»

he just kept sobbing and apologizing, and you couldn't manage to find the right words, so you just caressed his face and held him as tight as you could.

«it’s– it’s okay, aki. i missed you too. i’m here now.»

he got up, rubbing his eyes, all red and puffy, looking exactly like he did as a child, crying over a broken toy.

he brought his hand, cold and sweaty, to your cheek, warm and soft. you just smiled at him, mimicking an it's okay with your mouth.

a woman with an eye patch appeared, crushing the bubble you and aki found comfort in.

«oh, aki. there you are.»

he immediately stood up to face the woman.

«i found another civilian, call an ambulance for the survivors.»

he left without even looking back at you, leaving you with the eye-patched woman called himeno. she gave you an understanding smile, almost as if she knew exactly what had just happened.

«are you hurt?»

you shook your head.

«i’ll tell aki.»

you smiled back, left on your own, parting ways with himeno. with a lump in your throat, you left aki behind. that was the closure you wanted, but he wasn't who you needed.

you had always been hoping to find him again someday, but you had moved on from your old life. you had a partner that you loved so much, thrived in school and were now looking for a job. your family was still in europe, that wasn't home.

you just wanted closure from the only person you ever loved unconditionally, even from a distance, and that was it, wanting more would've only made you cling onto the past, just like aki did — he always did.

and you were so incredibly sure that one day,

that was what was going to get him killed.

© chiara — 2025

[am-i-obsessed---maybe]

New Face, Fresh Promises (10th Doctor x Timelord!Reader)

pre nanowrimo get all my fanfiction thoughts out challenge, hard mode.

continuation of this

Wordcount: 700(ish)

Series masterpost

Honestly I just wanna post something but I can't get around to finishing my new Doctor's Daughter fic for the as of yet unnamed Doctor Who series so I'm going back to my roots and using the maybe prompt list

23) Don't call me that

29) I'm never leaving, I promise

You burned, your body burned away with a single realization, you loved The Doctor. But not just loved, you were in love. You were in love with The Doctor. The man who saved you and destroyed your world in one day, the man who showed you a glimpse of the universe and left you wanting more. The man in the old blue box.

When a Time Lord regenerates a lot of things can happen, one of which is a loss of consciousness.

When you opened your eyes both The Doctor and Martha were looking down at you. You looked at The Doctor, blinked and smiled, "looks like I won" You said with a lopsided smile.

"Ugh, new mouth, I hate the feeling of a new mouth" You grumbled and tried to bring yourself up but the Doctor's arms quickly surrounded you, helping you up carefully instead. He didn't say anything simply helping you stand.

You tried to take a step on your own only to stumble, your legs felt like burned jelly.

"Doctor" You said carefully and The Doctor kept to himself how much he missed hearing you call him love.

"Yes?" He simply said.

"I don't think I'm done regenerating" You said, fainting into his arms.

The next thing you know you wake up in your room in the Tardis. The feeling of your sheets beneath you and your books and journals lining the walls. Beside you, on a chair you know he brought from somewhere else sat the Doctor. His face was drawn and he looked lost in thought.

You looked over at him and smiled.

"Hello again" You said. He didn't look amused.

"Why did you do that?" He asked.

"What?"

"Why did you force yourself to regenerate?? He asked.

You looked at him trying to both remember what happened and answer, "Doctor—"

"Don't call me that." He said sternly.

You closed your eyes and sighed.

"Love"

"Why did you do it? Why did you put yourself through that? I told you to go to protect you" He said and you sat up, looking him in his gorgeous brown eyes.

"Because I refuse to leave you" You said and he scowled.

"Don't say that—"

"I never want to leave you" You said, taking his hands in yours. You admired the sight.

"Doctor, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my lives with you—"

"No, no, don't say that" He repeated but you held his hands tightly. You knew why he felt this way, why he reacted the way he did but your post regeneration mind still wasn't fully working.

"Do you not feel the same? If you don't, I'll stop—"

"No, I, I" He said. his eyes were tearing up.

"Doctor I love you, do you love me back?" You asked.

"Of course I do, I adore you" He said, "Y/N you light my dark starless sky. You make me feel whole, like I'm no longer alone. It's not that"

"Then what is it?" You asked.

"They always leave." He said solemnly, looking away, "In the end they always leave"

You moved one of your hands up to hold The Doctor's face. forcing him to look at you.

"I'm never leaving, promise" You said and you saw a tiny smile peak it's way through his expression.

"You are brilliant" He whispered and you smiled.

"I love you" You said and he smiled too, a true full smile.

"I love you too" He said.

There was a beautiful moment, the two of you just basking in the love and care you had for one another and then you burst out laughing.

The Doctor was taken aback, his expression only sending you further into your fit of laughter.

"What? What's going on?" He asked only to be met with more laughter.

"Y/N are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I—" You could barely control it but you did. You controlled it enough to say, "It's just, stars that was cheesy, I don't know where that came from" You said and you could tell there was a dash of shock and worry on The Doctor's face so you clarified, "I guess this is what I am now. A cheesy romantic"

The Doctor smiled, "There are worse things to be" He said and you nodded.

[idyllic-affections]

achilles heel ii.

summary. love is a sin. the regrator is a sinner.

trigger & content warnings. threats of physical violence, nightmares.

tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. found family (moreso than the first post), fluff, slight angst. pantalone & young teen!reader, slight arlecchino & young teen!reader. 2.6k words. they/them pronouns used for [name]. this fic is divided into six drabble-like sections. this fic is the second part of achilles heel; please read the first post before reading this one.

author's thoughts. teehee pantalone....... he is never dad-ified enough i swear. he has so much dad potential. look at him. silly rich guy (<- he is a criminal and is NOT silly).

i. a slip of the tongue ♡

       Their enrollment into the House of Hearth came with two specific conditions:

       One, Arlecchino would not have ultimate authority over them. They didn't disrespect her regardless, but Pantalone was insistent that her authority should not exceed his over them. He was their caretaker, after all. They were a special case in the Knave's orphanage—an orphan but not quite an orphan.

       Two, that they returned to his residence on weekends, which wasn't something they or Arlecchino has any qualms with. She didn't exactly get along with the Ninth, but oddly, she didn't argue either of his conditions.

       (They felt immeasurably guilty, however, that they had a home to return to. That was a privilege unique to them. The orphans of the House of Hearth did not have such a luxury; hell, those children could not even dream of a home outside of the orphanage.)

       This was one such weekend. Upon returning home, they let themselves into Pantalone's office—of course, not before ensuring he was not occupied with another Harbinger or other business partners of his. Had he been, they would have only entered once he was done.

       "I'm back, Father."

       ...

       Immediate terror stuck their chest. Admittedly, their reaction once they processed what had just come out of their mouth was a bit dramatic, but still! Had Arlecchino's children somehow rubbed off on them? All of her children tended to call her 'Father', but they only ever called her by her name...

       The Regrator paused what he was doing, wordlessly setting his pen down.

       "...Sorry, dear, could you repeat that? I didn't quite hear you."

       "Um. I said I'm back."

       "After that."

       "..."

       "[Name]."

       "I didn't say anything after, I swear." They were completely flustered now, hand shyly fidgeting with the strands of hair securely held back by what had once been Arlecchino's hair clip while their gaze settled anywhere that wasn't on the Harbinger. "I didn't..."

       "You are a terrible liar."

       "I'm— I'm not."

       He smiled at that, gingerly shedding his gloves and rings.

       He thought it was a bit cruel of him to create any kind of distance between himself and the little thief he brought into his home, especially in what was such an important and vulnerable moment.

       It was then that he beckoned them closer. They obliged, albeit hesitantly. His hands gently smoothed down some wild strands of their hair—presumably caused by whatever the Knave had put them through that day. His tenderness seemed to calm them down a little bit.

       "Do you see me as a father figure, [Name]?"

       They pouted. "I don't know. Maybe. It just came out. I didn't think about it. Sorry."

       If Pantalone was any more morally correct, he might worry about who they were looking up to, but...

       Their immorality was inevitable, really, so he tried not to concern himself with it too much. It was the one consequence associated with taking them in. It was one that simply couldn't be avoided.

       Pantalone had come to terms with that fact some time ago.

       "Don't apologize. I don't mind if that is the case."

       "...Okay."

       He held himself together with skillful grace that was only to be expected of someone like him, but the second they left his office, he slammed his head on his desk, resisting the compelling urge to just sob.

       (...He was probably the reason they had become a tad dramatic.)

       Oh.

       That day, the Ninth learned two things:

       One, [Name] had adopted a more formal method of speech, which was good. It would be useful in the future. His lower priority business partners, the general nobility of Snezhnaya and other nations... those people would all expect his child to take on a more refined demeanor. It was good that they already were.

       Two, which was objectively more important in his mind (because really, he did not care for the opinions of people who had never struggled a single day in their lives), he had unexpectedly become an actual father. Not just a caretaker, but a father.

       Oh, fuck.

ii. third time's a charm ♡

       "Can I keep him?"

       "Absolutely not."

       "Please? Come on. He won't cause any trouble!"

       Pantalone pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, sighing deeply. How could he have possibly gotten himself into this situation a second time? Perhaps he really was spoiling them just a bit too much. "[Name]. You cannot continue bringing wild animals into our home."

       They pouted, holding up the little feline in their arms. It may have been small and harmless at the moment, but a snow leopard such as the one they snatched up from the streets would surely grow impossibly bigger, provided enough time and proper nutrition. "Father..."

       He shot them an annoyed look. They could only smile innocently.

       "Don't 'Father' me, [Name]."

       "I've taken good care of Winter thus far!" Said fox chirped upon hearing her name. "Look, see—she's perfectly healthy. I can handle another pet!"

       "You named her Winter?"

       They shrugged. "It's always winter in Snezhnaya, so..."

       He couldn't help but chuckle fondly, teasing, "Clever."

       "I doubt you would have came up with a better name, Father," they huffed playfully. "Anyways, come on! Look, how can you say no to a little face like this?"

       Neither of the two said anything for a moment. [Name] held up the little squirming cat with one hand, supporting its hind legs with the other.

       It was clear to Pantalone that they would not budge.

       A deep sigh left his lips.

       They knew they had won.

       Once again, Pantalone welcomed another unexpected guest into his household.

       He could unflinchingly deny Il Dottore further funding for his experiments. He could ruthlessly send out the agents employed under his command to collect the debts of those foolish enough to leave them unpaid without so much as a second thought.

       Somehow, he could not deny his child another exotic animal.

       Oh well. At least the feline would eventually grow into a suitable bodyguard for [Name], he supposed.

iii. ultimatum ♡

       Whenever Pantalone had free time during the work week—which... wasn't very often—he had grown into a habit of visiting the House of Hearth.

       His darling child was there. How could he be expected to stay away?

       (The Knave grit her teeth, clenched her jaw, and ultimately bit her tongue when he kept showing his face in her territory again and again. As much as she didn't like the Ninth... she would have to tolerate it, she supposed. He was too preoccupied with [Name] to bother her the majority of the time, anyway.)

       The children were all polite and respectful with him whenever he came around, often pointing him in the direction of their sibling-in-arms. They were typically lingering around the younger children, engaging with them and entertaining them in a way that a doting older sibling might, but for some reason...

       They weren't there that day.

       "One of the matrons wanted to talk to [Name], sir. I don't know why," one of the younger children his child typically surrounded themselves with had told him.

       He was surprised to find that, rather than wanting to speak to [Name], one of Arlecchino's employees seemed to have forgotten just whose child it was she was speaking to.

       "We are raising soldiers," a woman harshly spat, "not regular children. It would be in your best interests, Mx. [Name], to quit teaching them to be soft."

       They blinked.

       "...Um. They're five."

       "Are you even listening?!"

       "Listen," they began, shifting their weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "They're barely five, okay? They'll learn. They can't even wield a sword properly yet. Half of them can't read mid-level literature yet. For now, I think they deserve attention from someone they can trust who won't hurt them. I mean... if I were really doing something wrong, Arle surely would have told me—"

       "You rich little brat."

       That stung, admittedly. With nervous fingers, they plucked at the threads of their sleeve.

       "By the Tsaritsa, if the Ninth himself weren't so enamored with you, I would have your head mounted on the wall for the disrespect you have shown not only us but our Lord."

       She raised a hand, and they flinched back, and then—

       Nothing came.

       "Fa— Father... hi."

       The Regrator's grip on her wrist was crushing, rage barely concealed behind a tight-lipped smile.

       "Hello, dear." Pantalone's eyes were kind when they were on his child, but glazed over with an unsettling iciness upon facing the woman. He leaned down, head tilting slightly as he observed the tense matron who so boldly dared to raise a hand to his child. "Now, I'm certain this was a one-time incident, unless of course you would be interested in taking a... leave of absence to see the Doctor, hm?" His grip tightened slightly in a wordless threat, a promise of a fate more vile than death itself. "A permanent leave of absence, that is."

       Tension weighed heavily in the air.

       Of course, the matron relented. She would have been foolish to not when the fate promised to her would be undoubtedly worse than death.

       "...No, of course not, sir. It won't happen again."

       He released her trembling wrist, adjusting his rings nonchalantly.

       "Good. Go on, then. Leave us."

       "Yes, Lord Ninth."

       She turned on her heel, bowing her head respectfully to both the Regrator and his child before rounding the corner of the hall. Just like that, she was gone.

       Instantly, all his attention shifted to [Name].

       "Are you alright?" he murmured softly, only for their ears to hear. He kneeled down to their level and gingerly tilted their chin upwards to check if Arlecchino's matron left any wounds behind.

       "Yeah, I'm— I'm fine..."

       He was quiet for a moment, thumb gently rubbing along their cheekbone and wiping away the beginnings of tears. The Knave would not like to see them in such a state. The Ninth didn't particularly care for her opinion, but he knew very well that his child did, to a certain degree.

       "...Don't cry, dear. Do not allow yourself to be pushed around. You are worth infinitely more than any agent among our ranks. Do you understand?"

       "Mm-hm. I'm just..." They gnawed on the corner of their lip. "I guess I'm used to it."

       He was quiet for a moment.

       "That will change," he concluded. "You will never be treated so poorly ever again."

iv. bonding ♡

       "Were you never given the opportunity to bake?"

       They hummed thoughtfully, lips pulled into a calm and content smile as they observed their father knead the bread dough they took part in making.

       Indeed, a man as prestigious as him could just have one of his employees do this... but what kind of parent would he be if he refused to bond with his child alone? No genuine bonding would take place if he was not the one engaging with them.

       ...

       Baking also happened to a special place in his heart as a child of poverty, so he didn't mind doing it.

       "Not really. I couldn't afford to. It was too expensive," they mused, trailing off briefly. Pantalone was quiet—patient. He didn't interrupt them or urge them to speak. He simply waited for them to go on. "I didn't get paid well when I was taking thievery commissions. I was small and weak, so it was easy for those older people who commissioned my work to scam me out of what I was owed."

       The Regrator made a mental note to investigate those people further.

       For now, though, his focus was on them.

       "I understand," he reassured. "Baking is indeed an expensive hobby. There was a time where even I could not afford it."

       "I really wouldn't have believed you if you hadn't told me," they said, stealing and snacking on some of the fruits spread across the counter. The Harbinger chuckled fondly, pinching their cheek.

       "Stop that. If you keep that up, we won't have anything to put in the bread. Now, for the next step..."

v. nightmare ♡

       It was the middle of the night when they jolted awake, skin dampened with a cold sweat and fingers relentlessly shaking.

       The House of Hearth's hardwood floor was cold against their bare feet, but it really didn't bother them. It wasn't anything they weren't used to, anything` they hadn't experienced in their past. It was with quiet and purposeful steps that they snuck out of the room they shared with a handful of the younger kids that bonded closely with them.

       Their years of thievery still benefitted them, it seemed, as they effortlessly snuck out without awakening anyone else.

       "What are you doing up at such an awful hour?"

       They practically leapt out of their skin, heart hammering in their chest at Arlecchino's sudden appearance.

       "I, uh—" they began, taking deep breaths in the hopes of calming themselves down. "Um, sorry. You frightened me."

       "Oh? My apologies, then, [Name]."

       Whether or not her apology was sincere was debatable. She seemed to derive very slight amusement from their fright, but gave them a firm pat on the head. It was comforting in its own way.

       "...I had a nightmare," they reluctantly admitted, "so I can't really sleep. Sorry."

       "It isn't uncommon for these things to happen," she replied. "Your apology is unwarranted. You aren't the first and I doubt you will be the last to be unable to sleep."

       "Arle, um... I know I'm not supposed to leave again until tomorrow, but..."

       Arlecchino's eyes were trained precisely on them, and perhaps she might have looked irritated, but in reality, she could not find it within her to be frustrated. They were strong and smart and excelled in the things that they needed to excel in. There was no reason for her to be frustrated with them for something so simple. It was normal for children to seek out their parent following a distressing experience.

       "I will take you back to the Regrator's residence, then. Consider it a reward for your high performance this week."

       "Ah, really? Thank you, Arle."

       "Go get your things. Meet me outside."

vi. found family ♡

       "You're home early, [Name]."

       When they entered Pantalone's office (he lamented the fact that he was still working at such a late hour, but such was unfortunately his obligation as a Harbinger), he was pleasantly surprised, quietly setting down his pen and offering them his full attention.

       "I know." They nodded. "Arle said I performed well this week, so she brought me home a day early. I guess she probably had something to do elsewhere anyway, since she offered."

       "I see."

       A silence settled for a moment.

       The Ninth instantly knew something was wrong when their fingers reached up to their sleeve, absently picking and pulling at the threads. He'd noticed that habit of theirs back when he first put them in the public eye.

       "If there is something troubling you, dear, you are more than welcome to tell me."

       "It's stupid," they murmured, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. Maybe they should have just stayed back at the House of Hearth.

       "If it's bothering you, it is most definitely not."

       "I had a nightmare."

       "Ah, I see. Is that why you've come home so late?"

       "...Yes."

       "Do you want to stay with me for the time being, then?" When they nodded, he smiled kindly, opening one arm for them so that the other could be free to finish what remained of his paperwork.

       They were secured in his arms the second he made his wordless offer.

       His fingers tenderly carded through their hair, mindful to avoid his rings catching uncomfortably on their locks.

       Love is a sin.

       In Snezhnaya, love is a sin.

       For his child, Pantalone was a sinner.

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