#one of the best they’re subtly falling in love and they don’t even know it stories | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

padmerry · 2 months ago

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Ford’s love for & view of Stan pre-memory erasing: a lengthy analysis

A big misunderstanding going on in this fandom is the idea that Stan was the one yearning for Ford while Ford was too busy hating Stan (at worst) or at least thinking he hated Stan (at best), too focused on his research and academic accomplishments to pay his repressed/heavily denied love for Stan any mind, up until Stan’s sacrifice in Weirdmaggedon. Ambitious, self-centered Ford, who would be shocked at the preposterous idea that he still loved Stan deep down if, say, his post-Weirdmaggedon future self revealed it to him. “I thought I hated you, but I was wrong,” old Ford says to Stan, remorseful... and painfully out-of-character!

Another very popular idea is that Ford genuinely values the greater good over Stan, to the point he wouldn’t have rescued Stan if their positions were reversed. This idea is so rooted in people’s minds that when Ford’s most dedicated fans attempt to defend him, they argue that he was right to be angry about being rescued from the portal because Stan was acting irresponsibly (as if Ford wouldn’t have done the same thing). This is not about anyone in particular—it’s a tendency I’ve seen repeated again and again and again, in different ages of this fandom.

The gap between Stan needing Ford vs Ford needing Stan is so big in some people’s minds that they seem to think that poor, guilty Ford ending up with Stan all alone on a boat wasn’t the best ending for him. That was just Alex trying to make a point about “family above all” in a show about family, teaching Ford a lesson, and rewarding Stan’s unhealthy codependency...

It’s just incredible how Ford’s own love and yearning towards Stan is shoved under the rug by the fans!

I understand why, of course. Ford is arguably the most complex character in Gravity Falls. His love for Stan is shown more subtly than Stan’s love for him. You have to actually pay close attention, and often enough people aren’t invested enough in the Stan twins’ relationship to do so. Sometimes because they’re more invested in the relationship of Stan and/or Ford with other characters, and this is not throwing shade, either—on my part, I can admit I am so invested in them that I don’t care as much for other characters, and that’s natural.

My most controversial takes here are: 1) Ford has always known he loved Stan. Yes, even at his most bitter. He just didn’t think Stan was worthy of that love. 2) Ford valued his family, including Stan, over any noble ideal of greater good. 3) Ford missed Stan and yearned for his company just as much as Stan missed Ford and yearned for his company. I have dedicated this particular meta to pointing out not all moments (that would make it longer than Tolstoy’s War and Peace, just by the amount of times Ford mentions Stan in his journal) but the most telling ones re: Ford’s repressed but obvious love for Stan and their implications. I’ll break it into a few different subjects that I believe drive my point across.

Ford’s sentimentality over Stan:

A good place to start as any. Stan is in literally everything Ford does, sometimes in ways so subtle that people miss it, and in ways that Ford himself would love to deny, even if it meant lying to himself. Ford is very, very sentimental, and that is reflected in his relationship with Stan through the decades, with all the different paths he takes to cling to his past and the idea of his brother.

Let’s explore some examples, shall we? We don’t need to go far.

First of all, the Mystery Shack cottage, commissioned by Ford and built by Dan Corduroy according to Journal 3, is clearly based off a childhood toy he shared with Stan.

It doesn’t stop there, of course. Ford loves his boat motif decorations. (At least the boat on top of the shelf is very likely Ford’s choice of décor, and not Stan’s, given that it’s placed beside Ford’s shrunken heads referenced in Journal 3; we know that the boat painting belongs to one of the Stan twins and not Dipper, since it was already there in Tourist Trapped as Dipper arrives. I think it’s fair to assume, given the boat on top of the shelf, that it was also Ford’s.)

And would you look at that, his favorite place in his beloved Gravity Falls, a town full of wondrous places full of fantastical anomalies and literally a weirdness magnet, is, for some reason, a lake. A very weird lake? A very cool lake? No, a lake that reminded him of his childhood, aka Stan (as seen by the drawing of a boat and the codified message). “There is no other place in Gravity Falls I would rather be than the lake.”

But that isn’t enough for Ford. He must keep, still, pictures and videos of Stan. I won’t even focus, here, on the picture of the Pines family that Ford stares at in the beginning of his college days, despite Stan and Ford being at the very center of it and it being a visual parallel to Stan’s own picture of him and his brother. That one included Filbrick and Caryn, and the speaker had just mentioned making one’s family proud. But what about the rest?

People usually focus on the overall adorableness of, say, Ford leaning his head on Stan’s shoulders or Ford’s apologies (again, in Journal 3) to notice the implications of what Dipper says: “Ford even found an old film reel of them as kids, which he amazingly saved all these years.” Even Dipper himself is amazed. I’ve seen people assuming that Ford had these and forgot about them, or that Caryn was the one to send him these and he simply agreed to avoid a fight (there is a tendency in this fandom to think of her as a very doting and/or caring mother, but we have no evidence to think so, as explained here). Years later, TBoB was like, “nuh-uh, that was all Ford Pines!” In TBoB, Ford not only does remember some of these itens, but he makes a conscious effort to hide them from Fiddleford, worried that his friend was getting “too close” (to what? to the inner depths of his heart and mind, where Stanley was?) “I’ve quickly re-hidden here, away from prying eyes.”

And a picture of teenage Stan (as seen below), too! You would think he would just attach himself to the idealized version of baby Stan in his head to feed his nostalgia and completely ignore teenage Stan, the traitor, the one who destroyed his science project. But no, Ford wouldn’t be Ford if he acted consistently about Stan. The funniest thing to me about the ripped yearbook page is that it implies Ford made the conscious decision to include Stan as he ripped the page off, when he could have just focused on his own picture. And then we also have his drawing of Stan, a perfectly accurate portrayal of Stan’s face as he got kicked out, implying that not only he paid an enormous amount of attention to his brother and how he looked like back then (after he closed the curtains), but that particular image was living rent free in his brain. Very vividly. With details.

Now, folks, do we have any doubt whatsoever of the power Stan had in Ford’s psyche? Seeing that this is how the bedrock of Ford’s mind looked like? The boat, the swing set? I’ve seen it suggested before that these items represent Ford’s greatest regrets—I don’t know if I fully agree with that take, seeing as the swing set is fully intact, unlike in Stan’s mind, but one thing is true: they represent what Ford deep down thinks is most important, and two of three are directly related to Stan. Even the portal, from a certain angle, is connected to Stan.

Now, another thing that I believe to be related to that, is the claim that Ford didn’t spare Stan a single tought in the many decades they went separated. But here is Ford, casually confessing that he spent the last thirty years thinking of Stan:

But back to pictures. According to Alex in the commentary of Weirdmaggedon 3: Take Back the Falls, that picture of Stan has always been in Ford’s coat pocket, through all the decades, even before Bill’s betrayal. That’s why it’s so damaged. He was dimension hopping with it. I don’t think I even need to make any comment here, hahah.

I almost imagine if McGucket found that photo in his, you know, coat while they’re working on the portal or something... [imitating Fiddleford’s creaky voice] “What’s this? What’s this here?” And Ford says, [imitating Ford’s deep, very serious voice] “OH, yes. That’s a very important moment, that’s when I, um, first decided I wanted to be an adventurer.” [...] There would be NO reference to... the real reason he’s keeping it [...]. “Oh yes, this is about, uh, science, as a horizon, as a frontier to reach towards. You know, like a boat, like a ship, like science. It’s about SCIENCE!”

Ford’s protectiveness:

Stan Pines is very much ones of Ford’s weaknesses. Ford knows this and accepts this with shocking ease. How so? Well, first of all, the nightmare he had. As he tells us about it in Journal 3, even though he attempts to make light of the situation, his hand is clearly trembling as he writes, making drops of ink splatter on the page. The climax of his nightmare, the peak, the scariest moment was when Ford realized he was not the one at risk; rather, Stan was. “I realized my hand wasn’t chasing after me at all—it was chasing after my brother, and it was going to squeeze him to death!”And then, may it be noticed, there was no hesitation whatsoever on Ford’s part about whether to save Stan or not, nor does he try to hide his protective reaction. It was immediate and instinctive. “I tried to run to help him, but my feet were frozen.” It’s very telling that the Dream Hipster, the nightmare inducing ghost, thought that Stanley Pines would be the most effective thing to make Ford shake in his boots. Not even, say, failing and being ridiculed by other scientists, considering how ambitious he was.

And you know who else has noticed this weakness? Bill Cipher, of course. After psychologically, emotionally, and physically abusing Ford in horrific manners (including but not limited to: forcing him to eat spiders, driving a nail into his hand, and making him wake up on the snowy roof of the Mystery Shack as a symbolic threat of forced suicide), Bill involves Stan, as the grand finale. “But then he crossed a line.” Why was Ford’s brother that line, after everything Ford himself went through? “No. He wouldn’t.” Ford couldn’t even believe Bill’s audacity in involving Stan, even though he very much already knew Bill was as evil as evil could get. Because Bill knew, having free access to Ford’s mind, how terribly important Stan was: the person Ford loved the most in the world, more than himself.

You could still argue, then, that Ford wasn’t very protective of homeless Stan. After all, how could he have allowed his brother to be homeless in the first place?

Simple: he didn’t know. There’s a lot of things about mullet!Stan that Ford didn’t know! From canon, namely TBoB and Journal 3, we can deduce that Ford didn’t think of him as homeless, thought he was doing well for himself, living a well traveled charlatan/adventurer’s life, perhaps even a friend/member of the mob:

As Stan was kicked out, he told Ford (and the rest of the family), “Fine! I can make it on my own! I don’t need you! I don’t need anyone! I’ll make millions and you’ll rue the day you turned your back on me!” The way I see it, Ford took that at face value. Stan didn’t seek Ford out in those ten years, either, presumably out of a mix of pride, shame and self-hatred, so Ford could only assume Stan truly didn’t need him. Despite the many, many crossed out mentions of Stan in Journal 3, I think Ford at least tried to not let his mind linger on thoughts about Stan too much, because that hurt.

In his most recent interview, by HanaHyperfixates and ThatGFFan in 2023/2024, Alex talked about Ford’s issues:

He’s aloof, and distant, and he’s too perfect. And it’s like, “oh! I think he’s also aloof and distant from himself.”

I think he is, uh, deeply deeply hiding from his real feelings about things, because at some point early on, he decided that he could run from hurt by achievement and by creation, and has dug that hole so deep that he has no relationships.

If he sees achievement and creation as distractions from his real feelings, no wonder Stan didn’t get a call (or a postcard) from him earlier.

We also have Ford’s condescending, but protective, attitude towards Stan in TBoB as he considers asking for his help. Condescending protectiveness, if you will:

Notice how Ford briefly looks at Stan when Stan rants about his life:

A very ☹️ face. He’s probably surprised and concerned about what he’s hearing.

And then Stan, unfortunately but understandably, starts insulting/accusing him of selfishness:

You can notice the ☹️ face slowly becoming 😠 as Stan started attacking.

Again, when Ford accidentally hurts Stan by branding him:

That’s not even ☹️ anymore, it’s almost 😩! Things would probably have deescalated and perhaps even been fixed if Stan, unfortunately but understandably, hadn’t punched Ford in the face as retaliation.

“Oh, but what about old Ford kicking Stan out after everything, then?”

I think a lot of people who talk about this moment operate under the assumption that Stan was, well, completely and thoroughly screwed if Ford followed with his original man. An old man, no place to go, no money...

But Stan did have money. A lot.

No, really, he had, per his own words, in the extra commentary of Land Before Swine:

I do have a son, Benjamin Abe Hamilton Washington. This pile of money I’ve collected over the years! That’s my true family. Y’know, I can sorta glue it together into the shape of a child, maybe… Eh, I dunno. I do my best, right? And I do have—I do actually—not to brag, but I have an obscene amount of money. Uh, y’know, all the years of collecting and etcetera—and also grifting!

I’m not defending Ford’s actions here. Ford is my favorite character, but I’m not a Ford defender, hahah. You could still argue that what he did was an ungrateful, jerky move, and I would agree. I’m just against painting it as a “Ford doesn’t care at all about Stan’s safety” moment. Especially because, when Ford told Stan he wanted his house back, sufficient time had already passed. Enough for Ford to change his clothes, visibly, and enough for them to have had a talk, in which Stan could have revealed this little fact about himself.

Another thing I’d like to address is that Ford doesn’t hesitate at all to save Stan when he gets into trouble and acts natural about it, which is way more that we can say for Stan (as seen by how Stan reacts when Ford is kidnapped by Probabilitor the Annoying and when Ford is turned into a golden statue by Bill):

Again, not saying that Stan wasn’t justified in not wanting to help/save Ford after Ford’s blatant ungratefulness (I’m also sure he didn’t know Bill was actually torturing Ford). Not the point.

Now, back to Bill.

What I always loved about his little victory moment in Weirdmaggedon 3: Take Back the Falls is that upon surprising his enemies with his appearance, he proceeds to turn everyone into tapestry, including even Fiddleford (whom we know Ford cares a lot about!) but forces himself to spare Stan and the kids and place them inside the cages, even though they didn’t know the equation and would have zero usefulness to him. That could only be because he thought he could use them against Ford, so Stan was obviously included (instead of turned into tapestry or outright killed) for that very purpose. From a Doylist perspective, of course they couldn’t have excluded Stan, since he was one of the main characters; for the sake of character analysis, though, this is the best explanation in-universe.

That is why, when Stan-as-Ford tells Bill, “My only condition is that you let my brother and the kids go!” Bill easily believes him. Because he thought that it would be in-character for Ford. And Bill wouldn’t be wrong, not at all. He wouldn’t, because Ford himself was the one to tell Stan, just a moment earlier: “We need to take his deal. It’s the only way he’ll agree to save you and the kids.” It’s blaffling to me how many fans seem to forget Ford’s own words, and the fact Ford was very, very much willing to damn the whole universe (with seven billion people living on Earth at the time) to save three (3) people, including Stan. That Stan himself was the one to oppose and stop him. I think that happens because people buy Ford’s facade of Cold Responsible Greater Good Guy, which couldn’t be more deceiving. At this point I’m begging you guys to look deeper!

One common misconception about Ford’s character—not only Ford, but many, many fictional characters I have had the pleasure of considering blorbos—is that people take his facade at face value and judge him based off that. You’re falling for his bullshit. You’re looking at Ford and seeing exactly the man he wants you to see, instead of the man he is.

Ford demonstrated being hypocritical many, many times through the show, the comics, his journal, and even TBoB. I would go so far as to say it’s a Known Personality Trait of his. He chews Stan’s ass for being selfish, reckless, a criminal. Then proceeds to be: selfish and completely unaware of it, ten times more reckless, and a much more dangerous kind of criminal. He reproaches Stan for risking the world for only one person, but would have done the same thing.

Now, the last point of this particular subject: Ford and the erasing of Stan’s memories, which is sometimes interpreted as Ford prioritizing the greater good, or the kids’ safety, over Stan.

Dear reader, Ford erased Stan’s memories because he had literally no other choice. This is what Ford said to him: “He’ll be able to take over the galaxy and maybe even worse, but at least he might let the kids free.” Emphasis on the might, here. Might! Perhaps! Maybe! Perchance! Ford, in this line, was referring to Bill’s immediate threat to the kids’ lives—Bill had, after all, ran after Dipper and Mabel with a terrifying threat of disassembling their molecules as their grunkles were forced to watch inside their cage, powerless to stop him. After reflecting about their whole situation, he included Stan’s safety in the deal, too, now more certain than ever about his decision to sacrifice not only himself but, in his own words, “the galaxy” (and later, “the universe,” as he was pretending to be Stan) to, again, perhaps (!!!) save his family. Ford had literally no guarantee Bill would follow through with his words. Given Bill’s track record, it was way, way more likely that he wouldn’t. Bill is a liar and a manipulator through and through, one who takes great enjoyment in people’s suffering. Ford’s suffering, specifically, above all, since TBoB painted Bill as this toxic and possessive ex obsessed with his pet scientist. What were the chances?

Even if Bill, through some miracle, did end up keeping his word, we saw Bill’s plans for Earth in his daydream fantasies: taking a bite off the planet, drawing a smiley face on its surface as millions died... What a guy, that Bill! If the Earth was wrecked beyond repair, where would Stan and the kids live? How would they survive among all the chaos and destruction of the literal apocalypse? With nightmarish creatures lurking in every corner? With what food, what water, what shelter? Answer: they likely wouldn’t. The probability of human survival would be abysmally low.

Ford, tragically, had no other choice but to sacrifice Stan’s memories. It was that or risking the possibility of having to watch his family, including Stan, die horribly painful deaths at Bill’s sadistic hands or to condemn his family, including Stan, to a slower but still certain death after the entire human race perished.

Ford being aware of his love for Stan:

I have faith that most people already knew, to some extent, that Ford never stopped loving Stan, even at his angriest. A much lower percentage of these people, I believe, know that Ford himself was very much aware of that, and not in denial at all. He never even thought he hated Stan.

First, I choose to point out how young adult Ford, still in college, with his bitterness and resentment still very fresh, admits to missing Stan. He wrote, “MISS YOU” in their Bro Code, the code he memorized and never forgot. He not only thought about Stan, which would be understandable, since all of us have intrusive thoughts, but he took the time to write it down, and in code, which would be even more difficult than just writing it in English. That requires at least some level of acceptance. You may not be able to filter your thoughts, but you are able to filter your writing.

Ford does attempt to filter his writing, I know, by crossing out a lot of lines in Journal 3, most of them about Stan. But he does not cross out all of it. He freely admits to having a nightmare about Stan, to wanting to protect Stan from the giant six-fingered hand, to having the lake as his favorite place, to missing Stan. I think that Ford, if asked about his love for Stan back then, would also freely admit to it, as well. Stan is his twin brother, so of course he loves Stan.

One thing that always caught my attention is how Ford still refers to Stan as his “family” in the Journal, even after Stan’s attempt to disown him. Stan makes it pretty clear that, from now on, his “family” is just Mabel and Dipper:

Days after this, Ford didn’t seem to have taken this to heart, as seen by what he wrote in his Journal:

It’s way more likely than not that he IS including Stan, here. He says “the rest of the Pines,” instead of just “the children” or “the kids” or “the twins,” and even singles out Dipper as someone he trusts (contrasted with Stan and Mabel, whom he doesn’t).

I wonder if that’s just Ford being stubborn or if he really thinks his relationship with Stan is in a somewhat better place than it actually is.

I mean, for instance, this is their swingset (symbol of their relationship) in Stan’s mind:

And here it is Ford’s mind:

Still ominous, but very noticeably intact.

It’s ironic—I think that Ford was aware of his own love for Stan, but not aware of how damaged their relationship was from Stan’s POV.

Ford and stubborness:

I’ve also seen people saying that, if Stan hadn’t sacrificed himself, Ford would have continued, quote unquote, “hating” him. Or that his happy ending with Stan was a byproduct of his guilt over the same sacrifice, and not out of a genuine desire to reconnect with Stan. According to Alex’s commentary on this scene in Weirdmaggedon 3: Take Back the Falls, that isn’t true, either:

This whole sort of conclusion here is—what we needed to happen in this scene was—we needed pressure to be at the point where Stan and Ford recognize their lifelong rivalry and Ford does a sincere apology to Stan. And almost more importantly, he acknowledges Stan’s intelligence. Like, he says, “you wouldn’t have fallen for Bill’s nonsense,” like, he recognizes his brother has a kind of intelligence that he doesn’t. [...] And even though it’s Stan who agrees to—“I’ll be the one! Erase my mind! It’s fine. It’s worth it.”—like, it’s a sacrifice for both, like, Ford at this point is willing to get his brother back and has to lose him again. Like, both of them were... just doing what they have to do here.

This means that Ford was already wanting to reconnect with Stan before Stan offered to sacrifice his own memories. His comment about how Stan wouldn’t have fallen for Bill’s flattery wasn’t just self-reproach or some comfort to Stan, but a conscious attempt to soften things between them.

Which also means Stan’s offer to sacrifice himself wasn’t actually necessary for Ford to forgive him (or switch the blame entirely, more like, and start blaming himself instead) but just came at the worst possible moment. It was too late for them, now.

Reconciling Ford’s love for Stan with his treatment of Stan:

Now, we arrive at the last problem, which is something I’ve seen a lot of people struggling with. How to even reconcile Ford’s love for Stan, something we see hints of again and again, with his treatment of Stan?

First, this infamous line in Journal 3, which is arguably the most vicious (towards Stan) Ford ever was in canon:

That’s probably also related to Ford’s control freak tendencies. If Ford admits to himself he is not in control, that he needs help from other people, that he is really that desperate... Well, he can’t admit that, so he rationalizes his way out of that conclusion by convincing himself he would be the one doing Stan a favor (offering him the chance to prove himself to Ford), and not the other way around. He doesn’t need Stan, he doesn’t need anyone; Stan is the one who needs him and his forgiveness. (This is the moment I get the urge to reference a manga protagonist with a very similar control freak mindset, Light Yagami from Death Note. Why am I always attracted to characters with deep cognitive dissonance issues who desperately shape their own narrative to convince themselves of their full control over it? Like a moth to a flame.)

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe Ford looked down on Stan—on people in general. There’s plenty of evidence for that in both Journal 3 and Word of God, if you count Word of God as evidence. Ford himself admits to that after Weirdmaggedon. And let’s not forget what is probably the biggest elephant in the room, the 2016 TVInsider interview (if you’re nerdy enough to read such a long meta, you’re likely nerdy enough to have seen this quote already):

In terms of Stan and his brother’s conflict, we always wanted a moment where Ford saw that he was wrong. Ford’s spent an entire life imagining himself as this lone solitary hero and imagining his brother as this bumbling leech. From a narrative point of view, for Ford to see Stan be the hero finally lets Ford see the true side of his brother that he’s been too blinded by pride to see.

Ah, yes. Ford looking down on Stan enough to think of him as a “bumbling leech.” To most people, this sounds way harsher than “selfish jerk,” the term Ford himself used in Journal 3.

Fittingly enough, that was in the same interview Alex said Ford would have deserved to lose Stan:

If Stan had lost his memory for good, that would [have] provided some interesting narrative places for him and his brother to go, but ultimately the show is about the kids. Stan and his brother are meant to be a parable [that show] what can go wrong in a family relationship, [but also] show that, with hard work and sacrifice, the riff can be repaired. If Stan’s memory had been fully erased, it wouldn’t punish him so much because he’d be gone, but it would punish Ford, Dipper and Mabel most. Even though Ford might deserve that punishment, Dipper and Mabel do not.

The interesting thing here, though, is exactly that: losing Stan would be a punishment to Ford. Why? Because it would hurt. Why? Because Ford loved him. Enough, it seems, that he would suffer more with it than Stan himself would.

I think what confuses people so much is that they conflate love with like with admiration with trust with respect. They think of it as the same thing—a confusing, amorphous mass of positive feelings towards someone.

The way I see it, though, Dipper was someone Ford loved (considering love a deeply rooted, complex emotion), liked (felt general fondness/amiability towards), and trusted (to be capable of handling all the mystery stuff). Mabel was someone he loved (she was family), liked (she was weird and creative and pure-hearted!), but didn’t trust (due to his constant projecting; before anyone attempts do deny this, I’ll remind you that Ford himself admits in Journal 3 that Dipper was the only family member whom he had come to trust). Stan was someone he didn’t like nor trust, not anymore, certainly didn’t admire and—let’s be honest—barely respected (or didn’t respect at all, depending on your point of view), but still loved with the fierce intensity of one thousand suns.

I do believe Alex is at least mindful of the difference between love and respect, as seen by his commentary on Stan’s condescending love for Mabel in Land Before Swine:

But this idea that Waddles is sort of a metaphor for what Mabel loves. And Stan loves Mabel but he doesn’t—he doesn’t really think that anything she thinks is necessarily smart or right. You know, he loves like her, ah, she’s my sweet niece, but [Stan’s voice] “she doesn’t know anything.”

In the same interview by HanaHyperfixates referenced earlier in this post, Alex revealed his view of the Stan twins’ relationship:

Those characters at sea—it was so rich. They’re really really funny, because they both have major major blind spots. I can kinda write stories about them as a duo forever, because you can always excuse them both getting hyped on a bad idea for their own reasons, and then you can always come up with a reason for them to disagree about it, and it’s always sweet to see them come together again, because they’re so full of themselves, but they are also both so damaged they desperately need each other.

As you can see, the codependency is genuinely mutual, not something imposed on poor, guilty Ford after Weirdmaggedon. One thing I find really interesting about Ford is his black & white mindset, the fact that the only way he knows how to be with Stan is a codependent way. They’re either separated and estranged or sailing completely alone on a boat for the rest of their lives. Either rivals or best friends forever. There’s no middle ground for him.

Dipper tells us in Journal 3: “Still, it’s taken about a week of intensive scrapbook therapy to get Stan fully back to himself. [...] Ford’s been working at it the hardest.” Ford was the one putting the most effort in getting Stan back. Despite all, I believe Ford is the person who loves Stan the most. Not the one who loves Stan better—that one would be Mabel, I believe, or Soos, who are non-judgemental and understanding. But Ford is the one who loves him with the most intensity, which is fascinating because for most of the show he doesn’t even know how to love Stan, as exemplified by his treatment of him. Too fierce, too selfish, too much of everything.

#stanford pines #ford pines #stanley pines #stan pines #stan twins #gravity falls #gravity falls meta #ford pines meta #stan twins meta

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fanfic-obsessed · 8 months ago

Text

Smitten

I had this idea for a JayTim that I want to share.

Obviously there is no canon here, for the record.

In addition we have a version of Jack and Janet Drake that do love their son, they just have a really bad grasp on age appropriate supervision and activities. They honestly believe that a nine year old can be left alone with only a periodic check from a housekeeper (Also they are aware that Tim leaves the premises almost every night with a camera, they also believe this is a reasonable activity). Like the very embodiment ‘they’re confused, but they got spirit’. Believe me when I say this will be relevant later.

We are also bringing Jason and Tim’s ages just a hair closer together. This starts with Jason being 14 and Tim being 13, at the annual holiday Wanye Gala. This particular time Jack, Janet, and Tim are in attendance.

It starts with some boorish rich asshole, a little too drunk and being stupid about it, making an insulting comment about Janet Drake, heard by Tim. Now Tim loves his mother, and does not appreciate this man who insulted her.

Thirteen year old Tim verbally eviscerates this man, his voice an icy even tone that everyone around recognized from Tim’s mother Janet. Tim’s diatribe of insults and threats leverages this man's secrets, his fears, and insecurities that he didn't even realize he had. Ten minutes in, this man begins to cry. Just the complete, public, destruction of a middle aged rich drunk by a tiny thirteen year old. The Drake family proceeds to exit after Tim winds down, never looking back (it was later in the evening anyway).

Jason, standing off to one side next to Dick, falls immediately and completely in love. Smitten through and through. The first words out of his mouth, after the Drakes leave, is ‘We’re going to get married on that boy’s 18th birthday’. This was heard by just about everyone present. Jason did not even know Tim’s name yet.

By the next morning Jason has used the BatComputer to discover that his future spouse is named Timothy Drake, he lives next door, and that he is 14 months younger than Jason. At breakfast Jason very seriously, though a touch maniacally, tells Bruce that he would be marrying Tim when Tim turned 18, and that before that point they would be telling Tim about their ‘nightlife’ on the grounds that “we should not start our marriage off with secrets”. Jason magnanimously told Bruce that he had until Tim was 17 to get his feelings under control about the reveal (to give a full year before the wedding, in case Tim needed an adjustment period or Jason needed to win him back).

Bruce is already very tired.

Jason finds any occasion to seek out Tim Drake, to get to know his future spouse (the entire time Jason Mantra-having gotten some good advice from Alfred about becoming friends with and maybe dating Tim before anything else-is ‘Don’t start talking about the wedding, don’t start talking about the wedding’). Also every piece of romantic knowledge/flirting knowledge that Jason has comes from the regency era/Victorian era romances he reads.

Tim, for his part, believes that Jason (Tim’s Robin and crush) has figured out that Tim knows Robin’s identity and is trying to subtly figure out how much Tim knows and what he is going to do about it; but for some reason Jason is not asking directly and Tim is enjoying getting closer to the other boy, so he does not admit to what he knows.

This leads to some painfully stilted conversations and weird interactions, but every so often both will forget to be awkward and it becomes clear, whenever they actually act naturally, that they are very well matched.

To the Gotham Elites, this is the best entertainment in years. Between Bruce Wayne’s ‘Brucie’ act and Dick’s feral behavior growing up, Jason’s bookish politeness makes him the ‘best behaved’ Wayne and honestly the most well liked one. Combined that with how sweet he is acting with Tim and that this all started with Tim defending his mother, well this is the love story of the ages, happening right in front of them.

Bruce and the Drakes are already fielding requests for invitations to the wedding. On a slightly more creepy note they are also receiving offers to be a surrogate for the boy’s to ‘continue the bloodline’ when the time comes.

Bruce is honestly wondering if everyone forgot that Jason is adopted. Dick comes to Gotham more often, because he is also finding this immensely entertaining.

A few months in, this leads to Batman, Nightwing, and Robin finding Tim taking pictures on a rooftop in the Bowery. In Tim’s rush to apologize (he is starting to feel a bit guilty about his picture taking pictures of the Bats now that he has an actual relationship-where he believes that they know he knows who they are-instead of a parasocial relationship) it becomes clear that Tim knows their civilian identities and that they did not know that Tim knew their civilian identities.

Tim gives his explanation (a quadruple flip that only a few people in the world can do and connecting the dots from there). Jason immediately blurts out ‘Go on a date with me?’ and is quite proud that he kept the ‘Marry me?’ behind his teeth (The earliest they could get married in New Jersey is 17, and only with parental consent. Jason had 4 years to convince the Drakes to let him marry their son, 5 if they don’t like him). Tim turns bright red and squeaks out a ‘Yes’.

The next gala they enter holding hands. Dick is quickly sought after by the Elite for gossip. Dick confirms that Tim and Jason are now dating, and that Jason insisted on a chaperone for their dates (Jason is still working off the regency/victorian era romantic relationships) so that nothing would ‘besmirch Tim’s honor’. There is an entire crowd of cooing Gothamites around Dick as they discuss how these two got even more adorable, all the while watching Jason and Tim surreptitiously.

At some point Bruce has to have a very surreal conversation with Jack and Janet Drake about when it is appropriate to leave one's children alone and for how long and at what ages. Jack and Janet, upon being convinced that they should not leave their 13 year old alone for weeks or months at a time, rearrange their future plans so that one of them is almost always home (and on the few occasions that they would have to Tim by himself, Tim would stay with the Waynes).

By the way, Jack and Janet love Jason, they can see how much he makes their son happy and are glad to support the relationship.

Now I see this continuing one of two ways.

The first way is that this derails Ethiopia. Jason still fights with Batman, but runs to Janet Drake (who is home) and Tim. He does not discover that Catherine is not his mother until later, but is not missing parental influences and does some digging but does not go to meet Sheila. Tim becomes Oracle’s apprentice.

Alternately, it does not derail Ethiopia. Janet and Jack, on one of the few business trips that required both of them, is woken up by a call from an inconsolable Tim who tells them Jason has been killed by the Joker (both Jack and Janet having been let in on the secret at some point). Janet immediately hires Deathstroke and Talia Al Ghul to kill the Joker (Janet contemplated having them bring the Joker to her, so she could do it and make sure he understood why-he killed her future son in law and made her son cry- but realized that the why would never actually matter to Joker) and paid extra to make it look like natural causes (to lessen the attention on the bastard). Two weeks after Jason Todd’s funeral, the Joker dropped dead of an apparent heart attack, there was not even enough time to get him back in Arkham.

The Gotham Elite treat Tim like a bereaved widow, despite Jason never getting to have the ‘let’s get married when we are old enough’ talk with him. Jack Drake gets to have his own surreal talk with Bruce Wayne about accepting help, and therapy, after Jason’s death. Tim picks up the Robin mantle to feel closer to Jason, and to distract himself from grief.

Jason (Now 17) is brought back and Talia does find him. In this she does have good intentions (She knows that Damian is going to need to be sent to his father eventually, and hopes that helping Jason will endear Talia to Bruce enough that she can still see her son), plus a connection to Janet Drake and the knowledge that Janet had the Joker killed for Jason. So as soon as Jason’s madness ebbs enough to travel she brings him straight to Janet Drake's door. By then enough time has passed that it is three days before Tim’s 17th birthday.

Jante takes one look at Jason and goes ‘Hmm, I was wondering what we were getting Tim for his birthday this year’.

#jaytim #jason todd is a romantic #jason todd #tim drake #Smitten jason Todd #Jason Todd Died #Jason Todd Lived #jack and janet drake #Jack and Janet love Tim #bruce wayne #Bruce Wayne is a good parent #alfred pennyworth #richard grayson #gotham

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princessbrunette · 1 year ago

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you’d always been a nerd, there was no doubt about that — it’s only now you were older, you were known as a nerd who was filling out her bikini top, and jiggling in her bikini bottoms. now, unlike yourself — you sit on a little boat out on the water with the infamous pogues.

it was jj who invited you here. it was always jj — he’d been enthralled to see the sexy little thing you’d grown into adulthood as. he’d spotted you whilst working at the library, frowning over a file book of library card entries with cute pouty lips and reading glasses that he wanted to cover in cum. hed always thought you were cute at school, but now he just had to have you. he’d used his charms on you, and now you were nervously tucked into his side, ‘making friends’ with his friends as he’d described it. “gotta get ya out there, there’s a whoooole life to be lived outside these books, you know that?”

he was burrowing through his backpack, leaning over on the boat beside you to find the weed he’d packed, clearly set on corrupting you for fun.

“its the best of the best— like, perfect for a beginner—” he rambles, dumping things out his backpack struggling to find the small baggie of prerolls he’d prepared.

“jesus, jj do not corrupt the poor girl.” john b bites back the entertained smile, lifting his head from where he lounged in the sun to look at you. “you sure you’re okay with this sweetheart? can totally… you know, stick to what you know.” he shrugs, sympathetically and you shake your head, wide eyes finding the blondes.

“its okay, told jj i’ve always wanted to try. he said he’d hook me up.” you smile politely, still a little shy around the group.

“yeah but he’s being weird about it.” kiara glares at her friend with her nose turned up, nudging him with her foot nearly knocking his balance off. “dont be a creep.”

“look i’m not being a creep, alright! ‘said she wanted to try, and i’m being a good citizen and simply helping this sweet young lady out dabbling in just a lil bit of herb okay so i don’t wanna—” he dives headfirst into another one of his rants, but is quieted by your gasp when a couple of items fall out his backpack, including a gun.

“nice work.” pope shakes his head and your eyes widen, looking around wondering why no one else is concerned.

“why do you have a gun, jj?” you scandalise and he picks it up casually, flipping it in his hands making you shuffle away, jaw agape.

“gotta protect my people, what’s wrong wi’that? look i’m a pro at usin’ this thing— set up a little target practice in john b’s backyard and lemme tell you, i have quite the aim.” he waves it around making you stiffen up, touching his bicep to stop him from being so reckless.

“god, you must be careful with that thing. they’re dangerous jj! i read that these pistols just go off at random all the time, you could seriously hurt someone and i don’t wanna be the person who gets shot by accident! do you even—” you freak, and he turns his body to you shuffling closer and silencing you.

“shh, shh, shh, shh — hey. it’s all good. i would never accidentally shoot a pretty girl. trust me, i’m so careful.” he smirks, bringing the tip of the barrel to your lips making you freeze with wide eyes. to keep you there as he speaks, an arm slings over your shoulder, his clammy hand gently grasping the back of your neck. you know you should be scared, the boy seems reckless and unhinged — and worst of all, his friends seemed used to it which tells you he does this shit all the time — but something about it made your cunt throb, dampening your bikini bottoms and subtly pressing your thighs together as you felt your skin heat up.

maybe it was all the books you read, but you’d always loved a bad boy.

“seriously bro? you’re scaring her.” kiara complains, leaning across and yanking the pistol out his hand and shoving it back into his backpack.

fast forward a few hours, and you’re back at the chateau, the only ones inside in john b’s bedroom. you’re looser, high and relaxed from the joint jj had talked you through smoking — and now you were laying your head on his bicep, his free hand down your panties rubbing your copious juices into your swollen clit.

“cant believe you’ve never been touched like this, mama. been missing out on heaven, right?” he grins, leaning down to kiss at your cheek when your eyes flutter closed, so out of it and blissful.

“mm… wanted this since…” you trail off, lips parting and brows furrowing when he curls his finger inside you.

“nah, go on. since when… tell me how long this pretty pussy’s been horny for papa j.” he dirty talks so well you clench hard around him, working up the courage. it didn’t take much, the intoxication and lust making you brave.

“since you put the gun to my lips.” you admit quietly and his jaw drops gleefully, speeding up his fingers.

“seriously? damn i knew you were gonna be a freak. it’s always the quiet ones, always dude.” he celebrates to himself before staring down at you adoringly. “man, i’m gonna have so much fun with you, pretty girl.”

#jj maybank prompt #deer!reader #i guess

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kingdom-carer · 3 months ago

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Unique agere writing prompts:

A bunch of young or inexperienced characters (the younger/less experienced the funnier) are hanging out together when suddenly one of them regresses. None of the others know what to do - “I don’t know how to take care of a baby!!! Do YOU know how to take care of a baby!?”

A character regresses alone … except for their pet. They pick up on the fact that their person is suddenly acting like a child, and takes care of them the best way a pet knows how. (Bonus points if the pet’s reasoning abilities are enhanced somehow, whether through creative storytelling or in-world magical properties.)

A character regresses and loses all of their speech. No cute babbles or lisping here - just complete silence. CG has to figure out what their baby wants through gestures alone, and that can be challenging depending on how young their kiddo is.

A character teen regresses around their superior or boss, becoming mouthy or being silly in a distracting manner. Boss/coworker quickly discourages that behavior, and teen is highly embarrassed and has to work through a lot of unhappy emotions regarding rebellion or rejection. The boss/coworker could be either caring or mean for this one.

Kiddo’s heart stops when they see someone who looks like Santa Claus on their day out. Without thinking, they approach him. The man is surprised to see them, but meets them with warmth and promises to write their Christmas wish down for the elves. Was it really Santa? Who knows?

Middle shyly admits that they are interested in something they got scolded for when they were young - and CG decided to join them in their quest to live out the dream, whether that’s funky hair, a new fandom, or a tricky hobby. Kiddo ends up rocking it, of course.

Digging up old writing or artwork pitches a middle into their headspace - and it is NOT a good one. CG isn’t sure why middle is being so bratty until they suddenly burst into tears, saying they hate themselves and they wish they could just disappear. CG offers to go through the sketchbook and praises each page lovingly as they do, but the drawings turn darker and darker …

CG has a hard day and wants to love on their kiddo to relax, but kiddo isn’t feeling particularly small and subtly tries to redirect the attempts at affection. CG gets more and more frustrated until they snap, shouting, throwing things, slamming doors and cabinets. So many repressed emotions bubbling up … CG immediately regrets what they’ve done and hides away in shame. Baby does their best to cheer CG up again, even if CG’s outburst scared them.

Kiddo is perfectly big when going about their day, but a sweet lady at the gas station starts calling them all sorts of pet names when she sees they’re upset and offers to pay for their snacks. Kiddo immediately tries to hold it together, but tears are still falling from their eyes.

CG or kiddo revisits their childhood home and reflects on their upbringing. Good? Bad? Ugly? You decide.

Middle revisits a school and realizes how … young they all are. Mentally, they’ve been stuck there for so long … but my, how far they’ve come.

Kiddo has to babysit a younger kiddo when there’s no one else around to care for them. Chaos ensues.

For some reason (possibly due to trauma or magic?), big cannot remember being little, even though the aftermath exists. They begin leaving notes to themselves when big, and get responses back when small. Slowly, they start to heal their hurt brains and bridge the gap between headspaces.

Big actually goes back in time to meet their little self. Who have they become in the eyes of this tiny person?

Kiddo is afraid of making messes and getting in trouble, so CG responds with sensory bins, mud puddles, shaving cream kiddie pools, and other activities where getting messy is the name of the game. There are lots of big feelings, but nothing a little food fight can’t fix.

CG misses their kiddo so much it hurts. They snuggle a pillow and tend to their stuffies, but it isn’t the same. They call their kiddo just to see how they’re doing, and kiddo can tell it’s hard for them to be apart; so they decide to get their CG a pet.

A kiddo with powers has to relearn to use them when small, since channeling energy takes focus … and so does repressing a magical outburst when upset.

A CG starts falling in love with someone … and kiddo notices, taking it upon themself to help them get together by being “sneakily” romantic. Naturally it is not quite as subtle as they intended.

You’ve heard of “caught being little,” now get ready for “caught being a CG.” Why IS this box full of band-aids and stuffed animals and grab-and-go play packs and electrolytes in your closet?

#mama talks #sfw age dreaming #sfw age regression #sfw agedre #sfw agere #sfw cg #sfw cglre #christian agere #sfw littlespace #sfw middlespace #agere writing #agere prompts

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pucksandpower · 2 years ago

Note

grid kids : y/n having super bad periods like bedridden and seb try’s to tell the boys they can’t visit and they go into full like code red crisis mode

Grid Kids: The Best Medicine

Sebastian Vettel x wife!Reader x platonic!drivers

Summary: the grid kids do everything they can think of to make you feel better

Series Masterlist

Max enters the room gingerly, holding a steaming mug of herbal tea. “I googled it,” he whispers to Charles, who’s setting up a little essential oil diffuser on the bedside table. “This should help.”

Charles nods, looking at the variety of oils he’s brought. “Lavender for relaxation,” he explains.

From the other side of the room, Lando and George carry in an enormous heating pad. “This helped my sister,” Lando mutters, plugging it in, while George adjusts the settings.

Lance, a bit out of his depth but wanting to contribute, tentatively offers a stack of magazines and books. “For ... distractions?”

Mick, who’s been quietly observing, pulls out a small speaker from his bag. “How about some calming music? Always helps to set a soothing environment.”

While this orchestrated chaos unfolds, you, despite your pain, can’t help but be touched by the outpouring of care and concern. You try to sit up but the discomfort is evident.

“Hey,” Sebastian gently admonishes, propping you up with more pillows, “Let them fuss over you. They want to.”

As evening falls, the room is transformed into a comforting sanctuary. The soft glow from fairy lights, the gentle hum of calming tunes, and the subtle scent of lavender fills the room.

Feeling a bit better from all the care, you whisper, “Thank you, boys. But you don’t have to stick around, you know.”

Lando pulls a funny face, “And miss out on a sleepover? No way.”

One by one, the grid kids, following Lando’s lead, find a comfy spot on your enormous bed, cocooning you protectively in the center. Some snuggled at the foot, some propped against the headboard, and others squished in the middle.

With the soft chirping of crickets outside and the rhythmic breathing of your sons on all sides, you drift into a peaceful sleep, pain momentarily forgotten in favor of burrowing deeper into the love and warmth surrounding you.

***

The morning sun peeks through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. you stir, the pain still present but noticeably diminished. As your eyes flutter open, you’re greeted by the endearing sight of the grid kids sprawled all around you, each in varying poses of sleep.

Sebastian, having given up his spot on the bed last night, is asleep in the armchair, a book resting on his chest. George and Lando, squished up at the foot of the bed, are tangled in a mess of limbs, while Charles seems to have created a makeshift fort for himself with every pillow he could find.

The aroma of breakfast wafts into the room, pulling you from your thoughts. Mick, having woken up earlier, stands in the doorway with a tray. “Morning! Thought you might be hungry,” he says, a smile touching his lips.

“Oh, Mick,” you murmur, touched by the gesture. “You didn’t have to.”

He sets the tray on your lap, revealing a spread of toast with bacon and eggs, fresh fruit, and some yogurt. “We all pitched in. Well, mostly Max and Lance. They seem to think they’re on MasterChef or something.”

Laughter ripples through the room as the others start to wake, each stretching and yawning. Max, rubbing his eyes, adds, “Hey, those scrambled eggs were a work of art!”

Lance chimes in, “Don’t forget about the smoothie. That was my masterpiece.”

George, trying to subtly smooth out his bed head, quirks a brow. “If we’re being all domestic, how about a spa day? Right here, right now.”

Charles, still nestled in his pillow fort, chuckles. “In this room? With all of us? I’m sure that will end well.”

Max’s eyes light up, “I’m in! But only if someone does that cucumber thing on my eyes.”

Mick grins, “You mean a cucumber facial? I’ve got you covered.” He dashes out, only to return moments later with a stash of beauty products. “My sister left these the last time she visited. We’ve got masks, scrubs, the works!”

Amused and touched by the turn of events, you announce, “Alright then, let the spa day commence!”

Sebastian, skeptical but game, adds, “I’ve never had a mani-pedi before.”

Lando winks, “There’s a first time for everything, Seb. Give me your hands.”

As Lando starts on Sebastian while Lance gets to work on making more of his famed smoothies for everyone. Meanwhile, George and Charles, having taken over the facial department, start applying face masks, complete with cucumber slices for the eyes.

An hour later, the room is a delightful mess. Mick and Max have somehow managed to get more face mask on their shirts than on their faces. Lando’s meticulous nail painting skills are in high demand, and George is draped over the foot of the bed, a bright green face mask contrasting comically with his hair.

You, through bouts of laughter, look around at the delightful chaos. “Alright, time for the big question. Do you or do you not feel bonita?”

Lance, his fingers spread out to dry the bright pink nail polish Lando chose, grins. “I feel bonita.”

Charles, attempting to peel off his dried mask, replies with a dramatic flair, “I was born bonita but now? I’m radiant!”

Mick chimes in, “Can’t see through these cucumber slices but I’m pretty sure I’m the most bonita of all.”

The room fills with banter, laughter, and the gentle ribbing that only close friends and family can share. As the day turns into evening, the spa treatments wind down and the room settles into a comfortable quiet.

You, heart full, look around at the makeshift spa and the joy it brought. “Thank you, boys. Today was unexpected but absolutely perfect.”

Sebastian, his nails now adorned with a clear glossy finish, adds, “I think we should make this a tradition. Spa day before every race.”

Max raises his own freshly manicured hand. “All in favor?”

A chorus of “Ayes!” fills the room and so a new tradition was born.

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saerins · 1 year ago

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⋆୨ chapter seven ୧˚ till forever falls apart

⋆୨ if not for you (masterlist) ⋆୨ previous: chapter six - redefines in every way what love is - end ୧˚

⋆୨ synopsis ୧˚ neither of you want this. both you and sae reluctantly agree to this marriage, although sae’s dissatisfaction far outweighs your own. with hidden agendas and old flames, will this ever work out between the two of you, or will your forced spark be doomed to fail?

ೀ series: sae x f!reader | wc 8.8k | ೀ content warnings: fluff/angst, modern au, arranged marriage, rich!sae and rich!reader, jealousy/paranoia, suggestive scenes, mentions of blood/children | notes: we have finally reached the end of infy !! rejoice i will no longer be able to torture you guys with the ending of this hehe but i do hope you all enjoyed this ^_^ & now onto the next !

“I came here to talk to her.”

There’s no speck of kindness left in Sae’s eyes when he looks at what’s left of his former lover. He doesn’t even notice you sauntering up behind him.

“How many times do I need to tell you to leave us alone?” Sae emphasises that last part, uncertain of how else he can possibly phrase it so that she makes herself scarce.

For the first time tonight, Mirin doesn’t even pay attention to Sae. Her eyes look past him, focused entirely on you.

You take your position next to Sae, feeling his hand tenderly grip onto your wrist. At the very least, it gives you comfort knowing that he’s here no matter what’ll happen. Though, judging by the ever slight panic you can make out from Mirin’s face, whatever it is isn’t pretty.

Mirin doesn’t say a word, only stares at you expectantly. Swallowing your ego, you nod subtly. You’re curious.

“I’m sorry,” comes out of her mouth, and you don’t know how to feel. There’s a lot of things she needs to be sorry for, but that’s your personal feelings. Somehow, you doubt it’s related to anything with regards to Sae.

“If that’s all you came to say—”

“Do you know about your parents?” Mirin ignores Sae again, instead looking to you.

Sae’s about to just shut the door in her face when you tug on his hand, stopping him. He’s perplexed by you, but he listens to you just the same.

“Yeah, barely. What about it?”

Because Sae did tell you briefly about it, about his suspicions on what they’re trying to do. You have to admit, having Oliver and his family’s PI stalk your parents wasn’t on your bingo card this year. And what he’s suspicious of never even crossed your mind. Only because even if they aren’t the best parents in the world, you didn’t think that they’d actually let any harm come upon you.

To think, they would try to take all of the money, not only their own but yours too, in order to save their own asses.

Mirin almost looks like she doesn’t want to say anything, her fingers grasping tightly and desperately on the hem of her dress before opening her mouth and making your heart sink to the depths below.

“The police are coming and it’s my fault and I know I haven’t done anything to earn your trust but can you please let me handle it?”

She says it all in one breath. Hurriedly without pause.

Are the police already that close?

“What the fuck, Mirin?” Sae spits, his grip on you tightening as he pulls you behind him, the vein on his forehead close to popping.

Mirin swallows the lump in her throat and you’re left staring in a daze behind your husband, wondering what you’ve done that was so wrong that you deserved this; your parents, a scorned and jealous ex-lover, legal threats.

“Sae, please,” Mirin’s panicking and you wonder why that is. Correction, you can sense why—it’s plain old regret. Regret caused by rash actions done on impulse. “It’s my fault, I know but we don’t have time. Tabito’s trying to stall them but they’re coming.” Her eyes flicker over to you, and you’d think she’s beautiful if all you’re seeing isn’t just red.

You feel the injustice creeping up inside of you, threatening you to take action. “And why the hell should I trust you?” Your tone is harsher than you ever thought you could go, and even Mirin shrinks back at the venom she senses laced inside your words.

And usually you’d feel bad for it but someone has already called the cops on you for something you didn’t do and that someone is right in front of you asking you for the same trust she wouldn’t have afforded you if the roles were reversed. If you didn’t have any self control, you’d have slapped her by now.

Mirin’s about to say something when she hears seven tight raps on the door. As Sae reluctantly moves away to open the door, Mirin whips her head towards you one last time.

“Please.”

The last thing she deserves is a chance. You know that. Both your head and your heart are in the same place for once and yet why can’t you act on it? Why can’t you just tell her to shove it up her ass?

“Y/N,” Sae calls your name, hushed because you presume he’s just as cautious as you are.

Slowly, you nod your head, signalling for him to open the door. You don’t know what Mirin is planning, or whether all this is part of her evil plot to take you down somehow.

When the door opens, you see Sae’s friend, Karasu, stepping in first before a detective, a dirty blonde with dark circles under his eyes like he hasn’t slept for days. Behind him, two policemen stand guard, watching you cautiously, as though you might try to jump out the window just to run from them.

“Are you Y/N?”

The detective is addressing you, and you’re sure he’s only doing it out of courtesy because these people always do their work before nabbing their supposed targets. Beside you, Mirin steps one step forward, her earlier panic expertly masked by a puzzlingly professional expression. From your line of sight, behind where the detective stands, Sae tries to move toward you, only to have Karasu reach out to grab his wrist and keep him there, a subtle shake of his head as the only signal for him not to make any moves.

“I am,” you respond, because any under or overreaction would only prove to make you look guilty.

“What is this about, detective?” Mirin asks, a casual aloofness donned on her face now. You’re impressed by just how quickly she can change her moods.

“Oh, it’s you, Ms Seto,” the detective says, realising who she is, and you don’t doubt how influential her father’s been to all of Japan with his work. Immediately, his face softens and brightens up, as though it’s imperative that he stay on their family’s good side. He probably assumes that just because Mirin’s here in this hotel room that she’s close to you. “We received an anonymous tip regarding Ms L/N’s family here, as well as her possible involvement. We’d like to take her down to the station for some questioning.”

So that’s what Mirin had done to you. She had tried to pin part of what your parents are doing on you, too. You nearly scoff if not for the fact you know that the two policemen behind are watching you like a hawk. Mirin is the one who scoffs though, crossing her arms like she’s been through these situations a thousand times.

Beside you, any trace of guilt is absent from Mirin’s expression because apparently, and you don’t doubt it, she’s a very good actress. If it’s up to you, you’d say that her talents are wasted since she’s not one. And while your stubborn ego wants to solve this for yourself, you’d never even gotten in trouble with the local police before for anything, and something tells you that Mirin is way better than you are at this, so you keep your mouth shut and let her handle this like she asked.

“So you have no proof of any sort that she’s complicit in any illegal activities?”

The detective chuckles helplessly, like he expects Mirin to be that attentive. “No, not until the anonymous tipper provides us with what they say they have.”

Mirin’s expression falters just slightly for a split second before she’s back to normal. “So no concrete proof, then?”

“No, ma’am.” The detective seems a little laid back around her—are they family friends? Sure seems like it to you.

“Then I’d appreciate it if you don’t treat Y/N here like she’s some sort of criminal. We wouldn’t want anyone seeing her being escorted into a police car and making assumptions, would we?”

Behind him, Sae seems to have relaxed a little, lacking the earlier blind hostility he held. Maybe it partly has to do with whatever Karasu whispered to him right before this. Still, he’s as surprised as you are that Mirin’s committing herself to covering for you.

“Fine, we’ll meet at the station then,” the detective says, the mirth still on his face as he bids a temporary goodbye.

When all that’s left are the four of you, Sae immediately takes his place beside you, his hand possessively gripping your wrist, an accusatory look thrown in Mirin’s direction. “You did all of that just to mess with my wife?”

Mirin’s expression falters when he uses that term again, for you, because deep down, she still wishes for it to be her. She still wishes for that guy she fell in love with and made all those plans with to be hers. Hers, and no one else’s. But it’s evident enough that no matter how much she tries, even if you somehow ended up dead, it would never be her. He’d rather wait for the ghost of you than live with anyone else.

Karasu walks over, settling himself between the divide. He’s the one who seems the most sane, given this has almost nothing to do with him. “Sae, leave it for now,” Karasu advises, blocking Mirin’s line of sight. You presume he’s just doing it as a favour, maybe to simmer Sae’s anger, because you can feel his hands trembling with rage even as they hold on to you. “We need to get Y/N to the police station before this gets any worse for her and her sister.”

Your throat goes dry. “My sister? She’s been taken in too?”

How ironic that you were doing all this just to protect her from the harsh reality that your parents never loved either of you.

Karasu nods apologetically. “My sources say she was taken in about half an hour ago, but discreetly.”

The passive anger that was only settling on the surface seems to finally boil over, and you thank god that Sae is holding you back from possibly harming Mirin. Otherwise, you’d have probably punched her right now.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” Her voice is timid and she’s trembling but you don’t hold an ounce of appreciation for her earlier actions nor sympathy for her current emotions. This was all because of her. Her, and your parents, and you doubt you’re enough of a saint to forgive either parties.

“If anything happens to her, I’ll make sure you regret it.” Your words are a warning, and Mirin takes them in silently.

Maybe you have been too nice, and way too passive. To the point where people like Mirin felt like they could try their best because they had nothing to fear. At the very least, it still comforts you knowing that Sae was never trying to get anywhere with her. If not, it was the very opposite, though you still didn’t appreciate his lack of communication.

“Hey, I’ll drive us there, okay?” Sae tells you softly, his hand tugging yours gently, briefly washing the anger off of you. When you face him and nod, he smiles, his hand coming up to place your head against his shoulder as he walks you to the car, Karasu and Mirin trudging wordlessly behind. You let him lead the way, finding an odd sense of comfort, different from before.

Now, you know that Sae will protect you unconditionally. He’s been doing it up until now, even when you weren’t his favourite person. Despite his shortcomings, despite the fact that he had no obligation to, Sae was always on your side.

And maybe now you can see a glimpse of the future you imagined, the one where you get unconditional love, the one where you can see a happy family who’s not just obsessed with money. A proper one, with its very foundations built on love and not control over another.

When you get to the carpark, you see Mirin getting into Karasu’s car, and you silently thank him for going out of his way to get involved in all of this. The last thing you need is to be able to see Mirin in the rearview mirror of your husband’s car, sitting there as though she deserved any sort of comfort. If you could, you’d stuff her in the trunk and tell her to deal with it.

However, even without her there, both of you stay relatively quiet. Maybe because neither of you have ever been in this type of situation; neither of you know what to say. Even so, as he pulls in to the parking lot of the station, he takes your hand, squeezing it gently, his teal eyes gentle as they fall into your gaze.

“No matter what, I promise you, I’ll protect you, okay?”

You don’t doubt his words. You nod, squeezing his hand back, tightly because you’re more nervous than he is. You’d probably have to face the interrogation alone, or at the most with Mirin, and who knows what she might pull in there?

“Hey, hey,” he calls out to you softly, his other hand coming up to your cheek and turning you to face him, his forehead pressing against your own, eyes still locked on yours, his smile the gentlest you’ve ever seen. “We’ll get through this. Whatever you decide, whatever you want to do, I’ll take your side, okay baby?”

Maybe it’s the way the pet name so easily rolls off your tongue, but you still find your heart skipping a beat at such a simple gesture.

“Ready?”

You take a deep breath, nodding.

“Ready.”

While you’re in the room with Mirin and the detective, Sae finds himself pacing the waiting room restlessly despite Karasu’s attempts at calming him down.

The raven-haired man cocks a brow, amused by what he sees because Itoshi Sae of all people getting restless is always interesting. Usually, he doesn’t even get to see Sae bothered at all. The last time he saw that sliver of emotion was, well, back when Mirin left.

“Dude, relax, your wife will be fine.” That’s all Karasu can offer now, pointless words of assurance. Though he can argue he’s been plenty useful when calming Mirin down back at the hotel.

Sae shoots him a warning look. “With Mirin in there?”

Karasu sighs, leaning back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. He doesn’t recall knowing when exactly things got so fucked up between them.

“Look, I don’t know what the fuck was up with her, I’ll be honest,” Karasu explains, the only person there with any hint of pity for Mirin. “She fucked up, she knows. And you don’t gotta forgive her, really. If it were me I’d have handled it much less classier than your wife did. But trust me, Mirin’s trying to make up for it right now, okay? We can’t do anything so relax.”

Silence falls over them for a while, the sounds of the landlines ringing and clacking of keyboards the only things they can hear.

“What did you say to make her regret it?”

Because Sae’s at the very least curious about why she was so quick to rescind her punishment for you.

His friend shrugs, “is it hard to believe it could be something as simple as realising she didn’t wanna lose you completely?”

The earlier hostility leaves Sae’s body, only a bitter upset lingering behind. Because he can believe it, because at the core, Mirin’s always been simple. The way she acts out, not so much. She’d already alienated Sae by having been the object of his affection once, and that was not her fault, but she’d exacerbated it by acting completely out of line. On the tip of her impulsiveness was just the last chance to either possibly redeem herself or risk thorough destruction of whatever was left of their entire relationship through the years.

Maybe it’s heartless of him, but he doesn’t care. Yeah, he should’ve handled it better in the beginning. He should’ve just told Mirin that he doesn’t want to be someone who wrecks his own home, even if it didn’t feel exactly like home back then. But you didn’t deserve the anger she placed onto you. After realising his feelings, that was where he drew the line.

He doesn’t give a shit if Mirin woke up and regretted her actions. He doesn’t care if she’s trying to make up for it and save you. All he cares about is you and just you.

Sensing the tension in the air, Karasu forces a lighthearted chuckle. “What kind of magic does Y/N have to make someone like you so whipped, huh?”

There’s a pink hue to Sae’s cheeks at the mention of it, forcing him to look away as Karasu snickers at him.

“Look… don’t get mad, okay? But… do you think it’s possible she knew about it all?”

Never in his life has Sae’s fingers curled into a fist so fast, nails digging into his palms so hard, and Karasu has to throw his hands up in the air in surrender. Both of them know that if anything happens, they’re going to be recorded—and then the media will see it. And then everything will be taken out of context.

It’s routine at this point.

“She had nothing to do with it, so shut it.”

Does Sae know for sure that you don’t? Of course not. He doesn’t have evidence to support you, except that your parents left you behind. If your family’s really twisted, it could all be a part of some ploy. But Sae likes to think he knows you; you’re not sick or twisted. You’re kind and beautiful and trustworthy that he’s not even going to entertain the idea that you knew anything.

It isn’t long after that Sae spots you walking out of the interrogation room, down the corridor and back out to him. For the most part, at least you look fine. You’re trembling a little, so he clasps his hands over yours, holding you to him and kissing the top of your head.

“Hey, you doing okay?”

You can only manage a weak nod, but that’s enough for him. This situation can be a bit much for anyone. He holds you close like that, his warm body cloaking your own. You hate how it’s so easy for you to calm down when he’s here with you, and even if you’d like to condemn him for making such a whirlwind for your life you know it’s not technically his fault.

It was your parents who forced you into this marriage, or else you’d never have met Sae at all. It was Mirin who took it upon herself to try and ruin everything when Sae had refused her. And it was definitely your parents who took all their money and ran before they could get caught for multiple counts of fraud and embezzlement.

All Sae ever did was save your own money, all thanks to making that joint account. Otherwise, your parents would’ve made off with your money too, leaving you with no cent to your name, all properties seized.

You hold him a little tighter now, the tiff over what you thought was going on between him and Mirin seeming so stupid in comparison. Your own parents abandoned you and your sister, looked at you as just a pawn to get what they wanted. You don’t even know how you’re going to face Sae’s parents now that this happened.

A minute later, Mirin also waltzes out of the room, her feigned arrogance still present because the detective is still there. You gaze at them out of the corner of your eye; things only went so easy there because Mirin played her family’s cards right, and now both you and your sister are free to go.

In normal situations, this is where you thank her. But nothing about this is normal, and this was a situation partly borne out of Mirin’s impulsiveness. So all you manage is not paying her back with a slap.

“If you hear anything—”

“We’ll call you,” Sae cuts the detective off, his grip around you getting tighter.

Even if everything had been rocky earlier tonight, you find yourself comforted by the way you just know that Sae would protect you no matter what. You don’t even have to ask him, and he’d do right by you. For a moment, you wonder if this is the kind of unconditional love you’d always wanted.

“Hey, are you okay? Wanna go now?”

Sae’s voice is softer than you thought he could ever be, and all you want to do is melt into his embrace without thinking about anything but unfortunately the world is never so kind and neither is your mind because there’s a thousand questions running through it.

“Where’s my sister?”

“I got her to wait in Karasu’s car with her boyfriend. His car has more privacy and I thought it’d be best if no one outside could picture us.”

Right, because there are already some reporters who got hold of the news and are waiting right outside to ambush you into answering their questions. It’s all sorts of fucked up but you presume your parents are worse so you can’t really say anything.

Sae starts to lead the way to the carpark, his hand never leaving your side. He makes sure to look around, make sure nobody’s there to ambush you. Behind you, you can hear Karasu whispering things you can’t hear, probably to Mirin.

“That would mean there won’t be any space for her, right?” You ask, your mind still doing flips back and forth between being the bigger person and being petty about it. Because you’d love to be as ruthless as she once was to you, but ultimately, you don’t want to feel like you owe her anything.

As you reach the car, Karasu unlocks it, and Sae opens the back door, your sister sound asleep on the other side, her boyfriend muttering a soft ‘hello’. They both look tired, and you don’t blame them. At least you had Sae to warn you about what was going on, but to them it must’ve been a shock, especially for your poor sister who’s always been sheltered against the horrible things your parents could do.

“It’s fine, she can take the train,” Sae mutters, purposefully loud enough for Mirin to hear and hopefully get the hint.

Karasu’s about to suggest otherwise, but you interject—you’re pretty sure you’re the only one Sae will listen to now anyway. Even if Karasu tries to say anything, there’s a high chance that it’ll go ignored.

“She can sit in the front,” you say, because despite knowing better, it’s always been in you to try and be nice.

“Thank—”

“If she ends up getting pictured, it could blow back on us anyway,” you mutter coldly, because being nice doesn’t mean you have to make it apparent. There’s no one here you have to impress anyway, and Sae probably knows you’re just trying to hold it together for yourself, so you won’t have any regrets.

Like you predicted, Sae’s not all for it, but he doesn’t say a thing, following after you into the backseat, squeezing and trying not to wake your sister. Mirin doesn’t say a thing the whole way back, she only thanks Karasu for driving her back and leaves. Neither does Karasu say a thing, awkward silence hanging in the air as you catch him casting quick glances at you and Sae in the rearview mirror.

“Thanks for taking care of her,” you whisper to your sister’s boyfriend as he carries her out of the car. You didn’t get to talk to her all night, but that’s fine, you suppose she needs a long rest after everything she found out tonight.

He shoots you a helpless smile after he presses a kiss onto her forehead. The way he looks at her alone could make people believe in love, and you’ve never been more thankful that you tried your best to protect it. Among everyone, your sister’s always been good and kind, and even if you’ve never seen her around that much after university started for her, you love her all the same.

“You sure you don’t wanna wake her?” He asks you, quietly so he doesn’t disturb her. “She said she missed you, you know.”

You shake your head. “It’s fine, I’ll call her when things settle down,” you assure him, managing a genuine smile. “Take care of her, okay?”

Behind you, Sae smiles to himself when he figures out he must’ve married an angel, must be the luckiest man in the world. Despite everything that’s happened, you should be taking care of yourself, yet you managed to make sure Mirin got a ride home, and that your sister is in good hands. You’re a much bigger person than Sae can even dream to be and yet somehow, you chose to put all your effort into him and this marriage and even if he can’t tell where this will go from now on, he’s not going to give up on you.

When Karasu pulls out of your sister’s apartment parking, Sae slides over to your side, sitting himself on the middle backseat, putting an arm around you and gently placing your head in the crook of his neck. Then, only then, do you let your tears go, sobbing into his chest because you’d been holding back all this time, and Sae wonders if you do this a lot on a daily basis; put on a brave face as though you need to pretend you’re something you’re not. Though, if this was happening to him and Rin, he would be doing the same thing you are.

In the driver’s seat, Karasu finally understands why Oliver’s been saying Sae is a changed man. Even back then, with Mirin, Karasu doesn’t recall Sae being this gentle. Maybe it’s because he’s older now, or maybe it’s just because of you—the fact that it’s you, that’s why Sae is like this at all, a privilege only for a special person.

“Hey man,” Karasu calls out to Sae after you get out of the car. He smirks when Sae looks over at him, very much like a hopeless man in love because out of the corner of his eye, Karasu can tell that he has his hand in yours, keeping you there. Since when was he ever this clingy? “Congratulations.” Something he didn’t get to say because he wasn’t at the wedding.

But at least saying it now, he can really mean it.

Sae smiles subtly, but your head pops back into Karasu’s field of view before your husband can say anything.

“Hey, Karasu, right?”

He looks surprised, but he smiles at you all the same. “Yes, I am.”

You grin at him, and Karasu can already tell Sae’s a lucky man. Pretty wife, and from whatever Oliver’s mentioned, it sounds like you’re a keeper.

“I just met you tonight but… thank you, really,” you tell him, and he chuckles.

You’re really something, because even Mirin had mentioned it to him earlier when she was having a full-on breakdown, when he had asked about you. Karasu thinks that it would just be a lot easier to think screw everyone and just focus on yourself, but apparently, not for you. Maybe he understands a little more of why Sae can’t help but fall for you.

“That’s a lot of shit to unload on someone who didn’t exactly steal Sae from you,” Karasu remarked, trying his best to steer Mirin in the right direction.

Mirin clicked her tongue, annoyed because she knew she wasn’t exactly acting with common sense. All she had wanted was to remove you from the picture, through any means necessary. So why? Why was it that whatever she tried would backfire on her? Why was it that no matter what, Sae would never give up on you? Where was the guy that so easily gave in when Mirin had suggested a breakup?

Why did she have to teach him everything only for you to get everything she ever wanted?

“Look, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if you keep doing this…” Karasu trailed off, sighing as he looked away, scratching his head. “You’re really gonna lose every ounce of a friend you could possibly have in Sae.”

Mirin kept quiet for a while, then, as if she was considering something. Back then, Karasu hadn’t even known that anonymous tip she sent in to the police. If he had, he would’ve definitely acted faster.

“Is that Y/N even that bad of a girl?” Karasu thought out loud, wondering why there was all this trouble over you and Sae.

And for the first time since she got back to Japan, Mirin was completely honest with herself.

“No, she’s not.” (It was so quiet, Karasu had trouble deciding whether it was just the figment of his imagination.)

Because what had you ever done to her except unwillingly be placed in the middle of their by-then non-existent relationship?

“At your service, ma’am,” Karasu responds, grinning at you when he says his next words. “And don’t worry, I’ll keep Mirin in check.”

You still for a moment hearing those words, then pout at him before you slowly retreat out of the car, pulling Sae with you. You’re not even sure why you can find it in yourself to be worried for someone like Mirin who tried to screw you over. Maybe it’s because Sae had told you about her parents, about how she just didn’t have anyone and leaned on Sae for support out of habit. Somehow, Karasu’s words manage to comfort you a little bit; at least you knew that there was still someone else looking out for her. Your empathy is there, but that doesn’t mean you want to forgive her or even think about it.

Karasu laughs at your subtle reaction, rolling down the window, “hey Sae, your wife’s kinda cute,” he teases, and you see why Karasu managed to calm Mirin down back at the hotel. Whatever he did, it was definitely effective. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he oozes sincerity despite his jokes, something you can’t really say for Oliver and Shidou.

Beside you, Sae uses his body to block your line of sight as he flips Karasu off. “My wife, go away,” he quips, and you can only watch as Karasu laughs it off while he drives away from your apartment.

The moment you’re back in the house, Sae sets your bag down slowly on the couch, and you pause right before you enter the bedroom. Everything somehow feels light yet awkward and it feels like you’ve been through so many emotions in the span of one night and now it’s already 2am and you’re tired but it’s not like you can sleep right away with all these thoughts in your head.

You feel Sae’s chest press up against your back, his arms wrapping around your chest. Now that you know he’s never actually even cheated on you, or even thought about it, it’s like a huge weight has been lifted off your chest.

“What’s on your mind?” There’s a strain in his voice, and you can tell he’s gotten a cold just from tonight alone.

You sigh. “I don’t know if I can handle all of this…” you mutter honestly. Everything has just been too much. It was manageable back when you thought your marriage was the only thing in ruins, but to learn now that your parents are wanted fugitives and the fact that they’d leave you and your sister to clean things up and bear the brunt of being damned just for being their kids is a lot to take in for one night.

“You know I’m here for you whatever you need, right?” Sae asks, holding you tighter, pressing a kiss on your temple.

You want to be soft for him so bad, you want to melt into his touch and let him comfort you and hug him to sleep, but can you really afford it right now? Can you afford letting him feel that everything is fine after keeping everything from you and driving you to the point of thinking about divorce?

It’s not normal. It shouldn’t be.

And while you appreciate what he’s done for you in secret, that’s exactly what you’re not so sure about—secrets. You’re husband and wife, and if there’s going to be any hope moving forward, you can’t have him try and bear the burden of knowing alone.

“If you ever keep something like that from me again, I’m not giving you another chance,” you tell him, your voice quivering but he listens to you seriously all the same. It’s times like these where you appreciate that he isn’t the type to be joking around all the time. He’s serious when you need him to be, and that means a lot to you already.

“I promise you, I’ll talk to you, whatever it is,” he says, slowly turning you around, his fingers gently gripping your chin, tipping your head up to face him. “I meant what I said, by the way. I love you, Y/N, and I’m sorry I was being stupid. And I’ll try to make up for it, however long it takes me, okay?”

This is a first for you that it makes you emotional. For your entire life, you feel like it’s been you who’s been the one trying to take care of other people’s feelings and needs so much that you step all over your own. For your entire life, no one has cared about you so much so that they’d actively try and take care of you. Everyone lets you take care of everything yourself without thinking that it’d be nice to offer you help even if you looked like you didn’t need it.

For your whole life, you’d wondered how it would feel like being loved by someone who wants to take care of you just because. And here he is, making you feel like you’re loveable, like you’re worthy of being treated like a princess, like you don’t have to mask who you are to get his love because no matter what you do, his love overpowers it.

“So don’t leave me, okay?” Sae’s lashes flutter against your own, his teeth clenched because he’s thinking of how close he was to losing you and he would’ve never forgiven himself if you did.

And maybe it’s the way you realised he’s loved you in his own way all this while, or maybe it’s the way he keeps you so close to him now, so afraid of losing you, that you feel it’s okay to let yourself go, to let yourself be you, to wear your heart on your sleeve because no matter what it is, Sae will take care of it.

“I love you, Sae,” you whisper, both of you with your eyes closed, breaths mixed together, Sae subconsciously pushing you into the bedroom because he never realised that such simple words from you would ignite such an urgency inside him.

That night, for the first time, you experience Sae’s love for you. The way it’s so subtle, so gentle, a complete opposite of what you initially thought he was. The way he holds you in the palm of his hands and takes care of you completely; a dream you thought you’d never live to see come true. So many people go their whole lives being stuck in a relationship that they find lacking and yet here you are, getting everything you need and want and you don’t even have to ask for it because Sae knows you well enough to give it to you.

In the dim light of the moon that makes it into the slivers of your blinds, Sae marks you as his own, and even though neither of you have been through it, it feels right. It feels so right even when you’re lying in bed together after everything, legs tangled together underneath the blanket, bare bodies enveloping one another as the exhaustion finally kicks in.

Sae watches you as you fall asleep, finger lightly brushing your arms and lulling you to sleep. There’s a lot he still doesn’t understand about relationships, and the only form of experience he had seemingly meaning nothing in the face of his actual love, yet he’s strangely motivated now. There’s no way he’s going to let anything, much less himself, fuck this up.

No, he’s going to do his best to keep you happy, to take care of you and make sure you don’t have to be the one who acts strong all the time just to appease everyone else. He’s going to make you smile everyday because you deserve it, and he’ll do anything to make sure that happens.

Anything.

“She had nothing to do with it.”

Of course, Sae’s parents didn’t take too well to the news. One night isn’t enough for it to blow over, because the moment they got the news, they were here to get to the bottom of it. As expected, you received nothing but accusatory remarks, and unlike Mirin’s, at least Sae’s parents had the right to be upset.

Still, Sae’s standing up to them, a protective arm keeping you behind him, making sure they don’t throw daggers at you.

They’re angry, but they’re not as bad as your own parents. At the very least, his father isn’t throwing a tantrum and breaking silverware. Doesn’t even look close to it. He only crosses his arms in disbelief, the vein on his forehead threatening to pop.

“Are you sure you want to defend her?” He asks his son, scoffing. “You know how bad of a reputation we have now thanks to her parents?”

“He’s right, honey, if you want to divorce her now we’d fully support you,” his mother joins in, and she’s every bit as submissive as your own mother, you bet. Anything for their money bag.

“I’m not divorcing my wife ever, so if that’s all you came to say, you can leave.”

Suddenly you feel guilt for being the one to bring up divorce in the first place.

The argument goes on for a while, and you keep quiet all through it. Only because Sae asked you to. It’s fair; he wants to handle his parents, so you’ll trust him to it. If there’s a need, you’d interject anyway.

Like right now, when you realise that maybe your silence is making things even worse, like your admittance of guilt.

“I’m sorry for what my parents did,” you speak up, bowing ninety degrees because as much as you hate their actions, you want to help Sae as much as you can. He must hate talking to his parents as much as you do, so the least you can do is alleviate that. “I really didn’t know what they were up to, and I didn’t expect it to affect your family’s reputation as well. I can’t even begin to repay you for what my parents did, but I can offer you everything I have now, and I’ll do anything you want me to.”

“Then easy, leave—”

“Except leave your son,” you affirm, straightening up and looking them in the eyes. “We love each other, so we’re going to make this work.” Beside you, a smile tugs on the corners of Sae’s lips at your declaration. Are you really the same person who used to be so meek in front of yours and his parents once upon a time? “As for my parents, I’ll let the authorities do their work and capture them. As far as I’m concerned, they’re dead to me.”

Perhaps it’s because of your strong words, but the Itoshis leave not ten minutes later.

You flop down on the couch, an exhausting morning followed by an exhausting night is entirely too much for you. Sae shamelessly lays himself down on top of you, head resting on your chest. He must still be tired, judging from the bags under his eyes.

“Sorry about that,” he mumbles, fingers absentmindedly playing with your hair. “You were pretty hot, though, sticking it to them.”

You stifle a laugh, though your smile speaks for itself. “Guess we should’ve expected that. They got conned out of their money too, after all. Wonder when this is all gonna blow over,” you sigh to yourself, just wishing that the problem would disappear.

Over the course of the next few days, you received texts from colleagues asking what happened, and Sumi in particular loves to cuss your parents out over text and then apologise for being insensitive afterwards. It carries a sense of normalcy that you needed, though.

It takes a few months before everything completely settles down for you, until your sister has come to the realisation that your parents abandoned you and deserve whatever hell they’re going to get. It doesn’t stop her from saying yes to her boyfriend when he proposes, and you and Sae watch on lovingly as she leaps into his arms and kisses him silly.

“You know what, a family like this doesn’t suck so much either,” you ponder out loud. All you really need is just your sister, and Sae—both of them have never failed you after all.

Sae puts his arm around you, holding you close like he always does. You notice that; that when Sae loves you he’ll crave your proximity everytime. Sumi likes to joke that he’s too clingy, but you like him just like that.

Seeing the scene unfold in front of them, your eyes twinkling as you watch the movie-like proposal in front of you, Sae feels just a pang of guilt.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give that to you,” he mutters, though he already knows you don’t mind. To you, what matters the most is that the both of you are still together, still happy.

And that’s exactly what you say with your hands wrapped around his neck, kissing him with those perfect lips of yours, pulling him in so naturally without having to do anything.

“You give me more than enough, Itoshi Sae,” you whisper, oblivious to Sae falling even more and more in love with you.

“Have I told you I love you?”

You chuckle, nodding and Sae’s completely taken by your grin.

“We love you too.”

“We?”

And when you break it to him, in a hushed whisper because you don’t want to ruin the proposal, Sae gives you the most lovestruck expression you’ve ever seen.

THREE YEARS LATER

A lot has changed.

Turns out, you’re not as cold-hearted as you thought. Mirin is still on the list of your least-liked humans, for sure, but it’s not like you care enough to harbour any resentment anymore. She’s not worth vexing over, and much less so after that one time years ago when she came over to personally apologise. You haven’t officially forgiven her, but you don’t particularly wish the worst upon her. You’re not even sure where she is or what she’s doing because Sae doesn’t care for keeping in touch with her, but you’re both indifferent about her now.

Reo had apparently met someone special last year when he attended a charity gala. You’ve never met her in person, but from the pictures Reo takes and shares on his socials—all to show her off, no doubt—she looks absolutely breathtaking. He was there with you throughout the whole fiasco too, lending his family’s support to weather you through the tough times. You’re happy he finally found that special someone. From his texts, sometimes it seems rocky, but he’s “pretty sure she’s the one,” and you’re honestly happy for him.

Your parents have been caught—apparently, a year out they’d tried to seek shelter with one of their friends only for them to tip the police off. It wasn’t even like you, but you visited your mother in jail, just out of curiosity, and the only thing she had begged you was to help them get a good lawyer. Not that you didn’t expect it, or that it would make any difference if you did agree. Frankly, you just went there to say “no”, to let her feel the same helplessness she and your father cast upon you. You’ve never visited her since.

Sae’s been busy ever since his career shift two years ago. (His parents weren’t all too happy about it, but ever since their screw up with yours, they weren’t as forceful anymore.) Now, he’s one of the assistant coaches for Japan’s national team, and you’ve never been happier for him. It gives him more flexibility too, getting to spend more time with you back at home, but also getting to invite you with him whenever they travel.

You guess it’s lucky that you managed to land a spot helping the team out with marketing, so more often than not you get to see your husband play some soccer. Like right now, when you’re bent over the railing, watching him coach the two main midfielders and looking completely different than when he’s at home.

For one, it’s definitely the first time you get to see him all intense. With you, he’s pretty much the opposite, going all soft whenever he gets home, and you wonder how you got so lucky to be building a home with someone who loves you so much he can spot you a mile away and give you the gentlest smile you’ve ever seen.

Sae calls for a break, jogging towards your direction looking handsome as hell but you’re not going to tell him that or else he’ll tease you about it.

“How are my girls?”

Oh, and you’ve apparently managed to give him a daughter that looks so much like him. She sits on the railing, your arms wrapped around her to support her as she jumps into her father’s arms.

“She’s been bugging me all day to come and visit you,” you remark.

Yeah, she’s a daddy’s girl—and you smile watching Sae kiss her all over, her laughter ringing in the air, her happiness meaning the world to you.

Neither you nor Sae have ever experienced what a good family is like, nor have either of you seen what good parenting is like. But your daughter seems happy everyday, with parents who support her whenever she wants to try something different, so you both take it one step at a time, learning as you go. If it ever gets too difficult for you, Sae steps in, and he’s never let you down.

“Remember what we’re gonna surprise mommy with later?” Sae asks your daughter, and you’re still trying to get used to him calling you that.

You arch a brow, “I get a surprise?”

Your daughter giggles, nodding as she melts in her father’s arms. “Of course, mommy! You’ll love it!”

Her smile is infectious, a grin forming on your face just by looking at her. You shift your gaze to your husband. “What is it?”

All he does is look you in the eyes, smirking. “You’ll see.”

That night, you entertain your daughter by letting her blindfold you and lead you, well, wherever the surprise is. It smells nice, wherever you are because you’d been blindfolded even during the car ride, and you can tell it’s grand because of the way your heels are clacking against the marble and the way Sae had dressed tonight.

By your guess, you’re probably at one of the nice hotels here for one of their signature buffet dinners. Your daughter’s never been, so that could be why she’s making a huge deal out of this. Like father, like daughter, so cute.

But when your daughter urgently whispers for you to take the blindfold off, you find yourself at the entrance of huge double doors, two hotel staff smiling and opening up to unveil a huge ballroom filled with people, most of them you recognise because they’re your friends.

It’s already bringing tears to your eyes when you realise what this must be.

They’re all cheering as they see you, your daughter skipping happily into the room, choosing to run straight to your purple-haired best friend at one of the tables who you thought was still busy abroad. Beside him, his beautiful girlfriend mouths a ‘hello’, but you’re still too surprised to respond.

Everyone’s clapping and cheering and all of a sudden you feel the familiar presence of your husband right beside you, his arms wrapping around your waist as he kisses you on the cheek.

“Surprised?”

Honestly? Yes. Very. And you’re not one to be easily surprised at all.

“I wanted to give you the celebration you deserved,” he tells you, waiting for you to take it all in.

It’s a far cry from the pathetic reception you got from people you barely knew during your actual wedding reception. Sae had been nothing but cold to you back then too, so it felt more like a prison than anything.

Now? You recognise so many faces in the crowd that you can’t help but smile and wave back. You’d always wondered what this would be like, and your husband somehow manages to give it to you without having you ask for it and you’re in love. Because he seems ice cold and awkward and rough around the edges but his love for you has always, always been warm. His love has always felt like coming home and having a safe space and this might be the unconditional love you’d been praying for your whole life.

You almost gave up on it. But you know now Sae never will. And neither will you. You have a family now, a proper one built by two people who never had a stable environment, by two people who never came close to being provided one themselves.

Sae’s your pillar of support, and you begin to see now that you’re his.

Now you know it’s true what they say; you don’t have to beg for someone’s love if they truly cared about you, because Sae has always gone the extra mile for you every single day. You don’t have to act like someone you’re not just to please them so they don’t leave—because no matter how many disagreements you have, Sae is always there to listen to your point of view. You don’t have to beg someone to treat you right if they really love you, because Sae’s been actively choosing you ever since the day you got married, and whether it’s intentional or not, you think you’re the luckiest person in the world.

And now you can’t be happier; you have a wonderful daughter who has two parents who absolutely love her. You have a husband who takes care of you in every single way, loving you in every essence of the word. You have friends like Reo who would burn the world if it was ever unkind to you and dance with you atop their pile of bodies. You have everything you could ever want and you couldn’t have seen it without Sae by your side.

The do-over of your wedding reception is perfect. So, so perfect, and it’s almost hard to believe it’s the product of Sae’s ideas. He doesn’t even particularly like celebrations like this but he did this for you, for both of you, and being able to make your daughter be a part of it is like icing on the four-tiered cake he had ordered.

“I’ll love you forever, Y/N,” he whispers suddenly into your ear as you guys are making rounds at the tables.

You accept the kiss from him, flashes going off as you smile against his lips. “Yeah? What if it falls apart?” you ask, teasing him, though you never thought he’d answer you seriously.

“Then I’ll rebuild it,” he tells you, your lips hovering just above each other and his beautiful teal eyes looking into yours, a small smile on his face. “But with you, I’m pretty sure that would never happen.”

And you’ve always been pessimistic. You’ve always chosen to believe the worst because it alleviates the pain you’d feel when things don’t go as planned. But somehow, you believe in Sae with your whole heart. You’d trust him with your whole life. So you want to give him what he’s given you—everything. (He thinks you already have.)

“I’ll love you forever, Itoshi Sae.”

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applecherrytea · 6 months ago

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Casper Rock Star

Request from Anon: HIIII Can I request some Danny Phantom/Fenton x rockstar!reader? Like, Reader is the musical star of the school, sings and plays the electric guitar like no one else. And loves to flirt, with Fenton flirts subtly, leaving the poor boy confused, but with Phantom is shameless. (if you do, please leave me anonymous 🙏

A/N: I’m honestly so happy to get my first request! It’s been a while since I’ve watched Danny Phantom but I’ll try my best to make this to the best of my capabilities! Thank you so much Nonnie for the RQ and I hope you enjoy!! I hope you don’t mind if I did a bit more here. I really wanted Phantom to flirt back, I hope you’re cool with that!

CW/TW: GN/Masc! Reader, fluff...that's it.

[Masterlist]

You really didn’t mean to get caught up in another ghost attack! Honest! It wasn’t your fault the big bad of the week decided that they were gonna use your body as a possessed hostage! If you did, you would’ve taken your band mates' offer to drive you home that night. You're so lucky that Phantom came on quickly to save you, for maybe the fourth time this month…

“Phantom! Wow, is it a coincidence or are you just really obsessed with seeing me?” You say as you wrap your arms around him, slowly lowering your neck onto his chest as he flies you back down from the insane ghost villain lair you were held in. “Or,’ the ghost started “you like me so much that you intentionally get ghosts to kidnap and possess you.” he chuckled as he lowered your body, as your feet touched solid ground, your other band mates started coming towards you. “ [reader], are you okay?” Andy questioned as they started patting you down in search of any injury. “I’m fine, Ands! Besides, Phantom saved me~” Phantom’s eyes darted over to the side as you leaned onto him in a mock sigh. “Just doing my job!” He said with his goofy smile.

“Thanks again Phantom!” Andy thanked the hero as they took you by the hand, the rest of the band following suit, fretting over you. You looked back and waved Phantom goodbye, who did the same as he watched you be pulled away and into a car. “Wipe the blush off Danny, you look terrible.” Danny yelps at Sam's sudden appearance beside him, Tucker close behind with his hands covering his face, trying not to laugh at his friend. “Could you both stop that? Besides, we don’t even interact in my civies! There’s no way they’re interested in me, only Phantom.” He said with a wave of his hand, “now come on, let’s get going. I don’t wanna wake up sleep deprived tomorrow.”

It was the next day already and you were walking through the halls of Casper High. As you walk through the jam-packed halls, you bump into the local ‘freak’ as people call him. Daniel Fenton. “Woah there Fenton! Don’t want you falling now do we?” you say as you help him stand properly, “Y-yeah. Thanks [reader]..” You stare at him confused, “We never interacted though, so how’d you know my name?” you smirked as you watched him blush and stammer “I uh! Heard about it from around! Yeah…” Danny scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as you chuckled. “Haha, well then, guess I’ll see you around Fenton.” you waved at him as you walked away. Danny waved back as well, red still tinting his cheeks. “Okay you’ve interacted. No more reason not to say they aren’t interested in you.” Sam said as she slung her arm around his neck.

“Gah!! Sam!” he yelped “I said stop doing that..”Danny said irritated as Tucker laughed behind him. “Man was that hilarious! You should have seen how stupid you looked!” Danny groaned as he continued walking to his class, Sam and Tucker close behind.

It was finally the end of the day, students rushed out of their classrooms to go out, and others went on to their clubs. You were one of those that stayed behind, practicing for the upcoming music fest that the town was gonna hold. You walked out of the classroom with confidence, guitar bag slung over one shoulder and backpack held in the other hand.

As you walk the halls, you bump once again into Danny. “Woah! Watch it kid, I might ask if you fell for me haha!” You joked as you helped him up from the ground. He winced as he stood up “Thanks [reader], sorry for bumping into you again…” he smiled lopsidedly, you raised your brow at him, eyeing him for a little while. “Hey, have we met before today?” you asked the boy, “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhat..” his eyes widen, he lets out an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of his neck.

“Hehehe..I don’t know what you're thinking about.” he says, almost breaking in cold sweat as you inspect him further. “Nah, must have been someone else. Say, we’re gonna show at the music fest later this week. Wanna come and see us?” You invited Danny, he seemed to like it as his eyes glimmered for a bit. “Sure!” he replied, “I’d love to go and watch! You won’t mind if I bring my friends as well right?” you chuckle as you pat his shoulder, “Music fest’s for everyone. Bring who you’d like.” you winked as you walked away.

notes: Hiiii so sorry this is short! Wanted to pump this out as soon as possible…but worry not! I do plan on maybe making this a series, maybe a two parter. So stay updated for that one okay! Byeeee and thank you so much for reading this!!

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merrybloomwrites · 8 months ago

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I Like to Watch - Harry x Louis x Reader

Summary: When you're boyfriends ignore you on a day you thought you'd spend together, you begin to act out. The punishment doesn't go as planned, leading to the boys taking care of you after.

Word Count: 4K

CW: BDSM themes, dom/sub themes, spanking, punishment, use of safeword, subspace, subdrop, aftercare

AN: This story contains BDSM themes but is in no way a rulebook for these types of relationships. Always do your research before taking part in a dynamic like this. All aspects in play are discussed by the characters and agreed upon prior to the story.

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There are a fair number of people that know about your relationship with Harry and Louis. Your families, close friends, some lawyers and members of Harry and Louis’s respective teams.

But no one, not even your best friends, know about that special part of your relationship. It’s a secret the three of you protect wholeheartedly. Because if someone were to slip up and reveal that the three of you were dating, and have been for almost three years, well that you guys could handle. But if the whole world discovered you also dabbled in BDSM? That would be much harder to come back from, and the consequences to both of your boyfriends careers could be devastating.

So you keep this information just between the three of you. It brings you even closer together, having something that is just for you.

It started about a year after the three of you were officially together. And it started subtly. Little ways in which Louis would act in the bedroom. It was clear quite quickly that Louis is purely dominant in nature. He never submitted to either of you. You know this need to be in charge comes from years of being told what to do by management. So much of his life is dictated by other people, and this is the one place he can take complete control.

Harry sometimes feels this way as well. Occasionally, he’ll help Louis and the two of them will be the perfect pair of doms for you. Other times, he needs to turn his brain off, and spends a night submitting to Louis alongside you.

But you always submit. In the bedroom, at least. For you it’s a lovely escape to let the two men you love and trust have control of you. When it comes to your relationship, you’re in charge of most of the day to day life stuff. You do the cooking, the cleaning, the scheduling, all of the at home mental load falls on your shoulders.

But when the three of you do a scene together, you can just let go and take what they’re giving. You’re aware that technically the submissive truly runs how the scene goes, that if you’re uncomfortable about anything Louis will immediately stop to check on you.

Due to their busy schedules it’s hard to find time to do scenes together. They take time and planning, and Louis always wants a free day after, in case you or Harry falls deep in subspace and needs extra time to recover the next day. Of course you all have plenty of vanilla sex, but the more intense stuff only happens on occasion.

The last scene you all did together, in which Louis and Harry tied you up, edged you until you were crying, then made you come multiple times, was almost three weeks ago. Which is maybe what caused you to start acting out.

You wake up on a beautiful Friday morning, the start of a three day weekend with nothing planned. You’d hinted the night before that it would be a good opportunity for a little extra fun, but you’re not sure they got the message. The bed is empty, no warm body next to you, no fingers gently rubbing your back, no lips meeting yours in a good morning kiss.

So no, not exactly how you’d hoped to wake up.

You decide to get dressed before heading downstairs. If Louis and Harry can’t bother to lay with you in bed on a day off, they certainly don’t deserve to see you in your panties and t-shirt, a sight they both adore.

The kitchen is empty, no sign of either of your boyfriends. Disappointed by their absence, you grab a banana, a bowl of cereal, and brew yourself some tea.

After finishing your breakfast you clean up, and try to locate the boys. It’s weird that they’re hidden away; normally days without work mean the three of you doing everything together. It takes a minute for you to find Louis. He’s in the home office, and when you peek in to say hi he holds up a finger, telling you to wait since he’s on a phone call.

Bothered by the obvious brush off, you keep searching, and finally find Harry in the studio. “Good morning love,” he says. “I woke up with an idea and just have to get this on paper before I forget. I’ll be out soon,” he continues before turning back to his notebook.

Well, at least he looked you in the eyes and spoke to you. Bare minimum in your mind.

Feeling very put out, you walk back to the living room. Sitting on the couch, you scan the walls. You thought you had finished decorating this room months ago, but something about it has been bothering you. It felt like something was missing.

Finally, you decide that it’s the huge blank spot on the one wall. It needs a piece of artwork to fill in the space. For the next half hour you scour the internet and find the absolute perfect piece. Just the right size, color pattern matching the palate of the room, and the art style exactly what you all like. The only issue is the price.

Not that there wasn’t enough money in your shared account to more than cover it. But technically you’d finished decorating the house already. So anything else that’s considered a big ticket item needs to be discussed between the three of you.

The first thing you do is reach out to the seller to express interest. At least get the ball rolling until you could talk to the boys. After a few minutes of back and forth emailing, you learn there’s another interested buyer. So now there’s a time constraint or you’ll lose the piece.

Another hour passes with no signs of either of them, and you make the executive decision to seal the deal. With confirmation that the painting is now yours, you feel slightly better.

Realizing that you probably need to entertain yourself a bit longer you grab the book you’re reading and settle in. Two chapters later you finally hear Louis voice call out, “Love, where are you?”

Despite your annoyance at being brushed off earlier, you can’t help but smile when he walks in the room.

“There you are,” he says. “I just got an alert about a purchase for over 6 grand on one of our cards. Do you know anything about that or is it a potential scam?”

Of course. That’s what got his attention. You keep the smile on your face so as to not look guilty for breaking a rule and explain, “That was me. I found a painting that will finally complete this room. Even Harry said it felt like something was missing.”

“Okay, but you’re supposed to talk about big purchases with us first,” he replies.

“There was another buyer. I had to act fast and you two were both so busy I didn’t want to interrupt.” There. Now you look like a thoughtful girlfriend.

“Alright, just make sure we can have a conversation before you buy anything else that’s not a necessity. I’ve got a couple more calls to make before I can wrap up for the day.”

Louis walks away, and your good mood leaves with him. How dare he come out just to lecture you? And he didn’t even look at the painting you chose. He didn’t even greet you, or give you a good morning kiss.

And looking at the clock, it’s actually already afternoon. And you’ve barely seen your boyfriends. On a day that they weren’t supposed to be working.

Letting out an annoyed sigh you get up to make yourself lunch. You take your time, grilling some veggies and chicken as well as making a dressing and putting together a delicious salad. You eat slowly out on the patio, phone propped in front of you playing your favorite show.

Eventually the door opens and both Harry and Louis walk out to join you.

“You ate lunch without us?” Harry asks.

“It’s almost 2 in the afternoon,” you reply.

“Shit, is it really that late?” Louis says.

“Yea, I finished eating a while ago. I’m gonna go clean up. There’s more of everything in the fridge if you want to make your own.” With that you grab your plate and walk inside. You wash your dishes, taking out some of your irritation by scrubbing everything meticulously.

The boys come back inside and Harry says, “We’re gonna run into town for a little bit, got a couple of things to pick up. We’ll be back by 4.” They each give you one quick kiss, and just like that, they’re gone and you’re left all alone. Again.

Since they would be gone for two hours you decide to put in a movie to pass the time. Normally you would clean, or organize, do something productive. But you had finished all the chores yesterday expecting to be busy hanging with the boys today. But no, they were too busy for you.

You grow more frustrated, and by the time the movie is halfway over you’ve come up with a plan.

See, normally you would never do what you’re about to do. The dynamic that the three of you have is mostly reserved for when you specifically do scenes. But you do have a couple rules to follow all the time, the most important being: your pleasure belongs to them. Meaning that touching yourself without their permission is not allowed.

And you like that rule. You’d rather get off with them than alone. Masturbating used to be a chore to you, just a means to an end. Orgasms are just so much better when Louis or Harry (or both of them) is the cause.

But right now you don’t care. If they’re not going to give you pleasure, you’ll do it yourself. Rules be damned.

You turn the movie off and go to the bedroom. It’s been a while since you’ve done this, and it feels a little silly when you start. But after removing your clothes and laying on the bed you shut your eyes and just do what feels natural.

You go slow, starting by teasingly running your fingertips along your skin. Time passes, and you’re lost in these touches, hands moving to your breasts, then down to gently rub against your clit.

But just as you’re really getting into it, you hear a voice next to the bed say, “And what do you think you’re doing?” You startle, not having heard the boys get home. However there’s no denying Louis standing there looking quite serious. Harry is next to him, intrigued and maybe a little excited, like he knows what’s going to happen next.

“I asked you a question,” Louis says.

“I’m taking care of myself,” you reply, an edge of sass in your tone.

“You know you’re not supposed to do that without my permission. That’s the second rule you’ve broken today. Almost like someone wants to be punished.”

Maybe he isn’t wrong. Maybe you were acting out on purpose. Either way, it looks like you’re finally getting what you want: their attention.

“Lay on the bed, on your stomach, hands holding onto the rails of the headboard,” he commands.

“Yes sir,” you reply before doing as told. You feel vulnerable, laying there naked while they’re still fully dressed. But part of you likes that, thrives on that power dynamic, loves the embarrassment that comes with being so exposed.

“Harry?” Louis says.

“Yes, sir?” Harry replies. Okay, so Harry wants to sub today too. The easiest tell is simply how he addresses Louis. Using his proper title means Harry wants to give up some control today as well.

“You’ve been a good boy lately. Though you did wear a shirt that says ‘I like to watch’ at the ballet last week. Very cheeky of you. Still not enough for a punishment so how about some pleasurable torture? Have you sit on the chair in the corner and watch as I punish our girl and then reward her after. Listen to her sweet sounds and not be able to do anything about it. Maybe tie you to the seat and give you a gag so you’re not tempted to misbehave. How does that sound?”

“Good, sir,” comes Harry’s breathless reply.

“What’s your color?” Louis asks.

“Green.”

“For which parts?”

“All of it,” Harry replies without pause. “Green for the restraints, green for the gag. I watch to watch without touching.”

“Very well. Sit on the chair. Clothes stay on.” There’s a lot of noise behind you as Harry does as he’s told. You hear Louis ask Harry if it’s too tight, to which Harry replies, “No, it’s perfect.” Okay, so Harry is now tied to the chair. You could turn and watch what’s happening, but you don’t have permission to and the last thing you should do right now is break another rule.

“And you still want the gag?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright. How do you give your color when you can’t speak?”

“With the clicker,” Harry answers. There’s more movement then Louis says, “Practice your colors. What is green?” You hear one click. “And yellow?” Two clicks. “Red?” You hear multiple rapid clicks, the unspoken signal for red.

“Good boy,” Louis says, and you hate that Harry is getting praised when you’re getting punished. It’s not fair.

“And now for our naughty girl,” Louis says, much closer than before but still standing out of your view. “What should I do with you?”

Your belly tingles, with nerves, with excitement, with arousal. It’s always crazy to you, how a scene can fill you with so many contrasting feelings.

Louis hand gently slides along your bum, this first touch nearly electric after being left alone for so long. “I think we’ll stick to a classic today. A spanking to remind you who’s in control here.”

You’re almost shocked at the simplicity. It’s been a while since you’ve been spanked, the three of you often doing more creative punishments. But you find yourself craving it. You don’t love the pain, since you don’t really have a pain kink. However you do love how perfectly submissive it makes you feel. Laying out, bare ass on display turning redder each time Louis hand or paddle comes in contact with your skin. And the aftercare is always wonderful, soft hand rubbing lotion on your stinging skin, quiet praises of how well you did, and hours of cuddles.

For all of these reasons you reply with a quick, “Green, sir,” when Louis asks for your color.

“Very well. I’m going to warm up with my hand,” Louis informs you.

His hand, which had been resting on you, is removed, and you brace yourself for the first smack. When it doesn’t come for a few seconds you relax. Big mistake.

Sharp slaps are given to both of your cheeks, and you let out an involuntary gasp. You quickly clamp your mouth shut, afraid you’ll get in more trouble for making a sound. Louis notices and says, “You may make noises, but I don’t want to hear you speak unless it’s to call a color. You can always color at any time, understand?” He’s gentler at the end, slipping out of his dominant persona for a second to reassure you.

“I understand, sir,” you reply, knowing these are the last words you’ll be speaking for a bit.

He gives no warning before raining a series of smacks, alternating cheeks and making sure to get full coverage so no skin is left untouched. After what feels like hours but is probably only a couple minutes, he stops, hands gently rubbing the skin once again.

You’re already feeling a little floaty, and it’s nice to sink into this special mindset. You hadn’t realized how guilty you felt about breaking the rules, but knowing that you’re going to be forgiven after the punishment has you feeling lighter.

“You’re doing well. I’m going to switch to the paddle now. I’m thinking 6 per side for the extravagant purchase this morning, and another 6 per side for touching yourself without permission. So 24 total with the paddle. What is your color?”

“Green, sir,” you reply, your voice taking on an airy quality and alerting Louis that you’re starting to slip. He checks your face and sees no signs of pain or distress, and can tell that it’s the good kind of floatiness you’re feeling.

The first hit comes, and it’s more intense than you remember. You don’t love the paddle, you prefer Louis' hand since then you can feel him. But you’re not supposed to like it. This is a punishment after all, and once you get through these spanks, you won’t have to feel guilty. And you’ll get a reward. So it’s all worth it.

A few more smacks come, and you slip further into subspace with each thud of the paddle against your sore bottom. Your surroundings start to blur, all you can feel are the sheets below you and the wood of the paddle, all you hear is the repetitive swing and thud of it moving through the air.

The feelings of loneliness from earlier start to flood back in. You remember how much you wanted to hear the boys, see them, feel them touching you. And they’re still not there.

You think they came in the room with you, but now everything is fuzzy. What if they’re not actually there? Did your mind make that up? What if some awful machine is controlling the paddle and it just keeps hitting you forever?

You aren’t aware of the sounds you’re making, how your quiet grunts turn into gasping breaths, but Louis notices. The swats stop and finally you hear Louis' voice, but it sounds like it’s coming from underwater.

“What’s your color?” He asks.

You know you should answer, that one word will make this stop, but you can’t think of what it is.

“Baby, can you tell me what your color is?” He asks again.

He turns your head so his eyes can see your glazed, unfocused one. When his face finally comes into your view, all you can say is “daddy” through a broken sob.

Immediately Louis knows what you can’t tell him: that your color is red. Internally he’s kicking himself, mad and disappointed in himself that he pushed you too far, that he didn’t see the signs that it was too much, that you were slipping too deep.

“It’s okay baby, daddy’s here, I’ve got you,” he says.

You hear two clicks from the corner of the room, but you can’t currently remember what that means. Louis knows, and he can’t believe he did such a poor job that both his subs needed to color during the same scene.

“Baby girl, I just need to check on Harry and I’ll be right back.” There’s a shuffling noise, then a piece of fabric is placed on the bed next to you. It’s soft, and smells like Louis. You clutch the sweater in your arms as he walks to the other side of the room.

“Harry, what’s wrong?” Louis asks as he removes the gag.

“Nothing, I’m ok, just please untie me so I can help with Y/N,” Harry replies.

“Okay. Are you in headspace at all?”

“No, completely coherent,” Harry answers.

You hear the conversation but it has somewhat of a dreamy quality since you’re still so deep in subspace. A moment later, gentle arms are shifting you, dressing you in clean boxers and an oversized t-shirt. Someone lifts you off the bed, before placing you back down so you’re cradled sideways on a lap.

“Daddy?” You ask.

“I’m here baby,” Louis replies, letting you know that he’s the one holding you. The bed shifts and you watch with bleary eyes as Harry sits against the headboard next to Louis. He lifts your legs to drape them over his lap and runs his hands up and down your shins.

“How do you feel?” Louis asks.

“Good,” you sigh.

“You sure? You were pretty upset just a minute ago baby,” Louis continues.

“Yea but now you and Harry are here. I just didn’t like being alone.”

“We’ve been here the whole time, lovey,” Harry says, and you try to focus your eyes on his face.

“No you weren’t, you were both gone and I was all alone.”

“Do you mean earlier when we went and ran some errands?” Louis questions.

“No. Here. Just now. You both left. I couldn’t see you, or hear you or anything. There was no one here and it just hurt because the paddle kept going and I didn’t know if it'd ever stop because neither of you were here to make it end,” you explain with tears starting to roll down your face.

“It’s okay baby, we’re here, we’ve got you,” Louis says.

“We’re both here, we’re not going to leave you,” Harry says and he leans over to gently wipe the tears off your cheeks.

The three of you stay like that, the boys holding you and whispering reassurances that they’re still there. Finally, you start to come up from your subspace.

“Hi there,” Harry says, seeing your eyes focus on his.

“Hi,” you shyly reply.

“You back with us?” Louis asks, his lips pressed against your hair.

“I’m back,” you confirm.

“Are you ready to tell us what happened, or do you need some time?” He questions next.

“I’m ready. I guess I was just sad and upset that you both were too busy for me today. And then it kind of turned into a sensory deprivation thing when I started slipping. I couldn’t see either of you, and no one was making noise, and then when you used the paddle I couldn’t feel you either. My brain just started spiraling and coming up with all of these crazy scenarios. And then I couldn’t call red because I’d convinced myself no one was there to hear it.”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t notice what was happening sooner,” Louis says. “Is there anything extra you need for aftercare?”

“Just stay with me. I need to know you guys are here with me.”

“We can do that,” Louis says.

“Absolutely, we’re not leaving your side for a second,” Harry adds.

They keep this promise all weekend. After a few more minutes of cuddling they start the next step of your standard aftercare, getting you juice and a snack, followed by a bath. Louis gently dries you off and rubs lotion on your bottom to help with the sting.

They spend the rest of the weekend absolutely doting on you. Harry insists on carrying you almost everywhere you go, and cooks all the meals that the three of you enjoy together.

Saturday is spent mostly in the living room watching movies. You experience a mild sub drop, feeling cold and small, and the boys keep you cocooned in blankets while they take turns holding you in their laps. They keep reassuring you that you're good, that they’re not mad, that they love you.

Their constant care helps regulate your emotions, and by Sunday you’re feeling better. Your painting arrives and Harry helps hang it. They both compliment it, and everyone agrees it ties the room together perfectly.

Even though you insist you’re feeling just fine by Sunday evening, they insist on taking Monday off as well. You all go on a scenic drive, windows down to breathe in the fresh air. Harry and Louis surprise you with a packed picnic lunch which you eat in a lovely meadow.

Two weeks later, when the three of you have your next scene together, Harry and Louis take turns focusing completely on you. This time it’s about your pleasure, them giving you as much of it as you can take, their hands never leaving you for a second as they worship your body together.

And when you wake up each morning wrapped in their arms, you know everything is going to be just fine.

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

Thank you for reading! I do have two more Harry x Louis x reader stories planned, but requests are open!

#harry styles x louis tomlinson x reader #louis tomlinson x reader #harry styles x reader #one direction x reader #one direction fanfiction

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angelbarelywritesslashers · 1 year ago

Text

♡ scenarios | dating billy

♡ fandoms; The Boys

♡ characters; Billy Butcher

♡ reader; gender neutral

♡ cw; explicit sexual content

♡ notes; he’s the bane of my existence + love of my life tbh

reader isss implied to be working with Billy and in my mind a supe but i made it ambiguous since i didn’t write a meeting section :v but i love the idea of Billy falling for a supe so much

•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

I. Kisses/ PDA

> he doesn’t like PDA…or at least that’s what he claims

> Frenchie and Marv give him shit- and Hughie is so supportive it makes him angrier than the others giving him shit

> but tbh they’re all happy to see him happy, and he knows that somewhere under that thick skull off his

> so when you give him a kiss or hold his hand or hug him in the base he grumbles, but he never pushes you away or actually complains

> and sometimes he’ll haphazardly pull you against him without saying a word, cheeks a bit pink as he mumbles something into your hair

> usually a ‘good job’ if it fits the occasion, otherwise a comment about how his coworkers are idiots

> now undercover, it’s a different story

> everyone is a potential threat then- and even worse, everyone is potentially going to bother you

> if he even gets a whiff of someone looking you over he’s got an arm around your waist and a hand not so subtly on his holster

> if you want to get any actual surveillance done you have to shoo him away so he doesn’t scare anyone off

> and even then he’s checking in way more often than he needs to

> it’s hard to get mad at, because it’s sweet in his stubborn, assholeish way

> and if you don’t care about surveillance it’s easy to get him riled by playing into it

> and then he’ll kiss you hard right in front of whatever chucklefuck was eying you

> “hope he’s enjoying the bleedin’ view”

> he’s a big cuddler when you’re alone- another thing he’d never admit

> but he loves when you snuggle up with your head on his chest, listening to his heart and nearly dozing while he goes through files

> or when you’re exhausted on the van ride home and make sure no one is paying attention as you hold with his hand in the front seat, rubbing his probably bloodied knuckles and pressing soft kisses them

> he likes your little late night rendezvous the best, though

> you’re both bad at sleeping, so most nights in the base he’ll find you in the kitchen near midnight brewing chai

> you’ll be sitting on the counter in one of his shirts and smile brightly despite the bags under your eyes

> and then when he comes over and puts a hand on either side of you, you trap him in your legs

> the kisses are sometimes heated, sometimes chaste

> but either way you enjoy the tea, and spend the rest of the restless night together

II. Sharing a bed

> when you’re all living in hiding, space is tight under the pawnshop

> you’ve both got shitty little twin beds, and he’s always complaining about space

> but the nights are getting cold and the heater barely works, so you hatch your evil scheme

> evil scheme might get giving it too much credit. like way too much

> all you plan on is asking to snuggle and never leaving his bed

> but he’s taking forever to get whatever he’s doing done, and you’re tired

> no biggie, you’ll just crawl in and wait for him so you can ask

> the next thing you know it’s two a.m. and he’s nudging you

> “oi. who said you could be in here?”

> you whine and give him the biggest pout, eyes all hazy from sleep

> and not wearing all that much either

> he sighs but you can hear the smile in his voice “c’mon then love.”

> before you can scooch over he’s pulling you on top of him completely, making you feel tiny on his broad chest

> he tried not to seem too delighted when you’re there again the next night

III. Let’s get kinky

> listen. i swear i don’t think every character has a daddy kink. just all the ones i’m super attached to

> but he canonically referred to himself as daddy and that’s not leaving my brain anytime soon. so.

> he refers to you as so many sweet nicknames- and he likes to pair them with a healthy mix of degradation and praise

> “you’re a filthy fuckin’ whore aren’t yah sweetheart?”

> his default is rough. he’s a frustrated man, and he’s been pent up for a while now

> but you can take it. probably.

> he likes choking. and spanking, he loves when you’re a brat and he can bend you over his knee

> mostly because then he can finger fuck you right then and there when he’s done and make you a complete mess

> if you wear makeup he thinks it’s twice as nice with your lipstick smudged and mascara running down your cheeks

> and you look prettiest to him on your knees, already a bit teary and sucking on his fingers until you’ve earned the real thing

> he wants to breed you so bad it makes him look stupid. (tbh not literally, even if it is possible, but god the dirty talk is so good that it doesn’t matter)

> his favorite position is reverse cowgirl- he loves seeing you whine and slowly ease yourself onto him

> and to me- he’s an ass man lmao, he loves watching it as you bounce on his cock

#reader insert #gn reader #gender neutral reader #billy butcher x reader #billy butcher #william butcher #the boys #cw sex #cw kink

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spaceagebachelormann · 1 year ago

Note

alright. Maybe I am attracted to black and white classic monsters. Maybe I did read your Adam Frankenstein fanfiction even though I don’t quite know if he’s the monster or just some other guy related to the scientist. Maybe I’ll request something.

I notice you don’t have any Jekyll and Hyde fanfiction. I can help with that. Maybe falling in love with both Jekyll and Hyde? Like, being in love with both and not knowing who to choose? Don't know if you can write something like that, but man am I thinking about it.

✧.* 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐑. 𝐉𝐄𝐊𝐘𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐑. 𝐇𝐘𝐃𝐄

╰┈➤ MASTERLIST. NAVIGATION.

╰┈➤ CARMILLAS NOTES: black and white monsters are so hot bbg nobody is blaming u 🙏 also if it helps adam frankenstein is a name for the monster given by the fandom because the creature/monster feels rlly mean. also if u have any other jekyll and hyde or frankenstein requests, i’m your girl

╰┈➤ WARNINGS: mentions of murder (its jekyll and hyde)

oh you poor soul

falling in love with them both is a horrible, horrible, mistake

jekyll is pretty oblivious to it, he just thinks you’re being nice, but he is suspicious because you’re being a little to nice

but for the most part he doesn’t overthink it

hyde, though, knows almost immediately

and it really amuses him

will start kinda rudely flirting with you and affectionately bullying you simply because he finds your reactions funny

will very subtly compliment you in some way and have to stop himself from laughing when you turn bright red

when jekyll finds out about this he is extremely embarrassed

embarrassed at the way hyde is acting and embarrassed he didn’t realize sooner

he begins thinking, and it really explains quite a lot

it explains the way you act around both of them, how you go out of your way to do things for them, how you switch up when your alone with them than with other people

jekyll is both honoured and terrified that you actually like him

it puts both of them at an impasse because they can’t agree on what to do

hyde wants to keep tormenting you and messing with your mind into thinking he likes you (he’s not even sure if he does or not)

but jekyll wants to either politely reject you or ask you out in a meaningful way

the main issue is they don’t know if they really do like you or not

hyde is mainly just surprised and almost disgusted you actually like him, but he’s too interested to not be more curious than anything

because, honestly, him?? of all people??

jekyll is sure he also likes you, but he’s also refusing to admit it because of hyde

he’s mainly concerned of what he’ll do to you if your feeling for him are one sided, he doesn’t want you to end up hurt

he’d rather die than be the reason someone else is hurt (that’s why hyde is there, but in this case he doesn’t even want hyde to do it)

they accidentally avoid you while trying to figure out what they’re supposed to do

hydes urge to kill you (if he ever really even had one) is gone almost immediately, he just thinks your very stupid and amusing now

he almost. almost adores you

the situation is much worse for you in your perspective

you like both a murderer and a sociopath, it’s not great for you

even worse you’re convinced you have to choose just one

and they’re also both kind of avoiding you which is really horrible

they don’t even realize they’re doing it, which is the worst part

so, while you’re trying to figure out who’s the best option for you, they’re trying to figure out if they both even like you

well actually they’re sure they do, they just can’t agree on a way to move forward

once their little era of avoiding you is over, they’re both very nice (hyde is nice in his own way)

jekyll invites you over and gives you a long meaningful talk about their feelings and where they are in figuring it out, and he also gives an apology for accidentally ignoring you for a week or two

hyde is still pretty much himself, but you find him looking at you more often and offering to kill people you mentioned not liking before

he most likely does it, even if you don’t want him too

he goes back to his regular affectionate(ish, you can’t tell if he’s being really serious or not) and slightly crude flirting

but now you know he really does mean it

you all take your time in finding out how you’d like to proceed, until they both just confess to you and you use hydes idea of just moving forward and figuring everything out as you go along

#mars writing 🧈#jekyll and hyde (marlees version 🧪)#the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde #dr jekyll and mr hyde #jekyll and hyde #henry jekyll #edward hyde #henry jekyll x reader #edward hyde x reader #jekyll and hyde x reader

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seenoversundown · 3 months ago

Text

Lonely Hearts Club

Daniel Wagner , Jake Kiszka (Caravel AU)

Warnings: This isn't a slash fic (just want to make that clear for either side) Alcohol/Drinking, some flirting, a bit of yearning, a double date of sorts, and some genuine platonic best friend love.

Word Count: 1.8k

Author's Note: Not every Valentine's day is celebrated the same! I was really struggling to come up with an idea and @edgingthedarkness suggested this one and my brain immediately ran with it. 🤭

Just to clarify- this is taking place pre-sparrow of the dawn!

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Danny POV

The best part of having a friend who’s a bar owner, is that you have a regular place to go to after work. The worst part is that the bar owner has a very niche aesthetic that does not assist in the ‘finding ladies’ department.

“Rough day?” Jake asks as I’m plopping into my usual seat at the bar.

The sigh coming out of me should have been enough for him to gather, but still, I tell him, “Yep.”

Ever since Jake bought the bar and left the shipyard, I’ve been stuck there with a bunch of older men who definitely show their love by tormenting you. Not that I can’t handle it on my own, but it is draining everyday having to listen to them.

“You’re alone tonight?” I ask him, trying to not acknowledge the fact that it’s a ghost town as he’s sliding my beer over to me.

He nods a few times, leaning back against the counter, “Yeah. Josh mentioned something about needing to go to Hobby Lobby again, I don’t know.”

“Damn,” I breathe out, and rolling my eyes as I tell him, “Well, if it helps, Sam ditched me to go out with that girl again.”

His head falls back, shaking it subtly. “No wonder he wouldn’t tell me who it was. He just kept saying it was a blind date.”

“A blind date on Valentine’s Day? Okay, Sam,” I laugh, before sipping on my drink.

“He’s not the best at lying,” he chuckles to himself. “I’m shocked you don’t have something lined up for tonight?”

There’s not enough beer in the world for this one, Jake.

“Yeah, I just..” I hesitate. I don’t know why I didn’t really try to get a date this year, something just felt off about it. “Wasn’t really feeling it. Plus, I had to work all day anyway.”

There were plenty of chances for me to set up a date, but I truly just.. Didn’t this time around. It feels like I’m on a date with someone new every weekend and it’s not that I don’t enjoy going out and I don’t even mind being the one who pays for all of these dates– it just sucks that nothing feels right.

“Well, I think our dates are here,” Jake whispers, leaning over the bar slightly. A smirk plastered on his face. The hell does he mean dates– OH.

“Look at that, Ellie!” Linda’s voice could cut through almost anything. “Cupid did help us out this year.” She plops down into the seat next to Danny, with Eleanor following suit on the other side of him.

“Hi there, beautiful,” I let out, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “How are you this evening?”

“Right now? No complaints!” she quips back. “How about you, Ellie?” Both of us looking over to her, who’s already making googly eyes at Jake.

“Oh, I am just swell,” her sweet little voice chirps.

“The usual for both of you tonight?” Jake asks, followed by a resounding ‘yes.’

Jake definitely plays into her little crush, but I can’t say anything with the way I flirt back to Linda. They’re both such wonderful ladies, it’s hard not to love them. Always coming in to visit us and being endlessly supportive of everything and anything we talk about. It’s like having some best friends who are just a smidge older than us.

“Now, Jake, I know you have to be here,” Linda starts. “But, Danny, why aren’t you out tonight? There must be a line of ladies waiting for a chance with you.” She giggles, patting my chest a few times.

Chuckling with her, “I don’t know about a line, but–”

“What did I take a number for?” She loudly lets out, with an exaggerated wink, making all of us laugh. If there’s someone who’s gonna make tonight better, it’s her.

I pull her in closer to me, “I guess, I would rather spend my night with you then out with some random girl.”

Her hand grabbing mine, squeezing it a few times as she laughs. Leaning her head against my shoulder when she breathes out, “Oh you’re too cute.”

Looking over to Jake leant against the bar, Eleanor is grinning at him like a fool.

“Nobody asked you out?” He asks her quietly. She’s shy until you get a few glasses of wine into her, then she livens up a little. “Must be playing hard to get huh?”

“Oh,” she giggles quietly to herself. “You’re very sweet, but no, no dates and I’m certainly not playing hard to get.”

He leans forward a bit more, shooting her a wink when he says, “Their loss.”

We spent a while just talking with them, which to be fair, were basically the only ones in the bar. A few stragglers every so often would come in, but it was a pretty tame evening.

Watching this rather quiet man request Beautiful Loser by Bob Seger and then return to his seat. Taking turns peeking over so he wouldn’t notice, but a woman around his age came in and sat across from him.

“It’s nice to see him find someone,” Jake lets out quietly.

My brows pulled together, “Is he here a lot?”

“Mhm,” he hums. “Typically alone or sometimes he’ll sit with Chuck. They both just look like old sailors, so they fit the aesthetic well.”

Linda laughs, “You are Josh’s twin, huh?”

“He’s said it too many times!” He says through a smile, flipping the towel in hand around as he laughs.

“You know who isn’t a Beautiful Loser?” Linda asks, loudly. She’s a few drinks deep at this point, and if you think her inhibitions are low when she’s sober, give her a couple hours at the bar. Her hand pats my chest a few times, lingering there as she says, “This young man right here.”

Covering her hand with mine, “Thank you, angel.” Her head leaned onto my shoulder, and I can’t help but smile at it.

“Lin, I think it’s about our time,” Eleanor pipes up. Looking at the clock Jake has hidden behind the bar and seeing that it’s after midnight.

“Are you two okay to get home?” I ask them, knowing they live nearby, but you can never be too sure.

“Oh we’ll be fine, my sweets,” Linda lets out. “Nobody’s trying to kidnap two old bitties.”

I stand, helping them up, but looking over to Jake. “I’m just gonna walk them out.”

He nods and then comes out from behind the bar, wrapping Linda up in a bear hug, she rocks him back and forth for a second. Moving to Eleanor, who is much more shy with him still, pulls her into a hug and lingers there for a moment.

“Thank you for spending Valentine's evening with me, darling,” he tells her, pressing a kiss against her cheek. Despite being exhausted, her face lights up at the gesture.

“You don’t have to thank me, dear.”

I gather the two of them, walking them out and lingering outside for a minute to make sure they seem okay before disappearing back into the bar.

“They’re a trip,” I breathe out as I sit back down into my barstool.

Jake laughs at the comment, quipping back, “I thought Linda was gonna take you home with her for a minute there.”

“With the way dating has gone for me lately, that may be my best option,” I chuckle through it.

He leans against the counter, “You’re telling me. Eleanor may be my only chance at love.”

We both sit there in that silence for a moment.

“Why is this so difficult?” I ask, not really to Jake but, just in general.

He stares at the ground for a second before breathing out a quiet, “I don’t know.”

“It just feels like,” I start, unsure of where I’m going with my thoughts. “None of these girls are any sort of what I want in my life.”

He prints out a tab for one of the few people left, giving them a little wave after they sign the receipt. “No, I get it.”

“It’s insane, dude,” I let out, shaking my head.

He looks over at me, “All I want is to be happily with someone— be able to go home and have someone there… that isn’t my brother.”

Jake is the more quiet one out of the brothers, but he also is the only one that truly struggles with dating. None of us understood why because he’s so nice to everyone but, nothing ever stuck for him.

“You deserve that,” I tell him. “I’m sure she’ll show up when you’re not expecting it.. seems to be how everything works.”

“Thanks. I’m counting on lucky stars at this point.” He chuckles to himself as the last customers walk out. “I hope you find someone who made you as happy as—“

“Don’t,” I cut him off. “Nobody is going to compare to her and I’ve accepted that.”

He stays quiet, but then says, “You deserve to be happy, y’know?”

“Yeah..” I breathe out, tapping my phone seeing the time, “Well, shit. I didn’t mean to stay out this late.”

“Shipyard still sucks, huh?”

God, does it. My eyebrows just about smack my hairline, “Oh, yes.”

I can see the gears going in his head as he folds his arms in front of me. The solo eyebrow pop tells me he has an idea of some sort, when he finally chirps out, “Work here.”

“Jake,” I shake my head at him. “I’m okay. Plus, you’ve only been open a few months. I couldn’t expect you to do that.”

“No, I can pay you,” he tells me. “I’ll need more help by summer I’m sure, and I already trust you so..”

It would be nice to get out of there.

I stand up, scooting the barstool in, and then tell him, “I’ll sleep on it.” He caved first, letting a smile creep onto his face and I was right behind him with mine.

“Well, I’m glad we at least ended up on a double date,” he giggles as we walk through the back door. He flips the lock on it before turning to face me, “I’ll see you.. tomorrow probably?”

I nod at him quietly.

His hand lands on my shoulder, “Go get some sleep.”

“Oh I will,” I laugh. Backing away, I point at him, and in the most comically serious tone, tell him, “Love you.”

He barks out a laugh, but returns the point with, “Love you too, bud.”

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

CBFM Masterpost | Masterlist | FDOG Masterpost

Taglist:

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@literal-dead-leaf @lizzys-sunflower @mackalah

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#gvf #greta van fleet #greta van fic #gvf fic #jake gvf #greta van fluff #danny gvf #danny wagner #daniel robert wagner #danny wagner fic #danny wagner fanfic #jake kiszka #jake kiszka one shot #jake kiszka fanfic #jake kiska fic #janny lane #gvf fanfiction #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta van fleet fanfic

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writingseaslugs · 2 years ago

Text

Heartslabyul: When You're Sick

So in light of my physical health declining the past month or so, I decided to just begin writing this. At the time of writing this, I can say the “When They’re Sick” version has been written over a month ago…almost two. Glad to be back to writing though!

Also the very start of the headcanons stay the same for every fic, so once you read it once, you won’t need to read it again.

Disclaimer: All characters in this series are aged up. For more information about my version of this world and the type of reader you can expect, please click the “Au Information” below!

Request Information | Masterlist | Au Information

Heartslabyul: When You’re Sick

The worst thing to ever happen to you while attending Night Raven College had to be, hands down, getting sick. You were alone in the dorm with only ghosts and Grim to keep you company, and as much as you loved them, they couldn’t take care of you when you became sick. This meant you had to make do and hope that everything was alright. Normally if you were under the weather, you’d just suck it up and go to class so as to not worry anyone. This time however, that wasn’t an option.

You woke up with every muscle in your body feeling sore and aching with even the slightest movement. Your stomach churned something fearsome and you had a runny nose and cough to boot. You had no idea what illness you had fallen to. Having so many symptoms…you could only assume it was the flu or something akin to that.

Still, there was no way you were making it to class like this. So begrudgingly you told Grim you weren’t feeling good and needed to rest, and to go to class and get your homework so you could do it later. The demon cat was grumpy about not having his henchman, but eventually gave in, leaving you alone to rest in your room and hope that whatever you had would go away.

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle finding out you get sick is like hearing about a crisis situation. He is on it. He becomes worried but tries to hide that fact pretty well, but everyone in the dorm knows how anxious he is the moment you are sick. He’s heading over to your dorm right away to check in on you. He’s going to act like he’s calm and collected, but you can tell he’s worried about your health with how he keeps playing with the skin around his cuticles.

Thankfully his mother was good for one thing, and that was teaching him how to care for others while sick. He was forced to read a few medical books, so he knows the basics. Of course he’s going to be checking in on you and looking over your health to see if you need a proper doctor at first, but once he knows you just have the flu, he is a bit more calm about the entire situation.

He’s contacting the nurse the moment he knows what’s wrong in order to get you the proper medications you need. He’s by your bedside the entire time, even after you’ve fallen asleep, making sure to wake you in time for meals and medication. He’s managed to convince all his teacher’s to give him his classwork so he can work on it in your dorm while you’re dead asleep so he doesn’t fall behind. He’ll be damned if anyone tries to drag him away from your bedside until he knows you’re all better.

Once you’re finally better, Riddle’s mood is going to be light and airy. He’s going to be calmer and tell you that you don’t need to worry about thanking him, since you’ve done/would’ve done the same thing for him. He will be asking you the rest of the week if you’re certain you’re doing better, so just do your best to reassure him that everything is fine and dandy.

Trey Clover

He’s rightfully worried the moment he finds out from Adeuce that you’re at your dorm, sick as a dog. He’s going to just subtly ask them what exactly is wrong with you, and sadly for him Ace might play it up like you’re at home dying and make Trey extremely concerned for your health. It wasn’t like Ace had even seen you, but apparently Grim had told Ace that you were dying in bed and couldn’t even stand…so his worry was at least justified.

Trey has a lot of experience in taking care of others while they’re sick, with being a big brother who was thrusted to take responsibility at a young age tends to do that to you. So he’s always on it when he finds out someone is sick, in fact at the dorm normally it’s Trey who’s checking up on sick students instead of Riddle. Normally it wasn’t something he wanted to do, but when it came to you he found himself wanting to make sure you were okay.

Trey is going to be taking your temperature and making sure you’re coherent as he asks you a few questions. After he’s going to make sure you get medication and make you several yummy things to eat. If you can’t stomach food he’s going to try to convince you to at least try some broth. He promises after you’re all better he’ll make you your favorite treat as well. He is more okay with leaving your bedside while you rest, but he is checking in on you before and after classes, and then on his lunch breaks as well, just to be sure you’re taken care of.

Once you’re better, Trey might tease you a bit. Thankfully he does follow through with his promise, and as soon as you can stomach it, he’s bringing you your favorite treat and eating it with you. He’s just relieved to know that you’re all better, but he will be reminding you that you need to take it easy for the next few weeks to make sure it doesn’t come back. He can be a real mother hen when it comes to these things.

Cater Diamond

When he finds out you're sick he is concerned. He is always worried when someone he knows ends up sick, so he’s going to be heading over to your dorm without another thought. He needs to make sure you’re okay and alive first before he begins trying to figure out how to make you better. The moment he sees you his concern only grows and he’s now fretting. You might actually have to tell him to calm down and that you’re going to be okay. He’s not fully convinced, but whatever,

He lacks skills in taking care of others, since normally he’s the one being taken care of at home when sick. So he’s going to actually be asking Trey for some advice on what would be the best course of action. He’s dragging the Vice Dorm leader to look over you as well, to make sure he doesn’t mess up and give you something that he shouldn’t. It’s honestly a bit comical how disheveled Cater seems to be at the thought of you getting sick.

Once he’s given instructions on what to do, he makes for a half decent nurse. He’s good at making sure you’re taking medications on time, and bringing you some simple foods that wouldn’t be too much on your stomach. He even finds himself enjoying it, and when you’re awake and bored, he’s showing you several things online to make you laugh. His best technique is distracting you from the sick feeling you have until you end up falling asleep. Then he’s definitely taking a photo to save and never show anyone. He might make a post about taking care of a special someone on Magicam later.

Literally the moment you’re better he’s going to be asking you to do things with him. Apparently he’s never heard about taking it easy once you’re feeling better. The boy has been deprived of doing fun things with you though, and he wants to make up for lost time. So go ahead and just go out for a walk or something with him. Let him snap a couple of photos of the two of you and he’ll be super happy.

Ace Trappola

He finds out through Grim and originally he acts as though he doesn’t care at all. You’re just a bit sick, so what? That is until Grim starts to over exaggerate things about your health and now he’s slowly getting worried about you. He’s going to be more irritated in class, tapping his foot anxiously on the ground until Trein tells him to stop fidgeting so much. This is going to prompt him to just up and leave the classroom to go check on you, despite Trein yelling for him to sit back down.

Sadly Ace has no skills in taking care of others while they’re sick. He just assumes a little bit of tylenol or something is all you need while sick. He has no past experience in playing nurse, so he’s clueless. Deuce is probably the one who points out that his methods of taking care of you are horrible and you need proper care with medication that’s aimed for whatever is wrong with you at the moment. Only then will Ace actually stubbornly seek out help.

He gets the nurse, because he’ll be damned if he asks Riddle for help. Thankfully the nurse gives him a list of things to help take care of you, and he does his best to follow it. He will be getting food from the cafeteria though, saying that his cooking might end up just making you sicker than before. He is caring though and you will notice his voice softens a bit as he’s taking care of you, almost like he fears causing you a headache or discomfort. He’ll deny it with every fiber of his being, but he really does want you to get better.

He’s going to be a smug little butthead the moment you’re all better, claiming how well he took care of you. You can either knock him down a few pegs and remind him that it wasn’t until Deuce and the nurse intervened that you began getting better. Or you can simply let him have it, and thank him for doing such a good job in helping you out. He might actually blush if you praise him though, so the latter option is probably the best to go with if you want to fluster him.

Deuce Spade

Another boy who becomes so worried about you being sick that he rushes over to your side. He is checking you over and spamming you with questions, wanting to know if you’re hurt anywhere. He might actually make you dizzy or give you a headache, but you know it’s all coming from a place of caring. He just doesn't know what else to do when he sees you laying there, sick as a dog.

Sadly he doesn’t have the best skills, but it doesn’t mean he won’t be asking for help. He’d go straight to Riddle, knowing that he probably would know what to do. After Riddle checks you over and says it’s not bad enough to see a nurse, he’s going to be hounding Deuce on how to properly take care of a sick classmate. Deuce is going to take everything to heart and take his word as law at that point.

After he’s told what to do, he’s not half bad. He might forget a few things and fumble, but he manages to always make it right in the end. He’s going to be a bit bashful when checking your temperature, using his forehead to do so since that’s how his mom always did it. You can remind him about thermometers, or just let him do his thing. Either way, Deuce is doing his best and will be by your bedside at all times, despite really needing to go to class since he’s fallen behind.

Once you’re better he’s so relieved, but he’s not done worrying. He’ll be asking you if you’re certain everything is alright and once you assure him about twenty times he might drop it. Just expect him to be a bit more protective over you for the next month or so after getting sick, since he’s worried you’ll somehow fall ill again.

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