#or at the very least give them all an INCREDIBLY stern talking to

[multi-fandomdisaster]

Good lord, the Hatchetfield High School football student section is probably terrible-

[traveler-at-heart]

Doctor's In - Part 6

Summary: Your relationship with Wanda is put to the test when someone from her past stops by.

Wanda Maximoff x F!R

You’re an adult. You’re an adult.

You have to tell yourself over and over again, because it’s been forever since you’ve been to the movies and the popcorn smells delicious, the candy assorment is incredible and you want to buy it all.

“Can we get nachos too?” Tommy says and your mouth waters.

“Oh my God, nachos”

By the time you join Billy and Wanda at the theater, you’re carrying two buckets of popcorn, four sodas, nachos and gummies.

“You are never getting the food for movie night again” Wanda glares, thinking about the sugar high she’ll have to deal with if the twins actually eat everything.

“Babe, it’s ok. I’ll eat everything before the kids can” you joke. Wanda rolls her eyes and you keep your promise, checking that they’re not gulfing down everything before the movie starts.

Ever since you told the kids about you two, you’ve tried to make time for at least one family day as you call it, every week. So, today they wanted to see Inside Out 2 (after making you watch the first one) and you were happy to comply.

Wanda has to stop herself from laughing at the way you react to the movie. You make the same faces and noises as her two children, laughing especially hard at the scene where Anger attacks Pouchy.

“I’m so full” Billy complains.

“Me too” Tommy says.

“Me three” you join, making them laugh.

“Whose fault is that?” Wanda says, playfully pinching your side and you smile.

“Sorry, love. Next time we’ll just get the popcorn”

Walking around the mall, you decide to take them to the arcade so they can exhaust themselves playing.

“Nothing with guns” Wanda warns in her stern mom voice.

“Come on, you two against me on foosball” you challenge, a hand behind your back to make it seem like it’s the easiest thing in the world to play against them. Still, you tie and on the last ball, you’re about to score when you feel Wanda’s hands on your face, making you turn to kiss her.

Her lips are soft and she looks so gorgeous, you melt against the contact, forgetting the game.

“Not fair” you say when you realise you lost the last point. Wanda laughs against your lips when you kiss her again, while the boys go play air hockey.

Once they’ve spent enough time exhausting themselves, you decide to head back home.

“Teeth and pajamas” Wanda says to the kids as they go up the stairs.

“What about me?” you follow her to the kitchen, cornering her against the counter. “Can I get a little sweet treat before bed?”

“And what would that sweet treat be?”

“You”

Wanda’s eyes darken, remembering how you ate her out right in this spot a few weeks ago.

“But you were a bit naughty, getting all that candy” she teases, turning her face when you lean forward to kiss her. “You’ve had enough sweets for the day, don’t want you getting cavities”

“Just one more, I promise” you plead, hand going behind her to cup her ass through her jeans.

She finally gives in to your advances, initiating a sensual kiss that makes you weak in the knees.

“Mom, I was ready for bed first!” Tommy shouts from upstairs, because they’re always making it a competition.

“Do they happen to go to summer camp? Winter camp? Anything camp?” you joke as she breaks the kiss, laughing.

“Come on” she leads you upstairs, where you usually lean against the doorway as Wanda tucks them in.

There, you see with adoration as Wanda makes sure they’re all set for the night, kissing their foreheads and whispering something in Sokovian. You know by the sounds of the room that sometimes they stay up after that, but they’re just talking to each other while they feel tired enough to sleep.

Once you’re at Wanda’s room, you sit in her bed, because the favorite part of this little routine is watching her while she’s in front of the mirror of her dresser. First, she takes off her jewelry, then the very light makeup she usually has and at the end, Wanda applies some skincare product because she insists there are wrinkles around her eyes that make her feel old. Even if she doesn’t tell you, Wanda enjoys how you take in every little movement she makes, and the look of complete love in your face.

“Think they’ll ever want their own rooms? Or not want to share as much as they do now?”

“Maybe when they’re teenagers. I remember Pietro and I just started to talk to more people and make other friends in high school. But he was still my best friend, at the end of the day. I think he’s the only person that knows everything about me”

“Everything?” you repeat, enjoying how Wanda moves over to your lap as soon as she finishes with her makeup. “Does he know about me?”

“Yeah, I knew the boys would tell him if I didn’t” she laughs and you smile, kissing her neck. “Had to convince him to not book the first flight here, because he wanted to come and give you the shovel talk”

“Bring it”

“Maybe later. I don’t want him to scare you off, baby”

“Nothing can and nothing will” you promise, carrying her so she’s laying in bed. You smile, enjoying how beautiful she looks. “Now, about that sweet treat”

—

Lazy Sundays are a thing that you recently discovered, and they have become your favorite.

It usually starts with waking up next to Wanda, cuddled up in bed, sharing kisses until you hear the unmistakable noise of small footsteps trying to get some morning cookies.

Then, you wake up, and play with the kids for a little, while Wanda makes breakfast. You always clean up, making sure she doesn’t do anything more than strictly necessary.

This morning is no different, and you’re excited because the plan for today is drive to the Natural History Museum. You can’t wait for the kids to see all the cool fossils.

“Darling, can you go to the car and check if I left my charger there? My phone’s dead”

“Sure, baby” you smile, giving her a playful smack on the butt as you walk to the door.

You’re still yawning, rubbing the sleep off your eyes while you step outside. You hear a motorcycle and perk up, wondering if it’s a certain someone you know. But whoever is driving parks right outside of Wanda’s driveway, and a man with short blonde hair and blue eyes gets off, carrying a duffel bag.

“Oh, sorry. I must have the wrong house” he says as you walk out the door.

“Who are you looking for?”

“Wanda Maximoff”

“No, you’re in the right place. Can I help you?” you say, your heart beating fast. This man is definitely not Pietro, as you’ve seen him in pictures before.

“Steve? Oh, my God!” you hear Wanda shout behind you and she runs past you, right into his arms. You’re taken aback by her excitement over someone whose name you’ve never even heard.

“Uncle Steve!” the kids join, and he stops spinning Wanda in the air (like out of a fucking romcom) and goes to greet the kids. You stan there, feeling uncomfortable until Wanda asks him to step inside and sees you.

“Oh, pardon my manners. Steve, this is Y/N”

Not my girlfriend, but Y/N.

Right.

“Nice to meet you”

“Captain Steve Rogers” he says, making sure you know he is a captain.

Oh, big man with a big title. Asshole.

“Doctor Y/N Y/L/N” you hit back.

“We grew up together. Well, he was a few years older than us, but the Rogers were so nice and welcoming when we first moved to the US” Wanda says, practically giving the man heart eyes. “And now, well, he’s in the army so we don’t see each other as much”

“Had a couple of days off, thought I’d stop by. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company” he eyes you curiously and then to Wanda. “I’ll find a place to stay”

“None of that, you’re staying with us. Y/N lives across the street”

“Yeah, I do” you nod. “We were just going to the museum today”

“On such a nice day? We could go and play some baseball” he says, and you have to resist the urge to punch him in his very defined jaw.

But the twins agree and Wanda is quick to follow suit, so you just smile politely.

“Come on, I want to hear everything” Wanda pulls him inside, her arm around his.

You look back to your place and sigh.

“Whatever” you mutter, going back to your own house.

Wanda doesn’t even notice until they are getting ready to leave for their baseball game.

“Aren’t you coming?” she asks as soon as you open the door.

“No, I’m more of an indoors type of person. Have fun, catch up with your friend”

“You’re still having dinner with us, right?”

“Sure” you say, knowing full well you’ll run to the hospital under the excuse of an emergency at the last minute.

“Everything ok? I didn’t mean to… ignore you back there. I was just so surprised about Steve”

“It’s fine” you lie.

“Ok. I love you” she stands on her toes to kiss you and you smile, appreciating how the words sooth your heart in spite of everything.

You’re restless, so you run to the gym and spend a good hour just listening to music and working out. By the time you’re back, completely exhausted, there’s another god damn bike on your driveway.

“Where the hell have you been?” Carol says as soon as you step on to your house.

“Wow, what’s gotten into you?”

“I have a lesbian emergency. And you’re the only other lesbian I trust enough!” she hisses, looking like a mad woman.

“Ok, chill, will ya? Let me take a shower and we’ll talk about it”

“Maria wants kids” Carol blurts out, following you upstairs.

“Ok, so?”

“So! It’s too soon”

“You’ve been dating since med school. By gay standards that’s like a good ten years of marriage, Carol” you’re about to step into the room to shower when you turn around. “Can I help you?”

“I’ve been to your room!”

“When we were fuck buddies. Now you’re engaged and I have a girlfriend, so wait downstairs for me” you say, because there’s no way in hell you’re letting her in just like that. You know Wanda would be upset about it.

“You’re mean”

“And you are a baby, Danvers” you stick your tongue out, closing the door to shower.

When you go downstairs, there’s Chinese food waiting and a couple of beers.

“I’m stress eating” she explains. You nod, taking out the food to the porch where you can enjoy the cool breeze. “Whose bike is that?”

“A friend of Wanda’s”

“Do I detect a hint of jealousy?”

“So, Maria wants to have kids?” you retort, making her groan. “Come on, this can’t be a surprise to you. Unless she recently changed her mind”

“It’s not about having them, it’s about when” she says, playing with her food. “We agreed we’d get married, travel for a bit. Have a life outside of work and then think about kids. But she left, and we broke it off for a while”

“So, you’re worried it’s too soon because of the time apart”

“I’m angry” Carol says and it seems like it takes an enormous amount of effort to even admit it. “I stayed, I didn’t change our plans together. And now, she came back and wants to change things again. It doesn’t seem fair that Maria is calling all the shots”

“Did you tell her that?” you take a sip of your beer, enjoying the taste. You’ve only had wine for the last couple of weeks.

“I just said I’d think about it” Carol admits. “And then I ran here”

“I see” you nod, taking a breath before asking something you’ve thought in the past. “Are you afraid you’ll be a bad parent?”

“Yes” Carol answers immediately.

You’ve seen so many surgeons struggle to keep up with their personal life while doing their job. Hell, even Stark and Pepper had their rough patch when Morgan was a baby.

“I think you’d be a great mom, Carol” you admit, knowing how good she is with kids. “Maybe you can compromise on the timeline. Like at least have a wedding even if it’s small and a honeymoon. Because once a baby comes, it’s gonna be your job 24/7”

“Speaking from experience with two kids?” she wiggles her eyebrows and you chuckle. “Wanna tell me about the friend?”

“He showed up unannounced and Wanda acted like this… teenager with a crush. Oh, and get this, I wasn’t introduced as her girlfriend, she only used my name”

“That’s kinda annoying. Very I’m still in the closet vibes”

“Her brother knows about us, though” you say. Unless that was a lie.

“Well, you should tell her it’s bothering you. I’ve seen you make so many changes to your life for her, Y/N. You take time off and help her, and that speaks volumes about you”

“Maybe I moved foo fast” you think, sipping your beer.

“You are a lesbian” she points out and you both laugh.

For the next hour, you keep talking about work and other stuff, until you see Wanda’s car approaching. You’re hit with a pang of jealousy when you see Steve driving, and opening the car door for Wanda.

“Dude is buff” Carol comments, and she whistles. “Yeap, I see what you mean”

Wanda barely looks at your place, and she only pays attention when she catches up to Carol sitting next to you.

“That’s my cue to go. Good luck” Carol says, taking her jacket.

“Drive safely” you say. “Or maybe take a cab?”

“I only had half a beer. See ya, princess” Carol says loud enough for Wanda to hear. Your girlfriend glares at her retreating figure and then looks at you.

“Is that why you didn’t want to come with us?”

“I didn’t even know Carol was going to come, Wanda. She needed some relationship advice” you say, standing up to pick up the trash. “And I’m not the one who cancelled our plans to hang with a total stranger. You know I only get one Sunday off every three weeks and I worked extra hours to be with you for the weekend”

“Steve isn’t a stranger”

It annoys you that she ignores your comment about the time off you work hard to get. To spend time together, no less.

“He is to me”

“You’re right. Just come over and meet him? I promise you once you do everything will be fine”

“Sure” you say. That’s the last thing you want to do, but you feel the tension between you and Wanda, and if you say no to dinner or skip at the last minute how you had originally planned, you’ll get into a fight.

You can get through one dinner, right?

As soon as you walk in to Wanda’s home, you wish you had just faked a work emergency.

Steve is playing with Billy and Tommy, clearly not understanding how the control of the console works.

“Dragons are kinda lame” he jokes. Or not, who knows.

“Spyro isn’t lame” Billy says and you smile proudly. That’s your boy.

“Hey” the man greets you as you walk to the kitchen to find Wanda. “Your friend has a nice bike. Too bad she drinks and drives”

You give him a dirty look from across the room, figuring it’s better to ignore him.

“Do you drink and drive too?” he asks, and now you’re certain you will kick his ass.

“Oh, so glad you’re here” Wanda walks in, carrying a couple of plates. “Mind helping me with the salad?”

“Sure” you say, eager to get away from Captain Morality.

Unfortunately, he seems to be in a chatty mood during dinner and you have to resist the urge to ignore him every time he asks a question.

“What about your family?” he asks at one point and you think you might break the Hippocratic Oath and stick your fork in his hand.

“What about them?” you dodge the question, taking a bite of your chicken.

“Yeah, what do your parents do? Any siblings?”

“My mom’s a teacher, my dad’s dead” you say without any more context.

“Sorry” the man says.

“Maybe we can talk about something else” Wanda says, and it’s the first time in all night that she’s had some consideration towards you. She asks him about another friend of theirs and you’re allowed to eat peacefully, happy that Captain Ass is leaving you alone.

“You ok?” Tommy says next to you and you smile, nodding. “I really wanted to go to the museum”

“Me too, buddy. Some other time”

When everyone’s done you do the usual cleaning, starting with washing the dishes.

Wanda joins you in the kitchen a while later, saving leftovers and putting away some of the spices she used.

“Everything ok?” she asks.

“Fine”

“Are you staying over?”

“I have to go to the hospital” you lie. You’re gonna be restless and can’t stand the idea of just laying in bed thinking about everything that’s happened today. You need the rush of work to clear your head.

“Well, I’m glad you got to know Steve a little better. He’ll only stay for a couple of days before going to visit his parents. Joseph and Sarah are so great”

“Mhm” you give a noncomittal groan and she keeps going.

“It was always so nice for us to spend time with them. And my parents, they just love Steve! My mom always told me we would be great together, but then I met someone else and you know, the twins came along”

“Wow, that’s great”

“Yeah, I always wondered. Maybe we would have been a good couple” she keeps going, completely oblivious to how annoyed you are.

“Lucky you, he’s here now and seems like he’s ready to pick up were you left off”

“What?” 

“I don’t know, Wanda. You’re out here talking about him like he’s God’s greatest gift to this Earth, how you wonder if your life would be better with him. Go be with him if that’s what you want. I won’t be the one to stop you” you finally break, finishing the dishes and drying your hands.

“Do you hear yourself? You’re being incredibly immature” Wanda hisses, looking at the kitchen door, concerned that her friend or her children will listen.

“I’m being honest. How do you think it makes me feel to listen to this?”

“Oh, please. I’m not the one who is all cozy with her ex” she retorts.

“Carol and I work together and you knew about us before you and I started dating”

“What do you want me to do? Kick my friend out because you’re insecure?”

“No. I want you to…”

I want you to want me.

The words come back to you from a place you thought was buried, and it hits you like a ton of bricks.

A hand covers your mouth, trying to keep the words in, as if you’re not crumbling down. Taking a breath, you try to steady yourself.

“I have to go” you say, eager to put some distance between you two.

“Wait” Wanda says, her demeanor completely different. She’s never seen you this vulnerable or shaken.

“I’m going to the hospital” you avoid her eyes, leaving in a rush.

All you can do is run.

—

Thank God for work. There’s so much to do, you spend all night running around and by the time you sit, it’s 5 AM.

“My feet are killing me” Carol says; she also came to the hospital to run away from her problems.

“Come on, cheer up” you say, giving her chocolate and a granola bar.

You sit next to her, both of you staring at the wall, caught up in your own thoughts. When Darcy stops by, she tilts her head, eyeing you curiously.

“Girl trouble?”

You both nod and she sighs, sitting between the two.

“Me too”

“You and who?” Carol says.

“Me. I’m the problem with myself” Darcy says and in spite of yourself, you laugh. “Come on, the doctor’s in. Who wants to go first?”

“Wanda has a surprise guest that looks like a model, and it happens to be a dude she grew up with and her parents loved and wanted them to marry”

“Wow. That’s awful. Is he staying with her now? Are you worried they’re gonna bone?”

“I am now” you frown.

“Ok, good talk!” Darcy says, grimacing. “Carol, wanna go next?”

“No, thanks” she says, afraid Darcy will put new worries in her head like she did with you.

It’s really fucking funny, isn’t it? The dude shows up out of nowhere, is passive agressive when Wanda isn’t looking, you fight and maybe now she’s sad and running into his arms.

Perfect.

Your pager releases you from the new horrors and you spring to action, hoping work takes your mind off of everything else.

There are a few accidents on the road due to the heavy rain, so you focus on that and even scrub in with Carol in what Darcy dubs the Gay Denial Club.

“Go to sleep” Fury says when he catches you drifting off while standing up a few hours later.

“I’m fine” you lie.

“Take a walk, sleep. If you don’t want to go back home now it’s fine. But don’t stay here, you’ve been at the hospital for too long”

“Ok” you rub your eyes, feeling hungry and knowing cafeteria food won’t do the trick for now.

The pier is the one place where you can feel at peace right now, so you pick up some food and eat on a bench, looking out the water. When it gets cold, you do something that only happens once a year.

Smoking is so damn bad, but so good when you’re feeling completely done with the world. Right now you’re wondering why you quit.

Someone walks up to you, and you recognise the parfum instantly.

“That’s bad for you” Wanda says and you let out a dry laugh.

“So I’ve heard. What are you doing here?”

“You weren’t at the hospital and I just had a feeling I’d find you here” she says, sitting.

“Good call” you say, pushing out the smoke away from her.

“I’m sorry”

“What for?”

“The way I acted. And that thing I said… I didn’t mean it like that. When I said I sometimes wondered what my life would be like, I didn’t mean it as if I wanted it to be different… because then I wouldn’t have Billy and Tommy and that’s just simply unconceivable for me”

“I know” you nod, but keep staring at the pier.

“Are you gonna say anything else?”

You shrug your shoulders, debating if it’s worth it to open up about what’s bothering you.

“My mom didn’t want me” you finally say, putting out the cigarrette and coughing. You feel the need to light up another one immediately. “I heard her once or twice, saying it would have been easier if it was only her and her new family.”

“That’s awful. I never meant to make you feel that way” she says, trying to reach for your hand, but you move it away.

“I know. In my head, logically, I get what you meant. But all I feel is like a second choice. And I really, really, don’t want to feel that, you know? I spent my whole life running from that, and I can’t deal with it. I just don’t know how”

“Is there anything I can do?” she asks, sighing. The sound of your pager goes off, and you smile.

“You should go home. And I have work”

“I love you” Wanda says, holding your hand as you walk past her. You nod, looking at her for the first time. She’s so beautiful and perfect and you love her so much, but you know you need to step back and work through the pain this whole thing revived in you.

“I know” you nod, walking away, your pager going off a few more times.

You understand the urgency as you arrive to the hospital.

“There’s a sinkhole in the middle of the city. You and Danvers are going to the site”

“Jesus, alright. Darcy, you’ll handle the ER while I’m gone, Bishop and Parker, come with me” you get ready, packing up the essentials and putting on a windbreaker, as it looks like it will rain all night long.

“Be careful” Chief Fury says as you all get on an ambulance.

“See you on the other side, Chief” you wink at him, closing the door as you enter last.

—

The rain drops hit the windshield, providing a soothing white noise that helps Wanda calm her thougths. She takes her time driving back home, not just because of the storm, but because she wants peace and quiet to think about everything you just told her.

She had hoped that she could fix things and you’d come home with her, but apparently it was a lot more complicated for you.

“Everything ok?” Steve says as soon as she walks in.

“Not really” Wanda admits, locking the door and dragging her feet to the kitchen. “For the first time in ten years I meet someone who wants me, and is nice and amazing and  also loves my two kids… and I managed to make her feel like a second hand toy”

“Is that what she said?”

“No. It isn’t. But I screwed up so bad, Steve” Wanda says, pouring a glass of wine, beating herself up over and over again for what happened.

“It’s not your fault” Steve admits at last, because he knows Wanda can be too hard on herself.

“Yes, it is” Wanda argues, not catching what he’s trying to say.

“I need to tell you something” Steve shifts in his place. “Pietro asked me to check up on you. He said you wouldn’t let him come and that Y/N sounded too good to be true. So I offered to stop by and see for myself… I may have been a bit rude to her when we spoke”

“Are you being serious right now?” Wanda has to bite her tongue, because her children are asleep and she doesn’t want to wake them up. “What gave you the right?”

“Wanda, he worries about you”

“I am a grown woman, with two children, a successful career, a house that I own. I’m more of an adult than Pietro or you”

“We didn’t mean any harm” Steve insists but she raises her hand.

“You should go. Stay over tonight if you have to, but I want you gone tomorrow morning, Steve” she requests, her tone firm. The man nods, leaving the kitchen.

Wanda sighs and downs the last of her glass of wine, hoping she can call you and apologize. If she had known before that Steve was deliberately rude to you…

“Hello?” Darcy picks up. She insists when Wanda doesn’t speak. “Wanda? I see your name in the caller ID”

“Hi, Darcy. Sorry, I was hoping I could speak to Y/N but if she’s busy…”

“We’re all busy” Darcy says, updating the patient list. “Y/N is not here, she was called on site to deal with the sinkhole”

“There’s a sinkhole?”

“Yeah, it’s all over the news. Listen, I picked up the phone just to make sure you didn’t have an emergency, because she’d freak out if something happened to you. But if you’re fine I gotta get back to managing the ER while she’s gone”

“No, I wanted to talk… I’m fine. Just please tell her to call me?”

“Will try. Bye” Darcy says, hanging up as two more ambulances stop at the entrance of the ER.

Wanda walks over to the tv, watching as the local newstation reports on the activity.

“Doctors from Shield Medical Center and Stark Hospital have arrived at the scene to help with trauma patients. We encourage people to stay home as the heavy rain will continue throughout Westview” the anchor woman says. There’s footage of medical personnel walking by the scene but Wanda can’t spot you.

She stays in the living room, hoping to see you, just to make sure you’re ok. Pretty soon, she falls asleep on the couch, but the noise of the tv stays in the background, making her dream of you, and the sadness in your eyes the last time she saw you.

—

“I have to go with this patient” Carol says, while the EMTs get the man on the ambulance. “I’ll try to come back as soon as we stabilize him”

“Be careful” you nod, turning to Kate and Peter next. “What else we got? Parker?”

“I have a head trauma and we’re waiting for an ambulance. Doctor Stark was out of town but flying in right now. I have to prep the patient so he’s ready by the time Stark lands”

“How did he find a flight with this weather?” Kate asks and you chuckle.

“Bishop, he owns a helicopter”

“Oh, right”

“Alright, Peter, you’re taking the next ambulance. Kate?”

“I’m staying” she says and you nod. It’s been four hours since you got here and you’re all soaked. At least most of the people have been evacuated.

“We got two people down here!” someone shouts and you turn in that direction.

“How can we help?” you greet Clint Barton, and he nods your way, greeting you.

“Hey, doc. It’s a small girl and her mom, the woman is trapped under the car”

“Fuck” Kate says, and you hit her arm.

“Language”

“No, fuck is right. The woman needs to have her leg amputated if we want to get her out but it’s too risky to go down there”

“I’ll go” you say.

“It’s seriously risky” Barton insists but you shrug your shoulders and he nods. “Alright everybody, we’re getting the doc down”

“Is this a good idea?” Kate asks when you request the medical equipment.

“It will be fine, trust me. Be prepared to stabilize her as soon as they’re up. And inform Maria about the little girl, she’ll need a consult”

“Right away”

“Hold on to the rope and make sure you don’t move a lot as we set you down, ok? The rain stopped for a little bit so this is our window. If water keeps falling you could go down in a mudslide”

“Ok” you say, trying to ignore your erratic heartbeat. This is not the time to get cold feet. “I’m ready”

You use your flashlight to look around, and then the beam lands on a pair of small eyes that look up at you.

“All set. I’m sending the kid over” you speak through a radio. Barton confirms and then you turn to the girl. “Hey, I’m Y/N. What’s your name? It’s ok”

“I’m Alice” the girl says, staying close to her unconscious mother.

“Alice, hi. Look, I’ll get you out of here, and then I’m staying to help your mom, ok? I’ll be up with her in no time”

“I don’t want to leave her” the girl protests as you get her ready to go up.

“Alice, I need to take care of your mommy and it can be scary. I won’t leave her side, I promise” you say, because there’s no way in hell you’ll let her watch as you cut off her mother’s leg.

“Promise?”

“Pinky swear” you say, and she smiles, nodding. You talk to the radio “The kid’s ready. Bishop, check for injuries once she’s up there”

You get to work, noticing the woman is still unconscious but it’s probably for the best. As you set the equipment for the amputation, a light rain begins again.

“Status report?” Barton says when it seems like the rain is getting stronger.

“60% done”

“You don’t have a lot of time left”

“Great, super helpful comment, Barton” you mutter, struggling with the bone. God, this is the part that always made you dizzy in your resident years. It doesn’t help that you’re doing it in the middle of the ground that could collapse under you any minute.

You pull through the nausea that hits you, letting Barton know that you’re done. His team lowers a gurney and you prepare it for transportation, struggling as you have to drag the woman across the floor.

“All good” you say, watching as she’s lifted.

“We’ll come back for you, stay put”

You light up the area, just to make sure you’re not leaving any equipment behind. Something caughts your eye beyond the truck.

“We’re pulling you up now” Barton says over the radio.

“Hold” you say, quickly approaching the edge of the hole. “There’s someone else here! The car was covering him”

“It’s raining heavily, we can’t have you stay longer” Barton says, the water causing the dirt around you to losen up. You feel the soil beneath you getting softer as well, as if it was about to give in. “Just take the rope, you don’t even know if they’re alive”

“He has a pulse, just hold”

“Grab the rope, damn it” Barton barks over the radio. His words are met with silence, and then a second later, there’s a loud crash. He looks over and sees the car sliding further down, the dirt finally giving in at the weight and water.

You’re nowhere to be found.

—

The sound of thunder wakes Wanda up. She looks around the room, confused.

The TV is still on, and she rubs her eyes, not paying much attention to what is being reported.

That is, until the person on the screen says your name.

“We have reports that as Doctor Y/L Y/L/N was conducting a search and rescue operation, there were some complications. The other person is an unidentified male, and all we know is they were both taken back to Stark Hospital in critical condition”

“No, no, no” she stands up, taking her car keys.

“Where are you going?” Steve says. He has been unable to sleep, feeling guilty over everything that happened.

“I need to go to the hospital, Y/N could be injured”

“It’s dangerous to drive with the storm, Wanda”

“Stay with the kids, ok?” she ignores him.

“Ok. Be careful” he finally agrees, knowing nothing will make her change her mind.

The ten minute drive is probably the longest one of her life. She tries to stay calm, finding the local news on the radio, but there’s no mention of you.

Stark Hospital is full of people waiting for news on their loved ones. Wanda knows the way to the staff door, so she moves quietly and enters, looking back and hoping no one caught her. Everyone’s too busy to question why someone outside the hospital is there.

“Wanda?” Darcy calls as she exits an examination room, confused. The woman turns around, ready to explain why she’s there.

“Why are you calling for Wanda? See, you’re the one with a concussion, Lewis” you mumble.

Wanda sighs with relief when she hears your voice, walking past Darcy to get inside the room. She sees you, scrubs full of mud and a couple of cuts in your face and arms.

“You’re ok” she says, forgetting the conflict between you two, and hugging you. “I’m so relieved. I thought I lost you. I heard on the news…”

“They exaggerate for views”

“She almost died” Darcy accuses with a glare.

“Did not”

“Ok, fine. I’m telling your girlfriend because you’re a knucklehead”

Wanda breaks the hug, laughing and wiping away the tears that fell down the moment you were in her arms. You keep your hand on her waist, sad that you scared her.

“Y/N here has a concussion and a dislocated shoulder. Lucky for her, she managed to take the rope while carrying the man she found in that hole”

“Wouldn’t you call that heroic?”

“I’d call it idiotic. Please take her and don’t let her come for the next week” Darcy pleads to Wanda. “And you, sleep, rest, don’t move that arm and more importantly, come back with lots of cookies”

“Yeah, yeah”

“And no sex!”

Darcy glares at you two one last time, before leaving the room.

There’s a beat of silence and then you turn to Wanda, smiling shyly.

“Could I get a ride home? I can’t drive with this thing” you point at your armsling and she nods.

“Of course, come on” she says, her hands on your cheeks. She knows you need to rest and she’ll happily drive you home, but Wanda still needs a minute to ground herself, your touch enough to remind her you’re ok.

“I’m here” you say, your hand going up and down her back.

Wanda nods, holding back tears.

“I know”

After a few more seconds, she stands back, waiting for you to leave your spot in the hospital bed. You walk slowly, afraid you’ll get dizzy if you move too fast. Wanda is leading the way, holding your hand to steady you.

“Wanda? Is everything ok? Why are you here?” Barton says and you look confused at both of them. Not another almost husband, for the love of God.

“Clint, hi. I’m just taking my girlfriend home” she gestures to you. “Y/N, this is…”

“We’ve met” you say.

“She’s crazy” Clint points to you and Wanda is about to lash out at him when the man smiles. “You saved a man’s life, but try not to do that again”

“Agree” you say, smiling as he pats your good shoulder.

“Drive safely”

“How do you know Barton?” you ask when you’re finally in the car, relaxing against the comfortable seat.

“He’s Laura’s husband” Wanda says, backing out of the parking lot.

“Laura, as in, your editor? Wow, it’s a small world” you mutter, closing your eyes for just a second. Wanda’s voice brings you back to reality.

“We’re here”

“Here where?”

“Home, baby”

You open your eyes, startled.

“Oh. I thought I only closed my eyes for half a second. Thanks for the ride. Gotta shower and take a dozen painkillers”

“Will you let me… will you let me help you?” Wanda asks, reaching for your hand and you nod.

Instead of walking to her place, she leads you across the street, opening the door with the key you gave her weeks ago.

“Did you clean?” you say, looking around. You definitely didn’t leave everything so tidy.

“You know it’s the only thing that calms me when I’m anxious”

“You’re so cute and weird” you chuckle, swaying lightly. Wanda catches you in the air, making you lean on her side.

“You ok? Maybe you should have stayed at the hospital”

“Just tired” you say against her temple, enjoying the warmth of her body after spending all night in the pouring rain.

“Come on, then” she says, going upstairs with you.

It takes Wanda by surprise to notice she’d never actually been in your room before. You’re always at her place, mainly because of the twins.

As she looks at the few pictures scattered across the room, of friends and colleagues (and the lack of family portraits), Wanda realises how much you’ve done to acommodate to her life and needs, while asking very little in return.

“Bathroom’s that way” you yawn, sitting in the bed while Wanda searches for clean clothes.

“Give me a second, baby” she says and you nod, removing the armsling. “Does it hurt a lot?”

“No, but it’s probably because Darcy gave me the good stuff. I might be out for a good couple of hours after cleaning up”

“Noted” she smiles, helping you up. With gentle movements, Wanda pulls down your pants and underwear, while you hold on to her shoulders to keep your balance.

“I can’t lift my shirt” you admit with a blush.

“I got you, baby”

It’s a little difficult to remove the clothes with the limited motion, but you manage, letting out a giggle as Wanda finally throws the scrubs away, leading you to the shower.

“I think they’re too dirty to use them again”

“We’ll worry about that later. How do you like the water?”

“Right now, hot. I spent all night in the freezing rain”

“Ok” Wanda reaches forward to get a feel of the temperature, nodding when it’s ready. However, you stay in your spot, staring. “What is it?”

“Aren’t you getting in?”

“I have nothing to wear for after”

“That’s the opposite of a problem, as far as I’m concerned” you smile, pulling her hand.

Wanda enjoys this, knowing that you still want her. That in spite of your fight, there’s still that look of complete adoration in your eyes when you tease her or admire her figure.

“Alright” she says, stripping down until she’s naked in front of you. “Behave”

“But I just saved a man’s life”

“And got yourself hurt. We don’t wanna come back to the hospital with more injuries and explain to Darcy how that happened”

“Mmm, that would be funny, actually” you mumble, sighing against Wanda’s front when she stands behind you, her hands massaging your scalp. You feel the dirt slide off your skin, and the hot water relaxes your muscles.

There’s a struggle to stay awake when she’s being so soothing with her touch, but you manage by leaning against the bathroom wall, the water washing away the soap as you’re finally clean and warm.

With the upmost care, Wanda dries you off and brushes your hair, and you yawn as she helps you put on clean clothes. She’s wearing your college sweatshirt, looking adorable with the sleeves too long.

“It’s almost day” you say, looking out the window. Wanda nods, but helps you lay in bed.

“Just get some rest, ok?”

“Will you stay with me?” you ask, settling in bed and smiling up at her.

“Of course” she says, running her hands through your hair.

“For one second, I thought I wouldn’t make it” you confess, trying to stay awake to tell her how you feel. “And all I could think about was how I wished I had kissed you when you came looking for me”

“I’m glad you’re ok. And I’m not going anywhere” she promises, leaning forward to kiss you.

You fall asleep with a smile on your face.

—

The space next to you is empty, and as you regain consciousness, you wonder if it was all a dream. Pain hits every inch of your body when you wake up, to remind you that it was all very much real.

“Wanda?” you say, looking around. She’s nowhere to be found.

You go down the stairs, adjusting the armsling and searching for the other woman. It must be past noon, so maybe she’s home with the twins.

Since you don’t even remember where your phone is, you go across the street, knocking on the Maximoff’s door.

“It’s Y/N!” Billy says excitedly, running to hug you. He’s a little rough with his movements, making you groan. “I’m so happy you’re back, don’t go again. Uncle Steve is so boring”

That’s the best thing the kid has ever said to you, and then Tommy joins in the hug.

“Yeah, he never lets us play videogames and we eat green stuff that tastes like crap. And he says language if we say dude!!”

“Dude, that sucks” you say, enjoying every second of this. They both laugh, hugging you and you pat their heads with your one good arm.

“Boys, give Y/N some space, she’s recovering” Wanda says, smiling as you look at her. “I’m sorry, I had to come back to get lunch ready, I’m sure you’re hungry”

“One thing before that” you smile, pulling her into a kiss. Wanda smiles against your lips, laughing as the kids call you gross and leave in a rush.

Just as you’re sitting in the kitchen counter, Rogers goes down the stairs, carrying his bag.

“Thanks for letting me stay” he says, and Wanda nods, her arm around your shoulders, “Y/N, glad to see you’re ok. I’m sorry if I was a little rude at first. You seem like a great gal”

“Thanks, Cap” you smile. He shakes your hand and goes to say goodbye to the kids, Wanda pressing a kiss against your temple.

“We’re gonna miss you so much” Billy says a bit dramatically, obviously lying. You give him a thumbs up.

As soon as the man’s out the door, the kids run back to the living room, pulling out their videogames.

“Steve’s a little boring” Wanda says against your temple and you smile. “You’re so good with them and we love you so much. Never forget that”

“I love you too” you say, turning to kiss her.

Staying home for the rest of the week is not so bad, especially when you have your family by your side.

[clubdionysus]

[BAD DECISION #60] Obduracy

warnings: starlovers!!!! <33 i really luv jimin in this one hehehe, lots of callbacks to earlier chapters!! fingering, pretty tame by their standards!!! but kinda semi-public? i mean they're at home but like... kitchen?? i dunno up to you to decide!

a/n: this one doesnt have a little cover image :( had to make it fresh :( the first non wattpad chapter :( waaaa. im hoping to having something new ready for you tomorrow hehehehhe

wc: 8.3K

bd total wc: 540k (ongoing)

AO3 | MASTERLIST | MINORS DNI

Jeongguk wears his hangovers incredibly well. Like an oversized shirt draped over his broad shoulders, it billows down his body, leaving you to guess what's hidden underneath. 

It's hard to tell if he's suffering like you are, for his face gives nothing but contentment away.

Hair messy and dishevelled, it sits like an unruly crown on his head as he washes dishes left from the evening before. A soft smile lingers on his lips as he hums along to the song quietly playing through the kitchen speaker, his voice far prettier than the original singer. The king of his very own kitchen, there's an innate flick to his wrists as he shakes water off steel bowls and pops them on the drying rack. 

Chest bare, he pays it no mind when tiny flecks of warm water splash against his skin.

Vines of ink trail up his arm and onto his shoulder. His self-modification proves he wasn't born from gold but rather polished to resemble something like it. 

In a way, it makes him so much more valuable. Or at least it does to you.

As you watch on from a bar stool on the opposite side of the kitchen island, chatting with him about the events of the night before, you wonder how it's possible for a man with a smile like his to have a body like that. 

The maths just doesn't compute, but you've never been great with numbers. Have always been more drawn to art—and God, what a work Jeongguk is.

Quite the contrary, you wear your hangovers with far less grace. 

There's glitter all over your skin, and your hair looks more like a bird's nest than a crown.

In front of you sits a barely touched glass of water and two Tylenol tablets yet to be taken. The thud in your head has only intensified since you woke up with a dry throat and achy body, but you're trying to push through it. 

"You're only making it worse," Jeongguk softly scolds you when you whine and slump down to rest your head on the countertop. "Don't be so stubborn."

When he talks like that, all assertive and domineering, it only makes you wanna be even more stubborn. It's in part thanks to your defiant nature, but also in part due to your desperation to have him use that tone of voice with you again.

"I can defeat it," you whine against the cold stone, a pathetic moan humming in your throat. 

With your hair still damp from your shower, you find yourself irritated by how quickly Jeongguk's hair dries compared to yours. It's your own fault, for you're the one who insists on changing its colour with the seasons, but it annoys you nonetheless.

Then again, everything irritates you when you're this hungover.

Truth be told, you'd happily get your hair wet all over again, if it meant you got to indulge in another shower with Jeongguk. Want nothing more than to relieve the way it feels for him to shampoo your hair, rubbing the pads of his fingers in circular motions against your scalp. If the restaurant doesn't work out, he could always opt to be a hairdresser, you think, then mentally reprimand yourself for daring to even think of a scenario in which the restaurant doesn't work out. Would never forgive yourself if you jinxed it.

Jeongguk doesn't mind the grouchiness that comes with your hangovers, 'cause they always come with an added side of clinginess, too. You had wrapped around him like a koala bear for that entire shower. Had your cheek to his chest, arms tightly locked around his back, eyes firmly closed as he washed your hair.

Gorgeous girl, he thinks to himself, then resumes the stern telling off he was giving you. Just wants you to feel okay, that's all. Knows you're too determined for your own good, sometimes.

"Clearly," he almost scoffs, not mean but definitely a little curt. His head's killing him, too. He just hides it better. Swinging open the fridge, he grabs a bottle of water—2 litres—and cracks open the seal. "Take your pills, or I won't get you anything when I order breakfast."

"Gguk," you whine, slowly sitting up straight to look at him with the biggest pout. Head tipped back, he's chugging on his water straight from the bottle at such a rate you're surprised he doesn't choke.

By the time he's finished, he's practically at the halfway point of the bottle. Shaking his head, he swallows his last mouthful down. Pants, a little. Says, "Water, pills, now."

Narrowing your eyes, you finally do as you're told, but make sure to say, "You're mean."

Jeongguk just shakes his head. "I love you."

With your eyes on his, you try your hardest not to show any sign of weakness—but when he presses his lips into a thin, curved line and smiles in a way that makes it impossible to fight, you can't help yourself. 

"Fine," you strop regardless, tossing your pills back and swallowing them down with a chug of water.

"See," he softly says in a way that is both patronising yet ever so gentle. 

He walks around the counter to stand beside you, and welcomes the innate way your hand reaches up to hold his waist. He's just the same in how his hand cradles your cheek, keeping your face angled to look up towards him. 

"Wasn't so hard, was it, baby?" He gently toys.

"You're the worst," you assure him, 'cause he knows he's being a little git right now.

And so, just like the last incredibly soft insult thrown his way, he fends it off by saying, "I love you."

"If you really loved me, you would have let me stay in bed."

"We have shit to do today, B," he reminds you. "I forced you up because I love you. Now, don't be rude. Say it back."

Jeongguk's ability to demand you say such heavy, ardent words is nothing short of a miracle. 

When you first met Jeongguk, the idea of him being so straightforward and forthcoming with his own feelings felt like an impossible task. Yet here he is, unafraid to tell you how much he cares for you, and unashamed to ask for reciprocation.

Tugging him a little closer, you rest your pointed chin against his sternum, and get him looking down towards you. 

Quietly, you whisper, "You know I love you."

"Say it again," he demands once more, his heavy-lidded eyes trained on yours as he speaks.

"I love you."

He smiles, now. Nods. 

"Good," he says, then pulls away to grab his phone and open up a delivery app. Has his favourite cafe pinned to the top. Clicks through to the menu without a second thought, muscle memory prevailing. "French toast? Iced coffee?"

"You know me so well," you hum with a pleasant smile, hopping off the bar stool and meandering over to Jeongguk's sofa. 

He follows you without hesitation and tugs the blanket from the armchair as he does so. You're wearing one of his shirts, and he's just in a pair of sweats, so a blanket seems like a sensible choice for now. 

Jimin still hasn't risen from his pit, and Nabi's clothes are still in the living room—just in a neat pile now, thanks to Jeongguk's innate need for a clean space to ensure he can power through his hangover. 

"You reckon they're gonna wake up soon?" You ask Jeongguk as he snuggles in beside you, flicking on the television. 

"Not a chance," he laughs. "Nabi's probably gonna escape out his bedroom window or something like that. Spent years denying there was anything going on, and I don't think her pride will be able to take the hit of being wrong."

"You never know," you begin to playfully theorise. "Maybe they're just friends."

"Have you forgotten getting home last night?"

"Well, yeah, but I mean, I shagged you plenty of times, and we've always just been friends."

"Oh, fuck off," he laughs. "We've never been just friends."

"No?"

"No," he says with a cocksure confidence that has been earned over many months of knowing you as intimately as he does. Smiling as you roll your eyes, you don't bother fighting back. It's a losing cause. "We're best friends. Duh."

If you could have it your way, the day would be spent exactly like this—cuddled up on Jeongguk's sofa without a care in the world—but you've got work to do.

The gallery needs to be cleaned up from the night before. It's not a huge amount of work, but still tedious labour that you'd rather not do with a raging headache. One of the reasons you're given such liberty with the gallery space is because you always make sure it's left without a trace, and so you know you need to get it sorted sooner rather than later.

Jeongguk's offered to help out, 'cause his day is empty. Other than discussing the business with Yoongi, his agenda is remarkably clear, and if he's being honest, the last thing he wants is to talk about the restaurant. 

See, Jeongguk worries. He's got everything in the palm of his hand—his girl, his dreams, his future. All it takes is one misstep, and he could lose everything.

Comfort is found in you. Solace.

"Smell good," he mumbles, nuzzling his nose against the curve of your neck, sinking into a more comfortable position snuggled up against you. Doesn't kiss you, but he does let his lips trail up your skin in a way that promises he eventually will.

"Smell like you," you sweetly reply, 'cause none of your things have made their way into his home yet. The shampoo you use is his. The shower gel, the moisturiser, the suncream. It's all him—and you love nothing more than going home with such innocent reminders of him on your skin.

"Mhm," he confirms. That's exactly why he likes it so much. The silage of you is the signpost of him. "Mine."

Any gap between you (which admittedly isn't much at all) is eliminated with the way Jeongguk drags you into his embrace. It's the kind of hug that can only be described as acceptance: there is no you, nor him. Just the pair of you, together. 

It's dangerous territory to embark upon, with such reliance on another person, but it's also a path that you just can't seem to resist.

Laced in berries, the hedgerows of this rambling walk you're strolling down together keep you going forward. Occasionally, you'll stop. Smell the roses. Pluck a berry here or there. Pause when you hear the noise of a wild beast in the forest that surrounds you, or the threatening echo of a farmer and his gun.

But then forwards, you'll go. Destination, unknown. Wherever you end up is exactly where you'll need to be.

The wait for food is wasted away together, dumb conversations about nothing and anything that comes to mind. Jeongguk toys with your fingers. Plays with your rings. Strokes the pad of his index finger over the small callous on your middle one.

"Used to be worse," you acknowledge, holding up your hand to study it. Back when you were in school, the amount of writing and doodling you did meant a callous was inevitable. Now that you're out of the habit of doodling, and far less likely to spend hours writing by hand, it's softened. Almost looks as if it wasn't even there to begin with. Part of your history that is slowly fading away.

One day, you won't be able to recall any part of your life that isn't inexplicitly saturated by him.

He holds up his own hands. Studies them against yours. It's like some juvenile flirt, comparing hand sizes, as if your legs aren't tangled with his, and his other hand isn't wedged between your thighs. 

You're not learning anything new. Are revising, for a lack of a better term. Just like you used to do with the birds, when you wanted any excuse you could use to be intimate with one another. 

It's different now, you suppose. Intimacy. How you view it. Just isn't what it once was. 

Things that used to be sacred to you are now second nature.

Glancing across to Jeongguk as he natters on about the deep line that runs along his palm, and how it signals he's destined for greatness, you realise there's an ache blooming in your chest. 

His pouty lips rabbit on, dark eyes occasionally fluttering across to you, then back to his hand. 

There's a vulnerability to him. It's his eyes, you think, and their need to check in on you. He's making sure you're listening. Interested. Aren't bored or waiting for him to shut up. It's a somewhat nervous habit of his, stemming from the fact he doesn't ever really talk this much with anyone else. 

In a way that no one else is lucky enough to experience, Jeongguk opens himself up to you. About the big and the bad, the emotional and the heavy, but also about the small, lovely, lightweight things, too. Weather talk, mindless chatter he'd never bother engaging in with other people. 

He talks of superstitions and legends, movies he watched as a kid, and dreams he had overnight—a stream of consciousness, all for you.

See, Jeongguk talks. 

Around you, he talks and talks and talks.

If his mother could see him like this, she'd be gobsmacked. He's always been the more quiet one of her sons. Reserved. Cautious to speak in fear of saying the wrong thing.

But he's childlike in his eagerness to share with you, Bambi eyes wide and sparkling, teeth nibbling down on his bottom lip whenever he leaves enough room for you to respond. 

Time is lost in conversation until his doorbell chimes—a notice of food arriving. 

"Go get changed," you say, tapping on his knee as you get to your feet. "I'll sort out breakfast." 

Nodding, he does as he's told, lightly spanking your ass before heading to his room. Glancing over your shoulder, you feign a little hurt.

"I'll kiss it better," he promises, and you know he will. 

The curse of his devotion to you means he can never lie. 

He can, however, keep secrets. Small ones. Teeny tiny ones that will have no consequence other than to make you melt when he finally reveals them.

Checking his phone, Jeongguk smiles to himself when he notices a notification of confirmation—plans made now rolling into motion. You cope with surprises far better than he does. Appreciate the romanticism of it all. He's sure you'll like it.

When he comes back into the kitchen, you have to hold in a desperate groan. Who gave him the right to look like that? And how many cats did you save from trees in a previous life to deserve it?

Dressed for the gym, he's in a pair of dark shorts that sit on his hips as if they were made just for him. The contours of his upper body are on display for everyone to see, a tight black compression shirt outlining the ridges on his chest. 

The silver chain he always wears is tucked outside of the shirt, 'cause he doesn't like the pressure of the fabric on top of it, and his hair lays flat against his head. He's perfectly undone.

As he's putting on a pair of socks by the sofa, he clocks you staring. Simply hums, "Hm?"

Eyes wide and unassuming, he's oblivious to the fact you feel like you might faint just by looking at him, even if the socks he's putting on have individual spaces for each of his toes.

We can't all be perfect, after all—though Jeongguk would argue his socks encourage correct toe alignment, which could only be a good thing. 

"Anyone ever told you that you're a menace to society?" You painfully whine, the groan you were hiding making its presence known.

Almost bashful, Jeongguk tips his head to the side, eyes twinkling your reflection back at you. 

"Flattery won't convince me to let you go back to bed," he teases, playing off the compliment. Socks on, he makes his way over to you without hesitation, his tattooed arm draping over your shoulders, as he presses a kiss to the side of your head. 

"Was worth a try," you playfully tease him, even if you did mean it. Hooking your arm around his waist, you give him a squeeze and glance up towards him. A tender kiss is given and received, his lips softly curving into a smile against yours. "Eat up. Quicker we leave, the quicker you can get to the gym, and the quicker you can come back to mine afterwards."

The outline of your day is solid: go to the gallery and get it cleaned up, meander back to town with Jeongguk, send him on his way to the gym, pick up some groceries and then head home. 

Small errands that will eat up most of the day, but an empty evening that can be spent exactly as you'd like: with him.

"We at yours tonight?" He hums, still getting used to just how easy it is to coexist next to you. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined a life like this. 

"Feel like Jimin might need the privacy," you note, very much aware that he hasn't made a single appearance, which is very unlike him. He's normally reciting lines from The Notebook by this point in the morning.

You know he's fine, 'cause you heard the synthetic ding of his speaker being turned on a little while earlier, presumably to drown out any 'conversations' he might be having. 

Jeongguk smirks, picking out a strawberry from the container next to the french toast, and says, "He never gave us privacy."

Tossing the strawberry to his back teeth, there's a smile on Jeongguk's lips that's impossible not to mirror. Turning slightly, you get yourself trapped between his body and the kitchen island. Wrap your arms around his neck. Encourage him down to nudge his nose against yours.

"Yeah, but he also never caught us having sex," you remind Jeongguk, lips brushing against his. Breakfast can wait. Or maybe the menu can just change. "We were incredibly well-behaved as far as he's concerned."

"We were?" Jeongguk quietly flirts, his hips pressing against your tummy, letting you know just how much he enjoys being with you. "I don't think you've ever been well behaved."

"Oh, but I am," you simper right back. Reaching down for his hands, you encourage them to roam your body. Squeeze them over your chest, then encourage them down to the tops of your thighs—or, more specifically, between them. "I'm such a good girl for you, aren't I?"

Pressing his fingers up against your thinly-covered cunt, Jeongguk smirks, the subtle markers of your arousal greeting him like they so often do.

"You are," he nods. "And you're gonna be good for me now aren't you?" His fingers hook the lace of your underwear to the side, and gently begin to tease your wet folds. "Gonna keep it nice and quiet for me, huh?"

Nodding, you let yourself succumb to your unbridled desire to have your lips on his as he sinks his middle finger into your cunt. With a small whine, you totally disregard the promise you've only just made.

And so Jeongguk shakes his head, still kissing you. Barely parts from your lips when he says, "Shush, shush, shush, baby. Quiet for me."

When he pushes a second finger into you, your brows furrow, but the whine you're dying to sound out just vibrates into his mouth. 

"Attagirl," he praises as his fingers begin to pump inside of you. Deepening his kisses, Jeongguk strokes his tongue against yours, as if your body was just made for him to claim. Signed, sealed, delivered: his. Your hips roll into his movements, but it's not enough. 

As much as he wants to keep you plugged, Jeongguk wants easy access more. 

Pulling his fingers from your cunt, there's a satisfied grin on his pretty lips when you whine. 

"Shush," he says with such affection it could make even the coldest heart thaw. Dipping slightly, he hooks his forearms just beneath your ass and swiftly lifts you up. Gets you perched up on the counter. Spreads your legs, and is pleased when you lift the hem of the baggy shirt you're wearing to fully reveal your pussy to him. 

"Look at you, gorgeous," he husks. Genuinely thinks he might die just from looking at your cunt. Too perfect. Too fuckin' nice. Stroking his still-wet fingers up your folds, he wastes no time sinking two fingers into you once more. "Quiet, baby."

"Room," you breathlessly say, desperately trying not to make any sounds that could give yourselves away. "Don't wanna be quiet. Take me to your room."

Jeongguk just smirks. Looks in your pretty eyes and challenges you. "Say chess. I'm not going to my room, but you can say chess."

He knows there's absolutely no way in hell you're saying chess. 

Narrowing your eyes, you reach to the front of his shorts, and stroke his hard cock through the fabric. If he's gonna make this hard for you, then you're gonna do it right back.

"If you're gonna torture me then you may as well do it right," you feign a little boredom, tugging his shorts down just enough to play with him over his boxers. "Your fingers are nothing, baby." A lie, but that's neither here nor there. "Make things difficult for me. Make it impossible for me to keep quiet."

"You really want Jimin to find out, huh?" Jeongguk teases, still playing on the idea that you've ever managed to convince anyone that you are, in fact, just friends. "You want him to know that we fuck?"

But then Jeongguk glances over your shoulder to the doorway that leads into Jimin's room, as the click of his latch goes. Jeongguk barely has enough time to pull his fingers from you, and definitely not enough time to pull his shorts back up over his boxer-covered boner, so instead, he presses up against you to keep himself covered. Thank God he's behind the island and not anywhere else.

If you thought it was torture before, then now must be a whole new level, just a few layers of fabric keeping you apart.

"It lingers, y'know," the grouchy voice of Jimin echoes from behind you. 

Turning your head, thighs squeezing against Jeongguk's hips to keep his dignity protected, you try to hide your embarrassment. 

Jeongguk's hands rest on your thighs, and the one that's out of sight to Jimin is being wiped against your skin to rid his fingers of your arousal. This could have been so much worse than what it is.

"The smell of sex," he adds with a little disdain. "I always knew."

As if the God of Thunder personally gave birth to him, Jimin's face is stormy as can be. His scowl is so deeply ingrained into his expression that you're certain the wind must have changed in his direction as he was first pulling the face. Whatever you drank last night, he must have had it too.

Hair all haphazard, face a little dewey from a warm slumber, there's an unusual dishevelled nature to Jimin. He's not even bothered to put on clothes. Is quite literally in just a pair of boxers. 

It's quite unlike him. Then again, so are the hickies on his collarbones. 

"Well, that's weird, 'cause me and Jeongguk have never had sex," you reply without even thinking, the lies ingrained into your reflexes at this point. Even Jeongguk looks at you with confusion this time. 

"Firstly, we eat off that counter, sickos. And secondly, I heard," Jimin simply assures you both, walking to the counter and picking up a plastic fork. He sticks it into a chunk of the french toast, and doesn't ask permission. Just chows down on it. Speaks with his mouth full. "Like, so many times. In fact, I've heard you at it so many times I can almost predict what's happening when."

"Bullshit," Jeongguk laughs—and he'd be right. Jimin's never heard, not properly at least, unless you count the muffled groans in Pohang that put him off his food for an entire day. He just hates the embarrassment of being walked in upon by the pair of you. The one time he needed privacy the most and he didn't even think to bolt the door—or better yet, go to his own bloody bedroom. He wants you to know what his embarrassment feels like. Jeongguk is unphased, though. "Nabi still here?"

"Shut up," Jimin replies, pulling the rest of the french toast towards him, closing the lid. He narrows his eyes, then snatches the box right up. Holds it to his chest. Scowls at you both. Turns on his heel and returns to his room, grinning now that you can't see him, shutting the door behind himself. 

Neither of you stop him. 

"Is he…"

"Okay?" Jeongguk finishes off your query. "No idea."

But one thing for certain is that Nabi's possessions are still very much inside the apartment. She's still here, and you're willing to bet he shut the door with a smile, holding his stolen breakfast with all the triumph of a cat who got the cream. 

"On that note," you begin to tangent off, knowing you've already wasted too much of the day. "You okay to drive? Or would you rather take the subway?"

"Subway," Jeongguk immediately responds, reaching over to take a sip of his coffee. "Don't wanna risk it."

And he also wants any excuse he can find to spend time with you. Takes three times as long to get to The Ryu on public transport than it does in his car, especially with how he drives.

"Alright," you don't argue against him or bother suggesting a taxi instead. "And am I cool to leave my things here? I'll pick them up next time—"

"You know you don't need to ask," Jeongguk grins, the ring in the corner of his mouth flipping ever so slightly in that heavenly way it so often does. 

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Keep it here," he says. "Don't take your stuff home next time. Leave it. I'll clear a drawer. Some hangers."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he nudges his nose up against yours. "You've been leaving glitter here for months. May as well move onto something more substantial."

As if your heart isn't enough.

"Plus," he considers. "At least that way you can stop stealing all my favourite shirts."

"You love it when I wear your shirts."

"B, I love it when you wear nothing at all," he smirks. "Clothes have nothing to do with it. But on that note, go put some clothes on so we can actually do something with our day."

Reluctantly, you agree.

And just as reluctantly, he lets you go.

The subway is always crowded at this time of day. Jeongguk insists you sit while he stands in front of you, holding on to the railing that runs overhead. It's a small kindness—the kind you never really thought about until you met him and learned how lovely it is to have someone actually care about your comfort and well-being. 

He doesn't spend the journey on his phone like so many of the other commuters. Instead, he focuses on the windows, and the small glimpses indicating where you are along the subway line. Occasionally he'll look down at you and smile. Though you're not sleeping, your eyes are closed, cutting out the harsh lights of the tin can you're situated inside. You've never been more desperate for your bed. 

Once you reach your stop, Jeongguk tightly scoots in behind you on the escalators.

"We can have a quiet night in," he softly promises. His hand rubs at your waist, and the elevated position of your body allows him to press a kiss to your shoulder.

Even despite the fabric of your shirt—one that belongs to him, of course—it still feels like a star is burning through your very being. 

Nodding, you place your hand over his and squeeze ever so gently. Reciprocate his warmth. 

You don't mean to be so grouchy and unexpressive, the hangover just really is killing you. If it wasn't for the video Jeongguk insisted on assessing after waking you up this morning, you might not have even recalled exactly just how raunchy you'd been with him at Dionysus. 

Fucking someone at work had always been one of his covert fantasies; the kind of thing he wanted to do just so he could say that he had. Wouldn't mind leaving the box next to it unchecked on his mental to-do list. Would happily do it all over again.

His notice has been handed in, though. Dionysus is no longer his place of work. His contract runs until the end of the month, but he saved up holiday time. Never has to go back, if he doesn't want to.

As his fingers squeeze a little tighter on your waist, he can't help but wonder if he's making the right choices. He's been comfortable at Dionysus. Wasn't making great money, but was making enough. 

But when you squeeze your hand over his, he knows it doesn't matter. He can make all the bad decisions in the world as long as he doesn't make any that'd result in him losing you.

The weather's slowly been getting warmer over the past few weeks. As you exit the subway station, the sun confronts you with such aggression that you almost stumble from the impact of her punch.

"I'm never drinking again," you whine, bringing the hand of yours that's holding his up to cover your eyes a little. He lets you dictate his movement freely.

"You say that every time," Jeongguk reminds you, playfully nudging into your side, before rounding the corner up towards the gallery. "C'mon. Fake it till you make it. Pretend you don't have one."

"Impossible."

The remainder of the morning is slow. Every time you glance at the clock, it seems only a few minutes have passed. 

Cataloguing and processing the sales of art from the night before is laborious. It takes a lot of mental energy that you can't seem to conjure up.

Jeongguk doesn't really know how to help, but he is far stronger than you. Does all the heavy lifting as you prepare various canvases for shipping.

Eventually, he's left twiddling his thumbs, so you insist he heads straight to the gym.

"I'll meet you after," you tell him, as you sit on the floor of the gallery, crossed-legged, a pencil behind your ear and a million documents scattered around you. Jeongguk has no idea how you can work in such chaos. Finds himself getting stressed out by it.

It takes a solid fifteen minutes of assuring him you'd be fine on your own, but eventually he leaves for the gym. The way you see it, the quicker you both get your tasks for the day done, the quicker you can go back to yours, make some dinner, and call it a night. 

"Call me when you're done, yeah?" He says, lingering by the door because he just can't bear to leave you. As the sunlight peers in through the windows, small speckles of glitter sparkle on his skin. "I'll come meet you halfway."

With an ever-sincere smile, you just laugh. "Go."

Finally doing as he's told, Jeongguk walks backwards until you're out of sight. Feels his heart physically ache in his chest. Doesn't understand why he's so damn pathetic all of the time when it comes to you, just knows he wouldn't change it for the world.

Despite the solitude of an empty gallery, you're perfectly content. The lingering scent of paint and paper isn't too far removed from your place of work. Makes it easy to imagine a life where this could be your work. 

Devoting yourself to this is easy. Passion has always yielded a higher reward for you than wages, so you don't mind burning the candle at both ends.

The situation is becoming strained at best, you know. Eventually, something will have to give.

For now, though, you finish off your jobs. Arrange couriers to pick up the artworks sold, and make sure the names and numbers match the deposits with a copy of Jeongguk's business account bank statement, of which you made him print out for you.

"I can just log into my bank on your phone," Jeongguk had shrugged when you'd first asked him for it, seemingly not realising just how insane he sounded. When he clocked your look of bewilderment, he laughed. "What? It's not like you're gonna run off with all the money."

While this is true, looking at the sheer amount of money in there could make you cry. It's all so attainable now; Jeongguk's dreams and a reality in which they come true. 

So engrossed in your own thoughts, you almost jump out of your skin when a knock sounds at the doorway into the office. 

"Sorry," Shinwon hums ever so pleasantly, a smile on his face, thoroughly bemused by how startled you look. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"No, no," you shake your head, endearingly playing off your embarrassment. "I just didn't expect to see you here! Or see anyone here, for that matter."

Between exhibitions, the gallery will be closed for the next couple of weeks. It's partially to allow for the staff to reset, but mainly to allow for careful considerations of how the space will be used. 

As Jina's maternity leave cover, it's Shinwon's job, but you're yet to see any plans from him. You don't even know which artists are due to be showcased. She did say that a new vacancy would probably open up around this time, and if Shinwon doesn't start putting some tangible hard work in, you wouldn't be surprised if it's sooner rather than later.

There's been no mention of it, though. The big bosses don't seem to care about his underperformance, probably 'cause they know he's temporary.

"Just coming by to drop something off," he explains, holding up a small white envelope. Pressing it down on the desk, he looks uncertain, as if there are words dancing on the tip of his tongue. "It went well last night, didn't it?"

With a tight-lipped smile, you nod. Feel your cheeks swell. "Yeah. Went really well."

"Good," he nods. Is about to leave. Pauses when he reaches the door, and awkwardly turns to face you. Nods towards the letter on the desk. "There's gonna be a position opening up soon. You should apply. I'll put in a good word."

Furrowing your brows, you glance over the white envelope, then back to Shinwon. "But they're not hiring any—"

"Letter of resignation," he concedes with a tight-lipped smile. "I've got an overseas opportunity that I don't wanna pass on. I'll work my two weeks, but then there'll be a position to fill until Jina is back from maternity."

By overseas opportunity, he really means that some of his private school buddies are going travelling, and he wants in on the fun. This was always an opportunity of convenience for Shinwon. He was never passionate about it. Not like you are.

"Apply," he encourages. "You basically do my job as it is for free, anyway. May as well get paid for it if you can."

He doesn't stay to chitchat. Probably won't even remember your existence once he heads off on his trip. Was never in this for the right reasons.

You've resented him on plenty of occasions. Been annoyed at the fact he does fuck all and gets paid for it. Yet the idea of actually filling his (albeit incredibly small) shoes is fear-inducing.

A job at the gallery would be the first step to actually doing what you love for a living—being around art and artists. Sure, you could argue that the art cafe gives you that, but a highschooler nervously painting by numbers on a first date has nothing on the works that you see here.

There's joy to be found in your current job, though. Fun. Safety. Home.

But nothing remarkable ever happened to people who choose to remain comfortable.

Quickly finishing your to-do list, all you want to do is speak to Jeongguk about it. See what he thinks. You know it's a no-brainer. You have nothing to lose. You just want him to give you the green light that you're making the right choices.

The headache you've been battling is weak in comparison to your racing thoughts, now. You're thinking of the possibilities—of all of your hard work actually being for something. You've proven to the gallery that you can bring in punters, and that you can utilise their resources for profit. 

It's always been a case of who you know, not what you know, but you know the gallery, now. They know you. 

It could really happen. 

By the time you reach the gym, fantasies of a life with a staff ID card and access to the archives, you can't stop smiling. It'd change your life. Flip it upside down in the best of ways.

The gym is just the same as it always has been. There's a new girl behind the front desk. Not someone you recognise. Smiling as she greets you, she's keen to help, long dark hair tied into a ponytail, her branded shirt tight to her curves. You're reminded that the gym is a breeding ground for beauty, but it doesn't matter. You'll get your cardio in later beneath your sheets. 

She's also got the kind of smile that you just can't help but reciprocate. 

"I don't have a membership," you begin to explain, knowing just how troublesome it was on your first ever visit and not wanting a repeat of it. There's no way you're paying for a month, 'cause now you don't need it as an excuse just to see Jeongguk. You also can't help but overcompensate, and give far too many details in an awkward, endearing mess of an explanation. "Well, I mean, I used to have one so my details are probably on the system. Sorry, not important. I know you guys don't do day passes—"

Furrowing her brows, she kindly interrupts. "We do."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," she says, nodding towards a sign in the corner of the countertop. Clear as day, daily and weekly memberships are listed. "We've done them for as long as I've been here. Don't think it's a new policy. Anyway, happy to help—just a day membership?"

Jiyeong might be a distant memory now, but thoughts of her will never fail to irritate you.

"Yeah please," you smile regardless, sliding your card out from your pocket—and then you're over explaining again. Probably habit from the Jiyeong era. Is also probably why you make a point to mention Jeongguk by a title only you have the privilege to use. "I'm just joining my boyfriend for a session. He's—"

"Oh, he's a member?" she chirps, not rude in her interruption but efficient.

"Yeah," you nod, and are about to mention him by name, but the girl speaks too quickly again.

"Oh, you should have said! Members get a monthly plus one. It's not a free session, but it's half price, so better than nothing," she smiles. "I'll just need his gym ID—or name, I can search the system—so I can put it through."

You know she really ought to ask Jeongguk's permission. You could be any random woman. 

But you're not, and so you tell her. "Jeon Jeongguk?"

"Ah," she nods, vaguely aware of his existence. Unlike Jiyeong, she hasn't spent a substantial amount of time fawning over Jeongguk. To her, he's just another dude who comes in and leaves her alone. She appreciates it, given how some guys can be, but she also doesn't care to reward bare minimum. 

She asks you to confirm his phone number, which you can do without issue, so at least there's some level of security in place. 

It's a perfectly pleasant exchange, and it thankfully rids you of woes you didn't even realise you had. The Jieyong debacle had left a mark on you, but it feels like it's been rubbed clean. Your mind tends to jump to thoughts of her whenever he goes to the gym, and so at least you can sleep well knowing that the new girl isn't interested in any way shape or form.

Buzzing you through, she tells you to enjoy yourself—but as you start heading up the stairs to the main gym section, you already feel your regret looming. A hangover is still a hangover.

You clock Jeon Jeongguk almost immediately. How anyone isn't immediately drawn to him, you'll never understand. Just finishing up with some weights, he's re-racking the ones he's used, skin glowing with sweat. 

There's a beauty to seeing him like this. Primal desires. 

Glancing up to the mirrored wall behind the rack, Jeongguk eyes are on yours just as quickly. It's like you're magnets, destined to meet.

A confused smile etches into his exhausted face, brows furrowing as he turns to face you.

"What are you doing here?" He mouths, head puppy-like in the way it tilts. 

Shrugging your shoulders, you walk towards him. Mouth, "I just love the gym."

"Liar," he simpers when you're within earshot, reaching his hand out for you to take so he can pull you closer, of which he immediately does.

One hand clasped in his, your other hand rests on his still-heaving torso. He's gone hard today, to make up for the night before. His compression shirt is silky beneath the palms of your hands, the strong ridges and contours of his body yours to hold. Other people can look all they like. None of them get to feel. Not like you do.

As he looks down at you, there's a softness to his gaze. A smile that he doesn't care to hide. A sparkle in his eyes that shines even out of direct light. Just a consequence of looking at a star.

"You shouldn't be here," he quietly hums. "We both know you hate it."

"I can go, if you like?"

Jeongguk just shakes his head. Smiles as he turns you both around and begins to walk backwards, pulling you with him.

"You're the one who hated being here," he reminds you. "I loved you being here."

"Obsessed," you grin, gingerly letting him drag you anywhere he likes. "And good, 'cause I used your monthly plus one."

"Yeah," he confirms, ignoring the curious glances of other people in the room as he leads you back to your old 'spot'. "Thought we'd established that already? And that's fine. Use it every month."

Funny, how you used to hypothesise over the lives of other people in this very room, and how you know others must be doing the same for you now. You hope they all think you're besotted with him.

When you look at him like that, all love drunk and starry-eyed, how could they not?

"Was just about to finish up, anyway," Jeongguk tells you, heading in the direction of the treadmills. Glances back to you, then nods in their direction. "For old times sake?"

"For old times sake," you beam, following his lead, stepping up onto the treadmill closest to you. They're all vacant, but Jeongguk steps up on the one beside yours, 'cause of course he does. He'd go on the same one as you, if it were possible. 

God, he loves you being here. Can't stop smiling.   

You don't mention the potential job opening. For old times sake.

Instead, you revel in what it used to be like whenever you came to the gym, 'cause it just makes you so much more grateful for what you've become. Like Dionysus, these four walls saw the groundwork of your relationship being laid. 

You've already lost access to one of the most important places to you both with Jeongguk leaving the club. 

If you change jobs, you'll lose the art cafe, too. The lease is coming up soon on your place, and if Danbi chooses to just move in with Tae, that'll be another safe haven gone. One by one, places of your past are closing their doors to usher you forward into new spaces. 

Life can't always stay the same. Change is needed. Necessary. 

You've changed. So has Jeongguk. You'll continue to change for years to come.

The difference now is that you'll change together. Adapt. Merge, in some ways, just like a pair of orbiting stars so often do.

On the way home, Jeongguk picks up a bunch of wildflowers from the market stall he once bought you apology flowers from. His fingers are intertwined with yours as he pays, hands lightly swinging. 

It dawns on you all rather quickly, as Jeongguk nibbles on his bottom lip and waits for the payment to go through, that maybe this is a change that you needn't fight. Perhaps it's okay to look forward to your future instead of being hung up on the past. 

"C'mon," he tugs on your hand as you leave the market stall, encouraging you to gain a little momentum. "I'm starving. If we don't get me food soon, I'll turn into you with a hangover."

"Cute?"

"Oh, so close," he grins, then shakes his head. "But no. Grouchy and unbearable."

"You were practically begging to shag me," you remind him. "Can't have minded that much."

Jeongguk can't argue against this one. "I didn't—but working out increases like… all the hormones that were working overtime this morning. If I don't eat soon I might die, but if I don't shag you soon, I also might die. Honestly it's a lose-lose situation, B. There's only one solution."

"Sixty-nine?" You offer, 'cause it's perfectly logical. He gets to eat while you get him off. A win-win, you'd argue.

"You're a disgusting pervert," he tells you with stern sharpness, paired with a smirk he just can't help, as if he totally wasn't angling for you to say it. "But now that you mention it, yes. That'd be ideal."

"I don't shag boys who call me disgusting," you reply, knowing that he absolutely didn't mean it like that. You just like winding him up.

"I'm pretty sure I've called you worse before," he reminds you, then holds the flowers out in front of you both. "These can double as apology flowers instead of just my-girlfriend-is-really-pretty-and-I-love-her flowers."

You narrow your eyes as you look across to him, but the smile on his face is just too hard to resist. Thin lipped, his dimples are present, lip ring flipping in the corner of his mouth. 

It's like his lip ring does the thing and you're reduced to jelly.

"Lucky you're cute," you grumble.

"You can thank my mum for that one," he offers, fully aware of how often people would coo over his cuteness as a child and then proceed to tell his mum how similar they are. "And for how pretty I am, too."

Though he's just joking, he's right. He really is the prettiest man you've ever known, inside and out.

You won't tell him this, though. Would give him far too much negotiation power.

"Who do I thank for how annoying you are?"

“Jimin,” Jeongguk says. "That's a learned behaviour. Nurture over nature."

"Figures," you accept, before tugging on Jeongguk's hand to lead him into a grocery store. "I've got nothing in. Need to pick up food or else you'll be going hungry."

"I thought we already agreed on six—"

"A little decorum please," you cut him off. "We're in a public space."

"You said it first!"

Playfully shrugging, you let go of his hand and grab a basket as you enter. "Watcha fancy?"

"You."

"For dinner, idiot."

"B," Jeongguk sighs as if he really is hard done by. "We've already discussed this. Literally, you."

"Shut up," you laugh, and let the shopping trip descend into chaos. 

Jeongguk just puts whatever catches his eyes into the basket. Gets a kinder egg and a hot wheels car. Will surely just run it over the curves of your body when you're in bed later that evening. Also gets an entire pineapple, and when you raise an eyebrow, he just shrugs. 

"If I don't have a snack before I shower I will die," he assures you. "I'm craving a burger, so you should really be thanking me for the noble sacrifice I'm making. It benefits us both."

"You're an idiot."

"Fine, I'll get a burger."

But when he goes to put the pineapple back, you stop him. Smile. Say, "Pineapple is good."

"That's what I thought," he stands tall and proud, chest puffed, head tilted back. He looks like an asshole but god damn, does he look good doing so. As he peers down at you, you know it'll be a miracle if you even make it to the shower by the time you get home. Want him too bad.

"Stop bickering," you tell him. "Quicker we get home, the quicker we can—"

"Say no more," he nods, taking the basket from you, then zooming off up the aisle. "C'mon, B! Places to be! People to see!"

As he darts off to the next aisle, all you can do is wonder how on earth this is your life.

But it is—and when you finally find him again, standing in line to pay, basket full to the brim from his supermarket sweep, you know that all these changes happening around you really don't matter as long as you have him.

"Alright," you quietly say as you stand beside him, flicking open your phone and heading for your taxi hailing app. "I'll order a taxi. Don't want you to die on the way home."

"Teamwork," Jeongguk smiles. 

"It makes the dream work, or so I heard," you hum with a somewhat smug smile, pleased to be getting exactly what you want: time spent with Jeongguk away from the prying eyes of the three fates.

"Yeah," he quietly says, leaning over to press a kiss against the side of your head. "It sure does."

[callme-holly]

could you do a gang x reader where you have a broken arm/wrist or something like that? i broke my arm yesterday and thought it might work lol

no pressure or anything, you can totally ignore this, thanks babes💗

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐚/𝐧: i've been slacking a bit, sorry y'all. ive been so stressed lately LMAO. but i love this idea <33

Darry Curtis:

The second Darry sees you’re hurt, he takes charge, making sure the situation is controlled and that you’re calm. He’ll check the injury over, being as gentle as he can, deciding whether or not you need to go to a hospital. 

He’ll be incredibly stern about it all. He might seem a little blunt and harsh when he talks, but he’s just worried and wants the best for you; he hates seeing you hurting, especially when it’s out of his control.

Sodapop Curtis:

At first, Soda will be a little dramatic and very worried. He hates seeing the people he cares about in pain, and his first instinct is to panic and check them over. After he sees your distress, he’ll try and put on a more serious front, turning a lot more gentle as he asks what happened and where you’re hurting.

He’s very hands-on, and no matter how serious the injury is, he is doting on you and treating you like royalty. 

Ponyboy Curtis:

Pony is initially incredibly concerned, and despite the fact he wants to panic, he’ll stay calm for you. He’ll ask a whole bunch of question before deciding how to handle the situation, and will probably call on someone like Darry to help out.

He is very empathetic and treats you with so much care, wanting to try and distract you from the pain and make you feel at least a little better by telling you a crazy story or about a movie he thinks you’ll love. 

Johnny Cade:

Johnny really hates to see you hurting, and his first reaction is to panic silently, not knowing what to do or how to help you. He’ll over around you for a few moments, trying to figure out what you need, before pulling himself together.

He’ll turn very caring andx soft, encouraging you and helping you through the pain until he can get help. Afterwards, he’s incredibly cautious, not wanting to aggravate your injury more, but also wanting to stay close to make sure it doesn’t happen again. 

Dallas Winston:

Dally isn’t very good when it comes to injuries as he has a very high pain toelranece, so at first he’ll probably try to downplay it. He’ll pin it on you being dramatic, telling you that it’s not as bad as it looks, but deep down he’s pretty concerned.

When the pain doesn’t seem to go away, he’ll start to down his worries a little more. He’ll stick close to you, watching out for you, and wont hesitate to take you to the hospital if you need it, however, he still wont make it a big deal.

Steve Randle:

Steve gets a little frustrated at first, but it’s just how he express his worry; he was raised to mask his feelings, and when he catches himself acting indifferent he changes it quickly. He’ll offer you the help you need without hospitals first, hoping to avoid the worst, however, when there’s no avoiding it any longer, he’ll give you a lift.

He’ll stick by your side the entire time and turns very protective of you, not wanting anyone to hurt you further. 

Two-Bit Mathews:

Two is immediately very concerned and will drop the teasing demeanor the second he notices something is wrong. He’ll check you over, even if he has no clue what he’s looking for, and will try to ease your discomfort and distract you from the pain.

He’ll bring you anything you need, treating you well and giving you wild stories of his own injuries to try and calm you down from your own panic or stress. 

[lemonandlime22]

Hello! May I request bitey!child! reader with the housewarrdens and they find out why reder is like that.

Also love your scenarios! Just make sure to drink water and get enough reast!

Riddle & Leona find out the reason for the bitey child!Yuu's biteynes [pt 1]

Warning(s):

Word count: 1k

A/N: Aww tysm! I'm glad you like them! You too hun! I hope you enjoy it. I was originally planning on doing them all at once but I just got too excited to share it so here is pt 1, and I'll post the rest soon.

[Bitey child!Yuu Masterlist]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle has hated your biting from the beginning, and has wholeheartedly believed that you were just a miss behaving child

and no matter how fond of you he begrudgingly gets. he will always believe that

but that 'always' got cut short around the end of B4 and the beginning of B5 right after winter brake.

Riddle was in his room unpacking his things, he had just gotten back from winter brake and was ready to jump straight back into work. But he didn't, he was going to give himself the day to prepare and destress from the brake. He had spoken to his mother about his life and how she raised him, but he didn't want to think about that now, he was just going to unpack, get all his books in order, maybe he get have one of Trey baked goods he brought back-

*BANG**BANG**BANG*

Riddle jumped at the bagging coming from his door but quickly composed himself and answered it. Before he could begin to lecture the person about how to properly knock of someone's door, the Heartslabyul student just shoved Yuu in between themself and the Housewarden. Yuu didn't waste a second before the hugged onto Riddles lags.

"Watch your child!" Was all they said before quickly leaving to avoid that inevitable lecture Riddle was shocked but quickly snapped out of it and led them to his bed.

He took a deep breath before he started talking, "Ok. What did you do? Did bite them?" His stern voice did nothing to shake Yuu, they had grown used to it at this point. Yuu simply nodded their head with a smile before climbing onto his bed. Riddle felt his face grow redder with frustration. He had tried for months to get them to stop this violent behavior, but it never worked.

No matter what he did it never changed.

No matter how many collars he put on them.

Or how many lectures he gave them.

They. Never. Stopped.

His patience was running incredibly thin.

Riddle breathed in slowly then back out at the same speed, trying to do those breathing exercises Cater had shown to him. He didn't want to get too mad at them, but it was getting increasingly hard not to. As They sat there, happily laying on the covers, Riddle started to pace, both trying to calm down and think of any more possible ways of stopping them.

Then it hit him, why hadn't he thought of it sooner? Riddle stopped in his tracks and slowly walked back to his bed.

"Yuu, may I ask you a question?" Riddle pulled them up so they were sitting upright and facing him.

Yuu just hummed in acknowledgment. Riddle sighed and continued, "Where did you learn to bite people? Did anyone teach you too? Or did you perhaps see someone else do it?"

"Huh...?" They tilted their head, not understanding what Riddle was asking "What...?"

He breathed in deeply again and pushed the frustration back down. "I mean... You bite people, that is not good. I want to help you change that, but first I need you to tell me where you saw it, or who taught you to do it."

"Oh... I dunno... I just do, I don't want 'em to hurt me i guess..."

Riddle's breath hitched and his heart started to race, his mind instantly went to the worst-case scenario. Did someone hurt Yuu so badly and so frequently that they had to bite and make it a habit??

"What- What happened!?"

After hearing your story, Riddle breathed a sigh of relief

what you went through was horrible

but at the very least it wasn't as terrible as the things he was imagining.

After this he becomes far more patient and soft with you, and he works with Grim to help you feel safe

he also checks up on you far more often throughout the day.

Riddle feels quite idiotic now that he looks back on it, for not figuring out sooner who you have bitten,

I mean, now that he thought about the people you had bitten, most either fit the typical intimidating person or just gave off a bad feeling.

He made you stay the night at Heartslabyul that day, and it also became more often for him to invite you over as well

he just wants to reinforce the knowledge that you are safe.

Leona Kingscholar

Leona never cared all that much for you, but he'd be lying if he said he doesn't find you amusing, like when you try to help out Ruggie with making/bringing him his lunch, doing his laundry,

or when he finds you had cuddled up into his side while he was napping, even when you'd play with his tail while you thought he was asleep.

He never cared about why you'd bite people, just as long as you kept being funny and biting others and not him

but he did end up finding out why, not through you, but through Cheka, just a couple days before winter break.

"Unca! Unca!!" Leona groaned and turned over at the sound of his young nephew, who was running towards him in the botanical garden. Cheka was meant to be with Yuu at Ramshackle right now, so Leona assumed that you two were coming to bother him. But when the footsteps got closer he noticed there was only one pair and turning over, and sure enough, there was only Cheka coming his way. It was strange, the two of you were never far from one another when Cheka came to visit.

"What'd you want Cheka" He grumbled and closed his eyes again, instantly shutting down that ever so small carious, and maybe even worried feeling. "It's Yuu!" Cheka said trying to catch his breath "They need to come with us back home next break!". Leona groaned again, this was far from the first time the little lion had demanded Yuu stay with them. "Why this time?" Leona lazily replied, deciding to entertain the young boy so he leaves faster. "So they won't be alone anymore." The look on Cheka's face was pure determination, and Leona already knew it was going to be a pain to try and deter him. "I already told you, they won't be alone, they've got the Grim and the ghosts." The grumpy lion turned back over, his back now facing his nephew.

Cheka huffed and plopped onto his uncle's side "That's not what I mean!" "Then what do you mean?" Leona replied in a bored tone, already regretting his choice of staying awake. "I mean they should live with us!"

Leona nearly chocked on his own spit at his nephews words. Yuu? live in the same building as him?? For who knows how long??? AGAIN!?!? He'd rather actually choke then that ever happening. "And why the hell would they need to live with us?? They already live in Ramshackle."

"But they disserve an actual home for once! Please Unca! Please!" Cheka slid down his uncles side to the front of him and showed off the best puppy dog eyes he could muster. Those words confused Leona, what exactly did Cheka mean by 'Actual home for once'? "...No. They already have a home." He huffed and closed his eyes once more. "Besides, Crowley's going to send them back to their actual home soon enough."

"What?!?" Cheka shot up "No! They can't go back! They'll be alone with those mean store people again!" The small boy claimed up up onto Leona's side once more and started to shake the man as best his small arms could. "Come on Unca! You gotta stop him from sending them back! you gotta!!"

Cheka continued to scream and shake his uncle until he had enough, he sat up and garbed the boy to sit in front of him. "Ok- ok- oK! Why in the great seven can't they go back!?"

Leona had expected Cheka to say that he would miss them or smth like that

not your entire life story.

In all honestly he doesn't know how to feel

but he does understand your reasoning and why you and Ruggie get along so much.

He never confronts you about this and doesn't change the way acts around you

except he is just slightly more gentle with you if you squint.

Oh and he just told Cheka to talk to his Dad about you staying with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[ziploc849]

Alright I’m back on my TMA bullshit welcome to the circus. This is a long with many episodes worth of thoughts so strap in

62. Holy FUCK. Mary fucking Keay is here and she’s killing people and putting their skin in a book to. Summon them again??? I have truly no understanding of the implications of this but what the hell man. Also Gertrude is either fucking crazy or knew waaaay more than we do (or both. Both is a solid option at this point) cuz she took everything very well. Also when asked who the book was from, Keay just said “The End”??? Like fucking Minecraft???? Idk what the hell this lady is talking about.

(Also I feel like I recognize the idea of a “The *blank*” in this series. I can’t remember if we’ve seen it before or if I’ve just collected some knowledge after being on the outskirts of the fandom for so long but. Whatever it is it’s fucked and I’m intrigued)

63 What is up with this fucking architect guy what is his deal???? Why does he keep building fucked up places where fucked up things happen??? Also weird that the people in the church seem to know/want to cover up something is odd. Also also the end with Melanie King coming back was an interesting lil thing, of all the characters I expected to be recurring I was not expecting her. Don’t like that she got saddled with Not-Sasha though, hopefully it’s nothing or there are at least other witnesses to her leaving cause otherwise she might not be as recurring anymore. Idk what Not-Sasha’s deal is but I Do Not like it

64. ARCHAEOLOGY MENTION FUCK YEAH. I could honestly go on a whole rant about just how much I dislike Gwynne based on her ideals when it comes to archaeology, as someone who wants to be in the field myself, but I digress. I am curious about the fact that this is someone clearly long dead who still was conscious in some capacity? Clearly they didn’t want to continue as they were. It sounds sort of similar to something one of the officers mentioned in an episode they were giving statements (can’t remember which). One of them mentioned being called to a scene where someone who seemed like they should’ve been dead from a suicide attempt kept trying to reach for the gun. The moment where the skeleton was trying to stab themself in the chest gave me a very similar vibe in the worst possible way.

65. I am following maybe 3 of the words this woman is saying in the first 7 or so minutes. But also the stuff she mentions with the man eating the computer is so unbelievably unsettling, and the stuff he was saying is fascinating. “The maze is sharp on my mind. The angles cut me when I try to think” especially reminds me of all the variations of endless mazes or places we’ve seen in the show so far. Jon reaching out to specifically tech savvy people is also super smart, and it’s sick that he has access to Gertrude’s laptop now. Tim and Jon fighting felt like listening to parents fighting. Im glad Jon is both getting a stern talking to and Tim is getting some sort of understanding of where Jon’s coming from. The fact that they both mention they can’t quit/can’t fire the other is interesting especially. I know stuff like that has been mentioned before, I’m pretty sure after the first encounter with the worms Martin mentioned something about “why don’t I quit?” But regardless it’s just another weird fuckin thing going on

66. Mikael fucking Salesa, what is your problem. I honestly don’t have a lot to say about this episode, definitely another example of weird extradimensional spaces, and some mentions of the weird, unexplainable heat, but also the way he mentioned the box “punishing him” as if it was a living thing was interesting. I also have a lot of thoughts on the stuff mentioned about Gertrude, and I’m really fascinated by all the stuff Jon mentioned about stopping asking about who killed her and focusing more on the why. As we’ve actually gotten to hear some of her recordings, esp the one with Mary Keay where she’s incredibly nonchalant about the murder and skin book, I think it’s an interesting idea that she may have been more suspicious that we thought.

Finally I think her lil shopping list was interesting, but honestly it’s the more mundane stuff rather than the Leitners that interest me, but I’ll probably make a seperate post about that cause it kinda rolls into a theory I’ve been sitting on for a little bit now

[gabbytheplatypus]

Lucky One

Jake Seresin sighed, rubbing his temples as he glanced at the clock. "I know this isn't the most thrilling topic right now, but could you all try to focus for the last fifteen minutes? I promise next week we’ll dive into the exciting bits of World War I." Stella, a friendly and hard-working student in the front row, shot a stern look at her chatty classmates, and the room fell into an awkward silence. A few students offered Jake apologetic smiles. He understood. It was Friday, the final period of the day, and everyone was itching to go home. Honestly, he was just as eager to head home, grab some snacks, and lose himself in an action movie.

Jake usually loved teaching, especially when his students asked clever questions or showed genuine curiosity. He thrived on finding creative ways to make history come alive for them. He once divided his students into two groups and each group had to think of a strategy on how they could defeat the other group if they were in command of their own military. It wasn’t exactly on the syllabus, but the result? His students were hooked, and their projects on World War I society had blown him away. He was incredibly proud of them, but unfortunately he no longer taught that specific class. He’d sometimes see his former students around town, always greeted with a smile and a "Hey, Mr. Seresin!"

He stood up and handed out papers. It was a dull topic, even by his standards, but it was part of the curriculum. He made a mental note to keep it as brief as possible. After five minutes of focused silence, the chatter started up again. Jake cleared his throat loudly. "You know, if what you're talking about is so interesting, maybe you’d like to share it with the whole class?" He grinned, aiming for playful rather than strict. His students at least had the decency to look sheepish before quieting down again. It was quiet for the remaining minutes of the lesson.

As the final bell rang and the students gathered their things and went to leave. Kate, Tyler, Javi and Lilly immediately started talking rather loudly again. Jake overheard a comment that made him pause. "I wish I had Mr. Machado instead of Mr. Bradshaw," Javi grumbled. "Scott’s so damn lucky to have him."

When they were halfway out the door, Jake couldn’t help but call after them, "Oh? What terrible crime has Mr. Bradshaw committed now?" He leaned back against his desk, arms crossed, an amused look on his face.

The group froze, turning to see if Jake was serious or just messing with them. His smirk gave it away, and Lilly groaned dramatically. "Isn’t it obvious? Mr. Bradshaw’s out to get us! The amount of homework he gives—it’s practically a declaration of war."

Jake let out a snort of laughter, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and something else, something softer. "Well, he does take his subject very seriously."

"It's English. We speak English. Why isn't that enough?" Javi scoffed.

Kate gave Javi a light smack on the back of his head. "You’re just lazy," she muttered, though Jake caught the words and chuckled.

"Is he really that bad?" Jake asked, packing up his things but still focused on his students. Javi and Lilly nodded enthusiastically, while Tyler seemed distracted, sneaking glances at Kate. Jake made a mental note to pair those two up for the next group project, already excited for excellent results.

Kate frowned thoughtfully. "I wouldn’t say he’s bad. Just… exhausting."

Jake chuckled, leaning in slightly as if sharing a secret. "Well, from what I’ve seen, he’s pretty normal. Maybe you’re all just a little… sensitive?"

"You don’t know him like we do!" Javi insisted, throwing in his best puppy dog eyes, which Lilly mimicked with dramatic flair. Jake laughed, raising a skeptical eyebrow. Was Bradley really that intense? Sure, he knew Bradley could be demanding, but that was one of the things he admired most about him. The guy had passion—perhaps a little too much sometimes, but it was all with good intentions. He just wanted to prepare his students for the future and maybe he was a little overzealous, but in the end he definitely had a good heart and just wanted everyone to do their best.

"Oh yes? How is Mr. Bradshaw different with you than when I see him in the hallways?"

Javi huffed. "You’ve never had to sit through one of his 40-minute rants about some ancient book nobody cares about. And trust me, it wasn’t even a good one!"

Jake shook his head in mock shock. "The horror! And here I thought English class was supposed to be relaxing. What did he do to you this time to earn your complaints today?"

"We have to write an eight-page essay," Tyler finally chimed in, his voice heavy with resignation.

"On what?" Jake asked curiously and tilted his head.

"If only I knew," Javi exclaimed dramatically, throwing his arms into the air before letting them drop in defeat.

Jake bit back a laugh. "Should I have a word with Mr. Bradshaw? Maybe scold him for his rude behavior and tell him to ease up on our poor, overworked students?"

The four of them grinned, and Lilly nodded enthusiastically. "You’d be our hero, Mr. Seresin! You’re the best!"

Jake chuckled, waving them off. "Enjoy your weekend, guys. Try not to let all that homework ruin it."

As they left, Jake allowed himself a smirk. He was definitely going to tease Bradley about this later. For now, though, he had snacks to buy and a movie to enjoy.

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

"Tyler, let’s go to the mall!" Lilly suggested, linking arms with Javi as they walked out of school.

"I’m in," Javi agreed quickly.

Tyler shrugged, "Why not?"

"Kate, you coming?" Javi asked, and after some light convincing, Kate agreed to join them.

"Tyler’s buying ice cream for everyone," Kate teased, nudging him with her elbow. Tyler rolled his eyes but raised his hands in mock surrender, earning high-fives from Lilly and Javi

Kate and Tyler smiled briefly at each other and the group of friends set off. They strolled through the mall, chatting and laughing, when Kate suddenly stopped in her tracks, pointing ahead. "Hey, isn’t that Mr. Seresin?"

"Yeah, it is," Lilly said, grinning. "Let’s go say hi."

But as they got closer, Lilly’s greeting died in her throat. Mr. Seresin was leaning in, kissing the man whose hand he was holding.

"No way," Kate whispered, her eyes wide in shock as she recognized the other man. Javi’s jaw practically hit the floor. The man Jake was kissing wore a familiar ring—one they’d all seen a thousand times on Mr. Seresin’s hand in class. Could it be…?

"Is that… Mr. Bradshaw?!"

𝐷𝐸𝐷𝐼𝐶𝐴𝑇𝐸𝐷 𝑇𝑂 𝐷𝐼𝐴𝑁𝐴, 𝑀𝑌 𝐹𝐴𝑉𝑂𝑅𝐼𝑇𝐸 𝑇𝐸𝐴𝐶𝐻𝐸𝑅 𝑇𝑂 𝐺𝑂𝑆𝑆𝐼𝑃 𝑊𝐼𝑇𝐻 <3

[amity206]

Random Elder Headcanons

Thinking about the Sky elders and what they would have been like when they were fully alive (I use he/him for Daleth and she/her for Teth based on things the devs have said when talking about them but given the elders canonically don’t have biological genders I just go with some of them decided to use gendered pronouns while others didn’t - everyone is free to their own interpretation of the lore)

Daleth / Isle Elder

Likes solving puzzles

Stargazes and knows the constellations by memory (as the guide / ferryman elder I imagine he would be skilled in navigating by stars)

Takes a really long time to make decisions but usually makes good ones

Very supportive (concept stuff compared him to a kindergarten teacher), knows how to talk to kids (though he can sometimes get overwhelmed by the noise he’s super good with children)

Actually very skilled in both combat and magic. In his old age he’s getting weaker but he can definitely still kick ass

History geek

Blames himself for the King’s corruption. He thinks he could have prevented it, that he didn’t do enough. He still loves the King like a grandchild and wants to make sure he’s okay.

Ayin / Prairie Elder

Really good at cooking, even though the Elders probably had staff to cook for them

Loves baby mantas (baby light creatures of all kinds really)

Likes to make miniature models of things. would really enjoy those several thousand piece Lego sets if spirits had legos

Vegetarian

super patient. Almost never mad. Absolutely terrifying when they do get mad

Listens to everyone’s opinions on things, very thoughtful

Gives the best hugs

Very hard worker, incredibly strong. The kind of person who does not procrastinate

its canon that they snore loudly

Very sad over how the light creatures were drained under their watch, filled with guilt about it. Wishes they could have found another way that didn’t involve trapping the King in Eden.

Teth / Forest Elder

Could be bossy or stern sometimes, but actually cares very much about the people around her

She will snap at you for annoyances like handing her a shipment of improperly prepared darkstone. Everyone around her deeply respects her though

Introvert at heart, secretly enjoys cheesy romance novels as well as like. Business / mining manuals

Originally called the shaman ancestor so probably had a deeper connection to Megabird, at least at first

Nothing scares her (at least, that’s what she says)

Inner turmoil about her role in the Fall - knowing she played an instrumental role in the Kingdom’s downfall, but also unwilling to place the blame on herself. Despises the former King

Samekh / Valley Elders

Very focused on maintaining their public image and being seen as great by the Kingdom

Sibling Banter™️ with constantly trying to out-perform each other. Despite this in the face of a threat they fight almost as if they were the same person… or used to be

Former bodyguards of the King, watched him become corrupted. As the youngest Elders they looked up to the King more and didn’t know what to do

Liked to throw massive parties/spectacles

Because of this and their playful/occasionally flirtatious streak, some regarded them as more shallow and less intelligent than the rest of the Elders. Sah and Mek were actually geniuses, though prone to making impulse decisions

they judge you by how well you perform in the races / other tests laid out by them. Very dismissive of those who don’t do well.

Because of the “maintaining public image” thing, even in a dead Kingdom they don’t want to let anything be known about the extent they had to do with the corruption

Tsadi / Wasteland Elder

Got seriously corrupted by darkstone like they did in concept art. Used to be super in control of their emotions, as the corruption took hold they became more short-tempered and angry

Long-term planner, very good at military strategy and also strategy games like the Sky version of chess. Has an amazing poker face. (Ignore that the spirits wear masks okay)

Really needs someone to talk to, finds it hard to open up but has a lot to get off their chest- loss, regret, pain, things they could have done better, people they could have saved. Before the Storm they used to talk to Ayin, but now they can’t anymore

Doesnt talk much. Enjoys the company of Teth because they’re both introverts and Teth also likes strategy games.

Wanted to be seen as a hero, not a monster. Thought they were fighting for the good of the Kingdom

Enjoys books on military history and strategy

Cares a lot about people, bad at expressing it

Feels like the King used them as a weapon, incredibly angry about that

Lamed / Vault Elder

The kind of person who will silently judge you instead of confronting you about something

Always uses inside voice

Knows so many things. Passion is searching for obscure and forgotten history

Doesnt get involved in other people’s drama, would serve as a mediator in debates between Elders. Has never needed to raise their voice because a stern look is enough to get everyone to shut up. No one wants to see them get mad.

Fluent in sign language and several ancient languages

Good friends with Daleth, they have tea and share stories

MASTER at strategy games, better in many of them than Tsadi. Sharp-witted too, good at the occasional pun and knows if you’re hiding something/lying

Feels bad for skykids. Doesn’t know how to tell them they were basically created to die, so does their best to prepare them for the storm instead

[anxy76]

🍷Overworked

Presented to you by anxy76

Enjoy!

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝

It was a dull night, I just got back from Lord Diavolos Castle, I was required to help around for the upcoming party

I slowly put my bag down, feeling pretty tired from all the work I did, but there was one thing I had to check before heading back to sleep

Someone who's been working way too much, the random footsteps from afar could be heard

I slowly walk towards the familiar door, the one I enter almost each and every night thought for the past week I couldn't have made it due to Diavolos' requirements.

Slowly putting my ear next to door, trying to listen if there was any sound inside, a stern voice making me flinch

"I swear if it's you, Mammon, again, I'll hang you upside down!" Lucifer shouted in a clearly annoyed tone, and it could be very much heard through the door

I press the handle and open the door. Lucifer is already staring at it

"Sorry ,Lucifer, I just wanted to check on you. I haven't seen you in a while" keeping my voice as soft as possible, seeing that Lucifer was not in the mood for anything

He just stared at me, right into my eyes. The moonlight was going over his face, making Lucifers features more noticeable, but just when he was about to speak, the second oldest voice was heard

"OI human! Where have ya been all day?! Come 'ere! No more waisting time here. " Mammon grabbed my hand and pulled me out of Lucifers office just as if he no longer wanted to see me in there

"Mammon- wait! Hold on!" I tried stopping him, but there was no chance he'd actually listen to me. Sometimes, I wonder why Mammon isn't the avatar of envy. That would suit him more... when it comes to me.

He kept talking, but instead of listening, I was continuously looking back, hoping Lucifer would come and take me away from his brother and that I'd be in his embrace... but that did not happen because while staring back at the corridor, I could see the door slowly closing back.

As the both of us reached my room, I spoke in a silent yet tired voice.

"I should get some rest, uhm thanks for bringing me to my room...I need to wake up early to help Lord Diavolo out" I groan reminding myself that I indeed need to help out and it was already late.

Mammon looked at me dissapointed yet he did not give up and invited himself in my room starting up a conversation that took atleast three more hours but what can I say other than it was indeed fun, we laughed, giggled , played some games and even comforted eachothers.

Thought my mind was still set on Lucifer,quite worried actually he hadn't left his office since the last time I actually visited him...he'll I hope he's taking care of himself and not overworking.

I brush my thoughts aside, watching as Mammon slowly leaves my room waving goodbye. The moon shined brighter as the time went by, I had to at least get a bit of sleep, I had to help them out, or else Diavolo would be disappointed

My eyes slowly closed, bringing me to my slumber, helped by my blanket, a very comfortable and puffy one.... I didn't even realise I didn't change my clothes due to how tired I was, and we'll because I got distracted by the sin of greed, Mammon.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝

Time passed very fast

Diavolos party was starting to look amazing. The finishing touches, making it look absolutely stunning, I was proud of myself for being able to help with so many things my eyes flickering satisfying with all of it, as I take one more look at everything.

I was incredibly happy, but I still felt like something was missing.Someone was missing

Where was he?

I haven't seen his face for the past weeks.

Should I go look for him?

All the questions rang in my head, I needed to know how he was doing.

My mind was made up. I was gonna go search for him. As I was about to go, Lord Diavolo snapped me back to the party

"Ah... yes, the finishing touches, how could I forget I still had to help..!"softly whispering to myself, at how forgetful I get when it comes to the avatar of pride...

Kinda dissapointed at the fact that I can't go see him right now. Oh, how I wish...

The faster I finish this, the quicker I'll get to him!

Or so I thought....

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝

For the past hours, I've been helping, it seems as Diavolos thoughts had no stop...!

I'm so tired... After all, im just a human doing all this work.

"Diavolo... we finished everything. Isn't it time to let us go back?" I asked a bit confused since we finished the actual plan a few hours ago.

"Ah yes! But there's so many ideas so much to do!" He responded with his iconic laugh."Sorry (y/n) you can go rest. I understand you don't have the energy as us the demons."

I took a deep breath in. Finally, I can go check on him.

"Thank you!" I respond eagerly, ready to leave.

I didn't usually walk alone in the devildom. It was dangerous for... a human that's what everyone told me, i was supposed to wait for one of the brothers to walk with me towards the House of Lamentation, but I was too worried about the oldest brother, so instead of waiting I was speeding towards the house.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝

Quickly making my way in rushing towards Lucifers office, I slowly knock on the door but only for it to get no response.

"Lucifer?" I ask softly, deciding to open the door as I pull it open

I'm peeking my head inside the room as I see him. His head was lying on the table, probably way too tired to get to his room.

I wonder how long he has been here for?

For how long has he been skipping meals?

"Lucifer.." I call out again his name as I comb my fingers through his hair

He started to stir a bit, and then he brought his head up to look at me

"(y/n)? why are you here? I must've fallen asleep. I have to get back to my work. Thank you for waking me."But my mind was made to at least get him to rest for a bit.

"You need to rest the work can wait," looking him directly in the eyes... his eyes looked so tired, so exhausted."You've been working for the past weeks for what I know. You deserve a break, so please let me help you."

He looked at me, debating if he should listen to me or not... but he knew I wouldn't stop until he rested.

"Alright then." he got up, looking just as exhausted, but instead of walking towards the door, he came to me. "But you're also resting with me, don't think I didn't know you've also been working more than you should of." his hands made their way around my waist , holding me close.

My cheeks turned into a soft red. "But unlike you, I got rest from time to time..!" complaining at his statement.

"Let's head to my room." pulling me towards him, not letting go of my hand as he took the lead into getting us towards his room.

At that time, I forgot I didn't change my clothes due to the hurry I was in. "I think I'll head to my room." I told him

"You're not spending the night with me?" his voice sounded dissapointed, he wanted me to stay , and who was I to decline?

"I'll just change my clothes and come right back, alright?" As I turned my head towards the direction of my room

"I can give you some spare clothes." he responded quickly, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside the room "I don't want you to leave."

I watched him as he got me the spare clothes he had already changed, and so was I about to do as well.

It took me a few minutes, but I finished, I went into the bed right next to Lucifer.

He put his hands around me and pulled me, holding me against his chest. His heartbeat was going fast yet soft like a nice melody.

His voice was soft as he said, "How I wished we'd do this again, I'm sorry I got so worked up with all the paperwork my dear (y/n)" as he held me as close as possible

"It's alright, I was just worried since you haven't been getting rest" I whispered out my thoughts "I want you to take more care of yourself."

"Anything for you my dear."

Those were the last words exchanged from the both of us as we fall into a deep slumber both of us happily in eachothers arms again after so long.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝

Thank you for reading!

[bathomet-writes]

plus-size reader headcanons!!

relationship: Romantic 2012!Turtles x GN!Reader (separate)

warnings: romantic, fluff, humor, sfw, headcanons

author's note: for anonymous!! 💕 i've never written for the 2012 turtles but HOPEFULLY this was good..im looking forward to writing more for them in the future tho

In general, your weight isn’t really a topic of casual conversation with the turtles. Unless you specifically bring it up, it isn’t a thing they talk about. You were you and there was nothing else to it! Who were they to cast judgment upon someone for their appearance?

I mean, look at them. They’re mutant turtles. 

But, they all make you feel more accepted than you’ve ever been. You can really be yourself around them! The turtles treat you the same as anyone else they know. 

….BUT

If you were to ever date one of them—

leo:

if you’re ever insecure about yourself, he immediately wants to know how he can fix it!

he’s very much a gentleman, almost annoying so lol

a family member made a sly comment? your mom is going to get a very stern talking-to 😡😡

a stranger made you feel bad about your body??

well……they’re probably in mortal danger 💀💀

he feels VERY protective over you......a surprise to no one

not that you need any special treatment or anything, but he’s at your every beck and call

leo’s not super comfortable with physical expressions of affection………

but you’re the one exception

lots of blink-and-you-miss-it smooches before running away!! 

if you’re both standing on a rooftop during patrol, he’ll work up the courage to plant a kiss on your cheek

[runs away giggling] that, he’s that meme

it’s a little weird, but incredibly sweet 💖💖

despite being a bit shy, leo’s a real goofball

only because he feels so comfortable around you

earning your trust is like..the most important thing he’s ever done

and he is going to take your relationship SERIOUSLY 😤😤

lots of space heroes marathons where he can have you all to himself (he’s kind of selfish about how much of your attention he gets lol)

donnie:

(for whatever reason) he’s the most chill about it than his brothers would be

donnie’s a smooth operator 😎😎

….at least he thinks he is

he’d try and be suave and give you a bunch of compliments and praise 😘😘✨

whatever you choose to wear, he’d be the first to mention how fetching you look in it 💖

if there’s a fictional character you somewhat resemble, he’d be lowkey really into them

changing his phone background, having many photos of them, making off-handed comments about how cute he thinks they look, etc.

he’s not nearly as smooth as he thinks he is tho

donnie’s experience in courting is…..let’s just say ‘sub-par’ 

you’ve seen how weird he can get when he’s head over heels (with his crush on april)

his crush on you is embarrassingly obvious to everyone, no matter how much he tries to play it cool

he certainly gets an A for effort tho 🥴👍👍

“Do you have…feelings for me, Don? Feelings that border on love?” 😏😏

…………😳😳💦

“Aw, sewer apples.” 

raph:

he’s a bit awkward around you at first…..

raph is used to roughhousing with the people he likes (mostly his family) so he’s nervous about accidentally hurting you or making you uncomfortable

for as callous and rude as he comes off, he’s a bit of a softie when it comes to you

NOT THAT HE GOIN’ SOFT 😤😤

and he doesn’t think you’re anymore soft or delicate…….nothing like that, you’re just too important to treat carelessly

he thinks about you constantly 😵‍💫😵‍💫

raph doesn’t realize it, but he kind of loves the way you look

not in a romantized, idealized way…but he thinks he’s being weird

the last thing he’d want to do is make you feel objectified

or that the only thing that matters about someone is their physical appearance

but….he can’t deny how flustered he gets around you!!

when he’s not a stuttering mess, he loves showing you off ✨✨

p shameless about throwing his arm on your shoulder or other affectionate gestures (hair tussles or noogies, all that good stuff)

will absolutely YELL at you if you ever said anything negative about your appearance

“Hey, if you ever insult my favorite person again, I’ll beat you up!”

“…..Wait, I’m your favorite person?” 😳😳

“WHATEVER.” 😤😤😡😡

mikey:

you sometimes feel a little conflicted about hanging with mikey

because he’s very prone to hugging

not that you like his hugs, they were just a little more enthusiastic than you’re used to getting!!

and they last for a while

you’ll get hugs for minutes, even hours if you’re not careful

it’s nice….if not a bit strange

with an amused smirk, you interrogate him while he’s somehow playing video games in front of the tv

while also hugging you??

“Am I just trapped here forever?”

without looking away from the tv, he nods

“Yup, trapped in my hug prison!” 😄😄

..he’s just secretly really into hugging you

mikey’s usually an open book about his emotions but he’s VERY shy about the subject

boy can’t handle his feelings!!

you’re just too nice to hold onto, hugging you is so much better than hugging anyone else

if you bring it up he just gets v flustered…

“IT’S NOT WEIRD TO WANT TO BE CLOSE TO SOMEONE 24/7!” 😖😖

giving him a big hug will shut him right up 💖

taglist: @saspas-corner

[blackkatmagic]

Hey, blackkat!

I've been reading your star wars fanfictions for a while now and I'm seriously intrigued by all of them. My favorite is running with lightning feet and I'm currently reading efface the footprints in the sands--poor Master Kolar...

Anyway, I really wonder how you approach writing. You seem to be able to write very consistently and keep track of many stories all at once, which are things I admire very much about you. Would you be able to give some advice on that?

Also, I very much love your characterization of more 'minor' (less appearance in canon) characters and how you breathe life into them with your dialogue. Really make me wonder how you make that out--what do you consider, or do the characterization/dialogue just pop up, fleshing themselves out?

Yeah, I really hope you don't mind me asking these. Again, love your writing very much. Would continue to read your stories always~~ Thank you for sharing them (and putting all your effort into writing them!)

Hi! I definitely don't mind, and I've answered similar questions before in my writing advice tag, if you want to scroll through some other answers that might be worded better.

For how I approach writing...the inconvenient answer is that it's mostly practice. I've been giving myself a goal of 500 words every day for the last....10-ish years, probably? Just consistently sitting down and doing a thing, writing without worrying about quality and only quantity, with lots of WIPs always going at the same time, really helps in figuring out how to juggle them. I usually keep a file of vague notes, one doc for each WIP with a bunch of keywords and ideas I want to hit eventually, and plot twists I'm aiming for, though I don't ever really outline things, and that helps a lot with keeping track, too.

As far as characterization of minor characters goes, that's the part I enjoy most about writing, and it's one of the easier parts for me, so I'm not sure I'm the best at putting it into words. But basically, you have to get to the very core of how you see the character - what their baseline personality is, what motivates them, what their goals are. It's something that can change between fics (which I think is one of the joys of minor characters; you don't have to stick to one defined interpretation), but it is something you have to nail down, imo. It also takes some filling in the gaps with headcanon and some leaps in logic.

Take Agen for example: canon gives us the information that he lost his padawan on Geonosis, incorporated Tan's lightsaber crystal into his own, and is an incredible swordsman but too blunt and aggressive to be diplomatic, while still being very loyal to the Council/Order. He gets called "the Council's attack dog" in the comics. Also, in the wider universe, we know that Zabraks have a reputation for being aggressive/warlike, and at one point Qui-Gon calls Maul it, even though he has to know what Zabraks are.

Those are all the canon facts. If you go back and fill in the gaps: Agen is someone who's grieving deeply, and he's incredibly devoted. He uses Tan's lightsaber crystal against Palpatine, which means he's sentimental, and he's not willing to speak against the Order in public, so he's at least that tactful. At the same time, he has no patience for people who get in his way, and he's willing to use force to cut through them. He believes in other Jedi until they irrevocably prove themselves traitors, and then he's stern and willing to remove them by whatever means. At the same time, he's very aware of his reputation, and he knows what people say about him/other Zabraks, but he's stubborn enough (at peace with himself enough) that he's not going to change.

From that sort of character summary, you can figure out the way Agen talks pretty easily. He's blunt, and he doesn't always think about the impact of his words, but he can be compassionate and thoughtful, particularly given his own grief. He's willing to defend anyone, and he doesn't make a fuss but always tends towards action - that means short sentences, usually directly to the point with no niceties. He's polite, because that's usually the fastest way to achieve something, but he's not overly deferential. He has a sense of humor, but most people miss it because he's so blunt.

Taking a character and dissecting them like that is something I have a lot of fun doing, which, well. I'm a therapist irl, so that probably helps. But I think it's very much just about breaking a character down into component parts and applying them to whatever you're writing - if you understand why someone reacts a certain way, it's a thousand times easier to figure out how they're going to react in a new situation. And after that, getting them to sound right, getting your dialogue to fit - it's all about practice.

[sunny6677]

Making Sweet Amends.

(A rewritten version of the Candy Store scene from Hollow Sorrows for the Saturated AU.)

@catsockpuppet @mayisgoingnuts

————

"..so.. he got another job?"

"Yep!"

"..ugh.."

Radford whips around to the still incredibly jolly Kevin, having a stern expression as he sighs. "Listen, dude.. don't you think this job stuff he's doing is kinda getting a bit much? He can't just go to another job because he found something he liked better—"

"Yeah, he can! I like this job a lot! That's why I'm still here. Why can't he go somewhere else if he likes something more?

"Ugh.. because that's not how work.. well, works, dude. What do you even do that's so good here anyway?"

"Well, I get to see the smiles on everyone's faces when they get their candy!"

"..really? What about bratty kids?"

"Bratty kids don't exist! They just act out because of their parents!"

"..what about entitled customers?"

"Oh, pssh.. they don't mean anything when it comes to my job! They come, and then they go! I'm not gonna hate my job just cuz they were mean to me. Besides, I've rarely come across any entitled customers anyway."

Radford furrows his brows. "..wow. You don't have a single problem in your life, do you—?"

Kevin's eyes then light up suddenly as he looks ahead. "Oh—hahah—hi, kids!"

The bell at the door then rings. It shows Skid and Pump having a very cutesy filter around them as they innocently stare for a moment. Or this at least seems to be how Kevin sees them as he talks joyfully. It cuts to reality, where Skid rolls his eyes.

"What are you—"

Skid forcibly places the money on the counter. Radford grows visibly shocked, "What the hell?!". While Kevin exclaims in excitement—"W-Woah! Kids! Where'd you get this from?!"

"We.. wanted to make up for earlier." Skid sighs.

"Yeah.. this enough to make you forget about it?" Pump asks.

Radford slowly blinks, and flatly says to Kevin while looking over at him, "..what was that you said about no bratty kids?"

"Eh, it's okay, kids!" Kevin shrugs. "Thanks for the money though! I really appreciate it!" He takes the money, putting it in the register with a bright smile.

"..wh—what?" Radford blinks, baffled. "You're just gonna let them sway you like that?"

"Sway me like what? They just felt bad and wanted to give me candy!"

"No, they didn't. They're clearly just giving you candy so they can—"

"Kids—"

Gregor suddenly enters, holding a arrogant expression as he speaks. "It's really not polite to let him take the money so easily. I mean, heh.." He smirks to himself. "You could easily just take it back if he accepts it like that. Sometimes making people think you're gonna do something nice for them and then—"

"Heyyyy.." Radford shoves himself beside Gregor, arching a brow. "Who are you?"

Gregor stares, a bit mildly surprised. "..a priest? What else would I be?"

"..I dunno. You look like you're wearing a curtain." He then asks more suspiciously, "..why are you talking to the kids?"

"Well.." Gregor turns around. "Because they needed my help! They're quite rude, you know. And.." He smirks to himself, whispering, "It's.. honestly kind of funny to watch them fail."

Skid and Pump make offended glares at this. Radford only raises a brow in suspicion, before walking back over to Kevin, and whispering—"..uh.. Kevin, is it just me? Or is this guy kinda weird?"

"Oh—c'mon!" Kevin grins, "He's not that bad! Well, he's not really bad at all. He's a priest."

"Right you are, young man." Gregor proudly smiles. "Mark my words, I shall teach these kids a lesson and guide them into the right path. Anf I will proudly watch them stumble every part of the way.."

Skid grumbles at him. Gregor then decides to pull out something from his bag. A suspicious bottle containing an odd liquid—which seems to have a poorly drawn cross on it.

"Here.. have this for any troubles. Come, kids. Let's go find somewhere else to go."

"..yeah.. sure—whatever.."

"..mm.."

The kids then reluctantly follow Gregor out of the store, while both Radford and Kevin eye the bottle. Kevin smiles from ear to ear, while Radford seems more skeptical.

"Wow! This looks pretty cool!" Kevin laughs.

"..yeahhh.. are we sure this is holy water? It doesn't look really—"

..the store begins to suddenly rumble for a moment, causing them both to shoot up in mild alarm. One of the candy machines begins to rattle, before a bunch of candy shoots out, and the rumbling stops as they hear a faint snarl.

Radford appears weirded out, while Kevin just stares.

"..wow. Looks like the machine must be malfunctioning again! You think the water might fix it?"

Radford flicks his gaze over to Kevin, before just groaning in irritation.

[onewiththeother]

((Hello! This is actually my first roleplay blog so yeah :,) If I use (()) brackets that means I am OOC and talking as the admin of this account B) however this entire post is OOC so let me just drop the brackets rq))

Okay, there we go.

Hey! This is an alt RP account (my main is @thealexisreal!!!!) I have for my That's Not My Neighbor OCs!!!! This post will basically explain all there is to the blog and the basic guidelines for interacting :)

ABOUT THE OCS

GARRETT CLIVESDALE - "THE MARKSMEN NEVER MISS!"

If you've come here from my main, I posted a small description of him. If not, let me run down the basics of garry :33

Garrett Clivesdale was a professional baseball player playing for a team known as the Red Marksmen, a local baseball team carrying home a winning streak. Garrett is awfully arrogant about the winstreak and tends to boast about it a lot, though this just makes him come off as a bratty child at times. He's very passionate about baseball and tends to talk about it when no one cares. He's overconfident and believes he's on top of the world, and WILL get pissy when he fails. However, he holds grudges and tends to be really petty and rude to people he believes are his enemies :( He is quite nice to people he likes though, and will always try to spoil them... Mainly with food. Especially burgers. If you wanna get with him enjoy burger dates forever theyre his favorite food

His text will be red.

ESPEN SOLHEIM - "...Wait, what was I gonna...? Wait--"

Espen is another news reporter (I made him before I remembered Isaack was a reporter... they're coworkers now :).) He's paranoid and timid, a stark contrast from his cheerful ID photo. Constantly seeking affirmation from others, he's constantly unsure of himself and always overthinking. He actually found out about doppelgangers a few months before measures began to be taken to keep people safe from them, and since then he has grown to be a shell of his former self, still holding scars from his first doppelganger encounter. He's scared of new people and often sticks to people he's familiar with, see Harvey.

His text will be orange.

COLE WAGNER - "Oh, I've been waiting for an opportunity like this~ I'm so excited..."

Cole is a waiter at Nana's, a diner near the apartment complex that Garrett is a diehard regular at. As a result, the two are close friends. Cole himself is cheerful and outgoing, if not a bit mischievous and enjoys drama. He's known for spreading rumors and misinformation with the guests at Nana's. However, his laid-back and cheerful attitude remains even in serious events, and he often lets jokes slip when he's not supposed to. He doesn't like being serious because he gets really awkward in those scenarios. He's also very loud and annoying.

His text will be blue.

AGATHA BARNES - "Nothing to be afraid of, no need to worry."

Agatha is a photographer, though she usually dresses like the models she photographs. She's friendly and often hypes others up, constantly attempting to bring good vibes. She's similar to Cole in a way that she enjoys the company of others, but when she gets serious, she becomes uncharacteristically stern. I honestly have no idea what else to say for her besides the fact she's basically a mom friend.

Her text will be green.

HARVEY CLARENCE - "I was forced to be on this god forsaken blog."

Harvey is the doorman to the complex (for my au (do i even call it that?) at least). Stoic and lacking a sense of humor. He's not easily persuaded and is often incredibly stubborn.

His text won't have any color TEEHEE

OLIVER GRANTHAM - "A lovely little feast, all laid out for me...?!"

Oliver is a doppelganger who had replaced one of the D.D.D.'s cleaners. Since cleaners usually wear a hazmat suit, and since Oliver took the real one's ID, he wasn't noticed until he took off the suit, giving away his bright pink eyes (that he has since pink is his favorite color). He now dons a mouth-only gas mask to tell him apart from the others, mainly because he's under heavy supervision all the time. Childish, excitable, curious, yet stupid, it's a miracle how he managed to infiltrate D.D.D. ranks. He doesn't seem to be hostile to humans, though, but he was practically taught to attack doppelgangers. He thinks a certain few r cool tho :)

His text will be pink.

okay enough about them beats up everyone aforementioned LET'S GET TO THE RULES!!!

RULES AND STUFF

If you don't follow these rules, expect a block.

Please be respectful. We may have differing opinions, and I'd like you to respect them. I know you guys probably aren't the type to start drama on these kinds of posts, but if you're going to comment something rude, just don't. Your comment will be deleted anyway.

Absolutely no NSFW. I am a minor, and seeing that kind of stuff repulses me so much. Lightly suggestive jokes are alright, but NSFW interactions are just a no.

The basic DNI criteria: Do not interact with this blog if you're:

LGBTQ+phobic, racist, or a bigot in general

A Z00/P3D0PH1L3

A com/darkshipper

And...That's about it! thanks for actually taking the time to read this :,)

[consumable-connie]

Mr. WIilliams

Content: Unwilling prey, fear play, minor size difference

Word count: ~3k Words

Description: The local deer preyboy is reminded by a particularly infamous resident of their apartment why they were afraid of getting eaten in the first place

Being the local preyboy for an entire apartment block isn't too bad, at least that's what the deer living on the second floor thought. He had moved in a few months ago, the cheap rent acting almost as an anglerfish's light, it was surprising considering how decent the apartments were, a little modest but certainly better than some of the other apartments that would be just as cheap. Everyone knew why it was so cheap, any other apartment block with such cheap rent would be unkept and riddled with break-ins, robberies and murders. Yet here, there was none of that, it was actually pretty pleasant living there. The neighbors were friendly, the staff kept everything clean and functional when needed, and the crime rate around the area was pretty low. The real reason the rent was so low, however, was because of how many preds lived in the apartment block. Thankfully, it was clear in the lease that none of them were allowed to digest any prey that lived there, and it wasn't like any of them would want to anyway. Many, if not all, shared the mentality that prey was a special type of food, something that they can eat over and over and over again, something that should never be digested, as then it ruins the entire point of why prey is so special.

The deer was a little nervous to be living among these preds, many towered over the prey, although that wasn't much of a feat. While he was very skinny and lengthy, they were still always the shortest in his family at about 5'9", and his slouched posture certainly didn't help his case. He would always wear a sweatshirt and comfy sweatpants to hide how boney he was, but it didn't hide much. In the first month of living at the apartment block he would always jump whenever the neighbors tried to talk to him, but eventually, they were coerced into talking, and found that these preds didn't seem as intimidating as he thought. Still, most of the larger preds terrified the deer, giving him a sense of uneasiness. He got along with them alright once he started talking to them, their size simply made the deer a little intimidated. After the deer had gotten to know just about everyone, one particularly bold tenant had decided to devour the deer. It was surprising at first, but the deer learned to love it, and indeed he loved it with all his heart, he was disappointed in himself for being so scared when it was incredible. He was only really kept for a few hours, and there were rare instances where he would spend a few days in a particularly possesive pred. It basically became his new job, the preds paying him for his services to ensure he'll be able to pay rent and buy groceries, even if he'd do it for free, and it eventually just became the common courtesy. The deer knew just about all of them, and had been eaten by most of them, all of them except Mr. Williams.

Mr. Williams was known for being quite the quiet man, yet they were still undeniably stern, never smiling, never distracted, always stood upright with proper posture. Known for his bland and frankly blunt remarks, he wasn't someone you'd have a conversation with, not an interesting one at least. At best, you'll get a simple nod, maybe a sentence or two. Really, the only time you'd hear more than that would be when he's mad, or making the rare (and perhaps unneeded given his infamous reputation), attempt at intimidation. People tried to avoid angering him, afraid of what else it could bring. The deer had seen Mr. Williams in the elevator a few times, a bear who towered over him effortlessly. The deer always noticed how the bear's suit seemed to cling to their midsection, and how their heavy footsteps commanded attention, and the way their face never quite clued you onto what he was thinking. The deer had heard that Mr. Williams worked on the marketing department for Sallow Co, the company behind the Sallow's Burgers restaurant chain. Mr. Williams certainly didn't seem like a man who would try to sell you a greasy burger. Perhaps he'd be more focused on fine dining, or maybe he'd prefer to dine on something more... alive. Nobody ever saw Mr. Williams eat people, but the way he drooled when passing by the smaller residents made them nervous, and they knew at any moment they might get snatched up and turned into a meal. Nobody knew what would happen if you ended up going down Mr. Williams' gullet, but the deer was soon to find out.

---

The deer stood outside their friend's apartment on the top floor, fur messy and somewhat matted, and while he looked a little exhausted, he still had a smile on his face. He buzzed the doorbell, waiting for a moment as he heard his friend coming to the door. It opened, and standing right there was a bewildered orange fox. They were about as skinny as the deer and somehow managed to be a couple inches shorter than him, and they wore a baggy white t-shirt with black sweatpants, along with purple socks to keep her paws from getting cold.

"Hey Susie, how are you?" He greeted,

"Max?? Where on earth have you been?!" She asked. Max chuckled, "Oh, y'know, I've been busy, gotta keep the guys here full, y'know?" He grinned.

"Wait, are you telling me you- since when- I thought you were terrified of being eaten!" Susie couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yes, yes, but that was the old me, I'm a new man! Now I can't get enough," He said. Susie couldn't help but smile,

"Well, at least you aren't a paranoid wreck." Susie stepped out of the doorway, "Anyways, why don't you come in? I can fix you up some coffee, and maybe grab you a brush for that fur,"

---

Max sat on the living room couch, relaxing by himself. The living room walls were an off-white like all the other apartments, but the walls were decorated with many framed photos and paintings. Some were more abstract art, pinks, reds, purples, blues all splattered onto a canvas almost randomly, but you could tell, just barely, that there was a method to the madness, calculated paint strokes that only the artist would understand. Then, there were some more grounded drawings, some were simple, just everyday objects painted in bright, bold colors, while others were elaborate scenes of forests, beaches, and the skylines of the city, and even in the most realistic depictions, purple had snuck it's way in, either in a shadow, or from a light, maybe in a reflection, where it was didn't matter, you would always know purple was there. It was in everything the artist's paintbrush touched. Then there were the pictures, places Susie had gone, places that people would see as ordinary, but Susie could see their beauty. The couch Max sat on was made of felt, and there were two throw pillows, both with festive foxes wearing ugly sweaters and santa hats, even though it was nowhere near christmas. There was a carpet over the wooden floor, a light blue and purple, and over top of it was a glass coffee table, its legs a charcoal black. There was a television on top of a console table, the TV was turned off as most of the channels would be too noisy. Susie was in the kitchen, which only had half a wall dividing it from the living room. She was making herself a sandwich for lunch. Max lifted the coffee cup Susie had made him and took a short sip, quickly grimacing as the hot bitter liquid hit his tongue,

"Susie, did you forget the creamer?" He asked.

"Sorry! I'll get it to you when I'm done making lunch," She said, putting all the ingredients for her sandwich away. She opened the fridge and grabbed an apple and the creamer, and placed the apple in her mouth so she could carry the creamer and her paper plate at the same time. She hurried to the living room, setting the creamer on the coffee table and taking the apple out of her mouth,

"Thank you," Max poured the creamer into his coffee cup, adding enough that the liquid was nearly spilling over. He steadily lifted the cup again and took another sip.

"Y'know you really don't need all that creamer," Susie noted. Max shook his head,

"I know how I like my coffee. Besides, a little cream never heart anyone now did it?" She couldn't help but snicker, resisting the urge to make a lewd joke, but it was obvious what she was going to say, and Max rolled his eyes.

"So, who's stomach was so comfortable you decided to disappear for 2 months?" She asked, "Was it Sam? I bet it was Sam, he's a total himbo, you're obviously so madly in love with him, I bet you think of him every night," She teased with a grin. Max hit her lightly on the shoulder,

"Oh stop, I didn't spend an entire 2 months inside that guy. He did, well," Max looked a little embaressed, "H-he introduced me to the concept. I don't really know how long I spent in that stomach, but I've been passed around to almost every pred in the building. It's real nice, a lot nicer than I was expecting. They all give me lots of attention and some of them cooked me 5 star meals, I mean seriously they treated me like some sorta celebrity, it was a littly dizzying."

Susie nodded, "Well, if there's one thing I know from living here, it's that the guys really love their prey. Except that Willy guy, dunno how he feels about his prey, almost never seen him with prey in his belly, but I'm sure he's eaten people before. He's real weird, almost always got a suit on, drools a lot too. I'd try to keep my distance," She spoke in a quiet tone, almost as if Mr. Williams was at the door eavesdropping on the conversation. Max seemed uncomfortable at the mention of Mr. Williams, the fact that his friend also seemed scared of him confirming that he wasn't being paranoid when he felt nervous around that man. Susie quickly changed the subject,

"Anyways, glad you're enjoying yourself, you seem a lot happier now that you're not so paranoid everyone's out to get you. How come this is the first time I'm hearing about it?"

"Oh, y'know, being in and out of a bunch of preds make you lose track of time, I would've texted you, but I forgot. Besides, not like you'd ever want to eat me, right?"

"Yeah, but y'know it's nice to get invited to the party even if you aren't gonna go. Besides, I could totally eat you if I wanted to,"

"Nah, you're too tiny, you'd probably get a stomach ache so bad it felt like your stomach was ripped open." Max and Susie both laughed, but then Susie's phone started to buzz. She checked it, and her eyes widened,

"Shit!" She said, quickly rushing to her bedroom, "I can't believe I forgot!"

She opened her closet and looked for a dress,

"What'd ya forget?"

"I had a date with this cougar lady, her name's Amber. I thought the date was tomorrow!" She set her dress on her bed and went to close the door, "Stay there and wait for me to get ready, I'm going to need your opinion," and with that the door was shut.

---

Max waited for a little under half an hour when the bedroom door opened again, and out came Susie in a red sundress that came down to her knees and it was dotted with white spots. Her face was decorated with black eyeliner and purple lipstick, and her height had been increased by about an inch with her heels, and her fur was recently combed,

"How do I look? Is the lipstick too bold? I feel like it's too bold,"

"It's fine, Susie, you look great,"

"A-are you sure? I feel like my dress is too tacky, and m-my fur, is it combed well?"

"Calm down, man. You're going to do great, and hey, if she doesn't like you then it's her loss,"

"You really think so?"

"I know so. Now go out there and get some cougar pussy!" Max couldn't help but laugh, and Susie rolled her eyes,

"Gross, don't say that, it's only our first date," She quickly grabbed her purse and tossed it over her shoulder, "Alright, bye, I'll see you later!" She said, and she was off.

Max realized he should've left, too, it'd be a little weird to stay inside his friend's apartment. He went out the door and down the hall, calling up the elevator. He took a glance at his phone for a moment, and when the doors opened, he looked up to see Mr. Williams, his shadow engulfing Max. Mr. Williams silently moved to the side, never breaking eye contact with Max. He awkwardly made his way inside, making sure to keep an eye on Mr. Williams. He could see drool drip from the bear's lips.

"What floor?" He asked, voice cold and measured as always. Max told him to go to the second floor, and he pressed the button, the elevator doors closing.

"You have a lot less meat on you than I was expecting," He wiped up his drool with his sleeve, "I've heard you're a tasty meal, but you don't seem very filling. Looks can be deceiving, though," Max laughed nervously, nodding. He decided to ignore Mr. Williams by just looking at his phone, but he couldn't ignore he was there, their eyes burrowing into his skull. Then, the bear put his hand to Max's chest,

"Your heart's beating very fast. Perhaps you should see a doctor." He grinned, his sharp teeth on full display, and Max just stared at him in disbelief. Mr. Williams had gotten even closer, just inches from Max. He was drooling again, and it dripped onto Max's head,

"Scared? Don't worry, it's only natural," He licked his lips, "But I'll make it quick,"

The elevator doors opened, and Max quickly dashed away, arriving at his doorstep. Mr. Williams followed closely behind, just walking as though he was taking an ordinary stroll,

"Come on, I just wanted a taste," He said as Max tried to open his door, but it was locked. He dug in his pockets, trying to find his keys, and then pulled it out. He was trying to get his house key into the keyhole, but his hands were too shakey. He felt two large paws plant themselves firmly onto his shoulders, and they twisted him around to face Mr. Williams. He gazed up at the bear, drool poured from his mouth, wide in a toothy smile. Mr. Williams' gut loomed close, threatening to crush the deer. He winced as Mr. Williams leaned his head closer, letting out a laugh that reverberated through the deer's entire body. He ran a tongue over the deer's cheek, making him shiver,

"Your fear makes you taste a little bitter, but a little bitterness never killed anyone now has it," He gave the deer another slow lick, "And besides, the bitterness doesn't disguise how otherwise delicious you are~" Drool continued to pour out from his jaws as they waited to ensnare their victim.

"Please, let me go!" Max begged. He tried to get away from Mr. Williams, weakly attempting to shove him aside and run, only to be met with being squished by their gut.

"Why? Everyone else got a taste, it'd be a bit unfair to leave me out," He made sure to keep Max in their place by grinding his belly into Max, making him whimper in discomfort. Mr. Williams grabbed Max's chin, forcing him to look them directly in the eyes,

"You know, you are being very rude. Look at me when I'm speaking, and quiet down!" He growled.

"I don't want to be eaten, just let me leave," Max begged yet again. The bear clicked his tongue disapprovingly,

"You should be proud that I thought you'd make a good enough meal, even with how small you are." He said, "Now, I think we've talked enough," He lifted Max by his armpits until he was a foot off the ground, Max's feet kicking as he tried to get down. Mr. Williams' jaws parted open, and Max witnessed the cavernous depths he would inevitably be sent down. Thick strings of drool dripped from the bear's yellowed teeth, the spit shining in the light, and Max could smell his rancid breath. He couldn't do anything as he was thrusted into the bear's maw, his face immediately became wet, covered in saliva. As the bear rolled the deer's face over his tongue, more and more saliva started to build. The bear tilted his head upward, and Max started slipping further down, making the bear's throat bulge with his form. Gravity did most of the work, and with the bear's powerful throat that began pulling him down, it ensured he would never escape. The bear loosened his collar so that he wouldn't choke as the deer went down. He traced the deer's body with his finger as they traveled down and down, and then the deer began to fill the bear's stomach.

Buttons popped on the bear's shirt as his belly grew even larger, and he put a hand to his gut to give it a good squish. The deer quickly squirmed, kicking at the walls in a desperate plea for escape. Then, the stomach got tighter, the soft, pulsating walls closing in on the deer, wet and slimy with the mucus that coated it. The deer was forced into a ball, unable to move as powerful muscles held him in place. He cried, begging for release, only to be met with further squishing as the bear grinded its swollen belly against a wall.

"Don't worry, you're safe. You aren't really worth the calories since you're skin and bones, after all!" Mr Williams laughed and laughed making the deer wobble inside their stomach,

"Let me out!" He gasped, he felt as though he was suffocating as the walls continued to relentlessly squish around him to keep him still. Mr. Williams replied only through giving his belly a hearty pat,

"Good meat, I love it when tiny prey like you are terrified. Do you feel the adrenaline?" He grinded the wall again, making Max whine, "Don't you feel alive? God, I could keep you forever if I wanted, you're just so helpless in there! Do you want me to keep you?" He asked,

"No! No, please, I-I want to go home!" The stomach gave the deer another hard squish. The bear thought for a moment, before bashing his belly against the deer's apartment door, breaking it open. The deer swore he felt a few bones crack. The bear entered the deer's apartment, taking a seat in a chair,

"Alright, you're home now, happy?" He asked. Max sobbed,

"N-no... let me out... I want out..." He weakly pawed at the walls of the stomach, and the bear just laughed at his attempts to escape, jostling his gut around and laughing again at the deer's whines. He pressed his paw against his gut, feeling the small deer move within himself, and let out a long, loud belch,

"You should be happy, you seemed to love all those other pred's stomachs. Now, get some rest. I'm off work all weekend, so I'm going to have a lot of fun with you," He said, jostling his belly again. Then, he glanced into the kitchen, and saw the fridge,

"And I see I've got a lot more food to enjoy myself with~"

[chaosandwolves]

Hey Ty! For the WIP ask game I wanna know more about The Bet! Very interested 👀

Hello lovely!!!

Ooohhh hehe this is a fun one!

Basically the 118 has a bet going that Buck and Eddie won't make a move in the next five years unless someone says something

And as soon as the five years are over Hen pulls up to work and is like... Eddie, Buck get your asses over here...

They're both startled by this request that certainly leaves to room to argue.

When they both turn to Bobby for help or at least for some reassurance, they find him shaking his head and turning towards the pancakes cooking on the stove, clearly not willing to get involved.

Hen makes them sit down on the sofa in the loft and shoos everyone else away, even Chim who complains that it's not fair at all.

Then she turns towards them, sighs as if she's carrying weight of the world on her shoulders and starts,

"Ok boys I don't know how anyone can he as oblivious as you two but for the love of god I don't have to hold back anymore."

She takes a deep breath and bluntly states, "Eddie, Buck, you're stupid, extremely stupid,"

They're both about to protest but Hen holds up a finger and they fall silent like scolded school boys.

" So incredibly stupid. I mean, really?"

"It's been 6 years! Six. Years. And you've yearned for each other for at least 6 years minus an hour... Seriously... "

As Hen shakes her head in pure disbelief, Buck just looks absolutely confused while Eddie's face goes on a whole journey.

"Hen, what are you talking about?" Buck asks and Hen groans and rubs her temple in exasperation before she glances over to Eddie, "Do you want to have the honour?"

But instead of answering, Eddie looks at her in a mix of horror, realization and fear and Hen is done.

"You two, Buck and Eddie, you two love each other and have done so for years and I swear to god if you don't get your shit together, I will do it for you and this conversation will be the least embarrassing thing that'll happen today."

She flicks them both on the forehead, stands up, gives them one last stern raised eyebrow, turns and then just leaves them sitting there, absolutely baffled and speechless.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Gentlemen. How's the water?"

Victoriana cringed as she sank into the hot water. That had sounded lame even to her.

"It's fine," Travis replied, his voice clearly making his disinterest known. "It's just like any other hot tub: boring and filled with the skin cells of everyone in it."

"Gross, Travis. Shove over."

Bronwen pushed her way into the hot tub, over the protests of the boy she was shoving.

"Hey, Claudia. Hey, Theo. What's up? Anything interesting happening?"

"Not since I got in like thirty seconds ago," Victoriana snapped, irritated by her friend's arrival. How was she supposed to talk to Theo with her snooping around? Travis didn't want to be there and thus wouldn't get in her way, while Bronwen very clearly would.

"Hey, Bron, maybe you should stay inside for a bit. Your vampire skin will burn if you stay out too long."

"I'm only half vampire and can stay out for hours. You've seen me do it all the time, Your Highness. I don't want to wait in the stupid house when the excitement is happening put here."

"What excitement?" Travis grumbled, looking enviously at the house.

Victoriana frowned at the negative energy coming at her, so she playfully splashed Theo, trying to get his attention in a positive way.

Across from her, Bronwen fumed, her pale skin turning dark red. Theo didn't like to be splashed, at least not by anyone other than Adam. She'd tried it herself once and he'd glared at her, but to her astonishment, he merely smiled at the princess.

It has to be because she's rich and going to inherit Pleasantview one day. It has to be as simple as that.

"So, you see Rien, you want your brushstrokes to be confident and bold. Make a statement with your art. Fuel your creation with your emotions."

Anna examined her progress on her painting, then looked at Rien's canvas beside her. It wasn't too bad for a beginner.

Adrian had begged the reaper to help his daughter find a passion for something other than tarot card reading, and Anna had been more than willing to help. As a dead soul in the afterlife, she'd tried her hand at many things to pass the time. Everything there became tedious after a number of years. Painting wouldn't fulfill her desire for a family of her own or give her the ability to make choices and see the world change because of them, but it had been a decent distraction. Working for the grim reaper was an incredible escape from the monotony of the afterlife. All of her many hobbies did come in handy as a mother though. She was great at distracting and soothing kids with a craft or sudden game of basketball.

"I know how to paint," Adrienne replied. "We do have art class in school, remember? I'm only here to make Daddy happy so that I can get my cards back."

"Fair enough," Anna said casually.

Adrienne had been hoping for a scandalized gasp or stern disapproval, but Anna offered her nothing but indifference. Adults were supposed to be easy to manipulate, but Anna didn't even flinch. To the child, it seemed that reapers were magical creatures with nerves of steel, when really, Anna was a mom to three very strong-willed children. There was very little that she hadn't seen.

"What are you going to do if he doesn't?" she asked. "You could be waiting a very long time. It might be more fun if you tried a bunch of stuff while you wait. Make him see how little you're affected by him taking them, so he gives then back to you."

"He'll die if he doesn't. He makes the lady mad and I need to see what she's planning to help them."

This comment did cause Anna to pause. It didn't seem vengeful or angry, just a simple statement of fact.

"Your parents aren't going to die soon. I'd know about it if they were," she replied, looking at the child strangely. Again, nothing malicious was coming from her. It was like she was just reading the paper, bored by the printed facts. "What lady wants to hurt your daddy? Do you know her?"

"You only know when someone's death is written in stone," the child stated, as if it was obvious. "You'll only know when it can't be changed. I can help them if I had my cards."

"Finally! Time to finish my book," Travis exclaimed, reclining on a chair by the pool. "Everyone pretend I'm not here."

"Already done," Bronwen said, rolling her eyes as she sat beside him.

"That's looking really good so far," Anna commented. She held her brush up to the canvas and feigned a painting motion.

What on earth was this kid talking about? There were well established cases of people prophesying the future through dreams, or while under the spell of Life, but this seemed different. Part of their onboarding as reapers had been learning about the various ways a possible vision of a future could be spelled out, but this child was a mystery. She claimed to need to use her tarot deck to access the supernatural, but Anna had her doubts. The girl has demon blood and was ripped out of her father at birth as his spirit fell deep into the demonic void. What kind of impact would that have on a child? As far as she knew, the topic had never been brought up once in their reaper briefings.

"What lady wants to hurt your father?" Anna prompted again, hoping for a better response than before. "If she's dangerous, I may be able to protect your parents."

Adrienne shrugged, wiping her brush clean.

"I don't know for sure, but I keep getting the words 'red queen" when I read my cards," she replied. "She has dark hair, I think. I can almost picture her, but I need my cards."

"Dark hair, pasty skin, way too much lipstick?"

Anna held her breath as Adrienne nodded.

"Yeah, I think that's her. Why do you know her?"

"Uh, yeah, you could say that. Rien, you don't have to worry about her, she died a long time ago. Claudia took the throne from her daughter. The Red Queen is long dead."

"I just keep getting those words in my readings," Adrienne replied, her expression extremely patronizing. "I never said that she was alive or anything. You can't take everything literally when reading cards."

"Oh, well, if you see anyone who wants to hurt your dad, you can tell me or any of the adults here," Anna sighed, trying to hide her frustration from the child. "We can help."

"So, uh, Victoriana. Hi. Do you want to swim, or hang out here? We could talk if you want. I wanted to get to know you better, if that's okay."

Theo flushed, trying not to come across as dull or like he only cared about her money. Despite his best efforts, it felt like he was failing.

"I'd like to get to know you," the princess replied shyly. "I wanted to talk about demons if that's okay. How did you know you had a dark form? Does it hurt to change? How dangerous do you think your family really is these days?"

"Uh...I'm not sure," Theo answered awkwardly. He wasn't sure why the crown princess of Pleasantview was interested in his family and demons in the first place. Of course, Theo knew they were related and shared a demonic family, but Victoriana asking about it seemed odd. "It doesn't hurt, really. It kind of itches. My dad says he has our family under control, but it's nothing you have to worry about, being a princess and whatever. I can tell you about it if you want though."

"I would like that," Victoriana said cautiously. No need to seem as desperate for answers as she truly was. "I'd really like that. Your dad sounds like an interesting person."

"He is, I guess."

"Yeah. I guess."

The two teens stared awkwardly at the ground, unable to think of a way of progressing their conversation without revealing their shared paternity or coming across as some kind of weirdo.

"She knows already, Theo," Adrienne sang, as she skipped by the teens. "You both know the same secret, so stopping being weird."

"You know about me?" both teens said at once, watching their shared sister skip away. "Oh, thank god."

"I didn't know you knew," Theo said. "Here I was trying to be subtle about it and you already knew! I never thought you'd believe me!"

"My mom told me," the princess confessed. "I made her tell me and now she's mad at me, but I finally know! I've been going insane just thinking about it. Who told you?"

"I saw your connection after a spell," Theo confided. "I thought you'd think I was after your money or something if I came out and told you. I still can't believe it."

"We have a lot to talk about," Victoriana said eagerly. "Maybe you could tell me more about Roman Bellamy. I'd like to know all about him. For political analysis of course." An unwavering look passed between the half-siblings, promising that they would keep their true connection a secret from the rest of the teens at the pool. The last thing Victoriana needed was a scandal breaking out while her mother was already mad at her.

"Let's go inside and get some of that lemonade I saw Anna pouring," Theo suggested, gesturing towards the house. Victoriana nodded eagerly.

"Awsome!"

"So Adrienne has a vivid imagination," Anna began, trying to phrase her words gently. Her nephew's shoulders slumped before she could continue her sentence.

"You're telling me," Adrian groaned. "The damn thing is, she's almost always proven right when she 'imagines' things. Even Roman can't read cards like she can."

"So she says. I know you worry about her, Adrian. She seems like a very bright child. Lonely though."

"That's my main concern. Her sister has enough charisma for the both of them. Luci is in every sports team at her school and has tons of friends. Rien keeps to herself and acts like she's already thirty. I don't know what to do, Anna. I've never experienced anything like this before. I used to think that we had an interesting family, but Roman's is something else. Do I put her with other demon hybrids? Should I register her in Crystal Cove to learn about crystals and tarot readings? There has to be somewhere she can shine, but I'm at a loss for where. All I want is for her to have the happy childhood I dreamed of for her, but nothing seems to make her happy."

"We all find our paths eventually, Adrian. I know it's frustrating now, but Rien will find her way. When I was born, I was destined to be the queen of Strangetown and Twikkii Island. What my actual destiny turned out to be was quite different. And Claudia was no different. I would have never chosen the path she's walking for her, but it's where she belongs. It sounds like your daughter is beginning to figure out her future, you just need to wait and be patient."

"You've raised two teens who have turned out to be incredible adults, I'll try my best to follow your example," Adrian said, bowing his head as he spoke.

"You're way too uptight for someone of your rank," Anna teased. "With the succession guaranteed, Maura’s heirs have bumped you even further from the throne. You might as well relax and enjoy your estate like Edana's husband. Luci will need to know how to conduct herself at court, but very little else."

"That's not how my parents saw it," Adrian replied stiffly. "I have a duty to uphold to the crown. Should the unthinkable happen and the royal family is lost once more, Luci is still in the line of succession. If she didn't assume the throne herself, then she needs to defend the monarch. She should just be thankful that I'm not sending her to the military academy I was sent to. My father went there, so of course I had to as well."

She paused for a moment.

"Try growing up in Strangetown," Anna laughed. "From what I'm told, it's intense. I spent an eternity with my grandmother in the afterlife, learning about our family and traditions and a million other superstitions. I love it all, but to live it everyday? I don't envy my cousin."

"Do you think that maybe you spend too much time thinking about what your parents would do or think? They're lovely people, but you're not them."

"They weren’t perfect, that's for sure. I just miss them. I wonder what they'd say about my kids or trying to run a business with Roman. Would they like Evren? How would they help Rien? I wish I knew."

"You'll see them again someday and I know they'll be proud of you no matter what path you choose in life. Try relaxing a bit. Your kids have a long path before them, you just need to trust them."

"Relaxing? Sure, maybe when I'm dead," Adrian scoffed. "Roman needs me to manage our business and Evren needs me to keep him from murdering Wanda Bellamy and the kids need me for everything else. Maura is still pissed at me for sticking with Roman after everything and I don't know how I'm going to pay to send Fiolett to school next year, which Evren has also been extremely cagey about. Should I marry Evren? Does he even want that? If I do, will it change everything for us? If I-"

"Again, maybe you should try practicing relaxation before you take on the entire world," Anna interrupted. "Why don't you take a day just to yourself this week? Maybe even an afternoon if that's too hard. When you quiet your mind, you may find the answers you're struggling with."

"An afternoon," Adrian repeated slowly. "I guess it couldn't hurt. Abe could watch the boys while Fiolett is in school. I don't see the harm in trying."