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[astralriver]

If you are in the US and concerned about the election, maybe scared that your life might get upturned. Please take a moment to consider donating to one of these campaigns.

-your dollars are worth more than most currencies, you can make a difference-

Ghazi Al Amoudi, 25 years old - €2,138 raised/€10K goal

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Tamer Foad, 35 years old - $1,429 USD raised/$30K goal

Rabah Zayed and Manal Riyad - $830 CAD raised/$60K goal

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Kawthar Zeyad Ramadan, 29 years old - €2,985 raised/€50K goal

If you can match me and donate $20 to any of these please do. You can bring hope and you can make a difference.

[justmeinadaze]

Nothing's Gonna Change My World (Steddie X You) (Regency Era Universe)

AN: This is my first time writing for an era like this so bare with me. I think I could have done better with the details but alas! Please enjoy :)

Warnings: Steddie X Fem Y/N, In universe Regency Era Lords Steddie X Lady Fem Y/N, SMUT and FLUFF, established friendship in alternate universe, Friends to Lovers

ANGST, we learn more about these experimentees, both men talk about their parents and Eddie elaborates a bit more on how Steve treated him in school. Y/N talks a bit more about her family and status. At the end, she talks a bit more about her sister who has died. In the alternative universe, Steve's father is a dick who feels like he isn't measuring up. Calls Eddie and Y/N names (bastard & whore). Reader has a run in with someone who physically hurts her (no elaborate; just the after math), guys defend her.

Word Count: 5335

Series here/ Donate to Me <3

“You were definitely one of the lucky ones.”, the doctor exhales as he continues to make notes without looking your way. “A lot of the participants were either injured or experienced something they’d rather forget.”

Remaining silent, you press your lips together as you nod just wanting this to be over so you can go have a cigarette (and check on Eddie).

“Was there anything that stood out? People you knew or anything like that?”

“Uh, no. A group kidnapped me and wanted to use me for leverage. I was rescued and then went back to a compound where I was talking with people till I woke up. I did have memories of my sister still dying. Obviously not in the same way.”

“Huh.”, the doctor hummed as he made notes. 

“What?”

“It’s just interesting to have two participants experience a kidnapping. Another participant said he saved someone from being taken. Did you see Mr. Steve Harrington there?”

“No, I didn’t.”, you growled, annoyed at the man’s stupidity. 

“Ok. It’s not that outlandish in an environment like that so I’m not too concerned about it.”

“If we had seen each other would it be? Something to be concerned about I mean.”

“Hmmm… not really. It would be interesting to dissect, metaphorically of course. To meet someone you’ve only met through this avenue in an alternate reality, I mean, that would be so fascinating.”

“What if you saw them in more than one?”

The doctor chuckles as he leans back in his seat. 

“Theoretically that’s impossible but, if we’re speaking in theory, to meet the same someone in all different universes including this one? That sounds more metaphysical…like fate.”

“If that’s true…then it implies my sister was meant to die…no matter what universe we both lived in.”

Your voice comes out barely above a whisper causing the doctor to scan you over as he says your name but you promptly ignore him, rising to your feet as you power walk out of the room. 

While walking down the hallway, you hear people still sniffling as they continue to regale people with stories of the other universe and how terrified they were about moving forward. You were so focused on the sounds of sobs; you didn’t even notice you passed by Steve who leaned out of his bedroom when he noticed you walk by and followed quietly behind you. 

Eddie’s door was open but when you poked your head inside you realized he was asleep and still looked incredibly pained. As you tiptoed to his bedside, you noticed a little bruise starting to form where the nurse must have given him a shot to help calm him so he could rest. The other boy watches you with amusement as your sad eyes take in the man in front of you before you turn to the wall behind you, tapping your fingers gently against the light illuminated panel, and waiting for only a moment before a small door opens providing you with whatever it is you had purchased. 

Sitting beside him, you carefully opened the tube you bought, squirting a bit of gel on your palm and rubbing it along his purple wound.

“What’s that?”, Steve murmurs as your eyes flick his way. “That you’re putting on him.”

“Healing gel for bruises.”, you respond while tossing him the bottle so he can see. “That brand is good at soothing swelling and aches. Definitely needed some of it a time or two.”

When you giggle, he can’t help but smile at the sight.

“May I ask why? Why you’re doing that for him? You just…you seem a bit guarded.”, he clarified when you flashed him an annoyed look. 

“Yeah…Comes from years of bullshit. Plus…he was right. I’m terrified to let people in because something always happens. My sister was always there for me through the bad stuff but when I lost her… I just thought it was best to keep people at bay.”

“I can understand that.”, he nods, smirking when your quark your eyebrow his way. “Just because I’m an asshole doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings.”, Steve laughs. “I’m, um, sorry if I’ve come on to strong with my personality or been rude… It’s just my defense, you know?”

“I can understand that.”, you recite back making both your smiles grow. “I should go back to my room.”

Even as you say your words, your body doesn’t move. You know you should leave but something in your gut keeps tugging you towards the sleeping in man in front of you. He was in so much emotional pain and all you wanted to do was make it go away for him. 

Sighing, you curl up behind Eddie’s back, pressing your face into his shoulder as you wrap your arms around his waist.

***

When the long-haired boy woke up the following morning, he was completely confused when he felt a weight against his body until lifting the blanket and seeing a hand resting lazily against his stomach. 

As carefully as he could, he rolled over coming face to face with your sleeping frame. He should have been confused or annoyed even that you just crawled into his bed but for reasons he couldn’t explain he felt like this was completely normal. Like he had spent the last few years waking up to you already. 

Eddie wondered if maybe the experiment was leaving imprints him as the memories stayed. In the first universe, he hadn’t met you yet but he felt incredibly comfortable with you as that version of himself had already begun hoping for a long future with you by their side. In the second, he and Steve had been with you for a while and even now he could picture some of that Eddie’s memories as if they were his own. 

Memories of meeting you and being skeptical as his friend insisted on bringing you back home. Taking you out to the field near the high school to practice shooting with you and allowing you to try his sniper rifle which he had conveyed to never let anyone before you do. The immediate fear he felt when you didn’t come back and the anger that followed when he found out someone took you. 

As he reached out to caress your cheek, those protective feelings inside him increased and he wanted nothing more than to keep you safe. 

The current reality came rushing back as his eyes glanced at the discounted jewelry on his fingers. He was lower class and would always be labeled that way. Whatever class you were didn’t matter because even he knew he was at the bottom of the society rung.

After crawling over you out of bed, he quietly covered you back up and headed to the bathroom to get ready for breakfast. 

***

“He’s not eating with you?”, you ask as you take a seat in front of Steve and glance towards Eddie who was nibbling on his lunch by the wall.

“Uh, no, not today and I kind of understand why. If I saw what he did I would want to keep to myself to.”

“Is…are your parents…how they are in the other realities?”

The man pauses for a moment before his eyes flick up to meet yours. 

“Yeah, they are especially my father. I’ve been conditioned to take over his company since birth.”

“Conditioned?”

“Yup. Luckily my dad got a boy on his first try with my mom so…yay me.”, he sasses making you smirk as you exhale at the heaviness behind his words. “What about you? What are your parents like?”

“My parents and I haven’t spoken in a while. I, um, after my sister died…it was like the glue that held us together melted.”

“I’m assuming they’re assholes then?”

“What are we talking about so intensely?”, Eddie asks as he throws his body down next to Steve and continues to eat. 

“Parents.”

“Oh that’s a fun topic.”

“Y/N was about to tell me more about hers.”

They both stare at you with wide, focused eyes as they wait for you to go on and on impulse you cross your arms as your wall begins to go up. 

“Uh, yeah, you can say they are assholes. My father is a judge and my mom is a lawyer. Like you said, my great grandfather has the school named after him because he did a lot within congress. Careers of that degree kind of run in the family so I’m…noted as the failure…”

“You’re not a failure.”, Steve tries to comfort as your eyes become glassy before you hastily blink any tears away. 

“I also don’t believe in my families class system so that’s a point against me.”

“Not really anything you can do about it though, right sweetheart?”, Eddie sighs. “The Harrington’s basically swear by it.”

The other man exhales as his head hangs.

“I was raised to believe that the higher class…were superior…”

“Yeah. To push low level people like me and my uncle aside. Part of the reason our school allowed people like me in was to add to the arrogance of the upper class so they could push us around.”

“I never hurt you, Eddie.”

“Physically, no.” 

At that, Steve’s head jerks towards the boy beside him as anger and shame fills his heart. 

“I’m sorry, Munson.”

As you watch their exchange, you can’t help but feel the pain as well from your seat across from them. This is why you and Kallie hated the class system. From the videos you saw, your great grandfather touted it as a way of motivation and peace. 

“So the higher classes feel safer and the lower classes can aspire for greater.”

All it did was cause pain and no one did anything to counter or abolish it. It was so engrained in society that it was just common at this point but no one in the upper class did anything that made them better people. They continually belittled anyone beneath them and made sure to remind them there was no point in “aspiring for greatness” because this is where they belonged; under them.

Maybe Kallie could have made a difference…

“It’s ok—”

“It’s not. I’d…like to start over…maybe. If we can.” Steve’s hand hovers in the air as Eddie’s beautiful eyes take in the gesture with a glimmer of hope reflected behind them. 

“Alright, Harrington.”, the man smirks as he smacks his palm into his and shakes it making you grin their way.

***

The following morning, Steve woke up in chair inside Eddie’s room with you both asleep in the long-haired boy’s bed and him sitting up against the wall while his palm rested on your bicep as your head slept comforting on his lap. 

You three had spent the evening together getting little tidbits about each other and just getting to know the other more. 

As you spoke, he couldn’t help but study you as your lips moved and your eyes focused as you listened to one of them speak. It was in his nature as an upper-class businessman’s son. He was taught from an early age to read body language and listen to inflections in words which he always found amusing because his father did none of that. 

Bill Harrington did everything with selfish motivation and if someone questioned him or seemed to be disloyal, he attacked whether the person was indeed being nefarious or not. 

In school growing up, Steve was the same but a bit more calculated. He punished people for being weak and quite frankly never even noticed they were always the lower-class student. He should have been more observant and empathetic. He just wanted to belong. 

Lord knows his parents never made him feel wanted. 

Steve couldn’t help but wonder how he would have treated you had you grown up together. He would like to think he would have been kind but the fact that he wasn’t sure broke his heart. Maybe you would have made him want to be a better man. 

He felt that in the last universe he was in; that strong need to be better. The memories that still lingered had him wanting to continue that philosophy. He desperately wanted to make the world better for you and Eddie but the current version of himself was struggling.

He didn’t know how to begin and definitely didn’t want to cross a line. 

Truth of the matter was…he was scared…

***

“What do you think? Three for three?”, Eddie jokes as you guys head towards the pods for you next session. 

“I’m not sure. It does comfort me though…to know you both might be there. I aways get nervous before hand at what we might see.”

“Yeah. We understand the feeling.”, Steve sighs under his breath before giving you both a soft smile as you all separate to go to your areas.

“Alright Miss Y/L/N, here’s your shot…good. And I must insist that when you wake up, please remain in the vessel so we can do our jobs.”

“No promises.”

The nurse narrows her eyes at you as the door slowly slides closed. 

“Dropping down in 3…2…1…”

#########################

“I will not tolerate this insolence anymore!”, the man screams on the other side of the door causing you and Edward’s eyes to lock from your places as you continue to listen in. 

You had known Eddie and Steve since you all were children and it was killing you to hear the latter man’s father scream at him in such a manner. 

Steven did everything he could to appease his parents including taking a woman he deemed boring to a dinner date in an environment he detested. He went with his dad on business ventures overseas to learn more about a company he did not want to inherit, sending you both long winded letters about how drab the whole affair was and how his father belittled him the entire ship ride back home. 

All he wanted to do was spend time with his two best friends like he had always done. 

“You need to get your act together, son. I won’t be here forever to keep you afloat. You can’t make a living running around with the bastard Munson and that whore Y/L/N.”

Your hand reached out to take the boys beside you as he flashed you a small smile and delicately kissed the back of it. 

“Don’t call her that.”, Steven growled. “They are my friends.”

“Pfft. Then explain to me why she’s been seen with every Duke and Lord in the county?!”

“Her father wants her to settle down and marry—”

“She needs to! She’s way past her prime!”

Eddie snickers as you lift your eyebrows as if to silently agree with your friend’s father.

“AND Edward is a respectable gentleman—”

“Whose father ISN’T in the prison for thieving jewelry from castles like ours?”

“That doesn’t make him a bastard.”, Steve whispered under his breath causing his father to stomp forward and hit his son hard in the cheek. 

“It’s too bad you don’t have this kind of fight in you when it comes to a work ethic.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m fighting for something I care about.”, his son spits back before turning and powerwalking out the door running into you both as you lean nonchalantly against the opposite wall. “Oh, that’s inconspicuous.”

You giggle as you run to keep up with him as he continues walking down the hall, your olive-green gown flowing behind you as you do. 

“Are you alright?”

“I’ll survive.”, he replies a bit curtly before pausing at a set of double doors and grabbing your bicep. “Why don’t we skip this affair and spend some time in the library.”

“Steve.”, you smile as you reach up to move some of his loose hair away from his face. “We all got dressed up to come to your father’s idiotic dance. The least we could do is make an appearance.”

“I think she just wants to impress William.”, Eddie teases making you blush as you reach forward and lightly punch his arm making little to no impact against his black suit jacket he looked incredibly handsome in. 

“Look, your father may be a rude but he’s right.”, you shrug. “If I don’t get married soon—”

Steve’s soft palm extended towards you to cup your face as his thumb slid across your lips to silence you. Touches like this were not abnormal and even you had flirted with the idea of taking your friendship further but shame overtook you when you realized you cared about both men. 

You could care less about your parent’s approval or how society would view you. They did that already with the many men who tried to court you but you did care about them. Eddie was already demeaned for being “new money” since his family didn’t come from wealth. Add in the fact that he rarely behaved or dressed in a manner they found suitable but all that mattered to you was his kind demeanor and how he always made you smile. 

Steve was constantly judged by high society because he struggled to follow the “proper etiquette” of someone in his status. He just wanted to live his life the way he wanted and you encouraged that. He was incredibly smart and protective which is something you enjoyed on late nights when he would sneak into your room and you two would lay together talking about the future. 

A relationship with one of them let alone two would bring undo trouble their way and you loved them too much to allow that. 

“Fuck my father, honey. All that matters is that you’re happy.”

Grinning, you loop your arm through his and gesture towards Edward so you can do the same with him. 

“As long as I’m with my two best friends, I’m happy.”

***

“What do you think? Has she finally found the one?”, Eddie asks as he passes his friend the bottle of scotch they stole from one of his father’s many offices. 

“Please…William Hargrove isn’t the kind to settle down but…who knows. She’s an amazing woman.”

“Yeah she is.”

This was one of Steve’s favorite spots in his large family estate, the garden out back. Since he met you two, he would bring you out by the fountain where you would play games and make him laugh. As you three grew, it because a place to gossip and talk about anything that came to mind. You had made a plan to meet here within one hour’s time so the gentleman could be seen before disappearing but you were late which was making your long-haired friend nervous. 

“You don’t think something happened right?”

“I’m not sure but if it’s something good I know she’d kill us for interrupting.” As Steve chuckles, Eddie can’t help but force a smile before letting out a long-winded sigh. “I know…”

“Maybe we should finally tell her how we feel…say something…”

“Say what?”, you asked with a happy sounding high pitched tone appearing in front of them.

“What took you so long? Talking with William?”

“Oh, yes, I was but he is just so intellectually draining.”, you tease, mimicking your voice to sound like Steve’s parents. 

“Your hair is pulled back differently. Some of the strands are loose.”, Eddie notices as he rises to his feet but at the action however you take a step backward. “Where did you get that shawl?”

“Oh, um, I stole it from Lady Bradberry. That’s what she gets for always calling me a harlot.”

As you chuckle, your eyes become glassy as your voice cracks. Both boys take a step forward and once again you back away. 

“Let’s, uh, let’s get out of here. We can go to my estate—”

“Let us see, Y/N.”

This time when Steve extends his hand out you don’t pull away, allowing him to slowly pull down the garment covering your shoulder exposing the slowly forming bruise.

“No, no.”, you scold as you watch their eyes cloud over in anger. “I took care of it, alright? William won’t be a concern anymore. Edward! Steven! No!”, you hiss as you try to pull on their arms to stop them as they begin stomping towards the castle. “No! I won’t let you ruin your reputations over me.”

Abruptly, Eddie turns around and cups your face in his palms as his lips passionately press to yours. You had tasted him before on many a lonely night but this felt different in the best possible way. 

“You don’t seem to understand, my lady. You…mean more to us than any reputation…”

This time you allow them to continue forward, following close behind as they reenter Steve’s home and make a beeline for the study where you had last been. To your surprise, William wasn’t far but to his surprise you weren’t back to reconsider his offer of becoming his mistress. 

Steve’s fist flew before any words were exchanged and your breath caught in your throat as you watched the men you cared for defend your honor. 

“Steven!”, his father shouted as he tried to pull his son off the unlucky man now bleeding on the floor. Friends of the Harringtons and Hargroves ran in to separate everyone but while everyone crowded around the man who had physically hurt you, your best friends backed away to make sure they were front of you, shielding you from everyone. 

“What is wrong with you, you imbecile!”, Mr. Harrington scolded as he pointed his finger towards Steve. “William is set to be married next month to Lady Cunningham. Everyone will be talking about this.”, he gestures towards the man’s bleeding face. 

“That filth put his hands on the woman I love.”

Your hopeful eyes widen at his words and to your relief Eddie doesn’t flitch or hiss at his friend. 

They both care about you to. 

Reaching out, your fingers cling to their formal jackets causing both men to stand up straighter. 

“I’m DONE with all this nonsense! You are no longer allowed to be friends with those two. End it now.”

“No.”

“EXCUSE ME!?”

“He said no.”, Eddie defended. “Y/N and I have known your son since we were children and thankfully he’s nothing you or that scum.”, he growls as he gestures towards William. 

“Get out of my home!”

“With pleasure.”

At Steve’s final words, they both grab your hands and power walk out the double doors into the garden. 

***

Your eyes follow them as they maneuver around the Munson bedroom; Steve roughly hurling off his jacket and Eddie doing the same before gathering some supplies in his lavatory. 

You three had spent many an intimate night here. The first time either of them kissed or touched you was on this floor or in the big comfy bed. You all made a vow that this would never be anything more but never elaborated on why. You knew your reasons but…

“Why didn’t you say anything before? About how you feel?”

Edward smirk salaciously as he kneeled in front of you and placed a cool rag with ice against your now prominent, purple bruise.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because of this.”, you gesture towards your other friend who was now facing you both with his hands on his hips. “Because I didn’t want to be the reason you both lost everything.”

“Sweetheart…”, Eddie cooed in a soothing tone. “You ARE everything.”

Smiling, you run your fingers through his hair as your lips tenderly kiss his till you feel a dip in the mattress beside you. 

“You’re not a…harlot or a whore…”, Steve conveys, wincing at the negative as if he’s disgusted to even say them. “I remember when we were children, your mother would let me sleep over when my father would scream at me and my own mother. You and Kallie always made me smile.”

As he turns to face you, the other man continues to kiss your neck as he reaches behind your back to unlace your gown. 

“I can’t picture my life with you, Y/N. I’d give up everything, my name, status, and reputation… just to have you here with us.”

Your palm caresses his cheek and in return he tilts down to bring his lips to yours. Soft kisses turn heated as they undress you and then themselves. 

“We can go anywhere we want to.”, Eddie breathes into your ear as you lay on your back between them. “We can take one of the Harrington’s many, MANY ships and run to someplace new.”

They smile when you giggle as their palms roam your soft skin. 

“Maybe we can build our own estate where we can be together and happy.”, Steve added as his hand slid between your legs.

“We can grow our own supplies and I can play my music.” 

As the other man speaks his fingers spread open your pussy lips making you moan as he begins to rub circles against your clit. His friend joins him as he guides two of his own into your dripping hole. 

“Oh…my…”

“I can become a businessman and own a shop in town. Maybe you can come work with me and sell things at the counter with that gorgeous smile. Fuck, I love seeing you smile.”

“Would…would we have any…children?”, you ask as you feel that knot steadily building in your tummy. 

“Of course, sweetheart. We’d have so many we’d have to build more rooms in our home till it’s as big as a Harrington Castle!”

You and Steve chuckle at your friend’s exclamation; yours more of a pant as both their rhythm hastens. 

“I love you both…so much…I-I should have said something—mmm—before but…I was scared.”

“We know, honey. We know.”

“Just like that. Fuck, I’m coming.”

Both sets of lips attached to your throat as your body trembled and you came undone. 

“Listen to you trying not to scream.”, Steve teased. “You can here, beautiful.”

You giggle as the other man flips you on to your side and pulls your back to his chest. While kissing your cheek, he lifts your leg in the air and you both groan as he guides his cock into your entrance. 

“Oh god, Y/N.”

“Fuck, Eddie. So big.”

His mouth falls open as his humid breath warms your face and his large palm cups one of your breasts. When your hand covers his, you realize his knuckles still have remnants of dry blood. 

“Thank you—mmm—for protecting me.”

“Of course. Fuck—fuck that self-righteous son of a bitch.”

“You’re safe with us, honey.”, Steve smiled softly as he leaned forward to capture your lips. 

“Always have been. God, you feel so good. Say my name, sweetheart. T-Tell me again you love me.”

“Ahhhh—I love you, Edward. I’ve loved you since the moment I met you. Please, make me cum.” Locking your eyes with the man in front of you, your body shakes and you scream Eddie’s name repeatedly as you cum. “Please…please… cum inside me.”

The long-haired boy’s rhythm falters for a moment before his fingers grip your cheeks forcing you face him. 

“Are you sure? We’ve never…”

“I’m sure. I want to have a family with you…both of you.”

“Fuck—”, he grunts at your confession as his eyes squeeze shut and he clings to your sweaty form as he pounds his release into your cunt. “H-Hearing you say that…that you really do want a family with a…commoner like me—”

“You’re not a commoner, honey. Your uncle worked so hard to get where he is.”

“I love you.”, he whispers and kisses your lips. 

Grinning, you focus on Steve and circle your arms around his neck as he tugs you under his large frame. 

“Thank you for defending me to.”

You can’t help but giggle as he trails kisses from your forehead, down to your nose, and along your cheek to your neck.

“I’ll always protect you and defend you. No matter what.” Your eyes roll back as he gradually pushes his length into your slightly sore pussy. “Fuck—I love you, Y/N.”

###############

“And there she goes. Why do I even bother?”, the nurse sasses as you promptly climb out of the pod and run to your room.

You were having so much trouble catching your breath having been pulled out in the middle of your intimate moment. You could still feel the intense want and need of having Steve inside you but more than anything your current reality was mixing with that one as you started to sob, feeling heartbroken that you didn’t hear yourself tell this man again that you loved him. 

A rough palm grabbed your bicep and turned you around as lips crashed to your own. 

The second you recognized the taste, you allowed Steve to push your back against the wall as his arms held your waist as close to him as possible. 

He tastes the same as the other universes. How can that be?

Neither of you willing to separate, you listened to him grunt in your ear as he sloppily pulled down your sweats before tugging at his own enough to free his hard, leaking cock from its confinement. 

“Oh f-fuck.”, you mewled as he stretched your tight pussy open and set an aggressive pace as he slammed his hips into yours. 

Your fingers threaded through his soft hair as you bit into his shoulder to stifle the continuous moans that wanted to break free especially when he took hold of one of your thighs to wrap around his waist as he hit your g-spot at a much more precise angle. 

As you opened your eyes, you were met with Eddie’s soft chocolate ones in the doorway and that was enough to allow the coil to snap as you whimpered Steve’s name repeatedly into his ear. At the feeling of your cunt quivering around him, he dropped your leg and quickly pulled out, pumping his cock in his fist till you felt his spend hit your thigh. 

“I-I love you.” At your words, Steve tilted back to look at your face. “I said it to Eddie again. Y-You said it to me but I didn’t get to say it back. I didn’t get to say it back. I did the same with Kallie. I didn’t say it back and then she died.”

Your arms clung to him tighter as he slid with you to the cold tile floor. A blanket was wrapped around your lower half before you felt another set of strong arms circle around you. 

“Sweetheart, just like that Steve in the other universe, I’m sure your sister knew you loved her.”, Eddie whispered as he rested his chin on your shoulder. 

“You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve done.”, you murmur back. 

“In every universe my father hates me including this one. He wants me to be someone I’m not. Feeling that in every universe so far… it’s heartbreaking but I know I’m ok because of you two.”, Steve sighs and when you pull back he quickly wipes the tear that escaped down his cheek. 

“In all of mine my mom is dead and my dad abandons me leaving me with my uncle. I…I feel them all…all the memories those other versions of me have with my mother being a loving woman and my father being an abusive piece of shit. I feel what I feel for you and Steve; my best friend and the woman I care for. I get overcome with this strong need to protect you.”, Eddie follows as his voice shakes.

“That has to mean something. If whatever you did in those universes didn’t affect us there…”

“Then it won’t affect us here.”, the metalhead finished. 

Shaking your head, you push yourself away from them and pull up your sweats as you head for the door. 

“You’re safe with us, Y/N.”, Steve called giving you pause. “That’s been the same in every universe to…including this one.”

@baileebear @jasminelafleur @twirls827 @dashingdeb16 @myherometalhead @starboygf @alba8688 @crybabyddl @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @utterlyinsanity @hardladyheart @yesimabratandwhataboutot @chelebelletx @season4steve @fic-lover-29 @micheledawn1975

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[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

Hey there! Can I request genshin men (preferably with baizhu, tighnari, alhaitham and any characters that you like ) walking in to there s/o (fem) cutting, feel free to delete this request if it is too much (they patch her up and comfort her), thank you and have a nice day<3 oh and sorry for the english it’s not my first language:(

Hi! Thank you for your request! Sorry it took so long. I hope you like the headcanons!

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Characters: Baizhu, Tighnari, Alhaitham x gn! Reader

Warnings: Mentions of self-harm. Nothing too graphic but it's there.

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The characters walk in on you cutting. How will they react and help out in their own unique way?

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

Baizhu is probably the best person to be in this situation. Sure, no one wants to walk into this situation, but he’s got the medical knowledge and training to help get both of you through.

He’ll keep his voice calm, despite his racing pulse and talk you through putting down the blade of your own accord.

Once you’re out of immediate danger, he’ll begin bandaging your wounds, taking care to not cause you any more pain than you’ve already been through.

He’ll bundle you off to bed and bring you some snacks, drinks, and medicine to help you feel better. Then, depending on what you’d prefer, he’ll either sit with you in silence, talk to you quietly about nothing in particular, or listen as you tell him what’s been going on lately.

Baizhu is certainly more likely to keep a close eye on you for a while after that. He couldn’t take it if you were ever to cause yourself major harm and he wasn’t able to do anything about it.

Tighnari is a more tender version of Baizhu. While Baizhu can seem clinical in making sure you’re okay, Tighnari is going to do his best to support you physically and emotionally.

As soon as he walks in, he’s going to crouch down next to you and gently talk you through handing him the blade.

Once it’s been passed over and you’re out of immediate danger, he’s calling out to any rangers nearby to go and get some fresh supplies so he can bandage your wounds with only the best.

After your injuries have been taken care of, Tighnari is going to wrap his arms around you gently, as if you’re liable to break if he holds you too tight. He’ll curl his tail around you too for the extra comfort.

He might come off as sassy and, at times disinterested, but he cares deeply about you and couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you. He’ll be sure to do regular check-ins with you from now on, just to make sure you’re doing okay.

Out of everyone, Alhaitham is probably the least prepared for this situation. Sure, he’s intelligent, but that doesn’t mean he knows what to do when he walks in on something like this.

This is the closest you’ll ever see him come to panicking. He’ll likely take a hurried step forward as if to move the blade away from you before freezing, realising that that might do more harm than good.

Then, he’ll sit down on the floor, facing you. He’s not great with words so don’t expect him to say much but he’ll gently reach over and take the blade from you, before getting some bandages and patching you up.

Then, and only then, once he knows you’re in no imminent danger of passing out, will he wrap his arms around you and begin comforting you in the only way he can: listing off all of his favourite qualities of you.

You mean more to him than he can ever hope to express and the thought of losing you, especially by your own hand, makes him realise just how much he needs you in his life.

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

Hey, did you enjoy this? If you like my writing, please consider donating to my Ko-Fi page! This will allow me to make some money off my writing, something I enjoy doing.

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[luckycheesefoodie321]

28/3/21 (don’t give a shit how long this is, imma use this stupid amount of attention my rant got properly)

Now maybe it’s tokenistic,.. maybe tumblr doesn’t have as much media presence as Twitter or Instagram..

But where fucking else on the internet or on major social media platforms do you have Black Lives Matter be pinned as number 1 on trending for the past 9-10 fucking months??

And now I believe they’ve done the same for Stop Asian Hate?

Some people may say it’s an empty gesture but if you’re wanting information or resources or just wanna keep up to date with what progress (or lack thereof) has been made, in either mission, then it’s right. Fucking. There.

And those all lives matter, racist, bigoted motherfuckers out there that are trying to suggest that only one of the movements can exist at a time or are in any way in competition with each other and therefore cannot support each other, you are gonna have to shut your fucking mouth and get the fuck away from my blog because you don’t deserve to be here unless you manage to pull your head outta your ass, educate yourself and do the right thing.

Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate are fighting their specific fights. There is no denying that. But their message is the same.

We deserve to live without persecution or fear because of our skin and/or where we come from.

As someone who is AAPI, but not living in America, just wanna make it clear.

This right here is fucking history, and I’m hoping y’all are staying safe.

———

Alright if y’all gonna boost visibility on what is essentially an angry rant about some nonsense I saw, then best step up and follow up:

LINKS (third time doing this on my phone I don’t care that it doesn’t look pretty: original posters @o-robin and @gublertoon

https://o-robin.tumblr.com/post/646028048856203264/ok-so-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-like-the

And

https://gublertoon.tumblr.com/post/645886170069336064/hello-just-a-lil-smth-please-dont-scroll-tw

These are their links and ideas I’m just putting it forward and y’all better do too)

https://stopaapihate.org

https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/

https://stopasianhate.carrd.co/

Donate and share:

https://mobile.twitter.com/__moonjar/status/1372053427426050048?s=21

More info:

https://href.li/?https://twitter.com/inniesangels/status/1372063506850140160?s=21

https://href.li/?https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate

Asian American Resource centre:

https://href.li/?https://www.aarcatl.org

News resource on anti-AAPI crimes:

https://href.li/?https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/there-were-3-800-anti-asian-racist-incidents-mostly-against-n1261257

Graphics:

https://href.li/?https://twitter.com/frogvk/status/1372062008070172682

More resources:

https://anthonyymackie.tumblr.com/post/645929911322918912/graphic-created-by-kimsaira-and-anniewu22

A comparison of BLM and Stop Asian Hate, something I mentioned in passing but a very important discussion to have - you can support both, but they are different battles to fight, and we cannot be diminishing the importance of either, especially to the people experiencing those specific struggles, even if we have shared feelings on the treatment:

https://incorrectzutaraquotes.tumblr.com/post/643840466835636224/stop-aapi-hate

Google doc with more resources:

https://href.li/?https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CGLrII9ycdPPcavGkatzGpoqGsdwJm46AgDXVWla3H8/mobilebasic

—————

Since I’m also trending on the BLM tag (sorry to take up space there, and remove attention from more relevant voices than mine and specifically the voices of Black individuals):

LINKS

Black Voter suppression + organisations to support

An important message on BLM and the fight against the persecution of black people in America

A post on Breonna Taylor and how her murderers have still not been punished accordingly, a year after her death

A fair point about performative activism, which is something I hope I am not guilty of doing (even as a POC) but probably am:

Article on how BLM and SAH are fighting on the same field (albeit a different battle)

A donation master post for BLM organisations, black owned businesses etc. it’s a bit older so maybe not all the links are active but I figure it’s still just as relevant

Ways to help the BLM movement:

[oriigirii]

Streamer MC headcannons with the brothers 💞

"You were quite a known face on social media back in the human realm, playing games, doing unboxings, just vibin in general, fans around the globe looked forward to your streams a lot! However, considering the sudden (unannounced) invitation to the exchange program, you had to leave all of that behind out of the blue. It wasn't as bad at first, but you have to admit you do miss the feeling of being able to do goofy shit online. Luckily for you, with the advance technology of Devildom and some spicy magic, the internet had synced with the human realm, and thats when you decided to finally re-enter the streaming scene. How will the brothers react upon seeing your peculiar past time?"

Head empty, No thoughts aside from the brothers just bothering the MC while they stream so here you go haha

Warnings: None, just crackhead energy and a lotta mispellings

Gender: Neutral!

Hotel: Trivago

* [ ಠ╭╮ಠ ] Lucifer *

{How did he know about your career?}

I honestly don't see him as someone who goes on the internet a lot

(He screams boomer to me, change my mind)

He doesn't have the time either, he's too focused on work!

So him finding out is gonna take a while

But! He did find out the hard way when shrilled screaming was heard from your room when he was passing by with some paper stacks in his arms (courtesy of Diavolo)

This man felt his instincts kick in, he ran as fast as he could, papers forgotten, and he immediately slammed your door open. Splinters scattering around, your door definitely damaged, as his eyes held a glare and his demon form was out, wings spread in a threatening display.

He was ready to beat someone's ass as he had thought someone had hurt you in here.

But all hes met with is you, infront of your chair and PC, and a game over on the screen...

To say he was unamused was an understatement cause you just lost your internet priviliges for giving him a heart attack (He said it was because you were being rowdy and noisy but with what you saw you knew that wasn't the case)

Good luck tryna puppy-eye your way to his heart to let you continue streaming lol.

If by some miracle you managed to wriggle your rights back from his hands, he'd warn you not to be so loud next time.

You already learnt your lesson though~ (Hopefully)

{How does he feel about your streams?}

Not everyone's the same, so if you were the shy soft streamer who does more art streams or something akin to a podcast, you can bet that Lucifer will be putting you on while he works, he kinda knows your streaming schedule at this point and if you were running late, he'd force one of his brothers to take over your dish washing duties or any chores you were stuck with

If you were the loud obnoxious meme type, hed still try to watch out of curiosity, and as much as he appreciates that you were getting comfortable here in Devildom with how you laugh and joke around, he still can't approve of it. Its too loud, its much like his brothers energy and he has enough of that already, so he probably doesn't watch as much.

He has countlessly came to your room to shush you and at this point your fans had made a compilation of each time Lucifer had barged in to tell you off

Look he likes it when you scream, but not when hes in the middle of work okay--

At this point, chat has deemed Lucifer as dad and you as their mom/dad.

If he ever catches wind of this he'd definitely be teasing you in private for centuries to come.

Overall fine with it, as long as don't do something stupid on stream.

* ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ Mammon*

{How did he know about your career?}

I would say he found out by him crashing into your streams midway but that's too predictable, hence why you've Mammon-proofed your bedroom during streaming hours!

Thanks to our wizard daddy, you have managed to cast a simple lock spell on your door and as well as a sound proofing

You love your broke idiot, but you did wanna keep the tone of your stream today a bit more chill, you wanted to have a proper Q&A with your fans to hopefully clear any bad vibes around your 3 month disappearance.

When Mammon has learnt your door was locked he definitely was a bit pissy, he knocked on your door loudly even and was calling out for you to let him in, but to no avail.

Bro he's scared.

He usually was allowed to enter, and you usually answered if you did need to be left alone for a bit, so just leaving him hanging got his mind racing and he had to press up his ear on the wooden door to try and hear if you were okay

When this continues on he finally resorts to getting help, but the only one in the house ws Levi, so he kicks down HIS door.

Levi boutta summon Lotan for interrupting him honestly

But as Mammon exclaim you weren't answering and he worried for your wellbeing, Levi rolls his eyes and scoffs,

"Idiot Mammon, they're streaming don't bother them…"

Streaming? why didn't you tell him???

Rude much.

He did huff and now was forcing his way to use Levi's PC for a moment

Can Levi stop him?

Nah.

He was busy on his console, and if he stood up now hed be breaking his world record so he was at a terrible state so he just resorts to threats of him drowning the Avatar of Greed if he does anything stupid on his PC.

He immediately logs in to your streaming platform and he watches for a bit,

You were more dolled up now just to look decent on stream, and he felt this jealousy rise as you interact with your chat, especially to those saying I love you's and stuff, and you even said it back? the audacity! You were his werent you? Were you replacing him with these nobodies?

He huffs as he realized that those who paid got their message highlighted, and thus, he starts donating. (Mind you this was Levi's account...)

"Mcccccc Open the dooorrr"

"Ill behave i promiseeeee"

"Cmon pleaseeee?"

Chat is c o n f u s i o n

NGL, they thought Mammon was a creepy stalker and red flags were being waved everywhere

but as chat was pondering who the hell he was, you can only sigh and look at the camera with that unamused expression, but ugh! you just KNOW hes doing that kicked puppy expression of his, and maybe it really wont be so bad

So you snap your fingers and say, "Okay MonMon, its open, Im giving you 3 seconds"

Mammon wasnt deemed to be the fastest out of his brothers for nothing

As soon as you got to '2', you were already tackled by the white haired male and chat went wild.

Now that you've shown your life in Devildom, maybe its time to introduce chat to your boyfriend no?

{How does he feel about your streams?}

You get paid to sit infront of a camera, do I have to say anything else?

But really though, as much as he enjoys the thought of getting so much cash from something so simple, he prefers the joy of being able to proudly exclaim that he was your first man!

ohhhh he thrives on the salt of your overly attached stans

but for those who fully support you, he always feels so mushy and shy when they say the ship you guys so hard

The fanarts has him WEAK (he may or may not have saved a few)

You usually do streams alone, but now you've allowed the door to be left open to let Mammon join whenever

Chat pogs when he enters with so much confidence, only for it to crumble when you kiss his cheek on stream.

Overall finds it fun to spend time with you, but just dont play scary games cause Lucifer might hang him upside down on stream.

* ▘▂▝ Leviathan*

{How did he know about your career?}

He is honestly the most attached to his D.D.D and he catches wind of almost anything going down in the internet, so your 'revival' being hyped up was something he definitely saw and he was just s wo o o ned

His Henry 2.0? a famous streamer?

Were you truly a blessing gifted upon him or was he dreaming?

He definitely didn't bring it up at first as he didn't wanna make it a big deal, but you notice hes been more in his head lately, and you have tried asking him what it was but to no avail.

You have to corner this little snake if you want answers and he eventually admits that he knew of your persona online and was incredibly shy to ask you to stream with him

He's a streamer himself afterall but maybe he doesnt stream as much as you do nor does he have as large of a following, so his intrusive thoughts attacked him and made him think that maybe since he wasnt as famous he didnt deserve to be in the same stream as you

Please tell him to join you and gib him kiss U3U

He'll absolutely m e l t

But now, as you make the announcement to your viewers and Levi to his, the internet explodes as a special collab stream was hapening between the expert gamer and avatar of envy of Devildom along with the beloved exchange student and streamer of the human realm

Your usual viewers reach between 10-15k, but as you start stream, that number boosts higher and beyond

Before streaming though, Levi was incredibly nervous, he'd picked the games for you to play that he knew you would enjoy with him, but his mind kept racing about whatthe fans thought, he didnt wanna disappoint them

But you had to remind him that whatever they say will not matter in the end as this was merely for fun, this was YOUR stream and you guys were gonna do what you want and nobody can have a say on it. (Maybe except Lucifer)

You usually talk for him with your bubbly personality, and to calm his nerves, he hs your pinky wraped around his where the camera can't see it.

Regardless, his thoughts subsided as you two delve into your stream that lasted a solid 7 hours, you definitely promised your chat that you and Levi will be doing more streams together from now on.

Once the cameras cut and yall are left alone, Both of you collapse on bed, and despite you being asleep already, Levi was just far too giddy as everything dwells on him.

Having a player 2 by his side now had never felt so intoxicating and he as just so lucky to have you.

{How does he feel about your streams?}

He obviously adores it, although some streams he wouldnt join just so he can play games on his own

He's still an introvert afterall, he needs his alone time

But he prefers that alone time with you, his Henry.

So when youre about to go stream, he kinda becomes a bit pouty, but with a simple promise of kisses (and maybe even more if youd like) he would let you go, but his attention would disappear from his game altogether.

He might just end up watching you instead

May or may not, at some point, just chat you and ask if its too late to join you

You do allow him to join you and play from the comforts of his room as both of you can simply play via internet, you give him the comfort to not turn on his mic or webcam either and you have no idea how he appreciates that.

Will definitely fight someone online when they start claiming you as theirs (-cough- stans) Please make sure it doesnt escalate to him summoning Lotan

Although the comments would often get to him, and as much as he can fight them online, he still does find himself pondering if they were true, so you need to give him a lotta lovin and reminder that he is your player 1 and no one else can ever fill that place.

------

Wow 3 brothers this time, what an improvement, anyways hope yall enjoy! I think its pretty clear who I simp for depending o nthe length of each lol, but do let me know if you guys want a part 2 for the rest of the brothers, or even the undateables!

[superhero--imagines]

Part 12

Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here! / Part 3 Here! / Part 4 Here! / Part 5 Here! / Part 6 Here! / Part 7 Here! / Part 8 Here! / Part 9 Here! / Part 10 Here! / Part 11 Here!

* You stare at the blank ceiling, the smooth unblemished surface like freshly fallen snow

* you should really put some nudie posters up there or something to lighten the mood a little. 

* Light notes from the piano float around your room

* You sigh, so these are the facts as you know them:

* Edward is your best friend who has occasional bouts of brooding and flirtatious behavior.

* Bella is not albino, she has a lovely peach undertone, and a lovely grilled peach scent

* The entire coven has treated your attraction to this young lady’s blood like you got caught masturbating or wetting the bed or something

* “You don’t need to be embarrassed it’s a perfectly natural feeling.” Esme tells you while rubbing your shoulders

* “We’ve all been there” Rosalie reassures

* “Totally not a big deal, it happens to me everyday!” Jasper chimes in

* You wish sunlight hurt you so you could combust into flames on the spot

* The piano notes get louder, and you feel your mouth pinch into a frown.

* “Oh my god Edward! Read the room, I want brooding music!”

* Edward stops, up until then he had been playing a pretty cheerful Mozart piece

* You can tell he wants to ask why, you’ve been radiating joy non-stop since biology. But he decides against it

* “You really shouldn’t eat lying down.” He says as you sip blood while lying flat on your bed.

* “Okay dad.” You snort

* Edward starts to imagine what it would be like if you called him ‘daddy’

* All needy on top of him, your hands curled in fists against his chest, the breathy “daddy please” that leaves your mouth

* All of a sudden he’s ugly turned on

* “Ugh you’re no fun, I’m going to hang out with Rosalie”

* You leave the room and Edward has a total meltdown, is this what a kink is? Is he discovering a kink?!? At 100 years of age?!?!?!?

* Edward.exe is broken

* You don’t even make it to Rosalie’s room, you can smell them a mile away

* Broccoli, sugar and fat, and axe body spray. No peaches you realize with a sigh.

* They’ve only just barely rung the door bell when you open the door

* “Hey what are you guys doing here?”

* Jessica’s standing in front, looking pretty at ease, while Mike and Angela look equally uncomfortable.

* Makes sense, Jessica’s here all the time now either for homework or to watch TV.

* Mike and Angela haven’t been back since your sweet sixteen

* “How did you get down here so fast?”

* “I saw your car from upstairs” you say with a sheepish smile.

* You wish Alice would have given you a heads up, you weren’t planning on pretending to be human right now. Still you probably look raggedy enough right now in sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt

* You can probably pull this sick thing off

* “We just wanted to check up on you, I heard from Mike and Angela you got sick during class.” And then in a more annoyed tone Jessica adds “And I guess you’re too sick to respond to all my texts and calls”

* Oh crap, where is your phone.

* You pat your pockets, and think when you saw it last

* “I left it in my locker” you smack your head. You told Edward to go grab your bag from class but you forgot your phone.

* “Hey don’t worry about it, I can get it for you tomorrow if you want.” Jessica rushes to your side and pats your arm. You shake your head

* “No I can get it myself, I’m fine I just ate something bad.” You mumble.

* You’re not missing school tomorrow. You would literally risk murder to smell Bella again.

* It’s not insatiable thirst like described in the books, more like a craving, like someone might have for nachos.

* It itches at you for a while, but if you just distract yourself long enough you can move on

* “Would you like to come in? I think Esme just baked cookies or scones or something.”

* Esme likes to bake for the smell and donate the food to the local shelter. That, or take it for her employees at her architectural firm in town.

* Firm is a loose word, she has maybe four employees, and they get one job a month, but it seems to make her happy.

* Angela and Mike give each other looks but Jessica perks up

* “Is she making those delicious earl grey scones again?” You sniff the air

* “I think she made some of that orange zest butter too”

* “Omg I am so happy you left your phone at school” Jessica giggles walking inside past you, you hear her greet Esme with a squeal

* “They really are good.” You tell them and your remaining human friends enter the house carefully

* “Soooo where is everyone?” Mike asks taking a look around your living room.

* “Ummm Rosalie’s in the garage, Alice is probably meditating on the roof, Emmett’s at swim practice, and Jasper’s probably at the barn.”

* “What about Edward?” Angela asks before Mike can ask about the barn

* Last you saw him he was playing the piano in your room, but it’s been a while since then

* “He’s probably in his room monologuing about the degradation of the American dream or something.”

* You lead them into the kitchen where Esme and Jessica are already deep in conversation about the wonder of her baking

* “-side is so light and fluffy, how do you get the tea flavor though”

* “Witchcraft.” Esme jokes, giving a full smile before putting another tray in the oven. Only Jessica laughs, the other two are too nervous to even sit down

* “Why don’t I teach you how when you come over next week.”

* Yeah you’re pretty sure Jessica is really only a fan of the “eating” and not of the “baking”

* You’re half surprised when she seems happy at the invitation. 

* “Oh that sounds great, I can’t wait for it!” Jessica’s practically beaming

* Where’s Edward when you need him? You wonder what her motivations are. 

* Jasper is not going to like this. He’s already irritated enough that he’s kicked out of his own house every Friday when Jessica comes over to watch arrested development

* Before you can say anything to Esme the conversation moves forward

* “Did you guys hear about that security guard that died in Mason county?”

* She’s just making small talk, you know that. But you and Esme instantly tense at the mention

* Carlisle had mentioned he thought there was a nomad wandering through, they were still far enough not to cause the coven immediate trouble, but anything that brought more attention to them was a disadvantage

* “My Dad says he heard from Chief Swan it was probably a wild animal attack” Mike mumbles over a bite of scone, you figured he would be the easiest to win over with food

* You hide a smile behind your hand, he really is like a golden retriever

* “What kind of a wild animal climbs stairs into a building” Jessica mumbles over another bite of scone. And maybe to fit in, or maybe because she’s always been a nervous eater, Angela takes a bite too.

* “Oh wow, these are really good” she murmurs

* Esme Cullen ladies and gentleman, winning the hearts of teenagers with baked goods since 19XX

* “Well you kids stay safe, stay together if you can.” She pats your head and you nod.

* You don’t know the details of the attack, you get the feeling Carlisle still see’s you as a kid and he doesn’t want to burden you.

* But assuming the small changes that have happened have nothing to do with the large changes, that means Laurent, James and Victoria will be passing through soon.

* Maybe it’s for the best Bella doesn’t get involved with Edward until later.

* You’d really like to not get all mixed up in the whole “James Thing” if you can help it.

* “Are you staying for dinner? I’m thinking of whipping up some pasta, maybe a chicken?” Esme looks to you, yeah you have no idea how she’s going to manage that. Besides the baking basics there’s no actually food in this kitchen. And the one upstairs is just for your blood bags.

* “(Y/N), do you think...Carlisle would mind if we used one of... his chickens?”

* His chickens? The only chickens in the house-

* “No Esme! My chickens are only for love and chicken snuggles” and their blood which tastes very leans yet rich. “Not to eat!”

* “It would just be one-we’ll eat your least favorite!”

* You’re really hoping this is her way of chasing the humans out because she doesn’t want to cook.

* “No- oh my god- we’re going to the diner come on!” You say tugging Jessica and Angela to stand.

* “It was great seeing you again Mrs. Cullen, see you next week!” Jessica shouts as the three of them follow you out.

* “Going out? Is that such a good idea it’s late and a school night.” Edward says as he descends down the stairs

* “Oh my god, yes Dad I’ll be home before my curfew.” You say before leaving, cue Edward crumbling onto the stairs as he imagines you calling him “daddy” again

* “I’m going to hell, I’m definitely going to hell.” He mumbles, his face in his hand.

* It’s a really short drive to the diner, also known as the only place to eat in Forks in the mid 2000’s. 

*There’s not even a McDonald’s. It’s almost sad

* And when you get there, while everyone moves ahead to the table you see a familiar face.

* “Oh, Hey Bella”

* Your eyes met and you figured it would be rude not to say anything. It looks like she’s here having dinner with her Dad. 

*She really does look like her dad, same eyes, same cheekbones.

* “Nice to see you again Chief Swan”

* “Nice to see you too, how’s Carlisle doing? Heard it’s been busy at the hospital.”

* “Yeah, it’s like he doesn’t sleep anymore.” You grin at your own joke.

* “Are you feeling alright now?” Bella asks, she looks genuinely concerned

* “Yeah, I um, made some questionable food choices at lunch.”

* There’s an awkward moment of silence. You get the impression that Chief Swan and his daughter are both the “strong silent” types.

* It looks like they’ve both finished eating already

* If you had known she was going to be here you would have made Edward come with you. 

* “Oh hey, do you want to join us for dinner?” It just seems like the friendly thing to do for the new girl, something on-brand with human character

* Definitely not because if you get on her good side now, maybe she won’t kick you out once her and Edward get married. 

*Father and daughter exchange a glance and the familiar connection they have makes you nervous. 

*“Of course you don’t have to, I know you’re here with your dad so-“

* “I’m sure Bella would love to join-“ Charlie says at the same time Bella says:

* “Wouldn’t it be kind of weird since I already ate.”

* Ah, so they’re not as in sync as you thought. 

* You give your best “Golden Girl - You can totally trust me with your daughter” smile.

* “I’m actually not eating either,” you place a hand over your stomach like a human might. “The uh, Clam Linguine is still haunting me, so I’m sticking to broth and sprite.”

* Why did you say Clam? You don’t even eat meat, it’s how you’ve been getting away with eating so little at lunch. 

* “not a lot of vegetarian choices” You say to your human friends who nod solemnly. 

* Father and Daughter exchange another look likening telepathic communication and they both move to stand

* “I’m going to finish up some paperwork at the precinct, don’t stay out to late.” Charlie says, leaning down to kiss his daughter on the forehead

* You watch with warm eyes and a small smile twitching onto your lips

* Bella is so loved.

* You can’t believe she’s willing to break her dad’s heart just so she can be 19 forever.

* Which, as you are 19 forever, you can fairly say is overrated

* “Hey guys Bella’s joining us.”

* Your female friends offer her a polite smile, you see Angela gaze flick from the menu to Bella’s face. Silently calculating the worth of this opportunity

* Any intel on this new girl would be pretty valuable

* Same old Angela

* Mike sits up straight so fast that he actually knocks his silverware off the table.

* “H-hey Bella, Hi, w-what, what are you doing here?”

* “Eating.” Bella says it so bluntly that you can’t help but laugh.

* Mike flushes bright red and Jessica and Angela exchange a look before giggling.

* “I thought it would be cool if she came over since I didn’t get to talk to her much.” You take a seat next to Jessica and Bella follows by taking the last seat between you and Mike.

* You still catch whiffs of her scent her and there, especially when she’s sitting so close to you.

* But it’s not so bad, the peachy smell is making you a little lightheaded, but you can handle it.

* At least you’re not fantascizing about killing her and everyone in this room like a certain dork you know.

* “Do you guys want to do that promotion where we get the basket of fries for the table?” Jessica asks

* “I don’t like sharing fries with Mike he eats them all.” Angela mumbles

* Yeah you remember last time when after a football game the three of them actually sat down and divided the plate in three equal portions

* They even measured out each fry dividing up the extra long ones 

* “Says the person who basically eats ketchup with a spoon.” Mike retorts and Angela scoffs

* “It’s America’s best condiment for a reason Mike.” Angela snaps back

* “I think we’re getting off track, I say Mike buys us all french fries to make up for all the times he hogged the joint basket” Jessica’s teasing but Mike takes it seriously

* “What so I’m a French fry monster now?”

* “Yes” Both Angela and Jessica respond in unison without looking up from their menu cards

* “What do you think Bella?” You’re surprised that Jessica’s the one asking. You get the feeling she’s not very happy about Mike’s crush on Bella.

* “I think Mike should buy everyone their own basket since he has such a bad history with sharing.”

* “You traitor!” Mike mocks hurt and you all laugh.

* You look at Bella through the corner of your eye, maybe it’s just the lighting but she looks pinker when she’s laughing.

* She looks happy as she starts contributing to the conversation.

* “I will say the pie here is really good, I wouldn’t share even if someone paid me to.”

* “Omg yes, the cheery icebox pie is out of this world” Jessica responds

* “I’m partial to chess pie” Mike pipes in and Angela laughs

* “You guys are crazy, the fruit custard they make is the best”

* You grin as your four new friends argue about the superior dessert, watching Bella laugh beside you.

* Welcome to team human Bella

Tags:  @moonlights27 @thebluetint @the100thtwilight @awesomebooklover17 @oneofthepotterheads @smileygirl08 @imdoingathingmom @iconicgguk @yrawn @alyciaswhore @little-horror-show @wicked-watering-can @lazydreamers @xxxmuxxx @puritanicalhypocrite

[cassanovancats]

herding cats

becoming nekoma's manager

You really didn’t want to be here. Here being Tokyo, here being Nerima ward and, most importantly, here being the hallway of your new school. The uniform is itchy and you’re being dragged along by some student council member because, apparently, first years can’t be trusted to walk around themselves.

He was nice enough, though he certainly seemed more excited to show you around when he got a look at you. Then he got more excited when he found out your mom’s occupation was what brought you to Nekoma High halfway through your first-year. “So, what’s it like having a famous mom?”

Your eyes darted to the side instinctively. What kind of question is that? How are you supposed to answer? Like having a mom except you get asked things like that. “Uh, fine. She’s really not that cool.” Especially for moving you so late into the school year because her animation studio decided working distantly wasn’t working. “I get spoilers sometimes.” It’s exactly what he wants to hear.

You can hear the next question already, so you cut him off before he gets a chance to ask about the upcoming episode of the anime your mother was working on. “Ah, it seems we made it to the classroom. Thank you for helping me, Senpai.” You bow half heartedly and knock on the door before he gets a chance to respond.

This is exactly what you told your mother would happen. Even as you introduce yourself to the class, there’s a few people who instantly recognize your last name. Those students turn to whisper or pass notes and you know by lunch, you’ll be crowded by people hoping to become your friend purely for bragging rights. The teacher seems tuned to your inner angst, as she gracefully directs you to a seat in the back of the class, where you can watch instead of be watched.

The first subject of your people-watching is next to you - the one person who did not look up as you introduced yourself. A curtain of dark hair kept you from seeing any details of his face (and you can only tell it’s a he because of the uniform). What you can see is the screen of his handheld console and the bright features of one of your favorite games.

Which is why, during break, instead of making eye contact with any of the students striving to talk to you, you turn to him to complain about the latest update.

congrats, you befriended a wild kenma!

he’s the first person you’ve met in a while who doesn’t care about what your mom does, or how much money you have

he literally only cares about your ability to hard carry a team through a dungeon

a few weeks go by, with you basically just coming to school, talking to Kenma, and going home

until the student counselor comes to you and says you have to join a club

even though it’s the end of the year - some policy to ensure you have a club going into next year

“I hate this,” your complaint comes out severely muffled thanks to how you buried your face into folded arms. Kenma gives a noncommittal hum.

“Are you going to finish that?”

You glare at him but still shove the snack closer to his desk. One hand breaks away from his controller to snatch it, before it gets glued back to his PSP. “I’m serious - if one more club tries recruiting me, I’ll scream.”

He answers, sparing a side-glance towards you. The only hint he actually is listening. “Just warn me when that happens.” You groan and go back to your folded arms. It’s been hard to make friends despite people seeming desperate to be your friend. Well, that’s the problem, you think. You don’t particularly want friends who are planning what questions to ask before even greeting you, you want friends like Kenma who can treat you like a normal person.

Minutes before break ends, the president of the Anime Club approaches for the third time this week. “Hello, (l/n)-san. Have you thought any more about joining our club?”

You feel bad for the instinctive grimace. Really, she’s quite nice. It’s just an anime club is the last place you wish to be. Before you can find another polite way to let her down, Kenma interrupts. “Sorry, Sato-san. (y/n) is joining the volleyball club.”

“I am?” You can’t help but question. He shoots you a look, slighting narrowing his eyes.

“She’ll be meeting the captain at today’s practice.”

Sato-san tilts her head suspiciously but doesn’t press. “I hope to still see you around, (l/n)-san,” she says before flouncing off. You take a moment to reorient yourself.

“I am?”

Kenma sighs, saving his game and shoving the console into his bag. “Yeah, you are. Don’t worry, Kuroo will just be glad a girl is there. Coach Nekomata won’t decline help either.”

You blink at him. “Are you aware the only rules I know about volleyball is to not let the ball hit the ground and to only use your hands?”

“The last one isn’t true.”

“Do you see my point, then?”

yes he does, but he simply chooses to ignore you

it…. does not go well

Kuroo was awkward around you, which turned into a mischievousness when he realized Kenma was the one who brought you in

he kept insinuating you and Kenma were dating which like… no you were just a girl (space) friend

Yaku and Kai were normal-ish though Yaku straight-up asked if your mom was the (l/n)

he let it drop after confirmation at least

then… there was the students in your year

Kenma hovered near you, feeling responsible for putting you in a situation nearly identical to what Kuroo did to him

Yamamoto seemed flustered by your presence and also irritated that Kenma already was your friend

Fukunaga just kinda waved and went back to practicing

it took a while for everyone to get over their initial awkwardness, mostly being helped by having to constantly explain what was happening

but the time spent together meant you quickly found friends

friends who, similar to Kenma, dgaf about anything besides your personality and ability to quickly refill water bottles

Maybe you should have realized sooner what joining the volleyball club entailed. It’s not like you ever really participated in an organized sport though, so these summer practices were kicking your ass. The early morning and heat.... You felt pity for your boys; at least you weren’t having to run. Speaking of, the new members of your team just rounded the last bend.

“Come on, babies,” Kuroo cups his hands over his mouth to ‘encourage’ the first-years. “Even (y/n) could beat that!”

“Don’t say that; Lev’s gonna wanna see it!” you hiss, hitting his side.

Speaking of, the giant, silver puppy heads straight to you. After introductions, his upperclassmen quickly understood Lev required a, well, firm hand. Something you lacked which made you the target of his affections. “Woahh, (y/n)-senpai must be fast! Why don’t you actually play any sports?”

Yaku’s eyes level a harsh glare on him, “Are you trying to insult our manager?”

Shibayama steps forward, saving Lev from having to repeat his run. “I am curious why you chose to be a volleyball manager. No offense, but… you don’t seem to care about the sport.”

“Ah, none taken,” you easily wave off his concern. “Volleyball’s cool enough, but you’re right that I’m not passionate about it in the same way as others on the team. I mostly joined because of Kenma, actually.”

The first-years felt confused. How could their quiet, cat-senpai pull in one of the most popular girls in school? Even last year, when they were in Nekoma's middle-school, they had heard rumors of you. When you joined the volleyball club, even teachers started giving the once-golden club attention again. It was how the club received funding to travel to Miyagi next week. (In addition to a large donation from your mom, who was overjoyed you actually made friends.)

“He was my first and only friend at Nekoma for a long time,” you explain. Lev gasps dramatically. It seems impossible to imagine you without lines of admirers. “It doesn’t matter now since everyone in the club is my friend! Take your bottles and get in the gym; we need to talk about the logistics of going to that camp with Karasuno.”

the ones who stay behind are upset </3 cough cough lev

you’re pretty surprised you do get to go

but you’re excited - from what you understand it’s a rural area and you’ve been in Tokyo your entire life

maybe you'll even see a cow!

except you get there, walk a few feet and then notice Kenma is missing

excitement: ruined

Kuroo panics while repeating that he is not panicking

then you both get a text that’s just “in a playground”

when you find him, you scold him on talking to strangers

anyways the rest of the day is spent familiarizing yourself with the gyms and rooms

you run into Kiyoko while preparing dinner for your team

she explains she’s the only other manager at the camp, but she won’t be staying with you

You’re a lil upset bc sleepover ruined but it seems weird to complain about getting your own room and bath

(you still spend most of the time in the team’s room because it got really lonely without your boys :( )

the next morning, the day of the actual match, you get to wear your Official Manager Clothes

which is really just the track jacket, but it makes you feel cool

meeting karasuno is,,, interesting

you’re starting to think you’ll never find a normal volleyball player

From the corner of your eye, you spot Yamamoto attempting to intimidate some Karasuno players. With a sigh, you go to fetch him.

“Tora-kun, can you please help me bring in some supplies? They’re too heavy,” you whine. It’s you’re tried and true method to keeping him on a leash. If he’s helping you, he’s with the team.

Except you don’t just get his attention, you also get the attention of the boy he was staring down. Tanka startles at your sudden appearance behind Yamamoto and loses the harshness in his face. “G-girl-”

You make eye contact with Kenma who looks amused. He ignores your plead for help. Yamamoto takes the opportunity to flaunt you. “This is (y/n). Talk to her and you’ll learn how much pain a volleyball can inflict.” As he finishes his threat, he gets distracted by Kiyoko’s appearance over Tanka’s shoulder.

You decide it’s a lost cause and subtly inch away until you’re walking with Kiyoko. The boys are unable to hear what you’re talking about, but both stare dumbfounded as the only two girls in the entire camp gossip and laugh. Tanka and Yamamoto share a look; maybe there’s something shared between the two they didn’t see before.

“Is your idiot always like that?”

“Yeah, I assume that’s normal for your team too?”

[lovesgonnabe]

Love Is Worth It Episode V - We Got The Pandemic Blues Under a New York City Skyline

Characters: Chris Evans x Maya Alonso-Evans (Black OFC)

Warnings: straight fluff, cursing, implied smut.

Word Count: 3485

Summary: What happens in NYC stays in NYC!

AN: The NYC Skyline prompt is by @iguessweallcrazyithinktho thank you so much for letting me use your theme I hope I did it justice. If you haven't read any of her stuff what are you doing get on it!

Disclaimer: There’s only slight edits so there may be errors. Also if you haven’t noticed this series will have many time jumps and things referenced here may make more sense later on in the series when new episodes come out so please bear with me.

Taglist: @thesecretlifeofdaydreamss, @canadian-girl87, @i-just-like-fanfics, @omg-mymelaninisbeautiful​ if you would like to join the taglist message me.

Please leave a note and tell me what you think!

June 13th, 2020

Being with Chris had its many perks but not working was definitely one Maya never wanted to take advantage of.

When Chris first brought it up when they got engaged she looked at him like he had two heads and said “I worked to hard put myself through school to get these expensive ass letters behind my name to just stay my ass at home” and that was the last time they had that conversation.

But fast forward to 2020 If you told Maya that she would have to close both of her dermatology offices in the middle of award season a few months ago she would have laughed at you.

She just couldn’t see herself not working because she loved what she does, but with both New York and Boston putting in place stay at home orders there’s nothing she could do.

It didn't help that it was only Maya in Boston dealing with work and all that entails, Delilah's up in the air school situation, and a whole hoax of things while Chris was in L A being as supportive of a husband and father as he could be on the other side of the country.

At least Dodger was being pretty normal.

Thanks to Chris's family for being so helpful where they could because for a minute Maya felt like she was beginning to drown.

This saga starts with the beginning of the pandemic.

January was chill there were whispers that there was a deadly pandemic on the horizon but no one took it seriously.

February Chris had left at the beginning of the month to LA to promote his new show Defending Jacob and it wasn't like anything out of the ordinary the couple worked, and called each other daily.

Chris told her he'd have to be there through March but would be home in time for Maya's birthday in April.

Her lawsuit against Boston PD was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount that was donated to charity and trust me that lawsuit cost them a pretty penny because Chris was threatening to go to the press and Boston PD did not need anymore negative press.

After finding out that the older officer already had many reports against him for abuse of power he was "let go" by Boston PD and the other officer was demoted to desk duty and sent Maya an apology letter for his actions

She thinks he only did it because her husband is Chris Evans but she tries not to be a cynic.

In mid March with her offices were forced to close and the lives of her twenty employees were in her hands, but sin there was no money coming in she had to regrettably furlough all of them until she could open back up.

This news could come at a worse time because Lilah's school was trying to transition them to online learning for the rest of the year.

So Maya now had to also be her home school teacher for the last 2 months before summer vacation .

Maya does feel blessed because she was still able to teach some derm online classes through NYU, and her family was healthy but Chris still wasn't home.

Because of travel restrictions in LA on April 1st Maya found out that the earliest Chris could be home was in possibly July or Mid June if they are lucky because he need to start filming for Grey Man that was set in Boston.

Then rumors started to swirl that Chris could be cheating on Maya but

She doesn't play that and isn't a dummy

Chris isn't stupid and

He's been in their home in LA quarenting with his brother Scott the whole time so if some foul shit did happen she would be the first one to know and on the first jet smoking to beat some ass.

But hey when it rains it pours.

In interviews Chris would say he was "quartining with his family at home in Boston."

They would try to make the spaces look just like Chris and Maya's homebase in Boston even going as far as strategically moving photos of them in the background to make it look like his office at home.

And it actually work most people thought Chris was in Boston anyways and it was all gossip the others thought he went back home to clean up this mess.

But nope Chris was not in Boston he was 2,764 miles away and this time it all just felt different and he hated not being able to be there with them during this crazy uncertain time and Maya just needed a vacation.

In April Maya and Delilah just had dinner at the house for her birthday they facetimed Chris and once Liliah had gone to bed Chris and Maya had sexytime over the phone.

The rest of the month Maya just went with the flow and did the same through June.

Now we are all caught up and in the present day.

It's Chris's 39th birthday but he was still in LA.

Maya stayed up to call him at midnight in LA because that was their tradition but now it was about 12pm and Chris has not picked up any of her phone calls Maya was annoyed.

Maya and Delilah sat in the Den as Maya was detangling Delilah's freshly washed hair getting ready to put her curly hair into braids as Mulan played on the tv in front of them.

"Mommy can I call dad it's his birthday and I haven't got to talk to him today. Lilah says playing with Maya's phone.

"Go ahead sweetheart maybe you'll have better luck them me." said Maya as she sectioned Lilah's hair.

As the facetime ringtone went Dodger who was laying in his dog bed next to Lilah began to bark and then he ran for the front door Maya looked that way but didn't see anything since the alarm didn't go off either which she found strange.

She shrugged it off only for a second until she heard a bag hit the ground as she quickly stood up the only thought in her head was to protect Delilah helping her to hide under the couch.

As the person entered their den Dodger continued to bark and she grabbed a pair hair scissors about to attack the intruder until she saw his face and exhaled the breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"CHRIS you scared the shit out of me" she said before he could say anything.

He laughed "Baby I didn't mean to scare you" Chris said

Lilah screamed and crawled from under the couch.

"daddy, daddy, daddy I missed you and Happy Birthday." Lilah said running into Chris's arm.

"I missed you to babycakes you been taking care of mommy for me" Chris said holding Lilah and walking towards a still shocked Maya.

He kissed Maya's forehead trying to pull her into a hug but she rolled her eyes and pushed his hand away.

"Chris i thought you weren't coming home till July" Maya asked

Chris shrugged "plans change now are you gonna come and give daddy a kiss you what"

He said flopping on the couch with Lilah on his lap.

Mays sucked her teeth peeked his lips and told Lilah to come so she could finish her hair.

Her saltiness cause Chris to laugh as Lilah moved over to her mom.

They were sitting on the same couch so Chris bent over and began to whisper in her ear. "Stop acting like that baby I wanted to surprise you"

Maya gave minimal response and Chris didn't like that so then he brought heat.

When he walked Maya had on a beige short set the top was fairly tin and the shorts barely covered her ass, he could see her nipples stand at attention on her delicious breast when walked.

It's been 3 months since he's had sex with his wife and boy can he feel it. He gave her tigh a firm squeeze now pecking her spot behind her ear forcing Maya to stop mid greasing Lilah's scalp to take a deep breath.

"if you stop acting up tonight I'll do that thing with my tongue that you like if not daddy won't be letting you cum at all tonight.

Chris said moving his body back to his original position smirking at his shooken up wife whose attitude did a 180 quick, fast and in a hurry.

Chris was no home and with his girls and he couldn’t be any happier.

After braiding Delilah's hair Maya went and they dropped her off at Chris’s moms which was a fight in itself because she wanted to stay with her daddy but Maya had other plans.

The original plan was to take Chris out of the country for his birthday but plans change.

Before Chris showed up today Maya had nothing planned for Chris's birthday because he was not suppose to be home they were just going to the same thing they did for her birthday.

On there way back home my had an idea with there hands intertwined Maya began to speak.

“So birthday boy what do you want to do for your birthday” Maya asked

“You know I don’t care as long as I’m with you my love” Chris said kissing her hand.

Maya giggled “Well we’ve dropped Dede at your moms and Scott said he could take Dodger”

She states looking at the puppy through the rear view mirror as Chris began to rub is thumb over her knuckles.

“It seems you already have a plan for us babe” he smirks

“I know you are just getting home but how about we drop Dodger off and I was thinking maybe drive to New York, I need to get out of Boston and have a bit of a staycation”. She said.

Chris chuckled and looked at Maya as the stopped at the red light.

“Wherever you lead I’ll follow. He said

“You are so corny old man” Maya laughed as she leaned over and peek his sweet lips.

They continued their drive to Scotts and talked enjoying eachothers company for the first time in a while, they were so wrapped up in each other that Dodger had to bark to remind Chris he was about to pass Scoots house .

Maya laughed at the puppy then pet him telling him how good of a dog he is.

“Alright birthday boy Scott has Dodger now let's switch its my turn to drive you around” She said.

They headed home to pick up a few things and then The Evans were off and headed for there trip.

After the 3 and 1/2 hour drive they got to New York and the barren streets shocked them.

They are staying in there penthouse apartment on the upper east side that over looks Central Park and New York's famous skyline.

Before settling in Maya decided to get groceries once she got back Jazz played softly in her ears as the punchy aroma of the candle Slow Burn hit her nose.

“Hey Chris I'm back” she called out to him.

She was met without a response just the smooth stylings of Frank Sinatra.

Maya put the groceries in the kitchen and headed to their master bedroom.

Kicking her shoes off and following the rose petals into the bathroom that revealed Chris who sat in all his glory in the pink tinted bathtub.

Apparently he did not hear her as his eyes stayed closed and his arms outstretched.

And all Maya could do was admire the greek god that was her husband.

His long wingspan encompassed the entire back of the tub as his strong biceps would flex ever deep breath he took. And don't to get Maya started on those baby blues which were one of the only things Lilah did not get from Chris. Those same blue eyes were now looking straight at her.

“I was hoping you’d be back soon” he said

Raising his head to look at his goddess of a wife smirking at him.

“So I’m guessing you would like me to join you?” She asked

Maya teased him as she began to slowly remove her clothes.

“Hey aren’t I the birthday boy that shouldn’t even be a question Maya so you better bring your sexy ass in here” Chris said to her as his arms still laid on the back of the tub looking like a king”

Maya stepped in with Chris’s help the warm water encapsulating her body as she sinks down.

She sighs in satisfaction when her body is finally completely in the water as she lays into Chris’s embrace.

They just sit there and enjoy each other company, washing the dirt off of each other from the day, and stealing kisses from one another.

Maya and Chris were that couple you loved to hate they didn’t show off their love that much with Chris’s anxiety and Maya’s destain for public scrutiny because she’s black woman with a man of Chris stature, PDA was mostly off the table. However behind closed doors they are the cutest most intimate couple you’d ever meet.

Once she was clean from her road dirt Maya left the water first placing a kiss on Chris’s lips as she headed to start dinner and Chris laid back and continued to relax.

Once Chris finally got out the bath he found Maya in the kitchen halfway finished with dinner.

“Jesus babe it smells fantastic in here and I see you changed the music” Chris said

He was now fully dressed in a blue t-shit in matching joggers, his hair damp from the bath as Lauryn Hill's rendition of Can't Take My Eyes off of You played in the background.

She chuckled “only the best for you my king”

"Mhm I like the sound of that" He said as he went in the fridge and grabbed a bottle of white wine and poured them both a glass.

She was at the counter cutting up veggies.

“Ok so how long do I have wait before I can devour all this?” he asked placing the glass in front of Maya.

They took their first cheers of the night tapping the glasses together.

Maya took a sip and moan at the taste of the wine.

“Soon Chris don’t stress it babe you will be fed very soon” she said.

Her hips began to sway to the music as she hummed along.

At long last, love has arrived, and I thank God I'm alive

Chris walked up behind her wrapping her arms around waist swaying with her body and catching the rhythm.

You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off you

Moving her hair to her left shoulder Chris begins to kiss her neck.

"Remember when we first bought this place." Chris asked

"Yes you didn't want to you said my place in Brooklyn was enough for us" Maya said putting the knife down and melted into Chris's strong arms.

"Mmm but you did an excellent job at convincing me why we need this place, 3 bedrooms right in the Heart of the city just for times likes these when want to get away." Chris said with his arms still wrapped around her.

She laughed "I thought it was because you fucked me against the balcony on our terrace is why you said yes"

He smirked at the memory "well that to"

Chris sucked on her neck and moved his down her satin dress but the timer on the pot decided to be a cock block and go off before he could make a move.

He groaned and Maya laughed directed him to get ready to eat.

Just as the food was finishing up Chris set the dining table for two, taking the rest of the flowers from his bath laying them out between the kitchen and there Terrence where they were having dinner overlooking the city.

It was a beautiful night. There was a soft breeze and the city was a glow quieter that usual but still a sight to behold.

Maya brought out the food as Chris poured them another glass, they both sat prayed then rose their glasses to cheers again.

During dinner Chris made some corny jokes that always seemed to put Maya in a better mood as Maya would slyly rub her foot up Chris’s pant leg.

Next came dessert still out on the terrace they shared a slice of cake (more like Maya fed Chris cake) which is how she ended up in his lap enjoying the very expensive yet immaculate view they had from their home.

He rubbed her thigh as he kisses her shoulder just thinking of the fastest way to get Maya out of her dress.

"god you are beautiful" Chris said

His hand now playing with the trim of her panties under her strappy white satin dress.

"Oh no birthday boy you not fucking me out here tonight you gotta come inside for your last present" Maya said.

Chris groaned Maya got up seductively waking back inside her curves just begging him to follow her

“This woman Is going to be the death of me” Chris thought as he came back inside and closed the door that lead to the terrace.

Maya handed Chris his third and final glass of wine of the night.

He raised an eyebrow "Are you trying to get me drunk Mrs. Evans so you can have your way with me?" he asked.

Taking a sip from his glass he smacked Maya the ass and watched it move as she walked towards their living room.

She laughed "I wouldn't have to get you drunk to have my way with you Mr. Evans"

Their living room had floor to ceiling windows that overlook Chris's second favorite city, and that's where Maya stood wine glass in hand looking all the people that looked like ants. But all Chris could think about was how this woman fell for him.

She watched the scenery and he watched her but when that signature trumpet blew he remembered that the music was still playing and so did she.

Maya turned around to see Chris was watching her one hand in his pocket and the other still holding his wine, she made a face at him.

"What are you looking at me like that Chris, you ok?” she asked hand on her hip taking another drink from her glass.

The moon shined off her skin like she was in the sun, her white dress reminding him of their wedding day the way it hugged her figure.

Still speechless Chris walked up to her placing both of their glasses on the coffee table, he brushed her hair behind her ear and she moans nuzzling her head in his touch.

"Baby I am absolutely perfect because I am here with you" he says.

Chris softly pulls her by the waist bringing her flush against her body as raspy voice of Louis Armstrong in Le Vie En Rose brought butterfly’s to Maya’s stomach because this was their song.

His hands lay softly on her waist as her arms lay around his shoulder as they dancer slowly around there living room.

Hold me close and hold me fast, The magic spell you cast, this is la vie en rose.

His cologne sent waves of pleasure and warmth through her body, when Maya laid her head on his chest not wanting to let him go. As their heartbeat became in sync the moonlight casted their sillones on the ground.

They were two lovers who were lost in eachother hoping to never get out and wanting to hide from the world it felt new but familiar.

Once the song ended Chris kissed her so deep and and passionately Maya thought she was gonna cum then and there.

Chris's hands moved from their previously respectable position making circle on her hips to the bottom of her ass telling Maya to jump causing Maya wrap her chocolate legs around his waist.

As Chris walked he kept repeating how much he missed Maya so much while he was in LA.

They couldn’t even make it back to their bedroom for their first round of many.

And Maya was a goner as Chris made love to her all night in every corner of their apartment as the city watched as the couple were engulfed with each other.

But there was a little voice in the back of Maya's head "Well damn how are we going to top 40 next year" it asked.

The preoccupied side of her brain shooed hat thought away so she could just enjoy being with her man at this moment.

Thanking god there was no more space between them like the miles before.

[accio-that-gay-shit]

Accident

Draco gets into a car accident and Harry is called and becomes a worried boyfriend. 

I hope this is what you wanted <3 

Cw: Details of a car crash

Word count: 2076

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Draco Malfoy was a good kid. He was a seventeen year old with a bright future. He had a rich family and successful father. He was a smart kid with good grades and good behavior.

He was a mostly normal kid. He did everything he was supposed to. Except for one thing. He was as bent as they got. But he still accepted himself the way he was, even if others he knew did not.

His boyfriend, Harry Potter could attest for him and prove he was a good kid. Not only was he smart, he was also a really good person. He donated to charity when he could. He stopped and gave money and food to homeless people when others ignored them. Hell, once he even gave a random bloody stranger his shoes because they were having to walk barefoot in the streets and something told him that they were having a bad day.

So Draco Malfoy only deserved the best of karma in his life. However, sometimes in life, things aren't always that fair.

The Malfoy heir was driving to his and his boyfriend's favorite diner for a date when it happened. It was raining, but Draco was driving as carefully as he could. He drove slow and used his signals when he turned. Harry wouldn't mind if he was a little late from driving slow.

He looked both ways before he started to drive forward again. From what seemed to be out of nowhere, a car comes speeding in on his left. Panicking in the few seconds he had, Draco had tried to back up but there was a car behind him who honked their horn at him. Draco quickly switched directions to drive forward but it was too late. The other car had come crashing into the side of his own.

Draco felt his life flash before his eyes as his car was pushed into the curb which sent it flying. He counted one flip, maybe two before the car landed back on the ground, yet still rolled again once or twice, damaging the car further. Draco screamed out as the windows broke, glass shards flying everywhere. He shielded his face from the flying glass with his arms, but it barely helped any.

Finally, the car stopped moving. He unbuckled and tried to push the door open but it didn't seem to budge. It didn't help that his arm hurt like hell and he felt he could barely move it.

He screamed out for help, his pain being the last of his worries right now. He was cut up and half his limbs felt broken but he needed to get out. So it was useless worrying about his injuries just that minute.

"Help!" He screamed. The car who had knocked into him had long drove off, most likely scared of getting arrested. After what seemed like an eternity, a car stopped and a man came running out to Draco's rescue.

"Please help me," Draco begged as the man knelt next to his window. "T-The door, it won't- it's not-" he couldn't finish his sentence since a few sobs escaped his throat.

The man at the window gave him a sympathetic look. He understood what Draco was trying to say and tried to tug on the door. It wouldn't budge, which caused Draco to let out another sob. He just wanted to see his boyfriend. He felt so tired, he could feel his eyes drifting shut, and he was almost subjected into darkness before the sound of fingers snapping caused him to jolt up.

"You're not dying on me," the man said. "We can get you out of here. I'm going to ask you to climb out of the window, sir."

Draco glaced at the area where a once full glass window was. Now there were only a few jagged pieces stuck in the edges.

The blonde nodded, deciding to take his chance with it rather than staying in the car. He used his arms to raise himself up, yelping in pain as he slipped and hit his chin.

Taking a deep breath, with the man's encouragement, Draco was able to climb out of the window of the car. His new designer clothes were ruined and ripped. But that was the least of his worries.

Draco had collapsed to the ground, a stranger coaxing him to stay still and breathe for a moment because an ambulance was on its way. As he heard the sirens in the distance, all Draco could think about was how much he wanted Harry in that moment.

But then he passed out.

When he woke back up, he was sure he must be dreaming because his wish had been answered. Sure enough, when he had opened his eyes, he had been his lovely boyfriend.

But he knew it wasn’t a dream by the amount of pain he was suddenly in. He cried out in pain as a sharp ache went through his shoulder.

Harry frowned worriedly and idly reached out to run a hand through his lover’s hair, trying to calm him. He was silent for a long moment before he finally whispered, “...What...What happened…?” 

Draco adjusted himself, wanting to get more comfortable. He felt a throbbing pain in his arm that was now in a cast. “Car…” He mumbled, closing his eyes to try and relieve his headache. 

Harry frowned, staring at the love of his life, all scratched and broken. “I know a car accident, but what happened? Were you not watching where you were going-” 

Draco’s eyes snapped open. “Of course I was! I always do. I don’t risk that kind of stuff and I thought you knew that.” 

Harry could hear the hurt tone in his voice and sighed. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. Then, what did happen??” 

Draco sighed and Harry grabbed his free hand to ease his nerves. “A car bumped into the side of mine when the light turned green. My car… it… can it be saved?” He asked, looking over at the doctor as he purposely avoided going into detail about the crash. Harry noticed how he purposely changed the subject, but he didn’t press. He knew this was hard on his lover and he didn’t want to make matters worse.

The doctor sighed. “All I know is that it’s been taken to the shop. We don’t know if it’ll be saved or not.”

Draco sighed. “Right. If not, it’s fine. I can always get a new one.” He murmured. His father had enough money. 

The doctor nodded and walked towards Draco. “You have a broken arm and your left ankle is sprained. As you’ve probably noticed, you have cuts all over your body, mostly from the broken glass. Luckily, the crash didn’t do much internal damage on your organs, so it could be much worse. You should be out of here today after we put a cast on your arm and ankle. Mr. Potter,” He said, turning to Harry. “Do you two live together?” 

Harry shook his head. “No. He still lives with his parents and I live with my uncles.” 

“Is there any way that he can stay with you for a couple of weeks until he’s completely healed?” 

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Draco interrupted. “As much as I’d genuinely love to stay with him,” He said in a non-sarcastic tone. “I can’t. My mother needs me around the house since my father works.” 

Both the doctor and Harry looked at him. “Either way, you’re going to need to try and rest for a couple of weeks. You’re to stay off your leg as much as you can and if you absolutely have to get up, you need to use crutches. Got it?” 

Draco blinked at him. How was he supposed to help out around the house? He didn’t want to leave this all for his mother to do. 

Harry started to talk before Draco could even get his thoughts clear. “He still goes to school right?” He asked, which was gifted with a nod from the health professional. “Okay. Then I’ll help him as much as I can there.” 

The doctor nodded his approval. “Any other questions?” He asked. 

Draco thought for a minute. He shook his head, sighing. 

The doctor nodded. “Good. How are you currently feeling, though?”

Draco tried his hardest not to give him a look and reply sarcastically. “In all honesty? Like shit. I feel like I just got in a car accident and had to climb out of a broken glass window. Oh wait…” 

Harry gave him a look that probably meant to play nice, but he just couldn’t. It wasn’t his fault he was a little upset after getting injured terribly. 

The doctor sighed and nodded. “That’s understandable… Is there anything you need?” The blonde shook his head once more. “Then, I’ll leave the two of you alone for a minute.” 

The blonde then scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Do I fucking need something…” 

Harry gave him another look. “Love…” He warned. 

Draco finally sighed. “Sorry… I’m just… It…” He drifted off, not really knowing how to explain it. 

Harry nodded, understanding completely anyways. “I know… I’m sorry. I should’ve been driving with you. That was the original plan, for me to pick you up but things got in the way and…” 

Draco gave him a look. “Harry, I love you to death, but seriously shut up. If we were in the same car, we both would’ve gotten hurt. Because it was me had nothing to do with anything.” 

Harry nodded, completely understanding. “I know, I know. I just…” He sighed, instinctively placing a hand on Draco’s unbroken arm, which Draco pulled away due to the pain it still had despite not being broken. “I just don’t like you hurt.”

Draco just stayed quiet. “You say that like I like being hurt.” He mumbled. 

Harry sighed. “Draco-”

The blonde stayed quiet for a couple of minutes. 

“I was… I was so scared when they called me. I thought you had… had…” The brunette boy couldn’t finish his sentence, so he drifted off with a frown. 

Draco stared at him, frowning. “Harry…” 

Said boy had wiped his eyes to ensure that the tears didn’t spill from them. “I’m fine. Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up. You were probably more scared than I.” 

Draco was quiet for another few minutes. “It flipped almost four times…” He whispered. “I was so sure I… That I… That I wouldn’t have been able to see you again. And that thought… that I’d never see your eyes or your adorable laugh again… It scared me. It scared me so bad…” 

The tears were now running freely down Harry’s face at the true honesty in his lover’s voice. “Aww, Harry baby, don’t cry…” Draco whispered. 

The boy gave a weak chuckle and wiped at his eyes again. “I know… I’m sorry, I just…”

Draco watched him carefully, urging him to go on. 

“I just really love you… I don’t want to ever lose you.” 

Draco felt a smile creep onto his face. “You won’t. I can promise you that. You’ll be stuck by my side for all eternity.” 

“I love you Hazza.” Draco whispered.

“I love you too Dray…” Harry whispered back, leaning forward to press a kiss onto his lips. 

They sat like that for a couple of minutes, kissing like there would be no tomorrow, before Draco pulled away. “Now go get the doctor so he can sign us out. I want out of here.” 

Harry laughed softly and nodded. Draco felt his heart melting at the sound. He loved Harry’s laugh dearly… He would never grow tired of hearing it. He watched as Harry left the room, his mind now filled with thoughts about his lover and everything he loved about him. 

When the doctor came back and checked him out, giving him casts and crutches, Draco was still lost in thoughts. 

While walking out of the building with Harry, Draco on the crutches, he was still lost in thoughts. 

It wasn’t until they approached Harry’s car that Draco said the three words that summed up his thoughts currently. He looked Harry in the eyes and with the brightest smile, he whispered, “I love you.” 

Harry smiled back, leaning forward to kiss him again. 

Maybe Draco could convince his parents to let him stay at Harry’s for a little bit… 

[imjusthereforbatfam]

Never-Ending Encore, ch.6

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Chapter Summary: Best way to make a new friend in the most dangerous city in the world? Simple! Offer them baked goods as a thanks after they patch you up from almost dying in a knife fight!! So easy!!! :D

Warning: minor blood, minor swearing

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“There you go,” Red Hood said opening the window to Eden’s fire escape from inside the apartment. She’d cautiously – and, in this instance, annoyingly – locked it earlier. “Back at Casa de Eden, safe and—”

“Don’t do that again!” she whisper-shrilled in his face.

Red Hood jerked back, surprised. The nerve! He knew full well he’d given Eden a heart attack vaulting off the fire escape like that. And he barely held on to the building while he checked her other window!

“You scared the livin' crap out of me! We’re on the ninth floor, for Pete’s sake!"

He scoffed. “Guess it’s a good thing you left the other window unlocked then, huh? Can you imagine? One little slip then, splat! No more Red Hood." He sniffed obnoxiously and wiped an imaginary tear from the eye of his helmet. "So sad."

“Oh please.” Eden rolled her eyes as she passed her groceries to him. “Like you wouldn’t have pulled out your grappling hook or something and saved yourself.”

“Oh?” He offered her his free hand, dropping the act. “So you mean I had everything under control? And you had nothing to freak out about? Imagine that.”

“Listen you,” Eden said taking his hand, allowing him to help her through the window. “You know well and good by now that I am a panicky person. The very least you could do is give me a heads up before you do something crazy like that!”

“Alright, fine. Don’t freak out, but I’m about to walk over to your table. So scary!”

She rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, I’m absolutely petrified, Mr. Hood.”

He let out a small amused sound. 

Cautiously holding her, he led her toward her kitchen table. Eden felt a little ridiculous, but he probably thought she’d keel over if he let her walk on her own. That's what would probably happen to a normal person who’d lost as much blood as her. So, despite being perfectly fine, she played along — totally not enjoying how close he was to her. Nope. Not even the littlest bit. 

But as he led her across the room, Eden couldn’t help but see her place with a fresh set of eyes. The kind a person only ever saw through when an unexpected visitor walked through their door — or, in this case, window.

Her apartment was so tiny and barren there honestly wasn’t much to see to begin with. But that didn’t stop Eden from noticing every flaw that was there. Every crumb and speck of dust. Every scuff and scratch that marked the fake wooden floor. The huge pile of “clean” clothes sitting on a chair next to her – thankfully closed – closet door. The walls void of anything but cracks, holes, and an old pair of coat hooks by the front door. 

Being in such a small space, and hoping to be able to afford something a little nicer in the not-too-distant future, Eden had decided early on not to fill it with any big or unnecessary furniture. It wasn’t like she needed much to begin with, and she didn’t want to deal with nine flights of stairs when she moved, so it had made sense.

Plus, it wasn’t like she planned on ever having guests. Even if she had people to invite over, inviting anybody to her neck of the woods would just be asking for trouble. Her neighborhood was far too… unneighborly. She’d feel tremendously guilty if anything bad happened to someone who shouldn’t be there to begin with.

But now that she had a guest, Eden severely regretted not trying to turn the rundown studio into something a little homier.

Her “living area” was a piss poor sight with only a lazily made-up mattress and a scratched-up coffee table to fill it. The mattress, which sat on the floor, acted as both Eden’s bed and couch; its sheets half sprawled, half bunched up in a way that Mama never would’ve allowed. The square coffee table – small enough for her to have carried onto the subway with only a little trouble – was absolutely covered in scattered piles of books, notebooks, and pens. Her laptop and headphones – the only things she’d splurged on with Frank’s money – sat on her bed, glaringly shiny and new compared to everything around them.

At least the tight galley kitchen was clean and tidy. She still swept and wiped everything down each night, just like she would back home. Even if the linoleum was unsalvageable in places and the counters worn down, it looked better to Eden than the living space. The colorful dishrags, oven mitts, and canisters of utensils gave it more character than any other space in the apartment. Made it more… presentable.

“By the way, please tell me that’s not your cellphone,” Red Hood groaned.

Eden glanced down at her phone, still on the kitchen table where she’d left it, right next to the tiny notebook of phone numbers. Then she looked up at him, confused.

“Of course it is… Whose else would it be?”

He made a gruff sound, stopping in front of the chair Eden had fled from... gosh, was it only an hour ago? She sat down as he set her bags in front of her with a loud thud. 

“Seriously? You went out this late and you didn’t even bring your phone? Do you still think you’re in Kansas, Dorothy?”

Eden frowned. “I know exactly where I am, Glinda.”

“I am not Glinda,” he argued.

“Then are you Elphaba? Or the Great and Powerful Oz himself?” She twirled her hand and dipped her head, giving him a quick, theatrical bow. “Your Oziness.”

He snorted. “I’m just saying it was stupid.”

“I know it was stupid, I just…”

Her eyes flickered down to the little notebook with all her friends and family’s numbers inside. Guilt pulled at her heartstrings. Then she looked to her phone.

Like her laptop and headphones, it was new and bought with Frank’s money. The same money she used to get here. The money he'd given her for trusting him with her “donation”. For agreeing to that stupid meeting in the first place. For thinking he was still her father after all these years.

What a joke.

“It doesn’t matter,” she huffed, snatching them up as she stood. “I’m just an idiot.”

She moved to the smallest of her kitchen drawers, her designated “junk drawer”. So far it only contained a few pens, a pad of post-it notes, a screwdriver, some scissors, and a hair tie. She tossed the phone and notebook in too and shut it roughly.

“Anyway.” She turned back to Red Hood. “What would you like for your thank you?”

Red Hood, who’d been watching at her intently, lifted his head slightly. “Huh?”

“What would you like?” she asked again, thinking it obvious. “I know you liked the cookies I made last week. I think it was snickerdoodles, right? Did you want some more of those or something else?”

“Or… Wait, what?”

“Or something else,” she repeated. “I know you’re keen on calling me that dumb cookie name, but I bake more than cookies, you know. Brownies, fudge, pie, cake — you name it! It doesn’t even have to be sweet either. The only thing I can’t do is make something with filling. I mean, I could but I haven’t bought a piping bag so I’d have to make do with a makeshift one; which, again, I could do, but it’d be a lot messier and I'm actually not that great at filling pastries either way, so I’d really rather not, but—”

“Wait, wait,” he said raising a hand and moving forward. “What are you talking about? Piping bags? Filling?”

“Uh, a thank you?” she said, again, like it was obvious. “You helped me a lot tonight and I want to make it up to you."

“You’ve already thanked me a few times,” he said turning his head a moment. “You really don’t have to—”

“Ohhhh no you don’t, Mr. Hood!” she said stepping forward and wagging her finger at him. “Don't you pretend you didn't go out of your way for me tonight. I know you did, and I know y’all aren’t that big on manners here, but it’s only right I go a little out of my way too to repay you for it.”

"But I can’t stay with you all night, Cookie Girl,” he teased, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter opposite her. “There might be some other dumbass buying eggs and flour in the middle of the night who gets in a knife fight. Can't leave them to bleed out on the streets, now can I?"

"I suppose not," she agreed. "Though I have to admit I'm a little disappointed." She pouted and fluttered her eyelashes. "You really don't think I'm a one-of-a-kind kind of dumbass, Mr. Hood?"

Red Hood barked out a laugh, making Eden grin.

“Oh hey, how about this!" she said jumping black to their original conversation. "I can make a batch of fudge and keep it until you have time in your very busy rescuing-total-idiots schedule to stop by again. Would that work?”

He rubbed the jaw of his helmet as he considered it, then turned to her again. “How good’s your fudge?”

She choked on a laugh at how serious he sounded and cleared her throat. “Pretty good, I’d say. Never heard any complaints and I’ve been making it about as long as I’ve been making cookies.”

He hummed comically loud, the distortion making it unharmonious. “Tempting. Very tempting."

“Annnnnd,” she said leaning forward, “it’d be another one of my Mama’s recipes. It doesn't get much better than that, Mr. Hood, I promise you.”

He hummed again. “I guess one batch of fudge couldn’t hurt.”

“Perfect!” Eden beamed, clapping her hands together. “Any allergies I should know about? Nuts? Dairy? Special calorie diet? Please say no to that one; I hate dealing with low-fat nonsense. I'll do it, of course, for you, but I won't like it.”

“Nah,” he said, sounding amused. “I'm good with whatever. Go crazy, Cookie Girl.”

“Alrighty then. Oh!” She steepled her fingertips and drummed them together, grinning. “Oh, I know exactly what I'll make you... hehehe...”

“Uh, should I be scared?” 

“Not at all, Mr. Hood!" she said far too sweetly. "You said go crazy, so crazy I'll go.”

He shook his head at her, then tilted it slightly. “You might wanna take a shower before you go too crazy."

"Hm?"

He nodded to her shirt and Eden glanced down.

“Oh. Right.” She still looked like a crime scene. She looked up at him again, sheepishly. "Sorry."

He shrugged, unbothered. "Don't be sorry. I’m just not huge a fan of blood in my fudge.”

"That's fair," Eden giggled, grateful for the ease that came from talking to him. She looked at her shirt again, grimaced, and pulled at the bloodied fabric. “I should probably go do that now actually...”

“I'll get out of your hair then," Red Hood said pushing himself away from the counter. "Try not to get your stitches wet if you can help it.” Then he stopped and turned as if remembering something. Eden waited until he finally decided to speak. “You seem to be able to hold yourself up now.”

Suddenly, remembering the role she was meant to be playing, her body self-corrected and started to droop to one side. Eden corrected that self-correction by dramatically shifting her weight to the other side then back again — like she was testing her balance in a very, very bizarre way.

“Yeah," she said standing upright again. "I’m not as dizzy as I was before.” Which was not untrue. She’d been extremely dizzy when he'd first found her and wasn’t at all now, so, technically, not a lie. “But I’ll sit down if it gets bad again. That’s what you’re supposed to do, right?”

Red Hood nodded slowly, not saying anything. He slung the black medical bag off his shoulder and put it on the table next to her groceries.

“I’ll leave this in case you need it," he muttered.

Eden nodded, knowing she wouldn’t, then walked him to the window. “Thanks, Mr. Hood. I’ll try to replace whatever I use." She smiled. "I don’t suppose you could give me a rough ballpark on when you might come back?” 

“What,” he teased climbing back onto her fire escape, “miss me already?”

“No,” she said too quickly. “Of course not. Don’t be dumb. I’m asking for the, uh, timeline. For… fudge. Purposes. Obviously.”

“Obviously,” he repeated, kneeling in front of her window.

Eden’s cheeks grew warmer and she looked away. “Anyway," she mumbled. "I’m home by 7 most nights. But Sunday or Monday night would work best for me.”

“Alright, I’ll try to shoot for one of those.” Red Hood glanced over his shoulder and down the street. “I really should go now, Cookie Girl.” He stood from the window and pulled out his grappling hook. “Try not to do anything too stupid while I’m gone.”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best,” she scoffed. “Try not to do anything too crazy before you come back." 

He snorted. “I’ll do my best.”

Eden smiled, becoming more sincere. "I'll see you later then, Mr. Hood."

"Yeah. See you later, Cookie Girl." 

He jumped off the fire escape and Eden leaned out her window to watch him soar across the street. He passed several buildings before landing on a rooftop, where he paused for a moment.

He looked back at her and Eden jerked in surprise, nearly smacking her head against the glass. She sent him a small, shy wave, embarrassed at having been caught watching him go, and Red Hood returned it with a raise of his hand. It looked like he might be shaking his head, too.

Eden quickly ducked back inside and shut and locked her window. She spun around and leaned against it, trying to calm her beating heart and fiery face.

She was already being stupid, it seemed. She really had no reason to be so embarrassed! People watch other people leave their houses all the time! Eden had stood out on the front porch plenty of times back home to watch folks go — sometimes with a smile and a wave, sometimes with a scowl and a rifle in her arms. So how was watching Red Hood go any different? She shook her head and sighed.

That sigh acted as a signal and started a chain reaction.

With nobody else around, her body freely began to set off all kinds of alarms. It had saved her from another encore, yes; and now it demanded its due. She was tired, starved, and just flat out weak from her body's efforts to keep her alive. 

The sudden wave of exhaustion nearly brought her to the floor. “Okay,” she mumbled, forcing herself to stand up straight. “Food, then shower, then sleep. Then everything ’ll be better,” she promised.

She stagged back to the table to take care of her groceries. Aside from a few cracked eggs, everything was still intact and, considering the adventurous night she’d had, Eden counted that as a victory.

She could have turned on the stove and heated up some leftovers. She wasn’t so hungry that she was just grabbing anything and shoving it into her mouth. But sleep's siren call was loud and clear, and Eden was eager for bed, so she ate her food cold standing over the sink. The casserole dish was empty before her stomach was full, but it would suffice until morning. 

When she turned on the bathroom light and saw her reflection, she froze. Is this what she'd looked like all night? No wonder Red Hood had been so concerned! She looked like she’d caught the red death and was bleeding from every pore! Her shirt was completely soaked through, which she’d already known, but some of the blood had also seeped into her coat and even her pants.

She took a step closer to the mirror. “Holy heck…” Red Hood agreeing to see her again was nothing short of a miracle.

The blood had completely stained the skin around her neck and chest. Only the space around her stitches was clean. The top of her hair was wild and windswept while the bottom half was damp and matted with blood. Her cheeks grew warm as some silly part of her lamented over Red Hood seeing her so gross and uncouth. She tried to fix her hair – as if doing so now would somehow change how she’d looked before – but gave up shortly after beginning. 

She turned on the shower and peeled the wet, sticky clothing from her body. Stepping into the hot water, the leftover strain in her muscles eased further, making it harder to keep herself upright. Using her nails, she picked at the adhesive part of the band-aid Red Hood had, half-jokingly, stuck to her palm before bringing her home. The cut, little more than a paper cut now, stung as soap suds and shampoo found their way into the tiny cracks of her skin.

At first, she tried to keep her stitches dry like Red Hood had told her, but gave up quickly. She was too tired for all that. And whatever consequences there were for a normal person wetting their stitches, it likely wouldn’t affect Eden much. Besides, the constant stream of warm water on her neck felt amazing. At least until washed-out conditioner seeped into her stitches. Then Eden regretted everything.

When she got out, she rubbed the mirror clean of fog to inspect her neck. It was just as she’d predicted.

Though red with irritation, the cut no longer reached down to her collarbone and the once deep gash in the crook of her neck was now but a shallow slice. By the time she woke up tomorrow, she doubted there would be anything left of the wound at all. The stitches had been, as she'd known, completely unnecessary. And now she was stuck with them. And would soon have no slice, no cut, nor wound to justify their existence. Great.

Turning out the light, she took a long breath. Hopefully, her body would make short work of the stitches and they would dissolve quickly. But until then, she would just have to keep her neck covered.

---

When she finally crawled into bed, Eden snuggled into her covers and replayed the night in her mind. For as much agony as his stitches had – and would – put her through, Red Hood had transformed her awful, lonely night into something warm and wonderful. And now, she even had something to look forward to. As she drifted off to sleep, Eden found herself smiling. Maybe, somewhere in this big, dangerous city, Red Hood was smiling, too.

She giggled softly at the thought, hoping that maybe – just maybe – he was eager to see her again, too.

Chapter 7

Kinda short this time but I hope it was still a nice read!

As always, even the tiniest feedback is loved and appreciated 🥰💕

[youcanteatmysins]

It's starting to get cold outside.

.

The air is crisp and the sky is grey. The plant life, for the most part, have started turning to more lighter and paler colors. The lightest of greens and yellows brushing the very edges of trees and grass alike. This isn't too much different than most days on Coruscant, given the lack of natural life left in the area, but it is noticeable. There usually isn't much time these days for basking in the weather, but one sometimes has to stop and enjoy these little changes. It's nice, Obi-Wan thinks. He's been here, doing all sorts of duty related missions for the Jedi Council, for most of his life. It is easy to let the days, months, and seasons pass without as much as a thought, especially when you're having to fight an ongoing, never-ending, intergalactic war.

.

Sometimes though, even as insignificant as it may seem, it's nice to stop and remember all the small things that happen around you that go unnoticed. One of those small things, is the scent of blended spices and legumes in the air. Sometimes the scent is more sweet with floral notes behind them, drawing the attention of many of the youth and elderly alike. Other times, it changes to a more bold scent, often there are notes of peppermint when the planet is at its coldest, or fruits such as shuura or meiloorun when the outside temperature is warmer. On occasions like these though, when the outside is barely starting to chill, is when the scent changes to his favorite blend spices; cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Obi-Wan finds time, be it on more scarce occasion, to stop by the local caf shop in the morning. He isn't too picky, anything with enough caffeine to jolt his systems is usually enough. But this scent? This lovely aroma of blended spices enchanting him with its charm? He can't pass this up for a regular espresso.

.

The shop isn't packed in this particular hour of the morning. About one and half hours after the caf shop opens and people are headed to their respective duties, it gets quiet. This is usually when Obi-Wan likes to show up.

.

Upon entering, there is a small bucket and a sign reading "please donate to your local shelter!" What kind of shelter? Obi-Wan thinks as he walks fully into the shop. The inside of the caf shop is layered with different shades of mute purples and browns, small 2-4 person tables are dotted to the left side of the entrance and two sofas line the wall. The relaxing atmosphere and caf filled aroma already makes Obi-Wan feel more ready for the day he is preparing to take on.

.

"Hello there" Obi-Wan greets the mikkian on the other side of the counter. The barista, who is tending to the pastries displayed on the counter beside the register, looks up to greet the man in front of them.

.

"Hi! What can I get for you this morning?"

.

"Can I have a pumpkin spice latte?"

.

"Of coarse! Anything else I could get for you?"

.

As Obi-Wan goes over in his mind if he is forgetting anything, he remembers Anakin complaining this morning about going to class, as well as the fact that Anakin would be upset with him if he found out he had gotten this sweet caf without him.

.

.

"Yes, can I make that two please? And that will be all"

.

"Sure thing! Will be ready in just a moment"

.

.

.

As Obi-Wan waited for his order, he began to reminisce on how his day was going, and what needed to be done for the rest of it.

.

Today wasn't terribly busy, actually far from it. It was one of the few days Obi-Wan had a few extra hours to spare for himself before picking Anakin back up from his classes. He wasn't really used to it these days, having to spend hours alone. Ever since his master had given him the responsibility of teaching Anakin, he was used to either having him around to keep the mood light or having other Jedi masters around to discuss their duties. He had recently picked up teaching Anakin how to play Sabacc; since the boy was already 16, he'd figured he would need the knowledge incase one of their missions required they gamble their way through it. He seemed to look forward to coming out of his classes to play the game, and Obi-Wan took comfort in that fact. There must be a lot of stress on that boy, with the war and his training, but at least he could enjoy these few things. Plus he got to talk with Anakin when they played. Sometimes he could even get Anakin to share some of his stresses with him, which made Obi-Wan feel better about his role as his master and guardian. Before they could sit down and play sabacc though, duties came first.

.

Anakin went to his classes from early on to the evening, and while Obi-Wan was usually busy during this time, he found he had a 3 hour gap in his schedule today. He decided to spend the first hour at the local library, remembering that he'd been needing to find a new book to read. Yes, the temple had a library of its own that Jedi can borrow and read books from, but there's only so much history and biographies one can handle; he wanted something new. It wasn’t too far, just about a 10 minute ride from the temple on a speeder. After spending an hour weighing his options of books and chatting with the librarian (who has a fine taste in literature), he decided on getting something warm to sip on and going to the local park.

.

Obi-Wan was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard "Here you go sir, your order is ready." He realized he had been standing by the counter and was starring off at the wall opposite of himself. His felt a slight bit of heat form on his cheeks.

.

"Thank you so much" Obi-Wan said as he turned to grab his coffees. He placed 10 credits in the barista's hand before asking "Oh and what kind of shelter is the sign for?" The barista looked confused for a moment before turning to the sign at the front entrance. "Oh! Yes that is for the local animal shelter. Since there isn't much plant life on Coruscant anymore, the shelter has taken in any animals that have been found wandering the streets, since of coarse they don't have the means necessary anymore for survival here."

.

An animal shelter? Obi-Wan is surprised. He hasn't ever heard of an animal shelter on Coruscant before.

.

"Sounds lovely. I'm glad someone has taken care of what's left of natural life on this planet. Such a shame that they even had to leave." Obi-Wan, coffee's in hand, dropped a few credits into the bucket.

.

"Thank you! Have a wonderful day" And with that, Obi-Wan was headed to the park.

.

.

.

Obi-Wan arrived at the park and, out of habit, went straight for his favorite reading spot. It was on the outskirts of the park, a place particularly picked out for the fact that hardly anyone ever bothered to venture off there. He sat under one of the large trees, making sure the sunlight would reach his book, and started reading.

.

About 20 minutes in, his mind started wandering. The parks were lively and chirping with people. Tourists coming to see Coruscant and locals just spending the day out with their families filled the sidewalks and fields. It was something that Obi-Wan found warmth and pride in. He was never really given a choice to join the order, and although he curses himself for it, he sometimes wonders where he would be if he was. What kind of life would he be living, or would he be living at all? Would he still have gone to the order, or would he be elsewhere? The toll it had taken out of him, from the loss of his master to the toll on his mind and heart from the war, was he really meant for this? He ached everyday he couldn’t tell himself he was. That this was something good and he was doing the right thing by being a part of it. Looking around at these people, seeing children running and laughing, people enjoying something as simple as an ice cream as they walk freely about the city, Obi-Wan was able to make it possible. He was fighting a war for this. For these people. He liked to think that anyway. The idea gave him comfort and some sort of ground as he went off to help fight an impossibly long wa-

.

Something was off.

.

He felt something watching him, or someone.

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Obi-Wan lowered his book only to jump about an inch off the ground in surprise, as there was someone he foolishly almost didn't recognize standing but 3 feet in front of him.

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"And the fates speak again" The figure said. He knew that voice.

.

.

Oh

.

What a good time for his mind to remind him of how the man in front of him looked. The man, in which fate had decided, who he had crossed paths with far too many times to count by now. His red and black skin so smooth and intricate with design, sometimes too difficult to break away from its alluring pattern. His hard-to-hide-under-a-hood horns that somehow add to his charming figure. Those eyes, oh those eyes of his that haunt his dreams and daily trains of thought. How they take hold of Obi-Wan and keep him captive. Eyes so deep with stories and scars, watching him as they burn holes into him.

.

"Maul" Obi-Wan had muttered out, surprised to see the zabrak here in the busy Coruscanti park. "Aren't you a delightful surprise" Obi-Wan said sarcastically, although he feels he somewhat means it.

.

Maul was the last person he'd expected to see here. The last time Obi-Wan saw him was on his last mission about 2 weeks ago, which took place on a cargo ship hiding slaves going to some spice mines. Apparently Maul was there on his own mission to steal some of the supplies off the ship, and hadn't known about the slaves. Not like Maul cared much about the slaves though.

.

Obi-Wan placed a bookmarker on the page he left off at and fully closed the book. Maul was staring at him calmly, not showing any signs of being hostile, but not entirely friendly either. He was always unreadable though, so even if he was plotting Obi-Wans demise, he wouldn't be able to tell just by looks. Come to think of it, Maul and him hadn't been hostile towards each other for a long time now. Ever since Maul had uncharacteristically declared he had only wanted to spar with him and had no interest in killing him anymore (about 4 years after Naboo), they'd been slowly growing on each other. Or at least Maul has been growing on him, even in this current situation.

.

"I can say the same to you" Maul said as he smirked.

.

Obi-Wan knew he felt flustered, but that didn't mean he wanted to look it. He met the other man's eyes and focused on keeping his exterior calm and collected, no matter how he felt. Why was Maul here in the first place? Actually, bigger question, why was he standing front of him? He looked around for his caf and gabbed the extra one; he'd remember to buy another one for Anakin later.

.

"Do you like coffee?" Obi-Wan said, offering the cup of still hot but not unbearably so caf. Maul looked at the cup and back at Obi-Wan, probably searching for malice in his expression as proof of it being poisoned, before taking the cup into his hands. Obi-Wan patted the ground next to him.

.

"Would you stay to chat for a bit?" Obi-Wan said. Maul eyed the spot where he had patted. "If you're not busy that is." After a thorough inspection of the area he was invited into, he finally sat down next to him. "So what brings you here?" Obi-Wan asked, both out of genuine curiosity and suspicion that he's up to no good. Before Maul answered, he lifted his caf to his lips, sniffed, and took a sip. Obi-Wan watched him with interest, wondering if the man would even be used to the spices. Maul held a blank expression, starring into the cup he just sipped from.

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"…" Maul took another sip from the drink and rested his elbows on his knees, avoiding Obi-Wans gaze and instead settling for looking to his right, the shapes of people in the distance squirming in his vision. "It's… adequate. I still don't understand why you people indulge in these sorts of things. But to answer your question, I'm here on a small smuggling mission."

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Since the zabrak was sitting so close to him, Maul's words hummed in the air between them, that strangely beautiful voice reaching his chest and warming him from the inside out. Obi-Wan felt himself relax at the sound. Fuck him for having such a damned soothing voice. Wait. What did Maul say?

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Obi-Wan, being distracted by the sound of the other mans voice, didn't hear a thing that was said to him. Luckily it didn't look as though Maul minded much.

.

"How much was this caf?" Maul asked, still not looking at him. "I think about 5 republic credits each, but if you're counting the amount to the local animal shelter, then 30."

.

At this Maul did turn to look at him. Obi-Wan looked back at him to notice his lips curled slightly in a smug expression. "Thank you for you're contribution" Maul said in a just as smug voice. Obi-Wan was confused. "Do you own an animal shelter?" He said incredulously. Since when did Maul of all people care about animals? The other took a moment to think before answering. "Partially. I don't own the front, but I own the business in the back. I told you I was here for a smuggling run." At that Obi-Wan chuckled. "I knew you were up to no good. Why would you tell me that? I could tell the authorities and you wouldn't know"

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Maul starred at him, studying him almost. They stayed like that for a while. "You wouldn't." He said this confidently. It was Obi-Wans turn to stare off into the distance. "I guess you're right."

.

He heard Maul chuckle. "Oh, what the Jedi would think of you."

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"What they would think indeed."

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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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They sat and chatted for a little while before Obi-Wan stood up.

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"I have to go pick up Anakin soon, I better get going." He looked at Maul, who was still sitting in the same spot as when he first arrived, drink now empty. "Will I be seeing you around?"

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Maul looked thoughful for a moment. "I don't leave for anothed week from now"

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Obi-Wan took that as a yes, and in turn, for a reason he couldn't pinpoint, made him hopeful. "Well, if you have any free time this week, send me a message and I can show you some more kinds of caf I think you'd enjoy." As Obi-Wan said this, he handed Maul a slip of paper with his comm number on it. Then he blushed, if only just slightly, while saying "It's to my personal comm link, so nobody can see the messages but me." Maul took the slip of paper and held it up, reading the contents of what Obi-Wan claimed to be his number.

.

"I'll see you around, Maul." And with that, Obi-Wan left the park and never looked back, too embarrassed to see what Mauls reaction was.

I know it's not anywhere near october, but I thought this was a nice prompt and I really wanted to do it so here you go, hope you enjoy

[cyndecreativity]

Day 1 - Competitive? Me?

Journey – Winning a teddy for the other – “I need you”

Set in the Zodiac Chronicles world.

 Alden and Idania head to the Scorpio Festival. Idania asks him to win a prize for her and he obliges, but it’s not the biggest prize. He can’t let that slide.

~2400 words

---

Festivals happened in every month in Lotuserna, for every Patron or Matron Spirit of whatever Constellation. Alden had to make an appearance at the Scorpio festival, of course, and he grew tired of the annual event. Loud, smelly, made his chest hurt, there were too many people, and any number of other issues. The only saving grace for him lie with the foods. He loved fried and handheld foods, the kind served in abundance at the festivals. Most Scorpio knew this and every year the number of stalls with a new fried food opened to try to set themselves up until next year with the patronage of the Scorpio prince.

For Idania, she loved the festivals every month, allowed to go to every one at the orphanage to celebrate the Spirits of abandoned children, to allow them time to have fun and feel like kids for at least one night. The festivals usually lasted a weekend, but the orphanage could only afford the one night. Being able to experience the joy with each new child that rolled through the orphanage gave Idania a lifelong appreciation for the festivals. The games changed, the festivals updated, the prizes stayed with some kids long after they left for forever homes. Idania racked up quite a few that she gave away to those leaving. She’d get one next year, she told them.

Many years had passed since she last said those words. Many years filled with uncertainty and harm, hope and love, damage and scars. Antares lit up with torches and candle lamps, streams of flags and wings and lizard tails, stalls selling fried foods, portable foods, toys and trinkets. It almost made her forget the pain as Alden led her through the courtyard, his right arm in a fancy leather sling that covered the entire necrotic limb. He had to maintain the façade of royal perfection. Sylvain hadn’t been allowed to leave the palace in months as the Capricorn struggled to return him to normal. The scars left on him by the years persisted, much to the Empress’s tremendous disappointment.

Idania kept to Alden’s left side, more used to the sight of her own failure on his right, but the constant reminder of what she’d done haunted her quietly every day. He jostled her slightly when he excitedly pointed to the menu of a food stall, asking if she had interest in fried potatoes or some new flavor of beer. She hated alcohol, but she loved food just as much. They would grab a waxed paper container and he held it as they wandered further.

At one stall, she stopped in the middle of the promenade, a stick of grilled meat halfway to her mouth. He took several steps before recognizing her absence and stopped to turn around.

He made his way back to her and grabbed another fried potato with his left hand. “You okay?”

She gestured with the stick of meat to a stall across from her. “There’s prizes there.”

He turned around to follow her stick of meat. “There sure are.”

She hesitated. With his right arm, the dominant arm, in a sling, he would have difficulty attempting the game. But part of her, a childish part, an irrational part, she knew, wanted him to win it for her. Her lips pressed together and she nodded slightly. She took a few steps away.

“Whoa, hey, waitaminute.” He swept his left arm forward at her. She stopped and retraced her steps immediately. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Did you want one?”

He would tell her later that her face lit up brighter than any star in the sky, her eyes filled with firelight, her tail shot up to allow her muzzle to jingle behind her head. But she simply smiled and nodded. “If you think you can. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Or your mother to get upset if you use your… other arm.”

He pulled a face and wiped his hand on his thigh. “Fuck her. You’re my kelara. You want me to win you something? I’ll win you something.”

Crimson crept over her cheeks as she followed him over to the stall. He stood back and watched a few other patrons attempt the game, a dagger-throw. The operator rotated a disk that sent a set of targets shifting back and forth. The difficult and highest scoring targets lie in the back, obscured by two rows of lower scoring targets. With a high enough score, the winner chose a prize among what the stall had to offer.

After several moments, Alden pulled the strap of his sling off and looked to her. His brow furrowed and he dropped the fancy leather to the ground. “Evening! How much for a try?”

The stall owner started at the blackened flesh of Alden’s right arm, lined by veins of blue magic, then drew back in recognition of his prince. His tail, muzzled simply, quivered behind his head. “Your Highness! Ah- For you-“

Alden lifted his right arm, it being dominant, and shook his head. “You have to make a living too. Now, how much?”

The man furrowed his brow and looked to the other operator. His friend shrugged and continued encouraging his customers. “Uh, 2 Lotus per try. You get 6 daggers. And each score tier earns you a different prize. They’re all organized by shelf up here.” He turned slightly and gestured. “Lowest scores on the bottom, highest are hanging up there.”

Her prince reached into his money pouch and dropped 3 Lotus on the bar. “6 daggers, and a tip for you folks.”

The man started to protest again, but Alden shook his head. The 6 daggers were set in front of him. The other customers still had 4 daggers to use, which meant they had to wait. The Scorpio behind the counter apologized profusely, but the prince shrugged. His tail curled a bit as he picked them up, weighed them, and rotated his shoulders with gentle pops. He tested them out a bit, held them by the point and the pommel, going through the motions of throwing without release.

Idania beamed, her nose tickled, eyes watering. A strange kind of warm joy filled her, an overwhelming of emotions that left her wanting to cry. She sniffled and slid a bit of meat off the stick. Kelara. She wondered if she would ever get used to him calling her that. He did it with such reverence, such affection, such absolute certainty.

The other operator rang the bell and pulled a prize off one of the lower shelves for the other customer. The man tending them nodded and moved to the gear at his end and gestured to Alden. The prince moved into position at the center and nodded his readiness.

Alden held up a dagger, ready to throw. The targets started to move ever so slowly. After a moment or two, the Scorpio prince straightened up. He shot a look to the man turning the gear. His face scrunched in an awkward smile and he turned faster, his tail shaking behind him. Idania’s muzzle jingled slightly as Alden leaned forward, his tail lifted for balance.

THUNK

The first one hit a target in the middle. Alden swore quietly.

“Oh! Good opening shot, sir! Good try!” The other operator clapped for a moment, going through the motion of hype for a customer.

Idania quietly congratulated her prince.

THUNK

The next landed in another in the front. Alden swore again, louder this time.

“Oooo! Too bad! Still points though!” No claps this time, their voice still deadpan.

THUNK

“Ay! Big Lotus!” The other operator clapped again, more genuine with their praise. “Can he do it again?”

Idania squealed.

THUNK

“Another good hit, sir!” The one turning the wheel congratulated his customer as Alden hit another target in the final row.

Idania looked at the prizes. At least 2 backline targets had to be worth something good.

THUNK

Whud

A very loud curse erupted from the prince, startling all parties around him, including a few festival-goers as they wandered by.

“That’s 3 backlines, a mid, a front, and a fall! Good job, sir! You have your choice of any on the lower shelves.” The operator at the front gestured lazily to the lower shelves.

Alden furrowed his brow. “Lowest? Why the lower shelves?”

The first operator rushed over to them and waved his hands. “I’m so sorry, Your Highness! Three backlines gets you the highest shelf-“

The other operator, brow furrowed, tilted their head. “But they lose points when the dagger falls.”

Jittery, as Alden would call him later, slapped his colleague on the arm. “But not for The Prince.”

The colleague, whom Alden dubbed Themby, furrowed their brow.

Alden dug into his pocket and pulled out three more Lotus coins. “Idania, go ahead and pick a prize while I try again.”

She shook her head. “Highness, it’s not necessa-“

He slapped the coins down. “6 more daggers please.”

Hours later, Idania stood next to a small pile of toys and dolls, the leather sling resting on the stall’s counter beside her, the trash from the portable food balled up behind the counter, having fallen there when Alden slammed coins down. She knew she should be worried, try to force him to stop, but she also knew he wouldn’t until he reached some conclusion for himself. Either failing enough to reach a critical point of frustration, or winning at least once. Either way, the pile of toys and dolls could be given away by the prince, a donation to an orphanage of choice, goodwill to the people, something he was already known for. And she could keep one or two to remember.

A small crowd of people had gathered to watch the commotion, Alden forced to stand by and watch another patron try their hand to varying success. Sometimes Idania would even offer one of the dolls to someone that lost, a consolation for a loss. The children frequently skipped away with a thank you and the parents would smile their thanks with that exhausted grateful desperation she recognized from the exhausted orphan matrons.

THUNK!

THUNK!

THUNK!

THUNK!

THUNK!

THUNK!

Idania lifted her gaze from one of the toys and looked up for the result. The other three gawped at all the daggers in the backline. A cheer rose from the crowd.

Alden narrowed his eyes. “That’s got to be worth something good, right?”

Themby looked between the prince and Jittery. “There’s no rules for a full win.”

Jittery laughed once and gestured above. “How about two grand prizes, then?”

Idania giggled as Alden lifted his mouth in such a way to make his facial hair stick straight out. He gestured to one large soft-looking doll. “That one.”

Jittery pulled his chair over and climbed up to cut the doll down. He handed it to Themby who placed it on the counter. “What else, Your Highness?”

He furrowed his brow and looked to Idania. “Anything specific you want?”

She looked at his vibrant red eyes, still fired up from his long struggle to win any big prize for her, and she smiled. “Just you.”

His eyes narrowed, his mind still in the competition. He nodded slightly. “I love you, too. But which one do you want?”

She sighed and scanned over the dolls that hung. She eventually settled on one particularly iridescent serpent. “That one.”

The others all followed her finger. “That one?” She nodded. Jittery cut it down and handed it to Themby, as before. Jittery hopped down from the chair and smiled to the prince. “Once again, congratulations, Your Highness. Would you like to play again?”

Before Alden could think too hard about it, Idania swept in to scoop the serpent and the tiger off the bar. “Thank you so much for your hard work.” She tugged Alden by the arm to the pile of things he had won, away from the temptation of more dagger throwing.

Jittery followed them over to the edge of the stall. “Oh, I didn’t even notice you had won so many things! We… We didn’t really anticipate this situation. Would you like me to go find a bag?”

Alden looked at the pile of stuffed things and then to the sling. He squinted. “Maybe not.”

He picked up the sling and started to shove and cram all the smaller toys and dolls into it. After a few moments, the leather sling with elegant embossments hung at his side, filled to the brim with all manner of child toys and dolls. Idania stood beside him, holding the two grand prizes.

Jittery raised his eyebrows. “Well! You two look all set.”

Idania thanked him and Alden raised his left hand as they turned away. A few more steps down the lane and Alden heaved a heavy sigh. His shoulders released a bit of tension and he shook his head. “By Scorpius, I’m tired.”

She chuckled. “I daresay we should get you back to the palace. If for no other reason than your arm is exposed.”

He pressed his lips together. “I don’t know what my mother is so worried about. It may not look pretty, but it works just fine.”

She shrugged as they wandered through the festival stalls. “I think that’s exactly what she’s worried about, the not pretty part. You’re still royalty and in order to maintain power, she has to maintain the appearance of strength and authority. And if you look like that,” she gestured toward his necrotic arm, “then others may view that as a sign of weakness.”

He groaned. “I hate this. I hate the posturing and the politics. I almost wish I had just… stayed lost.”

Idania stiffened. Memories of those years tickled at the edges of her mind, the journey she had been forced to go through after the incident. “But you don’t, do you?”

The gentle crunch of rocks against sand stopped. She turned around to him, attempting and failing to school her features into a gentle smile of a mask. He searched her eyes and lifted his hand, the veins of magic glowing a brighter purple as they moved to brush her cheek. The skin felt cold against hers, but she moved into his hand despite this.

“Of course I don’t. I’m sorry I said that.” He moved to press a kiss to her forehead. “As much as I hate the court, I love you more. I need you.”

She beamed.

“But, I also need to relieve myself-“

She groaned. “Again?”

[flying-nightwing]

Decorum (1/3)

Oh hey! With the recent marvel abominations (read: endg*me) I have turned to DC for some comfort and I was not disappointed. So here’s my first attempt at writing something of the DC universe. So uh, enjoy the fruit of my procrastination. Pls like, reblog, comment, lemme know what you think.

Part 2

Pairing: Dick Grayson x Reader, eventually Jason Todd x Reader

Number of words: 2569

Warnings: lots of angst, arranged marriage, rich people lol, few swear words, mentions of cheating.

Summary: Being married to Dick Grayson is not as glamorous as everyone else in Gotham would think, especially since you both hate each other. But unbeknownst to him, his absence does have consequences.

The limo was silent. It always was, aside from the casual buzzing of Dick’s cell phone every three minutes or so. It was always the same story, you’d get ready in silence, in your seperate rooms, then meet in the vehicule already. The ride would be quiet, devoid of eye contact, or god forbid, remarks on the other’s effort on their evening attire. Yours was always the best, thought forward and flawless. Dick’s was pretty much the same every time, with the exception of a minor variant not to be caught dead in the same outfit twice. 

Imagine the blow to the Wayne’s reputation if he did. 

Then, you would pull out the smiles for the cameras the split second before the limo door opened. He would get out first and offer you his arm, beaming like he actually liked you. You would walk the red carpet at his arms, as if he allowed them outside of the public eye. You would mingle with the high society of Gotham and rave about how great was the fundraising, and how great was Bruce Wayne. How great was the company going with your father’s investments, and just how great life was with your husband. The women would tell you all about how your couple was such a match in heaven, but the jealousy behind their eyes would be a little too obvious. After all, you did secure Dick Grayson as your husband. The Boy Wonder, the Golden Boy, Gotham’s favourite son. 

Yeah, isn’t life great.

And at the end of the night, after empty-smiling so much it hurt, you would climb back into the limo, take your seat as far as each other as possible, and return to your normal routine of avoiding each other. You knew he blamed you for forcing this union on you, even though you were the only one to voice your disagreement on it. Wayne Industries had suffered a blow after a prolonged absence from Bruce--one of them, anyway--and your father had so generously offered to help with the bailout. It came to a condition, however, one that would cost both you and Dick your freedom. But isn’t it just was the high society does, what they’ve always done? Personal feelings don’t matter, only money and reputation do. And Bruce, well, Bruce really needed that bailout for some reason. You were surprised, usually he had a tendency not to ask for help and do it himself.

There must have been some interest he had to protect at all cost.

You found out what put him against a wall a year later, at the same time you discovered that not all of Dick’s night escapades were dedicated to seeing Barbara. You had understood soon enough after your marriage that Dick would always be Dick, and set an accord with him that as long as his affair didn’t reach the public, you would turn a blind eye to it. But the bruises and haunting look in his eyes--whenever you could catch them--told an alternative narrative. You weren’t dumb, you put two and two together, with him and Bruce’s similar disappearing patterns. All this time spent in silence left a lot of space to observe, and observe you did. 

And your theory was that he knew the second you discovered. The shift in both of your attitudes was unspoken, as everything else was, but it was there, visibly and prominent. At first he would send you questioning glances when he thought you weren’t paying attention, as he was trying to figure out why you hadn’t lashed out, or as to when exactly you would sell him out to the police. Then, he stopped sneaking back in at the early hours of the morning, him and Bruce even sometimes discussed vigilante matters with you at ear range. Hushered, but not hidden. He even let you tend to his wounds that one time, no question asked from either of you. It was the closest you got to him before he shut you out again.

“What did I do this time?” 

His sighing voice snapped you out of your thoughts, and your eyes trailed from the window to him. You were back in the limo after the gala, and oh, he had spoken. Unusual thing for him to do, but his accusatory tone was anything but. You met his eyes half a second, then went back to looking outside. You couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but it was better than looking at him.

“You weren’t subtle” You hummed, and you felt the shift in his attitude. He knew as well as you did what you were talking about. “I can take a lot of shit you do, but I won’t let you publicly humiliate me”

“Come on” He scoffed dismissively. “It’s not like I went over there and made out with her”

“Those people are vultures” Your tone turned harsh as you looked back at him. “You’re lucky nobody noticed you straight up ogling at Barbara this time, or the scandal would already be out”

“Ah, yes. Your precious reputation” He rolled his eyes. “God forbid anyone taint it”

“Not just mine, but yours and Bruce as well” You raised your chin in defiance. You didn’t care if you were being an asshole to him, you weren’t the one acting like one in the relationship, if there was any. “Remember that if I leave, I leave with the money”

“Aren’t you tired of making that threat every times?” He asked sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. “You could at least come up with a new one”

“I could, it’s not for the lack of source material” You mused, and he tensed. “But I won’t. And you know why?”

He didn’t answer as the car came to a halt.

“Because I think of myself as a decent person, and despite how you’re behaving toward me, I will never stoop so low as to attack your dignity” You spoke firmly, quickly. You barely noticed Dick recoiling in his seat; never you had been so direct, so dry with him. You pushed the door open, and paused. “You better start managing yourself, because I’m done trying”

With that, you slammed the door and left him stunned in the car.

---------

“Mr. Grayson could not join us tonight?”

You turned around and smiled at Mr. Fowley, one of the generous donator to the Wayne foundation. They always asked about him, and you got pretty good at coming up with different excuses every time to justify his absence.

“Unfortunately, he and Mr. Wayne had to attend to a very important board meeting regarding the passing down of Wayne Industries assets when the time comes” You answered easily. It had become a second nature to you to cover for him ever since you said I do. “He was very sorry not to be able to attend”

He wasn’t. 

“That’s unfortunate indeed” He sighed. “I wished to give him my gratitude for solving the mystery of my lost paintings”

Dick had solved the disappearance of one of the most impressive private collections of original Monets in North America. And obviously, it only made him more popular. But you had to give it to him, he was a fantastic detective with a flair for finding what others couldn’t. 

“Then I will make sure to pass your praises along to him when I see him later” You nodded. “Thank you for being here tonight, Mr.Fowley. I hope you enjoy the night”

He had been the fourth guest to ask you about Dick. At the beginning of your marriage, it made you incredibly angry, but now you just accepted it, what else could you do? He would never be a presence you could count on, and you learned to deal with it. So when the gala ended, you were once again left to close the place alone. The cleaning crew would take care of the bigger mess tomorrow, but you were still responsible of the keys. 

It seemed like forever until you reached the garage. Your car was the last one, obviously, since you decided to drive yourself. It had been your wedding gift from Bruce, a one in the world car that made head turns wherever you went. And after that almost fiasco, you needed to do some damage control and remind the high people of Gotham of the status quo. You truly ever rode the limo if Dick was there, anyway. You climbed in and started the engine, leaving the place tired and slightly annoyed.

However, halfway home, your engine decided to turn off, making you pull over on the side of the road. The car slowly rolled to a stop, seemingly having shut down completely. Not even your headlights responded, and it made you worried. No smoke was coming out of the hood, no strange odour reached your nose either. With a huff and your annoyance growing, you waited fifteen minutes and tried again to start the car.

Nothing.

You looked outside, seeing nothing around in the darkness. You tried to call for a taxi, but none of them were any close to your area. Or it would have taken at least two hours, as the lady on the other end of the phone so kindly told you so. You were left with one option, and it didn’t make you happy. But you knew nothing about car mechanic, so you did not have a choice. You reached for your phone and stared at it, deliberating if you really needed to call him. But reason got the best of you, so you swiped your phone open, went to your contact list and pressed Dick’s name. It hadn’t rung twice that it sent you straight to the voicemail. He had declined your call. You tried to call again, then again. The fourth time, it rang, and rang, until you reached the voicemail again. He hadn’t declined it this time, he only ignored it. You rubbed the bridge of your nose and sighed at the cold, impersonal robotic voice on the other end.

You have reached the voicemail of: Dick Grayson. Please leave a message after the dial tone. 

“Dick, uh, it’s me. My car has broken down on the road 49, about twenty minutes drive from the mansion. I tried a taxi but I’m literally in the middle of nowhere. Could you pick me up? … Call me when you get this”

And you hung up. You waited fifteen minutes, checking your phone more often than you cared to admit. It was getting cold without heating, and he still didn’t call you back. It was too early for patrol, so he wasn’t gone yet. He was probably with Barbara, as usual. He had probably shut down his phone so it wouldn’t disturb them, he was probably pissed at you too.

Asshole.

You got annoyed, so you changed strategy and called someone else. If Dick wasn’t going to answer the god damn phone, a different Wayne would. You scrolled down your contacts and found Jason’s name. You didn’t hesitate as you launched the call, and he picked up at the third ring. 

“Best looking Wayne son on the phone, how can I help you?”

“Jason” You chuckled at his humour. At least someone was having a better night than you. “I was wondering if you could come pick me up. My car broke down in the middle of nowhere and Dick won’t answer his phone”

“Ah, living up to his name once again I see” He hummed. He was also aware of Dick’s second type of night time activity. “I am so sorry, I’m actually out of town taking care of… Something. Isn’t Daddy Dearest around? Or Alfred?”

“Justice League matters” You sighed. “Only Dick can reach him during those meetings. And Alfred’s with Bruce”

“I can try and call someone” He suggested. “I have a few people that owe me favors”

“Thank you Jay, but uh, I think I’ll walk” You nodded to yourself. You knew the road well enough to make your way home. “It’s not that far”

“I do not agree with that but I can’t stop you either--hold on” His voice hitched, followed by a grunt that wasn’t his. It sounded like he was punching a guy, but you didn’t ask. It was Jason doing Jason stuff. You waited patiently, occasionally hearing glass and wood break. Nothing out of the ordinary, if you were honest. It didn’t freak you out anymore. “Listen, I-- oh fucker! I gotta go, but call me when you get home, okay?”

“Will do” You couldn’t help the small smile on your lips. Jason had always been the best, in his own weird way to cheer you up. “Thanks Jason”

“You’re welcome” He huffed. “Be careful”

He ended the call after that, probably off to finish his important business. You shook your head and put on your coat and scarf, grabbing your purse and your keys. You got out, locked the doors and began walking on the side of the deserted road. You picked your phone again and dialed Dick’s number once again, waiting for the inevitable voicemail.

“Dick. It’s me again. Don’t bother coming, I’m walking home. Hope you have fun tonight”

You hung up and shoved the phone in your pocket, along with your hands to warm them up. You walked at a brisk pace, remaining aware of your surroundings at all time. You didn’t live as a Wayne without knowing the basics of self defence, and that became much more clearer as to why once you found out about the vigilante thing. Both Bruce and Jason had made sure you weren’t totally defenceless, despite the fact that you had no affinity for combat like them. You didn’t fit, only your money did. 

Perhaps it was why Dick had always disliked you.

But that basic training was enough to make you notice something wasn’t right. Only your footstep on the gravel echoed into the night, but you had that nagging feeling that you weren’t alone. You looked behind your shoulder, but nothing was there still. You kept going, but your hand reached for your phone in your pocket. With your senses focused on your surroundings, your fingers found Dick’s contact, and you waited for the voicemail again.

“Dick, I think I’m being followed. Please call me if you get this”

Then you hung up again. The feeling only grew as your pace quickened, your eyesight now only focused forward. You didn’t have the guts to look behind you. You tried to call a few other time, hanging up before it got to the voicemail. You were terrified, you had to grab Dick’s attention even if he would be pissed at you for blowing up his phone. 

“Come on, come on” You muttered to yourself as he still didn’t pick up. Then, the sound of rocks crushing behind you made your heartbeat stop for a second. Someone was definitely following you. You pressed the call button one more time as you started running. Footsteps took after you, and you knew you were done for.

You have reached the voicemail of: Dick Grayson. Please leave a message after the dial tone. 

“Someone’s behind me” You said in a hurry as they got closer and closer. “They’re gaining on me and--”

The sound of your phone hitting the ground ended your voicemail.

[bichlordstories]

3: class 1b

“...We will be seeing you at UA, (L/n)-san!” The white stoat/rat thing said before the projector shut off.

As expected, you passed UA’s exams, coming in at number 1 with 88 villain points and 0 rescue points. You did okay on the written exams, and you were the best one in the physical exam, but what bothered you was the rescue points.

Sure, you showed that you were great in combat, but rescuing people? Apparently not.

You’ll have to do better.

Your mother was thrilled, to say the least. Nervous but proud.

You stopped by the hospital to donate blood, briefly mentioning that you got in, which earned you a bunch of happy nurses, doctors, and patients congratulating you.

All in all, that day was pretty uneventful, and you were content with that. That day, you just quietly went on a walk, pet a few dogs that you met on your stroll, and best of all?

No green haired brat plaguing your thoughts.

It was the calm before the storm. The storm being the first day of UA.

Oh god.

You were admittedly a little nervous, but you were fine otherwise.

Until you weren’t.

In front of a large door with an A on it stood him. The green haired Bitch.

How did he get into UA????

You wanted to beat the kid here and now, but you didn’t wish to be late, so instead you walked his way and purposely bumped into him. He let out grunt in surprise and looked your way, wide-eyed.

“Move it, prick!” You said while continuing down the hallway.

You didn’t look back, but you knew he was staring at you. Either in anger or fear, you didn’t know, nor did you fucking care.

All you could tell yourself to calm your nerves was that you both weren’t in the same class, so you won’t be in the same room with him for the next 3 years.

“1B...” you said to yourself once coming across the classroom you were supposed to be in.

It was another big door with a large B instead of an A. You could hear chattering inside, mostly calm with some loud voices. Taking a slow, deep breathe, you slid the door open, quieting the room a bit. Seeing as you weren’t the teacher, everyone went back to chatting with some eyes lingering on your intimidating form.

A girl with orange hair got up from her chair and walked towards you with a friendly smile that held no malicious intent and waved her hand a bit.

“Hi there! My name is Kendo Itsuba, nice to meet you!” The girl said with a respectful bow.

You gripped your bag tightly for some unknown reason and forced your name out because you had manners.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you looked a bit nervous and want to help you settle in, you know, since you’re new and all?” She tilted her head as if to see if you could understand what she meant.

“We’re all new here, are we not?” You asked in a more rhetorical way.

She blinked at you in surprise, trying to process your bluntness.

“Ah, well, I mean everyone else is well acquainted with each other and you just seem-“

“Lonely? I’m sorry, but I’m not here because I felt lonely, I’m here because I’m going to become a hero. You can keep your friendship to yourself.” You stated bluntly and walked over to an empty seat in the back.

“Oi! What’s the hell is up with you punk!? She was just being nice!” A guy with what you assumed was some sort of crazy eye-lash/mask mix yelled at you.

You ignored him, simply sitting down in your desk and staring forward. The guy, not liking your silence, walked over to your desk and slammed his hands down, catching everybody else’s attention.

“TetsuTetsu-san, please don’t-“ Kendo started but was interrupted by the silver haired kid.

“Listen to me when I’m talking to you- AYE!!!! Do you think you’re better than me!?” He yelled in your face, spit flying.

Now this pissed you off, so you reacted.

You grabbed the guy’s index finger and pulled it really far back, earning a high pitched shriek from the guy. You grabbed his wrist once it lifted off the desk and held it in place while holding his finger back in an uncomfortable and threatening position. He fell to his knees, whimpering quietly and grabbing onto your arm with his free hand helplessly.

You leaned into his face, breathe tickling his nose and spoke in an eerily calm voice, eyes soulless and locked onto his own.

“I am not here to make friends nor enemies, but if you start something with me, I will end it. Am I understood?” You said.

When he didn’t respond, you pushed his finger back, earning a groan and a whine.

“Y-yes, yes! Please!” He almost cried out before you released, letting him drop onto the floor.

“T-TetsuTetsu!” Kendo said and rushed over to help him up along with two other kids.

One of them, a brown haired kid, muttered something to the effect of ‘psycho bastard’ to which he earned a side glance from you. The other one was a completely black kid, like, vantablack with white hair who elbowed the guy in the side to shut him up.

The guy, TetsuTetsu, didn’t take any of their help, opting to get up and speed walk away with his head down. Every single student in the classroom avoided eye contact with you after that and left you alone until the teacher came in.

It was a large man, I mean, large as in Endeavour large. The man wore a rather tasteless skin tight suit, which gave you the indication that he was a super hero. He stood behind the desk at the front and placed a hand onto the desk, seeming to glare into the souls of everyone.

“I am Sekijiro Kan, your homeroom teacher for this year.” He said in a gruff but calm voice before turning towards the door of the room.

“You all can leave your stuff here for the orientation, it won’t take an hour.” He said.

The rest was mostly unimportant Bs to you. It was just some sort of welcoming ceremony, something that took up 30 important minutes of your first year of UA.

Luckily, to make up for sitting and doing nothing, your teacher had you all go out to do a quirk apprehension test after lunch that day.

“(L/n)-san, you’re up.” He said, resetting the timer.

Before you walked toward the man, Kendo gave you a thumbs up and smiled brightly, acting as though you two were acquaintances.

“Good luck, (L/n)-san!” She said.

You side glanced her, wondering just what the hell she wanted from you before grunting in response.

You stood on the line where you seemingly would race some hairy kid that looked like a werewolf if anything. When Sekijiro told you both to start, he wasn’t exactly expecting a large sandy dust cloud to explode and engulf the both of you, er, well, Shishiba.

At the end of the line stood you, veins and muscles popping out more than usual. The whites of your eyes were red, as though all the veins burst inside your eyes, leaving just your strikingly (e/c) irises to stand out.

Blood trailed down your nose and you wiped it away, awaiting your results.

“0.5 seconds.” Sekijiro stated, hiding the fact that he was impressed.

“Eeeeeh!?” The class yelled out.

“That- that was too fast!”

“Is their quirk super speed!?”

“Their eyes! Why are they all red all of the sudden!?”

They would soon realize that you weren’t just fast...

You beat everyone in just about every test, making some of them question their own worth as a hero. The kid, Tetsutetsu look as though he could piss himself any minute just watching you crush the machine to death with just your left hand.

It didn’t help that you were covered in crimson, soaking your blue UA PE uniform in your own blood.

‘Damn it, this is definitely gonna stain.’ You thought in irritation and breathed in, only to cough out some liquid in surprise.

You realized that you couldn’t breathe right, your lungs were heavier than normal, and every breathe you tried to take, it felt as though there was water gurgling inside of your chest.

Instead of panicking from being unable to breathe properly, you simply got on your hands and pushed your bottom half off the ground, placing you into a hand stand. You closed your mouth, feeling metallic liquid gush down into your mouth due to gravity. While you did this, everyone around you stared at your odd display.

Vlad, although was impressed by your handstand, was confused as to why you were doing such a thing until you opened your mouth.

A waterfall of blood rushed out of your mouth and onto the ground below, forming a small puddle beneath you. After the last of the blood left your lungs, you slammed your legs back down, putting you in a bear crawl position and then got up.

You spat blood to your side and rubbed your bloody nose to relieve an itch while your classmates stood there, stunned, horrified, and disgusted.

Vlad almost went slack jawed before you looked over to him.

“I apologize, I had too much blood in my lungs.” You stated while brushing the sand off of your hands onto your blood soaked jeans.

“Heh!?” The class yelled once more.

At the end of apprehension test, you were placed at number 1, unsurprisingly. You wanted nothing more than to shower the sticky layers of blood off of you, and nobody stopped you.

That didn’t stop the class from talking about you however.

“Did you see what that kid did??? They are totally fucking metal!” A guy with his teeth showing, Honenuki, exclaimed to his new friend group.

“Yeah, too bad they got a shitty attitude to match.” The vantablack kid, Kuroiro said.

“You think they’re a tsundere?” A kid with a speech bubble for a head said.

“Tsundere??? Like as in an asshole that’s secretly a blushy school girl on the inside?” A blonde, Monoma, butted in.

The group began chuckling at the thought of you blushing and squealing “Baka!” While wearing some girly clothing.

“Guys.” Shiozaki said with her arms crossed.

They turned to the plant girl with eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, Shiozaki-Chan?” Honenuki asked.

“They’re sitting right behind you.” She said simply.

She was right. You were sitting right behind them in your spot, staring right at them with an unreadable expression, hands held together and elbows on the table.

Needless to say, the small group shut up for the rest of the day.

[magioftheseas]

Joyous Occasion

Written for @komahinaisle

Day 3: Genderbend AU, Unspoken, Wedding

Summary: In which Hinata watches her crush and her sister get married.

Rating: G

Warnings: None, really.

Notes: This was probably the easiest premise to come up with, and it’s short and...well. Not sweet. But it’s slightly less awkward than the love duets in LesMiz which are interrupted by Eponine’s angsting. Seriously what even was that. In My Life for worst song in that musical.

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

Commission? Donate?

Truth be told, she hadn’t expected anything. She’d just sit there, feign pride, and pass off her tears as happy ones as she watched the love of her life get her veil pulled back. Izuru is gentle with her, of course. She tenderly brushes Komaeda’s hair back, and wipes a tear off that fragile cheek.

Hajime swallows back a sob of her own. Komaeda gives her sister a beautiful smile and in a moment of weakness, Hajime’s gaze drops as the two of them kiss. Her hands fist into her dress.

It’s supposed to be a happy moment. And she feels sick.

Komaeda laughs, and it’s as endearing as it’s always been. Hajime still loves the sound.

Izuru—will take good care of her. She has to. She’d better.

Hajime very nearly bites hard enough into her lip to taste blood.

--

She’s had a thing for Komaeda for a while, now. They met in high school and Komaeda was one of the first friends she made. Komaeda was quirky, but kind and considerate. Sheepish and soft-spoken. Undeniably cute, even with her rather unusual appearance.

Hell, Hajime hadn’t even realized that Komaeda was a girl at first with her short unruly hair and partiality for heavy green jackets. It hadn’t meant much, of course. If anything, Hajime felt more relaxed around her.

When Hajime had invited her over and meet her sister, Komaeda’s entire body turned rigid in a way never before seen. Her gray-green, moon-like eyes grew even wider, and she nearly choked on her own name. From the start, it was clear her friend had a crush.

Hajime had been dismayed, but not surprised. Izuru had gotten plenty of confessions over the years from men and women alike. Her only real concern was Komaeda being the latest to cry over a harsh rejection. She had pulled Izuru aside, and made that clear.

“If you’re going to let her down, let her down easy.” She tried to be firm, even as she hissed through her teeth. “Komaeda’s sweet. Don’t break her heart just because you’re bored.”

“She’s different,” was Izuru’s response. “I will be sure to treat her differently.”

“I’m just saying to be civil!” She hadn’t thought to question Izuru’s idea of different. “She’s a friend, alright?”

“A friend. I understand.”

It was—weird. Izuru looked at her expectantly. She hadn’t understood why. She brushed it off. She had long since given up on Izuru being someone she could understand.

So, she hadn’t expected anything else. She hadn’t even thought to expect anything else.

Stupid.

--

“Have to admit,” Koizumi mutters as she flips through the pictures. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Nagi-chan this happy.”

“She’s only been growing more and more radiant ever since they begun dating,” Hajime retorts, staring at one of the pictures in question. Komaeda is flushing, almost hiding her face in her bouquet, but there was still a visible upwards curve to her lips and a sparkle in her gaze.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Would she have been this beautiful if it was with me?

There’s no point in wondering such things anymore. Even if she had been blind-sided by Izuru’s admittance of interest in Komaeda, she had respected it.

Izuru will treat her right. Isn’t that what matters?

When her eyes slide over to the couple of the evening, Komaeda seems awfully anxious and fidgety in spite of her polite smile. She’s squirming. Their parents are trying to make conversation with her. Izuru is mediating with grace, with a protective arm wrapped around her newly wedded wife’s shoulder and squeezing. Izuru’s gaze flickers to Komaeda every so often, and it’s not long before Izuru excuses them both.

Because Komaeda can get pretty overwhelmed sometimes. And she needs a break when she does, even if she’s always too meek to ask for one.

Hajime remembers similar instances. Taking Komaeda by the hand, pulling her away from the crowd, and letting her catch her breath and shudder. Reassuring her as she apologized.

“Izuru would get the same way,” she had explained. “I’m used to it.”

“E-Even Izuru-san, huh?” Komaeda blinked, swallowing. “I never—would have thought.”

Hajime nodded, smiling and rubbing her thumb over Komaeda’s frail hand.

“Sometimes, you just need a break. And someone who understands.”

Komaeda jerkily nodded in return, eyes still watery. And how Hajime had wished to embrace her in that moment, how she had wished to tuck the other away into her arms and keep her safe.

If I had said something back then—no, there’s no point at all.

Right now, Komaeda is being comforted by her wife. Isn’t that all that matters? Isn’t that all?

“Hajime-chan?” Koizumi prodded her. “Hey, what’s up?”

“It’s nothing. I think I just need some fresh air.” With a crooked smile, she waved her hand. “Sorry, sorry.”

Koizumi is quick to say it’s alright. She’s always been considerate, so Hajime does feel a little bad about deceiving her. But it’s not like confiding would help, either.

It would be humiliating.

Almost as humiliating as not looking in the newlyweds’ direction when she has to pass them by to get outside. If only she could be so lucky as to not be called out to before she could reach the entrance.

“Hinata-san!”

Komaeda could have stopped her with just a glance. Right now, she was scampering after her, pulling at her gown so that it didn’t get in the way. She does wobble a bit, and of course Hajime moves to catch her—but it’s unnecessary because Izuru is beside her and steadying her the second that Komaeda trips.

“Oof! Probably shouldn’t try to run in heels, ehe,” Komaeda giggles cutely and then goes to remove the heels in question. Her feet are swollen. Hajime tries not to stare as she rubs at her ankle. “I’m not used to being dressed up like this.”

“It’s just for today,” Hajime found herself saying, and because she apparently liked to suffer, she added, “You look beautiful.”

Komaeda flushed, cupping her cheeks and making a precious, euphoric squeal.

“N-Not as beautiful as Izuru, obviously!”

“False,” Izuru said, to which Hajime nodded along.

“You shouldn’t be so down on yourself when it’s your special day. The party isn’t too overwhelming, is it?”

Here I am, making conversation when I really just want to disappear.

“What about you?” Komaeda asked. “You didn’t overwork yourself on our account, did you? You look exhausted, Hinata-san!”

Izuru does stare at her, but she doesn’t say a word. Hajime wouldn’t be surprised if she knew.

It’s always been obvious, huh? Just how inferior I am compared to you. Just—just treat her well, okay? I won’t ask for anything else.

The pleas that she almost wants to spill out at Izuru’s feet are suffocating her, but she just swallows them back for now so that she can give her dearest friend a reassuring smile.

“It’s worth it. You and Izuru are important to me.”

“W-Wah, Hinata-san!”

Komaeda jumped forward, embracing her tightly.

“S-So kind! You’re so, so, so kind, Hinata-san! I’m so lucky! So, so lucky!” Komaeda’s shoulders are trembling, and her breath hitches like she’s about to start crying again. Numbly, Hajime can only hug her in return. “How can I ever make it up to you?”

“What are friends for if not stuff like this?” Hajime whispered, both to Komaeda and to herself. In a moment of sickening indulgence, she holds Komaeda close, breathing in the sweet perfume of honeydew and lavender. “You don’t need to make up anything. I wanted to help you. Because we’re friends.”

“I’m so glad,” Komaeda sobbed into her shoulder. “Thank you, Hinata-san. You’re wonderful. You really are.” Pulling back, she presses her lips tenderly to Hajime’s cheek. “Let’s do our best to support one another from now on. As family.”

“Right,” Hajime murmured, almost breathless. “Family.”

“Family,” Izuru hummed in droning agreement. “Let’s give our sister some space for now, Nagi.”

“Aha! Oh, right! You probably came out here to get away from all the people!” Komaeda laughs as Izuru tugs her away. Hand against her cheek to hold the other’s kiss in place, Hajime can only watch and wave farewell. Komaeda waves, too. “Please take it easy, Hinata-san! You deserve it, after all!”

I deserve this?

Watching her friend and her sister leave together, at the bright grin on Komaeda’s face and how Izuru’s own gaze was soft in a way never witnessed before—Hajime supposed that it could only be a joyous moment. After they were gone, however, Hajime wanted to chase after them into that basking glow of their happiness.

They don’t need me. Either of them. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be happy for them now. Don’t cry. Don’t ruin their wedding by crying.

Hajime took in a deep shuddering breath and straightened up. She had still bled wrinkles into her dress even after smoothing down the fabric. She breathed once more. In, out.

“That’s it, Hinata-san,” Komaeda had whispered oh so tenderly to her once upon a time. “Just breathe and you’ll be fine.”

If not for her own sake, she’ll believe that for Komaeda’s.

[officialtoa]

Another year gone...

What a week!  We hope you enjoyed yourself no matter the reason you came to enjoy another year at the Tournament of Ages and don’t worry - we wish it wasn’t over either. What an amazing turn out this year. Since year one, we’ve seen the number of you multiply and we can’t tell you how much this means. We love hearing about how excited you all are, how much the Tournament means to you IC and OOC. We’re right there with you.  And what a wonderful year this one was. We saw how wonderful our community could be, how selfless you all are. We raised over $10,000 to donate to Wildlife Warriors. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We can’t say it enough. The Tournament of Ages has always been a little more than just running a series of competitions in-game and you proved that ten times over this year. Thank you for keeping that kindness going.  And - Thank you to our Coordinator Maxen, who kept his promise and shaved his head for the koalas! ♥ On top of the fundraiser for Wildlife Warriors, we also released Tournament of Ages merchandise that you all seemed to want to scoop up like crazy! Proceeds from those purchases are going towards the ACLU in the hopes that we can help create change in our world. Because of that hope, we are keeping our merchandise available until the end of the year.

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    A word from the Tournament of Ages Coordinators With Tournament of Ages now over, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge all of the creativity, dedication, and hard work of our volunteers. Several months of preparation goes into this event every year, and without the selflessness of these individuals we would not have a tournament to look forward to every August. Please look over this list of names, and pass along a word of thanks if your paths ever cross. On behalf of the coordinators, thank you to everyone who invested your time and energy. You are the real heroes of ToA! STAFF • Alphariana - Pet Battle Referee • Beolrik - PVP Referee • Bird - Graphics, Merchandise, Sword Curator • Cetaceni - Sparring Referee • Dartan - Ceremony Director • Feliathe - Sparring Referee • Gallus - Sparring Referee • Gavin - PVP Referee, Shoutcaster • Giselle - Carpball Referee • Greaves - Booth Manager, Art Auctioneer • Ida Kolarn - Carpball Referee • Ilaian Thorne - Sparring Referee • Jo'tak - Sparring Referee, Sword Curator • Khudaal - Carpball Referee • Kimberly - Twitch Hostess • Nathul - Hearthstone Referee • Nick - PVP Referee • Odron - Carpball Referee • Oliviaxi - Hearthstone Referee • Reggad - PVP Referee • Riley - Photos, Badges, Sword Curator • Se'ly - Social Media Manager, Date Auctioneer, Ball Organizer • Shin - Security Supervisor • Skott - Racing Referee • Spicy - PVP Streamer • Syana - Carpball Referee • Taeana - Ceremonies Assistant • Thaddeus - Marmotball Referee • Thaugrim - Medical Supervisor • Tilliea - Twitch Hostess • Vince - Date Auctioneer • Vish - Carpball Referee • Vynix - Wonderlight DJ • Walerrek - Wonderlight Caterer • William Hawke - Sparring Referee • Wisp - Sparring Referee • Xelu Allbridge - Racing Referee • Yolira - Sparring Referee • Zaralle - Jousting Referee SECURITY • Arc'ulerith • Belianiu/Ezio • Bluie • Caroline Eastfield • Clover Bell • Daviel Lightblade • Jagarn • Jasper • Jonas • Karthys • Keirras Silenthope • Laeriah Newdawn • Lutaria • Melrani • Mandel • Max • Maz Daerune • Merable • Moonlee • Nakster Skullflayer • Nihil Winemaker • Norah • Paper Mida • Rakanjo • Romano Paleshield • Samuel Theiss • Sen • Björn • Shin • Temari Jensen • Thomhus McOwen • Travis • Vesper • Vitallion Stansfield • Volthar  • Zevorreva MEDICS • Abianca W. Foster • Ainsley Dawnspark • Anely Stormdottir • Arianiie • Aurora • Bird • Briar Wickham • Cora • Corinanis Lightsong • Corta • Ellinór • Elspeth • Eveneah • Fei Jiang • Feliathe • Giselle • Hynote Draconis • Jiro • Karoden • Kristiana • Lily • Lumi • Luminess Brightcoil • Mirri/Zubrette • Pelore • Qub • Rossy • Samantha Aimes • Sednara Dawnheart • Sen • Swyndol • Syeris • Tah'Koz • Thaugrim BOOTHS • Calriah - Booth 1 • <Stormwind City Watch> - Booth 2 • <Hollowlight Ventures> - Booth 3 • <The First Regiment> - Booth 4 • <Creatively Crescentlight> - Booth 5 • <Deepcore Industries> - Booth 6 • <The Citrine Eagle> & Riley Rimeshard - Booth 7 • <The Highguard> - Booth 8 • <Custodes Vitae> - Booth 9 • <Rose Garden Tavern> - Booth 10 • <The Dwarven Vanguard> - Booth 11 • <Keystone Expedition> - Booth 12 • <Stonewind Tribe> - Booth 13 • <Honor Amongst Wolves> - Booth 14 • <Briarstone Coalition> - Booth 15 • <Ashes of Alar> - Booth 16 • <Succulent Tart> - Booth 17 • <Gilnean Brigade> - Booth 18 • <Darkmoon's Finest> - Booth 19 • <Greyshields> - Booth 20 • <Om Nom Noodles> - Booth 21 • <Pride of Gnomeregan> - Booth 22 • <Sharkbait Shipping> - Booth 23 • <Aramore Enterprises> - Traveling Booth • <Azeroth Coalition> - Traveling Booth • <Azeroth Wildlife Society> - Traveling Booth • <Brightmoon Faire> - Traveling Booth • <Brotherhood of Valor> - Traveling Booth • <Crystal Cone> - Traveling Booth • <Dropwrench Imports> - Traveling Booth • <Evergold Sanctuary> - Traveling Booth • <Farbound Company> - Traveling Booth • Gyle - Traveling Booth • <House Straüs> - Traveling Booth • <Keystone Expedition> - Traveling Booth • Kieladar - Traveling Booth • <Legacy of the Aspects> - Traveling Booth • Lewin - Traveling Booth • <Lugdor's Wagon of Wonders> - Traveling Booth • Midini Flintzels - Traveling Booth • <Mok'ra Noodles> - Traveling Booth • Murloc - Traveling Booth • <Nethershard Pub and Bar> - Traveling Booth • Sebrak Blackwald - Traveling Booth • <Snak Yak> - Traveling Booth • Telrend - Traveling Booth • <The Good Apples> - Traveling Booth • <The Merry Mermaid> - Traveling Booth • <The Sanguine Grove> - Traveling Booth • <The Trash Pa'Troll> - Traveling Booth • <World's End Cabaret> - Traveling Booth SPECIAL THANKS • <Blackbird Brewery> - Open Bar • <Rose Garden Tavern> - Wonderlight Ball Catering • <Runaway Theatre Troupe> - Opening & Closing Ceremony • <Succulent Tart> - Performances SPONSORS • <Edict> • <The Argent Onslaught> • Aeriyth • Bird • Dabblepex • Drannon • Firion Bloodsworn • Frozenburn/Daniel Harrison • Harkre • Jiroki • Laeriah • Luneth Dawnseeker • Lupin Blackwood • Mirchea Kul'Therin-Soltair • Murloc • Odron Twinhammer • Pyreen Lightwhisper • Riley • Ryan Thaydor • Sypher Crescentlight-Cynclaire • Tagg/Quel'ris Silverlance • Thaugrìm/Thaugrim Anvilrage • Tialune • Tilliea Furlbrow • Tyrinade • Tyrvarryn • Utenka • Veikar/Velianaris Moonsong • Vishente Valtieri • Vorien Dawnstrider

Finally, Thank you to every single one of our guests. We look forward to every year because every year we see growth. Thank you for coming every year, thank you for sharing your excitement with your friends, thank you for being you. This was a record breaking year. We look forward to seeing you all next year. Keep an eye out for the list of our champions this year so you can celebrate them! ♥