#rubber ducky five

[muffinrag]

extremely good news btw. today at the pool a child dropped his yellow rubber duckie and i got to watch it make a full lap around the lazy river

[faeryfrogs]

they're taking a bubble bath together and having a great time 🥰

PRETTY WOMAN (1990) dir. Garry Marshall ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES (1993) dir. Barry Sonnenfeld

[nyaagolor]

Franziska being Nick's weird little girl in Bridge to the Turnabout lives rent-free in my mind at all times

-

The two of them are sitting on the snowy bench watching Phoenix for at least five minutes before Franziska finally says something.

“He is depressed,” she announces matter-of-factly. Gumshoe can’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

“Finally, people are making SENSE around here, sir!”

Franziska continues without acknowledging him. “He misses his vierd little girl.”

Gumshoe’s face falls. “The spirit medium, you mean? That’s not a good way to describe her.”

Franziska twirls a hand in the air like that will untangle the words in her mind. “No, Phoenix, he… hm. He is always… he has those vierd little girls following him around always. Maya, but also the little one. I have seen it many times.”

Gumshoe thinks about it, and realizes Franziska isn’t exactly wrong. Phoenix does always seem to have some kinda buddy with him all the time— one of the Feys, usually, but even his Maggey stood beside him during her trials.

“You think it helps him focus? Like a little rubber ducky you talk to when you gotta get the words out right?” he says. 

Franziska glares at him coldly. “You are the only fool who would do something so foolish.”

Gumshoe slumps a little, and Franziska twists her whip around in her hands.

“However. You may not be incorrect. Phoenix Wright is a foolish fool, and his foolish tendencies are somewhat mitigated by the presence of his… strange female companions.”

“His… do you mean friends?”

“Silence,” Franziska commands.

The two of them sit there in silence again before Franziska, eyes locked like searchlights on the back of Phoenix’s head, stands up suddenly with her mouth set into a hard line. She cracks the whip in the snow and strides towards him, her heels crunching in the powder.

“PHOENIX WRIGHT,” she commands, and he jumps with less of a start than normal. He really IS depressed, it seems. “I will be assisting with your investigation.”

Phoenix looks less than thrilled, sputtering protests as Franziska stares coldly up at him, and it is at that moment that Gumshoe decides he could use a little cocoa right about now.

By the time he returns, Phoenix seems strangely back to normal, muttering over seemingly random knickknacks he insists are “evidence” and shuffling through his chickenscratch notes like there’s anyone capable of reading it. He taps one of the pages and looks up expectantly. Though Franziska does nothing but offer him the same steely gaze, Phoenix seems satisfied enough, smiling to himself and scribbling furiously in the margins. Franziska catches Gumshoe’s eyes, notices his smile, and quickly turns her head, fingers curling around the handle of her whip. Taking a sip of his cocoa to hide his grin, Gumshoe pretends to be busy with investigating.

[queenimmadolla]

Penny is definitely the type of toddler to ask 1000000 questions to avoid going to bed. She asks for water 10 times, ask to read another story. But Eddie and readers favourite is when she asks for a cuddle.

you're right, so i wrote something a little inspired by this!

dad!eddie munson x mom!reader

Summary: Your baby tries being cute to get out of bedtime. Neither you or Eddie fall for it. This time.

warnings: a manipulative baby being cute.

wc: 2k more of this family here

“Wook!” Penny held up the same building block she’d shown Eddie at least six times in the last hour. It was red and she was enamored with it. “Wook, dada!”

  Eddie ooh’d, phony admiration all over his face, “Is that a block, baby?”

  “Ya! ‘S a b’ock.” She mumbled, chin angling down towards her chest as she focused on the block in her stubby hands, eyebrows furrowing in concentration with her plump lower lip jutting out.

  Once his two year old was done analyzing it, she began to bash it into the carpet repeatedly, face still set in that scowl and Eddie glanced down at his watch in order to check the time to confirm his suspicion.

  Yup, 6:30. Penny’s bedtime was approaching and she was getting grumpy—she’d turn into a Gremlin if she wasn’t in bed by seven. It wasn’t a fun experience for anyone.

  You seemed to have noticed the time, too, appearing from the bathroom doorway.

  “Bathtime,” You called and Eddie watched Penny for her reaction. She was sat on the ground, chunky legs strewn out with her big eyes wide, a sadness to them as she paused in her abuse of the block. 

  You’d recently pointed out something amusing to Eddie, something that had been going on for a while but never noticed by him.

  Penny was now aware of her bedtime and she did not like it. Not in the sense where she’d throw a tantrum—though she usually always started whimpering the moment he put her in her crib—she’d often try to distract her parents while they went through the motions.

  Delay the inevitable, if you will.

  Now, Eddie could see the wheels turning in her curly little head.  

  “‘Kay,” Penny finally replied, dropping the block and pressing both her hands to the carpet so she could push her bottom in the air before standing the rest of the way up.

  Eddie’s lips slowly twisted into a smirk as he watched her clean up, purposely picking her toys up one by one, then over to drop into her toy box.

  That’s how it went for the next five minutes. 

  Pick one up, waddle to the toy box, drop it, and repeat.

  And the reason Eddie knew she was aware she could pick up more than one was the way she’d glance at them, side-eyeing them as she passed to toddle towards her toy box.  

  “Hurry, Penny.” You prompted, also watching her—though, you didn’t look as amused as Eddie. You knew she’d take forever, but the joke was on her. She’d had a bath this morning where you’d let her have some playtime with her bath toys and rubber ducky, so this bath would be strictly to get her clean and then get her out of it. Wouldn’t take longer than ten minutes.

  Penny would be in bed on time whether she liked it or not.

  Eddie decided to interfere, picking up the toys she’d left behind. Penny looked affronted when she’d stopped staring into her toy box—purposely wasting time—to see her daddy approaching with the rest of her careful plan in his arms.

  He dumped all the toys into the toy box before scooping her up, pressing kisses to her squishy cheek as he carried her to the bathroom that you ducked into when you saw them coming.

  “C’mon, stinky butt. Let’s get you clean.”

  “Penny no stinky booty!”

  Eddie handed her over and leaned against the door frame as you had Penny stand in front of the small tub while you pulled off her overalls and shirt.

  He had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing when he noticed her trying to distract you; reaching out to play with your hair, caressing your face like you’d do to hers. 

  You saw right through it, fully aware her sudden  affection was fake. You’d had to gently pry her hands away multiple times—she’d even gone in for a few hugs, but if you let her, she’d be stuck to you like an octopus—to get her into the water. 

  “Toys?” She’d asked after you’d poured water over her hair, big brown hopeful eyes framed with long, wet lashes.

  “No toys this time, Penny. In the morning, okay?”

  She didn’t respond as you began washing her hair and to untrained eyes, she’d look sad. Eddie was catching on though, you were very right. 

  Penny wasn’t sad. She was plotting her next step.

  After she’d been scrubbed clean, towel dried and wrapped in it, you’d handed her to Eddie so you could drain the bath water.

  Penny curled into him while he carried her to the room, wet little head nuzzling into the crook of his neck as her wrinkly finger trailed lazily over his collarbone.

  Eddie loved it when she was cuddly, he was obsessed with it. She’d long since left her newborn days behind, even her baby habits were starting to go and since she’d started walking, she didn't need him to carry her around all the time so he soaked in these moments where she’d just let him coddle her, comfort her.

  He nosed along her hairline, pressing kiss after kiss there as he inhaled the scent of her baby shampoo. 

  “You tired, baby?” He hummed, swaying with her in his arms.

  “Nooo…” Eddie could hear the pout and chuckled.

  “You don’t wanna go night-night?”

  “Noooo….” Penny mumbled again, this time sounding so much more sad.

  Their ‘bonding’ was interrupted when you entered the room, pulling Penny right out of his arms as you cackled and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

  “You almost got him, a very nice try.” You congratulated her as you carried her over to the bed.

  Eddie stuttered, blinking rapidly before his gaze locked onto his sweet little baby’s face. She was pouting as you put a fresh diaper on her and changed her into her jammies, letting out little whines and Eddie realized she hadn’t even wanted to cuddle with him—she’d just been using him to delay bedtime again. Was nothing sacred to her?

  “So, that’s all I am to you?” Eddie scoffed, grin wide despite her manipulation. 

  Penny just looked up at him with her pretty eyes, “Pen has wahwah?”

  Water, you corrected at the same time Eddie said no before running to fetch his spawn a sippy cup of water. When he returned, you were curled up on the bed with Penny in your arms. She’d cuddle with you while Eddie read her a bedtime story and then you’d put her down in her crib for the night.

  Despite her reluctance, Penny had picked out a bedtime story at your prompting, and Eddie tried to keep his scream internal when he saw the cover of Goodnight Moon in her pudgy little grasp.

  Penny had accumulated a large selection of books from friends and family, and Eddie often read The Hobbit to her before her day naps since it put her to sleep—so she was exposed to books with more sustenance, but his daughter insisted on reading about saying goodnight to everything every single night.

  Eddie didn’t even need the damn book, he had it memorized but Penny also insisted on seeing the pictures.

  “Oh, yay, baby. You picked out Daddy’s favorite again.” And he’d lie to her about loving her selection every single night too. 

  She’d held the book out to him with one hand and eagerly reached for the sippy cup with the other, and once Eddie gave it to her, quickly guzzled down the water within it—which made you cringe. You’d have to check her in a couple of hours, there was no way she’d make it through the night with a dry diaper. 

  “Alright,” Eddie began as he settled into his spot, wrapping an arm around you as you nuzzled into him and placed Penny on his chest. Penny—continuing to sip from her cup, slapped Eddie’s chest like he was the one to blame for being shifted around, “tonight we have a special request. Goodnight Moon, for the 419th time…”

  Despite his annoyance with the book in question, Eddie approached the storytelling with the same amount of gusto he brought to Hellfire, though his tone was a gentle one.

  The raspiness of his voice and the rumbling of his chest had Penny’s eyes drooping, curly head nuzzling against him. Even you had to pry your eyelids open.

  In the short amount of time it took him to finish reading the book, Penny had begun fighting sleep, dropping her sippy cup, which you were quick to catch.

  Eddie seized the moment, gathering Penny in his arms and rising from the bed with you right behind him.

  Her crib—she was still too small for a bed—was at the end of the room, and you pulled her blanket out while he placed Penny in it.

  She began whimpering, lower lip jutting out in a frown as moisture began to gather at her lash line. She may have been tired but she still didn’t want to go to sleep. 

  “Mama…” She mumbled, her little voice wavering.

  “It’s okay, Penny.” You cooed, leaning down into the crib to press a kiss to her forehead. “You’re gonna go to sleep and when you wake up in the morning, you can play with all of your toys.”

  “Dada?” Her normally big eyes were squinty with exhaustion as they found Eddie’s.

  “I’ll play with you, too, baby. We can build whatever you want.” He reached down to tenderly stroke a hand over her curls and Penny nuzzled her head into his hand as you tucked her blanket over her. 

  Then you made sure her nightlight and baby monitor (already playing a low lullaby for her) were on while Eddie lingered in the doorway, waiting for you.

  “I love you, Penny.” He called out and he could see her shift in her crib.

  “Luh you,” and then as you passed her crib, “mama, luh you.”

  It made you want to pick her right up and carry her out to the living room with you but you stayed strong and joined Eddie.

  “I love you, too, baby. Goodnight.”

  “Nanight.” She whined out, but she was finally succumbing to her fate.

  You slipped out of the room with Eddie closing the door behind him before the both of you collapsed onto the couch. You loved your little girl, but keeping up with her all day had you exhausted.

  Eddie pulled you onto his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of your head as he mused, “I can’t believe its barely like seven, and I’m ready for night-night.”

  “You and me, both.” You agreed around a yawn as you held the monitor up so the two of you could listen.

  Penny’s lullaby definitely wasn’t helping the two of you stay awake, but you were listening for the rustling. While she was tired, you hadn’t expected Penny to fall asleep the minute Eddie had closed the door. She was still awake and winding down as she waited for the sandman.

  “How does she always make me feel so guilty?” Eddie asked, still thinking about his baby’s big sad eyes.

  “Because you’re a sucker,” you answered and Eddie scoffed, chest shaking with a chuckle, “She’s got you wrapped around her little fingers, just remember what she’s like when she stays up past her bedtime.”

  You both shuddered at memories of your normally sweet baby acting like some unhinged little gremlin, purposely misbehaving and wreaking havoc—all because she’d managed to manipulate you with that cute little face into letting her stay up.

  Gremlin Penny liked to throw anything she got her hands on, scream, claw, throw tantrums and do exactly what you told her not to.

  It was normally Eddie who got strict with her then, and the guilt he felt at putting her to bed was nothing compared to the guilt he felt after having to punish her or put her in a time out as a result of his actions and keeping her up past her bedtime.  

  “I can live with this,” He decided after his brain was supplied with a montage of Gremlin Penny moments.

  Later, when the two of you were getting ready for bed, he peered into the crib to see Penny fast asleep, her chunky hands up near her head and tangled in her curls. She looked sweet and entirely at peace, eyelids fluttering with her innocent dreams.

  Yeah, he could live with it. 

[lethalchiralium]

Ducks | Simon “Ghost” Riley x Wife!Reader

a/n: listen… i don’t have to explain anything. i think we all are onboard with great dad simon

warnings: vague mentions of simon’s trauma, mentions of you (you’re not really in this one), winnie and mellie being cute kids because i said so, mentions of miscarriage but he’s explaining it in a good way to winnie, mentions of medicine

summary: It’s hot in England, so it’s time to pull out the plastic kiddie pool and dip toes in the frighteningly cold water. Winnie finds a new friend.

PREVIOUS << | >> NEXT | SERIES MASTERLIST

“She can be Duckling too!”

Winnie pushed the little ducks in her plastic kiddie pool around, making them tap Simon’s leg that was in the water. He looked down at the little mini you in between his calves, sitting against the very small wall of the little pool and admiring the little octopus in her hand.

The sun was beaming down and even with the windows open, Simon was sweating up a storm. What better idea than to take out the foot tall kiddie pool, fill it with water and toys so he and his girls can stay cool? Even though he wouldn’t be sitting on a chair next to the pool with his feet in the water, he still had his dark blue swim trunks on and a white t-shirt, sunglasses on his eyes but his gaze never left the water. Even a moment’s look away can kill, he knew it was able to happen.

Winnie was sat in her light green swimsuit with her hair messily done up, Simon had pulled it into a little high ponytail but there were strands poking out from the top. The curls she got from her mom always gave Simon a little tug on his heart - if he could tell Winnie’s mom one thing right now, it would be that her daughter was happy.

Mellie cooed from her snug seat between Simon’s feet, little hands splashing down her smaller toys into the water.

“Or Duckie.” Winnie suggested. “I like Duckie, Melsie can be Duckie.”

“What if I like a different nickname?” Simon asked, leaning forwards to adjust Mellie’s mini boonie hat, purple with flowers, to make sure the sun didn’t hurt her little face. He almost heard his mum in his head, reminding him that all children need sunscreen, even babies!

Winnie hummed a little, splashing down one of her bigger yellow rubber ducks, the water spraying on Mellie. “I like Duckie.” The baby giggled, splashing her own duck back at her sister. The older girl smiled wide. Simon glanced up at the sky before back down to his daughters, deciding to grab the sunscreen stick beside his chair. He uncapped it, holding a hand out for Winnie. “C’mere, little love.”

The five year old glared at her father, almost grumbling as she stood out of the now lukewarm water, moving out of it so he was able to reach her. Her little hand was so small compared to his huge bear paw of a hand, yet he held hers with care as he began to smear sunscreen on her little face. Her nose scrunched, eyebrows furrowed as she complained, “I’m fine, Daddy!”

A stripe of sunscreen down her nose almost made Winnie stomp her foot if it wasn’t for Mellie giggling. The big sister was now distracted as she peered around Simon’s legs to see what the baby was doing, he wiped the sunscreen stick on every showing part of skin on his daughter, knowing that his mother would come from the grave to kill him if he didn’t. “Melsie!” Winnie squealed, a smile on her face, he could feel the baby’s head hit his leg to look for her big sister.

His nose twitched as he recognized how he thought of his mother more now, and not in the way he used to. He used to dream about her tears, her arms shielding him from his father, her hands settled on his face to tell him that it’s okay. Now, it was like she was making her presence known by forcing him to think about her again.

Simon Riley wanted his mother and brother to meet the little girls playing in the water in his backyard, wanted his mother to have been here while you were pregnant with Mellie. He wanted his mother here to hold him one last time, and tell him that he was doing this right - because he was flying blind.

As soon as the last swipe of sunscreen went to Winnie’s hand, she tugged herself from his grasp and got back into the pool, purposefully sitting in front of her sister in the water. She began to pull her bigger plastic dolls and rubber ducks towards Mellie, a smile on her little face. The toy haul was short-lived when Simon pulled Mellie up and out of the water, settling her on his lap so he could see her face. The baby scrunched her nose just like her sister did, all he had to do was swipe the sunscreen on her feet, hands and face since her swimsuit covered the rest of her little body. He was a little more gentle with Mellie, holding her back as she shook her head, trying to escape the sunscreen. She let out a little huff, eyes that matched his stared at him with an intensity like his own. He was happy that Winnie didn’t stare as a baby, but Mellie stares like he does when he’s on deployment - like the person on the receiving end is going to die.

Please tell me there’s a way to make babies forget how to stare.

White streaks on Mellie’s skin meant she would be protected from the sun for at least another couple hours or so, he made sure to get her little chubby chin. The baby squealed a little, her hands always trying to grab for the sunscreen yet failing.

“Well, Wins, you call her Melsie,” The baby in question cooed at the nickname as Simon looked to his oldest daughter. “Why do you want her to have another nickname?”

“For you, Daddy!” Winnie smiled, brown eyes warm in the sunshine. He capped the sunscreen stick, tossing it to the ground before moving Mellie to have her actually sit on his lap, her back against his stomach. The baby began to kick out her legs, whining as he kept his hand on her belly, keeping her secure to his body.

Winnie pulled out a small duck from the pool, holding it up and towards Mellie, who cooed and reached for it. “Melsie’s mine, but I’m Duckling too! She can be Duckie or something, what do you want to call her?” Winnie looked up to her dad as her sister took the duck in her hand, curiously inspecting it. “She can be Duckie.”

“I like Bug.” He said, a smile on his face while Winnie lit up - her smile even wider.

“Buggie!” She declared, moving away from him and out of the pool, beginning to run around the small grass backyard.

Simon’s attention went to Mellie, who was now looking up at him and squinting. “Hi, Bug.” The baby babbled, lifting up her duck towards his face. He then picked her up again, moving down and placing her in the water in between his feet again. She kicked out her legs, splashing the water and giggling. She threw the duck down into the water, letting the water spray out of the little pool.

“Daddy!” Called Winnie, his head snapped up and whipped to his left, scanning the small yard for Winnie - his eyes widened.

Winnie stood by the little yellow shed, a wide smile on her face as she held up what looked like a kitten.

“Only my kid,” He mumbled to himself before picking Mellie up - who protested by screeching in annoyance - and placing her against his chest, water dripped down his shirt as he stood. “Winnie, put it down.”

“It’s a cat!” She exclaimed, the little thing squirmed in her harsh grasp. “Daddy, it’s a cat!”

“I can see that.” He answered, stalking towards his oldest daughter. He was not a fan of pets, definitely ones that his daughter probably scooped up out of the garden. “Put it down.”

Winnie’s nose scrunched again as she pulled the kitten back into her chest, the little thing barely even moved. “No.”

Simon almost stopped walking towards her, eyebrows furrowed. She had never defied him before, and he sure as Hell was not going to make a scene because he knew that if she cried, it would be over for him. He’s break instantly and do whatever she wanted. He took in a small breath through his nose. “Winnie, you need to put it down. It’s dirty.”

“She’s sick, Daddy.” Winnie mumbled, looking down at the ground as he finally reached her. He kneeled in front of her, she looked away. He could clearly see the kitten now, it was small and dirty - it looked barely a couple weeks old. His daughter met his gaze, her best puppy eyes being used as she whispered, “Can we help her?”

There was nothing wrong with cats, he just didn’t like them. Scratching up furnishings, hairballs, peeing everywhere - well, that was what his brother’s cat was like when he was a kid, before his dad found it and it disappeared. Simon shook the memory from his head before sighing, keeping Mellie farther from the cat since she was trying to reach for it - the baby squirmed in frustration.

He scrunched his nose too, trying to decide if doing this was a good idea. Yes, responsibility for Winnie and blah blah blah, but he had no idea if his wife would be okay with it. She was sleeping right now and he didn’t want to bother her now so it was just him, his daughters, and a sickly looking kitten his eldest found somewhere. He sighed. “Mum’ll decide what to do later.” His daughter’s face lit up. He glared at her. “She’s not going to stay here, Winnie. We’ll wash her up and get her medicine, but then she has to go back to her mum, okay?” His hand goes to brush a small strand of hair behind Winnie’s ear, her smile quickly faded.

“But… I want to keep her.” Her bottom lip quivered, he sighed.

“It’s not up for discussion. Go inside and hold it, don’t let it wander.” He stood then, Winnie darted away towards the back door. He looked down to Mellie, who stared up at him with an annoyed face. He found it incredible that she was more like him than Winnie was, he smiled to her. She didn’t like it.

He followed his oldest daughter inside, moving to grab a towel he had placed on the counter to dry off Mellie. He pulled off her boonie hat before wrapping her in the fluffy towel, he wanted to go back outside so he moved to the living room and placed her in the mesh-fenced play pen, lined with soft toys. The baby no longer made her upset face and cooed as she unraveled herself from the towel to begin to play. He moved away towards the kitchen, finding Winnie standing next to the sink, the little kitten in her arms hadn’t moved. His eyebrows furrowed before he opened a drawer and grabbed a tea towel, holding it on his hand and saying, “Give it here.”

“You’re gonna put her outside.” Winnie’s bottom lip trembled, he sighed.

“Gotta wash it, Duckling. It might be injured.” He explained. “I won’t take it outside, I’m gonna wash it upstairs. Go play with your sister for me, it’ll be as good as new soon.”

Winnie looked up at her dad, weariness in her eyes before she gently pulled the little creature from her chest and gently placed it on the towel in his hand. He lifted it towards his face, now noticing the black cat with a dirty white face was barely even breathing. He turned away from his daughter, moving towards the stairs as his other hand began to gently poke at the kitten’s face, trying to get it to respond. He glanced behind himself, seeing that Winnie had found her way into the playpen with Mellie, and turned back to the upstairs. Taking the stairs two at a time, he made it to the hall bathroom, which was decorated with pinks, blues, and greens. He moved towards the sink, rubbing the little kitten’s face to try and wake it up.

After a few seconds of rubbing its face, its eye opened and revealed a light yellow eye. The little thing shuddered, he frowned. He pushed the drain plug into the sink drain with his free hand, then starting the faucet with warm water. The kitten barely moved an arm, he noted how frail she looked. Probably abandoned by her mum.

“Alright, Missy, let’s getcha cleaned up, yeah?”

The little thing pawed a little at the towel, he settled her on the counter before shutting off the water so it was just a little water in the basin. He gently settled it in the water, using Mellie’s baby soap to wash its fur. The kitten was still in his hand, little yellow eyes watching the water. He washed its back, looking for fleas, finding none. He inspected its neck and face too, no injuries or fleas - it must have been malnourished, he could very distinctly feel its bones. He gently washed its little face, the dirt falling away and revealing white rings around its eyes. It almost reminded him of his mask.

As soon as he was confident that the kitten was throughly washed and not injured, he grabbed a hand towel from underneath the sink - something that would be a lot softer on the creature. It had closed its eyes as soon as he gently wrapped it with the towel, he moved the small bundle to his chest as he pulled the drain plug. The water drained as he left the bathroom, silently walking down the stairs and to the living room.

Winnie was standing in the play pen, watching him intently as he walked towards them. He saw Mellie on her back, chewing on an ear of a stuffed dog. He chuckled a little as Winnie asked, “Is she okay now?”

He looked down at the kitten’s head, seeing its ear twitch a little. “She’s fine for now, kiddo. We’ll keep her ‘til she gets a little bigger, but then she has to go somewhere else.”

She pouted a little before holding her hands out, “Can I have my kitty please?”

He laughed humorlessly. “No.”

His daughter made a noise of confusion. “I asked nicely.”

“Yes, you did. But it’s too sick for you to take care of.” He answered. “You can have it when it’s better.”

Winnie scrunched her nose and turned away, sitting beside Mellie and refusing to look at him. He looked down at the little kitten, sleeping away in its little cocoon. He sighed, not wanting to believe that his little girl was getting big enough to have tantrums.

He spent the rest of his day taking care of the little kitten, keeping it in an open cardboard box with a couple towels in it, it slumbered away after he fed it was little cow’s milk he had left in the fridge. He made a mental note to go to the market in the morning as he now held Mellie on his chest, bouncing a little on his feet as he neared her crib. She was sound asleep and in comfy colorful pajamas, her little hand gripped his shirt. He slowly peeled off the baby from his chest, laying her on her back in her crib. He gently pet her head, whispering a sweet good night before leaving her room.

He then walked down the dark hallway to Winnie’s room, her lamp illuminating her room as she laid in her bed, facing away from the door. He saw her green bear on the floor next to her bed, he quietly stalked into the room to grab it. As soon as he grabbed it, he almost jumped back when Winnie turned towards him, annoyance on her face. He held out the bear names Pricey to her, she took it.

“I’m not giving the cat away for fun, you know.” He whispered, kneeling beside her bed. “It’s for the best.”

She stared at him. “What if Mummy wants a kitty?”

He shrugged. “It’s not good a time to have a cat right now, honey. Mum’s still sick.” He hated not being able to help ease his wife’s pain, going through a miscarriage of a baby you really wanted was tough - it was rough for him too, but he put his children first to let you take the time you needed.

“Mummy’s been sick for forever.” She murmured, arms wrapped around her bear. “Why can’t she get better so I can have a kitty?”

He fought the urge to roll his eyes, moving to tug her blanket up to her chin. He spoke with a gentle calmness, “Remember when Mum told you you’re gonna have a brother?” Winnie nodded. “And then he went away?” His daughter nodded again, he sighed. “He put Mum in a lot of pain, both in her tummy and in her heart. She feels sick all the time,” He gently brushed Winnie’s curls around her ear as he looked into her brown eyes. “Mum just needs all the love she can get and a long time to feel better.”

“The kitty can love her.” She whined, pouting a little.

“Mum only feels better when you and Mellie and me love her, Duckling.” He was losing the battle, knowing that Winnie would end up winning by outsmarting him with her little kid brain. That’s when he had an idea. He retracted his hand from her head, saying, “Once the cat gets better, I’ll give it to Uncle Soap until Mum gets better. Then you can ask her about the cat, okay?”

This way the cat would get attached to Soap and never have to be back in the house. Great idea, hope he’s not allergic. You know what? I hope he is. It’s what he deserves for pranking my ass every chance he gets.

His daughter nodded, whispering, “Can you name my kitty, Daddy?”

His eyes widened a little, lips pressed into a thin line. “Why don’t you name it?”

“I don’t want to.” She shrugged, he sort of laughed.

“Alright, Duckling. We’ll call her Missy.”

The girl smiled. “What’s her real name then?”

His eyebrows furrowed, he grew confused. “What do you mean?”

“My name is Winter, but it’s also Winnie.” His daughter then yawned, her eyes fluttering to try and fight off sleep. He gently settled his hand on her cheek, her little hand sat on top of his.

He almost smiled, almost broke his straight face as he said, “Missile Launcher.”

His daughter smiled so wide as she giggled, “Okay!” Yep, she’s just like me.

“Alright, now go to sleep.” He leaned forwards and kissed her forehead.

He moved to stand but Winnie spoke, “Tell Pricey good night too, Daddy.”

He sighed, facing her bear and saying, “Good night, Pricey.” He gently pat his daughter’s face before he stood and turned to her lamp, turning it off. Her little nightlight beside the door now dimly illuminated the room, he whispered, “Love you, little love.”

She whispered a little, “Love you too, Daddy.”

He was silent when he left her room, closing the door behind him before making his way to his bedroom. He closed the door behind himself, his own lamp illuminated the room. You were curled into a ball on your side of the bed, his pillow tucked under your chin as you faced his side. He moved towards the bed, being careful of the cardboard box settled on the floor next to his side. He peered into the box, observing the little black kitten until he could see it breathing. He then got into bed, reaching to shut off his lamp before moving towards you.

He would be okay without a pillow to sleep on, but he would never be okay not holding you as you were in pain. He rested his head halfway on the pillow, his arms coming to pull you into him. You murmured in your medicine induced slumber, the sleeping pills giving you a while without pain. He kissed her forehead, gently brushing his hand down your back.

He’d ask you about the cat beside your bed later.

taglist: @sigynxlokiwifelover @lumpypoll @multitargaryen @chloeforde @blueoorchid @vir-tual

Copyright © 2023 lethalchiralium. All rights reserved.

[lvnleah]

Sleepless Nights.

summary: Rory starts to have bad dreams and struggles to sleep through the night.

find the masterlist here!

Dinner had been more challenging than usual for Beth and Viv. Rory was unusually picky, pushing the vegetables around her plate and complaining that they tasted funny.

"Don't like these!" Rory declared, scrunching up her nose.

"But you loved carrots last week," Viv said gently. "Can you try just one bite for me?"

Rory shook her head stubbornly. "No! They taste yucky now!"

Beth exchanged a look with Viv, trying to figure out what was wrong tonight. "How about just a little piece, Roo? You need to eat something."

Rory pouted but finally took a tiny bite. She grimaced dramatically making the couple laugh. "See? It’s Yucky!"

Eventually, the couple convinced Rory to eat a few more carrots before making her some jam on toast. After dinner, the struggle continued at bath time.

"The water's too hot!" Rory protested, dipping a hand into the tub.

Viv checked the temperature. "It feels just right to me, sweetheart. How about we add some extra bubbles?"

Rory crossed her arms. "I don't want a bath!"

Beth sighed, kneeling beside the tub.

"We can't skip bath time, Roo. How about if we play with your bath toys? You love your rubber duckies."

“Don’t want them….” Rory murmured, “I wanna play with my Barbies!”

With some coaxing and promises of extra bubbles, Rory finally agreed to get in the tub, but the reluctance lingered. They then moved to the couch once she was dressed in her pyjamas and by the time Beth finished reading the bedtime story, Rory was still reluctant to go to bed.

“C’mon Roo, time for bed!” Beth announced as she finished the story she was reading.

“Nooo!” Rory whined, snuggling closer into Viv, “Five more minutes and another book! Me and Mamma are still cuddling!”

Rory had been with Beth and Viv for just over three months, but nights were still a challenge. As much as they had tried to make her feel secure, the shadows of her past still clung to her and recently bad dreams had begun.

Beth smiled gently but shook her head. "It's already past your bedtime, Roo. You need your rest."

Rory pouted, "But...but I need another story!”

Viv stroked Rory's hair, her voice soothing. "How about this, sweetie? We can tell you a short story while you’re getting tucked in.”

Rory considered the offer, her eyes darting between Beth and Viv. Finally, she nodded reluctantly. "Okay... but it has to be a really good story!"

"Deal," Beth said, reaching out to lift Rory from Viv's lap. Rory clung to Viv for a moment longer before allowing herself to be carried to her bedroom.

As they settled Rory into her bed, Viv began to make up a story about a little rabbit who explored a magical forest. Rory's eyes grew heavy as the story unfolded, and before long, her breathing became slow and steady.

Beth tucked the blankets around Rory, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Roo," she whispered.

Viv turned off the bedside lamp. "We'll be right here if you need us," she added, her voice barely above a whisper.

For the past few weeks, Rory had been struggling to sleep. The couple would find themselves getting out of bed and trying to settle her around 3 am before letting her crawl into bed with them.

Later that night, Viv stirred from her sleep. Her maternal instincts kicked in as she heard Rory's soft cries through the baby monitor.

She nudged Beth gently. "I think Rory's having another nightmare."

Beth sighed, her heart aching for the little girl, "I'll go," she whispered, slipping out of bed and padding down the hall to Rory's room.

The small night light lit up the room a little, illuminating Rory's tear-streaked face as she tossed and turned. Beth approached quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed and smoothing Rory's tangled hair. "Rory, sweetheart, it's okay. Mummy's here."

Rory's eyes fluttered open, still glistening with tears. "Mummy, don't go away," she whispered, her voice trembling with fear.

Beth's heart broke a little more at the plea."I'm right here, Rory. I'm not going anywhere."

She scooped Rory up into her arms and picked up Twix before carrying her into her and Viv’s bedroom. Viv was sat up in bed, waiting for them with the bedside lamp switched on. Her heart broke at the sight of Rory clinging to Beth, her arms wrapped tightly around her neck.

Rory clung to Beth, little hiccups leaving her body as Beth sat down in bed with her. "I dreamed that you and Mamma went away like Grandma did. I don't want to be alone."

Beth held her tighter, fighting back her tears as she shared a look with Viv. "I know, sweetheart. Losing someone you love is so hard, and it's okay to be scared. But Mamma and I are here, and we're not going anywhere."

Rory's breathing began to steady as she sat up in Beth’s lap. "Promise?"

"I promise," Beth whispered, pressing a kiss to Rory's forehead.

“Me and Mummy aren’t going anywhere, what makes you think that?” Viv asked her, rubbing her hand up and down her back.

Rory sniffled, clutching Twix tightly to her chest, “Sometimes…I have dreams. They’re not nice. I be with you…you and Mummy and then…then you’re gone like grandma!”

Viv’s heart ached at Rory's words, knowing how much loss the little girl had had in her short life. "Sweetie, dreams can be really scary sometimes, but they aren't real. Mummy and I are here with you, and we're staying right here."

Rory nodded, still clutching Twix, her little body slowly relaxing. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Beth nodded. "Of course, Roo. You can sleep with us whenever you need to."

Beth shifted over, making space for Rory in the middle of the bed. Rory crawled between them, snuggling into the warmth and security of her two mothers.

"Rory," Beth began softly, "can I tell you a story about my Mummy?"

Rory looked up, nodding. "Was your Mummy nice? She looks nice in the photos you showed me!”

"Yes, she was the nicest person ever," Beth said, a soft smile playing on her lips. "She was the most wonderful Mummy. She loved me so much and always made me feel safe, just like Mamma and I love you."

Rory's eyes widened. "What happened to her?"

Beth took a deep breath. "She got very sick. The doctors tried to make her better, but she couldn't get well again. She went to sleep and didn't wake up, just like your Grandma."

Rory cuddled into Beth. "Were you sad?"

"Very," Beth admitted, her voice breaking slightly. "I miss her every day. But you know what? She taught me so much about love and being strong. And because of her, I know how to love you and take care of you."

Rory snuggled closer. "Do you think her and Grandma are together?"

Beth smiled. "I like to think so. Maybe they're both up there, looking down on us, making sure we're okay."

Rory seemed to find comfort in that thought. "And they'll keep us safe?"

"Yes, they will," Beth said. "Just like Mamma and I will keep you safe."

Viv smiled at the sweet interaction. "And whenever you're scared, or have a bad dream, you just remember that you're never alone. We're always here for you, Roo."

Rory's eyelids grew heavier, comforted by her two mothers. "I love you, Mummy. I love you, Mamma."

"We love you too, sweet girl," Beth whispered, brushing a kiss on her head.

Within minutes, Rory was fast asleep snuggled in between Viv and Beth. The couple followed soon after, holding their girl close in between them.

[mint-yooxgi]

{12} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humour

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on Seonghwa, and slight Wooyoung)

Words: 9,104

Warnings: Clingy Wooyoung. I honestly think that's it lmao This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: So, I know it's been forever since I updated this, or at least, it feels like it lmaoo I really hope this chapter makes up for the wait! I think it's really cute and fun. I've got a lot of stuff planned going forward, and quite a spicy scene next chapter hehehe As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven

If you thought Yeosang had been clingy after the first time the two of you had had sex, Wooyoung is ten times worse. You can hardly go anywhere in the house without him following you around, or showing up beside you suddenly in order to practically cling off of your side. He even goes so far as to appear beside you in the tub, a cheeky grin pulling at his features as he holds a rubber ducky in his one hand.

The first time he had done that, you had let out a shriek in surprise. One minute you had been alone, sliding into the warm water with your eyes falling shut in bliss. The next, you had opened them to see him sitting across from you, smiling like a mad man in love.

“Hi, Angel.” He had waved that rubber ducky held in his hand so casually before giving it a small squeeze. 

The squeak it let out almost served to mock the irritation you had been feeling. Of course, Yunho and Yeosang were quick to appear in the bathroom after that, having heard you shriek and all.

“Don’t you, ‘Hi, Angel’ me! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” You had smacked his arm, chest rising and falling dramatically as you attempted to catch your breath.

“Oh, no! My Angel is suddenly having breathing issues!” Wooyoung all too eagerly leapt at the opportunity to wrap you in his arms

A blink, and you have him in a headlock, clear irritation on your face.

“Can I not be alone? For five minutes?” You shake him lightly, feeling how his one hand rests almost lovingly against your arm wrapped around his throat.

“Well, I see you two are figuring things out.” Yunho chuckles.

“I just want to take a bath in peace.” You sigh.

You can practically feel the way Wooyoung deflates in your arms, and you just know that that all too familiar pout of his is pulling at his features. 

“I just want to spend time with you, Angel.”

“And you can’t do so wearing pants?” Yeosang gives his brother a once over, clear distaste on his features.

“Like you did any differently!” Wooyoung counters, still being held in that headlock by you.

That’s when you realize: oh, yeah, you’re naked, too.

That rubber ducky gets thrown in the direction of both Yunho’s and Yeosang’s heads. “Get out!”

“It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, Petal.” Yunho chuckles, easily catching the rubber ducky in his hand.

“I don’t care!” You begin tossing more small items in their direction while shoving Wooyoung out of the tub. “Privacy is privacy, and I value mine!”

“Alright, Dearest.” Yeosang smiles, his shoulders shaking lightly as he grabs Wooyoung by his ear before the younger male can hop back into the tub with you. “We’ll leave you be.”

“Thank you, Yeosangie.” You return his smile with a relieved one of your own. Crossing your arms over your chest, you shoot them all a look. “No weird demon magic, or spying through the mirrors thingy, either.”

“We wouldn’t dream of it,” Yunho hums, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Not even a moment later, the three males disappear from the room, leaving you to your thoughts once again.

At least you managed to get some time alone after that. However, Wooyoung was insistent of spending almost every waking moment he could with you. For two solid weeks, he would always be the one sitting beside you when you were eating, and somehow, he would manage to worm his way into your lap while you were reading in the library. He’d follow you around the house like a lost puppy, and nearly fight his brothers every night to be the one to sleep in your bed with you.

Finally, one night, you managed to convince him to give you some space. You dragged both Mingi and Seonghwa into your room before Wooyoung could appear and kick one of them out. Comfortably, you rested in bed, a male on either side of you, and just as you were drifting off to sleep, a weight suddenly laying on your chest had your eyes flinging open.

“Really?” Your bloodshot eyes bored a hole into the top of Wooyoung’s head as he clung onto you from overtop of your blankets.

“Wooyoung, you’re being too much.” Mingi sighs.

“If My Angel had a problem with it, she would say something.” Wooyoung replies, matter of factly.

“I have been begging you all week to let me breathe, Wooyoung.” You manage to bring a hand up to rub at the bridge of your nose. “We can’t always be attached at the hip.”

“Why not?” He pouts, staring up at you with those big, brown eyes of his.

“Wooyoung,” It’s Seonghwa who speaks this time, and at one look from him, the younger is shrinking in his spot. “Don’t make me call Joong.”

“Fine.” Wooyoung sighs, dejectedly slinking off of you, and off of the end of the bed.

Wooyoung slowly begins to make his way to your door, purposely dragging his feet. He glances over his shoulder, the look of a wounded animal resting on his features as he pleads with you silently to ask him to say.

“Goodnight, Wooyoung.” You say, somewhat pointedly as you turn to curl yourself into Mingi’s side.

The sound of your door clicking shut is the only response you get, and for some reason, even you can sense the way Wooyoung is surely trudging down the hallway defeatedly.

Now, as you rest on your bed the very next day, you find yourself alone at last. The only person in the room with you is Kuroo, and he rests curled up in a little ball on top of your Snorlax beanbag chair. You swear you can almost hear soft little snores coming from that little ball of black fluff as you turn the page of your book. 

Finally, you have some peace and quiet.

Most of the other guys have been pretty good with you lately. Reluctantly, they’ve allowed Wooyoung the pleasure of clinging to you for the first few days after you had entered the dance studio of your own free will. Luckily, though, they’ve had your back more often than not. It seems last night might have been the final straw, for you haven’t heard anything from Wooyoung today.

A first in over two weeks.

Of course, you opt to hide out in your room, just in case. As much as you love spending time with him, he has been a little overbearing lately. You just want a breather. Plus, it’s not fair to the others that he gets to monopolize all of your time. You still have yet to see Seonghwa’s tailor shop since the incident, and if all goes well, you plan on visiting him there later today. For now, you just want to enjoy the peace and quiet solitude can bring.

About another hour passes by like this, with you simply reading alone in your room. That is, until you see a little black fluff jump onto the bed with you.

“Oh, hello, Kuroo,” you coo, immediately bookmarking your page and smiling down at the little cat crawling up from the end of your bed. The instant you place your book beside you, he’s nuzzling against your hand, blinking up at you with wide eyes. “How’s my little handsome fella today?”

A coo is all you receive back, Kuroo pushing his head harder against your hand.

“Oh, come here, you.” You chuckle, picking him up from beneath his front arms, and pulling him on top of your lap. “Aren’t you just the cutest!”

A happy chirp greets you this time, Kuroo practically climbing up your body to begin rubbing his face all over your neck and jawline.

That’s when you notice another pair of golden eyes still staring at you from on top of your Snorlax beanbag.

Your grip tightens around the black cat in your arms.

“Alright, Stinky,” you begin to move off of the bed with ‘Kuroo’ held tightly in your grip. “You have impeccable timing, Little One, because it’s time for your bath.”

The cat freezes in your arms, but only for a moment. A loud complaint is soon filed by Not Kuroo pretending to be the real one.

“Ah-ah, don’t be a little stinker,” you shake your head, managing to scruff him. You pull him off of you, shifting your arm to the side as you hold him tightly in your grip. “And don’t you dare try and claw me like the last time.”

There’s a false cheeriness to your tone as you glance down to see Not Kuroo almost curling in on himself while being held by the scruff of his neck. He glances up at you with pleading eyes, only to meet your overtly tight, albeit friendly, smile.

The two Kuroo’s lock gazes, and the one in your hand shrinks even further in on himself.

Entering the bathroom, you march right over to the tub. The instant you turn the faucet on, Not Kuroo begins wiggling in your hold to escape.

“Come on, Stinky, none of that.” You lift him so you’re eye level. “Don’t you want to be a good boy for Your Queen?”

At the way you quirk a brow, Not Kuroo immediately stops squirming.

“I think the water should be the perfect temperature by now,” you smile, somewhat maliciously.

If this doesn’t teach him a lesson, you don’t know what will.

You don’t even bother to check the temperature as you dunk Not Kuroo beneath the rushing stream. You can feel the icy chill on the tips of your fingers, but you hold tight, submerging him for a good thirty seconds to ensure he’s soaked by the time you pull him out.

Turning off the faucet, you don’t even bother to grab a towel as you exit the bathroom. All the while, you continue to hold Not Kuroo by the scruff of the neck, water dripping in a trail behind you as you head towards the game room.

The moment San notices you enter the room, his attention is on you. His gaze darts from your overtly cheery expression to the soaking wet cat held in your hand.

Both Jongho and Mingi burst out laughing.

“Where’s Hongjoong?” You ask, tone dripping nothing but sweetness.

The cat in your hand tenses.

“He went out to feed with Yunho and Yeosang.” Jongho informs you, a knowing grin pulling at his lips as he stares directly at the cat in your hand.

A long sigh escapes you.

“What happened?” Mingi quirks a brow, looking between you and the cat.

“Stinky boy needed a bath,” you reply, lifting the cat so you can stare directly into his eyes. “Isn’t that right, Wooyoung?”

The cat’s mouth falls open, and in the blink of an eye, you’ve tossed him in the direction of his brothers. Wooyoung takes the liberty to shift mid-air, water droplets flinging off of him and onto the surrounding males.

“Hey! Watch it, Woo!” San flicks some of the water droplets off of his arm.

San gets completely ignored in favour of Wooyoung attempting to stand back to his feet and go after you. Only, he doesn’t get very far, as he sees you practically looming over him while he rests on his knees.

“I just wanted a day.” You sigh, rubbing at your tired eyes. “A day without you trying to magic your way into monopolizing all of my time.”

“Angel-“

“It’s been two weeks Wooyoung.” Your sharp gaze meets his own, his eyebrows drooping dramatically. “Two weeks.”

“You have been a bit much recently, Woo.” San chimes in.

“Like you’d be any different!” Wooyoung rounds on San.

The elder simply raises his hands in his own defence.

“I have asked you repeatedly to give me space, and you have not.” There is nothing but irritated disappointment on your features as you sigh. “Do you think posing as Kuroo works in your favour right now?”

A pointed coo from the real Kuroo as he walks into the room has Wooyoung’s eyebrow twitching.

“I just wanted to spend time with you,” his voice is but a whisper as he looks down at his hands.

“I understand that, Woo.” You crouch in front of him in order to get him to meet your gaze. “But you have to understand that I also value my downtime. We’ve been spending almost twenty-four hours with each other every day for a little over two weeks. That’s not fair to me when I’ve asked you for a little breathing room, nor your brothers. Do you not think that they also want to spend some time with me, too?”

“They haven’t said anything…” he mutters.

“We’ve tried.” Mingi grumbles out a response, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You have to understand that there are eight of you, and only one of me. I cannot be in multiple places at once, and you can’t always hog me to yourself.” You go on to say. “I don’t mind a day here or there where it’s just us, but you’ve got to learn that me saying that I need some time to myself, or me asking you to give me space does not mean that I don’t want you anymore, or that I don’t love you, or that I never want to see you again.”

The whole room is silent for the moment, save for the slow, consistent drip of droplets that continue to fall from the ends of Wooyoung’s damp hair.

“Okay.” His voice is small as he continues to kneel before you.

A blink, and you’re pointing at the other three. “I count you all in this, too.”

“We know, Baby.” San smiles faintly, a certain reminiscent gleam in his eyes.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” you nod once at them, moving to exit the room.

“So, which was worse?” Jongho moves beside his brother kneeling on the floor, purposely speaking loud enough so that you can still hear. “Being a drowned rat, or a dead fly?”

Your eyebrow twitches and you freeze halfway through the door.

A loud shushing sounds behind you, followed by the sound of frantic movement.

Slowly, you turn to look over your shoulder. Both of your eyebrows are currently raised in disbelief as you see Wooyoung half moving to put Jongho into a headlock.

“Do I even want to know what that’s supposed to imply?” You look between the two youngest, one of which is wearing a shit eating grin.

“Don’t you worry, Angel-“

“Remember that time you thought a fly got into your room?” Jongho’s eyes gleam with a twisted sense of amusement.

Your brow furrows, body fully turned back towards them for a moment. You notice how the two others opt to remain silent, watching on with a sense of glee shining on their features.

“A fly?” You tilt your head slightly, resting your hands on your hips as you try and recall the memory. “Oh, yeah! That was-“ your breath hitches in your throat as you turn your suddenly sharp gaze towards Wooyoung. “That was you?”

It had been during the second week at the start of this whole fiasco. You had just gotten out of the shower and had finished changing back into your moping attire for the evening when you had heard a fly buzzing around your room. You didn’t even clue in that it could have been Wooyoung after learning of his powers, considering it happened so long ago. Besides, you had other things on your mind, like how you were going to escape this ‘hotel’ you had seemingly been held captive in.

Of course, you weren’t having any sort of fly in your room, and instead of calling one of the guys for help, you decided to take matters into your own hands. Literally.

Besides, it’s not like you were really on speaking terms with them at that point.

So, rolling up the closest thing you could find, which just so happened to be a magazine Jongho had left for you that day, you decided to go fly hunting. A lucky smack, and the fly was upside down, legs twitching in the air before being scooped up and dropped outside onto the balcony.

Oddly enough, Jongho was the one who came to check on you after hearing the noise you had made by smacking the fly. Now that you think about it, of course.

“I can explain.” Wooyoung immediately lifts his hands in his own defence.

“So, you shifting into animals to spy on me isn’t a new thing?” You sigh.

“It’s not like I’m the only one who did it!” Wooyoung attempts to counter, only for Jongho to casually start walking away from him, an innocent look pulling at the younger male’s features.

“Why does this not surprise me?” You shake your head, moving to exit the room in the next moment.

“Wait! Angel!” Wooyoung scurries after you, managing to catch you halfway through the foyer. “I’m sorry!”

“Wooyoung-“

“It was stupid of me to do those things,” he continues, practically clinging off of you as you attempt to continue to make your way to the opposite side of the house.

“Wooyoung-“

“I promise I’ll never do them again,“ he slides down your body, practically clinging onto your one leg with every step you take.

You sigh, half dragging him across the floor as he desperately holds onto your ankle. Your clothes begin to become damp from the water still dripping off of him. “Sunshine-“

“I’ll make it up to you, I swear!”

“Wooyoung!” You stop just outside of Seonghwa’s tailor shop, noticing the elder male look up from whatever he’s working on from within.

Only, from the way Wooyoung continues to babble at your feet, grovelling with every word, you let out another sigh. Pleadingly, you turn to look at Seonghwa through the glass of the door, begging him silently to help you.

A blink, and Seonghwa is staring down at Wooyoung from the open door with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Wooyoung.” The elder says the younger’s name, quite pointedly at that.

“I just wanted to spend time with you, Angel.” He pleads for you to understand, his eyes wide as he looks up at you.

“I know, Woo.” You sigh. “I’m not mad. In fact, I’m more upset at Jongho right now for essentially pulling a San.”

“Hey!” A loud complaint sounds from down the hallway from the elder male.

“Marshmallows.” You call back, which immediately shuts him up. Then, you’re turning your attention back to the soaked male clinging to your leg. “Besides, we just agreed that you were going to give me space.”

“But-“

“Should I tell Joong to come back early?” Seonghwa mentions casually. “We all know the consequences of not respecting Our Queen’s boundaries.”

This has Wooyoung immediately back on his feet, straightening out your shirt for good measure.

“I’m not disappearing, Woo. I can promise you that.” You pat his arm lightly. “Now, go apologize to Kuroo for impersonating him while he was in the room.”

“Fine.” He sighs, trudging back down the hallway.

“And go wrestle your younger brother for being a shit disturber, or something.”

This has him immediately perking up, a sly grin tugging at his features. A quick turn from him, and he’s shifted to place a kiss onto your cheek before racing back down the hallway once more.

A shriek in the distance is all you hear that Wooyoung is most certainly doing something to get back at Jongho right now.

Turning back to face Seonghwa, an amused grin pulls at your lips. You notice he already wears one of his own, you shaking your head lightly while smiling to yourself. At least that seems to be dealt with now.

“May I come in?” Your inquiry is nothing short of sweet as you step towards Seonghwa.

“Of course, My Divine.” His answer is instant as he holds the door open for you. “Join me any time you’d like. You never have to ask.”

Gently, you place a kiss onto his cheek as you walk passed, letting that serve as your answer. Briefly, your eyes take in the familiar sight of his tailor shop, many different memories flooding your mind.

“What are you working on?” Your gaze catches on a bust in the centre of the room, different than what you’re used to.

“Well,” the soft sound of the door closing echoes throughout the room as he walks over to you. A blink, and he’s wrapped his arms around your waist, holding you flush against his chest as he stands behind you. “My Divine requested corsets for all of us, so I thought I should work on those today.”

Your hands come up to rest over his arms, leaning further into his touch as you relax into him. “Whose are you working on right now?”

“Yeosang’s.” He replies, and you both shift your eyes to look at the bust before you.

Your breath hitches in your throat as you fully take in the detail of the corset before you. It’s a light cream in colour, with golden detailing along the seams. The style is over the shoulders, the placement of the fabric appearing as if the corset is layered. The light colour, combined with the almost intricate detailing of such a simple design has your heart fluttering at the mental image of Yeosang wearing such a thing for you.

“It’s beautiful, Hwa.” You breathe, eyes continuously taking in every minute detail

“I’m glad you like it.” He chuckles, burying his face into the side of your neck.

“Have you made any others, yet?” You turn slightly in his arms, subconsciously tilting your head to the side to give him better access to your neck.

Seonghwa hums in response, “I’ve made yours.” A pause. “And mine.”

Subtly, your fingers press a little firmer against his arms.

“Would you like to see?” There’s an undertone of excitement to his inquiry, along with a hint of nervousness.

“I would love to.” You smile, managing to turn your head to place a kiss against his temple.

Parting from you somewhat reluctantly, Hwa disappears off to the side, pulling out two separate busts. He places the first one beside Yeosang’s, but the other, he purposely hides behind his back for now.

“This one is mine.” He says, motioning to the newly placed corset resting beside Yeosang’s own.

A look of complete wonder rests on your features as you take in the detailing of the corset before you. It’s a bit simplistic in design, but still beautiful. The black material only serves to cover his lower torso, appearing to rest just below his bust. Intricate silver leaves are embroidered on the fabric, silver stitching lining the seams.

For a full minute, you do not speak. Instead, you cannot tear your vision away from the corset before you, your mind swirling with images of what Seonghwa will look like wearing such a piece of clothing for you.

You swallow thickly, you lips parting, “It’s beautiful.”

It’s hardly noticeable, but his shoulders seemingly sink in relief at your words. “I’m just glad you like it.”

“I can’t wait to see you in it.” Comes your earnest reply, shifting your gaze over to meet his own.

“Well, if you like those, then I’m now certain you’ll love your own.” The corner of his lips quirks upwards as he steps aside to reveal your own corset to you.

A gasp escapes you as your hands come up to cover your mouth. You can hear your heartbeat thundering in your ears as your eyes go wide, nothing but excitement and love flooding your veins.

Before you rests one of the most intricate corsets you have ever seen in your entire life. The base is pure white, golden threads running throughout the fabric. Embroidered florals and leaves rest along the bodice, while the seams are lined with more of that striking gold. It’s strapless, with a slight sweetheart neckline at the top.

The exact inverse to his own corset’s design, but almost the exact same colouring to Yeosang’s.

“Seonghwa,” you manage to lower your hands as you meet his somewhat nervous gaze. “I love it!”

A radiant smile is immediately taking over his features. “You do?”

“Of course I do!” You take a step towards him to inspect the detailing of the corsets closer. “These are all incredible! Did you hand stitch these?”

“It took me some time, but I finally found a pattern I thought could suit us.” He shrugs off your words casually.

“You mean to tell me that you embroidered these yourself?” You lips part in awe.

“If it’s for someone important to me, I make all of the patterns myself.” He nods, averting his gaze somewhat shyly.

A few more steps, and you’re in front of him, cupping his cheeks gingerly in your hands.

“You’re incredible, you know that?” You gently guide his gaze to your own.

His lips twitch upwards in the corners, a warmth beginning to bloom beneath your hands and upon his cheeks.

“My Divine asked, and I am more than happy to deliver.” He whispers.

Again, you place a kiss upon his cheek.

“They’re all going to be matching, aren’t they?” You smile, turning to face the corsets once more.

“In one way or another, ours will all bear some resemblance to your own.” Seonghwa confirms, wrapping his arms around you from behind for the second time this day.

“Something tells me you have some idea when we’ll be wearing these.” You tease, poking his arm lightly.

“I do.” He hums. “Your coronation ceremony.”

Your body goes still in his arms, “Uh…”

“Don’t worry, My Divine,” he chuckles. “That’s still quite some time away.”

“But there will be one at some point.” You respond.

“At some point, yes.” He confirms, and you can hear the amusement in his voice. “We still have to officially crown you as our Queen, you know.”

“Right,” You nod a few times slowly. “I guess with all that’s going on lately, I forgot about that little detail.”

“Well, it’s not quite a little detail to us.” He grins. “We’ve been thinking about it far longer than you could ever imagine.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” You tease, leaning further back into his chest.

“I was hoping for that dress to be what you wore for the ceremony, but unfortunately it seems that fate had other plans.” Seonghwa’s words are low as he exhales disappointedly.

This time, you tense.

“Seonghwa, I-“

“Wasn’t it you who told me to stop apologizing for the things that we can’t control?” He’s quick to cut you off, turning you around so that you’re facing him. Gently, he grasps your chin in his one hand, holding your gaze with his own. “All that incident told me was that I could make something better. Something truly worthy for you, and I think I already have.”

Your eyes dart beside you, almost searching for that corset that you know is just resting behind you for the moment.

“Yes, I decided to approach things from a new angle. Starting with those corsets have breathed new life into my designs.” He smiles, shifting his hand over to cup your cheek. “I know we have discussed it before, but it is important for me to say it again now: I do not, and I will never blame you for what she did. Inside of these walls, out there,” his eyes dart to the hallway, “Anywhere, or for anything for that matter. I don’t want you thinking that I do. We’ve had our disagreements in the past, but please, My Divine, never believe I would ever think for a single second that you are at fault for what she has done. I am simply glad you are safe, and most importantly, still alive.”

Your expression softens, and you find yourself lifting a hand up to rest on top of his own over your cheek. Leaning into his touch, your eyes flutter closed.

“I appreciate that, Hwa,” you breathe. “Know that I don’t blame you, either. What she did to me, to us, does not rest on your shoulders. I know you tend to blame yourself for everything that goes wrong, and if you’re still having doubts, I will be here to ease them all from your mind.”

For a moment, nothing more is said between the both of you. Instead, you opt to revel in this silence, staring deeply into each other’s eyes, and as you both cradle each other so gently in each other’s hands, you both know that everything will be okay.

“So,” a mischievous glint begins shining within your gaze as your eyes dart beside you once again, “Can I try it on?”

Ten minutes later, and you find yourself standing directly in front of that same three way panelled mirror as the very first time you entered his tailor shop. Seonghwa rests behind you, tying off the last string to the corset before fluffing out the skirt of the dress he’s temporarily paired with it.

Finally, he takes a step back to admire you.

You hear the hitch in his breath before you even lift your head to meet his gaze in the mirror. Though, this time when he steps up behind you to gently place his hands onto your hips, you don’t tense.

“How you become more beautiful every time I look at you escapes all sense of logic and reason.” He breathes out, the ghost of his breath tickling the side of your neck.

The giggle you give him in response is music to his ears.

“You never seem to hold onto logic whenever you’re around me.” You tease, smoothing out the front of the skirt you’re wearing.

“Maybe I don’t want to.” He places a tender kiss against your neck, right above your racing pulse. “You look breathtaking, My Divine.”

A bashful smile pulls at your lips, your heart racing in your chest. “Thank you.”

Slowly, Hwa makes his way to your front, trailing his hand delicately along your side as he does so. You can feel his gaze roaming every inch of your bodice as he comes to stand before you, his eyes dark, yet calculating.

“Are you comfortable? I didn’t do it too tight to begin with, but I can still make adjustments if need be.” He comments, glancing upwards briefly into your eyes.

“Everything feels fine, Hwa.” You assure him. “I am quite comfortable right now, and I mean that in more than one way.”

His eyes flash black, hands smoothing down your sides in a tender caress. He smiles. “I’m glad.”

“I mean it, Seonghwa.” Gently, you take his hands into your own, stepping down from that little platform in order to be closer to him. “I know you’ve been cautious this whole time since I entered here today of overstepping boundaries again.” The way you can feel his hands tense the slightest bit in your hold from your words says it all. “You don’t have to worry about that, anymore. You can touch me, Hwa. I promise I won’t run away this time.”

There is nothing but absolute adoration shining behind Seonghwa’s eyes as he meets your own. A love that you can feel in the way he gently squeezes your hands in his own. Even more so when he leans forward to place a tender kiss onto your forehead.

“Believe me, My Divine,” he keeps his voice low as he pulls away only to lean his forehead against your own. “You don’t realize how often my thoughts swirl with my desires for you. I’d just rather wait until after your coronation to rip this corset off of your body and take you in every and any way that you desire me to.”

Your breath hitches in your throat, “Oh.”

Seonghwa smirks. “Yes, ‘oh’.”

“Well, I might request that the corsets don’t get torn to shreds if we can help it.” You giggle. “Seems a waste to do so to such beautiful pieces of clothing.”

“I can always make more.” He quirks a brow.

“But none of them would be the first.” You rest your hands upon his shoulders. “They wouldn’t hold the same meaning.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he sighs, taking a small step away to admire you once more. “One of these days, I’m tearing one of my designs right off of you, though.”

“Something tells me you already have something in mind.” You grin knowingly.

“I’ve got a few things.” He hums, grinning right back.

Your eyebrows raise in amusement as you close the distance between the both of you once more. Your arms wrap around his shoulders, fingers delicately lacing through the hair at the back of his neck.

“I’ll model for you anytime, Mars,” The words are but a sultry whisper on your lips, eyes hooding over as you stare deeply into his. “You just let me know the time and place.”

“Don’t give me even more ideas, My Divine,” His voice is but a low rumble as he pulls you flush against his chest. “You already know how hard it is for me to control myself around you.”

You lean into him closer, lips nearly ghosting his own.

His breathing deepens, hands tightening around your waist.

“Then, how delectable it will be when I finally let you indulge.”

A shudder caresses his spine, nothing but a low growl escaping his lips. 

Again, you giggle, pulling away from him with a vibrant smile on your lips. Turning slightly, you face the mirror beside you.

“I do like the style of this dress, though.” You say, acting completely oblivious to the raging storm of desire you’ve just ignited within Seonghwa who is barely controlling his breathing while standing right beside you. “You just had this laying around?”

“Believe it or not,” his voice is a little strained as he attempts to calm himself down, “I’ve had quite a few things already made for you for some time now.”

This piques your interest. “Oh?”

“I’ve spent a lot of time making things for you, My Divine.” He clears his throat lightly, straightening himself. “Yunho isn’t the only one with you as his muse.”

Your heart warms, a loving smile tugging at your features. “I am glad to be able to inspire you so.”

A tender smile in response is all that you get.

“Does this mean you still have all of those dresses from that first dinner?” You tilt your head, nothing but curiosity reflected in your eyes.

“I do.” He nods once in confirmation.

A moment later, Seonghwa has moved off to the side, pulling a curtain back to reveal a row of dresses hanging delicately along a rack. Familiar dresses. The only one that’s missing is his.

Realization crosses your features, those all too familiar mental strings flashing in your mind. 

“You made all of them. Not just for me, but for them, too.”

His lips twitch upwards in the corners, “They told me what they wanted, and I did my best to bring their visions to life.”

You step towards the rack, gazing at the dresses akin to how you looked at them the very first time you saw them. Delicately, you pull each one out to take in the full detail.

“Of course Wooyoung would make his a wedding dress,” you chuckle, looking over the beadwork of the princess style ballgown.

“You can’t blame the man,” Seonghwa chuckles along with you. “We were all eager for you to finally come to us.”

“Believe me,” you meet his gaze, moving on to the lavender gown next. “I know.”

Again, you pull out the satin material, noticing how the thin straps give way to a very low back. The triangle cups on the front before the bodice begin also leave no room to the imagination.

“I do love the style of this dress, but there was no way I was going to wear it back then.” You gently rub the smooth material between your thumb and forefinger. At the mildly confused look Seonghwa gives you, you’re quick to continue, “Open invitation to stare at my chest; my boobs would have been practically falling out.”

Seonghwa nearly tumbles over while standing upright.

“I’m not about to go to dinner with men that I don’t know with my chest on full display.” You joke.

“We would have been respectful!” Seonghwa immediately attempts to defend both himself and his brothers.

“Right.” You snort out a laugh. “And Yeosangie isn’t a boob’s guy.”

The tips of Seonghwa’s ears being to burn bright red.

“In his favourite colour, no less.” You hum, clearly amused. “Granted, he’s much more subtle than some of your brothers. Mingi isn’t very good at hiding when he’s staring at my ass, his gaze can be quite intense. Thinks he being subtle, too.”

“I’ll let him know.” Seonghwa clears his throat.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” you turn to meet Seonghwa’s gaze briefly, a smile tugging at your lips. “It’s nice to know I’m wanted.” You turn back to the row of dresses. “Though, maybe keep the eye-fucking for when we’re not in public, yeah?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Seonghwa grins, a small chuckle escaping him. “Though, I can’t promise you much.”

“It’s the thought that counts,” you shoot a playful wink in his direction before pulling out the emerald green dress next. “Speaking of dear Mingles.”

“If anyone but you called him that, they’d be decapitated by now.” Seonghwa jokes, shifting to pull out his chair before taking a seat to continue watching you go through all of the dresses he made for you for that one night.

“Good thing I’m not just anybody.” You grin, observing the way the material of the strapless goddess wrap falls from the hanger. 

The material pinches in one place on the left side, allowing for a sort of angled hemline which ends just above your knees. The wrap of the dress is meticulous, silver gems serving to pin the wrap in place, glittering beneath the lights of the tailor shop around you.

“No,” he agrees with a hum, leaning back in his seat as he observes you with a loving gaze, “you’re not.”

Moving on to the next gown, you pull out what had been your second choice for that evening all those months ago. 

The red dress is just as beautiful as you remember, the capped sleeves giving way to the sweetheart neckline. Tulle flows from the waistline and all the way to the floor in a seamless line, accentuating the length of the gown. Though, as you pull the skit, you realize that there seems to be a slit running all the way up the side, hidden beneath the layers of fabric.

Your eyebrows raise in amusement.

“Do you think it would have been easier or harder for me to stab him wearing his dress?” There’s a teasing lilt to your tone as you turn to face Seonghwa once more.

“My Divine, I think you underestimate the power you hold when we see you wear something of our own design.” He remarks. At the way you quirk a brow, he continues, “If you wore that dress for him… hell, if you wore anything red for him, you could get him to do anything that you want. No questions asked.”

Your eyes widen significantly, pure mirth dancing within. “Good to know.”

“The same goes for every single one of us.” He sighs, somewhat dreamily as he rests his elbow on the arm of his chair. His head is in his hand, and you can just tell by that fond look in his eyes that he’s vividly reminiscing you wearing his own gown for him all those long months ago.

The next dress you pull out to look at is a beautiful bright yellow. It’s strapless, and the skirt falls like a waterfall - short in the front before it lengthens in the back. The material is chiffon, wrapping around the bodice in a sort of layered pattern.

“Simple, yet elegant.” You comment. “It’s fitting for Yunho.”

“He has always been a simple man, in that sense.” Seonghwa agrees.

That soft smile rests on your features as you delicately place Yunho’s dress back onto the rack. Almost lovingly, you trace your hands over the fabric one last time before moving on to the soft pink dress right beside it. Pulling it off of the rack, you hum.

The lightness of the fabric falls delicately against your one hand as you see the over the shoulder straps. There seem to be two sets: one the would hang just over your collarbones, while the other falls just past your shoulders, both thin yet sturdy. The style reminds you of old fantasy games, where fairies would wear pastels, their wings fluttering behind them. The ruffled seam along the top leads into the straps that fall just over your shoulders, bodice form fitting while the skirt falls delicately in a solid piece of soft fabric to rest just below your knees.

“Sometimes, I forget how soft you all can be.” You hum pleasantly, heart swelling as you place San’s dress back onto the rack.

When you first met San, you interpreted him to be all sharp angles and brute strength. At least, that’s how he appeared to you.

A vision of him purposely flaunting himself off beside the pool flashes through your mind briefly. 

Now, of course, you know differently, and this dress only serves to prove what you already know.

You smile.

Last, but certainly not least, you pull out the final dress in the row.

The youngest’s dress is probably the shortest of the bunch, the deep maroon accenting the black velvet pattern of roses found throughout. It’s quite simple in design, small slits on either side along the edges of the skit to make moving in the dress easier. The top is strapless, body formfitting.

“Something tells me Jongho was hoping a little too hard for this one.” You quirk a brow, turning to look at Seonghwa who suddenly avoids your gaze. “Ohoho, so he wasn’t the only one hoping for this one.”

“If we’re being honest, it was my second choice.” Seonghwa mumbles, still not being able to meet your eyes.

“Do I want to know?” You tease, nothing but amusement shining in your eyes.

“I wasn’t the only one!” Seonghwa attempts to defend himself, raising his hands in front of his chest.

“Yes, Mars, we’ve established that.” You chuckle. “It’s a wonder the shortest dress is the most popular.”

“Nothing to do with it being the tightest, either…” He mumbles, clearing his throat quite loudly afterwards.

You laugh, eyes crinkling at the sides as you begin teasing them about being your ‘damn horny Kings’ yet again.

“How you managed to get my measurements right is beyond me.” You shake your head, tutting lightly.

“It took me some time, but I do have almost perfect spacial reasoning.” He replies, somewhat nonchalantly.

You raise a hand, shaking your head lightly, “I don’t even want to know.”

“You seemed curious.” He shrugs.

“Wait, how long did it take you to make these?” Your brow furrows slightly as you shift your gaze back to the dresses on the rack beside you.

Seonghwa takes a moment to think about his answer, humming lightly to himself. “Probably about three months. Give or take a week.”

“Three months?” Your eyes nearly bug right out of your head.

“Yeah, I worked on them practically non-stop.” He recalls. “I mean, my own design took me the longest with all of the lace, but if I set my mind to something, it normally doesn’t take me very long to do. Or, well, create.”

You blink. Once. Twice. Three times before his words are truly sinking in.

“Seonghwa,” you turn to him, “How long did it take you to make your dress for me?”

He pauses, looking upwards as he mentally tallies the days. “About a month.”

You mouth falls open. “You spent a month working on a single dress? For me?”

“I had to make sure it was perfect.” He shrugs.

Your expression softens as you move to kneel before him as he rests in his chair. Ever so gently, you clasp his hands in your own, his words from earlier echoing throughout your head.

“You weaved the lace by hand, didn’t you?” Your inquiry is a bit airy, warmth swelling in your chest as you stare deeply into his eyes. “Just like you embroidered this by hand, too.”

The way he glances down at the corset you wear is answer enough, but he still nods softly along with your words.

A tender smile graces your lips. “You are incredible, you know that?”

Again, he averts his gaze somewhat bashfully. “It’s not much.”

“Seonghwa, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” You glance up at him through your lashes.

“To be fair, you said it yourself, we’ve had quite a few rough patches already.” He once again shrugs your praise off. “It never felt like the right time, and I didn’t want it to appear like I was boasting.”

You’re silent for a moment, pursing your lips slightly as you appear deep in thought.

“What’s on your mind, My Divine?” His hand gently cupping your face has you meeting his gaze once more.

“I wish I had known.” There’s a slight downturn of your lips, a hint of guilt shining behind your eyes. “I had an inkling you had made it for me, but I didn’t realize the extent you went to.”

“It’s alright, My Divine,” Seonghwa chuckles fondly. “You don’t need to feel bad for this.”

“But I almost threw it off my balcony.” Nothing but pure regret pulls at your features.

“But you didn’t.” He reminds you.

“As scared, confused, and upset I was, I couldn’t do that to such a beautiful dress.” You admit lowly. “Especially not to one that actually made me feel beautiful after so long of believe I wasn’t.”

“I’m just happy to know you liked my design enough to choose it first.” He cups your face gently, placing a tender kiss onto your forehead.

“I should wear it again.” A casual admittance from you has him freezing right in his spot. “A dress like that shouldn’t be worn only once, Mars. It’s wasted sitting on a hanger, and not worn for its intended purpose.”

“You would wear it again?” He pulls away to meet your gaze, eyes shining with his barely contained awe and happiness. “For me?”

“I plan to wear everything you’ve ever made for me at some point, Hwa.” You admit lowly. “Everything you will make for me.”

His brow quirks teasingly, “Even the wedding dress?”

You grin right along with him, “Even the wedding dress.”

“I know for a fact that Wooyoung won’t be the only one who wants to see you in that.” His gaze drifts to the row of dresses behind you.

“I think your brothers have long since earned seeing me in their own dress designs.” You hum, turning your head to glance back at the aforementioned gowns. “As a treat.”

“You might want to time Jongho’s for when none of us are home, except him.” Seonghwa warns, helping you back to your feet as he stands from his chair. “You may not get to him if one of us sees you in that first.”

“Is that a promise?” You quirk a brow playfully.

“A Divine Temptress, that’s what you are.” Seonghwa shakes his head, stroking his thumb lovingly against your cheek.

“Only for My Kings.” You giggle, shooting him a playful wink as you walk back over to the stand.

Seonghwa follows behind, a fond smile on his features as he watches you step back onto that little pedestal. Again, you turn to face the mirrors, smoothing out the front of the dress as you examine your reflection closely.

All is silent for the moment as he looks you over carefully, noting the somewhat subtle twitch of your fingers over the material of the gown.

“You know you can tell me whatever is on your mind.” He voices softly. “If you don’t like something, I won’t be upset.”

You take a moment to straighten your spine before clearing your throat, “You said you haven’t started on the new dress to match this yet, right?”

“That is correct.” He confirms with a nod, a sort of amused gleam shining behind his eyes.

“I- uh-“ you swallow the sudden dryness in your throat, averting your gaze so sweetly to the side.

“Do you have something in mind?” Seonghwa is a little too eager when he asks this.

Softly, you nod your head. “But if you already have an idea, I don’t want to-“

“My Divine,” he cuts you off with a lighthearted chuckle, moving to stand in front of you. A second later, he gently grasps your hands in his own. “Never be afraid to ask me to make you something. I would be more than happy to create for you whatever vision you have in that beautiful mind of yours.”

A reassuring squeeze is felt against your hands.

“What if…” you trail off lightly before finally meeting his gaze. “What if we designed it together?”

Seonghwa goes so still, you swear he might pass out. That is, until he’s blinking rapidly, almost as if to clear tears from his vision.

“You want to design a dress with me?” His voice is a bit airy, coming out a bit choked from his overwhelming emotions.

At your eager nod, a brilliant smile stretches across his features. 

Again, he squeezes your hands, shaking them back and forth lightly in his excitement. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, you already have the corset,” you begin, an eager grin tugging at the corners of your lips.

He nods.

“So, I was thinking…”

A moment later, and you’re opening up your void to him, the mental image of you in a very specific dress filling his thoughts.

You can hear his sudden intake of breath, his eyes widening slightly as his heart stutters in his chest. Subconsciously, he pulls you closer, his lips parting in awe at the vision that paints his mind.

Seonghwa clears his throat, swallowing the sudden dryness there. “I can do that.”

You smile, placing a kiss onto his cheek. “We can do that.”

Seonghwa laughs, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he wraps you into his arms. A moment later, and he lifts you into the air, spinning you around once as a joyous shriek of surprise escapes your lips.

“Hwa, put me down!” Your laughter strongly contradicts your statement as you hold onto his shoulders for support.

Gently, he settles you back onto your feet on that little pedestal. Still, he holds you to him, gazing at you with nothing but love and affection in his dark eyes.

“I love you, My Divine,” he squeezes you the slightest bit tighter as he says this. “So much.”

You smile tenderly at him, cupping his face softly in your hands. “I love you, Seonghwa.”

Briefly, his eyes dart down to your lips.

He swallows. “May I?”

You decide to tease him a little longer.

“May you, what?” You quirk a brow.

“May I kiss-“

He doesn’t even get a chance to finish his inquiry before your lips are on his own. 

A pleased hum reverberates in his chest as he pulls you impossibly closer, one hand settling on the back of your head while the other rests between your shoulder blades. 

Kissing you is a feeling unlike any other to Seonghwa, and he revels in it each time. He can never get enough - your touch, your laugh, your smile - anything and everything about you, he adores, and he’s sure to pour all that he is into the movement of his lips against your own. You are all that he needs.

All too soon, you’re parting from him to rest your forehead against his own.

“You make me so incredibly happy, My Divine.” He breathes out, his eyes still closed as he absolutely revels in this moment here in time with you. “It means the world to me that you wish to design something together.”

“It’s like I told San before,” you reply lowly. “I want to spend more time with each of you doing what you love to do. You’ve all done so much for me, I think it’s time I return the favour.”

“My Queen.” The way his eyes shine with unshed tears says it all.

“I’m just sorry I can’t make anything like this for you, yet.” You briefly motion to the corset you’re still wearing.

“Well,” he laughs, “I do have a few thousand years on you.”

“Just a few.” You grin right along with him. “Maybe I’ll make you a scarf, or something.”

“A scarf?” He quirks a brow.

“I do know how to crochet, Mars.” You chuckle. “Though, you wouldn’t really have a use for it.”

“If you made me a scarf, I would never take it off.” He says, matter-of-factly.

“I don’t know how durable it would be constantly getting wet in the shower,” you hum, almost absentmindedly to yourself.

“You’ve never asked us for yarn before,” he mumbles, brow furrowing in thought.

“To be fair, there have been quite a few other things on my mind.” You poke his cheek lightly.

“I suppose you’re right.” He nods in agreement.

“You ‘suppose’?” You quirk a brow playfully.

“I, uh-“

“I’m just teasing you.” You hum, burying your face into the side of his neck as you hug him close to you. “Besides, I’m surprised my grandmother hasn’t told you that yet. I also know how to knit.”

“Surprisingly, I haven’t seen her around much, lately.” He replies, helping you straighten out the dress again once you part from him.

“I wonder why,” you mumble, somewhat absentmindedly to yourself.

“Baby!” 

Just then, the bell above the door to the shop jingles, and both you and Seonghwa are turning to see a frantic San rushing through the door. Both Mingi and Wooyoung are behind him, excitement shining within their eyes.

That’s when you notice, San seems to be holding onto your phone.

“It’s Vasco.” He says, holding out the phone to you with a large smile tugging at his features. “Crystal’s gone into labour.”

[daytaker]

Hello, it is I, Family Anon, the anon who requested headcaons about MC’s family reacting to the brothers showing up and I have yet another request for ye, May we get some headcaons for Papa MC showing the brothers MC’s childhood photos? Them as a cute chubby baby, scribbling all over walls, getting braces (I saw a headcaon that was about them freaking out at the concept of braces and I just thought it was hilarious ), playing sports, their date for prom, and finally highschool graduation pics, Mama MC still doesn’t like any of them and is glaring at her husband for letting his guard down while MC is just rotting into the couch in embarrassment lol.

[ Related: "Mom, Dad, meet seven of my boyfriends" | "Mom, Dad, these are my other four boyfriends and my son" ]

"Mom, Dad, please stop showing my seven boyfriends pictures of me in the bath."

...is what you would have said if Dad hadn't already moved on from that picture to one of you with your face covered in Spaghettio's. Your dad is sitting on the couch between the twins, the five older brothers all huddled behind them as he flips through a photo album. It's only been a few days since he met the brothers, and while he was openly hostile towards them at first, he's quickly come to appreciate the fantastic sounding board they are for his ramblings on his beloved child. They're engaged, curious, and they ask all the right questions.

"Maybe we were too judgmental about that cult," your dad said to your mom the other day as you rubbed your temples. You've given up saying that there was no cult. You hardly even believe yourself anymore.

Mom has been glaring at Dad since he took out the family album he'd brought with him, but it had done her about as much good as glaring at him had done me.

Now, for a trip down memory lane...

You as a Newborn Baby

You, freshly out of the womb, with a red face contorted into an ugly sob.

"What's that?" Beel asks as he squints at the photo of the squirming infant that barely resembled a human.

"That's a baby, Beel," mumbles Lucifer.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing is wrong with it. Babies are just ugly when they first come out," Belphie explains.

"MC wasn't ugly when they first came out," Beel argues with a frown.

"Beel," Levi sighs. "That is MC."

"....Oh."

You with your Baby Sister

You're almost two and you're leaning over your mother as she holds your newborn baby sister.

"What is happening here?" Satan asks, perplexed. "There are two infants."

"Sure are," Dad says proudly. "That's MC, and that there is their little sister. You met her, didn't you, Derek?"

Satan says nothing, but still somehow manages to sound moody.

"She's our wildchild. Or, she was. Turns out MC has a bit of a crazy streak too. Isn't that right, MC?"

You say nothing. You're a little moody yourself.

You Crying on a Pony

You're about two years old at some autumn festival, your face frozen forever in a pitiful shriek of terror while you sit on the back of a docile pony while your dad walks beside you.

"Did that animal make you cry?" asks Belphie.

"As you can see from the evidence in this photograph, yes."

Belphie mutters something under his breath about making it suffer.

"That's from over 20 years ago. It's probably dead by now."

"Good."

"Belphie!"

You Taking a Bath

You're about three years old, and you and your sister are in the bathtub, naked as the day you were born, playing with bath toys.

"Humans have rubber duckies?" asks Levi.

"Humans?" Your dad gives him a funny look.

"Haha! Oh, Levi. He meant *Americans*. Sure we do, Levi!"

"It's strange that they let you take photos of them in the bath. I don't think they'd let someone do that anymore," Asmo sighs sadly. "MC, where did your sense of playfulness go?"

Trying to explain to these people that small human children are fundamentally unlike human adults is like talking to an especially inflexible brick wall.

You Dressed for Winter

You're standing in a thick coat, scarf, hat, mittens, snow pants, and snow boots. Your arms are practically stuck in the air at your sides.

This seems excessive, comments Lucifer.

Winters can get pretty cold in this part of the country, your dad explains.

Nonetheless, this seems excessive.

This was entirely normal outerwear for a six-year-old child going outside in the snow in January.

Nevertheless, Lucifer says, it seems excessive.

You remind Lucifer about the booties and doggy jacket he dresses Cerberus in when it snows in the Devildom and he stops making such judgmental statements about your parents.

You with Braces

It's a school photo. You're about thirteen. years old, and you're sporting braces. It's a painful memory.

"What happened to your mouth? Asmo gasps in alarm. "Who did that to your teeth?!"

Those are braces, Dad tells him.

"Braces?"

They straighten out your teeth bit by bit over the course of a long stretch of time.

And who did this to Asmo's precious MC?

The orthodontist, your Dad tries to explain, but Asmo is so disgusted he can barely stand to look at the picture.

You and your Prom Date

You're about seventeen, standing beside a boy around the same age, smiling into the camera. You're both dressed in formalwear and you both look vaguely uncomfortable.

"Hey, why's that kid lookin' so cozy with MC?" Mammon narrows his eyes at the photo album.

"That's Sam Jorgenson. Hey MC, you remember Sam Jorgenson?" your dad asks you.

Yes, you remember Sam Jorgenson, your on-again off-again high school boyfriend. You were always breaking up because of some stupid thing or another, and you were always getting back together over even stupider stuff.

"Why's he holdin' onto you like that?" Mammon asks accusatorially.

"Why are you looking at me like that? That's probably from my senior prom." You aren't looking at the photo, but you can guess which picture it is. "He was my date."

Mammon looks kind of devastated. Like he had expected to be the first guy to ever be your date to anything.

"Listen, Mammon, you're my first lots-of-stuff, but I had a life before I came to...um. Virginia. I wasn't saving myself for some hypothetical... 'backpacker' during my teenage years."

Mammon seems to feel like he barely knows you anymore.

You tell him that's just too damn bad, but Sam Jorgenson had a PS4 and beautiful blue eyes so you're not really that sorry.

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

I had this hilarious thought just now. Imagine when the bsd cast came in the real world, instead of their normal body, they enter as chibis. Or you could say as their wan! characters lol. The idea is VERY similar to the cat one lol

Recently, I was pinged by @legendsgates under a similar prompt. So, enjoy this short imagine.

The loud crash came from your bedroom. Chills ran down your spine. You were living alone, no roommates or pets. Besides, there are no trees near your bedroom window, so, you can't blame a curious stray cat.

Worst of all, you left your phone in a bedroom. You grabbed you trusty frying pan and tip toed to your bedroom.

The house was quiet. Yet, you can hear quiet footsteps, coming from your bedroom. You prepared yourself, abruptly opened the door, burst into the room, swung the frying pan and screamed.

"Die, you despicable dog."

A bunch of chibis screamed and huddled in a corner.

Chibi BSD Cast were trembling, looking at you. Oda's kids have tears in their eyes.

You blinked and dropped the frying pan. You felt like a total jerk now.

You sat on the floor and reach your hand towards chibis.

"I am so sorry, I thought, you were burglars."

After some whispering between BSD Cast, chibi Fukuzawa stepped forward and shake your hand.

"Apology accepted. We are also partly at fault. We should have chosen a better time to be transported here. Do you know why we are so small?"

_____

🐾 It's fascinating to live with a bunch of chibis. Interesting and hard.

🐾 First, BSD Cast now had their WAN! Counterparts bodies, voices and attitude. So, life truly became chaotic.

🐾 Five times per week, Boxzai will be chasing after Chuuya. Ranpo has rubber duckies (with Atsuduck and Duckzai), Fyodor complaining about Yokohama restaurants, subway and everything.

🐾 There is also a problem with clothes. Now, people either think that you had a bunch of kids at home. Or that you have become a volunteer in an orphanage.

🐾 And Chibi BSD always swarms you, when you return home. Because they missed you.

🐾 Still, you are happy to live with chibis.

🐾 Unfortunately, they returned to their original height without warning.

______

You were carrying Dazai and Chuuya on your shoulders. They were bickering, yet, you didn't pay attention to them. You learned to ignore it.

You made a step forward. Two lights blinked near your shoulders.

And now, instead of light chibis, on your left shoulder you had 181 cm and 67 kg of Dazai Osamu, and on your right shoulder you had 160 cm and 60 kg of Chuuya Nakahara.

With a loud thud, you fall down, buried under Dazai and Chuuya.

Thankfully, no one get hurt. And you were really grateful, that you weren't carrying Fukuzawa and Kunikida right now.

[starandcloud]

John "Soap" MacTavish Headcannons

This man can SPRINT in heels I will die on this hill

If it wasn't for the military, he'd sleep until noon

Probably work a nightshift too

He needs coffee to function, if he doesn't have coffee he's a grouch

Takes his time waking up, not an early bird

He needs like five alarms to wake up

Bathroom first kind of person

Sometimes takes a shower in the morning, depends on if he didn't the night before

COFFEE and juice

Sweet tooth, a horrible sweet tooth

Chocolate chip pancakes are his go to, or whatever the canteen has tbh he's not that picky

He sleeps in whatever, or just his boxers does not care-

He does not dress up, he's in a uniform and looks presentable 9/10 out of ten. He's in a t-shirt and sweats when he's not deployed

Takes a shower every night, sometimes multiple times in the same night if he still feels grimey after the first one

He doesn't take baths often, but when he does it has bubbles and a rubber duckie. He likes the simple things in life guys

He likes simple scents, nothing complex

He hates 3-in-1

He likes Mint toothpaste

He eats when he can, but has pocket snacks

He loves home cooked meals

He likes smoothies, the purple ones (that he can never remember the name of) he gets from a smoothie shop are his favorites

He never makes meals for later, he's not that organized-

Rarely has leftovers

Get's fast food once in a blue moon

Doesn't eat out much, unless it's a special occasion

He does most of the chores, he has a specific way he does things

DESPISES dishes, hates the feeling of the food being squishy and soft under his fingers

IMMEDIATELY washes dishes after using them

Does have a "laundry chair" but it doesn't last long tbh

Makes his bed in the morning, military taught him well

Has a car, but that's about it

Owns a car, but it's this little puddle hopper and it's beat up- He could afford a better car, but he's deployed a lot so he probably won't buy one

He literally takes his car through the biggest puddles ever, just to see the water arch. He's easily amused

Hates boats, especially after Graves

He has an Android

Special ringtones for everyone he cares about

He has it silenced 9/10, he silences it for missions and forgets to unsilence it

He has candy-crush on his phone and I will stand firm on this

He has the basic lock and home screens

He has snapchat but uses it for the filters, also has facebook for market place and Tiktok for the car videos

He has a few followers on Tiktok

He can block someone easy

He posts his cooking fails online

He probably has angered the baking/cooking niche online A LOT, dude probably has callouts from five years ago because he doesn't care-

He sleeps whenever, but totally has sleeping meds for his PTSD

He can either be up all night or in seconds, depends on how tired he is tbh

He's a light sleeper

He talks in his sleep, but it's mostly mumbles

Has nightmares more often than not

Has a bit of light from his TV, finds it hard to sleep without it

Sleeps with every window and door locked

Has his bed in the corner of the wall, hard to be attacked from both sides

His handwritting is damn near impossible to understand, sometimes Price has a hard time deciphering it

He's an outdoorsy type

The first memory is of being with him mom at a fair

He likes bread, just bread ;-;

He listens to literally everything, except classical it puts him to sleep

Very Artsy

He has Bachlers degree

He loves cats, and has one at his moms

Struggles with gifts tbh

He went from the tallest in his family, to the one of the shortest on his team

He's huge on physical touch, especially with his partner

He said something that made Ghost stop in his tracks once, and then ever did again. It was so stupid it was smart

Soap is so fucking sociable it honestly annoys Ghost

He really wants to get married, but doesn't want to put the stress of him always being deployed on his spouse and he doesn't want to die on them

He's allergic to Buckwheat, Shellfish, Balsam of Peru, Tegretol, and Cosmetics

Whenever something traumatic happens he shrugs and goes: "Well that happened" and goes on with his life

He has a lot of scars, mostly from war itself most of them are on his upper arms but some are on his chest and forearms

He has a scar from getting a gash on his leg when playing when he was a kid, he needed A LOT of stitches

He has one that looks like a cresant moon on his right hand ring finger

He honestly doesn't mind when people trace his scars, it's kinda soothing

A little kid once asked about one on his chest, which he got when a bomb went on prematurely, and he said he got it from a T-Rex to entertain the kid.

That was also when he decided he wanted kids, when the kids eyes blew open wide and they bounced on their toes asking more questions. Which he provided absurd answers until the kids mom rushed over and apologized

The one on his chest was from a near-death experience, learned really quick how to run really really fast

He holds his partner close during cuddling, if their back is against his chest his face in buried in their neck. If he's laying on top of them, he has his head against their stomach and his arms protectively around their waist, or if his head is on his lap he just gently holds them and usually falls asleep

He's close with all of his family but is 1n00% a momma's boy

He stims by making faces, which is slightly weird if you don't know him wel

[haunted-headset]

📱 Going Postal At The Party 📱

summary: Wilbur thinks you're cheating on him at a party. Turns out he was very wrong.

a/n: this was based off of either a Chris or Matt Sturniolo fic that I read that I can't remember the name of, if any of you know what this fic is, plz lemme know!

contains: cursing, angst with a happy ending, flirting, crying, texts, use of Y/N, pet names, jealousy, Wilbur's a bit of a dick, mentions of bad exes & thought of cheating (let me know if i missed anything!!

tags: @zuuriell @somebody-v @vibestillaxxx @ax-y10 @joviepog@themonsterunderurmom @ogelizasoot @wilburstan@smolsleepykitten@funnyreally2009@crows-death@dykepunz@aresriiots@0miamor0@defonotval@chipch0p@mazzistar16@unmellowyellowfellow@justalittlebitofchaos@thosecolorfulsheets@vopix@aine-lasagna@merianakross@veeislost@urfav-sapphic-siren@shazbaz58-blog @wifiatthetrainstation@mcr-pr-fob@shd454@rqvii@idioticion@m0thza@artistphantom @lexx-the-gay-rubber-ducky @finleyforevermore @poraphia @radio-to-trenchcoat-demons @mysticalsoot(let me know if u don't or do wanna be tagged!!)

word count: 942

You had dragged Wilbur to a house party your friend invited you to. You could tell he didn't want to, mainly due to the fact that his mind would be plagued by the idea of other people hitting on you or trying to get with you. It also didn't help that you looked drop-dead gorgeous; you had a white button-up shirt tucked into short, tight denim shorts with a black tie & fishnets; truly a sight for sore eyes.

"I'm gonna go get us some drinks, okay?" you said to Wilbur, who had his arms wrapped around your waist.

"Alright, love. Be careful. & come back quickly," he told you, kissing your forehead. You smiled & left for the bar. You told the bartender the drinks you wanted & you sat on one of the sticky stools, waiting for your drinks to be prepared.

"Oh my god, Y/N!" a cheerful voice said from behind you. You looked over your shoulder to see Claude, an old coworker back when you used to work at the coffee shop across the street from your shared apartment with Wilbur. "It's been forever, girl!"

"Claudy!" you said happily, giving him a hug. "It's been ages! How's life been?"

"I got engaged!" he said, showing you the ring on his finger. You gasped & clapped happily, holding his hand to examine the ring. "He's such a good guy. His name's James, 6'4, plays the drums, & he loves cats & rain."

"Sounds like a Wattpad dream man," you teased. He playfully swatted your arm with a laugh.

"How's your relationship with Wilbur been?" he asked. "Last time I remember, you were head over heels for him, right?"

"He's the best," you said dreamily. "He's such a gentleman, & he's so good to me."

"That's good!" he said, his hand now resting on your arm. "I'm so happy for you, Y/N. You deserve him. & this is a reward for having to put up with shitty exes."

"Oh my God, you're so right," you said, resting your hand on his arm, too. "Remember Jared?"

"Oh. My. Days," he sighed. "Such a dickhead. Girl, I have no idea how you survived being in a relationship with him. Give me some of your patience right now."

You laughed & were about to say something when you felt your phone buzz. "It's probably from Wil," you told Claude. You opened up the text.

Your heart started to beat out of your chest. Did he actually think you were cheating on him?

"You okay?" Claude asked. You didn't respond.

Claude had seen the texts & let you leave without a word. You walked outside & it was pouring rain, which meant you had to stand in the rain for at least five minutes until your ride came. Great.

When the Uber finally arrived, you were shivering & dripping with rainwater & the smell of petrichor hung on your skin, & you got into the car as you tried your hardest not to cry.

"How's your night been?" the Uber driver asked.

"It's been alright!" you lied, putting on a fake happy tone. "How about you?"

"Eh, not too bad," she said. "My girlfriend didn't want me to take any drives tonight because of how rainy it is." She laughed slightly. "She's always so worried for me." You laughed in return & you two didn't say anything for the rest of the night.

When she pulled up to the house, she politely bid you adieu & made sure you got to the door before driving off. You opened the door to the apartment & looked around. He wasn't in the kitchen or in the living room. Maybe he hadn't gotten home yet. You took off your shoes & left your bag on the kitchen counter as you trudged upstairs.

"Darling!" Wilbur sprang up from the bed when you entered the bedroom. He immediately dropped to his knees & kissed the backs of your hands, the palms, the knuckles, & the wrists while telling you how wildly sorry he was.

"What's on the bed?" you asked, looking over at the bed, covered in objects.

"Your favorites," he told you, standing up. "Snacks, candy, drinks, & your favorite flavor of ice cream. I also got you those new slippers you had wanted the other day when we were at Target, a blanket, & a few stuffed animals, too. There's a cat, a Pompompurin,--I'm pretty sure he's your favorite Sanrio character, but, if I was wrong, I got you a Keroppi plush, too, & a My Melody one--& a green dinosaur that looks like Dino from that one game you like...what was it called? Oh, yeah, Like A Dino. I also restocked your skincare stuff & your hair stuff, since you told me you were running out."

Without even realizing it, you started crying. You brought a hand up to your mouth to hide the expression you were making when you cried.

"Did I do something wrong, baby?" asked Wilbur, kissing your hairline & your forehead repeatedly. "Why're you crying?"

"I-I just--I got so mad at you over text & you still got all of this for me," you hiccupped.

"You had every right to be mad at me, my moon," he whispered, removing your hand away from your mouth to press a light kiss to your lips. "I was a bitch & I was being so rude to you, & you didn't deserve that." Without warning, he picked you up bridal-style, causing you to yelp & immediately wrap your arms around his neck.

"C'mon, sweet baby. Pick a movie & let's go cuddle."

[bluebudgie]

And it's live!

The Interstellar Invertebrates enamel pin Kickstarter campaign has launched today and will be running for 30 days until October 12 2023, 2:00 pm CEST.

For all lovers of spineless creatures this hard enamel pin collection features designs of five different animals: The rubber ducky isopod, the common cuttlefish, the nudibranch willan's chromodoris, the western honey bee and the moon jellyfish.

Have a look at the small test batch of rubber ducky isopod pins I ordered ahead of the project:

For more info check out the campaign page here!

---

And a big thank you to everyone who shared the project's pre-launch page in the past week, it means a lot! <3

[stories-and-chaos]

Shrike: Slices of Life 2

[Hazbin Hotel reader insert as Alastor’s “darling life and death partner” Ace x ace relationship, both parties are moderately sex favorable. More silly snippets that don’t fit into any particular fic]

[Word count: 445]

—————

“Oh god, Niffty, where did you get that?”

“Oh, yes! Harder Daddy! Mmmm!”

“I found it cleaning Lucifer’s room. Oooh, a new bad boy showed up!”

“Oh no, you brought friends? Good thing I’ve got enough hands to go around.”

“In Dad’s room?!”

“Hey doll face, whatcha watching? Oh, my greatest dicks collection!”

“Oh my gosh Angel, I’m so sorry, Niffty said my dad had it. I’m going to talk to him right away.”

“Aw, fuck, Niffty! That was supposed to be a surprise for Luci! I gift wrapped it and everything.”

“It was a spider web themed ribbon. I thought it needed cleaning. Wow, that’s a big one.”

“Mmmmph, oh yes! Stick that huge piece of-bzzzt!”

“Nope, we’re done with that. Angel, no handing out porn in the hotel.”

“You’re such a spoilsport Vaggie.”

————

“Alastor.”

“Lucifer.”

*five minutes of staring and forced smiles ensues*

“You’re looking decidedly disheveled today. Wake up on the wrong side of the swamp?”

“No. My darling and I are simply having difficulty sleeping with our new neighbor playing with squeaky toys all night.”

“Hey! First off, I’m creating art, asshole. Second, I’m on the other side of the building from you!”

“Did you think these ears were for show? I can hear everything that happens in this building.”

“Then I recommend you invest in some earplugs. Unless that’s too modern for Mr. Radio Demon.”

“Lucifer.”

“Oh fuck! Y/N don’t sneak up on me like that. Y-you okay there?”

“Lucifer, if I have to spend another night of my husband bitching over whatever nonsense you’re up to, I will shove a stiletto into every squeaky thing in your room. I do not care if it’s alive or not.”

“…Fine, I won’t make anything squeaky after midnight.”

“Splendid.”

————

Following this, Lucifer starts putting rubber duckies all over the radio station. He creates multiple that activate effects at different triggers. These include:

Squeaking whenever it hears a scream

Dancing Gangnam Style at 2:56 pm daily

Blowing soap bubbles every time Alastor mentions Vox

Squeaking every 66 minutes

Swimming in teacups

Making sexy poses every third day

Yelling “Th-th-th-th-th-that’s all folks!” at Alastor’s sign off

Snoring during jazz music

Y/N sends back all the ones they find on a cutting board, pinned by stilettos.

———

“Huskiekins, did any of the booze survive the fight?”

“Only the shitty stuff.”

“Well, it’ll still get us drunk?”

“It’s lime flavored light beer.”

“Fuck, I know we’re in Hell but that’s cruel and unusual even for here!”

———

“Lucifer.”

“Alastor.”

*five more minutes of staring and forced smiles ensues*

“Whatever you two are doing, can you not do it right in front of the main doors?”

—————

Taglist: @whitewolfsoldat @edgyboi10000 @ch3sire-blu3 @clearly-awkward @badatpunz @bengewatch @chewbrry

[laurrelise]

i’m rewatching tua season 4 because i guess i once again need confirmation that it’s just as bad as i remember …

but ive been told im too negative about the season on more than one occasion so im going to be positive and name a bunch of things i like about each episode of the final season!! <3

warning: this post is decent sized lol

today we are tackling: episode 2

i do love the beginning montage of the siblings all being sick while simultaneously using their powers to improve their own daily agendas if only it featured more than just 3 of the siblings…?

i love five’s assistant twink and also how he’s called mr. five at the grand old age of 19 years old (i know he’s 64 but shut up)

lila’s eyeball lasers and the rubber ducky

luther being devastated over the place being “destroyed” even when it was a literal shithole to start off with

viktor finding his VOICE. viktor with CONFIDENCE. i love you viktor “ill kick your ass right now” hargreeves. king, you are 4 feet tall, but eat him tf up

“why is it cold” “the real question is, why would you touch it”

five slapping diego’s hand out of the way and him not even trying to fight it is so them and i love it

viktor actually attempting to kick ben’s ass (and as much as he looks like a feral little gremlin, i love it)

luther’s “DUDE! I LIVE HERE” he’s such a grumpus

also viktor’s little speech about him building a life for himself and it all being fucked over because of ben’s dumb ass

“i could’ve lost my job!” “did you?” “wh-” and five looking up at him with wide eyes and genuine curiosity. not the time king but thanks for asking

allison eating ben tf up and klaus supporting her

“i’m not going back to that old klaus. i like this klaus! hey, he collects coupons! he’s frugal, respectable, reliable, and most importantly, he’s a klaus that claire likes. and trusts and looks up to.” THIS IS SO SAD I LOVE HIM

diego pulling ben back to the couch by his hair is such brother behavior

i do love the wanda van. she’s truly iconic

will forever love that five gets the front seat because he’s the old man. if i were his sibling i wouldn’t even try to take it. shotgun is for the senior citizen

the gag about baby shark not being able to stop playing for the entire several-hour long road trip is pretty alright comedy-wise i guess although it would’ve been much funnier if baby shark wasn’t the main goddamn song in the entire season’s soundtrack

i will never shut up about how much i love the love-hate banter from all of the siblings. the actors did such an amazing job bringing the dysfunctional family back to life.

ben getting humbled in the diner was pretty satisfying. sparrow ben i’ve never been your biggest fan but you’ve grown on me

luther’s mention of sloane is so sweet if only she’d been mentioned more than twice

luther is generally adorable i love that man

viktor saying “phones work both ways, yknow” when allison said he didn’t call. i love how much confidence he’s found in himself this season, quite possibly one of the only characters who wasn’t horribly assassinated trait-wise

diego throwing the axes, i love him. also lila’s unimpressed reaction always gets me

klaus with the TAROT CARDS!!!!!! yes please i wish he’d used them more

i do actually like jennifer’s character. the truman-show town thing was so interesting even if it had relatively no effect on the plot for the rest of the season, it had potential but i love that jen matches ben’s freak in the sense that she is absolutely not afraid to call him out on his bullshit

old man five trying to blink :( so sad poor guy

also five immediately pretending to stretch when lila calls him out

once again i love lila and five’s reluctant alliance. why couldn’t they just continue being frenemies for the love of god

five noticing the singular guy looking at them and mentioning it to diego and lila and she says “maybe he likes you” STEVE BLACKMAN YOU COULD’VE PUT FIVE WITH ANYONE ELSE. STEVE BLACKMAN WE COULD’VE HAD A ROMANCE BETWEEN FIVE AND THE ELF STARING AT HIM AND IT WOULD’VE BEEN BETTER THAN FIVE X LILA. STEVE BLACKMAN WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME

ben defending jennifer awwwww

five’s subway station to different timelines will go down as being endlessly awesome if only it hadn’t been created solely so steve blackman could fulfill his own weird ass ideas

diego and lila once again trying to convince the other to let them save the day is a very often-overlooked sign of love that i refuse to ignore. they do it like 3 times in the show and it gets me every time

“i have laser eyes im more powerful than you!” “they’re not even working right now!” “they’re gonna work i feel it they’re gonna work!!!!” lila i love you you’re so cute

“I TOOK OUT THE TRASH” hey btw diego it’s not the time

ok but diego’s flip where he redirects all the bullets… idk how i completely forgot about that part (probably because i was busy thinking about all of the other things that i hated) but it was SO fucking awesome stfu

diego and lila collecting reindeer stuffies for the kids even while they’re fighting for their lives is still so adorable

klaus’ positive affirmations. klaus I LOVE YOU

klaus accidentally finding a fake jennifer is so on brand for him NVM HOW DID I FORGET THAT SHE LITERALLY SHOOTS KLAUS

i LOVE the part where luther’s shielding allison and viktor from the bullets. especially when viktor tears out of his grasp like a feral little gremlin and takes out half of the shooters

still don’t know what the hell allison’s power is???? is it the rumor thing except she only has to think it instead of saying it?!!? idk but it’s cool i guess just wish it was explained more!!!!!!

luther’s “i should’ve known, those sconces were too perfect” he’s all upset but i can’t help but smile he’s literally a 5 year old

the car flip is so fucking cool. the glass flying around the van around everybody is so good, the “carol of the bells” is so menacing and simple, five absolutely serving while everyone else is screaming and flinging around in the back

ALSO DIEGO’S ARM GOING OUT TO PROTECT FIVE. fuck i love them so much. STEVE BLACKMAN FUCK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO FIVE AND DIEGO

jennifer’s little “help me, ben” as she gets carried away is so tragic oh my god. and his little reach out to her as she’s taken. fuck

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, jean and gene are such phenomenal villains. nick offerman and megan mulally are phenomenal actors. christ on a cracker why couldn’t they have been utilized in a plot that was actually written well

and that’s the end of the episode! only positivity around here folks! :)

…

just kidding here’s some of the tiny little things i caught that i don’t like / that make literally zero sense

luther screaming “no! no! no” when his monkey body is back (for some fucking reason???) is so heartbreaking the poor guy hated himself 💔

i love the whole subway station thing but how the hell did five accidentally blink into the station when he was just running but couldn’t when he was genuinely trying lmfao

it’s absolutely wild that five deadass blinked accidentally and then just hopped on the subway even though he was just running for his life. if the writers genuinely believed five wouldn’t have immediately returned to help his family and checked out the subway later then they need to be fired immediately. thanks

it will never not be funny to me that literally every single person in the town has a huge gun. was that much security really necessary 😭

the part where klaus dies and they give him marigold even though he stressed 100% that he didn’t want it makes me so sad. i get why they did it (he literally would’ve died if they hadn’t) but the panic in allison’s voice as she holds her dying brother and tries to figure out if it’s right to give it to him against his will is so heartbreaking

KLAUS’ “what did you do?” WHEN HE REALIZES HE’S GOT HIS POWERS BACK IM SOBBING

ok and that’s the end

the first couple of episodes weren’t too terrible in my opinion? so it’s understandable that i’d find plenty more things i liked than i disliked in this episode. also all the things i pointed out that i liked were tiny little details when most of the season’s flaws imo were huge arcs / plot points that span multiple episodes so they might not be as relevant in a post of this format !!

might do this when i watch the rest of the seasons to truly identify if i really am too hard on this season (i don’t believe i am considering how many much smarter people have also stressed the issues with this season but it was fun so i might do it anyways)

anyways thanks for reading goodbye

[lvnleah]

Sleepless nights.

a grumpy Rory struggles with her sleep due to her bad dreams and ends up connecting with Beth over grief.

word count: 1.2k

find the Rory masterlist here!

September 2023.

Dinner had been more challenging than usual for Beth and Viv. Rory was unusually picky, pushing the vegetables around her plate and complaining that they tasted funny.

"Don't like these!" Rory declared, scrunching up her nose.

"But you loved carrots last week," Viv said gently. "Can you try just one bite for me?"

Rory shook her head stubbornly. "No!

They taste yucky now!"

Beth exchanged a look with Viv, trying to figure out what was wrong tonight. "How about just a little piece, Roo? You need to eat something."

Rory pouted but finally took a tiny bite.

She grimaced dramatically making the couple laugh. "See? It’s Yucky!"

Eventually, the couple convinced Rory to eat a few more carrots before making her some jam on toast. After dinner, the struggle continued at bath time.

"The water's too hot!" Rory protested, dipping a hand into the tub.

Viv checked the temperature. "It feels just right to me, sweetheart. How about we add some extra bubbles?"

Rory crossed her arms. "I don't want a bath!"

Beth sighed, kneeling beside the tub.

"We can't skip bath time, Roo. How about if we play with your bath toys? You love your rubber duckies."

“Don’t want them….” Rory murmured, “I wanna play with my Barbies!”

With some coaxing and promises of extra bubbles, Rory finally agreed to get in the tub, but the reluctance lingered. They then moved to the couch once she was dressed in her pyjamas and by the time Beth finished reading the bedtime story, Rory was still reluctant to go to bed.

“C’mon Roo, time for bed!” Beth announced as she finished the story she was reading.

“Nooo!” Rory whined, snuggling closer into Viv, “Five more minutes and another book! Me and Mamma are still cuddling!”

Rory had been with Beth and Viv for just over three months, but nights were still a challenge. As much as they had tried to make her feel secure, the shadows of her past still clung to her and recently bad dreams had begun.

Beth smiled gently but shook her head. "It's already past your bedtime, Roo. You need your rest."

Rory pouted, "But...but I need another story!”

Viv stroked Rory's hair, her voice soothing. "How about this, sweetie? We can tell you a short story while you’re getting tucked in.”

Rory considered the offer, her eyes darting between Beth and Viv. Finally, she nodded reluctantly. "Okay... but it has to be a really good story!"

"Deal," Beth said, reaching out to lift Rory from Viv's lap. Rory clung to Viv for a moment longer before allowing herself to be carried to her bedroom.

As they settled Rory into her bed, Viv began to make up a story about a little rabbit who explored a magical forest. Rory's eyes grew heavy as the story unfolded, and before long, her breathing became slow and steady.

Beth tucked the blankets around Rory, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Roo," she whispered.

Viv turned off the bedside lamp. "We'll be right here if you need us," she added, her voice barely above a whisper.

For the past few weeks, Rory had been struggling to sleep. The couple would find themselves getting out of bed and trying to settle her around 3 am before letting her crawl into bed with them.

Later that night, Viv stirred from her sleep. Her maternal instincts kicked in as she heard Rory's soft cries through the baby monitor.

She nudged Beth gently. "I think Rory's having another nightmare."

Beth sighed, her heart aching for the little girl, "I'll go," she whispered, slipping out of bed and padding down the hall to Rory's room.

The small night light lit up the room a little, illuminating Rory's tear-streaked face as she tossed and turned. Beth approached quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed and smoothing Rory's tangled hair. "Rory, sweetheart, it's okay. Mummy's here."

Rory's eyes fluttered open, still glistening with tears. "Mummy, don't go away," she whispered, her voice trembling with fear.

Beth's heart broke a little more at the plea."I'm right here, Rory. I'm not going anywhere."

She scooped Rory up into her arms and picked up Twix before carrying her into her and Viv’s bedroom. Viv was sat up in bed, waiting for them with the bedside lamp switched on. Her heart broke at the sight of Rory clinging to Beth, her arms wrapped tightly around her neck.

Rory clung to Beth, little hiccups leaving her body as Beth sat down in bed with her. "I dreamed that you and Mamma went away like Grandma did. I don't want to be alone."

Beth held her tighter, fighting back her tears as she shared a look with Viv. "I know, sweetheart. Losing someone you love is so hard, and it's okay to be scared. But Mamma and I are here, and we're not going anywhere."

Rory's breathing began to steady as she sat up in Beth’s lap. "Promise?"

"I promise," Beth whispered, pressing a kiss to Rory's forehead.

“Me and Mummy aren’t going anywhere, what makes you think that?” Viv asked her, rubbing her hand up and down her back.

Rory sniffled, clutching Twix tightly to her chest, “Sometimes…I have dreams. They’re not nice. I be with you…you and Mummy and then…then you’re gone like grandma!”

Viv’s heart ached at Rory's words, knowing how much loss the little girl had had in her short life. "Sweetie, dreams can be really scary sometimes, but they aren't real. Mummy and I are here with you, and we're staying right here."

Rory nodded, still clutching Twix, her little body slowly relaxing. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Beth nodded. "Of course, Roo. You can sleep with us whenever you need to."

Beth shifted over, making space for Rory in the middle of the bed. Rory crawled between them, snuggling into the warmth and security of her two mothers.

"Rory," Beth began softly, "can I tell you a story about my Mummy?"

Rory looked up, nodding. "Was your Mummy nice? She looks nice in the photos you showed me!”

"Yes, she was the nicest person ever," Beth said, a soft smile playing on her lips. "She was the most wonderful Mummy. She loved me so much and always made me feel safe, just like Mamma and I love you."

Rory's eyes widened. "What happened to her?"

Beth took a deep breath. "She got very sick. The doctors tried to make her better, but she couldn't get well again. She went to sleep and didn't wake up, just like your Grandma."

Rory cuddled into Beth. "Were you sad?"

"Very," Beth admitted, her voice breaking slightly. "I miss her every day. But you know what? She taught me so much about love and being strong. And because of her, I know how to love you and take care of you."

Rory snuggled closer. "Do you think her and Grandma are together?”

Beth smiled. "I like to think so. Maybe they're both up there, looking down on us, making sure we're okay."

Rory seemed to find comfort in that thought. "And they'll keep us safe?"

"Yes, they will," Beth said firmly. "Just like Mamma and I will keep you safe."

Viv smiled at the sweet interaction. "And whenever you're scared, or have a bad dream, you just remember that you're never alone. We're always here for you, Roo."

Rory's eyelids grew heavier, comforted by her two mothers. "I love you, Mummy. I love you, Mamma."

"We love you too, sweet girl," Beth whispered, brushing a kiss on her head.

Within minutes, Rory was fast asleep snuggled in between Viv and Beth. The couple followed soon after, holding their girl close in between them.

[moonbeamwritings]

of muffins and slip-ups

wc: 1.7k

pairing: osamu miya x gn!reader

warnings: none (osamu’s hypnotizing tiddies)

Standing on tiptoe, you reach up into your cabinet and feel around for the vial of vanilla extract you know you have somewhere, and when you finally find it, you pluck it from the shelf to inspect it. You peer between the recipe on your phone and the bottle, brows furrowing. You don’t have nearly enough. You really should’ve checked your cabinets before embarking on a late-night baking session. 

As you frustratedly stare at the half-finished batter on your counter, you weigh your options. You could make a quick run to the store, you reason. It’s not that far of a walk. But when your gaze flickers to the digital clock on the microwave — 8:45 PM — you realize you’d never make it in time, and you refuse to be the person that shows up to a store five minutes before it closes.

And you’ve already made it this far — the bowl is out, the measuring cups are dirty, the muffin tin is meticulously paper-lined. You sigh. It’d be a waste to throw everything out now, and you aren’t keen on leaving it in the fridge overnight. Left with no other options, you decide there’s only one thing left to do — ask a neighbor.

You’re new to the building, and not quite friends with anyone yet, so the thought of going door to door to beg for some vanilla isn’t exactly what you planned on doing with your Wednesday night, but hey, nobody’s perfect. You consider asking the girl next door, the one who’d invited you over on your first weekend in the building. She was nice enough, but before you slip your feet into a pair of slippers, you remember that she stays with her boyfriend during the week.

You could ask that guy down the hall, but he’d ogled at you on the elevator last weekend, and the thought of knocking on his door and subjecting yourself to more of his looks made a hint of nausea settle in your stomach.

You stand, idle in front of your door, slippers and pajamas on and groan. The guy across the hall — Miya Osamu. You’ve bumped into him virtually everywhere since you moved in. The mail room, the laundry room, in the lobby and the hallway. And every time he’d fix you with this handsome, toothy grin, making casual small talk when he could. You’ve even seen him help the elderly woman downstairs with her groceries. He seems disarmingly perfect, so surely he wouldn’t slam the door in your face at your request. At least, you hope not.

Steeling your nerves, you venture across the hall to rap a timid knock knock knock against his door. And as you wait in the hallway, realization settles in that you’re about to talk to your hot neighbor in your rubber ducky pajama pants. Great, just great.

When the door finally swings open, you wonder if maybe abandoning your little baking adventure had been the better idea. You come face-to-face with the broad expanse of his chest, a black t-shirt pulled across his muscles as if to accentuate the borderline voluptuous curves of his pecs. You can’t look away. You knew he was, well, beefy, but being this close makes your heart flutter nervously in your chest.

“Hey there, neighbor. What can I do for ya?”

Your mind flashes with a million absolutely vile and otherwise embarrassing ways you could answer that question before you drag your eyes up to meet his, face burning. His friendly grin makes you want to shy away, but you can’t risk another glance at his chest. 

“I, uh-” You clear your throat. “I was wondering if you had any vanilla extract I could borrow? I got a little ahead of myself and started baking before I checked if I had what I needed.”

“Oh, sure thing. C’mon in.”

He leads you into his kitchen, and as he turns away you’re grateful for the moment of respite you find now that he’s turned those things away from you, though the peace of mind doesn’t last long. You scan along his broad shoulders and your gaze starts to creep further down, only to be interrupted by the sound of his voice.

Rifling through his spice cabinet, he asks, “Soo, whatcha makin’ at this time of night?”

“I found a recipe for these lemon pound cake muffins. Figured I’d give them a try.”

“Sounds yummy!” A few jars and containers clink together as he searches. “I’ve never been much of a baker myself.”

“I use it to de-stress a lot. It’s not so bad once you get the hang of it.”

“Oh yeah?” You watch as the muscles in his back stretch to reach something on the top shelf. “You’ll have to teach me sometime.”

Before you get the chance to respond, he’s turning to you and beaming, a little bottle of vanilla extract pinched between his pointer finger and thumb. “Ahh, got it.”

Osamu’s close, much closer than he has to be, as he hands you the bottle, fingers brushing against yours as he places it into your palm. “Well, hopefully that’s enough for ya.” His tone is easy, teasing. Yup, you think as you will yourself to focus on his face. More than enough.

“Thanks so much.”

“Not a problem. That’s what neighbors are for.”

You follow the same path out of his apartment, grateful that you hadn’t said anything too humiliating, and when you reach your door, hand lingering on the doorknob, you turn around. You find Osamu leaning against his doorframe, arms crossed in front of his chest. The pose presses the muscles of his chest together and puts the full meat of his biceps on display, bulging from the sleeves of his shirt. When he catches your gaze, he flashes you a knowing, almost smug smile.

Your mouth goes dry as you look over at him, words lodged in your throat. “Boobs,” Your eyes widen, jaw dropping in shock as you realize what you’ve just said to your neighbor. The neighbor who lives across the hall and who you see almost daily. “I- Oh god.” 

You’ve just basically objectified the man, unholy thoughts laid bare for him to see. He must think you’re a creep, no better than that guy down the hall. If only God could strike you down, here and now, your life would be made that much easier.

Risking a glance up at his face, you find that he’s already looking at you, mouth curved into a deep smirk. You gulp, covering your own mouth as if to stop anything else from springing out unfiltered. Are you sweating? It feels like you’re sweating. “I mean- bye. Bye. I’ll see you later.”

A chuckle, deep and warm, rumbles from somewhere in his chest, and if you thought he wasn’t perfect before, he is now. “Now that’s somethin’ I haven’t heard before.”

“I’m so sorry I just-” You suck in a breath as your face flushes. Deciding you can’t, you won’t come back from this, you shake your head and cut your losses. “Thanks again for the um- the vanilla.” You stumble over your words and cringe, forcing yourself to return his smile, though you’re certain it’s nothing but sheepish.

“Oh, anytime. Ya gotta let me know how those muffins turn out.” 

“I’ll drop some by when I bring your vanilla back. You know, if you wanna try them.”

“I’d love that.”

Offering him a small smile, you start to turn the knob, but just when you think you’re safe, when you think you’ve escaped his handsome gaze and his damn near hypnotizing tits, he calls out to you.

“Hey,” Osamu’s face is soft when you turn back around and butterflies swarm in your stomach. “I was serious, ya know. I wanna learn all yer baking tips and tricks.”

“Oh, I-” You steady yourself. “I don’t know if I’m a very good teacher.”

He shrugs, nice and easy. “I guess we’ll see how these muffins turn out, then. Hmm?”

Still reeling from the encounter at hand, you offer a weak “mhm” and a small wave. “See ya.”

Back in the safety of your apartment, you press your back into the wood and squeeze your eyes shut. You huff, and willing yourself to ignore your latest social blunder, you pad into the kitchen to finish what you started.

A half hour later, you find yourself in front of Osamu’s door again — this time with a bottle of vanilla in one hand and a plate of warm lemon pound cake muffins balanced in the other.

The door whips open almost as soon as you knock, as if Osamu was waiting for your return.

“Ahh, welcome back!” His eyes glimmer with excitement, a playful expression on his face. “Long time no see. I see you brought the goods.”

“And the vanilla.” You shuffle nervously. “Sorry to bother you again. I just, I figured you might wanna try them while they’re warm.”

His brows crease and he tilts his head, an easy grin on his face as he waves you off. “You’re not a bother.” Osamu’s tone is earnest as he takes both items from you. “They smell amazing.”

Your cheeks burn. “Thank you.”

“No, no, thank you. I can’t wait to try them!”

“Well, I-” You shoot a thumb in the direction of your apartment. “I have work in the morning, so I should probably start winding down.”

Osamu’s face flashes with disappointment, but it doesn’t linger. “Oh, oh yeah, sure. I’ll see ya around?”

His gaze is piercing, almost insistent. You struggle to meet his gaze. “Of course!”

Seemingly pleased with your answer, he gives you a little nod. “Goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight.”

The next morning, right as you’re about to leave for work, you open your front door to find your plate nestled right beside it, a note sitting on its smooth surface.

It reads: “Thanks for the muffins. They were DELICIOUS! You gotta teach me how to make ‘em! I’ll teach you my finest onigiri recipe if you do. Text me!”

Scrawled at the bottom of the note is Osamu’s name coupled with his number. You can’t believe your eyes as you stare down at the note. Despite saying “boobs” to him instead of “goodbye,” he still wants to get to know you? To hang out with you? Yup, definitely the most perfect man alive.