#she in fact did not come home for 19 more years

[hivemindclown]

if you're so worried about him than come home, violet.

[jlheon]

౨ৎ — love exists, i’m full of it (psh)

pairing. situationship! park sunghoon x fem! reader genre. angst + fluff + suggestive wc. 2745 notes. sunghoon is toxic + implied they are involved sexually + kinda fwb (?) library.

🗯️ extra peng note. i wish i redeemed sunghoon more but you can take the rushed ending as you will </3

synopsis. when park sunghoon breaks up with his long time girlfriend he needs something to get his mind off her, you happen to be the perfect distraction : a girl who’s naive and has never had a boyfriend

it has been five months since you started your sort of 'arrangement’ with park sunghoon.

you met him at a party. a party you had no business being at.

the party was your average frat party. you were only there to pick up your drunk friend, only to be left banging on the bathroom door for twenty minutes.

she was there with some unknown guy and she told you to go home.

you tried to get through the sea of sweaty bodies when you bumped into someone's hard chest. his drink spilled all over your white shirt, making the drenched fabric completely see through.

you recognized sunghoon as the quiet boy from high school. he never spoke and he was barely present in class, you were bewildered when you watched him walk the stage at graduation.

he seemed to have recognized you too.

you were even prettier than he remembered. that night let himself be a little selfish.

sunghoon was quick to apologize and lead you to his room to lend you a clean shirt.

you ended up staying longer than expected.

sunghoon helped you out the wet shirt, throwing it in his laundry basket, and telling you that he would get out the stain for you.

when sunghoon helped you slip into one of his old shirts he let himself act without thinking.

“my shirt looks good on you,” sunghoon licks his lips as he shamelessly checks you out.

“oh,” you blush, staring at the floor. “thank you.”

“you know,” sunghoon comes closer to whisper in your ear. “you grew up well, i haven’t seen you since graduation.” that was a year ago.

that night, at the age of 19, park sunghoon had successfully taken your first kiss. well, kisses plural. sunghoon had also taken your first make-out.

after an awkward first kiss, you got the hang of it.

sunghoon found it adorable. he could tell you had never kissed anyone before, and you had even outright told him before he leaned it.

your kisses were innocent and shy, nothing like his ex-girlfriend.

he had to place your hands on his shoulders since you stood there with your arms at your sides awkwardly.

sunghoon tried to advance with you once it got steamy but you lightly pushed him off of you.

“sorry,” you apologized. “i’ve never done it before. that was my first kiss,” you sat on his lap with flushed cheeks and tousled hair from sunghoon running his fingers through it.

“that’s okay,” he reassured you. “i wouldn’t want to force you to do anything.”

you try to get up from your spot but sunghoon is stronger than you. he has a firm grip on your hips as he stares into your eyes.

“you’re leaving already?” sunghoon pouts, he's so cute you contemplate kissing him again.

“i mean yeah,” you scratched the back of your neck. “i thought you were looking for a hookup.”

“you don’t want to go further and that’s okay,” sunghoon explains. “but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay.”

you’re even more flustered at his words. why would park sunghoon want to be close to you?

you accept his offer nonetheless. slipping into his arms as you lay on his bed.

sunghoon listens to you ramble about anything. from what you did today leading up to this moment and to the fact you have never had a boyfriend before. you can’t stop talking when your nervous, and park sunghoon makes you even more than nervous.

you’re scared you’re talking too much but sunghoon’s short comments and hums tell you to keep going.

at 12:08 you realize you should probably get back to your dorm.

sunghoon walks you down to your car, holding you close as you weave through the crowd of drunk bodies at the party. he kisses you goodbye before you drive off as a blushing mess.

in the morning, you excitedly tell your hungover roommate about the encounter you had with the mysterious boy from high school.

she informs you the night before you met sunghoon was the very night he and his long-term girlfriend had broken up.

truthfully, hearing that made you feel kind of sad.

two days later he finally texts you that you can come over to exchange shirts.

when sunghoon sees you standing at the door of the frat he can’t help but think about how much prettier you look in the daylight.

clad in a cute pink dress as you stare up at him with your doe eyes, holding his shirt neatly folded in your arms.

he doesn’t think twice before letting you inside and leading you up to his room again.

you end up kissing for an ungodly amount of time. when you don’t feel like it anymore, you find the courage you had in you from the self-pep talk you had before coming and ask him.

“is it true you just broke up with your ex?” you ask while you lean on his chest as you're cuddled up on his bed.

“yeah,” sunghoon replies, eyes still glued to his phone.

“oh,” you frown. “are you over her?”

“it’s only been four days silly,” sunghoon chuckles, setting his phone to look down at you. “of course, i’m not.”

“oh,” you say again. “what is this then?”

“what is what?” sunghoon quirks an eyebrow at you.

“you took my first kiss,” you reminded him, hoping that would mean anything.

“oh,” he says slowly. “this could be a causal thing. you know while i’m getting over her you can get experience.”

“oh i see,” you look at the ceiling.

sunghoon moves down to peck your pouting lips. “so when you get a real boyfriend you’ll know everything since you learned from the best!”

that stung, but regardless you kiss him again to get your mind off of it.

now, three months later since the start of this arrangement, you’ve found sunghoon everything but casual.

for crying out loud, you’re sitting at a fancy restaurant on a date with sunghoon for your birthday.

“happy birthday ____,” sunghoon smiles as he spoon-feeds you the desert he ordered.

“thank you, sunghoon,” you giggle, eating the cake as he watches.

once you’re finished with your bite sunghoon leans in, pecking your lips and licking the bit of icing on the corner of your mouth.

not a day goes past where you don’t wonder why this hasn’t ended and why sunghoon doesn’t want to be your first boyfriend.

every time sunghoon’s name leaves your mouth you’re reminded of the time two months ago when you tried to call him hoon.

he ghosted you for a week after the nickname slipped during a heated make out session in your dorm room.

“i don’t think you should call me hoon,” sunghoon stands at your door, a week after the incident, a week after you last saw him. “you’re starting to sound like you’re my girlfriend.”

“oh,” you stare at him, the sleepiness leaving your body. “of course, i get it!” you force a small smile.

sunghoon enters your dorm at 2:18 am.

he walks towards your bed before getting comfortable under your covers with his arms open. you find yourself wrapped up in his embrace that night and well into the afternoon.

you take note of how he doesn’t kiss you the whole day he spends at your place.

you don’t know whether that is a good or bad thing. on one hand, maybe he is disgusted with you for calling him by a nickname but that wouldn’t make any sense considering the fact he has not let you go in the past six hours. though you hope that this means he finds companionship in you that is more than just the kissing and hookups.

you know you should have stood up a while ago but when sunghoon’s hands find their way into your hair to gently scratch your scalp you give in.

sunghoon and you spend the night together for your birthday. when you wake up skin to skin with him, you start to feel sick.

what the hell have you gotten yourself into?

you’re not even sure what you should label the relationship you and sunghoon have.

sunghoon is your friend. a friend that the first time you talked to him in over a year, took you back to his bedroom door and took your first kiss.

sunghoon is also the closest thing you have ever had to a lover. he’s taken almost all of your firsts. whether that is your first kiss or your first time. he takes you on dates and he never leaves in the middle of the night.

he’s always there for you when you need a ride after a night out with your friends.

which leads you to the latest encounter you’ve had with park sunghoon.

you were so drunk. unbelievably drunk.

it’s been five months since you have started seeing sunghoon and coincidentally the same month your best friend returned from her exchange student program abroad.

you went out for drinks to catch up with her and inevitably spilled your guts about the whole sunghoon situation.

and now you’re wasted with all of your friends with nobody to call and get you but him.

“____?” his raspy voice reverberates in your ear.

“hoon! oh my god, sorry! i mean sunghoon!” your cheery voice slurs. “are you busy?”

“it’s two am,” he responds sarcastically, but your hazy mind doesn’t let you recognize that.

“oh, sorry for bothering you then,” you apologize.

“i’m kidding ____,” sunghoon chuckes. “you need anything?”

“if it’s not a bother, can you pick me up?”

“where are you?” you hear his sheets rustle in the background.

“i’m at a club!” you giggle. “not sure which one!”

“____,” sunghoon sighs. “send me your location.”

“okay!”

when sunghoon arrives at your location he easily spots you drunk on the sidewalk. sitting on the disgusting pavement but you were too drunk and tired to care.

he gets out and carefully gets you into the passenger’s side of his car, buckling you in as you were too sleepy to do it yourself.

once sunghoon can get you inside of your apartment he helps you take off your shoes. carrying your tired body from the car to the hallway to your bed. taking off your makeup with some micellar water even though he saw makeup wipes in your cabinet because he knows they break you out.

he grabs a hoodie that he coincidentally had been looking for off your dresser and changes you out of the short red dress you had been wearing.

sunghoon tucks you under the covers before he sits on the empty side of the bed. he checks his phone to see it is way past three am and he decides maybe he should just stay the night. you’d think that after how long you two have been seeing each other you’ve spent the whole night together but sunghoon always insists on leaving or driving you home. he does this because ‘we aren’t a couple’.

“why are you still here?” you break the silence, which shocks sunghoon as he was sure you were completely knocked out.

“you scared me,” sunghoon breathily chuckles. “thought you were asleep.”

“‘m waiting for you to leave,” you yawn out, snuggling further into your duvet, sunghoon can’t help the smile breaking onto his face at the sight.

“why?” he questions, climbing under the covers next to you.

“don’t wanna embarrass myself in front of you,” you answer meekly. “you make me nervous.”

“don’t be silly ____, it’s just me,” sunghoon attempts to reassure you.

“that’s the problem,” you mumble, confusing sunghoon further. “being around you is weird because we’re re not dating but sometimes it feels like we are.”

“i guess so,” he stares at the side of your face, admiring how you look even prettier without makeup on while he can, given the fact you never let him see you without makeup. he doesn’t understand why. “but i’ve seen you in so many different states.”

“i kind of hate that,” you confess. “i’ve always wanted to fall in love. you check off almost everything ten year old me wished for, except for the fact we’re not dating, and you like me like that anyways.”

you never fail to make park sunghoon speechless.

“i just know little me is screaming at me,” you giggle, though your mood changes drastically. “i know that love is real because i exist and i’m unfortunately full of it, but i think i have too much already so nobody is going to give me any back.” you shift away from him.

“that’s not true,” sunghoon takes a deep breath before wrapping his arms around your waist from behind.

“then why can’t it be you?” your voice falters as tears well up in your eyes. “i want it to be you.”

“i can’t answer that right now,” sunghoon says apologetically, holding you closer.

he does not get any sleep that night. his eyes don’t even shut, only closing for a second to blink. sunghoon cannot stop thinking about your tearful confession.

your words replay in his mind like a broken record.

he wants to be with you so bad but he fears that once you establish your relationship he’s going to be the worst boyfriend imaginable. since that’s what his ex and him had constantly fought over, leading to the demise of their relationship.

he’s never shared with anyone how toxic him and his ex were.

so when he met you that night at the party he let his selfishness take over him. the way you were so sweet and shy towards him was so refreshing.

sunghoon knows it was wrong to string you along so he could use you to get over his ex girlfriend, but he couldn’t just let you go, but he also couldn’t jump into another relationship so quickly.

he failed to consider how this whole arrangement would make you feel. you’d been seeing each other for nearly half a year now, way longer than either of you anticipated.

but now he knows that you stuck around even though it was doing nothing but hurt you just because he had you completely wrapped around his finger.

you wanted to love him and he didn’t think he could be good enough to give you the love you dreamed about.

sunghoon thought he was a total douche.

the next morning you're surprised to feel a pair of arms around you. maybe you finally broke out of your shell last night and met someone at the bar who wasn’t sunghoon.

sunghoon can’t bear to hurt you, but it seems like he’s already been doing that all along.

“you’re awake,” you hear his familiar voice and slip out of his hold, sitting up, and scooting away.

“i am,” you reply, looking down at your clothes. “why are you still here?”

“am i not allowed to be?” sunghoon jokes, his eyebags prominent.

“i mean,” you scratch your head. “after what i said last night i thought you would hate me. this is only supposed to be casual and i ruined it.”

“you didn’t ruin anything,” sunghoon sits up and reaches for your hand to interlace it with his. “it’s my fault for-”

“no, don’t blame yourself. i knew what i was getting into and i assumed you would like me given time. i just hope we can still be friends,” your glossy eyes bore into his.

“i don’t want to be friends-”

“wow, okay. after i just spilled my guts?” you pull your hand away from his and back away.

“stop cutting me off,” sunghoon runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “i want to be your boyfriend.”

“am i still drunk,” you whisper to yourself as you check your surroundings.

“you’re sober now,” sunghoon reaches out for you once more. “let me be your boyfriend, please?”

you stare at sunghoon’s desperate and tired expression and crack a smile. throwing yourself into his lap. “not yet,” you say, muffled against his neck, as close to him as possible.

“this can be a restart,” you suggest, gazing up at him. “i think i’ll need some time.”

“can’t be a restart when i’ve seen every inch of you,” sunghoon smirks as he looks down.

“shut up!” your ears redden as you push his shoulder.

“take you all the time you need,” sunghoon pecks your forehead. “i’m always waiting for you and i’ll prove myself.”

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

The Danger Zone (Part 19) - Hangman

Pairing: Hangman / Fem!Bradshaw!Reader | OC

Word Count: 4.1k

This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ ONLY.

Warnings: Unplanned Pregnancy; Military Inaccuracies; Medical Inaccuracies; Crying; Deployments; Use of "You," No Use of Y/N, No Set Physical Description

Summary: Life goes on, even though Jake is still deployed.

Series Master List

Master List

Standing in the bathroom, you applied the final touches to your makeup and hair. Sarah had been kind enough to host your baby shower and you were currently trying to think of gifts to get her, Penny, Emma, and Phoenix to thank them for the party. 

You put on a pair of earrings that used to belong to your mom. You were getting more and more sentimental and found yourself wearing your mom’s jewelry around more. Heading out to the kitchen, you greeted Mav, who was supposed to drive you.  

“You’re not hiding the fact that you know?” Maverick asked, gesturing to your pink dress. 

“No, what’s the point?” you replied with a shrug, walking over to your shoes. Sliding on a pair of flats, you added, “Jake knows and that’s all I care about.”

“Well, let’s get going. I’m pretty sure that Penny will have my head if you’re late.”

After a short drive, Maverick pulled into the Kazansky’s driveway. You slowly slid out of the car despite Maverick’s offer to help you and walked into the house. Heading down the hall into the main space, you paused at the entrance. 

The room had pink ribbons draped all around. Balloons decorated the corners and streamers framed the windows. They set up tables along the wall and there were already trays of pink cupcakes and other desserts on one of them. Emma and Phoenix were unboxing the catering in the kitchen and Sarah and Penny were finishing up some of the decorations.

“There she is,” Penny called, straightening up. “Happy Baby Shower!” She walked over and pulled you into a hug that you happily returned. “Are you excited?”

“I’m hoping that something interesting happens,” you replied with a small smile. “Thanks for doing all of this for me. And thank you Sarah for hosting.”

“Oh, please, I used to host the most ridiculous naval events here. At least this is a party I’ll actually enjoy,” Sarah mused, accepting your hug with a bright smile. “How’s Baby Girl doing?”

“She’s been pretty quiet today. So, she’ll decide to kick me when I’m least in the mood for it.”

“Are you hungry?” Phoenix asked, walking over and holding out a plate of food to you. “Everything is safe for you to have. Except for the booze, of course.”

“Thanks,” you mused, picking up an hors devour from the plate.

You ate quietly as they walked you through the whole set up. And you quietly kept grabbing little snacks along the way. Staring around at the whole set up, you turned to your family.

“You guys didn’t have to do all of this stuff for me.”

“Don’t start that. You deserve a nice baby shower and you’re getting a nice baby shower,” Phoenix stated firmly, causing you to nod and smile. 

“Do you guys need help with anything?”

“No, grab a drink and go relax. People should start getting here in about twenty minutes.”

It wasn’t a huge baby shower, at least compared to some that you had been to before, but you saw so many faces that you hadn’t seen in years. Emma really went through your whole list of contacts. But speaking of Emma, you hadn’t seen much of her. 

“Where’s Emma?” you asked Bradley, walking over to where he was standing.

“She ran out to grab something.”

“Is she alright?” you asked worriedly.

“Yeah, she just hasn’t been feeling well lately,” Bradley explained, a note of worry in his tone. “I told her to stay home, but she insisted on coming.”

“Did she go to a doctor?”

“She has an appointment for next week,” Bradley explained quietly. “Thursday. I told her just to go to urgent care or the hospital even if she feels that sick, but she said she wanted to wait. And I don’t want to upset her.”

“I’ll talk to her when she gets back.”

“She’ll just tell you to focus on your party,” Bradley reminded you, but you simply smiled. 

“Exactly. It’ll just be part of your gift to me.”

“You couldn’t have told me that before I spent three hours in a baby store for you?”

“Did I mention how I appreciate how supportive you are?” you remarked sarcastically, patting your brother on the shoulder before moving on. 

Making your way through the crowd of people to head back inside to be in the air conditioning and to grab some more food, you looked up to see Maverick talking with a group of familiar aviators in the corner of the yard. You turned a bit and made your way over to greet them. 

“Well, here’s the woman of the hour,” Maverick announced, causing all of them to turn to you. 

“Hi, everyone,” you stated, waving to them. “I wasn’t expecting any of you to make it.” Turning to the man closest to you, you offered him a hug. “How’d you get the time off of work, Uncle Slider? I would have thought you would be flying now.” 

“I timed my flights and got an extended layover in San Diego,” Slider replied, returning your hug. 

With the exception of Maverick and Iceman, Slider was the aviator who spent the most time with your family. Especially because he retired earlier than either Mav or Ice had. He didn’t have the stories about your dad that Maverick did nor did he provide the same sort of stability that Ice did with Sarah and his family, but he was a pillar in your childhood. 

“I thought you said you would stay away from naval aviators,” he joked, gesturing to your bump.

“I know,” you laughed, resting a hand on your back. “But we all make exceptions for the right people.” 

“And is it true that you got married already?” 

“Right before he left,” you agreed, showing your rings. “It was both a shotgun and a pre-deployment wedding all in one.” 

“Well, you know if he ever wants to fly commercially, I can get him in no problem,” Slider offered, causing you to smile.

“Thanks, but I think Jake’s the type to be forced to retire from the Navy.” 

“He’s been spending too much time around Mav then?” Slider guessed, nudging Maverick in the side jokingly. “I still can’t believe that you’re actually retired now.”

“Well, I’m needed here now,” Maverick replied, glancing over at you. “And I’d like to enjoy the rest of my time with the kids and Penny.”

As Maverick and Slider continued to talk, you moved around the group. Thanking Hollywood and Wolfman for driving down, you turned to Viper and his wife, who still lived locally despite Viper’s retirement over two decades now. 

“It’s been so long,” you remarked, pulling Viper’s wife Linda in for a hug. “How are you?”

“Oh, don’t worry about us. Look at you! You’re so big now,” Linda called, causing Slider to snort. “And pink! You’re having a girl then?”

“Yeah, we’re having a little girl,” you confirmed with a proud smile. 

“Congratulations!”

“Thank you.” Turning to Viper, you moved to give him a hug. “And how are we, Admiral?”

“Still strong,” Viper reported, offering you a smile. “And we’re very glad to hear that Jake finally took his responsibilities seriously.”

“Oh?” you asked, confused.

“Marrying you, dear,” Linda explained with a smile.

“Taking responsibility for his actions,” Viper stated bluntly, causing your eyes to widen.

“Right,” you trailed off, nodding with a polite smile.

“Why don’t we see if we can find Bradley then?” Maverick suggested, stepping up beside you. “He’s separating from the Navy, you know.”

“After the hissy fit that he threw about getting in, he’s just leaving like that?” Viper barked out, causing his wife to admonish him.

You shared an amused look with Slider before you headed inside. Chatting with Phoenix and Coyote, you paused when you saw a stressed-looking Emma walk into the kitchen with a few bags. You walked into the kitchen as well, cautiously approaching your obviously skittish sister-in-law.

"Emma?" you called, causing her to whip around.

"Hey, did you need something?" she asked, unpacking a bag.

"No, but did you?" you offered, moving to stand beside her. "You look a little stressed and I don't want you to worry about the party anymore. It's amazing."

"I'm not stressed about the party. I'm just . . . stressed," Emma sighed, avoiding eye contact.

"Is it something with the house?"

"No, it's all fine."

"Is it my stupid brother?"

"No," Emma replied quietly. "Where is he anyway?"

"Getting a lecture from Viper, I think," you stated, glancing out the window. Turning back to Emma, you offered, "You know, I'm here for you. And forget the fact that this is my party. I'm honestly just trying to stay busy so that I can ignore the fact that Jake isn't here."

Emma gave you a sympathetic look and sighed. Looking around, she slowly turned back to you.

"I don't want to ruin your party."

"The Navy ruined my party. What's bothering you?"

"I'm . . . late."

"Late for what?"

Emma shot you a look.

"Oh, sorry. Wait, how late? Like a day?"

"More like . . . sixteen," Emma replied, causing your eyes to widen.

"Have you taken a test?"

"Not yet."

"Go get one."

"I have one. I bought it at the store a month ago and it's been sitting in my glove compartment ever since. But it's your party. Today isn't about me, it's about you and your baby," Emma reminded you quietly. "I'm not going to take the test."

"Even if I tell you that you should," you stated, causing Emma to sigh. "Or at least do it when you get home." After a moment, you asked, "Why have you been avoiding it for this long? You bought the test a month ago and you still haven't taken it?"

"Because then it becomes real," Emma replied, not meeting your gaze. "And we had our plan. We were going to start trying after Bradley separated from the Navy and settled into his new job. And a lot can go wrong in the first few weeks . . . I'm just trying to process it some more."

"Have you told him yet?" Emma shook her head slowly and you offered her a supportive smile in return. "Look, whatever happens, Bradley loves you and I love you and we’ll all be here to support you. And, hey, at least your dad already got the whole threatening phase out of his system. It's smooth sailing in that department."

Emma managed a soft chuckle at the memories, closing her eyes for a moment. The two of you turned when you heard footsteps. Bradley stepped into the kitchen with his sights set on you.

“Penny said it’s time to open presents.” 

“Alright, I'll go out there."

You shared a glance with Emma, who nodded quietly, before moving to move past your brother. But before you could make it too far, Bradley gave you a lightly annoyed look.

“And please don't send anyone else to give me a lecture today. Because I barely survived the last one.” 

“Viper found you then?” you asked, amused. 

“And then talked my ear off with the most disappointed dad look I’ve seen in years.” 

“Well, it was either you or me, and it's my party, so it had to be you.” 

Glancing between Bradley and Emma, who was already staring at her husband, you headed outside to open your presents. They were all lined up for you by the time that you arrived, and Penny was there to hand you your presents.

Penny and Maverick bought you a beautiful crib. Sarah got you a bassinet and told you that her kids loved it for their own kids. Javy and Nat bought what seemed to be an industrial stroller—Javy insisted that it was going to be necessary given your child’s genes. And you got piles of baby clothes of various sizes, diapers, and some formula.

“And this one seems to be from Emma and Bradley,” Penny stated, handing you a card. “But I don’t know where they are.” 

“I think they’re setting up the cake,” you lied, opening the card. Inside was a picture of a rocking chair and an order slip with a promise to have it delivered to your new house. “They got me a rocking chair.”

You were folding a set of baby onesies when Javy walked over with another box for you. You were a little confused but took the present from him anyways.

“You already gave me a gift, Javy. What’s this?”

“See who it’s from,” he replied, before moving to take his seat next to Phoenix. 

You flipped the box over and when you read Jake’s name, albeit in Javy’s handwriting, you looked up suddenly. Locking eyes with Javy, who motioned for you to open it, you quickly tore through the wrapping paper. Pulling out a box, you opened it and gently set the cover aside when you saw a photo album inside. 

You ran your finger down the leather spine before slow opening the cover. The inside cover was plain, but it had a printed-out email from Jake laid over the top. Picking it up, you smiled to yourself as you read through his short message. 

To My Beautiful Wife,

I know that the best gift that I could give you would be being by your side today and every other day, but this is the next best thing that I could think of. Admittedly, this wasn’t actually my idea, though I’m still going to take credit for it, but here’s a collection of memories over the last year. But there’s still plenty of space for the years to come and new memories that we have yet to make together. 

I miss you and I love you so much. And tell Baby Girl that I’ll be home soon to feel her kick. 

Love,

Your Smoking Hot Husband

“Well,” you croaked out, placing the paper down. “I think I’ll open it later because I don’t want to start sobbing right now.” 

“Who wants cake?” Maverick suggested loudly.

You smiled as you wiped a tear away, trying to stay positive. Phoenix walked inside the house to go and grab the cake as Maverick squeezed you into his side.

~~~~~

Jake sat out on the deck of the carrier, staring down at a photo of you and your bump. 

It had been about two months since he left you behind and he was counting down the days until he could be there with you and your baby again. There was some talk of a few aviators in his program returning back to the States soon and Jake was doing everything that he could to make sure that he was on that list. 

The sun was starting to set below the waves, casting an orange glow over the ship. The steady sea breeze dried the tears on his cheeks, but Jake didn’t move from his spot. Your due date was in three weeks and even though he read that first children were typically born later; he knew that your daughter was a stubborn one and moved to the beat of her own drum. 

She would come when she wanted. Not when it was convenient.

“Do you think you can wait just a little longer?” Jake asked the photo of your bump softly. “You know, we still haven’t picked a name for you yet, so if you want a normal name, you should give us a little more time to decide, alright?” 

Leaning back against the wall, Jake stared out in the direction of California. He always made sure to know what direction home was. After a moment, Jake pursed his lips together and took a breath. 

“I’m coming home. I promise.” 

~~~~~

“And just sign there on the bottom line,” your realtor instructed you, handing over a pen. 

You slowly signed your name to officially buy your first home. It was also the first time that you fully wrote out your surname as ‘Bradshaw-Seresin,’ but that just left an even more bitter taste in your mouth. It was supposed to be a happy moment, a triumph, a celebration to buy your first family home.

But without Jake here, it just felt like a hollow victory. 

“Congratulations, you’re officially a homeowner,” your realtor replied with a kind smile. 

“Thank you.” 

Your realtor walked off, leaving you standing alone in the middle of your new home. And when the door shut and the sound echoed around the empty space, you instinctively held your new keys to your chest. Bradley and Maverick were coordinating everything to get your apartment officially packed up and brought over. You would have to return to the apartment to return the keys and everything, but you weren't in a rush.

Walking through the house, you silently took in the moment. You ran your hand along the wall as you headed to the front of the house. Slowly stepping up onto the bottom stairs, you rested your hands on your bump.

“Welcome home, Baby Girl,” you murmured, pressing your hand to where she was kicking. 

You texted Bradley that everything was signed, and it was time to bring the truck over. You would have moved to unpack the baby stuff that Maverick shoved into your car earlier that morning, but you knew that you would have given Maverick a heart attack if you did, so you simply waited for everyone to arrive.

A knock at the door made you turn to see Emma waving to you through the glass. You slowly waddled over to the door to let her into your home. 

“Morning,” she greeted, pulling you in for a hug. She straightened up and offered you a bag. “I brought you breakfast.”

The two of you sat on the lawn furniture that the sellers left for you as part of the sale. You kicked your swollen feet up and balanced your breakfast on your bump, leaning heavily on the couch. Bradley and Maverick, with some help from the other Daggers and other friends, were currently moving your boxes into the house.

“Are you sure that you don’t want to supervise that at all?" Emma asked you, a bit worriedly.

"It's fine," you murmured, dismissing her concerns. "There's no point in fully unpacking. Minus our bedroom, the kitchen, and the baby stuff. We still have to paint and buy new furniture."

“Alright,” Emma replied, not trying to push you. 

The topic of your clear mood shift was becoming an increasingly common conversation among your friends and family. Your due date was growing closer, and you were making more and more comments that concerned them. Or tasks that you refused to do without Jake there beside you.

And everyone was quietly worried about what would happen if you went into labor and Jake wasn't home yet. If it was time for your daughter to come out, it was time for her to come out.

“Has she been moving around a lot?” Emma asked conversationally.

“Yes,” you sighed, sounding exhausted. “She kicked my ribs yesterday and knocked the wind out of me.” Offering a small smile to Emma, you added, “Things for you to look forward to.”

“I’m trying to survive the first trimester,” Emma chuckled nervously. 

“I hope you have a girl too,” you spoke softly with a smile, resting your hands on your bump. “They’re only going to be about six or seven months apart.”

“I know. But I think we’re going to wait until they're born to find out. My sisters did and my parents were always so excited to find out at the hospital, so I want to do that with our baby.”

“Have you told any of them that you’re expecting?”

“No, not yet. We’re going to take a trip up to see them after you have your baby and we’ll tell them then. I wanted to do it in person.”

You smiled and nodded, finishing up your breakfast. After chatting for a little bit more, you headed inside the house for the cooler air. You were temporarily living in the first-floor guest bedroom and that room was your main priority.

“Did you want all of it in the nursery or down here?” Phoenix asked, setting down the last box of baby stuff. 

“Down here is fine for now.”

“Did you want us to set up anything for you?” Javy asked, standing beside his wife. 

“No, I’m alright. We already got the car seat installed and that’s the most important thing right now. We can put together the rest of it when Jake gets home.” Slowly standing up again, you sent Javy and Phoenix a small smile. “Thanks for your help.”

As you waddled off to the kitchen to help Penny and Maverick, Phoenix and Coyote shared a concerned look. 

“She’s not herself,” Coyote told his wife quietly.

"She's in her last trimester and her first few months of marriage. And her husband isn't here." Phoenix sighed, watching you with concern. "And everyone has their breaking point."

~~~~~

Dear Jake,

We moved into the house today. Maverick is sleeping on the sofa to keep an eye on me. I think that he thinks that I’m going to go into labor soon. Which I’m not. Baby Girl is snug and comfortable, and I have a feeling that she’s going to take her time coming out. Bradley and I were both late babies, so I’m sure that she’ll follow the trend.

I had them leave all of the baby stuff on the first floor for now. We can set up the nursery when you’re home with us. It didn’t feel right setting it up without you here.

Baby Girl is keeping me up again. She’s been kicking and now she’s even ignoring your warnings to go to bed. I have a feeling that she’s going to be payback for all of the crap that I put my mom and Mav through. Isn’t that what they say anyways?

I miss you. Come home soon and safely. 

Love,

Your Wife

~~~~~

At nearly thirty-nine weeks pregnant, there was no other way to describe your existence beside ‘uncomfortable.’ You were pretty sure that you resembled a penguin or a seal lion with the stupid way that your bump made you walk. And your stomach had ballooned out to make you look all the more ridiculous as you went through the last few days of your pregnancy.

And fucking hell, your back was killing you.

“Why don’t you sit down?” Maverick suggested as you wiped down the countertops. “You’ve been walking around all morning.”

“I'm fine, Mav.”

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“No,” you muttered, tossing the paper towel into the trash. “I couldn’t get comfortable.”

“Maybe you should try taking a nap.”

“I’m fine, Mav,” you repeated as the laundry machine went off. Waddling over despite Maverick's call that he could fold the laundry, you rested a hand on your back. “I'm just a little restless.”

“I’ll fold all of that. You should eat.”

Sending Maverick an annoyed look, you handed off the laundry and made you way over to the couch. While Maverick was focused on the laundry, you let out a quiet moan of pain, leaning having on the couch. Resting your hand on your back, you took a few deep breaths before sitting down. You kicked your feet up just as Penny walked through the door.

“How are you feeling today, Mama?” Penny asked, walking over to you with a container of food. 

“Pregnant. Very pregnant.”

“You’re in the final stretch now," Penny assured you, offering a maternal smile. "And I brought you some food. It shouldn’t get your heartburn to act up.”

“Thanks.”

Slowly getting up from the couch, you made your way over to the table. Maverick walked over and held the chair for you as you sat down. He had turned into a bit of a helicopter parent over the last week or so and you were too tired to fight him on it. You managed a few bites, before you got up.

"You don't want anymore?"

"I'll be back," you replied, waddling away. "Just need to . . ."

You froze when a gush of liquid suddenly soaked your shorts and pooled on the floor below you. Clutching your bump in fear, you gave Penny and Mav a deer in the headlights look that caused them to jump up and spring into action. Mav steadied you carefully as Penny slowly assessed the situation. 

“Okay, it looks like your water just broke. We need to get you to the hospital. The baby’s coming.”

And you couldn’t help but immediately burst out into tears.  

A.N. And the baby's coming! But just wanted to give everyone a heads up that this story does not end once the baby is born. There's still more to come. Thanks, and I hope you'll stick around for more!

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[mikashisus]

WALTZ INTO THE HEART

SYNOPSIS: fate seems to keep bringing fontaine’s most famed magician into your life, even when you swore you’d never fall in love again. but when you see how he handles your daughter and how her eyes light up with joy whenever he’s around, you cave and allow him into your heart.

PAIRING: lyney x single mother!reader

TAGLIST ! @pixelcafe-network @wystiix

warnings: mentions of teen (19) pregnancy, hurt/comfort, family issues, mc has a mom bod, suggestive comments

wc: 6k

notes: feeding the lyney enjoyers (yona). i started this literal months ago and im so glad it’s finally finished and out of the way. i had sm fun writing the last few scenes! anyw i hope u guys enjoy!

As a performer on the streets of Fontaine, Lyney was more than familiar with the fact that his tricks were more popular with young children. 

Their eyes would light up in childlike awe as they watched him closely, trying to find a flaw in his tricks that they could call him out on while simultaneously wondering how the trick was even performed in the first place. 

He was no stranger to their yells, begging him to do it again so they could watch his every little movement and find that flaw. But Lyney was perfect at hiding the secrets behind his magic. Years of practice led him up to this moment. 

He was also no stranger to kids who had run off from their parents to look for him. Many, many times children have come up to him and asked him to do a trick for them, their parents arriving about ten minutes later, out of breath and a frown on their lips as they berated their children for suddenly running off. 

Today was no different. 

He stood in the center plaza of the city, underneath the hydro-powered machine that made an eerie whirring noise if you stood too close. 

He ended his last trick of the night by telling a small boy to touch the back of his ear. The boy did so, flipping it over to show the contents: an ace of spades. 

“Is that your card?” Lyney questioned with a smile, watching as the boy’s face lit up with joy. 

“Wow!!” The kid exclaimed excitedly. “It is! How’d you do that, Mr. Lyney!?” 

Lyney took the card from the boy’s hands and tossed it into his hat before placing his hat back onto his head. The hat rocked side to side vigorously as a star shaped eye of a grinmalkin cat peeked out from underneath. 

“Shoo!” 

Lyney gently brushed the cat away. In a flurry of confetti, the cat disappeared back under the hat, letting out a tiny purr that sounded like a rebuttal. With a sigh, Lyney shook his head. The kids that were gathered around him laughed at the interaction. 

He opened his eyes and knelt down so that he was eye level with all of them. He winked and placed a finger over his lips. “A magician never reveals their secrets! After all, it’s not really magic if you know how it’s done!” 

Disappointed “aww”s fell from the children’s mouths, though they weren’t seriously saddened. They perked up at the sounds of their parents’ voices, rushing over to them and grabbing their hands as they recited the events of the mini magic show. 

A fond smile graced Lyney’s lips as he waved goodbye to the children and their parents. This was what he loved most about his job: bringing smiles to everyone’s faces. 

“There you are, brother.” 

The soft voice of his sister ripped him from his thoughts. She walked up to him slowly, tiredness reflecting in her purple eyes as she sent him a small smile. “Should we get dinner?” 

Lyney shook his head. “I think Freminet is cooking seafood soup tonight, so we should wait until we get back to the House. Besides, Father is coming home tonight. We should be there to welcome her home.” 

A frown erupted onto Lynette’s face at the mention of waiting. A complaint was ready on her lips, when a small voice called out to Lyney from ten feet away. He abruptly turned, watching as a little girl wearing a sky blue dress ran towards him with a beaming smile on her face. 

“Mr. Lyney!” 

He replaced his frown with a polite smile and knelt down, placing an arm on his knee. “Well hello there! What can I do for you?” 

The girl suddenly grew nervous. She shyly played with the ends of her dress, averting her gaze to the ground as she muttered out a response. “I was watching your magic show, but I was too scared to come closer…” 

Lyney raised a brow in concern. “Oh? Why is that?” 

“B-Because there were tons of people!” 

In reality, there had only been about eight kids and five adults, but kids were known to greatly exaggerate situations. He gave her a kind smile as she anxiously looked up at him once more. He placed a hand on her head. 

“I understand what it’s like to be nervous in a crowd of strangers. In fact, I have stage fright.” 

“He does.” Lynette confirmed, a small smirk pulling at her lips as Lyney sent her a fleeting glare. 

The little girl’s eyes widened in shock. “You do?” 

With a nod, Lyney hummed. “Yep, I do. Sometimes I have to perform in front of crowds ten times bigger than the one you saw. It can be scary, but with my sister by my side, all that fear goes away.” 

“Really?” With another nod, Lyney hummed. The little girl’s eyes flickered to Lynette, before they rested on the ground again. “But I don’t have a sister…” 

“That’s alright. There are other ways you can counteract your anxiety. Like… Oh! You can try talking to the other kids. I’m sure they’d love to be friends with you!” 

The little girl bit her lip nervously. She sure was shy. It was silent for a few moments. Lyney opened his mouth to speak, when the girl suddenly grabbed onto his hand. “Can you—” 

“Lilia!” A feminine voice called, attracting the attention of the young girl standing in front of Lyney. 

You were completely out of breath as you came to a stop in front of the two magicians. Immediately, you focused your attention on your five year old daughter, who had run off on you a half hour ago. 

“Lilia, I was looking everywhere for you!” The concern in your tone and your expression made the weight of your scolding feel extremely light. “If you go running off on me again like that, young lady, you won’t be able to go to that magic show I got us tickets to.” 

“But mommy!” She whined, tugging on the sleeves of your blouse. 

You looked up from her to turn to the two magicians who were watching the scene with amused looks in their eyes. You stood up and apologized. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lyney, Ms. Lynette. I hope she wasn’t too much of a hassle. She has a lot of energy.” You couldn’t hide your smile as you looked down at your daughter. 

There was no way you could stay mad at her for long. Though, you were serious when you said you wouldn’t let her go to that magic show if she kept disobeying you. 

You gently ran your fingers through your daughter’s hair as Lyney smiled. “It was no trouble at all!” 

He took off his hat. “I believe I left something in here,” he muttered, his nose scrunching up as his hand rummaged around in his hat. His face lit up a moment later. “Aha! Got it!” 

With a flourish, and a sudden burst of confetti, he pulled a beautiful bouquet of rainbow roses out of his hat and bowed as he held it out towards you. 

“Rainbow roses as beautiful as the lady standing before my very eyes. How enchanting you are, ma cherie.” 

The sudden gesture was extremely flattering. You haven’t been openly hit on in quite a while. It had nothing to do with your looks or your age, but rather, the fact that you had a daughter. You were still young— twenty-four —so it was quite the shocker when you mentioned to other people that you had a daughter. 

Not many were willing to date someone who already had a child. It was hard to find someone who was, which eventually made you give up. You came to terms with being single, and told yourself it was better that way— that your household was better with just you and your little carbon copy. 

Lyney’s eyes were expressive and sly. Underneath his charm, there was a clear nervousness. He fidgeted in his spot, waiting with bated breath to see if you’d really take the bouquet from his hands.

A new, panicked thought ran through his head. You had a daughter… Did that mean you were married too!? 

Uh oh, he thought, swallowing the lump in his throat, did I overstep? 

He breathed a long silent sigh of relief when you took the bouquet, your fingers brushing over his gloved ones. The smile on your face was one of pure happiness, albeit a bit bashful. Eagerly, you brought the roses up to your nose. They were fresh, as if they had been picked just that day. 

“Thank you,” you said wholeheartedly, “these are gorgeous. We’ll put them in our windowsill for the whole neighborhood to see. Right, Lilia?” 

You sent your daughter a smile, to which she returned with a big one of her own.

A week later, you were attending Lyney’s magic show with your daughter and your best friend, Erika. The show ran smoothly and was absolutely flawless. You couldn’t keep your eyes off of them for one second. Even after the show, you sat in awe, wondering just how in the world those tricks were performed. 

Erika stood up from her seat, stretching her arms above her head. She sighed in relief as she lowered her arms back to her sides and grabbed her purse. 

“That show was amazing! I think my favorite was that last trick with the knives…” she rambled, “Shit, I have to go to the bathroom. Do you guys need to go?”

You sent her a small glare. You told her countless times not to use curse words in front of your daughter, yet she kept forgetting. Thanks to her, your daughter would blurt them out at random moments, causing you to scold her. Erika would apologize profusely every time it happened when she was present. 

Shaking your head, you turned to Lilia. “Do you need to go, sweetie?” 

She nodded, already searching for your hand. Erika picked her up with ease. “I can take her, since you don’t have to go. Just wait for us by the Fountain of Lucine. We shouldn’t be long, right Lily?” 

Erika was great with kids. On days that you needed a babysitter, she jumped at the opportunity. She was fun, loving, and an overall joy to be around. She lit up every room she entered, and she knew how to handle your rascal of a daughter. You were more than thankful for not only her help, but her friendship. 

The two of you have been friends ever since you were children. She was the lively, extroverted class clown that loved to be friends with everyone, while you were the quiet, shy kid that preferred to keep to herself in the back of the classroom. The two of you were polar opposites, yet as soon as she laid her eyes on you and asked to be friends, you were inseparable. 

Years later, nothing changed. The two of you were still the same as you once were. In a way, that felt comforting. 

She bid you a quick goodbye as she raced off to the bathrooms with Lilia in her arms. You slung your purse over your shoulder and began to head towards the exit, running your fingers over the playbill in your hand. You would put this one right next to all the others you had on your bedroom wall. 

Lost in your thoughts, you failed to notice someone walking towards you. It wasn’t until you heard their voice that you looked up. 

“Looks like fate wishes for us to meet again, ma cherie!” 

You couldn’t help the wide smile that pulled at your lips. “Mr. Lyney! Your show was magnificent!” 

Not expecting such high praise, the man laughed softly, his cheeks a rosy red. “T-Thank you!” 

He didn’t know what else to say. Usually, he was adept at making conversation. He had no problem charming his way into the hearts of others, yet whenever he saw you, his words seemed to fail him. 

He cleared his throat. “May I walk you out?” He offered up his arm, which you took almost instantly. 

Your smile never wavered as you linked your arm with his. “Lilia loves magic,” you began, admiring the architecture and decor in the opera house, “she always tells me how she wants to be a magician someday too… or a mage in a mountainside cottage with a cat familiar.” 

Lyney listened closely, a small chuckle leaving his lips. “Sounds imaginative.” 

“It is,” you agreed, “I’ve always nurtured that imagination of hers, and I’ll continue to do so. Children need to be creative and have lots of imagination. That’s something my own mother could not understand.” 

“I want her to know that it’s okay to be more into fantasy things like becoming a mage and living in a cottage, because I know it’s possible. If she sets her heart on that, then she’ll achieve it. I have full faith in her.” 

“You’re a good mother.” Lyney said after a few moments of silence; and he meant it. Another round of silence passed between you as he gathered the courage to ask the question that’s been on his mind ever since he met you a week ago. 

“Is her father in the picture?” He looked down at your left hand, only to see no ring in sight.

You shook your head with a frown. “No. He never was. He didn’t even know about her. We broke up before I found out I was pregnant. But it’s alright, because she has me, and she has her aunt, and that’s all she needs.” 

Lyney hummed. “Sounds like a quaint little family.” 

“We are.” You smiled and let out a sigh as you spotted Erika and Lilia waiting by the Fountain of Lucine. 

Erika noticed you first. Her mouth opened as if she was about to call for you, before her eyes landed on Lyney. A knowing smirk pulled at her lips, and she sent you a wink before turning to distract Lilia. 

Your eye twitched, though you found you didn’t mind her actions. It left you with more time to talk to Lyney. 

“Are you perhaps free this week?” Lyney questioned, a hint of nervousness in his tone. 

You turned to face him. “Well, it depends on the day, but I should be. Fridays tend to be my most free days.” 

You worked at a small cafe in the city three times a week. It wasn’t the best in hours, but the pay was great. It was a step up from your last job, at least. 

A mischievous glint sparkled in Lyney’s eyes. He slipped his arm from yours and brought your hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of your hand. “Then I shall see you on Friday at Hotel Debord,” he winked, “It’s a date.” 

You stared after him with your mouth open like a loser, completely taken aback by his forwardness. When you regrouped with Erika and Lilia, your best friend was hounding you with question after question. 

“So? What’d he say!?” 

“I don’t know why you think something happened, we were just talking.” You tried to change the subject, feeling your face heat up in not only embarrassment, but because of the charming magician who caught your eye. 

“Lies!” Erika exclaimed, pointing a finger in your face. “I saw him kiss your hand! That’s not ‘just talking’ to me!” 

You slapped her finger out of your face. “Alright fine! He asked me out, so what?” You crossed your arms over your chest. 

Erika squealed in delight, jumping up and down. She seemed to be more excited about this than you. You could feel your heartbeat race the more you thought about your upcoming date. 

“(Name), I’m so happy for you!” Erika shook your shoulders.

“He– I didn’t want to be with someone anymore,” you said quietly, “I wasn’t planning on it. I just wanted to continue with our little family.” 

Sensing your fear, Erika wrapped you up in a hug. “I know you’re scared to enter the dating scene again, but Lyney seems like a genuinely sweet guy. He’s nothing like he who must not be named. I’ll be here with you every step of the way, okay? I’m right here, like I’ve always been.” 

You hugged her back tightly, shoving your face into her shoulder. “What if he’s not good with Lilia? What if she doesn’t like him?” 

Erika squeezed you. “Are you joking?” she laughed, “do you hear yourself? We’re talking about a man who mostly performs magic shows for children. Have you seen the way he interacts with them? Dare I say that man is ready to have one of his own.” 

A laugh fell from your lips as you thought back to the day you met him. Him and his sister were entertaining your daughter. You could still remember the soft look in their eyes as they spoke with her. 

“You’re right,” you sighed and took hold of Lilia’s hand, “I’ll give him a chance.” 

“That’s the spirit! Let’s get ice cream to celebrate!” Erika shouted, throwing a fist into the air. 

“Ice cream!” Lilia giggled, copying Erika’s actions. 

You watched the two of them race to the aquabus and smiled fondly. “What am I going to do with you two?” 

The week went by smoothly, and with each day that passed, you grew more and more anxious for your date with Lyney. Of course, you were excited, but you were mostly nervous. You haven’t been on a date in years, so you didn’t know how this one would go. You hoped it would be much different from your last one. 

The day before your date, you were working as usual. The sun was beginning to set over the Court of Fontaine, and you were counting down the minutes until you’d be able to clock out and head home to Lilia. You hummed the tune of the song that was currently playing on the cafe’s speakers, Le Souvenir avec le crepuscule, and watched the sky turn into a mix of pinks and oranges. 

Sunsets in the Court of Fontaine were your favorite. Watching the sun fall over the high walls while the cafe played that old tune your grandmother used to sing to you made you feel as if you were living in a fairytale. 

Someone cleared their throat, drawing you out of your stupor. You drew your attention to the customer standing before you. “Apologies for the wait,” you said, “what can I— Oh! Miss Lynette!” 

Standing before you was Lyney’s twin sister and assistant, Lynette. Although the bags under her eyes revealed her exhaustion, her violet eyes sparkled with excitement. She sent you a small, barely noticeable smile. 

“You can drop the formalities. Just Lynette is fine.” She assured you, waving a hand dismissively. “A coffee, please. Just a bit of creamer and one scoop of sugar.” 

You returned her smile and got to work. Humming along to the song on the speakers again, you could feel Lynette’s eyes on you as you worked. It sent a shiver down your spine picturing her calculating gaze in your head. 

Was there something else she wanted? Surely she would’ve already asked for another thing off the menu if that was the case. 

Out of nervousness, you fiddled with the lid to the cup as you brought it to the counter, accidentally spilling some of her hot coffee all over your hand. Crying out in pain, you dropped the cup and clutched your hand. 

Lynette hopped behind the counter at your cry and guided you over to the sink. “Try not to panic.” She gently eased your hand under the faucet. “Keep your hand here for about twenty minutes and keep the water lukewarm.” She instructed, moving away from you. 

Idiot! You scolded yourself. How could you embarrass yourself in front of his sister? And spill her order, of all things!

“Do you have any plant-based ointments at home?” She asked, turning to you with a brand new cup of coffee in her hand. 

You pushed down the feeling of guilt and nodded. “Yes. Lilia has gotten a few burns like this before after I told her not to touch the stove and she did so anyway.” You let out a sigh at the memory. At least she knew not to go and touch things that were hot ever again. 

Lynette let out a soft laugh. “Lyney did that once when we were kids, too. One of our older sisters was cooking, and without thinking, Lyney went up to the stove and grabbed the pot. He cried for a while, and our poor sister was blaming herself for it. Father had always told us not to go near the stove, yet he didn’t listen.”

You let out a loud laugh. “Every child learns. Even we adults learn simple lessons. It’s a part of being human.” 

She hummed in agreement and turned off the faucet. “Thank you for the coffee.” You opened your mouth to protest, when she sent you a sharp look. Understanding the message, you closed your mouth and nodded. 

She let out a content sigh. “I sincerely hope your date with my brother goes well tomorrow.” Ah… So she heard word through the grapevine, did she? “I know he can be a bit much, but he means well. I think you’re just what he needs.” 

If she meant anything by those words, she didn’t elaborate. Instead, she sent you one final smile and left the cafe— not before abruptly stopping to turn around and give you one final message, “Oh, and he asked me to tell you to wear something formal. Have fun.” 

Finding a formal outfit was harder than you initially thought. You couldn’t remember the last time you owned a formal dress or dress suit, and the most “formal” article of clothing you owned was the bridesmaid dress from a friend’s wedding and a sundress that Erika bought you for your birthday while you were still pregnant with Lilia. 

You searched your closet high and low— tearing apart your entire room in the process —to look for anything formal. Yet, you came up empty, and you had approximately two hours before you had to be at Hotel Debord. 

To say you were panicking was an understatement. Erika’s younger sister offered to watch Lilia for you as you and Erika tried to come up with an alternative. 

“I have a ton of formal dresses,” she said, “you know, from all those parties my ex would drag me to? How about one of those?” 

You sent her a look. “Erika, I would not be able to fit into those dresses even if I tried. I lost that ability after having Lilia.” 

“Right, um…” She sent you an apologetic look and hummed in thought. She snapped her fingers. “How about we ask that fashion designer? Chiori, I think? I’m sure she could help!” 

“We have two hours!” You yelled. 

“I’m running out of ideas!” She yelled back defensively.

Now, you were in complete panic mode, pacing around your room with your hands covering your face. “What if I just call it off…” 

Erika’s eyes widened. “No! Are you kidding!? This is your first date in ages, don’t you even dare think about calling it off!” 

She shot up from her spot on your bed and grabbed your shoulders, halting your movements. She squeezed you reassuringly, her expression sincere as she watched tears roll down your cheeks. “We’ll find something, okay? I’m not about to give up, and you shouldn’t either.” 

Bringing you into a tight hug, she revisited her earlier idea. “I have an idea. While I’m gone, you doll yourself up, okay? I shouldn’t be too long.” She grabbed her purse and placed a kiss on your cheek. 

“Don’t worry!” She pointed a finger at you from the doorway. “Erika’s on the case!” 

With a flourish, she slammed the door. 

Finding Lynette was easy. She was occupying a table at the same cafe you worked at, sipping idly on a cup of tea. 

“Miss Lynette!” Erika called, waving a hand in the air as she approached the rather unsociable magician. “Do you have a moment?” 

Lynette sighed disinterestedly. “If you have work related inquiries, please ask Lyney. If you have questions related to seeing a magic show, please ask the ticket office.” 

Erika sat down in the seat next to Lynette. “This isn’t about either. This is about (Name).” 

Lynette’s ears perked up at the mention of your name. “Has something happened?” 

“Not any medical emergencies!” Erika assured. “It’s just… she realized she didn’t have a formal outfit for tonight, and she can’t exactly wear any of my dresses. I was hoping you could pull some strings and get us in with Chiori.”

With another sigh, Lynette opened her mouth. “Please!” Erika quipped, folding her hands together. “I know it’s last minute, but please.” 

A few moments of silence passed. Lynette finished her tea and stood up. “Alright. I’ll try my best, but I can’t guarantee anything.” 

You had just finished doing your hair when the front door to your apartment opened and you heard Erika animatedly talking, followed by two other voices. 

There was a knock on your bedroom door, before Erika swung the door open and beamed at you. You were about to scold her for the intrusion, when the Chiori— famous Inazuman fashion designer Chiori who you always wanted a dress from but you couldn’t afford her services —waltzed in behind her. 

She cringed at the ransacked room. “Ugh, this place looks awful. Did the Gardes run through here?” She clicked her tongue and turned to you. “Stand up, we’re running on— how long again?” 

“An hour.” Erika answered, throwing her purse elsewhere and beginning to clean up your room. 

Lynette entered a moment later, carrying three large boxes. As Erika quickly shoved everything off your bed, Lynette placed the boxes down and opened them. 

Chiori grabbed hold of you and pulled you up from your vanity chair. “Do you mind taking the robe off for me? I need to take your measurements.” 

You did as told and placed your robe on the back of your vanity chair, allowing Chiori to quickly gather your measurements. She hummed in thought, turning to the three boxes sitting on your bed. 

“I brought three sizes. Your usual, a size up, and a size down.” She rummaged through the middle box, pulling out a navy blue dress. “Try this on.” 

She circled you, her eyes calculating as you slipped into the dress and Erika zipped it up in the back. It was flowy, like a ballgown, with a modest front. 

Chiori made a face. “This is atrocious on you. You need something else— something that’ll accentuate your figure and your chest. Strip.” 

She searched through the box on the right, pulling out a blood red dress and handing it to you. “Here. I think this’ll do just that.” 

This dress was a bit looser, but it was perfect. You could freely move your limbs and although it was form-fitting, you could still breathe properly. It cascaded down in a mermaid-like fashion, and there was a slit in the left side of the dress, revealing your thigh. There was lace on the top in a flowery pattern. 

It wasn’t the sort of dress you’d ever wear, but turning to look at yourself in your full length mirror, you gasped as you immediately fell in love with it. 

Chiori smirked smugly. “Now this is perfect. Does the front feel okay?” She tugged at one of the thin straps and pushed the lace down in the front. 

“No, it’s… it’s perfect,” you said breathlessly, placing your hands on your hips. “Are we sure this is me?” 

Erika whistled. “Damn, Lyney’s lucky. And that neckline— your tits have never looked this great! Dare I say this is a baby-making dress, because he’s definitely gonna want to give you another after tonight.” 

You shoved her for that comment. 

Lynette smiled. “You look breathtaking, (Name). Knowing my brother, he’ll be speechless once he sees you. How much time do we have?” 

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Erika cheered. “Five minutes! Just in time! Are there heels to match?” 

“Right here.” 

Chiori pulled a pair of heels out of the box and guided you to your vanity chair. She knelt down, gently taking your calf into her hand and resting your foot on her thigh as slipped your heels on. 

You felt like a princess with all this special treatment. Lynette tugged a black shawl around your shoulders to keep you warm and helped you to your feet. 

Just as you stood up, there was a knock on the front door. Erika squealed, pushing you out of your bedroom. “Now, don’t worry about the mess in your room, I’ll clean it, and Amélia is watching Lilia so there’s no need to worry about her, either.” 

“What about the—“ 

“It’s free of charge,” Chiori interrupted, “I owed Lynette a favor, anyway, since she modeled for me in my last show.” 

You sent her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Chiori. Truly.” 

She sent you a curt nod, though there was a small, barely noticeable smile pulling at her lips.

With a deep breath, you opened the front door, seeing a nervous Lyney standing on the other side. He was wearing a suit, the tie a similar shade of red to your dress, and the hat covered in sparkles. 

He was holding a bouquet of rainbow roses, the same flowers he had given you on your first meeting. As soon as he heard the door open, he looked up, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. His mouth dropped open in shock, and he almost dropped the bouquet in his hands. 

“Mon amour, you look stunning.” He stuttered over his words a little, his cheeks tomato red. 

You felt your cheeks grow warm as he handed you the bouquet. “Thank you. Um… shall we go?” You cleared your throat, handing the flowers off to Erika to put in a vase. 

“Of course.” He offered you his arm, and you took it eagerly. 

The whole night was filled with laughter and wonder, as he continued to surprise you with tricks of charm and awe. He pulled a rose from behind your ear, snapped his fingers and turned the flowers on the table into doves, and turned your cup of juice into wine. 

Being with Lyney felt like you were a teenager again, experiencing young love for the first time. It was invigorating, like free-falling from a mountain peak. 

It was over too quickly. Soon, you had to leave, and he was walking you back home. The streetlamps provided just enough light for you to see in the dark, yet they didn’t outshine the light of the moon over the Court of Fontaine. 

It was a cloudless night. The stars were shining brighter than they have in a long time, and you could’ve sworn you saw a shooting star. Maybe that was just wishful thinking. 

You haven’t seen the sky this clear in years. Has your judgment really clouded your vision this badly? Or has Lyney just brightened up your life without you noticing? 

He bid you farewell at your doorstep, pressing a chaste kiss to the back of your hand. As soon as you stepped inside, you were bombarded with questions from Erika. 

The two of you had a sleepover in your room, wherein you talked her ear off the whole rest of the night. 

The weeks came and went, and the more that time passed, the more Lyney had become integrated into your little family. 

First, it was showing up at your workplace unannounced to bring you lunch (a gesture you found incredibly sweet, but unnecessary since you always packed your own). Then, it was the offer to babysit Lilia for you while you were at work. And of course, your daughter was never going to pass up the chance to watch Lyney’s magic tricks. 

After that, it was fighting with Erika as if she were another one of his sisters. As soon as the two of them began to form a friendship, your heart swelled with affection. 

If your best friend approved of him and considered him one of her friends, you knew he was someone worthy of your time. 

Lynette eventually started coming around too, showing up at your apartment for tea parties and even going as far as playing dolls and dress-up with Lilia. Even Freminet, a sweet boy and the twins’ younger brother, was dragged along to your place too. 

Your little family was growing bigger by the day. It was a tad overwhelming to have so many people in your house again after years of only sharing it with two other people, but at the same time, it felt… revitalizing. You had a family once more. 

And then… the fateful day came. 

As you were tucking Lilia into bed, humming her the same lullaby your grandmother once sung to you, she grabbed your hand and began playing with your fingers. 

“Mama?” 

“Yes sweetheart?” You brushed her hair out of her face and handed her her teddy bear. 

“Can Mr. Lyney be my daddy?” 

In pure shock, your mouth fell open and you struggled to form an answer. You knew Lilia had formed an attachment to him, but you weren’t expecting her to outright ask you if he could be her father. 

You wouldn’t mind it. You’d love for him to be her father. He was already helping you care for her, there just wasn’t an official label on your relationship yet. 

“How about you ask him the next time he visits?” You told her, sending her a smile and placing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I’m sure he’d love to.” 

That’s exactly what she did. The next time Lyney came over to babysit, Lilia asked him the same question she asked you. And just like you, he had been rendered speechless. 

He never answered her question directly. He was way too shocked to do so, but he did take her words into consideration as he sought out his Father. 

Arlecchino was a stoic faced woman who wasn’t  exactly the best caretaker, but she was making it work in her own way. Although some of her methods of parenting were unusual, they ultimately helped her children prepare for the outside world and to stay unwavering in their resolve. 

She wasn’t forthcoming with her affection for her children. There were roundabout ways she went about showing it, often through gifts. She wasn’t exactly a loving Father nor a parental figure her children needed, but she was enough for them. For now, at least. 

There was a compassion underneath her hard exterior, though it was never obvious with her words. She preferred to let her actions speak for her. 

And by giving the ring her old lover once owned over to Lyney, that same compassion revealed itself. “I wish you luck in your endeavors,” she said, a hint of sincerity peeking through in her voice, “but I hope you understand that by extension, you will be dragging your newfound family into our affairs.” 

Lyney’s frown deepened. “I know. But (Name) is already aware of this, and we had a serious talk about it. She understands.” 

Arlecchino stared at him, her gaze unwavering. “And her daughter?” 

He stiffened. “I don’t want Lilia to be a part of our work. She shouldn’t have to deal with that burden. She deserves a normal childhood.” 

“I trust you will tell her when she’s old enough, then.” 

With a nod, Lyney swallowed the lump in his throat. “I will. Just… not now. She’s too young.” 

Arlecchino let out a satisfied sigh and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Then I give you my blessing.” 

That was all he needed to hear before he bolted out the door, his heart racing with excitement as he ran to you and Lilia.

To home.

notes: the parts with chiori were by far my favorite to write. also, the dress i was picturing was the red version of this one (but in a bigger size obvi). i think we as a society need to appreciate mom bods more. we as a society need to appreciate all body types more. also shoutout to single mothers who do everything they can to make their child(ren) happy while also taking care of themselves too. i have sm respect for them.

© 2024 mikashisus. do not plagiarize, copy, repost, feed to ai, or translate my works to any other platforms.

[wileys-russo]

request for bf lessi x reader where sick grace clinton and clinging on the reader more than usual. Lessi doesn’t like that her cuddles are being stolen

mother hen II a.russo

you'd first met your girlfriend when you were both just fifteen, she was boisterous and outgoing and drew in everyone around her like a magnet.

alessia was easy to talk to and within just a few days of knowing her you felt so at ease in conversation it was like you'd known her for years.

you lived on opposite ends of the country but were always texting or calling with one another as you grew closer, in fact you often teasingly blamed the blonde for getting you into trouble at school because she would always text you while in class.

as you grew older you both in your own ways realised that maybe you harbored some feelings for one another that grew beyond the tight friendship that had blossomed over the years.

though as time had passed alessia had matured and become a little less outspoken, and so with an astounding fear of rejection at the back of her mind she kept these feelings to herself, as you did the same.

but naturally in your later teens you couldn't ignore the feelings between you both forever, and when you were dared to kiss one another on an under 19's national camp during a game of spin the bottle, everything shifted.

still neither one of you came forward with how you both felt, but your interactions changed. hugs lingered a little longer and filled you with a different sort of comfort and warmth, your touches seemed to feel more personal and concise.

things changed yet again when she left for college, that hug was something different all together and alessia had forced herself not to look back at you as all of her friends and family cheered when she walked through the departures terminal at the airport.

you didn't stop speaking of course, it was more difficult with the time differences but you'd both made a pact not to let that cause you both to fall out or drift away.

when alessia would come home on breaks and holidays everything fell right back into place like she'd never left, it never became any less easy to talk to her, but there was always an underlying tension that neither one of you wanted to point out for fear of what it might mean.

you signed with manchester united the year before alessia did on a three year contract, the blonde was endlessly proud of you and even made sure to come home for the celebrations of your first professional contract.

after a few drinks and away from the watchful gazes of your friends and family you were laid together in alessia's bed in her childhood home, a room which seemed frozen in time as it had never changed in the slightest over the years she was away.

maybe the confidence to finally tap into the unspoken electricity between you both was fueled by alcohol, or maybe you'd both just grew tired of dancing around the truth for so long.

the kiss was years in the making and the relief which flooded both of your bodies when afterward you both came clean about the feelings harbored toward one another felt like the weight of the world was lifted off your shoulders.

when alessia returned home for good you were over the moon, even more so when she accepted her own contract at united and you could finally be together in a way you'd both long yearned for.

you played together for two seasons in manchester, came out to your families and reveled in developing the newfound connection and relationship between you, exploring it together and growing more and more in love with one another as the months passed.

but when your contract with united ended and the past season you'd spent more time on the bench than on the pitch, meaning the senior national team call ups stopped coming, you suddenly had a big decision to make when other offers from new clubs came flooding in.

alessia had promised no matter what your decision was, it was yours to make and she would be by your side in full support regardless, she loved you truly and purely and nothing would change that.

with promised minutes and a bumped up salary you accepted the offer from tottenham with constant reassurance from your girlfriend that compared to country to country distance, manchester to london was nothing.

it wasn't always easy but you made it work, and when eventually alessia joined arsenal you could be together again in the way you both missed dearly.

the striker got her own apartment with intention of it becoming shared once your own lease was up, and hardly spending a night away from one anothr the moment your lease ended you moved in for good.

if there was one thing that came to mind when someone spoke your name, one shining attribute that trumped the others, it was the selfless drive you had to look after everyone around you.

though in hand that often meant you'd put others needs before your own and it pained alessia at times to watch you prioritize others over yourself, she knew no matter what she said you wouldn't change and your intentions were never ever with any malice.

you were just quite simply, a good person.

your girlfriend was nothing short of protective, she had been ever since the two of you were just friends. when she was younger it was worse, if someone else had your attention she'd go out of her way to do anything to gain it for herself.

make a joke, make a scene, show off, be loud, anything she could to have your sole attention and with how fond you were of the taller girl it worked near every time, your teammates just rolling their eyes at the obvious need alessia had to command your entire focus.

when you started dating you were well aware of your girlfriends tendencies to judge a wandering eye thrown your way, even if it was nothing more than just that.

the moment alessia felt threatened in the slightest you were made aware. if it was being tugged into her lap, her lips kissing at your neck or jaw, hugged tightly from behind, your head gently turned to only be looking at her.

it amused you to no end just how possessive the striker could become, and though you knew it wasn't with any malice you would always chatisize her for it before assuring her that she was the only girl you had eyes for, watching as she would melt back into a puddle of puppy dog eyes and a pout.

alessia was always the more outgoing of the two of you and you were always more level headed, the two of you together was a balancing act that perfectly matched what the other lacked.

though that care and drive to look after others meant you'd adopted some of the younger members of your club team as your own of sorts, first and foremost which was grace.

having already been quite close with her during your shared time at united, when you'd moved to the club she was on loan at the twenty year old was over the moon and you found her attached to your side from day one.

that extended beyond the pitch of course, and at times alessia wanted nothing more than to throw out your seemingly adopted daughter when she overstayed her welcome at your shared home.

though admittedly alessia also had a soft spot for the young scouse and with a bat of her eyelids and a plea the blonde couldn't stay mad at her for long. especially not with how much you clearly cared for grace, which alessia recognized wasn't all too dissimilar to her own close relationship with mary.

but this week in spain on camp with a seemingly harmless cold sweeping the team everything had shifted, and that soft spot alessia harbored for the younger girl was wearing dangerously thin.

when you and alessia had found out camp would be in spain and you were both named in the squad you were over the moon, with demanding schedules and league titles to be fought for you'd not had a vacation in well over a year and you'd both grown beyond exhausted of the drizzly grey weather of england.

alessia was looking forward to sun, football, time with close friends and of course some quality time finally playing alongside her girlfriend for the same team.

but when the cold had you down for two days all of that went out of the window as you stayed behind to work in the gym when she was out on the pitch.

but despite your warnings alessia still stuck to your side anytime she could, and with a strong immune system never fell victim to the cold you had, relieved when you'd finally slept through the night without coughing or sniffling and woken up with the color returned to your face.

but there was another person who'd been around who did not have such a strong immune system, grace.

thankfully it hadn't hit her as hard as it did you and she was still able to train with the group like normal, just needing a few extra breaks here and there.

but with you still worried for her, alessia suddenly lost you as her training partner and watched as every session you hovered by grace and paired up with her instead.

"jesus christ less you're gonna take my head off this is just a drill!" mary yelped as she dove out of the way of the ball spiraling straight at her face which cracked the back of the net with a swoosh.

but the blonde didn't even hear her, attention already switched to watch you training at the other goal across the field, eyebrows knitted into a frown watching as you stood to the side awaiting your turn, grace leaning into your side as your arm was drawn over her shoulder.

"don't tell me you're jealous. they're like sisters less urgh!" ella shoved her best friend with a teasing smirk, snapping her attention out of it as she shoved her back.

"no! don't be stupid tooney." the blonde rolled her eyes and readied herself for another kick, the pass sent in by lotte as her boots smacked against it with a thump.

"alessia!" mary yelped as again she dove out of the way, the ball sailing right at her face somehow even faster and harder than the other one did. "sorry mary!" alessia winced as the older girl groaned from the ground.

the whistle blew to signal training was over and as much as your girlfriend wanted nothing more than to plant herself at your side she quickly hurried over to help mary up.

"don't use me as a punching bag for your relationship issues, or at least kick the ball away from my head less!" mary huffed as the girl hauled her up to her feet and brushed the grass and dirty away from her knees.

"i don't have relationship issues i have grace issues." alessia rolled her eyes after hugging mary in apology. "ohh i see. you're all moody because your girlfriends too busy looking after her adopted daughter when she's sick instead of paying attention to you, poor little less!" mary cooed teasingly pinching her cheek and pulling her into her side.

"anytime i think i get five minutes alone with her grace appears with a headache or a runny nose or a sore throat. she's barely sick she's fine, she's been training the whole time!" alessia rolled her eyes with a huff, marys body vibrating with laughter.

"mary its not funny! can't you look after her?" the striker whined with a frown at the girl who held her hands up. "i've got my hands full with the hopes of england, sorry less." mary sighed holding them up as alessia rolled her eyes and swatted them away.

"hi baby." though she perked up at the sound of your voice and span around with a beaming smile. "less!" you laughed as the taller girl picked you up into a bear hug, settling you back onto your feet and continuing to hug you tightly.

"i missed you." the blonde mumbled as you rubbed her back and laughed. "lessi we were apart for like thirty minutes." you grinned, gently pulling away though alessia made sure to keep a tight hold on her hand.

"lets go lay by the pool babe, suns lovely." alessia suggested as you nodded your agreement, laughing at the way your girlfriend practically dragged you with her.

"less!" you laughed louder as the taller girl all but threw you onto the sun lounger, crawling on top of you with a grin. "hello gorgeous." the blonde smiled eagerly as you shook your head.

"mmm that feels nice." you sighed happily as the taller girl laid down on top of you, gently kissing at your neck and jaw as your arms wound round her back scratching lightly up and down at the skin beneath her training top.

"so does that." alessia smiled against your neck, head popping out to hover over you again, not missing the way her eyes flickered down to your lips. "not getting shy are you now baby?" you teased, the girl never hesitant about kissing you.

"no but someones getting cocky." your girlfriend grinned back, lips hovering over yours, curling into a smirk as you leant up to capture them in your own and she pulled her head back.

"its not nice to tease alessia." you raised an eyebrow, her hands wandering to grab your hips, thumbs rolling circles as she continued to smile and hover over you.

though right as it seemed she'd finally given in, leaning down and pressing her lips against yours a ball thumped and hit her in the back of the head.

"now now you two there are children round here! nobody wants to watch you eat each others faces in broad daylight." mary grinned as alessia groaned into your shoulder and rolled off of you, grabbing the ball and hauling it back at millie who caught it with a beaming smile.

"back to your room or mine babe?" your girlfriend asked hopefully with a coy smile as you laughed and pushed her head away from you. "here i was thinking you just wanted to soak up the spanish sun, work on a tan, admire the poolside view...when you only want me for my body." you tutted with a shake of your head.

"i do not! i love everything about you, including your body." alessia corrected, sitting up as you rolled your eyes affectionately and she grinned cheekily.

"in fact, if i told you you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?" alessia smirked with a wink, dropping down on top of you again and kissing all over your face making you laugh and halfheartedly shove her off.

but right as alessia went to properly kiss you again now the girls had wandered away, a whiny voice yelling out your name had her smile dropping.

"we're not here." her hand covered your mouth as you glared at her and pulled it off, sitting up as alessia rolled onto her back and sighed deeply, grace appearing a few seconds later.

"whats wrong gracie?" you smiled as the girl dropped down on the lounger on your other side, melting into you as the taller girl wrapped her arms around your torso and you ran a hand through her hair.

"me heads fuckin killin!" grace huffed with a scowl as you pressed the back of your hand to her forehead. "you feel a little warm but thats probably just from running around at training. did you ask for another advil?" you frowned, rubbing circles into her back as alessia glared at the younger girl who simply stuck her tongue out at her and nodded.

"maybe some sleep? we've not got anything else on until dinner." you suggested softly as grace nodded, moving around until she was laying down comfortably with her head in your lap as alessia's eye twitched.

"maybe you should sleep in your own room in your bed!" alessia warned, flicking grace's ear as you clicked your tongue at her and smacked her hand away. "tell ya bulldog girlfriend to stop pickin on me." grace mumbled as alessia's eyes widened.

"less! act your age." you warned before she could retaliate, the smug smile on grace's face having alessia wish she could smack it off as alessia stood up with a huff.

"where are you going?" you sighed as she stood at the end of the lounger with a scowl and her arms crossed over her chest. "away from our apparent adopted child who i did not want!" grace whined as alessia pinched the back of her ankle, the younger girl kicking at her lazily.

"less she's sick!" you laughed as the blonde sent you a pout and a frown. "yeah less i'm sick." grace echoed, turning her head to look up at the older girl with a grin who shook her head. "did you say she had a temperature?" alessia questioned as you nodded.

"a little. but at least you sound clearer and you're not coughing." you directed the last few words at grace, rubbing her back as alessia's eyes narrowed. grace may have been sick a few days ago but now your girlfriend was sure she was just putting it on for attention.

"oh wait i have to ask sarina something! less be nice, she's sick." you sternly warned your girlfriend who gave you a soft smile as you pried grace off and stood to hurry after your coach who was wandering past with a few of the girls.

"come on russo ya know you'd love a cuddle." grace grinned patting the lounger as alessia scoffed. "with my girlfriend? yes i would. but you won't leave us alone you little shit." alessia again pinched the midfielders ankle who whined.

"keep pickin on me and i'll just tell her, good luck getting a cuddle then." grace grinned as alessia withhheld the urge to scream. she'd always looked at grace like an annoying little sister but it seemed this camp she was determined to really settle into that role.

"do you still feel warm?" alessia sighed as grace perked up, assuming your girlfriend was about to give in and baby her just like you'd been. "a bit." grace shrugged as alessia nodded and gestured for her to sit up.

"why?" grace asked though before she could even blink suddenly she was over alessia's shoulder as the taller girl strode off toward the recovery area. "less! put me down man." the girl tried to roll off but the taller blonde held on tightly.

"nah i'm just helping you get better. you're hot? better cool down." alessia grinned, stopping and suddenly dropping grace into the bright orange bins which were acting as on sight ice baths, the younger girl gasping and spluttering as alessia doubled over laughing.

"you're dead!" grace launched herself out of the bin and lunged at alessia who yelped as a wet body attached to her back, shivers running down her spine as grace dumped a handful of ice down her top.

"oi!" both girls stopped dead in their tracks, alessia turning as grace's arms tightened around her neck, both of them sporting matching guilty smiles as you stood in front with a raised eyebrow and hands on your hips.

"she started it-" "this is all her fault she-"

but both girls fell silent as you held up a hand. "i don't care. grace go to your room and take a hot shower before you get sick again!" you warned, the younger girl dropping from alessia's back and hurrying off at the stern tone in your voice.

"i love you?" alessia tried with a guilty smile, stepping toward you as you shook your head. "are you twenty five or twelve?" you chatsized as she scrunched her nose up. "i really love you?" the blonde repeated.

"i feel sick?" she tried again with a fake cough as you were unable to stop the corners of your mouth upturning into a smile as alessia cleared the remaining distance between you both with a few steps.

"very cute." you hummed with a roll of your eyes. "think i might need some extra cuddles, some extra kisses...just so i feel better." alessia grinned, hands playing with the bottom of your top as you took in her half drenched state with a sigh.

"you are a child sometimes alessia. you know that right?" you sighed tiredly as your girlfriend just shrugged, cold hands sneaking up your top to settle on your sides causing you to flinch.

but before another word could be said her head turned away from you and she let out a few sneezes causing you to raise an eyebrow. "baby i'll give you attention, you don't need to fake being sick." you rolled your eyes with a smile.

"...that wasn't fake."

[hannibals-favourite-meal]

Can I ask for revenge for hurt s/o with fem reader and Thomas Hewitt, maybe reader is a neighbour to the Hewitt's and her and Thomas become close over time, and maybe their latest victims are there and reader goes over to the house as well, and it's an all fight between everyone but someone cuts reader bad and maybe Thomas sees red and she is the only one to calm him down, and then they kiss

.⋆｡Anything For You｡⋆.

Thomas Hewitt x plus size reader

Thomas has always been your sanctuary but now, he would be your protector too

Warnings: death of parents, fire, murder, friends to lovers, angst, getting stabbed, violence, knives, happy ending, protective!Thomas WC: 1.9k

6k Follower Celebration Bingo

Library- @hannibals-favourite-meal-library

You liked the quiet of your farm. Just you and your animals and the family across the way, it was peaceful. It was all you had ever known. 

Your family moved to Fuller when you were barely a month old, buying up a small farm on the edge of town in hopes of laying down some roots. Life was peaceful, at least until the town began to decay. Less and less children would enrol in school every year, less cars on the roads. Even the fire station shut down as the last family moved out from the city centre. And that led to the death of your parents.

A spark from a frayed cable in the basement landed on a pile of newspapers, setting them alight. It had been a dry summer, far more than usual, and there was no lack of kindling for the blaze. You chose to sleep in the barn that night, wishing to rest beside the newborn calves. Your parents had indulged your silly request, not realising that it would save your life.

You could vividly remember the smell of smoke as it bellowed out from the shattered windows of your home. The dogs howled from their kennels while you ran onto the dirt road leading to the Hewitt household. You banged on their door, begging for them to save your parents.

But even with Monty and Charlie doing their best to put out the fire, no help was coming. You were forced to watch from the comfort of Luda Mae’s arms as your entire world turned to ash.

You lived with the Hewitts for a long time after that, being that you had no other family, as the small farm house was rebuilt. By the time you were 19, you had a new home and a deep friendship with the younger Hewitt brother. Thomas had always been kind to you in the brief moments you had seen each other, but it became something more when you became a daily fixture in his life. 

He showed you how he did his chores around their own farm, took care of the animals and crops on yours when you could not bear to look upon the mound that used to be your home. And in turn, you treated him with more kindness than he had ever experienced. You never faltered at his appearance nor his size, in fact you always found ways to compliment him. You taught him to read and write, and later on, how to use sign language after your schooling ended, even if he only ever used it with you. 

You were his best friend and he was yours.

Perhaps that’s why he never encouraged you to leave as the rest of his family did.

Having finished your morning chores, you sat on the small porch in front of your house with a cup of tea and the book you had been meaning to read, eager to soak in some sun before the Texan heat rolled through. Just as you were getting to a particularly juicy section where the gentle giant farm hand had finally kissed the farmer’s daughter in the barn, a shrill scream cut through the faint buzz of the cicadas.

“What the-“ You tilted your head, waiting for another sound but none came. Leaning over your porch railing, you could just about see the edge of the Hewitt’s driveway and noticed their truck was missing as was Hoyt’s police car. A warm breeze rustled the wheat growing along your property line. 

A sour feeling gnawed at your stomach, urging you to grab your sunhat from its peg by the front door and take the short walk over to the dilapidated home. 

Thomas would be at work already and if Luda Mae wasn’t home, then neither would Charlie since his old age was starting to get to him. Maybe an animal had gotten hurt, you mused as if trying to convince yourself that the scream couldn’t have possibly been human.

“Hello?” The screen door was firmly shut but you couldn’t quite see anything in the dark hallway. You’d have to remind Luda Mae to open up the windows when she left the house for the day, again. 

The floorboards creaked as something moved around. You glanced over your shoulder, hoping to see Thomas’s hulking figure walking up the driveway to save you from having to go in and investigate. But alas, only a toad sat on the gravel, looking up at you with a bored expression, as much as a toad can have.

“If I get murdered, Thomas gets all my stuff.” You pointed at it before taking a deep breath and opening the door.

A coppery smell clung to the stale air, an almost constant of the home but today, it set you more on edge. After three years of living there, you could’ve navigated the house blindfolded but as you passed the switch, you flicked on the lights somehow hoping it would ease the twisting in your stomach.

“Hello?” You called again, passing by the kitchen, not noticing the now empty knife block. The basement door was open. “Hoyt I swear to god if this is you trying to be funny, I’ll kick your ass.” You glanced down the basement stairs, but only the single hanging bulb was visible in the dark. 

Just as you were turning to continue your search, something heavy threw itself into your chest, sending you down the steps. You slammed hard against the concrete floor, the air was ripped from your lungs violently as your ears began to ring. Footsteps thudded down the stairs. Your mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as you tried desperately to breathe. 

“Get that rope.” You reached for the leg of Thomas’s workbench, your vision beginning to tunnel. A hand grabbed at your shoulder, forcing you onto your back. 

“She-she’s not one of them.”

“It doesn’t fucking matter! She’s here isn’t she?” 

“Please.” You wheezed but you were only met with a fist to your jaw. Your eyes rolled.

“C’mon we can make a run for it now. We don’t have to hurt her.” The voices were growing distant.

“Would you just shut the fuck… up.” The last word trailed off as something else caught their attention. You dug your heels into the floor in an attempt to push yourself away from the two voices. The ache in your stomach was starting to ease but you still couldn’t fill your lungs all the way. 

Darkness suddenly covered you as the light from the dining room vanished. “Please.” You tried again but you were only met with silence. Wood creaked and suddenly, you were hauled up. 

“Get any closer and I’ll slit her fucking throat.” The cold metal of a blade pressed itself against your neck. A bitten off whimper slid past your lips as the tip dug into your skin. Your vision began to clear as adrenaline rushed through your veins. A huge shadow loomed at the top of the stairs, silently watching as the two people holding you back panicked.

“Thomas.” You tried to reach out to him. You caught the glint of metal before he raised his arm and threw a meat cleaver directly into the forehead of the one that had tried to run. They dropped like a sack of potatoes, eyes wide with fear as the life quickly left them. 

“Shut up you stupid bitch!” Their hold on you got looser as Thomas took one step forwards. His eyes glinted with anger, a rage you had never witnessed in your gentle giant before. His hands were curled into fists so tight that his knuckles were white, his shoulders raised, making him look even bigger.

You could feel the body behind you trembling as he steadily got closer. “Stay back!” But their tone wavered. You were pulled backwards as Thomas reached the middle of the stairs. “I’ll fucking kill her!” 

As slowly as you could, you began to reach into your front pocket for the small knife you always kept on you. The one Thomas had given you on your 16th birthday. His eyes flicked to you at your movement. You hissed as the knife against your throat pressed in deeper, nicking the delicate skin.

A sound akin to a growl rumbled through the basement. “Thomas no-“ The words had barely escaped you when suddenly the knife was pulled from your neck and shoved into your side. Coldness exploded from the wound like you had been plunged into a frozen lake as your body fell forwards.

A scream echoed through the home but it didn’t sound like your voice. It was warped and all wrong. You fell against something solid but also somehow soft. Its warmth drew your mind back for a moment, just enough to watch as one of Thomas’ massive hands coiled around the other man’s throat and squeezed with all his might.

He thrashed and struggled but he was no match for Thomas. There was a crunch, and then he went limp, his head lolling strangely on his neck. Thomas dropped his body like it was a piece of trash before all his attention shifted to you. 

Your own body was shaking in his hold but you were the furthest thing from scared. With the same hand he had just used to kill someone, he pressed down on your side, stopping the bleeding as best he could. “It’s ok, you saved me Thomas.” He shook his head, his dark hair falling in front of his face. 

He eased you back onto the workbench making you wince as the first tinges of pain began to appear. “Thomas.” You reached for him but he stepped away from you and darted into the darkness of the basement. He was rummaging through something. You heard glass break while you clutched at your stomach. 

His lumbering footsteps returned and the bulb above you flicked on with a gentle hum. A bright red box was in his hands which he was looking through as he rushed back to you. “Talk to me.” You urged. He glanced at you then sighed heavily. 

Not yet, he gestured and pulled out a thick bandage. You let out a huffed laugh, letting him pull up your now ruined shirt to get access to the wound. His eyes narrowed before he let out a breath of relief. Not deep.

You bit down on your lip as he wrapped the bandage around your plush stomach, pulling it as tight as he could without causing you more pain than necessary. “Thank you for saving me.” He helped you to sit up, taking care not to put too much strain on you.

His bulk was all you could see now. He cupped your cheek, a move far bolder than you expected from the shy man. You nuzzled into his touch, unable to stop yourself. “You did so good Tommy.” He nodded and you finally smiled. His head dipped down as his eyes flicked to yours with a silent question, one you had been waiting for since you were 15. 

It was you who leaned in first, capturing his chapped lips in a kiss that was long overdue. He was frozen for just a second then melted into it, naturally meeting the soft push and pull of your mouth in a way that made your brain go fuzzy that wasn’t purely shock. He hesitated when he pulled away but he didn’t go far, only putting enough space between you in order to meet your gaze once more.

“Protect.” His voice deep and rough from disuse but as he gathered you into his arms and tugged you against his broad chest, you knew that he would do anything to do just that. And you couldn’t help but smile through the pain.

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[moonpascaltoo]

garreth weasley

MASTERLIST • HOGWARTS LEGACY • 11/19/24

˚‧⁺ ･ ˖ · ୨ৎ recs

𑣲 when she says my name I @wedonthaveawhile

Garreth finds himself entangled with the heroine of Hogwarts. As their encounters become habit, they devolve into a game of power dynamics and possession.

𑣲 don’t ever leave I @metal-mouse

It has been one year since you have graduated from Hogwarts. You've returned to Hogsmeade for some shopping, and you run into a familiar face. You spend the afternoon catching up with Garreth Weasley, when a rain storm rolls in preventing you from returning home.

𑣲 dreamful sleep I @cuffmeinblack

Garreth's habit of sleepwalking is driving his friends and roommates insane, until you start to find him in the midst of his dreaming.

𑣲 out of bounds I @/cuffmeinblack

You agree to help Garreth sneak into his aunt's chambers to retrieve some confiscated notes. In an effort to spend more time with him, you ask him to come with you.

𑣲 marry you I @thenerdykneazle

Garreth proclaims to anyone and everyone, including you, that he is going to marry you one day – despite the fact that you haven’t even agreed to court him (not that he's asked).

𑣲 curses and confessions I @5sospenguinqueen

The four times people told you Garreth was in love with you, and the one time Garreth did.

𑣲 when you know, you know I @writing-intheundercroft

You and Garreth Weasley aren't on speaking terms, not since you were caught stealing billywig stings for him and subsequently banned from Honeydukes. But the dawn of your sixth year brings a potion brewing contest, and you might finally have a chance to put him in his place.

𑣲 it’s the damn season I @/writing-intheundercroft

You're back from five years of traveling the world and living in America, and Garreth Weasley invites you on a foraging trip down to his family cottage in Cornwall. You accept, having regretted not sharing your feelings when you last said goodbye. Or, the origin story of the Weasley knitted sweaters.

𑣲 blood sport I @festivalsofmargot

Garreth had begged you not to put your name in The Goblet of Fire. The TriWizard Tournament was known for being so dangerous, it was practically a death sentence to every school Champion chosen. You promised him you wouldn’t, but when you found out your best friend Natty had entered her name, you decided to go against his wishes and enter behind his back. Being as capable as you were and the only person in ages able to wield ancient magic, of course your name was chosen. Along with an overwhelming sense of dread that you could die, Garreth felt betrayal, and has kept his distance from you ever since.

𑣲 illicit affairs I @/festivalsofmargot

Garreth thinks back on his life with you, and it was far from perfect. But he’d relive every second if he had the chance.

𑣲 home to me part 2 I @chickenlizard13

Takes place after the Scriptorium.

𑣲 a misplaced apparition I @matchavellichor

While helping Garreth forage for potion ingredients, a misplaced apparition leaves you both magic-less and stranded somewhere in the Forbidden Forest.

𑣲 no place like home I @eggymf-archived

she couldn’t bear to make him suffer with every horrific danger that constantly chases her, hence she decides to run away one rainy summer night.

𑣲 silk I @crushribbons

The years have been exceedingly kind to Garreth Weasley.

[tab00-1nce51]

Teacher and student. (Story). Part 1

Melisa Mendiny - teacher 

This is a story about a lovely school teacher Melisa, 27 years old. And the student boy Vlad is 16 years old.

It all started with the fact that Melisa, having finished her classes, went out into the corridor. I saw that her student boy Vlad was sitting in the corridor. Sitting and sad alone near her office.

Melisa approached him and asked. 

Melisa : - What's the matter, why are you sitting and feeling sad here alone.

Vlad : - I have no friends. Not at all. 

Melisa felt sorry for him. And she began to spend time with him every day after class.

They talked, walked around the school, stayed together until late at school. Vlad helped Melisa with her work. She was pleased that she was no longer as sad as before.

In her heart, Melisa wanted to help this boy, and something else attracted her to him. What it was, she could not explain. 

After some time, they met in the city. Melisa saw Vlad alone in the park and went up to him.

Melisa : - Hello. How are you? I see you are alone again.

Vlad : - Yes. I decided to take a walk in the park.

Melisa : - Any plans for today?

Vlad : - There are no plans teacher, I'm completely free.

Melisa : - Then I invite you to my place for tea. What do you say?

Vlad: - Truth?

Melisa : - Truth.) Well, what are we going?

Vlad : - Oh sure. I am pleased to Miss Mendiny.

Coming home. They talked a lot, watched movies. And at the end when the love scene of the film ended. Vlad, in a fit of emotion, confessed his love to Melisa. 

And kissed her.

Soft and warm lips.

Melisa smiled and said.

Melisa : - Honey, it's time for you to go home, it's getting late.

 Hearing nothing in response, Vlad decided that he had done something wrong. Silently he got up and went to the door.

But already on the threshold, Melissa ran up to him. And a whisper in your ear.

Melisa : - I really like you.

 And kissed him.

Vlad, inspired, ran home. Not noticing anything around you. He was in love.

Unbeknownst to themselves, this relationship grew into something more. Meliss understood that this should not be allowed. But she couldn't help it.

Later.. 

Vlad had a hobby, he liked to take pictures. And Melisa, earlier in her youth, posed for magazines. She worked as a model.

Melisa asked him

Melisa :- What do you like to photograph?

Vlad : - Well, a little bit of everything. Nature, sunsets, sea, cars. But to be honest. My most cherished dream was to photograph girls. The girls are so beautiful, their facial features and body shapes are mesmerizing. This is my dream.

Vlad : - But they are not friends with me, so I did not have such an opportunity.

Melisa : - Would you like take a picture of me? I would love to pose for you.

Vlad : - You? Are you seriously? I would gladly be, teacher. It's so cool.

Melisa : - I have a basement at home, it is spacious and bright. It's perfect for this. We could try there. What do you say? 

Vlad : - I'm happy to miss Mendiny. Have you posed before?

Melisa : - When I was 19 I worked as a model for a magazine. So I can help you with that.

Vlad : - Cool. Thank you. And when will we start.

Melisa : - Let's go tomorrow night after school. Come see me at seven.

Vlad : - Good. I will definitely be.

Next Day

Vlad arrived at the appointed time. Melisa rang the doorbell and opened it for him. She was wearing a beautiful beige dress with a sheer top. Her breasts were slightly covered with an interesting pattern.

Melisa : - Hi baby. Come on, I've been waiting for you. How did you get there? 

Vlad : - Ok, thank you. You look wonderful.

Melisa : - Thanks, darling. You know, let's do our photoset here today. I'm so eager to start.

Vlad : - Me too. Let's start. Stand next to the sofa. 

Melisa : - Like this ? 

Vlad : - Yes. Excellent.

Vlad : - It's such a thrill. Thank you teacher. You have fulfilled my dream.💗

Melisa : - Do not thank me. It gives me pleasure too.

Vlad : - Wow. You so beautiful.. Um. And your... Your shoulder strap has fallen off.

Melisa : - Oh sorry, I didn't notice. 

Melisa : - Tell me Vlad, how do you like it better when it is lowered or when it is in place?💗

Vlad : - Wow. To me? Em. When she's down.👀

Melisa : - Then I'll leave it as it is.💗

Vlad : - I'm sorry teacher, but I can't help but tell you this. You are so sexy now.

Melisa : - Oh dear thank you dear. Maybe you want see something more?

Vlad : - More?

Melisa : - Yeah... Like... Nude? 

Vlad : - OMG... 👀😍

End of part 1

To be continued.... 

[axelsagewrites]

Roy Kent*Charitiy

Pairing: Roy Kent x reader

Word count: 1535

Warnings: Rupert existing and Roy being Roy

Masterlist here

Ever since last year when Rupert crashed annual charity ball and donated a butt load of money to steal her thunder, she was determined to make this year's even better. It was odd to you that someone donating so much to a good cause was grounds for revenge but then again, you'd met Rupert. He really was the worst. 

She'd gone all out this year, making sure she lined up at least 3 famous performers that equally hated Rupert and inviting everyone who was anyone. You were automatically on the list as her assistant but and also as Roy's plus one. It was at last year’s ball that Roy ended up walking you home from and kissing you in your doorway. Cut to this year and you were now in a semi-secret committed relationship with Richmond’s newest coach. You had both decided not to share to the press and after much convincing Roy let you tell Rebecca and the team.

One of the nights biggest earners was of course the charity auction. Roy had refused at least 19 times to do it but eventually with enough eyelash batting and promises of favours you'd convinced him to sign up. All the boys had signed up, even Will was forced to sign up.

To make things even more bizarre Rebecca herself was being auctioned. Though you as her assistant had also hired someone to come bid on her so she'd never have to have the date but still she was technically on the roster. What you hadn't expected was for her to turn to you with puppy dog eyes. 

"We need more women on the list. Cmon, you know how it is. Think of the children,"

Roy was more outrage you had said yes than the fact he had been convinced to do it as well. You however were sure that it would be fine. After all people were there to bet on the footballers to play a game with their kid or show off to their friends or whatever other questionable activities they had planned. Not some assistant. 

What you hadn't accounted for was that you were no longer just an assistant. Not only did you often appear in pictures with the team, but rumours floated around that you were dating at least one if not multiple of the boys. Between always being around famous footballers or the fact Keeley Jones was your best friend you’d forgotten people actually knew who you were now.

The night was fine to begin and halfway through the auction Rebecca had already hit the same record as last year but that was not going to stop her. Danni had gone for £5000, Sam for £6000, Keeley for £10,000. Yes, even Keeley had donated one of her Friday nights to Rebecca's cause.

Roy had practically begged you that if the old lady who won him last year was going to win that you steal the win and he'd give you the money so sure as fate you had just won a night with your boyfriend for £8000. This was only going to fuel the fires in the tabloids, but it was worth saving Roy another painful night with a toothless granny.

"Up next we have my dear, dear friend who many of you will recognise as the teams shadow. Come on up"(y/n)," Rebecca said, clapping as you walked up with an awkward smile.

" Can we start the bidding at £500?" You thought this would be over and done with in less than a couple minutes.

"Five thousand pounds," Ruperts voice came booming from the back of the room followed by the sound of Roy’s chair scrapping against the floor as he stood up, "Forgive me for being so late my dear Rebecca. A family emergency kept me away, but I couldn't miss this for the world," he said gesturing to the crowd who gave him a round of applause he didn’t deserve, “After all it is for the children,”

For once Rebecca stammered for words before finally stuttering out "Yes well thank you Rupert. Do I hear six?"

"Ten thousand," Roy boomed across the room. Small gasps left several tables as you stood, eyes bulging out at the moment happening. You’d got to witness the bidding war that went for Jamie last year with Keeley spending twenty-five grand, but you knew that both Rupert and Roy were far more stubborn. this could go for a while.

"This isn't how auctions exactly work boys-" Rebecca tried to cut in, knowing how stubborn Rupert was and how violent Roy could get, but to no avail. she looked at you with a sympathetic glance as the carnage began.

"fifteen thousand," Rupert said, walking to stand by Roy's table, his wife a few paces behind standing awkwardly. 

"twenty,"

"thirty,"

"thirty-five-" you heard Jamie's voice pipe up followed by a loud growl from Roy who was glaring daggers in the previously laughing boy, "withdrawn!" Jamie yelped as he shuffled his chair towards Keeley. you almost felt bad for Jamie as you tried not to laugh.

"forty-five," Roy yelled before turning to Rupert, whispering something in his ear as he went to say fifty.

You could practically see Ruperts sweat dripping down his forehead as Roy pulled away, a satisfied smirk on his face, "Hard to beat that," Rupert smiled as he carefully stepped away from Roy, slowly moving back to his wife, “I withdraw,” Rupert said before pulling his wife to go join some random table filled with old white men.

"Forty-five going once, twice," Rebecca said as she scrambled to grab her gavel, "sold to Mr Kent. What a generous donation, everyone let's give him a round of applause," Rebecca said as she started the claps as everyone followed suit to try mask the awkward tension. “Always such a generous soul,”

You gave Rebecca a sorry smile as you walked back down to Roy, wondering how you’d explain this to the tabloids, but Roy had other plans. As you walked up to him, ready to quietly thank him, Roy stepped forward, grabbing you by the waist and pulling you into his chest. The kiss was brief, but it knocked the wind out your lungs and left you wishing you had a private room as whoops and hollers came from the room around. You pulled back, breathless and grinning like an idiot. 

"Just to be clear that isn't included in the final sale," Rebecca said from the stand, trying to avoid lawsuits and trying desperately not to laugh since the auction still had its final prize left, Jamie.

"What did you say to him?" you asked, as you finally say back down, hand in hand with Roy. 

"I told him I knew where he lived and enough people to hold him down if he didn't back off what's mine, “Roy said as cool as a cucumber as if he didn't just threaten to beat a multi-millionaire, possibly billionaire at this point. "Plus, I said I'd tell his wife about you know who," 

This however caught your, Keeley’s, and Jamie's attention, "Who's you know who?" Keeley ask as you all three leaned in for the dirt. 

"Fuck knows," Roy barked making you all look at each other confused, "once a scumbag always a scumbag. There's probably some poor girl out there he’s fucked I just don't know which one," 

The three of you began to cackle as Rebecca announced her last prize of the night. “Time to shine,” Jamie said as he got up, running a hand through his hair before jogging up to join Rebecca on stage. His cocky joy went from pale faced terror when the woman who won Roy last year won him this year but for £9000. Jamie returned to the table, no pep in his step or swagger in his walk as he sunk down into his chair, “Why did you save me?” he whispered in betrayal.

“I’m not your girlfriend anymore, remember,” Keeley teased as she sat back in her chair, “Call us even for last year babes,”

Jamie turned from Keeley to you and Roy, looking like a kicked puppy, “Roy?”

“Mate I’ve just spent 50 grand tonight. go fuck yourself,” Roy said before what was left of his drink.

“It’s for children Roy,” Jamie said as he sulked back into his chair.

“Fuck the children,” Roy said with no hesitation, “I’ve just bought them a really fucking nice orphanage to stop some old prick touching my bird,”

you couldn’t help but laugh at how Jamie pouted in his seat, trying to avoid the old woman’s little waves. “You do release your little stunt means we need to do press now?” you said, glancing up to a now groaning Roy.

“Already on its babes,” Keeley said from where she sat on her phone, “I’ve been waiting for this for months. knew you two wouldn’t go for my soft launch option,”

“Fucks a soft launch?” Roy said, confusing racking his face as he turned to you.

you patted his arm and shook your head, “You just let me and Keels deal with this yeah?”

Roy sighed as he sat back in his chair shaking his head, “I fucking hate charity,”

[vividraft]

it's always been you

⇢ ˗ˏˋ fem!reader x alhaitham

⇢ ˗ˏˋ summary: even though it seemed like the universe did not want you and alhaitham together, he came to save you in the last second

⇢ ˗ˏˋ important notes: this is a repost from my old account (@/rainstops)

⇢ ˗ˏˋ a/n: ooc alhaitham... i think

old post masterlist tba !

you and alhaitham always got along really great. some people would say that youre the only one who he ever really got a long with. always kind and respectful to you.

kaveh was the first one to notice alhaithams blatant favoritism towards you. whenever he tried to bring it up, alhaitham quickly shut him down. but this time he wasnt going to let that happen.

"so? when are you going to ask [name] out?", he immediately asked when alhaitham walked through the door of their shared apartment. 

"ask her out? why would i do that?", alhaitham was quick to answer. 

"come on dude, everyone knows that you like her. 

"like her? sure i like her as a friend", alhaitham hung up his coat.

a moment of silence followed.

"oh so you wouldnt mind if i asked her out?", kaveh asked. alhaithams head shot into his direction. no words needed. the expression on alhaithams face was far more than enough for kaveh. 

"Ha, see you do like her!"

"whatever im going to sleep"

kaveh was right though. alhaitham did hold feelings in his heart that he didnt understand very well.

you on the other hand also just arrived at home. you took off your shoes and were immediately confronted with a "[name] we have to talk", of course from no one less than your mother. you tried to avoid her as much as you could, but with how controlling she is, that was more than just hard.

you both sat down at the kitchen table, and your mother immediately started talking. and you wished you wouldnt have come home that night.

"so you know that the fact that our family keeps on living, and keeping up our status is important, right?", your mother started. she had been giving you the same talk lately over and over again. she kept reminding you about how you had to get a boyfriend soon and get married soon. for archons sake, you were 19!

your family had a fairly high status in sumeru, and your mother lived for continuing the family. she had an early marriage and an early pregnancy, just to ensure that the family reproduces.

"mom get to the point", you sighed. you couldnt hear the same talk over and over again. she would just tell you how its important that you have children and its for the family and-

"i've arranged a marriage for you"

what?

she what?

"you did WHAT?", you slammed your hands on the table and stood up from your chair. 

"[name] you know its just so-"

"i dont CARE what its about!"

"now how about you sit back down and listen to me. ive found you a lovely guy whos just a year older-"

"no, how about you listen to ME for this first time in your life? all the time you were trying to control my life and manipulate me and you kept telling me over and over again how its 'for the family'!, well in all honesty fuck this family!", all your pent up anger from your nineteen years of living was now let out at the person who caused it all.

"young lady that is no way to talk to your mother, and especially no way to talk about your family!", your mother stood up from her chair as well. 

"youre not fucking listening to me! i am not getting married!", you screamed while putting your shoes back on.

you stormed out the door, although you were very aware that she was going to get whatever she wants one way or another.

it doesnt matter. she never even mattered. you needed to go somewhere, somewhere else than that place you lived in. and you knew exactly where.

kaveh opened the door for you. 

"alhaitham theres someone here for you!" he shouted through the whole apartment. its not like you were never here for you. whenever your mother got too much, you slept at alhaithams place. kaveh also told you a million times already that youre the only one who alhaitham allows to sleep in his room.

"same fights as always?", kaveh asked. you shook your head. 

"worse"

"worse? what did she do?", alhaitham was suddenly standing right in the hallway. it took you everything you had to stop you from ugly crying right then and there.

you were still mad. you were always gonna be mad, but the fact that you almost sprinted all the way to the shared apartment, took away a little of the rage.

"its kind of really hard to say", you really didnt want to say it. it for some reason felt even more wrong to tell alhaitham, but you didnt know why. 

"i dont think theres really anything that we dont expect from your mother by now", alhaitham said looking at kaveh, and then back at you. your eyes started watering. not at the thought of having to say it out loud, but at the thought of having to spend most of your life with someone you didnt even know.

"she arranged a marriage for me", you said. your words were followed by a long silence.

alhaitham looked irrated at you. or maybe he was angry. who knows. kaveh on the other hand was shocked. his eyes wide, and lips slightly apart. never of them knew what to say.

"youre kidding", alhaitham said, more wishing than actually asking. his voice was barely above a whisper. 

you could only shake your head.

a shaky, long sigh escaped your lips, and even though you didnt want it, the tears started falling. your body tensed up, and you could feel alhaithams arms wrap right around you. all you could do was lay your head onto his chest, and kaveh went to grab some water for you.

the rest, you dont remember.

you woke up, in alhaithams bed. the apartment sounded empty. what time was it? you honestly couldnt care less about going to school today. you didnt want to go anywhere today. but you also couldnt stay here another night, that was decided. one way or another you had to confront your mother, and who knows, maybe you could also convince her to stray from her plan.

but you knew, you could not convince her.

you discussed and fought with her for quite a long time.

"youre getting married to that man, and if i have to drag you to that wedding. besides everything is already paid for"

"wait- already paid for? when is the wedding anyways?",

"next month"

without another word, you stood up from the kitchen table and went to your room. you threw yourself onto your bed.

your body felt so heavy, and especially your heart. your eyes felt as if they were going to close any second, but you didnt feel like you could sleep. you were angry, but you were also disappointed and sad. disappointed in your mother, that she saw you as nothing else other than an a way to extend the family. 

and disappointed in yourself, for not being able to convince her.

well at least you still had alhaitham. he was the best friend you could ever ask for, although you ever wondered if you felt more towards him than just friendship.

your question was answered pretty quickly. you had no idea what had caused it. if it was the upcoming marriage, or just because he was always there for you. but recently you wanted to be closer to him than before. you wanted to always stay by his side, but maybe you just wanted to avoid being home.

but alhaitham... was it just an illusion or was he getting more and more distant by the minute? he used to always make time for you. if you were struggling with something, he stopped what he was doing just to help you. he wanted to talk to you over all of the people he knew. he talked to you daily, but now the days you two talked were moving apart further and further.

what was happening?

"alhaitham can we talk?", you carefully asked, not wanting to disturb him. this was one of the first time you felt like you were walking on eggshells around him. 

"not right now [name], im busy", he replied, not even bothering to take his eyes off the paper he was working on.

"but its kind of important...", you tried again. 

suddenly he slapped his paper down onto the table. 

"what is it?", he finally looked at you for once.

you sat down right across from him. 

"well... how do i start this"

"just say it, i have important things to do"

...

were you not important to him anymore?

"alhaitham, i feel like we are drifting apart", those were the best words you could find to describe what you were feeling.

"so what? its not like we're a couple or anything"

"so i dont matter to you at all"

a moment of silence. 

thats not true, is what alhaitham wanted to say.

"alhaitham dont ignore me"

"im not ignoring you"

"then answer me"

"fuck [name] just- JUST FUCKING FINALLY LEAVE ME ALONE"

huh

wait what? 

did he just say that?

"did i just say that...?", he mumbled to himself, kind off hoping you would hear it, but you were already out of the room, heading home. 

your mind was blank. where did you go wrong? what did you do that couldve possibly made him act this way?

alhaitham got home, closed the door, and sunk into the couch. his hands were traveling through his hair, and he was rubbing his face as if he was trying to rub away the words he said.

"woah what happened to you", kaveh asked as he walked past him, just wanting to get a glass of water.

"nothing", alhaitham mumbled, his hands still in his face. 

"doesnt look like nothing to me", kaveh replied. honestly he shouldve just dropped it right then and there.

"kaveh what do you think gives you the right to nag me like theres no tomorrow?"

kaveh just stared. 

"seriously man what is up with you recently? is it because of... you know, [name] getting married?", it almost felt hard to say. 

his heart dropped to his stomach and a shudder went down his spine, hearing kavehs words.

the reminder that you were getting married takes him right back to the day when you told him whats happening. he couldnt help his heart feeling like it was getting ripped apart, like its nothing more than just a piece of paper. 

from that day on he couldnt concentrate on anything. everything felt like a reminder of you, everything reminded him of the daggers that were send through his heart of the mere sight of you.

so he did the only thinkable thing, which was to distance himself. maybe his heart and mind would go back to the way things used to be. but everyday where he would be spending less time with you, felt like someone was taking half his soul away. he was even less focused on things, and was living in a trance, like a depressed man. 

but in no way was he trying to hurt you. no that was even worse than anything he could think off.

everything felt like it circled around you. it almost felt like...

"it feels a little like youre living for [name], doesnt it?", kaveh suggested. 

yeah exactly that.

kaveh sat down next to him. 

"alhaitham, do you remember the exact date [name]'s wedding is?"

alhaitham looked at kaveh. 

"its tomorrow, alhaitham"

wait

wait, no, when did time pass so fast? you cant get married. no way.

you were standing there, in your white dress. it wasnt really yours. it was your mothers old dress, meaning you did not choose your own dress. but maybe it was better like that, since you didnt want to get married anyway. the reception wasnt very pretty, it almost looked like a church. but maybe only you felt this way. you didnt want to be here. you didnt want to be anywhere. well there was one place that couldve been nice. you wanted to be wherever alhaitham is right now, but he didnt seem to want you arround.

you were staring at the bouquet you were holding. everything felt so surreal. you looked up at the guy you were marrying. he looked absolutely happy to be where he was. it almost made you uncomfortable to look at the wide grin on his face.

you looked at your mother, who seemed to be crying. everyone seemed so happy, except for you.

you were not picking up any words, until the question was asked.

"do you take [name], as your wife, your partner, for all eternity?", the sentence almost made you throw up. 

"yes", the guy so quickly replied. he smiled at you. and you felt the urge to slap him. and maybe your mother while you were at it.

"now, do you take [guys name], to be your husband, your partner, for all eternity?"

"I.. uh", you wanted to say no so bad, but it seems you didnt have to.

you looked up from the floor you were staring at to avoid any gazes, when suddenly the doors to the reception slammed open. 

"stop... the fucking wedding", alhaitham stood there, out of breath, his hair messier than ever, and he looked like he had been... crying?

he walked up to you and took your hand. 

"you dont want to marry this guy right? forget this, forget everything, and just come with me"

he looked at you like he had never seen anything he loved more. and in that moment, you indeed forgot everything. like nothing was important, nothing other than the happiness of you and the one who was holding your hand.

you dropped your bouquet right there and ran. your mother shouted something, and the guy was standing there all confused.

as soon as the both of you had left the reception, you started stumbling. 

"alhaitham im wearing heels!", without hesitation, alhaitham picked you up like you weighed nothing.

a few more steps and you both hid in an allyway. 

to some people this might looked weird, but they dont know what was happening. to you you couldnt be happier than this.

but yet, tears were streaming down your face. and you arms wrapped themselves around alhaitham, quicker than he could react. your head was already pressed into his chest. and he hugged you back.

"im so sorry, im sorry for shouting at you and im sorry for not helping you earlier. i love you, [name]", his voice was wavering, but it had an odd certainty in it. without someone having to tell you, you knew from this day on everything was going to be okay.

[dronebiscuitbat]

Give me a Reason: Chapter 19 - "Best Freind"

N: U sure ur okay?

Uzi sighed as she crashed into her mattress, body feeling sore and head full of cotton balls. Tessa had just pulled out of the driveway and N was already texting her.

She wasn't sure when they'd actually become friends, maybe somewhere between ghost hunting and getting kicked in the gut she'd somehow made that connection. But she was absolutely not used to someone being this worried.

He'd incessantly asked what had happened for her to get so injured. And she'd incessantly deflected, either saying that it was nothing serious- which was bullshit, it hurt like hell. Or, at the cost of her ego- she lied and said it was an accident.

She just wasn't sure how he'd react to the truth, he'd probably be even more worried then, knowing that someone did this to her on purpose.

Or… he'd laugh at her. Because she was weak, because she'd put herself in a vulnerable position and then couldn't take a little pain an-

N: You can talk to me.

N: No pressure.

N: Just worried about you :(

The new messages stopped that train of thought. No. He wouldn't laugh. Even her chronic cynicism couldn't convince her of that.

Finally, instead of staring at his messages, she responded.

Uzi: Promise you won't say anything? Or laugh.

N: Promise

She sighed, here goes nothing…

Uzi: I got kicked in the stomach, u know how I seemed upset that I knew someone in my math class? It was them.

The reply actually took a minute to come back.

And that was because N had all of air knocked out of him at that reply. She'd been hit? Purposefully? And hard enough to give her a serious injury? Why? She was so nice! And cool!

N: Who?

Uzi: Lizzy, she's a teachers aid now, but she was in my class last year.

Uzi: It's not the first time she's thrown a punch, just caught me off gaurd this time.

Once again, N was floored, a teachers aid!?

N: I'd never laugh at you. But you should report her, she shouldn't be working with students if she thinks that's okay.

Uzi huffed through her nose, a half-laugh that was drenched in a depressing kind of acceptance.

Uzi: It's not like they'd believe me. I'm not exactly a model student.

She sat her phone down and shucked off her jacket and beanie, hissing as her side throbbed dully. This had been such a day…

Her hand instinctually reached for her stash drawer before she even realized, and in another, she was looking at it's false bottom.

As tempting as it was- and it was very tempting. Drug mixing wasn't smart even if one of them was just an over-the-counter pain reliever, and adding a bad trip on an already shitty day didn't sound fun.

So instead she wrapped herself in the biggest, comfiest shirt she could find and grabbed her laptop, maybe she could distract herself with YouTube.

N: What do you mean by that?

Oh right, she'd never mentioned the fact she'd been held back to him, whoops.

Uzi: I was held back a year. I'm 19.

N: Oh wow! You're older then me!

N: Still it can't have been that bad. Failing a class isn't a reason to not belive you.

Uzi smirked, fingers clicking on the keys of her laptop as she tried to find something to watch- settling on an analysis video of one of the shows she was watching.

Uzi: I was high in class and a teacher called the campus police.

It took nearly twenty minutes for him to respond to that.

N:Sorry, got home and had to get up to my room.

N:You were WHAT?!

N: That's a crime!

Uzi: And so is trespassing on JCJenson private property to ghost hunt.

N blushed, now laying on his bed in a grey pajama shirt and pants with dogs printed on them, he held his phone close to his face as he grumbled, she had him there, but that hadn't really felt like a crime at the time…

N: I think you're a bad influence.

N: Also you're deflecting, drugs are bad! And unhealthy!

Uzi rolled her eyes at that, he wasn't the first person to tell her that. But you know what was worse? Dealing with herself unmedicated, without her stash, her head just got fuzzier and fuzzier, and before she knew it… she'd be having a full mental meltdown at the slightest provocation. Which she hated, she never felt like herself during those…

Uzi: Probably. But you see why they won't believe me over miss perfect.

N: Yeah okay, now I'm gonna be worried tho. I don't want you being hurt.

She smiled at that, this boy was so endlessly empathetic, and thankfully, her unloading some not-so-great facts about herself didn't seem to put him off either.

Uzi: Ew, don't worry over me. That's gay.

And yet she couldn't help but make a joke over it.

N: ???

N: how?

N: how does my worry make me gay?

Uzi: It's not manly.

Uzi: Empathy is a girly emotion.

She was snickering to herself, she didn't actually believe that of course, but she could almost see his reaction to it. That stupid, confused and amused smile that he wore when she made a particularly dumb joke.

N: Guess I'm gay then.

N: Cause I'm always going to worry. You're my freind.

N:Best Freind?

Her heart fluttered full of butterflies at that. Is that what he wanted? From her? She was so convinced he'd find someone else to hang out with but here he was, asking to continue this…

Whatever this was.

Uzi: Always knew I'd end up with a gay best freind.

Uzi: u can't borrow my makeup.

N: Awww, but it would look so good on me!

Uzi thought about that for a moment, imagining N with dark eyeshadow, lipstick, and black nails, and she about choked, she wasn't sure if it was funny or weirdly attractive.

Uzi: Dude that mental image.

Uzi: It's so cursed, I about choked.

N: Blursed

N: It's Blessed and Cursed

The conversation continued, the fuzz in her head slowly dissipating even without the assistance of her stash, and it continued late into the night… up until she heard Khan pull onto the driveway at 2am.

Uzi: Oh god, it's 2am. We need to sleep.

N: I didn't realize! We're gonna be zombies…

Uzi: More of a zombie u mean?

N: Yeh. U still in pain? Are u going to sleep ohay?

N: Okay* oof, sleepy fingers.

Even while about to pass out. He was still worried…

Uzi: I'm okay, pain isn't bad. U need sleep N

N: Ok, text you tmmrow, Uzi. Goodnight.

Uzi: Night N.

[matan4il]

Israel's 76th Independence Day

-> Geek fact: Today is the 14th of May, but also the fifth of (the Hebrew month of) Yiar. The Hebrew and Gregorian calendar only coincide once every 19 years. Since Israel was established, this is only the 4th time when we get to celebrate it on a day which is both the Hebrew and the Gregorian date of its founding.

-> Israel's Independence Day start the eve before, with a ceremony that both concludes our Memorial Day for our fallen soldiers and terror victims, and transitions into celebrating our independence. I don't think anyone can understand life here, or the Israeli people, without getting this impossible, yet necessary emotional transition.

-> This year, more than ever, the two days, commemorated one right after the other, feel impossible to separate.

-> We have an Independence Day ceremony. Every year, it celebrates the best of Israeli society. All of it. Jews and non-Jews. 12 Independence Day torches are lit (representing the 12 ancient tribes of Israel) by individuals who stood out in making a change for our society. As you might imagine, this year the ceremony was more emotional than ever before, with an incomprehensible number of heroes of all kinds.

-> Some highlights for me included the lighting of a few torches in the scenes of the massacre instead of all being light on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. For example, families of some of the murdered at a southern Israeli beach, invaded by sea, lit together a torch at the place where their loved ones were taken away.

-> The Jewish prayer for the release of all hostages, sung by Lior Elmaliach in front of 132 empty yellow chairs (same color as the ribbon that people wear to call for this return).

-> One of the released hostages singing a mash-up of two songs about the sun (re-finding it, and discovering that the sun is inside us), while all the violins around being lit in yellow, and the yellow ribbon for the hostages' return looming larger than life in the background.

-> An Israeli soldier, who fought in this war in Gaza, performing a love song to the Land of Israel on his violin (it was performed in that moment without the lyrics, but the song goes, "The land of our people, the land of our eternity, a land in which we were born, a land in which we will live, come what may"), lit in white, while all the violins around him are lit in blue, the two colors of the Israeli flag.

-> That moment when Iris Chaim, whose son Yotam was one of the three hostages accidentally killed in Gaza by our own soldiers, who right away sent a message to those soldiers that she understands, she's not angry at them, and they're invited to her home, who's been working to lift and unite people's spirits before and since, when she was saying she's the mother of... she named her first born son, but then she had to stop and take a deep breath before saying Yotam...

-> When the flag bearers, outstanding soldiers carrying the flags of all the units of the IDF, did the traditional portion of the ceremony where they form different shapes, but this year they started by spelling the Hebrew word נזכור (nizkor, we'll remember).

-> How soldiers wounded in the current war (enough to need crutches or wheelchairs) participated in multiple sections of the ceremony, including the more physical ones, like the flag bearers' formations (in the pic below: forming Israel's flag).

-> They had a group of kids from different northern and southern Israeli communities who are still, even over 7 months since the start of the war, internal refugees. They got to perform as singers and musicians together with several very successful Israeli singers. The second song they performed felt especially fitting, as it's about going out into the world, strengthened despite adversity.

-> It's not easy to celebrate when the pain is so endless. The other day, I shared this list for our Memorial Day of just some of our victims that we lost, but will never forget. One of them was 24 years old Baruch Korichman. On the eve of Purim 1924, he was walking to his home in Tel Aviv. Out of nowhere, two Arabs showed up and shot him to death, then fled the scene. Even though the British Mandate was in place, meant to hunt the murderers down and bring them to justice, meant to take care of Baruch, no one really did anything. The body was taken to the courtyard of a hospital, Baruch's mom was called, and a small crowd of locals started gathering around, angry and protesting the injustice and the lack of proper treatment. Baruch's mom turned to the crowd and asked them to be quiet, and not stop Jews from celebrating Purim.

IDK how she managed to do that, care about other people's joy even as she was going through the worst nightmare of any parent. IDK how Jews during the Holocaust managed to find it within themselves to go on celebrating Jewish holidays. I just know that they did. And if they could, so can we. We can remember the Holocaust survivors, who survived the worst of what human nature is capable of, who came to the Land of Israel right after the end of WWII, and who saw the founding of the Jewish state, who got to celebrate its creation and first Independence Day. Most talked or wrote about it in terms of a miracle. The State of Israel is still a miracle. All the hatred we've seen turned against it even on Oct 7, while our people were still being massacred, is proof of that. And it is a good thing to remember that, even while we hurt.

On Oct 7, Israeli civilians went out to save their own, because the State of Israel has given them the tools to be able to, to know how, to have the strength, courage and self-confidence to go and tackle the enemy. On Oct 7, Israeli civilians knew that someone was coming to save them. Even if it took time, even if there was no way of knowing who would get there first, they knew an army that cares and wants to save them is on its way, and when I think about my Jewish People, in the shooting pits in Europe, about to be massacred by an antisemitic army, knowing for sure that there is no one on the way, that no one cares, that no one's interested in saving them, I know that as difficult as Oct 7 was, it's not the same, and it will never be the same, not as long as Israel exists. So I will continue to celebrate its independence, even as I know there is no cure for antisemitic hate and violence. We can't eradicate them. But all of us here together have created something that gives us dignity as human beings and as Jews, that our ancestors were denied. We are here, and we are the People of Israel, and we can stand tall in the face of the worst of our haters and murderers. Am Yisrael chai!

(for more of my posts regarding Israel, click here)

[sukunasdirtylaugh]

Idea inspired by this art!

tags: sorcerer!Gojo Satoru x f!reader, au is kind of medieval, mentions of men grabbing reader out of home, burning at the stake, reader is mistaken as a witch but she is a prophetess, it’s giving castlevania x howls moving castle vibes, Satoru is a bit cocky but we love him (might do a pt 2?)

There’s a nice cottage outside the city, 15 minutes away by foot, you live in a home with your mother and brother (your father actually passed from a brutal cold three years ago, leaving you to tend to the home and seek work). It started off as a necessity, advising the horse racing, chicken fighting gamblers on what animal to place your bets on. your reply? intuition. that chicken has sturdy legs, that horse has agile movements. excuses that granted you money for the time being, for your gifts. an ability passed down by the women of your family though yours outweighed the abilities of your mother, so you remained unadvised. using your intuition to get by the day.

Word gets around that a young lady such as yourself is not married. 19, 20, 21, and now 22– you’re questioned behind your back by your neighbors at how you could possibly remain unmarried. It had been 6 months since men started disappearing in your route by your home, reportedly last seen by the lake not far from your home.

You had been labeled as an unmarried bloodsucking siren, a cursed demon who takes the bodies of young men, and although all that is false, it does not help your case that you’ve remained indoors most of your life and the fact that you’ve advised others in the world of gambling.

You were a sinner, sentenced by the court, but before that happened, a large storm broke 7 days before the fated event.

It was windy, dark, and rainy that your mother had frantically put everything away. “I’ll get the lights from the back shed!” you called, putting on a coat, a second for safe measures. the rain pours hard that it overcomes the splish splash sounds of your feet. When you’re walking towards the fence to the main road, and into the back of your home, you catch a man. wet, crouched, and seemingly pained from all the walking he did. the nearest town by foot was over an hour away, and waking in this weather surely meant he could catch a cold.

“I am sorry to burden you, miss...” the voice calls, head hooded from your eyes, “but is there any shelter I can rest for the night? I... I don’t have any-“

“It’s fine,” you speak, soft and understanding before you pull him gently by the arm, “come follow me,” and you lead him to your shed, making a bed of hay for him before you’ve taken your first coat and placed it over the hay for him to use as a blanket or mattress. the man behind you stands silent as you pull out to light a candle for him, turning to him, “it’s not much,” you say, “but you can stay here. It’s better than spending the night outside, right?” with not another word, you hand him the candle and grab the supplies you were originally here for. “stay here, I’ll be right back.” you direct softly, shortly before leaving the shed. at home, you take out a bowl and serve some leftover stew and some bread that you would have eaten in the morning, opting to give it to someone who could have needed it more than you.

“there’s some stew in here,” you say, handing the man a bowl and bread with your other hand. it’s at this moment you notice how unbelievably pale his hands are, almost like the statues outside the cathedrals. it almost leaves you speechless, and he notes. “Thank you, miss...?”

you give him your name without much thought. finishing your arrangements in the shed before you turn to him. “feel free to stay the night, or until the rain has settled. whatever will facilitate your journey, sir...?”

“Go-“ suddenly, he’s surprised that his bread has slipped past his fingers until you’re on your knees picking it up quicker than he can. It isn’t until you look up that your eyes meet his, a breathtakingly striking pair of azure eyes, bluer than any water or sky you’ve dreamed of, it leaves you silent. “Thank you,” he whispers softly, and the sound of his ragged voice reminds you where and what you’re doing. suddenly shy and remembering you’re a maiden, you’re quickly at your feet wishing him a Goodnight without another word, closing the door behind you.

He’s gone the next morning.

Several days pass and the talk of you around town grow more and more. you’ve asked your mother to keep your brother inside so as to protect him, but on the evening of the 7th day you’re harshly pulled from your home, leaving your mother with teary eyes as you’re feeling like the life out of you is being squeezed out with the way so many men manhandle you. pulling you, shoving you, shouting insults, you’re suddenly the main talk of the town as they expose you on the streets calling you horrible names: whore, slut, demon, murderer, and more. the names don’t cut as deep as the memory of being pulled away from your home.

“Burn the witch!” Cry out many, and you’re roughly shoved against a stake before rope is tied around your midsection, burning roughly against your soft skin it hurts. the town mayor gives a speech, then the priest calls your execution necessary for the good of humanity, blaming you for the deaths of over 12 men in a 6 month course. mother’s shout at you and men renounce your existence as worse than satan himself.

everyone wants you dead. and suddenly, the fire runs around you.

“God,” you call out, “please let these people see past their mistakes! you of all people know I didn’t do anything! please save my mother and brother from this fate! please spare their eyes from this shame, this torment they will carry- and please make my end as quick as possible so that I can look after them.” a long moment passes as your head is now dropped low, not long before you hear a chuckle.

“Well, that’s certainly not the type of monologue I’d expect from you.” calls a voice. he tilts your chin up to face him after your silence. you don’t know if you’re hallucinating, the fire is bound to burn you any second and your lungs burn. in front of you stands a man. tall, handsome, and pale. white hair and pink lips like the kind you’d see in paintings. and his eyes? they strike a familiarity you’ve seen before.

the man before you grins, and you can’t help but put your whole faith, even your idea of god on him as he looks at you with such admiration.

“So you’re the girl they call a witch, huh?”

amusement crosses his eyes. and yet again they are breathtaking, finer than any blue mosaic you’ve seen. possibly holier than any church you’ve stepped foot in.

“I’m not a witch, I... I’m a visionary,” you reply, trying not to grow dizzy from the fire around you. when you turn to look elsewhere, no one seems to acknowledge the man in front of you. were you hallucinating?

“So you’re another one of the freaks, huh?” He says, eyes laced with interest. “That’s why they have you here. even when you didn’t murder all those men.”

“I didn’t,” your coughing takes him by surprise and he remembers how sensitive humans can be, “I... I didn’t hurt anyone,”

“I believe you,” he says, lowly. “Tell you what. I’ll save you from this fire, and in return you can help me find out what on earth became of these men. put an end to this. deal?”

you nod, not remembering what happens moments later as the man wraps you in his arms, making you drown into a deep sleep before he kisses the crown of your head. the fire erupts and sparks behind you both as you both rise like shooting stats, terrifying the townspeople behind.

“From now on, you’ll live a life free of torment,” whispers the sorcerer, bringing you into the comfort of his cave.

[cupidbedsy]

ꨄ 𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 ; 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 ꨄ

➪ summary: aubrey goes to alex's first home detroit game and when she meets one of his teammates, she realizes that he's going to be different then all the rest

➪ warnings: none? i think

➪ word count: 1.8k

➪ file type: au (once in nine lives) fic

➪ sunny's notes: i am so so so excited for this au, so send in thoughts whenever you please. the biggest help is @slutforseider so if the idea isn't mine it is probably hers tbh. but like i said, i'm very excited for this au so hopefully it'll show with my writing

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It wouldn’t be Aubrey’s first hockey game she’s been to, not even her first Red Wings game she’s been to, but it would be the first time seeing her brother play on the team and meeting the team. Alex was her number one supporter and she was his, so when she got the news that her brother would be living practically thirty minutes away from where she went to school, she was more than thrilled. 

She wore her new Alex DeBrincat jersey, loving her name plastered on the back of it. She always wanted to get a jersey for every team her brother played for and sharing their last name saved her money. She met up with Lyndsey two hours prior to when they had wanted to leave there and Archie ran into her arms as soon as he laid his eyes on her, “Hey little man.”

“Auntie Aubrey!”

“You excited to watch daddy play today?” Archie nodded his head ecstatically. 

She looked at the two of them in the mirror, fiddling with his jersey, “And look, we match!”

He grinned up at her, content with staying in her arms for the rest of the night. She talked with Lyndsey until it was time for them to go, both of them getting into their respective cars and making their way to Little Caesars Arena. As they got out of their cars, Archie begged his mom to hold his aunt’s hand on the way in and she agreed, grateful for the moments her sister-in-law was around.

Aubrey talked to Archie excitedly about the game tonight and about Alex playing as they made their way to where Alex had said to meet them. As Archie continued to walk, he grew tired and asked Aubrey to be picked up, which she did without question. Alex stood talking with some of his teammates as the three of them arrived, immediately stopping their conversation to walk over to them.

“Hi!”

Lyndsey kissed him before turning her attention to her son and his aunt, both of them giggling at each other. Alex walked closer to them, poking Archie in the side to gain his attention, “Daddy!”

Aubrey handed him over to her brother, smiling slightly at the interaction, “Hey bud. You excited for tonight?”

“Yeah, me and Auntie Aubrey are going to make fun of you the whole time.” 

She let out a nervous chuckle, “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her brother raised an eyebrow before setting his son down to hug her, “Nice to see you, Aubs.”

“You too, Lex. How’s the team doing?”

“Good, good. I think we got a shot this year.”

She smiled at him, “Good, you deserve it.”

“Come on, let me introduce you to them.”

The three of them followed after him, passing by a few of his teammates along the way before stopping where a large chunk of them were. Alex gained their attention and he looked between his family and his team, “Guys this is my wife Lyndsey and my son Archie. And this is my little sister, Aubrey.”

His eyes darkened before looking at the younger ones of the bunch, “No dating her, no touching her, don’t even smile at her.”

“Lex…” Alex held his hands up in defense before continuing, “And, this is our captain, Dylan Larkin, Ben Chariot, Lucas Raymond, Jake Walman, Simon Edvinsson, and Moritz Seider.”

The three of them nodded and waved, Aubrey trying to keep her emotions in check. But her mind didn’t stop her as she started spitting out random facts at them, “Oh yeah, Lark had a 13.1 shooting percentage, Ben you had 19 points, and Lucas had a 29.4% face off win percentage, Jake had 47 hits, Simon had 13 shot attempts and 5 shots, and Mo had 40 penalty minutes-”

She looked at all of their faces, “I did it again, didn’t I?” Alex nodded, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, “It’s fine. I guess I would like them to know you’re nerd now rather than later.”

“Uh hi, I go to Michigan and I’m studying sports management. That isn’t usual, actually yes it is. I tend to blurt out facts when I’m nervous or I’m meeting new people, it just-” She took a deep breath, “Sorry.”

The boys stared at her in awe and Alex wasn’t having it, “Okay pretty and smart, we know. Time to go, you three.”

Aubrey didn’t have to be told twice and immediately rushed out of there with Archie and Lyndsey in tow. The whole game Aubrey felt embarrassed by what had happened, if it was anyone else she would’ve been fine with it, but her brother’s teammates? Her brother’s cute teammates? She felt like she could cry. 

It wasn’t often that she found her brother’s teammates cute, and it was often that the attraction that she felt for them was this strong. Sure she would find the occasional teammate cute, Lukas Reichel, Alex Vlasic, Brandon Hagel, Kirby Dach. But it wasn’t like she was attracted to them, mostly because she knew she wouldn’t be allowed to date them. 

However, this time around, she couldn’t help but find one of them attractive, nor could she help the feelings that she might’ve already had for him. She shook her head as she continued to watch the game and make comments about her brother with Archie, she was not going to let herself fall for one of his teammates, it was forbidden. She couldn’t break the one promise she had made Alex, the one promise she was determined to keep. 

After the game, the three of them met up with Alex once more, Archie taking his post-game nap on Aubrey’s shoulder. Archie truly loved Aubrey, he would always be by her side when she would come over, always asking to hold her hand when they went out, always asking her to do stuff with them. Since he was born, the two were attached at the hip, and everyone knew it wouldn’t change. 

She kept her grip on her nephew firm, not wanting to startle him by any sudden movement. Some of the players came out a little too loud and she immediately shushed them, she wasn’t going to let anyone wake Archie up, if she knew them or not. The players who had passed them apologized softly before moving on, some of them even patting his head gently as they walked out. 

Alex walked out and she cursed mentally when she saw him walking beside her brother. Of course this would happen to her, one little slip up and the Universe was trying to make her pay for it. She smiled at Mo and her brother, still keeping her grip on the boy, “Nice game, guys.”

“Thanks Aubs, how long has he been asleep for.”

“Probably like five minutes before we got here.” She handed him over to him, watching as he and Lyndsey walked out of the arena.

The two stood there awkwardly, none of them sure if they should start a conversation or just wave goodbye and leave. And just as Aubrey was about to do the latter, he spoke up, his German accent making its way to her ears, “So Michigan, huh?”

She nodded, “Yeah, they had a really good sports management program and it was close to a hockey city, so it was kind of fate.”

Mo stuck his hands in his pockets, “I’m assuming you like hockey then?”

“Yeah, both of my brothers played it but I could never. So when I figured out I liked math and that sports had a lot of statistics, I fell in love with it.”

“Math? I’ve never understood it.”

She chuckled, “A lot of people don’t but that’s also kind of what I love about it. It’s like I know something that people don’t in a weird way.”

The two started walking, both of them not wanting their conversation to end despite how awkward it was. Aubrey thought back to earlier and blushed, “I’m sorry about earlier. Or not sorry to you but to myself.”

“It’s okay. It’s really impressive actually. You said I had 40 penalty minutes last year?”

“Yeah.” She took her hands out of her pockets to fiddle with them, trying to focus on something other than her small nerd outburst from before. 

“That’s cool. So what other things do you know about me?”

Her eyes widened and looked up at him, “What?”

“I figured if you knew my penalty minutes from last year there must be some other things you know about me, hm?” He smirked, stopping and looking down at her. 

“Oh, uh.” The blood rushed into her cheeks, turning them a color close to maroon. 

“C’mon, you can tell me.”

“You had 5 goals and 37 assists, a total of 42 points. 3 of them were on even strength, one was a power play goal, and one was a short handed goal. You had 187 shots and 355 total shot attempts, leaving you with a 3.7 shooting percentage which was less from the year before.”

“Hmm, cute.” She looked down and waited for him to move, and once he did she followed him. 

He walked her to her car, leaning against the back driver side door, watching as she fiddled with her keys, “So…”

“So… what?”

“Can I have your number?”

“Bold aren’t you?” She finally unlocked her door, pulling it open and throwing her bag on the passenger seat, “Also I thought my brother said no dating.”

“Who said anything about dating? I can’t befriend a pretty girl?”

“Oh, um. Okay then.” She honestly thought it was embarrassing how easily it was for him to make her flustered. It only took him to call her pretty or for his hand to flex and her cheeks were flushed. 

He handed her his phone, watching her carefully as she typed her number into the new contact she had made. When she handed him his phone back, he grinned slightly and patted her head, “I’ll text you when I get home.”

And then he walked off, leaving her a stumbling and blushing mess. She got in her car and sat staring out into the practically empty parking lot of the arena. Driving back to her dorm room she listened to anything to get her mind off of the interaction she just had but she couldn’t. Everything she listened to reminded her of the way he dressed, the way he smiled, the way his eyes twinkled. God, what was she turning into?

She got back to her dorm and changed into her pajamas. She flopped onto her bed, talking a little bit with her roommate and then scrolled aimlessly on her phone. Just as she was going to put her phone down she got a notification from an unknown number, “ I hope you didn’t give me a fake number, pretty girl. Because I was really looking forward to texting you."

Yeah, she was fucked.

[mcverse]

✧ Pairings: Ao’nung x F! Sully! Reader

✧ Requested: Yes/No

✧ Type: One Shot

✧ Word count: 2.8K

✧ Warnings: Angst, Miscommunication, fluff, not proof read, edited to fix mess ups

From an early age, you learned that the line between hate and love could be very thin.

When you were just eight years old, you were the first child of Jake and Neytiri to tell your mother that you hated her. The reason was quite trivial; she had taken away your toy after you had taken it from Kiri. But even at that young age, you understood the gravity of your words when you saw the disappointment on her face. You immediately apologized and spent the rest of the day by her side.

Six years later, when you were fourteen, your brother Lo’ak did something that annoyed you, as brothers often do. He snatched away a beaded necklace that you had been working on all day. You were already feeling frustrated because it had taken you so long to make, unlike your talented and quick sister, Kiri, or your mother. The words came out easily this time: "I hate you, you skxawng."

But deep down, you didn't hate him at all. In fact, you loved him fiercely and would do anything to protect him, even fight to the death. You just hoped that it wouldn't come to that. Fortunately, the spat blew over quickly, just as it had started.

You often had conversations with your father, Jake, who would explain that there was a thin line between hate and love. You remember reading about this concept in one of the books left behind by the Sky People, but your father insists that he came up with it himself. You don't have the heart to tell him you knew, so you just let him have his victory.

Despite this, as you grew older, you became more and more skeptical of the idea that love and hate were two sides of the same coin. By the time you reached 19, you were convinced that the line between the two emotions was non-existent. This belief was only reinforced by the fact that your parents had informed you that you would have to leave behind the life you had always known. The news made you furious and you felt as though the rug had been pulled out from under you.

You had never asked to be caught in the middle of this conflict between your people and the sky people. All you ever wanted was to live in peace and harmony. You had hoped that over the 15 years since the sky people had last visited, your own people would have found a way to prevent another conflict from breaking out. But now you found yourself on the run, fleeing for your life, and wondering whether peace would ever be possible.

“I hate you," you said with conviction as you stormed off, too consumed by your own emotions to consider theirs. The words felt too familiar on your tongue, as if you said them too many times before. Perhaps they knew they weren't true, but that didn't stop you from ever saying it again.

You don't immediately apologize or take back your words. Instead, you pack your belongings to leave, too angry and aggravated to consider the consequences of your actions. Your family is hurt, but you're hurting too so avoiding your parents became your new strategy. But Neteyam had other plans. It’s only when he confronts you that you start to realize the gravity of the situation.

He reminds you that family is forever, even if you don't always see eye-to-eye or want to be around them. The reminder hits hard, and you're filled with remorse for how you've treated your loved ones. Tears flow equally for your family and having to say say goodbye to your home.

The journey to Awa'atlu was awkward, but this time it wasn't because of you. Unlike popular believe aka your siblings and you, the world didn’t revolve around you. In fact, your world was currently with you, lost in their own thoughts, weighed down by the heavy emotions of the past few days. The weight of starting over somewhere new feels suffocating, but you know that you have to try to make the best of it.

When you arrived with your family on the sandy shores of the reef, you had hoped to approach this new experience with a positive attitude. Despite the openly judgmental stares from the Metkayina people who scrutinized the genetic makeup of you and your siblings, you made a conscious effort to focus on the bright side of things, especially when your father informed the chief of your shared goal to seek uturu.

But adapting to this new environment has been far from easy, and you knew it wouldn't be a smooth transition. You were strangers to their traditions and culture, and it was only natural that there would be some difficulties. To make matters worse, you and two of your siblings were considered "demons" by the Metkayina people, further complicating your efforts to fit in.

Despite your best efforts to maintain a dream-like state of acceptance, it was impossible to ignore the harsh reality of the situation. You had been living with the Metkayina people for months now, but every day felt like a struggle to fit in. You missed the comforts of home and the familiarity of your own culture.

The constant reminder that you and your siblings were labeled as demons was a weight that you couldn't seem to shake off. While most of the people in the tribe had welcomed you with open arms, there were a few like Ao'nung and his group who constantly taunted and teased you. It started with your siblings, but eventually, they turned their attention to you, making you feel unwelcome and out of place.

The longing to leave grew stronger with each passing day, but you also couldn't help feeling guilty for wanting to give up. You knew that your parents had made a difficult decision to move to this new place, and you didn't want to disappoint them.

However, the pain of being ridiculed and ostracized made it difficult to stay. You wondered if you would ever truly feel like you belonged here, or if you would always feel like an outsider. The weight of these thoughts and emotions was becoming too heavy to bear, and you longed for a way out.

This feeling was particularly strong on days like today when you found yourself completely alone. Perched on a rock at the edge of the reef, you felt disconnected from the world around you, lost in your thoughts and longing for a sense of belonging. Getting out of your head felt impossible until he comes along and disrupts it.

“You’re alone, sevin.”

The sound of his voice is so distinct, it's impossible to forget it, even if you tried. You hate to admit it, but you could recognize him just by his voice, even with your eyes closed. Sometimes you even saw him in your mind when you shut your eyes. However, the Ao’nung you knew never called you “sevin [pretty]” so you begin to second guess yourself.

However, as you see him standing there, tall and smoldering, you are one hundred percent certain it is him. His face is uncharacteristically relaxed when it comes to you, and you can't help but feel a sense of discomfort. This is him, but not the him you’re used to.

“Huh?” you purse your lips, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you try to make sense of the situation.

He lowers his head slightly, squinting his eyes as he smiles in his usual mischief manner, which is now all too familiar to you. "You're alone?" he repeats, the sound of his voice piercing through the quiet surroundings. As he walks towards you, the water splashes around him, adding to the tension of the moment.

Sighing, you roll your eyes and slump your shoulders in frustration. "No shit," you mutter under your breath, already dreading the idea of spending any time with him.

Ao’nung chuckles, the sound rumbling from deep within his chest. He takes a few steps closer to you, the water now up to his waist. "No one’s keeping your company, huh?" he drawls, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Don’t worry, I’m here."

You clench your fists, eyes starting to sting as you feel your anger bubbling up inside of you. Ao'nung always had a way of getting under your skin, and you were in no mood for his taunts today, nor any day.

"Can't you see I'm trying to enjoy some peace and quiet?" you snap, turning your back to him with crossed arms. Hopefully he gets the hint this time and leave.

But Ao'nung doesn't seem deterred. Instead, he wades closer until he's standing right behind you, his hot breath tickling your neck. You tense up, feeling his presence looming over you like a predator stalking its prey.

His voice whispers dangerously close to your ear, you feel a shiver run down your spine. "Why are you being so hostile?" he asks, peering over your shoulder to catch a glimpse of your face. You can practically hear the pout in his lips, "I’m just trying to be nice," his tone dripping with mock innocence.

The rock you were standing on wasn't big enough to allow you to pull away from him without falling straight into the water, but you don’t hesitate as your jerk your body away, hoping to hide your flustered state and escape his proximity.

“It’s a little too late to feel sorry,” you hiss, not that you actually believe him. There was too much bad history between you to even consider it, especially with his behavior now.

He didn't reply, only watching the rise and fall of your back with interest. You had been the center of his attention for a while, but he had only recently realized it himself. He snaps out of his daze when he saw you turn to peer up at him through lowered lashes.

He felt his heart skip a beat as he watches you, the soft glow of the moon illuminating your features in a way that made his breath catch in his throat. The light of the moon seemed to know exactly how to make you look more beautiful than ever, and he found himself lost in the moment. Unconsciously, he parts his lips and he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks as he realized he was caught staring.

You call out his name, "Ao’nung?" as you notice him staring at you. Suddenly, without warning, he splashes water in your face, sending droplets flying everywhere. You frantically try to wipe the water from your face while simultaneously attempting to stop him, "Hey, stop it, skxawng!" you exclaim in annoyance.

Wiping the droplets off your face, you glower at him in frustration as he finally stops splashing water at you. "What's your problem?" you demand, your frown deepening when he simply shrugs with a smug expression.

What a dick!

“Thought you could improve your swimming skills.” He teases, walking towards you again.

Resisting the urge to punch him in the face was a skill, is what you wanted to say aloud. However, you were painfully reminded that he was the chief's son and, from past experiences with him and Lo'ak, you knew you didn't want a lecture from your father. As you turn to leave, Ao'nung grabs your wrist softly and yanks you towards him with the opposite force.

You yelp as you slam into his chest, ready to actually put your hands on him despite knowing you shouldn’t. But you pause after looking up, yellow hues staring into surprisingly serious blue.

They feel intense but warm, almost felt like how you wanted to curl into the one his body provided. It made your chest hurt, thumps wildly like a celebratory drum set. You wish it would stop, but it only intensifies when you catch a glimpse of his lips and watch as his tongue swipes across his bottom lip.

That was expressively hot, you had to admit, and it got even hotter when you looked back into his eyes, only to see them flick up from your lips at the last minute.

Being this close to him makes you feel weird. His stare suddenly feels too uncomfortable, making you look away and focus on other parts of his face, like the cute white freckles sprinkled across his nose and cheeks, or the smoothness of his skin. But then you stupidly let your eyes wander back to his lips, where you see them part again, this time with words.

“Som [Hot],” he says, confusion clouds your mind once more. But then, his words clear everything up, "You're Txasom [Very hot]." The way he says it, almost breathless, sends an another shiver down your spine.

"Ao'nung," you begin, but he cuts you off, releasing his grip on your wrist and sliding his hand to your hips, pulling you closer to him than before.

"I like you, siven," he confesses, his cheeks flushed to match yours. You stare up at him in awe, your heart out of control in your chest as you listen to his words, "I have for a while."

Your mind is in a whirlwind. You've yearned for him to apologize for his past mistreatment, but never once considered the possibility that he might have romantic feelings for you. You're unsure of what to feel, what to say, or what to do, and the uncertainty leaves you breathless.

“Say something,” he pleads, his gaze flicking back and forth between each eye, searching for a tell sign. He starts to fear that he may have made a mistake by opening up to you. Perhaps it would have been better to keep his admiration a secret, to continue to tease you playfully while keeping his feelings to himself.

You part your lips to speak, but no words come out. Instead, you close your mouth, pressing your lips tightly together as you struggle to process what's happening. How can Ao’nung, the chief's son who once teased you endlessly, have feelings for you?

“You’re a dick,” you murmur after a pregnant pause, looking off to the side. You miss the way his expression falters slightly before shifting to neutral, his hold on your hips gripping tighter as you continue, your voice getting firmer with each jab. “And an asshole who doesn’t know when to stop.”

“[Name]—“

“I’m not finished,” you quickly shut him down, staring him in the eyes now. “You teased my family because we were different. You teased me because I was too. You used your status as the chief's son to get away with it and I can’t forget that.”

Ao’nung's face contorts into a pained expression as he releases his grip on your hips. He feels a sense of regret wash over him as he thinks about how he shouldn't have let things go this far. He should have stopped himself earlier, before he decided to confess. Maybe if he had just left you alone when you first arrived, he wouldn't be feeling so heartbroken at this moment.

Ao'nung's expression transforms from sadness to hope as you grab his forearms before he could fully retreat. You notice how your words have affected him and wonder if he truly is genuine. "But it can be forgiven," you begin, watching as his brows raise and his ears perk up at your statement. "With work," you add, making sure he understands that it won't be easy.

His face lights up with the most winsome smile you've ever seen, and you can't help but laugh at his expression. He's more earnest, and it's endearing. As you look away shyly, he focuses on your laughter.

"I have a chance?" he asks hopeful, giving you a youthful, yearning expression. It's clear he wants to make things right between you.

Your nod of approval is all the permission he needs as he leans down to capture your lips in a frenzy of excitement. At first, the kiss is soft and tentative, but as you reciprocate, it quickly becomes more passionate and intense. You feel his hands grip your hips, pulling you closer to him as he deepens the kiss, leaving you breathless and wanting more.

When he finally pulls away, your eyes remain closed, trying to catch your breath and savor the moment. You can feel his eyes on you before you even open them, and when you do, you see his hand leaving your hips to rest on your cheek in adoration.

"I just need one chance," he whispers, pulling you back into a sinfully delicious kiss that makes your head spin and your heart race with desire.

You had an epiphany at 20: the line separating love and hate was indeed thin, and you found yourself straddling it frequently. But now, things have changed. You refuse to offer any apologies for the transition from hating Ao’nung to loving him.

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[catholic-character-tournament]

Round 4 - Catholic Character Tournament

Propaganda below ⬇️

Harrowhark

I'm pretty sure you've already got plenty of submissions for her so I'll just say she was raised in what is basically a cult (technically a nunnery but let's be real) dedicated to keeping the body of the thing that will kill God behind the rock. One of their prayers is actually "I pray the rock is never rolled away". Harrow is extremely devout as penance for her earlier heretical actions in the tomb as a child (spoiler!) so the Catholic guilt really comes through

imagine being a catholic nun and you meet god, but it turns out he’s a twitch streamer from new zealand who became god because everything got a little bit out of hand. and just before you met him you gave yourself a diy grief-fuelled lobotomy with the help of your best frenemy. imagine how insane you’d be. now multiply that insanity by nine. that’s the fictional love of my life right there.

she meets god. she’s not inspired

she’s number one practitioner of space Catholicism. The locked tomb is chock full of Christian (catholic) imagery themes metaphors etc. just look at her she’s got a bone rosary

They're Catholicism with extra bones. Everyone is a nun. They have what is basically a rosary made from knuckle bones. They technically worship the same God as everyone else, but they're waaaay more focused on The Body in the Tomb (Mary) and we get a moment where we find out that while everyone else prays the equivilent of The Lords Prayer, they're doing the equivilent of Hail Mary. And they paint their faces with skulls.

She thinks leaving dry bread in a drawer is taking care of someone. She's in love with a 10,000 year old corpse (the same one they worship). She spent ALL NIGHT digging with her bare hands to make sure a field had bones every 5 feet so she could fight her girlfriend - I mean, greatest enemy. Spoiler territory: She's been puppeting her parents corpses since she was 8 years old. Instead of grieving her dead girlfriend, she gives herself a lobotomy. She makes soup with bone in it so she can use the bone IN THEIR STOMACH to try and kill them.

The author is/was Catholic and the entire series had heavy Catholic overtones. https://www.tor.com/2020/08/19/gideon-the-ninth-young-pope-and-the-new-pope-are-building-a-queer-catholic-speculative-fiction-canon/ A good breakdown of how it's Catholic

Anti-propaganda (spoilers)

I love the Locked Tomb series but Harrowhark has daddy issues with God, had a childhood crush on God's cryogenic partner, and is in love with God's daughter, not to mention that she's essentially a bone-bender. The religion on her home planet exists in a way that is technically against the will of the canon in-universe God, even. All of this to say, Harrowhark is heretical at minimum if not an outright witch. Terrible Catholic. Burn her.

Ronan Lynch

Uhh fun fact he saw the devil flash his father once, and that's one of the reasons he goes to church on Sundays <3

context for this scene from book 2: ronan is in church with his older brother declan, younger brother matthew, and ghost friend noah "Joseph Kavinsky isn’t someone I want you being around,” Declan added. “Don’t snort. I’m serious.” Ronan merely invested a look with as much contempt as he could muster. A lady reached over the top of Noah to pat Matthew’s head fondly before continuing down the aisle. She didn’t seem to care that he was fifteen, which was all right, because he didn’t, either. Both Ronan and Declan observed this interaction with the pleased expressions of parents watching their prodigy at work. Declan repeated, “Like, actually dangerous.” Sometimes, Declan seemed to think that being a year older gave him special knowledge of the seedier side of Henrietta. What he meant was, did Ronan know that Kavinsky was a cokehead. In his ear, Noah whispered, “Is crack the same thing as speed?” Ronan didn’t answer. He didn’t think it was a very church-appropriate conversation. “I know you think you’re a punk,” Declan said. “But you aren’t nearly as bad ass as you think you are.” “Oh, go to hell,” Ronan snapped, just as the altar boys broached the rear doors. “Guys,” Matthew pleaded. “Be holy.”

Gay Catholic streetracing farmer. Consumed by catholic guilt NOT because of the gay thing but because he can Create things in a way he thinks should be only God's business. Will literally roll up to mass on sunday morning still drunk and bloody.

THIS GOTH KID IS LITERALLY GOD. This is a god trapped in the body of a Catholic teen and if he ever stopped feeling Catholic guilt he’d end the world!!. How is your confession every week that you creating a whole new being? Babygirl the God is coming from inside the house

eldritch entity from beyond the mortal plane wants to be a Real Human Boy, becomes a real (ish!) human (ish!) boy, goes to mass every sunday

Gay boy got his crush an apartment above his church so he could have his two favorite things in one place

gay. I'm not caught up the the series but I went through the tag when the latest book came out and I remember seeing a quote that said he worried if his boyfriend would make it to heaven when he dies because of his agnostic tendencies.

Kid is like a dream warlock who creates psychic horrors and never goes to confession because why would he? and he’s gay

There are no words

basically ronan's powers are inherited from his dead father niall and it means he can bring anything from a dream into real life. so he's got this whole crisis about whether he is a living piece of blasphemy because men are not meant to have the powers of gods or whether he literally is god. which is not acceptable to him for a number of reasons but mostly because he hates himself. his love interest's name is adam and adam lives in a small apartment above a church which the book says focuses the objects of his worship neatly into one building. I love them both dearly. also, this entire page makes me feel like I'm going insane. Ronan Lynch believed in heaven and hell. Once, he’d seen the devil. It had been a low, late morning at the Barns when the sun had burned off the mist and then burned off the chill and then burned the edges off the ground until everything shimmered with heat. It never got hot in those protected fields, but that morning, the air sweated with it. Ronan had never seen cattle pant before. All of the cows heaved and stuck their tongues out as they frothed with the heat. His mother sent Ronan to put them in the shade of the cattle barn. Ronan had gone to the searing metal gate, and as he did, he’d glimpsed his father, already in the barn. Four yards away from him had stood a red man. He was not truly red, but the burned orange of a fire ant. And he was not truly a man, because of the horns and the hooves. Ronan remembered the alienness of the creature, how real it had been. Every costume in the world had gotten it wrong; every drawing in every comic book. They’d all forgotten that the devil was an animal. Looking at the red man, Ronan had been struck by the intricacy of the body, how many miraculous pieces moved smoothly in harmony, no different than his own. Niall Lynch had had a gun in hand — the Lynches had an enormous number of guns of all sizes — and just as Ronan had opened the gate, his father had shot the thing about thirteen times in the head. With a shake of its horns, the unharmed devil had presented its genitalia to Niall Lynch before bounding off. It was an image that had yet to leave Ronan. And so Ronan became a reverse evangelist. The truth burst and grew inside him, and it was laid upon him to share it with no one. No one was meant to see hell before they get there. No one should have to live with the devil. So many homilies on faith were ruined once you no longer required it for belief.

Our boy CHOOSES not to receive the Eucharist because he doesn’t believe he is worthy. The spiritual insight, the devotion, the fact that this teenager is worried he may have a mortal sin weighing on his soul…this boy isn’t just going through the motions, he’s putting work into this.