#silver anniversary cakes

[roosterarts]

The Battle of Gettysburg's 160th Anniversary - Day 2

July 2

"We know what we're made of

When our nation needs us we'll stay the cause

For the union we so love

We must hold at all costs!"

- Hold At All Cost, Iced Earth

On This Day:

The Texas Brigade Attacks Devil's Den

The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment Defends the Union Left Flank

The 9th Massachusetts Battery Retreats by Recoil

The US Army Regulars are Thrown Into the Bloody Wheatfield

[lilacgaby]

Yay request open oh oh if youre in Gumi era just having idea can I have more of his domestic fluff like planning on their future life any kind of domestic will do (๑•́ω•̀) 💗💗

title: my heart is yours eternally

pairing: boyfriend-> husband!megumi x girlfriend->wife!reader

summary: megumi thought this life he planned was only one in fairytales, but as he looked at the life he built with you, he knew it was real.

note: i love megumi pls pls pls request him more ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

"i want a small wedding." he said out of the blue as you two laid in his bed, holding your hand in his and he looked over you. "one that's intimate, i don't mind you choosing the theme or anything."

as you nodded thoughtfully, you entangled your fingers together. "mhm. just for us. and i want you to have a pretty ring too, i think you'd look nice with one in silver."

"you think?" he replied, eyebrow raised.

"i know so. and we can have a huge wedding cake-"

"vanilla."

"yes vanilla, with ice cream too. just for us."

he seemed content with that, smiling softly. until a thought crossed over his mind and he looked down at you with a look in his eye.

"i'll get you a nice ring, i promise. you just need to wait." he said, determined.

"i'll wait for you 'til the end of time, 'gumi."

he flushed and squeezed your hand tighter, he had to get the best for you. he couldn't sleep right if he didn't.

"you want any kids 'gumi?" you asked absentmindedly, not noticing the way he choked on air at the thought. images of you pregnant ran through his mind, his mind spiraling as he failed to find the words.

"megumi?"

"oh, uh.. a brother and a sister. that's all we need."

"sounds good, i wouldn't want our baby to get lonely when we're gone after all."

he felt his mind sputter at the thought of your baby, with features from you and him.

the topic of conversation eventually changed to something different, a show you were watching. as he listened to you recount how happy you were that the characters you hated died, his mind still kept going back to the conversation you had earlier.

he fell asleep holding your hand, images of the life you'd have together running through vividly, like he could almost touch it.

since then, he was determined to make that a reality for the two of you.

he proposed to you on your anniversary, taking every possible note he could about the types of rings you liked before choosing one. as he held you hand in his and slid on the ring, kissing you with only the sunset behind you as witness, he felt truly loved.

the months spent planning your wedding weren't as stressful as you handled it together. finding the perfect venue, small like you both wanted.

going on dates to sample cakes, laughing at megumi's face of disgust. choosing the topper for the cake, opting for two loving bunnies at the top since none of them could get megumi's hair right.

choosing who to invite, megumi 'begrudgingly' inviting his old friends from jujutsu high, and you yours.

him going out with gojo and yuuji to pick the perfect suit, you choosing your dress with your most trusted friends.

walking down the aisle, megumi felt emotional since you were just so gorgeous, he never felt as luck as he did when you were announced husband and wife.

well actually, that's a lie.

when you gifted him a box, full of baby clothes and a stick with two life changing lines on it, he knew you were his good luck charm.

as he promised, he loved you through even your sickness. a lot of foods made you nauseous, so he'd started to learn how to cook because it was exhausting for you.

your bump was bigger than average, not like he'd say it to your face, but it was confirmed when you went to get your ultrasound. twins.

you squinted your eyes at him and jokingly hit him on his shoulder lightly, saying, "this is your fault!"

he only laughed. at your gender reveal, just a small thing between you two, you held hands and cut a cake slice out of the cake. to your surprise, it was blue and pink.

your stomach got huge, at 9 months you just wanted your kids out. megumi would take you out on walks everyday, well just strolls around your house technically, but it was a lot for you.

on day number 3, your water broke. you thought you'd finally feel relieved, but good thing megumi was there because you panicked. he was too but mentally.

as you delivered your babies, the son first, you squeezed his hand for dear life.

when you went home with 2 kids a couple days later, you sleeping as megumi held the two in the rocking chair he'd picked out, he felt like it was a dream.

when you awoke, and he'd matched the features of your son who took after you and your daughter after him, his heart fluttered as he felt his body soar.

this is what love is, and this is what he dreamt of.

[acrosstheujiverse]

Through the Years

【📂】 summary: it’s you and your husband's silver wedding anniversary. it's been 25 years since you've married kim mingyu and you’re filled with nostalgia as you reminisce back on how life has been in your sleep. 【🖇️】 pairing: husband!mingyu x wife!reader. 【💿】 genre: nostalgia and heartwarming. 【🧺】 tags: established relationship; memories; pregnancy; mentions of religion; one mention of "cheater"; married life.  【📦】 word count: 2.5k+

📬 — author’s note！this is inspired by a real story.

thank you for the overwhelmingly positive response to my headcannon post, dynamics of an introverted couple !! (check it out if you haven't).

i dedicate this to those who are raising children—we appreciate you. some of us (children) may be too afraid/shy/embarrassed to say this… but i’ll say it on behalf of them. from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all your effort, support, love, and sacrifices.

*i’ve included some easter eggs! ^^

(it was my birthday 2 days ago so i was motivated to give you a gift in the form of this story hehe~ happy reading! ٩( ᐛ )و*)

p.s. please pardon any grammatical error.

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after spending the evening at a restaurant downtown, you and your husband, mingyu, walk hand-in-hand into your dimly lit house.

“huh… i guess the kids must be in their rooms right now.” you said to your husband.

all of a sudden you both hear muffled sounds in your guys’ living room.

you and mingyu exchanged knowing looks at each other. “let’s not make them wait any longer, hon. let’s go.” mingyu whispered to you.

chuckling quietly, you nodded in agreement. “let’s go, my dear lord mingyu.”

he cheekily smiled, “right after you, lady (y/n).”

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“shhh! be quiet--i hear them!”

“hurry up, aji!”

“okay... in 3-2-1—!”

“SURPRISE!!!”

both you and mingyu feigned shock and surprise.

your three kids stood in the middle of the living room beaming with joy, feeling satisfied with their surprise celebration. ,. one was holding a cake, another was holding a handmade banner, with ‘you’re the best mom and dad ever!’ written on it, and the other one setting off a confetti wand.

“HAPPY 25TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!!!”

you cooed at the sweet gesture from your kids.

“aww! thank you, my babies. your dad and i appreciate your efforts.”

mingyu initiated a family group hug. “thank you kids.”

giggling, all three of your kids said in unison, “you’re welcome mom and dad!” 

you gave mingyu a side hug after everyone dispersed themselves. the two of you held a warm gaze into each other’s eyes. a sweet and loving smile never leaving both of your faces.

“happy anniversary again, love~”

“happy anniversary again, hon~”

you exchanged kisses.

both of you chuckled at the déjà vu of it all.

but you and mingyu don’t mind celebrating your wedding anniversary again because this time it’s with your whole family.

it was, indeed, a mirthful celebration. 

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“goodnight, gyu.”

“goodnight, (y/n).”

as you lay in your shared bedroom, you begin to reminisce about the beginnings of you and mingyu’s relationship. you softly smiled as you slowly slipped into your dreams.

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“mom… (y/n) and i are going to be parents. (y/n)’s pregnant.”

you were both not ready to be parents. you were 23 and mingyu was 20.

you were in your last year of college, while he was in his second year.

you both were filled with limitless opportunities, but in the eyes of both your parents... it was a different story.

“KIM. MINGYU. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS??!”

mingyu’s mother was a religious woman, a devout believer of god, and an avid churchgoer.

born and raised in the countryside where everyone knew each other, both you and mingyu knew that you were going to be the talk of the town for… a while. 

(with hindsight, it was only years later that you realized how your mother-in-law took the brunt of most of the gossip.)

although mingyu’s mother was strongly opposed to the pregnancy at first, she knew she could do nothing to change the fact that you were pregnant. you were relieved that she wasn’t like those cruel stepmothers portrayed in disney movies—definitely, not. she eventually warmed up to the situation at hand and guided the both of you during your pregnancy.

you and mingyu were set to be married a month before your first child's due date. yes, it was an outdated belief that both your families held back in the day, but it was what was considered acceptable at that time. you married early because of the pregnancy, but you had already decided long before you got pregnant that he was the one. mingyu was the one that's meant to be standing beside you at the altar and the one that you were going to grow old with.

the moment that truly changed mingyu’s mother’s heart was when aji was born. the moment she first laid eyes on your first born baby girl, her eyes were filled with love. 

(she later told you that it was as if she was a first-time mother again.)

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to say that raising a child was hard would be a huge understatement.

you were blessed with three children.

the first born, aji, was the hardest to take care of because you both didn’t know what you were supposed to do. (both of your parents were there to guide you for the most part, but the rest of the work had to come from you and mingyu.) with aji, the both of you were overly protective.

the second child, chi, was less hard to take care of because now both of you had experience but it wasn’t easy. learning from all the mistakes and lessons from your first child, you and mingyu applied all the knowledge you had with chi, and for the most part all of your tactics worked. chi was a very sickly baby when she was born, and so you and your husband worked tirelessly to provide all the necessary medication that your baby needed. with chi, the both of you were protective. 

the youngest, bo, was easier to take care of because you both learned valuable things from the last two. however… the skills and tricks you had learned from raising aji and chi wasn’t really working well with bo because… he was the only boy. so it was like being back to square one again. with bo, the both of you learned to be a little bit carefree.

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your husband was a man of many admirable qualities.

kim mingyu had a strong work ethic.

in the beginning of your guys’ marriage, he would work odd jobs, anything that would pay him. anything that would sustain your growing family.

when you were pregnant with your youngest, it was an unexpected pregnancy (it was déjà vu). you noticed the signs of pregnancy early and confirmed it with a test kit. 

mingyu had a plan, you were skeptical at first but you eventually caved in. he would apply to work abroad and get a permanent residency. the work and money in your guys’ small town did not pay enough for a family of five, so mingyu looked for work outside of your country since they pay much more.

fortunately, he was there when you gave birth to bo and when he took his first steps. 

it was only when bo was about two years old that mingyu left to go abroad.

you had worked on a video call schedule with him so that you and the children would have communication with him. he’d send a few pictures and videos of his life abroad… but it didn’t fill the feeling of longingness for him in your heart. you missed him so much.

raising all three of your children without your husband by your side took a toll on your mental and physical wellbeing. the first year without mingyu was the hardest for you, but you eventually got back on your feet thanks to the support you had from your friends, and his and your family. you knew you had to be strong not only for your husband and children, but also for yourself.

and you maintained your unwavering commitment to being a great mother to your children in the five years that mingyu was gone.

it was only until bo was seven years old that he met his father again. aji was about 15, and chi was 9 years old.

his five years abroad was the longest you two have ever been apart, but it proved to be an incredible testament to the lengths you both would endure just to provide your children with a comfortable life. a life that used to only exist in the movies and dramas that you two would watch before but has now been made possible because of the hard work and sacrifices you and mingyu made.

*

kim mingyu was chivalrous.

it was the simplest gesture of his that you would take notice of: he would hold open doors for you and your children. it was an automatic response from him–you didn’t need to ask him to–he just simply did it. as a father, his gentlemanly actions set the standards and expectations of your children. they especially influence the actions of your youngest son, bo. 

mingyu was someone that’s attentive to the needs of others. an altruistic person.

he’d say to your children, “if you can help, then help.”

your husband isn’t an overly kind person. he knows his boundaries… sometimes. in your viewpoint, at times, he gets a bit into helping others to the point that he fails to recognize that they were only using him for their own selfish reasons. you were his voice of reason and helped him put a limit to his kindness.

*

kim mingyu was a homemaker.

from cooking, driving the kids, vacuuming, mopping, cleaning dishes, folding clothes, mowing, cutting and dyeing the kids’ hair (and your hair)—mingyu was an absolute all rounder around the house. but it’s not like you don’t do your fair share of house chores–you do. the two of you alternate chores every week. it’s a routinized system that the two of you made. 

*

your relationship with your husband isn’t at all perfect, but you know you’re both going to get through it together. in times where you don’t see eye to eye, or say things in the heat of the moment… both of you will silently apologize through actions. 

it’s not like you both can’t verbally apologize to one another… it’s just that the both of you are not used to expressing your emotions. you two didn’t grow up in an environment where emotions were talked about.

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once, mingyu shared a personal story with you.

it was about his father.

he shared how he was distant with his father. mingyu, as a child, hated the way his father would always leave and make his mother cry. his mother always hid away in the bathroom or their "shared" bedroom to shed her tears, away from mingyu, but he heard them. he heard her painful cries every single night. there was never a day where his mother didn't cry herself to sleep.

his father was someone who couldn’t keep his zipper up—a cheater.

his father was what made kim mingyu the man that he is now.

he hated his father. he didn't want to be like him when he grew up. so he made a silent promise to himself that he would never treat the woman that he loved and married like how his father did to his mother.

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the past 25 years of your married life and family life had its ups and downs, of course no relationships are ever picture-perfect, but you try to embrace each other's shortcomings.

after 25 years of being married, you can proudly say that 23 year old you and 20 year old mingyu would be glad to see 48 year old you and 45 year old mingyu still standing strong together. that no matter what life has thrown your way, you've both gotten through those battles  and came out victorious at the end. (some battles may have taken some time to resolve but you both remained by each other's side.)

you and mingyu may not see eye to eye on some things, but you always try to make things work. you try to make compromises with each other. 

your marriage may have started because of unexpected circumstances... but it has led you both to an unpredictably beautiful future.

a future with your three children. a future with you and him. a future with a loving family that you both only wished of when you were younger.

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tears continuously pour down your face as you remember your trip down memory lane last night. you try to quietly wipe your tears and lower your weeping but your repeated attempts at silencing yourself only stirs your husband awake.

he's shifting his body beside you to try and face you. "hon..? are you—"

but before mingyu could see your tear stained face, you quickly buried your face into his bare chest.

"woah. (y/n)—honey—are you okay?" he slightly chuckled in his morning voice.

"m jst gld yr he," your muffled voice softly answered.

"what? i didn't understand what you said. could you repeat it while looking at me... please?"

he knew just how to get you to open up to him.

darn you, kim mingyu!

you gave in to his request.

“i’m just glad you’re here…”

you looked up at him and when you met each other’s eyes, his slowly started going wide with worry. "aww, (y/n)... did you have a bad dream?" he gently brushed your tear stained eyes and cheeks.

you shook your head. "no... it was actually the opposite."

giving him a small smile, you rest your head against his warm toned chest as you begin to share the contents of your dreams.

“i dreamt about us last night. how everything started to how everything is now. it opened my mind to how much we’ve been through all these years. it made me feel more grateful to have you as my life partner and husband.”

tears started to welled up in mingyu’s eyes. his heart overflowing with even more love for you.

"thank you for fighting for us, love. thank you for fighting for me–for fighting for our family. i know many were opposed to us because of the sanctity of our marriage but we proved them wrong by staying true to our vows. i’m so thankful that i have the best husband, partner, and father (to our children)–it’s more than i could ever ask for. i love you.”

with that, mingyu embraced you ever so delicately with his muscular arms, it was as if a gentle giant holding a porcelain vase, afraid you were going to break if he applied too much pressure.

“all the promises that i’ve made to you, on our wedding day and after we were married, will never be in vain (y/n)... i can assure you that. we’ve already been through so much together; we’ve witnessed each other's worst pains and great joys. we work great as a team and i wouldn’t want to experience the rest of my life without you. i want to keep making more great memories with you. i want us to keep being by each other's side. thank you for loving me, even though i’m not perfect.”

“i’m not perfect either gyu. we both are imperfect—but it’s that imperfection of ours that i love so much. we’re not perfect but we are perfectly imperfect for each other to love. we complement each other’s weaknesses with our strengths.”

his hold on you tightened slightly, as if he was afraid you would suddenly disappear. you couldn’t see it, but a single tear rolled down mingyu’s cheek. he wore a bittersweet smile on his face. 

your sentimental words have your husband feeling bashful and so warm inside.

feeling that his throat was closing up soon, he could only muster up the courage to utter one last endearment to you. 

“i love you (y/n)… more than you could ever know… thank you for loving this imperfect me.”

- fin.

[megalony]

Please, Hurry Up- Part 2

This is the second part of my new Tommy x Eddie x Buck x Reader imagine, thank you all for the amazing feedback on the first part. I hope you will all like this next one.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyjen @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @supernaturalstilinski @stefansalvatoresgf @kyky9103 @wutheringhearts2275 @gay4hotmilfs @itshamleth @chaoticnosleepinfluencer @gs29 @wh0reforsmutstuff @mel-vaz @natashamea18 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra8484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @shelbygeek @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@zoeybennett @mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana

@shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @rainechase45 @ml572 @jessie-lynn28 @lolalolsstuff @jupiter1700 @ashdoctor @an-aliens-ghost @lunaroserites @houseoftwistedspirits @itshamleth @loveyouamory

@loverbeesblog

Buddie Masterlist

Part 1

Summary: All of their friends and family turn up to their baby shower, but so do Evan's parents. And things don't go quite to plan.

Enjoy.

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"Looking good."

Tilting her head to one side, (Y/n) let a smile trickle across her lips when her eyes landed on Chris. He paused midway through rushing down the hall and a cheesy grin curved over his lips and put creases in his eyes.

He looked himself up and down before beaming his smile at (Y/n). She didn't know where he got his bundle of energy from. All of them knew Chris hadn't slept much last night, he had been riding high on adrenaline, much the same as Evan had been. They were all excited and flooded with anticipation for today. It was the baby shower.

Chris loved any excuse for a party, he didn't care when or where it was or why they were celebrating. He just loved to have everyone gathered together and the music and the atmosphere always brought out the best in him. Parties were his scene, and Eddie had a big family so Chris was forever invited to birthdays and anniversaries and weddings.

Today was better though, this was something for him to celebrate. This was an event Chris could join in with and not just be additional family. This was for his baby brother or sister.

"You want help?" Chris held his hand out somewhat expectingly towards (Y/n) and his smile melted her heart.

"Thank you sweetheart," She didn't technically need his help right now, but it was too sweet an offer to turn down.

(Y/n) let Chris take her hand while she pressed her other palm against the wall to steady herself. She still couldn't put a lot of weight on her left foot, even a week after her fall. The swelling had finally started to go down, but her foot wasn't a normal colour and she was walking with a limp and forever tilting towards the right like she was about to fall over.

He gave her hand a squeeze and took the lead down the hall, making sure to walk slow so (Y/n) could keep up with him.

She had to walk on her tiptoe mostly when she put any weight on her left foot and her knee was forever bent forward rather than being held straight. It made her feel like a flamingo with the way she constantly stood and leaned and held one leg up. But this was the only way (Y/n) could balance and walk unaided, and she wasn't going to use crutches.

The pair of them headed down the hall and made their way into the kitchen, pausing on the threshold to watch the scene in front of them.

Neither of them could make out what Evan was preparing, but it smelled good. He was leant over the counter, seemingly doing five jobs at once. He unwrapped clingfilm from silver trays, set cakes down onto plates and spun round to move some mini bites from a hot tray whilst trying not to burn his fingers.

And then there was Eddie, about to reach out for a plate until Evan slapped his hand away without casting one glance over at him.

(Y/n) sank her teeth down in her lower lip to morph her smile when Eddie's upper lip curled and he rolled his eyes.

"I can arrange a few cakes on a plate, you know." He quipped sassily, but all he got in response was a deadpan look from Evan who looked unamused. "What, you don't trust me to carry them all the way to the table?"

"What's the rule?"

A quiet 'ooh' tumbled past (Y/n)'s lips and she gently nudged Chris, encouraging him to head off into the living room. She knew he was waiting for Eddie's parents to arrive and the moment they turned up, Chris would be at the front door to greet them.

Her arms folded over her bump and she leaned against the doorway, her head tilted against the door while her eyes focused on her boys. Evan finally straightened up and turned to face Eddie who had his hands on his hips and an unhappy expression on his face.

"I cook, Tommy cleans and you…" A hint of a smile graced Evan's lips while one hand gripped the counter and the other planted on his hip, waiting for Eddie to finish the little rule they had come up with.

"Stay out the kitchen." Eddie finished in a grumble, quirking one brow with his jaw jutting from side to side.

He was no chef, they all agreed on that, and it was a good thing that Tommy, (Y/n) and Evan were all good in the kitchen. It meant Eddie never had to cook, something Chris was also relieved about, and right now Evan was in his element. He didn't need Eddie to help try and move the food into the dining room, he just wanted to be left to his own devices in here.

Evan caught Eddie's chin in his grip and nudged his head back so he could have a kiss. His hand trailed down Eddie's neck, fluttered across his collar bone and finally rested on his chest, giving him a little shove until he sighed and backed up towards the dining room.

He didn't know what to do with himself. Evan and Maddie had been doing the food preparation, Tommy had tidied up and put a few minimal decorations up wherever Maddie told him to. All Eddie seemed to do was get dressed and wait for orders that weren't coming.

"Baby, tell him to let me help." Eddie reached his arms out for (Y/n) when she slowly hobbled into the kitchen. He held her by the waist and reeled her into his chest.

He pecked her temple and started to glide his hands up and down her waist and over the small of her back. Their chests leaned together and Eddie tilted her back like they were in a dance, but just as he peppered a kiss to her lips, his brows furrowed and he tilted his head down.

"Where's your boot?" His hands gave her hips a squeeze and he rose a brow, the firm line of his lips telling her not to bother trying to play this off.

"In the bedroom."

"You're meant to walk in it, not sleep in it, go put it on." Evan wafted the tea towel in the direction of the hallway but when he snook a glance across at her, (Y/n) frowned.

"I'm not hobbling around in that for a party, besides, I don't have to wear it all the time."

She flopped her head forward onto Eddie's shoulder and looped her arms around his neck, dragging her fingers over the short hairs at the back of his neck which made him tremor against her. The boot strapped around her foot and ankle and it went up towards the back of her knee. It didn't exactly match the outfit (Y/n) had on.

She had settled for a thin lace black top with dark tone butterflies sewn across the material. Matched with a pair of knee-length black leggings and her sandals. Heels weren't an option with her messed up ankle and the baby bump weighing her down. The boot didn't go with her outfit and (Y/n) didn't have to have it on every second of the day. She could take it off for a while to let her foot rest and she had worn it this morning while she did a few odd jobs around the house.

(Y/n) didn't want it on if they were going to be having friends over and taking pictures, she wanted to look good, not bandaged up.

"If you don't wear it you'll mess up your ankle, you're already walking around on it too much."

"Evan…"

"Go sit down until everyone arrives. And you put that boot on later." There wasn't much room for discussion in Eddie's tone and (Y/n) found herself nodding along instantly. She would wear it later when her foot started to ache, when it hurt to hobble (Y/n) knew she needed the support before she did any further damage.

She felt Eddie press a kiss to her temple and his hands lingered on her hips until she was out of reach, slowly heading through to the living room to sit with Chris.

***

When he felt an arm curve around the back of his shoulders, Eddie let himself relax back until his shoulders hit a firm chest and he felt a familiar pair of lips against the back of his head. He smiled at the hand that draped over his collar bone and the feeling of those fingers tracing random patterns over the top of his crisp white button up shirt.

A smile danced across his lips and he tilted his head back so he could look up at Tommy who curved around him like a jacket.

Tommy pressed a kiss to his cheek and leaned his temple against Eddie's for a few seconds while the music blasted through the garden and filtered through the air.

"All good?" He murmured softly, grazing his teeth across Eddie's ear which had him shivering and gripping his beer bottle tighter.

Eddie found the will to hum and nod his head when he realised he hadn't given Tommy an answer.

Everyone looked happy so far. Chris was filtering around the garden, finding different people to talk to and riding high on the adrenaline. He had spent quite a lot of time with Eddie's parents the moment they arrived, showing them his room and the nursery which he had helped decorate. Chris had finally let his grandparents have a moment to themselves before he undoubtedly would go back to them.

Evan was stood across the garden with Bobby, the pair of them looking like they were exchanging secrets nobody else would be able to hear. And they could both see (Y/n) stood with Maddie and Karen, laughing about something neither of them could hear or make out.

When (Y/n) clocked the boys looking her way, her smile seemed to melt and something flashed across her eyes like a shooting star. She leaned her head at an angle, keeping the eye contact for a few seconds.

And both of them grinned when she balanced on her right leg so she could lift up her left leg just a little. Showing off the boot Evan had graciously helped her get on ten minutes ago. She had been in pain quicker than any of them thought and she gave in almost immediately, asking Evan to help her get it on.

It didn't go with the outfit and it was annoying, (Y/n) thumped when she walked and she felt like she was making indents in the grass when she walked out in the garden. But the support stopped her from leaning too far to the right and she could put a bit more weight down on her left foot without too much flaring pain licking up her leg. When they were going to take photos, (Y/n) was taking the boot off.

Tommy grinned against Eddie's cheek but when he heard the hinges on the back gate creak, he looked over to the left.

"Babe…" His hand patted down on Eddie's chest until he twisted to look across at the gate.

They had told everyone to come through into the garden and the gate had been left open for anyone else to walk in. But they hadn't expected Evan's parents to walk through the gate.

"I thought he said he didn't invite them." Tommy kept his voice quiet and tried to fake a smile to keep the atmosphere going. They didn't need to make a scene, Evan's parents might be here giving an olive branch their way. They might not make any remarks or upset any of them, they might just show some support tonight.

"Yeah… Buck, more guests." Eddie ticked his head to the side, almost clocking his head into Tommy's nose while he raised his glass to catch their boyfriend's attention. Those were his guests and he could go and greet them and start the introductions. Eddie and Tommy were staying well away and they knew (Y/n) would keep away too.

The smile on Evan's face faded the moment he looked away from Bobby.

Why were his parents here?

He could feel his shoulders quaking and pulling up near his neck and his eyes immediately scanned around the garden until he was locking gazes with his big sister. They were both under the impression that their parents wouldn't be coming today.

Evan had told them last week about the baby. He had finally gotten through to his mum on the phone and he tried to keep his tone level and his voice calm as he explained that (Y/n) was pregnant and he was going to have another kid. Since he, Tommy and (Y/n) all considered Chris their kid too.

He had been surprised when his mother sounded happy, he had been waiting for her to chide him and tell him how many mistakes he was making with his life. He thought she would ask who's baby it actually was or tell him to walk away from the relationship like she tried to do last time they were in town. But his mum had been shockingly happy, she congratulated him and said this was 'wonderful news' and she didn't sound sarcastic.

Evan casually brought it into conversation that (Y/n) was nearly seven months along and so Maddie was throwing a baby shower. But his parents never asked if they could come and they never said they would make the trip down for the party.

He hadn't expected them, and by the look on Maddie's face, she hadn't expected them to turn up either.

He placed his beer bottle down on the nearest surface, patted Bobby's shoulder and took the deepest, most calming breath possible before he steered himself in their direction.

He wasn't ready for this.

They were bound to say something. They would give funny looks or make little comments and the last time his mum had been around (Y/n), she hadn't been kind. Eddie had quickly steered (Y/n) away last time before she started a fight.

"Hey, you came."

Shock rattled through Evan and he froze when his mum reached out to hug him. He wasn't used to hugs. They were always short and awkward, they never felt like hugging a parent, it always felt like hugging a distant aunt he never knew he had. Maddie was the one who hugged Evan like the world depended on it. She hugged him like she loved the bones of him, those were the hugs he was used to.

The only time his parents properly hugged him without feeling forced was after he had the fire truck crush his leg and they came down to see how he was recovering from his operations.

His arms cautiously curved around his mum and he let her drag him down to her due to the height difference. His eyes widened and he quietly gasped when she kissed his cheek.

"Oh, honey of course we came. This is our first grandchild, after all." She gave his biceps a tight squeeze and crinkled her nose as she smiled up at him.

His brows rose in surprise and he felt his dad pat his shoulder before he moved to set a bag down along with the other presents everyone had placed on the table near the back door. Evan dreaded to think what the present was, his parents weren't great at gifts, at least for Evan. And this wasn't for him, this was for his baby. It wasn't like they actually knew Evan on a deeper level or knew any of his partners properly so he didn't dare think what they had brought.

But it was the thought that counts and they were trying, Evan was willing to try too.

"Do you want to come and get a drink?" Evan tried not to cringe when his mum held his elbow. He wasn't used to physical contact with her and right now she was stood closer to him than she had in years.

Was this all he had to do to get his parents to accept his relationship? If he'd of known extending their family and having a baby would have brought out the acceptance in his parents, Evan would have done this sooner.

"Evan, we're so happy for you." Margaret patted Evan's arm before she let go in exchange for the drink he handed to her. He knew neither of his parents would drink, and he had no idea if they were staying in town for the night or if they were going straight back home after this. He didn't really want them to stick around, but the effort was encouraging.

"You… you are?" He looked between them, raising a brow across at Maddie when she watched Phillip pat his shoulder.

"Of course we are, you're finally settling down."

Evan nodded, somewhat pleased with his dad's words and guided them towards (Y/n) and Maddie just as Karen drifted off to find Hen and Chimney. He walked behind them, curving an arm around (Y/n)'s waist so he could kiss the top of her head and hand her another drink.

"You came," Maddie wrapped her mum up in a quick hug and kissed her dad before she stood at (Y/n)'s side again. She could feel the nervousness radiating off of her.

(Y/n) didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to act when last time she had been ready to throw fists with how rude and disrespectful Margaret had been towards all three of her partners. She took jibes at Eddie and Tommy and started putting Evan down like she always did, and (Y/n) wouldn't stand for that.

Right now, though, Margaret was smiling and she looked the calmest (Y/n) had ever seen her. It was unnerving.

"Evan, you never said on the phone, do you know what you're having? Boy or girl?" Margaret looked down towards (Y/n)'s bump and for a moment it looked like she was about to reach out, but she thought better of it and stayed put next to Phillip instead.

(Y/n) danced her fingers across her stomach and looked up at Evan, letting him take the lead on this.

"No, we're leaving it a surprise."

Maddie had begged them to find out. She asked for them to get the midwife to write it down so they could do a little reveal today at the party, but all of them disagreed. They liked the thought of keeping everyone in suspense and guessing. They wanted to wait until the birth to find out, like it was supposed to be. And Tommy had started taking bets with his friends down at the 217 and Harbour.

After a few minutes of polite chat that turned (Y/n)'s brain to mush and sent her head spinning, she slouched back against Evan's chest and tilted her head back to look up at him. Her lips curved up and she tried not to squirm when she felt his cold fingertips sliding beneath her top to feather across her bump. He knew she was ticklish, it was why he was biting down a smirk and deliberately not looking at her.

It was good to see him talking to his parents calmly for a change and not having to hold back his words or his true feelings. They weren't putting him down, they were making an effort and it was a good start.

(Y/n) gave his wrist a gentle squeeze and tilted her head to pepper a few kisses against his throat, feeling him shiver beneath her wet lips.

He kissed her temple in retaliation and leaned his head close so she could whisper in his ear.

"The baby wants some cake." Her words tickled the shell of his ear and she squeezed his hand again before she pulled out of his arms. She didn't know who Hen got to make the cake, but the baby loved it and (Y/n) needed to get some more before it was demolished. Tommy had already had two slices, Eddie was on his third and Chris kept going back for more. There wouldn't be much left soon.

She could feel Evan's hands lingering on her waist until he had to let go before he toppled over. His touch left shivers in his wake and (Y/n) found herself grinning as she slowly hobbled over to the buffet table.

The height of the boot set her off balance and it didn't feel right to wear one high heel shoe to try and level it out and (Y/n) couldn't balance in one heel and one flat strapped boot. Her weight was constantly leaning to the right to keep as much weight off her left ankle as possible and as much as the boot made her feel secure and helped her walk, the pressure didn't do much good when the swelling was only just going down.

When her right foot caught and bent at an odd angle, her hands shot out for the table to steady herself. She felt a pair of hands quickly grab her elbow and her waist, reeling her back up before she went down on her knees or crashed into the table and sent it flying.

"You okay there?"

Embarrassment tainted (Y/n)'s face as she looked up over her shoulder to find Bobby stood behind her with a calm expression and a tender look in his eyes.

"Hm, thank you." She dipped her eyes down and tried to straighten up so Bobby didn't have to keep hold of her. That was why she didn't want to wear the boot, it didn't look right and it set her off balance with every step. At least she hadn't gone down like a sack of potatoes and made a right fool of herself in front of everyone.

"No problem, so, how are you?" Bobby nodded when (Y/n) pointed to the cake, silently asking if he wanted another slice since she was cutting some for herself.

She put a slice on his plate, one on hers and plated another bit up so she could go and find Chris in a minute and hand him some before it all disappeared. Her right hip leant up against the table and she kept a steady hand on the edge, just to make sure she didn't set herself off balance again.

"I'm doing better… this things more hassle than it's worth, though." Her gaze cast down to the boot and her head ticked to the side. She took a sweeping glance around the garden, just to make sure none of the boys had caught her subtle trip.

If they saw they would be flying over to make sure she was alright and Evan wouldn't let her take the boot off if he saw she had tripped. But she was going to discretely hide it soon so she could walk a bit better and feel a little more normal.

"At least your a better patient than Buck, I tell you if he does any more damage to that leg I'm not babysitting him again."

A chuckle rumbled through Bobby's chest and caused (Y/n)'s chest to flutter with a quiet laugh. She agreed. They had all been pulling their hair out when Evan had his accident with the fire truck.

The operations weren't so bad, it was the recovery. Trying to tell Evan to take it easy was like talking to a brick wall expecting an answer. (Y/n) had been helping him get washed and get in and out of the bath without getting his cast wet. Tommy and Eddie had been helping him move about the house since he wasn't great on crutches.

They all had to stay with him at some point or another so he didn't try and overdo it. Bobby and Maddie had been round to help calm him down and prevent him from trying to do too many physio exercises or push himself too far in his recovery. He had been the best and the worst patient in the world, all at once.

"Hopefully the only person needing babysitting will be this one." (Y/n) didn't dare think about any of her boys having any accidents. She didn't want to consider Evan getting any worse with his leg or having another injury. She didn't need to think about Eddie getting shot again or Tommy coming off shift with a busted shoulder.

The only one (Y/n) wanted to think about babysitting was their impending arrival. And Bobby seemed to be on the same train of thought because his expression softened and his eyes cast down to her bump.

"Well in that case, me and Athena are always available."

"You might regret saying that in a few months," (Y/n) gave Bobby's shoulder a squeeze before she picked up the paper plates and weaved past him. Heading in the direction of Chris while Bobby turned to drift over to Athena and May who were sat basking in the sun.

(Y/n) took a deep breath when her eyes landed on Chris and she realised who he was talking to. Eddie's parents. She hadn't had a proper conversation with them since they arrived today. Eddie had talked to them for a long while before the party officially got in swing and Evan had exchanged pleasantries with them.

But (Y/n) hadn't gotten round to speaking to them yet, she never knew what to say or how to act. Eddie's mother had given her the riot act when they first met and made it clear she didn't like Eddie being in a multiple relationship like this, as if it was somehow (Y/n)'s fault. As if she had enchanted all three men under her spell, like this was all her doing.

Things had settled down between them since then, but they had mixed emotions about the baby. Eddie had made them promise to try and get along with his partners today, he told them in no uncertain terms that he didn't want a fight or an argument happening today and they agreed. They said they would try to get along.

"Here baby, I saved you some." She held the plate out to Chris, watching his eyes light up as he took it from her with a wide smile.

She let herself slump against the back of the garden chair Chris was perched on and watched the way he swung his legs back and forth. His head was nodding along to the music and he instantly dived in to take a big bite out of the blue and blushing pink sponge cake.

A quiet "Thanks mum," murmured between mouthfuls of cake and he rested his head against (Y/n)'s arm when she patted his shoulder.

"And you, you look lovely today." Eddie's mum motioned her hand towards (Y/n) with a genuine smile that caught her off guard. She wasn't usually one for dishing out compliments, especially not to (Y/n).

What had Eddie said to her this morning?

"Oh, thank you." Her eyes cast down to her outfit that she hadn't been too sure about this morning until Tommy had been unable to look anywhere else and had his hands roaming all over her. "Chris said you're staying in town for a few days, do you have anything planned?"

Chris had been more than overjoyed that they were staying for a few days, he didn't have that much family here in LA so to have his grandparents here was a lovely surprise.

"I think we've all been conscripted into the zoo tomorrow, something about Buck giving us a tour round?" She looked a little unsure about the details, but the way she laughed at the end of her sentence made (Y/n)'s heart take flight from her chest.

She watched the elder woman brush her long hair over her shoulder and tilt back so casually in her chair, as if they had all been friends for years. She was making an effort, a true effort. And by the sounds of it, all of them would be spending the day together tomorrow. A way to become closer and intergrate into a bigger family.

"You're in for a treat." (Y/n) leaned down so she could kiss the top of Chris's head when he started to giggle.

Going to the zoo was Evan's thing to do with Chris, and going to the cinema was something Tommy and Chris both enjoyed. Just like Eddie and Tommy preferred to go to boxing and wrestling matches together, something Evan and (Y/n) weren't so keen on. They all had their little things together, but the beach, arcades and theme parks were things they all loved to do together as a family.

Tomorrow sounded like it was going to be a good day.

Once the conversation started to change and taper off into a new direction, (Y/n) politely excused herself. She put her empty plate on the side table, unsure where to drift off to now but she knew she was ready to sit down for a while.

Shivers tore up and down her arms when she felt a familiar pair of lips attach to the side of her neck. She could feel Tommy's teeth nip and graze over her skin and a slight scratch when he bit down softly. His chest moulded up into her back, curving around her and leaning down to be level with her.

"Here," He draped his right arm around her waist, holding his hand out in front of her where he was holding two plastic cups between his fingers.

She gratefully took one but her chest tightened and her back jolted against Tommy's chest when a frozen cold beer bottle suddenly pressed into the left side of her abdomen. Droplets of juice splashed around the rim of her cup and drizzled down her hand like the first flickers of rain and electric shocks coursed up and down her side and down through her arm.

"Tommy!" She hissed through a quirked smile, trying to wriggle away but he pressed the bottle closer until the condensation was soaking into her shirt and her stomach was shuddering at the cold temperature.

The bottle moved around to the middle of her bump and she could feel Tommy's fingers dragging along, creating patterns over her shivering skin which had him laughing into her neck. He bit down just enough to leave a scratch against the side of her throat, quickly soothing the touch with his tongue before he reeled his head back.

He peppered a few tender, lasting kisses up and down her throat and leaned round so he was hovering over her shoulder, lips puckered, expecting a kiss.

"Stop trying to wake them up," (Y/n)'s voice came out quieter than a whisper and her words were gentle, spoken into Tommy's mouth as she was already kissing him before she was finished speaking. She knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to get some movement or a kick out of the baby.

"You feeling okay?" He finally shifted the bottle away from her stomach, pulling her lower lip between his teeth with a growl when (Y/n) dragged her finger down the side of his sharp jawline.

"We're good."

He hummed in response, nodding before finally unravelling himself from around her, leaving (Y/n) suddenly cold and hollow as she watched him head over to Evan, presumably who the other drink was for.

Her eyes couldn't seem to pull away from her boys as she took a sip of her drink and feathered her free hand absentmindedly across her bump. She didn't realise she was smiling until Evan caught her eye and winked in her direction.

But her gaze swiftly turned to the right, glancing in the direction of the Buckleys, gathered next to Maddie.

"What're they doing here?" Margaret motioned her glass in Eddie's direction who was now stood chatting to his parents. He was stood behind Chris's chair, both arms wrapped around his son's shoulders and his lips attached to the top of Chris's curls.

(Y/n) took a few steps closer, unsure what Margaret was talking about, but she could feel ice cold dread clawing down the back of her neck and down her spine as Margaret's expression seemed to change. The placid smile she wore earlier was nowhere to be seen. Her lips were parted and curved down oddly at the corners with her upper lip and nose crinkling in what (Y/n) could only describe as horror.

The way she narrowed her eyes had (Y/n) shuddering and realising that she was looking across at Evan. More specifically, at the way Tommy was draped around Evan like a blanket.

Tommy had his arm around Evan's torso, hand flat on his stomach, chest up against Evan's back and he kept kissing the side of his head in between drinks.

"Did you think they'd be at work?" Maddie tilted her head to one side, unsure why her mum was so spooked and uneasy all of a sudden. Had Evan not explained things properly? Had he only mentioned the baby shower in passing and not given all the details? After all, they hadn't expected their parents to actually turn up today.

"He- he's still with them?"

Anxiety clawed at the back of (Y/n)'s throat and she could feel the baby kicking, waking up with the bursts of adrenaline (Y/n) was getting. Her stomach churned and she was sure that cake she ate was going to make a reappearance.

What was going on? What did Margaret think was happening here? (Y/n) knew it had been too good to be true that they had been so accepting and loving towards Evan when they turned up today. She knew there had to be some reason or miscommunication going on.

"What?" She tried not to let her voice tremble as she walked over to stand beside Maddie, staying as close to her as possible with enough distance between herself and Evan's parents.

"Evan told us you were pregnant, we assumed that meant you'd gotten out of this stage. How can you start a family with this unconventional mess? They shouldn't be here-"

"They're our partners, where else would they be?" A defensive tone took over (Y/n)'s voice and her shoulders straightened and squared up, but her hand stayed on her stomach almost protectively.

So they truly had misunderstood. They thought Evan and (Y/n) had suddenly come out of their relationship with Tommy and Eddie. They thought the baby was just Evan's and that they were starting fresh together without their other two partners. How could they think that Evan would break up with the boys and not tell them? How could they think he would break up with the boys but not (Y/n)?

Evan was constantly telling them how happy he was now. Maddie was always trying to tell them to be inclusive because she knew her brother was the happiest he had ever been. She knew he was loved and cared for and he was who he always wanted to be when he was with his family.

"Well who's baby is it?"

The snappy tone in Phillip's voice took (Y/n) by surprise and she leaned back, taking a step away when his hand moved dangerously close to her stomach. She bit back a groan, hiding the cringe that tore through her when she stepped back on her bad foot and put a bit more weight on it than she was used to recently.

She could feel Maddie's hand moving to grip her arm for comfort and security while she lifted her head, eagerly trying to catch either her brother or Tommy's attention. They were going to need help with this conversation.

"Theirs." (Y/n) surprised herself with the confidence in her voice even though her heart was hammering away in her chest and her head was fogging up.

It was their baby. Paternity didn't matter when there were four people in this relationship and all three of the boys were agreed from the beginning that they were going to raise this baby together, as theirs. Just like they were all bringing Chris up together.

"Please don't do this-" Maddie sighed, pursing her lips when her mum shot her an awful glare and huffed as if Maddie should be chiding and degrading (Y/n) too.

This was a party, a happy occasion and Maddie wanted this to go smoothly. Evan never celebrated his birthday as a child, their parents were too cold and uncaring to give him a special birthday or throw him a party. Maddie always tried to throw little parties for him, but after he left college and moved away, she knew he still didn't celebrate his birthday.

Even now, he was reluctant to have a party or have people acknowledge his birthday and it killed his sister. So to throw a party that was still somewhat for him was all she wanted to do. She wanted to do a party that included Evan and revolved around him and his partners. This was a happy occasion. Everyone was so excited for this baby, Maddie didn't want her parents walking in here and ruining today.

"So you don't know who's child you're having? What are you going to tell them? What are you going to tell people? How fair is it to get Evan to raise a child that probably isn't even his?"

"Hey! That's enough." Evan's voice growled and cut through the music, breaking apart the previously calm atmosphere that seemed to quake around him.

He found himself standing in front of his parents, putting himself in front of (Y/n) and his sister like a shield of armour. The way his shoulders rose and straightened made it seem like he was growing and expanding on the spot and the deep breath he sucked in had his chest rising too.

A bubble of dread swelled up in the pit of (Y/n)'s stomach and she found herself backing away before she could think better of it. She didn't want to stand here and have Evan's parents looking at her like that, she'd had enough of those looks from her own family and from people at work. She wouldn't stand and be stared at or talked to like that in her own home.

(Y/n) aimed for the back door but she didn't get that far before a tense chest moved in her line of sight and hands found her shoulders.

Eddie swerved in front of her, grabbing (Y/n) before she stumbled into his chest. Her head stayed tilted down towards the floor and Eddie kissed the back of her head while one hand moved to curve around her waist instead. He didn't want her to disappear inside, this was their home and no one had the right to make her feel uncomfortable or like she had to walk away.

His thumb glided up and down her hip while his other hand cupped the back of her neck. He slowly walked her back towards their partners who were stood together like a brick wall that no one would be able to break through.

He breathed into her hair, trying to stay calm and stop himself from bounding over there to say something to defend all three of his partners. But he knew he didn't have to. No matter how desperately he wanted to, Evan seemed to have this situation under control. Eddie had spoken to his own parents this morning, this was Evan's ground to cover.

His eyes stayed focused on Evan who looked like he was ready to explode. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, his shoulders were almost touching his jaw and he was visibly shaking and vibrating on the spot.

Even the feel of Tommy's arm around his waist and the feel of his hand squeezing his hip didn't do much to calm Evan down.

"Evan, you can't do this. A relationship as strange as this is one thing, but bringing a child into the equation-"

"You really wanna stand there and lecture me about being a parent, after the way you raised me?" They had no ground to stand on when it came to being a parent. Evan had learned to pick himself up and dust himself down on his own. He learned to go to his big sister to patch him up and give him advice and guide him in the right direction.

He got life lessons and skills and more importantly, a sense of love and belonging from Bobby. Nothing useful came of being around his parents and they couldn't try and lecture him on a subject they had failed so miserably at.

"If you can't accept my family and my choices, then you shouldn't be here. My happiness is more valuable than your opinion."

His voice was quiet enough not to shout aloud for the rest of the neighbourhood to hear, but just on the edge of a louder tone that the rest of his friends and family in the garden would be able to hear.

If they couldn't let themselves be happy for Evan, then he needed them to leave because he was happy and at the best place in his life. He wasn't broken or lost or confused or searching for something that came with reckless consequences. Evan had three adoring partners, a stepson he cherished more than life itself and a baby on the way.

This was a time to celebrate, not a time for his parents to try and put him down like they always did.

"That means you can leave now. Don't let the gate hit you on the way out." Tommy leaned his chin over Evan's shoulder and pointed towards the gate, shaking his beer bottle to further his point. They couldn't stay, they weren't welcome any more after causing a scene and no one was going to miss them if they left.

Evan didn't realise he was shaking until he felt Tommy's hand gliding up and down his waist to try and calm him down and bring him back to the present.

His lips curved into a shaky smile and he dipped his head down to the right when he felt (Y/n) push up behind him. Her lips attached to his arm and her hands found his hips, staying mostly hidden behind him but not wavering in the way she held him, keeping them both grounded and secure. And he could feel Eddie stood on his other side, meshing up against him and Tommy.

As soon as the gate swung shut with a horrid, creaking groan, a wave of relief washed over all four of them and the atmosphere shifted again.

The music playing in the background seemed to become louder and come back into focus. All eyes were in their direction, but all they could see were encouraging looks, soft glances and tender smiles.

"Come on, time for presents."

[mayxxday]

bakugou forgetting their anniversary?

It wasn't unlike Katsuki to be busy. His schedule planned to make every passing minute productive. Now that he was all set and preparing for the big launch of his own pro-hero agency, Ground Zero, Katsuki was especially busy juggling between hero duties and his agency launch.

However, what was unlike Katsuki was to not have some time allotted on his schedule only for his darling girlfriend.

"I'm not a douchebag," he said whenever she questioned him. It felt wrong to demand his time or attention, so Katsuki continued his busy life without his girlfriend.

Going to bed when she was already asleep, slipping out of the bed before she rose. Katsuki had found himself a comfortable pattern of getting ready in complete silence, under the dim light of the washroom, with a kiss to his lover's head and a loving back rub before he was ready to leave.

The patience his partner showed, however, would only go on for so long until it wore out. While his lover waited for him at their shared home, Katsuki was busy in one of his many meetings with staff. The little cake she baked herself, sitting on the perfectly arranged dinner table, with all his favorite food waiting idly with no avail, he wasn't picking up her call.

The private dinner they had planned so fondly a couple months ago, wishing nothing more than the company of each other to celebrate their five years of being together. Katsuki had managed to stand her up on their very own anniversary. The silky smooth form-fitting dress on her body suddenly felt too irritating on her skin. The silver band Katsuki had slipped on her finger three years ago on the same day suddenly felt like an empty promise.

"Just one more call," she thought, trying to call Katsuki, glancing at the clock that read 11:53 pm. The food was long cold now, untouched for hours, and the call rang for a bit. No answer. Putting the food away, she dragged her slowly to their empty bed. Crawling into it while she fought the hot, angry tears that threatened to spill out of her eyes.

When Katsuki returned the night, dropping his gauntlets by the doorway, he couldn't help but pick up on the subtle ways the house had been decorated. His girlfriend's favorite blanket laying by the couch, alongside "only the fluffiest pillows," as she liked to say. 

Even though his tired smile hardly did any justice to the way his heart warmed at the familiar setup of his girlfriend and her infamous pillow fort movie nights. With much effort, when he did move on to the kitchen, his eyebrows furrowed together. 

"Did she have someone over?" Katsuki couldn't help but think, his warm heart tinged now with jealousy. On opening the refrigerator, his confusion only deepened. All of his favorite foods were neatly tucked away for him, but the most confusing of all was the cake that read, 'Happy 5-year anniversary, Hero!' 

His anniversary! Is that why she had the movie night set up? All the dinner table furnished with her favorite ceramics, her favorite candle evaporated half way. All her calls. This was what it was for. While Katsuki had been too busy chasing after her dreams, he forgot the one person who made him want to work harder. 

His appetite and exhaustion were long forgotten as he ran upstairs. There she was. He breathes. "She's here," Katsuki thought to himself, crouching beside her side of the bed. Tucking her hair out of her face, Katsuki was faced with the result of his neglect: dried tear stains on her face. 

"So I'm a douche after all, aren't I?"

Katsuki whispered, gingerly caressing her face with the back of his hand. Getting to reply back, he stares at her face for a bit before getting to work immediately. 

Katsuki found himself in the best suit he owned, sloppily tossing away his hero suit; he won't need that for a while. With his lover tucked safely under the comfort of their blanket, Katsuki busied himself in the kitchen, cooking her favorite food for her, warming up the rest of the food, and setting the dinner table back to the way she would have liked. 

The cream of cake smudging onto his suit was the least of his worries as he scrambles upstairs to get his girlfriend. It was already past 2 am; their anniversary was already past, but Katsuki wasn't going to sleep on it. 

"Wake up, dumbass. Are you really going to sleep on us?"

Katsuki said, gently rubbing her back, watching her eyes flutter open. As guilty as he felt in that moment, he couldn't help but chuckle at her unfocused eyes softened at the sight of him before glaring at him, as if only now remembering what he had done. 

"Yeah, yeah, glare at me all you want. Punch me if you will, but I can be the only grumpy one on our dates, so fix it."

Katsuki smirked and lifted her up in his lap, hands instinctively going for her hair, petting it down. His girlfriend's glare was very forgiving, but that only made him more determined to make it up to her. 

"Katsu, I'm not in the mood for this."

She huffs, moving his hands away, attempting to crawl back in bed. She wasn't about to argue with her stupid boyfriend half asleep; she had way more to say than her sleepy brain would allow her. 

"Perfect, I know what you're in the mood for,"

Katsuki replies before swiftly hauling her over his shoulder, carrying her downstairs. Unlike what he showed, he was actually pretty nervous; he knew he fucked up big time; the only one time she expected him to show up and he just blew her off, but all he knew was he wasn't going to let her go to sleep sad. 

All the arguments died in her throat when she saw the dimly lit dining table, the smell of warm, delicious food tempting her empty stomach to hop off and devour it already. But that wasn't all; Katsuki, the big, tough pro-hero, had made her a delicately put together blanket fort. When she caught Katsuki's eyes on her, watching her reaction. She huffed dramatically, turning her face away. 

"Not very impressive; those were all my ideas."

"Maybe, but they're all back in shape because of yours truly. So quit being a brat and gimme a kiss already,"

Katsuki demands. Maybe he was pushing it a little, but he was desperate for anything for her; even if she snapped at him, Katsuki would take it all, as long as he got to make it up to her. 

What should have been a night to celebrate 5 years of their love might have turned into a dawn to celebrate, but would Katsuki really have complained when he held his love on his lap, feeding her while she scolded him hours straight? Laying together, tucked under the embrace of the blanket fort he had built to make up to her. And make up to her, he did. Their bodies tangled together, his lips pressed to the base of her while he held her to himself. 

"I'm a douche bag, aren't I? but you love me anyways" He whispers, letting sleep take over his droopy eyes, making a silent vow to himself to go even grander the next day to make up for himself, who needs an anniversary to love anyways.

[hollyhomburg]

Before I Leave You (Pt.66)

(Omegaverse au, Mafia au, Bts x Reader)

Summary: Wolves always go for the throat, whether they’re cornered or hunting.

Tags: Blood, Guns, violence, near death experiences, everyone lives nobody dies...but someone does die this chapter, horror, non-lethal injury, talks of death and dying, a bit of body horror, Trans! tae, Tae is briefly dead named in this, implied/referenced intimate partner violence, flashbacks, brief suicidality.

W/c: 8.3k

A/N: ahhhhhh <3 we're finally ready for this part of the story <3 i wonder what your guys reactions will be, i'm really glad i decided to split this chapter into two peices! it's much cleaner this way. don't be 🥲 too mad at me.

Previous part - Masterlist - First part

(Four years prior, Hoseok)

Today is the day that Hoseok will meet his future pack, he just doesn’t know it yet.

It always feels like a bit of betrayal but the worst and best days of your life often come close together. Maybe just for contrast. A bit of good in the bad. A slice of cake in a feast of raw meat.

This starts as just another bad day in a long stretch of shitty days. The kind of days were anxiety bubbles up and how afraid you are is all you can think about. Taking one breath and then another like just staying alive means you're guaranteed to get better.

The only place to go from rock bottom is up, and hoseok's sneakers are firmly on the concrete, standing outside of the record store in the rain with no place to go.

Hoseok has been afraid for a long time. He can't really remember even if he thinks hard, the last morning he woke up not afraid.

What hoseok really needs is a day off, but he really can't fucking afford it. He can't afford anything- certainly not a one-bedroom apartment on his own. If he's really really lucky maybe he'll be able to find a closet room somewhere that will cost almost his whole paycheck. Because after today-

After today, Jung Hoseok will be homeless, packless, and alone. His pack dropped the news on him last night…or well ex-pack.

He doesn’t expect that he’ll be moving into the pack's house on this rainy day, he doesn't expect that by the end of the week, he won't be worrying about where his next meal will come from because Jin will be there with it ready. Jimin sometimes too.

He won't be worrying about where he'll sleep because the bed in their spare room that smells like tae tae tae will be his. He'll roll around in it when the door is closed, shy about it because Hoseok has never liked other alpha's scents so much before. And when he comes home and Jungkook has made a nest in it, it will feel like a bit of an impossible silver lining, a bit too much- to have an omega making him a nest, making something special just for him

It takes three weeks for Namjoon to make him a house key for himself. After he gets left outside in a very similar storm to this. The doctor will touch his cheek, thumbing at the dimples that they share. how special is it that each smile gets cradled like a crescent moon? the heavens have left imprints on both of their skin. Freckles for stars and dimples for moon's.

"I don't want you to get sick pup."

"People don't get sick from wet heads anymore hyung."

"They don't. But I want to keep you dry and comfortable in my den. i know you still want to look for apartments but...what if you didn't?"

But neither the weather nor Hoseok knows to prepare for good news. Right now the heavens open up and release its deluge, thick rain the way that only happens at the start of summer. Worms and other wriggly things crawl their way out of their holes to find a good spot to die next to Hoseok's shoes. Worn fancy sneakers that his pack-omega had gotten him a few months ago for their anniversary. They're the nicest thing he's ever owned.

His ex-pack omega.

It's hard to rewire your brain, especially for alpha's. Hoseok is a lone wolf. He hasn't been without a pack in so long, it feels weird to not have someone to call, someone he needs to trail after and cling to. He checks his phone but he doesn't have a single notification from them.

He doesn't have a single notification from anyone.

Hoseok is glad he doesn't feel his instincts as keenly as other alphas do. Otherwise, he might be inclined to gnash his teeth at the people who pass by him on their way to work, umbrellas almost bumping him, perceiving even closeness as a threat. So vulnerable without a pack (lone alphas are always the first to starve in winter).

Hoseok shivers even though its summer, he's soaked to the bone after a few minutes.

He has a key to the record store. He could go inside. Granted- he should be inside already. Opening up shop, making coffee, and letting the place warm up. But standing out in the rain feels too much like penance.

Hoseok likes the rain. The smell of it. The way it makes the whole world ache and go still. He feels every drop on his dark hair, soaking through his thin hoodie. It's cleansing almost, letting the rain soak him through.

(The end of relationships is always hard, let alone the end of abusive relationships, they’re downright terrible).

Hoseok keeps replaying their words in his head, with every slosh of a nearby car, every honk of a taxi. The stoplight red and green bleeding onto the wet concrete. Yellow flashing in contrast with hoseok's dark memories.

“You’re welcome to stay here until the lease runs out, but the four of us need to move back home. You understand Hobi don’t you? We’re just omega’s- we’re just girls- and we think this could be a clean break for all of us. We just don't want to lead you on any longer.”

The worst part is that Hobi had sort of known, had sort of already realized what was happening. he’d seen it in their looks; distant and despondent. Their touches that did not linger longer than necessary, cheeks turned as he comes in for a kiss. The phone calls hushed in the other room that cut off abruptly when he entered.

The lease on their apartment ends today. The place has already been professionally deep cleaned and Hoseok's things are packed in his car in plastic bins. He has 6 of them to his name.

He doesn’t have a place to go yet, he might just sneak into the back room at the record store and sleep there until he figures something out. Hoseok drove to work early because he didn't have another place to go.

This version of Hoseok is not the one you know, this version of Hobi is 23 and hopeless, can’t think about moving back in with his parents a city away, with nothing but a rusted-out Corolla that barely gets him to work let alone through the 200-mile trip. It will die on him in about 6 months and Namjoon will be thankful that Hoseok no longer is driving around in a deathtrap.

He hadn’t even gotten this job by himself, his pack omega- his ex-girlfriend had gotten him this job almost 4 months ago after his last one didn’t pan out. Temporary work for temporary people.

Nothing feels like his. Not his body and certainly not this job.

Hoseok hasn’t smoked in months, but something that feels an awful lot like self-disgust worms under his skin and he can’t resist. Not today of all days. Smoking is something that he doesn’t indulge in often, and hasn’t indulged in since… becoming an alpha to someone. But he guesses it doesn’t matter now without anyone to complain that they don’t like the smell.

The cigarette mixes with the smell of petrichor and Hoseok’s own acidic scent. The smell of a terrified alpha draws him more than a few looks but he pays them no mind. He's thankful for his soaking face, at least the rain keeps out the tears. Cool and soothing against his face.

Hoseok just wants- Hoseok just wants to call them. To talk to someone.

Ending relationships is always like this. You want to keep being good, keep being what they want, but that’s impossible. You can’t act or behave right and dupe someone into loving you. Sometimes the love just isn’t there. (A smaller shyer voice says it was never love at all, you can't possess love, only be given it and Hoseok feels like a cast aside possession. Love and abuse cannot coexist).

Hoseok should have known. He keeps replaying the moments in his head. He’d seen them exchanging knowing looks when they thought he wasn’t looking.He thought he was just being paranoid, until yesterday morning when they’d taken him aside.

“You knew this had to end one day Hoseok" "You knew one day we'd move on." "As much as we appreciate what you’ve done for us, we think it’s time for us to move on.”

“What do you mean? I thought we were leaving next week, you really left me with only a day to find a place to go?”

“We’re sorry Hoseok, your last rut was just too much to deal with. We think it's best if we just stay on our own. It's a clean break this way.”

"Wait, please- I love you."

"We know. We're sorry."

Hoseok is too much for anyone to deal with. He doesn’t call his friends (he hasn’t met up with any of them or returned their texts in months thanks to several pointed words from his pack omega). He doesn’t go inside yet because he deserves the rain. He sits out front of the record store, smoking a cigarette that will probably end up killing him down the line, and thinks Good.

He tells himself the irritation in his eyes is just because of the cigarette smoke blowing in his face, even though he knows it's not. He's not even inhaling right because his breaths come all hitched and pathetic. Anyone would be sad if their relationship of several years had ended. Anyone would be devastated.

Hoseok checks his phone again. Nothing.

Most people on the crowded street ignore him. Though the thick throng of people going about their business, probably going to work at their 9 to 5 jobs that pay enough to afford apartments and packmates. Hoseok is the one soul that stands stationary.

Until one, someone a few feet back stops, tipping their face through their hood to look at him. The only other person without an umbrella.

Hoseok knows his face and his name. It’s just Min Yoongi- his coworker and sort of friend who's coming in for his shift. Hoseok doesn't love Yoongi yet but they're sort of friends already. They might be better friends if Hoseok could get over his admiration and jealousy.

Yoongi has this way of quietly taking care of the people around him. He picks up Hoseok's jacket when it slides off the hook at work, asks him if he wants coffee and even pays for it when he goes to the coffee shop next door. He compliments Hoseok's music tastes when it's his turn to play something, he gives Hoseok the aux frequently in a way that feels a little bit like flirting.

The only two good things about Hoseok's job are the music and Min Yoongi.

He even laughs at Hoseok's shitty jokes when they're stacking new inventory saying cryptic things like "they can't be worse than my omega's jokes."

That's why Hoseok's jealous. Yoongi gets packmates, five of them who make him lunch even when he's only got a four-hour shift. that often linger outside to walk him home or pick him up in their shiney not new not old cars.

(Yoongi's packmates certainly have better things to do than send Yoongi to work with a second packed lunch. "Jin-hyung caught a glimpse of you through the doorway, the only thing that he hates more than Namjoon's snoring is skinny Alpha's.")

Min Yoongi has that look that people do when they're well-loved by packmates. Hair ruffled and neck dotted with bruises that might as well be mating bites for a beta. Beta's don't mate, but these ones certainly keep him close. He wears their scents like a shield. Sometimes so thick that Hoseok can't even smell any of his chocolate scent.

Right now, staring at Yoongi a few paces into the street, all Hoseok can smell is the rain.

When Hoseok had been introduced to him it had felt strange just by virtue of Yoongi's sub gender. A beta? Working somewhere so normal? Weren’t beta's supposed to be like- financial advisors or assistants to the president or something? Betas are supposed to have more important jobs than pushing vinyl and bumping Hoseok's shoulder playfully.

(Hoseok hasn’t seen it yet, the way that the owner hands over little white baggies to people who come in looking hungry for a high that cigarettes or alcohol can’t fix. Hoseok hasn’t yet realized that the record store isn't just a record store. This is just one front business of many that the family has organized across this city and the country for distribution of some of his most precious inventory). Yoongi has worked her for the last year, takes calls in the back for the family. The owner only bows to him when Hoseok's not around.

They only hired hoseok for tax purposes. Having three employees looks less suspicious than just two.

The beta looks concerned, and Hoseok knows he can’t hide the fact that he’s been crying as the beta steps up and pushes Hoseok back under the awning. Out of the rain and into the warmth of the doorway. This kind of movement would make any alpha snap, but not Hoseok. Hoseok just tucks his chin down and starts to cry.

“Oh Hoseok.” Hobi sniffles, and wipes his runny nose on his sleeve. Yoongi's hand curls against his throat, chocolate scent spiking to soothe. “You’re soaking wet."

Yoongi grabs his wrist and Hoseok almost keens at the gentle touch. Whole body shaking, shoulders curling in Yoongi's direction. Yoongi’s lips press into a thin line and then tugs him inside.

~-~

(Now, You)

You hold your breath. Still peering around the corner, watching and waiting for the man to spot you.

But he doesn't, after a breath where his soft footsteps echo, you wait, but nothing happens. You peak back around the corner.

You absorb and catalog the details as fast as you can; the black ski mask, covered by one of those traditional Korean masks, wooden with red lacquer. This one is a little different than the one that Jimin had; not twisted with thick eyebrows in a snarl. This one is white with red splotches on the cheeks, like a ghost sent down from above to rob you of your humanity.

The bulletproof vest stops at the collarbones. The gun itself is a black generic model. The long end is extra bulbous with something that might be an attached silencer. His hands covered in black nitrile gloves, leathery at first glance. There is a knife at his waist along with a barrage of other small things; rope and a knife, duct tape and handcuffs. His heavy boots look steel toed and reinforced.

The man (because it is a man you realize; tall, maybe taller than Namjoon) trains his gun at the landing on the top of the stairs. Pointing it in the direction of Hobi, Tae, and Jin’s hushed voices.

Hobi giggles and it sounds so bright. Echoing off the walls and filling the house with his musical laughter.

There is a phone cord tangled in your hands, long and white. You grip it tight.

This man might be silent but you’re quieter as you slide your bare feet across the smooth floors. Your strides are so quiet. You take one step and then another until you're behind the man, mirroring him.

You remember when Yoongi redid the floors, it was one of the few things that he did right away; before the pack came to live here (to love here). It took him weeks and weeks of sanding before he got them to his liking. Days more of brown dark stain that colored his hands ruddy until the soft matte finish stuck. Every pass with the belt sander and dirty rag a movement of love, a meditation for it.

Yoongi made every inch of this house with the same loving intent; to make it a home for all of you. a place to be safe and nurse your wounds and hearts. You won’t let it become a grave. You won’t let this person stay here and ruin it.

Most people get it wrong; In order to kill it is not a matter of elegance or effort. There is no such thing as a perfect kill either. Emotionless and analytic isn't enough and being justified only gets you halfway. There is no way to do it cleanly. People die just as they live, messy and hopeful and dirty.

Murder isn't a matter or wanting or wishing, It’s a matter of rage.

It’s always been this way. Rage has been chewing a hole through you from the moment that you pulled the trigger with Geumjae. From the moment you said ‘I do’. Rage that these violent things have been done to you, that they continue to happen, that you can’t just get away from all the hurt and trauma.

Rage has eaten you clean through to the bone. Rage has made you skinny and starving, rage has made you timid and fragile. But now you're the hungry one. Right now, only three words run through your head;

How dare she.

How dare she send this man into your house. How dare she point a gun at the upstairs, in the general direction of your nest and your packmates. The altar at which you so desperately cling to, for sweet dreams and sweeter worship (There is no deity above the god of love, not even death. Death cannot take the love from your chest, someone dying does not make you stop loving them).

How dare she even think about hurting the people you love.

There is no courage, no bravery, no thought in your head about how stupid it might be as you step closer behind the man. You are not a trained assassin. You’re just an omega.

The adrenaline rush is an old friend, a thrall both intoxicating and unnerving. Your heart beats loud in your ears. You grip the phone cord in your hands and take a quiet steadying breath. He doesn't see you, he doesn't hear you, he doesn't know that you're behind him.

Wolves always go for the throat, whether they’re cornered or hunting.

The assassin’s foot ascends the bottom step. You don’t let him get to the second before you’re moving, hurtling forward. Footsteps no longer light. Your hands go over the man’s shoulders. The cord no more than a white flash across his vision before you draw it tight across his neck.

The pain and panic are instant as you’re suddenly tethered to a six-foot-four assassin and struggling to stay on your feet as he stumbles back. You’re pulled off your feet and down the stairs, but you keep it as tight as you can and you don’t let go. Fighting to keep your makeshift garrote tight as he scrambles to get his fingers around where it digs into his skin. Spluttering loud.

The hard wire digs, cutting easily through plastic and then your skin as he tries to pull you off. You don’t let go until he backs you into the entryway wall and slams you against it with a dizzying clang of bone and body hitting something solid. Your head narrowly avoids one of the hooks that the pack hangs their coats on. An inch to the left and he'd have impaled your skull on it. An inch to the left and you'd be dead.

A single inch.

His head slams into your face, and you feel something in your nose pop, flooding your mouth with blood so thick you choke.

He slams you against the wall once, twice, and then a third time until your grip goes slack and slippery with blood. It knocks the breath out of you, and he finally throws you off. You both fall to the ground like stones. Both of you gasp and struggle for breath. At least one of your ribs it broken, but because of the adrenaline you can't even feel it.

When the man lifts his black gloves to his throat, they come away glossy with blood.

(It’s crazy how you never notice the change from the day to day, one day you are begging for a reason to hold on, a reason to live, and the next you’re fighting tooth and nail to keep going. Just about gnawing your own arm off to get out. To survive and live to see another day. Another sunrise.)

By that time the air has returned to your lungs it’s enough for you to scream. “Jin! Jin! There’s someone in the house there’s-”

You try and inhale through your nose and blood makes you choke. You push at the floor with your hands, struggling to stand, fingers slippery and tacky with your blood.

The man tries to scramble up the stairs but you latch onto his legs and make him drop. Doing everything in your power to keep him from going up to them, to your packmates. Hugging his ankle to your chest to slow him down (the same way you’ve hugged Namjoon’s arm and Yoongi’s, the way you held Hobi in the nest on the couch just a few shattered days ago).

The man turns the gun on you, pointing it to your head, you flinch, waiting for the shot-

and open them as He heaves a frustrated roar before he wheels away and turns, aiming at the top of the stairs instead of right in your face.

You could have died right then. could have and should have, but you didn’t. Your brain is too messy with adrenaline right now to make sense of it.

Why didn't he shoot?

The gun goes off, a bullet whizzing by Jin’s head. His face, scared, on the stairs flashes ever briefly. Ducking for cover just in time. The doorframe explodes in a cacophony of dark wood splitters. The doorknob sparks and bursts into a million pieces with another shot. metal clanking against the ceiling, the walls, down the stairs.

One second, you’re holding onto his heavy leather boot, and the next it’s colliding with your face and you’re out like a light.

Getting hit in your face is always such a disorientating experience. You’d never gotten used to it, even with Geumjae. Granted it’s hard to get used to the stomach-churning low vision feeling of weightlessness, like vertigo only worse.

"Hobi! don't- jesus fucking christ-"

You’re not quite sure what happens next only that you can’t see for a moment after the boot hits your face, and you take big breaths through your mouth. Blood, you taste blood. And then your vision comes back. Black spots and all and there’s Hobi’s face in front of you. No assassin, just him, helping you up from the floor. You're not on the steps anymore but at the bottom of them.

“The kitchen, the kitchen," Blood rushes over your bottom lip. Hoseok wipes it away, inhaling a jagged breath. "He’s-”

He pushes at your shoulders. “The car- get to the car.” It feels impossible. This can be happening in your house. Are you about to have a shoot-out in the street? On your quiet cul-de-sac? But then, in the corner of your vision dark movement.

You tug Hobi’s head down the second that the gun goes off- probably saving his life, definitely saving it as the bullet tears through the banister and ends in a hollow thump in the wall. he may not have shot you but he has no quams shooting at Jin and Hobi. The bullets hit the wall- Maybe 6 inches above your bent heads. Too close, close enough that Hobi trembles in your hold. And he rips something- a piece of the doorway, out of his arm with a wince before he covers your body with his own.

The volley of gunshots are so loud, so vicious as they blow things apart, tearing holes through Yoongi’s coat, the doorway, the banister, and the narrow stairway rungs. Pieces of wood hit your curled forms. Hobi shoves your head down when you try to look.

There is wetness, hot, something hot on your hands, your neck, you know it’s blood before you look. You think it’s from you until the Gunsmoke clears and you realize- fingers skimming across hoseok's forehead, a gash above his eyebrow.

A bullet graze by his hairline thats bleeding profusely. head wounds always bleed a ridiculous amount.

There are more bullets behind you but it’s just Jin returning fire.

Jin’s got Tae behind him. Her face ashy and pink from the shower and panic, her mid-length dark hair such a tangle, cowering behind his back. Jin's gun is so much louder without the silencer. Did he bring one upstairs? Or did he get it from Jimin’s stash?

Jin nearly drags Tae to the three of you, and she clings to you. Your hand finds her face. Fingers are red and bloody smudging against her cheek, blink and you're back there a million moments in the past; dotting red blush across her cheeks with a brush- your fingers- kissing it into place with your lips- painting a line of maroon across her eyelids to bring out the lighter flecks in her eyes- Watching her twirl in a red dress. Pressing your red lips against hers in a quiet dark moment in the library room. With her in Hobi's red car- Everything red.

If it starts with red, maybe it's fitting that it ends in red too.

Jin doesn’t give you time to reminisce. Pushing her shoulder down hard. His bare chest splattered with splinters from the door. Covered in wood fragments that stick to his black sweatpants and damp feet. Shouting, “All of you get down!”

You follow your pack omega’s words. Hobi and Tae With their damn alpha instincts blanket you as Jin fires again. The shots are so much louder in the small space. Another shot, another thunder strike. tae grips your wrist tight, your hands.

When you look down, they look mutilated. you can see bone in one place, deep gashes across the centre of your palms.

Your ears ring and you can't make sense of anything over the noise. Jin returns every bang with a boom of his own, bright flashes lighting up the dark staircase. Casing after casing tinkling down to the floor, rolling across the floorboards

But then, for a second- the gunfire goes quiet.

The house creeks and the three of you hold your breath. Jin's still half-concealed. The air heavy and clouded with gunsmoke and the smell of blood.

Hobi tentatively gets onto his knees and then stands when he doesn't immediately get shot at. You make a small noise in your throat, the loudest that you dare, but he’s looking after Jin, standing in the darkness, hackles raising his angry scent of burning sugar acrid in your nose. His hand slides out of yours, your blood on his palms.

And then you hear the rush of boots, echoing in the living room, near your nest- you’d never unmade it after you and Hobi fucked there. You'd been too busy taking care of Jimin. Hoseok bears his teeth.

Hobi turns, sliding out of your hands quicker than you can grab him. Quicker than you can tell him that he’s being dumb, that he’s being suicidal.

“Not my girlfriend! You asshole!”

The world is a dizzying cacophony of gunpowder, pain, bullets, and shouting. Jin yells Hoseok’s name. But the alpha heads after the assassin regardless of your cries. Jin narrowly keeps him from running headlong into no mans land. the open area by the door that would leave Hoseok a sitting duck.

Tae’s standing up on unsteady legs as you all spill out of the stairs into the narrow hall. Out from her hiding place cowering behind the banister. Your attention isn’t on her it’s on Hobi. Neither you nor Jin are looking at her. You’re running after him on shaky legs. Jin holds you both back, trying to corrall you. The air is cloudy with Gunsmoke, hazy and heavy. Her eyes are wide and pretty like dark marbles as she watches Hobi.

They’re just as pretty when the gun presses to the back of her head.

Everyone turns and goes still. The man has Tae in his arms, hand in her hair making her neck arch. The gun pressed to her jaw. Finger on the trigger.

Her body trembles and she doesn’t turn, frozen still in fear a shallow whine building in her throat.Jin has the gun trained on the man faster than you can make to step in Tae’s direction. But it’s no use.

He must have gone around, run through the livingroom through your pantry. A similar path that you took to surprise him. He must know the floor plan of the house, must have studied it to prevent situations like this. You have no upper hand here with tae in his arms.

Tae’s mouth is buttony and parted, but it settles into a resigned line.

Jin’s never been a good enough shot- not for one like this, even barely 10 feet away. He might hit Tae. Shaky, Jin takes his finger off the trigger and stoops down to put the gun on the floor. His other hand is up, already surrendering when the man jerks Tae's head back by her hair. Rougher than he needs to be.

“Don’t shoot her, please don’t shoot- please.”

The man juts his chin at the gun on the floor. “Kick it away now, be a good omega.” Jin grits his teeth but does as he says.

The man’s voice is rough as gravel. Dignified, but with no obvious accent. Not the quiet cadence that you’ve come to expect from the family. Neither posh nor lowbrow. Something in between. Flat and monotone. You're sure that you've never heard his voice before.

“I have to admit, your file said you’d be resistant, but it said nothing about you being dumb as fuck and a poor shot to boot.”

Jin licks his lips and bares his teeth, “Put that gun back in my hand and then say it again.” The masked man cocks his head to the side and then shrugs as if Jin's fury doesn't mean anything to him.

But He’s bleeding, it trails down to the floor so the words can't be genuine. It's a small wound, a graze on his right thigh. Red bright and hot that drips in onto the floor from his pant leg.

His hand tightens in Tae’s hair. “Line up against the wall. Now. Or I’ll blow her brains out in front of you."

You move first, eyes trained on Tae. But he snaps, eyes unreadable behind that mask, “No- not you. I’m not here to kill you.”

He tosses something to Jin and he catches it. Handcuffs that jingle and clink. Your foot hits an errant bullet with a similar tinkle. “Handcuff Jin to the stairs Hoseok.”

Your names, he knows your names. Your mind races over every detail, every moment trying to piece together a way to get out of this. a way to save them.

“Why are you doing this?” Hobi’s trembling, shaking. “Did Jimin-”

“Jiminie did nothing.” The man croons dragging the barrel of the gun down Tae’s cheek leaving a dark smudge in its wake. It's red on her face, the barrel must still be hot, your blood crusty around her lips.

“Honestly though, you should know he was a shit assassin. Truly piss poor even by industry standards. They always threw him the easiest kills."

The three of you are quiet, if he was hoping to elicit a reaction or more of a fight You don’t give him the satisfaction. Although jin grits his teeth, gnashing anger and an omega's feral instinct to protect their pups.

You step forward hands open, barely two steps from Tae. If you can just get to her maybe you can-

“Please- please don’t kill them."

He cocks his head at you, and you can hear the grin in his voice. “Oh no, you misunderstand me I’m not going to do any of it.”

He taps Tae’s head once again with the gun and Tae starts to truly struggle. You tremble in fury and horror as you realize what he means with a sickening lurch in your stomach.

“This is how it’s going to work Y/n” You still at the sound of your name. “Taehyung here is going to shoot Jin and Hoseok. And then once we’re sure they’re good and dead, I’ll kill her.” He tosses you another pair of handcuffs, these ones are meant for you.

You take one step closer; Jin's gun is between your feet now. But you couldn't pick it up or else he'd shoot Tae. Time, you just need a minute to figure out what to do. How to get them out of this.

Yourself now, that's a different story. If you where in Tae's position you'd turn your face to the side and bite the mans hand.

“And what about me then? If they're all dead what’s to stop me from fighting?” he seems to consider it only briefly, the gun in his hand tilting so that you can see the dark oval where the bullet will come out, where it will rocket through Tae's skull and take all the little worlds she dreams of, all her poems and words and make them nothing.

“You think you're so precious? I’ll just kill you.” he says it like it's nothing. like you're nothing. He nods to the others, appealing to them and not you. “What do you want? All four of you to die? Or just three? What will hurt Namjoon the least? Do you think Yoongi will survive loosing his mate? What do you think Jinnie?”

You think of Yoongi's mating mark, the spot on his hip where your small curved semi-circles sit. You think of them turning black- a brand of a dead mate. You think of Hobi's eyes opening and never closing again. You think of Jungkook nesting without Jin and you. Of Namjoon holding out his hand and having no one to take it without Jin there.

You won't let any of this happen.

The others shoot each other unsure glances but you shake your head. you shake your head because earlier on the step, the man didn't take the easy shot, the easy kill.

If he really had orders to kill you, he would have done it then.

you step forward and shake your head. “I don’t believe you. I know your orders are to take me. That’s what all of this is about isn’t it?” The man doesn’t drop his weapon. Just presses it tighter to Tae’s jaw.

“Handcuff Jin now Hobi. Or else I’ll-”

You see the darkness settle in Jin’s eyes and before you know it he's turning to you, eyes flat. Endless in their darkness, the way they might if-

You don't let yourself consider it. You won't let it get to that point.

“Pup-”

You guess it does make sense, having you kill each other as opposed to the assassin doing the dirty work and implicating Moonbyul. If you really are on that ‘no kill list’ like Yoongi said at the hospital, having you take out each other is the only logical course of action. Once Tae kills Jin and Hobi, she'll be free game. This is the only way retribution won’t fall back on her. This is so similar to what she tried and failed to do with Jimin and Jin. This is a second attempt.

Only-

Only this time, you have a bargaining chip.

You step forward, in front of Hobi and Jin, blocking them from his line of sight. Barely a pace in front of Tae, but from the way he tightens his grip on her you know that you can go no further.

“You can take me; I’ll go with you. Willingly.”

Jin makes a noise in his throat and tries to move, but dares not when the man tightens his grip on Tae’s hair hard enough to rip a bit of it out.

“That’s what she wants, isn’t it? If you just let them live I’ll go with you.”

The man is silent for a second. Hobi trembles and so does Jin. For a second, you truly think that he’s going to take the bait.

But the mask is directed towards the floor, then back up at you. “Those aren’t my orders.” His finger is on the trigger so close to Tae’s head. “Now cuff him, I don’t want Jinnie getting any ideas.”

Hobi’s hands are shaking as he unwillingly shackles Jin to the steps as slowly as he can. He's buying time too. Every second and every heartbeat is precious. Both ends loop around a single rung and click closed. The rung itself is a little loose from a bullet that blew it apart near the bottom, it’s got to be the loosest one. Hobi turns, and you see the pre-meditation in his eyes; he chose that one so that Jin could still get free if he tried hard enough.

Everyone is trying. Everyone is defiant. The quirk of Jin's eyes as he settles, staring with rage at the man, his voice a quiet croon when he says what might very well be the last words he ever speaks.

“Tae you can close your eyes honey, it’s okay.”

"No I can't" She struggles harder against his hold, but it only gets her part of her hair pulled out with how rough the man jerks her, tears clouding her vision. "I can't- don't- please-"

Tae's soul has always been butterfly soft and flower tender. She's not made for this. She's not made for murder or pain or anything that lacks softness. She's never been a killer; Jimin was always that side of their coin. Saint and sinner.

Your body goes cold and for a second, you think you just might pass out, especially when Hoseok grips your wrist. One final squeeze in what can only be goodbye before he steps away and in front of jin. Hair puffed up. Jin is lowering his eyes and no no no.

No.

Tae is staring at you, eyes wide and scared, but you watch in total powerlessness as her eyebrows lower. You see the moment Tae thinks it. Eyes meeting yours, lips mouthing something that you can’t read. Maybe I’m sorry no.

I love you. Sorry.

The truth is that Jimin drilled this with her years ago before she left for college and he couldn’t follow. When Jimin first realized that for the first time in their lives she’d be without him as a constant protector. Delicate delicate Tae with her delicate pink soul. So vulnerable to the world and all its wickedness.

Tae didn't confront him about it until the nightmares were waking him up regularly. They were simple nightmares back then; images of Tae hurt and mugged. Tae beaten and left in an alleyway. Tae stalked through the night. Simple, but enough to keep him awake. Enough to torture him in his wakon hours as well as the nighttime.

If Jimin saw her now he'd pull the heavens down and demand something truly awful in exchange. He'd take one of the knives from the kitchen and gut him from belly button to addams apple. He'd eviscerate him- and Namjoon might help.

Hut there is no one here to do any of that, there is only Tae in the man's hold.

“What are you so scared of?” She’d asked one morning, trailing endless patterns on his chest in an effort to soothe him back to sleep.

“Something happening to you while I’m not there, mostly.”

“Would it make you feel better? If you taught me the basics?”

Jimin's pause is telling, more telling are his eyes, hopeful when he looks up at Tae. “Yes, it would.”

It’s been years and years since Jimin Tae have bothered to drill any self-defense sequences it at all. Since he stopped asking her to refresh the basics with him once a year just to make sure. Jimin never thought that Tae would have to use those skills. Like with most things, you just sort of hope you don't have to fight.

But Tae knows you did fight. It's written all over your bloody face and your bloody hands, tightened to fists by your side. If you fought tooth and nail to save them she should fight too.

Tae has written fight scenes like this before. If she survives the press of the gun to the back of her head, she’s gonna have one hell of a personal experience to pull from for her book. The content will be endless.

She seems to swell in the space, alpha shoulders settling back. Her mouth is moving, mouthing words her eyes on you. Just in case this is the last thing she ever does.

I’m sorry, I love you.

“Be a good boy and pick up the gun Tae.” Tae bends down, syrupy slow. Intentional with her every movement. One heartbeat. Another. Tae's fingers are maybe an inch from the gun when everything goes haywire.

When she's about halfway bent she uses her momentum to hurl her body back, slamming her head into the gun and then into the man’s face. Cracking the mask and from the sound of it, the man’s nose. Tae's almost knocks herself out with the force of her own head colliding with the man’s face.

She turns, she’s not finished, not even close. She might be a woman but she’s an alpha too. Alphas always always fight to protect their pack. She turns and swings.

And drives her elbow as hard as she can between the alpha’s legs.

Hobi can’t stop his flinch. That has to hurt.

The assassin’s gun goes flying, skittering across the dark floor and under the bookcase and Hobi ends up lunging for it. You go after it too but you end up holding Tae instead, crumpling to the floor without anything to hold her up. She’s holding the back of her head, eyes watering.

The traditional mask lyes in pieces around you, shatered by the force of tae's headbut. The man clutches his nose, features still covered by the ski mast. Growling out- "Bitch- fucking bitch! I'll kill you. I'll fucking kill all of you-"

Jin struggles yanking his cuffed hands down as hard as he can- in another minute he might get loose, but not quick enough as Hobi finds the gun and raises it. The bullet hits the molding beside your pantry, missing the man by inches as he dives away to safety. A lucky shot by any standard, let alone for a beginner. Hobi shoots off after him. knocking into the wall before he's up and chasing it.

“Are you okay, Tae, Tae- look up at me.” Tae is clutching the back of her head. Blinking rabidly. That fucking hurt even if it was worth it.

“I’m fine just-” She leans over your legs and vomits, retching loud and horrible. Concussion- she must have given herself a concussion. Namjoon told you months ago how to read the signs of them shortly after the first time Jungkook ever had a seizure in front of you.

You hold her shoulders, watching Jin try and break himself free, yanking his wrists hard enough that it has to hurt. Moving to try and help him.

And then Hobi makes a noise in the other room, a pained ghasp, A thump and then-

Tae is already up and running, stumbling into the wall. You glance at Jin. "Go- just go" Jin grinds out. But Tae has longer legs than you do even concussed.

By the kitchen, Hobi slips on a fallen tangerine. (You remember then, Yoongi clearing the table with a brush of his hands for Jimin, tossing a whole bowl of them onto the floor. Where they've stayed since then) they're fighting, the man must have managed to disarm Hobi somehow because the gun sits under one of the chairs. Both of them are fighting just beside the dining room table. Part of it splintered and broken where someone broke it.

They're grappling on the floor now. Pushing against each other trying to gain the upper hand. you've watched the alpha's wrestle before- small disputes to settle and reaffirm the hierarchy, but you've never seen hobi move like this. You watch the man grasp at his waist reaching for the knife. His hands so slick with his own blood that it clatters to the floor. Hobi may not be trained but he's a fighter too. Gnashing his teeth and growling. Reaching up into the shallow gash at the mans throat and digging in his fingers.

And then he’s got Hobi on the ground and his hands around your alpha's throat. Tae tries to get him off but he backhands her, sending her sprawling to the ground and clutching her cheek. Too dizzy to stand. Big hands that squeeze and squeeze and squeeze Hobi's narrow throat. Spit at the corner of his lips turning frothy as hoseok tries to breathe and can't.

“I didn’t come this far to get killed by a bunch of family rejects; 11 years and 1458 kills later and I will not die. Just give up already- I didn’t come this far to-”

Hobi’s face is turning purple, hands scrabbling, pushing against his face trying to get him off unsuccessfully. Dying there on the floor. Hobi is going to die right there if you don't do anything.

Jin is shouting from the other room and there is a frying pan in the kitchen. On the countertop that you snatch on your way past, winding up for it before you swing it with all your might at the man's head and-

At the end of the day, it’s hard to say exactly what kills him. Whether it's you or Tae who wields the killing blow. It’s more of a group effort between you and her.

Tae has read countless books that described love as some gentle force, but this love has not made her gentle. Tae cannot sit there on the floor and watch Hobi die. She'd do anything to protect him and the pack. She’d kill people like Minnie did, would lie just as Jin had, would have sacrificed anything- even herself just like Yoongi.

Love had always been giving in Tae's mind, and she would give countless sins and untold violence, to have this not be the last day with you and the pack.

The gun is just sitting there under the chair. tae hardly has to lean over to get it. (If she makes it out of this alive, she swears to himself that she'll finally start taking those kickboxing classes that Jungkook teaches.) Tae lifts the gun at the same moment that your hand descends with the frying pan.

Tae turns, points, aims, and fires. She doesn’t even think twice about it. The trigger goes down as easily as breathing.

Getting shot in the throat definitely distracts him enough, definitely makes him let go of Hobi, clutching at his own throat instead of his. blood rushing over his hand and down onto hobi's face. So much that it almost splashes.

And then the frying pan hits his head with a hollow final thud.

There is a placid terror in things like this, a quiet as things go and come. The thumping, the sobbing breaths you let out, the descent of your hand, beating out your terror on the body below, a vessel for all of your fear.

The handle of the frying pan is thick and heavy in your hands. You bring it down on the man’s head, the curved edge of the cast iron connects with the plate of his skull with a hollow thud. One second, he's clutching at his blown-apart throat, and the next he goes limp, blood and brain matter splatters loud and heavy along the floor. Falling on top of Hobi like a lead weight.

Hobi's brown eyes are bloodshot and red in his mouth, heaving one big breath that sends the room spinning. Sends vertigo into his veins and panic-running adrenaline. You lift your arms up again and hit him, descending again and again.

His body is still, so still. His chest gives one open shudder and then goes truly quiet. Frozen in time. You are covered in blood, in your mouth, on your hair, on the ceiling. More and more splatters as your hand goes up and then down in an endless loop.

Dark cotton soaks, matted with blood and brain matter, blurry from your tears. A bit of it hits your face, wet and stinky. People never tell you how horrible it smells when people die.

You don’t stop hitting the man, even when it's clear he's dead. Even when you glare down at him through the tears in your eyes and see half a face staring up at you. An eyeball rolls across the floor.

There are arms around you pulling you off of him eventually. Dry warm arms, big and heavenly. One wrist dangles with a pair of handcuffs as Jin yanks you back from the man. The body.

“Pup- It’s done, pup- he's gone- Stop.”

There is blood all over you. On your face, on your hands, around the frying pan. Tae too, sitting just beside you. Half of her body splattered. Hobi's soaked with it and still struggling to breathe. But both of them, the three of them are alive.

“It’s over pup.” Jin sounds like he might be crying. Tae definitely is.

Hobi puts his head between his knees, gasping for every breath but still breathing. Tae's got him in his lap. Holding on to him as he splutters. face so soaked with blood he can't open his eyes without blinking rapidly.

It’s anything but over you think as you let go of the handle of the frying pan.

It clatters to the ground with a bloody and final thunk.

~-~

Please Like, Comment, and Reblog! Every bit of encouragement helps me write the next chapter!

Come tell me what you liked about this chapter!

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~-~

Notes:

if the beginning of the chapter feels weird/different in terms of narration that is because it was mostly written 3+ years ago and my writing style has changed alot! kinda crazy! hopefully people will just attribute it to hoseok's internal monologue. it might be meandering but i kept reminding myself that this is hoseok at his lowest you know?

One thing i want you guys to realize is that the m/c may not be smart, but holy fuck can she take a beating and still get up.

Gun shoot outs are uniquely hard to write because like, just bang and it's done right? idk why part of this writing just felt so tedious usually i love writing stuff like this :(

hobi calls the m/c his girlfriend 🥺 did you guys notice???? he's such a cute pup charecter.

i have more notes for this chapter BUT i can't share them until the next one is out because it involves hobi's secret.

i hope you guys see like- how good the m/c actually is at the crime and thinking on her feet shit- i think that this chapter above all others shows her street smarts. she knows to keep the guy talking and distracted- i think it compliments her similarities to jimin and jin like. the trio of them are very capable people you know? vs hobi who just headlong rushes the assassin and fucks shit up. i'm not saying it's his fault- he does the best that he can in this chapter.

I'm trying to pull from my actual knowledge of how guns work but fun fact, silencers are still fucking loud, like still so loud that you need ear protection. and even blank bullets can still cause serious injury at close range.

I'm again at the stage where i can't tell if the gun shooting scene is clunky and too predictable or if it's actually as creepy as i've made it out to be.

This is one of those situations- the bargaining for each others lives, that i've actually never had to handle. it's actually pretty unusual for me to write about things that i haven't experienced in some way shape or form.

i've only written a few scenes in my life that have made me wonder like "huh- i wonder if people might actually think that i've seen a dead body, been around a dead body, or killed someone before?" and ngl, the scene with the assassin dying is one that makes me wonder that... i promise i just have a scarily vivid imagination.

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Lilia Vanrouge - Platinum Jacket Voice Lines

When Summoned: So, this museum has reached its 100th anniversary, huh. Guess the next goal is the 200th anniversary!

Summon Line: Now that I've been chosen as a supporter, there'll never be a boring moment. Now then, let's enjoy a fantastic time together.

Groooovy!!: I don't deny understanding their excitement over a sleeping child, but... Can't say diurnal faes and I are compatible in general, though.

Home: Congratulations on 100 years!

Home Idle 1: According to Cater, there were times the Queen of Hearts would get excited over having cake. Looks like she had a cute side, too.

Home Idle 2: Ruggie was looking at the painting of oysters with a hungry stare. I think he's more interested in his appetite than enjoying art.

Home Idle 3: Perhaps it's because I saw that painting of that young lion singing happily with his friends, but... Now I feel like rocking out on my beloved five-string bass!

Home Idle - Login: No one is more knowledgeable about the Thorn Fairy than I. You can leave it to me to explain each painting.

Home Idle - Groovy: After I gave Epel an in-depth talk on the Thorn Fairy, he was very intently looking at her paintings. Ain't I an awesome guide?

Home Tap 1: If you don't know which exhibit to start with, why don't you come look around with me? After all, I'm a supporter of the museum. Mhm!

Home Tap 2: If you see Silver standing in front of a painting for a long while, call out to him for me. There's a high possibility he might be sleeping...

Home Tap 3: Don't you think the Thorn Fairy's subordinates all have something charming about them? As a cutie myself, I can't help but feel an affinity with them.

Home Tap 4: I hear that the Sorcerer of the Sands' familiar was a wonderfully chatty parrot. There's no way he'd beat me when it comes to casual conversation, though!

Home Tap 5: I get why you'd get all excited over me in formal dress, but don't poke me, now. Hm? You were just pointing out that my ribbon was crooked?

Home Tap - Groovy: I thought about buying a shirt from the shop with a painting printed on the front as a gift for myself... Can you pick out the best one for me?

Duo: [LILIA]: Epel, to victory! [EPEL]: It's as good as ours, Lilia-san!

Birthday Login Message: You came all the way out here to wish me a happy birthday? You have my thanks, [Yuu]. What would I like for a present? It's fine, you don't have to worry yourself about it. But if I really had to pick something, I suppose... I'd like to hear about your hometown. It would be fun to hear stories from a place that I know nothing about. There's no way I'll be letting you sleep tonight～!

Requested by Anonymous.

[roosterarts]

Battle of Gettysburg - Day 2

July 2

5:10 PM

The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment Defends the Union Left Flank

"Fix bayonets!" The order came along the line. It was an order no one wanted to hear, yet no one hesitated. With bayonets fixed, the troops of the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment dressed their line and waited. Then the order came. "Charge!"

From atop Little Round Top, Brigadier General Gouverneur Warren, the Chief Topographical Engineer of the Army of the Potomac, could see the entire battle unfold before him. III Corps held positions at the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield, and Devil's Den, and one by one they were attacked by advancing Confederate forces. However, as he watched the Rebels adanced, he noticed a portion of them were swinging left and heading towards his position. This was a problem. The position at Little Round Top was the left most position of the Union line and, to make things worse, there was only a small contingent from the Army Signal Corps holding it. If the Confederates arrived, there was nothing stopping them from capturing the hill and swinging north to turn the Army of the Potomac's vulnerable left flank.

Without hesitation, Warren quickly sent out couriers to look for reinfocements. One of his couriers would encounter Colonel Strong Vincent, the commander of the 3rd Brigade, of the 1st Division, of V Corps. V Corps had been ordered by General Meade to plug the gap created by III Corps wreckless advance and, due to the confused nature of the fighting, many of its divisions and brigades were being spread out and sent to different portions of the line.

Initially, the courier wanted to talk to Vincent's division commander and relay Warren's message to him. But eventually Vincent managed to convince him to give the orders to him instead and, upon realizing the importance of situation, quickly orderd his brigade to march to Little Round Top.

In deploying his brigade at the hill, the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, under the command of Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, was positioned on the very left. In this position, the 20th Maine did not only become the left flank of the brigade, but they also became the left flank of the whole Army of the Potomac. Beyond them was nothing more but open air.

Vincent's brigade arrived at Little Round Top just in time. Moments after arriving, at around 4:45 in the afternoon, the Confederate 4th and 5th Texas Regiment, as well as the 4th Alabama Regiment, struck the center of Vincent's Brigade. Despite the tired and exhausting march under the day's heat, the Confederates still found the energy to rush up the hill and attack. The Union troops quickly responded with a heavy volley of musket fire. With good positions and a determined defense, the Union managed to repulse the Confederates. However, Colonel Vincent was mortally wounded and so Colonel James Rice, of the 44th New York, assumes command of the brigade.

At 5:10 in the afternoon, as another Confederate attack on the center and right of the brigade was repulsed, the Confederate 15th Alabama Regiment struck the left flank. Moving against the front of the 20th Maine, the 15th Alabama were stuck by heavy fire, but countered with volleys of their own.

At 5:25 in the afternoon, fighting between both sides momentarily stops, as the Confederates prepare for another attack. This respite does not last long, as the 15th Alabama make another assault at 5:28 in the afternoon. Once more, they move further right, thus forcing the 20th Maine to extend more and more to the left.

Hoping to outflank the exposed left of the 20th Maine, the 15th Alabama shifted their attacks further right (the Union's left). Seeing this, the 20th Maine starts to extend their line, thinning their front in order to occupy a broader front. This thus prevents the enemy from outflanking them.

As the 20th Maine desperately tries to hold the left, the rest of the brigade fends of attacks from the other Confederate regiments, who strike with great energy. Despite this, the Union line at Little Round Top was holding.

At around 5:45 in the afternoon, knowing that he can no longer extend his line, in fear of it becoming too thin, Chamberlain orders the 20th Maine to refuse the line. In this maneuver, the regiment's left wing would pull back and face towards the left, essentially creating an L shape. This would thus enable them to properly cover their left flank.

By 6:00 in the evening, the 15th Alabama, realizing that other Confederate regiments were withdrawing, and realizing they couldn't break the enemy before them, begins to withdraw. At 6:05 in the evening, Chamberlain, unaware that the 15th Alabama was about to withdraw, and noting that his regiment was desperately running low on ammunition, orders a charge against the enemy. He hoped that a charge would bring the final blow upon the foe who he believed were exhausted from a constant uphill fight.

Putting on their bayonets, the 20th Maine's left flank swung and wheeled right, in order to realign with the rest of the regiment, before the unit as a whole charged downhill. This sudden assaullt caught the 15th Alabama by surprise, which resulted in their troops either routing or surrendering.

With that the Union left had been secured.

However, as the fight for Little Round Top was raging, other battles were occuring down below.

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

Featuring my ponysona, my GF's Ponysona, and Cream Cake, as members of the 20th Maine Volunterr Infantry Regiment. In front of them is a makeshift stone wall, which was stacked by members of the 20th Maine in order to better cover themselves against musket fire during the fighting at Little Round Top.

[yan-maid-cafe]

Yandere Birthday Scenerio

Julia and Thai (Yandere Couple)

It was late in the evening as you were currently sat at the table across from Thai, a soft smile on his face as he cupped his cheek in his palm. Dinner having just ended, leaving you sat here for whatever surprise the couple had planned.

Julia eventually returned from the kitchen, holding a tray carrying a large cake with the candles already lit. Placing the dessert in front of you as she sat herself on Thai's lap, that same soft smile on her lips. Did their expressions ever change? Julia clapped her hands as they both began to sing to you, it was awkward having to sit there with a forced smile on your face as if you weren't being held there against your will.

Eventually the song ended as they urged you to blow out the candles. Taking a shakey breath into your lungs, you let out the biggest breath you could. Hoping that despite how childish it was, that maybe that childhood belief was actually true.

The couple shared a look before thai reached into his pocket, pulling out a velvet box wrapped with a ribbon. Opening the top revealed a silver ring, one that matched the wedding bands on Thai and Julia's fingers, bright smiles on their faces.

"Happy Birthday!"

Lifting a shakey gaze at the cake in front of you, your eyes behold a single candle still alight. The flame flickering in the dimly lit room. Your wish wouldn't come true...

Edan (Yandere Imposter)

It was another late evening at home, sitting with your husband at home. Looking down at the wrapped box in your lap, the wrapping paper done elegantly with a ribbon tied around it. Since when did he remember your birthday? He never remembered it before.

Though seeing the happy smile on his face, you decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he truly had changed for the better, or at least decided to put in the minimal effort into simply adding your birthday to his phone.

Opening the box, you were shocked to see various tropical clothes within. Ranging from floral shirts, to flip flops, to swimsuits. But sitting on top of everything were two cruise tickets. Swiftly turning your head in his directions, all he had was that same smile.

"Don't worry about the money, I took care of it. You just focus on getting everything in order. Happy Birthday Dear."

Of course, you didn't need to know that he had pulled the money out of his old bank account. After all, you deserved a vacation more then anybody. And if that vacation just so happened to involve fruity drinks and Edan getting to see you in a swimsuit. That just makes it even better. After all, you both deserve a treat after everything.

Lev (Yandere Scientist)

It was another night at the lab. Lev choosing to stay there longer than needed so that he could watch you. Healing was going fairly well, your swimming was getting better by the day. Though all it took was a look at the calender for Lev to see that it had officially been a whole year since you had entered his care.

He wasn't sure when your birthday was, or if merfolk even had a concept of birthdays. But he wanted to celebrate something with you, to celebrate having been with you for so long. Maybe this is less of a birthday and more of an anniversary.

Just the thought caused his face to flush. Would calling this your anniversary be weird, it's not like you could understand what he was saying. But refering to it as that just made his stomach get tied in knots. It's your birthday. He'll just say that.

Getting up from his desk, he grabbed a grocery bag from beside the desk. Approuching the large tank as you swam up to the top, looking up at him. Lev reached into the bag, pulling out the various gifts he had bought earlier that day. It was mainly just more water toys. Ranging from rings, to sinking toys, to ones that squirted water. But he eventually found what he was looking for, a ring of shrimp that resembled a cake. Meant to be given to fish if you were planning on leaving for a while so they could eat, but what were you if not just a large fish.

Placing the shrimp cake into the water, he watched it begin to sink before you quickly sunk your teeth into it. Happily eating the treat he had given you. Lev couldn't help but begin softly humming the birthday song, watching you eat with a pleased smile. He spoke softly under his breath, hard to tell if he was speaking more to himself or you.

"Happy Birthday, My Angel. I hope we can do this again next year."

Aod (Yandere Sorcerer)

It was another birthday alongside your fiance. Sitting in your home as he washed the dishes from dinner. Waiting for him to return with a soft smile on your face. Yet another day inside of the house, Aod deciding that it would be best to spend your birthday at home. It was odd to spend the day without your family and friends for once, but it was fine. You didn't want to spend the day with anyone but him.

Stepping back into the room was Aod, holding a cake in his hands. Placing it in front of you before sitting by your side, placing his hand on top of your own. His typical smile on his face as he looked at you.

"Happy Birthday Dear. This day has been perfect."

There were no candles on the cake. But that doesn't matter, what else could you ever wish for. You had everything you could ever need right here.

Aod cut into the cake, placing the slice onto your place. It was your favorite, but you couldn't help but notice that specks of pink sprinkled into the cake itself. Though Aod didn't seem to notice, or he didn't care, simply picking up the fork to pick up some of the cake. Holding the utensil up to your mouth, waiting for you to take a bite. Pushing the cake past your lips, it was sweeter than you remembered. Much sweeter. But you didn't mind, if anything it just made it taste better. Feeling yourself relax as you leaned your head against his shoulder, allowing him to continue hand feeding you.

What more could you ever want...

Elyse (Yandere Upperclassman) (Fem! Reader)

Yet another day in your dorm, flipping through channels on the TV. Your desk in the corner covered with various gifts and cards from classmates and your family, God you wished that you could have gone home for your birthday. But instead you had to stay here. Though it wasn't all that bad, you were currently waiting for the party that your friends were throwing in the library. Simply trying to kill time before they came to get you.

Your bedroom door eventually opened, revealing Elyse holding what looked to be a single large cupcake with a candle in it. She sat beside you putting the plate on your bed, a soft smile in her lips as she spoke to you.

"Happy Birthday. I baked you something."

She gave you a smile as she grabbed a lighter from her pocket, lighting the candle on the cupcake before holding it out for you. Without thinking much of it, you blew out the candle watching the smoke go into the air. Elyse took the candle out and sat the plate onto your lap. You decided to bring up the party and whether she would attend, all it took was a quick shake of her head for you to realize how dumb that question was. The student body was put on multiple parties ranging from holiday parties, to celebrations for getting through finals or winning a tournament. But she never went to a single one, so why would she go to your birthday party. She was probably just gonna stay in the dorm and study. Pulling off the wrapper of the cupcake, you took a bite into it. Eating as Elyse began to speak.

"And I don't think you should attend either. I know the kind of parties that my classmates put on. It'll be full of drugs and alchohol, and I wouldn't be surprised if they invited some guys from the boy's school. I think it's best you just stay here."

You couldn't help but look at her like she had grown a second head. Was she seriously asking you to skip on your own birthday party. That was absurd. You were fine with her being a homebody and not wanting to have fun with others but you weren't gonna let her ruin your day by making you stay here. You finished off the cupcake wiping the crumbs off your face before giving her a simple No, saying that you fully intended on going to your party.

Elyse let out a sigh before taking the plate and wrapper, leaving you alone in your room. You simply continued waiting for your friend to come and get you, but the longer it took the more it felt like your eyes were getting heavier. Until everything went dark, your head landing on your bed with a soft thud. Elyse eventually peeked through the door, seeing you asleep on your bed a smile tugging on her lips. Walking into your room, she picked up your phone from the nightstand. Putting in the code she had memorized by this point, she opened your best friend's contact, sending her a quick message. A simple "I'm not feeling well, let's take a rain check on the party".

This was perfect, placing the phone back down as she sat down beside you on the bed. Lifting your head to place it on her lap. Gently petting your head as she looked at your sleeping face.

"I wish we could have done this the easy way, but you're always so stubborn. At least we get to spend this day together..."

(A/N): I really need to stop setting deadlines for my works, it just makes me feel burnt out. But here's the stuff that I meant to post on my birthday. Some might be better then other's though. I'm thinking of doing stuff like this for each holiday, but I make no promises. This was just fun to think of.

[dark-frosted-heart]

Ikepri 4th anniversary The Chara Cafe collab menu

Menu items under cut

FOOD

Keith: Twice as delicious! Fruit salad

- Contains: salad mix, mango, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomato, strawberry, caesar dressing, radicchio, cured ham, lemon dressing

Licht and Nokto: Spaghetti napolitan with carrots for the twins to conquer their least favorite food

- Contains: pasta (spaghetti), onion, napolitan sauce, bell pepper, sausage, carrot

Azel: Butter chicken ~with god's protection~

- Contains: saffron rice, caesar dressing, chicken, parsley, cherry tomatoes, cheese, salad mix, butter chicken

Chevalier: Undisputed champion's omurice oozing with elegance

- Contains: omurice, bacon, bechamel sauce, parsley, spinach

Clavis special!: Rabbit cake that looks exactly like my lovely accomplice ~ Love's Proposition (Curse of Love) version. Decorated with clay figures ~

- Contains: roll cake, edible paper, mint, strawberry whipped cream, blueberry sauce, cake pick, milk, mixed berries, chocolate candy (biscuit?), silver dragee

Kagari: Perfect dorayaki plate for princess

- Contains: dorayaki, sakura condensed milk, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, strawberry, chervil, strawberry sauce, mixed berries, feuilletine

Gilbert: Trampling beast’s cheesecake plate ~ I’ll go “ahh” for you ~

- Contains: no-bake cheesecake, ganache squares, cocoa cookie, chervil, whipped cream, edible gold, blueberry sauce

Rio: I'll go "ahh" for you! Adoring doggy's orange parfait

- Contains: orange jelly, vanilla ice cream, granola, dried orange, whipped cream, mint, orange sauce

DRINKS

Leon: King of the beasts' red drink

- Contains: wildberry syrup, mixed berries, watermelon juice, rose petals

Yves: Tsundere cat's lemon drink

- Contains: pink lemonade syrup, whipped cream, lactic acid drink, gummy

Jin: Naughty adult's coffee float with candy

- Contains: black coffee, gomme syrup, vanilla ice cream, candy, mint

Matias: I want to warm your body and heart...let's look the window at the snowy landscape while drinking milk tea together

- Contains: black sugar syrup, whipped cream, milk tea, silver dragee

Sariel: The devil is always watching violet drink

- Contains: violet syrup, whipped cream, violet jelly, monaka wafer, muscat-flavored water

Luke: Mr. Bear's special honey sangria

- white grape juice, orange slice, honey lemon juice, mixed berries, mint, honey

Silvio: Tyrant's jangling ocean float

- blue raspberry syrup, ramune ice cream, cider, edible gold

[joojdraws]

Happy two years anniversary to one of the most beautiful and original story I have ever read... Be Kind, My Neighbor!! It’s amazing how it already has been two years! How time flies by... 🍳🎉 Here’s a Wegg holding a strawberry cake to celebrate!! 🥚🍓🎂

BKMN has been having an huge impact of me... A huge positive impact! First of all I have met incredible friends, people, artists and so on because of that story... I have been so much inspired artistically as well in the past two years!!

But also I have met my fictional other... the corn farmer I love so much: Rarold. August 15 is our special day... (I first have read the book on August 15, 2022) and I totally have something planned for our own anniversary!! (Stay tuned... 👀)

Well long story short... BKMN is a very good and beautiful comic story to me. Meaningful, even. If you’re 18+, I totally recommend to read that story at least once... (Of course don’t forget to check the content warning and such!)

You can order the book on the official publisher website (Silver Sprocket), a physical version but also a digital one!

https://www.silversprocket.net/be-kind-my-neighbor-by-yugo-limbo/ (Physical)

https://store.silversprocket.net/products/digital-download-be-kind-my-neighbor-by-yugo-limbo/ (Digital)

If you can’t order it here because of the huge shipping amount (like me... Belgium moment...) you still can check other websites, it’s available in most book shop from what I know!

...And of course I wanted to say a big thanks to the author themselves: Yugo Limbo... for creating such a wonderful story. Give your support to them, they deserve it!! (Their Tumblr is @/yugsly) :-] and don’t hesitate to check their other creations!!

Well that is all I had to say... Happy birthday again BKMN!! See you next year same day for the third anniversary of the book!! So exciting... 🧵🥚

[steviewashere]

Everything and More

Rating: General CW: None Apply! Tags: Domestic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Established Relationship, Wedding, Married Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Set in the '90s, Future Fic, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Eddie Munson is a Sweetheart, Steve Harrington Loves Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson Loves Steve Harrington, Vows, Dialogue Heavy, Happy Ending

For the @steddielovemonth prompt: "Love is going out of your way to do something you know will make them happy."

💕—————💕

They laid in the quiet dark stillness of their Chicago bedroom. For once, it seemed like the bustling neighborhoods of the city were silent. As if the world slowed just for the two of them.

Eddie’s laying on his back. Steve’s wrapped around his right side, cheek squished to his shoulder, arm thrown over his waist, legs tangled, breathing slow and easy between them. He traces his right index finger down Steve’s spine, loving the way goosebumps mingle with his moles. He’s never been more in love in his life.

There’s a brand new silver band on Steve’s left finger. Purchased a week after his impromptu proposal. And he’s never been more sated in his life. He wakes up in the early morning, craving a hot cup of coffee, wandering into the kitchen. He comes around the corner to see Steve at their dining table, orange peeled and slices laid out, his hands wrapped around his mug. That ring shiny, so beautiful on his hand. Belonging. Not permanent, Eddie knows that, but it signifies the permeance he’s willing to share with Steve—and he doesn’t have to put up much of a fight to be loved and desired. Which is apparent in the way he sits across from Steve every morning, a freshly peeled orange set out for him and his own steaming mug of coffee waiting for him.

He splays his palm over Steve’s back, squeezing him in closer with his arm, dropping a chaste kiss to his head of unstyled and silky hair. Adoration surges through him at the realization that he’s the only one who gets to see Steve this way. Soft and sleepy and syrupy slow.

“I can’t wait to marry you,” Eddie whispers, gently tapping on the glass of their silence.

Steve hums on his shoulder, turning his head, kissing the bare skin there. He sighs into the hold. “Me too,” he murmurs, “I just wish we could have a whole wedding. Have it be real.”

“Weddings don’t make a marriage real,” he says in turn. “They just mark an anniversary, sweet thing. Our love is real. That’s enough for me.”

“Yeah, but—“ He sighs again, something a little sad. “Don’t you ever think about having a wedding? About wearing a nice tuxedo? Like…I could imagine you wearing a maroon one and I’d have a black one or something.” Steve nuzzles Eddie’s bare shoulder, squeezing his waist, bringing his hand up to trace at the edge of one of his nastier scars. When Eddie looks down, Steve is peering at his hand.

Eddie drags his hand up to Steve’s scalp, dully scratching the way he knows he likes. “Okay, I’ll indulge,” he mutters. “If we could have a wedding, what would you want it to look like?”

The smile to his bare shoulder is enough to know that it was a good question.

“The tuxedos would be the same, I think,” Steve starts. “And we’d have all of our friends and family from Hawkins. Nobody from Chicago. They don’t know us as deep, as intimately.” He hums, thinking. “The chairs would be classy wedding white, decorated with fluffy pink roses on the back. And it would all be outside. So that we could get married under the sun and dance under the moon.

“It doesn’t matter to me what kind of food we have. Or how big the cake is. Or who walks down the aisle. Just that my best man is Robin and Dustin officiates.”

“Why would Dustin officiate? I feel like Hopper would be the best person for the job,” Eddie states.

“Because he like—“ Steve’s hand leaves Eddie’s torso, instead fluttering up in the air. Landing down softly on his skin when the words come to him. “Dustin is really good at remembering things! He’d be able to remember the whole ‘do you take so and so to be your lawfully…’ Whatever it is, I can’t even remember.” He sighs and relaxes. Almost boneless in their embrace, definitely getting sleepy enough to fall asleep. “The words don’t even have to be the same. I just want to say ‘I do’ and kiss you and then slow dance with you. That’s really all I want,” Steve breathes.

“One day we’ll have that wedding, Steve,” Eddie promises. “We will and you’ll be so happy.” He squeezes at Steve’s own bare shoulders, dragging his hand down his spine again, lulling him closer to sleep. “One question I have is, what would our wedding song be?”

“I think,” Steve whispers. “Think I like ‘Just the Way You Are’ by Billy Joel. Doesn’t it match us?”

Eddie nods against his pillow. “Wayne has that record somewhere,” he mutters. “You think Robin works tomorrow?”

“No, why?”

“Just remembered something that I need to ask her. Has to do with Vickie, but she won’t be home tomorrow. Go to sleep, baby. I’ll call her tomorrow.”

Steve’s snores against his skin is like white noise to his ear.

This wedding is going to happen, whether it be legal or not.

——— “So, we have tuxedos to wear…for a simple dinner at the local Mexican place?” Steve asks, a confused scrunch to his eyebrows, holding up a black suit in the mirror. “I don’t see why—“

“Steve, just put it on, you goofball.” Eddie saunters out from their bathroom. Chest to Steve’s back. Hands on his hips. He presses a kiss to his cheek. “Just do this silly thing with me, it’ll be worth it.” Steve hums, giving in. “Oh, no margaritas while we’re there. I’ve got plans with you afterwards and you can’t be tipsy for them,” he whispers.

“Oh come on,” Steve whines. “But that’s like my favorite part of that place. You can’t get them that cheap like anywhere!” He eyes Eddie in the mirror, but sinks further into the hold. “Fine,” he grumbles. “I’ll put on the suit and we’ll get orange soda with our nachos. And I’ll see it through.”

“Thank you,” Eddie sings into his ear. “Gotta do my hair, meet me in the car when you’re done jazzing yourself up.”

Operation Steve in Suit is successful. Eddie sees himself to their bathroom once more, tying up his hair, curling his bangs slightly with Steve’s flat iron. Sprays on some cologne and rushes down to the car. Just in time to put in the new tape he picked up. The Stranger by Billy Joel. He is hoping with everything inside of him that Steve is oblivious today. That he doesn’t catch on immediately.

The plan is that Robin and Vickie are coming over to their apartment. They’re going to cut up some roses, take all their supplies, sneak back out to their place, and wait for everybody else. Eddie paid for chairs, the arch. Got Joyce and Hopper and Claudia from out of town, they’ll be there with Argyle to cater some of the food; barbecue and pizza. Dustin will be there with Suzy to practice officiating. Max and Lucas have the rings. Erica and El will throw some flower petals. Will’s painting them saying I do. And Mike is getting all the music equipment set up.

Wayne’s going to walk Steve down the aisle, give him away. Because Steve’s parents won’t be there, but good riddance. And of course, Robin is Steve’s best man. In her own matching black suit. Nancy is Eddie’s best man, also in a beautiful maroon get up.

It may not all go according to plan, but the vague outline and steps are there. And if he can just get Steve to not go detective mode on him, then Eddie’s going to get away with this dream. He’s gonna make this come true, determined to in fact.

——— The other night, Eddie asked Steve to draft up vows.

“Why?” Steve asked skeptically. 

Eddie had shrugged. “Well, gives us practice? I don’t know. I began writing mine.”

“You—What?!” Steve shouted. “You started writing vows? But we can’t even—“

“Doesn’t matter,” Eddie said simply. “It’ll be something we could share later.”

And he had watched as Steve sat at their dining table. Five different sheets of paper scattered about the surface. His tongue poking out between his lips in concentration. Scratching and scribbling and furiously writing things down. Some lines earned a lovesick grin on his face, others brought tears to his eyes.

When he was finished, he slipped the final draft between the pages of his intro to education textbook. He wasn’t very sneaky about it. Almost like he wanted Eddie to find them, but he held off.

Until today.

——— Nachos were exceptional. And Steve half-heartedly grumbled at not having his usual meal. But he was satisfied with a Fanta and his greasy chips. Turns out he can still pack it away without the alcohol. And he’ll offer up the last chip if there isn’t a slice of jalapeño on it. Eddie takes the chip from Steve’s fingers, lets it be fed to him, and gazes at his soon-to-be husband as his eyes go soft and endearing with the swallow.

“I feel like it’s always better coming from your hands rather than mine,” Eddie lowly whispered. “Lots of things are better with your hands, come to think of it.” He reached across the table and tangled his hand with Steve’s left. His mood ring clinking with Steve’s silver band. God, he can’t wait to replace that thing. “Like my hand is better with your hand in it.”

Steve’s face flushed pink. “You’re a sap,” he murmured. “What’s gotten into you today?”

Eddie shrugged. “Something must be changing, sweetheart. Maybe I’ve gone Grinch on you. Maybe your heart made mine three times bigger.”

“Maybe,” Steve whispered. “But I think you’re up to something.”

“Who said I was up to something?”

“Aha!” Steve exclaimed, before quickly covering his mouth with his hand. A few sets of eyes turned to him, but went back to their food almost immediately. He snickered. “Aha,” he whispered, “Knew you were doing something. Come on, what’s your plan? Why are we wearing suits? How come your hair is up and sleek? What are we doing, babe?”

“Not saying a word,” Eddie dragged. He pulled back and slipped his hand away, stuffing them into his pocket to pay for their check. With the card in his hand, keys in the other, he stood. “Come on, baby doll, we’ve got somewhere to be.”

And with his excitement levels through the roof, Steve bounced up onto his feet, wiggling in place, following like a happy dog on Eddie’s heels.

——— “Keep your eyes closed,” Eddie whispered in Steve’s ear. His hands were already pressed into his eyes, but he couldn’t risk a goddamn thing. They already struggled getting him up the few steps leading to Robin’s front door. All they need to do now is finish walking through her house, through the back door, and wait for Wayne to hook his arm with Steve’s.

That’s all they need to do.

“Smells like Robin in here,” Steve murmurs. “Like…Lavender and chamomile and…Saffron? Is that the other spice she uses in her tea? I can’t—Are we at Robin’s, Eds?”

Eddie chuckled. “Stop asking so many questions. Just focus on moving your feet.”

They took three more small steps before he spoke up again. “Your hands are sweaty,” Steve whispered. “Why are you so sweaty?”

“Baby,” Eddie sighed. “Just move your feet. It’s warm, I’m warm, so I’m sweating.”

Steve hummed, a little unsatisfied. His voice shook, a little nervous, “Nothing is going to jump out at me, right? You know how I get about stuff like that.”

He pressed a kiss to Steve’s temple. “I promise I wouldn’t do that to you, sweetheart. What we’re doing is completely safe, you’re completely safe. I wouldn’t do this if it put you or I in danger, sweet thing.”

Finally, they moved in silence. Steve moving sluggishly, but efficiently enough. And eventually, Eddie’s hand drifted to the back door, sliding it open, stepping out onto the porch. He nodded towards Wayne, his arm slowly wrapping with Steve’s as Eddie’s hands fell away. Quickly, Eddie sidestepped the both of them, walked by all their friends in their cute little seats, and stood at the makeshift archway. He cupped his palms over his mouth and shouted, “Open your eyes, sweetheart!”

In real time, Steve’s cheeks lit up bright pink, his eyes going misty and shiny and stunning. His lips wobbled minutely before stretching into the most glistening, brightest, sunshine like smile Eddie’s ever seen. He mentally pats himself on the back. Good job, Ed, Wayne’s voice echoes in his brain, Made a damn good choice.

Steve giggles. “What is all this? When did—How did—Everybody’s here!”

Beside Eddie, a little radio began to play. The cheesy, classic “Bridal Chorus”. He can’t stop the smile that plasters itself to his face. The pride surging through him. His warmth, his hard beating heart, the satisfaction washing over him in waves. “Come over here, baby, Wayne’ll guide you.”

The first few steps Steve takes are slow and curious and hesitant. But as he strides past the smiling faces of all the people who love him, the people who matter, he grows confident. Goes excited and wonderful. And with no time lost, he’s standing in front of Eddie. A dry kiss pressed to his cheek, pressed to Eddie’s from Wayne. And then they take each other’s hands.

“Said you wanted a wedding,” Eddie says, “So here’s Dustin to officiate it.”

It’s a lot of Dustin stuttering over his words, parsing through pages in his hands, confusion muddling part of his sentences. But the content gaze on Steve’s face is all that matters. Dustin could be reading pig latin and Steve would still be smiling.

Though, when it comes to their vows, Steve’s smile falters. “But I don’t have mine,” he murmurs, a bit sad and a lot defeated.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” Eddie whispers. He stuffs his hand inside his blazer, pulling out two folded, loose leaf notebook pages. He hands one off to Steve. A confused glance thrown at him. “You don’t hide things very well. Practically begging for me to read them. Which, I didn’t! That’s your job.” He unfolds his own and then gazes back. “You wanna read yours first?”

Steve grips his paper tighter. Hesitantly nodding, flushing darker on his cheeks. “Uh—I, they aren’t very good. Probably inadequate, honestly.” Though, he brings them closer to his face to read:

“Eddie Munson, you have been and continue to be the reason I believe in things like love and desire. Which, that sounds cheesy, I know. But you know me better than I seem to know myself most days. Every morning, you de-pulp my orange. And you press a sticky kiss to my cheek and tell me how proud you are of me.

“You’ve believed in me even when I thought I was doomed. You have been the reason I refuse to give up on myself. Because you show me, everyday, that I am worth the time. That I am worth the cause. And that I am worthy to follow what my heart needs, desires. 

“I can say, confidently, that you are what my heart desires. Everything I do has a little bit of you in it. In fact, on the morning I’m writing this, I listened to a Black Sabbath tape in my car on my way to school. And headbanged the entire time—It hurt my neck, but I understood why you do it. There’s something satisfying about it all. About the way you express your emotions, how you soften your hands when you touch me, how you fill a space both with energy and language.

“It’s funny, I think, that some almost ten years ago, I was jealous of you. Because you were encroaching on my friendships and being braver than I could ever be. But everyday, I realize that all I can do is envy you. Respect you. For being yourself, for teaching me how to be myself. For showing me what it’s like to truly be alive.

“And I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life, alive in your space and your memories and your words. Filled to the brim with your love and then some. I love you more than I thought I could every single day. You are a reason to keep moving, Eddie Munson, and I am dancing.”

When Steve pries his eyes away from his paper, he’s glistening like a diamond in the rough. One in a million. The beacon of light in Eddie’s shadows. They’re crying, but they’re smiling. And it’s all so wonderful, so darling. He didn’t think he’d get this.

“Shit, Steve,” Eddie wetly chuckles. “You’re a poet, ain’t you? No wonder your going to school for literature.” He giggles again. Lets Steve cup his cheek to wipe his tears. Snorts back a disgusting bubble of snot that threatens to leave him. Takes a few grounding breaths and brings his own paper up. “I don’t know if mine will be good, but here we go.” He clears his throat and reads:

“Steve Harrington, where do I even begin with the likes of you?

“You are sunshine. Golden, warm, beautiful. You bring life to things around you. I find myself in your orbit even when your body isn’t there. My clothes often smell like your cologne. And my hair is soft from your haircare skills. My head is filled with pop lyrics and a new sports statistic that I may hear in passing. Sometimes, when you aren’t home, I find myself reading each and every single one of your baseball cards. Just to know you impossibly more.

“Despite some of those silly things, the mundane in it all, I am so glad to be living the simple life with you. To even be alive because of you. Because we haven’t talked about it, I know, but that’s the case. Your hands started my heart, quite literally. You breathed air back into my lungs, also quite literally. But my heart beats the syllables of your name, my lungs inhale your words like oxygen. Every moment with you makes me feel more alive than ever. In every slow morning, waking up to your snores muffled in my shoulder, hair tickling my jaw, your limbs tight around my torso. I am reminded in every morning, having you by my side, that I am alive.

“Because of you. Your determination. Your strength and fortitude. I have you to thank for my life and liveliness. I have you to thank for showing me that there is more than prejudice and bias. I have you to thank for every aspect of who I am as a person.

“Where I would be without you, I don’t even want to know. I am so elated to live the rest of our long, long lives with you by my side. With your warmth in every corner. And your laugh like music to my ears. Your touch like honey on my hands, sticky and somehow always there, but for that I will be thankful.

“In my darkest hours, you are my light. In my brightest hours, you are the shade that protects my skin. And in every hour of every morning, you are the love that surges through my soul.

“I love you, Steve Harrington, and I am determined to show you in all the moments of forever what that means to me.”

Enamored is one way to describe Steve’s face when he looks up. Absolutely lost in the space between them. His hand is on his cheek once more, wiping away tears. His lips pursed to coo. Eyes soft, so damn soft, every ache in Eddie’s body dissipates.

The kiss they share to seal it all, it may not be any different from every single one they’ve shared. But the way their breaths mingle, they breathe forever between pulls of lip.

Eddie’s never been one to think of himself as a married man, but the beginnings of this wedded life—not much different than how he’s already been living—tastes good. He gets to brag about a spouse, that’s something new. Oh, the bragging rights he’s privy to now. What a wonderful, wonderful thing.

——— Steve’s not a good dancer still, Eddie realizes. He steps in time to their song. But he more so just sways in place while Eddie leads. His eyes are soft still like a glowing candle’s flame. Eddie’s chest is lit by a passionate fire.

“Stevie, baby,” he whispers. “Is this basically everything you hoped it would be?” He nuzzles his nose into Steve’s, kisses his cheek, and pulls back to gaze.

“This is everything I wanted and more,” he murmurs. “I can’t even tell you how happy I am. Like all I want to do is just jump in place or something. There’s no words to say.” He drops his forehead to Eddie’s shoulder, his hair silky against his neck. “You even got the pink roses for the backs of every chair, how’d you do that?”

Eddie shrugs. “Talk to Robin and Vickie about that one. They’re the creative geniuses here.”

“I still can’t believe you got everybody to come out here for us,” he whispers.

“Are you kidding, Stevie? When I called Robin to say that I wanted to have a backyard wedding, she screeched her excitement into my ear. She could’a blown up my eardrum,” he chuckles. “Everybody else was easy. Just called them and said we were having a wedding, that it was a surprise, and they were on board.”

A barely there kiss is pressed into his neck, Steve’s breath ghosting. “I love you so much, Eds. Thank you.”

“I love you, too.” He pulls Steve back a little as their song dies down. The last of Billy Joel serenading between them. “How about we go slice some cake? Hear some stories. We’ve got a honeymoon to go on.”

The way Steve bounds away from him, jumping on the balls of his feet, hands fluttering at his sides by the cake stand fills Eddie with glee.

Good job, his own voice echoes inside him, you made your husband really happy.

He didn’t think he’d ever get this. But by the side of the person who saved him, quite literally and metaphorically, he realizes he has the chance to have everything. Steve is everything.

Every word in the language of the universe and that still wouldn’t be enough to describe the love he carries. Love was a fleeting thing before. Before somebody like Steve Harrington.

💕—————💕 I had so much fun writing for nearly every prompt, sans the very first day. I hope this is a satisfying last fic to round off my writings for steddielovemonth. Thank you for all the support on every fic. Sorry if I made you cry, but I hope this soothes. Eventually, I'll have a whole folder where my fics are in chronological order. But for all of my steddielovemonth fics, you can them on Ao3: steviewashere

Love you all <3

[saltofmercury]

Oh you König domestic works are absolute bliss, hun <3

Might I request some more domesticity with König x reader perhaps baking together? I could see this being absolutely adorable.

Cheers,

"Chocolate crepes"

You searched for anything throughout his pantry, mouth watering, stomach grumbling, and patience thinning. It had started as a small craving, small bits of chocolate that you wanted to indulge in. It was around eleven at night, your body was in desperate need of chocolate —something. Chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake, even a brownie would suffice right now but there was nothing remotely close.

“Shit” you mumbled to yourself. Seeing the pile of dirty dishes he had left in the sink, then a rattle in the background. 

You heard the footsteps down the hall, thumping their way over. His face still swollen with sleep, his eyes barely opening up. He wore black sweats, his red-blonde hair sticking everywhere. One eye was rubbing sleep out of his eye, as the other rubbed his stomach. 

“Are you alright? I can hear you slamming cabinets and drawers from the room. Could’ve sworn it was another burglar.”

There was a sheepish smile, growing at the corner of his mouth. 

“I’m fine, I just need a midnight snack”

“A midnight snack? Well there’s plenty of cheese and salami from that board you made..”

The two of you had ordered multiple cheeses, salami, pepperoni, and prosciutto, to make a fancy board for dinner. The two of you laughed at the board being devoured before you could even make it to the dinner table. 

“Not that kind of snack, like… a treat.”

His eyes perked up. 

Treat was the “secret” word you two used to describe sweets. It was the funniest thing when you heard it from his mouth. A 6 foot 7 man calling a slice of cherry pie a treat.

His eyes widened, he had a special rule. Dedicated to the gym 6 out of the 7 days of the week, he had no sugar after 12pm, only on special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries. You were tempting him, he had gone almost two weeks without sugar to really try and make his goal.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Chocolate”

“Oooooof you know you’re a bad influence.” Though it was enough to get the gears in his head moving.

He picked you up and set you on the island of the kitchen. Settling both hands around you, he asked,

“What kind of chocolate treat?”

You made eye contact with him, knowing that for sure if he wanted some sort of dessert, he was going to make it happen. 

“I don’t know, I couldn’t find anything.”

“I was even hoping for some brownies?” 

You had wanted anything. Oreos at this point would maybe make you feel better too.  

He turned to you, playfully said in disgust

“a brownie? For a chocolate treat?”

He had turned around to get things out of the pantry. Flour, eggs, cornstarch, cocoa powder, butter, and milk. He brought out silver bowls, mixing together ingredients, and heating up a pan.

You stared at him, unsure of what he was making. It wasn’t chocolate, except for the cocoa powder so it threw you off guard. Sensing how confused you were he began talking.

“You know who taught me how to make crepes? My mom.”

“Really? Is that an Austrian thing?”

“No it’s French…” he smirked at you, sometimes you could be so clueless. As he began to pour the batter into the pan, he swirled it around, covering every surface of the pan, then flipped it immediately. The crepe had a few light brown spots on it, but for the most part was plain, almost undercooked. Though you didn’t want to nag, you just kept observing him listening to what he was saying.

“Mom used to make crepes for breakfast or sometimes as a small treat after dinner. My god, she used to add things like berries, chocolate, vanilla, caramel sauce, but my favorite was always chocolate.”

He continued adding the batter into the pan, flipping, then placing it on top of the other.

“So my mom, I think because my dad was very insecure about her weight/looks, she really limited herself to treats. She loved sweets. So she would trick herself into having a crep with as much powdered sugar, strawberries, and blueberries, then saying it was a small dessert.”

He looked at you, smiling, the memories of his mom were the best. He always smiled when he talked about his mom. Even when he told you about when they had a small fight, he would laugh about how stupid it was saying that they could only tiptoe around each other for 30 minutes until one of them apologized.

He finished making enough crepes making the stack of at least three pancakes. It took you by surprise when you noticed how many he actually made. He went into the fridge and got out heavy cream.

“This one birthday, for some reason my dad didn’t want to buy a cake saying that 12 years old is too old to celebrate birthdays. So she scrambled up this chocolate crepe cake.”

He turned around and grabbed out the sugar, heavy cream, and cocoa powder. He placed it all inside a bowl, grabbed a whisk and began to whisk away the ingredients. It soon formed a thick, chocolate paste. 

He could see you about to ask the question –

“Lots of practice, my mom broke her hand mixer so we took turns beating this mixture together.”

He then went over to the drawer, grabbed a spoon out, scooping some of the mixture out for you to taste. 

“What do you think?”

“Tastes great.”

He smiled, then turned to the small stack of crepes he made, and began to evenly spread a thin layer of the chocolate cream on each one. He proceeded to do this with each one, until you saw what he was doing. He had formed a small cake, with thin layers of chocolate cream. He spread the remaining bit on the top of the last crepe, then sprinkled cocoa powder on the rest. 

He grabbed a knife, cut a big piece, then handed it to you. He leaned on the counter, watching you taste it. 

It was something so simple, that had felt so familiar and satisfied your craving.

“Wow” you said as you watched how he completed a small chocolate cake right before your eyes. “Holy shit this is so good!”

He laughed, finishing up his last bite, then offering you another slice.

“No thanks, I’m pretty much stuffed.” 

“Good.” he smiled at you, then wiped the chocolate powder on the bottom of your lip. He eyed the pile of dishes he forgot, trying to sneak out of them.

“Well since I did cook, I think it’s best you get the dishes.”

[serene-faerie]

Elven Dessert headcanons

Sindar: Tarts are the most popular dessert among the Sindar. The Elves of Doriath like to use fresh berries in their tarts— the most popular one being blackberries. Blackberry tarts also happen to be Lúthien's favorite kind of dessert. Strawberry tarts are also well-liked, but it’s saved for special occasions. Melian, however, has a preference for cherry tarts. The Doriathrim are also known to use floral ingredients in their tarts, like elderflowers, lavender, and even roses. Their signature delicacy is the strawberry rose tart— an exquisite dessert that’s eaten during the annual Midsummer Feast, and during weddings. A special blackberry rose tart was served at the wedding of Beren and Lúthien, and the strawberry rose tart was served at the wedding of Dior and Nimloth. Among the Sindar of the Falas, egg tarts are very popular, and they also happen to be Thingol's favorite kind of tart as well. The Sindar of the Falas also enjoy treacle tarts during the Yuletide holiday, and this tradition continues well into the Third Age among the Elves of Mirkwood. Even Elrond himself has a preference for fruit tarts, and he had a cherry tart made for his wedding with Celebrian.

Vanyar: Cakes are their most preferred desserts. They have invented many different varieties of cakes in Valinor, and they are also skilled in the art of elaborate cake decorating. The most popular cake variety among the Vanyar is the sponge cake— it's served as a three-tiered cake, coated with rich buttercream icing of different colors, and these cakes will typically have very intricate decorations on each tier. Three-tiered sponge cakes are commonly served at Vanyarin weddings, including the weddings of Finwë and Indis, and Turgon and Elenwë. After the destruction of the Two Trees, the Vanyar Elves of Valimar create a special two-tiered cake colored silver and gold, and it's only ever served in remembrance of the Two Trees themselves. And following the War of Wrath, they create a white and gold cake to celebrate their victory over the forces of Morgoth, which becomes a tradition on every anniversary of Morgoth's imprisonment in the Void.

Teleri: Though the Teleri are renowned for their ship-building, they are just as well-known for their beautiful pastry desserts. Their most commonly-used ingredients are chopped nuts, honey, and other sweet syrups. The most popular Telerin desserts are frangipane sweets, baklava, and mille-feuille. Baklava is especially popular among the Teleri of Alqualondë, and it’s a favorite dessert of Princess Eärwen herself. Her father, on the other hand, prefers rose-flavored lokum, the chewy gelatinous candy coated in powdered sugar, which is a delicacy mostly enjoyed during festivals and weddings. A commemorative box of lokum and baklava was given out to the people of Alqualondë during the wedding of Finarfin and Eärwen. Lokum is especially popular among the Teleri of Tol Eressëa, and it was one of the sweets they shared with the Dúnedain of Númenor during the early years of the Second Age— where it would become a very popular Númenórean dessert.

Noldor: Biscuits and cookies are their preferred dessert. They’re quick and easy to make, and they can be enjoyed while they’re reading or smithing. Butter biscuits are very popular among the Noldorin population of Aman, and they happen to be Fëanor's favorite kind. When Fëanor and Nerdanel were married, Finwë handed out commemorative tins of butter biscuits to celebrate their union. The same thing happened for the wedding of Fingolfin and Anairë as well. These butter biscuits are also enjoyed in Nargothrond and Eregion, and are a common gift given during the Yule holiday. The Noldor of Gondolin, on the other hand, prefer sandwich biscuits with a rich ganache filling. When Tuor and Idril were married, a tin of these biscuits were given as commemorative gifts to the city's population. And though the ingredients of Middle-earth aren't the same as those in the Blessed Realm, the Noldor were quick to adapt and utilize these new ingredients to make these biscuits.