#sniffles………. i love my goobers so much :’)

[bie-tch]

To celebrate my return from break (and to release my pent-up thoughts), I proudly present: Bie's ninja headcanons! 1 silly, 1 angsty LEZGO

Kai first!! (Because fucking duh have you seen my blog)

– Has a separate bathroom for all his skincare and haircare stuff. The team makes fun of him for it regularly, but whenever there's another time crunch mission or something extremely stressful in general, he always looks the best. Maybe some eyebags here and there, but other than that, he's glowing.

– His coping mechanism is self blame. Team falls apart? His fault. Mission accident? His fault. Ninja captured? His fault. Innocents hurt? His fault. His friends in actual fatal danger? HIS FAULT. He used to lash out at others because of this mindset, but now he just sits with himself while anxiously waiting for someone to tell him what to do (in fear of messing up things even more) it's what drove him to the sidelines during planning and battle, he's afraid his "reckless" attitude will jeopardize everything. (He doesn't acknowledge that he's gotten better. He doesn't acknowledge that most of his hotheadedness is a farce. He won't acknowledge that his fears are irrational.)

Zane aww the baby the dude the little awww

– Has been betrothed to Pixal for YEARS already. Like, shortly after s10. He saw Jays proposal, saw Pixal have a physical body, and it just clicked in his head that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with his other half. He was so touched that he spent hours sourcing the perfect yinyang pendant, planning everything to the tiniest, most insignificant detail, only for her to be the one to get down on one knee. He cried a little (a lot)

– Was so genuinely hurt and upset at the administration calling him "equipment." When he got back to the Monastery he instinctively tried to find his safe place (Pix), only for him to be absolutely crushed when he realized that she simply wasn't there. He drowned himself in analytics and background work simply because if he thought about it too much he'd have a breakdown. But he can't have that. He needs to find pixal, right?

Cole ceo of goober town

– Is an actual god at cooking now. Seriously, he can make anything taste Michelin quality with a handful of ingredients. He prefers baking, though, for obvious reasons.

– Was isolated from his peers while he was in school, solely because he fought a lot. Kids would run away from him, spread rumors, or try to avert his path on a daily basis. Faculty tried to contact his father whenever things would escalate, but he was too busy drowning in alcohol to pay attention to his sons education.

Nya!!!!

– Contrary to popular belief, Nya is absolutely a bigger hothead than Kai. On a bad day, you can sniffle, and she'd just go off on how unhygienic the monastery was and start spite-cleaning only for the others to offer to help out of pure fear. This is her way of getting out of chores. Kai is onto her but finds it so funny how everyone scrambles to keep her from exploding.

– Her first word was "Hungry." She knows this. When she asked Kai what her first word was out of curiosity, he lied and said it was "mom." She went to ignacia for a simple errand and that was when she found out. An old shopkeeper said he remembered a barely 4 year old girl with sunken cheeks point at his produce and babble "hnngry.. unggry." Now, when people ask what her first word was, she'll still say "Mom."

The Master of jig (Jay)

– LOVESSS his parents but hates to admit it. Not because he finds it embarrassing, but because his folks will not shut up about it even after months. He'll go, "Yknow I love you a lot, right ma, pa?" And they will throw a legitimate PARTY FOR IT. When the ninja found out about it, the teasing lasted for exactly 7 months.

– The only thing he remembers after the merge are calloused, wrinkly hands holding him like he's the most precious thing in the world. He doesn't know who, or why, but he's determined to find out.

Laloyd

– The softest, shiniest, bounciest hair you will ever feel. He has never touched a single hair product in his LIFE. It's been Kai's mission to ruffle that hair atleast twice a week ever since he did it back when they were younger.

– Has burned every single photo of him and his father together after the events of s10. Every time he's reminded of how much he aspired to be like him when he was younger he gets physically sick. He could never idolize someone like that. Who views lives like collateral damage. Never. Never again.

[sugarpasteltmnt]

OH MY GOSH ITS OVER!!

I just wanted to say, first of all holy COW this definitely cements TNV as my favorite fanfic of all time!! The ending was absolutely phenomenal, and perfect for the story!!

I'm gonna miss the silly goober, but I'm glad he can finally recover and be happy <3

ALSO THE FUTURE LEO APPEARANCE?? WASN'T EXPECTING THAT. CRIES. /POS

You did an excellent job writing this fanfic!! Genuinely one of the best I have ever read. Thank you for sharing it!! If you ever publish any other ideas I'll definitely be reading them. Amazing job, and I hope you have a wonderful day!! :D

AJHASDKJSD OF ALL TIME???? sniffles and sobs thank u so much ;w; i love writing and hope to write most stuff in the future but omg thank u so much for all the love

[someprettyname]

Whoses your favorite hq character so far?

OH MY (͡⁠°⁠‿⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)

*gets hysterical* OH NOOOOOOOO

Why must you ask me this questions when you very well know every character is written SO WELL???

.

.

.

Just kidding.

*rolls up sleeves* oh this is going to be long

I was waiting to finish S2 first before answering this so i could see all the seijoh players and my understanding of them mature a bit more before I go on and yap about them. I still haven't properly processed the vs Aoba Johsai match because. What. The. Hell. Wasthat? 🧍🏻‍♀️

ANYWAYSSSSSSSSS the point being, i really do like every character. Genuinely. It's not the "Ah. I don't think they are necessarily bad so i like them yeah 🤷🏻‍♀️." It's the "My goodness, even a side character is so well written, what? How am I supposed to forget you after I understood you and your story? 🥹" Kinda like.

Now that it's established that i adore every character and team that showed up on the screen we can now discuss the characters that have caught my attention so far :3 [keep in mind that I've only watched 2 seasons so far so there might not be enough kenma and shiratorizawa players :D]

Okay starting off with team karasuno ->

GUESS WHO WAS THE FIRST EVER CHARACTER TO CATCH MY EYE IN THIS WHOLE SERIES?

🥁

🥁

🥁

Ta-Da!

It was NISHINOYA!!!!

Oh my god WHAT A SWEETHEART.

WHAT WOULD I EVER DO WITHOUT HIM BEING IN THE MATCH/COURT? *Sniffles*

I saw that shine in his eyes and I was SOLD. HAVE ALL MY MONEY. I LOVE THIS CHARACTER ALREADY. AND HIS VOICE? MY GOODNESS. It's very specific but there's this huskiness in his voice that's absolutely divine to my ears. His dynamics with hinata and asahi is something i look forward to ALWAYS! I mean this adorable boy here is a sight to behold every time he shows up, so need i explain more? He's like a ball of sunshine, he has magical cheering up powers. I love him so MUCH. I'M IN TEARS.

*clears throat* *collects oneself*

Moving on, Daichi is an amazing character. He isn't the most flashy charcter but without him - the captain - it's empty and on the edge of falling apart. Captures the essence of his role quite accurately, nein? Pillar of maturity and calmness. That's how I see him and it's beautiful.

Then it's Asahi. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MWAH CHEF KISS. His character development is gorgeous. GORGEOUS.

Next up is Kageyama of course. My famous infamous opinion of him is that he's seriously a serious silly goober your honour 😌

When I was watching their second official match with seijoh for a moment i really thought "Ah. Kageyama is going to win but as a team isn't it? Oikawa would still be superior to him as a setter, isn't it? That's how it's going to balance out?" Guess I was wrong. My mind was ABSOLUTELY blown when their last set was the same as the one in their previous match with seijoh. And then he was standing in front of oikawa WHILE I WAS GOING CRAZY. DAMN IT.

His character development and him learning to move past being the "king of court" is amazing. I feel like a proud mom lol.

If I'm talking about kageyama i HAVE to talk about Hinata but I'll sleep on that for now because lol. It's quite obvious. Maybe i should yap about why I wanna pull his cheeks some other day. This is getting long as it is.

Coming to TEAM AOBA JOHSAI :

I'd really like to yap about oikawa but he's one character who gets me thinking. I have so many thoughts about him but it's quite a blur, he's a complex character. That much i have understood. I mean, everytime i see a character i have this immediate impression of them and everything they do afterwards usually builds up on that without contradicting my first impression. That's how it usually goes. But he was one character who keeps... surprising me? Somehow? Does that make sense? So yeah, i would like to re-watch stuff and form a stronger opinion before I yap. He's a complex and beautifully written character, i don't want to disrespect him with him half assed opinions lol.

He intrigues me, that's for sure :)

Then it's Iwaizumi i.e iwa-chan~ because WHY THE HELL NOT. I teared up over him afterall. Damn it. So yeah, i definitely like him.

honourable mention : shinji watari!

Then comes the honorable mention of Yuji Terushima from TEAM JOHZENJI. Whenever I think about that team and it's essence his face pops up in my mind, rightfully so. He has a cool character design, so that too.

That team to me personally is really memorable because my personality IS like them upto a lot extent LOL. So throughout the match I was secretly rooting for them a lot. And when they said "Ah. I was just getting started. I wanted to play more." I found myself thinking the same. And when that happens, you as a viewer know this match was well written. I also love how author captured their story and feelings in just an episode. Definitely a memorable match :D

HEHEHEHHEH NOW COMES THE CHARACTER FROM TOKYO POWERHOUSE PRACTICE ARC.

Ah. So many memorable characters ahaha xD

*sighs reminiscingly*

Anyways. Kuroo, Kenma, Lev, Bokuto. I'll hold yapping about them too much too simply because they haven't be explored too much yet. But my GOD. THESE 4 CHARACTERS? I'M SOOOOOOO SOOO CURIOUS ABOUT THEN. I wanna see how it all turns out and how they grow! Specially Lev!! If he gets better at other areas too he's going to be a challenge for Karasuno isn't it? That'd certainly be fun to watch.

Also i want to squish kenma, put him in a container and shake him violently then put him in a jar and GRIND him. Hahahahahakwiehhehehehehhh 😈

What? Don't look at me like that. He has a very squishy soft warm kinda character design. It's not my fault ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Lastly, I'd like to say i love Bokuto's energy 😌↕️😌↕️ and OF COURSE! HIS SILLINESS AHAHHAH XD

He's so dramatic oh my god 😂 but I also love how he taught hinata to be so much better 🥹 so far, as per my perception of him, he's a simple, optimistic and silly guy who wants good competition. And I'm all here for it 😌↕️😌↕️

OH MY GOD CAN KARASUNO HURRY UP AND PLAY FUKURODANI ALREADDYYYYYY 🥹

Ending this huge ass ted talk [which you probably didn't expect, and if you didn't, I'm sorry to put you through this] with the last honourable mention : Ushijima. Of course. First of all, why is built like a Hollywood character? Second of all, i wanna watch him play sooo bad oh my god. 🥹

....but I'll probably end up rewatching S2 before that. LOL 😂😭

[the-room-where-it-happens]

"Oh I won't forget, Momento Mori leaves a debt."

HELLO!!!! HI!!!! So erm I'm writing some more...... you guys seemed to like my last one-shot so HERE YA GO.!!!,,

( thank you for the support on the last one ougughh sniffles.., I'm not a writer at all I try. I try!!!! If I write c!quackity occ, yes he is the featured ghost in this one. LMAO uhh scream cry through rocks at me. I love c!q tho so I'll try my best to not be too ooc just how I imagine him from memory )

"Cmon.. big wins.. big wins !!" Mya mumbles under her breath, walking around the gambling machine on the ground as it spins around. She was gambling with all the members of goober nation that day. There was no special event or anything, purl has just suggested that since everybody happened to be awake and on that day they should have a group gambling session!

Mya had spent the last few days changing all the old red carpet to blue, along with changing the big Q on the wall to a P. It looked pretty good, in her opinion. And she heard Purl cheer when they saw the change. So clearly, Mr president had liked it. Now they just had to fix another one of the old gambling machines, and the casino would basically be done. Atleast that's what Mya thought.

She clapped when the machine had landed on one of the green blocks, giving her the biggest budget of all. She had gotten back 6 diamond blocks- Not bad at all! She heard the others cheer when she announced that she won.

She could hear music playing in the background, some old pop song that probably wouldn't of played In a casino, but hey, what did Mya know? She had never been a casino till she moved here.

Or.. woken up here. Did she move here? She didn't remember walking or anything- maybe she had been a casino before. One exactly like this! That Q on the wall- maybe she shouldn't have-

Mya was broken out of her thoughts when she heard Jade announce that she had won also! Mya clapped with the others, before opening the barrel she had placed her diamond blocks in. She thought she was done for now, but would still definitely hang around her friends. She opened her enderchest to grab the rest of her diamond blocks, splitting them up to only have 16 in her enderchest, and the rest in her inventory to give to purl.

Mya was sat with everyone now, overviewing the casino by sitting in the vip area. They were laughing and talking about whatever. Some drunk- some not- Mya had rejected drinking this time. She had drank everytime they had gone out the past couple times so she said no. She couldn't become addicted to the stuff, after all.

She could hear Jade and Oswald talking about their kids, Oswald still stubborn about not letting dirt and Mike out, and Jade trying to press ideas. Leon and Purl were talking about getting security for the casino, And Freckles and Kiri were discussing what wood type to choose for kiris roof.

And there Mya sat, drinking a glass of water, tuning into a different conversation but didn't talk all that much. Gambling had clearly made her tired. She had laughed and talked so much, anyways. She didn't want to force herself to talk, though she didn't want to leave.

Though she could feel something- or someone looming over her shoulder. Mya didn't like that. She heard a quiet mumble, not being able to make out what it was, she turned around to of course be greeted by nothing. And clearly dragon had noticed how Myas lips lips pressed into a thin line and she furrowed her eyebrows out of confusion.

"Mya, you okay? Hear something?" She asks, noticing how Mya tail flicked. She looked back to the group, noticing how everyone was looking at Mya now.

"If it's a shroom, don't bother speaking to em." Purl states, taking a sip of their drink as Mya looks behind her shoulder again.

"Nah i.. um.. don't think it's that. I just need to-" Mya stumbles up, tapping her chin before turning to her friends with a smile. "Just need to go outside for some fresh air. I'll be back yeah?" She says, and the others nod in understanding, watching as Mya descends down the stairs.

Mya walks outside, breathing into her hands since it's pretty cold outside. It's December, obviously. And for some reason she had seen it snow once when she stood on the balcony at the needle. Snow in a desert. Weird.

Mya closes her eyes, trying to muster up a- memory? Tubbo had told her her practice that. Try to remember faces- names. Use what he had taught her. She thought of this place. Las Nevadas. And when she opened her eyes she hadn't expected to see somebody.

"Mya." The spirit spoke, floating in front of her, flicking her forehead while upside down. He laughed while watching Mya flinch and back away.

"What the fuck- hey!" She pouts, rubbing her forehead while watching the spirit lower to the ground. He was in a outfit that.. kinda matched the theme of the place. Definitely something someone who worked In a casino would wear. He also wore a beanie, and rocked a scar that looked like hers. And Mya had to squint her eyes to notice his duck features.

The ghost smiles, ruffling myas hair as Mya looks even more confused as ever. "Mya! Kid! Never knew you were a gambler! Should've joined here back when I was alive." He smirks, noticing myas confused look as she responds, removing the spirits hand.

"Sorry, sorry, do I know you?" She asks, noticing the ghost look just as confused as she is. Mya watches the ghost eye her up and down, not in a weird way just simply observing her. Like she had changed. Like he expected her to be the same.

"Oh, so eret wasn't lying." He murmurs, thinking gonna moment. He takes a peek inside the casino, noticing the drastic change in the place. The spirit doesn't look too happy about it either.

"You've taken my country." He states lowly, not looking all that happy to see Mya now. More like disappointed- angry? Mya never understood why these damn ghosts looked so disappointed in her. What was the doing wrong?

"Not taken, made better!" She snaps back, looking all around her. "Look around you! The country's better- clean! Ready for people to use. You left it here, you're dead, no plans on coming back. Everything was empty, abandoned. We fixed it." Mya looks at the ghost coldly, which makes the spirit furrow their eyebrows and pinch his nose.

"God. You're acting just like your brot-" He gets cut off.

"Whats your name anyways, huh? Your name starts with a Q? Quackity? I've seen your names in books! I don't need some ghost I don't remember coming to tell me tha-" Mya stops. She realizes she's yelling. Why was she being so cold? Rude? That wasn't her. She rubs her arm, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." She whispers, taking in another deep breath. "I'm sorry I don't remember you. If we were friends or.. something. I apologize. You're country is lovely, the goobers just.. needed to use it. But it's not yours anymore."

The ghost, Now being revealed to be named as Quackity , eyes Mya before sighing. He knew he couldn't tell her everything- couldn't explain their.. friendship? Were they even friends? He knew she didn't like him for being schlatts vice president- ignored him in pogtopia and didn't want to join when he built Las Nevadas but they had spoken, and maybe Mya had forgiven him. Besides, they were both close to Eret. So they choose to get along. But Q couldn't tell her all that. Not right now. She couldn't remember.

"It's fine. Um. I know it's not mine. At least you're putting my country to good use. Not stripping it down completely." Quackity says, leaning against the wall of the casino. His ears perk up to hear the laughter of the rest of the goobers. "Oh, here your friends come. I better go."

Mya peeks into the casino, watching the rest of her friends approach. She nods, and before she could say anything else, Quackity had already gone. Weird conversation.

"Mya!" She hears dragon call out, walking up next to Mya. "Who were you talking to? thought you were just getting air."

Mya thought about telling them, they were her friends- family after all and she had talked about her nightmares before yet.. she didn't want to worry them. Tell them about seeing ghosts. She mightve been labeled crazy then.

"Nobody, nobody at all. Just myself. Um.. let's go home. Wanna sit by the fire and play some guitar before we all go to bed. Yeah? That sounds fun."

[robot-rarepairs-dotcom]

Making Megatron a cringey wife guy is SO GOOD!!! It's so funny 😂 he deserves to be a little goober sometimes

I don’t want stoic Megatron I don’t want a flirty Megatron I want a dork who sobs and sniffles and begs for a date and somehow manages to bag actual hotties with his skrunkly ass

And tbh it all started by me projecting my love for Jetfire into megatron and I’ve loved it ever since

Also @/driftsart has a pathetic megatron and I love that so much so🩷

[just-absolutely-super]

Toddler crack

Mega: hey Patch can you do me a favor?

Patch: eh, maybe? My friend is coming over

Mega: can you watch your cousin? I really need to send off some emails

Patch: do I have to?

Mega: huh? You usually jumps at the chance to watch Remix

Patch: I have never jumped at the chance of watching him. I love him, but he cries so much and he won't listen when I say no

Mega: it's just his age Patch. He doesn't understand everything yet, he will learn over time. But I really need to get to those emails now

Later that day

Mega: I don't get why Patch won't watch Remix as much anymore. My son adores him

Lan: it's the crying

Mega: Patch mentioned that

Lan: I don't think you understand

Mega: oh?

Lan: this is kid logic okay.

Mega: just tell me!

Lan: when someone cries, esepecially between two kids, the other kid almost automatically think they're in trouble

Mega: so when Remix cry when he's with Patch, Patch thinks he'll get in trouble?

Lan: yup!

Mega: that's ridiculous! Patch won't be in trouble cause Remix cries

Lan: Patch is in 2nd grade, cut him some slack will you?

Patch is entertaining Remix by playing tic tac toe

Remix: Patch is quiet...

Patch: Hmm

Remix: Oh! I win! Yay!

Patch: Yeah... Woohoo...

Remix: ...

Patch: ...?

Remix: *sniffles*

Patch: Huh? Are you crying? Why? You're winning aren't you?

Remix, crying: Pa-Patch doesn't like meeee!

Patch: HUH?! Where did you get that idea from? Of course I like you!

Remix: N-No you don't! Or you wouldn't be grumpy all the time!

Patch: Ah geez... It's not like that Remix, honest!

Remix: Waaah! I like Patch a lot! Why doesn't Patch like meeee?

Patch: Remix, stop crying, now!

Remix: *hiccup* ...

Patch: I do like you! I like you a lot. You're gonna be my NetNavi soon. But it's just...you're such a crybaby!

Remix: E-Eh? C-Crybaby?

Patch: Yes! You cry over the littlest things, and yeah, our parents say it's normal for you, but it can be so annoying. You're gonna be my Navi, but you gotta be big, strong, and brave too! Got it?

Remix: Big... Strong... Brave...

Patch: Yeah! We're gonna be the best NetBattling duo on the planet! Better than our dads!

Remix: Better than Papa?

Patch: Yeah! But to do that, I'm gonna need you to toughen up! So if you're gonna hang out with me, I'm gonna need you to be a big boy. Think you can do that, Remix?

Remix: Uh huh! I can be a big boy! I'm b-big, strong, and brave!

Patch: Good! That's what I like to hear!

Remix: So... Patch likes Remix?

Patch: Yeah, you goober, of course I do! Don't ever doubt that again!

Remix: Hehehe

Patch: So now that we settled that, Cal is gonna be here in a few minutes...do you want to meet him?

Remix: Gasp! I meet Patch's friend!

Patch: Yeah, you can meet him. He's been wanting to meet you too. But remember, no crying! Show me you can be brave!

Remix: Kay! I can be brave!

15 minutes later

Mega: Sorry, Patch, those emails lasted longer than I thought they would. I can take Remix now, so you can--

Patch: It's fine, Uncle Hub. He can stay with us. We're having fun, right?

Remix: Uh huh! Want to stay!

Mega: O-Oh, okay! Well, if you need me, I'm not too far away, okay buddy?

Remix: Kay!

Lan: Yo, Megaman, where's our buddy at?

Mega: He's...hanging out with Patch and Cal

Lan: That's great! See? And you were worried!

Mega: Yeah...I was actually

Lan: Don't worry, Patch will take care of him

Mega: I know he will, he takes after his dad after all...

[prolix-yuy]

Bestie, I have a Yearning for a fic and I would like to share;

Reader is sick with a cold or something and a partner is taking care of them (Frankie preferably 😏) So, reader is in bed complaining about being sick and not being able to cuddle or kiss Frankie, but Frankie's dumbass is like "of course you can kiss me, duh." And reader is obviously gonna put their hand in Frankie's face to shove him away when he goes in for a kiss.

But after multiple attempts, Frankie convinces them *one little kiss won't hurt* and mwah! Right?

BUT THEN -

Frankie Obviously Gets Sick and now reader gets to gloat at him while they're both stuck in bed. And Of Course, Frankie is *totally* doing the whole man-cold thing, whining about how he can't breathe and how he's freezing. Reader is ready to smother him with a pillow at all times.

Idk, I'm just suddenly dying and suffering thinking about a domestic fic......

(P.S. This is not an ask for you to write a fic about this, I would just like you to suffer along with me.)

(P.P.S. @i-like-to-read-13 is me)

Oh my god, isn't this just such a Frankie thing to do? Just like "but you love it when I kiss you" and it cuts to her all:

But I will posit that Frankie, while being a man with a cold, is not the classic man-cold boy.

Instead he tries to hide it for as long as humanly possibly because he feels bad that he pushed you into kissing him and that now he's reaping the consequences.

A little sniffle here, a subdued cough there, and then suddenly he rattles off three Dad sneezes in a row (we know Frankie sneezes like a dad, that goober) and it's full-on red eyes, runny nose misery. And when he gets interrogated about it...

"I must have got it at work."

"No, you got it from kissing me!"

"Of course not, you were already better by then. Santi must have given it to me."

"You've been kissing Santi now?"

And it goes around and around until he admits yes, he shouldn't have planted one on you and yes, he would like some of the homemade chicken noodle soup you have in the freezer and yes, he will stay wrapped up on the couch with cold meds until he feels better.

But then you think about it

And technically

If you gave it to him

You can't get it back from him

So when you deposit the soup and the aspirin and the TV remote in front of him, and Frankie gives you a watery-sweet smile, you plant a kiss of your own on his surprised face.

Frankie doesn't mind the cold nearly as much then.

(as a side note, my husband is a huge germaphobe so if he even gets a whiff that I have a cold or anything I'm basically quarantined from him, so having a Frankie to dote on me while I'm sick is the dream)

[punkrockmads]

Found Family

Abby x F! Reader Mini Series

Song used: The Mother by Brandi Carlile

*...*= Evangeline's Age

Chapter Ten; The Mothers

*TWO MONTHS OLD*

ABBY'S POV

"Abby." I hear someone mumble. I groan, hiding my face in my pillow. "Abby." The voice calls again. As soon as I realize it's Y/N, I look up, blinking the sleep from my eyes.

"Yeah?" I yawn, seeing her holding Evangeline. Evangeline clings to her finger, resting peacefully in her arms.

"Watch." Y/N says. She sits beside me on the bed, a mischievous smile on her face. She takes her finger out of Evangeline's hand and Evangeline immediately starts crying. Y/N lets Evangeline take her finger again and she calms down instantly. I chuckle, watching as Y/N takes her finger away and gives it back once more. "She likes my fingers just as much as her Momma." Y/N snorts.

"Jesus christ." I scoff, laughing. "That's awful."

"You love me." Y/N grins. I sit up, shuffling over to sit behind her. I pull her body against mine, my legs resting on either side of her as I wrap my arms around her torso.

"I do." I mumble, kissing her neck. She sighs as my lips brush against that one special spot. "How long has it been since we-"

"Too long." Y/N cuts me off with a chuckle. "I'm touch-starved."

"Aww, my poor baby." I hum, kissing behind her ear. "I bet you're missing my fingers just as much as I miss yours, huh?" Y/N tenses, nudging me away with her elbow. "You miss the way I make you moan?"

"Little ears listening, Momma." Y/N warns with a smile. I feel a very familiar warmth in my gut at the sound of her calling me 'Momma'. I'll have to tuck that away for the next time we get the chance to pleasure each other. "Finally, she's asleep." Y/N sighs, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Can you take her so I can make lunch please?"

"Yeah, of course!" I nod, taking Evangeline in my arms. As soon as Y/N pulls her finger out of Evangeline's grasp, I quickly replace it with mine, feeling Evangeline latch on. Her tiny fist can just barely fit around my finger. I feel so much pride as I look at her. She looks so much like Y/N. I didn't think I'd ever feel a love like this, but... thanks to Y/N and Evangeline, Lev and I have an even bigger family, one full of love. "My little Evie." I whisper, kissing my baby's forehead. She scrunches up her nose and sticks her tongue out before relaxing again, sleeping peacefully in my arms. She's so little. So so tiny. "Wait..." I pause. "Lunch? How long did I sleep?"

"It's noon, honey." Y/N chuckles, kissing my cheek as she gets up. I follow her out of the room.

"Why didn't you wake me?" I ask, wondering how much she had to do on her own while I was asleep.

"You were exhausted." Y/N says. She stops in front of me once we get downstairs. "It's okay. I wanted you to sleep in for once." She smiles.

"Thank you, sweet girl." I sigh, kissing the top of her head.

"You can thank me by changing Evie's diaper." Y/N says with a laugh.

"Fiiiine." I groan. "You're lucky I love you."

"I am very lucky." Y/N says, walking into the kitchen. "And I love you too!" She calls as I walk into the living room. I look around for Evangeline's little backpack. Kayla found a really cute Hello Kitty kids' backpack and Y/N stuffed it with things like diapers, bottles, pacifiers, anything Evangeline might need that we can grab quickly.

"Hey, babe!" I wipe a bit of drool off of Evangeline's lip with my pinky as she stares up at me with big sparkly eyes. "Where's Evie's backpack?"

"Um..." Y/N pauses, the sound of clinking plates coming from the kitchen. "It's by the TV stand!" I spot it almost immediately, picking it up and carrying it and Evangeline over to the couch.

"Got it!" I let her know. I lay a baby blanket on the couch, setting Evangeline down carefully. She begins to whimper. "Shh. It's okay, honey." Evangeline starts sniffling, I can tell she's about to cry. "Oh, I know, baby. You just wanna be held, huh?" Evangeline kicks her feet, starting to get fussy. "Momma's gonna hold you in just a bit, baby." After five minutes of trying to wrestle a diaper onto my squirming bean child, I finally get her changed. As I go to set Evangeline's bag back by the TV stand, I trip on the foot of the coffee table, landing on the floor with a loud thud and prompting Evangeline to start wailing at the scary sound. I hear glass shatter as Y/N runs into the living room.

"Abby?!" She looks panicked, quickly picking up Evangeline and kneeling by my side as I sit up. "Holy shit, are you okay?" Evangeline continues to cry in Y/N's arms.

"Yeah." I groan. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just tripped." Y/N puts a hand on my shoulder, rocking Evangeline.

"Jesus." Y/N sighs, hiding an amused grin. Despite her efforts, she can't hold back a laugh. I smile, starting to laugh with her. "I dropped a fucking plate." We laugh harder at our clumsiness. "Oh, my little Evie." Y/N kisses her cheek, trying to get her to stop crying. She just cries louder, starting to make a little pouty face.

"I think it's this goober's lunch time, too." I chuckle. Y/N nods, fixing Evangeline's flower patterned jumper. "Want me to bring you something to eat?"

"Please." Y/N nods, already unclipping her bra underneath her shirt. "Everything's already made. And can you-" She pauses as I help her take her left arm out of her sleeve, maneuvering Evangeline so she can eat. "That. Thank you." She chuckles.

"Hey." I mumble, making her look up at me. "You're incredible." I smile. Y/N rolls her eyes, grabbing the collar of my shirt and pulling me into a kiss. I can't help but let out a low growl from deep in my throat, making her smile into the kiss, her teeth meeting mine. She pulls away, leaving me breathless as she stares at me with a knowing smile. The things she does to me. "Oh." I grab the pillow from the wooden chair in the corner, leaning it against the arm of the couch. "Here. This should be more comfy for you." I say, helping her reposition herself so her legs lay flat across the couch and her back rests against the pillow.

"God, I love you." Y/N sighs as I kiss the side of her neck. Her stomach grumbles, making me smile against her skin.

"Your affection will have to wait." I chuckle, putting a hand on Evangeline's back. "Mommy's gotta eat too." I tell her. Y/N hums, no doubt thinking the same thing I did earlier. I squeeze Y/N's shoulder before heading into the kitchen to finish preparing lunch. As I scoop fruit salad into bowls, I hear Y/N start singing to Evangeline. I pause, letting myself listen to my wife's beautiful voice.

'Welcome to the end of being

Alone inside your mind

You're tethered to another

And you're worried all the time

You always knew the melody

But you never heard it rhyme

She's fair and she is quiet, Lord

She doesn't look like me'

I smile a bit at the irony of that line. Evangeline looks so much like Y/N already.

'She made me love the morning

She's a holiday at sea

The New York streets are as busy

As they always used to be

But I am the mother of Evangeline'

[ceilingfan5]

for the "I love you" prompts, 5 or 42 or 44? :)

“You don’t have to pretend with me.”

It’s a gentle reminder, whispered velvet-soft against Taako’s cheek, and Taako stiffens for a little bit before forcibly relaxing himself, taking the arcane cosmetics with him. Kravitz presses a gentle kiss to his temple before he pulls back a little bit, taking him in.

Oh, how his heart hurts. Taako looks awful, tired, upset, afraid. Worn out. Haggard. His eye makeup has run a little and his nose is red, and seeing that guilty-scared look in Taako’s eyes, Kravitz does what he can to make things easier and pulls the chain on their ugly lamp. Darkness swallows them, and although they both have night vision, it’s a lot easier for Taako to relax now. 

“Oh, dove,” Kravitz says, buttery soft and melting a little around the edges, and Taako dives into his arms, mushing his face into Kravitz’s chest. The damage is done, anyway. 

“Hey,” Taako says, muffled a little by Kravitz’s now-rumpled shirt. Kravitz strokes his hair, enjoying the smell of his fancy shampoo. 

“Hey. Hard day?”

“Mhm…”

Kravitz just keeps tangling his fingers in Taako’s hair, tousling it into a silken waterfall. It’s long escaped his braid and Kravitz takes it down bit by bit, slowly calming Taako down. They sit on the couch in the dark and hold onto each other. 

“How’m’I s’posed to keep going when things suck so bad, Krav? It’s just one thing after another after the next and I never get a chance to breathe, and I feel like it’s my fault for not being strong enough, but-”

“Hey, hey...” Kravitz presses a kiss to Taako’s hair. “It’s not your fault. You’ve been going through so much this year. Anyone would take it hard. What you need is to be cared for, and I’m here to do that. You’re not alone anymore, Taako, and you don’t have to shoulder it all by yourself.” He holds Taako, rocking slightly, rubbing his back in little circles now. “You don’t have to think about surviving the whole future. Just one day at a time, one hour at a time, whatever it takes. You are cared for, and you will make it through this.” 

Taako sniffles. 

“What if things don’t get better?”

“Maybe they won’t, as a whole, but...well, there’s always something, no matter how small, that makes life worth living. You, me, the cats...eating breakfast for dinner, whatever it takes. Taako, you don’t have to pretend that things are okay. They’re not okay, and they won’t be okay for a while. But I am asking you, please, keep going. Even if it’s just an inch at a time, keep going.”

“...Yeah, alright...” Taako mutters. He sighs heavily, still a little shaky. “Breakfast for dinner does sound kinda good...”

“Excellent, you’ve fallen into my trap, and now I will get to eat pancakes,” Kravitz deadpans, and then he does his big dumb stupid villain laugh and Taako has to snort and punch him in the shoulder. 

“You absolute goober,” he says, and then, a little softer, “Thanks. I mean it, for everything, just...thanks.” 

“Always, love. Always.”

[bbbarneswrites]

Small Places

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Don’t they say that after a storm, there’s always calm?  Genre: Romance/fluff Rating: T Warnings: Swearings, mental health issues 3,809 words

Notes: Here we are with a new piece after all these months! The songs we got for this one are The Moon by The Swell Season and Cellar Door by Angus & Julia Stone. Hope you guys enjoy it! Feedback always welcomed! <3

The small studio stays right in the heart of Brooklyn, surrounded by themed bars, bright restaurants and a crowd of millennials that makes him cringe every once in a while.

It’s a shoebox.

A bed that fights for space with a small couch, a kitchen that can be sized by two of his steps alone and a cramped bathroom with a bathtub that he honestly can’t fit in. But be as it may, Bucky has never been in a more comfortable, warm and welcoming atmosphere.

A bed with polka-dotted, fluffy blankets, a couch with bright colored and quirky pillows, a kitchen with a line of gifted succulents by the counter and a bathroom with filled shelves of sweet smelling products.

Pictures on the walls, sketches and love notes hung to the fridge, shared clothes thrown over in little corners.

Everything is so lively and familiar—it feels like home outside of his home.

The four walls of your little studio have been witnesses to so much. Whispered love confessions, frantic murmurs of comfort, quiet pleads in between moans, anger filled little lies, and the list can only go on.

There’s a Friday night.

Discarded containers of take-out on the coffee table, and maybe a carton of Ben & Jerry’s forgotten around after a fight over the last spoon. Netflix midway through a random episode of Stranger Things because yeah, Bucky has a growing crush on Winona Ryder. Peace fills up every fiber of his being, and looking down to the sight before him, things can’t feel more right.

“Your heart is beating so fast.” You mumble quietly, chin leaning up to rest upon his chest. A flesh arm tightens around your frame, and a lazy grin grows on your lips. “Are you nervous being around me, Bucky?”

The lightness laced to your voice is familiar, a tone he’s heard many, many times within the warmth of a shared trustfulness.

A smile curls up his lips. Even then, the sound never fails to make Bucky content and happy.

“I’m always nervous around you, baby.” He jokes, a gentle kiss pressing to your temple that earns a happy hum from your chest. “You’re way out of my league.”

Bucky’s smile widens with a muffled whine of protest, and his vibranium hand reaches out to push a strand of hair away from your eyes when you shift on the way-too-small couch. With your face still buried to his chest, there’s no space left between both of you. The fluffy hem of your socks tickles his legs and the skin of his tummy rise up in shivers under your fingers.

Meanwhile, Erica Sinclair goes off about capitalism on TV.

Despite the length of your relationship, a small part of him still gets surprised over moments like this.

Soft fingertips reaching out to his marred left shoulder, a light touch to trace the harsh and old outlines of his scars, by now the only ugly looking, physical reminder of a time of his life that’s best left behind to be buried and forgotten.

With a little giggle escaping from your mouth, Bucky halts his thoughts to focus.

“You’re cute.” You wink playfully, biting your lower lip to hold back another laugh. His cheeks instantly flush a little under the fairy lights of your walls. “This little scar here looks like a stick figure.”

The touch feels nice as your index finger brush over a particular spot near his collarbone. Though he’s observed every single detail of the marks in several occasions, more than enough to make him very familiar with its designs, he immediately takes your hand with his own. Wrapped fingers together, you guide him through his little stick figure.

It’s a little joke, he knows, but Bucky still grins as you make him trace the funny lines of a quirky drawing to his own skin.

And when you tip his chin with your thumb a moment later? Warmth radiating from your body pressed up to his? And lips sweetly meeting his own?

That’s his peace.

There’s a Wednesday morning.

After arriving from a mission, sore muscles and half-healed scabs, Bucky just couldn’t see himself going back to the apartment he shares with Sam—especially after a two week long mission, taking in everything that his partner had to say. And trust, Sam Wilson has a lot of things to say.

To top of it all, he’s missed you.

Missed your laugh and your kisses and your touch. The way you tuck his hair behind his ears, the plush of your lips to the base of his neck. Your cuddles and your warmth and your care. Two long, painstaking slow weeks.

The place is warm as he steps in, slits of moonlight escaping through your blinds. Coming home to you feels right, takes off an edge from his heart, as if everything is right in the world again.

Only silence as Bucky slips under the blankets.

Bleary eyes barely taking him in.

And a happy but tired hum before a familiar frame cuddles to his side.

Sleep welcomes him right in.

Any person that lives in New York can easily list a series of upsides and downsides to coexisting in a studio apartment this small. An upsidde is that you can see and hear everything and the downside is that you can see and hear everything.

White numbers cover up your face on the screen of his phone as it marks 3:36AM. The shuffling and clashing in the kitchen isn’t unusual except for the late hour. Barely four hours of sleep later, and Bucky’s watching a pajama-clad you pour chocolate into a bowl through squinted, heavy eyes.

“Think I need to put you on a sleep schedule.” He murmurs. The sound is low but enough to make you jump on the spot, turn around with a scowl that makes him chuckle. “Come back to bed.”

The tense features of your face melt into a mix of worry and dejection.

“I can’t!” You cry, hands coming up to cover your face in frustration, words all muffled. “I promised I’d bake brownies for the book fair but I was so tired and I meant to take a nap while waiting for you but I just slept and now I woke you up!”

It takes two steps until Bucky has your frame into his arms, a perfect fit that rises butterflies in your stomach after the two, very long weeks. With vibranium fingertips brushing along your cheeks in a gentle caress, every negative feeling slips away.

“You were waiting for me?” Bucky pulls back a little, enough to see you pout through a nod. A loving smile grows easily to his mouth right before a gentle kiss to your lips. “I love you.”

Brownies are made in record time with two sets of wandering hands.

And are successfully sold out by two excellent sellers.

There’s a Monday afternoon.

Clouds are looming over the city. Cold, bitter winds singing loud enough outside. The first few signs of fall can be spotted by a quick walk in the neighborhood by now, trees turning into different shades of brown as pumpkin orange starts to pop everywhere.

Back to a few hours earlier, Bucky begrudgingly kisses you goodbye at the cramped doorstep, fixing your heart-shaped earmuffs with a wish of a good day at school. No paperwork or assignments under his name for a change, the place shelters him from any unexpected Avenger responsability, and he’s more than glad to wait home for you.

Separated dirty clothes, clean dishes back to the cupboards, made-up bed with fresh sheets, organized books and trinkets and papers for the small study table.

Homecoming isn’t as comforting.

Between quiet sniffles, red-rimmed teary eyes and angry huffs of frustration with the addition of a warm tea cup, Bucky cuddles you up to his lap until peace has settled again.

“You gonna tell me who I’m killing tonight?” He jokes half-heartedly, chest a little bit lighter as you giggle quietly, offering a slap to his arm. “Just say the word and I’ll do it.”

A single look from you and his heart swells with affection, the feelings hidden behind the simple act never failing to leave him speechless, wondering if there’s another shoe to drop.

There’s always another shoe to drop in his life.

“You don’t do that anymore, remember?” You say softly, a smart smile playing on your lips that’s followed by a tired, but now content sigh. “I’m okay, promise. Just a bad morning in school that wasn’t expected.”

Hands brought closer together and a kiss pressed to your knuckles by his lips.

Bad days take no excuse.

“Okay, doll.” Bucky frowns, eyes squinted in pretend suspicion as he smirks. “You really sure though? I can call Sam.”

“I’m sure, goober.” You roll your eyes through a laugh, instantly leaning closer until his lips are brushing to your own. “It’s all better now with you.”

Seventy years of a missed life, most of which he’s spent nearly under seven feet underground, locked up like an animal and abused for selfish power. Ruthless damage to every inch of his being, every sliver of hope taken from him without permission for decades. Now, eight years after a seeming never ending storm, Bucky finds reason in all of this.

It feels good to know that she’s with him too.

And if the day ends up to both of you curled up in the back booth of the diner down the street, ordering a late night breakfast with pancakes and eggs and bacon, then it’s a good day after all.

There’s a Thursday night.

The day has been slow in the apartment given your day-off from school. Silence and a few movies on Netflix are your companions, except for the visit of your friendly neighborhood stray cat, Alpine, who climbs up to your windowsill every day without fail. Bucky is usually the one who feeds him, and mostly the one who’s unofficially adopted the kitten.

A pause here for a quick, improvised meal between homework, another pause there for a bath under glittery bath bombs.

Being away from him is normal.

His missions can last to mere hours to unexpected months. Living within the job is basically the norm, all with recruits training, team meetings and securing duties. Your classes are demanding, both physically and mentally. It never ends and never leaves you, always something to be started or done back home.

Either way, anxiousness never leaves you in a week like this.

Nearing a certain date on the calendar, Bucky’s plagued by restless nights.

It feels like a sore spot in his body, one he knows all about it but still can’t help but be upset at, poking and prodding around as a way to remember it. Despite knowing his best-friend way too well, Steve’s choice wasn’t one taken lightly back then.

The reasoning is fair and understandable but it doesn’t lessen the bitterness of a brief meeting after a six year long disappearance.

Not much can be done by now, but two years after Steve’s official death, Bucky still plays what ifs in his head. 

After gentle coaxing in between kisses in the night before and encouraging hugs and squeezes in the morning after, Bucky spends the whole day back at the compound, a scheduled therapy session set to the calendar of his phone.

When sunlight falls to a sheet of night stars, familiar but heavy steps sound like music to your  ears.

A random song playing through your laptop and slow beats welcome Bucky home.

It takes a single look at you until he’s sighing relieved, hauling your frame up to his arms in the middle of the small kitchen, where you both barely fit in during busy mornings with shoulder bumps and mumbled but playful complaints.

Sure it has been a pretty nostalgic day but nothing beats being right there.

“You smell good.” Bucky says, an almost shy mumble against your hair, his arms gently tightening around you. “Peach?”

The easy but definitely familiar guess makes you smile instantly. Heat rises on your cheeks, your chin rests on his chest as your eyes look for his own, very blue, very alive compared to a few hours back. Golden detailed fingertips brush your cheeks and a content hum escapes from your lips instantly.

“That bathbomb you gave me, remember?” You smile, voice sounding small and equally as shy until Bucky tips down, his lips meeting your own in a featherlike kiss that makes you sigh. “How are you feeling?”

Bucky smiles, crinkles forming in the corners of his eyes and then, the smooth sway starts. Finding rhythm with the slow beats still playing background, you can’t help but feel your chest lighter. In that moment, neither of you need to share words to know, he doesn’t need to tell you about his session for the feelings to sink.

Despite any doubt and above any insecurity, being right there feels just right.

It’s not his day and age. For a long time, he was nothing but a misplaced piece of the universe. Then without his best-friend, just an unknown face for the team to swallow.

Not anymore.

There was a time of misplacement and sure, he no longer has Steve on a back-up call but life has given him good things. Good people. Sam and Wanda. Love. You. And in that moment, after a long day of reflection, Bucky just feels thankful above any odd feeling.

“Feelin’ great.” He muses. It’s genuine and it makes your smile widen upon his accent slip, only cut short by Bucky’s lips briefly meeting yours again. “Thank you.”

Background music switching to an upbeat song and the shared slow, careful sway doesn’t change.

“What for?” You frown, wide eyes flicking between confusion and amusement through a quiet, huffed laugh. A beat until you look up through your eyelashes, and a sheepish shrug. “I haven’t done anything.”

Bucky bites back the reply—you’ve done everything and more, you’re everything—words for another time, other plans, a day with a better start. After all, he’s not going anywhere.

This is his place now.

And in the end of the day, that’s all it matters.

There’s a Saturday afternoon.

An array of long dresses and skirts mix-up with button-ups and printed ties on the bed, make-up and skin products all over the cabinet. The sun slowly lies down to a soft hue of orange that paints the bedroom space, and the off-beat singing coming from the bathroom makes you smile every now and then.

A coat of lipstick to the lips, mascara to the eyelashes. A well-placed hair pin to the side of your hair. Out of the bathroom Bucky gets, black suit and tie in place, not a wrinkle on sight to the white button-up shirt. The singing turns to a faint humming.

Short hair, trimmed beard. His blue eyes are alight. Positively beaming.

It’s just a few hours to go until the big event starts—Mr. and Mrs. Wilson anniversary, which they’re celebrating with one big ceremony to renew their vows with their children present. Bucky, much to Sam’s feigned dismay and Darlene Wilson’s stubborness, is now considered one of them.

In the very few opportunities you got to meet Darlene, she was nothing short of sweet to you and incredibly motherly to your boyfriend. Not much is needed to see how happy Bucky is to be participating in their day, and you can’t help but beam right back at him.

“Looking so handsome!” You grin, watching through the mirror as Bucky sits on the bed, shiny black shoes set on the floor. His lips are holding back a smirk. “I mean it, Bucky! This hair? I’m marrying you.”

At the words, Bucky looks up.

Between the Blip, his missions, your classes and whatnot, neither of you ever discussed the possibilities of a long-term future.

Have you both thought about it, though? Absolutely.

“You’re gonna get me in trouble.” Bucky sighs. Quickly settling into his shoes, a crooked smile curves up his mouth as he stands up, gentle fingers around your satin clad waist. “You’re so beautiful. I’m a lucky bastard, aren’t I?”

It feels like your brain instantly turns to mush over his words, and your tongue stumbles to find proper words to reply his sudden sweet outburst. Heat spreads through your neck and cheeks as you lean back against his chest, feeling Bucky’s arms wrap you completely with such warmth like home is supposed to feel.

Watching your reflections through the mirror, you can’t help but think how comforting the situation is, even if it can look silly to anybody else. How comforting is to see you with him, the changes, the little quirks that remain the same after a straight up mess.

How funny is it that you want to turn your little comment into reality?

How funny is it that Bucky wants that moment of certainty to freeze?

“You’ve got to help me with something.” You break the silence, smiling shyly before reaching out to the small jewelry box sitting on your make-up cabinet. A silver necklace with a studded little star is pulled out. “Please?”

Smart fingers wrap the necklace around your neck with ease, the touch of vibranium rising shivers to your skin as Bucky closes it with a little kiss pressed between your shoulder blades.

There’s that little moment of silence again until a sigh escapes from his lips, a beat of hesitancy rushing through his body before he’s fishing for the black box in his pocket. A box he’s been carrying for way too long now, just waiting for its buyer to build up the damn courage because that’s all it takes.

I mean it, Bucky! I’m marrying you.

“I’ve got something else for you to wear tonight.” Bucky says. Heart pounding violently through his chest, so much he thinks you might hear it, but voice sounding as light as ever under your curious eyes. “I—I’ve had it for a long time now. And I know it might not be the perfect moment but you just said you’d marry me.”

Turning around to face him, your mouth immediately falls open. Chest to chest, your eyes searching for his. And ss Bucky lifts the little velvet box and flips it open so, so easily with his metal thumb, your choked, disbelieved laugh fills the room.

The ring is beautiful.

No fancy stones, just a simple, silver band formed to wrap around a finger with its two ends meeting together on the top.

Both of you kept meeting each other over and over through accords, battles and sudden disappearances.

It’s meaningful enough to make your heart beat faster.

“You can’t be serious. Are you?” You ask dumbly, a silly smile soon growing on your lips as Bucky gives a playful glare. “You are. Holy shit, Bucky!”

“You aren’t sayin’ yes, baby doll.” Bucky jokes, starting to feel jittery with nerves despite a small grin. Under the anxiety and accent slip, he’s just loving to see how positively astonished you look. “I’m sweating under this suit and it won’t be good for—”

Red lips crash upon his in a rush, your fingers fisting the lapels of his suit so hard that Bucky almost stumbles on his feet, making him pull your body flush against his own. He’s sure your fingers are wrinkling his jacket just as much as his metal ones are wrinkling the delicate fabric of your dress. And your make-up, thank God, you’re wearing the smudge-proof lipstick.

There’s no time to breathe between quick, several pecks and a gasped but definitely excited reply.

“I am saying yes!”

There’s another Satuday afternoon.

A pair of booted feet walks through the tight hallway of the shoebox apartment, laughter completely filling the place as a pair of heeled feet bumps the wall in a funny noise.

The white sandals are a perfect match for the white mini dress, its hem flowing over very familiar thighs, showing a little too much because the position—or general space really, isn’t the best. Turns out that despite your skepticism, Bucky can carry you in bridal style through the cramped space. Even though, you can easily spot a stain in the back of his blazer because of a knocked vase. 

It doesn’t really matter.

As Bucky puts you down, your heels are kicked off and you immediately reach out to the memory board on the wall, pinning up a marriage certificate like it’s the simplest thing in the world.

When you turn around, Bucky is sitting by the edge of the bed just like one week ago, but now sans apprehension of an insecure man.

“We’re married!”

The gleeful tone of your words make him smile right away, pulling you closer with a gentle tug until you’re standing between his legs. Towering over him, your hands cup both of Bucky’s cheeks, thumbs brushing over the sharp, stubbly cheekbones. Your heart swells in your chest, happiness and love and calmness, because everything about the day really had been simple.

A city hall wedding with Sam, Wanda and Sam’s parents as witnesses, exactly a week after their own second wedding. Very simple and easy, as the decision of marrying each other had been.

“You’re officially a Barnes.” Bucky grins, hands brushing down the back of your thighs. Gentle fingertips under the hem of your dress, he silently urges you to sit on his lap. “Told ya, got me in trouble.”

“You say that as if you didn’t want to marry me.” You scoff playfully, wrapping your arms around his neck as settling down over him. “You can’t fool me. I totally noticed you were nervous back there.”

Not bothering to deny your words, Bucky shrugs. Even though he was nervous, it doesn’t really matter. Wrapped up in each other, surrounded by the quietness of the apartment, all he cares about is you.

A little kiss pressed to your neck.

“Well, you’d be nervous too if you were marryin’ the prettiest girl in the world.”

A laugh and a little kiss pressed to his nose.

“Well, I was nervous marrying the prettiest boy in the world.”

And then—Bucky’s lips are meeting yours in a soft kiss that swallows a sigh, hands steady and gentle around your waist as he dips down to the bed under your body. It feels like you’re both back at the ceremony again, high on your love and completely unaware of everything that isn’t each other. And he kisses you once, twice, three, four times.

Just enough to ground him, to remind him that this is what his life came to.

Don’t they say that after a storm, there’s always calm?

Yeah, well. This little shoebox apartment in the heart of Brooklyn.

This might be just it.

[anexplanationofunfortunateevents]

a friendly update on what’s happening with the vote count

Nobody wants to be the person who gives you false hope the nightmare is over.  At the same time, my goal here has always been to clear out some of the underbrush of bullshit and make it a little easier to understand what’s happening in the world. I don’t think that goal is served by letting right-wing merchants of doubt create a suffocating fog of unknowability.

Between the states that have finished counting, the >90% of the popular vote which has been counted, and where those last few votes are … I can’t think of a scenario where Trump pulls this out that I can defend as plausible. I don’t mean “I’m a poll wizard and I know exactly the percentage of college-educated Taiwanese-American moms in northern Fulton County.” I mean I was going to say “unless there’s a spectacularly successful hack” and couldn’t defend it. (Reasoning: if you’re competent enough to pull that kind of thing off, then you were smart enough to see that the best time to do that was between 9 and 11 PM on Tuesday night and the window was sliding shut all day Wednesday. If you’re dumb enough to try and pull a fast one today, it’s probably too late and the NSA will definitely catch you.)

A court decision? I hope I’ve been clear about how aggressively corrupt the decision in Bush v. Gore was twenty years ago and how much worse the courts are today. I don’t think they’re afraid to cross some dictatorship event horizon. I do think that Trump’s lawyers and judges are quickly running out of literal time to play those games. There’s a reason that poll workers have been pulling all-nighters in Atlanta and Philadelphia. It actually does take a minute to come up with something an extremely expensive attorney can say in court without worrying they’re going to lose their reputation or their law license. (State bar associations are perfectly free to decide that “going into court to tell deranged fascistic lies in farcically meritless suits” is a breach of professional ethics!) That may explain why their top legal eagle at the moment is an extra from a Borat movie. I know you think I’m being cute with that description but nope!

Two other things that suggest the wind is blowing our way:

Trumpist goobers have been self-soothing with clownish attempts to bully Michigan and Arizona election workers until they “stop the count,” after Biden pulled ahead in those states. I’m glad that local authorities are taking the slight risk of violence seriously, but I do think the rest of us have the obligation to note that these ding-dongs are like “I LOVE TRUMP! DON’T YOU DARE COUNT MY VOTE!! YOU CERTIFY THIS STATE FOR JOE BIDEN RIGHT NOW GODDAMMIT!!! MAGA!!!!” Meanwhile, unions in Philly have people dancing in the streets and cheering for the poll workers to count the votes.

Trump has been completely dependent on Fox News to bail him out at every turn. They’re not following him off this ledge.

You might come across some take artists who are desperately clinging to their beloved Dems in disarray narratives or pretending this year’s exit polls are worth the paper they’re printed on. They are damaged people who want to steal your joy at Vice President Kamala Harris breaking down barriers for women, infinitely expanding the dreams of little Black girls, bringing delight and pride to South Asian Americans. YOU DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, GOTTA HAND IT TO THEM.

So.

If my analysis of the situation changes at any time, I’m going to take this post down, because it will become dangerous misinformation. At the moment, though, I think giving the bad guys the power to deprive us of clarity is also tacit misinformation.

There isn’t going to be a gracious, cinematic concession, because Trump is a dick. There isn’t going to be a formal procedure until the Electoral College votes are tallied in December. We still have two hard and razor-thin Senate runoffs to win in Georgia. (GEORGIA!) We aren’t out of the woods until noon on inauguration day. And at 12:01 on January 20th, we start a new phase of incredibly important work.

If you’re not ready yet to let yourself believe that the Trump nightmare actually can end in just a few weeks, I get it. Honestly, I think that’s why I’m hedging a little bit more than I can rationally defend. But like. I was watching MSNBC early Wednesday morning when Trump shambled into the East Room to sniffle his way through a low energy autocratic attempt to declare that the real vote count was over and he had won the bigliest of victories. The three lady anchors laughed at him on live television. Then Wednesday night, the three lady anchors came back on television and laughed at him some more. I believe that’s what comparative politics scholars refer to as an “autocratic womp womp.”

[lihikainanea]

Tiger getting drunk and laying on the couch and she’s all heart eyes for her boy but he’s out grabbing groceries. She calls him and is slurring every word but he just listens to her mumbling nonsense while he grabs food for her. :,)

oh god I am SO FUCKIN SOFF FOR THIS.

Listen. Listen, bubs. Let’s add another layer to this, alright? Let’s even just go ahead and say poor tiger is riding the crimson wave and she’s in pain and all needy about it.

Maybe homegirl had a big win this week, a big work project that came through or a raise or a promotion or even just some nice words from some higher up at her job when she completed a project. She was stoked about it, but a Wednesday night is a weird night to celebrate so they saved it for Saturday. (For the record, I think every day is a great day to celebrate. Any excuse to have champagne, really.)

And Bill’s a big sap for his Little Human so you know he planned it to start early. And while he also had plans Friday night to ensure he banged her brains out so good that she could barely walk Saturday, the poor kid came schlepping home Friday night, already doubled over in pain, miserable and shivering.

“What’s wrong, kid?” he coos at her, running his hands over her arms as she thunked her forehead on his chest.

“I got my period,” she mumbles, “I wasn’t due for another week, but surprise motherfucker.”

He makes a sympathetic noise, plops a kiss on her head.

“I hurt everywhere,” she says pitifully. He wraps her up in a hug, lifts her so she can wrap her legs around his waist.

“Let’s fix that, then,” he says as he kisses her cheek. So his plans to ruin her were swapped out instead for a bubble bath, his giant sweatshirt and a pair of comfy sweatpants for her, a hot water bottle, lots of cuddles, some good food and some wine, and nearly an entire kilogram bag of gummy bears before she eventually just passed out on his chest. He carried her to bed, settling her under the covers before scooting out to refill her hot water bottle for her.

But listen tiger woke up the next day warm and snuggly, the ever present ache in her lower belly still present but much better now. Bill’s thumb was tucked in her mouth and even though she was awake she made no effort to remove it, in fact she just wrapped her hand around his wrist to hold it there. His chest was flush against her back, hot as a furnace, his long legs tucked up comfortably under hers. His arm is wrapped tight around her, across her rib cage and up between her breasts. She’s just...cocooned in his warmth, and when he feels her start to wake he pulls her closer, nuzzles his scratchy chin onto her shoulder.

“Morning sweet girl,” he purrs, all raspy and deep, “You feeling okay?”

She whimpers a little but it’s a happy, satisfied one--scooting her ass back into him and curling up a little smaller so he’d hug her tighter. It works. She nods her head, still keeping a hold of his thumb in her mouth.

“Are you in pain?” he asks, and she shivers a little when he lays a soft kiss on her shoulder, runs his scratchy jaw up her neck and kisses her earlobe.

She shakes her head.

“Good,” he whispers, settling back on his pillow and sniffing her hair, “Pinch me when you want your coffee.”

And they stay like that, a real lazy morning. He drifts in and out of sleep, until he feels her playfully nip his thumb still nestled in her mouth. He smirks but doesn’t move, and a few seconds later, she bites it with a little more intent. Chuckling, he raises up and kisses her cheek, giving her butt a playful tap.

“Alright, I get it,” he laughs.

But like, listen. Bill had full intentions of making this a weekend celebration, full of all of her favourite things. So not only does he bring her coffee, but he also brings in a bottle of pretty expensive champagne with two chilled flutes.

“What’s this?” she asks, as she sits up.

“This is to celebrate my girl, in all of her bad assery,” he says. He makes a show of popping the cork, handing her the two glasses to hold while he pours it out. I’ll bet he even playfully splashes some of the cold liquid “accidentally” on her chest while her hands are occupied, diving forward to lick it up from between her breasts.

“Oops,” he mumbles playfully against her lips, “My bad.”

Tiger’s got a pretty high alcohol tolerance but bubbles will do it for her every time. So by the time he’s ready to get breakfast on, she’s probably already a little tipsy. But she winces as she goes to stand up, because shit her stomach is starting to cramp up again and her lower back is pretty sore. Bill swoops down and picks her up, grabs her hot water bottle from the bed, and carts her to the kitchen so she can keep him company. He sets her down on the counter, refills her hot water bottle and tucks it against her abdomen, stealing a kiss.

And she’s just feeling so good and safe you know? He took such good care of her last night, he’s still taking care of her this morning and he’s just standing there all tall and shit, saying things like how proud he is of her. Tiger’s buzzed and so soft about it.

And while he usually knows her schedule and knows when to stock up on her favourites, this round came early so he wasn’t prepared. And he needs to slip out after breakfast just to get some stuff--he doesn’t have anymore of her favourite ice cream and he knows she’ll be looking for it later. He hadn’t anticipated that she’d eat the whole kilogram of gummy bears last night so he needs more of those too. He ran out of Midol for her, and needs to pick up a few more iron-rich foods to incorporate into dinner tonight to help her feel better.

She wants to stay glued to his side but the thought of getting dressed and going out are just pretty daunting right now, so he sets her up on the couch with a movie, a warm blanket--and some more champagne. He gives her a big, lingering smooch and tells her he’ll be back in an hour.

He doesn’t make it in the car for 10 minutes before she’s calling him.

“Hey kid,” he greets, “Everything okay?”

“Hi uh...yeah. I just...I...” she’s mumbling and man he can hear that she’s small for him just by her voice. He smiles--she’s usually a big goober when he takes care of her but he knows the addition of her cycle and how big of a week it was for her is just really compounding it all. And he loves it. My god, he loves it when she gets like this.

“Do you miss me already?” he smiles. He tries to keep his tone playful without being mocking--mocking, hell just light teasing, would cut her too deep when she’s like this.

“No,” she mutters, and then a pause, “....maybe.”

She stops to hiccup and he laughs.

“I’m not far, kid. I usually have all the stuff you like on hand and you’re like clockwork, but this one caught me by surprise,” he’s babbling but he’s just doing it so that she can listen to his voice, “I need your ice cream, and some more gummy bears. Do you want the regular ones or the sour ones?”

Silence for a second. He clues in.

“Or both?”

“Both, please,” she says, and then he hears her sniffle just a tad, “You always take such good care of me.”

God his heart clenches.

“I love taking care of you, tiger,” he said, “It makes me feel really good, too.”

“You’re just so good to me,” she continues, “You always know what I need even before I do. And you always smell so good and you’re so warm and your hugs are the best because your arms are really long and you squeeze me extra tight, and you always--always--do that thing where you hug me tighter as I go to pull away.”

He parks in the lot of the store, smiling shyly to himself as he grabs his phone and keeps it to his ear.

“And you let me do that weird thing that I like doing even when I don’t realize I’m doing it and you don’t make me feel bad or weird about it. What kind of adult still sucks their thumb?”

“I love it when you suck my thumb, kid,” he says, “It’s so goddamn cute.”

“it’s weird but you still let me do it. And the way you sometimes drag me closer when I’m sleeping, I just wake up and you’re pulling me closer and tucking me more into you and it’s really nice.”

He stops for a second, because shit he didn’t realize that she knew he did that.

“And you’re a good kisser,” she keeps babbling, slurring a little and pausing every now and then to hiccup, “Your lips are always so soft and you take your time, you don’t shove your tongue down my throat and you just take it slow and it makes me think you enjoy it too.”

He’s motoring through the store now, because fuck all he wants it to just be back home and tuck her into his arms.

“I do enjoy it. I love kissing you, kid. Could do it all day,” he says.

“Are you almost home?” she says pitifully. God he almost throws the cart to the side, abandoning everything just to run back to her.

“Almost kid, just paying now,” he says.

And once he’s back in the car he just guns it home, going full speed. He throws the car haphazardly into the driveway and bounds up the steps. When he unlocks the door she’s curled up there where he left her, all small and bundled up in the corner of the couch. Her eyes are still a little glassy, a little unfocused from the champagne, but he just kneels in front of her, takes her face gently in his hands, and leans forward to kiss her. It’s slow and soft but intense, deep, lingering as she whimpers against his mouth and he pulls her in closer. When he breaks apart he licks his lips, lets out a slight laugh of disbelief, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers.

“Yeah,” she whispers reverently, “You do that really well.”

“All day, kid,” he murmurs.

[returnn-of-the-mac]

Sole Survior loses Dogmeat and frantically searches for him, companion`s reactions!?

FO4 Companions React: Sole Looking For Dogmeat

After a long and grueling fight against invading Super Mutants at Oberland Station, Sole settled down for a little lunch. It was then that they realized that their canine companion was missing. A panicked Sole searched around the entire settlement. After hours of searching that proved fruitless, a dejected Sole plopped down on the train tracks, fighting back tears.

Curie: Curie was quick to comfort Sole. She immediately ran over and sat next to her companion. “It’s okay, [Madam/Monsieur], we’ll find Dogmeat,” She gently rubbed Sole’s back and thought for a moment, “I can help you look more tonight. We can cook up some Brahmin steaks and use them to lure him back to us.”

Strong: Strong hesitantly approached Sole. “Human look sad, Strong no like,” the Supermutant continued, “Strong sorry brothers scare dog away. We look for him.”

X6-88: X6 stood beside Sole. “[Sir/Ma’am], it’s unfortunate your dog started and ran away,” he began, “But if we return to the Institute, we can use a terminal to track him down.”

Hancock: “Ah man, that really is a bummer about Dogmeat,” Hancock said, putting a comforting hand on Sole’s shoulder, “But the big guy absolutely adores ya. He’ll come back, no doubt. I’ll keep helping you look in the meantime.”

Preston: “I’m sorry about Dogmeat, General,” Preston started, sitting down next to Sole, “Maybe we could make posters to inform others that he’s missing. It might be easier to find him if we have more eyes.”

Danse: “Losing a best friend is always hard, but he’s still out there, soldier,” Danse began, “I’ll help you search until he’s found.” Danse paused for a moment, and then continued, “I advise against letting others know he’s missing. There’s the risk of him being held hostage if others find out.”

Gage: “Aw, hell boss. That sucks about Dogmeat. I was startin to like that lil guy.”’ Gage stood up, “But we ain’t done searchin yet. Only suckers give up.”

Piper: Piper sat down next to her companion. “Don’t worry, Blue. We’ll find Dogmeat. I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,” she began, “The little goober loves you to death. There’s no way he wouldn’t find his way back to you eventually.”

Longfellow: “Don’t be down in the dumps yet, kiddo,” Longfellow reassured. “Hell, we haven’t even tried a quarter of the methods we could use to find him.” Longfellow pulled a slab of deathclaw meat out of his inventory. “Now, we could cook this up nice n smokey and maybe that will attract him. We could even try hunting calls to try to direct him this way.”

Cait: “Why do ye miss that oversized rat so much? We can find ye another dog, for Christ’s sake.” Cait could tell that her response upset Sole even more. She rolled her eyes, “If it means so damn much to ye, I guess I’ll keep lookin with ye.”

Codsworth: “Oh, [sir/mum]...I’m so sorry,” Codsworth started, “I will do everything I can to help you find him. I won’t quit any time soon. I know how much he means to you.”

Nick: Nick crouched next to Sole and put a firm hand on their shoulder. “Hey now, don’t give up just yet. Are you forgetting who you have by your side?” Nick adjusted his hat, “Diamond City’s top detective. Commonwealth renowned too—not to toot my own horn,” he continued, “I will use every trick up my sleeve to help you find him, friend. You’ll see him again soon enough; you can count on that.”

MacCready: MacCready slumped down next to Sole and sniffled, “Aw, I really liked the big guy...what? No, I’m not crying!” He quickly wiped away a stray tear. “We’re gonna find him, [name]. I will do everything in my power to track him down. We’ll find our little buddy soon!”

Deacon: “C’mon pal! Don’t be giving up yet!” Deacon began, putting a loose arm around his friend, “We’re gonna find him. The lil pupper couldn’t have wandered too far. Besides,” Deacon continued, standing up, “You’ve got me here to help you!”

Ada: “[Sir/Ma’am], please don’t be upset. I can conduct a scan and track him down,” the robot reassured. Ada stood still and beeped steadily for about 30 seconds. She then lit up, “[Sir/Ma’am], I’ve found him! He is on his way back to Sanctuary Hills.”

[universal-kitty]

Sometimes I forget I was doing art trades... Whoops! I really need to finish those...    For a start-! Here’s the my side of an art trade with @robotarmjokes! You can see their side here!

   “Do you think he really likes me?” Cassie looked up from her report to the knowledge broker standing near her desk, fiddling with the ring that proved Atlas’ CEO was a married man. A ring he’d given the broker- DL Munro, now DL Strongfork- a year ago by now.

   This wasn’t the first time Cassie and DL talked. DL had a looser schedule being a knowledge broker, so it wasn’t uncommon for the woman to come up to spend time with her husband. Rhys usually let her in immediately, but in some cases, he was busy, and she had to wait until his meeting or appointment was over with before D could come in.

   This was merely one of those handful of times such was the case. Giving the two time to chat a bit.

   Cassie glances at the ring DL was fiddling with, then to Mrs. Pink herself. Frowning... Where had this come from?

   “He married you, didn’t he?”

   “Well, yeah, but...” She sighed, stopping her fidgeting for staring at the floor. “...I just don’t know what he’s doing with someone like me, y’know? There’s plenty of way prettier people out there who’re smarter, look better, don’t swear as much...       “I just wonder what he likes about me that he keeps sticking around...” D was silent after that, turning away from Cassie more, so the secretary wouldn’t see the expression she was making. Not that it stopped Cassie any, staring at D for a few moments, plans for the day abandoned for a bit in favor of helping D with her insecurities.

   “...Hey, DL? Look at me.” D hesitated, before turning to look at Cassie, embarrassment on her face and eventually raising her glassy eyes to Cassie’s. “No doubt in the universe that man loves you,” she stated, tone stern. “He lights up when you enter a room, even when you first got here. He was thrilled with every little thing you ever did. Now he just straight up brags about it to anyone who’ll listen. Sure, your swearing surprised him at first, but he’s grown to love it so much. I know because not only has he told me fifteen times that exact thing, but he swears more when he stubs his toe on the upper right leg of the coffee table in his office. Yes, he still hasn’t adjusted to it being there.

   “This man has told anyone with hearing that he loves you. If they can’t hear, I wouldn’t doubt he whipped out a presentation for those who could read to show how much he loves you. There isn’t a thing he wouldn’t do for you, DL.” D sniffled, wiping at her eyes with the heel of her hand. Cassie offered a tissue instead, which D quickly accepted.

   “...I know it’s kinda hard to believe... Having issues with yourself really fucks with you. I’ve got some self-esteem issues, myself,” Cassie admitted, her tone soft and caring, leaning back in her chair. “But... To the best of your abilities, you can’t let that plague you. Things are good. Bad things? Heh, well, they’ll have to deal with you and the boss. I sure wouldn’t want to be the person who sees him all worked up like that.” She laughed a little, leaning forward to reach for her coffee and...it did help lighten the mood, DL laughing softly, herself.

   “Hey... Thanks, Cass. That’s real nice of you to say all that...”

   “It’s no problem, Mrs. Strongfork.” The secretary gave a friendly, confident wink before glancing up at her screen, tapping something. “Boss?”

   “Is my wife still out there?” Cassie could see D blushing already, eyes flickering between the faint view of Rhys and staring down at her feet.

   “You know it.”

   “Oh, good! The meeting is over, so send her in! And do keep an eye on the new CEO of Maliwan... I’m getting some bad vibes from over there.”

   “Not the first time, nor the last, bossman,” she snarked, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “Will do.” He soon hung up, Cassie nodding at the door for DL to enter as she got back to work.

   Stepping through those doors, it...was pretty comforting. The familiar sight of his office, Rhys messing with his computer with a frown before spotting his wife, a bright smile breaking out onto his face. 

   “There’s my baby~! C’mere,” he cried, standing up swiftly out of his chair (stumbling a little when his shoe caught the corner of his desk), and opening his arms for D. She couldn’t help the returning smile, picking up her pace to rush into his arms. Comforting hold, familiar smells she could breathe in... It really felt like home. And made all her fears seem...silly.

   Though looking up at his face...

   “Babe, do you have stubble on your lip?”

   “Hm?”

   “I see hairs! Don’t tell me-”

   “If I was thinking of getting a mustache, I sure wouldn’t know!”

   “That doesn’t make any sense, you goober!! Are you thinking of growing a ‘stache?!”

   “Ah, I- I might be!!! I think I would look very cool with a mustache, thank you!!” She could only laugh at his rather flustered, indignant way of saying that, holding him tighter with her face in his chest. What a goof...

   It felt good to be with him again. The worries, gone. Happiness? Endless.

[littlecrookedheart]

Shadows

Pairing : Clove and Elliot | Tom x Clove

Rating : Fluff, M for language

Word Count : 6,080

Author’s Note : Please take caution reading this if you are sensitive to sexual harassment (in the family of cat calling / staring.) Please take caution reading if you struggle with grief / death discussion.

Disclaimer : I do not own these characters. I’ve added a bit of a flare to them for the sake of this piece, but they do not belong to me.

Clove grabbed her phone from the bedside table, jumping up as she saw the time and Elliot’s missed messages, quickly typing back a reply. She swiped a sweater and black jeggings from her bag, running her fingers through her hair like a comb and leaving Tom with a note and a kiss on the cheek.

She pulled up to the driveway, sending her text before seeing Elliot already running up to the car, a wide smile on his face.

“You look sunny today.”

“I've been up for awhile.”

“Nope, Scooter, not what I meant. You look happy.”

Elliot shyly grinned, playing with his sleeves as she drove off down the road.

“I um...I may have asked Robbie to a dance.”

“Whaaat!”

“I know I'm not going to school with him this year but he should still go, right?”

“For sure. How'd you do it?”

“It was so dumb. I wrote it on the inside of a box of breadsticks.”

“Carbs are never dumb, first of all. Second, that's really cute!”

“You think? They're his favorite, you know the ones from that pizza place that has the best bread?”

“Yeah, the one by the spice market?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, critical question. Does he dip them in ranch, garlic sauce, or marinara?”

“How is that a critical question?”

“He's practically my brother in law-”

“Clove!”

“It matters!”

Elliot rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Garlic.”

“Ah, see? That wasn't so hard. And now he has an extra stamp of approval from your favorite me!”

“You're my least favorite you.”

“Elliot, you know how much I love you, but I will dump you out of this car.”

“Right here? Nah. We’re by that diaper place.”

“You lost me.”

“This whole area smells like a diaper.”

“No way?” Clove rolled her window down, immediately making a face and closing it. “Wow. It really does smell like a diaper.”

He chuckled, turning away to stifle the sound, “Like massive diaper.”

“I've considered it and I think that this would be the perfect Elliot dumping zone.”

-

“Welcome! Just the two of you?” The hostess perked, smiling from behind a couple of menus. Before either of them could reply, she gestured for them to follow her, leaving the menus at the table. “Your server will be over in just a moment.”

“Sit next to me, Scoot. Miss you.”

Elliot rolled his eyes and slid in the booth next to her, immediately flipping to a place in the menu full of waffles and pancakes.

A few moments later, a server came to take their order quickly dropping off drinks and a basket of toast.

“This is what I live for.”

“Toast in a basket?”

“Carbs!” Clove spread butter and jam on two pieces of toast, stacking them before taking a big bite. “I could literally just have this and I'd be content.”

“What are you gonna get?”

“I don't know! What do you think I should?”

“We've been sitting here for like ten minutes and you haven't decided what you want? I'm getting the supreme pancake thing.”

“Oh! Do they still have those birthday cake pancakes?”

“We have the birthday cake waffles,” the server said as he reappeared, pulling out his notepad. “Your birthday?”

“Nah, they just taste like dessert and I like dessert.”

“I haven't tried them but they do look delicious…” He gave her a long, full bodied once over, “Those cakes.”

Elliot looked to her with a scowl, confused.

“Not even trying to hide it, huh?”

The server moved his eyes along her curves, obviously staring at her chest. She pretended not to be bothered, zipping her jacket up higher.

“I need a sec. Scoot, go first.”

“Um...okay...I want the pancake supreme breakfast.”

“Sausage or bacon?”

“Both?”

“Okay. And for you, sweetcheeks?”

Clove started cracking up, holding a finger up to signify that she needed a moment. She stood up, facing him straight on.

“You think I'm hot, right? Do you always creepy stare at hot girls?”

“I'm not supposed to flirt on the job, sweetie-”

“'Sweetie,' my foot in your ass. I hope you like the unemployment line.”

She marched up to the front desk, pounding her fist on the wooden counter. The server quickly followed over, murmuring under his breath.

“Hi! I'd really like to see the manager. Like, head honcho. Who is in charge?”

“Ma’am, if you'll please-”

“I'm ma'am now? Twenty seconds ago I was, ‘sweet cheeks.’”

Elliot grabbed his phone to record her, a man with a large beard approaching her at the counter.

“Hello, I'm Peter. I'm the manager, what can I help you with?”

“I came here for a breakfast with my kid brother. He's right over there,” she nodded toward him, “Instead, I'm being sexually harassed by the guy that's meant to be my server.”

“Are we sure this wasn't a misunderstanding?”

“Right, I suppose I misunderstood him staring at my tits and making a comment about my ‘cakes,’ along with calling me, ‘sweet cheeks.’”

Peter's face turned a deep shade of red as he whipped around to face the server, who stood with his hands up in surrender.

“Didn't mean anything by it! If she didn't have those things out in the open like that-”

“I'm wearing a sweater, asshole. I could walk in here completely naked and you being a creep would still not be okay!” She used her hands to talk, keeping her volume cool and collected despite the rage in her eyes, “Clothes don't determine consent! Having breasts does not mean I'm dying for you to talk to me like that! You need to take a few lessons on common fucking courtesy, because my dude, you are lacking.”

“My office, Clancy. Now.”

Peter turned back to face her, shaking his head, “I am so sorry. He will be dealt with and your meal today will be free of charge.”

“Thanks, but listen, Peter. First of all, don't doubt someone when they say they're being sexually harassed. Second, he doesn't need to be, ‘dealt with,’ he needs to be fired. Keeping him employed here poses a risk to every single female patron that walks through that door with your seal of approval. That isn't an establishment most people want to support.”

As she turned away, Elliot began to clap, attracting the attention of a few other customers who joined in. She did a little twirl and bow, elbowing him as she got back in the booth.

“Tom thinks you're a badass.”

“Did you record me?”

“Yeah, because you're a badass. So I sent it to Tom.”

“Don't ever be like that guy, Scoot. You're so much better than that.”

“I'm not gonna objectify someone's body. I know how bad that is.”

“You're right. And you're smart for remembering.”

-

“You sure you're okay? That guy was a creep.”

“I'm fine! No scratches. Plus, I felt pretty brave doing what I did.”

“Yeah..you were.”

She wiped her mouth, grinning at him, “So...why do you think that area smells like diaper?”

“Dunno,” he shoved a huge bite of pancakes in his mouth, “But it didn't smell like that until after the flood.”

“Something wicked in those waters.”

Elliot glared at her, pouring more syrup over his food.

“Sorry, jeez. Something more wicked. Like poop.”

He snorted, covering his nose and mouth, “Goober, don't say, ‘poop,’ at the table.”

“Okay, dad. I forgot we can't say any of the gross words.”

Elliot’s face went slack, a weak smile slowly curling on his lips. “Dad hated that.”

“He did! He was the only one who was allowed to talk about poop while we ate.”

“I don't know why that made me really sad.”

“It’s okay, Scooter. We’re allowed to miss them.”

At the front of the restaurant, a small girl sat beside her mother, looking up as she watched her reapply her lipstick after their meal. Elliot’s gaze locked on them, his fake smile beginning to become genuine. Clove turned her head and watched them for a moment before saying, “That’s adorable.”

“I remember you used to do that with mom.”

“You do?”

“I remember when we were younger and you’d sit on the hamper in the bathroom and watch mom do her makeup. She always said, ‘Clove, draw your eyebrows as high as your hopes will take you-’”

“And when you dream, aim higher,” she joined him in unison, putting her arm around him. “I miss her.”

“Me too.”

“Remember when she’d sing to you when you were little? You’d hum along but never sing. She told you that your lungs were made to belt it out and you were doing the world and injustice by keeping it in.”

“I really can’t sing, either. She was the one doing the world and injustice by wanting me to belt it out.”

“Nah, Scoot. She just loves you.”

“Do…you believe in heaven?”

“I’ve seen enough of it to know it’s out there.”

“I don’t know if I do…but if it’s real, mom’s there. Dad too, but…mom is like the queen of the angels.”

“You know something? It might sound crazy, but-”

“Can you feel her, too?”

“Yeah. Right now, sitting across the table,” she pointed her fork to the empty spot, “Telling you that this hair looks so nice since it’s grown out.”

“She’d like Tom, I think.”

Clove’s eyes welled with tears, picturing a world in which her mother may have known him.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s just bittersweet.”

She wrapped her arms around him, feeling him sniffle against her.

“Mom would love Robbie. God, Scooter. She’d be so proud of you. I know she is, wherever she is. They both are.”

“Do you think..” Elliot poked at his breakfast, choosing his words. “Do you think they’d care? Y’know…about me…liking guys?”

“I don’t have to think, I know they’d be happy to know that you were being true to yourself. I know they’d care, but only about your happiness. They’d never treat you differently.”

“Yeah…but how can you know that? It’s not like I ever got close to saying anything.”

“Because I know they didn’t mind. You know, one time I told mom that I liked girls.”

“You like girls?”

Clove shrugged, finishing off her drink, “Yeah. Not super often, but if I met a girl and I got feelings for her, I wouldn’t think any differently. One time when I was younger than you, though? I had a crush on our old neighbor. Remember Mia?”

“The girl with short hair? She was so much older than you!”

“Yeah, but I didn’t care. It was just a harmless crush, anyway. I told mom, ‘I think Mia is really hot.’ and she just laughed and said, ‘I don’t blame you.’”

“She really said that?”

“Why would I make that up?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I feel bad that we’ve mostly talked about mom.”

“Dad was great, but Scooter, me and you were always glued to mom’s hip. Of course we’re gonna have these times where we just talk about her, but we will have those times about dad, too.”

“My favorite thing about dad was his Saturday morning speech.”

“Oh, God. Kill me now.”

Elliot cleared his throat and began to do an impression. “Today is Saturday and I am going to sit right here-”

“In my pj’s-”

“And no kid or wife-”

“Is going to make me put on real pants!”

“-So if you need anything today…”

“Ask your mother or call a delivery service.”

They both stared at one another for a moment before doubling over in laughter.

“There is no question where we get our humor from.”

“Hey, Clove? I know we can’t visit their gravestones…not today, at least. But could we do something for them?”

“Whatcha have in mind?”

“Maybe we could write notes and burn them or something.”

“Huh. Okay. You ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

Clove pulled her jacket on, slipping a twenty dollar bill to Elliot.

“What’s that for?”

“Being you. But can you run up and get grandpa’s to go? It’s free like the rest of this meal, thanks to Clancy.“

He made his way to the counter to grab the order while Clove pulled out her phone, swiping through a photo album she had complied of she and Elliot with their parents through the years. He met her back at the table and slid the change under his glass for a tip, looking over her shoulder.

“Come on, Goob. Let’s go.”

-

“Just up that hill.”

Elliot pointed ahead to a pathway of trees, dead and barren from Winter’s wrath, the surrounding woods plush with evergreens. Atop the hill sat a dead patch of grass, remnants of a bonfire still smoking at a makeshift fire pit.

“Someone had fun here last night,” Clove smiled, “I love bonfires.”

“Actually…that was me. I came up here to think.”

A look of concern crossed her face as she sat on the ground next to him, bumping his knee with her own.

“You’re not just playing with fire…right?”

“No, I swear. I just got the idea from the fire last night. Watching the branches and sticks curl up and basically just become ash? It..it was like..why can’t bad memories do that, too?”

“Because memories are a part of us.”

“I wish not all of them were.”

“Tom told me something once that helped me a lot. Can I share it with you?”

Elliot nodded, pulling his beanie off. He stretched it in his hands, looking into the distance.

“We are the people we are. Our grandpa is the guy who was involved with the cult. Our parents..were murdered by that cult. We can’t run from it, but we have to remember that it doesn’t define us.”

“I don’t know if I know what you mean.”

“When you look at me, do you see any of that?”

“No.”

“What do you see?”

“My sister. That’s it.”

“Exactly, Scooter. Because we aren’t our past. Nobody should ever look at you and see those things, especially yourself. You were amazing before, during, and now, after all of that. You aren’t, ‘Elliot, kid who almost died however many times.’ You’re Elliot, my baby brother. You’re smart, you’ve got a great head on your shoulders. You’re a big sweetie-”

“Don’t push it.”

“…Even though you don’t believe it.”

“Thanks, Clove. I guess you’re right. I don’t think Robbie is anything like his dad or something..that’s kind of similar, right?”

“Yeah, it’s similar.”

Elliot laid back, folding his arms under his head. Clove joined him, watching the overcast sky as the clouds drifted along. She thought of the moments in between the sadness, taking her brother’s hand in her own.

“We made it.”

“Yeah, we did, didn’t we?”

“And we’re gonna keep on making it. Somewhere up there in all of those clouds, mom and dad are there. They’re looking at us now and they’re proud, I can feel it in my heart.” She placed a hand to her chest, choking back tears, “One day in a couple years, you’re gonna graduate high school, and you’re gonna look in the seats and wish they were there. It’s gonna feel like acid in your heart, but I need you to know something.”

She turned to him, wiping her eyes with her other hand, “I swear to you, no matter what you feel, they will be there. I will be there. You still have a family, okay?”

Elliot dove forward, embracing her tightly.

“Why did they have to leave, Clove?”

She squeezed her eyes, desperate to hold back her emotions as he sobbed in her arms. Be strong. Be strong.

“I don’t know, Scooter. They are right here with us, right now,” she wiped his tears, pressing her hand over his, aligning it at his heart, “You can’t tell me you don’t feel that.”

“I’m so scared..I-” he buried his face in his hands, “It’s been this long and I’m still so scared to lose you, too.”

“I’m not going anywhere. You hear me? I’m not leaving.” Clove’s arms wrapped around him, rocking back and forth as she began to hum, her touch maternal against his heartache. “We’re okay, Elliot. Breathe with me,” she said, her voice soft. She inhaled deeply, waiting for him to mirror her, slowing down his sobs one breath at a time.

Once he’d gone quiet, her humming the only sound against the blowing wind, she kissed the crown of his head and tightened her embrace.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” He sat up, using his sleeves to wipe his face.

“Still wanna burn a note?”

“Yeah.”

She dug through her purse, taking out a miniature journal and a pen. She scribbled something of her own and handed him the items, digging a book of matches from her things.

“Do you want me to read it?” Elliot asked, pulling his hat back on.

“Only if you want to. I didn’t think you would.”

“Um…Doctor Ripley…wants me to be more open with you.”

Their therapist, a kind, plump man with thinning hair and very large, square glasses, had been working with Elliot twice weekly over the past year and a half. Clove joined him in seeing a therapist, sometimes the same, sometimes a tall woman with a harsh smokers rasp and eyes like a river. Always helpful, regardless - and she was delighted to see that Elliot, too, was having a good experience.

“Okay.”

He took a shaky breath and cleared his throat before starting, “Mom and Dad…I’m not mad anymore. I’m sorry that I was. I didn’t know how to..how to think about you actually not being here anymore. I kept..thinking about you, hoping we could go home again. I think it took me this long to let you go..and I just want to. I want to let you go. I love you so much…but you deserve to be free.”

Clove swiped the matchstick along the panel, placing the flame along the edge of his note. He dropped it, watching as it blew to the blackened pile of sticks. Once it dissipated, it was nothing but a clipping the size of a snowflake, and it floated off with the breeze.

“I’ll go now.”

She dug the tip of her boot into the dirt, doing her best to keep her eyes from flooding.

“Mom…Dad..”

Elliot placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling her body tremble beneath his touch. “You don’t have to, Goob.”

“It’s okay. Mom, Dad…you taught me love for so long I never actually realized that one day, I wouldn’t feel yours anymore. I just want to say thank you for Elliot…”

He looked to her, his brows bent in confusion.

“Thank you for Elliot because when I look at him, your love is everywhere. All around me. And I don’t think I could live without him for one second.”

She lit a new match, placing her note on the embers.

“I didn’t write this..but I want to add something. Grandma Josephine…wherever you are, thank you for my mom. Because she has always been an angel, and me and Elliot miss her so much. I wish I could have met you before you were hurt. But all of you…Elliot’s right. We have to let you go. You have to be free.” Clove reached for her brother’s hand, looking to the sky. “We’ll always love you.”

“Always.”

Their hands linked as they looked to the sky, taking in the crisp air. Elliot reached to hug her again, his eyes going wide as he broke away, “Grandpa’s breakfast!”

“Oh, shit! Okay, ready? I’m ready.”

-

She waved goodbye as Elliot ran inside, dodging many beginning drops of rain. She pulled up Tom’s contact and called him, leaning her head back against the seat rest.

“Hello, beautiful.”

“Hey. You busy?”

“Nope. Did Elliot tell you he sent me a video of you absolutely slaying that-”

“Tommy?”

Her voice was breaking, chest riddled in emotion and a heavy sound of tears.

“What’s wrong, angel?”

“I just really need you right now.”

“Okay, I’m here. Want me to meet you anywhere?”

“Are you home?”

“Yeah. Come over.”

“I’m gonna take a minute to myself and I’ll be on my way.”

“I’ll come pick you up if you need me to. Can you drive?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“It’s gonna be okay, my love. See you when you get here.”

-

Tom hung up the phone, scrubbing his face with his palm before sending Elliot a text.

He grabbed his keys and ran outside, speeding to the farmers market down the street before Clove arrived. Nearly slipping on the slick sidewalk, he pummeled through the door, running into an elderly woman who was sweeping the floor. The air smelled of fresh produce and rain, his eyes scanning around for plants and flowers.

“You okay there, son?”

“Yeah! Sorry, I slipped.”

“You’re in a real hurry.”

“The love of my life is on her way over and she’s bawling her eyes out. I need flowers. Can you point me-”

“What kind?”

Tom pulled his phone out to verify the texts from Elliot.

“Red carnations and white daisies.”

“You want the mini carnations?”

“What looks better?”

“The mini ones.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

The woman gathered a bundle of flowers and wrapped them in newspaper, tying a ribbon around the base.

“Wait, what are those tiny tiny white little things that come with flowers? On green branches?”

“Baby’s breath. I’ll add some.”

“Thank you!” He pulled out his wallet, but she shooed him away.

“You came in here and nearly bowled me over. I asked if you were okay and you didn’t say, ‘a girl I like,’ or, ‘my girlfriend,’ you said the love of your life.”

“Yeah?”

“Young people finding that is something special. On the house.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“Yeah, yeah, now you go on.”

Tom smiled and ran out the door, jumping in the car.

When he pulled up to his apartment, sheets of rain blanketed the sky, Clove’s car nowhere to be seen. Safe, he thought, darting from the car to the front door, pushing it open to see her already sitting on the couch, her hair and sweater soaking wet.

He set the bouquet down along with his keys and grabbed a towel from the hall closet, pulling the throw blanket off the back of the couch.

Her eyes were rimmed in red, face puffy from her tears. He pulled her into an embrace, holding her tight as she collapsed in his arms, crying with all of her might.

“I’m here, I’m here.”

-

Once her crying slowed, he unfolded the towel, scrunching her curls within it to dry them. Lifting her sweater over her head, he dried her skin, draping the blanket around her shoulders.

“Don’t go anywhere. I’m gonna get you a top.”

She nodded, sniffling, using her sweater to wipe her face.

Tom shuffled through his drawers, finding an oversized t-shirt and a washcloth, stopping by the bathroom to warm up the cloth before heading back to her spot on the couch.

“Okay. Hand me that towel?”

He took it from her, drying the top of her back and spots on her hair he’d missed as he stood behind her, unhooking her bra before handing her the shirt. He smoothed his hands over her shoulders, running his fingers along the imprint of her bra straps, noting the indentation across her back where the band rested.

She pulled the top on, kicking off her jeans as she nestled into the corner of the couch, Tom squeezing his way next to her. He wiped her face with the washcloth and kissed her cheek, pulling her into his embrace.

“You know..when I was little before Elliot was born, sometimes my mom and I would order pizza and have a girls night. She’d bake cookies and play with my hair…”

Tom zoned out for a second, her hair in his hands as she told this story, her voice aching in grief. And back to reality, he took her hand, kissing the top of it.

“…It was just…everything.”

“Missing them extra today?”

“Yeah. Elliot and I talked about them and it was so nice but just..I can’t help but be heartbroken when I think about some things.”

“Do you want to tell me about those things?”

“Graduation. I know it was just a sheet of paper, but I did it, you know? They weren’t there. They won’t be there when I open my store. They…”

She choked on her words, tears spilling from her eyes again. Tom’s own eyes began to water as he wrapped her in his arms even tighter, easing her through the moment.

“If I ever get married, I- I always dreamed of them being there. And I know I have Elliot, I just…it’s not the same. I dreamt of it my whole life, Tommy. They’ll never be there. They won’t see me fall in love with you every single day. They won’t see it if I…what if we have a baby one day? How can I explain to my kids how amazing they were, but ‘sorry, you’ll never meet them?’ It’s just…it’s not fair. And I’m angry!” Her voice grew louder, “I’m so mad and I’m so fucking upset because I deserved them to be there. I deserved them holding my hands as I walked down the aisle. I’m angry and I’m sad and I feel like my chest is caving in.”

Tom rubbed her back, gently holding her to his chest.

“It’s not fair. You’re right. It’s the opposite of fair. But you know what you’re forgetting? They see you, Clove. You know they do.”

“Seeing me from another plane doesn’t make me feel less alone.”

“It’s know, baby. I wish I could mend your heart a million times over. Let me see those eyes.”

She looked to him and gave him a small, sad smile.

“They’re so fucking proud of you. Look at you, you’re a powerhouse. Not only are you a total badass, you’re an amazing artist. You have the best heart. The best head on your shoulders. You’re everything, Clove. And if for one second you ever feel alone, remember that you will always, always have my heart and soul. Plus, you know what? You can be pissed off. Throw something, kick a wall in, punch me in the face! It’s justified. You are allowed to be angry!”

She blinked a few times in a deadpan stare, “Did you just yell at me to punch you in the face?”

“Yes. Punch me, baby. If you feel better after beating the shit out of someone, I’ll volunteer.”

She giggled, his laughter joining hers.

“I’d never hurt you. I just…I’m so..”

“You don’t have to explain. I’m gonna be here every step of the way, even if that means making you laugh at me.”

“Why are you so good to me?”

“Because you’re the love of my life. Oh! Speaking of.”

He hopped up and grabbed the flowers, handing her the bouquet.

“Tommy…”

“Do you like them?”

He kneeled on the floor next to her, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

“They’re perfect. My mom…you..you remembered?”

“Elliot helped me out, but yeah. I remembered the story where she put them in every window on your birthday. You said that’s where you got that from…and if you have kids, you’ll do the same for them.”

She held them to her chest and kissed him, his lips like feathers against her own, the warmth of his love radiating from where he knelt.

“I’m gonna love you forever.”

“I’m gonna love you for even longer. And so do they. Their love for you is limitless, angel. They see you. They’re proud of you. They love you.”

“I’m wish they could have met you.”

“Me too.”

-

Late in the evening, Tom stood in the open doorway, listening to the birds sing after the storm. Clove sat curled up on the couch, streaming YouTube videos on Tom’s laptop as she munched on Doritos.

“Do you mind if I ask Elliot over to stay the night with us? I just really want him here.”

“Absolutely. I’ll text him and pick him up.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“It’s cool. We can get dinner on the way back.”

He sent the text, stepping inside to put his shoes on.

“Your hair looks nice like that.”

“What, like wild? You just like it down.”

“I do. You can’t blame me, you look like some fancy poet.”

“Now, that’s a compliment I’ll take. Elliot says he’ll be ready in fifteen. I should head over. What do you want food wise?”

“Can I say…junk? I want junk.”

“I can do that. Toppings?”

“You know me so well. Just a bunch of cheese…and some of that garlic bread?”

“Say no more, my lady. I’ll tell him to text when we’re on the way.”

“Tommy?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, angel.”

-

After picking up Elliot and a massive order of pizza, Tom pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store, taking the key from the ignition.

“Ice cream?”

“Hell yeah!”

Tom chuckled, raising his eyebrows. “Okay, what kind?”

“Anything chocolate.”

“You…really, really are Clove’s brother.”

“What of it?! Can you get me some tea? I have mone-”

“Shut up, dork. I don’t want your money. Do you also have a weird flavored tea addiction? I’m grabbing raspberry while I’m in here anyway.”

“I might like it.”

“I might dump it on you when I get back then. Put that money away.”

Elliot stuffed the bill back in his pocket, trying not to grin as widely as he was.

At Tom’s return, he grabbed the grocery bags, sifting through them to eye the items inside.

“You’re like, a really good boyfriend.”

“What do you say that for?”

“Clove is lucky to have you. She had a bad day and you went like,” he gestured with his hands, “Massively all out. People don’t usually do that.”

“I’m in love with her. That’s what you do when someone you love is hurting.”

“Thanks for being there for her. I know she loves you like that, too.”

“Can I…Elliot, I really want to tell you something. But it can’t make it back to Clove.”

“Okay?”

“Um..I have been thinking and I just-”

“Watch out!”

Tom slammed on the brake just in time to avoid a loose dog sprinting down the road, owners chasing behind.

“Who does that!”

“This town isn’t ever boring, huh?”

“I feel like I almost shit my heart out.”

“Same.”

They parked in Tom’s parking spot, unhooking their seat belts simultaneously.

“I’ll get the bags if you get the boxes?” Elliot smiled, reaching behind him to grab the few grocery bags they’d gotten.

-

“So wait, your mom was this jack of every trade, and your dad sold cars?”

“He said he’d been selling cars since he was seventeen.” Elliot chimed, slurping what was left of his ice cream.

“It sounds so boring!”

“Mom was the magic, dad was…the stage?”

“Scooter, what does that even mean?”

“Like, mom was all lights and colors, ya know? But dad was just stable. And he always would support her.”

“That…was a great metaphor. I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“You should be.”

“Oh! Another time, mom came in from being out all morning and called a family meeting-”

“Oh my god.”

“You remember, Scoot? Oh yeah. She came in with this old, hideous, weird beaded wedding dress from the thrift shop. She said she needed to work her magic and it would be as good as new.”

“Was it?”

Clove and Elliot looked to each other and said, “No!”

Elliot laughed, “She made it big enough for the neighbors dog. That’s it! Mia, right Clove? Her first girl crush.”

“I’ve heard of Mia.”

“What? You have?”

“He’s my boyfriend, Elliot, what did you expect? He just had no idea?”

“Maaaybe?”

“Nah, she told me about Mia the same day I told her about-”

“Ben Park.”

“The comic guy?”

“Yeah, and Tom’s first guy crush.”

“You like guys?”

“I don’t really have a preference. I’d be into anyone who made the world light up, but I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

He kissed Clove sweetly, pulling away quickly as not to annoy Elliot.

“Wow. This is actually really cool to know. I guess..I guess more people get it than I thought.”

“You’re never alone, man. Even if it feels like it.”

“You guys are cooler than I give you credit for. Can we do this again sometime? Maybe Robbie could have dinner with us.”

“We can do this any time. My place is open to both of you whenever.”

“Oh…speaking of. Scooter, what do you think about me moving a town over?”

“Why?”

“We’ve just been thinking about finding somewhere-”

“Like you guys living together? That’d be cool. We could do this more. Plus, you could give me my dresser back that you took to your studio.”

“If we can, we’ll get a place big enough for you to have your own room for when you’re over. And close enough to not really make a difference, like less than an hour.”

“Really?” Elliot laid back against the couch, “Cool.”

Tom pulled an array of blankets from the closet, tossing them behind him.

“What are you doing, baby?”

“Fort time.”

“Oh my god! For real? Scooter, when was the last time we built a fort?!”

“Like your birthday that one year?”

“Oh boy. I love forts.”

They spent the next thirty minutes layering blankets over the furniture, tossing them over one another, laughing until their sides hurt. Finally, after many slips and fumbles, the three of them settled in beneath the fort, television streaming old Adam Sandler comedies.

-

“Elliot’s out officially,” Tom whispered, “We had fun tonight, didn’t we?”

“So much fun.”

“It’s kinda funny, when I was talking to him in the car before we got the food, he had much of the same sentiments as you regarding your parents. Like…different experiences, but still saw them the same way.”

He climbed behind her, holding her close.

“Elliot and I wrote them notes and burned them today. But we read them out loud and it…was nice.”

“If I could say one thing to them, I’d thank them for giving the world someone like you.”

“My mom would cry.”

“That’s where you got that from.”

“Hey! You love that about me.”

“I do. I love every piece of you.”

“Thank you for being here for me..for loving me. For loving him,” she nodded to her snoring brother, “He needs people like you in his life.”

“He’s a part of you. Of course I love him. I’ll always be here for him, too.”

“You’re amazing.”

She kissed him, sweet pecks, silently pulling beautiful affections from within him. Tom held her into the night, gently singing to her as she fell asleep. He grabbed his phone, going to her social media and scrolling down to find photos of them that she’d posted.

He felt his chest swell with emotion, blinking away fresh mist. He closed the app and looked toward the ceiling, imagining their faces as happy as they were in the photo. With a voice as low as a whisper, he said, “I’ll never be able to thank you for everything you’ve given me. I want to…I love her more than anything. I want to marry her so badly. I hope that if she says yes…if she says yes, I hope you’d approve. I hope I can make her as happy as she deserves. And I’ll be anything I can to Elliot. I swear to you, he has my heart, too. I’ll help him. I’ll guide him. Whatever I can do. Thank you…from the bottom of my heart…for these two. They’re my family.”

And he dozed away, his cheek resting in a bed of Clove’s hair, their fingers laced together. This night was full of quiet love, happy, happy love - the light of the moon dancing across the walls, much like the slow fade of two lingering silhouettes watching over them.

[punkrockmads]

Found Family

Abby x F! Reader Mini Series

Warnings: Angst, fighting

Song used: Honeybee, Steam Powered Giraffe

Chapter Six; I Can't Lose You

*SIX MONTHS PREGNANT*

"Abby, c'mon. You can't expect me to sit here for months." I groan, looking at Abby with an annoyed frown.

"No, Y/N." Abby sighs. "Please just stay here." Abby's been trying to convince me to stay home from patrol until the baby's born. The problem is, that isn't supposed to be for another three months and I'm already extremely restless.

"Abby, I'll be fine." I assure her. She closes her eyes, zipping up her backpack. "I can take care of myself." We've been going back and forth like this for ten minutes.

"Please, listen to me." Abby pleads. "Please just stay here." She slings her bag over her shoulder.

"I don't want you going out there and getting hurt when I could've been there helping!" I say, not even noticing I've raised my voice.

"No!" Abby yells, staring at me. I freeze, feeling a sting of pain in my chest. "I'm not letting you go out there and risk yourself and her! I can't lose you, do you understand that?!" She glares at me, her arms swinging as she speaks. "Just fucking stay here!"

I take a deep breath, trying extremely hard to keep my composure in front of her. I know she's just worried. "Okay." I sigh, my voice calm despite the hurricane inside me. Abby looks at me with instant regret before turning away and opening the front door.

"I'll see you in a bit." She mumbles. "I love you." She leaves, closing the door before I can even respond.

"I love you too." I whisper as tears fall down my cheeks. I quickly wipe them away, turning around and walking upstairs. I walk carefully, my baby bump making stairs a little harder for me. I feel like a whale. And the worst part is, I'm only gonna get bigger. Lev comes out of his room, seeing me on the stairs.

"Hey." Lev walks down the steps, standing beside me. "Let me help you." He puts a hand on my back, guiding me up the stairs.

"Thanks, kiddo." I sigh, grateful for him. He's been so helpful, always willing to do anything to help Abby and I with his baby sister.

"I heard you and Abby fighting." Lev says once we make it to the top of the stairs. I look at him with a pitiful smile, sorry he had to hear any of that. "She's just worried, you know?" He follows me into mine and Abby's bedroom, sitting beside me on the bed.

"I know." I nod. "She's trying to keep me and the baby safe. I'm not upset with her."

"Then why are you crying?" Lev asks with a small laugh, wiping my tears away.

"I don't know." I chuckle. "Pregnancy hormones."

"Is that why you've been all emotional and stuff?" Lev asks. I pull him into a hug, laughing at his annoyed groan.

"Pregnancy can make girls a little crazy." I smile, ruffling Lev's hair. The baby kicks my stomach, probably excited to hear her brother. "She's kicking." I hum. "Wanna listen?"

"Can I?" Lev asks, wonder in his eyes.

"Of course!" I nod, watching Lev put his ear to my stomach. "I think she's excited to meet you."

"You think she'll like me?" Lev asks.

"Lev, she's gonna adore you." I assure him. "You're gonna be the best big brother ever." Lev smiles, hugging my stomach. "She's gonna love you." I yawn, starting to get tired. "Okay, I'm gonna nap. You go ahead and chill till Abby gets home. Don't burn the house down." I laugh. Lev rolls his eyes at my teasing, leaving the room and closing the door. I lay down on Abby's side of the bed, holding her pillow and enjoying the comforting scent of her; pine soap and the woods after a rainstorm. I don't even realize I've drifted off to sleep until I feel the bed shift behind me, someone laying down and spooning me carefully.

I open my eyes slowly, feeling a familiar strong arm wrap around my waist, a warm hand on my stomach. "Hey, goober." It's Abby. She's talking to the baby. I hold back a smile, closing my eyes and pretending to still be asleep. "Mommy and I are so excited to meet you. We love you so much. You gotta go a little easy on me, okay? I'm not as strong as Mommy." She laughs a bit at her words, sniffling. Is she... crying? "My sweet girls. I love you both with my whole heart." I feel her press her head against my back.

"You're a sap." I whisper, startling Abby. I turn around to face her as she props her elbow on the pillow, resting her head in her hand. I smile at her, delicately wiping the tears from her freckled left cheek with the pad of my right thumb. "Hi." I greet her, my voice still thick with sleep.

"Hey." Abby mumbles back. She looks a little sad. "I'm sorry about this morning." She says, referring to the fight.

"It's okay." I lean up, kissing her cheek. "You're trying to protect me and the baby. It's okay." Abby sits up, gesturing for me to sit in her lap. I do just that, wrapping my arms around her torso and kissing her lips.

"When I was a kid..." She pauses, rocking me slightly and rubbing my stomach. "I was part of the Salt Lake Firefly outpost with my dad and my friends." I remember her telling me about Salt Lake and her father and the man she killed. "One of my friends was this girl named Mel. We weren't very close, but she was family. She was cool. Two years ago, so... when I was nineteen, she got pregnant. She was seven months pregnant when something happened and she left base and... she and my friend Owen got killed... and Lev and I were the ones who found them." I feel her tense for a moment before relaxing again. I look at her, rubbing soothing circles into her forearms. "I just... I don't wanna lose you like I lost her. I can't lose you." Abby's voice breaks with her last sentence.

"Oh, Abby." I whisper, feeling my heart break for her. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, baby."

"It's okay." Abby says, hugging me tighter. "I'm so glad I have you, angel. I don't wanna lose you."

"Hey." I take Abby's face in my hands. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." I kiss her lips. "You're stuck with me, Anderson." She smiles at the last part.

"And you're stuck with me, Anderson." Abby laughs. I laugh with her, hugging her torso tightly. She begins to rock me side to side slowly again, rubbing my stomach and arm.

'You didn't have to look my way

Your eyes still haunt me

To this day

But you did

Yes you did'

"Are you... singing to me?" I ask, looking at Abby with a grin.

"Shh." She chuckles, tickling my side. I laugh, wiggling a little in her arms. "I'm trying to." I rest my head on Abby's chest, listening to the gentle thrum of her heartbeat.

'You didn't have to say my name

Ignite my circuits

Start a flame

But you did

Yes you did'

I sigh, letting my eyes fall shut as I take in the peace and comfort of being in Abby's arms. She continues rocking side to side, tracing hearts on my stomach with her finger in an ink only the two of us can see.

'Oh, Turpentine erase me whole

Cause I don't want to live my life alone

Well I was waiting for you all my life

Oh

Why

Set me free

My

Honeybee'