#some of these are from last year or more maybe like the first ones. i want to revisit the shapes stuff i had Ideas

[alchemistc]

in three, two, one (anxiety)

The door swings on its hinges to reveal the crossed arms and unimpressed expression on Henrietta Wilson's face.

"Okay," Tommy says, with no idea what he's about to experience.

Hen doesn't move, but she does lift an incredibly judgmental brow. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Well. No sugarcoating it, then. "Several things," is not an answer that's gonna make her happy, however it is the one he has available to him at the moment.

Hen rolls her jaw the same time she purses her lips, and Tommy remembers that for a while there he'd stopped having an expressive face around her because he was afraid she'd somehow know.

She had known, but not because his eyebrows did half his talking for him.

"I'm gonna be honest, I don't know what answer you wanted from me."

"Not that one."

And then suddenly Hen is in his house.

He doesn't really have people over. He's certainly never had Hen over.

He took a sledgehammer to a side wall three days ago and he hasn't had more time to work on it than sweeping away the debris.

It's very noticeable.

Hen stops in her tracks halfway down the main hall to stare at it. "Several things," she repeats mockingly, under her breath, and makes a beeline for the kitchen that's now clearly visible behind the skeleton of a non-load-bearing wall.

He hasn't seen the 118 since the funeral. Not unexpected. Definitely not on purpose. He's always been just a hair outside of that group.

"So, my best firefighter is moping because the man he's been obsessed with for more than a year now hasn't called, and you're... knocking out walls."

"I've been meaning to knock out that wall for three years."

Her eyes roll around in her skull for a while before they catch his gaze. It's not an easy gaze to ignore. "Sure, nothing to do with the fact that the one conversation I know you two had in recent memory has to do with how annoyingly small and closed in the kitchen in his rental is."

A single moment of levity in a horribly sad day. But Evan hadn't asked to talk. Evan just lost the man he considered a father. So Tommy made small talk, and bit back the envious beast inside him when Eddie and Evan devolved into a squabble about the general layout of the house.

It had just reminded him of his plan, is all. The plan he's had for years, now. Nothing to do with Evan at all.

"You want some coffee? Orange juice? Maybe my drill so you can just lobotomize me instead of giving me cryptic, judgy eyes?"

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Tommy shoots her an exasperated look. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here against my own nature, to tell you to grow a pair and reach out to the man you stole government property and committed multiple felonies for."

"I've texted Howie," Tommy shoots back, just to avoid the inevitable for a few more moments. Out of all of them, he definitely never would have expected Hen to be the one staging an intervention. Or whatever this is meant to be.

The glib response was a mistake. The cheese Danish she tosses at his head looks delicious even as it bounces off his cheek and sails to the floor.

Tommy sighs. "Evan is fully capable of picking up the phone."

His daring rescue had ended in a loss. A major one. Tommy still doesn't fully understand what Athena had been thinking, asking him to help the 118 carry Bobby to his final destination. Something about firsts and lasts, although he'd been a little too wired to catch more than the gist, when she'd called.

"And what, exactly, is your issue with picking it up?"

The million dollar question. He'd dropped everything the moment he heard I need your help and it's weird and probably super illegal. A little breathless, like he was running. Like Tommy has heard him countless times in much more pleasant scenarios. But then there'd been Bobby. The funeral. Evan's stoicism leaking from his pores, three weeks on.

They'd both done a great job of making it not Tommy's place to do anything about that. And grief - grief changes the whole world. Entire personalities. The loss hasn't even had time to fully bruise over, even for Tommy. He doesn't know how he could have a place in that. Doesn't know if he'd even be wanted if he tried.

"So you're both idiots, is what you're telling me."

"Where'd you get those danishes?" Tommy asks, because avoidance is his bread and butter.

Hen's got a big ass Tupperware full of them he hadn't noticed until she cracked it open to commit assault with a pastry.

Hen groans. "These are Buck's Missing Tommy But Still Not Calling Him For Some Reason Danishes. Pretty sure he hasn't slept in three days. Half the station woke up to some sort of baked good on their doorstep this morning."

The fact that Tommy wasn't in the rotation probably means something. His house is a lot closer to Evan's than Hen's, Maddie's, likely Ravi's too.

"Eat a danish and call him, idiot," Hen says, and shoves the Tupperware at his chest.

---

The danish is to die for. Perfect flaky crust. Cream cheese mixture to die for. Three blueberries on top, a perfect little dusting of powdered sugar.

Tommy eats three in the husk of his kitchen and decides he hates the subway tiles he installed after he hooked up with Evan and immediately blew up any chance at reconciliation.

He's got the oven pulled out and a crowbar in hand to yank them out before he manages to take another full breath.

Hen seems to think he's got another shot at this. At the life he'd dipped his toes into, constantly darting away from that first chill of the water, never allowing his body to get comfortable. Never allowing his mind enough time to adjust to the temperature of it.

And yet somewhere along the way Evan had baked himself into Tommy's life - his routines, his itineraries, the day to day mundanity of Tommy's life. He'd made the world momentarily brighter, exponentially more terrifying.

Tommy'd been looking for ways to bail out even as he was giving Evan glimpses of his life.

He'd waited too long. Given himself too many allowances. Let Evan settle under his skin, in his bones.

Tommy lays the crowbar out on the counter. Wipes his suddenly sweaty hands on his jeans.

Reaches over the back of the oven to grab his phone.

Bangs his head on the overhang of the microwave as he tries to slip out from behind his panic project.

Well.

This is gonna go well.

[clairdelunetarot]

After so many years, i've come to you with a new pac! This one was chosen through a poll last year. In this pack, we’ll explore what your person of interest thinks about you. It doesn’t apply to family, friends, etc.

ABOUT ME   ˗ˏˋ   ★   ˎˊ˗   MASTERLIST OF READINGS   ˗ˏˋ   ★   ˎˊ˗ 

DISCLAIMER: This is a general reading so take only what resonates.

PILE ONE

Energy check to see if this reading is meant for you:

If you’ve been intuiting things that you can’t quite confirm, but there’s a voice in your head telling you it is true. It also applies if you’ve had difficulty letting go of this connection, or if you’ve suddenly felt a disconnection or blockage with this person.

What do they think of you?

In short, when they think of you, they think of a missed opportunity. As if things didn’t play out in their favor. There was a good opportunity for something beautiful, that simply couldn’t happen because of external reasons. It’s possible that there was bad timing. This person left me with a feeling of resignation in the air. Maybe you felt capable of offering something reciprocal and even committing, but apparently it was only on your part. This person didn’t know how to give back to you in the right way, and that resignation I mentioned earlier comes filled with passivity on their end. This person seems like they didn’t have the will to fight for the connection the way they should have.

Signs: This person seems like someone who rationalizes a lot before acting, so it made me think of Libra and Aquarius. They tend to emotional protection and stay silent when they feel they’re losing control. A troubled Moon in Scorpio or Virgo. Oh, and they have a hard time closing chapters. It makes me think of a Moon or Venus in fixed signs: Taurus or Scorpio. I’d put Leo but there’s too much passivity on their end.

PILE TWO

Energy check to see if this reading is meant for you:

This reading applies to people who, after experiencing this connection, have become more grounded. If you have worked on setting healthy boundaries and are now approaching the situation more mature.

What do they think of you:

This person feels both clarity and shame. They’ve realized they didn’t act in the best way with you. They may have acted evasively, lied to you, or been very dishonest. That’s where the shame comes from. Even regret. They know they played a role in making things between you unstable or even difficult. They wish things had been different with you. But that shame is camouflaged in denial and doesn’t let them fully process that clarity. They’re not ready to face it openly and have a hard time being completely honest with themselves to know how to fix it.

Signs: Definitely Virgo or Capricorn badly aspected in their birth chart because of fear of not being enough. Pisces and Cancer in sun or mercury, or even Venus. Some air in there, because of the tendency to overthink. Definitely no fire in their chart due to the lack of initiative, and if there is, it must be very weak lmao.

PILE THREE

Energy check to see if this reading is meant for you:

If you felt that this person at first showed interest but then their actions weren’t consistent over time and you noticed them as empty or even manipulative, this pile is for you. It also applies if you’ve noticed that this person isn’t as honest or self confident as they seem. If you’ve picked up on insecurity, immaturity, etc. If you’ve recently snapped out of the confusion they left you in and now feel more disappointment than anything over how they treated you.

What do they think of you:

This person knows things didn’t end well: they’re fully aware of it. Maybe it was pride, misunderstandings, or even a clash of temperaments. Whatever the case, it left you both distant. They won’t say it, but they know they lost a chance with you because deep down, they admire you. It’s a bit complicated to explain, but they admire how strong, reserved, or even hard to read you are. Maybe they’re one of those masochists who feel a weird admiration when someone finally sets a strong, clear boundary and slams the door on them when they’re not used to it lmao. To this person, you were important or even different from the rest, and they think you’re the one who came out better from this situation.

Signs: There’s an internal struggle to keep the peace, but not as strong as Libra’s diplomacy, sounds like Sagittarius to me. Very weakened Sagittarius with some 12th house placements. They might have some Scorpio. But since there’s so much avoidance, most likely they have Pisces or Cancer (or both), misaligned/weakened. There are chances they have a Mars in Libra or something Libra-related in there. Venus in Aquarius sounds very fitting to me.

[the-immortal-restless]

A Millennium of Changes

(BETA READ BY @pumpkin-pepperz :) thanks pookie)

Summary: Everyone thought that the new baby Monkey would age like a mortal, after all, they were in the mortal realm and the baby was made in that realm… why would it age differently?

No one expected it to take so long

TLDR:The egg takes 35 celestial months to hatch, which roughly equates to 1,050 years in the mortal realm.

Takes place just after this chapter!

Warning:Heavy Angst(There is also heavy comfort to help don’t worry), Many Major Character Deaths, Transmasculine individual (MK) getting pregnant and giving birth(though it’s not a significant plot point).

This work was written by someone who did not grow up in Chinese culture, and while there are little references to the culture I still want to acknowledge that I am not the most educated on the practices and traditions of said culture.

Notes before the fic(skippable. Skip to *’s): This was based on an idea I had while sick where the egg takes 35 celestial months to grow. And one celestial day is one mortal year. Which I will guide you through the math now.

35 months x approximately 30 days per month = 1,050 days. Converting to Mortal Time is 1,050 years or 12,600 months. They have already completed 9 months in the comic at the time of writing this (may fifth) so that’s 12,591 months or 1,049.25 years. Which is a long time. In the comic it is established that MK is immortal and we already know that Redson is a half celestial, half demon, so of the main group them two are the only one likely to be alive after that long.

Tang is Papa and Pigsy is Dad.

**************************************

”You’ll see- Next time I call you, You’ll finally meet your new sibling… I Promise.”

Those were the last words he heard before his dads went into a deep meditation. It was essentially a magical coma.

MK was worried for his dad, he looked so tired, and his Mama had already passed out. He worried they wouldn’t wake up, but his Baba assured him they would.

MK went home with his Dad and his Papa. His Papa took him for a much needed haircut in the morning, he practically had a mane by now and he wasn’t to keen on having long hair.

MK focused on other relationships. His Dad’s shop was still busy, rightfully so, it was the best noodle shop in town. He still liked listening to his Papa’s wisdom and learning from the scholar. He had therapy with Sandy and his clowder of many cats. He trained with Mei and Redson, outside of hanging out and little dates.

Of course he visited his Baba and Mama every weekend, made sure all the things they had prepared for the baby stayed well taken care of. They’d need it when that baby finally hatched.

But MK started to worry as more and more weeks passed without so much as a sign the baby would hatch.

Eventually the first year passed. His Papa told him that maybe the baby was going to take the full 35 months. That thought both soothed and worried him, almost three years? That’s a long time.

He was worried some new villain would come back, and he wouldn’t have his mentor to help.

He talked to Sandy and he was able to slowly come to terms with that. Telling himself that the baby would be okay and he had a huge support system to help incase something did happen.

He’d focused on living instead of worried. Focus on what can be now, instead of what could’ve been.

He invested his time in growing, learning, becoming someone to be a hero and becoming better and better.

He cooked with Pigsy, the noodle shop had been there since before he was born. He loved cooking with his Dad and he always wanted to continue it. His Dad liked to impart wisdom onto him much like his Papa, (he was beginning to see why they were married) whether it be about trusting his senses over a recipe or some cooking metaphor for life. Things like: “Things are the best when you wait for the perfect time.”

He read more with his Papa, talking about myths and stories. The two of them even ventured outside Chinese Mythos and looked into all kinds of myths and legends. He enjoyed learning and taking in wisdom. Though their time together wasn’t restricted by myths. He also learned things from his Papa about human nature and philosophy. He learned that even though sleep was a vital part of mortal life, it’s still important for Celestial and Immortals because outside of the physical body, the mind benefited greatly from sleep. Sleep allows the mind a break to reset for the next day, to sort all the things you learn into their places and make sure you remember everything.

That’s when he started taking his sleep more seriously. If he was going to be immortal he needed to keep his mind healthy.

He took care of animals with Sandy and went hiking and camping with him, learning about nature and meditation. Sandy also likes to impart wisdom onto him (He was beginning to notice a pattern) about nature and how to learn to value to little beauties in everything.

He played video games with Mei, they always had fun. They also trained both with and without Redson. Though they all trained with and without each other. He focused on spending as much time doing their favorite things: watching movies, shows, playing games. They went to concerts and even tried plays.

He went on dates with Redson. They did picnics occasionally, but they also began cooking together. MK watched him work in the workshop. He and Mei introduced him to shows they thought he’d like. Much to everyone’s surprise and unsurprisingly he took a liking to cooking shows like DBK did.

He even connected with Nezha more, they were both princes and despite Nezha being a bit of a rule-follower, he liked MK’s defiance and rowdy attitude.

It was hard but he managed to live without being consumed by his worry. There were days where he was a bit bed bound with worry and sadness, but his family came and helped him. They all loved MK and MK loved them.

The trouble came when the third year passed. Why weren’t they awake? Why was the egg still unhatched? Why were his parents still so tired looking?

After days of frantic research with the help of MK, Nezha and other people, his Papa found something.

Apparently, sometimes celestial gestation progresses at the rate of the Celestial Realm even if they are in the Mortal Realm. A factor they didn’t know to consider. This information hit everyone like 67 consecutive trains.

The egg would take centuries to hatch… MK would face his immortality without his immortal parents. He would grieve almost everyone around him without his parents. He was… alone.

They couldn’t even undo the spell, because awake or not the baby needed Wukong and Macaque’s power to grow. Not to mention that undoing a spell like this could be dangerous, it would undo on its own when the baby was hatched and the two Celestial Monkeys were healthy. Them being asleep was safer and easier. It was hard but they couldn’t undo the spell that sealed them away

MK cried that day, that week, that month. He was scared, he was terrified. How was he going to survive over a thousand years without his parents?

But he knew mourning was only going to eat at the time. He had more therapy with Sandy. It would take an incredibly long time, but he needed it.

He focused even more on his family. He wanted his to see his life and he wanted to squeeze everything he had into time with them. MK grew closer and closer to his family. He knew by the time his Baba and Mama woke up, the time he spent with his Dad, Papa, Sandy and Mei would be a grain of sand in an an hourglass, but he didn’t care. It was his family.

It felt like centuries already when 7 years passed since they found out, and 10 since his Mama and Baba went to sleep. He hoped that was a good sign. His Dads noodle shop only grew bigger and they made more money. MK even offered to move out to make room for having more guests. MK was basically 34 years old and still living with them but they denied the notion. They said he’d have years to lived outside their house, they wanted him there.

MK didn’t argue.

He and Redson took it slow, but in mortal terms, which might’ve been fast for Demons but Redson nor his family said anything about it. After the first five years of their relationship, they spent a spent together, they both were new to it but it was a night they both enjoyed and never regretted.

After 15 years, they got married. MK knew it might’ve been a little fast. After all his Mama and Baba were engaged for… what 2,000 years before they married? But MK wanted his Dad and Papa to see him get married and Redson agreed that was a good idea. He didn’t mention that his mother had been pestering him for over a decade about getting married and having children with MK.

His Dad and Redson had already spent time together, they were close. But they only got closer when they started cooking together. Now they’d have family cooking nights where MK, Redson, and Pigsy, would cook a big meal and they’d all eat as family. More often than they’d expected, Redson’s family would also come, and DBK would join in cooking.

Those nights were MK’s favorite, his entire family was together.

Somehow in all his packed time with family, he still visited his Mama and Baba at the mountain, while he knew they likely wouldn’t wake up for another ten centuries. He still wanted to visit, talk to them even if they probably couldn’t hear him.

As his family got older, he valued the time more and more. He planned to take over the Noodle Shop. Not out of some obligation or anything. His Dad and Papa had made sure he knew that they wouldn’t be upset if he chose to do something else. He wanted to take on the business. It was his entire life, his first meal, his home. He wanted to live there forever.

MK took care of his parents when they got older. He wanted to, they took him in as a kid and they had a pretty substantial amount of saving to help with these delicate years. Pigsy, despite always talking about having a ‘Noodle Empire’, never bothered to expand. He was content with one shop, one building, one family.

MK hired more trained professionals, of course, to help him as the years passed. He wasn’t a nurse and elderly people had a lot of health concerns that he wasn’t trained to be able to accommodate. But he still did most of it, he learned to do it.

Mei got older too, she got a job as a professional racer. She was happy and MK made sure she practiced safe driving. He wasn’t about to let his best friend die in a fiery crash. That would be cringe of her.

Sandy got older too, and as his own years passed he began to coach MK through that, how to handle grief and understand death without fearing it. How it was natural and how it wasn’t the end. It was only a bridge to new beginnings. Sandy taught MK that life wasn’t about avoiding death, it was about enjoying the time we have. About forming connections and understanding each other. Death was inevitable, yes, but life was also inevitable.

Almost every single creature on earth would make at least one meaningful connection. It was simple math. We are born from someone and that very person is often our first relationship, and earth isn’t even close to being underpopulated. To live a life on earth and not make one single connection was a statistical wonder. It would take effort. Humans especially were inherently social creatures, they hunted in groups in the beginning of the species and now they lived in cities and villages with thriving cultures and family. The purpose of life, Sandy told him, was to give life a purpose.

MK buried Tang first, he was fully human and even though he was younger than Pigsy, demons just simply had a longer lifespan. It was peaceful, without pain or sadness. MK brought Pigsy to the grave to visit everyday, he replace the flowers at the first sign of wilt, lit incense and talked with Pigsy to Tang. It was comforting that they had more confirmation than other mortals often did that there was an afterlife.

MK mourned, Pigsy mourned, everyone mourned. Tang was a good man, he had a heart that was bigger than himself and an intellect to match. He always sought to understand the people around him and see the best in others.

Pigsy didn’t live much long after, he was older than Tang and the two of them were just barely older than Sandy. MK made sure they were buried together. Even if they weren’t alive in those bodies, they had stuck together longer than MK had been alive at that point and he wanted them to stay together long after they departed.

Sandy helped him grieve, though it was made significantly easier with the therapy before the deaths. It was more practice than anything.

MK continued to make human connections. He didn’t let his immortality swallow him. He learned that life was precious and even Redson began to grow friendly with a handful of mortals.

True to his word, MK took over the noodle shop with Redson. It was a family business and Redson had been apart of the family longer than they had been married.

Mei stayed close, she was a well known racer and she was a near expert at it, but she wanted to live in Megapolis. Her family was there, biologically and emotionally. She spent a lot of time with MK and Redson, the three of them were inseparable and even if she couldn’t cook she still had much to offer. She had humor and company and family.

Sandy encouraged MK to continue therapy after his passing, the kid was very stable and had a good support system, but therapy was always a good decision. It helps and it’s better to keep it up, rather than to wait for a catalyst and need more extensive help. Waiting until some breaking point would only make issues worse and take longer to deal with. It’s always a better decision to refine something than wait till it breaks to repair it.

MK mourned when he buried Sandy, of course he did. Sandy was an important figure in his life, he helped him through so much. But he also knew how to continue with himself. Sandy had taught him well.

Redson and Mk took a long time to have kids, not because they couldn’t but because MK had a small fear that he would get stuck in a thousand year rest like his family. But with patience and a heap of therapy, they decided to have one. MK was a little sad his parents couldn’t meet their grandchild but MK knew his parents would rather him be happy than to rush his life just to have them see it.

MK decided on his own that he wanted to carry the child. He didn’t want to follow the egg route, he wanted children but he didn’t want to miss out on a millennia just to have baby. Not that his parents were less for choosing to do that. He knew they wouldn’t have done this on purpose.

So they began to try for a baby, much to Mei’s teasing. It didn’t take long for them to conceive and 9 months later they brought the cutest little boy into the world. Redson and MK ended up naming him a classic name for triumph or victory, Kai. When the baby finally opened his eyes, they were like a mirror image of Redson’s, deep red like dark fire, like the fire he created.

There was some worry among them that Kai would end up creating a second Samadhi Fire like Redson. So they made him a necklace with a pendant carving with a bull and a monkey surrounded by fire. One the back was written three things.

小宝宝(xiǎo bǎobǎo), meaning "little baby."

火焰猴 (huǒyàn hòu), meaning “flaming monkey.”

凯旋 (kǎixuán), meaning “triumph.”

When Kai was born they had a baby shower soon after, it was nice. Life was good for them. They felt at peace, life was going.

MK was still taking care of Flower fruit Mountain, after all, their king was incapacitated, which kinda made him acting leader, then again they were monkeys and they managed to be alright before, but he liked to visit and keep the place nice and clean.

Kai got older, and while he had intense fire power, he hadn’t created a second reality burning fire yet. So they were a bit calmer about the matter. Mei loved the little guy. He was irresistibly cute.

Kai aged slower too, his infancy last almost 5 years. He was a toddler for 10 years. It only grew slower but never old. Before long he was a kid, looking about 8 or 9.

Mei got a bit more time than the rest, she aged slow because of her dragon heritage but she was far from fully draconic. So time did what it does, and Mei passed away. MK and Redson mourned her, that part would never be in question, they buried her with honor, just like the rest. Kai missed her, she was his auntie, Mei took him on motorcycle rides and he watched the old Monkey King movies with her.

Kai was raised knowing the history of his grandparents, he visited Flower Fruit Mountain with his parents and for the first few years of visits he would play with the other cubs and monkeys, eating fruit and roughhousing.

After the first few years, Kai began to stay by his parents, ever curious about what they talked about with two men who probably couldn’t hear them.

After a while he came to realize they talked because they cared. Because even if there was a slight chance that they could hear them, then it was worth it. That’s why he started doing it more, he talked to Mei when they visited her grave and even his other grandparents as well as Sandy. He didn’t meet them, but he wanted them to know him.

Before they knew it, 100 years had passed since Wukong and Macaque went under. Kai was a tween and he was making friends. Both immortal and human. MK and Redson taught him at home, that how both of them knew it and they both turned out okay.

MK and Redson had made friends as well that had also died but they had other families to bury them, he still visited, he cared for them no less. That’s how it continued.

Megapolis grew around them, not big, the city was already pretty good, but trees get bigger and buildings change, even just slightly. They all fell into a bit of a routine, a pleasant one that always seemed to find new ways to keep them from boring to death.

Pigsy’s Noodles continued to remain one of the best restaurants in the city and it stayed a staple of Megapolis. It brought in amazing business and good money.

Demons were becoming more and more integrated into daily life, MK and Redson obviously participated heavily in that, earning a reputation for their acceptance, though to them it was basic decency.

Demons were beginning to become more and more accepting as generations progressed and less of them were driven to crime because of it. They were getting help and proper healthcare instead of being shunned to the corners of society’s shadows. MK found himself acting in a hero role less and less, which he found himself proud of. It meant he did a good job.

By the 9th century, demons were everywhere, they were apart of the culture and everyone grew better because of it. More and more of Megapolis became accessible to everyone, literature became richer and fuller, education and intelligence rates of the schools and districts surrounding them began to rise.

Megapolis was quickly becoming a growing community of vibrant individuals and friends. MK found comfort in the fact that Sandy, his Dad and Papa, would be proud of the world that this was becoming.

MK hadn’t even realized how long it had been since his parents fell asleep growing the egg.

Before long, Kai was an elder teenager, nearly a thousand years old.

MK, Redson and Kai were at the mountain, Red had gone to tidy up the house and make sure everything was ready, even if they thought they weren’t even close to when MK’s parents would wake up. It was still routine. MK was training with Kai, something they had started a hundred odd years ago.

That’s when a bright light came from the mountaintop where Macaque, Wukong and the egg were. MK halted in his step and Kai nearly tackled him before he realized.

Wukong woke with a start, the spell had fallen around them moment ago and Macaque woke up at the same time as him. They both look toward to egg, only to see a little monkey cub in its place.

Their Baby

Wukong and Macaque cried with joy and they both gathered the cub into their arms.

That was until they notice how big the tree near them had gotten, and the vines growing in the rocks, evidence of more age than they expected.

How long had they been out?

That’s when they heard it. A voice, not their sons. Not MK’s but one that called for his Dad.

The boy called for his Papa, urging him to wait for his Dad. He sounded worried but Wukong didn’t care for details. If there was an intruder he needed to protect his cub. He pulled his staff out of his ear. And held it ready.

With a clang, the staff dropped when he saw his own son, his adult son standing there instead of the younger man they remembered him being. Both of their heart sank, tears welled up in their eyes as they realized.

How long has it been, they wanted to ask. But their son, a millennium older and wiser, answered before they could.

One thousand fifty years, he said. The two men were horrified at that answer. They’d been asleep that long? That was a terrifying notion.

Their world only grew harder to believe when a teenager in a red shirt, soon followed by Redson, appeared up the mountain. Redson was shocked and came to MK’s side. Wukong covered his mouth for a moment, slowly connecting the dots that the teenager was his grandson.

Macaque looked worried that their son would hate them for this, that fear melted when MK ran to them and hugged them tightly, careful not to hurt the baby.

Macaque and Wukong hugged their son back and Redson guided his son toward the cuddle pile.

MK rambled about the past millennia to his waking parents for a while before explaining that they had gotten married and had a son. MK looked toward Kai, motioning for him to introduce himself.

“Hello… I’m Kai, I’m your grandson.”

THE END(?)

Tags: @kyri45 (the creator of the comic that inspired this!) @ainnur @iglowinggemma28 @autism-autobot

[huntingcupid]

CASUAL — D.A.

dumb love, I love being stupid dream of us in a year maybe we'd have an apartment and you'd show me off to your friends at the pier

⌗ DANIELA — fem!reader, angst, swearing, doomed yuri, straight dani, friends to strangers, reader slowly starts to despise dani, regret,self harm, homophobia, religion mentioned, usage of dyke, etc...

⌗ SYPNOSIS — was it all casual?, stolen glances, hugs and kisses, letters and sleepless nights talking to eachother — did it mean anything?

⌗ CUPID — hey.... first very angsty work so yeah, thank you to my dear friend @yunazxxx for helping me with the plot :D

time passed by so fast — suddenly you're in college and searching for part time jobs, yet sometimes you reminisce about your past, the people you have met throughout the journey, one person has changed you for good and bad, the person? — daniela avanzini

your “best friend”, you can't imagine your childhood and teenage years without the latina, without the stupid jokes you two have made, the times you two made decisions you shouldn't have, but it was all worth it as long as she was with you, doing it with you

you've always had a doubt about your sexual identity, especially during times where you and dani would just be hanging out and you'd imagine your future marrying her — it didn't help that you two were inseparable, daniela calls you her wifey, and you felt butterflies in your stomach whenever she did

daniela's mother also treated you like her kid, you often came along with them for family trips, sharing clothes with the girl — during the last few years of highschool you really started having an identity crisis, you didn't know who you were, or what you are

“dani, can I tell you something?” you whisper as you two lay in her bed — daniela looks over at you concern etched onto her features, “anything y/n, why?” she replies, your heart raced, “i-i- I'm queer” you stammer, you closed your eyes afraid of the reaction you might get, yet when you felt the girls arms wrap around you everything felt right and free

“that's good y/n!” daniela cheered, you definitely didn't expect this reaction since daniela came from a very religious family, yet something in you screams that she doesn't fully accept it, the way her eyes seem to look at you felt different

yet against your better judgment you didn't do anything, months passed and it seemed like daniela became distant from you, the daily calls you two had turned into every 2 days or whenever she says she's free, her chats became more generic and had seemed to lose its humor or life

you chat the girl, asking if you can hang out — she replies and agrees, you get excited due to how much you missed the girl, you slept thinking about you two, about what you two might do tomorrow

“hi dani!” you run up to the girl hugging her, daniela froze a bit before returning the hug, a short and cold hug, “hi y/n” she mutters, “let's get some ice cream?” you ask smiling at the girl, “sure” you two walk to the nearest ice cream shop, picking out flavors, daniela loved salted caramel while you loved chocolate, daniela took pictures of her ice cream, you giggle “are you gonna post that?, can you send it to me too?” you follow, “actually it's for josh” your heart sank and for a moment your smile faltered, “josh?” you ask not recognizing the name, “oh he uhm- we are talking you know” she replies hastily, you bit the inside of your cheeks, you wished that you were born a man sometimes maybe then you'd experience her love,

after the ice cream shop you two walk to sit at the park benches watching as the sun set, you took a few candid pics of the latina, she looked gorgeous, something out of a dream, her eyes were like crystals and her smile, god her smile can make you melt at the spot, “i missed you” you mutter as you two sat in silence, “oh” daniela replies — little by little you felt your heart break, “dani, i know i shouldn't say this but, I've liked you since I've known you” you mutter finally letting go of those words, silence — your heartbeat was the only thing you can hear and the soft rustling of the plants, “i-i- don't y/n” daniela replies seemingly uncomfortable, you felt like you got stabbed a million times, your future flashed by your eyes, the dreams you've built around you two now burning down, “I'm sorry i shouldn't have said that” you stutter, blinking away the tears you felt forming in your eyes, “y/n i love you, and god does too, its never too late to get saved” you tear up hearing her words, cause why is it a sin, a sin to love, why did he make you this way — why?

“I'll help you” daniela looks at you hopeful, “sure” you replied even though you felt so betrayed, this is the same girl you came out to, the same girl who helped you come to terms with your sexuality, now telling you that loving is a sin

throughout the first few weeks of college, daniela gave you a bible and even an invitation to her church, claiming that you were under the touch of the demon, you only nodded, all the while daniela would hang out with her friend josh, they'd laugh and share moments like you two did before you came out, it was the breaking point for you when you saw daniela and josh at the janitors closet making out, daniela looked guilty but she quickly got mad at you, “get the fuck out!” it was the first time she ever swore at you, the first time you realized it wasn't worth keeping her around if all she did was hurt you and made your sexuality a joke

yet as you lay in your bed, closing your eyes from exhaustion all you see is her, smiling brightly at you, daniela looking like your savior, her during the times she still felt real and not a projection of the people who hate you, “i love you” you mutter tears falling out of your eyes, you fell deeper into depression when you were lonely and no one was there to help you, to talk to you

you didn't know what else to do but blame yourself, hurt yourself, razors, scissors anything sharp that can take away your mind from her, anything that can make you feel punished for being what you are

you became suicidal, you hated everything, every moment you'd step into the halls of your campus, seeing daniela and josh hand in hand, laughing and kissing — while you?, you can't live in a world where daniela hated you, where she didn't acknowledge who you truly are

“y/n?” you hear your roommate enter the dorm room, seeing you sobbing, “h-hi” you replied wiping away your tears, “are you okay?” manon ask, “yeah, just stressed with work and school” you replied chuckling, knowing its way deeper than that

days passed and you knew you had to pick yourself up, make sure you don't feel like a failure, a worthless living person, — you went to lectures, sleep deprived and wearing long sleeves in attempts to hide your sh scars

daniela looked across the room a flicker of guilt and empathy seeing you, a shell of your former self, she quickly masked it with uninterest and a poker face

yet after class she follows you to the women's restroom, cornering you, “y/n, what has gotten into you, you shouldn't hurt something given to you by-” you cut her off “god?, I'm sorry daniela” you said pushing her off you, she only scoffs and follows you, “what is this about then! just a way to gain my sympathy? cause fuck it y/n it does” she breathes out furious, seeing her ex best-friend slowly die, “what the fuck is this dyke doing here” josh says pushing into the bathroom to collect dani, you bit your lip hurt but you expected it, you chuckled to yourself — as much as it hurts seeing her settle for this man you couldn't do anything, but watch and despise them both

you'd long for the days that daniela magically just go back to you, talk to you and realized how much of a jerk her boyfriend was, how much you could treat her better

at some point the love you had for daniela became hatred, she didn't reach out anymore nor did you, it was radio silent, some nights you'd stare at your last messages with her, and regret not ending it earlier

you regret being blind to all her red flags, you regret putting her feelings before yours, you regret not knowing she was not good for you

now she's just another woman in school, someone you'd pass in the hallways, even though your eyes locked with hers, it didn't mean anything anymore, at least to you it didn't anymore, after all, it was all casual

maybe she was a part of your past, but you refuse to let her ruin your future

wc: 1.3k words

(hate this idk why)

[thewertsearch]

JOHN: now that you mention it, i'm pretty beat. JOHN: also… starving!!! JADE: woof! JADE: whoops

"i cant really control the woofs :/"

JOHN: [...] one of the last things rose saw before she died was me dying… JOHN: i wonder if she knows i'm ok? JADE: im pretty sure she knows a ton of things now JADE: considering she is a fully realized seer of light

Not that we've been told what that actually means.

Rose herself believes that Seers of Light are cognizant of 'the big picture', but can't see fine details. It sounds like a 'fuzzy' sort of clairvoyance - an ability which supplies her with some basic facts about a subject, but not the nuances.

Her God Tier self presumably has the same ability, but with greater scope. I'm imagining it as the ability to read a Sparknotes summary of any subject in existence, including the current status of her loved ones.

Our newly-minted goddess of Light probably knows the essentials of John and Jade's situation - that they're alive, unharmed, and travelling to the new session - but can't actually scry on their conversation.

JADE: if you go i dont think i can bring you back JADE: i cant bring anyone or anything to here from there!

Thought so. While it would be cool to unite all these long-distance-friends for good, keeping them apart will make for some nice drama. Besides, their reunion will be even sweeter after a three-year wait.

JADE: if theres a way i havent figured it out yet JADE: i am still kind of new to this omnipotence thing after all :\

Yeah, and there's one particular facet of First Guardianhood that's going to hit you like a train.

Intelligent first Guardians are near-omniscient.

Now, Jade doesn't appear to have unlocked this trait yet - but she's a smart cookie, and no one said it had to happen instantly. If I'm any judge, she's got a big storm coming.

JOHN: what is with all these rules! [...] JADE: maybe to somewhat limit the power and reach of omnipotent beings?

Hilarious sentence. No notes.

JOHN: if there are limits to your powers, you can't exactly be OMNIpotent, can you? JOHN: more like… JOHN: semipotent.

...and you'd better believe I'm stealing that one.

JOHN: so, the dog ears… JOHN: is that a permanent thing now, or what? JADE: i think so JOHN: i like them. JADE: i do too! JOHN: you are like a furry now, but not really the weird kind that people on the internet like to have sex with in their imagination.

How the fuck do you know about those? You're like, the poster child of sheltered upbringings!

...it was Dave, wasn't it.

JOHN: hey, can i at least send a message through? JOHN: like a note or something?

[kitkatkitzune]

STEPPING UP

Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x Fem!Reader

Summary: Your daughter attends a daddy daughter dance.

Warnings: Mention of young pregnancy?, An absentee father, A drunk man, A tiny bit of angst, inconsistencies in the tense it’s written in (whoopsie)

Notes: I’m obsessed with this concept and I’m not sorry… also your daughter is named after Rory from Gilmore Girls. Sorry not sorry.

I’m going to start trying to post more consistently, I promise!! I’ve been busy lately, I swear I haven’t disappeared!!

Word Count: 2.1k

———————

When you picked your daughter up from school, you instantly knew that something was wrong. Rory was usually very bubbly and outspoken, excited to tell you all about her day but today, she was silent, leaning her head on the window as you drove home.

You really knew something was wrong when she instantly dropped her bookbag and ran to her room the second you stepped inside your apartment.

Being a single mother was hard, you had Rory when you were relatively young with your now ex-boyfriend. He would pop up every once in a while to say hi but he was never a constant in your or your daughter's life. It had also made dating hard, most men would run the second you mentioned your child, it was hard to find one that wouldn’t.

Still, your daughter always comes first which is why you drop your phone on the couch, ignoring the message from Elijah (a man you had been talking to) so you can follow Rory to her room.

You stand in the doorway for a moment before moving to sit on the edge of her bed. Rory had her face buried in her pillow, shaking as she sobbed. She doesn’t react when the bed dips from your weight but she does react when you begin to rub her back. She tenses up before beginning to sob harder.

Suddenly she turns and sits up, throwing herself into your arms, “Mama…”

You shush her softly, still rubbing her back as she cries. Once she mostly calms down you pull back, brushing some of her hair from her face while she hiccups.

“What happened, baby?” you ask softly.

“Why don’t I have a daddy?” she asks, eyes glimmering with tears.

You frown, “Sweetie, you do, he’s just… he’s not… around… much… you know this… sometimes you get to go out to eat with him… remember?”

Rory sniffles, rubbing at her eyes, “Everybody else has a daddy around! Why don’t I get one?”

“Rory…” you say quietly but she interrupts you, “Why can’t Mr. Elijah be my daddy?”

So maybe Elijah was more than just ‘a man you had been talking to’. You had been seeing Elijah for a little over a year, he had never been bothered by Rory, in fact, he’s quite good with her. The seemingly stoic man would play dress up and attend tea parties every time your daughter asked. He always made an effort to accommodate for her as well, always willing to adapt plans at the last minute. He understood and accepted the fact that the two of you were a package deal.

Your face flushes at the mention of Elijah, because you really did like him and you really hoped that your relationship could continue to bloom.

Pulling Rory back into a tight hug, you sigh, “Baby, what brought this up?”

She doesn’t answer, only nuzzling further into neck. You decide not to push her, allowing her to cling onto you until she falls asleep. It was the weekend so you weren’t too worried about messing up her sleep schedule. Carefully, you pull her off of you and tuck her into bed before going back to the living room.

On your way, you pick up her backpack, opening it to check her homework folder when something catches your eye. It’s a flyer from the school, advertising the daddy daughter dance next month. You let out a sigh as you connect the dots, realizing why your daughter was so upset.

A week had passed since the initial incident and Rory had mostly moved on from it. Still, you could tell she was distraught about it so you decided you were going to make a tough call. Literally.

Rory was still at school while you stood in the kitchen next to Elijah, with your phone in your shaking hand. Reluctantly, you dial your ex's number. You had thought about asking Elijah to take Rory, it was her first thought after all, and even though he clearly loves the girl and cares for her, you didn’t want to risk burdening him.

After the third ring Jonathan answered, “Who is this?”

You let out a sigh, trying your best to not let your voice shake, “It’s Y/N.”

“What do you want?” he asks, his tone clearly annoyed.

You stand up straighter even though he can’t see you, clearing your throat, “Rory has a dance…”

“So?”

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you sigh, “It’s a daddy daughter dance… I’m calling to ask if you’d take her… so she isn’t… excluded…”

There’s silence for a moment and you feel rage beginning to bubble up in you but just as you’re about to yell at him he answers, “When is it?”

“It’s on the 30th, three weeks away at 6pm.”

Jonathan hums, “Alright, I’ll be there- and I'll even take her out to eat before, that way I can get the court mandated, monthly dinner out of the way at the same time.”

You decide it best to bite your tongue, your daughter was the sweetest little girl you ever could have asked for, you never understood how Jonathan couldn’t love her- why he didn’t want to spend time with her. He hardly follows the custody agreement, never really wanting to see her but anything you needed to get his permission for- like a small trip to the beach, he would not grant, just to upset you and keep a sense of control over you and your daughter.

Instead, you thank him, not wanting to be on the phone any longer. When you hung up, Elijah began to rub your back, pulling you to his chest to kiss your forehead.

And when your daughter got home, she was ecstatic to hear that her father would be taking her to the dance, she immediately asked to go dress shopping.

Working as a server, you weren’t super wealthy and had no choice but to set a limit on the amount you could spend on a dress for her. Unfortunately, Rory fell in love with a gorgeous, flowery, blue dress that was way out of the budget. Fortunately, Elijah was there, and he insisted on paying, even before Rory had picked out a dress outside of what you could afford. You told him that you’d pay him back but he refused.

“Seeing Rory’s little face light up is more than enough payment.”

Everything was going great until the night of the dance came. The dance didn’t start until 6pm but Johnathan said that he’d be there at 4pm to take her out to eat but he never showed up and now he wasn’t answering his phone.

Rory was sitting at the table, watching the clock that she had just learned how to read in school with a sad expression on her face.

You turn away from her, walking down the hall with your phone pressed to your ear, practically growling into the phone as you leave another voicemail, “Jonathan. This is the seventh time I’ve called you. It’s 4:30, where the hell are you?!”

When you walk back into the room, Rory immediately looks up at you. “Dad’s not coming, is he?”

You sigh, setting your phone on the counter, crouching in front of her, “I’m so sorry, baby,” you hold her hands in yours and smile sadly.

Just as the first tear is about to fall from her eyes, the doorbell rings, making Rory perk up, assuming it was her father. You, on the other hand, had a feeling that it wasn’t.

And it wasn’t. Rory flung open the door just as you appeared behind her, revealing Elijah, dressed in a fancy suit as he always was.

Rory let out a little sigh, “Oh, it’s you.”

Elijah frowns, crouching down in front of her, “You, Rory, should be at your favorite diner, eating fried mozzarella sticks like the picky child you are.”

You had invited Elijah over for a date night, you didn’t often get time alone together and you thought the dance would be the perfect opportunity to have a few hours to yourself.

“He… he’s not coming, I don’t think…” Rory began to rock back and forth on her heels, looking at the floor.

“Well, I think, he just needs a little reminder,” Elijah responds, standing up and for a moment, just a moment, you could have sworn you saw the veins beneath his eyes, ripple.

“Really?” Rory grins.

You take a step forward and press a kiss to the corner of Elijah’s mouth, you whisper, “Elijah… I, he’s probably drunk… you’re not going to be able to convince him…”

He hums, “Trust me, Darling, I can be very persuasive… and if not, I have another plan,” he then turns to your daughter, “just be ready Rory, you will be going to that dance.”

Elijah knocked on the door and straightened out his cufflinks, moments later it swung open to reveal Jonathan, in only his boxers, clearly not ready to go anywhere.

Jonathan looks Elijah up and down, “Did you miss the- the no soliciting sign?” his speech was slurred, a clear sign that he had been drinking.

Elijah raises a brow, “I am not here to sell you anything, I am here to tell you that you made a previous commitment to your daughter, Rory.”

“Oh hell,” Jonathan scoffs, “Let me- let me guess, you’re… you’re the whores new guy? She sent you here to what? Scare me?”

Elijah’s jaw clenches before he lets out a breath. He wanted nothing more than to grab the drunk man and put the fear of God into him, maybe even kill him. But alas, he could not, Jonathan still stood safely in the doorway of his home that Elijah had not been invited into.

“The stupid little bitch is fine… no dance, she’ll cry for a day before she forgets and moves on… she’s just a dumb kid…”

It would only take one toe out the door, Elijah told himself, only one drunken move out the door and I could strangle him.

Which is exactly what would happen.

It seemed that Elijah’s lack of response angered Jonathan, the drunken man leaned forward, his hand curling around the door frame and that was all Elijah needed. In a second, he had the man pinned to the side of the house by his throat.

Jonathan’s legs dangle as he desperately tries to touch the ground, gasping for breath.

Elijah had come here to convince Jonathan to go to the dance but the way he spoke about you, about your daughter, gave him a new purpose.

“You’re going to relinquish custody of Rory, granting Y/N full custody. And afterwards, you’ll never bother either of them even again…” Elijah releases his grip a bit, allowing Johnathan to slide down the wall.

The drunken man is horrified, “I’ll… I’ll go to the cops!”

“You won’t,” Elijah grins, pupils dilating.

When Elijah returned back to your home, there were only thirty minutes left before the dance started. Rory was sitting on the counter when he walked through the door, carrying a little bouquet of blue and white flowers.

“M’lady,” he greets you, before approaching Rory, holding the flowers out for her to take, “These are for you, sweet pea.”

Rory smiles and throws herself into his arms, he picks her up with ease, holding her on his hip.

“I’m so sorry, I couldn’t make him come… but I can take you, if you’d like… and if that’s okay with your mother…”

You smile softly, “Of course that’s okay with me.”

Rory clutches the flowers to her chest, “I wanted you to take me in the first place…”

Elijah looks at you, raising a brow, “Is that so?”

You sigh, “I didn’t want you to feel obligated…”

He chuckles, walking over to press a kiss to your forehead, “I never feel obligated when it comes to my favorite girls,” he turns his head to look at Rory, who he’s still holding, “Now we must go. There’s a dance waiting for us.”

“Wait wait!” you call out just as they’re about to reach the door, “I need a picture.”

After the dance, Elijah would take Rory to her favorite restaurant where she would eat her fried mozzarella sticks.

And days later, you received a letter in the mail from Jonathan’s lawyer, declaring he wanted to relinquish his custody rights, granting you full custody.

Finally, you could begin your new life with your daughter and your lover.

[moonshynecybin]

are u going to continue ur same age kissing lesson au....

hell yeah why not. part one here! i might add the actual sex scene later we shall seeeee but for now here's more teen drinking and weirdo flirting and marc hurting vale's feelings and having literally no idea that he is doing that whatsoever. oh and also him being a ROMANTIC !

It doesn’t happen again for long enough that Marc would think he imagined it, if not for the stain on his sneakers.

Time passes, and the bike is smooth for Marc, and they trade wins. They don’t talk much— but it always comes back around. There’s not much for hiding, traveling all together like this, and Marc knows that Vale at least likes him most of the time.

He taps on his window again at Catalunya, the last race of the European season. Marc’s slightly up on him in the standings, so he should really sit tight, get some good sleep. Think about his lap times and his grandpa, who is coming to watch him race.

He slips on his green soled shoes and lets himself out, instead. He also knows that he won’t get a chance like this again for a while.

“It’s your last race in Europe in 250cc,” Vale throws an arm over Marc’s shoulder as they walk out towards the pitlane, something he does when he wants Marc to know that he is bigger than him. Vale probably doesn't know that Marc doesn't mind. “Are you going to miss me?”

Sometimes, when Vale sits behind him during a race and flashes his front wheel on Marc’s side, swapping places up and down the track, it reminds Marc of that night, and the rhythm of their mouths. It's not too dissimilar, he thinks, the push-pull of it. The give and take. Almost a conversation, but not quite. That, he thinks he will definitely miss.

“What? All over my back tire?” He shakes his head until Vale makes a face at him. “You will be up with me soon enough, I won’t have enough time to miss you.”

With a huff of breath Vale lets him go, apparently satisfied with the shape of how the world looks at their feet, and gestures loosely to the chain link fence around the track. No words necessary. Marc goes first, the sole of his sneaker just slightly too big for the hole the twist of metal makes.

They scramble up and over the fence, Vale threatening to jump on Marc if he doesn’t catch the bottle he throws over to the other side, which Marc does smoothly. Marc doesn’t want to think about the faces that the Honda people would make, if they saw Marc out here doing this with Valentino. Well. They would probably make worse faces if they knew what else he wanted to do with Valentino.

“Besides,” Marc rolls the bottle over in his hand. Same brand. He shoots Vale a look as Vale smiles beatifically. “It’s not like you won’t be around.”

Vale hums noncommittally, then nods. 

“Hm, you will need to let me know about Honda, who is good, who is bad. That way, when I am your teammate I can keep all the good ones—” Marc starts to laugh, choking on his first mouthful of liquor. “—and you can have your side of the garage to test things for me.”

“You want me to spy for you?”

“Just for the year, you know. A man on the inside.” Vale nods, taking the bottle from Marc’s hand and sipping. “Uccio said no, so.”

“Well, if Uccio said no,” Marc says, a little mean, sprawling out on the grass with his legs apart. Vale gracefully collapses next to him. Marc considers, briefly, the concept of a marriage bed made of the grass on various general admissions area hills. He decides not to voice this thought. “What, and give away all my secrets?”

A wry smile. Marc blinks and for a second his hair is longer, brighter, platinum. The same expression on his face. He blinks again and it's back to its natural honey-dipped brown fuzz. Not the moon, anymore. 

Vale’s earring catches the light. Maybe the stars.

“You are right— I very much doubt you will give away any of your secrets.”

Marc pokes him with his foot, lies. “For you, I might.”

Vale looks over quizzically, so Marc continues.

“If you give me something, first.”

Vale grins slyly, then pretends to think. Like what? should be the next thing he says, Marc handing him the perfect bait. Instead, he says:

“Ha, I already gave you something.”

“What?” He frowns.

“So, Marc.” Vale thumbs the rim of the bottle at the place where Marc had put his mouth earlier. “Any more girls for you?”

He chokes. Laughs hard and fake. Ah, gave him that.

“Eh, okay. Hm, not yet.”

He never really got around to talking to those friends of his cousins.

“Why? Not enough practice?” Vales says, nice and bright, and Marc swallows. His throat is dry. Probably the alcohol.

Vale’s eyes glint, knife-bright.

It fills Marc up to the brim, this thing hanging between them like a sword. Dangerously, he thinks: they have before, they could again.

He shrugs. “I’m still busy. Maybe once the season ends, you know. Then I’ll have time to go and— study.”

“Ah, I see,” Vale nods his head in bitter, slightly condescending acquiescence, and Marc’s eyes narrow. He’s not sure what the game is, here. 

“Besides, I’ve practiced what? Kissing, once? Not that much else. And with girls— I can’t use much of it anyways, it doesn’t help me there.” Handjobs, he means. Marc’s touched a dick, but he’s never— fingered anyone. Gone down on them. Fucked them. 

Vale’s eyebrows furrow. He looks troubled. “With girls it is not so—”

Marc faces him, cutting him off.

“What. What is it like, with girls.”

A pause. He doesn’t think Vale was expecting Marc to be like this. Then Vale’s expression changes, morphs and dances from a frown to a smile like a drop of quicksilver. He leans closer, sleezy, charming. 

“What do you want to know, baby?”

Marc doesn't blink, meets him head on, seizes on the first thing to come to his mind and keeps his voice straight as an arrow. “Fingering.”

Surprised, Vale sputters a little. He asked.

“Marc, you—” The bright tinkle of an Italian laugh breaks the tension, and Vale throws his head back. He wipes his palms on his jeans then claps his hands together, and Marc’s heart kicks up.

“Fuck, you win, Jesus. Alright.” He stands. “Let's go.”

Marc frowns.

“What?”

Vale offers Marc the broad palm of his hand. Marc zeroes in on the blunt ends of his fingers. His ring.

“You don’t think I’m going to teach you how to finger someone out here on the grass beside turn one, do you?”

As if that stopped him last time.

Marc lets himself get pulled up.

[megs-1800]

I was wondering if you could do some dad Mason of twin babies (boys). And take them for the first time to the family trip the Mount's take with Jazz, Lewis (and all of them) in Greece (sorry, I still can't get over Mason with his family in Greece 🤣) and that's where for the first time the babies take their first steps.

Sorry for my bad English, I'm Latin American.

Paradise

Notes: So sorry its taken me so long to complete this. I had lost so many ideas and really struggled to write. Please send me some more requests!

Summary: Its your twins 1st holiday with the Mount.

Pairings: Mason Mount x Reader

Word Count: 4.9k

Warnings: Fluff and Smut

I learn oven the bed as I zip up the side of my suitcase, I feel a pair of arms wrap around my frame pushing me further onto the bed. “Uhmm I like this position”. Mason mutters breathing onto my neck. I push him off of me and turn around so I am pressed face to face with him.

“Well unfortunately we don’t have time for this position as we are getting picked up in an hour”. I say throwing my arms around his neck and place a small kiss to his lips. I watch him pout as I pull away.

“Well we are all packed and ready to go so we have an hour, so do you know what we can do in an hour? Well we probably could do it twice?” Mason raises his eyebrows and smirks. I giggle at his enthusiasm.

“Yeah well me and the twins are packed but you” pointing over to his empty suitcase in the corner of the room “ are not packed. So you have an hour to pack and get everything sorted. If you packed last night like I asked maybe we would of have time for that now ” I wined which caused Mason to huff in annoyance and roll his eyes. I watch him start throwing things in his suitcase and I walk out the room into the twins room to continue getting them ready.

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

“Oh y/n!” Debbie screams as she wraps her arms around me. We agreed to meet the family at the airport so everyone can come separately as its so much easier with the kids. “And how are my gorgeous grandbabies?” she asks crouching down to the double pushchair and undoes Elijah and wraps him up, Jaz is in her shadow and gets Ezra out and swings him around. “I cannot believe how big they are getting”. Jaz states placing a kiss to my cheek.

“I know it feels like yesterday I gave birth” reminiscing of that day a year ago.

“Yeah tell me about it. I am still traumatised at how hard you were holding my hand”. I feel Mason approach me as he wraps his hands around my waist from behind.

“I had to push a whole baby out of me Mason next time you try it”. I pull away from Mason’s grasp giggling.

“Next time yeah?” Mason cocks his eyebrow. I shake my head and roll my eyes. All Mason has spoke about since we had the twins was when the next one is coming, but right now I am happy with my boys.

I go to say hello to everyone, it’s the first time I am going away with the whole family at once as Stacey and her gang have flown over from Australia. I have been for weekends away with the others but nothing this far. We are off to Mykonos and I cannot think of a better venue for Elijah and Ezra’s 1st holiday.

Mason has arranged a private plane for us as we thought it would be easier then trying to get Mason through the airport. We prepare for take off, I have Elijah and Mason has Ezra in arms as we both give them a bottle to try and equalise their ears. They are so well behaved the whole flight, they haven’t cried once and they are sleeping away, I look at the time and we should be preparing to land anytime soon. I quickly make my way to the bathroom before the seatbelt sign comes on, once finished I open the door and almost scream as I wasn’t expecting Mason to be stood there.

He pushes me inside and locks the door behind “What are you doing?” I question watching his eyes darken. He walks towards me trapping me between the sink and his chest. I can feel his hot breathe on my neck making the hairs stand up.

“Well I wanted to give my insanely hot girlfriend a good start to her holiday and since you were being mean earlier I suppose here will have to do”. Mason begins nibbling on my neck and I can feel my body melting into him.

“Well I have always wanted to join the mile high club” I giggle and move his face to mine as I connect our lips. Mason deepens the kiss as I can feel his tongue darting around my mouth causing me to moan into the kiss.

Mason pulls away and looks me in the eyes “you are the most gorgeous women in this world. I am so lucky” I can feel my heart melt as he connects our lips again. I pull Mason closer into me and I can feel his length harden between us. Mason reaches down underneath my joggers and pushes my thong I am wearing out the way and starts making circles on my clit, I lay my head back on the mirror as I let the pleasure overwhelm me.

I am taken out of my trance by a knock at the door, Mason suddenly detaches himself from me. “I don’t want to know what you are both doing in there but they are preparing for landing so you both need to return to your seats” we hear Lewis shout from the other side of the door. I let a large groan out as Mason replies saying we were coming. We haven’t been intimate in a while so our bodies needed this. “I promise to finish this off later” Mason winks and I follow him out the bathroom.

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“Oh my god this place is unreal!” I gleam as I walk around investigating the villa. I place Ezra down on the floor as he begin crawling away quickly “We need to keep an eye on them” I turn to Mason indicating how quickly they are crawling now.

“We are on it!”  shouts Mila as she chases after the boys which causes me and Jaz to smile. Mason helps me carry all of our suitcases up stairs into our room. “Wow!” I am gobsmacked at the size of the room, its absolutely breathtaking with an unreal view of the sea on the balcony. “I still cannot get over things like this. You treat me too good”. I place a kiss to Mason’s cheek as I move the twins suitcase to the side of the room with the cot.

“Well only the best for you!” he smiles as he places a kiss to my neck.

“Right 40 minutes and we meet back down here for dinner!” Tony shouts. I quickly run downstairs and grab the twins. I have created a little playpen for them in our room where I know they cannot escape whilst I get ready.

“You go shower and start getting ready I will sort the twins out as I know its going to take you forever! Well as me on the other hand just need to have a quick shower and I am done”. I start to undress as I watch Mason’s gaze monitor all of my movements.

“Well beauty takes time, its not my fault that you look that unreal and take 2 secs to look like that”. I giggle as Mason smacks my bum as I turn around to make my way to the bathroom.

I turn the shower on and let the warmth consume my body, I turn my back to the shower door and run my hands through my hair and all the tiredness from travelling is fading away. I complete my shower routine as I am about to leave I suddenly feel a body on the back of me, I jump at first and then relax myself as soon as I know its Mason.

“W-what are you-“ Mason cuts me off with a kiss and I cannot help to look at his naked body which is starting to have flex of water run down his chest. Still now it makes me nervous. “You are staring sweetheart” I chuckles.

“Well can you blame me?” I wrap my arms around his neck and bring him closer. The kiss is deep and passionate, both us fighting for air. All I know at this moment in time is I need this, I need him. I reach down and feel Mason’s dick harden underneath my grip.

“f-fuck” he moans into neck as I continue my pace. “that feels so fucking good” Mason continues to moan which is fuelling me to carry on.

“Mase can I borrow your- whoah” I hear Lewis shout, we quickly pull away from eachother.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Mason shouts quickly pulling a towel around his waist and chucking me one so I can do the same.

“I didn’t see anything I promise!” Lewis laughs putting his hands up in surrender now with his back to us. “Believe it or not me and Myles forgot to pack body wash so could we borrow yours until we can go shopping tomorrow please? You two really cannot keep your hands off eachother, just be grateful it was me that walked in and not mum”. Lewis turns around now that we have signalled that we are covered. Mason chucks him his body wash and Lewis quickly runs out the room. I shake my head knowing that Lewis has killed the moment.

I gesture to Mason that I am going to start getting dressed which he groans and goes for a shower probably knowing he is going to be taking a cold shower. I get the twins ready and start getting ready myself, Mason walks out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and I have to stop myself staring with the small specks of water running down his toned chest. “Take a picture it will last longer” Mason winks. I quickly get my phone out and snap a quick picture of him which makes him chuckle.

“Well you said it” I state in defence. I finish getting myself ready and opted for a maxi skirt and a plain white tshirt I can tuck in for the 1st night, I give myself a once over in the mirror which I feel Mason come up behind me and snake his arms around my waist and nestles his face in my neck and I feel him breathe me in.

“You look unreal” he squeezed my hips and placed some kisses to my neck. Which I melt into his arms. That’s when the door suddenly flies open. “For fucks sake can’t you two keep your hands to yourself for 5 minutes” Lewis burst through the door joking.

“Well its our room bro so maybe if you could learn to knock that will be great”. Lewis doesn’t reply and him and Myles invite themselves into our room and flop onto our bed and pick up the boys. Mason rolls his eyes and we make our way downstairs to the join the rest of the family.

We make our way to a little Trevena near us, the family basically takes up the whole of the restaurant where we have such a big table. I have decided to sit away from Mason and sit with the girls as its been ages since I have had a proper catch up with Mason’s family.

It’s a night full of laughter and good vibes, its nice to get away from reality for a week. Once dinner is finished the boys are asleep in their pushchair and all the other kids are getting tired which I think us adults are feeling as well as it’s been a busy day travelling. We all tiredly walk back to the villa. “I cannot wait to go to sleep” I state flopping on the bed. Mason and I each take a boy and get them ready for bed slowly trying not to wake them and place them in their cot.

I complete my bedtime routine and Mason and I curl up in bed, I can feel something start to poke into my bum as he is spooning me. “Mase as much as I would love to be doing this right now I am shattered I can hardly keep my eyes open” I groan and I hear Mason wine a little but I know deep down he is as tired as me. He turns over so I can spoon him and we let sleep overcome us.

I wake up to sun shining through our room, I stretch but feel disappointed to not feel Mason’s warmth next to me. I sit up and Mason and twins are no where to be seen. I sleepily trudge over to the balcony and see Mason and Jaz in the pool each with one of the boys whilst some of the other family watch. I smile as I feel my heart melt as I watch Mason interact with them, “Wave to mummy!” He shouts to the boys as they spot me, which causes me to smile more.

I quickly go back inside and decide what to wear, I wanted to bring swimming costumes with me as I am still a bit insecure about the last bit of my mum tummy that I just cannot seem to shift but Mason made me bring bikinis as he said that he loved my body and if anything he loves it more now, to be honest he has been a lot more touchy since we had the boys, he always makes me feel amazing especially when I am at my lowest he always finds a way to make me feel better.

I opted for a little blue bikini and a sky blue overdress to put over the top and make my way downstairs. Mason is stood in the kitchen in his swimshorts dripping water everywhere. “I made you an ice coffee” he passes me the glass and places a small kiss to my lips I thank him and follow him outside. I settle on a sunbed with my ice coffee enjoying the view of Mason and his family playing around with the children in the pool. I am going to love this holiday.

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

“Oh my god I think its happening!” I shout to the others bringing their attention to the boys who have just started to stand up. This wasn’t new they were able to bring themselves to a standing position however they were too unstable on their legs. Ezra stands up first bringing himself to stand using the sunbed and then Elijah stands up too the same way both holding hands, they look directly at me. At this point Mason is watching apprehensively in the pool with a couple other of his family members gathered round us with their phones. I get my phone out, to record. “Come on babies come to mummy” I encourage and hold my hands out. We all watch excitedly as they take their 1st unstable steps. I feel my eyes water in proudness as my babies walk, we all cheer as they reach my arms and I pick them both up. “You are getting so big my baby boys” I gleam in proudness as Mason jumps out the pool and wrap his arms around us all, right now I really don’t care that he is soaking us I am just happy how good everything is right now.

“I love you all” Mason smiles kissing me and then places a small kiss to both their heads.

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

“Right its our last night here I say parents night out!” Mason shouts from the patio area to all the others. I can see all the adults debating it.

“Not going to lie I would love to have a night out without the kids!” Jaz replied. They all turn their heads to Tony and Debbie. “We would look after the children” Debbie laughs. We all thank them and start getting ready.

“I really have nothing left to wear!” I moan as I throw all my outfits onto the bed trying to sort through them. Mason winks at me. “Well you know I only suggested parents night out so me and you can finally get some alone time, so you can go out wearing a paper bag for all I mind, you are going to look fucking sexy in whatever you wear and all I am going to be thinking about is taking it off”. Mason hums into my neck as his hands and placed onto my bum.

I don’t blame Mason I am exactly the same, its been hard to find intimate time at home with the babies and Mason’s schedule so we were looking forward to this time away to actually have some alone time, but one of us as either come home too drunk, the babies wouldn’t settle or one night we ended up with the kids in our bed as they wanted a sleepover with uncle Masey so here we were. I would be lying if I say I don’t want it as much as him but I needed to remember that we were on holiday with his family so I couldn’t be totally all over him.

The night is amazing, we have all had too much to drink. We went out for some dinner and then found a local nightclub near by to the villa. I am on the dancefloor with Jaz and Stacey with a drink in my hand trying our best to dance but after a few too many we are probably more stumbling all over the place. I can feel Mason’s eyes on me as I sway my hips to the music, Mason is sat with the boys as his gaze becomes more apparent as I continue to wiggle my bum to put a show on for Mason, which I don’t even have to look at him to know that its winding him up.

“I think I am done!” Stacey shouts to us trying to be heard over the music.

“Yeah I agree.” Jaz states. We walk over to the guys. “We’re done boys!” Jaz flops herself next to her husband as he places an arm over shoulders. The boys start to grab all the stuff from the booth we were sat in and start to lead us out.

“Me and Y/n will meet you back at the villa. We are going to stay out a bit longer” I look at Mason confused as I thought he would want to go home and have some alone time.

“Okay get back safe though both of you” Jaz says and we hug all of them goodbye. We wave them off as they share a taxi and Mason goes to lead me back inside the club.

“I thought you would want to go home, you know have some mummy and daddy alone time” I throw my hands around his neck and place a needy kiss to his lips.

“Patience baby! I promise we will definitely be having some alone time when we are back but just for now I am liking having you all to myself. I wanted to spend a couple of hours with you, just us. Have a couple of drinks and a dance. Sound good?”

“Of course it sounds good you dickhead” I pull away from the kiss I placed on his cheek and make my way to the bar.

Another couple drinks down and I am very tipsy and I know I am going to be regretting my decision in the morning when I got to get ready for our flight home, but right now in this moment all I can think about is Mason. I know Mason is as tipsy as me, he doesn’t usually drink so when he does it hits him quickly. Our hands are no stop over eachother, its like we are scared to not be touching. I can feel Mason start to harden as I turn my back towards him and grind my bum into him to the music. “I think its time to leave” I feel his breathe on my neck which gives me goosebumps.

Mason basically drags me out the club and into the taxi, we are attached again and we are both fighting for air. I can feel his tongue slip against mine and he lets out an audible moan into my mouth. The taxi pulls outside the villa, Mason throws some notes at the driver and pulls my hand inside. We are slowly walking through the villa trying not to make much noise as its early in the morning. The sound of my heels are loud on the marble floor so Mason crouches in front of me and helps me take them off, I lean on him for balance as the alcohol is starting to effect my balance. “This way” he whispers.

“I feel like naughty teenagers sneaking around” I try and keep my voice low. Mason slides the patio door open and I am confused as to where he is going. “You wanna do it out here? Isn’t that risky?” Mason ushers me over to the other side of the patio, its barely visible from inside but I am still worried. “Mason they could see us out here. You cannot be serious?!” Mason ignores my concerns and wraps his arms around my sides, slowly lowly a hand to my bum.

“They are all asleep. No one is going to see us. Now I want time with my incredibly sexy Mrs so can you stop coming up with ideas not to do anything and start taking your clothes off” it gave me goosebumps with how forward he is being. He starts kissing my neck and slowly making his way up and nipples my earlobe as he knows that’s my weakness, I can feel my legs start to buckle underneath me, I am not sure if it’s the amount of alcohol confused or his affect on me but I am thinking that it’s a combination of both.

Mason starts stripping until he is completely naked, I look down and see how excited he is already becoming. “Come on!” he shouts but still in a whispered tone and dives into the pool. I shake my head at his antics and remove my clothes and slowly dangle my legs at the side of the pool. He swims over to me and pulls me in with him. I naturally wrap my legs around him. I can feel his dick start jabbing my entrance, I grind my hips down teasing him which results in a moan escaping his lips. Mason floats us to the end of the pool which is furthest away from the villa, Mason places one hand on the side behind me and another on my bum. As he continues to kiss me, this time its sloppy and needy.

His hand drops from the side above us and inbetween us, his hand travels down to where I need him most. He starts to run his fingers across my clit and through my folds. “Someone is wet!” He smirks I know he loves what affect he has on me. “Don’t flatter yourself sweetheart it’s the water nothing to do with you”. I kick back, Mason shakes his head as we both know its definitely his fingers that have caused that.

“Honestly I am so horny right now! I want to tease you so bad but I don’t know how long I can last” Mason looks deep into my eyes, his eyes have darken and I can see the lust in them. I grind my hips down on him again knowing that I am winding him up as I know he is already aching for it. “You know what fuck it! I have waited all holiday for this!” with this Mason lifts me up to the side of the pool and spreads my legs, he nestles inbetween them and starts giving open mouth wet kisses to the inside of my thighs.

“Mason!” I shirked. “someone could see!” I try and close my legs but the ache inbetween them are too much.

“You really want me to stop?” He comes up from them and all rationale is out the window and he continues kissing all the way to the area I need him most. I don’t respond but just let out a moan as Mason licks a long strip across my core. “You need to be a little quiet baby we don’t want anyone hearing now” I hold my hand across my mouth as Mason continues, I never know what he does to make it so good but its honesty he gives the best head I have ever had. He gives a mixture of licks and kisses and as soon as he sucks on my clit I am a gonna cum. Mason inserts 2 fingers as he continues to suck on my clit as I try my hardest not to suffocate him, I can feel the ground beneath scratching at my skin but right now I cannot focus on how uncomfortable it is all I can think about is what Mason is doing to me. Its not long before he has me cumming, I cover my mouth as tight as I can as I scream my name into my hand but some moans do escape which I can feel Mason smirking into me. He quickly laps up all my cum on his fingers and cleans them with his tongue.  “I love the taste of your cum” He smiles and places a small open mouthed kiss to my thigh.

“I love how you make me cum” I reply joining him in the pool again. “So your turn?” I question. Mason shakes his head and traps me between the edge of the pool and his body. I can feel his dick throbbing between us.

“Honesty I don’t think I could cope if you touched me right now, I need to be inside you, I need to feel that tight..wet…pussy” kisses along my neck inbetween each word which made me shiver.

“Oh my god! Mason Mount is turning down a blow job” I joke. Mason shakes his head and I know he isn’t in a playing mood. I haven’t seen him this needy in a while, but I think the lack of intimacy lately we are both desperate for it. Mason places his hands on either side of my legs and wraps them around his waist. He gives himself a couple of pumps and lines himself with me, he slowly pushes himself in.

“F-fuck y/n that is so good!” he moans, I feel his grip on my waist tightened and I clench around his cock which causes him to moan loudly in response.

“Shhh remember we gotta be quiet” I repeat his words to him that he said to me earlier.

“I cannot help it  this pussy is insane. You are insane. I am the luckiest man in the world.” My heart melts at his words. I haven’t been the most confident with my body and having the twins I have become more insecure but he always has a way of making me good about myself.

“You can move” I say as I have adjusted to his size. “I really need you right now Mason. You know like I really need you”. I start kissing along his collarbone and his neck not caring about the marks I am leaving.

“Say no more baby girl. I am ready to ruin you” and with that he pulls out and gives me a massive thrust resulting in a loud scream from me which I try and block out by screaming into his neck. Mason continues a pace which is damaging  and I can feel myself unravelling around him.

I tighten my grip of my legs around his waist “fuck you are so sexy y/n you have no idea how long I have waited for this” his breath causes me goosebumps over my skin. I am clenching around him and I start to become dizzy with the amount of pleasure that is shooting through.

“I’m gonna cum baby” I feel Mason pick up his pace and reaches between us and starts to put pressure on my clit. “Mase f-fuck” I scream he kisses me at the same time to silent my moan.

“I know baby I am with you”. Mason pace becomes sloppy and I know he is struggling to keep us both upright right now. “Uh that’s it y/n, right there. Fuck you are so fucking sexy” with that Mason shoots his load into me and wraps his arms around my body so we are both bobbing around the pool. Mason eventually pulls away after a couple of seconds.

“That was incredible” I smile. Mason tucks a stand of hair behind my ears.

“You are incredible” he replies. “Lets quickly get out of here before we get caught. I think I left two towels on the beds earlier”. He quickly jumps out the pool still knackered and runs over to the sunbed and grabs the towels. I get out the pool and we both quickly dry off as much as we can and wrap the towels around us and pick up the evidence of our clothes at the side of the pool.

We tiptoe quietly through the villa trying our hardest not to wake anyone up as we make our way upstairs to our room. Our sleeping babies in their cot melts my heart. We get ourselves cleaned up and ready for bed. I lie on Mason’s chest as he brushes his fingers up and down my back.

“I don’t wanna go home” I say into Mason’s chest. He hums in response.

“I agree this has been paradise” Mason places a small kiss to the top of my head as we slowly fall asleep.

[soliloqst]

EX!

pairing: bakugo x f!reader

scenario: bakugo as your toxic ex boyfriend

Your first ever boyfriend turned out to be some punk who couldn't even bother to walk you home, you don't even know why he went out with you. That was in middle school, you worked up all of your courage to confess to him on the eyes of the setting sun and the breath of the cold wind.

“I like you!” Hands trembling, sweating and cold reach out to him with a love letter, your head looked down straight to your squirming and shaking legs.

 “Katsuki Bakugo... I've liked you for a long time! Will you please go out with me?!” 

“Sure, whatever.” 

You naive little idiot. You were so happy and ecstatic from his response that you didn't even gauge his expression, how he felt, or what he seemed to think of you.

Your relationship lasted for a whole two years. TWO YEARS. And in those two years the most romantic thing he's ever done for you was hold your hand in public. Valentine's? Yuck, everything is so lovey-dovey it's disgusting. Christmas? He's spending it with family who do you think you are? Your BIRTHDAY? You only received a greeting when it was already 11 PM.  Even on your anniversaries, the most you would do is go out and eat or something. 

How in the world did you ever stay with him for two whole years? Well, the answer was easy. Katsuki never, ever abandoned you. 

You could excuse his being unromantic, his bluntness, his awkwardness when he was with you. Your relationship never felt like a relationship, but it was something. Cry infront of him, he'll stop to comfort you without words. Get mad because of something he did, he'll listen and stop it. He doesn't do anything romantic, but he does things for you. He makes you feel like you're someone but can make you feel like no one.

You were the one who broke it off. Your patience didn't exist anymore, you lost all hope of having a boyfriend. You yearned to love, and to be loved. You wanted someone to do the same things you do for them. And Katsuki just wasn't that person. Besides, you were just in middle school. This relationship wasn't anything real anyways. 

 Years pass, you get into the neighboring school of UA. Although UA was originally your first pick, you didn't get in on the entrance exam. The relationship you had as a naive kid had long been hidden away at the back of your mind, and then you see him at the hero license exam

Why? Why are you always haunting me? 

He was with new people now, how funny. He never showed his smile like that when he was with you, he was always frowning. Mad, angry, always heated. It just so ended up that your team was against his, he probably doesnt remember you. He never called you by name the whole time, it's possible he never knew. 

“L/N?” His friends walk over, “You two know each other?” Bakugo doesn't say anything, he's quiet. He hesitated looking your way, he looked… sad?

To him, your relationship was something he failed. Bakugo halfheartedly accepted your feelings and led you on for two years knowing he didn't know how to act, how to love, how to give. It haunts him.

Bakugo never forgot your birthday, he has it on his calendar every year. But he hesitated, always, to say something. He knows you wanted a relationship, but he can't give you what you wanted or needed. He felt guilty, afraid, uncomfortable. Maybe that's why he couldn't abandon you, because he didn't have the strength to. 

Once again, just like before. Bakugo is turning his back on you, failing to meet your gaze. Failing to give you what you've been hoping for. An apology. A chance to talk. An explanation. 

So that the pain you've been carrying those years could be lifted, and so you'd be able to love freely again. Re-do it one more time, not like the beginners you were. Not the idiots you both were. If you knew it would've ended up like that you would've just waited. 

[writeriguess]

hi!!! first of all forgive me my bad english, it's not my mother tongue 💔 well, could you make an angst with male!reader x Bakugou where their marriage has been having many problems for a long time but only the reader seems to realize this, and try to change it, until the point comes that he gives up, asks for a divorce and leave home, and only then does Bakugou realize and kind of panic and start trying everything to change the reader's mind? with a happy ending please!!? 🩷

Cracks in the Foundation

The dinner table was silent again.

The kind of silence that wasn’t peaceful. The kind that felt suffocating.

You poked at your food, barely even hungry anymore, despite having made all of Katsuki’s favorites. You had hoped—desperately—that maybe tonight would be different. That maybe this time, he’d look up at you, really look at you, and see just how exhausted you were. How much effort you were putting into keeping this marriage afloat.

But instead, he was focused on his phone, answering work emails between bites, barely acknowledging your presence.

It had been like this for months. Maybe even years.

At first, you thought it was just his job. He was a pro-hero, after all. He had responsibilities. You had understood that. But there had been a time when he would still make time for you. When he’d call just to hear your voice, when he’d come home exhausted but still kiss you like you were the most important thing in his world.

Now? Now, it felt like you were just… there.

Something inside you twisted painfully.

“Katsuki,” you finally spoke, voice quiet but firm.

He hummed absentmindedly, still not looking up.

You gritted your teeth.

“Can we talk?”

“Tch. Ain’t we already?”

“No,” you said, a little sharper this time. “I mean really talk.”

That finally got his attention. He sighed, setting his phone down with a barely concealed look of irritation. “What is it?”

You swallowed hard, feeling your heart pound against your ribs. You had gone over this in your head so many times, trying to find the right words, but now that you were here, nothing seemed enough to capture just how much this was breaking you.

“…Do you even love me anymore?” you asked, voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes widened slightly, the irritation quickly shifting into something more defensive. “The fuck kinda question is that?”

“It’s an honest one,” you said, meeting his gaze even though it hurt. “Because I don’t feel like you do.”

His brows furrowed, and his jaw tightened. “That’s bullshit.”

“Is it?” You let out a hollow laugh, shaking your head. “Because, Katsuki, I don’t even remember the last time you actually looked at me like I was your husband and not just some… roommate you barely tolerate.”

His expression darkened. “You’re overthinking shit again.”

You inhaled sharply, clenching your fists. “Don’t do that. Don’t make it seem like I’m just making this up in my head. You barely talk to me anymore. You don’t touch me unless I’m the one reaching for you first. Hell, I can’t even remember the last time you told me you loved me without me saying it first!”

“I married you, didn’t I?” he snapped, voice rising. “Ain’t that enough? I’m working my ass off out there to make sure we have a damn future—”

“I never asked for any of that!” You stood abruptly, chair scraping against the floor. “I asked for you, Katsuki! I wanted us! But somewhere along the way, I lost that. I lost you. And now I feel like I’m the only one trying to fix something that’s already broken.”

He stared at you, mouth slightly open, but no words came out.

You exhaled shakily, running a hand through your hair. And then, finally, you let out the words that had been clawing at your throat for months.

“I want a divorce.”

The world seemed to go silent.

Katsuki’s eyes went wide, all the color draining from his face.

“…What?”

Your chest felt tight, your body trembling. But you forced yourself to stand firm. “I can’t do this anymore. I’ve tried. I’ve really tried. But I can’t keep giving everything to someone who doesn’t even see me anymore.”

Panic flickered across his features for the first time. He shot up from his chair so fast it nearly toppled over. “No. No, you don’t mean that—”

“I do.”

His hands curled into fists. “You’re not fuckin’ leaving me.”

Your lips trembled, but you shook your head. “I already did. A long time ago.”

You turned, walking towards the door. Your packed bag was already waiting by the entrance. You had made your decision long before this conversation even started.

Katsuki moved fast. He was in front of you before you could take another step, grabbing your wrist in desperation.

“Wait,” his voice cracked. “Just—fuck—wait, okay?”

You looked at him, really looked at him, and for the first time in a long time, you saw it.

Fear.

Pure, raw fear.

“…Don’t go,” he whispered. His grip on your wrist tightened just slightly, like if he let go, you’d disappear. “I—I didn’t realize—fuck, I didn’t see it. I thought we were fine.”

You swallowed the lump in your throat. “That’s the problem, Katsuki. We weren’t.”

He exhaled shakily, shaking his head. “I can fix this.” His voice was pleading now. “I will fix this. Just—please. Don’t go.”

You hesitated. God, how you wanted to believe him.

But how could you?

“Why now?” you asked, voice thick. “Why is it only now that you care?”

“Because I was a fucking idiot,” he admitted, eyes shining with something dangerously close to tears. “Because I got so fucking used to you always bein’ there that I didn’t think I could ever lose you.” His breath hitched. “But I can. And I don’t want that. I can’t—I won’t lose you.”

You bit your lip hard, torn between every emotion warring inside you.

Then, he did something unexpected.

He fell to his knees in front of you.

Bakugou Katsuki, the strongest, most prideful man you had ever known, was on his knees, gripping your hands like a lifeline.

“Please,” he rasped. “Give me another chance.”

Tears welled in your eyes.

You wanted to. God, you wanted to.

But…

“I need time,” you whispered.

His shoulders shook, but he nodded. “Okay,” he breathed. “Okay. Take as much time as you need. Just—just don’t shut me out completely. Let me prove to you that I can be better. That I will be better.”

You hesitated for a long moment… before finally nodding.

And for the first time in years, Katsuki held onto you like he’d never let go again.

***

It took time. It took effort. It took Katsuki breaking down the walls he had unknowingly built, piece by piece, proving to you every single day that he wasn’t going to take you for granted anymore.

At first, you weren’t sure if you could believe him.

You had already packed your bags. You had already walked out that door. And yet, after everything, he was still there—calling, texting, showing up at your temporary apartment, asking if you’d eaten, if you were sleeping well, if you needed anything.

The first few weeks, you kept your distance. You had to. The wound was still fresh, the pain of being unseen for so long still too raw.

But Katsuki never stopped trying.

He started small.

A simple good morning text every day.

Then, food deliveries to your doorstep with a note scrawled in his messy handwriting: Eat, dumbass.

Then, showing up at your work just to see you for five minutes—never pushing, never begging, just… being there.

One night, about a month after you left, there was a knock on your door.

When you opened it, there he stood, drenched from the rain, holding a plastic bag. His hair was plastered to his forehead, his usual sharp red eyes uncertain.

“…You’re gonna get sick,” you muttered, stepping aside.

He walked in hesitantly, glancing around the apartment. It was much smaller than the home you had shared, barely big enough for one person. It made his throat tighten.

“I, uh… brought you dinner.” He held up the bag, awkward as hell.

You sighed, taking it from him. Katsuki never did things like this before. Not without you asking first.

But this wasn’t the same Katsuki who had ignored your pleas for attention.

This was a man who was fighting with everything he had.

“…You didn’t have to,” you said, softer this time.

“Yeah, I did.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Look… I know you ain’t ready to come back. And I ain’t expectin’ ya to. But—” His jaw clenched before he exhaled slowly, forcing himself to say the words he had never been good at. “I miss you. Every day, I wake up and reach for you, and you’re not fuckin’ there. And it’s my fault. I get that. But I need you to know I ain’t gonna stop tryin’.”

Your grip tightened around the plastic bag, chest aching. “Katsuki…”

He shook his head, stepping closer. “I see you now. And I hate myself for not seein’ it sooner.” His voice lowered, thick with emotion. “Please… just tell me what I gotta do to fix this.”

You didn’t answer right away. Instead, you turned, setting the food on the small dining table. Then, you whispered:

“…Sit down. Eat with me.”

His breath hitched slightly, and when you glanced back at him, there was something dangerously close to relief in his eyes.

“…Yeah,” he murmured. “Okay.”

And that was how it started.

Slowly, carefully, you let him back in.

Katsuki took every opportunity to show you that he wasn’t the same man you had walked away from.

He called you every night, just to ask about your day. He planned date nights—real date nights, where he focused on you, not work, not anything else. He even went to therapy—not that he’d admit it outright, but you noticed the difference. He was learning how to communicate, how to listen.

And it wasn’t just words anymore.

It was actions.

One evening, nearly six months after you left, he showed up at your apartment again. This time, though, he wasn’t alone.

He held a small black box in his hands, fingers gripping it so tightly his knuckles were white.

You stared at it, heart pounding. “Katsuki…”

He swallowed hard. “It ain’t what you think.”

Slowly, carefully, he opened the box.

Inside was a new wedding ring. Different from the one you had left behind.

“This ain’t me askin’ you to marry me again,” he said, voice rough but sure. “Not yet. I know I still got shit to prove. But I want you to have this.” He exhaled shakily, rubbing the back of his neck. “Because when you’re ready… when you want to come home… I want it to be different this time. I wanna do it right.”

Your vision blurred with tears.

This was the Katsuki you had fallen in love with. The one who fought tooth and nail for what mattered to him.

And for the first time in years, you felt like you mattered to him again.

“…Okay,” you whispered, reaching out. Your fingers brushed against his as you took the box.

His breath caught.

“Okay?” he echoed, barely daring to hope.

You nodded, wiping at your eyes. “Not yet. But… soon.”

And when he reached for your hand, squeezing it tight, you knew—without a doubt—that this time, things would be different.

That you were worth fighting for.

And he wasn’t going to let you go.

Ever again.

[mothinked]

Ellie wouldn't have cared about the casinos. It was the neon lights and night life that always fascinated her. And also maybe the prospect of what people referred to as 'strip clubs'... That kind of entertainment wasn't exactly easy to find these days. Even still, there were so few places that had a sustained power grid and—much to Ellie's disappointment during her first visit to Nevada—Vegas was not one of them. It made her want to take out her journal again and sketch the city line.

There was a yard sale she went to with Dina some time ago where she found a neon beer sign that, surprisingly, still worked. It stood out to her even before she'd plugged the thing in. It now sat on the wall in what was once Joel's wood-working shop that she converted into her own art studio. His house had sat empty for over three years before she was able to sleep under its roof like she used to as a kid. Dina, bless her heart, really helped turn it into a family home rather than let it continue to be a mausoleum of memories. JJ would use Ellie's garage soon enough as a spot to hang out with his friends.

Joel would have wanted that for her, she had told herself. His things were carefully stored away downstairs in an old trunk, unseen but revisited every now and then. Even once with a five-year old boy eager to learn more about the grandfather he never knew; he'd wrapped his little arms around her neck upon seeing her tears at the photo of her and Joel petting Shimmer. It wasn't as painful as it used to be... To talk about him. It had been years after Seattle before Ellie could speak his name again, so keenly did she still feel that loss.

Rather than throw a look at Abby for the interruption of her and Lev's conversation, Ellie instead let her smile immediately dissolve into a neutral expression. As if it hadn't surfaced at all. A face that couldn't be read. Lev's company helped Ellie get through the long days of travel but it was Abby's refusal to let go of the tension between them that usually soured the mood. Whatever, Ellie thought as she turned her head away from the older woman. Abby was allowed to feel how she did.

It was truly a feat to be the calmer, more reasonable of the two of them and damn, she was trying. And Abby seemed to test this by acting like an asshole at every turn, whether or not intentionally. They didn't have to braid each other's hair and hold hands or some shit. Ellie just wanted to not feel like Abby was constantly thinking of ways to kill her in her mind. Part of Ellie wanted to suggest Abby throw a few hits to get it out of her system. But what good would that do?

If Ellie's fuse was a short one then every conversation with Abby would lead to an argument. She didn't answer right away, tilting her head skyward as though praying to a god she didn't believe in to give her strength. Having Jack appear beside her, brushing past her leg, helped somewhat. "There's a body of water maybe an hour from here," Ellie finally said, her voice strained. Like it took physical effort she didn't have to talk. She unhooked the military-grade canteen from the side of her bag and started twisting its cap off.

"I've taken the road to Reno before, it's not that bad if we're smart about it. Last time I was in Vegas I got trapped in a basement for hours and I don't wanna sit in the dark like that again." She grimly recalled the family torn apart by infected that she buried after leaving that basement. "It'll cool down once we go through the national forest." There were several of them, actually. One was called Death Valley. Sounded interesting to her but she didn't dare venture that far before. It was a valley she did not want to walk through. "Bakersfield then it's a straight shot to Santa Barbara."

In the forest there'd be game to hunt. Deer. Hopefully no big cats.

In the distance, a relic of old worlds past. During its heyday, this place would have been quite the sight. She’d read bits and pieces about it but the vast majority of her knowledge of this place came from her dad. Las Vegas. Sin City, aptly named for the numerous questionable activities that took place there during its prime. Ones that admittedly Abby did not understand the appeal of. So people would come here with their money and spend that money on games to try and win more money but 99% of the time lose more money than they brought? That was the concept her father had explained. Sounded like a shitty thing to travel for. Money in a post cordyceps world didn’t carry the same weight it had but she had a hard time grasping that people would willingly gamble away their savings when money actually mattered.

Nevertheless, it still remained quite a sight to see from afar. Somewhere out there, the (somewhat) recognizable shape of a crumbling, faux Eiffel Tower. Something resemblimg a pyramid and a castle too? Had she not read up on it after talking to her dad, she would have thought he was full of shit. Turns out Las Vegas was just a really fuckin’ wild place back then. The same was true now but for obviously different reasons. Endless infected or Raiders? Abby would have taken the road of losing money any day over this shit.

With the sun beating down on them, she wipes at her forehead with the back of her hand as she surveys the surrounding area. Lost to her is the conversation between Lev and Ellie. By now, she knows better than to try and force Lev to steer clear of the other woman. No matter how hard she tried to prevent it, a camaraderie had developed between them. As much as she hated it, the one thing it did allow was for her to relax a little bit. If Lev could keep her occupied at points, it meant Abby didn’t have to exhaust herself with 24/7 surveillance. Though part of her wished that Lev didn’t reveal as much as he did on certain subjects. Revealing there was a whole infection free island? Maybe better left unsaid as she didn’t necessarily trust Ellie to keep quiet on that info if and when she made it back. There were battles worth picking and choosing and this was not one of them.

Not wanting to interrupt their fascinating conversation about fish tanks (which Abby had come upon and scavenged said tank for Lev), she waits it out while keeping alert. After a moment, she clears her throat and turns around to face the trio of familiar faces, both human and animal. “If you guys are done talking fish and spilling secrets,” her eyes glance to Lev quickly as she quirks a brow up, “might want to hurry up a little. This place is a god damn death trap and I don’t want to get caught too close to the city come nightfall.” She knew better than to hand around. Whether it was Vegas itself or the outskirts, there was too much chance of running into someone or something the longer they hung around. Abby takes a moment to look up at the sun which glares right back at her. “Might be good to get some shade too. Any thoughts or just going to keep talking about things we don’t have right now?” As hard assed as she sounded, she would kill for the beach right now.

[candysparks]

How they [Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim] meet Demon! Reader

[so sorry for posting this wo days later than what I said last time. My dog lost her fight to cancer and I cried so much I got really sick.]

To see the other parts click [Here] and [Here]! Want the Masterlist? Click [Here]!

Starting off with Bruce Wayne, the guy Demon! Reader hates the most! Their first meeting was almost as big of a disaster as Reader's meeting with Damian. Which is...not something to brag about. Though he wasn't even in civilian clothing:

At this point in time Demon! Reader realizes they can't exactly stay as a cat if they wanted to ward off other people. So they take on a human form that looks nearly identical to their demon form, but with a red headband to mask their equally red horns and a more humanish skin tone. And depending on the day they'll match their height and looks so they look the same age as Percy.

Percy doesn't really care for how Reader looks, he's just happy to be next to them. They're some what similar to his mom but so different at the same time. He just can't help but see them as a parental figure in his life, or a close friend.

But anyway. Reader takes on human form, one that is in a similar age range as Percy. And while Reader is a demon from the ring of Wrath, a ring that prioritizes fighting over anything else, that doesn't mean they don't like to dress up. Sooo Reader wears a red leather jacket to pair with their red horns, and some ripped black jeans. Maybe some black boots to pair off the black pants.

At this point Reader looks like a delinquent compared to the formal plaid sweater vest and white button up Percy has on. Bro looks like the exact stereotype of a Nerd but without the glasses, but he doesn't mind it much cause the sweater vest was a gift from Alfred.

Bruce, or should I say Batman, was patrolling around on the rooftops and happens to spot them right as Reader throws a killer left hook into the nose of a robber.

Percy, having delt with Reader for a while now, just lets it happen. Reader will cool down eventually and it's not like the robber didn't have it coming. I mean who tries to rob people when one of them clearly looks like they eat bones for breakfast? Dumbasses that's who.

Anyway Reader is currently going ham on this guy and Bruce is just watching with a 'what the fuck' look on his face. He watches as Reader throws the guy away and he lands in the trash. Reader then turns to Percy and lifts him up like a cat and walks off, grumbling under their breath as they get further and further away from Bruce. Though he catches a flash of blond hair and a puff of smoke joining them before he can no longer see them with just his eyes.

It isn't until he's back home in the cave does he realize that one of them was his kid. This gets him thinking about what types of people he's let Percy keep around himself.

Lets move onto Dick. He, unlike Bruce, was in his civilian clothes and was actually trying to look for Percy. Who would of thought Dick was actually trying to be a good brother? I would, that man is too good of a character despite his horrifying anger issues in his younger years as Robin. Can't blame him though! Lotta rage for just a small guy.

He thought of Percy as sort of an average kid. Nothing was wrong with him but at the same time nothing stood out, and for Dick that's all he could ask for. Seeing the fate of everyone who knew about his, and the whole batfams secret, made him really want Percy to be as bout as average as a blank paper.

Truthfully he wanted to hang out with his only normal sibling. Play video games, talk about silly drama going on in school, go on fun outings, things like that! If only he wasn't so busy being Nightwing...BUT!! Today he was off, he got Tim to cover for him by promising not to take away his stash of caffeine hidden in the cave, meaning he could finally take Percy on a proper Wayne shopping trip.

It's just too bad that Reader happened to be hanging out with Percy first. Can you just imagine how shocked Dick was when he saw Percy standing next to this tall, intimidating, teen dressed like they had anger issues and their magic power just so happened to be fire?? Don't get him wrong the black and red were a killer combo, very cool, very classic, but next to Percy? They looked like they were going to shove him into a trashcan and demand he fork over his lunch money!

Dick tries to step forward but as bad luck would have it he's swarmed by annoying paparazzi that won't let him through! From the gaps of the crowd he can see Reader ruffling smacking Percy upside the head! How terrible!

By the time the damn paparazzi leave Percy is nowhere near and Dick has a sickening feeling that he's hanging out with that no-good delinquent. It's his job as an older brother to properly protect his younger siblings from bad apples like those, so when he gets home he'll have a stern talking to with Percy...if he remembers by the time he gets home.

As for Jason...saying "It's complicated" would be putting it lightly. The last time he saw Percy it was when he broke into the Manor at 12 in the morning hoping to scare the shit outta Bruce or one of the others [Not Alfred. Never Alfred], only to come face to face with Percy doing a fucken summoning ritual with a creepy ass cat.

Now trust him when Jason says he's seen some weird shit in Crime Alley, but this? This was fucken weird on so many levels. Who would've thought that Percy, the walking definition of "kid raised by old timey grandparents" [no offence to Alfred, we like Alfred in this household, but damn], was actually summoning a demon.

Kid had the creepy cloak, a sigil put on the floor with what looks like red silly string, red candles, an offering placed in the center of the sigil, and a black cat with a red bandana tied around their neck. The worst part about it was that the sigil was actually glowing red.

Can you blame him for trying to stop it? For all he knows this could summon a world ending Demon! Which kinda has him conflicted, on one hand it's a "Hell yeah, kids got guts!" and on the other it's "Why the fuck would this kid need to summon a demon?? Tf is going on in this household?!" And it's totally not his fault the broken glass just happened to be where he was walking, honest.

The cat? That freaky ass cat? Yeah the cat gave him the creepiest look and then lunged at him all in the span of 1 second. No Jason did NOT yell, he's not a baby like that...he let out a very quiet and manly grunt when the cat bit the hell outta his hand!

Too bad he was up against a broken window. What was that saying again? Ah yes, flightless bird met gravity. Cue him falling out the 3rd story window and only surviving by pure luck and a well placed branch. Sure his stomach is gonna bruise like a bitch in the morning but at least he didn't go splat on the pavement. It's the little things...

The one thing that still confuses him about that night is that the cat was nowhere to be found when he tried to look for them. It's like they just...vanished into mid air. Freaky shit dude.

As for Tim. He's probably one of the weirdest guys when you think about it. Tim who was there the night Jason parents died. Tim who literally stalked both Batman and Robin without being noticed and pieced together their identity at the age of NINE [If I remember right]. Yeah...the guy who's way too smart that he actively nerfs himself with sleep deprivation and an addiction to caffeine.

So basically he knows something is up with Reader and Percy. Does he know exactly? No...but man was he this close to figuring it out. Weird cat hanging around Percy whenever the edgy kid wasn't able too? Said friend's eccentric 'uncle' hanging around when the kid was 'sick'? The gothic 'aunt' who showed up occasionally whenever the Uncle and kid were out of town?

Yeah he's not buying it. There's no way all of them are a simple family who just so happened to be hanging out at a certain spot near where Percy is. Are they a crime family trying to kidnap Percy?? For what reason? And it's too elaborate for such a small price Wayne's most unknown child will sell for.

So what could it be? It just wasn't really clicking for Tim until he saw Teen Reader with Percy.

It was a nice sunny day, well as sunny as you can get in Gotham, and Percy had just invited Reader out to one of his art competitions and surprisingly enough Tim was visiting the same museum but to keep an eye on a strange necklace that was claimed to be tied to the occult.

He got to witness Percy show such raw joy, something almost nobody in the household [aside from Alfred] has seen more than once. He saw the way Percy clung onto Reader's arm like a leech. And at first he was going to let it go, write Reader and their 'family' off as some weird eccentric family that just wanted to adopt Percy as one of their own.

Until he saw Reader snatch the necklace without breaking any alarms or anyone, other than him, noticing. And then it clicked. Reader and the family were a bad influence on Percy. You were trying to corrupt him, get him to turn to a life of crime!

Tim swore that day that he'd find someway to get Percy away from Reader and their family. Yeaaah like that was totally going to happen anytime soon. Keep it dreaming man....

[iyannatrip]

— chapter 01.

this chapter will contain: strong language, tension-filled and hostile interactions, references to violence (not graphic), emotional distress and frustration, and themes of isolation and mental health struggles.

series summary: in a small, run-down psychiatric facility, two patients—both broken in their own ways—are forced to share a room. reader, a twenty-three-year-old whose been in and out of these places for years, is used to being alone. matthew, a twenty-one-year-old with a history of violence and instability, is just another lost soul thrown into the mix. neither of them expects to get along, but as they clash and navigate their painful pasts, a connection forms—one that could either break them or give them a reason to fight for something more.

the door clicked shut, and the silence that followed felt heavier than anything. you could feel his eyes on you, but you kept your gaze locked on the wall across the room. your chest was tight, every muscle stiff, waiting.

“don’t expect me to play nice,” he muttered, voice low and sharp like a blade.

your jaw clenched. you turned your head just enough to glare at him. “good. i’m not here to make friends.”

the words snapped out before you could stop them. but you meant it. you always meant it.

matt—matthew, whatever—dropped his bag harder this time, like he wanted to make a point. his stuff scattered a little, and you could hear him curse under his breath. every sound he made grated on your nerves.

you sucked in a breath and looked away again. same shit, different face. you’d been through this before—new patient gets dumped in your space, acts like they own it, then it all blows up sooner or later.

but there was something about him. something in the way he moved, careless and loud, like he didn’t give a damn about anything. it wasn’t just cold—it was dangerous. exhausting already.

out of nowhere, there was a loud bang. you flinched before you could stop yourself. looked up just in time to see him pulling his fist back from the wall, his knuckles red.

“the fuck is your problem?” you snapped, anger flaring before fear could settle.

he didn’t answer. just glared at you, breathing hard, like he was daring you to say more.

the door cracked open again. an aide peeked in, eyes flicking between the two of you. “keep it down in here. last warning.”

you didn’t say a word. neither did he.

the door shut again. the silence came back, thick and bitter.

you grabbed your headphones from the nightstand, shoved them on even though they weren’t playing anything. just so you didn’t have to hear him breathing. didn’t have to feel him watching.

he muttered something else then—too low for you to catch it all, but you heard enough. anger. hate. same as always.

your fingers curled tight around the cord of your headphones. your heart wouldn’t slow down. and this was only day one.

—

the lights clicked off around nine, same as always. the room dipped into shadows, but the tension didn’t fade with the dark.

you laid on your side, staring at the wall. every muscle in your body tight, stiff like you were bracing for something. sleep wasn’t coming. not with him in here.

you could hear him. pacing at first. soft, heavy steps back and forth. then the sound of something being shifted—his bag, maybe. then muttering, low and sharp, words you couldn’t quite make out.

“can you sit the hell down?” you snapped, voice cutting through the dark. “some of us are trying to sleep.”

there was a beat of silence. then his voice, cold as ever. “then get used to it. i don’t sleep.”

you clenched your jaw, squeezing your eyes shut like that might block him out. your head was starting to pound.

same shit, different place. you thought you’d gotten used to this—the noise, the anger, the feeling of always being on edge. but right now, it felt worse. thicker. heavier. like the walls were closing in faster than usual.

somewhere in the dark, you heard a soft thud. like a fist hitting the wall again, but quieter this time. like he was trying not to get caught.

your fingers curled in your blanket. your heart thumped hard in your chest. you didn’t turn around. didn’t look.

the hours dragged. every little sound—his breathing, his movements, the creak of the old bedframe—kept you wide awake. your thoughts spiraled until your stomach felt sick.

by the time the soft knock hit the door, signaling morning meds, you hadn’t slept a second.

the door cracked open, light spilling in. “up. meds, then breakfast,” the aide said, voice flat from routine.

you sat up slow, your head pounding. matt was already on his feet, face hard and blank, eyes dull but still burning with something bitter.

your eyes met for a second. just long enough to exchange that same silent message—i hate this, i hate you, don’t start with me.

you grabbed your sweater from the end of the bed, tugged it on. the air felt colder today. or maybe it was just him.

“let’s go,” the aide said, knocking again. “both of you. now.”

the line for meds was slow like always. you stood with your arms crossed tight over your chest, trying to ignore the way your head throbbed from no sleep.

matt stood a few feet away. close enough to feel, but not close enough to touch. his eyes were half-lidded, dark, but that angry spark was still there. even half-dead, he looked like he was ready to snap.

neither of you said a word. the silence sat heavy between you.

after swallowing the pills dry, you made your way to the cafeteria. the noise hit you first—plastic trays clattering, people murmuring, the hum of whispers.

you caught the way eyes flicked to matt as he walked in behind you. the new guy always got stares. whispers traveled fast in places like this.

you grabbed your tray without looking at anyone. routine. get your food, find a corner, stay out of the way.

but when you slid into your usual spot near the back, you heard the scrape of a chair too close.

you glanced up. matt had dropped into the seat a few tables over. not with you, but close enough.

you scowled. “figures you’d ruin breakfast too.” the words slipped out, bitter and tired.

his head lifted just enough to glare at you. “wasn’t trying to sit near you. trust me.”

you huffed, stabbing at the soggy eggs on your plate. “sure.”

the air between you crackled, sharp and ugly. neither of you said anything else, but it was loud anyway.

you caught a glimpse of his hands—knuckles still red and raw from last night. you looked away fast, swallowing down the weird twist in your stomach. not your problem. not your business.

an aide stood by the door, watching both of you close. waiting for one of you to pop off, like they expected it.

you focused on eating, even though every bite felt like chewing sand.

matt muttered under his breath again. you couldn’t hear the words, but the anger was clear enough.

the door clicked shut behind you, leaving the two of you alone again.

the air felt thinner, somehow, like the walls were closing in.

you didn’t want to look at him. didn’t want to acknowledge that he was still there, breathing, moving around in the same tiny space. you grabbed your book off the nightstand, flipping it open to the same page you’d read over and over, but the words blurred together.

you tried to lose yourself in it—tried to ignore the sound of him rummaging through his bag again. then the soft scrape of a chair as he sat down.

you didn’t want to look, but your eyes flickered up anyway.

he was staring out the window, face unreadable, eyes distant. just sitting there like he had nothing to do, nothing to think about.

you wanted to punch something.

“you’re quiet,” he said after a while, his voice rough, like he hadn’t used it in days.

you tightened your grip on the book, ignoring him. “some of us like it that way.”

he chuckled low, dark. “not my problem.”

you could feel the tension rising between you, thick and uncomfortable. his words hit like punches—sharp, stinging.

you bit the inside of your cheek, trying to focus on the page in front of you, but it was useless. his presence pressed in on you, every shift, every movement.

he tossed something across the room. you flinched, fingers tightening around the book. “what was that for?” you snapped, voice louder than you intended.

he didn’t answer right away. just watched you, eyes burning like he was sizing you up. “nothing. just wanted to see if you’d react.”

you stared at him for a second. “well, now you know.”

his lips twitched, but it wasn’t a smile. it was more like a challenge.

you turned back to your book, but your thoughts were racing. all you could think about was last night—the way he’d hit the wall, the way his anger had bled through every movement. it was unsettling. uncomfortable.

but you were just as stuck as he was. both of you trapped in this room, in this place. you couldn’t run from it. couldn’t ignore it.

the silence stretched on, but it wasn’t peaceful. it was sharp, like a thread pulled tight, ready to snap at any moment.

a/n: my fingers are literally flowing across the keyboard right now. next chapter will most likely be out tonight, LMAAAO.

[imaginariumwanderer]

Hello!

Under a post about fanfiction for Sdvn you mentioned a blind man's bluff au from biscuitlaybrinth maybe? and echo paradox. I, for the love of me can not find any mention of it on ao3, is it on fanfiction.net or wattpad? Even googling keywords provide nothing. I am on my hands and knees begging for a link. Some sort of direction, Please.

I also want to apologize for having such an ask on your inbox. I wanted to add something like, "I've seen your art around and enjoy seeing the silly cookies and am so happy to see you in the tags giving interesting recommendations!" But it felt half-assed as if I'm trying to sweeten a deal or something but I don't wanna be rude walking in demanding for things. |T^T)

I at least hope you're having a good day and enjoying the recent update (;-;)

HELLOOOO NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE AT ALL I'M ALWAYS GLAD TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL TO WIDER FANS! Ehem, yes unfortunately biscuit's works aren't located in ao3 or anywhere on the internet but HERE! That's right folks RIGHT HERE ON TUMBLR!

Anyways here's their tumblr @thebiscuitlabryinth

Here's our holy bible- I mean Echo Paradox: https://www.tumblr.com/thebiscuitlabryinth/tagged/echo%20paradox%20au

Here's biscuit's Blind Man's Bluff AU: https://www.tumblr.com/thebiscuitlabryinth/tagged/blind%20man's%20bluff%20au

For a short history lesson, Echo Paradox was one of the first shadowvanilla fanfic ever to be written, the first part of the series was posted way back in 28th of February 2024. To be fair, I know us old shadvani fans have hyped this fanfic to hell n back calling it the shadvani bible and such. It's mind-blowing (for me) and many others, it's one of the reason that propelled me into shipping shadowvanilla last year, but it might just be ok or average to you. Still, there's something to say about how the author managed to capture their dynamic so well without the help of ep 7-8 which, of course, didn't exist back then. So much to say in fact I once wrote a mini essay about the AU that's still sitting in my files today. Thebiscuitlabryinth is and will forever be my favorite shadvani author EVER. I strongly recommend you take a look through their library and check out their various other shadvani oneshot too♥ To close off, here's some of my favorite excerpts from the Echo Paradox AU. Which, yeah I saved on my computers, I just love the fic a lot.... Please skip if you don't want any spoilers: "[Pure Vanilla] thinks of sharp, painted eyes and countless conversations on studies, research, literature, philosophy. He thinks of claustrophobic madness and the endless hunger of the scholar and pity, pity, pity."

-

" "Dark Moon Magic is forbidden too, so there aren't many detailed sources left on it. I want to know more about its founding." I want to know more about you." -

"In the dim, still moment that follows, stretching long and precious, Pure Vanilla doesn't see the Beast of Deceit before him. He doesn't even see the brilliant scholar, the Virtue of Knowledge, not quite. What he sees is a Cookie, whole and complex and alive and beautiful, and his heart pangs, softly." -

Have a good day, and yes I am enjoying the latest update :> I'm waiting for eternal sugar to come home haha

[multifandombabe]

Jackson!Joel Miller x Reader x Jackson!Tommy Miller

Short n' Sweet Description: You invite Joel and Tommy over for dinner, and they both think the invitation is exclusive.

Previous Chapter

word count: about 3k

warnings: jealous joel & tommy, tommy is cocky and joel is sad, maybe angst?, forehead kiss, hardly proofread

taglist: @diabaroxa @justafangirl-123 @aphroditesblunt

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Joel stood with one shoulder leaned against the open barn door, watching snow collect on the edge of the fencing. The wind had quieted, but the flakes still fell steadily, catching in his beard, dissolving against the warm threadbare fabric of his jacket. Inside, the horses stirred in their stalls, their breath rising like ghosts in the cold air.

He wasn’t there on official business. Wasn’t even supposed to be on this side of town. But he knew your routines well enough by now. The quiet rhythm of when you checked the stalls, how you hummed to the horses without realizing it, the way you ran your fingers through their manes like you were untangling your own thoughts.

He didn’t expect any company other than you. Which is why his jaw relaxed slightly when he heard the crunch of footsteps behind him.

He turned around with a smile on his face.

“Didn’t peg you for stable duty,” came Tommy’s voice, light but edged.

Joel’s smile dropped. “Didn’t peg you for it either.”

Tommy smirked as he stepped beside him. “Guess we’re both full of surprises.”

The quiet hung between them for a minute- comfortable enough, but stretched tight. They were brothers, used to navigating tension without naming it.

“She’s good with the horses,” Tommy said, nodding toward the stalls without needing to say who she was- they both know why the other was there. 

Joel gave a quiet hum. “Yeah. They trust her.”

“She talks to ‘em, y’know. Like they understand.” He paused, then added, “Maybe they do.”

Joel exhaled through his nose, almost a laugh. “Wouldn’t be surprised. She’s got a way.”

Tommy nodded, gloved hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. “She’s always doin’ something. Helping someone, checking on the kids, fixin’ busted shit that no one else bothers with.”

Joel didn’t answer right away. He just watched the snowfall, something unreadable in his expression.

After a long moment, he said, “I saw her at the mess hall last night. Stayed late, helpin’ the kitchen. Didn’t even eat.”

“She’s like that,” Tommy said softly. “Always takin’ care of people.”

They looked at each other- older now, quieter, with too many years and too much shared behind them. There was no fight in either of them. Just something they didn’t quite know how to name.

Tommy broke the stillness first. “You goin’ to the dance?”

Joel shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Might stop by.”

Tommy nodded slowly. “Me too.”

Joel tilted his head. “You askin’ anybody?”

Tommy didn’t blink. “Nope.”

Joel’s eyes narrowed just slightly. “Huh. Thought maybe you were.”

Tommy looked at him evenly. “What about you?”

Joel let out a slow breath. “Nah. Goin’ solo.”

The lies settled between them like a third body in the room, invisible but solid. Heavy in the chest. They both knew it. And both let it stand.

Tommy looked back out toward the snow. “Should be a good time, I guess.”

Joel nodded. “Yeah.”

Neither of them spoke after that. No argument. No confessions. Just two men standing in silence, pretending not to want the same thing.

Outside, the wind picked up, rattling the loose shutters. And from the house down the road, laughter carried faintly through the air- yours.

They both heard it.

Neither said a word.

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You weren’t really trying to send a message.

You’d just thought it might be nice—some warm food, some company. The weather had been rough, morale low, and you had more ground beef than you needed. So you asked Tommy if he wanted to come by for dinner sometime this week. Then, later that day, you saw Joel lugging a busted lantern to the workshop and figured he might want a break too.

Simple enough. Or at least, you thought so.

What you didn’t know- couldn’t have possibly known- was that both of them thought the invitation was... exclusive.

Fast forward to an hour before dinner, and the smell of ground beef and onions had just started to fill the kitchen when you realized you didn’t have enough buns.

You huffed out a breath, wiped your hands on the dish towel tucked into your waistband, and made peace with what this dinner was going to be. Sloppy joes on slices of sandwich bread, it would have to be. It wasn’t fancy—wasn’t even pretty—but it was warm, it was easy, and you were proud of how the sauce turned out.

A flicker of snow passed the kitchen window. You liked when it did that—like the world quieted itself just a little, pressed its ear to the door to listen in. You stirred the pan gently and let yourself think about the two men who had smiled at you this week a little longer than usual.

Tommy, who always said your name like it was something kind. And Joel, who never quite smiled unless he meant it.

You hadn’t invited both of them expecting anything. Just good food and good company. Maybe some conversation and a few laughs. But now, your stomach fluttered with the suspicion that maybe it wasn’t quite so simple for them.

You glanced down at your outfit—jeans, a T-shirt you’d accidentally gotten paint on while fixing your kitchen window, and a pair of thick socks: one green, one yellow. You wiggled your toes. Good enough. You didn’t want to be anything you weren’t tonight.

You set the table with mismatched plates and a chipped ceramic bowl for the coleslaw. The scent of sauce and toasted bread filled the space, and the lights cast a soft golden haze on the walls. It looked—homey. Cozy in a way you hoped felt intentional, even if you hadn’t tried that hard to make it that way

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Back at Joel’s place, he was just finishing cleaning himself up to look somewhat presentable for your dinner. He had one last thing left to do. 

He only made it for special occasions.

Not birthdays or patrol parties or those community dinners where everyone stood elbow to elbow balancing canned peaches and beans on paper plates. No, this was only for something rare, something worth showing up for.

You’d smiled at him when you asked him to come over. Not a polite smile. Something a little softer, a little aimed. And that was enough.

He sat at the old workbench in his garage, the one Ellie sometimes used to hammer together birdhouses. In the far corner, hidden beneath a cracked Folgers tin, was a small glass bottle- clear, stoppered, and only half full.

He unstoppered it and let the scent rise.

Lavender first, because it was what grew best out near the fences. He’d picked it weeks ago, drying it carefully in cheesecloth and crushing it with the side of his knife, trying not to bruise the oils out too early. He’d added a little peel from an orange he’d managed to trade for, shaved fine like zest, sharp and sweet. A handful of mint leaves from the community garden. And the base- alcohol from Jackson’s infirmary supply, just enough to suspend the scent without overpowering it.

He’d strained it three times through cotton strips until it ran clear. It was nothing like store-bought cologne. The scent didn’t linger hours. It didn’t smell like musk or money. But it was clean. Careful. His.

He pressed the stopper to his neck, then to his wrists, just dot for each spot.

And for the first time in years, Joel looked at himself in the mirror and didn’t turn away.

Tommy’s way of freshening up was… slightly different.

He knew that Joel had cologne.

It wasn’t a secret, not really. He’d seen his brother fiddling with that glass bottle once, late one evening, just after a town meeting. The garage smelled like lavender and something bright, and Joel had snapped the lid shut like he’d been caught reading a love letter. Tommy hadn’t asked to borrow any. Not then. And especially not now.

Because Joel would’ve wanted to know what for.

And Tommy… well, Tommy didn’t have the words to explain the reason behind the nervous weight in his stomach. How your smile kept repeating in his head like a song chorus, or how he’d changed shirts three times trying to look like he hadn’t tried too hard. If he asked to borrow Joel’s cologne, his brother would’ve raised an eyebrow and waited in silence until Tommy gave something away.

So instead, Tommy walked out to the edge of town and crouched low near the fence line, fingers brushing along the base of the flowering lavender bush.

He plucked a handful of leaves, careful not to tear them, and rubbed them between his palms until the oils came free. Then, quietly, he pressed the green-stained tips to the insides of his wrists and the hollow of his neck.

The scent was lighter this way. Fainter. But it was enough.

He stood up straighter. Brushed the dirt off his jeans. Glanced toward your house, just barely visible through the trees, and smiled. Dinner was soon. Your date was soon. 

And so Tommy stood outside your porch, a paper-wrapped bouquet of wildflowers clutched in his hand. He’d cleaned up well-  his jacket was clean, his boots polished. Nervous energy buzzed under his skin.

He knocked twice, shifting the flowers to his other hand. He could already smell something cooking inside- meaty, a little sweet. 

The door swung open.

You stood in the frame in jeans and a T-shirt, hair a little messy from rushing around the kitchen, and mismatched socks. You held a wooden spoon in one hand and blinked at the man on your porch.

“Evenin’,” he said, offering a sheepish grin as he held out the flowers.

“Tommy,” you laughed, glancing down at yourself- “I didn’t realize you were expecting anything fancy.”

Tommy scratched the back of his neck, smile a little bashful. “I, uh- nah, it’s not- just figured, y’know. First time you invited me over. Brought flowers.” He cleared his throat. “For the table.”

You opened the door wider with a fond roll of your eyes. “Get in here, you goof. You’re gonna freeze.”

Tommy stepped inside and looked around the kitchen, the modest little spread on the table, the mismatched plates stacked on the counter. It was cozy. Warm. He felt good. Comfortable. Hopeful. You hadn’t gone overboard, which almost made it feel more special.

This felt like the beginning of something. He could almost see it: you sitting across from him, smiling over your shared meal. Talking about your day. Laughing. It was so easy to imagine that kind of life with you, here in this little home where everything smelled like garlic and tomato paste and you.

He walked over to peek at what was cooking on the stove. Sloppy joes. And to think he thought it was going to be something fancy. He chuckled and turned back toward you with a grin-

And then there was another knock.

His smile faltered, brow furrowed.

The front door creaked again as you reached for the handle.

Tommy’s stomach dropped. No.

And on the other side, framed in the cold porch light and backed by falling snow, was Joel.

He stood with his shoulders slightly hunched like he hadn’t meant to be seen yet, holding a bouquet of wildflowers clutched awkwardly in one hand. His flannel was cleaner than usual, the jeans dark and pressed, and- you breathed in- was that cologne?

He stopped short when he saw Tommy just behind you.

For a second, no one said anything.

Joel’s stomach sank.

He’d known something felt off.

The moment you’d waved to him from across town earlier in the week, that soft little smile on your lips, something in him had twisted in a way it hadn’t in a long time. You’d said “Come over Friday if you’re free,” and he’d spent the next three days trying to tell himself it was casual. Friendly. Nothing more.

But that voice in his head- a voice that sounded suspiciously like Tess- had kept whispering: Don’t let this pass you by.

He hadn’t let himself believe it until now. Hadn’t let himself hope.

And now here you were, standing in jeans and a paint-stained shirt and mismatched socks, looking like home, and right behind you was his goddamn brother with flowers already in a vase.

Joel shifted his weight, the cold seeping through the soles of his boots as you stepped aside to let him in. He walked past you slowly, every step deliberate, forcing himself to keep his expression neutral as he handed you the wildflowers.

“Oh, thanks,” you said, eyes flicking to the bouquet with a soft, genuine smile. “Let me grab something for those.”

You moved toward the cabinets, humming under your breath as you rummaged for a jar.

Joel looked up and met Tommy’s eyes across the room.

Neither of them spoke. But the tension thudded under Joel’s ribs like a second heartbeat. This wasn’t how tonight was supposed to go. He’d walked here rehearsing small talk in his head like a fucking teenager,  brushing lint off his cleanest flannel and combing through his hair twice- 

For nothing.

Because Tommy was already here, already relaxed, already making himself useful by setting out plates like he’d done it a hundred times.

You brought over the sloppy joes in a big dented pot and a plate of chips on the side, clearly proud of the spread.

“It’s nothing fancy,” you said with a chuckle, oblivious to the tension, “but there’s plenty.”

Joel watched as you plopped down across from him, face bright and open like it really was just a casual dinner between friends.

He felt the weight of it then- not the meal, not the awkwardness. The realization. That he’d wanted something tonight he couldn’t name, and Tommy had wanted it too. 

Maybe he’d let himself believe, just for a second, that you were starting to choose him. And that Tommy had thought the Exact. Same. Thing. 

Joel grabbed a plate and spooned out a generous heap of meat, the smell hitting him harder than it should’ve. “Looks great,” he muttered in your general direction.

“Joel finally washed his hair,” Tommy said casually between bites, licking sauce off his thumb.

Joel choked on his water.

You looked up, startled. “You okay?”

He cleared his throat, waving a hand. “Fine. Just- wrong pipe.”

Tommy grinned, taking another bite. “Didn’t think you owned shampoo.”

“I wash my damn hair,” Joel grumbled, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. “You’re the one with the polished boots, I can see my fuckin’ reflection in them”

Tommy raised his brows, a cocky expression forming on his face, “Meant to ask you if I could borrow some of that special cologne of yours, I didn’t know you’d be usin’ it tonight too.”

Joel didn’t answer. Just took another bite of his sloppy joe and chewed like it was personal.

You ignored whatever was going on between the two of them, and the meal went on. You chatted easily, asked about patrol schedules, told a funny story about Ellie accidentally knocking over a stack of tin cans and blaming it on a raccoon. You didn’t notice the way neither man laughed quite as hard as usual.

Joel kept glancing across the table at Tommy- at the clean shave, the tucked-in shirt, the little extra effort. And he saw himself in it. The same hopeful calculation. The same goddamn mistake.

And he hated how much it hurt.

He hated that Tommy beat him here. Hated that it made him feel like he was already too late.

But most of all, he hated the part of himself that still wanted to try.

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After the plates were mostly scraped clean, sauce-streaked forks lay abandoned, and the last of the water gone warm in their cups, the three of you sat around the table for a while longer, trading small stories and quiet laughter while snow continued to fall just outside the windows.

You got up first, stacking the plates with a yawn that seemed to spread the sleepiness around. “Thanks for coming, you two. I’m glad we did this.”

Tommy smiled as he reached to help gather the glasses. “Was real nice, darlin’. Good to get out for something other than patrol.”

Joel didn’t say much, but his eyes stayed on you, softer than they’d been in weeks. He helped collect the napkins, set them in a little pile on the counter, and then rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. You could tell he wanted to linger.

But the hour had turned. It was time to leave.

You led them to the door, and the porch light glowed warm behind you as you reached for Joel first.

He blinked- hard, like he wasn’t sure he’d heard you right.

“C’mere,” you were already stepping forward, arms open, that same easy smile on your face that you’d had earlier when you answered the door, and now you were reaching for him first.

Joel nearly forgot how to breathe.

It was just a hug. Just your arms around his waist and his around your shoulders. Just a second or two of warmth. But to Joel, it felt like the first exhale after days of holding something in.

His eyes fluttered closed.

You were so close. You smelled like whatever soap you used and something faintly sweet — maybe the sauce from dinner, maybe you. Your shirt was soft against his chest. You didn’t pull away too quick. You didn’t seem like you wanted to.

And God, the way Joel held onto that moment.

He didn’t press too hard, just enough. Just a hand at your back, the other brushing lightly at your waist, like he was scared of doing too much and losing even this.

For a flicker of a second, something in his chest unlatched.

She picked me first, he thought. Just for a second, she picked me.

He didn’t say anything as you pulled away- just gave a slow nod, like he was holding onto the feeling with both hands. 

Then it was Tommy’s turn.

And Tommy- well, he’d watched that hug happen with something sour curling under his ribs. The little smile on Joel’s face made his jaw clench. So when you turned to him and opened your arms, he stepped forward with more confidence than warmth.

His arms wrapped around you a little tighter than Joel’s had. Not rough, just… firm. A point, not a gesture. He leaned his cheek against your temple for a second, then pulled back slightly- and with a little glance over your shoulder, straight into Joel’s eyes, he pressed a kiss to your forehead.

Joel’s expression didn’t shift much, but something in him iced over. 

You blinked, flustered, and looked between the two men. “Oh- okay,” you said quickly, stepping back with a laugh that didn’t quite land. “Goodnight, you two,” you said, shoving them out onto the porch and shutting the door behind them before they could answer. 

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The snow crunched under Tommy’s boots as he stepped down off the porch, half a smirk still on his face.

Joel followed, slow and quiet.

“You kissin’ her now?” Joel asked, voice low but sharp.

Tommy turned just enough to look at him. “Didn’t see you call dibs.”

Joel’s jaw flexed. “She didn’t ask for that.”

“Didn’t hear her complain either.”

They stood in silence for a beat, the street quiet but for the wind through bare branches.

“You said you weren’t askin’ anyone out.,” Joel said finally.

Tommy’s breath fogged in the cold. “Yeah, well. So did you.”

Joel narrowed his eyes. “You think this is a game?”

Tommy’s smile faded. “No. I think I’ve spent years watchin’ you act like you don’t care about anyone, and now all of a sudden you’re showin’ up in pressed jeans and cologne.“

Joel stepped in, barely a foot between them now. “You keep pushin’, Tommy, you’re gonna find out I care plenty.”

Another beat of silence. The snow fell soft, like it didn’t want to get involved.

Joel gave him a half-hearted glare. “Fuckin’.... fuckin’ whatever, Tommy. She knows. She knows now. We ain’t foolin’ anybody, especially not each other.”

Tommy exhaled through his nose, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. “Guess not.”

“So what’re we doin’?” Joel asked.

Tommy looked back at the closed front door, the warm light seeping out through the cracks around the frame. “We stop makin’ this a problem,” he said. “Let her pick. No more one-upping. No more jabs.”

Joel was quiet for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Yeah. Okay.”

They stood like that for a while, side by side, two grown men in the snow trying to remember how to be brothers before anything else.

Tommy shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “We mean it this time?”

Joel gave him a look. “You?”

Tommy cracked the faintest smile, and offered a hand. “Yeah.”

Joel’s wasn’t quite a smile, but it was close. He took Tommy’s hand. “Then yeah.”

They nodded and shook. 

A truce.

But as they turned to go their separate ways- snow swirling around their boots, their breaths steady in the air- neither said what they were really thinking:

I hope she doesn’t fuckin’ pick you.

[natequarter]

you seem to be the most knowledgable classic who person around so, question, if you feel like answering: if i wanted a passing knowledge of all the companions (and their doctors), do you have a list of one serial each that best displays their personalities? i'm realizing as i type this that it's kind of a big question so no worries if not lol

absolutely not the most knowledgeable classic who person around but i have (for better or worse) finished watching its twenty-six year run, so here is a poor attempt to sum it up. as a rule i've given most companions more than one serial, but hopefully they'll give you a broad idea of each companion.

first doctor era

susan:

an unearthly child (especially part 1): her introduction

marco polo: susan isn't handled brilliantly in her original run, but this one gives her a rather sweet friendship with a girl her own age for once

the dalek invasion of earth: her exit

ian and barbara:

an unearthly child: their introduction

the edge of destruction: short but sweet, everyone goes insane and barbara chews the doctor out for being a murderous git

the aztecs: strongly focused on barbara and her, uh, white saviour complex, which is a hell of a character flaw to give your science fiction protagonist!

the romans: everyone loves this one, and certainly it'll give you a good idea of the domestic side of their relationship… and also The Horrors. be warned, barbara is threatened with rape

the chase: a delightfully messy romp across the universe. here be bad american accents. also has a fantastic exit for ian and barbara

vicki:

the rescue: her introduction, and a damn good one at that

the romans: unlike ian and barbara, vicki has a lovely time! the doctor and vicki are at peak shenanigans here

the space museum: you know what the kids wants? that's right, anarchism and revolution

the myth makers: almost entirely lost to the sands of time, but remarkably good considering. vicki's exit is not what you might call compelling, but it's still a delightfully fun serial for her

steven:

the chase: he only appears in the last episode, but it is his introduction and it is remarkably effective

the time meddler: in which steven is extremely hotheaded and acts about as sanely as you would expect from a man who spent two years in total isolation from any other sentient being. also it's delightfully fun

the massacre: Steven's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. no, worse than that. has a beautiful confrontation at the end between the doctor and steven; steven is the first companion to truly break

for dodo i'll just recommend the one: the gunfighters. and for the first doctor (who you can easily get a taste of through any of the above), i'll also suggest the savages (steven's last story) and of course the tenth planet.

second doctor era

ben and polly:

the war machines: their intro, and the first base under siege. enjoy them whilst you can. great companion intro, though!

the highlanders: more for polly than for ben, though he does get some fun bits. polly, meanwhile, goes around mugging english officers for the fuck of it. probably her best serial

the moonbase: let's all dissolve cybermen with acid!

the macra terror: Ben Gets Indoctrinated. the macra do not exist! a real classic

jamie:

the faceless ones: he's barely in his first few serials, and this is the first one where he gets some proper characterisation and moments in his own right

the evil of the daleks: in which a companion once again chews out the doctor, and also, there are daleks

the war games: goes without saying. maybe don't watch this one for an introduction to jamie, though!

victoria:

tomb of the cybermen: victoria's first outing as a companion

the enemy of the world: look it's just a really good serial okay

fury from the deep: i struggle to think of any one serial that can easily summarise victoria, but this is the conclusion to the character arc she goes through, and as a consequence probably most focused on her personally

zoe:

the wheel in space: her introduction, and will give you a fairly clear idea of how she starts out

the mind robber: a fantastic serial in its own right, and jamie and zoe are both great here

the krotons: an okay serial, but it has some lovely moments for zoe and zoe with the doctor

for the second doctor specifically, check out power of the daleks and, of course, the war games

third doctor era

liz only appears in four stories, all in season 7, and all of season 7 is pretty good, so i'd suggest just putting on spearhead from space and going from there. the brigadier likewise appears in all of season 7, if you fancy serials for him specifically.

jo:

terror of the autons: her introduction, and also the master's, and also also yates'. there's a lot going on here. it's fun.

the dæmons: who would win? satan, or jo grant? the answer is jo obviously

the time monster: you just had to be there. jo continues to defeat epic forces of nature

the green death: jo's exit, and really well done considering they married her off

sarah:

the time warrior: her introduction, and a fun mockery of historicals

invasion of the dinosaurs: um, don't watch this one without first watching at least some of seasons 8-10. that aside: this is one of my favourites for sarah specifically, she's in top deranged form here

robot: this one is about sarah and a robot and her friendship with it and everyone else is irrelevant okay

the seeds of doom: all of season 13 is fantastic but listen we've all got trapped in a composter from time to time

the hand of fear: her exit, and i mean the last five minutes are magnificent

for the third doctor specifically, i actually quite like day of the daleks, and of course the three doctors is good.

fourth doctor era

harry:

the ark in space: i'm honestly not sure harry gets any real defining serials, but if he did, it would probably be this one. he spends most of robot being tied up or knocked unconscious or standing in the background looking pretty.

genesis of the daleks: a classic for a reason. he gets his foot stuck in a clam.

leela:

the face of evil: this is The leela serial. her introduction. fantastic on every level. she's an atheist thanks

horror of fang rock: sometimes you have to slap annoying screaming women. great horror

the sun makers: see vicki, the space museum; women love nothing more than revolution

romana:

the pirate planet: it takes romana .5 seconds to start imitating the doctor. she gets some really good lines in this one

city of death: ah, the eternal classic

the horns of nimon: ah, the other eternal classic, though maybe not for the right reasons

shada: like city of death, this is romana at the height of her adamsian whimsy

warriors' gate: one of my absolute favourite serials. romana's exit.

adric:

full circle: his introduction. for a brief and beautiful moment he almost worked as a character.

the keeper of traken: probably the closest adric comes to being a decent companion. he works better with four than five in my opinion

earthshock: yes, this is his exit. no, it's not that good

for the fourth doctor, he has that rare companion-lite serial: the deadly assassin. i'm also a fan of the androids of tara and state of decay.

fifth doctor era

nyssa:

the keeper of traken: she's not a companion in this one, only a side character, but she's pretty good as a side character

castrovalva: everything happens so much

tegan:

logopolis: her introduction, and a damn good serial to boot

kinda/snakedance: in which tegan is haunted by an eldritch snake

enlightenment: a fantastic and surreal serial

resurrection of the daleks: a wonderfully heartbreaking exit, shame about the daleks

turlough:

mawdryn undead: his introduction, the brigadier is there? don't make deals with gods, kids. unironically pretty fun

enlightenment: in which turlough tries to kill himself and gets tied up by pirates. also, more godlike beings.

frontios: weirdly focused on turlough in a very weird way. you'll see what i mean if you watch it

planet of fire: his exit, spent naked

for the fifth doctor, i'd recommend the visitation, the five doctors, and the awakening.

sixth doctor era

peri:

planet of fire: planet of shorts, more like. her introduction.

the caves of androzani: she is straight up not having a good time but at least it's a good serial

*crickets*

peri baby i'm so sorry

the mark of the rani. i guess.

mel:

paradise towers: it's camp okay. also the lesbian cannibals are a highlight

delta and the bannermen: i genuinely love this one

dragonfire: her exit, and weird but delightful

for the sixth doctor, i'd recommend vengeance on varos.

seventh doctor era

ace:

dragonfire: tells you all you need to know about her, but wait! every other serial she's in is a fucking banger!

remembrance of the daleks: this teenager kills fascists. ICONIC

ghost light: it's not "confusing", it's "warriors' gate". and warriors' gate is confusing but that's a good thing

the curse of fenric: a really great serial with parallels to the god complex and also communism repels vampires

survival: lesbian furry ace + the master is there

for the seventh doctor, i'd recommend the happiness patrol, silver nemesis (fuck you it's good), and battlefield (which, again, happens to have the brigadier in it).