#someone pay me to visit her i need to hug and kiss her SO badly!!!!

[jojo-the-puppy]

Hey, Jojo~

Are you just going to keep being drop dead sexy all the time, or do I get a break from being down bad? 💚

publicly saying that vanya is SO mean, not only is she hot and gorgeous, she just made me squeal by sending this

[trekscribbles]

The Bushwhack Job: Bonus Chapter Part 2

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Bonus Scenes Part 1

(Disclaimer: This is a relatively rough draft and subject to change when I post to AO3. I'm just overly excited and want to share what I have.)

The epilogue is going... slowly. I can't guarantee I'll finish it in a timely manner, so I'm sharing this next chunk now while it's still hot out of the oven.

The goodbyes were harder than he expected. 

They made them in the yard under a picturesque blue sky, with the morning stretching out before them like a beginning, which helped. Over the last ten days, Sunny’s little house had started to feel more confining than safe, and Eliot was ready to go back to his own kitchen, his own bed, his own clothes. Nate and Sophie were already waiting in the van, and Eliot had left Parker and Hardison with J.B. and Miguel so he could give Sunny his final words of thanks.

He’d told himself to stay cheerful, but when Sunny reached out to hug him, he felt the first prickle of regret since J.B. had said he was well enough to travel. Everything he’d wanted to say fled his mind, so he lifted himself up to kiss her cheek and held her tightly when she sighed into his hair.

“You saved my life,” he murmured.

Sunny squeezed his back. “Oh, sugar. Someone had to.”

Eliot laughed, and Sunny held him out by his shoulders and looked him over, her eyes shining above her frown. “Now you keep out of trouble,” she said sternly. “I don’t want to hear anything about you being reckless again, you hear?”

In a show of excessive restraint, he kept the words “yes, ma’am” off his tongue and nodded instead. “As long as you promise the same,” he said.

“Me?” Sunny said, offended. “There’s nobody left to bother me that Miguel can’t take care of. And J.B. is still in the neighborhood.”

Eliot looked across the sidewalk to where J.B. stood shaking Hardison’s hand. “He’s leaving, then?”

“In a few days,” Sunny said. Her gaze followed his, and a smile touched her lips. “I don’t think he’ll go far, though. The boy can’t brew a decent cup of coffee to save his life. He’s already bought me some extra to keep on hand for when he comes to visit.”

Relief poured through him. He’d wanted extra support for Sunny, true, but he had a feeling J.B. needed her support just as badly. “You’ll call if you need anything,” he said, keeping his tone just shy of an order.

“As long as you promise to visit,” she countered.

“I will.”

“Good,” Sunny said, her eyes crinkling in the corners. “I know you keep your promises.”

He tore himself away from her to shake Miguel’s hand, reminded J.B. to take it easy for a few weeks now that he’d collected his pay check for the Lancaster job, and followed his team to the large black van parked in front of the house. Lucille, his memory supplied, after a few moments of grasping for the name. He didn’t remember why Hardison was so attached to the thing, but he was pleased to have something to start with. It was getting better, slowly, and he was content to let his memory trickle back in bits and pieces as long as the others were there to fill in the gaps.

“Ready?” Hardison asked, looking at Eliot in the rearview mirror as he settled into the back seat. J.B. had made him bring his crutch along, but he’d left it on the floor between the door and the seat while he’d said his goodbyes. The rest of his things—the clothes Hardison had bought him, mostly, since apparently he didn’t travel with luggage—were packed with the others’ in the back, and the cooler full of sandwiches and drinks that Sunny had sent along with them was tucked behind the passenger seat.

Eliot settled back and stretched his right leg out in front of him. “Yeah.”

From the passenger seat, Parker waved out the window as they pulled away from the house, shouting goodbyes until they turned the corner and Sunny, J.B., and Miguel were lost from sight. Then she squirmed around in her seat and tore the lid off the cooler, digging through with one hand while Hardison cast her concerned looks from behind the wheel.

“You just ate breakfast,” he said. “You can’t need a sandwich already.”

“Sunny packed some cereal for me.”

“How are you still hungry?” Hardison pressed. “Between Eliot’s pancakes and Sunny’s eggs, I don’t think I’ll ever eat again.”

Parker sat up with a bag of cereal in her hand, grinning. “It’s a road trip! You’re supposed to have snacks.”

“Not thirty seconds down the road!”

In the seat beside Eliot, Sophie leaned forward to set her hand on Hardison’s shoulder. “Let her enjoy this. It’s been a while since you’ve driven anywhere long distance.”

“Easy for you to say,” Hardison muttered. “You’re gonna miss it all.”

Eliot closed his eyes, enjoying the sounds of their voices in the small space, and started a few of the leg stretches J.B. had told him to do on the ride. They’d be dropping Nate and Sophie off at the airport before making their way to the highway, and then across the country back home to Portland. It wasn’t worth the drive, in Eliot’s opinion, but Hardison had refused to let anyone bring Lucille back without him, and Parker insisted that Eliot’s leg would explode if he tried to fly.

“It’s not going to explode,” Eliot had grumbled, rolling his eyes and waiting for J.B. to back him up.

But Parker had evidently gotten to him first, because he’d just sighed and said, “Yes, because of the... uh, air pressure. Flying would be far too dangerous. I recommend driving.”

Eliot had glared at him, but J.B. only shrugged and mouthed, “She scares me,” before abandoning him to a 26 hour drive with absolutely no hint of remorse. Nate had come in two minutes later with the news that he and Sophie would fly so they could “get things ready” for Eliot’s return. He figured they just didn’t want to be trapped in the van for three days.

“All right,” Parker bubbled as soon as Nate and Sophie were safely at the airport. “J.B. said we should stop every four hours to let you stretch—”

“Hell no,” Eliot said. “It’ll take us a week to get there!”

“—so I found some places we can go,” Parker continued, ignoring the interruption. “There’s a cowboy museum here in the city—”

“No,” Eliot and Hardison said together.

Parker glared at them. “Not to visit. To steal from.”

“What do you want to steal from the cowboy museum?” Hardison asked.

“Well, I probably won’t know until I see it,” Parker said. “But if you don’t want to go there, we can pick another place. Like—what about the UFO Watchtower in Colorado? Ooh, or the Flaming Praying Mantis in Las Vegas!”

Hardison shot her a look. “The what?”

“It shoots fire!”

“Is this how it normally goes?” Eliot asked. 

Hardison glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “Uh… kinda depends. We stop more when Nate isn’t in the car. He makes us drive straight through.”

Eliot eased back and closed his eyes. “Pretend Nate is here then.”

But apparently in the Republic of Lucille, Parker’s vote held the most weight. They ended up stopping at half a dozen dusty roadside locations, and Parker insisted they get out to explore each one while Hardison stayed in the car to nap. They wouldn’t let Eliot drive, and Hardison claimed it was safer for everyone if Parker didn’t take a turn behind the wheel, so Eliot grudgingly accepted the stops to give Hardison time to rest. Maybe he enjoyed some of them—or at least, he enjoyed Parker’s reactions to them—but he kept that to himself. She didn’t need any encouragement.

The rest of the time, Eliot was quiet, and they let him be. There were things he needed to sort through—emotions dug up by memories he wished he could have left buried. Questions. Worries. Anger. Grief. They cycled through him as the long hours ate away at the distance between them and Portland, as their destination took on details in his mind. He remembered a brew pub, a menu he’d helped design, the local suppliers he’d gotten to know. He remembered telling Anne and Rafe, the cooks who ran the kitchen when he was gone, about the new dishes he wanted to introduce when he returned from this job. He remembered chatting with the regulars who kept coming back for his meals, and remembered grudgingly admitting to himself, if not to Hardison, that he enjoyed the challenge of managing a gastropub.

He missed it. The closer they got, the more anxious he was to be back.

It was late when Hardison parked outside the brew pub, and Eliot was tired, but they’d driven through supper and were hungry enough to go inside instead of continuing on to their own homes. Sophie and Nate were waiting for them, and they’d kept the kitchen open so they could all order. Normally Eliot would have just thrown something together for them, but he was grateful for the chance to hobble around the tables, pretending to inspect the space while he stretched his legs. He ached—everywhere—but a sense of rightness settled into him as the familiar smells and sounds seeped in. Parker launched into an excited retelling of their roadside adventures while Hardison helped himself to Nate’s fries, and Eliot paused in front of a menu on the wall to listen.

His hand drifted to his pocket. It was late in Portland, but it would be even later by Sunny. Past midnight. He should wait until morning to check in, he knew he should, but he pulled out his phone anyway, found her number, and typed out a quick message.

We made it back to Portland.

He turned to rejoin the others, but before he could take a step, his phone vibrated in his hand.

How was the drive?

Eliot’s gaze drifted to where Parker was imitating the Flaming Praying Mantis statue. It was fine, he answered.

A few moments slid by, but he waited for the message he knew would come. The screen lit up just as Parker made an eerily accurate metallic screech to accompany her waving, imaginary-fire-covered arms.

I’m going to try that pancake recipe you gave me tomorrow, Sunny said. I might have a few questions.

Warmth spread through his chest. I’ll call you in the morning.

Talk to you then. Goodnight, sugar.

“Food’s ready!” Hardison called. Eliot looked up, still smiling at his phone like an idiot. He didn’t even care. Goodnight, he typed, sending off the message and tucking the phone back into his pocket as he went to rejoin the others. Parker stopped mid-way through her description of the mantis’s forelegs and shot him a measuring look. He winked at her. She grinned and launched back into the story.

Eliot ate with one hip hitched against the bar, half-turned toward the door so he could keep everyone in view while they talked. It was comfortable, the way they all settled back into themselves, and it worked something loose in Eliot’s chest as he listened. He had that feeling again—like home was less a place and more a collection of the faces and voices that dominated his returning memories. Like he could sit there for hours and just listen to them laughing; like he could believe them when they said he wasn’t alone. The proof was in the empty-but-full brew pub, and the texts on his phone, and the list of treatment instructions in his bag. Given the kind of person he was—had been—a part of him still couldn’t believe that he’d managed to find a single friend, let alone a family. The rest of him thought it didn’t matter how it had happened. 

He was just thankful it had.

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine being Azula’s friend but secretly dating Zuko behind her back

One of the first things you and Azula bonded over was your annoying brothers. Azula told you how her brother had stolen one of her best friends away from her and you related to that. Your twin brother was none other than Sokka of the water tribe, who was also very popular with women. Most of the women you knew liked him, from Yue to Toph to Suki to Ty lee! It sometimes felt like you were the second attraction in a friendship and so you and Azula quickly became close over your shared frustrations.

Then....you betrayed her.

Well, betrayal is a bit dramatic but maybe not given how upset she'd been when Mai and Zuko started dating. You knew that had been hard for Azula to process.  How difficult it had been wondering if her friends really liked her or just wanted access to her brother. So when you started liking Zuko you didn’t plan on acting on it at all. Then Mai broke up with him. 

Zuko was around at yours quite often, whenever he visited the water tribe he stayed in your home and when you visited the fire nation he extended the same hospitality. So throughout the years, you just naturally got closer and closer until....it happened. You started hanging out just the two of you and these occasions felt very date-like until Zuko just outright asked you out. You liked him and told yourself one date was fine, what harm could a single date do? But then as you kept seeing each other and one date soon progressed into many many more you knew your time to do the right thing and tell Azula you were dating her brother was approaching. 

However the idea of doing that idea terrified you. You guessed Azula wouldn’t take it well and didn’t want to lose your friendship with her because of your relationship with Zuko. You wouldn’t break up with Zuko just to make her happy but you also didn’t want to lose Azula’s friendship, so when Katara’s birthday arose you were fairly nervous. There was going to be a large party and all of Katara’s friends were coming...which included Zuko and Azula. You hadn’t been together with everyone since you and Zuko started dating so you had no idea how it would feel. The whole time you and Zuko would have to convincingly act like you weren’t a couple and not make anyone at the party suspicious of the two of you. So when Zuko’s ship got in you fixed your eyes on Azula and tried not to stare at him any more than usual. You greeted him formally and didn’t admire him as you usually would. You fell in step with Azula and decided just to focus on her. It wasn’t hard, you were best friends and very close...however fate was not on your side. You got seated across from him at dinner which felt like some sick punishment and struggled not to get lulled into conversation with him. It didn’t help that Zuko was in a playful mood. He kept making comments about the things you’d done on your date and then sending you sly looks across the table. When you met his eye he smirked blatantly and you lightly kicked him under the table. That only made Zuko chuckled and look adorable so you sighed and decided to just keep your eyes down the whole time to survive dinner. 

However, Zuko had no intention of stopping his teasing. After dinner you set about preparing the party for Katara tomorrow and having sent Sokka, Aang, Suki, Azula and Toph on their assigned jobs turned to your job of decorating. You were hanging streamers in the living room when you felt a hand curl around your waist. “Need some help there?” Zuko asked moving closer and he leaned up over you to hang it. “I could have done that myself” you smiled turning to face him and Zuko shrugged “I know you could’ve, but then I wouldn’t have been able to do this”. Zuko gently kissed your neck trailing down to your collar bone making you sigh. “Zuko...stop” you said faint heartedly and Zuko sensed that smirking "I don’t want to and you don’t want me to either, I can tell by how softly you said my name" he smiled "it’s been so long since we’ve had any time together". Your skin erupted in goosebumps and a shiver went down your spine as Zuko pressed closer against you. But you knew how badly this could end if literally anyone walked in. So swiftly you grabbed Zuko’s hands and twisted your way out of them. You held them tightly in one hand so he couldn’t try and slink around you again and used the other to make him look at you "Zuko we can’t okay, not on this trip. God knows i want to, i’ve missed you too but there’s too much that could go wrong i’m sorry". Zuko sighed but nodded his head "don’t worry i understand". Zuko’s shoulders sagged and you knew your insistance on keeping this quiet was difficult for him. "Thank you for understanding" you said hugging him quickly "i know it can’t be easy for you and I appreciate the effort you're going to for me". Zuko smiled resting his head on top of yours "it’s fine, i’d do a lot more for you if you asked but promise me it won’t always be like this....we will tell everyone soon?". You gulped but nodded pulling away "i promise, i will tell Azula...soon!". Zuko nodded “I believe you” and let his hands drop away from you. Not a moment later Sokka and Aang appeared in the room making the two of you jump. “Zuko just the man we need! We were thinking of making an ice sculpture, fancy some fire bending?”. Zuko nodded “sure” and with a last glance to you left the room. 

Hours later the party preparations finished you returned to your room which you were sharing with Azula for her visit. “Sokka made me blow up balloons” she said angrily “something about fire benders being full of hot air”. You smirked at your brother’s nerve when Azula’s next sentence wiped it off your face.  "Also I think Zuko’s dating someone again" Azula said softly and you paused. "Ow really?" you asked and she nodded "he’s been spending a suspicious amount of time in the southern water tribe lately. Lots of visits which he claims are diplomatic but I can’t work out what he actually does here! He doesn’t know that many people and so it got me thinking, y/n do you think your brother and mine....". "No Sokka's still with Suki" you said shaking your head. Azula sighed “and it’s obviously not Katara, she and Aang are basically married, have you seen him hanging around anyone else? He doesn’t know many people so it should be easy to spot". You paused pretending to think but were really just trying to buy yourself time. "Honestly i don’t pay much attention to him when he visits" you said cleverly covering your back "but i will from now on and let you know". "Thank you y/n" Azula smiled. You smiled back relieved Azula didn’t suspect anything and let out a large breath you’d been holding for this entire conversation. You were now more than ready for sleep and got into bed hurriedly. You laid your head on your pillow and closed your eyes utterly exhausted. 

"Goodnight y/n" Azula called and you nodded. You were very sleepy and after a long yawn smiled "good night Zuko".

You realised the name you’d said seconds after it came out of your mouth. 

You froze

As did azula.

"Did you just call me Zuko...". You blinked "did i? I’m sure i said Azula". Azula was quiet for 2 seconds before she shot up "it’s you!" she cried "you're the one my brother’s dating!". "No Azula that’s crazy!!! We'd just been discussing Zuko, that’s why he was on my mind!". Azula shook her head "you're lying! I can tell by the tone of your voice! You’re the new girlfriend aren’t you?". You sighed "Azula i’m sorry i was going to tell you...". "I can’t believe you" Azula yelled and suddenly the door opened. "What’s wrong?" Sokka and Zuko asked bursting in “we heard yelling” and Azula glared. "You! Couldn't just have Mai huh? Had to take another one of my friends? How about when you’re done with y/n you try things with Ty lee?". "Ow she told you...." Zuko frowned awkwardly. "No i worked it out!” Azula spat “Y/n accidentally uttered your name because she’s so lovesick" Azula cried "you both make me sick" and she strode away slamming the front door hard as she exited the house.

After Azula left you all looked at one another unsure what to do or say next. "So...you two are a thing?" Sokka asked and Zuko paused "yes...is your reaction going to be as bad as Azula’s or can i go deal with her?". Sokka shook his head "go deal with her before she burns the village down”. Zuko went to move past Sokka when your brother put a hand to his chest "but come back and see me after, me and Katara will want to talk to you about dating our sister". Zuko surprisingly looked intimidated and nodded "I'll be right back". "Zuko wait i should come too" you called "this is as much my fault as yours". Zuko nodded "let’s go" and led you outside into the cold night after Azula.

You found Azula trekking in the snow and as she wasn’t in proper shoes you gained on her quickly. “Azula!” you called and she jumped. She looked around and glared “ow look the happy couple, how nice of you to grace me with your presence”. Zuko rolled his eyes “only you’d be so attention-seeking to make this about you”. “Attention seeking? Who’s the person who can’t form his own friendships or respect boundaries? No always have to date my friends, is it some weird way for you to gain power over me? A sad way to boost your ego?”. As Zuko and Azula went to square up to each other you stepped between them. “Alright enough the both of you! Zuko please go back to the house, i’ll handle this”. “But she...”. “Zuko please” you said sharply and he nodded “fine” and with a glare left. You watched him go before turning back to Azula. You’d been about to suggest you go home given that Azula was surely freezing out here in the middle of the night but Azula broke into a rant. "Everyone leaves me for him" she cried "Mai! My uncle! Mother! Even my father...after i was smarter, a better fire bender, more loyal and younger he still gave Zuko every little chance and only crowned me after Zuko literally ran away! When will i be good enough people don’t just choose him without a second thought for me?". "Azula i didn’t choose Zuko over you! Just because i like Zuko doesn’t mean i don’t like you still". "That may be true but this changes our friendship completely, it did with Mai! People always prioritise their partners over their friends so i’ll be second best once again". "Are you kidding?" you asked "Azula now i need you more than ever! Relationships aren’t when you ditch your friends, they’re when you need them the most! Who else are you going to go to for a break or a nice getaway? Who else is going to support and love you in only the platonic way a friend can? Who else can i complain about Zuko to when he annoys me or we fight?" you asked "they’re all things you need your friends for! Desperately and that’s going to be the same for me". "But when Mai dated him...". "But i’m not Mai" you smiled softly "Azula we are good friends, i won’t sideline you because of this. You mean just as much to me now as before i started dating Zuko". Azula huffed but you could see her melting. "So...how about we go inside, get some warm milk and talk a bit more about this huh?". You offered Azula your hand and she took it but she didn’t stop there. Azula threw her arms around you and hugged you tightly. "I’m partly doing this for the cold but thank you" she said softly "nobodies ever tried to make me feel supported when they've chosen Zuko, they just tell me to deal with it but you’re the first to try and reassure me and so i know you mean it, to still be my friend". "Of course" you smiled "you're my best friend!". Azula smiled and linked her arm through yours "i like that!”. 

Zuko stared in awe as you and Azula returned grinning. "How did it go is everything okay?". You nodded "your extremely cool sister is fine with it". "Yes i thought this would be a great way to have an inside scoop on you zuzu". "She’s kidding i won’t talk to her about you...a lot". Zuko blinked "okay if everything's okay then i should go speak to Sokka and Katara, they’re waiting for me in the kitchen". Azula smiled "that’s a good idea, when you come back zuzu find me, i have some threats about what will happen if you hurt my best friend". You smiled at Azula and stepped to Zuko "good luck but don’t worry Sokka’s all bite, Katara’s the one to look out for but she has a big heart, just tell her how good a time we’ve had and you’ll be fine". "Good tips, any for my sister?". You smiled "Azula is one i have not worked out yet" you grinned "but i’m sure you’ll manage, you are the firelord after all". Zuko smirked and you patted his shoulder "after your appointment with my brother and sister and then your sister....you could always come find me in your room?". Zuko smiled "is that my motivation for surviving this?". You shrugged "you can think of it as that" and stepped away from him. Zuko watched you before sighing "alright let’s get this over with” he said loudly and strode towards the kitchen.

You turned back to Azula who raised an eyebrow at Zuko’s sudden confidence and she frowned. "Do i even want to know?" Azula asked and you shook your head "no". “Ow and don’t worry if I’m not in our room tonight”. “Euch Y/n!” Azula cried and you shrugged “what? I didn’t say why”. “I know why” she sighed before she smiled “at least I can have your bigger bed”. “Be my guest” you smiled, you had a firelord to get reacquainted with. 

[sallysgrancanwrite]

Chapter Ten

Over the next several weeks Chloe and Michael spent all their time together furnishing and decorating the house. Beth came along a few times to help out and give her opinion. Chloe decided she needed to bring up the visit with his ex-wife and the awful burns on her face and body. One day she felt it was time.

"Michael, may we talk honey?"

"This sound serious." He said as he sat down beside her on the new leather couch.

"I had a visit a few weeks ago from someone you know. It was very disturbing what she had to say and show me."

"She said she was your ex-wife Hope, and she was covered in burns. She wore a veil to cover her facial burns. She told me a story that you tried to kill her by burning her alive in this house with your parents. She made it out alive and got help. It was horrible to see Michael, she cried.”

"My ex-wife came to see you? I didn't try to kill her. I tried to get her out but couldn't so I ran for help. She has told everyone for years I'm a monster and tried to kill her. It just isn't true. She had her sister help file divorce papers while in the hospital. She was in so much pain she didn't know what she was saying. I was never charged with anything." He explained

"Well, who was this woman?" Michael asked.

"I'm sorry Michael, but I wanted to be open and honest with you."

Chloe reached over and hugged Michael. He tenderly kissed her and she realized how much she loved him.

"His ex-wife had taken in a lot of smoke and was badly burned. By the time help got there she was unconscious. She was mistaken that's all. Mind playing tricks on her. She hurt so someone needed to pay,” Chloe thought

It was getting close to Christmas. On Friday the family was having close friends and family over for a tree decorating party. As well as an Anniversary party for Edith and Bob. It would be their 25th wedding Anniversary. This year there would be one extra person who was very dear to Chloe, Michael. It would be so much fun. The therapy had been really helping. No anger, snapping, hitting, yelling, nothing. It was wonderful. He got upset sometimes like everyone but always caught himself. Christmas was going to be great.

"Beth, have you gotten your Christmas shopping done yet?” Chloe asked her Thursday afternoon at work.

"Are you kidding girl, I haven't even started," she threw her head back and laughed.

"You know I procrastinate with everything." She giggled.

"Well, you can come with me tomorrow and we will both procrastinate our Christmas lists together until their done."

"I guess we have the day off,” Beth said "so it's a deal!"

The Cafe started to get an afternoon bumper of customers. It got very busy all of a sudden. Beth took one side and Chloe took the other side.

"HI Georgia and Hannah. You have a minute away from the B&B?”

"We like to take an hour or two every week or two to ourselves,” said Hannah. “We have great Managers so it's in good hands." She replied.

Georgia chimed in, "Today we are having a quick bite and doing a bit of Christmas shopping.”

"Well, I won't hold your up. What would you ladies like?"

"A cup of cream of broccoli soup with half a tuna sandwich please dear, for us both,” Hannah said.

"Okay I'll be right back with your order and with more decaffeinated coffee for you."

Chloe was quickly off to take Curtis McGoverns order so he could get back to the hardware store. Then to LuLu so she could do Edith's hair in a while. Within about 2 hours it had finally quieted down and it was just some farmers sitting around drinking coffee and talking about this year's farmer's almanac predictions. Beth and Chloe began tearing things apart and cleaning everything before there shift ended in a couple hours.

"Hey, we haven't spent much girl time together lately, how about a or two after work?” Chloe asked.

"A couple would be okay. Edith has a list of errands for us you know." Beth replied

"Yes I’m aware of it,” Chloe said.

They finished up work and walked over to Bella's to have a couple of drinks. They had no more than got there drinks and Michael showed up. Beth spoke up.

"Not tonight cowboy, it's girls night. Sorry."

Michael looked at Chloe for confirmation.

"Sorry Michael, I told Beth we would spend time together since I hadn't seen her much lately. Don't worry honey, you'll see me tomorrow at the party."

Michael sighed and agreed “Okay. I love you. Be safe."

"I love you too.”

Michael picked her up off the bar stool and gave her a kiss that took her breath away.

"Bye babe,” he said and he was gone.

"That was quite the spectacle,” Beth said.

"Oh come on, I've seen you neckin' in the back of the bar with a few guys. So don't talk spectacle to me." Chloe snapped.

"Calm down. It was just a comment. Let's finish our drinks and hammer out this list for Edith."

" I'm sorry,” Chloe said

"Me too.”

It was chilly out, or at least for the South it was, so the drinks warmed them up. It was only 45 degrees.

But they hurried along. They ran to the car and turned the heat on. They ran all the errands in a hurry so they could get home before Edith thought the had gotten kidnapped. As soon as they walked in Edith said

"Where have you been? Do you know what time it is. I've been worried. You could have been kidnapped for all I knew."

The girls both bust out laughing. Edith was so predictable but you had to love her.

"Edith,” Chloe said, “we were getting the things at the grocery store, then we went and got the party decor you ordered at Patty's Party supplies and then we stopped and picked up the boxes of liquor you ordered. Which by the looks of how much you bought it should be quite the fun party." She laughed.

"Don't worry Edith,” Beth chimed in, “everything is under control. We'll get up early and help with appetizers and anything else you need. Okay?”

With that both girls went to their rooms to go to bed. Chloe wondered what to get Michael for Christmas. She had seen a beautiful gold pocket watch at the jewelry store. She was thinking of getting that and engraving 'I love you' on it. Yes I think that's what I will do. As she sat on the bed in her nightgown putting lotion on she heard something outside her window. The next thing she knew Michael was in her room.

"Michael! What are you doing?" she whispered.

"I had to see you. Look at how beautiful you are. Don't worry, I only want to tell you good night and give you a kiss." He stated

"Well that is sweet of you."

He leaned over to kiss her. It made Chloe feel all warm inside.

"You know I love you don't you Chloe?" He asked

"Yes, I and I love you."

"I'm going to get you a very special gift. I very excited about. I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will love it Michael, but if you tell me what it is I can be sure." She said giggling.

"Absolutely not! You'll see it soon enough." He smiled.

"It's getting late Michael and I have a busy day tomorrow so you better go. Sorry to say but you're going to have to leave the way you came." They both laughed.

As Michael got in his car he was so excited for the gift he was going to give her at the party to tomorrow night he knew he would get little sleep.

[dimitrescus-bitch]

Old Friends and New Experiences (Maura Isles x Reader)

It’d been a long time since you’d been back in Boston. After graduating from college, you moved to England to attend law school at Oxford. It had been lonely, but Maura had flown out to visit you a couple of times. After your first year there though, the visits stopped and you found yourself adjusted to living on your own. Although, you weren’t really alone all that much. You’d become very successful after catching a couple of big cases and you were flown all around the world to represent a multitude of clients for a multitude of things. It didn’t matter what kind of court you were in, it was obvious you were meant to be a lawyer. 

“Excuse me, what do you think you’re doing at our crime scene?” There was a detective trying to stop you from coming and taking a look. You were surprised that your client had called you in as quickly as they had. You’d been in New York just a couple of hours ago and it looked like the police weren’t even finished with their initial sweep of the crime scene. 

“At this point, babysitting to make sure you do your jobs properly. Where is your medical examiner, I wish to speak with them,” you said and the detective crossed her arms over her chest. “Neither of us want me to be here, so the sooner you let me speak with your medical examiner, the faster I can go back to my hotel, take a bath, and the less we have to see each other.” 

“Fine-,” she turned around and then yelled out, “Maura!” 

“Thank you,” you thanked the detective quietly. The detective nodded and you flipped your phone around in your hands as you waited. Once the medical examiner came into view, you dropped your phone on the ground, glad that its case prevented it from shattering or even cracking that badly. “Maura, what a pleasant surprise.” 

“Y/n, you didn’t tell me that you were back in Boston,” Maura said as she stepped over the line. She tossed her gloves in the trash and linked her arm with yours as the two of you stepped away from the crime scene. “What are you doing in Boston?” 

“Eugene Harrington called me to represent his son in this case. Do you think you could tell me what happened to the body?” you asked and Maura sighed. “I know, but the sooner I can clear this up, the better. I mean, come on, do you think Doug did this?” 

“I don’t think he could have. His body’s been dead the longest in there,” Maura told you. “It looks like he was shot, along with his girlfriend. The other body will take more time and a better examination. So, it doesn’t look like you’ve got a client.” 

“Give it time, I’m sure someone else will need me,” you told Maura. “We should go out sometime, just like old times.” 

“I’d really like that. Good luck on your case, whatever it is now.” Maura kissed your cheek and then went back to her crime scene. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“So, who’s the lawyer?” Jane asked curiously. Maura was examining the third body, trying to determine a cause of death while Jane occasionally handed her a tool or something else. 

“Y/n Y/l/n, an old friend from college,” Maura told Jane. “Are you jealous Jane?” 

“Just an old friend?” Jane asked and Maura nodded. “Okay then, so we don’t have to worry about her being a kook or anything. She won’t try to kill one of us?” 

“No, she won’t try to kill one of us. Y/n is perfectly normal and a brilliant lawyer. She wouldn’t ruin her career committing a murder,” Maura promised Jane. “She’s just in town for a couple of weeks until we wrap this up and it’s certain she won’t be needed at trial.” 

“She’s not a prosecutor,” Jane pointed out. “Your friend would help get our murderer off on these charges?” 

“It’s not like that. Y/n is a good person, defense attorneys aren’t the devil,” Maura reminded Jane. Jane sighed, feeling bad for upsetting Maura. 

“I’m sorry Maura, obviously you know her a lot better than I do,” Jane apologized. 

“Why don’t the three of us go for dinner?” Maura offered and Jane nodded. Maura finished up the examination of the body, gave Jane the cause of death, and then called you to arrange the dinner. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Maura, this place is ridiculous,” you said as you looked around the restaurant. It was the fanciest one in Boston that she could have dragged either you or Jane into. Jane had yet to arrive, but Maura decided to show you to the table so you could wait inside. About 5 minutes after she left you at the table, she came back with a grumpy looking Jane by her side. 

“Jane, this is Y/n. Y/n, this is Jane,” Maura introduced the two of you. Both of you shook hands and then were handed menus. 

“Maura, why couldn’t we have gone somewhere else? I know a place where you can get three steaks for the price of one and I know for a fact that they’re bigger than you get here,” you huffed and Maura put her and on your back. “Come on Maur, my grandparents are rolling in their graves right now at the money I’m throwing away here.” 

“She’s got a point Maura,” Jane said as she looked over the menu. “There’s no reason for any of this to cost more than $100.” 

“See, the two of you already have something in common, you’re cheap,” Maura teased and you rolled your eyes. At your slightly deeper than usual inhale, Maura put her hand up to stop you. “I’ve gotten the grandparents’ hardships in Ireland speech. I also saw your hotel room, which I’m sure that they’d disapprove of for being cushy as well.” 

“This is college all over again,” you muttered as Maura smiled triumphantly. 

“Oh, so you were a bit of a pain then too,” Jane joked. You smiled at her joke and the way that Maura elbowed Jane for the little jab. “Ow, watch it.” 

“How about the two of you order something, actually eat it without complaining about the price, and then we can go to Dooley’s for drinks after,” Maura offered and you perked up at that. Jane looked confused, wondering where she benefited from this exchange. “If you can drink a pitcher of beer by yourself, you get free drinks for the night. Aside from the price of the pitcher.” 

“I’ve never paid for more than a pitcher,” you said with a proud smirk. Maura rolled her eyes and the two of you ordered. You ended up giving the waiter your card before anybody even ordered, claiming that Maura could buy the pitchers at the bar. The three of you had an easy conversation going. Maura was pretty quiet, letting you and Jane talk about your lives and all the things Maura knew you already had in common. After dinner, you changed in your car and then walked down to the bar with them. 

“I don’t see why we couldn’t have taken a car,” Maura said as she shivered. You took off your jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, tugging her closer as you did. 

“We always walk to Dooley’s and we always walk back,” you told Maura. “Tradition.” 

“Your hotel and my house are over two miles away from the bar,” Maura pointed out. You sighed and rolled your eyes at her. “I’m calling us cabs home when the time comes.” 

“Always the worrier,” you tapped Maura’s nose and then ran ahead to the door when you saw it. 

“You sure you’re just friends?” Jane asked Maura as she fell into step with her. 

“Yes, I am,” Maura answered. 

“You sure that’s all you want? I mean, she’s pretty affectionate and you like her. I can tell that you do, so I think you should go after her,” Jane advised and Maura brushed it off. 

“Maura, come up here and pay the man,” you called out as your friends finally made it into the bar. Maura slid the bartender a $50 and told him to keep the change. Three pitchers were set at the bar and the three of you took your places. Your pitcher was downed first and Jane finished second. Maura didn’t bother finishing hers, drinking only about a quarter of it before taking it over to the table you and Jane had found. “Maura, let’s play pool.” 

“I haven’t in a long time,” Maura tried, but you were already pulling her over to the table. You got everything all ready as Jane got her pool stick. “We have an odd number.” 

“I’ll take you on my team, make it fair.” You winked and Maura blushed a little bit. You took the first shot, then it was Jane’s turn. When Maura’s turn came up, you stood behind her and adjusted her to make a good shot. You backed up and Maura took her shot. The ball went into the pocket and Maura turned around and wrapped her arms around your neck in a celebratory hug. You bit your lip as you looked up at her, your eyes flicking up and down between her eyes and lips. Maura took the plunge and leaned down to kiss you. Without her heels, the two of you were normally the same height, but now she was just a bit taller than you, not that you minded all that much. 

“You want a drink?” Maura asked and you nodded. Jane went to get everybody something small and the three of you toasted. 

“To old friends and new experiences.” You took the first sip of your drink and Maura squeezed her arm around your waist a little tighter. “I think I could stay in Boston for awhile.” 

“All I’ll ask for now is that you stay in the country,” Maura told you. 

“That I can do.” You leaned forward and kissed her. For years, you’d come to this bar with Maura in hopes that maybe something would happen, and finally, it did.

Taglist: @storiesofsvu @xixxiixx​

[chaiscentedcandle]

What’s a Period? (Neville Longbottom x fem!reader)

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Neville Longbottom

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: y/n and Neville were suppose to have a nice winter day at Hogsmeade until aunt flow comes for a visit

𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭: none, thought of it cause I’m on mine

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: none, pure fluff!

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭:

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: I don’t simp for Neville but my friend does heavily and theres not a lot of fanfics for Neville cause he gets like, 0% appreciation and y’all have great taste, also this is my first post so heeeyyyy😗✌🏼

Y/n was suppose to have a beautiful evening in the cold weather with her boyfriend, Neville Longbottom. Unbeknownst to her, yesterday, a Friday in her last class, she’d start her period. It was embarrassing to say the least because she had leaked through to her skirt but she was able to get out of class without anyone noticing, flushed cheeks and teary eyes as she ran out of class, her hands covering her bum.

Laying in her bed in her pajamas y/n was clutching her stomach and groaning from cramps. Y/n wanted to find Neville the day before and tell him they’d had to reschedule but she didn’t want to set her face an inch out of the painting until Monday, hoping whatever people thought happened would’ve been forgotten. She tried to make herself as warm as she could, cacouuning herself in a blanket and curling into herself as far as Y/n could.

Neville was making his way to her domitory, bundled up with a beanie and scarf, matching with a pair of gloves from his grandmother. Stopping in front of the door a knocked twice and called her name. No answer. Knocking again he said.

“Y/n? It’s me, Neville....you’re boyfriend?”

Still no answer.

Taking a deep breath Neville grabbed the door handle “please don’t be naked” he whispered. He entered the room with his hand over his eyes and the other still on the door handle, after a few seconds he took a peak from between his fingers to find her curled in bed, her back facing him. Concerned Neville makes his way to her in only a few long strides.

Sitting on the bed behind her, he begins to rub her back “are you awake?” He asks softly, she nods her head.

“Yes, I’m awake, I don’t want to get out of bed”

Neville leans over to take a look at her face to see tears running down her cheeks. He takes his glove off and gently wiped away a tear or two “what’s wrong, love?” Sniffling she mumbles to him “imonmyperiod”. Neville opens and closes his mouth, trying to processes what she said because he couldn’t hear her “I-I’m sorry, what?” He stuttered.

Y/n sighs and roll over to face him, guessing there’s no way to beat around the bush with this one. “I’m on my period” she told him, looking at her fingers, Neville took a few more seconds again before saying “uhm....what’s a period?” Y/n let’s out a small chuckle. “What? Your grandmoms never told you about it?” She asks him, he shook his head “no, never”.

Biting the inside of her cheek, thinking of ways to easily explain having your period to Neville. “Well” y/n begun “every once a month females bleed out from there.....you know” gesturing to her genitalia “and it technically means you’re not pregnant, so in a way it’s a blessing and a curse because you get cramps and they hurt really bloody bad” licking his lips and taking in the information he just received, failing with a few words Neville asks.

“So....you aren’t pregnant?”

Her eyes widen “merlins beard! No! That’s the whole point of me having my period, so I know I’m not pregnant” she tells him, he lets out a breath he was holding in. “I’m mean, Christ, Neville, we’ve never even done anything” Y/n laughing came to a stop as another wave of cramps invaided her stomach and letting a few tears slip. Neville lays his hand on your shoulder “are you alright? S-should I take you to Madam Pomfrey?” She shook her head “no, I’ve dealt with it before, you should get to Hogsmeade before everyone leaves” y/n told him.

Neville visibly swallows as if he didn’t want to go without her “are you sure? I can stay here with you, I don’t mind” he insisted, once again y/n shook her head “no, I don’t want you to waist a Hogsmeade trip on me, I’ll be alright, I’ll go to the next one, I just want to sleep these cramps off” she said as her eyes started to flutter closed. Neville had an idea, leaving y/n alone to leave for Hogsmeade, catching up with Dean and Seamus.

“What’s up with you, mate? You’re counting your galloens like they’ll disappear” Seamus said, wrapping his jacket around him tighter. Dean let out a quick laugh, Neville glanced at him then back down to his galloens “y/n on her period, so I thought I might get her some of her favorite things” he replied. Seamus looked puzzled, looking at Dean for help. “Alright, a female gets a period about every once a month?” Dean says.

“Once a month” Neville confirms, still counting his galloens.

“Right, so basically they bleed out...down below, and they get like bad cramps and stuff” Dean told Seamus, looking more confused and slightly disturbed “how do you know, Dean?” He questions, Dean just gives him a look “I have sisters you prat” smacking Seamus upside the head, giving out a light chuckle.

Neville visited her favorite shops, stopping first at The Three Broomsticks, waiting patiently up at the bar for him to be spotted. Not long after a lady spots him and makes her way over to him “how can I help you, love?”

“Uh, y-yes, can I get a hot chocolate to go please?” He stumbled, he wasn’t the best when it came to talking to strangers “m-my girlfriends on her period” sometimes he overshared too. Giving Neville a warm smile the lady ordered another employee to get the hot chocolate. Neville stood there, looking down at the bar top “you must be a good boyfriend” the lady said after a few seconds of silence, glancing up at her Neville responded “I-I hope so”

Laughing a bit the lady handed Neville the hot drink “alright, that’ll be two galloens please” reaching into his coat he grabbed two galloens, placing them into the lady’s hand and grabbing the cup “thank you, have a good day” the lady gave him a nod “no problem, you too hun” Neville turned to leave but the lady called after him “I recommend going over to Madam Puddifoots and getting ginger tea, it helps with cramps” she told him, he gave her a smile and a thumbs up, scurrying over there.

Nevilles last stop was Honeydukes, getting y/n chocolate after Hermione told him it’s a essential for periods. Getting a few more of his and her favorite candy, he headed back to Hogwarts with Dean and Seamus. Seamus going on about something Neville wasn’t paying attention to, his mind was back to her, wondering if she had been crying again from the pain. It only made him want to get back to Hogwarts quicker “you need help there, mate?” Dean asks “your arms are practically over flowing” Neville appreciated his gesture cause his arms in fact, were over flowing “yes please”.

As the students started to trickle through Hogwarts entrance, Neville broke away from his friends and made his way to Y/n as quick as he could without spilling or dropping anything. Once he made it back to her dorm he somehow managed to open the door and find her in the same position, upon hearing the door open y/n turned to see who had come in, spotting Neville and his arms full.

Sitting up and staring at Neville with her mouth open as he placed two drinks on her nightstand and all the goodies at her feet “Neville...” she started, he sat down next to her “I thought it would be a nice thing to do, after seeing how much pain you were in” he told her, she felt tears prick at her water line and her vision blur a bit “oh, love, you didn’t have too, this is so sweet” Neville just pulled her into a hug and let her cry a few tears on his shoulder “I wanted too, you deserve it” he whispered to her.

Making room for him, she told him “here, get under the covers with me, you must be cold” he slipped off his shoes and took his first jacket off. He handed her the hot chocolate “here, I know how much you like The Three Broomsticks hot chocolate, a lady there recommend the ginger tea from Madam Puddifoots for the, uh, cramps” a huge smile etched its way onto y/n‘s face, leaning forward she gave him a kiss on the cheek before placing a sweet kiss on his lips “thank you so much, Neville, this is hands down one of the nicest things someone has done for me” she told him.

Feeling his heart sore with love and appreciation, Neville wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder and pulled her in to cuddle “Hermione suggested I get you chocolate as well” he said reaching for a few chocolate brands, handing them to y/n. Throwing her head back and letting out a groan she reached for the chocolate, wanting to devour it “yes, oh my god, you don’t understand how badly I’ve been wanting a chocolate frog or two”

Neville looked down and smiled, even though she didn’t go to Hogsmeade with him, he’d say it was a great day. The two of them ended up spending almost the rest of the day sitting in bed and talking, but it was a perfect way to spend it.

[mind-reader1]

All of Me (Jake x MC)

This is for @princesstopgunswife 

A/N: The Jake and MC reunion that everyone wanted. 

Find a link to my masterlist here

Warnings: angsty, fluffly. 

Word Count: 2,743

Five years, none of them could believe it had been that long since they’d all been together in one place, since they’d all left the island...well almost all of them. 

Everyone had mourned the loss of their friend, the person who brought them all together and of course the one who saved them all. Despite mourning her, they still moved forward with their lives, graduated college, got jobs, reconnected. Grace and Aleister got married, Sean and Michelle decided to give it another chance. Even Estela worked to move on, accepting that she could have a life without vengeance. That wasn’t the be all and end all of her existence. 

Then there was Jake. He’d lost Mike, he’d lost his wife all in the course of 24 hours. Lundgren was dead, eliminating all his hopes of clearing his name; of going back to the states to see his family again. He stayed in Costa Rica after flying the newfound group of friends off La Huerta. The first few months he would drink himself into a stupor every night, replaying her voicemail until he fell asleep, desperate to hear her voice again. 

They had all come to visit him at one point or another, worried about him and how he was coping. Especially Diego, he’d lost Varyyn, he understood Jake’s grief. Diego tried to convince Jake that Taylor would’ve wanted him to find happiness with someone else, but Jake never did, he couldn’t do that to her. Even if they didn’t get to spend their year and one day together, they’d had thousands of lives together on La Huerta and they would always be connected. No one would ever fill that hole in his heart and he didn’t want anyone too. Diego didn’t push, he felt the same way about Varyyn, connected forever. 

The five year reunion was upon them now though, Jake leaned against Deliah trying to play it cool, but he was nervous to return to the island, unsure of what to expect. He’d thought so often about going back there himself, about trying to find any trace of her but he’d never been able to bring himself to do it. 

“How does he get to look the same after all these years baking in the sun when he doesn’t even use moisturizer!” Jake cracked a smile, he’d recognize that voice anywhere. 

“I think it’s the rum Maybelline, you should try it.” Michelle rolled her eyes. 

“Good to see you Jake.” 

“Cap.” Sean came up and dropped Michelle’s bags before clapping Jake on the back. 

“Caught your last game. Talk about a hail mary, guess that’s why they pay you the big bucks though.” 

“Chyeah! Only because I made it possible for him.” “Drax.” Sean and Craig had gone pro and been drafted together, the dynamic duo of the NFL. 

“Don’t you nerds have anything to talk about besides football?” 

“Skrillex. Hack any foreign governments recently?”  Zahra smirked. 

“Whenever you want that record cleared, you better have my money.” Jake smiled, Zahra had offered to hack the government and clear his record so he could return home to his family. He felt like he would only be a burden though, were Taylor still with him, things may have been different.

 “...the laws of quantum physics clearly state-“ 

“Malfoy, brain trust! Heard y’all got married. Congratulations!” Grace beamed at Jake and pulled him into a tight hug. 

“Thank you Jake!” Grace swiftly hit Aleister on the arm. 

“Yes, thank you Jacob.” 

“Let’s see, still missing Petey, Ariel, Julio Child and Katniss.”

 “I’m right here.” Jake jumped and turned to see Estela staring at him, Diego walking up behind her. 

“Dammit! You don’t need to sneak up on me like that.” Diego chuckled as Estela smirked and climbed onto the plane. 

“What are you laughing at Petey?” Diego innocently held up his hands and boarded the plane.

 He heard the laughter of the last two before he saw them, Raj was licking something off his fingertips, no doubt something that had come from the container Quinn was carrying. 

“Jake, dude, you have to try one of these cupcakes.” Raj happily rubbed his belly. 

“I’m sure they’re great Ariel, but I don’t want to get frosting all over the cockpit. Save one for me once we land?”

 “Of course!” Quinn also wrapped him in a big hug and kissed his cheek before boarding the plane. 

“All right. Well we’ve got the whole Brady Bunch now….so let’s do this.” 

The plane was eerily silent as they flew over the water, their minds inevitably drifting back to the first plane ride they’d taken together. Diego made his way up to the cockpit and took a seat, Jake was rigid at the controls, a death grip on yoke. 

“Jake...how are you?” Jake didn’t take his eyes off the horizon, his body trembling softly with adrenaline. 

“I’m fine Petey. It’s an island. Been here probably a hundred times.” 

“Jake, you know what I mean.” He hated being vulnerable, sharing his feelings, anyone he opened up to he inevitably lost. Diego was the closest connection he had to Taylor these days, he was the sole reason Taylor had even existed. 

Talk to him Jake. He could hear her voice in his mind, encouraging him to keep making those connections.

“I miss her Diego. So damn much. I thought I could do this with you all but I’m not sure.” It was the first time Jake had ever called Diego by name. 

“I miss her too. I think this will be good for us Jake, maybe we can leave the ghosts behind.” 

“I don’t want to forget, I never want to forget.” 

“You never could, I’m just saying...maybe it’s time to leave behind the guilt that keeps haunting us.” He had a point, Jake felt guilty still, like he hadn’t done everything he could’ve to make her stay. Deep down he knew that was wrong though, he knew it was her decision and she was a selfless person. She chose the world over herself, so that he could have a life to go back to, maybe it was time to stop feeling guilty about living that life. 

“Thanks Petey. Now get back to your seat so I can land.” Diego smiled softly and returned to his seat as Jake made a smooth landing on La Huerta.

 Since Rourke’s arrest, Aleister had taken over the Celestial resort. When the world had returned to normal, so had all the guests and the island had continued to operate as if nothing happened. For this weekend though, Aleister closed the entire resort to outside guests and staff. It would be the eleven of them alone. 

They all collected their room keys, staying in the same rooms they’d had before, except for Jake. He stared for ages at the honeymoon suite key, it was the room where they’d spent their first night together, something he would never forget. He wasn’t sure he could face it again though. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his nerves and swiped the key, riding the elevator up to the room, it seemed to move at an agonizingly slow pace.

He entered the room and sucked in a breath, flooded with memories of that night. 

Hey you. 

Hey. 

Jake wandered over to the large pane windows overlooking the island. He remembered every moment of that night, this is where they’d kissed each other, he’d pushed her back up against the glass, desperate to feel her body pressed against his for the first time, what he wouldn’t give to feel that just one more time. 

“I’ve never wanted anything as badly as I want you.” He whispered in longing. 

Then have me. She had said that back to him their first night together and that was the beginning of the end for him. He was hooked. They’d thrashed that room and didn’t give a damn, it was strange to see it put back together. He opened the window to get some fresh air but he could swear he smelled her perfume drifting to his nose over the ocean breeze.

 He slammed the window shut and laid down on the bed still in his clothes, staring at the canopy. The bed felt cold and foreign to him, he tried turning on his sides but he couldn’t fall asleep, every time he closed his eyes he would see her beside him in bed only to reach over and find it empty. He slipped out of the room and went down to the beach, snagging a hotel towel on his way out. Maybe a night out under the stars with the ocean waves could help him clear his mind. 

\\

Vaanu had been made whole again and should have felt at peace, but there always seemed to be something keeping it from its eternal rest. Just a sliver that felt like it was missing, the feeling only grew the closer the 5 year anniversary of becoming whole came. 

Why do I feel as though I am still broken? Vaanu bellowed in despair. Desperately searching for the beacon from its missing shard, it followed it to a well known place, La Huerta. Vaanu summoned the physical manifestation of Taylor that had been created by one of the shards, it could sense that she was the part of itself that was still missing a piece.

 “Where am I?” 

Why am I still broken? Memories came flooding back to Taylor like a tsunami, saying goodbye to Jake and the others, then it was all black until waking up here. She could hear its voice in her mind and feel exactly what it was talking about, she felt a sense of emptiness. It took her only a moment to realize why. 

“Jake.” That feeling of emptiness only grew, she longed to see him again, to hear his voice. She could feel the ghost of his touch on her skin, lighting it on fire with pleasure, a feeling only he could give her. Something she couldn’t live without. 

Jake?

“Jake and I fell in love over 1,000 times in different timelines. I promised him a year and a day, a part of my soul will forever be with him.” Taylor wondered how long it had been, wondered if he moved on, if she still felt this broken though she knew he hadn’t and that somehow hurt her more.

 Broken. 

“Let me be with Jake. If we’re together then the shard is together, you’ll be whole again.” She didn’t know how, but she could tell Vaanu was thinking. “Please, you know you won’t feel whole until he dies and that will be years. Years you could have spent being whole again if you just let me go to him.” She pleaded, desperate. 

There was a bright flash and when Taylor opened her eyes she was on the familiar beach of La Huerta, there was a towel on the beach, void of an occupant. She needed to get her bearings, find a way to get in touch with Jake. She was back! 

\\

Jake had been unsuccessful trying to sleep on the beach as well, he’d turned to his last resort, alcohol. He’d found some rum but what he really wanted was the good stuff, some strong whiskey that would knock him right out. 

Someone poked him in the shoulder and he turned to see who it was, it was Taylor, smiling at him in her blue tank top and khaki pants. He must’ve been hallucinating another memory again. 

“Help ya with something Princess?” He turned away, his focus back on liquor, he didn’t notice her frown. She thought he’d be more excited to see her, like she was him. Maybe she’d been mistaken, maybe he had moved on. 

“Just seeing what you’re up to.” She said deflated. 

“Trying to see if we got any good whiskey left so I can stop reliving all these damn memories. Like this one of you asking me to come to your room. You?” 

“Jake...this isn’t a memory.” 

“Must be dreamin’ then. Guess I did find the good whiskey.” 

“Jake look at me! I’m actually here!”

“You say that in all my dreams and then I wake up Princess.” He whispered heavily, sounding emotionally tired, it would go away if he’d just listen to her! She hit him in the arm and scowled at him until he looked at her. 

“Ow!” 

“Jake, please. It’s really me.” He shook his head, she could see the pain in his eyes. 

“No. You went with Vaanu and that was it. My wife is dead!” He was fighting back tears. 

“Jake, what do I have to do to prove to you I’m real, that I’m here?” He turned and grabbed both sides of her face, their lips meeting in a fiery kiss with years of longing poured into it. Taylor melted against Jake and he pulled away, breathing heavily his eyes still closed. 

“If I open my eyes, are you still gonna be here Taylor?” 

“Yes, Jake. Now please, open your eyes and look at me.” She whispered, cupping his cheek. Her touch felt so real, Jake didn’t want to risk it. He wanted to stay in this moment for just a little longer.

“I can’t Princess. I can’t.” Stubborn ass, she thought to herself. 

“Come with me.” She had one last idea up her sleeve to convince him, dragging him to the elevator, she kept their hands laced together as she pulled him to their room. 

“I’ve got to give myself credit, this is my most elaborate hallucination yet.” 

“Jacob Lucas McKenzie. I am right here, right now, with you. Your wife. Your naked wife. So help me god if you don’t open your eyes to look at me I will go back to Vaanu.” Taylor had in fact stripped down to her red lacy bra and underwear set, she knew it was Jake’s favorite and if this didn’t convince him, nothing would. “Dammit Princess.” Jake opened his eyes and stared. There she was. Still there. In front of him. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He rubbed them and blinked a few times but she was always still there. He was overcome with emotion. He didn’t know if he should cry, kiss her or give into the desire coursing through him. 

“I have never wanted anything as badly as I want you right now.” 

“Then have me.” 

They came together and years of pent up energy came pouring out. Sure they’d wrecked the room the first time, but this was 5 years of pent up sexual energy between newly-wed soulmates, it was a whole new level of destruction before they finally made it to the bed. 

As they laid there after, Jake couldn’t stop staring at her, tracing every line of her body. 

“I missed you so much Taylor.” He whispered. 

“How long was I gone Jake?” 

“5 years.” Her heart sank, imagining him alone for 5 years, they could’ve had kids by now. 

“I’m sorry Jake, I’m so sorry. I'm never going to leave you again.” He pulled her close and pressed his forehead to hers, their noses gently brushing. 

“I wouldn’t survive it if you did Princess. I don’t understand though, how are you back? I would’ve sold my soul if it meant getting you back but I didn’t think it was possible..” 

“It’s because of you Jake.” His eyes shot open in confusion. “When we got handfasted, after spending all those timelines together and falling in love every time, a part of me is literally in your heart Jake.” 

“I don’t follow.” 

“Vaanu wanted me to return so it could be whole, but we’re soulmates Jake. A little shard broke off and resides in you. When we’re together, we’re whole, because we’re whole, so is Vaanu.” 

“So you really are back for good? You’re staying forever?” 

“Forever top gun.” Tears of joy began to stream down Jake’s face and Taylor wiped them away as Jake wiped hers. 

“Good, because it’s going to take a long time to catch up on those five years of married life we missed.” Taylor let out a soft laugh. 

“I guess it’s a good thing we don’t have to leave this bed until morning. Now, tell me everything.” Jake laid on his back and Taylor rested her head on his chest, looking up at him as he told her about everything she’d missed. 

Finally, I am whole again. 

@drakesroyalromance​

[justformyself2]

what is up with us and boats?

Happy Easter yall!!! This one goes out to the beautiful soul that gave the idea @alievans007​ thank you do much, i really hope you enjoy ♥

I don’t know if you guys ever watched “My Best friend’s Wedding.” but there is this scene were they are on the boat ride in Chicago, and i love that scene, this is sort of based on that. 

VIDEO FOR WHO WANTS TO SEE.  (CLICK)

KrasinskixReader/Fluff.

(don’t remember where i got this gif from.)

"We need to talk." The worst type of message anyone could ever receive. 

Holding up a smirk, you start typing.

"Yes, we do."

"Could you focus? You know, for the love of God and everything. We still have to drive to Olivia's after this." Mariah interrupts whatever dance with the danger you were having with John over text.  

"Why is everybody so weird all of the sudden? First John and now you too, I mean, we are settling details here. The trip to Positano is all sorted."

She gets radio silent, making you look away from your phone. 

"Mariah." You call.

"What?" She answers, badly covering the stress in her voice.

"Everything is fine, right?"

She breaths out through the nose, clicking on the mouse rapidly. 

"Mariah." You call again as if an answer different than you were expecting would come out. 

The Positano trip was a huge deal, a huge, cryptic deal that Mariah arranged by herself through an old friend you never heard or saw. The client, by the name of Vince, was paying double to hire your company, and an undeniable request came, almost sweeping away all of your doubts. You would get to shoot a perfume commercial during the holidays at the place you always dreamed of visiting. It was embarrassing how fast the yes came out, almost in a scream towards Mariah's face, even though there was something off. 

It was true that in the past you worked for the big names, but since the decision to open your own company with Mariah happened, it was all new, too new to be receiving this type of offer. You decided to brush it off by 

trusting your business partner, Mariah had been in the game longer than you have, and if she claimed, more than once, that it was a safe offer and that she had under control then you should believe since her reputation was on the game too, but now get to watch her sitting in front of you, looking worried.

"Well, I'm going to make some phone calls, but don't worry, it is a quick fix situation. I will be right back."

She gets up from the desk, grabbing her phone, and leaving the space before you could say something back. 

Your mind wonders over the fact that your intuition should be listened to more often. It was a "too good to be true" offer, so if that would end up being right, and Mariah came back with the bad news, would it mean that you were probably right about John too.

You look at your phone, facing down on the desk, and decide to check the messages again. There must be something missing between the lines.

Inserting the pin you open up the new messages you received from your boyfriend.

"What do you mean with ‘yes we do’?"

"Tell me when I can call you."

"Damn. I think I'm not getting the week off. They are talking about reshooting some parts." 

"I will call you in 10 minutes."

And just as you read the last one, your phone vibrates. It was his call. Taking a deep breath, you accept it.

"Hey, babe, did you get my texts?"

You hear the many voices in the background mixing with his.

"Yes, I did... Are you on set right now?"

"Yes. I'm on a little break...I'm sorry, baby. I'm not going to make it to Positano."

The frustration makes your heart skip a beat even though you saw the message, hearing it in his voice had a different effect. You stopped counting the weeks without him because of the impact they had on your day, instead, in a very unhealthy way, that habit was replaced with you picturing him waiting for you at home, laying in the bed you shared or in the kitchen, trying to replicate whatever recipe out of Youtube just to prove that he could cook, just to try to impress you. He still wanted to impress you after all this time, he just didn't figure out how to be in two places at once. 

"Well, don't be. If I'm right I don't think this trip is happening." 

As time passes by without Mariah coming back, your guess was becoming a reality. It wasn't a quick fix thing.

"What are you talking about?"

His voice went urgent, and he quickly added: "I mean, it was a great offer."

"Yes, but it is a holiday season. It gets difficult with hotel reservations and flights, but Mariah ran away before I could get a word out of her. It happens."

"Wow, you sound so indifferent. I thought you loved Positano." 

You had to agree with him. You felt the apathy in your bones.

"I do love Positano, but the offer was out of touch like something was off like everything is off."

You hear him chuckle and frown to yourself, walking towards Mariah's laptop on her desk.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You were so weird when I dropped you at the airport as if you wanted to say something to me or pass out."

You reminisce his pale face and the way his hands were clammy on yours before the goodbye on the car. 

"Those are two very different things." You wanted to picture the face he could be doing right now.

"Well, I still feel like there is something you are not tell-."

"Baby, I need to go right now, sorry, I will call you later okay."

The interruption of a female voice in speakers was the last thing you heard before he hanged up.

"What the hell was going on?" You say to yourself. 

Forgetting about the phone you decided to check on Mariah's laptop for confirmations, but before anything was done she busted through the door.

"Did you fixed it?"

You ask, seeing her avid eyes shift between you and the laptop.

"What are you doing?" She asks and snaps out of the suspicion stare.

"What do you mean what am I doing? I want to help. Do you care to tell me what is happening, Mariah?"

Her phone calls her attention, and she rushes towards the laptop, answering quickly, leaving you only to watch again.

"Did you get my text? Yes, apparently a bug happened on the site, and our plane tickets got canceled." She discoursed to the person on the other site.

"I don't know if we are getting new ones on the same date, there is a lot of demand... Well, then we have to cancel for no-... Are you sure? Okay, no. I can do that, is way off plan, way less dreamy, really, way less, but I guess we can do it if you do this right now."

She pauses, focused on what was being passed down. "Okay, then it's the new plan. Okay, okay, bye."

Hanging up, she now seemed to be willing to share.

"Change of plans. I informed Vince's team about what happened, and a girl named J-Jannete said that we should meet to settle some details. They want to go for a studio since the deadline would get messed up because of the plane ticket debacle."

"Shit, why didn't you put on speakerphone? I know someone that could help us wit-."

"NO!..." She screams, making you back away involuntary.  "I mean, I already checked that, and we can't keep tapping on something that isn't working. They are already upset and we could lose even more time. Jenna set up a meeting with Vince himself...Jannete, at four, so you get to meet him, as you wanted."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . 

"Why are we on a boat ride again?"

You ask Mariah, who fanned herself with a flier they were distributing about the ride.

"Because we got bailed on and it has been a long time since I don't go on one of those."

She adjusts the sunglasses in an annoyed way. 

The day-star was starting to set, still, the weather was hot and humid as if it was peaking. You try to catch delicate hints of purple and pink on the mostly light orange painted sky.

"I haven't been on one of these since John asked me to be his girlfriend. It was our third date. He insisted on the boat ride and I didn't like it, but then the sun was setting so beautifully, in not time the only thing i could care about was the way he looked at me."

There is no interruption other than the sting in your chest, making you stop on the tracks of something you loved to remember.

"I think John is lying to me. I don't think he was on set." Voicing the thoughts made them too real, and suddenly you wanted to forget about them.

"Yeah."

Mariah twists her torso once or twice, looking back to the people who were still taking seats. You doubted she was listening to anything you said all the way here. She started inspecting the place, restless since the taxi dropped you two.

"Okay, are you waiting for someone?"

By impulse, you look back to pursue whatever her eyes were trying to find even without knowing, and that is when you spotted him, a vision that walked towards you, seeming to be out of breath. His mouth partially open turns into the smile you wanted to kiss.

"Son of a bitch."

The words flew from your lips and you hear Mariah's laugh.

Your eyes follow his movements with thirst, so much thirst that everything else is a mere blur in the background.

John comes closer, saying something to Mariah when she gets up and hugs him. She never hugged him. 

You swallow dry, seeing for a second Mariah give you a thumbs up before walking away.

"Hey." He almost whispers towards your face, taking the seat, and when his lips come closer to yours, you back away. He frowns.

"You were in LA."

"Yes, I was."

"Please, don't short answer me."

He gets up from the chair and grabs extends his hand towards you.

"Come with me, and I will explain."

Not thinking twice you accept his hand, being guided to the stern of the boat, walking in the middle of strangers and loud conversations. John drops your hand and reaches for your waist with smoothness as if he could be taking you to dance. Intuitively your arms laces around his neck.

His eyes trace a path away from you and straight to your mouth before he started moving.

"You are so difficult to lie to." He starts, smirking. 

A gust of wind blows the locks of your hair away, and his fingers are quick to adjust them behind your ear, sending goosebumps on your back. You missed his touch on your skin.

"But you did lie to me." You can't help to say, trying to focus.

"It was only because I wanted to this right, but I know I would blow it at some point. It almost happened when you dropped me at the airport."

"Do what right?"

His breath came out uneasy through his nose, and he licks his lips.

"Ask you to...marry...me."

Instantly you feel your eyes starting to water. There was no control or rational thought that could calm down the wave of feeling like the soles of your shoes weren't touching the wooden floor of that boat, and his arms were the only thing keeping you down.

"There is no Vince. It was a bait to make a surprise for you and get you to Positano without getting too suspicious, and I lied about not going as part of the surprise. I would do the whole thing right, bring our families, have a huge dinner, enjoy a couple of days there. Then your tickets got canceled, the Vince thing got way too suspicious, and I haven't seen you in almost four weeks. Next thing I know, I was at the airport, counting the hours to do this."

He captures your lips with his before you could comprehend. There are intensity and the passion you craved, and that only he could provide, he could devour you, and you would let him.

"Do it right now."

You ask, out of breath, after parting the kiss with his moan of reproval.

"Don't you want the real thing? You know, I can figure out the tickets, maybe call Clooney and ask if we can borrow his private jet. He will probabl-."

"I don't care where you are going to propose to me. I just want you to do it, that is the real thing. It could have been on the car, at breakfast, at the airport, or even in a replica of the day you asked me to be your girlfriend."

He laughs, kissing you again. He holds your face in his hands, parting the kiss to gaze at your eyes.

"Oh, I'm glad you remembered it. That is why I wanted to make something different this time. What is up with us and boats?."

"I don't know but let's get back into the program here. You were about to ask me something." 

He frowns, looking away theatrically.

"And what was the question, again?" John asks, setting his face close to yours. His lips touching your cheeks, coming closer to your ear.

"Was it something like. Do you want to marry me?" 

You could feel your neck hair getting up with the vibration of his low and deep tone affecting you easily.

"Yes."

[ficforce]

Obi Relationship Alphabet

Reader is a F!Nurse

A- Activity (What is their favourite activity to do with you.)

Obi and Y/N are very busy with their jobs, they’re both constantly on call and deal with tense situations all the time.

They really enjoy some downtime, Y/N has shift work rather than the 24/7 work pattern the Fire Force has, so she often goes to Obi and they chill out in the rec room. It can be something as simple as putting on a movie or even going for a run together… providing Obi gives her a foot rub later.

B- Beginnings (How do they act at the beginning of a relationship)

It was professional at first, communicating at the scene of an Infernal to protect the public and make it as painless as they could.

There was an instant attraction. Obi noticed her compassion first and Y/N adored how he tried to give comfort to the ones left behind. Obi’s not great at speaking to people and he fumbled a lot, he tripped over his words and got bashful easily. Y/N thought it was adorable that a big man like him was so cute.

It took them a long time to find time to go on their first date but they were sickly sweet with each other.

C- Communication (Are they good communicators? How do they normally talk about their problems or solve issues)

Once Obi got over his bashfulness he found it easy to talk to Y/N. She was a good listener and always seemed to know what to say to help him work through a problem. She never made him feel stupid like Princess Hibana could.

When Y/N gets exhausted from work she can get emotional and Obi is a brilliant soundboard for her to talk to. He gets her completely but doesn’t tell her to stop complaining. Everyone needs to deflate every now and then - Even him.

D- Drunk (What are they like when they’re drunk)

Hilarious.

Together they’re disgustingly cute, nose kisses, cuddles, showing off for each other and the dreaded cute talk.

If Obi is drunk then he becomes a cuddle, he wants to show off and he wants everyone to be enthusiastic and get ripped with him. Y/N can usually distract him but he’s really heavy and if he passes out there’s not much she can do.

If Y/N is drunk she gets a bit of a handful, she treats everyone like a kid and tries to look after them all, even if she’s fall down drunk, she’ll usually be cuddling someone. She’ll take almost any dare and Obi usually ends up fireman lifting her out of there to get her sobered up.

E- Emergency (How are they in emergency situations? You get hurt, they get hurt, someone is dying etc..)

Their lives revolve around emergency situations. They’re cool and calm whilst keeping their compassion. When it comes to each other it goes out the window.

They can’t breathe, they have a moment of sheer panic where they just don’t know what to do. They have to almost forget that this is the person they love most in the world and treat them like any stranger.

Afterwards, they won’t be apart for a second.

F- Free Spot (I’ll give you any headcanon I come up with)

Obi used to go to her ambulance with pathetic little injuries just so he could talk to her.

G- Gifts (What kind of gifts do they give? What kind of gifts do they get?)

They’re not really big gift-givers. They prefer time together.

Y/N likes to bring him food he likes and she’ll gift him with professional massages and physio to make sure he doesn’t overwork his muscles.

Y/N’s really into going out to parks, experience days and food. Obi will use his whole days off to take her somewhere fun and won’t let her pay for a thing - he’s got everything planned.

He tries to take her out to different street food places often.

H- Hugs (How do they show affection/cuddle)

Whilst on duty they are professional, they might have a few private conversations and check-in with one another but that’s it.

Off duty and in public they’re obviously together but don’t overdo it. Y/N likes to hold hands or he’ll put his arm around her shoulder/waist. They will kiss but chastely, nothing too much.

Off duty in front of team 8 is similar to public but there’s more nuzzling and cuddling.

In private… well, that’s not your business.

I- Irritation (What is something that irritates them? How do they show their irritation?)

They both get irritated but try not to take it out on others.

Obi will train harder and snap at people.

Y/N has an ‘irritated expression’ and people can literally feel it rolling off her… best leave her to Obi.

J- Jackpot (How would they spend their winnings if they won the lottery?)

With the world the way it is, they’d take what they needed and use the rest to help victims of Combustion.

K- Kryptonite (What is their ultimate weakness?)

They care more about others than themselves.

One day they’ll go too far

L- Laughter (What makes them laugh?)

Each other, other people, dumb little things.

M- Morning ( How do they wake up in the morning? Are they a morning person or a morning grouch?)

Because of his bodybuilding, Obi doesn’t sleep very well, he’s always pumped up and has to keep his carbs up. He’s up and ready to go.

Y/N loves to sleep when she can, she’s usually exhausted and collapses in bed, mornings are the worst!

She’s groggy and a little grumpy until she’s awake enough.

On rare occasions where she stays over, Obi will stay in bed to hold her until he literally can’t be still anymore. He’ll let her know he’s going and smile as she grumbles then goes back to sleep.

He never rushes her in the morning… she’s been taking shooting lessons from Hinawa.

N- Needy (When do they feel particularly needy? How do they show it?)

Obi is needy when he’s feeling ill, it’s rare but he behaves like a little kid and wants Y/N to mother him.

Y/N’s needy in the morning, she wants cuddles and is just useless without her Captain.

O- Oasis (Where is their happy place? Where would they go if they didn’t have anything holding them back?)

Somewhere quiet, maybe out in the country or up a mountain…?

P- Pain (How do they handle pain? How do they handle when you are in pain?)

Obi gets hurt often and he brushes it off, Y/N hates it, she wants to make him comfortable and will look after him if she can.

Y/N isn’t a wimp but she does cry when she’s in pain. Obi hates it, he wants to make it stop but he doesn’t really know how. He feels guilty that she’s hurting.

Q- Quote (What’s a quote that fits them and your relationship)

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

― Lao Tzu

R- Reunion (How do they celebrate seeing you after a long time of being apart)

They can sometimes go weeks without seeing each other, it depended on their schedules.

They will head out, recently they like to visit Asakusa in the evening, the street food is great and Company 7 doesn’t mind putting them up.

S- Stress (What stresses them out? How do deal with stress and how do they relieve it?)

Life. Work… It’s really stressful.

Downtime is important.

Obi works Stress out and Y/N sleeps it off.

T- Terror (What are they afraid of?)

Failing.

Y/N takes it really hard when she can’t save a life

Obi is the same.

U- Unique (What is a quirk that is unique to them?)

They always have time for others.

V- Violence (Do they fight a lot? Are they a good fighter? What is their fighting style?)

They don’t fight physically. Sometimes they argue about the other taking time off and that they work too hard but that’s about it.

W- Wow (What do you do that really surprises them? What do you do that they really like?)

Hinawa has told me that Obi and Y/N are always awed by each other - it’s sickening.

X- (Explicit headcanon. For all you degenerates)

They’re at it like rabbits, they’ve had sex all over the Company 8 building and been caught a few times. Y/N loves how he can fuck her to within an inch of her life whilst his words and hands and kisses somehow remain soft and loving.

Y- Yucky (Is there something that grosses them out so badly that they can’t deal with it?)

Y/N would like Obi to stop exercising in the same t-shirt. He’ll put it on clean, sweat in it, take a shower, then when he goes to train again later puts on the old sweaty thing. It gets washed at the end of everyday but for Sol’s sake, Obi, just put a clean one on!

Z- ZZZ’s (What are their sleeping habits? Both with and without you)

Together they like to cuddle up.

Alone, Y/N cuddles a firm body pillow as a substitute.

Alone, Obi doesn’t sleep as well.

[haveafuckingfanfic]

I had an idea for a KiriBaku angst, hurt/comfort fic and I finally finished it! You can also read this fic on my AO3 @DemiSweetChocolate. Summary is Bakugo is a self sacrificing idiot and Kirishima has fallen hard for him. I’m not great at summaries so here’s the fic LOL. (Also edited for clarification, finally got around to it lmao😅).

Young Heroes and Young Love

The building trembled around them, the sounds of crumbling concrete filling Kirishima’s ears. His eyes darted around the room as he tugged on Bakugo’s arm.

“Bakugo, we have to go.The building’s going to collapse!”

In his typical blind rage, Bakugo didn’t seem to hear him.

“Where the fuck did he go?! That bastard!” Bakugo cursed, sparks erupting in his hands.

Multiple heroes streaked by and Iida was yelling to all who could hear to retreat. The villains had escaped, but left the quickly crumbling building in their wake. Kirishima gripped Bakugo’s arm and began dragging him out.

“Dammit, Shitty Hair! Let me go, I was gonna get those villains!” Bakugo struggled fruitlessly, Kirishima’s grip was far too strong. As Bakugo gave up his struggle, he realized that Kirishima wasn’t totally paying attention to their surroundings and was instead just barreling through. He didn’t see the failing beam ahead of them.

“Kirishima, Stop!”

He spun around, looking at Bakugo. He let go for just a moment and that’s all Bakugo needed. With a large blast, Kirishima found himself rocketed all the way across the room.

“Go get those bastards for me!” Bakugo yelled. The sound of a snapping beam drowned out his words as Kirishima struggled to his feet and activated his quirk. Where Bakugo was, there was a growing mountain of rubble. Kirishima’s mind was blank with how hardened he was and didn’t let him process what just happened. He was overcome with lethargy and recognized the sweet smell of Miss Midnight’s quirk as he was passing out.

~~~~

Moments later, Kirishima awoke in Recovery Girl’s office.

“Ah, you’re awake, Miss Midnight and Thirteen rescued you,” Recovery Girl smiled.

His brain was foggy still from Miss Midnight’s quirk. He blinked and the memory of Bakugo disappearing under falling concrete flashed behind his eyelids.

‘Bakugo. Wait…’ He bolted up, “Where’s Bakugo? Is he okay?!”

“He’s in the hospital… I don’t know his condition though,” Recovery Girl said with concern edging her voice. Kirishima slid off the bed and nodded, a mix of gratitude and distress swirling in his head.

“Could I visit him?”

She shook her head, “It’s far too late for visiting times.”

“Do you have someone who can take you home?”

He shrugged, “I’ll have to call someone, is it ok if I use the phone?”

Recovery Girl nodded, gesturing towards the phone on the wall, going back to some light paperwork. He nodded in thanks and ambled over to the phone. He wrapped his arm around himself in an effort to comfort himself while he called his mom. Once he hung up, he slumped against the wall. How badly was Bakugo hurt? Was it irreparable? Would he live? He felt his heart wrench at that last thought. In what seemed to be hours, the phone on the wall rang and Recovery Girl pushed her chair over to the phone. She picked it up and nodded.

“Your mom is here.”

He nodded, “Thank you. I hope you have a good night.”

She smiled as she hung up, “You too, Eijirou. Rest well.”

As he sat in the car, he could feel the realization hit him harder.

“Hey, Eijiro,” His mother said softly, “I saw the news…do you want to talk about it?”

“Bakugo’s in the hospital…”

Tears spilled from his eyes as he said it, his jaw tight yet trembling. His mom took his hand, squeezing it as she drove home. Once they got home, they both sat on the couch, hugging each other and Kirishima crying.

“I could’ve saved him, Mom. I could’ve stopped it!” He choked out, “The dumbass blasted me, why the hell would he do that? He knew I could protect us both!”

His mom just quietly listened, pressing a kiss to his head. He slowly pulled away, looking his mom in the eyes, cheeks tear stained, “He doesn’t know I love him, Mom. I can’t lose him!”

“Tell me, what is it about this boy that makes you love him so much?” She asked, holding his hand and gently wiping his tears away. God, where could he start? The dedication he had to things he was passionate about, he always put his all into his training. Some of the times he saw Bakugo happiest was when he was playing the drums for the small band that Jiro, Bakugo, and Kirishima had made together. It was rare when Katsuki genuinely smiled, but when he did it radiated throughout the room. And his cooking, god damn it was good. Granted, it could be a bit spicy at times, but he always had a good balance of ingredients. Whenever he talked to him he knew Katsuki genuinely listened. Even with his smart ass comments, he knew he was being heard.

“That’s why I love him…”

~~~~

His brain refused to relax as he gathered his clothes for his shower. How badly was Bakugo injured? He couldn’t help but imagine a hero gingerly lifting a broken and bleeding Bakugo from the building's wreckage. As he got in the shower, he prayed that Bakugo wouldn't end up as broken as Izuku usually did when he over-used his quirk. He leaned against the cold shower wall in an attempt to ground himself, his mind swirling like water into the shower drain. Taking deep breaths, he remembered a time when Bakugo first genuinely laughed. Sero and Denki had been tussling around, arguing over something completely pointless. Sero, having enough of Denki’s shit, taped him up and hung him from the ceiling.

“I swear to fuck, if you don’t let me down-“

A piece of tape quickly covered Denki’s mouth before he could finish his sentence. As he struggled, the rest of the Baku Squad laughed at the comical sight.

“Hey, Sero, can you give me a small piece of tape?” Mina asked. He obliged, handing her a piece and looked at Mina quizzically. She attached one end of the tape to the tip of Denki’s nose and then pressed the other end to his forehead, giving him a piggy nosed look. Bakugo stifled a snort and desperately tried to hold back his laughter. His raucous laughter joined the rest of the groups’.

“Fucking idiots.” Bakugo had muttered to himself as he recovered from the stomach aching laughter.

He stepped into the stream of the shower, his heart aching. He finished up his shower, dressing in his favorite comfy Crimson Riot pj’s. He didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to know that Bakugo was okay. Tossing and turning all night, his stomach churned with anxiety. Nevertheless, he eventually passed out against his own will and was dead to the world till almost noon the next day. When he came into the kitchen he found his mom making lunch.

“Good morning, sweetie,” His mother greeted softly.

He tried to smile, but the exhaustion and anxiety shone through instead. She kissed his head and served him a lunch of hearty ramen.

“Eat up, okay?” She patted his cheek and ruffled his hair. He nodded and began eating, even though his stomach detested his efforts. While he ate, his mother cleaned up and talked to him.

“I called the hospital this morning and they told me Bakugo is accepting visitors. I assumed you’d want to see him today, so we can go once you’ve finished up eating.”

“Thanks, Mom.” He gave a small grateful smile.

~~~~~~~

A nurse led him to Bakugo’s room. As he stepped inside, he felt his throat grow tight at the sight of his battered friend. His left arm and right leg were both in casts, bandages wrapped his ribs and right forearm.

“Kirishima? ‘S that you?” A gravelly voice asked.

He rushed to the bedside and gripped the bed’s sidebar, “Yes, it’s me!”

“Thank god, you’re alive…” Bakugo mumbled, barely audible.

Kirishima cupped his cheek, gently rubbing it with his thumb, “I could say the same for you.”

“What were you thinking? Blasting me away like that?” Kirishima said, taking his hand away and folding his arms, a slight bite in his voice. “You could’ve been killed.”

Bakugo grit his teeth, “I was saving your dumbass, you didn’t see that we could’ve both been crushed.”

“I could’ve protected us! Did you forget that?!” Kirishima snapped, angry tears prickling the back of his eyes.

“Of course not!” Bakugo growled, “There was no fucking time! You weren’t paying attention to your fucking surroundings! We could’ve both died, dumbass!”

Both stewed in silence until Bakugo coughed hard, clearing his throat to speak up, “I’d rather it be me than you. Okay, shitty hair? I can’t lose you.”

Tears began trickling down Kirishima’s face, his voice wet. “I can’t lose you either, you’re my best friend. You’re more than a best friend, I’m in love with you!”

He refused to swipe away his tears, bracing himself for Bakugo’s reaction. All of a sudden Bakugo’s hand shot out and he found his lips being smashed against his best friends’. It only lasted for a second, Bakugo quickly releasing his grip on Kiri’s shirt so he could upright himself. Kiri blinked, did he just…? Bakugo’s cheeks were flushed as he gathered his words.

“I…I don’t know what it is that I’m feeling, but I know you mean a hell of a lot to me.” He said, crimson eyes now holding a strong gaze.

A smile crept across Kirishima’s mouth, taking Bakugo’s uninjured hand in his own. “I care a hell of a lot about you, too, Bakugo Katsuki.”

He became flustered and just grumbled, “Shut the fuck up and kiss me already.”

Kirishima laughed and gently pressed his lips to Bakugo’s chapped ones. Kirishima took his time, soft and slow, savoring every moment. When he finally pulled away, he could feel himself glowing in delight. God, he loved that boy.

[lunarmessenger]

before anything else let me just say that i love all your content and im so glad that i found your blog!! okay now that ive already made myself sound like a fool would it be possible to get the rfa with an MC who confesses that she was sexually abused as a kid? (i totally get it if youre not comfortable with it btw)

Hi honey! Thank you so much for enjoying my content ^^ (also, u do not sound like a fool hush IT) that’s totally fine, I don’t mind your request :) - luna xx

DISCLAIMER: This is going to be heavy. If you are not prepared for that or in the right mindset for this particular request, I suggest preparing yourself, or just not reading it all together. I will be hiding the entire post underneath a cut in case somebody doesn’t bother to read my warnings. I, thankfully, have never been sexually abused as a child, but I know too many people who have been. I am so sorry to those who have had to go through this, and remember, you are never alone. I love you. - luna xx

Warnings: mentions of child sexual abuse, sexual situations, and trauma

MC Was Sexually Abused as a Child - RFA

Zen:

• You didn’t want him to find out because you were scared he’d think you were dirty or disgusting

• And the way he found out too; it was just so out of the ordinary

• You were backstage at one of his shows and after his performance he’d grabbed you and hurriedly shoved you into one of the storage closets

• He wasn’t trying to be sexual he just wanted a few minutes alone with you to celebrate in private since he knew you’d both be swamped by fans; the poor man was thinking really, wasn’t paying attention

• So when he finally realizes how you’re shaking, knees threatening to buckle as you held your hands over your chest while looking down

• “MC? Princess what’s the matter; is something wrong? Talk to me.”

• You were all too familiar with dimly lit storage closets; your abuser had taken you there for years when you had your music lessons

• When you finally explain to him what was wrong through your tears, he is so...angry

• Words cannot express how he wants to go back in time and strangle the person who did that to you

• He at first through you were hesitant to be intimate because you didn’t have much experience

• While that was part of it, it was so much deeper than that, much more sinister; that he just wasn’t expecting it

• “They just...it was every single lesson Zen. And I wondered; had I done something wrong? Something to make me stand out to them? I just don’t understand...” You were still shaking, voice quivering

• He stood there, fists clenched as he tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down; enough so that he could prioritize what really mattered. You.

•“It was not your fault MC. Remember that. That person was a sick fuck for doing that to you, and I am so sorry that you didn’t get the proper support you needed. It’s okay; we can get through this together.”

Yoosung

• The two of you were cooking together, the front of you facing the oven as you stirred the vegetables in the frying pan

• Then he suddenly came up behind you, hands stopping at your waist as he whispered in your ear

• “My precious MC, I love you so much.”

• You were no longer in the kitchen with Yoosung; you were in your living room, your parents outside with your aunts and uncles as your cousin played with you; alone

• “Here MC, just turn and bend over; we’re going to play house. Yeah, that’s it...”

• “Please don’t...” You whimpered, your voice barely above a whisper as you struggled to pull yourself out of the traumatic memory

• “MC? Oh no, MC! Are you okay? Honey look at me...”

• He had turned off the stove and carried you to the bedroom, placing you on the bed while he knelt down on the floor

When you’d calmed yourself down you told him what had happened between you and your cousin; and why you no longer speak to that side of your family.

• He was absolutely disgusted; how could someone do that to their own family?

• The thought of even trying to do that to Rika; it made him want to gag

• “I wish I was...I wish I could have...oh, God. I’m sorry MC, I’m sorry...”

Jaehee

• You were at a bar, enjoying a few drinks together after a long day of work

• “I have to use the restroom; I’ll be back, Jae.”

• She nodded as you went, and you were fine as you found a stall and calmly shut the door behind you

• But before you had the chance to lock it Jaehee was in the restroom and in your stall, cheeks flushed from the alcohol as she bit her lip

• “Jaehee...?”

• “I want you MC...right now.”

• “W-wait,” You stuttered, her fingers fumbling near your zipper on your jeans as she shoved you against the stall wall

• The action sent you back to high school, a student you barely knew dragging you into the stall and shoving you up against it

• She wasn’t nice; she was really rough. She told you to shut up and take it

• “If you tell anyone, I will be sure that you never see the light of day again.”

• “Get off, please get off!”

• You shoved Jaehee, HARD, the poor woman sobering up quickly as she slammed into the opposite wall

• “Huh? Wait...oh no, MC? MC wait!”

• You ran, straight out of the bathroom and out of the bar even, ending up at teh park nearby 

• The chilly air felt good against your hot cheeks, your breathing shallow as you tried to calm yourself down

• “MC! Please I, I’m so sorry. I was just trying to be spontaneous.”

• “No, Jaehee it wasn’t you, I just...”

• You told her everything. You sobbed. She held you

• She even had a few tears slip as she held you close, rubbing your back as you gripped her coat tight

• “I promise you MC. Nobody will ever hurt you that way again.”

Jumin

• You were visiting him in his office since he’d promised to have lunch with you

He asked you to close the door behind him and you obliged, setting your bag down in the empty chair beside you

• “I’ve missed you, darling.”

• “I’ve missed you Jumin.”

• He’d finished signing the last document on his desk and then he stood, walking over towards you

• You followed suit, standing while giving him a smile

• Just as you went to grab your bag he had grabbed you first, easily picking you up and placing you on his desk

• “May your darling boyfriend receive a kiss?”

• His request went ignored as you froze on the desk, your mind flashing back t o your teacher in high school

• “I know how badly you need to pass, MC. I teach you how to do math; what’s so different about teaching this? Now come on...down on your knees...”

• Jumin’s hands drifted down to your thighs and before you knew it your reflexes kicked in and you slapped him

• An angry red handprint formed on his cheek, his eyes wide with shock as he slowly turned his head back towards you

• “I...I...”

• You couldn’t think of any words to say, so you did what you had done back then; you ran

• “MC! Hold on, MC!”

• Of course you didn’t listen, keeping your head down while Jumin hurriedly ran after you

• He caught you in the elevator, pressing the emergency stop button before turning to you

• Your eyes were cloudy with tears as you shook your head

• “Jumin I’m so sorry I just—”

• “Just talk to me MC. What’s going on?”

• You caved and told him everything; from reporting your teacher to the court  cases that went on for almost three years

• “MC Oh God if I had known...I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be more careful; and we’ll get you some help, okay?”

707

• Surprisingly, he hadn’t triggered you when he found out

• He just noticed that at times you were a little, evasive when it came to intimacy with him

• While he really wanted o build this relationship out of trust, he just couldn’t get an answer out of you no matter how hard he tried

• So...he looked into your records. And what he found made him so angry that he’d thrown one of his many laptops against the wall

• “Saeyoung! Saeyoung what was that? Are you okay?”

• You walked in to see him squatting on the ground, head in his hands before he turned to you

• Tears were running down his cheeks as he hurriedly stood up and was in front of you, crushing you in a hug as you squeaked in surprised

• “Saeyoung...?”

• “I am so sorry that your father did that to you.”

• You were silent, a bit confused until reality sank in

• “So...you did some digging, huh? I’m sorry, I meant to tell you...”

• He nodded, and you couldn’t control it; you just burst into tears as he held you even tighter

• “I’m sorry Saeyoung, I just didn’t know how to tell you and it was so long ago but the thought of sex just...I just...”

• “Shh, MC. You don’t have to explain it to me. At least, not until you’r ready. Just know that I love you, and I will do absolutely do anything to help you get through this.”

[whootwhoot]

»»—— 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢 2020 "𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴" 𝘚𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘹 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 —««

(- author’s note: merry christmas @nixhinoya !! (damn it i choose the most general titles for my stories lmAO) its pretty late but i just got on the laptop rn, sorry for not interacting with you too much^^ but i’m your secret santa lmAO anyways its nice to meet you  😌 😍 i hope you like this owo!!)

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

“You’re coming over to Japan?”

“Yeah! Hang on, give me a second.”

You fiddle with the headphones in your hand while pulling your suitcase over to a table.

“Should’ve put these on before calling you.” “Anyways back to what I was saying-”

“WAIT REALLY? IS THAT THE AiR-pORT?”

Your mouth twists as you hear Sugawara’s voice cracking, you just told your boyfriend that you’ll be coming over to visit him in Japan for Christmas, judging by his reaction he probably didn’t see this coming. 

“Yeah Suga, I’m flying to Japan!” 

“Well guess that means I just wasted my money for a flight…” 

“Wait.”

“No way.” 

You are speechless.

“Did I just buy a ticket to visit Y/n? Without knowing Y/n is already at the airport waiting for her flight in 2 hours? Yeah.” 

You are really speechless, Sugawara bursts into laughter upon seeing your stunned expression, his familiar voice rings in your ear. The corners of your mouth uncontrollably quirks up watching your dorky boyfriend. 

----

You're in love, you both are.

You know you’re in love when you can listen to him all day but still laugh when he cracks a stupid joke. 

He knows he’s in love when he has that impulse to make you laugh, as cliche as it sounds, your laugh makes his day so much better. 

You know you’re in love when you can send him texts ranging from stupid puns to endless “I love you”s and midnight confessions every night before bed. 

He knows he’s in love when he sets his phone’s wallpaper to pictures of you, or pictures of him with you in it. It may seem funny but he believes that way the last thing he sees every night is you, and every morning when his phone alarm rings, the first person he wakes up to is you. 

----

“Good afternoon passengers, this is the final boarding call for passengers who booked for flight JL122 to Miyagi, Japan. Please proceed to gate 3 immediately. I repeat…” 

You stand up and stretch your stiff body while holding your phone.

“Guess that’s my queue.” 

“You can’t call me on the plane?” 

“I don’t think this plane comes with Wi-Fi, Suga.”  “Plus the passengers are probably getting tired of me talking.”  Right on queue, the old lady that’s been sitting behind you gives you a dirty look that can rival Tsukishima’s. 

“Teenagers.” she mumbles under her breath. 

You give an awkward wave as you make your way to the front counter, Suga giggling in the process. 

“See you in Miyagi Y/n.” 

“Can’t wait.” 

You watch as your phone screen fades to black, chest feeling heavy, you miss him already. 

This seems to be a short flight, but the longest you’ve been on too. 

----

The flight attendant leads you to your seat. You got yourself a first class window seat, to make yourself comfortable and maybe away from being too paranoid. 

“Can I get you anything right now?” 

“Oh thank you but I’m fine.” 

You sink into your seat, fully utilizing the wide leg room it has. It’s been 6 months since you left Japan, your company promised a really high pay if you work in another country for a year. Your parents were in dire need of the money, and that was the last straw that made you leave Sugawara. 

----

The heart breaks you went through before leaving, the aching in your heart after you promised to never leave him. Sugawara was surprisingly calm with it, acknowledging that you should do what’s best for your parents. That didn’t stop him from giving you a paper with only “Stay” written on it, you were told to open it only when you board the plane. 

----

The feelings and memories all come back in a flash, your eyes slowly turning glossy, letting out a soft whimper.  You rearrange your feelings and run your fingers through your hair before sinking back into your seat. 

You tilt your head and look towards the window, all you can see is the sky, endless blue skies that stretch out far and wide, clouds dancing to the rhythm of the slow breeze. 

----

You can reach the sky, but have you ever touched the clouds?

You’ve fallen in love, but will your feelings resurface from the depths? 

----

Long distance relationships are hard to maintain, they say, you’ve never believed that, but the first week separated took a major toll on you. You could never anticipate the feeling, the yearning for someone, the longing to see his face, the need to hear his voice, the starve for his touch, so bad that it actually hurts. Your chest aches everyday, whether it was seeing something that resembled or reminded you of him. 

----

You close your eyes, trying to sleep all the feelings away. The paranoia you feel, the tingly feeling that something’s wrong stays with you and keeps you up as you toss and turn in the seat.

“How can I sleep when reality is already so much better than my dreams.” 

These words ring in your ear, as you remember the night you video called Sugawara. You were rushing him to go to bed, but as these words slip from his mouth, you felt a warm feeling inside. Something about his confessions has always made your heart just beat a little faster, and feel a little better knowing that he’s here with you, he’s always here.

----

The flight feels like forever as you make your way down to the airport, your body feels like it’s just moving on it’s own. You yawn and nearly knock into someone on your way out, mumbling a “sorry” as you continue to walk. 

You shiver as you splash water onto your face in the toilet, your body feels even heavier now as you put on thick clothes to prepare for the cold weather in Miyagi. (also because Suga thinks the new coat you bought was adorable) 

“Finally.” out of the airport, you took in your first deep breath in Miyagi. 

“Does the air smell better here?” 

“Smells like home.” you unconsciously answer 

The voice rings again, this time it’s the familiar laughter that you were only able to hear in video calls for 6 months. You turn your head in that direction to see Sugawara with his arms open. 

“Welcome back, you haven't changed at all have you?”

You two topple over as you jump into his arms, the warmth of your chest on his, the feeling of being able to feel each other’s breath. He kisses your tear-stain cheeks, which taste a little salty but being able to hold you in his arms again was the biggest present he needs this Christmas. 

Sugawara misses you too, he misses showing affection to you by hugging you, playing with your hair, holding your hands and kissing you instead of having to rely on hearing your voice every now and then. He misses laughing with you, singing with you, or having stupid pranks on each other once in a while. 

Now that you’re here, he finally gets to do it all over again. The overwhelming feeling fills his chest, as he continues holding you in his arms tightly after standing up. Being shorter than Sugawara, you cling tightly to his chest as your ears pick up his speeding heartbeat as you smile and hug him back. 

“I’ve missed you.”

“Me too Y/n, me too.” 

“Also, you’re kidding.”

“Are you wearing a matching shirt with me?” 

“Well, can’t help it. I think it’s cute.” 

You can’t believe your dorky boyfriend found a shirt to match yours when you video called him before boarding the plane. 

“Is that the only surprise I’ll be getting on Christmas?”

“Only one way to find out.” 

“I’m taking you home.”

“Home…” 

You mumble the word, a wave of nostalgia hits you as you smile and mumble the word again. It all feels so surreal, you're in Miyagi right now, with the boy you love, going home for Christmas. Home is where he is, home is always where Sugawara is, his arms, his hugs, it all feels like home to you.  “Home.” 

Sugawara leads you to his car, his hand on your shoulder while the other carries your luggage for you. You adjust your seat only to realize the front seat is still the same as how you left it. 

“Suga… have you never let anyone sit here?”

“I've never adjusted it, that’s all.” 

Hearing that makes your face heat up a little, just how much does he miss you?

“Hey, check this out.” 

Sugawara motions his fingers towards the car ceiling, you look up to see a dangling mistletoe as he leans closer towards you.

“I’m surprised that’s not the first thing you saw when you entered the car.”

“Did you-” 

----

Something about this kiss feels so much different from before; it’s the yearning you have for each other, you need him so badly and now he’s here. He’s here kissing you. A simple gesture, but thousands of emotions pour into one passionate kiss, as he mumbles countless “I miss you”s and “I love you”s in between kisses. 

His hands slowly move from your checks, his thumb stroking it softly then to running his fingers in your hair. You completely indulge yourself in this kiss, sinking deeper and deeper into it, your hands roaming his chest, feeling the warmth of your lover, something you’ve been longing for for so long. 

Out of breath, you finally decide to pull away, you both laugh at the sight of each other’s fluster faces as Sugawara looks you directly in the eye. 

“This is the best present I’ve ever gotten for Christmas.”

“You sure Suga? Not even a puppy could rival it?”

He chuckles “No, not even that.”  “Merry Christmas Y/n.” 

[violetnotez]

let's have more bois with pregnant s/os! 😂😂😂 Tamaki,Mirio,and Shinsou their reactions to finding out their gonna be daddies ( ˘ ³˘)♥

Omg yes anon, these boys would have the cutest reactions to finding out they got their s/o knocked up ❤️

————————

Hc: Pregnant S/O

Pairing: Tamaki x reader, Mirio x reader, Shinsou x reader

Also, I realized I should specify the ages of all the characters! Everyone will be aged up to like around 20-21 ☺️

————————

Tamaki

Tamaki has just finished patrolling for the day when he got a strange message from you, asking him to pick up some things from the market

That wasn’t particularly unusual, you would occasionally ask him to do so after work if he wasn’t too tired

But it seemed like you were trying to message someone else and not him-your message had asked “her” to grab “a lot of disposable cups”

You had also sent an image...Tamaki’s curiosity was too strong, his fingers clicking on the picuture instantly

His eyes gazed at the list, instantly recognizing the handwriting as your own. The list only had a few items, such as milk, flour, choclate...but then, at the very end, you had wrote something that truly threw his mind of out control

You wanted whoever you were texting to buy pregnancy tests

His anxiety instantly went through the roof-pregnany?! You thought you were pregnant?!? How long had you been thinking this?!? We’re you okay?!? Who was even with you getting you this stuff?!

He began to take a few deep breaths and focus his attention to calming his heart rate-something he had been practicing in order to control his anxiety

There had to be a simple explanation-maybe you were just helping a friend...maybe they were for Neijire and not for you...you had said she was going to be visiting you today

But then-you had mentioned your period was uncharacteristically late since it hadn’t came yet...and you two had been active recently-crap he needed to get home right now

Tamaki is usually a very cautious driver, but today, he was borderline speeding

He was just too wrapped up in his thoughts, trying to convince himself that it was all a misunderstanding, that you weren’t pregnant and it was just his anxiety making situations seem worse than what they were

He was itching to call you, but he was afraid of the answer you would give him-what if you did truly think your were pregnant?

he didn’t want to work himself up so badly that he wasn’t even able to drive-

no, he was going to wait to talk to you in person, that was the best thing to do

He came into the driveway, parking his car quickly, his duffel bag with his change of clothes and personal belongings long forgotten in the trunk

As he was walking up to the front steps, his mind racing, he heard none other than Neijri greet him from behind

“Oh Tamaki-san, your home from work quiet early! Slow day out there?” She chirped a little too cheerfully

Tamaki noticed the plastic bag in her hand, making him gulp-oh no, it had to be for you then

Neijire stood in front of him awkwardly, not knowing what to do

“It’s wonderful to see you, but um, Y/n-san is going through some things right now...she asked me to help her while you were out patrolling-she didn’t want to worry you prematurely...”

Neijire gave him a reassuring smile, handing him the bag

Poor Tamaki was shaking, his head hanging low-was it all true then? We’re you really thinking you were pregnant?

“Y/n-san will explain everything, but whatever happens-I hope you both are happy!” She grinned, giving Tamaki a quick hug and a cheerful goodbye as she jogged to her own car

Tamaki shakily opened the front door, too terrified to look in the bag

You came bounding down the hallway, your hair tied back loosely

“Neijire, I can’t thank you enough for- Tamaki!” You gasped slightly, not expecting to see him in front of you

You instantly ran to him, noticing how pale he looked-he honestly looked like he would pass out

“Oh my god, are you okay?” You asked, your voice full of concern as you took the bag gingerly from his hands, sitting him on the couch

“Is it true?” He asked quietly, his voice timid, “that-that you think your-“

You sighed, taking his hand in yours. You had realized too late that you had sent the message accidentally to him, too terrified of his reaction to call him after the mistake

“Well, yes, I think I might be-be pregnant...but I don’t know for sure...theres really only one way to find out.” You gave him a small smile, trying to be reassuring

you were freaking out on the inside, but after seeing Tamaki look so terrified, you knew you had to be the one who was strong for the both of you

“I’m sorry for scaring you,” you apologized, your hand finding his, “ I didn’t mean to hide this from you, I just didn’t want to worry you unless I knew for sure,”

“I-It’s alright, I want to be here for you when you find out...I-it is potentially our child after all” he said quietly, rubbing his thumb against the soft skin of your hand

You gave him a quick kiss, smiling reassuringly as you let go of his hand, taking the bag Neijiri had gotten for you

“Well-lets go find out, shall we?”

Tamaki had waited outside the door as you went to the bathroom, coming in once you went to check the test

You were honestly too scared at that point to see, so you had asked him if he was up for checking it for you

He was terrified as well, but as he was waiting, he began to think about the situation-he wouldn’t mind having a child with you, he knew one day he wanted to settle down with you and make you his for the rest of his life

This would just be a step towards that, right? He loved you with all his heart, and couldn’t think of anybody else having a child with-apart of him was hoping for it to be positive, wanting nothing more to be a father to the life you two had potentially created

His hands were shaking as he took the test in his hands, seeing that there was two little lines, meaning you were, in fact, pregnant

Poor Tamaki’s emotions finally released, tears streaming down his face quietly as he hugged you close-you were so confused, but apart of you already knew the truth

You were now crying as well, both of you complete messes as you asked him repeatedly what the test said through hiccups

He just knelt down, kissing your stomach as his arms wrapped around your waist, hugging you close

Mirio

It was a pretty normal day for Mirio-he got up, did his usual work out routine, and then got himself ready to go on a date with you later on in the day

You two had decided to go get lunch at a quiet little cafe not to far from both of your apartments-you had also told him you had something “important” to tell him, which also kinda got him excited to here your news

He was hoping it was something positive, because when you had told him this over the phone the night before, you sounded pretty nervous, but wouldn’t reveal any other details

He drove into the parking lot of the cafe, instantly recognizing your car in the parking lot, making him smile

He found you at your favorite booth, looking down at your phone, until you looked up and smiled as you saw him walking over

He loved your smile, it was always so bright and beautiful-but something about it was different today...you almost looked nervous

He doesn’t pay too much attention to it, you did say you had news for him after all, maybe you just had some jitters

“Hey, sunshine, how are you?” He asks cheerfully, bringing you into a tight hug

“Well that’s strange,” he thought-you usually always squeezed him super tight, but today you almost kept him at a distance, like it hurt to hug him

He pulled away, staring at your face in worry-“You doing alright, babe?”

You shrugged off his worry quickly, not wanting to bring attention to it-“Oh it’s nothing, just-well, my chest has been a little tender but it’s fine,”

He knew something more was wrong, but as much as he wanted you to say what it was, he knew you’d tell him in your own time

The rest of the date went as your dates usually always went, you both talking happily about your lives with Mirio making you laugh occasionally

He did notice some things were different about you-you seemed to be really cautious of what you ate, asking if anything had caffeine or excess salt in the food. Your face, even when you laughed, was always somehow knitted with nervousness

He also noticed that your chest had been looking a little larger-he didn’t mind at all, he loved your body no matter what it looked like, it was just-strange to him. You also would sometimes rub your hands on your stomach below the counter, thinking he wouldn’t be able to see

It was all so peculiar to him-it made him really wonder what was going on that was making you act so differently

He reached his hand across the table, placing his larger hand in yours

“So-what exactly did you want to tell me?” He gave you a bright, reassuring smile, his heart aching slightly when you looked down at your lap

You looked so scared-were you okay? He started to get nervous himself-maybe something terrible had happened, like you were sick, or hurt

He just wanted you to tell him-whatever was going on, you would get through it together

He gave you a reassuring squeeze on your hand-“You know you can tell me anything, right?” He asked quietly, that bright smile still on his lips “Nothing you say is going to make me judge you or turn away from you-you can always trust me.”

He watched you take a deep breath, your ribs rattling slightly from the nerves

“Mirio-I-I...” you stuttered, “I’m pregnant-with your baby.”

Well SHIT HE DIDNT EXPECT THAT-

He may or may not have yelled out “Pregnant?!?” A little too loudly-he just wasn’t expecting that

After you shushed him to be a little more quiet, he lowered his voice some

“Whoa-pregnany-are-are you sure?”

You played with your fingers, the nerves still set in your system, “Yes, I-I has a feeling... some I may or may not have taken a whole box of tests a few days ago. And-and they all came back positive.”

“I’ve been wanting to tell you, I just didn’t know how or when or where- it was just so sudden.”

“I know we didn’t talk much about starting a family, Mirio, but,” you asked timidly, his hands still in yours, “what do you think about it?”

Mirio sat quietly for a few moments-he knew this was a huge thing, bringing in a child into this world. It was true you two hadnt talked a lot about starting a family, it wasn’t on either of your minds since you two were so young. But, he loved you too much to walk away from you and his child-it would be completely wrong for him to do so. He didn’t want to either-he loved you and this child you two had created.

His rough thumb brushed the skin of your hand, the sensation soothing to your nerves

“It’s all your decision y/n, but I love you-and this child we created. I’m would be excited to be a father!”

Shinsou

Also I’m tired and I’m pretty sure I spelt him name wrong THE ENTIRE TIME IM SORRY

You were wrapped up in Shinso’s body, your legs intertwining with his

His body was warm and comforting, his heart beating strong in his chest

You felt yourself beginning to wake up, soft sunlight flitting through the curtains of the room

It didn’t help either that your leg and inner thighs were killing you-you and Shinso were active quite a lot, but last night had seemed to really become a toll on your body

You groaned, snuggling yourself closer to him-he was so comfortable and gentle when he was sleeping

Shinsou seemed to had woken up slightly too, his hands petting your bed tossled hair

“You doing alright doll?” He asked huskily, he voiced still sounding sleepy

“Yeah,” you sighed, snuggling closer to him, “just-sore.”

“Aww you poor thing-but I didn’t here you complaining last night though,”He chuckled, placing a kiss on top of your head

You pushed yourself up, making yourself able to look into his lavender eyes as you laid your head on his bare chest

“Well I didn’t say that,” you said, giving him a cheeky smirk- “Just you gotta be a little gentle-I still need to be able to walk the next day,”

“Wheres the fun in that, kitten? You look so pretty when your a mess under me...”

Your cheecks instantly turned a beet red, a small smile tugging at your lips

Even though Shinso was making you a blushing mess, you instantly felt an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach, something you had been experiencing for a few weeks now

A burning sensation began to fill your throat, and to your horror, you felt yourself want to throw up

Shinso noticed your face pale as it turned from adorably embarrassed to terrfied

“Are you-“ he barely got out until you leaped off his body, stumbling to the bathroom

You barely got near the toilet before you began to empty the contents of your stomach into it

Shinso quickly followed you in, throwing on a pair of his boxers he had left on the floor from last night

His heart hurt hearing you sound so sick, your back heaving into the toilet-he softly grabbed your hair, rubbing soothing circles on your back

He was just so confused-you had seemed fine...you didn’t show any signs of being sick yesterday or last night-so why were you suddenly just throwing up like there was no tomorrow?

You finally had finished, laying your forehead on the cold seat

“What’s wrong doll-you okay?” He asked softly, brushing your hair with his fingers

You nodded numbly, feeling dehydrated and exhausted

“This has been happening-kinda a lot...” you croaked out, trying to clear the parch areas in your throat

Shinso stopped you from talking anymore, worried you would hurt yourself and went to go get you some water

He came back with a blanket and a bottle of water, you drinking in small sips as you sat on the blanket

“So-this is happening a lot, right?” He asked, watching to make sure the color came back to your face, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

You nodded your head numbly- “I-I was scared to tell you...because-well-“ you sighed nervously, looking down at the floor-“I also missed my period last week.”

It took Shinso to let that information set in-you missed your period? Why the hell would that matter? But then he began to connect the dots...you two had sex quite a lot....you were having morning sickness...you didn’t get your period-oh shit

He states it very bluntly, but stutters slightly over his words-“Your-your pregnant?”

“I-I don’t know for sure Shinso...but I have a feeling, just everything adds up to that,”

He’ll curse under his breath, sitting for a second in silence-that was such a huge piece of information for him to process

A baby was a big deal-you two were bringing in a new life into this world...he would be lying if he didn’t say he was terrified. It wasn’t under the best timing, you two never discussed having a child so soon...but he loved you. It was as much his baby as it was yours, and he would never just walk out of yours and his potential child’s life just because he was too scared.

He would do anything for you-that included welcoming this new child into the world with you

“Okay, I believe you y/n,” he’ll finally say, his bright purple eyes boaring into yours, “we’re having a baby. Let’s figure this out together, alright, kitten?”

—————-

HOLY CRAP THIS TOOK FOREVER SORRY

[iceshard1011]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Sanders Sides (Web Series) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Unrequited Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders Characters: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Orange Side (Sanders Sides) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Human, Character Death, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders And Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Angst, Car Accidents, Precognition, Abusive Parents, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Background Orange Side (Sanders Sides), Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Needs a Hug, Logic | Logan Sanders Is A Good (Boy)Friend, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders is So Done, Sympathetic Sides (Sanders Sides), Mentions of various mental illnesses, (none of which any of the characters have) Summary:

"You know when people say your life flashes before your eyes? Well, it doesn’t. You don’t have time."

---

In which anyone who has ever hurt Remus immediately pays for it thanks to his menace of a brother.

4k word fic is below :)

Remus had always had rotten luck. Wherever he dared to have the audacity to step, utter chaos followed. Whether it was a punch to the nose from an asshole trying to mug him or a woman ranting at an accidental spill of coffee on her new shirt. Whether someone walked away with a soured attitude or broken leg, anyone who came in contact with Remus had their entire day — and sometimes their entire life — ruined, simply for looking at him the wrong way. Remus figured this recurring curse nipping at his heels was the reason he had no connections with his family, the reason no co-workers wanted to be around him, why no one in his classes stuck around long enough to know more than his name.

Oh, also, he was crazy.

If everything aforementioned wasn’t enough to push someone away, announcing that he had a voice that told him This person talks behind your back was a sure-fire way to send anyone scrambling.

At first, Remus thought it was normal. For a thirteen-year-old boy growing and changing and dealing with significantly more stress and grief than other people his age, hearing things like Your friends are toxic and This teacher sucks and You don’t need school didn’t seem so crazy.

Besides, he’d approached his parents exactly once about leaving school, and got his answer swiftly and harshly. He’d never asked again, too distracted with trying to help Mum when she came down with a sick spell for the next week and the way Dad’s car kept breaking down.

The thoughts didn’t cease.

It’s not wrong to like boys.

You’re not in love with your girlfriend.

You could anonymously key your English teacher’s car after school. The bitch deserves it.

Sometimes, Remus did stupid things like listen to the ridiculous thoughts that hummed in the back of his mind.

When he fled from the car, stuck in the middle of congested traffic just before a truck ploughed through the vein of vehicles and landed his father in hospital for days, his mother had slapped him upside the head and grounded him for far longer. Remus still wasn’t entirely sure why. He wondered if she blamed him for not warning them. He wasn’t sure if that was justified, as he hadn’t been thinking much else other than the GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT that had been ringing in his ears.

When the thoughts had mused, seemingly half-heartedly, that his father was going to trip down the flight of stairs if he went without his crutches, Remus’ attempt at a warning had earned him two weeks of dabbing foundation over the bridge of his cheek so no one at school would ask questions.

“Stop acting out!” his mum had screamed once as she pinned him to the wall, her nails digging into his throat and her expression blurry from his stinging eyes. “It won’t change anything!”

His parents’ breaking point was when Remus freaked out the entirety of his chemistry class when his mind insisted that the method the professor was teaching them was going to cause fire to catch on the hair of the girl at the far end of the classroom. He was called into the principal’s office during that class (escaped the smoke alarm going off and the screaming from someone who was going to have an unexpected style change, which was good) and then again at the end of school, with the addition of his parents, neither who were very happy about it.

It was then that he revealed, in a humiliated mumble, about the odd thoughts that continued to prove to have some truth.

The money for a doctor got on his parents’ nerves. He stopped visiting the therapist before any diagnosis could be determined.

Remus did his own research. Schizophrenia, bipolar, DID, OSDD, OCD, every relevant acronym and mental illness under the sun, yet nothing answered all of his questions. There weren’t any odd dreams, multiple voices weren’t clogging his mind, he didn’t feel out of place in his own body, he never saw anything that wasn’t really there.

Nothing explained the odd precognitions the voice gave him, the strange accusatory claims made of the people around Remus who he personally thought he was quite fond of, the baffling times where the voice tried to talk to him like it was any other casual conversation. Even things like how Remus was told not to cross that section of the road, or was mentioned a pretty-looking butterfly behind Remus that he hadn’t even seen yet.

Nothing ticked all the boxes. Nothing gave him all the answers.

Remus was in college, low grades, a shitty apartment, few friends who hated his boyfriend and a boyfriend who hated his few friends, when he reached his own breaking point with himself.

His boyfriend walked into the apartment, expression bored and eyes uninterested. Remus smirked over at him.

“You get my deodorant?” he asked, standing from the couch.

He didn’t, the voice said.

“No,” said Neroli. Remus wasn’t disappointed.

“I guess you’ll have to deal with the consequences of not entertaining me, then,” he said with a sharp grin, gripping Neroli’s shirt and tugging him down for a kiss. His boyfriend responded, suitably fervently. Remus was just getting to the point of reaching for his boyfriend’s belt when the voice growled, quietly, as if it hadn’t meant for Remus to hear, Cheating bastard.

It startled Remus so badly he yanked back from Neroli like he’d been scalded. He earned a bemused look from his boyfriend.

“Why, uh— why didn’t you drop by the shops?” Remus asked, hating himself for considering listening to the menace inside his head. Neroli shrugged dully, moving into the kitchen. He peered into the fridge.

“Got caught up.”

“With what?” Remus blurted, then screamed at himself for opening his mouth. Neroli shot him a dirty look.

“What, do you expect me to explain every second of my day to you?” he asked irritably.

“Only the fun parts.” Remus shot him another suggestive, toothy grin. It was ignored.

Don’t listen to it, whispered Remus to himself. Don’t listen to it.

Ask him where he was on the night you were studying with Logan, the voice said in reply. Remus growled and shook his head. The voice persisted; Ask.

“You look distracted,” Neroli noted, but he sounded detached.

“Maybe I’m thinking about you under the sheets,” Remus said.

Neroli didn’t entertain him.

“Maybe you’re cheating on me,” said Remus with another grin, waiting for Neroli to give him a reaction. His boyfriend merely glanced over at him with a considering look.

“Actually,” he said, and Remus’ heart dropped against his will, “I’m going to my friend’s place. I made plans with her instead of getting groceries.” He walked past Remus and took his car keys from the entry table.

Remus still remembered the way he had felt nauseous, and the ferocious feeling that had washed over him that somehow felt like the voice sounded when Neroli had said, “By the way, I’m breaking up with you,” without so much as a glance over his shoulder. “And I want you gone from the apartment by the time I come back.”

Remus had found himself with his head in his hands on the couch for the next few hours, going through the motions. He didn’t cry. He hadn’t cried for a long time. He had felt numb, even as the voice had murmured apology after apology.

Eventually, Remus had got himself and his things together and moved from the place, a worn backpack all to show for his possessions. He had ignored the voice ordering him to find somewhere to eat, some shelter to sleep, the demands to call his friends and ask for help.

Remus had spent the night of Christmas Eve shivering on a park bench, bag for a pillow and his own arms as a blanket.

(He couldn’t deny that it was his fault when Neroli got into a car crash on his way back to his apartment that morning.)

Over the following years, with more scenarios such as that, Remus learned that it was best if people knew he was insane. If they knew that, if they knew he heard things, and caused horror everywhere he went, they would stay away. If people stayed away, they saved themselves from a bad time and Remus from having to watch anyone he’d gotten attached to leave.

He was sick of people leaving.

Somehow, amongst this mindset, he hadn’t quite managed to shake a scattered few of his old college friends.

Logan, a nerd with a prime attitude and punchable face and also the least emotionally available person Remus had encountered, was somehow one of Remus’ main sources of support. He had taken up tutoring Remus, against Remus’ better judgement, and he had constantly offered his own house as a place for Remus whenever he needed it. Not that Remus ever accepted any of this, mind you.

The only problem was — Logan was feisty. Almost as feisty as Janus, and just as feisty as Roman. His stubbornness matched Remus’ and it was near impossible to shake the guy from an idea once he was fixed on it.

It was kind of endearing.

(It was also very difficult, given Remus’ goal in life had become to stop hurting people he cared about.)

Logan also rambled a whole lot, which Remus liked. It drowned out the voice, still present after all these years. It had quietened considerably, if Remus thought about it. It seemed to have a strange opinion on Logan. Remus ignored it, nonetheless.

This particular afternoon, Remus found that he couldn’t keep ignoring the cursed phenomenon following him.

“Are you paying attention?” Logan asked.

Remus smirked, keeping his eyes on the path in front of him. He kicked the stone again, and it skittered up the pathway then waited like a faithful dog for Remus to catch up. “More or less. Meteorology, right?”

He could tell Logan was looking at him. He probably looked outwardly annoyed, but there would be an amused spark behind the rim of his glances that never escaped Remus. “More or less.”

Remus bobbed his head. “Then yeah, I was listening.”

Logan hummed in agreement but didn’t resume the conversation. They walked in companionable silence along the street path, accompanied merely by the padding of their shoes and the tap-tap-tap of Remus’ stone. The road beside them was quiet.

“Remus?” asked Logan.

“Hm?” Remus said.

Tap-tap.

“Why don’t you come to my house tonight?” Logan asked. “It is New Year’s Eve. The others will be there. I would like for you to have some company.”

Oh, I have company, grumbled Remus. And it won’t shut up.

The voice, as if to solely prove him wrong, remained silent. Remus may have felt some indignation on its behalf, however.

Tap-tap-tap.

“Maybe,” said Remus, which meant No.

“Please,” Logan said, because he knew.

“Logan,” sighed Remus, “you know how I—”

“Yes,” Logan interjected. “I know it distresses you to have companionship, but truly, it is not such the awful venture that you have convinced yourself it is.”

Remus sighed again, his shoulders sagging. He stopped walking and edged away from Logan, no longer happy to be alone with him. He didn’t know what to say.

He was too busy formulating some semblance of a reply to pay attention to the rising anxiety in the back of his mind and the distantly increasing screeching sound.

By the time the speeding car spun around the corner across the road, he was too slow to react.

MOVE, the voice screamed.

Remus couldn’t.

Logan might have shouted, but he sounded like he’d moved — further away from where he had been standing. Probably to somewhere safe. That was good, at least. Logan had something to offer the world, with that big brain of his.

The car skidded across the road, moving too fast to regain control. It sped forward, wheels rolling along the path, barreling towards the spot Remus was standing.

MOVE, his voice was shrieking. Crying. Begging.

Remus didn’t.

The car, by some logic, didn’t hit Remus.

The car didn’t hit Remus, because it hit something — Remus didn’t see what, and later Logan would agree — first, and flipped like a goddamn pencil being flung across a bored classroom. The hunk of metal flew into the air, the bottom turning to the sky and the roof glinting down at Remus beneath it—

And crashed to the asphalt metres away from where Remus was standing, completely unharmed.

He and Logan stood there, speechless, for a very long time.

The police, once having caught up to the hit-and-run escapee, deemed it an accident on the driver’s behalf. Remus and Logan were dismissed from the scene without being asked any questions. Remus hadn’t spoken a word since it had happened, anyway. Logan had been the one to text their friends and talk to the officers. He had then guided Remus back to his apartment, where the others were already hanging out. They greeted Remus at first but left him alone once being waved away by Logan. He was brought into Logan’s bedroom and set on the bed.

“Now,” Logan said without wasting a beat. “What. Was. That.”

Remus blinked up at him. He worked his jaw. Nothing came out.

Some expositional bullshit? he mentally asked hopefully. The only answer he got was what vaguely felt like the embodiment of a winded wheeze of an exhausted runner. Fantastic help.

“I would like some answers, Remus,” Logan said, and he looked almost angry. “Odd things have happened in your presence before but nothing like this. I watched a car run into nothing and flip as if it had crashed into a row of bollards. You otherwise would have been flattened. You should be dead, or at least in the hospital.” Cool hands cupped Remus’ cheeks, and steel blue eyes bored into him. “I am eternally grateful that that is  not  what has happened, but I need answers.”

Remus tried to talk but didn’t. Logan pulled back and began to pace.

“We already checked the surrounding area,” he began to mutter. “There was no lip on the pavement, nothing to cause such a graphic result. The car’s wheels aside from being burned from skidding were not damaged. I don’t understand what—”

“I’m cursed,” Remus finally croaked. Logan paused to look at him. “It’s me, I—”

“No,” Logan said. “You have tried to tell me this nonsense before, I will not—”

“It’s true,” Remus said vigorously. “It has happened for years, Logan. Every time something mildly inconveniences me, everything goes to shit. Someone on the other end of the street could look at me the wrong way and suddenly they’re tripping over their untied shoelaces and dropping their groceries into the road. My boss doesn’t give me enough hours and suddenly she’s firing the co-worker I hate and giving me their pay. I don’t understand it, Logan, but you can’t keep denying it.”

“Remus—”

“There’s a voice,” he blurted, because he never had much of a filter. “There’s this voice, too. It’s the same one, but I can’t really hear it, you know? Imagine a single intrusive thought, but it’s always saying different things and some of them aren’t even bad.”

Logan now looked concerned. “Remus—”

“It acts like it’s my friend. Like we’re old pals looking out of each other. I hate it, Logan! It’s the reason no one wants to be around me! It’s the reason I can’t trust anyone I meet, because either they’re going to find about me and leave or the voice will tell me something about them that I don’t want to know but it’ll end up being true—”

“Remus.” Logan was crouched in front of him, his hands squeezing his shoulders. “Please breathe. We will work this out.”

“You can’t,” Remus told him. “I have already gone to every doctor, every psychiatrist. The moment I was free of my parents I went to every damn qualified person in this place, for years, and none of them know what it is.

“I went to a goddamn psychic, Logan.” Remus laughed wetly, shaking his head. “That’s how desperate I was. Dumb, right?”

“You are not dumb,” Logan said, and he said it with so much ferocity that it took Remus a moment to realise the voice had said the same thing, much quieter. “You’re troubled. You’re— you just need to find the right answers.”

“I don’t even know what questions I’m asking, anymore,” Remus said, and hated how broken he sounded. He pressed his forehead to Logan’s chest when he stood. “So I don’t know what answers we’re talking about.”

“We’ll figure out something,” promised Logan. “I promise.”

Remus closed his eyes, so tears wouldn’t get past. They stayed like that until Patton tentatively knocked on the door to ask them if they wanted to count down for the new year.

They did. They counted down, and cheered, and danced and sang and Remus drank until he passed out on the couch, snuggled between Janus and Logan. He didn’t even mind waking up the next morning with a throbbing headache.

Virgil referred Remus to his therapist, a cheery moron with an obsession with pink and cartoons. He seemed less focused on diagnosing Remus and simply talking. He referenced a lot of things Remus didn’t know. The voice seemed to like him — not that Remus cared about its opinions. Remus thought that maybe he liked talking to him.

Somewhere along the line, Remus and Logan started dating. Remus wasn’t sure how it had happened, either. He was fairly sure they had been reading on the carpet, and then the next moment they were pressed against the wall, down each other’s throats, so… Remus wasn’t exactly  complaining.

There were bad days, where the voice hadn’t even done anything wrong and yet Remus clawed at his skull. Bad days, where he and Logan fought for real, which scared Remus (he wasn’t easy to scare, either.) At one point, Janus had picked a fight with the wrong group of people and got himself a concussion, which he recovered from fine, but sent Remus to bed with nightmares of blank eyes and bloodied skin for weeks after.

Eventually the dreams stopped, but Remus knew he hadn’t completely recovered when he found himself in the bathroom of an empty apartment, watching white porcelain run red.

Stop it. Remus still had little to no clue how so much as a voice could sound as if it was an aggravated wolf pacing in a tiny metal cage. You need to stop.

Don’t tell me what to do, Remus thought.

Don’t make me stop you myself.

Yeah, Remus thought with a scoff to himself. Good luck with that.

Remus. Please.

Remus shook himself, as if he could physically shake the voice from his head and continued. The voice went quiet.

Time passed, peacefully, blissfully quiet. The sink was stained further.

Remus was almost letting himself relax, but then the door slammed open, somehow, in the middle of the empty apartment, and Logan was standing in the doorway, looking furious, in the empty apartment.

“You said you were fine,” said Logan. Remus felt like a child caught with his hand stuck in the cookie jar. Crusty, bloody cookies. “You. Said—” Logan crossed the room and gripped Remus’s slick wrist in his— “that you were fine.”

“I am!” Remus protested. “I’m just—”

“You are NOT!” Logan roared. Remus flinched back. Logan stilled, then paled. Remus squinted at his far away gaze and wondered in horror why Logan looked as if he was listening to something. “I’m sorry for yelling,” he said quietly, “but you are not okay.”

Remus scowled and looked down at the sink he had ruined.

Logan hummed softly. “I’m going to call your therapist.” Remus whirled on him. “Just to book an earlier appointment, okay? I know you don’t like anyone helping you clean up.”

Remus scowled again. Logan brushed a cool hand across his chin and kissed his cheek. He pulled the medical kit from the cupboard and unpacked the bandages and antiseptic. He instructed Remus he was going to leave the door open. Remus silently got to work cleaning himself up.

Once Logan was out of sight (though Remus could hear him in the kitchen), Remus thought accusatorily, What did you do?

The voice said, without an ounce of regret or pride, I stopped you.

Stop interfering with my life. Whatever-the-fuck you are.

Somewhere, you’ve confused ‘protecting’ with ‘interfering.’

Remus threw the bottle of antiseptic across the room. It smashed against the wall and spilled across the bathtub. “SHUT UP,” he roared.

“Remus?” Logan called.

Get the fuck away from me, Remus growled before Logan hurried into the room.

“What is it?”

Remus shook his head. He couldn’t answer. He never did.

One night, Remus sat on the edge of his bed, staring across the room. The wall was bare. It let him concentrate on what he was thinking. For once, he started talking first.

You’re not a guardian angel.

No.

You’re not a demon, unfortunately.

Certainly not.

Then what the hell are you?

As usual every time Remus asked, the voice did not give him an answer. Remus ground his teeth until his jaw ached.

If there was one thing Remus had been certain of in the duration of his entire life thus far, it was that the voice in his head was nothing but trouble. Irritating, infuriating, no-good trouble. It only ever ruined his relationships, got him into sticky situations, told him things that he didn’t  want  to hear, even if it seemed to think it would help.

The first time the voice was helpful, Remus also felt like his entire mindset had been flipped.

Remus and Logan had been fighting. Worse than usual. Logan was blinking faster than he normally would. Remus was chewing his lip to bloody tatters. He wasn’t sure who had yelled, or what had been yelled, but suddenly it was silent. Logan and Remus stared at each other. Then Logan inhaled shakily and turned.

Remus’ arm shot out and gripped Logan’s wrist. Logan shot him a dark look, but Remus couldn’t explain himself. His voice had completely abandoned him. He worked his jaw. Logan’s eyebrows drew further together.

Remus, for the love of the clovers we picked and weaved as children, kiss him dizzy before I send you both through the window in a fit of pent up frustration-driven rage.

Their lips clashed and locked in a startling display of star-danced vision and warm hands linked at the fingers.

Remus forgot about the voice, about the curse. He forgot about every time he had let someone in only to be hurt, every boyfriend who had taken his heart in their hands and clenched their fists. He forgot every time he and Logan had fought; every time Remus had told himself that it was all a mistake. He even forgot about the constant buzz in the back of his head.

For once in Remus’ life, his mind was quiet.

It was that night, with Logan’s body pressed against his side, staring up at the ceiling, that Remus wordlessly reached for the voice in his head. Somehow, even though he felt nothing and heard no voice, it seemed as if his hand had been grasped.

Remus lay there and maybe for the first time, wasn’t entirely sure he hated the voice in his head.

The voice didn’t remain silent after that night, but it did quieten slightly. Remus made no move to communicate with it.

One day, though, when it was storming outside and Remus needed a distraction because his wrists were itching and his eyes were seeing blood every time he blinked, he spoke.

“You picked clovers.”

We did.

“You did,” Remus corrected, not quite ready to have it spelled out for him.

Yes, said the voice quietly after a moment.

“You’re a voice.”

I have a voice, yes.

“In my head.”

Well, technically—

Remus clenched his fists, frustrated. It seemed to get his point across.

Yes. I suppose.

For a moment, they were both silent. Remus didn’t outright state what he was thinking, but he wondered if something with connections to his mind could work it out.

I can try and prove it, the voice said dubiously. Remus didn’t reply. Lightning flashed outside, accompanied by a low rumble that ratted the house.

Then, from within the bedroom, a low creeeeeak.

Remus looked around dully, too apathetic to be disturbed. His eyes widened, however, when he watched the bedside table’s top drawer sliding open.

“That was locked,” he said. He stood up, his heart beginning to lodge itself in his throat. He staggered around the bed towards the drawer. “No, wait— Not even Logan can get in there— Stop it!”

Something, somehow, slipped from the drawer. Remus practically dove for it before it could crack against the floor and shatter irreparably.

“What do you think you’re—” Remus’ voice swallowed itself back into his chest when he made the mistake of looking down at the picture frame. He snarled against his lumpy throat and tore his eyes from the pair of younger, happier, brighter twins printed on paper. He shoved it back in its drawer and slammed it closed. He pulled himself up to lean against it.

The thunder rumbled again. Remus needed something to ground himself.

“You never told me who you were.” His voice cracked.

A pause.

You never asked, the voice said weakly. Remus felt something inside him erupt.

“What sort of BULLSHIT REASON—”

There was a knock at the bedroom door. “Rem?” called Janus’ voice.

Remus shook his head. “Just— give me a second. I need to uh—” he laughed nonchalantly, “yell at my thoughts for a bit.”

Janus sounded hesitant when he slowly said, “Okay,” but he didn’t press anything.

Remus listened to his fading footsteps and muffled conversation before whirling around as if he were actually facing someone and hissing venomously, “You are very lucky you’re incorporeal otherwise I’d— I’d—”

Kill me over again? the voice supplied.

Remus broke down. Completely against his will, if he had been able to add his own input between the sobs tearing from his throat.

I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, bad wording, horrible word choice, I—

“Why didn’t you SAY ANYTHING?” Remus roared.

What would you have liked me to say? That apparently one accident is enough for a spirit to form and develop a connection with their only blood relative?

“Better that than all this— this— mysterious bullshit my entire life!”

You already thought you were crazy! Roman yelled, a little hysterically. How do you think that would have helped? ‘Oh hello, don’t mind me, just your dead brother’s ghost haunting you through your grief.’

Remus wasn't sure how he’d never noticed it before — maybe he wasn’t paying enough attention, maybe now that he knew he was actively listening for it, or maybe he had even subconsciously suppressed thoughts like the one he was about to admit to himself — but now if he listened, really listened, he could hear Roman in the voice. The way his voice would get higher when upset, and the baritones of his indignation.

Remus didn’t realise he was sobbing harder until he heard both Logan and Roman’s voices overlapping, concern and worry swimming in his head.

Please breathe, Remus, you’re working yourself into a panic attack.

Like you would know anything about that, Remus said.

I would, retorted Roman’s voice, without fire.

“What is it, dear?” Logan was asking, his cool hands tracing Remus’ face. “What’s happened?”

Remus looked up at him, tears rolling down his cheeks, and said with a wet laugh, “I’ve worked out what the asshole voice is all about.”

Logan had led Remus into the kitchen and pressed a warm mug into his hands. Remus had absentmindedly wiggled the cup, watching the dark liquid inside ripple. After making sure Remus was recovering, Logan had ducked from the room to talk to Janus.

“Tell me,” Remus growled quietly. He didn’t elaborate. He knew that he was understood. Still, everything was quiet.

You know when people say your life flashes before your eyes?

Remus did. He didn’t say as much, but he did.

Well, it doesn’t. You don’t have time.

Remus tried not to think about how little time there would have been. How scary it could have looked, could have felt. His clasped hands turned white at the knuckles. “What did you think about?”

A sizable pause, but not one without the comforting ever-constant buzzing hum of the voice’s presence.

You, was the final admission, with no preamble. Logan, too, I think. Our family must have a thing for hot nerds, eh?

“You had a crush on Logan,” Remus said hollowly.

Only a little one.

“That’s… That doesn’t help.”

Sorry. He sounded genuinely apologetic.

“You’ve been fucking with me for years and you don’t seem to have much to apologise for it,” Remus mused.

Sorry, Roman said again, sounding even more like a remorseful kicked puppy.

Remus sighed long and low. His mug tapped roughly against the table as he shoved it away from him to bury his face in his hands. “I can’t believe any of this.”

He wasn’t sure that thinking the weird phantom warmth was  ghosting  over his shoulders was going to do anything good for his deteriorating sense of control over his emotions.

Tell me what to do, said Roman. Please.

Remus squeezed his eyes shut. He swallowed.

“Stay,” was all he could say. “Just. For a while.”

Unfortunately or not, you’re going to be stuck with me for quite a while.

Remus sniffed.

Very unfortunate, he agreed with a hint of a smile.

[emsvegetables]

“Okay, here it goes. Fem!SO HCs who's Suga, Noya, Akaashi, Bokuto and Kenma's gf getting mocked by her own family that she's worthless, useless and ugly (since she's short and chubby) and that no one will love her. She distances herself from the boys. How the boys find out and approach + comfort/reassure her will be up to you. I've been struggling with this for years (except the fact that it's an internal struggle with myself, my family doesn't hurt me like that) and it really sucks. - 🐳 anon”

oh shit, anon, i’m so, so sorry that you’re going through something like this. I cant say that i’m dealing with an exact situation like yours but i’ve gone through something like that before!!!! It’s never nice to go through this alone, and just remember my PMs are always open if you need a chat!!!!!

also, i’m so sorry, but i don’t want to portray the incident wrongly, so i’ll leave the words your family says to you very vague.

Sugawara:

* He’s a really dutiful boyfriend, so he pays a lot of attention to you.

* He doesn’t find out quickly, but it’s something he slowly picks up upon after dating you.

* Sometimes, when he comes over, it’s really obvious that you try your best to not bump into your family members when he’s there, and even if you do bump into them, you mutter out a quick apology and hurry back to the room with him.

* He’s barely exchanged seven sentences with your parents ever since he started to date you, so of course he’s a little curious about that.

* But one day he’s calling you, and you tell him that you need to go abruptly when door to your room opens.

* You press the wrong button and stop video sharing instead of ending the call, and shock sets into Sugawara when he hears the words that your father spews at you.

* He knows that you don’t want him to listen to this, but he can’t help but continue to hear the words your father throws at you.

* Unknowingly, a tear slides down his cheek.

* You of course find out that Sugawara heard the entire thing when you look back at your phone after your father left your room to see that the call was still ongoing.

* The next day, when you see each other in school, it’s obvious that you’re avoiding him, what with you texting him that you won’t meet up with him to walk to school together, and coming into class just a few seconds before the teacher walks in, so he has no chance to talk to you.

* The moment a break comes, you’re running out of the classroom and by the time he hears out, you’re nowhere to be seen.

* Then lunch time comes, and before you speed off, Suga’s grabbing your wrists softly and telling you that the both of you need to talk.

* He brings you to the gym, who has no one during the lunch time, and asks you quietly if what he overheard yesterday was a regular occurrence.

* When you nod timidly, he’s feeling this ache in his heart, because why were you being treated that way??????????

* He’s hugging you and telling you that you aren’t worthless, nor are you ugly, and that you’re perfect to him.

* He’s also telling you that you can come over to his house any time you like, and to call him whenever something like that happens again, because he’ll find a way to get you out of it.

* He loves you so much, and he thinks you’re absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!! Nobody can tell you otherwise and he won’t let them.

Nishinoya:

* Tbh Nishinoya is VERY attentive to his surroundings, bc that’s what a libero is supposed to be!!!!

* So he finds it very, very weird whenever he goes over to your house, and finds out that you’re super quiet in front of your family.

* He’s like: something doesn’t add up here. ):(

* He doesn’t find out until one day, he leaves his phone in your house and he only realised it a few minutes after he left, so he’s running back to your house.

* But then before he knocks on the door, he’s suddenly hearing words that nobody should even hear, and he hears your name, and he realises its being directed to you.

* HES GOING ROLLING THUNDER AND rolling to your garden, and peering through the kitchen window.

* When he sees that he isn’t hearing wrongly, or imagining things, he rolling back to the front door and knocking heavily on the door.

* The shouts immediately cease, and your father opens the door with a smile on his face, and Nishinoya has never wanted to punch a face so badly before.

* You can tell from the way he’s forcing out a smile that he’s heard everything, and you quickly pass him the phone and get him to leave.

* When he tries to corner you the next day at school, it’s plain obvious to anyone, especially him, that you’re avoiding him.

* You’re turning the other way when you see him at the end of the corridor, you’re ignoring him in class, and he’s feeling so sad.

* So he’s instantly running after you the moment school ends, and he’s dragging you to the rooftop to talk to you.

* He’s straightforward, and asks you right away whether whatever he heard your dad say to you happened all the time.

* When you flinch, and nod, he’s instantly clenching his fist, and he’s punching the wall, because why the HELL was anyone treating you that way?????

* He’s telling you that the next time it happens, you should call him because he’s coming over to get you out of that family, and he’s telling you that whatever your family said to you isn’t true, and that you’re bloody gorgeous and if anyone tells you otherwise he’s breaking their face with his fists.

* He makes good on that promise when he comes to visit you in your house a few days later, and accidentally tripping forward and punching your dad in the gut.

Akaashi:

* He’s very, very perceptive, so any moment where something’s wrong his (Y/N) radar is going off and he needs to know if you’re okay.

* He notices how quiet you become whenever you’re around your family, and how you mutter out soft apologies to every thing you do, almost as if it’s been ingrained in your mind.

* He doesn’t find out until one day, he goes to the bathroom while you continue chilling in your room, and suddenly he’s hearing the most degrading words being said, and they’re being directed at you.

* It dawns on him that your father thinks that he left, and it pisses him off to hear how your dad thinks of you.

* For goodness’ sake, he’s your family.

* Family isn’t supposed to act like that.

* He knows he isn’t supposed to be hearing any of those words, but he doesn’t care because all he’s thinking about at that moment is how he was going to cut in.

* So he opens the toilet door as loudly as he cans, and tries to keep his steps soft, and he knocks on the door with a loud cough.

* The voices instantly cease, and when your father comes face to face with Akaashi, you swear, if looks could kill, your father would have dropped dead.

* Akaashi’s staying silent, but he’s grabbing onto your arms and pulling you out of the door.

* “I’m sorry, sir,” his voice is cold,” i would like to take (Y/N) for a walk.”

* When you guys reach a safe distance away from your house, he’s instantly checking to see if you’re okay, and he’s softly asking if that’s happened before.

* When he sees your head nod slightly, he feels this pain in his heart, because why would anyone treat you this way? What the hell was wrong with your family????

* He’s telling you that whenever you feel like you need to leave, you can always come over to his house, and he’ll have a spare bedroom ready for you should you ever want to stay over, and asks you to promise to call him whenever something like that happens again, because he’s running over as fast as he can to remove you from that toxic environment.

* He’s also pressing kisses to your forehead, and telling you that you’re beautiful, and absolutely gorgeous to him, and that you aren’t worthless, and that he loves you so much.

Bokuto:

* Okay, Bokuto’s not the most observant, but what he lacks in intelligence he makes up with emotions!!!!

* He can tell when you’re upset, and for some mysterious reason (that he’s trying his best to find out), you’re upset most of the time.

* It doesn’t really click to him until he’s chilling with you one day in your room and your father returns from work, yelling at you to come out.

* He obviously doesn’t know that Bokuto’s here, because your father has never ever raised his voice in front of Bokuto.

* When you tell Bokuto to stay in the room, he watches you head out, and realises how you sink just a little bit, and suddenly he’s hearing a endless amount of insults streaming at you.

* Bokuto doesn’t get angry easily.

* Sure, he has mini tantrums, but it’s all him feeling sad at himself, he’s never angry.

* But when he hears the words getting thrown at you, he’s storming out of your room, and trust me, an angry Bokuto is someone no one wants to mess with.

* He’s glaring at your dad, but he knows that he has to be respectful.

* “Sir, i’d appreciate if you don’t speak to (Y/N) that way.”

* Your father obviously stops immediately, because he didn’t know Bokuto was here, and he keeps silent for a while, and walks into his own room, slamming the door.

* Bokuto’s instantly carrying you out of the house, bringing you to the nearby playground and placing you on the swing.

* “Does he speak to you like that all the time??????”

* He’s so confused because how can someone treat you that way? How can someone treat ANYONE that way??

* He’d be so angry, too, when you nod your head, because why were you getting hurt like that?????

* He’s instantly peppering kisses everywhere onto your face, and he’s telling you that you’re really pretty to him and that you aren’t worthless to him, and that you’re worth more than a bazillion good spikes to him, and that you mean the world to him.

* He loves you so much, and if he hears your dad treat you like that again, he’s going for the kneecaps, no warnings given.

Kenma:

* Kenma’s very analytical and very observant, so he obviously picks up on something being wrong after he spends some time with you.

* One thing he quickly picks up on is that you’re really reserved whenever he comes to visit you.

* Then he finds out why.

* He’s playing video games on your bed while you do your homework, and that’s when he hears the front door unlock.

* He hears your father call your name in an angry tone, and he instantly stiffens.

* “It’s okay, Kenma,” you shoot a wan smile at him,” i’ll go check what’s wrong.”

* It doesn’t escape his notice that you’re visibly dragging your feet downstairs.

* Then he’s hearing the way your dad speaks to you, harsh, biting words that should never, ever be spoken to anyone.

* He’s really shocked, because your dad has never appeared to him as anything as a doting father, so hearing those words make him so shocked, and at the same time, an ache appears in his chest.

* Then he hears you tell your dad that he’s here, and the house becomes silent again.

* You come back to the room after a while, and he knows better than to prod you, but he really, really wants to know if that happened regularly.

* “Are you okay?” he’s putting down his switch and asking you quietly.

* When you nod your head, he knows your lying, but he continues on.

* “Does this happen all the time?”

* He needs to know.

* When you nod your head slightly, he feels his heart break, because what did you do to deserve being treated like that?????

* He’s pulling you into a hug, and he’s telling you that you’re beautiful and amazing, and that you’re not worthless.

* And from then onwards, he’s trying his best to always get you out of the house, and if he hears your dad speak to you like that again, he’s going to make sure there’s hell to pay.

[marshmallowprotection]

Commission for @that-russian-gal

Fandom: Mystic Messenger

Bio: You found yourself drawn in by the two of them and by the time you’re in too deep, there’s no way to turn around and escape from those devious western partners. 

Characters: Reader, Judas Choi, Minji Cho

Length: 1500

This is 100% OC Centric, so keep that in mind.

This was never any place for someone to live and travel without knowing what they were getting themselves into. 

When you left home to find someplace where you could see yourself living and changing for the better, or the worse, frankly, anything was better than staying at home, you never thought that you would find yourself in the sprawling area that amassed mountains and desert. 

But, this is where you had come and this was where you had wound up. 

There was no changing that fact so you made time to try and settle down. 

At least, for the time being. 

This area was different from what you were used to by all accounts, and though you were still going through periods of culture shock to being a fish out of water… you were settling in rather nicely for the most part. You had got a steady job working at the local bank which was an influx of visitors due to the booming gold industry. 

Some people were getting lucky and others were just slaving away in the dirt, unable to get the fortune that they so desperately wanted to hold in their hands. That’s not what you were invested in. No, you’d just wanted to live a quiet and peaceful little life in your bubble and enjoy the company of the nice feeling of knowing that you were living the way you wanted.

And not the way that someone wanted you to be living. 

It was a quiet little life but it was one that you proud of because you’d done all of this on your own. Nobody had helped you put together your house and nobody had given you anything to get to where you were today. It was built upon your own two hands and for that, you were proud of how far you’d come from that person you used to be. 

Time can change a lot about a person but one thing seemingly would never change: The fact that you’d been drawn to eye people that shined like jewels against the dusty clay soil, and as guilty as you were of this fact, you had no shame in that regard. If you saw a pretty face? You would lean towards that person in the hopes that maybe you’d be able to catch their eye someday. 

For example, you had an ongoing little game with the local baker, who made what you would call the best bread in all the west. It was made with the delicate care of her hands and each step was done with the notion that any bite someone took would have the same consistency. She took her job seriously in a way that nobody else could or would. 

Banana bread and raisin bread… all kinds of specialty items that she worked hard to get deals for considering the area that they lived in. It was hard to maintain gardens and food out here.

However, Minji was nobody to laugh at. She had managed to make deals and friendships with all kinds of people. Which meant that nobody dared mess with her in the slightest. If they did, they knew that it would not only occur the wrath of the people that cared for her but the people that had a strong need for her baked goods. 

You could never tell what she was thinking but God, you could’ve listened to her talk all day about nothing and you’d still be interested in seeing her every day. It was the same song and dance every day you visited her at her bakery once you got out of work. She’d smile at you, extend her hand, and you’d shake it with a gentle fever. 

“Nice of ya’ to drop by,” she’d beam without question. Her golden curls carefully braided and out of her face. “I was hoping that I would see you again. There’s something that I’d love for you to try out for a taste. I want to share it in the shop but I need to know that it may be good enough for my customers, and I trust you dearly.” 

“Absolutely, anything to help you out,” you responded, never once looking away from her face as she giggled and laughed. “It’s no trouble for me. You do make the best of the best, Minji. You always make sure that everything you sell is perfect.” 

Her head bobbed as she nodded, “Only because you’ve helped me so much lately. I doubt the business would be fairin’ as well without ya’ helpin’ me out, my favorite customer! Well, less yer’ countin’ my honey and darlin’, too.” 

It was always the same story but you never pressed her to do anything that she wasn’t comfortable with. She was the one setting the pace for you. She was the one luring you in with a heart of gold and making you fall deeper and deeper into a trance around her heart. 

Whether she liked you the way that you liked her or not, God, you always wanted to stay her “favorite customer”.

The way that her fingers ran through your hair and coaxed you to come closer and closer, the way that her lips lingered close to yours whenever she pulled you into a strong hug and the way that she smiled so broadly whenever you got tongue-tied from one of her compliments. As eccentric and as bubbly as she was, she never quite realized just how easy it would be for her to date someone. 

That was the portion that was hardest for you because you didn’t just have a tender feeling in your heart for Minji alone. No, because her darling that she mentioned happened to be the other person that you could never get off of your mind. His name was Judas, and he was the star of the show in the local saloon. 

Nobody could take their eyes off of him.

Not men, not women, and not anyone in-between or outside of that. 

He was always center-stage and he always knew how to make people swoon and sigh. You spent quite a bit of your free time just sitting in that bar and watching him flirt and taunt some of the patrons as the outfit you wore left little to the imagination. He would always take the time to come and see you when he noticed you were around.

His fingers curling underneath your chin and beckoning you to look at him, only him, and watch as his lips brush so sweetly against your cheek. It left your heart pounding and he always whispered so low in a sultry tone that, “Ya’ don’t owe me a thing, sweetheart. Pretty little fillies get my affection my free and you’re just my type.” 

It left you sputtering and kept you on your toes for the longest time. You never knew how to react or respond to him, all you knew that he liked playing with you and you weren’t going to tell him to stop doing that. A part of you wanted to be played with. 

The corset was snug around his waist and the unbuttoned state of the shirt lay flush against his skin. His raven hair contrasted the softness of his skin tone, and his blue eyes shimmered like starlight on a cloudless night. He had a way of purring and pawing at people to get them to pay up or to listen to what he had to say. 

Anyone and everyone that had taste was interested in getting to know him and getting close to him, but it was known that he was very intimate with the baker. The way that he always lit up when he’d seen her stop by was telling enough. Not that it made anyone jealous, no, as a matter of fact, if and when people realized that the tall girl was around her short boyfriend—

They’d wind up fawning over the two of them and sighing contentedly if they were given any little ounce of attention. 

To be pushed and pulled between the two of them was a dream and a dream that you were quite frankly living. You weren’t sure when it started or how it started, all you knew that you were right where you wanted to be. It might have had something to do with how badly Judas wanted you and how quickly you realized that Minji had just the same desire. 

Weeks of you missing their hints because you were too caught up in the idea that you were shameful for wanting the both of them when they so very clearly wanted you as their cute little partner to have and to tease with a smile. 

They had been working together to pin you down until you realized the truth that had been there all along. You had spent so long pining that you had blinded yourself to the fact that they were both flirting with you openly and presently for so long. 

It took one of them grasping you by the arm and kissing you for you to stop and think: Oh. Oh.

That was why you were pleased to be where you were at that very moment; Judas’ arms clasped tightly around your waist as you sat in his arms and he kissed at your neck with a gentle desire, all the while Minji’s hands carded through your hair and her lips kissed every single spot on your face that she had desired. Between the two of them—

You had never felt so wanted in your entire life, nor had you ever felt this warm and flustered. They’d been more confident and blasé about the entire time, and you felt like you were catching up to them but they would always be one step ahead of you. Which wasn’t such a bad thing. You could’ve kept yourself in this spot forever. 

“Darlin’, you’re just too good for us,” Judas’ voice was low and reverberated in your ears as he chuckled. 

Minji kissed your forehead. You could feel the smile brewing against her lips. “Mhm, they’re too cute, it’s not fair. I’m glad they’re our darlin’, Jude.”

This was right where you wanted to be, and you’d let out a contented sigh, melting into their touches as the hum of the cicadas echoed from outside.