#sorry but like you didn't take me at good faith so i won't take you either

[dresshistorynerd]

There is no way to say it pleasantly. Your recent post about Julie... its speculation is a slap in the face of masculine women. Dressing in men's clothing is not a statement against being female, especially in times when male clothes were far more practical than women's. (And especially in the case of a bisexual or homosexual woman!) Behaving "unwomanly" is evidence only in the eyes of sexists. But even today... it is stunning to think that a woman, should her every thought not be recorded, could be deemed a secret man for being masculine! That lingering speculation, despite absence of proof, is rather insulting.

Your reading of my post is extremely dishonest or you didn't actually read the post. The whole time I talk about her as a sapphic woman, because that is what the evidence most point towards. If you think even raising the possibility that she might have been somewhere in the genderqueer or trans spectrum (like some butch lesbians identify as genderqueer and/or trans too), is an insult and means I'm sexist or some shit, there's no way to say it pleasantly, you're probably just a fucking terf.

Now I have no illusions that correcting some of the inaccurate things you said will do anything to change your mind, but because we're already here and I'm allergic to these bad fashion history takes, I'll correct them anyways. This is more for anyone else who happens to see this and actually has some level of reading comprehension.

The women's dress at the time was not necessarily any more impractical than the men's dress. The impractical part of high society women's dress was the skirt that usually had a large trail. But they would also have much more practical dresses for casual usage. High society men wore large wigs that were I would assume pretty impractical. Their clothing, which was well fitted around the torso, closed with buttons and then not very easily adjustable. On the other hand the women's dress was either loose and pinned and belted to fit (in the case of mantua) or laced (in the case of rigid gown) so very easily adjustable even during the day to keep it comfortably fitted to the changes in the body. This would be more practical for anyone, but especially to most afab people, whose bodies can change quite drastically thorough the month.

My point is actually no Julie de Maupin did not have any practical reason to dress in men's clothing. In fact it was impractical for her. As I point out in the post she struggled with the leading female roles, which she wanted to get, partly because her off-stage personality clashed so much with them. (At first) she didn't get as much recognition of performances in leading roles as in supportive roles, partly because the audiences had trouble buying her performances in those roles.

And the other point. The modern concept of fashion doesn't entirely apply to the past. Now fashion is seen as self-expression. Even being into fashion is seen as an indication of certain personality. This was not the case in the time when Julie was alive. Back then fashion was much more social decorum. To be able to participate in the high society you had to keep up with fashion. There were people who were more fashionable than others, sure but they were mostly just the richest young people around, and that made them most fashionable. Fashion was not for self-expression, it was mostly for expression of hierarchy. It was also for political expression. (There's an interesting paper on the contemporary commentary of the politics of the court fashions, which I will link here, when I'm on my desktop.) It was not about what you wanted to wear, but what you wanted others to think about you.

In addition to that at the time clothing was integral part of gender (arguably still is judging from all the conservatives loosing their minds when a man dares to wear a dress). Women in breeches and men in skirts were seen as transgressing on gender. This can be seen even in the mid 1600s conservative reaction to when women's riding habit first appeared (they never change do they?). They complained that the women were basically indistinguishable from young pretty men and like the women were even wearing skirts (seen below)? Part of this was that both the women and men were shaping their silhouettes with their clothing to gain the fashionable feminine and masculine silhouettes, which meant that different shaped bodies could still achieve either silhouette.

Looking through this lens we can ask, why did Julie wanted to be seen as transgressing on gender even though it hindered her career? I think there could be many answers to this question and one could be that she wanted to be seen as not-woman (or maybe not entirely woman). We can never know, because we don't have any of her thoughts about her androgynous expression surviving to this day.

[fairyhaos]

❍ ultimate boyfriend material // lee dokyeom

dokyeom x gn!reader (ft. bsf!hoshi), 3k+ words

tags: elementary teacher!dk, fluff, crack, established relationship, bi disaster hoshi bc i said so 😗✌, literally just for fun idk what this is lmao

warnings: swearing, alcohol + food mention, yn has only had bfs before, a bit rambly pls bear w me

summary: in which you bring your boyfriend seokmin to yours and soonyoung's monthly dinners, and it ends up going way better than anyone had expected.

You glance upwards to see Soonyoung looming forebodingly over you like a disapproving shadow, and you sigh.

"Soonyoung. Look. It's going to be totally fine. Seokmin is really, really sweet."

Soonyoung doesn't cease in his looming, continuing to glare darkly down at you as you take your shoes off, having just entered his house for your monthly dinner chats. "I'm sorry, Y/N, but your current track record means that I don't believe you in the slightest."

"Come on, my taste in boyfriends isn't that bad."

Soonyoung squawks, breaking his intimidating façade in an instant. "Isn't that b— your last boyfriend tried to hit on my girlfriend! Whilst both of us were right there!"

You cringe a little at the memory, before waving off his words. "This time won't be like that. I promise."

"Oh, it better not be like that,” your best friend says darkly as he leads you through his apartment. “I held back last time, but if this guy is as much of a douchebag as the other one, then I’m punching him all the way into space.”

“Seokmin won’t be that bad at all, I promise! Also, please don’t punch anyone,” you beg, trailing after him into the kitchen. “You know how much of a wimp you are.”

Soonyoung simply ignores your jab at his strength with a sniff. “Well, we’ll see how good of a boyfriend this Seokmin is, first.”

Every month since graduating and having to move away due to your respective jobs, you and your best friend, Soonyoung, set aside one Saturday evening where you meet at one another's houses, have dinner, and complain about all the ridiculous things that have gone on in your life whilst the two of you were apart. 

They were fun, easy ways to destress, and you loved catching up with your best friend. But after the first disastrous dinner all those years ago where you'd brought your then-boyfriend to meet Soonyoung, every few months, the monthly dinners became a sort of hell the revolved specifically around the idea of your boyfriends acting up terribly and Soonyoung staring at you with less and less faith in your ability to choose a suitable romantic partner for yourself. 

This time, you'll be introducing your fourth boyfriend over the course of the several years of these dinners, and it's safe to say that you're a bit nervous. 

“This Seokmin guy already has some notes in my bad books right now, though,” Soonyoung says as he brings out the snacks, pouring chips into little fancy dishes. This time, it's his turn to host, and he likes pretending these are fun, formal affairs. “He didn't even show up with you. Where is he?”

You sigh, picking up a few dishes and following Soonyoung out of the kitchen and into the living room. 

“I told you, he has a work thing,” you explain. “He's always really busy, but he'll be here, I promise. He promised me that he'll make time for this.”

Soonyoung snorts sceptically. “Well, that'll be a new one,” he says. “Your boyfriend not even showing up.”

“He will show up!” you say, and then roll your eyes. “Come on, Soonyoung. Don't judge the guy. You haven't even met him yet.”

“Oh, I'm judging alright,” Soonyoung says, shaking his head. He flops down onto the sofa. “Though I have to say, the bar is practically on the floor, right now. After seeing the kind of guys you date, I'll be blown away if he's not some kind of psychopath.”

You groan as you sit down next to him, immediately attacking the chips. “No matter what you say, my first boyfriend wasn't actually some psycho.”

“And neither was your second, huh?”

“Wh—no! Come on, Soons, all my boyfriends were actually quite sweet,” you argue. “The second guy paid for everything for me when we were dating.”

“Yeah, and then you broke up with him at our dinner and he smashed his own phone out of anger then tried to steal my silverware,” Soonyoung points out. “Why even try to steal my silverware, anyway? I own, like, five forks, and that's it.”

You look at Soonyoung, curious. “You own five forks?”

He waves a hand. “Yeah. But anyway, my point is, my expectations are very low, but that doesn't mean my standards are. If he's a bad person, even if he’s not as bad as the others, it doesn't matter. I'm kicking him out. You might have bad taste, but you still deserve better.”

With another long-suffering sigh, you rub your forehead. “Soonyoung, I promise you. Seokmin is actually a decent guy. You'll love him a lot, too, I'm sure of it.”

Soonyoung eyes you sceptically. “I'll believe it when I see it.”

“I swear to God—”

Three, neat knocks on Soonyoung’s front door interrupt you, and both of you stare at each other, eyes wide. 

“That's Seokmin,” you say, and immediately leap up from the sofa to go greet your boyfriend. 

“Hey, let me go see the guy first, I wanna see if he's actually all that gr—”

“Seokmin,” you say a little breathlessly, having already opened the door before Soonyoung can leave the living room and get to his own front door. When he gets there, though, he slows down, surprised. 

Seokmin beams at you, all shining eyes and gentle care. His hair is wind-ruffled, as if he'd run all the way from the bus stop in a hurry, and he's apologising profusely for being late but you simply wave his words aside, kissing him on the cheek placatingly and then laughing when he gives you a kiss on the nose in return. 

He's cute, Soonyoung realises, astounded. You look really cute together. 

Well. As Seokmin smiles at you and pinches your cheek adoringly, Soonyoung is at least able to quite happily cross off Not a psychopath on his list of worries over your boyfriend.

“Here, this is Soonyoung!” you say, leading Seokmin by the hand further into the house as if you own the place, pointing to where Soonyoung is standing at the end of the hall. “Soonyoung, meet Seokmin, my boyfriend.”

Seokmin smiles at him, expression turning a little nervous as he gives Soonyoung a wave. “Hi! It's nice to meet you.”

He holds something out to him, and it's then that Soonyoung notices the bag in Seokmin's hands that holds a rather expensive bottle of wine, and his eyes widen. 

“I kind of panicked and bought the most expensive one I could see,” Seokmin said, shoulders rising bashfully even as he smiles. “But I couldn't exactly come empty-handed, so, uh, here you go?”

Soonyoung shakes himself out of his daze, and gives a smile back, because it's somehow weirdly impossible not to when this guy smiles at him like that. 

“Thanks,” Soonyoung says, accepting the wine. None of your other boyfriends had ever brought round gifts before. “And don't stress about it. If it doesn't taste good, then we can always bust out the cans of beer,” he jokes, and Seokmin beams, relieved. 

You watch the entirety of the short exchange and can't help but smile, excited that maybe, this time, things will go well. 

“Well,” Soonyoung continues, and then gestures towards the living room. “Would you like to have this wine along with some snacks before we have dinner?”

───────────── ⏰

For the rest of the time that you're talking before actually having dinner, Soonyoung observes your new boyfriend like a hawk. 

Whilst he was, admittedly, briefly awestruck by how cute this Seokmin was (none of your boyfriends were ever cute: ridiculously handsome, sure, but cute was definitely new) he couldn't afford to let himself be swept away by that first impression. Your second and third boyfriends had originally been nice, after all, until they were… not. 

“So, Seokmin,” Soonyoung says in his ‘Y/N’s Boyfriends Interrogation Tone’, leaning forward. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see you cringing in embarrassment. “What do you do for a living?”

Seokmin blinks at him from over the rim of his wine glass, round-eyed innocent as he takes a sip then beams. “I teach at the nearby elementary school! Working with kids is like daily marathon training, I swear, but they're all so cute so it makes it all worthwhile.”

Soonyoung raises his eyebrows, surprised. 

Elementary school teacher was definitely not a job he'd expected from one of your boyfriends. It wasn't a profession that really made much money, and all of your exes had been… well, rolling in cash.

“They all absolutely adore him, too,” you add, leaning forward with a smile. “You should see him with the kids. They’re literally all over him the minute he walks into the room.”

Seokmin laughs, embarrassed at the obvious admiration in your tone, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m around them literally every week, so I guess it’s inevitable that they grudgingly accept me.”

“It’s not just grudging acceptance,” you say, waving a hand. “I’ve seen them! They literally love you so much.”

“You saw them for one afternoon,” Seokmin says, but he’s smiling at you, all fond. “And most of the time they were fawning over you, saying that you were so pretty and there was no way you’d date someone like me.”

That makes you laugh, evidently pleased by Seokmin’s adorable little compliment, and Soonyoung stares dumbfoundedly as the two of you continue bantering. It’s almost like he’s not there. He’s a bystander, observing from the outside whilst you smile at your boyfriend and recount that time you visited him at work (you’ve visited Seokmin’s elementary school and yet Soonyoung didn’t know he existed until a week ago?), and your eyes are practically sparkling as you look at him, and Soonyoung feels very, very astounded.

Never before has he seen you look so comfortable with someone outside the close friends you already have. It’s quite cute.

And also sucks a little, because now Soonyoung has to begrudgingly contemplate whether to move ‘Lee Seokmin’ firmly into his good books.

“Alright, okay, okay,” Soonyoung interrupts the two of you as you giggle about something that had happened with Seokmin’s students. “I see that you didn't tell me about Seokmin when you visited him at school once, but I guess I'll let it slide.”

You roll your eyes as Soonyoung takes a brief moment to pout in annoyance. “Because he and I had only just started dating, then. I didn't want you scaring him away with that terrifying face of yours.”

Soonyoung eyes you, unimpressed. “I'll have to know that this terrifying and handsome face is exactly why I keep getting hired as a choreographer again and again.”

That makes you scrunch up your face, evidently disagreeing with his statement, but you don't get to retort as Seokmin leans forward then, eyes bright and keenly fixed on Soonyoung. 

“Oh! Y/N told me you do choreos for idol groups, and teach classes,” Seokmin says. “That's so cool.”

The awe is so pure and present on his face and Soonyoung can't help but preen a little. 

“Thanks! I've worked with a few notable people, yeah, but I love teaching classes more than anything else,” Soonyoung says. “Teaching budding dancers is always so fun for me.”

Seokmin shakes his head, amazed. “I'm terrible at dancing. My kids were having a recital today—which was why I was late, and I'm so sorry about that—and I've been teaching them the dance for the past several weeks. If there's one thing I've learned from it, though, is that dancing... isn't exactly my best skill.”

He says it so dramatically, face dead-serious like it's the gravest matter in the world, and Soonyoung can't help but laugh. 

“I'm sure that's not true,” he assures, but he sees you shaking your head fervently, a smile on your face.

“No, he's actually the worst in the world” you say, and Seokmin pouts and cries out in protest. “Baby, it’s true! You and I both know it.”

“Y/N’s exaggerating,” Seokmin says, almost embarrassedly, in Soonyoung’s direction, making you laugh. You take out your phone, beginning to scroll through something. “I’m not that bad. Just a little bad.”

“I mean, anyone can get better with some training. And Y/N really does like being dramatic, so—”

You shake your head, turning your phone towards Soonyoung. There’s a video playing on your screen, taken from a darkened house party, loud music playing from the speakers. “Just look, Soonyoung. You’ll see what I mean.”

Soonyoung watches the video, which evidently turns out to showcase Seokmin’s dancing skills. The cameramanship is shoddy, and it’s obvious that it’s you recording, your barely-suppressed laughter sounding so fond as you record your boyfriend.

Your boyfriend who, genuinely, really is rather bad at dancing. In kind of a cute way. But still really, shockingly terrible.

“Well,” Soonyoung says, after a moment. “Well.”

Seokmin is still pouting. “Can I use ‘abstract dance’ as my excuse?”

Both you and Soonyoung laugh at that, and you lean over to your boyfriend to coo over him and pinch his cheeks, placating him in an adoring tone and. Even though Soonyoung should feel annoyed at the blatant affection, he can’t help but smile.

Okay, so Seokmin is cute, and a little bit funny, Soonyoung observes. His regard of this guy has gone up, just a little bit.

“You two are really adorable together,” Soonyoung admits, before clasping his hands all business-like, preparing to go back into interrogation mode. 

You beam at his comment, and look over at Seokmin proudly, who also seems a little relieved. But Soonyoung isn't quite finished. He wants just a little more information before he fully decides what his opinion of Seokmin should be.

He leans forward. “So, how long have you been dating?”

“Only about three months,” Seokmin says. Soonyoung is about to frown and comment on the short time, before Seokmin grins, all sunshine-like and takes your hand. “But we’ve known each other for a lot longer than that.”

“Seokmin used to be my neighbour, back when we were in middle school,” you say, and Soonyoung’s eyes widen comically fast. “He’s… well, he was the ‘cute neighbour boy’ that I was always telling you about.”

Soonyoung jaw drops open in an instant, feeling like he’s had the wind punched out of him at the abrupt revelation. 

‘Cute neighbour boy’ was the son of the family that had lived next door to you back when you and Soonyoung were younger, and you would arrive at school every day to tell him about the latest adorable conversation you’d had with the boy next door from over the backyard fence. Soonyoung had teased you endlessly for it, but you’d insisted it wasn’t a crush and that he was just some friendly boy who always made your evenings a little sunnier with his nonsensical, cute tales.

Soonyoung hadn’t really believed it, but ‘cute neighbour boy’ moved out of town before he could ever remind you that he wanted to meet him, and your conversations moved away from the topic after that. 

“You’re cute neighbour boy?” Soonyoung asks raspily, his voice having stopped working due to his surprise at this turn of events. “You’re—and you met him again?” he says, turning to you in amazement.

Seokmin laughs, rubbing his nose bashfully. “I was walking home after work when we met again, and I just knew Y/N on sight. I was… I kind of fell in love, all those years ago, so I was so glad that we were able to meet again.”

“Then we started talking again, became friends, started dating… and now here we are,” you say, and look over at Seokmin once more, stars in your eyes. “I’m glad I found you again.”

Seokmin visibly melts. “I’m glad I found you again, too.”

You smile, eyes crinkling, and Seokmin’s eyes crinkle in sync, fondly reaching over to pinch your cheek before his thumb smooths over your cheekbone, affectionately soft.

“Fuck,” Soonyoung swears softly to himself as he watches the way Seokmin handles you so gently, like you’re something so precious to him.

A cute, funny guy who works with kids and looks at you like you hung all the stars in the sky? 

Looks like Lee Seokmin has definitely made his way into Soonyoung’s super-duper good books.

“Right,” he announces suddenly, causing the two of you to jump. “Dinner will be ready in about five minutes. I hope you guys like roast chicken.”

Seokmin beams at him. “That sounds great! Do you mind if I use your bathroom first, though? And I’ll need to wash my hands. Dealing with kids is not the cleanest job in the world.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” Soonyoung gestures to the bathroom. “Door on the left.”

Seokmin excuses himself, bowing to Soonyoung and sending another smile your way before heading out of the room. Soonyoung watches the way you watch him go, looking at him like he’s the reason the world still spins every single day.

God, you’re so in love. But, Soonyoung has to admit, he kind of sees why.

You finally turn to look at your best friend once Seokmin has left the room, eyes sparkling.

“So,” you say, the anticipation. “What do you think?”

Soonyoung can’t hold his polite and put-together facade any longer.

“Holy shit,” he bursts out, and you laugh, delighted. “Y/N, where did you find him?”

You grin, the relief and love clear in your face as you shrug teasingly. “Just out and about. Why? You jealous?”

“Very,” Soonyoung groans. “Wow. I never thought someone like that even existed, let alone that it’d be my best friend who ends up bagging them.”

“What can I say? I have excellent taste,” you say. 

Soonyoung shakes his head, amazed. He can’t even argue with you anymore. Seokmin is the epitome of boyfriend material. He’s just the most incredible guy in the world.

And that makes him utterly perfect for you.

He furrows his brows, thinking deeply, before suddenly lurching forward and holding you by the shoulders. Soonyoung looks you dead in the eye, serious.

"Y/N. Can I date your boyfriend too?"

That makes you splutter out a laugh, shoving him off. "What the— no! Get your own boyfriend!"

Soonyoung whines, but he's smiling, and you can't help but smile too, because all of this is Soonyoung being his lighthearted, teasing self, which is just proof that he approves, that he thinks Seokmin is good enough for you, and it makes your heart feel light. 

He edges closer to you again, nudging you in the side. "Okay, but seriously, if I asked him... do you think he'd let me—?"

You smack his face away, laughing. "Hey. Back off. Seokmin’s mine."

fics tags: @jeonginssa @weird-bookworm @minhui896 @slytherinshua @haowrld @belladaises @moonlitskiiies @mirxzii @zozojella @kawennote09 @a-wandering-stay @abibliolife @doublasting @wonranghaeee @icyminghao @sweet-like-caramel @your-yxnnie @odxrilove @kyeomyun @crackedpumpkin @jeonride @kellesvt @eightlightstar @onlyyjeonghan @aaniag @starshuas @raevyng @isabellah29 @hrts4hanniehae @mcu-incorrect @dokyeomkyeom @suraandsugar @haodore @tulsa24 @melodicrabbit

[demonpiratehuntress]

baby (name)! (Mihawk, Buggy, Shanks, Brook, Chopper)

featuring - Dracule Mihawk x F!Reader, Buggy x F!Reader, Shanks x F!Reader, Brook x F!Reader, Chopper x F!Reader

summary - you somehow get turned into a baby and they have to spend 24 hours babysitting you

warnings - my first time writing for ALL of these characters, so i'm sorry if i get their characters wrong! im only 416 episodes into the anime. i tried my best!

a/n - this was requested by @faioula16, i hope you like it!

MIHAWK

This could honestly go either way. This guy is unpredictable and even you never know what his next move will be. But you're his faithful and loving girlfriend, so there are some exceptions when it comes to you. Like when some deranged devil fruit user turns you into a baby, and Mihawk could have had someone else take care of you, but he wanted to do it himself. He was curious, now that it was you who was an infant.

But that may also be because a witness to the scene had expressed fear for infant you, saying that Mihawk was too cold and ruthless to take care of a baby. He didn't need to prove otherwise, and he didn't want to, but something just gnawed at him. Protectiveness, maybe. You were in such a vulnerable state right now, only he could protect you and care for you.

It had absolutely nothing to do at all with the fact that you looked so adorable staring at him with your big (eye colour) eyes, reaching out to tap his because the strange colour fascinated you. No, it had nothing to do with how cute your excited squeal was every time he picked you up or looked at you. He was absolutely not entranced by your cute little smile or how you clung to him with little hands that could barely hold his one finger. Absolutely not.

Mihawk is actually a pretty good babysitter. But only for you. He will sit and read to you with you on his lap, trying not to smile when you giggle and smack the book, always catching you when you lunged forward excitedly and almost fell off his lap. He will never finish the story, but he reads to you anyway because you seem to like it...for a little while.

"(Name), no!"

He almost had a heart attack when he set you down for one second to put the book away, and you almost fell off the table because you were trying to crawl to him. Your eyes filled with tears when he yelled, even if he hadn't meant to sound angry. His gaze softened, and he picked up and cradled you against his chest, pressing a gentle kiss to your temple.

"It's alright, I won't hurt you. You're fine, little one."

And then you really are fine, your little body comforted by his actions and words. They lull you into sleep, and soon you rest on his shoulder and fall into a deep sleep, gripping his shirt collar tightly in your tiny fist.

"Sleep well, (Name)."

When you awake, in your usual adult form, you're too nervous to suggest it, but thankfully Mihawk is thinking the same thing.

"I think I'd like a little you or me to keep me company."

BUGGY

Buggy is horrible with children. I mean he's not great with people, but he is absolutely, terrifyingly not good with kids at all. So when you were somehow turned into a tiny human being who could barely stand on two legs, he was shocked. And slightly scared, though he would never admit it. You were the only person he genuinely liked, so he tried not to be too...rough, with your little form. Picking you up was as far as he got, but even then he held you out awkwardly like a football.

And then you squealed and happily reached for his nose, the bright red circular appendage attracting your attention instantly. Now, Buggy was sensitive about his nose, but he let you touch it. A testament to how much he liked you. And, if he were being honest, you were actually kind of cute squeezing his nose like that until he couldn't breath-

Exhale out the mouth.

When he remembered he could use his mouth to breathe, he smiled a little at how much you were enjoying yourself playing with his nose. You even touched his makeup and all his markings, out of curiosity. Your eyes were bright with confusion but also fascination, and it did something weird to Buggy. Made him feel...warm inside?

Then he decided to, experimentally, see what your reaction to his devil fruit would be in this tiny form. He set you down on the floor again, and then detached his hand. Your eyes went wide and you instantly covered your eyes with your small hands, your bottom lip trembling. He panicked, tripping over himself and falling into a tangled heap in front of you. You peeked between your fingers to see this, then burst out into cute laughter. Buggy almost glared at you, but then remembered you were just a baby and instead picked himself up and smiled - or rather tried his best not to smile like a maniac - at you.

Then you saw his floating hand, and grabbed it.

"No no, (Name), that's not-"

You stuck his fingers in your mouth, and he groaned. You just giggled innocently, and only then did he realise his devil fruit could be a source of entertainment for you. He detached multiple limbs and floated them around, watching as you squealed in glee and crawled around trying to catch them.

Were you actually having fun because of him?

When he finally put his body back together again, you pouted but crawled up to his leg and hugged it, gurgling happily as if to thank him. He was stunned. He slowly picked you up and you offered him a toothless smile, before yawning. Still unsure, he laid you on his shoulder and awkwardly patted your back, but that seemed to work because you slowly fell asleep.

When you woke up again, finally an adult, you grinned at him, "Shall we make you a father?"

SHANKS

It was his fault, really. He picked the fight, contrary to his usual behaviour. But that guy had said something about you, and he couldn't ignore it, so of course he acted. And now here you were, a tiny baby fisting his shirt in your tiny hand and looking up at him with big, curious (eye colour) eyes. He had experience with children, of course, having spent some time with Luffy. But you were so small, so delicate.

"Captain, what-"

He ignored the confused questions from his crew as he brought you back on board the ship, immediately taking you to his quarters. It shouldn't last long, he reminded himself, but he still felt guilty. Though that quickly disappeared when you giggled and crawled around his quarters, knocking things over and hiding with a loud giggle when he caught you.

"Oi, (Name)!" He tried to sound stern, he really did, but his laugh have his mood away. You stuck your head out from under his bed and stuck your tiny tongue out at him, and he burst out laughing. "Oh, you're cute, sweetheart."

He lifted you up again and you squealed excitedly and reached for his hair, the bright colour attracting your attention. He grinned and put you on his head, keeping his hands on your small waist, and soon felt you tug on his red strands. You were giggling and pulling and kicking your legs happily, so he endured the pain just for your sake. It was very cute how you thought his hair was a toy, and by the time you got tired of it, it was a mess. Strands were everywhere, out of place, sticking out...but it didn't matter to him.

Because now you were looking at him with your big, innocent eyes and suckling on your hand as he cradled you against his chest. He gently rubbed your back and pressed a soft kiss to your tiny tuft of (hair colour) hair.

"You're so pretty even as a baby, (Name)."

You rewarded him with a sloppy kiss on his cheek, making him laugh. He sat on his bed with you still in his arms, watching as you grew tired and offered him the cutest sight - the tiniest of yawns.

"Sleep, little one."

He gently rocked you to sleep, reassuringly and soothingly patting your small back as you drifted off on his shoulder. He felt warm inside, as if a small fire had been lit inside him. He knew what it was.

And when you woke up in adult form, he grinned at you, "Let me give you a baby, sweetheart."

BROOK

Brook has experience with babies. Maybe not human babies, but babies nonetheless. He knows a human baby is very different to a whale baby, but he figures that there can be similarities too. Such as entertainment, which is his area of expertise. So when he looks down at his feet to see baby you tugging on his pants, he is somewhat prepared. He has no idea how you were turned into a baby, of course, but he's not complaining because you are so, so adorable.

"What happened to (Name)?" Franky asked the skeleton, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing important!" Was Brook's gleeful reply, followed by a laugh when you somehow crawled on top of his afro and knocked his hat off so you could take its place.

"Nothing imp-" Franky sighed. "Do you even know how to look after a baby?" Franky's eyes worriedly drifted to where you sat upon the skeleton's head, tugging on his afro and squealing with delight. You wobbled precariously.

"No, but it can't be any different to a baby whale!"

Franky would have commented on that, if you hadn't slipped off Brook's head. The cyborg easily caught you, before holding you out to Brook, "Don't let her sit on your head."

"Noted."

For the rest of the day, Brook occupied you by sitting you down on his bed and playing music for you, telling you stories about Laboon and his crew, and about his experiences in the Grand Line before you guys found him. He sang all sorts of songs, played all sorts of melodies, while you giggled and clapped your hands excitedly, bouncing up and down. Brook smiled, the sight warming heart - oh, but he doesn't have a heart. He hardly ever got tired, but you prompted him to play for hours on end, until he really was exhausted. So he picked you up, settled on his bed, and lay you on his lap before humming a tune. You slowly drifted off to sleep, and Brook smiled.

He hoped he could play for one of the crew's babies one day.

CHOPPER

Another island, another mishap, another adventure. No trip is ever boring with the Straw Hats, and this was again proven when an unfortunate encounter with a devil fruit user who could change people's ages led to you being turned into an infant. And that's how you found yourself cradled in Sanji's arms, with Chopper trying to get a good look at you all throughout the walk back to the Sunny.

"Chopper, she's fine," the cook tried to assure the doctor, but Chopper was having none of it.

He was so worried, because no one was equipped to take care of a baby, and he cared about you so much that now you were a baby, he was becoming overprotective. As soon as Sanji set you down somewhere safe for Chopper to examine you, he was grabbing his bag and bringing out all his different tools. He checked all your vitals and made sure you were first and foremost healthy, before he could consider anything else.

Then you touched his blue nose and widened your eyes in fascination, gurgling softly, and Chopper blushed brightly. He smiled and poked your nose back, and you let out the cutest giggle that melted the reindeer's little heart. He shifted to his humanoid form and gently lifted you up into his arms, cradling you as he gazed down at you with the utmost love, adoration and fascination he could manage. You were so tiny, even more so than him, and so so cute. Then you sneezed, looking stunned for a moment before giggling loudly. And Chopper thought there was nothing more joy-inducing than holding and watching baby you.

"Chopper, where's-oh." Nami stopped when she saw Chopper standing there just holding you, one of his fingers in your tiny hand as he cooed at you and made you giggle. She smiled softly and left the room, deciding you were in safe hands.

"You're the cutest baby in the world, (Name)," Chopper told you. You just smiled brightly, exposing your gums cause you had no teeth, and waved your small arms around happily.

Chopper was really good with you. He monitored you throughout the 24 hours, making sure you ate properly, got enough sleep and were bathed properly. He is probably the best caretaker out of all the men on this list, not only because he's doctor but he's naturally caring and nurturing. It comes like second nature to him. Besides, you were such a calm and quiet baby - except for the giggling - that you made it easy for him. He was almost sad when you fell asleep, knowing you'd be grown up again when you woke up.

But maybe one day the crew would be able to fawn over a baby everyday. Maybe one day.

[lokideservesahug]

Biggest Patriot

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Pairing:George Russell x American!reader

Warnings: None that I can see... apart from one Danica Patrick diss (I'm sorry it came in my 1 American fic but I appreciate her work as being a woman in motorsports)

Notes: There is probably so many inaccuracies and incorrect stereotypes and Im ever so sorry. I am the furthest thing from American (very English) but when I saw a request from one of my favourite Americans, @a-beaverhausen , I couldn't resist!

Summary: The 4th of July, one if the biggest days in America. But this year it falls on one of the biggest days for the English (in the form of the Silverstone GP). So the big question is, when George Russell, the most British man ever has his home race; where will his girlfriend, the most American woman ever be?

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☆-☆-☆-☆-☆

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Yourusername

Yourusername: I had to bring a slice of home to this terribly British event😉

Liked by Georgerussell, mercedesf1 and 687,908 others

View all 987 comments

User1: Wearing red white and blue to one if the most English events of the year? Too Iconic I fear

↳ User2: Well practically, the colours of the Union Flag are also red white and blue so it works

↳User3: "wElL prAcTIcAlLy...🤓" Nerd

↳User2: It's true!??!?!

User4: MOTHER PLEASE LEAVE GEORGE FOR ME. I WON'T MAKE YOU STOP 4TH JULY CELEBRATIONS AND WILL PLEDFE ALLEGANCE TO YOU ANYDAY

↳Georgerussell: Sorry mate. She's taken

↳User5: GEORGE IS SO UNSERIOUS LMAO

Georgerussell: I love you, my favourite patriot (even if it's for a terrible country)

Yourusername: Take that back! We made cool things!

↳Georgerussell: OH yeah? Like what babe?

↳Yourusername: 😒Uhm Logan Sargeant ofc

↳Logansargeant: 🤍

User 6: Y/N not saying herself is hilarious

↳Yourusername: OH yeah!!!

@ Georgerussell why didn't you say that I was a good thing to come from America?

↳Georgerussell: I feel like this is a trap... So I love you darling❤

↳Yourusername: 😒 (Love you too🤭❤)

User7: Is no one thinking Danica Patrick for that Y/N comment?

↳User8: No, literally no one is...

Liked by yourusername

↳User9: Y/N LMAO ILY

User10: News just in, America's biggest patriot: the gorgeous, the clever, the funny, the one, the only, Y/N Y/L/N was KIDNAPPED😧 by some English man on the 4th July weekend and taken to....... ew....England 😔

↳User11: I think she actualy flew out and surprised him right?

↳User12: Yeah. And they are so sweet together. It gives me faith in love

Liked by Georgerussell and yourusername

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Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed.

As always, likes,reblogs and especially feedback is always welcome!

Taglist: @nikfigueiredo @mysoulispainted @leclercings @d3kstar @hiireadstuff @a-beaverhausen @nichmeddar @lozzamez3 @stinkyjax @marymustdie @littlesatanicassholebitch @mehrmonga @insanedeathwish @ems-alexandra @a-disturbing-self-reflection @cherry-piee

[imissthembutitwasntadisaster]

Taking this out of Faith's notes because it's not fair to clog them up but seriously I feel like Tilney is very often boiled down to charming man who knows about muslin but to me honestly the people who are like "hmm seems like a fake flakey guy" are more right because it's definitely got this underlying cynicism to it which put together with the charm gives a fairly calculating feel. But to me it's like! Imagine your mother dies and your father didn't murder her but when you describe it later you say he as good as killed her by his slow cruelty and disinterest, and you're left with your sister, your older brother who is also AWFUL, and that same father in an old obscure abbey. What do you do? a. you stop really liking or trusting many people because 2/3 of the people you're meant to like and trust are awful, and b. you get Really Good at being liked. Because that's going to get you out of that house, and it's also going to, as much as possible, save you when you are still in that house. It's not the ONLY response to an essentially emotionally abusive situation like that, but it is a clear response.

And this also explains why Tilney doesn't seem to take things seriously very often, because making a joke out of everything is also a tried and true way of surviving a life like that. If you laugh at it then it won't hurt you so he laughs at his family and he laughs at the shitty parts of society and at the Thorpes and at everything.

Except Catherine then turns up and she's not calculated, she's the opposite of calculated. She's charming because she's so honest, she runs up and pours out how sorry she is that she didn't make the walk and how much she wanted to and had been whisked away, and she tells it without an inch of propriety and it's impossible to keep being angry with her. She's silly but she's also inexplicable clear-eyed, she sees the unhappiness at Northanger so clearly even if she imagines the source wrong! That's always been so important to me as part of her character that she was RIGHT there WAS something rotten in the state of General Tilney!!! It just wasn't Literal Murder. And I think Tilney sees that and he loves that because it's so different from the twisted nature of his own past and upbringing, because it's true and honest and good and he still strives for those things (because even if his charmingness IS calculated, he still sees young women and their chaperones unhappy and abandoned and immediately steps in! he is still very much kind! I might speculate about how it's possible to live an identity for so long that it becomes true, but in this case that would just be speculation because we don't have enough information so I won't.) And then I think he does come to love Cathy properly with more time and all, but the original attraction I think is how straightforward she is.

And I KNOW this isn't the only interpretation of the characters but it's the one that makes Tilney make sense to me, he's too cynical and slightly bitter to truly be the perfectly kind charming man he makes himself out to be, but he genuinely cares too much to be a fraud. I think the complexities arise from the survival mechanisms he's created which make sense given his background, and how they intersect and interact with the rest of his nature and the outside world.

[hazelchooseme]

feelings are difficult | Hazel Callahan

Warning: mention of blood.

English is not my first language.

Song recommendation: You Can't Catch Me Now by Olivia Rodrigo.

Enjoy 💋

"Are you telling me you've been obsessing over a girl you've never kissed?"

"You were obsessed with Brittany and you had never kissed her." Josie reminded her.

"So? In the end I ended up doing it."

"Who says I can never kiss her?"

"Me, look at your state, you're pathetic."

Hazel threw herself back onto the bed, she did feel quite pathetic, she couldn't deny that to PJ.

"Don't listen to her, we will help you." Josie told her as she threw a stuffed animal into the air and caught it.

"How?" She put an arm over her eyes, blocking the light and her misery.

"You're talking to experts."

"The only woman you kissed turned out to be straight."

"Not the point!"

"I don't think you should plan these things Hazel, I didn't plan anything with Isabel and it worked out perfectly."

"That's because it was obvious that she drooled over you." Hazel sat cross-legged and placed a cushion between her arms. "I have no idea if she even knows that I sit behind her in class."

"You have to be spontaneous," PJ decided. "And we'll help you plan every step and word."

"That's the opposite of spontaneous."

Ignoring Josie, the brunette began to move around the room trying to organize her thoughts. "We have to find out something about her, if she is dating someone for example, to take her away from that person."

"What?! No, we won't do that, if she's dating someone I'll back off."

"Fine, " She complained rolling her eyes. "But to find out that you have to talk to her and I don't know how you'll do it without shitting yourself."

"Jeez, have some faith in me."

"Faith is not going to make her fuck you, you have to force it."

"I never talked about fucking anyone."

"You're not thinking big."

"PJ." Josie said in a threatening tone to get her to stop.

"Okay okay, just, tomorrow try to figure that out and then we'll see what we do."

With a sound of agreement, they accepted.

Hazel watched you from her position.

God, she thought, the back of her head is so pretty.

She knew she had to pay attention, but honestly counting how many of your hairs moved because of the small breeze in the classroom was more interesting. And she also knew she had to find out about your love status, but the idea of ​​how to do it was torturing her. Did she touch your shoulder to make you turn around? What happens if you don't turn around? Would you think she was a weirdo who liked to touch people's shoulders without their consent? What if you turned around but were upset by the interruption? What if you found the question strange or too personal? What happens if you hit her with the case for being so nosy?

She was so lost in her thoughts that the only thing that brought her out of it was a ball of paper landing on her head. Frowning she turned to see who had thrown it, PJ and Josie were quickly pointing something in front of her while they yelled "in front of you" silently but in an eager manner.

Annoyed by the blow, she turned to see how much they were aiming, as soon as she turned her head she met your eyes and an apologetic smile. You pulled back a little worried by the angry look in Hazel's eyes.

"Sorry, I was calling you but you didn't answer me, I didn't mean for them to do that."

Changing her expression from anger to one of poorly concealed panic, she cleared her throat. "Yes, don't worry, everything's fine, I'm not upset with you at all, I'm fine. Super good, very calm. Do you need anything?" She finished desperately to shut up.

"Riiight. Amm, the other day I noticed you lent some highlighters to Josie, I was wondering if you could lend me one."

The other day I noticed you lent some highlighters to Josie. The other day I noticed you. I noticed you. I. Noticed. You.

"Did you notice me?" She asked completely surprised, mouth open and all.

“Well, " You giggled nervously. "Not in a creepy way, just like when you're looking around with your eyes and suddenly you see something and you say "wow" and it stays in your head for some reason , and then you remember it for some other reason? Just like that."

Hazel nodded without saying anything and handed you her case.

"You're not going to need it? I just need the pink one." You clarified in case she misunderstood. She looked at you without moving, and you were pretty sure without blinking too, that you had to talk to her again. "Hazel?"

"Shit, right." She began to rummage through the inside of her case in a hurry and then handed you the pink highlighter.

"Thank you." You took it with a smile, brushing her fingers, and turned around.

Hazel raised the hand you had touched, feeling like she was going to cry. She had decided, at the end of class she was going to ask you.

Ringing the bell, she quickly put her things away but stood next to her table waiting for you to finish, when you slung your backpack over your shoulder she called your name taking a step forward, when you turned to see her she took it back.

"Yeah?"

"Amm, I wanted to ask you something, of course, you can answer only if you want."

"Yeah, sure. What happened?"

Your smile was so hard for her to look at that she looked around the classroom, there was no one left but she could almost feel Josie and PJ behind the door.

How did she formulate it? Was she direct or did she go around the bush? Would you get angry? Would you read her intentions?

What word did she use? Man? Young man? Boy? Why was it so difficult?

"Hazel?"

"Do you like penis?"

"What?!" You asked scandalized.

"No wait!" This couldn't be happening to her. "I mean if you're dating a man, a boy, gentleman, I mean not a gentleman but a, a man." She let out her exhale slowly, not wanting you to notice her nervousness.

"Aaah," You said after a while. "I'm not attracted to men, and I'm single, if that's what you wanted to ask."

"Aaah, okay. Perfect, thank you, bye."

"But..." But you couldn't finish your sentence as she ran off, you heard a lot of footsteps walking away so you just smiled with red cheeks. Silly Hazel.

"Okay, we've got that out of the way, now comes the interesting part." PJ said as she threw her backpack on the floor and jumped onto the bed. "And luckily for you, it's easy."

"What is it?"

"Find the perfect moment and Boom! You grabbed her face and stuck your tongue into her larynx."

"That doesn't sound easy."

"Or hygienic." Josie added, leaning against the door.

"Just, try to find a time when she is alone and approach her, make conversation, seduce her and Bam! Into the amygdala." Josie made a sound of disgust. "What?! I suggested something closer. You don't settle for anything, jeez."

"Seduce her?"

"Yeah, you know, the basics. Make eye contact, give a light touch on the arm or shoulder, smile or laugh that is very important, opt for seductive aromas, something that makes her want to smell you up close and, most importantly, when you manage to kiss her, leave her wanting more so she comes back for you." She finished with open arms as if she had just given advice to start world peace.

"I definitely won't be able to do it."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I've never done it before."

"Exactly, so how do you know?"

"Today I asked her if she liked penises for God's sake, like, how I'm supposed to have a normal conversation without sounding like a desperate nutcase." She said desperately, clutching her head.

"Hazel, calm down." Josie approached her and shook her by the shoulders. "You are attractive, you are intelligent and funny, she surely thinks that your stupidity is cute. If she doesn't see it, it's her problem, not yours, at least you'll rest easy knowing that you tried, okay?"

Hazel sighed and nodded. She will try, the worst that could happen is that you reject her, right?

The first opportunity appeared one day after school, outside in the parking lot Hazel noticed how you said goodbye to your friends and ran into the school, with encouragement from PJ and Josie she followed you.

She watched as you stopped in front of your locker but had a hard time opening it because your arms were full of books and papers. Cheering up, she approached.

"Need help?" She asked shaking from head to toe.

Her voice surprised you but you turned to look at her with a smile. "Hazel, what are you doing here?"

"I came to the bathroom." She said the first excuse that came to her mind.

"Aaah, okay, I won't stop you then."

"Nonono, I already went. Umm, can I help you? I washed my hands." She stupidly showed you her hands as if that would help prove her point.

Laughing, you handed her your things. "I believe you."

Free from the weight you were able to open the locker easily, one by one you placed the things in Hazel's arms inside the metal box.

Hazel watched you in silence the entire time, her arms trembling more and more free of the weight, what should she say when you're done? she couldn't just run away.

With a slam of the door you closed the locker and looked at Hazel, she looked away and you smiled. "Thank you so much, Hazel. Without you I'd probably be here until tomorrow."

Hazel laughed a little too hard at your attempt at a cheap joke.

Noticing her exaggeration, she ended up coughing and wiping her sweaty palms on her pants. "Sure, whatever you need."

You noticed that Hazel wanted to say something else so you remained silent but after a few long seconds you decided to speak to end the awkward silence. "Well, I better go." With one last smile you turned and began to walk away.

"Wait!" She screamed running after you, she stopped in front of you with her breathing quickened. "I..."

"Yes?" You tried not to sound nervous.

"I—" Seduce her, PJ's voice sounded in her head. Clearing her throat and with hands still trembling, she threw her left hand to your right shoulder. "You have nice gums." She said, deepening her voice.

"Me what?"

"You smile a lot and, and-and I've seen your gums, they're pretty, th-they look... Healthy."

"Thank you, I floss."

Hazel nodded but didn't say anything else, her hand still on your shoulder.

"Well, if that was all..." You tried to move to the side to let her arm fall but you felt a small tug on your hair, you tried harder again making the tug hurt this time, you complained and looked at your shoulder, a ring of Hazel's had gotten caught in your hair.

"Shit, sorry, let me." Hazel threw her hand at the same time as your head causing a burning pain.

"Hazel, that's not helping, stop." But it seemed like she wasn't listening to you, determined to find the solution to the problem.

You grabbed her elbow to make her stop but she kept pulling as you both lost your balance, you raised one foot thinking about stepping on her to make her stop, but just then she pulled so hard that you fell to your knees with a thump, with your eyes watering from the pain in your head and leg bones, you looked up, watching as Hazel looked at the ring with a knot of hair in it.

"I told you to stop, what's your fucking problem?" You said with a crying voice. Did it hurt you a lot? Yes, but it was more the humiliation that made you want to cry.

"I'm so so sorry. I didn't, I didn't think I-I would pull that hard."

She approached with the intention of helping you but you quickly got up on your own, generating a stabbing pain in your left knee. "Don't.... Just, just leave me alone." You pushed her hand that was stretched out towards you and as quickly as your legs would allow you, you ran away.

Hazel stood there watching you leave, wanting to dig a hole in the floor and bury herself in it.

Hazel had to put up with PJ's teasing and Josie's attempts at encouragement for the entire week that followed, you didn't make eye contact or talk to her the entire time, it almost felt like you had never exchanged a word. Hazel wanted to apologize again but she was afraid of your reaction, she almost made you cry the last time, for God's sake, that was reason enough for her to want to take all her things and move to another continent.

And so another week passed, her looking at you with desolation and you ignoring her as much as you could. One day during one of the breaks PJ pointed at you and when Haz turned to look at you she saw you very smiling with a girl with long blonde hair, very tall and with a quite feminine style. As always, she thought you looked beautiful smiling but this time it was accompanied by a pang in her stomach, the blonde girl touched your arm while laughing at something you had said, Hazel forced herself to turn her gaze and walked away from the place with clenched teeth. Was that the type of girl you were attracted to? She didn't look like that at all.

That afternoon she decided to take out her anger at the fight club, unfortunately she was paired with Sylvie, who wouldn't take her shit and she left her lying on the floor, bleeding from her nose. Assuring the others that she was fine and could go alone, she headed to the bathroom with a cloth pressed around her face, she knew that at this time there weren't going to be people in the hallways, so that calmed her down a little. When she finished cleaning herself, she would clean up the blood that fell on the floor.

She pushed the bathroom door with her foot and stood on a sink, the water falling red against the ceramic cleaning her nose, mouth and chin, she drank water and then spit it out to clean the blood that had fallen on it, looking in the mirror, she showed her teeth and nodded in affirmation when she saw them clean. She lowered her head to continue cleaning herself.

She was so busy making sure she cleaned herself that she didn't hear the door open or footsteps approaching, but she did hear a tone of voice that dripped with concern.

"Hazel?"

No, it couldn't be. Not you, not now.

Pretending that she hadn't heard, she continued throwing water in her face, thinking that you would get bored and leave. That obviously didn't happen and you stood behind her, Hazel wondering if it was possible to drown in a sink.

"Hazel, I asked if you were okay, what happened? Why are you bleeding so much?" You demanded with worry attacking your body.

The blue-eyed girl closed the tap and without raising her head answered you. "Fight club, I'm fine." Her tone of voice wasn't angry, but it was clear that she didn't feel like having a conversation.

You took her arm and turned her around slowly, the only thing you saw was her wet face and her slightly red nose, you sighed in relief and with the sleeve of your sweatshirt you began to dry her face with small touches. Her lower back was leaning against the sink and her gaze was still not looking at you.

"Does anything hurt?" You asked, worried. She shook her head a little hard causing blood to fall again."Shit, wait. Here."

You opened a door to sit her in a toilet, when she was settled you ran to look for paper, luckily there was some in the place that day. On the way back you knelt in front of her and pressed the paper to her nose, she tried to take it herself but you pushed her hand away so you could.

"You're going to get blood on yourself."

"I don't care, don't talk." Obediently she complied, you bit back a smile.

Seeing that the blood did not stop, you got up and with your fingers, gently, lifted her chin so that the blood would stop falling. After about 5 minutes and a lot of paper changing, the bleeding seemed to have stopped. You knelt down again with a sigh, happy to have helped her, but even after the moment you noticed that she still didn't look at you or speak to you.

"Everything okay, Haze?" You asked putting your hands on her knees. "The blood has stopped, you're okay." You smiled at her and finally, her beautiful blue eyes landed on yours.

You had called her Haze and your hands were touching her, this was too much, too much for her to bear. She was watching you and you were all smiles and kindness and sensitivity and beauty and you just called her a nickname and you were just watching her after taking such delicate care of her. God, she was going to explode.

She called your name and you moved a little closer, just because, because the space was small and because you needed her close to you, now more than ever.

"Yes, Haze?"

There it was, that nickname that sounded perfect on your lips. Your hands slid a little higher, resting on her thighs, her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes turned black for a second, your blood ran in your ears and you began to shake with anticipation, your throat became dry and you had to lick your lips so that the air could return to your lungs. That was the last straw for Hazel, so she went for it. She rushed forward, aiming for your lips, or that's what she was trying to do, but the only thing she achieved was that you foreheads collided and you fell on your ass to the ground.

"What the fuck, Hazel?" You asked surprised, rubbing your forehead.

"Sorry, um, I lost my balance."

"Sitting?!"

Hazel breathed out in exasperation, you two weren't going to work, not if she kept screwing up like that. This was the perfect moment, why couldn't she act like a normal person and just kiss you? Why did you make her so nervous? Why did you have that control over her?

Noticing how her breathing quickened, you stopped rubbing your forehead and raised your head to look at her. Her hands were balled into fists on her legs and her eyes were squeezed shut.

"Hey, it's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore." You said trying to take her hands, but she got up and walked around you out of the small place, imitating her you followed her.

"I... I'm sorry, okay? I tried but I failed, I pulled out a piece of your hair and now I almost gave you a bruise, just stay away from me, the last thing I want in the world is to hurt you. Again."

Seeing her intention to leave, you ran and blocked her exit. "Haze, I'm the one who should apologize. That day was an accident, you obviously didn't mean for the ring to get tangled and now, this was my fault, I shouldn't have invaded your personal space like that, seriously, I'm sorry."

You couldn't stand in front of her and put all the blame on yourself to make her feel better, you couldn't, it was killing her.

"I need to tell you something and if I don't say it now, I will never say it."

"Okay, I'll shut up."

Your eyes were expectant on her, her lips parted and she took a breath. She was about to speak when someone called your name in the hallway.

"Fuck me." You complained without trying to hide it. Hazel felt the same way.

A few seconds later the blonde girl Hazel had seen you with before, entered the place. The blue-eyed girl automatically felt small. Your gaze moved from Hazel to Olivia, you swallowed hard at what was about to happen. You had completely forgotten about her.

"Here you are, I was waiting for you outside, did you find your book?" The blonde didn't seem to read the room, so you intervened before she said too much.

"Yes, Hazel needed a little help but she's better now."

Olivia greeted Hazel and she hated herself because the girl seemed really nice, she greeted back and putting her hands in her pockets, she looked away at the wall.

"Well, shall we go then?"

"Yeah... Sure."

Olivia said goodbye and walked out of the place.

"Bye, Hazel." You gave her a small smile but she simply nodded in goodbye.

You pushed the door and with one foot outside she spoke again.

"It's... You're going on a date, right?"

Not brave enough to turn to see her, you simply made a sound of affirmation and closed the door behind you.

Her heart sank to her stomach and her head fell into her hands with a sob, she would definitely need more hours of fight club.

The next day everything felt very slow for Hazel, getting up was horrible, eating breakfast was tedious, going to class was torture, even the smile you gave her crushed her inside. It was official, she was lovesick. To make matters worse Mr G seemed to have no intention of showing up so you turned around trying to make conversation.

"Good morning, Hazel."

She sent you a forced smile and continued scratching her notebook.

"Did you have breakfast?"

She nodded.

"It seems that Mr G is running late."

She simply made a sound of affirmation.

"It's a little cold, don't you think?"

She nodded again.

"Today a dinosaur landed on the roof of my house."

She made that annoying little sound of affirmation and exhaling angrily, you stood up and left the room.

Hazel watched you go but didn't think to follow you, it was obvious that wasn't going to end well.

PJ crashed into your chair and hit Hazel in the head. "Do me a favor, nerd."

"What do you need?"

"I had to go to the office to pick up a piece of paper but the Principal Myers makes me nauseous, could you go get it, please?"

"Sure." An excuse not to be in this place was great for her, she slowly slipped through the hallways, careful not to cross paths with you. The brown doors of the office shone in the distance, when she was just a few meters away, the janitor's door opened and a hand pulled her inside.

"What the fuck, Tedd?!" Hazel shouted, trying to free herself from the other person's force.

"It's not Tedd, it's me, calm dow–ouch Hazel my arm!"

Your voice automatically made her tense and her fighting mode went off, her vision gradually darkened and she was grateful for the tiny window that was near the ceiling, otherwise nothing would be seen inside, Hazel thought about giving the janitor a light bulb.

"Haze?" Your question brought her out of her thoughts and pulling her arm free she pressed herself against the door.

"I can't talk, I'm busy"

"Looking for that PJ paper? It's pure bullshit, I asked her to give you that excuse."

"What? Why? When?"

"Yesterday I spoke to her and asked her."

"That doesn't answer why" She said defensively.

"Locking you here by force was not my plan A, Hazel! But you didn't leave me a choice, you don't look at me, not to mention you didn't even talk to me, what was I supposed to do?"

"How did your date go yesterday?" She asked out of the blue, to see if you understood why she had been so obnoxious.

You smiled and it made her wish that it had been Tedd who was here with her and not you.

"Is it considered a date, when you go with your date to the date but in the middle of the way to the date, you cancel it because it turns out that you like someone else?"

"Probably not." She managed to say quietly after a few seconds.

"That's what I thought."

Silence filled the little room.

"Then it went badly for you." She said making you laugh.

"I don't know, the realization I had was pretty good."

"Which was?"

"Why have you been acting so strange lately?" You responded with another question.

"I asked first."

"I locked you here."

"I guess that gives me reason why you should answer first."

You approach her, knocking her toes against yours and making her stick a little closer to the wall.

"Well." She began to respond with difficulty, this close she could see your eyes shining and that didn't help her cause. "It's nothing, I was just being me." She ended up muttering without even believing it herself.

"Haze, you can tell me." You said taking her hand.

In that place that reeked of disinfectant, with your hand in hers, your eyes searching for her, she managed to find the courage and strength to speak.

"I like you, too much, it's incredible how much I like you. I, I can't function properly in front of you, you, you're just too much, all the time and I love it. I'm crazy about you."

You didn't know if the heart sound was yours or Hazel's, her lips were shining and her hand squeezed yours, feeling her small tremor you squeezed it back.

"On the date I realized that it wasn't her I wanted to be with, it was you. Everything you should do on a date I want to do with you and only you." You heard her stop breathing and caressed her cheek. "In case it wasn't clear. I'm crazy about you too, Hazel."

It couldn't be. You of all people, like her? It couldn't be real, she was dreaming, it was still night and this was too good to be true.

"I have to go."

She tried to turn around but your hand next to her head, holding the door closed stopped her.

"Haze, wait."

"You don't understand, I'll end up screwing up somehow, I can't ruin this, not now."

"Hazel, you haven't screwed up anything, everything's fine."

"Yes, for now until I do something incredibly stupid that sent you to the hospital." Her hand kept trying to move the handle but your strength kept the door in place. "Shit, since when are you so strong."

"Haze, look me in the eyes, tell me you want to leave and I will."

"I can't do that, I don't want to do that."

"Then talk to me."

"What do you want me to tell you, I'm a disaster, what little have you seen of me? That's it, it doesn't get better, I'm a walking mass of stupidity, it'll take you 1 week to get sick of me and–"

Your lips landed on hers and your free hand grabbed her waist. Her words were choked as her breaths mingled and her arms fell dead beside her.

Your lips were on hers. Her lips were on yours. And it was better than any fantasy she had ever had.

You buried your hand in her hair making her melt against you, one of her hands grabbed your hip pressing it against her, your leg slipped between hers, pressing her further against the wood. Although the movement of the mouth was not so hasty, the temperature of the place visibly increased, you turned your head to the side making your noses collide and you couldn't help but laugh, but Hazel's hand sliding around your neck silenced you immediately. You licked the edge of her mouth and then bit her lower lip, the sound that came from Hazel's throat made you stick your tongue where she welcomed you, sucking your tongue, her hand lowered a little, groping slowly, desperately you took it and left it on your ass where she began to squeeze, making you moan. You pulled her hair back and started licking her neck leaving little kisses and bites.

"Shit." She managed to get out moans as the hand on your neck went under your shirt and caressed your back. You bit a specific spot that made her tremble and in a heartbeat now you are with your back against the door, she took both of your hands and stuck them on top of your head while she sucked on your tongue and made you make some pretty embarrassing sounds, this time it was her mouth that began to explore outside of yours, a bite on your ear made you cry desperately for more, her tongue ran over your neck as you felt twinges where her teeth bit, you managed to free your hands and they quickly went under her shirt, you've never been so grateful for her loose t-shirts. A shiver ran through her body when one of your hands traveled to her thigh and you began to caress her crotch, her kisses calmed down as did your touches, with a strong exhale she rested her forehead against yours.

"I'm sorry." You managed to say between breaths. "I got carried away with little."

"Let yourself go as much as you want, but in a more private place."

You laughed and kissed her again, this time tasting her lips slowly, it made your heart skip a beat when you heard her moan, could your touch really make her feel so much? Trying to see how much you could do, you put your hand under her shirt and began to caress her stomach.

"Please." She begged, her mouth glued to yours as she moved her hips against yours. With the intention of continuing, you undid the button on her pants, but a few knocks on the door made you both step back and separate. The door was slammed open, the janitor looked at you from head to head. Both red and breathing heavily should have given him a clue.

"When they ring the bell I'll come to refill the cart." And saying that he closed the door again.

You watched with Hazel and could only laugh.

"I think we should definitely stop." She told you with a smile. Even in the dark you could see her messy hair and swollen lips, you approached to button her pants and took advantage of her surprise to give her one more kiss, she responded urgently but you took a step back, leaving her with her mouth open.

You fixed your hair and the collar of your sweatshirt. "After class to my house."

"Holy shit, yes."

Laughing you jammed her lips again. There was still a while until the bell was rung.

As Hazel buried her hands in your hair, she proudly thought that she was officially obsessed with a girl she had kissed.

[ghosts-to-reid]

Neo Gothic III

A/N: Sorry it took so long for the next part! I went to a party and drank wayyyy too much wine. Uni's picking up a lot too so im still settling back into my routine. I hope you guys enjoy! Also MGG Reading my favourite poem??? I had to.

Summary: After the case in Texas, a new pattern emerges that links you and the crimes. Spencer is there to dull any of your worry, consoling your worry.

(When you get to the poem, I recomend listening to this. Trust me.)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 4 / Bibliography

A week had passed since Spencer had asked you on a date, yet there just hadn't been the right time for yet. Obviously, your finals were important, but Spencer had been helping you study after work. This is where you discovered how fast the man can actually read, making that night in the motel seem that much more special to you. These could be considered study dates, but when broaching that subject with Spencer, her would always shake his head.

"No, I want to do this properly." Is all he'd say. Not sure what this means, maybe he wants to go oldschool? Dinner and a movie, or maybe the arcade and a walka round the park? Either way, time spent with him was something to cherish in your point of view.

During one of these study dates that weren't study dates, the topic of profiling came up once more.

"Would you ever think about it?" His head was propped on hi shand as he looked up from a book in front of him, breaking the silence tha had filled his living room before.

"Think about what, Spencer?" Brow knitted in slight confusion

"Profiling. Getting into the classes at the academy. I think its worth thinking about." Honey coloured eyes met yours, they were soft and full of some adoration.

He had asked you a few times since the case you had assisted on. The confidence the boy genius had in you was touching, if misguided in your opinion. The truth of the matter was that you would love to, you just didn't think you were qualified. The breakdown upon discovering there had been a new victim was not a moment you wanted to relive, or the feeling of abject disgust at the image of the dead victims. Dissasociating from the truth of the images would only work so long, most of the reason you had been able to stomach was only due to you telling yourself they were actually images from a horror movie. Truthully, the guts that it took to do this job weren't something you were sure you were equipped with. Explaining this to Spencer many times, he would reassure you of his belief in you, but he understood your apprehension. He coudln't argue with your opinion of the gore however, he understood fully that there was a big difference in real violence and fake, and that dissaociating the victims like that wouldn't be healthy.

Still, he would persist. Shamefully, you had to admit that the walls you'd built around the idea were slowly coming down.

"How would I even get into the academy? You all have psychology degrees, or field experience. You're literally a genius. What do I have in comparison to that?" Laying the book you'd been reading face down, you sat upright to face him properly

"Practically, you'd think that would help but a lot of this comes down to knowledge. You've been absorbing more knoweledge from us that I think even you realise, and your subconcious brought it out when you were with us in Texas. It's like your brain has stored this because it knows you want to profile, because you know you'd be good at it even if you won't admit it to yourself. And because you know you want to help people." His smile was contagious as he spoke, so elequently about his faith in your abilities "And with a reccomendation from Hotch, you could be put into the academy after you graduate if you really wanted."

"Hotch would do that?" You raised a brow, unsure of Spencer's claim

"If I asked him to, yes." He was ammused by his own comment, a laugh escaping his lips "He thinks you have potential too though. I don't think he would take much convicing."

"If I say i'll think about it, can we get back to studying? I should probably get this degree out of the way before I start considering an entire career." A small smile graced your lips as you spoke, but finally spencer relented his pestering.

Truthully, he wasn't the only person who had been asking you about your thoughts on becoming a profiler. JJ had been dropping hints about how she technically was in a similar position to you when she started her training. Emily and Derek had been less subtle, parking themselves at your desk whilst discussing case details, and then asking you to weigh in. Clearly trying to perform some sort of reverse psychology on you, hoping you wouldn't notice their secret agenda. The atmosphere around the office was lighter though, as if you finally felt settled into the department. Knowing your co-workers sparked a new found joy in your job that made their offers all the more tempting.

2 Weeks after the replication case, you had finished your finals. The team had been sent to Colarado on a case, so you celebrated the end of your finals on your own, watching as many horror movies as you could in the 48 hours you had finally to yourself. The team had wrapped the case Saturday night, and hadn't picked up a new case yet, so you were eager to finnaly catch up with them all after their week long absence. Exiting the elevator, you made your way to your desk, placing your bag in its usual spot. The team were no where to be seen around the bullpen, noticing the shades of the conference room were drawn however, you'd assumed they had called onto a case. Before getting settled, Hotch's head popped out of the slightly ajar door, beckoning you over with a stern look. Not completely unusual, you were often sent on burracratic errands of file retriving for them for cases, so you didn't think twice when entering the room.

There, gathered around the table, was the whole team with huge smiles on their faces. There was a a few balloons, one saying 'Congratulations!' In winding Purple lettering, with a few small wrapped boxes beside a tray of muffins and coffee from your and Penelope's favourite coffee shop. With a start, the team all cheered "Congratualtions" as you entered, a warm feeling of happiness spreading through your chest as you took in the sight.

Penelope attacked you with a hug, whilst the group all said their congratulations.

"Guys... This is amazing. Thank you..." Was all you managed to say as JJ pulled you into a tight hug

"I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you." JJ held your shoulders with a small squeeze, flashing a prideful look to you. JJ knew you had no living family, and a part of you wondered if she had a hand in orchastrating the surprise due to this. Either way, you were thankful for the teams enthusiasm at your upcoming graduation.

"Well, don't get your hopes up yet everyone, I don't get my results for another week. I don't even know if I passed yet." Smiling at the fuss, the team interjected with protest

"Of course you will have, you had our boy genius here helping you. And you certainly knew your stuff already." Derek slid his arm around your shoulders affectionatly, making your smile widen.

Spencer made his way over to you and gave you a quick, but tight hug. Whispering a small "Well done" into your hair before he pulled away.

"Ok, we have presents!" Garcia announced happily "Of course, we went in on the muffins, your favourite, lemon and poppyseed but without the lemon curd in the middle. Annnnddd-" She picks a cup up and hands it to you "Your favourite, Salted caramel Mocha with whipped cream. An absolute sugar nightmare but that is something you and our boy genius have in common after all. OH! And we have actual presents!" She claps happily, everyone her infectious glee as she flittered around the space, grabbing your hand for you to sit. One by one the group gave you their small gifts. Derek and Emily had given you a copy of book you'd been talking about, Penelope had bought you a little ceramic bat to keep on your desk, Whilst Rossi had bought you an empty frame, stating "Well, you'll need somewhere to put your degree in when you get it." The gifts were thoughtful, and showed how much the team had grown to appreciate you, even in a few weeks. Finally, Spencer stepped forward and handed you a small package. Unwrapping it with a curious smile, you were taken a back.

It was a first edition of Dracula, you gasped and clamped your had over your mouth in shock. You were in disbeleif that Spencer had managed to find this, and that he thought to give it to you.

"Spencer, this is too much! How much did this cost you?" The breath was absent from your lungs as you spoke, utterly taken back at his gesture. The team seemed to be equally surprised, they were still in the dark about yours and spencers recent tryst, so the gesture to them seemed all too much for supposedly platonic friends.

"Geez spence, is that a first edition?" Emily asked, eyebrows shooting up

"I have some connections." Was all he said, a teasing smile as he shrugged his shoulders. Still in disbeleif, you stood and gave Spencer another quick hug before Hotch's phone ringing interupted. Excusing himself, he returned a few moments later with a solemn expression

"Im sorry to interupt, but we have a case." His tone was morose, as usual when news of a new case hit. The pang of saddness hit everyone, any smile disolving as the team began to gather around the table. Collecting your things, you began to make your exit when Hotch held his hand up, making you to still your movements. "You might need to stay for this, Y/N."

Confusion painted your features, as did it the rest of the teams, yet you joined the others in a spare seat next to Spencers.

"Garcia?" Hotch spoke as she typed on her tablet, pausing before meeting your eyes

"Uh huh, just a second.... Y/N you might want to look aweay from the screen." Heeding her advice, you angled yourself away from the screen and in turn, more towards Spencer.

"Ok so, we have an Unsub right here in Virginia. He has been... Replicating the deaths of men in... Gothic fiction novels..." Penelopes voice trails off as she looks to you, the air shifts to one of uncertainty. One crime happening to do with the gothic was a conicdence, another unsub doing the same isn't.

"What are the chances of two seperate unsubs operating under the same MO just two weeks a part?" Emily asked, but Spencer shook his head

"Statistaically very low, these crimes have to be connected" He looked at the screen in search. "What do we know?"

"Well, currently we are on a body count of 3. The victims overlap with our previous unsub by one. They weren't conncted till now when local authorities ran it through VICAP and saw the similarities with the Texas case. We need to operate under the assumption the cases are linked until proven otherwise. Hence, your presance, L/N. Considering your recent completion of your degree and your field of expertise, I'd like to ask you to act as informant to us once more." Hotch turned to you, passing you Penelope's tablet.

"The crimes so far have replicated that of Dracula, This time replicating the title characters death. Down to the, um, beheading and..." Penelope trailed off "burning of the body..."

"I bet if the body was intact there would be evidence of a stab wound to the chest too, if he's like the texas case he'll have replicated this perfectly." You added softly, Reid gave you en encourging nod.

"The strength and accuracy of these crimes absolutely allude to the unsub being a man, the strength needed to behead someone like that is no joke." Morgan added, you nodded.

"The gothic is also very induvidual to a person, like any novel you get what relates to you from them. What other novels were replicated Pen?"

"Um, that would be the death that kicks off the castle of Otranto, yanno the... crushing thing with the suit of armour, and then with the latest vic he escaleted. Replicating Frankensein, except instead of digging up graves he just, put the vic back together..." Penelope's heart dropped, as did yours. Taking a deep breath you braved a glance at the screen. Images of violence you'd never thought humanity capable of, images you believed to be works of fiction. A pang of saddness hit your chest, when the feeling of a hand softly rubbing your shoulder broke you out of the trance you hadn't realised you were in. Turning your attention back to Spencer, who's hand rested softly on your shoulder, you gained back your clarity once more.

"So each crime he's becoming less and less precious about accuracy, so if the crimes in Texas were almost like a test run, and we interupted, then maybe he's deescalting?" Looking around the room, JJ's brow knits as she thinks.

"If you're right,then we need to figure out the significance of the gothic for our unsub, and hwy he recruited our last unsub to start the crimes in Texas. Why replicate these deaths? Why change victimology from women to men?" JJ stared at the screen.

"He breaks the boundries of literary releveance too. He goes from late 19th century, to late 18th, and then to early 19th. There's no organisation, and I can't think of any particularly strong links between the novels theme wise from the top of my head. I'd have to go back home and look through my notes. But the form fits the previous case. Dracula to start, from my experience its the novel that gets most people into studying the genre to begin with, its theatrical and camp, and in some ways epitomises the genre. But the Castle of Otranto is the birth of the gothic story, its the first story that used the word gothic for a ghost story rather than as a slur or to describe something medieval. But then we go to Frankenstein, arguably the gothic nature comes from the setting it was written in rather than the actual story, its mostly attributed to science fiction than the gothic but it teeters the edge." You ramble, once again zoning out asa you stare to the tablet in your hand, scanning through your knowledge to find any kind of link between the novels.

"Ok, L/N, Take Reid to your appartment to look through your notes, you'll get through them quicker that way. Emily and JJ head down to the recent crime scene and see if you can lend any fresh eyes to the locals. Derek and Rossi head to the local ME and find out what you can from the examiner on the victims. Penelope and I will stay here to find connections between the current victims." Hotch and the others quickly gather their things, giving you one last congratulations before exiing. Silently, you follow Spencer to his car, where he drives you both to your apartment once more.

The jangle of keys broke the silence inside the aprtment you had left less than an hour ago. Making your way around the living room and dumping your bag on your battered sofa, you quickly turn on some lamps before walking to the small kitchen situated in the corner of the room.

"Make yourself at home." You smile to him, busying yourself making two cups of tea, as he looks around the room, once more observing the space, taking in what he didnt the last time as he sat on the distressed arm chair cramed into the corner of the room.

Your place was small, sure, but you prefered the word cosy. The Kitchen and living room were in the same room, but to you it just made it easier to keep clean. The walls were lined with shelves, filled with all kinds of books, some with files and trinkets. Mementos of you that had collected over the years, that refelcted you both past and present. There were a few framed prints along the wall of famous horror movies, Scream, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Chucky, Hellraiser, you were sure your choice of movie posters could be analysed by Reid, and you were hoping silently, he wouldn't deduce a hidden part of your psyche that you weren't aware of yourself.

Glancing over to the man, you saw him observing the leafs on one of the various plants that were littered around the room.

"Did you know that Monsteras can bloom fruit? It's said to taste like a mixture of fruit salad." He spoke up, glancing at you with a smile as you returned from the kitchen with two mugs, handing him one.

"It's peppermint, sorry I ran out of coffee this morning." You place your mug on your coffee table and move over to one of your shelves, grabbing some binders and handing them to reid before grabbing a pile of your own. The pair of you sit beside one another, knees toutching as you both scan through your oldnotes. After a moment of silence, Spencer touches his knee to yours lightly, getting your attention.

"Im sorry we haven't been on our date yet..." His tone had a sheepish tone to it. The way his eyes met yours showed that he really felt guilty, but you shook your head.

"What do you mean? We've still been spending time together." Placing the binder you were holding onto the coffee table, you turned your full attention to man beside you, who mirrored your actions.

"I know, but I just wanted to do this properly with you." There was that phrase again, what did he mean?

"What do you mean by that, Spencer? What does properly mean to you?" Grabbing his hand softly, he starts slightly before melting into your touch, absentmindly intertwining his fingers with yours.

"I just mean... I mean..." He scanned your eyes, as if trying to find the right words in them. A small pleading look painted his features. "I just want to make sure I don't scare you away. Or do anything wrong... I don't date. Ever really, but the few I've been on... They just seem to run when they see the strains from my job. I just want to.., I dont know. Follow the right formula, you know take you out to dinner, walk you home, kiss you goodbye at the door. I want to experience what love should be, not the large spark that doesn't ignite anything that I have been..." His gaze had trailed away from yours, finding your intertwined hands, watching as he fiddled with your hand between both of his larger ones. A small sigh escaped your lips as you chuckled

"Woah cowboy, lets slow down with the love, we haven't even been out to dinner yet." You chuckled, trying to eleviate his anxiety. His head snapped up in panic, fear evident that he said something wrong, but you interupted before he could voice this "I'm not going to get scared away, Spencer. I've worked at that desk for a year now, and I've seen what your job entails, if i was going to get scared away, do you think I would've entertained the idea of us in the first place?" His lips draw into a small line, and he shakes his head no. "Exactly, Spencer. Besides, falling in love doesn't follow a formula. It's not the romcom script that you expect. It's quality time, it's strife and raw emotion, it's an exposing yourself to someone in more than just body, but mind and heart too. That takes time and being together, and thats what we've been doing already. Hell, we shared a bed the first day we spoke a full proper sentence to each other, i think we're already past doing this properly."

Spencer seemed at a loss for words, staring into your eyes as you brought your hands together once more, halting his fidgeting and squeezing his hand.

"If we're together, then that's all that matters to me." Spencer's lips broke into a releived smile, before he leaned forward to place a small kiss on your lips. He pulled away just as quickly as your lips had joined, however.

"Im sorry, I didn't mean to-" You cut him off by placing your lips to his again, free hand cradling his cheek as you gave him a longer, more passionate kiss. After a moment, you break a part. Spencer sported a dopey smile, eyes glued to your features.

"I was waiting for you to do that again since Texas..." Your voice was small, but full of happiness towards the doctor in front of you. Finally, the pair of you continued your research, unempeaded this time, for another hour. Eventually, you perked up, alerting the man beside you.

"There's allusions to God. Each one has some sort of religious message!" You shriked, Spencers eyes widenning, thinking for a moment before perking up himself

"You're right... Dracula is a representation of sin for the 19th century, Frankenstein is mans punishment for playing god... but how does the castle of otranto link to god?" Spencer questions

"It's about sin. It's sort of a slur piece playing on the fears of catholicsm in the 18th century, thats why Walpole set it in the crusades, its publication lined up with the catholic reformation in England at the time. It's a display of public fears." Eagerly, you went to grab your old copies of each of the books. All covered in annotations from your past studies.

"So the unsub's message is religious... So why choose the gothic as a mode to display his religious beliefs?" Spencer followed you, grabbing your copy of frankenstein and skimming through the poages.

"I'm not too sure on that actually... Maybe because the gothic itself is caused moral outrage at the time? Maybe that's what his message is, something might've happened that links his moral outrage to the genre?" Your gaze met his furrowed one, before he could speak however, there was a knock on your door. Unsure who it may be, you gingerly make your way towards it.

On the door step, there was a large, brown package. There was no shipping label, or return adress. Only a note placed central over the brown tape that held the box shut. The words 'For my Sanguinary Rosebud', signed 'Nosferatu'.

"Spencer?" Your call was weak, confusion littering your face. The man joined you, and peered over your shoulder to the box.

"That's... Odd." He reached into his pocket and grabbed a pair of blue gloves, He moved towards the box slowly, picking it up with gloved hands bfore resting it ontop of your small dining table. He retrived a knife from your draw after photographing the box unopened, and slowly slid his knife through the tape.

The smell hit you first, making you gag and back away, holding a hand to your face. 'oh my god...'

Spencer contuined to methodically open the box, slowly reveling the corpse of a raven. There was a note inside, Spencer retrived it and held it up before reading it aloud

"It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea, But we loved with a love that was more than love— I and my Annabel Lee- With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsmen came  And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulchre In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, Went envying her and me— Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we— Of many far wiser than we- And neither the angels in Heaven above Nor the demons down under the sea Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride, In her sepulchre there by the sea— In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Does this poem mean anything to you?" His eyes were wide, clear with worry. Slowly you nodded.

"It's... It's my favourite..." You uttered, hand still over your mouth, eyes wide as they looked over the box "Who would do this?"

Spencers brow knitted further with confusion, you could see how hard he was thinking, trying to figure out the reason that you were targeted with such an odd gift. He quickly snatched his mobile from his pocket and dialed Hotch.

"Hotch? We have something. Y/N has been sent... Let's just say a token of affection and I think it's from our unsub... Okay... I understand... Be there soon." Turning to you he removes the gloves and places his hands on your shoulders

"The team are on their way to preserve the scene, but I'm going to take you back to the BAU. Can you pack a bag? If this is the unsub, then we can't let you stay here." He was methodical in his instructions, you were still in a state of shock from the last few minutes. Blinking in rsponse, you made your way to your room, haphazardly throwing some things into a duffle before leaving to the car with Spencer. He guided you out with a hand to the small of your back, finally talking once more in the car.

"Are you alright?" Softly, he broke you from the trance you'd been in since discovering the box. Shaking your head yes, Spencer saw through it and grabbed your hand once more, squeezing it reassuringly and pulling you into his chest, placing a small kiss to your crown.

"We don't know what this means for sure yet. He could be teasing us, he must know we're onto him and hes trying to psyche us out."

"But... why me? Why do this to me?" Your voice was meager in the wake of his claims, muffled into his jumper.

"I... I dont know. But I'll keep you safe. I promise." He broke from you, meeting your eyes with a kind smile "Im going to keep you safe."

Part 4 soon...

Tags: @pleasantwitchgarden @xamapolax @kchv

[captainsophiestark]

Comfort

Dick Grayson x Reader

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Written for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: DC

Summary: The vigilante couple that takes care of each other after a bad patrol night stays together.

Word Count: 1,173

Category: Fluff, Comfort (after Hurt, but the hurt's not in the fic)

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I winced as my boyfriend, Dick Grayson, dabbed antiseptic against the cut on my arm. It needed to be done, and I was glad I didn't have to do it myself, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"Sorry," Dick said, his voice soft. I leaned into him.

"It's ok. Thank you for helping."

"You might not want to thank me until we're done stitching this up. I'll do my best to be gentle, but... it probably won't feel great no matter what."

I gave him a weak smile, then let my head drop to rest on his shoulder. He held my injured arm gently in his lap, taking care not to move it more than he had to.

"I think you get the thank you no matter what. Especially since I'd have to try to do this myself if I didn't have you here to help me."

Dick just hummed, and I tried to focus on him and his comforting warmth as he moved to start on the stitches. Being a vigilante was absolutely brutal sometimes, thanks to moments and injuries like this. Especially since we couldn't usually go get treated as our civilian identities, lest it lead to some very awkward questions. But we were doing good, important work, and we were doing it together. Despite the worst days, I wouldn't trade this life for anything, and I knew Dick felt the same.

I focused on taking deep breaths through my nose as Dick worked. I clenched the hand of my non-injured arm, working on keeping the injured one still. Between stitches, Dick muttered comforting words, the tone and timbre of his voice near my ear keeping me as calm as anything else. I lost track of time, zoning out of the moment to focus on breathing and the man beside me.

Finally, Dick let out a sigh and sat back, moving one arm from my wound to around my shoulders. I sighed, leaning further into his chest, finally able to move the arm he'd been working on now that it was all stitched and bandaged.

"You still feeling okay?" he asked, rubbing small circles with his thumb against my good arm. I sighed and nodded.

"As okay as I can feel, considering everything. Thanks again for patching me up."

"You know I'm always happy to take care of you. I'm just sorry you needed it in the first place."

"Eh." I shrugged. "Life of a vigilante."

"Yeah," Dick sighed, sounding a little more melancholy than I'd been expecting. We stayed like that for a few long moments, laying against each other and enjoying the peace after a sketchier-than-usual night of fighting crime.

Finally, Dick sighed again, more as a transition than a lament this time.

"Alright, we both need to eat something, and then get some rest. Anything sound particularly good to you?"

"...I don't know if my heart can take the adventure that is your attempt at cooking on top of the night we've already had."

"I was planning to order in, but it's nice to be reminded that you have no faith at all in my culinary ability."

I just smiled and leaned into him.

"You know I love you, but you also know Jason spilled about the time you managed to burn cereal. I don't think there's a lot of hope for coming back from that, babe."

Dick laughed, pulling me even closer to him, the slightly heavier mood now completely gone.

"I guess that's fair. But one of these days, I'm going to secretly take a cooking class, and then I'll prove you all wrong."

I just hummed. "Take me with you when you do it. A cooking class sounds fun."

Dick chuckled and leaned down to place a soft kiss on my forehead.

"It's a deal. Now come on, let's get you settled in on the couch so we can order something good."

I sighed, but shifted my weight off of Dick. I moved to push myself up to standing, but before I could get very far, Dick shot up next to me and swept me into his arms. I laughed, throwing my arms around his neck in surprise as he carried me towards the living room.

"You're too injured to walk," he said, a grin on his face despite his words. "Doctor's orders, you need to be carried."

"Pretty sure it was just my arm that got really hurt. Some bruises and other injuries on my torso. Legs ended up being pretty okay."

"Mmm, no, I'm pretty sure I'm right."

He set me down on the couch with a flourish, then sat and shifted me around so my legs laid across his lap. He sighed and picked up his phone, taking care of takeout while I got my arm in a comfortable position and stared at the angel of a man that I got to call my boyfriend.

"Alright, food should be here in about twenty minutes," he announced, setting his phone down in triumph. "I vote we watch a movie or something while we wait and eat, then go to bed."

"I have one suggested addition to the plan."

"Yeah?"

"I want to reserve the right for us to change the plan and fall asleep here instead of going to bed."

Dick raised an eyebrow and made a big show of looking me up and down, spending a little extra time evaulating my arm and its position. Then, finally, he met my eyes again.

"You sure your arm's gonna be okay if we stay here?"

I shrugged. "Pretty sure. I've put worse stitching through more strenuous and dangerous activities than a couch nap before."

Dick grinned, his blue eyes sparkling as he wrapped an arm over the top of my thighs and pulled me closer to him.

"I don't know. I've heard couch naps can be pretty perilous."

"As long as neither of us rolls off the thing, I feel pretty good about our chances."

He hummed, pulling me even further onto his lap. "We should probably cuddle pretty closely, then. To keep each other safe from falling off this thing."

"Makes sense to me," I said, grinning and turning to lean into Dick. "Safety precautions are important."

He huffed a laugh, then finally stretched out on the couch alongside me, shifting us both so I was half laying on his chest. I could hear the constant comforting beat of his heart through his shirt, and I swear, my blood pressure instantly dropped.

"What are we gonna do when the food gets here?" I groaned, already halfway asleep. The last of the adrenaline had finally faded now that I was here, happy, comfortable, and safe with my favorite person in the world, and I could feel how quickly I was losing the battle with sleep.

"Don't worry," Dick muttered, gently running his hand up and down my back. "I'lll take care of it. You just get some rest."

I hummed, intending to say something else to him, but the exhaustion rooted into my bones and I couldn't keep myself up. I drifted off on his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me, perfectly safe and content with the love of my life.

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

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen @misshale21

DC Taglist: @gaychaosgremlin @v1ckycheesue @lavender-dinos @g0atmansbridge182

[xvxnux]

navigation : paid readings ☆ masterlist

i : "i need you to be strong now, everything that's happening today will somehow serve to bring you to me... your best version. believe in what i'm saying now: we will still have sad feelings about this, it's something that marked us and made us suffer. i need you to dedicate yourself and not give up, make plans. always have a direction! always have dreams and look for things that make you want the best for all eternity. i know things are tough and you're tired of waiting for genuinely good things. there's something difficult for us to deal with besides all of this, you know? something from our inner selves that you refuse to accept happened and refuse to expose and talk about. you're right to preserve yourself, but know that everything you put effort into doing succeeds. our secret will be safe until you want it to be, and can i tell you something? we'll never tell. know that your future will be good, comfortable. you'll have time to feel the cool breeze in your hair and have moments of peace. you may be curious about your career, right? well, listen, you'll be successful. you'll have a stable and admired mind, you can do anything! i'm sorry if i confuse you when i say "you" at some moments and "our" at others. i see us as different people now, who suffer and feel the weight of the present is you, and you will always be proud of your story. i'm in the future, waiting for you to blossom! I'm sorry i can't give you more directions about our future right now, but i'm worried about you. oh, stop apologizing! i hope you'll be alright. with love, your future self."

i see that you might be going through a tough time at the moment. the cards mostly speak about stability. perhaps you're confused about your career, and you might wonder if this reality will change, which can cause you pain.

your future self didn't want to talk about other matters; they are concerned. you'll become even more responsible for yourself and your feelings. i can see that in the future, you may face emotional challenges, and your burden is heavy, but it's alright — you'll manage well and become even more amazing!

ii : "dont worry, your cup will always be full. you will have brilliant moments ahead, so don't lose faith. there's a new version of yourself about to bloom like a black widow flower. this version will be one of the four you'll experience. no, you won't cease to be yourself, but we agree that you need to evolve, right?! in any case, be confident, your next version will teach you cunning and how to handle malicious people, unfavorable situations, and moments of pain. you'll emerge from all the rough situations, knowing how to navigate them unscathed. don't hold onto this current version of yourself; you're feeling sorry for yourself! i apologize for being tough and cold with you; perhaps it's my desperation for having lived your pain and heard your despair without being able to do much. but i believe, you are me, and i once was you! you need to understand that feeling sorry for yourself will make it difficult to leave the past behind, the same lack i felt once and that you still feel: the missing hug, the support that was lacking... the stabs in our backs and the weight on our conscience. i understand it all. when i say not to feel sorry for yourself, i mean you need to detach from this version; it no longer serves you. but if by any chance you don't understand why you feel this way, i can point out a few reasons: you lacked support and didn't receive the value you deserved. always alone, my love? always. you learned through pain to rely on yourself, you supported yourself, wiped your own tears. You embraced your inner child; yes, you are a child. but this child needs to stay, and you need to continue this journey. learn from all of this that you will still be your own support; your inner child knows how to walk and needs to walk alone, take her off your lap. your version will bring you everything you need, and it's written for you. wait to discover that you are one of the most intelligent people someone could meet. know that you will still have the power of communication; know that you will be feared and respected. feared by enemies and respected by friends! you are loving, and you need to continue to be so, you need to find balance. you want to help people in the future, and you will, but to get to me, you need to nurture the love within yourself. you will stop looking at yourself with harsh eyes and discover new spiritual abilities soon. be happy, i'm waiting for you..."

for me, it was touching and straightforward. i see that currently, you might be experiencing moments where you doubt yourself and wonder if you will reach your desired destination, but yes, you will. much depends on us and our well-being, on how our mind is doing. i see you as an intelligent person with potential, but you have been neglected and diminished in the past. there may be psychological issues that hold you back and eat away at you from the inside. fear of not finding love? nah, you will find it. even though you may not have that next version yet, i see positive aspects in you that help you get through all the difficulties you have faced. you are strong and can protect yourself from many things, but there are still challenging things. your intuition and life situations will guide you to where you belong. don't swim against the current; if you feel like doing something, just do it.

iii : "luck is on your side now, and you need to know how to be rational and think about the future, so when tough moments come knocking at your door, you don't see everything as bad and against you. the friends you have today, few will remain by your side later, and the things you value now will lose their significance. cherish the present moments and prioritize those who are prioritizing you now, okay?! i need you to wake up and be more responsible about your future, don't waste time and money! the future is bright, and you will have everything you desire, but if you still think money can buy everything... stop. i don't have much more to say for now, have a good night."

[sauronsgirl]

The Comfort of a High King

Gil Galad x Elf F!Reader

Warning: smut 18+

You cannot believe what you just saw. It has to be a dream. How else can your husband be cheating on you? Elves are supposed to be faithful towards each other. You just found out it's not true at all.

You run away from your house, crying and heartbroken. You don't care about the stares you get, you need to get away. You find a quiet spot under a tree near the waterfall at the edge of Lindon and sit down. You let out your pain at the betrayal. You really loved your husband.

You don't know how long you stay there. It seems your sadness is very deep. Footsteps coming your way catch your attention and you get up, hurrying to wipe your tears. Enough people saw you crying already.

-I'm sorry for taking the spot. I was leaving... your voice goes quiet and your eyes widen when you see it's the High King.

-My King! I'm so sorry I didn't know you were here.

He walks to stand beside you with a concerned look on his face.

-It's alright my dear you can stay for how long you want to. May I ask what happened that brought you so much sadness? asks the High King kindly.

Even if he is the High King and don't know you, you feel like you can tell him anything without judgement. But you still hesitate, not wanting to bother him.

-It's nothing important High King. Only bad news for me.

-It must be pretty bad in that case. I won't pressure you into saying anything but a good friend of mine told me it's important to tell things. It feels good afterwards. says Gil Galad looking at the horizon.

Convinced by his words, you tell him everything about your cheating husband. When you're done the High King looks angry but not at you. He was right, you feel a bit better.

-I apologize for what he did. We, Elves, are absolutely not like him. He doesn't deserve to stay here any longuer and he definitively doesn't deserve you.

You feel warm at his words. The High King is not only attractive but also respectful and gentle. If you're being honest, your soon-to-be ex-husband was starting to lack those qualities recently. A smile takes place on your face.

-Thank you my King. It must be boring for you but to me I needed to hear this.

-It's not boring at all. In fact, I would like to see you again when you'll feel better. If you want it too of course. says Gil Galad.

And that's how your story with the High King started. You saw him again and when he offered you a place in his court you said yes. Now you're in a secret relationship with him and it's the best thing that has ever happened to you. Your ex-husband is exiled from the city. It's a new beginning for you.

During the day you are helping Elrond with his tasks for the High King and you love it. He became a really good friend and he knows about your relationship with Gil Galad. During the evening and night however, you and the High King are lovers. And he is a very talented one.

It's been half and a year now that you are together and Ereinion has shown you how skilled he is in bed. He made you cum many times on his tongue, fingers and cock. He is not only a King outside the bedroom but inside as well.

You are now taking a break, enjoying the sun on your skin at the same spot you have met your lover. You are thinking about last night. It was the first time the High King let you pleasure him. The taste of him in your mouth...the way he grabbed your hair while you sucked him off...

The more you think about it, the more you grow wet between your thighs. Looking quickly around and see no one is here, you lean against the tree and slip a hand under your dress. You gasp when your fingers make contact with your wet folds. You close your eyes again and touch yourself at the memory of last night.

You are so lost in pleasure that you don't hear the person walking and halting in front of you. As you are about to cum, a strong hand covers yours and keeps you from cumming. Your eyes snap open and you blush in embarassement as you see the High King with a smirk on his face.

-My little insatiable minx... could not wait until tonight so I could bring you pleasure like I always do? he says desire in his tone.

-I'm sorry Meleth nîn... I was thinking about last night and couldn't stop myself...

You moan as he replaces your hand with his and slowly circles your trobbing clit. You feel on the edge of cumming again.

-Tell me about what you were thinking and I'll make you cum my love. he says lustfully.

You tell him everything and he fingers fuck you until you orgasm on his hand. He kisses you to keep down the moans you make.

-That's it love. Now are you going to be able to wait for tonight or do I have to fuck you right here? he teases you as he pulls out his fingers to lick them clean.

You blush at his words and the view he makes.

-Yes High King, I'll wait for you... I just needed a break from work.

-It's okay, I was looking for some peace too. But I think we should go back if we want the day to be over sooner. says Ereinion with a smile.

You nod and go back to each others duties. At the end of the day, he made you realize how much the wait was worth it.

[taggedmemes]

SENTENCE MEME BALDUR'S GATE 3 / PART FOUR

i'll feed your innards to the ants before i do that.

you're not here to play with the locals.

question, kill, then move on.

fail her at your peril.

were i not merciful, i would slice the skin clean from your meat.

i am nothing if not merciful.

tell me: why shouldn't i run you through this instant?

you are nothing until i tell you otherwise.

nothing even approaching a useful thought in that skulll.

it costs me nothing to spare your sorry life.

i required your silence and you made me a mockery.

save your anger for the enemies.

i will skewer the jeretic with his own silver sword.

don't trust a word out of her mouth.

you were supposed to rush to my defense.

fat lot of good you are.

she could shoot fireworks out of her backside for all i care.

i don't know what just happened any more than you do.

not my usual quarry, not my usual ally.

your faith is your own concern, not mine.

i didn't think you'd react so pragmatically.

in the future, i expect you to be honest.

as if mingling with a horde of goblins wasn't bad enough.

let's do what we have to, then get out of here.

let's not linger in this place any more than necessary.

pain without purpose is a terrible thing.

you bore the pain like a true believer.

i don't think i have the stomach for this.

this place was supposed to be abandoned.

a joy to see a familiar face in such a precarious setting.

a fine mess you landed yourself in.

how better to learn the ways of a people than to live among them.

one should cherish all of nature's bounty, but goblin guts are quite far down the list.

you're a true friend of nature, or perhaps a lunatic.

it's unbecoming to demand honorifics from the one who saved my hide.

you weren't speaking lightly when you said you needed help.

that doesn't mean i can't help.

you have my sincere sympathies.

the magic used is beyond me. it's either not of this world, or so ancient as to be lost to even nature's memory.

the natural order must be protected.

there's no order anymore, only chaos.

chaos is welcome in doses.

i'm practically an expert.

you're either an excellent storyteller or you've experiences something quite exceptional.

i'd be irresponsible not to debunk such a strange claim.

i cannot trust my own mind.

there is great potential within you.

you're looking for solutions in the wrong places.

if we work together, we may turn this around.

until it is found, i will take something precious from you every hour that passes.

silence now, or i will silence you forever.

he's been resilient, but he'll talk.

i will have an explanation, or your head.

i do not wish to spill blood here.

come daylight, we will find a place to end this.

you can accept you're wrong, or we'll be rid of you permanently.

you had every chance to look the other way.

you chose this.

don't expect to be mourned.

she's a liability.

thieves aren't afforded such luxuries.

loosen the grip on your pride for one blasted moment, won't you?

imagine what we might achieve if we channeled some of that hostility back at our real foes instead of each other.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Yay requests are open! :DDD

Can I maybe get something with mandela catalogue because WHY NOT YLDLYDYLDLYFK

I maybe went beyond you with Alternate y/n but can I get something like so fluffy and they so God damn sweet it so silly like????

They so kind and Affectionate to everyone like wtf (maybe hug out of no where they would squeeze the hell out of the person or compliment non stop with heart eyes like <3333 *nothing suspicious Of course!!*)

Would like Scenario with mark, any Alternate (might intruder specifically but whatever u like!) And Gabriel! :0

U can choose or make more than one I would be 10× happy <33

I know it's tough or annoying and you are free to ignore this request but please tell me so I won't wait <3

Love your writing please keep going and take care of yourself!

I just did the three you requested ^^ Took me a bit to figure out scenarios but hope you like 'em!

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

--Mark--

"Your place of worship has..quite the vastness. Are all of them like this?"

"There's smaller ones around town, but this is the one I've pretty much grown up in."

"I see...it's quite lovely. All the flowers and stained glass windows add a nice touch."

"Mhm.." Mark nodded his head, keeping a vacant gaze on the church's altar as he fiddled with the rosary tangled in his fingers.

You, in the meantime, were intrigued by this house of god--the same place Preacher once infiltrated to adopt one of the nuns' forms. But luckily, she had moved on since then and hasn't disturbed these grounds.

It was a surprise that Mark actually allowed you to accompany him tonight..considering you were quite adamant about stepping through the doors. You thought he'd become distressed upon learning his sanctuary had no spiritual nor physical barriers that kept Alternates out.

But he apparently knew that already and accepted it, as he invited you anyways, insisting he didn't wish to be alone.

When he knelt down to pray for some time, you left him be while exploring the church for yourself, looking at the architecture.

You continue to be impressed by what humanity has built for their religion.

When you returned to the pews, Mark was no longer kneeling, instead sitting there with a blank stare. And judging from his empty responses to your remarks, he seemed...lost.

Didn't he come here to put his mind at ease? You thought you'd see him become less tense after finishing his prayers, but he looked just the same--if not more upset.

"...I couldn't think of anything new this time."

Confused, you sat down next to him. And he took your silence as a sign to elaborate.

"I mean...I-I keep praying for the same stuff. For my friend to be at peace, wherever he is, my parents to talk to me again....and for things to go back to normal. But it feels like I'm asking for the impossible. It just..doesn't seem worth it anymore.."

"I believe all of those things are still worth praying for, Mark..be it one time or a hundred." You softly interjected, frowning a bit. "Life may not entirely go back to what it once was, but you can always pray for better days ahead. You have survived the worst of them, and you'll survive plenty more."

He was quiet for a moment, before shrugging. "It feels like even that's too much to ask for nowadays. Maybe...He forgot about me, or my prayers aren't enough-"

"I doubt anything's ever "too much" for your god. I'm sure He hears you and knows you're trying to stay faithful in such difficult times. If I were Him, I'd think your prayers are good enough for...."

Stopping, you heard him sniffle and gazed at him in worry, seeing his shoulders slumped. "Mark?" You were especially alarmed when he suddenly began to sob, bringing his hands to his face.

In that moment you feared that you've accidentally said something MAD-inducing. "I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean it like-"

"I-In all my years going to..c-confession..nobody's ever told me that." He cried quietly. "They said my soul was doomed the moment I met that intruder guy...a-and there's only a small chance I can be saved if I keep praying.."

You blinked, bewildered by what you were hearing. "Your whole church knows about that night? And they blame you for encountering him? But that wasn't your fault...you were a child."

"Th-They don't care. They never did. But of all people..I never expected an Alternate to tell me something so....r-reassuring..." Mark looked up at you, and the smile on his tearful face confirmed he wasn't upset with you in the slightest. "Thanks, [y/n]. I..I really need to hear that."

"But of course." You smiled back and brought him into an embrace, squeezing him tightly as relief swept over you. "There's no need to weep anymore, little lamb. For I am here and I see your good heart and soul..even if others don't."

All he did was nod in response, and that was enough for you.

You'll definitely have Six's head on a silver platter for this someday.

.........

--Intruder--

"Tell me, Six..have you grown soft for the prophet?"

"..what ever do you mean, traitor?"

"Does "I cradled him in my arms, my sweet boy" ring a bell?"

Six scowled as you mimicked his voice, grinning cheekily at his reaction.

You were just getting a kick out of angering him at every possible turn. Especially ever since he knew you've been "siding" with humanity as of late, looking after a young man you've come to see as a friend.

He didn't like that one bit--yet he couldn't say anything to Gabriel.

Your leader figured you were only acting this way as a means to destroy humans from the inside-out once you've gained their trust enough.

But Six, on the other hand, knows you true intentions. You wanted to protect them.

Unfortunately for him, the "angel" threatened him not to disrupt your plans again..lest there be severe consequences.

"Oh come now, why the long face, brother?" You teased. "Over 3,000 of their kin you have abducted..and none of their sweet faces have ever touched your heart?"

"What heart? We don't have those, and you know it."

"..what about that Heathcliff boy you spared? You know..he drew a picture of you and showed it to his class a long time ago."

"It wasn't the right...wait, he did what..?" He blinked, surprised that a child would want to draw him. Usually, he frightened them most when he appeared to them in reality and not as their best friend "Stanley".

But nothing surprised him more than when you had Mark's actual drawing in-hand, giving it to Six and allowing him to look at it. You watched his expression carefully, seeing his gaze soften considerably as his eyebrows furrowed.

"This..was made by him? How did you-?"

"His teacher confiscated it, but I've recovered it." You tilted your head, your smile only growing more. "Are you sure you don't care? Because now you look like a father who is proud of his child's artwork-"

"You're wrong. I don't feel any sentiment towards them. Everything I've done was to manipulate them into doing our master's bidding." Immediately, his scowl returned and he glared back up at you-

Only for him to flinch as you wrapped your lanky arms around him without warning.

He squirmed about, realizing you were once again doing this...awful and disgusting thing you've adopted from humans. You've shown it to other Alternates, but he despised it. "Release me!!"

"Don't lie to me, brother. You're weak to their influence as I am." You laughed, squeezing him tight. "There's no shame in admitting it-"

"GET OFF!! Traitorous black sheep!"

Six suddenly glitched out of your embrace, disappearing from reality altogether. You looked around and eventually spotted his silhouetted figure in the nearest TV, white eyes glaring at you.

He was safe..for now. But you've had your fun with him, so you simply left him alone.

Though not without laying the drawing down on the floor where he could see it.

You never noticed his hand creeping out from the screen and grabbing it, dragging the paper into his realm.

.....

--Alt!Gabriel--

"How is your deception of humanity fairing, my child?"

"It is going well." Smiling up at your Savior, you clasped your hands together in front of you. "I'm learning more about what they enjoy..and what their sorrows are. Soon enough, it'll become easier to watch them rot from within."

"As it should. I do want to apologize for the...erratic behaviors of your dearest brother. He does not understand your mission as well as I do."

At the mention of Six, you nodded, trying to bite back your utter disdain for him. There's a lot you wanted to say about him, but you didn't come here to complain about him the entire time.

He wasn't worth wasting your breath.

"No he does not. I liken him to a petulant child." You sighed. "He's convinced you're..."playing favorites" with me when I've done nothing particularly extraordinary compared to-"

"Now, now..you mustn't speak that way." Gabriel's chuckles reverberated through the dark void you two stood in. "Give yourself a little credit, won't you? You have done well, and I know you'll continue to be quite the spy. I was right to bring you into creation..my most loyal servant yet."

Flattered by his praise, you couldn't help but kneel before him, trying to hide your growing smile.

"Thank you, my divine leader. I shan't forget this life you've breathed into me. I receive your generous words wholly."

"..hahaha..so eloquently spoken. You may as well be a human yourself! I commend you for adapting their language so quickly." You felt his hand reach down to pat the shadowy top of your head.

His eerie smile stretched even wider than yours, knowing he had you wrapped around his finger perfectly.

Of all the Alternates, you've complimented him the most. The others were too mindless to converse with him as long as you did.

Of course, Six was the exception..but all he ever did was complain about you like some tattle-tail.

You, on the other hand, never acted out of line or questioned his demands.

You were as obedient as a sheep. Exactly as he wanted.

"Now rise, my child, and go forth. We still have a lot of work to do."

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FROM BETTER CALL SAUL *  assorted dialogue from season 1 of the show, adjust as necessary

oh, to be nineteen again!

me, personally, if i were held accountable for some of the stupid decisions i made when i was nineteen...

i bet if we were in church right now, i'd get a big "amen!"

they did a dumb thing. we're not denying that.

nobody got hurt. not a soul. very important to keep that in mind.

so... trespassing? that's a bit of a reach, don't you think?

call me crazy, but i don't think they deserve to have their bright futures ruined by a momentary, minute, never-to-be-repeated lapse in judgement.

you're bigger than that.

thank you for restoring my faith in the judicial system.

son of a bitch. fine.

what did you do to my brother?

why don't you look where you're going?

listen! it was an accident!

somebody call the cops!

how are you gonna fix this? what are you gonna do to make things right?

you have meddled with the primal forces of nature, and i won't have it!

do you want me to call security?

isn't that what you wanted?

you know i'm gonna beat this.

you proceed from false principles. your argument is built on quicksand, therefore it collapses.

i might as well head down to skid row and sell plasma!

money is not "beside the point," money is the point!

hand to god, i wasn't gonna say this, but you are broke.

this is what has you all worked up?

i'm the rising tide that raises all dinghies.

it could happen to anyone.

wow. you got a mouth on you.

you know what i smell. i smell lies.

i'm undercover, okay? you got me.

you already beat the living hell out of them.

i'm gonna break their arms. and i'm gonna break their legs.

i'm the best lawyer ever.

it takes ten minutes to walk down here!

you're like a troll under a bridge.

hey, you asked for me, and i have come.

what they were telling me... it's problematic.

you want to tell me your thoughts and weigh in?

you miserable piece of shit. you set me up.

you think you're funny?

i was never in the house.

you didn't... oh god, you didn't. you didn't do the sex-robot voice, did you?

that's why people hate lawyers.

how come you let me off the hook back there?

i'm going back to work. why don't you quit while you're ahead and go on your way?

finally, someone believes me!

it's human nature to want to stay close to home.

please, just don't tell anyone about the money.

you expect me to believe that shit?

i'd cut the cute attitude right about now if i were you.

you ratted on me. there will be consequences.

you know how much trouble you caused me?

i get that... but this? you're better than this.

i refuse to consider myself a victim.

are you ready for that?

i may have seen one of these before.

it's a little... sexual, maybe?

you're completely disgusting, you know that?

oh, here's your coffee. hope it's good to the last drop.

i'm asking you to take a few ounces of lukewarm coffee and spill it on him.

i'm very sorry to hear it.

anything else you wanna ask?

what exactly did you tell them?

how could you possibly think that?

why didn't you ask me? why didn't you come to me?

a deal? i hate that terminology.

you're telling us there are drug dealers and murderers walking the streets, but instead of going after them, they want to put an innocent man in jail.

you broke into a nursing home?

what number exactly did you have in mind?

so... what are you packing?

how do you not pack a gun?

what are you talking about?

the lesson is... if you're gonna be a criminal, do your homework.

i thought you were proud of me.

just save your breath, okay? you're gonna be fine.

this was the greatest week of my life.

i know what stopped me. and you know what? it's never stopping me again.

[thesensteawitch]

Ask A Yes Or No Question!

Pick A Pile Reading!

(Left to Right- Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3)

Think of your question and choose a pile intuitively!

Hello, Senstea Souls!🩷

I hope you all are doing well. Take your time to choose a pile and book a reading if you want a reading done about your personal situation.

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Pile 1

Tarot Cards- The Empress, 7 of Cups, 2 of Pentacles, The Temperance, Page of Swords

The answer to your question is a Yes. You have a far-sighted vision regarding something in your life. Though it seems satisfactory, looking at your current life situation the steps that you need to take to have this wish of yours makes you feel overwhelmed. You seem to be in a confusing and defensive energy. The spirit guides want you to rediscover the art of allowing things in your life. You're trying to control everything. But your guides want to tell you that to reach your vision there will be blocks and setbacks on the road. So don't try to figure out a perfect plan. If something doesn't work out today doesn't mean it won't work out tomorrow. Don't let your mind control you or you'll keep losing your balance. Don't let your desire to control everything tempt you into making long-term plans. Take things slow and make short plans for a while. Full moons are significant here. Write affirmations on the full moon day and allow the universe to send you blessings. Don't block your path. Let things flow. Follow the creative ideas that you get but don't try to build your whole life around them. Detach, my friend. Don't lose yourself in the process of finding a way to have your wish. Self-care is necessary for you to align with the frequency of receiving.

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Pile 2

Tarot Cards- 10 of Cups, 9 of Cups, 2 of Swords, The High Priestess, 10 of Swords

It's a big YES for you pile 2! It's your dream coming true. I don't know what your dream is but I see that your wish is written in your stars. But you don't seem to believe that you can ever have this dream. Some of you finally moved out of a very tough situation. It took every ounce of your being to leave the pain behind. And now the road ahead is clear but you don't know where you are headed to. What lies ahead is justice! What's coming next will feel like the scales of justice are finally being balanced. You asked for something in your prayers and your prayer is being answered. It will free you from any kind of fear that you are still carrying. For a very few I see a proposal coming or a new friend coming into your life. They will be a true blessing. I just heard your spirit guides saying that you are not a failure. Sometimes quitting is the best thing we can do for our peace. Nothing is worth risking your mental health for. So if you feel like a quitter then don't be sorry about it. You didn't quit, you chose your well-being. You are growing and evolving pile 2. A lot of emotional fulfillment is coming up next in your life. You'll be overjoyed! I know you can't see it coming. But please don't lose hope.

To ask more yes or no questions book a reading only at $2!

Pile 3

Tarot Cards- 9 of Swords, Knight of Pentacles, The Emperor, Page of Wands, Ace of Swords

The answer to your question is No. A major transformation is happening in your life currently and what you're asking for will keep you tied to your past or old ways of doing things. I see aggression and violence slowly reaching towards the end. The more you fight the change the more difficult it will get for you pile 3. So don't fight it. Things may seem out of your control but how you see things is still in your control! Change the way you look at things. There's a lot of aggression in some of you that I can see. You're being stubborn. Just have faith that whatever is happening is happening for your good. You can still create a beautiful reality for you. Just let go of the things that are not working out for you and are keeping you up at night. If you allow your mind to be still you'll get new ideas to change your life and live a better life. Ideas will come to you naturally. Be calculative about your next steps and take things slow. Some of you may even be feeling anxious these days. Go for a walk and spend time in nature. Don't rush things and don't put a lot of pressure on yourself. Just be a little easy on yourself. You won't be able to stop this change but this is necessary for your betterment.

To ask more yes or no questions book a reading only at $2!

[chronicbeans]

Wally and a Puppeteer Reader (part 11)

Looks like we are getting close to the end. Idk how many more parts there will be but I, for once, gotta plan in mind! Yippee!

TW: Obsessive Behavior, Idol Worshipping, Interrogation, Derealization, Scopophobia/Eye Imagery, Threats

🎥 You have waited a couple days for this. You wanted to make sure that Henry was alright after what happened. Currently, he and his uncle are out, picking Angela up from the hospital. No one is home, so it is the perfect time for this.

🎥 You place Wally down on your bed, before placing two heavy books on the extra blanket hanging off of the ends of the knot you tied to heep him down. He squirms, looking up at you with the most fearful eyes you have ever seen... on a puppet, at least. Nothing could ever beat the fear you saw in the eyes of Eddie's puppeteer when they handed you the box holding this cursed puppet.

🎥 Speaking of, the puppet opens its mouth, crying out "Let me go! I'm sorry! I didn't hurt her! I think I just spooked her... she tripped on her own!" You shake your head "I don't really care about whether or not you did or didn't do that... Because, even if you didn't, you still hurt people! What about the person YOU filled with staples? Or the one you dropped a bucket of paint on, cracking their head open?! Or these cursed notes and drawings you kept sending me?! You still did damage to people, including me! I have been going insane from fear because of you!"

🎥 His eyes widen more so than they already were. He grows silent, looking around. He begins to mutter "No... no no no... I never meant to... I never meant to hurt YOU!" He then looks you straight in the eyes, the most intense stare held within his own. His pupils seem to expand until they overtake the entirety of his large eyes. "I NEED YOU. I would never hurt you willingly! I thought the notes were lovely! The drawings, too! Isn't it nice to know that your most faithful puppet is watching over you? The paint guy was being mean to you! He deserved it! I even warned him before I did it. I always saw the other guy with Eddie, so I thought it would be fitting if he delivered mail to you! See? I put so much thought into it all so it would be perfect! I love you! I am so sorry you didn't see what I meant to get across..."

🎥 You take a step back, placing your hands on your hips "Oh, you got your message across, alright. I know you love me. You love me too much. You love me to a dangerous degree and you clearly are willing to harm people for the smallest of reasons. I know the boss will probably fire me for this, but I think it would be best if I just burned you-"

🎥"NO! NO, DON'T DO THAT! I mean-!" He looks over to the clock in your room, before saying "I mean... can we... can we have one last round on set? Whatever story you want, you can tell! You can make me do anything you like! I don't care... I can clearly see that I deserve it... I caused so much damage. If you want me burned, I can't stop you. I am your puppet. You are in control, right? Just one more little story. For me? For your good, friendly neighbor?"

🎥 You feel... uncomfortable. However, you think about it for a bit. The studio is far from most other people and since Wally can talk, he can probably scream. It would be... concerning, to say the least, if your neighbors saw you burning a screaming, flailing thing that looked vaguely like a person. So, it might be for the best that you go through with his wishes. "Alright. You want one more story? You will get one more story. You better not double-cross me, though."

🎥 Wally nods, a his permanent grin widening. "Don't worry. I won't. As I said, I would never hurt you intentionally. Let's go! Now! I wanna go now!" You untie him, before slinging him over your shoulder and placing him in your car. You drive to the studio, listening to Wally talking about how much he can't wait to see Barnaby, Julie, and all the others. You tune him out, focusing entirely on the road and your destination.

🎥 You arrive, parking your car and hopping out. You grab Wally, before reaching into the glove box and taking out your emergency key to the studio. You really don't understand why the boss gives everyone a key. Apparently it is so they can have someone open the door if they lose their own? You don't really care, though. All you care about is finishing whatever this puppet has started.

[pacifymebby]

The Peaky Boys Comfort You After A Breakup

Tommy

🌿 He warned you this would happen, that you'd put all your faith in a bad man and get your heart broken. He never liked your boyfriend, he likes to think he has an instinct for sniffing out useless bloody not to be trusted men and this one had set all his alarm bells ringing...

🌿 So when you come to him in floods of tears telling him you don't know what to do, your hearts been broken and your lifes over, it will take a lot for him to not say "i told you so"

🌿 But, he won't say it. Instead he'll see the tears in your eyes, open his arms for you and pull you into a hug. "Come here girl, come tell your Tom what the no good bastards done this time eh..." you'd probably sniffle and try to defend the boy. "He's not a no good bastard..." "Aye love, thats why you're crying ain't it, cause he's such a lovely lad eh?"

🌿 Tommy knows how to handle women, at least he knows how to handle you and he knows that although his brain had jumped straight to teaching this lad a lesson, all you really need right now is a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

🌿Him giving you a tight squeeze and then turning away, to the bar, "whiskey or gin?"

🌿 "So tell me what happened then and don't try to defend him eh I know what you're like angel..." "I don't.." you'd start to argue but he'd only have to give you one look and you'd know you weren't going to get away with lying. You've always let this lad get away with murder.

🌿 So you sigh and dry your eyes and you take a long drink, then you tell him what happened, about how the lad said you weren't worth the trouble that came with knowing you... Basically he'd caught wind that you had Peaky Blinders for friends and he was too much of a coward to stick around and show up for you.

🌿 Of course hearing this, that the lad broke up with you because he was scared of Tommy and the boys makes Tommy more pissed off. "Fuckin coward," he shakes his head, "never deserved you angel, right from the start, he never deserved you..."

🌿 You'd probably shake your head, all forlorn, trying to think of a way to defend him but you know you can't. So you just sit and drink the drinks he pours for you and listen to his little speech.

🌿 "You know I know I never looked too kindly on him, didn't exactly show him a warm welcome," he says, "and I'm sorry about that angel..." you know he's lying but you let him keep going because now you see he was right all along. The lad did let you down, just like he said. "But if I didn't trust him it was only because I think you deserve the world and I could see he would never be able to give it to you..."

🌿And he's telling you the truth, just not the whole truth. If he was being completely honest he'd have finished his sentence, that he could give you the world, that he wants to be the one who does. That no other man will be good enough for you in his eyes, because you belong with him. He's the only person he trusts to look after you.

🌿 But he knows you need time after your break up, so he doesn't say anything. He's patient. He lets you get drunk on whiskey and your sorrows with him, the two of you drinking together all evening. He likes to wallow and so he lets you do that too. There'll be time for smiling and cheering you up tomorrow.

🌿 Lets you drunk cry to him and dries your eyes with his hanky, catches your tears and wipes them away with his thumbs. Tell you to let it all out and encourages you to cry. He thinks its good for women to be emotional.

🌿 He'll sit with you all night, holding your head to his chest when you cry, telling you again and again that you deserve better, that you deserve the world. And when you ask why you weren't good enough he'll almost get cross.

🌿 "No no no, no y/n we're not doing that... Nothing wrong with you angel, you're perfect, sent straight down to earth from heaven you were, only thing that makes me believe in a heaven at all... You're a star too good for the likes of him and he knew it, deep down he knew he could never be what you deserved, knew he'd never be good enough for you, and instead of stepping up and fighting for you, he chose cowardice... Nothing wrong with you at all my girl, he just wasn't man enough, too much of a coward to fight for you..."

🌿 He'll sit with you all night, stroking your hair, probably feeling pretty pleased with himself that it was him you ran to, feeling pretty pleased with himself that he gets to hold you and kiss you and comfort you when you're so vulnerable. Its not that he's happy you're so sad, he's just happy its pushed you into his arms.

🌿 Lets you fall asleep on him then carries you up to his bed where he tucks you in. He's not much of a sleeper anyway so he doesn't mind giving up his bed.

🌿 He sits up all night stewing over what to do about your broken heart and more to the point, the man who broke it. He wants revenge, he wants to hurt him, but he knows that if anything happens to him you'll hear about it and you'll know it was Tommy who ordered it.

🌿But he can't just leave it so he calls John and tells him to delegate the task, to make it seem like an accident, something unrelated to peaky business.

🌿The next day he'd wake you up with tea, he asks you if you'd like to accompany him for breakfast, takes you to your favourite little cafe and buys you your favourite things.

🌿 In the weeks that follow he keeps a close eye on you, he doesnt want you to go back to your now ex. He surprises you with little visits, brings you the odd gift. Buys you a necklace and helps you put it on. He's building up to asking you to be his, but he knows he needs to build up slowly.

🌿 What he doesnt know is that all these little things he's doing for you, are making you fall hard and fast for him, that if he doesn't say or do something soon you're going to steal the limelight from him by kissing him first.

🌿 About two weeks after the stupid lad broke up with you a drunk spills his pint on him at his local pub and your ex picks a fight with him. As it happens the drunk in question isn't a drunk at all, but a romani boy yet to make his name famous, but soon to be the boxing champion of the world. So your ex gets battered by Bonnie Gold and though you're suspicious that the boys have something to do with it, you can't prove a thing.

Alfie

🐻 Alfie has always felt very protective over you. Ever since the day he met you he has inserted himself into your life as a sort of father figure, determined to protect you from the mean streets of london town. You're his little girl, whether you like it or not.

🐻 Whenever you get a new boyfriend Alfie insists upon meeting them to suss them out. To see if they're good enough for his little zieskiet. So far, not a single lad you've introduced him to has been good enough.

🐻 And usually when you get your heart broken you'd go straight to him, knowing he would be able to comfort you with one of his big bear hugs.

🐻 But this time its different. This time its not a normal break up and if Alfie finds out what happened you know he'll kill the lad thats broken your heart.

🐻 So you spend two miserable days trying to go through your break up on your own, hiding away from Alfie, questioning why someone would treat you so carelessly. Why you weren't good enough for them, why they felt they had to cheat on you with some whore from the red light district...

🐻 But you can't keep anything from Alfie Solomons, hes got eyes and ears all over this part of the city and it doesnt take him long to realise exactly why he hasn't seen you down Camden Market the last few days.

🐻 So he turns up at your house, prepared with a bouquet of your favourite flowers tucked behind his back.

🐻 "Not avoiding me are you zieskiet?" he asked you with a stern little frown when you open the door, half hiding yourself behind the door. You know you can't lie to him and even if you'd wanted to the site of him standing there is enough to leave you at a total loss. You can't control your emotions, the rush of relief at the sight of your alfie there ready to wrap you up in his big arms and hold you tight and safe.

🐻 "Oh dear, my dear little zieskiet come here yeah, come give your old man a cuddle..."

🐻 He wraps you up in his arms and squeezes you so tightly. Held against his chest like that you feel so small and safe, safe enough to let all your emotions come flooding out. Sobbing into his chest. He kisses your head and strokes your hair, walking you backwards into your house and closing the door behind you.

🐻 Inside he sits down in an arm chair and pulls you into his lap. "There there poppet its alright, I'm here now right, so everythings alright, I'm here now I'll look after you yeah zieskiet, my precious girl bless your soul, thats it you have a big old cry, let it all out darlin..." he'd rub your back and play with your hair, cradling your body to his, rocking you and soothing you. He leaves little kisses in your hair and holds you until you've calmed down and cried your heart out to him.

🐻 "You know zieskiet," he says when you've stopped crying, "me being a dangerous, rotten gangster feared across the whole of London Town, and him being a good for nothing little cockroach I think we'd all be in agreement nobody, yeah, nobody would miss... I could just have him horribly murdered... Couldn't I..."

🐻 You'd giggle thinking he was joking, sniffling and trying to dry your eyes. Him catching your hands with his and shooing them away, holding your cheeks in his hands and wiping your tears with his thumbs. The little smirk he does when you laugh at his "joke"

🐻 "Nah, no, of course not, course I won't do that... Nah... But... It made you smile didn't it poppet... Theres no denying the thought did make you smile..."

🐻 And honestly? I'm not sure your ex has long to live. He'd better enjoy his week of "freedom" because just as soon as Alfie's sure his little girls feeling better, he'll be taking a trip to your ex's side of town, just you know... For a visit.

🐻 But before he can get round to that, and he is going to enjoy that a lot, before he can get round to that, he has to take care of his little girl so he clears his schedule to stay with you for as long as it takes to see you feeling better.

🐻 He knows you're a messy broken heart, knows you won't have been eating or sleeping, and so he makes you dinner, some good old fashioned jewish comfort food - chulent, babka, matzo ball soup... He takes real good care of you all week and whenever you try to interject he just shrugs you off and won't hear a word of your concerns for him or his work which you know is important.

🐻 "You don't have to do all this Alfie..." "All what zieskiet? Not doin nothin me, just takin care of my little girl... Wouldn't be much good if I couldn't even do that would I?" "but you have more important things to be worrying about than me..."

🐻 Him turning round with a stern frown, pointing a finger at you, its his cross face and for a second you think you've gotten yourself into trouble.

🐻 "Now that darlin zieskiet, that simply just ain't true. Is it? Nothin, right, and I mean this with the whole of my old shrivelled heart yeah, there ain't nothin in this world more important than you... You understand that yeah? You are very, very, very important right..."

🐻 You're kind of speechless, you tell from the look in his eyes that he isn't joking, and although Alfie's always been a big softie to you, you had no idea he felt that way about you. You've never meant that much to anybody before and to say you're stunned would be an understatement.

🐻 "Uh.. I..." "You understand that y/n? Thats what I asked you ain't it?" "Um... Yeah... Yeah I do Alfie..." "Really zieskiet cause you don't seem very certain you know, you look very uncertain indeed..."

🐻 And you are uncertain, you're looking back at him trying to work out what he means with all these kind words, he's being so caring, so gentle with you but now he's looking at you so sternly and seriously that you're sure this is more than just "friendship"

🐻 Him stepping closer to you, taking your face in his hands and brushing his thumbs over your cheeks. "You, little ziekskiet, are more precious, right, than you know... More precious than you know." Him holding your gaze, kissing your forehead. You hardly able to breath.

🐻 Suddenly that broken heart hurts a lot less.

Arthur

🍂 You didn't want to tell Arthur about your breakup but you knew you'd never keep it secret for long. And anyway, you've been finding it impossible to hold back your tears whenever you think about what had happened.

🍂 When he sees you he can tell that somethings upset you, all it takes is the question "Who's hurt you girl?" and you're not going to crying, stood there in the middle of the street sobbing your heart out, hiding your face in your hands.

🍂 At first he isn't sure what to do, he's not good with crying lasses he never really knows what to do. But he can't just stand there and watch his best friend sobbing her heart out in the street so he awkwardly tries to comfort you.

🍂 He wraps his arms around you and awkwardly holds you to his chest, it isnt a tight hug and he's a little stiff, the way he pats you on the back and says "here now don't cry darlin.." and coughs awkwardly..

🍂 But you just melt into his embrace, soaking his shirt with your tears and as hes holding onto you and doing his best to comfort you he's overwhelmed with this protective feeling. How could someone do this to someone as lovely and pure as you.

🍂 He gets angry, really pissed off and he holds onto you a little tighter, hes stewing, his face slowly turning that angry shade of red, his breathing getting a little more strained.

🍂 "Ouch Arthur you're squeezing me..." you start trying to wriggle free from his grip and when he hears your pained voice he lets you go, he feels guilty for leaving you there alone but he can't help himself, he has to find the lad who hurt you...

🍂 You shout after him but he doesn't hear you, its like hes completely posessed. Hes so angry that someone could hurt you, he won't be satisfied until he's beaten them to a pulp.

🍂 So you run after him, shouting after him, all the way to the boxing gym where your ex trains and you watch, scared, as Arthur shouts for him, demands they go in the ring together. You beg them both not to but theres no stopping either of them, the two of them aggressive and headstrong and pissed off with one another.

🍂 You can't watch, you're horrified and you send someone running to get Arthurs brothers, you know theyre the only ones that will be able to stop him.

🍂 In the end Arthur doesn't quite manage to kill him, but every time that nasty fuck who broke your heart looks in the mirror from now on, he's gonna see the stitches holding his face together and he'll remember and regret what he put you through.

🍂 After the fight Arthur calms down and realises he hasn't exactly made you feel any better. He's desperate to set things right and stop your crying and he all but falls at your feet begging your forgiveness.

🍂 "Y'see love I'm no good at that soft shite, am no good at fixing broken hearts me, I'm only good at breaking things aren't I... Punishing people for all the bad shit they do... Cause I'm just as fuckin bad as them y'know... So... So..." him getting emotional, clasping your hands in his and explaining that to him, youre the softest, most beautiful, kind, gentle and precious girl in the world and that any cunt who breaks your heart has to pay...

🍂 You forgiving him, kissing his cheek and him going bright red all over again, blushing.

🍂 "Thanks for defending me Arthur, you're very precious to me too..."

🍂 Him going even more red, blushing so deeply he's almost gone purple.

John

🌼 Hates seeing you cry, even if you do look very pretty with those forlorn, teary eyes. Johns not good at dealing with all those messy emotions so his instinct is to try and cheer you up, get you smiling again as quickly as possible.

🌼 So instead of pulling you into a hug or trying to encourage you to cry, John makes jokes to try and make you feel a bit better.

🌼 "Bout time you got shot of him lass, tell you all the time you can do miles better than that ugly mug..." "No I couldn't John, really I mean it I'm never gonna fall in love again..." "I'm literally right here flower..." him winking at you and shooting you that stupid grin that always makes you laugh.

🌼 But he isn't sure he really wanted you to laugh him off this time, and when you giggle and wipe your eyes saying, "yeah right... As if..." he's almost offended.

🌼 "What?" he's still grinning but its harder for him to keep smiling now, "whats that supposed to mean..."

🌼 And thats when he realises that you don't need jokes or silly attempts at cheering up because you're hurting much more deeply than he realised.

🌼 "Well," you huff, "if I can't keep an ugly mug like y/e/n interested in me I'm hardly gonna be able keep you interested..." you roll your eyes and laugh him off, not noticing his change in expression. How he goes from grinning, smirking like a stupid teenager, to serious, frowning and suddenly concerned.

🌼 "What?" "You said it yourself, he's a useless prick and he still didn't want me so..." you trailing off and shrugging, suddenly you have tears in your eyes and John is panicking.

🌼 "Eh eh eh, whatre you crying for flower, didn't mean to make you cry..." he says grabbing your hands and pulling you in close. He wraps you up in a hug and when he pulls away he wipes your tears on his shirt sleeves. "Don't cry darlin I didn't mean it like that, well, he is a useless prick, I did mean that... But you, you deserve so much better than him, he wasn't good enough for you love, no one ever will be if you ask me..."

🌼 And he does mean that, John's always been soft on you, he's always thought you were the prettiest girl in town, the only reason he never made a move on you is because you'd always belonged to someone else and for all that he might have been a relentless flirt he did actually have respect for other people and god forbid he'd ever try to steal someone else's girl...

🌼 But if they're just going to take you forgranted and toss you asside anyway, well maybe he ought to step up and put an ebd to your heartbreak once and for all.

🌼 "Let me take you out tonight flower..." when he says it you're not stunned, and honestly? You think he's trying to wind you up so you tell him not to be ridiculous and he has to keep pestering you until you finally believe him and give in.

🌼 "No i mean it! Let me take you out tonight, we'll go somewherw fancy, I'll be the poshest rebound you've ever had..." he can't help keep making daft little jokes, he wants you to take him seriously but he can't help it, sometimes things just slip out before he has a chance to think them through.

🌼 "You really want to? This isn't a joke? And you're not just pitying me?" "Nah flower, I'm dead serious, I've wanted you to be my girl for ages..."

🌼 Turns up at your house to pick you up, he's brought you flowers, he takes you somewhere really fancy, too fancy, and both of you spend the whole night laughing at how out of place you feel, how you both know everyone else in the room is wondering how you were even allowed in.

🌼 Takes you dancing afterwards, tells you its meant to be a cure for a broken heart, and also he's a rubbish dancer so at the very least you can laugh at him and that will cheer you up. But you don't need cheering up anymore because in the space of a few hours he's made you feel happier than your ex did all the months you were together.

🌼 When he kisses you he smiles, proper proud of himself and you both end up giggling and laughing between kisses.

Bonnie

🍀 Its such a tight knit community when you're all travelling together on the vardos, everyone knows everyones business and Bonnie has had to watch the slow and painful demise of your relationship with your bf over the last two weeks.

🍀 Youve been at the center of the gossip around the camp and as painful and embarassing as it has been for you, its been torture for Bonnie too. Trying to control his emotions when he hears you've been fighting again, when he catches the tail end of a sharp conversation between the two of you, when he sees you with your teary eyea fighting back sobs. All he's wanted to do for the last week is throttle the dinlow thats been breaking your heart

🍀 But when he finally has the chance to he doesnt.

🍀 You're arguing again, not far from the vardos and the camp fires. Bonnie has heard the two of you and your raised voices and he's gone off into the woods looking for you, wanting to make sure you're alright.

🍀 And when he stumbles upon the two of you he sees you with tears streaming down your face and his heart breaks for you. He doesnt know who to go to first, you, so that he can comfort his best friend, or the bastard thats made you cry so that he can thump you.

🍀 Of course Bonnie chooses you, rushing to your side and wrapping an arm around your waist protectively as he catches your cheek in his hand and turns your face up towards his.

🍀 "Whats the matter little dove whats he said to you?" Bonnies a little angry, he can tell you're extremely upset and that whatevers been said between you today is worse than your usual arguments. He can feel you shaking in his arms and when you open your mouth to try and tell him youre fine, another sob escapes you and you try to hide your face in your hands.

🍀"Ho! Dinlow, clear off before I change me mind about fuckin throttling you.." he shouts over his shoulder at the lad, but he barely looks away from you and all his attention is focussed on you.

🍀 He cups your face in his palms, brushes a strand of hair from out your eyes and studies your features trying his best to check if you're hurt, if its just cruel things this lad has said or whether its worse. "Don't look at me like than Bon I'm fine I promise its just stupid argument it's..." "Its not fine if you're sobbing your wee heart out little dove, don't lie to me eh, you're shit at that.."

🍀 He'd be really gentle with you, hugging you tight to his chest and giving you advice, he's trying not to give you bias advice. "If you'd asked me I'd have said don't bother with him at all you know, right from the stsrt just, not worth your time..." but he can't help himself. He never really liked the idea of you with anyone else.

🍀 "Could hit him if ye like, got a solid right hook me, solid left hook too actually..." him nudging you, trying to make you laugh, taking your hand in his and playing with your fingers, joking with you like that until you giggle.

🍀 "You shouldn't stay with him you know, if he's making you so upset, you shouldn't be with people who make you miserable.." him giving you the final bit of encouragement and support to finally break it off with this lad who's done nothing but break your heart for weeks now. "I know Bon but, its hard... Everyone knows everyone and people are gonna talk im just, scared of what the other lasses will think of me you know.. Everyone will think I'm a bitch if I..." "Fuck em," "Wh.." "You heard me right little dove, fuck em, don't you worry about what anyone thinks of ye, cause I think the world of ye and that should be enough..."

🍀 You just blushing, not knowing what to say to him, about to protest when he cuts you off, "No buts little dove, don't let other peoples gossiping force you to stay miserable..." "if ye wanna leave him leave him, I'll be here for ye every step, won't leave your side I promise.."

🍀 And he doesn't. There is drama, people do gossip just like you feared, but whenever anyone aporoaches you, whenever the other teenage girls get bitchy around the fires, Bonnie will shoot them down with a well timed "joke" and if ever the lads say anything, call you a slut or insult you, or try to ask if they can "have a turn with ye next," Bonnie all but threatens them with the blade or his fists and they know not to push their luck.

🍀When your ex spreads a nasty rumour about you it spreads like wild fire snd bonnie finds you once again, sobbing your wee heart out. This time he doesnt just offer to hit your ex. "Y'know am a peaky boy now, I've assassinated people... sure no one would mind if he just, yknow... Got lost in the woods one day..."

🍀 You think he's joking but Bonnie adores you and he would actually kill for you if you asked.

🍀 He knows you're still hurting, that your hesrts broken and you feel all torn up inside, and he doesn't want you to feel alone, so in the evenings he'll come and sit with you around the fire. If ever he sees you on your own he'll make a reason to go and sit with you, often helping you with whatever task you're busy with.

🍀 He'll invite you to his fights, invite you to come and watch him training, just so he knows you wont be left alone whilst he's away, and also perhaps because hes secretly hoping to impress you and win your heart.

🍀Little does he know, he already has. You just don't believe someone as loving and devoted as him could ever see you in that way.

🍀Until another rumour gets spread around the camp, that you and Bonnie have been shagging in the woods, that you were cheating on your ex with Bonnie all along. That you're nothing but a nasty whore...

🍀When Bonnie hears the rumour he doesnt even ask you, he just marches straight up to the lad, grabs him by the scruff of his collar and threatens to knock his lights out "if you ever so much as mention my girls name ever again..." You're blushing not because of anything to do with your ex but because he called you his girl.

🍀Later when you're alone you ask if he meant it. "Meant what?" "Am i really your girl?" "Aye little dove, if I'd had it my way you'd have been my girl from the very beginning..."

Isaiah

🐀Hes astounded the daft bastard actually broke up with you... How could anyone have you and throw you away like that?

🐀Isaiah has always thought you were fucking hot, the sexiest woman in small heath and when you drag him out for "heartbreak drinks" to get pissed and drink away the heartbreak of having been dumped for a "more experienced" woman, his jaw hits the floor.

🐀Of course he'll go out drinking with you all night... A) if he doesn't you'll only invite Michael and Michael just isnt as good at looking out for you as Isaiah would like. B) fuck no, hes not passing up the evening to spend the whole night in your company. Even if you and Isaiah are only best mates, he still fancies you and theres no way he'd let someone else have all the fun with you.

🐀He'll go out drinking and dancing, he'll buy you whatever you like, he'll dance with you even when he doesnt like the song, he'll go along with your every whim humouring you for the whole evening because he just wants to keep you happy.

🐀And when curiosity gets the better of him he asks you what your ex meant by "inexperienced" and you'll blush and get shy. You're still a virgin and your ex said you were too awkward and shy, that it was embarassing at your age... You get embarassed telling him about it but Isaiah just listens and nods along.

🐀When you dance he holds you by your hips and presses his body against yours, when youre sitting together at the table he lets his hand smooth over your thigh.

🐀At the end of the night he walks you home and when you invite him inside he thinks twice but you insist.

🐀Then you ask him something which makes his jaw hit the floor for thr third time that evening. "Siah?" "Yeah love?" "Will you teach me.." "Teach you what love?" "Y'know... How to fuck an all that..."

🐀His brain is screaming at him to say yes and throw you onto the bed there and then but he wants to be sure its what you wants. However when he tries to be chivalrous you insist, "Please Siah, you're me best mate and. And..."

🐀Thats when he gets cocky, he can see youre blushing and he smirks. Steps closer to you. Teasing you as he leans in and talks into your ear. "And what love?"

🐀Your voice is quiet and mousy when you speak but you manage to get the words out none the less and once you say it he's picked you up off your feet, fingers clutching at your thighs as he carries you to bed. "I dont know do I, I've always yknow... Always thought you were really... Really attractive.. I guess?"

🐀He'll tease you so much the next morning but he'll take such good care of you, he'll also be sure to ask if you'd like anymore lessons...

🐀He'll also give you such daft and embarassing pep talks. "Don't let one stupid bastards opinion of you make you feel rotten darlin, you're the most beautiful girl in Birmingham, he just doesn't know gold from shit..." "And remember love, you're with the peaky fuckin blinders, that gits not gonna get away with breaking a peaky girls heart..."

🍀 Your ex is just stood there stupidly, watching you and Bonnie with a gormless expression and when Bonnie looks up and sees him just watching and smirking it sets a rage inside him that surprises him a little bit.

Michael

☘️ He never liked your boyfriend, never. He didn't understand what you saw in him, he always thought he was a total waste of your time and he didn't make much of a secret of those opinions.

☘️ "If you ask me love you could do better than that two bob halfwit anyway..." he's always telling you you're too good for the lousy git and the more he says it the more you're inclined to believe him.

☘️ Because you've always known exactly why he says things like that to you... He's jealous and you both know it. Desperately jealous. He hates your boyfriends guts because your boyfriend is the only thing standing between you and Michael.

☘️ When you were still in a relationship with the "halfwit" Michael would take any opportunity to flirt with you, to trap you in dark corners so that he could whisper temptations to you, he was always sharing knowing looks with you, lingering with his hands on you for too long... The tension and chemistry between you was thick enough to cut with a knife and everybody knew there was something going on between the two of you... That even if you weren't an item yet you would be soon.

☘️ So when your boyfriend breaks up with you you aren't even really surprised. "You're jealous really? Of michael fucking gray? God thats pathetic..." you get angry with your ex, idignant because you're in denial. You tell him theres nothing in the rumours he's heard but he's not as halfwitted as Michael seems to think he is because he's got your relationship with the Peaky Boy sussed.

☘️ When you go to Michael and tell him about it you're pissed off, bitching about "how could he even think that? Its fucking rude, accusing me of cheating when I've never done anything wrong!" and Michael just chuckles and smirks and looks at you with one brow cocked waiting for you to realise the way hes looking at you.

☘️ "What?" You're all hands on hips and irate and he finds that all the more amusing, "What Michael? What are you looking at me like that for? What is it?"

☘️ "You can't seriously believe all that?" he said stepping forward, one hand on your hip, still smirking at you, its infuriating the way hes smirking at you but when he holds your gaze you can't look away. "You really think he's crazy? Making things up? You really believe theres nothing here between us? You think you're innocent in all this?" his voice is thick with desire for you and you can feel the tension bristling.

☘️ You'll have forgotten your broken heart and your even your temper will have been quelled in ten minutes time when he's fucking you on his desk, making you feel all the things your ex never could.

☘️ But natutally, to save face, and to make you feel a little less wounded after experiencing such a rejection, Michael will make sure your ex pays for humiliating you and spreading unfavourable rumours about you. Even if theres no denying that those rumours were built on truth.

☘️ "He was never good enough for you anyway darlin, a beautiful and intelligent girl like you needs more than just muscle and a pretty face..." "Like you you mean?" "See, you're smarter than even I gave you credit for..."