#sorry in advance i’m literally going to be sick about him

[meleeyz]

ekko enemies to lovers? literally metal flowers was SO! GOOD! where reader is a pilte and she goes down with cait and vi in s1?

┈﹒ ꒰ 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗬 𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗧𝗜𝗘꒱

ekko 𝒙 fem!reader

୨୧ English is not my first language, so I'm sorry in advance if something reads strangely or is poorly written.

୨୧ Hello darling! Maybe this isn't exactly your idea (?), but I thought it would be fun to have a tension-filled conversation when the reader is supposed to be... you know, kidnapped. Tell me what you think! I'm also glad you liked the metal flowers one-shot 💞💞

୨୧ THANK YOU VERY VERY VERY MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT, THIS IS THE FIRST REQUEST I HAVE AND THAT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY, YOUR NICE COMMENTS ARE ALSO GREAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN 💓

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

It all happened too fast: Vi shouting warnings, the blue-haired lunatic and her sick laughter had been the least of your problems.

And now you were here, restrained in a damp, dimly lit room, the sack over your head smelling of grease and mildew. Caitlyn’s muffled voice called for you, distant and strained.

You tugged at the ropes binding your wrists to the chair, teeth gritted. The door creaked open, and hurried footsteps approached. The sack was pulled off. A Vastaya man loomed over you, his bat-like ears curling inwards as he studied you for a moment. Then, wordlessly, he left, closing the door behind him with a resonating clang.

Blinking against the sudden light, you glanced around, your gaze landing on someone seated across the room. He wore an owl mask, his posture lazy yet somehow threatening.

Your stomach churned. You’d seen him earlier—watching from the shadows as Silco’s men attacked. He hadn’t intervened then, just observed with unnerving intensity.

“Got something to say, or are you just going to keep staring?” you snapped, your voice sharper than you intended.

The masked figure tilted his head, amusement evident in the way he leaned back.

“Staring at people like that? Kind of counts as harassment, you know,” you continued, forcing a smirk despite the pounding of your heart. “But hey, let me go, and we can settle this properly. I promise I’ll be… kind.”

The voice that responded came distorted through a modulator, low and mechanical. “You should learn to take care of that mouth. If it weren’t for the other two, you’d already be dead.”

Your eyebrows shot up, and despite yourself, you let out a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, I see how it is. Big bad owl man is bothered by my mouth? Then why didn’t you just kill me outright?”

His laugh echoed back at you, though his tone remained clipped. He stood, his figure tall and imposing as he stepped closer.

“Believe me,” he said, his voice dripping with mockery. “It was tempting.”

You tilted your head, meeting his gaze—or what you assumed were his eyes—through the owl mask. “Oh, I’m trembling,” you deadpanned. “What a scary owl.”

His movements stilled for a moment, the tilt of his head indicating surprise. You pressed on, determined to keep the upper hand in this strange game.

“Let me guess,” you said, smirking again. “Sitting around in a mask all day makes you feel tough, huh? What’s next—dramatic monologues about justice?”

He chuckled, stepping even closer until he was towering over you. “You’ve got guts. I’ll give you that.”

“Oh, please,” you shot back, craning your neck to meet him. “You think this is guts? I just call it basic survival.”

For a moment, silence filled the space between you, tension crackling like static. Then, slowly, he reached up, his gloved fingers curling around the edge of his mask.

Your breath hitched, the weight of the moment sinking in as he pulled it away.

The first thing you noticed were his eyes—sharp, golden-brown, and filled with a confidence that bordered on arrogance. His features were striking, all sharp angles and raw intensity but softened.

You blinked, momentarily speechless, which was enough to make him laugh again. This time, it was unmodulated—rich and almost boyish, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, his grin wide. “Cat got your tongue?”

Your mouth opened, then closed as you struggled for a response. The sheer absurdity of it hit you like a freight train. For all your mother’s warnings about suitors back in Piltover, none of them could hold a candle to him.

And, of course, he knew it.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he said smugly, stepping back.

You clenched your fists, suddenly grateful for the handcuffs keeping you from doing something you’d probably regret.

“Don’t look so smug,” you said finally, recovering enough to glare at him. “You still kidnapped me, remember?”

“Kidnapped?” he repeated, feigning offense. “Rescued is more like it. You’re lucky I was watching.”

“Lucky?” you shot back. “You’ve got a twisted sense of gratitude.”

“Stick around. You might just learn something.”

You scowled, your cheeks warming despite yourself. The silence stretched, thick and heavy, as you sat there under the sharp gaze of the boy—no, young man—in the room. But his attention was no longer casual. His gaze was razor-edged, appraising.

“Enough games,” he said finally, his voice steady, though it carried an undertone of curiosity. “What do you know about the hextech gemstone?”

The question hung in the air, and for a moment, you were caught off guard. Hextech? You wracked your brain, recalling snippets of overheard conversations.

“It’s… like an energy booster,” you said hesitantly, your brows furrowed. “Anyone can use it to build pretty much anything. Something about it being ‘limitless potential’ or whatever.”

Ekko tilted his head, clearly not expecting you to be so forthcoming.

“You just told me, just like that?”

“Why not?” you replied with a shrug. “You didn’t kill me, which is already better than everyone else we’ve run into today. If you’re not trying to gut me on sight, you can’t be that bad.”

His laugh came low, warm, and rough, as if you’d surprised him again.

“You’re either really brave or really stupid.”

“Bit of both,” you admitted, flashing a quick smile “So, what’s next? We keep playing twenty questions?”

He chuckled dryly, though his next words were serious.

“Alright, let’s talk about your friends. What’s their deal? And what’s your relationship with the Enforcer?”

You clamped your mouth shut, trying to suppress the laugh bubbling in your chest. But the harder you tried, the more it broke free, until you were shaking with quiet.

“Enforcer?” you finally choked out, wiping the corner of your eye with your shoulder. “Caitlyn’s more like… I don’t know, a girl playing dress-up as an Enforcer. Her mother would die if she let Cait face real danger.” You tilted your head toward him, smirking. “Like this.”

Ekko raised an eyebrow, waiting for you to finish.

“Oh, and don’t leave the lovebirds alone too long,” you added, voice dripping with mock seriousness. “It seems like Cait’s taken a liking to the pink-haired one.”

That earned another huff of laughter from him. His gaze lingered on you, sharp yet tinged with reluctant amusement, as though trying to figure out whether you were always this reckless or just putting on a show.

“Alright, alright. My turn. That’s how this works, right?”

“That’s not how this works at all.”

“Sure it is,” you shot back, leaning forward as much as the restraints allowed. “If you were a conventional kidnapper, I wouldn’t have said a word. You’d have had to torture me for information—and, frankly, I don’t think you’d do it. Too soft.”

Ekko’s brow twitched, though he said nothing.

“Anyway, this isn’t a conventional kidnapping, right?” you added, your grin widening.

For a moment, he studied you, clearly debating whether to humor you. Finally, with a resigned sigh, he gestured vaguely.

“Fine. Ask your question.”

You leaned back, feigning nonchalance.

“What’s your name?”

He hesitated.

“Ekko.”

“Ekko,” you repeated, testing the name on your tongue. It suited him. “Alright, Ekko. Next question.”

He crossed his arms, his brows lifting in mock exasperation.

“I said one question.”

“You really need to loosen up,” you teased. “I want to learn how to ride that hoverboard of yours. That thing looks incredible.”

His lips twitched, but he kept his expression neutral.

“Anything else?”

“Yeah,” you said. “My wrists are starting to hurt. Being handcuffed is not exactly comfortable, you know.”

Ekko sighed, dragging a hand down his face, though you could see the faintest glint of amusement in his eyes.

“Pretty Piltie can’t handle a pair of handcuffs? I’ll free you when the time comes.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes.

“Don’t push it.”

“When the time comes,” he said again. “I’ll free you.”

“Ekko!” you called after him, frustration bubbling to the surface. “You can’t just—hey!”

He didn’t stop, didn’t even glance back. The door creaked open as he stepped out.

Outside, Scar leaned against the wall, his arms crossed and a bemused look on his face. He watched as Ekko adjusted the straps of his owl mask, preparing to slide it back into place.

“Something on your mind?” Ekko asked, his tone sharper than intended.

Scar raised an eyebrow, glancing toward the door where you were still yelling.

“Didn’t realize we were starting a dating service for Pilties now.”

Ekko shot him a glare, the owl mask concealing the faint flush creeping up his neck. “What?”

Scar smirked, shaking his head. “Nothing.”

With a sigh, Ekko adjusted the mask, his thoughts lingering on the strange girl tied up in the other room. A rich Piltie liking him? The thought was… well, distracting.

But he pushed it aside. There was work to be done.

“Where’s Vi?” he asked, his voice low.

Scar gestured down the hall. “Waiting.”

Ekko nodded, his mind shifting gears as he prepared for what would undoubtedly be another tense conversation.

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

[allthingsimagines]

State of Grace

“This is a state of grace. This is the worthwhile fight. Love is a ruthless game, unless you play it good and right” - State Of Grace by Taylor Swift

Rick Grimes x Pregnant!Reader

Summary: The group is wary of Aaron, until he reveals information that shocks the group to their core.

Takes place in season five at the start of the Alexandria arc!

Word Count: 5k+

Warnings: Swearing, childbirth, fluff, and ooc Rick

a/n: This has been sitting in my drafts for literal years. It’s not great, but I don’t care!! I hope you enjoy! Also, sorry for the formatting I’m on my phone!

—————————————————————————

The group all stood on high alert as they stared Aaron down as he sat tied to the pole. He was an outsider and knew far too much about them for any of them to be comfortable.

Rick was at the edge. He would either fall off and lose himself or pull himself back. The group was doing their best to keep him stable, but after Terminus, the death of Beth, and his own wife being lost after the Prison he was close to being too far gone. The only reason he hadn’t yet was for Carl and Judith. If he hadn’t had them he would’ve been long gone by now.

Aaron was another threat to the group’s safety.

Rick stalked around him as the group watched on. He seemed like a predator about to go in for the kill. Rick had always been an intimidating guy, but after the loss of his wife and the months on the road he wasn’t sure he’d ever fully return to who he had been when she was alive.

When the Prison fell everyone got scattered. Rick had been in the yard, Carl with Daryl, Judith with the kids, and Y/N had been in the sick wing helping Maggie evacuate people. When everyone got separated she’d just disappeared. No one had seen her since that day and there was no indication she was alive. Rick had lost hope a long time ago. She was tough, but it was difficult enough for them to survive as a big group. There was no way she would have made it months on her own.

Aaron gulped as the group discussed what to do, “My job is to convince you to follow me back home.”

Everyone looked around skeptically at his words. Aaron sighed, he knew it would take a lot of convincing, “I know, if I were you, I wouldn’t go either until I knew exactly what I was getting into.”

Aaron looked around at the big group and took a breath to steady himself. He’d been following them for two weeks and still didn’t know half as much as he would’ve liked to about them. He knew Rick was the leader and had two kids. He knew a few others like Maggie, Sasha, and Glenn, but the rest of them were strangers for now. Yet, he knew they’d keep them alive.

Alexandria needed people who knew how to survive and navigate the world they lived in now. The only people in the community who knew how to was himself, Eric, Deanna, Enid, and Y/N. She was the perfect person to teach them, but she wasn’t much help outside the walls since she was pregnant.

“Sasha, can you hand Rick my pack? Front pocket, there's an envelope,” Aaron asked and Sasha complied as she brought it to him.

“There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community. That's why I brought those. I apologize in advance for the picture quality,” Aaron said as Rick pulled them out and looked through them.

“No one gives a shit,” Daryl grumbled out and Aaron nodded quickly.

A few others crowded around Rick to look at the pictures when the baby began crying. The teenager tried his best to calm her, but she just wailed. Rick pinched his brow and sighed, “Carl, will you get Judith the binky in my pack.”

The boy quickly complied as he tried to soothe his sister. Aaron’s eyes widened and he felt his heart jump at his words. He quickly leaned forward, pulling against his binds, “Your son is Carl and your daughter is Judith?”

The group all shared confused looks as Aaron looked like he’d had a world ending revelation. Rick passed the pictures to Glenn as he moved closer to Aaron, “What’s it matter to you?”

He kneeled down in front of Aaron and glared down at him, “Why do you need to know?”

Aaron swallowed, trying to compose himself, before looking up at Rick, “Did you have a wife named Y/N?”

Rick physically recoiled at the question and everyone tensed. How would he know her? Carl stepped closer to them, Judith held firmly at his hip as she was quiet now, “How do you know my mom?”

Aaron looked sympathetically at Carl and Judith before looking back to Rick. He looked as if Aaron had flipped his whole world, “How do you know that name?”

“She’s alive. She’s been living in our community with my husband and I for the past few months. She’s talked about your family endlessly- I just didn’t put it together,” Aaron breathed out and he saw the whole group react to his words.

Rick stumbled back and stood deathly still as he paled. Carl moved forward, his eyes full of hope, “How can we trust you? Where’s my mom!”

Aaron nodded towards his bag, “There’s a picture of her in the inside zipper of my bag.”

Glenn quickly unzipped the pocket before pulling out the picture and passing it to Rick. Rick couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared at it. It was her. She was leaning her head on a man’s shoulder, who he assumed was Aaron’s husband, with a bright smile on her face.

She was alive and happy.

Rick let out a choked sob as Carl tore the picture from his hands and broke down as well as he clutched his sister to him. The whole group was visibly affected by his words as they all had bright looks on their faces. Rick pulled Carl into his side and pressed a kiss to his head, “She’s alive. We’re gonna have your mom back.”

Glenn cut Aaron free and he stood up and rubbed his wrists. Rick released Carl, but when he turned to Aaron to say something he noticed the odd look on his face. Rick moved closer to Aaron and felt his stomach drop, “What’s wrong?”

Aaron looked up at Rick and scratched his neck, “I don’t know how to say it.”

Rick pushed down his fear as he stepped closer to him, “Aaron what’s wrong with my wife?”

Aaron met Rick’s piercing eyes and breathed out, “She’s pregnant.”

Rick swore he’d died. There was no way that she’d lived, but now she was pregnant? She couldn’t be.

Rick grabbed Aaron’s shoulder as leverage as he almost fell over, “What?”

Aaron grabbed Rick’s arm, “My husband and I picked her up on the road five months ago and brought her back. We’ve been taking care of her. The baby is doing great and so is she. She helps our leader, Deanna, out as her advisor so she doesn’t have to leave the walls.”

Rick tried to take in deep breaths, but he could hardly comprehend that his wife was alive and now she was pregnant? Rick grabbed onto Aaron as he fell to his knees. He tried to breathe as everything became too much for him.

His wife was pregnant and she’d been alive this whole time. They were going to have another kid.

Aaron squeezed Rick’s arm and sighed, “Rick, she’s full term now and when I left she was having consistent Braxton Hicks.”

Rick almost fell over from how quickly he shot to his feet. Lori had those during both pregnancies and she’d given birth soon after. He needed to be there for her. Especially considering what had happened to Lori.

“What’s that mean?” Carl asked, quickly wiping any remnants of tears from his face.

“They’re false contractions, but they’re meant to prep your body for labor,” Maggie answered, coming up behind Carl and squeezing his shoulders supportively.

“Take me to her. Please,” Rick pleaded with Aaron and he was quick to nod.

“Yeah, okay, I’ll radio my husband to come get us in our RV. We can all fit, but it’ll be tight,” Aaron said, looking around for approval.

Everyone quickly moved to ready their gear and Aaron took that as his sign to radio Eric. He quickly moved towards his radio that had been tossed out of his bag and picked it up, “Eric, we need you to get us at the barn we scouted. They know Y/N. Her husband and kids are with them.”

“Oh my god. Okay, I’ll be there soon. Be safe,” Eric quickly responded.

Rick held Judith tightly to him as he moved over to Aaron and clapped his hand on his shoulder. Aaron quickly turned to him only to find his demeanor much more relaxed, more like the man Y/N had described. Rick let out a shaky breath and nodded, “Thank you.”

Aaron nodded and sighed, “She’s family to me too now. I’d do anything for her.”

Rick nodded as his nerves began to eat at him. The group packed up quickly and they all anxiously waited in the barn to leave. Twenty minutes passed before Eric pulled up and they all quickly filed in. He seemed stunned by the road hardened people that passed by him to get into the RV. The RV was big, but they had a large group now and they were all crammed in.

They all sat packed into the RV, each having their own quiet conversations for a while until Aaron’s radio went off. The whole group turned to look at him as he quickly fished it out.

“Hey, Aaron, you there?” A female voice said.

“Hey, Denise. What’s up?” Aaron responded.

“Just wanted to check in and give you an update. When are you heading back?” She asked.

Aaron looked around at the group and scratched the back of his neck, “Uh, actually now. I’m bringing back that group I scouted for Deanna. Tell her that we’ll be back in less than an hour and they’ll need to get check ups asap just in case.”

“I’ll let her know, but the doctors office is kinda busy today,” Denise said sounding hesitant.

“What? Did something happen?” Aaron quickly asked, sharing a nervous look with Eric.

“No! No, nothing bad, but we’re about to have a new baby around here soon. She wanted me to let you guys know,” Denise said, with a cheery tone to her voice.

The whole group froze as Aaron looked at Rick in slight horror. Rick kissed Judith’s head and squeezed Carl’s shoulder as he tried to be strong for them. The last time, Carl had to kill Lori after she needed a C-Section. Rick knew Carl wouldn’t survive losing his other mom the same way.

Aaron’s eyes softened as he noticed their family dynamic. He remembered what Y/N had told him about Carl’s mom and he could tell it was causing trauma to resurface for them.

“How is she? Everything going okay?” Aaron asked, nervous himself for his friend.

The radio was silent for a few moments until it crackled again and a new voice came over the radio, “She can speak for herself. I’m in active labor, not dead.”

The whole group shared a look of shock. It was her. Rick quickly moved to the front of the RV to stand next to Aaron, his blue eyes wide and unsure of what to do.

“And yes, I’m fine. I’m almost fully dilated, so not much to do but have terrible contractions till they come. Baby Grimes would like to make an appearance soon, so I’d appreciate if you hurried back. It’d be nice to have someone who I actually care about to hold my hand. You too Eric. How’d scouting that group go? They convinced yet?” She asked breathlessly as Rick and Aaron shared a look.

Baby Grimes. She hadn’t let go either. Rick had a child and wife waiting for him.

Aaron held the radio out to Rick and he looked at it nervously. What was he even supposed to say? Rick turned as Carl came up behind him and took Judith from his arms so he could hold her. Carl’s eyes were filled with a hope Rick hadn’t seen in years. Rick swallowed his fears and took the radio from Aaron’s hand.

“Darlin?” Rick said, his voice wobbling as he choked out the words.

The radio was silent for a moment before her shaky voice said, “Rick? Is that you?”

Rick fell to his knees at the sound of her voice. It was his wife. She was alive.

“Yeah, baby, it’s me. We’re okay. We’re all on our way,” He breathed out as a hand squeezed his shoulder and he looked behind him to see Daryl behind him.

A loud cry came over the radio and the whole group from the prison visibly reacted with relief of their own as they finally had a family member back.

“Oh my god, I swore I’d never hear your voice again. Is everyone there? Carl? Judith? Please, please, tell me they’re okay,” She sputtered out through sobs.

Carl snatched the radio from his dad’s hands and shakily said, “Mom, mom, it’s me. We’re okay. Judith and I are okay. We miss you.”

“Carl, baby, I-I-,” She started but broke down into tears and the radio went silent for a second.

The whole group went dead silent as the radio cut out, but quickly reacted as she cried out over the radio. Rick rushed to Carl’s side as he stared at the radio in horror.

The radio cut back in and Y/N’s groans could be heard in the background, “She’s okay! Just bad contractions. She’s gonna need to push soon, so hurry if you guys can. I’m sorry I’ve got to go to make sure everything goes okay, but Aaron knows where the delivery room is. Deanna knows and she’ll have Spencer open the gates as soon as you get there and let them through.”

The radio then shut off and Rick looked up at Aaron in abject horror. What if he missed his child’s birth? What if something happened to her? Aaron squeezed his shoulder and shook him a bit to bring him back, “We’ll be back soon. She’s gonna be okay. We have good doctors and medical supplies to make sure of it.”

Rick nodded, seeming like he was off in a different place. Aaron moved back to Eric’s side and helped direct him the quickest way to Alexandria. Rick sat against the door of the RV, his mind running over every worse case scenario.

Nothing ever went right for him.

Right now he could have his wife and a new son or daughter when he arrived to Alexandria. Or he could lose them both, and he was sure that he would never survive that loss again of someone he loved so desperately.

Eric pushed the RV as hard as he possibly could without blowing anything mechanical. A half hour passed before Aaron finally announced that they were there. They all rushed to their feet and looked out the window to find a fenced in town with guard towers at the gates.

The group had been in one place with high fences before, but this place looked untouched from the apocalypse. Aaron turned to the group as Eric slowed as they got closer, “When we get in the gates, you will all have to turn over your weapons. We don’t allow people to have them, unless they’re on patrol or cleared by our leader Deanna or Y/N. You will all be interviewed by Deanna and then get a check up by one of our Doctors.

Rick and Carl, you’ll come with me. The rest of you will wait until I come and get you or you’re showed to a house. This community is pretty sheltered, so please take it easy around them for now. Understood?”

They all shared nervous looks before nodding in agreement. The RV came to a stop and Aaron and Rick shared a look.

They needed to go.

Carl passed Judith off to Carol as Eric quickly turned the car off and opened the doors and Aaron, Rick, and Carl quickly moved out.

The group rushed towards the gate as it slid open for them. Rick and Carl hardly had time to admire the community before Aaron waved his hand at them, “Come on. Medical center is over here.”

They hurriedly followed after Aaron and Eric as they ran towards one of the closest buildings and people stared as they sprinted past. Rick couldn’t have given less of a shit as he just ran after them.

Aaron barreled towards a house and quickly threw the door open. Rick’s eyes widened at the sound of his wife crying out. Rick shoved past Aaron and rushed toward the room. The continuing cries became louder from the door at the end of the hallway.

Rick quickly grabbed the handle and threw the door open and there she was. His wife was laying up against a mountain of pillows with her legs propped up.

Dear god.

Her eyes pooled with tears at the sight of her husband alive and in front of her. She released the sheets from her clutched hands and reached out for Rick, “Rick- oh my god.”

Rick went to rush to her when a woman quickly moved in front of him, “Woah! Okay, I know you want to see her, but you’re gonna put her and the baby at risk if you don’t wash everything off of you.”

Rick hadn’t really considered that it’d been months since he’d showered properly. He looked at his hands and found they were covered with blood and walker remains. He hadn’t even thought about it.

“Denise he can- he can stand up by my head and he won’t touch the baby until he’s clean. Right Rick? I can’t do this without him,” She said squeezing her eyes shut and crying out in pain.

Rick nodded frantically, desperate to touch his wife himself after months apart.

Denise looked hesitant, but let out a frustrated sigh, “At least scrub your arms and hands with soap quickly and put on that surgical gown just in case.”

Rick didn’t say another word as he quickly rushed toward the other room where the woman pointed. He moved to the sink and scrubbed at his hands so hard they felt raw. The sink turned red as his hands were washed clean of all the remnants of the outside world. Carl quickly sprinted in, turned on the sink next to him, and did the same.

Once Rick felt like his hands and forearms were clean of blood and filth, he put the surgical gown on and rushed back into the room.

“You have to push! Come on deep breath and bear down,” Denise said as she stood between her legs.

She breathed heavily as she pushed for ten seconds, before she laid back and let out a groan of pain. Rick moved to her side and quickly took one of her hands in his own and pressed it to his lips. Rick tried to force back his tears and the emotions threatening to overcome him as he finally had his wife right in front of him.

She tiredly smiled up at him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears, “Hey Sheriff.”

Rick chuckled before he quickly captured her lips, “Hey darlin.”

Her smile was interrupted as she squeezed her eyes in pain and clutched onto his hand tightly.

��How’s she doin Doc?” Rick asked worriedly, Lori’s death at the front of his mind.

Denise tried to smile comfortingly and said, “She’s doing great, but you’ve got to keep pushing. Baby’s almost here.”

Rick looked down at his wife and squeezed her hand, “You can do it. I’m right here.”

“Me too,” Carl said as he rushed to her other side.

Her eyes brightened at the sight of her son at her side. She took Carl’s hand and nodded as she sat up, “Yeah, I’ve got you two now. I can do this.”

“Fuck yeah you can mom,” Carl said beaming at her.

Rick laughed at his words and she shook her head with a loving smile directed at him, “I missed you, but watch your language baby.”

Carl smirked and he and his dad shared a look as she got ready. Denise smiled at the family before clearing her throat, “Okay, after this next contraction you need to push again. Make it count you’re almost there.”

She nodded and shared a nervous look with Rick. Rick squeezed her hand and quickly kissed her forehead, “You can do this baby. We’re right here.”

She nodded before letting out a shaky breath and squeezing her eyes shut as Denise indicated for her to push. After the seconds of silence she cried out and fell back, but Rick quickly slid his arm around her waist to catch her, “You’re doing great darlin.”

She nodded against his shoulder as she mentally prepared herself to push again.

“I can see the head. One more good push and it’ll be done,” Denise said.

She nodded and she took another deep breath, “That better be a goddamn promise Denise.”

Denise smiled and shook her head, “If it’s not, I’ll give you my bottle of bourbon.”

She let out a shaky laugh and smiled at her, “You’ve got a deal.”

She looked at both of her boys and felt determination swell in her chest. She felt the contraction come on and she pushed with everything she had.

Rick brushed the hair out of her face as she cried out again. Then the room was filled with a sharp cry.

Rick felt his whole body tense as Denise beamed at them as she lifted the baby up, “It’s a girl. She’s beautiful.”

She immediately began to cry as Denise nodded at Rick, “Wanna cut the umbilical cord dad?”

Rick nodded and shared a look with Carl. Carl nodded and quickly moved his arm around his mom to support her sitting up as tears of joy streaked down his face. Rick took the scissors and cut the umbilical cord where she directed as she quickly cleaned his daughter.

Carl helped his mom get more comfortable on the pillows as they waited for Denise. Carl pressed a kiss to her cheek, “I love you mom.”

She smiled up at her oldest boy, “I love you too baby. I’m so glad you’re here. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Rick’s eyes were full of tears as he carefully looked over Denise’s shoulder as she checked over his daughter. He hadn’t really felt this way since Carl was born. He felt like he was teetering on an edge as he waited to see his youngest daughter.

Denise turned around and Rick moved to her side. Denise smiled softly as she carefully passed the small bundle to her outstretched arms, “She’s healthy and looks perfect. You did great Y/N.”

She let out a choked sob as she took her daughter into her arms, “Hey sweetheart.”

Rick finally let his tears fall as he looked down at his beautiful daughter. She leaned into Rick’s embrace and gently stroked her baby’s cheek, “You’re so so loved already.”

Carl sniffled as he leaned closer to his mom to get a better look at his youngest sister. She looked up at him and smiled brightly, “This is your big brother, Carl. He’s gonna be the best big brother ever and he’s always gonna be there for you .”

Carl nodded as she lifted her up closer to him so he could see her for a moment. Then she turned and her eyes met Rick’s that were filled with emotion. She moved her daughter now to Rick’s side so he could see his little girl.

“This is your daddy. He looks mean and grumpy, but he’s a softie I promise. He’ll always keep you safe,” She said with a gentle smile as he got to look at his daughter.

Rick brushed his finger over her small cheeks and choked out sob. He pressed a kiss to his wife’s head, “I love you more than anything. Thank you.”

She pulled away from him before she leaned up and kissed him. She pulled away breathlessly and smiled before moving her gaze to her daughter, “You can thank Hope for getting us here. I would have died a long time ago if I hadn’t been fighting for her.”

Rick raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Hope? That’s her name?”

She nodded resolutely and beamed, “Been calling her Hope since I found out I was pregnant. Hope Willow Grimes.”

Rick nodded and smiled down at his daughter, “Hope’s a great name for her.”

She nodded before turning to give her boys a tired look, “As much as I love you both, you reek of blood and sweat. Aaron can take you to one of the empty houses to get cleaned up. Then you can come back and hold her. Okay?”

Rick felt his whole being begging him to stay, but she was right. He pressed a kiss to her head and looked down at his daughter before stepping away, “Kay, but you send someone for us if you need anything.”

She nodded as Rick and Carl moved towards the door, “Got it Sheriff. Will you bring back Judith and the others?”

Rick nodded and smiled, “Promise. Trust me they’ll be begging to come see you as soon as we get there.”

“Well, tell ‘em I’ll give ‘em a pass for not getting a baby gift in time,” She joked as she rocked their daughter gently.

A knock came from the door and they all turned to find Aaron and Eric standing there. They both stepped into the room and Aaron smiled sheepishly, “Sorry, we didn’t wanna intrude, but I overheard you. I’ll take them to the house Deanna is setting them up in. She’s gonna set your group up in three houses. Some of the residents are moving your stuff into a separate house so you guys will be together.”

Y/N smiled and waved them into the room, “You’d never intrude. Come see her.”

Eric moved to her side and smiled down at the baby. Aaron held out his hand for Rick to shake, “Congratulations.”

Rick paused for a moment before pulling Aaron in for a tight hug. Aaron tensed for a moment before clapping Rick on the back. They pulled apart and Rick nodded in thanks, “This is all cause of you. Thank you.”

Aaron smiled at the sight of his husband and friend cooing over the baby, “Come on. I’ll take you guys to get cleaned up.”

The boys hesitantly followed after him and to the house. An hour passed and Y/N fed her daughter as she talked to Eric.

“When you mentioned your husband he wasn’t quite what I pictured,” Eric said as he rocked back in his chair.

She raised an eyebrow at him, “What’s so different?”

Eric rolled his eyes, “Y’know for being in an apocalypse where you don’t have many options you bagged one of the finest men I have ever seen.”

She burst out laughing as she grinned at him, “Oh, I know. Trust me I was fighting off women left and right when we lived at the prison. You better believe if I see Jessie anywhere near him or my kids I’ll throw her out like a farm cat.”

Eric snorted and beamed, “I believe it. I’d love to see you take her down. She’s had it coming for years.”

A soft knock came from the door and Y/N sat up and adjusted her little girl in her arms, “Come in.”

The door slowly opened and her husband came into view and her eyes lit up. Rick came in and walked over to her. Eric smiled at the pair and stood up, “I’m gonna go make sure you guys have everything set up.”

She smiled softly at him as he moved to the doorway, “Thank you.”

Eric nodded and shut the door behind him. Rick had changed into new clothes and cleaned up his beard now. He came and sat at her side on the bed, “You feelin okay darlin?”

She nodded and leaned against his shoulder, “About as good as you can be after pushing a baby out of you.”

Rick chuckled in response and she met his eyes. Rick cupped her face as her eyes lit up teasingly, “Lookin good Sherriff.”

Rick pulled her in and pressed a firm kiss against her lips. After a moment passed they pulled apart and she muttered, “I love you.”

Rick kissed her quickly again and moved back, “I love you too.”

“Wanna hold her?” She asked gently holding her out to Rick.

Rick swallowed nervously and held out his arms and she passed Hope into his arms. Rick let out a shaky laugh as he finally got to hold her. He shared a look of awe with Y/N as he gently rocked her.

She pressed a kiss to Rick’s jaw with a smile, “You’re a natural.”

Rick smiled, his eyes staying on his youngest, “Comes with practice.”

The pair were silent for awhile as they watched their daughter. Y/N let out a shaky breath and leaned her head on Rick’s shoulder, “Who isn’t here?”

The silence was palpable between them as she pressed a kiss to Rick’s shoulder, “I- I just need to know, please.”

Rick nodded, keeping his eyes on their youngest, “Beth. She escaped with Daryl, but she got kidnapped by a group in Atlanta. We almost got her back, but she got killed before we could leave.”

Y/N swallowed back her tears and pressed her head into his shoulder and squeezed his arm, “Y’know no one would ever blame you for that, right? You tried your best and that’s all you can do sometimes.”

Rick nodded silently before pressing a kiss to her head. Y/N reached out to brush her finger over Hope’s soft cheek. Rick leaned back and wrapped an arm around Y/N’s shoulders and held his daughter with the other, “Anything we need to know about here?”

Y/N sighed heavily, “They’re weak. These people never learned how to survive outside the walls, because they never had to. Deanna understands what the world is and usually lets me call the shots when it comes to anything outside the walls.”

“Any pushback?” Rick said as he gently rocked Hope.

Y/N scoffed at his words, “Yeah, just a bit.”

“Anyone I need to kill?” Rick joked dryly, his arm tightening around her.

“Not yet. Deanna’s son, Spencer, is a liability. He doesn’t appreciate that I completely changed their tactics for runs, even if it was getting people killed. Spencer and his friend Nicholas are pretty much all talk, but they’re not shy about opposing anything I say. Oh, and watch out for Jessie,” She said leaning further into Rick’s chest, annoyance filling her while thinking about the town home wrecker.

Rick narrowed his eyes at her change in demeanor. He gently lifted her chin so she would meet his gaze. Despite having just given birth to their child, she still felt a pang of insecurity claw at her heart. Rick held her chin gently in his hand as his intense blue eyes met hers, “I have killed people to protect you. I would kill anyone to keep this family safe. You are the only woman I will ever want. Tell me you know that.”

Y/N smiled somewhat bashfully at his words. Those words would have terrified her in the world before it fell, but now it was a declaration of the highest love. She nodded and pressed her lips to his. It was almost as if no time had ever passed as they fell back into a routine with one another.

She pulled away breathlessly and met Rick’s expectant gaze. She let out a breath, “I know.”

Rick nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Hope cooed and stretched her arms out with a yawn. A knock sounded out and Rick moved the the door, his youngest cradled securely in his arms. He opened the door and then Carl stepped in with Judith on his hip. Y/N burst into tears at the sight of her daughter. Judith reached out her arms as she saw her, “Momma.”

Carl came over and sat next to his mom and Y/N was quick to take her into her arms. She pressed a kiss to Judith’s head, “Oh, babygirl I missed you so much.”

Judith clutched onto her shirt and snuggled into her mom. Y/N rubbed Judith’s back with one hand and reached over and pulled Carl into a tight hug. Carl sighed and leaned into his mom’s embrace. She pressed a kiss to the side of Carl’s head, “Thank you for keeping him alive.”

She and Carl shared a look of understanding as they pulled away. Rick came over, looking like a true dad with Hope in one arm and his other hand tucked in his jean pocket. Y/N wiped her tears and sat Judith on her lap as Rick came and sat next to her. She looked around at her family and smiled, “I don’t believe in god, but thank whoever the hell is in charge up there that brought y’all back to me.”

Rick smiled and kissed the side of her head, “Damn right.”

Then a knock came from the door and Maggie popped her head in. Maggie rushed over to Y/N as the rest of the group followed in. Y/N swore she’d cried all of her tears, but each hug she gave to the members of the group brought on a new onslaught.

After each member of the group had been properly introduced to their daughter Rick stood off in the corner. He looked around the room, Hope settled safely in the crook of his arm. This was the happiest he’d seen the group in years.

Carl had yet to move from Y/N’ side, as Judith happily sat on his lap playing with her mom’s hand. Rick was certain he had never seen Y/N look so beautiful. She was beaming as she talked to Glenn and Maggie, despite the fact that she’d given birth hours earlier.

“She’s just like Lil Ass Kicker.”

Rick chuckled as Daryl came to his side. He looked down at his daughter lovingly and sighed, “This is what we fight for. Everythin we do is for everyone in this room.”

Daryl made a noise in agreement, “We keep going for shit like this.”

Rick met his wife’s eyes and she was quick to shoot him a wink, before she turned and pulled Carl closer to her into a hug. He sighed, his heart feeling full for the first time in months. Herschel had told him years ago that every day was a choice.

He would choose to keep his family in the room safe everyday for the rest of his life. No matter what it cost.

[bloatedandalone04]

You Fall in Love More than Once

➪the one where you go through one of the hardest heartbreaks of your life, but it also leads you to the love of your life.

Warnings: bradley x reader - jake x reader, mega angst at the beginning, break ups, swearing, fluff, aviator reader, mentions of blood and stabbing (trust the process, okay?).

Word Count: 4.5k

Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine ♡

Bradley wasn’t used to being in relationships. He’d never been in a real one before he met you. He’d rather sleep around or date around before you came into his life and he fell head over heels, and you’d managed to change his whole perspective. 

With that being said, he sometimes slipped back into his past way of life and old habits, and it sometimes put a strain on your relationship. 

It was a Friday night and you and Bradley were out at a restaurant, but you’d been quiet for most of the evening. The waitress, who was pretty and had a seductive tinge to her voice, had been eye-fucking Bradley all night, seemingly ignoring the fact that you were sitting right across the table from him. 

And, probably without meaning to, Bradley ate it up. He didn’t turn down her advances or shoo her away when she hovered for too long. He smiled when she complimented him, instead of telling her that he was flattered but taken. 

It pissed you off. 

And Bradley was oblivious to all of it. 

So when you were sitting next to him in his Bronco on the drive back to his place, he broke the tense silence. “Are you okay? You’ve been quiet all night,” he mumbled, his eyes on the dark road ahead of him as he tried reaching for your hand. “What’s wrong, baby?”

You scoffed quietly, wanting to push his hand away, but unable to. So you loosely laced your fingers with his as you replied to him with a high level of sarcasm, “What’s wrong?” you repeated the question, your voice one of disbelief. “I can’t believe you even have to ask me that.”

While you usually stayed calm during these kinds of arguments, you’d grown tired of being the level-headed one. You grew sick of the same thing happening every time you went out with him. 

Turning to Bradley, you glared at him in the dark truck. “That fucking waitress was flirting with you all night, and you didn’t say anything. You let her compliment you, touch your fucking shoulder when she walked by, and don’t think I didn’t see her write her number on the fucking receipt, Bradley,” you vented, dropping your gaze to the pocket of his jeans where you knew the receipt was after he shoved it in there. 

Bradley raised his brows as he pulled over onto the side of the road and put the truck in park. “Woah, hold up,” he said when he turned to face you. “First off, I’m sorry, alright? I shouldn’t have let that slide, especially since you were right there.”

He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand before running his fingers through his hair. Bradley hated confrontation, you knew this, but how else were you supposed to go about this? Pretend like he wasn’t hurting you all the time? Act like him openly accepting winks and subtle touches from other girls was okay?

“I’m still figuring this shit out, okay? Relationships and boundaries and all that stuff, it’s all new for me. Yeah, I fucked up tonight, but I’m trying, Y/n. I really am,” he mumbled, tightening his hold on your hand. “I care about you more than anyone else, and I don’t want to lose you over some dumb waitress.”

You narrow your eyes, pulling your hand away from his quickly as you cross your arms. “Some dumb waitress? Well, you must be forgetting about the fact that you have that dumb waitresses phone number in your pocket right fucking now, Bradley,” you mutter, “You should’ve said something, literally anything would’ve been better than nothing, which is exactly what you did.”

Bradley sighed heavily, shaking his head as a look of frustration formed on his face. “Look, I told you already, I know I fucked up, but you’re acting like I cheated on you or something,” he muttered, his voice harsher than he intended it to be. With a huff, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the receipt, crumpling it in his fist before he threw it somewhere in the back of the truck. “I wasn’t even paying attention to the fact that she wrote her stupid number on it, okay? You know I wouldn’t knowingly do something like that to you.”

You scoffed, narrowing your eyes at him even more as a fresh wave of anger washes over your body. “I’m not acting like anything,” you mutter, shifting on the seat in an attempt to put more space between you and him. “Invalidating my feelings and trying to guilt trip me isn’t going to work or get you anywhere.”

Your voice dropped in pitch as you looked down at your lap, a shaky sigh leaving your lips as you felt the normal fatigue that came with arguing with him weigh down on you. 

“I’m telling you that you fucked up and made me feel upset. I’m not asking for your excuses,” you murmured, looking back over at him with guarded eyes. “Especially since they’re the same every time.”

Bradley was the one glaring at you now, his brows drawn together in frustration. “Excuses? I’m not making excuses, I’m trying to explain this shit to you. You act like I’m always doing this, but it’s not like that,” he said back, his voice rising slightly. “Yeah, I sometimes give you excuses, but I don’t know how to apologize properly or show you that I hold you higher than anyone else in my life.”

You shut up at that, your gaze softening as you shifted again, uncomfortable as the tension grew thicker and thicker. You felt suffocated, and Bradley looked like he was feeling the exact same way. 

“I’m trying. I really am trying. But sometimes I feel like, no matter what I do, it’s never enough for you. That maybe you’re just waiting for me to fuck up again so you can use it as an excuse to get mad at me, or as proof that I don’t deserve to be with you,” he said quietly, his previous angry tone fading into a much softer, almost sadder one. “And maybe you’re right.” 

You raise a brow, a look of confusion crossing your features as you turn to face him fully. “Right about what? What are you talking about?” you asked, tensing up a bit as you felt your face start to heat up. “What are you saying here, Bradley? Are you…do you want to break up? Is that it?” 

Bradley stayed quiet for a few seconds before he met your gaze. “I’m saying…that I feel like I’m constantly walking on eggshells around you, always worried about saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing. Like, no matter how hard I try, I can’t ever meet your expectations,” he confessed, his voice steady despite the way his jaw trembled a bit. “Living like that, it’s exhausting, baby. It’s fucking draining.” 

Your lips parted in an attempt to form a response, but you weren’t sure what to say. It was clear that both you and Bradley had been put through the wringer trying to make this work between you. It was honestly heartbreaking to see that things had gotten this bad. 

“I can’t keep pretending to be someone I’m not just to keep you happy,” he whispered, reaching over to lace his fingers with yours. “I don’t want to lose you, but if this is how it’s always going to be - me constantly apologizing and you waiting for me to screw up again - then maybe we should just…stop.” 

Your anger washed away instantly, your lips quivering as tears stung your eyes. “Wow,” you whispered back, nodding slowly. “That’s…fine. Okay.”

Pulling your hand away from his, you subtly wiped at your eyes as you sat up straight, sniffling quietly as the weight of what was happening crashed down on you and made your throat feel tight with sobs you refused to let out. 

“Take me home?” you asked, your voice shaky as you clear your throat. “Please?”

Bradley closed his eyes as he pressed his lips together, a look of regret flashing across his face as he nodded and sat back in the seat. “Of course I’ll take you home,” he murmured, putting the truck in drive and pulling away from the side of the road. 

The drive to your place was miserable, filled with your quiet sniffles and his heavy exhales. Ten minutes went by before he pulled up in front of your house, and it felt like you were going to pass out if you weren’t away from him in the next few minutes. 

But then he got out and rounded the front of the truck as he walked to the passenger side door, opening it for you. “Come on, I’ll walk you inside,” he said, his voice rough with unshed tears, and he offered his hand to you. You wanted to sob right then and there, because he was so sweet when he wanted to be, and this was the version of him you fell in love with. The whole reason you switched bases, so you could be closer to him and see him everyday. 

So you allowed yourself to indulge in him one last time as you took his hand and let him walk you to the door, where he kissed you on your forehead, apologized again, and then he was gone. 

And you were alone.

-

The Hard Deck was rowdy as usual tonight, and an old song from the 80’s was playing on the jukebox as Jake leaned down to line up his shot at the pool table. He was currently kicking Nat’s ass, but his focus wasn’t 100% on the game like it normally was. 

Probably because you were here tonight, and Jake is really, really into you. 

He always had been, ever since the night Bradley introduced you to his coworkers in this exact bar, a whopping two years ago. You were stunning, the most beautiful girl Jake had ever seen, and he was still trying to accept the fact that he is jealous of Bradley fucking Bradshaw. 

Well, he was jealous of him, but you two were broken up. Jake supposed he was still kind of jealous of the bird man, simply because he got to experience a whole two years with you by his side, but the idiot let you go, so how jealous could he really be?

You were sitting across the bar, a frown on your face as you looked down at your untouched drink and ran your finger along the rim of the glass. Jake knew you were going through a rough time right now since yours and Bradley’s break up was still pretty recent, and he couldn’t imagine how hard it was for you right now since your ex was also here, he was just on the opposite side of the room from you. 

Jake felt for you, he really did. He wanted to go over to you, strike up a conversation and maybe cheer you up a bit, but he didn’t know where to start. All he knew was that he hated the sad look on your face, and he wanted to be the reason you smile tonight. 

When you lifted your head and met his gaze, the faintest, tiniest smile formed on your lips as you raised your hand in a lazy wave, and his heart faltered a bit. 

He quickly finished his shot, ignoring the annoyed groan from Nat as he set the cue stick aside. Jake walked over to you, his boots thudding against the worn floors as he tried to think of what he was going to say to you that may lighten the mood. “Hey,” he said quietly, sliding onto the stool beside yours. “Mind some company?”

You gave him another weak smile, one that wasn’t even close to reaching your sad eyes as you shrugged, looking back down at your drink. “I don’t mind,” you answered, your voice quiet as you studied the amber liquid in the glass. “Though I’m not sure how good of company I am right now.” 

Jake nudged your elbow with his own, not one at all for giving comfort since he never really cared to, but he cared about you. A lot. “Hey, don’t say that, Y/n/n. You’re always good company, no matter what,” he said back, then looked over his shoulder at Bradley, who was currently engrossed in a conversation with Bob and Fanboy. “So, how’ve you been holding up?”

You shrug again, tracing random shapes onto the surface of the wooden table you were sitting at. “I haven’t been. Not really, anyway,” you confessed, your voice a bit monotone. “It’s just…not a good time for me right now. I don’t even know what happened. I just…I can’t believe it’s over, just like that. But it was for the best. I know that.” 

Jake nodded slowly, unsure of what exactly went down between you and Bradley, but unwilling to push for answers, because you clearly weren’t in the right headspace right now. The last thing he wanted to do was upset you further. “You’re strong, Y/n/n, you’ll get through this,” he said, “Sometimes relationships just…run their course, you know? But that might not be a bad thing, because let’s be honest here, you were way out of that guy’s league.”

He quickly regretted what he thought were a poor choice of words, but you let out a quiet laugh, and Jake suddenly didn’t regret a thing. “Thanks, Jake,” you murmured, “Hopefully one day I can believe that.” 

A comfortable silence falls upon the two of you, and it’s only broken when you turned your head and looked over at your ex again, and an embarrassed blush took over your face as you shook your head. 

“I don’t even know why I’m here tonight. I thought maybe alcohol would help me, but I can’t even bring myself to drink that,” you mumbled, pushing your untouched drink away from you as you stood up. “I’m gonna go home. But thank you, Jake. I…I kinda needed that.” 

When you placed a gentle, albeit awkward, hand on his shoulder, Jake looked up at you and nodded. “Of course, that’s what friends are for, right?” he said back, his voice equally low. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

You pressed your lips together in a tight smile as you nodded, then he watched as you turned around and headed for the exit, your head bowed as you pulled your jacket on. 

-

A few weeks go by and you’re still upset about the breakup, but you’ve been a lot less mopey and depressed. And a lot of it had to do with Jake. He’d been so nice and sweet and so…there for you, and you appreciated it more than he probably knew. 

It was less busy at the Hard Deck, and Bradley was nowhere to be found, but you weren’t even looking for him that much. It was still a little hard not to, but you were working on it. 

“I still don’t know how you’re so good at this,” you laughed, bending down over the pool table to line up your shot. “You’re, like, freakishly good at everything.” you added, then groaned when you failed to hit any of the solid colored balls. 

Jake laughed, his eyes lingering on the curve of your back as you leaned over the table, then he quickly snapped out of it. Get it together, Seresin. Jesus.

“Or maybe,” he started, moving to take his own shot, and a few seconds later, an array of striped balls sunk into different pockets of the table. Jake straightened up, a smug smile on his face as he leaned on the pool cue. “I’m just naturally gifted.”

You raised a brow, shaking your head as a small smile formed on your lips. “Naturally gifted, huh?” you echoed, lining up another shot. “Well, your natural gifts are becoming a natural pain in my ass.”

Your tone was light and playful, making it known that you weren’t at all being hostile or mean towards him. He was really the only person who had been able to get you out of that negative headspace you’d gone into after Bradley walked you to your door for the last time, and you really weren’t sure what you’d do without him right now.

Another groan left your lips as you aimed carefully, only to end up hitting nothing at all again. “I give up,” you mumbled, leaning against your pool cue as you reached for your beer. “I fucking suck at this.”

Jake laughed again as he circled the table and walked towards you. He set his own cue aside and stepped closer, his frame towering over yours as he placed his hands on your hips and guided you back to the edge of the table. “Here, let me help you,” he offered, sliding your hand down the cue stick so you were holding it at the correct angle. 

His chest pressed against your back, his body completely covering yours as you tried not to comment on how fucking good he smelled, or how nice he felt against you, because that would be too much right? Way too much to be something a friend would say, right? 

“It’s about control,” he said, his breath tickling your ear and making you suppress a shiver as he helped you line up the shot. With a nudge of his hand, the cue ball rolled smoothly across the table, knocking several solid colored balls into the pockets. “There. See? You did good.”

You pressed your lips together in an attempt to fight off your growing smile. “Wow, that was so cool,” you teased, turning your head to look at him as you subtly leaned further back against his body. “But you’re wrong. I didn’t do good, because that was all you. All I did was stand there.” 

Jake’s arms stayed wrapped securely around your waist, his fingers gently digging into your hips as he looked down at you. “Well, someone has to teach you how to play properly,” he said back, his eyes flickering towards the table as he observed the remnants of the game. 

The door to the Hard Deck opened, and Jake glanced over and almost instantly met Bradley’s gaze. He saw the mix of emotions in his brown eyes as he took in the sight of you in Jake’s arms, but instead of getting mad or coming over here, Bradley just swallowed hard, shared a look with the blond aviator, and headed towards the bar. 

You didn’t notice your ex at all, and when Jake looked back down at you, he saw that your face was a cute shade of pink, and he felt his feelings for you grow even stronger. Then he leaned in again and dropped his voice into a deeper tone, “And maybe I just like having an excuse to touch you,” 

His words hung in the air, and you felt your heart jump a bit in a way it hadn’t in so long. You bite down on your lip as you feel a warmth take over your body. “Well,” you whispered, looking back at him again, and when your gaze dropped down to his lips, you moved away and leaned against the table that held your drinks. You grabbed your beer and took a sip of it, hoping the cold liquid would cool your body down. “Since you’re so confident, maybe I’ll just watch you for the rest of the game.” 

Jake gave you a small grin, a knowing look in his eyes as you hid behind the rim of your glass. “That’s fine with me,” he said back, leaning down to line up his next shot as the tension between the two of you grew more and more. 

There was no denying the attraction you both had for each other or the undeniable chemistry, but Jake had learned to be a patient guy, and he would wait for you to make that final move when you were ready to. Or if you wanted to, and he hoped like hell that you did. 

-

It had been just under six months since yours and Bradley’s breakup, and you hadn’t thought about him much at all. It was so hard at first, but as the months went on, you really saw how better off you were without each other. Or at least how better off you were without being together. 

You still cared for him, and you always would, but you were just finally able to see that it would’ve never worked in the long run, no matter how much you loved each other. 

You weren’t sad anymore, and a big reason why was because of Jake. You and he had been hanging out so much, you almost forgot what it felt like to really and truly connect with someone, and you really connected with him. 

He didn’t crowd you, didn’t force you or pressure you into talking about things you weren’t ready to talk about, and he gave you the time to heal yourself while providing a shoulder for you to cry on if you needed it, and you weren’t sure if he knew just how much that meant to you. 

You and Jake were way past the point of not being totally and completely comfortable with each other and sharing things; like sipping each other’s beers, or having him finish your food when you’re too full, or just sharing a blanket. 

It was a lazy night at your place, and you and he were having a horror movie marathon - Jake’s choice since you had made him sit through five romance movies the previous weekend. “Ew,” you cringed as you watched a rather gruesome scene in the newest installment of the Halloween series, and you shifted closer to him under the blanket you were sharing. “How do you enjoy watching this gory stuff? It’s so…unsettling.” 

Jake laughed, his arm instinctively wrapping around your shoulders. “Hey, some of us appreciate the art of graphic violence,” he said back, pulling you closer as his fingers played with your hair. “Besides, it’s all fake blood and prosthetics. No real harm done.” he added, his thumb brushing idly over your collarbone as he looked up at the screen, but his attention was almost completely on you. 

You laughed quietly, shaking your head as you leaned into his touch subconsciously. When the scene faded into another round of pure bloodshed, you winced again. “But it’s so cheesy,” you pointed out, watching as a helpless victim gets stabbed to death by an overpowered killer. “I mean, why is she just laying there and not trying to, I don’t know, get up and run for her life?”

Jake snorted. “Because horror movies need their characters to be dumb as rocks for the plot to work,” he said, then looked down at you as his expression softened. “But, you know, if anything like that ever happened to you, I’d protect you and make sure you don’t suffer a cheesy death.”

You hummed, shifting so you’re fully facing him, your front pressed to his side as you lifted your arm and propped your elbow on the back of the couch. “Really? You would? You’d protect me from the usually seven foot tall, machete or knife wielding psycho?” you question, a teasing smile on your lips as your fingers brush against his shoulder. “How sweet of you. Maybe a little stupid, but sweet.”

Jake’s eyes flickered down to your hand, his focus completely on you instead of the movie that was quickly beginning to sound like background noise. “I’d die trying to, at least,” he said back, and his fingers wrapped around your wrist as he guided your other hand to rest against his chest. 

You pressed your lips together as your gaze wandered all over his face. “That’s a pretty big promise,” you murmur, your fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, and you could feel the steady beat of his heart beneath your palm. “Are you sure you’re…ready for that?”

Your words felt like they held a double meaning in them, and he searched your eyes for any hesitation or doubt. “Ready? Y/n/n, I’ve been ready for…a lot longer than you probably think,” he answered and watched the way your eyes widened a bit at his confession. His thumb stroked along the inside of your wrist as he leaned in a bit closer. “I want everything with you.”

Your breath hitched a bit as you let your gaze drop down to his lips. A million thoughts ran through your head, the what ifs and doubts hitting you like a freight train, and multiple voices told you that this was a bad idea and that you needed to stop before you got your heart broken again. 

But the other thoughts, the happier ones, the hopeful ones, were overpowering the negative ones. Jake wasn’t Bradley, and that was good, because you and Bradley simply weren’t compatible. You knew that. But you and Jake had a connection, and you also knew that connection ran deep.

So you leaned in and pressed your forehead to his, gently bumping his nose with yours as you looked into his eyes. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this,” Jake breathed, his heart now racing against your palm, and his words made you smile. “Wanted you.” he added, and your smile only grew before he leaned in and tilted his head until his lips met yours. 

The kiss started off soft and sweet, a gentle first taste of each other as you both reveled in the unfamiliar feeling of one another. As the seconds went by, Jake’s head became fuzzy as he pictured all the times he imagined this very kiss with you, but none of them lived up to the real thing. 

One of his hands came up to cup your cheek, angling your head as he deepened the kiss while his other arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you flush against his body. 

A quiet moan left your mouth as you kissed him back, your eyes squeezing shut as you fisted the fabric of his shirt. Your other hand came up to caress his face for a few seconds before it moved further up to tangle in his hair, and you gave it a gentle tug. 

Jake groaned, his arms circling around your waist as he broke the kiss to look at you. The intense look in your eyes matched his own, and your lips were slightly wet and puffy from his, and he never wanted to let you go. He never wanted you to feel the hurt you did nearly half a year ago ever again, and with him, he knew you never would. 

And when you leaned in and kissed him again, Jake let you pull him down on you as you moved to lay back on the couch, and the rest of the night was spent exactly like that. 

When the two of you went to the Hard Deck a few days later, your hands locked and your fingers intertwined, and met Bradley’s eyes from across the room, a mutual look of acceptance and understanding was shared, and you spent the evening wrapped up in the arms of the man who had already and would continue to prove his love for you with everything he did.

[k1mbe3rly]

HII!! i'm not a very active tumblr user but i discovered your account a day or two ago and the things you write are so impressive and beautiful!! ⭐ and if you don't mind i have a request for you i know it will sound really stupid but i'm just curious. can you write something about thanos and y/n having dated since high school and after playing mingle in the squid game y/n and thanos went to the bathroom to do something at night🤗 and y/n told thanos that she was 2 or 3 months (i don't know how long it took to figure it out😭) pregnant and since she found out she's been using pills to abort the baby (it's not her first time, and the reason is because she doesn't trust her own motherhood since she grew up with deficiencies)?? i said a lot, i'm sorry💗💗(i know it sounds so weird😔 and if there are any spelling mistakes sorry it's not my native language) Tysm in advance🎀🎀

yess sorry it took so longggg im going from the bottom of my request💔

Sorry for not telling you

warnings: just making out, pregnancy, mentions of abortions

You and thanos have been dating since high school, honestly you yourself is surprised how you even managed to last this long with him, he just seemed like the type to cheat and treat you wrong but he actualt never did which was surprising to you

He was a very sweet man and boyfriend, always treating you well and didn’t really talk to any women, so that was a good head start but sadlyyy yall both got into debt, so in the middle of random station a man came up to you guys, played a game, got slapped, almost fought the guy but held him back.

He gave us a card and we decided to call it as we both got picked up and suddenly fell asleep with this random gas they put.

The moment you woke up you immediately went to find Thanos as he placed his hands on your forearm and you placed your hands on his arms “Oh my gee! Your here oh my god i was worried!” he said quickly hugging you as you hugged him back, “Where the hell are we?” the first thing you said as he looked at you

“No idea, looks like shit tho, all these beds in the way..many for us eh?” he said smirking and raising an eyebrow jokingly obviously.

You nervously chuckled and looked away, you haven’t been completely honest with him.

For the past 2 months you’ve been throwing up like crazy, avoiding every moment of intimacy, before you called that card, you bought a pregnancy and came out positive, you’ve also tried taking abortion pills thinking it would even work yet it didn’t so you kinda panicked and to make it worse you haven’t told him yet and still feel you shouldn’t especially if we’re here.

So we did end up going into the games and to find out they were death games, you felt so stressed out during red light green light, you even clinged onto thanos since you started feeling a little sick.

Ever since that game he’s been watching over you, sure he noticed your behavior was a bit different but he brushed it off thinking it was just because of the games.

Time skip

The second game came, and you were lowkey even more stressing out but thankfully thanos was clinging onto you the whole game and even kicked out someone of the group just for you, you felt so bad for the person who got killed and even looked back at him but you know your life or his life.

“2 players” you heard a familiar ai women like voice say, It didn’t take long for thanos to literally yank you and run.

He pushed by people and even grabbed a girls hair pulling her back as you gasped, he pushed you into the room first and quickly went in panting, “Holy shit that was intense..” he said putting a hand to his chest, his chest rising up and down rapidly, “Are you okay?” he asked as you nodded.

You started too feel a bit sick as you put a hand on your stomach making a small face, “what’s wrong? your stomach hurt?” he asked again “N-no i just feel really nauseous..” you said hoping he gets a hint as he nodded, “Well the game is over, i’m sure it’s all the blood..” he said

They took us back to the beds as you still felt nauseous but just brushed it off, they gave us dinner which was only like 5 rolls..and a fork? like?

Not that long after dinner Thanos lead you to the bathroom, he smirked at you as he closed the door, “What are you doing..?” you asked as he grabbed your waist and pulled you towards him “i’ve missed feeling your body against mine you know” he said looking down at you as you just chuckled.

He kissed you and you kissed him back, everything was all good, the kiss was great, but eventually one kiss turned into a heated makeout as he kissed you a bit more aggressively

his hands traveled to your waist to the waistband of the sweatpants and slowly tried pulling them down but you quickly grabbed his hands, you pulled back from the kiss and looked at him, “What? what’s wrong? why don’t you wanna like..have sex anymore?” he asked in a bit of confusion, “Thanos..i have to uhh tell you something” you told him softly

“What, what is it?” he asked his hands going back to your waist, “I-i know i’m telling you this so late but for the past 2 months i’ve been feelings really..sick”

“Sick? sick like how? are you dying baby?” he asked “What? no..? i’ve just been throwing up every morning and feeling nauseous, and like..i’ve just been feeling weird so before we came here i bought a test..” you told him

He looked at you densely and just blinking awkwardly “test? like a covid test? oh my god are you positive?” he asked his mouth slightly parted

You got annoyed and rolled your eyes “No thanos! i don’t have covid!” you said

“Than what? what test! come on tell me already!” he said slightly inpatient

“I’m pregnant!” you yelled out

He stared at you, his eyes widen and he stayed quiet, he slowly backed up rubbing his forehead

“I’m sorry i know i should’ve told you sooner! i’ve been taking abortion pills but there literally a scam! i understand if you don’t wanna stay with me-.” you begin explaining as you felt emotional

“Wait what? your taking abortion pills!? y/n your hurting OUR BABY!” he said quickly getting on the floor and sliding to your waist touching your belly (sorryy i found this funny thinking he would do that like that usher meme😭)

You stared down at him blankly as he puts his head to your stomach “Oh my gosh you’re crazy.. don’t take those anymore! i’m ready to become a father. We’re gonna make it out of here! and have this baby together” he said looking up at you

You smiled at him touching his hair, “I hope so..”

“But can we just do one more game baby? please..” he said pleading up at you, you quickly frowned and rolled your eyes “C’mon please baby, the more money the best for the baby”

“Fine..just one more.” you said quietly as he yelped up and hugged you and kissed your cheek, you smiled, he took you back to the beds and voting started, obviously picking ‘O’ for him

A couple minutes after the voting it was a tie, His name Nam-su? Nam-gyu? motioned him to the bathroom after he saw someone go in, player 333, thanos glared for a moment and looked at you “I’ll be back okay baby? i need to take a wiz real quick..” he said getting up and giving you one last kiss as you nodded.

Who knows? maybe that’s the last time you will ever see him, maybe you will never see him come out that bathroom again, maybe that would be the last kiss he gave you. Nobody knows where they might end up.

[monotonesmile]

hi hii, could i request a tfp optimus prime and ratchet with a sick g/n reader? to be specific with what illness they have, they have a cold

i really need some comfort from my fav bots, i'm sick and tired (quite literally) :') thanks in advance!

Sick Day

[Optimus & Ratchet & GN!Reader]

[Word Count: 1214]

[Warnings: Mentions of Raf nearly dying that one time.]

[Fic Genre: Fluff, Oneshot + Headcanons]

[Notes: Awh, I’m sorry you’re not feeling well! I hope you feel better! I’m sorry if this took a while, I’m dealing with burnout unfortunately. I have no idea if you wanted this to be romantic or platonic, so I kept it platonic but you can read it as romantic too. I hope you enjoy it though!]

————————————————————

As the sunlight shines through the curtains, you groan as you wake up, the feeling of fatigue hitting you like a truck, groaning as you realize you might of caught something last time you went out, so you begrudgingly pushed yourself out of bed, sitting on the edge for a moment to wake yourself up before getting up and hobbling to your bathroom. You grabbed the thermometer, taking your temperature with it and waiting for the beep to indicate it took your temperature.

Waiting a few seconds for the beep, you check the numbers on the thermometer, confirming that you were definitely sick, though luckily it just seems to be a cold, but regardless, being sick for a few days is going to suck, the feeling of fatigue and discomfort is not a fun feeling, but now what do you do? You could go back to bed, but staying in bed is going to be so boring, even if it’s a better idea to stay in bed and rest.

You heave out a sigh, checking the time and seeing that the kids were going to be in school for a few hours anyways, so why not go see what the bots are up to, it’s better than rotting in bed. So you make your way out of your home, after getting dressed and grabbing some medicine and food plus water to take with you, you get into your car, starting it before heading through Jasper and out of the town to make your way to the Autobot base.

————————————————————

By the time you got to the base and up to the lounge area, you really wanted to take some of your medicine and lay down for a while, you were just exhausted, and listening to the bots go about their day and do whatever they do on slow days sounds really nice right now. So you flop down on the couch, glad you brought a blanket from your home with you, settling in, you listen to the machinery whirring around you as the bots move around their base, some going on patrol while leaving Optimus and Ratchet to do their work in the base.

Although, Ratchet being the only medic for the Autobots at the moment, he can recognize the slowness and drowsy movements you were making as you trudged up to the lounge before laying down, due to his instincts as a medic, he couldn’t help but worry about your current state, walking over to the lounging area set up for the human, his optics look over your resting form.

“Are you feeling alright?” Ratchet looked over their obviously exhausted body, worry filling the old mechs optics. His lack of human biology catching up with him is something he will need to rectify later.

“Fine…just sick.” You mutter out with a raspy voice, eyes shut, resting your head on the old pillows that laid on the couch, they were well loved obviously, but you were just dying to rest as Ratchet hovered over you with worry.

“Oh…” Ratchet blinks, his processor immediately thinking back to the only human he’s ever seen sick, and that was Rafael when he had gotten dark energon poisoning, which had nearly killed him, and given that he’s never seen another ill human, he has no idea if their bodies are fragile to all illnesses, yet you don’t seem worried, so maybe he doesn’t have to be either. “I see, well then, get some rest.” He nods before walking off, leaving you be.

You give him a small wave before relaxing and dozing off into a small nap, while Ratchet wanders over to Optimus to inform him of your ill state, both mechs worried over your health now.

————————————————————

[Ratchet]

Ratchet was reasonably worried when he learned you were sick, he’s a medic, he’s seen bots crumble and die from Cybertronian illnesses, and he’s been too busy with the other autobots to research human illnesses, and the only time he’s seen a human get sick almost resulted in their death, so he’s internally panicking.

While you’re resting, he’s researching your symptoms, but we all know that it’s easy to end up going down a rabbit hole of symptoms on Google, and Ratchet does exactly that, unfortunately. He sees the symptoms for a cold, which is exactly what you have, but then he sees other illnesses that share those symptoms, and it just derailed from there.

Ratchet still is fretting over you possibly dying, from a simple cold, because he went down the google rabbit hole.

You’ll have to call June when you wake up to have her explain to both Ratchet and Optimus that all you are dealing with is a common cold, it’ll be gone in a few days, it’s not something that will kill you, she swears. You also have to tell Ratchet that google isn’t exactly a good way to diagnose any symptoms you have, which he agrees with, it had caused more trouble than it was worth.

Regardless, you’ll have the medic hovering around you any time you’re in the base, he’ll ask every so often how you’re feeling and if there is anything he can do to help, which it’s nice to see him caring so much about you, but seriously, you’re just trying to rest.

[Optimus]

Optimus is definitely a silent worried mech, because much like Ratchet, he’s only seen a human almost die from being ill, even though he is completely aware that this is not the same thing, he’s still going to be worried, a sick human is still a sick human. It can’t possibly feel good, especially when you’re exhausted and resting for multiple hours.

He goes to you after you’re done resting to ask if you’re alright, wanting to know if there’s something he can do to help lessen your symptoms. Which is usually going to be followed by the Prime asking Agent Fowler to get cough drops or food for you if you’ve forgotten to bring some with you.

When June tells them that it’s a simple cold, Optimus is listening intently to her words, and locks in on the part about staying hydrated and well rested, so he makes sure you’re taking care of yourself, hovering around you while you rest, making sure that you drink enough liquids throughout the day, and at least getting a few hours of rest before you’ll inevitably wake up from your stuffy nose.

Optimus is now in a constant state of worry, more than he already was given the Decepticon threat, but he is now much more open to you resting near him, he wants to keep an eye on you, even if it’s something simple like a cold, he is still remembering how Raf nearly died, so he wants you close, he’ll even let you in his alt mode while he patrols so you can escape the base when it gets too loud.

————————————————————

The entire week you’re sick, you have two mechs hovering around you more than any of the others would, especially when you’re resting, and they had started to make sure you’re getting home safe, as they were unsure if you drive safely when you have a cold, despite the fact that you drove to the base, so they pick you up from your home and then drive you back at the end of the day, it’s safer than sorry with how worried they are over you.

But when you come back to the base after staying home the other day, you couldn’t help but chuckle as Ratchet and Optimus had made their way over to you while you were walking up the stairs to head to the lounge area, you had a feeling that you staying home yesterday made them a bit more worried than they already were.

“Y/N, how are you feeling?” Optimus had worried over you not being at the base yesterday, but it was your choice, and sometimes it’s nice to lay in bed, but he wanted to make sure you were okay regardless.

“I’m okay, my cold finally went away after a bit, so, all healthy.” You nod, smiling as you leaned against the railing while the mechs were looking you over, which was to be expected from the pair with how much they were motherhenning you.

You could practically see the relief flood them as their shoulders relaxed, clearly glad you were back to being healthy with no long term effects, which June had to, again, clear up that you had a common cold, that was it, but they were just worrying over you, maybe a little too much, still, it was a kind gesture from the mechs.

“Are you feeling any lingering fatigue or symptoms? I’m glad you’re feeling better, I just don’t want to deal with the kids getting sick either.” Ratchet had to ask, it was instinct for the medic to make sure anyone that was dealing with an illness wasn’t feeling any other symptoms.

“I’m fine, Ratchet, just a stuffy nose and some fatigue from laying around for a week, that’s all. My body is already picking itself back up.” You chuckle a little at the medic worrying about the children as well, knowing he’d rarely ever admit that he cared so much about the humans in the base. “But my temperature is normal, June says I’m fine.”

“Good, good…” Ratchet nods, clearing his throat as he stands back up, realizing he had leaned down slightly to be at a similar level to your height.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, though, I still welcome you to join me on patrol, I’ve come to enjoy the company.” Optimus gives you a small smile as he breathes a sigh of relief at hearing your reassurance that you’re back to being healthy.

“I’ll keep it in mind, thank you both for helping me when I was sick, it was sweet of you both.” You nod with a smile, moving back from the railing to head to the couch, giving them a small appreciative smile.

Optimus and Ratchet watch you go to the couch and turn the tv on, they were happy to see you moving around and acting like you’re usual self again, the base felt more lively when you’re not sick. They both smile slightly before returning to their duties, but they check on you a few times to make sure you’re actually doing well, and each time you assure them that you are.

————————————————————

[I hope this is good, I felt like the ending was a little bad, but I do hope you’re feeling better now! Being sick sucks.]

[just-a-girl-who-loves-tmr]

Headcanons

Recovery, Post death-cure, safe haven

(I’m sorry in advance)

Tw: depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts/attempts, self harm, panic attacks etc

Thomas

- This man has some extreme survivors guilt from everything.

- He gets flashbacks, especially in dreams, of him working with WICKED, helping them build the maze and having to watch his friends through the beetle blades.

- He feels responsible for everything his friends went through in the glade and for not trying harder to help them (even though the others have continuously told him that they don’t blame him and it wasn’t his fault).

- Even through the scorch, he feels guilty for not doing more to help because if he had only acted faster, they might not be there at all.

- He sometimes has panic attacks because of this and on the worst days he wishes he could have died instead of his friends because he feels like their deaths were his fault.

- Occasionally he turns to self harm, believing that he deserved to feel the pain he put his friends to.

- Newt found him once with the knife in his hand and immediately stopped him, cleaning the cuts and making Thomas promise never to do it again because nothing was his fault and he doesn’t deserve to feel pain.

- Newt then makes it a regular occurrence to draw little butterflies on Thomas’s wrist and arms (iykyk)

- Newt got really worried the first time Thomas had a panic attack in front of him because he didn’t really know what to do to help but he slowly figured out little ways to calm him down.

- Taking him to a quiet, familiar place, helping him breathe, making him tea and cuddling up with a blanket and a movie on in the background

Newt

- I think I already covered this in another post but being sick is a huge trigger for Newt. He gets super edgy and Thomas can tell. He continuously checks his arms just in case the veins are black

- I’m convinced he’s got Emetophobia (fear of throwing up) because it triggers memories of when he had the flare and he felt nauseous all the time.

- His immune system is weaker than everyone else’s so he gets sick a lot more often than the others and even a simple cold would have him shivering in bed all day with tea and five blankets

- Newt also doesn’t like to acknowledge the fact that he’s sick because he doesn’t want people fussing over him and asking him if he’s okay so he will just say ‘I’m fine’ as he’s actively throwing up.

- He usually distances himself whenever he’s ill because he’s scared that he’s not cured and is going to snap and hurt someone but Thomas isn’t having it.

- Thomas will wrap him up in a blanket and hug him until Newt stops struggling to get away and melts into a little shivery puddle in Thomas’s arms

- Once he’s finally accepted that he is ill, Newt becomes very very clingy towards Thomas and stays in bed all day with tea and a hot water bottle

- I also think Newt and Brenda would be really good friends in the safe haven because they’ve both had the flare before (obviously Brenda was cured relatively quickly but still) so they can relate to each other and Newt sometimes feels like Brenda’s the only one who really knows what he went through, so he talks to her about it when he doesn’t want to go vent to Thomas or Minho

- He has a lot of nightmares from when he was a crank, often dreaming that he had died or else had cracked and hurt someone and more than once has woken up screaming with tears in his eyes and blood in his mouth because he bit his tongue so hard.

- His broken leg gets better over time but it never fully heals. Jorge told him that he should really be using a cane or a crutch but Newt done right refuses either because he hates people making a fuss over it and he will still work even if the pain is so bad he literally has to hop around (Thomas isn’t having this either and drags Newt to bed and massages his leg for him)

- Newt still had suicidal thoughts. They aren’t as strong as they were in the glade and he doesn’t seriously consider trying anything but it’s always in the back of him mind. Thomas is the one who gets him his little safety pin necklace because he knows it’s something Newt struggles with ( and yes Newt did cry when Thomas gave it to him. Tell me I’m wrong)

I will do Minho, Gally, and everyone else but I’m splitting it up into different posts just so y’all aren’t waiting forever <33

[mvltisstuff]

hi omg thought of this while rewatching s2 ep3 with the earthquake but okay so there’s the little montage of everyone being happy and eddie running to christopher - but what if there’s something similar for buck? instead of him being with abby he’s dating reader and reader has a lowkey job (maybe librarian at an elementary school?) so when he gets home the first thing he does is yell for reader and then holds them and they both shed a few happy tears just talking about how happy they are that the other is okay.

you’re honestly the bestest and i am saying this in advance that this is gonna be fabulous, as always. PLEASE AND THANK YOU!! <333

something in the orange - e.b

summary: request

evan buckley x reader

gif

a/n: the end of this ask was literally so sweet, i appreciate this so so much and i’m so happy you enjoy my works, that’s why i do them <33

buck was so sick and tired of watching everyone else have someone to run to. he hated having to see everyone in each others arms, watching a warm embrace ensue in front of him, just wanting it to be him instead. it was years on end of him watching kids with their parents, husbands with their wives, friends with their own friends. he always had the quick breakfast with a lay in bed, but he never had the long run of love that was supposed to come with it.

he thought his parents would be able to supply that love for him, but he must’ve been mistaken. they had no issue jumping out on every little thing in his life, nonetheless missing out on it. there was only so much love maddie could give, and he needed every drop of it. he thought maybe, someone mature like abby would come with the cherishing attitude to stay, but it left as fast as she did.

the earthquake had given a huge jumble to bucks brain, being able to save a bunch of people, but just wanted to go home at the same time. it felt selfish, and he hated himself for it, but how could he wish for anything else but just to be with y/n at home? he’s seen calamity and chaos the entire day, a constant strain of it into his shift. he’s seen death, broken bones, sobs, blood, anything that one doesn’t want to see. it took incredible pursuing to make bobby let buck take a break, but he could see he needed it.

he held his phone shakily in his hand, squinting over y/n’s name on the screen being darkened by the sunlight. he was nervous to even press the call button, not knowing if she’d be the one to pick it up, or an emergency responder who had her phone.

“hi, baby,” her sweet voice rang through the phone, leading him to sigh out and he couldn’t contain the light smile that formed on his lips. “are you ok?”

“i’m fine, i just wanted to hear your voice, make sure you’re ok.”

“we’re alright over here, there’s still kids here that need to get picked up, but they’re going pretty well with the evacuations.”

“i’m sorry i didn’t get over there, i got sent in the opposite direction.” y/n was working at the school on the other side of the city. buck was, of course, sent to work on the east side. he wanted to be able to save her, even if she wasn’t in trouble. he wanted to touch her so he knew she was breathing and alright, but he’d have to wait.

“don’t apologize, you’re doing amazing, buck,” she reassures him, letting his mind relax for a moment as she speaks to him. “go do your job, i’ll see you tonight, i promise.”

“i just want to see you.”

“i know, but you can in a few hours. do it for me, ok?”

“i love you, so much.”

“i love you, too, buck.”

the moment his fingers connected with the cold metal of the door, he instantly twisted it open to reveal the dim, yellowish lighting in his home. he felt like the introduction to his apartment felt like the ground stopped shaking. he was so excited to be able to rest, lay in his bed with y/n in his arms.

the thick soles of his shoes thumped against the ground as he threw his bags onto the floor. his shoulders instantly slumped and his feet automatically led to the stairs.

“hey,” y/n spoke, drying her hair with a towel to the side as it rested on her shoulder.

“hi.” he replied, slowly blinking his eyes.

“baby, you’re exhausted.” y/n steps forward down a few steps, standing a few inches taller than buck for once. her hands run over his shoulder blades, wandering over his skin and magically lifting the tension and stress from the earthquake.

“i know,” he says. “i just wanted you so bad today. there wasn’t a minute where you weren’t on my mind.”

“i’m here for good, buck. i’m not going anywhere, and i want you to get some rest.” she grabs his hand, pulling him up the steps and leading him to sit on the bed. he strips down to his boxers, leaving him shirtless as he puts on a warm hoodie that y/n handed him. he stops by the bathroom, washing his face as y/n prepares the bed for the two of them.

“i got you ice water, i left it on the nightstand.” y/n smiles softly up at him as he walks back in. “i turned the AC up, since you like it cold and i turned on the mattress heater.”

“you treat me too well, honey.”

“you did amazing work today, you deserve the treatment of a saint. come lay with me, please?”

“don’t have to ask twice.”

he crawls back into the bed as y/n dims the lights and turns their TV on. the white lights brighten their faces as he leans into her chest. his cheek rests right against the middle of her breasts, over her heart.

her arm is wrapped warmly around under his arm, the other hand rubbing his short hair. one of his legs lay between hers, his hands running against her sides. he breathes softly matching the rhythm of her, letting the noises of her gentle words and quiet noises from the TV lull him to sleep, allowing his deserving body to rest against the person he calls home.

[solarismoons]

SPOILERS FOR S2 EP5 OF SCHOOL SPIRITS

This one’s gonna be a LONG one… Sorry in advance.

I feel SO bad for Maddie. “My mom is being a good mother just not to me.” UGH! That made me so so sad.

The meeting with the living kids and the ghosts was SO funny. Simon and Wally FINALLY interacted. It was also so fucking awkward for the living kids. Like imagine sitting there staring at a bunch of empty chairs with pictures of dead people…

ALSO Wallys, “You’ve been here like four years babe, try 40.” MADE ME SCREAM. BABE?????? I CAN’T.

I love when Wally acts like a dumbass. “Where can we find a Bazooka?” WHAT?? Also there is SOMETHING going on with Xavier. Wally literally pointed out ‘he’s looking right at me.’ I don’t think he can see them, but he can definitely sense something is there. I’m calling it right now.

Um… Wally misses body shots??? Hey… so when did Wally become a FREAK?

Yuri is FINALLY out of the pottery room??? I’m really growing to like him.

That hellscape was fucking INSANE. I did NOT expect to see Janet literally burnt to a crisp. I genuinely feel so bad for her, but I can’t help but be pissed for what she’s doing to Maddie.

Yuri’s death sounds so sad 🙁. He had such a bad panic attack it triggered his asthma? Ugh, my baby. I need him and Charley to hook up NOW.

I feel so bad for Nicole. I wasn’t a huge fan of her last season, but everyone’s always so mean to her. Not a single person even attempted to hear her out.

What the hell happened with Mr. Martin?? That man was ANGRY. I’m so confused! Janet’s old friend, Eugene, basically said the fire was purposeful. What even happened to make Mr. Martin snap like that, and why did he purposely start a fire??

That dinner was SO uncomfortable. I don’t even know what to say other than that.

The pool scene made me so sad. “Maybe Janet can do more with my life than I ever could.” I had a suspicion Maddie might have this thought eventually. Peyton’s acting was SO good.

“I wish you would be stuck with me here forever. But, you deserve to live.” WALLY STOP BREAKING MY HEART.

WALLY AND MADDIE MAKING OUT IN THE POOL??? HELLO??? The tension is INSANE. The way she touched his lips with her thumb??? They are FEEDING us this season.

NICOLE COMING IN CLUTCH WITH THE EUGENE LINE??? Janet was HORRIFIED. Also, no way Janet boiled Simon’s phone… she’s completely freaking me out. Her holding the knife while telling Simon to leave??? If she hurts anyone i’m gonna sob.

Milo with his hair down and wet made me feral. I love him either way, but the hair down just gets me. I need Wally to STOP gelling it up. The amount of fluff we got with Mally is literally is insane.

XAVIER SAW MADDIES DEAD DAD??? Okay, this is an INSANE episode. Nicole finding out that she’s texting Xavier this early was NOT what I thought would happen.

This is one of the first times i’ve cried during this show. That song Rhonda’s friend made was so heartbreaking. I love Rhonda so much.

“Why can’t it be?” YURI STOP. I love Charley so much. He really deserves someone.

RED ALERT. EVERYONE WAS RIGHT ABOUT MR. ANDERSON. Mr. Martin giving Janet Fahrenheit 451 was so sick… I hate him more and more every episode.

AND HE KIDNAPPED HER??? I CANNOT wait an entire week for this

[bebe-writes-stuff]

OMG i love the Sick! clingy! Mikey fic!! It’s really adorable! And yes to part 2 please when you have the time🙏❤️‍🔥 Thank you in advance!

--bro I literally be opening requests and forgetting about them IM SORRY. Anyway go read part 1 or you'll find me in the corner of your room at 2am. This a smut + plot kinda btw--

^ part 1

Y/n lay in bed, her head pounding and her throat raw from days of relentless coughing. The soft glow of the afternoon sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm yet unwelcome light over her disheveled room. A half-empty mug of tea sat on the bedside table, steam long since vanished. She sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and fatigue.

Just a few weeks ago, the roles had been reversed. Mikey had been the one confined to bed, battling a nasty cold. Y/n had nursed him through it, despite his constant demands for kisses and cuddles. She had tried to keep a safe distance, knowing the risks, but Mikey’s puppy-dog eyes and relentless affection had worn down her defenses. And now, here she was, suffering the consequences.

A knock on her door was followed by it swinging open. Mikey stood there, his face a picture of concern mixed with an air of contrived innocence.

“Y/n,” he whined, dragging out her name as he approached the bed. “You’re ignoring me. Are you mad at me?”

She didn’t even have the energy to roll her eyes. “Manjiro, I’m sick. I just need to rest.”

He pouted, his bottom lip jutting out in that way that always made her heart melt, even now. “You’ve been resting all day. Can’t I just stay with you?”

“Manjiro, no. I don’t want you getting sick again.”

He didn’t seem to hear her, or perhaps he chose not to. Instead, he slipped off his shoes and crawled into bed beside her. Y/n tried to protest, but her voice came out as little more than a hoarse whisper.

“Manjiro, seriously—”

But he had already wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. His warmth was both comforting and infuriating. She could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against her back, and despite herself, she relaxed into his embrace.

“You’re burning up,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her neck. “You should have told me you were feeling this bad.”

Y/n sighed, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Just don’t blame me if you get sick again.”

Mikey chuckled, the sound a soothing balm to her frazzled nerves. “Worth it,” he whispered, holding her a little tighter. “Totally worth it.”

As she tried to muster the energy to protest again, Mikey's voice broke through her thoughts, mischievous and playful.

"You know," he murmured, his lips brushing against her ear, "I have a way to distract you from your cold. Make you feel good."

Before she could argue, he leaned over her, his eyes glinting with mischief. His lips found the sensitive spot just below her ear, pressing soft, lingering kisses there. Y/n shivered, a mix of fever and the electric sensation of his touch.

"'Manjiro," she breathed, her voice a weak protest.

He pulled back slightly, his eyes locking with hers, a smirk playing on his lips. "Trust me, Y/n. You'll feel better, I promise."

Mikey's hands were gentle yet insistent, roaming over her sides, his fingers tracing patterns that sent shivers through her.

"You're not playing fair," she managed to murmur, her resolve weakening with each kiss, each touch.

"All's fair in love and war," he replied, his voice a low murmur against her skin. "And this is definitely love.", his kisses growing more heated, his hands more daring.

She felt a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with her fever. Her breathing shallow as Mikey trailed kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. The room was quiet, save for the soft rustling of sheets and the occasional hitch in her breath.

"Relax," he murmured, his lips brushing against her skin. "Let me take care of you."

She swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. As much as her mind protested, her body was already responding to his touch, her defenses crumbling under his tender ministrations.

Mikey's hands slid down her sides, his fingers grazing her skin in a way that made her breath catch. He paused at the waistband of her pants, his eyes flicking up to meet hers, silently asking for permission. Y/n gave a small nod, unable to find her voice.

With deliberate slowness, Mikey peeled her pants down, his touch sending a jolt of anticipation through her. He placed a kiss on her hip, then another just below her navel, his eyes never leaving hers. Y/n's breathing grew more erratic, her body trembling with a mixture of nerves and desire.

"Mikey," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

He smiled, a soft, reassuring smile that made her heart flutter. "Just trust me," he said, his voice a soothing balm to her anxious thoughts.

He shifted lower, spreading her legs gently. Y/n's heart raced as he settled between her thighs, his breath warm against her skin. He kissed the inside of her thigh, slow and deliberate, his lips leaving a trail of fire in their wake. She couldn't help but gasp, her fingers clenching the sheets beneath her.

When he finally reached her core, he paused, looking up at her one last time. The intensity in his gaze sent a shiver down her spine. And then, with a tenderness that took her breath away, he lowered his mouth to her.

The first touch of his tongue against her was almost too much. Y/n's back arched off the bed, a moan escaping her lips. Mikey's hands gripped her thighs, holding her steady as he began to explore her with a slow, deliberate rhythm. His tongue moved in languid strokes, each one sending waves of pleasure through her body.

Y/n's hands found their way to his hair, her fingers tangling in the soft strands. She tried to stay quiet, but the sensations building inside her were overwhelming. Every flick of his tongue, every gentle suck, drove her closer to the edge.

"Fuck," she breathed, her voice a mix of desperation and need.

He hummed in response, the vibration sending a jolt of pleasure through her. His tongue moved faster, more insistent, as if he was determined to unravel her completely. Y/n's body tensed, her breaths coming in short, ragged gasps. She was so close, teetering on the brink of release.

Mikey sensed her nearing climax and doubled his efforts, his tongue working her with a skill that left her breathless. He added his fingers, sliding one inside her, then another, curling them in a way that made her see stars. The combination of his mouth and fingers was too much.

With a cry, Y/n came undone, her body convulsing with the force of her orgasm. Waves of pleasure crashed over her, leaving her trembling and breathless. Mikey didn't stop, his tongue and fingers drawing out her climax until she was a quivering mess beneath him.

her in his arms. Y/n's heart was still racing, her body still humming with aftershocks of pleasure. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of gratitude and love.

"Feel better?" he asked, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

--yurrr which character yall want next? I was thinking Mitsuya idk?--

[base0h]

Hey slayer. I've been violently ill lately and thought it be best to turn my misery into your profit, so here's a request for you. May I request the asl trio with an s/o that one night got really really sick?? Like I'm talking throwing up in the toilet, body shaking, feeling like you're going yo die type of thing. Thanks, have a great day and I hope you drink water 👋

a/n - nooo! I’m sorry about that anon :( I hope you feel better soon :) sorry in advance but I somehow make things cracky when they’re supposed to be serious 💀

warnings ⚠️ - g/n reader, vomit, comfort

- this guy hasn’t gotten sick once in his entire life, so he doesn’t know what the fuck to do when someone gets sick- (have you seen the way he tried to handle when nami got sick 😭)

- today, you already felt nauseous, sick to your stomach. The thought of eating made you want to throw yourself overboard-

- the rocking waves that shook the boat back and forth only contributed more- you weren’t even sure if this was your sickness, or sea sickness at this point

- maybe both?

- the toilet was your new bestie, the amount of times you threw up in there were countless

- chopper did his best with what meds he had- but nothing really eased the sickness. Your head just kept banging, dizzy from how many times you’ve thrown up

- your captain wasn’t sure what to do- he just kept frantically calling chopper over to see if you were ok.. He knew that maybe his funny antics weren’t going to help you right now

- “Sorry y/n… But I think this is just going to pass tomorrow, hang in there.” -chopper

- You were glad it wasn’t anything serious, but this was horrible

- Don’t you worry, Luffy stayed with you the entire night. He stole a bucket from Sanji for you to throw up in, and tried to tell you funny stories to lighten up your mood

- “Okok- ummmmm. Ok so there was this one time where grandpa kicked me down into a hole at night and-“ (Luffy was abused /with love)

- whenever you tried to sleep, he’d pat your head softly to lull you to sleep, and he tried his VERY hardest not to make any noise

- he ends up making noise but- it’s alright, you still love him (I hope)

- “Y/n! Don’t think about green! Like- don’t think about bushes and stuff! Think about uh… Meat! Wait- no. Uhm….“

- You were getting even more sick at the mention of the color green.. And meat? Luffy no.

- “NO I’M SORRY! DON’T THINK ABOUT MEAT! THINK ABOUT UH- THE SKY? THE GOING MERRY! SUNNY?”

- with him naming random stuff extremely loudly, it was able to distract you from all those gross thoughts, good save Luffy

- you made it through the night (traumatized) but alive. You were glad Luffy was there to stay with you, even though he’s not the best doctor in town lmao

- he loves you, and he’d do anything to make you feel alright :)

- he’s very experienced with almost every sickness, and he’s read about almost every kind of medical book he has in his library

- but nothing prepared him for taking care of the person he loved, because books don’t cover that :)

- you already asked Dragon if you could rest for today, and that alone made sabo so worried. You never had to miss a mission.. This must’ve been really bad

- as soon as the ship docked, sabo sprinted, and I mean SPED towards the headquarters

- my man literally knocked poor koala over on the way 😭

- when he burst through the door like a mad man, he grimaced when he saw how bad you looked

- you were still sitting by the toilet, your face turning green in close intervals

- “Oh hey sabo- how was the m-“ *throws up*

- “Y/N?! ARE YOU OK?!”

- He’s about to faint, but he managed to drag the doctor out from his office, and haul ass back to you for him to check you out

- sabo never knew he could be so tense and anxious, he found out today that he suffered from major anxiety whenever something bad happened to you 😭

- The doctor explained that it was simply a really bad stomach flu, and it would go away by either tomorrow or the next few days

- sabo was glad it wasn’t anything serious! But still, he was worried about you, I mean… You weren’t looking great-

- He tried his best, but whenever you threw up, he felt sick as well- so he comforted you while closing his eyes and covering his ears (he’s trying)

- at one point he had to run off because he threw up too 💀 probably from both feeling horrible because you were going through this. And also, he’s scared of vomit unfortunately

- just because he’s scared doesn’t mean he’s not going to stay with you 24/7! He’s sitting with you, giving you whatever you ask and need

- he tries to talk about anything except vomit and the color green lmao- but he somehow finds a way to get back to it??

- “Yeah on the mission today- we were freeing some of our comrades and one of them- his name’s Steve. He was wearing this AWFUL green shirt and I swear-!” *throws up*

- “I’M SORRY- FORGET EVERYTHING I JUST SAID PLEASE.”

- this poor man is dying, but trying 👍

- like Luffy, this guy has never been sick. EVER

- but he’s an expert at sensing whether or not you’re feeling ok- it’s kinda creepy

- it’s like he knows if a sneeze is coming, and he says bless you early 0-0

- this time, he didn’t catch it since he was off the ship, kicking marine ass on an island

- when he got back, you were- let’s just say.. You’ve been better.

- Whitebeard was worried, and Marco took a look at you right away. No one was as worried as Ace though, this poor guy was on fire, quite literally

- he kept accidentally setting things on fire around him from how worried he was!

- “Ace, don’t panic. Stay calm.” -Whitebeard

- “I AM CALM.”

- no he is not calm at all

- Marco told you that this would just have to pass normally, and he could only give you some anti-nausea meds

- when ace could finally go into your room, he was asking every single question known to man

- “Baby are you ok? You need water? Hugs? Food? A bucket? Meds? Blanket? Marco to turn into a fluffy bird and for you to hold him in your hand?”

- “…what?”

- let’s just say if you need something, he’s on it

- whenever you throw up, he’s like- cheering you on?

- “Great job! Get all that nasty stuff out! You got this!”

- I mean. It helped I guess 💀

- he’ll give you cuddles, hugs, anything to help you fall asleep and get through the night

- you finally fell asleep on him after a couple hours

- but this poor dude needed to pee so bad at around 3am. But the thought of waking you up, only for you to start throwing up again made him so sad..

- he didn’t want you to have to go through it again if you didn’t have to!

- so he sucked it up, and held it until you woke up at 7

- “Oh hey ace.. I feel a lot better now, thanks for staying.”

- “Oh my gosh that’s great! But give me like- 10 seconds I have to pee so fucking bad-!”

- my man SPED to the bathroom, leaving a literal trail of fire 💀💀💀

- he was in there for a while 😭

a/n - ace is so sweet 🥹

[cambria-writes]

Chapter 2: You're too old to be so shy

pairing: astarion x bard!f!reader word count: 5,395 warnings: swearing, mentions of sex and innuendos, implied past sexual abuse/assault, nothing explicitly mentioned, please let me know if anything else should be tagged

a/n: here it is! this has also been proofread twice! still writing chapter 3 but i'm mostly done. hoping to be upload chapter 3 this coming sunday. :)

though i'm still a little sick i am feeling much better!

Your camp is not suited for more than your traveling party. That much is made obvious as soon as the first few tieflings arrive once the sun has set and the stars have come out. 

Gale has been toiling away to prepare enough food for the sizable crowd you expected, and enlisted the help of both Wyll and Scratch—the latter to help gather kindling for the three fires the mad wizard has going on. As soon as you spot Mol, you immediately fix her a look that lets her know you expect impeccable behaviour, if only for tonight. The tiefling girl makes a show of crossing her heart and spitting on the ground. Not... a fantastic response, but at least you can spend an easier night knowing that the ringleader of a bunch of restless children won’t be up to her usual misdeeds. Probably.

As soon as you’ve redressed in your casual clothes, you’re scooped up by Zevlor, who insists on speaking to the entirety of the assembled crowd to sing your praises. When Alfira starts playing a gentle tune along with him, it becomes quite literal. Rolan conjures some pretty fireworks, Volo joins in with Zevlor’s off-key serenade.

It’s a mess, and, blessedly, Komira presses a bottle of some kind of alcohol in your hand.

“It’s one of our better bottles,” she says, conspiratorially, though how loudly she has to speak to be heard over everything else defeats the effort of being sneaky. “As thanks for helping our girl.”

You laugh a little, trying not to sound as uneasy as you feel. “You’ve already thanked me, though,” you say, pulling on the chain to show you are, in fact, wearing her locket. Komira’s face lights up.

“Oh, I didn’t think you’d wear it!” she exclaims, and you frown a little.

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s a pendant, it’s made to be worn.”

“Oh, well it’s such a small enchantment,” Komira says, rubbing at her collarbones. “I just—I had figured you might keep it to sell, you know?”

“Absolutely not,” you say, perhaps a little harshly. You try to soften your tone when you speak next when you see Komira’s taken aback. “I’m sorry, I meant to say that something like this can’t just be sold. The value this locket has isn’t just gold.”

She sighs, just a little, and nods. “Right, thank you. It’s just so strange to be...”

You nod in understanding. Respected, appreciated, treated like an equal; given their initial reception by Kagha and half the grove, you can see how she wouldn’t assume anyone else would have the best of interests.

You put a hand to her upper arm and try to smile in a way you hope is reassuring.

“Hey, no time to be sad or apprehensive. Your family have a long road ahead, you should have fun while you can.”

You and Komira part ways shortly after that. You fiddle with the locket’s chain as you fulfill your social expectations for the night. It’s exhausting; Zevlor catches you another three times during the night, and every time he seems even more intoxicated than the last. Lae’zel walks up to you and confesses just how arousing you are when you fight with blood on your face.

She is the first person whose advances you have to rebuff tonight.

You speak with Halsin, glad to see him among you. Your conversation is lovely and easy, until you try to convince him to mingle with the rest of you. The way he looks down at you—eyes half-lidded and a set to his jaw that you’ve become familiar with—makes you excuse yourself fairly quickly. That isn’t a conversation you feel like having with him, of all people.

Karlach excitedly tells you about Dammon and his offer to help the infernal engine roaring in her chest before showing off and making you try some of her... dance moves? Footwork? You’ve drunk most of the bottle Komira offered you, so you gladly follow and stumble along. You wish her a good night when you’re out of breath and move along.

Shadowheart and Wyll seem to be engaged in quite the debate. You watch them for a while, as Gale hands you a bowl of something that smells amazing, and pay them no mind when you realize they have no intent on murdering each other.

“Haven’t seen our pale friend in quite some time today,” Gale mentions while absent mindedly tossing some scraps behind him and into Scratch’s eager maw. “Oh, well, speak of the devil.”

You turn around to see Astarion emerging from his tent. He almost immediately snatches a bottle of wine from an unsuspecting, far-too-drunk Danis as he walks by.

“He escaped the grove the same time I did,” you say, distracted, following the vampire with your eyes until he settles under a mostly-bare tree, with his back against its bark. When you look back at Gale to say something else, he looks shocked. “What? You didn’t notice I left almost immediately after talking to Zevlor?”

“You left and didn’t tell anyone? On your own?”

You cringe, can tell that there’s a lecture coming on, and raise your hands in defense. “Look, I was covered in blood and gore and was profoundly adverse to socializing in that state. I think it’s perfectly normal and reasonable of me to excuse myself under those conditions.”

Gale fixes you a disapproving look but nods as he moves to spear a fish grilling over another fire. “Can’t hold that against you, I suppose. You would’ve smelled revolting after a few hours.”

“I’m glad you understand,” you reply dryly.

Gale sends you away once you’ve finished the grilled meat and vegetables he’s given you. You spend some time playing with Alfira as she sings, manage to rope Karlach into providing percussions by enthusiastically thumping on an overturned, probably-empty barrel. When everyone is well and enthralled, you discreetly leave your post by Alfira and let the tiefling continue the entertainment.

You begin to wander when your eyes catch the back of Astarion’s head. He’s speaking to one of the tiefling women—Pandirna, you think, pleased to see she’s still standing on her own two feet. She does, however, look very drunk and Astarion looks very uncomfortable. He doesn’t flinch when Pandirna puts a hand on his bicep and laughs, but he immediately looks like a coiled snake ready to strike. You look around quickly and wave down a tiefling who looks... well at least she looks slightly less drunk than Pandirna does, so she’ll do.

You approach tiefling and vampire with a smile. Pandirna immediately begins waving at you in large, exaggerated motions.

“Hey there,” you greet, taking her hand off Astarion’s arm and taking it into your own. “How about we get you something to eat?” When the woman you had waved down walks over, you quietly ask her to take Pandirna somewhere quiet to rest and get something in her stomach. Or... maybe empty her stomach, you’re not quite sure. You hear Astarion sigh behind you when the tiefling women are out of earshot.

“Thank you, the only thing worse than this wine are her drunken attempts at what she calls seduction.”

You can’t help the bark of laughter that leaves your mouth. No, you don’t suppose you would be terribly receptive to the inebriated stumblings of a group of people you hardly know, let alone have barely spoken more than a complete sentence to.

“I don’t suppose this means you have to come rescue me next time someone wants to declare their undying lust for me?”

Astarion snorts in his wine but otherwise doesn’t offer an answer. You motion for him to move, and lean your back against the same tree. Your shoulders are pressed together, and this is perhaps a little closer than you’d otherwise like to be to anyone, but with decent wine in your body and the small spark of satisfaction of a job well done, you find you don’t quite mind.

You especially don’t mind if Astarion doesn’t mind, and he seems quite content being next to you like this—or, at least, he doesn’t seem terribly bothered by it, which is as good a sign as any.

“You know,” he starts, looking out onto the revelry and taking a moment to look at another of Rolan’s firework displays. It’s... messier, this time. You think maybe he’s gotten into the wine, too. “I never pictured myself as a hero. Never thought I'd be the one they toast for saving so many lives. And now that I'm here...“

Astarion takes a swig of the wine bottle like he’s forgotten what’s in it and screws his face in disgust. “I hate it, this is awful.”

You bend over with your laughter, this time. When you manage to lift yourself back up straight, you feel your chest swell with a strange kind of pride in seeing Astarion smirk. Nothing toothy, condescending or rude about it.

“Oh come on! It can’t be that bad,” you breathe, brushing hair out of your face. “Think about all the goblins you got to kill.”

Astarion makes a show of thinking about it and tilts his head in agreement. “True. That was fun,” he says, taking another swig of the wine, before immediately pulling it away.

“Give me that you big baby,” you mutter, swiping the bottle from his hand and lifting the mouth to your lips.

Right, so it’s not amazing wine, but you’ve definitely had worse. You think for a second that it might make for great cooking wine when Astarion speaks up again.

“But what do I get for all my hard work? A pat on the head and vinegar for wine,” he grumbles, crossing his arms. “I’m just looking for a little more excitement,” he ads, and leans in closer to you after you bring the bottle down. “A little more fun.”

You realize you’re a little too drunk for this conversation, a little too late.

“Hm, right, fun,” you repeat, trying to glean what Astarion’s trying to say. “What.. kind of fun are we considering? Because I’d rather you not eviscerate anyone if it’s all the same to you.”

Astarion sighs, a long and weary sound, as he rolls his eyes.

“I’m not going to—sex, darling, passion? Fun? Have you heard of it?”

A strange and unpleasant sensation rises through your spine, balls in your throat, before heavily settling in your gut.

“Not with you, just to be clear,” Astarion adds quickly, and you think maybe he sees the dread in the bead of sweat that rolls down your temple, the way your knuckles are white around the wine bottle. “I mean—can you imagine? Urgh, no.”

He’s not convincing anyone. Even with... two? Three? Bottles of wine, you can hear the frantic overcompensation in his voice.

“No need to be mean about it, gods,” you answer more or less half-hartedly, taking another swig of the wine bottle. Which is empty. You groan and toss it somewhere behind you where it won’t get away.

“Oh don’t misunderstand me,” Astarion starts, turning to lean his shoulder on the tree to better look at you. Look down at you. You’re beginning to resent how tall everyone is in comparison to you. “If our circumstances were different...” he trails off. Begins to look you up and down in a way you think is meant to be appreciative, but his eyes eventually stop their roaming just above your chest.

“You say you wouldn’t sleep with me,” you bring your hand up to fiddle with the locket’s chain again. “But it lacks an awful amount of conviction if you’re just blatantly staring at my breasts.”

Astarion laughs quietly and turns back to lean against the tree and face the ongoing celebration. You want to ask what he was looking at, just now. It wasn’t you, you know that much. But you wonder which memory got pulled to the forefront of his mind. Wish you could pin it down and dissect it and remove all the necrotic tissues from it. Give it back cleansed, blessed and free from—

“Yes?” Astarion looks at you from the corner of his eye before looking back out at the party. You... hadn’t realized you were staring so intensely. Or how far away from you your thoughts had gotten. “If you keep staring at me like that, someone’s going to get the wrong idea.”

You exhale sharply through your nose—halfway between scoffing and laughing. There’s a retort burning the tip of your tongue, but it feels a little too sharp even to your dulled senses. You instead press your hands to your warm cheeks in an effort to cool them down. At least this much you can blame on the alcohol.

You turn back to ask something else—probably about what his plans for dinner are—but your thoughts are immediately knocked out of your head when you catch a glimpse of something against Astarion’s skin. His shirt has parted and billowed just enough, in just such as a way that you can see a braided leather cord. A very hastily braided leather cord you remember stringing a pendant on.

You take a deep breath to steady yourself. Astarion is a gods damned feral cat. You absolutely never know when he’ll react well to anything you do, especially if it’s anywhere remotely near the  domain of kindness. As far as you can figure, though he hasn’t gotten into any amount of depth of detail about it, his existence as a vampire hasn’t been the gentlest. You can’t say you understand, but you can begin to see why, after decades if not centuries of mistreatment, someone may be excessively apprehensive and wary of any perceived kind act.

It ignites something raw and furious in your wine and exhaustion-addled mind. Makes you want to consume every ounce of cruelty Astarion has ever been fed to replace it with something better. Not softer, you don’t think he’s fond of softness in anything but his clothing. But something brighter, warmer. Kinder.

“Darling, I think you need to go lay down,” Astarion says quietly, right next to your ear. So caught up in your own thoughts, you hadn’t noticed him leaning into you. You feel the rumble of his chuckle more than you hear it. When he pulls away, you can’t place his expression. Guarded, then. “Let me walk you back to—”

“No,” you shake your head before leaning it back against the tree and closing your eyes. “It’s going to be noisy here for a while still. No point lying down somewhere I can’t rest.”

“Oh, of course, now you develop high standards,” Astarion bemoans, but moves away from his spot and walks around to your other side. “So tell me, where were you planning to sleep for the night?”

You shrug and nod vaguely in the direction of the woods. “There’s a clearing somewhere in the woods. I’ll just... lie down and rest for a bit, until things die down.”

Astarion rolls his eyes again. “Alone? Drunk, with a murder cult nipping at our heels, frothing at the mouth?” You wrinkle your nose. Well, yes, of course it sounds bad when he says it like that. It doesn’t even occur to argue your state of inebriation. There’s another few seconds where he crosses his arm, taps the toe of his foot and looks around. You figure maybe he’s trying to find someone to pass you over to, but he doesn’t even make it halfway through scanning the camp before releasing a put-upon sigh.

“I suppose keeping watch while you have a cat nap can’t be much worse than looking over this bunch.” Astarion uncrosses his arms and, with a hand at your back, slowly begins to guide you toward the treeline.

“I still don’t see why I need a sitter,” you grumble, snatching a sloppily folded blanket off the back of a cart. You shrug your shoulders when Astarion raises a brow at you. You’ll just have to make sure to return it before they leave in the morning.

The clearing you’re led to is far enough from camp—and, consequently, far enough from the boisterous celebration—that you can’t hear the sound of Aldira’s lute anymore. You can’t even make out anything being shouted. Your shoulders drop when you let out a deep breath. Though the moon isn’t full, her light is bright, and feels like it washes your nerves and mends their fraying. You rush to the center of the clearing to unfold and lay the blanket on the soft, overgrown grass.

When you lay down, you carefully place your hands just below your chest, over your stomach. You hadn’t planned on sleeping or trancing, really. Just get some needed alone time. Some space to exist without having to worry about choosing your words perfectly or schooling your expression into collected confidence. You glance up at the moon and sigh, content, before closing your eyes.

“This is wonderful,” you breathe out. “Thank you, Astarion.”

You hear him pause as he moves to sit by your hip. He settles in rather quickly after that. “Yes, well,” he starts, with an air of detachment even you can tell is forced. “It wouldn’t do for our noble, valiant leader to be exhausted. I rather like my odds with you.”

You don’t hum or otherwise acknowledge what he’s said. His choice of words tickles at something in the back of your mind, but you’re not quite sure what. It’s strangely discomfiting all the same.

“Wyll and Lae’zel are perfectly capable of taking the helm,” you reply, adjusting your shoulders and settling deeper into the padded ground. “I’m not sure why they haven’t, honestly. Letting a bard lead should be a terrible idea.”

“And yet here we all remain,” Astarion replies back, but there’s a softness in his voice that does make you frown. When you open your eyes, you see that he’s sat, cross-legged, with his back to you. Offering you some kind of privacy. You close your eyes and try to smooth over your expression.

What a complicated man.

“Through sheer dumb luck, you mean.” You hear the sound of a page turning. You hadn’t even noticed Astarion had brought a book along. “If Shadowheart hadn’t happened to have that gith artifact, we’d all be illithid by now.”

“And yet you took her under your wing without knowing that of her.”

“Of course. She was conscious and in the same situation as I was. It would have been unconscionable to leave her in that pod.”

Astarion hums but doesn’t reply for a moment. Long enough for you to hear the sound of another page turning. “You gained a follower nonetheless.”

“She is not a—”

“You can deny it all you want, darling,” he interrupts you, and this time you lean up on your elbows when you open your eyes. Astarion’s gaze remains fixed on whatever he’s reading. “But as far as most of our... party is concerned, you’re the only reason any of us are still alive and in possession of our faculties. Of ourselves. We’d follow you into the fires of Avernus if you had a good enough reason to believe it would save us.”

You frown at the back of his head. You can’t tell if his last words were spoken with venom or reverence. You don’t know what to say to that, and so you say nothing at all. It’s high praise coming from someone with Astarion’s temperament; you don’t want to do or say anything that would tarnish that.

It’s also a heavy burden to lay at your feet.

“Best not to dwell on it, dear,” Astarion says, almost a whisper.

“Right,” you exhale sharply, slowly lowering yourself back down onto the blanketed ground. “Don’t dwell on the fact that everyone’s continued cooperation and therefore survival hinge upon my ability to make split-second decisions in the midst of the absolute worst conditions I’ve ever been in and have no idea how to deal with. No pressure, nothing to dwell on there.”

Astarion makes a sound that’s somewhere between a sigh and an annoyed groan. You hear him snap his book shut. He leans over to lay the book somewhere near your feet. He stays there for a moment, long enough for you to contemplate reaching out, but rights himself and turns around to face you before you can move. The look he fixes you makes you feel like a child being scolded, and you recoil from him accordingly.

“Hells, woman, have you ever relaxed a day in your life? Have you no idea how to decompress?” You open your mouth to answer—a rebuttal half-formed on the tip of your tongue—but Astarion waves you into silence. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. You are going to lie down like an obedient little pet, close your eyes, think of whatever saccharine, tooth-rotting thing brings you comfort, and you will rest.”

You feel your face warm at being called a ‘little pet’, but ultimately simply huff before closing your eyes. You fold your hands carefully over your stomach and do your best to think of ‘saccharine’ things.

When you actually decide to follow Astarion’s instructions, you try to think of the forest at the edge of your family’s property. The few nights a year when your whole family could get together and enjoy food, games and music. You think of Scratch, and of the small owlbear cub you’ve seen creeping around camp when it thinks no one else is watching. You think about how, a few nights ago, you were able to bathe in the cool water by the shore in bright moonlight.

You can’t help but to think that all these moments may be the last you ever get to experience those things. Selfishly, you wish that you could at least have someone familiar with you. A friend from your childhood, maybe, or a distant relative. You wonder if maybe even a past lover would be a comforting presence to you now.

You wince when you hear Astarion sigh heavily, yet again. You expect him to speak right away, but open your eyes when he remains silent. Even from where you lay, you can tell that he’s measuring his words.

“There is... something I can do to help,” Astarion starts, slowly, turning to face you. The look in his eyes as he peers down at you makes your stomach flip in a way you’re not sure is excitement or apprehension. “How do you feel, when I feed from you?”

Frightened, vulnerable and excited, is what you immediately think. You frown and bite the inside of your cheek while you take a few seconds to properly consider the question.

“Warm, at first,” you say, tilting your head back to look up at the sky. “Then cold. Light-headed, after a while. Everything feels lighter, I think. Like I’m floating.”

Astarion hums in acknowledgement. He leans over you, bracing a hand on the other side of your neck. You think you know where this is going.

“And how’s your head, like that?” You don’t expect the tadpole wriggling in your skull, and so you don’t think. You simply allow him into your mind. He does you the courtesy of aiming directly for a single set of memories; that first time he bit you.

You can almost feel Astarion recoil when he feels the terror and beginnings of resignation that licked at you that night. The shock after waking up with a man looming over you that hadn’t been after sex, and the immediately ensuing relief. Blood?, you remember thinking. That’s all?

You see Astarion again in your memories, and his bewildered expression in the face of your lack of anger makes sense, now. Your relief and near-amusement at the time make sense to him now, too. And then there was the bite, itself.

The pain wasn’t unlike what you’ve experienced with tattoos before. Sharp, at first, but eventually the pain fades. Your mind scrambles to hold onto the pain, because the intimacy of having a man with his fangs buried in your neck is perhaps just this side of too much to handle.

And then you feel your mind start to clear. If your thoughts had been a heavy fog, your progressive bloodless state lifts it. Leaves room for little else, in fact; there is Astarion’s heavy breathing beside your ear, his weight carefully kept just above your body, and the smell of brandy, rosemary and... another herb you can’t remember.

You wonder how it was for him. A fleeting thought, but it makes your tadpole squirm. You catch brief flashes of yourself from Astarion’s eyes before an unspeakable feeling floods you. Something like burning, but invigorating. Like the best meal you’ve ever had and the most restful night’s sleep, all sliding down your throat. Something else begins to burn, but Astarion pulls away from both you and the strange connection with a choked sound.

You struggle to catch your own breath, for many reasons.

“I’m—I’m sorry,” you begin to apologize, but when you look over at the vampire his eyes are round and glassy. It’s an expression so sincerely gobsmacked and floored that you can’t help but be shocked in turn.

“That... I saw myself. You—that was me.” Your concern at his sudden lack of eloquence tumbles around your head only for a second until you realize why he’s so shocked, and why, of all things, his own face is what he’s gleaned from your connection.

It makes sense that a man deprived of his own reflection for hundreds of years would be shocked to see it. “Yeah,” you say quietly, nod minutely. You bite the inside of your cheek and argue with yourself for a moment over whether or not you should continue. Looking at the tension in the rogue in front of you, you figure maybe a bit of humour wouldn’t be amiss. “Oh, don’t act so shocked. People tell you how breathtakingly handsome you are all the time.”

Astarion’s brow furrows just a bit, and he waves his hand. Again, he seems to be looking somewhere beyond you. “None of that is relevant,” he says, a bit harshly, and then remains quiet. You give a single nod and look away.

A few minutes pass by, and you’ve just closed your eyes when he speaks up again.

“I’m not fond of the score right now,” he says quietly, and when you open your eyes he’s determinedly looking away from you.

“Wasn’t aware we were keeping track of anything but magical items and smokepowder kegs,” you reply tentatively.

“You allowed me to drink your blood,” Astarion begins, and you catch him glancing over at you for a second, almost like he’s making sure you’re paying attention. “You’ve allowed me to see my own face, after two hundred years,” he continues, drumming his fingers on either of his thighs. “And you’ve let me remain among you despite what I am.”

“Well, hold on, that’s—”

“Please, spare me.” Astarion’s tone is a little drier and stings a little more, as he holds a hand up to quiet you. “You can say that it’s ‘just what’s done’ all you want, the vast majority of the world disagrees with you and acts accordingly.” His hands have stilled, instead gripping his thighs with white knuckles.

You can’t help but feel sheepish. That is, in fact, more or less what you would have replied with. This is simply how you’ve learned to treat people, if given half a chance. Even if the person reaching a hand out has a dagger hidden in the other. You can try and put on a face and say that bards can only write about people if they’re alive to do things to write about, but that’s never been your primary motivation.

“Rest,” Astarion says after a moment. Gentler, softer than before. “If we’re going to go find this... crèche, we’re going to need you to have your wits about you.”

You cease the fidgeting of your hands and flatted them against your ribs.

“Just make sure we’re back at camp when it dies down,” you request, settling deeper into the blanketed ground. “You can’t keep watch over me all night.”

Astarion scoffs. “Of course, dear.”

You feel hazy and heavy when Astarion rouses you. Rather than trance—rather than chancing being presented with things you didn’t want to quite think of yet—you’d chosen to sleep, for the first time in a long time. A light, pleasant and dreamless slumber that left you feeling almost drunk upon waking. Your bleary eyes can barely make out where you are or where you’re going as you walk, but you trust the firm pressure at your back guiding you.

You grab at Astarion’s arm before he turns to leave you at your tent.

“Did you, do you need to fee–to drink?,” you ask, stumbling over your words in an effort to speak them before your fatigue sweeps them away.

You think the look on his face is consideration; you recognize the shift in his gaze, the tension in his brow. You feel it on your own face often enough when put in a position to make any choice on behalf of your companions.

“Darling,” he starts slowly, pulling his arm away just enough to be able to grasp your hand. It feels pleasantly cool against your sleep-warmed skin. “You’ve let me have you not two nights ago.” You swallow thickly at the phrasing. “I’ll manage perfectly fine.”

You drop your eyes to your joined hands. “I’ll trust your judgment, then.”

When you raise your gaze back to Astarion, you’re finding he’s now contemplating your hand in his. He looks leagues away for a few seconds, and you wish you could ask him what he was thinking about it. Or, maybe it would be fairer to say you wish you could trust that you’d get a straight answer from him if you did.

So you stay quiet.

“I suppose a... sip couldn’t hurt.” Astarion moves forward, forcing you to take a step back, as he holds the fabric of your tent open for you. “Best to lay down.”

Your ears feel hot and itchy, and you feel your cheeks beginning to burn. It’s terrible enough to get some kind of excited about this, but the embarrassment you feel for it is almost worse.

You make quick work of making room for and laying on your bedroll—but not so quick as to look over-eager. Astarion kneels patiently by your side as you lay down and take a deep breath. It’s only when he’s barely a hair’s breadth away from your neck—his lips close enough to brush the skin there—that he speaks up.

“This will only hurt a little.”

It’s a lie, but at least it’s what you hope is a well meaning one. You carefully exhale and make sure to release the tension in your neck and shoulder as fangs pierce your neck. It always burns, more than just a pinch, and the initial feeling of intrusion is strange and uncomfortable.

And then the pain fades, slowly and then all at once, and you’re finally able to take a deep breath.

Astarion doesn’t linger long. You don’t think he’s had more than a few mouthfuls before pulling away, softly pressing a cool thumb to the small wounds. He wipes at the corners of his mouth with his free hand. Fingers smooth over your neck before he rights himself.

“Thank you,” Astarion says, and his tone, combined with half-lidded eyes, makes something run up your spine and settle at the base of your skull. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

And soon, it’s as though there was never anyone else with you in your tent. You don’t know what you should attribute your light-headedness to, or the strange rhythm your heart is drumming against your ribs. You think perhaps this is why you hadn’t let yourself genuinely sleep in so long. Your brain’s foggy, your body feels loose and light and your thoughts slip away from you like sand between your fingers.

You close your eyes against the sudden thought that you wish Astarion would have stayed, just a bit longer.

You exhale, deeply, almost a sigh, and you pretend that all your irrelevant, childish thoughts of vampires float away in the air, too.

Taglist

@abigailmoment @hfxgamora @gayfiretruck

let me know if you'd like to be tagged in future updates!

[damnmmmmmmmmmm]

Please, please, please tell me she didn't touch his ass. Not after Ali just SA'd someone in the same way. I know Sebastian never gave a single fuck about victims but this would be absolutely sick of both of them. A public statement to make light of the situation. I literally hate them both. // omg this is the funniest thing I've read all day. Now significant others can't touch each other in public? I'm surprised you haven't snapped from stretching that much. Oh wait you already have 🤣🤣

Oh, I’m so glad I could give you a chuckle, but let’s break this down, shall we? In real relationships, you know, the ones where people actually respect each other's boundaries, that’s where the respect lives. But I guess that concept is a little too advanced for some. What happened on that carpet wasn’t some playful moment, it was honestly just weird. She was so out of pocket, and let’s not pretend she wasn’t totally wasted. She threw herself on him, wouldn’t let go, and had such a dead grip on his torso that he had to literally remove her hands. And, of course, he had to laugh it off because cameras were rolling. Then she slaps his ass? How adorable… except there’s absolutely no evidence to suggest that’s the kind of relationship they have.

Here’s the thing—studies show that many men are sexually harassed by women but don’t report it, mainly because they feel uncomfortable or embarrassed by the situation (Sable et al., 2006). It’s often minimized, even seen as “flattering” or “funny,” which is exactly the vibe this situation gives off. You seriously need to educate yourself, because sexual assault can absolutely still take place in “relationships”—especially in a “PR relationship” like this one, where boundaries might not even be in the contract. If you think that’s cute and normal, I feel so sorry for your future partner, because it’s pretty obvious you have no clue what respecting boundaries looks like.

Men can be sexually harassed in relationships, and it’s critical to recognize that harassment doesn’t require any kind of prior intimacy or consent—there’s no “free pass” just because you’re in a relationship, or even a fake one (McMahon, 2007). You might want to look into that before defending any behavior like this.

Below, I’ve added the references for you to go and fucking educate yourself because ignorance on important matters will get your ass insulted on this blog! Stupid!

References:

Sable, M. R., Danis, F., Mauzy, D. L., & Gallagher, S. K. (2006). "Reactions to male sexual harassment: A comparison of college students and staff." Violence and Victims, 21(3), 309-325.

McMahon, S. (2007). "Sexual harassment of men: Prevalence, consequences, and coping." Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 8(4), 257-267.

[joetoyesleg]

and five years later he’s back with the response I’m so sorry 😭 hope your eddie is treating you nicely OSJDKDKKS

it’s been a minute since I identified as a christian/religious person in general so the story isn’t as fresh as it used to be aside from the veggietales version of it so bear with me okay lol 😭

these just some cliff notes (this is gonna be long sorry in advance skjsksjdks) so Basically. the story goes :

— jonah is literally just some guy, as they always seem to be in bible stories lmao, and god calls upon him to travel to a generally bad city to help the people there or something. but he (J) hates that city and everyone there and refuses so he sets off on the sea in the opposite direction instead, trying to hide out on this ship from god and the task asked of him

— god gets pissed, as he always seems to get in bible stories lmao, and brings a huge storm to the sea and the sailors he’s keeping company with Also get pissed because they know that jonah is the cause of it, and so they tossing overboard and once his ass is gone the storm stops LMAOOOOOO 😭😭

— he, while trying not to drown after being kicked off of the ship, gets swallowed by a “great fish” (but everyone kinda just assumed that that means it was a whale) but ! the whale didn’t actually Eat him, it just swallowed him to keep him safe from… drowning… (allegedly lol bc I think it’s kind of a meme that god is actually pretty petty in a lot of the stories in the bible) and jonah is sitting in the belly of the beast crying and begging for forgiveness for going on the ship instead of going to the city

— after three days of praying the whale surfaces and vomits jonah out of its stomach and he eventually sets off to the city to deliver god’s message and whatever day saved over there

— but jonah is pissed that god spared the people there and goes off and sits on a hill somewhere to see if the city will get fucked up

— god makes a plant grow to cover him from the sun but I’m the same day sends a worm to kill the plant and leave jonah exposed to the elements, jonah gets even more pissed and sick because of the heat and asks god to come kill him 😭😭😭😭

— god is all like “well girl you care so much about this plant even though you didn’t plant it, how are you going to be pissed at me for caring about the uneducated people in the city even though they didn’t know me?”

the story kinda just ends right there, jonah gagged, and the theme that is usually taught is that god loves everyone and offers repentance and no one can ever hide from god’s will :)

…y’know.. reading back on it, it really really Really does not have much of a connection to swept away at all but hey !! I told you in the og ask that it was a REACH lol 😭 let’s stretch together 🤲

[I also probably should have mentioned it but I’ve… never… actually Seen the show unfortunately # broke # westcoast but I Have read everything about it like reviews on here and such, it was literally made for me like I’M the target audience and it’s gone forever…… sick to my fucking stomach….]

no no i see, i feel the stretch in my hamstrings if i squint 🙂‍↕️ either way this was a beautiful veggietales esque bible lesson for me. im not religious like even 1% but i am in love with the ending of the show that even mate can be forgiven and find peace in his transition to the afterlife despite everything he did. and the characters of ghost!bb, lb, and captain being his guides to make that transition is so beautiful to me. need more fics written about it honestly.

also have never seen the show # eastcoast # but broke college girl in florida but i do chronically watch my bootleg and am happy to share it with you if you’re in need! just keep it on the downlow duh

thank you for your anon my friend and yes my eddie treated me great that’s why I couldn’t respond last night 🫡

[whitegoldtower]

My list of bg3 takes

(Gods fuck I’m sorry in advance ok)

🕸️ Minthara is the best companion.

🕸️ Act 1 Astarion makes me feel unsafe. If I suddenly found myself in Faerûn, I’d be very inclined to avoid him in camp, and I’d probably snap at him for purring at me / giving insincere compliments. Realistically, I wouldn’t find it seductive; I’d find it creepy, no matter how pretty he is.

🕸️ True Soul Nere’s voice is hot and nobody can change my mind about it. I wish we could have him as a Sorcerer companion. I’d snatch him up so damn fast, sprinting through act 1 to get to him.

🕸️ The fact that I’d be less afraid of True Soul Nere than Act 1 Astarion is saying something. When you tell Astarion that he’s overstepped a boundary (“You’re too close”), the way he responds (mockingly and pretty aggressively before telling you to ‘sleep well’ slightly sinisterly) would literally make me black out and have a durge moment.

🕸️ I personally would prefer it if Scratch was a cat.

🕸️ I actually enjoy talking to Gale and Wyll.

🕸️ It’s not hard to just not ask Shadowheart so many damn questions and respect her privacy

🕸️ I want the toad teapot

🕸️ Ketheric’s the coolest of the trio.

🕸️ Auntie Ethel and Raphael are the best villains in the game.

🕸️ I would trust Minthara with my drink.

🕸️ I actually love the goblins and hate having to kill them all. Wish we could have had Sazza and Fezzerk as companions.

🕸️ Why is it that everyone seems to have a problem with Nere’s voice and yet completely ignores the fucking owlbear cub’s voice. Now that’s a voice that almost makes me press the mute button.

🕸️ Let me have those fucking spiders in my camp ffs. Give me the two in the Goblin camp. The pretty ones in Grymforge. The prettiest one in the shadowcursed lands with the cute face (Kar’niss).

🕸️ The mouldy/gone off shit everywhere in game makes my stomach churn. Someone please make a mod that removes it.

🕸️ I wish there would have been more of the Underdark to explore.

🕸️ I absolutely cannot bring myself to take the moonlantern off Kar’niss and hearing him sob as you fight him on top of Moonrise genuinely upsets me.

🕸️ Gerringothe Thorm is such a fucking icon

🕸️ Malus Thorm is the moment

🕸️ I feel sick during the scene with Thisobald because his stomach reminds me of that one monty python sketch “it’s wafer thin!” 🫣🤢🤢

🕸️ if you choose to play a human in a fantasy game, you scare me. DNI.

🕸️ I would, as a matter of fact, sleep with every drow in the game.

🕸️ there is a character with my deadname but spelled a little differently, so I purposefully go out of my way to make that character’s life hell, and that’s my red flag. Like how dare you make my eyes witness those letters in that order on my screen. You will pay dearly.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

ARI FIRST THINGS FIRST I'M SORRY I DIDN'T TAG U I DIDN'T WANNA PRESSURE U OKAY I'M SORRY second of all how many of them can i ask about bc......... what if i wanna know about all of them? what then ari???? have u thought about that?????? okay okay no but i do NEEEED to know about sappy drunk!sugu bc helloo??? that sounds so good and also woLFY SUGU AND LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD????? you're crazy i'm so obsessed already and actually sick!satoru too bc he's gonna be such a baby i need to hear about it OK ONE MORE BECAUSE NOBARA??? OH MY GODD SKATERGIRL NOBARA PLEAAAAASEEE that's literally genius wow i can't wait to hear about all of them i'm so excited!!!!!!!

- @softgirlgonehaywire

MICKEY PLS DONT APOLOGIZE PHSJDHD i wasnt planning on doing it at first cause i didnt know if ppl would be interested 😭😭 BUT then i saw that u and everyone else was doing it so i immediately caved AND IM SO GLAD I DID u picked some of my personal faves !! ari/mickey connection going steady hehe

i’d apologize in advance for making this long but i feel safe w u this is just our average communication let’s go <33 here is some tea for u while u read !! 🍵

OKOK SOOOO first of all ; sappy drunk!sugu x reader….. yes. this one is sooooo special to me its been downright rotting in my drafts since the beginning of time and its literally all written out ?? but i need to delete some stuff n polish it overall….. </3

BUT yeah the plot is basically just: sugu goes out to a bar w satoshoko, gets drunk even though he literally never gets drunk, and so reader discovers that he is, in fact, the sappy kind. (shocker!) it’s just sooooo sickeningly fluffy and he’s so whipped. ☹️☹️ he’s like a puppy. all he can think of is reader and how much he wants to put a ring on their finger HE’S SOOOOO

here are a couple snippets hehe. literally just disgusting amounts of Fluff for my soul

sho 🚬 : anyway he’s been asking me where u are for the past ten minutes pls come i can’t stand him sho 🚬: he’s crying. you: HUH???????? you: WHY??? 😭😭😭 sho 🚬: dude i dont know sho 🚬: pls come get him he’s being so sappy that satoru’s abt to throw up

”— and i have you.” a stutter of your heartbeat, a jolt throughout your chest. his stare almost burns, but you can’t avert your gaze — suguru looks positively lovesick. admiring you with a dreamy gaze, as if he can’t believe you’re real. he reaches a hand out; cradling your face with one big palm, the rough pads of his fingers smoothing down your skin so very gently. smearing his fondness from your jaw to your cheekbone, so loving your breath hitches in the back of your throat. a soft, content sigh spills into the air, like a prayer that doesn’t need any words. his smile is serene.  ”my angel.” that peaceful smile changes shape, shifting into a big, giddy grin. it lights up his whole face. a chuckle leaves his lips, content and delighted. ”i’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

”sugu,” you whine, dragging his name out childishly. ”we need to sleep…” ”sorry,” he only murmurs, muffled into your skin. he doesn’t stop, though, planting a wet smooch on your cheek, and then another. you squirm a little in his hold, and he emits a shaky breath. ”jus’ love you so much…”

i just think sugu has so much love in his chest that he like Never lets out bc he knows it can feel overwhelming unless he shows it in small doses but then he gets drunk and everything just SPILLS out . idk but my knees would buckle

AND THEN ….. wolf/hunter!sugu x little red riding hood!reader OHHHH MICKEY IM SO HAPPY U ASKED…. this concept entered my brain and has Not left even once but its still just this vague idea in my head. im just so interested in fairy tale aus!! i figure its probably gonna end up kinda twisted? or maybe a mix between sweet/twisted if i can pull it off 😭😭 bUT the main idea is that sugu plays the part of both the wolf AND the hunter, reader doesnt know who to trust but sugu is their only option either way. at first i was thinking of making him like a whole Wolf Man but now im leaning towards it being more symbolic … the trustworthy hunter was the ”wolf” all along yk? IM SO FOND OF THIS ONE i cant wait to write it !!! ive been itching to write something a lil more gritty anyhow :33

AND AND SICK!TORU X DOTING!READER ….. our babyboyyyy he’s so :((( he’s just so sick and delirious and trying to convince reader that he’s Fine Actually but he’s just burning up :(((( and so he has no choice but to face the terrifying reality of Being Taken Care of By Someone He Trusts. horrifying. as soon as he’s slightly better he’s just throwing himself over u and begging for kisses though (he’s an opportunist <33)

this is another one that’s just veryyyy fluffy n sweet!! AND another one that i have written out i just need to delete a lot of stuff bc its like . over 10k i think I GOT CARRIED AWAY OK…… 😭😭

aaand here r some snippets from this one!! just overflowing w gojo love <333 he’s our sweetiepie our little baby angel i need him tucked into bed

”really, baby,” he slurs, voice raspy and dry. attempting to get up, arms straining under his shivering body. ”there’s no need f’ —” unceremoniously, his limbs give out beneath him, and he tumbles back down. face falling back into the mattress, as he croaks out a meek little wince. (the sound makes your heart squeeze tightly in your chest.) ”ah,” he hums, muffled into the sheets. resisting the urge to close his eyes. ”that’s… annoying.”

”baby, i think my fever’s going up again…” satoru pouts, looking up at you. ”can you check?” a raise of your eyebrow. you give him a smile. ”this is the fifth time you’ve asked me to check your temperature, toru.” ”just wanna make sure,” he whines. ”please?” an exaggerated sigh. then you’re leaning down, soft lips meeting his forehead, humming against his skin — and, just like last time, and the time before that, his temperature hasn’t gone up. ”you’re good.” ”oh, thank god,” satoru exhales. ”are you sure? like, a hundred percent sure? maybe you should check again. just in case.”

”you’re cute,” satoru croons, still cradling your cheek. tenderly, soft fingertips against your heated skin. all you manage is a meek little furrow of your brows, but that only makes him chuckle again. after a silent moment, you part your lips. ”… you can.” he blinks. still smiling. ”stay forever, i mean.”

yeahhhhhh. yeah. u know how it is. (i am consumed by love for this silly little 28 year old man)

AND FINALLY LAST BUT NOT LEAST … skatergirl!nobara x reader <333333 my most beloved ever. i only have a vague outline but im sooo in love w this concept mickey im overjoyed that it caught ur eye….. just . picture nobara being covered in hello kitty band aids bc she’s not very good at skating but she just thinks it’s SO fun and she goes to the skate park w maki while wearing acrylic nails and she’s just having such a blast :(( grinning and giggling!!! she’s literally my daughter i adore her ….

my idea for the fic is basically just that reader has this weird one-sided rivalry w nobara bc they’re a bit jealous of her + she’s so pretty it makes them angry LOL and they assume that she doesnt notice them at all… but in reality nobara is like HIGHKEY crushing on reader she does these complicated flips JUST to impress them she’s a lovergirl!!! so it’s basically just super duper fluffy n sweet hehe <33

TYSM FOR ASKING MICKEY i had to take my time w this one hehehe . i hope u’ll enjoy these fics when theyre posted although it’ll probably take a while… COVERING U IN KISSES WATCH OUT

[gaymaramada]

Alright, if you insist — this isn’t an attempt to cause any discourse, but as clearly sarcastic as this post was, I felt the need to take the invitation and share my thoughts:

1. Sevika’s story falling off in the last two acts was disappointing. We deserved to see the events leading up to her and Zaun’s involvement in the final battle as well as her earning a place on the council.

2. The firelights’ story also could have been involved in the events in Zaun before the last battle — more episodes were clearly necessary.

3. Genuinely have no clue what you’re on about with Ekko. He never ignored his home, in fact he did the OPPOSITE, abandoning what was essentially a paradise so he could continue to fight for his people. Are you talking about his involvement in the final battle? Because what was he supposed to do? Not try to help? I’m genuinely confused. And yea, he got a not so happy ending and he lost a lot, but do we remember? “Sometimes taking a leap forward means leaving a few things behind”? Did we forget that whole arc?? Arcane is a tragedy, no one was going to have a perfect ending.

4. Mel’s story was rushed, yes. She deserved more screen time and we should have gotten more on the conflict between Noxus and the Black Rose, another thing that could have been aided by more episodes. Also, no clue where you get the idea that Jayce views Mel as a sex object — his encounter with her in act 3 shows that he sees her as a person with enough power to manipulate him, and he feels betrayed by that. Also that whole heart-to-heart they had after the fight in the council room? It’s so obvious that he respects her as far more than a “sex object.” If you’re referring to how he acts around her physically (i.e. holding her, kissing her or trying to do so, resting his head on her lap), they are clearly in a relationship of sorts in season 1 and act 1 of season 2, and Mel never rejects his advances. If anything, she encourages them.

5. The robot’s designs are sick as fuck — a chilling mixture of uncanny and ethereal — and the animation for them was freaky in the coolest way.

6. The only character I can think of who was outwardly suicidal is Jinx, and it is HEAVILY implied that she survived in the end, so…

7. Ekko’s abilities in LOL are literally time travel. It was even foreshadowed in season 1. Plus, it’s not like they pulled some fix-it BS and went back in time to kill baby Silco or anything. The time travel had clear limits, ones that Ekko only broke when he had no other choice. I do wish we’d gotten to see how that affected him in the end physically, considering it blew up Heimerdinger.

8. There were a lot of side characters, some more important than others. I personally have mixed feelings about a few of them, but the fact that many of them died very unconventional deaths by the end feels less like a throwaway and more like a statement on how war is objectively bad as people only end up dead in the end with unfinished stories.

9. Oh, I’m sorry, where was Vi supposed to find a drink in the middle of an abandoned cave? Or an ethereal paradise/cult that likely sees no need for such things like alcohol? How about in the middle of a battlefield? Was she supposed to pull out a flask in the midst of her fight with Warwick in the tower? She clearly has a drink in her hands in the last scene, so her alcoholism is evidently still there, but addictions don’t automatically trump circumstance.

10. Yes, the Zaun and Piltover plot had an unsatisfying ending, but mainly because it never ended at all. If anything, it’s just started. Sevika being on the council is clearly not something she or others are too thrilled about, but these political choices are necessary to ensure long-term change. And change is a bumpy as hell road.

11. Vi was being choked/corrupted by the Arcane when the crash happened and was clearly out of it. She heard Jinx alive and tunnel-visioned, obviously not seeing Ekko beneath one of the many piles of rubble around her. She doesn’t even see him piloting the airship after she jumps from his hoverboard, so as far as she knew, he could have flown off to safety or worse, he could have died, and she didn’t have the time to pause and grieve him.

12. Caitlyn never forgot about her mom?? The timeskip between act 1 and act 2 is over half a year — she’s had plenty of time to process her mother’s death and reflect on her current status with Ambessa, unlike act 1, where she storms Zaun in what seems to be a few days after the funeral. And what’s her father supposed to do? The guy was basically useless in season 1 as well, were we expecting him to show up in the final battle?

13. Jinx never apologizes to Cait in the prison. She listens as Caitlyn admits some hard truths that she’s had to face, and how Cait acknowledges the parallels between them. Jinx saying that she didn’t intend to kill her mother specifically isn’t as much of an apology as it is a response to Caitlyn’s own moment of vulnerability. It’s an acknowledgement that the two of them are, at the end of the day, only human.

Feel free to argue as one pleases, but I’ve said my part and admittedly may not reply to anyone. Arcane season 2 was not a masterpiece and it has plenty of flaws, but I feel like some people are blowing things way out of proportion.

The people praising Arcane seem to always only focus on specific stuff so I want to ask anyone to praise this:

1. Sevika's story, please go on. Praise it. Tell me how good she was after episode 4, I am waiting?

2. The firelights. Go ahead tell me how much we saw them and how the Tree came back and was tied into the story, tell me how they got screen time and how their story got told?

3. Ekko. Tell me how good it was to make him ignore his home after he went to Jayce to get it fixed. Tell me how great his character arc was after they got rid of everything else he liked.

4. Mel. I want you to praise how much screen time she had and how the black rose didn't come out of no where. I want you to tell me it didn't feel like they wrote her out of the story and I want you to look me in the eyes and praise how well they treated her in the last act. You know, with Jayce apparently only seeing her as a sex object. Women really won.

5. Praise the Robots.

6. Go ahead tell me how good it was to kill off all the suicidal characters.

7. I need to hear people praise the time loop/travel. It was so good and made so much sense and time travel isn't mostly a weird way to not resolve anything.

8. Talk nice about the side characters, please. Maddie, Loris, Isha, Steb, Lest. You know all of them were so necessary and weren't only there for one thing and then got killed or just never to be seen again. Praise how good their writing was, go on.

9. Go ahead and tell me how well they handled Vi's character. How they didn't just completely ignore her. Praise how they made her an alcoholic for 3 seconds and then she was just able to stop, isn't she an inspiration?

10. Go ahead, tell me how well they resolved anything that happened in the first 3 episodes. The Grey is just never mentioned again outside of it being used in the last war. Tell me how the people of Zaun just supporting Piltover is worthy of Praise.

11. Vi and Ekko never interacting was so good, wasn't it? So perfectly in character for Vi to rush right past him in the finale. That was perfect.

12. Praise it how good it was that Caitlyn just completely forgets her mother in the end, you know the reason the first 3 episodes happened. Praise it how her father is off hand mentioned in episode 8, never to be seen again. You know... the parents, her reason to go nuts like this. Damn that was good

13. Jinx getting to apologize in prison to Caitlyn. What a scene am I right?

go ahead, there is so much to praise, it must be tiring only focusing on one or two things