#stayed up.....two hours....to complete it

[enwoso]

lovie as a newborn and just cute moments with alessia

MOMENTS WITH YOU | alessia x child!reader

nine cute little moments with lovie as a newborn/baby

grumpy masterlist

1. middle of the night talks.

— it was the middle of the night, 3:42am to be precise and alessia was busy pacing her bedroom as she rocked you gently in her arms, hoping it would lull you into sleep.

the soft glow of the nightlight casted a warm hue over the room, the only sound in the room was alessia's quiet shushing noises as she swayed from side to side.

"listen little one," alessia whispered, resting her cheek against your tiny head. "i love you more than anything but i need you to sleep."

your little lips smacked together, your body still fidgeting in your mummy's arms.

"i know, i know, it's a big scary world," alessia sighed rubbing soothing patterns on your back, "but lovie, i haven't had a solid four hours of sleep since your arrived. help me out?"

you responded with a soft whimper, burying your face deeper in your mummy's chest. alessia let out a tried chuckle, "you're lucky you're the cutest thing ever."

finally your tiny breaths evened out and alessia sat back down in the bed and your arms still wrapped protectively around you.

even in the exhaustion that was definitely piling up since you'd arrive just a little less than three weeks ago, there was something so peaceful about it. just the two of you in the little word, awake while everyone slept.

"you and me, baby," she whispered. "always."

—

2. facetime chaos.

you were curled up on your mummy's chest, your tiny body wrapped in a fluffy pink blanket as alessia propped her phone up against a pillow. her screen lighting up with a facetime call and soon, a chorus of excited voices filled the room.

"can we see her? let us see her!" ella shouted practically shoving millie out of her way just to get closer to the screen.

"chill guys!" alessia laughed, picking her phone up and turning the camera so the girls could see you, as you slept through the chaos.

"oh my days," katie breathed out as her hand went over her mouth, "she's so small"

"she's perfect less," maya beamed in awe, her eyes wide and filled with joy.

you stirred slightly, making a small noise as you cozied back into your mummy's arms. the noise making the whole group melting.

"less, you have to bring her to a match," millie said all the girls cheering in agreement as alessia smiled before adding that they'll have to wait till you were a little bit older.

"she needs her own tiny united kit too!" one of the girls piped up as a smirk appeared on alessia's face as they began to bicker about what name that you should have on the back of your tiny shirt.

"oh i already have one," alessia grinned, "she's gonna be the cutest mascot in history with the number twenty three!"

ella leaned closer to the screen, "little one, open your eyes if you wanna come live with auntie tooney."

you moved slightly but other than that you remained completely unfazed still fast asleep as small snores come from you.

"i think that's a no.." alessia grinned as the girls burst into laughter and for the first time in weeks since you had arrived, alessia felt like herself again.

sure, she was exhausted and her life had completely and utterly changed but for the best possible reason - but some things like her team and the love they shared for one another stayed exactly the same.

and now, she had you to share it with.

—

3. bath disaster.

alessia had seen plenty of videos on how to bathe a newborn, had advice from her midwife and her mum but none of them prepared her for how slippery a tiny wriggly newborn could be.

"alright lovie, this is supposed to be relaxing," alessia murmured as she gently lowered you into the warm water in your small baby tub.

your little arms flailed around as your face scrunched up as if you were considering whether to cry or not.

"it's okay," alessia soothed, cupping water over your belly and for a second it seemed like you were getting used to it, that you actually liked it but then suddenly you let out an ear piercing wail.

"oh no, no" alessia panicked slightly as she adjusted her grip, "lovie i swear i'm not trying to drown you!"

your tiny hands grasped at the air as your face turned bright red as you screamed.

"okay, bath times over," alessia announced as she lifted you out of the bath and quickly into a fluffy towel. "think that was a little traumatic for both of us, eh?"

you sniffled, still fussing as alessia sat on the floor of the bathroom, the same old hoodie which had baby milk and other days old stains on it as she brought you close into her chest rocking you gently.

"see? all good now," she whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your damp forehead as your body still shook slightly from your sniffles as your cries got quiter.

not even two seconds late, just as alessia was finally calming herself down, you seemingly over the whole bath thing as you peed all over the clean towel.

"yeah, okay," alessia groaned slightly, the joys of motherhood, as she shook her head slightly. "next time, nonna is doing this-"

—

4. watching football together

it had been weeks since alessia had even thought about football properly. of course it had been there but for once it wasn't the forefront of her mind.

she missed it, missed the pitch, the team, the rush of playing but for right now her world revolved around you and soaking up as many firsts with her first born as she could. knowing these moments would form core memories.

but still she figured it was never too early to introduce you to the game.

getting herself comfy on the sofa as she settled you on her chest, facing the tv. the women's super league match on the big screen and the match was no other than — united vs arsenal.

"okay, lovie this is important," alessia whispered as she ran her fingers lightly over your back. "you gotta know the game if your gonna be the next best thing!"

you let out a tiny sigh, your small warm body relaxed against your mummy. no doubt as you were moments away from falling asleep.

"see, that's auntie mary in goal — best in the world and there's auntie tooney but don't ever listen to her when she tells you she's better than me!"

your hand twitched slightly and alessia chuckled, "you agree, don't you?"

for a little while, alessia just lay with you content in her arms as she stroked a thumb over the back of your hair, smoothing down the small baby hairs sticking up on the back of your head.

the quiet sounds of the game playing in the background as you eventually dozed off, completely content.

alessia smiled down at you, pressing her lips to the top of your head. "one day you'll be watching me out there again," she whispered, "and i hope i make you proud."

—

5. sleepy cuddles

it had been another long night. you'd been up every two hours, fussing and crying and alessia was running on fumes.

she lay on the back of the sofa, her body aching and mind foggy. you were finally asleep resting on your mummy's chest as your tiny fingers curled onto alessia's shirt.

alessia knew she could put you down in your crib and use this time to rest herself, have some time to herself but she couldn't bring herself to move.

instead she just tightened her arms around you and closed her eyes, as she listened to the soft rhythm of your breathing.

"one day you won't need to hold you like this," she whispered as she pressed a sleepy kiss to your forehead. "so i'm gonna hold you as much as i can now."

and with that, she left herself drift off, wrapped up in the safest place she knew — right there with her little girl.

—

6. family time with a side of chaos

it was the first proper family dinner since you'd arrived into the big world and as much as alessia loved her family she was starting to regret it.

her dad, mario was in the kitchen debating with her brother, giorgio about which way was the best way to cook pasta while luca was arguing with their younger cousins over who would be your favourite uncle.

meanwhile you, who was completely oblivious to everything going on as you were curled up in your car seat in a deep sleep.

alessia leaned back taking a sip of her water bottle, shaking her head slightly. "she can sleep through all this but wakes up the moment i put her in her crib at home?"

alessia's dad appeared beside her, placing a plate in front of her. "she's got italian in her less, she's already used to the noise." alessia just laughed as she picked up her fork.

as dinner was well under way, you'd woken up as you sat in your mummy's lap. brightly curious eyes looked around the dinner table as luca began to speak.

"right little one, time for your initiation!" luca smiled as alessia's head turned her brows raised in curiosity, wondering what it was.

"which is?"

her brothers as well as her parents all grinned the same smirk all on there lips as you sat curious and oblivious to everything going on around you.

gio help up a tiny baby spoon, "her first taste of pasta sauce!"

alessia's eyes went wide as she looked at the spoon which had a small amount of sauce on the spoon, a loud gasp leaving alessia's lips, "absolutely not!"

luca pouted, "oh cmon less, just a little-"

alessia stood firm, she hadn't realised they were just joking. "i will fight you." she warned, sending her brothers a warning glare.

luca sighed dramatically but leaned down to kiss the top of your forehead as your curious eyes watched everyone movements. "okay, but when she's older, i'm teaching her how to make proper pasta!"

alessia's mum, carol smirked, "not if i teach her first!"

alessia shook her head, but the smile that was presence on her lips won't go away. you may not of understood anything but you'd been born into a family that loved fiercely, argued loudly but would always, always have your back.

and really, what more could she ask for?

—

7. a typical sunday

sunday morning had always been slow and cozy in the russo househould. music would be playing in the kitchen as the smell of fresh coffee and toast filled the air.

everyone lazing around in their pyjamas long past breakfast and now with you in the mix, it was even better.

alessia sleepily shuffled into the kitchen, you tucked into her arms. her mum was already at the coffee machine placing alessia's cup near it as her dad sat at the table reading yet another sports magazine.

"morning" alessia yawned, using one hand to rub her eyes while the other kept a tight grip on you.

mario looked up from his reading and grinned, "morning, you two" he reached over rubbing a gentle hand over the top of your head, "did you let mummy sleep?"

alessia let out a tired laugh, "not even a little bit."

luca and gio walked in next, still both half asleep, but the second there eyes saw you, they perked up sighing a second.

"alright, give her here," luca smiled holding out his hands.

alessia hesitated as she looked down at your comfy position in her arms, "i literally just got her to settle."

giorgio just smirked, his quick mind thinking of a smart retort, "she just likes us better, just admit it!"

but before alessia could protest, luca carefully took you from the comfort of your mummy's arms and into his as he cradled you from side to side. you barely stirred as your tiny fingers grasped into his hoodie.

"your joking," alessia's groaned, "why does she always sleep for you lot?"

you mum chuckled, placing a hot cup of much needed coffee on the table for alessia, "cause she knows she had all of us wrapped around her little finger!"

alessia shook her head, she couldn't fight the warmth which spread through her chest. she looked around at her family.

her brother bickering over who would get to hold you next as her dad still stared at his granddaughter like she was the most fascinating thing he'd ever laid eyes on. as her mum watched over them all with a knowing smile.

—

8. first time at the theatre of dreams

alessia hadn't made her return to the pitch just yet, but she was close. close enough that she was itching to be able to lace her boots up again.

for now though, she was in the stands with you watching as united took on chelsea under the bright lights of old trafford.

you were bundled in a warm red jacket, and matching red hat covering your soft hair and your own little pair of ear defenders to keep out the loud noises. your own little united kit on underneath your full body jacket which kept you warm under the chilled air of manchester.

alessia held you close, whispering the commentary into your ear. "there's mary, in goal - she'll make sure you never see a bad keeper in your life" alessia whispered as mary made a diving save.

"and there tooney - she's basically mummy's right hand but she can be a little silly but we love her anyway!"

you just yawned, unimpressed. alessia laughed, as she tucked another blanket around the two of you. "you're gonna love it here, baby i promise."

as the final whistle blew and the score ended level. alessia feeling a rush of emotions. emotions she'd missed while being out. but soon she'd be back out there again and this time she'd have someone extra special watching from the stands.

—

9. first time watching mummy play

alessia knew you would never remember it but she would, she would never forget it. her first game for united back playing football.

the roar of the crowd as the adrenaline filled her body as she was back on the pitch. and then after the final whistle she spotted her family in the stands.

you were bundled up in a tiny red united beanie one that had been specially made just for you as you were fast asleep in your nonna's arms.

alessia's heart clenched. she jogged over her body tired and breathless as she leaned over the barrier a big smile back on her face. "she seriously slept through my whole comeback?"

carol just laughed, "less she's just a baby. she doesn't understand what's going on!"

alessia shook her head but she was still smiling, nothing could stop her from doing that. "unbelievable."

she reached out and over the barrier as she brushed a gentle hand over your little cheek. one day, alessia would tell you all about it. but for now it was more than enough to know her little girl had been there.

[melanchoire]

hiya!! can i get a wonyoung ceo sugar mommy meal x secretary reader meal! wony making sure all ur needs are met financially and well.. sexually!! she drools whenever u bend down to pick up random files she "dropped" throat going dry at seeing ur ass so perfect!! :(( wanting to rail u in her office!!

cw: cunnilingus, fingering, semi exhibitionism??

ceo wonyoung who looks intimidating and is usually demanding or bossy with the rest of the employees except for her beloved secretary whom she appreciates so much 💗 maybe it’s because from the first time she saw you during the first and only interview you did for the job, you managed to win her attention and heart

and she is super nice and sweet to you! when you arrive at the company you always go to her office first, saying good morning to her and handing over the already completed paperwork or waiting for her to tell you what your task is for today, but you always bring her a steaming cup of coffee along with some toast or a bill because wonyoung usually focuses a lot on her work and and there are days when she forgets to eat breakfast or can't eat properly :( and she is so grateful to you that she usually gives you extra money to buy your own breakfast at the cafeteria that's a couple of blocks from the building, and even though you try to deny it and convince her that it’s not necessary, she does it anyway! making you accept it by giving you a sweet look and a small but beautiful smile

wonyoung also usually takes you to your apartment the times you leave work very late because you stayed up late finishing paperwork or getting some of your work done in advance so that you’re not so overloaded later on. you can try to deny it and tell her that you’re fine taking the bus, but she ends up driving to your house anyway, saying that it’s no problem for her because driving to your apartment is on her way home even when she lives in the opposite direction 🥰

just as wonyoung is sweet to you, she is also depraved in her thoughts. every time you lean over to put something down on her desk, her gaze falls on your cleavage and she admires how your shirt is tight enough for her to see the outline of your breasts — or when you throw something on the floor like a folder or a simple pen, having a pencil skirt and stiletto heels it's somewhat uncomfortable to bend over on your heels to pick something up from the floor, so you decide to just lean forward to grab the object and give her a delicious view of your ass under your skirt? you were practically begging wonyoung to pull down your skirt (or just hike it up a little because it looks so pretty on you) and fuck you right there!

and you always maintain a polite attitude and good manners when it comes to your beloved boss. everyone in the company may address her as “mrs. jang” but hearing that name come out of your lips just makes her want to know what it would sound like if it came out of your lips but you were moaning under her while she takes care of giving you the good fuck you deserve for all your effort working hard day and night 💕

until one day you show up at her office to deliver some documents, but unlike usual, your attitude is downcast and you’re quite tired. wonyoung just thinks you’re a little sleepy because it’s early in the morning, but when she looks up from her laptop she sees your tired expression and dark circles under your eyes :( she feels bad for giving you so much work even if it's your duty to complete the tasks and requests she gives you because that is your job as her secretary!! but seeing how tired and exhausted you look makes her feel bad and she can’t help but blame herself

“what happened, (y/n)? didn’t you sleep well enough last night?”

“i stayed up late to finish a couple of documents. plus, i lost the internet last night and it took me almost two hours to email you the files. sorry, boss.”

and she gets up from her desk chair, walking over to you and massaging your shoulders to soothe your tense muscles, moving down to massage your arms with her palms until her hands are caressing your chest and suddenly she is squeezing your tits through your shirt 😳 your eyes widen at her sudden action, looking up at her face only for her to tell you, “shhh, don’t worry. i will take that stress off of you.”

kissing wonyoung while running your hands through her silky wavy hair 😵‍💫 wonyoung is quite the perfectionist and likes to have a neat image, not allowing absolutely anyone to touch her hair or neat suit, but you’re her sweet girl and she has been longing for months to have your hands in her hair

parting from your lips to kiss all over your jaw and neck and leaving marks of her red lip gloss in the process 🥴 wonyoung knows that later before you leave her office she will have to make sure to remove the lipstick marks from your skin because she knows what her company’s employees are like, but she wants to see her marks on your skin as she makes you hers

“if anyone asks why you took so long in my office, you will say that we were discussing a couple of matters regarding the upcoming conference we will have next week, got it sweetie?” wonyoung is aware that she doesn’t have to give any explanations at all because she is the boss of the place and no one should dare to question her, but she is aware that gossips and bad tongues exist in the workplace, so she has to prepare an explanation beforehand!! just in case 😉

making you sit on her desk with your legs spread for her, exposing your delicate pussy to her hungry gaze… she doesn't know if you're nervous about being so exposed to her or because her desk is literally facing away from a giant floor–to–ceiling window in her office, but either way, she loves both options 🫣

fucking your hole with her tongue while her delicate hands keep a grip on your thighs to make sure they are open, not taking her gaze off yours at any time and keeping her eyes on yours at all times 😩 she knows she should tell you something when you eventually close your eyes and let your head fall back, but you’ve always been so good to her that she doesn’t dare scold you now

ohhh and her lips covered in your juices closing around your clit as she pumps two long fingers in and out of you… maybe this could be wonyoung’s new lip gloss instead of the expensive makeup she buys once a month

squirting all over her face and dirtying the desk beneath you, completely embarrassing for you but a blessing for her 🫠

rising from between your legs, joining her lips with yours so you can taste yourself on her tongue, separating for a moment to say “come to my office during lunch time. i have yet to reward you for doing such a good job for me.”

[rikosseen]

Goo Kim x Reader: Ticking time bomb

Anon req | Goo finally feels the taste of his own medicine

It’s not looking good for Goo Kim. You’re so suddenly quiet that it feels eerie and threatening.

“My sweets…” he begins, and you smile at him while folding the laundry.

Maybe you truly are in a good mood— but Goo Kim of all people can only hope.

The silence stretches before you start throwing the laundry basket and a pair of loafers at him.

“AM I SOME SLAVE? HUH?”

The blonde jumps and rushes over to you. “No, schnookums! I was going to do them after, promise!!”

“I ASKED THREE HOURS AGO,YOU LAZY COW,” this time your fingers are up his nostrils and Goo goes flying to the couch in a fit of sobs.

With a scowl you turn away and throw another loafer at your counterpart.

“You…complete…me…” he wheezes while arms stretch out to reach for you.

.

“Sweetheart,” Goo coos. “You’re not very good at this,” he puckers his lips.

Your teeth are clenched until you see defeat written all over your screen. Before Goo can cackle and throw his head back in amusement, you stuff his dirty socks in his mouth.

“Cocky bastard,” is spat at your poor boy before you force him to stand up and push him into the bed.

“Stay there, you rat.”

.

Goo’s been misbehaving the entire week, and the little fishface thinks Gun’s company is better than yours (it’s not). Your mood is anything but pleasant at the moment.

“Here’s your drink my love,” he sits down across you and takes in the cafe’s interior.

You hum and take a sip. Goo anticipates your critique.

“Like it?” he smirks, confident that you do.

“It…”

He leans forward with a widened smile.

“TASTES LIKE CRAP,” you scream in his ear.

Customers give the two of you a look as Goo tries to calm you down.

“Baby..!” he starts.

But you start convulsing suddenly and pretend to have another stroke. It’s evil to do this to Goo after it happened once, but how many times had he lied about a broken arm?

“Baby!” he screeches, catching you in his arms.

The staff members gather around you two and try their best to help until your body lies limp.

Everything goes silent for a moment, before you pull away from Goo’s grip and mindlessly walk out the door. Everyone watches with judgement, and the baristas all think, I don’t get paid enough for this crap.

[organic-bloodbath]

Knife Princess – Part 5

Chishiya x Reader

Summary: Chishiya wakes up in the hospital, confused of the sinking feeling inside him when he looks at you.

Warnings: Mention of sexual assault.

A/N: I apologise for the previous part, they'll be okay ♡

Chapters

♤♡♧◇

You were walking with Niragi along the busy Tokyo streets, the sun shining high in the sky.

"What time is he meeting us there?" you asked as Niragi put his phone back into his pocket.

"In an hour," he answered. "Had to stay at work a little late, i guess."

Suddenly, you noticed something bright in the sky. Everyone around you stopped and looked towards the sky, probably having the same thought as you did right now.

"Are those fireworks?" you asked, puzzled.

They didn't look like normal fireworks.

♤♡♧◇

Chishiya was laying on the bed in his hospital gown, tucked under a white blanket, only staring at the wall ahead of him. He had no memory of his own what had happened after the fireworks in the sky, which weren't fireworks at all.

Chishiya looked to his right where a man was laying in his own bed, half of his body covered in bandages.

"So, we both almost died," Chishiya said, glancing back at the other patient. "You feel any different now?"

"I don't know," the man sighed. "I mean, i look a lot worse." He turned his face towards Chishiya now. "What about you?"

"I've been thinking a lot about my life," he admitted. "Choices i had to make. Pretty sure i'm going to start turning my life around. Or something like that."

"You were a piece of shit too, huh?" the man sighed. "You fucked up?"

"I did."

Both fell silent again, falling into their own wordless thoughts.

Chishiya didn't talk about this to the stranger next to him, but he had this weird feeling inside him. He felt somehow... sad? But he didn't know why. He felt like something was missing, like there was a large empty hole inside him which craved to be filled. A piece of him was left somewhere. His heart felt heavy.

He didn't like this feeling, at all – it was suffocating him. The fact that he didn't know the origin of it made it worse.

♤♡♧◇

"Commencing cardiac massage."

"Get the defib ready, now!"

"Right away, doctor!"

"Miss Y/N, can you hear me? Miss Y/N!"

"Clear!"

"Still no pulse!"

"Again! Charge it!"

"Yes, sir! Charge complete!"

"Clear!"

The heart monitor's rapid beeping finally turned into regular beeping.

"We have a pulse!"

"Normal sinus rhythm. Heart rate is holding between 80 and 90."

"She's back. Resume operation."

♤♡♧◇

A doctor stood between the two male patients.

"Where's my sister?" Niragi asked, the tone of his voice more worried compared to him talking to Chishiya earlier.

"Your sister was taken for a surgery," the doctor explained. "For now, her state is stable. She lost a lot of blood, but she should recover."

"Should?" he asked.

"We'll inform you right away when we get updates from her state," the doctor reassured vaguely.

The doctor continued talking with Niragi about things which didn't involve Chishiya at all.

"I think i'll go and walk a little," Chishiya announced, his legs starting to feel a little numb for laying down so long.

Chishiya walked through the corridor with slow steps. He stopped by a room which door was open. Chishiya could directly see a young woman sleeping on the bed, connected to a heart monitor. She looked peaceful.

Chishiya's stomach tightened when he looked at her. He didn't know why but he felt drawn to her. He walked closer to the room, right to the doorstep, but not stepping inside.

The sinking feeling inside Chishiya grew stronger now as he eyed her closer. He had taken couple of steps towards her without even realising it.

"Are you family?" a nurse asked behind him, startling Chishiya.

"Oh, no i don't know her," he denied and took a few steps back not to block the way inside the room.

"Alright." The nurse went inside the room and closed the door behind her.

♤♡♧◇

~ The next day ~

You opened your eyes, slowly trying to comprehend where you were, until you realised you were laying on a hospital bed, attached to a heart monitor.

There was another bed next to yours, a few metres between. It was empty, but someone had been laying on it by the looks of the blanket being thrown aside.

A doctor soon stepped inside.

"Oh, wonderful, you're awake," she smiled, closing the door behind her.

"What happened?" you mumbled, trying to sit up, but the doctor was quick to gently make you lay back down. You felt pain in your abdomen when you were trying to sit up.

"Please, don't get up right now," the doctor said.

You looked at her, confused. One moment you had been outside with Niragi, noticing fireworks in the sky, and the next thing you knew you were resting at a hospital.

The doctor explained shortly about a meteorite hitting Tokyo, ruining a large part of the city. That was the last thing you would have guessed that happened.

"You were taken to a surgery, something had pierced your abdomen quite severely but the doctors managed to fix the damage. Although, your heart had stopped completely for one minute," the doctor explained, serious expression on her face the entire time. "Your shoulder and leg had also taken damage, but they were less severe."

"Oh," you mumbled, not really knowing how to take the news. There were so many new information in too little time.

"But you were incredibly lucky that both of you survived the accident," the doctor smiled.

"Niragi's alright too?" You let out a relieved breath.

"Oh, he will recover as well," the doctor said. "But i was talking about you and your baby."

Your eyebrows furrowed. "Baby? What baby?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" the doctor asked, slightly confused. "You're pregnant, on your first trimester. It's still very early though, so i'm not surprised you weren't aware yet."

Your heart started beating a lot faster now, anxiety and panic taking over your body.

"But, but that can't be possible," you chuckled nervously.

"The doctor confirmed it, and the baby's alright. We'll still do an ultrasound when you've recovered a little better."

You felt like crying. You couldn't be pregnant, you hadn't even slept with anyone.

But then, you realised one thing. You had been with one guy, about a month ago or maybe 5 or 6 weeks, you weren't sure how long ago it was, but you had been hooking up with one guy. Both of you had been extremely drunk and you didn't remember much about it. You remembered making out with him, but that was all. You did wake up in his bed but he insisted that you didn't actually sleep together, both of you being too drunk to make wise decisions.

You felt panic rising inside your body. Had he lied to you? Had you slept with him after all? You remembered being so relieved when he told you that you simply had fallen asleep and had done nothing else than making out.

Right then, an older woman appeared to the room.

"Y/N! Oh my dear, you're alright!" she exclaimed, rushing to your side.

"Mom?" you mumbled. "Aren't you supposed to be in Korea?"

"I was but i flew here yesterday when they called me," she said, sitting down on a chair by your bed, and took your hand in hers. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

You scoffed. "Fucking fantastic," you mumbled.

You wanted to ask her if any of your friends or family members died or got injured due to the accident but you weren't in the mood for receiving bad news right now. Well, you would never be, but especially not now when you were just getting used to the situation.

You chatted with your mom for a little while, she had apparently already visited Niragi, saying that he would recover. Soon, your mom's phone rang, and she immediately took it in her hand, glancing at you as she stood up.

"I'm sorry, honey, but i have to take this," she said. "I'll be right back."

You needed to visit Niragi and see by yourself that he was alright. You figured you wouldn't be able to properly walk long distances yet and called a doctor to you.

The doctor didn't want you to leave your bed, insisting you to rest, afraid you'd accidentally rip your stitches. You wouldn't give up, so she gave in and pulled a wheelchair for you to use.

You were about to turn around one corner in the corridor, until someone crashed on you. A young man tripped over you, not paying enough attention on his surroundings. For a few seconds he was bent over your lap, until gained his balance back and stood up.

But as he got up, he pressed his hand on your thigh – directly on the wound which still hurt, stitches still sore and healing.

"I'm really sorry," he apologised. "I didn't mean to crash on you like that."

He was young, probably around your age, with blond hair which he now brushed behind his ear.

You took a deep breath and let out a wince, holding your thigh.

"Oh, it's alright," you mumbled but felt your eyes start to water from the pain on your leg.

His eyes widened. "Did i hurt you?"

"Just a little, but don't worry about it," you said, forcing a slight smile on your face.

"I'm sorry, i should look where i'm going," he stuttered.

"It's okay, really," you assured him.

You fell silent for a moment, just looking into each other's eyes.

"Well, i think i must go now," you said awkwardly and started to continue your way.

"I'm sorry, but," Chishiya started, making you stop and turn to look at him. "Have i met you before?"

"Um, i don't think so," you responded. Chishiya eyed you for a moment with furrowed eyebrows.

"Are you sure? You look familiar."

"Are you trying to flirt with me?" you asked, narrowing your eyes. "Because if you claim i've been in your dreams that won't work at all."

Chishiya couldn't help but smile a little. "I wasn't trying to flirt with you, don't worry."

When your eyes locked with each other, you felt something funny in your stomach. He did feel familiar to you but you couldn't reach the answer of where you could possibly know this man from. But for some reason, him only looking at you gave your stomach butterflies.

"Hm," you mumbled. "Well. I'm sure i'd remember if we'd met, so you must mistake me for someone else."

"Alright, then. I didn't mean to bother you," he said and turned away to leave.

"Hey, wait," you said to stop him from leaving – for some reason not wanting him to go away just yet. When he turned around again, you didn't know what to say after all. "You do seem familiar."

"Who's flirting now?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Then, he left, leaving you to look after him for a moment.

♤♡♧◇

You arrived to the room which the doctor had told your brother would be staying in. He was laying there on his back, his body half covered in bandages, half of his face hidden as well. You couldn't help but gasp at the sight a little bit.

"Niragi," you breathed out as you went next to his bed. "Oh god, are you okay?"

"Fucking fantastic," Niragi huffed. "Just lost my chance with half of the women in Tokyo."

"Well, i know many women think scars are kind of hot," you smirked.

Niragi laughed. "You know how to make a guy feel better." He eyed you for a while. "You okay? They told me you were taken in a surgery."

"I'm fine, though covered in several stitches on my stomach. Don't really know if i want to go to the beach anymore wearing bikinis," you said and rolled your eyes.

"You know, some guys think scars are kind of hot too," Niragi grinned.

You fell silent for a moment. Niragi noticed that your mood changed slightly. Normally you would have laughed at his remark.

"What's wrong?" he asked, furrowing his brows.

"Nothing, just this, entire accident, whatever," you shrugged.

"That's all, hm? You sure there's nothing else?" Niragi asked. He knew you better than anyone else, almost as if he had learned to read your mind as the two of you had been growing up.

You and Niragi had always been honest to each other about everything. You knew you could tell him anything and he would tell nobody about it. He had always been your comfort in everything, even though it pissed you off sometimes when he was overprotective of you. Still, it was easy to tell him about things you wouldn't dare to talk about to other people – not even your closest friends. And especially not to your mom.

"Well, the doctor did tell me one thing..." you said quietly and avoided eye contact with him.

"Yeah? What?"

"Well, she kind of told me that... that i'm pregnant," you muttered.

Niragi sat up now, a little too fast by the wince he let out, his body still in a little bit of pain, but he ignored that.

"You're pregnant?!" he shouted, a little too loud.

Neither of you had realised that you had gotten company, another patient standing by the door right behind you.

You turned around when Niragi glanced behind you, and you felt your cheeks burn when you saw the same blond man now staring down at the two of you, a carton of orange juice in his hand.

"Sorry, i can leave if you need privacy," he said, already taking a step back when you and Niragi looked at him.

So, he was Niragi's roommate.

"No, that's alright," you said shyly. "I wouldn't want to be in your way of resting and recovering."

"Nah, i think i'll go get some fresh air," the guy said. "I'll let you talk."

He left without another word.

"So, who's the dad?" Niragi scoffed. "You have a secret boyfriend you didn't dare to tell me about?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," you sighed and rolled your eyes.

"Well, who's the guy then?" Niragi asked.

Your eyes started to water. God, you didn't want to start crying in front of Niragi. You turned your face away from him, avoiding eye contact the best you could. Niragi's face fell.

"Don't tell me someone drugged you at a bar or something?" Niragi said loudly.

"Calm down, please," you said quietly, not wanting half of the hospital to hear your supposedly private conversation. "I don't want to deal with this right now."

"Y/N," Niragi gritted his teeth. "Did someone drug you?"

"No," you sighed. "It was just, it was just a hookup."

"Consensual one?" Niragi asked with raised eyebrows.

Niragi always got extremely angry if anyone hurt you, he'd become absolutely furious. If you were able to name the exact guy who hurt you, Niragi would immediately get up and go after him, fists ready for a deadly fight – even if he was laying on a hospital bed all wounded. You closed your eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

His hands travelled around your body up and down, until they reached your pants. He was just about to slide his hand in your pants and underwear, but you grabbed his wrist gently and made him stop.

"Um, i don't think it's a good idea after all," you said. "I'm too drunk right now."

"Come on," he whispered and moved his hand on your cheek. "I'll be good for you, okay? I'll make you feel good."

"No, i think we should stop," you mumbled, feeling really dizzy and sure that you'd pass out soon.

He looked into your eyes for a moment until he sighed and got up.

"Alright, we'll stop then."

After that, you didn't remember anything until you woke up on that same spot the next day, him sleeping right next to you in his underwear.

"Did we... do anything?" you asked in slight panic.

"No, don't worry, nothing happened."

You started to regret telling him about this right here and now and not waiting until you'd get back home. But you couldn't get it out of your mind, you couldn't.

"Let's just get back home first, okay?" you pleaded, voice trembling a little bit.

You tried to change the subject.

"Um, do you know who that guy was?" you asked.

"That blond dude?" Niragi asked. "Nah, never seen him before. Was in the same accident." He was silent for a moment. "You know, he said his heart stopped for one minute. So did mine. Weird, huh?"

You furrowed your brows. "Isn't that a little too strange coincidence?"

"I wouldn't overthink it," Niragi said, trying to brush it off.

You wouldn't be sure if you'd be able to just forget that and not start overthinking, but you needed to just focus on recovering and getting to go back home.

But then, thinking about your home, you realised something.

"Oh no," you mumbled.

"What?"

"My apartment," you started. "It wasn't far from where we were walking. Surely the meteorite has ruined it. Yours too."

"Oh for fuck's sake," Niragi cursed and hit the mattress under him. "I had just gotten a new TV. You know how much it fucking cost?"

"Where are we going to stay now?" you asked in slight panic. You didn't want to go stay with your mom or dad, you wouldn't be able to go through that. When you had moved out, you had been more relieved than ever before – you'd never permanently go back anymore. Your friends didn't have any spare rooms for you either.

"We'll figure it out," Niragi muttered. "I have a friend who could help us out."

♤♡♧◇

While Chishiya went outside to get fresh air, like he had told you and Niragi, your face was stuck in his mind.

Where did he know you? He didn't know you, but why did you seem so familiar? Did you resemble someone he knew? Even your voice sounded familiar.

Seeing you get hurt, by his hand, made him worried for you. More worried than what was normal to him.

But why?

♤♡♧◇

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[whatdoeseverybodywant]

Sorry - Chapter 9

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS

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Series Masterlist

“So, you’re just gonna sit in this room all day and wallow?” Dominique let out a groan and threw the covers over her head. “Sis, come on. You know I love you and  J.R and Tayvon love having you here but I think you should call Jon back” Desiree trailed off and Dominique pulled the covers off her head and glared at her older sister. 

“I’m not calling him,” Dominique said in a tone that she hoped came off as final. Why would she call Jon? He had betrayed her in the worst way possible. She was already feeling a type of way about the bitch at the club but she was willing to let that go and be with him. Then she found out he was with Trinity and if she was being completely honest, that stung a whole lot. THEN to find him at Trinity’s house and to learn that they kissed was the final nail in the coffin. Jon had hurt her beyond repair. 

“Dom, he’s been calling me for hours, He just wants to talk to you.” 

“I don’t wanna talk to him!” Dominique snapped. Tears of frustration and pain now falling down her face, she angrily wiped at them as she sat up in the bed and looked at her sister. “He made me look so fucking stupid Muffin. He deadass left our home to go be with her.., He never wanted me he’s always wanted her and now I’m not in the way anymore he’s free to go do what he wants.” Dominique cried, pulled her knees to her chest, and crying into them Desiree felt her heart break as she looked at her younger sister, She pushed herself off the wall and walked over to her, she climbed into bed with Dominique and pulled her into a hug, letting her cry into her shoulder. 

Talisua Fatu stared at her eldest son with disappointment etched on her face. “You kissed Trinity?” 

“She kissed me.” 

Talisua sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Why did you go over there in the first place? You and Dom argued and you just what?  Happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to go visit Trinity?” 

Jon stayed silent and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He didn’t know why he went to Trinity’s house… he just, wanted to vent, he didn’t expect Trinity to kiss him, he thought they had moved on from each other. 

“Ma’ I messed up. Bad. I know this, I just… I don’t know how to fix it.” 

“You probably can’t,” Talisua said as bluntly as possible. Jon lifted his gaze from the table to glare at her and she shrugged. “I’m sorry son, but you broke that woman’s heart. From what she told me, you made her feel unwanted and made her feel like Trinity would always be your top choice and I agree with her. You didn’t just kiss Trinity, you chose her.” 

“Ma..” Jon trailed off with a deep sigh. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I never wanted to hurt Dom” 

“Maybe you did.” Jon opened his mouth to argue but his mother's glare stopped him. “She hurt you by basically rejecting the idea of marriage and you hurt her by showing her she’s not the only option for you.” 

“But she is!” Jon snapped standing up from his chair, not caring about how it fell over. “What I feel for Dominique is way stronger than what I felt for Trinity. 

“Then you show her that! You drive your ass down to Ensley and go show her how much she means to you!” 

Before Jon took the twelve-minute drive to Ensley he decided to visit Trinity. He needed her to know and understand that it was over between the two of them. He only wanted Dominique. 

Trinity opened her front door, looking surprised. “Jon? What—” she started, but he cut her off. 

“Coming here the other day was a mistake. And to be completely honest me being here now is probably gonna come back and bite me in the ass but, I need you to understand that there will never be anything between us... ever.” 

Trinity narrowed her eyes at him before scoffing and shutting the door in his face. Jon sighed then shrugged before turning on his heels was jogging back to his car. 

Jon pulled up in front of Dominique's sister’s house. His heart was beating profusely in his chest as he walked up to the front door and knocked. He was just about to walk away when the front door opened and Desiree stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. 

“I just wanna see her,”  Jon said before Desiree could say anything. “I know I fucked up. I know I did. But I need to apologize. I need her to know I want to be with her.” 

Desiree stood there for a long moment, staring at Jon, her arms still crossed. “Jon, she’s hurt. You made her look stupid, feel stupid. She’s humiliated, Jonathan. She had people in her comments all week calling her Trinity’s replacement, people in her DMs telling her they knew you were going to go back to Trinity. She’s humiliated.” 

Jon felt like shit. Absolute garbage. “Please,” Jon said, his voice now steady with quiet desperation, “I need to see her. I need to talk to her. I know it might not make a difference, but I need her to know how much I care. How much I love her. That I want only her. I can’t lose her, Desiree.”

Desiree’s eyes softened, She had watched Jon and Dom’s whole relationship and he had never shown that he wasn’t fully invested in Dominique. She knew how much Dominique meant to him, but she also knew how deeply her sister had been hurt. She sighed, glancing over her shoulder as if trying to gauge how her sister might react.

“Fine, but if she tells you to leave, you leave.”  Jon nodded understandably and followed Desiree into the house, shutting the door behind him. Jon was a bundle of nerves as he followed Desiree up the stairs. He didn’t even know what else he was going to say to Dominique besides sorry. 

Dominique looked up when the bedroom door opened. When Jon stepped inside, she immediately started to shake her head.

“Dom please -” 

“No. leave.” 

“No.” Jon stood his ground, staring at her. He wasn’t about to let her walk out of his life without fighting for her. “I fucked up.” He said, moving closer to her when she turned her back to him. “I love you Dominique, not the chick from the club and not Trinity.” 

Dominique scoffed and kept her back to him, looking out into her sister’s backyard. “I know I hurt you.” He continued. “You helped me turn my life around after WWE threatened to fire me after my DUI’s. You helped me build a better relationship with my kids.” 

“Yeah, I helped you,” she muttered, her voice quiet but laced with bitterness. “But I did that because I believed in you. I trusted you.”Jon took another step forward, his heart breaking at the distant coldness in her tone.

"I know, baby. I know you trusted me. And I destroyed that trust." His voice was thick with regret. “But I need you to know that when I say I love you… I’m not just saying it to make things right. I do love you. I always have.”

“Then why did you go to her, Jon?” Dominque asked, turning to face him. Jon’s heart broke at the tears he caused streaming down her face. “Why did you have to kiss her?” Her sentence broke off with a choked sob and all Jon wanted to do was rush over to her and pull her into his arms. 

“Because I’m stupid.” 

Dominique’s body trembled as she tried to hold back more tears, her heart feeling like it was being shredded with each word Jon spoke. She could see the sincerity in his eyes, but the hurt was still too raw, too fresh for her to just let go of it.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head slowly. “You’re not stupid, Jon. You’re selfish. I understand that I could have been truthful about my stance on marriage but never have I once thought about running back to Dave or evening going to see him. But you - you chose her.” 

“I didn’t choose her Dominique. I just- I don’t know what I thought was going to happen but I would never choose her over you. I would never choose anybody over you.” 

”I loved you. And you threw that away without even thinking about what it would do to me.”

“Don’t say that.” Jonathan shook his head walking into Dominique’s personal space and grabbing her hands. She tried to fight him off but he wasn’t about to let her go. “You love me and I love you, and we’re going to get through this. I can’t change what I did,” Jon said, his voice hoarse with emotion. “But I can tell you how much I regret it. I can tell you that I’ll spend every single day trying to make this right. I’ve never loved anyone like I love you, Dominique. And if you let me, I’ll show you that you’re the one I choose. Not her. Not anyone else. Just you.”

And now what? You expect me to just forgive you because you’re sorry? Because you say you love me?” she asked bitterly. “You left me for her. You kissed her. You chose her, Jon. Not once, but twice.”

“I didn’t choose her, Dom,” Jon said, his voice desperate. “I messed up, but it was never about choosing her. I was stupid, confused—selfish, but I never wanted to lose you. I just wanted to fix things, and I thought I could go back to her and get some clarity, but I was wrong. You’re the one I love. You’re the one I want. It’s always been you. Just let me make it up to you. Let me prove it to you.” 

“Let go of me.” She said and Jon immediately let go of her hands. Dominique took a deep breath and took a step back from Jon, creating space between him. “Get out.” 

“Wha- Baby. Please.” 

“Clarity? You went to her for clarity? The same women who drove you to drink in the first place? The same women who didn’t care if you had a good relationship with your kids or your family?” 

“I’m sorry.” Jon’s own tears were now flowing down his face. “I wish I could take it back.” 

“The fucked up thing is, all this started over me being apprehensive about getting married.”  Dominique scoffed and shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t know if I can trust you anymore, Jon. 

Gutted Jon nodded. He tucked his bottom lip into his teeth and started to back away from Dominique. He needed to get out of there fast, the walls felt like they were closing in on him. “Okay,” He whispered.  He didn’t know what else to say. There was nothing he could say to undo this. Nothing he could do to take back the damage. His mistake had been too big, and Dominique’s trust in him had been shattered beyond repair.

Authors Note: Oh Damn... How do y'all think Jon is going to make it up to her??

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[anyarose011]

Such an Old Fashioned Word {Angus Tully x Reader}

Summary: The rest of your winter break is spent at Barton, though not completely uneventful. Last minute secrets are shared to ring out the new year, and all seems well for the next semester. Yet, even on the first day, that's not all true.

Part 10 of 10 (Masterlist)

Warning(s): Swearing, unserious injury, mention of past child abuse, and the return of Teddy Kountze.

Welp, we've reached the end (of the movie) you guys. Don't worry, I'm making a small epilogue, but just wanted to give this first. Before it's officially over though, I just wanted to thank all of you SO much for all of your support. I am truly forever grateful for all of you guys' enthusiasm. Also, everybody say "Thank you, Anya" for putting the original Queen audio of "Under Pressure" when I was this 🤏close to making it the Aftersun version 🥰🥰

Word Count: 7.5k

The car ride back to Barton was mostly silent. Not a nasty, bitter, awkward silence; no, this was a mix of exhaustion, but also content. Even though it was just an hour and a half drive from Boston, your father and Mary still thought it was best to leave a little bit after dawn; that, and the hotel was kicking you out around that time.

You had no shame either as you laid sideways in the backseat, feet draped over Angus’ lap. He kept his hands glued to his side, but he didn’t look uncomfortable either. You know that there was a hint of it though; it’d be bad if there wasn’t as your father and his teacher drove the car.

It was December 28th when you had returned from your little ‘field trip’. Two more weeks until the spring semester started back at the school…there wasn’t much else to do. So, the five of you, now with Danny deciding to join more days than less, decided to make the most of it.

There were a few, eventful days; you and Angus decided to cook for everyone instead of having Mary do it one night.

(“Alright, a tablespoon of salt.” You poured it into the pot.

He was silent for an odd amount of time, before saying your name. “That was a cup.”)

Perhaps it wasn’t a smart idea to stay up until four in the morning, reading. You didn’t risk sneaking into Angus’ room at night after Boston, considering the conversation you both had to have with your father.

(It wasn’t the first day back in Barton, but the next. It was after lunch that you and Angus were simply sitting on opposite sides of the couch in the large study, reading separately. The door opened, and you both looked up to see your father, looking more nervous than you’d ever seen on a normal day.

“Are you alright, papa?” You sat up, asking him with a hint more affection.

He nodded. “Yes, I just wanted to speak to you both about something.”

You already knew what it was, yet you still hoped it wasn’t it. You and Angus leaned forward in anticipation

Your father took a deep breath. “I noticed that you both have become close over the winter break, especially after Boston…I feel as if I have t know if the two of you are-.”

“-Yes.” Angus nodded. “We’re…together.”

“Ah,” he nodded, exhaling.

“Is that alright?”

“Yes, it’s just,” your father huffed a laugh. “frankly, I didn’t think I’d have this conversation for quite some time.”

“Why,” you jested. “you thought I wasn’t desirable to boys my age?”

“No, you just knew your worth, and we both assumed no boy was capable of amounting to it.” He turned to Angus. “I don’t believe in miracles very often, but perhaps I will just this once. We would not be having this conversation a week ago. Yet, in this short amount of time, you have shown me that you are a respectful and selfless young man. If any one of my students had the privilege of courting my daughter, I’m glad it’s you.”

Angus smiled at the sentiment, no matter how strangely it was worded. “Thank you, Mr. Hunham.”

He nodded. “Now, I will say that there’s a matter of how physically affectionate you two are together-.”

“-Papa,” you stopped him. “out of the three of us in the room, you’re the last one to be scared of me getting pregnant.”

Angus and your father didn’t make a sound; they didn’t need to, their eyes said it all. Still, you said it without a hint of discomfort. Even if you felt it, you didn’t show it; it was a true statement. It was almost as if you would be dealing with the brunt of pregnancy, and Angus would face the other part of it.

“Well…” Your father cleared his throat. “I wasn’t going to say it outright, only allude. Still…just be respectful; in public and not.”

“Okay.” You audibly responded, while Angus kept his head down to hide the pinkness of his skin, nodding.

“Alright.” Your father sighed, then moved swiftly to exit the room. “It was lovely having this talk; one I will go and pretend we never had unless one of us brings it up.”

“Love you, dad.” You said once he left. When the door was shut, you glanced back at Angus. “You good?”

He pursed his lips. “Ask me in an hour.”)

The most notable thing to happen after that talk was New Years. You, Mary, and Angus, had prepared a feast for supper; Angus finally joined to cook simply because he didn’t trust you the last time you held a cooking utensil. Danny joined that night as well as all of you were in the teacher’s lounge, watching Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians, waiting for the ball to drop.

(“Man, I sure do wish we had some noisemakers.” Mary commented, sitting in between you and Angus.

“I’ve got one.” Angus pulled one out from his back pocket without missing a beat.

Danny huffed from beside you. “Where the hell did you get that?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “found it.”

You and he went on another “adventure” through the tunnels, broke into the dormitories, and snooped around.

Your father shook his head, taking it. “Well, you’re not deploying that in here.”

“You know, you weren’t so uptight in Boston.” You teased, then turned to Danny. “As the head janitor-.”

“-I’m the only janitor.” He elbowed you.

“Where do you stand on indoor fireworks?”

“About as far away as I can.”

Mary nodded. “Very wise.”

The countdown on the TV began, and all of you stood up. To everyone’s concern though, you and Angus dashed behind the couch.

“What’re you doing?” Your father laughed.

You took the bowl of grapes off the table. “Tradition.”

It was something you yourself started when you were seven after befriending a girl from Puerto Rico in the second grade. You told your parents about it, and your mother took part happily; although, she had you eat half the grapes, and she’d eat the other half so you wouldn’t choke.

You brought it up to Angus one night, and he wanted to do it too. You didn’t even have to suggest it.

As both you and Angus crouched under the table, the three adults counted down in excitement, and you joined them.

“Happy New Year!” You all screamed, and after giving Angus a peck on the cheek, you started devouring the grapes. He soon followed.

It was clumsy, and as you both fought over a grape or two, you had to force yourself not to laugh as you simultaneously ate. Angus would sit up and hit his head on the table, and all you could do was smother your laughter and run your fingers over the spot in an effort to soothe him. You swallowed your last grape just as the clock hit 12:01.

“Shit!” Angus snickered, seeing that there were two more in the bowl.

“Damn.” You shook your head. “You’re gonna have two months of bad luck.”

“Is it January and February, or November and December?”

“I don’t think you get to choose.”

“Children.”

You and Angus perked your heads up at your father’s calling. He held the noisemaker high in his hand. “Would you like to light this sucker off in the kitchen, or outside?”

Angus grinned from ear to ear. “Considering it’s like minus ten outside…”

“The kitchen it is.” Mr. Hunham huffed.

“What?” Both Danny and Mary gasped.

You giggled, crawling out from under the table and helping Angus stand as well. Your father and boyfriend rushed to the kitchen like excited children, Angus holding the firecracker, and your father striking a match. You, Danny, and Mary simply stood outside of the kitchen in a mix of terror and amusement.

Once the noisemaker was bursting with light, Angus threw it down the end of the kitchen where there was nothing else in sight. You didn’t see the explosion but heard it for a second before then a slight ringing entering your ears.

There were three things you heard once your hearing returned: Uncontrollable laughter from everyone around you, Mary playfully scolding everyone, and the echoes of Auld Lang Syne from the TV.

You always thought nostalgia was only something you’d feel as an adult, remembering what it was like to be a child. You never thought you’d feel it all at once as it was happening to you.

It was a joyful day for the most part, but that moment had struck a strange feeling within you.

You told Angus about it that night before you went to bed, and he was honest with you; he hadn’t shared the same feeling, but could understand it.

He kissed you goodnight, and that was that.

You felt a little better.)

The only other interesting thing you did was invite Elise over to Barton on her last day before she’d go home for school.

(You, Elise, and Angus finished building a family of snowmen when you decided to scale up the hill of the chapel with your sleds. After going down a few times, Elise turned to you once you were all back up at the top.

“I dare you to stand while sledding down.” She smirked.

“Done.” Was all you said, setting your sled down.

Angus could only say your name before you took the dare. In short, you ended up falling halfway down, and rolled the rest of the way, twisting your ankle and gaining a fresh set of bruises.

It was actually quite funny the differing reactions in the two as they stood on either side of you, your arms draped around their shoulders.

“I give that an eight out of ten.” Elise teased.

“Why?” you grunted as you hobbled on your feet.

“You didn’t eat enough shit.”

“She’s eaten too much!” Angus stressed.

You cackled. “I did fall in some yellow snow. It was lemony.”

In all honesty, the earful your father gave you for being hurt was less than what Angus gave you for the joke you made).

Everyone except Mary hovered over you after that. Even though all you needed was to wear a brace and wrap your foot for a week, they acted as if you had that foot in the grave. Especially Angus, which actually surprised you.

Still, three days before the end of winter break, and one day before students could show up back on campus, you hobbled out of your bed.

It was half an hour before sunrise, and you had made it a last-minute goal to watch it with him. When winter break was over, you’d return back to the faculty housing; back to your own room which you appreciated, but you’d see Angus far less.

So, just like old times, you tiptoed into his room to wake him up.

Yet…he was awake; for the very first time, he was awake. You saw as how the light of the moon bled into the room, and you watched as he sat up, his knees to his chest, and rubbing his nose.

“Angus?” You whispered. He snapped his gaze over to you but didn’t flinch upon hearing your voice. As you got closer, you saw the unmistakable sight of tears upon his face. “Why are you crying?”

 He swallowed thickly. “I-I had a dream about my dad.”

Your face fell, and you sat beside him on the bed. “Bad?”

“No.” He shook his head. “It was good.”

Where Angus was confused at your feeling of bitter nostalgia on New Years, you were completely bewildered at that moment. Still, you did your best not to show it.

“What do you mean?” You asked.

He inhaled, trembling. “I just…it was weird, but it wasn’t? I was at home, I don’t know if I was ten, or seventeen, but I woke up and felt normal. I was in my childhood house, I went downstairs and saw he was reading the paper and-and my mom was making bread. I thought I woke up and the rest of my life had been a dream. I didn’t know what was real.”

Your heart crumbled at his recounting; not just from how he’d weep over something he described as good, but from it hitting too close to home.

“I had dreams like that.” You confessed in a whisper.

He dropped his gaze from yours, only to then lay fully down on the bed. You followed, draping an arm over him.

“He said sorry.” Angus said, not looking at you.

“For what?”

He didn’t respond right away. “He pushed me off the porch after when I was thirteen…I kind of deserved it, I was being a little shit. I’d gotten into a fight at school with this asshole kid who stole my backpack, and my dad was trying to talk to me about it. I yelled at him when trying to leave the house, and…yeah, he pushed me. He felt bad right away and patched me up; I just got a bruise and a scratch, it wasn’t bad. Mom found out and…we’d already known about his condition, but she called Pinehills as soon as she got home, and he was taken away that night.”

You wanted to say a lot. Say how it wasn’t his fault, how there was no excuse to push him when he was so much younger…but you couldn’t, you know it wouldn’t help. Instead, you brought your hand up to his face, rubbing your thumb over his cheek and forcing him to look at you.

“Do you want kids?”

He furrowed his brow. “I-I…what?”

So, you said it again. “Do you want kids when you grow up?”

“I…” he wiped his face. “I don’t even know what I want in the next year.”

“Would you ever push them?” He sighed your name, but you didn’t stop. “Even if they were being an asshole?”

He shook his head. “I know what you’re doing.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“I’m serious-.”

“-So am I.”

Angus took a deep breath, leaning into your touch. “No. No I wouldn’t.”

You pulled him into you, and immediately his arms wrapped around your waist. He didn’t make a sound, but his body shook with repressed sobs. All you could do was run your fingers through his hair.

When all was said and done, he was the first to pull away from you, only to kiss you with a gentleness you hadn’t felt before from a man.

“Thank you.” He whispered.

Smiling, you shook your head. “There’s nothing to thank me for. Now, get up.”

He hummed, sitting up once you stood. “Why?”

You took his hand. “I wanna see the sunrise.”

“It’s too cold out-.”

“-I don’t care.”

“Your leg’s bad.”

“So, carry me.”

He snickered, getting out of bed and slipping his shoes and jacket on. He turned away from you, crouching down.

“Come on.”

You shook your head. “It’s actually not that bad, I was just kidding-.”

“-I’m not.”

So, you let him. Well, you both waited until you were outside to get on his back, then saying it was so you wouldn’t get your feet cold. He carried you through the snow for a few minutes until he stumbled, realizing he wasn’t as strong as his ego.

But you both sat at the top of the hill of the chapel, seldomly speaking and just waiting for the sun to rise up from the east. You’d never experienced a twilight so beautiful than in early January of 1971 at Barton. The shade of purple in the sky reflecting off the snow seemed to be more memorable than the sunrise itself.

Still, as the sun peeked up through the trees, and a new day was born, your cheeks started to hurt from smiling so much.

That was the last day of your own personal winter break.

Even though the semester didn’t technically start until two days after that, you and your father had still gone back to the faculty housing, as some teachers had also returned early to prepare for the remainder of the year.

You didn’t notice how lonely you’d been until you step foot back into your room, which you had deemed your sanctuary. While it still served as such, you found yourself missing Angus.

Despite the fact he was just a short walk away, you wanted to take some time apart. You…adored him (it was too early to call it love), but you still needed some space. It was fitting that your father invited you to come in on the first day back.

“Brush up on the Peloponnesian War.” He said at dinner the night of January 10th. “I wanna give the pubescent boys a warmup before their exam retake.”

Not even the Cheshire Cat could form a grin wider than yours.

He didn’t teach Angus’ class until eleven, so you thankfully had time to sleep in and review. It felt strange to enter the school as boys your age and younger rushed past you, either getting to class or fooling around with one another.

The stares were strange too. Although, where you once would shrink into yourself as you walked, every step now had a surge of confidence while they gawked at a girl their age walking the same halls they did.

When turning a corner, you quite literally almost ran into a boy.

“Oh shit, sorry-.” He looked up, and you recognized his voice, but his face and most notably his hair took you by surprise. He smiled upon seeing you. “Miss Hunham.”

You blinked before chuckling. “Jason. You cut your hair.”

“Yeah.” He tucked his hands in his pockets. “Figured it was time; it was getting in my face.”

“Not your dad?”

He didn’t say anything, only smiled before chuckling and giving himself away. “So uh, how was getting stuck over here for Christmas?”

You shrugged. “Not bad, actually. How was skiing?”

“Oh, you know, fun and stuff. I do it every year, so it was nice, but I don’t think I actually would’ve complained a lot if I stayed here.”

Thinning your lips, you still smiled politely. “Oh?”

“Yeah, I don’t know, would’ve been different.”

It quickly was awkward, but not in the worst way. So, you decided to end it. “Happy New Years, Jason.”

He wished you the same sentiment, and you both were on your way. The second you entered your father’s classroom, all fell silent. Ten boys in that room all stared at you as if you’d grown a second head, and only one of them smiled before glancing back down at his notebook.

“Ah shit.” One of the boys awestricken said perhaps without meaning to.

Still, you walked to your father’s desk, sitting down. “Sorry.”

“We seriously have to deal with you? On the first day?”

You looked over at the aggravating voice you didn’t miss, and promptly nearly fell out of your seat. “Jesus Christ, why do you look like that?!”

A few chuckles were heard as you stared at Teddy Kountze, whose entire face, save for his eyes, was redder than the 1968 presidential election.

He glared at you before smirking. “I was gonna ask you the same thing, Hunham. How was being stuck here with Tully and your shitty dad?”

“It was lovely, thank you.” You decided to do a more “lady like” approach to throw him off.

“Really?” He asked. “You take any pictures?”

You glanced at Angus, whose once lighthearted eyes soon turned dark at the comment. Still, you smiled at him and pondered the question. You actually didn’t take any pictures with him, or anything of that winter break.

“No, actually.” You said. “I should have though.”

Teddy huffed. “Didn’t know you were that much of a slut-.”

“-That’s rich coming from the same species of human that fucked animals and blessed us with STDs.”

The room howled in laughter, even though it was technically a jab at the entirety of the male gender. Still, no one cackled louder than Angus Tully diagonally from you. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself; you’d written that comeback down a few years back, happy that you could finally use it.

All Teddy could do was glare daggers into your skin because soon your father entered the room with. “Welcome back, you snarling Visigoths. I trust you all enjoyed a refreshing holiday.” He walked to the front of the room, eyes falling on you. “Ah, you’ve made yourself comfortable.”

“Quite so.” You smirked.

He then looked at Teddy, flinching. “Oh, hello, Mr. Kountze. Or should I say Icarus? Fly a little too close to the sun, did we?”

The boy furrowed his brow. “Huh?”

“Yeah, all right. Along with your skiing and swimming, I hope you found time to enlighten yourselves about the Peloponnesian War and its implications for today. Just to check, I brought my lovely daughter you all know to test your knowledge before we retake the final from last semester. Omnia ex scrineis vestris praeter stilum.”

All of the boys in the room except for Angus groaned heavily. You stood up and walked to the front of the room with a pep in your step and so begun the third round of your trivia competition.

You were kinder this time; you didn’t immediately ring in your answer as soon as your father finished the question. Except for Teddy; in fact, it was in the middle of a question you decided to answer it.

Of course, the final question was between you and Angus.

“What did Sparta do after the Sicilian Expedition which ultimately helped it win the war?”

Neither of you spoke. Of course, Angus was wondering if you were going easy on him, and you were wondering the exact same thing.

The silence in the room only caused your mind to run into overdrive, going over every page you read in preparation just for this silly little game. Then, it hit you.

You smacked the desk and opened your mouth, but only a strangled syllable escaped before a woman’s voice entered your ears.

“Angus Tully?”

Lydia Crane poked her head into the classroom, and all eyes fell onto her. Angus, in somewhat of a shock, asked. “Yes?”

“Dr. Woodrup would like to see you.”

A chill entered the room, not from the cracked window in the corner of it, but from seven words alone. Angus, after taking them in, glanced at your father.

Keeping his cool, but also tension growing, he nodded. “You can retake it on an off period.”

The last thing Angus did was look at you. He didn’t even need to speak to tell you he was worried beyond compare. Yet…you didn’t know why.

He followed Miss Crane out, and the second he left, Teddy snickered. “One day back, and the basket case is already in trouble.”

“You shut your mouth, Theodore!” You spat.

“Hey!” Your father put his hand on your shoulder. “None of that here, this is a classroom, not the Colosseum. And as for you, Mr. Kountze, we’ll not talk like that any further.”

He shrugged, sheepishly. “Of course, Mr. Hunham.”

Your father said your name gently. “You’re excused. Thank you for attending today.”

Nodding, you marched out of the room and immediately rushed down the hall. You entered the bustling kitchen, half of the cooks cleaning up from breakfast, the other half preparing for lunch that was next period. It wasn’t hard to find Mary, who was the ringleader of the entire operation.

She sighed upon seeing you. “Miss Jane Bennett, I don’t have time for-.”

“-It’s Angus.”

There was a franticness building within your eyes, and it was only then she knew you were serious. “What happened?”

“I don’t know, he just got called to Woodrup’s office and that’s it.” You huffed. “I don’t know what’s wrong, but it feels wrong.”

“Okay.” She soothed, taking your hand, then turned to a woman beside her. “Clara, hold down the fort.”

Clara nodded, and both you and Mary left the kitchen. Despite being stuck in the school for weeks, it felt like a labyrinth to you once everyone came back. It was Mary who had to lead you through the halls until you were finally at the office. Just as you an Mary were approaching it, you watched as both Miss Crane and Angus left.

Their gaze met yours and Mary’s, and time seemed to stand still. It was Miss Crane who broke it. She squeezed Angus’ shoulder comfortingly.

“Go sit down.”

He carried himself over to the bench by the window as if he was a dead man walking, and he sat down as if the weight of the world was upon his shoulders. Before you could say anything, Miss Crane walked past you.

You sat beside Angus, looking at him but he wouldn’t meet your gaze. “What happened?”

“My mother and Stanley are here.”

No build up, no fear before the reveal, he said it like it was.

Yet, while there was no emotion behind his words, his face was the spitting image of one you saw in a history textbook. One that showed a soldier suffering from shell shock.

“I think I’m gonna get kicked out.” He said. “That means military school.”

You wanted to hug him, you wanted to take his hand and run away and move to Boston, New York, Chicago, hell, a little house in Nebraska of all places…but you couldn’t do that. You couldn’t even open your mouth to say something.

So, you just took his hand and placed your head on his shoulder. Mary stood in front of you both, leaning against the wall, and combing her fingers through Angus’ curls.

It felt strange seeing your father walk up to the principal’s door and not saying anything. He glanced at the three of you in confusion before entering the room.

You wanted to ask why, oh why, they were here? What made them of all days return for something so horrible and not to be warm to their son? Still, it didn’t feel right to barge him with questions, so, again, the three of you were there in silence together.

A few minutes passed, and the door opened. Out came your father with a look so solemn you felt like you could cry. He looked between the three of you awaiting his answer for whatever went on in that room.

“It’s this one.” He pointed to his right eye. “This is the one you should look at.”

You all looked at one another in puzzlement, yet even in that, there was a hint of humor in your slight grins.

The door opened, and Dr. Woodrup looked at Angus. “Angus, step inside, please.”

He followed, waiting until the last possible second to let go of your hand. When the door shut, your father looked at you, saying your name softly.

“Would you come with me, please?”

You know he wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t serious. The pain in your had left for just a moment, but then it found its way back when you heard those words. Still, you stood up and followed him.

Your father led you into a hallway that led to nowhere, crossing his arms.

“This…I will not lie and say that this is an easy thing to hear.” He began. “Angus had stolen a snow globe from Miss Crane’s house and gave it to his father at the sanitorium when we visited. It caused his father to have an episode, and he told the orderlies, who then told Angus’ mother. They came here with the conviction that Angus had manipulated us, and that sending him to military school would ‘straighten him’ out so to say…I told them it was solely my idea. I told them I encouraged him to visit his father…and for that, I am being asked to resign.”

“What?” Was all you could choke out.

He took a deep breath, placing his hands on your shoulders. “We’re leaving tomorrow. I’m really sorry, sweetheart.”

“No.” You shook your head. “No, they can’t do that. He-he, you fucking taught the asshole who’s headmaster!”

“I did, but you know that’s not how this works.”

“On-on the first day, are you serious?!” You laughed.

He said your name gently. “I know this upsets you, believe me, I am too-.”

“No, just,” you sighed, pulling away before walking down the hall. “I’m gonna go home.”

Your father shook his head. “You should start packing. We can figure out where we can-.”

“-I’ll see you after school.” Was all you said.

It didn’t feel real. Your father had just told you in less than a minute that you were leaving. Leaving a place you had essentially grown up in but not at the same time. Leaving a friend, a boyfriend, your very first one, leaving Mary…

Oh god…Mary.

You pushed yourself out of the school and rushed back to the faculty housing, doing your best to avoid anyone before you finally entered your room.

You didn’t cry…you felt the pain and sorrow fester within you, yet you didn’t cry. You wanted to break things, wanted to toss your entire desk out the window, but you didn’t.

There was nothing you could do, and that made it worse.

Your father ordered pizza for both of you that night, explaining more about the situation you were in. He had already packed most of his room up, but you hadn’t even started. He said that you’d drop all of your heavy belongings off at an old coworker’s house in Syracuse and then leave.

“I was thinking Carthage sounds nice.” He chimed in. “Then after that, perhaps Egypt? Or Rome even, I remember you said you always wanted to…”

You only nodded along, and you felt like you were out of your body as he helped you pack up a majority of your bedroom in just a few hours. It felt strange; you knew you were going to leave that year, with your unofficial graduation…yet there you were, leaving in the first month unexpectedly.

With a kiss upon your head, your father wished you goodnight, but you only tossed and turned in your bed.

You were nowhere close to drifting off when you heard something at our window. Sitting up, you pulled the curtains back, revealing Angus Tully standing outside below. You opened the window.

“What are you doing?!” You whisper-yelled.

“Come down here!” He responded.

 “It’s freezing, you come up here!”

“How do you expect me to do that?”

“You climb a rope in gym, climb the gutter.”

His eyes drew over to it, and with a heavy sigh, he latched his arms around it. He clumsily climbed his way up, using the house as a crutch. Thankfully, it wasn’t that far of a climb, and you pulled him into your room.

He landed on your bed harshly, nearly letting out a yelp if you didn’t cover his mouth in time.

“I beat you.” Was the first thing you said.

Angus took your hand, furrowing his eyes. “What?”

“The stupid trivia.” You swallowed thickly. “The Spartans started their own fleet and allied with Persia after the Sicilian Expedition. I was going to say that, and I was right. If you let me win, I’ll throw you out the window, I swear to God.”

He sat up, his gaze softening the longer he looked at you. Then, with a tenderness that pained you, he pulled you into an embrace.

That was when you finally cried. You clutched the fabric of his shirt until your knuckles turned white, attempting to muffle your sobs. Angus only held you tighter, kissing this base of your neck and running his hand up and down your back.

“Why’d you take it?” You asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Why’d you give it to him?”

“I…I wanted him to have something.” He pulled away only to see your face. “I’m sorry. I know it means nothing, but I really am. I didn’t…I wasn’t thinking.”

You shook your head. “I think we’re gonna leave the country.”

“What?” His voice was strangled.

“Why not? He’s old and hasn’t gone in forever, and I’ve never been outside of America.”

Angus dropped his head, as if it was only then did the gravity of the situation weigh heavy on him. When he finally looked at you again, he took your face into his hands.

“I’m gonna come clean.” He said. “I’ll tell Dr. Woodrup the truth, and that-.”

“-You’re a fucking idiot.”

You never spoke to him like that. Whenever you were angry at him, you were snarky, you were a know it all, but only then, did you say something horrible like you meant it.

Of course, he was absolutely taken aback, but he already knew you had more to say once you pulled back.

“If you get sent to Fork Union, I’m never speaking to you again.” You shook your head. “It doesn’t matter if you write me a letter or a thousand, I will make myself forget everything that happened this Christmas. You’re too smart, no, too fucking brilliant to do some stupid shit and get yourself thrown into Vietnam. Don’t waste it.’

He nodded as soon as you were finished. “I won’t. I…I’m gonna miss you.”

Exhaustion pulled on you as soon as he said that, and you sighed. “I don’t wanna go.”

Angus kissed your cheek, his eyes then traveling around your almost barren room. On your desk sat a familiar book. He picked it up, flipping through the pages. “I’ve never actually read this before.”

“Really? It’s so short.”

“Did you ever find the one your dad gave you?”

“Yeah, I packed that one up.”

He smiled. “How about I read it to you? It’s one of your favorites, right?”

You snorted. “You have school in the morning.”

“I don’t care.”

That’s how you both came to lie down on your bed, and he read The Little Prince aloud to you. It was a memory you wouldn’t forget, even if he landed himself in military school.

You fell asleep nearing the end of the book, and Angus Tully did not wake you to say goodbye.

You thought you’d woken up from a horrible dream, only to then see that your room was still packed, and The Little Prince was neatly set on your desk with a note from Angus.

I put the number and address of the school at the bottom in case you forgot. Thank you for being the best part of my year.

-Angus

You held the note to your chest, falling back down onto your bed. Whether that was God, Allah, Zues, Aphrodite, or perhaps even the spirit of Jane Austen, you were going to beat the shit out of the author to your story once you were dead.

After a moment to yourself, you got dressed and packed up the last of your things, deciding to put the book in your backpack. You didn’t know what time it was, but you were starving, so you’d gone down into the faculty kitchen, flat out ignoring whatever stares or feigned condolences that were given to you from others.

What surprised you was Mary Lamb sitting at the main table.

“And I thought I helped raise you better to come and say goodbye to me.” She scolded you, but with a hint of playfulness.

You sat down beside her. “I didn’t want to cry again.”

“Cry until your eyes fall out.” She said. “It hurts less than holding it all in.”

“I don’t…” You sighed. “I can’t say goodbye. I think I’ll die the second I step out of this house.”

“Okay, now you’re just being dramatic.”

“I’m not!” You whined dramatically.

She snickered, taking your hand. “You listen to me now; you’re not going to die. You’re going to grow older and do whatever you want. You’re gonna travel the world, and you’re…what do you want to be when you grow up?”

You didn’t have an answer. “I don’t actually know…I’ve always like writing-.”

“-Okay, then you’re gonna be a famous writer, and you’re gonna be taught in classrooms a hundred years from now where the snot nosed brats will be bored. Or you’re just gonna figure it out because you don’t need to know right now. How does that sound?”

Smiling shyly, you squeezed her hand. “It sounds good.”

“Good. Now come on, you have to make me jealous you’re gonna travel the world.”

You shook your head, giggling. “And what are you gonna do?”

“Me?” She scoffed. “I’m staying here until God calls me home. That, and making money to send my nephew to college.”

“Peggy knows it’s a boy?”

“I think it’s gonna be.”

You hummed. “I’m gonna make a lot of money so we can live on the beach for however long you want.”

“And I’m holding you to that.”

She went up to speak with your father, and you began loading your things into the U-Haul trailer connected to your father’s car. As you were picking up your last box, two familiar boys approached you.

“Ah,” you smiled upon seeing Alex and Ye-Joon. “I was wondering if you two survived.”

Ye-Joon gave you a look. “Survived what?”

“Skiing. Sounds quite dangerous.” You set your box into the trailer.

Alex shook his head. “No, it was great! I’m sorry you and Angus couldn’t come.”

“Don’t be. We actually…” you paused, feeling sudden emotion creep up on you. “we became really good friends. Thanks for the suggestion.”

“So,” Ye-Joon asked. “why are you and your dad leaving?”

“Did he get fired?” Alex followed.

You shook your head. “They caught him eating cat shit and saw me dancing naked on the football field while performing a pagan ritual.”

They stared at you with a horror you had never seen in boys.

“No, I’m just messing with you.” You laughed. “They had to make cuts for money reasons and my dad was the first to go. You tell people that if they say something, you hear?”

They nodded, muttering ‘yes’ and ‘of course’. With a final wave and wishing of ‘goodbye!’ they ran back to school. Your father soon came out, hauling out a few more boxes.

“Don’t tell me you scared them before we leave?”

You took one from him. “I made them think I was a witch for a few seconds.”

The two of you laughed, and when you looked up, you then saw one Angus Tully walking towards you. He smiled.

“Hi…”

Your father returned the gesture. “Hello.”

“Look…I don’t know what you said to my mom and Stanley, Woodrup. All I know is that I’m not getting kicked out, and you got fired.”

“I just told the truth; mostly.”

He smiled. “Barton man.”

“Barton man.” The bell rang as soon as the sentiment was spoken, and your father opened the door to the trailer, mumbling. “Fifth period.”

Angus didn’t take his eyes off of you even as you tried to avoid them. You caught a glimpse of red beginning to outline them, as if he was holding back tears. Then, rubbing his face, he said.

“You know, it’s only PE. Maybe I could skip it, and we could head over to the Winning Ticket, grab a burger and a beer?”

“Are you shitting me?” You chuckled.

Your father playfully shoved you. “Language. A Miller High Life, no doubt? You never give up, do you?”

“They already fired you, so I figured it was worth a shot.” He shrugged sheepishly then looked at you. “We never got to play pinball.”

“I would’ve beat you, and you know it.”

“Just because you won trivia doesn’t mean you’ll win everything.”

Your father touched your shoulder to get your attention. “I left something in the house, I’ll be back in a second.”

You had an inkling right away he lied to give you privacy, but he wouldn’t confirm it for another month. Still, you nodded, and he went back into the house, leaving you and Angus alone. He tucked his hands into his pockets, looking down at his shoes.

“I think if I hug you, I’ll start crying.”

“And you can’t look like a sissy in front of the other boys.” You attempted to tease. “No, I get it.”

He still latched his arms around you anyway, and you held him to you like the universe was trying to rip him away. It was unspoken when you would ever see each other again, but it was also unspoken that you would see each other again period.

You were the first to pull away, and you forced a smile. “No tears.”

Angus nodded. “No tears.”

An idea came to mind, and you walked over to the car, opening the passenger door and unzipping the top pocket of your backpack. Searching, you finally pulled out A Little Prince and a pen.

“No,” he shook his head. “I gave it to you-.”

You opened the book to the first page. “I have decided as of this morning that I’m going to be a writer; and when I’m famous, you’ll have my signature before I was, so that if you ever need money, you have something.”

After signing the inside of the book, you handed it back to him. You hadn’t expected him to genuinely smile the whole time, yet there you were. He took it from you. “I’d never sell it, you know.”

“Yeah right.” You pulled him into a kiss. You made sure to not have it last too long, or you don’t think you would’ve stopped. You said when you pulled away. “I’ll write to you first, and I’ll try and call if I can.”

He nodded. “Send me pictures.”

“You too.”

“I’m gonna be stuck here even after I graduate.” He snickered.

“I don’t care.” You shook your head. “I should’ve taken pictures during Christmas, but I didn’t. I don’t wanna forget anything while I’m gone.”

He nodded, the realization hitting him harder now. “Okay.”

You turned when your father came out of the faculty house, carrying nothing. Angus gave a sheepish smile.

“Is that still a no for lunch?”

Your father grinned. “Your logic is flawless, but I’m afraid we’ll have to decline.”

The three of you didn’t say a word, as if by saying nothing at all, you would never have to say goodbye. It was a silence you would have wanted to stay in forever even if it meant staying out in the bitter cold air.

“You keep your head up, alright?” Your father said. “You can do this.”

Angus nodded, swallowing thickly. “Yeah, I was gonna tell you the same thing.”

They shook hands despite how much you knew they wanted to hug. When all was said and done, Angus nodded towards you and abruptly started running back to the school.

“See ya!”

You should’ve yelled something back, but you couldn’t find the words. Yet, you smiled. It broke your heart to say goodbye, but it was filled at the same time as the memories of the winter break came back to you.

Taking your father’s hand, he rubbed his teared-up eyes with the other and you both walked to the car. It was all official; you were leaving the last place that held the remnants of your childhood behind.

You were leaving your mother and Curtis’ grave, you were leaving the summer and winter days with Elise, you were leaving the school you could have attended and thrived in if you were born a son, you were leaving a woman who had come to be your new mother…you were leaving Angus Tully.

And yet…you were also leaving behind Daniel and his new family. You were leaving behind the pain and sorrow you had carried within you ever since you were a child. It would still linger, and it had always been known to you that you were still you no matter where you were; abroad or not. Hell, the only thing that mattered was if you cried in a more beautiful part of the world or not.

So, perhaps it was all welcomed.

“What city do you want to graduate in?”

You chuckled at your father’s question. “That’s not until May.”

“No harm at all in deciding now.”

Humming, it didn’t take long for your answer. “Athens. Mom always wanted to go there.”

“So, Athens it shall be. Could you hand me the rucksack at your feet?”

You did so without question. Your father soon stopped before the main road, and unzipped one of the pockets. He reached in and took out the fanciest bottle of brandy you had ever seen.

“Holy shit!” You laughed. “Is that-?”

“-Dr. Woodrup’s? Yes.” He unscrewed it, taking a sip, then rolling down his window and spitting it out.

You giggled as he handed it to you, and you set it back in the bag. He turned left, starting the five-hour journey to Syracuse.

“How does Copenhagen sound for our first destination?” He asked.

Smiling at him first, you looked back to the road. “Copenhagen sounds great.”

[gingernut1314]

Playing House ch. 7

Summary: Toji has been away for three days, and on the fourth he comes back

Content: female reader, pre-star plasma vessel, reader is the cousin of Mamaugro, reader is Tsumiki's mom, Tsumiki and Magumi are cousins, gendered terms, grief/mourning, definition of a toxic relationship, flirty Toji, Toji interacting with Tsumiki

Word Count: 3.3K

Tag list: @needsleep3000 @onebatch--twobatch @heeknow

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Three days.

Toji had been gone for three days. 

Three whole days you spent wondering if he had just used this mysterious job of his as an excuse to run away. 

You had been surprised, with the way he’d hardly seemed to care for his son, that he had stayed for as long as he had. Surprised he’d allowed you to boss him around and demand things of him…but you supposed it was only to keep you from seeing the plans he was making to leave. 

The only thing that kept the smallest bit of faith lit in your mind that he would come back was the fact he had left his number on the fridge. You weren’t so sure people who made it a habit to run away left numbers…your cousin sure as hell hadn’t left any new number when she’d left and you didn’t blame her for it.

But Toji? 

You stared at that number for hours on morning number one of Toji being away. Had reluctantly plugged it into your contacts and tried to shove it out of your mind. To shove his being gone out of your mind, of which you failed miserably.

You used this time to complete your task of cleaning the rest of the townhome. You cleaned the bathrooms, the living room. You sweeped, mopped, and vacuumed the floors. You wanted to tackle that room full of boxes but…you found yourself not able to even open the door, knowing the boxes were full of things that might only hurt you. 

So you went downstairs and washed the pile clothes Toji’d left in one of the armchairs. While they had dried on the clothesline outside, you braved going into the master bedroom. 

Tsumiki was hot on your heels and so you enlisted her in helping you move one of the side tables from in this room all the way downstairs. She mainly helped keep the drawers shut while you did all the heavy lifting, but you two managed to get it downstairs and set up in the living room. 

It didn’t match any of the future down here, but if Toji was insistent on using it as his bedroom, his clothes needed to go somewhere that was not in a pile. You even found a basket in one of the clothes you put his blankets and pillow in.

And on the dawn of the fourth day, Toji was still gone and you started to stare long and hard at the number in your phone. 

Would he even answer if you texted him? Called him? 

You were sure contact was on an emergency based need but…the townhome was so clean now. You found yourself wanting to rub it into Toji's face. You made breakfast and you found yourself waiting to snap at him for trying to grab a bite. 

What the hell was wrong with you? You’re mind hissed and you found yourself agreeing, shoving your phone into your back pocket and going about collecting your children to head for the store again. 

You needed a stroller and car seat for Megumi, things you couldn’t for the life of you find within the townhome and knew in your gut probably had been tossed or left to rust somewhere by Toji. 

The trip didn’t take too long, and soon Megumi was chilling in the cheapest stroller money could buy, car seat set up in your car, and Tsumiki nibbling on a cup of jagariko as you walked back home. The weather was nice enough, despite the coming winter, so you didn’t make a rush to get back to that stuffy townhome. 

You had just snagged a potato stick from Tsumiki’s cup, your daughter happy to share, when you caught sight of the girl from across the street. She was walking with a woman you assumed just off first glance, was her mother. 

“You mean the daughter of that nagging bitch?” Toji’s words rang through your head. 

She looked nice enough…Toji just disliked other people.

“Hi, Ms. Fushiguro!” The girl, Emi, waved your way. You waved and greeted her back, hoping that would be the end of the interaction, but to your disappointment her mother started crossing the street over to you. Emi gave a tight smile at this too, but followed. 

The woman introduced herself as Emi’s mother, before turning her eyes onto Megumi and Tsumiki. “Such beautiful children.” She praised, giving Tsumiki a small wave she shied at. 

“Thank you.” You smiled as best you could, Tsumiki glancing at the woman, then to Emi before rushing off around the stroller to hold Megumi’s chubby little hand. “She’s a bit shy.” You explained.

“I understand. Emi was just as shy.” Emi seemed a bit annoyed at this but gave a pleasant little chuckle. “What a shame it was, what happened to the little one's mother.” Your heart froze at the mention of your cousin. 

“Uh--yeah.” You swallowed. “I hav--”

“And you must be her sister then? You look so much like her--well…your complexion is a bit different…nose too.” She continued, giving you no time to speak or even think of an excuse to leave. 

“She’s my--was my cousin.” The correction only made that hurt swell in your chest like some fucked up ballon. She gave a slow nod as if that cleared up her nitpicking of your features. 

“So kind of you then, to come here for the little one.” Her eyes found yours again. Kindness looked oh so fake in them. “She got so sick so quick, your cousin. I tried my best to help, oh but that brute wouldn’t let anyone see her towards the end. Kept her locked in that house. No visitors. No doctors.” She gave a pathetically fake saddened shake of her head. 

You didn’t even know how to begin to process what she was saying to you. Why she would be saying this to you. 

How much of it was real? How much of the truth was twisted? How much was really real?

“That man is bad news, dear. No sense of respect. Your cousin was so kind. Always said hello and spoke with me. Not a good match, if I may say so. She had so much potential.” Emi gave a warning to her mother but already you felt the tips of your fingers grown ice cold. Felt your stomach fall and jolt like you might throw up. 

Because suddenly you were back in that kitchen in your former home, surrounded by your mother and aunts and grandmothers and other family that had no right to talk to you about your beloved cousin. 

“She was a slut. It’s no surprise she ran off with him. Throwing her life away like that, what a shame.” 

Speak no evil.

Don’t challenge their truths. Don’t defend her. Don’t speak and you would save yourself the verbal lashing. 

Tsumiki must have come to your aid because she was tugging at your hand as if to pull you away but--you wanted to run away. You wanted to defend your cousin but--but you couldn’t speak. Couldn’t unclench your jaw. 

“If you need help, dear, just--”

“Help with what?” A smoothly deep voice gruffed in your ear. 

Toji. That was Toji’s unbothered voice. 

He was back and yet you couldn’t even turn to look at his face. 

Speak no evil. 

Speak no evil.

Speak no evil. 

“Oh…Toji. I was just telling her how I noticed you had left her all on her lonesome. Was just offering up my help with those sweet babies if she needed it.” Emi’s mother said in an almost-hidden sneer towards Toji. 

“Slut. Whore.” 

“He’s in a gang. She must have joined too.” 

“Monster. Beast of a man.” 

Don’t speak a word. Keep quiet. Maybe they’ll stop. 

“Nah. You’re kids been helpin’ out.” Toji said. Tsumiki yanked at you arm again, trying to get you to move but--cruel, burning eyes bore holes into your skull and you couldn't stop them. 

“Yes…I’m just surprised you're back, is all. Did any of the animals you bet on win this time?” Toji gave a huff in amusement.

“Haven't been in a minute. I’ll be sure to have your husband tell ya…hell maybe that old bastard and I’ll go in on a bet together.” Emi’s mother’s thin lips pressed even thinner. 

“Horrible.” Was all she said before storming off. Emi gave you a quick apology before rushing off too. 

“Told ya she was a nagging bitch.” Toji gruffed. You saw him come into view then as he started for the townhome just down the street and yet--

You were still stuck. 

Still stuck there, in that kitchen. 

Stuck feeling utterly powerless.

Tsumiki called for you, but when you didn’t respond, she knew something was wrong. She remembered when you weren’t feeling good like this before. Remembered she had to go find help because nothing Tsumiki had done had done anything. 

Tsumiki gave a small whimper as her eyes looked toward Megumi’s dad, hands in pockets and walking off. 

He was not nice. He said mean things to you and had tried to hurt you…but he was the only one Tsumiki knew and the new babysitter was too far away. 

So, just how she had to be brave when it came to comforting Megumi, she had to be brave and help her mom now. 

She let go of your hand and rushed off toward Megumi’s dad. She grabbed at his arm and pulled as hard as she could to get him to stop.

When he looked down at Tsumiki, she felt goosebumps prick over her arms. 

He looked scary. Like some monster. Like a bad guy…but you needed him.

“Shit kid--what the hell is up with you?” He asked, pulling his hand from his pocket to yank Tsumiki off of him. But Tsumiki was determined. She jumped as high as she could and grabbed for his hand.

“Mama she--” His eyes narrowed in confusion, but he didn’t pull away from her again. “Mama’s not feeling good.” He looked away from Tsumiki to look at you. To find you hadn’t moved a muscle. Saw you looked ashen and too tense. 

Megumi’s dad pulled from her hold again but he walked back towards you, instantly making Tsumiki feel okay. She was quick to follow after.

Toji said your name. 

You hadn’t even realized he knew what your name was, but here he was using it. 

“First your damn kid and now you, huh? Somethin’ happen while I was gone?” Toji asked, coming to a stop before you. He watched you as you fought to say something back, only a choked noise bubbling in your throat. “That old hag really got under your skin. Shit.” He sighed, giving his head a scratch as he assessed the situation. “I’ll push this, you just walk.” He moved around you as he spoke.

Rough hands peeled your own hands from the stroller handle. You watched through tunneled vision as one hand grabbed to push the stroller and the other grabbed for your upper arm, pulling you along. 

“So you’re not gonna welcome me back?” Toji asked as Tsumiki jogged a bit ahead, brown eyes watching you in sharp worry and fear. 

“Y-you--” You had to all but wrestle with your tongue and lips and teeth to answer. “Really a-are a dog.” Toji gave a sharp laugh at your words. 

“Shit. You’re frozen as hell and you’re still up my ass.” You felt your body slowly release its hold on you. Slowly feel your vision widen and shallow breath even out. 

“If I don’t, who will?” You said in a rush of breath. 

“I'd finally get some peace and quiet if you didn’t.” You became painfully aware of his hand on your arm. Of the warmth it radiated through your skin--of the calluses and scars that roughened it.

You didn’t push him away, as you might normally do. Not when you were still coming down from the horrors your mind conjured up and resurrected. When, despite your better sense, him being back around you had your body easing. 

Not when his guiding hand felt too good. Made you all but forget about the flash freeze that had taken hold of you.

You all came to the townhome and he let go of you then, but you were finally feeling okay again so you didn’t mind. You went about grabbing Megumi from his stroller and tried to manhandle the strolling down, but Toji cut in when you nearly toppled over it. He made quick work of folding it down and even went as far as to carry it inside. 

The change was--startling. The help without a fight. 

You…enjoyed it. Enjoyed it even when you knew it wasn’t something to get used to. 

Tsumiki grabbed your hand and you two went into the house together. 

“You get rid of my things?” Was what Toji greeted you with as you closed the door behind you. He stood in the small entrance way, looking over the picked-up living room. 

“No, but it was an eyesore. It’s all in there. Everything’s clean.” Green eyes found yours, distrust high in them.

“What’s the catch?” Toji asked as you moved past him. 

“What, I couldn’t just do it out of the goodness of my heart?” You made your way into the living room to grab Megumi's play mat. You laid it out and placed him stomach down. Megumi gave a huff. You knew he wasn’t the type to particularly like tummy time, but he needed it. 

Toji gave a huffed laugh, “Hell no. You want something.” You settled yourself down on the ground before Megumi, legs criss-crossing before you reached for his downstairs toys you kept in a basket under the coffee table. 

“I have no problem playing house if you keep working.” You shrugged, picking a collection of connected multi-colored rings from the basket to dangle Megumi’s way. He huffed again, cubby hand reaching for the rings but just missing. 

“Playin’ house.” Toji repeated. You heard him begin walking around, come to a stop, and then the airy swoosh of the fridge door opening. Glass rattled and you knew he was grabbing for one of the beers you had bought for him while he had been away. “That what we’re doin’ here?”

“I guess it is.” You said. Megumi reached for the colored rings again and captured one between his fingers, non-existent brows furrowing in concentration as he tugged at them.

“Juice?” You heard Tsumiki ask timidly. You looked around to find her standing just before the line where carpeted floor turned into the tile of the kitchen. She wasn’t looking your way, but Toji’s. 

It--surprised you. Had you holding your breath to see what would happen. Tsumiki had been so scared of him this whole time…so quick to rush and hide away from him so…what had changed?

Toji gave her an annoyed look, brows furrowed and one raised. “You askin’ me for juice?” He gruffed, fridge door still open.

“Please?” You saw her put on her biggest puppy dog eyes. A look that almost always broke down your defenses and had you giving into whatever she was asking for. 

Toji stared right back as if the two were having their own battle of wills.

“God--where the hell is it then?” Tsumiki was quick to skip into the kitchen, disappearing from view behind the counter. Toji leaning down, reaching into the fridge for one of the juice boxes at its back. 

“Here--what? You can’t open it yourself--geez. Shit--give it here.” Toji stood to his full height and you found the green juice box in his hand, thick fingers making quick work of getting the plastic straw out of its wrapper and stabbing it through the foil-covered hole at its top.

You really couldn’t get used to this. Shouldn’t even let his actions today make you feel--at ease. Shouldn’t let them trick your mind into seeing what your cousin saw in him but…he was making it very hard today. 

He seemed…better. Like going back to work had helped lighten him a bit. Like getting out of the house, doing something other than drowning his sorrows away, had been greatly needed. 

Your daughter came bounding over, juice box in hand and a pleased little look on her face. She patted your shoulder in passing before crouching next to Megumi, whose head wobbled a bit as he turned to look at her drinking her juice. 

“When’d you get wine?” Toji asked, still having not left the kitchen. Green eyes found yours again and you felt your stomach give a flopping jolt. 

“While you were gone.”

“Yours?” 

“Yes, so don't even think about drinking it.” Toji held his free hand up in surrender. 

“Wasn’t plannin’ on it.” His eyes scanned over your features slowly. Too slowly. So slowly you began to feel too hot. “Want a glass?”

Drink with him?

That felt…too comfortable. Like having a drink with him was the equivalent to giving in to--to whatever the hell was going on. 

“No.” Toji raised a brow.

“Thought we’re playin’ house. The mommy and daddy drink together.” Humor laced his every word.

“Well the mommy still has to make dinner.” That wolfish grin pulled over his lips as you spoke. Like he really enjoyed you playing along. 

Not that you could disagree. You’d come to miss the fighting--the teasing and back and forth as psychotic as you felt feeling like that. 

You were letting him win you over and you didn’t know how to stop. 

“And wash the babies, put them to bed, and get ready for my first day of work tomorrow.” You finished, turning away from Toji then, finding you couldn’t look at him for any longer then you had. 

“Party pooper.” You gave a small shake of your head as the fridge door shut. You heard the pop of he opened his beer and then his footsteps coming into the living room. 

Something fell into your lap, making you jump slightly and Tsumiki squeeze her juice box a little too tight, liquid falling to the floor. 

It was a white envelope. Thick. Like a brick. 

“What is this?” You questioned, grabbing up the heavy envelope. You eyed Toji up as he moved around the babies before flopping down on the couch with a great grunt. 

“Take a look.” You hesitated, mind racing a mile a minute as you thought over endless possibilities as to what it was. 

Green filled your vision. 

Green upon green upon green. 

Money. And lots of it. 

“You said my role as daddy was to pay the rent. That should cover about three months.” Your eyes found his wolfish ones as he took a long swig of his beer. Eyes that tracked the bob of his Adam’s apple as he drank deeply--as some spilled over his lips and down his sharp jaw.

The sight made you all fidgety.  

“Are you in a gang?” You asked bluntly. Toji gave a barking laugh, wiping his face with the back of his hand. 

“Gang? That’s the best you could come up with?” You narrowed your eyes at him. 

“This money, it’s--drugs then?” Toji shook his head as he reached for the remote on the coffee table. 

“Nope.” He clicked the tv on. “I thought you didn’t care where I worked as long as the bills were paid.” 

Emerald green eyes found yours again. Dark, dangerous eyes that had your heart freezing. Had a shiver run sharply down your spine and spread through your thighs.

“I don’t.” 

“Then take the money,” He got comfy on the couch, finger lazily clicking through the channels. “And don’t ask questions.”

Speak no evil. 

Don’t question it. Save yourself the trouble. The hurt.

Speak no evil…

“Put on channel 200. I want to watch my show.” You found yourself saying. Toji gruffed at this request, but still did as you asked.

“It better not be some love-sick shit.”

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[delight-angelsbliss]

Hiii!!! Your ADHD post was perfect, thank you so much! I have the inattentive type as well, but I got really good at masking it/forcing myself to focus in some school classes lol (that is, if I had some sliver of interest in that class haha) I have another one, if it's ok :3

Could you maybe do shadow and sonic with a reader that is just absolutely terrible at getting proper sleep (4-3 hours 😭) who usually just can't sleep or is up doing something? Maybe hyper focused on a task? The amount of caffeine I have to consume in the morning is probably unhealthy 💀

Hope things are going great for you!

Precis: Shadow + sonic with an insomniac!Reader

Warning: side effects of no sleep and too much caffeine, no fender specified

Notes: I remember as a child (5) I would always stay awake longer to practice for ballet that I've been doing since I was 3 but I was taken out of gymnastics and ballet cuz of health issues:(( I love this blinkie too much please never leave me. I keep thinking of my step sisters and I can't stop crying knowing my dad is probably doing something to them the same way he did to me and it's eating at my heart tbh I could barely focus on writing

Sonic

We all know Sonic has massive amounts of energy, seemingly never running out of it. He isn't really a night owl type of guy, nor does he ever want to be, but when he met you, that changed. You were the complete opposite of him, always tired, staying up late, always drinking coffee etc. He didn't mind at first, but your unhealthy habits scared him greatly; you crashing out in the middle of the day was the thing that scared him the most, the way your energy turned down so fast was enough to get Sonic on the internet to try and fine some kind of help for you. He knew there were many healthy ways to get you to follow a routine. Sonic tried giving you melatonin, it worked for a few months, but it strung you out fast and you needed more to be able to sleep properly, he tried getting you some tea, but those smelled and tasted to bad you'd puke it all up.

It felt hopeless, but he didn't wanna give up helping you. You meant too much to him, you were such a nice person, yet you had the worst problems. He didn't understand it, but that didn't stop him from helping you. "Hey! [Name], let's go for a race! Whoever loses has to buy us a chili dog" he'd try to tire you out, cut your screen time and do as much as he possibly can to help you sleep. It broke sonics heart to see you so tired and strung out all day, he doesn't want to intrude too much, but he'd do anything to see you in a happy state. Besides all the chaos, Sonic doesn't mind your attitude much. He finds it kind of funny when he sees you almost falling asleep on your desk while studying.

Overall, Sonic doesn't mind it too much but he still worries daily about you, about your health. No matter what, he'll stay by your side though. He finds it fun to stay with you during the day, your calm demeanor (maybe a side effect) is like a refreshment for him, but the sudden mood swings and headaches you complain about will always bring his worry back to bloom all over again

Shadow

Shadow is also a night owl! The sun is too blinding for his brooding behavior, he'd rather watch it fall and the moon come up to greet his cold demeanor once more. He's the ultimate lifeform so he doesn't need sleep that bad, but since you're a mortal you obviously need sleep. He finds this out a few weeks into your relationship (platonic or romantic) Since he's so stubborn, he gives you an ultimatum: "It's either you sleep or you sleep on the couch" that worked for a day or two, but your bad sleeping habits, caffeine addiction, etc. Would always lull you back into staying awake doing whatever you wanted, it was your alone time. He wouldn't take that away, Shadow understands what it's like wanting to have some alone time... But he still knew how harmful this was for you

Shadow started switching your coffee with decaffeinated alternatives. The first few nights were the most rough, your body was still getting used to and adjusting to this new schedule, which helped greatly! Instead of trying to use medicines or tiring you out, Shadow tries discrete methods and ways to get you to practice better habits. Shadow knows he might not be the best for this, but he will still try and help you nonetheless. Shadow does know that you don't exactly enjoy all of this frustration from your lack of sleep, but he's baffled to know that you don't actively try to find some solutions, he doesn't mean it in a bad way... At the same time it feels like he does get angry, not at you, but your lack of motivation to help yourself. The way you continually have to go take naps just not to pass out

Shadow doesn't believe in naps, he sees them as the average way to ruin your sleep schedule. When he sees how many small naps you take just to function, it makes him worried knowing you're so tired all the time. He sees the way you strain yourself everyday, every passing second of the day. Shadow tries his best to help you, he really does. Shadow isn't the best at communication, so he doesn't see that as an option. That won't stop him from helping a loved one, Shadow isn't a very open person, but his past trauma makes his overbearing nature show easily. If overbearing helps you sleep easy, he'll stay that way

[jointlesss]

𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒆 ·₊̣̇.

warnings ; smut, p in v, unprotected sex (wrap it before u tap it), cursing,...

the soft golden glow of the living room lamp bathed the four of them in warm light as they sat in a loose circle on the floor, a half-empty pizza box discarded near the couch. the night had started off simple—movies, snacks, a little bit of harmless gossip—but somehow, they'd ended up here.

"alright," matt smirked, fidgeting with his rings as he leaned back against the couch. "who's first?"

chris grinned, shaking a soda can in his hands like a magician about to pull off a trick. "c'mon, we all know the only right way to do this. spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on has to pick: truth or dare."

nick rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his amusement. "this is so random chris. Why spin the bottle?"

"you’re just scared," cher teased, nudging him with her shoulder.

nick scoffed. "please. spin it."

chris set the empty soda can in the middle and gave it a hard spin. the room fell silent as they all watched it whirl, anticipation thick in the air. as it slowed, the can wobbled before finally coming to a stop—pointing directly at matt.

“fuckin’ hell ofc it lands on me,” he sighs. “truth.”

“What's your body count?” chris’ head turned from cher to matt as she asked the question.

“cher ur so annoying one day i will whoop your ass but yeah its 3.” they nodded and went on with their game. Matt spun the bottle once again landing on chris this time.

 

“Dare.” he quickly answers without thinking. “Alright i dare you to do seven minutes in heaven with cher-” before matt could actually finish his sentence chris stormed of after he threw cher over his shoulder.

as they walk away you could hear nick and matt murmuring : “they’re definitely not staying there for less than half an hour…”

the door slammed shut with a loud bang as chris kicked it closed, and the definite click of the lock echoes as it wraps around them in safety within the enclosed room. it is pitch black, enveloping them in the darkness of the room, and the air is dense with tension mixed with the sweet scent of his cologne.

her back is against the wall, heart racing, nerves tingling. he's close, too close.

there was a pause where he looked deep into her eyes, then his voice shot through the silence, distinctive in its low, playful tone. "what do we do now?"

she exhales sharply, her heart racing wildly as she grows hyper aware of his fingers stroking her wrist, drawing slow, lazy circles around her delicate skin. the touch is so light and airy, almost as though he is not touching her at all, yet it sets a searing spark shooting through her nerves.

“seven minutes," she whispers softly, her chin tossed up in hope though she cannot possibly see him standing in front of her. "Cher my baby… you know it won't only last 7 minutes…”

A harsh chuckle. Then heat.

His body is surprising her by pushing hard against hers. She can distinctly feel the heat radiated from him in his shirt and how his chest rises and falls a little quicker than it was just a second or two before.

His fingers stroke up her arm, slowly and purposely, before they trail along her jawline, eventually tipping her head to the side, making her feel the intimate, close contact between them and making her wonder what he'll do next. His warm breath barely brushes against her lips, a soft tease that sends shivers down her spine.

"Do you want me to keep going?"

She doesn't.

Instead she clenches his shirt material in a tight fist and tugs him down towards her. The kiss starts off slowly at first, as if they are savouring the taste of their saliva mixing, but when she finally pulls away slightly, he takes complete command of the situation.

 His hands move down her waist smoothly, holding tight and drawing her in towards him. She gasps softly as his teeth lightly caress her bottom lip, while his fingers exert just enough pressure to send her head spinning with pleasure.

“Your pretty lips.. Make me wanna fuck you till you keep beggin’ for more..”

His lips start to wander lower, softly grazing along the line of her jaw, down to her collarbone, leaving a trail of small, passionate kisses. Her body is filled with a pleasant shudder as he tenderly murmurs sweet nothings against her delicate skin.

Her hands moved the rest on his shoulders up to grabbing his hair as he kept on going lower. Chris looked up at her looking for consent as he tugged at the hem of her top.

She arched into his touch, her breathing escalating into frantic gasps as he tugged her top over her head and discarded it. His hands were on her in an instant, searching, squeezing, claiming. His mouth wasn't far behind, warm and avid, tracing the line of her neck before latching onto the vulnerable place just below her ear, sucking hard enough to leave a mark.

A pained moan tore from her mouth when he moved her from against the wall to their bed, his body pinning hers underneath his. She tugged chris’ shirt off in one motion, throwing it somewhere random in the room.

"Impatient, aren't you?" he taunted, his voice rough. cher rocked her hips up into him, and he moaned against her neck. "Shut up and get them off," she breathed. His hands moved effortlessly, sweeping her jeans down her legs in a single motion before his palms parted her thighs.  

Admiring the sight in front of him, chris rubbed small circles on her inner thighs. “So wet f’me baby… got you all worked up and haven’t touched you yet…”

She whimpered at his words, her hips shifting involuntarily, searching for relief. Chris smiled, his touch still teasing, still just out of her reach. He liked her like this—needy, desperate, completely desperate for him.

"Patience, sweetheart," he murmured, his fingers trailing higher, ghosting over where she needed him most before retreating just enough to drive her crazy.

A moan of frustration slipped from her mouth. "Chris, please."

He groaned at her begging, his control tenuously thin. After discarding her panties smoothly, he drew a single finger through her wet heat, a low groan breaking from him as he registered how ready she was. "Fuck," he cursed, his eyes black with need. "You're dripping for me."

She gasped when he inserted one finger inside her, slow but purposeful, curling it just so. Her back bowed, a breathless cry on her lips as he inserted another, his thumb pressing against her sensitive bud, circling in perfect rhythm with his movement. "That's it," he whispered, watching her come apart, his mouth skimming her thigh and moving upward. "Let me hear you, baby."

As he felt her coming close, he retreated his fingers out of her velvety walls.

“Chris… noo…” Cher whined restlessly.

Flipping her over in a matter of a second, he pressed cher down to the bed, hands firm on the small of her back, guiding her. She gasped as she felt him behind her, his body hot, his grip possessive as he spread her thighs.  

In an instant his sweatpants and boxers are gone, Chris’ dick springing free.

"You look so fucking good like this," Chris growled, voice thick with lust. His hands skat down her sides before biting into her hips and holding her still as he aligned himself up to her entrance. He didn't ease in; he pushed forward with one deep, claiming thrust that elicited a sharp cry from her throat.  

"Fuck," she gasped, claws digging into the sheets as he set a rough pace, each thrust forcing her forward on him, her body crashing as he inched inside her. The room thudded with the sounds of skin slapping to skin, his breath ragged and hers breaking into low moans.  

Chris reached up, fisted a handful of her hair, wrenching her head back just enough to make her arch for him. "This what you wanted, baby?" he rasped, his other hand cracking down on her ass.  

She moaned, back arching deeper, pushing against him, taking him deeper and deeper. "Yes-God, yes-"  

He groaned and tightened his grip. "Then take it."  

With that, he fucked her harder, pressing against her with his hips, chasing the sweet, unbearable pleasure that sent both of them spiraling toward the edge. 

His pace grew harder, more desperate, every thrust pushing her further into the mattress.

The room erupted in sounds where their bodies collided; the deep, guttural groans of him mixed with the breathless, broken moans of her.  

He pulled her hair back, his chest pressed against her back, lips finding the shell of her ear. "You feel so fucking good," he growled, teeth grazing her skin before biting down just enough to get her to whimper.  

His free hand slipped down her body to that swollen bundle of nerves between her thighs. He didn’t tease; he knew she was already on the edge. Instead, he rubbed tight, merciless circles in time with the punishing rhythm of his thrusts.  

Her body went tense, walls clenching around him and strangled cries ripped from her lips. "Chris- fuck, I'm-"  

"Come for me," he commanded, voice ragged with need. "Let me feel it."  

And then she shattered, waves of pleasure crashing through her with such intensity that she thought she would shatter, her cries muffled against the sheets.  

He cursed under his breath as he felt her clench around him, his rhythm faltering. He held her hips painfully tight and pummeled her a few more times before burying deeply with a rough, shuddering groan, spilling himself deep as he collapsed over her back.  

For a few moments, neither one of them moved, bodies tangled, breaths ragged. Then Chris kissed the small of her shoulder, his touch suddenly gentle as he ran his hands up and down her sides.  

"You okay, baby?" he murmured against her skin, voice softer now.  

She moaned slightly, her body still trembling. "More than okay."  

Chris smirked against her shoulder, pressed another lingering kiss there. "Good," he murmured. "Because I'm not done with you yet." 

a/n ; i had so much fun writing this omd ! thank you chatgpt for helping me out

wc ; 1,7K+

dividers by @bernardsbendystraws

© jointlesss ; do not steal or use without credits or approval of us

[biblical-chronicles]

Lounging

______________________________________

where a nice day out in the park somehow urges you to confess your feelings.

______________________________________

The afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky, spilling gold over everything it touched. The grass beneath you was warm, slightly flattened where you and Lennon had been lounging for the past hour, limbs tangled in that casual way that didn’t mean anything—except maybe it did. A gentle breeze rustled the trees, and every now and then, a distant laugh from some kids playing echoed through the park.

Lennon lay on his back, arms crossed behind his head, eyes closed, the picture of complete relaxation. You stretched out beside him, watching how the sunlight caught in his hair, turning the light brown strands a warmer honey color.

“You look nice,” you said, your voice light but honest.

His smirk deepened, but he didn’t open his eyes. “Yeah?”

You nodded, even though he couldn’t see it. “Mhm. Really nice.”

There was a pause, just the sound of the breeze and the occasional rustle of Lennon shifting slightly, like he was soaking in the compliment. Then, finally, he cracked an eye open and tilted his head toward you.

“You tryna butter me up for somethin’?”

You rolled your eyes, but there was a warmth in your chest that wouldn’t settle. “No, you knob. Can’t I just appreciate the view?”

Now both his eyes were open, and he turned his head properly to look at you. His gaze lingered, soft and unreadable, before he exhaled a quiet laugh. “S’pose I can’t argue with that, can I?”

You shook your head, smiling. “Nope.”

There was a stretch of silence then, but it was the kind that felt nice, comfortable. Lennon reached into his jacket pocket, fishing out a half-melted mint, which he popped into his mouth before offering one to you. You took it, letting the cool taste linger as your eyes drifted over him again—how his shirt had ridden up just slightly, how his fingers drummed lazily against his stomach, how his lips parted slightly as he stared up at the sky.

Something shifted in your chest, and before you could stop yourself, the words spilled out.

“I like you, you know.”

It wasn’t dramatic. Not some huge, heart-pounding confession. Just simple. Honest. Real.

Lennon didn’t react at first—didn’t jump or laugh or make some snarky remark. He just turned his head toward you again, lips still slightly parted like he was processing what you had just said. You held your breath, feeling suddenly exposed, your heart hammering against your ribs.

Then, he grinned. That slow, lazy kind of grin, like he had known all along.

“Yeah?”

You nodded, swallowing. “Yeah.”

His gaze flickered to your mouth for a split second before he shifted, rolling onto his side, propping himself up on one elbow so he was closer to you. The warmth of him was suddenly right there, and you could see the sun glinting in his eyes, could see the faint flush on his cheeks from the heat.

“Took you long enough,” he murmured, and before you could even get out some indignant excuse me?, he leaned in and kissed you.

It was soft at first, he was taking his time, letting the moment sink in. But then his hand found your waist, his fingers curling against the fabric of your shirt, and suddenly it was something more. A little deeper, a little sweeter. Like he had been waiting for this, just like you had.

When you finally pulled back, your faces were still close, noses nearly brushing. He was smiling, all warm and easy. “Reckon this means you’re my bird now, yeah?”

You huffed a laugh, nudging him lightly. “Guess so.”

He grinned again, lying back down, but this time, he tugged you closer, your head resting against his chest. The two of you stayed like that, tangled in the grass, the summer air thick and sweet around you, feeling like maybe—just maybe—this had always been meant to happen.

______________________________________

shorter cute story for today as I am dead busy (boo) and missing summer so much...

but tomorrow I'll be back to the longer format, hope ya liked it xx

[imaginedreamwrite]

Ghoap about to burn the city down because they haven’t seen sunshine in hours and her location was disabled

Turns out she fell asleep studying at the library and her phone died. Sorry alphas !

Sometimes it happens on accident, and sometimes she does it to get a break. Constantly having two alpha's hanging over her shoulder as she tries to do stuff can be incredibly annoying. When she insists that she has to do some classwork and studying, she makes them promise that they have to stay home.

She leaves before they can follow and heads to a library they haven't been too before, because going to the close one isn't quite enough distance. Of course she loves those two alpha's, and because she tries to see the best in everyone, she doesn't necessarily think that they would overreact. She told them she would be back, she promised she would come home no later than 9:00 after she was done her paper.

So when she gets so focused on writing and studying that she misses her phone dying, she doesn't think anything of it. There's clocks in the library, and there's the time displayed right on her laptop, no big deal. Inherently it was a big deal, and she had completely overlooked just how far they would go for her.

Half an hour before she is set to pack up and go, she feels the hair on the back of her neck stand. From the corner of her eyes she can see Simon standing near the entrance, and she catches the slight twist to his scent that is a clear indication of his displeasure. He stands there, both relieved to see her and innately pissed off that she didn't respond to the multitude of missed calls and texts.

"My phone died," she waves the blackened screen sheepishly, bashfulness working it's way up her body. She's wholly caught off guard when Simon throws her over his shoulder to drag her back home, while Johnny gathers her things.

A lesson is going to be taught when she gets home but it won't cause her too much distress.

[skulla-rxcks]

No doubts, all love

Paring: Noah Sebastian X fem reader

Rating: explicit

Genre: smut

Warnings: unprotected, P in V, cr3ampie, wholesome s3x. Oral (fem rec), praise

Word count: 1.2k

Taglist: @f3lix00 @channiesgoodgirl @mal-lunar-28 @bangchans-gf5 @fun-fanfics @iwannabangchan @linosluver

Please dm me or use my inbox if you’d like to be added to the taglist ^^

!THIS IS PURE FICTION, NOTHING IN THIS IS REAL ITS JUST A STORY!

It’s been 4 months since I’ve seen Noah. 4 months that he’s been on tour; it somehow feels like an eternity.

I miss the way he kisses me, the way he feels inside me and his hugs. I feel lost without his comfort, it’s been way too long. I’ve stayed up all night, I’m almost exhausted of waiting. I feel my eyes slowly start to flutter shut, I’ve stayed up tonight wanting to welcome him when he runs through the door, holding and greeting him with my warm arms; pulling him into a hug. A few hours have pasted since he told me that he’d be home, I haven’t heard from him since, maybe his phone died? I let out a sigh and get under my blankets. But then I hear the door open. I’m too tired to greet him at the door like I was planning to; I’m absolutely drained of my energy.

“You in here..?” I hear him say.

“Mhm. I was up waiting..”.

“Fuck. Sorry Angel. Want me to make it up to you or are you too tired?” I nod at his words, please. God. I Need him. I begin stripping desperately, needy. “Noah please..” I cry out, now laying down fully nude before him. “Need you..” a whimper escapes my lips as I reach out to him, shakily unbuttoning his pants and slipping them and his boxers down. “You have me, baby.” He smiles as he takes his shirt off; lifting it up over his head. Both of us are completely bare, admiring each other, our eyes giving the sign of lustfulness.

Noah gets on top of me, kissing my lips softly before entering his tongue into my mouth, our tongues twisting and tasting each other. “Mmgh.. n-Noah..” I moan, opening my legs waiting for him to enter me. “Not yet, patience.” He chuckles, moving down and putting his head between my legs. He starts sucking and licking on my clit, entering two fingers inside of me to stretch me out. “Fuck!” I cry out, my head falling against the pillows as I experience the pleasure and pure bliss. “Shh.. just enjoy.. I missed this, missed your pussy.” He whispers; the words vibrating off my cunt.

“NOAH please! I need you!” I beg, moving his head up and forcing it against my lips, kissing him deeply. “I know you do. Patience.. your cunt is twitching..” he chuckles going back to my pussy; he enters two fingers inside of me finding my special spot almost immediately, he sucks on my clitorus roughly and sloppily. “Fuck.. Noah~” I moan.. “shh..” he shushes me, thrusting his fingers in me sloppily. “I need you. I need your dick please.” I cry out, I’ve never needed him this badly before it’s insane. “Be patient and let me taste you. You’ll get me soon honey.” I nod, whimpering as he thrusts his fingers deeper into me.

“You’re so tight, it’s been so long, too long”.

“Mhm,, I missed you so much Noah..” I sigh, pushing his face deeper into my cunt; my fingers twirling in his hair. “Fuck I missed this taste, missed you.” He mumbles, vigorously licking my clit, scraping his teeth against it slightly. “Gonna make you cum so many times tonight baby.” “Please.. I Need it so badly holy fuck..” i moan out. He proceeds to thrust his fingers deeper into me, stretching me out making sure I’m ready for what’s to come; his dick.

Fuck, his fingers feel so good I missed him so fucking much. I feel myself getting closer and closer to release. “You close?” I nod “mhm,, keep doing that..” he chuckles in response to me, his fingers now pressing against my g spot even more, “you can do it baby, cum on my fingers.” He encourages me. I feel myself final reach my orgasm, cumming all over his fingers, moaning his name as I do so. “Good girl” Noah praises, taking his fingers out of me and licking my release off of them. “You tasted so good.”

“Can I have you now?” I pout, reaching for his boxers. “Sure baby, you’ve been a good girl.”

“Thank you..” I smile, watching as he pulls his boxers off. “Shirt off too.. I wanna see all of you.” I say, tugging on his shirt and helping him pull it over his head watching him stand fully naked before me, he reaches over to the draws next to us and pulls out a condom, I stop him. “No, I want you raw. Please?” I look at him innocently. “But we’ve never done it raw so-“

“I know I just.. need to feel you, need you to breed me, please?” I beg, pouting as I look at him. “Alright, you’re still on the pill, yeah?” I nod, confirming that I am, wanting this even though there’s still a risk. “Okay baby, if you say so.” He smiles. Walking back to me and positioning himself at my hole. Pushing slowly inside my pussy. “Fuck you feel so good raw.. shit..” Noah groans, now fully sheathed inside me.

“I missed you so much holy fuck.” I cry out in pain and pleasure as he begins to thrust inside of me, feeling him bare against my walls, hitting my cervix. Fuck the feeling is unreal! I pull his face to mine and kiss him, our tongues tangling sloppily. “I love you so much..” he says into the kiss, fucking me slow and gentle. “You look so pretty getting railed by me~”

I moan, hugging him tightly as he pounds me. “Fucking gorgeous..” he murmurs, pulling way from the kiss and kissing down my neck, sucking on the skin there; giving me hickeys, marking me so everyone knows I’m his. His hips move faster, pressing against my body as he continues to fuck me. “Oh fuck! So good..” I moan out. The sensation of him fucking me and marking me at the same time being unreal. “Your moans are so pretty.. so fucking hot being in you raw.”

“Noah please.. fuck~” I cry, my hands trailing down to his back, pushing him closer against my body; our bare bodies filling the room with noises of slapping skin and the smell of sex. “Please what baby?” He asks, continuing to nipple on my neck, sending vibrations of pleasure throughout my body. “Please, more.. need you more.” My voice is mixed with my whimpers as he rails me. “So needy~” he teases before moving faster, his cock hitting my cervix with every thrust, being as deep as he can go, making me moan and making my body clingy and needier just for him.

“Fuck such a good girl for me..” he praises me again. “I’m getting close Angel, you sure you want me to fill you up? Want me to breed you full?” He chuckles, making sure I’m certain about what I want. “Please Noah.. I Need you, need your cum, need all of you..” i feel myself getting tighter around him, our climaxes both approaching at the same time. “Gonna fill you up nice and good baby.” He groans, picking up his pace. “Please~” I cry out, feeling him final cum, filling me up, making me whimper at the feeling of it. “Fuck.. Noah..” I sigh, bringing his face to mine and kissing him deeply. “I love you.” He says, kissing me as he finally finishes filling me up. “I love you more.”

[greenbubblefactory]

Matchup for @a-kind-pandemic-disaster

Congratulations you have a match with..

Idia Shroud !

★At first glance, you and Idia might seem like an odd pairing,him, a socially anxious shut-in with an aversion to anything remotely resembling human interaction, and you, a quiet but motherly presence who’s patient to a fault. But in reality? You two fit together almost too well, like characters in a slow-burn romance visual novel that he swears he totally hasn’t been imagining in his head.

★The first time he meets you, Idia is convinced you’re a background character from an eerie, gothic-themed otome game. Your aesthetic dark academia meets pastel goth completely captivates him, though he’s far too awkward to say so outright. Instead, he just stares a little too long before quickly hiding behind his tablet, sending Ortho out to do most of the talking while he tries to figure out how to interact with someone who looks that cool. He might even mumble something like, “Ugh, why does this feel like the setup to a tragic romance route? If this were an anime, I’d be doomed.”

★Despite his initial hesitance, Idia is drawn to your presence, partially because you’re not overly pushy and partially because he can sense that you, too, prefer quieter spaces. You don’t force him to step too far outside his comfort zone, and that alone makes you one of the safest people he’s ever met. And then there’s the moment he learns that you’re a writer. A horror and romance writer.

★At that point, Idia is both intrigued and horrified. On one hand, he’s deeply impressed,your ability to weave eerie, unsettling narratives is the kind of thing that could rival top-tier visual novel scripts. On the other hand, he’s paranoid.What if you write villains that are way too attractive? WHAT IF YOU BASE YOUR CHARACTERS ON REAL PEOPLE?? He panics for a full three hours before Ortho convinces him to just ask you about it like a normal person.

★When he finally works up the courage, Idia is surprised by how easily he can talk to you about horror. Despite being a total scaredy-cat when it comes to jumpscares, he’s the type who will stay up until 4 AM deep-diving into horror game lore, and now? Now he has someone to rant to about his theories. He even starts reading your work in secret, claiming he’s just skimming it, but then sending you random messages at 2 AM like:

★"Okay, so first of all, how dare you write such an insanely good plot twist? And second of all, if I have nightmares, you’re dealing with them."

★And then there’s gaming. Idia practically malfunctions when he finds out you love gaming as much as he does. He’s usually too anxious to play with people in real life, but with you? It’s different. You don’t judge him when he gets too competitive, you’re patient when he rambles about obscure mechanics, and you’re just as content as he is to spend hours co-op grinding. He low-key starts treating gaming sessions with you like dates, even though he’s too embarrassed to admit it. If you ever make a slideshow game specifically for him, that’s it. That’s the moment he realizes he’s completely and utterly doomed. He keeps every single one of them, even the goofy ones, and will occasionally replay them when he misses you.

★Idia also relates to your struggles in a way that most people wouldn’t. As someone who’s also neurodivergent, he understands the exhaustion that comes from masking, the way overworking can become a coping mechanism, and how easy it is to trust the wrong people. He tries not to be obvious about it, but he’ll start looking out for you in small ways reminding you to take breaks, hacking into NRC’s system to lighten your workload (not that he’d ever admit it), and casually “forgetting” to log off when he knows you’re up late with insomnia, just so you won’t feel alone.

★Your relationship is built on mutual understanding. He doesn’t force you to socialize more than you’re comfortable with, and you don’t pressure him to step too far outside his bubble. But at the same time, you help each other grow. You remind him that it’s okay to take small steps toward the outside world, and in return, he teaches you the beauty of existing in your own little space without guilt.

★And if anyone ever tries to take advantage of your kindness? Oh, they better be ready. Idia may not be the type to fight people outright, but he will ruin them digitally. He may not always know how to express his affection verbally, but his actions whether it’s tweaking an algorithm to make sure you never get bad gacha pulls or programming a custom AI to read you horror stories late at night speak volumes.

★To everyone else, he might just be NRC’s most reclusive, gaming-obsessed shut-in. But to you? He’s your favorite co-op partner, your biggest (secret) fan, and the one person who truly gets you.

★Idia is your chaotic, nerdy gremlin who understands your struggles and shows his love through digital devotion and quiet companionship.

English is not my first language so I'm sorry if there are any spelling mistakes!

[nottodayupstarts]

That's what I've been SAYING. the chozen-hawk duo could've been so good and yet. yet it remains so unexplored.

if their narrative parallels and mirrored character arcs don't convince you, then let me say that hawk would see chozen doing ONE (1) cool takedown and instantly start clinging to his arm like a puppy.

hawk asks him to demonstrate something he did earlier in class, and once chozen shows him he picks up on it in just a couple tries because hawk is hawk. and chozen's like "ah well, you are the champ for a reason." and hawk kinda shrugs it off, "oh I guess so. I don't really feel like it sometimes tho"

and they get to talking and chozen tells him about his past with Daniel. and hawk is blown away that this guy in front of him was ever anything like he himself was. and soon enough they start bonding and next thing you know hawk is staying after lessons each day to do one-on-one sparring with him. and chozen refines his offense and teaches him defense because god knows he internalizes "best defense is more offense." after all, he wins fights not by avoiding or blocking hits but by bulldozing past them, layering aggression on his opponent in the moment , willing himself not to feel the pain until the fight's over, and icing his wounds in the night.

hawk gets his ass kicked over and over again while he learns, but eventually he starts scoring more and more hits. until one day he and chozen are sparring, and he manages to deflect chozen's knife hand, grabbing his palm, and uses the opening to duck under his arm and twists behind his back, jabbing his ribs and pinning chozen in an s-arm, all in the matter of a couple seconds.

and it's just silent for a minute.

chozen's proud of his student, impressed by the way he used miyagi techniques in his own, hawk-like way he hadn't seen before. he knows how to get out of this hold but he doesn't see the need to, not when hawk has surprised him in a way he hasn't surprised like in a very long time.

but hawk?? he's internally freaking out, "I should not have done that." because his hands still hold the memory of just how much force it took to break Demetri's arm, just how much he twisted, hell the exact angle he had it at. and kreese? when he and kreese had sparred, kreese had been unforgiving. He never pulled his punches but he sure as hell had no trouble pulling out his knives. his words still echoed through his bones, "finish the fight"

and he knew chozen wasn't like that, that he's not going to put him in a situation like that, but for a minute he was back at the cobra kai dojo, staring at white words on a black wall.

and then reality comes back, he breathes and releases the arm he's been holding for too long. and he's shaky and upset, and he just sits down on the deck he engineered, lost and a little afraid chozen is going to be upset. but chozen just sits down next to him and has a deep heart to heart, assuring him.

"Healing is not linear. It takes time."

"But I don't need to heal! I was the one who hurt them."

"You hurt them because you were being hurt. You have redeemed yourself, Hawk. They have forgiven you."

Chozen lets the words hang in silence before continuing: "Now you must forgive yourself."

Hawk proceeds to have a complete mental breakdown, but chozen is there for him for all of it, and helps him stand back up almost an hour later. hawk thinks maybe he can forgive himself, and he begins healing.

those two form a bond just as close as Johnny and Miguel, and it's frankly both adorable and concerning to see (they'd prank everyone in the dojo to hell and back and get away with it each time). hawk talks about chozen to literally everyone. his friends. his parents. his neighbors. even counselor blatt gets some of it (he still hates her and he sure as hell doesn't trust her but at least she was kinda entertaining now that she wasn't a conduit for creating his hell anymore). and chozen talks about him to Daniel and Johnny too. "he mastered this kata yesterday!" or "look at this grappling hook he's picked up." they tease him for adopting his own karate kid but they're both happy for him.

and chozen openly admits it, hawk is is favorite and everyone knows it by now. he gifts him his personal sai blades he's had for almost 20 years for his birthday and everyone pretends not to see hawk shedding a couple tears. a few days later, when chozen finally gets his own apartment, hawk helps him move in and when they finish, he shyly hands him a framed photo of them sam had given him, taken weeks earlier unbeknownst to either of them, bowing to each other as they finished sparring for the day (nobody comments during the housewarming party when the picture was prominently displayed in the middle of his living room wall).

anyways, I really do love the chozen-hawk duo and I wish s5 had given us that (two or three scenes would've been enough to fulfill my desires but of course not). what a missed opportunity.

my biggest cobra kai regret is that they didn't roll with hawk and chozen as a sensei/student pairing. those two would have been incredible.

[fisherrprince]

paradise

(INSPIRED DIRECTLY FROM THIS ITS COOL)

[bookshelf-in-progress]

Gosh, do I love discovery writing. The freedom. The sense of play. The way you have to hold the material lightly and follow where it leads, never being afraid to scrap things that don't work or to rewrite to emphasize things that do. You have the fun of discovering the story you're writing rather than the frustration of being unable to capture the ideas in your head. This way might wind up taking ages, but it makes the writing process such a joy.