#the Kyle on the right- I couldn’t find the perfect one I had to do it myself— river oh my god ily I’m kissing you rn I hope you can feel it🥹

[plugnuts]

an outlaw tweekee for u <3

WHATAGT OHBYYM GOODD IM!! RIVER YOU CANT JUST ATATCK ME LIEK THIS 😭 ILLYYY🥺🥺 /POS

[halcyone-of-the-sea]

hello love! can i make a request for gaz x f!reader she a civilian and a florist and he keeps visiting her and they slowly fall for each other and he calls her his sunflower or something cute like that? you can make up the rest, sorry if it’s not super detailed!

Gossamer Silk Smiles

Pairing: Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick x F!Florist!Reader

Synopsis: You loved your job more than anything, and at the end of the day, even with pricked fingers and cramped muscles, you went to bed happy. It had all been going well, insanely well. You were focused; self-assured... Until he showed up. 

Word Count: 6.1k

Warnings: Insane amount of fluff, this is the definition of a soft fic, beginning of a relationship

A/N: I know this man would treat me right. Also changed the nickname around a bit, but sunflowers are still prominent. Enjoy, Anon!

*I do not give others permission to translate and/or re-publish my works on this or any other platform*

When you opened your flower shop, you told yourself there was no going back – no distractions or second options. This was what you loved more than anything and at the end of the day, even with pricked fingers and cramped muscles, you went to bed happy. It had all been going well, insanely well. 

Until he showed up. 

It had been a shitty day, one for the record books, in your opinion. Shipments for Larkspur, Zinnias, and Sunflowers had come to the shop damaged. The boxes had been so beaten up you half-believed the mail carrier had gotten into a personal disagreement with them. All initial humor aside, you were now out of this week's product as well as a good chunk of money – the flowers couldn’t even be considered that anymore, seeing as they were really just broken stems and stray crumpled pedals. Then came the unusual amount of rude customers and the building of minor inconveniences. 

But to your credit, you didn’t let it get to you. 

Well…externally, at least. 

“Have a great rest of your day,” you force out with a strained smile to an older woman who only huffs. She stalks out of the shop with a vase full of Daylilies, Purple Cornflowers, Yarrow, and Taro leaves. “I hope your brother gets well soon–” The glass door shuts with a clatter of the small silver bell attached to the frame. 

Leaning back on your heels, your eyes close; taking down a deep breath, you hope your lungs won't explode in your chest as you hold it there. 

“Fucking hell.” The air flies from you in a weak groan. 

Your fingers tap against the countertop, and a small, humorless, chuckle later you’re walking out to change the window sign to closed instead of open. It was well past your usual shift anyways, but the previous customer had been relentless about the ‘perfect bouquet.’

“Like there’s even such a thing,” your lips twist into an annoyed frown as you speak to yourself in a grumble. “...Should have just denied her service… Didn’t even leave a tip.” 

You really wouldn’t have minded helping her that much if she had just been kinder towards you.

Grabbing the small paper sign held up by a suction-cup hook, you flip it around with little thought, already trying to plan out a way to make up for the weeks worth of ruined product. You don’t even notice the man speeding down the sidewalk until his desperate face is staring right into yours – only separated by a thin piece of glass. 

Yelping, your shoulders tense at the sudden visage. 

The man was around your age, tall, and had a handsome face inlaid with eyes reminiscent of deep amber. Light reflected off the iris in ways you can only describe as the glinting sun does off waves of water; gentle. Nearly soft, really. He was wearing a ball cap with an embroidered British flag on the front and had a panicked look set on his lips. 

Close to the door handle, his long fingers freeze mid-air and you find the prominent muscular build and set of his shoulders staining the back of your eyelids like a movie screen. Whoever this guy was, it didn’t stray from the fact that he was attractive.

You’re not happy about it, but your mind blanks as you stare with wide eyes; heart steady in your breast. 

He blinks at you, square jaw loose, also double-taking from beyond the see-through barrier. His flickering eyes flew quickly over your form just as you had ogled him moments prior. 

Silly, perhaps, and childish at best, but you felt your throat tighten with stilled breath. There was a small chunk of time that you both just gawked at each other – as if Cupid had suddenly stabbed you both with one of his blots; gazes inexplicably locked as blood dripped to the floor from copper arrowheads.

If you were more gullible, you would have called it love at first sight. But you were anything but that. 

Sighing, you rip your eyes away and take a breath. Opening the door with more questions than answers, you were praying that it didn’t get dark before you could help this man with whatever it is that he needed. 

I can see the fucking veins on his forearms. You think as the chilled air hits your face,  recalling the peek you sent to the rolled-up sleeves of this stranger’s blue button-down. 

The bell above you dings as you set the door in the crook of your shoulder, leaning out halfway. Clearing your throat, you ask steadily, “Can I help you, Sir…?” 

He sets his stubbled jaw, vision snapping to the side for a split second that was so fast you almost missed it. 

“Erm…my apologies, Ma’am, for rushing up like that.” He lets off a chuckle, and the flag on his hat is quickly explained away by the prominent accent. “Hope I didn’t worry you.” 

Fighting the uptick of your lips you feel your chest let go of a sliver of tension. He was smiling slightly at you, the khaki pants he wears creasing as his feet set themselves; his brown eyes never leave your face. 

Respectful, you think.

“Not every day you have people trying to barge into a flower shop. Trust me, Sir, I sleep well knowing no one wants to rob me.” Attempting a light joke, the stranger's chest jerks in a silky laugh. The tips of your ears heat, the blood under your skin rushing. 

His laugh was like a blanket during a storm; a cup of hot chocolate during a blizzard. Could you be attracted to a laugh? You seemed to ask yourself. Already your mind was coming up blank at this, all of a sudden, welcome intrusion. 

“Well, I’d imagine that’s a good thing, then?” He teases showing off pearly white teeth.

“Incredibly.” Opening the door wider, you beam. “You’re lucky I was still here. I’d normally be all locked up by now.”

You should be closing – telling this stranger to leave and come back tomorrow – but something inside of you told you to just open the door. It was illogical, unprofessional, and downright strenuous on your already foul mood…but this individual had such an air to him that you wondered who exactly he was. He made your skin pule with goosebumps.

“Thanks,” the man utters as he slips inside, nodding his head to you and fixing the position of his hat with one hand. “Yeah…I’m incredibly sorry about this but I’m runnin’ on a bit of a time crunch, to be honest with you. I’ve been checking every shop in town – you’re the only one with the lights still on…” He looks to you, “I really hope I’m not causing any trouble for you, Ma’am.”

Slipping your fingers into your work apron’s pockets, you let the door shut and tilt your head to the side, gaze softening at the pure candor of his words. 

“Emergency flower orders are always my favorites to work on. It’s no problem, really.” You say your name as an introduction and ask what he would like to purchase as he scratches at the back of his neck with a boyish twist to his lips. 

“Kyle Garrick.” He sticks out his hand and you shake it instantly. Kyle’s hands are warm despite the cold weather outside, and you have to stop yourself from melting into him as you pull back. But already your skin tingles. “Actually, I was wondering if you might be able to help me on that front. What flowers would be the best for an apology?…just not something too flashy, if that’s possible.” 

He trails with an awkward chuff, obviously not used to being in a flower shop before. You wondered if he even had a favorite flower. You hoped he did.

You could really tell a lot about someone based on the types of flora they surrounded themselves with.

“Apology?” You wonder, tilting your head. Quickly falling into work mode, you continue, “I can work with that. Do you have any preferences? Colors?”

“Well, she likes orange, yeah?” He speaks and your heart sputters for a moment. Smile freezing. “I don’t suppose that’ll help very much, but it’s really all I have to go off of. I’m a bit of a hopeless bastard when it comes to flowers.” Kyle lets off a huff of laughter.

She. Of course, he’s already in a relationship. 

Nodding, you swiftly walk past the man, catching the scent of fresh-tilled earth and rainy grass as your shoulders nearly brush. You can’t help but feel a little disappointed. It wasn’t every day you found yourself attracted to someone. But, oh well, life continues on.

“Well,” heading towards the wall baskets, your body feels heavy, but you quickly force it to the side. You really shouldn’t be surprised. “You said orange? I have about seven you can pick from.”

“Affirmiti–erm, yes, Ma’am.”  

“Hm.” You hear him come up behind you, following at a respectful distance. Throwing a glance over your shoulder, you watch as his eyes slide over the various types of flowers, all separated by color, with deep thought. 

A slight furrow was in his dark brow. His dedication was adorable. 

“What’s this one called?” Kyle asks, moving around you to a bushel of orange poppies and accidentally bumping into your side. 

Grunting, you lightly jerk forward until a hand swiftly grabs your shoulder. Eyelashes fluttering, you look up with shock at the embarrassed face slightly leaning over you. 

“Shit, I’m sorry. That’s my bad.” 

“N-no, you’re fine.” God, this was so awkward. Smiling shakily, you feel the press of his hand over your skin, separated only by the thin barrier of your shirt. Kyle squeezes your flesh before letting go. 

He was staring at you, though. Brown eyes set into dark skin with a soft expression like Pygmalion staring at his marble-wrought Galatea. But as quickly as it was there, the look was gone and the man was clearing his throat, snapping his neck back to the basket and shifting his feet.

Even if you couldn’t explicitly see it, you knew he was blushing – just the same as the heat in your capillaries mirrored. Swallowing to get rid of the dryness of your throat, you realize you’ve been gawking before sliding your hands into your pockets and quickly looking away. 

Why won’t my heart stop beating so fast?

“Those are Orange Poppies. Papaver orientale.” Speaking, you reach forward and grab the stem of a single bloom holding it to him as he gazes down at you from your side. “Common in ‘get well soon’ bouquets, if you were curious.” 

Holding it up to him, you watch his fingers delicately pluck it from you like the flower was made of glass. It nearly made you laugh, but you settled on a small smile instead. 

“It’s pretty…” Kyle pauses, and you read it well enough.

“...But not what you were looking for.” Settling on the answer, you giggle when he passes off a sheepish smile and a nod. “I kind of guessed. Here – how about this.” 

He ends up buying a handful of orange Tulips, Myrtle leaf for greenery, and a small gathering of Baby’s-Breath. Behind the counter, you try to stay focused on setting the flora perfectly in the clear vase as your clippers lay beside it. Frowning, you take the long stem of a Tulip and snip the end at an angle, placing it to the far left of the rest with a concentrated set of your eyebrows. 

“So,” Kyle says, breaking the silence, and your fingers twitch as your spell is shattered. Soul stilling, you look up at him as he waits on the other side of the counter with his arms comfortably crossed. He leans back on his heels, feet shoulder-length apart. “Busy day today, then? Other places around here are mostly dark by five.”

Standing straighter, you politely smile before going back to the arrangement, hand reaching for the small white tufts of Baby’s-Breath.

“Mostly, yeah.” You cock your head to the side, “I was supposed to be home two hours ago, but one lady was very adamant about getting the most ‘perfect’ flowers, as she told it.” 

Chuckling humorlessly, you step back and stare at the vase, not aware of the eyes stuck on the tired slump of your shoulders or the slight frown staining the man’s lips. 

“Two hours? Well, that’s a bit excessive.” Kyle remarks, eyelids creasing, “I’d hope she at least left a tip for you?” 

That gets a laugh out of you, lungs jerking for a moment; focus once more brought back to the present at the preposterous words that just left your customer’s mouth. Those brown eyes suck you back in to a point where you wonder if you’d ever be able to look away.

“Now that’s funny, Mr. Garrick.”

He lets the subject drop, but you notice a slight crease in-between in brows – a narrowness to his eyes that wasn't there before. You try not to think too much into it, but Kyle certainly did seem like the man to get upset when people aren’t treated respectfully. The thought warms your heart. 

Or maybe I’m just reading too much into this. 

“Is there anything you’d like me to rearrange, Sir…? Do you want a note to go with it?” Seemingly lost in thought, Kyle comes back to you with a diligent shake of his head.

“It looks perfect, Love. And, please, just Kyle’s alright. You’re makin’ me sound like an old man when you talk like that.” He chuckles, and it’s a rich, velvety sort of thing – twisted with blue satin and wrapped in a gentle breeze. Your stomach twists. 

“Then I suppose that’s it, then. I’ll get you the bill and you can be on your way.” Turning around to calculate the total price, you make a quick comment in passing, not really thinking about it as you tap on your calculator. “I hope your girlfriend and you make up.” 

A stunned silence falls, but you only focus on the numbers, jotting down the total on a sticky note and turning around after re-running the costs a last time. When your eyes lock with him, your feet stall at the dumbfounded look on Kyle’s face and the confusion ingrained in his body language. His head had pulled back slightly, hat tilted.

“What’s that?” He asks. 

“Your…girlfriend?” You say slowly, walking closer and passing him the sticky note, “you said you were getting her apology flowers?” 

The handsome man blinks at you before realization lights in his eyes like fire. Kyle laughs deeply, putting a hand on top of his head and pressing down on his cap.

“Oh, Bloody hell, no.” He takes a deep breath and you feel your lips pressed together in confusion, innocent intrigue taking place in your skull. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart, I should have told you right off. This is for my mum.” 

Blinking in surprise you pause, looking up with wide eyes. 

Sweetheart?...Mum?! Your face heats to an intense level. Oh. 

“O-oh I didn’t…” He’s reaching for his wallet with a large lop-sided smile on his face and understanding eyes, watching you as he flips it open. You settle with a single laugh and say, “sorry, I guess I just assumed.”

But you can’t help the sudden relief that sprouted out of nowhere that leaves your lips pulling back in a mirrored grin. You’d been doing that a lot, as of the last fifteen minutes. 

“It’s no problem,” Kyle admits, “Thing is, I’ve been off on deployment for a while, and I missed my return date party, unfortunately. Just got back about noon today and I decided I was going to surprise her tonight.” The man pulls out a large stack of bills, “Thought she’d like that, yeah? Can’t go wrong with flowers, can you?” 

“You’re in the military?” You ask smoothly but internally swoon at the thought of a son giving his mother flowers out of the kindness of his heart. Whoever she was, you know the woman who raised this man would be overjoyed with the prospect of simply having him home safe and sound before anything else. 

Did not Penelope, wife of Odysseus, care for her son Telemachus more than anything? Above danger and possible death? They protected each other. You supposed it was the same in this situation. 

Being able to be a part of it made your legs weak.

“Something like that, Ma’am.” Kyle’s lips flick into a smirk as he hands you the bills. “Feels like I’m surrounded by children most days, but there’s no place I’d rather be…When I’m not nearly getting my head bloody blown off, that is.”

You huff in amusement, and slight concern, taking the payment and settling it on the counter without checking the numbers; never doubting whether he gave you the right amount or not.  

“Well, it seems like you’ve got it all figured out.” Garrick looks to his feet for a moment, pocketing his wallet, and clears his throat near mutely. He tilts his head back up to you.

“Nearly,” he whispers under his breath, a delicate wrinkle on his forehead as his lips pull in a minute, closed, grin. Sheepishly, you look away from his intense brown gaze before you can make a fool of yourself as giddiness sparks in your racing heart. What was happening to you? You have to ask yourself. Where was all of this blatant scatterbrained activity stemming from? No one had ever made you act like this before. 

As you look away, your eyes unintentionally land on the wall clock across the room, and your thoughts still like water in a puddle. Eyes widening comedically, you feel your lips part. 

“I really need to be closing up.” You say apologetically, looking back to the man who touches one of the Myrtle leaves carefully, running it between his thumb and forefinger. Under you, your feet shift over the floor. “Is this all you’ll be needing?” 

“Pretty sure.” Garrick answers easily, “I won't keep you any longer, eh? I’d hate it if I made you go home by yourself after dark.” 

“That’s very thoughtful, Kyle, thank you.” Pushing the vase over the counter, he takes it up and pauses as if he wants to say something. His mouth opens before closing – looking at his feet for a moment and itching at his neck with his free hand. 

“I…don’t want to make you uncomfortable, Ma’am,” your breath hollows, watching carefully as you listen. “But, uh, I,” Kyle shifts his eyes to your face, standing a bit straighter as the corner of his lip flicks up, “You’re just about the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met – if that’s not overstepping, of course.” 

He laughs stiffly to dispel tension, and the air suddenly gets ten times hotter at the brutally honest, if not mildly stuttered, confession. You can nearly hear the blood rushing to your head like a flood of ocean water – more violent and immediate than a tsunami. In your ribcage, your bones ache at the beating organ and the swell of your lungs. Having to take a deep breath to not forget yourself entirely, your mind rages.

Did he really just say that? He…he called me beautiful. 

When was the last time you had been called that? By such a lovely and kind man nonetheless. Kyle seemed like a confident person, his profession telling you that already, but the way he was acting now he seemed hesitant; like he was appalled by the fact you would take what he was saying the wrong way and come off creepy. 

But that was so blatantly opposite of how you were reacting. 

“I-” You stutter, eyes snapping away and hands coming to hold themselves in front of your abdomen, “well, I think you’re very handsome, yourself, Kyle.” A meek expression spreads your visage as you see the breath in his chest hitch, “and I wouldn’t call that overstepping at all. Not by a long shot.” 

His eyes widen, and a second of intense eye contact later, he smiles and glances away. Garrick sneaks looks as you bite your lip, and finally, he nods firmly before his phone starts to ring in his pocket. 

As if a switch had turned, his hand snaps down and grasps the device, peeling it out of his khakis and checking the contact. Immediately he utters.

“Oh, Shit, this is her. I’ve got to run.” He walks backward a few steps before turning and lightly jogging to the front door. Following with your eyes, you’re somewhat entranced by the man. 

Before he can walk through the door, he stops in his tracks.

“Sorry, again,” Kyle turns back around, and his dark eyebrows crease, “but, uh, what days are you open?” 

The giddy smile that forms on your cheeks leaves your skin hurting.

“All of ‘em except the weekends,” you say, confidence suddenly sprouting in your veins, “but I’m sure if you told me ahead of time that you were stopping by, I’d make an exception.”

“I’d imagine for emergency flowers only?” Kyle teases, a smirk on his face. His eyes promise you, though, that this will not be the last time you see him. 

“Of course.” You reply, raising a brow. “I’m a florist, after all, Garrick. Emergency flowers are my specialty. If you’re ever in need of more, I’ll be here, waiting.”

He laughs, stares for a few seconds longer with a distant sheen, and disappears through the door. You don’t follow when his form fades from the windows entirely. You don’t ask for his number, even if you knew you should have. You don’t look at the amount he gave you as you put it in the register, knowing, even by your intuition, that it is double the amount he was due. 

You’d just tell him all about it when you saw him again.

Until Kyle Garrick showed up you had been focused; as immovable as a mountain, but then as the days drew on, you faltered. Your eyes would linger on the glass as people pass by, heart in your throat and feet tapping as you bound stems. Flowers had taken up so much of your life, but now another was trying to push its way in – slowly infecting you like a parasite in your mind as the days went on. 

And as he kept showing up, month after month, he had taken to calling you Persephone. A goddess of spring and nature; beautiful flowers of all colors and shapes growing on hills and in vibrant meadows. It was perhaps the greatest compliment someone like you could have been given. At first, it had been a nickname until it had become as common as your actual title, and Kyle used it so much even regular customers teased you with it with smirks and side-eyes. You only rolled your optics with a burning under your skin and a small smile.

“Well, look, it’s Persephone…”

“That boy of yours here, Persephone? Hiding in the back room perhaps?”

“Persephone – you have any Peonies this week?”

You didn’t mind it…really, you didn’t. If anything, you thought it was precious. A man comparing you to a goddess that danced in green fields as flowers sprouted at her feet? Yes, that was quite alright.

Quite alright, indeed.

—

The office room was cold, he thought. Nearly a meat locker. 

How in the hell can he stand to work in here, Kyle asked himself. Bloody place is like a damn winter storm just minus the snow. 

He was seated in one of the two chairs in front of the mahogany desk, hands on the armrests and feet tapping the floor. When the Sergeant had gotten the order on his radio to come to Captain Price’s office ASAP, he had expected the man to already be here, but five minutes later he was still sitting in silence. 

That wasn’t to say he was bored, though. He was thinking of you. He could never be bored when he did that. 

It brings a small smile to Garrick’s face as he relives your last interaction, lips unconsciously twitching as his eyes grow distant. 

You’d made him a flower crown, mostly as a joke, but had been left in raging fits of laughter when you’d placed it on his head. 

“Hold still,” you grunt, sitting on the front counter and keeping the weaved headpiece in your grip as it hovers above the man’s scalp, “I want to get it centered on the first go.”

“Y’know,” Kyle chuffs, “I could always do it myself – I do have working hands, Love.” 

“Shush!” Exclaiming, your breath fans his face, leaving him more still than a statue, if only to smell your scent and be content with your body so close to his. Kyle was still working out the best way to ask you out officially, but that didn’t seem to extend to his instinctual actions when it came to you. It was increasingly hard to stop his head from leaning just that tiniest bit forward and connecting his lips to yours. 

The pressure on his head brings him back, and his eyes blink as if they could force all the rogue thoughts from his mind. Kyle clears his throat when you lean back, acutely aware of the longing set of his dark brows as he had stared off at you. 

“Well, then,” The Sergeant clears his throat and smiles at your concentrated face, though he notices the hitch in your chest with a strange sense of pride. “How’s it lookin'? Is just as you imagined, eh?”

Your face scrunches, head tilting. Kyle couldn’t remember a time he’d let someone put a wreath of flowers on his head, woven with Forget-Me-Nots, Silver Dollar Eucalyptus, and Tiger Lillies. The others would make fun of him for this. 

But he found he cared little. If you kept smiling at him like that, he’d let you do anything to him in a heartbeat. 

“Perfect.” You chuckle. “You should have let me do this earlier.”

The shop was closed – it was a weekend, after all, and that was the time for restocking and number crunching. Not really the time for making crowns for a man who was totally smitten with you.  

“You sure that you don’t need these?” Kyle asks, a hand reaching up to his head to touch the flora. “I’d hate to not pay you for them, Love. Can only imagine how expensive they are to order.” 

“Eh,” rolling your eyes, your legs brush the Sergeant’s hips from where they sit around them, and the man has to remember how to breathe properly, “they’re the old product, anyway. I’d have to get rid of them by Monday. Better for such a handsome individual to have a crown of his own, with all the gallantry he practices in his job. It’s the least I could do, hm?”

You’re teasing him, a smirk taking up the frame of Kyle’s vision. He returns the action, hands coming to rest on either side of your hips; leaning forward until his nose with mere inches away. He hears your chest rattle with a slow breath.

“Are you teasin’ me, Persephone?” He asks sneakily, as you begin to giggle. “Insinuating I need a flower crown to be recognized at work? It’ll certainly get me attention, that’s for sure, yeah? Just not the kind I want. Soap’ll have a field day.” 

“He’d just make a few comments, I’m sure.” 

“You’ve never met him. The bloke would never let it go until the day I kicked the bucket.” You’re laughing, one hand coming up to cover your mouth. 

Kyle hates himself at that moment because you’ve never looked so beautiful, and he can’t quite pick up the courage to just lean in. So he watches with a matching look of happiness and an embarrassing, yet adored, flower crown on top of his close-shaven head. He watches with an ache in his chest and a violent beat to his heart as your body heat melts into him; urging him, prompting him. 

But he just smiles and watches a moment longer before taking a step back. 

“Sir,” Garrick asks, settling back down and watching the older man slink behind his desk, “What’s all this about?” 

The door opens with a firm hand. Kyle startles to his feet, tuning and about to go into an instinctual formal greeting before the Captain speaks, beating him to it.

“At ease, Sergeant. Take a seat.”  

Price sighs as he takes a seat, slapping a large file that was previously in his hand to the wood before opening his drawer with a grunt. Gaz watches with narrowed eyes as his superior ignores his question, pulling out a large cigar from a lockbox and slotting it between his lips. A lighter follows soon after, and soon the smell of burning tobacco enters the air. 

“...Captain?” Kyle was starting to get nervous now. Why was he looking at him like that? Blue eyes seem to dig deep into Gaz’s soul, trying to find something that was hidden behind layers and layers of flesh and bone. 

John pulls the stick from his lips and holds it between his fingers, smoke now entering the air and rising to perforate like mist. Feet shifting over the floor, Kyle’s heart skips a beat. 

What in the hell is going on? 

That’s when the bearded man speaks. 

“Well, who are they, then?” Price asks, tilting his head forward as his bucket hat sits where it usually does atop his brown hair. The Captain’s eyes are squinted; curious but still laced with that authority that never seemed to leave no matter how many years the two had known each other. 

“Pardon, Sir?” Gaz has to ask, confusion prominent in his expression. “They?”

John raises a thick brow as if the answer was obvious.

“You’re distracted. Been checking your phone like it’s going to explode the last few days. So,” the Captain stares at him heavily, taking another drag before placing the cigar in his ashtray and breathing out a cloud of smoke. He leans forward and places his hands on the table, as Kyle watches, perplexed, “who is it, Sergeant? No use hiding it.”

“I…” Gaz trails before blinking dumbly, lips parting, “oh, hell, was it that obvious?”

“Painfully.” The answer makes the younger man cringe and his skin pulls tight. A pause leaves the room silent, the Sergeant avoiding his Captain’s gaze as he tilts his head away for a moment. He clears his throat. 

“She’s just…” Kyle clears his throat, “someone I met in the city. A florist. Down on Main Ave.”

“A florist, eh?” Grunting, John nods his head to himself. “Asked the bird out, then?” 

“What?” Snapping his head up, Gaz says loudly with stuttering lips, “N-no, Sir. Not yet.” 

The man ahead of him hums, leaning back and flipping his file open, taking a moment to pick up the first page and skim the contents with small eyes. He looks over the top with a blank expression. 

“I’d get on that, Son.” 

—

Today was different, you knew. Something was going to happen. An unexplainable feeling was in the back of your mind, making you somewhat anxious even if you didn’t know exactly why. It was like a sheet had been thrown over your head and someone had just told you to run in circles without hitting a wall; feet tied with a rope. 

The morning had started off normal, as had everything else that followed, but there was an air of expectation wafting in front of you. 

What’s going on? You ask as you wipe down the counter with a wet rag, swiping stray leaves and petals into the garbage bin at your feet. Why am I feeling like I’m expecting something to happen? 

It was Tuesday – nothing astounding ever happens on Tuesdays. 

The front door opens with the ringing of a silver bell, and you say absentmindedly, still caught in your thoughts, “be with you in a moment!” 

A cough startles you, your hand squeezing the rag a bit tighter as your neck twists upwards. 

“Hope I’m not interrupting.” 

“Kyle,” you laugh and take a breath, “I didn’t expect you today…” 

Freezing, your lips part in a silent gasp when you see it. The man you had come to have quite the crush on was standing a few paces from the door, dressed in a nice shirt and dress pants, jacket in the crook of his arm. He holds a single Sunflower in his grasp. 

It wasn’t anything overly impressive, a bit small and dead at the tips, but nonetheless, your heart stuttered at the gift. Staring at it silently, you turn your gaze to Kyle as his feet shift over the floor nervously. A strange look had overtaken his face, but he had a confident air to him that you’d been seeing more and more of the last few visits. 

“What’s this?” You ask carefully, body going hot all over and lungs swelling. 

You’d loved flowers for most of your life; worshiped them like the people of Delphi worshiped their god-chosen Oracle. But never could you recall a moment when you had been given any out of free will. Everyone always assumed you disliked getting them because of your job, but, oh, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Flowers were like declarations of emotions – they could mean so many things to so many different people. They were the truth laid bare in nature as plainly as it could be, wrought with promises.

Your breath stills, eyelids pulling back delicately; lips parting. 

Kyle speaks softly, raising the flower in his grip.

“I remembered you saying you liked these more than roses – you called them ‘tacky’ if I’m…remembering correctly. The roses, that is.”

He was remembering correctly. But that had been just a passing comment to another customer you had been helping before him. Unimportant. A quick piece of yourself that hadn’t mattered while you were cutting stems and looping twine. 

But he remembered it. 

A giggle falls from you until your hand snaps up, trapping it behind parted fingers and an awe-filled face. 

“I wanted to give it to you,” he continued, walking forward with measured steps, “and ask you a question, if you’d let me.”

“Of course, I would.” It’s breathless, the way you say it, and suddenly you know exactly why you've been so on edge today. 

You’d been waiting for him.

And when he smiles at you, your mind runs to gossamer silk. Such a delicate thing; that smile, comparable to the millions of strands a spider spins in a lifetime. Gorgeous and so very easily missed if you weren’t looking at just the right moment. Gossamer Silk. 

Since when has his grin become so important to you? To where you craved it just as violently as water or food? That look in his amber gaze – the one that left you breathless even when you simply thought about it, that was what you wanted to witness when you woke up in the mornings. You wanted his arms around you. You wanted his lips pressed to yours. You wanted him to be in your kitchen making you dinner as the rain fell outside and the flowers in your back garden grew strong and beautiful. 

You wanted him to be yours.

Kyle stops behind the counter and hands you the flower. You reach for it without complaint instantaneously, wondering momentarily if he had just happened upon one and taken it in a moment of passion. Both of your fingers brush, and the imaginary sparks that fly make you turn slightly shy, head tilting to the side for a moment. 

But a finger hooks under your chin, moving it back as delicately as bird wings, gentle feathers tickling your flesh and nerves. 

A hum resonates in your chest, eyes crinkling as you stare into amber brown with flecks of gold. You could get lost in them if you looked too much. 

But you didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

“Persephone, would you do me the great honor,” the two of you laugh at the wispy and teasing tone, and suddenly you wish the counter between you would disappear into thin air, “of going on a date with me tonight?” 

Tuesdays, perhaps, might have just become the best day of the week, and a small Sunflower with dead tips and fading yellow, your new favorite flower. 

Ironic, how that works. He ended up distracting you more than you could ever imagine.

—

“Don’t you have to be back on base soon, Garrick?” You mutter into a warm chest, street lights shining into the windows of the apartment. 

“Bloody hell, yes…But I’d crawl back to you, if you asked it of me.”

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[paradox-the-unimpressed-nun]

How would a Yandere!Sanemi react to the reader wearing a Corps uniform with the chest area open like Mitsuri?

🧩Request: open, rules

//mod: it’s been awhile huh? Well I’m back and a little motivated.. but ye I hope you enjoy I’ll admit I’m not the best at writing for Sanemi also reader will be gender neutral

WARING: Possessive&obsessive behavior, mentions of kidnapping

💨He’s not one to get mad at “to much” skin showing, hell his uniform is open. He never cared about your uniform until he started to care for you.

💨At first he enjoyed that your chest was exposed because he had something to look at. He’s ashamed of it but, he just finds your body so perfect and clean

💨His excitement had dwindled do to others getting to close. Then he started to get more clingy. He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable (couldn’t have you thinking he’s a creep! He is) so he just opted to taking up all your free time.

💨 he tried very very hard to keep this issue to himself. Sanemi always offered you his jacket when cold. When that didn’t work he broke into your house and ripped all your uniforms up. Sanemi wasn’t to happy to see you were if the exact same uniform the next day.

💨 Sanemi was losing his mind, he was trying to look out for you and make you comfortable. But he couldn’t help the way he felt…

💨One day he snapped, Sanemi had made a plan to make sure he wouldn’t have to worry about your uniform. He was going to kidnap you, win win right? He could have you all to himself and no on the Kyle get to see your skin!

💨that he invited you over for dinner, you both were enjoying your meal and convo when suddenly you felt really light headed. Sanemi being the good friend he is helped you up and walked you to his room.

💨Sanemi put you on his nice soft bed and hushed you as you tried to speak but couldn’t. “Shhh….y/n I’ll go get you some water, just lay down and relax”. He loves you a lot, he just wants you to be safe and happy. Sanemi will make you happy, even if it takes a long, long time for you to feel that way.

[lunarduty]

Hi!!can you do tension with gaz???

𝙎𝙈𝙊𝙆𝙀𝙔 𝙀𝙔𝙀𝙎, 𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙁𝙀𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙂𝙊𝙊𝘿?

☾ reader tends to kyle's wounds, and seems to be the only one worried. | [ TENSION ] one muse is patching up the other’s injuries which leads to intense eye contact,  lingering touches and them finally crashing their lips against each other’s. KYLE 'GAZ' GARRICK X F!READER TAGS | f!reader, slight smut WC | 1,127 x

“you know, you’re going to get a scar if you don’t take care of this properly.”

“what? don’t like men with scars?”

in spite of kyle’s attempt to break your composure, a smile did not appear in the wake of his dumb comment. a VALIANT move, on your part - he usually found little effort in getting you to smile. said it would your best feature, and that would only get you to smile more. but knowing that he wasn’t changing the bandages as often as the doctor said, you were able to fight it off.

“not when they’re easily preventable,” you fire back, eyes glancing up to chance a glare. kyle chose the perfect time to give a sheepish tilt of his head to match the SWEET look in his dark eyes - he really couldn’t turn the tactical side of him off. “you could get an infection, you know. price is already looking for a reason to keep you behind on the next mission.”

kyle gives a slight shrug with one shoulder, as to not disrupt your work. “he won’t need to. i heal fast.”

“god, you’re frustrating.”

“and you love it.”

“i love when i don’t have to worry about you getting some weird fucking infection. who knows what you could have picked up in that god-forsaken jungle.” and just for that reason, you give the wound on his arm one final drag of the alcohol wipe to ensure it really was clean. absently, a finger gently caresses the skin around it, as if trying to soothe any pain that the cleaning process might be causing kyle. as much as he can annoy you sometimes, he’s been in enough pain.

a smile is pulling on his lips when you look up, sparing him a glance before turning to retrieve the bandages. “careful, love. i might start to think you care.” he’s teasing, of course. if kyle’s at ease and feels in control, he’s got quite the smart mouth on him - but right now, you wish he wouldn’t. 

“of course i care.” yeah, maybe the words come out HARSHER than you wanted. maybe when you turn back, bandages in hand, you meet kyle’s soft gaze with a hard one. maybe you were entitled to it after he just brushes off his safety so casually. “if the roles were reversed, you’d be just as worried.”

he blinks in surprise at your sudden barrage, and to his credit, seems genuinely remorseful. kyle wasn’t like soap or ghost or even price - you loved all of them, but it seemed their reckless ways were rubbing off on him. getting him to play down his injuries more than he should.

or maybe you were just overreacting. the wound itself wasn’t even that bad. he’s had much worse. so why were you being SO HARD on him?

kyle doesn’t respond, and you silently open the bandage to wrap his arm. without seeing his face, you can’t tell what he’s thinking or feeling. maybe you don’t want to look up and risk seeing something close to frustration or annoyance or even contempt. maybe he thought you were coddling him. maybe you were. maybe…

just as you finished wrapping his arm, right before you tied it off, kyle’s hand covered both of yours. stopping your movements, yet you resist the urge to look up. “i’m sorry, okay? i didn’t know you felt so strongly about this. and you’re right - if you were hurt, i’d be just the same. maybe even worse, since i love you more.”

despite yourself, a snort comes up at his words. light and teasing, even when he’s serious. maybe it’s what you needed. “not possible. i love you more.” finally, your eyes slide up to find his. kyle was watching you, dark eyes STEADY but soft. the sight of them made you feel better about saying what was on your mind. “i guess… i don’t know, it made me start to think about things.”

“like what?”

“like…if you never came back one day? today it was a gash on your arm, but tomorrow, something way worse. something you can’t just walk off.”

“that’s not going to happen, understand?” his hand gripped yours tight, and kyle leans forward to keep your focus on him - ALIVE and breathing and warm. your eyes fall down to his lips. “i’ll always come back.”

you scoff again, not nearly as amused as last time. “you can’t promise that, kyle.”

“i am. right now. so stop making yourself sick with all that nonsense. it’s not something you have to worry about.”

you want to keep arguing. want to point out the growing probability that his luck will run out someday. how many old men come from his line of work? you aren’t given the opportunity to - not when kyle moves his grip to your wrist, yanking you closer and leaving little choice but to swing a leg over his lap. thankfully, he keeps his injured arm still - even if it rests right around your waist, more than strong enough to keep you from escaping.

“you need to rest…”

he smiles, and it’s dazzling and warm and you can’t help but reflect it. “but love, i’ve got something else that hurts. need to kiss it to make it better.”

your hands settle on his shoulders, and when kyle is as solid and warm as he is, it’s hard to recall the last time you had real alone time like this. long before the mission, at least. back on base, after you finished paperwork, and he lured you into his room under the false pretense of having a talk. kyle was the only one talking - it’s hard to speak when he’s three fingers deep in you.

and that simple, DISTANT memory resurfaces like a flash of lightning. you exhale shakily, fingertips curling gently into the rough cotton of his regulation shirt. “let me guess - your lips?” right now, you were fully willing to play into kyle’s dumb game. before he could even answer, you close the gap. lips molding together, muffling your involuntary moan from the simple feel of them. chests pressed close, hips gently rocking because this was the day after an op, and sore muscles love to get in the way of a good reunion.

kyle’s tongue follows the line of your bottom lip, a smile pulling on his own as he breaks the kiss with a pant. his hand squeezes your hip - solid and eager - and you wondered why you were ever so scared about a gash on his arm when he obviously lost none of his strength. 

a low groan comes from his throat. your mouth drops down to taste it. “well, i was going to say my cock, but we can start at my lips.”

[the-californicationist]

TF141 husband reactions when you come home with lipstick on you.

TW: arrangements prior discussed, established relationships, safe sane consensual, there is some dubcon though, so tread lightly

MDNI ever.

Simon “Ghost” Riley

When you walked in the door, the sun was just coming up. You found him in the kitchen, drinking a tea and working on his laptop, getting ready for the day. He peered over the top of his screen as you tried to quietly shut the door. You were still dressed in last night’s clothes; the straps of your heels unbuckled, your dress half-zipped, your braid a total mess.

“C’mere.”

His voice was more than a command. It was an edict. It was as if he was some ancient emperor calling you to the carpet in front of his feet and preparing you for his appraisal.

You were a bit nervous, but you dropped your purse on the floor and kicked off your heels, standing before him, complying.

“Did you have fun?” He asked, snaking his hand up around your knee, traveling north along your smooth thigh, disappearing under your gold, glittering gown.

You nodded, raising your eyebrows a bit. Communicating all sorts of things without saying them.

You have no idea how much fun I had.

She was a dream.

Feel the results of her affection, my love. I dare you.

Finally, his eyes locked on yours, his fingers find your panties missing, and in their place, a swath of soaked skin. Your come has painted your lips and thighs like a mural, telling the stories of tens of orgasms and almost-gasms, and all the mushy, gooey, honeyed activities in between.

Then, leaving you feeling empty, Simon pulls his hand away and studies his wet fingers. One of them comes back pinkish-purple, and he smudges it in confusion.

“Is that lipstick?”

You nod again, holding back a wide smile at the memory of its arrival.

He stands, looming over you, darkening the room like a thunderous cloud, and commands, lifting up the hem of your dress,

“Show me.”

Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

When you showed him her picture a few weeks back, Kyle had given you a sly look,

“I know what you like about her, babes.”

You rolled your eyes, playing coy,

“What! She’s nice. And she has good taste in books. She even plays the piano.”

“She’s got a gorgeous fuckin’ rack, don’t she?”

He laughed at you, cuddling you closer in bed, ribbing you mercilessly. And he was right. You couldn’t stop staring at her incredible breasts, and you wanted to feel their softness against your cheeks.

When you got your wish, he came to pick you up in the car, and Kyle had noticed right away.

“What is that, missus?”

He pulled down the edge of your shirt to reveal a messy trail of red lipstick that started at your mouth and disappeared down your chest.

“Naughty, naughty thing�� You know you’ve got a hungry man at home who still expects to be fed. Hope you’re ready to do double duty.”

You shrugged, winking at him,

“She asked if you were coming with me next time.”

John “Soap” MacTavish

You couldn’t tell if he was asking because he wanted to know or because he just wanted to hear you say it. He’d met her, so he didn’t need to give you the twenty questions game, but as he suckled ravenously at your already-punished clit, he asked you anyway.

“What’s ‘er name again, bonnie? Hm?”

His tongue fucked your swollen, hypersensitive pussy with its soft, smooth form, slipping through your spent come and greedily taking it from you, lick by lick.

“Did she eat you like your man does?”

His fingers joined him, pulling an orgasm from you easily as his knuckles pounded against your core, sweeping upwards across your walls and finding the perfect spot every time. Johnny knew exactly where it was as if he had been born with a map.

You grabbed his mohawk, trying in vain to get some relief, but he was too strong.

“Tell me, lass,” his lips were shining like wet glass he was so soaked by your pleasure, “Did you make her lick you?”

“…y-yes. Yes, Johnny…”

“Greedy minx…”

Sitting up, he tapped his heavy cock at your entrance,

“Must’ve done. ‘Cause you’re wearin’ so much lipgloss on this pretty wee cunt of mine, it’ll look like she gave me head after I fuck you.”

Captain John Price

His fingers traced over the near-perfect imprint of her mouth where she had latched onto your breast. John’s other hand had both of yours pinned cruelly above your head, so you couldn’t wipe it away.

His bright, blue eyes studied your face, watching you as he explored your body. Then, he fit his mouth over her lipstick stain nearly mimicking her exact placement, and the familiarity made you moan deeply.

John sucked your nipple into his mouth, obviously pleased he’d gotten it right, and he continued to work you like a puzzle, looking around your flesh for lipstick-colored clues to lead him to success.

His belt made a popping noise as he ripped it from his jeans, the end of it biting across your naked skin as he did so, since he was standing right over you. He used it to tie your hands and loop them over the doorway, and you were trapped.

John found his next target, a stain on your ribs, and he kissed you languidly there, kneeling to reach. Another on your hipbone, and another right against your mons.

While on his knees, he licked across your clit, and you felt your whole body respond to him. You were still reeling from her earlier efforts, and he knew it.

“Did she take care of my pretty little pussy, love?”

“Yes, sir…” you whispered, quivering and swaying against the door.

“Did she use her hands…” he let his fingers dip and play in you just enough to rekindle your flames, “…or her mouth?”

He sucked against your folds furiously, then, eating you not like a man but an animal starved. He pushed your legs apart to get to more of you, sinking his tongue deeper than you’d ever felt it go. It writhed, warm and greedy, against your sensitive hole, tasting the evidence you were hiding.

“She… she did both… sir…” You answered obediently, hoping he was not done with your interrogation just yet.

He stood, towering over you with his huge, hairy body. He was so warm, and you could see the flush on his chest through his dark fur. John smiled down at you like a wolf to a lamb,

“But, no cock, hm?”

You lost what little poker face you had when you looked up at him, the whites of your eyes giving away your shock at his tone,

“…n-no…” You were confused, but you caught your mistake quickly, “No, sir…”

“And after I left you with all of your toys, too… oh, well. Guess I’ll just have to give you mine. Let’s show her what she’s missin’.”

He left you pinned to the door and pulled his fat, flaccid rod from his pants and started jerking himself hard, looking over to where she was laying in your bed, face-up, tied shibari-style to a whirring vibrator, drooling over her ball gag.

John took two of his fingers and dipped them into her, wetting himself on her fluids, using her as lube. Then, he picked you up in his arms, lay you flat on top of her, and fed himself into your body, inch by inch.

Your sweaty skin made you slide against each other. You kissed her mouth around the ball gag, sucking the skin of her neck, hungry for whatever you could reach.

As he fucked you, the vibrator would rock against her clit and yours, clumsily, but just enough to send you both reeling from the shock.

Then, he pulled himself out of you, and you wondered where he had gone, but when you looked down into her face, pupils blown wide with pleasure-filled panic, you knew.

[cherr-22]

TNGDH 38

“It suits you.”

Kyle was proud of himself. He looked so happy that his entire face glowed.

On the contrary, my own face looked as if I ate something rotten.

Strawberry.

Strawberry! These damned strawberries!

It was a knitted outfit.

I thought he gave up lamenting on his poor skills, but here I was, wearing it. And with large strawberries on my back and chest at that.

I pounded my chest with my fist.

I really wanted to tear it to pieces, but when looking at that smiling face, I couldn’t bring myself to do that. The size was a perfect fit, as if it was a custom-made outfit.

Was it not a problem with his dexterity?

Was the problem just his bad tastes?

Kyle probably didn’t know how I felt, because he had a face that looked as if he wanted to show me off to everyone. Please don’t do that. Even hamsters have a face to save.

[(￣u￣c)…….]

I brushed off the system window that was holding in its laughter and tried to think positively. Although even a five year old nephew wouldn’t wear something like this, but at least this will go into my inventory.

I won’t have to be naked whenever I use ‘Summon’ anymore and knitted clothes are warm. Looking closely, there was a [Heating Function] option on it too.

The only bad point was the embroidered strawberries.

[Currently Possessing Hearts ｜ ❤×15]

[Currently Possessing Hearts ｜ ❤×18]

[Currently Possessing Hearts ｜ ❤×22]

……You like it that much?

Huh? You like it? I bet you sure do!

The number of Hearts increased like snow piling up. But how strange. Why is it increasing more than when I gave him chocolates?

Really, this damned hamster otaku…….

Then look at me all you want. Let me at least gather some more Hearts.

“I was originally going to let him know first, but I couldn’t find him anywhere again. That’s why I’m letting you know first. You have the right to hear too, since you were close with Sen.”

―Squeak. Squeak squeak. (What are you talking about? Sen?)

Kyle took out a letter from his pocket.

I climbed on top of the letter he put down and began to carefully read the neatly written letters, one by one.

“Invitation to the engagement ceremony.”

―Squeak squeak squeak. (He’s right. During the season where all is blessed at the imperial palace…….)

“Sen and Belial.”

―Squeak squeak. (Right. With Sen and Belial…….)

……What?

I rubbed my eyes with my front two paws. Then I read the invitation again. Sen, and Belial. A red heart was drawn in between their names.

‘……So it came.’

That’s right. I was expecting this.

It really wasn’t something to be surprised about. Rather, it was progressing just as it did in the story.

In <Winter’s Heart>, Sen became a Serena after her marriage with Belial. Then, the story of cruel revenge began from there.

I knew it would happen, but I wasn’t expecting this to happen so soon. My tiny heart pounded hard inside my chest.

I think I’ve become more sensitive after becoming a hamster. My heart would pound even at the smallest things…….

Anyways, I thought about this even when I heard that Belial was attacked, but things that are to happen happens. Particularly the main characters of <Winter’s Heart> seemed more resistant to the changing of their fates.

The incident with the chandelier was avoided, but the attack on Belial and Sen’s fate with Belial still transpired.

Of course, regarding Sen…… I could’ve stopped her if I wanted to.

‘Still…….’

To someone who lived their entire life for revenge, telling them that revenge would only lead to more revenge to stop them was a heartless act.

I wanted to protect Kyle and Sen, and I wanted to respect her decision. In the end, it was Sen who chose to go to the imperial palace with Belial.

“The ceremony will take place in a week. Since its far, it’ll take a while to go there. It hurts my heart that I will be leaving you, but I’ll make sure to bring back delicious snacks. Wait for me, okay?.”

I jolted upon hearing Kyle.

‘What did you just say? You’re going to leave me here?’

No. I won’t allow it. I’ll follow you even if I have to secretly hide behind your back.

Who knows what will happen at the ceremony? I can’t send you off alone. The main characters Sen and Belial, along with Lorenz, would be there. It would be a minefield for Kyle. 

―Squeak! Squeak squeak squeak! (Hey! Take me with you! I’m telling you to not go alone!)

I clung onto his hand and started rubbing my body against it.

Kyle watched me lovingly, thinking I was acting cute for him, “There, there. I understand your feelings.” After saying that phrase, me put me back into the hamster house.

Ah.

I might end up dying from anger before I turn back into human.

I grasped my chest in frustration and laid down on the sawdust.

Damn! Is there no human who could understand the words of beasts here? 

“I should visit his room. Be good and play on your own.”

―…….

That’s right!

If I can’t follow him as Cashew, I could follow him as Shu.

I stood up again and hid inside the hamster house. The moment Kyle grabbed the door handle, I used ‘Summon’.

A white light wrapped my body and when I opened my eyes, I was in my room.

“Haa……. fu…….”

Of course, together with the strawberry sweater he knitted for me.

*

Kyle, who was about to leave the study room, felt a sparkling light behind his back and paused his steps. He thought it might be his imagination, but it felt strange to just pass it off.

This happened before too. A light that bursts suddenly like a flashlight and then disappearing.

“…….”

Kyle narrowed his brows and looked around the room.

Looking at the surface, nothing had changed. If it were a magician hiding, he would’ve found them already. Remembering the time when a few men hid in the room to steal away Cashew, Kyle couldn’t let this matter go.

“It felt like it was around here.”

Here. Near the hamster house.

Kyle began to inspect around the radius of the hamster house.

Underneath the desk, behind the curtains. He even looked beneath and inside the shelves, but he couldn’t find any traces of a magician.

‘Was it my imagination?’

It would be a relief if that were true.

He sighed in relief and turned towards the hamster house. The transparent walls of the house shone warmly under the light.

“Cashew.”

Being near the hamster house, he wanted to see it one more time before he left.

Kyle cleared his throat and slid his hand into the hamster house. Seeing how it wasn’t out, it was likely hiding in its hut. It liked to stay in dark, narrow places.

The slide, swing, hamster wheel… he passed all the items in the house and opened his palm in front of the hut. Normally, its butt would stick out, but it must’ve lost weight after running on the wheels again.

Of course, it was good to see Cashew not get stuck on the slide, but watching it grow thinner day by day hurt his heart a little.

Should I start feeding it some oily food instead of boiled chicken?

As he thought that, he began to dig through the sawdust…….

“Your Highness!”

Bang!

The study door opened with the sound of a panicked voice.

*

Kicking open the study door without even taking a moment to catch my breath, I saw Kyle standing in front of the hamster house.

“……Shu?”

“Yes! It’s me!”

I felt like I was going to collapse, but I managed to answer loudly.

Kyle took out his hand from the hut. I forgot about my fatigue in the moment and quickly grabbed his arm.

“Is something the matter?”

“Huk…… huuu. No, ugh. I just felt, ahem, I thought Your Highness was, phew…… looking for me.”

Because I ran to the study with all my might, my words came out sparsely. I stumbled, so Kyle held my waist firmly to support me, as if it were natural.

Oh dear, I thought I was going to die.

I took a deep breath and muttered to myself without realizing it. Fortunately, after resting for a while, my breathing began to calm down.

“That’s right. I was on my way to see you.”

“Right? Ah! My timing is so accurate!”

[(¬_¬ )]

As I joked, the system window appeared before me. It was a clear sign of dissatisfaction.

Alright, alright. You are the MVP here. I was able to run here thanks to you informing me.

It was right after I used ‘Summon’ and became a human.  I just finished taking off the strawberry clothing when a system window popped up.

In front of me was a siren emote with the message [Kyl e  is lo king ham s house].

I was able to quickly change my clothes and run to the study due to this message.

If I were even a little late, the castle would’ve flipped again…… really, I can’t take my eyes off you even for a second, huh.

“So, why were you looking for me?”

I already knew why, but I pretended not to know. Kyle let go of me and took out the wedding invitation.

“It’s the engagement ceremony of Sen and Belial. You were close with Sen, so I was going to ask if you want to attend the ceremony with me.”

“Of course I would go! However!”

I grabbed the invitation and said with a grin.

“Cashew has to come with us. Definitely!”

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

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[lovelytsunoda]

chateau ( feel alright ) | kyle kirkwood

summary: powers out in andretti house. stuck working together on a project for their business marketing class, kyle and yn find themselves stuck in his dorm with no lights and no heating

pairing: college!kyle kirkwood x college! reader

warnings: you’ve heard of only one bed, get ready for only one ✨blanket✨ santino slander (and rightly so). kyle is such a himbo my lordy I love him. kinda slow burn since they don’t kiss right until the end (sort like in my other Kyle fic lmao)

there was a certain kind of charm to kyle kirkwoods dorm room at andretti house.

sure, the florida panthers jersey hung above the couch screamed ‘frat boy’ and he had an impressive collection of shot glasses lined up underneath the tv, and since he and his roommate were both hockey players, the main room tended to stink of sweaty locker room as they liked their gear in a corner, but it was proof that people lived there.

kyle never would have been her first choice as partner for this assignment, but she didn’t have many friends left in the program, and they’d all paired up with each other. lest she get paired with santino, who was so much of an asshole that she would rather get hit by a bus than work on a mid term with him, she’d turned to the boy who was sitting behind her and asked if he had a partner yet.

kyle thought he was crazy for saying yes. typically he paired with colton and the two of them somehow wrangled their way to an a-minus. everybody knew that professor rahal was a hardass, so every choice in partner counted.

but when he saw her pretty, pleading eyes behind those wire rimmed glasses, he couldn’t find it in him to turn her down.

“according to the simulation, social media interaction including view counts is higher when we post reel-like content.”

kyle was barely listening, watching as her delicate fingers tracked across the keyboard. her earrings were little gold pumpkins, they complimented her skin nicely. everything about her was warm and inviting.

he’d let her connect to the dorms small speaker system, and she’d chosen a britpop playlist, an early oasis song playing softly in the background. it wasn’t something he’d thought she’d listen to, but now that he could see her tapping her fingernails on the keyboard while she hummed along, it just seemed to make perfect sense, fitting in perfectly with his vision of her.

kyle kirkwood was totally and utterly infatuated with her.

“kyle?” she asked softly “are you listening to me?”

he blinked rapidly, trying to remember what she had asked. “yes, right, you were talking about short form video content and engagement.”

“I’m impressed.” she smiled. “you’re smarter than you look, kirkwood.”

“I aim to please.”

“good. now give me a hand with this next bit.”

she beckoned kyle over with two fingers, making space for him in the rug next to the coffee table. their mismatched dollar-store mugs of coffee were empty on the table behind her laptop, papers and notebooks spread out across the table.

“now, for this part here-“ she was cut off by an ominous beep, all the lights in the dormitory shutting off one by one.

the clocks on the stovetop and microwave shut off soon after, the living room illuminated only by her laptop, which now proudly displayed the “no internet” message.

“shit.” she cursed, leaning back against the couch. “the outage crashed the simulation.”

“well,” kyle tried to stay positive. “there’s got to be something that we can do in the meantime. truth or dare? never have i ever?”

she laughed, head in her hands. she could smell his cologne from here. well, she was sure it more like aerosol deodorant. something strong, like axe or lynx.

“what are you, five?”

all kyle could smell was her. vanilla and cinnamon. she was intoxicating.

“yeah. five heads taller than you.”

she paused, looking at him with a confused glance before she burst out laughing. god, he loved hearing her laugh. “kyle, that’s so bad!”

kyle laughed along with her until he felt the temperature in the flat had dropped markedly. he could see her shiver, his protective instincts jumping out.

he pushed himself up from the floor, disappearing into his small room. there wasn’t much in there. just some hockey gear, a desk, a twin bed and a rickety bookshelf. there was a plush blanket folded up at the foot of the bed, which he grabbed after pulling a cable knit sweater over his head.

he went back into the living room, gently draping the blanket over he shoulders.

“better?” he asked quietly, feeling some kind of intimacy that definitely wasn’t there before. his hand still rested on her upper back, warm and grounding through the blanket as she pulled it around her shoulders.

“warmer, yeah.” she turned to face him, rubbing at the corner of her eye. “what do we do now?”

“we could watch a movie or something until the power comes back on.” kyle suggested. “logan isn’t supposed to be back until later, you can stay as long as you want.”

he really didn’t want her to leave. in fact, he wanted her to stay forever, turn his silly dorm into a home. he wanted to be with her for as long as possible.

“I suppose so. It’s not like we can do anything constructive, and I don’t want the night to be a total write off. do you have a dvd player?”

Kyle raised an eyebrow. “you do?”

“it’s to watch my criminal minds box set.”

“I was just going to use my cell phone data. I have unlimited.” kyle said, switching on netflix. “what did you want to see?”

“how much do you like matthew mcconaughey and have you ever heard of the lincoln lawyer?” she grinned. “it’s one of my favourite legal thrillers.”

Kyle pulled up the movie as she shut her laptop, propping the phone up against one of the empty mugs. they settled in next to each other, hands resting on the ground with a conspicuous gap between them.

she yearned to reach over and take Kyle’s hand in hers, but the idea of being flirted with just made her fell so awkward and uncomfy. she just wanted a warm, comfortable love, but she supposed she had to start somewhere.

she inches her pink in finger towards Kyle’s multiple times before eventually bringing her hand back and settling it in her lap, pulling the blanket tighter.

Kyle turned to look at her, the way her face was illuminated in the soft blue light. on the screen, tv lawyer mickey haller was meeting with a new client in the county lockup. Kyle was mesmerized at the soft concentration on her face, the way her face was gently scrunched with focus.

a shiver ran through his body, and he found himself reaching for a corner of the blanket.

“Kyle.” she laughed. god, Kyle would do anything to hear that laugh again. “this is my blanket. go get your own.”

he was so fucking whipped.

“what if I miss something important?” he tried to give her his best impression at puppy dog eyes. “you’d have to explain the whole movie to me, I’d be so lost.”

she smiled, rolling her eyes. “fine.” she unwrapped herself, tossing one end of the panthers blanket to the man next to her. “but don’t be a blanket hog.”

“I make no promises.”

they had to move closer together to be able to properly share the blanket with each other. their Jean clad legs were almost touching, a nervous energy surrounding the duo as they kept their eyes trained on kyle’s iphone.

“Kyle?” she asked quietly, voice barely audible. “would it be strange if I said I wanted to kiss you right now?”

Kyle turned to face her, reaching over to pause the movie. “I’d actually like that a lot.” he smiled nervously, reaching out to hold her face.

her skin was soft, and she keener into his touch, biting back a sigh.

when he kissed her, it felt warm and inviting. a comforting addition to her life, rather than fireworks and burst of electricity that would have disrupted it. his lips were soft as they moved against hers, and it felt like coming home.

she sighed under his touch, reaching out to gently run her fingers through his hair.

she didn’t want to stop kissing him.

and he didn’t want to stop kissing her.

Kyle’s face was rosy, or it would have been if she could see anything.

“you’re really good at that.” he whispered into the dark, totally in awe of the woman in front of him.

“I dunno, I think I need a bit more practice.” she joked, hand resting on his knee. “maybe you could help me out.”

“gladly.” he beamed, leaning in to kiss her again.

[cookiesupplier]

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Fifty-Four

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, online bullying, panic attacks, stalking, mental health issues, conspiracy theories, car accident, injuries.

summary: In a world where soulmates inexplicably receive a tattoo that will match that of their soulmate the moment they turn eighteen years old, being famous and covered in very visible tattoos can make finding your true soulmate a questionable fate. For everyone involved.

author’s note: Trigger Warning for Car Accident/Injuries Descriptions. Yes, okay, another cliff hanger, but we're getting so close! Hold on! Unbeta'd, as usual. author's note 2: Sorry this was going to go up yesterday but I had a family emergency... um, I will finish Roses, but once I have I will be taking a little bit of a personal fic hiatus again.

To read from the beginning, check out the Masterlist Here!

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@anameunmusical

Talia was feeling high as a kite right now, the thrill and excitement that was running through her veins was just amazing, and she couldn’t thank Chris enough for planning all of this. Yes, she knew she had to thank Ava and Vinny too, those two had been cheeky enough to help him, keeping the secret from her and Ricky. Keeping it from Ricky she got, the whole party had been for his birthday, but her, he was so ridiculous, she kind of loved that about him though, she absolutely loved that about him. He might be ridiculous sometimes, but he was their kind of ridiculous, and that just made him perfect. 

She dropped off Jordan and Kyle at their hotel, with the promise of brunch tomorrow, it made having to say goodbye to them now a lot less painful knowing that she wasn’t just getting only one day with them. That was always the hardest part when friends visited from long distance, wasn’t it, saying goodbye? Talia knew when their vacation was up, it was going to just rip at her heart strings. At the same time, knowing that her friendship with both of them was so strong that they were willing to come all this way here? How could she not love them to pieces! Yes, she knew in her heart that she missed them already, and they weren’t even gone yet. Talia could already see herself visiting them sometimes while Chris and Ricky were on tour, no, she wasn’t going to assume she’d be going on tour with them as Ava had. Maybe sometimes, but she could tell you now, that would be suffocating for weeks on end, from all the videos she’d seen over the years, she knew how insane it could get. Just the weeks Ava had been with them, she still didn’t know how she’d come out unscathed, but oh she was glad she did!

Driving home, making note to herself to call Ava when she got home, to thank both her and Vinny for their help with Chris. She’d thanked them both earlier, but it didn’t feel enough, nothing felt enough after today, not after how she’d felt strung out, and so uncertain, up and down. Then, today, it had just made everything feel right again.

Now, Talia always drove carefully, she tried to, but being on her own and seeing the other car coming at her, she felt nothing but such a surge of anxiety, who wouldn’t? She barely had a moment to yank the steering wheel to the side to try to veer the car away from the path of the other. The moment she did, she knew there would be no hope that it would work, the best she could do was try to limit the impact as the car came careening at her. A scream sounded through the air, and it took her too long before she even realised that the sound was being ripped raw from her own throat, as she gripped onto the steering wheel for dear life.

It was with complete horror that Talia found that her world felt like it was a whirlwind, everything was tumbling over and over in a tunnel until she was gasping for breath. 

There was a point that she realised the reason could not breathe, was caused by the pressure of the seatbelt strapped across her chest strapping her into her seat and holding her down in place. It felt like it was cutting into her body with how tight it was, almost cutting into her collarbone and shoulder. That was when she registered that she was hanging upside down in her car, and her seatbelt was all that was holding her in place. Her car had rolled, and she was hanging overturned in the very seat of her car, what, what the hell had just happened?

“Oh, oh my god- I- I can’t-”

Gasping for breath, it hurt to breath, but when she went to reach for her belt to try and release herself from her seat so she could maybe reach for her phone. Maybe even attempt to escape entirely so she could get out of the car, her window was completely obliterated, so that wasn’t a problem anymore. Her hands were fumbling as she was trying to get her belt undone, dammit, looking around for her phone, maybe if she could reach it?

“Phone, phone… Shit…”

That was when she saw where her phone had fallen, and the condition that it was in, it was as smashed as her window. It was sitting on the roof of her car, obviously currently on the ground, completely destroyed. Swallowing, she could taste blood, fuck, no, no she didn’t want to think about that, she just wanted to get out and try to stay calm, calm. Seat belt, focus on her seat belt. Talia took in a deep, slow breath, as much as she could, steeling herself before she managed to get her belt unhooked and finally released. Talia felt her body give into gravity, crumpling down, crying out in pain as she slammed painfully into the roof of her car. Panting as she just laid there, knowing she needed to move, she needed to keep moving, or she wouldn’t, she would just lay there, but she couldn’t as she didn’t even know if someone would find her. 

Blinking her eyes, she lifted her head from the floor, the roof, of her car, she could feel stickiness dripping down the side of her face, lifting her hand to touch her cheek and, oh, oh, she was bleeding. Groan she needed to move, and now. Pushing herself up as much as she could, she crawled herself out of her car, through the broken window frame, even if it involved half dragging herself through broken glass and torn metal. Oh god, what, what was she going to do. She needed to get, get… help… but she couldn’t even stand up when she started coughing the more she tried to take in deeper breaths again… Stabbing pain in her chest.

That was when the blood she tasted in her mouth started to coat her tongue, and started to feel thicker, and thicker until she had to spit it out on the ground. Collapsing to the ground as she coughed out more and more blood, passing out to darkness as sirens sounded in the background. 

Chris was sitting by her bedside, while Talia had made it through her initial surgery, he hadn’t even had the mind to be able to hear all the details when the surgeon had come out to see them. Her knew he should, he knew, but all he could see was her laying so pale, so lifeless in the hospital bed. She was still in critical condition, and he wasn’t sure if they even knew if she was going to wake up, let alone if they’d have to operate again. With Ricky beside him, his hand in his, Chris had Talia’s hand in his other, held so tightly, he didn’t know what he was going to do if he lost her. His eyes felt damp, he didn’t know when he’d started crying, or maybe, if he’d ever stopped since realising that Talia had been in an accident and that this was all happening again. How could this all be happening again…

“Oh, God, Ricky, what are we going to do?”

His hand squeezed the other man’s hand so tightly he was almost certain that he might have broken some of his fingers, but did he complain, no, Ricky didn’t make a sound as he instead felt him squeeze back. 

“What if she doesn’t wake up, she has to wake up.”

He didn’t even feel like himself right now, all he could think about was how much his life had changed since meeting that tiny looking woman in the bed, and she did look so tiny. Laying in that hospital bed, tucked in, with the tubes in and around her body, bandages wrapped all around her so much that in some ways it was almost impossible to tell who she was. He could tell, though, he could tell it was their sweet girl, and not just because of the half rose tattoo still visible on her neck.

Chris was basically refusing to move from his seat by her bedside, despite everyone suggesting they both go home, get some rest, and if he didn’t leave, Rick wasn’t about to go either. Ricky wasn’t about to go home and leave him here to destroy himself, and he knew while he needed to look after himself, even if it was just one of them, someone had to look after Chris. He was not going to stand by and let him spiral again. So, he got him food, he got him water, and he would stand there and watch over him eat and drink if he absolutely had to. Now getting Chris to sleep was something else, he couldn’t get him to go home, there was no hope of that, and he knew it. Ricky did however manage to get him to sleep on the couch by the window sill to the far side of the private room. He knew it would, and did, destroy the tall singer's back the next day, and Chris didn’t say a single word about it when Ricky had him sitting up and having something to eat for breakfast with him. 

This went on for almost a week. A week that included another two surgeries to repair more of Talia’s internal injuries. Talking to the doctors, as she continued but didn’t wake, she was both stabilising but also running the risk of getting much worse if they didn’t address certain issues. However, if they went back in before she woke up, there were even more risks involved, and it could increase the risks again. This was why they, of course, had left if up to Ricky to decide as her soulmate, whether to wait until she was awake before doing the surgeries, or do them now. Rick had tried to talk to Chris before deciding, he was her soulmate too, he deserved to have a say as well, but half of those conversations had just sent the other into an almost panic attack. All Chris had wanted to know, is if the surgeries would help her wake up, or make her worse… trying to explain, had been… difficult.

What it came down to, was, she needed them, waiting, could kill her, doing them now, could kill her. Ricky had given his permission and two surgeries later, she was still alive, holding on, as strong as ever, that was their Sweetheart & JellyBean. Yes, specifics, no girl, no woman, because that would suggest she could be replaced with just any other girl, or woman, but she couldn’t, and she never would be. 

A week and two surgeries later, that was when the next kick in the teeth happened. The next wrench in the works that had Ricky wanting to stick his head in the sand and wish literally anyone else had to make these decisions. It wasn’t that he wished Chris was in his shoes, he was glad that Chris was by his side. He just hoped Chris didn’t resent him one day for being the one to sign all of these hospital forms if something does happen to Talia from the surgeries. It was just, it was all weighing on him.

What happened? The detectives came back. Ricky had been dreading this, but he knew it would happen. The moment he had heard them bring up Grace, he knew he would be seeing them again, sooner or later. As much as he would prefer later, much, much later, he doubted that he would be so lucky. If he was truthful, he was surprised it had taken them this long. Perhaps, it was the fact that Talia wasn’t awake that had their investigation taken as long as it had. 

He was sitting by Chris and feeling nothing but doom when the arrived and asked to speak with him again. Ricky sighed, this was not what they needed…

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

[wifeytrio]

Chapter three:

Warnings: Obsession, Murder(blood and gore silt throat is mentioned along with a gun and a knife), Wooyoung is absolutely bat shit crazy, manipulation, slight abuse that he apologizes for, name calling, pervy Wooyoung jerking off. Just a lot in one chapter.

Wooyoung had come home from the little coffee date he had with Mae. He knew he probably shouldn’t because of his girlfriend but it wasn’t anything more than getting to know each other.

“How’d it go?” San smiled as he took a bite of his toast. “You sweep her off her feet yet?” He chuckled.

Wooyoung rolled his eyes and looked at San. “You know damn well it wasn’t an actual date.”

“But you wanted it to be.” He smirked.

“San. Shut up.” He glared. As right as San was, he didn’t want his girlfriend hearing that. He headed towards his ‘man cave’ and smiled at the thought of being able to see Mae again.

He had monitors set up, watching her every move. The boys helped so he could watch her.

Last thing he watched was her in the shower. Such a pretty little thing. She stood there, letting the water relax her muscles. He groaned at the sight. She had tattoos down her back, legs, arms. Piercings and the prettiest eyes when she looked up. He had pulled himself out his pants and started touching himself to her. He couldn’t help it. She was perfect. He walked in and froze.

His girlfriend sat there, staring at the screens. She was freaked out. The man she had been with for almost a year, was obsessed with another woman. She was confused but upset. How dare he lead her on like this. “What are you doing in here?”

She jumped and turned around, the look in her boyfriend’s eyes was terrifying. “Baby. I- I’m s- sorry. I didn’t mean t-too.” She stuttered out, her heart beating so fast, she couldn’t think straight. She could barely breathe even.

Wooyoung walked up to her and grabbed her face. “That didn’t answer my question. What. Are. You. Doing. In. Here?” He growled out. He was beyond pissed. This was his room. No one but Hongjoong had a key.

“I- I was trying to find you.” She whimpered at his grip. “You’re hurting me baby.” She looked at him, tears forming.

Wooyoung chuckled darkly. “I don’t care if I’m hurting you, I told you to never come in here. You disobey me. You know I don’t like being disobeyed.”

“Baby. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” He laughed evilly.

“Of course you won’t do it again.” He wiped her tears away, before wrapping his hand around her throat. “You won’t ruin what I’ve worked so hard for. I’ve been in love with her for a very long time. You just came at a time when I needed to let out my frustration.” He smirked. “I used you for my pleasure.” He squeezed tighter.

“Baby please. I’m sorry.” She whispered out again.

His eyes were full of hatred, anger. “Shut. Up.” He growled. “You had nothing before me. I made you.” He mumbled out. If looks could kill, she knew she’d be dead.

He took his hand off her. “Come on. We’re going home.” He growled at her, grabbing her arm and pushing her out the door. He locked up the room and dragged her out towards street, where he held her hand. “I’m sorry princess. I was mad. And I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

She smiled softly and shook her head. “I disobeyed you and I shouldn’t have. It’s okay.” She told him, holding his hand and arm.

He got her home and into her place. “Baby. Do me a favor?” He smiled at her, pushing hair behind her ear. “Can you call Kyle over?”

Her eyes widen and she looked at him. “I- Why?”

“Just entertain me.” He smiled at her, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. “Now call him princess.”

She listened, not wanting to make him even more upset with her. She asked Kyle to come over, telling him Wooyoung hurt her, and then the boy told her he’d be over in ten minutes.

Wooyoung smiled at her. “You did so well baby.” He told her, pressing his lips back against hers. “Now, when he gets here, let me handle everything. Okay?” He smiled at her. Poor girl thought her ex was crazy. Wooyoung knew that. He also knew she had no clue how crazy he was himself.

Kyle walked in, looking at her on the couch. “Baby. Oh my gosh. I’m sorry he hurt you.” Kyle said, walking towards her. She had tears pouring down her face and she wanted to tell Kyle to run.

The door slammed shut and it made Kyle jump. “Finally nice to meet the man she never stops talking about.” Wooyoung smirked. “So let’s play a little game, shall we?” He chuckled darkly as he waved the gun he had pulled on his girlfriend, seconds before.

“What kinda game?” Kyle asked, almost in a whisper.

“A very fun one.” Wooyoung laughed. “Well, fun for me.” He smirked. “Up. Both of you.” He hummed.

They had gotten into the room, Wooyoung smiling the whole time. “Now, strip.” He smiled at his girlfriend.

“Wooyoung. What are we doing?” She whispered, tears rolling down her face.

Wooyoung laughed. “We’re going to have fun. I told you that. Now do what I said and strip.” He growled, making her jump and start stripping.

“Now you, tie her to the bed for me.” He smirked. Kyle listened and did as told, grabbing the rope and tying her to the bed.

Wooyoung smiled at them and giggled. He loved the excitement this gave him. It was a thrill. “Now. Take the knife.” When Kyle didn’t do as told, Wooyoung push the gun against his head. “Do what I said now.” He growled.

Kyle listened this time, picking the knife up and looking at Wooyoung. “Cut her.”

“W-what?” Kyle asked him.

“She cheated on you with me. She’s not as innocent as she said she was. I fucked her in your bed. I fucked her on your counter. I fucked her in your car. Made her cum so many times, she cried.” Wooyoung told him, smirking.

Kyle looked down at her. “No. Kyle I swear. I never cheated on you. He’s fucking crazy.”

“She told me you were crazy.” Wooyoung told Kyle. “So far. We’re in the same boat man.”

Kyle was angry now. “You cheated on me?” He held the knife to her throat.

“Do it.” Wooyoung told him. Kyle didn’t hesitate after that, slicing the knife across her throat and watching her bleed out.

Kyle took a deep breath and realized what he just did, about to go after Wooyoung with the knife. Wooyoung smirked and tilted his head, pulling the trigger.

“Yunho. I d-don’t understand what happened.” Wooyoung sobbed into the phone. “I was coming in the check on her and he was on top of her with a knife. He slit her throat and then came after me.” Wooyoung sobbed some more. “I shot in self defense.”

Once Wooyoung was off the phone, he wiped his tears, putting the gun on the ground and waited for Yunho to show up.

Masterlist

Taglist: @atinyreads @vannabanana1995 @bunnyiix @mxnsxngie @maeleelee @acrylishly @babyboyquokka @cadenonlinelive @imagine-a-life-like-this @weird-bookworm

[cherrybombfangirlwrites]

Flash Fiction Friday - Among Any Option

Thanks for the prompt @flashfictionfridayofficial!

The City is Ours plot/character/dynamic exploration for Book 1, with the team in the first book trying to track down the villains while crowded together in a diner booth. Not a lot of options for them folks!

“How long can it possibly take to hack into something?” Jason asked, “You’re using a computer.”

“Computers can only do what you tell them to,” Chase said, not looking up from his computer. They took a swig of his Monzter energy drink. “But you wouldn’t know that, considering you’ve never lifted a finger in your life.”

Jason squinted, and shrugged. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

Everyone else shared a knowing glance, only leaving the rich boy confused.

They were all squeezed into a booth at Minnie’s Diner, a couple of them (mainly Chase and his tech set up) were spilling over onto a second table they’d dragged over.

Everyone had ordered a milkshake or fries, except for Jason who apparently wasn’t hungry for ‘common’ food.

Asher said, “How are you tracking them?”

“First of all, it hasn’t worked yet,” Chase said, his french fries growing cold. “Second, two of those weirdos don’t even use tech, and I’m not even going to touch the alien shit. But that mad scientist guy- what’d he call himself? Cyanide?- He does use modern tech.”

He slurped down some of his milkshake, munched on a few fries, and washed it down with the energy drink. “So, I’m combing through all the tech and software in the city that I can access from here, looking for his footpr- Oh perfect, found him…”

He leaned into his screen curiously. “Huh. Why there?” They muttered to himself.

“What?” Kylee asked, trying to see his screen as she leaned over to his seat, “Where is it?”

“Ah-ah-” Chase snapped, moving his computer so she couldn’t see. “I can’t work if I’m being watched, thank you.” He waved her off, and she rolled her eyes.

Nickelle said, “Care to share what you found, Chase?”

“The old nuclear power plant outside the city,” Chase said, “That’s where this guy’s footprint is showing up.”

“It would be dangerous for humans to go into the power plant though, right?”

“Not anymore, since the meltdown at the power plant happened 50 years ago. All the radiation would either be gone, or very small. So if we’re only in there for a bit, we’ll be fine.”

Asher nodded. “Only question is-”

Alarms started blaring as everyone’s phones went off, and the diner TV flashed with a city wide threat warning, showing video footage of the street just a few blocks away from the diner.

“Nevermind, we don’t need to go to the power plant,” Chase said as he quickly started packing up, “They found us.”

Everyone jumped up and started chugging their milkshakes and wolfing down fries. The whole group almost ended up in a pile as they tripped over each other to climb out the booth and find a secluded place to change into superhero gear- some opted for the bathroom, others ducked out into the alley hoping the dumpsters would hide them.

Chase’s gear was mostly armor that he wore over his clothes like a shell, so he was done first (after Kylee of course, since she used her superspeed to change). He leaned against the side of the building, watching the live news on his phone while he waited for the others.

Kylee sighed, signing sharply with her hands, “What is taking them so long?”

“Not all of us have superspeed,” Chase said, “They haven’t quite reached this block anyway, it’s fine.”

The others came out the back door of the diner in their superhero gear one by one.

“Took you long enough,” Chase said, and Kylee smacked their shoulder, giving him a look. He rolled his eyes, closing the helmet over his face. “Showtime.”

The team raced out into the street, as Black Hole and his cronies were tearing up the streets while civilians ran for cover.

V said quietly, “That’s a lot.”

The others could barely hear her, but they were all thinking similar thoughts along those lines.

[cockypark]

a short trans kyle fic for @kylematthewbroflovski! @spinthetags

word count: 806

Wendy drapes a towel over Kyle’s shoulders. There are hand towels on both sides of the bathroom counter, one with scissors and an electric razor, the other with a standard hairbrush and comb and a spray bottle. Looking at it spread out feels sort of medical to Kyle. Technical. Sterile. Nervousness builds. He wipes his palms on his jeans. “Should we put a towel on the floor?”

Wendy whips around. “No. We’ll just vacuum. My mom has the Dyson.” She was in the midst of her cleanfreak phase, so any stray hair was a threat. Despite that, she was extremely supportive of this decision.

Supportive and ambitious, it turned out. The day after they hatched the plan, Bebe asked Kyle if he was comfortable with her cutting his hair. “Wendy just doesn’t know anything about curly hair. Don’t you want the big chop to be good?” She was very convincing. Her hair was always in beautiful ringlets. Kyle struggled to tuck as much of his hair into his hat as possible. He did want this haircut to be good.

Wendy safety pins the two ends of the towel together. She looks at Kyle and his massive halo of red hair. A part of her is sad to see it go. It will never be this long again. Wow. “Sit up straight.”

Bebe and Wendy squeal when they see each other, and Bebe squeals when she sees Kyle’s hair. She is not hesitant to stick her hands right in. “I’ve always wanted to see it down!” He supposes it’s objectively nice hair. His mom was always after him to do something with it. He didn’t like to think about it as a part of him. Soon, it wouldn’t be.

Bebe eyes the equipment Wendy laid out. She goes into her own bag that Wendy is outraged she even brought and comes out with a wide toothed comb and a special brush. Bebe is outraged to find out Kyle isn’t familiar with any of it. “Maybe it’s best that you’re getting rid of it,” she muses. He couldn’t agree more.

It starts easily enough. Bebe gathers all his hair in one bushy ponytail and uses the razor to cut through it all. Kyle keeps his eyes shut tight. When it’s over, she holds the ponytail out. He can’t believe it came from him. It doesn’t look like his hair. Before he can get emotional about it, Wendy and Bebe start cheering. They’re shaking his shoulders and giggling. He laughs, too. He feels lighter.

It takes most of the afternoon. Bebe is dedicated to her craft. She blames it on Kyle’s hair. “So much detangling. Do you even condition?” Fine, it was both of their faults. It could have taken all night and he would have been happy it happened at all.

Assuringly, Bebe says several times, “I’m so good at this.” She wants to be a beautician for a living. Kyle thinks it must be nice to see that far into the future. He’s still trying to figure out who he is. At the final reveal, he thinks if she makes people feel this good, she should pursue it.

“So? What do you think?”

Kyle touches the perfect curl front and center. Then the full top. Then the sides. His hair has never been this short. He has never felt more like himself. “I love it. Thank you, Bebe.”

Bebe wraps her arms around his shoulders tightly. They don’t know each other that well, but it feels full of love. “I’m so happy. You look so good.”

“Very handsome,” Wendy adds. She hugs him, too, once he’s free of hair clippings.

“Nice Jewish boy,” Bebe sings from the bathroom. She was left with the mess. “Very handsome Jewish boy, going to impress Stan on Monday.”

Kyle rubs his neck sheepishly. The lack of hair is thrilling. “I don’t know, I-”

“Have my blessing,” Wendy interrupts. “You guys are better friends than we ever were, and are going to make a hell of a better couple.”

It’s not the first time she’s said that. Kyle can’t help feeling bad. He was friends with Wendy first, then made best friends with her boyfriend, and now he had a crush on him. It was not good friend behavior.

“It’s all girl code, anyway. You’re free.”

Then again, Bebe had her own share of bad friend behavior, and there were no hard feelings. Wendy is going after Tolkein, anyway.

“Free” is exactly how Kyle feels. He goes home feeling the best he ever has. He can’t take his hands off of it. He doesn’t even care what his mom is going to say. She had consented to the haircut. It didn’t matter if it’s what she had in mind or not, it’s what Kyle wanted. Besides, she couldn’t make it grow back.

~

if you like this please consider checking out my ao3! and if you're really interested, i am opening commissions :)

[jerzwriter]

What's Forever For Universe Things Unsaid Part 3/3

This fic is part of a new Tobias & Casey AU, What's Forever For? (Learn more about it here.) For those who follow my T/C HC, their background is a little different here. A headcanon will be posted in the next few days. 😊

Book:                   Open Heart (Post Series-Alternate Universe)

Pairing:                Tobias Carrick x F!MC (Casey)

Rating:                 Teen

Category:            Angst/Short-Series/AU

Warnings: Divorce/mention of miscarriage

Series Summary: Three days. That's all that stands between Tobias and Casey Carrick and the end of their marriage. The house is sold, they've said goodbye, and now they just have to wait to make it official. But what happens if one (or both) have second thoughts?

Chapter Summary: Tobias is heading to Casey's parent's house to pick up their son, Kyle. Both of them have so much they want to say, but insecurity, fear, and other factors stand in their way. Can they overcome the obstacles? Or will this be the end?

Words: 2.5 k

A/N: Participating in @choicesflashfics, I was ambitious and used prompts #1 and #2 this week! Also participating in @choicesmonthlychallenge prompt Love (painful love, but love.) I wanted to do one more quick edit - but I won't have time to do so for a while, so I'm going to be all Elsa and let it go. (Then I'll edit on Saturday and be mad at myself... you understand lol) WFF? Universe Info & Masterlist Tobias & Casey Masterlist All Works Masterlist

Monday evening.

The sun still shone so brightly that Casey didn’t need a light on as she stared at her reflection in the mirror of her childhood bedroom. Something to be grateful for… winter's darkness was finally lifting. She would be sure to include that on her gratitude list before going to sleep tonight. Well, attempting to sleep. It was a new habit she had recently adopted, desperate to find any bit of joy to carry her through.

If the mirror could talk, it would reassure her she was beautiful and that the outfit she was inspecting was as lovely as the dozen that had come before. But Casey remained unconvinced. A quick glance around the room, and suddenly, she was back in high school, every ounce of self-confidence, gone.

But that insecure teenager didn’t exist anymore. She had been replaced by an accomplished physician, one of the brightest of her generation… admired, respected, and renowned. Until recently, she had it all. One half of the dynamic duo… the Doctors Carrick: medical marvels by day, loving… excessively so… couple by night. They did it all with aplomb and looked damn good as they did. When baby Kyle came along, the picture was complete. Everything was perfect. Right? So how’d she end up here?

She pulled a pink sweatshirt over her head and tossed it on the growing pile of rejects scattered on the floor. Apparently that insecure teenager had never been too far away after all.

She had already decided to wear her old baby blue jeans that fit like a second skin. Comfortable and worn, they were like an old friend, and she needed that more than anything. Sure, they looked great on her, and there was a time when he couldn’t keep his hands off her when she wore them, but Casey pushed that out of her mind. That wasn’t why she chose them, she insisted. It had nothing to do with that at all.

A soft cream-colored cardigan over a lacy camisole was the next contender. She twisted around, studying her reflection… No. It was too much. She couldn’t look like she was trying; she couldn’t even bring herself to admit that she was. This could easily turn into a nearly wordless handoff of their son. Parenting agreements, custody arrangements… all part of her new world. Tobias would likely see her for all of five minutes without a care about how she looked or what she wore. But… if he noticed… she couldn’t have him thinking she was primping for the past hour, even if it were true. 

A deep sigh escaped her. She didn’t know if she was brave enough to keep her promise to Sienna. Her confidence was stronger when telling him the truth was an abstract idea and a full day away. Now that the moment approached, courage seemed to escape her.

I love you, Tobias. I never stopped. I think we rushed into this, and if we try a little harder, I know we can make our marriage, our family work. I love you, and I don’t want to live without you by my side. Do you still love me? Do you want me, too?

It was easy when she practiced it a thousand times in her head. Ashe envisioned a beautiful rom-com ending for a love she knew would last forever – together or not. But as the moment approached, it was a past conversation that kept creeping into her mind.

“I can’t do this anymore, Casey. I’ve tried, we’ve tried… we always end up back here. This isn’t what we got married for. We have to accept… I know it’s hard, but… but… We’re not going to make it. Our marriage, it’s over. I have nothing else left to give.”

She survived hearing those words once, just barely; but she was unsure if she had the wherewithal to do it again. The numbing acceptance that defined her new reality was temporarily interrupted by a vision of a happy ending. But what if he said no? Could she remove the bandage and expose the wound once more? She wasn't sure she could.

The sound of voices near the front porch pulled her from her thoughts. 

“Shit!” she muttered, pulling the pink sweatshirt back over her head. It would have to do. She glanced at the clock, he was twenty minutes early, and she was unprepared. Already, things were not going as planned.

~~~~~

His hands were still white knuckling the steering wheel, even though he had put the car into park over five minutes before. He glanced at his watch; it was early. He didn’t want to look desperate… or inconsiderate… for all he knew, he could be the last person she wanted to see. For a man who had spent most of his life with assured confidence frequently bordering on cocky, these feelings still left him lost. Doubt, insecurity, confusion, regret… they weren’t in his vocabulary before. He learned that he was infallibly human, and he didn’t like it one bit.

Taking one last look in the mirror, he jumped out of the car before he lost his nerve. His feet were carrying him down the narrow concrete path that led to Casey’s parent’s home. He had been lucky enough to avoid his parents-in-law on previous handoffs. He told himself it would be better when he and Casey settled into their new places. Then he remembered that wasn’t what he wanted at all. It would be better if….

“Tobias,” Rose called out, doing her best to be polite.

His luck had to run out sooner or later, he turned to her with a nervous smile.

“Hey,” he said, not knowing what to call her anymore. The comfortable, Ma, he had used for the past decade sure didn’t seem to fit anymore. “It’s been a while.”

“Mmm. Just another thing we’ll have to get used to. You’re early,” she observed. “Kyle’s out getting ice cream with David. They should be back soon.”

Her arms crossed in front of her chest, and she did not offer to invite him inside. She knew the day would come when she’d have to be more cordial, for Kyle’s sake, but that day was not today.

“OK… I uh… was wondering if…” he stumbled. “You know what, I’ll just wait in the car.”

But before he could walk away, the front door crashed open, and like a vision, Casey appeared. For a moment, she was sixteen again. The boy her parents deemed unsuitable was attempting to make a call, and Rose was in momma-bear mode sending him away. But she wasn’t sixteen anymore, and the decision was hers to make.

“Hi,” Tobias smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry I’m early. I was just going to wait in…”

“No…” she halted. “Mom, I need to talk to Tobias alone. Would you give us some time?”

“You’re of age,” Rose shrugged. “I’ll be in the garden if you need me.”

Tobias’s cheeks turned red and he was uncertain if it stemmed from anger or shame. Their marriage was ending, but did Rose seriously think he’d do Casey any harm? But then again, how could he blame her? For he already had.

The estranged couple settled into the living room, Casey offered to get him a drink. He politely declined. Accepting her hospitality just didn’t seem fair. He sat perched on one end of the couch as Casey cautiously took her place on the other.

“So,” he spoke softly, eyes fixed on his fidgeting hands, “you wanted to talk.”

“Uh, yeah,” Casey stammered. “I just… we haven’t really had the chance to talk since our last day at the house, and… well… it’s just two days away now.”

Perhaps he would have noticed the tears in her eyes if he were looking her way, but shame prevented him from doing so.

“Yeah,” he sighed ruefully. “Two days.”

“I… I was wondering… is there anything we need to… do… before then?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I suppose the lawyers would tell us if we did.”

“Yeah,” she scoffed. “The lawyers….”

Anxiety began to grip her and Casey turned her gaze away, fixing it on Tobias’s keys and phone tossed on the coffee table. Silence weighed heavy in the room, and the longer it hung, the more forming words felt impossible.

Tobias hadn’t intentionally let the silence linger; he was lost in thought weighing what option would be worse… returning to his mother’s and admitting he didn't tell Casey he loved her and didn’t want their marriage to end. Or telling Casey the truth and risking eviscerating rejection once more.

“Casey, I don’t want this. I love you, I’ve always loved you, and I always will. I know you think I just wasn’t meant to be married, and you know what… you’re one -hundred percent right. I never was. Until I met you. If there was ever anybody meant for me, it’s you. We gave up too easily, and ignoring our problems wouldn’t make them go away. I love you, I want you… please, please give us one more chance.”

“Tobias?”

Casey’s voice beckoned him back to the present.

“Yeah…” he startled, “I was just… thinking….”

“I was saying Kyle will be back any moment now, so… if there was anything we wanted to say… now would be the time.”

“Casey,” he started, “this all feels so, so….”

“Wrong,” she finished. “Look at us. We’re afraid to even speak to each other; this is never who we were.”

“It’s not,” he sighed. “We got so lost along the way.”  

“We did,” she choked back tears. “You were my best friend before you became much more…then you were my everything….” she bit her lip, heart and head still battling over what to say.

“I loved being your everything,” he smiled. “And I loved when you were mine… my everything. But we have Kyle, we’re still a family.”

“But what if we didn’t… have Kyle,” she interrupted. “Would you still want any part of me? Or would you let me go?”

“What… what do you mean?”

“If there was no Kyle, just us… would this be it? Would I never see you again?”  

“Oh, Casey,” he gasped, fighting a visceral reaction to take her in his arms. “I hate to think of a world where you aren’t a part of my life. But I’ve got to admit….” He stopped, afraid to continue, but Casey wasn’t letting him off.

“Admit what?”

“The only reason I might… be done… is because I don’t know how I’ll handle the pain of having you in my life, knowing you’re no longer mine. I guess… I have to, for Kyle. But, Jesus, I don’t want to.”  

“You… you don’t want to?” her heart raced at his words.

“No! No,” he said as a single tear rolled down his cheek. “That isn’t what I meant. A voice inside his head was screaming, tell her, but another yelled just as loudly, telling him he had no right.

Their minds both wandered… a montage of their lives flashed before their eyes. Good friends who had become lovers, so in love, they could barely breathe. A life he never imagined but welcomed with open arms. Her face at the altar and his as he carried her over the threshold of their new home. All the dreams, the plans… now gone. He kissed her forehead as she cradled their newborn son. Perfection. There was no way their life would ever be anything but light. Then came the exhaustion, the demands, the misunderstandings, and the fights… real life crept in on their fairy tale and refused to let go. The compromises that left both feeling like they lost, always followed by resentment. Casey lying in a hospital bed weeping, mourning a life that never had a chance to begin. The dark, dark days that followed, when the chasm only widened. They forgot who they were, forgot the promises they had made, and instead of turning to each other, they both turned away. Tension, anger, misunderstandings… they took control.

“You don’t trust me!”

“Why should I? You’re rarely here, and when you are, you're a million miles away. I know what it felt like to be wanted by you… and I don’t feel that anymore.”

“Life changes, Casey! But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you!”

“Really? So I’m the only one you want?”

“What? What’s that supposed to mean? Yes! You are… you... you don't believe me?”

“No. I don’t.”

“Then we have a real problem! Because if you don't even trust me, I don’t know what we have left.”

The bottom fell out, and it never came back. There was no reason for her not to trust him, but he never took the time to understand why she no longer did. He wasn’t avoiding her, but she never bothered to find out what he was. And now, in two days, they were getting the only solution they thought they had. Until now….

“Tobias,” Casey whispered. “I know this may sound crazy, but I was wondering….”

A loud ring interrupted her train of thought… life’s all about timing. She wasn’t snooping, but instinctively turned its way.

Miranda.

Casey fell back into the couch, visibly defeated. Tobias turned off his ringer and threw the phone in his pocket. He tried to pick up where they had left off, but the train had already derailed.

“You’re still friends?” Casey sniveled.

“Yes. Just friends. I never said we weren’t.”

“You have Kyle for the next four days. She's not going to be around him, is she?"

Tobias’s jaw clenched. “No, she's not. But one day she likely will be. Are you telling me Kyle ever around Bryce? He’s never around your friends?”

“That’s different.”

“How? How is it different, Casey?"

“Because Miranda hates me! She was all too willing to tell you how you'd be better off without me. God only knows what she put in your head and I won’t have her do it with my son.”

“She doesn’t hate you! And she never told me to leave you! No, she’s not your biggest fan, but, in fairness, you treated her like shit."

“I treated her like shit because she didn’t respect me. I was your wife, and she didn't know her goddamn place!"

With a shake of his head, Tobias jumped to his feet. "You know what... I didn't come here for this. We've spent countless hours fighting over Miranda, and I have no desire to do it again.”

"I couldn’t agree more. Besides,” she swallowed, "we’ll be divorced in two days. Your friends, and any other relationships you may have, will no longer be any of my concern.”

Tobias shook his head as he shifted on the balls of his feet. "You were going to say something before the phone rang… is there anything... do you want to….”

“No. It was nothing,” she replied. “It's just... this is hard. It's so hard.”

“It is,” he lamented, sadly reaching out to gently stroke her face. His heart felt warm when she didn't retreat.

“Life’s changing for us, Casey…in big ways, but I will always love you. I need for you to know that.”

“I… I do,” her voice quivered. “And I’ll always love you, too.”

“I think I’ll wait for Kyle outside. I’ll… I’ll have him call you tonight before he goes to bed."

“Please do,” Casey wept, no longer trying to contain her tears. “I wish… I wish things had turned out differently, Tobias. I really do.”

“Yeah," he chuckled sadly, so do I. But what did you say the day we moved out of the house? It was a beautiful dream.”

“Mmm-hmm,” she sniffled. “It was.”

Tobias reached over and took her hand in his, grasping it so tight, he never wanted to let go.

“You know, some nights, I have these dreams.... nothing specific, but in them, you and I are together. They’re back when things were still so good, when we were magic, and couldn't have imagined it would change. When I have them, I wake up it feels like you were there with me…you know? For a brief time, I get to have that again.”

“I know,” she wiped away her tears and tried so hard to be strong. “Sometimes, I have those dreams too… and it feels the same way.... but...."

"But?"

"I miss you SO much when I have them. It’s wonderful and hurts like hell at the same time.”

“I know," he sighed. "So, how about this? From now on, when either of us has one of those dreams, we'll remind ourselves the other may be having one, too. Maybe we couldn’t make things work in the real world, but in our dreams, that's something else. We’ll always be together in our dreams… and no one can ever take that from us.”

“You’re right,” she whispered, turning her eyes toward the floor, the pain almost searing. She needed to escape... cut this short... there was no way she could take anymore. “So, Wednesday..." she smiled sadly. "You and me? The courthouse? Will you be there?"

“Our last date,” he half smiled. “How could I miss it. I'll see you there. Good night, Casey." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head as both fought back tears, then he walked out the door without looking back.

In the days that followed, they convinced themselves they were doing the right thing. It would be foolish to go turn back. They didn’t make this choice lightly, and they had reasons. It was cold feet, they surmised, they just had to be strong. But deep down, both knew these were excuses. The truth was, fear prevented them from taking that step.

In the days, and years that followed, they each learned the most painful lesson of all:

Unspoken words never go away, they live forever in our hearts, haunting the corners of our minds. The one question never answered… “What if?” That became their burden to bear.

A/N 2: I'm sorry! It's an AU! It's an AU! They do go to court on Wednesday, and I HC each asks their lawyers, privately, what would happen if they called it off. The lawyers aren't helpful, telling them the perils of calling things off, only to file again, and in their experience, most couples end up filing again. Discouraged, each of them puts on a brave face and signs the papers. They leave the courthouse together, and Tobias walks Casey to her car where he tells her, “So much, we give it so much, and with one signature, it's over." 😭😭 But it's not over, their story hasn't reached its end.

In this universe, I want to explore real life. Where problems aren't miraculously solved. Friends and family aren’t always supportive. Issues don't disappear. Where pride and stubbornness take charge and leave people broken in their path. But we will also see the resilience of the human spirit and how people can move on, even when their heart is broken.

Will they end up together in the end? Perhaps. (She said cagily.) But if they do, it's a long and winding road that will highlight how love exists in many forms. How it morphs and changes over time, and most importantly, how… when its real… it never ends.

Perma: @a-crepusculo @animesuck3r @annoyingmillenialnewbie @crazy-loca-blog @differenttyphoonwerewolf @doriopenheart @fayeswiftie @gryffindordaughterofathena @genevievemd @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lucy-268 @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @socalwriterbee @secretaryunpaid @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesmonthlychallenge @openheartfanfics

OH: @annfg8 @binny1985 @coffeeheartaddict2 @mysticalgalaxysstuff @ofmischiefandmedicine @peonierose @youlookappropriate

Tobias Only: @icecoffee90 @kyra75

[hungbucks0]

“New York” - Cash Wheeler

summary: a southern californian never meant to fall this hard for a city girl

warnings: fluff… curse words? i can’t remember? seems like a lead to smut at the end, but it’s not!

authors note: i take requests <3

Flashback-

She rolled over, reaching for that familiar person. Her hand felt around a little, eyes popping open when she couldn’t find who she was looking for. She signed, remembering that her boyfriend: Cash Wheeler, was already on his flight headed to Japan, where he would be wrestling for the next couple weeks.

She decided it was time to get out of bed, rolling on her other side to find a note on her nightstand that read:

I had to leave while you were asleep. I wouldn’t be able to take those beautiful eyes staring at me as I walked out the door… see you when I get back. - Cash

She smiled, putting the note in her top drawer. These next weeks weren’t going to be easy.

Present Day-

Dax and Cash had just landed back in America. With the time difference automatically changing, they weren’t used to being awake right now.

“For these next couple months off I’m going to drink more tequila than I’ve ever drank in my entire life.” Dax said, meaning every word of it, “And spend time with the family of course.”

Cash lightly chuckled at that, “Seems like a perfect vacation away from work.” His phone buzzed in his pocket, he quickly pulled it out, biting the inside of his cheek when it was a message from his girl.

How much longer are you and Dax gonna kiss?

I need attention from you too.

Dax looked over at his partner’s phone, “She’s always been jealous I had you first.” Dax joked, getting a laugh from Cash in return. “I’m telling her you said that.” He chucked, typing away on his phone.

“Want me to drop you off at her place, before I head home? I don’t mind making a little pit stop.”

Cash rubbed the forming scruff on his beard, “I don’t know man. I need a razor - and a shower.” He laughed, stopping when Dax’s face turned into a smirk, “Aw Cashy is tryna look good for his girlfriend.” He rubbed the top of his head with his knuckles, “Like she’ll care if you look a little homeless.”

Wheeler mugged his friend, before opening his camera to fix his hair, “I just don’t think I should see her right away? Is that coming off as too desperate if I do?” Dax sighed, pulling Cash by his sleeve, “You still have a lot to learn about women.”

In all honesty, Cash hated New York City. He nearly groaned when he was invited to her place for the first time. She had rich taste, her penthouse was on the highest level with a great view of this dump.

No matter what it looked like, it would never be North Carolina… his thoughts began to take over, as he wondered if she’d ever agree to stay with him in his home.

He imagined her sitting on their wide porch together looking at mountains instead of skyscrapers.

Dancing in the fields smelling grass, instead of… whatever unpleasant smell New York had.

Yeah, he didn’t understand why he kept coming back.

He walked into the building, nodding to the doorman Kyle. He was very happy when she brought Cash to the building one day, ever since then Kyle wouldn’t leave his spot until he saw them walk in. Always saying, goodnight before hanging up his hat and calling it a day.

Cash liked Kyle.

He found her room, knocking a couple times, before the door was swung off its hinges.

“You’re back?” She jumped into his arms, taking him by surprise. He let out an exhale, slowly wrapping his arms around her. She pulled back looking at his face, “Welcome back, my love.”

He bent over to put down his bag, still keeping her up with his arm, “I’ve never been greeted like this before. I could get used to it.”

She rolled her eyes, “You know you hated being away from me. Dax told me everything-“

She was cut off by his lips on hers, his arms wrapping tighter around her, as her hands rested on the side of his face.

He began to walk forward, closing the door with his foot.Cash made his way to her bedroom, laying her down gently, before he broke the kiss. A smirk forming, as he saw her eyes widened.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him back in, he placed his arm out, holding himself up. “You have no idea how much I missed you.” He caressed her chin, “You took over my life.”

She began to run her hands through his scruff, biting the inside of her cheek, “I like this.” She sat up, beginning to pepper kisses over his face, “You smell good.” He blushed at the compliment, before lightly pushing her back down, “Why are you in such a rush? We have all the time in the world to do whatever we please…”

Maybe… New York wasn’t so bad after all.

[cherr-22]

TNGDH 34

“For this reconnaissance, we will investigate further. With the new demonic beast’s appearance recently, we must be more careful.”

“Yes sir!”

The knights answered in unison. It was so loud that even I, who was leisurely enjoying a sunbathing session while lying on the sawdust, could hear it.

‘Already another reconnaissance.’

It has been about a month since the previous one.

―Squeak squeak. Squeak. (But why hasn’t he told me about going on this one?)

I rubbed my stomach after stuffing myself with the almond, macadamia, and strawberry that Kyle had brought. I must’ve gained more weight, because it was getting harder to breathe. Just a little bit.

Anyways, it would be a good idea to follow along this time too. If another accident occurs, it’d be good if I were there.

I crawled to a corner and just when I was about to use ‘Summon’―.

“Wait a moment.”

Kyle opened the door and came into the study.

I took back my hand from the system window and slid back to the center of the hamster house.

“Cashew.”

Kyle’s soft voice called for me. I pretended I wasn’t doing anything and made a gesture that said, “You’re here?”.

Then he lifted me up and naturally started kissing me.

―Squeak……. (Alright…….)

Of course. If he didn't do this, he wouldn’t be Kyle Blake.

I received his kiss and waved my hand in goodbye. Hurry up and leave.

Kyle only left after glancing back at me twice at the study door. I quickly used ‘Summon’ and wore my clothes.

Really! At this point, shouldn’t I be able to automatically wear clothes? This is so inefficient!

[(´。＿。｀)]

……I’m not saying it’s your fault. It’s not like we could do anything about it. I’m just complaining out loud…

I comforted the sullen system and walked down the hallway at a brisk pace. I diligently headed out of the castle, greeting the workers carrying laundry baskets and brooms along the way.

When I pushed the tightly closed door, a light so bright that it hurt my eyes poured in. I stepped outside, feeling the cool air surrounding me.

Now, Kyle. Take me with you. Look at this perfect timing I appear before you when you need me.

“Your Highness! ……Huh?”

I looked at the empty field in front of the castle with a dumbfounded face.

He’s not here.

There’s nothing here. Even though this is the front gate?  Surely they would’ve reorganized their ranks here before going up the mountain?

I hurriedly searched the surrounding area. The flower beds, bushes, pillars… I looked closely everywhere, but I couldn’t find a single one of his familiar footprints.

“Just where exactly did you go!”

I shouted at the sky in frustration and a passing worker flinched.

“H-his Highness Kyle went to the back gate.”

“Yes?”

“He said someone fearless may try to follow him…….”

I stood in place with a dumbfounded expression. The employee, seeing my reaction, quickly bowed his head and disappeared.

Then, does this mean…….

“He’s avoiding me?”

I went back into the castle and thought for a while. There weren’t any other demonic beast specialists within the castle so why would he go without me?

No, I knew why even without having to think. It was because I fell off the cliff last time.

It must’ve been a shock to see the person he promised to protect to fall into danger right before his eyes. What if it happens again? Would I be able to grab onto him properly this time? I could imagine him worrying about it all night long.

Still.

“It’s only right to keep the person you want to protect by your side.”

As I trudged down the hallway, I felt an inexplicable sense of loneliness. I must’ve gotten used to spending my time with Kyle.

I wandered around for a while before arriving at the kitchen to eat two freshly made sandwiches, scones, and cookies with black tea and then returned to my room to cancel ‘Summon’.

―Squeak. (Sigh.)

I laid down and stared at the dark ceiling of the study room.

There was no time to get lost in sentiment. I spent the entire day walking around and thinking about Kyle, but my heart felt heavier than it did before.

‘……Why do I feel so heavy?’

I grunted as I turned over. However, I couldn’t get up. I was only able to stand after grasping the floor with my paws.

―Squeak squeak. (……Just how much weight did I gain?)

Now, I could no longer deny it. At this rate, I may become an obese hamster and would have to survive on just chicory and lettuce.

I suddenly felt a sense of crisis and started walking on the hamster wheel. And here I thought I’d never have to ride this horrendous thing again!

Alright. Let’s do some morning dieting.

To the point where Kyle will be so surprised upon seeing me again.

*

Reconnaissance usually takes about four to five days. They said they would go further this time, so it should take about a week. Today was the first day of the week.

During this time, I was quite busy as both a human and a hamster.

During my time as a hamster, I worked on my squishy belly by running on the hamster wheel, and when I was human, I helped around.

Mass production of the quilted clothes have begun, because they thought it would be good to distribute them to the residents of the territory. The remaining knights in the castle also spent their days hunting.

I, of course, helped with sewing and teaching the kitchen staff various other healthy recipes. The most delicious recipe was the one made with the fish beast.

There was a pond to the south of the castle that was frozen all year long, so people often went ice fishing and hunting there.

They would gather together and light a bonfire to have a feast.

The grilled fish grilled with an even coat of spice and sauce…… it was tastier than any other seafood I’ve eaten.

As a result, the people greatly enjoyed the fish. And best of all, the fish would break through the ice on their own if there were a lot of them.

Anyways, it was hectic and busy. Thanks to that, my Miracle Value went up to 24 percent. It was a huge increase despite Kyle not being here.

In other words.

‘The people here has accepted me.’

Although, I did benefit a bit from the ‘passive effect’ of gaining favor with the Northerners.

When I walk across the hallways in the castle, the workers greet me and the knights sometimes look for me with monsters they caught in their hands. When I go to the kitchen, I’m gifted with freshly baked bread and some cookies. Yesterday, I even received the tart that the youngest worker of the castle baked.

‘……But we are still a little awkward with each other.’

It was definitely not a bad feeling though.

I cleared my throat and glanced at the clock. It was ticking just past noon.

―Squeak squeak. Squeak squeak squeak. (Kyle, just when exactly is he going to come back? The weather is fine so he should be back pretty soon.)

While mumbling to myself, the system window blinked.

[(❤´艸｀❤)]

That’s not it. Don’t look at me like I’m a wife waiting for their husband to return home. We’re not in that sort of relationship.

I kicked the system window and it flashed again on the opposite side of me.

‘Ha?’

I frantically kicked hard at the moving system window. I was so absorbed that I didn’t even hear the study door open.

“So you also knew how to dance.”

A soft voice came from above my head.

I paused and turned my head up. Kyle was looking down at me with a very disheveled appearance.

“Sorry for being gone for so long. I rushed back, because I was worried about you, but it seems like I could’ve washed up first. I can’t hold you with my hands dirty like this.”

Kyle mumbled while holding his hands caked in dirt and blood. My eyes naturally went to his hands.

―Squeeeak! (Hey! What’s with your hands!)

I stuck myself to the transparent wall and squeaked towards Kyle.

Kyle must’ve thought I was glad to see him after a long time, so he looked at me sweetly and left the study, saying that he would come back soon.

I pounded my chest in frustration and used ‘Summon’.

It’s a good thing I didn’t use it earlier in the day today. How could I hold in after seeing him like that? I must take a closer look myself to see if the body I cherish has any injuries.

“I think right now is good.”

I hung around in front of Kyle’s room for a while before knocking the door. Then, I heard a voice from inside telling me to come in.

“Shu?”

Upon opening the door, I saw Kyle with a robe draped over his shoulders, drying his hair with a towel.

I quickly scanned him from head to toe. No injuries on his arms. Not a single scratch on his chest. He just looked a bit messy.

I sighed in relief and walked over to him.

“It took you a while this time.”

“I thought it would be good to go the longer route after encountering the new demonic beast before.”

“You didn’t tell me to go together this time.”

“There is no need for you to accompany me on every reconnaissance. Besides, didn’t you say you were busy?”

I crossed my arms and puffed. You could hide all you want, but I know you better than yourself.

“Not because you are afraid I might die?”

“…….”

Kyle stared at me silently. It seems I got it right.

I reached out and gently grabbed both ends of the towel covering Kyle’s head to help dry his hair. He obediently lowered his head to narrow the distance between me and him.

“Teach me how to use the bow tomorrow. I learn quickly, so it’ll be worthwhile for you to teach me.”

“…….”

Kyle’s brows narrowed, and then he relaxed with a short sigh.

As if he missed me for the week he was gone, he wrapped my waist with his strong arms and pulled me in. I entrusted myself to him. With his familiar body scent reaching the tip of my nose, I felt at ease.

I let go of the towel and placed my arms around his neck. I smiled as I heard him saying that he would teach me and that he’s glad to be back home.

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

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

[antagonisticism]

Chapter One: Denial

The shards of glass pushed into the hands of a man far beyond sorrow to even take care of the newfound pain. Blood dripped down in warm droplets to the ground where it would create a small pool for whoever would be next to find him. There was no comparison to the mental damage felt at that moment. All that the man cared about was cleaning up the ruins of what was meant to be a perfect day.

Chapter One: Denial

Steven sat there on the park bench staring ahead to his boy on the swing. His eyes never wavered as his son went back and forth, clearly oblivious to the discussion between his parents. Steven was listening to the woman beside him with little to no respect for what she had to say. 

It was his wife, Mary. 

Her patience with the world seemed to be spreading thin. What didn’t help was their financial situation. Six months since the accident and still no hope for change. 

“I mean, what do you even want me to do, Steven?” Her voice was hollow from exhaustion. “I’m trying to raise our kid and you’re out here burning through money. Why can’t you just have a drink at home? We can get you some ice cold beer that will keep you stocked until next month. Save money and keep your shitty little heart happy.

Steven, we can’t survive if you keep going out like this! Kyle can’t live like this!”

Her arms spread out as if that would express her pent up frustration. 

Steven was unresponsive to the hissing coming from her mouth. He was thinking about the next beer that would touch his lips and finally drown her out. Drown out the sound, the world, and the memories.

She wasn’t the one working sixty hour weeks with flashbacks of Kyle running to him before the chemical waste bucket spilled all over him. How loud the screams the kid released were when the burning in his eyes and on his skin began. 

There was no other way to live, but with a bottle in hand after that. 

He couldn’t look at his own kid without the guilt piling up inside. His son was debilitated because he hadn’t taken the time to be more cautious on the job site. If he had just been more careful. If he hadn’t brought him to work that day. Mary was there to hold Kyle when their boy cried and joked when he needed cheering up. Now Steven could just go to the bar after work to settle the pain in the pit of his stomach. All he had to do was get up each day to make just enough to numb it all away.

“He seems fine.” Was all that Steven could respond with as he shrugged his shoulders.

Suddenly, Mary was standing. “Fuck it, you son of a bitch! I was trying to get you to clean up your act for him. For your son. But I can’t do this anymore. I can’t live like this.”

She grabbed her purse from the park bench they were sitting on and started walking away from him until he finally called after her.

“Well, hold on. Wait a minute. Where are you going, Mary?”

Mary’s only reply was to lift her right hand and flip him off as she sauntered over to the boy. 

Kyle sat on the swing, but wasn’t moving. His eyelids were closed and lips parted. The hands that clutched the chains on the swing were small and delicate. Her son’s frail, underdeveloped body. His facial tissue around the eyes still looked red and scarred. The doctors told them Kyle’s face would heal. He was still young enough that no permanent damage would come except to his eyes. Those he had lost forever.

She wanted to scream and cry. Not at the boy, but the reality of the situation. An unemployed mother who had clawed and clawed to make something, anything work. It was all too much. Being a mother, a wife, and making the sacrifices that had to be made. There was no point in living like this. She stared at him for a while, trying her best not to break.

After a while, Mary touched his hand and winced as he jumped from surprise before she bent down to speak to him.

“Kyle?” His mother whispered into his ear. “Mommy has to go bye, bye for a while. Take care of your father, okay? You are a big boy. I will see you two soon. I just. . . I need some time.”

The scent of a woman he loved so dearly wafted into his nose as a friendly reminder to past memories before the accident. He remembered her slow smile and how brightly it shined. The brightest blue eyes that were like sapphires. A delicate face framed with ebony curls that only came to her shoulders. 

Did she still wear that pretty smile when she looked at him? Did her eyes still crinkle at the sides when she laughed?

Kyle’s heart dropped as he felt a kiss on his forehead before hearing her walking away from him. He began to cry for his mom. Softly at first before nearly screaming for her to come back. 

No one did. 

Kyle was stuck on the swingset just trying to make it through as the minutes ticked by. He was blind and in absolute solidarity without even his father rushing to comfort him. 

Steven had left while she had spoken to their child. He was so anxious to get to the next drink that would help him drown his senses that he hadn’t waited to see her reaction, or the fact that she was saying goodbye forever. 

The father had left the little boy behind to get to his pub. There was so much anger from his chat with Mary to forget that he hadn’t paid attention to the little boy screaming for his mom while Steven himself drove away. 

The threats from Mary couldn’t have been real. She loved their son too much. 

Steven cranked up the stereo in his car to block out whoever was screaming their head off. So much bullshit had just happened in thirty minutes and he was ready to walk away from it all. Speeding off, he glanced back to see Kyle by himself on the swingset but saw a figure next to him. Assuming it was his wife, he never glanced back again. . .

“Kyle.” Breann muttered his name as her fingers lightly touched his shoulder. “You’re snoozing again.”

Kyle jolted upright and immediately regretted his decision. He forgot the ceiling to the alcove of the restaurant he was at was only so high. A small booth for performers like him to wait before it was time.

 The noise of people bustling around and making a fuss because their food wasn’t ready made his ears want to bleed. He couldn’t seem to get used to the way this place attracted the loudest of crowds. It was a miracle that he didn’t run then and there from the job he had set out to do.

Sing in front of a live audience just waiting to eat him alive.

“Sorry, Bre.” He muttered, rubbing the back of his head. “Been a long day. Dad came around.”

Her left brow lifted, even if he couldn’t see it. “To ask for the usual?”

“Yeah.”

He could feel her body posture tense up as she squeezed his arm. 

They both knew what the usual meant.

Bre had commented a million times that Kyle was assisting in his dad’s disease by giving him the money. Kyle should be saving up and trying to make it bigger than just the famous blind singer to their first class restaurant. 

He had made it big here. Though the first couple of times had been awkward when regulars realized he was blind.

So many people were afraid of the disability that they were uncomfortable with what to say. Kyle laughed at himself for them. Ease the awkward heaviness of the matter. He wished they didn’t have to feel like he was to be treated differently. It was almost like an alien had shown up whenever the disability was mentioned. 

Breann’s hand squeezed again as they sat him down.

She was whispering so as to not let anyone overhear. “He’s sick, Kyle. How are you helping him by feeding him this money? You’re encouraging the addiction.”

“Yeah, but if I don’t, what then? I can’t lose him, Bre.” Kyle’s fingers hesitantly grabbed her own. “I’m all alone if I do.”

“You have me. What about Jacob? Little Amelia, too! Karen and Arthur love you like you’re their own son. They practically raised you after him and your mom left-.”

“They’re not blood.” Kyle sharply interrupted to keep from hearing the ending of that sentence. “They had and have their own lives before me. Karen and Arthur fostered me out of pity. Mom made that call before she. . .” 

His entire body slumped back in the booth he sat waiting for a ride from Breann at. “I know I act like I’m on top of the world, and I am, but these past couple of years feel like I’ve forgotten what true relationships feel like. Everyone’s so fake here in Los Angeles.”

Kyle wished he could’ve seen her then and there. 

Just to glance at the one friend that kept his head above the water when it felt like it was time to give up. 

Her and her husband Jacob had met him when he was still in high school singing until his lungs gave out. They decided that there was an opportunity to invest in someone worth it and they did. Bringing him on as entertainment boosted sales and helped keep their restaurant alive with the different themes that made them unique. But they were busy taking care of their three year old to really hang out with Kyle. Bre just gave him motherly advice and a drive home when she could.

He thought back on this morning when the loud knock banged on his door. It got him nearly skipping out of bed. Asking his phone what time it was and getting the answer of “four in the morning” made him groan. He slipped out of the bedroom and into the living room where the door was just five easy steps away from. The banging began again like clockwork.

“I’m coming!” He shouted back in response. 

His fingers rested on the doorknob before swinging it open. 

Just like that, he could smell the alcohol and sweat a mile away. 

Kyle covered his nose with a hand to plug up the sense he wished was taken from him. The lack of any deodorant was blood curdling and he nearly shut the door on his own father because of it. Covering his reluctance to meet with such a human with a cough, he tried to mutter out some type of greeting.

“Dad, why are you here? It’s four in the morning.”

Silence was the only response for a solid three minutes before he felt a calloused hand touch his own. It was weak from years of not working and poor discipline. The gnarled sides made Kyle want to almost shiver.

 Its texture was nothing like what he remembered it to be like from when he was little.

“I need your help, son.” His breath smelled of pure whiskey and poor hygiene as he croaked out the words.

“What do you need? We can get you a shower real quick.”

 Kyle’s heart lifted at the weakness in his father’s voice. Maybe today was the day that his dad would finally get the help he deserved. That had to be why his drunk ass was standing there. Usually he would come in the afternoon, begging for money. Today had to be different if he was coming so early. 

“I need just a little more, Kyle. I got mugged and. . . I, uh, I need a little more to pay for the medical bill. Do you have just a couple hundred more to give to your old man?”

The hope came crashing down. 

Kyle was barely surviving as is with the money his job made and giving a portion to his dad. Now he was asking for more? Exhaustion made his heart pump faster, ready to shout at the old man. Maybe if he knew where he stood Kyle could give him a good sucker punch. 

Kyle’s feet backed away from the door to the countertop where he grabbed the wallet. Walking back over, he felt out five twenties and handed them to the outreached hand.

“Only a hundred more, dad. That’s it. You gotta get help. Go to at least one AA meeting with me. Please, dad. Just one.”

“I will, son. I promise, I’m working on it. I just need some more time. Just a little more time.”

Steven said it with his back already turned to head back into the city. 

He walked past the yard to the street ahead. His eyes never lifted back up to the son standing there leaning his head on the door. Steven always said that and meant it every time he walked away. 

But the older the man got the harder it was to make things right. Every year was another time to use his shovel and dig a deeper hole. Soon enough, he felt like he was making his own grave. All because he could never get over the first step in grieving the loss of his son’s vision or the guilt of being the one that caused it.

How hideous of a man that had made him become.

[asterias-corner]

ok so like, ocs and universes? But ones i made when i was 7! You should hear about this :0

So the whole shabang is that in the worlds of humans and hybrids, they each have their own realms, the human realm and novacia. Now in novacia, there is a big crystal known as the plow star, its name being a representation of how its power can literally plow life to extinction. It broke, by the doing of dr bless, but we’ll call him zari, he is a demon shapeshifter who takes form of a scientist is the human realm. Anni (self insert/main character) was shoved through the portal by him. In the human realm, zari is making hybrids from normal people. Anni happened to be a test subject, and a “failed” one. They were found by Zachary and his mom, but only after they’d been blessed by mori (more on her later) with the power of the plow star :3 they took them in and while exploring one day they stumbled upon the fire shard. Zach got close and it embedded into his chest. He burst into flames, his veins turning red while the power embedded itself into him. Anni couldn’t get close but a burning sensation in their chest made them find that the original shards were scattered, and Zach had found one. They find an old temple nearby, finding books about the power. They make it their mission to find the other shards, and that’s where they meet Luna, who is a good friend of theirs, immediately sharing that a crystal that made her feel like she was going to freeze to death, and that meant they had 2 shards, and the main crystal so far. Clarity was a bunny hybrid who was working on keeping a specific bit of land safe and a farmer, but found Kyle overtaken by dark magic, they fought wildly, clarity had found the crystal a year beforehand, and had been practicing and managed to beat him. She restrained him with ivy. They talked and Kyle apologized profusely, having been taken control of. They’d been out one day at the main market, trying to buy some food when a hell hound was trampling about causing a ruckus. Before they could help they found anni, Luna, and Zachary already using their powers to stop it. They converse and now having found 2 others- but were still missing another two. A rather aggressive lightning storm had been bothering a town, and wouldn’t let up. Something wasn’t right. They traveled and found Diana, who was upset and angry over her families death. They consoled her and added her to the group. And one night on anni’s watch, they were attacked by a cat hybrid, using air magic. Anni chased her away from camp, fought a bit while trying to talk to her, managing to get through to her- and thus they had found all shard holders. Once they had done so, a rather strange fox stumbled into the clearing, bounding over to anni with a scroll in his jaw. It explained he was a companion that would join them to take down zari, also known as dr bless. They prepared, eventually finding he had perfected the replica of the crystal, and had made an army. He was going to wipe out all of humanity and turn them into hybrids to overthrow novacia next. The war took place in the human realm, eventually getting backed up into novacia. The battle was rough, absolutely devastating to the lands, but mori, the goddess of novacia, had strengthened the ones with blood from her, (basically anyone born in novacia or specifically blessed by her.) ((-Anni)) making them powerful in their domain, successfully destroying zari and his troops. The day is won, and rebuilding is in order, in the human realm and in novacia. They all build a mansion to live in, hanging out and living life to the fullest. 

Was this like a gacha movie? Yes. Do i care? No. This was like my favorite thing to daydream about, zodiac was actually an imaginary friend of mine when i was younger. I used this to cope with a lot of stuff, and it means a lot to me, so I’m sharing :’)