#thing she takes joy in now is um. NOT gonna work out for her so I just cant help but feel it'll come crashing down again so yeah

[deus-and-the-machina]

miyako calling aqua and ruby her son and daughter...WAAAAAH AUGH girl you are working so hard ;-;

then BOOM ex husband time. oops. awkward. 

[badasmuse]

“Homewrecker”

Bada Lee x Reader

Warnings: 18+ (MDNI), lowercase intended, language, cheater!bada, bottom!bada, bada is married to h*wl, bada has a daughter, top!reader, lonely bada, she also cries, appearance from itzy’s yuna

Summary: bada is lonely, you fix that.

Part 2 Here

you absolutely loved children. ever since you were fifteen when you started babysitting for your neighbor that’s when you knew. you actually wanted to start your own daycare but you wanted a degree so you decided to take a few online classes in early childhood education. but, going to college meant you need money for books and such so you never stopped babysitting. but your usual child’s father came back into her life making you jobless once again, so when you received a text from an unknown number stating she got your number from her friend you jumped with joy. and that’s how you started working for bada lee and her husband.

on your first day, you pull up to the extremely big house, you’re nervous. you keep thinking, what if i lose this kid in this big ass house.

there’s a tall woman and a slightly shorter male standing in the doorway holding a little girl. she looks about seven. you step out of the uber and approach the little family. “hi i’m y/n. i’m looking for ms. lee?”

“that’s me.” she steps out shaking your hand. “you can call me bada. this is my husband howl, not his real name but as a dancer it’s just what he goes by, and our daughter chaeyoung. come in.”

you follow the woman in and dude when i tell you this house is huge. you could probably fit three semi trailers stacked on top of each other in here. with the wheels still on and everything. you’re too busy admiring the house to hear what bada is saying.

“got that y/n?” is all you hear.

“huh? oh i’m… im sorry i was admiring your house i didn’t hear a thing. could you… repeat that?” you say shyly.

“oh no problem. this is a list of people you can call if you can’t get in touch with either of us. always try lusher first she’s my best friend she’ll always be able to get ahold of me. i’ll be out at the studio a lot this month because i’m choreographing a few comebacks and howl is getting ready to go to japan to teach some classes. i will be back around nine tonight. here’s chae’s bedtime routine. she’ll try to stay up past eight thirty, if she fights let her because she’ll fall asleep in the next five minutes. you can just lay a blanket over her on the couch and i’ll carry her to the room when i come back. is that too much at one time?” bada asks after literally vomiting a shit ton of information.

“no no i think i got it all. also, if you’re gonna be dancing, i don’t mind carrying her to her room. you’ll be tired and probably want to shower, i can handle it.” you say smiling.

“if you can i’d appreciate it. oh we have to go. chae you be good for y/n okay? i mean it.” bada says crouching in front of the girl who just nods in response before hugging her mother tight and hugging her father’s leg.

soon, it’s just you and her. boy did she give you a run for your money. you did lose her in the house while playing hide n seek. she made you play dress up with her. she took your phone and hid it, spilled apple juice everywhere, and even went into her parent’s room and took one of her mom’s lipsticks.

by now it’s eight thirty and she surprisingly went to bed without an issue, which you were grateful for because now you have to clean the mess in the kitchen and living room.

“hi i’m home.. y/n?” you hear bada say.

“kitchen!” you respond.

“what.. happened?”

“oh she spilled apple juice. this- here. she took this from your room. um, do you mind calling my phone?” you mumble.

bada sighs and goes into a room before coming out with your phone in hand. “i’m sorry she did this to the last babysitter, and the one before. if you don’t want to continue just let me know okay?” she says helping you clean the apple juice.

you look up at her and see the sweat dripping down her face, the tired look in her eyes. she’s obviously struggling. “what time should i be here tomorrow?”

her eyes light up and she smiles brightly. “um, same time okay? it’ll just be me and her, my husband will be gone early.”

“i’ll be here. go shower. i’ll finish up and make my way out of here.” you pick up the used paper towel, throwing it in the garbage.

thirty minutes later she emerges from the bathroom dressed in a new pair of sweats and a tank with her wet hair flowing down her back.

“i’ll get your uber home. can you put your address in here?”

*

now it’s been four months and man, the feelings you feel towards this woman are crazy.

“she’s just so.. fine, yuna.” you say to your best friend. “when she comes home from the studio and she’s dripping with sweat. you know how hard it is to not jump on her?”

yuna laughs, “isn’t she married?”

“yes but… come on. her husband is never really there. she’s always tired and probably sexually frustrated. i could fix that for her for real.” you say taking the drink from her.

“that’s mine.” she sighs, “well are you gonna go for it?”

“i don’t know, should i? what if i get fired?” you say.

“then you get fired. come on i’ll drop you off. it’s almost time.”

once you arrive at the house, you knock and wait, watching yuna pull off. bada opens the door and looks at you surprised. “y/n? what are you doing here?”

you blink, “it’s.. saturday?”

“oh! oh i’m so sorry. first come in.” she steps to the side, “i’m sorry, chaeyoung is with her grandmother for today. i thought i told you. probably forgot i was doing so much this morning. i feel so bad you probably ubered here, let me pay you for that and i’ll get you one back.”

“my friend dropped me off. i can ask her to come get me.” you say sending a quick text to yuna.

“well have you eaten? let me get you something.” she says.

“i’m okay i’m not hungry.” at least, not for food.

“well.. here’s a water bottle. i’m so sorry.”

“it’s okay bada. my schedule is open.” you look at the reply from yuna and sigh. “actually could you get the uber? my friend is busy, she won’t be able to come get me for at least an hour or so.. unless you don’t mind me waiting?”

“i don’t mind. i actually wanted to talk to you about chaeyoung.” she says sitting next to you.

“what is it?”

“i’m not too sure what you’re doing but.. she used to be terrible in school, behavior wise, and ever since you came along it’s changed. what are you doing with her? what can i do to make sure she doesn’t act that way once you get your degree and stop working for me?” bada sighs, leaning back on the couch.

“bada,” you turn your body to face her, “the issue with chae is you don’t give her enough attention. i know both you and howl work a lot. it happens. but she tells me all the time how she wishes at least you were here more often. she’s lonely. it’s only her and you stick her with a bunch of strangers. she told me she feels happy when i’m here because even tho i’m leaving, i still make her happy because i’m giving her the attention she craves.”

bada wipes a tear from her cheek, “i try. it’s just hard. i want to be here. then howl took that stupid job traveling to different countries like he doesn’t have a wife and child at home. i feel like i’ve been snapping at her which is why i sent her with her grandmother. i wanted to.. be with my husband and he’s not even here he went to america. i wanted to talk to him about this.”

you pull bada in for a hug and rub her back as she cries into your shoulder. “you’re doing the best you can, bada. you can’t be too hard on yourself. howl should’ve thought about that before he left. he needs to understand you need help.” you say softly.

bada pulls back and looks at you, “you really think i’m doing my best?”

“i do.”

there’s a tension filled silence as you look at each other. you don’t know what fueled you but you lean in and kiss her on her lips before pulling back quickly. “oh shit i’m sorry you’re married-“

she cuts you off with another kiss gripping your shirt. this one is a lot more desperate. “please…” she mumbles against your lips. “i need this please.. please don’t go.” she whines.

“your room.” you say and she stands up pulling you into the bedroom she shared with howl.

she pushes you on the bed and climbs on top of you finding your lips again as your hands trail under her shirt. you pull it off her and she whines.

“relax baby, i’ll make you feel good, just be patient.” you turn her on her back kissing her neck and down to her chest. lifting up her bra you attach to her nipple, sucking gently and she moans. you pinch the other one with your fingers and her hips buck up against you, looking for friction.

“keep your hips down.” you whisper, kissing down her stomach. you leave marks on her hip bones and she moans your name.

“y/n please… please i want you so bad!” she writhes on the bed.

you pull her shorts off and she’s not wearing anything under them. “made this easy for me huh? oh you’re so wet for me bada.” you run a finger over her clit and her leg jerks. you put her leg on your shoulder and make eye contact with her. “can i?”

“please y/n please do- OH!” she moans out when your tongue makes contact with her clit. her hands clutch the sheets as you suck on her clit, sticking two fingers in her.

her breath hitches and she lets out loud moans, “oh my god s-so good! please more!”

you insert another finger curling them up into her spot. she lets out a squeal. “why are you so good at this?” she moans, hands going to your hair as she fucks herself onto your fingers. “i’m cumming!”

you speed up your fingers, flicking your tongue skillfully and she cums with a scream, your name falling off her lips.

you pull your hand out giving her a minute to breathe. “you okay?” you run her lower stomach gently.

“i need… more. please? i have.. have toys in my sock drawer.” she pants.

you walk over to where she points and find a different array of toys. “oh you’re kinky.”

“please use whatever you want. make me your slut. please.” she whines.

you bite your lip, grabbing the dildo, a vibrator, and some handcuffs. “you mind?”

“oh please!” she moves her hands to the headboard, letting you cuff her to it. “i-i can eat you out while you fuck me. you can sit on my face.”

you shiver at the thought before stripping and doing what she wants. her tongue skillfully explores you and you question how she let a man trap her with a tongue like that? you lean forward and put the dildo in her, immediately thrusting it in and out of her while putting the vibrator on her swollen clit. she moans into you and pulls at the cuffs. you’re worried she might be uncomfortable so you lift up but she whines loudly. “i’m not finished!”

you sit back down, thrusting the toy faster and turning up the speed on the vibrator. you let out a moan trying not to grind on her face. you move when she starts to mumble something.

“what did you say baby?”

“use me. use me to get yourself off. make me your personal tuck toy.” she moans out.

you moan as you move back onto her face doing as she asks all while you fuck into her tight count with the dildo. you’re close and you know she’s close from the way her moans get higher. she latches onto your clit sucking roughly as you pound the dildo into her gspot and you’re both cumming with loud moans. you remove the toys and she squirts all over her bed. you get off her and rub her clit, helping her ride out her high.

“okay! okay i’m done i can't…i’m done please!” she moans pulling the cuffs.

“give me one more. let me make sure you’re 100% satisfied. you might not get it this good for a while.” you whisper.

she whimpers and cums one last time, her juices flow out of her and you caress her thigh gently.

“so good for me bada. did such a good job.” you uncuff her and she pulls you in for a kiss. you can taste yourself on her tongue.

“thank you.” she whispers. “i needed that. god i needed that.. tell your friend nevermind. stay with me.”

“what about your husband? and chae?” you ask.

“he’s gone for a week, chae will be back tomorrow night. after i take a nap i want to go again.” she groans, turning on her side.

grabbing your phone, you tell yuna to just bring your backpack that has your strap instead and you lay down next to bada. she immediately moves her head onto your chest and sighs, falling asleep.

that was a lot easier than you thought it would be.

[beaconfeels]

Fuck it Friday Saturday

Got tagged for this WIP game by the marvelous @lucky-bishop so I thought I’d dig something up. This is from a shorter Steter fic that I’m gonna get back to next week hopefully.

“Fine. It’s a present. For Peter. He has access to the files but I um, these are ones we worked on specifically together, and ones that he taught me and stuff.”

Erica takes the liberty of flipping back through the pages slowly, and Stiles feels a little bit like she’s looking at his soul, even as she’s only glancing at the thoughts he’s jotted down for Peter in the margins.

“Stiles, this is…” she trails off, and Stiles’s stomach twists.

“It’s too much, right? I always do too much. I always get into someone and end up scaring them off and-”

Erica cuts him off. “Hey, it’s okay. I think he’ll love it.” There’s a pause and then, “you really like him, huh?”

“Is that stupid?”

Her blonde curls bob as she shakes her head. “I love Peter. He’s kind of an asshole, but so are you and me, so.” She sticks her tongue out and laughs. “And he likes you too, you know?”

Stiles fiddles with the hem of his shirt. “Do you think so? When we had sex it felt like…but now I don’t know…”

It takes way too long to figure out why Erica is staring at him with her mouth hanging open. Oh right. He hadn’t actually meant to tell anyone about him and Peter sleeping together.

“You and Peter had sex?!” Erica shrieks. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! Tell me everything!”

“It was nothing,” Stiles says, feeling quite dejected at having to say it out loud like that. “He offered to help me lose my virginity since ya know, we keep running across monsters who have a thing for virgins? And I wanted to lose it with someone I like at least a little ya know? Someone I feel safe with.”

Erica wacks him on the arm, none to gently, “I totally would have had sex with you, dude! I didn’t know it was bothering you.”

Stiles snorts out a laugh. “Did you forget about Boyd?”

“He’d be cool with it,” she says nonchalantly. “He’s not gonna get all jealous if I help out a friend.”

“Oh, letting a friend stick their dick in you is totally just helping them out huh?” Stiles says. He can’t help laughing, nearly doubling over with it.

“Sure,” Erica says, smiling that cheeky smile of hers.

“God, I love you,” Stiles says after he catches his breath.

“You love Peeeterrrr,” she singsongs back.

“Nobody said anything about love,” Stiles protests. “I’ll admit to having a crush. That’s it!”

“You made sweet sweet love to him, baby boy. Just admit it.”

Stiles hides his burning face behind his hands. His friends really are the worst.

“Was it good? He seems like he’d be good in bed,” she muses.

“It was so good,” Stiles whines. “I mean, not that I have anything to compare it to but…fuck me.”

“Does he have a big dick? He has big dick energy.”

“Erica!” Stiles says, covering his face. “Why are you thinking about Peter’s dick?!”

“I’m in a pack with a bunch of hotties. What do you expect from me? I’m only human.” Her cheesy smile says she doesn’t feel bad about it at all.

He supposes he’s also thought about it before, so it’s not really fair to act like Erica shouldn’t.

“Well?” She presses.

“I’m not telling you that!”

“Fine. I’m definitely picturing it big though. Just so you know.”

“Stop picturing it at all!” He protests.

She acts like she’s thinking about it then says, “Nah. It brings me joy. I’m keeping it.”

[spacesapphi]

"Moving Forward Spiraling Downward Chapter 23- Maybe Tomorrow Can Be Different"

First things first- apologies for taking so long. A lot has been happening and, not gonna lie, I got a bit burnt out. I'm feeling better though, and I'm excited to write more! Thank you all for being so patient with me about this chapter.

Also… Don't know if anyones noticed, but an extra chapter has been added on to this fic. Things got a little long and I figured that I'd split the chapter in two for the sake of pacing.

CWs for this chapter include allusions to alcoholism and mentions of abandonment

Summary: It's the end of Spring and Shane is marking a month of sobriety, and has just the perfect idea to celebrate it! With all that's been happening, and with the Flower Dance around the corner, he decides it's time to take a big chance with one of his best friends in the world. But when things go wrong, he's left wondering if he truly is ready for this next chapter of his life.

AO3 Version Here

Tumblr Version below the cut

Life was good. Better than good, really. Now that Summer was just around the corner, the weather was finally warm again, the days were longer, the Flower Dance was just a day away, and everything just seemed happier. But best of all was that today Shane was celebrating one full month of sobriety. He never thought he’d see this happen so soon, and it had been so much hard work to stay afloat. But he’d been willing to do it, and it was so worth it. It let him be more involved in the lives of friends and family, having more energy and money, along with much more joy. It all felt so incredibly rewarding. There had been hard days, but he had gotten through them, and for that he was proud. Shane had been mulling over what a good celebration would be for the occasion, wanting it to be something very special. And after much deliberation and preparation he’d come to a decision, and he couldn’t be more excited to see it all play out. 

His mind was abuzz with his plans, all else in the world completely falling to the wayside. His family was admittedly happy to see Shane so content, but they were perplexed all the same. They watched him walk with confidence in his step, smiling nearly the entire day. Marnie could have sworn she heard him humming something while they were working in the barn earlier, something he had never done, not even when he was younger. Jas noticed he was more energetic too, more willing to indulge in shenanigans than before. The two of them were very curious as to what could possibly have him acting this way, and they were intent on figuring it out. 

Shane emerged from his room with a large paper bag in hand, cradling it close like it was the dearest thing to him. He was dressed sharply, his hair combed nicely and face shaved. He looked like a new man, and it made the curiosity only grow from there. Marnie took a break from cleaning up the counters and looked him up and down, smiling contentedly, “Look at you, all dressed up!”

“Gonna go celebrate at the saloon, of course I am!” Shane watched Marnie’s face fall to concern for just a moment at the mention of the saloon, and held up a defensive hand, “No, not like that… Just gettin’ some food with Möhle and talkin’, that’s all,”

Jas perked up at the mention of the farmer, turning her attention away from her coloring book at the kitchen table. Everything clicked together in just a moment. So that’s what had him so happy, that’s why he was putting together a grand plan! A smile crossed her face, hope in her heart, “Is Möhle gonna be your... your… um-” she paused for a moment, trying to find the word she was looking for, “I dunno the word,”

“Partner,” Shane informed, “And… I don’t know, Jassy,”

Jas looked almost disappointed, turning her attention back to her coloring, “Well they should… because then you can get married ‘n live happily ever after,”

It was typical of Jas to view everything in the lens of a fairytale book, something Shane grew to expect from her. Though as embarrassing as it was to dwell on his feelings for Möhle, he couldn’t help but be relieved that Jas seemed to be on board with the idea. Shane had a string of failed attempts at romance from the past few years. It would seem great on the first date, but as soon as they found out he had a kid and debts that were piling, they’d end things fairly quickly, not wanting that responsibility. But he thought that Möhle might be different. They knew about his issues, and they supported him through it anyway. They were good to Jas too, treating her with kindness and making her feel respected. And if Jas enjoyed their presence too, maybe something could work out between him and the farmer. Perhaps it was meant to be. 

He broke himself away from his thoughts, realizing he was getting far too ahead of himself, embarrassed to be dwelling on the idea yet again. He took a moment to clear his mind before finally responding to Jas, “I don’t need to be in love to live happily ever after, Jassy,” he smiled, “I got you guys and all my friends… that’s all I need,”

Jas shrugged in response, turning back to her coloring, “Well… that’s okay too,” she mused, “But I like my idea,”

Shane let out a short amused huff, turning to his aunt with a smirk on his face, “I’ll probably be out late… is that okay?”

“Of course! I’ve got it under control here” Marnie lilted. She turned her gaze to the bag in his arms, a curious look on her face, “Now… what’s this about?”

Shane seemed to grow defensive, holding it closer to himself in an attempt to hide the contents, “Nothing too special… just a gift for Mo, somethin’ to say thanks for stickin’ with me,”

Marnie wasn’t buying it, not one bit. She squinted skeptically, getting up on her tip-toes to get a good glance into the bag. She was just barely able to see what sat inside, but it was enough to make her heart jolt. Shock crossed her face, an excited smile quickly replacing it, “Shane-!”

He quickly shushed her, glancing nervously at Jas and back to Marnie, “I don’t want Jas to know yet. In case… y’know… it doesn’t go well,” he whispered, “You know how she gets her hopes up,”

“It will go well, I know it!” Marnie whispered, hardly able to contain her excitement, “Oh I’m so happy for you!”

“Let’s just see how it goes…” Shane looked nervous, not exactly feeling confident about his plans for tonight. But his aunt was doing her best to get him hyped up, being his number one supporter as always. Marnie always believed in him, even through his darkest moments, and she believed in him now too. 

“Come on, let’s get you going!” 

“Ma, wait-”

“No waiting, let’s go!” she urged, motioning towards the door. Marnie never thought she’d be excited to see Shane head to the saloon, but tonight she very much was. She practically shoved him through the doorway, eager to get him out to his celebration with Möhle. Shane, however, was taken aback by her eagerness, finding it quite amusing to see her so excited over this. 

“Make sure you tell me all about it tonight!” she requested, “And have fun!”

She waved him goodbye from the door, watching eagerly as he walked off towards town. Though Shane appreciated her excitement and good wishes towards him, it did make him feel even more anxious. If tonight didn’t go well, there would be yet another person disappointed, another person to let down. Oh how he wished she didn’t know about all of this. 

He tried to have confidence in himself. Shane had talked about this idea at length with his therapist prior, discussing the best way to go about things and good coping mechanisms for when he got nervous. He just kept trying to think to himself, “You got this, it’s going to be great!”. Shane didn’t know how much he believed that, but he tried to keep that thought in mind. He did have this, and it was going to be great. Those thoughts kept him afloat, turning his nervousness into anticipation as he finally approached the saloons steps. 

It was interesting to be sitting somewhere besides the bar counter for once. Shane had reserved the little table over in the rec room, asking for Gus to have it closed off just for tonight. He wasn’t one for grand spectacles, and wanted to have some semblance of privacy during the night. He nervously sat in his seat, glancing over at the empty chair across from him, bouncing his leg anxiously. Möhle lived not too far from the saloon, about the same distance as him. What could possibly be taking so long? Where were they? He told them the right time to arrive… right? Every minute felt like an eternity as he waited, eyes trained on that empty chair.

His thoughts were interrupted as a message came through on his phone, one from the very person he was waiting on,

“Hey, I’m so sorry I’m running late, I’m not in town right now. I’ll let you know when I’m omw, ok?”

“That’s okay, see you soon Mo”

“(^-^)”

Shane placed his phone back down on the table, feeling that nervous sensation continue to grow. Something about this made him feel on edge… Something wasn’t right. What could have possibly come up? What was so important that they had to be out of town? They made plans, plans he was looking forward to for a plethora of reasons. Were they ditching him?

He tried to snap himself away from those thoughts, feeling just a bit selfish for even entertaining them. Möhle had important things going on in their life too, more than just him. He tried to keep that in mind, tried to remind himself that they did care and did want to be there. Patience was key…. But his mind just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was awfully wrong. 

“What if they’re annoyed at me? Yoba, what if they hate me? They’d be too nice to say it too…: he thought to himself. He kept imagining that they were purposely brushing him off, perhaps just sitting at home, maybe even ditching plans to be with someone else. Reason fought back, reminding him that Möhle wasn’t that type of person, that he was being ridiculous. But the little voice in his head kept whispering those awful ideas into his mind, making him grow anxious and frustrated. His hands were gripped tight around the bag he was carrying, squeezing it as his thoughts continued to spiral.

He checked his phone again, praying for some kind of message that confirmed they would be here soon. But there was nothing, just that little smiley emoji sitting as the most recent text. He wanted to check in again… but would that make him look desperate? Would it annoy them? What the hell was wrong with his brain tonight? He hadn’t felt like this in so long, he had no idea what in the world was setting it off. 

Nearly an hour passed before he finally bit the bullet and messaged again.

“Almost here?”

“No, sorry. Still out.”

Fuck. Shane’s mind continued to churn, his anxiety growing heavier with every passing moment. Reason was sorely losing the battle, being overpowered by the ever-present feeling of mistrust and nervousness. He could only imagine what they must be doing, feeling his heart pang as he imagined them having fun out of town, blowing off their plans for something fun that didn’t involve him. No. No, they wouldn’t, he tried desperately to remind himself of that. They were just running a bit late, they’d be here any moment. He was sure of it.

His phone buzzed one more time, another message coming through. It was only seven simple words, but it was enough to break his heart.

“I can’t come anymore. I’m sorry.“

Crushed didn’t even begin to describe how Shane felt. So, they weren’t coming after all. How fucking disappointing. He stared at the screen for just a few moments, just enough to let the message sink in, still in disbelief. With a shaky hand he mustered all the strength he had to push back his frustration at the situation, only to send something that sounded passive aggressive anyways.

“Fine.”

With a huff he shoved his phone back into his pocket, a sick feeling in his stomach. His face was sullen, his legs almost shaky as he stood from the table, walking out of the saloon all on his lonesome, the opposite of how he wanted to end the night.

Stepping out into town square, Shane found the air to be much colder, biting at his cheeks and freezing his hands. The sky had turned into a sea of ink, and the stars he so adored were hidden behind a haze of clouds, shrouding the valley in pure darkness. He sighed pitifully and looked back to the bag in his hands, feeling his heart pang when he saw what had become of what was inside. He gingerly pulled a wilted bouquet from its confines, finding the stems bent and snapped, loose petals falling down to the stone pathway. It was ruined, just like the night had been. What a mess this all had been.

Why did he think this was a good idea? Why did he think he could do this? He obviously wasn’t ready for a relationship, and it seemed to him like Möhle didn’t even feel the same way. They didn’t even show up, after all. But he couldn’t blame them, not a bit. Who would want to be with someone like him? Who would want to be with someone who was always just on the brink of despair? He certainly wouldn’t, that was for sure. 

His expression of sorrow quickly changed to frustration, his grip getting tight around the flowers in his hand. He could hardly stand to look at them anymore, feeling a rage build up everytime they came into view. They were supposed to be a symbol of love, but all he saw in them was sheer, utter disappointment. Shane began to storm towards the direction of the ranch, his mind rampant with anger. To whom that anger was directed to, he wasn’t sure. Was it Möhle? Maybe… But maybe it was to himself for being so stupid to ever think that he could have something like this. As he approached the walkway back, he caught a glimpse of the river that flowed by, and threw the flowers into its depths, glaring at them with vitriol. The stream carried them out of sight, leaving Shane to look at his own reflection in the swirling waters. All he could do was sneer at it, feeling nothing but bitterness towards his image, the one that resembled the man he hated most in this life. 

That’s when something clicked in his mind, something that made the rage turn to guilt in merely a moment. In a moment of clarity, he realized what had just  happened. He had gotten angry at someone who cared about him, who wanted to be around him, all over something likely out of their control. He had no idea what kept them from the celebration today, but he let his insecurities get the best of him, allowing him to mistrust them, to assume they were lying. And now here he was, trashing the bouquet that was meant for them, the person he planned to ask to be his partner tonight.

All that was left was him standing there, staring down at the river, back at that damned face. Shane didn’t recognize himself, not one bit. The anger etched across his features, the look in his eye… All he could see was Gerard looking back at him, and oh, how disgusting he felt about it. He remembered the visit from months ago, remembering just how angry Gerard got over simple things, his entitled behavior and the way he made assumptions. He remembered the old stories he heard about him too that only affirmed what he had seen that day. Shane hated how Gerard acted…. but here he was now, acting just the same… wasn’t he? As much as Shane didn’t want it to be the case, he feared his behavior and his thoughts tonight were a sign that an awful cycle was about to continue on. A sick feeling accompanied that thought, awful questions swirling in his mind. Would he end up being like him? Was he already like him? 

He slowly backed away from the river's edge, unable to look at himself any longer. He didn’t want to be reminded of Gerard anymore, he didn’t want to let these thoughts take over his mind. They couldn’t. Turning quickly, he began to make his way back to the ranch, walking as fast as he comfortably could, his mind focused on nothing else but getting back home and curling up under the covers to sleep and forget it all.

When he stepped in through the door, he found the house to be nearly silent, something he expected at this late hour. Jas was asleep, and Marnie was sitting in the kitchen, hunched over the table while working on an old quilting project for the first time in years. She was so focused that she didn’t seem to even notice that Shane had walked in at first. After a moment, she finally caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, a hopeful feeling returning to her. She placed down her needle, flashing him a smile, “So, how did it-!”

Shane ignored her, walking straight past the table and towards his room, shutting the door behind him firmly. Not enough to slam it, but just enough to get across that he was very unhappy. Marnie’s smile faded away, a nervousness starting to grow within her. She pushed her project to the side, sighing softly as she made her way to the door. She knocked quickly and cracked it open just a sliver, taking a peek inside. She saw him curled up on his bed facing towards the wall, unmoving and sullen. She took a deep breath in and out to prepare herself before making her way towards him, sitting gently at the foot of the bed.

 “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“I’m an idiot,” Shane muttered, “I don’t know why I thought this was a good idea,”

“... Did they say no?”

Shane remained quiet for just a moment before turning over to face outwards. He looked ahead at the wall blankly, a stone-cold expression upon his face, “They didn’t even show up,”

Marnie gave him a sympathetic look, tsking softly, “I’m sorry… Did they at least give you a reason? It’s not like them to just… not show up,”

“They did… sort of. And I get it. But I just-”

He paused for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek as he thought over what to say, “I got too into my head about it and it just made me get more upset,” he grumbled, “And then I just started thinking, “why do you think you’d be a good boyfriend, Shane?”. I’ve barely gotten back onto my feet, I’m still struggling, and I’m scared of just continuing this awful fuckin’ cycle,”

“What cycle?”

“You know what I mean. Every guy in this family has just been… awful,” Shane hissed, “I know grandpa was mean to you and momma, and my dad is a piece of shit that cheated and treats everyone like garbage… I’m so scared of ending up like them. I want to do my best, I don’t want to be like them, but… what if I am and I end up hurting Möhle?”

“You’re not going to hurt them,”

“I already have before! I-” Shane stopped for a moment, realizing what he had said about his father just mere moments ago, sharing information that he wasn’t supposed to know about. He could tell by the look on Marnie’s face that she had caught it. Shit. He slowly sat up, not looking Marnie in the eye out of shame. 

She let out a quiet huff, speaking in a knowing tone, “Is there something else you want to tell me?”

He was quiet for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek as he silently cursed himself for ever bringing that up, “... I met him. Last year.” he finally admitted, “He sent a letter to the house  a few months ago talkin’ about why he left momma,”

He flinched and hitched his breath, expecting Marnie to be angry with him, to scold him for withholding something like this for so long. But she wasn’t. Marnie was surprisingly calm and quiet, acting as if this news wasn’t news at all. Shane furrowed his brow, reluctantly looking at her, “Are you mad…?”

“... No. I’ve actually known about that for some time,” Marnie stated, an air of disappointment and melancholy in her voice, “I found that letter months ago, Shane. I’ve just been trying to give you the chance to tell me yourself,”

“What? How?”

“Next time you want to keep secrets from me, try to remember I’m the one who does laundry in this house,” Marnie scoffed, “It was in one of your pockets,”

Shane hunched over ashamedly, turning his face away from her, “I wanted to tell you… I just didn’t know how, and I was scared. I’m sorry,”

“I’ve already forgiven you, and I understand… I read the entire thing, I know that must have been hard for you to read too…” Marnie sighed softly, “Shane, I just wish you had let me help you through that. I hate that you let yourself go through these things alone,”

“I know…” Shane muttered, utterly embarrassed with himself.

 Marnie placed a hand on his shoulder, her touch calming and grounding, “But listen… You won’t end up like him, I can promise you that,” she murmured, “You know why?”

Shane gave her an unconvinced look, squinting skeptically, “... Why?”

“Because if you were as bad as him, you wouldn’t be worried about causing harm,” Marnie assured, “A bad man doesn’t worry about whether or not he’s hurting people, he doesn’t want to be good… I’ve raised you to be good, Shane, and I know you are,”

“I don’t feel good,” Shane huffed, “I’ve already fucked up so much, and I don’t want to fuck this up either. Mo already has so much baggage, I can’t just add to it… I know I’m difficult to handle. They don’t deserve that,”

“Shouldn’t they decide what they deserve?” Marnie asked..

“I guess…” Shane shrugged, “But I just…”

“Just what?”

“I dunno, it’s dumb,”

“Just tell me,”

Shane folded his arms together, holding himself tight in an attempt to self-soothe, “I… look like my dad. A lot. And when I get angry, or upset, I worry I’m acting like him too. I keep thinking that it’s some bad sign, like he’s some fucked up picture of my future. Everytime I look at myself, I see him,”

He looked over at his TV, seeing his warped reflection in the empty screen, scouring every little detail, “Sometimes I wonder if Jay ever saw it too,”

 “Look at me, Shane,” Marnie instructed.

He turned to face her, reluctantly looking her in the eye. Marnie gave him a weary smile, and took his hand, squeezing it tight, “It doesn’t matter if you look like him or not. You aren’t the things he’s done, and you aren’t him… you’re Shane. You’re a good man with so many people who care about him. That’s who you should see when you look in the mirror… that’s what we all see, and I’m sure that’s what Jason saw too,”

“Really?”

“Really.” Marnie affirmed, “We’re all so proud of you too. All this work you’re doing, the change we’ve seen in you… all of it shows the kind of person you are: A good man trying to do his best,”

“... Okay,” Shane let the tiniest smile slip onto his face, the dread in his heart lightening up just a bit. Reason and reality slowly began to set back in, his panic drawing to a close, replaced with a quiet anxiety. It was clear he was still very much not ready to open up a new chapter in life, and Yoba knew when he would be. But perhaps now he could try to accept that. He took a deep breath in and out, feeling his chest finally loosen. 

“I still don’t think I’m ready. I want to be, and I’m not,” he admitted aloud, “But I’m thirty-two now, it’s not like I have all the time in the world to figure this out

… what if it winds up being too late when I do?”

“It’s never too late,” Marnie assured him, “Everything happens when it’s supposed to… You just need to have patience,”

“Yeah…” Shane muttered, “Thanks for talkin’ about this, by the way. How do you always know what to say?”

“Motherly intuition, I suppose,” Marnie laughed. She held him tight in a side hug for just a moment before fully letting him go, “I want to talk more later… I need to know more about that visit when you’re ready. But you need some rest, don’t you? Tomorrow is a big day,” 

“Yeah, I guess…”

“I know you’re not usually a big fan of the dance, but maybe it’ll help get your mind off things, hmm?”

 Shane shrugged, “... Actually, I was kinda lookin’ forward to it this year... I was gonna ask them to dance with me,”

“You still can,” Marnie encouraged, earning a huff from Shane in response.

“I don’t know anymore…” he mumbled, “Maybe,”

Shane fell into silence from there, entirely withdrawn into himself. He wasn’t confident that the plan was such a good idea. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to go to the dance anymore. It means so much to Jas and Marnie that he did go, though… Perhaps he could tough it out just this once for them, as much as he didn’t want to.

Marnie seemed to realize she wasn’t going to get much more conversation out of him, giving him one last hug and whispering “goodnight” as she left the room. Now that Shane was on his own, he could think more clearly about things. He felt a bit better… but he was still so incredibly dejected by the events of the night, barely even wanting to attend the dance anymore. Most years he loathed it. Ever since he was a little kid, he had dreaded seeing the festival approach. It was a day where he was forced to get dressed up in itchy, fancy clothes just to make a fool of himself in front of the entire town. He remembered there were many times when he was a young child where he’d get in trouble for jumping into a mud puddle or running through brambles to purposely ruin his outfit so he didn’t have to go. It was an absolute nightmare.

 But this year was supposed to be different. He wanted it to be. Shane wanted to dance with them, putting aside his embarrassment and anxieties just for them. He wanted to be able to call them his partner, to use the dance to show their budding relationship to the town, to announce that he had finally fallen in love. But it wouldn’t come to be. He would be alone once again, on the sidelines.He wanted to try his best to get past the loathing and contempt for the festival for them… but now it seemed like it wasn’t worth it. 

He tried to keep Marnie’s words in mind, to not spiral into a frenzy over one failed attempt at telling his friend how he felt. But it was hard not to. His mind simply worked against him, pushing reason aside to give way for all his fears and insecurities to cloud his mind. Those thoughts swirled in his head as he slowly fell asleep, that sense of dread weighing him down as he thought about what would come to be. But just as his eyes shut tight for the last time, one last spark of hope fluttered by, ending off the night with one tiny, positive thought. 

“Maybe tomorrow can be different,” 

[cosmolog]

Miguel's Secret (P.2)

Part One. Part Three

[Two Years Ago]

"Okay, Y/n, can you hand me a screwdriver? There's one over there" Miguel waved his hand to the table at the end of the room, not taking his eyes off the suit he was creating.

I quickly walked over to the table and grabbed the screwdriver, then rushed back and gave him the tool. The next sound he made was a low chuckle.

"Take your time, I'm in no rush." He said, sending me a grin over his shoulder before using the screwdriver on the suit.

"Oh, okay. Sorry." I chuckled, feeling warm in the face. "Um, would you like some tea or something-"

"No, no, I'm good for now." Miguel sighed as he finished screwing the new gadget on. He stood up straight. "I don't have much for you to do today, if I'm being honest."

I smiled and stepped forward to admire the suit, which was nearly finished. "Muy chido" ('Very cool') I smiled.

Miguel smiled. "Gracias, N/n." ('Thanks, Nickname') He threw his arm around my shoulders and side-hugged me. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off?" He said.

I scoffed a laugh. "Robots don't need rest, Miggy." I reminded him.

"I know but...just ease my conscience for me. I don't like anyone working over-time for me." He reasoned as he started tidying up his workshop.

I stood there watching him for a moment. "What am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"Google it." Miguel joked, laughing at his own joke. "You can go for a stroll or visit the aquarium. I know you loved that place when we went last month. Why don't you go see if they have anything new in." The thought did sound tempting. I loved the various fish and aquatic creatures that the cities largest aquarium held. So many colours, shapes, patterns. But, no...Not without...

"Without you?" I was puzzled. Miguel was always with me whenever we went anywhere outside the Spider Society, so this request was quite unusual.

"Yeah, why not?" Miguel replied.

"But...I...I could be robbed." I excused. "Or kidnapped, or-"

"Y/n, don't worry. That won't happen. You have multiple tasers built into your hands, all you gotta do if point your finger." He smiled as he stopped what he was doing and approached me, placing his hands on my shoulders feeling how tense they had gotten. His tone grew soft and warm as he reassured me "I wouldn't let you go out on your own if I didn't give you something to protect yourself with. Now,¡vamos! Go on!" (Let's go) He said as he practically pushed me out the door.

[Present Day]

"I'm only going to take a peek-" I said as I tried to get past the two teenagers, who were blocking the way out of the storage room.

"No, you can't. If Miguel sees you, I don't know what he's gonna do!" Gwen said, hurriedly as she stood in front of me.

"Why are you saying that like it's a bad thing? What the hell would he do?" Miles asked.

"I-I don't know! We don't know their history, we don't know if Miguel is mad at her for falling in love with him or what-"

"I am not in love with him!" I protested.

"Yes, you are!" Gwen and Miles said in sync.

My eyebrows raised in shock at them as I looked between the two. I didn't speak as the two teens spoke to each other quietly. Gwen pulled Miles away from me so I wouldn't hear their conversation.

Now was my chance. My eyes locked on the door to the storage room. By the time Gwen and Miles turned to check on me, they were sent into a panic upon seeing nobody around.

I laughed as I ran, feeling joy flow through me. I wanted to run faster and faster. But as I turned the tenth corner, I slowly halted my rush now met with a dead end. Well, not really, there was a door with a key pad. I didn't know if the passwords in the Society had changed or not since I was last online but I could give it a go.

Enter Password;__________

Here goes nothing...

Enter Password; G-A-B-R-I-E-L-L-A

PASSWORD CORRECT

I sighed in relief before pushing the door open.

My eyes fell on a large aquarium in a wide open room filled with so many fish. I remember seeing them in the aquarium when I went with Miguel the one day that we did go. I remember pointing out the colourful ones, the ones that stood out to me. I remember taking a picture of Miguel as he imitated one of the fish that had a permanent frown. I chuckled at the memory.

Holograms of whales floated around the room, as if swimming in an invisible ocean. A smile broke out on my face as the humpback past over-head, followed closely by her calf.

The reflections of the water were all over my body, as if I was the water too. I walked closer to the aquarium. Placing my hand on the glass, I leant as close as I could get.

Though the room was dark, the aquarium lights created an amazing and magical glow on the fish. So immersed in the enchanting sight, I hadn't noticed that someone had entered the room until..

"I shouldn't have let you go..." A gravelly voice suddenly spoke.

Taglist

@thesilenthill

@animesnowstorm

@razertail18

@autismsupermusicalassassin

@e1493e

[bruciemilf]

wait I have got to hear your thoughts on bruce being lottie!!

Rewatching Princess and The Frog has got me in a chokehold! But basically, the AU as of now;

It's a well established, well know, well respected fact from the White House to the Bayou; If you ain't Wayne rich, you ain't rich at all.

But you won't catch Thomas Wayne bragging and boosting and yapping about hot cars, or big mansions, or pearly white yachts.

Thomas' pride and joy is one tiny, fawn eyed, overly energetic boy that made Gotham collectively swoon.

"And I want a princess when I grows up!" Bruce is just prancing around in his pink prince costume, adjusting a paper crown that Alfred made, " Or a prince! Can you get me a prince, papa?"

"You know the deal, Bruce; You wish it, daddy grands it; Ain't that right, Martha?"

Martha Kent chuckles in that warm, knowing way of hers. Her friend is infamous for the way he spoils his boy. But the Waynes are good people. And not just because they keep her farm afloat.

"Yeah, you're good on that front. But you know, sweetheart; It doesn't matter if you marry a prince or princess. As long as they make you smile, that's all that matters."

Lois, just a bit older than Bruce, makes a disgusted noise, " I don't want no prince or princess. I just want Princess money."

Bruce squeals, " But a PRINCE. I'd love to marry a Prince. We'd have a big big wedding and the sweetest cake in the world, and everyone would have fun, -- Clark! You gonna be at my wedding, right?"

Clark, dressed up in his blue overalls and paper sword, to fit the knight Bruce always calls him, nods, with a smile that doesn't match his words, " Course I will, Bruce. If you'll have me."

Now. Bruce is so very good at forging fantasies. But when a princess from a far away island rumoured to be populated entirely by women comes into town, it doesn't look like make believe at all.

"Women only? Lucky."

Lois doesn't have the time for dreams; She's a bonafide, concise, straight to the point realist. Taking truth by the throat and brings it to light.

And often enough, truth isn't pretty. And ugly truth, as Parry said, right before booting her right out of her job, doesn't sell.

Luckily, Clark's folks were nice enough to give her a delivery job cause Clark can't drive worth a damn. Still. If she's gonna watch him contain another dreamy sigh for Bruce, she'll blow chunks.

"Did you see her in them papers?! That's the prettiest woman I ever did see!"

Mr. Wayne growls behind his newspaper (that Lois could've written better than fucking JIMMY) and Bruce doubles down, " Um. After mama."

Mr Thomas smiles. "Hm. Guess you're finally getting that princess, huh, Brucie?"

Even in adulthood, Bruce squeals like a strangled kitten, " Where's Clark? Can't have the perfect wedding without the perfect best man!" Lois bites her lip and stacks up the peaches in Mrs. Wayne's Cafe.

After all these years, she just refuses to let that old place go. Lois has to respect that. Martha gives her a sympathetic look, warms her up with a mother's love. " How's work, Lo?"

"It's work, Mrs. Wayne. Thank you for that big order for the masquerade ball. At this point, you're the only ones keeping that farm alive..."

"Give those apples some credit," she winks, but squeezes Lois' hand, " If you ever need anything..."

"Thank you. But I don't take handouts."

"Pride won't buy you food, honey. But I guess I gotta wait for you to open your own newspaper. Then I'll make you rich. You'll see."

Bruce is just hugging and squeezing on Clark's arm, ranting a mile a minute about his wedding colors, his cake flavor, the honeymoon, all while nuzzling Clark's toned arm.

And Clark does what he does best; Hide behind a smile.

Alfred sighs, " If he wasn't mine, I'd whack that boy's head with a pan."

"You'll do no such thing, or so help me!"

"Save it for the after party, Tommy dear," Martha chuckles, " But I gotta understand, -- this Diana lady's making waves. I never even seen a woman talk to the mayor before. Let alone yell at 'Im."

"That's cause Tommy Elliot only wants women under his desk," A roll of the eye, a coil of disgust fanning resentment In her gut, Lois takes the box. "Sides, little miss princess probably ain't better than he is. "

The problem with always looking back is you're never ready for the forward.

When Lois bumps up in something tall, solid, and warm, she thinks its Clark. Except neither she or Clark smell like vanilla ice cream and clean air and blue oceans.

Clark certainly doesn't have long, majestic hair gracefully dancing in the winds. He doesn't have blood red lips, or strong blue eyes.

Clark's eyes were summer sky blue. Not a blue Medusa herself couldn't stone.

And he certainly doesn't make her heart stop with a smirk.

"Well," Diana Fucking Prince says, voice satin and velvet, "I don't know about being a better. But I could change your mind about that."

[dinoace2]

Little Matchmaker

Brief barret x reader fic because my man deserves love and yall are cowards

Post ff7, i...don't think there are any spoilers? Wholesome stuff because I felt like it, ~1.1k words, reader's a she

(A/N: is this how second person works? This is a first attempt)

~~~~

You joined Cloud and his friends on their journey to save Gaia, and after the fact, it didn't hurt to keep in touch. You helped out at the renovated Seventh Heaven when you could, and, oddly enough, you found yourself drawing closer to the young Marlene.

She was adorable, and so innocent and sweet. Although shy at first, she opened up more and more with each passing day. Nowadays, she practically considered you family.

Each time you came back to the bar, every day that you finished whatever odd job you took on, Marlene was the first to greet you. With a giggle and a smile, the girl would rush to your side, arms out for a hug. As long as you weren't completely exhausted, your standard response was to scoop her up in a big snuggle.

Unseen to you, these interactions always brought a smile to someone's face.

Barret stood leaning against a doorway, arms crossed and a gentle smile on his lips. Seeing his daughter so happy gave him a sense of ease. To him, it meant things were finally turning up. It meant that the idea of a peaceful future was more than just a fantasy. It meant that he might not have to spend his entire life fighting for change.

You were special to him, for more reasons than one.

Of course, he loved that you were a source of support and joy for his little girl, but lately he...began to think about something more.

You had spent so much time together on the road, alongside everyone else of course. Acquaintances, then allies, then friends, and now...

Now he wasn't so sure.

When did it start, that he began to notice the endearing smile on your face whenever you came by? When did he start to see the glimmer in your gorgeous eyes, a hopeful look for a bright future?

When did he realize his heart began to race in your presence?

When did he first notice that, the person he'd been traveling with, fighting alongside, and, frankly, trusting with his life on a regular basis, could perhaps be something more?

In truth, he could probably only mark it up to the fact that Marlene looked so happy when you were around.

He'd never really thought much about love or anything like that. Up til now, there was always some kind of danger or threat or something to fight for, and now that there was peace? It actually left space to think about something else.

He watched his daughter take you by the hand and lead you outside to play, and smiled as he took a seat at the bar. Tifa set a glass in front of him. "Are you ever gonna tell her?"

He looked at her, a confused look on his face as he took his glass. "Whaddaya mean?"

She chuckled. "Come on, I know you aren't totally oblivious. You light up every time she walks in here."

Barret rolled his eyes. "I dont 'light up' for anyone. I mean...'cept for Marlene." He shrugged.

Tifa only smiled. "Alright then. Do you want a refill?"

A while later, when you and Marlene finally came in for a break from your playing, you both sat at the bar, and Tifa presented both of you with a fresh glass of ice-cold lemonade.

You smiled, taking the glass with a sigh. "Thanks, Tifa. This kiddo here can race fast when she wants to...where's all that energy come from, anyway?" You ruffled the girl's hair and she giggled.

You looked at the only other guest in the building, and you waved. "How have you been, Barret?"

He couldn't help but smile at you. "Oh, i- uh. I'm doin' alright. How are you?" Tifa chuckled at his response, and he only glared back at her.

Marlene set her glass down, then walked up to Barret and put her hands on her hips. "Daddy, you need to ask Miss (y/n) on a date!"

You and Barret both choked on your drinks at the same time, attention very quickly shifting to the little girl in front of you.

Barret chuckled nervously. "Um. I. Sweetheart, where'd that even come from?"

"Well all the time you're talking about how nice and amazing and pretty she is!" She crossed her arms.

His eyes went wide. "I-, heh, i...that was supposed to be secret words, princess..." his eyes darted between you and her, almost seeming nervous.

She turned back to you. "And when we play together you always sit on the swings and gush about how great Daddy is!"

You froze. Had you really done it that much? Maybe a couple times here and there, just as a way of finding something you and her could agree on, her dad is pretty incredible after all. Perhaps it slipped your mind how often you brought it up, but...you never talked that much with her about your feelings for him....did you? Your cheeks flushed, your face felt hot. How embarrassing, to have been utterly exposed by a seven-year-old to someone you looked up to so much.

Marlene took you by the hand and walked you over, so that you stood closer to Barret than before. "You like her, and she likes you, and also I like her a lot! I think she'd be a good Mama!"

With every word she said, you were somewhere between melting out of excitement and happiness, and wanting to curl up and shrink away out of embarrassment.

Tifa looked on at the awkward display, and broke the silence with a chuckle. "Well, no arguing with that logic, huh?"

You turned to her with the most 'shut. UP!' glare in your eyes, and she only replied with a shrug and a smile.

Barret sighed and took a long breath, standing up. "Alright...uh. well..." he cleared his throat. "Um. (y/n), uh." He gestured his hand and fidgeted a bit. "Will you....uh. will..." he let out a long sigh. "....willyougoonadatewithme‐"

You paused, shocked for a moment. Barret Wallace, among the strongest men you'd ever met, reduced to nervous mumbles and shaky fidgets. That was never a sight you could have expected, but...it wasn't necessarily something you didn't find amusing.

You smiled. "Sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

He paused, grumbled under his breath for a moment, then sighed. "I, uh. Would you...like to get dinner with me...sometime soon?"

You couldn't help but giggle, and you reached out to take his hand.

"I'd love to."

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

Thanks for reading! :]

[rom-e-o]

In your Scroogeverse, after the Wolves gain full custody of Bess' siblings and they move back to London back into Wolf's flat (still a few years off from them looking to buy that country cottage they end up in), Bess decides the flat is in much need of a makeover. So, what does she do? Naturally, THRIFTING! (Because this girl loves a bargain in any universe.) And she decides to bring her new sister-in-law along to bond. Plus, she feels a little braver going into the ritzier stores with someone like Connie by her side, still struggling to feel like she belongs in this new strata of society and all that.

I'm absolutely in love with how their passion for thrifting transcends universes (that feels so eternally fitting for these girls, haha).

I mean, I don't blame her. I imagine a bachelor's apartment after decades of depriving yourself of most joys in life could use ... a little TLC. Especially since they're going to both be enjoying the space. It's no longer only his flat. It just needs a little TLC and updating.

Connie is, of course, overjoyed at the invitation. A chance to bond with Bess? Um, OF COURSE she's game. They plan a whole day and route - this is gonna be thrifting with a PURPOSE, after all. She has a few stores in mind where she has had some luck with.

So, the day arrives, and they set out. They rent a car and driver for the day, just because thrifting can be heavy, and a car allows them to travel across town and have paparazzi pester them slightly less.

"So, we're looking for a little bit of everything, right?" Connie asks. "Anything off limits?"

Bess hums and mulls it over, thinking of all the rooms across the flat. They all need a little ... assistance, she thinks. "I think anything is fair game. Wolf hasn't updated his space in a while, and we're just looking to make things feel a little more ... homey."

"Oh, this is so exciting! Decorating is always so fun, but now you get to make the space up to suit you both as a couple!"

She gives Bess' shoulders a delighted squeeze as they pull up to the first store.

I imagine they girls start at some familiar places - thrift/vintage stores they've explored before. Some quaint places just filled with eclectic items. They look for smaller items first - maybe a cute spice shelf here, a beaded lamp/lampshade here. Maybe a lovely pair of velvet curtains to dress up the plain window blinds? They find some lovely, vintage paintings too, of course. Some feature lovely, dark-haired ladies, which Connie is quick to point out that Wolf will "surely adore."

They slowly work their way up, and at the next place, they find this amazing, Victorian-inspired full-length dressing mirror.

"Oh, just imagine this in the bedroom," Connie suggests dreamily. "You and Wolf taking turns helping each other into your outfits -- him zipping your dress, you fastening his cufflinks -- all while framed by this masterpiece? Oh, we should see if they have a chaise to pair with it! That way you and him have a place to sit while dressing.

Connie gets ... very much into helping out, haha. ^^;

She never pressures Bess into buying anything she clearly doesn't like. Connie, with her knowledge of what Bess and Wolf like, tries to find pieces that fit the bill, and paint a picture of how they might look styed.

As they fill the car with oil paintings, vases, hand-tufted pillows and more, one of the last places they go is one of those more expensive stores. There's a doorman, which woman waves to as she and Bess stroll in, arm-in-arm. It's definitely a high-class store, but the pieces are STUNNING, and they're not badly priced either for what they are. There are tons of heavy, gorgeous heritage furniture pieces.

There are GORGEOUS, pearlescent-finished wooden armoires, and an AMAZING Turkish rug that would look so gorgeous in front of the fireplace. "Perfect for cozying up - among other activities~"

Along the way, as Bess finds smaller items or things that she's a little hesitant to buy ("Ooooh, I love this, but don't want to overwhelm his flat with just my stuff! Maybe I'll think about this for now ... ") she sneaks in a few extra purchases of those items as future birthday/Christmas gifts.

I imagine there are some shoppers that ... give them looks. The ladies are well-known for their afflictions at this point with the Scrooge Twins, and while many people are kind, there are obviously many jealous people. I feel like many upper-society ladies feel like they somehow 'robbed' them of their chance.

I'm sure the ladies hear some gossip. ("Look at those two, flaunting their money. Have they no shame?")

And Connie is quick to roll her eyes with a smile and whisper to Bess, "As if they aren't shopping in the SAME store we are. Some people, I swear."

She's not letting anyone dull their day.

By the end, I imagine they have QUITE the haul. They might even need some movers, depending on how large the pieces are. That night, I can imagine them getting takeaway and tag-teaming arranging some pieces in the flat. They decorate things juuust enough to play around and see how things look.

Connie clears out by the time Wolf comes home, so she's not in the way of them officially enjoying their space together or making some adjustments.

The second Wolf keys in, his reaction is visible on his face. The bare walls are adorned, the cold lights are replaced with gentle, warmer ones... and it feels so much more welcoming immediately. It feels like a home with a woman's welcoming, sensual touch.

Bess definitely gets many adoring smooches, and Wolf absolutely requests a tour of everything, wanting to see every chance.

"Tell me about your day, love. I'd love for you to walk me through and show me everything you found."

To have the woman he loves not only take the time and effort to make their flat feel more personable and homey ... it tugs on his heartstrings. No person, and no woman, has shown that care and attention to him before. It inspires him to actually THINK about flat decor, and while he's not the biggest shopper, he enjoys the idea of joining her on a future trip as they continue to make the flat their own. (And yes, I imagine he is QUITE enamored by the paintings as well - though the real woman at his side remains unbeatable in remarkableness.) <3

[eadanga]

The Press Secretary Part 20 Finale

Summary: Chris the mayor of town is married to his wife Becca. When he hires a new press secretary who happens to be his lost love old feelings resurface and Chris finds it hard to resist the desire he once had for her

Parings: ChrisxMC

Chris stood in the kitchen as he made breakfast he hummed as he poured the eggs into the frying pan he heard footsteps coming down the stairs then a soft voice “Chris?”

He turned around smiling as he saw Emily “Good morning sleepyhead”

“Something smells good what’s cooking?”

“Scrambled eggs bacon cup of coffee”

“Ugh no coffee please the smell of it makes me sick”

Chris chuckles “Ok tea it is then”

After the whole thing with Becca and her father Chris continued to run his campaign this time with no interference from either of them. After a long race and Emily’s help Chris was able to make a landslide victory and get a second term for mayor. After winning his reelection Emily surprised him with a positive pregnancy test which made him jump for joy he couldn’t wait to announce the news to everyone.

Chris set a cup of herbal tea in front of her “How’s that?”

“Smells heavenly”

Chris kisses her cheek “How’s our little girl doing?”

“She kicked a lot she’s a football player already”

Chris laughs “Well she has my genes”

“You going back to the office soon?”

“Not yet I want to work on the crib”

“Chris you don’t have to do that I could just buy one”

Chris raises an eyebrow “Why would you buy one when you got me and Zach who can build a beautiful one for free? Besides I wanna truly make it our baby’s crib I wanna put my own special touch on it”

Emily giggles “Ok Mr. handyman”

Chris chuckles “And don’t worry about the office Jackie’s got it covered she won’t call unless there’s an emergency” He takes her hands and stands her up “Now my beautiful wife let’s go shopping we need food plus I wanna spoil you”

Emily giggles “Chris you don’t have to”

“Nope I’m going to it’s my job as your husband” he kisses her forehead

Emily smiles as she gets dressed and heads to the car. As they arrive at the store Chris quickly grabs a cart and they head inside

A woman approaches them “Mayor Chris I wanna thank you for your scholarships it helped my son get into his first choice college”

“You’re very welcome ma’am and how’s the football program going?”

“Oh he loves it keeps him active and out the house so he’s not attached to his phone all day thank you so much” The woman waves and walks off

Emily smiles “I love what you’re doing”

“Wouldn’t have done it without you”

“Chris that was all you I just gave you a boost”

“And it’s just what I needed” He kisses her cheek and they go through the aisles getting stuff

“Chris I’m gonna check the next aisle”

“Take your time babe”

Emily smiles then heads to the next aisle Chris scrolls through his phone

“Chris?”

Chris clenches his jaw then turns around and sees Becca he crosses his arms “What do you want?”

“I…um…” Becca fidgets “I just want to apologize for everything I did the harassment the blackmail” She sighs “The blackmail was cause I was still in love with you and I wanted you back”

“I figured it was”

Becca bit her lip looking down then looks at him again “Um I see you’re married and you have a child on the way”

“That’s right”

“Well congrats I’m…happy for you”

“What are you doing here? Isn’t a supermarket like this beneath you?”

Becca sighs “Well after everything my dad was so angry he cut me off so I’ve been living on my own got a waitress job to cover rent guess this is my karma”

“You’re right about that”

“Anyway I should go I have a shift later it was good to see you Chris”

“Take care of yourself”

Becca nods then walks away

“Chris you ok?”

Chris turns and sees Emily “You heard all that?”

“Yeah”

“I’m fine Emily I’m extremely happy with the love of my life” He kisses her softly “I love you”

“I love you too Chris”

Tags: @choicesgodfanatic @indiacater @jared2612 @darley1101

@the-soot-sprite

[bronzeeditsx]

Maya fanfic part 19!

When Maya woke up she noticed Teri wasn’t next to her anymore, she must have gone early for the others not to suspect anything.

She noticed a piece of paper next to her on the bedside table, it was her phone number.

Maya rubbed her eyes as she sat up thinking about the whole situation, they were heading home later today which meant she had to face you. It was what she was dreading the most.

She got ready for the day starting to pack some of her things before heading down to breakfast.

“Maya sit here”. Ella asked, from across the room.

With a weak smile she nodded her head and sat down.

“How are you feeling?”. She asked.

“Okay”. Maya lied, she definitely didn’t feel okay.

“How’s Teri?”.

Maya sighed picking at the tape still on her wrist. “She’s good but i’m worried i’m gonna let her down, it’s just not gonna work out”.

“Well, i’m sure whatever happens, it’ll happen for a reason”.

“Yeah, i guess so”.

Maya still couldn’t get you out of her head, yes she enjoyed the company of Terland but it never compared to how you made her feel.

After breakfast Maya packed the rest of her bags, contemplating whether to take teri’s phone number.

She looked at it for a good five minutes until placing it in the bin, it wasn’t gonna work out.

-

The plane journey went really quick and before she knew it Maya was getting a taxi back home, back to Mocha, back to you.

It took her a few seconds to get the courage to knock on the door, until it opened and she saw you.

You opened the door and there she was. Maya. she was gone for only 10 days but it felt like eternity.

“I’m…um so sorry”. Maya said with her head down.

You looked at her for a few good seconds, before you had to break the silence.

“Maya I forgive you”.

“What?”. She replied, confused

“I said I forgive you… but are you and her still together”.

“No”. Maya shook her head.

“Are you sure?”.

“It was nothing serious”.

“Okay, I don’t care whatever you did, as long as it’s over now…i just want you”.

It took Maya a while to take in that information, she couldn’t believe she could be forgiven after what she did.

“I um- wow, how can you forgive me?, I fucked up”.

“because may, I still love you”.

Maya’s face turned into a big smile, in disbelief to what she was hearing. “I love you too y/n”.

She wiped her eyes before stepping in the house. “I don’t know what to say”.

“Maya”.

“Yeah?”.

“Come here”.

You pulled her into a kiss. It was soft at first but when you broke away, you noticed a feeling in her eyes.

warning: 18+ minors dnr ( I actually wrote this in part 15 so now it’s up to date )

She leant in again bringing her lips onto yours full of passion, her tongue filling your throat. her suitcase was long forgotten on the floor.

“I missed you so much”. She said breathlessly, her mouth moving all over your neck as her hands moved around your body firmly whilst pressing you against the wall.

“S-same”. you managed to mutter out as the rest of the time you voice was filmed with moans. However you were cut off by Mocha walking into the the corridor and parading around Maya’s feet full of joy to see her back.

Her lips departed from you but quickly formed a smile as she laughed at Mocha “I missed you so much too”. and stroked him instead.

You were left in a flustered mess still trying to catch your breath, wiping your forehead.

“Why don’t we get you a treat”. Maya said quickly walking into the kitchen and took out a chew to keep mocha occupied.

“I’ll be back soon i promise”. She said rubbing his head and watched him trot to his bed munching away.

However as soon as she turned back towards you her face was now filled with desire.

“Bedroom, Now”.

Before you could even reach the bed her arms got you and pulled you back towards her.

Your back was pushed towards her front and she lay over you on the bed. Her hands traveled under your shirt and she placed kissed to the back of your neck, your face still facing down on the pillow as you melted into her.

She took off your shirt and arched you more into her, you were now a mess. Suddenly she turned you around, her hand moved to your mouth.

“You’re not allowed to make noise”. She teased. Then carried on down unclipping your bra with one hand whilst placing kisses on your ribs.

Your moans became heavy breaths and they got heavier as she moved further and further down along your stomach but stopped at the rim of your shorts.

She looked back up to you. “You really have missed me ”. This made your heartbeat even quicker and your hips gravitate towards her.

She moved both her hands down to your hips and pulled your shorts swiftly down. Her hand then moved along the only fabric that was covering you but you accidentally let out a moan at the touch.

Her fingers pulled away and now both her hands were completely off you.Your head turned up to towards her she shot a smirk back.

“Maya please”.

“Please what?”.

“I want you to-“. Your sentence was cut off by her lips meeting yours again.

She pulled away whispering “you want me to fuck you?”. into your ear, her body now fully pressing onto you.

“Y-yes”.

“Well i’m going to need quiet, can you do that for me?”. she said holding your thigh.

You nodded your head.

“Good”. She replied then moved her fingers slowly down your body finally removing the fabric that was left and went inside you.

You groaned in pleasure thrusting you hips upwards, biting your lip to reduce the noise.However as she added the third finger you unexpectedly came, you’ve never finished so quickly in your life.

“Did i say you could do that?”.

“N-no”. you chocked.

“Well we’ll try this again”.Her mouth went straight into you, replacing your fingers, and you tried your hardest not to release straight after.

You were holding on for dear life and she could tell.

“Not yet”. She murmured her mouth still half covered. However moans filled your mouth as it was impossible to keep quiet and maya knew she would be soon taking it too far.

“Cum for me”. She whispered and you obliged.With a smile she lay back next to you watching you catch your breath. Both getting under the covers.

“You’re wearing too many clothes for my liking”. You said, as maya was still wearing a t shirt and shorts.

“I’m okay”. she replied looking over to you with a small smile. You moved closer to her and brought her into a kiss, moving your hand to her shirt. But she was hesitant.

“What’s wrong?”. You asked pulling away and stroking her arm.

“Nothing”.

“Why don’t want me to return the favour, am i bad?”.

“No!, no it’s not that, you’re great”. She said rubbing her thumb on your cheek.

“What is it then?”.

In truth Maya felt guilty, not feeling like she deserved it based on what she did.

“I-i just prefer looking at your body”.

“Oh maya, your body is perfect”.

She didn’t reply.

“May I really mean it, you’re beautiful”.

Maya slightly shook her head.

“I’ll prove it”. Her eyes then met yours.

“Do you want me to?”. She didn’t reply again.You reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. You placed kissed along her neck and she hummed in pleasure, but as a hand travelled to the waist of her shorts she flinched away.

“Ok i won’t then, if you really don’t want me to”. You said getting off her and falling to the side feeling like it was your fault.

“I’m sorry”. She said covering her eyes.

“Don’t be sorry”. She shook her head.“How about I do it, but you can keep your clothes on just look at me. I really want to”.

“Okay…You’re certain?”.

“Yes”. You straddled her hips and your fingers traced down her body until you soon went inside her. Her face was full of pleasure and relief like a weight had been lifted. Her mouth was open as she succumbed to you.

“You’re so beautiful”. You whispered in her ear then placed kisses down her neck but her arms started to wrap around you feeling your body.

“No touching”. You teased, moving her arms around her own back with one hand, the other still keeping a steady rhythm. It didn’t take her long to release also, now filled with ecstasy.

She really needed that and she knew it too.“Fuck”. She giggled, now glowing.

“You’re welcome”. You said, then placed a kiss on her lips

-

Cuddled up to each other you both lay on the bed, Maya turned to you with the biggest smile. Her arm reached out to you until, you noticed something on her wrist.

“What’s that?”. You asked as you caught her hand.

“O-oh nothing”. She replied, trying to move her hand away, but you had a strong grip.

“Let me see”.

Maya’s expression quickly saddened.

You noticed the bandage on Maya’s wrist, confused. You started to unwrap it as looked very untidy, wanting to see what was underneath.

Oh Maya”. You said, seeing the cuts on her wrists, they had now nearly healed.

She didn’t say anything.

“Did you do this to yourself?”.

“No, not on purpose”. She replied, avoiding eye contact.

“How did you did it?”.

“Well, um…”. She paused. “It was when Ella confronted me about what i did, I caught my wrist on the door when i get annoyed… i shouldn’t have lied to you”. She sighed.

“Maya, it’s okay”.

“No”. She shook her head, moving her wrist away, feeling the lines of her scars.

“I don’t blame you, I wasn’t much better”.

“No, i should’ve trusted you”. Maya replied.

“I won’t be seeing her again anyway, i didn’t want her to kiss me”.

“Oh, did she…”.

“No, it wasn’t anything serious we were both drunk and I didn’t know what to do”.

“I don’t blame you either”.

“Thanks, oh I got you something”. You said.

“Really?”. She asked.

You got up and picked up a gift bag that was in your wardrobe.

“You didn’t have to get me anything?”.

“Yes, I did”. You replied, handing her the bag.

She looked at it for a few seconds, until slowly opening it. It was a new Iphone.

“No, I can’t accept this”. Maya said in disbelief, holding it carefully in her hands. “Take it back”.

“Maya don’t be silly, you need a new phone”.

She was speechless.

“Well are you gonna open it or look at me gormlessly”. You chuckled.

“Thank you”. She quickly said, putting the phone next to her and wrapping her body around you, laying on top.

“You’re welcome”. You chuckled, kissing her cheek.

Maya didn’t want to let go, ever again.

——————

Thank you for reading!

[dailycass-cain]

I was a masochist, because I wanted to see how the story ended (and wanted a the very least to own the Red Hood mini because I do love the creative team with that). So I asked a friend if I could borrow his copies of the issues I don't have. So here are my hopefully FINAL thoughts on Batman/Catwoman: Gotham War.

This was quite possibly the worst Batman x-over in quite some time. From the varying motivations of the main characters to the side characters. Nothing stood out from the beginning to the end.

If any one character comes off as "okay" throughout this event is Jason. Like, he gets the only motivation (again thin as it is), but at the very least he's the one who gets progression in this story.

From helping Selina to seeing how flawed Selina's plan is, to being kidnapped by Bruce then mentally tortured, and still fighting even after it.

Jason is the ONLY main member of the three (or four if you include Vandal) who exits the story still looking clean.

Bruce or Selina? Oh boy... both have some WONKY stuff in this and vary from issue to issue or page to page.

The thing is, this story could've just been easier by taking Selina out entirely and focusing on Bruce vs. the Bat Family.

Like, the entire Bat Family is paper thin in this story and quite possibly some of the worst use of them in a while.

I'm still flabbergasted at how awful Cass was treated in the story with zero character at all. I mean Batman vs. Robin #5 did as well, but even with that story there was a "meaning" to the madness with Cass in that.

She sat out most the main series until THAT issue. She's there along with the rest of the Bat Family to stall the possessed Bruce (which seems to be a recurring theme this entire year) until the mystical characters of the DCU arrive to exorcise him.

For that issue?

It works. I accept the jobbing because it's a mystical demon which is outside her norm (well not anymore).

I still have my issues with Batman vs. Robin, but it was waaay better at telling a story.

Here?

Everyone's appearance in this event is downright laughable and makes zero sense. I'm supposed to accept Cass is okay with Selina's plan throughout this? Even her among other characters gets ZERO voice on why they're on board with this.

A quick fix again would've been when she saw the signs of Bruce's mental instability with the Zur influence growing larger.

Heck, the now INFAMOUS Batman #137. The issue is awful storywise and all it serves is the wrestling equivalent to this with Bruce vs. Cass:

All so Bruce can get a "W" over Cass. Joy. 🙄

When themactically it could've shown Zur's influence that a move Bruce wouldn't be ready for and Zur is.

BUT NOPE. We get that with him against Dick in #138 instead.

I'm not even going into details with the final issue of the event in Batman/Catwoman: Gotham War- Scorched Earth #1.

It just makes everything worse. Bruce passes it all on Dick and um yeah… none of the female characters of the family get ANY say. 🙃🙃🙃

I said last month I'm dropping Batman ongoing from my pull, and I'm sticking with that choice with Tec replacing it fully. I just don't enjoy the comic any longer. When you don't enjoy a comic you cut it off and don't continue to read it for any enjoyment purposes.

Literally, Cass's entire point in Batman run so far has been to job. There has been ZERO characterization for the character. Why I dibbed Cass in this "Card Cain". If you're gonna treat the character that way, well.

I'm out.

Detective Comics is giving me a better story of Bruce falling out mentally, and better-crafted antagonists who feel like a threat to him and others.

I'm more hype for Cass in that because it feels like the book treats each character better. EVERYONE gets to shine.

Batman/Catwoman: Gotham War burned me the heck out of the two leads. Again, I'm far more interested in what happens with Jason next and glad his "mini-series" basically turned into a setup for the finale to the current Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing ongoing.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to put my friend's copies downstairs. Probably tell him next Thurs to bury them in his bins never to be read, or just sell this as a bundle for some poor soul to buy.

I hope this is the final time I ever talk about Batman/Catwoman: Gotham War.

Save for Card Cain. I can't hate Card Cain.

[askbensolo]

…What? Yeah! Yeah, I’m okay!

Why do you ask? Do I…seem like I’m not okay?

…Huh. Upon re-reading my moving sale post—well, I can see why one might perhaps feel compelled to ask.

(Damn, can’t even sell my furniture without trauma-dumping—must be why I have no purchase offers—)

Um…hey. Thanks for asking. It…really means a lot.

I’ll be okay.

Yeah…I kinda hit my capacity for processing emotions a few weeks ago, when everything went down with me and Fan. Which, was maybe a good thing, because then I was like—“Welp, can’t really get much lower than this; time to tell my mom I’ve been lying to her, too!”—so, I did, and I knew what to expect, and I knew what would happen, and I knew what I’d have to do next if I did.

So…now I’ve just been focused on doing all of that. Submit my resignation letter—check. Get rid of my extra stuff—on it. Pack all the other stuff—doing it. Set a move date—done. Find a new roommate for Poe—yep. Figure out what to say to my uncle when we see each other again—still in my to-dos. Brush off my resume and start looking for jobs on Hosnian Prime—dreading it, but I’ve done this kinda thing before.

Of course, Mom offered me a position as one of her office staff—which, while very generous of her, is like, the worst thing I can possibly imagine, for all of the following reasons, and probably more:

Everyone will think I’m a nepo hire and not take me seriously.

Mom won’t be able to focus on her work because she’ll always be worried about me at the office. You know how they say not to bring your work home? Well, it goes the other way, too.

I do not trust my mother to not treat me like Her Son at work. I don’t want her cutting me slack or giving me special treatment or anything—I wanna do my job and do it well and know that I stand on my own merit, ya know?

I’ve had enough of office politics working for The ChommSec Daily. So, I can’t even begin to imagine the office politics involved in working for a political office.

I WOULD BE WITH MY MOM LIKE. 24/7. AAAUUGGHRHHGGH

But! We’re gonna stay positive about this! Working for my mom is my last last last last last resort. I’m gonna find a job! I’m gonna find a job. Happy thoughts, Ben, happy thoughts…

As for Snoke?

That bastard did exactly what I thought he’d do.

Once I told my mom about Somehow: Snoke Returned, the ol’ kriffer disappeared. Went “Bye, Felucia!” and I haven’t heard from him since.

And I’ve said so to my mom. But…since I finally confessed that I’ve spent the last several months lying to her about whether or not I’ve had contact with him…well…she’s not too eager to believe me.

Anyway. Just gotta stay focused on my move/getting a new job/adjusting to being single again/living with my family again/being a good son and keeping my mom happy/fostering good vibes with my uncle despite our different views and awkward recent history/evaluating how to not mess up my life this bad in the future/figuring out whether I’d ever try dating again or if Fan was it for me/weathering the winter season and my birthday and Life Day which should all be things I’m looking forward to but instead they just make me feel sad/holding onto the few little things in life that bring me joy (hey, my novel draft’s got over 50,000 words on it now, by the way!).

Logic and execution only. Process emotions later. I’m gonna get through this. I’m gonna get through this. Just gotta hang on. Just gotta hang on…

…One thing I’ll say?

Kinda glad I’m not lying my face off to everyone anymore.

[occult-roommates]

Are you proud of me?

As it was her last day in San Myshuno, Farida wanted to chat with her son at least once. So they went to a café located on the San Myshuno University campus.

Farida: This is a nice place, you could study there. Dawud: Mom, I am done with school, I'm finishing my mechanic training and this is what I'll be doing for a living unless something happens. But it's fine, I enjoy it greatly, and it's brought me more joy in the few months I've been doing it than my stupid programming degree gave me in the five years I forced myself to do it.

Dawud felt incredibly nervous. Why did she want to talk to him? This is just going to turn into another arguments isn't it? Also let's be honest, that cappuccino was not helping with calming him down. Little know fact, but caffeine actually tends to do the opposite of making you feel calmer.

Dawud: Mom, I'm sorry. Farida: For what? Dawud: W-Well, for everything. You know like, constantly lying to you about my wereabouts and disappearing for long periods of time and also for what I said to you when dad died. I'm so so so sorry for that, I'll admit I wasn't thinking about it anymore, but I remembered that incident recently and I've been feeling so guilty about it. Farida: I know, you were just a teenager dealing with the loss of his father. I have let this go a long time ago. Dawud: It seems I have this talent to say the most hurtful thing imaginable to the people I love whenever I'm sad. Like, when Daniele rejected me even though he loves me cause I'm a human and as a spellcaster he cannot be with me so I started insulting spellcasters as a whole. Farida: Mm?

Oh shit, Dawud had actually straight up never told her about his sexuality, as he had figured it out pretty much when he fell for Daniele. He did had suspicion growing up, but it was what finally confirmed it. So basically, not only did he dropped all of that on his mother, now he also had to anticipate her reaction to him essentially coming out.

Dawud: Um yeah, I like guys. Farida: Oh, Dawud...I've always knew you like boys. Dawud: What do you mean you always knew. Even I didn't always knew. Farida: As a child, you would often make your figurine kiss and claim they're married and when we told you it's not legal for two men to get married you cried so hard you threw up. Dawud: Ah um so, anyway...Yeah, Dan and I almost dated. So instead I dated his cousin, Matteo, for a while, didn't worked. Sex was great, but there was very little chemistry between us. Same thing with my roommates Charlie, but at least I'm still friend with her, I don't think I'll remain friend with Matteo. Also yes, by Matteo I do mean Isabella's son. Farida: This is a lot to take at once, and it includes some things I would have rather never known.

Farida took a sip of her coffee, and let the silent remain for a few moment. Dawud fidgeted with his fingers, wondering what she had to say next.

Farida: You know, in the end of the day, I must admit I am still proud of you. I know you're trying to build yourself a good life in spite of everything. Dawud: Th-Thanks mom.

The woman stood up, and reached her arm to indicate she wanted to give her son a hug, which he received. It felt nice, last time his mom gave him one, his father was probably still alive.

Though Dawud had to admit, his mind was wandering. He was thinking how that now that he's no longer with Matteo, he might be able to get Daniele. But you know, it can be a little bit gauche jumping on the dick of your ex's cousin as soon as you break up. Also, the rift between spellcasters and humans still exist, and it's not gonna be fixed any time soon. However, you know what is happening soon, the Spellcasting Summit. And Dawud had an idea...

He had to find a way to travel to the Magic Realm.

Prev - Next

[l-starlight-l]

The love of a Hero

Smoke Signals

A/N: listen listen I know it’s been a longggg time since I post but I’ve been busy man. This is the first story in my new mini series!! I’m so excited even tho I’m not so sure how good it’s going to be. I promise I’ll post more! Love ya<3

Description: You’re a new physiologist in the city and you share a smoke break with a mysterious masked man

Warning: smoking, cursing, mental hospital

Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

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:reference:

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You are one of the most successful psychologists in the United States. You have helped heal people all over the world. You mainly focus on the people who are more disturbed in the mind. You have been itching to settle down so when you got an invite to work at the renounced Gotham asylum you were over joyed. It was quite obvious they needed more hands since they have been having issues keeping inmates actually in their cells. You knew that this might be a stressful job but you’ve been through worse. Plus you had friends in the city who you could rely on.

On your first day you were immediately thrown into action, seeing the very ill people that filled the hospital. You obviously were not gonna make it through all the new patients on your list but you tried your best. You made introductions with many well know names such as; Pamela Isley, Harvey Dent, Oswald cobble-pot and a few others. One name caught you by surprise, Harleen Quinzel, you had met of her before. You shadowed her when you first got into the business. She was kind to you when others weren’t and seeing her like this now was going to be hard. You put her visit to the end of the day to take some time to prepare.

You had just got out of a session with “the scarecrow” and it had shaken you up. You decide that it was time for a break and some fresh air. You made your way to find a quiet spot to rest. When you pushed open the doors to the back of the building there was no one to be seen. This made you feel alittle better. Smoking was a bad habit that you couldn’t shake but had cut down on. You only feel the urge when you get stress which seems to be happening more and more often. You pat your pockets but they’re empty. A soft panic set in, not that forgetting your pack is life or death but is still a disappointment.

“Are you fucking kidding me” you mutter under your breath. You lean against a wall and close your eyes trying to relax a little before getting back to work. You hear heavy footsteps land right infront of you. The suddenness of the sound surprises you and you jump. When you look up to see who had dropped down you see a very tall and big man. He has dark hair with an unusual white streak in the front and gray-blue eyes that are covered by a thin black mask. You just kinda look at him confused on why he’s there and he just looks at you as if you’re the one who came out of nowhere.

“Um hi, can I help you” you say with a confused attitude.

He looks a bit taken back but opens his mouth to reply “what are you doing here”

“I should be asking you the same question, you’re the big masked man who just came up out of no where” you say now annoyed

“Oh uh sorry, I guess. Usually there’s no one over here” he replies a little embarrassed scratching the back of his head.

“Well I wouldn’t know, it’s my first day” you feel weirdly okay with just giving this stranger unneeded information.

“Oh well, wanna smoke” he says offering me a cigarette, I happily take it. Which in reality is a dumb idea.

“Thank you” you mutter unsure of what to do.

“I haven’t got a light” he pats his pockets. You reach into your lab coat and pull out a lighter. You put your cigarette into your mouth and he does the same. You lean up on your toes to meet the tips together and light them. When you step away and look at the tall man he looks very flustered and you realize that may have been a weird thing to do, getting so close to him without even knowing his name. “So you’re a doctor here” he says breaking the awkwardness.

“Yeah I am, and you’re one of Batman’s boys?” you question unsure since you’re use to super hero’s with a bit more red and blue.

He looks a little surprised and you start to worry you said something wrong. “I guess you could call me that” he says with a kind laugh. You smile at his laugh it makes you feel warm. “You don’t seem like you’re from Gotham” he states like a question.

“Oh um no I’m not, I just moved here last week” you say not wanting to give your whole life story. His phone rings and he reluctantly steps away wanting to finish your conversation. He looks annoyed at whoever’s on the other end and rolls his eyes before hanging up. He puts out his smoke and looks at you.

“see you around, doc” he smiles and then disappears. His smile stays with you, it was warm and genuine. You had no idea who he is but you want to see him again, he made you feel so relaxed. You sigh and put out your cigarette. You have to go finish your shift, you emotionally prepare yourself for your next consult, which you’ve been dreading all day, and walk back into the building.

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[lizmitches]

smoke and sirens on display - post 2x15; barbara/melissa

“Hey,” Melissa pops her head into the classroom, her presence a sudden spark. “Ava said you’re headed home. You got someone to cover? Okay to drive?” The question is asked with a mirthful grin, her cheeks pink from the cold and eyes still full of childlike wonder.

Barbara can’t help but dissect the joy Melissa exudes; not out of jealousy, per se, but a gentle curiosity. As if the idea of a simple kind of happiness—a contentment so fierce you never feel the need to search for more—is so unimaginable it needs to be studied.

“Gwen’s going to take over when the kids get back from lunch,” Barbara replies, busying herself with collecting supplies for the substitute. “And yes, I’ll be able to manage a motor vehicle without further incident, if you can believe it.”

“Just don’t pull over to light any candles,” Melissa interjects, making her way into the room and closing the door purposefully behind her. At Barbara's warning glare she adds, “What? Too soon?”

Barbara cautions a glance to the hallway as Melissa steps toward her with intention. She stands up straight, her practiced posture a little loose, exhaustion creeping in at the edges. “What are you doing?”

“Just—“ Melissa opens her arms toward her by way of explanation. "C’mere. Let me hold you for a second. The ops are outside filming Jacob pawn off his cookie pucks to passing joggers. We’re in the clear.”

"I can't." Barbara crosses her arms over her chest protectively—a cheap imitation of Melissa's embrace—just as she’d done earlier. As with many things lately, she has to suffocate the urge; starve the flame until it dies out. But Melissa is a solar flare, bright and dangerous, and Barbara fears she might ignite by proxy.

“You’re not gonna get struck by lightning, Barb. Come on, just for a second. You’ve been holding it together all day.” Melissa bites the inside of her cheek. “Worried you're gonna fall apart."

"I'll only fall apart if you touch me." She holds her palm out to Melissa’s chest, delivers a minuscule shove that forces her back by a few inches. "So don’t."

Melissa—beautiful, tender Melissa, who believes in Barbara’s goodness even when her interal ugliness, her sinfulness, bubbles to the surface—shoots her a wounded look filled with so much understanding that Barbara wishes the ground would open up and swallow her whole. It’s only after she looks away that she realizes there was pity in Melissa’s eyes, too, and she wonders when every facet of her life had been reduced to kindling.

“Look, I just wanna say that, um,” Melissa hesitates, unable to find the right words. It used to be so much easier for the two of them; words rolling off their tongues so fast they could barely keep up, a frenzied undercurrent of excitement living beneath each one of their conversations. An alluring, indescribable newness. Now, Melissa hems and haws, puts her hands on her hips. It’s stilted and unfamiliar. “I know I’ve been distracted with Gary lately,” she says finally.

Barbara can’t help but roll her eyes. “For goodness’ sake, Melissa, you’re not distracted. You’re in love. With a…“ Now it’s her turn to search for words. “With a nice man who treats you how you deserve to be treated. He’s your partner.”

“Yeah, and you’re my friend.”

The word hangs between them the same way it always has. Because friend so easily gives way to family. Family becomes forever. And yet every second they stand here it becomes clear that the current iteration of their relationship is anything but permanent.

“I should have seen that something was wrong. I should have been there for you.” Melissa reaches out despite the cold shoulder, lets her hand fall on Barbara’s bicep like it had earlier. “Honey, I really am sorry.”

Barbara shakes her head. “You don’t need to carry that. I’m a big girl. I make my own decisions and start my own fires, apparently.” She picks up her work bag from underneath her desk, hoists it over her shoulder. “Gerald and I are meeting for lunch and then I’m going home to take a nap.”

“You take naps now?”

Barbara can’t help but smile, close her eyes against the question. She remembers the lazy summer afternoons toward the beginning. The giddiness and guilt giving way to heavy eyes, the way she’d push herself out of bed despite Melissa’s protestations. It was as much a punishment as anything, but it had also become something akin to tradition. A denial that gave way to drowsy truths, hushed confessions, an intimacy existing only in the inbetween.

“No,” she says, and Melissa beams. The kind of smile Barbara’s used to, hasn’t seen in nearly a year; a knowing, warm thing reserved only for her. An expression full of mutual understanding, shared history, affection. It’s like aloe. “But maybe today I’ll start.”

Melissa shoves her hands in her pockets. “I miss you.”

There’s a split second where Barbara considers ignoring it. Considers making up an excuse to walk out, to avoid the delicate balance they’ve struck since the cameras got here; since Gary came into the picture. It would all be so much easier, she thinks, to walk away without saying anything. But she knows it would continue to ferment, to bubble underneath the surface until it all broke down much more painfully. Much more publicly, heaven forbid. And after a day of being seen—by Janet and the kids and the cameras—Barbara seeks a kind of closure that can’t be replayed.

“I can’t—things are too complicated,” Barbara says, and judging by the way Melissa shifts from one foot to the other, the wince that flashes across her features, it seems she knows what’s coming next. “I know it was never simple, but it was our simple, and now—“

“Now you have a sick husband and I have a guy dumb enough to love me.” Melissa taps her heel on the floor. “Sheesh, getting broken up with doesn’t get any easier once you hit 60, does it?” She shakes out her arms like it’ll make the blow sting less. “Can’t say I didn’t see it coming.”

“We’re not—Melissa. There’s nothing to break up, we were never—“

“Hey, give me this, alright?” Melissa pleads. “Look, I really don’t want to take up more space than you have room for. You’re spread thin, you’re stressed, you need to be there for Gerald. You also need to take care of yourself.”

After a day of relying on false facts, Barbara is caught off guard by hearing real ones. Melissa grabs her hand, their fingers tangling together with a sense of familiarity, and for the first time in months she doesn’t attempt to pull away.

“Things have changed. I know we’ve both been feelin’ it,” Melissa says, thumb running across Barbara’s knuckles. “So let me be the collateral damage.”

Barbara’s not sure how to respond to Melissa’s sacrifice. Has to fight with the fact that Melissa has always been the braver one, more likely to run into a burning building without looking back. But it’s her sureness accompanied by the soft look in her eyes that makes their newfound distance, their undetermined future, less terrifying. They’ll be alright, the two of them. They’ll survive.

Barbara squares her shoulders, smiles, replies the same way she would to a stranger holding the door open, a random woman complimenting her shoes. “I appreciate that.”

A clean, amicable break. She drops Melissa’s hand.

“Just want you to be happy,” Melissa murmurs. “You and the hubby—your golden years with no fire engine red-haired miscreants to worry about—that’ll do it, right?”

“I—yes. We’ll be happy.” She wants to add, I’ll always worry about you, but she extinguishes the thought.

“Good.”

“I miss you, too,” Barbara breathes, and it’s simultaneously an olive branch and a goodbye; fuse lit and seconds left until the house they’ve built is set aflame.

Her phone dings in her purse. Gerald texting to say he’s arrived at the restaurant, has ordered her favorite. He’s waiting for her, solid and breathing and alive. She can’t see through the smoke.

She loves him.

“Mel?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll take that hug now.”

Melissa’s smile is no longer bright. Her eyes don’t sparkle. She reaches out to pull Barbara in. “You got it.”

It’s different this time than all the others. Years of embraces that set off chain reactions, fireworks, explosions that engulfed them both, and now they stand in each others’ arms—pressed against each other tightly and holding, holding, holding—and there’s nothing left to say. The clock ticks. Sneakers squeak against linoleum. Birds chirp in the early spring air.

She loves her.

It’s only when Barbara extracts herself from Melissa’s arms, steps back into their new shared existence, that she realizes they’re both covered in ash.

[pinkcaddyconfessions]

Anything for You, Darlin’

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Pairing: Elvis Presley x Reader (can be Austin!Elvis if you prefer)

Word Count: 1, 575 words

Warnings: Fluff, Pregnancy, Child birth,

Author’s Note: Hi everyone!! Thank you for hanging in there with chapters 7 & 8. Things will get dark again, but not for a few more chapters.

- - -

Chapter 9

November 1972

At this point, Elvis Presley was in the prime of his time. He loved performing again. He was planing a giant performance that would be a first of its kind: a special recorded and sent out to the world via satellite. He was so excited about his professional life. Elvis was also blessed when it came to his family. He had you as his wife and two beautiful kids, with a third on the way. You were so damn proud of your husband. You saw him through everything in the six years you two had been married.

A press conference discussing the upcoming special was in works and Elvis wanted his family to be a part of it. His manager, Steve Binder thought it was great. After all, Elvis was the definition of the American dream and having his family with him for at least part of it would make it memorable.

November 20, 1972

It was the day of the press conference was here. Elvis had given three concerts in Hawaii before this, but the press conference made him nervous as hell. Fortunately for him, he had his good luck charms with him: you and his babies. The two of you had quietly agreed to yourselves that you were going to announce that Presley baby #3 was on the way during this too. Of course, everyone in your immediate life knew, but not the public yet.

Elvis was dressed in a two piece black suit with a white collared shirt while you were in a lavender bodycon dress that Elvis picked out for you. Mallory was matching you in a lavender dress with a giant bow in her hair and Elvis Jr was his daddy’s twin like usual. Never in a million years did you think you would be Elvis Presley’s wife with a five year old and a two year old by your side.

“Elvis!! We’re ready for you!” Steve called out.

“Alright we’ll be out!” Elvis called back. Elvis looked at you with his icy blue eyes.

“You ready, doll?”

“Let’s do this,” you replied back.

The two of you walked out of there holding hands while you held Mallory’s hand and Elvis carried Elvis Jr in his other arm. The four of you were the all American family. Right before Elvis went out to the cameras, he looked at you and gave you the biggest kiss and then handed you Elvis Jr. The moment he walked out, the cameras went flashing. His signature smile came out and he waved to everyone.

“Hello everyone and thank you for coming. It’s a great privilege… um to do this satellite program and I’m gonna do my best and all the people who work with me, to do a good show. This is pure entertainment. No messages, no this and that, just try to make people happy for that one hour he comes across. If we do that well then, you know I think I’ve done a job. Thank you.” The media applauded.

“Of course I couldn’t have planned this without my manager, Steve Binder. Now I’ll be taking questions.”

The whole place erupted. You saw your man working that crowd like the showman he was. After a few questions somebody asked, “Will (Y/N) and the kids be there?”

“Why yes they’ll be there. In fact, they’re here right now! (Y/N), Mallory, Elvis Jr come on out here!”

The three of you walked out to Elvis. The look in his eyes was one of pride. His family was his pride and joy. Mallory came running up to Elvis and leaped into his arms.

“Hi daddy!” she yelled out the the world

“Hi, princess,” Elvis said back.

One reporter decided to ask her a question. “Mallory, what song do you hope your dad sings at the special?”

“Ummm….. um…. um.. HOUND DOG!” she yelled back. Yep, she was definitely Elvis Presley’s daughter. She had the crowd in her little hands and she knew it. Elvis Jr had his little face buried into your shoulder, still being camera shy. You were asked several questions, which you answered all with grace.

“Mr. Presley,” one reporter yelled, “do you have anything you’d like to say before we wrap things up?”

Elvis looked at you with his icy blue eyes. You gave him the nod of approval and that was all he needed.

“I’d like to make an announcement on an aspect of my personal life. My beautiful and amazing wife, (Y/N) is expecting our third child.”

The room erupted into cheers. He kissed you right on the mouth for all the world to see. Elvis thanked everyone and you all left the press conference. You saw the pure excitement on this face, he was ready for this.

January 14, 1973

Tonight was the night. The whole world would be watching Elvis Presley, your husband, perform in Honolulu, Hawaii via satellite. He treated just like any other concert. He was pacing back and forth in the dressing room. He was in his American Eagle jumpsuit and you had to admit, he looked sexy as hell with it on. You almost wanted to rip it off of him, but you kept your composure.

“(Y/N), the whole world maybe watching me, but I’m gonna looking for you, Mallory, and Elvis Jr in the crowd. You three are my world”

“Umm… Elvis don’t you mean four,” you remarked

“Of course I mean the four of you,” he replied back as he kneeled down to your stomach, “hi there lil baby daddy loves you.” He said to your baby bump before kissing it.

“E.P. It’s almost showtime!” You heard Binder yell out.

“Alright!!” Elvis called back.

The anticipation was worth it. During the whole show, he was electric. You saw the passion for performing run through his whole body. Of course when he got to “Hound Dog” he chuckled a little just before he started because he thought of Mallory. The hour performance seemed to go by so fast, because it all over just as soon as it began. When you got backstage to Elvis, he ran to you and he held your face his hands.

“Satnin, did you see me looking for you?” He asked

“Yes baby, I saw you the whole time. I never took my eyes off of you.”

You were fucking proud of him. He was on cloud nine and didn’t come down for several days. When you got back home to Memphis, life was back to normal, whatever the hell that meant.

March 21, 1973

It was a quiet Monday morning in Memphis. Elvis only had one more with Steve Binder at Graceland to discuss something big: an international tour. This was Elvis’ dream, to perform all over the world. The meeting went smoothly. Possible locations were discussed along with dates. Certain countries were definite locations like Germany, England and Canada. A few others were mentioned, but now getting an idea was the start.

After the meeting, Elvis came back up to your room to find you sitting straight up on bed. By the look you gave him, he knew exactly what was going on without you even having to say it: it was baby time.

“Satnin come here, I got ya. We’re getting you to the hospital now, doll.” Elvis said to you while grabbing the bags. He got you out the car. The contractions were getting closer and closer every time you had one. The pain was getting you and then all at once, the feeling of pressure kicked in.

“Elvis…. I… i… I don’t think we’re gonna make it in time,” you conveyed to him through the pain

Elvis really put the petal to the metal then. The two of you made it to the hospital just in the nick of time. Not even five minutes later, you were in the delivery room pushing with every ounce of energy you had left.

“Satnin, you’re doing so good baby,” Elvis told you.

“Why… the fuck do we keep doing this E.P.?! I’m gonna….kill…..you….” You yelled at him before the next contraction hit. After only 3 minutes of pushing, your third baby was born.

“Congratulations, it’s a boy!” The doctor yelled out.

“Satnin you did so good baby. I’m damn proud of you.” Elvis said to you while holding your face in your hands. After he was cleaned off, the newest Presley boy was placed on your chest. He was a perfect combination of you and Elvis.

“Hi sweet baby boy. It’s alright, mommy’s got you.” You cooed to him. While being taken back to the private recovery suite, you looked in awe at your son. He had his daddy’s nose and lips while he had your eyes and ears. He was perfect. You were now a family of five. Mallory and Elvis Jr came to meet their new baby brother.

During this tender moment, Elvis smirked at you and said, “this is why we keep doing this.”

You smirked right back at him. “You’re right, but you don’t gotta rub it in babe.” You replied back. He chuckled at your response. He was right though. Seeing his babies all in one room gave him ambition in life. His little family meant the world to him.

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Baby’s Name: John Baron Presley

Date of Birth: March 21, 1973

Time of Birth: 11:17AM

Physicalities: 7 pounds, 7 ounces, 19 inches long