#this episode really went and came for my life huh

[thestarrynightslover]

Discreet Not Detached

Pairing: Harvey Specter x Fem!Reader

Word count: 1,397

Warnings: None, really.

Summary: Mike goes to Harvey's apartment to deliver some files only to be proved wrong about his boss being a lonely workaholic.

Disclaimer: I don’t own the show Suits, or its characters, also not associated with it in any way, or know anyone involved with it.

A/N: My first Harvey fic in a while, I had the idea based on an episode (I don't remember exactly which) and tried to elucidate to it here. Anyways, I hope it doesn’t suck and feedback is appreciated as usual!

(y/n) = (your name) (y/l/n) = (your last name) (y/n/n) = (your nickname)

| masterlist |

Another day in the office, another drama for Harvey Specter: this time it was his associate, Mike Ross, wanting to tell his girlfriend the whole truth about the terms of his employment and Harvey couldn’t let him do it, for obvious reasons. But, as you’d expect, namecallings happened and it all ended with Mike throwing in Harvey’s face his being an alleged workaholic in lack of a personal 一 and, in this case, love 一 life. Emphasis on alleged, cause what Mike didn’t know was that his boss actually did have someone to go home to…

It had been a long day but at least you got to go home to your excentric puddle of comfort of a boyfriend: New York City’s best closer, Harvey Specter. Once you got to your place, where the two of you lived together, you were welcomed with the smell and the view of a freshly cooked dinner that Harvey probably had someone making for the two of you.

As you started taking off your coat and shoes by the door, Harvey came out of your shared bedroom wearing nothing but sweatpants and looking like he’d just taken a shower. “Oh, hey, honey!” He greeted you with a smile on his face. “Sorry I didn’t wait for you to shower but I mingled too much with people of dubious hygiene today, so I kinda really needed to get clean.”

“Ah, that’s okay,” you said while pouting cutely at the same time. “At least dinner is ready, 'cause I am starving!”

“Ha! You say it like it’s cutting-edge news!” He tells you, as he puts on a shirt 一 much to your disappointment. 

“What is that supposed to mean?!” You ask feigning offense while putting away your bag, shoes, and coat.

“It means that you’re always starving, sweetheart,” Harvey answers nonchalantly like it’s nothing.

“That is not true! Or at least it’s not entirely true: I’m always starving if it’s past mealtime and I haven’t eaten!”

“Sure, whatever you say, baby!” He says it already knowing that your hunger and all the pet names will only soften you.

“You know what? After today I don’t even have the energy to bicker with you…”

“That bad, huh?”

“The ED was a complete chaos today, apparently all hospitals were swamped, which is why they called more surgeons downstairs to help out. I’ve been on my feet the entire day! I’m basically dead.”

“Dramatic… But I’m sorry you had a shitty day, baby.” He said coming to hug you from behind in your bathroom. Looking at your reflex in the mirror 一 both of you, together like that 一 filled your heart with love and your mind with peace. Harvey was definitely your happy place.

Some time later, after you’d had your dinner, gotten ready for bed, and watched a sappy rom-com you chose, you and Harvey were already cuddling, almost asleep when you heard insistent knocking on the door.

“Stay here, honey, I’ll go see what that’s all about.” You sorta heard Harvey say to you as you lost your personal space heater.

Out in the living, Harvey opened the door only to find his associate Mike Ross standing there looking all tired and disheveled. Before his boss could even say anything, he went ahead entering the apartment mumbling about the case they were currently addressing in the office.

“Harvey, you’re not gonna believe what I found about our not-so-innocent school teacher!” He said to the older man with such energy that sounded like he had had a few too many energetics.

“What the hell, Mike?! Why are you showing up on my doorstep this late at night?”

“Because I knew you’d wanna see this as soon as possible, besides, it’s not like you’d have anything important going here, would you?” Mike asked sorta mocking Harvey.

Ignoring his employee’s last comment, he took the papers Mike was offering and said: “This better be good, Ross, otherwise you’re gonna meet a whole different side of me.

As Harvey started reading all the documents, Mike started having a look around, cause when would he have another chance at taking a peek at his boss’s house like that again? And he couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing, he would definitely be making a few thousand jokes about it in the near future: there was a romance novel lying on the table, one of those with drawings on the cover that were becoming so popular then.

“Oh my God, Harvey, when were you gonna tell me about your love for reading?” He asked while pointing at the book with his head. 

As Harvey’s eyes emerged from the papers in his hands with a confused look to them, Mike continued: “You know you could have told me, in fact after seeing the kinda genre you like I might actually ask for some recommendations, you know, to get my grandmother a few as presents.” The younger man said already starting to laugh loudly.

“That’s not mine…” Harvey began to answer with his mind still on the documents at hand.

“Oh no? You know there’s no need to lie to me, I promise I’ll try not to judge!”

“Funny. But that’s actually-”

“Mine!” You said as you came out of the bedroom wearing nothing but one of Harvey’s expensive dress shirts. “I don’t think we’ve met yet!” You exclaimed, already extending your hand to shake Mike’s. “I’m (y/n), Harvey’s girlfriend.”

“Girl- g- girlfriend?” Mike looked so shocked he almost choked on his laughter.

“Yes, but it’s doctor (y/l/n) for you.” He answered instinctively moving to your side. “What are you doing out of bed, sweetheart?”

“Sweetheart?” Mike murmured to himself in disbelief of the version of Harvey he was seeing, especially after their argument in the office and the things he’d said to Harvey.

“Well, I assumed it was something work-related when I noticed how long it was taking you to come back and came to drag you back to bed!” You announced to your boyfriend entangling your bodies with certain disregard for the other man standing there in shock.

Only then did Mike notice a framed picture on the sideboard behind him and it displayed both you and Harvey looking at each other with love in your eyes as he carried you bridal style into the water on a beach. Which was another surprise to the young attorney since he didn’t even know that Harvey was a fan of beaches.

“So you’re the famous Mike Ross, then?” You asked, catching his attention again. “You know, it’s very rare for someone to impress Mr. Specter here like you did!”

“Oh, honey, don’t do that, or he’ll spend an entire month finding new ways to subtly bring up in every conversation-”

“Oh, there won’t be anything subtle about it, Mr. Specter,” Mike said mockingly, finally coming out of the shock he had been on. “But I’m curious now, how long have you two been together?”

“About three years, isn’t it, babe?” You answered quickly not paying any mind to the mockery on Mike’s voice.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Wow, I never would’ve guessed it. Harvey never talks about you. Like ever.” Mike impolitely announced. “I mean, I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend and it’s been months since we started working together.”

“Well, that sounds about right since we don’t like to display our personal lives at work.” You said nonchalantly.

“But do Jessica and Donna know?”

“Of course they do. Must I remind you that you’re not a Donna or a Jessica, Mike?”

“Ouch. But do Lewis and Rachel know?”

“No, and no. And as interesting as your findings were, it’s time for you to leave. We’ll talk more about it tomorrow at the office.”

“But-”

“Mike. Now!”

“Oh, Harvey, don’t be like that.” 

“He needs to go now and we need to go back to bed, so bye, Mike!” Harvey said while shoving Mike out the door.

And after he was gone, just like in the picture, Harvey picked you up from the floor and started carrying you back to the bedroom.

“Harvey!” You squealed out. But he didn’t mind it as he tossed you on the bed, got on top of you, and started kissing you. Apparently, Mike’s visit had put him in a good mood. And, apparently, it was going to be a long night.                                                                 

[pradabambie]

me instead - rafe x topper'sgf!reader

m'backkkk!!! lmk if you liked this <3

when topper thorton approached you at the country club and asked you out, you though nothing of it.

a couple of random kooks always came up to you, wanting to buy you a drink or take you out on a date, so you were used to it.

but after the dinner went well, you started thinking that maybe it was time to leave behind your current dating habits - which consisted mainly in pogues with a bad boy complex - and settle down with a nice kook boy. at least for a little while.

as soon as you two made your first public appearance the news spread around the island quickly.

obviously, you were one of the hottest girls on the obx and everyone felt the need to be updated on your dating life.

top's friends heard and the teasing started short after.

but he couldn't help to get a little worried about rafe's reaction. he remembered the episode that happened a couple months ago

you were laying on the lounge chair, the sun reflecting on the pool and showering your body in golden light.

the three boys were standing besides the bar at the country club, getting a clear view of your barely clothed body, their minds filled with obscene thoughts at the sight of you.

"bro i think you're drooling a bit" kelce teased and then laughed at rafe, who had been staring at you intensely and not making any effort at hiding it.

"she's really fucking hot, huh?" topper added as he scaned your figure with his eyes, your attention focused on your book, not realizing the intrusive eyes that were laid on you.

"she's mine." rafe said nonchalantly as he took another sip of his beer.

his friends rolled their eyes and laughed at the comment, they were used to rafe trying to call dibs on everything. little did they know he was serious this time.

but you were simply too gorgeous for topper to care about that.

he didn't expect that you would agree so easily when he first asked you out, and ever since then he wouldn't miss a chance to show you off, even if you hadn't been on that many dates, he invited you everywhere and introduced you to everyone, except rafe, of course.

but he couldn't avoid him forever.

a big kook party was happening tonight, and you asked top to go with you, after all of your girlfriends cancelled and you didn't feel like having another night in.

and he couldn't ever say no to you, so there he was picking you up short after, driving you both to the huge house filled with the same old kooks, some random tourists and a couple lost pogues.

as soon as you walked in all eyes landed on you, and the tiny white dress you were wearing, but you were always too oblivious and in your own little bubble to even notice the lingering looks that every guy there gave you as you walked past them, and the irritated ones that came from the girls.

top guided you to the back, where his friends stood, occupied by their drinks and other substances so they took a little while to notice your arrival.

you said hi to a couple boys topper had previously introduced you to, but then you saw one you didn't recognize.

he was wearing a white shirt that was a little tight around his big arms, and some kooky ass beige shorts.

top couldn't hide his nervous expression as he tapped rafe on his shoulder "come say hi to my girl, bro"

rafe turned around and his eyes landed automatically on you, scanning your whole body shamelessly before stopping on your face

"your girl, huh?" he cuestioned as he took a sip of his drink, giving top a look your couldn't quite figure out

topper had already moved on to greet the next person so you introduced yourself

"yes hi, I'm y/n, top's girlfriend" you said flashing a perfect smile at him, trying to ignore his intense stare

he checked to see if topper wasn't looking, and then lowered his lips to your ear, sending a goosebump down your spine as he whispered

"nah, your pretty little head must have gotten it wrong" you swallowed the bump on your throat "you're supposed to be here with me"

he quickly stood straight again, as topper came back and placed a kiss on your -now flushed- cheek.

[prettyfastcars]

Skin and bones | Lewis x Reader

Summary: Family vacation was over, and it was time for all of you to go back home. Your mom and Lewis’ dad would go around the world, travelling some more. Lewis would go back to his glamorous, fast life and you’d go back to your quiet life in Paris. So whatever had been going on between you and Lewis this whole time, it all ends. Right? 

Themes: stepbrother!lewis, smut, possessive!lewis, fluff

a/n: read part 1, part 2, and part 3 here ;)

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

You came back from gathering wood for the bonfire expecting to find everyone setting up tents – since Lewis had the brilliant idea of going camping in the middle of nowhere in this dense forest – but you found no one. Except a devilishly handsome ‘stepbrother’ setting up one single tent. 

“Lewis,” You spoke again, dropping all the wood near where you were supposed to have the bonfire. “Where’s my mom? And your dad?” 

“They went back to the cabin.” He answered like it was nothing at all as he finished setting up the tent, shaking it to check if it was sturdy enough. It was.  

You frowned. “What? But we planned to camp out here, all of us. This was your idea.” 

“Relax babygirl,” Lewis stood up and walked over to pick up the wood you’d dropped. “They probably wanted some alone time before we leave tomorrow morning.” He winked at you before walking away again. 

You winced not wanting to think about it for more than a second, “Okay, gross.” You wrapped your arms around yourself. It was beginning to get cold, the sun had just set and the forest was getting dark really fast. “So it’s just you and I out here? They just left me here with you and decided to walk back to the cabin for no reason?” Something didn’t add up. 

Lewis was kneeling on the ground, setting up the wood to make a decent sized fire. Then he looked up, smirking at you, “They trust big brother to keep you safe, little sis.” 

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. That whole bondage episode happened just two nights ago. Lewis had been less of an ass since. But you could tell some plotting was happening in that head of his. So this morning at breakfast he announced that you all should probably camp in the forest tonight since it would be your last night here at the cabin. The parents agreed of course. 

So the four of you hiked up here in the afternoon and began setting up. After a quick dinner, you realised you would all need a bonfire to keep warm through the night, so you volunteered to go find wood for it. When you got back just now, the parents were gone and Lewis was being a smartass again. 

“You convinced them to go back, didn’t you?” 

You figured that’s the only way they would’ve left you here with him. Lewis had a way of… persuading people easily. All he had to do was stare at you with those soft, warm brown eyes and give you that innocent smile and there’s nothing one wouldn’t do for him. You knew because you’d been a victim of those pretty eyes yourself. 

He finally lit the fire, and it caught perfectly, gradually growing. Lewis smiled at you again, a mischievous spark in those eyes of his. “I just told your mom that maybe this cold, humid weather would be bad for her occasional joint pains. And dad decided they should probably head back and be warm in the cabin.” He added, “They didn’t want to take the risk, you see?” 

“Right.” So the game you two had been playing was still on. You shook your head at him. “Okay, what do you want?” 

“To talk.” He replied quickly, standing up. 

Gods… he really was one of the most beautiful human beings huh? His braids were not tied into a ponytail today, they were loose and nearly reached his shoulders. And he looked so warm with all the layers he was wearing. Part of you wanted nothing more than to just snuggle up to him and let him wrap those big arms around you to keep you warm. 

“Talk about what, Lewis?” You forced yourself to look away from him as he approached you, the fire growing behind him. You looked down at your muddy shoes instead. “There’s nothing left to talk about. Tomorrow morning we’re all leaving. You’re going back to… I don’t know where. And I’m going back to Paris, and we won’t see each other all year–,” 

He stopped you by grabbing you by the chin and tilted your face up so you looked at him. “Really?” He questioned, staring deep into your eyes. He leaned closer, but not close enough. “That night a couple of days ago can’t be the last time I touched you. I want more.” He confessed, and almost kissed you again. 

But you pulled away, crossing your arms over your chest like that would act as a barrier between the two of you. “We can’t keep doing this.” 

“Why not?” He leaned closer again, pulling you into him by the waist. When you avoided his eyes, he grabbed you by the chin again, “Look at me.” He demanded. When you did, he said, “Are you sure you wanna be done with me?” 

No. 

You placed your hands flat on his chest. His warmth made you sigh in bliss. Then with a shaky voice you asked, “What’s the endgame here, Lewis? Whatever we do, it’s gonna hurt our parents.” 

He scoffed in that arrogant way of his which you loved despite everything. “We’re grown ups. We can do whatever we–,” 

You cut him off, “Yes we are grown ups and it’s still taboo and wrong to fuck your mom’s boyfriend’s son!” You whisper-yelled. 

He argued still, “It’s different for us! We didn’t grow up together or anything. Hell, I met you only a couple of years ago. Our parents aren’t married, it’s different.” 

You had nothing to argue back with so you shut up and pulled away from his warm embrace. “Lewis… I don’t know what to say to you. Maybe we should just go back to our lives and–,” 

He cut you off again, this time pushing you against the nearby tree. His strong arms grabbed you by the hips, his chest pressing against yours. You felt hot. And it wasn’t because of the layers that you were wearing. 

He got really close to your face, his soft lips just inches away from yours and said in a terribly bitter tone which sent shivers down your back, “Go back to our lives, huh? So you mean to tell me that these past few weeks mean nothing to you?” He questioned in an accusatory tone. “You mean you’re gonna go back and forget about all this? You’re gonna go back and let other people fuck you and pretend you’re not gonna be thinking about me each time they fail to make you come like I do?” 

His words shouldn’t affect you but just imagining having sex with anyone else seemed… wrong. You stared into his pretty eyes and your emotions were all over the place. You were sad, angry, you hated him, you craved him, you wanted him gone, you didn’t want to let him go. 

“So what?” You asked, sarcastically. “What do you think is gonna happen here? We’re gonna do a risky, long distance thing? We’re gonna keep meeting behind our parents’ backs? We’ll lie to everyone? I’ll fly out to come see you race whenever I can and you’re gonna fly home to me during your breaks? And we’ll be happy together until we grow sick of sneaking around and come clean and tell everyone to just deal with it!?” 

Lewis opened his mouth to argue, but then he closed it again. You did the same thing. Twice. You two just stared at each other because whatever you just spit out in a fit… it didn’t sound so bad, did it? Well, except for lying to the parents part. 

He didn’t know what to say so he just said, “Get inside.” He pointed at the only tent that was set up. 

You didn’t argue even though you saw what was coming. It physically hurt to walk away from him and to even think about all the miles that would be between you two come tomorrow. 

You began overthinking everything as you took your muddy shoes off and got in the tent. It was more spacious than you thought inside. You saw the double sleeping bag and a familiar shiver danced down your spine. 

You peeled off some layers and immediately got into the sleeping bag. And your mind began racing again as you forced your eyes shut. Say you and Lewis keep this madness up, what would happen when your parents would find out? Family dinners would get real awkward, that’s for sure. 

But then, given who Lewis was, what would happen when the world finds out about you? Your parents’ relationship was well hidden from the media. But Lewis always had eyes on him. Now that you thought about it, maybe that’s why he wanted to come here in the middle of nowhere and not vacation in a tourist-y place. There were no cameras here. 

–

You opened your eyes and found that you were snuggling next to something warm. You saw tattooed arms wrapped around you and you tried to hide the smile that formed on your face. 

“How long was I asleep for?” You asked, placing a hand on his chest. You felt his strong heartbeats beneath your palm and smiled again, sadly this time. Fuck, you were gonna miss him. 

“Just an hour or two. I guess you worried yourself to sleep.” He teased. “It’s okay though, it’s only around midnight right now so we have time to talk about everything.” 

You sighed, pulling away to get a better look at him. He turned on his side, arms pulling you closer. You shoved your face into the crook of his warm neck and groaned loudly, “I hate you.” 

He chuckled softly. “Oh do you?” 

His hands slipped under your thin sweater and t-shirt, stroking your skin. He drew lazy circles at your lower back and side. You couldn’t think about anything. His warm, slightly rough fingers against your skin was the only thing that made sense. It was beginning to drizzle outside, you could hear the random droplets hit the tent.

Then you blurted out, “I don’t want to fight with you. But I don’t see how we can be together.” 

Lewis was quiet for a while. You let your head rest against his shoulder, your fingers tracing the visible tattoos all over his hands. Then Lewis asked, “Do you truly want me out of your life?” 

“No.” You answered with a sleepy voice. 

“Then stop fighting this.” He stated, his hands wandering a little more, now sliding up to cup you through your thin bra. “Stop fighting me.” 

You sighed, letting him touch you wherever he wanted. If this was the last time, you wanted to cherish each moment. “I don’t want to. But–,” 

He cut you off with a kiss. Soft, sweet, his lips brushing against yours slowly. Like he was tasting you for the first time. “That little head of yours thinks too much,” He murmured, moving so he now hovered above you. You wrapped your arms around his neck, as you looked up at him. “Let me worry about everything. Just, stop fighting this.” He said before leaning down for another heated kiss. 

You moaned and whimpered into the kiss. You needed him badly. “Okay,” You whispered against his soft mouth. 

His hand touched you wherever he could, lingering at your breasts and taking his sweet time, caressing and kissing your skin. His other hand slipped past your leggings and cupped you between your legs firmly. You moaned and gasped into the kiss as his fingers teased your clit. 

“Lewis, please,” You begged, desperately grinding against his hand. “I need you, please.” You whispered against his mouth. 

Lewis chuckled. “Still wanna go back and pretend we never happened?” He teased. “Hmm? Think you’ll ever be able to look in the mirror and not think about how I kiss you?” He kissed down your neck, “How good my fingers feel inside you?” He slid two fingers inside you then, stroking you perfectly, just how you liked it and he had you whining and squirming under him in no time. “Answer me, little sis?” 

“Fuck,” You whimpered, “You know I could never forget you.” 

He smirked through the kiss, happy with what you said. Then he quickly lowered your leggings while you helped him by lowering his sweatpants, and he easily slid inside you without breaking the kiss. 

You wrapped your legs around his waist as best you could. Your clothes and the sleeping bag got in the way but the two of you were too needy to care or stop. 

Lewis moved in and out of you, slowly at first, then sped up once he found the right pace and angle. Your back arched off the surface each time filled you up completely, mercilessly thrusting into you hard and fast. 

At some point he grabbed both your hands, laced your fingers together with his and pinned your interlaced hands down above your head. He finally pulled away from the messy kiss and stared into your eyes, lips parted and breathing heavily as he fucked you. He rolled his hips against you so well that you began tearing up. 

You were gasping for breath, struggling to keep up and not come too quickly because you didn’t want this to stop. You never wanted him to stop. 

“You can’t get rid of me, babygirl,” He mumbled breathlessly as he pushed deeper into you. “You can’t forget me,” He fucked you harder, as if proving his point. “You’ll always feel me,” He kissed your open mouth, shoved his tongue past your lips while he rammed in and out of you, “All over your skin, and in your fucking bones,” He growled, and your legs trembled around his waist, but he still thrust deeper into you, fucking you like there was no tomorrow.

You cried out in pleasure, your back arching as you felt a familiar warmth washing over you. Lewis growled and bit down on your shoulder while he fucked you relentlessly. You were sure that his bite left a mark but you didn’t care. 

“Lewis,” You gasped, “I need to come, please… please,” You begged. 

“Not yet, babygirl,” He whispered, kissing your cheek softly as if it made up for the way he pounded into you like you were a doll. “Don’t you dare fucking come yet.” His hand found its way to your front and he pressed his palm against your lower abdomen. “You feel me in here?” He asked, feeling his cock thrust deep inside you. “You think you’ll forget this anytime soon? Hmm?” His hand travelled all the way to your neck and he gently squeezed the side of your throat. He squeezed hard enough to make you lose your mind while he kept pounding into you incessantly. 

“No…” You whispered against his lips. With a few more strokes, you felt his thrust becoming irregular, and felt his cock throb against your walls. You tightened around him, feeling the burning hot need to come. “Lewis, please I can’t–” 

You came with a loud cry, unable to hold back. 

Lewis came right after you, buried deep within you – growling under his breath. He remained on top of you, lowering some of his body weight onto you. You welcomed it, it felt nice. He was warm and you were a whimpering mess. 

“Shh, it’s okay baby, it’s okay,” He whispered, kissing your face as he slowly pulled out and collapsed next to you in the sleeping bag. You were shaking just a little as he tucked your head under his chin and ran his soothing hand down your back. You placed your head on his bare chest, listening to his heartbeats again. 

After a while of cuddling as you both caught your breaths, you said, “We have to leave in a few hours. We should get back to the cabin soon.” 

He wrapped his arms around you, as if he’d never let go. He kissed the top of your head and said, “Stop thinking for a moment. Just be here with me, baby. Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it.” He spoke so confidently, like he always did. “I’ve got you.” 

You smiled and kissed the compass tattoo on his chest before placing your head on it. You didn’t want to worry anymore. Whatever happened, you two would deal with it. 

[charliedawn]

Hi! I was wondering if you could do a Five hargreeves fluff.. Season 4 destroyed me and I've been looking for so five comfort and your one of my favorite writers, if so o would really appreciate it :)

(Five is becoming popular, huh ? Good for him. 😁)

Five never left the Hargreeves estate without telling his siblings or making sure they would know where to find him—but there were some moments where he would disappear without saying a word to his family. He would wordlessly teleport to a bar in the middle of nowhere where customers were but a few and where the jazz music playing in the background soothed his soul. He would then order one specific drink every single time—the coconut on the beach with a vanilla essence. But it wasn’t the reclusive aspect of the bar, the nice music or even the good cocktails that would be making him come back time and time again.

He would wait for the waiter/waitress to come bring him his drink. And then, he would simply watch them in silence for a few minutes. He would observe them as they went along with their life and didn’t glance back at him until they were done with their tasks at hand…

Y/N L/N.

That name was engraved into his brain and refused to leave. That. And the last date written on a diary he had kept safe from the moment he had left the end of the world.

April 1, 2019.

The exact date where everything ended to the very second where your hand had stopped writing, or would stop writing. To the last loop of your handwriting when everything seemed to stop and your very existence vanished.

His breath hitched.

Your eyes had met from across the bar.

He could have sworn for a second that you could read his mind and see exactly what he was thinking about.

All those nights turning page after page of the same diary. The only descent reading material he had managed to find at the end of the world. The testimony of a human who had lived and died in that very same bar. The human he was currently looking at after having known them through paper first.

He could almost see your thoughts, see the turmoil in your eyes. Because he had read it. He had read about the little boy who had become your regular customer one day and who had never spoke a word to you. He had read about you, the major episodes in your existence and the strangest and most embarrassing moments in your life. He could recite every single word of that diary by heart. He had had more than 50 years to look over and memorise that cursed and precious journal.

But, he always came back to the same pages—over and over.

The pages about a little boy and his dark eyes who seemed older than his years—wordlessly staring at you. The customer who you had wondered time and time again if you would ever strike a conversation with ?

Spoiler alert.

You never did…

The boy kept coming back again and again until the very end—regular like clockwork. Five knew of each time you two would meet—and he dreaded that last moment. The moment where he would stop coming, because he knew that the day he would miss one of your meetings, it would be the day he would either die or have given up on saving you. And he dreaded that moment—that moment where nothing would matter anymore.

So, he kept coming back. He kept coming back—hoping that something would finally change. But nothing ever did. And he could feel his fears and his desperation growing. If something—anything could change…then maybe not everything was lost.

After so many days spent torturing his mind and begging for a sign…that sign finally came.

As he was sipping on his drink, he felt someone sitting down next to him. He didn’t look, but then the presence spoke up.

"Hey there. Nice tie."

He looked up and seemed stunned for a few seconds as he saw your smile.

You had…spoken to him.

Nowhere in all the pages he had read in your diary had you ever mentioned speaking to him. To the very end, all you had ever done was recall that weird kid with the sad eyes who would be staring at you, pay and leave. He took a minute to compose himself and your smile faltered slightly. Maybe had you been wrong to approach the kid ? He had just seemed so…lost. He looked like some rich kid from a private school, and yet he would always come back to your bar. Maybe was he looking to talk to someone ? Or maybe had you been wrong and he wanted to be left alone ?

You sighed and were about to stand up when you heard him reply.

"Nice shirt/dress."

You stopped dead in your tracks and turned around. You sat back next to him and smiled before extending your hand towards him.

"Thanks. The name is Y/N by the way."

He smiled back politely and shook your hand.

"Five. Five Hargreeves."

At that moment, there was a little spark that traveled between you two and the name written on the journal in Five’s pocket changed to:

Y/N Hargreeves.

[jenniekrj]

Show {Idol!Bangchan x Idol!Fem!Reader}

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Warnings:Riding,pet names,dirty talk.

A/N:I made this fic just because of this episode of channie’s room (I miss him so much)

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

Being in a secret relationship with one of the most known K-pop idols is very difficult as his fans can get angry and ruin your life in a matter of seconds.One of the other difficulties of being in a secret relationship with Chan is that it’s very hard to hide your relationship,especially when you go out on dates since you’re both pretty famous.But,either way you still loved each other,that’s what’s important,right?

It was about to hit midnight and both you and Chan just got back from attending MAMA,which was held in Bangkok,Thailand.You both stayed in the same hotel room together without anyone finding out,of course.He was on live to thank his fans for giving Straykids a very important award.

You had just gotten out of the shower and were already needy,seeing him perform in such revealing clothes made you go in heat the whole night.You sat on the edge of the bed right in front of him while trying to minimize the noise you would make.You sat there,waiting for him to end the live and ask him for a small favor,riding his thigh.You were wearing tiny shorts and a sports bra,just to seduce him,all you could do now is hope for the best.

-

You have waited for approximately 30 minutes and he has already said goodbye to his fans.As soon as he hit the ‘end live’ button you immediately stood up and walked over to him and without hesitation,you sat on his lap.

“Yea,baby? You need something?” Chan whispered in your ear as his right hand wrapped around your waist and his left hand was placed in your hip. “Yeah…” You softly said as you pointed your finger towards his thigh. “Be more specific or you’re not getting it.” He sternly said as he brought your body closer to his. “I…wanna ride.” You mentally slapped yourself right after you said that,for some reason you thought he would be mad or at least shocked..but he wanted this,almost like he was waiting for you to ask.

"Really? My thigh?" He smirked in amusement as he sat back and you slowly nodded as an answer.

“Alright,give me a show then.”

Your head went straight up when he said this,your eyes were wide and filled with excitement.You lifted yourself up and positioned his right thigh in between both of your thighs and lowered yourself onto him.You slowly started grinding back and forth as he maintained eye contact with you.

Chan then grabbed both of your hips to help you out. “Yeah…just like that,you’ll be a slut for anything,wouldn’t you?” He said as his hands traveled to your ass. “Yes,Chan..a-ah.” You managed to answer him in between moans.“Fuck,you look so pretty like this.” Chan said as he eyed you up and down,his mind racing to other things he wants to do to you. “My cock could make you feel so much better than this,baby.”

As you moved faster,you could feel how wet you pussy was through your panties and shorts and that was a sigh that you would cum. “Ch-Chan! I’m cumming!” You almost screamed before you came,riding out your orgasm.

Your head fell onto his chest as you breathed heavily. “You liked that,pretty girl? You liked how my thigh felt on your wet pussy?” Chan whispered into your ear as his hands were massaging your ass cheeks.You couldn’t get a word out because of how good you felt,but he took it as a ‘yes’ anyway. “I know you did,look at how wet my pants are,all because of your horny pussy.” Chan said as a smirk creeped up on his lips.

You propped yourself up and kissed him,which led to a make out.His tongue made its way into your mouth,feeling every corner of it.He pulled back and said “You know…because I made you cum…

how about you make me cum,huh?”

[enha-roza]

I DO

Jake x 8thmember!oc

wc : 0.4k

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧

During episode 47 of En o’clock, the members were about to play ‘accessory shopping 31’. The team to get the 31st accessory wins. Heeseung, Jake, Roza, Jungwon and Niki were on the same team and Jay, Sunghoon, Sunoo and Sooyoung on the other. 

Then they went around and slowly became more decorated in rings, glasses and necklaces. “Sooyoungie looks so cute~” Jay said as Sooyoung looked at him, princess crown atop her head. “She's a real life princess!” Roza said, smiling at her. “You look pretty too…”. Roza looked back at Jake. “you think?”. “Oh 100 percent”. It came back to them to pick accessories, Jake picking up a ring. “Pinky ring till I get a wedding ring”. The members laughed as he sang. 

The game soon came to an end with the Sagwa team winning. As Roza got up to stretch her legs, Jake pulled her arm and got on one knee. “Will you marry me?” He said dramatically, playing it up for the camera. Roza laughed as she turned around to face him. “OMG, of course I do!” Jake slid the ring around her finger and dipped Roza pretending to kiss her. 

“Yah, you can't do that!” Heeseung yelled. “Why not?”. “She is my wife!”. Roza laughed as the members caused more commotion. “We have a son!” Heeseung continued. “Who?”. “Jungwon!!” Jungwon laughed at Heeseung. “Well Niki is my and Roza’s son!”. “He is?” Roza said looking confused at Jake. “Wait, I am?”. “Yes Niki, you are our son!”. “Okay that's enough!” Jungwon stepped in trying to calm things down. “Moving on!”. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧

A couple weeks later Roza and Jake were on live after the En o’clock episode aired. “Are we getting married?” Jake said, confused. “Ahhhh, from en o’clock!” Roza remembered. “Not yet engene… soon maybe?” Jake smiled at Roza. “Sunghoon can be my best man and Sooyoung can be the maid of honor!”. "You've really thought this though huh?”. “Maybe…”. The two giggled, getting shy now. “Mrs Sim… my fiancé!” The tension broke as they laughed. 

“But really you would be very pretty on our wedding day”. “Our?”. “Yep, you're not allowed to marry anyone else!”. “But I'm already married to Heeseung…”. “That's the exception. Wouldn't want to take Jungwon away from his mom…” He joked as Engenes fangirled over their interaction. “Okay my two husbands Heeseung and Jake”. 

The live continued until they decided to end it. “Okay me and Roza are gonna go have a fun time doing something”. Jake watched as fans commented asking what. “What? It's a secret.. It's sexy…”. “What are you talking about!” Roza shouted. “Treat the princess to a good time” He smirked before quickly ending the live. “What was that..”. “Nothing to worry your pretty head about” Jake whispered as he went about his day. Roza sat confused at his intentions. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧

a/n : mr and mrs sim!!!

[darlingshane]

Salt of the Earth ~ Part 1

Pairing: Michael Berzatto x OFC

Summary: She was Carmy's best friend growing up, and Michael never looked at her as anything other than that until years later when she comes back to Chicago to start over. In the process, she turns his sorry excuse of a life upside down.

Content/Warnings: Friends to lovers, Fluff, Angst, Family Drama, Dysfunctional relationships, Implied/referenced drug addiction, Alcohol mention, Divorce, Pets, Pet names, Dialogue heavy. Undisclosed age gap (in my mind Michael is late 30s and OC is late 20s, but it's really up to your interpretation).

Word Count: 6.8k // 4 chapters // AO3 link.

A/N: This is set in the year of the Fishes episode on season 2. It starts in summer and slowly builds up to that Christmas.

— This was an anon request that I got a few months ago, I hope you're still around. I tried to fit all the ideas you sent as best I could. There's a bit of info dump on the first chapter, but I hope it isn't too off-putting.

Chapter 1: Best thing since sliced bread

Seconds stretch into minutes, minutes elongate into long hours on slow days like this at The Beef. Especially in summer when the air conditioner stops working for the second time in the middle of August. Any living soul that crosses that door must have a dying wish or be the devil themselves to adventure themselves to what has become Michael's personal hell.

It's been a testing year, and there's so much he can do to fix this place right now. While he waits for Fak to come check the damn AC unit, Michael tends the front while Ebra takes his lunch break.

Turning the paper's pages on the counter, he comes across an article about the extensive fires eating different parts of the country. A wretched thought crosses his mind as he reads – maybe it'd be better to burn this place to the ground and start over. He entertains the idea for a second until the door swings open, inviting more heat into the boiling pot.

He lifts his eyes from the words to find a familiar face approaching the counter. It's not Fak, but a much better vision of someone he used to know.

“Mayhem Maya.”

“Magic Mikey.”

That former thought of burning down this place disappears somewhere in the midst of that beautiful aura that saunters with her big brown eyes, long raven hair, nervous smile, and firm steps.

“It's been a while, Maybird.” Almost ten years since she set foot in this establishment. “What brings you to this hole in the wall?”

“Came to collect that meatball sub you promised at uncle Teddy's funeral, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

Ever since she moved to a different state, he only had seen her a handful of times when she came back for the holidays. Last time he saw her was at the beginning of spring, when her uncle, Ted Silva, passed away.

“I also had an interview at the new vet clinic on the next block.” She places her cross-body bag on an empty stool while she perches her ass on the one next to it.

“How's that going? Did you get tired of California already?”

“No, I love California. But I needed a change of scenery. It's been rough after… you know…” the divorce. She wasn't married for long, but she still can't bring herself to say the word.

“I’ve heard some of it.” He’s pretty much aware of how everything went down. Well, he’s got grapevine’s juicy version of the story, but he never heard her side directly.

Though Michael and Maya know each other as if they were related, they were never close confidants. She always thought he was the coolest guy in Chicago. And he always thought fondly of her, given their families association, and Maya’s close friendship with his brother.

Michael places an order for her sandwich and grabs a soda for her, while she explains she has two more job interviews later.

“Does your mother know you're back?” He folds the paper and props his elbows on the counter.

“She probably does.”

“Still not talking, huh?”

“It's not my fault she made me the black sheep of the family. She’s like vitriol on steroids.”

“Yeah? What happened at the wake? You left before I could say goodbye.”

Michael recalls the tension at the funeral, particularly at the wake when Angela Silva grabbed Maya by the elbow and took her youngest daughter outside the house as if she was still a child that needed to be scolded.

“Nothing. I barely said a word that day. Guess everything I do feels like a personal attack to her. I can admit that I'm not perfect, and that sometimes I've acted up just to get a reaction out of her, but that day she just went off again…” She pauses without finishing that thought to take a refreshing sip of her coke. “And that wasn't nearly as bad as the day I told her I was getting…”

“Divorced? Why can't you say the word? It's not Voldemort.”

“What the hell do you know about Voldemort?”

“How do I… Who took you and Carmy to buy those damn books? Have you forgotten?” Maya shakes her head. “You even tried many times invoking his name, so I was haunted by eaters or something like that. You two were real potterheads.”

“And you were just a pothead,” she laughs, stirring the ice cubes in her drink with a straw. “I totally blocked that out. We were just a couple of nerds.”

“I’d say!”

“Meatball sub!” Richie calls from the pass-through window and takes a second look when catching Maya in the joint. “Maya Papaya?!”

“Please, don’t call me that.” She scoffs while Richie promptly abandons the kitchen and goes around the counter to give her a welcoming hug.

“Did you know she was coming?” He asks Michael, as he props his ass on the bar.

“Had no idea. She just showed up.”

“Did you tell her about Carmy?”

“What about him?”

“He’s in Copenhagen.”

“Oh, I knew about that.”

“You two talk often?”

“Sometimes, I guess.” Barely more likely. They don't even text anymore. She's tried but there's been nothing but crickets at his end for months.

While Richie grills her about Carmy and what she’s been up to, Michael can’t help but look around the shop to notice, from every corner and wall, memories bouncing all at once in his direction. It takes him back in time to those days when she and Carmy were as thick as thieves.

Their shared history goes back to that same street their families have lived on for over thirty years… It’s still clear in his mind, like it was yesterday, when he was forced to babysit them when they wanted to go to the movies or trick-or-treating or the bookstore. That was a little annoying back then, now he fondly remembers all those times in summer, when they’d go to the convenience store to get ice pops on their bikes. Then they’d ride back and sit in the middle of the swanky rug in their living room and watch TV for hours. More than once they were yelled at by Mama Berzatto when she would come home to find melted colorful stains in the fabric. She would lose her shit. Carmy was used to it. Maya wasn’t, but the girl never flinched once cause Donna and her own mother were cut from the same unstable piece of cloth.

Maya and Carmy were really close up until they went separate ways for college. Their bond was something to admire. They had something so special that inevitably, Carmy fell in love with her. She was his best friend and confident. They kept each other's secrets, and Carmy thought she'd feel the same in return. It wasn't a crazy notion. They spent so much time together, everyone thought it'd lead to something more, but that never happened.

Mikey and Richie used to tease the youngest cub relentlessly. They tried multiple times to encourage him to ask her out, but he never found the guts to do it. Especially if it could potentially end their friendship. Carmy didn't want to lose that. Though he never confessed his feelings, Maya always knew. Even in her teens, call it a woman’s intuition, part of her already knew. Maya wished she'd felt the same toward him, but the heart wants what it wants, and she couldn't change that.

What was really fucked up was that she had the most ridiculous crush on the older Berzatto when she was a teen. While she knew he'd never look at her as anything other than Carmy's annoying little friend, that didn't stop her from daydreaming about it for years. It was a secret that no one ever knew and that was placed in a drawer at the back of her mind after she left Chicago.

After graduating, Maya and Carmy stayed in touch for a long time, until their calls and texts became less frequent. They followed different dreams that required a lot of attention and sadly their friendship got hurt in the process.

While she attended Vet School on the west coast, he became a chef on the east.

Maya thrived at school and work. She really went out on her own, and became the woman she always wanted to be. Unsheltered, confident, outspoken. She outgrew her shell and opened herself to new experiences and people. She loved it all. It wasn’t smooth sailing, but for the most part she was pretty happy with her choices.

And now she's back in Chicago, set on a new path and awaiting to see where it takes her.

She’s living in a house in Oak Park with her dog, Coco; Richie fishes out of her. Apparently, she got some money from uncle Teddy, and she’s invested it in a home for her and her beloved staffy.

“Does Carmy know you’re here?” Richie circles back.

“No, I haven't talked to him in months.”

“Why? Did you two have a fall-out or something?”

“There's no why. We're just busy.”

“Mike, help me out here. Weren’t these two fools supposed to get married?”

“Yeah, everyone thought you'd ended up together.”

“Man, I don't know what to tell you, we just didn't,” her head sinks between her shoulders.

“Just get over yourself and hit him up. The kid has been hung up on you since forever. It looks like things didn’t go so well with your marriage and all. You should take that as a sign, you’d never find anyone better than Carmy. The boy could really use some excitement in his life. And so could you.”

“C’mon, leave her alone. Go back to work, Cousin.”

Michael throws her a lifeline, noticing how miserable she looks every time Richie opens his unfiltered mouth.

“He’s not wrong, you know? You and Carmy… it looked like you two had something special.” Michael offers once Richie is back in the kitchen.

“It’s called friendship. You should look it up.” She points out.

“I have Richie.”

“Exactly. You have Richie. Why don't you two marry the other and leave me alone? If you think about it, you were as close to Richie as I was with Carmy. Even more. Should everyone assume you are in love with him? Cause that's what you're implying.”

“Touché. I'll drop it.”

“Look, as hard as it is to believe, there was nothing else between us. I was aware he felt something for me, but I didn’t feel the same.”

“You should give him a chance sometime. He might surprise you.”

It’s not the first time these two have been trying to play matchmaker between Maya and Carmy, and it’s bizarre to see they still do at any given opportunity.

“Okay, if I give Carmy a chance, you have to give Richie a chance. Those are the rules, Berzatto.”

“Oh, I've tried. He's not into me,” he remarks, amused, and leans closer to confess something in a lower voice. “Do you wanna know a secret?”

“Uh, sure.”

“He and Tiffany are having a baby. He just told me a few days ago.”

“What? You let him reproduce? I'll pray for Tiff.”

Chapter 2: Cool as a cucumber

Everything falls slowly into place as Maya settles back in Chicago. She secures the job at the clinic near The Beef, which is a huge relief after her rushed decision of moving back to her hometown without securing a job first. It was part of the plan all along to practice what she loves but never thought this would be the year. As much as she loved California, once her divorce was finalized she felt like something was trapping her there. And the money she got from her uncle gave her some leeway to improvise, get away from all that, and start over.

Maya is spending her morning going through the stack of unpacked boxes, finding a good place for everything, making it feel more homey. It's not a big house, but spacious enough for the two of them. The big selling point was the backyard for Coco to zoom around and cool down in her wading pool, which she loves. It didn't take long for the five-year-old pup to get used to her new neighborhood. They've even made a couple of friends at the park nearby.

A moment before the doorbell rings, Coco whines from her spot by the window, where she often sits to watch passers in the street.

“Who is it?” Maya playfully asks her dog as she makes her way to the front door.

Through the peephole, she sees Michael's profile as he inspects the porch.

“Hi,” her eyes widen as she opens the door. “Didn't know you were coming.”

“Yeah, I would've called, but I didn't get your number the other day.” But he got her address from Richie's intense questioning when she visited the shop.

“I knocked on two different houses until I got the right one,” he explains as Coco curiously circles around his feet, sniffing his pants, hitting his crotch with her nose in the process.

“No, Coco. Sit. How many times have we talked about no nut-tapping?” Maya glances at her with amusement as the dog sits on her haunches.

“It’s fine,” he snorts. “All dogs do that.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. But she’s not any other dog. I thought I had taught her better. So what brings you here?”

“This.” He offers the paper bag hanging in his hand. “It's just a little house-warming gift.”

“You didn't have to.” As she takes the bag from his hand she ushers him inside before closing the door.

“It's nothing, really.”

He glances around as Maya takes out the box from the bag.

“Wow, a set of knives? That's not nothing.”

“Everyone needs one good set of knives. But you can exchange them for something else if you want.”

“No. I like these. But I gotta warn you that I'm not much of a cook, and I'll probably use the same one for everything.”

“That's fine I can show you sometime though. Is she friendly? ” He points at the dog that keeps staring at him. “Can I pet her?”

“Yeah, she loves everyone. Go ahead.”

Michael cautiously pets the brown coat of her head as her floppy ears lower at the passing of his hand.

“Never pictured you with a pit bull.”

“Me neither. I always thought I'd be a cat lady. But I met her at this adoption drive when she was one, and she stole my heart.”

“I can see why.” Michael crouches down, and pets Coco with both hands. “She's really sweet.”

He lets her lick his chin a couple of times before standing back on his feet. Then they go on a tour around the house.

“It's still a work in progress. I'm thinking of painting a few walls, but we like it so far.”

“Yeah, it has good bones.”

“So you don't have to work today?” Asks Maya.

“No, we've had some trouble with the gas line, and we've been shut down for a couple of days.”

“That sucks. Now where am I going to get my sandwiches and coffee on my way to work?”

“Heard Starbucks is pretty good.”

“Shut up. Don't even joke about that.” She playfully shoves his shoulder as they go back to the living room.

“Are you doing something later?”

She shakes her head. “Why?”

“I don't know, thought you were having a comeback party or something.”

“I don't really have any friends here. And I don't feel like inviting my family yet. As you can see, I still have a lot to unpack.”

“Physically or mentally speaking?”

“Both,” she scoffs.

“Let's do something then? Just you and me. We could grab some pizza, or go out for a drink for old times’ sake?”

“Old times’ sake?” It's amusing, surprising and confusing his sudden interest in her. Maybe he can see how pathetic she thinks she is, and he's taking pity on her. Although, that was never Michael style.

“Yeah, c'mon, Mayhem. You look like you could use some fun.” He picks up a book that's sitting on top from the box opened by the couch that's titled — Dating Again with Courage and Confidence: The Five-Step Plan to Revitalize Your Love Life after Heartbreak, Breakup, or Divorce. “And maybe a rebound or something. You don't need a fucking help book. You only need me to show where to get the best guys, or girls. Whatever you're into.”

“Give me that. I don't need a rebound, a help book, or you for all matter finding me a date.”

“No? Then why do you have that?”

“My friend Paige thought I should give it a try.”

“Maybe she was onto something there.”

“I'm perfectly fine. Just want to finish organizing everything, focus on work and this handful I have right here.” Her hand gestures at Coco. “What are you so interested in my love life anyway? First you try to play matchmaker with Carmy, and now you want me to do what, exactly? Hook up with the first guy I see?”

“No, I'm just asking you to go out and have some fun. I know Carmy was the only friend you had here. And if I was in your shoes, I'd feel pretty lonely.”

“I'm not lonely, Michael. Do I miss my friends in Sacramento? Sure,” she admits. “But I don't wanna force anything. I'm just taking it slow. When the time comes I'll jump right in but for now, this is all I need. Really. Stop pitying me.”

“I'm not pitying you, sweetheart.”

“No? Then what is it? Where is this coming from?”

“I don't know… I've always thought you were the salt of the earth. And though we never really hung out together, I thought you could use… But I can see now that you're different, and that you know what you need right now, so I'll just shut up and back off. Let you do your thing.”

“Thank you. I do know what I'm doing, by the way. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine. But I appreciate you coming here anyway.”

“Yeah, of course. And I can help you unpack if you need.”

“Hm, if you don't have anything better to do, be my guest. We could grab a pizza later, if the offer still stands. Or just order some food.”

“Sure.”

Michael helps Maya unpack all the boxes and put everything in place in half the time it'd have taken her alone. They order some food for lunch and spend half the day talking and laughing until late in the afternoon when they decide to go out for some drinks to keep the good vibes going.

At the end of the night, she offers to drive Michael back to his apartment as a thank you for inviting her.

“Did you have fun?” Michael asks from the passenger seat as she pulls up in front of his building.

“Yeah, I did. I'm glad I changed my mind.”

“Me too. I didn't know you were this fun. You're nothing like I remember.”

“Yeah, I was kind of weird growing up. You guys probably thought there was something wrong with me. ”

“Nah, don't be so hard on yourself. We were all weird in our own way.”

“Uh-uh. No Michael Berzatto. You were the coolest guy back in the day, and you still are.”

“I don’t know about that,” he scoffs. “For the record… I never thought there was anything wrong with you.”

“You were probably the only one… Anyway, thank you for today. I know I said I didn't need this, but I guess I did.”

“You're welcome, Maybird. I'm glad you’re back.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Thanks for bringing me home,” he softly squeezes her arm before reaching for the handle to open the door.

“No problem.”

“You know you can call me if you ever miss your friends, y’know?” he throws casually.

“I uh…sure. I will.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” she echoes back as he pulls the handle and the door opens.

“Have a good night, Michael,” she says as he gets one foot on the pavement.

“You, too, sweetheart.”

He closes the door and vaguely waves as she sets the car in motion and watches her drive away.

Chapter 3: Don't cry over spilled milk

In the few weeks he's been spending time with Maya, Michael has found himself enjoying her company more than he'd like to admit. Being with her grounds him. She makes him forget for a little while all that's wrong in his life. She's like a beacon in that immerse darkness that his sorry existence has become. Despite having her own set of problems, he's watched her rise above all that with poise. He wonders what it's her secret to her steadfast determination, even when her own family has disavowed her.

After closing shop, he dives into his stash to tame that brewing headache before driving to Oak Park to pay her a visit. She told him earlier via text that she was at Home Depot buying some paint to update the color of her bedroom and asked him to come over to hang out after work.

For some reason, he couldn't say no. Not even the storm in his head is strong enough to deny her request. He has a pull on him, tugging him hard like a dog tied to a leash in her hand, he can’t help but follow her lead.

When he arrives at her house, she's halfway done. Two of the walls shine bright new in a lavender tone as she starts working on the next one.

After having beer and playing a tug of war game with his new friend, Coco, Michael offers his help to finish painting the walls. He uses a brush to paint the corners, while she gracefully uses a roller like a pro with her denim overalls over a tank top, and her raven hair pulled up in a ponytail sprinkled with lavender paint beads. When she lifts one of her arms, he catches a glimpse of a tattoo on the side of her rib cage, leveled to the roundness of her chest that looks like the outline of a dog paw.

“What are you looking at?” She asks after catching him staring.

“You have paint on your chin.”

“Oh.” She wipes it with the back of her hand, but she just spreads the stain along her jaw. “I made it worse, didn't I?”

“Yeah.”

She shrugs it off and continues with the task ahead until the whole wall is covered.

“Is everything okay, Bear?” Maya puts down the paint roller. “You're quieter than usual.”

“Yeah, everything's alright.” It sounds so honest, he almost believes it. “It's just been a long day.”

“I'm sorry that I put you to work.”

“Don't be. This is relaxing.”

“Yeah?” She takes a step back and surveys how much brighter her bedroom looks already after covering most of the former downcast grey. “Is the color right? Do you think it's too girlish?”

Giving the room a once over he says, “it's a good shade. I dig it. It doesn't matter what I think or if it's too girlish, as long as you like it. Do you like it?”

“Yeah. I do.”

She dips the roller on the tray to cover another section of the wall.

“You never told me what happened at the funeral with your mom,�� Michael leans on the stepladder, taking a short break.

“Do you really wanna know?” She glances over her shoulder.

“Yeah. Everyone does. I’ve heard some crazy stories about it. Thought I should get it straight from the source.”

“I never pegged you for a gossip girl.”

“I’m not. I’m just making conversation.”

She mockingly narrows her eyes, drawing a lopsided smirk, “liar.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wanna. But yeah, can’t help being a little curious about it.”

“I don’t mind telling you, but it won’t be as entertaining as those crazy stories people have made up.”

“I’m not here for entertainment. I just wanna hear your side of the story, Maybird.”

Maya lets out a heavy sigh and while keeping her focus on the wall she shares with him what really happened. She’s right to say that is not the best story she’s ever told, though when it comes to her mother, all her stories tend to have a surreal element even she can’t fathom sometimes.

That day at the funeral, she was taken outside during the wake by Angela Silva to get scolded about her imminent divorce. It wasn’t finalized by then, and her mom invoked one last Hail Mary to convince her to stay with her husband, who was also currently dating someone else. It was a messy situation that Maya couldn't wait to get out of, and the fact that her mother never offered an ounce of support wasn’t surprising, but still devastating. Somehow, Angela found that the reason for her separation from her husband was that Maya didn’t want to have kids, and that really vexed Angela. All she wanted for her three kids was to follow the same traditional path Angela was forced into, no matter how miserable she was. Her two older sisters followed her mother’s narrowed traditional values. But Maya, ever-the-nonconformist, swore she would never follow anyone’s drum beat but her own. Her husband thought she’d change her mind eventually. He was wrong. She knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, which led her here, to this moment.

“Is your mom ever happy?” Michael has always wondered.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her happy, except when she’s drunk. That’s why she has to make everyone else miserable.”

“Yeah, but she’s always had a fixation on making you miserable.”

“Like I said, every family needs a black sheep, and I’m it.”

“Is that why you became a vet?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“So, it's true, you don’t wanna have kids? I’m not judging. I’m just curious.”

“I honestly don't know. I just knew that when he told me he wanted to have a baby right away, it didn’t feel right. I said that maybe in six or seven years I’d be okay with it. Told him I wanted to travel and just be us for a while, and he said that was too long to wait. I don’t know… he stopped talking to me, and it was clear that he wasn’t changing his mind, and I wasn’t changing my mind, so. At some point I got tired of trying… He got a girlfriend as soon as I filed for divorce and I got a text from Paige the other day that said he got her already pregnant, like… that was never me. I guess it served me right… I married him on a whim, an impulse without really talking about what we wanted…”

“Hey, don’t feel sorry for yourself. You dodged a bullet there.”

“You really think that?.”

“Yeah, I do. You stood up for yourself and knew when to step back when it didn’t feel right. Not everyone has the balls to do that. Think how miserable you’d be by now if you had tried to please him or your mom. You seem happy now. That's what matters.” He means that with all his heart, and wishes he had the same drive to follow those same steps. As much as he loved the restaurant, he chose to run it to please people within his family. And that love turned into a nightmare he couldn't escape.

“You know… I liked you better when you were quiet,” she quips.

Michael huffs a soft laugh, picking up his brush to resume painting.

When the room is finished, she plugs a couple of fans and closes the door to keep Coco away.

Maya washes her hands and face in the bathroom sink. When she comes out, she catches the motion of Michael's arm as he shoves what looks like a pill into his mouth before taking a gulp of water from one of her glasses.

“What was that? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. It's just a headache,” looking down, he runs a palm over his short growing beard.

“Is it the fumes?”

“No, I had it before coming here.”

“Michael,” she sighs softly at his name. “You should've told me. I wouldn't have let you help if I knew.”

“Would you stop that? I wanted to help.”

“Okay, c'mere. Let's sit down.”

“No, I think I should get going.”

“Nonsense. I'm not going to let you drive until you feel better.”

He yields with a long exhale, and follows Maya into the living room, where her bed is settled askew in the middle of the space.

She takes a seat on the edge of the mattress and waits for him to sit next to her.

“Give me your hand,” she shows her palm up, as his eyes narrow. “C'mon, don't be a baby, give me your hand, Berzatto.”

“When did you become so bossy?” He slowly lifts his hand and as he lays it on top of her palm, his fingers tremble upon contact with her skin. Maya then uses her opposite hand to clip the webbing between his thumb and pointer fingers with her own and begins massaging that spot.

“My friend Sierra is really into acupressure. She says this is a pressure point that helps with headaches.” She explains while slowly increasing the force. “Does it hurt?”

“Not one bit. Is that like acupuncture?” His voice comes as a whisper as he focuses on her diligent fingers.

“Kinda. I think. I’m not really sure.”

“You don't have to fix me, you know?”

“I'm not trying to fix you, Bear. I just wanna make you feel better.”

“Admit it. You just love a good wounded animal.”

She smiles softly, placing his hand down on his knee and picking up the other. “Does it feel any different?”

He’s not really sure, it wasn’t truly a headache that led them to take that pill but the annoying rambling of his thoughts. She shouldn’t have seen that. And he shouldn’t have lied. But having her hands on his like this is straight up lovely. Inside of him, it truly feels like something is broken, wounded, and missing, and this is giving him a sliver of relief as he waits for the pill to kick in. If he was a better man, he’d tell her the truth. But he’s too far gone for saving. All he can do is keep that facade up.

“Does it?” She insists after not getting an answer.

“A little.”

“Do you wanna lay down?”

Swallowing, he responds with a nod, and they both lean back on the mattress at the same time. Looking at the ceiling, she keeps kneading that pressure point, unsure if she’s even doing it right.

They stay in comfortable silence for a good five minutes and when she finally places his hand down, Maya glances to the side and sees that his eyes have closed, and his chest gently rising and falling. She calls his name softly, but she can see that behind the sharp edges of his face and the ever-growing shade of his beard, he’s truly exhausted, so she doesn’t insist. She extends her hand to turn off the lamp, and curls on the other side of the bed without disturbing his sleep.

“Good night,” she says softly and closes her eyes.

From a dusty corner of her mind comes crawling that little forgotten part that used to harbor a lot of feelings for Michael. Though a few weeks ago he seemed practically the same Michael she knew, over the past month she’s keenly noticed little changes here and there. His eyes sometimes cast a dark shade tainted in nothing but sadness, it’s barely noticeable for other people. It comes and goes, but it tells her he’s not truly as happy as he pretends to be.

Michael wakes up disoriented at the crack of dawn.

It takes him a few seconds to remember he’s still in Mayas’ bed in the middle of her living room and that the weight that has his arm pinned is her body pressed against his. She’s warmly snuggled on his side, with her arms tucked between his chest and hers, and a peaceful expression on her beautiful face. She’s so awfully close, he can smell the scent of her hair, and feel the heat of her breath every time she exhales.

It's such an odd moment for him to have her that close. He's unsure of whether it would be better to slip out of bed unnoticed before she wakes up, or just stay there and watch her sleep for a bit longer. Either option would make him look like a creep, he thinks. So he opts to gently wake her up. His free hand reaches to his forehead to move a stand of hair away. Her brow scrunches as his light-feather touch grazes her skin. His lips curve up as he traces the shell of her ear to see her stir awake. She blinks slowly a couple of times until her focus shifts onto him.

“Hey, Maybird.”

“Hey.” Her lips move, it's barely audible.

“Sorry, I fell asleep.” His fingers absentmindedly massage her earlobe.

She's so stunned by waking up to that level of intimacy, she simply nods, as her mouth softly draws a smile.

“It's fine. Does your head feel better?”

“Much better. That pressure thing really worked.”

“I'm glad.”

“Listen, I gotta go open. Maybe we could do something later?”

“Okay,” she swallows nervously, hoping that waking up with him like this isn't just a dream. “Can you do me a favor first?”

“Sure.”

“Can you stay five more minutes?”

“I uh… I think I can,” against his better judgment, he decides he can stay for a few minutes more holding her.

The way her lips pull up timidly at the corners, revealing the dimples framing her mouth, completely disarms him. He’s always felt a certain affinity towards her, but being this close to her awakes a longing within that feels dangerous. He can’t bring someone new into his life. Not while everything around him is falling apart. It’s already hard enough having to pretend around other people.

He couldn’t do that to her. He won’t.

Michael will have to fight harder because when her arm tucks around his waist he can’t help but press his lips against her forehead.

Chapter 4: Hard nut to crack

Four months later…

After that initial moment of weakness when he fell asleep on her bed, he fought hard to elude that odd longing that has only grown into a big mass of love toward Maya. To anyone else in the world, a feeling as big as that would be a blessing, especially when it's reciprocated. To Michael, it's a weakness he can't afford right now.

Spending all that time with Maya has been like discovering a whole new planet Michael never thought existed. She's all vast, uncharted territory that fazes him more than it should. Despite his best efforts, he’s fallen into her alluring orbit and can’t find the way out into his own universe.

Far gone is that moody teenager that would mumble a few words here and there. And now there's this tragically stunning woman that looks you directly in the eye, says anything that crosses her mind, and laughs without a care in the world.

Though falling in love with her wouldn’t be completely wrong, it's not quite right either. It fills him with guilt to think about her in that manner. Moreover, it feels like a betrayal to Carmy, who’s far away in a different continent, prospering in his craft.

Michael tries to fool himself into believing that this is just temporary infatuation. He’s even attempted several times to convince her to get in touch with Carmy but hasn’t succeeded. It’d be easier for him if she were to put her focus on someone else instead of him. He has nothing to offer to her and has deemed himself unworthy of her, or anyone for that matter. If she only knew what’s really going on with him, she wouldn’t want Michael nearly as she believes she does.

Layer by layer, she’s tearing all his walls and defenses down. And after all the back and forth, he's absolutely sure she wants more than he can offer her. She’s been giving him the right signals. She doesn't shy away from it. Maya is direct and impulsive, and everything about her is fascinating and intimidating.

It’s time to either cut her loose, or accept that he’s madly in love with her and do something about it.

Amidst coming to terms with a final decision, he's lured into a surprise party she's organized for his birthday.

Michael is left speechless by her determination. And a little annoyed too for reasons he can't explain. To be honest, he’s never been a fan of surprise parties, but the main problem is that this would make things much harder for him to let her down easily. She’s carved herself into his life and the longer he drags this out, the worse this is going to hurt.

He’s aware that it’s selfish and obtuse of him for being that ungrateful that someone who cares that profoundly about him, that they would go all out to prove that. He feels like an asshole, but the train has already left the station.

Using the same tiring self-defense mechanism, he draws his best smile and brings out the Michael everyone seems to love. Not without help. There's always that crutch tucked in his wallet in the form of a pill. Being high numbs him enough to deal with the situation.

The cherry on top comes at the end of the night, when he walks her up to her car and asks if he's had a good time. He lies through his teeth and for the first time, he can tell Maya is not buying it. Perhaps she never did, but he's well-versed on her tells by now, and he can clearly see she's fed up with all the bullshit that comes out of his mouth.

“Look, it's not that I didn't like the party. It's just that I hate surprises, and I was exhausted today. But it was a nice thought, sweetheart. I just… I wasn't in the right mood.” It's seemingly convincing the second time around, but her face shows nothing but regret. “I love the jacket you bought me, though.”

Michael has never been interested in fashion, but he's always loved vintage jackets, and the one she picked it's a perfect addition to his collection. It's a bomber jacket, aviator style, in brown leather with a couple of patches and fur collar.

As they reach Maya's car, they come to a stop. She turns to him, “I know I can be a little too much sometimes. But I promise no more surprises from now on.”

“You and I both know, you won’t be able to keep that promise even if your life depended on it. That's part of what makes you– you, sweetheart. Don’t let my bad mood ruin that.”

“I’ll try.”

After a beat, without hesitation she leans in to leave a goodnight kiss on his bearded cheek and on a whim, she decides to press a second one on his lips.

It takes him completely aback. He wants to dive so badly into her mouth, but he freezes on the spot. And when Maya attempts to deepen the kiss, he finally reacts by placing a placating hand on her shoulder as he pulls his head back.

“I'm… I'm sorry we can't do this, Maya.”

“Wait, I thought… Did I misread something?”

“No, you didn’t misread anything. I just can’t do this.”

“Why?”

“I can't.”

“You can't or don’t want to?”

“Guess I don’t want to.”

“Can you at least tell me why? Did I do something wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong, sweetheart.” He wants to spill out the old – it's not you, it's me – excuse, but he refrains. Every thought and action go against every good instinct he's ever had. He hates himself for making her feel insecure. And yet, he can't backtrack now.

“Stop calling me sweetheart. You see how misleading that is?”

“Sorry. I think I gave you the wrong impression.”

Her eyes narrow, and he can see the gears turning for a long moment before opening her mouth.

“I don't think you gave me the wrong impression, Michael. I think you're too chickenshit to admit that there's something between us and, for whatever reason, you're just taking the coward's way out. You've been weird the whole night, especially with me. I just threw a party just for you, the least you can do is tell me why.”

“I didn't ask you to do that. And I don't owe telling you shit! I was trying to let you go easy, but nothing is ever easy with you. So I'll just say it. This, you and me, is never going to happen.”

It sounds ridiculous as it comes out of his mouth, but he stands firm on that statement as her heart breaks in front of him.

In the end, it'd be better for her, he believes.

[lets-try-some-writing]

okay but what about robots in disguise?? its not a favorite of mine but it’s still pretty good. russel and his dad are decent lol

Frag that show.

It disrespected TFP on every level and for that it has my eternal hatred and contempt. The humans were annoying, and I HATED how many interesting plot threads there were that were either done poorly or with so little tact that the writing team should have just scrapped it. The designs are tolerable, but I hate how canon TFP characters lost so much of their individuality in their designs (coughtheopticscough). Smokescreen is fricking GONE, which bothers me more than I care to admit. We see the rest of the team enough to be reasonable, but they all appear in ways that don't really make me happy.

Ratchet was done well enough in my opinion. I like his RID design. It suites him. Optimus's design can go die in a hole, they brutalized that mech. Same with Jazz. Frag those stupid shoulder pads.

Grimlock is fun, I appreciate Sideswipe, although his helm hair thingies I think need a redesign to make sense in relation to his alt mode. Strongarm was HORRIBLY underutilized and I hardly saw any character growth in her. Drift and his crew were interesting, but similarly not given much room to grow. I really liked Windblade for the most part, especially the episode where she tries to baby Optimus and comes out having relearned that Op is still a PRIME with MILLIONS OF YEARS OF WAR EXPERIENCE.

The Primes who've done nothing but sit on their rears had NO RIGHT to belittle Optimus at every turn. Nor did the show have the right to make him an idiot for the sake of making Bee look smarter. As @nova--spark has pointed out, the personality Bee got in the show matches Smokescreen better. Bumblebee wouldn't have SUCKED so much at the whole leadership shtick. What happened to all that skill shown in the movie huh? HUH WRITING TEAM????!??!?!

While I am on this train. OPTIMUS DIED SO GOSH DARN LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! He should have stayed deceased, or if they REALLY needed him back, he should have either returned as an Civi or came back with actual issues. Like dang hear me out mate.

Optimus is forcefully returned to life, beats the Fallen with his borrowed power, but then has to actually deal with the consequences of essentially being a walking bomb for a while. Make him start losing plating, make his frame HURT, make him slim down again into the TFP base design. Just, give him a reason to have to sit back and RECOVER. Not this whole half hearted limping around garbage. To add to that, don't baby the mech. Let him stay at base and fulfill the role Ratchet did in TFP. Let him use his knowledge to teach and offer wisdom, plan battles and locate enemies. For Primus's sake he could have gone undercover on Cybertron or something if they really needed him to go be useless elsewhere.

THEY COULD HAVE EVEN HAD AN ARC WITH HIM GIVING THE TEAM A WAKEUP CALL!!! SIdeswipe has no respect for the mission, Grimlock is a fool, Strongarm is too snarky, and Bee in this seems to have largely forgotten about the seriousness except for during key moments. They could have made Optimus a minor antagonist, forcing the team to follow wartime standards since they laid down this plot thread regarding issues between leadership styles and Optimus trying to take control of the operation more than once.

I would have paid money to see Optimus's wartime mentality show itself in the best and worst ways through how he worked with this group of non war vets on a Decepticon capture mission. Maybe even have him use lethal force once or twice, or at least hint at it so that people can be reminded that he is a mech who went to war, killed countless bots, and both drove their people to and saved their people from extinction.

Bee could have had to teach Optimus to calm down. He could have helped eased his leader out of his wartime mindset. Or following that whole council running Cybertron route, Optimus could have had his moment of being very much right when he points out WHY he fought at all and gestures towards the new council. There was SO MUCH potential in this show, so many good threads and interesting Decepticon character that could have given so much depth to the war and the aligned continuity as a whole, but they were almost ALL ignored.

*deep breath*

Alright, sorry about that. I have big feelings in regards to how dirty Optimus was done. Moving on, the Predacons were killed off supposedly and that pisses me off ESPECIALLY because it was done in a fricking offscreen setting. What the hell happened to Predaking??? WHERE DID HE GO????

Starscream's design was rad though, not going to lie.

Where is Shockwave? No seriously where is that fragger? After several years of the map he MUST have an army growing in a tank somewhere.

Soundwave. Why. ARe. YOU. HERE??!?!?!? I love you man but dang you are so out of place. He made sense in the context of trying to get to Megatron, but idk he felt like he deserved better. He should have been the big brain behind the Cons on Earth if you asked me. It would have made everything far more intense, especially if the Cons dont follow Decepticon creed as seen by Soundwave.

The humans were annoying. Sorry they just were.

Fixit is Primus's gift to RID and he's one of the few individuals who makes it less annoying. Idk, I just like him in reasonable doses.

WHERE ARE THE TFP KIDS?! WHY HAS BEE NOT CALLED THEM?? GOOD HEAVENS THERE IS A WHOLE SUBPLOT RIGHT THERE!!!

*yet another deep breath*

Apologies.

To put things simply, I would rather a group of fanfic writers put RID together than whoever the writing team was. They could have made a coherent story with deep characters that actually address the ramifications of millions of years of war and lingering functionalist mindsets. They would have done the lore and the world justice even if there were no main characters popping up.

I think RID has so much potential, but that almost all of it went right down the toilet due to either the higher ups sticking their noses where they don't belong or because the writing team couldn't go two minutes without retconning or otherwise destroying established everything.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[watchingblsnowandforever]

Hello.

Listen, I'm still not over ep 11 yet. AND THEN THEY GIVE ME THIS I- *muffled screaming*

Anyways, welcome to my crack posts. =D

Warning: long post 😊😅 (I somehow took even more screenshots than last time 😭)

I knew something like this would happen hehe

Also-

Don't lie, Peem, he'd already won your heart the moment he said "Na, krab" with those puppy eyes

I love how despite thinking they're enemies up till this point, Tan immediately jumps on the ship the moment he learns it exists.

Fang: cute. <3

Q: cutee. <33

Shy babygirl Peem has my whole heart 🥺🫶🏼

Yeah? Anyone specific you want to draw a portrait of, Peem? Someone from Engineering, maybe? Someone who confessed to you in front of all your combined friends just last night? No? 👀

This smile. This goddamn smile. I get you, Peem, I totally get you.

Q peeking in small into the bag is so accurate 😭

As I'd said in my previous post: "Right in front of my salad?!" and "Something very LGBT just happened to me o.o"

NOSE BOOP

I love nose boops hehe

[Phum: I have to go to class.]

You actually go to class?! *pikachu meme face*

Q's face perfectly expresses my feeling, and I'm definitely saving these as meme pics

Peem's plan to be hit on backfired so fast so hard 😭

Poor boy went into shock 😭

Peem is never hearing the end of this from Q. Never.

I love their friendship though. Besties forever. <3

Toey looks so excited here 😭🫶🏼

He's definitely over the moon that his two beloved hias finally realized they like each other (and of course he manifested this wdyem)

Throwing stones from inside a glass house, huh Q?

You're just as bad as, if not worse than Peem.

*shaking my head fondly* these boys are so whipped for their baes

This ep gave me a lot of meme pic ehehe

Why so surprised, Peem? You were the one telling Phum to flirt on you, why so shy now huh?

Oh, Aunt Pui knows. She's just trying to help her nephew get a nice boyfriend hehe

Also- learning the family business early on? Nice move, Phum.

I'm pretty sure Aunt Pui will accept Phum as family the very instant they start dating.

Actually- she probably already has.

What will you be tying next? The knot?? (I am so so happy I can make that joke and actually mean it now.)

Oh, and I love love love their dynamics. I'm always looking for verse because I don't like active power dynamics, but this show really delivered on it. There's always a push and pull, but throughout, they're equals. Yes, even through that slave era (remember how exactly Peem came to be his slave?). It did start off with a slight imbalance, but it evened out pretty fast (because Phum is incapable of not being the cutest clingy little puppy for more than ten minutes and Peem is weak for it).

PhumPeem/PeemPhum is giving me so much that I'd thought I'd almost never get from BLs (there are a few other examples, I think, but this is probably my topmost).

I don't know if y'all have noticed, but Phum is deliberately soft and is often using polite pronouns for the last two episodes.

It's just... they're so pretty 😭

This scene is just >>>

He-

HE LEARNED LATTE ART JUST TO USE THIS LINE WITH PEEM I'M DYING OH GODS

Phum is 200% committed. Other upcoming BL romantic interests, please take notes.

Jokes aside, what started out as a potential red flag (even two years ago, this relationship would have been very very different) turned into the greenest flag (with a side of childhood trauma).

Did he just-

He almost confessed!!! So close!!

Also- please give me them as boyfriends already, I'm on my hands and knees. But can you imagine what they'll be like when they actually start dating...?

...

I CAN'T WAIT. GIMME NOW. *grabby hands*

This scene made me speechless. Ep 12 was full of beautiful, absolutely stunning scenes, but this was what took my breath - his cute smile that lights up his whole face, his "Pai, krab" and the sheer relief when Peem asks him if he wants to go.

For a moment there, he thought Peem would leave, just like all the people in his life. He knows it wouldn't be permanent, but it's hard to get rid of such an old, deep-rooted fear.

But Peem, unknowingly, immediately waves it away by asking him if he wanted to come with. The only thing is... I don't think it was that unknowing.

I'll end part 1 on this note. Part 2 will be posted soon!

If you've reached this far, thank you so much for reading! 😊

Here, have a doughnut 🍩

And here are my previous We Are posts.

[archiveikemen]

William Rex 1st Birthday Campaign: Story (2023)

His POV

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Warnings and FAQ

Contains spoilers from William's main story

The sound of Kate playing the piano reverberated through the air — and the music piece soon came to an end.

William: Was that my first present?

I asked while waving the card I found on my bedside table this morning that said “come to the Grand Hall”.

Kate wore a smile as beautiful as a flower.

Kate: Yup, but there’s more. I hope you’ll look forward to them.

Kate: — Happy birthday, Will.

My first ever birthday wish was engraved in my mind.

It was a sweet and beautiful memory that soon turned into a poison.

– Flashback Start –

Kate: You must've had tons of amazing birthday celebrations up till now.

That day, Kate apparently heard from Victor that my birthday was coming soon. She frowned, slightly nervous.

Kate: Which celebration was most memorable to you?

William: Most memorable? Let me think…

William: There was a year when a mission fell on the same day as my birthday, so I had the target sing me a happy birthday song before being executed.

Kate: … I’ll be sure to write that one down in my next report as one of your most villainous episodes.

William: Ahaha, please do, Miss “Fairytale Keeper”.

William: But why did you want to know that?

Kate: I’m thinking of ways to celebrate your birthday.

Kate: … I thought it’d be nice if I made your birthday memorable.

(... Memorable, huh.)

Kate was someone who was willing to lose her life in order to protect me.

I would never let her die so easily, but who’s to say that fate would not take her away from me the next day?

Perhaps, that was why every day and every second, she always tried to love me with all her body and soul.

(I guess that feeling is especially strong because it’s my birthday.)

William: We can celebrate it however you like. That way, it’ll be most memorable to me.

Kate: … Really?

William: Yes, of course.

(After all, I’m looking forward to receiving your birthday wishes.)

I decided that I would no longer reject her self-indulgent love that was given to me by her free will.

I wanted to enjoy every last moment of it.

(Ah… I just had a great idea.)

William: … I need an accomplice.

Kate: Hm?

William: Nope, nothing.

Kate: Ah, right. What’s the date of your birthday?

William: — In a week’s time, Kate.

– Flashback End –

After playing the piano, Kate held something out to me and said it was a present.

(... An umbrella?)

On the umbrella’s handle was the same card as the one I saw on my bedside table.

“Don’t get drenched in the rain with anyone besides me”.

William: What’s this?

Sensing her adorable possessiveness, I smiled and tilted my head.

Kate: Um… getting drenched in the rain with you can make anyone go crazy… so this is just in case!

Kate’s ears turned red as she mumbled something that didn't really sound like she was making excuses.

I found it hilarious that she thought I’ll ever be swayed by others.

There was no one else I would rather be in love with, than the woman who was soaked in red on that night at the Tower of London.

… But I didn't say that to her directly.

And of course, it was because Kate was becoming more and more self-indulging as the days went by.

William: Since it's a request by my dearest, I shall be extra careful about that.

Kate: … Please do.

William: What else should we do to celebrate after that wonderful performance and present?

Kate: Let’s go on a date. It’s been raining non-stop since this morning, so we shall put that umbrella to good use.

William: … It’s not okay to get drenched in the rain with you?

Kate: Huh…!?

Kate: T-That’s… um… saved for the end of our date.

William: Fufu, I see. For the end, hm.

Kate: L-Let’s get going…!

…

In the end, the rain had stopped by the time our date ended, so we couldn't get drenched as planned—

Kate said “I’m going to tell you why there was no dessert at dinner” and playfully led me away by the hand, like a little girl hoping for her prank to be a success.

Awaiting us back at the castle was a strawberry tart hat Kate had baked early that morning with Victor’s help.

Stuck into one of the bright red strawberries was another card.

(“Eat me”?)

It was a very bold invitation. Usually, I would suspect that it was Victor’s idea.

However, judging by everything that had happened that day… it was definitely Kate’s own idea.

William: Does “me” refer to you or the tart?

Kate: … Both.

Kate gave a single worded response and looked away.

I couldn't contain my laughter when I noticed that the tips of her ears were as red as strawberries.

I was sure that she fought her feelings of shame to write that, just to make it “memorable” for me.

(Kate is truly so adorable.)

William: Is this the last of your self-indulgent cards?

Kate: … Yes.

Kate: I thought that nothing can go wrong if I used cards… and that you’ll definitely remember this day whenever you look at the cards.

Kate: Even when I’m no longer with you.

Those cards served as a symbol of my beloved’s love and well wishes.

The day I would hold her lifeless body in my arms — would be the most horrible poison to me.

William: I see… thank you. It's a splendid present.

Kate smiled ecstatically.

It was a beautiful, attractive, and ephemeral smile that only someone who has accepted her impending demise could wear. I burnt that sight into my memory.

By the time I finished eating the strawberry tart — “today” was coming to an end.

William: Ah, I almost forgot. I have a present for you too.

Kate: Huh?

William: It’s right at your feet, next to your chair.

Kate quickly peered under the table and her face lit up, eyes twinkling.

Kate: … W-Was that a magic trick?

William: Yeah, I learnt it from Victor.

I shan’t let her know that the delicious aroma of baked goods I smelled this morning had given her surprise away.

I didn't see the need to disappoint her by revealing that her surprise was, in fact, not a surprise.

Kate: But it’s your birthday, why did you give me a present…?

William: To thank you for today.

I gently took the hair accessory from her hand and walked around her chair to stand behind her.

As I had expected, the hair accessory looked beautiful on her.

Kate: Thank you… I’ll cherish it forever.

Kate looked at me fondly while touching the hair accessory with her fingertips to check its placement.

Kate: The day is ending soon…

Kate: … Do you think this day will be memorable to you?

William: Yes, of course — however…

William: It’s still a little too early for this day to become only a memory, don’t you think?

I sat on the table and held the “eat me” card between my lips.

William: … Hm?

Kate: …

As always, my little robin was quick to catch on.

Kate got up from her chair and took the card from my mouth.

She pressed her lips to mine.

Kate: Mm…

Kate didn't resist when I drew her in. Instead, she straddled me in a naughty way.

William: … Fufu, you’ve become a very bad woman.

Kate: Yeah… all because of you.

Kate cupped my face in between her hands.

The pleading look in her eyes was oozing with passion.

Kate: I want to celebrate the day you were born, as much as you want me to.

Kate: One day will never be enough for that, but… I want to do that until the very last minute of the day.

Kate: I want to make myself a permanent part of you.

(No matter how expensive the present, or how enjoyable the party…)

(Nothing can ever compare to her expressing her desires.)

I shivered from the excitement I felt at the very core of my body.

She sensed it and the passion in her gaze grew stronger.

We kissed again and again.

The way Kate desperately tried to love me with her entire being, despite her inevitable death, was enough to move someone to tears.

It was like we were running away from the end of my “birthday”, rushed by the time on the clock ticking past.

(... Should I tell her now?)

William: Kate… there’s something I haven't told you about.

Kate: Mm… what is it…?

William: Actually— my birthday is tomorrow.

Kate: … What?

Kate paused, her breathing ragged.

The seductive facial expression she had just a while ago turned into a surprised one, I couldn't help but smile at how endearing it looked.

William: One day is not enough for me to enjoy the well wishes from my beloved.

William: … Because I’m selfish.

Kate: T-Then… today isn't your birthday or anything…?

Kate: Huh? But Victor and the others said that your birthday is today…

William: I selfishly got them to cooperate with me.

There could have been no better accomplices than the members of Crown.

William: A memorable plot twist, isn't it?

Kate: … Pfft, ahaha!

Kate burst out laughing and nodded happily.

Kate: Yeah… I was just thinking that a day wouldn't be enough.

Her laughter was beautiful, like she was single-handedly gathering all the happiness that could be found in the darkness.

William: Can I make my first request for my second birthday celebration before the day ends?

Kate: Of course… what is it?

William: There’s a dress in my room that would go really well with that hair accessory.

Kate: …!

William: My first request is for you to wear that… and let me love you.

Kate: … I’d love to.

At that exact moment, we heard a bell sounding in the distance.

We looked at each other and laughed.

Kate: Once again… happy birthday, Will.

Nothing could ever make me happier than hearing those words of blessing from her lips.

[duckies27]

So uh, that last episode huh?

Here's my coping fanfic, spoilers for all of campaign 2

@beeware-of-lulu @demise-seems-dead

Cold. That's all any of them could feel when the party slowly woke up. They came face to face with the Maw, face to face with the secret of Groteth. It was horrible, a secret that changed everything. However, the panic was overtaken by hands yanking them out one by one. The Lochquid was starting to burn at their skins. Thankfully, the croissant had saved their lives. Even a moment later, they would have joined Hugo's fate. Skin completely gone.

Only Ellga and Mathide were awake, but both were clearly out of their mind. Neither could speak, even when prompted in their own languages. Barney and Chip were out like lights, barely breathing. Thankfully, even with the Maw...well, uh, eating the entire land of Groteth? The world seems pretty intact. Jacque and Evena easily scooped them all up and headed to the nearest hospital. The party was settled into a shared room as they were slowly healed and recovered their HP.

Days passed before they all came back to their senses. Mathide was first, asking to see their kitty again. With JJ back on their shoulder, they seemed to relax.

"What did you see?" Evena found herself asking, eyes still locked onto her sister. The silence was painful, hearing anyone's voice would bring some tame to the storm.

"...I wish not to speak of it. I fear if I do-" a clawed hand went to their throat. "I will fall back into that state. I just recovered." A weak smile formed on their face. "Maybe one day."

Ellga was next, but she was quiet. She refused to speak, just looking on the rest of the room. Her eyes would focus on Barney, then to Evenna. It was as if she had to pick between the two families, but she didn't really. The moment she was healthy enough to walk around, she seemed to perk up more. Giving both sides plenty of hugs and playing card games with her sister. Yes, her sister. Even if they weren't related through blood, they were forever connected. No one could beat a good game of war between siblings.

Chip was right after, though it took a while for him to click back to reality. After all, he was the one who had gotten closer to death in the past. It seemed to help once his parents visited. Casual reminders of who he was, that life was worth living. He stayed bed ridden, but played with Ellga and Evenna best he could.

Barney, of course, was last. He seemed more ghostly than before, but in a good way. He smiled, he seemed healthy. For once, he seemed to be himself. Did it suck he was dead? Yeah, but he got to spend the rest of his time with his family. He had spent so long searching, and now he was there.

~ ~ ~ ~

4 months had passed. Groteth was somehow thriving. Though still separated by borders, each land has grown closer.

The Vampire was destroyed, and so were the Vanian laws. Another Count, most likely another high up official, took over the town. Led it to be what Drac wanted in the first place. A haven for vampires, a safe space for all. With the laws gone, it was easier to enter too. The Farney family, including Ellga and Evenna, moved to the outskirts of Vania. Barney remade the farm, and got to relive all that he missed while he was training. Even if that included the troubles of having 2 boys and 2 girls fighting over who got to break the wishbone and which chore was easier.

Ellga kept who she was intact, just let herself remember some of the stuff that came from before her life as a Von Brath. Not that she wanted to keep that name. So she didn't! Ellga and Evenna Farney gladly were adopted into the family. They still have to share a room, but honestly, it's comforting. Sometimes you need to hear the other person breathing or the shifting of blankets. She still has Boris and makes sure that all of her axes are nearly tucked in every night.

Chip hasn't moved on, persay, from Carol. More, learned to live on. Grief is still hard, and he still struggles, but he finds comfort in his new found family. His party, of course, but also his new fellow agents. Yup, out of retirement! Now at Sheath, he mainly works undercover gigs as his natural self. Every Sunday, he shared dinner with the Farney family, and each mission starts with the coffee and pastry of the day from Mathide. Skipper comes with him too, just to keep him on track. The voices, the wish to join Carol and just....

Those faded overtime. Wheezer recommended a really nice phycologist who helped him get on medication and into therapy. Saved his skin most of the time.

Mathide spends their time back at their bakery. Back in Attro City. Made it more of a cat cafe to get an excuse to have JJ and Jacque constant by their side. On their off time, they work to remember the past lost. Their family, friends, life. Doesn't take away, most just...adds to who they are as a whole. Honestly, business is booming now! Mainly thanks to the fresh ingredients from the Farney farm. They don't mind the time shared with Evenna, some trust was lost, but a new family was formed. Not that they would ever admit it.

All was calm and better. Life could move on smoother than before. They got their happy ending, just like we all wanted.

Fanart to follow, I promise

[savemeafruitjuice]

Tickletober Day 7- Fidget

First week down! Honestly, it's crazy to get so much writing done, but I really hope I can keep my motivation up and get enough time to do everything. Wish me luck I guess?

Also, this was an interesting idea I had, and wanted to explore it a bit. Enjoy!

Lee: Leonardo

Ler: Karai

TW!: MILD SWEARING! ANXIETY FINGER PICKING! (Like, pulling on the skin around your finger, just in case)

THIS HAS SPOILERS FOR LATE SEASON TWO! Just a heads up!

(This is not a ship. These two are SIBLINGS!! Please respect that.)

Why did he feel so.. awkward? Like he can't even have a normal conversation with his brothers, let alone Karai.

Their dynamic had been a bit different ever since.. Miwa?.. found out that she was a Hamato. Having a sister was weird, especially because she was older than them. There were so many things that were missing in their lives, and now they had a chance to make up for it.

Their family had taken a couple days to warm up to each other, but it was difficult for Karai to gain the trust of the younger brothers- especially Raph.

Even so, there weren't as many fights between them as there had been, and Leo had found himself peacefully enjoying their time spent together. More focused, more relaxed..

Except for today.

For some reason, Leo found himself stuttering over his words in front of everyone, using the the wrong moves for training, and even held his katana wrong, the blade facing him. Everyone would give him a weird look, but other than a disapproving comment from Mikey, no one really said anything.

And so he sat on the ground, hoping maybe television would make him feel better. One of the earlier seasons of Space Heroes was on, but even that made him feel weird. Captain Ryan's voice actor sounded so much younger than he would later on, that watching it made him seem incompetent, and inexperienced.

All of the things Leo couldn't be as a leader, and all of the things that no good leader should be. Especially his hero.

"Hey, Leo. I heard you were screwing up a lot today. Guess your 'perfect' act wore off, huh?"

The blue-themed turtle winced, turning around to greet his sister. His hands pulled apart, having been picking at the skin of his fingers, and he gave her a wave. "Uhm- Hey.." There was a slightly pause, but soon enough, she came and sat next to him on the ground. "Did- you want me to pause it?" He asked, head tilted to the tv.

"Nah, I wanna see what kind of nerd show you've been watching. What's it about?" That brought a smile to the younger's face.

"W-Well, it's about this hero, Captain Ryan, and he's the captain of a space ship." He explained, gesturing towards characters as they appeared on the screen. "He and his crew go through space and fight aliens, that- that kind of stuff. It's really cool. Captain Ryan has the best catchphrases like- ever."

Karai nodded, listening to his little spiel for a couple minutes. Eventually, the episode that was playing ended, and Leo started on a whole other rant, and the elder placed a hand on his shoulder to bring him back to real life.

"Hey, woah. Give me a minute, I'm losing track of it all now." Leo cut himself off, bringing his knees up to his chest. "Oh, sorry. I get carried away when it comes to Space Heroes."

The turtle wrapped his arms around his knees. Karai shook her head. "No, you're fine. Just gotta give me time to process what you're saying." She crossed her legs, slouching a bit now. "It's nice to hear about things like shows. Anything interesting, really."

Leo hummed, still feeling a bit embarrassed about going on a tangent. "Did you not watch any as a kid?" she shook her head. "The Shredder didn't want me exposed to things like that. I mainly just trained, or went to talk to friends, or.. was influenced into hatred."

The younger cringed slightly. The Shredder really was awful.. "Yeah.. That makes sense, I guess.." The heavier topic made him feel bad, and he went back to pulling at the skin on his finger. Karai watched for a second, then put her hand on his shoulder to get him to stop. "You shouldn't do that, it could get infected."

Leo huffed, but it.. didn't sound annoyed? More like he was about to laugh. She looked at him, and he quickly went to change the subject. "Uh- so! What.. did you want to do now?"

Her brows furrowed slightly. "I want to know what's so funny. Are you laughing at me for trying to help? That's really low."

By now, the kunoichi had already made the connection, having seen a couple of tickle fights between the brothers within the last couple days of her being here. Leo immediately shook his head, though a smile formed on his face when her hand moved a little, so that it was resting more on the base of his neck.

"No! No no, I'm not laughing at you, I just.. thought of something funny that happened." Karai didn't look impressed. "Oh, really? And what is it that's so funny?" Leo's face went pink as he tried to think of something, shoulders scrunching slightly at the anticipatory touch. Her hand curled into a claw form, fingers digging slightly into the side of his neck and shoulder. "..Or will I have to make you tell me?"

Leo's hand went to grab hers, to pull it away, or something, but he was slapped away. "No, you're going to tell me what you found so funny just now. I want to know." "It's nothing! Really, you won't even care!"

"Then why is it such a big deal to not tell me?" She maneuvered slightly, scooting behind him. One leg propped against his shell, and the other wrapped around his torso. Karai began gently dragging her nails up his neck, and Leo immediately squeaked, shoulders shooting up the rest of the way to protect the sensitive area.

"EEK! Noho- wahait! I cahahan't!" Karai only smirked, reaching her other hand over to carefully pull his head to the side, smushing his cheek into his shoulder so that she could keep tickling. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me. Unless.. maybe you like this?"

Leo frantically squirmed, legs now drumming out on the ground as he tried to arch away. She had him held in place; he couldn't even move his head! He weakly slapped at her leg, face burning brighter by the second. His voice kept breaking, but through his struggles he finally got an idea. He could just pull his head into his shell!

It took a couple seconds of fighting with her hand, but his head successfully retreated inside his shell. Karai looked puzzled for a second, holding onto his shoulders to peer into the hole of his shell. "Wait.. you guys can just.. hide in there? What the hell, that's really useful."

The leader was having trouble stopping his giggles, and shrieked when she dug into his underarms instead. For a second, he flailed, then pulled his arms into the safe space as well, then his legs. "Pfft- Ihi- hehe I cahan't Karahai!"

The elder turner his shell around, grunting with effort because of his weight. "Don't think you've won just yet.." She laid his shell down on the ground, plastron up, and started scratching at his belly. "Are your shells ticklish too?"

As it seemed, they were. Very much so, in fact. Leo screeched, squeaky laughter filling the room as soon as her hands made contact. "BAHAHAHAH! KAHARAI! NOHOHOO! SNRT-"

"Noho way! Did you just snort? You guys are so funny." Leo let out a whine at the tease, unable to do much more than rock slightly, as he was basically immobile.

They were in a stalemate, Karai using her nails to scribble along his plastron, demanding to be told what he found funny, as all the turtle did was laugh and laugh. Well, until she decided to explore more of his shell, and raked her fingers down his sides.

"GHKAHAHAHAH! NAHAH- OKAHAHAY WAIHIT! SNRT- I GIHIHIVE UHUP! PLEHEASE!"

"No, you wait. I told you what you need to do."

"PLEHEASE- I LIHIHIED, IHIHI LIHIED! THEHERE WASN'T AHAHANYTHING FUNNY!"

Karai gasped in mock-offense. "You lied to me? I thought we were supposed to be family, but you lied! You don't deserve to be let go!"

Leo snorted again, spewing out pleas and 'sorry's. She scratched harder at his shell, sending overwhelming tickly sensations through him. On bare skin, it would've been painful, but on the hard exterior of the bridge of his shell, all it did was force the blue-themed turtle into uncontrollable laughter.

"IHI DIHIDN'T MEHEAN TO! IHI'M- SNRT- SAHAHARRY! PLEHEASE!"

Unbeknownst to him, Karai was smiling fondly at his crazed state, though her nails attacked him like he'd just committed an unforgivable crime.

"Sorry Leo, but this is your punishment. I'm going to make sure you never lie to me again."

-----

I thought this would be harder to write, if I'm being honest, but I actually really like it! All of my years of watching 2012 helped me write her dialogue better, I guess. Anyways, happy first week of October! 🎃🌕🪦

[strangegardendelusion]

EPISODE 4 OF HAZBIN HOTEL REVIEW!

~~~~~~~~

Tw: sa

I have never been sa, so I can not commentate if the scenes of sa in this episode were done right.

Some people said no, and others have said yes. I see both sides of this argument, but it is just one of those things where I can't speak on it since I never been through that. So I'm just not talk about the sa scenes.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Summary of the episode:

Angel struggles to keep up with both his work life and hotel life. So Charlie decided it was time to use her status to help Angel out.

~~~~~~~~~~~

My problems short formed:

● I didn't really like Charlie in this episode, I get what she was trying to do. It was just one of those things where it was done poorly.

● Why did Husk have to go comfort Angel when Charlie was the reason why Angel was upset.

● I get the whole Husk is the bartender. You spill your dirty laundry on, but like, how did he expect Angel to open up when earlier in the episode he spilled everyone problems.

● does charlie even know Val is a dangerous person?

~~~~~~~~~~~

My problems long formed:

● I get what Charlie is trying to do in this episode. She just went the wrong way about it.

She came off a bit childish for wanting to have Angel at the hotel. But I get it! She wants Angel there to help him. The problem is that Angel has a job, and he is going to work odd hours sometimes. And it is not like this fact was hidden from Charlie.

Charlie knew Angel had a job, so again, she should've done something different. Like asking Angel for work schedule to work around it. Instead of going straight to his workplace, unprepared.

● this where I came to the question, does Charlie know that Val is a dangerous person?

I mean, we, the audience, know that Angel is in the hotel to get away from Val, but does Charlie know that? Maybe Angel didn't tell her the exact reason why he signed up for the hotel?

Anyway, Charlie shouldn't have gone to Angel dust workplace unannounced. Then, after being allowed in! She kept messing around the place and bothered the workers.

I hated that, especially that scene where she kept messing with the mic guy about her hotel, like come on, girl, it not the time nor place. You came here to help Angel not promote your hotel!

● Now, after all that, she started to cry. And then, when Angel finally snaps at Husk. Her and Vaggie are like, "Husk, that wasn't very nice of you!"

And it like, "huh?" All Husk did was trying to give advice to Angel. And, of course, it just went the other way. Charlie sent Angel work place on fire!!!!! I think they both owe Angel an apology. So both of them should've gone.

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy late Tuesday evening fandom. :) Ahhhh we’ve reached the ‘Feelings’ episode. I remember when it first premiered I lost my damn mind. I don’t have actual cable (cause too damn expensive lol) So I didn’t look up the preview for the next ep. I just watched it next day with Hulu. I went into this episode completely blind. When that scene came up, I went from in shock to laughing my damn ass off. Eric and Melissa get a gold star x 1000 for that scene. For the whole ep really. I can’t wait to delve into this one. I can already tell imma struggle with the gif amount ha Let’s get going.

3x09 Amber

We start off with Jackson and Lucy listing all the ways they’re excited to be graduating from the program. Nolan tagging along not adding to it cause he is stuck a month behind them LOL What happens when you go rogue and don’t listen to your T.O ya turd…but I digress. Lucy has a Lucy-Lesson themed last day planned for her and Tim.

Gotta love her for being herself no matter what. Massive respect. Tells the boys she has a list full of steps to ensure a healthy parting. Of course she does haha That she’s going to make Tim go through every single one of them. I adore this woman so much. She truly is exactly what that man needs I love it so much. Jackson asks how she’s going do this? She laughs and says trickery HA Oh Lucy I love you so.

We join our lovely duo in their shop. Lucy saying how it’s their last shift together. Tim gives her nothing. Her adding kinda crazy huh? He says ‘Not really.’ Oh Timothy fighting the feelings from the jump. Lucy can’t believe he could actually feel this way. Trying to goad him into to saying something. How they’ve ridden shoulder to shoulder for over a year now.

Tim shakes it off saying there will be a new rookie in that seat that’ll annoy crap out of him soon enough. Ok Tim… LOL Like you don’t love her ‘annoying you’ at all. Or talking about your personal life. Lucy keeps pushing it saying ‘So you’re not going to miss riding with me at all?’ Tim continues his deflection saying it’s a job not ‘happy hour’

Does he hear himself? Acting like you’re not going to miss her. Ain’t no one buying what you’re selling Timothy. His reply thrills Lucy though. Flagging all of this behavior as denial. She’s not wrong. It’s not just a river in Egypt as they say. He’s swimming in it doing laps. Tim is feeling like some Lucy like lesson is happening and says what? Lucy disregards him and plays it off with a 'Hmm? Nothing...' Baha

Lucy asks if Tim sees himself as her mentor? He says no. He’s just her T.O. That it’s his job to make sure she’s not dangerously incompetent. When Lucy is released Into the world it’s not a disaster. Did he just decide to be a lying liar when he woke up this morning? Be in an absolute denial about their bond and what he is to her? SMH Oh Tim. Lucy shakes her own head not letting him affect her in the slightest.

Tim tells her he couldn’t wait to get off probation. Lucy replies she is very excited. Then goes into saying it’s important to acknowledge the loss for them both with this. Tim gets SO defensive when she calls it a 'Relationship' So she follows it up with partnership or mentorship LOL Man is seriously in massive avoidance of his feelings about today. He doesn’t understand why she needs closure. Lucy is going to see him at the station the next day as he mentions.

Thus begins Lucy’s list. This starts when he asks what there is to talk about? It's so funny she has a list prepped and is going to make this happen. The second Tim see's this he grabs the list and chucks it out the damn window. Now if only your feelings for her could be dispatched that quickly eh Tim? She says littering is a $250 dollar fine. HA Tim replies that it was worth it. My god these two. Cracks me up so much. It’s like he’s purposely being obstinate so their eventual departure won’t be as hard.

If he’s a dick she won’t miss riding with him. Oh Tim you forget being a dick how this whole thing started my love. Naturally Lucy came prepared af with a second list. I’m dying. Did he really think his girl was only going to have one copy? You trained her Tim. Also Lucy knows you so damn well she made sure to have a second one. I adore them so much my heart may implode with happiness ha Lucy continues on without missing a beat. Like he didn’t just throw out her original copy LMAO

They get an amber alert about a child abduction. The suspect is the husband. They’re going through a messy divorce. He was removed from the hospital due to being a threat. He has a sordid past of drug use and intent to sell. It’s not good…Angela gets ahold of the mother. Says her ex will do anything to get a fix. Even selling their baby. Good lord...

Lucy makes comment to Tim how awful this is. That the mother must be going out of her mind. Tim tries to take a pot shot at psychology again in his reply. Saying how if the parents had properly worked through their separation this could’ve been avoided? Lucy shuts his ass down immediately. She knows he's trying to undermine her list and her psychology prowess. Lucy says no the mother needs to get away from this man asap.

She tells him having easier access to counseling and mental health resources could prevent things like this. Tim seems like he is being a jackass in the moment. I mean he kind of is. BUT I have no doubt he grew up in a house where mental health was discredited by his father. That it was a sign of weakness to have emotions let alone any mental health issues. I’ve said this before we are the product of our environment growing up. Even when we fight against it things still come out.

To Tim growing up psychology was stigmatized I believe. (it was for me too) So naturally his first inclination is to discredit it. Make fun of it because he doesn’t actually understand it. Leave it to Lucy teach him why it is important. How access to help and normalizing having mental health issues is important. Her next line says it all. She could not be more on the nose in her reply above.

Tim tries to turn it around again on her but she is on her shit today. Not to to be trifled with Tim. He knows she is a formidable opponent. When he says later on he’s going to miss riding with her. These are the moments he will miss the most. Her challenging him, standing up to him. Which in turn makes him grow because she shows him the world through a different lens.

Lucy does what she does best. Crushes him with her reply and throws his words back at him in the process. It’s a twofer. That look of his... He knows when she’s got him and he has no recourse. Lucy can’t help but gloat after that. She earned it and has his number. Boy is Tim so very aware of that. She’s got his goat as they say. It’s glorious.

They find out the dad didn’t take the kid. A random woman did. Now the case has shifted in a more stressful way. This portion is what I like to call 'Tell me you’re married when you’re not married.’ A Tim Bradford Edition. Lucy is freaking out waiting for the ID on this woman. Saying they’re wasting time while this baby is out there. Tim tells her she needs to get her head on right in case this goes badly.

Lucy snaps back she’s squared away. Tim disagrees vehemently by replying if she was she wouldn’t have said that… He’ starts out strong then makes the mistake of saying ‘Look you’ve been lucky on the job so far..’ Her face oh my lord. Ready to chew him out and Tim instantly regrets what he says. Love love this moment for him.

He recognizes what he’s said was hurtful and wrong. Then apologizes and says it came out wrong. Good Hubby. Well intended but very wrong. Look at our boy self correcting all on his own. So proud. He then compliments her as his continued apology. Telling her she’s been through hell, stuff that would’ve broken a lot of veteran cops. That being said he tells her a dead kid is different.

That a dead kid will change her forever. We all know he does not want that for her. She’s been through quite enough. Lucy concedes to his point. Saying she hopes their last shift doesn’t end with that. They both look emotional and Tim replies ‘ Me too...’ The most honest he’s been this entire episode with her. He knows she’s upset so he’s wonderful and brings up the list he can’t stand. Knowing it’ll distract her in the best way possible.

She lists off surrounding yourself with people who support, value and energize you. Tim is nodding along thinking he checks all those boxes for her. Then she says it’ll have to wait till later. Oh Lucy this man is all those things for you. You don’t see it just yet. He looks a little hurt she bypasses this. Like he isn't that for her. He supports and values her so much. Him asking her to revisit the list, despite his dislike of it is the epitome of what she just spoke above. Love is blind and not in the best way sometimes haha

Lucy continues on saying to reflect on lessons learned. Good and bad and express gratitude. Tim is nodding along not hating where this is going. Genuinely asking her 'What he taught her that she is grateful for?' Her answer is perfection especially because we know how this episode ends. The absolute best thing he taught her was not to second guess herself. To see the BAMF he noticed from day one. Them reminiscing about Plain Clothes Day is the best.

How one look from him could send her into a tailspin. Tim is in complete agreeance with her assessment. Even smiling thinking about how far she has come. Teaching her to trust her instincts is one of the best gifts he could’ve given her. Especially since it strengthens her resolve to go against him and what he would do. She already had that in her but he reinforced it. Taught her to trust in it even when it didn’t go his way. He couldn’t be prouder of her and this moment is a beautiful reflection of that.

Lucy takes a lovely moment and ruins it for Tim with mention of UC. Saying how trusting her instincts like she does now will be crucial for UC work. We watch the happy proud face devolve into one of worry. Tim asks her if she’s serious about being UC? Lucy seems insulted by this question and says ‘Yeah why? Do you not think I’m tough enough?’ Thinking does he not remember her successful op?

Tim tells her it’s not about being tough. He knows she’s tough. He thinks she’s too sensitive. Lucy looks so damn offended by this. (as she should be) He brings up Tamara and what she’s done for her. Her need to relive their last year plus together. Lucy defends her empathy fiercely. Saying it's what makes her a good cop. Tim tells her yes but not a good UC. Lucy is wounded and says as much 'Ouch…. ' When you know the scene you can see Lucy resetting. Formulating her plan to get back at Tim for what he said.

She starts off with a compliment. Telling him he was right. That he’ll always tell her the truth no matter how painful. Which is all true but Lucy is legit setting him up for this moment. Lulling him in. She gets serious saying she has been hiding behind her checklist all day. That she needs to tell him something she's been avoiding all day. You can see how Tim is almost holding his breath as she continues to speak. Not sure where this is going but having an inkling of it...

Let me start off with this. I truly believe there is a kernel of truth to what she’s saying here. The things she says and brings up are accurate af. The way she assembled this convo on the fly. To me means she’s had this convo before in her head. Her saying it out loud brought some truth to it. S3 is where I believe the the attraction and work flirts were kicked into a very high gear. And now she was no longer going to be his rookie.

I don’t think this would’ve been the right time for them to start IMO. They weren't ready. I’ll always be for the timeline we received and what leads them there after this ep. But to say there isn't feelings of some sort on both sides at this point is foolish. With all they've been through over the last year or so.

The minute Lucy says she has feelings for Tim it starts the overdrive for him. Lucy doesn’t even let him reply. Just steamrolls over him. He can't even get a full sentence in above. Then hits him with another emotional bomb bringing up 2x11. How he saved her life. I mean faking or not she knows the bond that forged for them. So she is starting out STRONG with saying this. Tim is in complete paralysis from the start of this 'confession'

The more she speaks the more he panics. Not because he doesn’t feel the same way. I think she’s nailing everything squarely on the head and he’s freaking out because of that. You watch Eric’s face and the myriad of emotions flitting across it. Goes from confusion, to realization, then he just panics and shuts down. She’s bringing up huge points. Him saving her life that bonded them in a way no one could ever touch.

How he is protective of her, why he doesn’t want her to go into UC is because of his feelings. To me where is the lie in this? There isn't. Now like I said Lucy is clearly doing this to get back at him. What she doesn’t realize is she’s exposing him and that explains his overloaded reaction. She’s exposing feelings he has repeatedly forced down into the depths of his soul.

Because her being his rookie he would never ever cross that line. Nor would I ever want him to. We all know Tim can’t handle his emotions well. Especially when it’s this intense. The one person who can usually guide him is the one provoking it in this moment. I truly believe she fell first. When he was a dumpster fire and there was no way in hell he could’ve reciprocated at the time. It was one way for a little while. But over time Lucy Chen has repeatedly wormed her way into his life. 2x11 was the start of those emotional dominos for him. They've been falling ever since.

I’ve said before Tim doesn’t really understand why he feels the way he does about Lucy. Only that he does and it usually a driving force for him. To Tim in this moment it feels Lucy is calling him out. That she is pulling out this deep dark secret. One he thought he kept hidden away pretty well. This gif above is everything. He is literally malfunctioning at her bringing this up. She has short circuited him and it’s so funny tbh. He can’t process anything she’s saying. Eric you are the king of facial expressions good sir.

The hits keep coming through out the scene and he can’t form a thought. Once he does his replies are so stilted and funny. He’s stumbling over himself. Trying to compliment her and not hurt her feelings. Because even if he does have hidden feelings no way in hell this man is ready for them. To face them or realize what comes with them. It shows so very much in this scene. He’s trying so hard to be delicate about this and not hurt her. I love him for it tbh. Says he's flattered 'She's a great girl. I mean woman. Uhhh....' LOL Even says crap at the end cause he is at a loss for words. She has made him speechless.

It’s then Lucy breaks and laughing her ass off. Poor Tim he was having a DEFCOM 1 panic attack. Trying to be gentle and sweet about his reply. Then she laughs. And he is so so mad at her. The way he says ‘Oh you’re sorry.’ He is not pleased. She just put him through emotional hell and just says she’s sorry. I mean it was a hell of a comeback to what he said to her. Rightfully deserved with how he told her she wasn’t built for UC.

What a straight up lie that was. Really just his desperate fear trying to keep her from it. Lucy got him real good though. Probably the best of her career in that moment. Lucy for the second time that day parrots his words back to him. Uses them against him. The capper to her moment. Listing off all the ways she just pulled off what he said she wasn't capable of. I mean well done madam. You broke him. You broke him real good. He's so upset about it.

Her 'fake' confession comes at a cost though. The tension afterward is palpable. Tim is so visibly upset. It’s not because she got him. I do think that very much is part of it. The other part is the can of worms she potentially opened. She never gave him a real chance to reply. To get his head on right. Because idk he would’ve 100 percent said no to her. Probably would've have some non comittal answer cause it's Tim. But it wouldn't have been a straight up no. Why I say this is because when Tim Bradford is sure of something he is decisive af.

Like the screenwriter question from 3x07. It was an instant and firm no. This he struggled so very hard with it. The looks between them above are *phew* chemistry personified. Never had a ship say so much with just a look. Lucy thinks he’s really mad at her because of the trick itself. Rightfully so why in the hell would she actually think he might have feelings for her?

Lucy says she made it weird didn’t she? Tim deflects and says 'Nope.' She made it weird and knows it LOL. Lucy tries again and says she was just trying to make a point. She starts to backtrack and even in his anger with her he refuses to let her do that. Says not to because if she does it’ll undermine her point. The way she smiles at him. My heart. Takes care of her even when he’s mad. Yeah no feelings there between them….

Then we reach the iconic parking garage scene. The end of an era for them both. Only fitting they do it in a spot that has held some meaningful moments. This scene is the perfect way for them to end this work relationship. One that ended up meaning far more than either of them ever anticipated. Tim denying all day how much he was going to miss riding with her. Waiting till this moment to reveal that wasn't true.

I love how the scene starts. Her saying ‘We did it’ Tim refusing any of the credit per usual says 'No you did it. 'He waits to the very last minute in his eval of her to say he will. Because well Tim. We all know and love him for it. It's a beautiful parallel to Plain Clothes day. A wonderful way to measure the immense progress she has made since that day. When all she did was second guess herself, let Tim rattle her cage most of the time and didn't trust her gut.

It was Tim’s mission to build that confidence in herself. To push her in a way that she would grow and never doubt herself again. Not only that but have the confidence to stand up for her instincts even when they were in stark contrast to his. Why his eval of her is just perfection. The words her soul had been longing to hear. The way he is looking at her while she reads this. Oh my lord. Just look at the man's eyes. Heart eyes for DAYS. Admiration and love shinning in them. Bursting at the seams with pride for her.

You know Lucy has been yearning to hear that from Tim. Long before Plain Clothes Day. Something she wanted to earn from him. Reason being Tim has always been in her corner. Seen her really seen her since day one. Had faith in her like no one in her life ever has before. She grew up starved for attention and words of affirmation. For support of any kind. Parent's who didn't see her worth. Or praise any life choice she made. I did as well unfortunately. Feel you Lucy. So you long for those you respect to give you them.

To have that reassurance you are worth it and worth investing in. Lucy has wanted this from Tim for ages. He is beaming as she is reading her last eval. All he wanted to do was continue to empower her and his parting words do it beautifully. To have him write that out and her to feel how proud he is of her is glorious. The way he is looking at her is not how one looks at his former rookie. The level of heart eyes he has for her is always unreal. In this scene it’s explosive.

The flirting, the support, the teasing it all encompassing their relationship to this point. They shake hands for far longer than is necessary. LOL As he tells her not to ever let someone tell her she can’t do something. Not even him. I love this so much. Him accepting her going against the grain and praising her for it. Ugh my heart. Having a loaded hand shake while having those looks on their faces. Idiots in love who don’t even know it. She hands him her present. Saying they’ve reached the final step. Acceptance their checklist is complete. He is grinning like a fool.

The scene finishes off perfectly with her pranking him with a call back to 2x01. The flour bomb. Fully encompassing this end of an era moment. This “gift” being her “thank you” for every lesson she ever learned. Her version of payback for all his Tim tests haha The look on her face is so damn cute. She is quite pleased with herself for this idea. Tim can’t even be mad about it. She had his number all day. Hell the last few episode really. Just shown her amazing growth right up to this moment.

Their competitiveness is one of their love languages. A massive one really. Their pranks would be another. It's another form of affection between them. It all ends up to the same thing. I adore them so much. Their final words have me squeeing. They call each other by their FIRST names with no last name attached. Which Lucy has done but a rarity by Tim.

The end of an era and the beginning of another is what this scene represented to me. The extra flirting, the extended handshake and how flirty and intimate saying each others first name was. God I love these sfm. Their slow burn is one the best I’ve had the pleasure to go through.

Phew that was a content heavy one in the best way way. Hard to believe we only have 5 left in this season already.

Side notes- Non chenford

I ADORE Angela going back into her T.O. days just for Jackson. It’s so nice. How far they’ve come. Didn’t want him to finish up his final day as a rookie at the front desk. Bad ass woman.

The SL about the woman and her baby gets me in the feels makes me sad. Angela handles it like a pro when she gets on scene. So good.

Nyla is so good to John. Sees he’s bummed about Lucy/Jackson moving on and he’s stuck. She invites him to dinner with her and Lila. He says he doesn’t need the pity it’s ok. Damn Nolan take her being kind geez lol She turns it around says it’s not pity when he’s paying lmao Nolan is a schmuck but I do love their dynamic.

Thank you everyone who supports these reviews. I enjoy doing them so much. To have them so well received means the world. The likes, comments and reblog are all so appreciated. Shall see you all in 3x10 :)

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Seasonal Event - Anniversary Game: Episode 1

Azami: …

???: Oooi, Azami!

Azami: Hm?

Kumon: Good work today!

Azami: Kumon. And Tsuzuru-san and Juza-san…

Juza: Hey.

Tsuzuru: Are you on your way home from school too, Azami?

Kumon: What good timing! Let’s go home together, Azami.

Azami: Sure.

Kumon: Yay!

Azami: Why’re you so happy about this.

Kumon: I mean, it’s been a while since we went home together! And your uniform’s making me nostalgic.

Azami: Huh, it hasn’t even been that long since you graduated.

Tsuzuru: But when he was still in high school, you went home together often.

Azami: ‘Cause Kumon kept coming to my classroom to pick me up…

Kumon: We often went to family restaurants, ramen shops, and the batting center on our way home!

Juza: Kumon also came to pick me up after my lecture today.

Azami: You haven’t changed at all, even though you’re a uni student, have you.

Kumon: Who cares, why would I let the chance slip by, now that I’m in the same uni as Nii-chan!

Tsuzuru: But aren’t you lonely without Kumon around, Azami?

Azami: Not really.

Kumon: You say that, but I bet you really are lonely!

Azami: Haa!? No I’m not!

Azami: But, well… My school life has probably gotten quieter than it used to be.

Tsuzuru: Ahhh, I feel ya.

Tsuzuru: When Fushimi-san graduated, I started feeling lonely, even though I saw him at the dorm every day.

Juza: … Right.

-

Kumon: We’re baack.

Sakyo: … You really are a formidable opponent, Arisugawa.

Homare: No, you’re pretty good too, Sakyo-san. Have you improved since last time?

Tsuzuru: Oh, you’re having a chess match.

Kumon: Wow, seeing you play chess is so cool!

Juza: Who won?

Sakyo: Arisugawa. He’s like a beast at chess.

Azami: What, you lost, shitty Sakyo? How lame.

Sakyo: The hell did you say?

Tsuzuru: Now, now.

Homare: Sakyo-san was pretty good himself. It’s just that I was better.

Sakyo: What kinda follow-up is that…?

[Door opening]

Izumi: I’m home.

Juza: Welcome back.

Tsuzuru: Welcome back, Director.

Izumi: Oh, you’re playing chess! What timing…

Homare: Hm? Timing?

Izumi: Ah, no, it’s nothing…!

Kumon: By the way, can you play chess, Azami?

Azami: The rules are pretty similar to shogi, so I get what’s going on, but I wouldn’t say I can play.

Kumon: I see! But that’s still awesome! I wanna learn how to play chess one day.

Kumon: Should we look for some chess for beginners videos next time?

Azami: Sounds easy enough, why not.

-

Azami: (Gotta go to the music room next.)

Azami: (... Before, Kumon would call out to me as I walked through the halls.)

???: … I-Izumida-senpai!

Azami: ?

masterpost | next episode

[stars-n-spice]

So, this is it, huh?

I figured the least I could do was write something down before shit goes down because I know after tomorrow I don't think I'll be emotionally available to do or say much about the show and what it and the fanbase means to me.

The last few days, my mind has been a whirlwind of emotions and I don't think I've ever really suspended my disbelief since it was announced that this would be the last season.

I felt like Po honestly, in Kung Fu Panda 2, when he's like "But I just got Kung Fu!" when they're talking about Lord Shen making that weapon that straight-up kills people who practice Kung Fu (I'm going somewhere with this just bear with me-) because I'm fairly new to the animated shows of Star Wars fandom and didn't start hyperfixating on Bad Batch until midway through Season 2 while those episodes were still releasing.

So when they announced that the 3rd season was the final season I was devastated. "What do you mean no more Bad Batch? I just got Bad Batch!" - I didn't want to believe it.

But here we are. Final season. Final episode.

I can't describe how the obsession started. It just did.

When the first season was coming out, I was still on Season 6 of TCW, so I got into it a little late. Then when it was over I immediately jumped into watching Rebels and became utterly obsessed with that show while Bad Batch just stayed, "Oh, neat show I watched."

Then the second season came out. I don't know how or when or why but suddenly something just went off in my brain and I became obsessed. I became attached. I fell in love with Wrecker in a way that I've never once felt or experienced towards any other fictional character, or person for that matter. I grew to understand Crosshair on a deeper level that made my heart ache for him and made me reflect on my own past and choices. Echo became a comfort character and an anchor in my life in where he's the first thing I think of when I'm down to put myself in a better mood. Suddenly I was ready to give Omega the universe and everything good in it. Tech became a lifelife (ironically) a hope that despite how I am and who I am, I'm capable of loving and being loved. And recently I've become so incredibly attached to Hunter because as the oldest child of five as well, I know that crushing weight of responsibility. Of failing your siblings. Of trying to be better.

This squad. This family. Cheesy as it is, I can't describe what they mean to me but Force, I'll try.

Recently I've been wondering why I'm so attached to this show and these characters. Jokingly, part of it is yes, the Bad Batch are lovely to look at and that does play a role in why I enjoy watching the show so much, but that's not completely it.

I think I speak for a lot of us fans when I say that I didn't fit in as a kid. I still don't even as an 'adult.' Look, I'm a biracial guy from two VERY different cultures that don't feel like home to me. On top of that, half of the time I don't know how to identify myself in gender and sexuality because I don't feel either most of the time. I'm introverted. I have anxiety. I probably have autism. I'm a burnt-out former gifted kid. I quite simply don't fit in.

"No, I'll stay. You guys don't fit in here either."

That? Yeah.

This show is for all those kids. Everyone who never fit in. Everyone who was told they were strange or weird, for the kids who ate glue in the back of the classroom, who were told they were too loud, who were put down because they didn't express emotion a certain way, for the kids who sat alone at lunch, who got left behind in their friend groups, for the kids who felt like they had no one so turned to harmful things, for the kids who were told they were special only to be discarded later in life, for the kids who don't know their place, don't know where they fit in and if they even do or ever will.

It's a show that tells those kids you're more than that. You're worth it. You're worth loving. You're worth protecting. You're worth the second chance. You're worth being loyal to. You're worth teaching. You're worth forgiving. You're worth it. You're worth it. You're worth it.

In the end there's hope for us. There's hope for all of us. And I think that's why I cling to tightly to this show. Why it means so much to me. Why I so desperately need these characters to make it out alive.

It's what Star Wars was from the start. About hope. About family. About loving and being loved and learning to love despite your circumstances. It's a show that took a bunch of neurodivergent absolute daddies and packed in so much angst but also feel-good moments with stunning animation, beautiful, moving music, and phenomenal voice acting. It's a show I can't help but love and love immensely because it feels like it was written for me.

For that kid who spent their recesses with their nose buried in an animal encyclopedia or talking to imaginary characters from their favorite books. For that kid who always felt so utterly useless and hopeless whenever they got less than an A- for a grade because they were supposed to be the gifted one. For the kid who struggled so much to be the older sibling they never asked to be. For the kid who just wants to find someone, anyone, who will love them as they are and fight for them. For the kid who valued loyalty above all else, always has, always will, and never gets it in return. For the kid who never fit in.

And well, whatever happens in the finale, I'm so grateful, so blessed, and so honored to have been a part of this journey with all of you.