#to come back and visit sometime and he convinced himself it was to repay their kindness w/ some sort of gift but he wound up visiting

[capricioussun]

Question for void! What is your favourite outfit??

*He sounds nostalgic. The gift must have been from someone important to him.

[tinkersclankandbobble]

Because I’ve been sick for over a week… I wanna talk about how the boys would take care of a sick friend.

Let’s use Tinker Bell as our sick friend.

So I imagine the in Tink’s case she would be the kind of person to try and pretend she’s not sick when she’s actually in desperate need of bed rest. I think Bobble would probably take notice first that something is off with Tink. Whether her movements are shakier, her responses are slower, whatever. Bobble probably notices it. He would suggest to her that she rest for a moment until she got her head on straight again. But Tink being Tink would likely refuse and try and push through her work, which would clue Bobble in further that she was unwell.

Bobble would likely then point this out to Clank. He would probably make a comment like “I thought she seemed a bit off…” and then proceed to help Bobble with getting her to stop working so she can rest. I can see Clank approaching her and saying she doesn’t look too good and then putting his hand to her forehead immediately to check for temperature. I think Clank’s more likely to do that than Bobble since he doesn’t seem to have a problem with getting into other people’s personal space. (Like, he literally grabbed Tink’s face to make her smile when he said “they were born from the same laugh” when talking about Periwinkle. Seriously, Clank. Keep your hands to yourself sir.) anyway, once Clank notices fever, then he’d likely pick Tink up and say “this won’t do! You need to go to bed straight away!!” And then carry her home, disregarding any protests from her.

While Clank is taking her home, Bobble would alert Fairy Mary of Tink’s illness and assure her that he and Clank will make sure she gets plenty of rest. I think he’d take it upon himself to go to the healer’s to get any supplies or medicine Tink would need in this time and bring it back to her. (Or convince a healer to make a house call)

Back at Tink’s, Clank already has her tucked in bed all cozy and comfortable, asking plenty of times if she needs anything more. Tink at this point accepts that she is in fact sick and that she has two great friends who will take good care of her.

During her sick time (a few days let’s say) at least one of the boys is with her at all times. They make her tea and hot soup, and chat with her to keep her spirits up. If she needs to sleep, they stay, but keep to the other side of her house and remain as quiet as possible. When her other friends inevitably come to visit, they all come in a huge group. Bobble would keep them at the door and say “let’s not overwhelm the poor lass! Only two visitors at a time.” And would make sure everyone got a fair amount of time with Tink.

At night, Tink says she’ll be fine; that they can go home. But they always insist that at least one of them should stay with her in case she needs anything. Whomever stays (sometimes they both do) fall asleep either on the floor or seated at Tink’s table.

Once Tink is finally better, she asks if there’s anything she can do to repay them. Neither Clank nor Bobble need anything in way of thanks. They just help out because they care.

[love-overdrive]

OC Rambles

On a childhood encounter between Mary, Diego, and Johnny...

Note: Includes the backstories of Johnny and Diego, as well as mentions of their tragedies (mostly in Diego's case). This does feature the mention of a near-death experience and trauma, and a trigger warning for George Joestar II himself because he kinda is one, as well as Funny Valentine.

Taglist (please fill out the form in my pinned if you would like to be added!): @iceicewifey @child-ofdust @chocochiamy

Thinking of Funny Valentine going overseas to England to have a business meeting with George Joestar II, perhaps trying to gain George’s support in Funny’s early years as a burgeoning politician. 

Mary is a young girl, around five, and Funny is perhaps still in the early stages of talking with Scarlet, so only Mary is tagging along, along with some guards. 

The workers on George’s farm and estate are aware of the visit, knowing there’s going to be an important politician coming by. Nicholas and Johnny are told to behave around these guests, which they promise to do. 

Johnny finds Mary somewhat intimidating due to how polite and formal she is (also due to not wanting to do something wrong with Mary and upset his father), but Nicholas, as the eldest, is the one who tries to get them to relax and lighten up. 

Nicholas finds Mary a bit gullible but overall sweet. He cracks bad jokes or says something incredibly outlandish and false to impress Mary (and since he’s ten, which is way older than five, he’s obviously right!). He does think it’s hilarious she’s always listening to him and taking him so seriously, but it’s a nice change of pace to be so respected like an adult. 

The three hang out, although Johnny is a bit antsy and often wants to see the horses in the stables. Mary hasn’t had many interactions with horses, but she’s curious and tags along. Nicholas and Johnny get caught up in trying to get Johnny to ride one, that Mary decides to wander off and explore the stables more. 

There, she meets a young Diego Brando, who is also her age. She doesn’t realize he is a stable boy, just that he’s another kid, and politely introduces herself to him. Diego also doesn’t realize she’s the “important guest” that he was supposed to stay away from, and greets her back. 

Mary finds Diego friendly and Diego finds her ‘cute’, and considering she’s one of the only few to be so nice to him, he immediately is attached to her. 

Diego calls her ‘ma’am’ to act like an English gentleman for her, and Mary calls him ‘sir’ back. 

The two would chat and play together for a while, with Mary even helping Diego with his duties and getting to know the horses. 

Mary likes to bring her stuffed bunny to show Diego, and Diego is amazed by the plush. He’s never had something that soft and pretty before, so it quickly becomes a favorite of his for Mary to bring. 

They consider each other their first friend after a few days of this. Mary hasn’t been able to have such fun with another kid like this, so she treasures the time with Diego, even the stable work. 

Johnny manages to catch them playing and joins in sometimes, making them a bit closer. Although Johnny complains that Diego always wants to help Mary or give her lots of extra attention. Nicholas finds it humorous that Diego obviously favors Mary, while Johnny is fuming about Diego ‘cheating’ so Mary can win. 

Nicholas, in a silly gesture, picks one of the flowers in their garden and convinces Diego to give it to Mary as a gift. Diego doesn’t pick up on the actual significance, only eager to see Mary smile, so he gives to her and is delighted with how much she enjoys it. 

Mary admits she doesn’t have any flowers to give back, so she decides to give her stuffed bunny to him, stating she has more at home and that Funny taught her to always repay gifts. 

One day, though, while Mary was helping Diego and talking with Johnny, one of the horses got spooked by their behavior and nearly trampled Mary, causing her to fall and scream loudly. This attracted the attention of the other employees as well as one of Mary’s guards, who immediately ran to help her. 

George and Funny went to see the cause of the commotion, only to see a sobbing Mary with Johnny and Diego worriedly trying to console her. 

Funny was furious his daughter was almost killed due to the negligence of the staff and Mary’s guards, and George was mortified that this situation occurred. George rages at Johnny for letting Mary in the stables in the first place and the fact that Mary was even doing stable work. 

Diego’s mom eventually finds out what happened and is terrified something will happen to him, pleading that she’ll do anything to make up for the incident. George grills her for not properly keeping her son away from Mary since she is ‘important’, which makes Diego get a reminder of their difference in stations. 

Diego has to deal with the other employees berating him and his mother for his behavior. Diego didn’t understand why he couldn’t be friends with Mary, since she was so nice, but his mother privately assures him he’s not less than anyone and to have pride. 

They do find Mary’s stuffed bunny with Diego, though, and accusations of him attempting to steal from the Valentine’s surface, before Mary explains she gave it to him. Funny, although upset, allows Diego to keep the toy and convinces George to let Diego and his mother stay due to Mary’s feelings on the matter. 

Funny, unfortunately, still breaks off the deal with George due to this, and proclaims he will not do business with the Joestars ever again. Mary and Funny leave back to America early, and the three children never see each other again until the Steel Ball Run race. 

As Mary grows, she still remembers the event clearly and feels guilt and frustration at the way the others behaved towards Diego. She finds it cruel they believed they could not be friends due to their station. She used the event as a basis to never treat others, no matter their rank, differently. It also made Funny more strict on others watching over her, so she didn’t have many opportunities for friends after that.

Johnny forgets the incident, as soon after, he is able to ride a horse and focuses mostly on his riding career from then on. George made it a rule to never mention the Valentines again, so he never did. He only connects the dots again when he meets Mary in person before the race. 

Diego, however, remembers only parts of the incident. He does partially remember a girl named ‘Mary’ was his only/first friend, but he mostly focused on the way George and the other employees were quick to remind him he was a lowly, poor boy. This was one of the many incidents that made him the prideful jockey he is today in order to get ‘revenge’ on them. He actually doesn’t realize Mary was ‘that’ Mary until much later in the race when he begins to soften for her.

[sun-havenn]

Soft random dating headcanons

Sun Haven men edition. Find the ladies here. 

Claude

Plays music for you when you come over after a long day. Either his newest work or something you like, just because you once said it relaxes you. If you’re too pumped up to just sit and enjoy, you might even convince him toteach you a chord or two. He pretends like he doesn’t like when that happens, but the pink on his cheeks and surprising patience suggest otherwise. 

If you’re dating, he will eat anything you give him, even if he doesn’t really like it. You went through all that trouble to bring him some food, just because you know he doesn’t have the best care schedule. He thinks the way you smile when you give it to him is just too perfect to disturb with crude honesty. However, he doesn’t have a great poker face, and you soon learn what he really enjoys.

Darius 

Will buy you anything you want. Actually, will just buy you anything. Caught you looking at something? He’s already buying it. If you say you don’t need it, that he shouldn’t, it will just be on your doorstep a few days later. 

He says that now you’re with him, you don’t have to work anymore, if that would be something you want. When you say you do want to work, he doesn’t really understand. But as long as you still have time for him, he doesn’t mind. He’ll even buy you so many seeds you never ave to get any yourself. 

To be honest, you got so many gifts you were worried he thought you only liked him because of his money and status. Darius had never shown to think - much less fear - that, but you made sure to let him know that wasn’t the case and you’d much rather spent time just with him. He’d never admit it, but that was strangely comforting. 

In private, he can be kind. Well, kinder than in public. He’s still a prince, and sometimes he’s still shocked that he genuinly chose the presence of a farmer over any royal princess. In his own way, he makes sure you know what you mean to him, even if it’s in an... unconventional way. 

Donovan 

When you arrived to Withergate, he was planning on leaving soon. When you made it a point to talk to him as often as seemed possible, he found he liked you. You were filled with determination and curiosity, it was honestly endearing. On top of that, you were genuine and kind, something that seemed rare in the monster city. You seemed to come and go, telling him of your adventures and listening to his without judgement. Maybe you were even worth sticking around for. 

It didn’t take him long to realize he would end up staying, just a bit longer, for you. In fact, it was after your first date, when you had called it just that with a big grin. In such a dark city, you still managed to shine. 

He never knew when you were coming back. When you did, you usually brought him a freshly made dish. It tasted better than most of the food he got around Withergate. When he found out you made it yourself, fresh from your own harvest... It was a sentiment he cared more for than he liked to admit. He tried to repay you for your kindness with his own gifts, but that wasn’t his strong suit. Eventually, he just started hanging around the apartment building a lot, walking with you when you’re on your way to do whatever farmers do.

Jun

When you come back home to Sun Haven after several days in Withergate or Nel’vari, there’s a lot of work on the farm. After Jun is done for the day, he’ll come over, just to make sure you take a break. 

He misses you a lot when you’re gone and makes sure you know that. So his visit is also for himself. He loves to hear the stories of your adventures. He could talk to you for hours, ranging from serious topics to just nothing at all. 

Jun always asks you about your day. Whether you stop by his place early in the morning or late at night. He’ll ask about plans or what you ended up doing. Somehow, he always finds a way to ask how you’re feeling. He knows there’s a lot of pressure on you, even if you don’t talk about it a lot. 

At least twice a week, he will drag you around town for a mental health walk. You’re outside enough, but always to work or help. He’s relentless with this, even taking you for walks when it’s raining. He’ll make sure to bring an umbrella, making sure you don’t get wet, wven when you say you don’t mind. Once he drops you off at your farm, you’ll notice that you’re completly dry, while he looks like he has been walking around with no umbrella at all. 

Liam

Literally the sweetest boy. Also the most nervous around you. Stumbles over his words a lot, some words just tumble out of him. So much blushing, honestly. Constantly apologizing for how awkward he can be. Obviously you don’t mind, and try to put him at ease any way you can. Over time, it gets less, but it’s still so very easy to make this boy blush. He just doesn’t want to say the wrong thing and make you leave. 

You’ll never not be fed. He sees you walking past? You now have bread or some kind of new pastry in your hands. 

Nathaniel

Surprisingly soft around you. He’s the captain of the guard and all that, he can’t really let go of his focus or relax. It can’t be healthy and it’s something that has worried you for some time. You were quite surprised when he actually agreed to go out with you. For you, he seemed to take (short) moments off. He let his guard down, knowing he could trust you. Besides, he found it wasn’t the worst thing to truly relax once in a while. 

He loves coming over to your farm after the day’s work. Straight from the forest and protecting Sun Haven. He knows you venture into forests he’s not familiar with, and likes to be reassured that you are fine. It’s not that he doubts your abilities, the forests are simply unpredictable. What if you’re in trouble and no one’s looking for you? 

When you’re going into the forests he is familiar with, he’ll offer to come with you. Again, not because he doubts you, he knows what you can do with magic as well as weapons. He just likes to be there to protect you. It’s his duty to protect the citizins of Sun Haven, of course he wants to protect the one he loves most when they’re about to face danger. 

(When you tell him about how you plan to take down the Moon Dragon, with violence if you have to, he might actually stand down from his position and come with you.)

Vaan

When you’re away from Nel’vari for a while, he’ll come and visit your farm. He used to watch you before you met him, now it almost feels wrong to watch you work without you knowing. Then again, you are quite a sight, and with the use of your magic, you never seemed to need help anyway. When you were done with your work, he’d come down, wanting to surprise you. “Of course you appear when all the work is done,” you’d say with a smile, not surprised in the least. When he asks how you knew he was there, you just tell him you always do. Well, color him stunned. 

After that he comes to your farm more and more. He likes it there, and he likes your company even more. When he visits and you’re not there for several days, he finds out you’re also a resident in a demon city. He might think a city full of monsters isn’t fitting for someone as gracious and warm as you, but then again, you’re just like him, aren’t you? 

Will give you the most random gifts. A shell he found on your beach, a flower he plucked from the side of the road, a bundle of animal food he once saw you carry. Anything that reminds him of you. He loves to see how your gifts are spread over your farms. He’ll just have to believe you when you say there’s proof of him in withergate, too. 

Wornhardt

Probably a bit clueless about what’s exactly you’re doing all the time. It’s quite charming, really, how surprised he is when you tell him you’re back from an ancient elven city or that you’ve met a demon king. He does feel bad for not being as involved as he thinks he should, since he’s your partner and all. It’s just not really in his nature. 

As soon as he sees one cut, sting, or bite on you, he’s taking a closer look at it. He always insists at disinfecting it, no matter how small it is. In moments like those, he really is worried about you. It’s easy to forget you do all kinds of dangerous things. You’re so charming and gentle he can hardly picture you fighting strange monsters in the forest. 

Will take you out to sit under the windmills together as often as he can. He used to enjoy the moment for himself, but it’s much better when you’re there, too. There’s no pressure to talk. You can, if you want to, but silence is just as comfortable. Sometimes, these moments are accompanied by a collection of fruit and it turns into a picknick, probably taking off more time than either should. It never feels like wasted time. 

[crystal-moon-101]

Charmcaster and Mike!💚

I present to you the chaotic magical duo! They were pretty fun to draw with their colours and different body shapes, and these two I've been really wanting to talk about since I've made a lot of rewrite changes for them. Before I get into that, I recommend you read my Dagon Arc Rewrite, to get a better idea of where I've taken these characters, as I involved them quite a bit in that story line. Albedo will be the next redesign eventually, and I'm glad people are liking what I'm doing with these characters so far.

-Mike Morningstar-

Soooo, Mike. He's always been an interesting concept to me, because there are two ways you could make his character go. One way is to just go full out with the creep and power hungry factor, making him a villain through and through, which can provide a very eerie character, which is the route canon mostly too. The other way, which I've taken, is you could make him a very complicated character, tragic even, with the idea of "If someone was born with dark magic, how would the world treat them", and since canon (Both the original series and reboot timeline) as taken the more evil villain approached, I'm taking a much different approach because I think his story can add a lot of interesting dynamics. In terms of his design, I went for the "rich winter" outfit aesthetic, since this lad does know his fashion and tastes.

Mike is an Apotrodite from his mother's side, the dark magic equivalent of Anodites. This means Mike primarily uses dark magic, but unlike other people, his Apotrodite sides means he is in full control of himself, and can't be tainted by dark magic. But that doesn't mean everything goes well...

His parents are Lilith Morningstar and Samael Morningstar, both Plumbers who work in the magical department of things, and since Lilith can use dark magic without it corrupting her, the two get a hefty amount of money working in a field only they can really handle. So they're a very rich family, owning two mansions on earth, and some holiday homes.

Mike was an...accident, not something planned, but his parents wanted to see what it was like, not realizing how raising a child takes a lot of work, especially one that was born half Apotrodite. You see, since Mike was only half, his dark magic didn't come naturally to him for a while, needing to adjust and train himself. There were worries Mike would end up hurting someone, which both Lilith and Samael were nervous about, since Apotrodites didn't have a good reputation anywhere for their use of dark magic. They feared that if Lilith or Mike made a mistake, they'll both be shipped back to their homeworld, which none of them wanted...

Sadly, a mistake did happen one day. Mike didn't mean too, it just happened suddenly, but he ended up hurting two other kids in Plumber Kindergarden, giving one magical burns, and nearly draining the life out of another. He felt horrible over what happened, and couldn't stop sobbing for the rest of the day as everyone debated what to do, and had a long discussion with Mike's parents. Lilith and Samael ended up pulling Mike out from school to homeschool him from now on...and didn't trust Mike to leave the house on his own ever, the fears getting the better of them. So...you could say Mike's childhood was rather lonely and depressing. Eventually as he grew older, he got into lots of arguments with his parents, until finally snapping and running away sometime after his encounter with Ben and his friends. If everyone was going to treat him like a monster, then he might as well be what they say he was and do it being free...

Mike does have an Apotrodite form, much like how Gwen has an Anodite form, but he hardly ever turns into it, even if it would save him energy and make his human form 'rot' less. He doesn't like being reminded of what he is, the reason behind all his problems...

He loves cats, and has always wanted one since he learnt about them.

Mike did end up helping Charmcaster when she was losing herself in omniverse, during the final fight with her. He was one of the few who managed to snap her out of her insanity, and later when she was recovering, she tracked him down with the help of Ben, and managed to convince him to come to Ledgerdomain with her, wanting to repay him for his help. Along with knowing that Mike was really just lonely and tired with the world...something she could relate too...

His hasn't been in contact with his parents since running away from home, and they haven't made an effort to reach out to him, not sure how to approach their son after what he became...

Mike and Hex have a very...awkward dynamic, since neither know how to talk to the other, especially regarding Charmcaster.

Loves scarfs, he just likes the way they look and feel.

-Hope Charmcaster-

Miss Charmcaster, a character who keeps spinning on that plot merry go round. She was defiantly someone who went insane due to how often the writing changed her up, which is a shame since she is a very interesting character, so that's what I'm here for. For her redesign, I've always loved the idea of her being short, plump and very curvy, and entirely confident with her body and looks. She knows she's hot, and owns it. I kept her outfit similar to her original and omniverse style, but played around with the look of it.

Her mother died at childbirth, so her father had to raise her own his own, with the help of Uncle Hex from time to time. Eventually after what happened in Ledgerdomain with Addwaitya, Hex has been looking after her since she was 8, but it wasn't easy, especially when he started tapping into dark magic to find ways to fight Addwaitya, and eventually going power hungry. Charmcaster knows Hex was trying his best, but there are things she can't forgive him for, even if they're getting better during her recovery.

She has black markings on her hands due to her use of the Alpha Rune and dark magic. The Alpha Rune also left a mark on her chest right above her heart. She is subconscious about these things, and tends to hide them from everyone and herself.

Ben 100% had a crush on her as a kid, and she knows it.

Charmcaster has a sweet tooth, and loves desserts. Her favorite is cake, strawberry cake to be precise.

She's still trying to be the Queen of Ledgerdomain, which isn't easy with what's left of it, but she's slowly getting them and creating a new age for the Kingdom, having opened it out to any magic user in the galaxy that needs a place to go.

Gwen and Charmcaster have been building up a nice friendship finally now that Charmcaster is getting help. It's been sweet, with Gwen doing normal teen and girl stuff that Charmcaster hasn't been able to do in years. The little things always remind her that she is human after all.

She is still on the hunt for Addwaitya with the help of Gwen, Hex, Mike and the Plumbers, after the turtle managed to run away during the fight against her.

Later on Mike and Charmcaster do meet other Apotrodites, and visit their homeworld, and does feel bad for their situation. They pair end up letting a good chunk of them move to Ledgerdomain, where it will be safe for them from the outside galaxy, and their contribution of dark magic knowledge really helps Ledgerdomain in the long run.

[chaoticpuff17]

Baby Mine

ADG Yoongi

Masterlist

Hello my darlings! Just a reminder that all the mc’s in the ADG universe are named except for joon’s! This is to avoid confusion for all of us as the universe expands and the mcs run into each other! Love you all! Thanks for reading! —— chaotic puff

She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror tilting her head from side to side as she tried to figure out if it was just her imagination or if there really was a small bump forming on her lower stomach. It had to be her imagination, or just some bloating. Birth control was a major part of her work. Jimin ensured that all of the girls were on some sort of contraception. Babies weren’t allowed. Pregnancies and babies meant that girls went out of commission. No one wanted to fuck a pregnant whore.  

Sen shook her head as though trying to shake the idea out entirely. It was near impossible for her to be pregnant. It was better not to think about it at all, but she’d get a pregnancy test later just to be safe. Jimin would kill her if she was pregnant. She was one of his best girls after all. She brought in a lot of money for him.

“Lola.” A rough voice called from behind her as an arm snaked around her waist.

Lola. It was a fake name to protect her. It was something Jimin had instigated when he’d taken over keeping charge of the girls. For as much of a dick as he could be, he did want the girls safe, and she was grateful for that. Jimin had picked the name himself. Lola from lotus because her name meant lotus. She still wasn’t sure how he’d gotten Lola from lotus, but she appreciated the thought, and it was better than have the men know her real name. She was able to keep that just for her, and for that she was grateful. So few things were hers here. It was nice to be able to keep her name to herself.    

She pasted on a sensual smile and turned to face the man before her winding her arms around her neck. “Leaving already?” She asked looking up at him and tilting her head to the side. “Or are you staying for another round?” She purred moving closer so that their chests were brushing against each other as she placed a soft kiss on the edge of his mouth.

“I have a mission.” He announced sleepily resting his head in the crook of her neck. “RM just called.”

She hummed gently. He liked verbal confirmation from her. She’d learned a lot about his likes and dislikes through the years.

For someone so feared, Suga could at times be a softy, especially after he’d just woken up. She’d learned through the years that he valued his sleep more than anything. Usually if Suga was visiting her, she wouldn’t expect another client for the rest of the night. He’d crash in her bed, and leave in the morning, or whenever he woke up. If the mission had been particularly hard, he’d crash for up to a full day in her bed before going on his way.  

The higher ups took first priority. Even if she’d had another client, the big seven took priority. She’d been lucky enough only to have had to service three of the big seven. Jimin tested all of the girls, but it was Hoseok and Yoongi that visited her regularly, sometimes together, sometimes not. But it was well known among the ranks that she was Suga’s favorite of the girls. She couldn’t count the number of times that Yoongi had come to her in the years she’d been working for BTS.

There were many nights when Suga would appear at her door, and more than once he’d kicked another client out of her bed, but he was allowed. He was one of the big bosses, and no one was going to argue with him. The only one that could have stopped him was RM himself, and so far Sen had been lucky enough never to have met the kingpin. But Suga hadn’t kicked anyone out of her bed in a long time. When it was well known that she was Suga’s bitch, other men no longer came to call. The only one besides him that came to visit her anymore was Hoseok. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of Suga’s wrath, and there were plenty of other girls for them to choose from. Hoseok was an exception. They didn’t mind sharing with each other, and it always made for an interesting night when they were there together. She was left sore for days.

“You’d better get going then.” She whispered running her fingers through his hair in the way she knew he liked. “I wouldn’t want to keep you.”

He lifted his head, dark eyes scanning her features before he sighed tiredly. “Money’s on the table.” He grumbled leaning his forehead against hers, still sleepy. “I’ll be back after this mission.”

“You always are.”

“Patch me up?”

“You really should go to Dr. Kim for that.” She scolded. “I’m not a medical professional.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t do what you do.” He informed her with a smirk while she rolled her eyes at the suggestive tone of his voice.

He placed a quick, rough peck to her lips, and then he was gone.

Even if he was one of her only clients these days, he at least paid well. All the higher ups paid well, and she had a debt to repay. Well, the debt was repaid now, but she was trying to save up the money to leave this place. It was the debt that landed her in this position in the first place. She could blame her crackhead mother for that. The hag had skipped out of town and left her to pay off the debt. It had taken her years, but she’d finally done it. The next time her mother got herself in trouble, Sen was going to let her deal with it herself. It wasn’t her problem anymore.

She glanced over at the clock. It was way too early in the morning for her to consider running out to grab a pregnancy test, but she was going to do it anyway. Three in the morning was too early for most things, but her job had her keeping weird hours, and both Hoseok and Yoongi were well within their rights to wake her up at any time of the day or night. It was unlikely that either of them would come by for the rest of the night, and she wanted to put that nagging feeling at the back of her mind to rest as soon as possible.

To say that the two lines staring back at her were a shock would have been an understatement. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Those two little pink lines mocked her. The words in the Google search mocked her. Birth control was only 99% effective. Jimin was going to kill her. Suga was going to kill her. He was the only one that could possibly be the father. Jimin and Hoseok hadn't visited her recently, only Suga. But did she really have to tell either of them?

She had enough money to leave. Her debt was repaid. She could hand in her resignation to Jimin and go. She never had to tell either of them anything. She wasn’t showing enough for either of them to see, and if she moved quickly, she could be gone before anyone found out. Besides, she doubted that Suga wanted a child let alone a child from a whore.

Yes, that would be the best option.

She placed a hand over her belly, her mind whirring with possibilities. A baby. She was going to have a baby. Life was full of odd surprises, but this was not one she thought she would ever have to deal with. She’d never even considered being a mother let alone the mother of Min Yoongi’s baby.

“Okay, little dude.” She whispered to her belly. “We’re going to be okay.”

And it would be, as soon as she informed Jimin of her departure, she was gone. But first she actually had to talk to Jimin.

“Sir.” She greeted bowing respectfully as she entered his office.

“Sen.” He greeted leaning back in his chair. “Is everything alright? You don’t usually come to visit me.” He sent her a charming smile. He was always charming, but she didn’t have time to flirt with him today.

“I wanted to inform you of my resignation in person.” It was best just to put it out there.

His small dropped, a frown taking its place as he leaned forward. “Resignation. You’re leaving us, Sen?”

“I paid off my debt. I think it’s time for me to go.”  

“Are you sure about this?”

She smiled even if the expression was strained. She couldn’t let him know that anything was off. “I’m sure. I want more for myself than this, Jimin. I’m sure you can understand that.”

“You have a good life here.” He pointed out. “Suga keeps you comfortable and protected. No one’s going to mess with his girl.”

“I’m not his girl, and you and I both know that this was never what I wanted from my life. I paid my debt. It’s time for me to go.” She held firm her lips pressed into a line as her smile fell.

“Suga will be disappointed to see you go.”

“I’m sure he’ll survive.”

“You’re sure I can’t convince you to stay?” Jimin might have appeared calm, but his mind was already busy thinking over the fall out of her decision. He didn’t even want to think of Yoongi’s reaction. “You’re my best girl.”

“I have one client.” She scoffed. “Two if Hoseok drops by, but he rarely does these days. I can’t be your best girl.” She pointed out leaning forward in her seat to match Jimin’s stance.

“Yeah, but you keep Suga hyung happy, and that’s worth a lot.”

“He’ll find another girl.”

“I’m not sure there is another girl like you, Sen. He likes you.”

She scoffed again moving a strand of hair away from her face as she leaned back again. “He’ll get over it.”

Jimin scoffed, but there was really nothing he could do to make her stay. She had kept her end of the deal and paid off her debt. Unless he planned on kidnapping her, she was free to go, and BTS wasn’t in the habit of forcing women to work for them.

“I’m sorry to see you go.”

“It’s for the best.”

Jimin had been disappointed to see her go. It meant that Hoseok and Yoongi would need to find a new plaything, but Jimin was not looking forward to telling his hyungs that Sen had gone, especially not Yoongi. He visited her almost exclusively. She was his girl, even if neither of them would admit it.

He’d hoped that she would stick around a little while before she left that way she could be the one to tell Yoongi, but he was shocked at the speed with which she’d packed up her life and gone. It was as though she’d never been one of his girls at all, and it left him with the responsibility of telling Yoongi. Unfortunately for him, that moment came far quicker than he would have liked.

“Where’s Lola?” Yoongi asked barging into his office and plopping himself down on his sofa a scowl on his face.

“Lola?” Jimin asked keeping his tone light and breezy.

“She’s not at her apartment. She’s always at her apartment.”

“Ah.” Jimin gulped trying to find the right words. “Well, Sen left. That’s her real name you know. Lola’s just for work.” That hadn’t been what he was going for, but honesty is the best policy, or so they say.

“Left?” Yoongi arched a brow leaning forward suddenly interested.

“She paid off her debt.”

“She did that a while ago.” Yoongi scoffed brushing him off. “She didn’t leave then. Why now?”

Jimin shrugged. “She said she wanted to go. Something about it being time. Sorry, hyung. Jas is in though. You visit her sometimes.” He was hoping that his hyung would smoothly take on a new girl, but he doubted that the transition would be smooth.

Yoongi grumbled under his breath. He didn’t want Jas. He wanted Lola. He always went to Lola after a mission. She tended wounds he didn’t bother going to Jin for. She listened running her fingers through his hair as he told her about anything and everything. She knew more about him than just about anything else. No he never shared details of the business, but she knew him.

Jas expected sex. She expected the infamous assassin of BTS, and while she was good for a fuck, she certainly wasn’t going to be dressing wounds or letting him spend all night and half of the next day in her bed.

He couldn’t help a tinge of resentment as he thought of Lola, Sen. He provided for her. He made sure no other dirt bag touched her, but she left anyway. He and Hoseok treated her well, and she just left. She hadn’t even deigned to tell them her real name, but she wasn’t going to find a better life than the one she’d had under their protection. If she was stupid enough to leave, that was her problem, but he wasn’t about to let her go. She knew too much.

“Should I tell Jas you’re coming by?” Jimin offered already reaching for his phone even though he knew Yoongi would probably refuse.

“Don’t bother.” He grumbled pushing himself up from the sofa.

“Hyung!” Jimin called after him “Hyung!” He knew what was on Yoongi’s mind. He wasn’t a man to share, and Sen’s leaving wouldn’t be taken well. “She’s not in the city anymore.” He announced causing Yoongi to stop in his tracks. “The last time anyone saw her she was entering the airport. We didn’t keep track of where she was going. She’s free to go where she pleases. She’s not one of mine anymore.”

“The airport?” Yoongi asked turning with a scowl. “Where would she go? She doesn’t have any family.”  

“Just her crackhead mom, but I doubt she went looking for her.” Jimin agreed leaning back in his chair. He didn’t like the look In Yoongi’s eyes, but he wasn’t about to stop him if he decided to go after her. If he wanted her, he could have her. He’d just have to find her first.

“You gonna go looking for her?” He called as Yoongi turned to leave again taking note of the tight set of the other man’s shoulders.

“Why would I go looking for a whore?” He spat venom dripping from his tone his eyes flashing.

Jimin watched him go, doubting that this would be the end of it. Yoongi was angry, but Jimin knew his hyung enough to know that that hurt was coming from a place of betrayal. Yoongi, as much as he didn’t like to admit it, cared about Sen. No, this wouldn’t be the end of it.

Sen was happy. She’d found herself a nice little apartment in Busan. She liked living so near to the sea, and she was sure that the little one would love it as well. She’d assembled a nursery for the little dude who she had recently found out was quite literally a little dude. As her bump grew, she collected strollers, blankets, stuffed animals for the little dude, and she was happy, happier than she’d been in years. She was excited to be a mother, excited to start over. She’d built a nice cozy life for them here, and she knew it was going to be a good one.

Her break from BTS had been clean. No one knew about the little secret she was carrying, and they had no reason to keep her, not when she’d paid them back everything that was owed. She still found herself looking over her shoulder though. She was always worried that Jimin or Hoseok or heaven forbid Yoongi was going to appear out of nowhere and see her heavy with Yoongi’s child. She doubted that she would have made a clean break if any of them had known. But this wasn’t their child. Her son didn’t belong to BTS. He was hers, her little dude. They didn’t get to have a say.

Her kitchen fridge proudly held the ultrasound from her twenty week scan. Baby books were littered across her coffee table, along with a book of baby names. Her life had been about survival for so long, but now the little dude kept her busy. He was her life now.

She had enough saved to keep them comfortable for a little bit, but she was lucky enough to find a job in Busan. She was working at a local restaurant. It was owned by a lovely couple whose only son was in college. They took every opportunity to brag about him. It was good work, honest work, and they didn’t seem to mind that she was an unwed mother. They’d also given her a very generous maternity leave.  

It was a good life. It wasn’t much, but it was good. And she only grew more excited as her due date drew closer. The excitement was partially driven by the excitement to meet the little dude, and the growing desire to get him out. She loved him, but he was a pain. Her ankles were swollen. Her back hurt, and she was getting really tired of the way this kid liked to sit directly on her bladder. But it would all be worth it as soon as the little dude arrived, and he was due any day now.

She had everything ready to go. There was a bag packed, and she had a plan in place to get to the hospital. One of the downsides of being a single mom was that there was no one there to help when the pregnancy got rough or to go with her to the hospital when the time came.

She’d debated finding a midwife and doing a home birth, just for the added security of not being in the hospital on the off chance that Yoongi or someone else from her old life had found out about the little dude, but she’d ultimately decided that the safety that the hospital provided for the birth was the better choice. She wanted all the nurses and doctors she could get since she had no family to support her through a home birth, and the hospital had the good drugs to help with the pain. She was a baby when it came to pain, and she was dreading the contractions.

She had to keep reminding herself that it would all worth it for the little dude. And it was. When the nurse handed her her son for the first time, she had never been more in love in her entire life.

He was small, so very small, and all read and wrinkly. His face was scrunched up like an old man’s, and there was something about him that was just so similar to Yoongi when she looked at him. It could have been the old man attitude, or it could have been the tuft of dark hair accompanied by those impossibly dark eyes. It didn’t matter though. Whether he looked like his father or not, she was completely in love with him.

Every sound that he made, every movement, had her enthralled. How could this tiny perfect being have come from her? How could she have made something so perfect? She knew that she would do anything for him, anything at all. Every terrible thing that had ever happened, her mother, the debt, working as a prostitute for BTS, it was all worth it, because it had brought her him.

It was with a heavy heart that she let the nurses take him away to the nursery, but she knew that she was going to need all the rest she could get before she took him home, and it was just the two of them. She would have plenty of long nights ahead of her, she could let the nurses take care of him for one night while she recovered from the birth.

When she woke up some hours later, it was to a dark room and the sound of those soft noises content newborns made. It took her a few minutes to wake up enough to realize that her baby wasn’t supposed to be with her. He was meant to be at the nursery.

She bolted up, ignoring the pain the sudden action caused as she frantically looked around the room looking for the source of the noise. Her frantic heartbeat stilled for a moment as she caught sight of her baby perfectly safe, but her blood turned to ice as she saw who held him.

“Suga.” She whimpered bracing herself against the rail of the hospital bed as she prepared to jump out of bed and seize her child from him arms.

“Sen.” Her heart stopped. How did he know that? Where had he learned that name? “You didn’t tell me you were expecting.”

“Suga.” She said his name like plea, begging him to give her back the baby.

“Shhhhh.” He hushed her walking over with her baby settling himself on the bed beside her before she could spring up. “You should be resting. You just gave birth, baby.”

“Give me the baby.” She pleaded reaching out to take her son, but Yoongi held him away fixing her with a dark, disapproving stare.

“You should have told me.” He scolded.

“Please, give me the baby.”

He shushed her again. “He’s fine. Look. He’s sleeping.” He angled his arms down so she could see the angelic face of her little one scrunched up in sleep. “You don’t want to wake him up.”

“Please.” She reached out for the little one again terrified of what Yoongi could do to him.

She knew she was in trouble. No one stole from Bangtan, and if Yoongi was here, he had clearly known about the pregnancy. Was he going to take the baby from her? Was he going to kill her for hiding it?

“He’s fine.” He scolded again maneuvering himself so that the baby was cradled in one arm while the other snaked around her shaking shoulders pulling her close in a position they had been in many times before, minus baby.

“Yoonho, huh?” He asked gazing down at the sleeping child. “Feeling nostalgic, Sen?”

“Please.”

He sighed shifting to ease the baby into her waiting arms much to her relief. Yoonho whimpered a little in his sleep unhappy with the transfer, but settled back quickly.

She looked over him checking for any signs of distress, but he seemed fine. He was sleeping like a champ, but that was what newborns did. They slept, and they ate. Yoonho didn’t even seem to know that anything was wrong, but Sen did.

“Why are you here?” She whispered gently tracing her son’s features as she refused to meet Yoongi’s eyes.

“I’m here for my kid.” He scoffed leaning over a bit and moving the blanket back so that he could have a better view of Yoonho’s face. “You didn’t think you could keep something like this hidden, did you?”

“I was hoping.” She whispered stiff in Yoongi’s arms. “What happens now?”

“I take Yoonho back to Seoul.”

Her eyes flew to his, wide with panic as she clutched her little dude closer to her chest. “No!”

Yoongi shot her a dark look, and she shut up immediately not wanting to push her luck when she was already in so much trouble. “I’m taking my kid back to Seoul with me.”

“Please no.” She whimpered staring up at him pleadingly. “You can’t take him.”

“I can, and I will.” He answered sharply silencing her again. “He’s my kid.”

She squared her shoulders and glared at him. “You don’t know that. He could be anyone’s.”

Yoongi chuckled darkly eyes sharp and dangerous as he stared her down. “You saying you were sleeping with other men?”

“I was a whore.” She pointed out.

He gripped her chin tightly bringing her face close to his as he hissed at her. “I know every man that touched you. No one has touched you other than me in some time. That kid could only be mine.”

“Just because you kept away other clients, doesn’t mean I wasn’t sleeping with other men. I had a life outside of you and yours.” She shot back. It was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that. She would say just about anything to get him to go and leaver her and Yoonho alone.

He released her chin leaning back against the bed with a gummy grin, but there was no mirth behind it. “No, baby. You couldn’t. Jimin doesn’t let his girls sleep around without getting paid. If anyone other than Hobi or I had touched that sweet little pussy, you would have been in big trouble.”

“You don’t know that.” She should really stop talking, stop antagonizing him, but she couldn’t. She needed to get him to believe the baby wasn’t his. She needed him to go, even if it was a long shot that he would.

“Baby, I know everything about you. You really think you could sneak around without one of us knowing?” She didn’t say anything, only trembled clinging onto Yoonho like an anchor. “You were sleeping with two of the big bosses. No one would touch you with a ten foot pole, and our guys certainly wouldn’t let you go sneaking around if they saw you. You want to try this again, baby girl?” He quirked a dark brow at her. “Who’s the father?”

“You.” She admitted the truth leaving a bitter taste in her mouth as she glared at him.

“Good girl.” He praised as he ran a long finger over Yoonho’s little nose staring down at the baby his eyes sparkling with something she had never seen before. He looked almost enamored. “That wasn’t so hard was it?”

“You can’t take him.”

“I can.” He shrugged pulling back with a gummy grin directed at the little one who was just opening his eyes to stare up at his parents. “You have two options, baby. I can shoot you, and take Yoonho. Or you can come back to Seoul with me, and be a good little wife and mother.”

“Wife?” She asked the offer coming as a complete shock. She had never pegged Yoongi as the family type of guy. “As in marriage?”

“You got another definition?”

“You want to marry me?” The words came out slowly as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept.

“Yoonho needs a mom.” He shrugged. “I’d prefer you do it. You’re his mom, but I have no problem getting rid of you and finding someone else if you’re going to be difficult.”

She shuddered at the though. Yoongi had never shared the details of his missions, but she knew the gist of what he did for Bangtan. He would have no trouble disposing of her if she didn’t cooperate.

It was a simple choice really. Go back with him and stay with her son, or wind up in a ditch somewhere.

“Okay.”

He smiled, kissing her forehead lightly. “I’m glad you made the right choice.”

As soon as Sen and Yoonho were released from the hospital, Yoongi took them both back to Seoul. He didn’t even allow them to go back to her apartment to collect any of her things or any of the things she had put together for Yoonho. All they had was the bag she had packed for the hospital.

He didn’t return her to the apartment she’d operated out of when she’d worked for Bangtan. Instead he took them to what she had to assume was his home. She’d never been to Yoongi’s home before. Why would she? She’d just been one of the many girls at his disposal. She wasn’t special.

The apartment was spacious, but it was cold. There were no personal touches. Hardly anything suggested that it had been lived in. She could understand now why Yoongi spent so many nights in her bed instead of here. She wouldn’t have wanted to come back to a cold, lifeless apartment either.

“Yoongi.” She started softly, holding Yoonho to her chest as she finished exploring their new home. “There’s no crib.”

“What?” He asked not even opening his eyes to look at her as he remained sprawled across the sofa in the living room.

“There’s no crib, or changing table. There’s nothing for a baby here.” She pointed out bouncing the baby as he began to fuss. “There’s nothing for me either.”

He sighed heavily sinking further into the sofa as he did. “I’ll send out one of the boys for stuff later.”

“Yoongi.” She started again, her tone more sharp this time.

“What?” He shot back, tone equally as unhappy.

“There is nothing here. There are no diapers. There are no baby clothes. No wipes. No burp clothes, blankets, bottles. I don’t need someone to go out later. I need someone to go out now.”

He groaned opening his eyes to glare at her, but she was having none of it. He might hold her life in his hands, but he professed to want their baby, and she’d be damned if she stayed here when he was so ill prepared for said baby. “I can go out and grab some things myself if you don’t want to send someone, but we need at least diapers, wipes, and extra clothes. A crib would be nice too, unless you want your son sleeping in a car seat.”

He sat up still glaring at her. He was tired. She was tired, but at least she was looking out for their child’s welfare. “And how do I know if I let you out of her that you won’t take off with the kid?” She rolled her eyes shifting to move Yoonho to rest against her other shoulder as he fussed again. “Because if I tried anything you’d track me down, take Yoonho, and shoot me in the head. I’m not stupid.”

“Pretty stupid of you to run off in the first place.” He grumbled. “Almost as stupid as the boss’ wife.”

She scoffed at that. Everyone in Bangtan knew the story of what happened with RM’s wife. She’d disappeared at the New Year’s gala in spectacular fashion. The organization had been in chaos trying to find her ever since. But could she really blame the poor woman? If she thought she could safely get herself and Yoonho out of here, she would take off in a heartbeat. There was nothing stupid about it.

“You can go grab supplies then. I’ll make you a list.”

And then Yoonho started crying, stuttering little cries that were heartbreaking to hear but elicited a sigh from both parents.

“What is it now?” Yoongi asked getting up to check on them both. His words were gruff, but he was genuinely concerned for his son’s welfare.

“He’s probably just hungry.”

She shrugged moving to sit down on the sofa as she maneuvered herself and Yoonho into a more comfortable position for feeding. She wished she had a blanket to keep herself covered, but it was nothing that Yoongi hadn’t seen before, and yet he stared at her wide eyed as she got Yoonho to latch as though it was the most alien thing on earth. He still wasn’t used to the sight of her breast feeding. He wasn’t used to seeing her so domestic.

There was no soft lingerie or sheer robes. Her hair was swept up in a messy bun that threatened to fail at any moment, and she was dressed in a pair of soft leggings and a shirt that was comfortable on her still healing body and was easy to get out of the way when Yoonho got hungry. He also knew for a fact she was wearing the mesh panties that the hospital gave her. There was nothing sexy about it, but at the same time it felt right. It was domestic. It was motherly.  

After he unfroze from the sight, he moved to sit next to them both. “I’ll send someone out now.” He agreed taking off his hoodie and throwing it over her shoulders so she wouldn’t be cold.

Yoonho was bundled up in the only blanket they had available, but he couldn’t help but notice that her own clothing looked a little worn as though it was second hand. He’d have someone pickup clothes for her while they were out shopping for Yoonho. She was going to be a Min very shortly. She couldn’t go around in second hand clothing. He might not have loved her, not like Namjoon loved Y/N, but he had known Sen for a long time. He liked her well enough. More than that she had given him a son.  A perfect little heir.

If he had to choose a woman to mother his child, he was almost glad it had been her. It saved him the trouble of picking some girl from their allies, and Sen already knew him. She also knew how Bangtan worked. That was half the trouble that Namjoon and Jin both had with their women.

Y/N was a smart woman, and she knew how gangs worked, but she didn’t know her place in Bangtan. She gave Namjoon no end of trouble. She never settled. Jin’s girl was a weak little thing. She didn’t understand gang life at all. He kept her locked up tight so that she couldn’t go running for the hills. She’d bend soon enough though, and life could be worse than with Jin.

Sen was different. She was already accustomed to Bangtan. She knew what he was capable of. She knew the consequences if she stepped out of line. She might not like her situation, but she wasn’t going to openly defy him, not when her life and the life of her child were on the line. That gave him some peace of mind at least. He would though have to fend off Jimin and Hobi. If she was going to be his wife, he couldn’t have any of the other boys sniffing around her. Hopefully Hobi would find a girl of his own soon enough, and he wouldn’t have to worry about it.

“We need to talk about the wedding.”

She looked up from Yoonho to meet his eyes in confusion. “The wedding?”

“Nothing big. You’ve already had a baby. A courthouse wedding.”

She sighed before grimacing at the feel of Yoonho feeding. “I’m fine with whatever. Let’s just get it over with.”

He frowned at that. Marriage was a big deal, especially in his circles. When you chose a woman, you chose her for life. It wasn’t something you “just got over with”.  It was the reason that Namjoon wasn’t going to let Y/N go. It was why Jin kept Hayan locked away. He was choosing her, and she just wanted to “get it over with”.

“Sen.” He growled causing her to look up again in confusion. “We are going to be married. You’re my woman, and you’re going to act like it.”

Her eyes were wide as she took in his words, but she was in no position to argue with him. She was going to do it anyway though. “Is this really a marriage?” She asked. “We’re only in this position because of Yoonho. I don’t expect you to be faithful or act like a husband.” She shrugged as she moved Yoonho over to the other side. “Do you really expect me to act like a wife?”

Yoongi darted forward capturing her mouth in a rough kiss though he was careful not to disrupt his son one of his hands coming to overlap hers to keep him steady. “You are mine.” He growled dark, feline eyes boring into hers. “You were mine then, and you’re mine now. I was going to drag you back when Jimin said you left, but you’re a sneaky little vixen. You managed to get yourself to another city, and Jimin let you go. I should have dragged you back, Jimin’s rules be damned.”

“It doesn’t matter now.” He murmured pulling away and running a hand through his hair. “You’re here now, and neither you or Yoonho are leaving.”

“What are you talking about?”

He laughed the sound hollow and humorless. “Why do you think no one else has touched you for over a year besides Hosoek? They knew you were mine.”

“I thought I was Jimin’s.” She snarked back eyes narrowed. “Just another one of his whores.”

“You’re my whore. No one else is going to touch you.”

“Where you really going to shoot me if I refused to give you Yooonho and come back?” She asked suspicion creeping in the back of her mind.

“I would have dragged you back by your hair.” He promised. “The kid needs his mother.” He leaned in so that his lips brushed against the shell of her ear. “And I wasn’t about to let that sweet little pussy of yours go a second time.” She grimaced a combination of his words and the uncomfortable feeling of breastfeeding. No one had warned her that breastfeeding hurt. That should have been one of the first things that other mothers told you when you first got pregnant. They should warn you about what you’re in for.

“And who says I’m going to have sex with you?” She challenged eyes flashing.

He smirked against her ear. “We both know you’re not going to deny me.”

“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.” She shot back.

He shrugged pulling away a dark grin spreading across his features. “Doesn’t matter. We have a lifetime to figure it out.” He leaned closer again placing another short kiss to her lips. “You and Yoonho aren’t going anywhere.”

“I suppose we aren’t.” She agreed, her lips set in a grim line.

 The wedding didn’t take place for a few weeks. Yoongi and Sen needed some time to settle in as parents, and Sen had not only a newborn to contend with, but she had to whip the apartment into shape. But after a few weeks it looked lived in. Baby toys and paraphernalia littered the living room. One of the spare bedrooms had been converted into a nursery though there was a bassinet in the master bedroom where Yoonho spent most of his nights. Yoongi insisted that she share the master bedroom with him, and it was easier on both parents to keep the little dude in there when he was getting up every few hours for feeding, but they were settling into a schedule much to both Sen and Yoongi’s relief.

The wedding was a small affair. She and Yoongi went to the courthouse. He wore a casual suit, and she wore a knee length white dress, and just like that, she was married. She couldn’t get used to the ring that flashed on her finger. It was simple. Three cushion cut diamonds set on a gold band, but it was pretty.

Namjoon had made sure that all of the boys stayed away from Yoongi and Sen as they settled, but after the wedding, all six men were gathered in the apartment to greet their friend and the new Mrs. Min, as well as to meet the little one that had caused so much fuss.

Jimin was pleased to see her back where she belonged while Hoseok pouted that Yoongi wasn’t going to share anymore. Taehyung wouldn’t share the baby, and Sen was honestly happy for a break even if it was only a small one. Someone else could hold him for a while. Jungkook hovered close to Taehyung waiting for his turn to hold the little one that they all agreed bore a striking resemblance to Yoongi. Jin fussed over the new family’s health asking her questions about her and Yoonho’s health and telling her that she should come visit his own wife once she was recovered. Apparently she was ill and couldn’t attend the celebrations.

It was Namjoon that made her uneasy though. He hovered over the proceedings like a dark cloud. He’d congratulated Yoongi and said hello to the baby, but for the most part he stayed on to the side. She had to wonder if it was because of his own wife’s absence or if he just didn’t like her. As much as she was proud of the other woman for slipping away, she genuinely hoped it was the latter. Namjoon could make her life hell if he didn’t approve of her, and her life was going to be hard enough as Yoongi’s wife.

Yoongi had no real love for her. He liked her. There was even a small amount of respect there, but he didn’t love her. It was possessive. He liked the idea of having his family all together. He liked the idea of having her as his wife and the mother of his child. He’d always been a possessive lover though. She expected nothing less from him as a husband. He put her in her place when she stepped out of line, but for the most part, so long as she behaved and looked after Yoonho, he treated her well. It might not have been the life she wanted, but it could have been worse. It could always be worse.

“Sen.” A deep voice greeted from beside her.

She jumped a little in surprise but turned to find Namjoon seated beside her. “RM-ssi.” She greeted respectfully. She didn’t want any trouble with the leader.

“You have a beautiful son.”

“Thank you.” She eyed him warily wondering why he was really there. He had no reason to talk to her.

“It’s quite the story. How you and Yoongi met, I mean.” She waited to see where he was going to take this, but she had a bad feeling. “Bold of you to run off when you were carrying his child.” She stiffened not liking the sound of that. He leaned closer eyes glinting dangerously. “If you ever try anything like that again, I don’t care if Yoongi cares for you, I’ll put a bullet between your eyes myself. Am I clear?”

She gulped eyes wide and terrified. “Yes, sir.”

“Good!” His expression changed instantly, a charming grin spreading over his lips. “Welcome to the family.”  

[blu-joons]

DATING GOT7 HEADCANON A⇴Z ⇴ Im Jaebum

A ⇴ AFFECTION

His affection always came from a place of protection, he’d spent years looking after the boys, and that reflected in your relationship too. He’d always make you feel incredibly safe whenever he was affectionate with you, which you loved.

B ⇴ BEFORE DATING

You’d always been close friends since you met years ago, but that was all you thought you’d ever be. Jaebum knew he felt more for you, but he was always too scared to tell you how he felt. As his contract came to an end, he confided in Jinyoung the most about his feelings and where he should go from there to maybe see if you’d want to date him too.

C ⇴ CONFESSION

He sat you down one night to tell you about what was going on with his contract and the changes it meant for his life. When he casually told you what it meant he could start dating more comfortably you began to worry that you’d lose your friend, but when he continued to tell you that it meant he could ask you out on a date comfortably, you were more than surprised. The silence that came from you worried Jaebum greatly, but you quickly reassured him, and accepted.

D ⇴ DATES

The two of you would often end up having dates at his studio because he was so busy. You absolutely loved your studio dates together, shutting out the rest of the world. You’d show up in the early evening with takeout and a bag filled with blankets and cushions for you to relax underneath. You’d both sit on the floor of the studio, using his laptop to watch something whilst you ate. Once his break was over, Jaebum would usually make you comfortable on the sofa so you could sleep, or he’d allow you to sit in his lap as he worked, giving him the motivation that he needed to be able to finish quickly for the night.

E ⇴ EXPERIENCE

There had been a few brief relationships he’d had in school, but since debut, you were the first proper relationship he’d had. He knew under contract he couldn’t balance work and a relationship, but now with a little more freedom it was definitely something he wanted to try. He was still the leader of GOT7 though, regardless, and that was something he often took into consideration. There was often a pressure on his shoulders to make sure as the leader he made his relationship work, but as he’d often confided in you before about his feelings on dating and love, you knew exactly how to help him.

F ⇴ FIGHTING

The two of you wouldn’t argue often per se, if Jaebum was angry you’d usually be able to tell by the expression on his face before letting things kick off. Sometimes he forgot to switch off his leader mode when he was around you, and he’d struggle to relax and not worry. He hated arguing with you though, if it ever did happen, he’d take some time away, usually by going to his studio, and then come back to you when he felt a lot calmer. He was so often the mediator during conflict that he was confident he’d know exactly how to rectify the situation, the two of you would talk a lot about your feelings before moving past things.

G ⇴ GETTING TO KNOW HIS FAMILY

You knew he came from a very close family, which made you quite apprehensive about becoming a part of it. JB had told his mother plenty about you before the first time you met which meant there was plenty of expectation on your shoulders. Luckily for you, she quickly loved you, seeing her only son happy was all that she ever wanted.

H ⇴ HOME

Having already been friends before your relationship, you’d spent a lot of time at Jaebum’s apartment, and of course, that meant you’d bonded with the cats. He didn’t want to move you in straight away when you started dating as he was nervous that it would be overwhelming, but after a couple of months he’d definitely start dropping hints that if you were comfortable, then maybe it was a step the two of you could take.

I ⇴ “I LOVE YOU”

The first ‘I love you,’ was uttered by Jaebum, well, it was sung. He came up to you one night at the end of a day in the studio to let you know that he’d written a song. You’d listened closely to every word, but as the song came to an end and the three words were uttered, you thought it was a joke. But when Jaebum said it again, you knew that it was true.

J ⇴ JEALOUSY

If he was jealous, that would be when the famous chin would appear. You’d know straight away that the second you saw his chin stick out that he wasn’t happy about something. He’d try and play it cool and convince you that he wasn’t jealous, but when your hand tapped at the tip of his chin, he’d know the game was up. You were always quick to assure him, and you’d often spend the rest of the night by his side, so he knew not to worry, but when you left, you’d be sure to tease him about how obvious his feelings were.

K ⇴ KIDS

He’d never really made his mind up about kids, he loved being a father of cats for now. But as your relationship grew and became more serious, he began to wonder about starting a family and how his future would like. There was still a lot that he wanted to achieve before becoming a father, but it was something that as days went by, he’d see clearer and clearer in his future. He’d always get nervous talking about it around you, but you could tell exactly how he felt.

L ⇴ LAUGHTER

At times he was quite serious, and laughter was difficult to draw out of him, but that made the moments that he did laugh a lot more precious. He was much happier whenever he was able to make you laugh, he’d surprise you in the day with photos and filters that he knew would have you in stitches at work. He was a hard nut to crack, but when you eventually found the way to make him laugh, you’d never stop. Every day you’d work hard to make him laugh until he couldn’t laugh anymore, and make sure that he relaxed after the end of his day.

M ⇴ MISSING

He never imagined himself missing you as much as he did when he went on tour for the first time since you started dating. He’d gotten used to missing you as a friend, he had plenty of friends that he missed, but when he had the emotional connection with you, it introduced a whole new feeling to him. He’d try and be strong for the sake of the rest of the members if they were with him, but as soon as he closed the hotel door for the night, he’d be straight on the phone with you, often forgetting that it wasn’t the same time for you as it was for him. Regardless, you’d pick up, just so that you could check on him too.

N ⇴ NICKNAMES

You tended to just call him, ‘jae,’ it was what you called him before dating, and a habit you couldn’t break. It was the same for him too, he’d often call you ‘buddy,’ or something, which became a recurring joke for you both.

O ⇴ OBSESSION

He was obsessed with your hair, as much as he hated that you had better hair then him, he loved to play with it whenever he was focussing or trying to fall asleep.

P ⇴ PDA

Jaebum wasn’t huge on PDA, again, his PDA came from a protective place, he’d like to keep you close to him, and if he felt like he needed to keep you closer, he’d keep you in front of him with both of his arms wrapped around your waist. He’d judge a situation closely before deciding how affectionate he needed to be with you.

Q ⇴ QUESTIONS

Whenever he was working on a piece of music, he would often ask for your opinion it. Your studio dates were great for him to be able to show you what he was working on and get your opinion on all of it.

R ⇴ RANDOM FACTS

In his studio, he had several photos that he kept hold of that he’d piece together to try and come up with as a storyboard for song writing. All of his photos were of scenery or nature, except for two that were of you. Whenever he felt that love was appropriate in a song, he’d place the picture of you in his timeline. No one else ever saw them photos when they visited the studio, they were hidden away for only him to see.

S ⇴ SEX

Intimate moments were definitely when Jaebum would be at his softest. He was always an absolute gentleman and took priority of your needs over his own. He would love to play with your hair, whilst you often would play with his too, making sure the two of you were very close to each other. He was very loving and affectionate towards you, it was a bit of a stress relief for him too, he’d always feel a lot happier at the end.

T ⇴ TEXTS

He forgot sometimes that he wasn’t a leader of you too, he’d often text you when he knew you had appointments or something to make sure you showed up. You’d often remind him you didn’t need him to remind you, but it was a habit of his.

U ⇴ UNIVERSE

In a world where he often felt misunderstood or pushed aside, around you, he really felt like he could be himself. There was nowhere that made him as comfortable as being by your side, wherever the two of you were.

V ⇴ VACATION

He loved to adventure with you whenever the two of you got the time to go away. He’d use the time as inspiration, sourcing plenty of things that he could use in the studio when he got back. He’d also take plenty of photos too, so when the two of you got back home you could spend a few nights scrapbooking all the photos and memories that you’d made to be able to look back over fondly one day.

W ⇴ WHINING

If something didn’t feel right, he’d definitely sigh and whine, he’d be desperate for you to go over and help him try and put things right.

X ⇴ XXXXX

Jaebum was much more of a cuddler than a kisser, he’d save his kisses for when he felt they were needed. Most of that was spent when you were falling asleep or if you’d had a bad day, he’d kiss against your cheeks to make sure that all of your tears disappeared. Being less frequent, you made sure to savour each one, and repay the gesture whenever he needed a bit of affection from you too.

Y ⇴ YOU

You were the one who he saw forever with, he didn’t need anyone else but you.

Z ⇴ ZZZ

He always made sure to keep the cats off the bed at night so that he could dedicate his time to you, his arms would always be around you or tangled in your hair, he made sure to know exactly what you wanted from him to help you fall asleep.

---

Masterlist

[wesimpforxiao]

Say My Name and I’ll Be There:  4.1

Author’s Note:  So I’m thinking of updating every other day or every two days? I tend to write compulsively and neglect my schoolwork lol.  Juggling this with work and school will be difficult if I post every day (I can’t help it though, I love updating every day!) So yeah.  Also if anyone has chapter filler ideas or prompts they want me to write out, message me or comment below! Back to the story!

..........................................

Xiao had just cleared a band of hilichurls when he came across the small stuffed bunny lying on the ground.  It was tattered and worn, but still held its original color.  He picked it up and dusted it off, glancing in the direction of the crying girl at the top of the hill. She had been crying over her stolen toy so Xiao took it upon himself to return it to her.  

He may or may not have destroyed a portion of the rice crop in doing so...but no matter! The girl was happy now.

"Thank you Mr. Adeptus!"  She gave him a toothy grin and hugged her bunny close.  "Thank you so much!"

"It was no trouble."  Xiao didn't return her smile and began to walk across the bridge that oversaw most of the rice crop.  What was it with mortal children and material possessions? Was it like him with his yaksha mask and spear?

"Mr. Adeptus sir, would you like something to eat?"

"Mortal food is not to my liking."  He continued to walk away despite hearing her disappointed 'oh.'  His eyes landed at the top of another hill, where the hall of Quince Village sat.  I should check on her Granny while I'm here.

"Welcome to my humble home!  How may I--" Granny's eyes widened significantly when she caught sight of Xiao.  "Oh my, it's been some time.  Is she alright? Has something happened?"

"Mm."  Xiao flicked his gaze around the building before he closed the distance.  "She's fine.  The Fatui will pose a significant problem.  They may come to you first."

"Oh," Granny rolled her eyes.  "Don't worry about me then, dear.  Just make sure she's safe.  I can handle the Fatui's interrogations just fine."

"There's no telling what tactics they may use or what they're after.  Make no mention of my interactions with you, nor how you found her.  It is for your own safety."

"Consider it done!  Now, would you like a cup of tea?"

...........................

"Wait, what?" You and the rest of the adventure team had returned to Quince Village on your request.  

Well...when you say 'the rest of the adventure team,' it was just you and Aether.  Diluc and Bennett had returned to Mondstat on your way here from Liyue Harbor.  After your little confrontation with Childe, he claimed there was unfinished business with the Fatui in the harbor and had to remain there.  You didn't believe it one bit.

"Yeah! Do you think he doesn't like me?" Lil Luo's shoulders drooped in sadness.  She held her tattered bunny tight against her chest.

"'An adeptus that doesn't smile," Aether met your eyes.  "That sounds like Xiao."

"W-well, when was he here?  When did this happen?"  You had to refrain from shaking her little shoulders for answers.

"U-um, maybe a week ago?  I saw him a couple more times after that, but he never smiled back at me..."

"Xiao," you whispered to yourself and scanned the fields for any sign of him.  "When was the last time you saw him?"

"Four days ago, I think."

"You want to look for him, don't you?"  Aether raised a smug brow.

"Can we?"  You pleaded.

"We're here on your request.  Might as well stay a bit, right?"

"Thank you so much!"

"You can just repay us with food," Paimon popped up and was practically drooling at her own imagination.  Aether nodded in agreement.

The three of you--correction, two of you-- climbed the hill to the village center while Paimon floated carefree alongside Aether.  The second you reached the top, you were greeted with a disturbing sight.

Fatui agents.

"W-what the hell?"  You instinctually grabbed the hilt of your sword, as did Aether.  "What are Fatui doing in Quince Village?"

"Paimon has no idea.  Let's get them!"

"Doesn't your Granny live here?" Aether sent you a worried look.

"Yes, she does."  You marched right up to the nearest agent and puffed out your chest.  "Excuse me, what's going on here? Why are you morons moving my Granny's stuff out of the house?"

"Who're you callin' morons?" The agent scoffed through his mask.  "Shouldn't you be in school or somethin'?  Scram.  Get out of here.  Damn kids."

"This is MY house," your blade pressed against his neck in a flash.  "Get off of my property."  Aether followed your lead and drew his weapon too.

"I'm afraid it isn't your home anymore," an all-too familiar deep voice flowed through the air. Zhongli shot the agent a look that caused him to leave the situation to the consultant.  "I sincerely apologize for not being in touch recently.  The funeral parlor has been quite backed-up lately thanks to Hu Tao's mismanagement."

"What are you doing here?" Paimon asked the question that was on all your minds.  "The funeral parlor is so far south of here."

"The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor serves all of Liyue," answered Zhongli.  His piercing eyes turned their attention to you and Aether.  "As you know, the parlor is partnered with the Fatui."

"And? That doesn't explain why you're here," you snarled.  Don't get anything mixed up; you were happy to see him.  But the Fatui at your house? Not as much.  

Zhongli released a short sigh and closed his eyes.  "We received a call from one of your neighbors.  It appears your grandmother died last night of a heart attack."

Something hard panged within your chest and it was suddenly difficult to breath.  "That's not...possible."

"Hey," Aether wrapped an arm around your shoulders as the world seemed to sway beneath your feet.  He slowly led you to the ground.

"That's horrible," Paimon muttered.  "Was it...painful?"

"Paimon!" Aether hushed.

"No.  It was rather quick.  She had not suffered long."  Zhongli knelt so that he was eye level with you.  "I had sent someone to meet up with you in Dihua Marsh, but it appears as though the messenger never met you.  My apologies for the oversight, dear friend."

"Then," you gulped, "why are the Fatui here?"

"Your grandmother had signed the house over to them a day or so before she passed."

"What? Why would she do that? She loves this house!"  Your tears dried before they had the chance to fall.  Your fists tightened as you struggled to determine who the enemy was.  Was it Zhongli?  He was technically Fatui if he worked with them.  Xiao could have been wrong about him.  "Who's in charge here?"

Zhongli almost appeared hesitant to answer.  Xiao managed to reach the grandmother in time, but it appears she still had to make some sort of arrangement to guarantee everyone's safety.  To think that Childe had somehow known to come here--

"Tch."  You stood up and brushed past Aether, heading directly toward the Fatui agent that had the audacity to tell a twenty year old to go back to school.  "Hey, dumbass!"  You gripped the collar of his coat and yanked him close.  "Tell me who's in charge here."

"Heh, want to fight your way out of a contract, eh?  Don't you worship the God of Contracts?  You're not gettin' your stupid house back."

"Tell me who sent you."

"A certain Harbinger," the agent taunted.

"Give me the name!"  You back-handed the masked agent hard enough to hurt him and split your knuckles wide open.  The blood splattered onto the wooden floor and soaked into his jacket.

"Hey, wait!"  Aether grabbed your shoulder.  Zhongli watched him do so.

"You're in luck, sweetheart.  You'd give quite the show badmouthing Childe."

"Wha--"  You stumbled backwards and knocked into Aether.  The two of you shared a look of shock, concern, and betrayal.  "This is all under Childe's jurisdiction?"

"Uh-huh," the agent lifted his mask slightly and wiped at his busted lip.  "He should be on his way back to Liyue Harbor by now, if you wanna try and take it up with him.  But I'm tellin' you he ain't gonna budge."

..........................

You stood alone in the rain.  Zhongli had arranged for a proper funeral and had refused to charge you for the provided services.  He had even managed to retrieve one of Granny's necklaces from the Fatui's grasp, and gave it to you.  He and Aether were alongside you, what...twenty minutes ago?  They decided to leave you alone in front of the new gravestone to grieve.  The funeral was simple, per your request to hold true to Granny's wishes.  The entire village had grieved with you.

"I'm sorry I came too late for a visit, Granny." The words came out robotic and emotionless.  The look on your face was blank.  You placed a small bouquet of glaze lilies on top of the stone; Zhongli had you sing to them before picking them.  "Things got busy, and Childe...well, I'm sure you met him, didn't you?"  You let out a dry bitter laugh that blended with the sound of raindrops.  "I love you.  Thank you for taking care of me even if I was a brat sometimes."

Could it be that you had been the cause of her death just like you had caused your parents'?  Just how much blood was on your hands?

You felt nothing yet everything at the same time.  Your eyes were dry.  After the initial shock, you hadn't shed a single tear.  Thus was your usual reaction to death; you were usually at peace with the idea of it.  If it was their time, it was their time.  But you were not convinced her death was caused by her heart.  

Childe.  Could he have resorted to such extremes to get the house? Or was it for something more?  Perhaps he was the true danger Xiao had warned you about.

Your chest ached, desperate to release the pent up storm of emotions whirling through you.  The wind picked up for a moment.  "Xiao?"  Your hoarse greeting was met with a grim-looking yaksha.  It was possible you were just imagining him in a time of need.  You hadn't seen him in a month now.

Xiao blinked and gave you a once-over as he stood beside you.  He had heard your sorrow like it was blaring in his ears.  His eyes fell to the gravestone, and his expression saddened further.  "She's dead." His question of disbelief sounded more like a tactless statement of fact.

"Yeah," you half-winced, half-scoffed at his remark.  "She's dead."  You knew all too well that he didn't mean any harm.  "Why're you standing in the rain?"

"I don't concern myself with the weather, but you should be inside.  Mortals are fragile."

"I don't particularly care at the moment." Your words cut through the rain like a blade of ice.  

She has lost all of her family now, Xiao realized.  He watched you with admiration at how strong you were acting even though it was clear you were trying not to break.

"I came back to visit and check in on her," you opened up after a few minutes of silence.  His glance towards you prompted you to continue.  "And then a little girl told me an adeptus had saved her toy bunny.  That was you, wasn't it?"

"Mm."

"Did you...see her?  My Granny?"

"I have spoken with her several times over the course of several years.  I did not think it would be the last time.  What happened?"

"Heart attack."  You swallowed.  "When I reached the house, the Fatui were clearing it out."  You caught the color draining from Xiao's face.  "What? Do you know something?"

"So my suspicions were correct," Xiao muttered distastefully.  He looked around the graveyard.  "You're sure they all left?"

"Yes.  Zhongli said that before she died she had signed a contract to hand the house over.  But she wouldn't do that so easily."

Satisfied with his scan of their surroundings, Xiao folded his arms across his chest.  "I told you I would inform you of our predicament when the time is right.  The time is now."

"After my Granny just died?"  Your undirected anger manifested at his words.  

"The Fatui are after the two of us."

"Why?"

"Our guess is they wish to create adepti soldiers or yakshas using the technique I used on you when you were a child."  Your eyes raised at 'our.'  Xiao's gaze flicked to you briefly.  "Zhongli."

"Wait, why would Zhongli be involved with this in the first place?"

"He is the former Lord of Geo, Rex Lapis--"

"Wait wait wait, he's what?!  But that's not possible, Rex Lapis is--"

"--Only a select few know his identity.  Do not go around telling."  You nodded, head spinning from all this new information.  "Childe was tasked with identifying and obtaining us.  If anyone gets their hands on an adeptus or your blood, it could spell the downfall of humankind."

"What exactly is my blood?  Why would they want me?"

"My blood runs through your veins."

"U-um...?"  You shifted uncomfortably at the thought.

"That is how I saved you," Xiao uncrossed his arms and faced you fully.  "It allows you to withstand more adeptal energy than the ordinary human, which is why I can be so close to you.  It also increases your body's healing capabilities.  It is the only reason you survived that day.  It is also the only reason you survived your lawachurl wound."

"...Why didn't you tell me this before?" You mumbled beneath your breath.  The rain hitting the earth nearly overtook the sound of your voice.  "We...We could have saved her."  Your anger leaked through your voice.  It wanted something to blame, something to lash out at.  You caught yourself before you could say or think something you didn't mean.  It was a heart attack.  Xiao is not to blame for this.  Childe is the enemy.

"Childe was listening in on our conversations.  I could not disclose this information to you so we would have the advantage to work in the dark against the him."  He stared down at the gravestone.  "I am...sorry.  I did not recognize the stress it would put her through. She was optimistic and happy when I last saw her."

You shook your head.  "I doubt it caused the heart attack.  I just want to know what they did to make her sell the house," your hands curled into fists.  "Childe will pay for this."

The two of you silently stood in the rain for some time before Xiao held his hand out to you.  "You will get sick if you stay out here longer.  Let us meet with the rest of the team."  You placed your injured hand in his, having forgot that it was aching the entire time.  Xiao's eyes narrowed at this, but he did not question you.  With your blood, it would heal by tomorrow morning.

[one-piece-dumpster-fire]

Hi can i have a hcs of being the older sister of vivi killer drake and katakuri who is nice and compasionate please-Sarah

I'm sorry this took... embarrassingly long to complete. And I'm not gonna lie, it was rather difficult for me to come up with good headcanons for this request. I'm really not proud of this one, but... hopefully you'll like it at least a bit, dear ^^'

Having a kind older sister headcanon

Nefeltari Vivi

Vivi absolutely adores and looks up to you!

secretly, she wants to grow up to be just as much of an amazing and kind person as you are

however she can also be a bit of a brat and a little rebel from time to time; especially in her younger years she would often switch between wanting to be with you and wanting to be left alone in a matter of seconds

sometimes, when she's in an especially mischievious mood, she even goes as far as to hide from you on the palace grounds all day long

seeing how your mother died when you and your little sister were still pretty young, your dad Cobra was initially the one who tried to take on both parental roles and raise you to the best of his abilities; but since he's also the King of Alabasta and has a lot of responsibilities to take care of, it didn't quite work out in the long run. Thus you jumped in for him, taking on both a sisterly as well as a motherly role for Vivi as she was growing up

still, Cobra is extremely protective of his two girls and therefore you're rarely allowed to leave his sight or the palace. But that ain't stopping you from occasionally sneaking out in secret, and once Vivi is old enough to accompany you, you bring her along. Those little 'trips' later on fueled her desire to sneak out on her own and make friends with the other children in Alabasta

every evening, when it's time for bed, she sits down with you and proudly tells you about the things she did that day while you brush through her hair

although she's eager to share most of her hobbies and adventures with you, the one thing that Vivi is extremely cautious about is letting you meet her friends. Grown people aren't allowed in their club, so when she finally decides to introduce you to Koza and the rest, you have to promise not to tell anyone

you're the one person Vivi can confide in 100% and she knows that her secrets are always safe with you- even from Papa Cobra

so it's only natural that you were also the first person she told about her plans to infiltrate Baroque Works

and while Vivi is away on her secret mission, you make sure to help your little sis from the inside by delivering informations about the current situation in Alabasta. All while keeping up the facade of the good older princess who believes that Sir Crocodile is a hero, of course

when she finally comes back home with Luffy and the Strawhats, you do everything in your power to assist them in their plan to get the country back from the Warlord. With an all-out civil war right around the corner Vivi especially needs you as emotional support and counts on your wisdom to help with her decisions. You're her big sister after all, and if there's anyone she needs to have by her side while she's facing all of the coming chaos, it's you.

Killer

you know those rebellious teenagers that are always like "Moooom, don't tell me what to do!!!!"? That's Killer, but in little brother form

he definitely doesn't like being coddled or looked after. Yes, he gets into fights and danger regularly, but it's normal. He doesn't need you to chew him out for it every time

despite that, he really really does love you though. Hence why he's occasionaly pushing you away- as pirate he's living a dangerous life, and he doesn't want his nice and sweet big sister to get caught up in it

his way of showing apprecation for you has always been a bit unusual, even back when he was young. One time, when you were still living together, Killer tried to surprise you by cooking your favorite food for your birthday; but he ended up setting your house on fire instead, forcing you to move again

when you were still children you would occasionally babysit your little brother as well as his best bud Kid, and things often got out of control when you three were together

especially the little redhead seemed to be in a rather provocative mood whenever you were around. Sometimes Kid would declare that you'll be his woman one day, which always ticked off Killer and caused him to start fights with his friend

even to this day, Killer still tries to keep you away from Kid. He adores his friend and captain, but also really doesn't want him to try and get flirty with you... again. That's just all kinds of wrong

it's not just Kid though, no one else in the crew is allowed to comment on your looks/attricteveness/whatever either, or they'll have to deal with a pretty mad Killer

nowadays he's a lot more relaxed when it comes to you and your presence around the crew though. From time to time he still berates or tells you that you are too friendly for your own good, but deep down he's appreciative of your caring nature and how you always treated him with kindness

one thing that never really changed is Killer's desire to cook by your side and show off all the things he learned within the past few years

you're the only person he feels the need to impress and who's criticism actually matters to him even if he accepts it with a scoff

X Drake

although he's the younger sibling, Drake is actually the protective one. Because of your kind nature he's always afraid that someone might try to use you

he's pretty clingy as a kid, and it honestly doesn't change much as he's getting older

you were the one that took care of him after your father died, so naturally he's always been looking at you for guidance and comfort from a young age on

as a result you're the only person that can claim to know Drake 100%. He can't keep secrets from you either, sometimes it's even as if you know him better than he does

although he knows he can always come to you with his problems and secrets, Drake is pretty hesitant to do so. Scared that you might get dragged into his dangerous affairs, he heavy-hearted decides that it's for the best to keep you in the dark about his life as double-agent

although he feels a bit guilty to keep you in the dark about his affiliations, it does have some perks as well. Thanks to his job he was able to secure you a nice house in a calm (and most importantly, protected) living area that's close to his marine base

you could say it's his way of 'repaying' you for taking care of him for so long. Drake loves you and can't help but feel as if he's in your debt

as long as his job allows it he makes sure to visits you at least once or twice a month to make sure that you're doing good

during those visits he often thinks back to what your life used to be like when you were kids, and the mood quickly turns sober as he remembers his abusive father. That's usually when it's time for you to step in and change the topic

just ask Drake about his crushes or if there is a woman he's got his eyes on and he'll turn all sorts of red again lol

huh, maybe there is someone he's interested in. But he can't tell you because you'd probably just offer to help him win her over, which is bound to end in disaster...

instead of talking about his preferences when it comes to women he'd rather tell you about the new limited edition Germa action figure he managed to get his hands on! And boom- just like that, your little bro is in a better mood again

can you imagine how excited Drake would be to tell you about his encounter with Stealth Black tho...? You'd probably have to calm him down during the call so he won't hyperventilate lmao

Charlotte Katakuri

much like Killer, Katakuri also doesn't like being coddled

back when you were young and still sailing around with the family, it was usually your and Perospero's unofficial job to look after the younger siblings while Big Mom was doing... y'know, pirate stuff

most of the kids were doing fine under your watch, but Katakuri always had a strong tendency to get in trouble. You would often scold him for starting fights with others and tell him that he shouldn't pay any mind to whatever insults they throw at him; unfortunately though he hardly ever listened

and after the incident with Brûlée, he completely isolated himself from everyone- including you. He also felt a tinge of guilt for not listening to your advice, since it might have kept his sister from getting hurt

it takes years, almost decades until Katakuri feels ready to open up again- and if it wasn't for how compassionate you were and that you never judged or pressured him, it might have taken even longer

eventually he tries to mend your relationship by inviting you to one of his meriendas, where you finally get the chance to talk about everything

from there on out you two slowly get reacquainted with one another and become friends again

and this time, he actually listens to your advice and takes it to heart

Katakuri still keeps up the appearance of the strong and cold older brother around the other siblings, but when he's with you he's more relaxed and sometimes even okay with talking about his pent-up frustration

whenever he returns from a mission he checks in with Mama first (that's obligatory) and then gets some donuts, pays you a visit to see how you've been holding up during the days he was gone, and explains what he's been up to

he's always looking out for you and whenever Mama suggests that it's time for you to marry some crazy psycho for the sake of an alliance, Katakuri would do everything in his powers to help you convince her that it was a bad idea

frankly Katakuri respects you more than his own mother and is very glad to have someone who doesn't put him on a pedestral or holds him to some insanely high standards. It makes him feel a bit more... human.

[afairytalestray]

Cassandra (ft. Casslonzo)

It’s me, back on my Cats precanon hc nonsense (masterpost here). Today I come bearing Part 10(a) - Cassandra (ft, Casslonzo). I’ve spoken about Alonzo before in previous posts, so this one is more focussed on my girl Cassandra, who deserves more love. It’s Part 10(a) because it originally led into some tuggoffelees stuff, but it was getting far too long to be acceptable, so I split it in two, but they’re still kinda linked. That second part will be coming soon (possibly tomorrow)! Pls enjoy my Cassandra thoughts!

Cassandra arrives in the Junkyard after Bombalurina, Demeter, and Mistoffelees, but before Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. Before that, she was alone. She was born a housecat, but was abandoned by her owners when they moved. Being left to fend for herself on the streets was terrifying, and she had to dramatically adapt to survive. She had been a rather pampered pet, but after she grew tough and cold. She learned how to fight, and she learned quickly and thoroughly. Her aloof demeanour and fighting prowess ensured that other street Cats left her well alone, and that’s how she wanted it. At one point she was approached by Macavity’s gang, but swiftly sent the two henchcats packing with some nice new scars. 

Her abandonment shattered her ability to trust. She wouldn’t let anyone approach her, and would hiss and swipe at them if they did. That said, she felt so lonely all the time. She wanted friends, but she was terrified to reach out, to make herself vulnerable again. She ended up joining the Jellicles almost by accident.

Alonzo was out for a stroll one day when he saw an elegant brown Queen locked in confrontation with two much larger Toms. He immediately moved to help her, but she angrily yelled at him to back off. Alonzo faltered, but then watched in awe as Cass fought them off. He approached her afterwards, but was roughly snapped at again - Cass snarls that she doesn’t need his help and he’d better leave her alone. Unfortunately, Alonzo was already fairly infatuated, and returned to her patch the next three days in a row to see her and try to talk to her. To this day, she can’t remember how he managed to get her name. Cass figured that he was just stubborn - there was no way he would actually care for real. However, Alonzo’s insistent presence turned out to be a lifesaver. During her fight, one of the other Cats managed to get a bite in, which then got infected. Cass grew fevery and weak, and on the fourth day of Alonzo’s visits, she collapsed while yelling at him.

Alonzo didn’t hesitate in running her to Jellylorum and Jennyanydots - the Jellicle tribe healers. They were able to fight off the infection and clean the wound on her leg, but Cass was a very difficult patient - withdrawn and untrusting. She was sentenced to bedrest, but continually tried to escape - but she never got very far before her leg would give out. The longer she stayed, the more fond of Jelly and Jenny she grew, but still couldn’t trust them. Eventually, when she was able to leave, Alonzo knew he couldn't stop her, but he asked her to stay anyway; he’d been to visit her every day in the medical den, and despite herself she’d come to enjoy his company. But the thought of trusting the tribe (and him) was too much for her, and she left. That was, until one day when she overheard two of Macavity’s henchcats plotting to invade the Junkyard. She let them leave, reluctantly convincing herself that the Jellicles would be just fine, until she couldn’t. She returned to the Junkyard under the guise of making sure the Cats who were kind to her were alright, but then she saw one of the henchcats injure Alonzo, who was on patrol, and she went absolutely ape shitt. 

Afterwards, she hung around to see him properly taken care of - during which Alonzo, on a painkiller-induced high, told her he loved her, and then immediately proceeded to forget he’d done so, of course. It was actually Munkustrap who convinced her to give the Jellicles a chance. As Alonzo’s best friend, he visited him a lot while he was recovering, and had lots of chances to try and talk with the mysterious Queen Alonzo was so taken with. Although he didn’t know her past, he correctly assumed that she distanced herself because she’d been hurt, and he knows what it’s like to be abandoned by someone you care about. He told her the Junkyard would always be open to her no questions asked, should she want it - they owed her one for saving Alonzo, and that she’d always be welcome/have a place there, and actually if she wanted to stay and be a protector then that would be great because they were rather short-staffed, so she’d more than earn her keep. He emphasised that the Jellicles look after their own, they’re a family, which spoke to her lonely soul. He also dropped some mega hints that Alonzo very much meant what he said. He gave Cass the push she needed to (tentatively) decide to stay.

Alonzo helped Cassandra to settle into the Junkyard, and assisted her when she decided to start protector training. Although Cassandra could easily kick his ass, she allowed it because he’s actually quite sweet and helpful and not condescending about it. (Alonzo is also very aware of this, but uses it as an excuse to be close). Cassandra had been on her own for a while, and was unaccustomed to the amount of kindness the Jellicles showed her. It takes her a while to settle in fully. She’s still quite a solitary and private Cat, but becomes fiercely loyal to her new tribe, once she’s convinced they’d never abandon her. She’s closest with Jenny, Jelly, Munk, Victoria and Misto, and of course Alonzo. Victoria and Misto are two of her favourite Cats due to their quieter nature compared to that of the more boisterous Jellicles. Actually, surprisingly, she gets really excited about Misto’s magic, like, out-of-character kind of excitement. Her whole face lights up like a kitten’s when he does anything. Later on, when Misto is more comfortable using his magic around other Cats, Cass is always keen to help out. Alonzo melts inside at how pure it all is. Cassandra doesn’t let on, but she worked really hard to build a relationship with Alonzo’s siblings, as she knows how much he loves them.

Her relationship with Alonzo is something of a slow burn. Alonzo has a tendency to (unintentionally) bring out her softer side, which is something that freaks her out at first. However, she can’t help but like him. He’s always genuine when he speaks to her. Sure, he puffs himself up sometimes like a peacock, but it’s usually to try and make her laugh (she doesn’t laugh often enough in his opinion). The two of them never really have a whole confession/ask each other out type thing, they kind of just fall into it and wake up one day and realise they’re in a relationship. Alonzo is the first Cat Cassandra trusts, enough to tell him about her abandonment. He opens up to her as well, confiding to her his fears that he’ll never be able to salvage a relationship with his younger half brother Mistoffelees. She helps him work through some of his guilt, and he helps her open up to the others more.

To Alonzo’s dismay, Cassandra is very fond of Tugger. She jokes that it’s for purely shallow reasons, but the truth is that Tugger always goes out of his way to make her feel included and wanted, like she’s a real part of the group. This is still something she struggles with a bit, and she tends to hang back at times, unsure. Neither of them ever talk about it, but when Tugger comes to her for help, she jumps at the chance to repay him.

[kiseki-no-scenarios]

could you do a scenario where gom+himuro go to the mall etc with their s/o and somehow they get separated for a while without the s/o noticing. suddenly s/he hears an announcement being made “attentionto ___, please pick up your child at the counter” and sees their bf being all pouty that s/he left him behind. I saw a tweet and was inspired! thank you so much :))

Pfft I laughed out loud at this request…I can totally see some of the GOM members just doing it to be petty! Hope you enjoy, anon!

Also some of these are a bit crack-ish…I feel like I’ve been writing some serious things lately so just needed to let go of some mischievous energy~

Reader being paged overhead to pick up GOM at the lost child station

Akashi

You loved going out shopping with Akashi, but your lover could be too much sometimes.

Akashi seemed to have difficulty understanding the concept of “window shopping”; if you even looked at someone for longer than a glance, he’d be ready to call the nearest store associate over to purchase said item.

That led to an awkward discussion in which you insisted that you really didn’t have any burning desire to purchase the item, and it was often hard to convince Akashi that no, you were not lying, and yes, you were being completely honest with him.

It still didn’t stop the fact that sometimes things would just “coincidentally” end up on your desk at school, little gifts that you knew were from a certain redhead.

Wanting to repay the favor, you watched him intensely during the current shopping trip, finally managing to escape away with an excuse about needing to use the restroom.

It was a bit harder to dodge the bodyguards, but a quick dart into the lingerie section took care of that, the sight of lace and negligee even a bit too much for the most stoic bodyguards to be brave enough to step through

You were picking out a lovely silk tie accompanied by a silver tie pin, just having retrieved it from the clerk after you purchased it when you heard it.

“Attention _____, please come pick up your child at the nearest security booth. Attention _____…”

You stomped over to the nearest security booth, apologies already prepared for the frazzled women that was glancing nervously between you and Akashi

Not even a hint of embarrassment betrayed Akashi’s face as he looked calmly over at you, his arms crossed in front of him.

“Seijuro, did you really need to do that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, _____.” Akashi stated, raising one perfect eyebrow at you. “You left me behind, and thus I employed an available resource to have us reunited.”

You wondered how much trouble you’d get in if you strangled Akashi instead with the new tie you had just bought.

Midorima

You’d left Midorima to his own devices at the bookstore, having picked out the necessary textbooks for the upcoming semester at school

You were browsing in the manga section, satiating your inner fujioshi as you ducked behind the displays, eagerly flipping through the new volumes available from your favorite manga artist

You’d never admit it, but one of the characters looked so much like your boyfriend, and was even a tsundere too!

It was hard to keep back your fan girlish squeals as you tucked the new releases into your shopping cart, knowing that it’d take Midorima a bit longer to finish browsing the study guides section

Your inner thirst momentarily sated, you walked up to your favorite clerk as you passed over the goodies, her face mirroring your smile as the two of you gushed over your findings

It was nice to find someone who understood, especially since you couldn’t ever imagine asking Midorima to discuss such books of such indecent nature with you

You could picture your carrot-kun in your mind saying that, but part of you wondered how adorable it’d be to see him blushing if you forced him to read the manga along with you…something you’d definitely have to consider in the future, of course

“Attention _____, your lost child is waiting for you at the security booth outside the bookstore. Attention _____…”

You quickly finish checking out, racing over with your books in hand as you come across one (1) blushing carrot and one (1) smirking, hawk-eyed basketball player

“Yo, _____-chan!” Takao waved. “I found Shin-chan for you!”

“Aww, Shin-tan, did you get lost?” You peer into Midorima’s eyes, laughing at the disgusted look on his face. “Don’t worry, I’m here now~”

“W-What nonsense, Takao simply dragged me here for no good reason!!” Midorima stuttered

You decided that it would be best to lead your green-haired boyfriend away, lest he be arrested for assault in the middle of the mall.

Aomine

“I wonder if they’ll pop if I stab them hard enough…” You muttered under your breath, sick and tired of the female staff that was hanging off of Aomine’s arm, her breasts pushed up directly against his arm in the middle of the store. There were no way that those things were real, with how perfectly round they looked…

You’d underestimated just how devoted Aomine was to lingerie, of all things. When you mentioned going shopping for some unmentionables during the weekend, he’d invited himself along. To give you an objective perspective, of course.

So why was it that he was surrounded by a gaggle of females, instead of being his usual perverted self and coming up to you with all sorts of scandalous suggestions??

Clearing your throat loudly, you stepped up to your boyfriend, gently (or at least you tried to bed) prying off the hands of the girl that was clinging to him like a barnacle.

“Excuse me, but I think we’ve got enough assistance here.” You used the most sugar sweet voice you could manage, taking Aomine’s hand and not even hiding the fact that you rested his palm against the swell of your breast. “Babe, help me find something in my size?” You asked innocently, peering up at Aomine through your lashes as you pushed your chest against his hand.

Your display of possession finally chased away the mean old biddies as you began pushing Aomine out the door, ignoring his protests. “Babe, cmon…”

“Jeez Daiki, you can at least pretend to not notice.” You pout, sitting him down outside the store. “Wait here while I go finish buying this stuff!”

You hadn’t even had a few moments to yourself when the announcement paged overhead, hearing your name being called out to pick up your….child…from the security booth.

Aomine had a shit-eating grin on his face when you marched up to him, huffing and puffing. “Sorry _____, I just couldn’t wait. Besides…”

You yelped as he grabbed you by your butt, pulling you in as he not-so-subtly grinded himself against your hip. “I have to pay you back for making you mad, hm? This is all for you, babe.”

Kise

You weren’t sure what you had been thinking when you thought that for once, the two of you could enjoy a nice, private, shopping trip to the mall.

It seemed like all of his fans were coming out of the woodwork, in droves as they lunged for your boyfriend, stopping him every moment for autographs and pictures.

You liked that Kise was kind to his fans, but sometimes, enough was enough.

You finally gave up after you were pushed to the side of the crowd, deciding to take a break to go through the newest magazines that had hit the shelves.

Grabbing the nearest one, you discovered an article on said boyfriend as you read it with interest, blushing a bit at the embarrassing pose he had on in the picture.

It was an article about love and relationships, and you read his answers to the interview questions eagerly. You couldn’t help but smile fondly at the way he answered-your relationship couldn’t go public just yet, but it was obvious at least to your eyes that he was talking about you.

There was no need for you to feel insecure about your relationship with him, you thought. You were just about to put the magazine back on the rack when you heard your name being called overhead, asking you to pick up your child from the security office.

One quick checkout later, you were running to the stop when you came across a very familiar figure-even covered in hats, sunglasses, and wrapped up in scarfs like a mummy, you’d be able to recognize Kise anywhere.

“_____-cchi!!” Kise whined, tackling you right as you came into his sight. “Where were you?!?!”

“What are you wearing, Ryouta?!” You asked, quickly unwrapping the scarves that covered his face. “Aren’t you hot underneath all of that?!”

“But we finally had some time together, and I had to figure out something!” Kise replied, tears coming to his eyes as he latched onto you. “Sorry for making you jealous, _____-cchi!!!”

“I wasn’t jealous-“

“Wait, what is that?!” Kise grabbed the magazine out of your hand before you could react, before he turned to you with a pout. “_____-cchi! Do you like my picture more than me?!?! I’m the real thing!!!”

You couldn’t even blame the staff for calling Kise your child, with his crocodile tears and the way he was stubbornly clinging to you while you tried to calm the blonde-haired model down, assuring him that no, you were not going to leave him for a picture of him at a photoshoot.

Murasakibara

Big pouty baby here, 1000000%. When I first got the request, the first person that popped into my mind was our dear Murasakibara

You were visiting him in Akita for the weekend, but the rest of the Yosen basketball team had all demanded to meet up with you too on the outing

Murasakibara was first able to be tamed with snacks as he watched you handing Okamura tissues, listening to him cry his heart out to you about his recent relationship troubles. Then you were scolding Fukui for being mean to Okamura. Liu had somehow started a conversation with you too, and you were busy trying to decipher his speech, while updating Himuro on Kagami’s latest news and how he was starting (just barely) to tolerate Nigou at practice.

Even his coach had gotten involved, and Murasakibara had pouted when you agreed to meet with her for sushi, the two of you forming a bond over how to deal with Murasakibara whenever he got too spoiled or was acting up.

Finally having enough, Murasakibara walked away, crunching the bag of potato chips in his hands. I’m going to crush them all…how dare they take all of _____-chin’s time…

You had just managed to get Okamura to stop crying when you heard your name being called overhead, your brow furrowing in confusion at the odd announcement.

It wasn’t until you were looking around and hearing Himuro commenting about how Murasakibara had wandered off that you’d run over to the security booth, meeting with one very pouty, very upset purple-haired titan.

“I definitely don’t recall giving birth to someone so large, Atsushi.” You commented, tilting your head as you tried to coax Murasakbara into bending down so you could pat his head. “What’s wrong?”

Murasakibara only huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest as his purple locks hid his face. “Not fair…Not fair, _____-chin. I thought I was important to you.”

“You are, Atsushi!”

“But you’re not paying attention to me.” You couldn’t help but giggle at Murasakibara’s childish whine, his cheeks puffing up as he full on pouted. “_____-chin is mine, and I’ll crush anyone else.”

“Atsu-channnn.” You hugged Murasakibara around his waist, peering up at him as you rubbed your face against his arms. “You’re so cute, and I love you~ I promise to make all your favorites tonight, okay?”

Himuro

Definitely just gets lost because pretty boy has absolutely no sense of direction at all

One moment he was following along with you, just happy to listen to you chattering on as you led him through the mall

But he’d gotten distracted for a moment, catching sight of a pretty necklace in the window of a jewelry store

It’d look nice against your skin, Himuro thought, but when he turned around to catch your attention, he blinked when he realized you were gone.

Himuro walked a bit more, but realized that all it was doing was making him more confused as he circled around the same area twice, looking absolutely lost.

He’d been standing in the same area for several moments, pretending that he knew what he was doing, staring at the map of the mall posted on a kiosk in the center of the hall when a passing security guard finally stopped to ask if he needed help

Himuro felt embarrassed as he admitted the situation that he’d found himself in, and he covered half his face with the palm of his hand as the announcement played overhead, asking for you to pick up your child in front of the security booth.

“Tatsuya, you had me so worried!!”

Himuro apologized profusely to you as he saw the beads of sweat on your forehead. “_____, why are you so sweaty…?”

“Because I was looking for you, silly!” You stuck your tongue out at your boyfriend as you flicked him in the forehead, ignoring his soft “ow” that left his lips. “You have a phone, don’t you?”

Himuro had indeed totally forgotten that he did have a cell phone on him.

“Cellular mobile devices are helpful for contacting someone when you can’t find them, in case you didn’t know.” You lectured him, and even though he was being scolded, Himuro couldn’t help but think you were so adorable, the way your cheeks were puffed up like a squirrel.

“Sorry, sorry.” Pulling you close, he kissed you on the forehead, ignoring your protests that you were super sweaty and gross. “Thanks for finding me, _____. I’ll make sure to hold onto your hand tight the next time so I don’t get lost, okay?”

---

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[tintinwrites]

the stars were made for falling | Poe Dameron x Reader | Part Fifteen

A/N: You simply cannot imagine the emotion I have poured into this piece. I really hope you all like it.

Rating: M but only bc it’s slightly dark

Warning: Angst. Naughty words. Mentions of past torture. Slight sexual references.

Word count: 4,133, apparently!!

Summary: Poe sees Rey emerge from her room for the first time and they have a chat. His talk with you is not nearly as lighthearted as that one.

Masterlist

GIF credit: captain-flint

Tags: @marvelous-revengers @the-lady-of-stars @jxhn-mxrphy @ella-solei @chloe-skywalker @itsamedeemoney @shakespeareanwannabe @fxnxtical @peachdameron @ladyflyer20 @americasass-romanoff​ @thetoxicegg​ @spaghetti-666​ @dogsandrocketsocks​ @katshrev​ @woakiees​ @yougottakeeponkeepinon​ @arsonistvoyager​ @pnkthunder​ @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead​ @charlotteisabella​ @bisexual-space-slut​

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

Poe didn’t visit the medbay again. It was clear that his presence only made you angry and you’d been in a lot of pain when you were laying how you felt out for him.

He didn’t want to hurt you anymore than he already did.

A briefing with Leia told him you were cleared to leave, but you had to rest in your quarters since walking only aggravated your injury.

It was probably once or twice a day that he would find himself approaching your door, wanting to knock, and come in, and fall to his knees for you, and sob into your bed about how much he hated himself for everything he did to you — from letting you be tortured by them to letting his own stupidity treat you like you were nothing to him.

He would stand there for probably twenty minutes with his hand raised to knock.

Then he’d shake his head at himself and go wherever he’d intended to go, knowing you weren’t ready to hear what he had to say.

You emerged from your quarters about a week or so later, Poe’s heart seeming to skip a beat when he saw you slowly, carefully walk into the dining hall with Finn behind you.

He pretty much molded himself to the caf machine when you walked by, shrinking under the glare of Finn, not sure if it was from how he’d acted when you were hurt or maybe you told him everything he’d done.

Leia was the only person with enough grace to forgive his dumb ass and that was only because she had the love of a mother in her heart.

He saw you walking around the base a little more every day, whether you were having a meal or doing your best to get back into the swing of working on what little the General was allowing you to do, and anything he wanted to say to you seemed terrifying as soon as he’d lay eyes on you.

All his confidence and passion to tell you how sorry he was and to open up to you like you’d begged him to seemed like something undoable when he’d see you, think about you crying if he dared to open his mouth about everything.

He had never been the kind of guy who shied away from what he wanted to say, but he was scared of hurting you or angering you more.

Most nights involved nightmares of being tased or hurting you which meant he would sleep for a couple hours then try to find something to distract himself.

BB-8 had mostly forgiven him, but he was met with quite the reprimand when he woke him up from charging for a little company.

He was used to wandering around the base alone at night, whether he decided to work on one of the broken down ships that had been bartered for or try to spruce up the place a bit to make it more homey.

Imagine his surprise when a figure stepped out of the dining hall as he was passing by and Rey stood there with wide eyes, some snack hanging halfway out of her mouth.

With everything, he had almost forgotten; Rey’s seclusion the moment she came back from helping you escape the First Order, Hux’s mention of being the Supreme Leader.

“Long time no see.” His voice was soft as if he might spook her with how long it had been since she’d even left her room for more than a second, though it occurred to him that he’d been wrapped up in himself enough that perhaps he didn’t notice her healing.

“I heard you’ve been a difficult man,” she said around a bite of food, slowly taking the rest of it out of her mouth.

Great. Not even the woman who had mostly been hiding away was unaware of his stupidity.

He ducked his head in shame, but realized that you and him were not the only ones broken by what the First Order had done.

“Stupid question. How are you doing?”

“I’m...alright.”

“You’re a liar.”

“Really, Poe.”

He was leveled with a stare that was half-sad and half-hopeful, and he moved to sit with his back against the wall, gesturing for Rey to sit across from him.

They sat there with their legs stretched out, finding space between each other’s feet for their own to comfortably lay.

“I really thought I could convince Ben...Kylo to come to our side, but the power of winning went to his head. He wanted me to join him still and I said no and...all I could think of was Leia.” She ran her arm across her face to wipe away her tears and Poe could almost see the scavenger she once was in the movement.

“She never even mentioned feeling him...or maybe she did. I’ve been such a self-absorbed asshole lately…” He took the bit of food that Rey offered him.

“Lately?” She flashed him a little smile.

“You’re so funny.” He had to admit that it was nice to see someone smirk at him rather than glare or cry at him.

“She knew. She did come to me telling me she...understood that it needed to happen and that he was past the point of coming to the light. It took me a bit to believe her, but I’m...I’m alright now.”

“He was kind of a dick anyway.”

It was also nice to be able to have a little humor even if he was still broken down inside, something he didn’t realize was missing when he was the one being a dick.

Rey rolled her eyes at the way he waved his hand as if Kylo Ren was entirely unimportant despite the way her neck would tinge pink at the introduction of inappropriate words, then looked at him with soft sympathy. “How is she?”

He furrowed his brow. “Who? Leia?”

She gave him a meaningful stare. “Finn told me everything that happened and he popped in once or twice to tell me some things, but he’s been busy helping Y/N to give me any more updates.”

“She...she, um...you know, she’s fine, uh, I’ve seen her around a bit more now and she’s a little bit slow, but that’s what happens when someone stabs you in the back. When two people stab...I’m sorry.” The light humor was now replaced with his own guilt and pain as he put a hand over his eyes to shield his tears from her.

“A wise man once told me that it’s good to cry,” Rey hummed, leaning forward to gently tug his hand down.

That was him before he became like this, had let his own brokenness turn him into a shell of the man who used to try his hardest to be good; Finn and Rose had been taken and Rey tried to hide her tears from him when she ran off and he told her that.

He’d cried or gotten emotional about it every day until that night in the pilot’s seat when he found something that eased it all.

And how did he repay you?

He stabbed you in the back before Hux ever did, pulled himself away from you even though he was something you cared for and told you that night meant nothing.

“I fucked up, Rey. I thought pushing her away was the right thing to do, but I only hurt her more and now? I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me. I don’t blame her.” It was obvious to him now that you must have told Finn what happened and Finn must have told Rey during one of the times he went to her quarters to see her, and her silence now made him wonder if she kind of hated him, too.

“I’m not exactly well-versed in this, Poe, and you did some terrible things...but I remember when you were taken that she was crying. That means she cares for you, doesn’t it? She’s going to forgive you one day. Not that you truly deserve it.” What might have been seen as offensive yet correct was softened by the dimpled grin Poe saw.

“I hope you’re right about that. You know, it’s late. Shouldn’t you be in bed right now?”

“I was hungry!”

Rey waved her half-eaten snack in the air and Poe laughed softly as he stood, reaching to help her to her feet and tilting his head at the strange look that was now in her eye. “What?”

She smiled. “You’re a good man. I’m starting to learn that even good men are stupid sometimes and I’m sure she’ll forgive you.”

He was not as sure since you had told him that he wasn’t a good man, but you were angry in that moment. Maybe if he proved himself to you…maybe he’d done too much to you for you to ever forgive him. He needed to try proving himself, though, right? You’d never forgive him if he gave up on you as if it didn’t really matter to him.

You mattered too much for him to give up on winning your favor again.

“You should get some sleep, Rey.”

“You look as if you haven’t slept in months, Poe.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

“You should try.”

He grunted, watching her walk down the hallway. He wasn’t sure if she meant try to get some shut eye or try talking to you as if she could read his mind about trying to show you he hated himself for what he’d done to you.

Could she do that with the Force or was she intuitive? He wasn’t really sure, but now he was thinking that if he didn’t try to talk to you again in fear that he would hurt you and it would lead nowhere, it was certain that you would never forgive him.

He would do this.

You’d begged him all that time to come back to you and opened up to you, and he’d been too afraid to hurt you with his own pain that he’d hurt you even more.

It was time he told you everything.

Time he let it all out.

Perhaps it would be good for him as well as a way to show you that he was serious about how much he cared for you, that he didn’t mean anything he’d said or done to you when he was trying to push you away.

You mattered too much for him to let his fears make you think you didn’t.

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

He was going to talk to you.

He was going to do everything you had pleaded with him to even though it would hurt, even though he was afraid his own pain would hurt you.

Maybe you didn’t want to hear it, but he owed it to you.

Maybe you would send him away or maybe you would realize how much he really did regret pushing you away.

It was your choice.

Baring his pain was the least he could do for you and you had every right to say it wasn’t enough, to tell him to fuck right off.

Then he supposed he could move on with the knowledge that he didn’t need your forgiveness because any hope of even a friendship with you would be squashed.

And he could deal with the woman he loved hating him and it being all his fault for acting the way he did.

Right?

That thought alone made him want to turn right around and speed walk away from your quarters, but the thought of your possible forgiveness and what he owed to you regardless of whether you forgave him or not made him knock on the door.

It was opened to show Finn standing there; Finn who pulled himself together for you and Finn who knew it was more important to take care of you than to push you away.

Poe ducked his head. “Can I talk to her alone?”

Finn stared, then looked over his shoulder at what was probably you somewhere further in the room. “It’s Poe, you want—?”

There seemed to be a silent conversation and then Finn — a man he considered to be his best friend in the galaxy, but, stars, it’d been a long time since they last really talked — looked at him begrudgingly, stepping into the hallway.

He grabbed onto Poe’s arm when he moved to walk into the room.

“What you did...was not cool. She’s still healing, from you and from being stabbed. Please, Poe, just…”

“I know.”

Finn relented somewhat, gazing into Poe’s earnest, sad eyes and patting him on the shoulder as he moved past him to go take a little break from helping you.

Now Poe was a little scared again as he stepped into your quarters, wondering if he was going to be greeted by you immediately pelting something at his head.

He would have let you throw an X-wing at his head if you had the strength to do such a thing.

But you looked calm, staring at him from where you were sitting on the foot of your bed, hair freshly wet from the sanisteam.

“Hey.” He offered you a tiny smile.

“What do you want?” Apparently you were in no mood for his awkward greeting, standing up with a speed that showed it had been so long since he talked to you that you had time to heal from a knife to the back.

“I thought maybe we could talk...or I could talk…”

“What about?”

He ran a hand through his hair because you had clearly had time to cool; you were perfectly civil to him rather than railing into him like you could have, but there was anger simmering there. “I know you wanted me to open up to you, baby—”

“Don’t call me that. Please, I...not now.” You crossed your arms over your chest, shielding yourself from him of all people because he hurt you.

“I know this is too little, too late, but I owe it to you. You wanted me to open up to you and I didn’t, I was too scared that my pain would only hurt you. But I was stupid. I hurt you. I’m going to try and make up for everything I did, but...but you don’t have to forgive me. I hope you will, but I understand if you want me out of your life. You were right that I can’t expect you to be okay again by just saying I’m sorry. Those words mean nothing.” He was hopeful when he could tell you were mulling it over in your head.

“I begged you to open up to me, Poe, and I had to be stabbed for you to treat me with some decency.” Your voice was quivering with emotion already.

“I know...it was stupid of me to push you away like that, to let my brokenness turn me into someone I’m not. Please let me do this for you...for myself...now? You can listen, then kick me out of your life if you want. That would be okay.” That would certainly not be okay, but Poe would have to deal with the pain to let you make your own decision that made you feel safe.

You looked down for a moment, then nodded.

This little permission of yours that allowed him to open up to you like you’d wanted made him ecstatic, but he was at a loss for words at first.

Where did one start when talking about the things that scarred them?

Especially when there was this much.

“Where should I start?” His voice was soft, eyes pleading with the detached look on your face.

“Where it started hurting.” No wonder his pain had turned him into a closed off shell of a man who pushed people away when the slightest ounce of kindness in your tone made him want to start crying already.

“It didn’t, at first. You know, I didn’t give a shit what they’d do to me since you and Rey were safe, and I said that right into Hux’s cocky, pasty face.” He was smiling, nearly grinning at the memory of the way Hux’s lips twitched in disdain at his audacity.

His smile still made your heart flutter somewhere beneath your anger; when was the last time you’d seen a genuine, big smile from him? Not the night you’d spent together, nor the morning when he told you that it all meant nothing to him.

A reminder to you of why it did not matter whether he smiled or not.

He hurt you.

How was it possible to still love the smile of someone who hurt you like he did?

“He did some big speech about winning and finally capturing a ‘delusional, irritating twit’ like me, told me that Kylo wanted to execute me in front of everyone but that he had something more fun planned for me. They took my jacket and made me change into, like, what you saw and when I had my shirt off, he told the stormtroopers to stop and…” He had the eyes of a ghost now, haunted and broken.

“They took...they...took...my mom’s ring,” The words seemed to force themselves out of his mouth, faltering around a sob as the painful memory resurfaced for him, and you slowly lifted your head to look at him with...sympathy. “He broke the chain and said he would have it destroyed. And I haven’t...I didn’t...I guess he did? And I tried to escape at first, I tried to fight back at them.

“So they started to...taze me and I still wouldn’t give up. It was probably, like, a week? In that Hux decided to replace my mom’s ring with that chain, to treat me like a fucking pet. I don’t...I don’t even know when I gave up, you know? One day I just...didn’t care anymore. Not when I could see Finn walking around completely oblivious to it all. Not when I knew there was no way out of this.” Tears were unashamedly streaming down his face and still, he tried to talk with that carefree air of his.

“Then they brought you. And I could’ve saved you, I could’ve protected you, but I wanted you to live and I made you live with them. I think about that every day, that I could have let them shoot you and you never would have had to go through that torture. But I didn’t. And having you there...it gave me something to fight for.”

Adoration poured from his haunted eyes and you had to cast your own gaze to the floor or you might have broken right then and there just to feel those eyes on you like a salve for the pain he caused. “And everything else didn’t matter anymore. The tazing...the chain...getting the shit beat out of me didn’t feel like a damn thing when you laid there with your head in my lap, peaceful for the first time in Maker knew how long.”

Your arms fell to your sides at some point during his regaling, relaxed and open.

“Hurting you killed me. I smacked you way too hard and I know that, but I didn’t want him to make me do something worse and I didn’t want him to make me do it again if it wasn’t good enough, and...seeing you fall to the floor because of me replays in my dreams, watching you get tazed, how you cried just because you had to help clean me...how...how...sweet and worried you were for me when I was the reason all this was done to you. All I wanted to do was get you out of there and then I saw you in that uniform and...I don’t remember anything until I saw Hux with his hand around your throat.” You hadn’t granted him permission to say anything beyond what was hurting him, but you glanced up and knew by the softening of his face that something had shifted inside of his head.

“I think about everything I did to you and—and sometimes it’s hard for me to get out of my own head when I think about them pressing that stave into me, but you know what I think about most of all? You did what I couldn’t do. So brave and...you were smart and you did everything you had to do to get us out of there even though it killed you. You were sweet, and you cared, and I ruined it. I was in pain and I was scared, and I pushed it all down, tried to hide by pushing you as far away as I possibly could, but you know what? I lied to you.

“That night? In the Falcon? It meant everything to me. Everything was...stressful and overwhelming, and with Finn and Rose being taken it all seemed so hopeless. And then you were there and you were so...so fucking beautiful. You were soft and you were lonely, and I was too. The memory of that night is one of the things that kept me going for you.” His voice was gentle and low, practically wrapping around you.

“And I told you that I didn’t say I loved you, because I couldn’t tell you that I didn’t love you. I do love you. I do, baby. I do.”

You didn’t tell him not to call you by that name again, but you did turn your face away with a whispered, halfhearted no when he tried to cup your face in his hands, your chin quivering.

He dropped his hands to his sides, staring at you with his brow furrowed in sympathy at your pain once more caused by him. “Having you in my arms again...being inside you again...it was like everything that happened to us was okay for a second. And I watched you sleep for probably hours that morning and you looked perfect, and I was sure everything that I kept pushing down would ruin you and that I would taint you with everything that was hurting me, and I couldn’t do it after everything I already did to you.”

Lifting his hand, tears falling down steadily, he ran his fingers over your hair, your cheek, your neck, pausing with his hand over your heart. “And look what I...what I...I’m so fucking sorry.” His voice broke with emotion as he dropped to his knees before you, his head pressing into your thighs as he wept.

You nearly toppled over, but his hands came up to grip at your shirt and your hips, keeping you pressed tight to him.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that I let them hurt you. I’m sorry that I ever made you think you meant so little to me when you mean more than everything in this fucking galaxy. I’m sorry I loved you this much when you deserve better. Please forgive me. I understand if you never want to talk to me again. I do. But I love you and I want to fix what I did. Please forgive me, I never want to hurt you again…” He was sobbing into you, pleading desperately with you, and tears were now streaming down your cheeks as you listened to the broken man at your feet.

“Fine,” you sobbed, the single word trembling.

Poe looked up at you with his brow pulled tight together, his eyes hopeful though still swimming with tears. “You forgive me?”

You shook your head. “No, but I’m willing to give you the chance to prove yourself to me and if you ever hurt me like that again…”

“Thank you. Thank you!” He didn’t even let you finish, gripping you tighter and pressing passionate kisses to your abdomen and thighs until he nestled his head into you again, shoulders shaking with sobs.

“I know.” That he was grateful, that he had been hurting all along even though you’d closed yourself off to it in your own hurt.

Much like he had done the night you had poured your soul out to him, your hand came down to awkwardly touch his head as if you’d never touched the man in your life; soon you found a slow rhythm of running your fingers gently through his curls.

And you were hopeful for what felt like the first time in forever.

Maybe you could forgive a man who let himself fall apart like this, maybe you could love him someday.

Maybe everything he’d done hurt so much because somewhere, deep down, you already did.

[tomeandflickcorner]

Falcon And Winter Soldier Episode 5- My Thoughts

Oh boy,  this one might be a bit longer than usual.  There’s a lot to go through in this episode. As always, spoilers under the cut.

It immediately picks up after Walker brutally murdered Nico in that crowded square. We see he’s taken off running, and ends up in some deserted warehouse of some kind.  For a moment, you almost think he’s starting to grasp the gravity of what he’s done, but he’s then plagued by memories of his time with Hoskins, which only leads to him further slipping into insanity and convincing himself that he did what was necessary. That’s when Bucky and Sam enter the scene.  They quickly figure out that Walker’s off his rocker.  Particularly when Walker tries to justify his actions by claiming that Nico was the one who killed Hoskins, even though it was clear that Karli was the one who killed him. They do their best to try and help him realize that revenge is not the same as justice, but Walker isn’t willing to listen.  Sam, slipping into councilor mode, attempts to calm him down. Unfortunately, if his words were having any affect on Walker, it all went downhill fast when Sam told Walker to hand the Shield over to them. Because Walker firmly believed the Shield was his rightful property, so he was not about to willingly give it up.  So Bucky and Sam have no choice but to take the Shield back by force.  At one point during this fight, Bucky gets momentarily dazed upon getting thrown into some sort of circuit breaker box, which also seems to briefly cause his vibranium arm to short-circuit.  Of course, Sam can’t really hold his own against a crazed Super Soldier one-on-one for long, and Walker eventually has him pinned to the ground.  He even destroys Sam’s Falcon wings.  But just before Walker could actually kill Sam- yeah, he was actually about to kill Sam there!- Bucky recovers and rejoins the fight.  Together, Sam and Bucky manage to pry the Shield away from Walker’s tight grip.  Though they have to break his arm in the process. But even then, Walker isn’t backing down.  Because he still firmly believes HE is Captain America.  It takes a pretty awesome combo move from Bucky and Sam to take Walker down. Because not even a Super Soldier can withstand getting swung into a jet-packed fueled blow from the Shield.  With Walker defeated, Bucky pretty much places the Shield at Sam’s feet, effectivly giving it to him once again, before walking off without a word.

So, after that pretty epic battle, the episode allows the characters, and the viewing audience, a chance to catch their breaths. Karli and the Flag Smashers have pretty much gone underground, making it impossible for anyone to locate them. Not that the government doesn’t try, as they conduct raids to all the GRC facilities that housed them, and even arrest the people that offered them shelter.  But still, no sign of Karli anywhere.  So Bucky and Sam decide there’s not much more they can do, particularly since they’ve been benched by the government officials.  Even so, Sam still wants to do what he can in seeing this whole thing to the end. So he asks his friend and associate, Joaquín Torres (who we haven’t seen since Episode 2), to keep him posted. Although, Sam also leaves his broken wingsuit with Joaquín. Which is probably a reference to the fact that Joaquín took up the mantle of Falcon after Sam in the comics.

Of course, there’s still the loose end of Zemo.  Bucky manages to track him down in Sokovia, at the memorial that was put up in honor of everyone who died there during the events of Age of Ultron.  Which does make sense, since Zemo’s wife and children were among the casualties.

Now, I gotta pause for a moment to talk about something here.  During the Previously On segment for this episode, we got reminded of a scene from a previous episode, in which Zemo seemed to be trying to shame Sam and Bucky for not ever visiting the memorial themselves.  Maybe it’s me, but that seems kinda unfair.  For starters, Bucky and Sam weren’t even involved during the events of Age Of Ultron.  With Sam, I don’t think he was officially an Avenger at that point.  He was part of the reserve team, if anything.  And Bucky was in Romania, trying to reacquaint himself with his true identity while hiding from both the CIA and what was left of Hydra. Even if that wasn’t the case, when exactly were they supposed to visit the memorial?  As of the events of Civil War, Sam was on the run as a fugitive alongside Steve and Natasha.  And Bucky was in Wakanda, either in cryofreeze or going through mental rehabilitation.  And then they both got dusted at the end of Infinity War, meaning they were erased from existence for the next five years.  So when exactly could they have visited the Sokovia Memorial to pay their respects? Of course, I do get what the episode was trying to say, since the Avengers didn’t really do much in offering Sokovia any sort of relief efforts.  (Though you could also argue that Tony should have been the one to handle that, considering the whole situation with Ultron was his own fault.  And goodness knows he had the monetary means to do something, with him being the billionaire and all. But I guess that’s all semantics.)

Anyway, Zemo tells Bucky that the only way they can hope to stop Karli now is by killing her, but Bucky tells him they’re going to try to do things their own way.  At this point, Bucky aims a gun at Zemo’s head.  But it’s soon revealed that Bucky had previously made sure the gun was already empty when he shows that he’d removed the bullets beforehand. Which I guess was his way of showing Zemo that he was wrong about him.  And that Bucky, despite being an enhanced individual (something that Zemo clearly hates), still chose to spare his life.  At this point, the Dora Milaje show up, with the intention of bringing Zemo to the Raft, that prison we last saw in Civil War.  Before Zemo is escorted off, he tells Bucky he took the liberty of crossing his name out of Bucky’s book, and that he doesn’t blame Bucky for doing what he thought was right.  Wow, how magnanimous of him, right?  Shame he couldn’t have extended this same level of courtesy towards the rest of the Avengers.

Still, I guess this means we’ve seen the last of Zemo.  At least for now.  Eh, good riddance, I say.  I personally hope we never see him again,  While I do sympathize that he lost his family, I still don’t like him in the slightest.  On the other hand, I did like that Ayo indicated that Bucky is at least partially forgiven for helping break Zemo out of jail.  Sure, she does tell him that he should still stay away from Wakanda for the time being, but she is calling him White Wolf again. Which indicates that their friendship wasn’t broken beyond repair.  Before they part ways, however, Bucky tells Ayo that he has one more favor to ask of her.

Here, the episode begins to focus on Sam as he begins to head back home to Louisiana.  But first, he makes a detour back to Baltimore, in order to sit down and really talk with Isaiah. Which enables us to really learn exactly what happened with him in the 1950s.  Turns out, he didn’t get injected with the Super Serum knowingly  He and a few other Black men were essentially used as guinea pigs, in which they were told they were being given tuberculosis shots or something when it was actually an experimental recreation of the Super Serum.  But it seems that, for some reason, the other Black test subjects begin displaying some manner of unfortunate side effects to the Serum, which suggested it wasn’t stabilizing with them.  Only Isaiah was able to successfully transition into a true Super Soldier like Steve Rogers.  So when the other Black test subjects were captured behind enemy lines (because this was the time of the Korean War), the US government were simply planning to drop bombs on the POW camps, in order to prevent word of their little experiment from getting out.  When Isaiah found out what they were planning, he took it upon himself to get those men out of there, in a similar manner to what Steve did in the first Captain America movie.  Except he was rewarded for his bravery by being locked up like a criminal, with the US government conducting experiments on him to try and figure out why the Super Serum worked with him and not the other test subjects.  They even told Isaiah’s wife that he was dead while making sure he never received any of the letters she’s sent him.  In the end, Isaiah only escaped because this nameless nurse took pity on him and helped him escape by essentially faking his death.  This backstory really is sad and tragic, especially when you realize it’s partially based on an actual historical event.  Just try looking up the Tuskegee Experiment sometime.  It’s really messed up.  Anyway, Isaiah finishes his sad story by telling Sam that, regardless of what he might believe, the world hasn’t changed that much.  And that not only will the world never accept a Black man as Captain America, no self-respecting Black man would even attempt to take up the mantle because of how America has always treated men like them.

With that advice still weighing on his mind, Sam returns home to rejoin his sister, Sarah, and his two nephews, AJ and Cass.  So now we’re getting back to the subplot from the first episode, involving the failing family-run fishing business.  It seems Sarah is still thinking it’s time to throw in the towel and simply sell their family’s fishing boat.  The main issue with that is, because it’s all run down and in need of serious repair, nobody would even consider buying it.  Fortunately, Sam has an idea.  Remembering how their parents, who apparently died some time ago, had been long-standing pillars in the community and had often offered aid to their neighbors, Sam makes a few phone calls and gets the whole community to come pitch in and help repair the old fishing boat, thereby repaying the previous kindness of Sam and Sarah’s late parents.  One of the neighbors even comes by with a brand new engine for the fishing boat. But then, just as Sam is wondering how they’re going to manage getting the heavy-looking boat engine off the back of the truck, Bucky appears out of nowhere, using his Super Soldier strength to effortlessly lift the motor up over his shoulders.

Bucky explains his presence away, stating he’s only there to drop off a crate for Sam, which clearly came from the Wakandans.  It’s implied the contents of the crate have something to do with the favor he asked of Ayo.  But then, Bucky ends up sticking around to help Sam fix up the fishing boat.  Cue a boat repairing montage, complete with a song playing over the whole sequence.  Bit bizarre we’re getting something like this in the penultimate episode, but it’s still pretty enjoyable.  Particularly since we get to see Bucky and Sam actually bonding as themselves.  And yes, there does seem to be vague implications that there might eventually be something between Bucky and Sarah.  Although, I don’t know if I necessarily ship it.  At least not yet.  I’d need to see more of them interacting with each other besides just seeing Bucky saying ‘hi’ to her a few times before I make up my mind.  Granted it would be an interesting thing to explore of course.  Particularly since, to my knowledge, it would be the first biracial couple featured in the MCU.  Unless you count Peter Quill and Gamora, of course.  (And that brief thing that was going on between Peggy and Jason Wilkes in the woefully short-lived Agent Carter series.)  At present, though, I think Bucky’s obvious affection towards Sam’s family seems more tied to his own memories of his life before WW2.  When he wakes up the next morning on the couch (because Sam invited him to crash at the house instead of finding a hotel room somewhere), a genuine smile appears on his face when he catches AJ and Cass playing around with the Shield in the living room.  Those of you who have read Bucky’s bio in the MCU wiki might remember that Bucky was the oldest child of four, so seeing AJ and Cass might be reminding him of how he used to play with his younger sisters.  And interestingly enough, Sam’s sister’s name is Sarah.  Which was also the name of Steve Roger’s mother, which is probably making Bucky feel even more nostalgia.  (Side note- Bucky was actually sleeping on the couch.  Which is a step up from where we first saw him in the first episode, where he was sleeping on the cold, hard floor.  This is probably an indication that Bucky is starting to heal.)

Anyway, we then see Bucky helping train Sam in throwing the Shield around.  They even set up an obstacle course of sorts, with mats being tied to a few of the surrounding trees.  They briefly discuss the lingering issue of the Flag Smashers.  There’s still no sign of Karli, but Sam promises to give Bucky a call when he gets a new lead, and Bucky promises that he’ll come back to assist Sam at that time.  However, the main focus of the scene involves Bucky finally apologizing to Sam for giving him a hard time over the Shield in the first place, with him acknowledging how he and Steve didn’t really grasp what it might feel like to a Black man to be given the Shield.  We also get an indication that Steve and Bucky did discuss Steve’s plans of retiring by staying in the past to live a life with Peggy after returning the Infinity Stones ahead of time. It was vaguely suggested in a read-between-the-lines sort of way at the end of Endgame, but it’s nice they confirmed that Steve didn’t just up and decide to do that on the fly.  Bucky then starts opening up to Sam, admitting to him that the reason why he was so angry about the Shield in the first place was that, to him, the Shield felt like his last connection he had to Steve, who was the closest thing he had to a family.  And that feeling has intensified now that Steve is gone.  (Can we please get some clarification on what they mean by ‘gone,’ by the way?  Did Steve actually pass away from old age offscreen?  Up until now, it’s something they’ve only vaguely inferred to.  Like maybe, maybe, maybe.  But if that’s what happened, I wish they’d quit tiptoeing around the issue and just tell us straight out.)  Anyway, it’s really cool that Bucky is talking to Sam about all of this.  It does show that he truly does trust Sam.  Especially more than he does that crappy therapist they forced on him. Just saying, Bucky was still denying to her that he was having nightmares, despite apparently having sessions with her for six months.  But he freely admits to Sam that he is still having nightmares after only a week or so of them working together.  If that doesn’t illustrate how poorly Bucky’s relationship with his government issued therapist was going, I don’t know what does.  

As if getting how big a deal this is, for Bucky to open up to him like this, Sam once again slips into counselor mode.  He tells Bucky that he shouldn’t put so much concern onto what Steve thought of him, because Bucky can’t let what others think of him determine his own self-value. Or something to that effect.  He also advises Bucky to stop taking the easy way out in regards of alleviating his guilt over what he did as the Winter Soldier. Up until now, Bucky was only going after past Hydra agents to bring them to justice in an effort to make himself feel better.  But if Bucky really wants to gain peace of mind, he should instead focus on helping the victims feel better.  Which probably means that Bucky is going to go back and see that old man, Yori, from Episode 1 again and help him find closure by telling him the truth about what happened to his dead son. I admit, I’m really nervous about watching that scene unfold.  Yeah, Yori does deserve the truth, but I’m scared about how he might take it.  It would be understandable if he ends up blaming Bucky, sure.  But at the same time, it’s kinda been rubbing me the wrong way how this show seems to be acting like Bucky is a reformed assassin who has to atone for what he’s done.  No, that was what Natasha was.  Bucky, on the other hand, was the world’s longest serving POW. Someone who was tortured and brainwashed by evil Nazi scientists who stripped him of his free will and autonomy.  (And, if we consider the implications that Episode 3 gave us, we can also add sexual abuse to the list of things Hydra did to him.)  Yeah, it’s only natural Bucky feels bad for what Hydra made him do.  But that just indicates he’s naturally a good man with a good heart.  I’m not exactly a fan of the idea that he should be made to feel like he should atone for anything he did.  Because he was as much of a victim in all of that as the people Hydra sent him after.  Still, if trying to make up for what Hydra forced him to do is what Bucky needs to do in order to forgive himself, then I guess I can support that.  Do what you have to do to find closure for yourself, buddy.

Anyway, after Bucky leaves, Sam and Sarah continue to finish repairs on the fishing boat in preparation for selling it.  But just before Sam is going to paint over the names of their parents, which is printed on the side of the boat, Sarah stops him. It seems she’s changed her mind about selling the boat, considering the boat is part of their family legacy. Which is something that Sam is relieved to hear, as he didn’t want to see the boat getting sold off, either.  The siblings begin having a heart-to-heart, with Sarah telling Sam that, even though she’s always given him a hard time about the matter, she’d never thought he was running away from things whenever he went off to save the world and whatnot.  She also tells him that she knows he’s been dwelling on what Isaiah said to him, but helps Sam make a decision involving the Shield.  While Isaiah had good reasons for believing the way he did, Sam ultimately decides that the pain Isaiah went through would be in vain if nobody continued to fight for the future.  And so, Sam decides that he’s now willing to accept the mantle of Captain America.  Which leads to another montage.  This time of Sam going through a self-training session with the Shied, with his nephews, AJ and Cass, helping out.  The training montage ends with us seeing that Sam has become a pro at throwing and catching the Shield.

Of course, just when you start to think this episode is feeling like the series finale, with everything wrapping up and setting the stage for a future adventure, we get the reminder that there is still one more episode to go.  It seems that Karli has been pushed over the edge after the death of Nico, as well as seeing all the GRC facilities raided and cleared out of refugees.  And she is now out for revenge.  Specifically, she plans to rally up what remains of her followers and attack the GRC headquarters, as they plan to vote on the Patch Act, which would force millions of people to relocate to their home states. To achieve this goal, Karli manage to join forces with Batroc, who had previously appeared at the beginning of Episode 1.  Strangely enough, an earlier scene does suggest Batroc was actually hired to team up with Karli and the Flag Smashers by Sharon Carter, which only further indicates that Sharon is a bit shady.  What exactly is Sharon up to?  Is she a bad guy now?  That would kinda stink, since she is Peggy Carter’s great niece or something.  Talk about besmirching your family name.  

Anyway, right when the Flag Smasher’s attack on GRC headquarters is about to begin, Sam gets a tip off from Joaquín, who had been keeping his ear to the grapevine in terms of the Flag Smasher’s movements. Apparently, the Flag Smashers coordinate their attacks via this coded cellphone signal, which  Joaquín had figured out how to hack into.  And he notifies Sam that the coded cellphone signal is now showing up in New York City.  Sam seems to figure out what the Flag Smashers are about to do when he sees a news report on the TV about the GRC voting on the Patch Act that evening.  Deciding to go and do something about it, he opens up that Wakandan crate Bucky had dropped off.  The episode ends before we can see what exactly was inside the crate, though.  They’re clearly saving that reveal for the final episode.  Although, my boyfriend, who is also my viewing partner for this show, is a bit of an expert on what went on in the Marvel comics.  (He even worked in a comic book/gaming store before we met.)  It seems that, in the comics, Sam Wilson did end up getting a pair of Falcon wings that utilized hologram technology of some kind.  So he’s theorizing that’s what it is.  Still, we have to wait until next Friday to know for sure.  Either way, it looks like this next episode will decide what happens with Karli and the Flag Smashers.  I honestly don’t see how it’s possible to resolve things with Karli peacefully, though.  She seems too far gone at this point.  But I’m sure Sam will still try to talk her down, which only deepens my respect for him.  And who knows?  Maybe Sam will succeed, with Karli going the Coalhouse Walker route- agreeing to stand down in exchange for the promise of a fair trial, which would allow her to state her case.  (Of course, I hope they don’t do things exactly how it went down in Ragtime.  Because in that story, they pretty much promise Coalhouse that he’ll receive a fair trial, but the moment he surrenders himself, the police immediately open fire and shoot him dead.  Which is not even remotely cool.)

Oh, and then there’s still the matter of Walker.  Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him.  Because even though Sam and Bucky effectivly took him down AND he received a dishonorable discharge by the US government, he still refuses to believe he did anything wrong.  He’s convinced that he still deserves to be Captain America.  While a small part of me does pity him, he really is displaying what appears to be a fragile White male ego.  He even goes up to Hoskin’s grieving parents and sister and lies to them about how Nico was the one who killed their son, and that they should take comfort in the fact that justice was served.  There’s also a mid-credits scene where we see he’s trying to make his own version of the Shield.  Doubt its made of vibranium, of course.  I Gotta say, I’m seeing a lot of parallels between Walker and Karli right now.  Both of them have convinced themselves that they are 100% in the right, and everything they do is completely justified.  Which naturally makes them both very dangerous. However, I’m mostly concerned by this mysterious woman.  Contessa, or whatever it was she called herself.  She approached Walker after his trial to tell him that he didn’t do anything wrong before giving him what appears to be a blank business card.  (I’m guessing there’s some sort of secret decoded message on this business card that Walker will decipher later on.)  I have no idea who this woman is supposed to be or what her goal is.  I’m guessing she’s someone comic book experts would recognize, but my boyfriend/viewing partner, who is familiar with the comics, didn’t seem to recognize her name, either.  So it’s a big mystery at this point.

Before I wrap up my thoughts for this week’s episode, there is something partially unrelated I should mention.  For those of you who haven’t heard, Sebastian Stan’s latest movie, Monday, recently came out.  And it seems that this movie includes Sebastian and his female co-star in a full-frontal nudity scene.  From what I’ve heard, there have been some select individuals who have seen fit to criticize Sebastian’s appearance in this scene, because he wasn’t in perfect shape or something like that.  If you were one of those select individuals who decided to body shame Sebastian after watching this movie?  Grow up!  Bodies come in all shapes and sizes.  And to expect a male actor to have a completely chiseled physique at all times is extremely unrealistic, particularly when they’re portraying an ordinary person.  The fact that people were acting like this is even more disgusting when you consider the fact that Sebastian Stan apparently already has some body issues.  The fact that he was still willing to film this full-frontal scene despite those issues just illustrates his passion and dedication to his skill as an actor and the message this movie was meant to convey.  He did not deserve to have his body objectified the way it was. Nobody does.  So once again, this is me condemning the behavior of those select ‘fans.’ 

[msiopao]

Sera with the Members

a/n: mark is in this because dream is now a fixed unit and he’s part of the lineup!!!!!!

WATERMELON ADDICT

was the person who made Sera comfortable since he reminded her of home

always asks if canadian bacon is better than american bacon

‘i dONt kNoW, sERa! mEAT iS mEaT!’

she didnt actually cry on stage when he was leaving but she cried when it was just the two of them and he recorded for the last time

it was her idea for hyuck to buy him a big bottle of ketchup

CANNOT believe that mark was a churchboy and ends up acting up in music videos

the duality SCARES her

calls her finny since her name is serafina

sera has her own room but she has an extra bed so he sleeps in there when he spends the night

learned this watermelon shake to help mark’s hangover

english all the time

ever since they met, mark has always placed his elbow on her head due to her short height

sera learned this fried rice recipe from her mom and he goes over to their dorm for breakfast

‘mark bls dont touch anything. get out of the kitchen and go watch tv or something’

always brings up his messed up eggs

‘gordon spitting facts tho’

whenever he feels too overworked or too pressured, sera has always made it a point to come over to their dorm and have a movie night with just the 2 of them with his favorite snacks and drinks

LONJIN

omg these two

sera is typically not mean but when renjun starts, she becomes ruthless

always calling out his fake personality

‘everyone, don’t believe him! he’s 2 faced!’

‘what are you even saying! you act like you’re so quirky and giggly but you yeeted jisung into the wall last night!’

‘YAH!’

so yea, they fight a lot

but its very playful and they know where that line is drawn and not cross it

he talks to her about space and aliens and she listens to every word bc renjun sounds so confident and happy whenever he talks about that stuff

they’re actually 10 days apart but sera acts like she’s 10 years older than him

‘IS THAT HOW YOU TALK TO SOMEONE OLDER?!’

‘okay, granny’

always in awe whenever renjun draws and paints and she really likes seeing him in his element

unbeknowst to her, he actually draws her a lot

wants to frame all of his work 

they go out to the roof and stargaze

he steals her airpods just to watch her go crazy

once hid her phone in the fridge

lives for his vocals

cannot believe how much he’s grown from chewing gum era to now

her heart strings were tugged when he cried in dnyl

renjun always says that he wishes sera was born as his little sister bc they act like they’re siblings

EYESMILE PRINCE

hmm

so their is kinda complicated

sera’s closest to him than all the members bc 1, he was her first friend and 2, he has cats

before, when they still went to school, her and jeno always went together

yes, jaemin and jeno and her went together in the beginning

but jaemin was in the hospital and recovering so it just became them 2

also, she goes to visit his parents so she can see his cats

this results to his parents and older sister adoring her

‘bongsik, nal, and seol are my kids’ - lee sera, 00 line vlive

she always craves for attention and when it isnt given bc he’s too busy playing, she just walks into his room and sits on his lap while he plays

tries to get his attention by saying stuff but he teases her by acting like she aint there

‘fine, i’ll go to jaemin’

jeno wasnt supposed to be blonde for the comeback but they were just messing around and next thing they knew, jeno’s tips were bleach blonde

when shes on that,,,, time,,,,, hes the only one in the dorm she listens to

not even johnny, who’s practically her father

collabs with her mukbang show and jsmr

he mentions her like at least once whenever he has lives that she’s not in

steals his glasses all the time just to watch him wander around with this confused adorable face

hugs are so cute w these two and czennies see them hugging in videos and she can barely reach his shoulder 

forehead kisses and sweater paws for daysss

NANA

drop dead gorgeous boy

shes not safe from jaemin’s affections

*cue jeno glaring at him for stealing her*

we all know how much he loves the members and whenever sera breathes, he busts his uwus

takes so many pictures of her

sera buys him lots of lip balms and carmex but he always forgets to put them on

sera hates peaches but she buys him peach flavored sweets whenever she sees them

‘NANA!!’

sera is also an attention whore so she always runs to him and wraps her arms around him and he squeals by how cute she is

bought him an expensive camera for his birthday

has a polaroid picture of him in her clear phone case

actually, her phone background is an old picture of predebut sera, jeno, and jaemin

one of the rare moments where she cried was when she found out that jaemin wouldnt be in a few comebacks bc he was sick

kept visiting him and jaemin cannot repay her enough

the dorm is full of ryan and winnie plushies from the sofa, a tiny winnie plush on the corner of the island counter, and their bedrooms

sera is the one who always throws away the his satanic drink even though it’s still full

‘yah, you need to think about your health and if it your body is tired, dont fight it by trying to drink these to keep your energy’

sleepovers with them are often and sometimes found sleeping on the spare bed in her room

FULL SUN

our big babie

oh boi when he got hurt

sera called him twice a day, one in the morning and one at night, just to check if it’s still hurting and making sure he’s resting

forever remembers when he dressed up as a girl 

‘you see, i’m not the only girl member. dongsuk is just on hiatus right now’

his name on her phone is ‘man-child’

when he went on tour with 127, she really missed him

like she missed him so much that she kept posting on instagram for him to hurry back home

still mad that he moved dorms to be with the older members

when sera got sick, she made him sing ‘no longer’ to her like a lullaby

when he asks sera to do something for him, usually she says no because he asks her to do ridiculous things but his aegyo always convinces her

thinks his color amblyopia is so fascinating and adds more into the unique traits he has

another attention giver and she loves hugging him because he gives really warm hugs

one time, jeno and sera had a fight and it got so bad that hyuck had to be called and he was the only one who got to talk some sense in sera to talk to jeno

but the legendary markhyuck summer fight was resolved because sera yelled at them and cried since they are best friends and they shouldnt be like that to each other

they made up since ‘wow sera cried’ and ‘the members are ready to beat us up if we continue this’

and by members, like all members, including the older ones

sera knows how much being the moodmaker title burdens him so she tries to ease that burden by talking to him just the two of them

DOLPHIN CHILD

look how adorable he is UWU

he is 1/2 of sera’s sons

like she’s whipped for him and jisung and he knows it too

‘noona~’

‘yes, i will give you the world, the stars, and the moon’

thinks his laugh is endearing and is sad that it isnt that high-pitched anymore since his voice got a little deeper

cannot believe how much he’s grown too

when he speaks in chinese, sera thinks its the cutest thing 

‘can we give his scalp some rest? its not healthy for the boy’

trust fund babies

you know how chenle has 3 airpods?

sera went through 4 phones since she keeps losing or breaking it

dont ask how bc shes as clumsy as namjoon

had this phase where he wouldn’t stop back-hugging his noona and she just left it alone

always buys him snacks and cooks him a lot of food bc she thinks he’s too skinny and wants him to be healthy and gain some fat on those cheeks again

on their break, she went to china with jisung and her lock screen is a picture of her and chenle holding his nephew

triggered her baby fever

czennies ship them but he makes it clear she’s the older sister he’s never had

nct dream took a vacation to her hometown and she bought them basketball tickets so chenle could see his idol

his mom practically adopted her since she goes over to his apartment all the time whenever the others are getting too much for her

she misses him so much its not even funny

JISUNG PWARK

our maknae is growing up :(

sera had the whole family sit and watch the first episode of dancing high

so proud of her boy

she called him during the show and it was shown and heard about her telling him to take care of himself and to not be too hard on his body and that she’s waiting for him at home

as the youngest member overall, sera babies him the most

he obvs takes advantage of it and she used to cuddle him to sleep when he was younger bc he had a hard time sleeping

again, cooks for him a lot since he’s a growing boy and making sure he takes vitamins and drinks water and limit sugary things

she calls his mom to give him updates about her son

remember his phone that he used until it actually died?

sera actually bought him a new one before that happened and just casually gave it to him

‘i know this was going to happen so i just took care of it. i have to take care of you, jisung-ah’

hypes him up whenever he dances bc wow this boy is actually talented

doesnt really like skinship but he tolerates it when she holds his hands bc theyre so much bigger than hers

one day just woke up and she got so confused when jisung grew up

‘did you grow in your sleep?’

‘n-no?’

loves his awkward nature and she keeps saying how adorable he is and cute he is whenever he acts cool

god, she’s just so whipped for him

but tbh, who isn’t?

aaaahhhhhh i cannot believe our wish came true and they became a fixed unit and we really getting a comeback and an mv in the 29th!!!

[ariannjs]

PRISON CELL | A SasuSaku FanFic One Shot

A day late but here's my entry for #SasuSakuTwitFest 2020 Day 4: Travels. I also posted a part of this for #sssnippetaday on Twitter.

Enjoyyyy!

-A

–––

Being on the road for two long years has led Sasuke to resign to the fact that he would be needing help from other people. With his lack of resources, he knew it's only appropriate for him to take whatever he can get from anyone who is willing to offer him anything. Provisions of food and a space to rest gave him the comfort that he thought he didn't deserve, usually from a widow, an old couple, or a starting family, who, by some miracle, did not see him as an S-rank criminal like how almost the rest of the world did. 

He's usually still on edge around people, shinobi and civilians alike. It wasn't unknown to him that not everyone was happy with Konoha's decision to spare him from a heavier punishment. But as he continued to travel, the weight on his shoulders began to lighten for he got to realize that there are still good people in the world, increasing his motivation to keep on pursuing and fighting for the peace that his brother had always hoped for.

Now, he has a lot of stories to tell when he goes back home.

On one of his visits in Ame, he was welcomed by an old widow in her home for three productive days. She insisted that he should be well taken cared of while he looked after the village to catch the group of rogue shinobi lurking in their area since the week before. It was a huge task that the civilians couldn't repay, according to her, so it was the least that she could do.

When he was about to leave after succeeding in his task there, the old lady even packed a bento for him. And he couldn't help but remember being a child once again as he accepted the bento and muttered a thanks at her.

"No problem at all, Uchiha-san. You've done so much more! A lot of people here are even fond of you because of what you did for us. So it's you whom we should thank."

"It's nothing, really."

"Ah. Such a fine gentleman you are! You've probably had lots of girls in your life, hmm?"

Sasuke slowly shook his head. Growing up, many girls threw themselves at him with the hopes of getting his attention, but there was only one that annoyed him and tugged his heartstrings despite his years of denial about it. "Just one." 

"My, my. It's wonderful to know that a handsome man like you is faithful to his one and only!" The old woman giggled. "Ah, young love. Could you tell me something about her?"

Blinking twice, Sasuke stared at her and thought about her surprising question. Until his mind traced back to those solitary moments he had in a prison cell in Konoha.

He was well aware that she was just doing her job. But despite her silence and his sight's absence, he could feel the tenderness of her touch and the warmth of her heart as she tended to the remnant of his left arm for the third time that week.

No words were spoken since the first time. But as he heard the movements of her hands while performing the signs for the jutsu to open his cell, he forced his dry throat to release something.

"Sakura, thank you."

He received no response that night, but he was sure that his former genin teammate smiled at that as she exited and locked his cell again.

The next time she visited for his checkup, he struggled between staying silent or asking something that has been bombarding his mind for days. It might have been obvious because he was startled when he heard her finally speak. 

"You have something to say."

He gulped. Unsure of how the conversation would go once his question was already out. But regardless of her answer, he knew he'd be able to sleep – nap – better that night when he finally hears from her. And so he asked, "Do you...still love me, Sakura?"

Astonishment was apparent with the medic for he felt her chakra fluctuate a little as she checked his left arm. He convinced himself that it didn't matter if he received a negative answer, but every second of her silence felt a lot more suffocating than being in that cell for weeks.

Yet she responded after a few moments, and it shook him to the core. "You know the answer to that."

"But Sakura, things change, don't they?"

"Not my feelings."

"Even after everything?"

The flow of her chakra in his system completely stopped and he heard the movements of her hand signs once again. But before he heard the clink of his cell's lock, she muttered, "Even after everything."

A week later, his chakra blindfold was allowed to be removed. It must've been because of Kakashi. He mentally thanked the man when he finally saw with his own eyes what he realized was his favorite shade of red.

Sakura entered his cell with her usual shinobi clothes this time, unlike the past weeks wherein she was wearing her lab coat. He knew this because he could feel its cloth whenever she was beside him, so today was quite unusual if he would think about it.

He stared at her as she approached him with a pout.

"You look weird, Sasuke-kun."

He raised an eyebrow inquisitively, making her chuckle.

"I'm here to cut your hair." Then she took out a comb and a pair of scissors from her back pocket.

He wanted to question her, but he ended up letting her do what she wanted as she gently placed a big cloth around his shoulders, thinking that it was probably a part of her job.

However, it was when she asked if he wanted her to shave the stubble on his jaw that he realized what she was doing was beyond her role as the medic looking after him.

"You don't have to do that, Sakura."

"But I want to."

"Why?" He pressed.

Then surprisingly, Sakura glared at him.

And with that, he already understood. He wasn't able to stop himself from smiling once she left him in his cell that night.

The old lady beamed when she saw how deep in thought Sasuke was, giving her the impression that this man was serious about the woman in his mind right now.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "She...never gave up in choosing to love me." He looked down at his feet as he remembered her face when he left a gentle poke on her forehead on the day of his departure. "Never. Even when I was so lost."

"You must feel very blessed, Uchiha-san."

"Aa." Despite the fact that he still felt like he didn't deserve her.

"Give me a moment," the widow suddenly said as she rummaged through a drawer in her living room. "Oh! Here it is!" She then reached out for Sasuke's hand, startling him, and placed something on his palm before closing it with her hands. "When you return to your lady, I hope you could give that little gift to her." She showed a smile that seemed to be partnered with a remembrance of someone.

Sasuke stared at his closed fist. "Thank you. But, why?" The cheery attitude of the woman mellowed as she answered, "I was supposed to give that to my daughter after she comes back from a mission. But then, the Fourth Shinobi War broke out." Pausing, she eyed Sasuke for a few seconds, causing him to recall the past war in such a vivid way. "But she died on the battlefield, fighting for the shinobi world. I believe it's her love for the people that drove her to give her all." "I'm sorry about your loss." "Oh, don't worry, I could say I've somehow recovered from it. I strongly believed that her death wasn't in vain, especially because you and your team have given that war a successful closure." Sasuke looked down once more. It was still quite weird sometimes, how a few people saw him as a hero, yet more people still viewed him as an international criminal that ended people's lives with his own hands. "The way you talked about your girl reminded me of my daughter, so please, give that gift to her. At least I know it will be in good hands." She smiled yet again, but this time, with eyes that were starting to become glassy. A small smile appeared on Sasuke's lips. There was something about the way she considered Sakura as his that calmed his entire system. And it amazed him how even though she's not here, Sakura could still draw people close to her. "She actually fought alongside me in that war, aiding me and Naruto in taking down Kaguya." The old woman gasped again, with a glint of recognition appearing on her eyes. "You mean..." Sasuke nodded. "Yes, it's Sakura Haruno." The words weirdly came out with some sort of pride from his lips. And even he was surprised to find himself verbally admitting to anyone Sakura's position in his life. The woman beamed and clasped her hands, returning to her cheerful attitude like earlier. "Uchiha-san! You two look good together! And, I guess that gift was after all truly made for her, don't you think?" She gestured to Sasuke's fist. Sasuke furrowed his brows in wonder and slowly opened his palm. His lips then twitched upwards when his gaze landed on a necklace with a cherry blossom crystal pendant.

"Now go home to her, Uchiha-san. I'm pretty sure all your exhaustion from your travels would subside once you see Haruno-san again."

He thought so too.

–––

May 2020 © AriannJS

–––

Hey guys! Hope you're all enjoying the #SasuSakuTwitFest2020 so far! Let me know your thoughts and feels about this one😄 There's a lot going on these days, but I pray that we'd all find inner peace despite this. Please stay safe!❤️

-A

[madamebaggio]

THE SAME WAY I LIKE MY COFFEE

Summary: Sansa Stark always liked her coffee hot and sweet. She finally found a guy that makes the sentence "I like my men the same way I like my coffee" real to her.

Jon snow has no right to be that hot.

Or: Sansa opens the coffee shop of her dreams, makes great friends and meets an unbelievably hot Jon Snow.

Notes: This work is complete and you can find it all here ;)

****

Intimacy was a very peculiar thing, Sansa usually marveled.

After seven months working door to door with everybody else, she felt like she’d known them all her whole life.

She wasn’t shocked anymore when Ygritte stormed into her café at 10 in the morning, growling at everybody and demanding coffee.

She loved that Margaery would offer her flowers and say she was just using Sansa’s café to promote Highgarden, but never left a card with the vases. Sansa even laughed when her new friend tried to set her up with her older brother.

Tormund’s flirting didn’t bother her anymore, because he was crazy about Brienne, who’d taken to Sansa like an aunt.

Gendry was awfully kind, helping her every time something broke around the café, carrying heavy things for her. It took her months to convince him to call her just Sansa, instead of Miss Stark, but she’d taken to him like a brother –another one.

Gilly loved making Sansa’s frilly aprons, and her baby boy was a treasure. Sam always asked Sansa if she was eating well and taking care of herself.

They were a big family and took so much care of her that Sansa did all she could to repay it as best she could.

Of course, the downside was that they were like a second nosy family and they all wanted to matchmake her with someone.

Also, she knew a bit too much about everyone’s sex life, because God forbid such a thing being private.

She even knew that Margaery had had her nipples pierced by Ygritte, and if that wasn’t way too much information, she didn’t know what was.

Ygritte had been trying to convince Sansa to get a real tattoo, because –apparently –Sansa’s “sorority tattoos” –as Ygritte herself called them –weren’t good enough.

Sansa knew that her tattoos –a small star behind her left ear and the word “family” on her ribs –might look cliché and silly to Ygritte, but she loved delicate things.

Ygritte was a great artist –she had amazing drawings with Celtic designs –but they weren’t Sansa’s style and she admitted it to the other redhead.

Ygritte had accepted that explanation, but made Sansa promise to get a decent tattoo. The Stark girl just laughed and agreed.

They made a weird group, but it was good all the same.

Her family came to visit often and Sansa couldn’t help but notice that –after some time –Robb would always bring her flowers from Margaery’s shop and that he arrived with a blush on his cheeks. She also noticed that Arya had started bringing her motorcycle to Gendry’s shop and the thing seemed to be breaking an awful lot recently.

Both Robb and Arya insisted that she was crazy and there was nothing there.

Sansa never expected that by leaving the security of her family she could have so much. Yes, it was difficult, money was short for the first time in her life. But she was taking care of herself, paying her own bills and she actually felt useful, like she was doing something.

She felt she was worth something, not just a stupid girl.

Joffrey had called her a stupid girl and so had Harry. Petyr called her that like it was term of endearment.

She was not stupid. She was showing them all.

XxX

“Hey, Red. Can you make fifty of those pink glittery cupcakes of yours by Friday?”

Sansa had given up pointing out to Ygritte that they were both redheads and it was strange for the other woman to call her Red.

It made no difference to Ygritte.

“It’s possible.” Sansa confirmed after thinking for a bit. “I thought you hated pink.”

Ygritte was one of the least girly girls Sansa had ever met. Ygritte never wore pink –or lavender and peach, for that matter. She indeed reminded Sansa a lot of Arya, and perhaps that was why her baby sister and the artist got along so well.

“I do.” Ygritte agreed, after taking a sip from her pint. They were at Tormund’s, as usual. “But it isn’t for me. I’ve got a new guy coming to work at the shop and this will be his ‘welcome party’ thing.”

Sansa snorted. “How mature.”

Sansa didn’t normally take orders, because she had –until very recently –run the café by herself. She actually loved doing cupcakes and cakes and decorating them. She was planning on having a workshop for kids during Christmas week, so they could come to the café and decorate cookies and gingerbread men.

Now that she had two people working for her, she had a bit more of time to do things like that, but she normally only did it for her friends.

Ygritte snickered. “Jon is so bloody serious and brooding.” She explained making a face. “Some pink might do him good.”

Margaery turned to face Ygritte so fast that Sansa feared she’d given herself whiplash. “Jon? Jon Snow?” She asked. “The infamous ex-boyfriend?”

Sansa arched a brow. This was a new piece of information to her, she didn’t remember Ygritte ever mentioning an ex-boyfriend, infamous or not.

“Yup.” Ygritte confirmed with a smirk.

Sansa kind of wanted to ask why he was infamous –especially because Margaery said it like it was a good kind of infamy, if that was possible –but time had taught her that she probably didn’t want to know.

Sansa sipped her Cosmopolitan and waited for Margaery to say something else. The Free Folk didn’t serve any type of cocktail –at all –but Sansa had commented once how she missed Cosmopolitans and Tormund had sighed and grumbled, but eventually Brienne made him learn how to make them for her. Margaery loved it, because she spent a long time trying to convince him to prepare anything for her, but couldn’t and now they had Cosmos.

Tormund refused to make them for anybody else and the two glasses he had and everything needed to make the drink was kept separate, just for the two ladies.

Tormund was such a sweetheart sometimes.

“Jon, you say?” The man himself spoke. “The lad with the dark hair and a mighty frown?”

Ygritte nodded.

“How come I’ve never heard of him?” Sansa finally asked.

“Don’t know.” Ygritte shrugged. “I don’t go around talking about past guys. Or girls.” Margaery snickered from her seat. “But Jon and I are still friends. He’s been around once or twice. Sam knows him.”

The doctor, upon hearing his name, turned to them too. “Who?”

“Jon.” Margaery offered.

“Oh yes.” Sam smiled. “He’s nice.”

“I’ve never met him.” Margaery informed Sansa. “Just heard the stories.” She traded a smirk with Ygritte and Sansa was defeated by her curiosity.

“Ok… What is he infamous for?” She asked, knowing she was likely to regret it.

The smirk on Ygritte’s face was positively filthy. “For how good he is at oral. Quite enthusiastic at it, too.”

Sansa could hear Sam berating Ygritte for saying something like that and she could feel how hot her face was, as she blushed.

“Ygritte!” She chided the other woman. “Seriously, what’s with you? Now I’ll look at the guy and imagine him between your legs.”

Just after she had said it she realized how terrible that sounded.

Margaery was cackling in delight and even Ygritte and Tormund were laughing, while Gilly giggled and Sansa felt her face heat up even more.

“You can always imagine him going down on you, if you want.” Ygritte offered with another grin.

“Oh my God!” Sansa covered her face with her hands, because she couldn’t believe where this conversation had gone.

Not that she was shocked, more often than not they ended up talking about sex.

She didn’t even know the guy!

“I’m offering as a friend.” Ygritte spoke, fake sympathy in her voice, as she patted Sansa in the back.

Sansa snorted before she could stop herself.

Margaery arched a brow. “Sansa… You’ve had a guy go down on you before, right?” She asked carefully, lower so only the three other women could hear the question.

Sansa refused to answer that question.

“You’re shitting us, right?” Ygritte demanded.

This time Sansa just shook her head.

She had never explained how terrible her past relationships had been. She did tell Margaery and Gilly a bit more about them, but honestly, she had softened it so much they had no idea. She didn’t want them to look at her and see the poor rich girl with shitty taste in men.

So no, no oral sex, no good sex at all, to be honest. When she’d dated Joffrey she was way younger and those things didn’t cross her mind. Harry thought it was disgusting, even though he all but demanded she did it for him. Then there was Petyr Baelish…

He had been all charming, taking advantage of her when she was fragile, still shaken because of her breakup with Harry. He was way older than her –old enough to be her father –and he had cajoled her with sweet words and promises until he managed to get her in his bed.

Then he showed her his true colors, all the promises of sweet pleasure left behind for his own enjoyment.

Sansa never felt worse than she did the morning after that night.

The three other women traded looks between them, like they were having some kind of telepathic conversation. Eventually Gilly was the one to speak, “That’s fine, darling.”

Sansa cleared her throat. “Oh, sure. My fault for having crappy boyfriends, I guess.”

Ygritte was frowning and ready to open her mouth, when Margaery cut her. “Well, darling, some nice human being invented ‘massagers’ just for that.” She even made the quote signs around the word massager. “Fantastic little things.”

Sansa was squealing with laughter and telling Margaery to shut up, but at least she wasn’t sad anymore.

It was okay, because Margaery, Gilly and Ygritte had every intention of making sure that Sansa lived her life to the fullest. And –hopefully –got laid in the process.