#waterworks. lemme tell you

[revasserium]

just: cry fly

[skzoologist]

I'm glad you enjoyed the pieces I wrote 😭💕

I had to give her a somewhat happy ending for at least one of the ideas 😭 I love angst but only doing angst and no fluff hurts too much 😓

I think the single paragraph of dialogue in 3b was probably my favorite line out of all the stuff I ended writing last night just because of the impact it made as the only dialogue in the piece ^^

Also, ORV OC doc? I'm interested 👀👀

-🐹

Ofc, they were good, my dear 🐹 anonnie!

Ah, see? That is where we differ, I don't hesitate writing pure angst lol But I get you, truly.

Yes, it was really good! A very important part in the whole thing :D

Uh, hm, lemme see. You can have this lil part, as a treat:

Nevertheless, they stuck together like glue even after the inevitable catastrophe happened. The older one protected the younger, while the younger one felt incapable. He thought he could finally be worth something, he could become someone, especially with how things have been going thanks to his ‘The ways of survival' copy. So the fighting kicked up a notch, to such a degree that even the other party members became worried and involved.

What he didn’t notice was that he was already someone. A precious younger brother, a family, a friend. The reason for Kyu’s life, why he hadn’t given up yet.

After that fateful fight, they split apart.

The younger doing his own work with his team, the older going on his own way, now alone. Abandoned.

But he only smiled as he left, as he was saying his goodbyes. Such a beautiful, yet fragile expression, his eyes losing their usual bright light.

Dokja would only regret this decision later on, how he didn’t stop his beloved brother even though he noticed his dimmed eyes and the smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Because the next time their paths would meet would be the last -for a long time-. The older one of course, kept an eye on his beloved brother, even after all this. He protected him from afar, sometimes even getting caught in the act by a team member, never mentioning it to Dokja, knowing what happened between the two. Kyu was on good terms with the others after all, being the big brother of the group. They all loved him, grew attached to him too soon, too deep.

The older brother even met Joonghyuk a few times, maybe even too much to be considered a coincidence. Especially since the man saw something in him ever since their first meeting and desperately wanted to recruit him into his own team. He considered it, but knowing he wouldn’t be able to protect his little brother if he were to join, he declined politely every time.

But he couldn’t run from that fateful day that way. Maybe if he was in the sun fish's team, but not like this.

When he saw Dokja in a hopeless situation, his body acted on its own. Even if anybody was near him, they couldn’t stop him. With his powers activated, he made his way to his younger brother like rushing water released from its dam, only to take a deadly blow in his place.

Organs destroyed, blood flowing, his eyes met identical abyssal ones.

His lips drew on a gentle smile, his slowly numbing, rigid fingers twitched, then made their way to a shocked face, caressing the pale skin underneath wide eyes.

The world around them blurred together, the loud noises stopped reaching his ears. Sometime, while he was lost in those obsidian orbs, the weight in his chest lightened, making way for the crimson painted waterworks to escape.

“Dokja, you haven’t changed a bit in my eyes. You’re still my cute little brother who covered behind my legs at the sight of strangers-He groaned a bit, hacking up the liquid that prevented him from breathing properly. -Even as a grown up you remained just as dear to me. So please, believe me when I tell you that you are important- A desperate wheeze ripped from his lungs- You have people who care about you. They see you for who you are. You are enough, Dokja… Now I know what you are thinking, how you are. But don’t– He had to stop for a second to catch his breath, his eyes unfocusing every few seconds. -… Don’t ever sacrifice yourself for others, like some hero. That is not what this world or the others need… You might save their lives, their bodies, but you’ll only leave anguish behind... How ironic, me telling you this in such a situation.. Cough ”

“Wait no, Hyung s-stop talking! I can–” “Sshhhh, it’s okay. Big brother is here. They can’t hurt you anymore.” - he made sushing motions, his hands sloppily caressing Dokja’s hair, as if they were kids again.

His head fell onto the younger one’s -when did they get to the ground?-, their identical midnight locks intertwining seamlessly into one bundle of hair, soaking up the dripping droplets from the murky sky. His hands had no more power in them to support themselves anymore, so they uselessly fell onto the ground.

He could hear sounds still, but as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his ears, he couldn’t make any sense of it no matter how hard he tried. His face felt wet; was he or the heavens the cause of it? His eyes could not make anything out of the world anymore, so he found it easier to just close them.

He was tired anyway.

So tired.

He worked so hard all his life, he could get a little rest, no? Just this once.

He was so cold, but now, a gentle warmth spread all over his body.

The harrowing ache left his chest as well, along with the agonizing headache.

His wheezing slowly stopped as he found no energy to try and take air into his vermillion covered lungs, his airways filled with thick liquid.

His time has come, and with the last cognitive power of his mind, he understood it.

He smiled.

[charonte-simi]

I seem to have a knack for making my therapist cry; whether it be happy tears, sad tears, or some other emotion. It feels pertinent to say she's Very good at staying composed and not doing this normally.

I told her that this could be one of the last sessions I get to have with her since I'm hoping to move soon and hooooo boy lemme tell ya we were both looking silly trying to hold the waterworks back this time lmao

I'm winning at therapy, this is how you do that right??

[ddarker-dreams]

Lock.. i finished Jojo part 5.. im broken.. CRYING!! It was the best part ever oh my god. Now i’ll go and read your fics i need my heart to feel joy 🥲 (especially last two episodes burned my brain BUT i ended up crying..)

I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN............... that is why i simply pretend some elements of the ending do not exist. everyone is alive and well, eating at libeccio, getting up to even more crazy shenanigans. sometimes adjustments must be made for the greater good. well, if you're reading my yan fics for part 5, it'll probably be even more depressing, but scarlet ribbons should act as a healing balm. just keep applying it once or twice a day as directed. it'll fix you on up.

[sonic-the-hedgehog-lovesyou]

They say don't meet your heros

'don't meet your heroes' I dunno about that but definitely don't share a room with them.

"Sonic! Have you seen,, my-" the twin failed fox froze watching their adoptive older.brother frantically trying to fit the prices of their brand new model plane back together.

That took three weeks to contruct. From scratch. As a model to proof the Maddie he can have a real one again.

And the waterworks began.

"MO-" tails hiccuped as he propelled back down the ladder only to be promptly tackled down into the hallway and darted up to his bed.

"Shoot! I'm sorry buddy I didn't-"

"Tails? Sonic you 2 okay up there?" Maddie called from the end of the hall her step coming closer to the still open ladder steps.

Tails opens his mouth to attempt to tell on sonic only for sonic to quickly grib a gloved hand over his mouth.

"Yeah! We're fine Mom!" He yells down the ladder before turning back to Tails.

Who in proper little brother fashion ha slicked a gross slobbery wet spot into Sonic's Glove

Yanking away his hand, "dude!" Sonic levels a stare at the fox kit. "gross!"

"Are you most certain you and the fox are quite alright up there!?" Knuckles anounces loudly as he also checks around the corner where Maddie once was.

The two of them had developed a strange, to sonic anyway, habit of talking in the kitchen while Maddie cooked almost non stop. It was near scary.

"Yup! All gooood here!" Sonic yells back.

"And the fox!?"

Sonic levels a stern look at tails before gestureinh down towards knuckles and making a praying motion with his hands.

Getting the unheard message Tails nods, sniffs his runny nose and rubs his teary eyes before yelling back a weak and sniveling "yeah" another sniff "I'll good."

Figuring the fox wouldn't lie, knuckles returns to the kitchen with Maddie.

The sobbing starts anew. "Sonic! I spent-" a hiccup "wee-WEEKS! ON THAT!"

"I know! I know I'm so sorry Tails! I rlly didn't mean to! promise! uhhh- here! lemme make it up to you! uhhhm" he frantically looked around their shared room trying to figure out what he could give the genius kit.

As Tails sobs started to pick up volume.

"Sole beanbag access for the next week?" The sobs didn't slow. "Two weeks!?"

Still no dice.

"You could punch me? Iheardonlinethathelpsotherssiblings" sonic started to panic more and more as Tails sobs continued to grow.

"ILL BUY YOU MINT ICE CREAM AND WHATEVER YOU WANT UNDER 20$ FROM THE HARDWARE STORE!"

the sobs adruptly cut off. "R-really?" Tails looked up at sonic with red rimmed eyes and matted cheek furr. "Anything I want?"

"Yeah! Just don't tell Mom I made you cry! okay?" Sonic said making placeating hand movements.

Tails smiled. "Okay!" And scooped up the broken plane and took it over to his child sized workbench to work on repairing they plane.

Okay, maybe it's not that bad sharing a room with your hero.

[jekde04]

Home

One-shot for Gruvia Day/Greige Day/Gruvia Family Day 2021

Summary: Coming home from a mission is always better when there's someone waiting for you.

Word Count: 2,483 words

You may also read it on FanFiction.net and AO3! Check out my master list for other Gruvia fics.

Tag List: @shampooneko @fbflame94 @juviaafullbuster @unvalley @gruviaftw11​ (Wanna be tagged, lemme know)

“Mommy, we’re back!”

Looking for her blue head of hair had become second nature to him, so he quickly spotted her among their friends as she stood up to gather the running Greige into her arms. He followed right after, though a lot calmer.

“I finished my mission with Daddy!” the four-year-old boy with dark blue hair exclaimed as he reached his mom, still a little breathless from running. “I made big blocks of ice for the party, and Daddy crushed them to make snow cones for everyone!”

Greige prattled on excitedly, demonstrating each point with his hands and arms and making Juvia smile. Arriving at her side, Gray put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and kissed her temple. She embraced him back, giving him a quick squeeze before letting go and turning back to their son.

Gray chuckled. It seemed like ages ago when Juvia would welcome him with a half-hug, half-tackle to the ground while shouting, “Gray-samaaaaa!” Now, all her attention was on their son.

“That’s great, darling,” Juvia told Greige as they all sat side by side, with both of her boys on either side of her. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

Gray rolled his eyes. It was so like Juvia to get worried over a simple mission of making ice sculptures and snow cones for kids at a birthday party, even though she was the one to spot it on the job board.

At first, she got really excited as she saw it as an opportunity for family bonding. But with her six-month pregnant belly, Gray wouldn’t risk it even if it was just an easy and harmless mission.

It ended up being a father and son bonding with his little ice mage apprentice.

“Relax, Juvia. As if I would let something happen to our son,” Gray answered after taking a gulp of the ice-cold water waiting for him at the table. Mira passed by and set a hot bowl of udon in front of him, giving him a light pat on the back.

“Of course you won’t, Gray-sama,” his wife answered with a smile. “But Juvia will always worry for you two. It’s just the way it is.”

She turned to Greige and held his elbow to pull him closer but was surprised when he yelped in pain.

“Greige-kun? What’s the matter? Where does it hurt?” Juvia asked in a concerned voice, trying to look for any bruise or cut on his son’s well-covered body.

Gray also turned to look at him with worry. “Did you get injured, buddy?”

“N-nothing. I’m okay, Mom,” Greige answered, squirming from Juvia’s fussing and a bit embarrassed about his outburst.

“Don’t ‘nothing’ me, young man,” Juvia said in her stern mommy voice that meant business. She rarely used it to both Gray and Greige, so both of them knew better than to defy her in any way when she was in one of her moods.

And being pregnant, those mood swings escalated tenfold.

Greige let Juvia remove his outer coat, allowing her to quickly spot the source of the problem: a scratch on his elbow. It wasn’t that deep or big, but it definitely should be cleaned, or else it would get infected.

Suddenly, Juvia snapped her head towards her husband and glared at him with her fierce blue eyes.

“Gray-sama! You said you won’t let anything happen to our son!”

Gray gulped and scratched the back of his head. All they did was make snow cones, how the hell did Greige get that?!

“Juvia, I swear, I didn’t let him out of my sight! I don’t even know where he got that,” he answered as he moved to Greige’s other side, examining the wound. “Besides, it’s just a small scratch. It’s no big deal.”

He immediately regretted his words the moment they came out of his mouth. He felt goosebumps prickling his skin as Juvia’s glare intensified.

Really, this woman means the world to him, but she could be scarier than Erza sometimes.

But before he could appease his wife, Greige said in a small voice, “This was from yesterday.”

Juvia turned to their son. “Yesterday? What happened? And why didn’t you say anything about it?”

With his head bowed, Greige mumbled something he couldn’t hear. Gray was about to ask him to speak louder when he saw him chance a glance at the pink-haired girl just three tables away from them...

And blush.

Holy Mavis.

He knew that look. He used to steal glances at Juvia with that look.

But his son was just four years old!

“What did you say, Greige?” Juvia’s voice broke through his thoughts (and internal panic), and he tried his best to focus on his son’s answer instead of his pink cheeks.

“I-I... scraped my elbow while Nasha and I were trying to hide from Aunt Lucy,” Greige answered, and Gray swore his son’s cheeks flushed some more.

Okay, he and Greige need to have a long talk when they get home. He was just four, but who knows what ideas and thoughts were running through his head now? Better nip it in the bud while it was still early.

And maybe he would tell Juvia tonight, but he had to be really careful because it might trigger the waterworks. And God knew how extremely sensitive she was, especially now that she was pregnant. Just last week, they ran out of milk, and she bawled her eyes out over it.

“Next time, be more careful, darling,” Juvia said, seemingly oblivious to what just happened and already arms-deep into her first aid kit.

Juvia had always been like that whenever he returned from a mission. She would have a first aid kit by her side and a glass of cold water and a serving of whatever the meal of the day was already ordered for him. At home, there would always be a feast.

He had to thank her failproof Gray-sama radar for always getting the timing of his arrival right.

She started dabbing alcohol on Greige’s wound while blowing at the spot to ease the pain. Greige flinched a little, but he put on a brave face while his mom cleaned his wound, his eyes traveling now and then to the nearby table where his bubbly friend was busy playing with her mom’s keys, unaware of his stolen glances.

That talk was definitely happening the moment they get home.

“All done!” Juvia exclaimed, lightly patting the band-aid she placed over the abrasion. “Now, for the finishing touches.”

She puckered her lips and lowered it to Greige’s elbow to kiss the boo-boo away, as she always did whenever her son injured himself. But just when her lips were a mere inch away, Greige saw Nasha looking at him with her big brown eyes, causing him to push his mom’s lips away from him.

“Ahh, stop it, Mom! I’m a big boy now!” Greige blurted, crimson cheeks and all.

Lisanna, who was delivering some drinks to a nearby table, smiled widely and ruffled Greige’s hair. "Aww, you are so cute, Greige-kun!" This made the boy even redder.

Surprised, Juvia locked eyes with Gray, and he tilted his head towards the table where his rival’s family was staying. She saw Nasha looking at Greige, and she looked at her husband and raised one of her eyebrows.

“Okay, Mommy understands,” she told Greige as she smiled at him and smoothed the band-aid on his elbow. “But promise me one thing, darling.”

Greige looked up at her and waited.

“Promise me that even though you’re a young man now, you won’t give Mommy a grandchild yet, okay? Mommy’s too young for that.”

Greige just continued looking at her, brows furrowed in confusion. Gray, on the other hand, almost choked on his udon and shouted, “Juvia!” at his giggling wife.

“Really, I can give Mommy a grandchild? How?” their son asked, excitement twinkling in his eyes.

Gray took a gulp of cold water before turning to his son. “Alright, that’s enough. Greige, don’t listen to your mom. And Juvia, stop putting ideas into your son’s head!”

Juvia covered her mouth with her hands. “Juvia’s sorry, Gray-sama. Juvia just thinks it’s so cute that Greige-kun already has a --”

“Greige?”

A little girl’s voice interrupted them, and they all turned to look at Nasha, who had quietly made her way to their table. Gray stole a glance at his son and saw him giving the girl the tiniest of smiles.

Just like the smile he used to give Juvia when he was still fighting his growing feelings for her.

All of a sudden, the innocent-looking girl jumped on Greige and locked his head under her arm, a mischievous smile on her lips. “Aunt Juvia, Uncle Gray, can Greige and I get some ice cream?”

“Ow! Let go!” Greige exclaimed, suddenly finding himself in a headlock with a giggling Nasha. He escaped her grip and glared at her while his mom answered, “Of course, sweetie. Just don’t go far and don’t take too long.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Nasha excitedly answered, dragging a sulking Greige after her. “Come on, weirdo. Let’s get some ice cream!”

“But I just ate a snow cone!”

“Whatever, you’re coming with me!”

Gray followed the two kids with his eyes, watching them hold hands as they made their way to their Aunt Mirajane.

That was his son, alright. Before long, he would be all grown up and meeting Nashas from different worlds and seeing snow dolls of Nasha and having enemies conjure up fantasies of him and Nasha in a perfect, happy world and --

“Relax, Gray-sama,” he heard his wife say, bringing him back to Earthland. “It will be a long time before all your thoughts would come true.”

His wife’s Gray-sama radar probably got an upgrade as it apparently developed mindreading powers now. And since when did his mind start running off to fantasy world? After all these years, Juvia’s powerful imagination must have rubbed off on him somehow.

Gray stretched his sore muscles and popped the joints in his neck. “Don’t joke about grandkids again. It’s scary.” He placed his hand at his wife’s round belly. “‘Sides, we’re not yet done having kids.”

Juvia looked at him, the most beautiful smile gracing her face. “Juvia knows. Now, get naked.”

“N-now?” Gray stammered, surprised at his wife’s sudden request. Sure, he would love to try having more kids, but --

“-- so Juvia could examine you thoroughly for any wounds. And change your bandages,” she continued, eyes feigning innocence. But he could see a small smile tugging at her lips, satisfied with the little joke she pulled.

Gray rolled his eyes and took off his shirt. He let Juvia’s light fingers explore his body and carefully remove the old gauze wrapped around his broad chest. “It’s almost healed already,” he remarked.

Juvia just continued applying antiseptic on his injury, not looking up at Gray. His wound was by no means fresh, but it was a deep gash he got from one of his missions with Team Natsu. He threw himself in front of a kid to protect her from one of the bandits, which earned him a cut over his breastbone. Good thing Wendy was with them; it could have been fatal if she didn’t treat it right away.

“Still not totally healed. Gray-sama should keep the bandages clean to avoid infection.” She looked up at him and added, “And Gray-sama should be extra careful now that our family is growing.”

Despite her steady tone, he could see her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. He remembered the first time she saw his injury and how she tried to muffle her sobs so that Greige wouldn’t think something was wrong.

Gray wiped the tears that escaped her eyes and kissed her forehead tenderly. “I will. And no matter what, I will always come back home to you.”

Juvia nodded and gave him a small smile. She wrapped fresh bandages around his chest in silence.

“All done now, Gray-sama.” She patted her handiwork and started putting all the stuff back inside the first aid kit. When she was done, she stood up and was about to return the kit to Mira when Gray thought aloud, “How come she does it for Greige but not for me?”

Juvia turned to look at him. “Are you saying something, Gray-sama?”

Gray looked at her sheepishly while scratching his cheek. “Ah, nothing.”

“Juvia’s sure she heard something about doing it for Greige but not for you. What is it?”

Gray’s cheeks turned pink. “Well, it’s just that...” He puckered his lips towards her.

“Eh?” Juvia asked incredulously. “Juvia’s not sure she understands what Gray-sama’s talking about.”

Gray sighed and picked up his shirt. “Forget it. It’s silly.”

Juvia sat beside him again, thinking aloud to herself. “Hmm. What does Juvia do with Greige that she doesn’t do with Gray-sama?” After a few moments, her face lit up. “Aha! Does Gray-sama want Juvia to kiss his boo-boos too?”

Gray’s face flushed some more, but he couldn’t help the smirk from crawling on his face. “Well, you used to do it, right? I’m just curious how come you don’t do it anymore.”

It was now Juvia’s turn to blush. She put her hand over her mouth and said, “Is Juvia hearing this right? Gray-sama wants Juvia to kiss his body right in the middle of the guild?”

Realizing what she was saying, Gray suddenly burst out, “What? No! I was just asking!”

But it was too late. Juvia’s lips were already pressed onto a scar by his collarbone.

“Does this still hurt, Gray-sama?” She then moved lower to his chest where the bandage started, and kissed it softly. “How about here, hmm?”

Gray froze as Juvia’s lips traveled even lower, now kissing his hard abs covered by his bandages. He clenched his fist as he could feel something else hardening.

“Is Gray-sama feeling better now?” Juvia asked in a sultry voice, looking up at him with those beguiling eyes, a tiny smirk on her luscious lips as if challenging him.

Oh, she was definitely teasing him.

But why did she have to look this sexy?

Around them, he could hear some of their guildmates snickering and hollering.

“Get a room!”

“They’re being lovey-dovey again.”

“Give your wife what she wants, Gray!”

He was flustered alright, but he only knew of one way to turn the tables on his wife.

He grabbed her shoulders and straightened her so that they were at eye level with each other.

“You missed a spot right here,” he said, pointing to his lips. But before she could react, he angled his head and kissed her full on the mouth.

That will teach her, he thought.

Amid all the teasing, gagging noises, and catcalls, a little boy eating his ice cream a few tables away yelled, “Eww, Daddy and Mommy are being gross again!”

***

Happy Gruvia Family Day, loves! 😘

[actionnerdgamerlove]

Do You Want Me Now - Chapter 25: Beach Week, Part One

Find it on AO3

Many, many thanks to @laughingatlivedragons for her help with this chapter - Geralt's past vacations couldn't have happened without you, my love!

“Hey Geralt,” Jaskier called from the living room, “Are you a beach person?”

She heard him hum as he came out of the upstairs bathroom. She’d heard the shower shut off, and was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs.

“This isn’t a show, Jask,” Geralt growled (without any real heat in it) as he walked down the stairs, shirtless, toweling off his hair. “Maybe I should start selling tickets,” he rolled his eyes as he said it, but he was secretly delighted. Anytime Jaskier was home and able to catch him showering, she’d wait for him to come out, just to see him without a shirt on. (She usually waited downstairs in the living room, or the kitchen; she didn’t just hover outside of the bathroom.) She never said anything; just looked at him – and it was always the same look. She looked at him like he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. No one had ever looked at Geralt like that before; not even when he was married.

“I mean, I do pay rent; is this not an amenity that’s included?” Larkin laughed, but then turned serious. “Geralt, for real though, if I’m making you uncomfortable, say the word, and it won’t happen again.”

“It’s fine,” he said while rolling his eyes, fondly. “I just – I figured the novelty would have worn off after six plus months, y’know?”

“NOPE! The effect of your physical beauty is just too compelling; I am powerless to resist.” Jask threw her hand over her forehead dramatically, leaning back.

“So, before we got sidetracked with your weird fascination with me,” the teasing note in Geralt’s voice made Larkin beam. “What’d you ask me?” he ended by throwing his towel over her head, enjoying the squawk and sputtering noises coming from under the towel. It had taken him a while to get used to the fact that Larkin just…rolled with stuff like that. He watched her pull the towel off her head, then point upstairs, then downstairs, asking him if he wanted it back in the bathroom, or down in the laundry. Geralt pointed upstairs; he’d just gotten it out. She took the stairs two at a time, and presumably hung it up on his hook in the bathroom.

Huh, he thought. Geralt wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he draped her in his towel, but return towel service was not it.

Larkin noticed the bewildered look on his face when she came back downstairs. “’Tis but a small price to pay, for the simple joy of letting me ogle you,”

“You’re weird,” he told her. Because she was. But he really liked it.

“Yep!” Larkin walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling out her phone. “Oh, so. Do you like the beach? Are you a beach person?”

Geralt felt like this was a trick question. “Why?” he asked, suspicious.

“Why do I get the feeling you think I’m going to try to do something mean, Geralt? Relax, sir. A friend of mine just said I could use her beach house for the summer, that’s all. I wanted to know if you wanted to go sometime.”

This has to be a trick, he thought. Who just doesn’tuse a beach house during the summer?

“Why isn’t she gonna use it?”

“She’s going on tour, she won’t be around. Shame, too, she’s a lot of fun.”

“Who is it?” Geralt asked, still skeptical.

“Taylor Swift,” Larkin said, like it was NBD.

Fucking WHAT.

*****

[White Wolf 6:30 PM]: Taylor Swift is lending Jask her beach house for the summer and wanted to know if I wanted to go with her.

[Eskel 6:30 PM]: Wait a minute. Taylor Swift wanted to know if you wanted to go with Jask, or Jask wanted to know if you wanted to go with Jask?

[White Wolf 6:31 PM]: Jask wanted to know if I wanted to go.

[Lambert 6:32 PM]: WAIT BACKUP. TAYLOR SWIFT? This is a joke, right?

[White Wolf 6:33 PM]: No joke, I made Jask show me the texts. Jask has a bunch of photos of the two of them together, apparently Jask stayed there for like a month last summer, before we met.

[Lambert 6:34 PM]: OH MY GOD, SHE DID. She said she was staying at a friend’s! She never said it was fucking Taylor Swift!

[White Wolf 6:34 PM]: Question still stands.

[Lambert 6:35 PM]: What was the question? Is there a question? You’re going, right? Is that the question? Do you not want to go? Why wouldn’t you go?

[Eskel 6:35 PM]: Seriously, Geralt – why wouldn’t you go?

[White Wolf 6:36 PM]: What’re we gonna do?

[Eskel 6:36 PM]: What do you do here?

[White Wolf 6:37 PM]: Nothing. Hangout. Go running. Cook. Watch movies.

[Lambert 6:38 PM]: I still can’t see you being ‘chill’, she is a literal miracle worker. Anyhoo. Do all that. At the BEACH.

[Eskel 6:39 PM]: Yes. Please go. Jas is asking you to go on a vacation, Ger. When was the last time you went on a vacation?

[White Wolf 6:40 PM]: Yen.

[Lambert 6:40 PM]: DEAR GOD PLEASE GO. I guarantee that Jas does vacations VERY differently. There won’t be an agenda every day. I promise.

*****

Geralt’s last vacation had been…intense. He and Yennefer had gone to Amsterdam for two weeks and to Geralt it had been…a LOT. Cities weren’t necessarily his favorite place in general, but throw in almost a million inhabitants, drugs and hookers EVERYWHERE, the waterworks, a literal shitton of bicycles and the mix of posh and historic – there was NOTHIING relaxing about that vacation.

It wasn’t a vacation, it was a trip. Lambert wasn’t exaggerating – Yen had actually come up with a written agenda every day, thinking it would appeal to the control freak in Geralt.

It did not. It actually made Geralt even more anxious, because it made him feel like there was a scheduled timetable they had to keep. And when Yen would dawdle, and throw off the timing of the agenda-

You can see how this did not appeal to Geralt AT ALL.

In general, his marriage to Yennefer had been intense on a level that was unsustainable for them both (hence the divorce) and he knew, he knew Jaskier was nothing like Yen, and would therefore probably vacation very differently.

But he was still kind of freaking out about it.

*****

Larkin could tell something was bothering her beloved Wolf. She’d asked him about going to the beach, and he’d just…avoided the question. That…was not Geralt’s style, AT ALL. She’d mentioned it to Lauren, her therapist, and Lauren had suggested that perhaps Geralt had had a bad vacation experience, once upon a time.

Larkin hadn’t thought of that.

Armed with this potential realization, Larkin attempted to bring it up once more.

“Geralt, would it be ok if I talked to you about maybe going to the beach again?” She asked one night as they were clearing dinner dishes. She watched his shoulders tense up.

Oh boy, she thought.

“Sure,” Geralt said, sounding utterly defeated.

Ok, WHAT THE FUCK, thought Larkin. Who hurt my Wolf with a VACATION?

“Geralt,” she started, watching him load the dishwasher, back to her, obviously uncomfortable. “You know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I can’t make you go. You won’t hurt my feelings if you say no.”

Geralt turned to face her, over the open dishwasher trays. “No, it’s not – that’s not-“ he took a breath. “Why me?”

Larkin was puzzled. “I don’t understand the question. You’re like my favorite person; I love spending time with you. I thought it might be a nice break from the farm, and school? If it being just the two of us makes you uncomfortable, I can invite-“

“Why would it being just the two of us make me uncomfortable? We live together, just the two of us.”

“Ok, so it’s not me that’s the problem.” Larkin was glad to get that sorted out; she’d worried she’d freaked him out by asking him alone.

“Of course you’re not the problem – you’re never a problem, Jask.” Geralt was looking at Larkin like she were speaking moon-man language.

“Is there a problem? Do you…not like vacations?”

“No, Jas, it’s not-“ he sighed. Larkin watched him push a lock of hair out of his eyes. “My last vacation was…not fantastic. It was very…structured. There was a written daily agenda. It was like a two-week long bad day.”

“Geralt, I don’t mean to be smart, but are you sure that was a vacation? That sounds like an extra circle of hell, to me.”

“It was.”

“Ok. So, knowing that, that isn’t really what I had in mind? I mean, if there’s stuff we want to do, we can talk about it before hand, and I don’t really think we’d need to write it down, but if you wanted to, I guess we could? Like, I’m not sure you’d really need to write down “go for a run” or “let’s go fishing”?

“Fishing?” Geralt’s ears perked up at that.

“Yeah, there’s a bunch of fun stuff we could do, if you want. There’s hiking trails, fishing, I think Taylor’s leaving me her boat, so there’s that-“

“A BOAT?”

Geralt was fully invested now. He left the dishwasher wide open and came to sit next to Jaskier on a barstool at the kitchen island.

“I mean, she is Taylor Swift. It’s a pretty sweet boat.”

“You know how to use it?”

“Yes, Geralt. Former Viscountess, remember? I got that angle covered,” Larkin said, smiling. “If you want, I’ll send you the address, and the website for the town. You can see all the stuff they have going on, it’s a really nice place – both the house and the town.”

“It’s not a city?”

“Oh, Lord, no. This place is the definition of laid-back small town. Lemme ask you this – what are your concerns, other than an agenda driven nightmare of anti-relaxation?”

Geralt snorted. That was exactly what he was worried about. “Lotta people, crowds, feeling cornered.”

“Ok. Can you give me one second to get my laptop? I have some photos I think might help.”

Larkin waited for Geralt to nod, and she hopped up and grabbed her laptop from the living room. She flipped it into tablet mode, and opened a photo album titled “Taylor – Beach – 1st year”.

“Ok, so, this is going to seem silly, but she sent me a video tour of her house, because I was nervous before going the first time.”

“How many times have you been there?” Geralt asked, sounding insanely curious.

“Last year was my third year. She hasn’t really changed much with the house since she took this video.”

Larkin pressed play, and the video showed Taylor, in all her blonde “girl-next-door” glory, starting outside a really nice-looking tan-clapboard-sided ridiculously big beach house, that looked like it was in the middle of fucking nowhere. She walked around the paved drive, showing the marshland across the road from the house, then walked up to the house, up the big front entry stairway, into a foyer the size of their living room. She continued the tour through what seemed like five separate living rooms, a massively well-equipped kitchen, several different dining areas, the 97 bedrooms, the outdoor living areas on the deck outside, and then the little walkway out to the private beach. Taylor did a 360-degree spin on the beach. There were no neighbors.

All in all, the video was thirty minutes long. There was a lot of goofy, silly good-friend stuff throughout; Taylor made up songs about the different rooms, she essentially sang the tour to Jaskier. She ended it by saying “I love you; I can’t wait to see you. We’ll have fun. I promise.”

Geralt looked at Larkin with a look she couldn’t translate. “Did you guys…date?”

“Huh? Oh, that. No. I met her shortly after the fallout of the Countess bullshit. I was…not okay. She was really kind, and a really good friend. She’s still a really good friend. No, we didn’t date.” Larkin smiled at the fond memories the video brought back. It had been a really shitty time, and Taylor, and that beach house made everything a lot less shitty.

“What did you guys do?”

“We sang a lot, we laid on the beach, we took walks, we ate – boy, did we eat, I tell you what that girl can EAT, Geralt; you wouldn’t think it to look at her but GOODNESS. It was great.”

“Why was it great?”

“It was just nice to be able to see her being herself, like, instead of the person society says she is; she wanted to eat, so she did. I did a lot of cooking while I was with her, it was fantastic. We went to the boardwalk a couple times, but we had to kind of lay low, because she’s a BIG DEAL. She has an aunt in town, Aunt Karen, so mostly the townsfolk are real chill about her being there, but sometimes the tourists are the WORST. We went out on the boat, we went fishing, and we slept a lot. Sometimes on the boat, sometimes on the beach. We got really tan.”

“That house has a lot of bedrooms,”

“Doesn’t it? To this day I haven’t slept in them all; it’s my mission in life to do that. I feel like the house keeps gaining extra bedrooms, so it’s always one step ahead of me.” Larkin turned to Geralt. “So, that’s kind of the extent of the excitement. It’s definitelynot crowded, unless you bring people with you. There’s a soundproof music room, so that’s cool. I think you’ll like that feature,” Larkin said with a smile.

“Hey!” Geralt said, sounding somewhat offended. “That was like, one time. Ok, maybe more than one time. But not a lot of times!”

“I’m kidding, big guy. You have been so gracious about my constant noise making, really. I tease.” Larkin considered the man next to her. “You know, you still haven’t answered my original question – do you even like going to the beach?”

“The way you describe ‘beach time’ is not the way I’ve experienced beach time in the past. Your way sounds much more enjoyable.”

“Did you have agendas for beach time, too?” Larkin was horrified someone would desecrate beach time that way.

“Kind of. It wasn’t relaxing, let’s say.”

“Wow. So, it’s like this. You wake up in the morning and want to go hiking? We do that. I wake up and want to lie on the beach for a while, and you don’t? I lie on the beach and you do whatever you want to do. We want to do something together? We figure it out, and do it. If there is a specific something happening on a specific day, that we want to hit? We work it in. There’s like, sightseeing we could do, but it’s not like ‘going to the oldest European city EVER and needing to see every piece of every shard of something someone really old carried from one place to another’ kind of sightseeing. There are a couple nature preserves in the area, and a lot of really good places for nature photos.”

“This sounds too good to be true.”

“Right? I am ridiculously lucky to have such a good friend. I wish she wasn’t going on tour for so long, I think you’d really like her. She’s super goofy, she’s a lot of fun.”

“What’s Renfri think of her?”

“Renfri LOVES HER. She gets heart eyes the entire time Taylor is anywhere in the vicinity. It’s hysterical.”

“Are they…a thing?”

“I’ve never asked, and neither of them has ever said. Taylor deserves privacy. I want them both to be happy. If that’s with each other, then I know they’ll have a good time.”

“So wait. You said she gave you this house for the summer – are you going to be there ALL summer?” Geralt asked. Larkin thought he sounded panicky.

“I, uh, hadn’t really thought about it. I still plan on paying rent, Geralt, it’s not like I’m moving out or anything,”

“I wasn’t worried about the rent, Lark,” Geralt said, making a face at her.

“Then what are you worried about?” Larkin asked, giving Geralt a concerned look.

“Three months is just…a long time,”

Larkin thought that wasn’t exactly what Geralt wanted to say. Larkin was pretty sure she heard “I’ll miss you,” instead. Now it was her turn to hum.

“Well, I don’t think I’ll be there for three months straight, for sure. I do think I want to go before Taylor leaves, so I can see her for a couple days before she’s gone, and I’d like to spend some time with you there, and I think I want to get my brother and sister there for a couple days, too; obviously you’re welcome for that, if you want. They love you, they’d love to see you. Other than that, I don’t really have any ‘must-do’s’ other than maybe having everyone there at the same time? Do you think Eskel and Lambert would want to come? And Aiden? And maybe Triss?”

Yes, Geralt thought. But do I want them to come, is the question.

“What about Renfri?” he said instead, noticing that she hadn’t mentioned her best friend.

“Oh, obviously Renfri would be invited at some point. But she’s already gone with me before. I’ll talk to you before I go, Geralt, it’s not like I’m just gonna up and leave without saying anything,” she paused. “And hopefully, you’d be willing to come with me, at least once,”

“Lemme think about it. I see my therapist tomorrow, I want to talk to him first. I’m serious, Larkin, I really will think about it. I do want to go, it’s just – beforetimes.

“Beforetimes.” She nodded, sadly. Larkin knew exactly what he meant.

*****

Geralt was almost able to predict exactly what Frank, his therapist, was going to say.

“So, let’s break this down. You’re afraid of two things. You’re afraid of going on vacation because vacations with Yennefer were not enjoyable for you, and you’re afraid future vacations will also be not enjoyable. But you’re also afraid of Larkin being away for an extended amount of time. Are those both accurate statements?”

“Yes.” Geralt wanted to argue about the use of the word ‘afraid’ but knew it was pointless because he was, in fact, afraid.

“Let’s start with the overall vacation idea, because I think that one might be a little easier to navigate.”

“Not every vacation is going to be like a Yennefer vacation.”

“You’re getting pretty good at this, maybe we should switch chairs,” Frank said, making Geralt smirk. He really liked his therapist. He’d been seeing Frank for four years; Frank had taken over when his last therapist had retired. He’d liked his last therapist, too; he’d gotten pretty lucky that way. Frank was real. He used examples from real life to illustrate and make parallels. He understood PTSD. He understood Geralt’s limits, and didn’t push – too hard. He called Geralt on his bullshit, in a gentle and professional way. He was a really good therapist.

“You said Larkin gave you an idea of what vacationing at this specific location, specifically with her, would be like. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“And what did she make it sound like?”

“Perfect.”

“Ok. Do you trust Larkin?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s honest. Because she’s down to Earth. Because she cares about me.”

“Do you think anything she said about this beach house, or spending time with her there, is made up, or embellished?”

“No, I don’t.”

“I gotta tell you, I’m really skeptical that she knows Taylor Swift.”

“I’m telling you, Frank, I saw the video. Taylor Swift made Jas a half an hour video five years ago singing her way through this fucking humongous gorgeous beach house. She used Jaskier’s name several times in the video. She told Jas she loved her at the end of it. There are pictures of the two of them together at this house, and other places. Jas has text messages on her phone from her.”

“Well, those could just be made up,”

“Frank. I know you googled Larkin. She’s not making this up. If anything, the HOUSE is made up, but it’s not, because there are pictures of her and Renfri, and Taylor Swift all on the couches and at tables together.”

“You have a fascinating roommate.”

“Yep.”

“Back to the vacation idea. So. How certain are you that Jaskier is telling the truth about the laid-back beach vacation of which she speaks?”

“99.9% certain.”

“And the .1%?”

“It sounds too good to be true.”

“Face it, Geralt, a lot of Jaskier sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t, because you’ve lived with her now for what, over six months?”

“Yep.”

“And there are parts of Jaskier that are NOT too good to be true, correct?” Frank asked, giving Geralt A LOOK.

“Yes.”

“But you still like living with her?”

“I do.”

“I think that brings us to our second point.”

“Joy.”

“Geralt. You knew we’d get here eventually. So. You don’t like the idea of Jaskier being gone for three months straight. How come?”

“I just…don’t want her to be gone that long. That’s a long time.”

“Ok, Geralt, I feel that it is my place to remind you that you’re safe here, you know that, and it’s ok to have feelings, here and everywhere else. Care to delve in to that last bit a little deeper?”

“I’ll miss her.”

“There you go.” Frank paused. “Ok, I’m going to ask, and I won’t push about this one. Why will you miss her?”

Geralt sighed. Yep, he thought. This is the problem.

“I love her.”

“Oh, shit!” Frank exclaimed, his face a mask of surprise. Geralt had never actually seen Frank look really, actually surprised. “I honestly thought that one was gonna take longer.”

Geralt just stared at him.

“Oh, come on, Geralt. I am not your brothers; I’m not going to bust your balls over this but even still. It has been obvious to me for quite a while, and especially since that fucking wedding what the actual fuck is wrong with her family- I apologize. That was inappropriate. Accurate, but inappropriate. Anyway. It’s been fairly obvious for quite a while that you care about her deeply. That’s all I’m gonna say. You pay me to notice things. So I noticed. Mazel Tov, man. For what it’s worth, from what you’ve told me about her, you guys are a very good fit. You’ve both dealt with some really serious shit together in the time you’ve known one another, and you’ve handled it well, both separately, and together. So, good luck, if you decide to move things in a more romantic direction. In my nonprofessional opinion, I think that will be received very well.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Geralt was feeling kind of bewildered, both from admitting OUT LOUD that he loved his roommate in the ‘Yeah, I’d kind of like to get married to you,’ way; but also that his therapist already knew about it, and thought his chances of success were high.

[slasherscream]

Oh lord that last ask with the horror movie actress was so good, is it possible to ask for a continuation, if not thats all good. Also huge fan of your work!

A/N: thank you!! if it’s a continuation you want it’s a continuation you’ll get (glad you liked it enough to ask tbh cause it’s a fun one to write). here’s a link back to part one if you missed it.

     billy loomis x reader x stu macher ft. fem!reader who is a horror movie star …. part two

                                                     ——————– 

The very first thing Billy and Stu do once they leave school that day is go and do some research on you. How did they not know who you are? They know Randy wasn’t joking because of #1. your intense reaction and #2. they bullied him for a little more information.

Billy’s first assumption since he (the self-proclaimed master of the horror genre) doesn’t know anything about you is to assume you’re either a very shitty actress or been in really shitty movies. He’s mean so he’s leaning more towards you being a really shitty actress.

Stu’s kinda just excited to have met a “super hot babe” who is famous. Although the horror movie part of that is what double peaked his interest. 

They stop by the video store and Randy’s on shift. Sure enough there are a couple of your movies in stock and he obviously hands them over (even though he wanted to binge them all tonight… #Poor Randy).

They get their snacks and head to Stu’s house ready to be judgmental assholes of course. Billy’s probably already imagining killing you because one of the movie covers is super lame and if this is a total waste of his time someone is gonna pay for it. Stu is the type to watch crappy movies on purpose, however, so he’s fucking ready for anything.

They. Are. So. Fucking. Shocked.

Billy eat your fucking heart out. 

The first movie they pick is super shitty. It’s the very first one where you’re not a kid actually (yeah you’re a regular pro and have been in the game that long) but you        you’re a shining fucking star in it. Everything else about it is shit. The aesthetic. The score. The other actors. The villain. But you’re incredible. Its one saving grace.

If it had been anyone else’s debut movie it would’ve ended their career before it began. Instead it made you shine even brighter.

Every movie they watch after that gets better and better. You’re clearly now able to pick and choose your projects and you’re picking the cream of the fucking crop. 

In almost every movie you’re the final girl, the star of the show, and they absolutely think you deserve it. They’ve never been so into a movie marathon in their fucking lives. Excited screams. Cheering! Actually rooting for you and not whatever monster or deranged killer is after you. 

Then they get to the very last movie you made. It’s recent. Came out within the year, actually, and they both realize the reason they missed it coming out (and all its stellar reviews as it’s your most popular one yet) is because they’d just begun plotting the ghostface killings at the time. They were busy okay!

And yes they did have a small, totally pointless argument over whose fault it is that they missed out on all your fucking movies.

stu: how did you not see these, man? i thought you watched cult classics too!billy: shut the fuck up she’s baCK ON SCREEN - 

They lose their fucking minds when they read the summary for this movie. Because this time Hollywood’s favorite “fresh-blood sweetheart of horror” isn’t playing the helpless heroine. This time she’s the fucking killer. 

Stu physically screams out loud because he knows it’s about to go down and Billy is playing it cool even though “I’m the only other person here, Billy who the fuck are you pretending for?”

Stu won’t stop fucking hitting Billy’s shoulder like an excited teenage girl watching Twilight for the first time. You’re his fucking Edward Cullen and Jacob Black combined. He’s going to pass out if he gets any more excited and if Billy has a bruise on his arm he’s gonna “beat the shit out of you, Stu, swear to god-”

The look on your face during the movie sometimes when you’re covered in the blood of your victims from head-to-toe? Billy has fucking chills. He’s never been more in love or turned on in his life. He’s not ever gonna get scared by a horror movie at this point but if he was         yours would be the one to scare him. Holy fUCK he’s in love.

Every-time you get a brutal kill in Stu starts screaming, “That’s our girl! That’s our fucking girl!” He has already made up his mind on this subject, clearly.

There’s popcorn everywhere because Stu keeps spilling the bowl but Billy isn’t making him make anymore because neither of them are fucking eating at this point let’s get real. They’re fucking transfixed. 

When it’s all over           and that includes watching behind the scenes shit and the gag reels for every fucking movie           they turn to each other and they just start grinning.

Killing the horror movie actress that just moved to town? Ugh, that would be so predictable! Cliche, really! Do they look unoriginal to you? 

hONESTLY they and by that I mean Billy can’t even lie to themselves about why they’re not gonna kill or hurt you. This is love at first fucking scream, baby!

If there was a song playing during this fucking moment it’d be “One Way Or Another” because they’re definitely gonna fucking get ya’. 

The next day you walk into school and it’s a fucking circus. Someone heard Randy of course and now everyone wants to get close to the Hollywood Actress among them. You can see your dreams of a little normalcy slipping down the drain and even though everyone is being oooooh so nice to you (including people who before the reveal had been acting like you hadn’t existed or even been mean to you) you feel close to tears with frustration.

Then you’re yanked into an empty classroom by two sets of hands. You’re about to lose your fucking mind honestly and you turn around swinging your heavy ass math book without a second thought. You’re out for blood.

“Whoa! Put down the weapon of mass destruction, babe!” Stu, you recognize him and do stop swinging because you know these two are friends of Tatum and Sidney. 

As soon as you stop swinging the anger fades too and you’re left with nothing but that bitter feeling of disappointment. You start crying right then and there and it’s a special kind of humiliation. At least you can experience the shame of crying at school like a normal girl.

Both the boys are panicking although Billy is better at hiding it. He’s not even putting on a sympathetic face when he puts an arm around you, he’s actually very upset that you’re upset,  “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing! It’s dumb! I’m dumb!” Your attempted brush off does not make them go away like you wanted.

In fact now Stu is pulling your hands away from your face and staring down at you like a kicked puppy. He doesn’t let go of your hands and you don’t pull them away. As much as he’s a stranger you don’t have many friends and you do actually want comfort, “You’re not dumb. Why are you crying? If you’re crying over something it can’t be dumb!”

“I’m gonna sound like such a spoiled brat.”

“Try us.” Goes Billy wearing the most intense stare he’s ever had in his life (and that’s saying something).

“It’s just that …. It’s just that I moved all the way out here to get away from all the bullshit! I just wanted to try being normal for awhile! Go to school! Have normal friends! Be a normal teen! And now because of one dumb kid that’s all gone down the drain!" 

More waterworks are happening even as Stu’s trying frantically to wipe them away while absolutely refusing to let go of your hands.

They both kinda wanna kill Randy now since he’s kinda the reason you’re crying. But if he hadn’t been such a spaz they wouldn’t know how fucking incredible you are so they kinda owe him at the moment. The dork lives to see another day, they guess.

What’s really important to them right now is you, and making you feel better as soon as possible. You’re really breaking their hearts here. 

"Why don’t we get out of here?” Billy suggests smoothly, never one to waste time or a good opportunity. 

“What?” The tears come to a slow and it’s only now you start taking note of just how much these two strange boys are touching you. Billy is behind you, one arm around your waist and the other wrapped around your shoulders. Stu is leaning all the way over you both like some sort of benevolent, concerned giant with his hands still holding onto yours tightly. 

“Why don’t we get out of here! Great idea, Billy!” Stu crows with excitement. 

“Oh I see — lemme guess, the two of you want to spend some ’alone time’ with the big shot Hollywood actress, huh?” Your tone is harsh enough that it’d make weaker men cower. Billy and Stu are the type to rise to a challenge. 

“More like you seem to be good friends of Sidney and Tatum      ” Billy starts,

“      and any friend of theirs is a friend of ours!” Stu finishes, “They’d kill us if they knew we let you run around school crying your pretty, little eyes out.”

“It’s really not because I’m famous     ?” Your voice is so small and insecure it makes them frown. 

“What’s your name again? I forgot it.” Billy jokes and it actually startles a snort out of you even as you slide your way out of their arms.

You take a breath and wipe your face, hoping to make yourself a little bit presentable at least. Finally you turn to them and nod, “You know what? Yeah      yeah then, let’s get the hell out of here.”

You don’t have to tell them twice. They each grab a hand and practically drag you out of the building, you go along easily, laughing your head off all the way. Just the fact that he’s hearing your laughter without it being filtered through a television screen is enough to make Stu laugh too. Billy’s joy is more reserved but the smile on his face is undeniable and much softer than usual. 

This is gonna be the start of something beautiful. They’ll make sure of it.

                                                     ——————–

[thecauldroncake]

Tears and Giggles (A Bucky Barnes Oneshot)

Fandom: Marvel’s The Avengers

Pairing: Dad!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Warning/s: Lil angst? Grammatical and spelling errors perhaps, but other than that, none.

Word Count: 2,077

A/N: First time writing a dad!Bucky oneshot. Hope y'all like it!

"Doll, look at me… It's alright…" His flesh thumb feeling the fat rolling tears from each flushed cheeks.

Bucky learned lots of stuff from his HYDRA days, that's for sure. Most of them become handy as he defected from the Nazi cult to be an Avenger, but one thing he still has difficulty of grasping with are emotions.

Your relationship with him started on a wrong note, with him being cold and calculating which is definitely the opposite of you. But things worked out just fine at the end, albeit it really took quite some time, but you neither him would mind going through the ups and downs of your relationship all over again if it means ending up together.

But this, this is a whole new dispute for Bucky. The little ball of sunshine he uses to play with in the morning, whose eyes replicates the blue pools he has, is now in a fit of crying hysteria. Rebecca, his one year old daughter, is a really well behaved baby, if Bucky may say so, therefore leading him dumbfounded at his current predicament.

When the baby monitor rang with Rebecca's wails, Bucky bolted up in an assassin way: by not causing any ruckus. He shuts down the monitor to prevent you from waking up from the sound of your daughter's cry and strategically positioned his pillows to mimic his body's former position against you as to not cause doubt on the sleeping you.

Bucky gently lift Rebecca out of the crib and encage her in his flesh arm. The soldier started with the essentials, he checked if Rebecca's diaper is full, which it isn't. Next is if his princess is hungry. He can't help but dread the possibility of that, he works his ass off to save the world so the least it can do to appease him is to make his whole family well-fed. To his surprise, the feeding bottle was slapped away by Rebecca's plump little hands, throwing it towards the crib.

Bucky's heart breaks as Rebecca continues to cry. The fact that he is also out-of-control of the situation makes him feel frustrated. Being mind-controlled for a long span of time makes Bucky quite keen of the idea of having a good amount of control over things and situations, but in the scene beforehand, he clearly has none.

He raised Rebecca slightly from her current position and made her head rest on his right shoulder, he sways as he hums a lullaby his mother used to sing at him and his sisters almost a century ago, trying to coax Rebecca to sleep the way he knew, but to no avail. Bucky can only heave a sigh before turning back to the door and meeting your dazy figure leaning on the doorway.

"Babe, lemme--" Your voice is still coated with sleepiness, Bucky doesn't let you finish.

"No, babe. You're tired, you have to rest. You just came from the mission. I can do this…" He walked near you before leaning towards your forehead, planting a sweet kiss on it.

"I know you can, but maybe you're doin' it wrong, babe." Your voice offers him a suggestion.

"What d'ya mean, doll?"

"Try putting her on your other arm." You softly voiced out as your hand makes it way to the scars that connect his metal arm to his body, putting a light pressure on it.

You knew he'll be giving you that kind of look as the answer crossed your mind, but if he wanted you and Rebecca asleep, this is the fastest way.

"Babe, I don't--" But you left him dumbfounded as you lift Rebecca from his hold and looked at him.

"Bucky, trust me." Your firm voice brought him back to life and put your theory to work. In an instant, Rebecca's cry faded as she snuggles on his metal arm from the layer of her blanket which you put on his arm beforehand.

To say Bucky is surprised by this new discovery will be an understatement. After fully knowing the extent of evil his cybernetic arm caused, there's nothing he can feel about it but hatred. Sure, the one he has now is from Shuri, but the marks and scars his old arm gave him still remains on his shoulder and back, therefore making it easy for Bucky to dwell on his Winter Soldier days. It's because of this that Bucky became aware of not putting everyone he loves near his arm, ashamed of everything he did with it in the past half a century.

But this, this defies everything he thought of. He couldn't wrap his head on what's happening right now.

"Babe-- Why? How?"

"I honestly don't know, hon." You caught his flesh arm and slowly pull him with you to the spare bed near Rebecca's crib, reserving it for times like this when you need to sleep beside your princess.

"I think it is the soft whirring sound and the coolness of your arm, Bucky." You hummed as you positioned yourself on his other side and trace your finger to your daughter's cheek which is firmly pressed towards her blanket and Bucky's arm.

"I don't know, Y/N… This is just too much." The quiver on his voice immediately made you look up to him, you know this is about to happen, just didn't thought it'll be now.

"I don't want anything for her to do with my arm, moreover liking it."

"Bucky, she's less than a year old," You tried to reason out.

"I know, but a time will come she'll know what I did, she's gonna hate me like--"

"And we're gonna tell her ourselves your story, Bucky. We'll let her know but not now, you don't have to worry about it now." You rest your hand over his well-sculpted torso, tracing small circles like he did when you're pregnant with Rebecca.

"But there's no denying she's gonna hate me, doll." Then the waterworks happened. Hating this kind of moment but knowing the importance of addressing them, for your family's sake, you let him talk his thoughts. He rarely does that so when he does, you just let him.

"Imagine how she'll be bullied at school. God, I knew I'll be a bad father. What was I even thinking of having a child of my own." His voice breaking him, he just let the soft sobs speak for his feelings.

"Bucky, look at me." Which he did. "The worst dads are those who leave their kids for no apparent reason. Rebecca loves you," You looked on your child who seems to be off to some great dream by now. "I love you, Bucky. Those are what matter most."

"But babe, if she knew--"

"Trust her, Bucky. I trust her to love you regardless." You hushed him with a soft kiss on his lips, careful not to rock Rebecca from her slumber.

"You can't say that, we wouldn't know how she would react if she knows."

"I can, actually. Cause I was once in that situation, wasn't I? And I looked past that. Steve did too. Sam, heck even Tony did, though sure he did made use quite some time, but he did. We all did, Bucky. Now, why won't your little princess do so?"

"You sing her lullabies, walk her on her stroller, check her diapers and milk, make her giggle like there's no tomorrow." You tucked a few strands of his hair at the back of each ears.

"Soon, you'll be playing tea parties with her, doll her up, give her a motorcyle ride around the city, bring her to school and have a petty fight about who should be her favorite Avenger." Finally, a small tentative smile appeared on his cherry lips.

"Next thing you'll know, you'll be comforting her on her first heartbreak," The hitch on his breath made you smile. "calling for a whole Avengers meeting just to get back to that jerk who broke your princess' heart. Having a discussion about her educational future, seeing her graduate, and eventually leading her towards the altar."

"Whoa, doll. Not too much and too fast." He chuckled but you saw the underlying panic on his face thinking about sending his princess away to a guy.

"Exactly my point, Bucky. There's too much to look forward to on Rebecca's life if you overlook your problem with your arm."

"But let's just say that she did? That she hated me for it?"

"Then I'll try to make her see you the way we did." Your voice is soft as you answered. "Then I'll make her remember all these time you did great things for her. I'll make her understand that Bucky Barnes, her father, is the same guy that played with her, be goofy with her, protect her, love her and is nothing like the cold Winter Soldier…" You then went back to position your head on his right shoulder, embracing his warm torso. "For now, trust us, okay? We love you." You stated warmly as you let the sleepiness catch up on your now fluttering eyes.

"I love you two more." You heard him before darkness consumed your eyesight and felt his hand pulling you closer to him.

Bucky heaved another sigh, a sigh of contentment. He knows you're right, you're always right. It would kill him not to see all those stages in Rebecca's life, he would want to be there in all of them and he knew there's no way to do it other than how you said it. Soon, he went with you to dreamland.

The sunlight was harsh and warm enough to wake Bucky. Upon remembering his predicament last night, he was careful about waking up, only to notice that you and Rebecca are nowhere on his either sides. At first, anxiety washed over him, being an assassin, he usually expected for the worse. As he helps himself up with his metal arm, however, he noticed colorful materials stuck against his originally glinting arm; magnets.

Then he heard it, a soft ruckus of toys and soft paddings of palms and knees against the floor, it's definitely Rebecca.

"Morning, baby doll." The anxiety in him immediately flushed down seeing his baby doll's smile which is warmer and brighter than the morning sun. Rebecca then giggled upon hearing the clicking of the magnets she has in her hands towards her father's arm.

"Dada! Dada!" Bucky then leaned his face towards his daughter's cheek for a kiss, tickling her with his moustache therefore pulling more giggles from the little one.

Soon afterwards, Bucky's senses caught a smell of freshly made pancakes and the soft hitting sound of the floor on a pair of feet, it has to be you approaching.

"Both babies awake, I see." Bucky pouted upon your words, nevertheless you can only laugh at him.

"Come on, old man, let's just eat these." You set the breakfast table that holds the morning coffees you made, piles of pancakes, bottle of honey syrup and a small plate of butter.

While eating, you and Bucky decided to plan for a trip. He admitted wanting to have one with you and Rebecca but is afraid to actually tell Steve. You assured him that you'll tell Steve yourself and that you doubt the 'Star Spangled Man with a Plan' would definitely say no to that. As you were talking, however, Bucky get enough of his phone chiming in with notification alarms.

"What on earth? Isn't it too early for them to huddle in our group chat?" You tried to hide the smirk making up its way to your lips as he said those and reach for his phone while you continue feeding yourself and Rebecca, occassionally.

"What the?"

As Bucky opened his phone, he noticed the group chat full of his name on it, most of it from Sam and Tony giving him teasing comments. He then figures out that it'll be best to check on the previous replies than to actually ask the team about the context of these jokes on him, only to see a clip of Rebecca laughing while she stick those magnets on her snoring Dada then sloppily hiding and giggling whenever Bucky moves.

Bucky can only look at you in disbelief and a few hint of annoyance before smiling back at the clip.

"Oh my dolls." He chuckled before saving the clip on his phone for safekeeping.

[minteapurrs]

You’re a Forest What, Now?

For the anon that needed a really weird but really drawable conversation between water nymph!lance and believed-to-be fire sprite Forest Spirit!Keith. Enjoy!

Also. I’VE HAD FOREST SPIRIT!KEITH IN MY HEAD FOR thE LONGEST?! GOD BLESS

Lance always saw Keith as a fire sprite.

 His excessive need to wear almost nothing but red and black was enough to convince him, and the mullet? Only somebody truly angry and unhappy with themselves would ever want to keep that on their head. Definitely a fire sprite. Keith also didn't talk a lot, but when he did, there was a hardness to his voice and a bite to his tongue that silenced everyone around him within seconds.

      Well, almost everyone. Because you see, Lance has an issue with fire sprites who think they run the school. His school.

 No way in hell was Keith gonna butt in and ruin the year for him. Not a chance. Not after Todd and his crazy hot-headed cronies literally destroyed the dorm he shared with the sun witch (Hunk, his best friend) and tore all of his Papi’s paper aeroplanes up into pieces.

      Did he get revenge? Of course. Did he almost get Todd, his friends, as well as himself killed? Yeah, of course. Did he get expelled? Almost, but hey, that doesn't count. The point is, after Todd, Lance held a deep hatred towards fire sprites, and nothing you could do would change his mind.

 Unless of course, you caught him trying to dump water on your head, and after you slammed a door in his face, pinned him to the floor and almost suffocated him to death, he accused you of being nothing more than a heartless good-for-nothing fire sprite and proceeded to tell you to actually kill him just to prove his point. Which, of course...is total bullshit. Why the hell would you kill him? Over a bucket of water?? Seriously???

   Why are water nymphs always so... Emotional?

  Which is exactly what ran through Keith's head right before he muttered, "I'm a forest spirit. Dumbass." and lifted himself off of the nymph, annoyed as all hell. "Not a fire sprite."

     "...You're a forest what, now?"

"... A forest spirit." Keith repeated, leaning forward for more emphasis. "I speak for the trees."

   "That's funny, you don't look so short and fuzzy to me. And you don't even have a moustache? Dr. Seuss would be disappointed."

 "Who is he? Some sort of biologist or something?"

"... Are you even from this planet?"

     Keith furrowed his brows in confusion, and if Lance didn’t know any better, he’d actually consider that Keith was, in fact, an alien. 

 But that’s another story. “Nevermind, don’t answer that.” Lance straightened up and crossed his arms, tapping his foot against the floor. “So...You’re actually a forest spirit. If that’s true--”

 “Which it is.”

“...If that’s true,” Lance repeated, “Then why are you so...so...fiery?”

   “...But I’m not?” Keith frowned softly, and he self-consciously ran a hand through his mullet. “I thought I was doing it right...Shiro said I should calm down...” He muttered under his breath, “After that accident with the lumberjacks...” 

“M’sorry, what?”

  “Nothing! Nothing, I just..” Keith rolled his eyes defensively. “I’m a good fuckin’ forest spirit, okay??” 

   “...Jeez. And I thought we were emotional.”

     Lance grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “Tell you what. I have a couple of forest spirit friends-- well only one really good one, but Pidge is pretty dope so he might as well be all of them combined...and they’re...way more chill. Maybe they can help?”

 “...Thanks. I appreciate it. But didn’t you just hate my guts about three minutes ago?” 

   “Don’t bring up the past, Woody.”

“Fine, Waterworks.” Keith offered a smile-- wow, he’s pretty , Lance thought-- and held his hand out “I’m Keith.”

  “Name’s Lance. And if you ever need a hand," He grabbed Keith's hand and shook, "at being...Not so angry,” He grinned “lemme know.”  

     “I’ll make sure of it.”

[odogaronfang]

Oh please give us a bonding green and shadow. I need some fluff between them like the " you're one of us " kind of fluff that would be mixed with a hint ( or like a ton of, oops start the waterworks ) angst. Please?????

[[oof shadow is not exactly Here for that kind of sentiment]]

“You know you’re one of us, right?”

Shadow glares at him from his perch atop the four-poster (?). “That’s a sad and tired rhetoric, Link.”

“It’s Green.”

“You want to claim title because you’re the original-” He spits the word like it’s poison- “-I’ll call you Link.”

Green wants to snap at him, but he knows that isn’t going to help anything- he’d rather Vio be doing this, he’s better at not falling for baiting, but with all the bad blood between them it’s better to wait.

“But it’s true,” He says, and it sounds pathetic even to him.

“I’m as much one of you as a wolf’s one of a litter of puppies,” He sneers. “Lemme ask you somethin’, Link. If I’m one of you, why don’t I have the same privileges, huh? Why can’t I wander the castle? Why can’t I be out of the castle walls past dusk? Why can’t I be around anyone that isn’t armed? Why do I have people watching my every step?” He waits for an answer and doesn’t get one. “That wasn’t fucking rhetorical, Link. If I’m one of you how come I’m not treated like it?”

“Well-”

“That’s what I thought.”

“You know why, Shadow.”

“Yeah, I do, so don’t keep coming in here with this bullshit! You wanna come in here and say okay, you’re a lot different and I acknowledge that, wanna offer me something more concrete than a stupid empty lie, then we’ll talk. I’m not one of you and I know that and you know that and so does everyone else in this entire fucking country.” Green thinks he can see tears in Shadow’s eyes, but the light’s so bad he can’t tell for sure, and his glare is so intense that Green’s a little scared to look closely. “I don’t fuckin’ belong here and I’ve got no fuckin’ clue why you even brought me back.”

“You could belong here,” Green suggests, as delicately as he can, and wishes, not for the first time, that he could bring Vio in to deal with this. “With time, I mean.”

Shadow laughs at that, harsh and bitter and not at all sincere. “Right. Like that’s gonna happen.”

“Well, it won’t if you’re acting like… This.”

“You really are just the epitome of bullshit, aren’t you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re one of us,” Shadow spits, in a perfect imitation of Green’s voice, “Well, with that attitude you’ll never fit in, you can redeem yourself.” He scoffs. “Bullshit. All of it. You wanna know where that shit works? It works if you’re talking to a bully on the playground. It works if you’re reading a pretty little fairy tale where the bad guy just didn’t know any better.”

Green is at a loss for words, if he’s being honest. He’d expected hostility, but not like this, hadn’t expected violent rebuttal at every attempt to help. “I’m trying to help you,” He says gently, “We all are-”

“That’s a fucking lie. You think Blue wants to help me? You think your sweet little princess wants to help me? You think Vio wants to help me? You know what I’d give for one fucking shot at that lying piece of shit-”

“Stop,” Green says, firmly, and is wholly and completely ignored.

“And guess what, bastard, you wanna think you’re Hylia’s little chosen pet, but you made my life a living hell,” He snarls (Green can think of no better words to describe it, later).

“I never did anything to you until you came here-”

“Yes you did! Yes you fucking did! Maybe you don’t know it but my entire life is your fucking fault! You know how hard it is to look like the hero where I come from? You know how fucking miserable it is to be the stupid hero’s shadow?” Green starts to speak but Shadow doesn’t let him, points an accusing finger and spits at him to shut his mouth. “You don’t! You don’t and don’t you even try to pretend you know what I had to go through ‘cause of you! I don’t even have my own fucking name because of you, you know that? I had to spend my entire Hylia-damned life literally in your shadow ‘cause that’s what I am. You lived your life being brought up to be someone, and I lived my whole life brought up to not be someone, and from day fuckin’ one I was being raised against you!”

He’s unsure what to say, whether he should, whether he can. It isn’t his fault, he knows, deep down, because it isn’t his fault he was born, but he can’t help but feel bad about it. “Shadow, look-”

“Don’t. I know you’re just trying to pity me and I don’t fucking care, I don’t fucking want it, so you can just fuck off.” Green makes no move to leave so Shadow forces it, melts into the darkness and reappears in front of him and shoves him towards the door, nearly sends him sprawling to the ground. “Get the fuck out,” He hisses, and slams the door in Green’s face and locks it.

Green stands there staring at the door for a long minute, dumbstruck. Distantly he feels the little trickle of blood on his neck where Shadow’s claw had nicked him, wipes it with his sleeve. He’s really starting to doubt that anything can be done with him.

Shadow, on the other side, is back in his perch atop the canopy, crying. (Which he vehemently denies later.)

[flightofaqrow]

no more bottles

qrow + Ruby ( @silveredruby​ )

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“Ruby, this isn’t…”

“I know what it isn’t. However I’m not gonna sit here and let you talk like that. It’s not healthy for you and no, that doesn’t mean bottle up all your feelings and don’t talk to anyone either. You can talk to us about how you feel, okay? The second you start making bold statements about how you’re the worst, everything is your fault, so on and so forth? You’re getting a metaphorical spritz bottle in the face. Biting that kind of thinking in the butt right away. Yang and I are here for you.”

“wow, Pipsqueak. all i said was bad influence. what’s all this about being the worst and everything being my fault? maybe you should be tellin’ me how you feel?”

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“Hmmph. If someone was a terrible influence, then I guess I’m a terrible person.”

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“Ruby, this isn’t…”

he lets out the absolute deepest of sighs.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“I know what it isn’t. However I’m not gonna sit here and let you talk like that. It’s not healthy for you and no, that doesn’t mean bottle up all your feelings and don’t talk to anyone either. I will call Yang and the legion of positivity. I have them on group speed dial and I will use it mister.”

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“…”

qrow is frozen. paralyzed. smushed between so many threats from so many angles he cannot even move. 

what can he even say to that?

this is, however, effectively just bottling it up anyway. perhaps, even, repressing it beneath the sudden flood of affection in his chest. (and a little bit of fear. there is always a little bit when Ruby gets her serious face on. he can never tell what’s coming next at that point.)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It seemed Qrow was either trapped in his own thoughts about his next strategy, or may have been intimidated by his niece’s game face. Regardless, said young Huntress wasn’t here for that. Nothing would bring a Grimm quicker than self grown negativity.

Ruby continued while looking a bit less threatening. “You can talk to us about how you feel, okay? The second you start making bold statements about how you’re the worst, everything is your fault, so on and so forth? You’re getting a metaphorical spritz bottle in the face. Biting that kind of thinking in the butt right away. Yang and I are here for you.”

A smile came across her face. “Besides, you’re stuck with us for life.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“wow, Pipsqueak. all i said was bad influence. what’s all this about being the worst and everything being my fault? maybe you should be tellin’ me how you feel?”

is he being dismissive? absolutely. does it still feel kinda good to laugh at his own insecurities when presented so hyperbolic by his adorable niece instead of sounding too true from his own brain? also absolutely.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Uh huh, and I know where that goes! I hear way more than you think I do, Mr. Bad Influence and My Semblance is Bad for Everyone.”

She also knew he was deflecting, but at least his mood improved a little. That in itself was progress. “If we wanna talk about how I feel, I feel you’re way too hard on yourself and need to give yourself a bit more positive credit. It makes me sad when I hear you’re beating yourself up so much and I know I’m not the only one.”

“Now, again this isn’t about me, this is about you.” Ruby continued while pointedly poking him in the chest. Your family loves you, and we’re going to help you get through all this, but no more bottling things up and making yourself out to be the bad guy. There are actual bad guys out there, and you aren’t one of them, okay?”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Geez, okay, okay. slow it down, kiddo.” seriously, it’s overwhelming. Ruby always did want to tackle every problem head on and save the world in one fell swoop.

hands raise, defensive, not stopping her, but asking for space. trying not to bottle things up doesn’t mean he can suddenly pour his entire soul out. “I hear what you’re sayin’. …but one thing at a time, alright? this… this isn’t easy.”

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She was about to go through another round of lecturing, but the surrendering body language of her uncle got her to take pause. Ruby briefly looked away for a moment, letting the momentum stop. Perhaps she had been a bit too much.

“Yeah, I know… it’s just…” Her gaze returned back to Qrow. “I don’t want to lose anyone else, or have you just up and disappear. I’m always worried about that.”

Ruby had always been worried about that. Ever since she really understood how dangerous his work was.

“Can you promise me you’ll work on it though? And I won’t be so aggressively on your case? Well I’ll work on that, it’s kind of a force of habit…”

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qrow can breathe again, but at the cost of Ruby looking so very sad. her eyes were always meant to shine, but not like that. not from the shimmering of tears. he wishes he could say he’s never just disappeared, not without telling her and not without coming back, but there’s a time or few he got too caught up in himself or his work. it would be a lie.

one of those many things he’s trying to be better about. but he also knows that kind of loaded statement isn’t just about him.

“Ruby…” hands pull from being out at his sides to hold onto her shoulders, “i’m right here, huh? i’m not gonna disappear that easy, come on now.”

one touch leaves her to run through his hair and scratch at the back of his neck, “i promise. i’ll work on it. i am workin’ on it. talkin’ about not feeling right is the first step, right? lemme,” he sighs, trying to let his chest release all the demons which dwelled there, little by little, “lemme get used to that much to start. then we can worry about …how to change it.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Ruby didn’t realize her expression had taken on such a sombre tone. Shifting to a smile, she looked back at Qrow as he spoke. There was an effort being made and she could be happy with that.

“Right… well we won’t let you disappear either.” She reassured. “I’ll hold you to that promise. Talking is good… I get sarcastic deflection every now and then but there’s a time for talking. I’ll work on not jumping on you. I’ll try really hard.”

There had been many vacancies made in her life, and Ruby felt like there wasn’t much of anything she could do, despite some of her best efforts. Her first ones were far out of her hands, but recently they were. They slipped through her fingers, she never felt she was good enough. At least, not yet.

Her eyes began to betray her smile as a single tear fell. Ruby was quick to react, grabbing a corner of her cloak and bringing it to her face.

“Geez, talk about getting stuff in your eye huh?”

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“yeah, yeah. i already promised.” this is about all the calling out he can handle for one night, even if it is from Ruby, and he trusts her best of intentions.

it really is incredible how she can look like the wisest soul in one instant, and then go right back to being in the single digit years and ready to bust out in the waterworks. not that those had been her happiest years…

both qrow’s brow and the corner of his mouth pop up in a smirk, “somethin’ in your eye, huh? here lemme help with that.”

he grabbed the unclaimed parts of her cape’s hem and pulled it around, burying her whole face in it and fluffing-fabric covered hands around her cheeks, eyes, and hair.

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Moods were beginning to settle and the tension was starting to give way. There wasn’t more to say on the subject, they were both going to try and that was that. Ruby had looked away for one second, confused by what Qrow meant by ‘helping’. Unfortunately this was one time where her ability to react quickly was not at the forefront of her mind.

All Ruby saw was darkened red, and felt the onslaught of her uncle messing with her hair in a firm but gentle grip. Everything was muffled chaos as her arms tried to find a weakness in the fabric barriers around her face. Qrow was met with tugging, flailing hands and muffled cries and giggles.

After a minute or so of the playful pranking, Ruby wrestled part of her face free. “Qrow! That’s cheating! Against cloak code rules!”

Her lack of long arms and Qrow’s cloak being tattered and short did not make this an even playing field.

“Well I see someone is feeling a bit better.”

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“hey, i invented the cloak code! i can bend the rules if i want to.”

it dawns on him that he’d gone from incomprehensible sulking to laughing at his niece in less than an hour. Ruby did tend to have that effect on him. Yet she had gone from a burst of sunshine to wiping away tears. he eases up on his ruffling, but leaves his hands on the sides of her sweet face, “i am. thanks, Kiddo. but what about you, huh? sounded like you maybe had more on your mind.”

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“And you keep saying you aren’t that old.” She sassed, sticking out her tongue at him followed with a smile. Ruby was now free from her fabric prison, but Qrow still had a gentle hold of her.

“I mean… when don’t I have something on my mind? Honestly I’ve kind of forgotten the initial thought. Just… too much in a short time. I almost miss worrying about the stupid cliche stuff. You know the ones movies tend to exaggerate in all those high school drama’s and terribly written romance movies? Never thought I’d say that.”

Those movies were never watched because they were good. Ruby and Yang dared each other to watch those awful pieces of film and see how long the other could last. Truly she missed those days.

“I’m getting by as much as a teenager can.” Concluded the girl with a stiffened nod, realizing she couldn’t do that too well. “… are you gonna give me my face back?”

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playful glee pinches red eyes into a daring glint in return taunt to Ruby’s tongue, “don’t have to be old to be an authority.”

his niece looks almost like a little chipmunk, spilling thoughts she’d been holding in under puffed up, scrunched up cheeks, releasing as he squeezes. he remembers having that exact conversation with one of his own mentors once upon a time. ‘it’s all one big mess, ain’t it? …things used t’be so much simpler.’

“yeah, kiddo. i do know,” a scratched mumble of understanding tumbles from tight lips as he releases her upon request. he wishes he could give more than just her face back. he wishes he could have bought her more time before her whole life became not only more complex, but immediately came crashing down around them. literally, in the case of beacon.

he can feel his frown, his eyes, his mouth, his mind sinking, down, down, down into and past the floor, right back into familiar spirals. he can’t allow it, he won’t, not after Ruby worked so hard to uplift him. the best he knows to wrestle something he can’t drown with a bottle is to throw it into a task, “…anythin’ i can do to buy ya some good ol’ quiet comic time?”

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“Buy an eighth day of the week? Don’t tell anyone about it?”

A wistful need veiled in a joke. If this ever ended, Ruby was going to do her best to not complain about anything ever again. Perhaps yelling at appliances that didn’t want to would would be an exception.

“Really though…” She pondered a moment, deciding on something simple. “I can’t remember the last time we had a sit down with burgers and fries. No idea where to get that in Mistral though.”

It was time to enjoy those simple things while they all could. The small breaks in trying to save the world. No one knew what they were doing either. It was a secret to be kept, and only to be given to the most trusted. Figuring out who to trust was dangerous.

Not something fit to be in the hands of someone so young.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

qrow chuckles light once more, “can’t say oz gave me any time magic t’promise somethin’ like that.” hands tuck into pockets, willing to dig up whatever he could to try. though, checking that his wallet still sat in place there and ruffling fingers discreetly through to make sure he had some cash on hand made for the extent of the list.

“now burgers, i can handle.” maybe. to Ruby’s standards, anyway. sometimes the simplest things became easier for bad luck to screw up. let his be the burnt patty or soggy fries, if it must. let her have this.

he’ll try. he’ll keep trying. if only to see her smile through all the responsibility he never could save her from.

“and i know a place we can sneak out to. just you and me. if we’re quick about it…”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

(part 2, basically)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Is she judging the thighs? The self deprecation? Potential skirt wearing? Who knows? Only she does. One thing for sure though, she did in fact forget breakfast this morning.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“don’t give me that face. it’s called learnin’ to laugh at my insecurities!”

he’s still trying. unlearning a lifetime of self-talk is hard, Ruby.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Ruby gave him a stern look, complete with a long ‘hmm’ before relaxing her expression. Qrow was trying, and she couldn’t invalidate the effort. After all she did promise to not be so… aggressive.

“Alright, you get a pass this time. If you haven’t denounced any compliments today.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

if Ruby weren’t a huntress, qrow wonders if she could be a therapist. she’s sure got some behavioral conditioning down pat. he hasn’t been this wrapped around her finger since she was four and learned what the word scythe meant.

“haven’t gotten any. tell you what, kiddo. why don’t you toss one my way? for practice.”

go easy on him, fam. or he might just fall apart instead of shoot it down.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 

For practice huh? Ruby could do that. Granted she couldn’t be sure if Qrow was being entirely truthful, but her uncle was also never in a position of lying to her either. If he did it was always some alternative truth. Regardless, she was given an excuse to make her uncle happy.

Not overdoing it was the difficult part. Ruby could go on hour long tangents if people let her. “Well, you’re looking brighter than normal. A bit better rested and some of the gloom has gone away a bit. Maybe it’s the new vest, mister-fancy-filigree-pattern.”

A bit of cheeky humor always made things easier to digest.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 

ugh. she hardly even has to say anything when she looks at him with the eyes. the adoring eyes. maintaining eye contact becomes test one already. why does this feel like he’s been transported to finals week at beacon?

he preens somewhat, smoothing down the sleeves she comments on, “yeah, well, it’s atlas. the stylists insisted on a little bit ‘a fancy. helps the image, i guess.”

oh no, that was deflection, wasn’t it? the truth, but still the wrong answer. he can see it already in the threatening scrunch of Ruby’s nose. get up, dust off, try again. it’s what being a joke has taught him in life.

“but, uh. thanks. i think i pull it off pretty alright. an’ i have been sleepin’ better. it helps.”

[markiplier-bonjur]

Just Close Your Eyes

Pairing : Tyler X Reader

Request : Can I ask for a Tyler x reader with your favorite fanfic cliche? I'm curious and it would be cute

Warnings : fluffy, nightmares, minor character injury, Coulrophobia (fear of clowns)

A/N : Before you ask, yes I am terrified of clowns but I still had a ton of fun writing this, probably more than I should've... Enjoy!

Your heart pounded against your ribcage. The carnival lights flashed happily against the thundering sky. You knew they were here, but it was the anxiety of not knowing where. Lightning split the sky. Your knees threatened to give out as you took shaky steps forward. Music from the carousel played through broken speakers, the happy tune coming out distorted and grainy. 

Laughter bounced around you. You couldn't feel your fingertips. A hand clamps down on your shoulder, punching the air from your lungs. Your fear-ridden brain couldn't focus enough to tell you to run or turn around or even breathe. You stood there, completely leg locked. The hand left your shoulder, but you didn't dare move. You closed your eyes tightly, a dull ache quickly setting behind them. The laughter grew louder. 

Your legs were going numb, slowly crawling its way up from your feet, as if you were slipping into ice water.  The nothing slithered up your calves, working past your knees into your thighs. A pair of hands quickly slipped beneath your arms, holding your weight for you. 

"Please lemme' go," you mumble. Your tongue felt as if was about to fall down your throat. You open your eyes, tears springing in the corners. The makeup drowned face stared back at you. It's eyes were an unnatural purple, glinting deviously in the carnival lights. 

The beating of your heart slammed through you. The numbness coursed with your blood, now losing the feeling in your chest and stomach. It's hands slowly slip up your arms, cradling you face with a wicked smile plaguing its face. You squeezed your eyes shut again, feeling the tear fall down your face.

"What's wrong, Y/N?! We're just havin' some fun!" It cheered loudly. 

You tried shaking your head. "This isn't fun," you whispered. 

"Sure it is!" Water splashes against your face and you yelp. "See!"

"It's not fun," you cry softly. 

It growled and pushed you away. "Do you not like me?"

You bit your tongue. Hands connect with your shoulders, effectively pushing you to the ground. Ripping your eyes open, you try and catch yourself, but only make yourself land on your arm at a twisted angle. You scream upon contact. 

Letting your back hit the dirt beneath you, you cradle your arm against your chest, sobs racking your body. Fingers ghost over your arm and you try pushing yourself away. You turn your head, pressing your cheek into the ground. 

"No, please," you plead breathlessly. 

"Do you not like having fun!" It was more of a realization than a question. A foot crashes down on your stomach and you cry out at the sudden pressure on your insides. 

"Y/N!" Your name sounded muffled, like you had stuck your head underwater. A kick to the face. You roll to your side with the non-injured arm, spitting out blood. It pulls you to your back again, pressing down on you arms. You scream hoarsely, hot tears blending with the blood on your face. 

It takes hold of your shirt, pulling you eye level. You grip its arms, thrashing wildly in an attempt to break free from its grasp. "Please, don't hurt me!"

Y/N! Wake up!" It was clearer this time. "Y/N! Come on! Wake up!" 

You bolt upright, sucking in a lungful of air. Sweat drenched your hairline. Your eyes searched around frantically for the clown. 

"Hey, Y/N," someone cooed, "Y/N, it's okay. I'm right here." You couldn't breathe properly. A car horn outside made you jump, whopping your head towards the window. "Y/N, look at me," they say softly, cupping you face. You clutch their wrists as they slowly pull your line of vision to their face. 

"Tyler," you breathe. His hair was a curly mess, practically thrown atop his head with no interest in taming it. His eyes searched your face. 

"Good," he praises gently, "you're okay. I'm right here."

Another tear slips down your cheek unwillingly. Suddenly a typhoon of sobs escape your mouth. Tyler wraps you in a hug, holding you against himself tightly. You grip his shirt for dear life, feeling your knuckles brush over the muscles in his chest through the fabric. 

You must've cried for half an hour, Tyler never letting you go. Even when the waterworks ran dry, he kept you close to him, whispering soothing words into you hair. 

"Would you like some water?" he mumbles softly. You shake your head. "No, ‘m okay." 

He nods and rests his chin on your head. As you sat there with your ear against his heartbeat, you slowly felt your eyelids grow heavy. So when your breathing evened out and you fell slack against him, Tyler sighed with a smile on his face and awkwardly shuffled to lay you down. When he had pulled the blankets over you again, your eyes fluttered open sleepily. 

"Tyler," you whisper, "stay."

That one little word shouldn't have made his heart jump, but it did. He nodded and slipped under the covers with you. He tried leaving space between you and him, but you curled yourself into his side, breathing him in. Had you been awake, you would've teased him about the tips of his ears turning bright red, but as your lips twitch into a smile, he couldn't help but smile himself. He wraps an arm around you and pulls you closer. 

You hand came to rest on his chest. He watched it rise and fall with each breath he took. He brought his empty hand to rest on yours. Your fingers absently tangled themselves with his and his heart swelled at the action. 

He presses a kiss to your head. "G'night, Y/N."

[sagechan]

2 , 6

2. when was the last time you cried and why?

last night. I was watching avatar the last airbender, season three, episode 13 “the firebending masters” where Masters Ran and Cha reveal the true secret of fire to Zuko and Aang, which is that firbending is life, not destruction, and man lemme tell you when those beautiful dragons come outta their caves and bestow the gift of fire on those two smol boys, and Zuko’s rage finally fades and is replaced with all the swirling energy of a thousand suns, and Aang feels the warmth and the love and the life that is firebending, and he no longer fears it, and Zuko says so softly, “I understand” cuz he does, he fucking finally does, boy I die. waterworks. every damn time.

6. how is your life different now from two years ago?

Gayer.

lmao no really, it’s pretty good. I’ve been practicing so much and doing so much work on my writing, I really feel like I’ve made a lot of progress. I have good friends I can trust and love, and they love me back (I think :’) thanks social anxiety), and 2017 is just gonna be A Year of Good Things. I’m gonna make it one.

Put a # in my ask!

[esthermeronobaro]

Caminante: A Broken Heart Mixtape

Originally published in The Tempest.

I’m an American. Not in the nationalist sense of the word – #FuckBorders – but I don’t know how else to describe my snotty attitude, self-righteous imperialist tendencies, and the Pavlovian patriotism that surfaces every time I see fireworks.

Unfortunately, the United States is that annoying friend who’s always saying “prove it,” and I’m undocumented so I can’t, and now our relationship’s complicated. The fact that I’m months away from getting a Green Card is making it even weirder. After 18 years away, I’ll be able to visit the country I was born in – the Spain that kissed me goodbye and told me to write – to face the shame of never looking back. Boohoo.

In preparation to make peace with España and figure out if there’s any of it left in me, I sheepishly WhatsApp-ed my cousins in broken Spanish for something to help me connect: their favorite musica Española. It didn’t go well. Apparently reggaeton has infected the whole world, and I’m the only Hispanic who wants to drown it out with down beats. So I put my research skills to work and curated a mixtape of music from Spain that speaks to my broken heart, still figuring out which side of the Atlantic it belongs to. I can’t even cry in Spanish, ya’ll.

1. “Adíos Mi España” || La Shica

Voy a morirme de pena viviendo tan lejos de ti. 

“I’m going to die of regret living so far from you.” There’s nothing subtle in this unforgiving piece of poetry originally written for Antonio Molina. It’s hard to imagine who I’d be and how I’d be living if my parents had never brought us to the U.S., but I do it sometimes anyway – there’s a lot more tremolo-backed romance in that life.

2. “Pequeño Vals Vienés” || Sílvia Pérez Cruz

Dejaré mi boca entre tus piernas, mi alma en fotografías y azucenas…

“I’ll leave my mouth between your legs, my soul in photographs and lilies…” This song is the musical embodiment of that kind of loopy-crazy feeling you get when something really bad just happened and all you can do is laugh. It doesn’t make much narrative or grammatical sense, but the desperation and hysteria are definitely not lost in translation.

3. “Ahora Que La Mierda Ya Me Llega Hasta Los Ojos” || Espaldamaceta

Y has venido guapa con los ojos inundados de cosas que has vivido sin estar yo a tu lado.

“You’ve come pretty with your eyes flooding with things you’ve lived without me by your side.” I think of my mom when I listen to this one. I moved to the U.S. at age 3 and am returning to Spain as a pseudo-tourist – it’s a whole other heartbreak when you leave somewhere that raised you, and return after 20 years to find it continued on without you.

4. “Palabras Para Julia” || Paco Ibáñez

Tú no puedes volver atrás porque la vida ya te empuja como un aullido interminable. 

“You can’t go back because life pushes you like an endless howl,” is the opening line of this little ditty. Cue the waterworks. And then stop, ‘cause Paco (and José Agustín Goytisolo, who wrote the poetry) says there’s no use crying at a blind wall – the object of life is love, friendship, and the dignity of all. Gotta love those humanists.

5. “Con Toda Palabra” || Las Migas

Me entrego a tus brazos con miedo y con calma.

“I deliver myself into your arms with fear and calm” pretty much describes what I imagine my reunion with my family will be like, and after begging for tips on Spanish music, they can probably smell the desperation for acceptance across the Atlantic. I’ll just tell them it’s a popular American scent…

6. “Lluvia” || Mala Rodriguez

La lluvia se lo va a llevar todo, uno o otro modo, poco importa si miras desde arriba del todo. 

“The rain will take it all, one way or another, little matters when you’re looking down from above.” As a mid-low-profile immigrant with heaps of white/European privilege (my brother took all the melanin in our family), this is a good reminder to have some perspective and stop being such a whiny baby. I reserve the right to cry in my bedroom, though – lemme know if you want to collect my lluvia of white tears.

7. “Desorden” || Maria Rodés

Vuelvo a pasar por el camino acostumbrado, sin acordarme que es el camino equivocado.

“I keep going the way I’m used to, forgetting it’s the wrong way.” One of the toughest parts of breaking up, romantic or otherwise, is undoing the patterns of thought and behavior that were once comfortable habits, now turned painful memories. The last time I was in Spain was a bit traumatic, and on the surface my brain totally gets I’m returning under different circumstances, but when I lose control to my subconscious, it takes me down a dark, familiar path.

8. “Quebradizo y Transparente” || El Hijo

Ella busca el amor perfecto, a veces cree encontrarlo al mirarse en los espejos. 

“She looks for the perfect love, and sometimes believes she’s found it in the mirror.” This line sunk my heart to my toes. When I came out as undocumented, I thought I had finally found a place I fit in with the immigrant rights community – but I’m not Latinx enough for them, and I’m not American enough for America, and I’m not Spanish enough for Spain. Just gotta love myself, I guess.

9. “No + Llorá” || Bebe

Y hay algunas [canciones] que nadie jamás quiero que comprendan porque son pa’ mi na’ ma’ pa’ mi corazon, pa’ mis pensamientos pa’ mi reflexión, pa’ mi. 

“There are some songs that I don’t want anyone to understand because they’re just for me, for my heart, for my thoughts, for my reflection, for me.” I’m looking forward to sharing my journey back to Spain, maybe with you! But as Twitter happy as I am, I hope to keep some things between me and the sea.

10. “Cantares” || Joan Manuel Serrat

Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar, golpe a golpe, verso a verso.

“Wanderer, there is no road, the road is made by walking, blow by blow, verse by verse.” My mom used to sing this song at the top of her lungs, unfortunately, but the beautiful poetry of Antonio Machado rings true. It reminds me of an even more relevant version of the phrase by Gloria Anzaldúa, “Wanderer, there are no bridges, you make them by walking.” Did I say #FuckBorders yet?