#whoo this took a while and a lot of hand cramps

[askhotelmanagementau]

Repost on the RIGHT account

[jeon-googi]

Flower Boy

— pairing: (ATEEZ) San x Reader

 — genre: slice of life, Barista au

— words: 3k

— rating: SFW

— warnings: none~

— notes: HELLO! It’s been awhile, and I am so sorry for my lack of posting and writing. A lot of stuff has happened, from me graduating Uni early (whoo!), to a few deaths in my family, life has really gotten to me. It makes me very happy to see so many people still liking and reading my stories though, so thank you for all the kind comments and tags! I have a few stories in the works including a spin off of Soulmate! Until next time! (I rewrote a part of the ending and wanted to start off fresh with this so I hope you don’t mind!)

-

 You smiled triumphantly, finally finishing the last stretch of your midterm paper, stretching your arms out in front of you in your cramped work space. It was nearing Spring Break and that meant the amount of school work was becoming borderline atrocious. Luckily, you planned well enough and weren’t experiencing the detrimental study cram like your roommate Irene. 

“Irene c'mon you have to take a break!” You stood up, walking to her side of the dorm which somehow was even more destroyed than yours. Irene groaned as she rubbed her face, leaning back into her chair.

“Yeah a break would be nice…” she mumbled, her eyes red from lack of sleep. You smiled as you pulled her up trying to think of somewhere the two of you could go for a small break. 

“There’s that new cafe nearby! The one Seonghwa from Psych works at?” You offered, gently tugging on your shoes near the door. Irene nodded as she followed suit, tugging on a light jacket. One of your friends from psych, Seonghwa, and a gaggle of his rowdy friends all somehow landed themselves a job at a new cafe by campus. 

“You and Irene should totally come! Drinks on me.” He had offered one day.

The walk was short and sweet, the trees on campus starting to bloom gorgeous blossoms and the light sunny air put a pep back in both you and Irene’s steps. The cafe was a modern looking place, flowers adorning the outside patio. You also noticed the abundance of well dressed girls that filled the place as well. Shaking your head, you pulled the door open for both you and Irene, the bell above alerting the bustling baristas to your presence.

“Welcome to Cafe- Oh! Y/n and Irene! Welcome!” A boyish laugh sounded from behind the barista bar as you spotted Seonghwa’s tall figure operating the espresso machine. 

“Hey Seonghwa!” You waved back as did Irene, filing into the line to the counter. From your spot, you could also spot familiar faces of his friends, Hongjoong his red haired best friend, and Yeosang from your literature class. You could understand now why so many girls were filling the small cafe, everyone here was absolutely gorgeous. You finally reached the counter where another boy leaned, making conversation with every customer, his figure so tall he had to lean down to operate the ipad for orders. Your heart sped up a little as you gave a wave to him, a large smile breaking his face. 

God he was hot.

“Hey your Y/n right? Your friends with Seonghwa?” He asked, cocking his head in a boyish manner as he spoke to you. You nodded a bit lost for words, “Yeah and you’re...you’re San right?” You winced, hoping you got it right. He nodded happily and grinned, “That's me! Now what could I get you?” He asked with a sly wink. You fumbled for a quick order, something along the lines of an iced latte. As you reached for your card, San reached a hand out to stop you, his large hands surprisingly soft.

“No please it’s on me.” 

You went to argue but he quickly passed the order to Seonghwa who shrugged and motioned you and Irene to a nearby vacant table. You and Irene quickly took your seats at the table, trying to ignore the glances of jealous girls at your interactions with the guys. 

“They sure have a crowd going.” You mused, smiling as you spotted some of the waiters entertaining groups of girls. Irene nodded in agreement, her eyes particularly locked on the back on Yeosang’s head. You nudged her and she bashfully laughed it off, the two of you getting lost in conversation before a cough broke you both away. Again, San stood before you, grinning as he held two iced beverages he carefully placed on the table. You both thanked him gratefully as he kneeled down, placing his elbows on the table.

“So ladies what's the plan for today?”

It seemed to be in the cafe’s style that all the baristas and servers would make small talk with the customers, which you didn’t mind of course. You and San unexpectedly went back and forth, travelling from topic to topic. You found yourself getting lost in conversation with each other enough so that Irene interrupted the two of you. 

“It’s getting a bit late isn't it Y/n? We still have some studying to do.” Irene said smugly, sliding her jacket back on her shoulders. Your eyes grew wide as you glanced at your phone, noticing you had been talking for a good while now. 

“Oh shoot yeah, sorry San, I didn’t mean to keep you from your work-”

“No it’s no problem I had fun.” He brushed off your apology with a smile. You and Irene quickly gathered your belongings to leave, giving the baristas one last wave before exiting.

“Wait Y/n!” You heard a call from inside, stopping you in the middle of the door.

“Hm?” You asked, turning back to see a grinning San behind the counter.

“I work Mondays, Wednesdays, and the weekends. Come see me again!”

The hoots from the other boys behind the counter was enough to make your face turn a slight shade of red,

 “We’ll see!” you called back before closing the door behind you. 

After large study periods and quite a few tears, midterms passed as quickly as they began. The refreshing feeling of knowing you had an entire week to yourself was pure bliss to say the least. Irene had planned a trip with a few of her friends, and of course, felt terrible you wanted to stay on campus.

“Y/n c'mon it would be so much fun!”

You shook your head, “It’s okay Irene go have fun! I’m going to just relax here and do absolutely nothing.” you admitted with a content grin. She shrugged, and before you knew it, you were left alone. With so much spare time on your hands, you weren't sure what you wanted to start with. You had a few books you wanted to read, some recipes you wanted to try...or, you could also swing by San’s cafe as well. It had been awhile since you first visited and you couldn't deny the lingering effect he had on your mind. His black hair, smile, the way he rolled his sleeves up when making drinks. A blush stained your cheeks as you shook your head, 

‘Here you are, thirsting over some guy you met once.’

But hey, one visit wouldn’t hurt right, and it just so happened to be the weekend. 

Packing up a small tote bag with a book, your notebook, and a few pens, you headed out down the scenic route to the cafe. The flowers were even more in bloom than the last time you were there, gentle white daisies and yellow poppies. There was another tall man conversing with a family on the front patio of the cafe. He noticed you walk up and gave an energetic wave.

“Hey your Y/n right?” He smiled, a cute golden retriever air about him. You nodded, adjusting the bag on your shoulder, “Yeah, your in my stats class right? Let's see... Yunho?” 

Yunho nodded happily, a large dopey grin on his face, “That's me! To be honest you came in on the perfect day-” Yunho politely excused himself from the family to make his way closer to you, your height differences astonishing this close. 

“What do you mean-” You were about to ask before Yunho hushed you,  glancing back towards the cafe and pushing you behind the cafe's hedge, out of the window's line of sight. He surveyed the front of the store before blowing out a breath.

“Whew alright he didn’t see us.” He said relieved.

“Who didn't see us?” You asked, also trying to peer your head over the bush.

“San. Ever since you came in, he has been looking forward to seeing you, and well, it’s been awhile since your last visit and he’s kind of depressed about it. Today has been the worst, but as luck would have it, you’re here!” Yunho rushed out quickly, giving you a smile of encouragement. You were a bit confused to say the least, but also a bit surprised. 

“He wanted me to come back that bad? I thought he was just being nice-”

“San is nice to everyone, which makes him pretty popular. But the way he stared at you from behind the counter said it all.” Yunho admitted. “I’ve known him for awhile, and I’ve never seen him act like this. If you're not interested it’s totally fine I just wanted to let you know this will really make his day.” With a reassuring pat on the shoulder, Yunho went back to entertaining the guests on the patio, leaving you with a pounding heart. It would be a lie to say it didn’t make you excited, you mean, you did find San very attractive and kind as well. 

‘Lets just see how this goes..’

You walked back to the patio, opening the door gently, the bell alerting your arrival. There was no line like usual, so you had a clear shot from the door to the counter. San was behind the counter again as well, but his back was turned as he was finishing up some drinks for the few other customers inside. You approached the counter with a smile as you waited patiently for him to finish. He quickly turned around, not entirely too focused on who it was before him, but rather typing quickly on the Ipad. His voice was not in his usual tone as he started, “Thank you for waiting, what can I get started for you?”

You laughed brightly before moving yourself closer to the counter, his face being a few heads higher than your own so you could look up into his eyes, 

“Hi San.”

San jumped back with a yelp, a few towers of paper cups falling with his flail, “Y/N? What are you doing here? Today? You showed up-er- here wow uh..” He stumbled over his words, a bright red flush dusting his cheeks. You couldn’t help the laugh that trickled out of your throat. 

“I finally finished my midterms, sorry I wasn’t able to make it in sooner.” You apologized. 

San shook his head quickly, “No no no don’t apologize it’s totally fine-” his hands nervously ran through his hair, pushing it back away from his forehead. 

“I’m just glad-” he stopped to clear his throat, “I’m just glad you came back in.”

You smiled at that. San had a way of being so earnest, even at times like this.

“This time I am paying for my drink Mr.” you warned, already pulling out your card. San’s usual grin graced his features again as he held his hands up in surrender, “Fine you got me this time.” 

You ordered another iced drink, and took a table near a large window within the shop, the sunlight not too harsh yet still warm against your skin. You heard footsteps approaching and you grinned, but looked curious when rather than San bringing your drink, it was Yeosang. 

“Yeosang, hi.” You smiled. Yeosang gave you a polite smile as well, placing your drink down on the table as well as a warmed pastry.

“San got called into the back for a while, so he wanted me to bring this to you since he can’t come over and talk for awhile.” Yeosang said in his gentle voice. You laughed a bit at the situation, picturing in your mind no doubt San’s pouting face. 

“Thank you very much Yeosang. Oh, and Irene wanted me to tell you she says hi.” The startled look on his face was perfect as he quickly excused himself back to the counter. You smiled and shook your head, pulling out your book to start your reading. Chapters in, you noticed the chair in front of you being pulled out. A tired San deflated once in the chair, allowing his head to hang back. You winced at the stiffness in your joints as you set your book down, watching the tired barista. 

“Rough day?” you asked sympathetically, placing your chin on your hand. San shook his head as he sat up, leaning onto the table with his elbows. “Just busy. We’re training some new hires, so I have a lot to do.” He sighed but his smile easily came back. 

“But I am glad you came by today.” He grinned. San’s eyes alway crinkled when he smiled like this, and he always had a laugh on his lips, in a way, you were a bit jealous he could uphold such an attitude. You both made small conversation, enjoying the time you guys finally had together. Before you knew it, the sun was beginning to set, casting the cafe in an orange hue.

Seonghwa emerged from the back, spotting you two chatting away at the table, “Sorry to interrupt but, it’s closing time guys!” He smiled, obviously eager to leave. Your eyes widened as you realized indeed, you were the last one in the establishment. 

“Oh my god I’m so sorry I didn’t realize-”

Seonghwa shook his head, “No you’re good. In fact since San was supposed to help me close, I’ll just have him walk you back to your dorm instead. I’d feel guilty just kicking you out like this.”

San whipped his head around, totally ecstatic over the fact one, he got to leave early, and two of course, walk you home.

“C’mon Y/n let's go!” He grinned, pulling your hand along with him. You laughed as you quickly collected your bag, giving a wave to Seonghwa.

The air outside was warm despite the night creeping in. You walked alongside San down the road to your university, an air of comfortable silence between you two.

“Why did you start working at the coffee shop?” You asked.

“It was always Seonghwa’s dream to have something like this, ever since we were in grade school. I just wanted to help make his dream..I don’t know a reality I guess?” San admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. You nodded, honestly in awe of such kind words. 

“I’m sure he appreciates you very much.” You smiled up at him, causing him to turn away bashfully. He cleared his throat as he glanced back down at you, “Well I mean how about you? I want to know everything about you.”

The walk back to your dorm was filled with conversation with San, ranging from classes to hobbies and favorite foods. It was so easy to talk to him, you found yourself drawn into him with every word and you couldn’t ignore the fluttering of your heart anytime he said your name. Before you knew it, your dorm was in sight. 

“Thanks again for walking me back. I appreciate San.” You smiled, toying with the strap of your bag. 

“Of course! I didn’t want you to walk alone.” San grinned, slipping his hands into his pockets. The air grew stagnant, and both of you fidgeted in the silence, not quite wanting your time together to end. 

“Y/n-”

“San-”

The two of your stopped, realizing you talked over each other so easily before breaking into giggling grins. 

“You first.” San smiled.

“Well I just want you to know, I um...I really like hanging out with you!” You admitted, casting your eyes down to his shoes. “I really like hanging out with you, and I would like to keep hanging out with you. If you don’t feel the same way though I totally understand-”

“Can I kiss you?”

 You stopped, your eyes quickly scanning up from the floor to San’s face, the heat rushing to your cheeks.

“Can you what?”

San smiled, a boyish carefree smile, one that stirred butterflies in your stomach.

“Can I,” his hand found yours, holding it between the two of you, “kiss you?”

You felt yourself nodding before the words even escaped your mouth. San waited, his face only inches now form yours. His breath was shallow, and you found yourself a little giddy at how nervous he suddenly looked. He was only inches away.

“Yes, San-”

You were cut off by a gentle sensation on your lips. It was soft and tentative, like he was holding himself back. San’s hand cupped your cheek and your own hand rose to his chest. He pulled back, his breath light on your face. 

You could feel the heat rising to your cheeks as San chuckled, grabbing onto your wrist and pulling you into his chest, his arms wrapping around you so naturally. 

“I really like hanging out with you too, Y/n.” 

Your face was pressed into his chest, the faint smell of coffee and pastries still lingering on him. 

“But..” You could feel San shifting, leaning down so his face was closer to yours, “I’d rather hang out with you as your boyfriend.” 

Your smile widened as you stared back at him, your hands softly travelling to hold his face. He gently leaned into your touch, his smile mirroring yours. 

“I’d like that too.” You whispered back, your forehead resting against his. The two of you stayed like this, giggling and whispering between each other without care. Eventually San begrudgingly acknowledged he had to leave, but not without a few pouts. 

“I’ll see you soon yeah?”

You nodded, your fingers slowly drifting apart.

“I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow.” You smiled, earning a large grin from San. It only took him two brisk steps to be in front of you again while you laughed. 

“San you really gotta head home-”

“I just wanted to see you like this. One last time before I go.”

You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Like how?” You watched as his hand returned to your cheek, stroking it gently. 

“Smiling.”

“Smiling?”

“Smiling, because of me.” 

-

-

On her trip, Irene grinned as she stared at her phone. It was a blurry selfie of you and San, looking all lovey dovey at the café, while half of Yeosangs face was in the frame.

‘Told you we’d get them together!’-Yeosang

Laughing she grinned and replied back.

‘About time :)’-Irene

[birdwonder]

Genos and Saitama | Your Heroes

|| whoo, another amazing request from @tishimaaa! honestly people, feel free to request stuff from me, it makes me so happy! i really hope you all enjoy this lil’ fic - the main plot was a struggle to come up with, but the request for a reader who liked taking photos was so cute and perfect. <3

[F/N] [L/N]. Full time journalist and sadly, only part time blogger.

As generic as your occupation sounded, your life could be the furthest thing from that. You were a young adult, living in Japan in an apartment with decent rent but little to no neighbours, which made perfect sense seeing as your surrounding area was a honeypot for swarms of monsters that were ready to kill and slaughter.

Now, as horrible as that sounded, it wasn’t all that bad! As a journalist, it gave you an easy and early access to juicy scoops that you could impress your boss and editor with; and it gave you a heap ton to talk about for your hero fan blog online. Not to forget - you weren’t living alone. To be specific, you had two other roommates living in the cramped apartment that had a generous amount of space for one person, but no room at all for three.

Well, you say roommates but more officially they were your boyfriends. Emphasis on the plural. It may be unconventional to have not one but two lovers, but after staying with the both of them for such a long time and all three of you developing mutual feelings, why just settle for one when everyone could be happy? Genos, or more popularly known as Demon Cyborg by the masses, and Saitama who was doomed with the title Caped Baldly, were the two that had captured your heart. Your perfect heroes. Which worked well considering the fact that you were a hero fanatic, and they were always out doing something incredible that you could add to your page. Well, Saitama did a lot less than Genos but when he did fight oooh boy. Was it amazing. 

It was seriously painful to know that Saitama got absolutely zero recognition for his heroic efforts, especially when he hasn’t lost a single battle to your knowledge! It’s the same routine really; a villain approaches, one hit and it’s over. ‘Caped Baldy’ really didn’t do him justice. He deserved a better name like ... The Punching Man! Or Single Punch. 

You should really just stick to writing about heroes instead of creating them.

Sometimes when you felt like your blog had gotten dry or you were in desperate need of material for your work, you would wait close by Genos so that you could be there when he was alerted of any ‘approaching life forms’ as he occasionally put it or monsters that were attacking the cities. 

Right now, your head was rested on his shoulder while you were sitting on the floor in front of a small TV, neither of you really paying attention to what was being said on the screen but it made for great white noise as the two of you simply enjoyed each other’s company. It would be even greater if Saitama was there too, arms wrapped around your waist or his head on your lap as he usually liked to laze about with you, unfortunately he was out buying groceries.

You sighed contently as Genos reached over to take a strand or two of your hair between his fingers, trying to get his sensors in his finger tips to pick up on the texture as he’s done so many times before. “It’s so soft...” He noted, focused so intently on your hair that it might as well been what was on TV instead of the weather report. 

“Thanks Genos,” you laughed, winking as you joked, “I make sure to keep it brushed and conditioned just for you.” As appreciated as his praise was, you were certain that no matter if your hair was straight, curly, long or short, he would probably have something nice to say about it.

“Don’t do it for me! You should be taking care of yourself on your own accord. I read somewhere that treating your body well and taking care of yourself can help keep your mood up by a large scale.” The cyborg began to ramble, listing off a number of ways that you could pamper yourself as though he was a walking self-care beauty kit ad. At least you knew that next time you went shopping, you had the OK to buy a face mask.

 As informative as it was, you lifted a finger to his lips to hush him, something you usually did when you wanted to keep him quiet. Or kiss him. That usually worked but then he wouldn’t speak for a good ten minutes. 

From there the two of you continue to sit in comfortable silence until you heard the sound of a door unlocking and opening, causing you to lift your head from Genos’ shoulder to see Saitama had returned, hands filled with bags which had increased since the time you and Genos officially moved it. Thankfully being a journalist and S-ranked hero helped cover the expenses.

“Sai, welcome back!” You greeted with a sweet voice that instantly put a small smile on the C-ranked hero’s face.

“Hey. See you two are comfortable.” Saitama then proceeded to start putting the products he had bought away, careful to not put something cold in the cabinet or rice in the fridge since he was trying to do it all quickly to join your cuddling session. How dare you two be lazy and snuggle up when he had to sort out 50 coupons at the check out to find at least one that wasn’t expired? Unforgivable. “Totally not like I was outside freezing my ass off or anything”

You snickered at his sarcastic comment and made a ‘come here’ gesture. “Well if you hurry up, you can join us, dummy.”

“Or you could help out? Better yet. I sit down and chill and you do all of this, and cook lunch. And make some dessert while you’re at it maybe.” Saitama retorted, huffing at his lack of assistance while you cheekily grinned and tapped your chin, as if deep in thought. 

“Hoooow about ... no.~”

Throwing his head back a little, Saitama groaned with annoyance even though he knew he wasn’t going to stay mad at you. “Maybe you want to help out, Genos?” He queried, raising a brow at the cyborg who had suddenly stood up, startling you from his unexpected move. Was he that excited to help sort out groceries?

“There’s something outside. No. Two beings are nearby.” 

Finally, some action! Your eyes sparkled with excitement, looking back and forth from Genos and Saitama with an expecting look, knowing that they'd have no choice but to go check it out. After all, no one came round here except for monsters, and they wouldn’t dare let you sleep in a dangerous environment. What sweethearts.

They gave each other a nod, both knowing what they had to do, before looking over at you. “Stay here, [F/N]. We’ll be back in a short bit, just put the food away for me, yeah?” Saitama asked, only needing to take a few steps to be standing in front of you and place a hand on your head. In return, you leant up to peck his cheek as a good luck charm, a thing you usually did when they were about to head out.

“Do your best out there, guys!” 

“We will do even better than that,” Genos corrected, mimicking Saitama by also patting your head. Guess he was trying to learn more from his sensei than just how to become a strong hero.

With that they were both gone and you were left in the apartment, standing in the middle of the square living room by your lonesome, but not for long! Turning on your heel, you rushed over to a corner of the room where you usually dumped your bag after work and rummaged inside looking for your camera. 

You cheered a small ‘yes’ once you grabbed it, rushing to the door to slip your shoes on and dash out the house and down the building’s stairs. It took a lot of frantic looking around to find out where they went but luckily they had moved to one street over, already battling it out.

Well, Saitama was just standing there talking or maybe debating with one of the monsters who looked like a mix of porcupine and a mole rat while Genos was going head to head with an identical looking being but slightly taller and stockier. Already a few seconds in and you had snapped a few shots of Genos landing hits on the monster.

 From the safety of just blatantly standing behind a brick wall’s corner, you continued to take more photos while the excitement of going home to upload them to your laptop was bubbling inside you. Obviously a few of the more up close and handsome would be saved for yourself . You may love sharing the amazing abilities of your lovers to the world but even you got a little jealous over fans looking at Genos too much. 

‘It’s not fair, why is he so perfect?’ You mentally complained, cursing the fact the cyborg looked so good while also being a badass fighter. Sadly for you, you got way too wrapped up in your thoughts and failed to noticed the looming figure behind you.

With no warning or even an idea with what’s to come, a large hand wrapped around your throat from behind, forcing a gasp and sickly choking sound to escape your throat.

“Lookie, lookie. A little lamb fresh for the slaughter house,” a gruff yet arrogant voice cooed, sending all the worst kinds of shivers down your spines. With a grip tight on your throat, it was hard to move your head, especially when the stranger’s hand seemed to cover the whole surface area of your neck. Yet you managed to tilt it just enough to see the face of your attacker.

A deep blue mole like muzzle sniffled disgustingly near your face, as if to take in your scent. Small, black squinting eyes seemed to be heavily focused on you and it was clear by his much larger porcupine quills and stature, that this guy was the superior of the two other beasts fighting Saitama and Genos. Damn, he must have been too far away at first for Genos to have detected him.

“Let...go!” It was hard to choke out the command and all of your energy was going into swinging your legs back and forth, and scratching at the hand holding you in hopes it hurt enough to make him release his grip on you. To no avail, his hand didn’t so much as loosen.

In the most mocking manner ever, the mole creature barked out in laughter and seemed to even tear up a little at your feeble attempt of escaping. “Don’t be stupid, little thing! As the Rodent King, I’m making it my mission to expand my empire by killing off every single one of you miserable humans,” he boasted, chest puffed out as though he was announcing the world’s greatest news. If you had the energy to, you’d roll your eyes. ��From a burrow in the woods to the whole of the miserable planet, and then the world, I will claim all of this land and  my people and I will live long and fruitfully!”

Despite it being loud and obnoxious, the monologging rodent’s speech didn’t take your mind off the serious lack of oxygen you weren’t getting and your limbs began to go limp. The camera that was once in your hand clattered to the ground and shattered, the majority of it still being connected together with all the inner components sprung out and the lens had to have shattered; not that it mattered to a dead person. 

The loud clatter of the camera caught the Rodent King’s attention, and his looked down to spot what had fallen and yet he asked, “huh? What was that?” His nose sniffed a couple of times, trying to find the scent of what had fallen and then it struck you. He’s as blind as mole. This guy relied on scent to see! 

“No matter, it doesn’t matter now.” He shrugged, letting go of your neck, causing you to fall onto your knees and gasp for a desperate amount of air. ‘Oh sweet oxygen, don’t ever let me lose you again. I promise to walk more to work, I really do.’ 

Meekly, you looked up to see that your nightmare wasn’t over. The monster was now knelt down on one leg in front of you, one arm resting on his propped up knee and another was raised above your head, a large, clenched fist ready to crash down on your skull. “Like I said, you humans are destined to die by my hand! Now, any last words?”

Shit, shit. What to do? You weren’t ready to die, not like this. You hadn’t regained enough air to cry out for help, so all you had right now was yourself to save you. You and a ... busted camera! Patting around, you knew that the Rodent King wouldn’t notice your fidgeting so you quickly tried to search for it while still keeping eye contact with him, just so he didn’t grow suspicious.

“Yeah actually... Just three.” 

Got it!

You grabbed ahold of the largest chunk of the camera you could find, and pulled back your arm, smashing the once treasured device onto the villain’s face while simultaneously quickly standing up. “Eat shit, bitch!”

A pained cry came from the Rodent King, who slapped his previously raised hand over his face to cover where the camera had hit him. Just like you, he had quickly gotten up though you were already taking two steps away from him. Now, if you could just run away, you could head for the other two! Oh God, how you wanted to hold them. To feel safe and warm in their arms.

That desire crashed down like a burning plane however when you felt your arm be grabbed. The mole clearly was strong enough to recover quickly from the minor attack, and he looked furious, quills sticking up much higher than before. “You bitch! How dare you! Do you know who you are dealing with?!”

Before you could even make a clever comeback, or a pathetic cry for mercy, the hold on you suddenly became non existent when a blast had hit the head of the Rodent King, sending him flying back a couple of feet away. 

‘Huh? Wait, that could only mean,’ you cut off your own thoughts by swiftly turning around to see two figures standing in front of you, your boys. Oh, and did they look pissed. 

“I believe it is you who doesn’t know who they’re dealing with.” Genos harshly stated, a now closing canon whirring from within his hand as he glared at the now writhing in pain monster. Saitama looked just as deadly, his expression darkened and already he was stepping closer to the villain. 

“I’ll take this one Genos, just make sure that [F/N] isn’t hurt.”

With an accepting nod, Genos gently put an arm around you and pulled you close to his side, guiding you further away from the street for the sake of your wellbeing and your eyes not seeing what bloodshed would probably ensue. 

“[F/N], what were you doing there? Do you know how dangerous it is to follow us into battle?!” 

The scolding stung a little emotionally though his concerned expression and gentle hands lifting your chin to brush over any potential bruising on your neck made up for it, letting you know that it was just the stress of losing you that had gotten him so riled up. 

“I’m sorry, Genos. Really. I just,” you choked a little, tears threatening to spill but you wouldn’t let them, “I just love seeing you and Saitama fight, and I’m just so proud to have such incredible boyfriends- I guess I just wasn’t careful enough.”

The robotic hero sighed. He couldn’t understand why you would risk yourself for a couple of candid photos of him and his sensei, especially when you weren’t even close to being evenly matched against any hero or villain. Though it didn’t mean he wasn’t flattered, plus he also knew that heroes were a passion of your’s, something he wouldn’t dream of trying to change.

Brushing some of your hair from your face that had gotten loose and messy from the scuffle you had, he rested his forehead against your’s and let a beat of silence pass before speaking. “It’s fine, please do not let yourself cry over this. Just next time, give us a warning? We will maybe try and work something out if you are so insistent on getting photos of our fights.”

That made you smile a little. As stoic and harsh as Genos may seem, his heart was usually in the best of places, especially when it came to those he cared about. It’s one of the reasons why you love him so much. 

“Sure hon, though I doubt I’ll be taking any photos any time soon. I may have smashed my camera back here while I was being, y’know.” A weak chuckle left your lips, and Genos was about to say a few more words of comfort for your loss of a prized possession when a much calmer than before voice spoke up.

“No biggie, we can just buy you a new one, right?”

Turning around and smiling softly, the usual nonchalant expression of Saitama was as welcoming as a warm hug on a winter’s day. In his hand was a brown wallet, a few yen notes poking out of the pocket which gave the idea that a lot was inside. “Turns out even rat things carry about cash on them, and if I’m right this should cover for a new camera.”

Saitama placed a hand on your head like earlier, his eyes soft while glancing at you, something you responded to by pulling him into a tight hug and burying your face into the soft fabric of his hoodie. A much better thing to soak a few tears in than his flashy hero outfit, in your opinion. 

“Oh thank you so, so much. You guys really are my heroes.” You sniffled, pulling your face away from Saitama’s chest. “I love you boys so much!”

Of course, the two had to smile at that, both leaning down to plant a small kiss on a temple either side of your head. “We love you more,” Saitama chimed, wrapping an arm around your shoulder while Genos opted for holding your hand loosely, which was usually out of his comfort zone in public areas. Luckily, it was only you three. 

“Now, I believe Sensei brought some food home, yes? Shall we go prepare some lunch?”

“Oh yeah! If you two could make some soba that’d be great.”

“Oh Sai...”

[captainjimothycarter]

Drabble idea: Steve and Peggy meet each other when they get assigned as lab partners in college.

So I uh never did something in college or HS that needed lab partners sooo this might be lacking. This might not be what you expected.

--

“You like him,” Angie giggled behind her blueberry muffin. Her eyes were bright with the glee of a new topic to gossip on for that hour.

Peggy, for her sake, rolled her eyes as she stabbed at a piece of chicken with her fork and waved it threateningly in front of her roommate’s face. “We are lab partners. That’s it. Mr. Gregg, just thought it was a good idea to pair us together to be lab partners for this upcoming project. That’s it.” 

“Aw, c’mon, Pegs. You don’t see what I do. You go googley-eyes on him!”

“I do not.” 

“You talk about him all the time.”

“Because he’s in four of my six classes so I see him ninety percent of the week. It doesn’t mean I have some school-girl crush on him.”

“And,” Angie continued, promptly ignoring Peggy’s rebuttal. “You sit next to each other in class, even French. Face it, Pegs, you have a grade-A crush and it’s nothing to be ashamed about. It’s adorable.”

Peggy had no response as she bitterly shoved the chicken into her mouth for one reason - Angie was right and she hated how right she was.

--

“Whose the girl?” Sam asked Steve on his second day of classes after he’d waited for the blonde outside the room.

Steve peered up from the last-minute notes he was reviewing, watching Peggy walk by him after meeting her roommate. “Oh, uh, Peggy.”

“Peggy, huh? You sure spending lots of time lookin’ at her.” Sam was teasing, he could hear it dripping in his voice and Steve hated it. This would of course find its way back to Bucky to tease him about during his weekly phone call while out of state in the military.

“Sam, stop it. We’re just friends, ain’t nothing to it.”

“Sure, buddy, whatever you say but sooner or later it’s turnin’ into something else. I can see it happening. Just make sure I’m the best man at your wedding.”

“Please, you know that spots reserved for Bucky when I wound up marrying my easel.”

Because who’s gonna want to marry a 5’4, asthmatic, 92-pound guy that can’t even see straight without glasses? Not that Steve minded, he was happy alone and with friendships, but sometimes that loneliness did catch up to you.

And damn Sam to hell and back for being right.

A month and a half later, as Peggy walked away after promising to email him the extra credit assignment for Art History, Steve was fully aware that he had a crush on her.

And it was pathetic.

--

“So,” Bucky sighed over the phone three months later. “Sam says you got a date with your lil’ crush tonight.”

He was going to kill Sam. “No, I have a lab assignment with Peggy tonight. It’s not a date. And she’s not a crush.”

“Even over a thousand miles away, Rogers, I can tell you’re lying. Sam, are his ears turning pink?”

Goddamnit, Steve regrets putting Bucky on speaker. Or even introducing Sam and Bucky. 

“Yeah, man. Bright shades of pink, oh his cheeks too. And his neck - hey you’re a full-body blusher. Pegs is gonna love that!”

As the boys laughed, Steve drew the hood of his jacket over his head and grumbled, shoving his books into his bag. “You two are idiots. I’m going to Peggy’s, don’t wait up.”

Before Bucky could respond, he hung up on him and then three minutes later sent him a text about how he missed him and how Sam really seems into him.

That’ll shut him up.

--

Eight o’clock on the dot. Don’t you dare be late.

That’s what Peggy had told the asthmatic blonde when they met up after Astrology 101 to discuss the lab. Steve would be coming over to her place, they would go over their notes, the assignment, and then head down to the lab at their scheduled time.

It was not a date, no matter what she told Angie. This was not a date. This was just two friends, no two co-students, acquaintances getting together to complete an assignment. 

So who cared if she couldn’t stop thinking about him? Or if she wondered at times if his lips looked as soft as they felt. Or worried about him when he wasn’t in class or late and looked so flushed and yet relieved when he saw her there. Or the time she skipped class because her period cramps were too much and Steve looked so relieved to see her the next day. 

She thought about that look in his eyes often and hated how it gave her goosebumps, she hated how it made her stomach clench and butterflies to form. She tried to talk to Michael about it, but the man was just as hard to get ahold of and when he wasn’t, he teased her as all big brothers did.

Then proclaimed if she fell for a Yank, he was gonna revoke her English rights.

The prat.

8 o’clock and no Steve.

Peggy thought about calling him, a little worried because he wasn’t the type to be late. She decided to wait until half an hour. Half an hour and if Steve wasn’t’ here, she’d call him. Luckily, she didn’t have to because at 8:18 Steve showed up, face flushed, wheezing, and his hair sticking up in all directions.

“Oh you poor thing,” was the first thing out of her mouth, the worry and anxiety melting off of her. She should be mad that he was late or mad that she thought he stood her up, but she was just relieved. “Are you okay? What happened?” 

Taking him by the arm, she leads him inside and straight on her couch, bustling off to the kitchen to get him a glass of water and a snack cake. The guy looked peckish.

“Oh, I…” He shouldn’t like the fact she was doting over him, in fact, he should hate it, but by her doting, over him, it meant she was touching him and he liked that. “I had an asthma attack.”

It sounded like it took everything in him just to admit that and Peggy tried to ignore how that kicked-puppy look tugged on her heart. Steve hated pity and she wasn’t pitying him, she was worried. There was a difference.

“I’m okay now,” he continued, sipping on the water. “I guess I just got worked up and kinda lost and…” His thin shoulders shrugged as if to brush the fact he has a medical emergency off. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“You’re sorry?” The words came from her before she could help it. He was sorry for what? Having a medical emergency? 

It didn’t do any good when Steve flinched at her accusing tone.

“Steven, by no means should you be sorry. Yes, I was worried but you’re here now and you’re okay. It’s behind us. Do you still want to go to the lab? I could just reschedule us.”

“If we reschedule now it might take us two weeks to get a spot and we’ll be crunched for time.” He looked genuinely worried, eyes wide. “I’ll be fine. We can head over now.”

There was little argument from Peggy on that end. Steve was right, if they rescheduled then it could take them a while but that’s not what sold the deal. The fact she got more time with him as of right now was better than waiting.

--

“How’d you get lost?” Peggy asked, driving a stoic Steve from his thoughts as they braved the cold air after spending three and a half hours in the lab. It was now officially Saturday, meaning they could sleep in. Angie wasn’t home and wouldn’t be home until noon tomorrow, so she was looking forward to peace and quiet. 

Steve drew his scarf tighter around his face, looking up at her with cocked eyebrows. It was going to snow, he could feel it in his aching bones. “Oh. Uh, when I get an asthma attack I get...disorientated. Everything looked the same, I didn’t wanna call for help cause I was fine.”

Peggy couldn’t help herself in rolling her eyes. “I think we both have a different definitions of fine, Mr. Rogers. You are certainly not fine. I can still hear you wheezing and you had a hard time concentrating on the measurements tonight.”

She frowned as she watched him pat his pockets, obviously searching for something. “You okay, Steve?”

“My inhaler! I thought I had it on me, but I think I left it in your dorm. I-I’ll be fine without it, I can get it in the morning.”

“Steven Grant Rogers, you are not waiting until morning to get a life-saving device because of...what? You don’t want to be seen in my dorm? It’s co-ed, I can assure you that it’s fine!”

“I just don’t...want...people to assume or-or get you in trouble. Or...or…” His cheeks were heating up bright pink, Peggy found she adored the color on his cheeks.

“Or…” She clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth, her hand snatching out to grab at a lamp post to keep from falling on a section of ice. It was already starting to snow around them, the ground cold enough to make it stick.

Steve cursed as he wrapped his arms around her chest, preventing her from falling. Both of their faces flushed, Steve’s more than Peggy’s at this point. The second they both were stable, he let go and took an unnecessary step away from her.

“Thank you,” she breathed, clearing her throat. “I think that decides that Steve, you’re staying with me tonight. Don’t worry, Angie is out tonight with her gal. I’m not risking you out in this storm.”

There was no point in arguing with Peggy, Steve knew this by now. He’s seen her debate lesser and greater minds than his in class and absolutely destroy them. Besides, part of him liked this idea, staying with her for the night. Maybe if he got enough courage he could ask her out, tell her how he felt or something. 

If he was anything like Bucky, he knew what he’d do. He’d whoo her and kiss her. But he wasn’t Bucky or Sam. He had no social skills with girls but he liked Peggy. 

“Home sweet home,” Peggy sighed when they were finally inside, their wet clothed stripped off and drying on the heater now. She sat Steve on the couch and bundled him in a bunch of blankets, coming back from the kitchen with two steaming cups of hot chocolate.

Sitting on the couch, she wiggled under the pile of blankets, not to much of Steve’s protest. Her thigh was touching his at this point. “Oh, you’re warm,” she breathed, sounding surprised. 

“Amazingly,” Steve laughed, rolling his eyes. “I think it’s the third cup of hot chocolate you’re forcing in me.”

He yawned as he said this, his face was suddenly drawn in a show of how exhausted he was. He looked so adorable when he yawned, his nose wrinkled up. He still had a smudge of ink on his forehead from when he was rubbing his brow in frustration.

“I’ve always said hot chocolate is good for the soul. Much better than any tea you have here.” Tapping on her laptop screen, she was happy to get Netflix up and hit the next episode on Chopped. 

Steve didn’t even make it to the second round of the episode, unsure of who was sent home for an overcooked risotto or missed basket ingredient. He was asleep, slumping into Peggy.

He was quite warm, Peggy noted, easing Steve down to her lap. He was warm and looked so adorable when asleep. That walk and asthma attack must’ve taken a lot of out of him, regardless of what he told her. At least he was resting now in her arms.

This isn’t where Peggy thought she’d end up tonight, but it’s a place she’d glad to be.

[trickstermelon]

may I please request a doodle of the asl trio and acesan headcannons-

The doodle is in progress! In the meantime...

So Many Acesan HCs (a lot of these are inspired by @beeforce ilu kite)

- While Ace was traveling with the crew to Alabasta him and Sanji just sort of Clicked, spending ridiculous amounts of their free time chatting together for people who just met. Since both their sleeping patterns are unusual, it wasn’t uncommon to find them in the kitchen at the crack of dawn giggling over tea, Ace insisting on helping prep breakfast

- Ace is 100% Sanjis first crush on a dude so he had some processing to go through that’s a different wormcan

- Sanji was nervous but Absolutely got his number before Ace had to leave, and hogs the phone c o n s t a n t l y

- Lucky for him Ace calls, while inconsistently, for hours whenever he manages to get the time. They love to swap stories about the dumb things they’ve gotten themselves into

- Ace sends a BUNCH of ingredients and little trinkets whenever the crew actually knows where they’re going. While he finds little things for all of them, Ace specifically looks for the weirdest sounding teas and ingredients he can grab for Sanji to try. Whenever the packages get in and they manage to line up the time, the crew will call up Ace to catch up and do little unwrapping parties—

- But once they’ve settled down and the kitchen gets quiet, Sanji takes the time to puzzle the ingredients together while they idly chat, and steep the tea. Ace keeps some of the blends for himself after the joke that if Sanji was going to willingly eat whatever poison Ace picked up off the streets of god knows where, Ace had to at least be decent enough to go down with him

- They drink together, Ace cackling at some of Sanji’s over the top criticisms while he gets onto Sanji for being unwilling to try the ones distilled from peppers— just enjoying their connection across thousands of miles

- Usopp and Nami are the worst teases about Sanjis not so secret crush, regularly bullying him about staring wistfully into the sunset every now and then. Nami particularly loves to hear him go on romantic tangents because 1) it gets him off her back 2) she thinks it’s genuinely adorable 3) has Lowkey been in touch with Ace too so could use it as blackmail at any moment

- (Luffy meanwhile did not pick up on it until Zoro made a jab about it)

- Meanwhile some of the Whitebeard crew (esp Whitebeard himself) are half convinced Ace and Sanji are already engaged the way Ace tends to croon on about him

- Sanji actually asked Ace out before the other got the chance, on accident too, because Sanji ends most his calls with “Love you” by habit

- You wouldn’t think it off the bat but Ace is highkey Lowkey the more romantic of the two simply because he’s unabashed about his feelings + recognized them for what they are much faster

- Ace is very much accustomed to casual touch and being handsy as a form of love— they had to work out boundaries quickly. Sanji just isn’t used to nonviolent physical contact from other guys. Though being around Luffy and Usopp has helped him relax a bit, Ace is a whooooole other level of PDA

-Since Ace has sooooome (just a feeeew) self worth + rejection issues, he took Sanji getting tense and unresponsive to his more forward flirting harder than intended n was moody for a bit. But they worked it out after some difficult conversations. Ace wants him to be comfortable as much as he wants to show his affection and Sanji more than makes up for his awkwardness in public by being a total cuddlebug when they’re alone

- Now /later/. Whoo boy later. When Sanji is confident in himself and Ace is secure in the fact that Sanji loves him and isn’t lying. They are. The MOST OBNOXIOUS couple

- Always have to be touching somehow, Sanji is really fond of sneaking a hand into Ace’s back pockets while Ace is all but draped over his shoulders, Ace using him as a chin rest frequently while they argue over little things

- U would not believe they’d only been dating for a few months they fit together so easily

- Ace is really fond of nicknames and calls Sanji all the classics like babe/darling/hon— but some of his faves are snickerdoodle, lemon / tart, and sugarsnap

- (He defiantly greets Sanji with a regular “Howdy stranger” thank you @cowboyzoro)

- Sanji is the opposite— when he’s being sassy or teasing he likes to use a sharp ‘Portgas’, but he manages to fit so much love and affection into such a short name that Ace is overwhelmed every time he says his name untethered

(Sanji: yeah I was chatting with ♥️♥️♥️♥️Ace♥️♥️♥️♥️ and—

Usopp: how the fuck did you do that with your mouth)

- He did spend a week or two trying to come up w something cutesy but realized that he likes Ace’s name just how it is

- (Tho Ace also really likes when he gets affectionally insulting + is impressed by his creative curses)

- Ace got Sanji the gentlecook shirt— he also likes to snatch it back time to time because Sanji gets occasionally grumpy that Ace owns no hoodies for him to steal. The shoulders have become very stretched out

- Whenever Sanji gets cramps Ace is his living hot water bottle—

- Ace frequently compares him to a cat because he runs cold and is constantly trying to steal Aces warmth either way

- They like. Planning impossible missions together just as thought exercises. Ace has drawn up actual maps and plans of attack for some of the biggest banks in the 4 seas just cause he and Sanji were bored

I have. So many AUs with them too. Including but not limited to:

- Modern College AU of course, where they’re long distance flirting. Both can’t decide if it’s too early to travel a few thousand miles to make out (and other hard choices)

- TattooArtist!Ace where Usopp *really* wants a piece done by a popular artist outside of town, but is too chicken for the needles. Sanji agreed to go with him as morale, planning on getting something small and stupid just so Usopp will feel better, but somehow ends up planning a whole sleeve just so he can keep visiting the cute artist

- A timeline in which Sanji could not escape his fate as a Vinsmoke and became an assassin— only he finds himself unable to carry out his mission when he meets the infamous pirate prince

- CANT say no to a good ol camp councilor AU— this ones mostly for ensemble shenanigans and Nami being mischievous

I always wanna rant about hcs + dumb AUs so hmu anytime

[kumkaniudaku]

Heard About Us: Two

ONE

Word Count: 2,194

9 AM and throbbing headaches from the previous evening greeted both women sooner than they had hoped.

Maya tried her best to tiptoe around the spacious hotel suite to get dressed without waking her husband. If T’Challa, who lay sound asleep from their “session” last night, woke up to find her leaving again, she knew she’d be in for more questions.

CoCo wasn’t as fortunate.

The blaring of her alarm failed to shake her awake, instead agitating Chadwick into nearly destroying her phone to get the sound to stop.

“Tasha,” he exclaimed, pinching her arm between his rough thumb and forefinger.

“Ow! What the hell is wrong with you! Should I kick your ass right now or right now?”

“Your alarm is going off at the ass crack of dawn and you asking me what’s wrong? Where are you going?”

Looking at the bedside clock with low eyes, she began to piece together the puzzle. “Shit!”

With the clock reading 9:15 AM, she only had 30 minutes to make herself presentable and scurry downstairs. Chadwick watched in confusion as she darted around the room in her panties, snatching items from her suitcase in a frenzy.

“Where are you going, CoCo?”

“To breakfast with a friend,” She continued to rummage through her things until she found the grey ribbed, t-shirt dress and red flannel she was looking for.

“A friend? That’s vague. Who is it?”

It was rare that either of them had friends that the other didn’t know. Whoever this friend was, had gotten her so drunk that she didn’t recognize him and was now dragging her out of the bed and away from him.

“Nobody you know, baby.” Chadwick opened his mouth to press for answers but forced it closed when he noticed Tasha racing toward the bathroom and slamming the door behind her.

Instead, he held on to the question until she emerged from the steamy confines of the bathroom to rejoin him in the bedroom. As she situated her bun atop her head, he slid to the edge of the bed beside her.

“Will I get to meet this friend or is he or she a secret?”

“She is not a secret,” she answered, pointedly stressing the ‘she’ to confirm that she did not bring him all the way to New York to run around with another man. “And, we’ll see what the weekend holds. I hope so. I think you’ll like her.”

Chadwick nodded in agreement, accepting her answer as the truth. He allowed Tasha to throw her leg across his lap to tie the laces of her Converse sneakers while she applied lip gloss and a light coating of mascara.

“When will you be done. I haven’t seen you this whole time.”

“I know, baby,” Tasha slung her crossbody bag over her shoulder and checked her phone to see how much time she had left. “I should be back by 2:30. Then, we can do whatever you want. Deal?”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Tasha, ignoring his comment, pecked him on his lips before dashing for the front door to make it to Auden Bar & Bistro.

In a miracle, Tasha made it to breakfast right on time to greet Maya. The two shared their experiences from the night, finding that their husbands had similar reactions to their “partying.”

“My husband basically put me in the bed and called me crazy. I was too drunk to tell him I wanted the ‘D’.”

“I’m never too drunk to tell T’Challa I want to smash!”

“So...did you?” Tasha’s eyebrows wiggled in anticipation as a victorious smile spread across Maya’s face.

“Let’s just say, he’s probably still asleep right now.”

“Giiiiiiiiirl! You better!” The two women clinked their glasses together as they laughed, their faces bright enough to light up the entire restaurant. Settling down, Tasha took a moment to talk about her apprehension regarding the day’s activity. “You ready for these group sessions later?”

“I don’t know. Part of me is ready to get all of this off my chest but-“

“The other part doesn’t want to think about what happened,” Tasha finished, earning a nod from Maya. “Yeah, I understand.”

Silence consumed them for a moment as they though over their individual experiences.

“You know, I almost didn’t come,” Maya’s voice caught Tasha off guard. Moreover, the Queen’s eyes were sad and dejected. Still, she continued without making eyes contact. “My Doctor and husband thought it would be a great idea, you know, to meet new people but, I wasn’t sure. Shit, I’m still not sure if I want to open up but, I’m damn sure I’m glad to have met you.”

Tasha took a moment to gather herself and push back the tears welling in her eyes. “Well, shit, I’m glad you came too! Between work and being with my family, I don’t meet a lot of other moms. Thank you for helping me loosen up.”  Smiling, she reached over to grab Maya’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze before pulling away. “I’m so upset with you.”

“What? Why?”

“Because,” Tasha dabbed at her eyes with her knuckles and laughed. “You come down here and make me cry AFTER you completely kill me with this outfit. Like, work, sis! I need to go change!”

“Oh, hush! You look good girl!”

Time seemed to fly by as Tasha and Maya discussed marriage, careers and motherhood. The sun illuminated both women beautiful, their laughter and playful banter energizing the staff and fellow diner. Like longtime friends, they entered the event space side by side, remaining close through the separating process and reminding each other that the other would be around for support. Tasha could sense Maya’s mood change as the session started and made a mental note to offer her comfort if she needed it.

The introductions were simple enough and served as the ice breaker to loosen up the group. Soon, the conversation transitioned into heavier topics surrounding each woman’s individual experience with miscarriages. Stories of multiple losses and discovered infertility tugged at the heartstrings of all who listened, leaving no dry eyes in the circle.

“Queen Maya, I think you’re next,” Wanda, the therapy group leader, informed.

Looking to Tasha for reassurance, she received an encouraging nod. With a deep breath, she recounted her story.

“Um, I already had my two loves, Mala and Abdul, before we found out about the new baby. My husband was so excited. He loves kids and wants a whole tribe, no pun intended,” she laughed, making it okay for others to chuckle with her. “When he’s around you-you can’t help but be excited with him. Then one day, the cramping it just...happened. I didn’t know what was going on so I went to see a doctor immediately and that’s how we found out. I couldn’t even mourn,” her voice cracked at the memory. “I had to pretend that things were okay because, I thought, I was helping the family. T’Challa was hurting and he wouldn’t talk to me for so long. The kids were attentive because they could sense the divide. It was-it was tough. Talking about it, even now, is tough.”

Maya’s light sniffles prompted Tasha to hand the young Queen tissues to dab away the tears. The similarities in their stories left her in mental limbo. Tasha’s heart broke for the women beside her while simultaneously reminding her that she wasn’t alone in her battle.

“So, Maya, how did you heal from the loss? Any therapy or time alone?”

“It was a long road. I went to therapy alone for a few months. I know Dr. Uba had a hard time with me not opening up. T’Challa and I finally got the root of our pain, both as individuals and as unit. I had to remember that he lost a part of the family too. So, yeah, therapy and now, this.”

Wanda reached over to grab Maya’s hands, “And we thank you for sharing.”

“Thank you for listening. All of you.”

“Well, Tasha,” Wanda started. “You’re last but, not least. Please, share as much of your story as you’re comfortable with.”

“Whoo, where do I start? I was adamant about not having more children. Chadwick and I had just settled into a routine before our daughter, Micah, was born and I convinced myself that she had to be only because I didn’t want to go through postpartum again. I couldn’t handle the pain of seeing my baby in front of me and wanting nothing to do with it so, I closed myself off to the idea. I told Chadwick absolutely no more,” Tasha could feel the tears beginning to fall and Maya’s gentle hand rubbing small circles on her back. “When I found out I was pregnant again, I was incredibly frustrated but excited. Chad wanted another baby and being able to give that to him felt like an honor. He almost caved my back in with how hard he hugged me that evening. Then, all of that was taken from us in a few short weeks. I was so mad.”

“Why were you mad, Tasha?”

“I-I felt like I was being punished, like God had seen me complaining and took away my baby because of it. I felt ashamed and unworthy of my husband’s love. I felt...broken. I felt all of these things and I still had to go to work and be a wife and a mama. I didn’t have time to mourn the loss of my child. I let my husband do it but, I never gave myself that chance the way I did with my postpartum therapy.” The realization that she never allowed herself to grieve hit Tasha like a ton of bricks, leaving her face soaked in uncried tears.

“Did you ever talk to someone? It seems like therapy worked with postpartum. Why not with the loss?”

“I approached therapy as a way to repair my husband. I wanted to be there for him so bad that I forgot about myself. Is that wrong?”

“No, not at all. It’s a normal reaction. But, at some point, you need to heal for you. You are an important part of your family. Your daughter and husband need you at full strength. I know that Black women internalize the pressure to be strong all the time but, I promise you, it’s okay to not be strong. Get the help you need, Tasha.”

“I will.” Wanda took the short answer as her cue to move on to coping mechanisms, leaving Tasha to soak in the advice.

“You good, girl? We can leave if you want. I’ll call my guards and we’ll figure out how to clear this bitch out and make it seem like an emergency is happening. I’ve done it before!” Maya whispered, the seriousness in her eyes contrasting the hilarity of her proposal.

“Could you really do that?”

“In a damn heartbeat. Just say the word.”

“Damn, I need get me a guard or two,” the tandem shared a small smile as Tasha wiped her face. “I think I’ll be okay. Thank you, though.”

“Anytime, Co.”

The decision to remain at the group session proved to be advantageous. All in attendance were equipped with healthy coping mechanisms, information regarding support groups in their hometowns and a community of women that would forever be bound by the sisterhood created during the conference. After confirming the concluding brunch, the attendees were free to enjoy what New York had to offer alone or as a group.

As they had done before, Tasha and Maya stayed close during their trip to their upper level suites.

“What do you and your man have planned tonight? You finally enjoying a weekend without kids the right way?” Maya asked, teasing Tasha.

“Oh, girl, I hope! He knows that I planned a dinner but, he doesn’t know that I brought his favorite dress to wear.”

“Oop! You got the legs out?”

“Chile, everything is out! And, with everything out, I hope I can get him in!” The sexual innuendo didn’t go unnoticed as the women shared a spirited laugh. “What about you and the King? Any plans for the night.”

“My baby is an old man. He’s probably going to want me to walk around the suite naked while we eat room service. Cletus has been out to play in full force this weekend.”

“Well, if you’re interested, me and Chad would love some company tonight. He’s taking me to TAO Downtown to eat and party with some of his friends.”

“Oooh, fancy. Let me run it by T’Challa, a.k.a tell him where we’re going, and meet you two in the lobby tonight. Is 10 a good time?”

“It’s perfect!” The ding of the elevator alerted Maya to her stop. Tasha pretended to look around the hallway, searching for any evidence of T’Challa. “I think the coast is clear. Tell the King that I wasn’t trying to start any trouble!”

“Oh, girl! He’ll get over it. Trust me.” Maya backed off the elevator, wiggling her eyebrows at Tasha to convey the true nature of her statement.

“Don’t hurt him, Star!”

“That’s Mrs. Udaku if ya nasty!”

                                    ___________

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[harlsquinns-blog]

SAVING DICK || CHATZY

SUMMARY: Harley, Selina, and Jonathan fight The Court of Owls. They also go to Batburger. TRIGGERS: Violence. WRITTEN BY: @harlsquinns, @fromselinakyles​ & @thegooddoctorcrane​

Selina: Selina hated cars but it was the only mode of transportation that would get them to Gotham efficiently. Motorcycles were her preferred method and as she sat in traffic, she confirmed the reason why. "Imagine if they were expecting us? God..." She ran a hand through her hair, the other on the wheel, eyes on the road. They had all been relatively quiet which was nice but also strange. She was used to a chatty Harley and well, when she was alone with Jon, they had plenty to talk about. She looked over her shoulder and beside her with a small smile. "The GPS said it should be another twenty minutes. Are we doing okay?"

Jonathan: Johnathan sighed from his place in the backseat. He, unfortunately, got shoved in the back by Harley, who called shotgun before they even saw the car. Which goes against the rules, but who cares. He slumped over, not happy to be confined in the back as if he were in the BatMobile. It was awkwardly silent in the car, despite Selina's attempts to start conversation. "I'm doing just dandy." Jon said from behind his mask, happy neither of the other people in the car could see him roll his eyes.

Harley: Harley was content to be in the front seat, sitting next to Selina. It was probably unfair to call shotgun and make Jon go in the back, but she was still feeling a little bitter towards him for not immediately telling her he had kissed her best friend. She smirked when he spoke up, knowing that he was probably suffering some severe leg cramps, and was not feeling dandy at all. Turning her head, she smiled at Selina. "I'm doin' just fine. There's so much leg room here in the front. In fact, I think I'm gonna put my feet up on the dash," she said, then did exactly that. "Let's play a game. How 'bout two truths an' a lie?"

Selina: Selina bit her lips, eyes on the traffic, wishing it would clear out soon. She had a feeling this wasn't going to go well and Jonathan's retort coupled with Harley's truly cemented that. "Did you guys maybe want to get something to eat? I can get off at the next exit?" And then Harley spoke of a game. It would be a terrible idea especially with everything Harley now knew. "I--don't know..." She changed lines when she got an in and flipped the bird at someone who tried to cut her off. "I know, asshole! I was here first. yeah yeah!" She kept her middle finger up as the guy next to her continued cursing at Selina. "Yeah, sure. Two truths in a lie."

Jonathan: "I could go for some food. And I don't want to play a game." Jonathan scoffed and set his leg on the back of Harley's chair and put his weight on it, trying to make her ride as uncomfortable as possible while expending the least amount of energy. He didn't even bat an eye at Selina at Selina's road rage, having been used to it since he moved here many years ago.

Harley: Harley nodded when Selina mentioned food, suddenly feeling very hungry. She'd skipped breakfast in order to get ready for this little adventure, so she needed to eat before she ended up getting snappy. "I'd love food. How about Batburger?" she asked, then scrunched up her nose when she felt Jon pushing against her seat. It was making her very uncomfortable. While Selina was distracted with road rage, she unbuckled her seatbelt, turning herself around and half hanging over the front seat. "Ya wanna go, Jonny?" she asked a little too aggressively, then smacked down his leg with her hand. "Keep ya big ol' tarantula legs ta yerself!" She didn't even care about her game anymore.

Selina: Selina was glad they had both agreed on food but she was already frazzled by the man that kept egging her on. "I'm going to kill him." She murmured, gripping the wheel. Once traffic began to move a bit more, she pressed on the gas to try to avoid this guy but he kept following and Selina watched him from her mirror. Harley and Jon were already at is and she knew exactly why. When Harley smacked Jon's leg, she looked over her shoulder and glanced at him, pleading with her expression to try. "Guys. Please. Let's try to make it through the last 15 minutes before we get to Batburger." She sighed when the car sped up beside her and told her to roll her window down calling her every name in the book. Selina just smiled and tilted her head. "Are you done?"

Jonathan: Jon used his other leg to push Harley back into her seat, with some difficulty. He muttered a few select curse words under his breath as he slid to be behind Selina so Harley couldn't reach him. Jon glared at the man cursing her out from the safety of his car. "I could do something about him." He said as Selina tried to pass him, but failed. "I refuse to respond to you Harley. I'm not going to fight you." You said as he returned his legs to their uncomfortable place, where they belonged in his limited amount of leg room. "We're villains, Selina. We can do something about this jackass tryin' to run us off the road. That's reckless drivin'. We're helping the community."

Harley: Harley kept swatting at Jon as he pushed her away with his leg, feeling very stressed that his shoe was touching her expensive jacket. It did amuse her to see him swap sides, though. She glanced out of the window at the guy that was causing Selina trouble, then back at Jon. "Oh, you refuse ta respond ta me?" she asked, turning herself to sit properly again, and fastening her seatbelt. "Sounds like yer backin' down ta me!" Even if she wanted to sucker punch Jon right then, she did agree that the guy being rude to their friend needed to be dealt with. "If he ain't payin' fer our gas, or ridin' in our car, he needs ta get wrecked," she said with a shrug. "Next time we pull up next ta him, I can get out and slam his face into his steerin' wheel?"

Selina: Selina, at this point had drowned everyone out, nodding without thinking and not realizing she had just agreed with Jon and Harley. She didn't want to cause a pile up and she certainly didn't want to get them killed. After everything, all the planning to get Dick back and the good night she had with Jon, she really didn't want to ruin any of that by landing everyone in an ER but this guy deserved at least a hit to his bumper to scare him off. "he thinks he can scare me because I'm a woman. Yeah, jackass, pull over! PULL OVER" really she just wanted his license plate number but her friends had something else in mind

Jonathan: Jon scrunched his face and looked back at Harley. "No. I'm just refused to go along with your childlike games.". His face then flew out in surprise as Selina yelled at him to pull over. They probably had the perfect timeline to drive to the restaurant, and then to the meeting point. Brawling with some idiot in the street was not part of the plan, but Jon didn't care. Selina knew best. He readjusted the fear canisters lined on his chest, ready to throw one through the idiot's window. Not for insulting his... whatever him and Selina was. But for being an asshole. And wasting his time.

Harley: Harley was seething when Jon said the word 'childlike'. She was not a child, and she was perfectly serious about fighting him. There was more to her anger than just him pressing his leg against her seat, but Selina would be mad at her if she told him that she knew about the kiss. But she would find the right time to mention it — maybe when they were at Batburger. She grinned when her friend told the guy to pull over, and took the lid off the wooden box at her feet. It had been forever since she'd used a cupcake bomb, and she'd changed the way they worked. Instead of causing a huge explosion, they now had just enough power to blow up something small. If the guy was lucky, he'd survive with a couple of major injuries. "Alright, Sel... I'm gonna need ya ta floor it when I do this," Harley said, grabbing one of the bombs. "1... 2... 3!" she yelled, then leaned over Selina to throw the weapon through the wound down window, and into the guy’s car. "Go, go, go!"

Selina: Selina was ready to write down the number, satisfied with being right in knowing the guy would stop. Of course. He was a dick. She rolled her eyes but before she could even begin jotting it down, Harley and Jon were already doing their own thing and without hesitation, she floored it, stepping on the gas and getting off at the exit for Batburger. "Holy shit." She smiled widely , winding through the roads, finding an alternative way that didn't put them on a main street. "I really hated that guy! Whoo!" She gripped her steering wheel, tires screeching as she pulled into the drive thru. She ordered what she wanted and waited for Harley and Jon to do the same before parking the car in the lot. A bit into her fry and she felt a lot better. She messed Harley's locks with a grin and then looked over her shoulder towards Jon. "How's your shake, Jonny?"

Jonathan: "Fine. Despite them bastardizing my name." Jonathan as he offered the cup to Selina for her to take a sip. He tried not to make his newfound relationship with Selina hidden. Not that he was ashamed, but rather didn't want Harley sticking her nose in his personal business. This was all so scary and new to him. He realized he was just a stand in for Ivy on their little team, but he didn't mind. It was quite nice to be in a team. He was about to be in a even larger team full of people that have probably tried to kill him at some point. Well, no different than hanging out with the rogues.

Harley: Harley was happy to see that Selina was pleased. She had tried so hard to remain on the good side of the law, but sometimes you had to be bad. It was just the way things were. When they pulled into the Batburger drive-thru, Harley ordered a Bat-Mite meal, along with a Harlequinade. When asked if she wanted to Jokerize her fries, she shrunk back into her seat and declined. Once the food was given to them, she immediately felt calmer. "Heeeey!" she said with a grin as Selina messed up her hair. Nothing could've prepared her for the sheer shock she felt when Jonny offered Selina his shake. "Swappin' spit again, I see," she said with a mischievous smile, then dug around in her box for her toy. "Aw, look! I got a mini Riddler!" she said, kissing the little figure and putting it on the dashboard. "Anyone want a nugget?" Considering they were about to go and take on the Court of Owls to save Dick Grayson, Harley was feeling pretty good about life.

Selina: Selina watched her best friend with a smile, glad to see her calmer. Of course all they needed was some food. She felt herself feeling better too, wanting to move forward to help save her son. When Jon offered his shake, she took it from him with a smile,her fingers brushing against his. "Thanks." She sipped from the second straw she had placed in it and closed her eyes. "Okay, that's so good." She grinned. "And next time I'm getting a Bat-Mite meal. I want a mini Riddler." She laughed softly and leaned back.

Jonathan: "Again?" Jonathan repeated and looked at Selina. Did she go around and tell the whole world about what they were doing? "Also no one wants a mini Riddler. I can barely stop myself from strangling the one we have now." he said, leaning back and taking up the entire back seat. He cracked his knuckles loudly as he stared up at the ceiling, peeling off the top of his mask as he did so. He never knew it could get so hot in New York City. Gotham was in a eternal state of drowsy weather. This, was bullshit. "Can we go over what we're doing exactly?"

Harley: Harley couldn't help but laugh when Selina put another straw in the milkshake, as if she were making a point. "Yeah, Jonny. Again. It's okay, yer secret is safe with me." She had no intention of telling anyone else what had gone on between Scaredycat, because it wasn't like anyone she knew would care all that much. Plus, it wouldn't have been fair to them, and she was trying this new thing where she tried to respect people's privacy. She gasped dramatically when Jon talked badly about Eddie, and grabbed her Riddler toy again, sliding it into her jacket pocket to keep him close — she was a little worried her friend in the back would try and melt it with a lighter, or throw it out the window. "Eddie is the best, Jonny. Please don't ever strangle him." When he asked if they could go over their plan, Harley nodded in agreement, and took a sip of her drink. "Yeah, let's talk about it one more time. We can't afford ta make any mistakes. This is the Court of Owls we're dealin' with... They'll come for us in our sleep if we screw this up. An' we won't stand a chance against 'em all alone."

Selina: Selina smirked at the banter between Harley and Jon. She knew that Jon liked Harley and he was just being moody, really. "Thank you, Harley. I appreciate that discretion." Though she didn't know what they were covering up. They hadn't discussed details and that was fine considering she never knew what she was with Bruce. This thing with Jonathan was nice though and it was fine they were going at their own pace. "Please don't strangle our Eddie, Jon." Selina finished off her fries and turned in her seat so she could address the two of them. "Right. Well, I told Oracle we'd go in and cause a distraction. Do what we do best Mayhem. The Titans will be waiting not too far behind us and swoop in for the rest. According to her, there is someone who will be going after Dick. I think the main mission is to get these guys distracted. We'll go in there, ruffle some feathers and leave and we have to take some guys down, well we crush them." She had no problem with taking down the Court to save someone she loved but she also did not want to put Harley and Jon in any danger. "We stick together. I can't have either of you hurt. Understood?"

Jonathan: "Understood." Jon said. Causing mayhem was something he did well. But the Court of Owls was... strange. An unknown variable in their little experiment. He herd about them a few years after he started living in Gotham, from a kid in his class who later disappeared. As a whole, Rogues messed with each other a lot. But never the Court. In his long pause to consider his course of action (throw in fear canisters and kill anyone that tried to break from the norm), they had started driving to the meeting point. Jon could tell Selina was on edge, but she had every right to be. A lot was on line.

Harley: Harley nodded when she was thanked for keeping the kiss a secret, and leaned back, putting her feet back up on the dashboard while Selina talked about the plan. She was a little worried about taking on the Court of Owls, now that they were talking about it. They were a powerful group, and extremely feared throughout Gotham. It seemed a little suicidal to take them on, but they had to do it. Dick's life depended on it, and he'd saved Harley's life enough times for her to care about his. There were times when he could have easily killed her, along with Batman, but he never did. She owed it to him to go against these people, and set him free. "Okay. We stick together, an' cause mayhem. Got it. I'm perfectly okay with a lil' murder if it gets Dick home."

Selina: Selina tried to put up a front for Jon and Harley but it was getting more and more difficult as they approached the warehouse. She felt the lump form in her throat, zipping up her catsuit and gripping her bullwhip. "So do we just...go in?" She mumbled. So much for being a fearless leader. She pressed the earpiece into her ear. "Oracle? Do we just barge in." And then the redhead told her to go through a side entrance. The security cameras had already been taken out by a virus. "Side entrance. Let's go. Stick together. Promise?" She turned around to face her friends one last time. She had been in the grasps of a Talon before, saved by a fellow Rogue. What if she didn't have that luck this time around?

Jonathan: "We'll be fine. Dying for a good cause is for the good guys." Jon said as he made sure his mask was situated over his face before stepping outside, electing to stay close to Selina to hopefully give her some semblance of comfort. And, after looking around at the people nearby, hopefully she could protect him. He already knew Babs from throwing her off a building, so suffice to say they had trouble seeing eye to eye. She did trust Selina, so he was somehow invited. He stuck near Selina's side, not wanting to wonder off now.

Harley: Harley waited until Selina got the go-ahead from Babs, then got out of the car. She made sure that she had enough bullets to take down an army, and attached two cupcake bombs to the belt hanging off her hips. "If we get separated, then we do our best ta get back ta each other, okay?" She twirled her baseball bat in her hand, then followed after her friends. Out of all of them, she was probably the least scared about fighting alone, if she had to. There weren't many things she feared when it came to mass chaos — she did of course have a higher sense of danger now that she was saner, but nothing would ever take away her thirst for a good fight. In fact, she was getting quite excited now. If the three of them hadn’t been practically holding hands, she'd have probably already wandered off to clonk someone on the head.

Selina: Selina led the way, following the directions in her earpiece. "You're cutting out." she whispered, looking around and realizing they were probably so deep into Jersey that it was hard to stay in contact. She knew this would be a possibility and right when she was about to say anything else a sound coming from behind them made her turn around. They were surrounded by at least 15 others and he took a few steps back. "Ok. change of plans. Spread out." She grabbed the handle of her bullwhip, raising it up and letting it fall to the floor with a hard crack. She took one good look at her friends before snapping the weapon out of a Talons hand.

Jonathan: Jonathan opened a canister of tear toxin to flow through his glove, and unsheathed his scythe. Finally, there were seeing some sort of action. The blood pumped through his ears as he carefully made his way towards the group, glad he chose a longer-ranged weapon. He did not want any of these creeps to get closer than they had to. It was time to end this conspiracy once and for all. He wondered what a court of owl member's greatest fear was. Swinging his weapon and sinking his claws into whichever member dared to get too close seemed like a viable option for now.

Harley: Harley was surprised when Selina told them to spread out, but when she turned around, she saw why. Her heart pounded in her chest, and a grin spread across her face as she unholstered her gun. "It's playtime, freaks!" she yelled, then fired her gun, her bullets piercing through the chests of a few Talons. It was stupid to use so many bullets so quickly, but she couldn't take any chances. As a member moved closer to her, she backflipped through the air and landed in front of them. This was such a rush! She used her bat to hit them in their freaky owl face. "Are you guys okay?" she shouted as loudly as she could, looking around for her friends. 

Selina: Selina gripped the end of her whip and she tried to come up with a strategy. She's dealt with these things before and her first encounter wasn't a pleasant one. She snapped her whip against a Talon's face if they wanted to call it that and kicked another straight in the chest. "Come on." She whispered, egging them on despite the fear she felt. Out of her three friends, she was probably the least prepared. No guns, no bombs, no toxin. She relied heavily on her combat skills and these guys were even more trained than she was. "Two? That's it?" She cracked her whip again, about to answer Harley's call when one picked her up by the neck. Selina felt the air cut quickly from her lungs and Babs screamed in her com, pleading for her to get out. "I would if I c-ccould, Oraclee. Tied upp." Her legs dangled in the air as she tried to break away from his hold and once she kicked him in the abdomen, he dropped her to the floor. Selina tried to crawl away but there were already four more on her tail. "Oracle give me something. There's too much. It's like they multiply..."

Jonathan: Jonathan looked back in time to see Selina surrounded. He went over and beheaded 2 of them in a row to hopefully give Selina some time to stand up and get her act together. He looked at both of his weaponed hands and made an executive decision. He yelled "Catwoman, catch!" before tossing his scythe at her. he would be fine with just her glove, plus they needed to hurt these guys, and he could tell Selina was losing faith in her whip. He stabbed another member in the next with his glove, and watched as they fell screaming to the floor. He has glad he remembered to pack the quickest version of his toxin, not any of the slow release stuff he's been studying so intensely for the past few months. And he packed enough toxin to scare a whole nation.

Harley: Harley spotted Selina getting picked up, and immediately tried to get to her. The last thing she wanted was to lose her best friend. Grabbing a cupcake bomb from her belt, she threw it at the group coming towards her friend. It wouldn't stop all of them, but it'd keep away at least three or four — but it still didn't stop the others rushing towards her. It was hard to keep fighting while she knew Selina was in danger, but she continued to put her gymnast skills to good use, dodging and jumping, and using the walls to her advantage. It was easy to parkour off them, due to her lithe frame and skillset. Eventually, she was close enough to Selina to help her. With Jon's scythe she'd be a little safer, but Harley didn't trust that these people wouldn't group up on her friend again. She knew that Jonathan would be fine, because she could hear the bloodcurdling screams of his victims. "Sel, are ya okay?" she asked, pressing her back against the other woman's as she continued to shoot any owl that came towards them. She only had one bomb left, and she knew she had to save it for if they got into really bad trouble.

Selina: Selina caught the scythe, giving Jon a quick nod and did the same when Harley came to her, giving her best friend's arm a quick squeeze. "The comms went out. I can't get Oracle." She took a few steps back and swung at a Talon. "Hey, Scarecrow, I like this. I'll be borrowing it in the near future." She grinned, gaining some confidence and going after a few more. "We're surrounded. Where are those Titans?"

Jonathan: "I have no idea. I'm not the one with the communicator." Jonathan said as he kept on stabbing the members. He definitely had some sort of bounty on his head with how many of them he was taking out. They were surrounding them, which never seemed like a good idea. Soon, he found himself back to back with Selina and Harley. He never really liked the Titans before, but now he was almost praying for them to swoop in.

Harley: Harley felt Jon bump into them, and it was clear now that they were going to lose — but she never did like losing. Adrenaline paired with excitement was coursing through her, and she kept shooting as she spoke, using her bat with her other hand to keep Talons away from her. "Okay, we gotta stay safe until the Titans arrive. Once they're here, we're good to book it!" She took the last cupcake bomb off her belt, trying to figure out where to aim it. "I'm gonna take out the ones directly in front of me. Jonny, you take the left. Sel, you take the right. Then we just... We fight like we're playin' Mortal Kombat until we can leave." She pushed her friends back a little, then threw the bomb. "Alright, let's do this!"

Selina: Selina nodded at the instructions and when Harley called out the okay, she went running, stabbing a couple of Talons on her way towards an area where her friends could follow. "There." She pointed and pressed the earpiece to her ear and right when she was about to call for help, she heard the Titans swoop in. "That's our cue! Let's get out of here!" And she got rid of a few more assailants, choking one with her whip and letting them fall to the ground. Once they reached the outside, she looked over her shoulder to make sure they were both there. "Oh God. We just did that! We did that!"

[fourletterword-blog]

11/28/16

This is my birth story with our new bebe. It’s a doozy.

I woke up at 8:30 am, already feeling contractions so I decided to time them and of course they were pretty consistent, having them around 5-7 minutes apart. They weren't painful so I went about my day. V woke up not too much later and we hung around in bed for a bit until Vic came out of the shower and gave us morning kisses. I stopped timing them because I forgot. V and I climbed out of bed and I got her morning milk. 

After coming back from Wenatchee last night (dropping off a new car that Victor’s client had bought and had things fixed at the shop with a vehicle he was borrowing form the dealership), I didn't want to switch cars (now we are driving a dealership car, but we need our car that happened to be my sister’s car that she dropped off to get fixed) at the dealership that late at night. we just wanted to get home. That means in the morning after, Vic has to drive the dealership car to work which would leave me without a vehicle for the day and he didn't want that.

So back to this morning. I called the nurses line at my ob/gyn because I wanted to know what I should do because *TMI WARNING* first, I was having consistent and slightly painful contractions; second, when I peed earlier, there was a lot of bloody mucus when I wiped; third, I felt like the baby wasn't moving as much so I was worried about a lot of things that can be wrong with that. I had to leave a message and basically wait until a nurse called me back.

We decided that all three of us (Vic, Violet, and me) should leave together and V and I would drive my sister’s car back. But, we couldn't find her car keys and we looked everywhere before we left. We figured that we probably left the keys in the client's vehicle and forgot to bring it back which sucks butt. It's about 9:30 am and Vic is already late for work and us not finding car keys was super annoying. Me having these consistent contractions was the cherry on top. Not to mention V's usual morning craziness. Good thing we had a spare

V and I dropped him off and headed home. A nurse called me back about an hour after I called. At this moment, we were driving home and the nurse was confirming my conditions and asking me a bunch more things that I won't get into. She said she'll ask my OB and see what he thinks and call me back. She called back in 10 minutes and said I should head straight to L&D (labor and delivery) versus coming into the offices. She asked how long it would take us to get there and I said about an hour and a half, safely two hours because I wanted to get home and shower, plus we live 40+ mins away not including possible bad traffic. She said to make it a quick shower LOL. I called Vic right away, telling him the situation. He asked me what we should do and I didn't know what to tell him. He said he'll call me back. 

So, we got home and I gave V a simple breakfast while I was trying to figure out how to shower with V awake (I always shower when she's sleeping because she would want to come in the shower if I was in there). Vic called back and made the executive decision that both him and his mom are going to come to our house right now. His mom was going to watch V while Vic and I go to the hospital. I said that sounds perfect and I waited anxiously for them to arrive.

MIL (mother-in-law) arrived first and so I hopped in the shower, got dressed and retied my hair by the time Vic got home. We packed and double checked all of our stuff and we separated and departed. We left at around 11:20-ish and traffic was on our side today. 

We checked in a bit past noon, waiting for a nurse to come escort us away. We were in the waiting area with all of our things for only a few minutes until we got to our own bed in the triage. I got dressed into the hospital gown and got hooked up to monitors. Baby's doing great and contractions are consistent but not painful yet. My pain level was about a 5/10 at this point. My cervix was checked to see where I was at. 3 cm. The triage doctor and the nurse gave us an option to stay or leave the hospital because I wasn't far along for it to mean anything. I just knew the baby was coming that day so of course I decided that we're staying. The nurse suggested we take a few laps to get things going. 

We walked a total of four laps around the mom and baby ward and each lap took longer because the contractions worsened and made me stop and hold on the rails before resuming the walk. They were pretty painful now. After the fourth lap I knew it was time for us to go back. I also had to poop which I did and I'm glad because then I won't accidentally poop myself pushing the baby out. That was one of my worries during child birth

My cervix was rechecked at around 4 pm and i was at 6 cm! After that short span of time my dilation was doubled and the doctor said we'll meet our baby soon! DUH! After eating a late lunch and waiting for the nurse to give us the OK, we headed to our delivery room.

We arrived there at around 5 pm and the contractions were still bearable. I thought we won't be in there long because labor with V was about five hours long and they say with each baby, labor shortens. It’s been about 5 hours we were at the hospital. With every contraction, pain level was getting really high but every time they checked me, it seems like I wasn't progressing fast enough. My new nurse said if the doctor pops my water, my labor would speed up. I thought about it and said yes after she asked for the fourth time. My usual OB came in half an hour later and did the deed with a weird pokey tool. I felt like I peed the entire Nile River

The first time I wanted to push, I was only at about 8 cm, which isn't enough and also dangerous if Idid push so I had to hold it. After a few contractions, that urge to push weirdly went away. The nurse thought it was a good time for me to switch positions, which I really didn't want to do with all this intense cramping going on. She successfully convinced me to get up and move. I got on my knees, facing the upright bed and hugging the top of the bed and pillow. By now, I was moaning and groaning and grasping Vic's hand so tight he was moaning and groaning. Just kidding. But I really was squeezing hard. Once he had to pee but I couldn't let him go until that one contraction was over. The nurse told me to rock my hips side to side to help the baby move downwards and open up my cervix. I reluctantly shook my booty. 

Next thing I know, the real urge to push came and I made it loud and clear. The nurse checked me and I heard a "she's ready" coming from her direction. She made me switch positions so I'm on my butt and back again so she can check me accurately. She said "yep, get the doctor" all calmly and again I had to hold this baby in just like with V until the darn doctor showed up. I felt like he took forever to get to our room and forever to get his gowns and gloves on. After that, I threw my legs up and started to push with the guidance of the doctor and nurse. He immediately asked if I tore before and I said yes so he made the decision to give me an episiotomy because the baby has a big ole head and that little incision hurt like hell even though he numbed it. So I pushed about five times and we heard unnamed baby boy's cry for the first time. 

We immediately did skin-to-skin where he was plopped on my bare chest while simultaneously being wiped down of my fluids. Vic cut the cord and we had our emotional moment (AKA crying while making incomprehensible sentences) while the doctor was trying to get the placenta out and stitching up my cut which also hurt like a mofo and the nurse was there, helping clean all the mess (AKA my insides). After an hour of this, we breastfed and he did a really good job. Being a second-time mom made me know what to look for in a good latch. My colostrum also came in surprisingly super fast (usually doesn't come in until day 2 or 3 or even 4 for some women). We were so happy that we were all healthy and we finally met this booger. 

We decided then that our baby boy looked like an Elliot and it stuck. After a few hours of alone time, a few nurses came back to do Elliot's measurements and shots. 

He was born 11/28/16 at 7:38 pm. He was 8 lbs 12 oz, 19 in long with a 37.5 cm head circumference. No health issues!! Not even jaundice! Whoo hoo!

You may be wondering, where was Violet this whole time? She was with MIL until further notice

[radicalecho]

Gonna make u suffer. Answer all the meme ask questions? -Eel

ack, all of them?? ho okay here goes. 

1. what is your mutant name? 

echo! its pretty obvious cus i ‘echo’ other peoples mutations ^_^

2. describe your mutation

im a power replicator! when i touch another mutant skin to skin i can copy their mutation. only one at a time and it lasts until i touch someone else!

3. what is your favorite thing about your mutation? 

i get to play with a ton of super cool powers and Usually its pretty easy to switch off if i need to like if i get overwhelmed, i just ask a friend whos power im familiar with or highfive the nearest flatscan lol

4. what is the most difficult part of your mutation? 

well i wear gloves most of the time to avoid like. rapid switching powers or picking up powers i cant handle cus id get super overwhelmed so yknow. pretty much the same as most mutants with contact mutations. at least mine doesnt hurt the other person

5. have you ever met anybody with a similar mutation?

not in person, but i know rogue and the messiah have like, way more powerful power replication! i have met someone else with a contact mutation i have a friend whos got psychometry and can see someones thoughts/recent memories when hes touching them.

6. what was manifestation like for you? 

i got super bad migraines and cramps for like, a month until i happened to shake hands with another mutant. then it kinda took me a while to figure out exactly how my power actually worked but

7. how old were you when your mutation manifested? 

i was 14

8. before you manifested, what did you think about mutants? 

my parents were pretty anti mutant so i thought they were all super dangerous and wanted to kill all humans /eyeroll

9. favorite x-man/mutant superhero?

ok this changes every week but rn im feeling gambit or nightcrawler theyre both so cool

10. favorite mutants rights activist?

probably storm or jean grey ive never seen them in person but ive watched both of their tedtalks and Bruh

11. who are some characters you headcanon to be mutants? 

well. rn im really into final fantasy and noctis is totally a mutant with like, teleporting and summoning weapons. 

12. who are some non-confirmed celebrities you think are mutants? 

not to be emo but i am still ride or die for the gerard way is a mutant train

13. which historical figures do you suspect were mutants? 

i dont know! 

14. magneto or charles xavier?

magneto 100% 

15. have you ever participated in a mutant pride parade?

yeah!! i went to one last year it was super awesome

16. do you think mutants should be able to reclaim mutantphobic/genophobic slurs? have you?

i think u have to be careful throwing them around cus a lot of us have like, serious trauma with them but i think its ok yeah. i use m*tie but like, only in response to someone calling me one like hell yeah i am fuck you

whoo thats a lot, thanks!!

[askhotelmanagementau]

BIG INFO POST!!! PLS READ :3

No its not bad btw lol

this will be for explaining everything about the blog!! Yayy!!!

Starting off strong,

Asking rules & qna

- No nsfw please 😀

- Feel free to ask anyone from ii! From mephone4s to even Cobs, everyone is open and important to the story :3

- (There's still gonna be lore posts! Maybe weekly or so.)

- feel free to ask me too!! Im here

- cd is gone sozzy :(

General qna

" Will we see any self inserts? "

Probably not. I'm not really into that no more!! :(

" Will we see ships? "

DUHHH!!! I LOVE SHIPS :3 !!! There's gonna be lots of silvercandlebrush (silver,candle, paintbrush) and fantube, maybe some trocheessues (trophy, cheesy, tissues) and even some knifropic (knife, mic, pickle) !! Feel free to give me ur ships btw, im very open to it and might have little side comics for them ;]

" Can we ask questions regarding lore? "

Yeah! Sometimes I won't spill because it's important, but usually yes. I've been plotting a huge storyline!!

" Can we ask questions as a character/oc? "

OF COURSE?? That's so funky and fun please do

CHARACTER LIST!!!

so you know who's doin what :D

Hotel staff:

OJ - Room 9/ Office

Silver Spoon - Room 5

Knife - Room 6

Tea Kettle - Room 3

Trophy - Room 9

Paintbrush - Room 2

Paper - Room 7

Suitcase - Room 8

Taco - Room 12

Soap - Room 10

Residents:

Room 1 - Bot, TestTube, Fan

Room 2 - Lightbulb, Cabby

Room 3 - Goo, Box (in the closet)

Room 4 - Tissues, Cheesy

Room 5 - Candle, YinYang

Room 6 - Microphone, Pickle

Room 7 - Nickel, Baseball

Room 8 - Balloon, Blueberry

Room 9 - Bomb, Pepper

Room 10 - Salt, Cherries

Room 11 - Mephone4, Toilet

Room 12 - Lifering, Clover

Extra (hard to explain):

Toilet : Cohost for Mephone4. He shares a room with mIstAH phONe, but visits Mepad frequently (and other places)

Mepad : Also cohost for Mephone4!! Prefers to live at the mansion, though does drop by :3

Marshmallow : mansion

Ghostbow : M A N S I O N

Dough : maamaamammaansion

Apple : mashun

Floory : Mephone4 and Toilet's roommate, but likes to chill in the lounge and outdoors more than his room.

Cobs : Meeple!

Mephone4s : Mansion, It's really awkward.

One room holds up to three contestants! And yes, staff also is in hotel rooms. There are 20 hotel rooms btw!! :3 just in case.

PLEASE DO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY PEOPLE ARE IN CERTAIN ROOMS, ILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER :)

(PS: I may update this frequently! Do check this weekly if you're a superfan ;] )

Character list in abc order bc im very forgetful (reference sheets tba eventually)

Apple

Balloon

Bomb

Baseball

Bot

Blueberry

Box

Cabby

Candle

Clover

Cheesy

Cobs

Cabby

Cherries

Dough

Evil Paper

Fan

Floory

Ghostbow

Goo

Knife

Lifering

Lightbulb

Microphone

Mephone4

Mephone4s

Marshmallow

Nickel

OJ

Paintbrush

Pickle

Paper

Pepper

Silver Spoon

Soap

Suitcase

Salt

Taco

Tissues

Trophy

Test Tube

Yin

Yang