#with cautious optimism and big smiles

[suzukiblu]

Excerpt from an omegaverse Superfam fic featuring omega!Clark and nursing in pack dynamics, a low-key canon-smash with the Reign of the Supermen movie, and alllll of Kon's self-esteem issues.

Also, a read-more for length.

Clark is in the living room nest with Jon, curled up in the corner of the room with his overshirt unbuttoned and his undershirt pulled up to let Jon nurse while he cradles him in his arms. He's ten now, and Clark knows he's only got a few more years of this at best before Jon goes down the same path every pup does and decides he's too old to nurse from his dam on the regular anymore.

Fortunately, he hasn't decided that yet.

Unfortunately . . .

The front door of the apartment opens and Kon walks in. Clark glances towards him and gives him a reflexive smile. Jon is too distracted nursing to pay attention to anything else; he gets a bit hyper-focused that way, usually.

"Welcome home," Clark greets with cautious optimism, and Kon immediately stiffens.

Kon's . . . maybe twelve or thirteen, physiologically, but not all that much bigger than Jon. Really, not any bigger at all–strangers tend to assume that they're littermates. He's a skinny kid, especially for one with Kryptonian genes who's living under a yellow sun, and just the sight of him standing there in his battered jeans and cheap flannel and the too-loose leather jacket he found in some random downtown thrift shop makes Clark want to feed him up 'til he gains at least a good two pants sizes.

And Kon will eat anything he cooks–even anything Lois cooks, no matter how badly it came out this time–but . . .

Jon huffs out a little milk-scented breath against Clark's chest and shifts in his lap, readjusting to get more comfortable before latching on again to resume nursing.

Kon gets a weird, near-pained expression on his face and just for a second looks like he's going to be sick. Then he beelines for his room without a word.

Clark feels a little nauseous himself, and barely represses a wince. That's the third time this week, so . . .

Well, it's pretty safe to say something about the scent of his milk is putting Kon off. Every time Clark's seen the kid catching it, he's immediately made an excuse to get out of the room. Usually a bad excuse that was very clearly just the first thing he'd thought to blurt out.

Clark doesn't even know if Lex ever gave Kon milk. He doubts he nursed him himself, for a whole lot of very obvious reasons but also the fact that Clark's just never once smelled even the slightest trace of milk on Lex, but if he even provided any kind of formula or a wet nurse or just . . . anything, really? Well, who even knows?

He could ask Kon, obviously, except Kon gets visibly anxious and agitated whenever nursing comes up in even the vaguest terms. Which is understandable, if just the scent of Clark's milk is putting him off enough that he has to keep leaving the room over it. The kid so clearly still thinks they're going to get rid of him at the first given opportunity, and there's no way that he wants to address the elephant in the room that is how very badly he wants away from something that a pup and dam with a more typical relationship would do together all the time–would've been doing together for years.

Kon hasn't even been alive for a year, physiology and education aside.

Clark doesn't know how to tell the kid that he doesn't care if he doesn't want to nurse from him. That it doesn't matter; that it's not a big deal or any kind of a problem.

Mostly because it'd be a lie.

He doesn't love Kon any less. He doesn't begrudge his behavior or hold the very blatant rejection against him. It's not Kon's fault, especially after getting grown in a cloning tube and "raised" by someone like Lex Luthor.

But Clark's still an omega, and one of his pups is still rejecting his milk. And not because he thinks he's too grown-up for it or anything like that, but because it very literally repulses him. So Kon has never even once nursed from Clark; has never even tried to.

So it's not Kon's fault, and Kon isn't doing anything wrong, but Clark still feels, well . . .

Rejected.

The polite thing to do is probably to just keep ignoring it and keep letting Kon avoid the discussion that he so clearly doesn't feel safe or secure enough to have. Clark's tried to broach the subject exactly twice, doing his best to be delicate about the whole thing.

He has very literally seen Kon flee a murderous cyborg slower than he fled those attempted conversations.

Jon drinks his fill and then falls asleep curled up in Clark's lap, which is normal. Jon always gets sleepy when he nurses. Clark fixes his undershirt and tries not to think too much about the fact that he has no idea how Kon gets when he nurses.

Kon might not even know how he'd get, if he had a dam whose milk actually appealed to him. It's entirely possible the kid really never has nursed. Or maybe, well . . .

Clark has the unfair and ugly thought that maybe Lex did nurse Kon at some point, and therefore the reason that Kon doesn't like the scent of his milk is because it's different from Lex's. The thought that maybe every time that Clark looks at the kid and has to resist a let-down reflex, Kon's craving someone else's milk.

Specifically, a "someone else" like Lex Luthor.

And Clark is Superman, and tries to be the best person that he can figure out how to be, and desperately tries not to resent that possibility.

But he's also still an omega. Still a mother. Still . . .

The front door opens again and Lois walks in, and her intensely spicy alpha scent immediately fills up the whole apartment. It's a bit of a relief, since hopefully it'll mean Kon coming back out of his room sooner. Lois's pheromones are one of the few things Clark's encountered that can overpower the scent of an omega's milk without even trying, even to his own enhanced senses.

He never realized that was going to be necessary one day, but he's grateful for it all the same.

"How'd the interview go?" he asks.

"Terribly but illuminatingly," Lois replies cryptically as she strips off her jacket and kicks off her heels, which means someone's probably going to try to murder her later but also she thinks she's on the right track. "Kon home yet?"

"He's in his room," Clark says, wishing he could just call it the kid's den. Kon's still never once scented it like a den, though, and he doesn't want to pressure him about it.

There's a lot of things he doesn't want to pressure Kon about.

"Guess he would be," Lois says, glancing down at Jon's contentedly sleeping face. Given their current position, the fact that they were nursing isn't subtle. "Have you tried talking to him again?"

"Not since the last time," Clark answers with a resigned shake of his head. "I just . . . I don't know how to have the conversation, and he doesn't want to have it, and I . . ."

He trails off, trying not to grimace.

"I feel like I should be helping," Lois sighs, coming over to pet Jon's hair for a few moments, her face softening as he starts to purr sweetly in his sleep. "I know it's not my place to get in the middle of this, you're the omega here, but it's driving me nuts. He's just so damn skinny, Clark!"

"I know," Clark says, trying to ignore the ache in his heart. He was definitely bigger at Kon's age, and Lex isn't built like he was a skinny kid either. That Kon's so small himself, well . . .

It just makes all of Clark's omega instincts rankle, because to those instincts? Kon looks underfed. Malnourished.

Hungry.

Clark's produced more milk than he's ever produced in his life since Kon showed up out of nowhere wearing the El crest and grinned down at him bright and expectant and called him–

Well, he'd called him "Dad", actually, because Clark wears scent blockers with fake pheromones when he's being Superman, and those fake pheromones are specifically fake beta pheromones, because he's long-since decided that Superman should be as calming and neutral a presence as possible. And Kon is still too young to have differentiated himself, so even being partially cloned from him, how would he have known better about Clark's sex or gender?

Kon only called him "Dad" that one time, and he's never once called him "Mom". He's never shown any interest in nursing from him and in fact actively avoids the possibility and will very literally leave the room and sometimes even the apartment to escape the scent of his milk.

And yet, months after that first meeting, Clark is still producing enough of it to feed a damn litter.

His chest has been getting embarrassingly sore, actually. He knows he could pump, and probably should pump, but he doesn't want to make the apartment smell too much like his milk and make Kon have to put up with something he hates so much like that. Not if he can avoid it, at least.

Did Lex ever have this problem, the bastard? Probably not. Probably Kon liked his milk. Probably Kon misses his milk, the poor kid, and Clark can't even give him that much because that would very literally entail asking a supervillain to nurse his pup. And yes, Lex made Kon to begin with, but also Lex can go to hell for how he treated him once he did. As far as Clark is concerned, Kon is his pup. Lois's pup. Jon's brother.

Lex hadn't even named the kid, for god's sake.

That does not make Clark feel better about the possibility of Kon missing the bastard's milk.

[beuhakkaka]

🌊A Sirens Song🌊 Pt 8

"I will see you next time, then." She shouted down, making an extra effort to hide her proud smile.

Annora's heart was pounding, pumping wildly like a rapid rabbit caught in a cage.

It was finally over.

He had eaten the fish, all of them, and had even complimented the taste. He was completely unaware of the unbelievable amounts of poison he had consumed.

Not even he could survive a dose that big; she was sure of it.  

Annora's mission had been complete, and now she was free from the heavy mantle she had taken up. She may have laughed if she hadn't decided to be cautious. Especially when she mentioned "next time.", because there would never be a next time with her or anyone else.

His final meal had been had.

Annora looked down at the beast one final time, eyes cold as she stared at his smile.

He wouldn't be smiling for long.

She turned on her heel and swiftly limped away.

Annora grunted softly as she slid the tray back into the wagon, tying down the object while ignoring the throb of her lame leg. She dusted her hands off with a slight smile. She didn't even mind the fish scent anymore. Far too relieved to have this massive weight taken off her shoulders. She quickly glanced at the sky, taking in the sun's angle.

Sunset would be soon, which means she should also be leaving soon.

Although she would have liked to stay a little longer to see if the poison was taking effect, she didn't want to get caught in the night.

Annora walked over to her rented helper, gently patting the horse's neck before hopping onto his back. The horse trotted away with a clip-clop, wagon in tow.

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

Venti yawned, tail flicking lazily against the ocean floor. He picked at his dagger-like teeth with his pointed nails, removing any leftover fishy bits. The fish had been shockingly good; he had been unable to prevent himself from finishing the entire tray. Even when knowing it was poisoned, he couldn't stop himself. It didn't matter, though, since the poison would never affect him. Not fatally, at least. What really bothered him was her smug attitude. Venti grunted bitterly, prying out a fish head from between his teeth.

What a stupid human she was.

Didn't she see how powerful he was? How all-encompassing his body was? What moron would think he could be taken down by a bit of poison?

A yawn interrupted Venti's frustrated stewing. He blinked sleepily, tilting his head to the side. He reached up towards the surface of the water and stretched. He grunted a little as his limbs stretched, drowsiness beginning to weigh heavily on him.

The poison could never kill him, but it took a lot of energy for his body to process.

"Perhaps a nap would help speed up the process ..."

Venti muttered to himself.

He sighed softly, deciding a nap sounded terrific.

Venti lay down slowly, his massive torso cutting through the waters like a falling mountain. He slumped against the sand, bubbles flying out from below him. His tail curled slightly as he got comfortable, twisting and turning to find the optimal position.

Fish were flung away by the crashing waves the giant made from the simple movement, and once he was done, the sea around him was still. Using his arms as his pillow, he nestled his face into his folded forearms. His heavy-lidded eyes fluttered, lashes slowly closing.

When Venti opened his eyes, he was not at the bottom of the ocean.

The sand was warm against his torso, and the waves lapped excitedly at the beach's edge. The sun was pleasant and comforting, offering a calming warmth.

But beating it all, glowing brighter than even the blazing sun, and muting out the loud squabbles of the seagulls was a gentle strumming. Kind and soothing, the song carried through the beach, passion pouring through every note. The sweet lyre strings rang through the beach, reaching Venti's ears and comforting him far more than any sun could.

He looked at where the music came from, his lips spread into a loving smile.

The little bard looked back up at the siren, the simple humans smile bright as ever.

"Would you like to join in?"

Venti's smile broadened, pearly white shark-like teeth making themselves known.

"But of course, I do little bard~ don't you know I love to sing?"

The bard laughed, his laughter ringing like the sweetest of bells.

"Right right, sorry."

The bard plucked his lyre, smiling sweetly.

"Join in then~"

Venti woke up.  

He gasped loudly, shoving himself up from the sandy ground in one thundering motion. He knelt over the floor, chest heaving breath after breath. Venti's fingers curled into the sand, his hands shaking like he had been thrown into a frozen lake.

How long had it been since he had thought of the bard? He couldn't even remember the last time.

So why, why now?

"Why now do I dream of you-"

Venti choked, tears beading at the corners of his eyes.

"I had hoped to have forgotten you."

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

Annora scrubbed viciously at the counter, her teeth grit tightly together. This particular wine stain wasn't coming out of the wood, and it was driving her insane. That wasn't all that was plaguing her mind, though.

Despite the siren having been given a ridiculous amount of poison, she had a bad feeling she just couldn't shake. No matter how many times she reminded herself of the impossibility of survival.

'It would have been nice if he showed symptoms immediately...I bet he was hiding them or something.

She thought in annoyance as she continued to scrub.

At this point, she was just gonna peel off the wood rather than eliminate the stain, but it was bothering her so much she didn't even realize it.

She didn't realize a person was standing behind her either.

A large hand settled on her shoulder, gently alerting her to their presence. But, gentle as it was, Annora was still on edge. So she reacted quite explosively to the sudden touch.

She yelped loudly, jumping up and launching the wet rag into the ceiling. It smacked the bar's roof with a wet squelch before plopping back and splatting right onto her boss's head.

Annora stared in horror as the rag slowly sagged off the edge of the intimidating mans head. Eventually slipping and falling onto his nice fancy shoes instead. A double kill.

"Mas-Master Diluc-! Oh my archons I am so sorry-!"

She was nearly shrieking as she apologized, absolutely mortified. Diluc remained silent as Annora panicked.

His hair- and his nice shoes-! What had she done-?!?!

Diluc, however, took her reaction and the situation in stride.

"No need to panic; accidents happen,"

He dusted his hair off with one gloved hand before bending down to grab the wet rag. Plucking it up with two fingers, he tossed it back onto the counter.

"I apologize for scaring you. You just weren't responding to your name." Diluc continued on calmly, adjusting his coats collar.

Annora blushed a little, realizing she may have been a bit too much in her own head.

"O-oh-! Please, I should be the one apologizing-! I was so lost in thought I didn't even know you were there- and then I got your hair and shoes all messy-"

Annora bowed deeply in apology.

"I-I am deeply sorry, sir-!"

"Annora, there's no need to bow- please stand up,"

Diluc spoke softly, trying to calm the frantic girl down.

Annora immediately stood straight again, quickly shoving her messy red bangs out of her eyes. She met Dilucs gaze for a second, and then panicked all over again. She swiftly looked downs nervously stared down at her feet. Her fingers began fidgeting with the skirt of her dress.

Diluc spoke as coolly as ever.

"Right then, back to my original intention. When I was taking a stroll by, I noticed the light was still lit in the bar. I had assumed someone had broken in, so you can guess how surprised I was to find you working after hours. Why are you here?"

Annora pursed her lips.

"A-ah- well- I called out quite suddenly earlier today to handle some...personal business. So, since I have the keys, I thought I minus well contribute some today-"

The siren had taken an enormous amount of her time and energy. Leaving her unable to attend a lot of her usual shifts. She felt horribly guilty over it since her having the job at all was such a gift. It was uncommon for people to trust and hire a refugee from Khaenri'ah.

She looked up at Diluc, noting the concern in his eyes.

"I-I just- I don't want to slack off the job I'm so grateful for...sir,"

Diluc's eyes softened, concern stirring in his heart. He was glad she didn't take the job for granted, but this was too much.

"Taking a few extra days off after the record you have isn't slacking off, miss Annora, and although I appreciate your attitude,"

His gaze flicked to the heavy bags resting beneath Annora's eyes.

"Rest is to be appreciated as well...its very late, go home. You can take your usual shift tomorrow,"

Her eyes grew wide as she stared at her boots, shocked by his care. More often than not, people didn't bother thinking of her, and they had every right to do so. She was a Khaenri'ahn, a decadent of a cursed race...

But despite his right to, Master Diluc was so kind to her.

She smiled warmly, touched by Dilucs words and finally able to meet Dilucs gaze.

"Thank you,"

Annora nodded curtly at Diluc, bidding him farewell as she walked away.

Diluc stood silently, staring at Annora's petite form as she exited.

"A limp...when did she get that?"

He muttered worriedly.

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

The next day, just before sunset, Annora returned to the mountainside.

Annora left her stargazing gear beside the safety forest's edge, just in case. She was relatively confident about Venti's deceased status, but...she needed to be sure.

Her heart thrummed along, hastening the closer she got to the cliff's edge. She knew she wouldn't see him, it would be impossible...yet she couldn't stop herself from shaking.

Brown boots met the stoney edge of the cliff, thumping as she took her final few steps.

She sucked in a deep breath, holding the air as she leaned over.

Clawed, massive fingers shot up from the ocean below, claws outstretched and ready to capture.

"There you are~!!"

The beast greeted her joyously.

Annora shrieked.

She launched herself back, tumbling into the ground with a thud. She yelped as giant nails crashed into the floor beside her, puncturing the loose soil and scattering dirt everywhere.

She scrambled frantically to her knees and feet, dashing forward with a stumbling gait.

The massive fingers chased after her, digits curled to claim her the moment she faltered.

She jumped, just narrowly missing another skewering attempt as she flew towards the forest line. She crashed straight past the trees, smashing her face into the dirt as she fell into safety.

Annora didn't care about her new bloody nose as she scrambled up, pushing herself farther into the trees with panicky shoves.

His face rose up from below the cliff, once again resting on the edge.

The siren settled his chin on the rock, sighing dramatically.

"Darn...that was a close one too,"

He hummed.

"You know, I thought you had said you'll only come out during the day~ don't tell me you've finally decided to give up?"

A toothy grin splayed over his lips, razor-sharp teeth shining against the moonlight.

Annora's breaths were sporadic and panicked, little tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

"I'm back for our scheduled meeting, as agreed upon, yet you look so surprised~"

Venti chuckled darkly.

"Y-you-" Annora stuttered, horror in her eyes.

Venti cooed, tilting his head to the side as he smirked.

"What's with that reaction? You look like you've seen a ghost~" 

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

IM BACK. HAHAHHA. Anyways, today is just the usual angst train- also Diluc appearance???! Omg, crazy. Who knows, maybe there will be more genshin ppl appearances 💖

Hope u enjoyedddd

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[hetchdrive]

I think we’re reading May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth at roughly the same time and are currently at roughly the same parts. I just wanted to say I think that’s very cool of us 😌 Do you have any favorite letters so far?

You're right that is very cool of us! Let me just uhhh look through my notes...

So far my favorite letters have been Goodsir's letter to his dad which I reblogged from you, for the reasons in the post. Goodsir is so bluntly endearing, somehow. He seems very young. Oh I've just looked up how old Goodsir was when the expedition vanished and he was 28. Oh alright then. I'm emotional about this.

Other favorite letter so far was unexpectedly one of John Irving's, to his sister-in-law Catherine. This paragraph really hit me as like, a premonition of the upcoming disaster:

"I intended to write something to amuse you, but I find I cannot help being serious. Everything around me, and every duty I am engaged in, tend at present to make me so-- I mean all keep me so much alive the feeling of a long separation from those near and dear to me. Even in writing I am reminded that a terrible long pause of anxious suspense is before me, when I can only hope, without the prospect of tidings of good or ill. So, my dear Katie, do not blame me that you should have been, whilst reading the mass of scribbling, obliged to banish your usual smiles. I will write you yet again, so I shall not take a very formal farewell of you at this time. My most brotherly love to my dear Lewis. --Yours very affectionately, John Irving."

Irving also sent back to England a number of drawings. Several men did but Irving's seem to be the best of the ones included in the book. Also, of two skeletons returned to England at the time of the McClintock expedition, one of them was identified as Irving by the presence of a maths medal next to the body, which I find deeply endearing. This book has made me a big Irving fan, honestly. Didn't have any strong feelings about him before starting reading this and now I'm like ough... my guy.

My other observation so far is that it seems like Franklin was unfairly characterized in the show, as his letters so far paint a picture of a fairly cautious man.

It is Fitzjames who is the king of hubris.

There are multiple letters where the endnotes make note of how the things he is saying shows he does not have a good understanding of the Arctic and that's really interesting to me from the perspective of seeing show!Crozier and Fitzjames' relationship conflict early on as coming from a place of Crozier's experience vs Fitzjames' support of Franklin's dismissal of him, with the idea (I had always thought) being that Franklin thinks his feelings of optimism and belief God will see them through are substitutes for dealing with the material realities of that place. And like, no! Actually that should have been Fitzjames, going off these letters! But it makes sense from a character writing perspective. Foolish, foolish man. Excited to see how my opinion of this evolves as I continue to read.

Also, Fitzjames' aggressive confidence in repeatedly pestering John Barrow Jr. about whether he's gotten the position or not is honestly kind of inspiring in a "if this man from the 1840s can speak like he knows anything when he clearly doesn't I myself should step up game in these job interviews". There's one particular letter that absolutely floored me, and it was the 11th of February one:

"In case of Crozier's appointment I send you a letter to Beaufort asking him to try for Le Vesconte which pray send at once as soon as you know I am not to go-- if I am appointed tear it up-- .... Mind I am in confident expectations of the Second Ship in Franklin's expedition nothing else is worth having." [I have used italics where there were underlines]

Nothing else is worth having. Absolutely awful, vainglorious man. This has made me dearly want to write my own version of my headcanon first meeting of "Fitzjames puffs himself up, fails to impress Crozier, feels rejected about it and forms a grudge" because holy shit, he is actually so much worse than I already thought. Also because "nothing else is worth having" would be a banger title.

I do appreciate that Fitzjames seems to have been a man who is eager to lift other men up, as this is not the only time he makes suggestions to Barrow Jr. about appointments and promotions-- if he was obsessed with status for himself he was at least trying to lift his friends up, as well. Pity this doesn't extend to Crozier! Would have been a very different expedition if it did!

Wow, long post which I took so long to write, my bad. What are your own favorite letters so far?

[raayllum]

like i have not spent ages thinking about how far i can push rayllum to be borderline unhealthy while also giving them room to walk back from the brink and still have a healthy relationship with each other to Not be excited the show is exploring the exact same thing - Could you please explain the above with regards to your fic? Like maybe some scenarios we can expect? Especially around the whole unhealthy relationship traits :) Love messy relationships in stories :)

re: this post

So one of my favourite things about TDP is that they emphasize, time and time again, that you can deeply love someone and they can deeply love you, and yet that doesn't mean 1) the relationship can't be or cannot become unhealthy and 2) that genuine love can be precisely what destroys the relationship / the people in it anyway. Ex: Harrow and Viren's entire decades long fuckery, Rayla and Runaan (re: he loved her too much to see she wasn't fit to be an assassin), Harrow's love for Sarai being so warped he does something she would never want or approve of to assuage his own rage and grief/guilt (and Viren pushing Harrow to take revenge for similar reasons), even Callum and Claudia to a degree, etc. Even the healthiest of relationships have periods or patterns of unhealthiness and in a series all about breaking harmful cycles, it’s particularly apt, tragic, and interesting

I always figured we saw the beginnings of this in TTM / that Rayla's tendency to go off on her own (and self-sacrifice) was going to be, in many ways, their biggest hurdle to face. Callum also has self destructive tendencies when it comes to magical desperation (2x04 and 2x07) but he also has self-preservation and optimism, even as he verges closer to where Rayla stands in S4.

Basically: the fundamental misunderstanding of TTM, in which Rayla chooses Callum by leaving, and Callum views her as choosing the mission over him by staying away, is undeniably tragic with both of them being right and both of them being wrong, and we see that follow through into S4 (Callum asking Rayla to kill him and thinking it's something she would viably do in the first place). This relationship between love as transformation (positive change), salvation (life), and destruction (death) and the razor's edge between all of them is something I've thought a lot about within Rayllum's bond in general, since it's also a big theme in the show that we come back to time and time again, and theirs is the relationship it probably manifests in the most every season:

Will this thing help me or hurt me? Will it save me or kill me?

“Wow. So they look identical, but they might kill you or they might save you,” Callum said.

“Exactly. Just like me…” Rayla smiled.

It's a level of symbolic and interpersonal intensity I just can't get enough, as well as the inherent risk in it: Callum, reckless, driven, relentless, barreling towards what might be his own destruction because he just can't resist. Rayla, more cautious and more aware, so scared of pulling others down with her and cognizant that she'll go down with the ship (Callum's ship) to the very end. This was all present to me and one of my favourite ideas to explore pre-S4's release, so I think it's very unsurprising that the "I need you to kill me" scene from 4x07 ended up being my favourite scene in the season, because it's thematically richer than beyond anything I ever dreamed of going in.

"Desperate Measures," now firmly canon divergent, focuses on Rayla going undercover in a Xadian dark mage guild when Callum stumbles across her and gets entwined in the lie, as he refuses to just leave her there. The emotional toll of the increasingly unethical and awful things they have to do, the anger and hurt and love they still hold for one another that they can't reveal to anyone else, and their increasing resentment towards one another (Rayla is trying to spare him, Callum is trying to keep her safe at expense to himself) understandably pushes them to their limits and makes them resort to, well, some desperate measures in order to keep the other person Safe, if deeply unhappy.

This includes having to 1) downplay their connection and history together, omitting massive chunks of it, 2) going along on some dark magic hunts and both participating in ingredient collection, 3) increasingly losing a sense of self, etc. Again, all things we see little peeks of in S4, in terms of Rayla being far more jaded, both of them being pretty lost without the other, not talking about their relationship as much because of everything going on, being frustrated and hurt but refusing to / being unable to walk away from each other or let go.

However, one of my favourite things about pushing an otherwise healthy relationship to that extreme is keeping it together enough that it can be healthy again, and what that journey would look like. So it's a pretty bleak fic, I think, but not devoid of hope and affection - just a lot of anguish, too.

Overall I think this line sums up the analysis and the fic quite well:

“I can’t!” Callum burst, his chest heaving. “I can’t stop caring—I don’t fucking hate you―that’s the problem!”

When you love someone so much they destroy you, just a little (or a lot)? Yeah

[durotoswrites]

When you see this, post 5 songs you actually listen to and tag 10 of your favourite followers/mutuals!

Thank you for the tag, @acediee ! I'm almost always listening to music, so I have a lot of favorite songs, but here are some that keep coming back to me in no particular order:

I can never give my heart - Rose Betts - Rose Betts's unique and lovely voice is one of my current obsessions. Heartbreaking lyrics and intense instrumentals, it's a relatable song of yearning.

If I'm being honest - dodie - dodie's soft vocals have been a longtime source of comfort for me. It's a soft song of cautious optimism that says "maybe you didn't choose me on purpose, but maybe I am worthy of love, from both you and myself".

You're not special, babe - Orla Gartland - (warning for clowns/mimes in the video, but honestly, the video is so fantastic and adds so much to the song). I love Orla Gartland's work, and this song really resonates with me and is a great pick-up. The title might sound harsh, but it's a song of acknowledging that we all go through our own heartbreaks, triumphs, and sorrows, and it's easy for other people to uncomfortably look the other way. That's why it's so important to find people in your life that you can depend on. Orla's character going from being horrified by this notion to acknowledging and embracing it is done so well in this video. It's also a legitimate bop.

Still into you - Paramore - I'm still into this song! It's a fun love song that celebrates the everyday blushes and smiles you can still share with your partner after years together. It's perpetually stuck in my head and it just gives me a burst of serotonin when I hear it. 🥰

If you know that I'm lonely - FUR - Besides FUR making hilarious music videos, their retro sound is so addictive. This song always has me coming back. The melodramatic angsty lyrics combined with the comedic timing of the video always hit me in the right way.

This barely touches the tip of the iceberg of the songs I love listening to. Techno, Celtic, electroswing, jazz, blues, big band just to name a few off the top of my head, and there are so many genres that I'm still learning about.

Snail's House, who focuses on kawaii future bass, is always fun to listen to, and my favorite song by them would have to be Ramune, which is such a fun mashup of satisfying sounds, blips, and melodies to keep you listening on repeat.

It would be a crime for me to leave mxmtoon off of this list. Her soft vocals and trusty ukulele always calm me down and I love the themes in her music. She's probably best known for Prom Dress, but among many of her other works, I really love Myrtle Avenue, particularly the slower version - it really hits differently.

I also love listening to video game osts, including the Mother Series, Animal Crossing, Octopath Traveler, Mana Khemia, and whatever gives me feels and is relaxing.

Tagging: @friendofbats, @cluing4looks, @joyfulsanctuary, @beck-a-leck, @hikamaus, @krosaceae, @lm-tomatito, @emeraldhazeart, @icefire149, @julikoloveszestiria, @quartzfox, and anyone else that I forgot! <3

[hournites]

Girlie you KNOW the iceskating has been a priority for us (28)

JSA on Ice

Courtney places both hands on their lunch table the first Monday after the holiday break. “In the spirit of the new year, friendship and reconciliation, Cameron has offered us to join him at his new ice rink after school today. Unless you are grounded or dying, I decree presence is mandatory.”

Beth and Rick blink at Courtney. 

Yolanda sets down her sandwich. “I dunno Court. Ice-skating? Do you seriously trust me with knives on my feet?” 

Rick scoffs. “Do you seriously trust Cameron not to slap me with a restraining order from the Mahkent Estate?” 

The three turn their heads to Beth. She twirls her spoon into her steaming leek soup. “Why am I always the deciding vote?”

Rick straightens in his chair, looking like he wants to stuff the words back into his mouth. “She’s right,” he says. “We always do this to her. It’s not fair.”

Yolanda coughs, covering her mouth with the back of her palm. “Simp.” 

“I never said this was a vote.” Courtney sat down in her seat. “Instead of patrol, we’re skating. All of us. And we will be on our best behaviour.” She uncaps her apple juice and takes a swig. “It’s gonna be fun.” 

“Okay. Whatever. One problem, Court? I don’t have skates.” 

“Me neither,” Yolanda chimes in after Rick. 

Courtney pauses mid-chew. “Oh.” She wrinkles her nose and swallows. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Cameron will take care of all the details.” 

~.~ 

The rink is already in use when Beth, Rick and Yolanda are shown to the backyard by a hobbling Sofus Mahkent. The three stop in their tracks. The big box beside the Mahkent gardens is a state-of-the-art newly-installed ice rink;  with aluminum bleachers, giant lamps overhead it and an installed kiosk with dozens of skates in many sizes. Cameron is on the ice, twirling around in quick succinct twirls like he’s trying out for the Olympics as Courtney watches in her gold puffer jacket on the sidelines. 

“No way,” Yolanda breathes out. “How much did that cost?” 

Beth twists the bag of skates in her gloved hands. “A pretty penny, I’d guess.” 

Rick scowls. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

Courtney’s sixth sense must’ve gone off because she turns around and lights up at the sight of her friends. She pulls them towards the rink and dumps their stuff on the bleachers, talking a mile a minute about how happy and proud she is of Beth and Yolanda but most pointedly Rick coming. She explains that she had gone over the missing skates issue for Rick and Yolanda and had been reassured that he’s got plenty of skates in every size in anticipation of this skating party. 

“Isn’t that sweet?” Courtney drops the ones intended for Rick in front of him. 

He fixes her with a pained grimace. “The sweetest.”

Courtney doesn’t hear him, too busy helping Yolanda lace up her skates. Her Stargirl high-top boots have made her easily the fastest with laces. 

Beth scoots closer to Rick, nudging his arm with her mitten. “Be nice.” Rick side-eyes her but doesn’t reply. 

“What are you doing?” she asks when he turns the skates over, inspecting them in the winter sunlight. 

He grips the top of the guard to see how firm it is. “Making sure they’re not defective.” He gives them a knock against the bleacher and inspects them again. 

“I don’t think Cameron is going to give you defectives skates.” 

Cameron comes to a well-timed glide on the smooth ice, stopping right at the edge. He’s dressed in a woolly black scarf over his long-sleeved grey henley. He nods at the crew with cautious optimism. “It’s nice to see you guys.” 

Beth goes the polite route, sticking her hand out to shake his like this was a business meeting and not a group of classmates hanging out after school. Cameron rolls with it. “Thanks for inviting us. This looks really cool.” 

“I’m glad you’re here, Beth. Really, my grandpa was happy to hear you’d be here.” 

She smiles. “I’m happy he seems to be doing better too.” 

Yolanda stands up once Courtney is done. She holds onto the banister and wobbles down the steps. Cameron reaches out and helps her glide onto the ice. Within a few uncoordinated strides, she gains her footing and takes off. 

“You look like you have a problem,” Cameron says to Rick once they’re all on the ice. He tries to hold in a smirk but it doesn’t seem that it’s working very well. 

Rick’s gripping the border for the life of him, inching at a snail’s pace. “Yeah, I have a problem. You’re telling me you have ice powers and instead of touching the ground with your hand–something that would take 5 seconds– you went and installed a thousand-dollar ice rink?” 

Cameron pursed his lips. “I couldn’t make an ice rink in my backyard. It wouldn’t be regulated.”

Rick groans, completely ignoring the way he’s seconds to wiping out on his ass to continue his anti-Mahkent campaign. “You have so much money and you’re wasting it!” 

“You’re wearing a $400 dollar leather jacket that Mr. Chapel gave you.”

He scoffs. “No, I’m not!” 

Beth circles around, helping Rick stand up straight. “Yes, you are.” 

“.....oh.��� 

Cameron reaches over the edge and pulls out an orange construction cone. “Think you need this, man.” 

Beth accepts it as Rick scowls. 

On the opposite end of the rink, Yolanda tries to attempt a toe loop jump. She lands in a check position and throws her hands at the success. Courtney claps, and Cameron joins them, performing double axels on his way like it’s nothing. 

“That’s pretty good, Yolanda.” 

She shoots him a half-smile. “I didn’t think it would be this easy, but I guess after a year in the wildcat suit, I’m more agile than I thought.” She glances at Courtney. “That makes sense, right?” 

Courtney shrugs as if to say Beats me. I don’t know how the wildcat suit works. 

“How long have you been a skater, Cameron?” 

“Uh…” Cameron scratches the back of his neck. “Two weeks?” 

Yolanda’s mouth parts in an O-shape. “Why’d you go and get this then?” 

“He wanted to practice his powers,” Courtney explains, looping her arm around his. “Safely,” she adds, in case that wasn’t clear. Cameron smiles at her, and Yolanda silently wonders if she’s going to be stuck being a tragic fifth wheel for the rest of her life. 

“Rick!” 

A crash sounds from the other end of the rink as the orange cone speeds toward them.

“...Should I help him?” Cameron wonders out loud as the three turn around to watch Beth struggle to haul Rick back up to his feet. 

“Rick’s not accepting your help,” Yolanda says plainly. She skates towards Rick and Beth, grabbing onto his right arm as Beth takes his left. With the two of them, they manage to get Rick off his ass. The scowl is permanently etched onto his face now as he wipes frost from his pants, sulking. “I hate skating.” 

Beth’s face brightens into an endeared pout. Rick clearly did not expect that reaction, surprised when Yolanda and Beth share a glance of amusement. Yolanda puts her hand on her hip. “What’s the matter, Rick? Can’t handle being bad at something that Cameron is good at?”  

“What happened to you thinking you’d slice someone with your skates?” Rick mutters, betrayed. 

Yolanda shrugs, skating backwards around Beth and Rick. “I got over it. You can too. It’s fun.” 

Cameron laps around them, doing another complicated twisting jump as if to show off Yolanda’s point. 

“That’s what I told him,” Beth tells her. She reaches forward and takes Rick’s hands. He looks up. “Forget Cameron’s figure skating moves,” Beth says. “And forget the orange cone. Don’t be embarrassed that you’re a beginner. You’ve never skated before. It’s normal. Why don’t you just hold onto me?”

Rick doesn’t pull away and doesn’t move to the bleachers, so it seems he’s willing to give it another try. 

Yolanda holds in another eye roll and swiftly spins away before she can witness more Teen Romance On Ice.  She grabs onto Courtney as she passes her by, tugging her sleeve. “Want to explore Cameron’s kitchen with me? We can get hot chocolate.” 

“Yeah, I have lots of hot chocolate.” Cameron nods over to his huge house as his eyes turn white. He flicks his hand and forms an ice kiosk hot chocolate booth. Courtney and Yolanda gape at it. “You girls stay here, I’ll go get them.” Cameron doesn’t even remove his skates, leaving the rink and continuing to skate on freshly created ice underneath him. 

Yolanda pinches her fingers together. “You have to admit, Court. Rick’s a little right. He is a show-off.” 

“I don’t blame him! His powers are cool!” Courtney leans against the rink wall. “I think everyone deserves to show off once in a while.” 

“I forgot who I was talking to,” Yolanda replies, but her voice is laced with affection. Finally, finally, Rick and Beth manage to get themselves over to the side where Courtney and Yolanda are talking. 

“So?” She tries bouncing on her feet but the skates make it difficult. Courtney grins at her friends instead. “Wasn’t this a great idea?” 

“It was,” Beth is quick to reply. 

Yolanda nods. 

Rick sighs. “It’s going to take a lot more than an overpriced ice skating party for me to be okay with Mahkent but…if you three are happy, I’m happy.” 

Beth squeezes Rick’s hand. “You’re a good sport.”  

“Yay!” Courtney rushes in for an awkward group hug, then tags Yolanda and bounds away. “Last one to the hot chocolate stand is on Pit Stop clean-up duty after our next JSA meeting!”

[chidoroki]

Black Clover ch339

To be fair, did anyone ever ask Yami about his family? I don’t think he would’ve casually mentioned them in conversation on his own without a reason.

I can understand the people being cautious about Asta’s arm, but questioning his hair too? I know this land is based off Japan so colored hair is sorta frowned upon (or at least it used to be) so is ash blond/gray really that uncommon here? Imagine if some of the other Bulls came to visit somehow with their pink, blue, red & slightly green hair. All that aside, we learn a bit later the commotion surrounding Asta’s presence is mainly due to the people believing foreigners “cause disaster,” so thankfully Ryu grabs our protag and makes a swift exit to ease everyone’s suspicions.

I’m not too surprised to see that this new dude uses some kind of water sorcery for recovery yojutsu, considering we’ve seen a handful of mages like Owen with his jellyfish, Kahono and Paplo (that one Silver Eagle servant) use bubbles to some degree, and Lolopechka with just water to heal others. Still very thankful he managed to help out Liebe though.

Asta is too adorable. I dunno if Liebe��s shy to admit his mutual feelings or if he’s just real caught off guard from Asta’s reaction to stutter like that, but either way they’re both too precious. They even have matching scars now.

It’s so rare to see Asta scared/worried like this to the point where he starts to doubt himself. He didn’t even feel this way after Vetto cursed/broke his arms; he bounced right back with his usual optimism. Could be because he doesn’t have his reliable support group of the Black Bulls to back him up or he feels solely responsible for not helping someone as important to him as Lily, or a combo of both, but our poor boy needs a hug.

I dunno if the guys are reacting this way because of Ichika slapping Asta, how straightforward she’s being, or that she’s speaking at all, but I love them. It’s like a mix between shock, fear and relief? Maybe they could be proud? I dunno.

We eventually get this little lesson about ki and a quick demonstration from Ichika of using said ki and yoryoku together as a means of attack, something Asta had never even thought of doing, thus proving once again how she is quite the force to be reckoned with.

Ah, these boys and their mumbles.. they’re about to have big brain moments.

So despite our new medical friend (whose name I’m not gonna remember) saying that splitting bamboo like this takes years for even really skilled yojutsu users to pull off, our boy manages on his first try, with the addition to making it wither due to his anti-magic. If he managed to such a feat like this so naturally, then I’m very excited to see what else he’s able to learn within the next few days.

Ooohhh his smile!! It is so bright and full of hope! Of course you can still be strong, never giving up is your magic, sweetie!

As much as I wanna see Asta continue his training with Ichika, I still remain highly curious on what’s happening back in the Clover Kingdom, like how exactly are Nacht & the Bulls planning to find Asta? What’s Yami, Yuno, Noelle and everyone else who was at the capital up to?

[televisefur]

Hey, I haven't been active a lot simply because I'm busy learning art and doing other things. But I watched Mario recently! Right after I watched it, I decided to make a review, and it ended up being pretty long. I never really posted movie reviews on my Tumblr, so, this one will be the first one that I post on this site.

tl;dr - the Mario movie is the best video game adaptation of all time. It gets you excited, it gets you terrified, it gets you motivated. Fast-paced, but doesn't rush it too much. It hooks you in, and it is incredibly rewatchable. There are also two post credit scenes that are worth checking out.

I can tell you this now - there's never been a better movie adaptation of a video game than the new Super Mario Bros. animated movie. It is one of the most fun animated movies I've watched in a long time, filled with humor, charm and character.

While it wasn't necessarily close to any particular Mario game, it made good use of its elements. In my opinion, this kind of conversion from game to movie is the best one they could've done for Mario.

While the story is relatively simple, the interactions between the characters and the immersiveness of the movie compliment it well.

This movie is one of those rare cases where a kids movie would hook you in and kept you waiting for the next scene, the next event , the next chapter. It wasn't as predictable as I feared.

The Toads were as whimsical as the world they lived in, and Peach felt like a leader with lots of experience.

I felt a feeling of terror as Bowser was reciting his evil plans in front of his audience made entirely of familiar faces. I was extremely excited every time Mario bumped a Yellow Block to get himself a new power-up, and seeing the titular hero in a familiar power-up costume on the big screen filled me with delight.

Every character in the movie was given a personality of its own. I have no shadow of a doubt that every line of dialogue has been treated to tons of changes before the final cut - it seems Miyamoto and the team paid attention to everything.

I also feel like one of Miyamoto's goals with this movie was to make the movie explain previously unexplained phenomena in the Mario franchise - things that at first glance may not need an explanation, but as you grow up you realize how much these explanations would add to the lore and to the content of Mario's universe.

Some more things I like about it was its pacing, animation, dialogie, and tone. The inspirational message that this movie tells it's audience further adds to its charm.

This is a movie I'd be willing to rewatch - and that isn't something I'd say about a lot of kids movies, especially those based around video games.

All in all, I went into the theater with cautious optimism, and walked out with a large smile on my face, and a ton of thoughts about what I just watched that would take me hours to process. In a good way, of course.

I'm giving this an 8/10. I'm so glad that this collaboration was possible in the first place, and I am pleasantly surprised at the fact that it went as well as it did.

One last thing to note: if you're watching this in cinemas, stay until the very end, because what happens at the very end after all the credits are gone is going to be an exciting surprise for those who wanted more from this movie, but didn't get it.

I've been excited for the Mario Movie ever since it was announced for the very first time. And I definitely didn't expect my review of it to be this long! I'll be happy to read your thoughts on thisu. Thank you all for reading!

[silence-and-sincerity]

On the 8th of April 2023, I wrote:

I was cautious of your big heart,

The way you fell so completely,

So soon.

But your sweet smile made me smile,

And your laugh

Despite your simple gross humour

Made me laugh.

Your optimistic charm,

And the sense of realism you conveyed,

Despite your years not yet suffered,

Your inherent lack of broken pieces,

It made me feel like being whole.

Your conviction,

To be true to your

Goofy, carefree, fun loving self

To do something worthwhile, and well,

To live a simple, honest life,

Reminded me to live the smallest moments,

And love all my pieces.

There’s no way of knowing if this is ‘enough’,

If it is ‘right’,

in the way that fairytales and romance novels have

conditioned us to believe is necessary.

There’s no reason to need to.

For now at least,

You bring me sweet sweet joy,

And the kind of companionship

That breeds the shared caring, kindness,

laughter,

Which will heal my guarded heart,

And release me from this fear.

At the very least perhaps,

You can show me that it’s safe to love again,

That it’s safe to trust.

And I can show you,

That honesty breeds conversation,

And conversation unlocks the mind

like only words spoken into the moonlight can,

Like only love can.

I believe that you will return my lost joy and optimism,

that we can temper our lives in a way which will carry us both forward,

To all of the places we have ever wished to go,

Together

Or alone.

And now I know,

That I can trust my heart

That love can be both real

And lasting.

[ecl1pse]

like, mental health wise, i’ve been doing fucking amazing in the past 7-8 (maybe 9ish??) months (who’d thought that going and seeing sunlight and exercising would do wonders for your mood, huh?) and i just feel so proud of myself for pulling myself out of that dark cloud. but sometimes i just can’t help but think back to when i wasn’t even okay. like 10-9 years ago when i absolutely despised myself and nearly everything about me, only deeming some qualities bearable (nearly none).

and it makes me so sad just to think of little 15 and sixteen year old me being so sad and broken when i was starting high school. and like, it’s no wonder i couldn’t even finish high school. the only value i held in myself was that i saw myself as mildly attractive. a hard mild. because back then i was still living with my mom and she used to point every little defect on my physicality like it was her damn job. 

i remember taking a psychology class for the first time when i was 17 and realizing that i was depressed and had probably been for a long time. then realizing that my dad’s jokes that my mom “beat the ahdh out of me as a kid” weren’t jokes and there was something chemically wrong with my brain. maybe my neurological pathways weren’t wired right from the start, maybe smacking my head so hard so often did have an effect. and that just didn’t help at all ‘cause then i tried reaching out for help in school and nothing came out it. the school psychologist never even gave me an appointment when i asked for one. it’s okay, though, i understood that she was real busy. and maybe my case wasn’t as urgent. i had a friend who almost threw herself of a bridge on the first semester after her cousin raped her. and our other friend was falling physically sick from all the distress her home life was causing her. they needed more help than i did. maybe i didn’t need any help at all. i could do fine on my own. i always had. i was the big sister, the surrogate mom. i was the strong pillar that couldn’t falter because if i did, the whole house wold come crumbling down.

but i did crumble. i crumbled so bad that it’s taken my like seven fucking years to feel good about myself. and i don’t think i’ve ever felt this good and proud of myself. like, ever. but that fall i took when i realized i wouldn’t be able to even finish high school like the rest of my friends and my parents -- man, it broke me. i hated myself so much in the months prior. i wasn’t able to get out of bed after coming from school each afternoon and not doing homework, therefore lowering my grades even more. spent sleepless nights crying at how much of a failure and a disappointment i was. and then one day the realization just kind of hit me that it could all end and no one would have to know how much of a loser i secretly was if i just killed myself. yeah, that was the answer. i wouldn’t be a burden and embarrassment to my dad. he’d get over it with the help of my sister who has always been better. my mom certainly wouldn’t miss me. at least not for long. she had left the city and started a new life with her new husband and her new baby in las vegas. and she didn’t miss me. she proved it when she left me waiting for her on valentine’s day with a rose i bought for her after school and didn’t bother to tell she wasn’t going to pick me up until i called nearly an hour later. she didn’t need me anymore. nobody needed me. i was useless and stupid, and everyone would be better off if i was dead. i just had to find the guts to do it.

i never did.

but still thought about it. every single day. especially after my dad found out why i truly couldn’t go to my graduation party and ceremony, and why stopped talking to my friends soon as the summer break rolled in, and why i wasn’t interested in looking into colleges and fashion school. i couldn’t go. i wouldn’t get a degree. he had worked his ass off to put me and my sister through school and i had repaid him with shame and disappointment. and i never answered back when shouted and screamed for answers while driving violently through traffic, i never said anything because i’m as stubborn as i am stupid, if not more. and i couldn’t tell him that i’ve been living so in the moment since i was like, 12 or 13 that i never thought i would have a future. i exceeded my life expectancy by 16, so i stopped caring about the future when i was 17. and thought about drinking a whole bottle of cough syrup or a 100 aspirins when i was 18. and i never stopped thinking about it. (and to be fair i’ve never told anyone that. period.)

my close family knew i was a failure by the time my 19 birthday rolled in. and i still thought i could just end it all one day. soon. if i wasn’t such a pussy.

i had managed to completely shut out all my friends, even when they messaged me begging to know if was still alive. and didn’t know that i didn’t show up to graduation because i wasn’t a graduate like them, i’d just lost my ticket! i was sick! you guys know i never liked using facebook! you should text me! maybe i’ll answer then. i’m not hiding, you guys just aren’t looking hard enough. and now i moved to las vegas with my mom and i’m working at little caesars and going to adult school. i’m so busy having a life, that’s why you can’t ever reach me :)

but i was still unbearably sad. i wanted to die. and being with my mom wasn’t helping at all. she told every single day that i needed to stop being so useless and i needed to get my shit together because no one wants to be with a slob like me. i overslept one afternoon when i came home from school. i was supposed to take a little nap (wish i never woke up) and get up, get changed and go to work. but i slept too long and my mom got fed up. she booked a doctor’s appointment for me for the next week. the doctor did some quick check ups, said i was mostly fine. but then the mental evaluation came, and he said i showed signs of mild depression. (mild. hah!) and he said right in front of my fucking mother, who had the fucking gall to cry, and she made me cry because i knew i had disappointed her. again. and i was nothing but a failure. and couldn’t even tell the doctor how bad i wanted to die for the past 5 years because i had already made my mom upset. when he asked if i had suicidal thoughts i just looked really serious and said no. 

i’ve always been a very good liar. so good i’ve fooled my parents into thinking i never lie because i’m real good at letting other things slip out. they tell everyone not to tell me their dirty secrets because i’m bound to let them out some way or another. and it’s true. i slip up sometimes, i say things i wasn’t supposed to. but that’s because i’m always hiding so may of my secrets and lies that i gotta let something out, ya know.

the doctor prescribed me enough antidepressants for two months, and after doing some blood work a few days later, some vitamin d. i found out later the label on the yellow bottle said to warn your doctors of any suicidal thoughts occurred because antidepressants not only make you get up and stuff -- they make get up and do stuff. stuff you never had the guts to do before.

i stopped looking when i crossed the road that summer. it wasn’t intentional. but three or four years later when i a car honked at me, i realized i had stopped looking for oncoming cars a long while ago. i never really got the guts to go through and ending my miserable existence because i had comic books i wanted to read, and new movies i wanted to watch, and i had made some friends online in past 3 years that i was sure would be distressed if they found i had died. especially my friend layla who had become somewhat of a surrogate mom. (mama layla, my other friend and i call her). i knew she’d be so upset she’d drive all the way from the east to the west to dropkick my mom. and i had to be there to watch ben affleck play batman. and i wanted to keep writing my little roleplay threads online, the only thing i seemed to find true joy in.

then one day, when i came back to visit my dad for my birthday, i decided i wouldn’t go back to my mom. it was too distressing being with her. and my dad’s girlfriend told me he had called her crying at night because he really missed me and he just didn’t understand why up and left with my mom one day after we had another one of our quiet fights. in that moment i just knew i couldn’t go back. he needed me and i needed him and his compliments. my mom was too distressing. on my 20th birthday, before i decided to stay, he hugged me real tight and told me he loved me, and he was proud of me, even if i had had a little hiccup on the road, because he knew i was good and he knew i was kind, and i was stubborn, but that also meant i was persistent. i just needed help getting my mind on a goal. and it was okay, even he lost some time when he was young and decided to switch careers. he was proud of me. he asked me if remembered the last time my mom hugged me -- i couldn’t remember. he asked me if remembered the last time she told me she loved me -- i didn’t know. (to this day don’t know, but i think it was the time she told me she was upset that i had left her for my dad, and that she thought we were friends.)

i hadn’t taken antidepressants in months. my vitamin d deficiency was at its worse when i became a recluse in my dad’s apartment. but at least i answered one of my irl friend’s messages! and two and three, and my dad started coaxing me to go out and be the legal interpreter for his american clientele. and i made a hundred american dollars in two hours. and then i signed myself up for adult school again in san diego (but told my friends i was going to ucsd. close enough.)

and i still thought about stopping in the middle crossing traffic. or maybe hanging myself wouldn’t hurt so bad. but the structure of our apartment was so weak that i’d probably end up embarrassing everyone more than actually hurting myself. my dad gave me a car i didn’t want, but i had to learn to drive at some point. and i thought about getting into that car and driving straight until i hit a wall, never hit the breaks. but i was too lazy. and i wanted to see harley quinn come into the big screen. and i was reading more comics, monthly now. and i wanted if they’d bring the robins into the movies, and altho our friend layla had vanished, i still didn’t want to upset my online friends. nor my irls who i was getting close with again. and i had a kitty to take care of.

i let life stay on pause for pretty much 4 years. until i got the idea of signing up to beauty school and finally went through with it last may/june on a whim. forcing myself to go out and do something that i enjoy has actually made me so much happier. and now, seven months later i even got a nicely paying job.

and yeah, i still don’t got a high school diploma, and i don’t lie to the people meet about it (don’t mention it to my high school friends tho!), and i’m not that much into comics, instead went back to an old liking of mine that is k-pop, and i’ve found a passion. like a true passion. i’ve always like making people smile. i didn’t know giving them a befitting haircut, doing their nails, or dying their hair a new color could bring so much joy to them. but i like doing it. there’s something about helping someone feel good and comfortable in their skin that makes me feel good and comfortable on my own. it’s feeling i can’t quite describe.

my mom used to tell me real happiness isn’t real, and all we can achieve for a is ephemeral moments of joy through out life. but i don’t want that. i want to feel good, i want to feel useful and helpful. i want to make others happy with themselves. and i think i’m finally achieving it, you guys. 

there’s so much other depressing shit that happened in between, so many depressing thoughts, but i don’t wanna think about them anymore. i want to look forward. i’ve had to basically cut off contact with my mom to the bare minimum, but i think i can finally look forward and actually see something. there isn’t a thick cloud that doesn’t let me see if this is the end of the road for me anymore. and i know i could have cleared that cloud sooner if i’d asked for help. like, professional help. but it’s okay. i’m used to doing things on my own, at my own slow pace. i’m stubborn like that. and don’t worry, i will get help. i will go back on medication if necessary. i will tell more truths than lies. i will be gentler on myself. i will be proud of my achievements, no matter how big or small. i will be okay. the world might be going tits up, but i’m gonna make it through.

it’s going to be okay, i just know it.

[a-libra-writes]

The Peaky Blinders Meeting Your Family

In This Preference, You’ll Be Bringing Along: Thomas Shelby, Arthur Shelby, John Shelby, Ada Shelby, Polly Gray, Michael Gray, Alfie Solomons, Lizzie Stark, Isaiah Jesus, Luca Changretta, Aberama Gold

eyyyy just in time for the holidays

Tommy Shelby

While he keeps his impassive face, the way he impatiently makes the dinner plans, dresses nice, smokes too much and tries to go for a second drink gives you a feeling that Tommy is on edge. He’d like to meet your family at a nice dinner at his mansion, to show them he’s deserving of their approval, even if you’ve told him they don’t want to make a big deal of it. He's nervous as hell about meeting any parents and siblings you love because disapproval means you might have to pick between them and him, and not only does he not want to put that stress on you — he’s terrified you’d choose them.

Once the day arrives, you watch him get less and less nervous as the night goes on, which is a relief. While your family would have suspicions about his business and wealth, they’re obviously glad you’ll have a comfortable life. After they leave, he brings you to his lap and sighs deeply. Now that it’s over, all that anxiety leaves him exhausted and wanting comfort.

Arthur Shelby

Arthur is petrified, which you expected, but he also wants to do his best. Your family is important to you, so he’s met a few people here and there, but this feels like a big deal. He wants to be on his best behavior, to look and act his best. Arthur ends up bouncing from extreme anxiety to cautious optimism, and the evening before, could hardly sleep. By the time they show up, he looks like a kicked dog. It actually works in his favor — he’s clearly trying so hard to impress them and make them comfortable that they can’t help but accept him… and it’s obvious how much he adores you, so that’s points in his favor.

Naturally they know nothing about the true business of the Shelby family or Arthur’s role in that. They don’t need to. Even when the visit goes well, Arthur’s so drained, he just wants to curl up in your arms and relax. Screw cleaning up, leave it for tomorrow. He just wants to hear you say he did a good job.

John Shelby

John pretends to be confident, or at least indifferent. He thinks it’ll go well. Why wouldn’t it? He may have met a few family members here or there, and surely you’ve talked about him. You’re happy with him, so really, this dinner is just a formality. Nothing to worry about. … Well, by the time the evening arrives, he’s clearly battling nerves. They only know the legitimate side of the Shelby business (because why would you say what they really get up to) so he feels like he has to put on an act. Maybe they expect a rich, put together man. Or maybe he should be more outgoing and make them laugh. You have to reassure him several times over before they even get there.

While he’s clearly tense through the evening, he probably ends up finding something in common with an uncle or cousin, and anyone who fought in the war. You didn’t want him drinking too much, but it does help John loosen up and talk more easily. The visit goes well, as you hoped, though he’s not so sure he’d go out of his way to see any of them besides holidays. He’s too worried about slipping up and telling them something he shouldn’t.

Ada Shelby

The nerves don’t kick in until she sees all the cars rolling up to your shared home and everyone coming out to greet you. You wouldn’t have guessed she was nervous, though — Ada easily puts on a smile and brings them all inside for the dinner you both made. Most family members think she’s just some single mother you took in as a roommate, while others have suspicions … but for the most part, it’s an easy and tiring evening. You and Ada make a formidable hosting team, and it’s easy for her to talk about the Shelby company in a positive light. It’s what she does most of her day, anyway.

When everyone’s gone home and you’re both cleaning up, Ada is surprised by how many of them she got along with. They were so normal, so happy… it was a little surreal. She wouldn’t mind going along with you to visit them during holidays. It’s a shame you can’t be 100% truthful about your relationship, but that keeps your family from meeting her’s. And in her book, that’s a relief.

Polly Gray

She wasn't too worried about meeting your immediate family, but she was happy you wanted to introduce her. Though Polly said you didn't have to, secretly your insistence makes her happy. It means she's important to you, even if they don't know the true romantic nature of your relationship. She wants to create the perfect illusion of your rich, sophisticated boss who is so appreciative of you that she invited your family to a ritzy company party. Polly makes sure the boys have zero chance to crash it, and probably recruits Lizzie and Ada to help you both host it. And, a busy party means they aren't watching you two carefully. So if you need to step away to settle your nerves, Polly can go comfort you.

After the party, you're both drunk and exhausted, but giggling with delight at your victory. Polly hides how relieved she is that it went off without a hitch, but she won't hide how pleased she is that your family liked her. Hopefully now they won't bother you about leaving the big scary city.

Michael Gray

Michael scoffs at the idea of having some big family gathering. He’s pretty stubborn about it, asking if he can’t just meet a sibling for lunch or something. While his attitude annoys you, you begin to realize he’s nervous and trying to hide it. Michael would rather avoid them entirely than run the risk of your family’s disapproval — especially if you’re close to them and value their opinions. He worries they’d see through the confident facade he tries so hard to project… Of course, you tell Michael it’s only natural they’d want to meet the man you’re dating, and not to fret so much.

You have to reel him in from going overboard on the luxuries, and you both settle for a fine dinner. He’s clearly uncomfortable, though trying his best to converse with your genuinely kind family. When the evening is over, his nerves are soothed just a little. You have a feeling it’ll take several more meetings before he’s fully comfortable with them.

Alfie Solomons

Alfie figured this would happen eventually. You two had been getting pretty serious, even if he hadn’t exactly planned it, he was happy being with you and your family was important to you. You had no doubts about how well Alfie could pull it off — indeed, he went along with your planning (a nice, casual lunch) and made a point to his men to absolutely do not contact him unless the goddamn bakery was on fire. He’s perfectly charming and amiable in spite of his rough appearance, making a point to be gentlemanly to your mother and discuss business with your father. If you have younger siblings, he’s great with them, too.

While Alfie would never make a habit of these visits — he’s too busy, and he can’t risk them finding out what he does — he signs his name on alongside your’s for holiday cards and says hello when you’re on the phone with a relative. Sometimes you feel guilty with the ruse about his “busy job”, but ultimately, it’s for your family’s safety.

Lizzie Stark

While initially calm, Lizzie becomes increasingly nervous as you both plan the dinner with your family. She puts on a smile, but when she thinks you're not looking, worry instantly crosses her face. When you talk to her about it, she keeps wondering, "What if they don't like me?" Even if your family knows nothing of your real relationship and of Lizzie's past (or anything about the Shelby company for that matter), she still finds herself fretting about their approval. You'd never guess her fears on the evening of the event, though.

Lizzie dresses impeccably and easily converses with your family on different topics. They're pleased you have such a clever "roommate" and feel better about you living in the city alone. Once the night is over, she's exhausted and more than happy to curl up in your arms. Lizzie just melts when you tell her how brilliant she was. She’s not so sure she’d make a habit of this, but it could be pleasant now and again.

Isaiah Jesus

He’s a mixture of excited and nervous when you tell him about your plans. This is a good thing, right? It means you’re getting serious about this relationship, right? He may have met a sibling or two, but this is the real deal. Isaiah’s only real family is his father. Sure he’s had boys in the Shelby gang he grew up with, but he always felt a little apart from them. While he considered pulling out all the stops with his Shelby connections to impress them, ultimately you two decide on a more casual outing.

Which, in hindsight, he appreciates. It’s easier for Isaiah to be himself, and after a drink or two, he’s finally relaxed and easily talking with them. He’s naturally sweet and funny, so your family is endeared to him. Afterward, he heaves a big sigh and flops over on you. Meeting with your siblings and cousins isn’t so bad, but your parents kind of intimidate him.

Luca Changretta

He anticipated this meeting; it was only proper, and lord knows his parents were eager to meet your's. It's a painfully traditional affair: An expensive yet classy restaurant, formal clothes, the right amount of wine and a beautiful view of the New York skyline. Luca is always gentlemanly with you and his mother, but tonight he amps it up and extends it to your mother as well. Small talk and conversations come easy. Naturally, the true nature of his family business is obfuscated, not that it's difficult. They have plenty of legitimate fronts.

While Luca is fairly relaxed through the evening, he's genuinely moved when your parents thank him for looking after you. Afterward Luca soaks up all your praise about how well he did, taking it in like a pleased cat. Truthfully, he'd feel terrible if something went south and your family disapproved of him.

Aberama Gold

His eyes light up when you suggest the idea of meeting your family. To him, it’s another step in the relationship, and you’ve already met his many family members and children. He would like it to be a more informal meeting, like lunch at your home. It was sweet to see the enthusiasm he put into cooking and helping you tidy up. When your family arrives, he’s the same gracious and charismatic man you’re in love with, with a little extra flair and tall tales.

While Aberama lies about his true occupation, he won’t lie about his Romani heritage or children from his previous marriage. He figured you’d told them, or they would be accepting of it. He isn’t a man to be ashamed of who he is. Once the house is empty, he’s already kissing and cuddling with you, happy you let him into this part of your life.

[toosweetfiddlesticks]

Can you do Bakugou x soft (male or gn) reader meeting a Karen and go creative with it hope you have fun

Big Meanie

Paring: Barista!Bakugou x Soft!Gn!Cashier reader

Warning: Karen being a Karen, cussing, bakujealous, Bakugou calling you a big meanie, not proof read

Catoergy: Comedy

A/N: Thank you for the request!!

Summary: boom boom man gets upset because you didn’t let him be the Hero of the day.

—————————

As you unlocked the door, you huffed a breathe of anxiety out and tried to build up as much optimism you could for your first day. You felt a mixture of anxiousness and excitement boil in you.

With a smile full of courage, you stepped into the clean kitchen. The lights contrasted and dimmed the already dark morning sky as you felt a cool breeze from an opened window. The hall was a bit dimmer from the kitchen so you turned those lights on for the rest of the co-workers. An ash halons hair boy was currently wrapping the store’s iconic colored apron around his waist. He tighter his grip as he caught a glismp of you.

“Good morning!” You spoke softly, but cheerful. You flashed a small smile but his demeanor did change. He held his solemn look at you when blood red eyes. “So...how was your sleep?” Your excuse of small talk feel short the silence in the air seemed to be even more awkward between the two of you. He grunted and muttered something under his breathe before speaking.

“Don’t forget to clock in.” He ignored your question which honestly, did not bother you. You took his warning and walked out to the time clock, punching in your time. Silence swallowed you both while once again. Ok y/n, your co-worker may not be the most friendliest, but hey it’s only your first day, how bad can it be.

”Also,” You head shot up from the time clock. Your co-workers back facing you. “Don’t talk to me, you boring extra.”

——————————

You began to start your third day shift with a proud smile on your face. As you made your way to the time clock to punch in, greetings of waves goodbyes from other workers thats shifts just ended, you’ve met made your start of the day feel even better. Humbly, you waved the two men off.

“Bye Kiri, bye Denki!” Denki giggly waved his hand in the arm with excitement as he happily walked with Kirishima.

“Bye Y/N!” The sharp tooth man cheerfully sang his farewell. His arm hugging around the shoulders of his shorter blonde hair friend. But before the two could fully walk out, the red head immediately turns back around, as if something just came to mind. “Also” he added, “watch out for the Karen’s.” Your head titled with puzzlement.

“The Karen’s?” You kept your question in your head and before you knew it, the two was gone.

But you shrugged it off for the day and continued to go back to work.

——————————

“Hey move it extra!” Bakugou’s voice arose from behind you like a sound of a hurricane warning. You huffed a little and stepped aside from the time clock. Tiredly, you twisted your body around and leaned against the wall, facing him with crossed arms. Your eyes dropped a bit and your eyelids cried to close. But though you body was ready to sleep, you were wide awake..kinda. You manage trying to hide your weary face. Holding a hopeful smile and you greeted Bakugou.

“Morning Bakugou.” There was a small chance he would really greet you back with a morning salutation. Today was not the latter. He’s body seemed a bit stiff, he’s face looked alive and refreshed, but his body slouched a bit. Turning his head to you, an eyebrow raised at you.

You stiffened a bit, you leaned off the grey wall with a feeling of astonishment  , “Wow that’s new.” A notion you told yourself.

Still, he said nothing, leaving you two both in somewhat awkward silence. By the looks of it, he was staring with bit of puzzlement in his eyes. He’s red eyes sparks with a look of examination. As if he was searching for a look, or scanning your farcical features like a robot. He was just standing there, arms crossed, eyes stern, eyebrows furrowed. It seemed like forever before you two said anything.

“Are you tired?” Bakugou finally spoke that shock you. You were a bit taken a back at his response but nodded you head. He grumbled something under his breathe and signaled you to follow him. “Come here,” he sighed.

You’re eyes widened, but you obeyed and follow. As you walked, you could hear his small mutters and talks but couldn’t understood a thing he said. He walked a little slow than usual, like if he was trying to make sure he didn’t leave in you in the dust.

The walk was short and you made it to the destination in no time. He groaned as you got there, the kitchen area. Your eyebrows drew with concern.

Backing up a little, you spoke “Uhm, look if you’re gonna splash me with water-“

But your cautiousness was only mocked by small chuckles that bubbled up in Bakugou as he picked up a plastics cup.

“No I won’t, ya idiot.” He interjected, “What’s your type of coffee, you like Frappuccino or somethin’?”

——————————

“Hey, Cashier Extra!” Y/N nostrils flare with heavy air leaving them. For the past three months and a half, you’ve been having to deal with one of the biggest meanies they had ever known in their entire life. Originally, you thought you were confused at times by him.

Bakugou Katsuki was one of the hardest people work with sometimes. It was like he had a whole book of mean names and rude comments. Or looked up how to send the worlds most bone-chilling stare. And after a long tiring day of work, right as you’re are about to clock out, you hear the small words “bye extra” leave his grumpy little pie hole. You wondered why his rude one point, then nice another.

Y/N briskly huff, straightening out any wrinkles or creases in your pale button up shirt. “Yeah Bakugou?” Y/N tried to give Bakugou the most genuine confusion on your face. Though Y/N didn’t find a lot great characteristics of Bakugou, but they knew that Bakugou was a smart man. He quickly caught onto their small frown creasing at the sides of their mouth and y/n bothered eyes.

But unlike usually, Bakugou’s face didn’t seem to get annoyed at that. No, instead, how facial expressions seemed to go down a little. Bakugou’s eyebrows furrowed, from y/n couldn’t tell what was on Bakugou’s mind. He’s volcanic eyes seemed to be put out.

Y/N would almost say the usual solemn face of Bakugou Katsuki just broke away for a minute.

Bakugou caught himself, the dust of his volcanic chucked up as the lava came back into his eyes, keeping a stern look. Though Bakugou wouldn’t admit, Bakugou had definitely fallen for Y/N strong admiration for this job and their determination. He’d give them the compliment from time to time, but to wasn’t as much as he wanted to say.

“Just make sure you remember to clock in.” He mumbled softly, Y/N could barely even hear it. They nodded, a bit confused, but nodded and almost went on to work like usual. “Hey!” Bakugou stopped Y/N in their tracks, “Be cautious of Karens.”

The name still confused you to this day, but once again, you shrugged it off with a nod and carried on.

——————

This would have to one of the most crowded shift you’ve ever had, ever. If you were a customer, driving up into the driveway, you would’ve definitely drive straight out by the amount of people parked or in the driveway, getting their order taken their.

Bakugou, Denki and six others carefully rushed with the drinks, other orders holding up on the racks. Kirishima, Mina, and another worker kept up their the best they could, taking people’s orders from the drive through, then there was you and three other cashiers. You four had to take the orders as smooth and quick as possible, all of you praying that the customer will have a little bit of compassion and patience. Lines of people excitedly waiting to order the new drink the shop put out.

The Christmas Chocolate Winter Cream. Your new enemy, almost every single child, adult, teen, everyone was asking and wanting that “creamy delicious coffee”. Who even lets their child drink coffee! You didn’t want any part of it.

“Stupid coffee ice cream, its not even December yet!” You quickly grumbled under your breath.

”Uhm, excuse me?” You nearly forgot about the rush hour at work today. Hastily you straighten your spine. The customer was a lady, maybe in her late 50s. Her pale skin wore brightly colored pigment over its wrinkles and creases. Her hair was short but bumped up and curled.

“Oh I said, hi welcome to StaryBunkers,” You correct yourself quickly, trying to pass your entirely different words as the same, you grasp notepad and it’s thin paper in one hand, and a pencil in another. Forcibly, you gave the customer a fake smile that would impress the greatest actress. “What would you like for today. Behind your fake smile and your facial creases, you internally prayed with every god, deity, and goddess you know, hoping that they wouldn’t say..

“The Christmas Chocolate Winter Cream,” The older lady grasp her young daughter tightly that was so short, you just now noticed her. She seems to be up to her mother’s knees. “make that two please, today’s my girls big day!” The woman’s words didn’t invoke any feeling of excitement that usually does when some says big day to you.

“tHe cHirStmAs cHocOlatE wIntEr cReAm”

Your sighs of annoyance was held captive in the bars of your fake smile. “Of course!” Your forgery of cheerfulness impressed your cashier partners who’s fake smile was somewhat stiff and expressionless. “Birthday I presume?” You ask, the pencil’s tip close to the paper, ready to write.

“Yep!” The little girl chirped, her two brown pigtails swinging with you as she nodded her head. Ok you had to admit, the little girl was very sweet and cute. She single handedly made your stressful day a little bit better (ugh what a queen, we stan)

Your smile became more genuine, you heart even warmed a little.. “Coming right up, wait a moment please.” You paced hastily behind you, internally wishing you could spend you whole entire day in the back. You made your way quickly to the kitchen, hoping the customer were the patient type as you heard the shouts of anger coming from the drive through. You took a quick glance at the altercation.

“I SAID CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE WINTER CREAM,” The customer aggressively yanked the the lid up. “THIS ISN’T ENOUGH CREAM!” The white and red haired boy calmly his hands out, trying to rationalize with the person.

“Sir, ” He spoke with dullness, “Thats how much cream comes with it.” But the customer only got even more hotheaded.

“NO IT ISN’T!”

“Yes it is.” Todoroki scrunched his face up, “You don’t even work here, how would you know?” Todoroki, unknowingly made the man even more upset which cause the drink from his hand to fly out towards him. You panic, rushing over there the close the door before it was too late. But, the man was quicker, and as the drink came rushing to a motionless Todoroki, a body came rushing in to take the hit, Kirishima.

“Brrooooooo” He said in slow motion. “Poor Kiri” you internally spoke with pity. And as the man ran away, kirishima’s stomach burned from the heat of the coffee. You cringed at the sound of his small whimpers of pain. “F in the chat.” You busy back to the kitchen.

The steam from the coffee makers brush against your skin, squeezing out a very thin layer of sweat on your cheeks. Quickly, you yelled.

“Two Today Specials for Cashier number UNO,” the Barista’s groaned, “AKA Y/N!” You yelled again for clarification. They, annoyedly, went back to work with the drinks again. The most pissed out of all them though was Bakugou. Not cause of the loaded day. But because everyone was going to “slow”. He huffed, panted, scream, yelled, intensely ordered and more,

The man was like lighting, filling up cup after cup after cup.

“Move your asses!” He sealed three cups and handed them to Mina, “Y/N stop wasting your time back here and work!” Your posture caved in, but you obey his command like a solider obeying their Sargent.

“Aye aye, Captain.” You sang jokingly. And while the others smirk and giggled amongst the stresss, Bakugou arch an eyebrow at your jokes and went back to work.

You happily went along to the front again to update the mother and the daughter about their meals. But as you approach them, you could hear the mother’s now bewildered voice. It was like cat nails to a chalkboard and her voice was crackly.

Her scream filled the whole place, putting a pause on the whole day. You internally panicked, not only can you feel the wrath of the woman from where you were standing, you could also feel the piercing and grim stare of Bakugou behind you. Once again, you we’re praying to gods, goddess, and deities. Praying that whatever is out there won’t eat you alive. Swallowing down your fear, you began to walk, with the feeling of it stuck down in your stomach.

Once you were in her eyesight, she swatted her daughters arms. And like a puppy, the girl immediately obeyed, handing her phone to her. The lady was obnoxiously grumbling words under breath as she pressed record. And with a large gulp she began her fit. You knew exactly what was gonna happen.

This..this must be the Karen they’ve talked about.

“SAY HELLO TO THE MEDIA!” Her voice sings with pride, “THIS PERSON MADE MY DAUGHTER WAIT ONE HOUR FOR HER DRINK-“ Your eyes grew with shock at the woman’s words. But before you could say anything, the cashier next to you, Deku interjected. His arm reached over to hover over your body as a means to protect you.

“Hang on now!” He argued. “You’ve only been here for three minutes!” You nodded in agreement. Pushing Deku’s arm up to cover your face from the camera.

“I’m sorry for the wait ma’am” you apologize, “But all you had to do was wait a couple of more minute-“

“DO YOU SEE THIS?” The woman ignored your remarks and claims, instead focusing on her own, “THEY ARE TRYING TO DISCREDIT ME AND MY NINE! YES NINE! YEAR OLD DAUGHTER!” She waved her phone in her daughters face like she was evidence. She waved, hopped, and dance around the counters and to other people’s table. “HOW CAN YOU PEOPLE DRINK HERE!” Her words and movements were melodramatic and over the top.

And after her little rant to the people, some of which left, she stomped her way back to you and Deku. This time, she had a nasty smirk on her face and a hot drink in her free hand she stolen from another customer.

“Ya know what!”

“Oh no not this again”

Hastily, you moved Deku and you away from the woman’s sight. You two ran into the back kitchen to Chef Ramsey Bakugou. Who was now even more pissed. Not only did Y/N make a Karen mad (ok he knew it impossible not to make them mad he’s just stressed). But no, instead of running to him, Y/N runs to Deku first?! Man’s got his priorities straight.

As Deku quickly runs over the back area to get his phone, you rush over to Bakugou and the others in panic. “Bakugou, call the police!” The others around quickly take of aprons and another things at the words of that. Police involved?? Yep they think a murder just went down. But Bakugou just grumbles and huffs.

“No.”

....

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO!?” Bakugou looks at you with bewilderment, this is his first time hearing you yell at him that way. But before he process the fact that a cinnamon bun is yelling at him, you began to grasp and shake at his shoulders. “THE LADY IS TRYING TO KILL ME!”

“WELL YOU SHOULD’VE CAME TO ME INSTEAD OF FUCKING DEKU FOR PROTECTION..” Bakugou fumbled and shouted through his words. “Y-YOU BIG MEANIE”

You two went silent after that,

Big

...

Big Meanie?

Deku came out from the back with his phone, “Shoto!” Todoroki’s head jerked towards his way. “Help me with the Karen!” Todoroki nodded.

————-

Finally, the situation was under control, the Karen was banned from the coffee shop, Mina and Denki gave Kirishima some aloe. And while things didn’t really calm down until the day was done, everyone seemed a bit less tense, expect you and Bakugou. For the rest of the day, he was knocking over cups, using wrong lids, and spilling coffee. Dude’s lucky that he wasn’t fire. He felt embarrassed by the way he reacted. Now Y/N probably saw him as some type of control freak. Tensions were high and he was stressful.

Bakugou quickly moved pass the others, trying to clock out early before Y/N sees him-

“Hey Bakugou” Bakugou internally groaned at the sound of your voice. Screw you plot device he said to himself. Bakugou turned his head to the side to face you. Yo he side view is lowkey cute you noted. “Could we talk outside, after I clock out?”

Oh how badly Bakugou wanted to say no. The pit in his stomach grew bigger as he nodded.

“Great, just give me a second” Bakugou nodded once again and quickly clocked out. He’s footsteps echoed in his head as he waited outside, leaning against the glass wall of the store.

He didn’t know what you were gonna say, but he had an idea of it. He annoyed you to no end, made things harder for you, and was never truly nice to you that often. How was he suppose to believe that you would like a guy like him in anyway? He internally frowned at his thoughts, the words eating him up and chewing him out only to get stepped on by the crushing feeling of doubt.

Once he saw the buildings door open with you coming out to join him, that crushing feeling of doubt covered and weighed down on him. This was it he thought. He shoved his hands into his pockets, readying himself for the painful impact of rejected.

“Bakugou..” you softly asked. Bakugou hmm’d at you with a feeling of shame boiling inside.. “Did you mean it when you said i was a big meanie?” Bakugou let out a sigh of pain.

He caught onto your words late, “Look I’m sorry for-what?”

“You called me a big meanie.” You mumbled, “and I was wondering if you were serious because one, you’re like 23.”

“I’m 16” he deadpanned  “Like you.” You ignored him though.

“and two, you’re the one who’s been acting like a big meanie.” You accused which wasn’t contradicted, “And all cause you like me huh” Bakugou opened his mouth to spew his defense, but nothing came out but a small “I”. He sighed defeatedly.

“Im sorry,” He spoke. “I just, didn’t know how to tell you or whatever.” He spoke so awkwardly and shy. “I’ll uh, I’ll leave you alone or whatever.”

You drew out a finger, objecting. “Hold on now,” you replied. “Who said I didn’t like you?” Bakugou’s heart sparked at those words, he lifted his head, red sparks in his eyes. “Hey what can I say? A big meanie like me likes big meanies too.”

[abbatoirablaze]

Negotiations--Good Girl's Club Drabbles--Britt

Word Count: 498

Warnings: cock warming, Britt and Ari negotiating, potential second child, fluff that turns into implied smut.

“So help me god if you don’t let me get ten minutes to myself, I will cut it off,” Britt giggled half playfully, half truthfully to her husband, “Ar, I need to prep for the case.”

“Come on,” he smiled playfully as he towered over her, “Maddie and Jake said they do it all the time.”

“And when did you start listening to sex tips from Jake and Maddie Jensen, Ari Levinson?”

Ari blushed and bit his lips, “I wasn’t asking for sex tips…”

“Oh really?” she asked playfully, “then what was it?”

“Sit on me and I’ll tell you.”

“This isn’t a negotiation, ambassador.”

“It’s not,” he shrugged, “it’s an offer. You wanna know…come take a seat on your favorite man’s lap.”

She laughed to herself, and gave a roll of her eyes before hiking up her skirt, “you’ve got five minutes.”

“That doesn’t coun-“

But before he could finish his sentence his wife sank down onto his cock, stilling his words. It’d been months since they had sex. After the birth of their child, the doctor had said that she would need time to recover, but it had been three and a half months…and Ari was going crazy.

“So?”

“Jake said that this was a way to be intimate without causing too much damage,” Ari squeaked out, reveling in the fact that he felt complete, being sheathed by his wife. She amusedly raised a brow at him, “it’s been almost four months since we had the baby…I missed her.”

“She missed you too, big guy,” she said seductively with a wink. Ari groaned as Britt purposefully bared down on his length, “you feel bigger than I remember…”

“So fucking perfect.” His head laid back on the chair as he gripped her waist. She went to readjust, and Ari immediately froze, a hiss passing through his lips, “fuck…don’t…don’t do that.”

Britt only became more amused as she eyed her husband down. Her nails playfully dragging across the top of his chest and undoing the first few buttons. She lightly scratched down his pec, playing with the trimmed hairs, “what…too much?”

“Remember our first time together?”

Britt bit her lip and nodded, “yeah…”

“If you move, I think I might come faster than I did then,” he answered honestly. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, “I-I think this just became a mandatory no moving kind of thing, baby.”

“So you just want me to sit here?”

“Please,” he whimpered in a shallow breath, “Just…fuck you feel so good. Just don’t move…please, Britt.”

“What do I get if I don’t?”

Ari opened his eyes, “seriously?”

“I want another baby…I want us to start trying again.”

Ari’s eyes darkened and he smiled at his wife. But it was a cautious optimism, “this soon?”

She nodded, “yeah.”

“Deal,” Ari smirked, “but you have to sit here for fifteen minutes without moving then.”

“Deal, daddy bear.”

Ari gave her a playful snarl and caught her lips with his own.

[catt-nuevenor]

Hey author! Heard you're okay with RO's reaction ask, so if you don't mind me asking... How would RO react if Child try to match-make them with the MC?

Kinda depends how the child went about it to be honest, some of the ROs are not so big on surprises…       Hmm… Let me embellish the react a bit, let’s say the child went straight up to the RO, without the MC being present, and said pretty point-blank: “My mum/dad/ren/uncle/aunt/pibling/brother/sister/sibling (*phew*) likes you.”

I HIGHLY recommend you head over to the reacts page to read this. There you can enter your own names and pronouns for the characters.

Reacts Page

P

P stared for a long while, her mind steadily working over CH's words.

"Likes me?" They said, repeating the small child's childish choice of phrase slowly and deliberately.

CH nodded. Their little face showed no signs of jest or misunderstanding. Young as they were, there was no doubt in their mind. As messy and chaotic as the adult world seemed at times, they knew that their MC liked P.

What's more, they knew that P liked them back.

For their part, P considered the little child's certainty with cautious optimism. They were also incredibly grateful PC was out in the garden with the others, hanging the days washing on the line.

While they weren't entirely sure of MC's own feelings on the matter, they were under no illusions that being outed by their child, was likely not what they had in mind.

Casting an eye about the cosy kitchen, finding it just as deserted as they knew it would be, they lent down, beckoning the child closer so that they might speak in confidence.

"I like them too." They said. "Is that alright with you CH?"

CH gave a firm, resolute little nod. It was.

L

(For the sake of L's sanity I'm going to say that Lars' is not present for this particular event)

The first thing to sweep over the unsuspecting fisher was a raging blush, one that scoured away all priorities prior to the child's announcement. The second was a deep, breathtaking relief that Lars' was half a town away, napping under the Ash tree.

CH considered the comical undulation before them with curiosity. It wasn't so complicated or dire to warrant the response, not in their mind at least.

Regaining some level of composure, small as it may be, L turned at once to a detailed interrogation of their miniature informant.

"You're sure? I mean, really, really sure?" They asked, crouching down in a squat to be level with their face.

CH nodded. Yes, they were sure.

"How? What'd your MC say about me? How'd you know that they... like me?"

The small child explained the best they could, tracking back and going over many times what they thought to be the strangest of details, the ones that seemed to utterly captivate their friend.

All adults were by some degrees odd, but L was something wholly unique.

A

As much as the announcement startled them, A did their level best to not outwardly show it.

It seemed to work. CH went back to their task, pulling out weeds from the half barrel Erda gave over to tender herbs, and didn't pause in their work until A next spoke.

"While I'm happy to find that out, are you sure you should have told me?" They asked.

Gentling their smile at the sight of the small child's confusion, A put their own task aside, and ushered their charge over to the sun soaked bench beside the rear wall of the garden. Once sat, and settled, they began to explain.

"Sometimes people keep who they like to themselves. It can make them angry or upset if the decision to reveal who they like is taken away from them."

CH frowned.

"But you like my MC too."

A smiled softly. "Yes. Very much."

"And you said that you were happy to find out." CH repeated, baffled at the overcomplication of a simple matter.

"I'm happy to know that MC likes me, but I also want them to be happy with the moment I find out."

CH began to feel anxious. They wanted both their MC and A to be happy. What if they'd messed that up somehow.

"But don't worry about it." A said, giving the small child a comforting hug. "I can keep that you told me a secret, and then be happy again when MC comes to tell me themselves. But, maybe ask your MC before you tell me anything else?"

CH agreed.

K

They looked down at the small child. They were like their MC in many ways, but there was something fundamentally different between the two. A disconnected thread that puzzled K every time they found themselves alone in the child's presence.

They pushed the matter aside for the moment and focused back on what CH had said.

"Do you mean like they like the others you live with?"

The child shook their head.

A slowly drawn smile that bordered on predatory slid across the stranger's features. "That is very interesting." They said.

CH straightened up, squaring their shoulders, affixing their best impression of one of P's hard stares.

The effect, though dulled by the substantial difference in stature, was enough to make K pause a moment.

"You're not allowed to hurt my MC."

K lifted a jet black eyebrow. "Hurt them?" They repeated.

The small child nodded stiffly.

A slither of pity worked its way through K's shell, they saw the slight tremble to their chin, the flicker of tightly clutched panic behind their eyes.

"You have my word CH. I won't hurt your MC."

As the last of their promise faded into stillness, a peculiar shiver rippled through the air.

[rose7420]

Close Encounters

Hey!! For a story request, can you do one where Thor corners a tiny teen on the kitchen counter and Loki comes in because he hears Thor talking to someone? Once Loki sees that Thor is scaring a tiny mortal, his soft, protective side comes out and he pushes Thor away from the tiny and scoops them up, saying things to calm her down. Then Thor is kinda like “Well why do you get to hold her?” Thor goes to try and grab the tiny off of Loki, but Loki isn’t having it and starts fighting with Thor, all while the teen is clinging onto Loki’s shirt because she knows that Loki is protecting her. Loki just ends up teleporting to his room and apologizes to the teen for Thor’s actions and Loki can’t even get the teen to let go of her shirt cause she’s that scared😂🥺

This was a request from the talented @laurenandloki ! Hope you like it!

Y/N had super bad anxiety. Being a borrower she never had the proper amount of socialization and she always felt like an outsider when she would quietly observe humans from a distance. They never knew she was there, but it was nice to be in the company of another living creature. One that didn’t view her as food. She had only gotten caught spying once in her life, by none other than the God of Mischief himself. That was about a month ago and he had terrified her out of her wits when they first met, yet, she discovered he was a gentle person who cared immensely for others. However, she was still a borrower and he a human so there could be no sense of a friendship for them. And so she had retreated to live away on her own in the walls of the tower.

In the current moment she stood behind a container that held sugar, she would know since she had “borrowed” from it quite a few times. But today, she came needing other items that were a bit harder to retrieve. Magnets. It sounded bizarre, but they came in handy for scaling tall objects susceptible to the magnetic pull. Magnets were hard to get because they were stuck on the fridge(which was very tall), were half as big as her body, and extremely hard to pull off the fridge. She carried a coil of rope and a harness she had made herself and roped it around her body. Latching the hook attached to the end of the rope to the top of the fridge she, scaled down the side searching for a magnet that wouldn’t be missed. That was the thing about humans. When they lost something they blamed it on their own consciousness, not the doing of a two-inch tall chick who lived in the walls. She found the right one finally and made her way down to it. So focused in fact, that she didn’t even notice the vibrations of the gargantuan god of Thunder making his way to the fridge for his next snack of the day.

“What in the nine-realms are you little one?” A huge voice booms out, ringing Y/N’s ears and stilling her movements. She knows who it belongs to already, Thor. The god has a huge personality that matches his unwavering optimism. He is also very touchy as she has observed, which is why she is not at all prepared for what comes next. She forgets all about the magnet and tries to find a grip to haul herself up the fridge with.

“It’s not safe for you all the way up there, why it must be like a building up there.” Immediately, pressure is at her waist and enormous fingers lift her off the cool surface of the fridge. His powerful movements snap her rope, losing her only way of a safe escape.

His unshaven, but kind face fills her entire line of vision. The fingers still hold her waist and his eyes search her form intently. There are too many sensations around her and her mind is overwhelmed.

Breathing becomes difficult, her sight becomes a dark tunnel and lightheadedness is all she can feel. Thor is too busy filling his curiosity to notice the panic-attack she is currently having.

“Are you ill tiny one?” Thor questions but Y/N has not the mind to answer his question. Also believing that the answer is pretty obvious.

“Brother, what do you have there?” Thor swings around, facing the owner of the voice. The motion makes Y/N even sicker to her stomach. She however does recognize the person’s voice. Loki.

Suddenly she feels even dizzier, looking up she sees she is being passed around like a toy as Loki now has her in his grasp. She lays down on the surface of his palm relishing the feeling of having some sort of control over her body. Breathing becomes easier, not as if she is inhaling through a straw and her vision is no longer blurred as she can see clearly. She glances around at her surroundings and sees she is held up to a black, soft, and cotton wall. Loki’s chest. His breaths shift her up and down, yet, the movement is comforting. She finds herself fisting his shirt with her small hands trying to burrow her body further into his chest. A loud yell causes her to jump out of her skin and cling to Loki even tighter.

“Give her here brother, I am in no mood for your tricks!” Thor exclaims loudly, hurting Y/N’s ears.

“You were frightening her Thor. Just look at her.” The comforting darkness she was kept in for a brief amount of time vanished as Loki removes his other shielding hand to reveal her to Thor. Thor bends to her level looking her directly in the eyes. Anxiety spikes in her veins again sending an uncomfortable jolt of panic in her stomach and a tightness in her chest. She whimpers audibly and turns her face to Loki’s chest once again. Why must everything be so scary? She thinks to herself.

A soothing motion upon her back takes her out of her panicking thoughts. Her face leaves Loki’s shirt and sees that he is rubbing her back with a single finger. And that she had been transported to Loki’s bedroom.

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Loki couldn't stand seeing this small being panicking anymore. He remembered seeing the small one earlier before and letting her be, but today when she had been so vulnerable in front of his oaf for a brother, he couldn’t just stand by and watch. It was obvious that the small one was terror-struck by the presence of larger beings as himself. So he had teleported to his room to calm her down. Her entire body clung to his shirt like a lifeline and he had tried to pry her off his chest but she held strong, not willing to leave him just yet. He stopped trying to force her off him, afraid her tiny arms would break at his immense strength. Instead, he rubbed her back in soothing circles with the tip of his finger. He awed at the size difference. His entire finger dwarfed her body, it took not even a slight bend of his finger to caress her back. He shuddered at the fragility of this tiny being.

Not to mention she had put her trust in him to protect her from Thor. Even though he knew Thor was probably the only person on this earth that you would never need protection from because of his kind, generous heart. Sometimes his brother came off too strong to those he showed an intense interest with. And to this small girl, he would imagine the interaction between Thor and her would be very intense from her perspective.

Once the girl realized she was in no danger she slowly released herself from his person. He slowly raised her to his eye-level taking in the rare sight of an actual borrower. Loki had read about them in informational books on Asgard, there were not many factual books here on Earth, but they had plenty of fictional ones. From what he read, borrowers were on average around the height of three to four inches. But this girl seemed to be barely clearing two and a half. She was exceptionally small and this caused him to be even more cautious as he bore her in a palm.

She perched on her hands and knees, staring at him with big, round (Y/E/C) eyes. He had to practically bring her right on top of his nose to see her properly. He felt her anxiety rising under his close inspection and he lowered her down to his bedside table, kneeling to see her better. Awkwardness lingered at first but Loki broke the silence.

“Your exceptionally small, little one. What shall I call you?”

He watched her face scrunch up in anger, not responding to his question.

“Hmmm, let’s see… I can call you little one, of course, Thumbelina, Bite-Size, or-”

“Okay! Stop, just stop, call me Y/N.”She said with her arms crossed over her chest trying to be intimidating but failing.

“Y/N, what a delightful name. Are you alright now? I apologize for my brother’s actions.” Loki said being serious now.

Y/N nodded her head, “Y-yeah I’m okay now. I have really b-bad anxiety.” She admitted.

Loki smiled reassuringly, “I promise you to have nothing to fear from me or my brother.”

“Would you like me to assist you back to your quarters Y/N?”

“A-actually could I hang out with you for a little bit. I-I don’t really have many friends and I find your company...tolerable.” Y/N said with a bit of hesitation.

Loki laughed at her remark, “Just tolerable huh? Well, I must tell you that I find your company rather tolerable too Thumbelina.” He retorted with a smirk.

Y/N blushed and grinned, he offered a helpful palm to boost her to his shoulder.

“What should we do?” Loki asked.

“I don’t know, what do you have in mind?” Y/N asked, taking a comfortable seat where the dip in his collarbone lay.

Her little body tickled his neck and Loki laughed once again responding with, “I have a perfect idea,” with mischief coating his voice.

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Y/N watched with fascination as Loki illusioned a snake out of thin air. Snakes did terrify her as a borrower, but way up on Loki’s shoulder she had no fear of the serpent on the ground. Loki’s shoulder was pretty comfortable, she clung to his neck and could feel every movement that he made, and his voice thundered through her when he spoke even in a whisper. They were waiting for someone to walk and spot the snake. Finally, a passerby came, one she recognized to be Peter. As he walked he immediately spotted the snake and screamed loudly running away. Loki almost doubled over in laughter as did Y/N. He cupped her in his hands, holding her safely in his embrace. Y/N couldn't stop smiling for another reason. She had finally found a friend.

[strayingdawn]

request: “...something like little bit angsty but fluff at the end? Something how y/n was getting back late at night and someone follows them and they call boyfriend Changbin?”

warning: feeling unsafe, stalking

wc: 2,2k

(i got a little carried away,, so sorry.)

—————

Only the ticks of the store clock echo throughout the empty cafe as Y/n slides their damp cloth across the counter. One of the girls scheduled to close today called in sick, so Y/n figured the extra money wouldn’t hurt and filled in for her. However, they did not expect to end the day all alone after the remaining, scheduled closer left early due to a family emergency.

So here they were, cleaning the counters of the deserted cafe, five minutes till closing. Y/n honestly didn’t mind closing alone. The aroma of coffee beans and the calm silence surrounding them felt almost comforting in a way. The clock created a soothing rhythm as the nearing end of a long day at work gave them a sense of relief.

But that moment was short-lived as the front door’s bell cut through the tranquil atmosphere. A young man of tall stature wandered through the door, much to Y/n’s displeasure if they were being honest. The man was actually quite a regular to the cafe. With that being said, surely he would know the cafe’s hours by now since he has passed the door on which they’re displayed many times. He was around Y/N’s age and had burgundy brown hair with bangs that always hung forward, creating a shadow over his deep, brown eyes. He usually just ordered a simple pastry and sat in some corner at the back, reading a book, phone, or computer. None of his behavior ever seemed unusual or noteworthy, so Y/n never concerned themselves with being any more cautious than they usually are around strangers. That is until one of their coworkers pointed out that the man’s gaze seemed to linger on Y/n often. It wasn’t too unusual for people’s eyes to wander around their surroundings and occasionally get stuck on something or someone. Y/n was guilty of it themselves sometimes, but that thought didn’t hinder them from raising their guard still.

Back to the present, Y/n simply planned to tell the man that they could no longer run the coffee machines nor were there any more pastries to sell and give him a short and sweet apology. However, the sound of his voice put a slight wrench in those plans.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you already closed?” His eyebrows were raised to create a somewhat innocent look.

Well, the place is empty, chairs are on tables, and the sign on the door you just walked through says we close in four minutes. What do you think?

That’s what Y/n wanted to say, but they held their tongue for the sake of politeness and professionalism. Instead, their lips formed a kind smile as they said, “Well, we’re technically still open for a couple of minutes, but I’m sorry to say that I can no longer sell anything.”

They hoped that was enough to urge the brunette out the door and back onto the street lamp-littered sidewalk. The man in question, however, was not on the same page. He began to shift his weight from one foot to the other as his gaze scanned the whole room, seeming to investigate every corner as if he was searching for something.

“Are they making you close all alone, tonight?”

Now, why would he ask something like that. Y/n was honestly caught off guard by such an unnecessary question; one whose truth they felt should not be openly exclaimed. They had to think quickly, so they just had to bend the truth a little.

“Not exactly. One of my coworkers had to leave unexpectedly..but they’ll be back.”

No one made them work extra; Y/n simply offered their help. Their friend did, also, leave unexpectedly and would be back...tomorrow morning to report for work. The stranger’s brows furrowed as his eyes became unfocused in thought. What he was thinking, Y/n couldn’t decipher.

“...I see..would you like some company while you wait?” He raised his eyebrows with slight optimism, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

Now, the man was clearly dragging out this interaction far longer than it needed to be. Four minutes had definitely passed, so he had no reason to be here anymore.

“No, no, that’s fine. Thank you, though. The cafe’s officially closed, now, actually. So I’ll be out of here in no time. And my boyfriend will be here any minute, now.” Y/n wore the most genuine smile they could muster, positive that they left no room for the customer to object to leaving.

His eyebrows twitched, and he appeared slightly taken aback when the word “boyfriend” left Y/n’s lips. However, the look left as soon as it came, leaving his usual resting face, lost in thought.

“Oh, okay then,” he flashed a full smile this time, showing his top row of pearly white teeth. Then, he turned his body with slight hesitation, footsteps pointing to the door, “I’ll see you around.”

And with that, he finally left. There wasn’t anything inherently creepy about his last statement, but with context, his wording and tone was somewhat off putting. The city was pretty big, and their paths would most likely only ever cross in the cafe. So why would he say “around.”

Anyway, it wasn’t the only weird thing he had done, so it was time to move on to more pressing matters. Changbin should have been here by now. Y/n didn’t bend the truth, that time, when they mentioned their boyfriend’s approaching arrival.

Y/n opened their phone and went to Changbin’s contact. They texted each other three hours ago about Y/n’s sudden overtime, and Changbin was fully aware that he would pick them up. So where was he? Y/n called him twice, both with no answer, before simply leaving a text that they were on their way home. The walk home was roughly ten minutes. Y/n loved it after early shifts but usually tried to catch a ride if the sun had already set, like tonight.

Dreading the extra cardio after a long, tiring day, Y/n just gathered their belongings, double-checked their closing duties, and lastly locked the cafe’s door, mentally prepared themselves for the journey ahead of them. Only a few steps in, they noticed another set of footsteps echo theirs. Changing the rhythm of their footfalls, the rhythm of the mysterious set of steps changed as well, falling in sync. Subconsciously, Y/n brought their hand towards their bag which held protective measures such as a taser and pepper spray. Yet, all of their movements, including their breathing, abruptly halted as a familiar voice called out to them.

“Y/n!”

Y/n slowly turned around, meeting the same brown eyes they saw just moments ago. At this point, Y/n was completely unsettled, but they refused to let it show.

“Hi..again. What are you..still doing out here..this late?”

“I never saw your boyfriend,” he paused for less than a millisecond, but Y/n could still sense that he was questioning their earlier statement, “get here, so I wanted to make sure you left safely.”

He had to have been waiting for at least ten minutes. And for an employee they’ve barely talked to, who already said they were taken care of.

“Well, that’s..very thoughtful of you, but you don’t have to worry about me anymore,” Y/n let out a little chuckle that also sounded much more stiff than intended and held their hands out to their sides like they were presenting themselves, “I seem to be leaving in one piece, so I think I’ve got it from here.”

He didn’t seem too convinced, or maybe he was simply ignoring their words as he took a step forward, causing Y/n to instinctively take a step back.

He pressed on, however, clearly not sensing your discomfort. “I’m not sure I would have peace of mind not knowing whether or not you got home safely.”

“Trust me, it’s fine-”

“I insist-”

“They said, ‘it’s fine.’” Changbin’s voice boomed past your ears.

He had lost track of time while preparing something special for you at home. On top of that, his music was blasting at extreme volumes, surely becoming a nuisance to the neighbors, which caused him to miss both of Y/n’s phone calls. Although, he’s thankful he remembered his commitment with you when he did. He threw the first coat and pair of shoes he could find before, basically, running through his door, almost unhinging it, to get to his partner as soon as possible. Now, he saw Y/n’s rigid form and some random stranger who, clearly, could not take a hint.

Changbin walked towards Y/n and gingerly slipped his hand around their waist, feeling them slowly relax as they leaned farther into his body and gained a steady breathing pattern. His glare was cold as well as neutral and aimed right at the man in front of him.

“I believe I can take it from here.”

The brunette was slightly unnerved but quickly attempted to put on a strong front. “And who are you?”

“Their boyfriend. Now step away before I become their bodyguard and make you.” If it wasn’t already cold outside, the icy aura radiating off of Changbin would have surely done the job.

The creep was definitely weighing his options. However, facing Changbin did not seem to end in his favor, so he took one step back, placing his eyes on Y/n. “...See you around, Y/n.”

“I wouldn’t suggest it.” Changbin’s eyes never wavered.

With one last glare at Changbin, Y/n’s nuisance for the night finally walked away. As if a weight was lifted off of their chest, Y/n let out a deep breath they didn’t even know they were holding. Regaining their composure, their gaze drifted towards their boyfriend who was still eyeing the fleeing brunette. Y/n promptly hit him on the chest.

“Where were you?” Y/n hit his chest, catching him off guard but not actually hurting him.

Changbin let out a grunt at the sudden assault. “I..got a little caught up with something. Something important.”

“And you couldn’t answer the phone?”

“Wel-“

Y/n was honestly too tired to be reasonable right now, so they just let out a deep sigh and began to walk towards the couple’s shared apartment, expecting their boyfriend to follow.

Around ten minutes later, Changbin was a fumbling mess as he tried to promptly open the apartment’s front door under the pressure of Y/n’s tired stare. When the door finally opened, it presented nothing but a dark, silent home.

Y/n walked in before Changbin and immediately dropped their bag which felt heavier than when they left that morning. However, when they started to step into their second house shoe, they froze after the delicious smell of food drifted from the kitchen to their nose. Changbin noticed Y/n’s sudden stop, and a flash of realization grazed his features.

“What’s that smell-” a pair of hands being gently placed on Y/n’s shoulders halted their sentence.

“Just..walk towards the kitchen,” Changbin instructed them with a soft, low voice.

“How am I supposed to walk there in the dark.”

“It’s not like you’ve never done it before in the middle of the night.”

Changbin’s tone was slightly accusing but still soft like before. Y/n just remained silent and followed his directions. Once they both arrived at the kitchen’s entrance, Y/n felt the weight of Changbin’s hands leave and heard his footsteps approach the lights.

As soon as Y/n’s sight recovered from the sudden intensity of light, they were engulfed in shock and appreciation. The kitchen table was covered with flowers and many of their favorite dishes. Fairy lights hanging all around radiated a soft glow, making the heartwarming gesture warm their heart even more.

“Is this what…?”

“..was so important? ..Yeah. I knew you must have been really tired from working nonstop this past week and the whole day, today. So I thought this was the least I could for you since you’ve been doing so much for everyone else...do you like it?”

“...Like it. I-I love it! Thank you!” Y/n couldn’t say much more before they felt the tears pricking their eyes.

“Wait- why are you crying?!” Changbin rushed to his love’s side and embraced them while panicking because of their unexpected reaction. “Are you sure you actually love it?”

Y/n let out a few broken chuckles and weakly punched his chest. “Yes, I’m sure, idiot! I’m just too tired to handle all this!”

“Oh! Thank goodness. I thought I did something wrong.”

“Don’t worry, Binnie. You always make it right. Thank you. For tonight. And for everything.”

“Anytime, babe.” He gave a sly wink with the little pet name but quickly put on a serious face and looked deep into Y/n’s eyes. “I love you”

Y/n couldn’t help roll their eyes at the term of endearment but didn’t fail to return the meaningful words. “I love you, too.”

“Well, let’s dry these tears,” he tenderly wiped away the few tears that escaped Y/N’s eyes, “and get you out of these uncomfortable clothes.”