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justabigassnerd · 2 years ago

Text

Arguments

Pairing - Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x daughter!reader, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw

Word count - 3,743

Warnings - broken bones, injuries, inaccurate medical scenes, idk hospital stuff, arguing, yelling, swearing, angst, Jake's a bit of an ass in this

Summary - you get injured while out with Bradley, which kicks Jake into 'dad mode' and causes an argument

A/N - hey y'all! sorry it's been a hot minute since I last uploaded a fic! I have been finishing up uni so it's been a bit all over the place. anyway I won't keep you long with this A/N, it's a new part of Hangman junior and as per y'all, please send in requests, feedback, and enjoy!!!

Jake and Bradley had never been a couple to argue. They had a ‘let’s agree to disagree’ mindset when it came to anything the two could potentially make a spat out of. When kids at your school complained about their parents arguing you couldn’t help but feel bad for them because your dad and Bradley never argued. You knew arguing was commonplace between most couples and you were sure that your dad and Bradley would argue at least once during their relationship and all you could hope was that you wouldn’t bear witness to it.

One day, while Jake was out with Coyote, Payback, and Fanboy, you and Bradley decided to head to the nearest park and have a walk around to enjoy the warm spring weekend. The park was bustling with parents and children, couples, and the elderly. It seemed as if everyone had the same idea as you and Bradley, not that you’d complain about it, it made you happy to see so many people out and about. You watched as parents swung their children in between them as their child shrieked with laughter, you saw couples having picnics, tossing grapes at each other to see if they could catch them in their mouths, and you saw elderly people sat together by the pond, tossing grain out for the ducks who greedily darted to the food as they quacked noisily.

“Did you ever do stuff like this with your parents? Go to the park?” You ask curiously, looking up at Bradley to gauge his reaction, worried you might have upset him with the words you didn’t think about before they left your mouth.

“Parks, very rarely, I was more of a beach guy, my parents too. According to my mum, my dad had to drag me almost kicking and screaming from the beach when it was time to go home.” Bradley chuckles, reminiscing on the faint memories he had with his parents.

“Your parents sound like they were lovely people. I wish I could’ve met them.” You say, smiling softly at Bradley who lifts his hand and ruffles your hair with a smile of his own.

“Oh, they would’ve loved you. My mum especially.” Bradley says as he surveys the park, watching a dog bounding across the park as its owner tosses a ball across the grass. He had always wanted a dog growing up, maybe he’d speak to Jake about adding a pet to the family.

“I bet I would’ve loved them too.” You reply, your smile not fading as you look back across the park. You and Bradley continue your walk, admiring the sights and the birds flying overhead. As you walk through the park, you begin to head down some steps to walk along a lower path of the park but just as you near the bottom of the stairs, your ankle rolls and you tumble down the remaining stairs, hearing a crack from your right arm as it shot out to try and stop your fall.

“y/n! Are you hurt?” Bradley said worriedly, darting to your side and crouching alongside you as you cradled your arm and blinked back tears.

“My arm hurts, I heard it crack. I think it’s broken” You say, fighting to keep your voice from wobbling at the pain. Bradley pulls his hoodie off, using it to make a makeshift sling to keep your arm still, apologising quickly when you wince in pain.

“Just your arm? Nothing else? You didn’t hit your head or anything?” Bradley asks, avoiding touching your arm as he scans you over for any other injuries.

“My ankle hurts a little, but my arm is the worst.” You admit, leaning against Bradley as he eases you up onto your feet. Glancing around you see concerned onlookers who glance away the second you make eye contact with them and continue on their way.

“Can you walk? We should get you to the hospital and the Bronco is almost a five-minute walk away.” Bradley asks softly, watching you wince as you accidentally jog your arm.

“Yeah, I can walk. I’ll be fine.” You say, trying to assure Bradley that you’ll be okay. With a slight nod, Bradley leads you to the Bronco, carefully helping you into the front passenger seat and helping you plug in your seat belt before rounding the car to get in the driver’s seat.

“I’ll call your dad when you’re getting treated. I don’t want him to worry too much.” Bradley says as he begins driving to the hospital, fighting the urge to speed the whole way there. He was silently dreading Jake’s reaction to this. You were the most precious thing in the world to Jake and he’d shoot into overprotective dad mode whenever you were in a situation where you could get hurt. Bradley also knew how Jake reacted when you were hurt.

“It’s dad. He will worry no matter what.” You say with a weak smile as you glance over at Bradley who shakes his head with a soft laugh, trying to alleviate his concerns.

It didn’t take Bradley long to drive to the hospital, helping you out once he parked and leading you into the building. He approaches the receptionist and explains what happened and the receptionist simply hands him some paperwork and a pen and tells him to fill it out in the waiting room. Bradley heads with you into the waiting room and sits down in one of the uncomfortable seats and stares at the paperwork in front of him. You provide him with the answers he needs and not long after finishing the paperwork, a nurse enters the waiting room and calls your name.

“You go on ahead, kid. I’ll call Jake.” Bradley whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of your head before you get up and follow the nurse. The second you leave his eyesight, Bradley pulls his phone out of his pocket and calls Jake, the call rings through to answerphone so Bradley waits for the beep so he can leave a voice message.

“Hey, Jake, I just wanted to call and let you know that y/n had a fall while we were in the park, and I reckon she broke her arm. We’re at the hospital now and they’ve taken her off to I assume get an x-ray and sort her out. Just give me a call when you get this. Love you.” Bradley says into the phone before hanging up and letting out a small sigh. Bradley remains sat in the waiting room, anxiously bouncing his leg, and fighting back memories of stuffy hospital waiting rooms he often spent time in during his youth. After what felt like hours, a nurse stuck her head into the room and called Bradley’s name, making him leap out of his seat instinctively.

“y/n is just fine. Her arm is broken but it’s being put in a cast as we speak. We just needed to grab you so the doctor can go through medications and care with you.” The nurse explains as she leads Bradley through various corridors to the room you were in, arm outstretched as the staff tended to it, putting it into a plaster cast.

“You okay, y/n/n?” Bradley asks, easing down into a chair next to you and studying you carefully.

“Yeah. They’ve given me some pain meds, so my arm doesn’t hurt as much.” You say, looking over at Bradley who nods with a soft smile. When the doctor finishes putting your arm in a cast, she turns to look at Bradley as she grabs her clipboard.

“You must be y/n’s father, correct?” The doctor asks, looking at Bradley who glances at you nervously.

“Yeah, he’s my dad.” You answer for Bradley, smiling up at him before looking at the doctor who nods.

“Okay, we just need to talk to you about caring for the injury. We’ve prescribed some medication and we have a care leaflet here about making sure her arm heals well and the cast remains undamaged. If y/n experiences any pain that isn’t being combated by the pain medication come back and we’ll see what we can do.” The doctor explains, handing Bradley a leaflet as you get up from the chair. Bradley thanks the doctor and signs some extra paperwork that needs signing before being allowed to take you back home. As you pick up your medication, Bradley checks his phone and fights back a frown at not a single notification from Jake. He figured Jake would’ve listened to his voicemail by now and would’ve either texted him or called him back. Bradley sent another message through to Jake as the two of you exit the hospital, letting him know that you were heading home. Bradley helps you into the Bronco and drives back home. As you enter the house, you kick your shoes off and turn to face Bradley in the hallway.

“Can I go for a nap? These painkillers are wiping me out.” You admit with a slight yawn.

“Of course, y/n/n. Just make sure you prop your arm up on a pillow or something. I don’t want an army of angry doctors coming my way on the first day.” Bradley chuckles as you roll your eyes but nod regardless. Bradley watches you head upstairs before heading into the living room where he sat down, and his leg began bouncing rapidly at the lack of response from Jake. He tried to put the tv on to distract himself and after almost half an hour his phone pinged with a message from Jake.

��I’m on my way home.’

The message was blunt and to the point and Bradley immediately knew that he may be in trouble. Bradley knew that Jake was probably speeding the whole way home right now and that he would be envisioning the absolute worst. Before too long, Bradley heard the tell-tale sign of Jake’s truck pulling into the driveway and then not long after, Jake came barrelling into the house, making Bradley leap up from where he was sitting.

“Where is she?” Jake asks, panic evident in his voice as Bradley approaches him.

“She’s up in her room having a nap. She’s fine so we should just leave her be for a moment.” Bradley says as Jake barges past him, heading up the stairs with Bradley hot on his heels. The second Jake reaches your room he opens your door and sticks his head in your room, seeing you lying fast asleep on your bed. Relieved to see you okay, he closes the door before rounding on Bradley.

“How did this happen? Penny lets me and the others use her boat one time, and my daughter gets hurt and I don’t find out until I’m back on land.” He asks harshly, glaring at Bradley whose eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“I told you in the voicemail. She fell down a couple of steps and broke her arm when she tried to break her fall.” Bradley explains.

“And you didn’t try to stop her from falling?” Jake says angrily, his glare intensifying.

“It happened so fast, Jake! By the time I realised she was falling, she had hit the floor. I did what I could. I took her to the hospital and got her the treatment she needed. There was nothing else I could’ve done.” Bradley retorts, defending himself from Jake’s anger.

“Bradley, in letting you in my life all I ask is you look after my kid, and you couldn’t even do that!” Jake said, his anger reaching an all-time high.

“Jake, that’s not fair. I did everything I could have done in that situation. y/n is fine. Yes, she has a broken arm, but she was smiling and talkative before she went up to bed. Nothing has happened to her apart from an injured arm. It’s still your kid in there.” Bradley says, fighting the urge to raise his voice.

“I can’t be doing this with you. I don’t think I can even look at you right now.” Jake scoffs, making Bradley’s heart ache at the harsh words.

“I see. Well, if you need me, I’ll be at Phoenix’s.” Bradley says, moving around Jake and heading downstairs, grabbing his keys, and jumping into the Bronco while Jake remains rooted in place. After taking a couple of deep breaths, Jake enters your room and perches himself on the edge of your bed as you blink your eyes open.

“Hey, dad.” You say with a small smile which Jake couldn’t help but return.

“Hey, sweetheart. Are you feeling okay?” He asks softly as you nod.

“The pain meds are doing their job. Where’s Bradley?” You suddenly ask, propping yourself up on your good arm and glancing behind your dad as if Bradley would pop out of nowhere.

“He’s downstairs.” Jake lies, reaching out to brush a stray hair from your face.

“Don’t lie to me dad. I heard the two of you arguing outside. What did you say to him?” You ask, glaring at him in a way that Jake could only assume was the way he was looking at Bradley just moments prior.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Jake says dismissively, not wanting to tell you about what happened.

“I bet I would. Now tell me what happened.” You demand, making Jake fall silent before he sighs heavily.

“Bradley let you get hurt so-”

“So you yelled at him? Dad, are you serious?” You cut in, your glare intensifying as you process what happened.

“y/n, in being part of our life he should be looking after you.” Jake attempts to justify his anger.

“He did look after me. He took me straight to the hospital and was there the whole time. He has all the details about my medication and how to care for my cast and injury. Do you? I guess not because the first thing you did when you walked through the door was yell at him.” You spit, angrier than you’ve ever been before at your dad. Jake remains silent at your outburst, giving you time to speak once more.

“Put yourself in Bradley’s shoes for a second, dad. Imagine I was Bradley’s daughter, and I was out with you, and I fell and hurt myself. How would you feel?” You ask, watching as Jake processes your words.

“I’d feel bad. Like I could’ve stopped you from hurting yourself if I was quick enough.” Jake replies, looking down at your duvet.

“Okay, now imagine you were feeling like that and then the second Bradley got home he yelled at you and made you feel even worse. Because that’s probably how you made Bradley feel.” You say, making Jake feel awful for the way he had treated Bradley.

“Dad, I know you were worried about me and that’s okay. But you can’t treat Bradley like that for something that wasn’t his fault. I know you love Bradley, and he loves you too. Don’t let this argument ruin your relationship.” You say, wiping your eyes quickly so your dad doesn’t see your tears, but Jake sees them.

“Oh, sweetheart. This argument won’t ruin our relationship. Yes, I was angry at Bradley, but I won’t be divorcing him over this.” Jake says reassuringly, helping you sit up properly before sitting alongside you, wrapping an arm around you carefully and pulling you into his side as you fight back more tears.

“You promise?” You ask through tears, looking up at your dad as he runs a hand up and down your back.

“I promise y/n/n.” Jake promises. He had learnt in raising you that he shouldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep. But his relationship with Bradley was important to him, and he knew he’d be an idiot if he let Bradley go after one silly argument. Jake knew he was in the wrong, that he let his protectiveness get too much and he took it out on someone who didn’t deserve it. Someone who took his daughter in like his own and cared for her when Jake wasn’t around.

“You just relax up here, okay? I’m going to call Bradley and see if I can talk to him. Then I’ll cook us up something to eat.” Jake says once you’ve calmed down enough to form coherent thoughts. He watches as you wipe your eyes once more and nod, allowing Jake to detangle himself from you. As Jake stands up, he presses a kiss to the top of your head before he heads downstairs to call Bradley. Once Jake reaches the living room, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and unlocks it and finds Bradley’s contact, staring at it for a minute before pressing the number and holding the phone up to his ear. The phone rang for what felt like forever, Jake could imagine Bradley sitting watching the phone ring while Phoenix told him to ignore the call. He couldn’t even be mad if that was the case, he knew he deserved it.

“Hello?” Jake was taken aback to hear Bradley’s voice, having fully convinced himself that Bradley would let him go to voicemail.

“Bradley, hi.” Jake breathes, failing to come up with anything else.

“Can I help you?” Bradley replies, a clear exasperation in his voice as he speaks.

“Can I talk to you?” Jake asks, biting his bottom lip as he awaits a response. He hears Bradley move away from the phone, mumbling to Phoenix before returning to the phone.

“Okay.” Bradley says simply.

“What?” Jake says, not expecting Bradley to just talk over the phone.

“You wanted me to talk to you so I’m talking to you.” Bradley replies and Jake could only imagine him sitting back against the sofa with that cocky eyebrow raise of his.

“I mean, come home. I want to talk to you face to face.” Jake says, hoping that Bradley agrees. Jake hears Phoenix whispering to Bradley before the phone clearly gets handed over.

“Listen here, Bagman, you better clean up this act of yours. I get that y/n got hurt but it was out of everyone’s control. If I ever find out that you’ve spoken to Bradley like that again I’m going to fuck you up so bad, you’ll never be able to fly again.” Phoenix threatens, making a shiver crawl up Jake’s back at the intensity of her words. He knew Phoenix’s threats weren’t empty. He knew how close Phoenix and Bradley were and how fiercely protective they were of one another.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less Phoenix.” Jake manages to reply, grabbing the tv remote and turning the tv off when he finally registers that it’s been left on all this time. Jake hears shuffling on the other end of the line and the jangling of keys.

“He’ll be over soon.” Phoenix says quickly before hanging up, leaving Jake pulling the phone away from his ear and staring at it as he held it limply in his lap. Jake sat in silence as he waited to hear the familiar sound of the Bronco pulling up outside. When he heard the rumble of the all-familiar vehicle, Jake shot to his feet, his phone clattering to the floor at the sudden movement as he wrings his hands nervously. Bradley enters the house and locks eyes with Jake who has moved to stand in the living room doorway, his eyes red-rimmed, a clear signal he’d been holding back tears.

“Bradley, I am so sorry for what I said. I was scared and I took it out on you, which I should not have done. You looked after y/n and got her the treatment she needed. You’re a perfect parent for y/n and we’re both so lucky to have you. Now I don’t expect you to forgive me straight away, y/n needs you and she ripped me a new one when she found out what we were arguing about. I know I don’t deserve you Bradley, but I’d be a fool to let you go.” Jake says, clearing his throat slightly after speaking to try and hide the emotions. Bradley remained silent for but a moment before he took a step forward and took Jake’s hand in his.

“Jake, I’m not going anywhere. I don’t appreciate the way you spoke to me, yes, but I know your anger came from a place of worry. y/n’s the most important thing in your life and I get that. Just, if there’s a next time, I’m with y/n and something happens, please trust I’ve taken care of her as best I can. I love that kid so much and I’d move heaven and earth to keep her safe so please don’t assume I don’t care about her because I do.” Bradley says, letting Jake know how he feels about everything. Jake nods slightly, blinking back more threatening tears.

“I know you love her, and I was so stupid to even think you didn’t. y/n was so worried when she learnt about the argument. You mean the world to her, and you mean the world to me too. We can’t lose you.” Jake says as Bradley tugs him ever so closer.

“You Seresin’s are stuck with me.” Bradley says softly, his small, yet loving smile crossing his face.

“Aren’t we lucky to be stuck with you, Bradshaw?” Jake teases, smirking in response as Bradley tugs him into a kiss, the two men relishing in each other’s embrace.

“Are you two okay now?” The two men jump apart at the sound of your voice where they see you standing on the stairs, a cocky smile on your face as you look at them.

“Yes, we’re okay now.” Bradley says, both him and Jake extending an arm out towards you so they could bring you into a group hug. After hugging for a moment, Jake pulls away, clapping his hands together and looking between you and Bradley.

“Alright, I’ll cook us up some food. I did promise, didn’t I, y/n?” Jake says looking at you as you nod, eager to have some of your dad’s homecooked food. Jake then heads to the kitchen with you and Bradley following. As you and your dads occupy the kitchen, you watch with a smile as Bradley turns on the radio, serenading your dad in his soft voice as Jake prepares what he needs to make a meal. You watch the two men with a smile, grateful that you had both of them in your life.

taglist (comment or ask to be added):

@zbeez-outlet @kaceywithak @tsnelf7 @starkleila @cassadilasworld @shanimallina87 @madstxo @chaoticassidy @padsdarlg

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sonniemon · 3 months ago

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syudou feat.Hatsune Miku - Amazing Happy Halloween Night (English Translation + MV Analysis)

アメイジングハッピーハロウィンナイト/syudou

SONG LINK: https://youtu.be/CeqLqlr5ba4?si=9Yafq_kn4HAkn4LZ

Obsessed with the visuals and storytelling of this song, yasutatsu really outdid themselves and I love the character designs (not to mention the major amazing digital circus vibes hahah)

Anyways, I tried my hand at translating the song, I’ve also included the character profiles and my other rambling thoughts below

Song Translation

Before I knew it, I was standing in a world I didn’t recognise

Without even knowing my location, day after, day after day after day I cried

There’s no time to lose

Happy Time! Funny faces are pulled

Happy Time! And jokes are made

Happy Time! Stuck in this absurdity

Both hope and fear melt away

If I remember correctly

There’s a job that I’m supposed to do

A loving home…

Pump…kin head….gear [1]

But for some reason I can’t find a reason to care

Come now, the night of dreams has begun

The cheerful music reverberates and doesn’t cease

Shout it with me now, today is—

An amazing happy halloween night!

Jack-o’-lanterns, pranks, anything goes, it's an all out party!

Even if you live earnestly it won’t amount to anything

Here anything is possible, why you ask?

Because today is an amazing happy halloween night!

It’s long gone! It’s long gone!

I already told you there’s no exit, and there won’t ever be one

It’s long gone! It’s long gone!

Ideologies, rules and morals have no bearing here

In this amazing happy halloween night!

“I am not a robot”

Is the box you click without a second thought, however…

Is that really the truth?

Happy Life! Oh well, just listen to the music

Happy Life! And dance in an erratic way

Happy Life! Trapped in these repeated movements

I lose my ability to even doubt it anymore

Without a will of my own

I’m nothing more than a lobotomised electric sheep

A nightmare NPC

But for some reason, like this, I feel at ease

(What the f%#k!?)

Oops, appears your voice has become distorted

Worry not, everyone

I’ll sew their mouth right back up

Amazing happy halloween night!

Good children’s mouths are full of chocolate and candy

If you don’t speak your mind clearly then we won’t understand [2]

Now pull yourselves together everyone, and sing—

Amazing happy halloween night!

I found out! I found out!

I came to understand the truth to it all

And that’s exactly why I don’t wanna acknowledge any of it

Come now, the night of dreams has begun

The cheerful music reverberates and doesn’t cease

Shout it with me now, today is—

An amazing happy halloween night!

Jack-o’-lanterns, pranks, anything goes, it’s an all out party!

Even if you live earnestly it won’t amount to anything

Here anything is possible, why you ask?

Because today is an amazing happy halloween night!

I cried and cried! I cried and cried!

I must’ve tried real hard to kid myself huh?

I cried and cried! I cried and cried!

There will be no end to this party

Amazing happy halloween night!

[1] - Pumpkin in katakana starts with パン ‘Pan’ this is the protags name so this could be how they got it

[2] - 歯に衣着せぬ means to be outspoken however syudou has changed one of the kanji to ‘silk’ 歯に絹着せて so I think he’s going for some kind of pun about their teeth being made of silk? I’m not really sure

Character Profiles

Yasutatsu posted the character profiles on their twitter (link to post) so I’ll go over them here

A: Pan - Negative. Wants to go home asap.

B: Up - Found Pan when they were lost and helped guide them back. Mood maker.

C: Socket - Looks cute but they have a wicked tongue. They wear the food scrap on their head as a form of fashion

D: Iris - Can see the unseen. Has sharp ears.

E: Quiver - Will help you out if you’re in trouble. Dislikes being touched.

F: Easter - A highly cautious rabbit. Folds clothes beautifully.

G: Taurus - Strong on the outside but sensitive on the inside. Is often bothered by Socket’s abusive words.

H: Jolly - Elusive and always smiling. Loves jokes.

MV Analysis

The mv is packed with cool details so I’m just going to ramble about the whole thing here.

My interpretation of the song is that Pan was brought to the amazing happy halloween night world after putting on a VR headset. This is supported by the black bars on the top and bottom being slightly curved, resembling what it looks like when you’re playing a VR game. Also the lyric ‘pumpkin headgear’.

At the very start of the mv, you can see this text which kind of looks like a program boot screen.

What’s even more interesting about this background though is that it is the exact same rooms as seen in Bitter Choco Decoration. Why? I have no idea hahah.

Also!! A commenter pointed out that this exact background is seen in In the Back Room too, but with different coloured lights. In the backrooms mv this view is shown to be from a surveillance camera, so now I’m thinking that these rooms could each be for different experiments? And the protags from these three songs are in different ones.

After completing the captcha’s for syudou, Yasutatsu and Miku, Pan is brought into the world. And from the very start something is already amiss as the side of the screen is distorted and a little virus guy can be seen in the window. He can be spotted throughout the whole mv but is most prominent at the end.

Pan sits at a table and its set the same way as bitter choco, yes I know this is a common way to set a fancy table but after the previous bitter choco reference I think this one is also intentional hdhsj

Eyes can be seen in the sky. These are the same eyes on the jacket for the song itself and they very much resemble Jolly’s eyes, implying that he is watching over everything. At this point in the video he also appears explicitly to distract Pan from thinking too hard about who they really are. Hi dee ho!

The chorus hits and from what I understand NPC streams are definitely being referenced here lmao. The characters move in repetitive movements and the lyrics pop up as messages along the side, imitating the commands the viewers are giving. The falling gingerbread men and candy also resembles a donation system (like the one on twitcast for example)

Jolly and Pan are the only ones that don’t participate in the dance, and at this point it’s pretty easy to gather that Jolly is the one leading the show and isn’t like the rest of the characters.

Oh, that’s where Pan went. They were off trying to find an exit. But obviously there isn’t one.

Jolly makes Pan answer an “Are you a robot” captcha, oh sorry, I mean CABOCHA. Translator’s note: kabocha means pumpkin.

And this is where the real ‘plot’ of this world kicks in. It seems like they’re forced to complete captcha’s all day and Pan is desperately trying to prove that they’re human. Desperately trying to stay human. And well, by the end we see how that worked out.

Then we get this really cool sequence of Jolly trying to coax Pan into becoming an NPC. And I’m about 86% sure the line ‘I’m nothing more than a lobotomised electric sheep’ is a ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ reference but I haven’t actually read the book so can’t really say.

Pan doesn’t give in to the brainwashing just yet though and rips the pumpkin TV off their head, yelling “What the f#%k!?” A very digital circus moment.

Jolly breaks the fourth wall and acknowledges the swearing. Saying he’ll sew Pan’s mouth up. When this happens the captcha changes to “Select the images you wish to edit” and Jolly picks all the tiles with Pan’s mouth. Stitches appear over their mouth, completing the pumpkin look. These stitches stay throughout the next sequence too. It’s the details like this that make me love this MV so much.

Pan is back to completing captcha’s but they are noticeably struggling and taking longer to answer them. Until they ultimately start making mistakes on the last two.

“Select all images with elephants”

Pan is prompted to retry the captchas and tattered pieces of the other characters who we haven’t seen for a suspicious while start falling down the screen. “Shicchatta!” (I found out!) is repeated six times and this is entirely my own speculation here with no real basis, but shicchatta is very close to sounding like shinjatta (they died). Repeated six times for the six other characters who have mysteriously disappeared.

Pan learns the truth behind everything and falls to the ground, not wanting to accept it. They’re glitchy which I think implies they’ve transitioned into being more of a robot than human. Or that they’ve been infected by the virus. This same glitchy effect can be seen on Jolly though, who we already know isn’t human.

As the only one left, Pan is forced to start NPC streaming. The virus we saw creeping around earlier has fully deteriorated the world and can be seen floating around in the background. Tears in their eyes, Pan desperately goes through the motions as if begging the viewer for help. The other characters are seen briefly but they’re crumpled and taped back together, obviously not real.

Pan eventually breaks and reaches forward, literally slamming their fists on the screen but Jolly nonchalantly pulls the curtain down, hiding them from view.

Now another wacky detail here, is that around halfway through the mv. Jolly actually escaped the confines of the headset. Look at him again here during the first chorus, he’s behind the black bar at the bottom of the screen just like everyone else.

But then, the next time we see him and all the scenes after, he is clearly outside of the black bars. Essentially meaning he escaped the program. Fun!

Pan is seen crying to themselves and the lyrics confirm that this party will never end. Jolly forces Pan to face the camera and they give us a deranged smile, having well and truly lost it by now. The screen glitches and shows their NPC pumpkin form. Their decent into longer being a human is complete.

The song ends with a verification failed screen but a split second before this, a blacked out version is shown and this one says ‘verification complete’. Spooky!

(edit: some extra lore, it was pointed out to me that in the niconico upload, the verification doesn’t fail!)

And that’s it! If anyone actually read this far thank you hbdjsj

Apart from the very obvious Amazing Digital Circus references, I also see hints of FNAF and Poppy Playtime in here. The environments and atmosphere are all very mascot horror. But! The song still stands on its own. The captcha element is a cool spin on things and Yasutatsu’s chara designs are really fun and expressive. The song itself is also great but that’s to be expected from syudou.

It’s just all really cool, have I conveyed that I think its cool yet !!!!

#vocaloid #vocaloid song translation #song translation #syudou #hatsune miku #amazing happy halloween night #song analysis #translation #ramblings

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weemssapphic · 1 year ago

Note

THE LAST BRIENNE FIC WAS SOOOOO GOOD!!! Perfecto! Was wondering if you could do one where she actually breaks up with the reader for sad angsty insecure reasons and there’s a lot of heavy angst but maybe someone else tries to take advantage of the situation and woo reader and triggers brienne and they get back together againnnn

A/N: oh lord has it really been 2 months since I received this request? I ~deeply~ apologize, I hope you still see this and I hope you enjoy <3 Not sure how heavy the angst actually ended up getting but I hope it's alright regardless. Brienne requests always bring me an immense amount of joy ✨ and thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the last Brienne fic <3

What You Had, What You Lost

Brienne of Tarth x f!reader

Words: ~4.6k | ao3 link in title

Content/warnings: angst, breakups, mentions of alcohol, hurt/comfort

It’s for the best really. That’s what Brienne tried to tell herself, at least. You’d be better off without her. After all, she could see the worry in your eyes before she would go off to battle. She could hear the fear in your voice when you’d told her to please come home. And as nice as it felt to come home to someone (to come home to you), Brienne was anything but selfish - you had a whole life ahead of you, and she refused be the reason you’d give it all up; she refused to be the reason you’d spend your days sitting at home, waiting for her to return; refused to be the reason you’d miss out on having a family, on bearing children; refused to be the reason people would sneer at you - for being with Brienne the Beauty.

And, maybe, Brienne was shielding herself from the inevitable heartbreak when you would finally figure all of this out yourself, when Brienne and the life she had found herself thrust into finally became too much for you. But, really, she was doing you a favor. It was for your own good, she told herself.

Her heart felt like lead and her stomach felt hollow when she came home from training that day. You had cooked something, and it smelled heavenly, and her heart sank just a bit further when you whirled around to greet her, grinning up at her the way you always did when she came home. She did her best to smile back at you, she really did - but when you frowned and asked what was the matter, she realized she’d been unsuccessful. “I’m just tired,” she said (she wasn’t ready to tell you yet, she wanted to commit your smile to memory first).

“It’s alright, my love,” you replied tenderly, reaching up to caress her cheek and smiling warmly, your eyes crinkling at the outer corners and your faint laugh lines deepening. It took every ounce of strength that Brienne possessed not to cry in that moment, to quirk her lips upwards into something resembling a smile. She was almost certain you could see right through her facade - you knew her better than anyone - but you must’ve chalked it up to her being tired (like she’d told you), because your eyes filled with understanding and kindness and you stroked her jaw lovingly with your thumb.

Brienne’s heart cracked a little more as you began to set the table, and even more when you shooed her away as she tried to help - “please, Bri, you’re tired, sit. I can handle this.” You believed her, you always did. It was one of the pillars of your relationship - Brienne was always honest with you, and you were always honest with Brienne. If Brienne told you she was tired, then you knew it to be true.

It was for your own good.

At dinner, you did most of the talking. Brienne simply listened, trying to commit the sound of your voice to memory, storing away every little chuckle, every time you would say her name or call her “love”. When you noticed she was barely eating, simply pushing the food around her plate, worry filled your eyes and you reached over the small table to squeeze her hand - the gentle brush of your skin on hers only working to deepen the pit in her stomach.

“Brienne, are you certain you’re alright?” Your voice was so soft and gentle that it made Brienne nauseous. She had to get this over with, before she broke down completely. It was for your own good. If she told herself this enough, she might believe it.

She took a deep breath, training her eyes on her plate. “Y/N, I have to tell you something.”

“Anything,” you replied earnestly, your tone still patient and kind, as if you didn’t suspect a single thing. Your thumb was tracing soothing circles over the back of her hand.

“I- we can no longer be… together.”

It was as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. The silence was deafening, a high-pitched ringing beginning to invade Brienne’s eardrums. Her gaze flitted to your face, watching the color slowly drain from it - she couldn’t stand it, she had to look away again. She felt you retract your hand from hers and found herself immediately yearning for the warmth of your touch again.

“I… I don’t understand.” Your voice was shaky now, and when Brienne chanced another glance at your face, she could see your brows furrowed in confusion, your eyes glistening with tears yet to be shed. Her heart dropped and she felt bile rising in her throat. Her first instinct was to wrap her strong arms around you and kiss away the crease between your brow - to litter your face with tiny pecks of her lips until your tears had made their retreat and laughter was bubbling out of your chest. But she couldn’t very well do that now - she was the one breaking up with you, and if she wasn’t your girlfriend anymore then, well, it wouldn’t be her place to kiss you or comfort you any longer.

So she put on her mask, the one she used when she needed to be strong, when she was training and commanding her men - it was the only way she’d be able to keep her voice even enough to say what she needed to say, the only way she’d be able to stay steadfast in her decision. It was for your own good, she reminded herself, swallowing thickly.

“This isn’t working for me any longer. I have to focus on my duties as Lord Commander, I cannot afford any distractions.” You see, Brienne knew you would try to argue if she told you the real reasons she was breaking up with you. She didn’t think you would accept those so easily. But her duties as Lord Commander were something she was sure you wouldn’t be able to argue against.

The silence stretched on uncomfortably long, hurt flitting across your face as your tears finally spilled over, leaving pale tracks down your cheeks. Brienne’s fingers twitched as she fought the reflex to wipe them away.

“Is that what I am to you?” you whispered, your voice watery and thick - Brienne had never heard you so upset before, and her heart ached knowing she was the cause of your pain. “A distraction?”

Brienne felt her lip twitch as all her organs seemingly clenched together in pain. Of course not! she wanted to scream. You’re the love of my fucking life and the reason my world keeps turning! I just cannot hold you back any longer!

“I should go,” she muttered instead, pushing her chair back as she stood and turning to leave.

“Brienne!” She heard your chair scrape across the floor, your voice rising in desperation. “We’re not done here! You can’t just leave.”

“I’ll have Podrick pick up my things tomorrow.” Brienne kept her voice level as she walked towards the door.

“Please, darling, I love you,” you sobbed, and Brienne paused for a moment with her hand on the doorknob. She could hear your footsteps coming closer, could see you out of the corner of her eye as you reached out for her - she opened the door and stepped through it, closing it firmly behind her.

When Brienne showed up at Podrick’s door that night, he didn’t ask any questions. He knew her well enough to know there was only one thing that could be causing her face to contort in pure anguish. He even pretended not to hear her sobs as she cried herself to sleep, and he didn’t comment on the bags under her eyes the next morning - for that, Brienne was grateful.

She realized, with a heavy heart as sleep evaded her that night, that she hadn’t even had the chance to kiss you one last time - she was already forgetting how it felt to have your lips on hers. That was the thought that sent her over the edge, tears flowing freely down her face and staining her pillow.

It was for your own good.

~~~

“I cannot afford any distractions.”

A distraction.

Brienne’s lip had twitched. That was the only tiny little sign you could cling to that Brienne may have been bluffing. That she may not have fully meant what she’d said.

But she’d left. She hadn’t even looked back.

“I will love you until all the stars fall from the sky,” she’d told you once. “Your love makes me feel like the luckiest woman alive.”

Was this before or after she’d decided you were simply a nuisance, getting in the way of her duties?

You cried yourself to sleep that night, of course you did - you didn’t even have the heart to clear off the dinner table. When a knock sounded on the door the following morning and you’d rushed out to answer it, your heart had clenched when you’d seen the two plates, the two goblets - proof that Brienne had been there just the evening before, that you’d shared a dinner after work as if nothing was wrong.

You clung onto every bit of hope that you could muster up that it would be Brienne at the door, taking everything back. Your stomach twisted when, instead of the tall, blonde knight, a decidedly shorter man with a dark mop of hair and a round face greeted you.

So she’d sent Podrick, just like she’d said.

You let him into your home, silently, watching as he moved nervously about the space, gathering weapons and armor and clothing - only the necessary things, nothing of sentimental value - and purposely avoiding your gaze.

When he was finished some ten minutes later, he stopped by the front door and, finally, looked you in the eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said, kindly and with a sad smile.

You simply slammed the door in his face. This made you feel even worse - you’d always liked Podrick, and it’s not like any of this was his fault. But you were in no mood for pleasantries or pity, particularly not when Brienne was apparently too cowardly to face you.

~~~

One week. One week spent wallowing in your home, barely leaving - barely leaving the bed, for that matter. One week until you decided you had to get out and do something. Brienne had not called on you, she hadn’t once showed up or asked someone to check on you.

A distraction. Maybe that’s really all you’d been.

You’d been meaning to get a new dress fitted for some time. The seamstress in town had always been kind to you, always chatty and empathetic. Perhaps it was time you paid her a visit - perhaps she could even be a shoulder to lean on, someone to support you.

You appraised yourself in the little mirror in your bedroom. You’d certainly seen better days - your cheeks were puffy, your eyes rubbed raw from wiping away tears, your chest was splotchy and red. After taming your tangled hair into something resembling a hairstyle and changing into something other than your nightgown, you made your way into town, with the gown that needed altering folded carefully in your bag.

The little bell above the door to the shop jingled as you entered.

“Be right with ya!” called a muffled voice from one of the rooms in the back. Moments later, a petite woman scurried into view, her face nearly completely obscured by the armful of fabric she was carrying. She quickly dropped the fabric onto a nearby armchair and wiped her palms on her dress.

“Y/N, so good to see you,” Meera beamed, looking behind you as if searching for something, brow creasing. “Is the Lord Commander not with you today?”

“I’m afraid I’ll be coming alone from now on.” You offered her a wobbly smile, unable to stop your voice from trembling as you felt the familiar sting of oncoming tears.

“Oh.” Hazel eyes truly drank in your appearance for the first time, recognition dawning on Meera’s face. “Oh, come here, love.” She opened her arms to you and enveloped you in a tight hug. It felt decidedly different from the hug you really craved (Brienne’s) - Meera was much shorter, her hands smaller as they rested on your back, her grip lighter. But she was warm, and her voice was comforting as she cooed into your ear, and so you hugged her back and let out all the tears you couldn’t bear to hold in.

The alterations of your dress were quickly deemed second priority as Meera flitted about her shop to make you a cup of tea and ushered you to please, sit and make yourself at home. She sidled up next to you then, listening intently as you spilled your heart out about Brienne.

“The Lord Commander is a damned fool,” she muttered, scowling. “How anyone could let a pretty lady like you go is beyond me.”

Her serious tone drew a giggle out of your throat, your cheeks turning rosy.

“Couldn’t have been me,” Meera said resolutely, shrugging and smiling kindly at you - you couldn’t help but smile back.

~~~

Brienne trudged wearily towards the training grounds, unable to stop her mind from wandering as she had nothing to occupy herself with. The expression on Podrick’s face when he’d come back with arms and bags full of her belongings had filled her with such a burning sense of shame - the sad frown, the raised eyebrow as he’d simply asked her what she’d done. She hadn’t answered him - if she’d so much as opened her mouth she might’ve vomited on the spot.

The days (or had it been weeks now?) were blurring together for Brienne - she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. Every morning she awoke without your warmth curling into her, every evening she fell asleep without first stealing a soft kiss - your absence had left a gaping hole in Brienne’s chest that she was certain she would never be able to fill. And it was all her own fault.

As she strode across the training grounds, she walked past a group of her men, all huddled up. One of them immediately began snickering as she passed by, causing her to come to a halt and cock her head towards him.

“Can I help you?” she grit out, hand coming to rest on the pommel of her sword.

The man’s friends recoiled, averting their eyes, but he himself was a little naive and a little bold, so he squared his shoulders and replied, condescension lacing his tone. “It’s talk of the town that the Lord Commander’s little girlfriend found herself someone new.”

Brienne felt her blood begin to boil. “Pardon?” she hissed, her knuckles turning white as they tightened around the hilt of her sword.

“Must’ve gotten bored of being the Lord Commander’s little wh-”

Brienne let out a fierce grunt, baring her teeth as her sword flashed in the sun, coming to rest under the man’s chin. The blade pressed into his flesh, drawing the tiniest bit of blood, and his eyes widened in fear - though his shit-eating grin never slipped from his face.

“Another word and I’ll have you cast out of King’s Landing,” Brienne growled. “Am I understood?”

There was a beat of silence. The man’s eyes flitted from Brienne’s face, red with anger, to the perfectly polished blade of Valyrian steel. Finally, he nodded his assent.

“Of course, Lord Commander.”

Brienne’s nostrils flared at his smirk, her heart thundering wildly in her chest. Eventually, she withdrew her sword and took a step back. “Get out of my sight.”

The small group all but dragged their friend away, leaving Brienne to stand alone in the middle of the training grounds, white-hot rage radiating off of her in waves. Rage and… confusion? Had you really moved on so quickly? Was she the last to know you’d found someone new?

She shouldn’t be upset with you for that. That’s what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? For you to find happiness with someone who wouldn’t hold you back.

It was for your own good, after all.

~~~

Even as the days went by, Brienne found herself unable to get her mind off the rumors of you finding someone else. It was driving her absolutely mad with longing - anytime she allowed her mind to wander, it bombarded her with images of you in someone else’s arms. Always nameless, always faceless - but with wandering hands and lips pressed to your throat, bringing a blinding smile to your face that had once only been directed at Brienne.

So here she was, trying to keep herself busy, walking up to the seamstress’s little shop to get a tear in a pair of trousers stitched up. It was something you could’ve easily fixed for her - Brienne’s large fingers were a bit too clumsy, a bit too out of practice for the fine stitches that would’ve been necessary here. Brienne would have sat next to you, watching you patch up her trousers - it would’ve taken far longer than necessary, with Brienne distracting you every few minutes to steal a kiss. You would’ve swatted her away, playfully and with little force, laughing in that lighthearted way that was reserved only for her.

Brienne shook the thought from her head and swallowed the lump in her throat as she reached Meera’s shop - though what she saw through the window had her stopping dead in her tracks. Brienne’s heart twitched with yearning as she saw you, sitting on a stool in the corner of the shop - Meera standing behind you, draped over your shoulders and showing you something in a book. You looked tired, somehow unlike yourself, but all Brienne could focus on was the smile on your face - it was genuine. More than that, it was directed at Meera, who giggled and leaned in closer.

A wave of nausea washed over Brienne and her lungs began to constrict. She felt frozen in time, watching your sweet little interaction. This is what you wanted, she had to remind herself firmly. Meera was a kind woman, with a steady job - a job where the greatest danger was an accidental poke with a sewing needle. She had a good reputation in town, she was well-liked and respected. Still, Brienne couldn’t help the way her blood ran cold as the rumors she’d heard were confirmed.

It was too much. Brienne tore her eyes away from the two of you, turning swiftly on her heel and fleeing the scene, her heart pounding wildly in her chest and her eyes stinging with tears.

It was for your own good. She wasn’t sure when she’d start to really believe it.

~~~

That night Brienne found herself sitting in the dark corner of a tavern, nursing goblet after goblet of wine. She wasn’t one to get drunk on purpose, not usually, but all she wanted tonight was to forget. To forget all the images burned onto the backs of her eyelids - your tear-stained face as she’d left you, Podrick’s pity-filled gaze from across the breakfast table, the sneers of some townsfolk that only seemed to be getting worse, the smile on your face as Meera stood close to you.

But somehow, with every drop of alcohol, the onslaught of images became stronger, harder to ignore. More memories joined in, until Brienne’s head was a jumbled mess of thoughts that taunted her, snippets of her life with you - her life without you.

It was for your own good, it was-

To hell with it.

She had to see you. She would just stop by… just to see if you were really happy with Meera, if the seamstress was treating you well - and, if she was, well then Brienne would leave you alone for good.

Brienne rose to her feet - too quickly, apparently, as she stumbled into the corner of the table. Maybe she was just a little more tipsy than she’d realized… She stepped out into the balmy night air and the world spun a little around her. Perhaps she should wait until morning, Brienne reasoned as she looked up at the inky black sky - it had to be at least midnight now, and she wasn’t sure how welcome she’d be, showing up drunk in the middle of the night. How welcome she’d be at all…

She was grateful that Podrick was already asleep when she snuck through the front door - she didn’t need his pity or his scrutiny. At least the alcohol was good for something - Brienne fell fast into a dreamless slumber, too exhausted to spend time ruminating.

Brienne held fast in her resolve the following morning - her feet carried her all the way to the home you’d formerly shared, her mind clouded with anger and despair in equal parts. When she knocked and didn’t receive a reply, she rounded the little house and stomped towards the garden, slowing her gait as she saw you sitting in the grass with your back to her.

With her heart pounding against her ribcage and her stomach fluttering anxiously, she took a few tentative steps towards you.

~~~

Gravel crunched behind you. You didn’t have to turn around - you would recognize those heavy footfalls anywhere - you’d spent years memorizing them, listening for them.

“You seem to have moved on quite quickly.” The question was so blunt that you couldn’t help but snort.

“I haven’t the faintest clue what you’re on about, Brienne. Or would you like for me to address you as Ser now? Perhaps Lord Commander?” You couldn’t keep the venom from dripping from your lips - you could feel all the hurt and longing and anger that had been simmering beneath the surface threatening to boil over, and you didn’t care to stop it.

“The seamstress.”

“Meera?” Your stomach flipped uncomfortably. You’d noticed that the woman had taken a liking to you, even going so far as to openly flirt with you. But truth be told, you didn’t see her that way - you simply needed someone to lean on when Brienne had abandoned you, and Meera was… well, there.

Brienne’s next question was so quiet you nearly missed it, lost in your thoughts as you were. “Does she make you happy?”

You laughed - it was a hollow laugh, laced with bitterness and tinged with disappointment. You twisted to look up at Brienne - she stood behind you, back ramrod straight, hands clasped in front of her. Her face was an impassive mask, or so she thought - you could see the weight of her emotions behind bright sapphire eyes, the twitch of her lips as she waited for your reply.

“Does it matter? You’re the one who broke up with me, why do you care who I talk to? But for your information, Ser, she has been a kind friend to me when I couldn’t bear to be alone.” You raised an eyebrow in challenge, and Brienne scoffed.

“A friend, yes. I can see that. Everyone can see that.”

“What are you insinuating?”

Your eyes flashed dangerously and Brienne remained silent, her gaze falling to the ground.

If this was all she came for, well, you were done here. You stood, smoothing your skirt and looked defiantly up at Brienne. “I hope now, with all distractions gone, you can focus better on your precious duties. Seems to be working out well for you. Good day, Ser.”

“Wait.” Long fingers circled your wrist in a strong grip, holding you in place and whirling you around. Stormy blue eyes met your own, Brienne’s face a whirlwind of emotions.

“You and Meera, you’re not…?” She cocked her head to the side in question. For the first time you could see the heartbreak written plain as day on her face, and, despite your anger, you felt your heart clench with longing.

“Do you really think I could forget you that easily?” you whispered, not trusting your voice not to betray you.

Brienne opened her mouth, then closed it again, her eyes flitting between your own. This was the first good look you’d gotten of her, and she looked exactly how you felt - hollow, exhausted, hurt.

“I didn’t mean it,” she whispered finally.

“Didn’t mean what?” You felt your pulse pick up, your breathing shallow. You had to hear her say it.

“That you’re a distraction.” She spit the word out as if it were a dirty thing, and your stomach clenched. “You’re not. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Then why did you say it?”

“Because I thought I was doing the right thing for us,” she snapped. She looked at you, her eyes pleading with you to understand. “Just because I chose this life for myself, doesn’t mean you have to.”

“What are you talking about, Brienne?” you snapped back, growing impatient.

“Don’t you want a family? Don’t you want to live your life without the fear that your partner could fall in battle any damned day?”

“And Meera can give me all of that?” You scoffed. “I have a right to choose what I want out of life, Brienne, you don’t get to make that choice for me. What’s really going on here?”

Brienne sighed. She seemed conflicted as her eyes darted between yours, her tongue coming out hesitantly to lick her lips. When she spoke, it was as if she was fighting to get every single word out. “I’m used to it, being sneered at and looked at as different - I don’t want to drag you into that. I don’t want my life to be too much for you.”

A heavy silence shrouded the pair of you like a veil. Of course it would all come back to Brienne’s insecurities. She was afraid of losing you, so she’d shut you out instead.

“Brienne?” you said finally, tearing your wrist from her grip and taking a step towards her.

“Yes?” she breathed, leaning in as if drawn by some magnetic force. You could feel her breath, warm and ragged, on your face - her scent filled your nostrils now, a mixture of soap and sweat, somehow managing to calm you instantly.

“You are an idiot.”

Brienne’s brow creased and she frowned, but then you smiled and a lovely, scarlet blush began to creep up her cheeks.

“I would rather spend the rest of my life waiting for you and worrying about you, than wondering what it would be like to have you at all. You’re my family Brienne. I don’t need more than that - I need you.”

Brienne surged forward, crashing her lips desperately into yours. A familiar warmth immediately flooded her chest as she allowed herself to get lost in you, tugging you closer by the waist. Your fingers threaded themselves into her short locks, like they always did, and Brienne breathed out a contented sigh as your tongue licked its way into her mouth. Oh, how she’d missed this.

“I love you,” she murmured between kisses, feeling you push yourself closer at those words. In that moment, nothing mattered except you and your lips - it was as if you were kissing for the very first time.

“Oh, and Bri?”

“Hmm?” “If you ever try something like that again, I swear I’ll strangle you with my bare hands.” Your smile was wide and Brienne’s laugh was loud and carefree, her heart swelling with joy. She knew it was not an empty threat - but she also knew she would spend the rest of her life guarding your heart with everything she had. Even from herself.

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darkomoth · 1 year ago

Text

Insomniacs

Chapter 2: Birthday Dinner

Aaron Hotchner x reader

Summary: Pending a full evaluation, you're stuck at home while you heal from your injuries. Hotch is worried and Reid's birthday is around the corner.

Notes: This is sort of a slow burn I guess. Slightly shorter chapter, hope you enjoy! :)

Also uploaded on Ao3 under the same title

Word count: 6.7K

Ch. 1 Ch.3

You were cleared to fly back home but had to spend a little over a week in the hospital while you recovered. They told you that you had a mild concussion, three bruised ribs, and a broken nose. So, ultimately, not as bad as it could have been.

Still, it didn’t feel awesome. Of course, the doctor recommended that you stay in the hospital for observation for at least 3 weeks, but the sheer thought of being bed-ridden for that long made you pick at your nails. The monotonous hum of the machines and the low volume of the tv combined with the chilly hospital air put you severely on edge. Honestly, they were lucky you made it as long as you did.

Everyone came to visit you at one point or another, which made you very happy. Penelope had gathered a basket-full of goodies for you which consisted of a teddy bear, many chocolates/candies, a coloring book that was obviously made for children, and three balloons which said, “It’s a Girl!” in pretty pink cursive.

“They didn’t have any “I’m sorry you were kidnapped and tortured” balloons at CVS...” Garcia had said with a pout. They were appreciated, you assured her.

Spencer had reserved time to read to you, stating that he always felt better when his mom did the same for him as a kid. You’d drift off to the sound of the young doctor's voice who recited line after line from “The Wizard of Oz,” which he knew you loved.

Derek came by a couple times to drop off food and watch a few episodes of whatever shitty soap opera happened to be on at the time. Somehow, they seemed better quality when he was there. His easy conversation made you relax in the stiff hospital bed and often you found yourself laughing a little too hard, straining your sides and reminding yourself of why you were here to begin with.

JJ and Emily often visited together, since they were carpooling. They brought personal hygiene items from your apartment and flowers, talked about work and how the team was. “Oh, we’re falling apart without you, for sure.” JJ stated once. It made you smile, though you knew everyone was getting on just fine.

Rossi wasn’t super talkative, but you were used to that. His company was welcome in the late hours when the ticking clock made you want to rip your hair out. He cooked some really good pasta, but you suspected it may have been take-out. Rossi denied it completely.

Hotch was there more than anyone else, however. You could hear him pacing outside your door some nights, like he was debating on whether to come in. He always did after knocking gently on your door, which you eagerly answered.

He’d sit by your side and ask how you were feeling, and you would answer the same way every time with a smile, “Like a million bucks.” It made him scoff and shake his head a little, though you knew he found it a little funny. After several minutes of small talk, his hand would search for yours and you would accept it with a small smile. Hotch wasn’t accustomed to doing nothing either, so he’d fidget. He’d check on your vitals, request an extra blanket, crack open the window for fresh air, or pace whenever you did succumb to sleep.

Your request to go home was granted, but not to return to work. That would take at least another two weeks. Hotch thought even that was pushing it, though.

“I’m seriously fine, Hotch. See, look,” You said, crumbling some trash into a ball so that you could toss it into a nearby trash can. You got it in one shot. “Look at that coordination,” You laughed, nudging his side softly.

Hotch only stared at you, seemingly unamused. “That is not a good measurement of capability.”

The two of you were walking out of the hospital, and you felt a heaviness lift off your shoulders as you passed though the automatic sliding doors. Finally, you were back to the real world. JJ and Emily brought you your own clothes which made you feel like yourself again and not some lab rat. The sun was warm on your skin, and you took a deep breath the moment you were outside. It made you forget about how you must’ve looked still, with a black eye and purple bruises littered across your cheek and neck.

The team had another case already, but Hotch stated he would be catching up with everyone as soon as he made sure that you got home safe. That set off a feeling of butterflies in your stomach which you tried to push away. That was genuinely the last thing you should be thinking about right now.

“Well, what is a good measurement?” You ask, turning towards him and looking up into his eyes. They were already trained on you, stoic and resolute as always.

“Your evaluation is scheduled in 12 days from now.” He says, impassively.

You don’t try to stop the groan that escapes you, “That’s so long.” The two of you make it to Hotch’s car, he opens the passenger side door for you and holds onto your upper arm to help you inside, it sends a pleasant chill up your arm. You wince in pain as you change from an upright position to sitting, and Hotch notices.

“Are you alright?” He hovers next to you as you reach for the seatbelt. Your ribs were actually on fire, but you nodded in response, not trusting your voice at the moment. Hotch looks at you skeptically for a second, hands twitching at his sides, before closing the door and making his way to the driver's seat.

He looked good, you thought. Hotch was in his usual suit, but no jacket or tie, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and you tried not to let your eyes linger for too long. Halfway through the drive, he speaks again. “You should’ve stayed at the hospital.”

You look over at him again, his eyes are fixed on the road and his face neutral, but his hand grips the steering wheel tightly. “I couldn’t take another minute of that place.” You say, a little bitterly.

Hotch glances at you but turns his attention back to driving. “I know... still.” He sighs like he’s resigned to the fact that you’re very stubborn and almost always get your way in the end. “How’s the pain?”

Over the past week, Hotch has checked in on your pain level. He’d ask where you were from 1-10; 1 meant almost no pain, 10 meant it was unbearable. Typically, you’d say 3/4, maybe 5 on a bad day, but if you were being honest, 4 meant 6 and 5 meant 9. If Hotch noticed that you were lying, he didn’t say anything.

“Mm, 5.” You mumbled in response.

He only nodded, making sure to keep his eyes forward. A few seconds pass, as if he’s debating if he should speak again. Eventually he does. “Are you sure?” His voice is tentative and soft now, “You’ve been controlling your breathing and clutching your side.”

You release your side in response and take a deep breath as if to prove a point, “I’m sure.”

Hotch doesn’t say anything for the rest of the drive. When he pulls into the parking lot of your apartment complex, he prevents you from opening your door. “Stop, I’ll get it.”

“Hotch, you really don’t need to-“ You were cut off by the sound of the driver side door shutting closed. When he makes his way around to the passenger side, you were looking at him disapprovingly. “I can open a door.” You mutter as he opens it and offers a hand.

“I’m certain you can.” Is all he says in response, not budging from his spot. With a small sigh and a suppressed smile, you take his hand and hop out of your seat.

You notice how close Hotch is to you, the way he’s put himself between you and the rest of the lot. It’s intimate in a strange way, his hand is still in yours even though you were fully stable now. Your heartbeat quickens in the way that it does when he’s near and you fidget.

Hotch probably noticed your behavior because he lets you go immediately, turning towards the trunk of the car that has your go-bag. He grabs it and starts walking with you to your door. You want to protest again, tell him that you were okay and capable of doing normal, everyday things like carrying your bag, but you decide against it. You know that nothing you say is going to change Hotch’s mind so you allow yourself the moment to enjoy his company.

“I can handle it from here.” You say once you open your door and step inside. The apartment was fairly empty, save for the sparse furniture and fake plants that sat on your windowsills. As you move to grab your bag from Hotch, a sharp sting shoots up your right side and makes you still. “Ahhh,” You hiss in pain.

“Y/N?” Hotch asks worriedly, holding his hands out for you to grab onto if you needed. “Are you alright?”

With your hands clutching onto him, you take a second to regain stability and test your breathing, “Mhm… sorry.” You let him go and decide to lean against the island counter in your kitchen instead, but he continues to hover. “It comes and goes.”

“Where’s the painkillers the hospital provided?” Hotch asks, setting down your bag on the counter next to you and rummaging through the side zippers. You don’t have a chance to respond before he finds them. “Here,” He says, as he drops two pills into his hand, “hold onto these, I’ll get some water.”

He hands them to you, and the warmth of his hand is comforting. You hold them and watch as he moves freely around your kitchen, searching for your glassware. It was strange, but not unpleasant, to see your boss inside your home moving around like he’s been here a hundred times. Almost domestic. You shook the thought from your head and took a seat in one of the barstools. Shortly after, Hotch slides over a glass of water across from you.

“Thanks.” You say and down the pills with a gulp of water.

Hotch is looking at you with an unreadable expression, it makes you shift in your seat and take a few more sips of water to distract yourself.

“You need rest and plenty of water…” Hotch trails off, like he wants to say more but doesn’t. Then, like he can’t take it anymore, he moves around the counter to be next to you. “I’m sorry.”

He’s so close again, even taller than usual since you’re sitting. You have to crane your neck to look up at him, his expression has softened from earlier. Confused by what he said you replied, “What are you sorry for?”

Hotch sighs a little, his jaw is tense. “I shouldn’t have sent you away.”

You didn’t know what to say at first, struck by the way he was acting. It was very unlike himself to display any sort of unprofessional behavior, and this was definitely not professional. You furrow your brows and hesitantly reach out to place your hand on his.

“You were doing your job. I shouldn’t have gone to the park, I knew the risks and did it anyway.” You say, trying your best to keep your beating heart under control at Hotch’s proximity.

He looked just past you, not meeting your eyes and shook his head, “I was worried I may never see you again.” Hotch seemed genuinely distraught at his own words, it made your gut twist in an unpleasant way.

“Hotch… Aaron.” The sound of his first name finally made him meet your eyes. You smiled up at him, “You’re not gonna get rid of me that easily.”

It felt tense in the room now, you were used to the team being all together, interrupting moments like these and pulling you back down to reality. But now it was just you and Hotch, and he wasn’t pulling away.

“I-“ Hotch starts, but a loud ringing cuts him off. He closes his eyes for a moment, obviously upset at the interruption, but he answers anyway. “Hotchner.” He pulls back and paces a few feet away from you.

You know that whatever was being said, it wasn’t good and by the look on Hotch’s face and the furrow of his brows, it was probably minutes before he’d be out the door. When he hung up, he looked over at you sympathetically.

“Go on, boss. I’m good.” You say, trying to ease the stress that was evident in his frown.

Hotch’s hands twitch at his sides again and you make a mental note of it. He tends to do that when he’s considering his next move. Ultimately, he nods and strides to your front door, pausing when his hand lands on the doorknob.

“We’ll be in Pennsylvania. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call.” Hotch says, regretfully.

“Can I call even if I don’t need anything?” You ask, trying to lighten the mood.

He gives you one of his rare smiles, “Yes, Agent.”

Hotch left Y/N’s apartment with a mix of emotions. He wasn’t sure if she was truly alright. Mentally, maybe, the events with Mazdin didn’t seem to wreck her emotional state, she still joked and smiled at him which was a good sign. Physically, though, was another story.

One of her tells that Hotch caught early on when she were hired was deflection. He’d ask if she was okay, she'd ask if he was. If she answered, it was quick, as if she were afraid to elaborate too much and make herself seem suspicious. He knew that she was in pain and afraid to show it in case it affected her return to the BAU.

Y/N’s fear was unwarranted, though. Hotch was counting down the days of her return despite knowing she needed time to heal. It was difficult to leave after having spent the last week checking in on her, keeping her company.

One day when he paced outside her hospital door, unable to stay still, Y/N called out his name. “Hotch, just come in, you’re stressing me out. And I need help changing the channel.” Her voice was still strained but he could tell she was smiling. It calmed his worries about intruding on her, and from that point on he didn’t linger outside as much.

It was still difficult to see her covered in bruises and looking at him like he was the only person she wanted to see. Her black eye was getting better, the swelling had gone down considerably, but she had a dark ring underneath that was an ever-present reminder of what happened. The lines on her neck were barely starting to fade, still an angry-red color, and the bandages surrounding her torso hid the damage beneath, but Hotch knew that bruised ribs were serious injuries. Any time he thought about it, he felt a little sick.

After everything that he’s seen in the BAU, nothing compares to having a teammate go through something that traumatic. Regardless, Hotch knew that she was recovering. Even if it wasn’t at the hospital with trained professionals, he thought bitterly.

His phone rang again as he was driving towards the office, “Hotchner.”

“I had a thought.” Y/N’s voice rang out from his speaker and his frown softened a little.

“Yes?”

“I may not be able to be in the field, but if you send me the case files I can work on it from here.”

Hotch should’ve expected that one. With a shake of his head he responds, “You need to focus on getting better, not causing yourself stress.”

“No, you don’t get it. If I’m left alone with literally nothing to do for longer than 30 minutes, I’ll lose it.” Her voice was coming out rushed, he could tell she was either pacing or tapping her fingers nervously. The image made the corners of his mouth turn up a little.

A few seconds passed with silence, Hotch debating what the best thing to do was in this situation. “If you promise to take care of yourself… I’ll have Garcia send over the paperwork within the hour.”

“Thank you thank you thank you!” Y/N said excitedly. “Oh- also, I wanted to remind you of Reid’s birthday, it’s Friday.”

Hotch laughs at that, “Yes, I did actually remember.”

“Okay great, because I was thinking the team could get together that day and celebrate. Either at the bar or maybe Rossi’s since it’s bigger…” Y/N says, sounding like she’s just thinking out loud.

“I’ll discuss it with everyone, though you really shouldn’t be leaving your home-“

“Yeah, yeah I know but you only turn 29 once and I want to see Reid’s face when I give him his “Happy 30th Birthday” card.” She replies.

Hotch tries his best not to laugh and give her the satisfaction. “Well, in that case. I’ll get back to you about it.”

“Thanks Hotch.”

The week actually flies by, to your pleasant surprise. You were often sat on your couch, eating some type of take-out and going over victimology of the team’s case in Lancaster, PA. The unsub was a family annihilator, targeting middle-class families and spending extra time torturing the fathers.

Without being there, you were limited to your access of information, but frequent calls to and from Garcia kept you in the loop. Ultimately, you suggested to the team that the unsub was a father himself and most likely had his children taken away from him at some point.

Of course, you were trying to keep your promise to Hotch and taking care of yourself. That mostly meant drinking at least two cups of water a day and trying your best to fall asleep once the clock read 12:00 am. That second one didn’t work out as well.

Hotch knew that you weren’t sleeping again, given the times you had called him. Since there was no time change between Virginia and Pennsylvania, it was obvious that your insomnia had crept back.

A particular call one night left a bad feeling in your stomach. It was past 1:00 am already, but you knew Hotch would still be up, working. You were proven correct when he answered on the second ring, “Hotchner.”

“I was looking over the night that the Clarkson family was murdered and I noticed something off with the children’s position in the house-“

Hotch cut you off before you could finish, “Agent L/N, you need to go to sleep. Now.” His voice was curt and a little angry, you thought.

“Hotch, I will, but listen to me-“

“No. I’ve allowed you to work remotely under the assumption that you would be prioritizing your health. Now that I know that is not your intention, I’m relieving you of this case.”

For a moment, you were speechless. You winced from the pain in your ribs as you shifted your position at the dining table. “Hotch, I am prioritizing and I have been sleeping, it’s just later in the night.”

“I will not allow you to continuously jeopardize yourself, if need be I can and will suspend you.” His voice was monotone as always, but you sensed irritation in it.

“Fine.” Was all you said in response, quickly ending the call and slamming your phone down onto the table in front of you. You can’t remember the last time you were this angry at Hotch. Even though it came from a place of concern, he had no idea how much worse it was for you when you had nothing to preoccupy yourself with.

The nightmares returned very soon after the Mazdin incident. In fact, they were even worse. Before, the dreams would consist of you and the team on a typical case, trying to find an unsub before the clock runs out. You would see image after image of decapitated bodies, mutilated corpses, the faces of missing children. Every time it shook you so badly, you’d wake up in a cold sweat, involuntary tears in your eyes.

After your own kidnapping, you’d dream of that basement. How this must’ve been how all those other girls had felt, terrified that they would never see sunlight again, never hug those closest to them, never have the luxury of another boring day. You’d experience the pain of that night over and over and over again. The feel of the strangers fist connecting to your stomach, face, and ribs was so real, you could practically smell the musty air and taste the blood in your mouth.

When you were in the hospital, hopped up on painkillers and connected to an IV, you had dreamless sleeps. They felt like temporary comas and you were aching to feel that again. You could feel Hotch next to you, holding your hand and talking but you never made out what was actually being said. It was perfect.

Now, back inside your own apartment alone yet again, not even a case to distract you, the thought of sleep petrified you. You made yourself coffee, did laundry, washed dishes, even cleaned out your closet at one point. Nothing could stop the inevitability of you closing your eyes and being transported back to that night.

You were told by Garcia that the team had caught the unsub just before he was able to take out the Williams family and they were flying back Thursday night. You were glad that everyone was safe and on their way home, but it hurt that you didn’t feel like you could even talk with Hotch now.

You wanted to call and check in on him since you knew how hard he took family annihilator cases. Still, you didn’t reach for your phone. You would be seeing them all tomorrow, anyways. It was decided by Reid that Rossi’s place would be better than any public outing, so the team had made a plan to meet there at 6:00 pm Friday night.

Throughout the year, you tended to buy things for the team. Small gifts, anything that stuck out to you that someone may like, and you kept them for birthdays and holidays. So when you came across a dusty antique bookstore during one of your cases in New York several months ago, you knew you had to look around. You found the most incredibly bound and gorgeous hardback copy of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde and just knew it’d make a great gift for boy-genius.

You also happened upon an old collection of classic vinyl records, with dozens of artists varying from Frank Sinatra to Harry Belafonte and you had to get it. Not for you, but you knew one very serious Unit Chief that loved oldies.

By the time that Friday morning rolled around, Hotch hadn’t spoken to Y/N in over 48 hours. It put him a little on edge, he was too used to seeing her every day, hearing her voice asking how he was. He knew it was his fault for snapping at her the way he did, but he couldn’t take another night of worrying about her. He had enough to deal with already.

She had called him at least twice a day every day that they were in Pennsylvania, offering some of her insight. It was welcome most of the time, especially after they’d hit a wall in their investigation. Y/N not being on the scene allowed for a unique outside perspective. But Hotch wasn’t going to allow her to compromise her health for the job.

He debated calling her several times and it just never happened. Either he would get busy or he’d rationalize that she didn’t want to hear from him, but they were all excuses. So he decided to bite the bullet and dial her number when he finally settled into his office that morning.

“L/N.” Was all she said when she finally picked up. Usually, when she noticed it was Hotch calling, she would answer the phone with a “Hey Boss” or some variation of it. The change made him look down at his desk with a frown.

“Hey…” Hotch said, completely forgetting the reason he had come up with for calling so early. “I wanted to check in with you, see how you were… will you be coming to Rossi’s tonight?” He scolds himself internally for sounding so unsure of himself.

“Well, yeah, I wouldn’t miss it.” She said as if it were obvious. He supposed it was, seeing as the get-together was her suggestion. “Was there anything else?” She asked after a minute.

Hotch wanted to ask what her pain level was, if she had actually slept since the last time they spoke, and quite a few other things, but instead he shook his head a little, “No. We’ll see you there.” He hung up quickly after that, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Several hours of paperwork later and Hotch was finally leaving for the day. He arrived at Rossi’s mansion at 5:50 pm, noticing that he was not the first. Morgan and Prentiss’ cars were both there, and he was relieved that Y/N hadn’t shown up just yet. He was still trying to figure out what he was going to say to her.

As he rung the doorbell, he could hear talking and laughing inside. “Answer that, would you?” Rossi’s voice could be heard echoing from the kitchen. A couple seconds later he heard footsteps and then Y/N was there, holding the door open.

She was stunning. Her usual work clothes were nice and complemented her, but Hotch had never seen her like this. She wore a mid-length, off the shoulder gown with long sleeves, it was black with a lace trim. Her makeup was done but it wasn’t a lot, he suspected it was to cover up the remaining discoloration from that night. Her hair was done in a different way that he’d never seen before, and she was so gorgeous.

It took a moment before Hotch could speak, “I brought wine.” He holds the bottle out to her and she takes it with a small smile and nod. As she walks away with it towards the kitchen and he follows, he thinks about what the hell was wrong with him.

“Ahh, Aaron, this is perfect.” Rossi says as Y/N hands him the bottle of red. “Why don’t you all take a seat, the rest of the team is on their way and the food will be ready shortly.”

Morgan and Prentiss were hovering around the island counter, also dressed up in less than casual outfits.

“What’s up man?” Morgan asks as he makes his way over to Hotch, “Didn’t you bring a gift for wonder boy?”

“Spencer’s gift is all of the paperwork he does not have to do for the next three days.” He responds, shrugging off his blazer.

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Prentiss says, “does that extend to the rest of the team?”

“What you guys get is his workload.” Hotch says with a growing smile.

A collective groan is heard as everyone takes their seats. Y/N is still in the kitchen, helping Rossi with kneading some type of dough. He tries not to glance over too often, but it’s hard not to. She’s laughing at something Rossi’s said and the smile on her face is infectious.

Hotch notices how she’s still favoring her right side, moving only when she has to. Her breathing is controlled and her posture is purposefully casual. She’s certainly gotten better since the last time he’s seen her, but she’s not fully healed and he resists the urge to go speak to her about it.

“So, what’s for dinner?” Emily asks.

Y/N responds before Rossi can, “Burrata Caprese Gnocchi with balsamic bruschetta and garlic bread.” She shares a look with Rossi who smiles at her.

“Sounds amazing.” Emily says just as the doorbell rings.

JJ, Penelope, and Reid were all at the door, which Hotch answered this time, beating Y/N to it.

“There’s the birthday boy!” Derek said, getting up to give Spencer a hug.

“I really don’t think the word ‘boy’ accurately describes my age anymore.” He replies, returning the hug a little hesitantly.

“Ah, come on Spence, you’re still the second youngest agent in the team.” JJ says, pointedly looking at Y/N from where she still stood in the kitchen.

“Hey, I am not much younger than him.” She says defensively. Hotch smiles at the interaction.

“Well, regardless,” Penelope cuts in, taking Reid’s arm in hers, “you are still the residing genius of the BAU, myself excluded.”

“Well, thank you very much.” Hotch hears Spencer mutter as he’s dragged along to the dining room with everyone else.

Rossi commanded that everyone help set the table as the last bit of dinner was being prepared. Y/N was moving around seemingly effortlessly, stirring something in a pot and then pulling bread out of the oven. Hotch thought she looked very graceful, until she must’ve turned the wrong way and she stilled completely.

Y/N clutched the edge of the counter like she had back at her apartment last week and Hotch stopped passing plates around. He watched as she excused herself to the restroom and after a second of deliberating, he followed.

The light underneath the bathroom door was on and Hotch knocked on it lightly, “Y/N?” There was no response for a minute. “Hey, are you okay? Please open the door.”

Another few seconds went by with no sound and he was thinking maybe he should just go back to the dining room when the door unlocked and swung open a fraction. Hotch took that as an invitation to open it fully and walk in.

Y/N was leaning against the bathroom sink, hand on her side and eyes closed. “What do you need?” He asks, hands clenching at his sides, not sure if he should reach out and touch her.

“Um…” Her breath shakes slightly, “If you could, my bag has my medication, I left it out there.”

“Of course. I’ll be right back.” It took Hotch less than a minute to go out into the living area, find her bag with the painkillers and bring them back to the bathroom. He knocks twice before entering, “Here.”

“Thank you.” Y/N says, taking them with a mouthful of tap water.

“How’s the pain?” It’s a long shot that she’ll even continue speaking to him, but Hotch doesn’t feel like leaving her alone like this.

“Uh, a 6.” She looks at him finally, and his frown deepens. She’s never actually gone past 5, and he knew 5 was bad. “It’s okay, really, I think I just strained my side while cooking.”

Hotch nods, but he doesn’t feel reassured. “Well, I’ll help you to the table, and please don’t move again unless you have to.” He thinks that she wants to argue but that would take energy she doesn’t have, so she allows him to wrap an arm around her waist. She leans against him and he inhales her scent, it’s warm and sweet, like cinnamon he thinks.

If anyone noticed the way the two of them walked out together, no one said anything. The team wasn’t oblivious, they knew Y/N was in pain as well, and that she wouldn’t want to speak about it. Especially tonight when it was about celebrating a fellow teammate.

Hotch set her down in a seat directly next to him, his hand lingering where it had been a moment before. Rossi was passing around the main course and the conversation had been redirected to Spencer’s weekend plans.

“I’ll be in Vegas for the next couple days. I’ve been meaning to visit my mom but haven’t really had the time.” He says as he grabs two pieces of garlic bread.

“That’s nice.” Emily says, taking a sip of her wine. “I would rather be working than visit my mother on my birthday.”

“Cheers to that,” Rossi says, also taking a sip.

Everyone raises their glasses, Y/N included. Her face gives no indication that the movement bothers her at all. She takes a sip and rests the glass back down where she starts tapping nervously on it and Hotch knows the meds haven’t kicked in just yet.

“Time for gifts!” Penelope yells excitedly and claps her hands, getting up from her spot after everyone had finished with their meals.

Y/N makes a move to stand up, but Hotch catches her wrist before she can. He shakes his head and says, low enough so that no one else can hear, “Don’t even think about it.”

She gives him a look but doesn’t try to shift out of her seat again. His hand stays on her for a moment longer under the table and she doesn’t try to pull away.

“Well then, would you mind grabbing the gift I brought over on the counter?” Y/N practically whispers.

Hotch has to clear his throat before responding, “Of course.” He’s up in a second, already missing the warm contact. He locates the present with white wrapping paper that was covered in gold stars, attached to it was a card that said “You’re 30!” on the cover with a picture of an cartoon senior citizen underneath the text. The sight made him laugh under his breath.

“Open mine first, please.” JJ says, handing over a rather large bag to Reid.

As he grabs it, Hotch takes his spot back next to Y/N. Spencer is ripping out the tissue paper until he reaches the gift. He pulls it out with a gasp, “Ohhh no way.”

In his hands is a model replica of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek, and by the way he was holding it, it seemed fairly heavy. Hotch smiled at the Doctor’s reaction and noticed that Y/N did too. The corners of her eyes crinkled with her grin and he wanted to lean down, just a few inches so that he could come face-to-face with her. He thought about brushing her hair out of her face, behind her ear. He would tilt her head back until she couldn’t go any further, then lean down closer, closer…

Hotch was snapped out of his thoughts by Y/N’s voice. “That one’s from me and Aaron.”

He looked at Spencer, who had the gift in his hands. “I am not thirty years old.” He tossed the offending card down onto the table and the sound of laughter filled the room from everyone.

“Is there something wrong with being thirty?” Derek asks, feigning offense.

“No, I’m just stating the fact that I am not actually thirty years old, I have another 364 days before I reach that milestone, in fact-“

“Just open the present!” Emily says, laughing.

“Okay.” Reid does as he’s told and unfolds the wrapping paper carefully. When he’s done, a hardcover book lays in his hands, but Hotch can’t make out the title. It seemed to make Spencer very happy though, if his widening smile was any indication. “Where did you find this!”

“New York, that case where we were snowed into our hotel and couldn’t leave for an extra week. Gave us time to look around.” Y/N said, making brief eye contact with Hotch. She was keeping up the ruse that he had helped in picking out Reid’s gift.

“You know, out of all of Oscar Wilde’s books, I’ve read this one the most,” Finally Hotch could make out the title ‘The Importance of Being Earnest,’ “it’s actually very short but it’s masterfully done, almost no other author compares from this century.”

“You’ve mentioned it a few times.” Y/N says.

“Thank you both, very much. This is great.” Spencer replies.

Hotch tries not to look at her again, he’s not sure what he’ll do if he does. His professional nature was slipping with each sip of wine.

Another few minutes of Reid opening gifts goes by and they were all very thoughtful. Rossi gave him a new suit jacket, Italian made of course. From Garcia, he received several doctor who related items including the full series on blue-ray. Emily got him an iPod, mostly so that he would stop playing his music out loud on long car rides, she explained. Lastly, Derek stated that his friendship was gift enough. Though, later Hotch discovered Morgan had already given Reid a certificate for an all-expenses paid stay at a resort in the Bahamas which was run by a good friend of his.

The night ended on a good note, everyone was buzzed and in deep conversation. Hotch never left Y/N’s side. She seemed to be doing significantly better than earlier, no longer wincing at every move and engaging with the teams banter.

As everyone started to trickle out, Hotch turned towards her. “Do you need a ride?” He hadn’t noticed her car when he got here and it was unlikely that she could drive home in her state anyway.

“Oh, Emily drove me-“ Y/N said, looking around for their friend, who was nowhere to be found.

“I don’t mind, your apartment’s on the way.” Hotch replied, hoping she would say yes. He needed just a few more minutes with her. She looked up at him like she was debating it, eventually pursing her lips and nodding.

“Okay, thank you.”

The two of them said their goodbyes to those remaining, Y/N gave Spencer a hug and wished him Happy Birthday once more before they made their way outside towards Hotch’s car.

Hotch made sure to keep an eye on the way she moved, ready to support her if she needed, but it was unnecessary, she seemed to be fine. He made his way over to the passenger side door and opened it swiftly.

Y/N laughs a little, “Such a gentleman.”

Hotch smiles back and closes the door after she’s settled. Once they’re on the road, he remembers everything that he’s been meaning to say.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know?” He says lightheartedly.

“Do what?” She asks with that little crease between her brows. His hand tightened around the steering wheel just slightly.

“The gift for Spencer. I had no idea about it.”

“Oh, right… Well the no paperwork thing was nice. I know he appreciates it.” She says with a smile. This is torture, Hotch thinks. She’s so close to him, literally less than a foot but he can’t do anything.

“About the phone call-“

“Hotch, don’t, I already know.” Y/N says, as if she was expecting this conversation all night. “I know I still have five days until my evaluation and if tonight was any indication, I’m still not really to be in the field yet.”

He was glad that she knew that, at least. But his intention wasn’t to scold her all the way back to her home, “Y/N, please let me… I didn’t mean to insinuate that your help wasn’t appreciated on this last case, it was.” She doesn’t say anything in response, just looks over at him with questioning eyes. “I need you to know that everything I do, everything, is for the well-being of this team.”

“I know that, Hotch-“

“Then you know that I would do anything for you.” He cuts her off, but doesn’t take take his eyes off the road, even for a second.

The tension in the car feels high, but Hotch can’t tell if only he can feel it. The seconds that go by without Y/N’s response is agonizing.

“I do know that.” Her voice is softer, almost far away. “And I would do anything for you.”

The words make his shoulder’s slump in relief, he dares to glance her way. She’s looking at him in a way he’s never seen before, a little sad maybe, but smiling. He’s tempted to pull the car over to the side of the road for a few minutes.

“You just passed my place.” Y/N says then.

“I know.”

#criminal minds #hotch x reader #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner #reader insert #hotch fic #angst #hurt comfort #mutual pining #insomnia #protective hotch #concerned hotch

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thelargefrye · 2 years ago

Note

i have a request ! for dad ateez! how would the boys react when their kids are all grown up and they find out they’re dating would they be overprotected or in denial ? how would they react :0

[ THE DATING MONTAGE ] — the boys react to their children dating.

pairing : ateez x f!reader genre : idol au, dad!ateez, comedy, fluff warnings : none

KIM HONGJOONG had mixed feelings when he found out saemi was dating. she would come home one day and hongjoong could just tell she wanted to tell you both something. when he questioned her during dinner, that’s when she confessed to recently being asked out. hongjoong immediately started choking on his food surprising you all. he definitely couldn’t wrap his head around his little aurora finally dating and would probably be in denial for the first few days hours until she went on her date.

when narae finally told you guys she was asked out, hongjoong felt more prepared. like years of saemi dating prepared him for when his youngest would eventually start doing it. however, he knew he probably wouldn’t have to worry about narae dating too much when she came back from her date and promptly told you and hongjoong that dating was “overrated” and that she didn’t understand why saemi liked going out so much.

PARK SEONGHWA was in denial when you told him that hyewon would be going out on a date. even after all these years, the younger twin still always told you things first for you to tell her father. seonghwa honestly couldn’t wrap his head around it all. his precious hyewon going out on a date?

he was also in denial when hyemi and jaehwa told him about their first dates. you were more in denial with jaehwa, but knew he would be fine because he was the spitting image of seonghwa even in personality.

JEONG YUNHO wasn’t worried about taeyong dating. when his son was old enough however, he warned him about being careful as he didn’t want him making the same mistakes he did.

yunho also had the same attitude towards taerim when she told him about her date. it was actually taeyong who was against her dating, always telling her that she was too young to be dating. you and yunho thought it was funny how taeyong made it his mission to intimidate any and every guy that taerim even tries to date.

KANG YEOSANG was protective of aeri when she told you both she would be going on a date soon. but he knew that dating was just apart of life, and had to accept whether he actually wanted to or not. he would probably drag you along with him as you both stalked aeri to make sure she was okay. if caught, yeosang would just tell her that he was talking you on a date.

CHOI SAN would probably be like yeosang and be protective over raim. he absolutely adores his daughter and even when she got older, she still had him wrapped around her finger. she originally told you first before telling san when they were on one of their father-daughter outings. when she told san, she purposely did it so he couldn’t go papa-bear mode and tell her no. despite how old she gets, san will always see her as his little butterfly and he would eventually accept that she’s growing especially after talking with you.

SONG MINGI was excited for moongyu because he was glad he son was so outgoing and not afraid to show his feelings. you and him encouraged your son to always try not matter the outcome. this also encouraged moongyu to not only ask people out, but just to try new things in general. you were actually more worried about moongyu dating, worried that he might get his feelings hurt because at the end of the day, he was still mingi’s son. and they were both your sensitive babies that you protect at all costs.

JUNG WOOYOUNG was definitely over protective when mikyung told you both including mihyeon that she would be going on a date. you were excited for your oldest; however, wooyoung wanted to scream into the void. he almost grounded mikyung just so she couldn’t go on her date. he didn’t want to think about his girls dating.

mihyeon actually isn’t that interested in dating. she actually told you and wooyoung that she would rather focus on herself and her future than worry about dating. of course, wooyoung felt kind of relieved when she told him this, but he knows that if she does ever start dating, he would have to go through that overprotective-ness all over again.

CHOI JONGHO was a little shocked when you told him jihoon was asked out on a date. he was happy and supportive of his son, especially when he came asking for advice on what he should do for his date. jongho seen it as like a nice bonding moment with his son. he also knew jihoon was nervous because of how he started singing while he was getting ready — he really only sings when he’s nervous.

#husband montage.#ateez x reader #ateez blurbs #ateez imagines #ateez reactions #ateez fluff #ateez dad au #dad!ateez #ateez hongjoong x reader #ateez seonghwa x reader #ateez yunho x reader #ateez yeosang x reader #ateez san x reader #ateez mingi x reader #ateez wooyoung x reader #ateez jongho x reader

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janethepegasus · 4 months ago

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Crowley can’t exactly force a bunch of children to work all because they’re “freeloading” in the Ramshackle Dorm.

“I can’t exactly make them work…there’s laws against that!!” Crowley thought, “If it ever came out that I let these young ones do any labor work, the reputation of this school would go down the drain!!”

The bird man glances at The Lark, almost all of them are just looking at him with curiosity and skepticism, except for Clementine, who’s just happy to hold Grim in their arms.

He takes a deep breath and quickly turns towards the children, trying to hide his anxiousness, “Ahem! How about this? I’ll let this beast stay with you during your stay at Night Raven College, that is, until I find a way to send you home of course!”

Grim perks up, “So you’re lettin’ me in?!”

“NOT as a student!” he points at Grim like a parent shunning their child, “Under no circumstances that I would allow anyone to attend Night Raven College if they weren’t selected by the Dark Mirror!”

Grim pouts, “Hmph…shoulda got my hopes up…” Clementine gently pats his head for reassurance

Then Crowley looks directly at The Lark, “As for you…because the Dark Mirror has transported you here, the school DOES bear some responsibility over your wellbeing. Didn’t come to my mind when I brought you four here, so forgive me…”

Perrine just raises an eyebrow, “Sure you did…” they thought

He continues, “Therefore, allow me to extend this deal; I’ll allow you four to stay in Ramshackle AND free to wonder on school grounds as you please!” he said, “…As long as you don’t interrupt classes or destroy school property.”

“…I mean we were kinda thinkin-“

Cole gently pushes Kingsley, making them stop what they’re trying to say, “Hey!” they shouted back at Cole

“T-Thank you Crowley, and don’t worry, we won’t damage anything!” said Cole

Kingsley glares and pouts at Cole. Then they blink as a thought came to mind, “Hold on…if we’re gonna stay here for a while…then how are we gonna get food n’ stuff?”

The rest of The Lark’s eyes widen with this realization, same with Crowley, “Oh right…! How can we do that?” Clementine commented.

“I mean…from what I’ve seen, there’s not much for us to gather supplies and food…” Perrine adds, recalling the scattered trees and bushes on their way to the dorm.

Crowley nervously sweats; oh dear Seven he forgot these children are absolutely penniless, “A-Ah, well…I can’t exactly make you four work to get the money you need-“

“Unless you pay with crickets?”

Crowley looks at the youngest with a confused look, “Uh…no.”

He continues, “So, how about I give you a small amount of cash every week to sustain yourselves? And i’ll allow you to eat at the cafeteria! Isn’t that generous of me?” He’s basically sweating bullets at this point.

The Lark, and Grim, look at Crowley with slight confusion. Then Perrine speaks up, “Uh, can we talk this over for a second?” they said, gesturing to the group.

He blinks, “Oh, of course!”

They just nod and the group huddles around in a circle. Kingsley speaks up, “Hey! What’s the big idea, Peren? This is a fair trade ya know!”

“Yeah I know that, but…don’t you think it’s a bit odd?”

Cole looks at Perrine, “How so?”

“I mean…all these promises sound like he made it up last minute! Like he wasn’t expecting to give us so much freedom in the beginning!” they said.

Clementine nods, “I think you’re right about that…he DID look slightly nervous when he was talking about these things…”

Cole just hums in agreement.

Grim raises his paw, “Can I say something?” he said, “I don’t like this plan at all! I wanna be a student! Not some lousy pet with you chumps!”

“Well you don’t hold much power here to make that happen…” said Cole

“So what? I got magic! I can do things! Who cares what some lousy mirror thinks?”

“Well that ‘lousy mirror’ brought us here and WE don’t got a lick of magic in us!” said Kingsley

“Hmph! Maybe it switched up the invitation or somethin!” Grim huffs

Perrine crossed their arms and looks at the group, “So neither of us like these ‘promises’ Crowley’s making.”

“Then…what else can we do��?”

They all turn to Cole. They fidget their hands as they speak, “We’re…sort of powerless here…there’s not much we can do on our own…we’re stuck in a world we’re not familiar with and has different rules than back home…”

They continue, “We have nowhere to go…no one to turn to but each other…so…” they look at Perrine and frown, “I-I’m sorry but…I think we should take this, regardless if these promises were made last minute…”

Perrine glances at the group and sees that they’re all deep in thought, mentally debating on it.

Kingsley shrugs, “Eh, Kol’s got a point.”

“A-Are you serious?! Why-“

“I-I understand that you don’t trust adults, Perrine. But what else can we do…?” said Cole

“Unless you have something else in mind, then say it!” said Clementine

Grim just quickly glances at the whole group, stuttering in disbelief, then sighs in annoyance, “Ugh…guess I’ll be some stupid pet…”

Perrine just looks at the group, conflicted on what to say, and mentally stumped on what to choose. Finally, Perrine just sighs in defeat, “…Fine. We’ll take it. After all we’ll be stuck here for a while…”

“Excellent!”

The Lark jump and scream, turning to see that Crowley was standing nearby, assumably eavesdropping them the whole time.

“W-Wha…?! Were you listening to us the whole time?!” said Cole

“Not the whole time! Just…most of it. Forgive me for being curious…”

He clears his throat and grins at the group, “Well, I hope you four have a good night sleep! And make sure you look after that beast!”

The Lark just nods and just mutter a bunch of “yeahs” and “uh huhs”

“We will!” Clementine just beams and pets Grim, who’s just mumbling under his breath.

Crowley swiftly walks away from the group and out of the building, “See you tomorrow, dear children!”

He slams the door behind him, and The Lark are left alone once again, now with a strange cat to take care of.

#Crowley is internally screaming the whole time #twst x yaelokre #yaelokre #yaelokre cole #yaelokre clementine #yaelokre kingsley #yaelokre perrine #twisted wonderland #dire crowley #twst grim

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daggzandarrowsnew · 1 year ago

Text

Clearing out my drafts - this one was started from a prompt on my original Daggzandarrows Tumblr account (which I stupidly deactivated *cries in soooo many lost fics*)

“Baby Peanut’s magic”

————

“If we suppress it, it will only hurt her in the long run.” Regina explained, her patience running thin because they'd talked about this for so long now and, as much as she loved Robin, he just wasn’t getting it. “She needs to learn to control it now, while she's young lest she lose control and, god forbid, kill someone.”

“She wouldn't.”

“Not on purpose, Robin,” she amended on a tired sigh. The kids were due home soon and the chance to speak so openly with him was quickly dwindling. “You know her temper. At least if she understood what it was, she'd be prepared.”

He shook his head, still pacing in front of the window as she watched from her place on the sofa. “I just…” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, “I don't want her to turn out like-”

“Like me?” It stung, penetrated deep and flooded her veins like acid.

His pace slowed as he turned his head to look at her, a look of horror on his face, “What? No! That's not-”

“Magic is in her blood just as it is mine, Robin. Regardless of who birthed her, Mills’ blood runs through her veins. You cannot condone my magic yet condemn Zelena’s because they are one and the same.”

“Regina, I-”

“If you'll excuse me,” she interrupted briskly, swallowing thickly as tears glistened in eyes that wouldn't lift to look at him, “I need to make a start on dinner.”

————

“Is Mom sick?” Henry frowned as he watched Regina walk from the room, the plate of food in her hands barely touched unlike the children's empty plates she’d stacked beneath her own.

Robin swallowed guiltily, his own food inedible with the way his stomach was knotted. She'd barely looked at him since before dinner and had immersed herself in the children when they'd bounded through the front door, full of joy and caked in dirt having spent the afternoon in the forest with Robin’s men.

He felt awful.

“I think she's just a little tired, Henry.”

“She looks sad,” Scarlett frowned worriedly with eyes still on the door through which her mother had walked, “do you think she'd like a hug, Daddy?”

He couldn't help but smile with absolute affection at his daughter’s words, nodding his head as he replied, “I think she'd love that, darling.”

————

Her shoulders shook with her silent sobs as she pressed her face harder against her legs, wrapping her arms tighter around her knees and berating herself for getting so worked up over something she knew Robin hadn't meant.

He loved her, loved every single part of her - he'd spent many years now reaffirming that belief in her - and she knew that included her magic, he was just worried that it would corrupt their girl like it had done Zelena and Regina both and his fear wasn’t irrational...it was just unnecessary.

He didn’t understand how frightened Scarlett would be should she feel that first surge of power without knowledge of what it was or where it came from. There’d been many a night in which Regina had stood watching in the doorway of their daughter’s room as her dreams had been magically projected onto the ceiling, chuckling softly as her teddy bears had danced about the room in a way that had been strangely elegant.

It was beautiful, their daughter’s magic, but it could change and Regina wanted her to be prepared for that in a way that she herself hadn’t been.

There was a tug on her fingers that startled her, eyes wide as she lifted her head to blink wetly at the very person she'd been thinking of staring concernedly back at her.

“Why are you crying, Mama?”

She’d inherited magic from Regina’s side of the family but had most certainly inherited Robin’s ability to move silently when he wanted to. “Oh, I just stubbed my toe, sweetheart,” she replied and she hated lying but this was not something she was ready to discuss with their daughter yet, not until she and Robin were agreed on the best course of action. “It really stung.”

Eyes as blue as her father’s but as expressive as her own blinked back at her, a shadow of suspicion there as Scarlett looked to her bare feet and back again.

She changed the subject - or at least her daughter’s train of thought - by holding out her arms to Scarlett and asking, “Can Mama have a hug? It’ll make me feel much better.” And that was no lie.

Dimples dented chubby little cheeks as Scarlett nodded and reached arms up towards Regina, giggling wildly when she tickled at her sides as she lifted her onto the bed and placed her in the gap between legs now crossed, folding her arms tight around her daughter’s waist as small arms wrapped around her neck in turn.

Regina threaded her fingers through strawberry blonde curls and held Scarlett’s face to her neck as she cried quietly, trying to keep her shaking to a minimum. Their daughter was good in spite of her conception. Inherently good and that wasn’t only because of Robin but because of her too. She knew that even on her worst days.

They’d raised her in the right way - Zelena’s visits were still supervised even now and they’d never heard anything to be cautious of but it would remain that way lest she even dare think she could corrupt the goodness in Scarlett’s heart - but Regina knew the lure of dark magic. Knew how it could whisper in your ear and wrap around your heart.

It was a chance they weren’t willing to take where Zelena was concerned despite Regina’s own desire for a change in her sister much like her own. There was simply too much to lose.

“Can I sleep with you tonight, Mama?”

Her heart ached in her chest as she stroked her fingers through Scarlett’s hair and nodded, “Of course you can, my darling.”

————

She wasn’t sure of the time nor how long she’d been asleep but when she blinked open heavy eyes, she found Robin to be sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room watching them sleep. He looked exhausted and completely guilt-stricken. It was automatic and instinctual for her to lift a hand from Scarlett’s back and hold it out to him.

Robin didn’t hesitate to cross the small distance to the bed and slip carefully beneath the covers, instantly leaning up and over their daughter to press a kiss to Regina’s lips. “I am so sorry, my love.”

Regina shushed him gently, accepting another lingering kiss from him before she lay her head back down onto the pillow and watched as he did the same after dropping a kiss into Scarlett’s sleep-mussed curls. They lay in silence for a long moment, just soaking in the tiny child in their arms and the joy she brought to all of their lives much like her brothers before her. A child not born of Regina, much like the other two, but just as embedded in her heart.

“She may be Mills by blood,” Regina began quietly, shushing him gently when he moved to apologise, to tell her he hadn’t meant that. “But she’s also a Locksley by heart and soul. She’s so good, Robin. Much of the darkness in both Zelena and myself was out there by years of neglect. We chased that with a need to be loved by people who didn’t have the capacity to and that in turn bred abuse and an acceptance that that was what we deserved…until we couldn’t stand it anymore.”

“That dark path was a choice both Zelena and I took. I was simply lucky enough to find people to pull me back from that, to make me realise that there was so much more for me to find in the light.” She pressed a kiss to Scarlett’s temple when the girl snuggled deeper into her hole without waking before continuing. “One day Zelena might realise that too - maybe she’s already leaning that way, only time will tell…but Scarlett will never have to wonder if she is loved because we show her everyday. She will never feel alone because she has a whole army of people behind her. And she will never feel scared because we are going to tell her the truth.”

“Within reason,” Robin laughed softly, and she breathed a laugh in return because yes, some things she didn’t need to know just yet. But others…

“I suspect she already knows she can do special things or at least sense it, I began to suspect at her age,” she smiled down at the angelic features so relaxed in sleep, reminded of Henry at that age and Roland too, not yet aware of how dangerous or scary the world could be. “I just don’t want her to fear what is a part of her. I don’t want her to resent her magic, not when we can prepare her for it, when I can teach her to wield it properly.”

“I know,” Robin moved forward to capture her lips in a kiss that said so much more than he could. It was full of apology, of compassion and of promise. She was not alone. He stayed close when he allowed the kiss to break, stroking a hair through Scarlett’s curls. “I don’t want her scared either. I want her to feel confident in who she is, to know she can be whoever she wants to and we’ll always be there to catch her if she falls…it’s just…”

“Scary?”

He nodded, relief colouring his features that he was finally communicating what he’d been trying to say earlier. “I have absolutely no doubt that you will keep her safe, Regina. I trust you implicitly.”

She smiled tenderly at him, eyes moving over his face for a long moment before she admitted, “It scares the hell out of me too, Robin…” and then, “but the thought of Scarlett disliking or even fearing any part of herself scares me more.”

Robin leaned in once more to press a kiss to her forehead, cupping the back of her head as he moved in closer to hold his two favourite girls as he pressed his forehead to her own and promised, “Then her lessons start tomorrow. Let’s show our daughter another of the beautiful things about herself to love.”

And with those words, another dark shadow began to fade from Regina’s bruised heart as she closed her eyes and cuddled close to her family. Her world.

#ouat #regina mills #outlaw queen #oq ff #once upon a time #oq au #robin hood #daggzandarrows #ouat ff #outlaw queen prompt

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littlemissaddict · 2 years ago

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Okay so this might sound alittle out there but bear with me, okay so this is like a Modern AU and the events of Vecna/The Upside Down never happened. Eddie became a famous Rockstar (along with the rest of Corroded Coffin) and he married his highschool sweetheart reader, but not having taken reader out for a bit due to how busy he's been lately he decides that it was time but to also treat reader and show them off so he takes them to Hells Kitchen, sitting in the VIP section. Where the reader tells him how proud of him they are and how he's grown from highschool to now. Basically a sweet, romantic date night with the addition of Gordon Ramsay's amazing food and him yelling at people in the background (sorry if this is to out there and strange)

Thank you for the request, I couldn't figure out quite how to fit the Gordon Ramsey yelling in the background in so I hope you still like it. Also I'm sorry it took me so long to finish it that I hope you do see it anon.

Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3037

It had been a while since her and Eddie had really had any alone time together, sure they were married and they lived in the same house together, slept in the same bed every night but recently it felt more like they were just two ships passing in the night. They had fallen into the routine of him sleeping until late after not getting in until the early hours of the morning, while she was up early for work and usually asleep by the time Eddie got home. It wasn't like she really had to work either because god knows Eddie made more than enough for the both of them to live comfortably without any worries but it was more the fact that she wouldn't know what to do with herself if she was stuck home alone with nothing to do. She was also fiercely independent and hated asking Eddie for any money, even though he had no problem with supporting the both of them.

So, when the text came through while she was at work to say that they had dinner reservations for that night, she struggled to contain her excitement for finally being able to spend some time with her love.

By the time she'd gotten home, she was so lost in thoughts of what the night would bring that she almost missed the big bouquet of flowers and ribbon tied box that sat on the table in their kitchen. It seemed that Eddie really was intent on spoiling her and she couldn't come up with any other reason why than because he wanted to. The thought made her heart flutter because even after all these years of being together, it proved he still loved her just as she loved him and that even despite their busy lives they had not become like many other married couples who only stayed together because of children or because they felt like it was expected of them to, just like her own parents.

She pulled on the delicate ribbon holding the box together, watching it slip away at the slightest pull before it pooled at the sides of the box. Lifting the lid carefully, she pulled it away to reveal a small envelope resting on a bed of tissue paper and while it was tempting to bypass it to get to the present right away, she held off and reached for the envelope.

To my darling wife.. The envelope read and she could already feel her smile growing bigger than she ever thought was possible as she pulled the card out. I've missed you so much lately that I couldn't help myself. The car will be there at 7 to pick you up. Eddie x

After reading through the card a few times, she finally set it down on the table before her shaky hands reached for the wrapping, undoing it carefully so not to rip anything and when it was pulled away, she saw the neatly folded read satin fabric that she had no doubt was the dress she had pointed out to him a few weeks ago, the same dress that she was saving up to buy herself for their anniversary. Lifting it out the box and admiring the way the satin fell in waves, she held it against her body and tried to imagine how it would look on. Not that she would have to imagine for long as one glance at the clock told her she had exactly two hours before she was picked up so she had to be quick.

Racing up to their room she laid the dress out on the bed in hopes that it wouldn't crease in the time it took her to get ready before she made a beeline for the bathroom, showering quicker than she ever had before. Afterwards, she found herself sitting in front of the vanity she had in the bedroom with nothing on but her robe which was beginning to look a little tatty now that she’d had it so long but she refused to get rid of it no matter how many times Eddie suggested she get a new one. The main reason she refused is because it held fond memories of the night before their wedding, the material embroidered with the words ‘Future Mrs Munson’ always brought back the feelings of the nerves she felt but also the joy of being with her bridal party talking about the new chapter she was beginning in her life and god if she only knew how crazy life was going to get when Eddie and the band took off but she wouldn’t change a thing about it.

One look at the clock told her she would need to hurry if she was going to be ready on time as it seemed her sentimental thoughts had lasted a lot longer than she thought, though there would be plenty of time for that once they were at the restaurant. She made quick work of her hair, drying it and styling it were like second nature to her as she did it most days, however it was the makeup that she knew was going to take time as most days she opted for the minimal look, a little bit of foundation, mascara and lip gloss was all she used but on nights like tonight she liked to take her time applying it so that she didn’t make a mess off it.

Once the final swipe of lipstick was done she chanced another glance at the clock, realising it was almost time for the car to arrive so she knew it was time to get dressed and with careful handling she pulled the dress over her body so as not to tear it or get makeup on it. It was a perfect fit, the material hugging her body in a way that made her feel beautiful and one look in the mirror confirmed it, she looked amazing and no doubt Eddie would agree, although he liked to say that she did even when she was dressed in sweats with no makeup and her hair tied up in a bun.

Now all that was left to do was to find some shoes. She padded over to the wardrobe that they shared, well she called it a wardrobe but it was definitely bigger than the standard size wardrobe in the sense that it was practically a full sized room filled with clothes and shoes they had accumulated over the years. She was looking for her usual black strappy heeled sandals to finish the look off but instead she found another box tied up with ribbon in its place, albeit a smaller box this time.

She sighed as she pulled it from the shelf, she loved him and she was always grateful for anything he gave her be it big or small but he really didn’t need to buy her all this for one dinner. Taking the present back into the bedroom, she perched on the edge of the bed as she unwrapped it, once again watching as the ribbon fell away and another card sat inside the box.

I love you.

Those three little words that held so much meaning behind them, a feeling he never let her forget, not that she’d ever want to forget how it feels to be loved by him or even how it feels to love him. She couldn’t help the smile that overtook her face as she placed the card on the bed and opened the box, gasping when she saw the black suede heels with matching black bows on the back and red sole. They really were beautiful and just looking at them she could tell they must have cost a lot of money, Eddie really was spoiling her tonight and she couldn’t wait to see him just to tell him how thankful she was and to maybe scold him a little bit for spending so much money on her.

A knock on the door pulled her focus away from the shoes and she guessed it must be the driver to pick her up because if it was Eddie surely he’d have just let himself in. Pulling the shoes from the box she slid her feet into them, marvelling at just how comfortable they were considering the heel was bigger than she was used to wearing. The knocking sounded again and she quickly grabbed her purse and phone before she made her way to the door, the sound of the heels echoing along the hallway in the quiet of the house.

Pulling open the door, she came face to face with none other than her husband, who smiled upon seeing her and she watched it grow as he took in her appearance. “Sweetheart you look beautiful, look even better than I imagined you would” he says in greeting, chuckling as she twirls for him, letting him see the outfit in its entirety.

She was a little dizzy once she’d stopped turning and she grasped onto his arm for support so she didn’t fall over, vaguely hearing Eddie as he spoke. “Steady on there sweetheart, you don’t want to break your neck before dinner” the giggles left her before she even realised, her whole body feeling as if it would float away with how light she felt from happiness and once the room had finally stopped spinning she looked up to be met his big brown eyes, love for her swirling within them.

Straightening up, she finally took the chance to look at him. A pair of Doc Marten shoes adorned his feet, a pair of black dress pants and white button up shirt that wasn’t fully buttoned which gave her a nice view of his chest as her eyes trailed up his body. He looked rather smart or as smartly dressed as he ever got, apart from on their wedding day that was, but his signature leather jacket that he’d had since high school completed his look, it was very much Eddie.

Damn, how’d she get so lucky. It was the only thought to enter her mind as she admired her husband, only she hadn’t thought it, more spoke it aloud as Eddie confirmed for her. “I could ask the same thing darling” he winked and she mentally face palmed herself for the slip up but he moved passed it rather quickly, given his track record for teasing as he offered his arm out to her, “Your carriage awaits m’lady”

Taking his arm, she let him lead her out of the door towards the car where the chauffeur was waiting for them and he was quick to open the car door as they approached. Eddie helped her into the car before going around the otherside and climbing into the car himself, fastening his seatbelt before the chauffeur started the car.

“You know I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this” she told him quietly, glancing at the chauffeur hoping that he wouldn’t overhear their conversation, although she wasn’t sure why she was worried about that.

“Me neither but I wanted us to enjoy tonight with no worries, for it to be perfect just like you” he smiled sappily at her, leaning in to press a sweet kiss to her lips, “and we all know that cabs and buses don’t always run on time and well we have reservations that we just can’t miss” he winked. She still had no idea which restaurant he had booked them a table at but that didn’t matter, the scenery was just the backdrop for their night together.

Once they’d pulled up at the restaurant, the chauffeur or John as he’d politely informed her when she’d asked, opened the door for her again and this time he helped her out instead of Eddie. She thanked him and he replied with a smile and a nod of his head in acknowledgement before Eddie had joined her, linking arms again as they made their way into the restaurant.

“Hell's Kitchen?” she’d giggled to him, teasingly raising an eyebrow in question at the name.

“What, seems like a perfect spot for me, you know devil worshipper and all” he teased back, referring to old rumours that made him laugh now as he pushed open the door leading into the entrance way.

The waiter greeted them, “Table for two under Munson” Eddie informed them as they checked their clipboard for the reservation, a smile on their face as they looked back up.

“Right this way, Mr Munson, Mrs Munson” they said as they gestured for the pair of them to follow them. She was surprised when they were led to the VIP section of the restaurant and she looked to Eddie with wide eyes but he only shrugged in response, she didn’t miss the knowing smile on his face as they were seated.

“Someone will be along shortly to take your orders and if you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask” the waiter informed them as she laid the menus down in front of them and headed back the way they had just come.

“Eddie” she mewled once the waiter was out of earshot, “VIP really, you know I’d have been happy with a pizza and a movie at home, you didn’t have to do all this” she spoke quickly, arms vaguely waving about as if to draw attention to the fancy surroundings.

Eddie chuckled, his eyes still looking at her with just as much love as always as an amused smile spread across his face as if he knew she was going to say exactly that. “But it’s been a while since I’ve been able to show the world how lucky I am to be married to you” he teased, knowing that she hated when he said things like that. She didn’t need to be shown off, she wasn’t a trophy wife and he knew it but to him it felt like the biggest fuck you to all the people back in Hawkins, the ones that called him a freak, the ones who avoided him and all the people who said he wouldn’t amount to anything when right now he felt like he had it all.

Rolling her eyes, she spoke his name again, a hint of playful warning in her tone that he picked up on. “Yeah, yeah, I know but tonight is about us and how far we’ve come and well I wanted to thank you for supporting me through all these years, I know it hasn’t been easy on you with me dipping out for months at a time, leaving you all on your own” he speaks, those chocolate brown eyes that she adores so much never leaving her face as he talks, a sombre feeling taking over her at the seriousness in his voice.

Reaching over the table to place a hand on his own, she works her fingers through his until they’re linked together and with a smile on her face she goes to speak until they’re interrupted by the waiter coming to take their order and the two of them jump apart at the sound of their voice. Neither of them have looked at the menu but a quick glance and she knew Eddie would know what she wanted because it was the same thing she always ordered whenever they went out to eat.

Within minutes their order was taken and they were alone once more, “You know I wouldn’t change a thing about how lives have ended up, right?” she asks him, her eyes searching his because she knows him well enough to know that his face may try to show one thing but his eyes always show her how he truly feels. “Yeah the months are long when you’re gone and it sucks that some days I don’t see you because you’re working your ass off making a living for the two of us” she smiles when that gets a laugh out of him, “but it just makes the time we spend together mean so much more because even though we’re busy we still make that time for each other, you still make me feel loved” she finishes, her eyes glassy with tears and she feels silly for pouring her heart out to the man she’s loved since they were teens, who already knows how much she loves him but the way he thanked her for doing something so simple as supporting him when she would do it again without second thought, well she just felt the need to tell him.

“Oh sweetheart, don’t get all upset on me now, tonight is supposed to be happy and for me to show you how much I love you” he teased, though there was no fire behind it and she knew he appreciated the reminder.

“I know but seeing how far you come from the boy in a small town in Indiana who practically had nothing to this big rockstar who millions of people just like that boy you were now look up to, people that you give hope to that it is possible to live your dream well it’s hard to not get emotional and I’m just thankful you’ve let me come along for the ride” she gave a watery laugh as she finished, though it’s sound was muffled when he leaned across the table to kiss her. A gentle hand cupping her cheek as he pulled away to let his eyes trail over every inch of her face, eyes that lit up as those three little words left her lips, “I love you”

The soft moment was broken only by the sound of something large being dropped in the kitchen area off to the left of where they were sat, followed by a string of curses and yelling from the same direction.

“Yeah definitely the perfect spot for you” she teased repeating his earlier words back to him which only made him laugh, a full belly laugh with his eyes crinkling in the corners from how hard he was smiling, his head thrown back as she took in the sight of the man she was lucky enough to love and be loved by.

#requested #annonymous #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x reader fluff #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson drabble #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things

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allthingsorganic2024 · 11 months ago

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An excerpt from T. Colin Campbell's seminal book, "The China Study"

Chapter 12: How to Eat

"When Tom, my youngest son and collaborator on this book, was 13 years old, our family was in the final stages of a slow shift to becoming vegetarian. One Sunday morning, Tom came home from a sleepover at a close friend's house and told us a memorable story. The night before, Tom was being grilled in a friendly way on his eating habits. The sister of Tom's friend had asked him, rather incredulously, "you don't eat meat?". He had never justified his eating habits; he had just gotten used to eating what was on the dinner table. As a consequence, Tom was not practiced at answering such a question, so he simply answered, "no I don't," without offering any explanations. The girl probed a bit more, "so, what do you eat?". Tom answered with a few shrugs, "I guess just...plants." She said, "oh," and that was the end of that.

The reason we enjoy this story is because Tom's response, "plants," was so simple. It was a truthful answer but couched in an entirely untraditional manner. When someone asks for the glazed ham across the table, he doesn't say, "pass the flesh of the pig's butt please." And when someone tells his children to finish their peas and carrots, he doesn't say, "finish your plants." But since our family changed our eating habits, we've come to enjoy thinking of food as either plants or animals. It fits well into the philosophy of keeping the information on food and health as simple as possible. Food and health are anything but simple in our country. We often marvel at the complexity of various weight loss plans. Although the writers always advertise their plans' ease of use, in reality, it's never easy. Followers of these diets have to count calories, points, servings, or nutrients, or eat specific amounts of certain foods based on specific mathematical ratios. There are tools to be used, supplements to be taken, and worksheets to be completed. It is no wonder that dieting seldom succeeds. Eating should be an enjoyable and worry-free experience and shouldn't rely on deprivation. Keeping it simple is essential if we are to enjoy our food.

One of the most fortunate findings from the mountain of nutritional research we've encountered is that good food and good health is simple. The biology of the relationship of food and health is exceptionally complex, but the message is still simple. The recommendations coming from the published literature are so simple that we can state them in one sentence: eat a whole foods, plant-based diet while minimizing the consumption of refined foods, added salt, and added fats, examples of which will be provided in the following table. Eat all you want, while getting lots of variety, of any whole, unrefined plant-based food.

Maximize

General category: Fruits

Specific examples: orange, okra, kiwi, red pepper, apple, cucumber, tomato, avocado, zucchini, blueberries, strawberries, green pepper, raspberries, butternut squash, pumpkin, blackberries, mangos, eggplant, pear, watermelon, cranberries, acorn squash, papaya, grapefruit, peach

Vegetables

Flowers. Specific examples: broccoli, cauliflower

Not many of the huge variety of edible flowers are commonly eaten.

Stems and Leaves. Specific examples: spinach, artichokes, kale, lettuce (all varieties), cabbage, Swiss chard, collard greens, celery, asparagus, mustard greens, Brussel sprouts, turnip greens, beet greens, Bok choy, arugula, Belgian endive, basil, cilantro, parsley, rhubarb, seaweed

Roots. Specific examples: potatoes (all varieties), beets, carrots, turnips, onions, garlic, ginger, leeks, pinto beans, white beans, legumes

Seed-Bearing Nitrogen-Fixing Plants. Specific examples: green beans, soy beans, peas, peanuts, Adzuki beans, black beans, black eyed peas, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans, white beans

Mushrooms. Specific examples: white button, baby Bella (cremini), promini, portobello, shiitake, oyster

Nuts. Specific examples: walnuts, almonds, macadamia, pecans, cashew, hazelnut, pistachio

Whole Grains and Breads, Pastas, etc. Specific examples: wheat, rice, corn, millet, sorghum, rye, oats, barley, teff, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, Kamut, spelt (hulled wheat)

Minimize

Refined Carbohydrates. Specific examples: pastas, except whole grain varieties; white bread, crackers, sugars, and most cakes and pastries

Added vegetable oils. Specific examples: corn oil, peanut oil, olive oil

Fish. Specific examples: salmon, tuna, cod

Avoid

Meat. Specific examples: steak, hamburger, lard

Poultry. Specific examples: chicken, turkey

Dairy. Specific examples: cheese, milk, yogurt

Eggs. Specific examples: eggs, and products with a high egg content (that is, mayonnaise)

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

Supplements. Daily supplements of Vitamin B12, and perhaps Vitamin D for people who spend most of their time indoors and/or live in the northern climates, are encouraged. For Vitamin D, you shouldn't exceed RDA recommendations.

That's it! That's the diet science has found to be consistent with the greatest health and the lowest incidence of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and many other Western diseases.

What does minimize mean? Should you eliminate meat completely? The findings from The China Study indicate that the lower the percentage of animal-based foods are consumed, the greater the health benefits -- even when that percentage declines from 10 percent to zero percent of calories [i.e., consuming even small amounts of animal-based foods, as low as ten percent of your calorie intake, has been linked to future chronic disease incidence]. So it's not unreasonable to assume that the optimum percentage of animal-based products is zero -- at least for anyone with a predisposition for a degenerative disease. But this has not been absolutely proven. It is true that most of the health benefits described in this book have been realized at low -- but non-zero -- levels of animal-based foods.

My advice is to try to eliminate all animal-based products from your diet, but not obsess over it. If a tasty vegetable soup has a chicken stock base, or if a hearty loaf of whole wheat bread includes a tiny amount of egg, don't worry about it. These quantities, very likely, are nutritionally unimportant. Even more importantly, the ability to relax about very minor quantities of animal-based foods makes applying this diet much easier, especially when eating out or buying already prepared foods.

While we recommend that you not worry about small quantities of animal products in your food, we're not suggesting that you deliberately plan to incorporate small portions of meat into your daily diet. My recommendation is that you try to avoid all animal-based products. There are three excellent reasons to go all the way:

Following this diet requires a radical shift in your thinking about food. It's more work to just do it halfway. If you plan for animal-based products, you'll eat them, and you'll almost certainly eat more than you should.

You'll feel deprived. Instead of viewing your new food habit as being able to eat all the plant-based foods that you want, you'll be seeing it as in terms of having to limit yourself, which is not conducive to being on the diet long-term.

You will, within a month or so, perhaps a little more, actually break the physiological addiction we acquire from eating large amounts of fat and refined carbohydrates."

#The China Study #Whole Food Plant Based #WFPB diet #eat more plants

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ivoryminitower · 7 days ago

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Echoes of Home: 60 - Tsu'na ("cabin")

Echoes of Home: FFXIV AU OC – WoLs on Earth

I am typing this in bed. It is not a very good angle for typing, but Husband is nestled against me and I do not want to move. I want to stay in this bed with him for as long as I can. Though he has said we will hunt gators tomorrow.

We are at the Elkwallow Lodge near a town called Broken Bow. We came here the day after we finally made Husband's gasoline (or "cornoline", as he has started calling it). It is nice to not smell like corn or corn oil or cornoline. It is nice to not have projects or needs or community to build for a little while. It may bore me some day, but today is not that day.

I did not know what Husband had planned when he went off with Leon to Tulsa, but he had said we would be together, that we would hunt gators, and that it would be fun. So I decided to let him show me what he thought was fun. I can always correct him if he is wrong. I cleaned up our cornoline-making work, Returned to Wyatt, and stopped in the Pit in the afternoon.

"Hello, Sam."

"Hey there. Still not an alcoholic?"

"Still not, yes. Did Trevor install the lights in the shed?"

"He said he'd get to it in a couple days. Got him down to a hundred fifty."

"You are a good merchant."

"Thanks. Anything I can get ya?"

"I am just here to tell you we will be gone for a few days."

"Oh? Off lookin' for work?"

"No, we will simply be spending time together."

Sam smiled. "Romantic getaway, huh? Whatcha got planned?"

"Husband promised to take me gator hunting."

The smile went away. "Uh…you ever hunt gators before?"

"No. Husband said it would be fun. I would like to hunt bears, but Husband says there are no bears in this state."

"...Black bears in the eastern mountains, so I hear."

"Oh? How big is a black bear?"

"'Bout as tall as me when it stands up."

"That is smaller than what we have hunted before. Those were brown and taller than people."

"That…sounds like a grizzly."

"Grizzly, yes. Husband says they are in mountains far to the northwest. He also mentioned something called a…kodiak?"

Sam stared at me for a moment. "...Tanks and shit."

I smiled. "Tanks and shit."

"So, where ya headed for the gators? Louisiana?"

"McCurtain County."

"Dunno if gator huntin's legal in this state."

I met his eyes. "Then I suppose we are not hunting gators in McCurtain County."

"S'pose not. Y'all have fun. Don't get anything bitten off."

I went to the library and told Mrs. Hobbes I might not be in on Sunday. Then I went to the diner and told Mrs. Hartman we would be gone. She seemed happy about it, and hugged me. "Now, I know it can't be a lot of fun for a young couple, being in a house with old folk like us, so you two go off and have a good time together. We'll be fine here."

I did not tell her about the gator hunting. If it worried Sam, it might have frightened her. When Husband arrived to join me for dinner, he agreed. "Not sure what would scare her more...the idea of her little Tsu'na going gator hunting, or the idea she's living with gator hunters."

Husband erased our menu blackboard and wrote, "NO NIGHT MENU THRU SUNDAY". The children were unhappy about that, so we did not charge for the evening's pretzels and pies.

Lying on my front with a pillow under my chest helps with the angle. Husband has shifted in his sleep to press against me however he could. Perhaps I will do all my typing like this.

The next day was spent mostly in buses. We took the bus to Tulsa, then got on another bus heading south. Husband said it was nearly two hundred miles there. That was about as far as we had traveled for cotton, but this time we were not sitting on a goobbue, and we were not traveling through the air in a straight line.

We were in the bus for five hours, with some brief stops for food and bathrooms. We took turns reading and mapping, finding what harvesting spots we could in range of the road. Husband named the different animals we saw in fields passing by. Sheep in this world are less round than Eorzean sheep. Cows look like buffalo, but smaller, and the ground does not tremble when they walk. I have not before seen anything that looks like an alpaca.

Broken Bow is larger than Wyatt in space and stores. It has a Walmart. Many more people go to Broken Bow; Husband said many of them are "tourists" on their way to the lake nearby. It seemed we were also on our way to the lake, as we got on a much smaller bus that took us north to a smaller town called Hochatown.

From Hochatown we rode our bicycles a few miles to Elkwallow Lodge. I had expected a hotel like the ones on Highway 51 near Wyatt, but those are long buildings with many doors. The lodge building looked too small to have rooms. It only seemed to have a lobby with a desk and a restaurant in the back. "Where will we be sleeping, Husband?"

"I got us a cabin. It's like a small house just for us."

"It is better than a hotel?"

"I looked at the reviews for hotels in the area. Most of them sound like the inn in Ishgard."

"You mean The Forgotten Knight? The room there had mold on the walls and trash on the floor."

He pulled out his phone, did some searching, and showed me reviews of McCurtain County hotels. "Mold on the walls." "Trash on the floor."

"But does a house not cost more money than a hotel room?"

"Kinda, yeah. But I wanted this to be special."

A young man was working as innkeeper at the lobby desk. Husband told him we were Saul and Tammy Hartford. The innkeeper looked at a computer and asked to see the credit card that paid for the cabin.

Husband got out his wallet and produced a card. I wondered how he had gotten a payment card without ID.

The innkeeper typed something and nodded. "Okay, looks good. Can I see your ID?"

"Sorry, we don't have ID."

"...You…What do you mean?"

"We don't drive. We don't have ID."

"How come you got a credit card but no ID?"

"It's a prepaid card."

Like the phones. Perhaps that is what Husband did in Tulsa.

"Well, I can't give you a room without seeing ID…"

"Oh, sorry, do you need a bigger deposit?" Husband took out money. "Will this cover it?"

The innkeeper studied the money for a moment. He looked to either side, then said, "I'm sorry, sir, the deposit is more than that."

Husband took out more money. The innkeeper grabbed it and handed Husband a key. "Enjoy your stay, folks."

As we left the lobby I asked him, "Do you have any money left?"

"Maybe enough for pork rinds."

We walked down a road that had small houses spaced apart from one another, not as close as the Hartmans' house is to its neighbors. Some had cars next to them. The one matching the number on the key did not. Compared to the Hartmans' house, this house seemed older and made of boards like our workshop, or like houses in Raincatcher Valley.

The first thing I saw when we got inside was a wall that seemed to be one large window. It made the house much brighter than I expected. I could see a few trees outside and a lake beyond them. There were some small boats on the lake. A porch outside the window had chairs facing the lake, as if people liked to sit and watch it.

There was a living area with a couch, a television and a fireplace. In front of the fireplace was a furry rug that looked like a beast hide, though I could not tell what beast it had been. Near the living area was a table with chairs, like the Hartmans' dining room, though not a room. A kitchen area was beyond the table. The entire house seemed to be one large room, though we also found a bedroom with a large bed and a comfortable bathroom with a deep tub.

"This is our cabin?"

"Yes, my love."

"Does it work like an inn room?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is there a summoning bell?"

He hesitated. I could see he was choosing his words. "I have not observed hotel rooms in this world that are equipped as adventurer's inn rooms."

"So there is not a summoning bell, glamour dresser or orchestrion?"

"I would be extremely surprised to find them. The bed does look comfy, though."

"It does, yes."

Perhaps we were tired from all the travel. Bicycle riding is still something that I need to think about while doing, which makes it more work than simply riding it should be. We were starting to relax, being for the first time in this world in a house no one else would enter. There were many reasons for us being in the bedroom.

We started slowly, touching each other, holding each other, looking at each other. We took our time, and then we lost track of time. The cabin had gone completely dark by the time we thought to notice.

We turned on lights next to the bed. We ate from our inventory, not leaving the bed or each other. We did not feel a need for words. We turned off the lights after eating and did not notice time passing until morning.

When we got up, I saw that Husband had apparently also gotten food while in Tulsa. He taught me how to make an omelet, holding me from behind and giving me advice over my shoulder as I worked the pan and spatula. As distracting as he was, I was pleased to only have burned it as little as I did.

We ate lunch in the lodge to let the servants clean and change the sheets, but otherwise stayed in the cabin that second day. The entire cabin and every place in it was ours and we enjoyed it all. I have bathed in streams and waterfalls in Eorzea, and sat in the spa at Ishgard, but none of that was the same as sharing a tub with Husband. We lit a fire in the fireplace in the evening and cuddled on the rug. There was not an orchestrion, but there was a sound system that Husband could attach his phone to for playing soft music while we laid on the couch.

We sat on the porch, looking at the bright stars and listening to the creatures making noises in the night. Some of the creatures I could hear were people on other porches, trying to be quiet about what they were doing. When I told Husband about it, he called it "sounds of nature". But we did try to be quieter ourselves.

We spent more time out of the cabin the next day, walking near the lake, looking at the people out on or in the water, noticing the plants and the creatures in or on them. We had not tried fishing in this world, so we switched to Fisher and filled our fishing logs, releasing what we caught. Husband said fishing requires a "fishing license", but our Gatherers' Sneak seemed to mean no one bothered us about it.

We rode our bicycles on some of the paved trails. I think I have levelled in bicycle riding, but I did fall once when I hit a rock I did not see. I healed quickly, but Husband still got down on the grass next to me and stroked my leg. We almost forgot where we were before someone asked if I was all right. We laughed and waved and reassured them. Then we went back to the cabin.

Husband speaks of "stealth tensions", things we worry about without knowing we do. I think many of these have gone away while we have been here. We have worried about nothing but being together, and being together has been so natural that we have worried about nothing at all. Even such a simple thing as the bedding has not been a worry. We did our laundry at the Hartmans' house and therefore had clean sheets in the evening, but here we come back to a cabin with clean sheets ready for us.

"word for knowing something is still true": "conviction"

"word for saying something is still true": "reaffirm"

I love him and he loves me. I belong to him and he belongs to me. We know this. We have said this in the past, we promised it in the Shrine of the Twelve, and here we have been reaffirming it, in everything we say and do. We may have our own projects and curiosities, but we have each other, whatever may happen. Whatever worries we might have, our love should not be one of them.

Running my hand over the sheet, I am only now thinking that the bed is the one thing in the cabin that can be easily cleaned. Not so for the couch, or the furry rug, or the porch chairs, or the dining table, or any place else. If people before us were as eager to use the cabin as we have been, none of those places would have been very clean before we used them.

I think perhaps it is important to not think of this before we use the cabin. But it is also important to enjoy a shower together afterward. And not worry.

Husband's breathing has changed. He is stroking my back.

I think I am done typing for now.

#ffxiv #ffxiv echoes of home #ffxiv writers #ffxiv fanfiction #final fantasy xiv fanfic #ffxiv writing

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starsincline · 1 month ago

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Hello my friend, I am Najah from Gaza 🇵🇸

I need your help if I can 🙏

I don't feel good. I cannot get my children’s supplies due to the high prices. This requires an amount to buy winter clothes and food because we are approaching the winter season and my children need other supplies. This is estimated at more than $500 💔 for 4 children.

I came to you ashamed

Can you help me get my children's requirements? I just want a small donation of $25. Can you bear it? I'm really sorry 😢😢💔

https://gofund.me/a25b42f8

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vetted (line 49) and here

€5578/€80000 raised

Our home, once filled with love and laughter, has been shattered. The roof over our heads, the walls that protected us, and the place where our children grew up are lost. We lost not only our home, but the foundations of our lives. Now, we struggle every day to survive, with nowhere to go or a way to rebuild without help. Our children, who should be focused on school and their dreams, worry instead about where they will sleep or when their next meal will be. The weight of their fear and confusion breaks my heart. As parents, we feel helpless and unable to provide basic necessities for our loved ones.

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mamamintys-blog · 9 months ago

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Frosted Window. By: @bewareoffreaker & @mamamintys-blog Chapter one

Jade Grant

Isaac and Jade had grown quite close over the months, even if he had warned her far in advance that he was never in a place for long. Yet she went ahead and fell in love with him anyways, it wasn’t her fault. It just sorta happened, at least that is what they would say. The people of the town would say that it was only a matter of time before they did. They knew as soon as a younger man made his way into the town that he would be a good fit for the only girl below the age of 40. Many of the old hens who had nothing better to talk about spoke about it for months. How beautiful their children would look or perhaps how the young woman would look in a traditional white gown with a veil over her eyes.

They truly didn’t know her if they were picturing her in a traditional wedding setting. She left home because she scoffed in the face of tradition. Yet they were right about something, she did fall in love despite her hardest not to. She told herself she didn’t want to be bound by love. Here she was, in the empty cabin that belonged to Isaac. She offered to take care of things until he got back, which meant Grim. The big slobbery Cane Corso.

Only problem was it had been months of radio silence and her newest hobby? Looking out the window waiting for a familiar silhouette to seemingly appear out of thin air. Today was a day that they would’ve walked the trails, it was overcast. Not too hot, not too cold. Grim would be walking along side with them. Instead now he laid lazily stretched out on the couch with his head in the woman’s lap.

At first, she was worried about being liked but… turns out the dog really was just a big baby. She gently ran her hand along his head as she watched the outside intently. She didn’t know what she would do even if he were to show up. Cry? Nearly tackle him? Stain his face with kisses and lipstick? Check him for injuries? All of the above? Then came her own thoughts of did he miss her? Was he too waiting to see her looking out the window for him?

would he be tired? Irritated? Sad! Angry? Would he be ready to sleep? Would he lay in her lap while she played in his hair while he decompressed from the trip.

She had some sort of inkling that there was something more about his job other than a handy man. Yet she had never brought it up and he had never spoke of it. It was the elephant in the room, one that she wasn’t sure if she even had the place to address.

Nothing had been said between them at all. Neither of them daring to utter the word love even if they both felt it. Almost as if it would be ripped away as soon as they said it.

A deep sigh from the troubled canine pulled her from her thoughts. She laughed gently scratching the hard-to-reach spot on his thick neck. “I know, I miss him too..” she spoke to the animal as if he would understand. The only thing he knew was that his owner was replaced with a spastic woman instead, the one who paced the floors and talked out loud, but also the one that snuck him little bits of the good stuff; the human food and the one that let him sleep on the bed with her no matter how much room he took up, she was far smaller than Isaac so she didn’t need as much space as him. Although Jade didn’t care to admit this to a single soul, she had elected to sleep with a t-shirt of his. How pathetic but he had become routine for her. He had become a comfort, even for the smallest things. He never scolded her for being sensitive, for crying over things that would seem so small to others or at the sight of roadkill. That wasn’t who he was. She had grown to miss the gentle giant. Even if he was stubborn and didn’t like to tell her when he needed something. She missed the ease with which the conversation came. Most of all, she just missed him.

Issac Wolfe

There is an unfathomable weight to someone who can do more than one thing at once, a weight that bears heavy.

Issac was heavy, his mind, body, everything was heaving and it hurt. Unnecessary wounds laid paths across his body, etching their way to a new type of pain, a new beast of agony.

Issac made his walk to his cabin slow, he needed the time to adjust to home, if it even was home at this point.

He needed to return to his peace, he was a man of war, a dog, a weapon designed to rip away at everything.

“Wrath brings mortal men their greatest hurt.”

He gathered his thoughts, trying to rid of the gunfire, blood and pain.

Slowly he made his way over the trail, each step a jarring reminder of everything he'd done. His mind was too loud to think. Snow cracked and crunched beneath his boots. The small wooden steps on small hills on the trail were glossed over with frost.

He could hear the silence of the woods. Welcoming him home.

He thought of Jade, he had left her in his cabin with Grim. He hoped that he wasn't too much for her, he wondered how she had got on.

Did she really miss him? Even though he's been dark for months, not even a single utterance because he couldn't allow himself to be compromised.

He had thought about her often, keeping her as an image of peace in his mind, keeping him human in a place where he had to be something worse.

The cabin came into view, dread burned at his stomach, what if she hated him for this? Being gone for more time than he originally intended. His mind flooded with thoughts of it he's never felt more scared in his life, bombs and bullets were nothing compared to this.

He got closer to the cabin, feeling his body crumble in on itself.

Troubles of what he had done were flooding him, one small drop will cause it to break and flood. He hoped to whatever God there was that Jade could not see the exhaustion laid on his face.

He had grown to adore the woman, he'd worship the ground she walked on if he could, he was still scared of letting that part of him out, he punished himself for years for caring about people but Jade had him on a iron hook that he simply couldn't escape from.

He had broken his own rules.

Keep them at arm's length and you won't have trouble or get hurt. He was a fool of his own game, he had officially lost. He lost at the moment that he bought that chain for her. He lost at the moment he stood a few feet away from the cabin with a glass rose in hand. Issac was scared to fall in love again because he knew inevitably they'd leave or crumble before him, his last marriage ended with death and he knew that the people around town were talking of him and Jade. The cold bit at him but would not allow him to move, his mind was made for strategic thinking but there was no strategy here, if there was jade would checkmate him and he'd fall into it, which he liked about her, she challenged him in ways no other could do without crushing benefit his subtle feared aura. Issac respected her for that, she made him human again, soft. Something he thought he could never be again, yet here he was, a lovesick, touch-starved man scared to walk in his own cabin door. He took a breath to calm himself, he reminded himself where he stood and walked to the door looking in the small window. He saw her sitting with the giant beast of a dog that she had managed to turn into an oversized puppy, a subconscious smile tugged at his lips and he watched for a minute and finally opened the door, feeling the warm heat of the house hit him, the smell of wood, cooked food and the smell of jade's perfume, something he had missed. Chapter Two

Jade Grant

The world seemed so still, it wouldn’t miss her gaze just for a moment as she tended to Grim's need for her attention. It had just been the two of them for a while after all and she had no idea how much longer it would continue to be the two of them. She had no idea that she had missed the very person she was looking for crunching through the snow as she sat oblivious for the time being. Not much changed in the cabin, other than her presence of her. The vase of flowers, the something warm pot of Knoephla Soup. It took forever to perfect, hopefully this would be her last attempt until she had officially learned. She wanted to be able to make it in case Isaac missed home on the occasion. The cabin door creaked open, letting in the crisp cold scent of snow and the sound of heavy snowboots against the wood. She knew it wasn’t someone who wasn’t supposed to be here because things like that just didn’t happen here. Well, that and Grim had proven to be a very good guard dog, squirrels, gophers, there was no ferocious barking. Jade left her spot on the couch and ran to greet him “You’re home!” She spoke with a childlike glee. There was no hesitation in her touch as she had done this a thousand times before, her arms snaking around his torso and her head to his chest. The scent of snow, and faint metallic. Someone had hurt him. She pulled back to look at him, he couldn’t hide from her even if he had tried, she leaned up gently touching her hand to his cheek. “You can rest now..” she reassured him, although that wouldn’t take the weight of the world from his shoulders. She moved his face gently with her hand, looking at the stubble on his face. Something she had never seen before “Well, maybe after you shave.” She teased. “I actually have a surprise for you, it’s on the stove but I won’t overload you as soon as you get in the door.”

Issac Wolfe

Issac winched and sucked in a hissed breath as Jade hugged him. He quickly composed myself after she let go, Issac felt the warmth of her hand on his face another reminder of how cold and alone he had been but now he was somewhere where he could come down off the high of violence. He relaxed slightly into her touch and raised a hand to grasp her hand on his face, "Sleep sounds just about good right now." He mumbles with his eyes closed and heavy. He just wanted to collapse and rest for the next few months, his ribs were killing him. He needed to ice them but he really couldn't be bothered. He was holding back the urge to crumble on himself and collapse, he couldn't tell if his head was spinning or if he was actually swaying but he ignored it and focused on what was happening now. "You're not overloading me, I'm okay. Just a bit roughed out," he shrugged it off the best he could, it hurt to do that. Chapter Three

Jade Grant

Jade didn’t mean to hurt him, maybe she shouldn’t have been so assuming. She just missed him, a lot. She kept her hand gently on his cheek especially since he moved to meet hers. She knew Isaac well enough to know that simply handyman stuff wouldn’t leave him smelling like blood and wouldn’t cause him to be so rough-looking and sleep-deprived. Jade gently rubbed her thumb along his cheekbone, she would pester him later on about her suspicions. For now, she would let him rest “I actually have your bedding in the dryer, just give me a second to make sure it’s done and I’ll fix the bed for you, yeah?” She would offer to lay with him but she didn’t want to be so overbearing as soon as he came home. Even if on the inside she was the equivalent of a yappy chihuahua begging for attention. Trying to be careful, she took his free hand, somewhat pulling but mostly trying to lead him to sit down and rest for a second while she got his bed ready. Of all the times she had done this, he just had to come home when she didn’t quite finish. She scolded herself a little for making him wait and not doing this sooner. If you would’ve asked her, this was the very thing she ran from, being someone’s housewife who was scolded for not keeping everything picture-perfect. Only there was no scolding and Isaac sure as hell didn’t expect anything of her. Acts of service were something she used to show love to someone, making their day slightly easier. Rest. Plenty of it. That was what Isaac needed and a decent meal. At least at first. Her questions would come later, once he seemed settled enough. She didn’t like the thought of someone hurting him, especially since she couldn’t help. Did someone hurt him? Definitely. Would he tell her who? Probably not. She pulled herself from her thoughts focusing back on getting the bed made for Isaac, at least the blankets would be warm and smelling of dryer sheets. She had learned her way around the cabin fairly quickly. She had weeks to explore everything. She also had weeks to sneak a few plants from home, just small ones. They gave the place a little bit of color, she took once more glance at Isaac before padding off to his room. She didn’t snoop through his things, except for the t-shirt but even she had a chance to hide that. Not that he would’ve been angry with her but… she feared looking clingy would be unattractive to most. Never mind that she replaced the slept-in t-shirt with linens. “It’s ready if you are…”

Issac Wolfe

Issac watched her toddle off towards his room, he tried to avoid moving for a second. He didn't want to deck it as soon as he took a step. He took a breath and walked in after her, seeing her make the bed. "You don't have to do that." He didn't want her to feel obliged to do things for him, he never liked other people doing things for him, and he never asked anyone to do anything that would benefit him. She had already finished the bed and he didn't give it a second thought. He sat down, and he felt the clean sheets beneath his fingers, the softness of the threads. His shoulders hunched forward now unable to square himself out, Issac felt how weak he actually was. He didn't want Jade or anyone at all to see how much he'd been worn out from his handyman job. It started affecting him a lot more now. Issac laid back on the bed and sighed. He kept his feet on the floor not bothering to fully pull himself up onto the bed, he'd sleep anywhere if he could, the floor, the snow, grass, dirt. Anywhere that would hold his weight. "Thanks" he said appreciatively, he didn't know how else to show his gratitude at the moment. Issac would figure out a way when his mind wasn't baking him in pain. Right now, he just needed to rest.

Chapter Four

Jade Grant

You don't have to do that. Again, Isaac expected nothing of her, which meant he liked her company simply because she was herself. He wasn't searching for how good of a housewife she could be or how she would look with a baby on her hip. Jade had run from that sort of fate. She had run from a marriage she didn't want, a broken home that she couldn't fix, a father who couldn't save himself or his wife. She watched as the tower of a man faltered onto the freshly made bed. Traveling took a lot out of someone but this was more than travel fatigue there was something more to his job, something that left him exhausted and bruised. never mind that she could question later. Right now, she wanted to enjoy his company and the comfort of him being back… she almost didn't feel right when he was gone like a part of her was missing. "c'mere" she spoke gently as she sat down on the bed, motioning to her lap. What? did you think she wasn't going to find some way to touch him? Jade was a very physically affectionate person, even if it was as simple as touching their legs together. She needed some form of touch. She was never sure of Isaac's thoughts on it. He was hard to read, even for her. She had learned some things along the way, some of the defenses between them slipped, and they had yet to melt away completely. Jade didn't mind, she enjoyed constantly trying to put together the puzzle of Isaac Wolfe only for him to throw in another piece and she started over again until the picture was complete.

Issac Wolfe

Issac looked over at her with half lidded eyes, he thought about her offer, he gave in once again and rolled onto his side, resting his head in her lap.

He didn't fight it, he was too exhausted to fight it. Issacs Shoulders relaxed into himself, he felt the softness of her dress under his face.

He focused on Her, his breathing, the quiet. His mind was running rampant with everything he had done, everything he wanted to avoid but it had all led him here, to her, to Jade.

Issac wasn't going to complain, not that she'd give him room to do so anyway, her tongue was just as vicious as his when it came to him denying help or care.

He didn't want to be too heavy, he knew his weight so he rested most of it on the bed.

He liked this, he liked feeling home. Even if his home had become less than nothing, Jade had made it home that wasn't a hellscape that he was used to.

The pain was still there but he could ignore it for now, just to have this. He felt soft, he never liked feeling soft but this was a new kind, he didn't think he'd need to be defensive with her.

Tiredness had fully hit Issac, he didn't know if he could even get up now never mind move so he stayed. He relaxed and let her be there. She was the calm in his storm, the antidote to his venom. Issac would cherish this, she wouldn't know it but he'd bury this within himself as something good, something human, something real.

Chapter Five

Jade Grant

She waited for Issac to get comfortable. Once he finally relaxed into her, she slid her fingers into his hair. Being careful not to pull his hair but simply smooth it back. Occasionally her fingers grazed his face, not that she was searching for anything. She just wanted him to know that she was here and that she adored him.

More than she ever thought possible. She wished to be guarded around him but truthfully, she couldn’t if she tried. She was always the one to wear her heart on her sleeve. Yet he had been nothing but kind to her heart, she was grateful for that. The last thing she wanted to do was prove her father right.

Men will use you for everything you have and leave you. He said in a drunken slur as a way to justify picking who she would marry. Maybe she would’ve went along with it if it had been someone she could see eye to eye with but August was not that man.

August wanted her submissive to him, having dinner on the table as he brought his dirty boots through the freshly cleaned floor because why should he respect the house his wife worked so hard to clean. Isaac was none of those things. He didn’t want to tame her fire, he simply wanted to be near it.

He didn’t know that he was the one to fuel it. He challenged her way of thinking more often than not, he wasn’t easily figured out like the rest. Issac Wolfë was a very vexing man and she loved it. She loved him.

Issac Wolfe

Issac rested his head in Jades lap, he felt her fingers run over his face. A soft ripple of relaxation took over him, he breathed slowly, every inch of his body hurt it wasn't even ignorable anymore but he couldn't be bothered, he wanted to stay here forever.

He was never the one to be soft it just wasn't him, Issac was wrath, an unstoppable force, he could rip through and destroy everything in his path, no one really ever got the privilege of seeing him absolutely lose it but when they did they made sure to stay out his way, even his CO made remarks of his violent nature. And yet here he was, laying in the lap of someone he never thought he'd fall for.

Issac's father wanted to beat him into a beast, he could never fully feed the fire on that. He hated violence. He hated blood, gore and pain. Peace was something he needed, he wanted it even though he thrived on aggression, sometimes it just made him sick, it churned in his stomach burning him.

What monster you become is entirely up to you but you will become one

He took in a heavy breath, his fingers slightly messing with the hem of her dress that was beside his face, flattening it and rolling it between his fingers to keep him from falling asleep.

"you don't have to be here.." he mumbled slightly, trying to cover up the pain. "I'm okay, Liebe."

Chapter Six

Jade Grant

"Oh hush, darlin' I want to be here. I missed you. You aren't okay, you can't hide that from me."

She spoke sweetly as he laid in her lap, her hands gently smoothing his hair. She watched his chest rise and fall, a sleeping Lion. The soft sleepy growls, a content lion in his den after a hunt. She gently leaned down, placing a tender kiss to his cheek. She left a light pink mark on his cheek, one that made her giggle to herself. "I missed you.." she purred softly. This was the world to her, he was home, he was safe. She could hold him, she could protect him from whatever darkness tried to come for him. He was half of her soul as the poets would say.

He wasn't wrath, he wasn't all the things he was trained to be, he was her gentle giant. Her trails partner, her handy man who she forced to help with the flowers. The handsome devil from the all hallows eve fest where they slipped away just the two of them. That was what she knew, his hands were not the end of her life, they were just the beginning. Every brush of their hands stole a little more of her. When his face lingered closer to hers after a conversation.

The ocean eyes of his undertaking her like a wave at high tide, yet she didn't come up for air. She wouldn't, ever. Issac wasn't someone she needed distance from. She was not caged, she was not dulled down, he fueled her sillyness and her teasing. He fueled the adventure she craved, she was already a fire and he threw gasoline on it. Allowing her to be unapologetically her. In her bad moods, her affectionate ones or her hyper ones. "I missed you" She spoke quietly, she hated it when he left. She was out of balance without him. "so much"

Issac Wolfe

Issac lay in Jade's lap, feeling her fingers in his hair and her soft words in the air. "Missed you too, Jade," he said, a mix of tiredness and relief in his voice. Her kiss left a mark, like a badge of their shared time.

In her embrace, he found peace. He wasn't the tough guy everyone saw; he was the guy who found calm in her company. Their eyes met, and in hers, he saw love, acceptance, and understanding. The world outside didn't matter; there was only her touch and sweet words.

Jade's words lingered, soothing the scars of battles. He wasn't just a fighter; he was her gentle giant, a buddy on trails, and a helper in flower gardens. Isaac's heart swelled with gratitude. She saw past the tough exterior and loved him for who he truly was.

A knot in Issac's chest loosened. Being missed for just being himself touched a part of him that stayed hidden. With Jade, he could drop the guard. She created a safe space where darkness couldn't sneak in.

Her words and touch made a simple, sweet refuge for Issac, a haven from his horrific mind. Jade wasn't just a presence; she was his anchor in a world where everything was dragging him away. Chapter Seven

Jade Grant

Jade didn't talk much more, god knows how little of sleep he had gotten while he was gone. She just continued what she was doing, keeping her fingers in his hair, smoothing back the strands between her fingers. She watched the way his chest rose and fell in sync. She looked down to his face, he looked best like this.

Don't get her wrong, he was a handsome devil no matter what. However, this was her favorite. He was home, he was at peace, she was at peace too. She didn't worry about him much when she could keep an eye on him. When he was gone, she didn't know if he was eating, sleeping, was he safe? was he even alive? she understood the radio silence but that didn't mean she necessarily liked it. She much rather have him home, there with her. As selfish as that may have been of her.

Issac had her completely enamored, when was the last time she slept in her own home? She couldn't even remember, not that she minded. Issacs place was more secluded from town, she liked the quiet. She had to get used to it, she was used to yelling and glass breaking. Things being thrown and her brothers and her just hunkering down in their shared small room, all three of them in Jade's bed. She would pick up the pieces and put it back together again in the morning. Although each time the pieces grew harder and harder to put back together. She appreciated that Issac was a peaceful man at home, had he even taken a tone with her before? She couldn't even imagine so. Had they had any conflict at all? Perhaps maybe over-treating Grim as if he weren't a beast and giving him whatever he pleased, Issac still never said much. He just laughed and let her do as she pleased. She pulled herself from her thoughts, focusing back on him, lying peacefully. She smiled to herself. He was home and things were right in her world again

Issac Wolfe

Issac laid there in her lap breathing, listening to the silence sing.

He didn't know what she'd been up to over the weeks he was away, but everything seemed fine

He had a solution for everything, but his solution for all his stress and exhaustion was her, jade was his solution to his problem.

He was glad he had her, he was glad she was here.

Issac felt her fingers trace through his hair and his face, it was soothing. He started to fade out, but woke up a few seconds after, he wanted to know for sure that he was safe, that jade was safe.

Issac inhaled a deep breath and released it. He closed his eyes and drifted off, still lying in her lap. He mellowed out, his weight buried into the bed and his head in her lap. It was peaceful. Finish

#oc #original character #romance #angst with a happy ending #fluff #slow burn

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