#worrying about her mental health and tries to help her with the study group

[darkesttimelinesblog]

We were robbed of a father daughter Jeff and Annie dynamic.

[whyme13wr]

Serendipity pt.1

― pairing: Park Jihoon x OC

― serendipity: to discover mothing beautiful by chance or accident

― summary: Yeonseo meets him by chance but she never wants to let him go.

idol!Jihoon | student!oc | LoveAtFirstSight!au | fluff | 2k

― playlist: Let's Go Picnic - George | Aespa - I'm Unhappy | Hello Stranger - Kai | Park Jihoon - Moon & Back

a/n: here it is my first fanfic, don't be too harsh on me ;) if people actually read this I'll write part 2

She hasn't even reached the top of the mountain yet, but she already feels like giving up. Her lungs are tight and her legs burn. She had read somewhere that walking improves both physical and mental health, and she definitely needs it now. 

With exams coming up, she has been under a lot of stress lately. She had moved to Seoul four years ago after being accepted into one of the country's top universities. It was fun to live in such a big city, a big change from the town she grew up in. However, things have been overwhelming lately and she misses her hometown, her family and her childhood friends more than ever.

She's been looking for hiking trails in Anyang. It's not too far from Seoul and will allow her to get some fresh air. At first, it was nice to be in the middle of nature, but it's been three hours since she's been on the trail and she still doesn't see the end of it. This idea seemed less ingenious. 

Eventually she reached a place where other walkers were taking a break. There were several benches to sit on. She decided to take the one furthest away. As she was making her way to it, she stumbled. Her knees hit the ground and her hands saved her from falling face first. Well, that was embarrassing. There are about ten other people here, she can't help feeling sorry for herself. She came here to make herself feel better, but she can't even do that. 

As she tries to get up, a young man approaches her, holding her water bottle. He reaches out with his other hand for her to grab it and help her to get to her feet. She's in no position to refuse him.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concern written all over his face. That fall must have been quite a show for a random stranger to come help her. 

"I'm fine, I think..." she checked her appearance for injuries. Her leggings were torn and her knees were bloody. 

"Ouch! You're bleeding, that must hurt." He said, taking in her appearance. 

“I’m not feeling the pain yet but my pride definitely took a hit. That fall was so embarrassing.” She felt her face flush.

"Don't worry, it can happen to anyone. This is yours, by the way." He says, handling her water bottle, which must have flown earlier. 

"Thank you," she says, taking it from him, "not just for the bottle, but for helping me... What's your name?"

"Don't mention it! My name is Park Jihoon." He said, holding out his hand for her to shake. 

She took it and replied, "I'm Shin Yeonseo, nice to meet you".

"Likewise," he says with the most beautiful smile, "Do you have anything to disinfect your wounds?"

"Um... No, I didn't come prepared, you see."

"I've got a first aid kit, if you want it. It's with my friends over there." He says. He points to a group of three boys. Yeonseo thought about it and felt that it was an offer she couldn't really refuse. Besides, this guy was cute and friendly. Why not spend a little more time with him? With her studies taking up most of her time, it's rare for her to meet such nice guys.

She replied: "I'd like that".

They made their way there and he introduced her to his friends.

"Guys, this is Yeonseo. Yeonseo, these are my friends Woojin, Guanlin and Jisung." 

"Nice to meet you." 

She could feel a kind of tension in the air, but not directed at her. They all had their eyes on Jihoon as if it were their eyes that did the talking.

"As you can see," he said, "Yeonseo has been injured. I offered our first aid kit since she didn't have one." 

Jisung spoke first while looking at her knees, "Ouch, that must be painful!"

She replied, "Yes, it doesn't look too good, but I'm lucky that your friend came to help me. At least I won't go home with infected wounds." They shook their heads in agreement and she followed Jihoon as he opened one of the bags and took out the kit. She began to clean her wounds with some water. Jihoon took out the disinfectant spray and asked her if he could spray it on her knees. She nodded, a blush visible on her cheeks. She definitely needed this gentleman's number. Where would she find someone like him? She was lost in thoughts about how to ask him for his number when his friends came.

Jisung said “Whenever you’re ready, how about we set off? If you’re not in too much pain, you should join us Yeonseo!” Jihoon looked at her with an hopeful look.

“I would love that! I came here alone and wouldn’t mind the company as a matter of fact.”

“You came here alone? That’s quite brave!” Guanlin said.

“None of my friends are into hiking so didn't have much choice. I wouldn’t say it’s brave.” She responded.

“I think it’s pretty brave to challenge yourself to walk for that long by yourself.” Jihoon added shyly. “Will you truly be okay though?” He added, referring to your bruised knees.

“I’m fine, don't worry about me.” She said with a smile. And with that, the five of them started to get going.

"So how do you know each other?" Yeonseo asks. They all exchange looks. Jihoon finally replies, "We used to work together.

"Oh really?! What did you do? "

"We are dancers." Jihoon replies quickly with a bit of a nervous look on his face. She thought it was because he wasn't used to talking about himself.

"How cool! I don't know how to dance, but I admire anyone who can control their body like dancers do. Besides, you guys are young, but you're already at work, that's impressive!"

"I'm not that young myself, if I dare say so, but thank you," Jisung replied, making everyone laugh. Jihoon whispered to her that he was already over 30 and she reacted with a shocked face. 

Jisung noticed her reaction and said, "Do I look that much younger? She nodded with a broad smile. 

"And what do you do?" Jihoon says.

"I'm studying medicine at Yonsei University."

"You must be very smart, isn't Yonsei one of the best universities in Korea?" Guanlin asked.

"It is, I have always liked science and physics. It came naturally to me. But it's much harder at Yonsei. I'm no longer at the top of my class. Every student here is somehow gifted. It's weird, all my life I've been complimented on how smart I am, but in my class I'm just average.

"It must be a lot of pressure." Jihoon said.

"It's not easy, but I love it. There are no limits to what you can learn in this field. Every year there are new discoveries about the human body, so there is always something new to learn." She explained with passion in her eyes.

"So why did you come here alone?" Woojin asked.

"I'm from the country, I thought spending some time in nature would help me relax. I feel a bit homesick these days."

"I can relate to that. When I was living in Korea, I couldn't help but dream of going back to Taiwan, even though I loved my work here. But somehow I want my life back here now that I am back home. Guanlin said. Everyone nodded, understanding the nostalgia.

"Where are you from, Yeonseo?" Jihoon asked.

"I'm from Hadong." 

"Really?! A few years ago, Woojin and I actually took a trip there. It was beyond beautiful. The cherry trees looked so pretty." Jihoon said with stars in his eyes.

"No way! Not many people in Seoul know about Hadong, I'm surprised. Usually people would rather go to Busan."

"Well, we didn't regret our choice of destination. The food was delicious too!"

"If Jihoon says it's good, you have to believe him. He is not even the biggest seafood lover. Woojin added.

"It warms my heart to hear that the food from my hometown is loved."

"Do you know how to cook?" Woojin asked.

"I know my way around the kitchen, but I might be a bit rusty." She said jokingly. "It's been a long time since I cooked for anyone but myself. As a thank you for putting up with me, maybe I could cook for you."

"It's really no problem. You're fun to be around. Still, it's an offer we can't refuse. At least I can't refuse homemade food." Jihoon jokes.

"That trip was many years ago, I would love to taste Hadong's food again." Woojin added.

"Then I guess I have no choice." She smiled. "My place is pretty small though, I don't know if it will be comfortable for all of us."

"I haven't used it once since I bought my apartment, maybe you could use my kitchen." Jihoon offered.

"Really?"

"Yes, really!" He beamed. She couldn't help but smile back at him. "Guanlin is going back to China in a week, will you be available before he leaves?"

"Um... I don't know, I have exams at the end of the month..." Guanlin looked at her with puppy eyes, as if to say: "Please make an exception. 

"It would have been nice, but if you can't, it can't be helped." Jisung said. 

She really thought about it. She still had at least two weeks until the exams, one night of socializing wouldn't hurt, would it? Add to that the fact that she wanted to get to know Jihoon better, and she came to the conclusion that she could find the time.

"I think I can make time." 

"Great! How is Thursday? I don't have any plans that day." Guanlin suggested. Jihoon and Woojin agreed, only Jisung wouldn't be able to make it. 

"You guys enjoy yourselves without me. I have a schedule." Jisung said with a small smile.

"Send me the list of the groceries, Yeonseo, and I'll take care of it." Jihoon offered.

"Sure, send me your bank account number later so I can pay you back." 

"You find time to cook for us, that's your payment." He says warmly.

"We're about to reach the top of the mountain, guys!" Woojin tells them, some distance ahead of Jihoon and Yeonseo. Elated to have finally reached the summit, they take group selfies together. The view is definitely worth sweating and bleeding for, Yeonseo thinks to herself. The boys asked her to take pictures of them. They look like they're really close, almost like brothers. She takes a moment to look at the view while the boys goof around. Jihoon joins her a few minutes later.

"This is relaxing, right?" She nods as they enjoy the view together for a few more minutes before joining the rest of the boys.

“This picture is the best, I bet it will make the fa-” Woojin stops.

"The family is really happy, right Woojin?" Jisung saves the day for Jihoon. It's not that he wants to hide his job, but it's nice to have someone who doesn't recognise him for once. He wants to make a connection without worrying that the person only likes him because he is a celebrity. He wants to get to know Yeonseo before he tells her who he is. He doesn't have to explain this to the boys, because they understand. Unfortunately, they've all been in his position. Yeonseo doesn't seem to notice the boys' exchange of glances. Talking about all sorts of things, they begin their journey back. Eventually, Jihoon and Yeonseo stay a bit behind. Yeonseo's injuries prevented her from walking as fast as the others. The boys decided that this was a good opportunity to let Jihoon have some time alone with Yeonseo. They left, saying that they had to hurry. Yeonseo couldn't find it in her heart to complain about it at all. They talked about anything and everything all the way to the foot of the mountain where she had to wait for the bus back to Seoul. 

"We have a free seat in our car if you want, Jisung is a good driver, I promise. " Jihoon joked.

"Don't worry, my bus is almost here. Thank you though. I'll let you enjoy your time with the boys."

"Fine, I won't put any pressure on you. We should exchange numbers, by the way." He tries to say nonchalantly. She can see he's a bit nervous, but doesn't comment. She adds her number to his contact list and calls herself to save his number for later. Just then her bus arrives. She waves goodbye and says: "See you on Thursday! He waves back with a big smile and watches her bus drive away.

He meets the boys at their car, and as he gets in they look at him with expectant eyes. "What?" 

“What was that? Did you fall in love with her or what? I’ve never seen you like that with a girl dude!” Woojin adds.

"I don't know. At first I helped her out of kindness, but there's something about her I can't explain".

"Well, you've got her number and you know when you'll see her next, so well played!" Jisung said. Jihoon smiled at the thought of seeing her again.

Yeonseo sat on the bus with a huge grin on her face. Shit, what a good day, maybe her life won't be so miserable anymore. She couldn't wait to tell her roommate about Jihoon. 

As soon as she got back to her flat, she went straight up to Minhee's room. Minhee looked surprised. "Wow, why do you have such a happy look on your face? I didn't know that walking would do that, I guess I should come with you next time".

"I met the man of my dreams," Yeonseo said, sitting on the chair by the desk while Minhee lay in her bed. He's beautiful, caring, kind, a good listener. Honestly, I could go on for hours."

"Don't you think you're exaggerating a bit," Minhee said in a joking way, "although I have to say I haven't seen you this excited in a very long time. So did you get his number?" At the same time Yeonseo gets a notification, she checks her phone and wriggles happily. Jihoon has just sent her a text message:

"Hey, this is Jihoon. I hope you got home safely. Don't forget to take care of those wounds of yours.

- I had a great time today, can't wait for Thursday. Have a good evening :)"

[waywardxrhea]

Part Thirty-Three: Cabin Fever

[slow burn romance between Steve Rogers and SHIELD agent Emma Baker]

Warnings: 18+, contains humor, fluff, mental health, family trauma, romance, angst, language, violence, (potentially smut later on).

installment list

Word count: 2.1k

Emma faces the effects of cabin fever when the group gets snowed in during the holiday season.

A few more months pass in a blur of training to keep up physical fitness. The time passes so quickly that the winter months come before everyone is ready for them. After years of not having to drive the terrain, Emma forgot that she needed snow tires and chains for the truck to be able to get out safely in the winter weather that inevitably came around. The lack of snow tires becomes a problem when one morning Emma wakes up bright and early to head out to do some odd jobs around town she had been doing over the past few months. When she goes to open the door after slipping on a coat, she is met with freezing cold wind that blows snow into her face and into the doorway of the lodge.

Emma studies the weather for a few seconds, watching the snow relentlessly fall with no intentions of stopping anytime soon. She can't even see ten feet off of the porch. Even seeing this though, she debates on if she should still try and head into town to help those families that needed the extra set of hands so close to the holiday season. Her internal debate is stopped though when she hears Steve's groggy morning voice coming from behind her, asking, "You aren't going out in that are you, Em?"

Emma looks back at Steve and replies, "These families really seemed to be counting on me is the thing..."

Steve approaches her and wraps his arms around her, mumbling into her hair, "And I'm relying on you being here and safe. It isn't safe out there, especially without the proper equipment to get around." Emma tries to open her mouth to protest, but Steve then starts lazily tracing his fingers along her hips which makes her putty in his hands. He then continues with his statement, saying, "I know you try and keep your word, and I think it's so generous of you to help these people, but I just think it would be best if you called them to say that it isn't safe for you on the roads. Maybe this will all clear up in the next couple of days and you can go then. I just want you to be safe."

Emma thinks about Steve's words as he continues to run his fingers along her hips and she sighs with a smile, saying back to him, "You know I'm really glad you were up to stop me. I'm not the best at driving in this weather."

Steve chuckles and moves to kiss her. After he pulls away, he rests his forehead on hers and says, "Here, how about you come back to bed since we have time to kill now?"

Emma smiles and nods, telling him, "Let me make some calls, and then I'll be right there."

"I can't wait," he replies, giving her one last lingering kiss before shuffling back to their now shared bedroom.

After a few days, the snow still has not relented and the lodge gets successfully snowed in. In a desperate attempt to try and find a way to help those families out, Emma tries to fly SAM over the property to find a safe route out, but to no avail. Not being able to do anything and not being able to help those families sets off Emma's anxiety, and Steve can tell, so when Christmas Eve rolls around, he offers that they all have a Christmas movie marathon to get Emma's mind off of things. Everyone agrees and that night they set up a fire in the fireplace, make some hot chocolate, and settle in for the movies.

Emma and Steve sit on the couch curled up with one another in warm comfort as they watch the movies. As the movies go on and Steve continues to absentmindedly play with Emma's hair, her worries slip away at least for the time being.

A few movies in, Natasha gets tired, so she stands up to head to her room for the night. Sam feels the same so he heads off to his room as well. As they both leave the den, Steve yawns and then stands, offering his hand to Emma to help her up. "You coming?" Steve asks with a smirk, referencing the movie they just finished.

"I'll be there soon," Emma replies with a small smile. "I'm gonna take care of the dishes and the fire first and I'll be right there. Don't get too comfy until I get there."

Steve chuckles and replies, "I'll try, no promises though." He gives Emma a quick kiss before heading off to their room with a yawn.

Emma smiles at how cute Steve gets when he's tired before she starts to pick up the mugs the four of them used for their drinks that night. While washing the dishes, the quiet of the lodge gives Emma time to be alone with her thoughts and they start to slip into not the best place as she finishes up cleaning. She tries to shake these thoughts as she puts out the fire and sits on the piano bench nearby for a few minutes to make sure the fire goes completely out before she heads off to bed.

While sitting, Emma's eyes wander over to the piano itself and she uncovers the keys that she hadn't touched in years. She decides to give one of the keys a light tap while she waits on the fire to go out. The beautiful sound fills Emma's ears and she can't help but smile at the memories that flood into her mind. The memories are of her and Grammie sitting on that very piano bench while she taught a young Emma to play to get her mind off of the turmoil that was her life.

Emma looks at the keys and tentatively taps out a simple melody she knew by heart, the tune of Sleigh Ride. After a few more minutes of playing and forgetting the bad thoughts that had previously plagued her mind, Emma notices the embers of the fire are long gone. She yawns, recovers the piano keys, and heads off to bed for the night, happy that she was able to play the piano again.

The next morning, Emma wakes up before everyone else and decides to make breakfast for everyone. After surveying the cabinets and fridge, she decides on making waffles and bacon. As Emma begins cooking, she hears footsteps wander into the kitchen followed by the voice of Sam, saying, "Morning, Ems."

"Morning, Sam," she replies as he makes his way to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup.

As he pours his drink, he asks, "Hey, was that you last night playing the piano? I wasn't sure if I was just hearing things."

"Yeah, that was me," Emma replies with a laugh.

"I didn't know you could play."

"It's been a while since I have," Emma admits. "I just didn't have the time before, but I really needed a distraction last night, and that's what that piano does for me."

"Distraction?" Sam asks curiously as he takes a sip of his coffee. "Something on your mind?"

Emma sighs and replies, "I dunno, it's probably just cabin fever and restlessness..."

"And...?" Sam prompts, sensing there had to be more to the problem.

"And I guess without the distraction of us training like we normally do and not being able to go out and do those odd jobs, my mind kinda just slipped back into a bad place. My mind's been telling me that I let those families down and then that spiraled into how I've always let you guys down and then went further back to how I let my family down and...and it's just been a lot." Emma pauses and realizes how much she just dumped on Sam and apologizes quickly, "Sorry, that was a lot I don't want to be a bother and all, it's probably all dumb anyways..."

Sam looks at Emma sympathetically and says to her, "Emma, it isn't dumb. I'm here to help. Recovery isn't linear, you know that right? Some days you'll be doing fine and then other days you'll feel like your past trauma is all you can think about and that's okay."

"I just hate feeling like I'm bringing everyone down..."

At this point, Sam stands up from where he was sitting at the table and stands beside Emma at the stove, "Here, let me get the bacon, you get the waffles, and we can talk this out while we cook yeah?"

"Oh you don't have to do that, I wouldn't want to be a bother," Emma rambles.

Sam gently hip-checks Emma and laughs before saying, "You're never a bother, Ems. I promise. You're clearly hurting and you don't have access to the help you did before. Lucky for you good old Sam used to lead the VA support group. So just go ahead, talk about whatever's on your mind and I'll try and help as best I can."

Emma smiles and nods as she starts to pour the batter into the waffle iron. She then starts talking with Sam about all the things she's been worried about lately. By the end of their conversation, Steve and Nat have woken up and breakfast is ready to be served. "Thank you for talking things through with me, Sam," Emma tells him with a smile.

"No problem, it feels good to help someone out with things like this. That's what friends are for."

Emma sits down with her plate and looks around at the others, saying, "And I got damn lucky with the friends I have."

Later that evening, the four of them watch a few more holiday movies together. After another couple of movies, Nat randomly speaks up, saying to everyone, "You know, this may not be a traditional Christmas, and we may not be here under the best of circumstances, but I'm really glad we're all here together. I never had anything like this growing up."

Emma smiles at the sentiment and nods. "I'm glad we're all here together too. And it's never too late to start making Christmas memories."

"Why don't we take a few pictures together to document the moment?" Steve asks.

"That sounds like a great idea," Emma replies. "It just isn't too decorated in here..."

Now Sam speaks up, saying, "We may not have a tree or anything, but we can take pictures in front of the fire."

The idea of having actual Christmas photos makes Nat smile from ear to ear as she hops up from her spot on the couch to get ready for the picture in her pj's. Emma quickly runs to grab a film camera she had found a few weeks before the snow to take pictures with. When she gets back, Emma sets the camera up on the couch and sets the timer before running to the group and into her place in Steve's arms right as the camera flashes.

After taking a few more group photos, Emma pulls Steve aside to take a picture of just them, kissing him right as the camera goes off. Once the photo develops, Steve smiles and asks, "Can I have this one? I've been meaning to get a picture of you to put in my compass and I really like this one." Emma smiles and nods at the sweet gesture.

"Hey, Emma, why don't you two stop being all lovey-dovey and you come play something on the piano!" Sam calls out as he sits back on the couch.

"Oh I didn't know you could play," Nat says.

"Me neither," Steve adds with a laugh.

"I guess it's an accidentally very well hidden talent of mine," Emma says with a laugh as she makes her way to sit on the piano bench. Before she sits though, she digs through a bin of sheet music and finds a beginner Christmas book. She starts with these songs, concentrating hard on not messing up since she hadn't played in so long.

After a couple of songs, Steve makes his way to sit beside Emma on the bench, wraps his arm around her, and rests his hand on her hip as she plays. While Emma concentrates on her playing, Steve looks over at her and smiles. At this moment, he is the happiest he's ever been. It's at times like these when Steve is with Emma that he almost forgets about his past, about how he was never meant to be in this time at all, about the fact that they were still in hiding from the government, about his falling out with Tony over the Accords and what Bucky did to his parents as the Winter Soldier. At this moment, Steve is at peace.

[askamykruber]

So, a small oneshot fic idea

Sone guy pretends to like Riley but breaks her heart and humiliates her. Scout and Nick find out and go all “ this guy is so dead “ protective sibling mode

(OOC/Phantom: OMG!!!! I am so sorry for taking forever to respond this, I had no idea how to approach it and I didn't have the time until now to answer this, Annon. Hope you enjoy this)

(This will be narrated by MrsWatermelon993/ phantom herself/themselves. The following segment is a joke, but phantom did sorta remember Charles, but no implication at all, you're good Annon!)

Phantom/MrsWatermelon: ummm wait... why does this sound like Charles is involved somehow?

Tumblr: Phantom, I think you might be over thinking

Phantom: This oddly sounds like I accidentally led to believe Charles is not a good guy

Tumblr: No sponsoring "Hello Sisterhood in this!"

Phantom: This is just me clarifying that yes, Riley would have a sort of heartbreak later in the story but it's mostly a misunderstanding and Charles being a people pleaser's idiot. He will face consequences, but he and Riley will talk maturely about this

Mr. Watermelon: And you will update the story when?

Phantom: When I am ready to keep finishing these chapters. Mental health is important

Mr. W: oh, thank you for the clarification. I was just curious, but please take care of your mental health.

Phantom: Will do!

Tumblr: ejem, narration!

Phantom: Oh! Yeah! Yeah!

"She hasn't come out of her lab..." Mortimer Handee muttered. Rosco whimpered as he lowered his head. "Let's give her some time, children."

After Riley returned to the studio from her visit to the host world, she was in much lower spirits than her usual snarky self. Mortimer did try to approach her about this but she shrug him off, saying that this was something he shouldn't be worrying about and things. No matter how much he or Daisy tried, they couldn't get an answer from their annoying sister.

The leader of the handeemen decided to let Riley at peace until she was ready to return and explain herself.

Nick Nack and Scout, however, knew there was a small change that would happen. Something terrible happened to their sister, and they decided upon themselves to find out. Rosco decided to join them too because he was curious to see what happened to his dear mommy.

"Where can we even start?" Nick tapped his foot impetiently. "How do we think like that proud idiot of a sister we have?"

"Umm if Scooby Doo taught me something, it's look for clues!" Scout beamed.

"Were exactly do we look for clues?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Fuck...I didn't think that through..." Scout muttered.

Thankfully, or hell to their convenience, Amy's grandniece, Sarabeth (Betth), was visiting the studio again to help her aunt with some shooting and editing. Scout, who was good friends with Beth and decided to ask her for advice since Beth was studying journalism at her college.

"Hey, twinkle-toes!" Scout cried. The young woman turned her head and smiled at the young puppet girl.

"Hey, Butterscotch!" Beth smiled. "Wadd ya need?"

"You're a journalist, right?" Scout asked her best friend and adoptive family member.

"Umm well I do write for the newspapers for my college editor, so I guess that counts." Beth said with a tiny chuckle. "need a private investigator, or something?"

"Are you gonna ask help from the girlfriend of the loony Box Peritas guy?" Nick huffed in disapproval.

It was no secret we did not like Beth and Anthony's investigation group. The feeling was mutual, except from Brendan who Nick seemed to like as a good friend.

"It's called Vox Veritas FYI..." Beth pursed her lips as she crossed her arms.

"Nick, you stay quiet, I'll do the talking" Scout hissed before smiling at Beth. "Beth-bet, ummm it's about finding out what happened to our sister. She's not acting as her usual cranky self and we're...you know..."

"worried about her?" Beth asked with some understanding."

"Yeah..." Scout said. "Would...would you help us find out what happened?"

"You can count on me, Butterscotch!" Beth beamed. "Now, give me as much information as you know about when did she start to change and what do you know.

So, the siblings told the young woman about Riley returning one day from the park looking rather sadder than usual. She was going to do some investigation work about plants, so Rosco had to stay. According to Nick, Riley looked rather dreamy about going to the park.

Thinking this behavior was a clue, Beth asked if there was something special about going to the part. Nick said that he heard Mortimer and Riley talk about some Justin guy who Riley met during her visit to the botanic part. According to her, they were just friends and he agreed to help her out with her investigation.

"Ummm guys, do you think Riley might like this Justin guy?" Beth asked as she wrote in her journal. "Like she started to blush or ask differently every time she talked about him?"

"Well, hours before she went out to the park before that fateful day, she was doing that finger thingy." Scout explained.

"Finger thingy?" Beth asked.

"Every time she really likes something or is nervous she starts playing with her fin....oh shit-" Nick said as he stopped halfway realizing their answer was in front of them. "My idiot sister was totally into that guy! I guess that she was talking to him a lot in that thing called MySpace. I don't get why she needs more space?"

"Wait...you guys have MySpace?!" Beth asked with some surprised.

"We are advanced individuals."Scout said.

"Well, do you guys know her account name?" Beth asked.

"ProfessorRosco1987" Nick said.

"Her password is the goodest boy with a number combination" Scout commented. "She changes the numbers every time we figure the combination."

"Well, I would only need the account number, I'll look into that Justin guy!" Beth said.

So the trio entered into the site and started to look for the Justin guy. Beth eventually tracked his account which was "Prettytiger." After getting some information, Beth let out a big growl. It appeared she knew who this guy was from her previous university after she recognized him from a picture. Turns out he was the playboy from those movies (the ones that Daisy love to watch) where he flirted with girls just to get something out of them.

"That son of a bitch!" Nick growled.

"Riley did not deserve this. As annoying as she is, nobody deserves to be used like this..." Scout growled. "We need vendetta"

"But how? We don't know where this doofus lives!" Nick said. "And Riley won't tell us a thing."

"Children, children." Beth smirked as she opened her flip phone. "You're the cousins of the co-founder of Vox Veritas. I can ask the Oracle to give us some dough on the guy..."

"Why would we need dough?" Nick asked confused.

"What's an oracle?" Scout asked. Beth facepalmed.

"Do you guys know my best friend Kimberly Wong?" Both siblings nodded. "Well she helps us get information for our investigations, I can ask her to give me some info about Justin so you guys can teach him a lesson."

"And the dough thing?" Nick asked.

"It was figurative speech, I wanted to sound epic but...never mind. Beth sighed.

After talking with Kim, Beth gave the siblings the address and Justin's schedule to know when he was or wasn't home. She asked them is they needed help with their revenge plan, but they kindly refused as they prepared a little something else which would take upon a bit of time and some puppet magic to get back at him.

"You can do one thing for us, though." Scout said as she asked Beth to write an article exposing Justin and released it when Scout told her to.

So, they both waited until it was dark and snuck into the Justin's dorm with a small sock rat in their hands. Scout opened the window and let the sock puppet inside after asking him to bite Justin's toes. Nick Nack took some spray paint and drew some nasty drawings calling Justin a rat and a manipulator. Then Scout proceed to break his windows with rocks because she didn't think that was enough and then everyone ran off away when Justin awoke.

The article as publish and everything seemed to go down well, right?

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Until well, Amy and Owen found out about it and started to yell about all the things they they did wrong

Thankfully, Justin was exposed, and his credibility went down the drain.

Scout and Nick were happy that their plan was a success but They got grounded for two months, but the smile on their sister's face was worth it to endure it.

[sadfruittheatre]

Name: Aneas

Age: Over 5000 (equivalent to a 15-year-old)

Gender: Nonbinary (he/they)

Species: Shinjin/Core Person (I lovingly call them fruitboys)

Height: 4’

Likes: gardening, sewing, cooking, romance novels, and corny jokes

Dislikes: himself, silence, people who are rude to/about his wife, aphids, and high shelves

Fears: fucking up his job and also that one day his plants will suddenly become sentient and start revealing everything he’s ever told them, or alternately start judging him or telling him they hate him

Personality: Aneas is generally very shy, reserved, and nervous. He doesn’t like to stand out, and he doesn’t even think he should. That said, he always tries to be amicable and kind, and if you get to know him, he’ll talk your ear off about the things he’s interested in. He’s a hopeless romantic and catches feelings easily— so easily, in fact, that he is already married (to someone his own age, don’t worry), and takes his duties as a husband very seriously.

However, he also struggles with a lot of internal darkness. He’s severely depressed, which can often manifest as anger, bitterness, and thoughts of violence. Said violent thoughts are especially likely to become violent actions if you upset his wife in any way, shape, or form. His self-esteem is incredibly low and he’s often prone to jealousy and projecting his own insecurities onto others. He hates this part of himself and trying to be a good person in spite of his darker impulses only adds to the imposter syndrome he already feels.

Background: Aneas is from Universe 5, one of the four universes (out of twelve) that isn’t some degree of a dumpster fire, and for the most part, has lived a pretty average life. He was an average kid, with average skills and an average amount of friends. And that was perfectly fine by him, until his friend Bragi suddenly had a lot less time to hang out thanks to all the special classes he was in. He was worried that this development would potentially spell out the end of their friend group, so he decided that he would try to study and train hard so he could bridge that gap between them.

However, not everyone is born with natural talent. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch up. He couldn’t even come close to catching up. The repeated failed efforts had done a number on his self-esteem, and in an unfortunate case of projection, he was sure his friend thought he was as stupid and useless as he did, so eventually, he just sort of gave up. Not just on this, but everything. He sort of just coasted by until one day, it was announced that there would be a lottery held to find the next West Kai.

Aneas entered his name into the drawing on a dare and lo and behold, it was the first time he’d won a drawing for anything. He was entirely too young and entirely too unqualified, but the lottery had spoken. And so, armed with some basic training from the other Kais, he made his new home on a tiny planet somewhere in the Other World where he would watch over his quadrant of the universe and try to figure out what in the hell he was doing.

His mental health was already bad enough, and none of this was helping much, but in a desperate attempt to keep himself from spiraling any further, he took up gardening. It took a lot of trial and error, but it proved to be something he was really good at. It wasn’t long before most of his little planet was filled with plants, all with their own names and personalities and meticulously interconnected lore. Was he going a little crazy? Probably. But talking to an audience that could never possibly judge him for his darkest thoughts wound up being incredibly therapeutic.

However, his life would change dramatically once again when he was more or less voluntold to be a parole officer for a high profile prisoner of the Time Patrol because no one else wanted to do it. Coulie, the apprentice of the Demon King’s sister, Towa, was someone with a lot of blood on her hands thanks to her incredibly dubious science experiments, and now she was at his front door. The initial encounter was tense and awkward, but they quickly found some common ground in their loneliness and talking about these more difficult feelings with the plants they worked with all day, and both of them sort of ended up forgetting why they had to meet like this to begin with.

After awhile, Coulie expressed the desire to stay with him once her parole was up, and so, being that they were already raising a beautiful plant named Eugene together, Aneas, sufferer of terminal Shoujo Bitch Disease, saw only one course of action: marriage. It was some wishful thinking that got entirely out of hand, but after a lot of miscommunication and one of Eugene’s leaves blowing in the air, Coulie reciprocated and the two were wed.

However, their peaceful wedded bliss can’t last forever, as their pasts tend to keep coming back to haunt them in various ways, from Aneas’s childhood friends, to Coulie’s former cohort and prince of the Demon Realm, Fu. Not to mention all the gods and demons alike who are more than a little baffled by U5’s baby West Kai marrying U7’s baby demon war criminal.

Will they ever know peace? Will it all come crashing down in divorce? Find out on the next episode of SAD FRUIT THEATRE!

[sounmashnews]

[ad_1] While Coccio ultimately left the subreddit, many others stayed. Dawn Cecil, a criminology professor on the University of South Florida and creator of Fear, Justice & Modern True Crime, says that many who interact with true crime boards have “good intentions of wanting to help solve a crime or find a missing person”; some additionally wish to draw consideration to miscarriages of justice and query the effectiveness of the prison justice system.Still, Cecil warns that true crime boards can turn into echo chambers that feed worry or buttress preexisting beliefs. Consuming true crime, as she particulars in her e-book, can even skew individuals’s notion of crime and reinforce stereotypes.It can even lead individuals to issues they remorse. Marcus is a 42-year-old from Seattle who joined Reddit purely so he might put up on r/serialpodcast. At first he discovered it “fun,” however in his time there he has been verbally attacked in addition to doxed—a stranger from the subreddit as soon as referred to as him at work. (He requested that WIRED not use his actual title for privateness functions.) He says he’s seen “some of the most gruesome things I’ve ever seen on the internet” because of his curiosity within the Serial case.Meghan, a 30-year-old nurse from Washington who requested that WIRED not use her final title, has spent seven years on the sub out of “habit.” She loved the early “exciting” days when individuals usually posted new discoveries and says chatting with strangers through the years has been helpful. “At this point some of the other long-term posters feel a bit like old friends, even the ones that I fight with the most,” she says. But private assaults on the sub additionally heighten Meghan’s nervousness, and he or she has additionally come to reevaluate her angle towards true crime.“I am embarrassed and ashamed of how gleefully I came back to this sub to look at lividity documents, et cetera, without fully considering that the victim was a real person,” she says. “A teenager died; multiple other teenagers’ lives were completely upended … It’s just all sad. And I think that does affect my mental health.”Two years in the past, Marcus took a step again from r/serialpodcast. “It became really bad for my mental health, arguing the same arguments,” he says. When Syed was launched from jail final month, Marcus returned to r/serialpodcast—however he imagines it received’t be for lengthy. Meghan says she's going to cease consuming Serial commentary if Syed is not tried again. For others, true crime boards stay tantalizing areas—the place group has been solid and solutions look like simply across the nook.As of this writing, Dahmer is the top English-language show on Netflix, which studies that some 56 million households have seen the sequence. The streaming service is about to premiere Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes on Friday. [ad_2] Source link

[sunflowerbecca]

i got you ✰ jj maybank

summary: when your anxiety finally gets the best of you, JJ intervenes and tries to reassure you

notes: this was requested so long ago... oops. anyways i'm happy to be back writing again! you can find more writing on my ao3 with the same username as here!

requested: yes/no

by anon

"omg the trope where a couple never shows their sad/painful emotions to anyone else but each other and they confide in eachother (jj maybank x pogue reader) pls pls pls or like with jj’s abuse, the reader is always there for him and she’s scared to share her feelings because she doesn’t want to bother him with her petty and anxious feelings but it does get to the best of her and jj finds her breaking down and they have a heart to heart"

warnings: depictions of anxiety/mental health struggles

There’s an audible thump as JJ sits beside you on the dock, his legs swinging just above the water. His hand reaches into his pocket and digs around before he pulls out his lighter. It clicks as he opens and closes it, flicking it around.

You’re sitting next to him with your knees pulled up to your chest. Your eyes are puffy and red from crying and you’re exhausted from your own mind, leaning heavily against one of the supporting beams.

“You alright?” JJ questions, concern ringing out in his tone.

“I don’t know.”

“Do you want to talk?” You shrug in reply, your eyes staying casted downwards at the water. The blond turns to face you directly, pulling his legs back onto the wood planks. He studies you for a moment but he quickly begins to feel unsure of himself.

He doesn’t know what you’re feeling nor how to deal with it. He’s never seen you this way, in an ever growing state of anxiousness and worry.

You’ve always been there for him when he needed someone. Whenever he needed support about anything you were there, one step ahead, waiting and willing to try anything to help. Yet now here you are. Stuck in your own head as it spins thought after thought into a web of despair.

“I’m not sure how to help. I don’t know what to do.” JJ admits sheepishly as he wishes he didn’t have to ask, “Do you want to try to explain how you feel?”

“I-” Your eyes tear up once again, “I’m so tired. My brain never stops and I can’t keep doing this. I can’t even function anymore. It’s all too much.”

You pause, beginning to play with your hands. JJ quickly scoots over so he’s beside you, pulling and encasing your hands in his. He lets you lean against him and rest your head on his shoulder.

“I'm so overwhelmed and I hate it,” Your voice grows thick as you begin to feel frustrated, “And I always see you guys so happy when we are together, even Pope! And he’s supposed to be the anxious one!”

JJ snorts in reply, realizing that you’re just taking out your feelings by taking an unheated dig at Pope. But upon thinking he also realizes that when you’ve been hanging out with the group you have been pulling away. You haven’t seemed up to doing much anymore but he thought it was due to something else, nevermind this.

“I don’t know, I… I don’t know.” You shrink down into yourself even more. The arms of the boy are comforting around you, feeling like they’re holding you together. Together you sit there in silence for a moment, presumably as JJ is gathering his thoughts.

“You can always talk to me, y'know. Hell you could go to any of us and we would all try to help. You’ve done it for all of us, especially me. I appreciate you for that.” At this you smile slightly and tuck your head into his neck, his old t-shirt smelling of weed and his cologne.

“You’ve always patched me up with my dad, this isn’t any different. Instead of it being a cut or bruise it's just in your mind, there’s ways to deal with it. We can figure out what works and what doesn't. But for now, let’s just make you happy again. I miss seeing you happy.” He claims with a smile, leaning down to poke your side.

“I love you Jay. Really. Thank you.” You mutter as you play with the rings on his fingers.

“I love you too. I promise we will figure this out.” Suddenly you feel JJ pull you closer to him, resulting in you basically sitting in his lap as he pulls his arms tight around you.

“Thank you for trusting me with this,” he comments, “I’m glad you feel safe enough to reach out. I get how hard it is, and I'm proud of you.”

At this moment, you finally feel like you will be okay again. Wrapped up in his arms as he promises to love and support you like you’ve done so many times for him. Together you two stay for almost an hour as you work up the confidence to go see the others, just relishing in the feeling of each other enjoying the slight ocean breeze.

[imfiguringitoutlovely]

hi hi hi!!! i LOVED your platonic bakusquad hcs <3 i was wondering if i could send in a request of platonic!bakusquad with a reader really stressed out + swamped with schoolwork ^^; thank you so much, i hope you're having a great day!

platonic!bakusquad comforts stressed reader

pairing: platonic!bakusquad x gn!reader

type: fluff, comfort fic

warnings: mentions of high levels of stress

author's notes: thank you for this request!! i had a lot of fun writing platonic bakusquad and this was no exception! i normally don't write for them in my spare time either so this was a really nice way for me to remember why i love them sm fjxnxncn

also really sorry if it's super short/rushed 😓 my mental health hasn't been so great and it takes a lot of energy to stay focused, even if i love it djdjskmd

Hanta Sero

(he's so pretTY-)

it took this boy 1.000000002 seconds to understand what was going on. he was quick, even if he was a little quiet compared to the rest of the group.

he noticed how you pulled in, retreated and found comfort in the confines of your room and in knowing that even if you were absolutely at your emotional limits, you'd get the work done. he would go to you directly, but he also didn't want to put any stress of confrontation on you, so instead he started doing something else.

this man dropped everything. he started picking up snacks after school and heading straight to your room where he knew you'd be all locked up. the dorms allowed him therr until curfew, and for about a week straight he stayed until required to go to bed.

on the thursday of that week, he went into your dorm early. he took your favorite snacks, hoping he'd catch you before you started working. he caught you at a much worse time, though.

you hadn't noticed him coming in because you were facing outside and you had given him permission to come in any time he wanted. but he noticed you crying over your notebook. he saw the textbooks all open and scattered with the balled up and ripped paper joining them.

you were doing fine. you were getting through all your work and everything was finally falling into place, but then bakugou texted the group chat to see if anyone wanted to study for the test the next day. you thought he was wrong. it was wednesday and the test was friday, right?

wrong. and now you were cramming as much as you could while you had other work waiting that had to be done in the morning. it was just all so much, and without an outlet, you hit your limit.

sero quickly put down the bag of snacks. "hey..." you tensed and your hsnds went quickly to wipe your eyes, but then sero was leaning down and hugging you from behind.

the man asked if that was okay, of course, and when you said yes, he let go, turned you in your chair, and hugged you tight. you couldn't come up with an excuse, a reason for him NOT to worry, and instead you caved.

all that stress, everything you'd put yourself through, you fell apart.

"your grades can always be edited. your health can't. you need a break." you tried to fight him on it, but he quickly added to his statement. "an hour. an hour at a time, okay? and when it's up, we'll get everything done together. besides, i brought you the most expensive snacks in the machines and if you don't take them, my money will have gone to give kaminari sugar rushes-"

you two spent an hour in your bed, cuddling (or not, whatever you're comfy with ofc!!), eating snacks, and trying go see if sero could catch a tiny tiny cookie in his mouth. after that, he did as he said and helped you work through the rest of your assignments AND studying. and once that was up, you two were back in bed competing on Subway Surfer on his phone-

sero was gonna be there to support you, he'd made that clear. all that he ask was you support yourself. because if not, he'd have to tape you up and make you-

Mina Ashido

(PANSEXUAL-LEANING-TOWARDS-FEM-PREFERENCE-PANIC HHHH SHE'S SO 😩 I LOVE HER SM)

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... HER.

she is the bestest friend anyone could ask for tbh.

in fact, even if you haven't been childhood best friends, she EASILY catches onto what you're feeling just based on your vibes.

one day, you're off. actually, the entire week you'd been off, but she wasn't going to press when you clearly didn't want to acknowledge it. after a while, though, she realized you were never going to bring it up because it was something you didn't even know was an issue. not until she showed up in your room with a bottle of your favorite drink, water, snacks, and pills to help relieve headaches. and a notebook.

"uh... mina? what's all this?"

"a study time pack. for my best friend. obviously." she smiled and opened the snack bag. "and maybe a movie or three when you take a break."

"uh- i-i can't take breaks. i- sorry, thank you. really. it means a lot, but i have so much to do and-"

"it's friday."

"what? no, it's Thursday."

"it's friday. and you have all weekend to work, and tomorrow you'll be well rested and have a study group scheduled eith your best friends. and right now it's late and you have yet to leave your desk for anything other than a water bottle and a borrowed pencil from kami.'

"how did you-?"

"it's not stalking, it's detective work." she stood up and put a movie on your laptop, setting it up on the bed. "you need a break..." her smile slipped. "you're gonna work yourself to death like this. one night, that's it. and we'll figure it out from here, okay?" you hesitantly nodded, immediate relief flowing through you. "besides, you need to tell me about your little crush on-"

"OKAY, MOVIE'S GOIN-"

this definitely becomes a weekly thing.

you'd marry her if she wasn't your bestie for life.

Katsuki Bakugou

p-p-pretty- (ive become a bakugou simp i used to hate this man-)

this man knows a lot abt working yourself to death. he does it all the time, but because of that he can hide it until he's in the hospital. or at least he'd like to think so.

you tried that because you thought that, too. this wasn't the first time work was getting to you in this way. you've been broken, cut down, chewed up, and spit out by school work since the beginning of middle school. typically you could bury it all down as soon as you stepped away from the books, but right now it was following you.

you had multiple exams and important assignments on your list, so your head was always trying to figure out how you could cross something off the list.

right now you were supposed to be helping your best bully friend in the kitchen, but instead you had lost track of time and were on your third row of msth problems. nothing else existed other than you and your work. nothing. your feelings, your friends, your life. nothing. just. work.

you'd been going down this spiral for so long that you forgot what it was like to relax or breathe anymore. you continued down that spiral then, at your desk, until there was a loud knock on your door. there were three rounds, but you only caught the last one.

"who is it?!" you didn't stand from your desk. you'd just paused and pushed yourself away from the work a little, which snapped you back into reality.

"check the time, fog head!!" he huffed quietly to himself, but not out of anger or frustration. he was concerned, really, because you usually did your best to be as punctual as possible. this was also something you two had been planning out for a while, even went grocery shopping together to make sure you had everything. so for you to miss this...?

when he heard the "oh...sHIT-!!" he knew you'd seen the clock. he heard you scramble around in your room before the door swung open. you didn't even greet him, just walked past him. "uh- the- yeah. dinner. okay." you sounded so scattered... he couldn't let you be around knives, boiling pots, and other hazardous things with you in that state of mind. he grabbed your arm, then pulled away when you tensed snd swung around.

he wanted to say something, but he couldn't. your eyes, there were so tired but so... desperate. anxious. if it were anyone else, he'd think you were annoyed with him. but you weren't anyone else, you were his best friend. [your name]. you two looked at each other for a solid ten seconds in the middle of the hallway. the only noise was the muffled music coming from jirou's room.

at first you just stared. slowly it turned into a glare, but when he didn't budge, the tears started welling up. he realized you'd started stuttering over breaths, and soon he was stepping toward you. his big guy persona didn't fall, but he hugged you, and you cracked.

you leaned into him and just started crying, apologizing quietly and mumbling about how horrible you've been as a friend. he didn't stop you. he knew you weren't gonna listen if he told you otherwise before you were done letting it out.

he started forcing you to stick to his group study schedule. this man is a problem solver. yes, he's great emotional support, but not with words. more with actions and listening. but it worked. over time, you started relaxing more. studying became a healthy thing. sure, sometimes you fell off the path, but he pulled you back on by your ear.

10/10, is a fuckin god tbh

Denki Kaminari

HDNDND LOOK AT EM-

he loves you, okay? y'all are besties and honestly he can't see a world without you two playing pranks on the rest of the group together. but, unfortunately, that's what he's had to see as of late.

you were flaking on him, left and right. and he knew it wasn't intentional because you were like him; when there was a lot on your mind, you forgot everything else. you stumbled over words, took longer to process responses, zoned out every chance your brain gave you. it was hsrd to get through your day to days, but you usually managed without getting to worked up. but now? now you were scattered.

you weren't in your room. instead you were in the cafeteria, surprisingly quiet as you read page after page about the Earth's history or something along those lines. actually no. you paused. wrong page. wrong unit entirely. you grumbled and quickly found the right page. as much information as you took in, though, your head felt empty, like it was all falling out through your ears. it got worse. and worse. and worse. until you heard ringing, and you zoned out, and now you were mindlessly reading over the same paragraph, not remembering a single syllable and not writing a single note.

not even when your best friend slid into the seat next to you did you realize the state you were stuck in, trying to force yourself to learn and remember and retain. but it wouldn't work. nothing would work. the textbook was closed, and it still took you some time to come out of it. you blinked away the fuzziness in your head and looked sy the hand.

"-and sero said you haven't taken a break in hours." his brows were pulled in concern. he didn't know what to do next. because honestly he wasn't good with this. but when you just slumped forward, burying your head in your arms on the table, he patted your head.

"i forgot again, didn't i?" quiet. he didn't want to make you feel bad. "i can't remember anything, kami... not-not the formulas, anything from the study sessions; anything. nothing... i think... i think i'm just stupid." and it caught him off guard. he froze, and then huffed and ruffled your hair.

"you're not stupid. you're just-" he lost hid words all of a sudden. "uh- you're out of data right now."

quiet. processing. and then a little laugh from you. and then more hair ruffling, which led to you to just having your heads on the table, almost napping but not quite.

that became a routine. he didn't know how to stop you from over-working, and sometimes it took him a while to notice the signs. but then you two would just lay down. on the floor, on a bed, on the couch, on the table. and breathe. grounding, getting back in touch, and feeling okay.

10000/10 he's doing the best he can and yes he will eventually start asking kirishima for help to actually get you to relax more.

Eijiro Kirishima

(sero is still my #1 but b-but but-)

this man. he's the best at emotions in the group. well, the best in terms of understanding and catching onto them.

that's what happened this time around. you were studying. again. you'd been studying for hours upon hours, driving yourself up the wall to figure everything out for the homework. you thought maybe, just maybe, if you studied only in the library, you'd be able to focus.

you were wrong.

ei was picking out some picks that midoriya asked him to pick up for their planned study session, and when he saw you he realized how...opposite of his composure you seemed.

he was relaxed, even giving a light hum as he pulled the titles (i kept reading this as an alt word 😩) that izuku had listed for him. you were silent. you were staring at the book in front of you intensely, trying to make sense of it all. but you'd done so many worksheets already that you couldn't process anymore. it was too much. after a couple more seconds, you slammed it shut and closed your eyes. a headache started coming on. you reached for your water bottle just to realize you'd finished it a while ago. a groan escaped you and then you peeked at the table. so much work. you glared sharply at it and covered your face. this was too much it was all too damn much.

you jumped at the movement of the chair next to you. you sat up straight and turned, only relaxing when you saw ei. you two were close. super close, like siblings. and he was always incredibly supportive. you two were supposed to have a movie night, actually, until you anxiously opted out in exchange for some "much-needed" work time. but it seems all that you had was work time.

he offered a sympathetic smile, and you had to turn away. after a second, you just sighed. "i can't keep doing this, kiri. i-i... nothing is working. i can't keep up. i'm-i'm trying so-so hard but it's... it's not enough. i can't do classwork, homework, training, i can't do anything ri-!" you would've continued had you not been shushed by the librarian. and that shush was your final straw. you stood when you noticed the tearing up, ready to excuse yourself for a moment, but then some steady arms wrapped around you and you melted.

he hugged you, wordless, allowing you to just feel for a bit.

"it's not you, okay? this is all hard, and everyone processes things differently. it's very manly of you to try and work so hard, but you gotta breathe man." (yes, he calls everyone bro/man, it's my hc and eventually mina teaches him that women are fucking epic but anyways-)

for a solid month while school was going towards your next week-long break, he was there. he'd sit next to you so you could talk when it'd help you better process everything, would work on his own stuff so you didn't feel bad, and always had some extra water or snacks despite the library rules.

it was nice to have someone back you up like that.

100000000/1, he's amazing, really. :)

[lacktastrophe]

What changes in the perception of the story so far did 'Double Down' brought? I mean, about Paulo and Lucy's history, Lucy's mental state, Daisy fixiation on Mike and Jordan and Augustus relationship with Lucy.

This chapter unloaded an awful lot. Let's see what happened.

A number of good developments happen in the first few pages; the first is Augustus being included in Jordan's friend group. This is a good development as Lucy is pushing for Augustus to have a greater friend group outside of herself and giving him the opportunity to find new friends. It's a fresh start for Augustus to make some new friendships considering the only other person he's tried to get along with was Daisy, and that's not likely going to happen given last time and how her old friend group sees Augustus.

We also learn Jordan's friend group has shown awareness of Lucy and the situation around her. We can see that Maddison is not reacting to her in the way she once did whenever Lucy's name came up. We'd have to suspect she's showing no further ill-will towards her. If you were expecting some kind of a confrontation at some point in the future, might be an idea to put those to rest.

Although happy that Augustus was invited to carpool with them to school that morning, it doesn't appear that Lucy is that enthused about it in the afternoon.

We see an initial sign of trouble as Lucy starts acting sad and nervous at the news, Augustus sees through it and decides to forgo the trip to the mall. Similarly Jordan too sees red flags and starts to worry. He's not aware that Lucy had met up with Mike again and he'd broken her heart. That knowledge is only privy to Augustus so far.

We're wiser knowing that Lucy had run in with Mike much earlier in the day, and we're also wiser with the knowledge that despite the betrayal that happened in an earlier chapter, Lucy seemed very close to involving herself with him again.

We start seeing the consequences of her lowering her defenses around him, she's starting to revert to old habits, imagining a friendship when one really shouldn't exist.

Hearing the news he's been invited out for a second time, Lucy finds herself initally a little sad. Augustus being astute notices something is wrong and decides to walk her home instead. We're not really too sure if Lucy is just sad that she's alone again, or if she realises that she too is falling back into old habits.

Jordan decides not to go to the Mall either and walk back home with Augustus and Lucy, although this infuriates her as she finds herself embarrassed over being coddled.

We see a point in contention between Lucy and the people around her as they are trying to protect her and make sure she is safe, but Lucy also doesn't want them to put their lives on hold over her. Jordan puts that to rest letting her know that they are here for her no matter what.

We see a nice development between these two siblings from much earlier when they used to be at each other's throats. Jordan really does give a damn about Lucy's health and well being, and while it is cringe, Lucy does reciprocate, smiling from the acceptance, a rare thing to see.

Lucy is adamant the two go to the mall with the others, but the two won't budge until she finds another friend to go with, she decides to go with Paulo who happens to be there. We'll go back to those two eventually, but let's move on to Daisy and Mike.

-

So I don't think there's too much I can add here from last time, but lets see how we go.

Mike goes to the local library to study and comes across Daisy. He takes the time to thank her for earlier, helping him out when he was in the history class, but noting how she's always there for him, the two start talking about their friendship, Mike not quite understanding why she sticks around him despite how unfriendly he's been to her, and it starts with them both talking about their relationship. Here Mike finally admits he hasn't been treating her right.

We see some good growth in Mike, as Mike opens up and talks about their friendship and the contention that existed between them; as Mike had always dismissed her assuming that Daisy was jealous of Sandy.

We see even more growth as Mike finally opens up about his relationship. He's angry at Sandy, as even though she made up with him, made various changes to account for him including dropping Francis, he still sees something wrong with the relationship, he can't forgive her.

The conversation moves onto the cheating and the night when Sandy dumped him; he found himself running back to Lucy. Mike sees his relationship with her akin to cheating, where there were points where his relationship with Sandy was troubled in various ways, he would rely on Lucy's maternal love to keep him going and keep pretending that his relationship was working. Mike resolves he really isn't a good person over this.

On the discussion of feelings Daisy admits she never really got over him even in her relationship with Abbey, hoping she would eventually embrace him, but she wasn't able to force herself. She says only eventually her feelings for him did change over time, we've yet to see what she means by this. (I'm guessing she's definitely moving towards Paulo)

Daisy accidentally hits a trigger word with Mike by telling him he's too nice. Mike realises being 'the nice guy' is what caused everything to happen in the first place. Daisy tell him he just needed to express himself and be upfront from the beginning, less pretending things are okay. Though Mike starts to wonder if being really bitter is who he is really, Daisy reassures him being the self-sacrificial person he is goes to show he's got a lot more heart he makes himself out to have.

Telling him to seize the day and to do something that makes him happy, he pecs Daisy on the cheek.

Doing this to try and be even with Sandy and 'cheat' for real and have his own secret, it doesn't make him feel better in the slightest and Mike resolves that all he does is to try and make things fair, but nothing had been fair to begin with having actually had his relationship on the ropes. Admitting he should have dated other people, Daisy kisses him.

(1/2)

[marveldc-imagines-hub]

Subtitles: Episode 4, We Interrupt This Program

Subtitles Masterlist

Summary: [Y/N] is still recovering from one of the worst migraines they’ve ever had and they have the scars to prove it… Wait. Those scars weren’t there before and they certainly weren’t from passing out on the sidewalk a few days prior!

Word count: 9,361

Warnings: Mentions of (not super graphic) death and mental illness. Also Reader being just a little horny on main, but what’s new; almost 9.5k words and they’re simping for most of them. Lots of dorky fluff and also talking about insecurities.

Tag list: @madamevirgo​ @ravennight41​ @multifandomgirl16 @cyanide-mustard​ @badasspolygenderfriend​

~~~

    In the black void of otherwise dreamless sleep, voices were conversing.

    “[Y/N] [L/N]…” one started.

    [Y/N] [L/N]. Age twenty-five. Born to Killian and Alice [L/N] in [city, state] but Dad wasn’t in the picture. No siblings, no living relatives. They wanted to go to school for botany but Mom was diagnosed with early-onset dementia while they were still in high school, so they changed their career path to neurology in hopes of finding a way to help her. She still lives in their hometown.

    “Oh, wait,” another voice chimed in, almost indistinguishable from the first, “I know this one. Oh, God.”

    [Y/N] was an Honors student, at the top of all their classes. A degree in neurology with phytotoxicology on the side. They took an internship in Europe one year and somehow found themselves in Sokovia. HYDRA was still laying low at the time, caught wind of them.

    “Wait,” a third voice, this one easier to differentiate from the other two. “They’re HYDRA?”

    The second voice responded, “Former.”

    [Y/N] had no idea what they were getting into. HYDRA, always good at hiding in the shadows; they brought [Y/N] in under the guise of an assistant job studying new forms of neural regeneration. A job that paid well enough to live comfortably and even send a little extra home, while developing something that just might solve all their mother’s problems? It was a dream come true. 

Fortunately for HYDRA but unfortunately for [Y/N], they were very good at their job too. They helped HYDRA develop all kinds of nasty stuff. Nanobots that changed brain chemistry, near foolproof brainwashing tech��� They even helped develop special toxins, one of the world’s deadliest poisons. All the while, thinking they were doing something good.

“How is that possible?” the original voice asked. “How could they have been so oblivious?”

“One-track mind?” the second voice offered, “Plus misinformation on HYDRA’s part and ‘routine health checks’ with something a little extra mixed in.”

“They were tested on?”

“A victim of almost everything they’d helped create, except the fatal stuff and anything that would disrupt business as usual. IVs and shots full of toxins, nanobots being released into their room while they slept.”

The third asked, “What changed?”

“Wanda.”

[Y/N] stumbled upon Wanda and her brother by pure accident. They’d been late that day and in their hurry, ran through a wrong door to where HYDRA was keeping Sokovian volunteers for testing. The twins were the youngest in their group, [Y/N] was only a couple of years older and the youngest in their division. It was a match made in heaven, really.

“Try hell,” the first voice suggested with a scoff.

The other voices offered their murmured agreements.

“So they knew each other,” the third voice said, “Before.”

That’s when [Y/N] started pulling at threads and HYDRA’s costume began to unravel; their one-track mind had switched gears. There was something too weird about the whole thing, these Sokovian civilians had stories that didn’t line up with [Y/N]’s own. 

“And they believed them?”

They believed Wanda. She and her brother were just two more Sokovian citizens suffering at the hands of war and wanting to help their people. They had no reason to lie. They had more reason to be honest to [Y/N] than HYDRA ever did, actually. It was just a bonus that for Wanda and [Y/N], being around each other was like being a moth drawn to a flame.

[Y/N] may have been naive but they were far from stupid. When they figured out what was going on, they wriggled their way deeper into HYDRA’s ranks under their own disguise of loyalty. They became a full-fledged HYDRA agent, tasked with assisting in neural and poisonous weaponry. They weren’t able to protect Pietro and Wanda from testing, obviously—not that Wanda would have let them; she and her brother still believed they were being tested on for the greater good—but they did their best to stay nearby and keep the Maximoffs’ sanity intact for as long as they could. They even managed to save a couple of the other test victims by injecting them with temporary poisons that lowered their heart rate to the point of appearing dead. When the bodies were dropped off, the poison wore off not long after and some of the victims were able to escape. No side effects to be seen.

“I have a question,” Original voice said abruptly. “Why do we know this much information on one person? Like, this is some in-depth, intimate stuff. Why do we know that [Y/N] and Wanda had the hots for each other since day one?”

Second voice answered, “We’ve done extensive research on [Y/N]. The result of an investigation on the person who caused the apprehension of an entire faction of HYDRA after successfully poisoning them.”

The tests that were done on [Y/N] were not without their outcomes. They gained the ability to transform almost any matter into almost any other form.

“Huh,” Third voice hummed, “That reminds me of a series of disappearances a few years back. One house was replaced by rose bushes and another—get this—burned down because the roof had been turned to lava. Whoever it was, they either stopped on their own or died. What were they called?”

“The Alchemist,” Second stated simply, much to Third’s dismay. “And those were incognito HYDRA agents.”

After Pietro died and Wanda disappeared—not really disappeared, just left with the Avengers—[Y/N] had a choice to make. They were far too deep into HYDRA’s work now, the awful things that they had done were beginning to weigh on them, as Wanda and her brother had been just as grounding for [Y/N] as [Y/N] had been for her. After she was gone, they had a hard time dealing with the horrible business going on around them. So they did what they knew how to do; they mixed up a combination of poison and nanobots.

[Y/N] had fully committed to perishing with the rest of their coworkers but apparently, the poison hadn’t been quite strong enough. They’d made a miscalculation in a time of poor mental state and woke up the next day to hear that not all of the HYDRA agents had died either. At least the survivors had been taken in for the time being but that just wasn’t enough for them; they’d had a right to be concerned too because HYDRA had a habit of getting themselves out of sticky situations. This case was no different. 

[Y/N] most likely felt responsible for having a hand in HYDRA’s dirty work, for not doing more, and they must have felt even more responsible when they learned that HYDRA was a much bigger problem than they could have ever imagined.

First blurted, “Well, what happened next?”

Second answered, “They went after agents until they got caught, the only way they knew how.”

The second miscalculation that they’d ever made got them caught. The agent put a gun to [Y/N]’s head and pulled the trigger.

“So are they dead too?” First asked. The voice seemed to quiver.

The third voice hemmed and hawed a bit before saying, “They must have, with the way all this weirdness had been going. Oh my god, poor Wanda, not one dead partner but two—”

Second spoke over the other two voices’ rambling, forcing them to calm down and listen. “They didn’t die, though, they—”

The voices started cutting out like the dream was a TV program being interfered by a poor connection and static.

“—Found by—Barely alive—Hospital—Braindead—Westview—Find a doct—”

Suddenly gunshots sounded, one followed by several more, and the darkness cracked and shattered, revealing blinding light behind it. A silhouette walked silently through the wall of light; it was Geraldine—no, Monica—poised with a gun in the outfit she helped deliver Maximoff twins in. As she walked forward, crossing from a plane of burning white to one of void black, the image of her warped and distorted until it changed. Monica, looking much more modern, in a uniform that included a bulletproof vest and a lanyard with S.W.O.R.D. printed at the top, moving carefully towards a broken and bleeding body on the ground with another in a heap behind her. The image distorted and changed again, and the first body was sitting on their knees and looking up defiant defeat. The person they were looking at was no longer Monica but a bulky figure in a dark outfit with straps in the form of an H across their chest, the body that had been laying in a battered pile behind Monica just a moment earlier. The H-adorned assailant held a still-raised gun to the kneeling person’s forehead.

[Y/N] could only spit at their feet before another gunshot sounded and the image disappeared to black.

You woke up sweating and choking on your breath. Your brain, throbbing with a pain that shot through it like a bullet, didn’t register fast enough that you were standing instead of laying down so when you flailed, you threw yourself off balance and fell forward. Catching a quick glimpse of your surroundings on your way down told you that you were somewhere outside and that it was the dead of night. You tried last minute to brace yourself for a concrete-laden impact.

    You were instead greeted with soft fabric and arms wrapping tightly around you.

    “Goodness, [Y/N], are you quite alright?”

    You squinted at the striped sleepwear for a moment before looking up where Vision’s worried gaze and whirling irises were waiting for you; it took your eyes a moment to fully focus as the pain in your head faded but left a faint ringing behind. Then you looked around at your surroundings; not only were you outside but you were standing in Vision and Wanda’s driveway. Your gaze settled on a particular section of the house’s exterior where you vividly remembered a vaguely human shape exploding out of its walls. 

    You were standing in the exact same place you had been when it happened.

    “[Y/N]?” Vision said again, drawing your attention back to him.

    “Oh, cosmo, I’m sorry,” you said but your throat was too dry and you had to stop and clear your throat halfway through. Being in Vision’s arms, you were keenly aware of the fact that you were both in your bedwear and that yours had been sweated through. You slumped against him, partially to hide your embarrassed face but also because you felt like you hadn’t slept at all.

    “Vis?”

    “Yes, my favorite teacup?”

    You snorted softly at that. “You don’t even drink tea.”

    “Oh, I know,” Vision lilted back. Then he nuzzled his face into your hair. “I do like the patterns and the daintiness of them though.”

    That time you laughed a bit. Feeling his warm breath against your scalp and his strong arms holding you safely in place against him, you almost instantly melted into the embrace. You wrapped your own arms around him and pressed your face into his chest. “What are we doing outside?”

    “Ah, yes, about that. You appeared to be sleepwalking again.”

    You groaned. “Again? This is a nightmare.”

    One of Vision’s hands moved to run itself through your hair and down your neck. “That accident you had the other day certainly did a number on you.”

    The accident. In other words, that time where you walked off in the middle of a conversation with Vision, Agnes, and Herb to mumble at a wall and then faceplant onto the sidewalk. Not only was your nose still recovering but your mind and dignity as well.

    “The only time I’ve slept well since is when I fell asleep on your couch,” you whined. Then you lowered your voice and grumbled into Vision’s chest.

    Vision chuckled. “What was that?”

    You looked up at him and scowled. “The four of you are over here in your stupid, big, warm, cozy house. Meanwhile, I’m across the way, alone and uncomfortable, with only Bernard to keep me company. Bernard’s terrible company.”

    “Truly,” Vision agreed, grinning slightly. He loved your strange, cute, not at all challenging struggles.

    The both of you turned to give the lawn ornament in question a pointed look. Bernard seemed to glower back.

    “Well,” Vision said as he pulled away from you a bit, “why don’t you come inside then? Wanda’s up with the babies anyway. You might as well join us, especially if it means you’ll be able to sleep better.” Not taking no for an answer, the synthezoid was already tugging you towards the lit-up porch.

    You were too tired to argue and, quite frankly, you didn’t want to, so you allowed yourself to be pulled along as you admired the soft cotton of Vision’s matching pajama set.

    “Oh, my.”

    “What?” You looked at Vision’s face again only to catch him staring at a spot above your eyes. The porch light glinted off the gem embedded in his own. “What, do I have something on my face?”

    “No,” Vision responded slowly, “but you must have done something to it. You have quite the scar.”

    Your eyebrows raised. You moved away from him to look at your reflection in one of the windows and surely enough, you had a raised scar on your forehead, near your hairline. You gingerly pressed your fingers against it; it certainly wasn’t new.

    A seemingly random thought popped into your head. Is that… a scar from a bullet?

    “What on earth did you do to yourself?” Vision asked. Him walking up to stand directly behind you and press his hands to your neck, under the collar of your shirt no less, was more than a little distracting. “You’ve got one back here too.”

    You reached back to where Vision was touching and when he removed his fingers, you could feel a similar scar at the base of your neck.

    You thought again, Bullet… exit wound…? 

    Something about the dream you were having earlier called out to you but you couldn’t remember anything about it. When you tried to think about it further, the excruciating pain came back in waves and you had to steady yourself on the windowsill to prevent yourself from collapsing.

    “Huh,” you said instead, “I have no idea.”

    “They don’t hurt?” Vision questioned. “They’re not just… odd raised bruises perhaps? Welts maybe?”

    “No, I don’t think so. They don’t hurt at all, though.” To make a point, you pressed down hard on the raised scar on your forehead, watched the skin turn a few shades lighter before releasing the pressure and dropping your hand again. Under the thick, stiff tissue, you barely felt the pressure at all.

    Vision thoughtfully hummed, placing his hands back on the curves of your neck; you prayed to whatever deities existed that you didn’t make any sounds you’d regret.

    “Well,” your partner said, “I suppose that’s better than nothing.”

    A pause. Your eyes stayed trained on the window’s reflection, specifically where you could see Vision’s fingers gently cupping your neck.

    Then he abruptly leaned down and pressed a kiss on the scar tissue, missing a pulse point by a hair. “We should head inside then.”

    You had to take a solid minute to recover from the shockwave of tingles that briefly made your veins turn into lightning. Then you shuffled after Vision into the ever so inviting house.

    Stepping out of chilly darkness and into a home of cozy furniture and warm light that turned the entire place a golden brown felt like walking into another world. An extra added layer of comfort to the usually perfect home was the slight disarray of baby equipment almost everywhere that wasn’t the floor itself, most of which you had gone out and bought during the babies’ day of birth and all of which Vision and Wanda appreciated; somehow, you had prepared for the babies’ accelerated growing on a panicked whim better than the Maximoffs. Tiny baby blankets and stuffed animals were strewn about and each visible part of the house—the living room, the dining area, and the kitchen, although the kitchen was partially blocked off by a drying rack of baby clothes and swaddles of various patterns and sizes—had a designated Baby Tray. These trays, perched on whatever flat surface had been previously free of decor or clutter, held bottles, nonperishable treats, diaper-changing equipment, teething toys, a mini first aid kit for each, and other useful trinkets; the new parents had apparently completely forgotten that almost all their house’s rooms were openly attached to each other and that, if one singular Baby Tray was designated to the dining area, it would take the same amount of about five steps to get to it from either the living area or the kitchen. It was almost comedic, the number of baby care items that were laying anywhere but the floor or in proper storage because, according to Vision, god forbid something gets a speck of dust on it and have to be washed or, according to Wanda, one of the babies be without their favorite toys easily accessible at every given moment. The only thing allowed to touch the ground, aside from feet, was a playpen that now replaced the usual coffee table in the living room area and a play mat in the babies’ room with its attached toys for the twins to play with. A final touch to the hominess was the soft light that you could see streaming out of the baby room’s open door, and the gentle voice of Wanda, singing a Sokovian lullaby, fluttering out of it. 

    It felt like coming home.

    Vision stepped away from your side to clean up somewhat, picking up a few toys and folding baby blankets and onesies to move them aside in case you wanted to make yourself comfortable on the couch. Standing inside now, you could much better make out Vision’s dark blue terry robe over a pair of bright yellow pajama pants that no doubt had a shirt to match hidden beneath dark blue fabric. The yellow of his pants matched the yellow gem that was embedded in his forehead, glittering with an unused power that you had yet to experience and that felt warm whenever you went to place a kiss on it. Poking out from the hems of his robe and pants were perfectly human hands and feet, despite their deep red color that matched the rest of his body; you found the continued presence of fingernails when not in his human disguise—absolutely unnecessary to his design, he’d pointed out when you initially asked about them—weirdly cute and continuously felt the urge to grab nail polish and paint them to match either the color of the gem or the same silver as the plating that started at his scalp and trailed down beneath the collar of his shirt. You briefly wondered how far that plating traveled across his body before mentally kicking yourself.

    The greatest thing about this still-fresh reveal of Vision’s inhuman identity—aside from the fact that he was no longer hiding something important from you, obviously—was that you now knew that he wasn’t just difficult to make blush but rather he quite literally couldn’t blush. You wondered what else he could and couldn’t do, only to mentally kick yourself again. 

    I can’t tell if I’ve gotten worse or better since I’ve started dating them, you thought.

    Oh, your brain responded on its own accord, so much worse. 

    Shhh!

    Vision was still puttering why while you stared and inwardly argued with yourself. At this point, he’d cleaned up most of the chaos and moved the stuffed animals and now-folded blankies to sit neatly on the dining area table.

    “Vis,” you said.

    Before you could continue, the man perked up and looked in your direction. “Yes, duck?”

    You blinked. “You make my heart go rainbow-colored. Anyway—” You broke off into a laugh when Vision went flustered, his hands flapping about while he sucked his bottom lip between his teeth. “Did I win this round?”

    Sometimes Vision got into the habit of ending all of his sentences around you and Wanda with a pet name. When you had first noticed this feat, you’d decided to start doing the same, just to see what would happen. He noticed and began purposely doing it back, where he had previously done it unintentionally, and now doing the occasional back-and-forth conversation that ended in pet names more than punctuation was somewhat of a competition between you two. 

    Vision scoffed at you, picked up a plushie, and tossed it at you. “Not fair!”

    Being in the house that was beginning to feel more like home than your own, around your partners and their sweet baby boys, seemed to shield and reenergize you from the exhaustion you felt after first waking up that night. You caught the stuffed animal, a plushie of a wizard, grinned and tossed it back at him. 

    “Oh,” Vision chirped, catching the plush wizard again, “I see how it is.” He puffed out his chest and gave you a warning, albeit amused, glare, then picked up a couple more plushes. In a lower, sort of growling voice that made your heart leap out of your chest and into your stomach, he continued, “If it’s a war you want, it’s a war you shall get.”

    You yelped as he started in your direction and dived across the front of the couch to get some stuffed animal ammo of your own. He nailed you in the foot with a cream-colored bunny and you returned the favor with a plushie of a witch in a red dress after taking cover behind the playpen. Now each of you was standing where the other had previously been, with you poking your head over the playpen’s sheer wall and Vision slowly pacing around the back of the couch for his second lap. You pulled the playpen with you with one hand as you moved away from him and the two of you began circling each other. 

    Oh, if Wanda could see her partners now.

    “Oh, Wanda—” you started to stand, only to get smacked in the face with a blue teddy bear; luckily, it was of the very soft variety. You stared at Vision in disbelief.

    Vision stared back, eyes bulging, unsure of whether he should apologize or prepare for an attack. He was too torn to do either, though, and had to scramble back to avoid an onslaught of stuffed bullets flying his way.

    Still aware that it was very late at night, your war-cry was softened, “Revenge!”

    Then your attack quickly diminished, partially because you were running out of ammo and Vision wasn’t throwing anything back and partially because Vision was now floating off the ground and heading towards you, arms full of said ammo.

    Wow, didn’t know it did that, you thought randomly, eyes fixed Vision floating in general, before specifically fixating on the devilish grin he wore while doing so. He looked like a very handsome, well, vision.

    A handsome Vision, if you will, your brain offered. You almost snorted before remembering you had not yet moved to avoid Vision’s floating plushie attack. You stumbled backward and scrambled out of the living room just as Vision started throwing.

    “No no no no no nonononono—” You were choking between laughter and squawking as you got up and began running down the hallway to save yourself. “Not fair, not fair not fair, not fair—!”

    You ran past the baby room and caught Wanda mid-turnaround, saying, “What on earth is going on out there?” You reeled back to pause in the doorway, caught a glimpse of the babies in their one large crib, smiled, went to pant out an answer—

    Only to feel arms wrap around you and drag you back down the hallway. You started to shriek, then forced it into a startled laugh as to not disturb the babies, and flailed around in Vision’s arms as he lifted you off the ground. It was brief, though, because then your struggling caught Vision off balance and the two you tumbled to the ground. There, you both harmlessly pummeled each other until you both were out of breath and snickering, and you somehow ended up with his top half under you but his legs pinning down your own.

    “You can fly?” you bubbled. You grabbed his face and squished his cheeks in your hands. “What the hell?”

    He laughed and nodded, and one of his hands caught your own. He glanced up at you as he kissed your palm and replied, “Yes, just a little.”

    “Just a little—”

    “And his wife can move things with her mind, like the crib she just finished rocking to put the boys back to sleep, and if she has to do it again because of her partners’ roughhousing…”

    You and Vision quickly disentangled yourselves from each other and looked up at Wanda, whose face said serious but whose eyes twinkled with amusement and who looked no less terrifying in a pale pink, puff-sleeved nightgown.

    You got up and straightened your clothes, with Vision following closely behind. “I will very happily take over the next shift because I started it and I’m very sorry.” 

    “What? Nonsense, [Y/N], I threw the first stuffed animal.”

    “I threw it back,” you pointed out.

    “Neither of you better have thrown and hit something,” Wanda warned.

    You glanced at Vision for confirmation; you didn’t exactly see much when you were chucking plushies aplenty and then running from your flying boyfriend.

    Vision nodded. “Nothing at all, although I did make the evaluation that we do have a plethora of plushies and baby blankets.”

    “I thought I was the one who pointed that out when you first gave me the shopping list, but okay,” you huffed under your breath, then grinned with Vision lightly bumped you with his hip. “So, the babies having a bad night?”

    “Actually, they were apparently worried about you,” Wanda said.

    That made your head do a confused tilt. “Me?”

    “Ah, yes,” Vision nodded, “We fell asleep with them in the living room and Billy started crying. We woke up to figure out what was wrong and Wanda saw you standing outside.”

    Wanda added, “Tommy started crying shortly after I walked to the door with him like he wanted to make sure you were okay.”

    “Aww,” you cooed, peering over Wanda’s shoulder to see the babies. She stepped to the side so you could walk in and shuffle over to the crib, and she and Vision stood nearby as you crouched down to brush a hand over their little sleeping heads. You continued, much softer this time, “Were the boys trying to make sure I was safe? Are they my little protectors? My little superheroes?”

    Tommy gurgled happily in his sleep. Billy remained quiet but his head leaned into your hand.

    You looked up at their parents with big, awestruck eyes to see them leaning comfortably into each other, watching you with the same level of affection you felt for them and their babies.

    “Heroes indeed,” Vision said. He walked over as you stood up again and lightly rocked the crib; Wanda strolled over to join the group. He continued to the twins in baby-talk, “But no hero-ing until after college, my little honeydews. For now, leave the protecting to your parents.” 

    “Especially this one,” Wanda chirped, making her way over to your side and slipping her arm around your back. “They’re a handful.”

    You faked a gasp, “I’m a treasure.”

    “You’re a putz,” Wanda said simply, with a smirk and a light pinch to your hip.

    You gasped harder and stared at her with utter betrayal.

    “A goof,” Vision chimed in. He slipped his own arm around you, the final piece of your three-person puzzle.

    You gasped harder still— and almost choked on air. Then you looked to the babies. “Bullies! Bullies, both of them! Billy, Tommy, you must protect me!”

    Very enthusiastically, neither baby did anything. 

    “I’ve been betrayed yet again,” you cried, not too loudly, though. You slumped against Vision and Wanda’s waiting arms. “Betrayed by my own brood!”

    “Your brood?” Wanda questioned, quirking a brow. Vision was giggling softly at your other side.

    “Yes,” you whispered, looking at her with wide, distraught eyes, “My brood. My pack. My murder.”

    “Your what?” Vision said.

    “It’s a group of crows,” you explained under your breath, before slumping down farther and continuing your distraught monologue. “I’m all alone! Oh, the horror—”

    “Well,” Wanda said, “We’re supporting you very well a family that has completely abandoned you.”

    You flopped your head back in her direction. You were so far to the ground now that you were practically on your knees, only your arms and shoulders being held by Wanda and Vision. You traced fingers lamely across each of their arms. “So strong, those who once held me…”

    The married couple exchanged an amused but mysterious look.

    “Wanda, darling,” Vision said, “They seem to have gone delusional.”

    Wanda nodded sagely in response. “Clearly lost their mind.”

    You squinted, glancing between them. What were they up to?

    “To the ward with you,” Wanda suddenly announced.

    Then you caught a red glow by your feet, but not fast enough before you were swept up into the air on a cloud of red mist. You burst into startled laughter but quickly slapped a hand over your mouth so you didn’t wake up the children. Once you relaxed—enough to stop laughing anyway, not enough to not be freaking out about being magically escorted out of the nursery—you waved your hands through the red; it felt like waving your hands through the open air. The only thing actually felt was the pressure on the back of your body that was holding you afloat and carrying you out of the room, but when you tried to balance on it and move to a different position, all you did was squirm and twist awkwardly in the air before flopping back down. You craned your neck, mostly to make sure Tommy and Billy hadn’t woken up from your outburst, but you only caught Wanda, hands glowing red, following you out of the room and Vision trailing after wishing his babies a goodnight.

    You looked back at the ceiling for a moment. After you heard the nursery door shut, you asked at a normal volume, “I’m not gonna fall, right?”

    “Not unless I let you,” Wanda reassured you. You couldn’t see her but the teasing tone of her voice made you imagine her with a smirk. A smirk, narrowed eyes, her pretty nightgown floating around her, magical powers that she could definitely use to crush you if she wanted to and you’d probably thank her if she did.

    Wow, okay, I either need to confess my sins or go to sleep.

    “Why?” Wanda asked suddenly.

    “Why what?” you choked back, heat rushing to your face. Surely, she couldn’t read your thoughts…

    “Why ask if you would fall?”

    Oh.

    “Oh.” You started flopping around in the cloud of magic, testing the proverbial waters; you were being taken to the living area now. You heard both Wanda and her husband laughing from beneath and behind you when you settled again. 

    Vision asked through chuckling, “What could you possibly be doing?”   

    You suddenly flung yourself to one of the magic surrounding you, thinking maybe you would fall through, but the magic held. You huffed and laid back again but not before you caught a glimpse of the couch that you now hovered over. You grasped at the magic again, watching it wisp through your fingers but feeling nothing at all. “This is so cool.”

    Wanda’s voice was softer when she spoke this time. “You think?”

    You couldn’t hold back the disbelieving laughter that bubbled up. Suddenly breathless out of sheer excitement of learning more about the people you cared for most, you sighed, “Wanda, baby, you must know that you’re amazing.”

    Then you squawked as the magic suddenly disappeared around you, but instead of falling straight to the couch below, Vision flew up to catch you. He held you bridal style as he gently dropped back to his feet next to the couch, grinning—he very rarely just smiled, it was always a big, happy grin when it was directed at you or Wanda or the babies—and giving you a peck on the forehead when you stared up at him, doe-eyed.

    “Got my own Superman, too,” you said, “Damn.”

    Vision plopped you down on the couch. “Who?”

    “Comic book character,” you responded with a wave of your hand, “Doesn’t matter. You’re far better looking than him anyway.”

You shifted a bit to get more comfortable and watched as glowing red magic started swirling all around you. The magic was misty, red around the edges and glowing orange-white in the center, picking up the scattered toys from your and Vision’s scuffle and tossing them into the playpen, pulling said playpen out of the way and sliding the original coffee table back from its place against the wall, picking up any other stray blankets or baby items and placing them neatly out of the way; it also straightened out Vision’s robe and ruffled your hair. Part of the magic moved out of your line of vision, so you twisted to follow it and saw it taking the baby clothes off the drying rack to fold and put on the counter next to it, then continued watching as it folded the rack itself and moved it out of the way. 

Wanda was now in your sight again too; she was standing still, palms up with magic flowing outward from the red clouds around them, and looking around to see if there was anything else she needed to put away. She was also blushing, from you calling her baby or saying she’s amazing, you couldn’t tell. After staring for probably way too long, probably looking at her with the same starry-eyed, dopey look that a teenager had at their first concert or after a first kiss, her gaze flitted to yours and made a nose-scrunching face at you before finishing her magical cleanup and making her way over to the couch as well.

You slumped back in the pile of throw pillows behind you, covered your face with your hands, and flutter-kicked your feet few times. “This is so cool!”

    You felt a nudge at your feet and you raised your legs so he could sit, then did the same with your head when you felt Wanda’s hand brush across your forehead. When they were both seated, you laid your legs and head on their respective laps and the three of you settled into the comfortable position that had been adopted long after your relationship had started. 

    That is until you quickly sat up again. “Is that how you unpacked your house so quickly?”

    Wanda smiled and nodded. She rested a cheek in the palm of her hand, endeared by your wonderment towards her powers.

    “Is that you unpacked my house?”

    Another nod. 

    “And the magic show was real— Wait.” You scowled. “But all the pulleys and stuff.”

    “That was, ah, my bad,” Vision offered with a raised hand. 

    “Covering for him actually using his powers,” Wanda explained.

    “I knew the mirrors didn’t make sense with you putting your hat through your body!” you exclaimed. “So flight, super strong, and… not sure what to call that last one. What was with you that day, by the way? You acted drunk, but you can’t get drunk!”

    “I swallowed some gum,” Vision muttered, glancing away and rubbing the side of his neck. His other hand waved towards his torso as he continued, “It got all… stuck. Gummed up my gears, if you will.”

    Wanda rolled her eyes at the pun. You snickered at it.

    “I had to magic it out of him,” she added.

    Your gaze flitted back and forth between your two superhuman partners multiple times as you took in the information. Because you were sitting between the two, this involved the turning of your head various times, which made your head swim a bit. You almost wished that they were both sitting to one side of you.

    Instead of suggesting this, you settled your gaze to stare aimlessly ahead and said simply, “I’m dating two of the weirdest, coolest, most stellar people in the world. How the hell did I manage that?”

    “Charisma,” Vision offered, even though you and him both knew at this point how you’d weirdly creeped on him at the office the first day the two of you met.

    “Sheer force of will,” Wanda suggested, but you guaranteed she was remembering how, for the few dates you went on with them, you’d had to be reminded that you were actually on dates and that they weren’t just casual friendly hangouts. 

    You looked between them once more and then you wished you had suggested they sit to one side of you. Despite their steady, comfortable voices, Wanda was in the process of hiding her flustered face behind the curtain of her hair and Vision was chewing on his lip and couldn’t seem to keep his hands and feet from tapping away.

    “Okay,” you said after a moment, patting your thighs to do something with your hands. “I’m grasping that you guys don’t agree with me here. Wanda, go sit by him so I don’t get whiplash from trying to look at you both.”

    You and Wanda quickly switched places. You sat cross-legged on the couch to face them and Wanda and Vision shifted around to sit in a way that allowed them to face you without one blocking the other. After a moment, you waved your hands at them; the cheery air has since faded into something more somber. “What is it? Tell me why you get all quiet like that when I tell you, with evidence, why you’re the actual grooviest people I’ve ever met.”

    There were a few more moments of silence before Vision went to speak first, which surprised Wanda. She looked at him, eyebrows raised high on her forehead, and lightly grasped his wrist.

    “Vis?” she murmured.

    He sighed softly and placed his other hand over hers. “Oh, it’s really nothing dear, I promise. It’s just… Well, you’ve heard how the people of the cul-de-sac talk about us sometimes.”

    “Mean girls,” you grumbled under your breath with a nod, “the lot of them sometimes.”

    Wanda seemed to suddenly sag with sadness and both you and Vision reached over quickly to hold her.

    “Oh, darling,” Vision said, “It’s not your fault—”

    “That’s not true,” Wanda whispered.

    “It is true,” Vision said, and this time he said it with a fierceness that was familiar to you, whenever Wanda was being treated poorly by people like the Queen of the Cul-de-Sac, Dotty, or when Wanda decided to get down on herself. He grasped her shoulders tightly, squeezed them until she looked up at him. “Wanda, darling, love, I didn’t exist before I meant you. I mean, I did, of course, I did, but I was just this strange, non-human, non-machine thing that was just… kind of… there. It was you that gave me an existence, Wanda. You made me human.”

    Both you and Wanda stared at him, surprised. Wanda stared because she obviously didn’t fully agree with his opinion of her. You stared because of course, you were dating two of the weirdest, coolest, most stellar, and most romantic people ever. 

    Get yourself a man like that, you thought. Then after a moment, Wait, that is in fact also my man. 

    “And you—” Vision said, turning his head in your direction.

    “Oh, I’m next?” you stammered. “I thought it was Wanda’s turn.”

    Vision still held Wanda but also reached over to tightly grasp your hand and bring it to his mouth. “I just wished we could have confessed to you sooner. I just hate, hate, hated lying to you and now you’re involved with all this too—”

    The synthezoid with the English accent looked up at you with eyes begging forgiveness as if he’d committed one of the worst sins imaginable. You let out a hoarse laugh and ran your thumb across the side of his hand.

    “I’m sorry,” you said, still chuckling as you wriggled closer to your couple, “but as much as you might like to think you’ve subjected me to something I didn’t sign up for, I’d like to point out that I’ve been about a month ahead of you. I was here before you.” You felt a nagging urge to look at Wanda and repeat the last sentence, and there was something extra special about saying it that second time like there was a double and then a triple meaning behind it, but the way you both furrowed your brows afterward made it clear that neither of you really knew what those meanings were.

    Not yet, anyway.

    You cleared your throat and removed your hand from Vision’s grasp to place it on the back of the couch. “I moved into this town with no husband or wife, no family, nothing but a pile of letters and a new deed to a new house that happened to be the smallest in the neighborhood. My first week here I told one man in front of the entire night watch that I thought the joke he made about his wife was distasteful, and then the week after I tripped and spilled wine all over his wife. Agnes brought because she thought I’d be a form of entertainment and we somehow ended up becoming friends over a flask that she hid in a pocket sewed into the inside of her skirt.” You offered a look to Wanda again while you mentioned that Agnes never thought your “for the children” jokes were all that funny, though. “I’ve dealt with the comments and the rumors and the ‘what’s wrong with them, they don’t have no kids!’ People are weird and they’re mean and they’re fun and they suck. You want human, dude? You got it. If I was still bothered by comments that are nothing but a bummer, I think I’d be trying a little bit more than wearing clothes that I enjoy over the clothes that are expected of me, telling Dotty she needs to stop being awful before she gets frown lines, or, you know, pining over two people—a married couple nonetheless—until I somehow seduced them with my staring at them from around corners and just generally horrible, awful attempts at eye contact.”

    The married couple in question chortled at that.

    You used your hand on the back of the couch to hoist yourself up on your knees so you towered over Vision just slightly.

    “Here’s the thing, sunshine,” you continued, “I’m not in your boat on this one, you dorks, you’re in mine. I was here first and I don’t give a fuck.”

    Wanda gave a sudden laugh. “What language.”

    “Has he not told you about the time I said ‘Fuck you’ to a plastic bird in my garden?” you asked. “Multiple times? His name is Bernard and he’s plotting to kill me, I swear.”

    Wanda’s troubled expression was split by a wobbly smile.

    You threw up your arms in the dramatic fashion that you knew the two people in front of you loved and hollered—then quickly quieted back down to not disturb Billy and Tommy in the other room—“All this for my rambling putz ass to say, who cares about what’s outside this house! You two, and your kids, and I are the only people that matter here. Here being the house, Westview, whatever! Everyone else? Nonexistent.

    “Also, just to clarify,” you paused to wave your arms around, gesturing at the entire house, “Love it here. Love this shit.”

    You suddenly caught Vision’s slacked jaw in your hand and gave him a peck on the cheek. “This face? Love it.” You moved to peck a spot of silver on his skull. “Love this too.” You pecked the gem on his forehead and swore it glowed brighter in response. “Love this.” You pecked one of his ear plates. “Love these goofy things.” You pecked the tip of his nose. “Love this and the fact that you have it even though you don’t technically even need to breathe. Oh, speaking of which!” 

You lifted one of his hands with one of your own and tapped on his red fingernails with your other. You caught a glimpse of his face now that yours wasn’t directly in front of it and noticed him trying to hold back a giddy smile—and failing—while he watched you from underneath red lashes; your whole body would have tried to twist itself in knots under that look if you weren’t too busy swearing to kiss those eyelids and lashes too, at another time. Instead, you pecked each fingertip of the hand you were holding. “Love these ‘useless to my design’ things too. You know what, just speaking of hands—” You dropped Vision’s hand, which made itself to your waist as you went to grab Wanda’s; you were vaguely aware that you were practically leaning into their laps at that point but that could be dealt with when you weren’t trying to make a point.

When you went to touch her, she let you hold her wrist but quickly squeezed her hand into firsts before you could hold it like you had with Vision’s. She was looking away.

    You pressed a kiss to her whitening knuckles. “Wanda.”

    She looked at you, her perfect face distorted by a deep sadness that almost shattered your heart on the spot. She tightened her first further. The deep emotion appeared to make her slip back into her natural Sokovian accent when she spoke again. “You don’t know the pain it’s caused.”

    “I’ve done my fair share,” you affirmed even though you weren’t quite sure why. Then you kissed her knuckles again. “And maybe I don’t, but I know what good it’s caused, that you have.”

    Her face twisted into an ugly grimace. She asked hoarsely, “Like what?”

    “The first time I saw your face, I wanted to go to space, grab the moon, shrink it down—so it looked like one of those cool little lava rocks, you know? But prettier—and get it put on a ring,” you offered, then kissed the back of her hand and whispered, “and that’s after I found out you were married to a very attractive man too…”

    Vision snorted. Wanda cracked the smallest of smiles.

    You whispered lower, “And I may or may not have even been interested in marriage before that…”

    That time Wanda rolled her eyes; you smiled and grabbed her other clenched hand to share the attention with. You continued, “You’re also so nice, like so nice. You are so kind and care about what people think so much, it’s almost buggy—and bordering on self-destructive but that’s not what we’re talking about— And I sort of get it now, you know, but wow, making your magic show worse for the sake of people’s sanity? Wouldn’t even be on my radar.”

    Another little smile.

    “I’d be like, ‘Who wants to see me turn this entire table into a rosebush! Dotty’s rosebush specifically; Dotty, I stole your rosebush.’ I actually did steal a rose from her bush that day.”

    Wanda blinked and you noticed the lines of her expression weren’t as deeply etched into her face anymore.

    “That was Dotty’s?”

    You grinned and nodded, then kissed both of her hands. “Also, I love your hair and the way it perfectly frames your perfect face, and I love your little nose scrunches, and I love your eyelashes and the way you look at me from under them sometimes, and I’d kiss all those things but I’m not going to because I gotta get these stubborn, always-working, never-wanna-take-a-break, always-somehow-perfect-nails-having hands to relax before they hurt themselves even though it’s very clearly hard enough to make who woman who owns them do the same. Oh, I did I mention that smile—hoo, Wanda, that foxy smile…”

    Wanda was blushing now and bringing up her smile made it happen again, just slightly. You took advantage of the moment anyway and flung yourself back onto the couch with a hand over your heart. “Be still, my pounding heart!”

    Vision, who was watching by your and Wanda’s sides, laughed a bit. Wanda herself rolled her eyes again; the smile didn’t disappear afterward.

    You sat up again and pointed at Vision, now that he’d brought attention to himself again. “And I don’t know whether you heard any of the stuff this guy said! You made him exist? You made him human? What? You two also do this thing where you just look at each other and have a whole conversation, I don’t know if you guys know you do that or not. You do, though, and I don’t know if either or both of you are psychic but if you are and still love me? With my unhinged brain? Migraines and all? I wouldn’t understand, even if you explained it to me.”

    Vision offered, “Neither of us is psychic but anyway, please continue.”

    “Have anything to add?”

    “You’re doing wonderfully.”

    “Thank you.” You looked back and Wanda, noting that her face had almost completely softened now, as she was too busy being flustered to be sad at this point. You quickly scooped her hands before they could curl into fists again placed kissed on each of the crescent moon-shaped marks now dug into their palms. “Your magic rocked your babies to sleep. Your magic cleaned up all their and put it all in one nice, neat place. You floated me around the house with your magic and even protected me from falling when I was wriggling around up there; bet that was fun for both of you to watch. Vision said earlier that that was your job, to protect me, and while I don’t fully agree because I consider it the other way around, is that not what you did?”

    “I thought it was cute,” Wanda replied softly to the second to last sentence you said. She watched as you gave her hands a few more pecks.

    “So, you agree then,” you said, “that your magic protected me and also made me cuter?”

    She laughed and the sound made your heart soared, performing an aerial performance in your chest. She tried to wriggle her hands free from you but then you scowled and tucked them protectively under your chin.

    “Gotta say it. Gotta say your magic made me cute.”

    “I’m not saying that.”

    You shrugged and got comfy, laying your head in her lap with her hands still hidden. “Have to. Otherwise, no hands for you. Oh, did I not mention how good you are to your kids yet? You’re so good—”

    “Okay, okay, okay,” Wanda forfeited through a wet laugh. Hearing said laugh, your head shot up in concern, but the woman was smiling as she snagged your hands back; what she chose to do with them next was grab your face and place a kiss directly on your mouth.

    It was quick and soft and sweet and absolutely none of that prevented the fireworks that went off in your skull and your chest and your stomach and your veins that made tingles shoot all the way down to your toes. She pulled away as quickly as she had moved in and you blinked; your brain was still short-circuiting, like a robot—like a Vision with his gears all gummed up, and your dazed brain thought that was a very funny connection, so it repeated the joke verbally.

    Luckily, Vision was close enough to the level of dork that you were and he laughed at it with you.

    It took a deep breath and a head shake to de-gum your brain—if only Wanda could magic that—but after the excitement wore off, you felt sleepiness start creeping in and decided to make your final push. You curled a hand around both of your partners’ necks and brought their faces closer to nuzzle your noses together; they responded by each of them wrapping an arm around your waist and returning the affectionate action.

    “So, in conclusion,” you stated, which caused Vision to laugh lightly and Wanda to grin just slightly, “I love both of these perfect faces.” You kissed each of their noses. “And these funky, magical brains.” You kissed Wanda at the base of her hairline, then Vision just below his forehead gem. “And these equally funky, magical hands.” You grabbed the hands not looped around your waist and kissed the back of them. “And both of those babies, and this house, and y—”

    You sucked in a sudden breath to stop yourself so hard that you almost choked and you reeled back to the other side of the couch only to drag Vision and Wanda with you. The three of you tumbled into a flustered heap on the couch and over their shoulders, you could see early morning light filtering through the windows. This barely registered, though, as you were too busy focusing on the fact that you almost L-worded them on a silly, tired whim. 

    Despite the awkwardness of the moment and the unspoken words, no one made a move to remove themselves from the warm, cozy entanglement. One of both Wanda and Vision’s arms was pinned under your back, keeping them solid in place against you while simultaneously and successfully enveloping you in between them; your own arms, which had instinctively wrapped protectively around their shoulders in the tumble, kept them in a similar state. Wanda’s hair fanned found and covered the three of you like a blanket, and you were keenly aware of her breath softly wafting over the exposed skin of your neck from where her head now rested on your shoulder. Vision’s rested slightly lower, on your chest, and you felt a quickened pulse where his gem pressed into your neck, but you couldn’t be sure whether it was yours or his. 

    You stared past their shoulders and watched as sunlight shone through the curtains and dappled the ceiling. You tried to figure out whether you were stupider for stopping yourself from finishing that sentence or for not saying it at all.

    Then you felt a kiss being pressed to your clothed shoulder.

    “You’ve said so many things that you’ve loved tonight [Y/N],” Wanda murmured, her hot breath causing goosebumps to rise on your skin. “What’s two more?”

    “I—” you started, then bit your tongue again. There was something about saying that phrase that made you worried; you felt like if you said it now, the happy little world you lived in would begin to crumble, like it would all end far too soon. You sighed softly and said instead, “I don’t know how I would live without you.”

    There were a few moments of silence where you watched more sunlight filter in and wished you could take it back because what a way to talk a big game and then not follow through—

    Then Vision’s head appeared above you and he pressed a dizziness-inducing kiss to your lips. When he pulled away, he nuzzled your nose with his own as he murmured, “I love you too.”

    In almost the same moment, Wanda was mumbling the same phrase against your jawline. 

    Sleepy and hazy-brained you couldn’t do much else but stare at Vision like a lovesick puppy that struggled to say that L-word, then snuggle back down with both him and Wanda when they relaxed against you again. That seemed to be the last of what needed to be said, though, because everything was cozy and warm and golden brown in your home again and, one by one, the three of you fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.

    In the black void of otherwise dreamless sleep, you heard the vaguely familiar First Voice finish chewing something and then go, “Aww…”

[bisexual-horror-fan]

“Please? For Me?” Billy Loomis And Stu Macher X AFAB! Reader. Poly!Ghostface.

Heeeeey! So I got an request for this one a while ago! It is a two parter so I am breaking it up, I appericate your patience and hope you like these, they are more drabble length but I had fun doing them! So there are for @theunseenandallknowing and they wanted, 

“I'm writing this here because the ask is too long*I'm not sure if I sent this already (if I did I'm really sorry), but could I ask for a scenario where Billy+Stu's and separately Vincent's SO who was hurt by someone in the past (nothing specific but it clearly affected them really deeply). That someone comes back: with Vincent, he's someone who wanders into the town with a group of friends (kinda like the House of Wax plot) and with Billy+Stu the person transfers to the school they go to. The SO is of course emotional, afraid. But then she goes to her slashers and says: "Kill them for me. Please. Make them hurt the same way they hurt me." Just one last thing: at the end, when they come back and tell the SO that the person is gone and that they are truly safe and the SO kinda starts to cry so they gets hugs and reassurances?”

And I vibed with the idea, something non-smutty that I could get behind so let’s get into it!

---

Rating. SFW. Length. 800 Words. Billy Loomis And Stu Macher X AFAB!Reader. Poly!Ghostface. Warnings. Mentions Of A Bad Past. Murder. Crying Reader. Comfort.

---

“Please? For Me?”

---

The reason didn’t matter. 

Not to them. 

You were so fucking important to both of them. You were unexpected, but so welcome when you showed up. You moved to Woodsboro suddenly and of course they took notice of you from that alone, forget about the fact that you were totally their type and it didn’t take very long at all for you to get endeared to them. Stu struck up a conversation in the lunch line one day and he was funny, really funny, you liked him and had lunch with him and Billy and just like that your friendship started. Didn’t take long for it to turn from friendship to more than that. 

Some late night study session preparing for some quiz, math maybe? Didn’t matter, not when you ended up in between them. Who kissed you first didn’t really matter either, it felt good, it felt right and that was what truly mattered. You all stuck together pretty closely after that. 

You took the news in stride, they knew they made the right choice picking you, finding out about their little ‘hobby’ didn’t drive you away and if anything it pushed you all closer together. You weren’t scared and you trusted them and fuck that maybe said something about you but you decided not to think that hard about it and move on, just be happy with what you all had. They would never hurt you and maybe that was a selfish perspective to have but again, who cares when you are this happy? 

The happiness didn’t last. 

Not because of them! Oh no, of course not. They were still great but then that fucker, that absolute asshole ended up coming back into your life. You thought that you had left them behind for good in your old town. What are the odds they’d move to the same town and transfer to the same school as you?

That day you walked into english and saw them sitting there your heart fucking dropped. They noticed you right away and the way they waved and called out your name with the most condescending “Hello.” possible with that sneer made your stomach turn. 

The boys knew something was off the second they saw you. 

You brushed them off and tried to tell them it was nothing and not to worry, they didn’t believe you but knew better than to push you to talk before you were ready. And so you suffered for probably longer than you should have. One day it was too much though. You agonized over it but you ultimately decided it was worth it. You went to Stu’s that night, Billy was there as you asked, you sat them down, taking nearly forever to get started, fidgeting and stopping and starting until you broke down. Near tears as you asked it, begged for their help. Worried you’d never be free of this awful human who kept finding ways to claw back into your life and pleaded that they took them out. 

“Hurt them like they made me hurt. Please?”

You babbled about how much they had hurt you, the pain you were still holding onto and how when you saw this person how badly it affected you and your mental health and just everything. You had wanted to go on about how bad you felt for asking for this and that you were selfish, mind running a mile a minute until they told you they’d do it. 

Of course they’d do this for you. Of course they would, they had never seen you so upset before this. They can and never would say no to you.

You knew the night they planned to do it. 

You stayed up late and tried to distract yourself but you couldn’t, you mostly watched the clock and eventually ended up dozing, fading in and out of consciousness until you were gently woken up. Stirred awake, vision still so foggy until you realized they were back. You were curled up in Billy’s bed and there he was, holding your face, his gloved hands felt warm and wet and Stu was right next to him, smudge of red on his cheek and they told you it was done. You had nothing to worry about anymore and the kiss on your forehead from Stu was what made you start to tear up. 

“So-sorry, fuck this is so dumb. I-I’m just so happy.”

A tsk from Billy and a laugh from Stu as he told you that it was fine, and with their costumes still half on they pulled you in between them and you were there right where you should be, getting hugged by both of them, crying as the two of them comforted you. Sweet words of how it was all better and would all be okay, in between kisses placed in your hair and on your face and fuck, you were so lucky. You didn’t ask the details but you were sure they did exactly as you wanted, you were so confident that they made them suffer and again, just like before you pushed that thought down of what that said about you. 

Because you were happy. And isn’t that enough?

[nct-jihee]

— RELATIONSHIP WITH 127

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┆#𝔗𝔞𝔢𝔧𝔦

➥ moon taeil & um jihee

⸻Her older brother, there's no other way to describe their relationship. He has taken that role ever since Minhyuk, her real older brother, went to study in Australia and made his life there.

Taeil was one of the first members to approach her and take care of her, especially because from the moment he saw her he felt like he needed to protect her because... well, she was going to be the only girl in the group. At first their friendship was kind of one sided, at least it seemed that way because she was very formal, like he took care of Jihee and she appreciated it but she never really talked to him more than a few minutes.

Now, they take great care of each other and enjoy being together a lot, Jihee is always looking at him with admiring eyes— Yes, he is her favorite member. No, she's not afraid to say it.

While he's definitely the member with whom she acts the sweetest in front of cameras, sadly they're not the most popular ship.

┆#𝔍𝔬𝔥𝔫𝔢𝔢

➥ johnny suh & um jihee

⸻Tom and Jerry. At first their friendship was more like an overprotective older brother and his annoyed little sister, but as Jihee began to treat him the same way they eventually became some kind of love-hate aka friends who actually love each other but they only show it in that way.

She talks, he laughs. She tells something, he annoys her. She gets very competitive in a game, he absolutely makes fun of her. Their relationship is a constant "you're so stupid but ily stupid."

But don't be fooled by them, Johnny really cares too much for her and protects her, although he sometimes tries to hide it with humor, depending on how serious the thing is. Jihee loves him quite a lot too, especially since he was the second person to speak to her and make her feel comfortable at SM Entertainment.

Being one of the Tom and Jerry ships, their popularity is quite high because fans are always hungry for their fun interactions.

┆#𝔗𝔞𝔢𝔥𝔢𝔢

➥ lee taeyong & um jihee

⸻Mother and son. As the leader and her being the only girl, Taeyong constantly worries about Jihee, her mental health, and how she is doing. However, and much to the surprise of many, she acts the same way with him, taking care of him and worrying that he sleeps and eats well, always trying to give him some peace in all the chaos that is life as the leader of NCT.

Because of the way she takes care of him, he sometimes tends to act sweeter and younger with her, because he likes to be taken care of that way and everyone can see that, which is why they are usually called mom and son duo by fans.

Being roommates, inevitably they know each other perfectly; their flaws, their strengths, what makes them cry and laugh, what they hate, what they like, and more. They think they're so close that they could almost be family by now — and trust me, that's not too far from the truth because his family loves her and her family loves him.

This ship is top 3 of the most popular.

┆#𝔜𝔲𝔧𝔦

➥ yuta nakamoto & um jihee

⸻Each other's safe place. Yuta and Jihee's relationship is often described by the members as the most real, because although they didn't start out as the best friends they are now, their friendship had a lot of development and they went through various stages: from strangers to trainees to acquaintance to enemies for a time to bandmates to friends to frenemies for a time to friends again to best friends.

They have such a strong bond and trust each other a lot, their relationship is based on trust and giving everything for them and each other. Usually when one of them is not feeling well, has concerns or just wants company they go with the other.

These two always sit together in interviews and laugh all the time, especially when it's stupid questions directed at her. Off camera they are always hugging and being close, and even though that doesn't happen when the camera is on, fans can still see how close they are by the way they act, speak and look at each other — and because the members are always saying how close they are.

Definitely the most popular ship.

┆#𝔍𝔦𝔡𝔬

➥ kim doyoung & um jihee

⸻Each other's protector. Doyoung and Jihee are more alike than they appear, especially when it comes to their competitiveness and the bullying they receive from their biggest enemies: Haechan and Johnny. That is why they both reached an agreement, to take care of each other always. Every time the maknae messes with Doyoung and beats him, she always comes out to defend him and gets revenge, beating Haechan in every single game. And every time the second oldest messes with Jihee, Doyoung... Well, he tries to defend her.

But aside from that kind of protection their friendship is about protecting each other's mental health, feelings, from haters, and from anything that might hurt them. They also talk about their worries and make it clear when they feel that the other person is getting hurt, trying too hard and receiving little.

Their interactions on camera are fun because somehow she always jumps up to defend him or stops him when he starts to get stressed.

This ship is very healing for fans, that's why they're loved, however they're not the most popular.

┆#𝔍𝔦𝔧𝔞𝔢

➥ jung jaehyun & um jihee

⸻97 line. They might as well be twins, so much that they joke about it. These two became close as soon as they met, being both from '97 and with the same tastes. Everyone knows that they are best friends, and that type of best friends who bully each other: at first the friendship was pink color but as time passed, and being surrounded by pure boys, Jihee got used to being the same way with him, soon that loving friendship turned into shoving and teasing.

Of course they also have their moments when they are sweet, but most of the time they treat each other like siblings who love each other but at the same time hate each other.

She does a lot of covers, lives and has a lot of moments in concerts with Jaehyun so they're often shipped romantically but that's why they always have to remind fans that they are like siblings.

The second most popular ship.

┆#𝔍𝔦𝔴𝔬𝔬

➥ kim jungwoo & um jihee

⸻His baby. It doesn't make a lot of sense because she's the oldest, but somehow Jihee became Jungwoo's baby. No matter how embarrassed she is, he will always be there to cup her cheeks and tell her how precious she is — Yes, even in front of people they've just met. He truly thinks that she is the cutest person to ever walk on this earth and he constantly feels the need to hold her and tell her how much he loves her.

Jihee really finds him cute when he is like that but sometimes it becomes a bit too much, however she doesn't say anything to him and just hugs him. She always supports Jungwoo, really, no matter what it is, she also protects him and tells him how much he deserves, even if he didn't believe it before.

Their friendship is very sincere and beautiful ever since he became a member of NCT, because she was the first to make him feel safe and was always with him, perhaps that is why they immediately began to have a great affection for each other.

The ship is loved, specially because Jungwoo always tries to "promote" it more.

┆#𝔐𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔥𝔢𝔢

➥ mark lee & um jihee

⸻Her son. Now that's her baby and no one can deny that. When she first saw him she swore that he was the cutest boy alive and inmediately felt the need to take care of him, something she has done for almost 8 years now. Jihee likes his noble heart and the sincerity that he carries, she loves that wherever he goes, he is loved.

For Mark, she is his older sister whom he loves very much and will always protect. He admires her a lot in every way and always asks for her help when he has questions about anything, not only in dance but also in personal matters.

Normally in their interactions she's treating him with so much love, they are always laughing together and joking. Fans love this ship because they take care of each other and are always looking at each other fondly.

┆#𝔍𝔦𝔥𝔶𝔲𝔠𝔨

➥ lee donghyuck & um jihee

⸻Frenemies. They either love or hate each other, there's no in between. These two are so similar that sometimes their personalities can clash and then they go from being best friends to being like cats and dogs, especially when they are playing games and get too competitive. Living in the same apartment definitely doesn't help them, but members take that to their advantage and make fun of them because finally they know what we feel.

Haechan swears it's the Gemini and ENFP in them, but Jihee disagrees — and then another fight starts.

But don't be fooled, these two can be such a duo and when they're being lovey dovey then they officially become a nightmare for 127. Jihee becomes an aegyo queen when she is with Haechan and then have competitions, they also hug a lot and vocalize all the time. They will never say it out loud but they really could not live without the other.

[headcanonthings]

Zukka Hockey AU

(with a hint of Social Media AU bc why not?)

Sokka and Zuko meet in the later years of college due to mutual friends

Sokka is an engineering student with a full ride hockey scholarship; Zuko entered as a business major but by the end of his first term he realized he was doing that because it’s what was always expected of him, he then changes to a double Lit & Theater Major (he decides to minor in business so he can help Uncle with the shop)

Neither of them are really looking for a relationship with being so busy with school, sports and jobs but thanks to their mutual friends they start hanging out and become pretty good friends

After college Sokka gets recruited to the pros and quickly becomes a fan favorite; Zuko becomes a moderately successful screen actor

They don’t lose touch so much as they just don’t stay close, they’ll message each other every now and then but mostly through social media like congratulating through tweets or instagram

But then Aang and Katara finally set the date for their marriage and Sokka is Aang’s Best Man and Zuko is invited as one of their dear friends which leads the two of them reconnecting

Zuko’s been out as gay since college and has been vocal in his career about his sexuality and mental health; Sokka on the other hand, while comfortable with his bisexuality, hasn’t been as open due to the heteronormative culture of sports, plus he’s always leaned more towards women then men so he never feels like he’s really hiding anything (the important people like his family, Aang, and Suki all know)

But during the Kataang wedding the two realize how much they’ve really missed each other and something really clicks between them over the few days they spend together

Before heading back to Caldera Zuko decides to shoot his shot (after a prep talk from Mai and Ty Lee) Sokka hesitates which has Zuko going from some what suave to his usual awkward turtleduck self as he quickly tries to backpedal, Sokka immediately jumps in to calm him down saying he’d love to but he’s not out publicly and sports as a whole ain’t that open let alone hockey and Sokka knows Zuko’s been out and doesn’t want him to like go back in the closet or anything

Zuko says he understands, but he really likes Sokka and Sokka has mentioned a few times over the past couple days that his hockey career isn’t a forever thing and Zuko’s willing to keep it on the downlow if it means giving them a try; neither of them are that big of celebrity that’ll be hard, they just need to be careful

It actually goes really well; they have to deal with virtual dates at first with Zuko in Caldera and Sokka on a southern Earth Kingdom island where his Southern Water Tribe team is located

About two months in Zuko’s between acting projects and he’s been wanting to try his hand at writing (he’s had a few short stories published under a pseudonym) so he rents a place on the southern earth island

(it’s a complete accident on Zuko’s part but very intentional on Mai’s part that the place happens to be only a few blocks away from the hockey training arena)

Being so close makes everything easier; being together is so easy in a way neither of them expected; their close friendship in college means they already know a lot about each other like Sokka losing his mom and Yue and Zuko’s entire family situation

By the end of Zuko’s first month on the island Sokka’s pretty sure he’s gonna ask Zukos to marry him someday; by month four of the relationship they agree it’s time to start telling their friends and family

Their six month anniversary hits and Sokka being RomanticTM sets up this huge display at his house I’m talking roses everywhere and fairy lights strung up on his back patio with specially ordered food and drink from the most romantic restaurant in town and a lit candle on the table and soft music playing from a little BT speaker and Zuko almost cries because he is also a RomanticTM but no ones ever done anything like this for him before

And the night is wonderful and there is absolutely nothing wrong but Sokka can’t help but think about how he really wishes he could have taken Zuko out to the restaurant and maybe done some kind of activity before hand and he’s got some really cute selfies with Zuko that he wishes he could share with the world instead of just spamming the gAang group chat

A few days later he’s scrolling social media after practice and realizes that it’s National Coming Out Day and he sees all of these cute and inspiring messages and he wants so badly to be apart of that

Later while he’s laying in bed with Zuko he can’t get those posts out of his head and he’s looking at Zuko curled up into his side and thinks Fuck It

He tells Zuko what he wants to do cause he’s going to come out but if Zuko doesn’t want to be part of it he’s not going to make him but all Zuko does is ask if he’s sure and Sokka is so he snaps a quick pic of them curled up together gets Zuko’s approval of the pic and posts it with a little message (including a bi and pride flag emojis)

Zuko in solidarity makes his own post using one of the photos they took during their anniversary

Sokka gets a call first thing in the morning from his coach and the PR guy asking him to come in; Sokka’s a little worried he’s about to get sacked but reminds himself that he’s still fairly young and he’s been smart enough to get his masters online during the off seasons

To Sokka’s minor surprise everyone is pretty ok with it; the PR guy is a little annoyed they didn’t have a heads up to help cut off the a-holes on the internet but they’re like the only statement we’re gonna put out is one that says the team supports all sexualities but they don’t want to make a big big deal out of it if Sokka’s not comfortable with that

All of Sokka’s teammates flood his mentions with support messages and follow Zuko’s account as another sign of support

The GAang are also quick to share a lot of pics and messages supporting the couple; Katara is super happy to share some of the mushier and embarrassing texts Sokka’s sent her like a whole paragraph about how pretty Sokka thinks Zuko’s eyes are

Bonus:

Mai is Zuko’s best friend since childhood, she went to school for something like Poli Sci and somehow in the process of helping him move to Caldera she ended up moving to; she helped him with his theater classes like running lines and studying and actually picked up a lot of the behind he scenes info so before she knows it she’s helping Zuko get auditions and PR and when someone asks if she’s his manager she only hesitates for a second before saying yes; she asks a family friend to help write up a contact that Zuko barely looks over because he trusts her

Once the initial fervor calms down, Sokka agrees to do an interview but specifically requests a little known journalist (Korra? A different Krew member?) he picks them based off of Zuko’s recommendation, Zuko remembers how kind and easy it was to speak with them; when Sokka tells the interviewer that they nearly faint

 Sokka loves Twitter but Zuko is more of an Instagram guy

Sokka and Zuko eventually end up having two weddings, a small personal one that is mostly family and really close friends and then a much larger event type one where they invite Sokka’s full team and the many celeb friends Zuko’s made like other actors and directors

[iatethepomegranate]

We are not alone in the dark with our demons, Chapter 11

In which Caleb buys a house in Rexxentrum with Beau and Yasha, becomes a professor, and learns to be a person and protect those who have been hurt like he has.

Content warnings: Caleb's backstory, mentions of abuse from teachers, discussions of institutionalisation, implied medical abuse

Chapter summary: Caleb was hurting, but he wasn't the only one. If he could do nothing else, he could care for his friends, and they could care for him.

Chapter notes: Kirschtorte is just Black Forest Cake with the geographic reference removed because Zemnian. Chapter title is from Neptune by Sleeping At Last

Chapter 11: If brokenness is a work of art surely this must be my masterpiece

Dinner was a solemn affair, no matter how much Caduceus and Yasha tried to provide comfort in the food they made. The spiced, fried bugs that Yasha had convinced them all to try were actually very good. And they hadn’t made apple tarts today--Jester would have been furious if they’d tried it in her absence--but they made a different Zemnian dessert instead: Kirschtorte. Layers of chocolate sponge sandwiched with whipped cream, sour cherries and a cherry liqueur unique to the Zemni Fields, with a few cherries placed on top.

It tasted so much like home that Caleb stopped eating, folded his arms on the table, rested his head on them, and cried. He had been too tired to excuse himself.

“Was the cake that bad?” Yasha half-whispered.

“No,” Beauregard said thickly. “It’s good, babe. I don’t think that’s… I think it’s been a long day. Long two days.”

Essek rubbed slow circles into Caleb’s back, but the group let him cry without disturbing him. Caduceus handed him a glass of water when he was finished. Caleb did not miss Beauregard twisting away from him to wipe her eyes. And Caleb was struck by another wave of emotion, grief at how much Beauregard was hurting, that almost brought him to tears all over again.

After dinner, Essek helped Caduceus and Yasha with the dishes. They hadn’t let Caleb or Beauregard help tonight. Caleb caught Beauregard as she left the kitchen, and guided her to the couch. They sat together, quietly at first. Sometimes Caleb felt so many things that it seemed impossible to put them into words. But he couldn’t leave things like this; she had gotten involved because of him. She’d run into a burning house with him, she’d watched Felix so Caduceus could help him try to save the Baumanns, she’d spent a day and night watching over Nico in the same state she knew Caleb himself had once been in. Eleven years in Vergesson, broken under the weight of what he had done to his mother and father. She knew all that. She knew more than almost anyone what he had gone through; she had listened to his story and written it down so they could stop Trent from hurting anyone else, and give Caleb just a little shred of peace. She cared about Caleb. She cared about people like him. And she had also been abused by a powerful man.

And they’d had the chance to help Nico in a way neither of them had been helped when they most needed it (and what help they had received only came years after the damage was done). Then, all their efforts to help Nico had failed. She’d mobilised the monks and done her best to find him, and had come up empty just like Caleb had.

She was hurting, too.

Caleb took her hand in both of his and, feeling awkward about it, kissed her knuckles. Beauregard looked at him strangely.

“Uh, Caleb? You’re being weird.”

“You’re a good friend, Beauregard.” Caleb patted her hand, setting it down on her leg.

“Oh, we’re gonna have one of those talks.”

Caleb’s track record for emotional conversations with Beauregard was, for the most part, horrifying. They were both awkward people who sometimes understood each other well, and other times couldn’t understand each other at all. He had, on more than one occasion, stormed away from a conversation silently screaming.

“Beauregard…” He sighed. Caleb was running on sheer willpower, emotionally bruised and given to cry at a moment’s notice. But he wanted her to know how much he appreciated her, and how sorry he was for her pain. “Thank you.”

“Caleb, we’ve been over this. You don’t need to say this shit.”

“I do, though.” Caleb hadn’t meant for his voice to sound so small. So fragile. But he… Caleb needed her to hear this.

She looked away. “Sorry. I just… you’re going through a lot of shit, and I don’t want you to feel, like, obligated…” She trailed off, staring at the colourful, jewel-toned rug Jester had brought from Nicodranas.

“This is not easy for you, either,” Caleb said, and Beauregard sagged against the couch, looking at him like he had grown another head.

“Caleb, what the fuck?”

“You are a caring person, Beauregard. And you know better than most what those children have been through. You listened to my story and wrote it down for me. You stood with me while I faced Trent in the courtroom and recounted, again, everything he had done to me.” Caleb didn’t know where he found the strength to speak, to build up the steam he needed to spill out all his feelings, but he did it because Beauregard needed to know. For both their sakes. “You and Veth were the first people I ever told. You are… invested. You care. You are kind and good. I need you to know that I am grateful for everything you have done for me, and for people like me.”

“Caleb, I know you’re grateful,” Beauregard said, with that same tired frustration she often had when he was being emotionally obtuse. “You’re also a fucking wreck and need to stop wasting your time on me.”

“I am not wasting anything,” Caleb said. He had to fight down his frustration. Neither of them were comfortable having this kind of focus on them, and she was trying to be a good friend. “That is not all I wanted to say. I want you to know… I see you.” Caleb wasn’t great at eye contact, but he made a special effort now, locking eyes with Beauregard and hoping she got it. Hoping she understood he knew she was suffering, and that it mattered to him.

“Hard not to, man. I’m pretty hot.”

“I’m glad you know that about yourself.” It would have been easy to let her deflect, but Caleb steeled himself to drag this conversation where he intended it to go. “But that is not what I meant. You know that.”

Beauregard averted her eyes once again.

“Yesterday was hard. Today was hard. For all of us. And you…” Caleb reached for her hand, relieved that she let him hold it. “You have been abused as well. And yet, you ran into a burning house with me. You saw Nico unresponsive in Wulf’s arms, knowing I was once like that, too. You watched over Felix while Caduceus and I tried to save Nico’s parents. Then, you watched over Nico and had to witness what I was going through that day, and that night. You have seen me in a bad place before, and that was the worst I have been in a long time, and I know it was confronting for all of you. And you did everything you could to keep Nico from running, and you were there when it all fell apart. I know you are hurt, Beauregard. And you are allowed to be. Please allow that for yourself.”

She squeezed his hand, and some of her guardedness fell away to reveal the sheer depths of sadness in her eyes. “I love you, man.”

“I love you, too, Beauregard. Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”

“I know. You are a good person. I am sorry for your pain, because I am your friend.”

Beauregard clasped his hand in both of hers, staring down at the tangle of fingers. “I’m worried about you, Caleb. And about the kids. But I can do something about you, at least.”

“You have done a lot already, Beauregard. Thank you.” He tugged her by the hand until she shuffled close enough that he could throw his arms around her and drag her into the tightest hug he could manage. She squeezed him back, and his spine cracked a little in a way he didn’t know he had needed on both a physical and emotional level until relief flooded through his system.

****

Caduceus stayed overnight in case he was needed, and Essek dropped him back at the Grove the following morning.

“Call me any time,” Caduceus had said as his parting words. “Whatever you need, even if it’s in the middle of the night, I’ll be ready.”

The Volstrucker and the monks continued searching for Nico, and Caleb was at a loose end. So he launched himself into preparing for the upcoming semester, his first as a teacher. He split his time at home between his study in the dormer, the floor of Beau and Yasha’s living room, and occasionally the Cobalt Soul Archives while Beau was working, depending on how much his need for privacy warred with his need to have his loved ones close at hand.

Essek stayed. Caleb stewed in silent guilt whenever he let himself think about it too much, but he knew better than to ask Essek to leave when the man was clearly worried about him. More often than not, Caleb left the house with his hair braided, whether it was a single braid at the back or, Essek’s favourite, two narrow braids tucked into a half or full ponytail. Sometimes it felt like Caleb’s mental health hinged entirely on the presence of a braid.

Caleb sent daily messages to Felix and Nico. For Felix, it was simple to find a routine. A question about his day, little tidbits about a spell the boy had indicated an interest in, updates on the search for Nico, and whether either of them had received responses from him (the answer, thus far, was no). He didn’t push Felix for an answer about school. Not yet.

For Nico, Caleb weighed his words far more carefully.

On one day: “Hallo, Nico. It’s Caleb. How are you? I am working from home today. You are welcome here any time.”

A few hours after that: “Hallo, Nico. Caleb again. I just wanted to say: I know how you are feeling. I went through this as well. You’re in my thoughts.”

Another day: “Hallo, Nico. Me again. Are you safe? It’s cold out. Remember to drink water. Boil it first if necessary.”

And another: “Hallo, Nico. I am a teacher at the Academy now. I intend to watch these fuckers like a hawk. Keep the kids safe, ja?”

He burned a second spell for that one: “We deserved better. I will make sure the children who come after us get it. And you… come back when you’re ready. Let me help.”

And countless other messages, little updates about his day, about Felix, about work, about just… coming back in one piece.

And he did not receive a single response. Caleb cried more often than not after going through this. He preferred to be alone in his study in those moments, and the others had learned not to disturb him until he was ready to be around people again.

Overall, he felt he had been pretty good about it. He kept busy, spent time with his friends, let Essek hover around him and take care of him. Caleb let Essek help with his lesson plans, bounce around ideas for a presentation he would have to make in the first week of semester as a new teacher at the Academy. He had already told the Nein they were invited, and had spoken to Astrid to make sure the non-citizens would be welcome.

He also remembered to invite Nico, on the off-chance the boy needed a specific call to action to return to Rexxentrum.

“Hallo, Nico. I am presenting a talk next week at the Academy on the first day of semester. 7 o’clock. You would be welcome.”

Caleb met regularly with Bettina and Alphira to work on their lesson plans together. He spent most of that time with Bettina, given he would literally be taking over one of her classes. He was mostly assisting Alphira, though she was interested to get him in to talk to the senior Evocation students at some point about his experiences with the Sending spell. Including the funny ones with Jester. There was also an interesting discussion to be had about why Sending was considered an Evocation spell while Message was considered a Transmutation cantrip. Both professors spoke carefully in a way that suggested they knew what had happened with Felix and Nico, but they never brought it up. He was relieved they let him keep his academic work separate from that heartbreaking shitshow.

Between work, Caleb found time to catch up with Astrid and Wulf. He pretended not to notice their visible relief whenever they saw him, because he was genuinely unsure what they would do if he brought it up.

At a certain point, meeting in Astrid’s office brought up too many memories, so they moved their meetings to the dance hall. Beauregard, Yasha and even a disguised Essek had “accidentally” wandered in on more than one occasion.

“Are you still talking to Felix?” Astrid asked him as the three of them sat around a table in the farthest corner of the room from the dance floor.

“Ja, he doesn’t tell me everything, but he responds at least.”

“Still nothing from Nico?”

Caleb didn’t need to say it out loud; he couldn’t school his expression to hide the pain there. And Astrid and Wulf had once known him very well.

Astrid reached out, touched the back of his hand where it rested on the table beside his mug of ale. “I’m sorry, Bren.”

Wulf had his eye on Yasha, who was calmly drinking at the bar. “Astrid’s people are still looking for him.”

Caleb did his best to shrug off the hurt. “I know.”

Astrid squeezed his hand once and then retreated. “Now, about your lesson plans…”

She had been teaching for a while, so Astrid had plenty of advice to give. However, she was also hesitant to steer Caleb too much.

“You have good instincts,” she told him every time they spoke about it. “Trust them.”

On their way out of the dance hall, where they had sat for a good three hours, Astrid caught Caleb’s arm.

“One more thing. I have secured a venue at the Academy for the support group, mid-week. I have contacted most of the Volstrucker. We are ready to go ahead when you are.”

“Astrid, the point of this is not for one person to steer it.”

Astrid raised an eyebrow at him. “Bren, we need a dedicated person to drive this. And that person is you.”

The thought of that was frightening. Caleb was barely figuring out how to be a person himself, let alone be responsible for the healing of dozens of people who had been under Trent’s thumb for far longer than he had.

“Astrid.”

“I am not expecting you to have all the answers for them,” she said firmly. “But you have had more time to process than the rest of us have.” She gave a small, wry chuckle. “In fact, you may be the most stable of us all.”

“Astrid, that is horrifying.”

“She’s right,” said Wulf. “Besides, you have a way with people. Always have.”

Caleb was not like Fjord or Jester or Caduceus who always seemed to have something to say when someone was hurting, but he could talk when he had to. He feared some of the Volstrucker would not take him seriously because he had broken, or because he had gotten out long before they had. This would take time. Fortunately, Caleb was one of the few Empire wizards with in-depth knowledge of time, learned from a reliable source.

Astrid still held his arm. She slid down to grip his hand instead. “I know this will not be easy for you. You were always sensitive. But that is why you have a chance with these people. They are not…” She sighed. “Trent made sure we don’t know how to exist in a world without his boot on our throats.”

“We don’t know how to process our emotions,” Wulf said, and it was odd to hear him admit it aloud. “Well, most of us. You do all right.”

Caleb laughed at that, because it sounded like a horrible joke. Caleb, who felt so constantly bruised on the inside that even the slightest inconvenience threatened to send him into tears. Who still woke up gasping in the night. Who was so choked by pain sometimes that words left him. Processing his emotions? It was more likely that his emotions processed him. Like a fucking meatgrinder.

Astrid frowned at him. “Let’s take a walk. Just the three of us.” She glanced back at the door, where Yasha was visible. “If your shadow will allow it.”

“My shadow does what she likes,” Caleb muttered, letting Astrid tug him along. Wulf took his other hand, leaving him little choice to let the two of them take him where they willed.

They wound up in a small park they had used to visit regularly, especially when drunk after a night of dancing. It was strange to see it in daylight, and while Caleb was mostly sober. They sat on the grass beside a small ornamental pond, Astrid and Wulf pointedly bookending Caleb, sitting close enough for their shoulders to touch. The wind played with the strands of Caleb’s hair that had fallen out of his braid. He never bothered to fix them because Essek found it endearing.

“I apologise,” said Astrid. “I did not mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset, Astrid.” At her doubtful noise, he added, “Not at you.”

“You should get out of Rexxentrum,” she said abruptly. “Just for a few days. We have things well in hand. Your lesson plans are solid. Bettina and Alphira are pleased. You do not need to be here until next week.”

“And if Nico comes back?”

“You will be contacted. I promise.” Astrid looked to Wulf, who shrugged at her, which caused her to roll her eyes. “Jester keeps pestering me to make you visit Nicodranas.”

Caleb had been messaging with Jester regularly, and she had hinted that he should visit, but she was usually a lot more explicit when she wanted to see him. And he knew she was talking to Yasha, Beau and Essek, but none of them had said much about it.

It was odd. “Is there a reason she is pestering you and not the people I literally live with?”

Astrid shrugged. “I may have let a few things slip.”

“Astrid, you do not ‘let things slip.’”

She looked utterly unashamed. “Well, apparently you had not told some of your dearest friends you are going through a rough patch, so I did it for you.”

“In how much detail, exactly?” Caleb did not like to be angry with his friends, especially Astrid, but he needed to work out how much of a problem he needed to have with her.

“Very little, just enough that she knows you are not at your best. I would not rob you of that agency.”

That last part hit Caleb harder than he could have expected. “I… thank you.”

Caleb had to admit he missed his friends terribly. Especially Veth, who of all the Nein had seen him at his worst, helped him put the pieces of his brain together on the days he collapsed, who had cuddled up to him on bad days, who had been the first friend he’d had in many years. And Jester, who knew how to ruin a dark mood. Fjord, with his quiet understanding. Kingsley with his… Kingsleyness that was a little painfully close to Molly sometimes but more than welcome.

He always knew they would be worried sick if he told them even a fraction of what had happened in the last few days. Seeing the pain he brought to Caduceus, Yasha, Beau and Essek was hard enough. But they loved him. Those who did not know what had happened would want to know, so they could help.

And he was touched that Astrid and Wulf had taken the time to sit him down and discuss this with him. He didn’t know what they were now. Maybe he never would. Maybe they were friends again. They had all changed so much, Caleb especially, that it was hard to say if they could even be friends. But Caleb wanted it. He wanted it a lot.

“I suppose I can spare a day or two,” he finally said. It would be good for Essek to get out of Rexxentrum, too. Maybe he could drag Beau and Yasha out for a bit, even if Beau had obligations at the Archive.

Wulf and Astrid looked at each other in a knowing way he had not seen from them in seventeen years. The familiarity was strange, and a little uncomfortable, but also comforting at the same time. He had spent so much time emphasising how much he still cared for them, doing his best to drag them away from Trent, and then gently guiding them through sharing their trauma to put Trent away for good. But he had never forgotten that for such a long time, they were the ones looking out for him and protecting him. He had done the same for them, of course, but there had often been an unspoken understanding that Caleb was just a little bit squishy, needed just a little extra care.

Caleb was also keenly aware that sometimes it was easier to care for someone else than to care for yourself.

Wulf’s large hand found Caleb’s knee. “Good. Say hi to Fjord for me.”

“Tell him yourself,” Caleb muttered, because he knew Wulf would find it more funny than offensive.

Wulf chuckled and squeezed his knee. “Oh, and warn your boyfriend: if he hurts you, I will cut off his balls.”

“You will have to beat me there,” said Astrid.

Okay, this conversation had taken so many twists and turns that Caleb had half a mind to visit the Grove and ask Caduceus to check him for whiplash. Unsurprising, really. Things were complicated between the three of them and likely would be for a very long time.

He wasn’t sure what to say about the fact his exes were on the cusp of threatening his current partner, and not in the way one might expect. Caleb found himself fiddling with the end of his braid while he tried to process what the fuck was happening to him.

Finally, he said, “There are a great many people who would fuck him up if he ever put a foot wrong with me, and he himself is first in line. You need not worry about that. Thank you for your… concern?”

Astrid and Wulf shared another look, much more pained than the last. Then they both looked away, Astrid into the grass and Wulf at the pond.

“He treats you well?” she said quietly.

“Ja, very well. He came back to take care of me.” Caleb had no words for the depths of his gratitude towards Essek. He was always gentle with Caleb, sensitive to his needs. And these last few days, he had been nothing but a source of endless love and support, a soft place to land when Caleb felt like he was in freefall. He always offered this, but every protective and caring instinct in Essek had been cranked upward, like casting an old, reliable third-level spell at eighth level instead. Or ninth, though Caleb and Essek were not quite to that level of magical skill yet.

“Good,” Wulf muttered. “You play with your braid when you talk about him.”

Caleb chuckled, not even embarrassed he had been caught with such an obvious tell. “Ja, he likes to braid my hair for me.”

“Hard to hate a man who braids his partner’s hair.” Wulf’s voice was almost wistful; Caleb’s hair had never been long enough to braid when the three of them were together, but they had occasionally been able to get a small one into Astrid’s hair.

“Good. Don’t.”

Astrid’s hand found Caleb’s other knee. “You’ve been through a lot, even in the past few days alone. And… we know you are capable. You have the willpower and the support you need to get through all of this, and to guide the Volstrucker who agree to attend the support group. But we do worry for you. And we are… glad… you have people in your life who take care of you.” Once again, she could not look at him. “Wulf and I… we are sorry we failed you.”

That was a new one. “Astrid, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Greater Restoration,” Wulf said quietly.

“If we had found the nerve to talk to a cleric ourselves,” added Astrid, “we could have gotten you out of there years ago.”

Right. Vergesson. “Trent wouldn’t have allowed it. You know that.”

“We could have tried.”

They had been teenagers. Frightened, grieving teenagers at the mercy of a powerful man. Of all the things Caleb could have held against Astrid and Eadwulf, this would never be one of them.

“You could have gotten us all killed,” Caleb said, forcing steel into his tone in the hope it would break whatever spiral Astrid and Wulf had worked themselves into. “You didn’t know that Greater Restoration would have done shit for me. Why would you? That is not the skillset Trent cultivated in us. He taught us how to hurt people, because we were to be his weapons. He had us murder our own fucking parents because all he wanted us to know was violence and pain and fear and utter reliance on him alone. You do not need to apologise for not taking on a fool’s errand.”

They refused to look at him once again. Jaws clenched. Eyes wild and staring holes into the ground.

“We were children,” Caleb reminded them, squeezing their hands where they remained on his knees. “We were children. Of all the things we have done or not done, that is the last thing I will ever let you apologise for. Do not hurt yourselves, hurt me, like this. Please.”

Astrid’s free hand pressed over her mouth, catching a sob. Wulf’s thumb drew a slow circle on Caleb’s knee.

“You’re right,” Wulf said quietly. “It would have been foolish. But we…”

“We were cowards,” Astrid snapped. “We left you there for eleven years. Trent made sure you were cared for, but… it was Vergesson. And you were defenceless.”

“I am well aware,” Caleb said before she could pull up memories that were far too painful for any of them. “I have told you before that I remember little of my time there. I would prefer it remain that way, I think.” Caleb wasn’t sure he could survive remembering that place beyond the flashes of awful that would sometimes come to him.

“I’m sorry, Bren. I’m sorry.”

“Shhhh. Enough of that.”

Astrid cleared her throat, straightened up. Evidently she had remembered they were technically in a public place.

“Do us a favour,” said Wulf. “Go to Nicodranas. Get some rest.”

“I will, if the two of you will also do me a favour.”

Astrid, newly composed, raised an eyebrow at him. “What is this favour?”

“Try to hate yourselves a little less. Hypocritical coming from me, but I think we could all stand to be kinder to ourselves.” Caleb had said almost those exact words to Essek in the Blooming Grove all those months ago, and he was struck by how much he had a type.

“All right,” she said, smiling with so much affection that Caleb was taken back to their first kiss in a freezing cold tower. “You first.”

They parted ways not long afterwards, and Yasha melted out of the shadows to walk Caleb home.

“That looked very intense,” she said, leading him by the hand like he was a small child bound to get lost in a big city. “Are you okay?”

“I think so. Think you can convince Beauregard to visit Nicodranas for a bit?”

Yasha chuckled. “I think I can manage.”

****

Making arrangements for Nicodranas kept Caleb from stewing too much in his talk with Astrid and Wulf. That was welcome. He appreciated the care they still had for him, but there were some things that were still too painful and probably always would be. He had already messaged Jester to confirm the Nein Heroez would be in dock at the time.

“Of course, Caleb! Did Astrid talk to you? She’s super nice, and she really cares about you a lot. I’m sorry I was mean to--” The message cut off at twenty-five words; Jester’s word economy, or lack thereof, would always be a source of joy even on a bad day.

Essek, mercifully, had messaged Veth for him; she would hear the exhaustion in Caleb’s voice and worry herself into a panic.

Despite the flurry of activity, Caleb still found himself occasionally caught, freezing in the act of folding a shirt or cataloguing his spell components. And he’d remember how much the two visits to Vergesson he had made since his escape had rattled him. The few memories he had were bad enough, and he knew so much of the pain the place brought him was buried in his subconscious. Or in moments that his body seemed to remember but his mind didn’t.

The bloodbath he’d caused while on the amulet heist. So on edge that he had forgotten a crucial detail about the Wall of Force spell until he had expended all his spells that he could have used to disintegrate it. Caleb did not forget things like that. Until he did, apparently. And then there had been his complete inability to do anything but fight when Trent had appeared suddenly, temporarily thwarting their escape. He’d fallen back on his training. Always his training. And the violence it entailed.

While part of him was a tiniest bit curious what had happened during those eleven years, if nothing else to further catalogue Trent’s sins on the public record and dig up his accomplices, most of him hoped he never found out.

As he stood a little too long in these thoughts, a pair of dusky purple hands lifted Caleb’s component pouch from his shaking grip, setting it aside. Essek sat Caleb on the end of the bed and wordlessly climbed behind him, knees gently pressing Caleb’s hips as he pulled the braid loose and began it anew. The gentle tugging motions slowly pulled Caleb back into his body, and the present.

Essek finished off the braid and kissed Caleb’s neck. “Do you want to talk about it?”

More like Caleb needed to talk about it before he imploded. “Astrid and Wulf apologised for not getting me out of Vergesson themselves. And… I think they know some parts of what happened to me there. Things I don’t remember. Things I don’t want to remember. Things I might know subconsciously that I don’t think I can handle knowing consciously. I’m just… out of sorts, I suppose.”

Essek slid his arms around Caleb’s chest, pressing himself up against his back, squishing their cheeks together. “I would like to turn them into spaghetti for making you think about this when you have enough to worry about, but you would be upset with me.”

“I’m not angry with them.”

“I know.” Essek kissed his cheek, nuzzling Caleb’s stubble.

“Vergesson is… I do not like the person I became when I was last there. I don’t think I could survive remembering what happened to me.”

“Then don’t try to remember.” Essek flattened his palm over Caleb’s heart and gently pressed down, forcing Caleb to focus more on his breathing. Remembering that his heart still beat. He was here.

More immediate, practical thoughts began to filter back into Caleb’s mind. He remembered he was going to Send to Caduceus and invite him to Nicodranas. Caduceus would hear the rough edges in Caleb’s voice, but he could handle it far better than most of the Nein.

“Hallo, Caduceus. It’s Caleb. We are visiting Nicodranas for a few days tomorrow. Would you like to come? We can pick you up in the morning.”

There was a slight pause, and then Caduceus’s warm, soothing tone filled Caleb’s mind. “Hey, Caleb. That sounds great. I’ll be ready, with fresh tea for everyone. And sunhats. You and Essek will burn in the sun.”

“Caduceus is in,” Caleb said, stifling a yawn. Essek laughed softly, his breath tickling Caleb’s neck. “Now for Yussa.” He cast again, directing a message to Wensforth. “Hallo, it’s Caleb of the Mighty Nein. We are visiting Nicodranas tomorrow. May we use the circle? It would be good to see you both.”

Wensforth replied quickly. “Yes, of course! The master is eager to speak with you at any time. Please… message before you arrive?”

Caleb let himself laugh a little. The Nein were notoriously awful at warning people of their arrival. And Caleb was touched that Yussa, ever a busy man, thought so highly of them now that he would happily drop everything to talk to them. They had spoken a few times since Cognouza, and if Yussa had been a less restrained man, Caleb had the strong impression he would’ve hugged each and every one of the Nein in gratitude for saving him.

And, to think, Caleb had once been so frightened of him that he could barely speak.

He felt better, so he got up and finished sorting his spell components, making a note that he would need to restock his teleportation circle chalk after a few more uses.

Caleb helped Yasha cook Eintopf that evening, a one-pot stew. Caleb had grown up eating dozens of versions of the stew, but he had his favourites. Carrots, leeks and celeriac were key to the base of the soup, as they were preparing their own broth. Along with a bunch of parsley. Yasha had found some excellent pork sausages at the market today, so those went in along with green beans (Caleb’s sentimental favourite), potatoes, and a ton of onion. Lots of garlic. Yasha had also found marjoram at the market today.

This was a recipe Caleb had helped his mother cook even as a boy, so he also insisted they add apple like she always had. For a little bit of sweetness and acidity. And surprise.

Caleb cleaned and steamed the beans while Yasha browned the meat and onions and potatoes and garlic. From there, they tag-teamed to get everything bubbling away until it was all finally ready to put into a pot and simmer away to completion.

It was a good use of the evening, and it kept Caleb busy and enveloped in happy sensory memories of his mother’s kitchen. While the stew bubbled away, he munched on a few green beans he’d set aside for the fun of it after they had steamed.

Essek hovered in the corner, reading a book about sea creatures Jester had brought him last time she was in town. Caleb pulled out his lesson plans and speech preparation, spreading it out across the dinner table, and made edits into the evening.

Beauregard arrived home from work--Yasha had visited her already to persuade her to come with them to Nicodranas. And then they ate dinner together at the table, and the taste of home did not send Caleb into a grief spiral tonight. This time, it just soothed him.

Before bed, Caleb sent one last message: “Hallo, Nico. It’s Caleb. I will be in Nicodranas for a few days. If you need shelter and the house is empty, take the key--” He cast again. “From inside the flowerpot on the right side of the house. I have an illusion set to guide you. Password: Wilkommen. Gute nacht.”

No response, but Caleb hadn’t expected one. He let Essek tuck him into bed. They curled up together, Essek slowly but firmly stroking his back with grounding pressure, until Caleb fell asleep.

[thefallenchildofthestars]

the perks of being a wallflower

i haven’t read the book yet and i do plan on it, i swear. BUT the movie comes off netflix today so i needed to watch it. my room doesn’t have a DVD player or i wouldn’t have bothered but it’s laright. 

i love charles, he’s really relatable. not super enjoying the social settings, doesn’t participate in class, doesn’t have any friends. perfect. i like patrick too, he’s the popular OH SAM SAM SAM yes there is sam. the samantha. the trio of friends who you would die to have. 

lmao i wish our high school football team was half as decent as theirs, maybe the games would be tolerable. 

slut and the falcon. living room routine.

god i wish i could do high school over again. i wouldn’t talk to anyone i wouldn’t look at anyone i wouldn’t meet anyone i wouldn’t do anything other than my schoolwork. no dating, no friends, just my family. 

i like the dynamic of him and his sister, it reminds me a lot of aubrey and i. 

oh the cliche’s i live for it. come on eileen is a good song too. but standing against the cement wall drinking shitty punch watching complete chaos unfold. 

and the cast of this movie!!! it’s to absolutely die for!!! i mean emma watson, obviously, speaks for itself. paul rudd as the fantastic english teacher support character. logan lerman? icon. erza miller is a really good actor. 

i would love to do weed brownies in someone’s random basement and talk to random girls about giving marching band letterman shit and how its not a sport and how its pointless to give it to them. 

“are you baked?” “like a cake” 

oh im gonna cry at this movie what the hell. i wanna feel noticed and welcomed. 

here we go the iconic scene, where its emma watson in the tunnel on the bed of the truck. where charle falls in love with sam for real this time, where it’s practically a visual tutorial of how to feel weightless and infinite.

i think that if i do end up switching schools (which will be kind of sad because then i don’t get to go to the cadaver lab) i will live my little indie movie fantasy. 

the rocky horror picture show!!! oh it makes me so happyyy. i want a group of friends like this oh my gosh. 

we accept the love we think we deserve.

okay season change, we are drifting into the christmas season. i wish that someone would study for the SAT’s with me,

below average!!!

i love the aggression towards mary elizabeth.

oh the stupid record for sam. and when charlie first puts on the suit!!! i think that is brendon urie on the wall but like i don’t think it fits the vibe. OH MY GOSH SHE GOT HIM A TYPEWRITER. IM GONNA CRYYYYYYYY.

write about us. i will. 

i just want to make sure that the first person who kisses you loves you. 

i love you charlie. i love you too.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. god this movie fills me up with stupid warm hope about life and love and oh my goddd.

the way that his brother and him talks about his mental health is so important. because im the only one who yk has gotten checked into a hospital (twice, thank you very much). who knows what’s going to happen next and im so sick and tired of not living my life but i also can’t live my life the way i want to while im at east because o people and that’s okay its not their fault, it’s mine really. but it would also be my fault if i never tried to give myself better. try to give myself tunnels and weed brownies and mixtapes and secret santas. 

oh the record. oh the record. 

i’m gonna have to sit down and watch the rocky horror picture show to get full context of the references to the movie but i’ve been meaning to watch it anyways. 

sometimes i forget its set in the 90s. the outfits, the language, the everything. oh god mary elizabeth i forgot she liked him since the beginning of the movie and it’s lame because charlie loves sam. oh just mary elizabeth flirting with charlie is bad. like i just never see them together and them making out is weird and OH IT SWITCHES TO SAM. woah boyfriend? 

i like that he still writes letters to his friend. it’s important to me. she really just bullies him for the things that he likes. and he just like wont break up with her.

OH OH OH YOU KNOW PATRICK he reminds me of conan gray!!! and maybe that’s why i like him so much oh my god. 

WOAH CHARLIE REALLY KISSED SAM INSTEAD OF MARY ELIZABETH bruhhh. like he really should have just dumped her like a week or two later. 

im worried about charlie now, because he’s getting worse again and mary elizabeth isn’t helping. and patrick got caught and now everything is going to shit and holy crap everything is rushing back and everything hurts

hearing the story about patricks breakup with his boyfried and then he kissed charlie and he was so okay abuot it because he knew that he was hurting and he just wanted him to be okay. and then everyone started getting accepted into college.

charlie is getting worse and the blackouts are getting worse and im worried that he is going to attempt and its the last day of his freshman year and i don’t want him to.

this gives very unrealisitc ideas about high school and it makes me very upset. but it’s okay. sam is still with her jackass of a boyfriend. OFC HE WAS CHEATING ON HER FUCK. 

nothing hates u.

charlie kissing sam and calling her beautiful and it makes me so happy that he kissed her. i hate that she is crying when she kisses him goodbye and i hate that she has to say goodbye and now he’s going to be alone again because all of his friends are gone. and i cant breathe and hes in the hospital.

this movie broke me. 

we are infinite.

[shyrose57]

2: At first? No. Ran was the first one who noticed when something was off but Ranbob brushed it off as him being tired. Though when he saw that his brother was still acting that way he kept checking in, til "Ranbob" eventually snapped at him one day, scaring and hurting Ran enough to get him to stop. His parents and Lias and Memi also noticed, but Lias and Memi didn't ask as often because Ran told them not too, and when Memi asked Ranbob gently told her its ok and to not worry. Lias was hesitant to accept this but eventually did, with Ranbob promising to tell him if something was wrong, a promise he sadly broke. Ranbob was close to his family, especially his younger siblings, and loved to play and study with them. He had a lot of friends at first that he played games with and joked around with. Though after he started to get out under more pressure and the introduction of Dream he got distant, lost all of his friends (even though he still cared for them), didn't play with Lias or Memi nearly as much, started skipping dinners and not talking to his parents or Ran. And when Dream was mostly and fully in control, he stopped talking at all, and ignored everyone. Lias desperately tried to get him to talk but that just resulted in a harsh stare with a silent promise, Memi tried to hug him, which he then pushed her away, and when Ran tried one last time to talk to him, but "Ranbob" just punched him and walked away. When his parents tried one very last time to intervene, that's when it got fatal. The Gladiators where horrified at what they read, finding it hard to believe and making them sick to their stomach. Benjamin caught them reading it, though he simply sadly smiled at them and said, "I read it too. Its horrible isn't it? He didn't deserve to go through that. But we'll help him. We'll help him be free and be himself again, I promise you, and everyone else. We'll save him." They felt like they where staring at a ghost, it was unnerving, to see such a happy and young Ranbob, knowing what will happen to him that will wipe him clean of all happiness. And it felt disrespectful when they caught sights of Ranya, Seth, Lias, and Memi. Cause they never knew them, and now they where looking into the such happy and gleeful eyes of dead people who don't know the torture their son and brother is going through. (And that went for everyone)

3: This is literally Ran's mentally when it comes to being stabbed, "I've been stabbed multiple times before and I haven't died. Therefor, I am immortal." Yes he is :). He gets threatened with Benjamin because if Benjamin finds out he isn't eating or sleeping Benjamin will force him to eat every bite of a full meal and force him to go to bed, sitting next to him and reading to him until he falls asleep. Which sounds nice, but considering Ranbob doesnt want to "bother" them, its a threat to him. Raq will always cause problems, he's a expert tracker and because of that he's able to hunt the groups down. He often will pop out of nowhere and attack the group, chasing them down until someone turns around and attacks him. Often Ran attacks him by looking Raq directly in his eyes, causing him to flee. Cause even though Raq wants to get Ran, he knows very well if they make eye contact he will lose a battle no matter what he does, so its best to run and attempt to blind him at a later point. Ran his very happy to be on the road again, and if Ranbob wasn't there (who's keeping Ran on edge and preventing him from fully enjoying the trip, though its mostly just Ran doing it to himself), he would be non-stop talking and running ahead of the group. But even with Ranbob there he's happy to finally be moving again. 

4: The gladiators did not witness it first hand, rather they heard screaming and went to check it out, worried and alarmed. And when Ranbob went into the depressive state did Benjamin come over to them and explain what was going on and what was going to happen. When then Jackie offered to help keep Ranbob company while Grievous and Watson offered to go along with Cletus to find Ran. When they heard the scream Jackie was scared and nervous, Grievous was anxious and on edge, Watson was calm yet curious, and Ran was mad and on edge. And when they found out what happened, Jackie felt bad and sympathetic, Grievous felt sad and a bit guilty, Watson was sympathetic and felt bad for him, and Ran was pissed. 

5: Isaac and Benjamin just kinda accepted it and went "Yes he is like a lost puppy and we love him for that.", Charles was embarrassed and instead of responding properly he muttered out an excuse and left, cause he was not expecting to be confronted with Ranbob being like a puppy at all and didn't know how to respond, and Cletus just stuck his tounge out and blew raspberries. And Ranbob was just purely embarrassed. 

6: Actually first thing Ranbob got when he arrived to the fishermen house was wrapped up in multiple fluffy blankets and had a hot chocolate shoved in his hands. Also whenever he goes into a depressive episode or wants to go back the fishermen just bring out emergency blankets and quickly make either hot chocolate or tea and Ranbob loves it every single time. 

7: Ranbob is mixed, he loves it being back as it reminds him of such good times, but it also doesn't feel right when Charles says it because Ran was the one who made it. It only sounds right when Ran says it. Ran is angry that Ranbob is letting someone else call him Bobby (which he is also sad about), but is also mad that he's mad that someone else is using it. But he's also happy its being used again, and is happy to see Ranbob still enjoys it. Grievous of course notices it, but doesnt look into it, and so does Watson but he also doesn't ask about it, determing it to be something the brothers themselves have to talk about. 

8:Because if it was Porkius or literally anyone else, they wouldn't of helped and would've watched happily as the two fought, waiting until one fell and even encouraging the fight. But they also jumped into the area from the stands and Cletus specifically placed himself between the two, pushing Ran back and yelling at him (which rarely anyone does) when Benjamin then came up to try to calm the raging enderman down, while Charles checked on Ranbob, and Isaac kept look out for any sudden movements between the two so he could intercept the potential attack. Plus when Isaac saw the other group approaching he ran to meet them, asking if they knew Ran and when they said yes, quickly stating a plan to safely restrain Ran long enough until Ranbob was taken to safety. Then leaving Ran to the group, but also saying how he wanted to talk later. 

10: Sounds like the certain town just may be the ruins of the Greater SMP. So I'll probably have Wilburs Decendent (which I dont currently have a name for, if anyone has one please feel free to suggest one!) As a popular performer there and also the towns historian, so when our groups get there Wilbur is able to provide information about Dream, Ranboo, basically everyone and the history of the SMP. Most likely going be a part of the story when Ran truly starts to slowly believe that his brother didn't meant to do everything he did. 

11: Yep, he knows Ranboo used to have bad memory (not how bad it was, just that it was bad) but he's never read it because Mizu never had the actual book, it was only told in tales and stories that Mizu had. If that makes sense. Ranbob will get plenty more hugs I promise you, though that also means he gets hurt more. 

12: Kinda but also cause I enjoy writing angst. 

Ok ok here's some fluff: These all take place a good week or 2 (or longer) after Ran forgives his brother and the relationship gets better. Watson walks in on the two sharing a blanket and sleeping against eachother. With them leaning on eachother and leaving almost no space between them. Ran finally calls Ranbob Bobby again and Ranbob cries and hugs his brother tightly, Ran is shocked but quickly hugs back just as tightly. Ranbob gets to finally pull a big brother move and tease Ran about his "nerdy" habit of reading so many books, Ran tries to fire back that Ranbob literally picked a idol that requires you to be a bookworm but he simply shoots back that Technoblade also requires you to be a bookworm. Its been spotted multiple times of either Ran or Ranbob having their tail wrapped around his brothers wrist or leg, and the two aren't very far apart now. Jackie jokes about being replaced by Ranbob and being heartbroken, basically draping himself over Ran and whining while everyone else laughs at Rans distress. Ran and Ranbob eventually agree to merge their two hauntings, which is extremely rare and is the biggest sign of trust and love there is in enderman language. Ran reads to Ranbob one night after a bad relapse, which ends up soothing Ranbob much sooner than anything else. 

I also have a more mythical idea of fluff that probably wont be in the main story, but im willing to share it if you want. 

2: Only his family noticed? Dang, okay. I’m irrationally attached to his siblings now that they have names, and this only hurts me. Do the gladiators have any noticeable changes in behavior towards Ranbob and Ran after reading it? Also, who may Ranya and Seth be? I don’t believe I saw them mentioned earlier.

3: Technically, he’s right. He hasn’t died yet, anon, and he’s been stabbed multiple times, he could very well be immortal. I guess he should probably do his best to not get stabbed again though, I hear it’s kind of bad for you. 

Ranbob: *Not doing something he should do for his own health*

Benjamin: *Self Care But As A Threat(Gently)*

Ranbob:

Ranbob: *Does it*

Also, even though I acknowledge that Raq could be a genuine threat, all I can imagine are Team Rocket shenanigans. He keeps trying to blind him in various, complicated ways, and fails hilariously. One time he actually manages to do it only for Jackie to take him out or for him to turn around and accidentally look Ranbob straight in the eyes cause the poor hybrid was trying to knock him out without a fight.

4: Yikes, that must have been pretty scary, just hearing everything go down. If I may ask, what exactly happened with Ranbob? You said there was screaming?

5: Well, at least everyone’s come to terms with it. Ran uses people as tote bags, and Ranbob is the local puppy, and it is what it is.

6: Very good! He needs it! Also, do they just keep them on hand? Just-he looks a tiny bit sad and Benjamin pulls blanket and tea out of thin air and burritos him. 

7: Aww. But also, ouch. Oh well. At least we can get Ran eventually picking the nickname up again.

8: Oh? Interesting. Sounds like these guys are pretty quick on their feet. I can see why it’d impress the gladiators.

10: That? Sounds so cool? Oh, I really like that honestly, I can’t wait to see where you take that.

11: Neat. Is that where he got the idea for his diary, or? And why? Why must we suffer in order to take comfort from the kinder things in life? Why can’t Ranbob just have hugs without pain? 

12: Did you genuinely just admit to aiming for my feelings with that last one?! Anon, how could you! I’ve been injured! My heart, Anon! 

13: AWWWW. To all of this. So fluffy, and cute! Just what we needed, thank you! Also, more fluff, you say? Please share, we need all the fluff we can get.

Have a good week, Brothers Anon, and thank you for the lovely fluff, and equally lovely pain. I’m excited for more!