#yes I look like a powdered donut thanks for asking

[lepusrufus]

God gives her strongest battles (white cat) to her weakest of soldiers (girl who has mostly black clothes)

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Hello there ! I'm such a big fan of your work and i wanted to know if you could please write about azriel x plus size reader (cause curvy Queens deserves that giant bat too) ? Maybe something about her having insecurities BC azriel IS surrounded by beautiful slim women and she think that hes's in love with one of them until they're in a fight and he confesse his love to reader. AT first she can't believe it but she goes to cassian who's like "are you seriously that blind? He loved you the moment he looked a you ???" And then you Can add Smut were he workships her, i won't be against it (only if you're confortable with it obviously)

Big thanks for all your work and i looove you !!

Sorry, this took a moment. 🫧🤍

Picture perfect

In a way, you always felt like a misfit. It wasn’t only because of your looks. If you were to be frank you didn’t nitpick at yourself till others started throwing comments here and there. Planting these tiny seeds in your brain. Ones that bloomed it obstructed your vision, altering it in ways that made you cower in the big crowds of people. Made you avoid parties. Made you blind to so many other things.

Your saving grace for a long while had been Azriel. A childhood best friend who had seen you at your worst and stuck through it. So you felt comfortable with him. And even if he wasn’t big on speaking or voicing his opinion. One thing he never missed was completing you. You had always brushed it off. He was a spymaster after all. So, what if he noticed that you colored your hair slightly? Or curled it in another way. Or that you bought a different style of dress. Or got a new perfume. Rhys paid him to be observant, right? It was that until he had sat you down by the river one evening. And blurted out that he liked you while falling over every other word.

“No, you don’t”, you had whispered. “What do you mean, no, I don’t?”, he had pulled back in confusion. “As friends yes but not like… romantically”, you shrugged. Considering that you had fully convinced yourself that he would never fall for you. Not when he could have anyone. “Yn, I know how I feel and so that means that I like you”, Azriel said more firmly as you let out a low laugh, “Why are you doing this?”, you moved to stand up. “Doing what? Yn, if you don’t feel…”, he had moved to stand up but you were already stepping back from him. “I saw you with Sybile by the fountain today, don’t play games with me because I’m an ugly duckling”, you had hissed at him. Leaving him standing there all confused.

And now for the past week, you had done everything to avoid him. Feeling your heart ache more and more now that he wasn’t there to lean on. So your days were spent mopping over the past as you looked out the window till it got pitch black and you forced yourself to crawl into bed.

“Okay, I physically cannot take any more of this”, Cassian had strolled into the house of wind. A box of your favorite pastries in one of his hands. “Then I don’t know why you are here”, you huffed turning away from him. “I’m here because I apparently having the biggest brain out of the two of you”, he chirped, turning your chair so you would face him. “I highly doubt it”, you crossed your arms over your chest as you looked up at him. The general only smirked, he was used to tough bickering with Nesta.

“I will put this very simply”, Cassian said before shoving a donut into his mouth. “Azriel had been an ass. You had been up here for the past week”, he said with crumbs falling from his mouth, making you grimace.

“Can’t you chew and…”, “Shh”, he waved a powdered sugar-covered finger at you. “Now… You know why all of that happened?”, he asked as if you were a toddler. “Yes, Cass, I know. We fought”, you grumbled. But the general only made a dissatisfied boo. “You two are like that because you like each other but your head is more up your ass than his was”, Cassian clicked his fingers.

“That is not true”, you argued, tearing a part of an apple tart. “What’s keeping you from saying yes to him?”, now this hit you harder than you thought, making you stare up at him for a split second. You knew there was no point in lying. This man would sense a lie before it had a chance to leave your mouth.

“I’m not his type”, you muttered under your breath, already feeling your insecurities bubbling. “I would call that bullshit”, Cassian leaned back. “Cass, he dated goddesses. Slim. Tall. Everything sculpted with so much effort”, you grunted, “And then look at me. Ass, tits, I ain’t no size zero”. Cassian tilted his head to the side, “I fail to see a single bad thing in the way you just described yourself”. “Not funny, Cassian”, you grumbled, “I am not making fun of you same goes for Azriel. Do you know that he had been planning to tell you for the last two months? And I caught him vomiting right after dinner because he was way too nervous”, each of the generals words hit you like a blow. Azriel had planned it? Wasn’t a wimp? Wasn’t just a joke. He wanted to… “He’s been an angry little cloud”, Cassian chuckled, “And I think you should take him out of his misery because I know that you feel the same”.

You practically ran through the townhouse. Slipping steps in your way as you rushed to Azriel’s office. Practically falling through the door. Azriel was out of his chair in a hurry. Worry is written all over his face. “Has something happened? Have you been hurt?”, he asked frantically looking you over. You probably didn’t look too put together now that you had run like a maniac to get to him. You shook his head, “I had to see you, had to apologize”, you breathed out, “for the river”. Azriel’s shoulders sagged, “You have nothing to apologize for, I’m not here trying to make you like me”. You let out a painful sigh, “Azriel but I do like you it’s just…”, your voice fell silent for a moment, “I just don’t see why you would like someone like me”, you muttered looking down on yourself.

Azriel frowned, “What is that supposed to mean?”. You looked up at him, meeting his eyes, “Well, don’t you want someone like Sybile, a perfect blond with two symmetrical breasts and no…”, “I will stop you right here”, Azriel cut in, stepping closer to you, cupping your cheek. “If I wanted to cuddle a bag of bones, I would go to the cave up the mountain”, he pointed out, making your eyes shoot out, “Az”, hissed. “I love you first for who you are and you come with extra assets to love. Not that I look at your breast when you wash linens in the river or anything”, Azriel shrugged as you hit his chest playfully, “Pervert”, you muttered. Feeling your lips curve upwards slightly. “I don’t measure my love for you in your weight or looks. And even if I did, it would just mean that I have more love for you”, “When did you turn into such a sweet lovey boy?”, you tilted your head to the side before giving it a little shake. “Just found this picture-perfect girl, she kind of made me fall head over heels for her”, Azriel muttered, before leaning in to kiss you softly.

[marblemoovt]

Tail Training

MASTERLIST

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: Fluff, A sprinkle of angst, Mentions/depictions of anxiety and depression. Anything else is in the tags <3

SUMMARY:

At a party, Whis notices that you have noticeably improved your bad habits and offers to train you. Much to your surprise, Whis suggests that you train your tail to eliminate it as a weakness. Will you be able to handle it when he grabs your tail?

------

“This is your first session. I thought some one-on-one training would be more appropriate,” Whis answers, still tugging me by the hand. “I want to start first with a weakness of yours—well, most Saiyans.”

We stop walking, and I stare at our hands still clasped together. When is he going to let go? “And what would that be?” I ask, trying to read his expression.

His violet eyes gleam with amusement, and he gestures with his head. “The appendage wagging behind you, your tail.”

I glance over my shoulder. “What’s my tail got to do with training? Am I going to learn to smack someone into submission with it?” My tail straightens and cracks down like a whip.

NOTE:

Here is another Whis fic! This was another commission. I'm not sure when you guys will see the next one. I was told this is meant to be a slow burn, so expect it to take a while before the relationship is official.

Happy Reading! ヾ(•ω•`)o

It’s been a few weeks since Whis visited my house. Thanks to him, I'm motivated to take better care of myself. Even now, at this party, the first thing he does when he sees me is hand me a glass of water and steer me towards the snack table.

I raise the drink to my lips, hiding a smile. As Whis fills his plate with various snacks and pastries, I nod along and answer any questions.

“So this delightful morsel is called a ‘donut’?” Whis inspects the sugarcoated ball of fried dough.

“Yes, there are various toppings and fillings. You can put pretty much whatever you want on a donut,” I say, flinching when he whirls around and leans closer.

Whis looks at me with sparkling eyes, his skin flushed. “Anything? Truly?’ I nod in response, and he gasps. “Then what modifications have been applied to this one?”

“Um,” I look at the powdered sugar and red hole, “I think that’s just a jelly donut.”

“Fascinating. There are so many uses for pulverized fruit.” Whis pops the pastry into his mouth and moans. “Oooh, this is absolutely amazing!”

He continues to stuff more into his mouth until his cheeks puff. I have to look away to stop myself from laughing. Before I know it, I’m holding a plate of snacks and a new glass of water. Whis said he didn’t want to be the only one eating, and the attention felt nice. He remains at my side, refilling my plate when he notices it’s empty, and only leaves when Beerus calls for him. 

I snap the last cookie from my plate between my teeth. The sudden silence feels too empty. I feel almost… disappointed? I glance across the room to see Whis introduce Beerus to donuts, smiling as the pair devour entire trays. With a full stomach, I can at least focus on hanging out with my friends. I make my rounds to greet everyone, stopping occasionally to talk.

During one of these conversations, my palms grow clammy, and I start to second-guess myself. Am I entertaining enough? I’m not…boring to talk to, right? My grip tightens around my cup by a fraction, and I down the rest of the drink, hoping it dislodges the lump in my throat. 

A few pairs of eyes stare at me, and I realize they’re all waiting for me to respond. How long were they waiting—did they think I was ignoring them? I lick my dry lips, unable to think of what to say, too embarrassed to admit I didn’t hear the tail-end of the conversation.

“What were you all discussing?” Whis butts in, resting his hand on the small of my back. He rubs small circles into my skin, and the tension melts from my body. Someone catches Whis up, and I flash him a grateful smile. ‘You’re alright,’ he mouths to me, squeezing my waist gently. I nod, flushing the negative thoughts from my mind and focusing on the warmth of his hand.

I begin losing track of the conversation, paying more attention to how I’d rather be at home than socialize for another minute. People start noticing that I’m quieter than usual but anyone who confronts me about it receives a snarky remark. This discourages the rest from trying. 

“Are you alright?” Whis walks up to me, taking a bite of another donut. He must really like those. 

“Peachy,” I say, clenching my teeth together. 

Whis hums, and I bristle under his observing stare. “I feel suffocated after spending hours surrounded by large crowds. Would you care to join me on a walk?” he offers his arm to me.

I chew on my bottom lip and glance around. The chatter and laughter in the background tires me, not to mention the loud thrum of music that rumbles through my bones. It feels like someone took my brain and scrambled it in a frying pan. A break. A break sounds nice.

I accept his offer and link our arms together. He guides me outside to a quiet spot in a garden. There’s a bench by a stone walkway that circles a pond. Strings of fairy lights illuminate the area in a soft glow. 

The crisp night air fills my lungs and refreshes my mind. We sit in silence as I regather my thoughts. “Thank you,” I say, staring at the lilypads in the water.

“I should be thanking you,” Whis chuckles. “Spending the night in such lovely company, I couldn’t ask for more.” 

Our shoulders brush together, but his body heat is welcome. His white hair glows against his blue skin like moonlight cast on rippling waves. The warmth in his violet eyes makes my stomach squirm. Whis must think I’m cold because he wraps his arm around me and pulls us closer together. 

“I thought I was getting better, but it was hard to keep talking after a certain point.” I sigh and lean against Whis, reflecting on the past few hours and every conversation I was a part of. 

Whis pats my head and smiles. His eyes look soft almost, a tenderness I don’t usually see them hold. I ignore the flutter in my chest and stare at my lap instead, twiddling with my fingers. “I think your progress is remarkable. You’ve improved. Slowly but surely, you’ve gotten better,” Whis says.

“You think so?”

Whis laughs. “Yes. Compared to a few weeks ago, you’re much more relaxed, and when I tease you, you fight back now.”

A smile tugs my lips. “Yeah, you better watch your back.” I bump our shoulders together, but my confidence wavers at his wide grin.

“Excellent! Why don’t you train under me as well?” He looks at me expectantly, and I can already tell he won’t take no for an answer.

I blink and point a finger at myself. “You want me,” I slowly turn my hand and poke his chest, “to be trained by you?”

Whis nods. “Yes. It will be helpful in your work as a time patroller.” He grabs my hand and lifts my finger to point at his face. “So leave everything to me!”

I tilt my head, staring at his hand, which still holds mine. I’m glad he seems as comfortable with me as I am with him. 

I sigh but can’t stop the smile from forming on my face. “Pft. Ok, why not,” I say, chuckling at how he lights up at my answer.

We continue chatting, but despite my mind being more alert than ever, my body demands rest. Lead weights attach to my eyelids, and my head droops now and then before snapping up as I regain consciousness. Whis walks me home, promising to wake me up on time for our training session. 

I must be exhausted because I barely register the extra body in my bed, falling asleep to Whis’s comforting scent. 

Other than waking up at the crack of dawn, the morning goes by without a hitch. Whis makes me breakfast, insisting I don’t leave a crumb behind lest it hurt his feelings.

Afterwards, Whis leads me to the training grounds, where we meet Goku and Vegeta. He provides them with instructions before guiding me to an unused section.

“You’re not training all of us together?” I ask, craning my head to see the two Saiyans spar. My eyes try to keep up with the blurry motions, but ping-ponging back and forth between them gives me a headache. 

“This is your first session. I thought some one-on-one training would be more appropriate,” Whis answers, still tugging me by the hand. “I want to start first with a weakness of yours—well, most Saiyans.”

We stop walking, and I stare at our hands still clasped together. When is he going to let go? “And what would that be?” I ask, trying to read his expression.

His violet eyes gleam with amusement, and he gestures with his head. “The appendage wagging behind you, your tail.”

I glance over my shoulder. “What’s my tail got to do with training? Am I going to learn to smack someone into submission with it?” My tail straightens and cracks down like a whip.

Whis chuckles and shakes his head. “I heard squeezing a Saiyan’s tail can cause them to lose their strength entirely. One wrong move, and you’re completely paralyzed in battle. Is that correct?” His lips purse as if he’s impatient to reveal the answer.

“No, where’d you hear that nonse—Eek!” I shriek, feeling a jerk on my tail. My entire body stiffens, and every muscle refuses to listen to me. Whis lets go, and I attempt to burn a hole through his head with my glare. 

He flashes a bashful smile, a light pink dusting his cheeks. “Sorry, sorry. What better way to test that theory than to conduct a practical test?”

I huff, the blood still simmering in my veins. “Okay, so what if it is true? I’ve lasted this long with it,” I say, smoothing out the fur. “That’s something many Saiyans can’t claim, especially not after everything I've been through.” 

Whis nods, squeezing my hand. “The loss of your tail would be a shame. The world would lose the fluffiest tail I’ve had the pleasure of seeing,” he sighs and stares forlornly behind me.   

Did he compliment my tail? I wag the appendage behind me, stifling my laughter at how his eyes follow its every move. Is my tail that interesting? “What do you suggest I do about it?” I say.

Whis tilts his head and raises his brows. “We must desensitize you of course. Your tail must learn to endure being touched to strengthen its tolerance,” he says as if the solution is obvious.

I tug my hand free from his grasp and cross my arms.“You just want an excuse to touch my tail.”

Whis brings a hand up to his chest and gasps. “I am astounded by your accusations. I am merely helping you to become stronger,” he says.

I narrow my eyes at him, but he remains unphased. In fact, he looks happier than before. “Alright, fine,” I relent, rolling my eyes at his burst of energy. 

“Wonderful! Have a seat on these boulders. I wouldn’t want you to injure yourself.” He pats the flat surface of one of the rocks, rocking on the heels of his feet. 

I sit, flicking my tail nervously. “Just so we’re clear, this is only for training purposes. I don’t want you getting any strange ideas.” It’s not like I never considered this option before, but touching a Saiyan's tail always felt intimate to me. How could I ask just anyone to do it?

Whis nods. “Crystal clear. Now, let’s start with something easy and increase the intensity slowly.” He gently pets my tail, stroking the soft fur. “How does that feel?” he asks, peering at my face.

I struggle to keep my expression neutral, fighting the muscle spasms. “Doesn’t bother me at all,” I say.

Whis raises a brow, humming in thought. “Really? Looks like I need to take it to the next level then.” His eyes have a mischievous twinkle as he applies more pressure to his touch.

“Hng.” I bite my lip to prevent any more noises from leaking. A familiar heat returns to my cheeks, and I can feel myself start to sweat.

Whis stares at me with wide eyes, and his mouth stretches into a grin. “What was that? Starting to feel a little weak, are we?” He leans close, almost enough that I can feel his breath on my ear.

I refuse to look at him, gritting my teeth. “Not at all. I can handle more than this,” I say, despite knowing that I’m already near my limit.

“If you say so. Then what about now?” Whis grabs my tail, holding it firmly in his hand.

“I-I…” My entire body freezes up again, and only static fills my brain. All my senses are on overload like every nerve is crackling with electricity.

Whis observes me in silence, and his brows knit together. “Are you sure this isn’t affecting you?” he asks, concern lacing his tone.

“....”

He immediately releases my tail. “Please don’t hesitate to tell me to stop. Your comfort comes first. I want you to enjoy this, not hate it,” he says.

I suck in a breath, trying to calm my frazzled nerves. I wet my dry lips with my tongue and mull over my thoughts, figuring out how to word my sentence. “I… I don’t mind it so much if it’s you.” I sneak a glance at Whis, who’s staring at the ground. The tips of his ears are pink, and he refuses to meet my eyes until they return to their usual colour. 

Whis stands up and paces back and forth. “Shall we take a break? You’re looking a little winded. Perhaps a cold drink and a wet towel would help?” he says, offering his hand to me.

I shake my head and close his hand, pushing it back. “I’ll be fine. I just need a minute,” I say.

Whis frowns and stares at his clenched fist. Is he upset I didn’t want to take a break? His posture straightens, and his usual smile is back. “Why don’t we make this a regular occurrence? We can repeat this session until you’ve become immune,” he says.

I purse my lips. “I guess that wouldn’t be so bad. It would be a great help if I didn’t have to worry about my tail while working.” I reflect on my career. I must have been lucky not to encounter someone taking advantage of this weakness, but it would only be a matter of time until I did.  

Whis claps his hands together, bouncing on the spot. “Excellent. Same time tomorrow, then?” He looks at me with puppy-dog eyes, and I forget my outrage momentarily. But then I remember how sensitive my tail felt while he was ‘training’ me and my pride snapped me back to reality.

“What?! I’m not doing this every day!”

“I’m only joking,” Whis chuckles, but then he pauses, and his smile widens. “Though if you wanted to…” He leans forward, and I shove his face back to create some distance.

“No. Maybe once or twice a week, and in return, I want you to cook me breakfast those days,” I say. There’s no way I would let him touch my tail for free, training or not. I may not completely dislike the thought of him seeing me in such a vulnerable state, but it’s only fair I receive something in turn.

Whis sits beside me again. He rests his elbow on his thigh, propping his head up with a hand. “You do realize that I’m not at a disadvantage? I get to pet your tail weekly and provide you with my cooking,” he says, smiling at me. His confident smirk irks me. My tail thumps against the rocks, and I stop it when I notice it only amuses him further.

“Shut up. I’m the one making the demands.” I cross my arms and frown, still sweating from the training session. I tug at my shirt collar and shudder as the air hits my damp skin. From far away, it looks like Whis and I have wrapped up an intense physical training session, but the truth is too embarrassing for me to admit.

Whis grins, and there’s that knowing look in his eyes again, as if he can see right through me. “Very well. On the days we train, I shall make you breakfast in exchange for the honour of touching your fluffiness.” His hand reaches out to my tail, but Whis recoils almost immediately. He stands up and pats my head, praising me for my hard work. “I can’t wait to see you at our next session. In the meantime, do take care of yourself. You’ve been doing an excellent job, and I wish to continue seeing you in good health.”

And he leaves me there, still flushed and dazed. My tail tingles from his lingering warmth, and I can’t help but wonder what it would feel like for him to pet it again.

A few weeks go by quicker than expected, and I wake up to Whis cooking in my kitchen. He makes me a sandwich filled with eggs, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes. As I munch on the food at the dining table, he watches with his hands propping up his chin. He smiles at every move I make, and I become aware of my tail swishing.

“I would say you’ve built enough tolerance. We can shift our focus to other areas,” Whis says, lifting a napkin to wipe my lips. His hand lingers before he pulls away and crumples the tissue into a ball, flashing me a smile.

I nod. “Thank you. My tail feels a lot stronger.” I glance over my shoulder, admiring the muscle I’ve gained. 

Whis’s eyes remain fixed on my tail. “Yes, it appears more voluminous than before,” he says, tapping his fingers against the table. 

I can’t help but laugh and bring my tail closer to him. “You can touch it if you want. Just let me know in advance and I’ll let you pet it a little,” I say. “Consider it an exclusive benefit for helping.”

Whis reaches over and strokes the fur, eyes gleaming. “Marvelous,” he whispers in a breathless tone. Not once does he grab it, only touching my tail with gentle pets. His cheeks flush a light pink as he beams at me. “Thank you,” he says. 

I coil my tail around his wrist and hand. “You can touch me more. I’m not as sensitive now.”

“Pardon?” Whis stares at me with wide eyes. His skin almost looks purple and his hand starts to feel clammy against my tail. 

I hope he’s not getting sick. Can angels even catch illnesses? “My tail. You’re always so intrigued by it. Thanks to the training I can even handle a few harsh tugs now,” I say. 

Whis blinks owlishly before nodding and sinking bonelessly into his seat. “Right—of course. I’m honoured to be granted such a privilege.”

Maybe training three Saiyans is taking a toll on him? Come to think of it, I haven’t done much else to show my gratitude. “Do you want to stay for lunch?” I ask.

Whis sits up straight and grins. “I would love to.”

“Great!” I unwrap my tail and stand up, heading to the kitchen. “I’ll make something you haven’t had yet.” 

Whis follows close behind, and despite his persistent questions, I refuse to answer any of them, laughing at his sulking figure.

END NOTE:

When I tell you I gasped when that last misunderstanding popped into my brain, I was shook

I'll see you guys at my next hyperfixation! (。・∀・)ノ

Taglist: @lovecats123451

[trashbag-baby666]

Pilot-Firehouse au

Summary: There’s a new probie at Casper fd, Gale is one step closer to finding out who Rosies been going on dates with, welcome to the madness.

WC: 3,385

C/W: None!

au masterlist!

MOTA Masterlist!

John skipped through the fire department a pink box of donuts in his hand. Most people would probably ask what’s got you in a good mood? But no one batted an eye at John, because this is just how he carries himself all the time, aspiring to put a smile on all his crew's faces. Today it would be with donuts tomorrow it might be dad jokes.

“Morning, Bucky.” Curt wiped his hands on his pants and took the powdered sugar donut out of the box, “Chicks got a probie in the office. Told me to send you in when you got here.”

“Sounds good,” John nods, heading up the metal, red steps and going into Chicks office. A brown haired man sitting on the opposite side of Chick, his eyes wide with excitement. Fresh out of the academy and ready for some real action.

“Morning chief, donut?” John held the box out.

“Yes please, thank you, Captain. John, this is Captain Egan. One of the finest firefighters CFD has ever seen.”

“We���ve got another John?” He raised an eyebrow leaning over slightly to see the file on Chicks desk, “John Brady, how do you like Brady?”

“I…uh.”

“Come on, Brady, wouldn’t wanna be late for the morning stretch circle.” John called, bouncing down the steps, Brady scattering after him, “Guys this is our new probie, Brady.”

“Fresh blood, huh?” Dougie leaned on the fire truck

“This is Dougie and…” John looked around for a moment, “Where’s your Missus?”

“I ain’t anyone's missus,” the lengthy blonde came from around the front of the truck, eyeing up Brady.

“And this is Howard but everyone calls him Hambone, maple long john for you.” John plucked the donut out of the box and handed it to the blonde, “I’m putting Brady with you guys today, so please be nice to him…Brady, good luck with the hazing.”

“You’re ours now, pretty boy.” Dougie put a strong hand onto his shoulder, shaking him lightly.

“Come on stretch time, boys.” Curt clasped his hands together grabbing the attention of everyone, quickly being overshadowed by the loud siren that began to ring, “Nevermind.”

“Suit up, Brady!” John clapped him on the back, offering a small crack of a smile.

—---------

Gale’s all too familiar with the sounds of too many voices all at once on top of the constant voices on the intercom paging doctors, the occasional groan, the clacking on keyboards. The sound of the Casper, Wyoming ER became nothing but white noise for him, “good morning, doctor.” Rosie stood against the counter in the breakroom. His words okayest doctor thermos in hand, a small smile on his lips.

“Morning, doctor.” Gale opened his locker, “How’re you this morning?”

“Doing just fine.”

“So I take it the date went well?”

“Oh, how did it go?” Croz pushed open the break room door, his stuffed to the brim tote bag over his shoulder eyebrows wide with curiosity.

“It was fine guys, but I don’t kiss and tell.” Rosie put his hands up in defense. Croz and Gale had been trying to crack the code into Rosies love life since late med school when they met Croz during their residencies. But he kept it a secret from them and wasn’t budging still.

“You’re no fun, Rosie, who else are me and Gale supposed to gossip about?”

“Linda from HR. No, I’m kidding, gossip about me wouldn’t be very much fun anyways, but he did meet Freddie last night.” Rosie glanced at the two of them as he walked towards the door.

“Oooooh,” Gale snickered, getting to meet Freddy was a big deal. Rosie didn’t let just anyone meet his elderly deaf cat with separation anxiety.

“Sorry I gotta get back to it,” Rosie put his hand on the door handle shooting them a wink.

“I’m glad he’s found a guy, this was their…fourth date I think he mentioned the other day?” Gale and Rosie had met their freshman year of college since they were roommates. Then they just never separated and lived together all the way up until John asked Gale to move in with him.

“Me too,” Croz sighed, putting his bag away, “How was Delia’s game yesterday?”

“Great! She almost had a home run, but they did win, six to five!”

“Sorry, we couldn’t make it, Junie got sent home from the day camp yesterday with a fever.” Gale knew Croz and his husband Bubbles kept very busy with their four kids.

Hell, Gale only had two kids and they kept very busy.

“That’s alright, how high was the fever?”

“Hundred and one I think she sweated it out last night. She was drippin’ this morning when I woke her up.”

“Hopefully it passes fast. It makes me so sad when the girls are sick.”

“Me too, hopefully we can contain her germs to herself and we don’t have a house outbreak.” Croz rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. The last thing any of them needed was a Crosby family sick outbreak that could possibly spread.

———————

Brady squeezed the excess water out of the sponge and back into the bucket of soapy water. Pressing the sponge back into the truck. After the call John had asked Ham, Dougie, and himself to wash the truck. But the other two had long since abandoned ship , leaving him by himself.

“Dougie and Ham ditch you?”

“Jesus,” Brady put a hand out on the truck turning to see John with that same smirk from earlier on his face. Bending down he grabbed the other sponge out of the bucket.

“Curt used to do the same shit to me. I promise they’ll like you, they do this to everyone.”

“How long did Curt, y’know…? Harass you for being the new guy?” Brady scratched the back of his neck with his free hand.

“Oh I don’t know, I think a good month, till I saved his ass from a burning building.”

“Oh.”

“How old are you, kid?”

“Twenty four, sir.”

“Well you’re aging me specially with the sir, no need for this sir and captain bullshit. Just call me Bucky, everyone else does.”

“Okay, capt…Bucky.” A moment of silence passed between the two of them. Brady just hoped he was doing everything right like he had been taught in the academy.

“Got a special someone in your life?”

“Oh, uh, no. I haven’t met the right one yet…there weren't a lot of options in Sundance. Thought I’d have a better shot since I play for both teams.” Brady chuckled dryly hoping he wouldn’t be ostracized for his sexuality here.

“Amen to that one! I thought I’d be single for the rest of my life, till I met my husband.”

“How long have you guys been married?”

“We actually just celebrated our tenth anniversary last week.” John snickered.

“Well congratulations, do you have any kids?”

“Yeah, we’ve got two girls. My oldest will be 13 next week and our youngest is seven.”

Brady felt a hole of anxiety in his chest begin to fill itself back in knowing there was at least another lgbt member in the firehouse. He kept it to himself at first in the academy, he didn’t want a stigma to follow him.

Brady picked his head up at the sound of a dog barking, meeting the sight of a white and light gray husky in a service dog vest dashing towards John. “Oh hello there, Meatball!” John scratched the husky behind his ear, “This is Meatball, the hundredths mascot and staple.”

“Is this the new probie?”

“Yep,” John clasped a hand on Brady’s shoulder squeezing gently, “Brady, this is our driver engineer Benny Demarco, he’s Meatball's other half.”

“I’m not married to him, I promise.”

“Did you look into the tax benefits for it?” John asked, tilting his head and putting his hands on his hips.

“Nice meeting you, Brady.” He held out his hand for him to shake.

“Nice meeting you, I look forward to working with you.” Brady shook his hand, his grip tight and firm.

“Come on Meatball,” Demarco headed up the steps to Chicks office, the husky behind him.

“So,”

“Hm?” Brady’s eyebrow raised.

“Me and Benny are good friends, but he won’t tell us a thing about this person he’s seeing. If you can figure anything out let me and Curtie know.” John squeezed Brady’s shoulder again delivering a small shake.

So John is chronically nosy?

———————————

“Fancy seeing you here, we gotta stop running into each other like this.” Curt leaned against the open door of the ambulance.

“Hey, Curtie.” Ken looked up from where he was writing down his report, “Did you ask Bucky if we're still coming over for dinner?”

“Yes we are.”

“Awesome, I felt bad we had to leave right after the game.” Ken set his clipboard down standing up taking Curt’s hand then jumping out of the back of the ambulance.

“Yeah, the girls were all excited. I'm bringing them popsicles to Friday's practice, today we gotta lock in on fielding.” Ken smiled while watching Curt talk with his hands. He loved getting to coach Cordelia’s rec league softball team. Curt also stayed busy playing on the firehouses softball league Bucky coached. He didn’t play anymore only because he tore his ACL a few years back.

“I know I was so proud of them! You tell them I said that.” Ken placed his hand on Curt’s chest, “You’ve been working out?”

“Sure have sugar,” Curt pulled him in by the belt loops. He could stare at Curt all day and make this his full time job. Curt moved in with Ken a couple months ago and things had been going pretty well.

“Curt, what are you doing?” John furrowed his eyebrows coming around the truck.

“I was just saying hello to the wife,” Curt kissed Ken’s cheek, “See you at home, Kenny.”

“Bye Curtie, bye John.” Ken waved and shut the back doors of the ambulance.

“I saw you and Buck making out against one of the trucks the other day. So you got nothin’ on me, Johnny.” Curt shook his head walking after him.

“You know too much about me for me to become an enemy of Curtis Biddick. I was just coming to tell you we were leaving.”

It was true, when John dropped out of college halfway through his second year. He got in his car and started driving. He got to the Wisconsin/Minnesota border and decided to just keep going. Drove all the way to Casper, Wyoming in two days, decided to stop for a drink and then never looked back.

“I don’t want you as an enemy,” Curt shrugged his jacket back on as they got back to the truck.

“Good, because then I would have to kill you.” The two of them climbed back in the truck, “How’re you liking it, Brady?”

“I like it sir- uh, Bucky.” He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together looking down.

“Loosen up kid, I’m glad you like it.” John sat across from him.

“You’ve been doin’ a just fine job. I know you’ll fit right in.” Curt had seen a dozen or so of guys through their probie phases at the firehouse. He did in fact haze John after he convinced him to join the academy. John and Curt both saw Dougie and Ham through their probie period together. Brady seemed like a good kid and determined to become the best firefighter he can be.

————————

Gale: I’m on lunch, just thought I’d check in if you or Flynn needed anything from the store. If you make anything please clean it up so I don’t have to clean before making dinner. 🤗🤗

Cordelia: ok

Gale sighed, setting his phone back on the breakroom table stabbing a crispy piece of lettuce out of his salad. “I don’t like this tweenage thing.”

“Delia?” Rosie hummed through his bite of sandwich

“Yeah the other day she looked at me like I killed her cats because I asked her to help me pick up dinner.” Gale rubbed the bridge of his nose. He and John both had been coming to terms that Cordelia did not in fact hate them. She just wasn’t their little girl anymore and wanted more independence and they could respect that.

“Has the attitude started yet?” Croz could probably offer the best advice out of any of them. Their oldest was a couple years older than Cordelia, “The first time Astrid actually raised their voice at us we were so distraught.”

“A little bit,” Gale sat back in his seat rubbing at the gold band on his finger, “I’m beginning to think about bringing back timeouts for her too.”

“Sometimes it’s better to let them cool off in their room. I remember this age, hormones flying, your body changing, everything seems like the biggest deal of your life.” Croz definitely had the most confidence in his parenting out of the group. But I guess you do probably have to carry confidence with your words when you have four kids to wrangle around.

“I told my parents to shut up one time at that age…it did not go over well.” Gale could imagine a younger Rosie telling that to Mama Rosenthal. Followed by her most certainly chewing him out in Yiddish and sending him to his room.

It’s not that Gale is insecure about his parenting, it's that he doesn’t want to be like his father. He wasn’t like his father at all. It’s the one thing Gale brought up when they first talked about kids, “John, what if I turn into him?” “That’s not going to happen. You’re nothing like him, Gale.” John was right, Gale wasn’t his father. The apple didn’t even fall from that tree.

“It’s at least a little nice to hear that this is at least some right of passage event.” Gale cleared his throat. He didn’t really get a chance to have that, he grew up at far too young of an age. He had spent his entire childhood taking care of his father and avoiding the swinging hands that came at him. The rundown apartment in northern Casper, the cigarette burned couch with the cans and bottles littering any surface available. He knew his only way out and he took it and ran.

Now he had his own family, he had his firehouse family from John's side and he had Rosie and Croz from his side. He had to remind himself, he in fact is doing better than he ever thought he would.

————————

There’s a lot of things that are staples in the Cleven household. but the one that never missed was the barking every time someone was at the door. Scooby would jump up his loud howl carrying alerting Chili that maybe he needs to start barking too; although, his didn’t carry the same way Scoobys did.

“Guys!” Gale scolded the dogs from the kitchen.

“It’s us,” Ken sang as they came inside toeing off his shoes. His prized Apple pie in his hands, Curt not far behind him, “Hi Scooby.”

“Uncle Curt!” Flynn came flying out of the kitchen and jumped into his arms.

“Hey, Flynn.” Curt spun her around, “How was your ball game?”

“Good! I got a couple good hits! Papa said we could practice tomorrow.” Flynn quite literally fell from the John Egan tree though. Not only did she have the same blue eyes and dark brown curls but the same sass and humor. Oh yeah, and the lifelong passion for baseball but ‘specifically the yankees’.

“I’ll see if I have time to stop over and I can toss you some balls. Sounds good?”

“Yes! You’re the best Curt.” Flynn wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight.

“No you’re the best, Flynn. Why don’t we go help your dads set the table?”

Flynn nodded, Curt setting her down and she took off for the dining room attached to the kitchen.

“Delia, why don’t you take Ken with you to grab some drinks.” Gale nudged her from across the kitchen island.

“Okay,” she rolled her eyes with that sharp tone in her voice.

“I don’t like that attitude,” John popped his hip out resting his hands on his hips.

“I don’t like your attitude, Pa.”

Gale looked between the two of them having their nightly ‘drama queen competition’ as Flynn called it. Cordelia let out an irritated grunt stomping to the connecting door to the garage.

“Teenagers are fun,” Curt snickered.

Ken sat on the steps next to the fridge in the garage while Cordelia dug out the last can of Arnold Palmers for Curt.

“Is everything going alright, hun?”

“Yeah, it’s just, everything feels like…I don’t even know.” She handed the can of tea to Ken and shut the fridge door sitting back on her knees.

“That’s part of growing up, unfortunately. Do you wanna talk about anything?” At those words Cordelia looked down at her hands bashfully, a small smirk that resembled Gales following.

“Well, okay but you can’t tell dad and Pa.”

“Deal,” Ken rested his head in his hands.

“There’s this girl on my team, her name is Mel.”

“Does Curt know?” Ken interrupted her momentarily.

“No, we just started talking last week. She’s staying over with some of my other friends on Saturday.”

“I hope you have fun. But make good decisions,” Ken picked up the drinks off the steps next to him.

“Don’t worry, we haven’t even held hands yet. I can’t tell if pa would be upset that I’m dating or start crying?”

Ken let out a small chuckle, there's a good chance both could happen. Curt told him that when Cordelia had taken her first steps John broke down crying. He also cried when she turned one, he wasn’t ready for his little girl to be in such a rush to grow up still.

—-----------

John let out a loud yawn stretching his arms above his head, his shirt coming up just slightly. Gale leaned over, poking his stomach softly sending John into a loud laugh falling onto the bed right on top of Gale. “Did you have a good day at work?” Gale felt his cheeks heat red him and John were nose to nose.

“Yeah, we have a new probie at the station. Seems like a good kid. How about yours, Doctor Cleven ” John smiled because he knew exactly how to get Gale all flustered.

“Well, Captain Egan, I did have a good day. Today I found out Rosie went on a fourth date with that guy and he brought him to his apartment and let him meet Freddie.” He was pleased with himself that John's cheeks were now flush and he looked down slightly, just from calling him captain.

“Ooooh, do you know his name?.” John rolled off of him climbing under the blankets. He loved some good, who's dating who gossip? Someday he could be just as bad as Cordelia.

“No, that’s all he’s told us. We should find a time to go out and tell Rosie to bring him.”

“Good god, Buck. You’re just as bad as me and Delia!” Wrapping his arms around Gale he pulled him into his chest.

“Exposure therapy,” Buck giggles, turning his head to meet John's sparkly eyes. They laid there for a moment just basking in the energy of an amazing sixteen years together.

“Can you believe we’ve been married for ten years?” John rested his chin on Gale's shoulder, “Together for 16.”

“I know it’s gone so fast.” Gale tangled his hands into John’s pressing his back into John’s warmth.

“Next thing we know it’s going to be our 60th anniversary and Delia and Flynn are going to put us in a home.”

“Don't remind me,” Gale sighed, tipping his head back against John.

“At least we’re a long way from retirement?” John kissed Gales neck, truthfully he’d work forever if that’s what it took to keep this little life. He couldn’t imagine anything better than this, he was married to the absolute love of his life, “Well, maybe we should use my sexy firefighter body to our advantage.”

Gale mentally rolled his eyes with a smile on his face, John’s cheesy flirting never getting old. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”

——————

Thanks for reading!! Hope you enjoyed! Likes and reblogs highly appreciated! <3

[clickerflight]

Voltober 11. What Will We Do? - Sons of Billionaires DP AU

Author's note: I love this so much, and I love this AU. I write it on AO3 if you're interested in reading a good dad vlad + DC universe au I'll leave the link at the bottom of the post

Challenges Masterpost - Voltober 10

Content: ghost whumpee, panic attack, wounded, comforted by enemy

@voltober

Panic Attack | Forced to choose | Bad First Aid/Field Medicine

Vlad found himself distracted. He had been trying to read all evening, and when he finally gave up on that and went to his lab to work he couldn’t do that either. All he wanted was to fly the town as a halfa, but he had firmly set a boundary with himself that he would not fly about as a halfa unless he had good reason to.

His therapist would be mad at him if she knew he was doing this. His ghost therapist, though he was sure that his human therapist would be quite cross with him too after she understood what was going on and got over the shock. He was punishing himself for all of the shortsightedness and cruelty he had indulged in for years. His halfa core still half wanted to punish Jack for hurting him so badly, physically and emotionally. He still wanted Maddie, and he knew that was wrong. His ghost therapist, a nice old harpy named Ms. Kedrana, had been working with him to get him and his core sorted out properly, showing him the techniques to switch it’s desire to something more productive and healthy in his half life, but it was a long process and it still wasn’t quite finished.

Maybe that was why he was so antsy all of the time. He was in a period of transition and he had no idea where he was going to land. He never did like not knowing what was going to happen next, and this was no exception. He had been having a hard time with the transition on top of that because he was uncertain what his core’s desire actually should be. If not for revenge or unrequited love, then what?

“Sir?”

Vlad was stirred from his musings and found that he had been staring at the closed refrigerator for about 10 minutes. He looked to his butler, Henry, who floated about an inch of the ground, and cleared his throat. “Ah, yes, Henry?”

“Are you quite alright, sir?”

Vlad sighed heavily, running a hand through his silver grey hair. “I am just restless. I will be fine once I find an activity that will take my attention.”

“Is there anything I would be able to do to assist you in that?”

So helpful. As always. Henry had actually been the crux of Vlad’s change, showing up on his doorstep on day and asking to be his butler. Vlad had tried to turn the ghost away. He had no use for human servants, so surely he would have no need for ghostly servants, but Henry had insisted and, on a whim, Vlad had let him in. It had been life changeing to get proper advise from a ghost about how to care for his other half properly, and with that discomfort settled, Vlad found it had been easy to properly think for the first time since he became a halfa.

And upon further reflection on his life, he quickly realized that he had been a right sugar powdered donut of a man. When that realization had struck him he’d been thrown for quite a loop until Henry pointed out that there were human therapists for his complicated emotions and ghost therapists for his complicated core.

“Ah, no, Henry, thank you, though,” Vlad said, opening the fridge since he was standing in front of it anyway. Maybe he was hungry. Maybe he could just eat something and then he would be able to settle in.

“Are you certain, Master Vlad? I would be delighted to assist where I can.”

“I’m fine.”

The judgmental silence that stretched around Henry was palpable and made Vlad’s palms uncomfortably sweaty.

“You know what would make you feel better.”

Vlad growled, slamming the fridge shut before stopping, wincing at his own actions. He shouted his frustration and gestured at the fridge. “Yes, I would feel better if I was out and about right now, but that is exactly why I can’t be out and about right now! I would really prefer not to dwell on it if possible, thank you.”

Henry sighed. “You will never learn control if you only avoid the things that set you off, Master Vlad. I think you ought to go fly. Don’t stop for anything. Just fly. The night is beautiful after all.”

“I can’t,” Vlad protested weakly, but Henry was already ushering him toward the door.

“Go on, then. Transform and go have a good night. I will be sure to put things right here and you will have a good choice of book to come back to. No more of that business law drivel. Something enlightening, I assure you. Now, go.”

And with that, Vlad found himself on his deck without his shoes, the door closed behind him.

He took his ghost form, intent on flying up and phasing back into his room, but paused when he saw the array of stars above. It really was a beautiful night. The moon was just a sliver in the sky, providing enough light to see most things, but leaving everything else shrouded in darkness.

Maybe a little flight wouldn’t hurt. No more than 10 minutes, really.

Vlad lifted into the air and, on instinct, turned to Amity to fly overhead, looking down at all the familiar lights and taking a look at the new construction projects going on. One construction project drew his attention specifically. It was surprisingly gooped, like there had been a fight there with an ectoplasmic entity recently.

He swooped down to examine the mess when he saw movement in one dark corner zip into the back of a box truck through the closed door.

Vlad tilted his head, trailing along carefully. He opened his senses more, trying to figure out what had just hidden inside the truck, but the smell of ectoplasmic guts hid whatever it was inside.

Vlad didn’t really want to stick his face through, and a large part wanted him to just leave it be, but the other part needed to know.

He carefully pressed his face into the material of the truck, phasing through just enough to get his eye out the other side.

He got a blast of energy chucked in his direction for his troubles, but it came slow enough he could get out of the way easily. Now he knew what was inside. It was the little badger and that was one of the few people he very much did not want to encounter at the moment. He had antagonized the lad quite a bit in the past and he hoped in the future to apologize and make it up to the younger halfa, but today was not that day.

He turned to fly away when he heard a wheezing sob from inside the box truck. He slowed and paused, turning his head to hear more wheezing half breaths and his core gave a sudden and surprising throb.

He hated himself for it, but he would have to turn around and see what was going on inside.

He turned and knocked gently on the side farthest from where he had seen the halfa and called, “I am coming in. I am not looking to harm you.”

After a pause where he listened to Phantom’s stuttering breaths, he phased through again.

The boy was pale, as all ghosts were, but he was starting to take a bluish complexion that only older ghosts had. Vlad was beginning to get that tone himself, but Phantom was still too new for that. He had a hand on his chest, dragging in breaths, his eyes wide and darting, like he was trying to find a way out of this situation. He had a wound in his side, a large chunk of ectoplasm missing where he’d been hit and it was hastily bandaged with a wad of paper towels and duct tape. It was not clean and it was clear that Phantom couldn’t actually take care of himself right now.

“Nnnn! NnnNNNNNNN!” Phantom tried to say, shaking his head furiously. He gasped again, tears beginning to stream down his face.

Vlad recognized this. How many night had he been forced to go through a panic attack on his own? Every night in the hospital when he thought he was dying, every full moon when he felt the pull of his ghost form, every time he was injured terribly in his ghost form and he thought he would die.

He approached with his hands open, pausing only to take off his cloak.

Phantom curled away from him as Vlad said, “Badger, I am not here to hurt you, and I know it feels like it, but you are not dying. Look at me.”

Phantom whined, his eyes locked on Vlad’s now, more like a prey animal staring at danger, but it was something.

“You’re alright,” Vlad said, wishing he hadn’t been so stupid about how he treated this halfa. He was a child for corn syrup’s sake! He was the only one who understood. And Phantom was the only one who understood in turn. He was stupid.

He slowly got to his knee and swept his cloak around the boy. Phantom shuddered, his breathing out of control again.

“Deep breaths. You’re going to be fine, understand?” he said softly, holding the cloak over the boy’s head so he felt more protected. “Deep breath.”

Phantom was trying, he was so clearly trying, but every time he got close he broke down again, babbling and pleading. Vlad wasn’t making this any better, but he had to help. He couldn’t leave the kid to deal with this on his own.

“Shh, shh, I’m here. I’m so sorry, badger. I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done to you. I’m sorry this has become your responsibility. I should have been dealing with the ghosts, not you. I shouldn’t have made you fight me as well. I’m sorry. You’re going to be okay, though. The wound won’t kill you. Did I ever tell you about the time I took a cannon ball to the chest?”

Phantom’s eyes lit up a little, his breathing slowing as he shook his head.

“Well, there are these civil war reenactments that I like to go see sometimes. But I don’t want to go through the hassle of being seen there, you know? So I went as a ghost. An old guy saw me, though, when I wasn’t being careful enough, and he sent a cannon ball right through my chest. I didn’t realize they were using live cannons. I was in such a state. It took me a week to get back to work. So this little wound here? You’ll be right as rain in a day or two. Alright?”

Phantom had calmed down enough that he looked exhausted. He nodded faintly and Vlad relaxed. “Okay. Is there someone you can call? Someone I can take you to?” He didn’t like the idea of returning Phantom to parents who were consistently declaring what they would do to Phantom if they caught him.

“M’ sis.”

“Okay. Do you want to call or text her? She can pick you up. I’m guessing you wouldn’t want me taking you anywhere.”

Phantom gave Vlad a bit of a sideways look and asked, “Was up with you, fruitloop? ‘S not like you.”

Vlad gave a bit of a shrug. “I’ve been going to therapy. Do you need help calling your sister?”

“’V got it,” Phantom said testily before getting a phone from somewhere on his person. He took a long moment fumbling with shaking fingers to send a text before letting the phone clatter to the floor next to him, closing his eyes and breathing deep through his nose.

“Hurts,” he whimpered, seemingly without thinking.

“I know. When you get home, you will want to bathe the wound in ectoplasm. Do you know how to get that?”

Phantom nodded.

“Do your friends know how to get that?”

He nodded.

“Okay. Then you are going to rest, mostly in ghost form if you can manage it. It will heal faster that way. And eat copious amounts of slime. It will help.”

Phantom huffed. “Don’ need slime. Portal downstairs-”

“Is good for ambient stuff, but slimes have other nutrients you need as a ghost. The portal will technically keep you alive, but the slimes will actually make you healthy.”

Phantom wrinkled his nose.

“You get used to it. I’ve been experimenting with it in cooking… I suppose we can talk about that…. ah. Hmm. I guess I should say I really do mean you no harm. Anymore. I have been reevaluating my life and making some changes.”

Phantom huffed out a disbelieving laugh.

“Yes, I do suppose that does sound silly….” Vlad said quietly.

There was a knock at the truck and Vlad looked up as the door opened.

The red headed young lady gasped, fumbling for something in her bag, likely a Fenton thermos, but Vlad lifted his hands carefully. “I mean no harm.”

He wrapped the cloak around Phantom a little tighter as Jazz hesitated and ignored the small halfa’s protests as he picked the child up, walking smoothly to Jazz. He lowered Phantom into her arms with a little, “You got him?”

He let go when she nodded and stepped out, brushing off his suit a little. “I did not harm him,” he assured her. “I found him after the fight. He will be wounded for a day or two. He will need the wound dosed in ectoplasm and eat ectoslimes to recover well.”

He turned to fly away but hesitated, turning back to her. “Do not let him sleep alone, if you have the time to spare. He will be…. Scared.”

She stared at him with wide eyes, her little brother passed out in her arms wrapped in Vlad’s cape.

He cleared his throat a little and nodded to her. “Tell him I will deal with the ghosts until he feels better. It is the least I can do.”

She nodded faintly, and with that, Vlad launched into the sky, intent to keep his word starting that moment. Henry would probably be ecstatic to know why he was out for longer. Vlad just wished he had listened to the old ghost sooner.

VTB part 12

Sons of Billionaires

[ruggiethethuggie]

Under the Mistletoe

Summary: You are hosting a Christmas party at Ramshackle, full of different faces from NRC. Ruggie has a gift for you.

Word Count: 912 tags: fluff, gn!reader, one shot, drabble, not proof read, Ruggie Bucchi x Reader

The chatter of your guests was warm, it wasn’t often that Ramshackle wass full of this many people. It almost felt like all of Night Raven College was attending. You smiled as you looked around the room, seeing your friends and classmates happy and enjoying themselves.

Your raggedy dorm cleaned up nicely, thanks to the help from Ace and Deuce earlier that day. They had been helping you clean up the dusty cobwebs around the place the past few days, coming early today to help decorate. The two of them were funny when they had to work together, you couldn’t help but laugh at them half the time. They argued back and forth about what Christmass tree topper would be used. You chuckled at the sight of two toppers upon your tree as their final decision.

You walked into the kitchen, eyeing the foods laid out as a buffet for your guests. Peppermint bark, sausage balls, charcuterie boards- there were so many different things on the counter. You had asked that the guests bring something for the party, just small finger foods or something easy to make so you didn’t have to do it all yourself. You were impressed by what all they had brought.

“‘Scuse me, just want to put this here,” you heard someone say as they lightly pushed by you to put their food onto the counter. The plate was full of fluffy, little donut holes. An array of different flavors covered the plate by the looks of it. “They look tasty, don’t they? Shishishi,” Ruggie said as you looked at him. “Yes! They do, did you make these yourself?” you asked joyfully. Ruggie gave you a wink. “I don’t tell people my secrets.”

You took one of the powdered donut holes and popped it in your mouth. It was so light, it melted in your mouth almost. “Woooow, that is freaking fantastic,” you said, trying to savor its flavor in your mouth. Ruggie laughed at you as he watched. “Don’t eat them all, everyone else wants some too.” You stuffed your mouth with another, your cheeks looking like a chipmunk’s. “Yeah, well this is my house,” you tried to say.

Ruggie shook his head at you. “Why are you like this?” he asked playfully. You heard Deuce from the other room yelling, but not really able to make out what he was saying. With a confused look on your face, you looked to Ruggie, hoping he had heard Deuce’s words. “He said it’s time to do the presents,” he said as he walked to the archway between the two rooms, gesturing to you to come with him.

Deuce was at the tree, in a Santa costume, playing his part and handing presents to Ace to give to the guests. Ace was basically Santa’s little helper, you could say. You had gotten little things for your friends, small gifts but something to show them how much you appreciated them and their friendships. Ruggie looked around the room as the gifts were distributed. “Nothing in your stocking this year?” he turned and asked you.

“No, no. These are all gifts for everyone else, not for me,” you said with a laugh. Ruggie gave a “hmm” and nodded his head. “I’ll be right back, don’t move,” he politely ordered you. You watched him walk over to the coat rack, fumbling in his coat’s pockets. “AHA,” you heard him say as he pulled a small box out of his coat. He made his way back over to you, being stopped halfway by Ace handing him his gift from you.

“Thank you for the gift,” he said as he handed you the small box. “I got one for you, too.” You were stunned, you didn’t think you were special enough to get a gift from someone. “Wow, thanks Rug. I wasn’t expecting anything,” you said with a smile. He eagerly awaited you to open his gift. You could tell he wanted you to open it by how he looked at you. His ears lightly perked, eyes starry with excitement, his tail lightly swishing behind him.

You slowly opened the box, seeing two shiny earrings inside. They were gorgeous! The earrings were just pearl studs, simple but very elegant. “Rug, these are so nice?! Why would you get me these?” you almost shouted to him in your excitement. “Shishishi, I promise it wasn’t expensive. I know a place with good deals. But it is just something nice, from me to you,” he said with a grin.

You took one of the pearl earrings and held it up, trying to look at it better in the light. Your gaze went past the earring to see the mistletoe hanging in the archway. Ruggie saw your vision move, him looking up to see what caught your eye. You both looked at each other, knowing what the usual tradition is under the decoration.

“Well, uh, that’s something alright,” Ruggie said with a laugh as he looked to you for your reaction. “I mean… it is a Christmas party, I think we kinda have to,” you said shyly. Ruggie’s tail swished behind him again, looking at you with the same starry eyes as before. Without saying a word, he leaned in to kiss you as you met him halfway. His kiss was warm and tender, a better gift he gave to you than the earrings. He pulled away, smiling back at you. “Merry Christmas, [Y/N],” he said cheerily.

[salt-pepper-jolex]

No Matter What

A sequel to Powdered Donuts, Princess Crowns, and Bubbles; in which Jo has a nervous breakdown about having this baby and has a scare, but it ends up okay.

Side note: I'm sorry for this roller-coaster. I promise there's happiness eventually. New chapter coming soon! Okay, I'm done, enjoy!

Jo's entire body shook as her thumb hovered over Alex's number, tears falling uncontrollably from her eyes. After a moment, she decided to just press the call button. Then, the familiar voice message rang in her ears. "You've reached the voicemail of Dr. Alex Karev. Sorry I couldn't come to the phone. Leave a message and I'll get back to you."

Despite the exciting week before, Jo couldn't shake the worry and unsteadiness that came with welcoming a baby into the world.

She chose to hang up the phone, not wanting to bother him. She scrolled up to find Meredith's number, and pressed the call button again, putting Mer on speaker. One ring. Two. Three. Finally, on the fourth ring, a familiar voice filled the room.

"Jo?" Mer's voice, filled with an even mix of concern and worry, rang out.

"Hey. I need to talk to you. It wouldn't hurt if Pierce and Shepherd were there too."

Meredith, sensing the pain in her voice, offered for Jo to come over.

"That'd be nice. I'll be there in twenty." She replied, a wave of relief crashing over her. She'd needed to tell someone about...whatever this was.

When she got there, she noticed Mer, Maggie, and Amelia waiting.

"Thank you for doing this." Jo's voice held so much pain and grief that no one else but the three women in front of her could fix. She looked up to them, like a little girl to her big sisters.

"What's going on?" Amelia spoke gently as they all sat down across from Jo, careful not to sound like they were interrogating her because they knew she had asked them to hear her and listen.

"I'm, um, pregnant," Jo said, her voice soft and small, laced with sadness and panic.

"Does Alex know?" Maggie asked, careful not to assume anything.

Jo only nodded her head, as if speaking would surface emotions that she had spent her whole life suppressing.

"How do you feel about it?" Meredith asked, noticing the way Jo picked at her nails, and fidgeted with her ring.

Jo shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. This is the first time I've been pregnant in 12 years. And Alex doesn't know because the day I planned to tell him, I lost it. I shut him out, but we worked hard, and got here. Now, I don't know what to tell him. Because I know I can't put him, or us for that matter, through that again."

Amelia moved next to Jo, wrapping her arms around the woman that felt like a fragile little girl in that moment.

Knowing the women would listen, she kept going, "It'll break Alex's heart. And the worst part is Luna was so happy, and I don't know how to tell her that she might not get a little sister or brother."

"Jo, don't think for a second that he won't support you in whatever you choose to do. And yes, Luna's young. But she's also smart. She gets that from you and Alex. She'll understand."

In that moment, Amelia gave Jo strength through words no one else could find to tell her. They'd all had losses, Maggie had been broken before, and Meredith knew her pain better than anyone, but Amelia gave Jo the best possible advice, and the strength she needed right then and there.

Suddenly, everyone went quiet, with small smiles. Jo looks behind her to find Alex.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" Jo's voice was impossibly tiny, but only Alex could see the fear in her eyes.

"You weren't home, so I came here. Luna's with Robbins and Torres."

"I know, thank you for that." She laughs, humorlessly, and Alex picked up on it. "How much did you hear?"

"I heard most of it, but that doesn't matter. C'mere." He holds her hands before pulling her into a tight hug.

"I want Luna."

"I know you do, babe. What do you say we go get her and then, we can talk about our options over ice cream. What do you say?"

"I'm lucky to have you, baby."

"I love you. More than everything else in this world. I love you. And Luna. And this baby, but you need to hear me when I say this. I am in your corner. No matter what. Okay?"

"Okay." Jo said, knowing Alex's words were sincere.

"Let's go get our girl. We have sundaes to make."

After a series of thank yous, hugs, and heartfelt see you laters, Jo and Alex left. Mer and Maggie listened as Amelia started.

"We're lifelines now. We have to be there for them."

"I have surgery with Alex, I'll see what I can find out." Maggie offered before Meredith informed the both of them.

"I'll make sure Jo stays awake because that baby will be exhausting, knowing Alex."

Mer turns to see Zola, Bailey, and Ellis on the stairs.

"Auntie Jojo and Uncle Alex are having a baby?" Ellis asks.

"Well, we don't know, honey." Mer says, kind of stunned.

Maggie continues for her, "That's up to them."

"But, no matter what, you cannot say anything to anyone about this, okay?" Amelia says firmly.

All three kids nod in response and scatter to get ready for bed.

Back at the loft, Alex and Jo talked.

"I finally got her down. Can we talk now?" Jo whispered, her voice laced with nerves and panic.

"Of course. Hey, you have nothing to worry about. I promise, whatever you choose, you got me. I'm here for you, and if it comes down to it, we'll figure out what to tell to Luna." He moves to wrap his arm around her, then pulling the both of them up to do dishes.

"Thank you." She said as she started the water, although Alex tilts his head, a puzzled expression littering his face.

"For what?" He asked, his curiosity genuine as he scrubbed a plate.

"For being so understanding about it, and being so good to me."

"Of course. I love you, and I'm there for you. Always."

"Good, because I'm keeping this baby. If you're up for a mini-me." Jo's face lit up with a fragile smile that morphed into a solid one as she saw Alex's eyes light up.

"Really?" He asked, his eyes glittering with happy tears.

"We're gonna have a baby, baby."

The next morning, Amelia, Maggie, and Mer gather at work. They pass by Alex, who normally would be grumpy by now, but had a lightness to his walk as he checked on patients.

Jo had been wobbly and tired all morning due to morning sickness. But happy, nonetheless.

"Blech, this baby will not give me a break." Jo said, her face a touch pale as she leaned against the wall.

Amelia saw the sweat beading on Jo's forehead.

"Here," Amelia handed her ginger cough drops. "Trust me."

Jo wrapped her in a hug before falling to the ground.

"Jo! Hey, stay with me!" Amelia shouted, her voice tense. "I need some help here! Pulse is thready, breathing is shallow," she announced to a nearby Maggie.

"Let's get her on a gurney, page Hunt and Bailey," Maggie announced.

In the chaos, they hadn't seen Alex exit the patient room next to them.

"What happened?" Alex asked, his question soft.

"We're not sure yet. Bailey and Owen are running tests in there for now."

"Okay." Alex's body was rigid, his demeanor instantly changed.

"Hey, go see Luna. We'll page you when they're done." Maggie said calmly as Amelia got paged.

Alex nodded as he walked away to go see his Moonshine.

20 minutes later, Jo's eyes flickered as she woke up to bright lights and rails surrounding her on both sides. Alex, attuned to his wife, sat tall, informing her of the situation.

"Hey. You fainted in the hall. Your pressure was low and you had a thready pulse. Don't worry. You're okay." He held her hand, kissing it lightly.

But still, Jo's eyes shined with an unanswered question.

Alex, ever inclined, answered quietly, his eyes red and puffy. "Baby is fine, Robbins and DeLuca made sure."

"I'm glad, but that's not what I meant. How are you? I know that was scary." Jo asked, her voice raw.

"Honestly? That scared the hell out of me, but you're strong. I had a good feeling you'd be okay." His voice hung with a tone Jo couldn't quite place.

"Why does your voice sound like that? What's wrong with me?" Jo asks, her tone loaded with despair as her voice broke seeing Bailey walk in.

"Jo, after you fell, we did a work-up, and you were severely dehydrated, but we repleted your electrolytes and gave you fluids. You are okay. Your baby is okay. But, the surgery was hard on you. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to ask you to stay out of work for a few hours." Bailey's voice was heavy.

"Can I see Luna?"

"Of course."

"I'll go get her," Alex offered, his hand slipping away.

Bailey rushed to Jo's side as she saw the tears in Jo's eyes.

"Honey, what do you need? What can I do?" Bailey's response wasn't 'What's wrong?' and Jo was immensely grateful for it.

"All I did was work a shift, one shift. I didn't think to stop and take care of myself, and my baby almost paid the price for it." Jo's voice was filled with a grief Bailey completely understood.

"Look. I'm not gonna lie. You pushed the limits of your body. That cannot happen again. If you promise to take care of your body and let us watch you, you can work so long as you listen to your body."

A smile broke out on Jo's face. "Deal."

"Mommy!" Luna squealed, because she hadn't seen her mom in nearly 4 hours.

"We'll leave you be." Bailey said, Alex and Jo eternally grateful.

"We owe her." Alex started, leaning his head on Jo's shoulder as he climbed into the bed with her.

"Big time," Jo said before focusing her attention to Luna.

"Hey, Moonshine." Jo used the nickname Luna knew only from Alex and her, motioning for Luna to come closer.

Soon after, Luna whimpered, hesitantly curling further into Jo's body.

"What is it, Luna-bug?" Jo said before mouthing a 'What happened?' to Alex, who only shrugged in response.

"Mama, you left me." Luna said, her big, bright eyes filled with unspilled tears.

"What are you talking about, baby girl?" Alex asks, coming closer to the loves of his life.

"You left me because you love the baby more than me."

"Oh, honey. Never. Never, ever, ever will Mommy and Daddy love anybody more than you. We love you and your baby brother or sister so, so much, and nobody can match that." Jo's words suddenly filled Luna with joy, evident by the smile on the little girl's face.

Two weeks later, and Jo was fully recovered.

"Promise me you'll take it easy today?"

"Obviously." Jo knew her husband was just being careful, but even she noticed the involuntary sharpness in her voice. "Sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I get it." And he truly did. The words, seemingly insignificant, made her melt.

Through shaky breaths and watery smiles, she spoke.

"Thank you."

"Of course."

"No, Alex. I mean it. Thank you. For this, for Luna, for- for giving me a chance at having a baby again. For all of it."

"Jo. You know I'd do anything for you. Getting to give you a baby was just an added bonus," he smirked, waggling his eyebrows.

"You are terrible."

"But you love me anyway. I love you, Jo." He bridged the space between them, putting his forehead to hers.

"I love you. I can't believe we're having a baby," Jo spoke mesmerized as awe filled her voice.

That night, the excitement wouldn't wear off, and if Jo was honest, she didn't want it to. And neither did Alex. They were the happiest people on earth, and nothing could take that away.

fin.

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Thank you so, so, so much to everyone who reads this, reblogs, or even looks at it. Put prompts in comments, and tell me what you think!

xo, Nikki.

Also, here's chapter 2!

https://www.tumblr.com/salt-pepper-jolex/759121165155516416/mo-matter-what?source=share

[rubykgrant]

(Grif and Simmons first-date outfits, thanks to Kai and Donut~)

“OOOH, are you FINALLY taking your nerd out?” Kai asked him, practically hopping up and down.

“Yes, and SHUSH IT!” he told her before she started screeching in delight over the situation. He was very grateful that his sister was respecting their privacy by not spilling the beans to everybody else, but sometimes she got entirely too excited. “I want some help getting ready for our date. So-”

“OH, I know EXACTLY what I want to do!” she reached out, grasping his shoulders, spun him around, and threw him down into a chair.

He was at her desk facing a mirror, and before him was an absolutely CHAOTIC spread of “beauty products”. Nail polish bottles, nailclippers, nailfiles, lipstick, lipbalm, lipgloss, bottles of lotion, bottles of lube (gross, Kai!), body glitter, mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, different kinds of face-cream, hairspray, make-up brushes and powder-puffs, about a dozen different colorful things he didn’t recognize (but thankfully, nothing that looked like it could potentially be a sex-toy).

“Here, I’m gonna pull your hair back like this- see?” She took most of his hair and held it back in a loose bun, but let some hang down. His hair parted in the middle, so now the dark-brown wavy lengths framed his face. “But first, we need to change your clothes… hmm, a jacket would be good, I got a few the other day I thought you’d like, but I need to make sure they match… hold on, I’m calling in help!”

She dashed off to the door before he could stop her.

“Kai, what are you do-”

“Hey, Donut! Can you c’mere a sec?” she ignored her brother, instead calling out to Donut in the hall.

“KAI!” Grif whisper-screamed at her.

“Chill bro, I’m not gonna tell him everything!” she waved at him, shush-shush.

“Heyyyyy, Kai! What’s up?” Donut poked his blonde head into her room as she stepped back.

“So, I got Dex here some new clothes, because you KNOW what he’s like on his own…” she explained.

“He’ll just buy himself another hoodie, and another hoodie, and ANOTHER hoodie,” Donut finished.

“Exactly. He’s letting me play big-bro dress-up, but I want you to help me color-coordinate everything!” Kai gestured over to a stack of clothes on a chair.

“OOOOOH~” Donut clapped his hands together eagerly. He walked toward the clothes, looking them all over (not noticing the glare Grif was sending over to his sister).

“I’m thinking THIS shirt… oh, and the embroidery on this jacket is very nice… and these pants! Here Grif, try them on!” Donut brought them over.

“Fine… but I’m changing over here,” Grif took them and stood up, walking to stand behind the sliding door of Kai’s walk-in closet. He didn’t shut it all the way, and could hear his sister and Donut whispering and giggling to themselves the whole time. “OK, done. How do I look?”

Grif stepped back out into the middle of the room, and was met with surprised gasps of joy. Before he could turn around and look at himself in the full-length mirror, Kai insisted on doing-up his hair, so Grif waited while listening to Donut’s compliments (which were also self-brags on his eye for fashion). At last, Grif was allowed to see the end result; the jacket was a dark, dusty blue (it made him think of wet concrete at night… sort of a weird comparison, but a nice color all the same). The collar and trim of the sleeves and edges was embroidered with shiny, golden thread, making a pattern of little swirls. The shirt had a v-collar, and was a dark orange… almost brown, but still vibrant (Donut was calling it “burnt sienna”, and Grif wasn’t going to argue). The pants were pale-gray jeans, and somehow worked really well with the darker colors in the rest of the clothes. He looked… good. Actually, pretty damn fine. As Grif smiled at his reflection, Kai gave him a hug; she was very pleased with herself, helping her brother look all pretty for his date.

Across the hall, Simmons was losing his mind; all of a sudden, NONE of his clothes looked good. This was worse that back-to-school shopping, getting ready for picture-day, and trying to dress nice for every college and internship he’d ever applied for when he was younger…

OK. Calm down. He could figure this out; the real problem was trying to make sure he didn’t look like a tech-support dude who wandered away from his office cubicle. Or some kind of "youth minister" trying to be hip and trendy.

Simmons wanted to at least look vaguely COOL. He could maybe pull off the “I don’t give a heck” kind of cool vibe by just wearing some jeans and a black shirt, but Grif had told him to look kinda-sorta nice for this. Which meant Grif was going to look kinda-sorta nice, so they should kinda-sorta match.

Simmons started to sort through everything, putting away the casual clothes, so he had the slightly more fancy options spread out across his bed. Now, to figure out which ones to combine into an outfit… UGH, it all looked stupid! Damn it, he was never good with fashion, unless he had very specific guidelines to limit his options (and this usually meant either wearing the armor, or something very prim and stuffy). He needed help, but he couldn’t ask Grif. Somebody else, somebody who liked this stuff, somebody who understood how to mix-and-match clothes, somebody like…

“Donut!”

Simmons poked his head out of his door just moments after Donut left Kai’s room (she was now letting her brother test-sniff different body-spritz perfumes and colognes).

“Yes?” Donut answered, a cheerful musical tone in his voice.

“I need your help with something… um, something secret!” Simmons waved for him to come over.

“Oooh, fun! I love secrets,” Donut happily walked through the door.

Simmons hastily led Donut by the arm to show him the issue.

“OK, so, uh… Grif… Grif made a bet with me, that he was better with fashion than I was, he just usually doesn’t bother dressing up or putting effort into his clothes-”

“I know, right? He wears almost nothing but hoodies! That don’t even have any patterns or designs on them! So drab!”

“Mm-hmm, but see, I know he’s having Kai help him cheat-”

“Oh…” Donut suddenly connected a few dots (though, he had no idea just how many more dots were involved here).

“So, I’m asking you, please help me figure out what to wear?”

“Well, you’re in luck! I just happen to have some very in-depth and intimate knowledge about Grif’s anatomy, both with and WITHOUT fashionable clothing!” Donut declared.

“What the hell does THAT mean?”

“Never mind. Yes, I’ll help you out. Now, let me see what we have to work with…” Donut leaned closer to look at the clothes. “This is nice. I know it’s ironic how we wound up color-coding our clothing to match our armor, but dark red really is a good color on you, Simmons… oh, this jacket, you can totally rock this jacket… and these pants! There you go, try them on~”

“OK… but I’m going in the bathroom,” Simmons turned and went through the short hallway in the room he and Grif shared.

“Fine,” Donut said. If Simmons was still awkward about changing in front of people, Donut wasn't going to stress him about it.

Simmons didn’t bother turning on the light in the bathroom; plenty of it came in from the lamps in the main room, and he could see perfectly well. At last he got the clothes on, and stepped back into the direct light, walking until he stood between his and Grif’s beds. Donut rushed over, threw his arms around Simmons, and spun the flustered man around before stopping in front of the mirror by the shared closet. Simmons got a good look at himself; the shirt was a high-collard band, and a deep rose-red. The jacket had mid-length sleeves (stopping comfortably above his elbows), styled to almost look like an old-fashioned waistcoat with a low cut. The shoulders and collar were a steel-gray, while the lower section was darker, almost black. The pants were also dark, even more of a deep red than the shirt, and a little less vibrant. He looked kind of like… a Victorian-era vampire who had re-invented himself in the modern age as a rich night club owner. Which, Simmons absolutely WASN’T, and anybody who knew him would laugh at such a thing, but the LOOK was there. As Simmons stood up a little straighter, holding his head high, it kind of… worked.

[the-likeable-wizard-mack]

any witch/magicfolk headcanons for interactions/stories with other creatures? (Vampires, werewolves, fairies, demons, etc etc)

Hi!! Thank you for the ask @outer-space-face

Actually, I did something a but similar to this a while back...And I think you asked a VERY similar questions about these specific creatures. I don’t know if this is similar to the same question you asked before…But, I did have a story cooking up in a while so…Why not do a an interaction between a witch and elf? And why not a semi romantic interaction??

Urban Fantasy Stories: Bakers Dozen

“Holy shit..He’s back. Again!” The gossipy employee whispered towards Asha. The kitchen witch turned her head relaxing a bit seeing the “suspicious” customer. A tall fair young man wearing a large trench coat and glasses was constantly glancing around the bakery. Even though he was trying to be stealthy it wasn't really helping that much, granted when your ears are much longer than a normal humans it’s pretty easy to stick out like a sore thumb. Asha watched as the elf leaned ever so awkwardly on the ledge waiting to be served he was giving some of the pastries inside the glass a vacant stare.  “Elves are freakin’ weird man” another  employee next to her muttered. “He was JUST here an hour ago. and gets the same thing. What is he trying to do?” they complained. Asha chuckled shaking her head. “Ay, Let me handle him okay? He’s harmless.” She said walking towards the customer. “Good afternoon sir, may I help you?” Asha asked a smile permeating on her face. The elf jumped getting out of his pastry trance. 

“A-Ah..! Yes! Umm.. May I please get one of your..ummm”  “Fae sprinkled donut stuffed with crème?” the witch answered for the elf. The elf’s cheeks turned a light shade a pink as he hushed her. “Yes..! That one! Do not say it out loud!” He hissed. Asha raised an eyebrow, I guess she did agree with her co-worker on how elves were kind of odd. “Why? What’s wrong with them? She questioned  leaning on the desk. The elf flustered pulled on his long silvery hair avoiding her eyes. “N..Nothing is wrong with them, they are the most exquisite  donuts I have ever eaten! Even though made by  a mere witch I..I am very impressed! ” He blurted out. Asha smile grew wide. She’s been complemented on her cooking skills for a long time, hell she was a witch who’s practice was in cooking. Though the elf’s complement was quite cute, the way that he’s cheeks flushed and the occasional nervous glances made him seem less stuck up like most elves she’s known. He came here almost every day either two to three times a day getting the same pastry every time always with a hint of guilty pleasure. Asha nodded to the elf, “Thank you I appreciate the complement.” Asha said packing the donuts into a box with a few other of the same donut. The elf’s eyes widened a bit. He only wanted one! Not twelve!  “I..I only wanted one..!”  “I know, But you keep coming in here every few hours to get the same thing. I thought you might like to take these ones home with you.” she responded giving him the box. The elf took the box and observed the delicious contents inside...The honey glazed donuts all put together in neat rows ever so delicately sprinkled with light white powder with hints of small sparkles in them. An audible rumble came from the elf’s stomach getting both his and Asha’s attention. “Wow, you really like these huh?” Asha giggled. The elf’s ears wiggled as he closed the box. “You heard nothing..! Thank you! How much is it?” He asked.  Asha handed him a receipt, “It’s fine. I already paid for you. Consider it a gift for being a loyal customer.”  The elf looked at the receipt and back at her. The elf bowed and dipped out of the bakery in a hurry. Asha could see his face turning red as he sped out the door.  “Sooo...? You gave him donuts for free?”  “Not really, money was from my own pocket. But , I did give him something extra other than just the donuts.” She teased.  The kitchen witch and her employee watched out the window as the elf looked at his receipt. His eyes bulged out of his head as he snapped his head back at the window with completely red face a small shy smile appeared on his face as he opened the box of donuts grabbing and happily munched on it. The witch giggled as her employee looked down at her.  “You gave him your number didn’t you?”  “I mean, he won’t have to come in ever hour.”  “Smooth. Real smooth.”  Headcannon: Elves being naturally skinny and thin always want to maintain that perfect body image. However, some elves do have a huge sweet tooth which causing the mental dilemma of having so many guilty pleasures. 

[kpopfanfictrash]

s is for sexy

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: Jungkook

Word Count: 1,532

Rating: PG-13

Summary: An accompanying drabble to The Art of War More. This drabble takes place after the events of both TAOM and L is for Lunacy. Jungkook is included in People magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive issue, but you can’t find a copy anywhere.

[ PART OF MY JUNGKOOK BIRTHDAY DRABBLE GAME ]

“We’ve made a terrible mistake,” you complained, sinking down on a park bench to rest your chin in one hand.

Coming to a stop, Gina craned her neck to peer over her shoulder. “I agree,” she said. “We should’ve stopped and gotten donuts at that shop I pointed out.”

“Gina.” You looked up. “Read the room, alright?”

“Right, sorry.”

She grinned, plopping down on the park bench beside you. Adjusting her green and white striped shorts, Gina lifted a hand to scan the horizon. A few children played on the slide at the playground, their innocent cackles drifting over the hedges.

Utterly exhausted, you sighed. “We should give up.”

“No!” Gina turned to face you, appalled. “We’re not stopping until we’ve combed every newsstand in the city. Until we’ve harassed every bodega owner! Until our names are plastered under persona non grata in every library!”

Normally, Gina’s speeches were enough for you to crack a smile, but not today. Today was the day Jungkook’s big magazine article was released and you had woefully dropped the ball. To be fair, Seokjin had suggested you order the volume ahead of time, since the People’s Sexiest Men issue tended to sell out, but you completely forgot.

Jungkook had stayed on campus through Senior year, but then had immediately entered the NHL. This was his second full season with the team and already, he was garnering national attention. Much of this was due to a viral clip of your boyfriend removing his jersey at the end of game five of the western conference finals, but said clip wouldn’t have gone viral if Jungkook had been on the bench.

The fact that he got playing time in his first season was remarkable – let alone that he was playing in the semis and was now considered the league’s It boy. Already there were rumors of him being nominated for end of year awards. Jungkook was excited about those, of course, but you and your friends were more excited for this. People’s Sexiest Men Alive.

He wasn’t the cover, of course – that was reserved for A list celebrities – but it seemed Jungkook’s abs had been enough to land him a mention. You’d planned on wallpapering the apartment door with the photo before he got home tomorrow, but that wouldn’t happen if you couldn’t get your hands on a copy.

Unfortunately for you, the issue seemed to be sold out.

Sighing again, you folded your arms over your chest. “Has Seokjin said anything to you?” you asked Gina. “Was he able to find one?”

“How should I know?” she said, somewhat defensive. “It’s not like I know everything Seokjin does or says.”

You stared at her for a moment, unsure how to respond. “Uh – I know?”

“Right.” Gina swallowed, somewhat mollified. “Why don’t we call him?”

Shaking your head at her weirdness, you pulled your phone from your pocket. Honestly, Gina and Seokjin had been acting mad weird lately. They acted all cagey and awkward whenever you asked one about the other. If you didn’t know better, you’d almost think they were fighting.

Dialing Seokjin’s number, you leaned back on the bench and listened to his ringback tone. Kim Seokjin was one of the only people you knew – well, him and your aunt – who still had that feature, and Seokjin hadn’t bothered to update his since 2011. It was still Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.

HEY, I JUST MET YOU! AND THIS IS CRAZ –

“Hello?”

“Seokjin,” you groaned. “When are you going to change that dumb ringback tone?”

“Whenever Carly Rae goes out of style, so never.”

Gina, having overheard, cracked up beside you.

“Anyways,” you said, switching to your other ear. “Any luck on the search?”

“Sorry, but nope. Seems your boyfriend is more in demand than that one donut shop Gina always wants to go to.”

“That, or it’s the fact that Michael B. Jordan’s on the cover.”

“Yeah, probably that.”

“Alright,” you sighed, picking a thread on your jeans. “Thanks for trying, Seokjin.”

“Anytime,” he said and hung up.

As you shoved your phone in your purse, Gina looked at you warily. “No luck?”

“Nope.”

“Hm.” Gina leaned back on the bench. “Maybe we should switch gears here, get creative. We could cut out semi-nude photos of Jungkook and stick them to the pages of last year’s edition!”

“Where would I get last year’s issue, though?”

“Good point.” Gina thought. “You could just stick semi-nude photos of Jungkook to your front door?”

“Gina,” you laughed, shoving her shoulder. “Stop stripping my boyfriend!”

“There it is!” Gina beamed. “I knew I could get you to laugh.”

Shaking your head, your smile faded a little. Gina was right though, this was silly. It would’ve been fun for Jungkook to come home from his away game to this, but it was hardly the end of the world. You would just order a copy online and wait.

Heaving a great sigh, you stood from the bench. “Okay,” you said, turning to Gina. “Let’s head out.”

Gina convinced you to go to the donut shop at least, so you didn’t arrive home empty-handed. That was the reason she gave you at least, although you knew it had more to do with her recently launched donut Instagram.

The box was precariously perched on your hip as you shoved open the door, placing the keys on the hook to kick the door shut. As you turned to walk inside, you started – nearly dropping the entire box of donuts on the floor.

“Jungkook?” you gasped.

Chucking the box on the counter, you dashed across the room.

Jungkook laughed when you reached him, immediately jumping to wrap your legs around his waist. He caught you easily, warm hands on your waist as you buried your face in his chest. Somewhat awkwardly, he walked you towards the kitchen.

“You’re back!” you blurted, pulling back to see him.

Jungkook grinned, rosy-cheeked from your touch. “I’m back,” he agreed, depositing you on the kitchen counter. “Miss me?”

“How?” you demanded, poking his chest. “How’d you get home so fast?”

“I feel so welcome,” Jungkook teased. At the look on your face, he grinned. “Coach cancelled tomorrow’s practice, so I caught a flight back today.”

“Yay,” you said happily, leaning to rest your head on his chest.

The steady thrum of his heartbeat reassured you and for a moment, you allowed yourself to enjoy this. Jungkook smelled as he always did, like light floral and cotton, and the weight of his hands on your thighs made your heart calm.

His thumbs played with the thread on your jeans, which sent your mind to other places – places involving your bed, his ass and zero clothes – but for now, you were content with this.

“What’s in the box?” he murmured into your hair.

“Oh, right,” you said and pulled back. Twisting around, you dragged the donut box towards you and popped the top. “Some might be a bit squished since I threw them. Gina and I went to the new donut place on Lakeview.”

Jungkook’s eyes went super-wide. He immediately bent to grab the closest donut, powdered sugar getting everywhere when he bit into the side.

“Yum.” Jungkook’s eyes rolled exaggeratedly back in his head. “Wow, this is the best welcome home I’ve ever gotten. There’s you, of course, but also – donuts.”

“Obviously,” you said. “There was actually supposed to be another surprise, but I kind of messed it up.”

Jungkook licked powdered sugar off his wrist. “Messed something up? You? Don’t buy it.”

“Suck up,” you teased. “But no, really. I wanted to get your People’s Sexiest Men edition! I was going to plaster it across the front door and embarrass you.”

Jungkook grimaced. “As fun as that sounds, the donuts are better.”

“What? You aren’t proud of how sexy you are?”

“I don’t care about that.” Jungkook swallowed the last of the donut. “As long as you find me sexy.”

Tipping your head back, you groaned. “Okay, now you’re seriously sucking up.”

“Mm.” Placing his hands on either side of your thighs, Jungkook’s nose grazed your jawline. “Anything else you want me to suck?”

“Jungkook!”

Drawing back, his gaze glinted darkly. “Besides, why do you need that photo of me with my shirt off?”

You frowned, perturbed and he reached one hand overhead. Still looking at you, Jungkook did that stupid-hot thing guys do where they remove their shirt with one hand. When his six pack abs were revealed, they left you a bit speechless.

Flexing a little, Jungkook grinned. “You have the real thing.”

“Shut up,” you groaned, shoving his pec. Oh – hard. Sliding down from the counter, you began walking towards the bedroom. “But since you offered…”

Jungkook waggled his brows. “I did.”

“Get in there, sexiest man alive,” you laughed. “Show me what you got.”

“Alright.” Jungkook caught himself on the doorframe with both hands. “But before we go any further, I feel compelled to clarify I’m not People’s sexiest man, just one of them. Michael B. Jordan is the sexiest man alive.”

“Jungkook!” You pointed through the door. “Bed!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a salute.

You stared after him, grinning stupidly before following.

 kpopfanfictrash, 2020. Do not copy or repost without permission.

[step-on-me-lucifer]

So all of these were sitting in my drafts. Enjoy

Mammon: So I come back home and there’s a huge flock of vultures on my roof

Levi: they’re waiting for you to die

Lucifer: Can someone tell me why there’s a cow in the common room.

Beelzebub: We were out of milk so I panicked and bought a cow

*Mammon rollerblades into class with sunglasses and a Pina colada* Guys, you’re not gonna fucking believe this...

Mc: My boyfriend is too tall for me to kiss him. What should I do?

Satan: Punch him in the stomach, when he doubles over in pain, kiss him

Asmodeus: Tackle him

Levi: Dump him

Mammon: Kick him in the Shin

Lucifer: Just ask me to lean down!

Belphie: I could kill you if I wanted to

MC: Yeah? So could another human.

Belphie:

MC: So could a dog.

Belphie: ....

MC: So could a dedicated duck

Belphie: ???

MC: You aren’t special, Belphegor.

Levi: Mammon is so useless.

MC: No he’s not!

Mammon: Thank you-!

MC: He can be used as a bad example

Lucifer: I have this headache that comes and goes.

Mammon: *walks in*

Lucifer: Oh look there it is again

Asmodeus: How do Mammon and MC usually get out of these messes?

Satan: They don’t. They just make a bigger mess that cancels out the first one

Levi: You look nice, I want to kiss you.

MC: What?

Levi: I SAID IF YOU DIED I WOULDN’T MISS YOU.

Beelzebub: Did you eat my powdered donuts?

Mammon: No.

Beelzebub: Then what’s that white powder on your pants?

Mammon: Cocaine.

Belphie: So what time does the judgmental express arrive?

Mammon: Lucifer should be back at noon

MC: Let me see what you have.

Solomon: A knife!

MC: No!

Mammon: Say yes to drugs.

Simeon: Say no to drugs

MC: It doesn’t matter what you tell drugs

MC: Because if you’re talking to drugs, you’re taking drugs.

Belphie: Have you seen the thing?

Lucifer: What thing?

Belphie: You know the thing! I seemed to have misplaced it and it’s of great importance.

MC walks in: Hey guys!

Belphie: Ah there it is!

Lucifer....

Diavolo: ....You lost MC?

Diavolo: So you see, there’s hope for anyone!

Mammon: Even me?

Asmodeus: Hell no.

MC: I hate when people ask “what’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?” Like. Awfully bold of you to assume I’ve reached peak dumbass

Asmodeus: Hello people that do not live here.

Simeon: Hi!

Solomon: Hey!

Asmodeus: I gave you that key for emergencies.

Solomon: We were out of Doritos.

MC: So what’s it like having Satan as a brother?

Asmodeus: Once I asked him for a glass of water while he was mad at me and he brought me a cup full of ice and said “Wait.”

Barbatos: Remember tomorrow is trash day.

Satan and Levi: *Drag Mammon out to the curb and leave him there*

[doc-pickles]

that was our place, I found it first

in which alex and jo both struggle with their new realities and that overwhelming sense of deja vu....

hey hi hello this isn’t new (it’s been on AO3 for a hot minute) but I hadn’t shared it here so enjoy. and everyone say thank you to olivia rodrigo.

It’s three weeks into his stay in Kansas when the weight of his new reality hits him square in the chest. He’d wrangled both kids inside and sent them to wash up, quickly changing out of his scrubs before meeting Eli, Alexis, and Izzie at the dinner table. He’s about to ask how the day has been for everyone but he’s stopped dead in his tracks, the words slipping from his mind.

“Hey, you're invited to Mer's for Thanksgiving.”

“Really?”

“I'm invited and, uh, I'm bringing you.”

“The attendings are gonna be weird if I'm there.”

“No, they're not.”

“Just go without me. We'll meet up after.”

“You think I wanna be there if you're not.”

“You're sweet.”

“Okay, screw it. How about we get takeout chicken and eat it in the car like we were raised to do?”

“I think I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah, settle down.”

The sound of his daughter’s voice brings Alex back to the present, eyes moving from the platter of fried chicken in the center of the table to Alexis who’s staring at him in confusion. He quickly plasters a smile on his face, making a joke at his daughter’s expense that makes both children giggle loudly. Dinner passes by quickly and soon both kids are off to bed, visions of a bright eyed brunette intern closing Alex’s mind as he cleans the kitchen.

+

“Auntie Jo!”

The exclamation from Zola sends all three Grey Shepherd kids hurtling across the room to wrap their arms around Jo’s legs. Struggling to keep her balance, Jo let out a laugh as she listened to each child bombard her with questions. She hadn’t seen them for almost two months so the attack was unavoidable but not unwanted as she let the kids contagious joy bring a wide smile to her face.

“Hey, glad you could make it,” Link appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, Scout wriggling in his arms. “I’m not much of a cook but there’s fresh coffee and donuts. I got them from that place that’s on...”

Link’s voice faded out as Jo’s eyes settled on the pink bakery box behind him, the children clinging to her forgotten as her mind drifted.

“Cheers to an incredible day. You deserve it. Actually, I helped, too. So cheers to us.”

“Hey, powdered sugar's your favorite.”“Yeah, no. This is great. Thanks.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“So it’s been a long morning around here,” Link, oblivious to the far off look in Jo’s eyes, finished his thought off before turning back to his friend. “Can I get you some coffee? You look tired, no offense.”

Jo nodded her head, shaking off the last foggy visions of the supply closet from her mind as she hoisted Ellis onto her hip, “Coffee sounds perfect, thanks Link.”

+

“You know, maybe we should just head down to the courthouse, make things official.”

Alex’s head snapped up from the bowl of cereal in front of him, eyes wide as he stared at Izzie who was packing lunches for Eli and Alexis. Her comment was nonchalant, eyes not even leaving the lunch bags in front of her as she continued the thought.

“It might make things easier than going through a big fuss, plus it’s close to the hospital so it wouldn’t be super out of the way,” Izzie finally looked at Alex who was staring at her in shock still. “What do you think?”

“I don’t even know if my divorce has gone through yet, I think getting married is jumping the gun a bit Iz,” Alex forced the words out of his mouth, heart pounding loudly as Izzie began to laugh. “What? What’s so funny?”

“I meant go down to the courthouse to get you on the kids paperwork,” Izzie stifled another laugh as Alex let out a breath of relief, his heart rate coming down significantly. “Geez, what kind of backwoods tacky idea is a courthouse wedding anyways?”

Alex’s mind began to drift as visions of vampire teeth and fake blood on a day not too long ago filled his mind.

“For better or worse...”

“For better or worse.”

"...for richer or poorer...”

“For richer or... pregnant.”

“What?”

“I'm pregnant.... Ha! Scared you! I got you so good.”

“Wait. You're not pregnant?”

“No. Oh, my God, you should've seen your face.”

“... so I told Jenny we’d swing by around 8,” Izzie looks expectantly to Alex, who’s coming out of his mental dog and still staring into his cereal bowl. “Alex? You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” his eyes flit to the living room where Eli and Alexis are playing a game, loud peels of laughter coming from them. His heart twisted for a moment, picturing Jo between the two children playing along with them as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Yeah I’m good.”

+

“You’re just the cutest baby in the whole wide world aren’t you,” Jo’s voice was a soft coo as she rocked a drowsy Scout in her arms, the loud voices of his cousins outside drowned out as they stood in the living room. “You’re gonna be handsome just like your daddy and so smart like your mama. I don’t know what those two are gonna do with you.”

“You’re a natural you know,” Jo’s head popped up, meeting Amelia’s gaze as she leaned against the doorframe of the living room. “He won’t even fall asleep for Maggie.”

“Well Auntie Jo just has the magic touch,” Jo pressed a finger against Scout’s cheek, the infant curling closer to the new source of warmth. “Maybe that’s why OB sounds so appealing, all the babies I get to hold and love on since I’m clearly not having any of my own anytime soon.”

A low chuckle left Amelia as she crossed the room and grabbed Scout from Jo, the little boy nuzzling into his mother’s chest contentedly, “Don’t count yourself out. I wouldn’t put it past you to become a mom sooner rather than later.”

Jo watched Amelia walk towards Scout’s room, her mind thinking back to a time when having her own kids wasn’t just a far off dream.

“I'm ready. I mean, let's do it. Let's make a baby, right now.”

“Are you out of your mind? We’re not having a baby!”

“I want to have kids with you. I love how much you care for Kimmie, and it really makes me want to have kids with you. And if it's okay with you, I would really like to take your last name. Because I've never had the last name of anyone who's loved me.”

“I'm sorry I talked about kids on our honeymoon. It was stupid. It was just... you were talking about the future and snow stuff, and it just popped into my head. Like, I could see our kids playing in the snow, having fun, which is... You know, kids, snow. It makes sense.”

“Alex, shut up, please. I-I have an idea, a big idea, and I love you, and I will love all of our children, or at least one child eventually.”

“We're in the baby hat place? Are you pregnant and you didn't tell me?”

“She asked me if we wanted kids, and I said yes because we do. And she's making the hats extra big because I had an extra big head.”

The thoughts in her head overwhelm Jo, heart beating erratically as she collapses onto the couch in a fit of tears she hadn’t realized were falling. Eventually Amelia comes back, silently bringing Jo into her embrace as her tears fall. She doesn’t know how long she sits there crying, begging any higher being that would listen for Alex to come back so they could have the family they so desperately wanted.

+

“There’s a storm brewing! Expect two to three days of nonstop rain and wind in the North Eastern Kansas area, this storm is not letting up.”

Alex’s eyes floated to the window of his office, the news report blaring from his laptop fading as he focused on the rain hitting the glass. He’d lived in Seattle for a large majority of his life, he should be more than used to the sight of rain. Instead though the water dripping down reminded him of another storm years earlier, a storm that changed his life.

“Listen, I have to tell you something.”

“No, you don't.”

“You don't even know what I'm gonna say.”

“I think I do, and you shouldn't.”

“Jo…”

“I'll mess it up, Alex. I mess everything good in my life up, and... we work as friends really well, and... and I don't wanna mess that up.”

“You won't mess anything up.”

The memory fades from his mind as a knock sounds on the door of his office, one of his attendings hurtling questions at him a mile a minute. Jo’s bruised face and beaming smile haunt his thoughts for the rest of the day though, the feeling of her lips on his haunting him as he attempted to keep his head screwed on straight.

+

“Watch out Seattle! Another super soaker is in the area. Local officials are advising everyone to stay off the roads until this storm passes. If you have an emergency or need to leave…”

“Great, we’re going to get the whole of Seattle’s dumbasses in the ER tonight,” Bailey’s voice broke Jo out of her trance as she stared at the TV in the attendings lounge, fingers absentmindedly twisting the necklace around her neck. “Wilson, keep an eye on the NICU for me. If the power goes out we’ll need to keep an eye on those babies.”

Jo nodded, leaving the lounge in a daze as her mind brought up her first Seattle superstorm and a night not unlike tonight that changed everything.

“Last night, before the tree, you asked me a question. You wanted to hear me say the words. So I'm... Saying them right now.”

“I don't hear anything.”

“Shut up.”

“Okay, but…”

“I'm... I'm serious.”

“Fine.”

“I love you.”

The words still echoed around her, the storm drowned out by the look on Alex’s face as they finally shared a kiss that felt like it was years in the making. That night changed everything for them, it started them off on a crazy eight year rollercoaster that despite its tragic ending Jo wouldn’t change for the world. As she walked the halls of Grey Sloan she was reminded of countless memories between them, their whole relationship playing out in the hallways of this hospital. A light feeling settled in Jo’s chest, the memories for once bringing a smile to her face instead of sending her into a crying fit. Maybe that dreaded sense of deja vu wasn’t always a bad thing…

[heavcnslyre]

ricky bowen x reader second series!! part one

— (continuation) starstruck au!

first series | series masterlist, part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, part eight, part nine, part ten

IN WHICH you cherish the last few days you have with ricky before he leaves for california.

WARNINGS n / a

NOTES first part of my new series!!!! super cheesy but it’s sweet hope you enjoy!!

text dividers from @writeyourmindaway

lowercase intended

( tags: @hesvoid34 @omgdani17 )

you smiled at ricky’s last message and clicked your phone off, cuddling back into your sheets. ricky had been staying with you the past few days and it was nice to be able to spend time with him, but he was leaving tomorrow. you constantly thought about how different it’s going to be— with him in california and you in new york. you lived such different lives: you were a high school senior in a random city in new york and he was a famous singer in los angeles, california. you were nervous to be away from him for so long, but you knew it wasn’t forever.

you had almsot drifted off to sleep again when you heard your bedroom door open and close. you opened your eyes and peeped over at ricky, who grinned at you when you made eye contact.

“good morning,” he said. he was carrying a box of donuts which he set on your bed close to your feet.

“morning!” you replied cheerfully as you sat up and grabbed the box. he sat on the bed carefully next to you. you pulled out a jelly filled donut.

“i am going to make such a mess on my bed,” you commented, powder already falling from your donut onto the sheets. he laughed and grabbed a glazed donut.

“no surprise there.”

you laughed and took a bite of your donut. after a minute, you turned to him. “what should we do today?”

“hm,” he thought for a moment. “good question.”

“i wish it wasn’t your last day here,” you said. “i have to go back to real life when you leave.”

ricky laughed. “yeah, it’s really been a nice escape, being here with you.”

you snuggled back into your blankets and looked up at him. “you could just stay. my whole family loves you, sure it’d be fine.”

“you know i would if i could,” he brushed your hair behind your ear. “i guess i have a career to get to, though.”

you hummed. “yeah. guess that’s sort of important, huh?”

“i guess,” he said. “you’re more important though, obviously.”

you smiled and grabbed his hand, tracing lines on it. “will you be recording ‘common sense’ when you get back?”

“of course,” ricky grinned. “i’ll release it as soon as possible.”

“i want to be the first to hear the recorded version.”

“well, it is about you, so sure.”

the two of you sat and talked for a while before you heard a knock on the door. you told them to come in and camilla peeked her head in the door.

“oh— uh, hi. sorry,” she said nervously. she had started to get used to the fact that you were dating ricky, but she was still a huge fan of his and wasn’t quite used to seeing him in her little sisters bed.

“hey cam. what’s up?” you asked.

“mom and dad wanted me to let you know we’re going to go out and get dinner tonight since ricky’s leaving tomorrow,” she said ricky’s name somewhat nervously, as if she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to address him casually.

“sounds great,” ricky smiled at camilla. she smiled back, in a you’re-my-sisters-boyfriend-and-i-think-i-approve type way. you nudged the box of donuts with your foot.

“donuts, if you want some.”

she peeked in the box. “any jelly filled?”

“should be a couple more in there,” ricky said. she grabbed one from the box.

“thanks guys. i’m thinking about going to a few shops today with my friend, if you wanted to tag along,” she said as she moved to the door. you looked at ricky and he shrugged.

“yeah, sure. just let us know when you’re going,” you said and camilla nodded before leaving your room. you turned to ricky.

“i think she’s getting used to having you here.”

he nodded. “definitely an improvement from when i came over after the dance.”

you laughed at the memory. when you returned home that day with ricky, ashlyn, and big red, you swore that camilla’s eyes popped out of her head. her face was red the whole time she spoke to him and she rambled on and on. of course, ricky listened and didn’t mind, but you thought her behavior was funny. shes usually so confident, and seeing her nervous was weird for you. you were just glad that she was getting used to him now and that they got along. you weren’t sure what you would do if your family didn’t like him.

“you ready to go?” your mom asked, walking into the living room where you and ricky were watching a movie. you looked over at her and nodded.

“yeah. are we driving together or seperate?”

your mom shrugged. “you guys can drive seperate, if you want. cam’s meeting us there.”

“okay,” you turned to ricky. “you wanna drive or should i?”

“do you really want to drive?” ricky asked teasingly. you laughed and rubbed your eyes.

“maybe not. maybe you should,” he laughed and stood up, offering you a hand. you grabbed it and pulled yourself up.

“what restaurant is it we’re going to?” ricky asked your mom.

“applebee’s on third street. (y/n) knows where it is if you can’t find it.”

“okay, awesome.”

ricky grabbed his keys and the two of you left right behind your parents. ricky rested his hand on your leg and you scrolled through your phone. as you were on twitter, a thought popped into your mind.

“hey ricky? can i ask you something?”

“of course.”

“when do you think you’ll say something about us being together?” you asked gently, in a tone that hopefully portrayed that you weren’t mad, just curious. he thought for a second.

“maybe when i release common sense?” he suggested, glancing over at you. “i feel like by then things will be calmed down enough and i can be truthful about who it’s about.”

you grabbed his hand and intertwined your fingers. “that’s perfect.”

“so, ricky,” your dad asked as you were sitting at the restaurant. “do you have anything you’re working on when you get back to california?”

ricky hummed. “i actually have an album in the works and theres potential for a role in a movie as well. but i’m also going to be focusing on spending time on myself and people i care about.”

you and ricky made eye contact and you smiled. you had had a conversation about how he puts too much on his plate and that he needed to focus on doing what he wanted to do, and he really took that to heart. he planned to spend more time writing his music and he was only going to do this movie if it felt right for him.

“that’s a great plan,” your dad said. “i’m excited to see how you do in the future.”

“thank you, mr. (y/l/n), that really means a lot to me,” he said. “when do you think you guys will make it out to california next?”

“definitely the summertime,” your mom said. “i’d love if we could go sooner but... going across the country isn’t necessarily a weekend trip.”

“yeah, i get that,” ricky laughed. “summers not too far, though!”

“yeah, in the meantime you can just take a drive to glendale and become best friends with my grandma,” you teased. ricky laughed.

“very true.”

the five of you sat and talked at dinner for over an hour, and your family got to know ricky. it was really nice to see them getting along. eventually, you all decided it was time to leave and let other people have your table. as you were walking out in the parking lot, ricky turned to your parents.

“i think (y/n) and i will go for a bit of a drive, if that’s alright?” he asked. your dad nodded and checked his watch.

“sure thing. just drive careful and be back before 12?”

“awesome, thanks!” ricky said and the two of you walked hand-in-hand back to your car.

“so, where are we going?” you asked as you got into the passengers seat.

“just for a drive. nowhere specific. besides, i know nothing about your city. we might get lost.”

you laughed. “this city isn’t that big. but getting lost is not that big of a deal. we’ll figure it out.”

“i’ve said this before— no one i’d rather get lost with than you,” ricky said, then grinned at you. you grinned back and grabbed his hand.

“right back at you.”

you and ricky ended up getting ice cream then finding a park to walk around in. but then, you quickly realized that it was new york in the middle of january, and you were freezing. you sat in the car together, sitting and talking as you looked at the stars. you had learned a lot about each other recently and you just continued to learn new things about him. you were able to pick up on little things he did; like run his hand through his hair when he was talking a lot and how his ears turned red when he got embarrassed.

ricky drove the two of you back to your house right around 11:30. everyone was asleep, as you assumed they would be. you made your way upstairs and into bed and ricky slipped in next to you, a few minutes later. you cuddled up next to him and he wrapped his arms around you.

“i’m going to miss this when you leave,” you sighed. he held you tighter.

“yeah. me too.”

“are you sure you have everything?” you asked ricky nervously, handing him one of his bags at the airport. your parents had left to go look at some of the shops to let you say goodbye. he gave you a light smile.

“yes. and if i forgot anything, you can just mail it to me. or, we can use it as an excuse to see each other sooner,” you laughed.

“are you sure you’ll be okay flying by yourself? are you comfortable?” you asked, he lifted your chin so you would look him in the eye.

“love, i’ll be fine. don’t worry,” your face softened and you leaned in to kiss him. he moved his arms to your waist and you moved yours to around his neck. when you pulled back, you rested your forehead against his.

“i can’t believe you’re going to be across the country from me, and in a different time zone,” you said. he rubbed your back.

“i know. but i’ll call you, everyday. call, not just text. and... i’ll update you on everything i’m working on, my songs, the movie, whatever.”

you nodded and pulled away from him. “just... take care of yourself, ricky. and don’t find another girl to be with in california.”

“trust me, i won’t,” he laughed. “my heart is here, with you.”

“so cheesy,” you teased. ricky rolled his eyes fondly.

“flight 258 to los angeles, california is now boarding!” you heard over the loud speakers. you sighed.

“guess you should go,” you said.

“guess i should.”

you smooth out his sleeves distractedly. “text me as soon as you land, okay? and say hi to big red for me, and your parents.”

“i will. my parents are excited to meet you for real, soon.”

“i’m excited to meet them. june, hopefully. then you, me, red and ashlyn will be altogether again. that’ll be nice.”

“yeah it will be! and i can finally show you more of california. it’ll be great,” you nodded.

“okay, enough of these cheesy goodbyes. no ones dying. facetime me later, i’ll see you soon.”

you kissed him again quickly and he turned to get to his gate as the warning was called for his flight. you sighed as you watched him leave. before he walked onto his plane, he turned around and waved at you. you waved back, a big smile on your face, and he turned to walk onto his plane. as he disappeared from your vision, your parents and camilla approached you.

“he board his plane?” your dad asked. you nodded.

“you okay?” camilla asked you gently. you looked over and nodded. she put her arm around your shoulder. “c’mon. lunch is on me.”

[hongnanglen-arina]

“No, tea it is.” | Choi Seungcheol/S.Coups

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: barista!Seungcheol x fem reader

Warnings: none

Words: 1.710

A/N: Hi there! Here’s something for our leader. He needs all the love, yes yes! As always, English isn’t my first language so excuse my grammar ♡

—

[6:41 am]

The look on your watch told you that you had to wait at least 70 more minutes until your family would finally land. As always, you were early but because it was a sunday, you had to take an even earlier connection to get to the airport, not wanting to be too late that it would get stressful or that your family had to wait for you. But seeing the time on your watch, it was still a little too early for your taste.

Yawning loudly, your gaze wandered to the two stores that offered coffee. "That one.... or that one??" You asked yourself while your feet took you to one of them absentmindedly. Maybe your feet decided for themselves because of... the cashier? Your steps slowed down a bit while you studied the boy from outside the store. He was handsome, his hair ash blonde and he was dressed in a very oversized rose cardigan which was halfway covered with a black apron. When you stepped inside, you could hear calming christmas songs through the speakers and you were immediately surrounded by the delicious smell of coffee beans. Sighing happily, you couldn't suppress the smile on your face. You haven't had your coffee yet but you already felt so much better. And again, you were surprised what effect coffee had on you aka how addicted you were to it. 

Not noticing how the boy was watching you from behind the counter, you looked around a little, trying to find the perfect spot to relax for an hour until the plane with your family would be landing. It wasn't crowded at all. Maybe thanks to the day and time.

"Welcome! May I help you?"

A warm and friendly voice pulled you back to reality and your head snapped to the said direction, now facing the cashier from before. He was smiling at you, hands folded neatly in front of his apron as he was waiting for your response. 

His expression was warm and friendly but the closer you got to him, the more you noticed the soft dark circles under his eyes, telling you that you might not were the only sleepy one here. But it didn’t make him less attractive to your surprise.

Now standing right in front of the counter and in front of this very handsome boy, your gaze wandered up to the menu. With pretty strokes, a wide range of drinks were written with white chalk on a black board, some other colors were used for green tea leaves or brown coffee beans combined with blue ice cubes and of course, christmas decorations. You wondered if he was the one who wrote it. 

“Uhm… it’s hard to decide.” It really was. Everything with coffee literally screamed your name. It’s been a while since you had a lavender latte or mint latte. Also pumpkin spice wasn’t on your christmas agenda yet. But even the regular drinks like caramel latte seemed nice at the moment. “Can you recommend something nice and warm?”

When your gaze met his again, the boy made a thinking sound. "No offense but you seem like a coffee type of girl."

"How does a coffee type of person look like?"

"Uhm, I don't know..” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “You just give me the feeling you are? Maybe I have that special sense because of my job? So, coffee it is?"

The corner of your lips twitched and he wiggled his eye brows in a cocky way, very sure about his opinion of you. “No, tea it is. I love tea.”

His eyes widen at your reply. As if his inner triumph just crashed just by a single word. He’s never been wrong with it before. When he noticed, he quickly cleared his throat and pointed to the selection of tea his work place offered. Grinning to yourself, you listened to him and were very amused about the fact that you caught him off guard so easily. While he was explaining the different tea styles and leaves, you looked at his name tag. Seungcheol. You spoke his name several times in your head, finding it kind of fitting to the boy in front of you. You noticed how soft his cardigan was and how good it suited him. It made his features so much softer. And even with the delicious smell of coffee, your nose met his own perfume that you really liked.

“So I would recommend our special homemade green tea. What do you think?”

Smiling at him, you nodded. “Sounds good.”

You payed your drink and took a seat in the back after Seungcheol told you he would bring your drink over once it’s done. A look at your watch told you, that 14 minutes passed by. Checking the flight schedule again, you decided to walk to the arrival hall in about an hour since it wasn’t too far away from the spot you were right now. 

It didn’t took too long for Seungcheol that he stood in front of your table, carefully setting the tea down with a donut. Before you could say anything, he waved his hand okay. “It’s a little apology for me assuming you are a coffee type of girl. Sorry about that. Anyways, it suits perfectly with the tea so I hope you like it.”

You blinked at the powdered sugar donut and then up to the boy. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

With an exaggerated bow, he walked away again, making you giggle. He was cute. You waited a bit before the tea was ready to drink but once it was, you hummed agreeingly. The tea was really good and Seungcheol was right, the donut was perfect with it. He surely had a good taste. 

The hour was slow. Just a few customers made their way to the store and they were all greeted by a cheerful Seungcheol. You couldn't help but to watch him work, also you didn’t have anything else to do anyways. Talk to the customers, smile at them and even ask them if they are a tea or coffee type of person just as he did with you. At first you rolled your eyes, finding his trademark start of a conversation stupid but he got it right every time, shooting you a wink as he caught you looking and you started to find it amusing. It quickly became some kind of silent competition in which you two locked eyes, exchanged smiles or shook your head at the other with a grin. 

It made you thought he was more than cute. And so did he.

When your hour was nearly coming to an end, you stood up and put the little tray with your order away before walking over to Seungcheol again who was cleaning the counter, looking up at you.

"Leaving already?” 

"Yeah, I need to pick up family. Mind if I order a coffee before I leave?"

"I don't mind making coffee for you but I do mind you leaving me. It was fun."

You smiled at him with pink cheeks, the same color he wore on his own. "Yeah, it was. But we might meet again… somewhen, someday."

He cocked his head to the side. "Is that so, miss tea-lover?"

"Oh, according to your reaction, you are a coffee-lover, right? Beep. Sadly no match."

His laughter filled your ears and you suddenly wished you could hear it more often as you joined. "So I guess this coffee is for the person you are going to pick up. Which one can I prepare for you?"

"Y/n." Your eyes widen after realizing what you just said out loud, instantly covering your mouth. "Uhhh I mean.. uhm... one lavender latte please.. and.. with an extra shot espresso please.."

Seungcheol chuckled at your shy mumbling and gave you a nod. "Alright, lavender latte, extra shot for your family it is. It will be ready in a bit... y/n.”

You pressed your lips in a thin line to hide your happy grin as best as you could and after you shortly thanked him, you waited at the side, eyes falling down to the napkins in front of you. Biting your lower lip, you watched Seungcheol prepare your drink while humming to the christmas carol in the background. His soft hair fell lightly over his eyes, his big cardigan was rolled up so his hands were free to work with. Admiring his features from the side, you decided something you’ve never done before. 

Just in time when you shoved your pen back into your backpack, your coffee was ready. Seungcheol had decorated it with a smiley on top, making you giggle. “Thank you… Seungcheol.”

His smile faded a bit as his mouth fell open in a surprised manner, just to change to an even wider smile. “My pleasure, y/n.”

With your credit card, you payed the drink and stopped moving, sheepishly looking at the boy in front of you, who nervously kneaded the wet cloth on the counter. “So…. see you around I guess?” There was something in his voice that caused goosebumps to form on your skin. 

Exhaling deeply, you quickly put - what was in your hand - down on the counter in front of you and turned around, waving at him before almost rushing out of the store in embarrassment. 

Seungcheol watched you half in confusion, half with a chuckle but then his attention fell onto the little folded napkin in front of him. After a short and curious peek in your direction, he took and opened it.

//You were right. I’m a coffee type of girl and this drink is for myself. I wonder what else you would get right about me so if you want, you can… text me and we can get to know each other more? :)//

His eyes read over the numbers you wrote down on the little napkin as a smile crept onto his lips. This was the first time a cute girl gave her number to him. Today had already been a day with a couple of first times. He wondered how many more he would experience with you and he couldn’t wait to find out.

[detectivehannibal]

Homemade

__

Hannibal Lecter x Fem. Reader

Warnings: Implications of cannibalism.

Requested by: @chuuulip

Word count: 1,422

“I already feel bad enough about it so I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t lecture me about it.”

__

Pregnancy could be described as many things. Life changing, transformative, beautiful, natural (just to name a few). In a general sense, it is glorified and glamorized in every which way. To an extent, yes, being pregnant was all of those things. You were surely enjoying your time, but unfortunately, many women don’t get to see the other side of the coin until they’re in the middle of it themselves. The “morning” sickness that hits at every moment of the day, the fatigue, the swollen feet, and the intense hormonal changes that can shake you to your core. Your first trimester was a sick fest. The bathroom quickly became your most used room of the house and the toilet was your BFF. The mood swings were SO real. Which is why you were thankful Hannibal was a patient man, because God knows you would’ve been fed up already if the roles were reversed. 

One of the most common and notorious pregnancy symptoms is the ungodly craving for things that should never ever be consumed into the human body. 70% of women in the United States have food cravings as their main symptom of being pregnant. You were no exception. This was a challenge, considering your dear Dr. Lecter was a health freak and was particular of what went into his body. If he couldn’t name every single solitary ingredient in the food he was presented with, he was not going to eat it. This was fine by you. It encouraged you to make healthier choices and overall improve your lifestyle. Although, now it was a real tug-of-war because you just wanted all the guilty pleasures at your disposal. 

So, how did you approach this issue? It was simple. After months of fighting it, you surrendered...shamefully. You went to the store and absolutely raided the bakery section. You name it and you had bought it. You sprawled everything out on the kitchen counter when you got home. This was a secret mission of sorts. You had to indulge and then dispose of all evidence before Hannibal got home. Even though you felt a teeny bit guilty for giving into your cravings, it was kind of nice to be just a little bad. That’s what you told yourself anyway. You were calm and content, just selecting a delicious chocolate donut when you heard the front door open and close again. 

Uh-oh. The man in question had just arrived. 

You froze in your tracks. Just HOW were you going to talk yourself out of this one? Short answer: you couldn’t. You had been caught red handed. It felt like an eternity, but his footsteps finally fell into the room where he himself stopped upon noticing the scene taking place in his kitchen of culinary excellence. He set his bag down against the wall connecting to the doorway. He didn’t say anything, waiting to see if you were going to explain or if he would have to address it himself. Finally, you sheepishly smiled and gave a light greeting;

“Hi, Hanni.” You said in an innocent tone, delicately waving at him. 

He put his hands on his hips and straightened up more than he already was. Oh, boy. Here it comes. Before anything could come out of his mouth, you were quick to confess;

“I’m sorry. Okay? I just couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t keep ignoring the fact that I want to eat literally anything and everything that I’m not supposed to have,” You spewed; “I already feel bad enough about it so I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t lecture me about it.”

What you didn’t realize was that he found this rather funny. He had seen you struggle throughout the entire pregnancy and he knew it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. He walked over to the other side of the counter and took a moment to let his eyes gaze over everything that you had picked up. A sugary array of cookies, cupcakes, and donuts were definitely not a common occurrence in his home. You had really outdone yourself. He came around the counter to where you were once he had familiarized himself. He rested his hands on either side of your risen belly, rubbing softly;

“I won’t lecture you,” He said plucking the half eaten donut from your hands; “However, I feel that it’s necessary to remind you that I will make you anything you want. Even if it’s not something that I would usually cook. You know I’m careful of what items I put on our table.”

Before you could stop it, one of your hormone induced snappy responses fell from your lips. One so surprising that even you felt your heart skip a beat when you said it;

“Yeah, trust me, I know what sort of things you put on our table.” 

Even he didn’t respond right away. Your eyes widened upon mentioning the very thing you tried not to bring up. It was sort of an unspoken thing. You knew what sort of...activities he took part in. He had originally never planned on telling you, but he found it difficult not to when you got married. It was now your house too, so he couldn’t forbid you from the kitchen when he was cooking like he did when you were dating. 

“Sorry,” You mumbled an apology; “That was out of line.” 

He only smirked, not shaken by it. He turned to grab his apron and tied it around his waist. It was time for him to get busy.

“I care deeply about your health as well as our child’s. You know that. I’m going to make you something. A guilt-free guilty pleasure, if you will.” He stated proudly. 

You liked the sound of that. You nodded eagerly, suddenly excited. He did request that you leave the kitchen to keep it a surprise. You highly doubted any of his specialty ingredients would make it into whatever he was making so you obliged. You sat in the living room while he worked in the kitchen.

It had been a long, long, long time since he had made anything like this. He wasn’t necessarily a baker as much as a chef. He laid out the flour, butter, sugar, yeast, and whatever else he needed to make donuts. He dug through his collection of recipes and (low and behold) he had one single donut recipe. Thank God because he didn’t have a back up plan. You were much more simple when it came to food, so it wouldn’t take much to impress. Still, he wanted to make it special.

After preparing the dough, letting it rise, shaping it, and frying it, he had a half dozen of donuts in all their glory. Of course, he knew a chocolate glaze would be a winner in your book. He sifted the sugar and cocoa powder expertly before combining it with the milk and vanilla extract, creating a thick (but too thick) glaze for the donuts. Even he would admit, they looked SO good. As if on cue, you popped your head into the kitchen to check on him. Your eyes practically bugged out of your head at seeing the six donuts perfectly presented on the counter.

You waddled over, marveling at their divine presentation. He encouraged you to take one, which you didn’t hesitate to do. The first bite was absolute bliss. It was so light, airy, and sweet. You almost wished you could be pregnant all the time just so he could make more stuff like this. 

“What’s the verdict, darling?” He asked, knowing good and well you were having the time of your life right now.

You didn’t even respond with words. Just a satisfied groan and a kiss on the cheek. This was a home run for you and bonus husband points for Hannibal. 

“Aren’t you going to eat one?” You asked cocking your head.

“I made these for you, my dear.” He replied shaking his head.

You furrowed your brows;

“There’s NO way I can eat all of these. Come on, don’t you want to judge your own skills?” You asked taking the last bite. 

He pondered your question before shrugging and taking one himself. He took a bite and his eyes rolled back slightly. He had really done it this time. 

“I told you,” You muttered with a smile; “Thanks, honey.” 

“Anything for you.” He said kissing your head.

It was the small moments like this that reminded you of how wonderful he was. He was always willing to do anything for you. No matter the task. 

And to you, that was really very sweet.

[crybabyjam]

ship: todochako 

rating: g

length: 3k

summary: Todoroki picks up hitch-hiker!Uraraka.

c/w parental death (past), joking about murder

deleted from twitter, written for a former friend

---

The sun beats down heavy as Ochako tightens the straps of her backpack. In it was three changes of clothes, some stale bread, her dead phone.

It was only mid-morning but already she was sweating her absolute ass off.

She runs her fingers through her choppy hair, uneven on one edge because she hadn't had a mirror when she'd taken a rusty pair of scissors to them. Now she wishes she'd just shaved it all off, if only to save herself from a sweaty, overheated neck now.

Her parents had loved it when she'd had long hair.

Ochako remembers how her mom would wash the long strands for her every weekend, even when Ochako huffed and puffed and said she could do it herself.

Her mom always took the time to wash it gently, and condition with something sweet smelling— "Because a sweet girl like you deserves sweet hair, too."

And how her dad would braid it every time she visited, even when Ochako would have to undo it the next day. He would take his strong, worker's hands and lift each length of hair carefully so that he didn't tug on her tender scalp.

Now that they were gone, Ochako didn't see the point in keeping her hair long. It just slowed her down. It just made her /sad/.

She sighs, and steps out of the way when a car plows through a puddle right beside her.

Her legs get soaked, but it isn't anything worse than the day prior, when a truck had soaked her from head to toe.

Ochako just sighs and brushes the muddy water droplets from her already dirty legs.

It's a good thing she was out of socks, or else she'd have to start worrying about her shoes molding at this point.

She's just begun kicking her shoe off, to finish the rest of the trek up to the next city barefoot, when a car pulls up to a stop beside her.

"Are you alright?" A low voice asks, to her left. Ochako startles and twists on her heel.

She almost ignores it, because cars like that didn't stop for hitch-hikers like her.

But the car follows her a few more feet as she slows to a stop.

When she looks over her shoulder, confused, the man in the car tilts his head at her and nods.

"Are you alright?" He repeats. "I saw you get wet."

"Ah!" Ochako yells, and then lowers her voice. Geez, where are your manners, Uraraka? "I'm fine! Sorry."

The man blinks, and Ochako belatedly notices that he has the most stunning, grey eyes. Like darkened silver.

"Why should you be sorry?" He asks with a frown.

And then, he shakes his head.

"Do you need a ride? It's dangerous to get in a stranger's car, but you shouldn't walk around barefoot. Glass would hurt." He pauses, and then adds. "Probably less than murder, but I promise not to murder you."

Ochako is speechless.

But not speechless enough not to /laugh/ at the absurdity of the stranger.

She feels it bubble up in her chest like boiling water, and it floats out of her ugly, like when a pot spills the water and burns on the stove burner.

The man just watches, silent, as she wipes tears from her eye and keeps on laughing. He just leans against the steering wheel and waits patiently, face completely deadpan.

He's /serious/, and that just makes it funnier.

She gasps for breath as she leans against his car, one shoe falling to the pavement and skipping beneath the undercarriage, shit.

Ochako's laugh starts up again as she drops to her knees to retrieve it.

When she comes back up, knees blackened by sidewalk dust, and hands darkened by asphalt, the man is smiling. Just barely.

"I guess murder /would/ hurt more than stepping on glass." She agrees. "Depending on the type of murder."

He murmurs the words underneath his breath, eyebrows furrowing.

"You're right," he says, troubled.

She leans into the rolled down window, arms crossing to hide the ripped hem of t-shirt.

"You sure you /promise/ not to murder me? I kind of need my life."

Well. All things considering, it was pretty much all she had left. She couldn't exactly afford the house after her parents died. They hadn't been able to finish the down payments, and none of them (including Ochako) had enough savings to keep her afloat.

So, hitch-hiking. Walking to nowhere and hoping for more.

A few miles in an air-conditioned car was more than what she had, so she'll take it.

The man turns serious, though. The smile wipes off of his face— not replaced with a frown, but replaced with another deadpan look. He nods his head, making eye-contact the entire time, and says,

"I promise not to murder you."

Well.

He promised, at least. Ochako still had a little bit of mace in her pocket, if she needed it.

So she gets in the car.

---

His name is Todoroki Shouto and he has an open duffle bag of yen, two pillows with embroidered pillowcases, a shattered phone, and a half-full photo album in his backseat.

Ochako stares at the photo album instead of the other three things, because she definitely does not want to get murdered, thank you very much.

He was a cute baby. Two-toned hair from birth, and big eyes that only had one expression: wide. Ochako traces her ragged thumb nail across one of the pictures, where he's covered in cake frosting at his second birthday, and accidentally creases the polaroid image.

She hurriedly flips the page.

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm fine," Ochako mumbles, ignoring her tummy which immediately begins to grumble in argument. She flips another page to muffle the noise, and comes across more empty pockets than full ones.

From the way there's the edge of one polaroid still caught in one of the slots, Ochako assumes that they used to be just as full as the rest.

She flips to the back, and a roll of film flops into her lap.

"Do you even still have a camera for this?" Ochako asks, holding the strange, almost novel-looking thing up to the waxing light of the returning sun. Then she brings it back down to the shadows in case that might ruin the film inside, oops.

"At home," Todoroki says, low. Her shoes are in his lap, because he wanted her to have more room to look at the photo album. Ochako had tried to just place them on the floor of the car, but he looked so earnest in his offer that she hadn't been able to say no without feeling bad.

Besides, she had a feeling he was pretty harmless. Weird, but who wasn't?

"Oh, are you moving or something?" Ochako asks, and then immediately grimaces at the invasion of privacy. "I mean… 'cause of the stuff in your backseat."

"Moving…" Todoroki repeats, focusing on the road. They're driving slow enough that almost everyone passes by them, but Ochako got pretty motion-sick so she appreciated it.

Todoroki leans back in his seat, both hands at the very apex of the steering wheel. It's outlined in a leather cover and is so shiny that it almost looks metallic. Expensive as fuck, probably.

Everything about him looked pretty expensive, actually. The car was brand new, from this year. Still had the new smell and everything.

Ochako was actually pretty glad he insisted on the shoe-thing, if only to prevent mud stains.

Although his pants /did/ look pretty designer. Ah, fuck.

"Yes," Todoroki says, after the long moments of silence. "I'm moving."

"Oh! That's… fun. That's fun!" Ochako nods.

Todoroki turns them off of the road, and pulls into a parking spot. Ochako blinks past the raindrops on her side of the window, and squints out at the illuminated signs.

A restaurant. Ah, /fuck/. Ochako pats her shorts for her wallet, as if she could even /pretend/ it had money in it. All it had was her ID (almost expired) and a coupon for leg waxing.

"Do you want to come in with me?" Todoroki asks, turning to her completely. The seatbelt gets caught, and it does that thingy it does where it locks and gets tighter until you take it all the way off. He doesn't seem to mind.

Ochako smiles, though even she can feel how strained it is. "Ah, I'm fine. I should probably go actually, but thank you for the ride. The rain should stop soon, so…"

"Oh."

Todoroki frowns, glancing at the arm rest between them. He's engaged the parking brake even though they aren't on an incline, and Ochako's smile relaxes to something more real.

"It was really nice to meet you," she says. "I'd give you my phone number but I kinda didn't pay the bill." (Since, uh, last year, but he didn't need to know that.)

"It was nice to meet you too," Todoroki says. "I can buy you food."

"Oh," Ochako parrots, dumbly. Her eyes dart to the yen-bag and she hurries to shake her head. "I couldn't—"

"I don't mind. It's my dad's money— and he hates me. And I hate him, so." Todoroki finally takes off his too-tight seatbelt and it rattles noisily as it smacks against the car door.

"I…"

Ochako isn't sure how to approach /that/ particular landmine. Nor is she sure how she's supposed to resist free food. When had she last eaten. Two days ago, or something? She'd kinda been ignoring it, but the walking helped.

Now that she's technically resting, she can feel her tummy about to throw a conniption.

Todoroki blinks his wide eyes at her as he waits, not making a move. His blinks are slow, like a cat, and his eyes flicker back and forth between her own.

She sighs heavily, but a grin is already parting her lips. "You're a strange one, Todoroki."

"Am I?"

"I don't have any money, so you have to pay for all of it," she warns.

"I will."

"And I eat a lot! I haven't eaten in a while."

"Okay."

"And… and I want my shoes back."

Todoroki hands her the shoes. There's mud residue on his pants and the bottom of his shirt.

But he has a small smile on his face as he watches her struggle to put her shoes on in the closed space, so maybe it was alright.

---

Shouto watches as Uraraka stuffs two donut holes in her mouth, licking away the powdered sugar that paints across her lips. It looks like snow when it dusts down to her shorts, and smears chalky residue on her thighs.

He hands her a napkin, and she blushes pretty like a sunset paints ocean water pink when it sets at night.

"Sorry for the mess," she says quietly.

"It's okay. Is it good?"

"It's good!" She wiggles in her seat, and it reminds Shouto of a really happy hamster. "Do you want some?"

She's very beautiful. Her hair is cut in a way he's never really seen before, but it frames her face nicely. He likes it more than his almost-bowl cut. Some of her hair tickles across her shoulder, but she ignores it as she holds a donut hole out to him with a toothpick.

She keeps holding it as he bites down on the warm, cooked dough. He'd never really been fed by someone before. Well, as a baby— sure. But he had a feeling this was different. Was it different?

Shouto chews thoughtfully, and Uraraka smiles at him. She doesn't seem to mind feeding him. She stabs another one with the same toothpick and holds it out for him again, one hand underneath to catch the crumbs.

"Yummy, right? Thanks for buying them! I'll…" She flinches, interrupting herself. Her smile dims a little, like she'd lost power. "I'd offer to pay you back but, uh… ahaha, you know?"

Shouto /doesn't/ know, but he nods anyway. "I can buy you more," he says, soft. "You can take them with you. When you leave."

She uses the toothpick to prod and poke at the remaining few donut holes. They roll in the leftover powdered sugar at the bottom of the box.

"I'll be alright. But thank you." Her eyes get watery at the bottom lashes, and Shouto frowns. "You've been really kind."

When she laughs next, it's thick like she's close to sobbing. Her voice is shaky. Shouto doesn't like it- liked it much better when she was laughing /happily/ instead.

"Thanks for not murdering me," she adds. "This is probably the most fun I've had in a while."

"You can stay. I can drive you anywhere you want."

"Oh!" Uraraka jumps in her seat, as if he'd yelled it. He hadn't really spoken any louder than before, but he clears his throat and speaks even softer anyway.

"We just met, but I can take you anywhere you need to go. And I have enough money for the both of us. I really enjoy your company."

They're pulled off at an empty lot near a supermarket. Somewhere off in the distance is a park. The children there are loud, voices echoing in the evening ambiance.

Uraraka looks out towards the noise, but he can see her swallow heavily.

"That's kind of dangerous, isn't it? We just met."

She says it like how she says other things that are meant to be teasing. He nods anyway.

"It is. You can drive, if that makes you feel better. Or you can sit in the backseat. I would have bought a bigger car if I knew I would meet you today."

She laughs again, starting with a snort and ending with a giggle. It makes his heart beat faster in his chest, and he isn't sure if he's nervous or happy to hear it.

"What if /I'm/ the murderer?" Uraraka stabs one of the donut holes and brings it up to her mouth. She smiles at him when he frowns, and then smiles wider when he shrugs.

"If it happens, it happens."

"/Todoroki/." She slaps her palm against her forehead and sinks down in her seat. "That's the most dangerous mindset I've ever heard."

"I'm sorry?" He glances down at her the further she sinks, but she doesn't seem particularly angry. It looks like she's fighting, but on the inside. "It's not that dangerous."

"It's pretty dangerous."

She brushes her legs clean. Sits up straight and looks out the window again. Her breath fans out across the glass, fogging it.

He rolls the window down for her, and she does that snorting laugh again.

"You're a funny guy, Todoroki."

"Am I?"

"You are." Uraraka shifts in her seat, to pull her legs cross-crossed. There's one donut hole left in the box, and she rolls it around a few more times before she pokes it with that same toothpick and shoves it in her mouth.

As she chews, she glares at him. Almost like she can't see him and needs glasses. He leans in closer so that she can find what she's looking for.

"You're funny in both ways. Weird… but you make me laugh."

She closes up the box, fitting the toothpick between her teeth so that she can absently chew on it.

"So you're… 'moving'," she says, finally. "- and I don't have a home anymore. Where would we even go?"

Shouto glances past the parking lot, at the semi-distant street that is starting to pile with traffic after a brief lull. But his eyes inevitably drag back over to her.

Uraraka stares back, cheeks pink. A small smile grows on her face. She runs her fingernail across the edge of the empty donut box. He'd have to figure out a place to recycle it if he could.

There are so many places they could go. Somewhere warm, towards a beach. Or somewhere quiet, with wide hills and short buildings. To a festival. To a shoe store.

"Everywhere?"

"/Everywhere/?" Uraraka shakes her head, exasperated. "What about when we run out of money?"

Shouto shrugs. Uraraka laughs again. Her hand drifts to the middle console, palm up, and Shouto watches it for a while.

Then she leans over to grab his hand. Her fingers are warm, rough at the tips but soft everywhere else. She would look pretty in nail polish. /Prettier/, rather- if it were possible.

He maybe had a crush on her. Was this what love felt like? Soft hands and warm smiles? He liked it.

"I-"

She interrupts by leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. It's soft, like a feather landing on snow. "Take me everywhere, then. And then I'll give you my answer."

Shouto, dazed, touches his fingers to his cheek. He forgets to stop holding her hand, so hers come along with it. She doesn't seem to mind. "Your answer?"

"On whether or not I'll stay," she says, cheeky. "So you'd better make it a fun ride."

Shouto squeezes his other hand down on the steering wheel, if only to keep his heartbeat in his veins so that the organ doesn't leap out of his chest and act a fool. He accidentally steps on the gas, and the car revs in protest.

Uraraka laughs again. She tightens her hold on his hand and pulls it back down between them. He squeezes it back.

And when they get back on the road again, fifteen minutes later, Uraraka has gone from laughing to singing loud to the radio and dancing in her seat. She's pure joy.

---

It stops raining, and the world feels brighter.