#you better come meet me tomorrow or divorce

[onetimetwotimesthreetimess]

@shittatite just helped me figure out the biggest plot hole/writer’s block I had been suffering from while writing LRHWY. I haven’t been able to finish LRHWY II for the past one year because of this one fuxking chapter and I decided to call my babygirl and cried for help. Y’all don’t know her, but pls bow down to her cause she just saved my ass and this fic.

[lilacgaby]

˗ˏˋ🖍️crayons and connections

pairing: prohero!katsuki x nanny!reader

summary: after a harsh relationship he really didn't want another try at romance for a while. at least, not until he hired you. he thought he loved the way you cared for his kids, but you both knew it was something more.

tags: fem!reader, domestic au, use of pet names, no proofread, fluff, cursing, taking care of kids, a millisecond of angst i swear trust me, comfort

(a/n: i couldn't get this au out of my headdd)

wc: ~3k

katsuki was honestly sick of his wife.

she would nag him constantly, asking for his cards and attention without ever asking about him or how he was doing. everything was an argument now, most of their nights would eventually end up with him on the couch.

the only lights of his life were his newborn son and one year old daughter. he had adopted the 'staying for the kids' mindset, but her skipping out on their shared daughter's first birthday was his breaking point.

who knew 'i want a divorce' would be the happiest words he'd ever uttered such far? watching her cry and swear she'd be better feeding the hole of despair that had opened over their three year relationship, that had only really blossomed because she got pregnant.

he had made her sign a prenup, thankfully, so he got to keep the house. with a payment and some paperwork he was left with full custody of his kids in his house, to sleep in his bed for the first time in ages.

well, only because he hired you.

it was only natural that he needed a nanny, i mean he was gone for most of the day patrols. after taking some in for interviews, he eventually landed on you after some hours of questioning.

he was exhausted, some of these hags were terrifying, both in their practices and appearances. he relaxed a bit at the sight of you. you were really pretty.

"hi mr-- um bakugo was it?"

you and no idea who he was? it kind of hurt but would end up working out in his favor.

"yeah, just katsuki's fine."

"oh, okay! i'm [name], uh-- i have a couple years experience for babysitting and i worked as a nanny for some other families too--"

as you rambled about your past experience and why you were good for the job, katsuki's mind went elsewhere. you looked breathtaking just speaking there, he swore your hair was flowing in the wind and that the sun shone brighter around you.

not to mention you were really sweet, he had saw you making small talk to the hags earlier, which meant you really were a saint.

"so uh-- yeah that's all about me... uh, hello?"

"oh! yes? that was all really impressive [name]. so, would you be available from eight in the morning to about ten at night? those are my current patrol hours, and obviously you'd be compensated for this trial."

"yes, that's perfect for me! when can i start?"

"uh.. tomorrow?"

"okay!" you stuck out your hand, a small smile on your lips. "nice to meet you katsuki."

he shook your hand firmly and you bowed before leaving.

the next day you arrived earlier than anticipated, he was suited up in his heroes outfit, relishing in the moments where his kids were still asleep.

he heard a knock at the door and opened it. it was you, a tiny purse behind you. "hi katsuki! woah wait a minute.. are you like a hero?"

he shrugged his arms. "yeah, you know only like top three, nothing big."

he saw your eyes widen. "oh wow! sorry for not recognizing you, i don't really keep up with all that stuff-- but im sure you're really strong!"

he nodded, "hell yeah i am. anyways, come in."

you were greeted by a large family home. you were sure your apartment was the size of the kitchen alone. huge halls and grand staircases filled the space, lavish chandeliers all shaped as explosions hung from the ceiling. not to mention the crazy amount of trophies displayed.

the rocking chairs and baby blankets scattered about were seriously out of place, making you giggle a bit.

when he looked back at you, you immediately slapped your hand over your face. "something funny?"

"no, no it's just-- your house is so nice!"

"thank you? anyways, i'll take you up to their rooms now."

you followed behind him, even his kids had huge rooms. you were super kind of jealous.

he opened the door and waved you over to see a small, adorable baby boy sleeping in a cot. "this is kei, he's only eight months." he whispered. "he fusses a lot, but he loves music."

he closed the door slowly behind, and walked to the room straight across. a tiny toddler laid in a princess bed, the room drowning in all things pink. "this is kioko, she's a handful. she turned two a bit ago." he whispered, closing the door behind him to give you a basic rundown of the schedule.

"so, they normally wake up around eight. there's a lot of formula for kei in the kitchen, and kioko just likes cereal. kioko can and will play all day, but kei gets real sleepy."

you nodded along making mental notes of everything.

"they eat lunch around three, but a snack before then is fine. dinner is at seven and they go to sleep at eight."

"okay, i think i got it."

he nodded. "i think you do too. there's extra keys in the counter by the door. call my assistants if there are any emergencies, i wrote the number on the fridge."

you nodded again, "kay, i got it. you get going though, it's already eight twenty!"

"fuck. okay, i'll see you later."

"bye katsuki."

the door closed behind him and you were alone. you decided to start prepping a bottle. just as you finished, you heard the wails of a baby ring throughout the halls.

you walked up to the cot, speaking softly. "hi kei, i'm [name]." as you picked him up, he gurgled in confusion. "i'll be taking care of you from now on, let's go eat."

you kept him in your arms. he was looking up at you curiously, making you smile as he touched your face. as you walked to his sister's room, where sure enough she was awake too.

"hi kioko, im [name]. i'll be taking care of you, okay?" you said, reaching out a hand for her to shake it.

she grasped your hand. "okay. go eat?"

"yes, let's go eat. follow me, okay?" she followed after you sleepily, her blanket and stuffed animal in her arms as you led her to the kitchen.

you placed her brother in a high chair first, giving him his formula. "can i pick you up?" you asked her.

"up-up!" she said, raising her arms up in the air. you carried and placed her into one too. "so, what do you wanna eat?"

"cookie!" she pointed to an expensive cereal brand you'd never even seen before. "oh, okay."

you placed a bit in a tiny bowl, adding some milk. they ate relatively peacefully, were they really as crazy as katsuki said?

yes, yes they were. kioko was a ball of energy, walking any and everywhere. she wanted to play every single game known to mankind. it didn't help that hide and seek was hard in such a huge house.

kei clung to you. as you searched for her he never wanted to leave your side, he'd start sniffling when you even left his sight.

lunch and dinner were a blur, you made the food katsuki had told you to on the sticky notes he'd left around. you had a bit too, and man did these kids eat good.

kioko finally crashed, tugging on the back of your pants. "sleepy time." you were washing dishes, so you wiped your hand clean to ruffle her hair. "okay, go wait for me in your room."

you finished up, picked up kei from where he was sat by his activity cube, and walked over to kioko's room.

you read her a book, 'the giving tree.' she fell asleep halfway through, utterly tuckered out from the day. kei fell asleep against your chest, you went and laid him down in his cot.

you looked around the house, seeing the mess. you sighed. "let's do this."

the house was sparkling once you were done, a pot of coffee on the stove as you waited for katsuki to get back. you seriously didn't know how you were going to go back your one-bed apartment now that you've seen how the rich live.

the door sounded, it was katsuki. "hi katsuki! how was uh-- patrol?"

he was covered in soot and dirt from head to toe. you internally sobbed at your hours of mopping going to waste. "oh uh, it was good. caught some guys and shit."

"ah, that's cool!"

he looked around. "did my brats cause you any trouble?" he eyed how clean everything was, from the dishes to the floor.

"they're full of energy, but so cute it makes up for it."

he wore a soft smile. "yeah, they really are."

"you know, they both look exactly like you. it's cute."

he flushed slightly, "yeah?"

"mhm, oh! i had leftovers from earlier? if you wanted some."

"yeah, i'll eat them." she smiled and started to grab her things. "so, does this mean i pass?"

he smiled too. "yes,

yes you did."

days melted into months of your routine with kei and kioko. some days katsuki would come home early, letting you play games all together. you'd cook with him sometimes too, laughing at how precise he was about it.

everything got a bit real the second kei spoke his first word to you.

"mama."

you and kioko got so excited, recording a clip to send it to katsuki immediately.

the entire day you were so happy, treating the kids to a secret extra snack, and letting them beat their favorite baby popcorn.

a knock on the door was heard, you were feeding kei so you walked over to the door with him in hand. you thought it was odd, why would katsuki knock?

except it wasn't him, it was some woman. "uh.. who are you?"

"oh, so he thinks he can replace me so quickly? newsflash, bitch, i'm his ex wife."

"can you not curse in front of the kids?"

"i'll do whatever the fuck i want. you know why? because i'm actually connected to those kids. you're just playing mother, he'll dump you eventually."

she slammed the door behind her. "star her mama?" kioko asked behind you.

"yeah, stranger."

you had gotten a bit weird after that, acting weird about affection and things surrounding it. you didn't know why, but she really did make you question your role in their lives.

you weren't a mother, you were a nanny.

katsuki finally got fed up with your new, odd attitude. he questioned you with a look in his eye.

"why you been acting so weird?" he asked, his mouth full with food.

"huh? i don't know what you mean?"

he pointed his chopsticks at you. "you've been acting all weird 'round 'em. you don't like that they call you mom or something?"

"no! it's just.. don't you think it's weird?"

"no. i'm happy that they like you so much."

"you don't think i'm trying to replace their mom?"

"they never really had one in the first place. she was never around, so if she said some shit to you know she wasn't half the person you are."

"oh.."

"so she did come."

"yeah. she did."

"[name]. you are ten times the person she ever was. you're perfect without trying. actually, you do try. and that's why..

that's why we all love you."

you both turned red, which made you laugh. "thank you katsuki."

you reached out and held his hand.

"seriously, thank you."

he put a restraining order on his ex the next day, also going to get flowers for you as it was his day off.

you'd started to sleep over after that, the affection between the two of you growing gradually.

he gifted you a room in the house, fully furnished with about ten thousand dollars left in one of the drawers so 'you could decorate for yourself.'

that room went mostly unused though, as most nights you'd end up cuddled with katsuki in his bed.

the fridge was filled to the brim with photos by kioko, who'd love to draw all four of you as one big family.

katsuki even asked her for a small one, one that he now keeps in the back of his phone case for good luck.

he asked you out officially with kioko's help, her unwanted help that is.

she snuck out after bedtime where he was speaking to you on the couch, you in his arms as he was mustering up his courage--

"pleaseeee have a play date with daddy, pleasee?" she said, using her puppy eyes.

"we all love you a lot, but he loves you this much!" she spread out her arms to make a point, making you laugh.

"okay! okay, i already said yes kioko. go to sleep, okay?"

"yay!" she ran up to her room and you heard the door close.

"so.. about our playdate?"

he took you out to a fancy dinner of your choice, telling you to order whatever you'd like. his mom was babysitting so you two could relax.

he'd learned a lot about you from his kids, your favorite color, the music you liked, the way you like your eggs, but it was different to hear it from you.

he thought you were so gorgeous and kind, so sweet to him and the lights of his life. who was he kidding? over the last year you'd become a pillar of his life.

he enjoyed going home knowing you were there with his kids, you were there to hear about his stresses and support him.

he was happy to support you, to let you stay in his house. to let him pay for things for you, to let him make you smile.

one 'playdate' turned into multiple, you went out every other week.

he knew he had to do something, a grand gesture to show you just how much he loved you, how he wanted to continue building this perfect family of his forever.

he knew how much you treasured the opinions of his kids, he loved that about you.

so, he got them in on it. kioko and kei each held a gift for you, one of your favorite flowers and the other of your favorite perfumes.

you were at a seriously gorgeous park, streams the only noise you could hear for miles. you saw your two favorite kids sitting on the picnic blanket.

"kioko, kei?"

"mommy!" they ran up to you, kei handing you the bouquet of roses, and kioko handing you a vial of perfume.

"aw, thank you you two. where's your dad?"

"hes waiting for you! come come!"

"come!"

they guide you to a secluded area, with a natural arch of overgrown vines, where katsuki is waiting for you.

"katsuki?"

"[name]."

"what's all of this for?"

"you." he took your hands into his, looking deeply into you.

"you're important to me. you've.. you've become the thing i was missing. the thing i searched for in other people.

and, you've become that to the people i care about the most too.

so,"

he got down on one knee infront of you.

"will you marry me?"

the word yes escaped you before you even realized it. you tackled him into a hug, which prompted kei and kioko to join in.

everything was just so sweet from then on.

kioko was the flower girl at your wedding, kei was the ring holder.

your first kiss shared under the altar was magical, the memory of it forever engrained in your memories, and in your lips.

your honeymoon was bittersweet, as you missed your two headaches. but you and katsuki also enjoyed the private time alone with eachother, embracing and finding comfort in eachother's presence.

when you got home though, your picturesque family was about to have a new addition,

you were pregnant.

whilst everyone was debating whether or not you'd have a boy or girl, to everyone's surprise once you and katsuki cut the slice of cake open..

it had both colors.

you we're having twins.

as you looked over at katsuki, a shocked expression on his face, all you could do was laugh.

laugh because you couldn't have ever imagined a life this perfect for you.

but it was a wax-drawn line of fate that led you to katsuki,

and you'd always be thankful for it.

tag: @kovu-bunnbunn

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

Prewar!Cooper Howard has a breeding kink because he loves being a dad. He and Barb married and started trying for kids later in life than most folks around them, so much of the sex they had, especially early on, was focused on getting Barb pregnant. If he'd had his way, they would have had a whole litter of children, but hey, sometimes life doesn't work out the way you want. Still, there's the fun of trying, and there was a lot of trying. After the divorce, he's shocked when he meets someone else, and even more shocked when he feels those same urges with you. He's been trained to try and knock one in basically every time, he jokes.

At least, that's what he tells himself.

He's also incredibly possessive, and it drives him wild to think about getting to see you all swollen and filled out with his child. Particularly with you being younger that him; the ugly part of his brain is barking at him to stake a more permanent claim on you every time a guy your age so much as looks your way. Personally, he thinks he's too old to have more kids, but between his secret urges, your forgetfulness when it comes to your pill, and your twin high sex drives, well...sometimes accidents happen.

He'd be over the moon, once he knew you were happy as well (he would also worry about the news potentially being hurtful to Barb, but that'd be an issue for tomorrow). Showing you off in public, knowing that other people see how gorgeous you are and know you fully belong to him, it really gets him going, and you certainly take notice of how amorous he is when you're out together (combined with how vigorously he fucks you when you get home). Thinks you're insanely sexy pregnant and likes to watch you ride him with a big belly. You'd both better be a lot more careful about your contraception after the first baby if you don't want another, because getting to see you that way only makes his kink worse.

The Ghoul has a breeding kink because he's incredibly possessive. It's been literal centuries since he's come across anything in this world that he cares for enough to want to claim it, and you're officially claimed. He wants everyone, including you, to know that you belong to him and only him. Other ghouls can smell him on you much more strongly if he cums inside you, and he enjoys the way filling you full scratches his most primal itch. It's just an added benefit that he's almost positive he can't actually get you pregnant, but...there are records of ghouls reproducing with other ghouls. Haven't stranger things happened?

The little thrill he gets at the idea is just nature trying to take over.

At least, that's what he tells himself.

You'd be hard-up to get him to admit it, but he wants you to need him. He wants an excuse to baby you and pamper you and force you to let him do things for you without the vulnerability of admitting that he wants to do those things for you anyway because he's deeply in love with you.

You complain that your feet hurt during your journey for the day? He'll carry you everywhere you want to go from now until the end of time, if that's what you want. Stomach and appetite troubles? Name whatever you want, he'll find it for you, no matter how many caps he has to pay. Tired? "Of course you're tired, sweetheart. Let's stop for today. Here, sit down. Do you need some water? Eat this, you need some calories. Let me rub your legs and feet for you." It is endless and sort of surreal for you to adjust to.

Speaking of journeys, I think he also secretly wants to settle down a bit. He does already after he meets and falls for you, seeing how much the constant trekking back and forth across the irradiated desert takes out of you, and he definitely would want to do so expeditiously if you were pregnant. It's not like secure places don't exist in this world. He can keep you, and anyone else who may come along, safe just fine.

He'd be afraid to fuck you if you were pregnant, worried that he'll hurt you or make you sick or make something bad happen with the pregnancy. But if you reassure him, maybe beg a little, he'll do his best to make sure your urges are satisfied. Sit on his face and let him slide his tongue through your insanely sensitive folds, lie back and let him fuck you with those agile fingers while he jerks himself off. You'll miss being properly penetrated, badly, but you won't go without.

He wants an excuse to be even more protective of you than usual. Give him a reason to literally pluck men's eyes out for daring to so much as look at you, a reason to never let you out of his sight ever again. If you thought he was ready to commit violence to keep you safe before, you haven't seen anything yet.

I can't imagine it would be easy to have a big family in the Wasteland, but reminding him how much he loves being a dad would certainly have the thought on his mind.

[hwaslayer]

wildfire (cs) | 10.5

—spotify playlist��| series masterlist

—summary: assistant professor in bioengineering, incredibly attractive, lonely and divorced; that’s how most people describe san. but despite the events that have happened in his life, san has a lot going for himself. he’s a successful, sought out professor due to his brilliant contributions to science at just an early age of 32. he worked hard to get where he was now; head deep into his research, his publications, building his lab and creating a name for himself. everything was good and smooth sailing— until it wasn’t. because when he meets you, a bioengineering grad student interested in rotating in his lab, he finds himself ready to risk all the blood, sweat and tears he put in throughout the years just to keep you close— his need for you spiraling out of control like a wildfire.

—pairing: asst. professor!choi san x grad student!f. reader

—genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, grad school au | fluff, angst, smut

—word count: 2k

—chapter content/warnings: cussing, mature language/sexually implied content, infidelity, flirting, kissing/making out, there is trouble everywhere quite frankly…. gonna dip once i post bcos i know this is bad but there’s def another future 0.5 chapter that might be worse

⇢ POSTDOC | YR 2.5

"Babe." Iseul whines a bit, making San mimic her pout before tapping her nose.

"Love. How about I take you out this weekend to make up for it? We can go somewhere, just us two."

"Okay, but it'd be better if you could do that and come hang out tonight, too." 

"I'll try."

"San." 

"I'll try." He chuckles. "I should really finish up behavior tonight and that review for the paper we're working on. I'm already behind."

"Who said? You still have time."

"I have to get this done by next week." He gives her a sympathetic smile before placing a kiss on her forehead. 

"Next week."

"I'll try and get it done so I can hang out with you two, k?" He cups her cheeks. She can't help but continue to pout and cross her arms, even when he kisses her on the tip of her nose and on the lips. Part of her continues to have a soft spot for her man, the love of her life. 

Part of her wants to continue being supportive because she loves seeing San excel in his craft, she loves being by his side throughout all his achievements and vice versa. She feels like together, they can conquer the world together— be unstoppable, reach the top.

The other half, maybe more than half at this point, is sad. Empty. She longs for the man she fell in love with, she longs for his company. His time. His effort. 

His kisses, his cuddles. Everything.

Iseul never thought the lines would blur.

"Okay?" San repeats, causing Iseul to return her full attention on him. She gives him a small smile and nod, San's thumbs caressing her cheeks. "Better." He subtly bites his lip before caressing her chin. "C'mere." He leans forward to peck her lips again, and again.

And again.

Before they're both standing near her car, kissing under the late afternoon sun. Iseul tugs on San's shirt, deepening the kiss as she pulls him closer. He softly groans against her lips, Iseul's hand slowly traveling down to his belt. 

"Baby." He pulls back and chuckles. 

"We can be quick." She chases after his lips and presses small, repeated kisses against them before he's gently prying her off and shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, baby. I gotta go." She whines again before he's kissing her one last time on the lips and forehead. "You can have me all you want later tonight. And tomorrow. And the weekend."

"Ugh. I hope you know how much I'm sacrificing so you can hurry and finish." He laughs.

"I love you."

"Love you, too." She sighs, watching as San waves before doing a light jog back to the building. She slips into her car and connects a call to the bluetooth just as she pulls out of the parking spot.

"Yo!" Yunho answers the call almost immediately.

"Hey. What can I bring to your place for tonight?"

"Hm. Soju? I think I'm almost out." Yunho hums. "Chips and any other snacks."

"Okay, so everything? What do you even have at home?"

"Me, myself and I." Iseul laughs. 

"Uh. So much for inviting us over when you don't even have anything ready."

"I'll whip something up, don't worry! Why the doubting?"

"Alright, boss. Counting on you then."

"You know what else I need?"

"What, Yunho?" He chuckles.

"You." It’s meant to be a lighthearted joke; nothing more, nothing less. But, it does something to Iseul and Yunho knows it well enough by this point.

"You're so sappy. Quit it." She blushes to herself, biting her bottom lip even though she playfully scolds him.

"Nah. It's kinda fun seeing you all flustered."

"Hate you."

"Sad. I don't." She shakes her head and smiles. "Sliding through soon?"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna freshen up and change at the house first after grabbing groceries."

"San is coming?"

"He said he'll try and wrap up quick so he can join."

"Ah, okay." Yunho sighs a bit. It's been awhile since he's been able to hang out with his bestfriend, but he understands how important his work is right now. He tries to be, at least. He knows how it all goes. 

He just wishes San would give himself more time to relax. Enjoy life a little bit, just like he used to.

"I'll see you in a bit then."

"Mhm. I'll text you when I'm on the way."

"How exciting."

"Shut up." She ends the call. Suddenly, those dark, sad feelings she felt earlier are gone. Suddenly, she's happy. She feels a bit giddy. Excited.

Iseul isn't really sure when the line started to blur. 

But somehow, they're here and Yunho isn't sure how they'll go back and undo whatever they've created between each other. He knows this shouldn’t even be a thing. He should feel like some sort of last resort, a rebound— like he's the cushion that keeps Iseul company solely because San isn't around. Yunho knows there shouldn't be much to it.

So, why is there more to it?

It must have been all the kick-its with friends, all the lunches and casual dinners. It must have been the exchanged texts with stupid [but silly] memes or tweets the other would appreciate. It must have been the calls just to check in with each other. It must have been the subtle, lingering looks. 

Accidentally brushing hands.

Teasing and poking fun at each other.

Flirty undertones.

Saying shit to make the other smile or laugh.

San would have just assumed they were being normal around each other. They had always been close anyway, but he says that because he doesn't catch the small acts in between. 

The very small, but clear and intentional acts.

For a minute, Iseul thought it was a phase because Yunho was there like he had always been. But then, the feelings and the thoughts stayed for longer than a phase; piled up over weeks and weeks.

Until she realized what it meant.

So, she tried to distract herself and force herself to understand that it was truly just a phase. When San was around, she'd affectionately hug him. Kiss him. Cuddle him. Pull him to bed and make him cum over and over again to feel satisfied, to feel like she was still wanted by her man.

His moans and the loud calls of her name the only thing granting that satisfaction. Even though, could she say the affection behind it was genuine?

Clear, intentional?

Who's to say?

Especially when she's happily skipping down the aisles in the grocery store, grabbing the soju that both she and Yunho like; the one that San doesn't really like as much but he'll deal and make do. Especially when she's throwing on a form-fitting zip-up and leggings, trying to come off as comfy, but alluring. Especially when she sprays her perfume and dabs on a bit of lip gloss for a lazy kick-it that’s staying behind doors and enclosed walls.

Especially when she walks through the door to greet Yunho with a big hug— one that has him swinging her around before they plop onto the living room floor and get started on the drunk, scary indie movie and short film marathon the three agreed to do as a way of de-stressing.

Especially when Iseul gets the dreaded but expected text from San, and she can't help but welcome back the same feelings of emptiness and disappointment from earlier.

san: running behind. i don't think i'll make it, love. i'm sorry. tell yunho i’m sorry, too.

san: i'll be home tonight - i'll make it up to you. this weekend, too. 😘 i'm all yours.

"He's not coming." Iseul says, taking another huge swig from their third soju bottle of the night, making Yunho nod silently.

"I'm sorry—"

"It's fine, don't be such a debbie downer." She laughs, playfully punching him on the bicep. Yunho catches her hand in his when she attempts to pinch him the second time around, making her pout in return. "Ouch!"

"Says you who was just about to punch me on the bicep, meanie." She giggles when he lets go of her hand. "I'll let it go. At least you're laughing and smiling."

"Yeah." She looks up at him. "You surely do make me laugh and smile."

"Good or bad way?"

"Good. How could that be a bad thing?"

"I don't know, you could just think I'm stupid." She snorts.

"Never."

"Well, good." Yunho smiles. "I like it when you laugh and smile."

"I like it when you make me laugh and smile, Yunho."

"Yeah?" He drunkly rests his cheek on the palm of his hand, elbow on the surface of the table. "What else do you like, Iseul?"

"A lot of things."

"Mhm." He hums in a sing-song tone before leaning closer to tease her a bit. "What are a lot of things? Name a few."

"Yogurt soju, melon bread, being in bed after a long day and letting the sheets engulf me. Reading in a hot bath with candles lit up. To name a few." She leans forward to match him. "I don't think I can say anything else."

"Why not?"

"Because other things could be bad for me."

"In what way specifically?"

"Just cause." Her voice is barely above a whisper, lips only inches away from Yunho's.

"Just cause? How bad could it be?" She subtly shrugs before her eyes are dipping down to his lips, back up to his eyes. 

"Dunno. You tell me." She distractedly says. 

"What if.. maybe.. it isn't a necessarily a bad thing at all?" There's a thick silence in the air, but no one wants to address the tension, the elephant in the room. So, after a few minutes of said silence, Iseul leans forward and just kisses him— somehow thinking it could address the tension or whatever elephant is hiding in the room.

And at first, it shocks Yunho.

He freezes because he knows this shouldn't have happened. It fucking shouldn't have happened and he should’ve put a stop to it ASAP. Because Iseul was San's and vice versa, they made vows and devoted their lives to each other in front of him, and they were good together.

Yunho isn't really sure when the line started to blur. 

But then, he finds himself chasing after her lips to kiss her again, and again— until things can't be stopped and San's texts are going unanswered while Iseul's phone sits on the coffee table and vibrates away.

Her and Yunho are no longer sitting around watching the short film that's on. It eventually plays a random video next because no one is paying attention to what’s happening in the background. Empty soju bottles are spread across the surface of the table, along with open bags of chips and empty bowls. TV serving its purpose as background noise, almost fighting with the loud kisses and subtle moans leaving their lips while Iseul continues to make a place for herself on Yunho’s lap.

Meanwhile, San tucks his phone into his pocket, shrugging off the entire thing after he had sent her a few more follow up texts with all his ideas on how to make up for tonight. And tomorrow. And the weekend. He felt bad, but he was genuinely excited to do things with Iseul. To take her out on dates, travel near and far with her just to be alone. Rekindle the flame. Bring back that love, passion, that had been slowly dying because of his own fault. 

It wasn't entirely uncommon for Iseul to let texts go unanswered, but he was only worried because he knew that initial 'sorry can't make it' text upset her. She was probably trying to distract herself and lean on Yunho. Which, San can't help but think that Yunho does a way better job of being there for her than he actually does as her husband. It kinda aches him to think about it, and he's not sure how to navigate his own feelings when he keeps replaying that bar scene in his head.

For San, there’s no use in figuring this out because he knows they're good friends. They get along well, and he should be glad that they do. There isn’t anything to worry about despite his mixed feelings and confusing thoughts.

But for Iseul and Yunho, there’s no use in figuring out when this all happened, why this all happened— because everything has become perfectly clear and defined. 

The small acts gone unnoticed no longer small and unable to be hidden.

Clear, intentional.

Now, the lines are no longer blurred.

—taglist: @asjkdk @interweab @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs @persphonesorchid @mxnsxngie @jycas @cowboydk @vcutparis @chngbnwf @struggling101 @sanhwalvr @angelqueendom @barbielibra @brown88 @choisansplushie @yunhoswrldddd @hyukssunflower @vickykazuya @lucid-galaxys-world @jaytheatiny @pommelex @thechaotictheoryy @vixensss @santineez @nopension @domfikeluva @in-somnias-world @my-atiny-kookie-rkive @mountiiny @naoristerling @onmymymyway @thecutiepieme

[thatsmzbitchtoyou]

Sugar & Spicy Books Chapter 2

Summary:  Y/N is an accomplished writer who is newly divorced, and out of fear of the unknown, moves back to her small hometown she swore she’d never come back to.  She comes across her best friend that never left, who helps her out of a tough spot.  Will old feelings arise?  Or is she just too big for such a small place now?

Warnings:  language, smut

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Later that day Bucky drove Y/N towards his family home.  He opened the front door and led her inside.  “Ma?” he called out.  “Autumn?”

“We’re in the kitchen!” his mother called back.

Y/N felt nervous.  She hadn’t seen Winnie in years.  They had kept in contact at first, but eventually the letters stopped coming, which she now realized was probably around the time Autumn was born.  She still had them buried in a shoebox in her small pile of things she kept.  Y/N followed Bucky to the kitchen, looking around and seeing how little the house had changed since she last saw it.

“Hey Ma,” Bucky greeted her, kissing her cheek before turning to a girl standing at the sink.  “Hey lovey dove,” he said, hugging her and kissing the top of her head.

“Hey Daddy!” Autumn greeted him, hugging him back.  “We’re making cookies!”

“And eating them faster than they come out of the oven, I’m sure,” he joked.  

Winnie smiled at him then turned to see Y/N, gasping and dropping the spatula in her hand.  “Oh!  Oh it can’t be!” she squealed, running around the kitchen island she was standing at.  Y/N smiled widely at her as she approached.

“Hey Ma,” she greeted her quietly.

“Sweet girl,” Winnie said, cupping her face in her hands.  “Y/N?  Oh!” Winnie hugged her tight, rubbing her back and petting her hair as she held her.  Y/N fought back a rush of emotions that almost made her cry.  Winnie looked so much older than the last time she saw her, but her eyes were still vibrant, her smile still easy, just like Bucky’s.  “You’ve been away too long!” she cried.  

“I know,” Y/N agreed.  “I’m sorry.”

“Daddy, who’s that?”  Autumn whispered loudly to him.

Bucky chuckled and brought her closer to Y/N.  Winnie let go of her so Autumn could see her better.  “Autumn, this is my best friend, Y/N,” Bucky introduced them.  “Y/N, my baby Autumn.”

Y/N smiled widely at her.  She was beautiful, inheriting her father’s eyes and dimpled chin.  Autumn smiled shyly at her.  “Hello, Autumn.  It’s so nice to meet you.  I love your name,” Y/N greeted her.

“Thank you,” Autumn said.  “Oh!  You’re the lady on Daddy’s book!”

Bucky huffed a laugh.  “Right, yeah, she wrote it,” he explained.

Autumn looked at Y/N excitedly.  “That’s cool!  Are you rich?”

“Autumn!” Winnie chastised her.

Y/N laughed.  “It’s okay,” she said.  “Uh, yeah, kinda rich,” Y/N shrugged.

“Cool,” Autumn sighed.

Winnie had them stay for dinner, talking to Y/N about everything that she had been up to, and giving her updates about everyone in town.  “So what’s your plan now?” she asked.

“Well, honestly I don’t know,” Y/N said.  “Bucky is being very gracious in helping fix my car in exchange for me taking care of Autumn for a while…if that’s okay with you, Autumn?”

“Yeah!” Autumn cheered.  “You can come watch my softball game!”

“I’d love to,” Y/N said.

After dinner and goodbyes Bucky drove Y/N and Autumn back to his home.  Y/N smiled at the small house.  “You bought Mrs. Richards’ house?” she asked.

“Yeah, fixed it up real good, lots of renovations over the last few years,” he said, grabbing her bags he’d taken from the Beetle.  

Y/N followed him and Autumn inside.  The house was well decorated and well lived-in, with little messes strewn about.  She looked around, taking in the house and smiling.  “Alright, lovey dove, time for bed,” Bucky said, gesturing to the stairs while looking at Autumn.

“Aw, Daddy,” Autumn whined.  “I wanna hang out with Y/N.”

“Well, you can hang out with her tomorrow after school,” Bucky said.  “Now say goodnight and git.”

Autumn stuck her tongue out at him, and he did it back to her.  Y/N chuckled as Autumn approached her and hugged her.  “Goodnight, Y/N,” she said, then looked up at her.  “Will you read me one of your stories?”

“Oh, well, uh,” Y/N bit back a smile, Bucky covering his mouth with his hand, stifling a laugh.  “Mine are a little too grown up for you.  But I can read you something else.”

“Okay!” Autumn nodded, then turned and hugged Bucky before running upstairs.  “I’ll call you when I’m ready!” she shouted.

“Alright!” Y/N replied.

Bucky sidled up to her, nudging her arm.  “Aw, you don’t wanna read her one of your great stories?” he teased.  

Y/N glared at him.  “Shut up,” she whispered.

Bucky snorted.  “I’m glad she likes you.  I mean, she’s pretty friendly anyways, but she seems to be excited about you watching her for a while.”

“She’s great, Buck,” Y/N smiled at him, nudging his arm back.  “You’re a good dad.”

Bucky looked away.  “Well, I don’t know about that,” he said quietly.  “But thank you.”  They stood silently for a moment before he stooped down and grabbed her bags again.  “Let me show you to your room.”

She followed him up the stairs to the first door on the right.  “This is the guest bedroom,” he said, holding the door open for her.  “Next door is Autumn, and I’m across from her.  Bathroom is at the end of the hall.  It’s a full bath, so you can shower there, and if she’s in there you can always use mine,” he rattled off, setting her bags on the bed.  “I usually take her to school on my way to the shop in the mornings, but school gets out at 3:00 and I’m not off until 5:00, so you can use my car to get her and either come back to the shop or take her around town, my mom’s house, or come back here, whatever you want, but then you’ll need to come pick me up.  Sound good?”

“Yep,” Y/N nodded.  “It’s the least I could do.  You’re being very kind to me, Bucky, thank you.”

“Anything for you, honey,” Bucky smirked.  

“Y/N!  I’M READY!” Autumn screamed from her room.  

Bucky rubbed his face harshly in embarrassment as Y/N laughed.  “Coming!” she called back.  “Duty calls,” she saluted Bucky and walked to Autumn’s room.  

“Alright, what’s the bedtime routine?” Y/N asked once she was standing next to Autumn’s bed.  

“A short story, a song, and a kiss goodnight,” Autumn said, counting on her fingers.

“Yes ma’am,” Y/N said, turning to the bookshelf.  She read Autumn a short story then kneeled by the side of the bed.  “What’s your favorite bedtime song?” she asked.

“I don’t know.  Daddy sings all kinds of songs,” she shrugged.

“Okay, well let me think…do you like Princess songs?” 

“Yeah!” Autumn smiled.

“Who’s your favorite?” Y/N smiled.

“Rapunzel,” she replied, snuggling into her comforter.  “From Tangled.”

“Of course,” Y/N nodded.  “How about, ‘I See the Light’?”

Autumn nodded fervently.  Y/N started to sing the song softly, leaning on her elbows on the bed.  She reached up and ran her fingers through Autumn’s hair as she sang.  Autumn’s eyelids fluttered closed, and by the end of the song she was snoring.  Y/N stood slowly so as not to jostle the bed, then leaned down and kissed the top of her head.  She turned to see Bucky watching her from the doorway.  

He smiled and walked in, passed Y/N and leaned down to kiss Autumn’s cheek before turning back and taking Y/N’s hand and leading her out of the room, closing the door quietly.  He faced her in the hallway.  “For somebody who doesn’t have kids, you’re good with mine,” Bucky smirked.

Y/N scoffed.  “I never said I didn’t want kids.  I just didn’t want them yet.  Though I guess I’m running out of time, aren’t I?”

“Oh yes, ‘cause you’re so old,” Bucky teased.

“So old,” Y/N rolled her eyes.  

He looked her over for a moment before opening his arms and hugging her.  This hug was different from the first one earlier that day.  He held her tenderly, squeezing a little as her head nestled into the crook of his neck and her arms wrapped around his waist, squeezing him back.  She had missed her friend.  And if she were being honest with herself, the childhood crush she had buried was broiling in the pit of her stomach.  Bucky kissed the side of her head and pulled away to look at her.  “I missed you,” he said quietly.

“I missed you, too,” Y/N replied.  

Bucky smiled again then pulled away.  “Well, let me know if you need anything.  I’m just, right here,” he pointed at the door beside them.  

“Got it,” Y/N said.  “Goodnight, Buck.”

“Goodnight,” he said.

They stepped around each other and walked into the rooms.  Y/N quickly got ready for bed, then sank into the bed with a heavy sigh.  She was happy to be in a good place, with good people, and as small as Woodstock was, it was familiar and comfortable.  She settled into the blankets as she let sleep overtake her.  She was home.

[deanwritings]

The Guest House - Chapter 9

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Series Summary: Dean Winchester is going through a nasty divorce. He doesn't have much left to his name, but what he does have is his house. Leave it to his soon-to-be ex wife to find a way to even ruin that for him. Enter Y/N, who is looking to get away from life for a bit, and stumbles right into the middle of it all.

The Guest House Master List

Word Count: 3,474

A/N: I can't tell you how much I appreciate everyone's kind words and support these last few weeks. It was a very tough time but I've finally given myself time to rest and recover and starting to feel better again. I'm so happy to be back at this story and hope you all enjoy 🩵🩷

“I WHAT?” You stammer as Dean leans back, out of your space, still grinning. 

After you had told him about your dream car, he had texted Rick, asking him if he would bring the ‘73 Mustang along for you to drive while he worked on Rick’s show cars. He initially was going to leave you at home with his mom, but thought you would enjoy this a lot more.  

Plus, Rick loved showing off and racing his collection–the ones he didn’t plan to put up for auction–so he was more than happy to oblige. 

“Hey, Dean!”

Speak of the gray-haired devel. 

Dean turns to see Rick jogging from the garages, his arm outstretched above him as Dean waves back. 

A few seconds later, Rick steps into the circle you and Dean had created, his hands on his hips as he catches his breath. 

“Y/N,” Dean points towards the newcomer. “This is Rick. Rick, Y/N.” Rick reaches out his hand and you take it, giving it a firm shake as Dean raises an eyebrow. 

“Nice to meet you,” you greet Rick with a smile as you drop his hand. 

“You as well.” Rick returns. “Heard you had an interest in Mustangs.” 

Dean’s eyes dart to you, his smile growing as the color rushes to your cheeks before you sneak a glance at him.

“Really just one Mustang.” You admit, your attention back to Rick. “My dad tried to get me a ‘74 for my first car but my mom shot that down pretty quick.” 

“Ah,” Rick snaps. “That’s too bad. Beautiful machine.” And you nod in agreement. 

“Well,” Rick’s hand lands heavy on Dean’s shoulder. “Dean here has some work to get to for me, but while he works, you and I will play.” Your lips pop open at Rick’s words and you suck in a breath as you quickly turn to Dean, panic in your Y/E/C eyes as your gaze darts across his face. Dean can’t stop the smirk that appears as you look up to him to save you.

“He’s harmless, I promise.” Dean assures you with a wink, his hand coming to rest on your upper arm. The color returns to your cheeks, and Dean’s smirk relaxes, just one corner of his lip raised as his heartbeat slows. 

Fuck. He drops his hand away from you and straightens out as he clears his throat. Touching you while you were looking up at him like that, through your thick lashes, was a bad idea. And he takes a step away.

“Well, I’ll leave you kids to it.” Dean turns, walking backwards to keep his eyes on you and Rick. And you. “Have fun.”

This time, he fully turns, away from you as he hears Rick starting his spiel about Mustangs and how they were first introduced to the public at the World’s Fair in 1964 and since then, it’s been one of the most desired cars of our time. 

Dean smirks. He’s heard this history lesson more times than he would have cared to, but Rick’s a good guy, who pays well. Really well. Just for today's work, he was going to take home $6K, which was definitely over market value for Dean’s work, but Rick liked and trusted Dean, and for a man where $6K was nothing, he was more than happy to pay extra to keep Dean around. 

Dean steps into the garage, welcomed by Rick’s Datsun 240Z, Pontiac Firebird, and of course, Rick’s pride and joy, his 1969 Corvette Stingray. The first two were going up for auction tomorrow, while the Stingray was just here for a general checkup. 

Despite the beautiful cars in front of him, his eyes are drawn a few stalls down, where she’s waiting for him. 

That sense of excitement and pride bubbles up in his chest whenever he lays his eyes on her. But she would have to wait for now. 

Tearing his eyes away, Dean claps his hands together and gives them a rub.

“Let’s get to work.”

Your heart is pounding in the best way possible as Rick crosses the finish line for the seventh time. This is the most alive you’ve felt in a long time. 

He had expertly raced you through the course, taking every curve so smoothly, you barely slipped across the benched, leather seat. When the speedometer first hit 120MPH, your eyes widened and you suddenly realized you were sitting in a steel deathtrap, going at a speed that would surely kill you if you were to crash, with a man you had met only two minutes prior. 

It was insanity. But here you were, loving every moment of it. 

“Whatcha say? Wanna take a ride in the driver’s seat?” Rick turns in his seat once the car slows to a stop. 

You take a deep breath, calming your racing heart.

“God I wish.” You’re practically breathless. “But I never learned how to drive stick.” Rick snaps for the second time today. 

“Well that’s a damn shame.” The older man shakes his head, his unstyled hair following the movement. “I would offer to teach you, but this isn’t quite the type of car you learn on.” He smiles while he pats the dashboard affectionately. 

You swat your hand through the air.

“Oh don’t even worry about it.” You were glad he didn’t offer to teach you. You would have been terrified of learning on such a beautiful car. You would probably find a way to crash it or ruin it. And you didn’t have the funds to fix a classic car at the moment. 

“But thank you for taking me. That was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.” And it was true. The last time you had done anything this crazy was when you were in college, and did the Sky Coaster with Sydney while on spring break in Myrtle Beach. The two of you squeezed each other’s hands as you laid in the harness as you swung almost 200 feet in the air over the boardwalk. Since then, it’s been calculated and controlled decisions as you focused on growing your career above all else.

Without another word, Rick steps out of the car, and you follow.

“So what brings you up to Bolton?” Rick rests against the hood of the car, looking across at you. “Besides Dean?” He smirks. Something tells you he’s fishing, but unfortunately for him, the pond is empty.

“Well, I’m only here because of Dean, but I live in the city and recently quit my job so I decided to take a little vacation before I jumped back into the rat race. I’m renting out Dean’s guest house.” Rick wrinkles his nose and looks away.

“Dean’s renting? Can’t imagine he’s liking that too much.” Rick snaps his cobalt gaze back to you, holding up a hand. “No offense.”

“None taken,” you smirk. “He wasn’t the most gracious host when we first met,” you chuckle at the memory of Dean storming you with a gun as you had lounged in the hot tub. “But we’re getting there.” Rick just shakes his head, looking like he has a comment on the tip of his tongue, but bites it back.   

“Well, I’m glad Dean brought you along today.” Rick taps the hood of the car before stepping around towards the front, and you follow. “Always nice to meet a new face.” 

“Well, I appreciate it.” You smile up toward Rick as you walk in tandem towards the garages Dean had disappeared to before Rick whisked you away in your dream car. 

“I hope you’ll be joining us at the auction tomorrow?” Rick glances down towards you, and you nod.

“I’ll probably be the most useless person there, but I will be there.” You chuckle, and Rick joins in with you.

“Don’t sell yourself short.” Rick steps in front of you as you approach the door. “Besides, I’d love to introduce you to my wife, Addie. She’ll be so happy to have someone else who knows nothing about cars.” He pulls the door open for you. “She says Dean and I are incorrigible at these things.” He shoots you a wink and you smile and give him your thanks as you step inside. 

The garage is set up similar to a classic mechanics’ shop, several work stalls running down the lengthy hall, each with a car quietly parked within them, but everything in the rectangular space screams modernity. Before each stall is a glass garage door, framed in shining black chrome. Lifts glisten in their near-pristine condition, whether because they’re new or because they’re so well kept. The floors are a polished cement, the wall color made to match.  

It was definitely designed by someone with a lot of money.

You glance over your shoulder at Rick.

“You don’t happen to own this racetrack, do you?” You pose the question, the lightbulb having gone off in your head as you take in the gleaming workspace and the proud man smiling behind you. 

“Bought it about a decade ago.” Rick rests his hands on his jean-clad hips. “Was a lifelong dream of mine. I grew up a few towns over and my dad used to take me here all the time growing up. He was a car guy too.” Rick motions to a couch along the side wall and you take a seat. 

“It had shut down back in 2009 when the original owners couldn’t keep up with the payments anymore after the economy crashed.” Rick settles next to you at a comfortable distance. “I was living in the city at the time and had no idea it was on the market. I was in the area for work and decided to take a detour to visit for old time’s sake and was shocked to find it was shut down. I was getting ready to retire, and Addie had been trying to help me find a retirement project so I wouldn’t drive her crazy,” he chuckles. “This wasn’t what she had in mind, but it gets me out of the house, which is what she wanted, so I tell her she can’t complain.” You laugh softly with him, wondering briefly what Addie looked like. Though if she would be at the auction tomorrow, you would get your answer soon enough. 

“Well it seems to be working for you. If you’re this happy coming here everyday, you’ve clearly done something right.” Rick hums and dips his head.

“You’ve got that right. I used to manage wealth portfolios for almost 30 years. I liked it, liked how important and successful it made me, but I wouldn’t say it ever made me happy.” His smile fades off. “Not like this place.” His eyes leave yours and he looks around the space. 

“And the only way I’m ever leaving here is in a body bag.” He turns back to you, a smirk reappearing. “I already told Addie to bury me here when I die.”

The absurdity of his comment catches you off guard, and you burst out with a laugh, but it doesn’t drown out his words, especially when the ring inside you like a damn war bell. 

Even on the best days, you wouldn’t say your job made you happy. Like Rick, your success was what drove you; being promoted and recognized for your work was your greatest focus, and happiness wasn’t something you ever considered. Your work was interesting to you, and a challenge at times, and that had been enough. 

But maybe it was something to consider with your next job: what would you actually be happy doing?

Before you can think on it further, a frosted glass door pushes open from the back wall, and out steps Dean, wiping his hands on a rag before shoving it into his newly adorned, black coveralls with a LRR emblem on his left chest, with his name scripted underneath. 

“Well look who's back,” his smile widens as he catches sight of us on the couch. “Thought he would have had you out there taking a few spins on the track yourself.” Dean points out one of the garage doors towards the track. 

“Turns out Y/N here can’t drive manual.” Rick gives you a few pats on your shoulder, almost like he was comforting you on the fact that you couldn’t drive an outdated system. 

Dean’s lips tick upward.

“Well color me shocked,” he drawls, not a hint of surprise in his words as he smiles down at you, his green eyes glistening. 

Stupid, handsome prick. 

If Rick wasn’t sitting right next to you, you’d probably would have flipped him off.

“Hilarious,” you deadpan instead, opting for the more civil route. 

“How are the cars looking?” Rick stands, moseying over to the car parked in the closest stall, a shimmering moss green classic beauty with a sloping front hood and concave headlights. 

Dean’s eyes linger on you, something stirring within you as he watches, before he turns away, approaching the same car and stepping on the opposite side of where Rick stands, assessing with crossed arms and a leaning posture.

You hadn’t noticed until Dean looked away, but you had stopped breathing. Your heart palpating in your chest desperately reminding you to take a breath.  

You huff heavily, letting the ache in your chest ease. The sound seems to catch Dean’s attention for just a split second before he continues on with his report, and you’re grateful his gaze didn’t hold you again. 

The two men chat for a minute before Rick walks over to Dean and shakes his hand, giving him a firm pat before breaking away. 

You stand as Rick approaches you, his arm outstretched towards you.

“Great meeting you, Y/N. Looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow.” Rick gives you a genuine smile with a firm handshake. 

“You too,” you fully return. “And I’m looking forward to meeting Addie.” Rick’s smile grows wider at her name.

“She’ll be happy to have a friend tomorrow.” 

It only takes another moment for him to disappear out the front door, leaving you and Dean alone in the garage. 

You look over to Dean, who is watching you with a relaxed smile, waiting for you to make the next move. 

You shove your hands into your back pockets and rock on your heels.

“Sooo,” you start, your teeth catching your lip on the last letter as you try to cut through the silence. “Are you done?”

Dean breathes out a laugh and looks down. 

“Not yet,” he looks back at you, holding your attention. “I just need to check out the Pontiac,” he throws a thumb over his shoulder to a sienna machine with a giant eagle emblem spread across the entirety of the hood. “Which shouldn’t take long, and then give his Stingray a tune up. Shouldn’t be more than an hour.”

You step away from the couch, heading towards the Pontiac and grimace at the tawdry design sprawled across the otherwise pristine classic car.

“People actually like this?” You point to the logo that looks very similar to Journey’s crest. Dean laughs and steps up next to you. 

“Believe it or not, a similar one went up to auction two years ago and sold for $220,000.” You whip your head towards him, your mouth hanging wide.

“You’re kidding.” You gape, looking back to the very eighties looking car in front of you. Sure, it was in good shape, and obviously people had an interest in this type of stuff, but to spend that much money on a car, a car that was really only fourty or so years old, hardly seemed worth it to you. 

Dean steps away from you, grabbing a tool box from the last station and setting it up next to this car. 

“This one won’t go for that, it’s not as rare, but if it sells tomorrow, which it should, Rick will probably get around $100,000 for it.”

“Jesus.”

Dean just smiles as he sets up his station, pressing a button by the garage door, sending the car slowly into the air, just a couple of feet, before coming to a stop.  

Dean walks back over to the first station, kicking over a some sort of roller, that you assume he uses to get underneath the cars.

As he walks past you, you can’t help but admire the broad shoulders under the fitted coveralls, the way the fabric stretches rather deliciouslily over arms that you were suddenly very interested in. 

“Any chance you know much about tools?” His deep voice rumbles through you as he turns to look at you with curious eyes.

“I know the basics.” You admit, stepping out of his gaze. You may be a renter, but you had your own mini toolbox for some decoration projects or when you needed something simple done and didn’t want to bother your landlord. You were all for independence when the moment called for it. 

“That’ll work.” Dean grins as he squats down onto the roller, his thighs pressing tight against his work pants. Your heart flutters again. 

He pulls a headlamp from his pocket and positions it on top of his forehead before he lays himself flat, one hand grasping onto the front bumper.

His words finally catch up with you.

“Wait,” he starts to push himself under, but quickly catches himself at your words. “What do you mean?” 

He smirks. The smirk that makes your heart beat in a different way. In a way that makes you want to punch him. 

“You’re going to be my assistant.” You laugh dryly. 

“I’m sorry, have you forgotten that I know nothing about cars?” Your hands flair with your words. “I am not touching any of those.” You point to the car in front of you. “I’ll probably break them.” 

“I’m aware of that.” He annoyingly agrees with you, and you glare down at him. “I just need you to hand me some tools while I’m down here. It will make everything move much faster.” 

“Oh.”

“Yes, ‘oh.’ Like I would ever let you work on one of these.” He mumbles, though still loud enough for you to hear before he disappears under the car, a light suddenly illuminating from the undercarriage. 

You walk towards the toolbox, making sure to accidentally kick his exposed work boot on your way. He grumbles something at the contact, but the words are lost with the rest of his body under the car. 

You open up the toolbox, a multi-level contraption, and see some familiar instruments, and others that were completely new to you. 

“Think you can handle getting me a 9/16 wrench?” He yells out to you. Your eyes scan the box, finding the wrenches and reading each handle until you see the size he asked for. You pick it up, but an idea hits you. 

You walk over to the car and lean down, reaching under to give him the tool. 

You smile as you hear him cuss and then the light goes out before he slides himself out from the car, pushing himself upright. This time sans headlight. 

“Everything okay?” You ask with fake concern. 

“Fine,” he responds politely and makes his way to the toolbox with the wire cutters you had handed him. His hand grazes over the container, landing at the wrenches, his brow furrowing when he notices the empty space where the wrench he requested should be. 

“Looking for this?” You hold up the wrench and give it a little wiggle. He turns towards you, his face falling as he notices the tool.

“And you gave me the wire cutters, why?” He huffs, dropping the wrong tool unceremoniously into the box as he walks over to you.

You hold his gaze, even as it makes your throat dry as he towers over you. 

“You didn’t say please.” You see the light flash in his eyes, his lips twitching up as he leans in, so close you involuntarily stand up straighter, his warm breath fanning over you as he refuses to break his stare. He holds your gaze for a moment. Then two. Before he leans to your right, his lips so close, you can practically feel them against your ear.

“Please,” he whispers, sending goosebumps chasing down your skin as your arm drops heavily to your side. 

He pulls back, still smiling as those damned viridescent eyes seem to own you. 

His hand then brushes against yours, and before you can react, he plucks the wrench from your grasp and leans away, that satisfied, smug smirk brightening his face. 

“Thanks,” he fucking winks at you before finally stepping away and dropping back down onto the roller and disappearing underneath the car. 

It’s only then you can breathe again, and with your first breath you mumble, “bastard.”

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@iprobablyshipit91  @likesiriusly @kittyque @findingfitnessforme @wonderange @captainemwinchester @xtina2191 @smoothdogsgirl @mogaruke @chin-up-love @tsunadesenjuuchiha @lyarr24 @globetrotter28 @krazykelly @roseblue373 @k-slla @stephv213 @kaydallas21 @nerdymuffinbonkcloud @magssteenkamp 

[bullet-prooflove]

The Weight of Water: Daniel LaRusso x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989@kiwiwatermelonsuger@sadgenderfluidmaniac@junghwansy2k

Summer School Series:

Part One: Summer School - Daniel's excited to meet Anthony's new art teacher.

Part Two: Dirt - Daniel learns more about you and your business.

Over the course of the summer Daniel starts to learn more about you, it’s snippets of conversation in between picking up Anthony and dropping him off but he enjoys the time you spend together. The glimpses of you he gets to see.

It’s through one of those conversations that he learns you surf every morning. You come into the studio with wet hair, the scent of the ocean clinging to your skin and he can’t help but ask what you’ve been up to.

“You should come with me one morning.” You say as you carefully set out the tools on your desk. Anthony is already at his workspace, combing through the box of cogs, selecting the different sizes he’ll need for his next project. He’s become one of your most diligent students over the summer. Excited to be there, the last to leave, always peppering you with questions. “Being on the water, its therapeutic. Good for the soul.”

“I haven’t done anything like that since Sam was a kid.” Daniel tells you, his palm rubbing over the back of his neck. “We gave it up when she got into volleyball. I used to really enjoy it.”

“My friend owns a surf shop near the place I go, she’ll let you borrow a surf board and wet suit if I ask nicely. She lets me store my board there.” You say as you turn to face him, your voice lowering so Anthony doesn’t overhear. “Besides it might be good for you to take a beat,  do something for yourself.”

Daniel crosses his arms over his chest as he leans back against your desk with a sigh. He can’t remember the last time he did something that didn’t involve the kids, the dealership or the dojo. He loves all three but there’s a responsibility that comes with them, he always has to be present and focused. There’s never time to just take a breath.

“Does it show?” He askes quietly, his gaze coming to rest on Anthony as he sorts through his equipment.

“You have this little furrow right here.” You say, your fingertip rubbing lightly over the space between his eyes. “I’m scared it’s going to become permanent.”

The edges of his mouth turn up into a small smile as he captures your hand in his. His thumb caresses your palm as he looks down at it.

“The kids are at Amanda’s tonight, I can come with you tomorrow morning if you’re up for the company.” He says, looking down at your linked fingers.

“I am.” You tell him, squeezing his hand lightly. “I’ll text you the time and place.”

***

Daniel doesn’t remember the last time he was at the beach, the house he used to live in with Amanda had a pool so they never ventured outside of the neighbourhood unless it was to the country club. He hasn’t been back there since the divorce because those people were always more Amanda’s speed than his.

It’s only with hindsight that he sees how much his marriage changed him. Her aspirations became his, together they build an empire, a successful life for their kids. He doesn’t know when they fell out of love, only that he woke up one morning and realised he that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a conversation with the woman sleeping next to him about anything other than the kids. They’d tried dating after that and discovered it was the only thing they had in common.

So they’d made the decision to uncouple, divide everything in half and coparent the kids. Amanda still lives in that house in Encino Hills, they’d both thought it was better for the kids that they have that consistency. Daniel’s moved to a smaller house a couple of blocks away, with a reflecting pool and grass that he likes to feel under his feet first thing in the morning.

That’s what he thinks about when he’s out on the water with you that morning, the changes in his life, how he’s happier now than he’s ever been. There’s no roles, no assumptions, no responsibilities out here, he’s just himself in its rawest form and he finds that liberating. He watches you as he sits on his surfboard and lets the waves lap against him. You’re a natural in the water, catching waves as if you’re attuned to the whims of the sea, laughing when you bail. There’s an authenticity in you that calls to him, you never try to be anything other than yourself and he can’t describe how attractive he finds that.

“This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” He tells you in the aftermath. The two of you are standing at the back of your Jeep, wetsuits unzipped and rolled down to the waist. He’s dabbing himself off with towel while you’re drinking from a bottle of water.

It does something to him seeing you in that sports bikini, the way it clings to your form, covering your assets. It has a skull and a couple of roses on the front in a similar style to those that are inked into your upper arms. He had no idea you had tattoos until today, he wants to chase his fingers over them, ask you what they mean but he holds himself back, he always does.

“We’ll have to do it again sometime.” You tell him as you pick up your towel to dry off your hair.

“I’m free tomorrow.” He tells you with a boyish grin.

It becomes a standing thing between the two of you then. On mornings he doesn’t have the kids he’s with you at the beach, it’s usually followed by coffee and breakfast at the café on the corner. His days feel happier, his life full. He talks about the books he’s reading, the podcasts he’s listening too, the lessons he’s trying to instil in the kids, both his own and the ones he teaches at his dojo.

This, he realises is what he was missing from his relationship with Amanda, the sense of connection, the individuality. With you he’s his own person, an entity that exists outside of all the roles he plays. He doesn’t disappear, the way he did in his marriage. He thinks about asking you out, telling you he wants more but there never seems to be the right moment.

The end of summer art show, he promises himself. That’s when I’ll do it.

Of course, he’s Daniel LaRusso and his life…

It never works out the way he planned.

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[oldhollywoodimagines]

Sick Day

A/N: requested awhile ago, I apologize for the wait, my life has been really busy and I’m dealing with a lot. I thank you for your patience! 😊 please be gentle with me as this is only my second writing for TKAM.

Pairing: Atticus Finch x Reader

Warnings: Maybe a typo and some terrible mechanical errors and grammar.

Word count: 1,003

Summary: Atticus is sick and you take care of him.

~*~

The therapeutic smell of Vick’s Vaporub made your nostrils tingle as you made your way up the stairs to your bedroom. The tray you carried loaded down with soup, tea, and a sleeve of saltine crackers, all for your darling husband, Atticus, who you had all but held at gun point to take a few sick days.

Ever the worker though, upon opening the door, you found him sitting up reading a document that had been in his briefcase that had rested on the vanity. Had it not been for his red nose and hoarse cough every now and then that would all but rattle his bones, the picture would have been quite normal.

Settling the tray down on the nightstand, the gentle clinking of the silverware caused him to peer at you over the top of his glasses. Dark eyes slightly narrowed when you sat on the edge of the bed and removed his glasses.

“You’re supposed to be resting, darling.” A smile softly slipping onto your lips as you gently chided.

“And I am.” His voice coming out in rasp as he surveyed you with a coy grin. Setting, the documents on the nightstand he took your hand in his free one.

“You needn’t bother with me too much, I’ll be better by tomorrow with all the rest I’m getting today.”

“Atticus Finch, I’m shocked that you’d advise me not to bother with my husband.” You teased, leaning forward a bit to put a pillow behind him so he could sit up more comfortably. He grinned slightly, nestling down into the newly fluffed pillow, his eyes moving down to look at your fingers which had intertwined with his.

His thumb making gentle strokes on the back of your hand, “I can almost guarantee you that he wouldn’t divorce even if you didn’t bother with him.”

Eyes shining with admiration as he joked back and looked at you softly before tracing the plane of your face to your lips. At this a smile crossed your lips, eyebrow quirking upward as you leaned forward towards him, “how can you be so sure that he wouldn’t?”

Dark eyes now locked on yours he leaned even closer to you, “because I’m absolutely positive that he adores you.”

The statement followed up by his lips meeting yours in a delicate kiss, fingers tracing up your wrist and arm to trace along your collarbone. Goosebumps alighted on your skin at the gentle precision of it all, your lips moving with his as you melted closer to him. Pulling away, you rested your head on his shoulder as his arms enfolded you to him.

“You know if I get sick from you, Cal is going to have to take care of us both.” You smiled at him, moving your hand up to rest on his chest, your fingers absentmindedly tracing the length of the lapel of his pajama shirt.

“Sick? You’re sure I’m sick? Because right now I feel just fine.” Arms giving you a playful squeeze as you looked at him, your facial expression one of gleeful disbelief.

“You’re impossible.” You chided, placing a kiss on his cheek before moving to get up from your place on his lap. Replacing your own weight with the tray you had brought up, “now, I expect you to eat all this soup -“

The sound of the door swinging open and feet scurrying up the stairs interrupting you, you both laughed quietly and shared a knowing glance before the bedroom door flew open. Scout rushed in, offering you a small smile before turning her attention to Atticus.

Her face alight with joy as she jumped onto the bed, the soup nearly sloshing over the side of the bowl in the process, making your eyes widen a bit and a chuckle leave your mouth.

“Careful, Scout.” Atticus warned, his eyebrows arching at the young girl as he adjusted the tray on his lap.

“Today, Walter Cunningham was out on account of working with his dad again so -“

“Scout?” Jem’s voice echoed through the upstairs of the house before he appeared in the doorway, a glare fixing itself on his face as he gazed at his sister who was now busying herself looking at the tray on her father’s lap.

“Sir, can I have one of those?” Pointing at the sleeve of crackers, “Scout, I told you on the way here to let Atticus rest, and now you’re here doing just what I told you not too.”

“Nobody asked you to be in charge.” Scout shot back, not even bothering to move her expectant gaze off her father, as she looked between him and the crackers. Her face lighting up when he nodded at her, brow furrowing as she grabbed at them greedily before chasing Jem back down the stairs, their argument continuing the whole way down the stairs.

You and Atticus exchanged a smile and a knowing glance, before you were placing a kiss on his cheek once more, “I’ll be back soon to get your tray.”

Reaching out quickly to grab your hand, he brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against the supple skin, “don’t take too long to come back, hm?”

“I thought you told me not to bother with you?” A coy grin turning your lips upward, the tease making him chuckle slightly, “I decided I might need more bothering than I originally thought.”

“Oh? And why is that?” Your nails lightly tracing his arm causing goosebumps to rise up on his skin.

“It’s not very often that I get so much time with my lovely wife, I wanted to take advantage of it.” His hand squeezing yours affectionately as he beamed up at you. The comment so sweet and genuine it made you swoon and your cheeks flush a light pink.

“Well, in that case, -“ you began, sitting down on the side of the bed, “eat your soup.”

Nodding, he smiled at you brightly lifting the spoon to his lips.

[chuuyascumsock]

Denial-chan in their divorce era. 😩

Anyways i had a yumm thought that might have been caused by watching too many series….

Chuuya and a lawyer reader 👀

Like imagine being a prosecutor and youre working on a case regarding the port mafia (like one of the subordinates got in t-t-t-trouble and now Chuuya has to see if he can bribe that damn prosecutor) and so a handsome man comes into your office, asking to drop the case for some fine cash. But you turn it down because daaamn, that man pretty, he better come back and offer you what’s underneath those clothes. But you must stay professional! Youre a highly respected Prosecutor after all. You offer him an appointment a few days from now, late at evening after a trial to hear him out.

So Chuuya comes back, ready to empty his pockets. And while the meeting starts off professional, it becomes rather quickly apparent to him, that youre with your thoughts elsewhere.

And so he offers to you exactly what has been on your mind. Himself, for the whole night.

What ensues is the dirties office sex you could imagine. Case files are flung off the desk as he pushes you on it, his mouth on your neck, biting, marking you. His hands wandering all over your body placed underneath him, as he makes dumb jokes through using cliché court language to talk to you.

Escalating until hes on his knees, eating you out like theres no tomorrow. Only stopping once as he asks you to drop the case. „Objection.“ you cry out and he just responds with a cocky „overruled.“ slowing his pace he comes to whisper in your ear: „Do you remember your statement of oh yes fuck me?“ He reeeeally is into the court language. When you respond with yes, he offers you a deal, you drop the case and he will come get you to give you what you want.

Agreeing to this, he gladly makes you cum with his mouth and fingers, leaving you a mess when he collects his hat and coat off the floor. „Glad we could settle this out of court, my dear. Ill give you a call when I hear that you held up your end of the deal.“ He states before leaving completely.

-🪷 (really horny for dom and cocky chuu)

Me and my criminal justice majoring ass is giggling rn.

I JUST THINK AFTER HE FUCKS YOU OVER YOUR DESK HE’D ZIP HIS PANTS UP AND SAY “I think I made a pretty good case” WHILE YOU’RE A MESS AND STRUGGLING TO CATCH YOUR BREATH 😭😭

[bbymunsonx]

The Last Time (Ted's Version)

Chapter Nine

chapter warnings: language, angst, slight emetophobia, talk of sexual content

word count: 4.6k

Lacy Watson: Jamie, I heard what happened. Please call me okay?

Lacy Watson: It isn't what you think. Please call me back.

Lacy Watson: Jamie!!!

***

It's been a week since Jamie got traded back to Man City and the team's been torn up about it. Especially because we have a special game this weekend. Rebecca claims that she didn't have a choice and that his contract with Richmond had expired, but Ted doesn't believe her. I've stayed out of their argument because I didn't know any better. Either way, Jamie's gone and the team is going to have to get used to that. 

We're getting ready to travel to Liverpool to play against Everton. The boys have been incredibly on edge because Richmond hasn't been able to beat Everton in the past sixty years. 

"You really want me to come?" I asked. Ted was practically begging me to come with them. 

"Of course, I do. This is our first away game and I really want you there, Lace," Ted smiled. 

"Alright, I'll come," I beamed. I was excited about going away with the team and being able to stay in a fancy hotel. 

Rebecca Welton: I heard you're coming this weekend! Keeley's coming too! Do you wanna come on the jet with us?

I've never ridden on a private jet before, that sounds amazing. I either ride on a private jet with Rebecca and Keeley or I take a four hour bus ride sitting next to Ted. Hmmmm.

Lacy Watson: As much as I love you, I think I'd rather sit on a bus next to Ted for the next four hours. Sorry!!

Rebecca Welton: Don't you dare apologize. Enjoy the bus xoxo ;)

We all piled into the bus. I went into the back and saw Coach Beard sitting in the seat next to Ted. I widen my eyes at him that mentally said, "Get the fuck out of the seat, please." 

Like he was almost reading my mind, Beard frantically said, "I forgot to call Jane and tell her goodbye, I'll be one second." and ran from his seat. 

"I'll just keep his seat warm until he gets back," I plopped down in the empty seat, right next to Ted. 

"I'm really glad you're joining us, Lacy Loo. I feel like you're like a good luck charm, kinda like my own little four leaf clover." He looked over at me, causing me to blush. As the blush started to spread over my cheeks, it made me realize that we were never able to talk about me trying to kiss him. He's probably forgotten all about it at this point. 

"I'm glad you wanted me here. I thought after what happened the night of the gala that you didn't-" I was cut off by Roy screaming at the front of the bus. 

"OY! Pay attention! I don't wanna hear ANYTHING about some stupid, fucking curse. We're gonna go and kick Everton's ass tomorrow, yeah?" Roy screamed, causing the boys to erupt in screaming and chants. 

"What were you saying?" Ted brought his attention back to me. 

"Oh, nothing. I'm just glad I'm here." I smiled. 

The bus ride was filled with small talk and Ted reading over his divorce papers over and over again. Kind of put a damper on the mood. 

As we arrived at the hotel, Rebecca and Keeley texted me to meet them up in their suite after I had gotten my room key. Thankfully, I was able to switch room cards with Beard so I'd get the room next to Ted. 

I had taken the elevator up to the top floor and found my way to Rebecca's room. After knocking a few times, Keeley flung the door open and hugged me. 

"Hi, babe!" She squealed. She always acts like she hasn't seen me in years, which I love. 

"Hi, Keels!" I squealed back. As I loosened my grip, I looked behind Keeley and saw Rebecca standing in the middle of the room, talking to another woman. 

"Lacy, this is Flo, my oldest friend." Rebecca introduced us both. 

"Flo? Really?" The woman seemed almost offended. "Friends call me Sassy." 

"It's really nice to meet you, Sassy." I shot her a big smile. I was so excited to be able to have a girls night. After all this drama with Ted and Jamie, this was exactly what I needed. 

"Sassy was kind enough to remind me that this weekend is my wedding anniversary with Rupert." Rebecca stated. "That's why I want to spend this weekend surrounded by all my favorite girls." 

That almost made me start sobbing. I remember just a few short weeks ago, Rebecca always seemed so cold so it was really nice to know she genuinely liked me. 

"Alright, are you guys ready for dinner? I need a drink!" Sassy exclaimed as she dragged Rebecca out of the room. 

"It's gonna be a long night," I nudged Keeley as we followed the two women out of the room. 

***

We were nearing the end of our dinner as we were laughing and joking around about our sex lives. It took me a few drinks to be able to talk and laugh about how I slept with Jamie. It wasn't even until I had gotten it out that I realized Keeley was with Jamie. All she did was laugh.

"You shagged Jamie?" She gasped and laughed. 

"I could've sworn you knew!" I covered my mouth. 

"Absolutely not. I mean, he's not a bad lay." Keeley admitted, to which I nodded. 

"On that note, I am going to visit the loo," Sassy got up from the table. As she walked away, Rebecca turned to the two of us. 

"How do you like Sassy?" She asked. 

"I think I might be in love with her," Keeley drunkly joked. 

"I think she's so great," I beamed. The more girl friends, the better. 

After about ten minutes of drinking and talking some more, Sassy came back to the table. 

"You get lost, Sass?" Rebecca joked.

"I found the most handsome man outside. I wanted to shag him right then and there on the floor," Sassy blushed.

"Girl, look at you! You could shag anyone you wanted. Go get him!" I shooed her off, jokingly. 

"If he wasn't in the middle of something, he would be in my hotel room right now." She laughed.

After Rebecca paid the check, the three of us went back into the suite for a little bit to keep gossiping and talking. About an hour passed before I realized it was getting late and we had the game tomorrow morning. 

"Some of us have to do work in the morning, so I'm gonna hit the hay, ladies." I waved goodnight. 

"Nighty night," Keeley waved back, with Rebecca and Sassy waving behind her. 

As I took the elevator, or I guess I should say lift, down to my floor, I kept thinking about Ted. I felt guilty having a good night while he was struggling to sign his divorce papers. I reached my door but before I could open it, I stalled. Ted's door was right next to mine, it wouldn't hurt to pop in there just to see how he's doing. 

I turned around and knocked on Ted's door. A few seconds passed and no answer. I waited a few extra seconds and knocked a couple more times before the door flung open. "What?" He asked harshly. I've never seen this version of Ted before. He was freshly showered with his hair flopped over his forehead, not freshly styled like usual. Though he was freshly showered, he reeked of strong alcohol. 

"I'm-I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how you're doing." My eyebrows pulled closer together as my jaw clenched. The look on his face was one I've only seen with one other man...

"It's way past curfew. Go to bed." Ted spit. I just stood there, frozen, not knowing how to respond. A part of me knew he was hurting and all I wanted to do was push past him and hold him. Another part of me wanted to run into my room and sob in my pillow. "Lacy. Go." He slammed the door in my face. 

It took me second to gather the strength to turn and walk towards my room. As I walked into my room and let the door shut behind me, a sob immediately escape my mouth. My hands fell in my face as I cried and cried into the night. 

***

The sun started shining into my room, signaling the start of a new day. I had two hours to get ready before the game started. I took my time getting ready. Twenty minutes past as I found myself still sitting in the shower, scrubbing my body, making sure to scrub off all the feelings I felt last night. 

Ted isn't Julian. 

Ted. isn't. Julian. 

I put on a nice outfit and did my makeup nicely, just in case paparazzi were around of course. I exited my room, lookin left and right and only seeing an empty hallway. The stadium where we were playing was about a ten minute walk from the hotel, and I really needed the fresh air. I picked up a coffee from a local coffee shop and made my way over to the stadium.

As I found my way to the locker room, I could hear Ted's voice talking to the players which cause a knot in my stomach. I slowly and quietly sneaked my way into the locker room, but Ted immediately caught a glimpse of me, causing his eyes to widen. 

"Lacy," he rushed over to me. "Can I talk to you real quick? Privately." He looked around to the players, wanting to separate himself from them. I nodded.

Ted took my arm and led me to a private room where we could talk. 

"Ted, I-" I started before he held up his hands, trying to get me to stop talking. 

"Lacy, please. I am so sorry about how I spoke to you last night. Excuse my language, but I am so fucking sorry. I was just, I was having a bad night. A really bad night. And I took it out on you when you were just trying to be a good friend. Is there anyway you can forgive me?" His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes softened. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was trying his best not to cry. 

"There's nothing to forgive, Ted. You're human and you have human emotions. It's okay." I smiled at Ted while reaching up to give him a hug. He opened his arms and welcomed me into them, tightly. The both of us closed our eyes, letting the hug last, until we heard someone clear their throat. 

Ted looked over and gasped immediately escaping from the hug, "Sassy Smurf?" 

"Marlboro Man, so we meet again," she smiled at him. Rebecca, who was standing next to Sassy, looked at me with wide eyes once she made the connection. 

The man Sassy wanted to fuck in the restaurant was Ted?

"Small world," Ted smiled at Sassy. "What are you doing here?"

"She's my oldest friend," Rebecca awkwardly smiled. 

"What about that." Ted said with a smile still on his face. 

"Alrighty, don't we have a game to play or something? Let's go," I left the room and made my way back into the locker room. Nate was telling the team all his notes that he had for them, some of them were insanely mean, but it made the team eager to play. 

***

Thanks to Nate's pre-game pep talk, the team won, breaking their sixty year loss streak. After we all individually went back to our rooms for a midday nap, we got dressed in our fanciest outfits and went out for some karaoke. Rebecca had brought Sassy with her, who hasn't kept her eyes off of Ted all night. I went from thinking she was the coolest girl in the world to wanting to punch her in the face. There were so many men on the team and she could have any of them. But of course, she wanted the one I wanted. 

We all laughed and recorded as Coach Beard ran onto the stage to sing his rendition of "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. Ted was recording to send the footage to Henry when he tuned the camera over to me to capture me wiping tears off of my face from laughing too hard. 

Everyone egged me on to go on the stage, so I chose to sing Style by Taylor Swift, obviously. It a song that resembled Ted the most. During the entirety of the song, I had to watch Sassy as she swooned over Ted, but Ted's gaze, nor his camera, didn't leave me the entire song. 

Rebecca went on after me, singing Let it Go from Frozen. She was magnificent. She could easily be on Broadway if she wanted to. Out of the corner of my eye, I could notice Ted's leg bouncing up and down vigorously as he was anxiously playing with his fingers. I looked over at him with my brows furrowed, trying to ask if he was okay without outright asking him. He jumped up and ran out of the karaoke room without a word. 

I gave it a second, not wanting to get the same reaction I did last night, but obviously something was wrong. Fuck it. I jumped up and ran after him. I followed him through the club, filled with sweaty people dancing without a care in the world. As I reached the door, I looked to my left and didn't see him there, I looked to my right to see him crouched on the ground. 

"Ted, honey, what's wrong?" I knelt down in front of him. 

"I- I don't know," He stuttered. He was shaking, his eyes wandering all over the place. He was having a panic attack. 

I cupped his face with both of my hands, and rubbed his cheeks with my thumbs. "Ted, you're having a panic attack. You need to breathe."

"I can't. I can't breathe." He panicked. 

"Yes, you can. Breathe with me." I started to breathe with him, but he wasn't looking at me. "Look at me, Ted." I tighten the grip I had on his face, giving him no choice but to look at me. He nodded. 

"I'm going crazy." He sighed. 

"No. You're not going crazy, Ted." I smiled at him. "Now breathe with me." I inhaled through my nose and exhaled through my mouth, and Ted did the same. We did this ten times until I could feel his heart rate start to settle. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Ted profusely apologized. 

"Don't apologize. Don't you ever apologize." I kept rubbing his cheeks with my thumb, trying to comfort him. 

"I think I'm okay," Ted tried to get up. I quickly rose up so I can help him get up. "I think I'm gonna head back to the hotel for the night." 

"Okay, I'll go with you," I went to walk after him before he stopped me.

"It's okay. I think I wanna be alone for a little bit," He smiled at me. "I... I'm glad you're here. My little four leaf clover." He started walking away.

"Panda!" I screamed at him. He stopped and slowly turned to look at me. 

"Alright, I'm really glad you're here." 

I smiled at him as he started to walk away. I went back into the karaoke room where Roy had started to sing Bohemian Rhapsody. He must've had a lot to drink. Sober Roy would never do that. 

"Is he okay?" Coach Beard looked over at me. 

"Yeah, he'll be alright. He's just headed back to the hotel for the night." I replied. Sassy had looked over at me and smirked to herself. 

After a couple more songs, we decided to head out for the evening. We've had a long day and we were all getting tired. Rebecca decided to go to the bar to get a drink, Sassy went back to the hotel for the evening, and I went with Roy and Keeley to go back to the hotel. We took a scenic route around Liverpool before we all ended back at the hotel. 

"You sure you don't wanna come and hang out for a bit?" Keeley asked, causing Roy to groan in frustration. 

"I think Roy would actually kill me if I said yes, but thanks, babe." I smiled at Keeley before taking the elevator up to my room. 

As I was about to enter my room, I thought I would double check to see if Ted was doing okay. Even though he said he would be alright, I just wanted to make sure.

My fist lifted up to knock on the door but before my hand made contact, I heard something come from the other side of the door. A woman's voice, talking and laughing. Sassy. After the sounds of talking and laughing came the moaning. Sassy and Ted. My hand immediately reached up to my mouth to cover the sounds of my sobs as I ran away from the door and into my room. 

I curled up into bed with tears running down my face. Since Ted and I share a wall, and his bed lined up with mine, I could hear everything. I could hear the bed banging against the wall and the both of them moaning and laughing. God, his laugh. It was unmistakable. I laid in my bed with my hands covering my ears as I sobbed.

No, I can't do this to myself. It isn't right. 

I took out my phone and sent one quick text. 

Lacy Watson: What room are you in?

Coach Beard: 431

Lacy Watson: I'll be right there. 

I gathered my essentials in my bag and ran right to Beard's room. I knocked on the door a few times before he opened it up and his face softened. 

"I-I- I can't be in there," I cried out. I laid my head in my hands as I started falling apart. Beard opens his arms and immediately pulls me in the room and shuts the door. 

"What happened?" He questioned. 

"I went back to my room and I thought I would see if he was doing okay. But when I went to his door, he was with- he was with Sassy." I was able to say through sobs. "And I know it's silly to feel this way since we aren't together, but I- I really like him, Coach."

"I know. I know." He held my head as I cried. "Listen, I think you need to talk to him. The two of you need to talk." 

"Can we just tell him that we slept together so that we're even," I tried to joke. 

"I think he would actually kill me. I'm not joking." There was no hint of joking in voice. "Here, just stay in here for the night. I'll sleep on the pull out couch, you take the bed. You're not gonna go back to your room and have to deal with that." 

"Thank you," I smiled sadly. He got the pull out couch all ready for him while I got under the covers, still in my clothes from the day. 

"Coach?" I mustered out, still not being able to stop crying. 

"Yeah, Lace?" He called from the couch. 

"I think I love him." I whispered.

"I know."

*** 

"Rise and shine!" Coach Beard flung the blinds open. "We have two hours until we have to leave and you still have to go to your room to get your stuff."

My eyes fluttered open a bit as they adjusted to the sunlight. First, I was confused as to why I was in Coach Beard's room, but then the memory of last night hit me like a ton of bricks. My heart sank. I thought it had been a nightmare. 

"Thank you for letting me stay here last night. I just couldn't... yeah I couldn't." I couldn't even get out what I needed to say. 

"Of course." Beard smiled. I think this was one of the only times I've seen him act serious. It was a little scary. 

"I'll meet you back at Richmond. I'm gonna grab a ride on Rebecca's jet." I said before I walked out of the room back to my own. As I reached my door, I saw Sassy leaving Ted's room. 

"Oy! Lacy!" She called over to me. "You'd get lucky last night too? Look at you doing the walk of shame!" 

"Yeah, last night was so crazy." I said sarcastically. "Between the drinking and the fucking, I'm just so out of it today."

"I totally get it. Let me tell you, your coach is fucking amazing."

"Oh, Ted? Yeah he's alright." I kept my sarcastic tone to see if she would catch the hint, she doesn't. 

"He's such a gentleman. And I knew you were wondering, and yes, he does talk like that during sex and he's just so eager to please. He let me ride that little mustache like a jet ski." Sassy bragged. I'm not sure if it was because of what she just told me or if it was actually from all the alcohol I had last night, but I had thrown up all over myself. All down my outfit. It was not a good look. 

"Jesus, babe. You alright? Here, let's get you cleaned up." Sassy tried to usher me into my room. 

"No! Just leave me alone." I nudged her away from me and slammed my door shut. I immediately ran into the shower and just let the hot water wash away last nights dinner and Sassy's words. So eager to please. Her words kept repeating in my head. 

After my shower, I took out my phone to text Rebecca. 

Lacy Watson: Let me know when the jet leaves. I'd like to take it if there's still a seat for me. 

Rebecca Welton: There's always a seat for you. Are you alright? Sassy told me what happened. 

Lacy Watson: I'll tell you on the jet. 

On the jet, I told Rebecca and Keeley what happened and both of them were in awe. 

"I am so sorry, Lacy. I had no idea she was gonna do that." Rebecca apologized. 

"It's okay. I mean, it's actually not okay. It actually fucking kills me, but he's not mine. He can do whatever, and whoever, he wants." 

"Babe, you need to tell him how you feel. It's actually killing you. And I hate to see you like this." Keeley rubbed my arm. 

As she finished speaking, my phone buzzed. 

Coach Beard: Ted was asking everyone where you were. He's very worried. 

Lacy Watson: Did you know he is very eager to please? And that he even talks like that when he has sex! Thanks to Sassy, I know that now (and so do you!)

Coach Beard: I'm not sure how you want me to respond to that. 

I rolled my eyes as I put my phone away. "Rebecca, I hope it's okay that I take today off. I just want to be home."

"Yes, Lace, of course. I needed to borrow Ted for the afternoon anyway so that's no problem at all." 

After we landed, I took a cab back to my flat and immediately crawled under my sheets and went back to sleep, trying to pretend that the world doesn't exist. 

***

I must've slept the entire day away because I woke up to someone banging at my door. When I looked outside, it was pitch dark out. 

"I'm coming up!" I could hear Ted's voice call out at the bottom of the steps. Oh great. I got up from my bed and walked out into the living room, where Ted was coming up the steps. 

"Where the hell have you been?" He asked. 

"Sleeping," I groaned, still half asleep. 

"Um, alright. Why did you sleep all day? Are you alright? Are you sick?" He asked with worry in his voice. 

"Actually, I'm not alright, Ted." My voice started to break. 

"Here, how about you sit down." Ted motioned to the couch. I shuffled over to the couch and sat down, he immediately took a seat next to me. "What's on that noggin of yours?"

I couldn't get the words out to actually tell him how I felt. Every time I went to say it, the words wouldn't come out. "I..I..I'm just upset Jamie left." I panicked and that was the first thing that came out. 

"You're really that upset that he's gone?" Ted's eyes softened. 

"Yes. Yes I am." I said coldly. "Things were getting better between us. He was finally starting to open up to me and now he's gone." Ted's jaw began to clench. 

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way." 

"Yeah, me too." I whispered. 

"Alrighty, then I guess I'm gonna get out of your hair, but please come to work tomorrow, okay?"

I didn't say anything as Ted walked down the step and left my flat. That's when I started to cry again. 

Ted's POV

After I left Lacy's room, I immediately went downstairs and banged on Coach Beard's door. He opened the door almost immediately. 

"Hey, Coach," Beard greeted. 

"I really messed up," I groaned as I let myself into his apartment. 

"What happened?" Beard asked, motioning for me to sit on the barstools in his kitchen.

"Well, you already know I slept with Sassy last night, but I didn't tell you all of it." I cringed. Beard didn't verbally respond, but nodded his head, telling me to continue, "The entire time I was with Sassy, I was picturing Lacy. I mean, the entire time. Sassy is such a lovely woman and I feel so awful but, Coach, I don't know if it's because of the divorce or what, but... I don't know. I think I might like Lacy."

"Ted, if you think it's just feelings because of your divorce, then you're stupid." Beard finally spoke. 

"What do you mean?" I questioned, oblivious to what he was insinuating. 

"I mean, you've been in love with this girl since the moment you saw her. Maybe even before that. Do you remember when we had the team party a year ago, and you saw her with Julian? You never treated Julian the same after that." 

"Yeah, but I didn't even know her back then. I just saw her with her boyfriend, no big deal."

"You already had those feelings for her since before you actually got to know her, and now that you know her... your feelings are running rampant."

"Well, it doesn't even matter if I like her or not, she likes Jamie." I lowered my head. 

"I think you need to talk to her. You don't know everything." Coach Beard raised his eyebrow at me. 

"How do you know?"

"I know all." Beard answered. He's right, he always knows everything about everyone. 

I smiled at Beard slightly. "Thanks for listening, Coach." I left his flat and headed back to my own. Now, I just had to get unstuck from my own head. 

Lacy's POV

I hadn't moved from the couch in a few hours as I got comfortable in the couch hole I was creating with my body. Suddenly, someone is banging on my door. 

I groaned and got up from the couch. "Ted, I need to be left alone." I moaned as I was walking down the steps. I flung the door open and my blood ran cold. My eyes widen so much they almost fell out of my head. 

"Hey, Ace. You miss me?" The man on the other side of the door smugly said. 

I was able to sputter out one word, "Julian?"

authors note: this chapter and the next chapter were probably the most fun to write !! just a lil fact about me but I'm actually a senior in college. im minoring in creative writing so anytime im writing this story it always feels like im doing homework (in the best way possible lol) see u besties in the next chapter. buckle up ;)

taglist: @nerdgirljen

[themultifandomgal]

Tommy Shelby- Old Love Pt3

Pt1 Pt4

The following day I decide that I do need to speak to Tommy. So leaving Charlie at my parents house I pluck up the courage and head to the betting shop a place I know and remember all to well. On arrival I find John having a chat with Finn while they smoke

"Hey YN"

"Hi. Is Tommy here?" I ask nervously

"Yeah. In his office"

"Thanks"

"If I hear shouting I'll come and rescue you" John jokes. We always were quite close. I walk into the betting shop and over to Tommys office. Taking in a deep breath I knock on the door

"What?" I hear a grump Thomas shout

"Hey" I quietly say opening the door

"YN" his head snaps up. His eyes meet mine. Those damn eyes that I fell in love with. I quickly look away "what are you doing here?"I sit down in the chair in front of Tommys desk "everyone has told me we need to talk"

"What about you? Do you think we need to talk?" Tommy crosses his arms over his chest

"Yeah I do actually"

"Well" he gestures with his hand for me to continue

"I don't really know where to start"

"How about you start with the reason why you left"

"Is that a serious question Tom?"

"Of course it is" he raises his voice "you left when I needed you. You left with my son YN!"

"What about when I needed you Tom! What about when I was struggling after giving birth!" I stand up shouting

"I was a war!"

"So was I!" I close my eyes trying to stop tears

"What are you on about?" I sit back down in the seat. After a moment of silence I finally look back at Tommy

"Before you came home, I went to an asylum"

"What!" Tommy stand up looking furious

"After I had Charlie, I couldn't cope. Polly called it the baby blues, but it never went away. Our neighbours called the police because Charlie was crying and I wasn't doing anything. I was. I was trying to get him to be quiet but I just started to break down. They took me away, gave Polly custody of Charlie and I went to an asylum. Tommy it was horrible" I can no longer hold my tears back "they would shock me and prod me. Thankfully Polly got me out and I had custody of Charlie again. By the time you came home I blocked it all out. I had no feelings for Charlie for a while, when he cried I would sit there letting Polly or my mum care for him. I got better, but when you came home I had to look after you, it made me sad again"

"Fucking hell YN"

"When I saw you with the barmaid, it practically killed me Tom"

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"How could I. You were dealing with the shit after war. I was failing at being a mother. How do you tell the man you love, the father of your baby that you didn't love said baby. Of course I love him now, but I was struggling"

"I wish you had told me" Tommy sighs sitting back down

"I know. I'm sorry. Mum said something yesterday which made me realise that I've been blaming you for everything that happened but I didn't speak to you, I took your son from you and moved. I'm sorry"

"So what's going to happen now?" I shrug

"I'd like you to be apart of Charlie's life"

"What about where you live? Will you come back home?"

"No. We're divorced Tom. I'm not moving back in with you, but if things go well and we can get on, I'll move in with my parents"

"Ok" Tommy rubs his hands over his face "you know I never stopped loving you"

"What about when you slept with her, or god knows who else"

"I was trying to get over you. Never fell in love again"

"So you still love me?"

"Yeah. Yeah I do"

"I still love you too, but I can't just jump back into a life with you"

"I understand. Polly's having all of us for dinner tomorrow, come, bring Charlie and your parents. Let's just start with being friends again"

"I'll think about it. I best go" I get up from the seat

"Maybe see you tomorrow"

"Maybe" I leave Tommys office

"You left him alive in there?" Arthur asks

"Yeah don't worry. See you around" I wave the boys goodbye and leave the betting shop to go back to my parents house

[middleearthpixie]

Better Days ~ Chapter Twenty-Two

Summary: Frerin Durin had the perfect life, until he found out his wife was cheating on him. Now, he’s navigating uncharted territory as an about-to-be divorced single dad. Dating is a mess, he’s dealing with the fallout where his kids are concerned, and really, he would just love a vacation away from all of it. 

Elena Madison is new to Sidleburg, and also navigating life as a newly single parent. The last thing she needed was for her daughter to come down sick, when she hasn’t even had time to unpack the moving boxes, never mind find a pediatrician. And the last thing she ever expected was to meet a man like Dr. Frerin Durin…

Neither Elena nor Frerin were looking for anything, but fate has a way of messing up even the best laid plans. However, both have been hurt and both aren't at all sure they trust themselves, never mind trusting someone else...

Pairings:  Modern!Frerin x ofc Elena Madison

Warnings: Attempted suicide

Rating: T

Word Count: 3.4k

Read on AO3

“Dad?”

Frerin jolted awake at the sound of Flynn’s voice. “Yeah, I’m up. What’s up, Flynn?”

“Your phone’s ringing.”

Frerin flipped onto his back, rubbing his eyes with one hand. “Who is it?”

“Someone named Leigh Addams.”

“Fuck.”

“Dad?”

“Sorry, Flynn. It’s the hospital and there is only one reason they’d be calling me.” He rose onto one elbow and held out his free hand to take the phone. “I’m not coming in.”

“I’m so sorry to call you, Frerin, but Reese threatened to fire me if I didn’t. And when Dee tried to tell him only the nursing manager can fire us, he threatened to fire her as well. He’s in such a mood, it isn’t funny.”

“Tell him you left a message and I’ll deal with him when I’m on tomorrow.”

“We’re down three docs and the moonlighter in for Craig hasn’t shown up yet, either.”

“I don't care, Leigh.” He squinted at the clock. “I worked a double until seven yesterday morning, then I spent all afternoon up in Psych or at Wakeman, and only finally got to sleep sometime around midnight. I’m going to hop in the shower and go see my son. Wakeman’s strict about visiting hours and I don't care if Sidleburg burns to the ground, I’m seeing Jake. If Reese doesn’t like it, he can fire me. I don’t give a damn at this point. I am not setting foot inside that place until seven tomorrow morning. ”

“Are you sure?”

He scowled even though she couldn’t see it. “You did not just ask me that.”

“No, I know, it was stupid. I’m sorry. I should’ve told the jerk to call you himself.”

“Don’t worry about it. Like I said, I’m on tomorrow so I’ll deal with him then.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah. I’m on at seven.” 

“Go and give Jake a hug for me.”

“I will. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

He ended the call and tossed the phone on the bed alongside him, narrowly missing Flynn, who said, “They wanted you to come in?”

“Yeah. We’re down three docs and a moonlighter. But, Wakeman was real clear that they only allow visiting from seven PM to PM eight and I’m not going to be anywhere other than there.”

“Can Maur and I come?”

Frerin nodded. “Yeah, of course. I think he’d like seeing you both. Probably more than he wants to see your mother or me.”

“I think the only one he wouldn’t want to see is the Skeeze.”

“What exactly happened yesterday?” 

“Nothing, really.” Flynn picked up Frerin’s phone to set it on the bedside table. “I thought everything would be okay by yesterday morning. It usually is, you know?”

Frerin’s gut twisted. “What usually is.”

“Skeeze picks fights with Maura all the time. Let me guess,” Flynn offered up a long look, “Mom’s never mentioned them before.”

“Not a word to me about it.”

“Well, he does. But then again, so does Mom. She’s always harping on Maura, saying she wears too much makeup and you should’ve heard her when Maur told her she wanted to get her nose pierced. That really sent Mom into orbit.” 

“Why?”

“I don’t know. All I know is she and Maura were arguing about it and Skeeze butts in and tells Maura she’s gotta listen to Mom and all that crap.”

“Flynn.”

“I’m not apologizing, Dad. It is crap. Who cares if she gets a nose ring? Like, almost all the girls in school have their noses pierced and no one even notices it anymore. But Mom said something about her looking like a slut and Maura said takes one to know one and that sent Skeeze into orbit.”

Frerin bit back a smile. “I can imagine.”

“So, they’re all yelling at each other and Jake just must’ve had enough of listening to it, ‘cause the next thing I know, he’s yelling at Mom and telling her to leave Maura alone and that’s when Skeeze stuck his stupid nose into the fight for real. He told Jake to shut up and mind his manners or else he’d take his Switch from him and that he shouldn’t be playing a crap game like Breath of the Wild anyway.”

“Your mother said they’d been fighting over the game.”

“Let me guess,” this came from Maura, who just appeared in the doorway to his bedroom, “she left out all the important parts.”

“She didn't tell me you wanted to get your nose pierced.”

Maura just shrugged. “I don’t care what she thinks about it. I’m doing it whether she likes it or not and the Skeeze is the last person I’m listening to.”

Frerin offered up a long look. “We need to discuss this nose thing, Maura.”

She stared balefully at him. “Really, Dad?”

“Yes, really.”

“Either way, it was stupid and Skeeze should’ve just kept his stupid mouth shut,” Flynn said before Maura could reply, “But, he didn't and then he really lost it when Jake told him that he wasn't his father and he didn't have to listen to him.”

The floorboards creaked softly as Maura came completely into the room. “It was kind of scary, really. Skeeze turned purple, he was so mad and he screamed at Jake that he was a better father than you were to us and that Jake’d better wise up and realize it because when it was all over, he and Mom would take us away from you and we wouldn’t get to see you any more.”

Frerin’s gut twisted. “He said what?” 

Maura nodded. “Yeah, he said that. And Mom didn’t correct him or tell him to shut up. She just told Jake to go to his room and when he did, Skeeze followed him. Next thing I knew, Skeeze is back with the Switch and Jake was crying.”

Frerin rubbed his eyes with one hand. “And then what?”

Both Maura and Flynn shrugged, and Maura said, “I don't know. It got quiet and when Mom went to check, she said Jake was asleep. So, we thought it was all settled.”

“But, then yesterday morning, at breakfast, Skeeze made a big point of telling Jake he’d thrown his Switch out and that got Jake going all over again.” Flynn scowled and Frerin saw how Flynn’s one hand balled into a fist so tight, his knuckles were white. “He told Skeeze that he didn't have the right to do it, Skeeze said he did, and I kid you not, Jake looked him right in the eye and said, Fuck you. And Mom sent him to his room. Next thing we know, Mom goes up to get him for breakfast—like he’s even going to eat at that point—and she started screaming and—”

Flynn’s voice cracked and Frerin reached over to cover that white-knuckled fist with his own hand. “It’s okay, Flynn. I know the rest.”

“I hate him, Dad. I wanted to fucking kill him right there. You should’ve let me kick his ass in the hospital.”

“You really should’ve, Dad.”

He looked from Flynn to Maura and back to Flynn. “And what would have been accomplished by that? Nothing.”

“It would’ve felt awesome,” Flynn told him. “Uncle Thorin would’ve done it.”

“No, he wouldn’t have. Your uncle isn’t quite that hot-headed. Now, the two of you go and find something to do while I call your mother.”

“Can’t we just stay here?”

“No, Maura, you can’t.”

“Dad’s gonna rip Mom a new one,” Flynn told her with a hint of a grin. “Aren’t you, Dad?”

That was exactly what he planned to do, but since he couldn't very well tell either of them that, he shook his head. “Don’t you worry about what I’m going to do. Go.”

Both kids grumbled but left his room just the same and Frerin waited for the familiar creak of the stairs before dialing Toni’s cell. 

“What do you want?”

He rolled his eyes at the sound of the Skeeze’s voice. “Obviously I want to talk to Toni,” he growled. “Put her on.”

“Look, I don’t want—”

“I don't give a flying fuck what you want, Tim. Don’t you get that? I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about anything having to do with you. Now, go and get Toni. Or do I have to come over there and get her myself?”

“Hang on.”

“Good boy.” Frerin rubbed his eyes once more. Somehow, he didn't think it would matter how much sleep he got, it wasn't going to be enough until Jake was back under his roof. And if Frerin had his way, Skeeze would never be left alone in a room with any of Frerin’s children.

“Frerin?”

“You didn't tell me the entire story, did you, Toni? Why not?”

“This isn’t a good time—“

“The fuck it’s not,” he cut her off, gripping his cell so tightly, he thought for a moment he might actually crush it. “You left out more than one key part and when my lawyer hears about it, you’ll be lucky if you can have unsupervised visits with any of them.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me, Toni. I dare you.” He shook his head. “Any judge we get is going to be real thrilled to know you’ve put a sleazeball boyfriend before the best interests of your kids. And that will be after learning you were fucking a guy barely out of high school himself and god only knows who else behind my back. But, when he or she finds out about Tim? You think they’d just ignore that?”

“Oh, you’re one to talk, Frerin. I know you stuck your dick—”

“We aren’t talking about me.”

“Of course not. We never are. Tell me, does your newest whore know about the other whores?”

“Toni, I mean it, you should just stop, right now.”

“You didn't tell her, did you?” A hint of triumph wove into Toni’s voice. “I’m sure you told her about how I slept with every man I’ve met while you were the poor, innocent husband who did nothing wrong ever. I’m sure she doesn’t know about the charge nurse, what was her name again? Or the social worker? Maybe I should tell her about them?”

“Toni, you leave Elena out of this. She has nothing to do with this at all.”

“No, you were only fucking her while I was trying to get ahold of you tell you about Jake’s accident.”

“His accident?” Frerin’s already tenuous grip on his temper slipped free. “His fucking accident, Toni? It wasn’t a goddamn accident and you know it. That goon you moved in with threatened him and you did nothing to stop it. You did nothing, you—” He clenched his jaw was he fought to contain the epithets rising to his lips. Clenched his jaw and swallowed them forcefully and then growled, “Don’t you ever threaten any of them with being taken away from me, you got that? Because I swear to Christ, I—”

“You’ll what, Frerin? Are you threatening me?”

“No. I’m promising you. If I find out that shit is anywhere near my kids, all of the lawyers in the world won’t save you. I will bury you, understand me? I. Will. Bury. You.”

“They’re my kids, too, so don’t you—”

“No, don’t you. I’m done, Toni. Jake is in a psych hospital because your sleazy ass fuckbuddy thinks he gets any say in what they can or can’t do and he’s in the find out stage of fuck around and find out. And you didn't even have the balls to tell me the whole truth. Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

“You’re turning all three of them against me.”

“No, I’m not. You’ve also reached the find out part of that. And guess what, it’s not all about you, either. It’s about fucking time you learned that. And I mean it, Toni, I don't want him anywhere near Maura or Flynn and definitely not around Jake and I’m not letting them stay with you as long as he’s in the picture. You want to see them, you come here—alone—or else you don't see them and if you want to go crying to your lawyer, just know I’ve already been in touch with mine.”

“You are such a bastard, you know that?”

“I do, yeah. And I’m also dead serious. So—”

The line when dead and he smiled despite his fury. He’d been more than willing to work with Toni when it came to custody before. But now? That was gone. He wanted sole custody and was not about to budge on that any time soon. 

Which meant he had to call his lawyer.

Sigh.

The rest of the day flew by for Frerin. After talking to his lawyer, who assured him, as always, that he had nothing to worry about, Frerin showered and then made dinner for him and the kids. It was a quiet meal, as Jake’s empty chair was a stark reminder of what had happened only the day before, but then they made the twenty minute drive to Wakeman, which was in neighboring Morris County. His gut kinked at the sight of Toni’s car in the visitors’ parking lot, but thankfully, she made no mention of their conversation earlier or of the Skeeze, who was not with her. 

But, seeing Jake was far more difficult than Frerin had thought it would be. He’d brought Jake a few things, but nothing that had to be laced or belted, for string, shoelaces, ties, and belts were strictly forbidden. He’d had to buy Jake slip-on shoes for that reason as well. Anything that he might use to harm himself was not allowed and as they sat in the lounge, Frerin was acutely aware of all the eyes on them. 

Jake seemed better than he had the day before, although he was still so pale, with dark smudges beneath his eyes. He sat between Maura and Flynn and fidgeted with the bandage on his wrist, and refused to look at or speak with Toni the entire time she was there, which wasn't long, actually. After twenty minutes, she made an excuse about why she had to leave and when she went to kiss Jake’s cheek, he turned away and she missed his entire head. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, baby,” she’d told him, plastering a smile on her lips. “I love you.”

Jake just fiddled with his wrist as he mumbled something that sort of sounded like, “goodbye.”

After she left, Jake shifted to sink onto the leather sofa next to Frerin. “Are you leaving, too?”

“In a bit, but not until they make me.” He reached down to brush several dark russet curls away from Jake’s face. “Did you talk to anyone today?”

He nodded. “Dr. Naismith. He seems nice.”

“Good.”

“I made a friend. A kid named Jamie. He’s in the bed next to mine.”

Frerin nodded. “That’s good, I think. Is he close to you in age?”

“He’s twelve. He’s been here before.”

“Well, I hope they’re able to help him like they’re helping you.”

Jake nodded solemnly, then said, “Dad, are you mad at me?”

“What?” Frerin shook his head. “No, of course not.” He carefully gathered Jake into his arms. “You did nothing for me to be angry over, little man. Now, I just want you to get better and they’ll help you with that here.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Frerin gave him a gentle squeeze. “And before you know it, you’ll be home and we’ll keep working on whatever you need our help with.”

“When can I come home?”

Frerin’s throat tightened. “I’m not sure just yet. That’s up to the doctors and we won’t meet with them for a few more days.”

“We?”

“Your mother and I.”

“Does Mom have to be here?” Jake lifted his head from where it rested against Frerin’s collarbone. “Can you tell her not to come?”

“Why? She wants to see you.”

“Then why did she keep checking her watch when she was here?”

Maura muttered something under her breath, while Flynn said, “What?”

“Yeah,” Jake nodded, “she kept looking at her watch. Was Skeeze outside?”

“I didn't see him,” Maura said.

“She never goes anywhere without him. She asked me if I wanted to see him as well.”

“What?” This came from Flynn and Maura in unison.

“I told her no.”

“Good,” Flynn said. 

“So that’s when she started checking her watch. I bet you he was in the car.”

Frerin swallowed the oath rising to his lips, instead clearing his throat. “She probably just didn't want to get in trouble with the staff.”

“Well, you’re still here and you’re not in trouble.”

“Jake, they will have to tell me to leave. And as soon as I can be back, I will. But, you need to concentrate on listening to the doctors, okay?”

“You can come back and so can Maura and Flynn. Tell Mom I don't want to see her.”

“Jake, I can’t do that. Talk to Dr. Naismith. Tell him what you told me and let him make the call, okay? He has the authority that I don’t.”

“But you’re a doctor, too.”

“I am, but I’m not your doctor and that’s the difference.”

“Dr. Durin?”

He looked up at the nurse striding toward them. “Yes?”

“It’s eight o’clock. Visiting hours are over now.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Flynn and Maura both slid off the sofa, and Maura bent to kiss the top of Jake’s head. “I’ll see you tomorrow, little man.”

“Me, too,” Flynn told him, rumpling Jake’s mop of russet curls. “Don’t flirt with any of the nurses.”

Jake wrinkled his nose. “Ew. They’re all old.”

Frerin bit back his smile. “When you’re ten, buddy, everyone over the age of twelve seems old.” 

Jake reluctantly slid off his lap. “Are you coming back tomorrow, Dad?”

“Of course I am.” The sofa squeaked as he rose, and his eyes stung as Jake wrapped his arms about his waist.

“Please let me come home with you, Daddy…”

“I can’t, Jake.” He slid his arms about Jake’s thin shoulders. “You have to stay here, baby. But we’ll be back tomorrow. I promise.”

“But… I won’t do it again, I promise.”

“I know, but this is where you need to be.” He carefully untangled himself from Jake, crouched to catch his face in his hands and said, “And as soon as you can come home, I’ll be here to get you. I promise.”

Jake’s hazel eyes welled with tears. “I don't want to stay here. I want to come home.”

“I know, but you can’t. Not yet.”

“Jake,” the nurse came over to them, “would you like to play MarioKart before it’s time for bed?”

Frerin held his breath as Jake just stared at him for a long moment. Then, Jake sighed and slowly nodded. “I suppose.”

“Okay. Give dad a hug and you’ll see him tomorrow.”

Jake did just that and the backs of Frerin��s eyes stung as he caught Maura and Flynn around the shoulders to guide them toward the doors that led to the foyer. There, in said foyer, stood a bank of lockers, where Frerin, Flynn, and Maura all had to stow their cell phones and other personal items upon their arrival. Those belongings were collected, keys returned to the receptionist, and then they were out in the freezing cold in the parking lot, where Frerin made the mistake of looking back to see Jake peering at them through hotel narrow window in the door. Frerin had never seen him look so young and little and helpless before and it took every last bit of will he had to not go barreling through those doors to grab Jake and run with him. 

None of them said much in the car on the way home and once they were back home, Flynn disappeared into his room, Maura into hers, and Frerin sat at the kitchen table for the longest time, staring out through the French doors that led to the deck behind the house, lost in thought as snow began falling. 

Time meant nothing, and he had no idea how long he sat there for, watching the peaceful darkness, but finally, his eyelids grew heavy and since he had to be at work in only a few hours, he dragged himself upstairs. 

It wasn't until he was just about asleep when he realized he’d forgotten to call Elena. 

Tag List: @mrsdurin @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @linasofia @fizzyxcustard

@legolasbadass @kibleedibleedoo @xxbyimm @arrthurpendragon @exhausted-humxn-being

@rachel1959 @laurfilijames @sherala007 @enchantzz @notlostgnome

@myselfandfantasy @medusas-hairband @guardianofrivendell @jotink78 @sorioosyaa

@ruthoakenshield @frosticenow @quiall321 @dianakc @glassgulls

@evanstaredits @heilith @asgardianhobbit98  @albionscastle @absentmindeduniverse

@way-too-addicted-to-fandoms @sazzlep @court-jobi @masterofhounds @genius2050 

If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!

Note: At the end of December, I will be cleaning up my tag list, so if you'd like to continue to be tagged, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll assume you're no longer interested in receiving these notifications and will take you off the list. Thanks!

[lamarkeu]

Episode Summary: Myungho is left home alone with his kids for the first time since their youngest was born allowing his wife to go on a much needed break.

Genre: Fluff (and minor angst)

Masterlist for SVTTROS Series

a/n: Mentions of divorce and child custody (TW)

Italics: Narrators Boo Seungkwan (BS) and Lee Minhyuk (LM)

Bold: Staff

Regular: What family member says / what camera films during the show

Listen To: Wonder by Standing Egg

BS: The Return of Superman, Episode 3 “I Think I Love You ” Part 2.

LM: This condo is absolutely breathtaking. The simple black and whites give off the vibe of modern minimalist layout. Once we pull back the floor to ceiling curtains the high ceilings warm up the space by revealing various artwork once hidden in shadow.

The living room is impeccably clean, for a second your daughter, Luna, is shown laying on her stomach adjacent to her younger brother Minho. The two take turns patting away at the foot of a massive teddy bear they received from their uncle Seungkwan.

BM: Ahh! I know who this is.

LM: Really? I haven’t been able to guess because I’ve been so busy admiring the artwork, it looks like Superman is either an art collector or a painter.

The camera captures how the kitchen perfectly overlooks the living room. Such a small detail can make a world of difference when you’re taking care of children. Zooming in closer towards the opened kitchen the audience sees a pair of hands chopping away on the counter top not going past the wrist level.

“What gift should we give Jeongwoo?” a voice asked before transferring the chopped carrots and onions into a bowl.

“Traditionally speaking clothes and Money should be fine. We’re not part of the intermediate family so we can avoid things like gold.” A second lower voice could be heard off screen, the camera capturing him boiling a pot of water.

“Sounds perfect,”she agrees before placing her used knife and cutting board into the sink as she adds, “I’ll stop by the bank on the way home.” She places her apron on a hook inside their pantry door. Dusting off herself from the ingredients she prepared for her husband to cook while she’s gone. “Are you sure you’ll be okay with them?”

“I promise, now go enjoy spending time with your friends. It’s about time you get a break.” A smile of adoration appears on his face before he leans down to give him a kiss just as the cameras pull up to show their face.

BS: Welcome Seventeen’s kind lead dancer and renowned painter Xu Minghao and renowned makeup artist Y/L/N Y/N. Hyung and Noona I missed seeing you!

LM: Myungho! What a sweet husband.

“Hyungsik might stop by, he said Luna left her project that’s due tomorrow at his house.” Y/N continued as she puts on her shoes in the foyer.

“Okay, I’ll keep an eye on the door camera.”

“See you later babies, I love you.” She calls to her kids with warmth in her voice after kissing her husband on the cheek.

Luna is heard yelling from the living room, “Bye mom, I’ll take care of bàba and didi while you’re gone.”

“That’s my girl. I’m so lucky to have you as my daughter.”

“Hello I’m Seo Myungho better known as Xu Minghao. I am one of Seventeen’s artists. I’m also more proudly known as Luna and Mingyue father.”

“Hi. I’m Y/L/N-Park Luna. I’m five years old. I have a baby brother name Ming Yue. I want to become a artist like my bàba.

“My name is Y/N Y/L/N, I’m a professional make up artist by trade and a passionate skincare business owner. Im also the mother of these beautiful babies. Thank you for inviting our family onto this show I’m a huge fan so this is a dream come true.”

How did you meet?

“I was doing some solo promotions while our Korean members were in the military. Originally I had a makeup artist through PLEDIS but she was about to go on maternity leave. I asked around my friends if they knew anyone that would be willing to take a temporary position. Dokyeom’s wife got in contact with me and relayed how great Y/N was.”

“I worked with Dokyeom doing stage makeup for musical theater since he played King Arthur. I got a message from Lee Y/N asking about Myungho and I immediately said yes. We’ve met before in passing and with other people so I took it as an opportunity for a better introduction.”

“She did quite the job helping with my appearance but also helped calm my nerves when I performed on different stages. Without that introduction I don’t think we would’ve found love the way we did.”

When did you realize you wanted to introduce Myungho to Luna?

“It was pretty early on. I was very upfront about having recently gone through a divorce. Being the amazing man he is, Myungho knew Luna was first priority and wasn’t scared of that.”

“If it were up to me I would’ve met her as soon as we started going out together but, I knew how delicate their situation was, especially because they were figuring out the custody arrangements.”

“Ultimately they did meet in person after 2 years. He was amazing at soothing my concerns and ultimately made me realize that he was in this relationship for the long haul.”

“We officially dated after that, got married and had Mingyue this year.”

What has co-parenting been like for you?

“It’s the best thing I could’ve asked for. I’ve always loved the idea of having a kid and Luna really made me enjoy that even more. I love seeing her grow and figure out who she is. At the end of the day on paper she may not be my biological daughter but in my eyes she will always be my little girl. I have Hyungsik Hyung and Y/N to thank for that.”

“Hyungsik and I much to people’s disbelief ended things on good terms. Now that we’re both remarried I hope that people show us respect for our blended family. I can’t speak for him but I know he’s really thankful for Myungho being another amazing father figure in Luna’s life. I’m so thankful that even when disagreements occur that they look past that because of their love for Luna.”

Do you have any messages for our viewers?

“I know netizens have had their misconceptions of who I am and the relationships I’ve had. I don’t blame them I hope through this show however, they’re able to rewrite their perceptions of myself and my family.”

“Y/N is an amazing mother and partner. To see how the media has manipulated this to benefit their own interests has been something we’ve been trying to fight against. I’m so grateful for the support given to us from my members, carats, Y/N’s fans, and our families for being so supportive during this time. Without you guys I don’t think we would’ve had the courage to share our love story to the public. My goal for our time on this show is to heal from the damages inflicted onto us in the past and expose our viewers to our family dynamic. Ultimately if we help even a single person to become open to blended families like ours I can proudly say that we’ve done our job.”

[rorywritesjunk]

(Birdie will get a post like this once more of her story comes out. Also this got long on accident so it gets a cut. It's Buggy having some self doubt as always. But we've also seen Buggy as an adult with Sunny so he kind of grows out of this self doubt with his relationship)

Buggy isn't really feeling it when his birthday rolls around. He got a little too drunk at Sunny's birthday two months previously, made a comment about how hot the barmaid was and wondered what she looked like underneath those clothes, out loud mind you, in front of Sunny, and even though he apologized profusely and she forgave him, he still felt terrible about it.

And it was the day before his birthday and Sunny insisted he needed to drop her off at this certain village for the day which he did. He would do anything for her to make up how he acted. He gave her whatever berry he had as well, insisting she treat herself ("Honey, it's your birthday tomorrow" she said as she tried to hand it back to him. "Yea, well, then buy me something nice!" He insisted as he refused the money.)

And Sunny was gone almost all day. Buggy was worried, not that something happened to her but what if she... Just got tired of him and left?

She was so specific that it had to be this island she goes to on this particular day, the day before his birthday. Was it planned? Was his birthday present a divorce after almost two years of marriage? He felt it would be justified. Sunny would be better off marrying someone else anyways.

So he decided to celebrate early with a bottle of rum with himself. He shut himself away in the bedroom with it, figuring he was alone now that the love of his life decided she was tired of him.

He was halfway through the bottle when the door opened and he heard the sweetest sound: her voice.

"I'm back! I got things to make you dinner tomorrow." Sunny told him as she shut the door. "And your birthday present, of course."

When she saw him sitting on the ground, back to the bed as he slumped forward, she paused for a moment. "Buggy?"

"I thought you were gonna leave me." He sniffled. "I'm a terrible husband."

Sunny sighed and walked over to him, taking the bottle of rum out of his hands and moving it out of reach. "That's enough of that. Anyway, you'll never guess who I ran into in town, Buggy. I saw Kuro again! He dresses so sharp, you know. I like to think I can have bragging rights over helping pirate captains with their wardrobes."

Buggy could only listen, feeling more and more miserable. Of course Sunny would meet someone she knew. She knew as many pirates as Buggy but she got along with them (even if some asked to marry her). Kuro being in town was another stab in Buggy's heart. She was going to leave him for Kuro.

"Hey, do you want your present now or tomorrow?" Sunny asked as she turned to look at Buggy. He wasn't paying attention to her, which was a surprise. She walked back over and knelt down in front of him. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"My birthday is tomorrow and you're divorcing me!" Buggy whined. "I'm a terrible husband, I don't deserve you! You-You're leaving me for Kuro, aren't you?

"Wait, what? No!" Sunny stared at him in shock. "Why would you think that?!"

"B-Because you wanted to come here and- and he is better looking than me!" Buggy's hand grabbed the rum and brought it back over to him. He took a few more large gulps before Sunny managed to pull it away from him again.

"I'm not divorcing you!" Sunny insisted. "Buggy, is this about my birthday?" He nodded and grabbed the bottle back from her. Sunny sighed. "Honey, I told you it was fine. It was a dumb thing but that's not the dumbest thing you've done or said around me." She gave up trying to take the bottle from him, instead choosing to stand up and step back from him. "I wanted to come to this island to get to this town for a specific reason. Kuro was just a surprise."

"D'you think he's more handsome than me?" Buggy sniffled. Sunny rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Kuro is handsome, honey, but I think you're more attractive than him." Sunny told him. "Now, I'm going to show you your birthday present, okay, because maybe you'll calm down."

Buggy rubbed his eyes and looked up at her as tears streamed down his cheeks. This was it. She was going to do something dramatic like take off her wedding ring and throw it down at him, laugh about how she would go off with someone else. To his surprise and relief, she did no such thing. Instead, Sunny pulled her shirt off and turned to show him her shoulder.

Her skin was still swollen, a little bruised, but his jolly roger was clear as day, inked onto her right shoulder forever. It was shiny from the ointment, a little irritated from her shirt even, but it was there. Buggy's jaw dropped and he stood up way too fast, the alcohol hitting him and causing him to lose his balance and fall against her. Thankfully she caught him, steadying him on his feet as he reached up to touch the tattoo.

"You can't touch it, honey." She said as she pushed his hand down gently. "Not yet, anyways. It needs a few weeks to heal."

"You're not divorcing me?" Buggy managed to ask, voice wavering as he looked up at her with large, watery eyes.

"No, Buggy, I'm not divorcing you." Sunny kissed him on his forehead. "Don't think like that, okay? I wanted to surprise you with this because I love you so much and want you to know I'm committed to you. You're the only one I want."

He dropped the bottle of rum and threw his arms around her, tears gone as he hugged her tightly. "I love you sooooo much, Sunny babe! So much, you have no idea! And and you got me tattooed on you, that means you're going to love me forever, right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm going to love you forever because I got this tattooed on me." Sunny chuckled as she hugged him back. "Now, get yourself cleaned up for dinner. I need to get started on it."

Buggy held onto the hug for a moment longer, wanting to let her words sink in. She loved him, wasn't leaving him, and she would love him forever. For him, that was the best birthday gift.

[friends-to-lovers-tournament]

Friends to Lovers Tournament: Quarterfinals, Match 1

propaganda under the cut!

Makoharu:

They are the first ship that comes to mind when I think of friends to lovers. I know Free! hasn't been popular since 2013, bug I just love them so much... Makoto's devotion to Haru. There's even a movie that flashes back to when they're kids when Makoto says "I love swimming and I love Haruka". Soft...

Fuyupoly:

Submission 1:

they're from the winter troupe of the mankai company, and unlike the other troupes they're all adults. that said, they all have varying degrees of trauma and emotional stuntedness. it takes them some time to fully open up to each other bc they're all very cautious of each other's boundaries and don't want to cross any lines which initially led to some issues in the group's formation. over time they've learned to bridge the gap while still being mindful of hard boundaries. at one point they have a discussion about what exactly their relationship is (gay) cuz they were talking about how the other troupes have clearly defined dynamics (spring=family, summer=besties, autumn=rivals & teammates) but they don't,, and homare deadass says they're "people bound by a common destiny" which in and of itself sounds very Gay (like why are you as a man bound to other men by a common destiny), but it goes even further because homare starts spouting WEDDING VOWS: "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate... How beautiful we are!" THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTE FROM THE GAME AND THE MC EVEN REMARKS "i can already hear wedding bells in the distance..." 

gradually they become closer, in individual sub-units based on who's paired up as co-leads for a play, and as a troupe overall. also two of its members are childhood friends who had a messy 'divorce' in their young adulthood and it took the game breaking its genre to introduce a timeloop for them to finally make up if that means anything to you. one of their troupe songs "precious to us ~bokura no kisetsu" has some pretty beautiful and fruity lines: "The many kindnesses born in me here / Never fail to breathe life into my chest / Even all the pain and bitterness / Have now become dear to me (Ah…Stay with me)", "No matter how many times our season passes / Let us keep living together / Holding our hands, without ever letting go / Let us open up the curtain of tomorrow", "There is no need for words, because once our gazes meet / Joy sparks a light in your eyes", "Our journey, may it be a brilliant one / As our breaths overlap as one"

a lot of their plays has a LOT of homoerotic tension between the two leads too. their first play has tsumugi and tasuku play angels, and it's heavily implied that tasuku's character has an unrequited crush on tsumugi's character. their third play has azuma play a vampire and tasuku play Just Some Guy and it's generally agreed in the fandom to be one of the gayest, if not THE gayest, play A3 has ever written. obviously the vampire thing is very fruity, but there's also how the vampire was longing to bite the human but was holding himself back, and when the vampire left the human in the end, the human was absolutely HEARTBROKEN over it and was swearing they would reunite one day. the stage play of this takes it even further by having the vampire embrace the human from behind and BITE his neck. the fourth play is a watered-down adaptation of Phantom of the Opera where they genderbend Christine into Chris among other things and change the relationship between Chris and the Phantom to one of friendship.... ostensibly so, because there's still a lot of homoerotic undertones in their interactions. i could go on but this should be enough of a sampling taste 

Submission 2:

the writers rlly said "let's take 2 normal guys who are childhood friends and have been into theatre since their school days and have them go through a pre-canon messy divorce, an eccentric poet with a potentially controversial haircut, an amnesiac sleepyhead who can only be awoken with marshmallows but is also somehow extremely athletic despite doing nothing but sleeping and eating marshmallows all day, a man who is so beautiful and mysterious he breaks gender, and a supposed android from a fictional south asian country, and throw them into a blender, oh and for good measure let's throw in some theatre and angst and gay and angst and gay" and the end result was marriage. i mean it took them a lot of awkward fumbling around and conflicts to get there but they got there and thats what matters. ok *technically* in-text they're all rlly good friends and kinda found family BUT they are found family via marriage papers i do not make the rules chief

Submission 3:

The reason why they are so friends-to-lovers to me is because their relationship is founded on quiet and unconditional acceptance of each other—regardless of how flawed they may be or how heavy their burdens and trauma may be. When the troupe first formed (sans Guy who was in another country at the time), they didn’t have any major clashing personalities at the very beginning and generally they were mindful of each other’s boundaries, unlike the other troupes that came before them. However, it’s BECAUSE they were too mindful of said boundaries that it was difficult for them to break down their walls and bond as a team—and there were a LOT of walls to break down, as all of them had varying degrees of emotional baggage and trauma.

In fact, it’s only three plays in that they finally truly start opening up to each other, with Azuma getting the ball rolling by opening up about the deep loneliness that haunted him ever since his childhood. It’s during this conversation that they also discuss what their relationship as a troupe is, because the other troupes have defined their relationship as a team (Spring is family, Summer is best friends, Autumn is rivals & teammates), and Homare goes on to declare that they’re “people bound by a common destiny” and goes on to spew wedding vows: "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate... How beautiful we are!" I mean… it can’t get any more obvious than this, really. They are married.

But anyway, Tsumugi says he wants their relationship to be one where while they respect each other’s need for space, they’ll also be there for each other and share their pains and burdens—or in his words: “supporting each other when our burdens become too heavy to bear on our own”—which I think is really sweet because it carries this idea of quiet, unconditional acceptance; they don’t push each other to share more than they’re comfortable with sharing, but with whatever they ARE comfortable with sharing everyone carries the load and pain because pain is easier to bear when you’re not bearing it alone <3 

A later part of the story focuses on Hisoka, a mysterious amnesiac, being terrified of regaining his memories and facing some “sin” from his past that has led to another character, Chikage, trying to take revenge on him. When he confesses this to the rest of the Winter troupe, Homare asks, “How heavy is this sin you bear?” and Azuma suggests, “Perhaps it’s just heavy enough for the five of us to carry together.” (at this point Guy hasn’t joined yet). The stage play adapts this scene into a song called Key to Memory. The key (pun unintended) part is 1:27 where there’s a back-and-forth between Hisoka and the other Winter troupe members (sans Tasuku because he wasn’t in that particular play)

Hisoka: “I’m scared…”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “It’s okay.”

Hisoka: “My unforgivable sin…”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “Let’s carry it together.”

Hisoka: “I might not be me anymore.”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “It’s all right. We understand and we accept you, so let’s go together.”

And it ends with Hisoka singing: “I was afraid to open the door of my locked memories. But if everyone is here, I believe I can do it.”  In both the game and stage play, Hisoka fully regains his memories and reconciles with Chikage (long story). He tells Fuyupoly he can’t go into detail about his past with Chikage because it’s dangerous but he’ll tell them when the time is right, and they accept this saying that no matter what his past is, they know and love him as their Hisoka which obviously is a very sweet thing for friends to say, but it’s also very Marriage-coded to me.

Later, Guy is introduced as an android from Zahra (a fictional South Asian country) and joins the Winter troupe as a temporary member—because he’s stuck in Japan for the foreseeable future—until they find a permanent member to replace him. The other Winter members have a conversation among themselves and agree that regardless of whether he’s really an android or a human they’ll accept Guy for who he is and help him improve his acting, which again harkens back to the idea of ‘unconditional acceptance’. Eventually it’s revealed that Guy is in fact a human who has forgotten his memories of the past and his emotions. He recovers his memories all at once which shocks his system and causes him to pass out. When he wakes up in his room, he finds the rest of the Winter Troupe asleep around the room—which I believe is symbolic of their whole theme of “quiet acceptance”: they don’t want to push Guy to share beyond what he’s comfortable with, but they’re always there to listen to him and share his load if that’s what he wants. He opens up about the memories he recovered, and they don’t treat him with pity like he’s a lost child, but still extend gentle empathy and understanding. They also emphasise that it genuinely doesn’t matter to them whether he’s human or android because he’s Guy first and foremost. It’s at this point that Guy truly lets himself become part of the Winter troupe/Fuyupoly and not just as a temporary stand-in member, because he’s found a place where he’s found himself again and people who will accept who this “himself” is, whether that be an android devoid of emotions or a human brimming with vivid beautiful emotions.

[Mod note: There’s a LOT more but we’re afraid of crashing the post. I (Deli) summarised it the best I can since I’m familiar with A3, but if you want to read the full thing you can check it out on this google doc)

[missvelvetsstuff]

Where you goin, Star?  

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Reader meets Bucky when the truck hauling her show horses breaks down as she is trying to leave for an event and he works for the mechanic. Passionate, secret love affair ensues. After a confrontation with her father, Bucky decides she deserves better than a poor biker like him and leaves town with his friends Steve and Sam.

Three years later, reader is trapped in an abusive relationship and about to give up hope of things ever improving, when Bucky comes back.

Chapter 10

Warnings: swearing, angst

The next morning Star spent 2 hours with the physical therapist, who gave her stretches and exercises she could use to build her strength back up.

Then she spent an hour with a nutritionist to help learn how to gain the weight she had lost, healthily.

Then a psychiatrist who specialised in addiction and PTSD.

Each one left her with a stack of papers and scheduled appointments for the coming week.

By the end of the day she was released from the hospital and taken in Tony's car to Stark Tower. Pepper showed her to a beautiful suite with a small kitchenette, fully stocked with healthy snacks and treats.

"You can make your own meals but we have a chef who can whip something up any time you need." Pepper smiled at her.

Star teared up. It had been so long since anyone even tried to be nice to her that she felt overwhelmed. Everything felt like too much. "Thank you Pepper. I think right now I could use some sleep."

Pepper gave her a gentle hug "Of course. There's a Stark phone on the desk with instructions included. It has the numbers you will need here. Me and Tony, the chef, the detectives. That sort of thing."

She showed Star the dresser and closet, filled with clothes.

"I guessed on your sizes but these will get you started and we can go shopping when you're up to it. Try to get some sleep and I'll see you tomorrow" and left Star alone with him.

Bucky sat on the couch in the living area "Do you want me to leave too? I don't wanna-"

"No, please stay" she blurted out then covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, I just don't want to be alone."

Bucky shook his head "You don't have to apologize to me, I'll be here as much or as little as you need.

I know that we need to have a talk but no pressure. I'll be here when you're ready. Do you want me to put my number in your phone? In case you need me?" He looked at her hopefully.

She handed him her phone. "I think I'm going to take a bath, wash that hospital smell off." And grabbed some pajamas.

The bath was wonderful, deep tub with jets and never seemed to run out of hot water. When she left the bathroom she saw Bucky dozing on the sofa so she gently laid a blanket over him and went to bed.

Star crashed hard but woke up in a cold sweat and ached all over, her head pounding. She shook her head, which made it ache more, and reminded herself that this was just part of the withdrawals and they will pass with time.

When Star was up to it a few days later the detectives and a couple of attorneys that Tony recommended came in to discuss her accusations against John, a divorce, her inheritance from her grandmother and her fathers fortunes. Everything was all intertwined.

The divorce papers were drawn up quickly and were very simple. The majority of John's possessions were in fact hers and she was giving him nothing since she had evidence of infidelity and abuse. She braced herself for the drama because she knew John wouldn't just walk away. The last 3 years with her father's money and connections had emboldened him. She was honestly surprised that he hadn't shown up already.

Star wasn't doing well emotionally. Going over the horrible things that John and Brock did to her was difficult and reliving it all was giving her nightmares.

Bucky held her hand through all of it, she really didn't have anyone else but the more she remembered the more questions she had for him. She wasn't up to dealing with that yet. While she felt safe in Stark tower she worried about her horses so Tony sent a security detail to keep them safe.

On the third day, after lunch, she received a text from Tony's bodyguard, Happy Hogan. John was downstairs in reception demanding to see her and Happy was asking what she wanted him to do. She called her attorneys to see if they could come in and when they both confirmed, had Happy tell John to come back in 2 hours, so she had time to eat, shower and wait for them to show up.

After her shower, Star looked through the closet to find something comfortable but not too casual. She found a short sleeved green wrap style dress and sandals, impressed at how perfectly the dress fit. She made herself a mental note to thank Pepper and compliment her eye for size and style.

Bucky had told her he had business with Tony, Steve and Sam today so wouldn't be around until the evening. She had gotten used to having him around all the time so felt a little exposed seeing John for the first time but she knew that Happy and Rhodey would keep her safe. She did send Bucky a text to let him know John was coming over.

When Happy knocked on her door she had been sitting on the couch, daydreaming about getting back to her horses and the life she wanted. None of her dreams gave her any insight on how or where Bucky would fit in all of it.

The knocking startled her out of her thoughts so she stood up, smoothed her dress down and took his arm as he escorted her down to the conference room where she saw Rhodey waiting. He gave her a quick hug and whispered reassurances in her ear.

Star took a deep breath and entered the room to see John sitting and Clint standing behind him. She wondered briefly where Brock and Jack had gone but was relieved they weren't there and figured John had fired them for letting her survive and get away from them.

John stood and smiled at her "Sweetheart I've been so worried about you" he reached towards her which made her flinch and Rhodey stepped up between her and John.

That pissed him off "Whats this about? I cant even get near my wife? What the fuck is this game, Y/N?"

Happy looked at him coldly "I already advised you of the conditions for this meeting. If you try to touch Ms Pierce again, you'll be escorted out of the building."

John tried to look loving but didn't have it in him "Ms Pierce? I don't understand. My wife has been missing for days and I just want to take her home."

"Why? So you can finish the job?" She spat at him then Star sat, with Happy on one side, Rhodey standing behind her and her attorneys on her other side.

John forehead wrinkled "Finish what job? I'm just glad you are safe and-"

"No thanks to you. Don't play innocent John. We all know what you've done. I was willing to let you walk away with your secrets but you had to try to hurt me even more."

Her lawyer, Jeri Hogarth stood up "Alright folks, lets get started here.

Mr Walker, I'm Jeri Hogarth and this is my associate Desmond Tobey. We've been hired by Ms Pierce to handle your divorce and her inheritance.

Did you receive the divorce settlement that was sent to your office?"

John nodded but before he could speak she continued.

"Good. Have you retained someone to represent you in the divorce?"

John shook his head "No one will be getting divorced here. I'm taking my wife home with me."

Y/N shook her head and chuckled.

John smirked at her evilly. "Now sweetheart, you know what happens if you divorce me. You'll lose everything. So let's go home and work this out."

Star scoffed "Work this out? You tried to kill me you bastard, there's nothing to work out."

John chuckled condescendingly "Honey, you know I would never hurt you. Your drug habit has gotten out of control and now you've brought all these other people into our personal problems, your delusions. You know how I feel about that."

Jeri interrupted "Mr Walker, unless you intend to sign the divorce settlement as is then you should hire an attorney to represent you."

John shook his head "Don't need one."

Jeri sighed "Very well then the notes from this meeting will indicate that you have declined representation at this time." She looked at her associate "Desmond"

Desmond Tobey stood "My client has indicated that the settlement as written is the only offer that she will make. If it has to go before a judge she will produce evidence of Mr Walker's infidelity and physical abuse. Meaning the media will soon have access to said evidence which will affect his current job." He looked John in the eyes "Do you understand that, Mr Walker? She is willing to air out all of your dirty laundry for the world to see. Based on what I have seen so far it would be enough to destroy your political ambitions and make finding any employment difficult."

"But her father wanted-"

Desmond cut him off "Mr Pierce is deceased and the allegations would affect the stipulations of your inheritance."

John looked at Y/N "Are you sure you wanna do that honey? Tell the whole world you're a drug addict?"

Y/N glared at him "I wouldn't have even taken any pain pills if Brock hadn't beat me until I miscarried, while you watched. I wouldn't have kept taking them if you hadn't worked so hard to make my life miserable. I've been clean for almost a week and have no desire to take them again. I wouldn't have overdosed if you hadn't had Brock drug me."

John shook his head "No honey, that's not what happened. Brock caught you when you fainted after taking too many pills and drinking alcohol on your lunch with Pepper." He looked to her attorneys "The drugs made her confused but I'm so glad you're getting clean, baby."

Jeri sighed "We have a syringe with traces of morphine and two sets of fingerprints one belonging to Brock Rumlow and the other Jack Rollins. Ms Pierce was drugged"

"I told Brock to take her to the house and meet our doctor. Brock must have done something after her left with her. I had a meeting with an important donor that I couldnt miss." He made himself tear up "He worked for her father and was her bodyguard for years. I thought I could trust him." He looked at Y/N "Baby I'm so sorry that I-"

Jeri cut him off "The NYPD picked Rumlow and Rollins up at a motel near the airport this morning. They had tickets to Rio. No extradition treaty with Brazil." She looked through some paperwork "Rumlow isn't talking but Rollins on the other hand. We'll just call him the Canary because he won't stop singing."

John laughed nervously, his face visibly paling "He's just making shit up to save his own ass."

Jeri nodded "I can see how one might think that, he has admitted to some heinous crimes but he has all kinds of proof. Claims he knew Rumlow couldn't be trusted and he wanted to cover his ass. Pictures, paperwork, recordings, it's pretty extensive."

Desmond spoke up again "Are you still sure you don't want to sign the settlement?"

John gulped loudly "I'm sure. I think you're bluffing. If you really had all that evidence then you would just arrest me."

Y/N sighed "I just wanted this over. I don't want to spend months dealing with divorce court and a criminal trial but if that's what it takes to be rid of you and keep what is rightfully mine, I'm in." She looked at Jeri "I think that's enough for today. I need to rest."

John stood and hit the table angrily "Absolutely not! Y/N you are my wife and are coming home with me. Today. Right fucking now! I don't know who you people think you are but you have no right to keep me from my wife." He reached for her but was slammed against the table, hands held behind his back before he knew what hit him.

Happy had to hold back a laugh as John started squirming and yelling for Rhodey to let him go. Clint stood back with his hands up, giving Y/N an apologetic look before quickly leaving.

Jeri looked at him squawking like a chicken and shook her head "Looks like we're done for today. Mr Walker, there are two NYPD detectives waiting outside of this room who will be taking you in to be booked. I would recommend you find an attorney asap. Tomorrow I'll be speaking to a judge about returning the Pierce inheritance and properties to Ms Pierce so if you do make bail you'll need to find a place to live quickly. If you have any questions, feel free to call me. After you get out, of course, I don't take collect calls, unless it's a client."

Y/N stayed where she was while John was handcuffed and read his rights. Someone had called the press so John's perpwalk would make it to the evening news.

Happy looked to her once John was on the elevator "You ok ma'am?" She looked at him and nodded "Lets get you back home then." He helped her up and they took the elevator up to the top floor.

When they entered her suite, Bucky was waiting at the table with take out for dinner. He looked at Happy questioningly, Happy nodded that she was ok, just shaken up and left her with Bucky.

Bucky smiled gently at her "Hey Star. I heard you had some company."

She grimaced "I knew I would have to see him again eventually but it still caught me off guard." Bucky helped her sit on the couch and sat across from her waiting for her to continue.

"John refused to sign the papers, insisted he did nothing wrong. Even when they told him that Rumlow and Rollins were arrested and Rollins is singing. He still seems to think my father will somehow protect him."

She sniffed "something smells good. Did you make dinner" and smirked at him.

Bucky feigned shock "Now Star, you know damn well I can't boil water on my own."

She giggled "I thought you might have learned something in 3 years. Poor Peggy having to feed all of you all this time."

Bucky shook his head "I'm afraid the only thing I learned was that I can't live without you."

She rolled her eyes "Yes, I'm sure you were terribly lonely. Even Dot wasn't enough to assuage your loneliness."

Bucky looked confused "Dot? Why would she be with me?"

Star shrugged "Beats me, she was with you when you came to my father's wake. Brock said you took her with you when you left town"

Bucky shook his head "We know how trustworthy Brock is. We stopped at the clubhouse the morning of the funeral, she was there and claimed she wanted to pay her respects and be there for me. First time I saw her since we left. I barely even noticed she was there."

Star rolled her eyes "I'm sure. It wasn't Dot that kept you away so long? Your letter said a year at most but you were gone 3 years."

She looked at him with tears in her eyes "I kept thinking you would come back and tell me it was a mistake. That you would save me. I thought you'd stop the wedding but you never did and I gave up."

Bucky reached out to hold her hand and was encouraged when she didn't pull away.  Tears forming in his eyes as he answered. "I meant to come back sooner, I just I just. Everything got all fucked up." He looked at the floor.

Star sat quietly as he composed himself. He finally looked back up at her. "I planned to be back sooner. I figured I'd get the Harley mechanic certificate and then take some business classes here.

When Wanda told Peggy about your engagement it hit me hard. I was almost convinced that you were better off with John. He had your fathers support and was on his way up. Steve and Sam talked me down after a week long bender, reminded me that it was your father telling me I wasn't good enough. Told me Brock probably hadn't had the chance to give my letter to you. I threw myself back into the classes and was really doing well.

Then you got married and it was all over the news, up and coming candidate and heiress marry, wedding of the year, fairytale romance and all the other bullshit the media put out.

I saw your wedding picture on the front of one of the tabloids. You looked so beautiful but your eyes still looked so sad. I felt like a failure. I left you to your father's devices and it was my fault you weren't happy. I told myself you had the letter but still chose John."

He stood and started pacing, running hus hand through his hair.

"I thought you deserved better than a man who ran away like I did. I knew that I would never deserve you again, could never be good enough. I dove into a bottle of Jack Daniels and refused to leave. For months I barely left the house except to the liquor store. Finally one day I saw some tv interview with John and lost it. Tore the house up, put my boot through the tv.

Peggy came home that night and that was it, Steve tossed me into the shower until I sobered up and read me the riot act. Told me that a violent, drunken asshole definitely didn't deserve you and I better get it together or I would lose the few friends I had. So I cleaned up, joined AA and haven't had more than a couple of drinks since." He paused for a breath "Ok full disclosure, I got a little drunk after I tried to talk to you at your stable. I went to your parents house to confront you and Brock but John's car was there and Nick showed up to stop me. He bought me a couple of drinks after that."

"I'm so sorry, Star. I failed you so many times that I'll understand if you can't forgive me." He sat back down and took her hands "I didn't know what to do. When I met you I was sure I'd never be able to settle down. I figured any real relationships I tried were doomed to repeat my parents history. Dad in jail and mom forever alone because she couldn't bear another heartbreak.

You just blew me away with your free spirit and how you loved me so easily regardless of the fact that I was a dirt poor biker who couldn't afford his own apartment. The world felt brighter when I was with you. I thought we had a real chance.

Then we came home to your dad and I felt like he was reality showing me how impossible we were. I tried to stay hopeful that I could make myself good enough for you but obviously didn't do a great job.

I know now that I will never be good enough in some people's eyes including my own but I'm gonna try. I realized that the only opinion I care about is yours. If you think I'm good enough then I will keep trying to be. I don't want to live without you again, even if we're only friends. I haven't touched anyone else since you and I meant it when I said you're it for me. I love you, Star and I'll spend the rest of my life showing you how much. If you let me."

@pattiemac1

Before Star could respond they were startled by loud banging on the door.

Chapter 11