#………..now ​why did those tags get so long- oops-

[l3viat8an]

Simeon in glasses does something to me… so I’m here with a would you rather question for you Ro!

Would you rather watch Simeon’s glasses fog up while you give him head or have Simeon put his glasses on you while he eats you out? 

Nsfw!

There are 24 hours in a day ‘n seven days in a week- somehow I will make time for both!!! :)

First tho; I’d want to watch Simeon glasses fog up while giving him head <3

I mean- the view from between his legs is sooo fuckin’ hot!!

Looking up at Simeon to see his glasses all fogged up and almost falling off his face, because he keeps trying to look down at you.

Whiny, little moans slipping from his lips when he sees you. strings of sticky drool and pre-cum dripping from the corner of your mouth….as you bob your head up and down along his cock, fuck he’s gonna cum soon if you don’t slow down…

and when Simeon cums he tosses his head back and the glasses fall off anyway.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

sorry if you've already mentioned but what (re?)ignited your love of comics/x-men/cherik? curious because there are so many different adaptations of them

i think im gonna speak for a few (or a lot of) people when i say that TL;DR the wolverine x deadpool movie that came out this summer is what pulled me back into comics and i COULD leave it there but i will go into excruciating and unnecessary detail instead because i love an origin story and i love oversharing.

under the cut tho because im nice sometimes (there's also wxdp doodles in here. if you want to see that)

ironically (and probably commonly), growing up i was more of an avengers kid. Kinda. Loosely <- binge watched the cartoons and movies and read copious amounts of comics and fics and i am hoarding fanart in my old dresser as we speak ok 'loosely' is a modest lie.

embarrassingly i remember getting into discus cause of captain america LMAO so yeah needless to say i was a Humble Fan- me joining my school's comic class/club didnt help either (shoutout to my teach from that she was the realest one out there for. A Multitude of reasons). she definitely is was inspires me to even draw still and make comics and i often think bout the tips i learned from her class tbh she was great

back to the movies t and comics tho, i got into em because my brother would offer to take me and that's how we'd hang out (i rarely saw movies in theaters and i even more rarely went anywhere as a teenager. still kinda like that today tbh ooops) and yk. it just snowballed after that.

my brother and i have always liked comics- he just more than me for a while (though he still very much loves comics and As We Know From My Posts we still talk about them whenever i see him To An Exhausting Degree)

durin then i was really into stony and i have a few surviving doodles i made but those are between me and god. and anyone who asks tbh LOL

'snap can you make this related to x-men again this is long' ok so fast forward to This Summer again I Still Don't Really See Movies but my brother offered to take me and this was the first time i'd actually seen an x-men movie in full

as a kid i only remember seeing the 'perfection' scene between erik and raven in first class while i was channel surfing. pretty sure i changed the channel after seeing mystique naked cause i was scared my parents would get mad at me if they caught me watching it LOL

BUT MOVING ON As A Kid i think it's also natural you'll sometimes watch 92 if it's on And I Did though evidently it didn't stick too hard (i do remember really liking beast and gambit though.... still do really): my knowledge of x-men was. INCREDIBLY sparse. like diabolically so so i didnt have too much expectations (aside from the fact i vaguely liked deadpool beforehand).

tbh i dont know why my bro never took me to see any of the x-men movies. it's not like he doesn't Also like x-men (90% sure nightcrawler's his favorite but my brother will be caught dead saying he has absolute favorites like that)- he owns a bitch load of deadpool comics/omnibus sets too (of which ive read over the years and reread this year) but Shrug moving on

Much Like Most Of The Internet i fell down the rabbit hole that way. i have some doodles i made a couple days after seeing WxDP that i now have an excuse to throw at all of you Look And Perceive

and so. As I Do. i got curious and told myself i'd binge watch all the x-men movies the week before i went back to school And Then I Did ft. My Brother Sometimes and then i said i'd binge watch all of '92 and And I Did That ft. My Brother Sometimes But Less So and now we're here. currently watching Evolution...

once i got to school i realized i lived near a comic shop and started getting into the comics that way (the first ones i got since going down this rabbit hole was Magneto Was Right!, The Resurrection of Magneto, and The Trial of Magneto. if you were curious !!!!! clearly i didnt care too much about context i just needed to see My Guy jelvejlkvj i have no regrets and Evidently ive read more since)

i'm pretty sure what dragged me into cherik specifically was the fact i saw a clip of The Famous ending to 92 where erik's aghast at the notion jean even has to question his love for charles. i think that was what officially had me refocus my lens on them: not a single poolverine thought after that LOL (all the cherik posting i saw on twitter definitely helped too but that was the nail in the coffin for any other interests i had: i was locked into cherik and x-men in general now)

that clip specifically, i was surprised at the fact they- frequently even- have the x-men franchise say erik loves charles and vice versa so bluntly. even if it's not meant to be romantic, i fear im just a fan of how casually the word's thrown around with them two and i got tender bout it all. Then Yk. i just live for the drama. the hilarity even. the sincerity .... they make me sick if i think of them too long so im gonna end it here

before i go tho ironically enough, the first x-men issue i owned was This one (story a this is that while stuck in some wacko dimension charles accidentally gets himself trapped in logan's mind while utilizing his astral projection. if you were curious). pretty sure i got it for free with another comic set i got years ago since our old comic shop loved to do that, but it's poetic aint it. maybe ill doodle something referencing it..

i should probably look into finishing this arc someday im Dummy curious to even know how it started and how it ends.....

[dazedantics]

Meeting the Graysons

(Ha I don't remember where I was going with this but it's been sitting in my drafts for a while)

There isn't much to see working behind the register at your local grocery store. Mostly you just sit there picking at your nails till a customer comes up and you have to print that friendly smile on your face. But there are days where you get to see some interesting people.

Like the family of eight that comes in all rowdy and shrieking as their tired mother pushes the cart. Or the quiet old man with his pampered ol' bulldog who never says a word and has a look in his eye that you just know means he's committed something long ago and would hunt you down if you ever found out. Or the entitled old ladies who point their sharp maroon nails at you while they drone on about why they should be given some big discount that you don't particularly hear word for word. Or that clean cut older gentleman who smiles under his thick mustache and says something so out of date but his voice is just so deep and dreamy that can't even remember what your name even is anymore.

Your bubble pops abruptly as you notice his ocean blue eyes watching you for longer than necessary. I mean, really, what ever will you do if he's to keep his attention so dashingly on you like that? Oh, wait- he's handing you money.

Oops.

Let's just check what exactly it costs again on the screen. That shirt looks very tight around his chest. Did he buy a lot? Around his arms too. You didn't even notice you'd been scanning and bagging his items the whole time. He's very muscular isn't he? What did he buy? Not that you'd mind finding out just how strong he was. Was he the fresh only, organic, let's save the planet type of guy? That's a very nice ring on his left hand's finger. Or was he- wait. OH MY GOD HE'S MARRIED?!

Nooo! How are you supposed to get that fairy tale ending now? He's supposed to be that hot corporate type who'd fall in love with you and whisk you away from your job to live the posh life with him! Cause he'd say "you're much to gorgeous to be working in a place like this!" And honestly, who could argue with that logic? Then he'd- oh, wait he's leaving. Out the door annnnd ... gone.

Dang it.

Well, there go your chances of living your dreams. Back to the same old creepsters tweakin' out in the back of the store. You didn't even catch the guy's name.

Oh well.

At least you'd have some fantasy fuel to live on for a week.

And so, you sit there again. Sighing and dissociating as the days go on, customers coming and going, paying as much attention to you as you do to them. Counting the minutes till you can ditch this place once and for all. And ... oh look, some nerd is stammering trying to buy something.

He's ... actually kinda cute. In a "couldn't exactly sweep you off your feet but could still make you swoon" typa way.

You gave him the store's default greeting. Definitely nice to look at, boyish charm exuded from his button up/sweatshirt combo. You scanned his items steadily. Yeah ... you could see a sweet future with this guy. You smiled as he started going on about something you hoped you wouldn't need to give an answer to. A few small picnics in the park, bookstore and museum dates, listening to him rant about stuff you don't understand. You nodded politely as he kept going on, digging into his pockets. Ooh, or maybe you'd have to be the one whisking him away from from his mundane life, flustering him with those smooth lines you've heard and making him be the one to imagine all the scenarios that you'd do, staring into his chocolaty brown eyes all day. And also- wait. Oops ... there he goes too.

And without a name either.

Maybe you should start to introduce yourself first, so whatever dreamboat you meet next feels inclined to give theirs.

You end up doing that for a bit, but a few of the customers remind you why you're always hiding your name tag under your work vest. I mean, couldn't the weirdos who stalk you from beyond the sliding doors be good-looking? At least then it would be easier for you to develop stockholm syndrome if they decide to ever knock you out behind the dumpsters at night.

Oh, another customer.

You scan her items and ... dang it! Why have so many of your customers been much more charming than you lately? This woman was all sleek business on the outside but sweet and considerate as she speaks to you. She sifts through her purse, rambling on about her family. Figures. Of course she'd have a family. Oh, but that means she probably prides herself on being wise, so maybe she'd be willing to give you life advice? You smile and nod, not sure what exactly you could say to relate to her story. Yeah, cause then she'd invite you to her house so she could be thorough with her explanations. She laughs softly, coffee brown eyes accompanied by tired bags under them. Ooh, and then you could offer to help her out with her kids and stuff! Then she'd be all grateful for you and thennnn- there she goes too.

Aw man, you thought with all her chatting she'd be those types to stick around long after getting her things bagged.

And no name again too.

Are you always destined to drop the ball before you ever even picked it up?

Alas, till one of those three romancers of yours decided to visit this store again, you had to make due with the delicately memory of them, carefully preserved in your head.

And hey, maybe you'd go out one day and run into them again.

And you wouldn't be silenced by your corporate hospitality. No, this time, you'd get their names.

And then you'd be able further lay out the plot of your heavily detailed imagined future with them.

[tinytalkingtina]

Cool Whip

Rating M | WC 1330 | Ao3 link

Tags: getting together, first kiss, innuendo, bisexual steve and eddie, eddie speed-runs a sexuality crisis, inappropriate use of whipped cream, fast burn (these two have never gone slow in their lives), fade to black

Written for the STWG July 28 prompt "Oh. Oh."

Steve stared at Eddie in complete silence.

Eddie fidgeted under his gaze. “So. Perhaps. In this instance, giving into the gremlin that lives inside my head was not the best choice I could have made,” he said sheepishly.

“Really Edward. You don’t say.” Steve was still holding the incriminating weapon, had been since he confiscated it. Every so often he twirled it around in his hands.

“What if you uhhh, did it back to me? We’ll be even?” he offered. “Come on, it’s fine, I won’t even fight you on it!”

“Can’t do that because we’re at my house, not yours, and this was my last pair of clean pants and underwear. So, unless you want to walk around like Winnie the fucking Pooh for the rest of the night, maybe we don’t spray whipped cream down your jeans too.” 

Steve ran an agitated hand through his hair. “I’m going to go take a shower and wash this shit off of my junk now, ‘kay? Just put the ice cream back in the freezer, we can do a movie night together another time, I guess.” Disappointment was written all over his face. Oops, Eddie didn't realize how much he must have been looking forward to watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. 

As Steve turned around to go, Eddie knew he should let him. Unfortunately, Nosnum Eidde, the impulsive gremlin living in his brain, was still firmly in control.

“Wait, let’s not waste it. Let me clean you up!” He blurted out.

What?

“What?” Steve was staring again, this time with eyes wide in confusion.

“Let me…clean up the mess I made. On your body.”

“Eddie I really can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”

It did sound like a joke didn’t it. But if it was a joke, why was the thought sending sparks of lighting along his spine. 

“I don’t. Don’t think I’m joking right now,” Eddie said slowly. “Give me a minute here.”

It wasn’t like his brain had a perfect track record when it let Nosnum have the wheel. Like those times it had told him that he could climb the tallest tree in the trailer park without getting stuck at the top, or point out how hypocritical O’Donnell was acting during class without getting detention. 

But it had also gotten things right on occasion. And with Steve standing so close, it was busy pointing out things Eddie hadn't thought about before: like for example, when Steve chewed on his lips in agitation, they became invitingly plump. And, despite the growing damp spot on the front, those jeans were still hugging Steve's ass perfectly. 

Perhaps most importantly, he wasn't rushing forward to punch Eddie's lights out for insinuating, well. He just stood there with a faint blush coloring his cheeks. In his house, a place currently unoccupied by anyone else, not even Robin. While wearing a shirt that was just on the wrong side of too tight with his hair coiffed for a night out and oh my G-d—

“Steve…was tonight supposed to be a date?” Eddie was shocked the question fell out of his mouth so steadily.

The blush on Steve's face grew darker. “I mean, sort of? Was getting mixed signals from you but—yeah.” He shrugged. “We haven’t been able to hang out one on one since I figured things out. Thought I’d see how tonight went before making a move.”

“Oh. You. You had a plan to seduce me.” Eddie wheezed a little. "You like me like that?"

“I uh, kind of put two and two together about a month ago. Had a really long talk with Robin, and turns out apparently normal men don't want to, you know, make out with their guy friends. Or imagine Harrison Ford holding a whip when he’s all sweaty and—wait, what about you, Mr. 'Propositioning My Friends To Use My Mouth?’ How long have you known?"

“About five minutes consciously.” Eddie said in a strangled voice. “Maybe ten if we consider what I did to your pants subliminal foreplay.”

Steve snorted. The gremlin in Eddie’s brain was convinced this made him even more attractive. Huh, maybe this had been going on for longer than he had realized, if a snort could set him off.

“Not really sure what submarines have to do with Cool Whip, but yeah we can probably count that. Welcome to the ‘part gay’ club man! You’re taking this really well, no offense.” Steve pat him on the back, the brief contact sending more sparks through his veins.

“Yeah, in 1985 I’d probably be doing something destructive right about now.” Eddie agreed. “But the me of 1987 can’t really muster up the energy for another panic attack after finding out about inter-dimensional portals or. You know. Everything else that happened.” Wow, real smooth Eddie, way to kill the mood of whatever fever dream was happening right now.

“Besides,” he tried for a joke. “1987 Eddie has a high school diploma. My brain’s so full of facts there’s no more room for anything else unless we shove it into my mouth and—“ His eyes widened as he caught up with what he was saying. He ducked to hide behind his hair. “Uh, what I mean was, um. Yeah I’ve got nothing to say for that.”

Steve gave another adorable snort and walked closer. “We may have to work our way up to that one, but maybe I could give your mouth something else to put its lips around instead?”

“Dude that doesn’t even—what, do you want me to vacuum seal your mouth with mine? How would we, wait, please tell me that isn’t the secret move you pulled that had all the cheerleaders in school losing their minds over?” Eddie squeaked out.

Steve blushed again even as he laughed. “First of all I only ever actually dated like, three people in high school, I wasn’t as big a slut as rumors made me out to be. And okay that might have sounded better in my head, but in my defense I kind of can’t think of anything but kissing you right now.”

Eddie rapidly nodded his head. “Yes, that’s. We should do that. Please.” After a slight roadblock in which both of them on autopilot tried to take the lead and grab the other’s face, they finally managed to actually press their lips against each other.

And oh. Oh. 

Look, this was far from Eddie’s first kiss. But this was the first time someone still wanted to kiss after seeing him eat eggs with maple syrup on them. Or who knew he secretly slept with his childhood stuffed animal. Because Steve wasn’t angling to get cheaper weed, or trying to get back at his parents by having Eddie knock on the door in his ripped jeans for a date.

Steve knew Eddie’s whole sordid history, and kissed him anyway, holy shit.

The kiss itself was short and relatively chaste. But after they stopped, Steve didn’t immediately lean out of Eddie’s space. Instead he gave the tip of Eddie’s nose a quick peck before resting their foreheads together. A giggle bubbled up out of Eddie’s chest.

Steve rapped his knuckles on Eddie’s head. “Everything okay up there?”

“You like me. Steeeeve Harringtonnn likes me!” Steve smiled softly at him as he cupped Eddie’s cheek in his palm.

“Yeah, I do, you big dork. And I’d love to continue this, but because someone sprayed whipped cream onto my junk, I need to go shower it off before it gets even crunchier because wow, this is uncomfortable.”

Now it was Eddie’s turn to blush. “Sorry about that again. But if you want maybe uh, maybe I could join you and actually help clean it off?”

Steve smirked. “I think we can work something out, yeah. Come on.”

Running up the stairs while Steve tightly held his hand, Eddie decided that perhaps this time, his brain might have had the right idea after all.

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

Later that evening:

Eddie: "Wait, I was flirting with you the entire Spring Break from hell wasn't I."

Steve: "That was point #1 on Robin's 'Eddie is into you' list."

Eddie: "In hindsight this does explain why she kept saying I could be myself around her last week. I used the opportunity to give her a 2 hour long intro to metal music lesson."

Steve: "Yeah, she said I still owe her for that."

@augustjustice @stellarspecter Come get your fast burn Steddie!

[blessedbucky]

ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕀

pairing: satosugu/reader

word count: 8k (oops)

tags: autistic!reader, autistic!satoru, suguru has depression, unplanned pregnancy, pregnant sex, vaginal sex, anal play, you and satoru are gonna rizz suguru with the 'tism, uhhh let me know if there's something else i need to add!

comments: once again it's just pure self-indulgence! we need more autistic reader inserts! and more autistic satoru! this is also posted on Ao3!

Story Masterlist

[PROLOGUE]

No.

Yes?

As you tap the pencil against the table irritably, you squint down at the sketchbook. You twirl the pencil around and move to erase the bottom portion of the sketch but hesitate. Did it…? Ugh! Why are you like this? You’d been so keen to soak in all the distinct details to remember those that you completely missed the basic. Did this damned cursed spirit have legs or not? The rest of it had been so floaty. Surely, it wouldn’t have any use of them. Right? Then again, the forms of curses sometimes make no sense at all.

Hmm, alright. There had been a ripped, worn cloak. Red and blue ribbons that could easily be mistaken as toilet paper to a panicked non-sorcerer. Unkempt hair and bald spots. There’d been a mask, but the curse sensed no hostility or prey, so it didn’t reveal what was underneath. You debated on calling a sorcerer in to lure the spirit in to a fight, but you don’t have the energy to deal with strangers and anyone close would snitch.

You tap on the screen of your phone, flicking away the text that you’ve already read. There is someone that could collect that curse for you…but then he would wonder why you know about the exact location in the first place. No, no. Best not to tempt fate like that. Besides, if you have to sit here and debate whether it had legs or not, isn’t that some indication that there had to be something there in the first place?

About twenty minutes later, the front door opens, and you’re finishing sharpening the colored pencils. A shame that you can’t color this particular sketch, you think as you flip back to the front, but your much less non-threatening sketch of Nue needs to be colored, anyway.

“I’m home!”

There’s a noticeable crinkle of bags that gets closer and closer to the kitchen. Many of them. Perhaps it’s your humble upbringing or it’s inherently you, but this inclination of his for spoiling you will never not fluster you. These days, you can let it slide a little more since it’s not only you that’s being spoiled anymore. Or maybe, after nearly a decade of knowing him, you understand that this is a way he communicates.

When you look over your shoulder, you can’t help but smile at the sight of him in the doorway. Sure enough, he’s loaded up with bags. Some are plastic ones from the konbini, some a little nicer and prettier, and some are outright designer bags. Those ones, you note, are not for you.

“Welcome home, Satoru.”

Satoru hesitates before he tosses all the bags away from his arms and throws himself at you with what can only be described as a manly squeal. “Waa! I have the cutest wife!” You’re prepared for a full body attack, but Satoru only plasters himself across your back, and wraps you up in his arms. He’s unbearably gentle about it. “How are my babies, hmm?” His hands flick away some pencil shavings before they rest on your belly. “Ugh, I could kill those geezers for keeping me away for so long. You’re so big now!”

You tilt your head back, deadpanning his upside-down face. “You’re so lucky that you’re married to me. I think other women would think you’re calling them fat.”

“Would they?”

“It’s like you don’t pay attention to people at all.”

“I only pay attention to the ones I like!”

You pat the tops of his hands. “I know, darling. I know.” It’s then that you notice a little something. You turn around in his arms so you can study him fully, specifically his neck. “Speaking of people you like…” Curiously, you reach up to touch the bruise just barely peeking out from under the collar of his shirt. Satoru tenses at your touch, smile faltering, but relaxes when you only ask, “Why on earth did they call for Suguru?”

“Eh. You know the protocol when there’s more than two Semi-Grade 1’s.”

Your eyes light up. “There was more than one?! How many?! What did they look like?!”

“Why yes, dearest, we’re both fine. Thank you so much for asking, dearest. Oh, no, dearest, don’t be so concerned since you’re oozing with it right now.”

You wave away the sarcasm. “Shut up. Did one of the spirits have a technique to switch bodies? Because you don’t know how much you sounded like Suguru just then.” Satoru snorts. You won’t let him interrupt your very important research. Vibrating with excitement, you spin around to snatch your sketchbook from the counter and start flipping for the next open blank page. You don’t have many pages left, though. You need a new sketchbook. “You got sweets, right? Describe the spirits while we taste-test them!”

From over your shoulder, a hand slaps down on your sketchbook so hard that you squeak. “Darling,” comes Satoru’s sing-song voice. Shit. “My most beloved Sketch,” he goes on to croon. He’s pressing you against the counter to block your escape. You wonder if you wiggle your ass if that could distract him. If he’s still got hickeys, it hasn’t been too long since Suguru fucked him, but Satoru seems like he’s having a good day, and his libido is sky-high on those days. “Mother of my child,” he stresses. “What is that?”

Oh, you’re definitely sweating now. You could try to lie…or you could play dirty. Yes. That one. You pull on the perpetuate restlessness that’s set in since you were benched and that puts tears in your eyes. Once again, you’re turning around in his arms and looking up at him.

“It was Aka Manto, Satoru!” You fist your hands in the front of his jacket. “Aka Manto!” The way that he tilts his head back and slaps a hand over his eyes means you’re successfully hitting him below the belt. “How could I resist? That would be like putting Agumon, here and in the flesh, right in front of you and expecting you to walk away!”

“Agumon?” Abort! You shouldn’t have invoked his special interest! “Okay, if I was you and I was pregnant and Greymon was the one in front of me then you’d have a case! You risked your life for an Agumon-level spirit? I don’t know whether to be mad or disappointed! You could’ve totally resisted that!”

“I couldn’t! I heard those teenagers gossiping and heard them talk about the red and blue toilet paper and all the possibilities started running through my head!” You blindly slap a hand against the sketch. “This is a good thing! I can keep myself busy with researching! I have to figure out if it’s a true vengeful cursed spirit or an imaginary vengeful cursed spirit before I register it!”

“Register?” Oh. Oh, no. You’ve done it now. “Register implies Special Grade.” You know you’re in serious trouble when he slips his blindfold off. Damn your empathy! You should’ve made sure every single light in the apartment was on before he got home! Satoru is one of the few people that you can stand eye contact with, but not so much now. You don’t want to make him angrier, though, so you look at his forehead instead to give the appearance of eye contact. “I know my super intelligent wife wouldn’t put herself alone with a Special Grade.”

“Never,” you chirp nervously. “On a totally unrelated note, did you know that those geezers are super pissed right now? They had to fork over a ridiculous amount of money to reward Mei-Mei for capturing a Special Grade. Heh…heh…”

Then, Satoru…disappears.

The sudden loss of his support makes you stumble, and you have to catch yourself on the counter. The gust of wind from his warping sends colored pencils rolling off the counter. Just as you’re crouching down to pick them up, Satoru is back, and he’s not alone.

“Oh. Hello, Sugu—”

“Talk some sense into your stupid best friend!” Satoru demands of a flustered Suguru who is trying to recover from being warped so suddenly. To everyone but Satoru, warping is jarring.

“Isn’t that you?” Both you and Suguru intone at the same time.

Satoru harrumphs before he’s stomping off to pick up all his shopping bags and leave the kitchen. Knowing him, he’s going to sit on the couch and aggressively eat his haul until he makes himself sick. This temper tantrum is starting to get under your skin, especially when you think about him getting crumbs on the couch. Just the thought of sitting on the couch and getting bombarded with them makes you want to claw at your skin already.

Suguru touches your shoulder in warning before he slips it under your arm. “Let me do that,” he insists before he helps you up on your feet. Then, he crouches down to gather up all your colored pencils, examining the ends on your behalf. He separates out the ones that will need to be re-sharpened. “What have you done now, Squid?”

“Sketch, Squid—can you two come up with cooler, more original nicknames for me?”

“Those are original,” he replies with a smirk. “You have no one to blame but yourself. It’s not my fault that you were torturing a squid spirit when we first met.”

“I was six, Suguru.”

“And have you changed at all since then, Squid?” You refuse to answer that. Suguru, though, has known you longer than anyone else. “That’s what he’s angry about, right? That’s the only reason he drags me into your fights. As if I’ve ever been able to stop you from doing what you want.”

“I have a cursed technique!” You announce loudly enough that Satoru can hear you from the couch. “Have you both forgotten that the whole point of my technique is to not be seen by spirits? I can pacify them! If I actually thought that I was in danger, I wouldn’t have gone near it!”

Suguru sighs softly before he raises up to his feet. “You know that you have a tendency for tunnel vision when you’re excited.”

“It was Aka Manto,” you whine.

“Aka Manto is Special Grade?” His nose crinkles in disgust. “Ew.”

“Just based off a preliminary search, the legend has been around since the thirties, at least. It could be longer. So, it’s had time to establish itself and accumulate power. I’m surprised it’s gone so long without being exorcised, but a spirit that haunts bathrooms is probably something that sorcerers think are beneath them—”

Suguru interrupts your hypothesizing with a finger to your lips. “This isn’t only about you anymore, okay?”

“No one cared about this before I got knocked up,” you snap.

“They did,” he sings. “You don’t want to admit it because you’re trying to be manipulative right now.” The accusation has your jaw dropping. “You’ve always been a non-combatant sorcerer, Squid. Just like Shoko, hmm? When you’re on a mission, you’re paired with an active sorcerer. Does that sound like no one caring?”

You try to dismiss the point with a snide, “They only care about me like a prized scientist, same as Shoko. I’ve dedicated all this time to studying and researching cursed spirits out in the field. I can categorize them and seal them better than any other sorcerer can.”

“The higher-ups only see you as that, but Satoru and I don’t. There are others, of course. Most of the auxiliary managers adore you. More importantly, there’s Nanamin, Shoko, Nanako, Mimiko, Tsumiki, Megumi—”

As quickly as your temper flared up, all that wind leaves your sails. ��Alright, Suguru, I get it. You don’t have to keep adding salt to the wound.” You shuffle past him to plop down in a chair. “It’s just…hard.” And since you know that Satoru can and is listening to this conversation, you add, “Imagine Satoru being completely cut off from anything Digimon for nine months. This is my Digimon. Cursed spirits are my thing, y’know?”

Suguru follows after you, wrapping a hand around the back of your neck to pull you forward. You bury your face against his belly, practically purring when he starts lightly scratching his nails against your scalp. “I’m really proud of how well you’ve been dealing with all these changes. I know that is even harder. The unexpected pregnancy, the…what do Americans call it? Shotgun wedding?”

“Changes are easier when I have you and Satoru,” you mumble against his shirt.

Suguru’s hands momentarily still. “You make things so hard on me, Squid.”

“I know.”

“It’s not for the reason you think.”

“What’s the reason, then?”

“Nothing that I can talk about.” Your brows furrowing, you tilt your head up, digging your chin against his stomach hard. With how toned it is, you doubt that he can feel it. Cryptic asshole. “Why don’t I start collecting curses again, hmm? It’s safer when they’re under my control.”

“No.”

Suguru rolls his eyes. “Who is treating who like glass now? Don’t you know? I’m Special Grade sorcerer, Geto Suguru. I can handle swallowing some cursed spirits—”

“I said no.”

As if you would add to his burden like that. As if you’d add fuel to the fire. Suguru doesn’t think that you and Satoru can’t see he’s in an episode right now. If he hadn’t been forcefully called out on that mission, you aren’t sure how long he’d go on with locking himself away from the outside world. The girls help bring a piece of the world to him, keep him afloat when he blocks you and Satoru out, and give you updates on how he’s doing.

It’s a slippery slope, the curse consumption. It’s like rot. Too much and it can fester inside him. It could be something else like the loss of a student. Sometimes, it’s reminders of that fateful day during second year of high school or that night that he found the twins.

Whatever the trigger, his episode always starts the same. Sleepless nights that leave him sleeping throughout the day to make up for it, though nothing ever helps ease that overwhelming exhaustion. Teaching drains what little energy he has. Parenting doesn’t help, either, because he always tries to put on the best face that he can in front of the girls despite how much he’s fraying at the edges.

So, a normally punctual Suguru begins to be late to work. The circles under his eyes grow darker. His lack of attention can almost match Satoru’s. Conversations are forgotten, plans are dropped. It builds. It’s when he starts missing meals, not only for himself but also for the girls, that his self-loathing gets bad. They know how to cook for themselves, but you always tell them to call you or Satoru immediately if they have to do it more often in a week than not.

“I’ll deal with it,” you insist. “I need a new hobby, anyway.” You lock your arms around him, squeezing tight. “I’ve had to watch a bunch of documentaries to help me sleep. Sharks are really cool.”

“We’ll take the kids to an aquarium, then,” he whispers.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Your eyes meet his. “Do you mean that? Are you done ignoring me and Satoru?”

Suguru closes his eyes, sighing softly. Then, he smiles, taking being called out in stride. And, by stride, you mean simply avoiding the conversation. “Shall I bring the girls to stay the night with us?”

“Please.”

“You’re so spoiled, Squid. You’re no better than Satoru.”

“You’d be spoiled, too, if you let us.”

“I’m already spoiled enough as it is.”

“How?”

Suguru gives you one last scritch on the scalp before he steps away and calls out, “Satoru, would you like to take me home so I can pick up the girls? Do you think we should stop for Megumi and Tsumiki?”

Pregnant lady privileges give you access to the shower first.

Throughout said shower, you can hear the raised voices of competitive children and Satoru as they all have a tournament on the old 64. It’s a welcome distraction since you got so scatterbrained that you forgot to bring clothes with you and have to sneak back to your bedroom.

There’s a hoodie on your side of the bed, one that you’ve never seen. Your expression softens at the sight of it. The bag off to the side tells you that this is something Satoru bought for you, and this is also his way of reaching out after your earlier argument. It’s both an olive branch and a warning that he wants to talk, that he’ll do it in good faith, and that if his natural bluntness comes off as rude or out of pocket then it’s unintentional.

You shove your face against the hoodie after you pick it up, rubbing your face against it like a cat because the material is so soft and feels so good. It’s thin, too, so it won’t leave you sweltering since your temperature is running hotter these days. It’s two-sizes too big, so even Satoru can fit in it. You wonder how far his sweetness goes—if he got it so big so that he could wear it because he likes how it feels or because he’ll leave his scent on it for you? It’s probably both.

“Kitten.”

Keeping the hoodie pressed against your cheek, you turn your head to pout at Suguru. “You’re meaner today than usual.”

“Giving you cute nicknames is mean?”

“How is squid cute? Octopi are the cutest cephalopod.”

Suguru merely hums and leaves it at that. You don’t miss the click of the lock behind him before he saunters over to stand beside you. “Earlier, you asked me how I’m spoiled,” he starts as he drops down on the edge of the mattress. “I had an answer, but it wasn’t an appropriate time to give it.” He glances up at you from under those thick lashes, with those violet eyes, acting so damn coy. “Do you want to hear it now?”

“Does it have to do with all those hickeys on Satoru’s neck?”

“It does.” You slide between his legs spread so wide that it’s obscene. The gesture, along with reaching out to grip his shoulders, is enough to tell him that you’re okay being touched today. You think you are, but then his hands brush along the side of your bump as he’s going to place his hands on your hips, and you flinch away from the touch with your whole body. “Shit. Sorry. I read you wrong—”

You check yourself. It wasn’t so much the touch, you think, as it was the reminder that Suguru has been…avoiding you a lot more than he does Satoru. “No. Um…” You rein it back in and stop touching him. “I want to make sure I’m not reading you wrong. We haven’t…y’know…since before I got knocked up. Well, before I started showing, anyway.” You wave a hand over your bump. “If this bothers you, I can go get Satoru.”

Suguru breathes out your name. “I don’t want him right now. I want you.” His gaze darts away, looking guilty. “I’m sorry. After you made the announcement, I didn’t want to cause you more stress.”

“When have I ever held back from telling you that I’m not up to it on any given day? Isn’t that how this whole thing between us three started? For the days when my libido and Satoru’s can’t synch up?”

Jujutsu sorcerers like to fuck.

When you live your life in such a bleak and deadly world, you cope however you can. It’s mostly through smoking, drinking, and sex. You, Satoru, and Suguru are no exception. Satoru may be the worst, though, because he never really has the chance to go all-out in the field. Most of the time, if he’s not overstimulated or mentally drained, then he’s buzzing with physical and mental energy. So, when he is home, he fucks like a stallion.

In your role, you work with people a lot. You may meet with the higher-ups more often than Satoru does to report on research or answer their questions after an incident. The more stressed you are, the easier it is for you to get overstimulated, and you don’t like to be touched when the world is screaming at you from every angle.

You don’t even remember how the idea came up…

Oh, it might’ve been you and Satoru making dirty jokes about sore wrists. After you and Satoru complained to Suguru about how old touching yourselves was getting, he offered himself up. It’s a win-win, he reasoned, because he’d been on too long a dry spell that he wanted to break, and you and Satoru could get your needs taken care of without one or the other feeling guilty or having your hands or fingers falling off.

Greedy you, greedy Satoru…how could you both turn that down?

“You’ve had a lot more to worry about the past five months than sucking my dick.”

“You ever think that sucking your dick makes me worry less?”

Suguru laughs and holds out a hand. “Come here, Squid.”

That’s how you end up where you are now. Face down, ass up, pillow tucked under your tummy, and Suguru doing his best to be quiet as he pounds into you in case any little ears are up against the door. You’re biting down on your chew necklace because it’ll be a cold day in hell before you willingly bite down on cloth for an extended amount of time. You don’t know how Satoru does it, but he doesn’t know how you can handle rolling around in wet sheets. If he forgives you now, he’ll be pissed again when he hears you dropped your towel and jumped Suguru’s bones.

The second trimester saw you getting hit by the horny truck. It hasn’t even been that long since he got his cock inside you, but you’re a fucking livewire these days. You exist on a low burn and you’re always on a hair trigger. Your nipples are off limits because the first trimester tenderness still has a chokehold on you, so he’s keeping his hands busy by spreading your cheeks and watching the slide of his cock in and out of you.

Suguru, who can get a little mean in bed, thumbs at your asshole, and that sends you over the edge. You catch yourself before you give the game away to the damn kids, throwing your head forward to bury your face and your moans in the mattress. Your entire body trembles and Suguru’s hips slow to a crawl, letting you come down without sensitivity, groaning quietly as your pussy tries to milk him for all he’s worth.

He hunches over, back bowed over yours, leaning until his breath is hot on the shell of your ear. “This is how you spoil me,” he husks as he reaches down between your legs. You hiss when his fingers quickly glide over your clit. “You and this perfect little pussy.” You roll your face against the sheets, moaning because if he doesn’t shut the fuck up, you might come again. “I can’t believe you thought that I wouldn’t want this.”

Panting, you turn your head to the side and spit out the gem-shaped silicone in your mouth. “Sorry for thinking that pregnancy doesn’t look good on me.”

“You should be sorry. It looks beautiful on you.” Your hand flies back, digging fingers into his ass, trying to keep him inside you when he slides out. You whine at the loss. “Impatient,” he chides. “On your back. Let me see that gorgeous body.” Heat crawls up the back of your neck, the tips of your ears.

“Stop it. You know I’m bad with sarcasm,” you grumble. You do as he says, though, and roll over. The pillow, previously under your stomach, is now in the small of your back and you sigh in relief. Your back has been aching something fierce lately. “Ugh, Suguru!” You cover your face with your hands because he’s staring at you. Gaze sweeping over your body, fingers following along with his eyes. “Stop looking! Leave that for Satoru.”

“It’s not sarcasm. Pregnancy looks so good on you.” You squeak when he grabs your hips, roughly hauling you down to settle the backs of your thighs over his. You’re not looking, but he slaps his cock against your pussy, making you squirm. You do dig a heel against his ass, trying to hurry him up. “It may have been an accident, but knowing that Satoru came inside you…” He slides back inside your pussy. “Knowing that it stuck…” His hands cup the sides of your bump. “You have no idea how jealous of him I’ve been.”

Your hands fall away from your face. “Okay.” Shyly, you reach down and lace your fingers through his. “Next time, I’ll let you accidentally knock me up.”

“It’s not an accident if it’s planned.”

The two of you snort and grin and you just start giggling. “You’re such an asshole.” You throw your arms over your eyes. You think you might cry. You’re a whirlwind of emotions—horniness and happiness with a shit-ton of longing. “Can you just let me say I wanna have your baby?”

I love you.

Would Satoru be mad if you said it now?

“A married woman saying things like that?” Finally, Suguru starts moving. It helps distract you from the words stuck in your teeth. “How lewd.”

“Pregnant Married Woman Begs for New Daddy—how’s that for a JAV title?” Suguru can’t hide the hitch in his breath, the way his fingers dig harder into your skin, how his thrusts pick up speed. You lift your arm up, peering at him, grinning in sadistic delight when you see how red his cheeks are. “Do you wanna be our daddy, Suguru?”

Suguru can talk all that sexy shit but can’t take it? Because he reaches down to start rubbing slow circles around your clit, knowing that letting your orgasm build slowly makes your brain leak out through your ears. Sure enough, the heat starts in your toes, and pleasure rushes through your veins.

“You first,” you breathe out as you clutch at his wrist. “Want that come inside me when I go off.”

“Whatever you want, darling.”

You’re not sure how long you doze after you and Suguru were done. He’d wiped you down because you hate your skin to be sticky, same as Satoru. Which, speaking of, he’s in bed with you when you wake up—propped back against the headboard, shirtless, and on the 3DS. You shuffle closer, putting your head in his lap, and listen to the familiar sounds of Ocarina of Time 3D.

“I can’t wait until the new Animal Crossing in November,” Satoru gripes.

“Just play Pokémon. Did you know that there’s this challenge that’s spreading around on the internet? It’s called Nuzlocke and it’s supposed to be super hard. It’s up your alley.” His thumbs briefly pause. You know the challenge entices him. “You’re not betraying Digimon by playing Pokémon, I promise.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He snaps the 3DS shut, not even bothering to save his progress.

You lean forward to kiss his tummy, right over the scar that runs from his neck down along the upper half of his body. The day that he got this scar…it was and still is such a stark reminder that, no matter what, all sorcerers share the same fate. Just because Aka Manto didn’t notice you doesn’t mean another spirit won’t. “I’m sorry, Satoru,” you apologize quietly. “I really did fuck up with this. It’s so easy for me to forget that these aren’t pets or even comparable with wild animals.”

“I get it, I guess. Well, not really. It’s like me cutting myself off from sweets and I don’t think I can do that. So, I don’t get what it feels like when you can’t be around your thing. Ugh. Why did we ever get in a relationship? Talking about feelings sucks.”

You giggle. “You’re doing well.”

“You’re not being sarcastic, are you? Because I’m kinda freaking out. I’ve got four months to get my shit together.” He digs the heels of his palms against his eyes, groaning with frustration. “Yeah, sure, I can handle teenagers or those kids out there.” He means the twins and Fushiguro siblings. “They’re not babies, though. What the fuck do I do with a baby? And, let’s be honest, those kids are all pretty fucked up already, but the thought that I can fuck a kid up?”

You raise up on an elbow, watching him. “Satoru…”

“Oh, Christ. I’m having an existential crisis, Sketch. I’m a walking cliché right now. What if I become my old man? Are you gonna end up resenting me, too? Holy fuck, what if we turn into my parents? I have a horrible personality. I’m so selfish and conceited. I’m going to hurt this kid. I—”

Oh, okay. Has Satoru ever had a panic attack? Because you think he might be having one. “Satoru,” you call out as you press your hand against his chest. Under the skin, his heart is beating like crazy. “Hey, Satoru, I need you to look at me.” He does as you ask, sparkling blue eyes a little crazed with his dread. “Why isn’t Infinity on?”

“Huh?” He blinks out of the haze and looks down at where you’re touching him. “What? Why the fuck would Infinity be on right now? You’re touching me.”

“Right, but you’re scared right now. Infinity is your defense mechanism. Sometimes, you don’t even realize it’s flaring up when you get overstimulated. It usually blocks everything out.”

He squints at you before he repeats, “You’re touching me.”

“If you were selfish, your body wouldn’t care that it’s me, right? You’re not even thinking about it consciously. Keeping me safe, even from yourself, is instinct.”

“You might be reaching…”

“You could’ve let the Zen’in clan take Megumi,” you point out. “You took in the children of the only man that’s ever gotten close to killing you.” You lift up from the mattress completely, yanking the sheets up and over your bare shoulders. “You actively participate in the system you hate because you want to rework it from the inside-out, top-down. You want to protect kids, so why wouldn’t that extend to your own?”

“Fine, I won’t actively hurt the kid and I’ll make sure they don’t get physically hurt. That doesn’t mean—”

The pieces start to add up. Suguru isn’t the only one that’s been spiraling. “Were you doing retail therapy? Is that what all the bags are for? Don’t answer. I already know.” No wonder he’s been so snippy lately. “We got shoved into this. I’m doing okay right now, but I’ve lost my shit sometimes when you’re not around. I’m scared shitless that I’ll end up exactly like my parents, too. But…if I keep thinking about it then I will end up like them. I’ll get so lost in my head that I ignore this baby.”

“You’ve lost your shit and didn’t tell me?”

“That’s what you’re focused on?” You shake your head, chuckling in disbelief. “Yes, I did. Because I’m pretty sure that having a mental breakdown is a rite of passage for soon-to-be parents.” Lacing your fingers through his, you give a reassuring squeeze. “I know how terrifying this is. This might not help calm you down because you’re a little bit of a control freak, but you need to get it in your head now that we’re never gonna have all the answers and we’re gonna fuck up. All we can do is apologize and try to do better.”

Satoru’s cheeks puff out and his bottom lip juts out. “I hate unknowns.”

“Like I said—control freak.”

“Shut up.” He tugs at your hand. “Hey, come here. Sit in my lap.”

“Yes, yes.”

Satoru holds out his other hand, letting you use them as support while you climb up to straddle his waist. He tilts his head forward, shoving his face right between your breasts, and sighs happily like the little pervert he is. You only encourage the behavior with your quiet giggling.

“Sorry for being a bitch earlier,” comes a muffled apology.

“You weren’t being a bitch. Dare I say…you were actually mature about it.” He digs his fingers into your ticklish side, making you squawk. “I’m being serious! You knew you didn’t have a level head and couldn’t handle it sensitively, so you went to get help.”

“Ha!” He leans away from your chest. “You’re definitely overthinking my actions. It boiled down to me not wanting to deal with you anymore.” Yeah, right. What a fucking liar. “And what good did it do me to get that asshole? He leaves me to babysit his kids while he fucks my pregnant wife.”

“Joke is on you because you’re into sloppy seconds.”

“Heh! Fuck yeah, I am.” He sighs sadly. “I wanna fuck you so bad right now. I wish I had the mental energy to get it up.”

“We’ll cuddle tonight and have really gross, lovey-dovey morning sex. Sound good?”

Satoru bats those big, stupidly blue eyes at you. This drama queen somehow has tears in them and his bottom lip wobbles as he asks, “Can I suck on your nipples? I promise I’ll be gentle.”

“We’ll see.” You run your fingers through his hair. “You did really good today. If they’re too sore, I’ll make you chocolate chip waffles, okay?”

“Best wife ever.”

In the morning, you spoil Satoru.

You’re in his lap, on his dick, and his mouth never leaves your tits.

It hurt when he first put his mouth on them, you’ll admit, but it’s not enough pain to overload your brain. It’s that addicting pain, like how good it feels to stretch out a sore muscle. If it was a bad day, you wouldn’t want to deal with the confliction. That’s how you know today will be a good one.

And why wouldn’t it be a good day?

It’s a full house. All your favorite people are here. Suguru is curled up in the guest bed, Nanako and Tsumiki on either side of him while Mimiko is sprawled out and drooling on his chest. Megumi is out on the couch. You only hope that you can convince them all to stay longer. It’s the weekend, so no school. You’re not above bribery.

You and Satoru slowly rock. His huge hands are on your ass, guiding your movements, doing more work than you are at lifting yourself up and down on his cock. The grip he’s got on your ass gets rougher as he gets closer to coming, so it spreads your cheeks apart. Gentle as it is, sweat still lines your skin and his, so he has to sometimes readjust his grip. That’s all to say that his fingers are getting close to your asshole. Just the memory has you quickening the pace.

“Want him here so bad,” you whine.

Satoru knows immediately who you mean. Talking about Suguru in bed isn’t new for you and Satoru. “Fuck, I know. He blew my back out yesterday. Hey, wanna hear a story?” He reaches down, thumbing at your clit. “Didn’t really jerk off until I got in high school. First fantasy? Fucking your sweet little pussy while he’s plowing my ass.” You bury your face in the crook of his neck, biting down to muffle your moan. “Yeah? You want that? One day, baby. Not now because no way I can be gentle when that’s going down.”

You pant against his neck. “We have to tell him.”

“We will,” Satoru swears. Your orgasm hits you like a freight train, and he swears. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Yeah, we’re gonna fucking tell him. We’re putting a ring on that bastard’s finger.” You nod along deliriously, chanting your agreement. “We’ll romance the fuck out of him. I swear that this kid is gonna have three parents—aw, fuck, ‘m coming!”

Satoru licks his come out of you before it has the chance to drip down your thighs. After he’s done, he flops behind you, and winds his spindly limbs with yours. You didn’t even realize how early it is until Satoru’s phone flashes in the pre-dawn light and flaunts the time. There’s a little time before you two have to roll out of bed. Chocolate chip waffles with strawberries and whipped cream actually sound really good right now. You’ll make Satoru help so that the food will be done when everyone wakes up.

“Were you serious about it?” You hum in question. Satoru goes on to elaborate. “Were you coming or were you agreeing with me about telling him before the baby is born?”

“Both,” you answer bluntly. He snorts in amusement. “I’ve been thinking about how we can confess.”

“No way! Me, too!”

“I don’t even want to imagine what your idea is.”

“Rude,” he bites your shoulder in rebuke. “We can take him on a date night. Serenade him with some fine dining. Finish the night in a nice hotel—”

“I will never do fine dining ever again, Gojo Satoru.” Just the memory of the plates rotating in and out of the table with so many varying, awful textures…you gag. Your teeth start to hurt. “I don’t know how you’ve put up with that for your entire life.”

Satoru laughs. “They bribed me with desserts to put up with it.”

What a stark reminder that you and Satoru are two sides of the same coin. Whether it’s your parents telling you to starve for the night if you refused to eat something because you hated the texture or his parents bribing him to force himself to grin and bear it, it’s all the same. Even after you were diagnosed, your parents still forced you to eat whatever they made because they refused to make two dinners. You had to learn to not let the discomfort and disgust show because they’d make the same thing again, over and over until you liked it.

Filled with a sudden and fierce protectiveness, you roll over and face Satoru head on. He raises a brow at your sudden change of mood. “Infinity doesn’t recognize me as a threat,” you remind him. “So, I want you to know that I could rip your balls off, no problem. If our baby doesn’t like a food or the way something feels, no one is going to force them to put up with it. End of story.”

Satoru blinks, processing your threat. Then, slowly, he looks down between your bodies. “Oh.” His cheeks are flushed when he raises his head back up. “I’m hard.”

Somehow, you’ve been banished to the couch while Suguru and Satoru take charge of breakfast.

“Mister and Mister Control Freak,” you mutter under your breath as you shuffle out of the kitchen.

The couch is big enough that you don’t even touch Megumi when you sit down on the other side. You silently play a game on your own 3DS, trying not to wake him prematurely, but he starts to stir not soon after the smell of waffles fills the air. You reason that the girls won’t be far behind.

It’s cute, watching Megumi slowly lift up, spiky hair even wilder, blinking blearily. He harrumphs, so put upon by the waking world. You expect him to crawl off the couch and rummage around in his overnight bag to find a book to read, but he doesn’t do that. Instead, he scoots closer to you, almost touching you. His eyes droop and he starts slumping in your direction. Just before he presses against your side, he remembers himself.

Voice rough with sleep, he asks, “Can I?” It makes you gooey on the inside. Makes you want to give him shit, too. Because he can pretend to be the cool and stoic type all he wants, but he’s stupidly protective of his sister and he does sweet things like never forgetting to ask for permission to touch you.

“Yes,” you answer warmly. “Thank you for asking.”

Megumi grunts, slumps against you, puts his head on your shoulder, and yanks his blanket up over himself. You bump your cheek against his head affectionately. It’s not long of watching you game before he’s dozed off again.

Not long after, the girls emerge from the guest bedroom all at once.

Three sets of feet go running. You’re certain they’ll be lured to the kitchen by the aroma of breakfast, but they bypass it entirely, and sprint to where you are on the couch. Megumi is startled awake, and you cringe at the sound of three high-pitched voices calling out your name.

Your relationship with touch is…complicated. You’re starved for it, but you only want it from people you know. Even with them, you have to prepare for it. You try to reason with your brain that the girls are excited. They haven’t seen you in a little while. As most little girls are, they’re ecstatic about your pregnancy because they dream of when they can have that, too. But they dogpile you, crowding close, reaching their hands out to touch your baby bump. Nanako, in her excitement, even slips her hands under your shirt. Panic shoots through you and you jerk as if you’ve been electrocuted.

“Girls,” Suguru’s voice rises above the rest. You don’t look over your shoulder, but his disappointment is palpable. “What have we said about touching people?”

Suguru has only spoken with Nanako and Mimiko, but even Tsumiki knows the answer. In unison, they mutter, “Ask.” The sigh of relief you give when they back away makes you feel awful. “We’re sorry.”

“Dumbasses,” Megumi hisses at them all.

“Yo! Who taught you that word?” Satoru shouts from the kitchen. “Bad word!”

“You,” Megumi answers bluntly.

“Breakfast is ready,” Suguru announces.

Guilt and anxiety twist up your insides. For all your talk of not making your child do something, you worry about not being able to give them the things they’ll need. Babies don’t care about overstimulation. They’ll cry. When they’re older, they’ll crave this same kind of touch, and how horrible a mother would you be to deny them that? Parenting has no breaks. A child’s needs come before your own. Do you think you’ll be allowed to have days where you don’t talk? What if you’re in public with them and you have a breakdown?

“Squid.” Suguru is crouched down in front of you. “I see you spiraling.” He holds out a hand. “Come eat.”

“Not hungry,” you whisper. The anxiety has muted your hunger. “I want to go back to bed.”

“If Satoru dragged me out of my spiral, I have to do the same.” You scowl at him. How is that even fair? You weren’t the one to pull him out of his hole. “I’m being very nice right now. I won’t make you talk about it. I just need you to try and get a little something down. If it’s too loud in the kitchen, I’ll bring it out here.”

Right. Okay. You’ve dealt with being pushed to power through the overload for your entire life. If you want to be a good mother, then you’ll keep doing that. That’s what being a parent is, right? Sacrifice. If you can force yourself to do something so that your child never goes without, you’ll do that. It’s better to practice now.

With a shaky sigh, you take Suguru’s hand, and let him help you up to your feet.

Sunday night comes too soon.

When it’s only you and Satoru left in the penthouse, you start to scheme.

Try to, anyway.

The two of you are on the couch, hunched over Satoru’s laptop. You’re both hopeless when it comes to romance, so you think that the internet might be helpful. The two of you titter and fuss and argue over control of the laptop after the first search of ‘how to confess’ only brings up articles for high schoolers.

“Wait!” Satoru is dead serious when he declares, “We need to buy a house.”

Your eye twitches. “Satoru,” you start slowly as you pinch the bridge of your nose. “He hasn’t even said yes. We don’t know that he even will. Can we take this one step at a time, please?”

“Eh? We should start the process, though. We only have four months left and it feels like we have so much to do. On top of my assignments, my mother is on my ass about Inu no Hi. Oh, we’ve got the babymoon to schedule. And we have to go to parenting classes because it’s not like either of us are asking our parents for tips.” He brightens. “Oh! What about that? We’ll have him house hunt with us, and we’ll pop the question when we make our choice.”

If you think too hard about the list he rattled off, you will meltdown. Like you told him, one step at a time. Just ignore all the rest. “Pop the question? This isn’t marriage. We can’t be overbearing. He’s like me. He’ll hate grand gestures and a house is…big.”

“Why are you struggling so much with this? You were his best friend first. Hasn’t he dated before? What’d they do when they were trying to pick him up?”

“School in the sticks was awful for us. Everyone knew everyone. We were the weird kids who saw things that weren’t there and that stuck with us for the rest of our lives, even when we learned to hide it. So, yeah, he was hot by middle school, but no one was interested in the local freaks.”

Satoru flops back with a loud groan. “Could you guys have been any more pathetic?”

“Your sympathy astounds me, Satoru, truly,” you say dryly.

“I wish I’d had met you guys sooner,” he confesses after a moment of silence. “I was such a problem child, always throwing tantrums, so I think my parents would’ve thrown money at yours to let you guys live with me at the Gojo estate. I’d probably have a less shitty personality if I was around people who understood me.”

“That’s debatable.” He digs his toes into your ticklish side, and you swat his feet away with a squeal. “I think the worst parts of your personality come from the fact that you were super spoiled and raised to think you’re a god. I also think the good outweighs the bad, so don’t get self-conscious.”

“Me? Self-conscious? I don’t know the meaning of that, dear.” Satoru shifts his position and puts his head in your lap. It’s his favorite place, you swear. He’s on his back. As he’s looking you in the eye, he reaches up to touch your face. “Ever since I was a kid, I never thought that I could connect to someone the way I’ve done with you.”

Heat rushes to your cheeks. You do have to look away from the eye contact this time. “You liked Suguru way before you liked me, y’know.”

“No. It was definitely you first,” Satoru corrects. “Shoko clocked me crushing on you even before I realized it. You should’ve seen how protective Suguru was of you.” He gives an airy laugh. “That’s why I’m not worried about him saying no, Sketch. It’s you. How can someone not be head over heels for you?”

You burst out into tears.

Satoru rolls with it because you’re a ball of nervous, hormonal energy these days. If you cried easy before, it’s insane how fast it can happen now. “I love you!” You definitely shouted that. You’re also definitely sobbing loudly. It’s okay because it’s with him, in private. Then, you think about how he wouldn’t care if you were in public because Satoru is the same.

Is this what true love is supposed to be like?

Because Satoru has admitted that you’ve taught him so much about his true self, but he’s taught you to accept yourself. Satoru is so sure of himself, both cocky and authentic. He knows that he doesn’t understand things like social cues, and he could give a shit less when he misses them. He’s loud and brash, especially when he’s excited. He’s blunt and a lot of people don’t like that, but a lot do. Ijichi has admitted that it saved his life when Satoru told him to quit being a sorcerer. Students have thanked Satoru for the honesty because it pushed them harder, and they survived because of it.

“I love you!”

Satoru keeps laughing but lifts up to a sitting position. “Alright, alright. I got it.” He slips an arm around your shoulders, reeling you in close against his chest. Before you smush your face against his shirt, he kisses your forehead. “I love you, too.”

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

In Bloom 5

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, allusions to trauma, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: After wasting much of your youth in a toxic situation, things are starting to look up. That’s until you meet a certain flower seller.

Characters: Cole Turner, short!reader

Note: My sweet pathetic man.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

You’re silent as you walk next to Cole. He’s so much taller than you. The sun beats down and adds to the heat beneath your flesh. You fold your hands together as your eyes scan the fields and pollen tickles your nostrils. 

“So... you have a good week?” He asks, his voice crisp yet brittle. 

You nod, “mhm.” 

“Everything okay now?” 

“Uh...” you blink and shake your head. “I guess.” 

“Just that last time, you sort of... ran away from me. So if I did anything, I’d like to know so I can apologise,” he explains. 

“Oh no, you didn’t... do anything. It’s just me.”  

Another lull rises around you. You twine your fingers together and wring your hands until your knuckles hurt. He steps ahead of you as you approach the greenhouse. 

“It’s hot inside so if you need a break,” he says. “Let me know.” 

You nod and go through first as he waits. He follows and you look around at the tables full of long planters. Some are just sprouting, others are about to bloom, while others are overgrown. He points you along a row and you gratefully latch onto the distraction of the flowers. 

“You know, I was really looking forward to this,” he says. You glance at him in surprise. He grins and his blue eyes meet yours. “Really. I’m not just saying that. I don’t meet a lot of people very interested in all this. Or who know so much.” He turns and puts his hand on the table, “Maybe I forgot to say but your garden is beautiful. I can see all the care you put into it.” 

You look back to the pansies, “it’s Aunt Bev’s.” 

“Yeah, but she said you do all the work.” 

“She’s nice that way,” you shrug. 

“You’re too humble.”  

You shake your head and look closer at the petals. 

“You can touch. It won’t hurt them.” He says. 

“Oh, no, it’s...” you sniff. “Smells nice in here.” 

“Yeah,” he wipes his forehead, “but hot as hell.” 

“Ha, yeah,” you tug at the collar of your shirt. “A little.” 

“Well, you can look around as much as you like. And after, I’ll show you the loft.” 

You keep your eyes on the table, “the loft?” 

“Yeah, sure, it’s neat. You’ll like it,” he says. 

You continue to wander down as you admire all the different species and stems. Cole gives you your space. You’re thankful for that. Not just because it’s warm but because you’re not quite sure about all of this. He’s nice, his Aunt Jill too, but you’re just not used to all this. 

The longer you linger, the thicker the sheet of sweat that drenches your body. You feel it seeping into your clothing. You head back to the door and peer around. You don’t see him anywhere around.

Did he leave? Why would he do that? You don’t know where to go? You could get lost here! 

He pops up from behind a table, “oop, you all done?” He asks as he swipes back a shank of hair from his forehead. “I was just transferring some bulbs.” He bends and lifts a large planter up beside the others. The strength in that act further echoes your size difference once more. 

“Mhmm,” you confirm. “It must be a lot of work doing all this.” 

“I have help. Ma and Dad. They do what they can, you know? But I wish they wouldn’t. They deserve to enjoy their retirement.” He goes to the door and pushes it open. He holds it for you again. Outside, a breeze cools you. 

“Right,” you agree. 

“You know, if you got the time...” he begins then waves away his words. “Nah, you know what? I was just thinking out loud. Never mind.” 

“Wh-what?” You ask nervously. 

“Really, it’s nothing. I don’t wanna be too much. You know,” he hooks his fingers in his pockets and pushes his shoulders up. “I’ve been told I can be.” 

“Ah, er, right. Well... okay.” 

“Look, I should just ask,” he points you along, past the greenhouse. “I could use some help so you could maybe stop by and—I'd pay you. Obviously. It’s work. Is it like rude to offer you a job?” 

You stare at him. It’s unexpected but not really rude. It does make you feel lesser. You know it’s not his intent but you can put the puzzle together. He knows you don’t work, that Bev takes care of you, and a few extra bucks would be a help. Plus, it will get you out of the house. 

“Can I think about it?” You ask. 

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he agrees eagerly. “Take as long as you like.” 

“Erm, thanks. It’s nice of you to... ask.”  

The wind rustles the green grass as you sink back into nervous tension. He guides you along to a barn and you near curiously. He steps ahead of you and slides open the large door. He turns back and smiles at you. 

“Come on,” he beckons you with his hand. As he enters, he shrugs out of his denim jacket. He hangs it on a peg. “How about you? You wanna put your sweater up?” 

“Oh, I guess,” you look down at the crochet; it’s itchy from the heat. You slip it off and hand it over. His fingers brush yours as he takes it and hangs it over his jacket. 

“Just up there,” he points to the ladder. 

“Oh? Okay,” you eye the rungs and rub your palms together. 

“Need any help?”  

“Um, no, I can...” your voice trails off and you reach for the ladder. 

You climb and your uncertainty ascends with you. What are you doing here? You’re suddenly afraid at the realisation that you’re all alone. That you don’t know how you could get out if you need to or if anyone would hear you cry out. 

No, this is Cole. You don’t have any reason to expect that. Aunt Bev says things are different now. Not all people are bad. Not like your mom. 

Cole follows you up. You stand and look around the loft. You see the dim shapes of furniture set across the wooden slats. 

He shuffles by you and opens the window, pushing the doors outward. The sunlight streams in and limns the space. There’s a day bed on a worn rug right in the center, a table to one wall with chair, a basket of apples on top, and a shelf of books.  

“Sometimes I just need a space of my own,” Cole says. “I thought, I don’t know, you might like it. You seem like the type to appreciate solace... you’re so quiet.” 

“I’m sorry,” you murmur. 

“For what?” He blinks at you. His eyes catch the sun with a twinkle. His hair curls with the humid sheen on his skin.  

“For... being quiet.” 

“I don’t mind. I’m sorry for talking so much,” he grins. 

You nod and bite your lip. You look around and pace along the floor, each step creaking. You go to the shelf and browse the book spines. 

“Do you read a lot?” He asks. 

“Sometimes,” you answer. “More now...” More now that you don’t have to hide your books. 

“You got a favourite?” He comes up next to you. Close. Too close. You don’t want to embarrass him by stepping away. 

“I don’t know. I read... I read Murder on the Orient Express. It was interesting.” 

“Wow, that’s a good one,” he praises. “I’m kinda into anything. Don’t get much time to read but I take my moments.” 

“Mmm, yeah.” 

Again, silence. You look down. You don’t know what to do or say. You feel like you have to explain yourself. You’re making him uncomfortable. Your mother always told you how weird you are. 

“I--” 

“You--” 

You both try to speak at the same time. He gestures with his hand, “you first.” 

“I...” you breathe. “I only really hang out with my aunt so... so... so...” you start to panic. You’ve already said too much. 

“Hey, it’s fine. I spend all my time with plants and at the market. By the time I’m done selling, I’m too exhausted for friends,” he says. “So, no pressure. You never have to talk for no reason. It’s always quiet out here. It’s nice.” He stares at you a moment before he looks back at the shelf, “I’d say it suits you.” 

You exhale. You feel a little better but still on edge. You teeter on your feet. 

“Can we go back inside? I don’t want Aunt Bev to worry.” You utter. 

“Sure, of course,” he answers, “you’re gonna think about it? Working with me?” 

“Yeah, I’ll think.” You agree. 

He moves first. He goes the ladder and turns. He starts down as you approach. You follow as his boots hit the ground. You descend, rung by rung, but you can’t find the next as you get halfway. You slip and gasp, Cole echoing you. 

He catches you as you fall and flail. You let out a squeak as he holds you in his arms, hiking you up so you don’t drop. Your shoulder is crushed to his chest. He’s touching you. Your hair feels like it’s going to fall out of your head. 

“Um, sorry!” You squeak. 

“Don’t be. That was close,” he sounds breathless himself. “I’m just happy I caught you. You okay?” 

“Y-yeah...” you stutter. 

He stares at you and you gulp. You stare at the collar of his shirt. His throat bobs and you squirm. 

“Oh, yeah,” he chuckles and sets you on your feet. “There ya go.” 

“Thanks,” you cling to his arm as you steady yourself. You let go and fold your arm against your chest, hugging it with your other. 

“Come on,” he says and puts his hand behind you, not touching you.  

You emerge from the barn back into the yellow daylight. There’s a steady hum of insects and the soft flow of wind. You follow the beaten path back to the house. He lets you up the steps first and you go inside. He’s right behind you as you enter. 

“Sweetie,” you aunt surprises you as she appears in the archway to your left. “There you are! Did you see all the pretty flowers?” 

“Mhmm,” you nod and give a tight-lipped smile. 

“Everything alright? You look flustered?” Jill nears from behind her. 

You keep nodding. Cole laughs softly, “she had a bit of a slip but she’s okay. Maybe a bit of the heat getting to her too.” 

“Oh yes, it’s so hot today,” Jill agrees, “honey, how about something to drink? Maybe one of those delicious muffins you made?” 

She comes to you and squeezes your arm. You flinch and pull away. You’re still tense from falling. Right into Cole’s arm. You swear you can smell him.  

“Mom,” he warns. 

She looks down at her hand and retracts it, “sweetie, I’m so sorry. I forget. I can be so touchy-feely.” She shows her palms. “I’m surprised Cole’s keeping his hands to himself. He’s the worst for it, you know?” 

“Ma,” he coughs again. 

“Oh, that sounds worse than it is,” she cackles. “No, what I mean is he’s just a hugger, you know? He’s always been one. And he does give the best hugs.” 

“Ma,” he says a third time. 

“Right, right,” she huffs, “so, how about some iced tea?” 

You look at her, then Aunt Bev. You’d hate to be rude and you are a bit thirsty. Especially after being out in the dry heat. 

“Yes, please, thank you,” you say. 

“Not at all, sweetie,” she smiles, “Cole, would you like some?” 

“Sure, ma,” he says, “thanks.” 

Jill preens and struts away. Aunt Bev comes closer, “I am so happy you two are getting along. Oh, Cole, thank you for showing her around.” 

“Not at all. You know, I don’t get to show off very often.” 

“Really? But this place is so pretty. Isn’t it, dear?” She asks. 

You blanch then nod vehemently. You just want to fade into the background. You’d hope with your aunt and Jill, it’d be easier to do that. 

“Oh, and your muffins are fabulous. You really should have one,” she insists. 

You try to smile but your cheeks pinch tightly. 

“You know, I might just do that,” Cole intones. “Can I get you one?” 

You shake your head. He lingers, waiting for an answer. You choke out your voice at last, “no, thanks.” 

“Right,” he accepts and turns away. 

You peek over at Aunt Bev as she smiles after him. She likes him. If she likes him, he can’t be very bad. She’s not always so happy either. Especially since you came around. More often, she’s worried. You don’t want to always be a problem for her. 

“Um, Aunt Beverly,” you say, “I... Cole said I could come help out. He’ll pay me.” 

Her brows rise and she turns to you, “oh, really? And you want to?” 

You stare at her. You don’t know that you want to but you know you should. 

“I’ll do it,” you say at last. “I like the flowers.” 

[meirimerens]

do you happen to have any headcanons about pascal curious and nervous subject? or any other sims 2 character for that matter :p

you get answered with anon from like yesterday #oops i had stuff on my plate teehee but Yes.

the nervous subject:

as far as nervous' #deal is i like to go with the Sims 2 For PSP lore that he willingly (or "willingly" - in quotes to express the murkiness of willingness when you're broke as shit) went in with the Beakers because he needed coin. in my head, like many kids who age out of the foster care system, he found himself age 18 not really having anywhere to go (no contact with the family during his stay in foster care), not really having had the best environment to learn any skill, he tells himself well fml 🤷‍♂️ might as well.

related to his 10 active point i think he's strong as shit. does not look like it (macdonalds_napkin_flying_out_of_window.txt). also very endurant - not necessarily fast, but his ass would smoke everyone in a long-distance run because he can just keep going. this is Not A Great Thing in his current #predicament because that just means he recuperates pretty fast from the experiments and so they just keep happening with little downtime.

bruises easily. and a lot because his prioperception is kind of fried so he's got always a blue spot somewhere.

i've #made #him in my ts4 game with a crooked nose and nose scar (which i draw, the crookedness of the nose translates a bit less since i'm always drawing his ass three-quartered) and those i think he got in foster care. even if he exists with 0 nice point i think that's an Experiment thing, he is not truly a Dipshit, but he's very early become quite rowdy. got into a tussle. got his nose broken. "you should see the other guy". this is also very funny to me because one of my OC has that same broken nose+scar deal

on the topic of My OC Has This in my mind's eye he's got tha Y-shaped autopsy scar. hector I Would Like To Award You the Highest Honor I Can Bestow [scars like the weird lesbians of my mind] did not really die, still has it. he understands that's probably a Scary thing for people to see + his ass doesn nawwwt want to deal with the question so when his best fwiend and his two Unsuspecting brothers try to get him to join for a relaxing heatwave afternoon in the strangetown pool he's like "i don't want to take my shirt off [THINKS FAST] because i'm insecure about being bony" and they're like "that's fine man no pressure 👍" [clueless]

le pascal curieux:

on one hand the phrase "gayscal bicurious" i had in the tags of my art once makes me hysterical and i genuinely leep fucking repeating it out loud to myself so often. devilish echolalic sound. on the other it is genuinely funny to me to imagine him realizing years later "why the fuck do i have beef with this guy over his gf i don't even like women 😐😐😐😐🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️". he keeps the beef though makes him feel alive #hatermindset #scorpio

after nervous told him "i have some... weird... living arrangement... and my roommates don't like to hear me play music out loud" pascal started putting songs he thinks nervous would like on an mp3 player. nervous gives it back to him every once in a while and update him on his taste so pascal can add more songs next time they see each other.

now not to get too deep into the politics of the sims franchise's mpreg. a pregnancy narrative hates to see me coming. but in my head... while he's a loving father and is protective and kind and genuinely obsessed with his kid once they're born & tutti quanti towards his little scrunkly... i think he lived the pregnancy pretty Lukewarmly. he knew that it Could happen, but well. the household description does mention "[getting] more than they were "expecting."". i think until halfway there he was like 😬 and then the Weird Scientist Brain kicked in and he was like "this is an Experience". pascal curious I Would Like To Award You the Highest Honor I Can Bestow. Post-Partum Depression (jesting. unless?)

not new of a headcanon because i've drawn it so it's probably obvious I think he's the shortest of the brothers and a Reliable Resident of Stockytown #shawty

bringing together Buddy Erwin Lore and "In his free time, he practices home psychoanalysis" i know the inhabitants of strangerville hate to see him hang out by erwin's Listening Station and psychoanalyzing every word that comes out of the mouth of the people he's bugged #nosy

erwin detour because i have this to say:

he drives a two-toned (orange and white) 1980 chevy k30 crew cab. a beat-up thing that he loves so muchhhh. looks like this (but imagine Oinge and not tan/camel)

speaking of cars i have something for Lazlo:

drives a 1986-1988 buick riviera. a purble one. exactly. i see it for him for the little screen inside #vintage #slay

stoner. with peace and love and zero derogatory tone. he feels it makes him think. it does. tbh i see the three dabbling. you're telling me vidcund has this beautiful greenhouse and they don't grow cannabis in there? you know that post that's like. my homie was making edibles and discovered passion for baking now he's a baker. this did not happen to lazlo he knew how to cook and bake completely independantly. but it helps. they let nervous smoke with them and they see him blink normally for the first time.

Ophelia Nigmos my shayla....

she has a Motorola RAZR V3 for phone. it is DECKED to the heavens with stickers and stick-on gems and phone charms

2004 is prime and i mean primeeee pop-punk/emo era (hence why she looks #likethat tbh) and she's deeeep in that. like Simple Plan's "I'm Just A Kid" came out 2002 and i knowwww she's having that shit on LOOP on her mp3 player. due to the fact that She's Just A Kid And Her Life Is A Nightmare

the bloggerrrr i know she is blogging. idk what strangetown could have as a mirror to the 2000s-2010s french "Skyblog" [les vrais connaissent tmtc] but girl... is.... BLOGGING!!!! either a Livejournal or a Blogger.

i just realized how long this poast was #oops but Basically Yes.

[bloopitynoot]

Reading TGCF: Chapter Two

For those who don't know, I am reading TGCF for the first time and sharing my thoughts!

If you have not read it, there will be spoilers! Consider this a warning.

Also- if you want to follow along, I am aiming to post updates daily. You can find all the posts in the tag Bloopitynoot reads TGCF. You can also check out the intro post for context on my read BUT if you followed along with my SVSSS read, the rules and vibe are the same.

Today's tea: Masala Chai!

I am so excited my ink replacement came in for my pen so I can finally use the fancy boy again. The last two chapters have been gel pen and it just isn't the same.

Knowing this though- ignore all of the ink smudges XD I got too eager with the new ink and it is a mess LOL

Let's get into chapter two!

I was nervous that for some reason this chapter was going to be a POV switch or something BUT no! Fuck yeah let's get into the bride eating monster quest! p47

okay but the fact that out of 1000's of weddings only 17ish brides went missing makes me think that these brides didn't want to get married and opted out voluntarily. p 47

Xie Lian definitely: thank fuck these two are at least competent. p48

Honestly I am convinced that his weird way of doing things RE: sleeping in the bushes, was part of what led to the happenstance of his ascensions. Like this guy taking the untraveled path just caused him to bump into things that got him merits. p50 (my running theory at least).

Mu Qing is SO dramatic, "But when Mu Qing saw that his statues had been hideously sculpted, he would either secretly destroy them and make people start over, or appear in dreams to express his displeasure. This went on for a long time until the grand believers learned that they had to find an artisan master who could sculpt beautifully" p51

This temple feels off. Like what is going on with this woman with the torn skirt. pp54-55

RIP Nan Feng's social skills p55

omg. This poor guy just wants to sincerely help her with her skirt situation but she (rightfully given the circumstances, girl same, i'd choose the bear in this scenario) thinks the half-naked Xie Lian is a freak about to do horrible shit to her. p55

Nan Feng & Fu Yao seeing Xie Lian's wrecked torso: omg who did you fight???? Xie Lian: the wind lol p56

oh shit and he has a mark of the cursed shackle? (I'm assuming his neck? or are there more because he was banished more than once??). p57

By lol. This is so silly. Now I know why the chapter was titled "Tremendous Masculinity". This is so embarrassing, what an oops. p59

When I was reading this part I thought that the "sin" was the altar in the temple breaking when Nan Feng and Fu Yao were fighting but NOPE, Xie Lian is over here like "damn. That was a perfectly good steamed bun that landed on the floor". p62

okay okay okay! I take back my previous belief that the brides were willingly leaving because HOLY SHIT girl's HEAD just fell off!!!!! 65

This chapter was too short!

I wanted to get into the bride snatching but we had a temple side side quest. This is fine, because now we have an actual monster a foot, but now it means I have to wait until TOMORROW to read about it.

Until then!

[tinseltina]

I just saw the tags you added about Sebek and you know what yeah actually

He was so dead pan about like "you and grim are looking pretty appetizing rn"

Like he don't joke like that. He's very serious and the closest he gets to joking is teasing and challenging people to competitions (though even those can become real competitions for him, even if it is dumb)

I still remember how direct his teasing is, since ace's ghost groom vignette. Thanks to Ortho All the first years find out Ace was truthful after he talked all that crap, anyways Sebek tells him to his face that he will have fun mocking him later. (I think they all agree to meet up at ramshackle to watch the video of him and tease him about it after he talked shit, but my memory gets a tad foggy by that point)

Anyways that guy is very very direct, he probably wouldn't joke about that kinda thing.

Hunger clouded mind Sebek.

(part of me thinks he was just being like, unfiltered from getting hungry not in a "oop lol just jokes" way but like "I'm hungry and saying things i don't normally say" kind of way but also maybe this was the random line where you find out Sebek bites people when he's hungry like how trey is weird about teeth and how rook waxes poetics about leona ripping out his throat- which i think Leona heard from his place in the grass and why he walked off with a frown but idk)

Either way it's hilarious, like what do you mean by this Sebek? What? Why would you say that? Floyd and Sebek are the only real biters on campus i guess 😭😂, Leona a wannabe biter i guess 😔

YOU GET IT.

the way my brain went "did a floyd line accidentally get programmed for sebek?" and NOPE, bro is just HUNGRY.

my gosh. and if you imagine he's either the same size, if not bigger, as his canon build then could you imagine a zombie apocalypse with zombek?! he'd mow everyone down, unhinged jaw, and just devouring people

(and no one come for me, i can ABSOLUTELY see Sebek getting bitten and then pulling a "of course I didn't tell anyone! I am too busy protecting Wakasama~! tis but a scratch and nothing will get in my way of serving my lord!" as his skin becomes pallid, dark circles getting worse by the minute, and he's just salivating like a dog, heavily panting. and you just gotta stand there and debate whether or not putting him down now would be worth the risk of alerting more zombies or not, or waiting for him to collapse and then "taking care" of him quietly.

woah that was a fun tangent but also very scary.

BUT I DIGRESS! i think it's also so funny in comparison to leona's more frequent threats to bite or eat people, like, you really can't take him seriously. but it does make me wanna see him and sebek be stuck in proximity long enough to see what would happen

[pinky27freak]

°¶_Yuu X Lilia_¶°~

~°¶_cuddles_¶°~

You know what’s the best feeling in the world? The feeling of the one you love sleeping beside you in perfect peace with their limbs tangled in your own, and their body flush with yours. That’s what Lilia Vonrouge was thinking right now, with his girlfriend all snuggled up beside him. Last night they had both stayed up late gaming, and because of that they had both fallen asleep together on the floor, blankets and pillows along with empty snack bags surrounding them and making up their strange yet cozy nest.

The fae smiled softly as he playfully but gently poked his girlfriend’s cheek where her dimple usually expressed itself when she smiled. The girl moaned and peaked open one eye.

“Oops. Did I wake you, baby bat?” Lilia smiled, his raspberry red eyes shining in their usual playful Manor. Yuu's response was just a noise as she then cuddled deeper into the small fae.

“Mmm… you're warm.”

“Hehehe… you're so cute when you're half asleep like this…” He took a piece of her hair and twirled it between his fingers. “It makes me want to kiss you.” Yuu let out another sleepy noise and presented her forehead. Lilia smirked before kissing it lightly, earning a happy noise from his girl.

“Yay! I got kisses!” She softly sang, smiling widely into her boyfriend’s chest.

“If you’d present me with those lips of yours you’d get more!” Lilia smirked, still playing with her hair.

“You had your fun last night.” She said, referring to the several stolen kisses that had been taken last night.

“But your lips are so soft!” He said, grabbing her chin and running his thumb over her lips. “I could kiss them all day.” Yuu’s face turned red. Why does her boy have to be so small and cute, but sexy at the same time? Oh yeah. He’s lived for hundreds of years, that’s probably why.

“Vonrouge-“

“Yes baby bat?” He smirked, leaning in just a bit more, his playful eyes going to a more mischievous red color. Yuu narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.

“Don’t get carried away, or I’ll have to be mean and smack you.” Lilia made small happy noises as he smiled and started to kiss his girlfriend’s face. He always started with her nose, his favorite. Yuu’s nose had a small flat spot on the tip, making it the most boopable nose ever, and Lilia's favorite place, besides her lips, to kiss her. He then moved to her cheeks and the forehead, finally ending with her full lips, kissing them the not surprisingly the longest. After he’d satisfied himself with her lips he rubbed his nose to hers. He had a huge smile on his pale face, so happy that he got her.

“I couldn’t live long enough to show you how much I love you Yuu.” His eyes stared right into hers, communicating things he couldn’t find the words for, or that words couldn’t describe.

“That’s a lot considering you could potentially live forever.” Yuu gave a small smile, before giving him a quick kiss on his thin glossy lips.

“Hey!! Stealing kisses is my job!!” Lilia whined, though he tried to kiss her back but she dogged by ducking her head into a blanket, giggling as she did so.

“Two can play at that game Vonrouge.” He could hear her smirking so plainly he rolled his eyes and ducked under the blankets too. They both then spent about thirty minutes playing hide and seek and tag in there, but in the end they decided to build a makeshift fort that they then snuggled up in. Lilia used his magic to create what appeared to be the night sky on their fort's roof, and the two just sat there, basking in each other’s presents and cuddles, occasionally talking about a great many things. School life, friends, siblings, Yuu’s home world, Lilia’s adventures in babysitting, and then finally about them as a whole.

“Lilia?”

“hm?” The boy turned towards the sweet siren voice that called him.

“Why did you choose me? Knowing full well that I’m human and can not live forever like you.” Her voice was muffled, due to the fact that she’d buried her head into his chest, but he could hear the distinctive sadness in her voice.

“Yuu look at me.” He said in a demanding yet soft and sweet tone. “I chose you because I fell in love with you. You and your quirkiness, sarcastic yet caring attitude, your beautiful hair, your intereging eyes that always show your emotions and see beauty in everything and everyone, your adorable nose,” He paused here to boop it before continuing. “Your cute ears, how your eyes light up when you hear or see something you like, your dainty slim fingers, your random noises you make, the way you walk and talk, heck I literally fell in love like a love sick school boy. I’ve been on deaths door numerous times, but the fact is I knew I was in trouble when I first heard your laugh and my heart danced to the sound and yet I didn’t fight it, nor ran away. I dived headlong into you, my sweet fluffy baby bat, my partner in crime. That’s why I chose you.”

“Lilia!! You're making me cry!!” Yuu hiccuped as she tried to hide the tears that were almost streaming down her face. Lilia chuckled as he took her face in both hands and gently wiped away the salt water with his thumbs, a smile alighted his lips as he again stared at her in the eye for the second time that day.

“Plus, I can’t help but think about how cute the kids would be!” His mischievous yet child like smile broke out as Yuu fell into a fit of laughter.

“Lilia, you already have kids, three to be exact.” Yuu said referring to Malleus, Sebek, and his literal adopted son Silver.

“Yes! I know technically, no, I did raise all three of them, but,” He paused, his smile fading, and took a breath, looking down, frowning slightly. “I want my own kids. You know? Ones that I helped bore, and that are from me, a-and hopefully…….. you.” Lilia’s face turned a slight red at this confession, not used to sharing these deep thoughts he had. It had been just him for so long after Maleanor. Saying these things aloud even in a whisper seemed to be shouting them to the whole world. No, he had just shouted it to the whole world. At least his world. Yuu blinked, then smiled as she nudged him to look up.

“I would gladly bore your children,” She quickly added. “As long as we are married, and have been for at least two years.”

“Yes, no voodoo stuff until wedding night!” He smiled, already thinking about it until she gave him a look and he immediately shooed all gutter lined thoughts out from his mind.

“Good. Now that we have that out of the way,” Yuu then flipped herself over onto her boy's chest, wrapping her arms and legs around him and cuddling her head into his chest. “Cuddles!”

“You're addicted to cuddles.” Lilia wrapped one arm around her waist and the other was free to play with her hair. Until-

WHAM!!

“Get out of bed old man, you and Mom have been cuddling long enough.” Silver’s voice echoed in their ears, Lilia frowned for a split second before then smirking let out a really long moan. Silence followed for a moment, then the door shut very quickly, Lilia still smirking.

“That ought to teach him to interrupt a couple’s alone time.” Yuu gave him a look before they both burst into laughter.

“Poor Silver, you’ve probably just scared him for life.” Yuu sighed after calming down.

“Eh, he’s a tough boy, he’ll be perfectly fine.”

“You’ll need to apologize to him and make it clear that we weren’t doing anything.”

“I’ll apologize later but for now,” He flipped them over so he was now on top and Yuu underneath him. “You are my prisoner, and I forbid you to leave.”

[horseshoegirl]

Damn Those Dog Tags: Part 22 - JUMP

📜 Second last one till the finish! 😭But we get Jake and Sadie's reunion in this one, and some more smut between Jake and Liz! This is also what I'd classify as Sadie's song amongst the bunch.

❗️+18, strong language, godmother reader/original female character, an original child character, reunions, sexual themes (I mean smut, so get out of here if you ain't +18, I mean it!!! Also wrap it before you tap it! minors DNI.), and fluff.

#8k words

Part 21 | Masterlist | Part 23

"You missed a spot."

You eyed Jake standing in the doorway to Sadie's room, bare-chested, from your spot on the ladder with a paintbrush in hand.

"Did I now?" you quipped back, your eyes narrowing playfully as you tried to find this alleged missed spot on the wall. Jake sauntered closer, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"You did, right here," he pointed vaguely towards the wall. You followed his finger towards the piece of crown moulding you had touched up white, but nothing was amiss.

"You're trying to mess with me, aren't you?"

He shrugged, the corners of his lips turning up into a smirk. "Maybe. Or maybe I just wanted to see you stretch a bit more, get a better view."

Rolling your eyes, you dipped the paintbrush into the tray, contemplating whether to flick a bit of paint at him. "You're impossible," you said with mock exasperation.

"That's why you love me."

Shaking your head, you resumed your painting but couldn't help the smile that crept onto your face.

It had been a few days since Jake's return. With each day that had passed, Jake's back was slowly healing. You'd account it him being as fit as he was, but after the first few, he no longer limped around the house.

You had gone back to his apartment with him to gather some of his things. If it wasn't the urge to take care of him and have him as close as possible after what happened, it was the fact you finally got a glimpse of what his life was like when he was alone.

As he gathered his things, you sat in his stark grey kitchen, frowning at the lack of warmth. It was stereotypical of someone who had a military career. Besides a few picture frames and a framed Long Horns jersey, the place lacked signs of life, all sharp edges and bare surfaces.

You rushed him out of there the second you could. Jake deserved to have a life filled with life, memories and bright colours. One full of love. 

You were putting the last finishing touches on the walls of her room, and Jake was assembling her new desk chair and bed frame out in the hall.

The two of you had stayed up last night to get her desk built, the thing probably missing one too many bolts and screws, considering how many you had left over. It was tucked neatly into the corner of her room, out of the way of any wet paint.

If all went to plan, her room would be ready in time for when you went to pick her up the day after tomorrow.

Jake circled around your ladder, coming closer and eyeing the paint tray on the top step.

"Don't even think about it," you warned, holding your brush out in some type of threat to get him to stop.

He grinned mischievously, dipping his finger into the tray and flicking a droplet of paint directly onto your arm. "Oops," he said, feigning innocence.

"Jake!" you exclaimed, feigning horror at the small speck of paint on your skin, missing the splatter on your overalls. Without warning, you retaliated, swinging your paintbrush toward him and slapping a generous amount of paint to his cheek.

You tried to stop your laugh.

His eyes widened in mock surprise, and he touched his cheek, smearing the paint a bit more. "Oh, you're asking for it now," he threatened playfully, eyeing you.

You let out a challenging laugh. "You started it, Hangman."

Trying to reach for more paint, Jake's arms were suddenly around you, lifting you off the ladder and settling you down to the ground. Your shouts of protests of 'watch your back' fell on his deaf ears as he spun you to face him, pressing his paint-battered cheek up against yours. You squealed, yelping out his name as he ran his hands up and down the length of your body, smearing the remains of white paint across the denim.

"This is counterproductive. We will never finish her room in time."

"Ah, the wall can wait." he grinned, leaning back to take in his handiwork. For a moment, the two of you just stood there, you wiping, trying to pick away at a dried spec of paint under his eye, and Jake, trying to separate a few strains of your hair from your face.

You smiled up at him, lifting up on the balls of your feet to press your lips to his. It was meant to be a quick kiss, one full of affection and giddiness. But Jake tightened his grip on your waist, tugging you closer and taking what was a movement for you to take a breath, to part your lips in a savage kiss. 

His skin was warm under your wandering hands, his lips soft and aggressive against yours. Till Jake slid his hand up into the roots of your hair, firmly pulling your head back to expose your neck, his lips tracking the ridges of your trachea. 

"Fuck, Jake," you gasped, nails biting into his skin. His hand groped the meaty part of your ass, spreading your cheek and heat pooled in the pit of your stomach. 

"Fuck, I need you so goddamn bad," he gruffed out.  

In the span of seconds, Jake had unclipped the two clasps holding the straps of your overalls together, pushing them over your shoulders and reaching for the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head. You pulled him down by the back of his neck, kissing him hard and gasping for breath, scraping your nails down the ridges of his chest.

 He spun you, guiding you a few steps to the corner of the room, bending you slightly over the newly built desk with a hand pressed between your shoulder blades.

"Jake, we can't. Not on Sadie's desk."

"Don't you think we should test it?" he panted out next to your ear, hand sliding down the front of your stomach under your bunched overalls and underwear to cup your cunt, fingers spreading your folds. "Make sure it's secure?"

You whimpered at his touch, your knees on the verge of giving out were it not for your grip on the desk. Jake groaned, curling a finger into your spot. "Ugh, you're so wet for me. Only for me."

Your knees wobbled as he thumbed your clit, and you fell forward, only for Jake to quickly slide his hand at your hip, possessively up your stomach to the center of your chest. With his arm bracketed around your body, you were pulled upright, trapped between him and the desk.

You could do nothing but tilt your head back against his shoulder, leaving your neck exposed, as Jake simultaneously squeezed your breast and pinched your nipple, working his hand into your spot. His mouth was just as bad, going for all the spots he had a chance to study in greater detail that he knew would make you crumble.

"Please, Liz, let me have you again," he groaned desperately into the side of your neck. Turning your head, you met his lips in a desperate kiss, his lips muffling your confirmation before he popped the button on your hip and shoved your overalls down.

You had gone so long without intimacy in your life that you found yourself surprised at how easily you gave in to Jake.

After that first time, the two of you had a long discussion about what the two of you were okay with. Jake ashamedly admitted it was a conversation the two of you should have had after the fair, before the night in his truck, maybe even before the two of you even started dating. But you had assured him he had done nothing so far that you weren't comfortable with, and he had pretty much asked for your consent each time.

And it became clear to you soon after that Jake clearly loved sex.

Reaching for the buckle, Jake's belt clinked as he quickly unworked the strap, the leather hitting the back of your thigh, making you whine. You could even feel the back of his hand as he unzipped his fly and shoved his jeans down, cock jutting out to rub against your folds.

His breath was haggard as he stepped out of them and knocked your leg to the side, grabbing his length only to rub the head teasing against your entrance. You mewled, curling around his arm against your chest.  

"Stop teasing me, Jake," you panted, tilting your hips so that you might thrust yourself back to catch him mid-tease.

"Tell me to do it," he uttered throatily into your ear, having caught on to your attempt, rubbing the head against your clit. "Tell me how good I make you feel." 

But you're not weak, and your resolve is strong. What does your smart mouth reply with, "I have nothing else to compare you to." 

Dropping his forehead to your shoulder, he growls, positioning himself at your entrance. "It's only me. It will only ever be me, making you feel like this, giving you this pleasure, only me fucking you. Loving you. No one else." 

You smirk, knowing you've caught him. "Prove it." 

Jake slid home in one stroke, burying himself in you with a groan, hands grabbing both your hips. 

There were only two other times Jake and you did this. Once after dinner one night during a movie on the couch, and the other in your kitchen while you made coffee. That's not to say other things didn't happen, but with each time you took him, the stretch became easier to handle.

"So tight, darlin'. Ugh, look at you gripping my cock." 

Jake set a harsh pace, a steady claiming rhythm that has you falling to the desk, crying louder and louder each time he hits deep. He's rambling about how pretty you look from his angle, mixing in various swear words while pressing bruises the shape of his fingertips to your hips. He makes a strangled noise, one that has him doubling down and reaching for your shoulder.  

"Tell me where, darlin. Where?!" 

You wanted to feel it again.

"Inside. Please, Jake."

He fell against your back, pinning you to the surface as his hips clashed with yours with newfound vigour. "Yeah? You want me to fill you?"

You whimpered. You knew that tone.

He was going to make you beg for it.

"I said, do you want me to fill you?!" he demanded on a particularly hard thrust. 

You were too far gone to care how you sounded now. 

"Yes, Yes, Yes, please, Jake. Please, cum in me." 

Cold shock surrounds you as Jake pulls his cock from your cunt, causing you to cry out against the surface of the desk at the sudden loss. Then suddenly, you're being pulled up, a duel grip on the bends of your elbows against his chest, stumbling as he guides you away from Sadie's desk.

On weak legs and in supportive arms, you tumble to the ground, letting Jake manhandle you until you are on your back and your legs are wrapped around his waist, him on his knees with his cock, red, angry, poised at your entrance.

Panting, you cock an eyebrow at him in question, but Jake, ruggedly pants out, "I need to see your face," before he presses back in with a rough whine.

"Fuck, Elizabeth. I'm never going to get enough of you."

"Jake," you cry out, gripping the old sheet you used to cover Sadie's bedroom floor above your head.

His eyes darken as he starts his pace again, quickly amounting to rapid punches that have you biting into your bicep. Your screams are muffled, sounding out each time he hits the back of your cervix. It scares you a little bit, this level of desperation, to be wanted on his level by someone. But you knew, above all else, you were the safest when you were with Jake, even now.

Suddenly, Jake's mouth is wrapped around the bend of your jaw, you taking it as a sign he wants you to give him your mouth. You do, curving your spine upward as he takes both of your wrists stretched above your head into the grip of a single hand. He pins you down, taking each desperate cry, every wanton moan, into his mouth as his hips meet yours again and again and again, working to build that release once more.

Then, somewhere in the back of your mind, you register yourself saying you're close, urging him not to stop, never to stop, to keep driving into you, for him to give you everything.

It makes him thrust harder. Makes him take his hand, not holding on to you, and hike your thigh higher on his waist. It makes him gasp into your open mouth, "Always such a good girl, always letting me know what she likes. What she wants. How she takes my cock... How she wants to feel me cum inside her. Oh, fuck, Liz, I'm going to cum."

You scream from his words alone.

Jake sets his teeth into your shoulder, pulling you tight as he finds his release with a needy growl. You whine into his shoulder, a cry following close behind as your muscles pull taunt, and your stomach burns as you clench around him. He slows his thrusts, letting you milk him for all he's worth, until he stills, sagging his entire weight into you and in no rush to leave your warmth.

You can feel rough, harsh pants against your chest that match your own as Jake draws his head down to rest between your breasts, finding a moment's peace as he regains his strength.

Sadie would definitely kill the two of you if she ever found out when she got older.

"Ugh, I'd quit Penny's too if I only had to experience that once in my life."

Jake snickered against your chest, rubbing the outside of your thigh gently. "I'm curious. Where did you hear that story anyway?"

You lifted your head off the ground, staring at him funny.

"Wait, what? It was the reason Penny hired me back? She was short-staffed because there was this pilot," you said, poking him in the shoulder trying to play along, "who was scaring them off after having one-night stands with them."

A faint chuckle slipped from Jake's lips. It was subtle, a mere puff of breath between your breasts. But then it grew, his shoulders starting to shake, and with each second that passed, his voice grew louder and louder.

"What?" you asked him, a smile on your face. Your question only made him laugh harder, making him growl into the side of your breast. "Jake! What's going on?"

You lightly slapped him on his shoulder, prompting him to hum, "I never slept with any of them."

You widened your eyes, shocked, pulling yourself up onto your elbows to look down at him kissing your breasts.

"You're lying."

Jake shook his head, never lifting it once. "I would never lie to you."

"But the sign in the girl's bathroom? That.. I was throwing that at you almost constantly. You never said anything."

"One was having trouble with her... ex, I guess that's what he was?" he started, mouthing the top of your breast. "He slashed her tires during her shift, and I gave her a lift home a couple of times. She said she didn't feel safe with him lurking about and was debating quitting anyway."

You raised your eyebrows, slowly lowering yourself back down to the floor.

"One was trying to get her girlfriend to come to her senses after a fight. She had been offered a publishing job requiring her to move." He gently slid his nose up the length of your clavicle, snuggling his face into your neck and holding you close. "I was just playing a role, pretending to flirt with her. Last I heard, they got married and bought a house together somewhere in Seattle."

Your mouth dropped open.

"The last one was just a troublemaker, running her mouth about sleeping with all the new recruits. She managed to get her nails into Rooster and then saw me as her next victim. I might have had a rep, but I wasn't going to cross Rooster like that. Even back then. She left shortly after."

"Penny didn't know about any of this?"

Jake shook his head. "All of it happened around the time Penny and Mav went on a vacation. The one with the girlfriend wasn't out to anyone yet, and the girl with the ex... well, I'd rather her ex focus on me than her. The tramp just fit the rep I had, so denying anything would have been a waste. I mean, I wasn't a saint, but I hadn't been looking for something like that for a while."

"Jake..."

"It's okay," he sighed affectionately, breath hot against your neck. "It got me to you in the end."

You racked your mind for any explanation or memory that would have counteracted what he just said. But Penny had been short on the details when she asked you to come back. And Jake might have come on a little strong, but you had acted on the assumption he was really trying to get you into his bed.

For all you could have known, it could have been just some harmless flirting, something you've always been awkward at. As you thought about it, he never fully confirmed the story, either. When he kissed you for the first time, and you brought it up, he had said the bartenders had quit for other reasons.

You had also let everyone else form your first impression of him. Because it was that day at Sadie's Soccer game, they told you Jake had a thing for Bartenders.

Well, one person did.

"Fucking hell, Rooster!" you tried to shoot up off Sadie's bedroom floor, angry and feeling like you had been duped. "Bradley Bradshit Fucking Bradshaw, oh, I'm going to fucking murder you!"

Jake pushed you back down to the floor, laughing at your reaction.

"You fucking meathead, you were the one sleeping with people, weren't you?! Your name was on that list, too!"

"It's done and over with, Liz," he snorted. "We just got him on the same page about us. We don't need to jeopardize it."

But you shook your head back and forth against the floor, and Jake couldn't figure out if you were angry or laughing at the idiotic nature that was the overgrown chicken.

"Liz?"

"I really am Elizabeth Bennet!" you whined out. Jake sputtered out a laugh, moving so he was resting completely on top of you, arms looped under your shoulders.

"I really am!" you cried out. "And Ridley's having the last laugh 'cause she freaking named me after her."

Jake stroked your hair back at the side of your temples. "I think that's the first time you've told me about her without being sad."

His words sobered you, making you swallow harshly. "She left me a letter. And called me out on some stuff. Rightly so. I think the worst part for me was not knowing what she was thinking. The most horrible thing I could have done to myself was not read her letter when I should have."

He pressed his forehead to yours, trying to bring you some level of comfort.

"I wish I could have met her."

The other letter you stashed up on top of the refrigerator stood out like a solid picture in your mind.

Maybe you still can.

"I wish you could have too."

Jake trailed his nose along yours, gently kissing your lips, his thumbs sliding across your cheekbones. It has you sliding your hands up the length of his chest, one finding a home on the back of his neck.

When he pulls back, his face has a tender look as he gazes down at you. It fills you with warmth, so much so that you blurt out, "Move in with us."

His smile drops. "What?"

"Move in with us," you replied softly.

Jake blinked, clearly caught off guard, and studied your face for a long moment. You felt vulnerable under his gaze, worried about how he'd respond.

"We've done so much of this backwards, Jake. I don't think any of us had any plans to follow the rules," you admitted, chuckling nervously.

He quirked his lips upward. "Rules? What rules?"

You find solace in his reply, your nerves settling in the pit of your stomach when you return his smile.

"I meant what I said in my letter. I'm in, Jake, whatever comes our way. If it's marriage, kids, or none of those things, I just want you in Sadie and our lives. I don't want to waste time not being with you when you could be swept away from us any time you're called out."

You glide your fingers through his hair, stroking the tuffs back just above his ear. "I want to make memories with you, wake up next to you. I want hikes with you and Sadie and Saturday nights with family, ending with us doing the dishes. I want the two of us to continue being the reason you come home so you never have to know a life that's not full of love."

You felt it before you saw it, a drop of water hitting your cheek, and you realized Jake was fighting to stop tears from pooling in his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice choked with emotion.

You nodded. "I might have taken the longest, most backward route to deal with my grief, and God knows I give Bradley one too many chances when I probably shouldn't," You paused, a smirk playing on your lips as you looked into Jake's eyes. "But I love you, and I've never been more sure of anything in my life than this."

Jake took a moment, a whirlwind of emotions playing across his face, till he finally settled on a broad smile. "Let's wait till we get the bug from Camp to decide that?"

You frowned at him, but Jake only shook his head.

"She needs to know what she's getting herself into, yes?" he growled, rolling you on top of him.

------

The morning you were going to pick up Sadie from Camp, Jake was up and out of bed before you. Before you had even opened your eyes, you had reached out for him, only to be met by an empty space.

You got up, reaching for your robe to cover your naked body, hoping Jake hadn't gone out for a run. He was chomping at the bit to get back into exercising, and you didn't blame him. The doctor on base hadn't cleared him yet, and you were doing everything possible to ensure he didn't break that rule and set himself back.

Even the sex had you worried.

You found him sitting at your kitchen table with Sadie's Polaroid in hand and a cup of coffee next to him, gentle swirls of steam catching the light from your window. He was hunched over in thought, absent-mindedly working his hand across his mouth, staring down at her image.

You approached him quietly, placing a gentle hand on his back before wrapping your arm around the front of his chest, resting your chin on his shoulder.

Jake reached up, squeezing your wrist.

"Is that her cockpit photo?"

You remember this one, the F-18 and museum trip, and you understood why Sadie had wanted to include it with the others from the day of the hike.

Jake nodded. "The very one."

He reached over into the small pile, spreading the images out before sliding one of you in front of him. You weren't surprised the risky one was missing, Jake probably having stashed it somewhere safe out of your reach after he found out you wanted to burn it.

He never let you hear the end of that one... and then some. Only Jake could turn your anxious thoughts into something sexual. Though, that was a story for another day.

"This one is yours."

You lifted your head from Jake's shoulder to step next to him and lift the photo off the table.

It wasn't the prettiest photo. Clearly, Sadie had been messing with her camera when she accidentally snapped it. But you looked happy, smiling at Jake out of the frame. It was probably the first time you had truly smiled at something, and you knew then and there that Sadie only included it because all three of you knew who made you smile like that.

Yet, when you turned to Jake, he couldn't take his eyes off hers.

"She's going to prove you wrong, Jake."

He didn't give you a reply, his face etched in worry.

You gently grabbed his arm, pulling it out of the way so you could slide yourself in between him and the table. You popped yourself down, sitting sideways across his lap, wrapping your arm around the back of his neck.

"Can I tell you something, and you promise not to judge me for it?"

Jake shot you a look that made you smile, placing your head between his collar and jaw.

"The night I opened her box, it was a week after you left, and I broke down," you felt Jake's arms tighten around your body. "I was so upset, I ripped these from my neck and threw them across the room."

You held Jake's tags out in front of you, thumbing the rubber casing around one of them.

"Sadie found me. I don't know if she was scared of the thunderstorm or heard me scream, but she got them and returned them to me."

"I didn't give them to you to cause you pain..."

You were quick to reassure him, placing a hand on his cheek and letting the tag fall back to your chest. "No, they didn't. They just... helped me see what I was doing to myself. And I missed you. So much."

Jake pressed a kiss to your forehead, stroking your bare leg.

"She wouldn't have given them back to me if she didn't want you in our lives, Jake," you continued. "All along, that's what she's been doing. Showing you she cares. Since you helped her with her math homework."

You cupped his face gently, ensuring he was focusing entirely on you. "She doesn't, Jake. She misses you. She cares for you. She loves you so much."

He chuckled softly, "I swear she knew half the answers after that first day but just wanted to spend time together."

"She's more astute than we give her credit for," You said with a grin, nuzzling closer to him.

"She's just.." he trailed off. "She's one hell of a kid."

You smiled softly. "She is," you agreed.

The two of you sat like that for a few more minutes, Jake holding you, letting his coffee cool. The two of you didn't say anything, nor you didn't need to. Both of you were simply content to be holding one another.

"Come on," you said, getting up and holding out your hand. He took it, bringing himself to a stand. "We should get ready before Nat arrives."

Jake wiggled his eyebrows, following you down the hall.

"You think we could manage a quickie?"

"Jacob Seresin, you are a horny beast!"

"Takes one to know one, Darlin'."

------

When you and Nat dropped Sadie off at camp the week prior, she promised she'd come with you to pick her up. However, when she arrived at your house an hour later, a stowaway was with her - which was ironic when you thought about it. Nearly a year ago, Jake had been in Rooster's shoes, standing apprehensively in front of your porch step.

You had never seen him look more out of his element than he did when you opened the door.

You had instantly shot her a look.

"It slipped out," Nat held her hands up in defence. You placed your hands on your hips, cocking your eyebrow. "Really? It slipped out?"

There was no malice behind your words. If Bradley wanted to come with you guys to pick up Sadie, you weren't going to stop him. You smiled at Bradley, nodding at him that it was okay that he was here. He relaxed, returning your smile.

Jake pressed a kiss to your temple before walking out to your porch and down the steps to join Bradley. Nat and you walked over to the railing, somewhat away from the two, watching them have their moment.

 She knocked your hip once, leaning over towards you to ask, "So I guess it was a good week."

"Why wouldn't it be?" you asked her confused.

"Cause you're walking funny and have a hickey twice as large as the first one you got. You did a shit job at covering up," she laughed.

You blushed, blubbering out, "Nat.. that's not.. I mean... What the hell do you mean I did a shit job?!"

She only continued to laugh, knocking your hip once again. "I guess you don't mind the anagram on his helmet now."

You sputtered, your mouth opening and closing like a fish, and Nat only relished in the innocent look on your face, trying to stop herself from drawing attention to the two of you.

Jake and Bradley, however, didn't hear the two of you. Bradley was too caught up in his head, trying to figure out what to say to him, and Jake was trying to come up with the words to properly thank him for saving his life.

"Bradshaw." 

Bradley looked him up and down, a smirk on his face. "You look good, Hangman. You know, despite the..." Bradley pointed to the healing bruise on the side of his face. It wasn't as nasty as before, but still an ugly yellow-brown shade.

"Yeah, well.." Jake remarked, taking his eyes off Bradley for a second before looking back. "For all I know, I have you to blame for that."

Bradley let out a small chuckle. "Yeah..."

A silence befell over the two, and Jake mulled over the right thing to say that would express his gratitude to Rooster, that he wouldn't take the wrong way.

"Thank you for bringing me back to her," his voice carrying sincerity unknown and rare to Bradley. "To them. For saving my life."

"You two okay?" Bradley asked, tilting his head towards you.

Jake glanced over to you and Nat, sharing a laugh over something, and Bradley caught the loving look as Jake settled his eyes on you. "Yeah, we are. More than okay."

Bradley looked away, the weight of everything he had done heavy in the air.

"I need to apologize to you, Jake."

Bradley's use of Jake's name, not this call sign, made him turn back, slightly shocked.

"I've given you, given the both of you a hard time. I... just wanted to protect them, you know? They've been through so much, and Sadie..." he stopped, struggling to find the words. Jake crossed his arms, staring pointedly at Rooster as he rambled.

"I was in Sadie's shoes at one point in my life. And I think from what I know about you now, you'd do anything not to have someone else go through what we've gone through to get here in our lives."

Jake nodded in agreement. "Can I ask you what made you change your mind?"

Bradley didn't look at him when a soft smile came over his face, and he remarked, "When I saved your life."

Jake barked out a laugh, shaking his head. Bradley joined him, soft chuckles escaping his chest.

"I never thought I'd be sitting by your bedside while waiting for an airlift, begging you not to die," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Would have solved all your problems if I did, right?" 

Bradley shook his head. "No, it wouldn't. I wasn't about to let Sadie or Liz experience the death of another person they loved.

"And?" Jake prompted, letting his voice drawl on.

"And I realized I was creating problems where there was none," he exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "And projecting some shit onto you two."

Bradley wasn't about to admit to Jake his entire back story. That he was going to therapy, too, but something told him even if Jake knew, he wouldn't hold it against him.

He was seeing you, after all.

"You have every right to be in their lives. I'm sorry I assumed differently. If you make Liz and Sadie happy, I'm not going to stay in the way of that."

Jake scrunched up his nose, acting like he was contemplating his apology, before holding out his hand. It was not too unfamiliar from when he offered it after saving his and Maverick's life two years ago.

"Clean slate?"

Bradley cocked his eyebrow. "Really? A clean slate?"

"Just like that."

Rooster glanced at Jake's outstretched hand for a moment before taking it, gripping it tight and shaking it once. He went to let go, but Jake only tugged, making Bradley take a clumsy step forward, his shoulder almost meeting Jake's chest. He leaned over as if to pat him on the back, but instead, he tilted his head to say something into Bradley's ear.

"Just don't use me as a scapegoat this time to cover up the fact you're getting some."

Jake slapped him on the back hard, then stepped back as Bradley sputtered out a cough.

"Come on, boys!" Nat called out, having seen the interaction.

They turned back as you finished her shout, yelling out affectionately, "We have a Bug to go catch!"

------

Nobody protested when you asked if the four of you could stop by the thrift shop on the way to pick Sadie up. You had mentioned it had something to do with her birthday present, and nobody seemed to argue. Jake had only smiled, and Bradley and Nat instantly agreed, all too eager to see the famous store you and Ridley had found.

When the four of you entered the shop, Rooster, as you expected, practically ran to the vinyl section, Nat close on his heels to make sure he didn't break anything in his excitement.

Jake followed you to the counter, where you had to wait in line to see Mr. Murray. You honestly stupidly thought he would have gone off on his own, not follow you to the line. He couldn't see what you were doing; as much as this was a surprise for Sadie, this was a surprise for him too.

You had to think of something to get him to go away, and you had to do it fast.

Jake's hand was resting low on your hip when you turned and pressed your hands flat to his chest. Pulling yourself up, you lifted one of your hands to trace the outline of his lips with your fingers before you kissed him, slow and purposely. Lowering yourself back down, Jake's eyes remained closed until his brain caught up with him, and he found himself staring down at your lips.

"Shoo," you cooed at him with a grin. Jake raised his eyebrows. "Shoo? You want me to shoo?"

You nodded, pecking his lips again quickly in a bid to get him to leave you alone.

"Why? It's just Sadie's birthday present."

You bit your lip. There was no real reason he couldn't be there with you, and you didn't have a reply that wouldn't have given away her gift.

Deciding to take one out of Sadie's book instead, you slowly slid your hands down his back, cupping his ass, and squeezing hard once, leaning up to whisper into his ear, "No questions asked?"

Jake's groan vibrated in your ear. "I know what you're doing. And I know I'm at fault for it."

"Is it working?" you teased, sneakily taking his ear lobe between your teeth and letting go just as quickly. To any on-looker, it appeared as if you were simply whispering something in his ear.

"Still doesn't change the fact you're trying to get rid of me."

You slowly slid your mouth down, nipping the skin of his neck in a quick motion that made him hiss. You pulled back to take in the tiny mark, slightly proud of yourself.

"You're defiling government property, darlin'."

"You're not on duty, are you? That makes you mine."

"Oh, you're going to pay for that later."

"Am I?" you said, making sure your lips were just over his, just barely, enough so he might feel your breath but not your touch.

You weren't sure who this person was that Jake had awoken, but every time you found yourself in a position to tease Jake about something, you felt like those social media videos Sadie liked to watch with you, the ones where someone faked an "achievement unlocked" status above their head. Jake had no idea the power he had suddenly shown you.

He went to kiss you, but you dodged his attempt, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Go make sure Rooster doesn't break something. I'm sure that 45' Jerry Lee Lewis record is still there. He already plays Great Balls of Fire enough."

Jake grimaced. "Yup, no, thank you."

You patted him on his chest. Jake winked at you, turning on his heel, not before catching you mid-spin with a light slap to the meaty part of your ass. You yipped, jumping from where you stood, a hand covering the sting. Jake was already walking away with a shit-eating grin on his face, calling out, "Rooster! Hands off the classics!"

Looking up, you came face to face with Mr.Murray, his eyebrows raised. Heat flooded your cheeks more than it already had, and you felt like a kid getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"Glad to see that one's safe and sound."

You blushed. "That was.. ah.. That was me..."

Mr. Murray shook his head, reassuring you. "My wife and I were like that at one point. Could barely keep our hands off each other. Still do to some extent."

"Mr. Murray," you blushed, stepping forward.

Reaching into your bag, you pulled out the patches ripped from Jake's ruined flight suit, secretly sliding them across the counter. Jake had saved what he could and asked you to throw out the rest. Little did he know you had other plans.

"Do you think you could fix them up? Do the thing we talked about?"

Mr. Murray looked down at the patches in your hand, taking them and smiling.

"For Sadie? Anything."

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

You knew there would be more moments in your life where you would feel immense pride for Sadie, each one topping the last. But watching her row her boat down that river, similar to how you and Ridley had done it as kids, would be something you'd never forget.

Her wanting to go to camp came from one of the polaroids Ridley left behind. You weren't sure who had managed to catch it, and the years had not been kind to the image, but Sadie wanted to know all the memories associated with that photo as you were pulling them out, deciding to preserve them in a scrapbook. You weren't shy about telling her. It was easier, having since opened her box, for you to talk about Ridley without clamming up.

In the end, she asked if she could go to camp like you and her mom did—specifically one where she could row her own boat down a river like that one.

The sunlight glinted off the water, shimmering as you leaned forward, a pair of binoculars held up to your face. Jake's knee bounced anxiously next to you, his eyes darting back and forth between the group and the river bend as Nat and Bradley carried on a separate conversation, waiting for Sadie's boat to come into view.

As you arrived, you had told the group that Sadie was taking part in this race before they could see her. Nat already knew, having made a poster with "Go Sadie Bug!" written across it in big colourful letters and splattered with ladybugs. It sat between the two of you, ready the second she appeared.

It was but a few more seconds before the boats made it around the corner, and you spied her and her teammate rapidly gaining on third place.

"There!" You cried out, letting the binoculars fall to your lap as you pointed. "In the red!"

Jake scanned the water, his heart thumping in his chest as the crowd started to pick up that the kids were nearing the end. His world momentarily narrowed to a mere pinpoint as he searched for one particular kid. A flash of red stood out from the rest, and Jake homed in on her small frame, leaning into every paddle stroke, fierce and determined.

All the uncertainty, the worry about whether she still resented him, evaporated. At that moment, Jake was filled with pride, seeing her giving her all out there on the water.

You were already on your feet by the time Jake stood, watching as Sadie and her teammate paddled vigorously, tied neck to neck with the team currently in third. Bradley leaned forward from his spot on the bleacher, muttering with confidence over and over, "She's got this. She's got this."

Beside him, Nat was unrolling her poster, the rubber band snapping in her excitement and eagerness, as she stood, throwing the piece of Bristol board over her head, letting out a shout.

Jake couldn't help but shout out his encouragement, even if she couldn't hear him from this distance or amongst the shouts of other parents. 

"Come on, Bug! Give them hell!"

The distance between the two canoes started to close, and with each powerful stroke, Sadie and her teammate pushed into third, leaving the other canoe in the wake of their water trail. And then, inch by inch, the two of them rapidly approached the other two canoes, currently tied neck and neck for first place.

Bradley's voice joined the others as he shot up and out of his seat. " That's it! Come on, Sadie! Come on!"

But you... you were suddenly overwhelmed, tears streaming down your face as your heart pounded away inside your chest because it wasn't Sadie you were seeing, but your sister, shouting back over her shoulder to encourage what appeared to be you, trying just as hard to see the two of you through to the finish line.

It was such a vivid memory, and you could almost hear her voice, her laughter, as she yelled for the two of you to keep paddling, as she now yelled for Sadie to keep paddling. You didn't shove it down as you might have done once before.

You embraced it.

You instinctively looked over to Jake, who was too focused on watching Sadie to see your eyes on him. His face was lit up with fierce pride and love, and seeing Jake's unwavering support, despite questioning if Sadie really cared for him or not, in your heart, you knew the two of you would always be safe with him.

Sadie was undeterred by the task in front of her. It was clear. The finish line was drawing close, and you couldn't help but reach out to grasp Jake and Nat's forearms.

Nat yelled, "She can do it! She's our bug!"

With a surge of energy, Sadie and her teammate closed the gap, drawing level with the leading canoe. Her face was lit up in sheer determination as she shouted out, using every ounce of energy she had left to push themselves forward, crossing the finish line a mere few seconds before the previous leaders.

You let out a cry, screaming for joy as Jake went for your waist, lifting you up towards the sky in celebration as he celebrated, letting out a shout. Nat was hugging Bradley as he let out a loud whistle in appreciation.

Even if he thought she hated him, Jake still lowered you to the ground and pulled you into his arms, giving you an overly excited kiss and exclaiming how proud he was of her.

After everything she had been through, after everything she had to face this past year, you were proud of her, too.

The four of you escaped the bleachers, making your way down to the docks where you were meant to pick her up. Jake held your hand, eyes nervously scanning the crowd of kids staring to find their parents.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and you squeezed his hand once, swinging it back and forth. "You okay?"

Jake opened his mouth, ready to answer you, before Nat suddenly jumped and squealed, "There she is!" pointing to Sadie on the boardwalk below.

The four of you watched as she made her way up the dock, a red ribbon in hand, as she laughed and celebrated with her friend. You smiled, letting go of Jake's hand to step forward and join Nat at the peek of the hill so she would find you easily.

Rooster stepped forward to get a better view, but he still stayed behind with Jake, who remained where he was, currently clenching and unclenching his fists.

He didn't know if he was ready for this.

Sadie was saying goodbye to her friend when she realized you and Nat would have been in the crowd with everyone else. She thought she had seen someone holding a poster with Lady Bugs on it, but she had only gotten a quick peek before she had to concentrate on the finish line.

She leaned up on the edges of her shoes, scanning the crowd with a hopeful gaze. She knew you'd be here. You promised you would, and you never broke a promise.

A big smile appeared across her face when she finally found you and Nat waving at her on top of the hill. She picked herself up into a run, giggling like anything and everything.

You dropped to your knees, prepared to catch her in one of her overly dramatic hugs that would have you failing to the ground if you weren't ready. But then she stopped dead in her tracks, a gasp escaping her lips. Her face started to red, blue eyes wide and watering, and her bottom lip was begging to tremble as she looked past you.

Concerned, you followed her gaze, realizing she had caught sight of Jake and Bradley standing behind you.

"Oh, Bug," Nat cooed next to you. But you knew, right away, who warranted that reaction.

Jake caught sight of her, a hopeful yet apprehensive look on his face. His heart thudded heavily in his chest, awaiting what he thought to be the ultimate reprimand and lowest point in his life. Because everything was waiting on this moment, despite his apology, despite working his way back to the two of you, if Sadie didn't want him here, if she didn't want him in her life, he would walk away.

It was the longstanding promise to put her first. Her feelings mattered above all else.

But the ribbon she had won slipped from her hand at her side, falling to the ground, forgotten. She stumbled backwards a few steps as her mind caught up with the sight. Sadie couldn't believe it. Because everyone she had ever cared about, one way or another, had been taken away from her beyond anyone's control.

Uncle Jake was here.

He came back.

He was alive.

He was home.

"Uncle Jake!" She cried out, finally propelling herself into a run, going straight past Nat, you, and forgoing Bradley entirely to beeline it to him. The tension released from Jake's shoulders as he dropped to his knees into the dirt, holding out his arms to take the crying girl into his arms.

Sadie couldn't help but throw herself at him, launching her tiny body and wrapping her arms and legs around him only to borrow her head into his neck.

Jake's vision blurred, tears starting to form as he dropped his chin to her shoulder. He cradled her close, letting out a shaky exhale, his grip matching Sadie's tight. The two of them were terrified either one might vanish if they let go. The weight of everything he'd faced, the danger, the near-death, it all paled in comparison to this moment of pure joy and absolute relief.

Sadie did want him in your lives after all.

You could faintly make out the words from him as he cooed over her sobs, "I'm here, Bug. I'm here."

You stood, walking over and kneeling down next to them. You placed a hand on Jake's back and rested the other on Sadie's. Jake lifted his head to look at you, and you were surprised to see his eyes watering. The sight of him holding Sadie, moved by her missing him, brought tears to your eyes.

"Why are you crying, Bug?" You soothed, trying to stop your own voice from breaking.

She pulled back from Jake's neck to look at you. Despite her blotched face and tears, a smile was etched across her face as she blubbered out, "He came home."

Her statement wasn't lost on you. Ridley never made it home to her that night. The family you guys had found was made up of people who flirted with death daily. For as long as they flew, there would always be the chance one of them would never make it home.

"Of course, I made it home, Bug," Jake said, pressing a soft kiss into her hair. "I had to make it home to both of my girls."

Sadie buried her face into the fabric of his shirt, weeping, and you watched as he fought with himself not to cry.

Then she started to giggle through her sniffles, happiness starting to replace her sadness. She curled her head to the side against his chest, gripping his shirt tight between her tiny fingers and taking a few deep breaths.

She didn't want to let him go.

"I love you, Uncle Jake."

You had to wipe your eyes, knowing exactly where that came from.

Jake slammed his eyes shut. "I love you too, Bug."

He was in it for the long run. There was no question about it.

Sadie sharply lifted her head, looking at you, then at Jake, back and forth several times, her mouth hanging loosely open.

"Wait..are you two back together now?"

You nodded. "Are you okay with that?"

It was redundant to ask, but you still needed to anyway.

You could see the gears grinding in her head, working up a quick-witted response only she could come up with. Then you noticed the second the idea popped into her head, fighting to prevent the corners of her mouth from turning upward.

She tried to relax her face, but she was failing miserably. Jake caught on when she tried to become stoic, and his cheeky grin widened with each second that passed. She had done this to him once before, and he wasn't about to be caught in her trap for a second time.

Then a grin stretched across her face, reminding you so much of Ridley.

"Finally. My job here is over."

Little matchmaker, indeed.

You gasped affectionately, playing along as if you didn't know she had been trying to get the two of you together. "Why, you little..."

You attacked her with your fingers, tickling her stomach. Jake tried to contain his laughter as she started to squirm in his arms, shouting out, "Save me, Uncle Jake! Save me!"

Jake tried to lean back to keep her out of your path, but despite his reassurance, his back hadn't returned to being almost 100 percent. It spasmed, causing him to lose his balance off his knees. Sadie screamed, reaching for the only thing she could, which happened to be you, tugging on the front of your shirt.

Your breath caught in your throat as you fell with them, Jake securely tightening his arm around Sadie's back as she fell onto his chest while reaching out for you. He took the brunt of your fall, you landing on the opposite side of his chest, and Jake groaned, tilting his head back against the ground to the sky, laughing.

Nat gathered Sadie's ribbon off the ground, coming to stand next to Bradley, who was watching the three of you with an affectionate smile.

"Damn it, Rooster," Nat teased, knocking his side with hers. "It looks like you've been replaced."

Bradley shook his head.

When Sadie first came to live with you, each of the Daggers had found something to share with her. Nat and her loved sports, and Bob listened to her gush about bugs. Maverick did anything and everything fun and semi-dangerous with her. Fanboy and Payback loved playing games with her, and Coyote was simply there when she needed him. For Bradley, it had been sharing their grief at losing a parent.

But Jake... It wasn't Jake offering Sadie anything. It was Sadie who held out her hand and took him under her tiny arm. Sadie, who offered him her love with no questions asked.

He was never at risk of being replaced, never at risk of losing her love or her playing favourites. Sadie simply cared for everyone and everything thing.

It's just who she was.

"You know what, Nat, I don't mind," He replied, fondly looking at Jake, Sadie and you, now sharing a hug.

"As much as he needs Liz, he needs Sadie too."

I'm crying. There's only one more left 😭💛

Tag List:

@blue-aconite @tinytotontheoversizedpony @djs8891 @caitsymichelle13 @startrekfangirl2233

@mayhemmanaged @ereardon @dempy @shanimallina87 @teacupsandtopgun @daggerspare-standingby

@phantomxoxo @formulapierre @eli2447 @fulla02 @blckgrl-sunflower @mizzzpink @ohgodnotagainn

@bubblegumbeautyqueen @sarahsmi13s @desert-fern @lynnestra44 @memoriesat30 @penwieldingdreamer @mxlanciia

@bradleybeachbabe @bobby-r2d2-floyd @lavenderbradshaw @roosters-girl @lovinglyeternal @kmc1989 @gigisimsonmars

@keyrani @craftytrashprincess @hisredheadedgoddess28 @abzidabzy @memeorydotcom @vicsnook @taestrwbrry

@its-the-pilot @dizzybee03 @cassiemitchell

Part 23 - Sleep Deprivation, the final part, coming soon 😭

Wickett

[rainbowskittle]

Get To Know Your Mutuals

Answer questions and tag mutuals.

Tagged by @sloasis thank you! ✨

You get $100 to go thrift shopping. What are you buying and why? Books for half and the other half vinyl records. Why? I love both of them and sadly they always soooo expensive. Plus already like 90% of my clothes come from thrift stores so haha don’t need to spend it on that. Not really into clothes so rather have those two. (No I’m not nudist haha no hate if you are. I just mean I don’t care for name brand clothes. If the clothes are comfy, fits, and not crazy expensive I’ll get it.)

What's a song you could listen to dozens of times in a row and not get bored? Honestly anything Green Day, Simple Plan, and BLÜ EYES put out. I always have them on loop anyway… I’m blaming on an exact song name but yeah anything from either of these bands.

What's a decade you really like music from? I loveeee 1990s and early 2000’s music. I also always have those on repeat. (Mostly Punk and Indie too for genre) But yeah honestly anything in those two time frames had awesome music.

What's your dream hair? Ooh I really want to do a mullet haha but I don’t think with my straight (ha the only thing about me) hair wouldn’t make it look right? It looks so cool on others though maybe one day I’ll try it.. because hats can cover it haha if I don’t like it.. but yeah guess that a mullet? Or too I wish my hair was an unnatural hair color that be cool.

What's a chore you actually like doing that surprises people? Even before I worked at an apparel store I liked folding clothes. Definitely at store too it was better than helping ‘Karens’ or doing back up cashier. So yeah that? And funny enough before working there I had my clothes hanging in ‘rainbow order’ like they do at the store. So guess folding clothes is my favorite chore.

Do you fidget? How, or with what? Yep. I’ve always been a nail bitter. One time I did so good not doing it and I cut my nails and then that night I bite them again. (I don’t eat the nail ew.) But that is my fidget I pick at them. I always noticed for a while now my one leg bounces when I’m sitting.

Tell me about a current hyperfixation of yours. How current we talking? Honestly if it’s queer related I’ll get hyper fixated on it. Umm 9-1-1 since season 4 was out I been into that. Or True Crime is new ish I guess? Since 2020 I wanted a new genre of shows and found that? Yes it’s sad but I like the psychology of it.. not the cop side oops not a fan. Wait who said that? Oh look a cat.

What's your favorite animated movie or TV series? To many good ones but the first one to come to mind is I love the Across The Spider Verse. How To Train Your Dragon series of movies are really good too. I’m blanking on a TV Series I’ll have to come back to answer that one.

If you were forced to lose one of your five senses, which one would you? I wear glasses on my eyes already so they don’t work without them.. but like completely? Ah I’d miss music but maybe hearing? Since I did take ASL in High Shool and know here and there some signs… and been wanting to re learn it.. since it didn’t stick. So yeah hearing?

What makes you feel put together? What makes you feel like you have your life in order? You know, that thing that makes you go, okay yeah no I got this. Haha bro *gender neutral* I literally just went 27 years around the sun yesterday.. I still don’t know how to answer this. Someone asked me yesterday ‘what you want to do with your life?’ … I legit shrugged.. I don’t know. Travel, eat good find, find queer community, and idk enjoy my fandom shows so I can enjoy fandom art and fanfics from other people in the fandom. And maybe find a person to travel this world with. And ohhh petting cats is always a must. So long story short I don’t know. To be determined… *error message oops never finds the answer*

Tagging: @coldbrewqueer @aribeexx @imadreamysoul @re-bec-ca-ann @beddesth @speaknowbuckley @acetrainerjen @haceleyes @loverboypoet @making-the-most-0f-it @calmyourrtitss @eddito-hearts-evancito @eddiediazforlife @girlswithguns22magnum @indigeum / if tagged don’t have to if don’t want to.. sorry. 💫

[dark-jessica]

i haven't been good about book updates, oops. my brain is so cooked from adjusting to a new job and going in to an actual office, i haven't really had any energy. today—when i actually had something i wanted to talk about—i realized that oh, i'm, uh, behind aren't i? so i'm going fix that, then post the other thing i wanted to talk about. separate.

what i've read over the last month-ish whilst not updating:

the golden raven by nora sakavic

summer sons by lee mandelo

healing the shame that binds you by john bradshaw (re-read)

complex ptsd: from surving to thriving by pete walker

the drama of the gifted child by alice miller

lord of the flies by william golding

passing by nella larson

things have gotten worse since we last spoke by eric larocca

i am not going to talk about the golden raven right now, actually, because i want to talk about the series as a whole, so it'll be a separate post. spoiler: i have fully lost my mind over it.

summer sons

i didn't know anything about this one except that it was tagged 'queer horror' which sounded interesting. i ended up enjoying it, i think mainly because of how atmospheric it was. it felt like the breathlessness of being in a too-hot car in a deserted parking lot on a summer afternoon, it sounded like the world holding it's breath, and it smelled like heat and gasoline. there were large parts i couldn't connect to at all (car racing??), and many that reminded me of the terror and anxiety of being 20. the plot was fine, but honestly the part that stood out the least to me.

all the fuckin non-fiction self-help books

i don't really feel like writing about these, bc i'd really rather not get into my personal life on tumblr ha ha. i'll just say that healing the shame that binds you is a long-time fave & life changer.

lord of the flies

most people i know had to read lord of the flies for school, but i never did. it's one of those things i've meant to read for ages, but never got around to. i knew the like, basic premise and vague details on what happens (how can you not?) but reading it was actually a real delight. golding's prose was really beautiful and evocative. it's another one that felt very atmospheric, like heat and slowness, with increasing anxiety and tension. the way golding wrote the dialog and inner worlds of the boys also felt very authentic. i suppose there's a reason why it's a classic.

passing

i picked this up when i suddenly felt an urgent need for something different, and a classic by a black woman about race and feminism sounded like the perfect thing. and it was perfect! i was immediately enchanted by nella larson's writing, and her descriptions of the people around her. it put me in the mood to read more stuff by women, about women.

things have gotten worse since we last spoke

this was not the answer to 'books about women'—midway through i stopped to check, and realized it was written by a cis man, which provided clarity around why the conversations between the female protagonists felt distinctly off. not off as in "these characters are fucked up", because i expected that going in. ultimately this was a major letdown for me, especially because the premise sounded really cool. there were a few pages i had to straight up skip because they made me sick to my stomach. i'm not typically squeamish, but this hit on two things i can't stand (animal abuse and body horror, especially around food contamination/insects are my 'hell fucking no' triggers) and while that's certainly part of why i didn't like it, it isn't the whole reason. the concept sounded very cool, so really it was a big letdown. hiss.

[generic-whumperz]

OC in 3

Choose 3 pics to represent your OC

Oops, I got overly excited and made 10 three-picture collages

Omg thank you @mj-iza-writer for the tag! I am honored that I came to mind! 🥹

No pressure (& open to anyone interested!) tag: @rainydaywhump @eatyourdamnpears @clairelsonao3 @dresden-syndrome @lights-out-knives-out @snakebites-and-ink

| Aid Masterlist | Aid Character Sheet | Character Info

Soooo, I know I’m supposed only to pick three pics, but honestly, I simply cannot (I know, no surprise there). I have been wanting to do a vibe photo dump for The Aid (the Whumpee & title of the story) but have yet to do it (hello, my ever-expanding Pinterest boards), so I’ll take this chance to explore The Aid’s past phases he’s gone through (pre & post-Wyatt {Whumper #2}) and give some explanations because it’s a lot. However, I don’t know if explanations are necessary for this tag game, but I’m famously too much, so of course, I’m going to over-explain myself because of my crippling fear of being misunderstood!

Ironically, I call his time with Madame Eleanor (technical Whumper #1) his “Aid Era” because that’s when he becomes this character we are introduced to and currently know him as. Yet, this is the part of his life he is phasing out of. **Insert something-something about being haunted by your past.**

(In the current storyline, he is going through a succession of more changes, and his world is about to be turned upside down yet again, but I’ll hold off on showing those for now because they’re spoilers, and I have more than enough here!)

Starting from the top, here we goooo—

P.S. The people in these pics are not what the characters look like, this is simply vibes only!

Day 1

1. As soon as The Aid arrives at his new home, Madame Eleanor gets custom-made Gucci uniforms made for him that looks like this. This is his go-to everyday attire. (I spent too long looking at scrubs and hospitality uniforms on and off for over a month—tell me you like it and think it’s cool and sleek.)

2. He has a special built-in in his closet specifically for all his fancy, jewel-encrusted collars Madame Eleanor gifted him throughout the years, but this is what the facility's standard-issue collar looks like for his designation (Grand Servant: Domestic Aid).

3. His favorite Prada frames Madame Eleanor got him. (Wyatt later breaks them because he’s an asshole, leaving him straight up blind for several months).

Fancy Threads

Eleanor Sullivan was a Rich Bitch™️, so best believe she had her servant dressed to the 9s in designer fits when out and about or for Family events and the like. She may also put him in a butler uniform from time to time when they were hosting a party at their residence—which was often, Eleanor was known for her soirées. (To clarify, he’d still wear a collar even when dressed up, and all those attending knew who and what he was.)

The Host

He loved a good party just as much as Eleanor did! He likes serving and seeing people have fun and enjoy themselves (people-pleasing empath). He was known for his food displays and had a knack for creating a proper afternoon tea spread that garnered attention from all those present.

Speaking of Empath…

We can’t talk about him without bringing up his not-so-secret secret! Lil’ homie has a gang of abilities (telepathic empathy, hyper intuition, premonitions, and psychometry) just bubbling up inside him at all times. His relationship with himself and his sixth senses is complicated, to say the least—he finds them burdensome, yet he cannot function without them, despite how much he argues otherwise. It’s a whole thing, but for a certified Telepathic-Empath™️, he sure is dead inside (which only gets worse after Wyatt OFC).

*Sorry for the shitty upload quality of the Emotional Sponge, idk why it looks so bad!

Domestic Duties

Not only can he slap together the best charcuterie board you’ve ever seen and easily untangle Christmas lights, but he’s also a man who can cook, clean, and keep a house. What can’t he do?

Hobbies? Interests?

Don’t be ridiculous, he didn’t have time for leisure activities! But when he had some occasional downtime, he would spend an ungodly amount of it doing facials and grooming himself. He also loved to go to the spa with Madame Eleanor. As far as reading went, he wasn’t into novels, but he would occasionally peruse short-story myths and legends, old fables, or read picture books in funny voices to Eleanor’s grandchildren. Primarily, he’d like to read trashy magazines, comics, and cookbooks. But let’s be real, he considered cleaning, gossiping, and baking his primary hobbies.

RIP Madame Eleanor Sullivan

(She’s been dead for about a year and a half when they story picks up)

First and foremost—above everything else—The Aid was Eleanor Sullivan’s literal live-in medically trained caregiver, which is why she bought him in the first place. They had a very close relationship for five years, and he did everything for her. When she died, his world was shattered, and he took her death really hard. Wyatt was jealous of his Mother’s relationship with her servant from day one, which is where part of his animosity comes from. Quick note—Eleanor was a posh, vintage-Chanel-wearing Grandma and would never be caught dead wearing a bathrobe outside. Eleanor was Queen of being That Bitch.

Enter: Wyatt Sullivan

These pics are pretty tame all things considered, but after Eleanor’s death, The Aid is now in a World O’ Hurt and the subject of Wyatt’s drug-and-alcohol-fueled rage. The Aid went from a high-class servant loved by his Madame and respected by her friends, associates, and family (besides Wyatt) to a human punching bag overnight. The beef between these two runs deep and maybe Eleanor isn’t as innocent as she seems. Stick around and you’ll find out all the Sullivan family tea.

To: Wyatt

Just some memes directed towards Wyatt and The Aid being painfully aware of his shitty situation (I got too many of these and had to sprinkle some in).

Where We’re at Now…

Quite the fall from grace, wouldn’t you say? Our boy is currently bed-ridden and zombified while having the worst time imaginable. He’s drugged up, fucked up, and can’t move half of his body!

*This took me an embarrassing amount of time to assemble, but I went the extra mile because this doubles as a reference guide.

[stellafrin]

It's New Year's Eve and I'm now a year older.

Right, now's the time to talk about future plans? Resolutions? Boastings? Whatever you wanna call it.

I guess I'll start with a retrospective sorta thing tho.

This past year for me feels like nothing and everything has happened.

I didn't end up getting any real progress done on my personal projects past March.

I also ended up starting another extended hiatus after finishing ISaT. I did end up popping back in for October to stream Mouthwashing and Slay the Princess but have since gone back on hiatus for the time being.

Related to why that first hiatus started, I finally got myself a therapist and am also now properly medicated for my ADHD again so I'm able to focus for the first time in ages. But I've been far too focused on IRL stuff to work on any of my projects.

I have atleast been trying to be better at relaxing and not over working myself, neither with my projects nor from DD. (The reason I stopped working on anything in March may or may not be related to the fact that I accidentally burned myself out again... oops.)

Speaking of IRL(ish), back in March I caught myself calling myself by something and a few weeks later decided to start testing it out with friends, about a month ago I decided I'm gonna stick with it for real and started the process to get my name changed!

Unrelated to any of that, for a while I've been watching some shows with friends in a server. We'd have some long running show going once a week (we finished Adventure Time towards the beginning of the year, started DragonBall, around Sep/Oct finished it up and moved onto Z) and people were open to watch some shorter shows whenever.

Back in May, the show that my friend Mizzy decided to share was Madoka Magica, and over those 4 weeks of slowly watching threw this show, I unlocked an ancient love for this series including 2 OCs I had completely and utterly forgotten about. (I need to write down these girls' story at some point, would be a good excuse to try and start drawing again too.)

In the midst of finishing Madoka, my family came back to town for a Con and while here my older sister decided to watch Dungeon Meshi with me and our 2 younger siblings.

After finishing both shows, I needed to watch more...

I decided to go looking to see what anime I had been putting off that could be accessed easily and found that Bocchi the Rock was completely free on Crunchyroll and ended up bingeing the whole show.

Next was Frieren... which I caved and subbed to CR when I realized only the first 3 EN episodes were free (which I had already watched) and I needed more.

I remembered a show that an anime YouTuber I watch recommended earlier in the year so I went to check it out. It was interesting, wouldn't recommended it to anyone without a million caveats tho. (No I won't share it's name, if you already know then you know.)

Around this point was the beginning of the new anime season and I ended up getting into Mayonaka Punch and VTuber Legend at around episode 3, keeping up with them as they aired. (I think the last time I was keeping up with anime live was early pandemic when I was still watching MHA before I dropped it because I was bored.)

I desperately needed to find people who were talking about these shows because the conversation was essentially dead back on twitter, and thus, I got dragged back into using this godforsaken site consistently again for the first time in ages. (The tag system is just so good at keeping track of things and doesn't actively take up space in a post like on twitter, it's perfect for fandom)

It is now too late, I've gotten back into anime/manga. There is no going back.

...

Uh

This was supposed to be a retrospective wasn't it?

Like 2/3 of it is anime talk

Fuck

There's gonna be so much shit I need to cut for the bluesky version, fuck

......

Anyway

Future Plans! Resolutions!!! BOASTING!!!!!!

I WILL FINISH MY LOWPOLY 3D MODEL!!!!!!

I have so many cool VTubing mutuals I want to get to know more and possibly be friends with. I will attempt to reach out to people more (crippling social anxiety be damned)

By July I want to be back to streaming atleast once a week and keep it up for atleast 3 months.

I want to stop just being an observer on the sidelines like I have been for ages. I will make something! Wether it be,

Editing down my voice work from the ISaT streams or doing some more voice work for some other characters I think might be fun,

Writing out either my VTubing lore, my pmmm OCs info and story, the Frieren OC I ended up creating after finishing the show, or something related to ancient AU ideas for random fandoms I used to be active on the sidelines of eons ago,

Attempt to start drawing again,

Or even write, script, and edit at least one single video!

...I can't think of anything else... welp time to schedule this and pass the fuck out. I'll figure out how I'll chop this up for bluesky after I'm done working.

[mumms-the-word]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @vespaer77 to do this! I was going to respond to the OG post but it was getting pretty long so I just went with this instead <3

Tagging @sorceresssundries @cheerysmores @elspethdekarios @weaveandwood @queenaeducan and @ollypopwrites (sorry if you've already been tagged, no pressure of course!)

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 18 but four of those works are collections of oneshots sooo idk how you would define that haha

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

225,146

insane to think I wrote all that in basically one year

The rest is under the cut!

3) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Choosing to Live

Ascension, Return

A Final Death

Wandering the Gray

Baldur's Gate 3 Oneshots - Ardynn Edition

4/5 of those are gale fics lol

4) What fandoms do you write for?

I mostly write for BG3 and Dragon Age, but I've been dabbling with Rogue Trader fic lately. I probably won't post any of it, but it's fun to jot down moments! I've also dabbled with Fire Emblem fic but that stuff will never see the light of day

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to but I have a backlog of comments I need to respond to oops...I don't mean to ignore anyone! I just get busy :')

6) What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

probably A Final Death, and I actually ended up going with a slightly less angsty ending for that than what I had originally planned. I have some solavellan stuff half-written that ends on angst as well (at least for now) but I haven't post any of it yet

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh...that's a hard one. I'm bad at finishing things lmao but out of the things that have endings...

maybe Ascension, Return for BG3 and Gold and Diamond Promises for Dragon Age

8) Do you get hate on fics?

I haven't yet but in my defense I don't have a big following. It wouldn't bother me much if I did unless someone was harassing me, and then I'd just block them. I cannot STAND when people hate on other people's fics though like jeez find something better to do with your time...

9) Do you write smut?

I don't <3 I just don't feel like I write it well and I prefer to write things that have either a plot or some other focus (angst typically) because I enjoy exploring characters and worlds. I know some excellent smut writers, though, so I don't think the world needs my shoddy smut attempts when I can just support my friends <3

10) Do you write crossovers?

I haven't written any crossovers in terms of "X characters are now in Y world" (I'm not drawn to that tbh), but A Macabre Masquerade does kind of play with crossover universes because a bunch of different Tav/Durge universes start to collide in that one

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of. I'd be surprised if it happened to me haha my stuff is pretty tame. No one has told me about any cases of people stealing my ideas either, but tbh, there are no new ideas under the sun. So long as you're not stealing my actual words or feeding my stuff into an AI, I don't really mind

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet! That would be cool tho

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Not officially, but my Dragon Age longfic, Bound by Blood, features a warden that belongs to one of my best friends. I always send her stuff that features her character so that she can let me know if anything is out of character, wrong, or etc, or I ask her ahead of time how her character might react in certain scenarios. So it's not technically cowritten but it's collaborative.

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

oh god......idek how am I supposed to pick out thousands and millions out there haha

to write for? my favorite ship to write for is Alistair x Warden (specifically my warden obviously haha) but also like exploring the tension in solavellan ships and I'm a sucker for Gale x Tav too

15) What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

hahahahaha......all of them :')

I'm notoriously bad at finishing long hobby/fan works. I struggle to meet deadlines on important things IRL and fan stuff never has a deadline soooo

but of the things I need to finish (In Fathoms Below, A Macabre Masquerade, Bound by Blood) probably the one that will get finished last (if ever) is Bound by Blood because it's so long in scope

16) What are your writing strengths?

I'm told I'm pretty good at descriptions and setting the mood/setting. I have to know where I am, what the vibe is, etc before I can really dive into the dialogue or action. I can't just throw my characters in a blank white box! So I spend some time setting the scene, and I think I do that well.

I also think I write action well and it's why I like writing adventure fic. Action mostly shows up in fics like In Fathoms Below (some of my favorite action scenes) or occasional one shots like Love and Loss and eventually Bound by Blood will have plenty, but...yeah haha

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Smut. Sorry </3

I'm also overlong when I write basically anything. I'm a yapper, and I feel like I need to tell you EVERYTHING haha I struggle with being brief

I also feel like I don't do interiority/internal tension as good as I could, because I fall into the "she felt/she thought" instead of showing that in deep or evocative ways

and also I don't think I write poetically or with a lot of rich imagery and that's something I want to work on

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I love it! If it's correctly written in the other language haha

I don't personally speak or write in any other language well (I've tried but my brain doesn't learn languages well) but if I did. I would check with someone who speaks the language and have them help me on the lines. For fantasy languages like DA elven, I do my best but there's not a full lexicon to work with so I tend to stay in my lane there, too, rather than make anything up.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Like, ever? even if it hasn't seen the light of day ever? Probably Harry Potter I think...but I can't remember because I didn't consider myself writing fanfic anything until a little over ten years ago, though I'm sure I messed around with it before then

I think the oldest fandom fanic I have on file is for Assassin's Creed 2

The first fandom I ever posted fanfic for online is BG3

20) Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Oh man idk if I can pick...Bound by Blood is my baby, the fic I wanted to write 10 years ago and never did, but In Fathoms Below is a fun romp that I enjoy writing when I can. But in terms of oneshots, my most recent one, Deep Past the Heart sticks out as a good one that I am fond of

OKAY now that I have yapped, it's your turn to yap! Even if I haven't tagged you, feel free to take and steal these questions and answer them yourselves!