#Reunion Nugget

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[cystolt3113]

I have no idea what i was doing with the landscape.

Also today is Ullambana Festival, so Shen got extra parents time.

[alchemistc]

Part One

Oh, I've got plenty to be thankful for

I've got eyes to see with

Ears to hear with

Arms to hug with

Lips to kiss with

Someone to adore

-bing crosby

He keeps waiting for someone to say something. To accuse him of lingering where he doesn't belong, or remind him he'd never actually made it all the way in. To tell him to go home, maybe get a halfhearted promise to let him know how Buck is at some point.

Maddie lays an exhausted head on his shoulder and Bobby sneaks him a slice of pumpkin pie he's apparently been hiding in the tote at his feet. Hen tosses him a power bank with a lightning cord and Karen makes a joke about his holiday attire.

When the coffee comes, Howie takes the trip to the lobby with him, pulls out his wallet and does his damnedest to strong arm Tommy into letting him tip the haggard looking girl another twenty bucks on top of the fifty Tommy'd figured was appropriate for having to balance a literal stack of hot beverages from the parking lot on Thanksgiving. She eyes them both with a smile and Tommy is more compelled the grab the drink carriers from her tired arms than stop Howie.

They're halfway back when Howie purposely slows his pace, and Tommy fights the urge to pick his up and avoid whatever's coming down on him. "So. Was this the wake up call you needed, or can I expect Buck to order a freezer on a Black Friday deal for my garage to store more baked goods?"

He doesn't know what that means.

He can extrapolate, though. "He's been baking?"

"Tommy, I cannot stress enough exactly how much he's been baking."

He'd tried his hand at a few things here and there, but Tommy's used to experimental chef Evan Buckley, not baking Evan Buckley. To be fair, if he'd seen Evan working a KitchenAid, apron tied loose and flour on a cheekbone, Tommy doubts he'd have actually had the time to finish whatever he had planned. That was then, of course.

"What was he doing on that trail, Howie?" That, too, he could maybe extrapolate. He doesn't want to, but he could.

Howie eyes him. Uses his free arm to elbow Tommy in the ribs. "You were the first person he ever invited to a 118 Thanksgiving, you know. My guess? He wasn't in the mood to be reminded of it while there was no room in the oven to bake away his feelings."

Yeah.

Jax had been over the moon when Tommy offered to take his shift, no trades necessary. What would the point have been, when Christmas and New Year's would be unbooked too?

Evan had bribed like six different people to ensure they'd be able to swing dinner on the day. Hobbes had sounded so thrilled to hear Tommy asking for the time off that he'd approved it without even looking at the shift.

"I'm just warning you in advance. The grovelling process is gonna involve eating your weight in loaves, most likely."

And that's that, apparently. No heavy handed warnings, no suspicion about why Tommy hasn't fucked off yet. Like it's some foregone conclusion that Tommy's not gonna panic and bolt a second time. Nothing has changed, yet Tommy gets the feeling they're all expecting some tearful reunion and a return to TommyandBuck.

Tommy slips the tea into Maddie's hands and watches her sniff it in distaste, which is an interesting nugget he'll have to revisit later if -

If.

There's no guarantees, here. That Tommy will be able to articulate how fucking terrified he is, that Evan will understand it. That the two of them will find a way through it together. All he has to go on is a solo hike on a day Evan should have been with family, an apparent bakery full of feelings spread between the 118, and the quiet calm that had washed over him when Eddie prompted him to make a decision.

Feet to the fire, he'd stayed.

---

Maddie's pregnant. It hits him between the eyes right around hour three of sit-and-wait. He's not an idiot, or a fool, and he hasn't spoken to any of these people in weeks so he's not going to announce it to the world, but somewhere in between the sporadic naps on Tommy's shoulder and the way she is attempting (failing) to power through her now cold tea makes him think. She and Bobby had driven here, and it's clear everyone else had been indulging. Maddie's no lush, but he's seen her knock back half a bottle of wine before when she's got nowhere to be.

She excuses herself to the bathroom for a third time, looking a little green, and Tommy ends up locked in a staring contest with Howie that only ends when Tommy mimes zipping his lips.

He still hasn't gotten the story about Eddie and why he's not here.

Bobby and Athena are apparently closing in on a new house.

Howie is less than a year away from having a second kid.

Athena's kids are apparently at Howie and Maddie's, attempting to keep Mara and Jee from destroying the house in the absence of adults.

And Tommy wants.

Wanting has never really been the problem, though. Wanting is the easy part. Wanting doesn't get him over the hurdle of knowing he's not enough. For Evan, for this family he's built that just keeps growing bigger and bigger. It'd been a relief, those first few days after, not to have to wonder which member of the 118 would land in the hospital next, not to have to rearrange something else on his schedule because Evan was convinced he was cursed, or Eddie'd had another shitty call with Christopher.

The relief hadn't lasted. A week in, he'd stayed up all night demolishing the half-bath off his dining room, because he'd been putting it off for months and he'd nearly texted Evan something that was startlingly revealing and left him exposed on all sides. Two weeks in he'd finished grouting the backsplash in his kitchen. And in between, he wondered how Eddie was doing, if he'd made any progress with his son. He'd wondered if Maddie enjoyed the bottle of wine they'd brought back from a spur of the moment trip to Napa. He'd wondered how Nash was doing, if he was readjusting to having his crew and his station back. He wondered how Hen and Karen were, how many things Denny had already gotten stuck in his cast trying to ease an itch.

He'd wondered, and he'd sat in it, and then he'd rewired the shoddy work an electrician had done in his spare room that he kept telling himself he'd get around to.

The wanting never goes away. He just finds new places to put it when he starts to care too much.

"Kinard and Buckley?"

Maddie's still in the restroom. Tommy - has no fucking clue why the nurse is staring at them like they'll just materialize the right people. She sucks in her lips and gives him a dead eyed stare before her eyes dart to his chest. More specifically, the nameplate on his chest.

Tommy blinks.

---

The having is where he's always floundered. Things are temporary. People are temporary. He's always been borrowing. Borrowing time, attention, affection.

For a few months there, he'd really started to think he could handle the having. That he'd get to keep it.

---

"I'm Buckley, he's Kinard," Maddie says from somewhere over his left shoulder, and he turns in time to see her adjusting her jacket, wiping at her lip. She stabilizes, looking unfazed, and stands tall. As tall as she can, at least. "You have news about my brother?"

The nurse glances around the room. No one is bothering to pretend not to be listening. Maddie hovers a wave behind her.

"Ignore the audience, we're all waiting with bated breath to see how obnoxious my brothers going to be. It depends entirely on whether or not he gets pie tonight."

She gives them all a disapproving look. This must not be one of their normal nurses.

Christ. They have normal nurses.

"Well, no pie tonight, but he should be able to eat a sandwich in the morning."

He's fine. He's fine.

Tommy knew going in that most of his injuries were superficial. The ribs had been a concern but with the pain meds and the collar he hadn't really had a chance to exacerbate those injuries. There's no reason he should feel quite so relieved to know that Evan will have a few annoying splints to work around and he'll probably need to rehab his ankle for a couple weeks once it's healed. The concussion isn't ideal, and he'll need help for a few days, but he's fine.

Tommy can feel the tears building.

"He'll likely be out for a few more hours, but I'll let you know when he's set up in a room. Two visitors at a time," she warns. "The concussion will effect his response time. Don't be surprised if he doesn't remember much, loses his train of thought."

Hen shifts somewhere behind him. It feels a bit like she's being held back from correcting the nurse about the normal side effects.

Things move on around him. The nurse leaves, Hen passes a Stanley cup around that definitely isn't filled with water, the normal sigh of relief is released while Maddie drops into the seat next to him with a groan, the team has a strange competition around him to battle for visitor position.

Tommy breathes.

I should go, Tommy thinks to himself, as half the people in the room raise their phones.

His own phone vibrates against his thigh.

A message from Howie, time stamped two minutes - Tommy squints to make sure - two minutes ago, an update on Evan. Another from Eddie reminding them all to give Buck a patent Eddie look from him while they were giving him shit. A selfie of Eddie, with Christopher somewhat reluctantly bending into the picture over his shoulder.

In another thread, he's got three messages from Eddie.

If I have to remove you from this group I'm sending my kid after you with his crutches.

You guys hiked Griffith Park for your Not-A-One-Month-Anniversary-We-Swear date, right?

Send Buck my love. Not like that, though.

Tommy sends back: When the fuck did he add me to his emergency contacts? and then decides he doesn't want to know anyway so he turns off his phone.

---

Maddie goes alone, and Tommy spends the time alternating between tapping his foot against the tile to distraction, and clamping his hand over his knee in an attempt to stop the tapping.

Bobby and Athena go next, then Hen and Karen. Then they're pulling on jackets and promising to save a plate for Buck.

Howie slips away for a few minutes and then returns, looking amused. "You think everyone else got the same greeting?" he asks his wife, who grins tiredly at him, pats his wrist. Her gaze turns to Tommy.

"Should we stay?"

That's a trap of a question. That's an assumption Tommy doesn't have a clue how to handle. He clears his throat. Shakes a few curls loose.

"What makes you think he'd want me to?"

Maddie's perfected the unimpressed eyebrow. It must be a parent thing.

Tommy barely holds in the sigh. "Go enjoy your meal."

---

Evan's been watching the door. It's clear the moment Tommy makes it to the threshold - he presses up, winces, tips sideways just enough to peek around the corner.

"Tommy," he says, and his expression melts.

Tommy's heard some iteration of that name a million times. Tom, from his dad. Tommy, fond and quiet from his mother, who'd never really learned how to speak up before she was gone. Thomas, in school, from teachers annoyed that he wouldn't just apply himself.

He was Kinard, to teammates, then fellow soldiers, to the firefighters he'd worked alongside for a decade before he ever let any of them know him.

No one says his name with quite so much reverence as Evan Buckley. He's convinced himself, over the last few weeks, that he'd been hearing adulation in that tone. But now it just sounds...relieved. Happy.

Evan slumps back and tries to cross his arms in a pout. There are too many cords and wires attached to him for it to work. "I'm pretty sure I'm mad at you," he says, and Tommy steps over the threshold.

---

Hobbes sounds fucking thrilled to find out he's going to be down a pilot for five days.

Evan throws a fit when he finds out Tommy's plan is to sleep on his own couch for the short duration of Evan's stay. Evan wins the proceeding argument and doesn't even complain that Tommy hadn't argued too hard

Bobby brings over enough leftovers to keep them in turkey sandwiches for a week, and Tommy doesn't think to ask how he got Tommy's address.

Tommy breathes. Tommy thinks. Once Evan can hold a train of thought for more than five minutes, Tommy talks.

Evan listens.

---

"So no Christmas," Evan pouts, and Tommy wants to bite it. "And no New Year's."

Tommy shifts a hand over his shoulder, tucks his chin over top of it so he can't see the pout anymore. "We were both already working those anyway."

"Do people do anything to celebrate Presidents Day?"

"Evan."

"Tommy," Evan mocks, and pulls far enough away to catch his gaze. "In the interest of transparency that was mostly a cover so I didn't ask about Valentine's Day."

"Is this you not asking about Valentine's Day?"

His smile is deceptively sweet. "I need help with my sandwich."

Tommy's seen him balancing a glass of water, his phone, two books and a takeout bag in his one good hand. He's absolutely full of shit.

Tommy leans forward to grab the sandwich off Evan's plate for him.

---

"You should stay," Tommy says, an hour after midnight two days into the new year. He's tipsy on his second glass of cheap champagne and he can't think of a reason to keep this in, anymore. Evan crinkles a brow at him.

"I... wasn't planning to go?"

There's a gold crown perched in his curls, and Tommy still hasn't taken the cheap plastic 2025 glasses off. The house is quiet, and there'd been shockingly few fires started by fireworks this year, so he's less tired than he'd expected to be.

"I meant -." Tommy starts, and then pauses. "I meant permanently. You should live here."

Evan laughs. Takes a bite out of his cake, and rolls his eyes, and then...stops. His entire body stills. "What."

It's ridiculous. The very thing that had pushed Tommy up out of his seat just a few months ago, sent him out the loft door with wet eyes and a heaviness in his heart.

"Tommy," Evan prompts, and Tommy catches the hand frozen on the countertop. He'd planned to hold this back, wait until something significant or poignant. But Evan had baked them a red velvet cake and argued with him the entire drive back from dinner about the proper way to fold a towel, and Tommy's tired of denying this isn't everything he's refused to let himself want for decades.

"You don't have to say yes just to confirm you're not breaking up with me," he tries to joke, and it falls flat.

"Tommy," Evan murmurs, quieter but more insistent.

"I'm serious. I want you here. I want -."

"Yes," Evan says, and squeezes his hand before he ducks his head bashfully. "Sorry. Continue."

"I want a life with you." The tears tickle at the back of his throat. He's gonna fucking cry, again. He'd always fucking known opening himself up to this was just an invitation for more tears in his life.

He can't quite convince himself the rest doesn't make them worth it.

"Yes. Again. Tommy, of course." He tips his chin. Purses his lips. "If you're sure."

Tommy swallows down the lump in his throat. He's never been more sure or more terrified of anything in his life. So he tells him so.

The words are like knives, but he works his way through the soreness, fights up past the fear that he's not sure will ever completely go away, and claws past the reminder that it's been a blink of an eye since Tommy walked out on this.

"Well. You can't walk out of your own house," Evan points out when he's finished, and of all things, it's that that snaps the tension of for once in his life prioritizing something other than fucking survival. He tips a grin, curls his elbow to bring their entwined hands to his lips. "It's gonna take years to coordinate another Thanksgiving with everyone," he bemoans, looking suspiciously watery-eyed himself as he holds Tommy's own wet gaze.

Tommy can extrapolate from that.

[yokumirumerafan]

Saiki. K Characters x reader

So I figured there's not enough fic about these cuties, and I should add more interesting shit to my writings cuz they're getting way boring day by day; so here ya'll go (if there's anyone like Merafan on this planet of course who actually simps for these guys and watched the show ;-;)

🧠 SAIKI KUSUO (THE RELUCTANT LOVE INTEREST™)

You somehow manage to get this man flustered despite the fact that he can literally read your thoughts. How?? He has no idea. But every time you look at him with that soft little smile, his brain just goes: "Error. Error. Malfunctioning."

He'll pretend to be unbothered, sipping his coffee jelly while you gush over something cute. But internally? He’s screaming.

You ever think about kissing him? Good luck because this man will literally TELEPORT AWAY before you even finish the thought. One time you tried to surprise him with a hug, and he just blinked out of existence. 💀

"Saiki, be honest, do you like me?" "No." "Okay, so if I start dating someone else—" "You will be vaporized."

The only reason he tolerates his friends dragging you along on their dumb adventures is that you’re the only person who doesn’t actively cause him migraines.

He swears he doesn’t get jealous, but if Teruhashi even thinks about flirting with you, this man will LITERALLY put up a psychic barrier around you. 💀

😎 KAIDO SHUN (THE CHUUNIBYOU BOYFRIEND™)

This man will write you a whole-ass love letter but disguise it as a "coded message from the Dark Reunion." 💀 "My dearest Y/N, the forces of darkness have their eyes on us… but do not fear, for as the Jet-Black Wings, I shall protect you with my very life—" Saiki, reading it telepathically: "You are so embarrassing."

If anyone flirts with you, he will literally step in front of you like: "Hmph… pathetic. Do you not realize you're talking to the lover of the great Jet-Black Wings?" Random guy: "Huh??"

If you ever praise him, his brain short-circuits. "Y/N THINKS I'M COOL. Y/N ACKNOWLEDGED MY POWER. I MUST TRAIN HARDER."

You jokingly call him your "dark knight", and this man DOES NOT SHUT UP ABOUT IT FOR A WEEK.

💪 NENDO RIKI (THE HIMBO KING™)

Nendo has exactly three brain cells, and all of them are dedicated to loving you.

He will just randomly give you gifts. A rock? A slightly squished sandwich? His left shoe? "Here ya go, babe. Thought of ya when I saw this."

Once tried to carry you everywhere like a princess. Saiki had to telepathically stop him before he threw out his back.

Calls you the goofiest nicknames like "sugar nugget" or "love muffin". You cannot stop him. Ever.

He 100% thinks holding hands = engaged and has ALREADY planned your wedding in his head.

💁 TERUHASHI KOKOMI (THE QUEEN OF "OH?!"™)

She was used to everyone falling at her feet, but when you treated her like a normal person, she was like: "HUH??? EXCUSE ME???"

But now she’s obsessed with you because you actually like her for who she is, not just her looks. She’s literally blushing and twirling her hair every time you speak.

She tries to act like the perfect "goddess," but you’ve SEEN her lose her cool, and she’s mortified. One time, she stubbed her toe and went "GAH, SON OF A—" in front of you and almost DIED from embarrassment.

Gets jealous so easily. Some rando smiles at you? She’s already plotting their downfall while keeping her angelic smile on.

"Oh?~ You like someone else?" Cute giggle *"Haha, just kidding" but she’s gripping her glass so hard it’s about to shatter.*

👓 AIURA MIKU (THE CHAOTIC BESTIE/GF™)

She LOVES teasing you. Randomly leans in all close like she’s gonna kiss you, then pulls away last second like "Oops, did I make your heart race?~"

"Babe, lemme do a fortune reading for our love life!" And then she rigs it so it says you’re soulmates. 💀

If she sees someone getting too friendly with you, she just slides in like "Hiiiii, babe~ who’s this?" and stares them down.

Random late-night dates where she just texts you: "Meet me outside in 5, don’t ask why." Then you end up at some beach looking at the stars while she cuddles you like "Told ya this would be fun~".

👔 TORITSUKA REITA (THE WALKING RED FLAG™)

This man SIMPS for you so hard but in the most CRINGE way possible.

Sends you texts like "Hey babe, wanna see me do a kickflip? 👀" and then immediately texts "nvm broke my ankle."

Tries to show off, but it backfires every time. Like, he’ll be like "Hey Y/N, watch this!" and then trip over his own feet.

If you call him handsome ONCE, he will NEVER LET IT GO. "So you think I’m hot? 👀 Don’t worry, babe, you can admit it."

The only time he’s ACTUALLY useful is when ghosts are involved. Otherwise, he’s just your dumbass fanboy boyfriend who worships the ground you walk on.

⚔️ KUBOYASU AREN (THE EX-DELINQUENT HIMBO BF™)

This man is the definition of "I am a reformed man… but I WILL still throw hands if necessary."

He tries to be a soft, chill boyfriend, but if someone so much as looks at you funny, his delinquent instincts activate. "Babe, I swear I’m different now—" "Aren, put the bat down." "…No."

Blushes SO easily. You grab his hand? Red. You kiss his cheek? Red. You call him "cute"? DEAD.

One time you joked about liking "bad boys," and he got SO TORN between staying reformed and going back to his delinquent era just to impress you. 💀

He’s the type to act all tough, but the moment you do anything remotely affectionate, he melts. "I ain’t some soft romantic guy." "You literally held my hand and skipped down the street yesterday." "…Shut up."

Protective AF. Like, he’s trying SO HARD to be a good boy, but if he ever sees someone bothering you, he has to physically restrain himself from roundhouse kicking them into next week.

Loves dumb couple stuff but refuses to admit it. Matching hoodies? "That’s lame." (He’s already wearing it.) Holding hands under the table? "Unnecessary." (His grip tightens when you try to pull away.)

He texts you the most contradictory things: "Babe, I’m a man of honor. I don’t do cute pet names." [5 minutes later] "Good morning, sunshine muffin 💖."

One time Nendo flirted with you as a joke, and you had to PHYSICALLY HOLD AREN BACK before he drop-kicked him across the classroom.

Gives you his jacket 24/7. Even if you’re not cold, even if he’s the one freezing, you’re wearing his jacket because that’s just how it is.

If you get hurt, he PANICS. "IT’S JUST A SCRATCH, AREN—" "WE’RE GOING TO THE HOSPITAL."

Dumbass delinquent love language: Will ruffle your hair aggressively as a sign of affection but then complain when you do it back.

Randomly confesses again even though you’re already dating. Like, you’ll just be chilling, and he’s like "Hey. Just so you know… I love you, alright?" as if you forgot. 😭

Secretly a huge cuddle bug. But only when no one else is around. Will literally trap you in his arms and be like "You’re mine now. No escape."

Tell me if this was good <33

[memorabxlia]

Secret Sins ━ 도겸

genre: smut summary: in which after weeks of avoiding DK and the unresolved tension between you, a cold winter night brings you back to his door. What starts as a hesitant reunion quickly ignites into an intense moment of passion, as both of you finally give in to the desire you’ve been unable to resist. warnings: primal, mutal masturbation, oral (thats all I think) pairing: situationship!dk x fem!reader wc: 2.6k a/n: happy birthday to my little nugget @minkilicious!! I hope everything good comes your way and every wish is granted for your special day!!! nets: @blossomnet @k-labels @k-films

The snow outside was relentless, a thick blanket of white that muffled the world into silence. The air was crisp, biting at your cheeks as you stepped out of your apartment and into the cold night. You pulled your jacket tighter around you, the woolen fabric doing little to ward off the frigid chill. Your breath came out in visible puffs, each one a testament to the harshness of the winter.

You had been avoiding DK for weeks now, ever since that night—the one that had left your body thrumming with unsatisfied desire. It was his fault, really. He had always been too perceptive, too attuned to your every need, every unspoken desire. And that night, he had pushed just the right buttons, leaving you aching for more. But you couldn’t let it happen again. Not here, not now. Not when everything was so uncertain.

Yet, despite your resolve, you found yourself walking towards his apartment. The lights glowed warmly through the frosted windows, a beacon in the otherwise dark night. You hesitated at the door, your hand hovering over the handle. What were you doing? This was a terrible idea. But the memory of his touch, the way his fingers had moved against your skin, was enough to push you over the edge.

You knocked softly, your heart pounding in your chest. The door swung open almost immediately, revealing DK standing there in nothing but a pair of black sweatpants. His hair was disheveled, as if he had been running his hands through it absentmindedly, and his brown eyes sparkled with a mix of surprise and something else—something darker, more primal.

“Hey,” he said, his voice low and husky. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

You swallowed hard, stepping inside and closing the door behind you. The warmth of his apartment enveloped you, making you acutely aware of the cold that still clung to your skin. “Yeah, well… I couldn’t stay away,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.

DK’s gaze roamed over your body, from the tips of your boots to the hem of your coat, and back up to your face. There was a hunger in his eyes, one that mirrored the ache deep within you. Without a word, he reached out, pulling you into his arms. The contact was electric, sending shivers down your spine.

“I missed you,” he murmured against your ear, his breath warm and inviting.

“I missed you too,” you confessed, your voice trembling.

He leaned back, holding you at arm’s length as he looked into your eyes. There was a question there, one that needed answering before anything else could happen. You nodded, your resolve crumbling under the weight of your desire. DK’s lips curled into a knowing smile, and he bent his head, capturing your mouth in a kiss that was both soft and demanding.

The taste of him filled your senses, intoxicating and addicting. You melted against him, your hands sliding up his chest to tangle in his hair. He groaned into your mouth, deepening the kiss as his hands roamed down your back, pressing you closer. The heat between your bodies was palpable, a stark contrast to the cold outside.

You broke the kiss, gasping for air as you looked up at him. “Take off your coat,” he whispered, his voice thick with desire.

You obeyed, shrugging out of the heavy coat and letting it fall to the floor. DK’s eyes roamed over your form, taking in the sight of you in your thin sweater and jeans. He reached out, his fingers brushing against the neckline of your shirt, and you shivered at the contact.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his voice filled with raw emotion. “So fucking beautiful.”

You bit your lip, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks. “Don’t say that,” you whispered, your voice shaky.

He chuckled softly, his hands moving to cup your face. “Why not? It’s true. Every time I look at you, all I can think about is how much I want to be inside you. How much I want to feel you wrapped around me.”

His words sent a jolt of arousal through your body, pooling low in your belly. You closed your eyes, trying to steady your breathing as his hands slid down to rest on your hips. The contact was electrifying, making your skin tingle with anticipation.

“Open your eyes,” he commanded softly, his voice a seductive whisper.

You did as he asked, meeting his gaze with a mixture of longing and uncertainty. “What do you want, Seokmin?”

He smiled, a slow, predatory grin that made your heart race. “I want you,” he said simply. “And I know you want me too. So why don’t we stop pretending and just give in to what we both need?”

You hesitated for a moment, your mind warring with itself. Part of you wanted to run, to escape this intense connection that seemed to pull you in deeper with each passing second. But the other part, the primal part, was already surrendering to the need that simmered just beneath the surface.

DK seemed to sense your inner conflict, because he didn’t push you. Instead, he took a step back, giving you the space you needed to make up your mind. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “Take your time.”

But the truth was, you didn’t need any more time. The decision had already been made, even if your mind hadn’t fully accepted it yet. You took a deep breath, steeling yourself for what was to come.

“Okay,” you said finally, your voice steady. “Let’s do this.”

DK’s eyes lit up with satisfaction, and he took a step forward, closing the distance between you once more. His hands found their way to your waist, pulling you flush against him. The sensation of his hard body pressed against yours made your breath catch in your throat.

“Good,” he murmured, his lips ghosting over your ear. “Because I’ve been waiting for this moment for too long.”

You shivered at his words, the anticipation building unbearably. You could feel the rigid press of his erection against your stomach, a clear sign of his eagerness. Without thinking, you reached down, wrapping your fingers around the bulge in his pants.

DK hissed in a breath, his body tensing at your touch. “Fuck,” he muttered, his voice strained. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted you to do that.”

You smirked, feeling a surge of confidence. “Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea.”

With that, you began to move your hand in slow, teasing circles, relishing the way his abs clenched beneath your palm. DK’s eyes fluttered closed, his head falling back as he struggled to maintain control.

“Seokmin,” you whispered, your voice laced with desire. “Do you want me to stop?”

He opened his eyes, pinning you with a heated gaze. “No,” he answered firmly. “Never stop.”

You didn’t need to be told twice. Your hand slid lower, fingers brushing against the waistband of his sweatpants. DK’s breath hitched, his eyes darkening with anticipation. The room was filled with the sound of your ragged breathing, the crackle of the fire, and the soft whisper of snow against the window.

“Let’s get rid of these,” you said, your voice low and husky. You reached for the hem of his sweatpants, your fingers fumbling slightly in your haste. DK helped you, shimmying out of them quickly before kicking them aside. He stood there in just his boxers, the fabric tight against his erection, and you couldn’t help but admire the way his lean muscles flexed as he moved.

He wasn’t the only one who felt exposed. You shivered slightly as the cool air hit your skin, but it wasn’t the cold that made you tremble. It was the intensity of his gaze, the heat radiating from him like a furnace. You felt naked under his scrutiny, but also… desired.

You reached for the hem of your own shirt, pulling it over your head and tossing it onto the growing pile of clothes on the floor. DK’s eyes followed the movement, drinking in the sight of your bare skin. You could feel his hunger, raw and primal, and it ignited something similar within you.

“Your turn,” you said, tilting your head toward your jeans.

DK didn’t hesitate. He knelt down, his fingers finding the zipper and tugging it down slowly. You bit your lip as he pushed the denim down your legs, leaving you standing in just your underwear. His hands lingered on your hips, thumbs pressing into the soft flesh above your waistband.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, his voice thick with desire.

You closed your eyes, savoring the sensation of his touch. His hands were calloused, rough against your skin, and yet they felt so right. You swayed toward him, needing more of his touch, more of his warmth.

DK seemed to sense your need. He rose to his feet, his hands sliding up your sides and cupping your breasts. You gasped at the contact, arching into his palms. His thumbs brushed over your nipples, teasing them to hardness through the thin fabric of your bra.

“God, Seokmin,” you whispered, your head tipping back as you surrendered to the pleasure.

His lips found your neck, teeth nipping gently at the sensitive skin just below your ear. You groaned, your hands flying to his hair, fingers tangling in the dark strands. His kisses trailed down your throat, pausing at the hollow of your collarbone before moving lower, his breath warm against your skin.

You felt his fingers hook into the waistband of your underwear, and you lifted one foot instinctively, allowing him to slide the fabric down your leg. He repeated the action with the other leg, discarding the last piece of clothing between you.

Now completely bare, you stood before him, feeling vulnerable yet incredibly aroused. DK’s eyes roved over your body, taking in every curve, every inch of you. You could see the hunger in his gaze, the raw need that mirrored your own.

He stepped closer, his erection pressing against your thigh as he wrapped an arm around your waist. You could feel the heat of him, the hard length of him, and it sent a jolt of desire straight to your core. You pressed yourself against him, feeling the friction of his body against yours, and moaned softly.

“Touch me,” you breathed, your voice trembling with need. “Please, Seokmin, touch me.”

He didn’t need to be asked twice. His hand slid between your thighs, fingers finding their way to your center. You gasped as he touched you, the sensation sending waves of pleasure crashing through you. His fingers were gentle at first, exploring, learning the contours of your body. But as your arousal grew, so did his pace.

“So wet for me,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble that made your knees weak. “You like this, don’t you?”

“Yes,” you gasped, your hips bucking against his hand. “God, yes.”

He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating against your skin. His fingers delved deeper, finding that sweet spot inside you that made you shudder with pleasure. You could feel yourself getting closer, the tension building in your abdomen, pulsing through your veins.

But you didn’t want to come just yet. Not without him.

You reached down, your hand wrapping around his wrist. “Not just yet,” you panted, guiding his hand away. “I want… I want to touch you too.”

DK’s eyes flared with desire, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He nodded, stepping back just enough to give you room. You watched as he reached for the waistband of his boxers, pushing them down with shaky hands. His erection sprang free, thick and throbbing, and you felt a rush of heat flood your core.

You took a step closer, your hand reaching out tentatively. When your fingers brushed against the head of his cock, DK let out a low groan, his eyes fluttering closed. You marveled at the smoothness of his skin, the way his shaft twitched beneath your touch.

“Like this?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

“More,” he rasped, his eyes snapping open to meet yours. “Harder.”

You tightened your grip, your fingers curling around his length as you began to stroke him. DK’s head fell back, his hips thrusting forward involuntarily. You matched his pace, your thumb gliding over the sensitive tip of his cock as you pumped him faster.

“Fuck,” he muttered, his voice strained. “You feel so good.”

You smiled, feeling a surge of satisfaction. You wanted to make him feel good, to make him lose control. You quickened your pace, your hand sliding up and down his shaft with increasing urgency. DK’s breaths came in short, sharp bursts, his body taut with need.

“Come on, Seokmin,” you urged, your voice dripping with desire. “Let go for me.”

He shuddered, his whole body tensing as he fought to hold back. But you could see the strain in his face, the way his hips jerked forward, seeking release. You reached out with your other hand, cupping his balls gently, rolling them between your fingers.

That was all it took. DK’s body bowed, his mouth opening in a silent scream as he came, his seed spilling over your hand, hot and thick. You watched in fascination as he pulsed in your grip, his orgasm rippling through him in waves.

As his climax subsided, DK sagged against you, his body heavy with exhaustion. You held him tightly, your arms wrapped around his waist, letting him catch his breath. He buried his face in the crook of your neck, his breath warm against your skin.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his voice hoarse.

You smiled, kissing the top of his head. “Anytime, Seokmin. Anytime.”

As DK’s breathing steadied, you felt a renewed surge of desire coursing through you. You hadn’t forgotten your own needs, and now that he was more relaxed, it was your turn to feel the same release.

You pulled back slightly, meeting his gaze with a sultry smile. “My turn,” you whispered, your voice laced with anticipation.

DK’s eyes darkened once more, a flicker of understanding crossing his face. He nodded, his hands sliding down to cup your ass, pulling you closer. The heat between your bodies intensified, and you could feel the residual dampness from his climax mingling with your own arousal.

He guided you to sit on the edge of the bed, his fingers trailing down your spine as you settled onto the soft mattress. You spread your legs, inviting him in, and he didn’t hesitate. Kneeling before you, he leaned in, his breath warm against your inner thighs.

You gasped as his tongue flicked out, tasting you for the first time. The sensation was electric, sending shivers down your spine. He explored you slowly, savoring every inch of your wetness, his tongue darting into your folds with expert precision.

“Seokmin,” you moaned, your hands gripping the sheets as his mouth worked its magic. “Oh god, yes…”

His fingers joined his tongue, delving inside you as he continued to lap at your clit. The dual sensations were too much, and you felt yourself teetering on the edge of orgasm. His pace quickened, his fingers thrusting deeper as his tongue circled your sensitive nub with increasing urgency.

“I’m close,” you panted, your body trembling with need. “Please, Seokmin…”

He responded by sucking hard on your clit, his fingers curling inside you to find that perfect spot. The pressure built rapidly, and with a cry of pleasure, you came, your hips bucking against his hand as waves of ecstasy crashed over you.

You rode out your orgasm, your body shuddering with each pulse of pleasure. DK held you steady, his mouth never leaving you until you were spent, your breaths coming in short, gasping bursts.

When you finally opened your eyes, you found DK watching you with a satisfied smile. “Better?” he asked, his voice low and tender.

You nodded, feeling utterly sated. “Perfect,” you murmured, pulling him up to join you on the bed. Wrapped in each other’s arms, you both drifted off into a peaceful, contented sleep.

[roosterforme]

Aim for the Sky Part 2 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Somehow the timing was just right, and Bradley's arrival meant he could join you for your appointment. He'd find out if he was having a son or daughter in person, with you. The enormity of Bradley's affection seemed to grow every day now, just like the Nugget he loved so much.

Warnings: Fluff, smut, swearing, pregnancy

Length: 4900 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

"Bradley," you gasped, head tipped back against the pillar that was pressing into your shoulder. "Your duffle is here. I can see it." Actually, it was just going around and around on the conveyor belt while Bradley sucked gently on your neck and slowly bunched the fabric of your dress in his hand over your bump. And just like that, once again, your focus drifted away from the bag as soon as he spoke.

"I'll get it in a minute," he murmured next to your ear. "I'm a little busy."

You were getting side eye from a woman, and a random man was outright gawking at you, but you didn't really care. The airport was busy, but it wasn't enough to make you pull your fingers from Bradley's soft hair or tell him to stop kissing his way back to your lips. His bristly mustache made you sigh when he reached his destination once again, and you let him taste your tongue before you pulled away slightly.

"Roo. We're kind of on a tight schedule." When he just grunted in response and headed for your lips again, you laughed. "Daddy! Let's go see the Nugget."

He seemed to snap out of it a little bit, the desire in his eyes giving way to excitement. "Right. Let's go. I can taste you everywhere at home later."

When he took you by the hand, you had to dig your heels in. "We need your bag!" you said with a smile. Then he led you in the opposite direction and snatched his massive duffle up like it was nothing and tossed it over his shoulder. You had to hustle along next to him as he exited the airport through the sliding doors and headed for the parking garage. It was like he knew you parked near the spot where he totaled your beloved little Honda when he finally got you pregnant on his birthday. You felt your cheeks grow warm as you recalled the details.

He must have seen his blue Bronco in the last row, because he picked up his pace a little bit more. "I don't think we have time for reunion sex yet," he muttered, glancing at you and letting his gaze dip down your body. "But I'll take care of you later. You got along okay without me?"

You let out a little squeak as he tossed his bag in the back and headed for the passenger side door so he could unlock it for you. "Honestly? I haven't been as insatiable since the first trimester ended," you told him, leaning closer to inhale the scent of his deodorant. "At least... I wasn't until right now."

He pulled you close again and tilted your chin up so you were looking at him. "Listen, I'm a little keyed up, and I don't think I can be quick. Can you wait until later?"

"Oh, God," you whined, your skin tingling at the thought of how long he might last for you and how good he would feel. "This is just as exciting as when I felt the baby moving on Halloween."

His brown eyes went wide, and his lips parted in surprise. "You felt the Nugget?!" When you nodded, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

You just gaped at him. "Seriously? You had your mouth all over mine! How was I supposed to tell you anything?"

"Shit," he hissed and handed you the keys before his hands settled on your belly, drifting around, trying to feel something. "You drive," he said, slowly guiding you to the other side of the Bronco. "I need to work on feeling a kick." 

As he buckled you in behind the wheel, you didn't have the heart to tell him that the baby wasn't even moving around much right now, or that it would probably be weeks before he'd be able to feel anything externally. He was too adorable when he was this excited, and you watched him run around the hood and jump inside like an overgrown golden retriever who had been offered a treat. His eyes were wide as he got himself buckled before placing both hands on your belly.

"Okay. I'm ready to go," he informed you with a nod.

"You sure?" you asked, smirking as you put the key in the ignition. "A minute ago, you looked like you were ready to have parking garage sex again, and now you're all over me and the Nugget."

You shifted into gear, and he whispered, "I'm ready, Baby Girl. I'm so fucking ready to learn what we're having, and if I feel a little kick on the way, it'll be like a cherry on top of the best day."

You paid the parking fee and pulled out onto the main road as you realized you only had about twenty minutes to get to Dr. Morris's office on time. "Don't get your hopes up," you said while Bradley felt you all over. "You probably won't be able to feel anything. It's still early for that."

"Hey, not to be rude, Sweetheart, but I'm actually going to need you to stop talking."

"What?" you asked, so startled you laughed a little bit. "Did you just ask me to be quiet?"

He kissed your cheek while you drove and whispered, "It's just that I can't tell if it's the vibrations from your voice or the baby moving. Please? I love you." Now you were laughing even harder as his big hands moved all around on you. "No, no, that's- see you're actually moving more when you laugh though." He kissed your cheek again as you rolled your eyes and smothered your laughter. "That's better."

When you pulled into the parking lot of the medical complex, your husband's fingers were stroking your belly gently, and when you parked again and looked at him, you saw a few tears in his eyes. "You okay?" you asked softly. 

"Yeah. I'm good. Like really fucking good."

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

Bradley was forever wondering when his luck would run out. His life just seemed too good to be true. He was holding hands with his hot, pregnant wife in the waiting room, just buzzing with excitement. In a few short minutes, he was going to find out if he was having a son or a daughter. He wondered if this was how his dad felt in 1984. He wondered if Nick Bradshaw ever wanted to randomly get on his knees for his wife for no reason.

"They called us," you whispered, kissing his cheek before you stood up. Bradley jumped to his feet as well, so deep in thought, he hadn't heard anything. He'd never admit it to you, but this was probably more exciting than the day the two of you got married.

He pressed his sweaty palm to yours and walked past the reception desk at your side. Three short hallways later, and a nurse led you into a large, dimly lit room with huge computer monitors on one wall. "I'm so fucking excited, I might pass out," he said, voice deep and raspy. 

The nurse eyed him cautiously. "Perhaps you should have a seat while Dr. Morris performs the scan?"

He nodded, intercepting the cotton gown before you could take it from her. "That's a great idea. I'll do that."

Once she was gone, Bradley turned to you and started unfolding the gown while you stepped out of your boat shoes. "Are you really going to pass out?" you asked him as you started to pull your sinfully snug dress up your legs.

"Let me do that," he grunted, kneeling on the floor and pushing the fabric up and over your belly. He kissed your tattoo through your underwear, and then he kissed the spot next to your belly button where he always imagined the Nugget was hanging out. "I love you," he whispered before getting to his feet again and pulling the dress up and over your head. You weren't wearing a bra, and your breasts looked so fucking incredible, he wanted them in his mouth.

"You're staring at me," you said, reaching for the gown as you shifted back and forth in place like you were getting cold. "I know I look different. I gained like eight or nine pounds while you were gone once I stopped throwing up all the time."

Bradley let you take the gown from his hands. "Jesus Christ, maybe I really should sit down," he muttered, dragging a chair over next to the table where you'd be sitting in a moment. "And I was just staring at your tits, Baby Girl. You don't look different, you look fucking hot pregnant. God, this is more exciting than when you let me fuck you in the ass."

And that was the exact moment when Dr. Morris entered the room and cleared her throat. "Lieutenant Bradshaw," she said, reaching out to shake his hand as he hovered awkwardly over the chair before standing up again. "It's so nice to have you back with us." You were cradling your head in your hand in embarrassment as he shook hands with your obstetrician.

"Dr. Morris," he murmured. "I only missed the last appointments, because I was deployed. There's nothing else that could have kept me away, I swear."

She laughed and looked between the two of you and said, "Well, we do like a supportive and adventurous partner."

"Roo," you groaned softly as you started to climb up on the table. Bradley turned to help you, and you let him.

"She's a doctor, Sweetheart," he whispered. "She's heard it all."

"That's true," Dr. Morris said as she washed her hands, and you gave Bradley a bland look as you settled back on the table which was bent at an angle that would let you see the monitors. He was so excited, he just kissed your forehead a bunch of times while Dr. Morris asked, "Are we ready to get started?"

"Yes!" he practically shouted while you responded in a much calmer tone. He eased himself down into the chair and looked up at you as he reached for your hand.

"This is it," you told him with a nervous smile. "Any final guesses?"

He shook his head, his attention drawn to the monitors as they came to life. "I don't care one way or the other. I just want to know everything I can about the Nugget." 

Then he took your hand in both of his bigger ones and brought your fingers up to his lips as you said, "Me, too."

Bradley's heart skipped around as Dr. Morris spread the warm gel on your belly, and he had to press his lips together to keep quiet. He'd imagined himself holding a son, and he'd imagined himself holding a daughter. He had thought about names he liked for both. He considered what wild colors he might one day paint the bedroom walls, and he looked forward to it. He thought he'd be good at being a basketball dad or a dance dad or a cheer dad or a soccer dad. And that's why it didn't really matter what Dr. Morris said today. It didn't really matter what his kid was into or not into, because the Nugget was going to be an extension of the two of you. Somehow that equated to perfection in his mind.

"Let's count some little toes," Dr. Morris said, and then Bradley squeezed your hand as two tiny feet appeared on the screen.

"Holy shit," he whispered. There were ten perfect toes on his perfect baby, and he had to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand as you laughed softly in awe. The Nugget would be smart and confident just like you were. Bradley would get the attic taken care of, and he'd put together the jungle gym. He would do every single thing that needed to be done to make a perfect home for this child. He would take care of you every day right now until he was taking care of both of you.

"Now let's check on the fingers."

Ten tiny fingers, attached to the cutest baby he'd ever seen in his life. Bradley took a deep breath and let his forehead rest against your arm as he tried to get himself under control. "Oh my God," he whispered, knowing he'd be able to count those toes and fingers in person next year. He could tickle them and send piggies to the market. He could kiss them and watch them toddle across the living room floor after Tramp.

"Let's just get a look at the heartbeat and a few other things here." Dr. Morris was taking her time, which Bradley appreciated. He liked a thorough doctor, but the anticipation was killing him. 

The heartbeat on the screen had you mesmerized when he looked at your beautiful face, but then you turned to look at him. Once again, he had no idea how he ended up this lucky. "I love you, Roo."

His already blurry vision just got worse as he sucked in a deep breath. "I love you so much." 

This time you brought his fingers up to your lips and kissed him as Dr. Morris added a little more gel to your belly and smashed it down with the ultrasound paddle. "Are you sure you want to find out the sex?"

"Yes!" you said, smiling at Bradley like you fucking knew you were his whole world. Like you didn't mind sharing him with the Nugget from now on. "We want to know!"

Bradley watched your face as you watched the monitor. His fingers on your wrist told him your heart was racing just like his was, and you were licking your lips in anticipation. You were perfect. His life was perfect. His baby was going to follow suit, no doubt about that. A smile found its way to his lips, and his shoulders relaxed, knowing that the next words he heard were going to be perfect, too. How could they not be?

"Congratulations. It's a girl."

The feeling inside his body was something he never knew before. He felt as much love as he had when he listened to you read your wedding vows, but this was something more. He was going to have a perfect little girl. Tears filled his eyes as he realized he was going to get to love and take responsibility for raising a daughter.

"Roo!" you sobbed, reaching for him, and then he was on his feet and kissing you.

"A girl," he said even as he mashed his lips to yours. "A daughter."

He wasn't sure if he felt his own tears or yours on his cheeks as you pressed your forehead to his and asked, "Are you happy?"

It took him a few seconds to get control of his voice as he held your face in his hands. "I'm living the life of my dreams."

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

Bradley had tears in his eyes and ultrasound images clutched to his chest as you led him outside to the Bronco. His free hand was clasped tight with yours, and you'd never seen him look so happy in your life. "A little girl," he said, handing you his keys once again, and you already knew what he was going to do when he buckled you into the driver's seat. "We're having a girl," he whispered, brown eyes wide as he kissed your wedding rings.

You nodded and wiped your thumb along his cheek. "It just makes sense somehow."

"It does," he agreed, kissing your lips before leaning down to kiss your bump through your dress. "I love this Nugget," he whispered. "My daughter."

You whined his name as he said those words, and when he looked up at you, all you could say was, "You're going to be the best Daddy, Roo." You thought about it all the time. The way he'd carry the baby around and read bedtime stories. The way he'd always be patient and sweet. You weren't sure if you'd always imagined a little girl or not, but it made so much sense right now.

"Let's go home," he rasped, kissing his way up from your belly until he got to your tender breasts. Technically you were supposed to work this afternoon, at least that's what you'd told Bickel. As Bradley ran around to the passenger side, you dug your phone out and texted your boss, letting him know that the baby was fine, and you'd see him on Monday. 

"What's wrong?" Bradley asked as you tossed your phone aside and started the engine.

"Nothing. Everything is right. I'm taking the rest of the day off so we can spend it together," you replied softly as his hands found their way back to your belly. It had been too many weeks since you'd been touched, and it felt so good, you had to press your lips together to keep from moaning. "I want to spend it with you."

He grunted and kissed the side of your neck as you pulled out of the parking lot. "I'm not letting my girls out of my sight all weekend."

"Bradley," you whined, feeling so much desire for him. The two of you could start talking about nursery decor and girl names and when you wanted to break the news to everyone else. You could do all of those things this weekend now that he was home. But you were also just needy for him.

You made a little noise as you tried your best to go the speed limit, and you knew that your husband knew what you needed. "I'll take care of you, Sweetheart. Don't worry about that. I'll take care of everything." 

He was tracing hearts along your belly, and you turned to look at his slightly lovesick eyes when you stopped at an intersection. "I know you will." You delighted in the fact that you were having a little girl who would get to share all of his love with you. The enormity of Bradley's affection seemed to grow every day now, just like the Nugget, and pretty soon she would be showered in it too.

When you pulled into the driveway and parked in the tight spot next to your red Bronco, Bradley eyed the pallets of jungle gym pieces. "I can't fucking wait to build that thing. I've been dreaming about it for so long." Then he was jumping out the door as you shifted into park, and he was around to your side in an instant. "Been dreaming about this day for ages," he whispered as you climbed down and into his arms. His hands found your lower back as he added, "Been thinking about you and the Nugget since I left."

You smiled up at him. "You know what might be fun, Daddy?"

"What?" he asked, keeping his eyes on yours as he started to lead you up to the porch.

"If you start building the Nugget's playset tomorrow, and you get all sweaty and let me watch," you said, your voice turning into a soft whimper at the end. 

Bradley jammed the house key into the lock, and shoved the door open. He hooked one arm around your waist and pulled you inside with him as Tramp started jumping around like a maniac. "Hey, buddy," Bradley told him with a smile. "I missed you, too. But I need some time with my girls first."

"It's okay," you said as you closed the door behind you. "He probably won't calm down until you play with him a little bit."

But Bradley was pushing you back against the door even as Tramp ran around in circles. "Wait right here," he commanded softly, and lust rippled through you at the sight of his pupils blown wide. "Don't move an inch." 

You felt like you were barely even breathing as you stood very still and watched Bradley lead Tramp past the piano and out the back sliding glass door. "I promise I'll play with you next. I just desperately need to fuck my wife." Then he made his way back to you, his lips set in a determined smirk, and his movements beyond sexy. "I promised I wouldn't leave you hanging."

You closed your eyes as his palm came to rest on the wooden door just next to your head. His warmth was so close, but he wasn't touching you yet as you whispered, "You always take care of me."

His fingers started to pull up the hem of your dress as he crooned, "Why don't you go ahead and tell me how much you missed me."

You tipped your head back until it met the door, and you kept your eyes squeezed closed as you whined, "Couldn't go another day without you." When his lips met your cleavage, your eyes flew open. His lips grazed your nipple through the thin fabric as he slowly knelt in front of you, and you told him, "Your daughter and I missed you terribly."

When he looked up at your face, he pulled your dress up and said, "I'm so in love with you." He ran his lips along your bare belly. "And you." Then he pressed the bunched up fabric against your ribs, and when he said, "Hold this for me, Baby Girl," you did exactly as you were told.

"Yes, Daddy."

"Fuck," he grunted, rough hands on your thighs as he kissed your belly button. "Do you have any idea how perfect you are?" His eyes met yours again. "You asked me if I was happy. I've been happy since I met you. Since you gave me a purpose. Since you let me love you." His hands found the scrap of your white lace underwear and started to pull it down your thighs. "God, I missed this," he murmured, pressing his lips to your pussy as soon as you were free of the lace which slipped all the way down until your panties hit your boat shoes.

"Bradley," you croaked, the second syllable sounding much longer than the first as he licked his way up your slit to the patch of hair that you kept neatly trimmed. He licked along this same path again, this time pressing deeper with his tongue. The third time, he separated you a little more, and then he wrapped his lips around your clit and sucked gently. All the while he kept his big hands on the swell of your belly. "I really missed you."

He responded by kissing your dainty rooster tattoo and burying his face in your pussy. Bradley gently nudged your legs further apart so he could taste you everywhere, and each time you started to buck, he pushed your hips back. You were gripping your dress so tight in both hands, you were afraid you might rip the fabric, but he just kept going in a smooth up and down stripe until you could tell you were dripping wet.

"Yeah, you missed me," he grunted, kissing your tattoo one more time. "I can taste how much."

"Roo."

He got to his feet and cupped your pussy below the swell of your belly, circling your opening with the tip of one finger as he leaned in close. "Will you let me take you to bed and show you how much I missed you?"

Your voice shook as he pushed his finger inside you, just a promise of what was to come if you agreed. "Please!"

Barely ten seconds later, you were on your back in bed, your dress pushed all the way up, exposing your breasts and belly to him. Your soaked pussy was already clenching as the cool air hit your skin, and you watched Bradley wrench his shirt off and unzip his pants. But he didn't penetrate you yet. He pushed on the backs of your thighs so your knees got a little closer to your shoulders, and you whimpered his name.

His eyes were a little wild as he said, "Yeah, I'll take care of everything, Sweetheart." Bradley wrapped his hands around your thighs and leaned down to kiss at your furled nipples, his mustache leaving you squirming, searching for release. "Your fucking tits are huge. My God. And so warm." 

He nuzzled himself against your breasts which were in fact getting to the point where your bras were fitting a little too tight. He sucked and swiped his tongue along, and you let your fingers sink into his hair as he brought you close with his mouth wrapped around one nipple then the other. "Oh my God," you panted, just spurring him on. Because next, his mouth trailed back down to your belly where he whispered and worshipped you.

"I love my girls," he crooned, spreading your legs open wider as you tugged on his hair to keep yourself grounded. "I love you so much."

"Please," you begged softly, and he finally put that mouth back on your soaking wet core. You were about to come, grinding against his lips and his nose, his name falling from you like a depraved prayer. Eventually he paused before filling you with his cock instead. You cried out as he stretched you fully for the first time in so long, and almost immediately he was fucking you to completion. You came hard, your back arching off the bed as you grabbed at his shoulders, but you knew he wanted his share, too.

Bradley fucked you through your orgasm, lips pressed to your ear so you could hear every word he said and every deep rumble at the back of his throat. "You were made for me, weren't you, Baby Girl? And I was made to worship you."

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

By the time Bradley came, he was sweaty and babbling like a lovesick idiot. Everything he cared about most was right there in his arms as you took him deep, always welcoming him into your sweetness. The relief he felt was incredible as he finally rolled onto his back, pulling you a little closer as he went.

"I'm gonna be a girl dad," he said with a smile as he looked at the ceiling through his post orgasm haze. "I can't wait."

The slick friction from his cum teased at his leg hairs as your pussy rested against his thigh, and you snuggled up against his chest. "Me too, Roo. I'm so excited to meet her." 

Your fingers teased along his abs, lulling him ever closer to an afternoon nap. He knew that one of you needed to let Tramp back inside, and he was going to have to scrape together something for you to eat soon. But right now, he didn't want to move.

"What happened with your deployment?" you asked softly as he yawned. This was the last thing he wanted to talk about right now when he knew you were carrying his little girl, but he should have known you'd have questions. 

"It fucking sucked. Being away from you gets harder and harder each time now. They kept tacking on more weeks of these random bombing runs, and the weather was miserable. We had to fly in the rain half the time."

He listened to you hum, contemplating what he said. "It was so scary when you got called to action in the middle of talking to me over FaceTime. I couldn't stop crying. And then it was weeks before some random guy in personnel called me to let me know you were on your way home."

It was hard to believe he was on that flight back to San Diego just a few hours ago. "Honestly, in all of the excitement today, that already feels so distant in my mind," he told you, kissing your forehead as he thought about how long he had been away from you. "We didn't really know we were heading home until it was happening. And it was so late here when we got released, they told me they'd have someone reach out so I didn't have to wake you up again. Then there was only one seat left on the first flight home, and once Payback and I were being airlifted to Hong Kong, they told us to decide who was taking that spot. He gave it to me, no questions asked. Told me to get home to you and the Nugget."

You gasped and murmured, "Reuben is the sweetest."

Bradley chuckled as his fingers grazed along the side of your bump. "Yeah, well, you actually owe him three dozen chocolate chip cookies. That was the only stipulation for the deal."

Your laughter made Bradley's smile grow. "Totally worth it. Actually, since you made it home in time for my appointment, I'll make five dozen for him."

"No wonder everyone thinks I'm spoiled," he told you, tugging on you until you were straddling his hips and looking down at him with your hands braced on his chest. "Fuck. Just look at you." 

His sticky cum was matted in your pubic hair, and your tits looked delicious. There was no way he'd be able to keep his hands away from you now that he'd seen and felt your little bump in person. His daughter was growing in there. He smiled and ran his palm gently over your skin, stroking you with his thumb as your pretty gaze stayed transfixed on his.

"I'm happy you're home, Roo."

He nodded, eye lids growing heavy from jet lag and the time zones, and he simply didn't argue when you kissed his cheek and said you were going to let Tramp inside and then take a nap with him. Soon enough, Bradley was snuggled up in bed with his head resting next to your belly and your fingers tangled in his hair. Your sweet voice lulled him to sleep for the best afternoon nap of his life.

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

This has been a very emotional day for Bradley. He's home with his hot wife, and now he gets to start planning for the arrival of their daughter in a few more months! Thank you so much for reading about the Nugget! More to come soon, including the first wedding anniversary! Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 3

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[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Hope, somewhere

Written for the @steddiemicrofic challenge, August 2024 edition

Prompt: plug, 437 words

Rated: G

Tags: Future fic; Post Vecna; Everybody lives; Single dad Steve; Rock star Eddie; Exes Steddie; Reunions; Second chances; Hopeful ending

Steve shouldn't have come.

He tried to refuse. The concert would run way too late, on a weekday, and couldn't they just see the Backstreet Boys?

Leah rolled her eyes, the image of himself at fifteen, brandishing the tickets she won. “Live and unplugged, Dad. With a meet and greet after. He's one of the greatest musicians of our time, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Dad, please, we have to!”

*

It'll be fine, Steve thinks, standing in the front row with his quivering daughter. The meet and greet will take five minutes at most, and he looks nothing like he used to. He is closer to forty than to thirty. His hair isn't anywhere near as full. He has grown softer around the middle, and his glasses have become a permanent feature. There's years between the boys they once were. Years and miles and dozens of lovers, for one of them at least. It'll be fine.

And then the lights dim and the crowd explodes. Eddie walks onto the stage, looking just as beautiful as eighteen years ago. Their gazes lock. Those dark eyes go wide. And suddenly the years and miles drop away and it's just the two of them in the room.

“Hey, Indie,” Eddie says into the microphone, unslinging his acoustic from his back. His voice carries all across the hall. His eyes never leave Steve’s. “Good to see you. This is one I've been saving for a special occasion.”

His fingers find the strings and he sings. And Steve is nineteen once more and nothing will ever be fine again.

*

“Where's the other five?”

Steve blinks. The hall is empty. They're standing by the side of the stage, watching an ecstatic Leah strum away on Eddie’s guitar.

“Huh?”

Eddie grins, lopsided and dimpled. Devastatingly familiar.

“Nuggets. You wanted six.”

Steve sighs, watching his daughter fumble a chord and scowl.

“Only her. We tried for a sibling, briefly, but- ... Just as well, probably.”

Eddie fiddles with his hair. “So her mom … You're not-?”

Steve shakes his head. “Broke up when Leah was three. It's hard with people who aren't- ... who weren't there.”

Eddie hums and they lapse into silence.

“I liked the song,” Steve says at length. “The new one? It was so raw, so full of regret, but the way you sang it? I dunno, there was hope there, somewhere.”

“Thanks,” Eddie says. “Been waiting for the right opportunity to sing it for a long time.”

They part with a million unspoken words between them, but tucked into Steve’s pocket is a number. A number, and hope.

[the-bi-space-ace]

The Weight of Joint Leadership

Headcanons and Ramblings about Echo & Hunter

I talked about this in a post ages ago and then I think @saturn-sends-hugs asked to be tagged if I ever posted it. I’m finally getting around to posting this 😅 it’s been in the works for over a year now.

Hunter and Echo have a unique relationship that isn’t extensively explored throughout the series but one that still gets some attention nonetheless. One thing I really started to notice when I rewatched S1 a while back is that Echo and Hunter have this unspoken equal partnership where Hunter looks to Echo to push him and Echo looks to Hunter to ground him. Echo lends his expertise and opinion and Hunter questions the practicality of things with an emphasis on silent communication. These two are really in this together and they know each other very well and are able to hear each other without even speaking. Their motives often align it’s the way they think it’s best to handle things that differs. I think of it as them standing on opposite sides of a river. They’re both going one direction but they have to take different paths.

That doesn’t necessarily make either path wrong, just different.

Obviously I prefer Echo, I think that’s clear just from *side-eyes my blog* everything about me but it’s important to me to dissect every angle, even if there are ideas I identify with and prefer more.

Within S1 there are at least a good handful of times that they communicate either silently or verbally on issues concerning plans or the squad. Some of these silent conversations happen in mere seconds, the two of them only exchanging a look and a few eyebrow raises before Hunter announces what they’ve decided to do. Other times they talk to each other, even if just for a few seconds, before moving on and continuing their mission.

I think it’s highlighted best in ‘Entombed’. They keep looking at each other, clearly seeking input, and following the other’s lead.

Echo has no issues bringing up his displeasure, not to anyone, but there are certainly times that he waits until he and Hunter are alone to discuss it. Like in S1 E8 - Reunion. Echo brings up how they should’ve left with Rex, how they could be helping. Hunter doesn’t necessarily hear him out entirely but I think he isn’t exactly ready to either. He's focused on carrying out the mission at hand, not switching up their situation entirely. Then we have S2 E1 where Echo pulls Hunter aside to have that infamous conversation about how they should be doing more. I can only imagine how many times they’ve had that exact talk. How many times they’ve sat in the cockpit or on a bunk in the middle of the night and whisper-argued at each other until they came to a standstill. There had to be a breaking point where they realized they were never going to see eye to eye on this. The 'Nuna Nuggets' mission comes immediately to mind (their absence in ‘Faster’) as the place this happened. I can only speculate because we didn't see it but I think they took that mission solo because it was both easily accomplished with only a pair and they really needed some alone time to hash some things out. Without prying from the rest of the squad. Time to have an adult conversation.

I think they argued. I think they were arguing over what their future as a group was and I think they couldn’t come to an agreement. I think this disagreement eventually landed them in a place where Hunter had to let Echo go in order to keep the peace between them. Echo had to finally step away from the Batch, away from retirement, and towards the future he wanted, the way he wanted to resist the Empire. This is a big step for both of them. Echo won’t give up. He’s going to go save other clones. He’s going to go with Rex. The harder Hunter holds on and refuses to let go the more he will push Echo away. The more they all will.

And since Echo won't stop pushing there has to be give. If they keep butting heads and standing on opposing sides of the platform it will only make the rift bigger. At some point peace has to be made about this difference in ideology.

I think we see this struggle between them again in ‘Tipping Point’.

The following conversation is about their future. Echo asks if they’re staying on Pabu indefinitely and Hunter says it might be the best thing for them. When Hunter inquires about what Echo is up to the following conversation happens:

Echo: Rex and I have built up a small network of clones. Some are in hiding, underground, others act as our contacts within the Empire.

Hunter: Echo. You’ve seen the power you’re up against. You can’t defeat them.

Echo: it’s not about that. It about fighting for our brothers.

Hunter: I understand why you’re doing this but… when will it be enough?

They immediately get interrupted by Tech and the conversation never reaches a conclusion.

(Side note that I am tossing around this being purposeful. Echo hasn’t reached an end to his journey, he isn’t done yet. ‘Enough’ doesn’t exist for him. Not yet anyway. He still has work to do. I have my issues with the TBB and it’s overall ability to delve into its theme and complete a story and Echo’s lack of conclusion is one of them but that is a different post for a different day.)

Caveat that I can only speculate because we do not get a lot of detail surrounding this line or how either of them are feeling at this moment but we have gotten glimpses of their differences throughout the series. I certainly didn’t handle it well upon hearing this line for the first time. Now, I think what the writers were trying to do was continue to harp on this difference in ideology between them. This difference in motivation. Truthfully, I find this line to be an over simplification of what Echo is trying to do here and it makes Hunter look bad. Insensitive, apathetic. Especially given how clone force 99 feels about and treats the other clones this… doesn’t make clone force 99 seem empathetic. Having Hunter ask ‘when will you be done helping the clones?’ when they’re still trapped and being experimented on, trying to escape the empire, and in hiding is like asking why even start the race if the finish line is ten miles away? I think this scene would’ve benefited from some sort of challenge from Echo about this idea that he should consider giving up on his cause. Something to put more strength behind this disagreement and give Echo more of a voice here. Instead we leave it cut off (again, perhaps purposeful even if I don’t like it) and leave it just like that. Unanswered. If Echo had pushed back perhaps I would feel differently about the scene. Alas, the bad taste in my mouth remains.

Personally, I think this line is in poor taste given all we know about Echo and what is happening to the clones. But I’d like to take it apart a bit to try and reframe it as best I can and show that it still has those elements of ‘leading with the heart’ and ‘leading with the head’ that I talked about earlier. Pushing for more and grounding.

Echo is building something. He’s building towards bigger impact change. A way to network and build and grow. He’s saving the clones, fighting for them, refusing to give up. And that’s so integral to who he is at the end of the day.

Hunter is pumping the breaks. He often does. He always has, even with his own squad. Keeping them even a little bit in line had to be a challenge. He’s used to people pushing, Echo isn’t an exception to this. He reminds Echo how powerful the Empire is. How it would be impossible to defeat them on their own.

Here they are again. Echo pushing for more, to do good, to help those in need, while Hunter offers some wider perspective. They’re too strong. Taking down the Empire isn’t going to happen. Not like this. And, really, that’s not what Echo is after here but you know what I’m getting at.

All of this is to say that I still believe Hunter and Echo very much need each other. Not despite their differences but because of them.

At the end of the day they still believe in one another. Hunter puts a lot of faith in Echo’s skills, in his abilities. He knows Echo is the man to count on and I think that’s partially why he tries to slow him down in some of these moments. Hunter grounds Echo. We know the man can be chaotic. Jump in feet first and not look down until he’s half way through the fall kind of man. Hunter is there to remind Echo to breathe. That he has a place to come back to and that place - Hunter hopes - will be with them. Hunter gave Echo a space to grow. A space to find who he was after Skako. I don't think that's a small gesture in any way. Hunter is a way for Echo to find something steady. When he's ready to. Listen, Hunter isn't a talker. He doesn't do big conversations about feelings. He isn't that guy. And he'd never come right out and say it but the love is there.

Echo sees how paralyzed Hunter gets in the wake of the Empire, in the midst of massive change. Echo is no stranger to change. He’s changed all his life. Every stage has been another big step, another way to pivot, another path to follow. He’s used to this. Hunter isn’t. Echo can push Hunter to do more than avoid his problems, avoid the inevitable. Echo steers Hunter and brings him opposing ideas and glares at him when he thinks he’s fucking up. He argues with him and pushes back and doesn’t let him get away with any bullshit or hiding without at least some argument. He drives Hunter towards action instead of away from it. In subtler ways but he still does. We see this when he advocates to go save Gregor, when he advocates for helping Rex, when he insists on saving the clones, helping free people. He pushes on issues he is passionate about and he wants to make Hunter see him at the very least.

Truthfully, I think he does. I think that's why he looks to Echo when making big decisions, why he believes in his abilities so much, and why he knows Echo has it covered.

They are fire and ice. Fight or freeze.

They are two people who don’t usually agree but they respect each other. These two are constantly checking in with each other, seeing how the other will react, and eventually fighting it out on an empty ship until they ultimately decide that the best thing to do is to part ways. Imagine how badly that hurt everyone involved. Hunter and Echo came to a decision together, like they usually do, and I can only imagine Wrecker and Tech’s reaction when they brought the both of them up to speed. Echo will be leaving with Rex the next chance he gets. He’ll be gone for however long he is gone. He may never come back. It’s been decided. I can only imagine how hard it was to hear that Echo was moving on without them and nothing they could say would keep him out of the fight. They knew who Echo was when he joined them, though, and I can bet they saw this coming eventually. (I headcanon that Tech knew how strongly Echo felt about this because they've talked prior but this post isn't about them so I'll ramble about their relationship another day <3) Especially after meeting up with Rex is S1. But the hurt doesn’t mean his choice wasn’t the right one for him.

These two are important to each other. I hope that importance, respect, and love is highlighted the further we get from the conclusion of the show. I hope it can be expanded upon, dissected, and get more development eventually. Because they deserve it. Because I know there is love there and I’d hate to see it go to waste.

In my opinion these two characters aren't meant to represent apathy versus empathy - although I totally see where that is coming from. I see it as avoidance versus action. It’s having to choose between hiding in safety and fighting in the line of fire and what happens when one of you believes in a cause that the other doesn’t. It's choosing what matters to you and watching someone you love choose a different path. It's knowing they're making a choice that you may not want them to but doing what is best for you regardless. It’s two people who butt heads but still hold respect for one another at the end of the day.

It’s that Echo will go where he is needed. And Hunter’s path is different.

[renlyslittlerose]

"and to know that those who liked the fic are finding these little nuggets I keep dropping is..." i hope i don't sound like an obsessed lunatic, but the only reason i joined Tumblr couple of years ago was so that i could read B sides of Moonlight Serenade when you were posting them.

I'm a bottomless pit when it comes to any nuggets from Moonlight Serenade au so if you take prompts, it'd be so nice to get another snippet ❤️

I always love all B sides from obi-wan's pov during the war. Or when (if) anakin came to visit England for the first time after the war when Obi-Wan was packing/their reunion after three months apart?

Or when they are old/have been together for decades and finally get to marry each other officially?

I love both melodrama and fluff, and I already know that I will love anything you decide to write! ❤️

Thank you again for writing these prompts, I have loved all of them! 😍

Ahhhh, no, not at all!!! You sound like a person with incredible taste, actually. Very smart, very wise!

But thank you so, so much for another Moonlight prompt! Always enjoy when you guys let me indulge myself by writing in this universe! I loved all the ideas you presented, but couldn't resist the first idea!

---

January 4, 1947 - Four Days Before Departure

“I thought you said you were going to continue packing once the New Year’s sherry wore off,” Anakin said through a yawn.

“It hasn’t worn off,” Obi-Wan replied, before he bit Anakin’s shoulder gently.

“It’s been four days…”

Obi-Wan raised his head and smiled at Anakin. It had a roguish, charming sort of quality about it, reminding Anakin a little of Errol Flynn. Smoothing the strands of hair across the back of Obi-Wan’s head, he tangled his fingers in his hair and pulled him in for a deep kiss. When they broke, Obi-Wan’s grin was even more dashing, his cheeks pink and eyes sparkling.

“I have different priorities…” Obi-Wan mumbled. As if to prove his point, he reached between Anakin’s legs and pressed against his stretched hole.

Letting out a soft moan, Anakin grasped Obi-Wan’s shoulder and rocked into the touch. Pools of pleasure mixed with a familiar ache skittered through his body, making his toes curl and back arch.

“And if you run out of time?” Anakin managed to ask, even as Obi-Wan added a second digit to the ministrations. “You’re just planning on leaving half your clothes in London?”

“Since when were you the responsible one, hm?” Obi-Wan kissed along the scars across Anakin’s neck, his mustache tickling, lips soothing, tongue slick.

Teeth sharp.

Jumping at the sensation, Anakin nudged Obi-Wan as pain - not the good kind - coursed through him. “Careful with your teeth.”

“Sorry,” Obi-Wan mumbled, before kissing the mark as he scissored his fingers.

Another flutter of pleasure rolled through him, and Anakin closed his eyes, his hips rocking into Obi-Wan’s steady touch. He knew Obi-Wan was trying to distract him, but try as he might, he couldn’t really find it in himself to not go along with it.

Especially not when Obi-Wan pulled his hand away only to roll Anakin over onto his stomach with strong, broad palms. And especially not when Obi-Wan’s weight pressed down on him, pushing his body into the worn mattress, the scent of sex and laundry thick in his throat.

And definitely not when Obi-Wan sunk inside him again, his length splitting Anakin apart.

With a gasp of pleasure, Anakin pushed up into Obi-Wan’s weight and bit down on the pillow. Obi-Wan began grinding down into him, knees sunk into the mattress on either side of his thighs as he fucked him slow and steady, until all Anakin could think about was Obi-Wan’s hands on his hips, his lips on the shell of his ear, and his cock so deep inside.

January 5, 1947 - Three Days Before Departure

“Come on, Anakin, lets go to the pub.”

Dropping one of Obi-Wan’s sweaters into the open suitcase, Anakin glanced over his shoulder to see Obi-Wan standing in the doorway. He had his jacket on already, keys in hand and his hat on at a jaunty angle. Glancing down at his watch, Anakin noted that it was barely two in the afternoon.

“It’s not tea time,” he said.

“It’s tea time somewhere.” Obi-Wan nodded his head toward the stairs. “Let’s go to the Black Lion.”

Obi-Wan was stalling. Again. But before he could point it out, Obi-Wan stepped into the room, grabbed Anakin’s wrist, and tugged him out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Following behind, Anakin held back a squawk as Obi-Wan threw his coat at him. Catching it, Anakin sent Obi-Wan a sharp look.

“What’s at the Black Lion that’s got you so eager?” Anakin asked. He let Obi-Wan help him put his coat on, despite his previous annoyance at having it unceremoniously thrown at him.

“Nothing - it’s just a nice pub,” Obi-Wan said. He straightened the collar of the jacket before hooking one of his scarfs around Anakin’s neck. The wool rubbed pleasantly against Anakin’s neck, keeping away the chill. “We’ll have to take the tube, however.”

“That’s fine.”

They shared a kiss - brief but intense - before Obi-Wan opened the door and they were once again only ‘friends.’

Walking side by side down the street, Anakin breathed in the cool air. The last time he’d been in London, anti-aircraft guns lined the streets and freshly bombed out buildings smoldered in the early morning light. The people walked with a determined stride in their step, chins raised to keep an eye to the skies, their breath stuck in their throats any time a loud noise shot through the streets as they tried to go about their day.

But now the streets were lined with cars and old delivery carts, the wreckage of damaged homes cleaned up brick by brick, and the only things that flew overhead were the chatty sparrows and the raucous crows.

“Think you’ll miss this?” Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan shook his head and sniffed back the cold air. “No.”

“Really?”

“London is just a city like any other,” Obi-Wan said. “It’s the people in them that matter.”

“You have friends here.”

Obi-Wan smiled ruefully. “But it doesn’t have one very important friend.”

Anakin grinned. “Well, right now it does.”

“True. But when he goes back to Vancouver, then they’ll be nothing left for me here.”

Reaching into his pocket, Anakin pulled out the cigarette case Obi-Wan had given him. Pausing in the middle of the sidewalk, Anakin let Obi-Wan open it and pull a cigarette out for him. Putting it between his lips, he locked eyes with Obi-Wan as Obi-Wan lit a match for him and held it. A familiar line had formed between Obi-Wan’s brows.

“You’re thinking hard about something,” Anakin said between puffs of smoke.

They started walking again.

“I’m trying to decide on what I’m going to order - a meat pie, or a cucumber sandwich,” Obi-Wan replied.

Anakin knew there was something going on, and had a fairly good idea it probably had something to do with leaving London. Obi-Wan had been unusually deflective as of late.

Anakin wasn’t sure how he’d feel if he was expected to move from Vancouver to London. It had his home, his shop, his family and friends. It was the place that had seen his absolute lows and his highest highs. It had made him grow from a boy, scared and frightened, into a man - complete, whole, assured.

Yet, he’d give it all up if it meant he’d get to be with Obi-Wan for the rest of his life.

“Having second thoughts about moving to Vancouver?” he asked despite himself. If Obi-Wan didn’t want to move, Anakin wasn’t sure how he’d take the news…

“No,” Obi-Wan said immediately. Anakin let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “In fact, I can’t wait to get out of here.”

“Then why are you procrastinating on packing your clothes?”

“I’ve had other things to pack.”

“All the furniture your bringing is already down at the docks, packed away in giant crates. The only thing you’ve got left are your books and clothes.”

Obi-Wan sniffed again. The tip of his nose had gone pink. “I’ve got a lot of books to bring, and they’re much more important than my clothes.”

“So you’re just going to walk around Vancouver in the pants and shirt you arrived in? Until they stink and have holes in them?”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not—”

“I’ll run around nude before I let myself become stinky.”

January 6, 1947 - Two Day Before Departure

“What about this?”

Obi-Wan glanced up from his pile of books and peered at Anakin over the edges of his reading glasses. “What about it?”

Looking at the shirt he was holding up, Anakin shrugged. “Do you want to bring it with us?”

“I don’t care,” Obi-Wan mumbled. He turned back to task, loading yet another copy of the Odyssey into the travel trunk.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Anakin held back his shout of frustration. He knew there would be a period where they’d have to get to know each other - truly know one another, beyond the romance and the idealism of their letters, and the inherent romance that came from their separation during the war years. Padmé had warned Anakin that no matter how much he loved Obi-Wan, he’d still find things about him that frustrated the crap out of him.

But he didn’t think it would be so soon. And he didn’t think it’d be over a shirt.

Tossing it back into the dresser drawer, Anakin turned to Obi-Wan and glared. And glared. And glared, until Obi-Wan looked up.

Anakin glared some more.

“You’re staring is distracting, darling,” Obi-Wan finally said.

“What is your problem?” he asked.

Obi-Wan quirked a brow. “I’m sorry?”

“Why are you so against packing your clothes?” Anakin pressed. “Is it because you don’t want to move to Vancouver? You don’t want to move in with me?”

“No,” Obi-Wan said quickly. Dropping his book, he stood up and strode toward Anakin. Catching his chin in the palm of his hand, Obi-Wan pressed into the dimple, forcing Anakin to look at him. “I want to be with you more than anything, Anakin. Those few months we were apart were agony for me, and I couldn’t wait to get my affairs in order so I could join you in Vancouver. When you offered to come help me in London, I almost said no, just so I’d have the motivation to finish sooner so I could come and see you again.”

Obi-Wan had a way with words, Anakin would give him that.

“Then why do you have a vendetta against packing clothes?” he asked. “Do you hate your closet? I mean, some of your sweaters are a little old fashioned, but they’re made from wool you can’t get in Canada.”

“I don’t hate my clothes, darling.”

“Then why?” Obi-Wan looked away then, the corner of his mustache twitching slightly as he wiggled his jaw. Reaching out between them, Anakin curled his fingers over the banding of Obi-Wan’s trousers, tugging him close. Ducking his head slightly, Anakin caught Obi-Wan’s gaze and dragged it back up to him. “Our marriage is only going to work if you’re honest with me, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan let out a soft sigh. “Promise you won’t think me ridiculous.”

“I already think you’re ridiculous,” Anakin said.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “You’ve been watching too many Myrna Loy films. You’ve become terribly quippy.”

He kissed Obi-Wan to soothe the sting and ensure he’d get his way. “Stop deflecting,” he said when they broke apart.

Taking in a deep breath, Obi-Wan clenched his jaw before speaking. “Packing up my clothes… it’s too similar to what I had to do during the war. Every couple of weeks or even days I’d have to uproot myself, shoving all my belongings into a sack or a chest, and march until I was told to stop. I’d then unpack, make a small home for myself wherever I could, before I’d have to repeat the process all over again. Pack away my things, march off to a new location, all the while becoming more and more… unmoored. From myself, from my sense of belonging. From everything.”

Anakin had been lucky, in a sense, that he had a home to go to every night during the war. The barracks on the airbase offered some semblance of routine and familiarity - a place he knew would always be there to take him in when he returned. Obi-Wan didn’t have that. The canvas walls of his tent were the only familiar thing he had, the scenery outside it always changing.

He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have your entire existence be packed away every few weeks. The lack of stability alone would have driven Anakin mad.

“Silly, isn’t it?” Obi-Wan continued.

“It’s not,” Anakin murmured. He kissed Obi-Wan again, his hand sliding around to wrap around his waist. When they broke apart, Obi-Wan ducked his head and pressed it against Anakin’s neck. “We don’t have to pack your clothes if you don’t want to.”

“But then I’ll be stinky, as you said yesterday.”

“We can buy new clothes in Canada. Start fresh.”

“I suppose I could blend in that way. Hide myself in amongst my new Canadian compatriots.”

“You’ll have to work on the accent.”

“You can teach me.”

“Of course. First, stop saying compatriots and amongst.”

Obi-Wan chuckled softly, the sound of it making Anakin’s spine tingle. Kissing Obi-Wan’s cheek, Anakin pulled away and looked back at the half empty trunk.

“Maybe I should bring some sweaters with me,” Obi-Wan said.

“Oh?”

“You’re right about the wool. being atrocious in Canada.”

January 7, 1942 - One Day Before Departure

Taking a deep drag of his cigarette, Anakin looked out at the dark street below. Tilting his head from side to side, he tried to work out the knots that had formed between his shoulder blades. He’d been stuck on an uncomfortable wooden chair in a pub for hours, tucked beside Obi-Wan in a cramped corner while friend after friend came to share in a pint and say their goodbyes.

The sound of their revelry still hummed beneath Anakin’s skull; joyous, bright, a little melancholic.

Anakin almost felt bad for taking Obi-Wan away from them. But he wasn’t theirs anymore - perhaps they never were. He was Anakin’s now - perhaps he always was.

Strong hands slid across his bare waist, and he smiled when he felt the press of Obi-Wan against his back.

“If anyone walks by and looks up right now, you’ll have some explaining to do,” Anakin said.

“I’m leaving for Canada tomorrow. If they want to call the police on me for sodomy, they’ll have a long way to go to get me.” He kissed the back of Anakin’s neck before tucking his chin over his shoulder.

They looked out at the street together, listening to the sounds of London.

“She’s beautiful, in a way. London, I mean,” Anakin said after his cigarette had turned to ash. “But burdened with the collective trauma of generations…”

“All the more reason to leave.”

“Think we’ll ever come back?”

Obi-Wan kissed Anakin’s neck again, his grip tightening around Anakin’s waist. “Maybe in a few years. I'm just looking forward to having a home."

[goldenlionprince]

it ain't easy

We've got Sirius out of prison in The Bodyguard AU, he's got a cute reunion kiss, a much needed long shower and cuddles, and some sexy times as well, now what? 👀 you can find previous parts in my AO3 collection and all the awesome art in @sorenphelps Bodyguard AU tag

tagging @neverenoughmarauders @lovelymasks @0o-r-anon-o0

.

James had hoped things would go back to normal quickly when Sirius is back in his arms.

They don't.

Sirius tries to act like everything is fine, like now that he's out of prison he has shaken off the whole experience, but James notices the little changes. Like closed doors being not his thing, especially in small rooms. The bathroom door stays open when he showers.

Sudden loud noises make him flinch. James notices at their little welcome back party with all their friends. There are muffins decorated with chocolate dinos and green frosting. There are dino nuggets. There are dino drinks.

And there is Teddy, screaming his head off when he sees Sirius. Three months are a long time, especially for a toddler, but James was sure Sirius' magic baby touch would still be there. Teddy is unconsolable though and Tonks has to leave with him, apologizing all the way. James can see how much it breaks Sirius' heart, even if Remus assures him it's completely normal.

The nightmares start that night. Sirius is not loud about it, he's not waking up screaming or anything, but James notices it anyway in the tightness of his jaw and the pattern of his breathing. It's off and sounds stressed.

Pulling him closer seems to help a little. Sirius is holding on tight, like James is his only lifeline, and James doesn't mind. He himself is sleeping better that way too, a reminder that Sirius is really here with him.

The tightness of his jaw is back in the morning though when Sirius sees the bruises he left on James' skin from holding too tight. James cups his face in his hands, brushing his thumbs across Sirius' cheeks before he can pull away further.

“Hey,” James says softly. “It's fine.”

It is. James really doesn't mind. But he can see in the way Sirius' eyes grow distant, by the way he's pulling away, withdrawing more into himself, that Sirius does mind a lot.

Sirius is not doing well and James can't really blame him. He doesn't think he would be doing so well either after being locked up for so long. He doesn't even do that well without the experience of being locked up, if he's being honest.

It's not that he's doing badly, not really. It's just that he can't have Sirius out of his sight. It's hard, okay? Having him ripped out of James' life might have triggered some memories of losing his parents the same way, without any warning. Just maybe. But he's dealing with it. He's just a tiny bit clingy right now and follows Sirius around like a duckling, but that's very normal.

That's why, when Sirius starts to work out again, James is following him to the gym as well. It's nice because it makes James keep up with the training he started during Sirius' prison time. He's usually not a fan of weight lifting and push-ups, he enjoys running a lot more than that, but James just couldn't stomach the sight of Sirius' equipment in his home gym going dusty. It looked too much like Sirius wouldn't come back. So James has started to pick up the dumbbells and he does have to say that they are doing wonders to his arms, so he's not opposed to keeping up some light training.

What Sirius is doing through can't be called light at all. It's more training to the point of exhaustion. He's pushing himself in ways James can't even imagine to try. He's not telling him to stop though, Sirius knows best what's working for him, and if he needs this intensity, so be it. But James does keep an eye on him so he won't forget to take breaks and hydrate, to make sure he doesn't hurt himself.

The intense workout helps with sleeping a little, but not always.

It's on one of the sleepless nights where not even a round of highly intense workout has helped Sirius with falling asleep when James finds him out on the balcony, sitting on the concrete floor and smoking, like he can't even tolerate a ceiling above his head right now.

“O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse, how have I frightened thee, that thou no more will weigh my eyelids down, and steep my senses in forgetfulness?” Sirius says as he watches the glowing amber at the end of his cigarette.

“Shakespeare?” James asks as he steps out onto the balcony, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders against the night's chill. The stars can barely be seen in the cloudy sky above the city.

“Henry IV, Part Two,” Sirius answers, his words a bit slurred, and takes another long drag. It very much doesn't smell like tobacco.

“At least it's not Hamlet.” James shrugs when Sirius looks at him. “You tend to quote Hamlet when things are really bad.”

Sirius laughs, it sounds a little flat and humourless. “There is a line about sleep in Hamlet too, if you want to hear it.”

“Keep that for another day.” James sits down next to Sirius and untangles one hand from the blanket, then plucks the joint from Sirius' fingers. He brings it to his own lips and takes a drag, but coughs immediately. “That tastes even worse than it smells. Where did you get that from?”

“Mundungus,” Sirius says, sounding a little defensive. “And it's not that bad.”

“I can get you better,” James says, almost offended, giving the joint back. He's not taking another drag from that thing.

Sirius blinks at him. “You can?”

“Yeah,” James shrugs. “My dad was in pharmacy before he became a diplomat. I have connections.”

Sirius laughs and takes one last drag from the ungodly thing before stubbing it out. “Why am I even surprised? Of course you have.”

James grins and throws the edge of his blanket over Sirius' back before he leans his head against Sirius' shoulder. Together they watch the sun rise slowly, colouring the sky in soft pink and orange.

****

All of this just makes James even more determined to clear Sirius' name. It won't erase the months spent in prison for him, James knows that. The charges on Sirius were dropped, so all his digging is not necessary.

Just that James does need it. He needs to find the one really responsible for all of this and make them pay. There is no way James will let them get away with this when they hurt Sirius so badly.

So James keeps digging around the only lead he has: Ludo Bagman.

And it takes a bit, but in the end he finally has another breakthrough.

“So I'm guessing you didn't take that nap you promised to take earlier?” Sirius says from where he leans in the doorway to their bedroom. James looks up from the laptop that sits in his lap above the blanket and gives him a sheepish smile.

“I was too busy.”

Sirius pushes away from the doorway and comes over to the bed. He sits down on the edge of it. “James,” he starts, but James stops him right away with a kiss, nipping at his bottom lip.

The distraction from any further arguments works, of course, and James leans back with a grin. “Anyway, I might have finally found an opportunity to talk to Bagman in a way that doesn't look too suspicious. I only ran into a little problem.”

“What problem?” Sirius asks, trying to get a look at James' screen.

“He'll be at an auction for antique weapons, a fancy invite only event,” James explains, turning the laptop a little so Sirius can see better. “The only problem is that there is no guest list I could hack into to put our names on. It's all handwritten invitations on heavy paper only, the old money kind of way, which is majorly annoying. The only good thing is that the guy who gives out those invites lives here in London. Number 12, Grimmauld Place.”

Sirius blinks at him. “Say that again?”

“Number 12, Grimmauld Place,” James repeats and pulls up a map of London to zoom in on the exact address he just mentioned. “That's in –“

“Islington, yeah, I know.” Sirius frowns at the screen. “And I think I can get us those invitations.”

“Sirius, as much as I appreciate your methods, I don't think getting in there with your gun out and demanding an invite will be the best way to go this time,” James says, patting Sirius' leg.

Sirius just grins at him. “Oh, I don't think I will have to do that. A little reminder that he can only call that house his own because of me might be enough.”

James blinks at him confused. “What?”

Sirius just points at the red circle on the London map that marks the location. “Number 12, Grimmauld Place is where I grew up. The guy handing out invitations for a fancy as shit auction is my dear brother.”

[goosewriting]

One last chance III

summary: third and final part to one last chance! the long awaited reunion :3 

relationship: Rise!Leo x gn!reader

warnings: mentions of blood

word count: 3.1k

A/N: at long last, here it is! since there’s a bunch of hopping between worlds, i added clarifications for when the story changes into another timeline (NY: new york aka main timeline / KR: krangpocalypse timeline / TR: triceraton world). that way you can differentiate if there’s an actual change of place or if it’s just a time skip! i really hope you like it :’) 

Navigation: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (you’re here!)

(english is not my first language. constructive criticism and grammar corrections are very appreciated!)

— — — 

The very next day, Leo and you gathered the other turtle brothers and Casey at the dinner table to tell them your plan. Mikey would have to open two more portals; one to get the older Leo from Casey’s timeline, and one portal to go place him in the Triceraton world with the other older you. 

You two watched as everyone processed your words, displaying different emotions in their faces. Your gaze fell on Mikey, who furrowed is brows, fidgeting with his fingers.

“I don’t know if I have it in me,” the youngest turtle admitted. Raph placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“It does sound dangerous,” the eldest said.

“I don’t even know how to find those dimensions again,” Mikey added.

“Just do the same thing you were doing last time,” you offered. “What were you thinking about when Leo fell through?”

Mikey scratched his chin as he thought it over.

“I don’t know, dino nuggets?”

“Makes sense,” Leo said with a serious nod. You playfully rolled your eyes.

“How will you find my timeline, though?” asked Casey. 

“With you, actually,” Donnie chimed in, bringing his hands in front of him with touching fingertips. “Your quantum signature should be unique enough to pinpoint it. I’ll build something to amplify Mikey’s powers.” 

“Sounds like we have a plan, then,” Leo concluded, placing his hands on the table and standing up. “Let’s get started.”

– – –

Mikey trained with smaller things first, making portals from one room to the other, and catching things mid-air and safely placing them on the ground. Meanwhile, you and Leo prepared a place where older Leo could stay. One portal already took a lot of effort; you didn’t really want to overexert Mikey and have him make two big ones, one right after the other. Also, future Leo might be hurt, so Raph helped you gather supplies for a little first aid kit as well.

The night before the big day, when Mikey would open the first portal, you were way too excited to sleep. You looked over at Leo, both of you in his bed, and it seemed he wasn’t feeling much differently, nervously tapping his fingers on his chest.

“It’s gonna work, right?” he asked in a low voice. 

“I think so, yeah,” you replied genuinely.

“Do you think I- he’ll be… mad?” You propped yourself up on your elbow at his question.

“You’re asking me? Shouldn’t you know better than anyone?” 

“Iunno,” he mumbled, and you gave him a sympathetic smile. 

“Well... If everyone you knew were gone, and you had the chance to spend more time with them, even if they’re technically a different version from another dimension, wouldn’t you want to see them?”

He thought it over for a moment. 

“I think so, yeah,” he replied.

“I know I’d want it too.”

For a moment, you two just looked at each other in the dim light of his room, then a giggle escaped you.

“What?” he asked with a suspicious smile. You sighed, lying back down properly and cuddling into his side.

“It’s like a tragic love story. Two star crossed lovers, promising to find each other in any universe.”

Leo took your hand, giving it a squeeze.

“I’d look for you in every universe,” he whispered. You hid face in the pillow with a groan.

“You’re so corny,” you laughed.

“And you love me for it.”

“Hmm, I do,” you said, stretching your neck to place a kiss on his cheek, then went back to getting comfortable.

Finally feeling a little more at ease, sleep slowly started to take over.

“I just hope he’s… still there,” Leo said so lowly you almost missed it. “The way Casey described the future, it was super bleak. I hope nothing happened to–”

“Shush,” you interrupted him, hugging his torso to reassure him. “It will work, I know it.”

“Hmm, yeah. It’ll work.”

With that, you both drifted off to sleep.

– – – [NY]

Donnie had built a hollow box of sorts, big enough to stand in it, with two wires coming out of either side. He put it on the floor, told Casey to step into it, and he activated it with his own nimpo, one wire connecting to Mikey, one to Donnie. The rest of you held onto Mikey’s arms like last time.

“It’s go time,” Donnie said with a wicked smile of sorts as the device started glowing.

– – – [KR]

Leo tried to hold back a pained groan between his pants. He looked at his leg; that’s a lot of blood. That krangified creature had got him good.

He tried getting back to his feet, but his leg gave out under him, and he was back on the ground, leaning onto the broken pieces of what used to be a building, sticking out from the dark sand that had taken over everything, transforming the urban landscape into a wasteland.

This is it, he thought, and bitterly smiled to himself. I’ve had a good run. Wish I had done some things differently, but…

Images of you flooded his mind, his brothers, Splinter, April, Casey… Ah, he really hoped the boy made it.

A  growling noise tore him out of his thoughts, and he saw the creature that had got him in this situation in the first place, approaching him slowly, about to pounce. With a deep exhale, Leo accepted his fate, finding no more fight left in him. He looked at the handle of his sword, now donning three coloured bands.

“Just get it over with!” he called out to the creature. Just as it was crouching down to build up its energy to jump, there was an all too familiar sizzling sound between him and the creature. 

Leo tiredly opened his eyes, and his brows rose in disbelief at what he was seeing. It was one of Mikey’s portals, moving towards him.

“What the—”

He got swept through the portal like a fish getting caught by a landing net. Gone was the coarse sand under him, replaced by something soft and warm and inviting. In front of him, figures he fully believed he’d never get to see again: his brothers, all alive; his younger self, looking at him with the same shock; Casey, and… you.

Mikey collapsed on the ground with a grunt. Raph picked him up and Donnie took them to his lab. Casey stepped out from his little box, which had deactivated the moment the portal disappeared.

“M-master Leonardo?” the boy asked in a mix of disbelief, surprise, and happiness. 

“Casey Junior,” the older Leo greeted him with a tired grin. “You made it.”

“Found the key, stopped the Krang,” Casey replied with the instructions his master had made him repeat back then. As his eyes started welling up with tears, Casey ran up to Leo and hugged him, which earned a groan of pain from the older turtle, but it turned into a chuckle. He hugged him back to the best of his abilities.

That’s when you noticed the turtle’s leg.

“O-oh my goodness, that looks very much not good,” you exclaimed, pointing at the wound covered in blood and debris.

“Yeesh,” younger Leo cringed after following your eyes.

You got to work cleaning up his wounds, disinfecting, and bandaging everything up. Older Leo was too exhausted to protest.

As the three of you were cleaning the grime off of hte turtle with a wet rag, you came to his right shoulder, and what you had thought was a giant glove, slid off slightly. So you took it off to be able to clean him better, except that instead of sliding the garment off his arm, the whole thing came off, leaving only a stubble reaching to just above where his elbow would be. Leo audibly gasped behind you.

“I- you- what happened to your arm?” Leo asked, turning to the boy on the patient’s other side. “Casey, you didn’t tell me I lost a whole arm!”

“There’s a lot I didn’t tell you, and it was for a reason–”

“Guys,” the older turtle interrupted.

Everyone got their attention back to the man on the pile of blankets.

“As much as I’m glad that you’re all okay, what am I doing here?” he questioned, his eyes jumping from Casey, to Leo, to you. 

“Don’t worry about it, just rest up,” Casey instructed.

“Yeah, we have a plan,” you added with a smile. “Just… get your energy back. We’ll explain everything later.”

He was too tired to argue, so he just let himself drift off into the welcoming embrace of sleep, and with a deep exhale, he passed out on the spot.

“Casey, stay with him,” you told the boy. “We’ll check on Mikey.” 

With a nod you instructed Leo to follow you, and you went to the lab, where you found Mikey on a makeshift cot. He was fine, also napping. Donnie assured you he just needed some rest. 

You all took turns for the next several hours to watch over the two; you caught pieces of conversations here and there, depending on whether older Leo was awake and whose turn it was to keep him company. But you tried not to eavesdrop, as you were sure he was telling them important but personal things. The one you were very curious about was the conversation older Leo had with Splinter. It seemed to be very emotional, but you kept your distance to give them some privacy. The boys’ father retired to his room for most of the day after they talked.

When it was your turn to take care of Leo, you brought some food and a change of bandages for his legs. 

“No one’s told me yet what’s going on,” he said after you handed him his food. “They told me it was your idea?”

You were kneeling next to him, and squirmed a little in your seat. 

“Are you sure you want to know now?” you asked, your gaze falling to your lap. “Don’t you want to recover a little more? You’re still in pretty rough shape–”

Leo interrupted you by calling your name. Your eyes darted back up to him and he raised a brow at you as he took a bite of the sandwich. You smiled to yourself. Some things really never change; that’s the same look young Leo would have given you in this situation.

With a sigh of defeat, you told him how after you had had your encounter in the alleyway, your timeline’s Leo had a similar one with an alternate older version of yourself, in a world where a different alien species had invaded Earth, but they were at peace now. Their Leo had died in the process, though.

“So,” you concluded after your retelling. “Leo and I, I mean my Leo, I mean…” You couldn’t help the heat creeping up to your cheeks, and the turtle gave you a knowing smirk. “Me and this world’s Leo; we thought we could help you guys out. You were left alone in a world that had no hope of being saved. And my other self is in a world worth living in, but is missing you. So, you know. 1+1=2 and here you are.”

Older Leo seemed genuinely surprised by your words. Whatever it was he had expected, this was not it. 

“I mean, you’re also free to stay here if you want to,” you offered, pointing over your shoulder. “There’s already Casey, so… I’m sure he’d like it if you stayed.”

“No can do,” Leo said with a sad smile, and you frowned. “I don’t really like the idea of playing with the timelines; my Donnie would have been vehemently against it.” He smiled nostalgically as he looked to the side for a second, then brought his attention back to you. “But in the end, he probably would have come to a similar conclusion. It’s obvious I’m not gonna ask you to bring me back to my timeline…. You were right on time, you know? A moment later and I would have been a goner.”

You gave him a worried look, but he dismissed it with a gesture of his hand.

“But,” he continued. “This isn’t my place to stay, either. I’ll take you up on your offer.” You perked up at that. “A different world at peace sounds pretty nice right about now.”

“From what Leo told me, everyone else seems to be alive there, you know,” you told him as you took out a fresh roll of gauzes from the supply box. “Raph, Mikey and Donnie. I’m sure they all miss you.”

Leo smiled, taking another bite of his sandwich as you started working on his leg. 

“And I miss them.”

“And I know it’s not the same because you won’t have the same memories and stuff–”

“Hey. It’s okay,” he calmed your doubts, holding your hand. “I appreciate it. Thank you.”

You merely gave him a nod, your heart racing at the gesture. His hand was so big, his whole presence made you feel so safe; you couldn’t wait to see your Leo keep growing and become the man you had in front of you now.

Not long after, when Mikey started feeling better, you all started preparing Leo’s departure.

– – – [TR]

You were taking your evening stroll through the park as you’d usually do. It had been raining all day though, and the cool wind seemed to make the droplets seep further into your clothes. As per usual, your feet brought you to the memorial statue by themselves, like they always did when you were lost in thought. 

Your grip tightened around your umbrella. It’s been so many years. Maybe it was time to finally let go. This grief was getting you nowhere. Leo wouldn’t want you to waste away like this just because he wasn’t there.

Standing in front of the statue, you let your eyes wander over it, looking at all the little details, discovering some new cracks in the rock. You did your best to keep it clean and all, but time, wind and rain seemed to chip away at it, no matter your efforts. Kind of like you felt, too, you concluded with a defeated sigh. 

Bringing your gaze back to the turtle’s heroic face expression, you tilted your head lightly. Just what were you supposed to do now?

– – – [NY]

Everyone got into position just like for the other portal, but you stayed back this time. You were facing away from where the yellow ring of light would open, as you didn’t want to see your older self.

“You sure you don’t want to see?” Leo asked. “The dinos looked pretty cool?” You chuckled.

“Nah, it’s okay,” you answered, looking up at him with a smile. “I don’t need to see other worlds, I have everything I need right here.”

You placed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. The turtle wasn’t able to reciprocate, but blushed as he spotted his older self a couple of steps away, giving him a thumbs up. 

– – – [TR]

You took one last look at the statue, some droplets hitting your face in the wind, which was starting to pick up. Just as you meant to turn around to leave, you heard some zaps behind you.

Just like last time, a flurry of yellow lights materialised out of nowhere over the gravel path of the park, expanding and clearing up until you could see through it. Young Leo hopped into your world, calling out to you with relief, as it meant he didn’t have to go look for you.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” he said as he jogged the short distance to where you stood.

“Wha- You’re back?” You were shocked to your bones, as you really thought you would never get to see any Leo ever again. “Why? How?”

“Doesn’t matter, I won’t be long either,” Leo informed you, taking your hand that you had stretched out to him. “I just came to say hi and bring you a gift.”

He let go and stepped aside. From behind him, another figure stepped through the portal. Your hand came to your mouth as you gasped, your umbrella dropping to the ground. 

Mikey groaned from the effort, the glowing yellow cracks expanding further over his arms.

“Hurry it up, guys!” Raph called from the other side of the portal. “Mikey can’t hold it open much longer!”

Turning to you, younger Leo held your hands one last time, and you dragged your eyes from one blue clad turtle to the younger one. 

“Give him the happy ending you both deserved, alright?” he asked, and giving you and older Leo one last hug, he hurried back to the portal, which started becoming more unstable by the second, the zaps threatening to collapse any moment now.

And not a second too soon, younger Leo left the scene, the portal closing right behind him with a loud crackle. 

Leo and you were left alone in the rain, looking at each other and just taking each other in.

“Hey,” Leo spoke first, taking a couple of steps in your direction.

“... Hi,“ you greeted him, your voice almost inaudible, as you looked him up and down repeatedly in disbelief. 

“The kids had a crazy idea and… it worked.”

You let out a shuddering breath, looking at your hands, opening and closing them in an attempt to ground yourself. 

“What timeline are you from?” you finally asked. Leo had to take a moment to think how to even answer that.

“The bad ending, I guess?” he settled on. “One where the world ended. I lost everything.”

He looked up at the statue of himself and smiled.

“This one didn’t lose an arm though, huh.” 

His attempt at lightening the mood was short-lived, as the small smile that had formed on your face disappeared just as quickly.

“No, but he lost everything, too,” you said, your hands clenching into fists as you dragged your eyes back up to meet his warm ones.

“You think I can fill the vacant spot he left open for this world’s coolest Leonardo?”

You couldn’t help but snort this time. 

“Yeah,” you offered, relaxing visibly. “I think he’d be okay with that.”

Leo finally approached you, carefully stroking over your cheek with the back of his hand, and you leaned into the touch. The rain hitting your face mixed with your tears.

“Okaerinasai,” you welcomed him back home as you placed your hand over his. He leaned down to touch his forehead to yours.

“Tadaima.”

— — —

Bonus:

“You think they’ll be okay?” you asked Leo after the portal closed.

“You said it yourself,” he said, placing his arm over your shoulder. “Star crossed lovers: they’ll always find back to each other because they belong together.”

~~~~~

🐥 taglist: [link to join in my pinned post!] @theoriginalmintyyyshake, @DyByNyght, @Lieutenantlashfaz, @galaxtic-writings, @Lovestruckfictionadict, @salty-s-r, @sleebykei, @miso-sopas, @duckanon, @wings-of-sapphire, @ashtheboookworm2, @xxnoxx, @crystal-crax, @lunaramune

also tagging the people in the comments in the second part who wanted to see a reunion! feel free to ignore 🙈

@koalaray, @catr4dora, @mialettt, @flowerloves, @franbowidk, @warrior-girl, @nessarolla-in-constant-flux, @crystal-crax, @kitkattzz

[writersnook11]

I'd Wait Forever

Life Day Exchange 2024 @lonewolflupe @cloneficgiftexchange

Word Count: 5.5k+

Warnings: 18+ but no smut, no use of Y/N, SFW, grief, mentions of death and lack of closure, denial, angst, mentions of corruption, mentions of Order 66, emotional reunion, fluff, kisses, holiday activities, mentions of a tiny square box with a very specific purpose

Summary: After Fives’ death, you’re not sure what to do with yourself. Your last conversation with Fives left you confused, scared, and reeling with its implications. You learn to live with your grief, and when the Republic is replaced by the Empire, you decide to leave Coruscant. You move to the place you and Fives had intended to live after the war, choosing to face head on what could have been. Months later, an unexpected visitor arrives.

Disclaimer: I should note I’m not 100% sure of the amount of time that passed between Fives’ death (canonically) and Order 66. In writing this I took a creative liberty in saying it was several months, please forgive me if that’s wrong. But also, this is fanfiction, so *shrug*, anything goes sometimes. I think a timeline issue in this case is a minor thing, but I at least wanted to be upfront about my doubt. I also don't know if the GAR troops were paid, but in this case they were, albeit extremely minimally.

Gift Note: Happy Holidays! Lupe, I hope you like it! I went a bit crazy with the angst but I hope the fluff makes it worth it. I read your About Me and stuck a nugget or two in there for you specifically. It's not perfect by any means, I'd edit this for months if I could. Also, I'm not sure if you use Spotify, but during the writing process I made a mood playlist/soundtrack and I'd be glad to share it with you if you're interested! Anyway happy reading, let me know what you think! <3

AI Notice: My consent to any and all use of my work in training AI is expressly withdrawn. Do not use my work in training artificial intelligence.

It had taken a matter of weeks for your world to turn upside down.

You longed for those hushed whispers of comfort, his rumbled assurance that he’d be back before you knew it. You desperately craved his arms around your waist again, holding you close and hanging on like you’d never let go, both of you warm and safe. 

Part of you didn’t believe it. How could you? He called you only hours beforehand, a rushed warning of something you couldn’t quite understand. 

Be ready to leave the second I get home, all those plans we made to move? We’re doing it now—

Fives wait—

Listen to me, okay? There’s something big happening, I can’t explain it all yet, I don’t have much time—

Fives you’re scaring me, what are you talking about? What’s happening?

Don’t be afraid, sweetheart, I’ll be home soon and we’ll get far away from here, just like we said we would.

Yeah, but that was after the war— is it over? Will it be over soon? Is that what you’re saying? 

No— I— I can’t tell you or I’d be putting you in danger.

What? You better tell me what the hell is going on, right now.

I can’t—

Fives!

A beat of silence. 

Dammit… Listen, you can’t repeat this to anyone, and I mean anyone, okay? Not Rex, not Fox, not Commander Tano, no one. Not until I give you the all clear. Got it? 

Okay, I hear you… 

The Kaminoans put something in every clone. Every clone. And it can control us. It’s an implant in our brains. Tup’s malfunctioned, that’s why—

Control you? What? Fives I’m confused—

This goes deeper than I ever thought possible. I don’t know what to— Kriff. I have to go—

Fives be safe! I can’t—

I love you baby, see you soon.

You were beyond confused and scared, but Fives was one of the best troopers in the GAR and you knew better than to doubt him. You trusted him more than anyone in the galaxy. You did as he told, if not to comfort yourself then him. 

You were waiting in the living room of your tiny Coruscant apartment, bags packed by the couch, when the Guard knocked on your door.

How could you believe them? 

This wasn’t in the plan. 

His funeral wasn’t like any you’d ever attended. It was lumped in with hundreds of his brothers fallen in combat, more like a memorial than anything. You went through the motions numbly, half-heartedly acting the part of a grief-stricken loved one because you still couldn’t bring yourself to believe it. Something in the way Fives had told you about behavioral implants, the war being fabricated; you didn’t trust many people anymore, even clones. It didn’t help that no one could meet your eye; not Rex, not Kix or any of the 501st. Maybe they felt responsible somehow. Survivor’s guilt, perhaps. You simply couldn’t believe Fives was dead. 

Weeks went by. Everyone looked at you with such sympathy. Rex even called to check in or visited when he was able, however rare that turned out to be. 

When months went by and there was still no word from Fives, you started to believe them. Maybe he was truly gone. He wouldn’t leave you this long without at least a word of comfort, even an acknowledgment or letter.

You returned to work, pouring yourself into it, saving money and filling your days as best you could while you hoped and waited to be wrong. Sometimes you’d pass by clones on shore leave, laughing and making merry. You’d see glimpses of him in his brothers, hear him in their voices. Those days you couldn’t help but wonder if any of them had known him, if they’d had a chance to hear him out. You often thought about his last days, especially the few hours after he comm’d you. Was he afraid? Angry? How deep did this go? You wanted to ask Rex, General Skywalker, anyone and everyone who was near him in his final days. Before you had the chance to speak to them again, everything Fives said to you in that call coalesced. 

The fall of the Jedi Temple, eliminated by Republic clones, and the emergence the Empire. Headlines that shook you to the core. 

You knew good and well the Jedi would never turn against the Republic, Fives had told you too much about them. You also knew just as well that the clones would never turn their backs on the Jedi without a second thought. No creature in the galaxy could meet a more loyal band of brothers. Behavioral implants suddenly made a frightening amount of sense. 

You didn’t like what this implied about the Republic, what it had been under the surface all along. When the Chancellor seemingly declared himself Emperor, you knew where the galaxy would head. You’d read too much about such governments. All too soon, free thoughts even as simple as questioning a new policy would be deemed threats to democracy, threats to the Empire. Any and all of which would be punished, if not eliminated entirely. 

You thought back to your final call with Fives, how he’d said telling you those things would put you in danger. If his last words to you ended up a warning without him ever knowing truly what would transpire, you wanted to make sure it wasn’t in vain. It had to be worth something, even if that only meant your escape from a corrupt regime. 

The night of Emperor Palpatine’s inaugural address would be your last spent on Coruscant. 

The instinct to run away was a powerful one, one you had never felt so tangibly. You spent the larger part of the night packing and repacking your bags, trying to dwindle your life down to the bare necessities for starting over. When you finally slept, you tossed and turned, waking in the morning feeling like you’d have been better off not sleeping at all. 

With one bag over your shoulders and one in hand, you turned to give that dingy, budget apartment a last once over. At first, you looked to make sure you didn’t miss anything you wanted to take. You’d never be coming back, after all. But then you were watching Fives sneak up on you while you were making dinner, food flinging to the ceiling as you shrieked. Then you were falling all over him, giggles and exclamations of surprise filling the room. You watched how his hands fit perfectly on your hips, sliding up your waist to your back to envelope you in a tight hug, your kisses peppering his face. Your lips fell on his, humming contentedly and standing there together in bliss. Then dinner started burning and you had to practically tear his arms off to get to the stove, a wide grin never leaving his face. 

A tear slid down your cheek, one you brushed away with the palm of your free hand. You couldn’t bear the thought of a whole life without him. 

You pushed that memory to the back of your mind, turning on your heel and locking the door behind you. At the front office you turned in your key, bidding farewell to the only office manager you actually didn’t mind. She asked if there was anything she could do, but you shook your head and assured her there were just too many memories in that apartment now. She gave you a knowing nod and you told her about the rest of your belongings, that she could sell or donate or throw away the rest. She asked if she should leave it as is for a while, in case you changed your mind. You shook your head again. 

You’d never be coming back, after all. 

Clouds of dust billowed as you dropped your bags in the doorway, making you cough. Carefully, you made your way through the foyer into the living room, then into the kitchen, stepping over rotted floorboards and soft spots. You assessed needed repairs as you went, cringing as the list grew. 

It was worse than when you and Fives bought it. Granted, there were already numerous issues when you put down an offer. That was the main reason you were able to get it so ridiculously cheap. It wasn’t like they paid clones well. Now you’d just spend an arm and a leg repairing everything, and hopefully get it finished before winter. 

You ran a hand across the window over the kitchen sink, barely brushing enough dirt away to see the barn clearly. You stepped back and made your way to the mudroom, walking out back to take a look at the yard. Fenced in (if you could call what remained a fence), the barn stood several hundred units behind the house. It was weathered and worn by time and lack of tending, standing nearly twice the size of the main house. Its hayloft was in desperate need of new supports and the whole thing in need of new siding. 

You sighed, turning on your heel to head back inside. Crossing through the mudroom again, you looked to the stairs leading to the second floor. Sheets of wallpaper, fallen from upstairs, laid across the steps. As you climbed the stairs, you leaned over and crumpled up what was in your way, having to tear some the rest of the way from the wall. 

The second level was not in much better shape than the first. Of the two small bedrooms and one large, only about ten units of wallspace still held wallpaper. The refresher needed serious TLC to the plumbing, the sink running brown for the first ten minutes of waterflow. When it finally ran clear, it only ran cold. 

You pinched your lips together and let out an exasperated sigh. After retrieving your bags from the front door, you marched upstairs and began getting settled as best you could. At least you brought one of Fives’ old bedrolls.

You spent your first few weeks getting the most pressing repairs in the house finished. Plumbing, replacement floorboards on the ground floor, and leaks in the roof patched up just in time for the rainy season. You got your hands on some budget furniture to fill the emptiness, met with neighbors though they were a mile away, and familiarized yourself with the village even further down the road. As much as you could, you kept your days busy. 

Nights, however, were always lonely. That’s when the longing settled back in. Missing him, his company and warmth, the life in his smile that filled your soul with purpose. Laying alone in the bed meant for you two was more draining than you expected. You thought getting away from Coruscant would be more of a fresh start than this. You’d hoped your grief wouldn’t follow you this closely. 

You often found yourself just… angry. 

Who was responsible for taking away millions of clones’ free will? Who was responsible for taking away the future you and Fives had dreamt up? What political scumbag took away your goodbye? 

You established a routine. Breakfast, wash up, chores. Stop into town if needed. Lunch. Work on the house and the land. Wash up again, start on dinner. Sit on the porch with your meal, watch the sun go down, and go to bed. 

It wasn’t elaborate or set in stone. You’d alter any of it when needed, but you knew you needed consistency. You wanted it, even. Anything to take your mind off Fives and the Empire. 

Month by month, your old house tucked in the woods became more of a home. It wasn’t so empty, dusty, or broken anymore. No more leaks, peeling walls, or rough spots in the floors. Good, kind neighbors pitched in to help where they could, mainly with the heaviest lifting. The Apande’s down the road helped put in—forget just supports—an entire new hayloft. With things shaping up, you were able to find peace in many things you hadn’t been able to living on Coruscant. 

Each morning you could listen to the world around you waking up. Birds would start singing just as sunlight struck the treetops. Light filtered in through thin, floating curtains, shadows of branches and leaves dancing across your wall. In the summer you’d sit on the porch steps, counting fireflies and listening to crickets. When autumn came you reaped your first harvest in the garden, albeit small, and felt immense pride in what your hard work produced. When the first snow of the season fell you couldn’t help but stare at it in awe. You must have sat on the porch for an hour, watching flakes twirl around each other, hot mug in hand. 

Each of those peaceful moments were supposed to be spent with Fives. You often imagined him sitting next to you, wondering what he’d say or do, if he’d try to catch fireflies and how many he’d beat you by. You wondered if he’d experienced snow before, if he’d have the same light in his eyes that you did when he first saw it fall. Over time it became less of a bitter ache for what could have been, and more of a sweet gratitude for his memory, for having the ability to imagine him there at all. In turning that broken down house into a home, you could grieve and start to come to terms with the future you’d never have. But as time approached your first Life Day without Fives, it was like the whole grieving process restarted. 

You never had the chance to celebrate together. He was always deployed. You never complained, he was where he was needed, but you were always a little downcast. You’d rather him be home with you than at risk of being shot by some Separatist droid.

You delayed decorating longer than you ever had. By the time you went to town to get a tree, nearly the entire lot had been sold. You thought about trekking into the woods surrounding your home to find one, but they were almost guaranteed to be too tall or wide to fit through either door. So, you brought home the best one you were able to scrounge up out of the last pickings. It was a bit scrawny, with thin spots here and there, but it was soft and sturdy and could—without a doubt—fit through your door. 

You cried when you finally got it settled in the living room. He would’ve loved the smell. He would’ve gotten sap all over himself, cursing how it stuck to everything and was so hard to wash off, but loved it all the same. He would’ve loved the crackling of wood in the fireplace, how different it was from the hustle and bustle of traffic on Coruscant or blaster-fire in the field. You could see him thundering into the mudroom, arms full of logs for the fire, stomping as much snow off his boots as he could. He’d look up at you, nose red from the cold, and smile that smile that made your face flush, heart flutter, and stomach do backflips. 

You’d gotten good at building fires. The house didn’t have an electric heating system. Pipes of water ran through the floors, warmed by the furnace in the kitchen. You’d often come back from trips to the village and find it completely cold. You considered yourself lucky; one of your neighbors taught you to split wood. Most of the time he provided it himself, on account of his darling wife (who swore up and down she’d teach you to bake the spiced apple pie her grandchildren loved). All you had to do was carry it to the house from the barn. Granted, it was a trek through almost knee-high snow to get it, but you’d rather that than freezing. 

You still hadn’t decorated your tree by Life Day’s Eve. You didn’t have the heart to, so the boxes sat in a corner. You avoided walking through the living room altogether. The very thought of the tree got shoved to the back of your mind, having almost intentionally forgotten the whole reason you bought it in the first place. You could heal your Life Day heart another year. 

Instead, you filled your time helping your sweetheart neighbors in preparing for their guests. She asked for your help the week before, assuring you it’d be then that she’d teach you to make that blessed pie. You stood in the kitchen with her from dawn to dusk, measuring and mixing and getting covered in flour. By sunset, a full day’s meals and feast awaited the next morning’s oven. 

She thanked you profusely for your time and help, insisting you join them for Life Day festivities. You assured her that you were grateful for the invitation, but didn’t want to intrude on her family gathering. She persisted again, citing her fear that you two made too much food, and you relented to join them for dinner. She smiled gleefully, ushering you out the door. 

The walk home wasn’t quite as lonely as you expected. Sure, your shoulders were weighed down a good bit that Fives wouldn’t be there, but you felt a little lighter. 

Snow crunched beneath your feet. You shivered in a particularly cold gust of wind, hugging your coat tighter on yourself to shield against it. The house is going to be freezing. 

As you made the turn onto your drive, you immediately headed for the barn to get more wood for the furnace. Approaching the pile, you huffed a few breaths on your hands to warm them and heaved several logs into your arms. You followed the path back to the house and into the mudroom, dropping your haul to the floor before shaking snow from your coat and boots. 

You leaned over to untie your boot laces when it struck you.

The house was warm. 

You wrinkled your brow in confusion. Had you put that much wood in the furnace before you left? Surely not, you were gone all day, it’d still be burnt out. It should’ve been cold. 

Footsteps sounded from the living room, shooting a cold lightning bolt of fear down your spine. You fought the urge to freeze, flattening yourself against the wall adjacent to the living room door. Heart pounding, you peeked around the frame. The light was on. When you saw no one, you darted into the kitchen, careful to keep your footfall light. 

You went straight for the furnace, grabbing the firewood poker from its rack. Your knuckles whitened, poker gripped tightly against you. 

You rounded the corner of the dining room, holding your makeshift weapon in front of you. Still you saw no one. You frowned, wondering if you’d been mistaken. 

You stepped through the foyer, hands shaking with adrenaline. No footsteps and no shadows. 

Cautiously, you peeked around the corner to the living room. Still you saw no source of the footsteps you could’ve sworn you heard. 

A floorboard creaked behind you, sending your heart into your throat as you gasped and whipped around. 

Fives, wrapped in grungy blacks and holey socks, raised his hands in defense. 

The room spun and you faltered backward, your grip on the fire poker loosening as it clattered to the floor. You raised both hands to your head, gripping your own hair and trying to make sense of what you were seeing. 

He took a step toward you. “Hey,” he rasped. 

You held a hand out in a gesture to stop, falling to your knees. 

He stopped and stood his ground, fighting an overwhelming instinct to run to you and swaddle you in his arms. 

Countless tears slid down your cheeks, hands shaking for an entirely different reason this time. You pressed your palms into your eyes and rubbed them. Blinking hard, you looked back to him. “How? How are you here? Alive?” 

Fives took a tentative half-step toward you, kneeling down closer to your level. “It’s a long story,” he said softly. “I had to protect you from—” 

You launched yourself at him, knocking him to the floor as your arms swung around his middle. His arms were quick to wrap around you, hugging you close like he would soon wake up and you’d be long gone. 

Your body shook with sobs, forehead pressed into his chest and fists balling up in the back of his shirt. He held you, rubbing your back and planting gentle kisses atop your head, until your shaking stilled and breathing grew more even. 

Even after you calmed down, you stayed where you were, both of you relishing the familiarity of each other after so long. You tilted your head to look at him, still trying to wrap your mind around the fact that he was even alive. 

“I’m so sorry I’ve been gone so long. There’s so much to tell you,” Fives broke the silence quietly, meeting your gaze. 

You sighed, reaching up to hold his cheek in the palm of your hand. He leaned into your touch, cupping your hand in his. “You can start with how you’re alive,” you spoke, voice trembling. “I mourned you, Fives. I– I really thought I’d never see you again.” 

Fives brought his hand to your face, wiping away a fresh tear with his thumb. “I know, Rex kept me updated as best he could.” He averted his gaze, shifting into a thousand yard stare. 

A thousand more questions ran through your mind, but you said nothing, letting him find the words. 

After several beats passed, he inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I was trying to find anyone who would listen and believe me, but… well, that’s an even longer story. I was sure the Chancellor would listen, but I was wrong. He was part of it.” Fives paused again, a pained look passing across his face. “I got shot. And I was dead, for a bit, but Kix got me back. Rex thought it was best to keep it quiet, after everything.” 

Your breath hitched, fresh tears welling up. “Even from me?” 

Fives turned his head back to you, hand returning to your cheek. “I hated to, but it was the best option to protect you from the same people who wanted me dead. Anyone who knew what I knew was in danger.” He pressed his lips to your forehead. “Once I healed, I spent every waking moment making sure they wouldn’t come after you.”

Your lips trembled and you pressed your face back into his chest, another embrace swallowing you both. You flattened both hands to his back, breathing in his memory-laden smell. 

“After the Empire took over and things started settling down, I went back to the apartment,” Fives mumbled. “Shira never rented it back out, everything was how you left it.” 

You pulled away and sniffled. “Really?”

He nodded. “I guess she hoped you’d come back.” He shifted and reached behind him, fishing a folded slip of paper from his back pocket. “I wish I could thank her, I was able to grab this.” 

Fives held the paper out to you. You took it between two fingers and unfolded it, revealing a real, printed photo of you and the entire Domino squad, back when you and Fives had first gotten together. You had the holo-copy, but left the printed one behind for the sake of space and anonymity in your travels. 

You were rendered speechless, absently thumbing the edge of the photo. “I can’t… I can’t believe it.” 

Fives grinned. “Of all the things that happened today, the picture is what you can’t believe?” 

You chuckled and smacked his arm, a smile breaking across your face. 

Fives’ grin broadened.  

“Why come here now?” You asked, looking back up at him from the photo. “You said you went back when things started settling down. It’s been over 6 months, has it really been that chaotic?” 

Fives shook his head. “Things settled in pretty quickly, at least on Coruscant. Rex survived. I was able to meet with him, and we started helping our brothers that didn’t want to serve the Empire.” 

You hummed in response, turning back to the photo in your hands. He watched your eyes go from each member of the squad to the next, remembering them solemnly.

He whispered your name, drawing your attention back to him. Tears shone in his eyes. “I thought you left, really left.” His voice cracked, a drop sliding down his cheek. “I thought maybe you’d gone off to start a new life.” 

Your jaw fell slightly agape as you sat rooted to the spot, a bit astonished. You set the photo to the side and sat up, shuffling yourself to look him in the eyes.  “Fives, you are my life. If I had to spend the rest of my days alone, hoping and waiting for you to come back to me, I would.” It was your turn to wipe the tears from his cheeks. Your heart ached at the longsuffering now evident in his eyes. “It was always in the plan to live in this house together. I came here to escape the Empire and to try to heal, not move on from you altogether. I don’t think I could ever manage that.” 

Fives’ breath quivered. He cupped the nape of your neck in both hands, pulling you closer to rest his forehead against yours. Your eyes fluttered shut as you rested a palm on one of his hands. He tilted his head almost imperceptibly, breath mingling with yours. Your noses brushed against each other, lips tingling at the closeness. Slowly, tenderly, as if he was afraid of hurting you, he inched his lips closer until they met with yours. 

You had kissed him hundreds of times, but none of them came close to the warmth and relief and comfort that settled in your bones with that kiss. You were quick to lose your breath, pulling away gasping for air yet longing for another. 

Fives hovered inches away, catching his breath as you did. His eyes drifted open, gaze soft and dazed. 

You brought a hand to his chin, running a finger over his lower lip. “I’ve missed kissing you,” you sighed. 

He chuckled and grasped your hand, massaging your palm with his thumb. “You have no idea.” 

You both froze as an unmistakable rumble erupted from Fives. You burst into a fit of laughter, a sheepish grin tugging at Fives’ mouth. 

“Hungry?” You laughed, standing to your feet and offering out your hands for him. 

“As a rancor,” He confirmed, taking your hands and standing without tugging them. 

You spent the following couple hours cooking a quick meal together, including the pie your neighbor taught you, which filled the house with the warm scent of cinnamon. You paused occasionally for a kiss or a brief cry. The amount of joy and relief surging through your mind, body, and soul sometimes became overwhelming. Fives was dead, yet, there he stood. In your house that could now truly become a home. Your bed would no longer be half empty. Your table would be one plate fuller. All this, and you could hardly believe it was true. 

“Why is it naked?” 

Fives’ question jarred you from your thoughts. You looked to him, standing in the living room staring at the Life Day Tree. 

“Oh.” You stood from the table and moved to stand next to him. “Well, it didn’t feel right decorating it without you here.” You answered plainly. 

He turned his gaze to meet yours. “But we’d never decorated one together before, why not this one?”

You looked at your feet, slightly embarrassed at the scrawny condition of the tree, though Fives didn't question that. “Because we were supposed to do everything here together. I fought through everything else, but this… I don’t know— it just didn’t feel right.”

Fives grabbed ahold of your hand, giving it a squeeze. “Well I’m here now.” 

You smiled softly, giving his hand a return squeeze. “Yeah, you’re here now.” 

Fives turned in place, looking around the room. “I like what you’ve done with the place.” He released your hand and took a few paces. “Did you do all of it by yourself?”

You shook your head. “No, some neighbors helped, and a couple things were too far out of my scope so I hired help from in town.” You shuffled to the door frame, leaning against it. “It was a lot, but it was all I could do to keep from losing my mind.” 

Fives stopped and stood in place, looking at you with eyes so full of regret you wondered if he held an entire galaxy’s worth of guilt. 

You pushed yourself off the frame and crossed the room in large strides, wrapping your arms around him. “Don’t think like that,” you whispered, “You’re here now.” 

He sighed and draped his arms around you, accepting your reassurance. “How do you always know,” he relented. 

Fives jolted suddenly, interrupting the embrace to point at a box in the corner, something shiny glimmering between the edges of cardboard. “What’s that?”

You turned to look at what he was referring to and opened your mouth to answer, but Fives beat you to it, crossing the room and opening the lid. He looked back to you, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Can we?” 

You sighed and tried to bite back a smile, ultimately failing. “Fives, it’s late, can we do it in the morning?” 

“Come on,” he droned playfully, “What’s the use of having it dressed up for one day?” 

Crossing your arms in mock indecision, you brought a hand to tap a finger on your chin. “But if we leave it up for a month, it’s the same, isn’t it?” 

Fives picked up a bundle of lights, unspooling it. “No,” he deadpanned. 

You scoffed out a laugh, marching over to join him. 

The remainder of the evening was spent dolling up your dinky little Life Day tree. You taught Fives how to put lights on without leaving dark spots, how to attach hooks to ornaments and space them out, and how to top it. By the time it was finished, you were so exhausted from the day you were starting to see double. 

You and Fives plopped yourselves down on the sofa, cheap as it was, and leaned back to admire your handiwork. 

“Not bad, for a Life Day Tree shiny,” you smirked lazily. 

Fives gasped, looking at you as if offended. “You take that back!” 

You raised your hands weakly in defense. “I said not bad!” 

He grinned and threw an arm around the back of the sofa. You scooted over to lean against him, resting your head on his shoulder. 

You both sat in silence for a while, a delicate kind of reverence settling over you. You both knew the magnitude of this Life Day in particular. You had each given each other a new meaning for the day. You, giving him a reason to fight on and live. And him, giving you a reason to celebrate life; the fact that he was still alive and with you, namely. 

Eventually, Fives opened his mouth to break the silence with a question, but froze when he glanced at you. You were passed clean out, mouth slightly ajar. Fives chuckled softly, enamored by the way the light of the tree danced across your skin. 

Carefully, he slid his arm behind your shoulders and the other below your knees. As he stood and scooped you in his arms, you stirred, mumbling that you could walk before promptly falling back asleep. 

Fives carried you through the living room, the mudroom, and upstairs to the bedroom, leaning to gently settle you on the bed. One by one, he unlaced and tugged your boots off, followed by your socks, then tucked you under the blankets. After placing a featherlight kiss to your head, he turned and headed back downstairs. 

Fives made sure the doors and windows were closed and locked, refilled the furnace, and made his way back to the foyer. He reached into his coat pocket, retrieved what he needed, and stepped back into the living room. 

He approached the Life Day Tree, pausing to absorb the beauty you added to his life, the joy you brought him in a single evening. After every separation you both endured during the war, then the worst separation of all, and you still loved him more than he felt worthy of. You were steadfast, funny, generous and kind, the most enchanting and incredible woman he’d ever met. And you chose him to love. Of all people in the galaxy, a soldier back from the dead.

More confident in his decision than ever, he crouched down and placed a small, square box under the tree. He leaned over to unplug the lights for the night and stepped back. 

Once back upstairs, he removed his hole-infested socks and climbed in bed next to you. He turned on his side, a quiet yet overwhelming contentment filling him as he refreshed his memory of every detail in your face. He itched to kiss you, to hold you close every hour of the night, but he dared not disturb your peace. 

Minutes ticked by and his eyes grew increasingly heavy. Fives fought sleep, afraid he might wake up and find the whole evening with you was a dream. Eventually he could fight it no longer, his eyes fluttering shut, falling into a more restful sleep than he’d had all year.

End Notes: Phew! That was a bit longer than I meant it to be! To be completely honest there was still a bit more I wanted to add, namely a few tidbits of Life Day itself, but I kinda love this ending and don't want to push it. I also ran out of steam lol. Not too shabby for my first Star Wars fic, I think. First fic since I was in high school, actually.

I hope you enjoyed, and Happy Life Day!

Dividers by @enchanthings and @strangergraphics

[cass-danny-weekend]

Cass/Danny Weekend - Fun Fact! Day 6

We continue our theme of familial relationships! Today we are going to focus on Danny and, while we don't have to worry about graphic material the same way we did with Cass, there may be some allusions to child neglect and abuse that are never really explored in the show but we know, logically, would never fly in the real world. It's usually played for the laughs, but that's why you might find much more serious applications in fanfiction. Because we're the vivisection fandom, and that's just how we work.

Much like with the basic background post, we don't actually know a lot about Danny's childhood and his relationships with his parents prior to the start of the show. Just the glimpses we receive from offhand comments and the rare flashback scene. Nevertheless, for this post I want to focus on Danny's individual relationships with each member of his family (including Jazz!) before a brief section about how his parents view him in comparison to his sister, because I think there's some really interesting nuggets there.

Let's begin with Jack Fenton. The best episode to watch to understand their dynamic is "Million Dollar Ghost". From this episode we learn that Jack seems to single out Danny more often than not. When he clutters the lab or makes a mess, he singles out Danny to be the one to clean it. We also learn how Jack wants Danny to look up to him, expressed by how fiercely he tries to capture Danny after the bounty is placed on him. And of course despite Danny's frustration with his dad, he does let Jack capture him in this episode to make him feel better.

You can also think of "Bitter Reunions". Vlad offered Danny the world, he promised Danny support, guidance, understanding--all things that Danny currently wasn't receiving from his parents--so long as Danny renounced his father. As we all know, Danny doesn't accept. He protects Jack too, because for all that his father embarrasses him at times, it's still his dad and he does genuinely love him, and nothing Vlad could materially offer would overpower that.

We see in other episodes like "Girls' Night Out" that Jack does try these bonding activities with Danny. He takes him out fishing, probably a trick he learned from the little parenting book he took along with him too. Danny plays it up to Jazz and Maddie as a guys' trip but truthfully, he's not nearly as enthusiastic when he's actually alone with Jack. And that's just because fishing isn't something he's interested in, but just an activity he agreed to do for his dad's sake. And that's a pretty common theme in their relationship.

Jack tries to connect with Danny, but he also. Doesn't really try to meet Danny halfway. We can maybe attribute this to Jack's high expectations of Danny. We'll talk more about Danny and his grades in Day 8, but I wanted to refer back to a comment made in "Micro-Management", which reads: "I'm so proud. Our boy finally has the physical prowess of a 60 year old president. Here's to you son."

From what we can gather from this comment, it sounds like Jack wants a son with more physical prowess, likely so he can take after him and Maddie as ghost hunters. And yes, Danny is capable of that and so much more in his ghost form, but in his human form? Where he struggles to keep up in gym and Sam surpasses him with flying colors? Danny is not really want Jack is looking for in a son.

Think back to Day 5 where we discussed Danny's love for space. The show mirrors many of the old school stereotypes of "meathead jocks" and "mousy nerds" and "mean girl cheerleaders". For all intents and purposes, Danny is a geek, he's a nerd. We already know he's a social outcast that's constantly bullied. He's not the traditional vision of masculinity. And then you have Jack who takes him on a fishing trip, despite knowing that Danny isn't really into that, maybe because… he wants Danny to man-up? We don't know. But there is a disconnect that we see in small little moments like these.

Let's move onto Maddie Fenton. Much like with Jack, there is one episode that showcases their dynamic the best, and that episode would be "Maternal Instincts". Here we learn how Danny had been much closer to Maddie when he was a child; Maddie makes this wistful comment about their relationship. So much like with Jack, there is this disconnect between Maddie and Danny. We can assume that it happened due to his accident and the start of his hero career. We're never really told. However, it might be safe to assume that it happened before the accident, as Danny did not feel safe to share his identity with his mother, despite once being closer to her.

Nonetheless, we can see that Maddie wants that relationship back. He wanted to take this trip with Danny to California hoping it would spark those bonds again. As we know, that's not what happened. Instead, it was planned all along by Vlad. That doesn't mean it all went wrong, we get to see the little things like how they are much more tactile with each other and physically affectionate. Maddie carries Danny piggy-back style without comment. She does make a remark about how he's "clingy" when he hugged her, but that's been met with some split opinions in the fandom about whether it was fond or critical.

What's interesting about Maddie is that she's actually much more permissive than you might think. In the fandom, she's often depicted as the cold, logical one who deals with facts and statistics only. With Jack as the softer one who's more forgiving and has his heart on his sleeve, likely from Vlad's constant disparaging comments about his behavior and intelligence. Realistically though, Jack is much more harsh on the kids.

For example, in "Fanning the Flames", when Jazz and Danny were struggling to focus on an upcoming test because of the recent hysteria around Ember and her music, Jack wanted to throw them in the "Fenton Stockades", the name given to the torture device known as the "iron maiden" the family keeps in their second basement. Maddie doesn't allow him to throw the kids in it of course, even bodily forcing him inside it instead, but we also know from "Mystery Meat" that despite the uncertainty about their devices hurting humans, Maddie still allowed Jack to use a machine on Jazz and injure her.

This isn't the first time Maddie has agreed or turned a blind eye to something that hurt her kids, unfortunately. In "The Fenton Menace", we see Maddie and Jack believe Danny is hallucinating (when he's really just seeing Youngblood, who is invisible to everyone but kids) and try to "fix" him, and by that I mean they "spin the crazy" out of him. Obviously this did not fix the issue and left Danny shaking and hobbling away.

(got this image from thatdannyphantommoment here on Tumblr, please give them some love for us)

We also see in "The Fright Before Christmas" that Jack and Maddie so often get tunnel vision, lost in their own little world. During many Christmases over Danny's life, they constantly argued about the holiday which resulted in Danny's hatred. Some memorable examples include when he was a baby and was pissed on by a dog due to their inattention. And that time Jazz had to fight a reanimated turkey because they weren't around and the food in their house isn't safe.

They're not perfect parents. They make an effort sometimes, but they're also blind to issues, which we'll get into more after we discuss Jazz.

Let's talk Jazz Fenton. Jazz is something of a mixed bag if you will. By far, she is the most supportive member of his family. She learns early on in "My Brother's Keeper" about Danny's dual identity after accidentally coming across his transformation. She doesn't tell him immediately, because she wants him to feel comfortable enough to come to her. She tries to help him and Team Phantom with their fights, as we see in "Secret Weapons", but her aim is poor, resulting in her capturing Danny in the thermos more often than not, making his life all the harder.

She's equal parts pushy and earnest, as many older sisters can be. She was the first to realize that the evil version of Danny in "The Ultimate Enemy" was not her actual brother, although she couldn't stop him. She was integral in "Girls Night Out" to saving the day. We see in, again, "My Brother's Keeper" that Jazz does talk to him and try to help him open up, it's the reason she pushes him to go to school counseling hoping it would help him.

And yet… she keeps tutoring Dash and let's him in the house, despite knowing he bullies her brother. She tells him to be more social and that he needs more friends, though she knows he's bullied through no fault of his own. In "The Fenton Menace", she also can't see Youngblood and refuses to hear him out when he tries to convince her.

She's not a perfect sister, which makes sense in an imperfect family. But unfortunately for Danny, he's often compared to her.

In particular, we see Jack show preference to Jazz the most. In "Maternal Instincts", Jack is shown to be very protective and complimentary towards Jazz while they're fighting ghosts. In "Doctor's Disorders", Jack tells Danny, to his face, that Jazz is his favorite. We see a reason why this might be thanks to "Teacher of the Year" where Danny is criticized for his poor grades. And as we know, Jazz is the teacher's pet, A+ student, already working on her Master's thesis. Jazz is everything that Danny is not.

And Danny, who can't compare to his father's expectations, also can't compare to his sister's shadow. But we'll talk more about this in the next post.

I hope this has been something fascinating to chew on. Until next time~ We have two fun facts left for you. The prompts will be here in the blink of an eye.

- Mod Halfa

[gallusrostromegalus]

So I have noticed something very interesting. Gin is buttering up aizen to feed him to the god machine as some premuim petrol. BUT ALSO many powerful souls that die DON't get fed to the god machine. They go to hell because they are powerfull enough that their removal from the world harms the god machine more than feeding them helps it. So my question is, whats up with that?

there's a couple parts to this:

Powerful souls that go to hell because they're powerful ARE STILL feeding The Life Machine- All that power they're off-gassing in Hell is still going into The Life machine- Hell exists more or less as a ringer to squeeze spiritual energy out of souls before sending them back into the cycle to grow again.

It harms The Life machine more to consume a powerful soul in totality because then The Life Machine doesn't get to use that *particualrly good* soul to generate energy it needs again, and again, and again- So someone like Yamamoto is going to go around about a zillion more times, if things go well.

Problem is, things are NOT going well right now- the wheel is jammed and not giving the Life Machine nearly the energy it needs, so it needs an emergency calorie dump while Tech Support works out how to unjam the wheel, which may, technically, involve stopping and starting it again.

The final thing is a matter of scale. if we think of souls in terms of calories: >Regular animal/plant soul: One Cheez-it. Not a lot individually, but they add up. >Regular Human Soul: One Chicken Nugget/celery and peanut butter. it's technically a snack, but it's not satisfying on it's own. >Average Shingami, Quincy footsoldier or lesser hollow Soul: Fast-food meal. About as much food at most people really need in a day. >Captain-class Shinigami or Espada-class Hollows or Sternritter: Giant Meal At Grandma's House that leaves you passed out on the couch and the leftovers she sends you home with that feed you for a week. >Aizen, once he fuses with the hollow inside the Hogyoku and achieves his Final Form: Actually eating every last crumb of every last dish at the Family Reunion thanksgiving with four grandmas cooking: Two turkeys, A Standing Rib Roast, A Ham, six kinds of soup, two salads, four types of baked vegetables, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, potatoes au gratin, popovers, busicuits, rolls and bread, an actual ocean of gravy- and then there's dessert: Apple pie, pumkin pie, pecan pie, cherry pie, chocolate cake, cookies, early christmas cookies, avalanches of whipped cream. And ofc- cider and beer and hot chocolate and coffee and soda and fuck it just drink a whole gallon of milk while you're at it. More food than any human should consume in a whole year, let alone one sitting.

So you can see why Aizen is getting pulled out of the cycle for special treatment. He's gonna be there for The Life Machine to gnaw on for most of the series. And even then, after suffering the most direct and intimate contact anyone can get with what passes for god, The Life Machine may yet choose to send his empty, heavily chewed husk back for another turn because that why waste the seed of a good crop like?

[chasingbutterfliesintoeternity]

(Ithaca Saga spoilers ahead) Another EPIC/PJO crossover plot point that’s just occurred to me

I was super happy and excited to see Athena again, but her reunion with Odysseus just broke my heart. She’s come such a long way and done so much for him since they parted and now there’s a chance they’ll never properly make up?

But then I thought that it kinda works perfectly with the relationship between PJO’s Athena and Poseidon. So, in my headcanon, while EPIC’s Poseidon physically appears to be in his mid to late 20s, acts more like a cruel and petulant teenager. He actually gets worse for a bit after recovering from 600 Strike; think a few centuries of record sea storms. Then he finally starts calming down, has a whole bunch more demigod kids and realises through them that mortal life is fleeting and precious, and slowly becomes a much nicer person to be around. Leading him to becoming the actually chill, fisherman dad we know in PJO who’s everyone’s favourite uncle.

…Well almost everyone. Athena certainly still doesn’t like him. And while that might just be the rivalry they’ve had since the whole Athens thing, what if it’s because Athena’s never forgiven Poseidon for what happened with Odysseus? What if Odysseus rejecting her vision of a better world in I Can’t Help But Wonder is what leads her to becoming bitter enough to go completely mad with Roman Schism and end up sending the best of her demigod children on death quests?

Anyways can’t wait to add this nugget to the interaction between EPIC!Athena and PJO!Poseidon when I finally write my time travelling crossover.

[kawacake]

MY MISTAKE

Masterlist , My Mistake Masterlist

Paring: Toji x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Suggestive content (no full on smut), Cursing, Age gap, Reader crying because of stress, I made Hakari a red flag, Reader is a whore for Hakari, if I missed any I apologize.!

A/n: i dk when the third part of this will be out & I didn’t proofread at all, but if you enjoy this make sure to leave a heart, reblog, and comment to give me feedback!!

Spotify playlist , Apple Music playlist

Part 1, Part 2,

The ride to McDonald’s was unusually quiet, making your mind spin in overdrive. Did Megumi know? Was that even possible? The silence in the car wasn’t normal for your group, and it only added fuel to your anxiety.

“Why is it so quiet? This is weird for us,” Yuji finally blurted out, breaking the tension.

“What do you even want us to say?” Nobara replied sharply, though her tone softened when she noticed Yuji flinch. “Ugh, sorry, that was rude,” she added, pulling him into an apologetic hug.

“It’s fine. Can you let go now?” Yuji asked, his voice muffled against her shoulder.

“You good, girl?” you teased, turning in your seat to glance at the two of them.

“I’m just hungry,” Nobara huffed, crossing her arms.

“This bitch gets hungry and suddenly turns into Satan,” Megumi joked, chuckling as he navigated the car. His laughter was cut short by a smack to the back of his head.

“Stop calling girls bitches,” you scolded, playfully punching his arm.

He retaliated with a light tap to your shoulder, grinning. “You’re a stupid bitch, though.” That rare smile of his made you roll your eyes, but you couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped.

Finally, Megumi pulled into the McDonald’s drive-thru. “Welcome to McDonald’s. How may I take your order?” a familiar voice crackled through the speaker.

“TODO?!” Yuji shouted, causing the intercom to fall silent for a moment before the voice shouted back.

“YUJI?!”

“Alright, this isn’t a damn reunion. Wrap it up, I’m starving,” you said, leaning your head against the car door.

“Hey, Y/N!” Todo chimed in.

“Hi, Todo,” you replied. “Can you just take our order?”

After a bit of back-and-forth and a few more unnecessary exchanges, Megumi finally pulled up to the first window to pay, muttering about how much he regretted bringing yall knowing yall talk to any and everyone.

Clearing his throat he started taking the orders then told Megumi to pull to the first window to pay.

As you drove home, the car was filled with the sound of munching and half-hearted insults.

“This girl really ordered a 20-piece nugget, large fries, and a Sprite,” Yuji exclaimed, side-eyeing you. “You’re one Big Mac away from turning into a Big Back.”

You flipped him off, shoving a fry into your mouth. “Worry about yourself.” You said rolling your eyes 

When Megumi finally stopped in front of your house, you started gathering your food and trash.

“Get out and TAKE YOUR TRASH!” Megumi yelled, clearly done with everyone.

“Bye, I love you guys!” you shouted as you got out, slamming the door behind you.

Sliding your shoes off you walked to your room where your car keys were but as soon as you opened the door you saw your little brother laying on your bed. “Bro, why are you home?” you asked with a hand on your hips.

“I faked being sick. Auntie brought me home,” he admitted casually, not even looking at you.

“Alright, but why are you in my room?”

“Some man said you were moving into your dorms, so I low key got sad,” he mumbled, his eyes glued to the TV remote in his hands.

Your heart softened. “Aww, don’t worry, I’ll visit. I’m only like 30 minutes away,” you reassured him, He nodded but didn’t look fully convinced.

“I got to go now I have work to do.” You explained to him while grabbing your car keys giving him one last hug before heading out the door again.

-

Sighing you fell onto your bed pulling out your phone seeing messages from everyone but one in particular caught you off guard.

Unknown Number

Hey I just wanted to say sorry I shouldn’t have done that

Y/n

Took my virginity now tryna dip💀

Unknown Number

HAHAHA😂 You said it yourself “last time”

Y/n

It was in the heat of the moment but if we continue it would have to be in secret😕

Unknown Number

Why?

Y/n

Cause me and Megumi like this🤞 and I don’t wanna ruin that I like the relationship we have 😞

Unknown Number

Ohh yeah and I honestly couldn’t believe that was your first time sorry if I was rough.

Y/n

It’s alright ima go now I have some work to do

Unknown number

Alright pretty ttyl 

Closing your phone you opened your laptop going to your email seeing one from your professor that had a link to the assignment as you clicked on the link and started to work.

You couldn’t focus on the assignment to save your life, your brain was only focused on what happened earlier today and Megumi. Pressing your trembling hands to your face trying to stifle the sod that clawed out of your throat. 

“I’m so fucking stupid.” You said not being able to stop the tears thinking of the way Toji held you and how you crave for more of his touch, but if you give in you know full well you wouldn’t even be able to look at Megumi. 

It feels like a dagger to your chest.

Tears started to fall even more at the thought of Megumi finding out, losing the bond between the two of you, of being the reason his world crumbled. This feeling is suffocating.

You closed the laptop and put it on the nightstand beside your bed because you knew you wouldn’t get any work done tonight with all of this on your mind. Now getting under your blanket and laying on your side you grabbed your phone and turned it on seeing messages from various people but ignored them because they were none of your main friends but then saw a missed call from ‘Gumi’.

You debated whether you should call him back or forget about it, but you then came to the conclusion that you would call back.

It rang a few times before Megumi picked up the phone while laying in bed “hello?” You said “I did that assignment that professor Geto assigned and why the fuck did I get a 37 on that shit.” “Is that what you called me for?” You asked, looking dead at the camera as you were met with silence on the other end.

“Yes, is that a problem? Wait- are you okay?” He noticed redness in your eyes and instantly got worried. “I’m fine Gumi, I'm just stressed.” You said as he let out a ‘hm’ clearly seeing that it was more to it.

“Alright I’ll let you be but just know you can talk to me about anything.” He says, meaning every word, “Okay goodnight Gumi I love you.” You said “Goodnight n/n love you.” You smiled then hit the red X.

-

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY - MORNING

“Are you okay?” Itadori asked, noticing you’ve looked a little down ever since you got to the class which was rare for you. “No I’m not. I lied to Megumi, and because Hakari and Kirara are over there.” You say as Itadori looked over to his left seeing the two people you just mentioned, “First tell me what you lied to him about then we can shit talk them after.”.

You knew you couldn’t just tell him about the Toji situation so the best way to explain it was to sugarcoat it. “Alright so the person I slept with was someone he knows and I feel like if I tell him he’d stop being friends with me.” “Thank fucking god it wasn’t hakari bro, but not the point just tell him because keeping if from him is only going to make it worse when he finds out.” Itadori had a point but if he knew who it was his response would have not been that.

“And speaking of Hakari he texted Nobara asking about you but she told me not to tell you because she was scared you’d ‘Fall into his trap’.” Itadori whispered as a smile spread across your face. “Is it bad that she’s low key right?” You admitted causing him to facepalm himself with a chuckle.

“Alright bro we gotta do this work before we fall behind like last year.” Itadori said, bring up your freshman year of college, causing you to laugh a little then pick up your pencil and write down the notes that were displayed on your computer.

-

You sighed and walked into your door, slipping off your shoes, placing everything down and picking up some stuff for your shower because you weren’t planning on doing anything this afternoon.

Stripping and stepping into the shower as the water hits you, you let all your worries wash away. 

Once you were done you stepped out and dried yourself off before throwing on some random pajamas you had laying around.

Getting in bed you grabbed your laptop powering it on so you could watch a random show till you fell asleep. You hated going to sleep in the quiet unless someone was with you.

While looking for a movie you got a message from toji.

Unknown number

Hey! I’m coming over I bought you some flowers❤️

Y/n

You text like an old man💀but alr and thanks for not coming unannounced

Unknown number liked your message

Joy filled inside you knowing he was coming over as you stood up from your bed and started to tidy up your room even though it was nowhere near dirty, tucking stray books back onto the shelf and smoothing the creases in your bedspread.

You fixed your pajama pants and shirt, you wanted to look effortless, like his arrival didn’t send your pulse into overdrive.

Being lost in thought you almost missed the light knock on the door, standing up you walked to the door opening it as it revealed Toji with a bouquet. With a smile on your face you grabbed the flowers letting him into your dorm as he walked in and closed the door behind him.

“Thank you.” You said sitting the flowers down before placing a kiss on his lips, he tried to deepen the kiss but you were quick to move away. “Not yet.” You say grabbing his hand and walking over to the bed and sitting on it leaving an open spot for him.

“I think…we should get to know each other more, because last time we only talked about Megumi and that made me realize I don’t know anything about you.” You explained to him while he took a seat beside you.

“Well I have two kids, I own a bar, and that’s really it.” “Oh come on it has to be more than that.” You said, causing him to chuckle because speaking again, “I mean it’s not really much about me that I can tell you.” He said rubbing your bare thigh.

“I feel like you’re trying to fuck me or something right now.” You say looking down at his hand that was caressing your thigh “I mean who wouldn’t just look at your pretty face.” He said teasing you. His presence was intoxicating and his teasing comment just made you wet.

He leaned closer, his hand brushing against your cheek, and for a moment, the world shrank to just the two of you. Your chest tightened as his lips grazed your lips. He was so impossible to resist. Kissing his lips he grabbed you by your waist and pulled you onto his lap. 

“You’re so beautiful.” He said pulling away from the kiss and tugging at your clothes. As soon as you took off the shirt you got interrupted by your phone dinging.

“Go on,” he said, pulling back slightly. “Don’t let me stop you.” Even though he said that you could tell he was slightly annoyed but you picked up the phone checking it away. 

Hakari

Can we talk? I want to get stuff cleared up

You swore your eye twitched at that message.

“You good?” Toji asked you nodded, forcing a tight smile. “Yeah, just something I need to handle.” Toji raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but didn’t press. “Alright do you want me to stick around?”

You hesitated, “No, it’s okay. I just need some time to sort this out.” “Alright well I’ll get going.” He said pecking your lips before you got off of him. 

“I’ll text you when I’m done.” You say as he nodded and walked out of your dorm.

Y/n

Yeah come over

A/n: This was going to be longer but I changed my mind and made hakari and her meet up in the third chapter, & if you want to be tagged in any of the new updates for this series just leave a comment on any of the post about this fanfic!