#dunno if you'd call it progress or...

[zoe-oneesama]

The road to recovery is a long and hard one, hang in there Hera. (*This is not an accurate depiction of therapy)

Epilogue Part 12 First < Previous > Next Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4, Season 5 Ep 41, Ep 42, Ep 43, Ep 44 Ep 45, Ep 46, Ep 47, Ep 48, Intermission, Ep 49, Ep 50, Ep 51, Ep 52, Ep 53

Ko-fi

[hippiegoth97]

Random Spencer Reid Thought #2

A/N: Fucking FINALLY got something written for once. Enjoy some crumbs, lovely readers <3

Content Warning 18+ Only, Minors DNI: swearing, smut, virgin!Spencer Reid, fem!reader, no use of Y/N, fingering, groping, unprotected sex, loss of virginity, dirty talk, rough sex, fluff

Some tags: @rafeyscurtainbangs @loserboysandlithium @hotwritergf @bloodibambiidoll

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Spence?" You ask Reid as you're straddling his thighs, the two of you naked in his bed as you have been so many times before. Although, it's different this time, because he's just asked you to take his virginity from him.

"Yes. I'm ready." He replies softly, sitting up against the headboard, his hands resting at your waist. He's brought you here on many occasions, though up until recently the most you'd do is make out until your lips were sore.

He'd met you at a book shop a few months ago, reaching for the same first edition of some dusty old classic. Sherlock Holmes, maybe, or perhaps even Moby Dick. He doesn't quite remember (and his unmatched memory captures everything), as he was far too focused on the gorgeous, soft hand that brushed against his own in grabbing for the book. A shared laugh soon followed, light and airy, like it was the easiest thing in the world. Your beauty enraptured him instantly, and he nearly tripped over himself to give you his number and await your call to plan a date of some sort. It was so unlike him to do so, it made him seriously question his sanity for an hour or two. But after a conversation with you that lasted hours into the night when he returned home that evening, he was pleased to find he'd made a very wise decision.

Fast forward to the last month or so, and things have rapidly progressed from hand-holding and passionate kisses to touching various naked areas with your hands and mouths. You've been patient, guiding Spencer along each stepping stone towards intercourse, encouraging him, exploring him in every way imaginable. Despite your insistence (and multiple comments he receives from certain coworkers of his), he's never exactly found himself to be attractive. Not really.

He's spent most of his life a full step ahead of everyone else in terms of education and career, leaving him considerably younger than most of his peers. That fact alone has made it rather difficult to experience a lot of 'firsts' in regards to intimacy. He's been kissed before you came along, maybe even felt up a little bit, but nothing beyond that. In all honesty, a part of him is glad to have been spared the awkward adolescent groping and vulgar attempts at playing grown-up, because now he's been able to share all of these amatory encounters with you.

"I want this. I want you." Spencer reiterates as you haven't made any next moves yet.

"I want you too, baby. I just have one more question." You say softly, brushing a wispy hair out of his face before cupping his cheek.

"And what's that?" Reid asks, unable to help smiling as you gaze at him adoringly.

"Do you want me to put a condom on you, or are you okay without one?" You ask, the words sounding a bit more clinical than you'd like. But it's a fair question.

"I-I dunno. Should I?" His brow furrows, unsure how to go about this. He's aware you're on the pill, though that statistically isn't 100% effective. And he may be a virgin, but he's aware of the mess sex can make, and it might spare a bit of cleanup afterwards. He's getting stuck on it now, pondering inside his head as you play with the foil wrapper between your fingers.

You giggle at his momentary trance, shaking your head. "It's only if you want to, Spence. It's not exactly a life-altering decision."

"That's not true. You could still end up pregnant." Spencer retorts, about to rattle off statistics at you about just how many children were born to parents who assumed oral contraceptives were enough. You put a finger over his mouth to stop him, and he sighs when he realizes how intense he's getting about this. He gently moves your hand away, speaking again. "I'm sorry, I'm being silly."

"No, you're not. It's sweet that you're so concerned." You reassure him, giving him a soft kiss. He hums into you, allowing your tongue to slip into his mouth for a moment. You pull away shortly after, taking his breath with you. With your lips still brushing against his, you meet his dizzied gaze. "I only ask, because I want your first time to be extra special. And it'll feel so much better if you fuck me without a condom on." You say seductively, making his pupils dilate with lust.

"Actually, studies show that there's little to no difference in sensat-" Reid's gargantuan mind starts up again, leaving you no choice but to cut him off by taking his cock in your grasp. "-fuck." He mutters, losing his train of thought entirely, his eyes flicking down to look at the scene between his legs. His stiff, ample length throbs in your hand, pearly beads of precum dripping down the side as you lazily stroke him.

"Baby, look at me..." You purr, drawing his gaze to you. "I'm gonna ask you again. All I need is a 'yes; or 'no', okay?" You wait for him to give an understanding nod. He does, as well as letting out one of the filthiest little moans you've ever heard. "Do you want to wear a condom?" You ask, letting his dick fall from your hand for a moment. He whines at the loss, the sound sending a flare of arousal between your legs.

"No. I want to feel you. All of you. Please." Spencer begs, and you could just about melt at the pitchy whimper in his voice. You've noticed he grows rather needy in bed, and it doesn't take much to rile him up. The way he takes everything you give him like a precious gift is so goddamn intoxicating.

"So do I, Spence." You say with a smile, one he mirrors. "Is this position okay? We can do it any way you want."

"This is fine, makes me feel close to you." Reid says sweetly, squeezing your hips a little.

"You wanna warm me up a little bit first?" You ask, longing to feel his touch.

"Of course." He nods, leaning in to press his lips to yours. Spencer always starts with a kiss, no matter what it is you end up doing. It's really romantic, and makes your knees weak every time. You let him lead, allowing his tongue to dominate yours in a fervent dance. His hand leaves your waist, trailing along your supple skin, leaving goosebumps in his wake. His long fingers brush past your inner thighs, reaching their intended destination without him having to look. He rubs slow circles on your clit, making you moan against his mouth. It doesn't take long for him to venture further, slipping two fingers inside your drenched cunt.

"Fuck, Spence." You moan aloud, the way his fingertips can reach your g-spot so quickly and easily takes you by surprise every time. You grab hold of his cock again, mainly holding it to keep him ready. Although, the sounds you're making and how wet you are seem to be doing that job just fine. The air of the room heats up, growing thinner as the seconds pass. Unabashed moans escape the two of you as you work each other up, building towards the one thing you've both desired for so long. "I'm ready when you are." You say breathlessly, eager to finally feel Spencer inside of you.

"O-Okay." He stutters, nodding his head enthusiastically. He pulls his fingers out of your cunt, bringing them to his lips. He sucks them clean, moaning at the taste of you. "Mm."

"Dirty boy." You tease, making a deep blush bloom wildly across his cheeks. You start to stroke him again, very slowly. You get up on your knees to position yourself over him.

He watches your every move, unable to say a word. It's finally happening. He's going to have sex. With you. Reid feels like a silly teenager with all these thoughts running through his head, but they all fall away the second you bring the tip of his cock to glide through your folds. You share a moan at the sensation, gazing at one another with parted mouths. Hearts pounding in anticipation, breath stolen from your lungs, arousal leaking from you both and mixing together in the indescribable friction. Spencer could cum just like this if he isn't careful.

"Ready?" You ask one final time, just to be absolutely sure that he wants this.

"Yes." Reid nods, trying to keep himself from squirming. You feel so good, and he's not even inside you yet. He's certain he won't last long, but you've already told him a hundred times that it won't be a problem.

You don't waste anymore time, holding his cock at your entrance and gradually sinking down onto him. "Fuck, Spence. You're so big." You moan as he splits you open. He's a bit larger than you've had before, and it's been quite some time since you've done this, so every inch is deliciously stuffing you full.

Reid, on the other hand, has gone completely mute. His mind has stopped working, and all he can do is grip onto your hips with all the strength he has without hurting you. You're absolute heaven inside, if he believed in such a thing. So hot, and slick, and snug, squeezing around his dick perfectly. He finally understands what all the fuss is about. He could just about cry from happiness in this moment. Once you're fully seated on him, your walls constrict out of reflex, which appears to get Spencer's sex-addled brain working again. "Oh, my...fuck- I, um, wow..." He babbles, unsure what to do with himself. His hands fidget at your sides aimlessly, and his expression twists and bends in all manner of ways as he attempts to get a grip on one singular thought.

"Shh, look at me, Spencer." You coo to him, leading his chin with your finger. He meets your eyes, though his own desperately want to roll back into his fucking skull. "That's it, baby. Just breathe, alright? Nice and slow, 'kay?" You guide him through the initial shock, nodding together slowly as he takes deep breaths. "There you go. I'm gonna start moving now, okay? Don't worry if you cum early, and just tell me if you need me to stop." You say softly, keeping things light and low-pressure. The last thing you need is him worrying about his performance.

"Okay." He breathes, chest shuddering as you start to ride him. You lift yourself up, almost letting him fall out altogether, and come back down at the same pace. You do this a few more times, gradually picking up a bit of speed.

"That feel good, baby?" You ask him, rolling your hips as you set a steady rhythm.

"Yeah, so fucking good." Spencer huffs, feeling close already. But he puts that out of his mind, focusing instead on enjoying this with you. "Do you feel good?" He asks, needing more than your vulgar moans as confirmation.

"So good, Spence. You fill me up so well, I'm so fucking wet for you." You admit these lewd thoughts to him, no stranger to being vocal during intimacy with him. Reid enjoys it immensely, adding words to the actions just makes everything astoundingly better. "Tell me how it feels to fuck me, Spencer." You say through a moan, riding him a little bit faster now.

Spencer groans at your increased speed, doing his best to hold back his orgasm. "I-It's exactly what I'd always hoped it would be." He starts. "I can hardly find the words to describe how much I'm enjoying this right now. You've blown my mind to pieces with this perfect fucking pussy." His grip on your waist grows rougher, taking you by surprise. He's following his instincts, leading you with his hands as you bounce on his cock. His assistance punctuates every landing you make, your noises growing louder as pleasure builds inside you. "I can feel you making a mess all over me, fucking soaked." He says, marveling at the drenched patch on his crotch. Your arousal glistens in the light as it's caught on his coarse hair and pale skin. "It drives me crazy to know you're loving this just as much as I am."

"I am, baby. You're so deep, hitting all the right places inside me." You say, speeding up a bit more. Spencer's hands migrate to your ass, squeezing your flesh roughly as he continues to keep up with you. You're surprised he's lasted this long, oddly proud of him for doing so.

"Fuck, you're incredible." Spencer groans, getting dangerously close to the edge again. He'd tell you to slow down, but everything feels too good to stop. Instead, he tries to drag you down with him, starting with diving face first into your tits. His mouth nips and sucks at your flesh wildly, struggling to land where he wants with your ceaseless bouncing. The noises he makes are borderline animalistic, groaning and grunting against your chest.

"Jesus, Spence!" You can't help letting out a breathless laugh at his urgency, picking up on the fact that his end is closer than your own. "You wanna try to help me out?" You offer, eager to feel him take some of the control. He doesn't say anything, just nods and makes an unintelligible sound at you. He thrusts his hips up, following what his primal urges are telling him to do. It appears to be working, given the shocked gasp that leaves your lungs at his effort. He keeps doing it, his mind turning to mush more and more as he fucks into your cunt to meet you halfway. "Oh my god! Yeah, keep doing that." You pant the words out, clinging to him by the shoulders.

Reid grins against your flesh, still biting and suckling while he pounds into you over and over. He's doing it, he's really doing it. He's keeping control of himself, he's going to make it. "Feel so fuckin' good, gonna make you cum, gonna make you scream, I promise...promise, promise..." Spencer murmurs to you, vowing to not give up, even though his balls are screaming for release right now. He has to get you there, if it's the last thing he'll ever do. "Such a perfect pussy, so good for me, so, so wet, fuck-" He groans when your walls constrict around him a bit, almost making him blow his load entirely.

"Don't stop, baby, you can do it, fuck me, make me cum, please, Spence..." You plead as your orgasm builds near the point of toppling over. His filthy mouth and feral actions have set you on fire from the inside out. You knew sleeping with Spencer would be special, and intense. But this is an entirely new level. His craving of you has blocked out all else, leaving him only with the mission to chase release. His, and your own.

"Oh, god, lay down, lay down, I'm gonna cum, gonna cum..." Spencer babbles, attempting to push you over onto your back. You follow his lead, his cock still sheathed inside you as you let him lead you where he wants. As soon as your body hits the mattress, he proceeds to ram himself into you as hard and as fast as he can.

"Fuck! Spencer!" You cry out as he hits an entirely new angle inside you, your ass resting over his knees as he thrusts forward. His hands grip your hips so hard, sure to leave dark bruises once he's through with you.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, gonna fill you up, gonna cum deep inside this pussy..." Reid grunts, sweat slicking him down, stomach clenching as he's about lose it.

"Keep going, baby. Don't stop, I'm almost there. Cum for me." You whine as his cock slams into you again and again.

"Fuck!" He nearly shouts when he finally feels it, his balls tightening, bliss washing over him, his hips stuttering as he fills you with thick ropes of white.

All you can do is bear witness as Spencer cums, harder than he ever has in his life. His brows knit together, mouth falling open as he moans so fucking loud. He keeps slamming his cock into you, hoping to pull you down alongside him. Feeling his load spill inside of you, as well as his desperate thrusts sends you tumbling over the edge. "Oh, god! Spencer!" You cry as your orgasm rips through you mercilessly. Your pussy clenches down on Reid's spent length, making him gasp as he keeps thrusting to get you off. You thighs shake violently, stars blurring your vision, hands clawing at the sheets beneath you. It's the most beautiful thing Spencer has ever seen.

You both slowly come down from your high, soaked in sweat and totally spent. Spencer carefully pulls out of you, though you still wince a little. "You okay?" He asks, noting your discomfort.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit worn out." You laugh lightly, crawling over to the right end of the bed to lie down. Spencer joins you, pulling the covers over you both and taking you into his arms.

"Sorry about that, I don't know what came over me." He says, a little embarrassed for losing control the way he did.

"It's okay, baby. More than okay, actually." You reassure him once again, stroking his damp face with your thumb. "I'm surprised you had it in you." You chuckle, and he does, too.

"So am I. I guess you...bring it out in me." He explains, and you nod in understanding.

"And I take that as a compliment." You say with a sleepy smile. "Did you have enjoy yourself?" You ask.

"Very much. Even more than I thought I would." Spencer says earnestly, making your heart skip a beat.

"Me too, Spence. And I'm so happy you chose me to enjoy this with." You reply, leaning in to give him a tender kiss. This night has been the best one of your lives (so far), and you look forward to sharing many more moments just like this one in the future. Together.

[mayday2007]

Perfect

Badass!Daryl x badass!fem!reader.

Warnings: mentions of Daryl's home life(beatings, blood, bruises)

Genre: fluff with slight angst

A/N: This is my first installment of the badass!Daryl x badass!fem!reader story? Au? I don't know what to call it, but I'm happy to post it because I want to know whether or not this is going to be as big of a success as my most recent drabble called love progression, which you can find if you click the link. It may not seem like much to some more experienced writers, but for me it's a huge deal. Anyways, like comment and reblog to support me, love ya!🥰

•°~*~°•°~*~°•°~*~°•°~*~°•°~*~°•°~*~°•

The late summer breeze drifted through the air, gently swaying the trees as it did. Mother nature was bringing an end to the scorching Georgia summer and was making way for a chilly autumn.

You were standing out on the plain of grass at the front of your highschool, having only just graduated, and you were more than ready to get the hell out of there alongside your boyfriend, Daryl Dixon.

You and Daryl had known eachother since the penultimate year of middle school, and you've been friends ever since. You know all about his home life, about the death of his late mother, his poor excuse of a father, and his asshole brother, who seems to care less about his brother than his own health, and that is an extreme low. You know about what his father does to him on a regular basis, beating the poor bot black and blue, not caring about his own son's health and wellbeing.

Daryl has come to you on more than one occasion, needing your help in medical attention. He'd climb up your fence, reaching your bedroom window and knocking on it, praying that you were still awake and ready to help. You always were, ready to put anything on the line for him. You'd tend to his wounds, cleaning up the semi-dried blood off his scarred body, sobbing quietly every time.

Now the two of you are dating, and there's nothing in the world that could pull you apart. Thanks to the fact that you're both graduates, you can move on with your new adult lives, together. Daryl has told you that he wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his days with you over and over, and you've told him the same.

You look at Daryl and smile at him before the photographer takes the class picture to put on the wall in the reception, a school tradition that went back years before you and Daryl were born. He gave you a small smile back before turning his attention to the camera man, who was asking all students to look forward and smile. You could see in your peripheral vision the people around you smiling broadly and you did the same, though you imagined that Daryl's wasn't, and the thought somewhat amused you, making your smile slightly more true.

After the picture was taken, the students were free to go home and relax, so you began to leave. Before you could make it out, someone grabbed your arm and began to pull you backwards. You whipped your head around to see who it was, alarm evident on your face, only to see your boyfriend, which made you smile softly as he tugged you along with him, leading you somewhere.

Eventually, you left the large group of both students and teachers, and headed down the alleyway leading to behind the dumpsters, you usual make-out spot.

"Daryl," you managed through a giggle. "Why are you bringing me here? We don't need to come here anymore. We can do this back at my place." Daryl sighed and turned to you, looking down at you with a serious expression that shit you up instantly.

His expression softened after seeing yours, and he let a small smile creep onto his handsome face. "I'm bringin' ya here cuz I dunno where else to take ya." He said, though it made more sense to him than it did to you. "I jus', I dunno where ta do this where it'll be special, cuz ya deserve nothin' less than perfect." He said sincerely, looking at you with something you could only describe as pure love and adoration in his baby blues.

"Daryl," you said calmly, bringing your hand up to stoke his cheek lovingly. "I love you, but what on earth are you talking about?" He chuckled slightly, then put his right hand in his pocket and it stayed there.

"You, y/n l/n, are the sweetest, most prettiest, most kindest person on this planet," he began, keeping his gaze on you. "Ya make me feel like I ain't ever felt before, 'n I can't find nothin' that'll make me feel the same way ya do. I wanna make ya happy, 'n I know I ain't ever gon' be rich, 'n I can' give ya none fancy 'n expensive, but I can give ya all I have, 'n I hope tha's enough."

He then brought his hand out of his pocket, a small box clutched tightly in his scarred fist. You let out a small gasp and tears welled in your eyes as he dropped down on one knee.

"Y/n," he said, tearing up a bit himself. "Will, will ya make me the happiest man alive and become Mrs Dixon?" He asked, a genuine smile on his face.

You let out a happy sob as you nodded your head frantically up and down before squealing "Yes! Yes, yes I will!"

Daryl laughed in disbelief before sweeping you off your feet and twirling you in two circles before putting you down again. He giggled for the first time in a long time with you, looking into your eyes and nudging your noses together, allowing both of your tears if joy to mingle as the poured down both of your cheeks.

You then put both of your hands in his hair as you kissed his passionately, closing your eyes and allowing yourself to bask in the moment. When you pulled away, Daryl opened the box once more to reveal the ring to you. It was beautiful, the diamond in the middle shone brightly, and the smaller diamond surrounding it shone just as bright. He lifted you hand and slid the ring on your finger; a perfect fit.

You giggled once more, giddy with delight as you looked up at him once more. Then a couple of questions presented themselves in your mind. "Daryl, how did you know what ring size I was?" You asked him. He blushed a little before admitting to you what he had done.

"I measured yer finger while ya was asleep. Wrapped a piece of paper 'round it and cut it. Then went to the jewellery shop and they were very nice and showed me that you were size [insert]. So I got a ring that I thought that ya would like in that size and they said that if I didn't have 'nough money on me then, that I could always pay em back in small amounts in the future. I chose that option since I didn't have 'nough on me then." You smiled brightly, squeezing his hand tightly.

"What are we going to do about the wedding? Do we have to invite anyone?" He thought for a second, his hands now resting on your waist, his grip tightening as she thought. "What if we eloped?" He asked, looking down to gage your response. "Yeah, that way then we don't have to tell anyone, but it'll be pretty much set in stone that we're married. I like your style, soon-to-be Mr Dixon." You said with a smirk. "And I like ya attitude, soon-to-be Mrs Dixon." He said, copying your smirk as he chucked.

"When are we going to do it?" You asked him, kissing him in the cheek. "Hmm, how bout tomorrow?" He asked. "What, can't wait any longer?" You teased, lacing your fingers deeper into his dirty blonde locks. "Nope. No I cannot. I can't wait for the lifea me." He said matter-of-factly.

"Okay then," you giggled. "We'll do it tomorrow. We'll pack our things, go get something nice to wear and get married. Then we can leave. Sounds like a plan to me."

He hugged you closer to him as he leaned down further. "Sounds like a plan ta me,too." He said, almost capturing your lips in another kiss.

"I love you, Daryl." You said, closing your eyes.

"I love ya more, precious." He said, as he closed the distance between you.

[staybabblingbaby]

Best Friend Protocol #14 (Team Meeting part)

[Caution: These are not full fics, or even full parts of fics for some, these are part of my writing progress archive!]

Concept: You're Felix's childhood friend, and you and he have been planning a visit to see him for his birthday for what feels like years now. Unfortunately, SKZ is a very busy group, and the week-long vacation you'd planned for doesn't seem possible.Until Felix decides to ask his bandmates a favor...

Word Count: 2672

Notes: IT'S FINALLY HERE! ALL HAIL THE LEGENDARY FIRST WRITTEN PART OF BFP! I meant to have this out over a week ago, but it's here now! I will be attempting to get a regular chapter out here shortly to fulfil my promised 4 november chapters. Wish me luck! Huge shout out to one of my beautiful beloved betas, @brbwritingfanfic for taking the time to make sense of this damn thing lmao. I appreciate you spotting all my errors, you a real one <3 For those familiar with my archive style and curious, this is A3D2 for this chapter. It was kicking my ASS. If enough folks are interested I don't mind releasing the other attempts, but BFP is a bit divorced from the usual archive proceedings, so I'll leave that up to y'all. I actually really loved how Felix's character came through here, and i'm pretty pleased with how the dialogue turned out. My poor fiance had to sit through like 5 separate rants about how i could not roll back the details enough and kept having to scrap dialogue so it sounded less like AI attempting classical literature.

Warnings: She/Her Reader. Sort of? Polyamory negotiations. More like, the possibility is tossed out there.

Leave me comments or questions or anything! Love hearing from folks

Additional Note: I'm always taking interaction requests. Just fyi

Masterlist | Prev Part | Next Part

The meeting goes something like this;

They pile into the living room of his and Seungmin’s shiny new dorm without discussion. It makes Felix both nervous and grateful. They’ve always had these meetings wherever Chris happened to be, before. It feels like an unspoken declaration of allegiance. Like they’re letting Felix take the lead, here.

The pressure is kind of getting to him already, as they all settle in. He doesn’t even know how he feels about it all himself, making a decision doesn’t seem like something he should be in charge of right now.

Still, he’s grateful. They’re being so mindful of him in this, and he kind of wants to cry about it. He feels seen, and loved. A bit too seen, maybe, but as embarrassing as it is he’s still a bit gooey inside about it.

Felix drags a beanbag over to where Hyunjin has settled on the couch, plopping down to lean against the other man’s legs. A hand automatically goes to bury itself in his hair, like an anchor against Felix’s stormy thoughts.

The grounding warmth of one of his best friends soothes Felix as Chris calls the meeting to order.  

“So!” Their leader casts an inquiring gaze around the room, “Who wants to start? Where are we at right now?”

A few glances are cast Felix’s way, but he tips his head back against Hyunjin’s knees to avoid their eyes. Everyone must get the message, because no one prompts him.

Jisung is the one who eventually bites the bullet, and Felix sends a silent ‘thank you’ to his birthday buddy.

“Well, I’d like to clarify everyone’s, like, goal in this?” Jisung puts forward tentatively, “Because I’m at the point where it’s more of a ‘I’d like to get to know her’ thing than a ‘I want to date her’ thing.” he shrugs to himself, “I haven’t talked to her much yet, I just think she’s cool.”

“I’m a little bit smitten,” Changbin admits from across the room. He gives Felix an apologetic grimace, but all Felix can do is wave him off with a worried smile. 

“We talked for quite a while the other day and, I dunno... We clicked? I guess? I feel like we did, anyway. I kind of want to see where that could go if we let it.” 

Changbin sends an almost appealing look to Felix as he speaks, and honestly? Super awkward for Felix right now.

Because, see, Felix’s first instinct is to get super defensive and shut everything down. He doesn’t really want to be talking about this, and it scratches at something delicate and boyish in him that they’re having this discussion at all.

It’s embarrassing to know that the feelings he’s kept so close to his chest for so many years are out in the open. It feels a bit like a betrayal that this meeting is about the fact that most of his friends have feelings for the girl he’s had a crush on basically his whole life, instead of planning how to get him to stop being stupid about said crush.

It’s just... Uncomfortable. On so many levels. An ugly monster wants to tear out of Felix’s throat as he locks eyes with Changbin, but a light scratch at his scalp from Hyunjin stalls the beast.

Right. Felix reminds himself that these aren’t any old friends. These aren’t just some acquaintances he could burn bridges with, or strange men he had to protect his angel from.

No, these were his brothers, the people he’d shed blood, sweat, and tears with. The men he’d lived with, grown with, the guys who’d seen more of him than any other person in the world.

Felix finds it in himself to spare Changbin a strained smile. He means it to be reassuring, but he’s so tangled up in his thoughts right now that it’s the best he can offer. The older man seems grateful for it anyway.

He turns his gaze up to Hyunjin, the catalyst of all this, and Felix’s current rock in the storm. He tries to keep in mind how much he loves these people as he moves the conversation forward.

He has to hear them out, at least.

“Thoughts, Hyun?” Felix gently inquires. 

Hyunjin briefly presses his lips together, gathering his thoughts into words. 

“I’ve been pretty open in my flirtation from the start, I think.” he finally says, “So I guess I’m more surprised that anyone else is? Surprised, I mean.”

Felix has to hand him that one. For all that his ‘no flirting’ rule had been mostly a joke, it did mean that he’d expected them to flirt with her. 

He wonders what makes things different now? He’d been okay with the flirting when he’d thought everyone was just joking around, has anything really changed now that he knows it’s real?

Felix sits with that thought while Minho throws his two cents in.

“I don’t think surprised is the right word,” their second eldest ponders aloud, “I’m personally more... worried about how this might work out.” He draws the words out slowly, like he’s tasting the flavor of them before he speaks.

It’s off-putting to hear Minho speak so cautiously- he’s usually so blunt with his words. 

“I’m more worried about how this will affect us as a group,” Minho admits, “I mean, I like her, she’s fun, but I don’t want her if it’s going to cause issues among us.”

And the older man has a point. Anything that causes discord in a group like theirs is a disaster waiting to happen. Especially something like this, where a misstep could lead to long-term resentments and jealousies.

Felix feels pressured by the group’s regard for him all over again. One word from him, and he knows it all ends. The moment he says he can’t handle this is the moment that the rest back off. The emotions won’t fade, Felix knows, but they’d do it anyways.

Because they love him.

He loves them right back.

“I really like her,” Seungmin pipes in, face blank. His eyes cast toward the floor for a moment, before rising again to meet Felix’s. “I really like her,” He repeats, “I don’t know that I would be okay with letting go without trying.”

Felix pulls his bottom lip between his teeth and nods at the younger man. His head tips toward his lap while he thinks, brow furrowing as he loses himself to his tumultuous thoughts.

It helps to hear everyone’s feelings put so bluntly, Felix thinks. Having everyone’s stances laid out clearly like a map in his mind’s eye. 

Han, who’s not invested but interested anyways.

Changbin, who’s probably in deeper than he’d really like to be.

Hyunjin, who’d been open about his intentions from the start.

Minho, who the fact that he’s even considering her means more than Felix thinks the man realizes. And yet, he’d give her up at the first seed of discord among the group.

It’s kind of heartwarming, when Felix thinks about how much love their second eldest had shown them with those words. 

Finally, there’s Seungmin. A man whose compliments are hard earned, and whose feelings are closely guarded. A man who’d just handed Felix his heart on a silver platter, trust and love etched in every word, spoken and not.

Felix’s first instinct is still to shut them down. His clouded heart tells him to scoop up his angel and hide her away like a dragon with its hoard. To claim her as his and his alone, and feel slighted if anyone tried to contest that.

But that’s not fair. Not to his members and not to her. Not even to himself.

They’d shown him respect and care every step of the way, the least he could do is give them more than a knee-jerk reaction.

“Is it really all that complicated?” Jeongin ponders aloud.

Their maknae looks almost bored from his armchair, staring at them all. His furrowed brow gives away his worry, as does the way he allows Chris to pull him into the elder’s side with an arm around his shoulders.

“I mean, it’s up to her in the end, isn’t it?” their youngest continues, “she’s the only one that can really make a final call.”

“Could we handle that?” Felix finally speaks up. It’s a little scary having everyone’s attention snap to him like that, but this is the crux of the matter, he thinks.

“If she chooses one of us, could we handle that?” he elaborates.

A contemplative silence descends over the room. Felix kind of wishes he could peek into the member’s brains at this moment. He wants to know if they’re as worried as he is, if they’re worried about the same things he is. 

Because, quite honestly, the more he thinks about it the less he really minds if they flirt with his angel.

It’s taken him this long to untangle the ugly knot of emotions in his chest, and he still can’t see all of it for what it is, but the core of it all, he thinks, is fear.

He’s afraid that, at the end of it all, he’ll be left behind. That he’ll lose two of his very best friends, his favorite people in the world, to each other.

He doesn’t think he could handle that.

It’s an unjustified fear, Felix knows. His bonds with all of these people, the seven present in the room with him and one halfway across the world, are stronger than anything. Forged in fire and elastic with time, he’s sure there’s nothing that could ever truly break them.

That doesn’t stop anxiety from creeping up his spine.

Felix lets his eyes wander around the room, landing on each of his members in turn. It’s like something in him believes that they could guide him in this, just by looking at them, the way his gaze lands heavily on each of their forms.

Hyunjin’s hand drops from his head to knead at the base of his neck, and Felix feels himself soften. A little bit of the anxiety drains from him at the comforting touch, and with it gone he can see something new under the miasma of fear and uncertainty.

It’s bright, like hope, and a bit more exciting. A giddy little thought bubbles up with it-

“What if she chose more than one of us?” Han beats him to the punch. His eyes flick between them all anxiously, looking very much like the rodent he’s nicknamed for, and when he’s met with six confused stares and Felix’s suppressed grin, he starts to babble.

“I- I mean, we’ve all shared partners before. Like, sexually, at least. I just- I mean- We’re not strangers to sharing, is all I’m tryna say!” Han explains himself.

His shoulders rise up to cherry-red ears under the weight of their stares. Minho places a calming hand on his thigh, even as he pokes holes in the other man’s claim.

“We’ve never shared romantic partners though,” He points out, annoyingly reasonable, “That’s a completely different thing.” 

“I’d be willing to give it a shot,” Hyunjin shrugs when all eyes turn to him.

He was, admittedly, the last of them Felix had expected to back the idea. Hyunjin was the most romantic of them all, and the least likely to indulge one of them in sharing a partner or two.

“I love you guys, and I really like her,” Hyunjin states plainly, “I don’t see an issue with it.”

“So.. what? We try for, like, a.. polycule kinda thing if she wants?” Changbin questions. He scrunches up his face in concern at the concept, pointing out, “That feels a little unbalanced, doesn't it? Is it fair to hinge the whole thing on her?”

“It's going to hinge on her whether it's fair or not,” Jeongin interjects, “You all have crushes on her, not on eachother.”

“I just don’t know how comfortable I can be with that,” Changbin explains, “There’s one of her, and currently six of us. I don’t think it’s humanly possible for her to split her time enough for all of us, and it’s really unfair of us to expect it of her.”

“It could be a good thing, though,” Han argues, “None of us have the time to dedicate to a relationship how we should. Having more than one of us to turn to could be a good thing.”

“Okay, but you’re all forgetting something very important in this hypothetical,” Jeongin stresses the word, making pointed eye contact with his hyungs, “situation. She has to agree to it too. We can’t make a decision without her.”

Felix can't help but be proud of their youngest for reminding them of y/n’s place in all this. It’s not like they’d forgotten, but it was a good reminder anyway. It did feel a bit icky to be talking about their relationship with her like it was a foregone conclusion.

“I’m just saying!” Han proclaims, throwing his hands in the air, “It’s a possibility that we should be open to if it happens!”

Finally, Chris loudly claps to get everyone's attention and forestall any oncoming argument.

“Oh-kay!” he enthuses, “Let’s refocus. Show of hands, are we okay with everyone flirting with her if they want to?”

All hands go up, none of them opposed to anyone else shooting their shot. Felix pretends like all eyes aren’t on him as he easily raises his arm.

“Alright, next” Chris pushes on, “Do we think we can handle it if she chooses one of us?”

Hesitant murmurs sound around the room at this, but Felix has come to an understanding with himself during this meeting, so he speaks confidently when he says, “I think we’ll be okay.”

His words seem to reassure the others, and a ripple of agreement and gentle ribbing starts circling the room.

“Alright,” Chris nods to himself, interrupting the wave before they could get started with any mischief. He really does know them too well.

“And finally,” he starts, an indecipherable expression crossing his face, “show of hands, who’s alright with the poly thing if it comes to it?”

This subject is more divisive, Han, Hyujin, and Felix’s hands going up, but Minho and Changbin stay quiet with worried faces. Seungmin holds his arm out in front of him with his thumb held out sideways. When questioned, he just says he’s not sure how he feels about it yet.

“We’ll circle back on that later, then.” Chris decides, “I think that’s one of those things we need to be unanimous on.”

Agreements sound out, and the atmosphere relaxes. The evening quickly devolves into an impromptu game night, the group quickly descending upon Felix’s console games like a pack of hyenas.

Felix gets up to switch the TV over to his switch, intentions of strong-arming everyone into playing Mario Party in mind. Chris grabs him by the elbow as he walks by, nodding over to the kitchen. Felix follows him over, already unbearably fond. 

“You sure you're good?” Chris asks lowly, “You've been her friend the longest, and we quite literally thought you were dating her already for a while there. They'll back off if you ask, you know.” 

Felix nods, smiling softly at their leader’s care. “I'm good I promise.” he swears, “I meant it when I said I liked it when my favorite people get along.”

He turns to look through the doorway back at the living room. Despite the strange and personal nature of their conversation, jokes and laughter flow easily now. As if there was never any tension at all. 

Felix can feel himself practically melt as he looks at them, a sentiment he knows their leader shares.

“It would hurt,” Felix admits, “If she chose someone else. But there’s no one I’d trust to hurt me more, y’know?”

Chris doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t really need to. He squeezes Felix’s elbow gently as the younger dives back into the chaos, and Felix knows he’s been understood.

Worm List <3 :

@thatgirlangelb , @hyeon-yi, @velvetmoonlght, @missvanjiii, @hanniemylovelyquokka, @vegetablesarefuntables, @scribblesnsketches05, @kkamismom12, @alexateurmom, @baribaaari, @tayla2351, @heart-trees, @unicornwhisperer666, @aalexyuuuhm, @stilldontknowhoiam, @brbwritingfanfic, @kaciebello, @ririzisblu

Perma Tag List <3 : @mbioooo0000

[mosneakers]

Brick makes excellent progress at work, but starts to feel the struggle of trying to find his soulmate beginning to weigh on him. He turns to his siblings to help him through it—starting a Darling chatty family call.

Coraleye: I'm probably like... the last one you'd want to get advice from right now, bud. In case you forgot- I'm not doing so dandy, Briggie.

Sunglo: [Mechanical whirring in background] Yep. Count me out, as well. Unless you want me to build you a bot wife, I could probably manage that— after I finish rebuilding Cecilia anyway.

Charm: ...I mean, I am essentially the golden standard of love and romance, ya know... but none of you ever listen to what I have to say. Not that it matters anyway— my charisma can't be taught!

Coraleye: Couldn't you try like... any other Darling?

Brick: Nah. They always give the same shit: "listen to your heart" "follow your gut" "Just fucking find a brain and use it, dumb fuck."

Charm: Was that last one Aunt Salem?

Brick: Yeah dude. [Sigh] I dunno man, I don't think followin' my body parts is working. Maybe I should be taking a page from your story, Corie. How's your homewrecker arc going?

Coraleye: [Self-conscious chuckle] You'll have to tune into season 11 to find out!

Charm: Ha, yeah. Where we find out why the island had to deploy search parties for those good vibes you wrecked during your trip. Coraleye: Stop it! Look, I'm really sorry! I was emotionally compromised, and it was New Years Eve, and I was just...

Brick: Horny. We know, dude. It be like that sometimes.

Sunglo: Please don't enable this... Coraleye: NO. Chronically lonely! And maybe a little...

Charm: [Imitating Sunglo's voice] I can't partake in this debauchery, you heathens. You'll upset my tummy!

Coraleye: Well maybe cover your ears then!

Sunglo: [Groans] Can I just go?

All: NO!

Coraleye: Speaking of Story, has anybody heard from Sawyer yet? Any plans to come back from Selvadorada any time soon? I really miss those babies!

Charm: Shhhhhhh… don't bring up the baby mama. it's a touchy subject right now. I'll text you.

Coraleye: Oh—sorry! ok.

Brick: Ugh! DAMN IT! Can't you just do some sparkly magical matchmaking shit to help me out?

Charm: Yeah Cor, you know—the classic sparkly magical matchmaking shit spell, the one that all spellcasters learn on their first day.

Coraleye: …I mean I have a lot going on, Brick.

Brick: Oh right, you're gettin' interviewed for that documentary thing this weekend, ain't you?

Coraleye: Mhm. But I guess I can figure something out if I can get a good charge going.

Brick: Nah, forget it. You got enough on your plate, kid. I'ma have to get creative and sniff someone out on my own. Even if it riles up a little fury.

Charm: [Sighs] Welp. Sounds like Brick is about to make a bad decision. Gotta go, Frieda's gonna need to be briefed on this.

[melanieph321]

Kenan Yilidiz x Reader - Thick Part 5/8

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Kenan and Reader share the same high school friend group. As graduation is near, Reader sets out to pass her drivers license test but ultimately struggles to. Thankfully Readers friends agree to help her with driving lessons and take turns doing so. It is during one of Rader's lessons that it becomes clear that Kenan likes her. A chock to Reader, who has a crush on someone else in their friend group.

Enjoy!

"So, what's going on with you and Kenan?" Maria asked, on your weekly drive to school.

"Pardon?"

"Oh please, Y/N. Don't lie. We all know that the two of you are hooking up."

Your driving has improved. After two months of consistent driving lessons with your friends, you were finally getting a hang of the rhythm of traffic. Although, you had to admit that your progress all came down to one driver.

"What do you mean, who told you that?" You said, in a desperate attempt to maintain your honor.

"It's pretty obvious." Maria chuckled. "The two of you are always flirting across the table during lunch hour and the fact that Kenan drives you home everyday kind of gives it away, don't you think?"

"Okay, but what about you and Gio?" You blurred out, as immense heat burned your cheeks.

"What about us?" Maria laughed.

"Well, aren't you two hooking up?" 

"Yes, but the difference is that the two of us aren't trying to hide it from the world. Why would you? Kenan is a great guy and seems to like you a lot."

"I know." You sighed as if it were a bad thing. "It's just that I don't think we'd make a good couple. I need someone more intuned with life, someone intellectual and cool. Someone who thinks with his brain and not with his dick. Someone like...."

"Luca?"

You turned to Maria as the car pulled up to a stop sign. "How did you know?"

She grinned. "Again, you make it quite obvious."

"Oh. I guess I have to work on that."

"Yeah. Besides, isn't Luca dating that redhead from the record store downtown?"

"They're just hooking up." You said, having investigated the matter futher ever since you discovered their love dispute. It was therefore important for you not to get too attached to Kenan, that is, if Luca ever decided to come back to earth again and realize that the perfect girl for him was already right by his side.

"I dunno, they seem pretty serious. Luca even asked if she could come with us to Bari this summer."

"He what?"

"Crazy, I know. I said it was cool, but of course Rebecca had to go on about the seating in the car, how there wasn't room for more people in the one we have. It's funny really..."

"What is?"

"Well, it really depends on you if she comes with us or not. If you manage to pass your driver's test there'll be more seats." She laughed. However you didn't find it funny at all.

School that day went by in a flash. Apparently, Luca called in sick today so that he and his band could travel to Milano and meet with a record label. The thoughts of his "girlfriend" traveling with him angered you, completely ruining your day.

".....and then he shot the bear in the face which left his jaw hanging out from its head. It was the craziest shit I've ever seen."

Kenan drove you home again after school. He had Gio on speaker as the two of them wouldn't stop going on and on about a movie that they saw last night. 

"Thanks for the ride." You muttered, when his car pulled up to your house. 

"Y/N, wait!" You made it up the driveway when Kenan came running after you, carrying something in his hand. "I forgot to give you this." He handed you what looked to be a football jersey, a Juventus jersey to be exact.

"Erm....thank you?" You held up the shirt, regarding it skeptically. The number 15 was visible on the back of it. Along with Kenan's last name Yildiz.

"It's for the charity game tomorrow. I thought you'd want to wear it."

"Why would I want to do that?" You snorted but instantly regretted doing so, seeing how Kenan's expression faltered.

"I dunno?" He scratched the back of his head. "I guess it's a thing that players' girlfriends wear their jerseys. Who knows? it might bring me good luck."

"Kenan, it's a charity game." Which you now regretted going to. However, all of your friends were going, including Luca.

"I know." He chuckled. "But you should keep it, for future games."

You sighed. "I'm not your girlfriend Kenan, I thought we went over this?"

He looked like he wanted to protest. Poor thing. But just then the front door to your house came ajar, with your dad stepping out onto the porch. "Y/N, honey, is that you?"

You turned around, quite stunned to see him home this early in the day. "Dad? You're home."

"Yes, and so is your mother. We've been expecting your arrival. I was unaware that you were bringing along a friend." His eyes shot towards Kenan, who crumbled at the sight of your dad, a man three heads taller than himself. "Erm....Mr Y/L/N." He stuttered. At least he hadn't forgotten his manners.

"Yes, that's me." Your dad spoke in a voice intimidating for anyone who didn't know him.

"I was just dropping her off." Kenan turned to you, eyeing the jersey in your hands. "But I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you." 

You watched Kenan walk back to his car and drive off.

"Is he a friend of yours?" Your dad asked, shutting the door behind you.

"Yeah, something like that."

 *********************************

The next day, you waited until the last minute to decide whether you were going to the game or not. If you failed to show up, you'd be a shitty friend. But if you did show up, you were basically agreeing to be Kenan's girlfriend. Something that you weren't ready to do. At least not yet.

"I heard that Luca is bringing that girl who dresses like a homeless person." Rebecca said. She came over to your house, not minding if you chose to attend the game or not. She was good either way.

"I figured." You sighed. "They've been dating for a while."

Rebecca sat up in bed. She regarded you, lying on your back, eyes glued to the sealing. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, everyone knows that you like Luca."

"Not Kenan."

"Kenan?" She frowned.

You pushed up to rest on your elbows, nodding your head. "He asked me to be his girlfriend and that I'd go to the game wearing his jersey."

Rebecca covered her mouth with her hand, smothering her laughter.

"It's not funny."

"Y/N, what are you gonna do?"

"I don't know." You cried. "I really don't know."

"I say we go."

"Huh?"

Rebecca nodded her head. "Don't you see? Imagine if you turned up to the game wearing Kenan's Jersey. Who knows, Luca might get jealous?"

"You think so?"

"We won't know unless we go. Come on!"

It was stupid of Rebecca to let you practice your driving during a time like this. Your fingers drummed impatiently on the steering wheel. Apparently, the entire city had decided to hit the roads at the same time as you. You glanced at the watch on the dash, your anxiety growing with each passing minute. As you finally reached the stadium. The scoreboard read 2-0, and the crowd was already cheering. You missed the first half of the game.

"There's Gio and Maria!" Rebecca pointed out. And as you climbed up the stands to join them, their grins winded at the sight of you, wearing Kenan's jerseys.

"Whoever speaks loses their tongue." You said, to which Gio and Maria sealed their mouths with an ironic gesture. You then settled in to watch the second half, scanning the crowd, in search for.....

"Luca couldn't make it." Maria said. "His band was scheduled for a second meeting with the record label in Milano."

You turned to Rebecca.

"I swear I had no idea."

"For fucks sake." Why did you ever leave your house, you thought, on the verge of throwing a tantrum. But then a whistle blew and the players on the field started running across it again.

"There goes Kenan!" Gio said, cheering for his friend.

You scanned the field for Kenan's familiar number 15 jersey. You spotted him on the field, his face set in determination, eyeing his opponents. A fire lit within you, watching him. He looked so focused, so masculine. Like someone intellectual and cool. Someone intuned with life.

The game was over before you knew it, nevertheless, you hadn't paid attention to any of it. 

Kenan was seen jogging towards you, a mix of relief and excitement on his face. "You made it and you're wearing my jersey."

A flush of heat rose to your cheeks. "I....I guess I did, and I guess I am."

Kenan's expression softened, his arms wrapping around you, pulling you towards him. The last thing you heard before he kissed you was Gio and Maria's astonished gasps and Rebecca smothering her sounds of disgust. However, none of it mattered. The way he kissed you did. Kenan pressed his lips against you as if it was the first time. He was gentle yet eager, letting his tongue slip into your mouth. He kissed you to the sound of a crowd cheering him on. He kissed like you were the one, the only girl for him.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

[itsreallynotriri]

FIRST STEPS

Elodie takes her first steps.

pairings: Dad!Timothée Chalamet x mom!reader

word count: 1.7k

warnings: none i think

note: i hate school.

It had been a long road to get here—one filled with hope, frustration, and a lot of patience.

Elodie was 18 months old now. And while other babies her age were toddling around with ease, climbing everything in sight, and making their parents chase them through grocery store aisles, Elodie had been a little different. Slower. More hesitant. She crawled with the speed of a seasoned explorer and had mastered pulling herself up on furniture weeks ago. But walking? Walking had been a battle.

Not because there was anything wrong—doctors had repeatedly reassured you that she was perfectly healthy, just cautious. She liked to take her time. She studied things closely before she acted. And when she did try to stand or take a step, she often froze, like the fear of falling outweighed the excitement of progress.

You and Timothée never pushed her. Not once. You encouraged her with open arms and endless patience, never comparing, never rushing. Still, sometimes, in the quiet moments after she'd gone to bed, you'd look over at Timothée and whisper, "Do you think she's okay?" and he'd meet your eyes and say, without missing a beat, "She’s more than okay. She’s just figuring it out in her way."

That afternoon had felt like any other.

The house was still, warm with late sunlight, and a breeze drifted in through the open windows, ruffling the curtains. You were on the living room floor, surrounded by a basket of clean laundry and a half-eaten granola bar Elodie had proudly offered to the cat earlier. She was in the center of the room, sitting cross-legged like a tiny queen among her plushies—Moo the cow, Lottie the lion, and her beloved stuffed jellyfish with only one remaining eye.

Timothée was stretched out beside her, his head resting on a pillow stolen from the couch. He was absently stacking blocks, humming along to the soft tune playing from the speaker, while Elodie babbled in a language only she understood.

“Buh-da. Gaaaaa. Tuh-buh. Laaaa!”

“Fascinating,” Timothée said, nodding. “Is that… Elodish? Because I’m pretty sure you just called me a ‘boot banana turtle.’”

You laughed from across the room. “At least she’s consistent. That’s her insult of choice lately.”

Elodie squealed, clearly enjoying the attention, and smacked her block tower down with dramatic flair. She clapped her hands, then looked up at you both with a giant, gap-toothed grin.

“She’s got the drama gene,” you said, folding another onesie. “Yours.”

“She’s been crawling for what, nine months now?” Timothée said as he sat up, brushing a curl from his forehead. “Maybe today’s the day she surprises us.”

“She won’t,” you said with a soft smile. “You saw how frustrated she got yesterday just trying to stand without holding the coffee table.”

“I dunno…” he said slowly, watching her closely. “She’s in a mood.”

Elodie, who’d been wobbling on her knees, reached for the edge of the ottoman and slowly pulled herself upright. She’d done that dozens of times before. What made today different was the look on her face.

She wasn’t just standing.

She was thinking.

You noticed it too—something about her posture had shifted. She wasn’t clinging to the ottoman this time. She let go.

“El,” you said gently, setting the onesie down. “Hey, baby girl…”

Timothée knelt forward, suddenly very still, his voice low with wonder. “Wait. Wait. Look.”

Elodie’s arms went out for balance, her little fingers wiggling like antennae. She looked between you and Timothée with wide eyes, like she was asking, *Is this it?*

And then… her left foot lifted.

Just a little.

But it lifted.

You stopped breathing.

She took a slow, shaky step. Then another. Her knees wobbled like Jell-O. Her arms flailed once for balance, and then—she did it. A third step. A fourth. Her face was red with concentration, her brow furrowed just like Timothée’s was when he was memorizing lines.

And then—

“*OH MY GOD,*” you gasped. “She’s walking! She’s walking!!”

“Elodie!” Timothée was already half-crawling toward her. “You’re doing it! You’re doing it!”

She squealed with laughter, a sound so pure it made your eyes sting.

Three more steps.

Then—plop.

Right into your arms.

You caught her with a breathless laugh, tears pooling as you hugged her tightly to your chest. “Oh, baby. You did it. You did it.”

Elodie squealed again, squirming in your arms, her face flushed and proud. She babbled wildly, too fast and excited to control it. “Tuh-duh-nah-blah! Gaaa meh meh meh buhhh!”

Timothée laughed through the emotion thick in his throat, pressing a hand to his heart. “What does it mean?! Who cares?! She walked! That was eight whole steps!”

“She’s going to sleep like a rock tonight,” you said, cradling her back as she caught her breath and laid her cheek against your collarbone. “That took so much energy.”

“She’s gonna start running by the weekend,” he whispered with a grin. “And then we’re done for.”

You both knelt there for a long time, holding her, praising her, letting the joy of the moment wrap around the three of you like a warm blanket.

It had taken her time.

It had taken tears—hers and yours.

But when she was ready, she walked.

She didn’t need words to tell you how proud she was.

She didn’t need to say “Mama” or “Dada” to say I did it.

Her joy was loud enough.

And your hearts? Full to bursting.

Elodie’s first steps had been a beautiful, emotional triumph—one that left both of you teary-eyed and giddy with pride. You and Timothée had spent the rest of that afternoon calling family, sending blurry videos to grandparents, and retelling the story to each other like it was a myth passed down through generations.

“She looked like a baby deer!” Timothée said, animated as he bounced her on his lap. “All wobbly and dramatic—but determined. I swear, she locked eyes with me right before that first step. I felt it. She said, ‘Dada, watch me. I’m about to rock your world.’”

“She said that in Elodish?” you teased.

“Fluently.”

You’d both laughed. You’d both cheered.

And then, about twenty-four hours later, you probably regretted it.

Because Elodie was off.

No longer the cautious baby who hesitated and clung to furniture—no, now she was a woman on a mission. She didn’t walk anymore; she sprinted. With reckless abandon. With wild, unearned confidence and exactly zero regard for obstacles, corners, gravity, or your sanity.

She ran into chairs.

She ran into walls.

She tripped over nothing—air. She fell onto the cat, tried to climb the coffee table, and more than once attempted to launch herself off the couch like she was testing the limits of aerodynamics.

“Buh-BUH-DAAA!” she shrieked at full volume, every time she took off across the living room like a tiny, barefoot torpedo in her strawberry-print romper.

“Jesus Christ,” Timothée muttered, watching her dart past for the sixth time in five minutes. “Do you think she has brakes? Should we teach her how to stop?”

You blinked at him from where you were sitting on the floor, watching your daughter careen toward the hallway with a juice box in one hand and a sock in the other. “She’s gonna go right into the coat rack.”

A beat.

Thud.

Timothée sighed. “Yup. There it is.”

She didn’t even cry. She just giggled, popped up, and started running in the other direction, dragging a blanket behind her like a superhero cape.

“We created a monster,” you mumbled.

“We created a track star.” Timothée rubbed his temples dramatically. “She’s not walking. She’s sprinting. There’s a difference.”

“I already put one of those toddler leashes in the Amazon cart,” you said without an ounce of irony.

He turned slowly to you, eyes wide. “No.”

“Yes.”

“We’re not… leash people.”

“We are now.”

Elodie squealed again, this time running in circles while the cat tried—and failed—to stay out of her way.

Timothée groaned and flopped down onto the couch with a grunt. “Remember when we were worried she wasn’t walking? That was cute. We were adorable.”

“She’s got more energy than both of us combined,” you muttered, grabbing the corner of a pillow she had thrown across the room and tossing it back onto the couch. “I’m thirty seconds away from duct-taping her to the floor.”

From the kitchen, you heard a crash.

“What was that?” Timothée yelled.

You poked your head into the hallway and found Elodie holding a wooden spoon and looking very, very proud of herself. The crash had been the Tupperware drawer—now emptied onto the floor like a storm had passed through.

She looked up at you, blinking. Then opened her mouth and, as if she were delivering a keynote speech in her gibberish language, proclaimed, “DAHHHHH-nuh-nuh-nuh-BOOP-BAH!!!”

You blinked. “That’s a fair point.”

“She’s a revolutionary,” Timothée said from behind you, peeking around the corner. “She’s organizing a rebellion. Soon, the furniture will be hers.”

You bent down to pick her up, but she twisted out of your arms and sprinted away, arms flailing like a wind-up toy let loose. You and Timothée exchanged a look, somewhere between exasperation and awe.

“This is it now, huh?” he said. “This is our life.”

“Forever.”

You both watched as Elodie tried to scale the ottoman and promptly slid off, completely unfazed. She bounced back to her feet, giggled like a maniac, and tore off again, heading straight for the dog bowl.

“I’ll install baby gates this weekend,” Timothée muttered.

“I ordered foam for the coffee table,” you replied.

“Should we put the TV on the ceiling?”

“Maybe we just... move into a padded room.”

You both laughed, because what else was there to do? Parenting was chaos, no, but it was a joyful chaos. Loud, messy, impossible to predict. And somehow, in the middle of it, there was nothing more beautiful.

Elodie zoomed past you again, this time clutching a spatula and her jellyfish plush like twin weapons of war. She skidded slightly on the rug and let out a happy shriek that made both of you wince and melt all at once.

Timothée shook his head in disbelief. “She’s completely feral.”

“She’s perfect,” you whispered, a little breathless as she ran straight into your legs and wrapped her arms around you with a proud little squeal of triumph.

He crouched down beside you, brushing a curl from her forehead. “You’re a menace, you know that?”

She looked between the two of you, then pointed to herself proudly.

“BLAGGOOO!”

Whatever that meant.

You laughed and kissed her forehead. “Yeah, baby. Exactly that.”

[olderthannetfic]

Truthfully I only get really annoyed by mlm vs wlw or whatever when it comes from people who talk big about how Progressive their ships are and how much they Love the woman characters but never focus on them even in a Gen fic sense and can't describe them outside of calling them a girlboss.

Basically, I love and appreciate the people who are just shipping their beloved yaoi in every fandom they enter (honestly same). But those who act like they're Above just only focusing on men while they Literally Only Focus On Men are. Annoying!

Fandom isn't fucking activism but if you act like it is AND THEN don't fucking do the things you supposedly care about then. You really only care about putting yourself above other people, huh. You aren't fucking slick. You'd still be just as annoying if you were haughty about things you actually do but it's possible that you actually, care about something outside of your image.

I dunno I'm not even a big f/f shipper if I'm being honest I mainly like m/m and m/f but I do have a few female characters I really like and it's just. It feels like false advertising almost lmao when I come across someone who takes a big game about liking a female character but never DO anything with her.

AND it's always because they like her because it's progressive to do so and they're sooooo much better than the rest of the fandom meanwhile I like her because I think. She's a neat character. Crazy isnt it. We Are Not The Same.

--

[oogaboogaspookyman]

‼️SUGGESTIVE WARNING IT'S REALLY FILTHY‼️

It's not smut or anything just adding that because there's a scene with filthy flirting, so yeah that's why the warning. Feel free to read though it's great stuff! Very fluffy! Enjoy~!

{LA COSTANERA}

It's a happy, tranquil day in the human world, after everything ended in the darkest depths of the universe known to man... It's all fun and laughs from here.

While Caleb, Mason, and Kevin are elsewhere, probably shopping as they all lack a few things here and there and hey, who doesn't like going around looking at things that may catch your interest?

...

Maybe people who have little patience but those are not included right now- while they're doing that, the leftover two have chosen to walk somewhere more... Special. Somewhere with a romantic tone to it.

"Cass... What is this place?" Azalin, the beastly monster, asks, unfamiliar with the place and it's scenery.

"It's the waterfront, or La Costanera™ as Mason sometimes likes to call it, a place where people relax and all that, some have their ice cream here... That stuff!" Cassidy, the human world "expert", explains.

"Huh... That... Sounds nice..?" Has Azalin never known peace back then? That is not alright... That is not alright.

Cassidy wonders... What was her life like before meeting them? Was she treated as terribly as she thinks right now?

"It sounds nice, because it is nice. That's why we're here, love... To relax." She comments back, pushing those thoughts to the side for the time being.

The silence, the blowing wind, the sea, the sun in the farthest distance.

It's all so calm...

...

...

"You think if i threw a ball you'd chase it like a dog?" Cassidy jokingly asks the dog looking creature. Azalin smirks at this, striking back with a comment of her own. "I dunno, your head looks a bit like a ball, maybe if i smack it off i'd chase it?"

"Yeah i bet you'd chase my head" She giggles at her own joke. Azalin, after realizing it, begins to giggle alongside. "Oh wanna go there now? Then, i bet you'd look so pretty under me~" She flirts, now feeling the heat of the moment. After this she laps up a bit of her ice cream and sees god immediately, stars form in her eyes. This cherry ice cream is SO FUCKING GOOD.

"Oh we're going there now, okay- you talking fighting words for someone in tail tugging distance, i bet i can bend you over and make you bark!" The human chuckles.

"Oh you think so? What, like my claws–" the beast showed off her claws, "–can't render the armor off of you and my entire hand can't close around your waist?" She then closed her hand into a fist. "I could hoist you off the ground, into my mouth and devour you~" Azalin fought back with a line of her own.

"Oh you wanna eat me out so bad it makes your tail wag!" And Cassidy wasted no time. By the way yes her tail is indeed wagging and not just because of the cherry ice cream.

Azalin snorts at Cassidy's sudden comment, then bursts out laughing. It's loud and sounds unlike anything she's ever heard. It feels like the first time she doesn't sound like she's roaring or growling. It makes the human smile softly.

She looks so beautiful with this sun...

"Aahehehehe! Heheh! Whoo... That's a good one, thank you for making my day hehehehe!" Azalin finishes her laughing fit with a giggle, and just now notices Cassidy is staring at her fondly. "What, can't get enough of me~?" She quips, still in silly mode.

"I always knew your fur would look beautiful in the sun..." The beast squeaked as felt her heart beat a little too fast at that moment, her tail begins wagging at higher speeds, her fur puffed up like she's been dried after a bath, that one hit HARD.

...

"can i run away?" Cassidy begins giggling at her reaction, and it progresses into laughter. "babe no- no don't laugh- i- shuddup!" She giggles alongside, as much as she tries to get her to stop laughing.

"Oh girl, we're having too much fun just talking hehehehe!" She ends it off with a sigh after her small laughing fit. "I love you, so much..."

"I love you too..."

She could lean in for a kiss right now, it seems like a good opportunit–

!?

Nevermind. Cassidy took that chance for her. Having Azalin lean down to reach her and give her that sweetness to her lips. Her fingers place themselves on the human's chin, while the human herself placed a hand on her cheek and the other on her chest.

...

"You done?" glass_shattering.mp3

The other three members of the group are back, and carrying up to three bags. One has two, another has one, the other remaining has their hands free. Mason in particular decided to break the silence as Caleb watches with pride and Kevin absolutely adoring this moment.

"Wh- you came back?!" Azalin almost yells, embarrassed. "We would've come back eventually anyway, now come on, lovebirds, we got what we needed– ack! Ow?!" Mason is hit in the arm by a displeased Kevin. "Let em have their cute couple moment, dammit!" He sighs at the smaller human's demand. "Christ... Fine but only five minutes longer!"

"That's still a win for the lesbians! Woohoo!" The absolute :D energy is incredibly powerful. The beast giggles, endeared by Kevin's :D energy.

It's a better, much sunnier day.

...

Xjsgpvs zpv...

[end.]

[randomvarious]

Today's mix:

Doppler F ACT - The Eclectic Mix Session by Lady Aïda 1997 Techno / Deep Techno / Drum n Bass / Electro

Man, if you've never heard of the late, great Lady Aïda, then I honestly just feel bad for you. She was a pioneering electronic music DJ from the Netherlands and the only thing she ever released commercially on the solo tip in her life is this brilliant mix from 1997 that was put out by Play It Again Sam's Holland Division. Here she stacks up a bunch of sweet, mid-mooded techno tunes and then makes a switch to a trio of breathtaking dnb tracks for the final leg. Aïda's set isn't high-powered stuff that you throw your hands up in the sky to, and nor is it something for home relaxing either—it nestles itself somewhere in a not-as-often-touched, murky middle, with a series of tracks that tend to be journeys unto themselves. And when you assemble a bunch of these journeys together, I think what you inevitably end up getting could be called a tour. And so, this is a uniquely textured must-listen tour-de-force of a DJ mix here 👍.

Some of these transitions are super seamless too. Like, I didn't even realize that a track change had occurred between Encephaloïd Disturbance's "Sülk" and Rectory's "Drum 006a" until I got through a significant chunk of "Drum 006a" itself. The way Aïda arranged those two tunes made the track change feel like "Sülk" had reached a breakdown point, but no, it was actually a wholly different tune; like inserting Rod A into Slot B.

And I dunno if I have a favorite here, but I think it's close between Scottish techno duo Slam's "Life Between Life" and UK dnb duo PFM's "For All of Us." "Life Between Life"'s got both ethereal pads and burbling acid electro stabs, and "For All of Us" is just a totally majestic atmospheric stunner. PFM stands for Progressive Future Music and they definitely live up to their name with this track in particular, because it still goes almost three decades later and it still sounds like the future too.

So it's not everyday that you come across a mix that has both techno and drum n bass on it like this one does, and even though Lady Aïda didn't blend them together and merely transitioned from one genre to the other instead, she managed to pull off quite an excellent selection here on both fronts. Maybe not as eclectic as you'd expect from a mix that puts the word 'eclectic' in its own subtitle, but it is a uniquely beautiful 70-plus-minute experience nonetheless, and perhaps the musical reflection of the ripped, naked guy that she envisioned in her own album cover too.

And then when you're done listening to this one, you can follow it up with another one by a different pioneering female Dutch DJ by the name of 100% Isis, who seemed to just be plucking a bunch of her own contemporary dance faves and fleshing a fun mix out of them for '96.

Listen to the full mix here.

Highlights:

Third Electric - "Bontempi" Megalon - "Motion" Encephaloïd Disturbance - "Sülk" Rectory - "Drum 006a" Slam - "Life Between Life" Spook in the House - "Beginning to End" Wishmountain - "Radio" DJ Crystl - "Let It Roll" PFM - "For All of Us" Vantronik - "Beauty and the Beat"

[expressionsofchange]

Too awake!!!! Rambling time!!! My brain doesn't wanna do the sleepy thing!!!

My role in the system essentially revolves around change (to nobody's surprise!!!) and giving us the courage to pursue the change we wanna see in ourselves!!!

But change isn't something that necessarily happens overnight. Obviously! You can't rush that kind of stuff, it takes time to learn new habits and to reprogram your brain!!!

Being a fictive is kind of funny like that. It's kiiind of like... Starting at square one? Which isn't a bad thing! Self discovery can be a really joyous thing to experience!!!

But, in comparison to source?

I may be introjected from a version of myself who has already changed- already has more confidence, one who's more sure of himself and what he wants!!- but here, I'm still going through that process. I have ideas, I have a good starting point, but it's still new to this brain and body. And the unfamiliar can be really scary!!

It's actually.. REALLY, really scary in some ways. To have this idealized version of the kind of person you want to be, but not quite being there yet. Being a work in progress, having to face all the highs and lows that come with remaking yourself.

Working so hard to become somebody worthy of being known, never quite believing that it's enough yet, wishing you could just be more confident! Less shy!! More like yourself (including literally, in the fictive context!!!)

But at the same time?

The people I know and love, who see something to love in the person I am now? Regardless of who I am and who I'm not?

That's invaluable

And I wouldn't have ever known the kind of support I truly have if I wasn't brave enough to let people in while I'm still becoming myself!!

And, really? A big part of Changing yourself is taking the time to enjoy the person you've become, too!!! You can always plan out who you'd like to be next, but what's the point of Changing if you never give yourself the time to appreciate the changes you've already gone through? Seasons change, but it's still fall for several months before It becomes winter! The trees need time to show off their fall colors before the leaves all fall off!!!

I dunno!!!

But. There's something really special about being loved even in your caterpillar-goop stage!!

About not quite being the person you wish you could be, but being loved regardless - knowing they love you as you are, even though you're a work in progress

There's still so much I want to be. So much I want to improve on, so many ways I want to learn and grow!!

But it means more than I think I could ever say, that I've got people-- friends, family, a super cool and awesome and wonderful and amazing partner!!!-- who want to know who I am now, not just who I might be later.

(seriously though!! how lucky am I? They're so cool?? And beautiful, and sweet and funny and they have the best laughs ever and I get to call them my partner???)

I can be whoever I want to be, but it doesn't have to be alone. And that's super special :]

[patchworkgargoyle]

🌿 Wip Ask Game

Thanks so much for the tag @numinosmoon!!

Rules

In a reblog (or new post w/ rules attached), post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We're posting progress here. If you haven't made any, go make some and come back to post!

After you've posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That's it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. If you tag me in your post, I will send you an ask request!

I'll be doing this from today until Sunday, so send in as many asks as you'd like!!

Non-obligatorily tagging: @steves-strapcollection @scarcrossdlvrs @inairbinad @stobinesque

WIPs

i recognise you're a hideous thing inside (steddiebang)

mouth of the wolf, eyes of the lamb (kas!eddie)

Boot Shine (NSFW)

Snippet

A big, juicy one from mouth of the wolf, eyes of the lamb~

There was a warm touch on his shoulder. A voice. Eddie groaned, his throat tight, feeling his face pull into a frown and he turned away. The touch became more insistent. A hand, shaking his shoulder, the voice clearer and calling his name. He didn’t want to wake up. Exhaustion held his body down like lead but his mind was pulled out of the syrupy darkness of deep sleep by the hands on his arm.

“What?” Eddie asked in a low, raspy crackle. “Go away.” He tried to burrow further into the plush pillows and cosy duvet but he was held in place.

A snort. “Jesus, Eddie, I thought you’d sunk into a coma or something.”

Oh right. Steve. And… fuck, everything else from yesterday. Eddie cracked his eyes open at the relief behind the humour in Steve’s voice, met once again with the appalling decor of the room but also Steve’s bright, teasing smile. It began to fall, though, when his eyes skated up Eddie’s arm and down to the bit of bare chest revealed when Eddie shifted under the covers.

“You looked, huh?”

Swallowing, Eddie glanced at the mirror and away again. “Yeah.”

“Are you… okay?”

“I dunno, Steve, would you be okay if you got shredded like ground beef to death and came back fucking wrong?” he snapped, wrenching his arm out of Steve’s grasp to sit up. The duvet pooled around his waist but he refused to look at the damage done, unwilling to acknowledge that he didn’t remember going to bed buck naked last night.

From the corner of his eye Eddie saw Steve put his hands on his hips. “Sure. Fair. Not even gonna say ‘I told you so’ because that feels like beating a dead horse, so: breakfast is ready downstairs if you want it.” And Steve left, shutting the bedroom door behind himself.

Gritting his teeth, Eddie turned his head to look at the door before correcting himself, blinking down at the horrifically patterned duvet instead, unable to avoid seeing the dark stains on his skin the the periphery of his vision.

[doberbutts]

Have you ever had any experience with Dancing Doberman Disease? At least that’s what I was told it was called, though it sounds a bit odd for such a serious condition.

I ask because I’ve got a dobe (he’s roughly seven years old now) who started having weird issues with his back legs when he was two-ish. His entire back half is weak, when he stands one of his leg is held up and leans inward under him, and it seems to be hard to put weight on it, though this occurs in both legs. The various specialists we went to were basically like “dunno, not a torn ACL so it could be DDD” and we kinda just prepared for it to progress to the point where he can’t move. Thing is five years later he hasn’t changed.

I’m curious if you’ve ever seen anything like this as I know you have experience with Dobermans. Granted my mother bought him off Craigslist from a (most likely) backyard breeder so maybe genetics play into it? Just curious of your thoughts. :)

Are you sure it's not Wobblers or a stroke? Both only diagnosable via MRI. Maybe DM? You'd need to involve a specialist, a general practice vet won't help in this scenario.

I have trained one dobe with DDD and she was quite neurologic. Very clear what was going on and while she was pretty happy and active her limitations were pretty high just to keep her safe. It was difficult for her to take positions and even harder for her to stay there due to the twitchy nature of her limbs and her pretty significant lean/tilt. She was a rescue so who knows what her background was.

[bainhardt]

They should've called it Super Mario Bros Autoscroll

Mario Wonder was good. I can't really knock it any harder than that, but I feel like it was just "good." Not great, not one of my favorites, nothing beyond "good" feels accurate. And that's not to say there's anything wrong with that, either.

I wouldn't say the gameplay was all too impressive. I like the idea of the badges and they're fun to collect, but as a result it sometimes felt like Mario didn't have as many moves as you'd expect because some of them are locked behind badges one at a time. The parachute one was nice though because it was basically a mini Cape effect from SMW. And the power ups were fun enough. The Bubble one was kinda forgettable, though. Somehow it feels like too few to only have four total, but I think in reality most other games don't have many more than that, so it's fair.

My main complaint is the Wonder seed stuff didn't get as weird as I was expecting it to? For the "weird" game where anything can happen, it didn't feel very weird in the end. Almost too restrained somehow. They had a couple fun ideas and then a lot of it felt recycled after a while. My favorites were when you'd stretch out, and then any of the transformations like the Goomba, the rock ball thing, those couple of times you were a slime. But even those are reminiscent of the transformations in Yoshi's Island (like the helicopter and all).

A lot of stuff in this game felt strangely like it was designed more to be visually striking than actually fun to play in the moment. The Wonder events really drove this home with how many of them ended up being either literal autoscrollers or essentially autoscrollers for some other reason. When you work hard making something look spectacular, you end up wanting to force someone to stop and soak it in. I feel like that was the philosophy for many of them, style over substance. But again, they weren't all like that. It just felt like most, or maybe that's most of the ones I remember.

On the topic of visuals, I enjoyed the style of this game a lot. The art was colorful and plasticky in a way that evoked toys come to life, and the sound effects and music and all were nice too. Very plucky.

My other favorite Mario world-progressing platformers are Super Mario World on SNES and 3D World on the Wii U and I dunno that I'd say this game was more fun than either of those. It didn't have enough challenge, and the stage designs kinda feel repetitive compared to either of those. Champion Road in 3D World took me over 1000 lives to clear my first time, and the finale in Wonder maybe 1/10th of that at most. 3D World had too many mini-boss fights though, which Wonder held back on, thankfully. Not all the bonus stages were really worth anything, though, like the enemy arenas. Total waste of time imo.

I don't know what was with the half-baked rhythm game type stuff in Wonder, either - maybe a full game like that could've been better. Like, why was the final boss a rhythm game thing if that wasn't the whole game? It was pretty fun which is the worst part, because it was only implemented in a couple memorable stages and that was all.

Took a couple days of play to 100%, and maybe the multiplayer would've been more fun, but I think I'm gonna try to bring it back. I don't really see myself wanting to play it in the future, and in fact, it made me "wonder" if I should've just played 3D World again lol.

[crusty-chronicles]

The Moon and Sun (Big Sib Reader x Gon/Killua)

Ch 3: ~Speed Baby~

Synopsis: It’s time to beat Genthru at his own game. And by beat him at his own game you mean dodgeball. And by dodgeball you mean fighting for your life against a Beefy ex-Convict who’s only on this island to give Gon hell. You officially decide Ging Freecs is a huge ass. On the bright side, you develop nicknames for your boys.  

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

"They're all dead. It's too late."

Your words stunned the other two into silence. It was both fascinating and terrifying what your ability could do. And as you started to curl into yourself, they knew better than to ask about it.

"Are you sure?" It was Gon who spoke up. "There must be some survivors. And if they're badly wounded, they'll need all the help they can get."

You shook your head.

"Not one."

The boy frowned, fist clenched.

"Then we can't let Genthru get away with it."

"We won't," Bisky affirmed. "But we stand no chance if we go after him now. We don't fully know what tricks he has up his sleeve. It's best to continue on and try to beat him at his own game."

"You mean-" Gon was cut off.

"Yup! We'll collect as many cards as we can. We're bound to run into Genthru that way, and when we do we'll be ready then."

By then, you'd calmed yourself down enough to listen to the plan.

Beat him at his own game? Too bad it wasn't just him you were competing with.

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

Gon had continued to perfect his ability while all of you waited for Killua's return. He was making surprising progress, now being able to shoot off a small burst of nen from his pointer.

As for the other boy, he'd beaten the first phase and consequently the last phase in just an hour. He was all smiles as you, Bisky, and Gon approached the starting area.

"How was it, Killua?" Gon questioned.

"It was easy. I aced it," the white haired boy said as he high fived the other.

"That's awesome!"

Much to your confusion, Killua looked over at you expectantly. Did he want something? His aura seemed nervous, or maybe it was anxious. Should you say something?

"I, uh, good job kid." Immediately his mood shifted to a happier one.

"So, what did you guys do while I was gone?"

"We collected a ton of spell cards!" Gon answered.

The boys preceded to look through all of them, with Killua wanting to try one: Contact.

A spell card that allowed the user to contact any person on the island they met, even if it was just in passing.

They looked through the list of names and came across one they never thought they'd see here.

"Chrollo Lucilfer? Isn't that the Phantom Troupe guy?" You mumbled.

"Yeah! Gon, when did you run into him!"

"I didn't. Maybe we just passed by each other."

"It makes sense, but I could have sworn Kurapika- WAIT HOLD ON!!! YOU KNOW CHROLLO!?!?" Killua exclaimed.

Goddamnit, you never learn when to shut up, do you?

"YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PHANTOM TROUPE!?!?" It was Gon's turn to interrogate you. Both boys were staring at you with wide eyes. Bisky on the other hand, was looking on in confusion.

Wait a minute

THESE BOYS RAN INTO CHROLLO!!!

Who the hell was letting them get into trouble like that!?!?

"Answers now!" Killua demanded.

"What I meant was, Chrollo Lucilfer? Sounds like a guy who'd be in a very dangerous, black market group called something creepy. Say I dunno, the Phantom Troupe?"

Clearly no one was buying your bullshit once again going by the unamused looks on the boys' faces.

"Look, that's not important right now. What's important is finding out why he's here." You tried to change the subject. Luckily, Bisky was there to divert attention from you.

"Will you tell me what's going on!!!"

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

Apparently, the boys had run into Chrollo while trying to get enough money to purchase Greed Island. They thought capturing a Phantom Troupe member would be the easiest way. (What idiots) And accidentally roped in their friends Kurapika and Leorio.

The former puting a condition on Chrollo's heart. If he used nen, he would die.

Simple enough, but if that was true, then the possibility of it actually being Chrollo was slim. Either he had exercised Kurapika's nen or it was someone posing as him. Which brings us to where we are now.

"If it is Chrollo and he somehow got rid of Kurapika's nen, why would he come here?" Gon asked.

"Revenge maybe? Those phantom troupe members do like to hold grudges. Then again, it makes no sense why he'd travel here alone." You guessed.

"Either way it's not good. We should warn Kurapika. I'm gonna hop out of the game again for a few hours." Killua said as he went to leave.

You didn't have a good feeling about this, and as Killua came back with the news that Chrollo was still cursed, the feeling only worsened.

"So we're dealing with a phony after all," you said.

"Yeah, I talked to Kurapika. He was pretty calm about it. By the way he responded, he didn't sound concerned."

"It sounds like you got all worked up over nothing," Bisky commented.

Her words did little to quell your worries. If it wasn't Chrollo, then who was it? Maybe you could convince yourself it was some weirdo hoping to attract attention. Yeah, let's just go with that.

"For now, let's just focus on the task at hand," she continued. "It's time we start trying to beat this game!"

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

"It's said that the legendary King White Stag Beetle lives only in this tree," the NPC explained. "And that there's only one way to capture it: hit the tree and shake it out."

Gon nodded and prepared his attack. It was time to see how far he's gotten.

"Show me rock! Jan-Ken-Rock!" He surrounded his fist with nen and struck. The impact from his punch shaking the tree and causing everything in it to fall off. Dozens of bugs rained down upon your small group.

"Oh wow!" The white haired boy stared in wonder as the insects fell. Bisky on the other hand was shielding her head, most likely grossed out.

Gon turned back to face the group, now giving you that same look Killua had earlier.

Was it code for something? It was expectant and anticipating. Like a child wanting to be praised. Oh

Ohhhhhh

Why not just this once?

"Hell yeah, kid!" You cheered. "You're like a mini Hercules with that punch!"

Honey colored eyes beamed up at you.

This would take some getting used to.

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

"There is no such girl hidden in this mansion," The NPC said. "And even if there were, you would never be able to find her. Not with all the traps you would have to get past first." He was immediately cut off by Killua.

"Found her!" He walked out of the gate with the girl in tow. "She was hidden in a room deep under ground."

The NPC then tried to attack Killua, but was stopped by you. Your grip firm on his shoulder, stunning him.

"Just accept you've lost so we can move on," you said lazily. Unable to move past you, he poofed into a card.

"Rank F, what a shame." You glanced over to the small assassin. He was proudly showing off the new A Rank card.

"Fast work. You didn't get hurt, did you?"

Was that concern in your voice.

Killua turned to face you with a smile.

"Nope, those traps were nothing compared to what I had to go through back home."

Were you about to throw hands with a family of assassins?

Yes, yes you were.

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

After winning a Paladin's Necklace card, the four of you headed towards Dorias, the gambling town. Aka how to develop an addiction.

But there was a small bump in the road for you guys.

Someone had cast contact on Gon.

"Hey Gon! It's been awhile." The boy looked very confused.

"Who are you?" The man on the other end only laughed.

"What you don't remember me? Well what about the player who took The Sword of Truth from you in Antokiba? Remember him?"

Recognition at last filled the boys'faces.

"Stealing cards from kids. Not much of a man, are you?" Your voice shocking the man into silence.

"You? You're traveling with them?" Seems he was scared of you. To be fair, you had been quite feral your first year here. Yes, you weren't a fighter, but sometimes your aura could be scary. Especially when you didn't want to be bothered. Ah good times.

"Yeah, now spit out what you want before we get bored." Both boys stared at you in wonder. Seems you had a reputation.

'The mystery around you thickens,' Bisky thought as the man on the other end shakily continued. She was gonna get answers out of you one day.

"Right, well we had an offer for the boys." We? There were others.

"We want to trade them #66 and 27."

"What do you think?" Gon whispered.

"There's always a catch," you warned.

"Yeah but that guy's scared of you. He'll be less likely to try something," Killua said.

"Bisky, you make the call." You trusted the young looking woman's judgement more than your own.

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

She decided to make the trade, a 61 for a 27.

The leader of the group seemed hesitant to stare at you as he handed you the other 66 card. Much to the boys' delight.

"As a peace offering," he said. Then you got a good look at him.

"Hey, I remember you." See there'd only been three groups you'd run into on Greed Island. (You were sure there were more) Genthru's group: who always harassed you into joining them and were now killer's. Tsezguerra's group: who you tolerated just barely and bumped into accidentally. And Kazsule's group: the men in front of you now that had surrounded you on your first day on the island.

Oh yes you remembered him now.

"You actually know this guy?" Killua asked.

"He casted several spell cards on me during my first day here and ran away with his tail between his legs after my aura got intense. Isn't that right?"

"It was a mistake that I'm trying to rectify at the moment. No hard feelings," Kazsule said still not meeting your eyes.

"Fine." He did give your group two new cards. You supposed you could call it even for now.

After he left the boys continued to pester you about the situation. Bisky watched on silently, not offering you any relief.

"You really dodged spell cards!?!?"

"Your aura was really that strong to scare him away!?!?!"

You groaned, the circles under your eyes seeming to darken.

"Look boys, there's only two things you need to know. #1-Don't upset me, and #2- My ability is speed." Well your ability simplified was speed. But they didn't need to know about that right now.

"That's it!?! Can't you tell us a little more?" Bisky nagged. She was a little too interested in you.

"Nope, now let's teach these kids how to gamble."

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

"We get prizes from the slots?" Gon questioned.

"Well it is the city of gambling," Killua responded.

"You have a .01 percent chance of winning. That's just 1 in 10,000," Bisky said.

"And an even smaller chance of keeping your winnings after the addiction kicks in," you added.

Killua had the bright idea to use a Luck Die before trying out a slot machine. Clever, but the die was a double edged sword. You could either roll and have the best time of your life, or roll and end up in a ditch somewhere.

Fun

"There's only a 1 in 20 chance it backfires on us," Killua justified. He rolled a Good Luck.

"All we gotta do it spin the wheel!"

All 7's first try and an A rank card.

"See! I told you! This little die really is the key to hitting it big time in this city."

"But what if you roll Worse Luck?" Bisky questioned. "Things could get really ugly really fast."

"Don't worry about it," the white haired boy brushed off. "It's not like it's gonna kill me, right?"

Speak of the devil.

An explosion happened at the slot machine a few rows down. Apparently the guy there kept rolling a luck die five times in a row and landed on a Bad Luck.

Oh the irony

"You were saying," you teased.

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

"I'm gonna do it. Just one more time," Killua grumbled. He'd been going at it for a good hour, bags suddenly under his eyes like yours.

"I said I'm gonna do it. SO I'M GONNA DO IT!"

Yeah that's enough for today.

Before he could roll another die, you picked him up and hoisted him away from the machine.

"HEY PUT ME DOWN!!!"

"When I said you'd develop an addiction, I was just joking. You know that right?"

"I DON'T CARE! JUST LET ME ROLL ONE MORE TIME!!! JUST ONE MORE!"

"Here's what we're not gonna do. We're not gonna continue gambling and we're not gonna use that die again. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer if we didn't explo-"

You were cut off my the feeling of teeth sinking into your arm.

You dropped the boy immediately and looked at him incredulously.

Did he just?

The smug look on his face let you know he did.

"HE JUST BIT ME!!!!" Gon and Bisky looked at each other, trying to stifle their laughter.

"YEAH AND I'D DO IT AGAIN!"

This freaking kid.

"YOU-YOU- YOU GREMLIN!!!!" You surged forward and threw him over your shoulder.

"HEY!"

"I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT FROM YOU, GREMLIN. WE'RE LEAVING AND THAT'S FINAL!"

You started to walk towards the exist, Bisky and Gon following behind.

But Killua wasn't done with his little fit. He pushed himself up and pressed his hand against your face, squooshing your cheek and turning your head.

"PUT ME DOWN!!!" There went your ear drums.

Fine he wanted to play dirty. You could play.

You turned your head sharply and chomped down on his hand.

"OW!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET GREMLIN, NOW BEHAVE!" You hope you shattered his eardrums the way he shattered yours.

He continued struggling, now resorting to pinching you with his surprisingly sharp nails. Wait, couldn't he make them sharp on purpose?

Oooh that little-

You dropped him outside of the gambling building and grabbed ahold of his cheek, pulling it as you yelled.

"QUIT IT RIGHT NOW!"

"YOU QUIT IT!"

"Should we do something about them?" Gon asked Bisky.

"It's best to let them settle it themselves," came her answer as Killua tried to elbow drop you.

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

After you'd successfully managed to wrangle Killua away from the gambling area, the four of you continued to collect cards.

You'd all collected 50 specified cards when Killua came up with an idea. Trade frantic players Leave Cards in exchange for rare ones.

It proved to be a success, leaving the grand total to 54.

"So up to this point, we've been deliberately avoiding the other players. But now, there's certain cards we really need," Killua said.

"You're not wrong, but it's not exactly a bright idea to approach just anybody that comes across our path," you informed.

"I know, but we're running out of options. We're gonna have to take risk if we wanna beat this game."

Bisky listened to both sides of the argument before adding her thoughts.

"Well I suggest we get all that we can ourselves and then actively negotiate with other players we meet on the way. That sound good to you?"

"I'm in."

"Yeah!"

"Sounds fair."

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

"Hey, I've got a question." Gon spoke.

"This necklace is supposed to be able to remove curses, right?"

"From spell cards, but not any others," Killua answered.

Gon pouted at the response.

"Guess it won't work then."

"What won't work?" You asked. Just what was going on in that boy's head.

"Well you see, me and Killua had run into a village awhile back. They were all sick and didn't have a cure for it. I was wondering if maybe a curse was behind the illness."

You gave a small smile.

"Doesn't hurt to try anyways."

Ew, since when did you start becoming optimistic. It sure as hell didn't help with that kid beaming up at you.

"You mean it!?!?"

He really was a good kid, wasn't he?

"Sure do, you little munchkin."

"Wait minute Gon. We didn't run into any villagers, did we?" Killua said confused.

"Ohh, you mean the guys who took your money," Bisky teased.

The what?!?

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

Apparently the bandits (not villagers) could be cured with the Paladin's Necklace.

They had all poofed into cards and just by Gon touching them, the curse was lifted. The card you all received in exchange was #75: Lucky Alexandrite.

Coincidentally right after, guess who called?

It was once again Kazsule. And he wanted to meet in person.

"A team is close to clearing the game." So he was giving you guys a heads up?

"A three manned team lead by someone named Genthru." Ah that makes sense.

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

Apparently Kazsule also contacted other groups to meet up. He wanted to come up with a plan to beat Genthru.

"As I told you all, Team Genthru is very close to completing the game. I just checked the ranking, and they're currently at 96 types. We have to come up with a strategy and now."

Killua raised his hand.

"I have a question."

"Yeah?" Kazsule responded.

"How exactly do you check the rankings?" Before Kazsule could answer, one of the other group leaders cut him off.

"Great, you don't even know how to do that?" Her tone was sneering. "We don't have time to explain the whole game to them. So just cut to the chase alright."

All four of you glared at her. Now today had already been a lot. You'd been bitten, pinched, and physically drained. (Thanks Gremlin.) So you weren't particularly in the mood to be sassed at by a somebody who thought they were better than you. Lacking enough restraint, you let your disdain slip.

"Bitch."

She snapped her head towards you.

"What was that?"

You would have repeated yourself, but unfortunately you had an example to set now.

"I said I have an itch." Ah yes, another lie that nobody was clearly buying. But you didn't care all that much if she heard what you said the first time.

"You-"

"Hey, hey!" Kazsule intervened. "There's no need to be mean, all of us are here to exchange information."

"He's right Asta," his teammate interjected. "These kids just might have some information you don't."

"Ha, that's impossible," Asta dismissed.

One more insult. If this bitch opened her mouth with one more insult you were gonna kick her ass.

"Their Rank A armatures who don't even know how to use the trade shop. Don't make me laugh."

You let out a low growl catching the others' attention. Gon and Killua looked at each other before smirking.

What was it you said? Don't make you angry?

But once again Kazsule averted everyone's attention.

"In the trade shop, you can look at the official rankings of who has the most cards. Which can be really useful. And if you lay a fee, you can even see which specific cards they have."

And once again Asta had something to add.

"But just because you can get a player's name from the ranking, doesn't mean you can use Contact. You've gotta meet them for that. Do you feel a little smarter now, little boy." Her jab was directed at Killua.

That was your last straw.

Nobody could insult your kids except you.

You stood up.

"Boys could you cover your ears for a sec?" Your voice was eerily sweet. They nodded and did as you asked. Once you were sure they couldn't hear you, you went at it.

"Okay, listen you snarky, pompous, little bitch. You can stop running your mouth and shaking around those thangs. If you're just gonna bitch and moan about why you're so much better, I'm gonna give you a black eye. And trust me, you won't see it coming. Now either shut the fuck up and apologize to my boys or prepare to stand by your words."

The clearing was quiet as they waited for Asta's response. Nobody daring to speak, except for Bisky who whispered "way to get her to shut up."

You were reminded of why you refused to be a hunter. Most, if not all of them, were all just power, money hungry assholes who thought having a special license gave them the authority to treat others like shit. Asta being a prime example.

"Fine. I went too far."

You gestured for the boys to uncover their ears as she droned on.

"But if your group can't contribute, then you children should go running home." And the bitch was back.

It was Killua this time who decided to give her some sass.

"The only one who hasn't contributed so far is you." Atta boy.

"Well one thing is clear. You're all big talkers, but I need to see some proof."

You

Were

Gonna

Kill

This

Bitch

"We know Team Genthru's abilities," Gon added shutting her up again.

Atta boys

"And there are 3 cards they're missing. We have one of them. Heh, still got a problem?"

Was this pride you were feeling.

"Nope, that's good enough for me." God you wanted to wipe that shit eating grin off her face.

"Hold on, let's see some proof that you can be useful to us, because I doubt it."

ATTA BOY KILLUA

"71 types of specified slot cards. That's a hell of a lot more than you have. How bout I give you an A Rank in return for a little information. Is that good enough?" This bitch really thought you guys were that stupid.

"No it isn't. We can get those ourselves, no big deal. If you want us to tell you anything, you can give us two S Rank cards or equally valuable information"

Gremlin no more, he was promoted to precious boi.

"Don't press your luck you damn little brat."

Well, you warned her earlier.

"Here that everyone, these guys won't be of any help! They want-!"

In a split second, you were up on the rock she seated herself at, fist millimeters away from her left eye.

Once again, the silence was deafening.

"Which eye do you like seeing out of most? I already told you if you continued to run your mouth you'd have to back up your words." Your voice was ice and despite the intensity of the situation, your posture was relaxed. Like getting up there was an inconvenience.

"I-I-I" she couldn't feel your nen. She couldn't sense you when you moved. And she could tell from the gleam in your eyes that you had meant every word you said earlier.

Cold and uninterested. Everything you had been a few months ago.

"You don't need to protect me from everything you know?

"Of course I do you dummy. I'm the older one, it's my job."

But you'd softened a little. And even though you really wanted to put this bitch in her place, you swore you wouldn't fight anymore.

But that didn't mean you couldn't give her a piece of your mind.

"I'll give you one more shot to apologize. You got that, little girl?"

"I'm sorry for going too far. I just wanted to make sure we weren't talking any risk in beating Genthru. We're all good now."

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

Once that was out of the way, Asta started giving out information on how the game works to the boys. And without condescending them. A shocker.

Gon also revealed how Genthru's abilities worked. And everybody went around introducing themselves while also giving helpful tips.

It was then decided that all of you would try to get the Strip of Beach card to monopolize.

And with that, you were all off to Soufrabi.

It was a beautiful town with a nice beach right next to it. In only a matter of minutes, you'd found someone with the information you were looking for.

"The pirates run this entire town," the NPC explained. "Every last inch of it. You see, there's this local legend about an underwater cave called Poseidon's Cavern that's supposed to be around here somewhere. The Strip of Beach is the entrance to it. Not too many years ago, 15 pirates came to this town because they'd heard about the legend and that this cave also contained an unbelievable amount of treasure inside.

"Razor and his 14 devils. The poor fishermen were all tortured and killed. Then the pirates murdered anybody who knew about the Strip of Beach. If you can get rid of the pirates, I promise I'll tell you everything I know."

It was quite the information to digest. And apparently, the event could only be triggered by 15 players. Which means the game wants players to work together instead of against each other.

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

The 15 of you used Accompany to travel to the pirates' base. They clearly weren't expecting any company.

"Who the hell are you guys?" One of them slurred out.

"Look, this is a private party, so get lost."

It was Kazsule who spoke up.

"We're only here to talk. Would you please leave this town."

Immediately the pirates bursted into laughter. And you couldn't really blame them. Diplomatics were not the way with criminals.

"It's been a while since we heard that line."

The biggest one threw a circle of liquor and fire on the floor as he laughed.

"If you want us to leave here, talking just ain't gonna cut it," he sneered. "I don't care how many of you attack me at once. If you can knock me out of this ring, then I'll take you guys over to see our boss."

A lot of confidence from someone with a weak aura. Gon and Killua could beat him with both hands tied behind their backs.

Speaking of weak auras, a member from your side stepped up.

"If it's brawn your looking for, then I'm your man." No, no he was not his man. His nen was even weaker than his spark of aura. God, a gust of wind could knock him over.

The big guy in the middle didn't even flinch when the other attacked. In fact, he just picked him up and preceded to torture him. Putting his foot over the fire to burn him slowly.

"AHHHH! LET ME GOOO!!!! I GIVE UP I LOSE!!!!"

His screams were agonizing and the stench of burnt flesh filled the air.

You wanted to run away.

You wanted it to stop

You just wanted his screams to stop.

"It's just a job, it's nothing personal."

It's nothing personal

But why was he grinning

Why was he enjoying this.

You could tell you were shaking, but there was nothing you could do. You'd forgotten just how disgusting people could be.

And you were grateful, so fucking grateful that Gon had been fast enough to react before your teammate got seriously injured.

Your thoughts quieted down enough to hear what they were saying.

"He said he lost already. Why didn't you let him go!" You'd never heard Gon this angry. And that smidge of darkness in his aura seemed to surface.

"He knew what the rules are," the pirate spat out.

"You lose if you step outside the ring. Anything else including a forfeit is completely meaningless."

What a disgusting creature.

You felt a tug on your arm.

"You okay?" Killua asked.

You shook your head.

"I'll be better once someone kicks that guy's ass." It was a joke more than a suggestion, but the mini assassin seemed to take it to heart.

He stepped up after the pirate confirmed Gon had lost by jumping out of the circle. His aura determined and confident.

"What's this, you gonna team up on me?" The faster that oaf shut his mouth, the easier it would be to collect your thoughts.

"Let me borrow this," Killua said as he snagged a bottle of alcohol. He popped the lid off.

"No! You wouldn't!"

Killua smirked and jumped above the pirate. Then he spiked the alcohol down on him and used his emitter ability to set the pirate on fire.

Goddamnit, more burning flesh.

The pirate screamed in agony before running out of the circle of fire and rolling on the floor to extinguish his head.

Killua walked over to you while you were holding your nose shut.

"Feel better?" He asked.

"I would have preferred if you just knocked him out, but I appreciate the gesture. It was the least you could do after bitting me," you lightly teased.

"You're still mad about that?!?"

"I'll never trust again."

Your brief moment of peace interrupted by the pirate again.

"GRR! YOU BRAT, YOU'RE DEAD!!!!"

You stepped in front of Killua, preparing nen in your leg to defend. Luckily, the guy's teammate intervened. He kicked him to the wall and started lecturing him.

"You made up all of the rules yourself, so get over it." His voice was ice cold.

"Yeah, that's on me," the oaf responded.

"This way, I'll take you to the boss." The second pirate turned to leave, expecting the rest of you to follow.

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

He led you all to a small building by the beach. Several courts prepared throughout it. Like it was some kind of gym.

"You got visitors boss."

Jesus Christ. The man in front of you was a titan. He was lifting a weight, completely unbothered by the news. My god, he looked like he could crush a head with his bare hands, without using an ounce of nen. This guy???? This behemoth was the boss.

And his aura

Jesus

So much darkness and hidden bloodlust. Was that anticipation too??? What the hell was this dude waiting on?

"Yeah, and who are they?" He didn't turn to face your group as he spoke.

"Seems they want us to leave town."

"That so?"

He finally set down the weights.

"Hmm, then let's have a competition, shall we? If you win we'll leave the island peacefully. It'll be up to us to choose what the contest will be. All right?"

You didn't have a good feeling about this.

"And what if we lose? What'll happen to us then?" Goreinu asked.

"Oh nothing really. You'll just have to leave. Simple as that," Razor responded.

You didn't like how he kept smiling. It was almost like he knew you guys couldn't beat whatever challenges you'd face.

"Fine, let's go," Kazsule agreed.

"It's an athletics contest. Where each member will challenge you to a match in their specialty sport. One win each. First to 8 wins is the victor."

Ha, figures the beefy dude would make you guys play sports. You just hoped he didn't compete. He would surely kill whoever he went up against.

"My challenge is first up," one of the other pirates stepped forward. Thank God.

"And I'm gonna go with boxing."

"Well," Razor started. "Who wants to take him?"

"I've got this one," someone volunteered.

"There is just one special condition: you can use items conjured by nen." Thank you beefy man.

But Kazsule and his friend didn't feel the same as you.

"What the hell!?!?

"You can't call that boxing!"

They were missing the point. It was obviously an advantage for your side to use and not the other. There's no way they'd allow nen weapons if they weren't sure they could win.

And you were proven correct when the pirate confirmed it himself.

The man on your side was far too cocky, letting himself think because he had the stronger punches he'd have the advantage. He wasn't prepared for his opponent's nen ability.

The 'pirate' had made two separate portals for his fist. One for it to go through and the other right under your guy's chin.

It costs your side the match.

It was then that Killua came up with a plan. (That little schemer) You'd all throw the matches in order to find out the opponents' nen abilities and future challenges. A clever strategy.

The only problem was that you couldn't compete with the same team twice. And with Asta's team withdrawing, you were down three members.

Well, you would have been down three members if she hadn't given her final warning. Now you were down 10 members. Even when she leaves she damns you.

With no other options but to get new players, the boys decided to find your little imposter friend.

Chrollo Lucifer.

That yucky feeling was back, and as the boys speculated it might be another Troupe member, it worsened.

"If it is a member of the Troupe, we won't invite them. We'll see what they say," Gon planned out.

"Yeah, well then what's the point of even trying. We already know it's one of them," Killua scolded.

"We need to know who they are, but why they're here is even more important."

"WHAT ARE YOU, A DAMN IDIOT?!?! ARE YOU JUST GONNA ASK THEM WHY THEY'RE HERE!?!?" Killua shouted. There went your eardrums again.

"BECAUSE BIG SURPRISE THEY'RE NOT GONNA TELL YOU!!!!"

"YEAH? I'M AN IDIOT, FINE!!! BUT I'M STILL GONNA ASK AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!!" Gon yelled back.

God it'd been a long day and you were tired.

You picked them up by the back of their shirts, the way a cat would it's kittens.

"Goblins! Stop fighting!" They ignored you and tried to kick at each other while continuing to screech. You weren't in the mood for this, life or death situation, you didn't care anymore.

Your final straw was Gon accidentally kicking you square in the jaw trying to get at Killua.

"I SAID ENOUGH!!!" Finally snapping, you thudded the boys against each other, foreheads smacking against one another. Their arguing ceased and they clutched their heads in pain.

You lifted them eye level, your voice low.

"If you can't learn to get along within the next five minutes, so help me I'll take you both out of this game. Got it?" Your glare was harsh.

They looked at each other before turning back to you. Figuring it was safe, you set them down.

"We're sorry, Y/n." Gon was the first to apologize. He had to elbow Killua for his.

"Sorry. We promise we won't fight anymore.... unless Gon's being an idiot." He mumbled out the last part, hoping you wouldn't hear. Your sharp look let him know you had.

"Kidding, kidding, heh heh."

"Are they always like this?" Goreinu asked Bisky.

"Pretty much, but usually Y/n stays out of it. They must really be fed up to intervene."

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

Gon had ended up using accompany to find the Chrollo imposter. The five of you now in a misty area.

You focused your eyes to see through the fog. There was definitely someone there. And they were strong from the look of their aura. It felt predatory.

There was a soft plashing of water, then the mist cleared slightly and there was a silhouette.

Wait

Wait a fucking minute.

WAS THIS DUDE TAKING A BATH!!!!!!!

The mist cleared up even more, revealing the man's bright pink hair

"No way," Killua said.

"Hisoka!?!" Gon followed up.

But quite frankly you didn't care. All you cared about was having fast enough reflexes before this dude turned around.

"SHIT BOYS!!! DON'T LOOK!!! DON'T LOOK!!!!" You screeched as you quickly put your hands over their eyes.

"Huh?"

"Why?"

"DON'T YOU SASS ME RIGHT NOW!!! KEEP THOSE PEEPERS CLOSED!!!"

The man, Hisoka, fully turned around. He flashed you a wolfish grin and you wanted to gag. Your only regret in life? Not having enough hands.

"Hmm? What have we here? It seems I have unexpected guest," Hisoka said as if you all didn't just walk in on him.

His predatory nen only seemed to increase.

This was such a bad idea.

"Long time no see." He addressed the boys and increased his aura output.

And even though they couldn't see him (Your hand unwavering) they increased their aura as well.

Hisoka only chuckled.

"Just as I suspected. You've matured quite a lot, haven't you?" He practically moaned out. The lust?????? from his aura increased. It was almost suffocating.

"You've clearly found an excellent teacher. You'll continue to ripen into sweet fruit, just as I thought," he purred out.

My god you wanted to bleach your eyes as his little friend greeted the world.

But you were also disgusted. Very much appalled. And completely pissed.

You were growling as his eyes moved up from the boys to you.

"The hell did you just call my boys?" Your own aura spiking slightly. Damn, it'd been a while since you slipped up like this. But this man had pissed you off in a way where you didn't care about being careful anymore.

"Ah, this one's already so ripe. I assume you had a hand in teaching them?"

You were gonna kill this dude.

"I'll kill you. I'll kill you where you stand if you so much as glance at my boys the wrong way."

His aura only radiated excitement.

And where was Bisky to save you?

She was drooling over Hisoka and all his glory. Seems the world was just full of pervs.

"What is it you want with me?" He said nonchalant, as if he didn't just fantasize about two 12 year old boys.

"Put on some goddamn clothes first and then we'll talk, you creepy weirdo," you growled out.

Like hell you were gonna remove your hands when Hisoka was running loose with that thang out.

"Aww, you're no fun."

"I'll break you."

Finally this dude put on some pants and a shirt. And you carefully peeled your hands off the boys' faces.

"I have a question," Gon said once he could see.

"What're you doing in the game?"

You could practically feel Hisoka plotting, his aura shifting to uncertainty. You had to take what he said with a grain of salt.

"I came here to look for Chrollo."

Another round of is it the truth or is it bullshit.

Ding Ding Ding! Looks like a load of bs.

"He's still crippled by Kurapika's nen, but there's actually a way to remove it."

Thank you captain obvious.

"Seems you already know, which will make things easier. I'm looking for Chrollo to pass that along, but I have no leads. Before long, I remembered that some of the Spiders were interested in this game. So of course, if I can locate them, they might be able to tell me where Chrollo is."

Ding Ding Ding! Another one for bullshit.

"And using his handle all but guarantees they'll try to contact me."

"He was just pretending to be a member of the Phantom Troupe," Killua surmised.

"Now I have a question for you." Hisoka said, eyeing the children.

"Better be appropriate," you warned.

"But of course. Tell me, did you really come all the way out here just to ask me that?"

"Sure did," Gon answered without hesitation.

"Um," Bisky budded in. "Truth is, we're here looking for people who are really strong." Her tone was eerily sweet and airy. Like she was trying to flatter him.

"And we were hoping you might join us."

"Hell no!" You interjected. This creep, following your boys around??? You'd rather gouge your eyes out.

Bisky harshly pinched your side.

"But we've already come all this way, it'd be a shame to leave empty handed." Then she batted her eyes up at Hisoka.

And before you could protest again, Hisoka had agreed.

"Alright. May I ask why you're looking for strong people?"

The group made a huddle.

"I don't like this, it's risky," Goreinu commented.

"It sure is," Killua backed up

"You don't know who this guy is Bisky."

"We can't trust this creep and nothing can convince me otherwise," you added.

"What? Of course I know who he is and to add onto your point, Y/n-" Bisky used her nen to spell out one single phrase.

He's lying.

Well at least you wouldn't have to convince them of his deceit later.

"The city of love, Aiai, isn't very far from here. You can meet all kinds of people. You might even find the strength that you're looking for," Hisoka suggested.

The city of Iove?????? Was this dude messing with your group???? Regardless, you all followed his directions.

You, Bisky, Gon, and Killua split up into your group in front.

"What exactly did you mean about him lying?" Killua asked.

"Well technically, I should have said that he wasn't telling the truth," Bisky responded.

"But how could you tell?" Gon questioned.

"It was really more of a hunch."

"She's right boys. That weirdo was lying, or at the very least hiding something. Remember my eyes?"

"They can see aura right?" Gon answered.

"Yup and with aura are your emotions. His was riddled with deceit and mischief." And something else that you will not be discussing at this time.

"That's actually pretty handy," Killua complimented.

"Yeah, which means you can't hide things from me Gremlin," you teased while poking his cheek.

It was at that moment you felt a disturbance in the force. That lust in Hisoka's aura spiked up again. You turned sharply around as Gon and Killua felt a chill up their spine.

THAT FUCKING PEDO CLOWN WAS STARING AT THEIR ASSES!!!!!

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

It'd taken around 30-40 minutes for Goreinu, Bisky, Killua, and Gon to pry your fingers off of Hisoka's neck. And another 20 of all four of them holding you back after Hisoka had said-

"Oooh, I do like it when they have some fight in them."

Aiai had proven to be completely useless, only serving as a way for Hisoka to cure his boredom.

And during that small interval, you could tell something was eating away at Killua. Perhaps he had realized something about that creepy clown.

And after Gon had asked for Hisoka's binder did it click...

Killua wanted to see if Hisoka had already found who he was looking for. With Gon asking, it be less inconspicuous.

"Look here it is, Tsezguerra." He willing showed his binder.

What was that shit on his binder. It was made of nen, but what was it? Nobody else seemed to see it. It was probably best not to say anything until Hisoka was out of the picture.

But damn was it strange. You focused your eyes a little harder trying to see through his ability, but you were still rusty. Had this been 5 years ago, you would've had no problem.

But one thing was for sure, He was definitely hiding something.

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

After the Hisoka debacle, the six of you had met up with Tsezguerra's group. They agreed to help out, bringing the group total back to 10. It was decided the other 5 members would be regular players looking for a way to get back to the real world. With that settled, you all headed back to the pirates' base .

"Let's start off with some boxing," Razor announced.

"Heh heh heh. I'm about to send you packing," his lackey said.

Tsezguerra's man had beat him easy, backing him into a corner and throwing one punch after the other. The pirate couldn't use his nen to save himself and lost the match.

That was one win down.

You'd gotten the second with another man from Tsezguerra's team in bowling.

The third from basketball. So Team Tsezguerra had some firepower after all.

But something had changed within Razor's group. The big oaf from earlier stepped forward. And by the look of him, he was pissed.

"I'm done following your stupid orders! I'll be doing things my own way from now on!" He addressed Razor as he threw down his hat.

"ALRIGHT BRAT, LET'S STEP OUTSIDE!" His words were directed at Killua.

And while you knew the boy was more than capable of taking down this oaf, you couldn't help the surge of protectiveness that overcame you.

"Outside? You mean the Sumo Ring?" Killua taunted.

"I'M DONE MESSING AROUND! WANT ME TO KILL YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW!!"

The Oaf's friend tried to pull him back as he stalked towards Killua. You stepped in front of him. If that loudmouth tried anything, you'd hurt him. Luckily for him, Razor intervened.

"That violates our agreement. You want to go back to jail, Bopobo?" That grin on his face never wavered, and you could feel his bloodlust start to stir.

If that oaf knew what was good for him, he should stop talking right away.

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!! I'M ALL DONE PLAYING THIS RIDICULOUS GAME!!!"

NPC's weren't supposed to know this was a game.

These pirates...

They were all real people.

"C'mon guys, whose with me!?!? If we team up, we could totally crush that damn bastard!!!!"

Razor's bloodlust released in full. He had every intention of killing this guy if he didn't shut up.

"Then we could find a boat and use it to get off this damn island!!!"

Razor has summoned a ball of nen, it's power completely destructive. You froze in place as he threw his attack at his former teammate.

The man's head, unable to withstand the sheer force of Razor's nen, splattered open. Blood poured out underneath him.

You were shaking, you were shaking so bad you couldn't stand.

Blood

There was so much blood.

You collapsed on your knees, a sick feeling churning in your stomach.

He'd killed his teammate. He splattered his brains everywhere. And yet....

And yet he kept that smile on his face.

You trembled on the ground eyes wide with horror.

This man, Razor, reminded you too much of them.

You couldn't focus enough on what was going on around you, not noticing the way Gon, Killua, and Bisky had tried to snap you out of it.

That sick feeling in your stomach rising up to your throat.

You hunched over and heaved, vile spewing out. You gasped in between coughs, trying to get enough air to calm down.

You barley registered someone patting you on the back.

"It's okay. You're gonna be okay. Deep breaths alright." It was Bisky.

You gave a few more gags and coughs, trying to get out your fear and disgust before calming down.

Bisky gave a gentle squeeze to your shoulder.

"You're okay. Do you feel a little better?" In truth, you did not. You wanted to hide. But now wasn't the time to be scared. You had to pull through. You needed to pull through. You couldn't let them down.

So you shakily tried to get up.

You felt a pair of small hands try to stabilize you.

"Can you manage by yourself?" You recognized the voice as Gon.

"I just need a minute and I'll be fine. Don't worry about it, okay?" You felt a sharp thud to your head. You turned to face your assailant, scowling.

"Idiot! Of course we're gonna worry about it!" You hadn't expected Killua to sound so concerned, let alone admit he was worried.

"You just collapsed and threw up! Are we just supposed to brush it off as nothing!?!? Gon! Back me up here!!!"

"Killua has a point. What exactly happened to you?"

"I don't do well around blood." You said as you stood up fully. You were thankful for the brief distraction the boys gave you. It was enough for you to regain your bearings.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Then you'd felt it. You'd felt Razor unleash his full aura. The feeling of it almost making you collapse again.

"Is everything settled? Good, now I think I'll go with an 8 on 8 game...of dodgeball." Oh fuck.

This dude, who just spiked his buddy's head off, wanted to play dodgeball. There's no way.

Razor used his nen to summon 7 players for his side. It was gonna be one point per person. Whoever won would take all.

You did not like his grin at all.

And the weaker players seemed to be on the same page you were a few minutes ago. They all fled. Leaving just 7 of you left.

And Razor, the saint that he was, wouldn't let your team participate with just 7.

"There's no point in arguing with an in-game character, but wasn't Bopobo you're friend?" Gon's question directed at the beefy man. He sounded as upset as you looked.

"I don't get it. What could he have done that was so bad he deserved to die for it." Anger mingled with his aura.

Razor wasted no time answering.

"Robbery, rape, and murder too. 11 confirmed counts of you wanna get specific."

He was a convict, not a 'pirate' character. So did that mean... All these guys were criminals in the real world?

Everybody else seemed to have caught on as well.

"This isn't a virtual world," Tsezguerra started to explain. "Geed Island really exists. This game takes place in the world we all know." The news was shocking to your small group.

"However, revealing that information to a player who truly believes that they're inside a game is taboo. So that's why Bopobo was executed. This guy here, Razor, he's a game master. A real human."

They were all real. But why were criminals posing as characters here?

"Game master?" Gon asked.

"It means he's one of the people who created this game."

"But then- wait!" Gon's aura shifted over to excitement. Right. His father had made this game for him.

"Bopobo and the other pirates are probably condemned inmates," Tsezguerra continued. "He disobeyed orders and attempted to instigate a mutiny. Execution was warranted."

"It's not fake," Gon repeated.

"Afraid not, Munchkin. This is all real. A little too real," you mumbled the last part out.

"I never realized that," Killua commented.

"I had never even considered it," Bisky added.

The sound of Razor bouncing a ball grabbed everybody's attention.

"Well, it really doesn't matter much in the long run, since this island is isolated from the rest of the world."

"Hey, wait a second!" Gon interrupted. He took a step forward, aura now nervous. "If this is real life, then does that mean - that Ging is here too."

Gon's words immediately wiped the forever grin off Razor's face. But as quickly as it had vanished, it returned.

"I see, you're Gon Freecs I presume."

You took a stance besides Gon, already feeling Razor's shift in mood. And with Gon's confirmation, the anticipation from Razor's aura skyrocketed.

Did he hate Ging and want to take it out on his son?

Well he would have to go through you first.

"Your dad told me you would be coming here someday...And not to take it easy on you."

What?

WHAT!?!??

Gon's father, his own father, told this titan not to hold back!?!??? Was he insane!?!??!?

And Gon, your precious sun child, grinned at the information.

Maybe he thought of it as his father trusting in his abilities. But this is the same man who left his child. If anything it a way to deter Gon from finding him.

Alas, you couldn't find it in you to break the young boy's spirit.

You hoped you were wrong.

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

Goreinu had substituted one player for a nen beast, completing the team of 8 and allowing you to play.

The rules were 7 players on the court and 1 outside. First team without any players in the court would lose. If you're hit with the ball, you're out and have to exit the court. You may bring back one player by saying the phrase "Back." Ricochets are live until they land on the floor.

Essentially whoever the ball hits last is out.

Good to know.

"And begin!"

Killua was the first to the ball, and prepared to spike it. He looked over at Razor.

"Go ahead, you take the first shot." He seemed a little more enthusiastic now, his forever grin feeling a little more genuine.

Killua spiked the ball over to Goreinu.

"You sound pretty confident. Well, consider this as may way of saying hello!!!!" Goreinu shouted as he hurled the ball at #4, effectively getting him out.

"All right!" Killua cheered.

"One down already, let's just try to keep it up."

Goreinu's nen beast tossed the ball back to him. He repeated the process and got out #5.

It was almost too easy.

Something wasn't adding up.

And you were proven correct when Razor caught Goreinu's throw with one hand. Despite your teammate pouring his nen into the ball.

"Time for us to launch the counterattack." Razor said as he coated the ball with his own nen.

Uh oh. This doesn't look good.

That nen had the intent to kill.

And poor Goreinu was none the wiser.

Razor wound his arm back, bloodlust leaking through.

The shot would kill him.

Another death I'm front of you.

"SWITCH WITH ME!" You shouted. Goreinu looked at you questioningly. You didn't have enough time to explain, not as you felt Razor launch the ball towards you.

You shoved Goreinu out of the way, now face to face with Razor's throw. You only had a few seconds. If you dodged, the person behind you was fucked. If you tried to stop it, your leg would snap like a twig.

Fuck it

Your nen was speed remember?

You focused your nen into your legs and dashed backwards, successfully tackling the person behind you down. You could feel an intense heat from the ball as it grazed your back. The ball itself imbedded in the skull of Goreinu's nen beast who was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time outside the court.

"Not bad," Razor praised. "Getting you out won't be an easy task with that speed."

You tried not to look behind you, knowing you might not recover fast enough this time. Instead you focused on the person you tackled down.

"My, my. This is the third time you've thrown yourself at me. If I didn't know better, I'd say you have a crush." Goddamnit, it was Hisoka.

You should've let the bastard get hit.

"Go read the Bible you skeez," you grumbled out.

"Is everyone else okay?"

Goreinu hesitantly got up.

"That-that would have killed me." His voice was frazzled. He looked traumatized.

Maybe it was best to let him sit it out.

"We need someone outside of the court, can you manage that?" You asked, trying to distract him from his near death experience.

He looked at you with blank eyes before slowly nodding.

"Okay, there you go big guy. Leave the rest to us, okay?"

Razor lifted up a brow, curious to what you were doing.

"Should we count this as a win for my side then?" He asked. "This is a special case, since the nen beast in the outfield died, is Goreinu forfeiting to fill it's place?"

What were you, team captain?

"Just count it was a draw or whatever. I really don't give a damn right now" you hissed after making sure Goreinu was okay enough to be left alone.

"Very well then, it's a draw."

You made your way back to the court, not noticing the wide eyes staring at your back.

There was a giant scorch mark on your shirt.

A sign you escaped death by a literal hair.

"Let's move on," Razor instructed as he passed the ball to his teammates. The ones on the outfield passed it towards each other, then back to razor.

The four of them boxing in your group.

They were moving incredibly fast. So fast that even your eyes had trouble tracking the ball.

You'd hardly sensed it when #4 lobbed the ball at Tsezguerra's side. It was already too late to react, a sickening crunch filling the air.

Killua reacted quickly and picked up the ball. Surprisingly, nen still covered it.

Bisky and Gon rushed over to Tsezguerra's side to asses the damage. He'd most likely broken all his ribs. It was a miracle he'd been able to stand.

"He focused his aura on his back. That's the only reason that wasn't a fatal blow." Razor informed. "Alright tend to his injuries."

But Tsezguerra had refused, most likely the result of a wounded ego. Luckily, his men had tended to him instead.

Killua once again had the ball, bouncing it as he decided what to do.

"Hisoka!" Gon called out.

Oh no, the one thing you never wanted to hear from your boys. But you supposed it was time to see what the pervy clown could do.

"Very well, hand it over," he said gesturing towards the ball.

Apparently, Hisoka had an ability called Bunji Gum. It had the properties of both rubber and gum, as he put it. Meaning, he could throw the ball and have it come right back to him as long as a strand was attached to him.

Hisoka successfully got out #3.

"Now, let's have some fun shall we," he purred out. His nen once again completely predatory.

"Surely this can't be all you got."

Razor chuckled at his statement.

"Just bring it on."

Hisoka threw the ball, but before it could connect, #6 and #7 fused together. The now #13 caught the ball, and he was refusing to let go.

"You're a strong one," Hisoka conceded.

"Looks like it may turn to attack," Razor announced as his nen beast gave him the ball.

Uh oh

This wasn't good.

Gon and Killua immediately activated Ken in preparation. Determined Aura flowing from both of them.

"So you boys know how to use Ken, huh? Then you won't die. That is, if you get really lucky of course."

Razor loaded the ball with even more nen.

He really was trying to kill them wasn't he?

"Here I come, Gon."

Hell no

Razor unleashed a monster throw, the force of it shattering the lights above you.

There was no way in hell you were gonna let that hit your kid.

You didn't give a damn if this was personal.

You sure as hell didn't care if Ging set this up on purpose.

You didn't even care if Gon would be mad at you after.

You weren't gonna lose another kid.

These boys...

They were one of your own now.

You pushed all the nen you had towards your legs and dashed up. With unwavering resolve, you used your right and made contact with the ball.

Razor's nen battling yours.

It was excruciating, the nen burning your skin. But you pushed on.

You forced your leg to push up and the ball spun scorch marks against your skin.

You pushed with everything you had, the ball now slowing down against your skin.

It was a spectacle to behold.

Bloodlust vs something akin but different.

You grit your teeth and the pain flared up, feeling something snap. But you wouldn't waver.

Seconds, mere seconds that felt like an eternity, and with one final push, you kicked the ball up towards the ceiling. It went straight through, creating a perfect hole.

Met with no more resistance, you were flung back, skidding a few feet until your back hit the wall.

It was then that you let the pain take over. You were sure you snapped your ankle. And probably a bone higher up too.

"Son of a- gahhhh! Mother fu-ahhhh!" You bit your tongue, remembering not to curse. But goddamnit did it hurt. You thumped your fist against the ground, trying to distract yourself from the pain.

Immediately Bisky, Gon, and Killua rushed over.

"Y/n! Are you-?!?!" Bisky gestured towards your scorched leg and the purple bruising beginning to form.

"Can you-!?!?" You shook your head. You were in no condition to even think about getting up.

"You're leg, it's all-" Killua couldn't finish his sentence as he eyed your injury.

"Pain," you hissed out. "Very painful as we've established." Your nails dug into your palm, looking for any relief.

But the one who wore a worse expression than you was Gon. His eyes looked blank as he tried to reach out for you, but he pulled back last second.

His aura was riddled with guilt.

"He-he was aiming for me. And you- you-"

You gave him a soft thump on the back of his head.

"Don't blame yourself, dummy. I chose to block his attack." You reached out and have a soft squeeze to his shoulder.

"I chose to break my leg for you, so you better feel special."

He didn't look very convinced. I'm fact his mood seemed to worsen.

"But your leg-"

"It'll grow back, don't worry."

"Yeah but-" it'd taken a few seconds for your words to kick in.

"Huh!?!?" Gon snapped out of his guilt ridden state and eyed you curiously.

"What?!?! What do you mean it'll grow back!?!?"

"Gotcha." The boy stopped panicking and stared up at you with wide eyes.

"There we go." You grabbed his cheeks this time to ensure he would listen.

"Now, stop blaming yourself over nothing. I don't wanna sense guilt from you and I don't wanna see you looking sad. Got it? I'll heal just fine, so stop your worrying."

"You're not mad at me?"

"Well if you lose right after this I might be bitter, but as of right now, not one bit. So don't lose." You released his face.

At last, honey colored eyes beamed up at you.

"Okay! I promise I'll win!"

Atta boy Gon.

You let out a sigh and turned to face your other boy.

"That goes for you too. Don't lose."

Killua gave out a shaky smirk, still weary of your injury.

"You kiddin', as if we'd ever lose to that guy. You just sit tight."

Razor's medics at last came over to bandage and splint your leg.

This game of dodgeball was far from over.

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

Fun Fact #4: Y/n likes to talk a big game, but they're secretly a teddy bear underneath. Hisoka is the one exception.

MASTERLIST

[anonymityisfunwriter]

Birthday

Pairing: Grumpy!Bucky Barnes x Sunshine!Reader Part of the Grumpy Sunshine Series Summary: You're rubber, he's glue. You're oil, he's water. He doesn't know when to stop being an asshole, and you're just trying to make sure he has a great birthday.

You had been working together with Bucky and Sam for weeks now and despite Sam's many warnings to Bucky to be nice to you, every day Bucky got progressively more curt and agitated with you.

Sometimes he was downright mean, though you always deflected it- excused his behavior.

You'd say something about how you admired his honesty, his brashness.

Or you'd try to validate his feelings.

Then the next day, you'd do something nice for Bucky to apologize for upsetting him. It only made him even angrier.

Bucky honestly couldn't even remember what offhand comment set this argument in motion. All he knew was that he'd finally - finally done something to set you off.

"You're a pushover," he antagonizes.

"I'm not a pushover. I'm nice - there's a difference."

You're about to walk out of the room when he speaks again, "You're annoying. And you're bugging me! God, why don't you just go home? We don't need your help anymore. Seriously, don't you have a family or someone else to go annoy?"

"You don't have to be an ass," you grit, trying to calm yourself.

"Oh, so now you know a word besides awesome," he mocks you, throwing up his arms. "Maybe eventually you'll get a clue and realize that not everything in this world is awesome and sunshine and - and whatever other deluded fantasy you're trying to fool yourself into believing."

You turn sharply, feeling the painful stab of his words. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't know how much shit is in this world. How bad people can be? I know- I know it very well. I've seen it with my own two eyes. And everyday I wake up and put a smile on my face anyway. I wake up and I choose to be happy, to smile, and to be nice to people even when they don't deserve it. Because if I don't- if the world really is all shit and evil then what's the point?"

"The point?" he asks. He's completely thrown off by our outburst, if he could call it that knowing he'd provoked you. You never talked about your past or family or anything that wasn't a very surface-level topic. You didn't talk about your story or background- or lack thereof. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know anything about you.

"Yeah. Then what's the point? Why would I even bother with the world? Why would I even get out of bed in the morning? Why would I keep moving forward? I don't have anything. I don't have a family or a home or really anything. I have me- and that's it. There's no one I can call, no one I look to, I don't have a Steve- I've never had a Steve! I don't have a friend or family or anyone that even fucking vaguely knows me, so if that's the case then what's the point?"

"I-"

"You know what? No. I'm done. You don't want me to play nice? Fine. One more loss can't possibly hurt more than the rest, can it? Just let me do what I need to do. And you do what you need to do."

You take your wallet and you storm out. You're not even sure where you're going, you just can't breathe. So you walk, and walk, and walk, until everything else is just background noise.

When Sam finally comes back, he immediately notices your absence. There's no music playing, you're not in the kitchen, there's a lack of the spirit that you bring and it's all gone. As cliche as it sounds, it's quiet- too quiet. "Hey, where'd she go?"

"I dunno," Bucky mumbles after taking a long pull from his beer bottle.

"She just left?"

"Yup," he remarks, trying to make it seem like he's completely uninterested in your disappearance, when in reality he's been waiting for you to come back since he ran you out. Even by just looking at Bucky's flat expression, Sam knows that he's not getting the full story, so he calls you. "Hey, where'd you go? Everything okay?"

You clear your throat. "Yeah! I'm okay. Thank you for asking. I just need to take a break- I won't be far, just call if you need anything."

Your voice is off. Sam can hear the strain in your vocal chords, how your typical optimism and excitement sound forced, fake. "You're sure?"

"Yeah! I'm great! I have to go, but I'll be back," you promise.

When he hangs up the phone, he stares holes into the side of Bucky's head. Just by the way he's avoiding looking at him tells Sam who's the guilty party. "What did you do?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" Bucky responds, taking a large swig from his glass.

"Because you're the only person on this Earth that seems determined to drive away the sweetest, nicest person I've ever met. You're the only one that wants to make her miserable. Care to explain what you said to make her cry?"

"She was crying?" he winces.

"She sure sounded like it."

"Shit," Bucky mumbles. He really hates how guilty he feels for making you cry, but the smallest part of him wants to know what exactly it was that made you so mad. He wants to know what makes you tick, though he can't figure why he wants to know.

"You took it way too far, man. You don't have to like her- though I can't for the life of me figure out why you don't- but she does deserve your respect. After everything she's done she deserves that much. You know, I don't even want to know what you said, but when she comes back, you're going to apologize. You're going to make this right."

"Wait, what do you mean 'when she comes back'?"

"She left. She said she needed a break- from you I assume- which means I don't get my cinnamon rolls," he realizes. "Damn it, Bucky!"

"She left a plate for you on the table," Bucky says, nudging his head to the kitchen table.

Sam gestures to the plate of pastries. "How could you not like her? She make us cinnamon rolls- just to be nice!"

"So, she's really gone? Why don't we go after her?" Bucky asks, though he's not sure why he's even bothering in trying to get you back. The entire time he's been trying to get rid of you and now that you're gone, he's not sure he likes it.

"She said that she'd be close if we needed her," he says, shoving one of your pastries in his mouth. "Look I know that she's a little..."

"Soft?"

"I would not use that word," Sam scoffs. "I know she seems like 'fluff', but she's not. I don't know how she keeps a smile on her face, but she's tough. She's smart- smarter than you. And if she's gone- if she doesn't want to be found, she's not going to be."

Bucky looks at him in disbelief. "You don't think we could find her?"

"No, I don't," Sam deadpans. "She's more than what she seems, man. If you could just stop judging her for a minute, you'd see that. It's why I wanted her to come help us."

Another surprise for Bucky, his head twists in confusion. "You asked for her help?"

"What you think she just came with the safe house? Yes, I asked her to come and help us. She's an Avenger too, whether you can see that or not."

Only a a week and a half has passed, you've yet to make an reappearance yet. With each passing day, Bucky feels worse. Sam refuses to drag you back unless they really need you. You take this time to do research, to figure out your next move. You send any new information you have to Sam, and lately you're working overtime to distract yourself from the sting of Bucky's words. You weren't lying to Bucky when you said you'd seen a lot of ugly in this word, you'd seen some of the most depraved parts of humanity, and yet you refused to be a part of it. Being kind, adding kindness that the world desperately needed made life worth living for you.

There were very few things that really, truly phased you anymore, but Bucky touched a real soft spot for you. And since Bucky said those things, you couldn't bring yourself to be that person.

It wasn't until the day before Bucky's birthday that you were even considering coming back. You knew you could miss it, nobody would blame you. But after a lot of deliberation you decided that you'd hidden away long enough.

Despite his cruel words, you still make him a cake for his birthday. You do this for everyone, you reconciled. And the smallest part of you realized that if you didn't- Bucky would think that his words affected you more than they did.

So you bake the damned cake. You do the intricate frosting, the lettering, and everything else knowing that he'll probably get mad about it.

You debate leaving the cake on the kitchen table, then you think otherwise because you're worried Sam will eat it before Bucky even gets a chance to see it.

It's late when he gets back. He looks more upset than normal- then you wonder if anyone else remembered his birthday. You never said anything, but you knew better than anyone else how much a forgotten birthday stung.

"I didn't know you were back," Bucky mumbles.

"Yeah, I just got back. Last night, actually."

"It's okay, you don't have to be here if you don't want to. Sam'll probably be out until tomorrow."

You nod, but say nothing. You can feel Bucky's eyes on you as you silently walk over to the fridge and pull out the cake. Bucky freezes, he's not sure what to do with himself so he doesn't even move an inch. You place the cake in front of him. "Well, not even you deserve to be left alone on your birthday. Besides, who doesn't like birthdays?" You cringe at your own excitement, knowing how much it set Bucky off. And it makes Bucky feel even worse. He didn't want you to change, not because of him and the terrible things he'd said. "Sorry."

He shakes his head. He's not sure if it was Sam's very long and multiple lectures or your very noticeable absence, but he feels bad about the things he said. And a part of him, a part that's much bigger than he'd like to admit, missed you. "Don't be. I was being a grumpy old man. I'd blame the old age, but it was me being an ass."

"Was that a joke?" you smile.

"It was. They did exist back in my day."

"Did they?" He nods with a small smirk on his face. You pull out some candles and light them for him. "Well go ahead, blow out your candles before you ruin your cake."

It's quiet by the time you and Bucky cut the cake and you've served yourself and him a piece. "You know, this is the real reason I love birthdays," you laugh, pointing down at the cake.

"I gotta hand it to you, this is really good."

"Well, today must be a special day if Bucky Barnes is complimenting me."

"I think your birthday spirit is rubbing off on me," he chuckles. "I think I'd celebrate everyone's birthdays if I got a cake like this."

"I think Sam's is still a few months away."

"Well, what about yours?"

Your smile drops a little bit and you can't meet Bucky's eyes anymore. "I don't- uh, I don't have a birthday."

"What? Come on, everyone has a birthday!"

"I mean, I have one. Probably? I just don't know it," you shrug.

"You don't even have a guess?"

You shake your head, mouth pressed into a thin line. "No, there's no records of me. Trust me, I've looked. When I got to the Avengers, Tony and Vision could tell me how old they think I am, but..." you shrug. "God, that was depressing," you dramatically shake your head. "Definitely not birthday appropriate discussion."

Bucky's not convinced. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"No, it's- it's fine. You know, no birthday means I don't technically age which is pretty awesome, so... Yeah. It's great," you nod.

Bucky doesn't buy it for one second. He kind of feels some sort of indignation for you, he's only gotten some small pieces of the puzzle, but from what he's learned there's absolutely no reason that you should be happy or kind. He's not- he's gone through hell, he only repays to those he owes and nothing more. But you, you're not like that. It makes him feel like an even bigger asshole. "I really am sorry about the other day. I shouldn't have said what I did."

"Ah," you wave him off. "It's alright."

"It's really not."

"Well, it's your birthday. Plus, I'm not inclined to hold grudges."

"You're better than most then." You don't respond to Bucky's compliment, instead you pick at the last few bites of the cake on your plate.

You're both sitting in silence when Sam barges through the door. "Hey, look who's back! And with cake!"

You gently nudge him in the ribs. "It's Bucky's birthday, Sam. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course I remember! Happy birthday," Sam says unconvincingly.

"I'm going to head to bed, but happy birthday, James," you say, lightly resting your hand on his shoulder.

Sam doesn't miss the way Bucky's looking at you - the smile that just barely cracks on Bucky's face is so slight that anyone else would have missed it, but not Sam.

"Interesting," Sam murmurs low enough that neither you nor Bucky hear.

Grumpy Sunshine Series Grumpy Sunshine One Shots