#( listen even if i'm not posting promise i take peeks at things. )

[elvisabutler]

"Elvis, I can't- I can't accept this." Lilly's response isn't what Elvis had wanted to hear but what had he been expecting? For her to welcome it without a question? His gaze practically pins her to the countertop as her hands run over the simple cotton. "It's too much."  You shouldn't spend this on me. "It's not. It's- it's- do you like it?" Elvis swears he almost stutters when he asks the question and winces. "Doesn't- who else would I spend money on?" He’s a man getting on in age and besides Charlie’s kids- besides the kids he watches at the daycare, who does he have to spoil? He may not be rich by any stretch of the imagination but he has some money and no one to enjoy it with. Truthfully, he knows if he could Lilly wouldn’t want for a single material thing. If she asked? He’d provide.

[partyanimal167]

Okay so I SHOULD be working on the next chapter of my Miguel fic...and I promise I am. But I can't stop thinking about this post from @luxthestrange with my lovely man, Crocodile (also ignoring the fact that I'm behind on updating his fic by alot...) So here's a little something to get the writer vibes flowing

cw: none, blurb, one-sided pining, gn reader

Sir Crocodile x Ex-Secretary!Reader

You never thought that you'd end up having a WANTED poster, but you made some questionable choices as a youth which made entering the 'normal' world extremely hard and ultimately not worth it after awhile.

You did managed to get a desk job, but that didn't last long when it was revealed to have owed some money to a dangerous, business-smart pirate named Sir Crocodile. Amidst the raid, you were called out by said captain as it was your questioning of the numbers and certain other connections that brought some attention to what your then-boss was doing. (Oops). Either way, you expected to get interrogated then disposed of.

You got a handshake and job offer instead.

Now of course, you didn't immediately join Crocodile's side, but he noticed your attention to details and ease of conversing with even the seemingly shadiest of connects. Crocodile didn't think you were a pirate, but you certainly weren't a normal civilian either.

The secretary offer came after Crocodile witnessed you boldly standing up to one Warlord (Doffy) when he tried to barge into Crocodile's office while he was on a phone call. You were merely passing by. But you knew that Sir Crocodile didn't like to be interrupted, and the secretary then wasn't holding his place against the giant man.

Doflamingo was pissed. But Crocodile approved.

So then started the years of partnership and endless work where you kept tabs and details organized for Crocodile's use while you were rewarded in both finances and work benefits.

You enjoyed it, so you were a bit let down when things hit the fan and your boss in jail.

However, you were able to start an underground consulting business while hiding from the Marines. It was quite successful. When news came of Crocodile's escape, it was easy enough to track him down and send him a wealth of information ranging from old contacts to accounts that were still untouched. As a courtesy...

Sir Crocodile was quick to send over a bouquet of flowers and a beautiful invitation to welcome you back to working for him. You gracefully declined citing your new business adventure and gave warm wishes.

And so started a relentless array of attempts of winning you back. Several initial consultations for 'new clients' were just lunches of the man trying to convince you. Each time, you'd just sit and listen before taking the check for your time. Gifts of your favorite fragrances, coffees, pastries, and the like were always welcoming you either home or to your office. It did surprise you a bit how much the man knew about you. Your actual clients seemed to nervous to be caught between you both since Crocodile was trying to scare them off, and you were stern in getting your demands and continuing your work.

After some time though, it had been silent. You caught wind of Crocodile's new partners, and you felt some relief that others were able to take on and work with the man. Things would be easier now. You'd both cross paths maybe as partners or each other's clients in the future.

A knock at the door rattles your calm evening and tea. You stood from your living room and peek out your peephole. However, you didn't see anything. You were just about to walk away when you could've sworn you smelled a familiar robust smoke and opened the door.

You nearly gasped when you see Crocodile on his knees with the largest ramo of lilacs, Adam's needles, and roses you'd ever seen--although they were on the ground under his hand. He looked up at you with both desire, stress, and relief.

He puffed out his smoke before yanking out his cigar and pleading. "You are the most competent, skilled, and amazing person I know. I need you back in my life even more now. Please dear, come back to me."

~~~

Teehee

[galaxyfever]

kinda inspired by @oddshroom 's dorm mate post, and also what my mom and I go through every night.

"Scara is so babygirl," you giggled to yourself, scrolling on your phone.

11:03 pm.

Glancing at the time, you shrugged, continuing to scroll on your phone. It wasn't that late, and the only thing "left" to do was sleep anyways.

Suddenly, there was a series of knocks on your door, as your roommate, Bakugou, opened it and peeked into your room, as he reminded you, "Phone down in 5 minutes."

You hummed, "Okay, mom."

He rolled his eyes, "Goodnight."

Mumbling back the parting, you pulled the cover above your head, curling into a fetus-like position, and continued to watch Genshin tiktoks.

5 minutes.

10 minutes.

15 minutes.

Your door opened, and your eyes widened as you froze.

You immediately turned off your phone, stilling, not wanting to create unnecessary movements.

After a few seconds, you heard your door close but you didn't dare to peek, wanting to consider all possibilities.

And, after a minute, you hear a small grunt, as the duvet is snatched off of you, "Alright, I'm taking it with me."

Eyes widening, you pulled your phone closer, "You can't! I'm going to sleep, I promise!"

He gave you a stern look, "I don't trust you. Give me your phone. I'll give it back to you in the morning when you wake up."

You gasped and sobbed, "No! I'm sorry! Please!"

Bakugou snatched your phone before you could even react, and in desperation, you jumped on him, "Please! Please, I promise I will go to sleep! Just don't take my phone!"

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he pushed you back on your bed, "I'm going help you get rid of this bad habit."

"This is not helping!" You cried out, falling off the bed to hold onto his legs, "I'll go to sleep, just- don't take my baby away from me, please, Katsuki."

He gave you a 'really?' look as he pulled you up, "Listen, you and I both know, that you ain't getting a wink of sleep if that phone stays here with you."

Huffing, you looked away in slight embarrassment, "...I just wanted to watch one last edit."

"Yeah?" He raised a brow questionably, "Definitely."

You whined, "It's not my fault! Kaveh is just so-"

Rolling his eyes, he turned around to leave your room, "I'm not listening to you simping about a fictional character."

Your eyes widened, "Wait-" Hurriedly, you ran to block your door, "You said you'll help me!"

Bakugou pauses, and stares at you for a few seconds, before rolling his eyes, "Fine."

. . .

"When you said you'll help me," you mumbled, "I didn't think cuddling was going to be a part of the process."

"This is to prevent you from using your phone, don't think about it too much." He grumbled, but you knew that he was probably a bit flustered.

Humming contently, you buried your face into his chest, "Well, to be honest, this is kinda nice. Maybe, even better than being on my phone."

"There is no need for your backhanded compliment. Go to sleep." He whispered, caressing your hair gently, trying to coax you into sleep.

You yawned, "It's not backhanded. I think I'll start sleeping with you from now on."

He almost choked, as he craned his neck to look at you, "Is there really a need for-"

Your arms around him tightened, "Don't tell me you're backing out now, this was your idea."

Sighing, he closed his eyes, "Fine, I guess. I just want your addiction to be toned down, at least."

A small smile came over your face, and you whispered, "Goodnight, for real this time."

And you could hear the smile in Bakugou's voice, as he whispered back, "Goodnight."

I do think this is kinda cringe, if I get inspo I will edit it, so please tell me if you have any ideas, thanks for reading<33

[sonamy-flashfic]

No clue where this one came from, honestly. A lot of earlier fics were pretty vent-y, but this was written recently and I've actually been in a pretty good space for a while now. Then again, it's not like there's any rules about your work reflecting your mental state... Or at least I don't think there are.

I struggled to set this one for a while- Classic, or early Modern, or late Modern (post-Modern??); but I think keeping it vaguely Modern was the right choice.

This time, the title comes from idfc by blackbear!

Tell Me That You Love Me (Even If It's Fake) Universe: Modern Word Count: 706

"Sonic. Tell me that you love me."

It's forward, even for Amy. She's always direct, and very open about her own feelings, but- she's not so demanding, normally. There's an understanding between them, or at least he likes to think so.

She just leapt forward and threw her arms around him, without so much as a hey. He hasn't yet had a chance to speak, let alone actually process what she's said.

"...Sorry, what'd you just say?"

"Tell me that you love me! Even if you don't mean it, please… I need- I need to hear it. Just once. I'll leave you alone after! I promise!"

She's shaking like she's trying not to cry, from sadness or anger or fear- he doesn't know which. She seems desperate, and frustrated; and the way she's holding onto him is the same way she used to, when she'd hide her face like not looking at the scary things meant they weren't there.

He doesn't ever go out of his way to hurt her, but it's easy enough to do by accident: he's pretty lucky, overall, in that she's the forgiving type.

But this isn't normal, and he doesn't want to hurt her.

So he reaches out. It's not a hug, exactly- he's just steadying her so she doesn't fall, that's all.

Has she always been this small? She's more than capable of holding her own, but you wouldn't know it in this moment.

"Amy," he says, somewhere between soft and exasperated, "I'm not going to lie to you."

She's shaking a little less now, but a half-laugh escapes her as she hides her face in his chest. "...Of course not. You've always been honest, haven't you?"

That's maybe exaggerating a bit, but she's not known for downplaying anything. Either way, she sounds just a bit more like herself.

"It's me who's been lying to myself, right? I can't even- listen to you-!"

This is weird, and it's different in a way he doesn't like. Just yesterday she was fine, so what is this?

"...Amy."

She stops mid-rant at the sound of his voice, and he takes that as a positive sign. Not so much the way she tenses against him.

"Amy, what's going on here?" 

Just a hint of concern leaks through into his words, soft-spoken as they are.

She talks too fast and too quiet for him to really follow along, but he thinks he sort of gets the gist. Someone said- well, they said something to her. About him?

Given what she'd asked of him… Not too hard to guess what it was.

"Hold on tight."

She already is, but he knows she appreciates the warning. And it is fun to catch her off guard every once in a while, but now isn't the time.

"Alright, this is it!"

Slowly, she peeks out at their surroundings.

"Is this-?"

He's not good at it, but he wants to comfort her somehow.

"Never Lake, yeah."

There's no Little Planet- it's the wrong time of year for it- but the lake is there all the time, and it's still beautiful.

"...Where we first met," she whispers.

He's not good at this. But she's all about symbolism and fate, and as much as he doesn't tend to put any stock in it (foretold destiny and personal freedom don't really mix, most of the time), it means something to her.

"Listen," he says. "Don't listen to what some rando has to say- you never let 'em stop you before."

It's not what she's asking for, and it's not the right words. But it's what he has to give.

Her response is-

Well.

She smiles at him, and it's breathtaking; the unexpected brilliance of her expression catching him entirely off guard. He opens his mouth to say something- he doesn’t know what, doesn't think he has the right words for this either- but before he can even try she's already tackled him to the grass.

"I love you! I love you, I love you, I love you!"

She says it again and again, and he just grins at her in return.

It really doesn't matter if he doesn't say it back. As long as she's happy- as long as she understands- who cares?

[pumpkin-spiced-latte]

Since quite a few people seemed to rather enjoy the six sentence post from yesterday I thought I'd post the entire scene

London, 1941

He spends his first day back in England in months on a train down to Devon, to visit the grave of Mama and Daisy, and the evening on his Aunt Fanny's old, faded sofa, listening to the news of his siblings and cousins, while Fanny promises solemnly to not tell his father about the visit. The journey back to London drags on and on, people on the tracks apparently, but once he reaches Kings Cross it’s a short walk to the Folly, where he trudges right up the steps to the lab they’ve given David for the duration of the war – however long that might be – crossing the room until he reaches one corner, where he can slide down to the ground between a metal cabinet and wooden workbench that had been pushed up against the wall, weighed down with copious amounts of notebooks and notes, some kept in boxes, some stacked precariously high, David’s thoughts spilled out over the paper. He hasn’t even taken the time to take off his coat and scarf, far too warm for the sweltering heat in the lab.

David himself only looks up from his experiment once he’s done, though Thomas has no way of telling what exactly he has finished.

“Are you quite alright, Thomas?” he asks and takes off his glasses to clean the round lenses with the sleeve of a dark blue jumper peeking out from under a lab coat that had once been white.

“Splendid,” Thomas grunts, and runs a hand through his hair, already messy from the wind outside.

David, who has had enough time to map out his responses over the years, slips out of his lab coat and approaches him, heaves a box from the end of the bench so he can sit next to Thomas, who rests his head against his leg. Almost immediately there are fingers combing through his hair, brushing a curl out of his face.

“Would you like to tell me?”

“Not particularly”

“I think you ought to"

“Later. Maybe"

“Your sister called,” David tells him instead, “she wants to see you. Stephen as well. They’re your siblings, you can’t avoid them forever”

“I know. I just – Just not right now. Can you tell Drina I'm still on the continent the next time she calls?”

“Somehow I don’t think she'll believe me. Especially considering Henry was on the continent with you and came yesterday. Victoria knows your on home leave”

“Curse the day your nephew decided to marry my niece"

“They’re children. Can you truly begrudge them some happiness"

Thomas sighs, rubs his cheek against the coarse wool of David’s trousers, closes his eyes. “No. That doesn’t mean I have to like it"

“I know. But still, please talk to her. I have a feeling every time we talk she likes me even less, and if she doesn’t hear from you soon she'll show up at Folly and castrate me for hiding you from her"

Thomas nearly laughs “We can’t have that, of course"

“Are you sure she doesn’t know?”

“Without a doubt. She’d be much worse if she knew about the sodomy. To both of us"

“Would you like to help me with some experiments?" David asks in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood, "I have some test tubes that need to be blown up"

“You know I'll gladly blow anything for you, Davey"

David laughs and pulls him upright, presses a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’m glad you're back home"

Thomas says nothing and lets David lead him towards the table he’d been working on when Thomas had arrived. The set up looks complicated, but most things David does in his lab are so far beyond Thomas’s comprehension that he no longer even bothers to ask.

Once more dressed in his lab coat David lines up two dozen tubes, “I think we’ll start with a simple werelight,” he says, “and go on from there”

He isn’t sure how much time they spent in the lab, Thomas performing various spells at David’s request, but when David sets down his pen, apparently satisfied with the results at last it’s already dark outside.

“You should go to bed, Tom,” David says and Thomas lets his werelight blink away, plunging the room into sudden darkness. Either there’s another power outage or David’s simply forgotten to turn on the lights again.

“I don’t even know where that is" He is a CO now and therefore, by Folly mechanisms, entitled to one of the rooms on the second floor, which he'll still share, but with only one other man. He'd rather crawl into bed with David, but, of course, that won’t be poss-

“In that case I have some good news for you. We're sharing until you leave again"

“Honestly?”

“Yes. Apparently most find me to be an insufferable roommate”

“Because you are, David”

“I beg to differ”

*

The room is bleak and unpersonal, except for an old photograph on the edge of the desk that also serves as David’s nightstand, now that another bed has been shoved inside and every unnecessary piece of furniture put up in the attic, of David and his brother, dead now for over two decades, killed in some trench in France, and a small stack of books he faintly recognises as some of David’s favourites. Waugh, Collins, Wells and the like.

None of it feels quite tangible and it might very well have been a dream, if it weren’t for the weight of David’s arm wrapped around him. No matter how lonely, how unhappy, he is, when he imagines David’s embrace it never feels real

“What are you thinking about, pumpkin?” David, already half asleep, asks.

If I die will you put up a picture of me as well? A neat little collection of the people you've lost, trod under England's heel?

“Nothing. Go to sleep"

David’s never been one who had trouble falling asleep, and after a few minutes he can hear him snoring, firm against his back, breath ghosting over Thomas’s neck. If he’d ever been such a sleeper he certainly is no longer, considering the things haunting his dreams, despite the sense of secruity and comfort David’s presence gives him.

He'll have to mess up the bed in the morning, he thinks, before the maid comes to clean the room, make it look as if he’s slept in it. He doesn’t know how long he stares into the soft shadows of the room, but it seems like he is lulled to sleep faster than he normally falls asleep these days

[acefaun]

Which stories are you currently working on? 🙂

Leeets see… 👀 Let me give you a peek into my fanfic world right now.

I have a few that I'm currently working on(drafts and rough drafts and final drafts and a couple things that need grammar and spelling checks).

And the one's in the screenshots don't count the other 40 requests that I've had waiting since January that I haven't touched yet. Something happened in January where I think the same person was sending me multiple requests a day and my inbox got overwhelmed. they were pretty good though, so I'm definitely interested in getting to them sometime. I just wanna make sure everyone gets turns and that I'm not just writing for the same person all the time, so I try and focus first on answering the requests I get out of anon-mode since I can have the tangible evidence that they're a different person. I'm trying my best, there's just so many anon requests that I can't tell anyone apart.

It's all organized in my head despite how things look here, I promise. Tomorrow I'm posting that Leo~ Human Love looking thing. That's random little thing I wrote sometime last year and forgot about it in my various folders because I didn't realize there was a LEO SIMP TO SHARE IT WITH. I'M HERE FOR YOU. That one's basically about a human who was secretly raised by the dept. of punishments and she has this crush on Leo and there's a whole situation there.

Then early next week (heck, maybe Tuesday if I feel like editing it), I'll post Lou~ Exam. That's about an MC who's stressed about an exam and Lou's doing his best to support her.

After that, I have another Leo fic called Heir where the zodiac gods are taking care of the King's daughter who by all means does not want to work in the palace and listen to Zyglavis' nagging. All the gods are basically telling her how she's supposed to act and who she's supposed to be. So Leo helps her out by sneaking her off to Earth where she can learn more about herself and not this fake vision of what she's "supposed" to be.

The rest in my "requests" folder are still in progress! But I'll give you a run down of what to expect from there.

Heir to the Throne: Your zodiac god is in love with you, the King's daughter, and he declares his love to you, deciding it's completely worth his time to try and win you over. The only problem is that he has to seek the approval of the King regardless of her feelings for him. The wishes gods have the approval of the King much easier than the punishments gods.

Moving On: Your god breaks up with you and you turn to your childhood best friend for love and support, only to later end up in a tragic accident that could have been avoided had your zodiac god been there. So he shows up with a letter… Only, what does it say?

Zodiac Swim House: A crossover between SCM and Free!Iwatobi Swim Club. Teen!MC admires the iwatobi swim club and wants to be a member. It's winter so her only choice to join them is by asking her zodiac dads for a competition pool in their back yard. Surely that would impress her new swim mates! (I might add various scenarios to this one where MC ends up with different swimmers and her zodiac dads react to her human boyfriend/girlfriend.)

Lou~ The Outcome: The second part to the Yandere Lou fic after MC is rescued and Lou is arrested. In this part, we look at his broken aftermath. We really see things from his perspective and everyone's reactions to what Lou's done. (This one is mega angsty and I'm definitely looking forward to it.)

NSWF Scorpio~ Nice Thighs: Where you only want to spend a nice day nuzzling into Scorpio's very lovely thighs. It's not like he can say no to his happy girlfriend… What's the worst that can happen? You end up… squished between his thighs…? Pfft… That's fine. (THIS ONE MIGHT ACTUALLY COME OUT SOME TIME AFTER MY LEON FICS OR MAYBE EVEN BEFORE BECAUSE IT'S COMING ALONG SO NICELY AND I REALLY TORTURED SCORPIO IN THIS ONE AND I'M HAVING FEELINGS FOR SWITCH SCORPIO RIGHT NOW. AND I LOVE YOU FOR ASKING FOR THIS, AND I WANNA GIVE YOU YOUR GOOD BOY.)

NSFW Lou~ The Sincerest Apology: Where you, Lou's goddess girlfriend, gets jealous over Lou being polite to another goddess. Lou is extremely submissive in this story and finally gets a taste of his own medicine as far as teasing you goes. Of course, you're not really mad at him… but an apology for sweet talking another goddess would be nice.

Road Trips: This was based on a simple question I got about if the gods liked to travel but I had a lot of art I wanted to make with it, but never had time to draw. I'm super frustrated that I don't have time to draw all the art I want for this because the ideas are soooo cute, so I might just rewrite it to where all I'll need is my main drawing and I can just describe the rest. It won't be as cute, but… the question will be answered. (the answer is yes, by the way…)

Spilling Tea: This is basically my personal thoughts on each of the gods and I feel like I'm shit talking behind their backs so I decided to call it "Spilling Tea". You'd think this would be a quick and easy thing to write and post, but I have opinions and opinions take time. (plus, I forget I'm writing this sometimes….) I only wrote about Leon, Karno, and Huedhaut so far, so I have quite the ways to go. I mean, it's not all bad… I hardly had anything to complain about with Hue, and Karno was also very little. You could imagine the shit I said about season 1 Leo though. BUT I HAVE GOOD THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THEM TOO. Still, I think Lou might be the only one I don't have any complaints ready for. He has yet to do me wrong that I can instinctively remember. Partheno's gonna have a novel of things; I love him, but he did me so dirty.

[dr4kenlvr]

sweet love

featuring. draken, baji, mitsuya, hanma x gn!reader (happy birthday to my love, draken iloveusomuch)

genre/wc: fluff (0.6k+)

nana's note: i paired up tokyo revengers characters with sentence starters from this post! all credit for the prompts goes to op. please enjoy my loves <3

DRAKEN + "is that my shirt?"

draken makes his way through the halls of the brothel, a hand rubbing his nape as he sluggishly lifts each foot up and forward. the day felt long, and all he craved was a good night's sleep with you in his arms. smiling softly at the thought, draken pushes his way into his room with a soft "m'back," you, who's sitting on his bed patiently, beam at him from the doorway. his smiles widens. he closes the door before approaching you with a kiss on your forehead. "hi baby you ready—" he pauses, and gives you a look over, before an expression of familiarity and snark clouds his features. "—is that my shirt?" you glance down, then back up at him and nod. "is there a problem?" you tease with a tilt of your head. he chuckles, before leaning down to hold your face between his big, warm palms. "not at all," he whispers into a kiss.

BAJI + "you got me flowers?"

baji's chest heaves greatly with pants, jogging his way over to your house. he curses the flower shop for its ridiculously long line up on a tuesday evening. seriously, how many people need flowers on a weekday night? thanks to that predicament, baji was now late for your date night. he turns the corner and makes a dash straight to your door, where he spots you waiting. your eyes light up when he comes into sight, and baji's hearts pangs achingly. "hey keis—" "i'm so so fucking sorry, i promise i didn't forget about you. i just wanted to get you these." he shoves the small bouquet of strawberry pink peonies into your hands, then wipes his palms dry on his hoodie. you gape at him, "you got me flowers kei?" grinning at baji, you step forward to place a kiss on his cheek. giggling, you tell him: "your face is turning the same colour as them." "oh, s-shut it! c'mon, lets go." he pouts, linking an arms around yours hastily.

MITSUYA + "do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are?"

your fingers clasp tighter around mitsuya's, an instinct your body had when the wind picked up its drift. sitting perched on top a lonely building, you and mitsuya had been listening to music for the past hour or so in tranquility. mitsuya taps his foot to the beat, while you drum your fingers across your thigh. he looks over, and scans your features for any sign of tiredness. he told himself he would, of course, take you home tonight. feeling his stare on you, you glance at him for a brief moment. then it's silent again—calm, serene, and perfect. suddenly, you mumble out loud: "do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are?" mitsuya halts the tapping of his foot, "huh?" you chuckle, taking out the earbud. "you're so pretty taka, i should tell you more often." mitsuya's mouth parts in awe, and he's at a lost for words. the only thing he does—is squeeze your hand tighter, before leaning into your side. "but darling, i think it'd be jealous of you."

HANMA + "let's go somewhere, just you and me."

the familiar roar of his engine comes from outside your window. your eyebrows furrow in confusion, before you peek through your curtain to confirm your suspisions. hanma was indeed on his motorcycle outside your house, you can see him wave you down from below. quietly pacing from your room to the front door, you open the door to see him leaning against the frame. "shu' what are you doing here? it's late." "hi baby, let's go somewhere, just you and me." his grin displays his canines, and his golden eyes glimmer with excitement at the thought. but you stare at him, as if trying to decipher how serious he was. you, him, go somewhere, now? he notices your hesitation, "c'mon, just for a bit? i've got your favourite snacks, drinks, and an extra sweater for you." you can't help but smile at hanma's consideration. sighing, you grab your shoes without another word and step outside next to him. hanma's eyes widen, but they quickly shut when you tip toe to kiss him on the lips. "alright then lover boy, take me on a ride hm?"

your interactions are very appreciated <3

[forbidding-souda]

Byakuya and Korekiyo with a curvy female reader? Like they have very squishy thighs or smth-

Byakuya Togami and Korekiyo Shinguuji with a curvy girlfriend

i'm gonna say that the togami one has something to do with drinks just bc it is something that happened in my dream and i've been waiting for someone to request him just so i can write about it so thank you for this because i've been dying to talk about it.

-Mod Souda

Byakuya Togami

❤ You made him realize something about his preferences. When it comes to physical contact, he's not gotten a bunch, romantic or otherwise. You are his introduction to touch - to love. And touching you: your squishy thighs, your plump hips and the lascivious curves of your body is so welcoming compared to every other body he has [and hasn't] touched. You don't know this, because he never tells you, but if you are good at reading people you will realize this in the way his hands attract to the rotund parts of your body when it comes to situations where it is acceptable for him to grab you.

❤ So, he is quite defensive on behalf of you. If you have friends who love to compliment you - he will talk back to them. Like if you post yourself, in the comment section of your post: your friends complimenting you non-stop and professing their love, he is going to mass respond to them in the comments with "shut up.". It is something that is both maddening and hilarious. But he loves you so much, he's so protective and head over heels. He has never felt so strongly about somebody. He always imagined his future like this: marrying a girl that his family signs him up to. But you're different. You're his choice. You've honestly never been with somebody that listens to what you say - somebody who can also keep up with their promises.

After some time alone in the bedroom, Byakuya in his own study, doing whatever the work (that he hates explaining) is. You let him spend his time in that damn study. Part of it is you not being in the mood to harass him, not now.

As you went into the kitchen, looking for a drink, you spot the grocery bags. The normal servants aren't in here to put them away. Should you? You eye them - wondering if they bought that drink you requested. Looking wouldn't hurt. Your fingers pull at the reusable bags, peeking inside. You do this to three only for your hand to be stopped by pale, slender fingers grabbing your wrists.

"Quite frankly, I do not expect you to be doing the butlers work."

You look up at him, squinting your eyes to taunt him. "I just wanted to see if you asked them to get my drink like you promised."

He rolls his eyes, looking at you briefly before marching over to the fridge and opening it. You're surprised he even knows how to work a fridge. Has he touched one himself in his life? He shows his hand to you, holding your favorite flavored beverage, to which you tilt your head in surprise.

He says, "It won't be in those bags because I got it for you myself."

You stare at him for a moment - your eyes shining with admiration before you awkwardly take it from his hand. "I'm surprised. Thank... you."

❤ The two of you always have some witty back and forth banter when it comes to things like what colors to match with at the professional gathering - what flowers to order for his family's dinner party. Being with him for so long just means you're more willing to talk back to him, knowing that he doesn't mean any genuine harm, and no amount of him rolling his eyes will mean that he stops being in love with you.

❤ You talk about your favorite places to be touched - and he listens, because truthfully, he likes touching you everywhere, so limiting it to a few places leaves him more than satisfied.

❤ He likes it when you sling your legs over him when you're cuddling into his side. This way he can hold your thighs.

❤ Although, his favorite cuddling position (once he gets comfortable enough to sleep close to you) is spooning you, his hand innocuously in between your breasts, warmed by your toasty chest.

❤ Drunk Togami's hands will accidentally land on your ass when he goes down to hug you - a miscalculation - but the consensual honking afterwards is not an accident.

❤ He will deny this ever happened if you bring it up to him.

.

Korekiyo Shinguuji

❤ He was so used to 'traditional' small bodies of those accessible to him. But humanity is diverse - and his tastes are diverse - so being with you means he finally gets to delve into his love of stout flesh. He will kiss your thighs, holding your knees with his hands as he uses his lips on your skin. Him touching you is almost entirely salacious in nature - outside of simple things like cuddling, or if it's unconsensual, then he won't go there. You - you are just delightful and delicious. He is a body-worshipper, but you don't need to know that. His attraction towards you was very physical based initially, as he had the mindset that he would never fall in love with someone - but once he started talking to you, he found your story swapping addicting, and he decided that for once, he would let himself settle.

❤ He visited you a lot when he was courting you. He gave you a lot of lilacs, walking you home after every date, sending you letters in the mail (multiple papers each time) whenever he is away on a study. He thinks about you constantly. The glitter in your eyes when you see him after he returns - the way you let him indulge in you without being scared. You're his dream, and he had also found himself not being aloof towards you in the slightest. The two of you had created a game to occupy your longing for each other whenever he was away - he would send you a photo of an artifact, and you would guess where he is, or what it was used for, or if it's clothes - what era and region it is from. He adores you for partaking in his work like this.

"Hmmm... Is your intention to enrapture me, or else, your body is too striking for my eyes?" His eyes fall down to the leggings clenching your visible legs. You put on jewelry in the mirror, letting out a har har to him, too busy decorating yourself to give him an actual response. His flirting is an every day thing, and you're accustomed to it - not feeling as flustered as you would have been months ago.

He is always so excited to bring you to his presentations. You are mostly unaware of any of the topics he talks about, but having you by his side improves his confidence, so you go. Plus, half of his department consistently compliment you, so it boosts your compliments too.

After a few seconds, you find him still staring at you, so you put your hands on your hips and giving him a form of a smile through the mirror. "If my intention was to 'enrapture' you - you would be on your knees right now."

He comes up behind you and presses his lips to the back of your head. "I am more than willing to go down on my knees if that's what you desire."

"Not right now - not right now."

You can still feel your cheeks heating.

❤ When he let it slip that he has 'gotten around' with various women, you had a physical reaction, one that made him laugh to shield his embarrassment. He did not mean to tell you - and whether you were off-put or intrigued in beyond him. Any details you want to ask, he'll answer anyway. He is an informer.

❤ Your first kiss was many many months after he started courting you. He had many times pressed his masked lips to the back of your hand, or nuzzling into your cheek and neck, but feeling his bare lips on yours was a long-awaited specialty.

❤ Even though he acts all high and mighty in the area of love, he is dead at the neck up, not experienced anything before sexual pleasure, so things like cuddling and suaveness is truly outside of his region of knowledge, but god is he good at improvising.

❤ Whenever he would sit next to you, he'd hold your hand, physically analyzing your fingers in an almost stim-like way.

❤ He is very conscious about how he compliments you. He doesn't want to focus all of his attention to your body - because even though it's what drew him in to you, he needs you to know that you're special; that he fell for you.

[twistedmusings]

A/N: Planning to post some finished requests tonight thankfully but I wanted to share something super self indulgent with you guys since I just recently got an Alexa! I'm still kind of in a funk (since classes are STILL not over with) so thank you everyone for your kind words in my inbox q wq For now I only have Riddle and Leona...but if everyone likes it I'll make an effort to finish! I kinda am working on Azul's as we speak >:3 Warnings: Boys missing you terribly, Riddle justifying the breaking of rules and Leona realizing that he is talking to an inanimate object.

The Ramshackle Prefect leaves to go to RSA for a month, following a lead that could get them back home. And while the dorm leaders do miss them terribly, it seems one of them is hiding something.

. .

“AZUL-SHI DO SOMETHING.”

The Octavinelle dorm leader barely listened to his friend's request as he also crowded over Idia’s phone, the other five dorm leaders looking down at the screen as a pair of familiar eyes stared back at them.

“Where is Idia? Can you please hand me back to him?”

Riddle blinked at the sprite on the screen before looking back at Idia with a frown.

“Explain yourself, Shroud.”

Idia whimpered as he hung his head low in shame.

“[Y/N]-san...I mean...the Prefect left to go to RSA for a whole month, right? Crowley said it was to help them find a way back home but apparently there was some trouble there too and...and he brought them to fix it...”

Malleus’s neutral expression changes into something a bit sadder while Kalim lets out what everybody was thinking.

“To take them away so suddenly...I didn’t even get a chance to give them a goodbye party!”

“They’re only away for a month, Kalim.” Vil’s eyes stay on Idia’s phone screen.

“But I’m sure a party would have let them know how much I would miss them!”

Riddle clears his throat, “That still doesn’t explain anything about what I am seeing. Why in the world do you have something that looks like...that looks so much like them on your phone!”

Idia was sure this was hell. Of all the people to catch him using his phone during a dorm leader meeting, why did it have to be Riddle? What was he even supposed to answer to that question! That he missed talking to [Y/N]-san about the new animes that were releasing this week that he had purposefully made an AI from data Ortho had collected on them and their mannerisms?

He would rather die!

“I--I was testing a new AI! Just...for schedules and stuff like that! And I didn’t have anything else to base it on so I just took [Y/N]-san’s information and made a prototype! It’s not just going to go out to the public like that! They can customize it however they like--!”

Azul hums as he taps the screen, the sprite giggling as he touches their cheek before looking up at all of them expectantly.

“...A prototype, huh.” he smiles and leans back while taking his phone out, “Everybody stop crowding around him, we might as well be breaking his arm slowly at this point.”

The rest of the dorm leader's move back with only some protest, Idia’s eyes shining as he looks up at his other friend.

“Azul-shi…”

The dorm leader of Octavinelle grins, “If it’s a prototype then that means it needs users, correct? More people to test it out?”

“Eh?”

Azul puts his phone in front of Idia and smiles at him like he was just about to close a rather important business transaction.

“Well then I want the prototype as well. Download it to my phone, will you?”

“Eh?!”

Idia presses his phone to his chest as if Azul was about to take it, looking around nervously as the other dorm leaders take their phones out and set it in front of him.

“If it’s an application for scheduling then I could use it to keep Heartslabyul’s matters in check. I’ll take one too.”

“Ruggie is gonna be busy during exams...this thing better work as an alarm.”

“Surely this would help me keep track of my schedule for both the Monstro Lounge and school. I’ll take one with a statistics program built in, Idia”

“Oh!! I want mine to be able to sing! And can I also get them in Scarabia’s dorm uniform? I want to see what [Y/N]-san would look like!’

“I’ll take that as well. I also want a photo re-touch feature as well as one hour updates as to what is going on in my Magicam account.”

Each phone was placed in front of him as Idia felt his head start to spin. He just wanted to keep this thing a secret only for himself! He wasn’t even planning to release it, it was all just a lie so they wouldn’t know his greatest shame!

A shadow was casted over him, Idia looking up slowly as Malleus smiled and placed his phone down.

“I am eager to see your finished product, Shroud.”

The tarts in front of him looked absolutely delicious.

Trey had really outdone himself this time. The strawberries were cut into perfectly neat shapes and the glaze over them made them so mouth wateringly shiny that he could practically taste the sweet treat without even having to taste it!

Which only made his want of one grow even more.

“And here comes the next batch.” Trey smiles as he puts down another plate in front of him, Riddle’s eyes now staring at that plate while his vice dorm leader cleans himself up.

“When did you say the Unbirthday party was going to be today?”

“A-At three o’clock sharp.”

Trey nods as he looks at the clock in the kitchen.

“Perfect. I promised to meet Jade to get some herbs he has been growing as well as letting him teach me how to make this one soup they had in the Monstro Lounge about a week ago.”

He grabs his phone and heads out, leaving Riddle with a quick goodbye and a promise that he would make it back as quick as possible.

Leaving him all alone with two plates filled with his favourite treat.

The dorm leader looks around once...then twice...checking if anybody was coming into the kitchen before going back to stare at the plates.

It wasn’t like he was going to grab one

The Unbirthday party today would be using pastries that Trey had made yesterday. It was the third of the month so the rules required a completely different pastry. The strawberry tarts were most likely for tomorrow.

So Riddle could wait. He was the Heartslabyul dorm leader after all so not only could he wait but he was required to wait! As the dorm leader he was to set an example and he couldn’t let himself be seduced so easily by just two plates of such yummy looking tarts--!

He quickly takes his phone out and looks down at the screen, face flushing as he tries to remember how Idia told him to open up the new app.

“[Y/N]-san…?”

A face peeks out from the corner of his phone, smiling as it recognizes his face and steps out while giving him a polite bow.

“Good morning, Riddle-san! What can I help you with?”

He can’t help a small rush of excitement at seeing the Prefect’s face after not seeing them for two weeks. Riddle would make an effort to stop and talk to them whenever they made their way to Heartslabyul that not seeing them for so long had almost thrown him off his schedule.

And...he missed the conversations he had with them.

As the dorm leader and a student in NRC he didn’t necessarily have time to go to any other events or take part in any of the shenanigans others would get up to, not that he necessarily wanted to, but it was entertaining when the Prefect talked about it with him.

It felt like they were letting him into their world.

So maybe this substitute would suffice...it was a scheduling app after all so it wasn’t like he was using it for pleasure only.

“Would you please repeat rule 56 of the Queen’s handbook?”

The AI clears their throat as a book animation appears before them.

“Rule number 56: On the third of April, black tea should be served along with pineapple tarts. Followed by a game of cards in which the loser must pour the Queen tea for the rest of the Unbirthday party.”

Riddle sighs as he looks back at the plate of tarts.

“...I guess I’ll wait until tomorrow…”

“Wait until what?”

He looks down at the AI, the sprite blinking in confusion as it waits for an answer. Idia had mentioned adding a conversational feature…

“There is no rule about what to eat tomorrow so I decided that we would have strawberry tarts.”

“Are those your favourite?”

Riddle nods and steps out of the kitchen, making his way to his room as he stared back at the open door.

“They are. Ever since I was little. I couldn’t have many because of--”

He decides to not go deep into the subject.

“I’m sure Trey’s pineapple tarts will be excellent. I will just have to wait until tomorrow to enjoy the strawberry ones.”

The AI hums before the book animation pops up again, looking down and flipping a couple of pages before speaking up.

“Riddle-san. While it does say that black tea should be served with pineapple tarts...it does state that it should be done for the Unbirthday party and the Unbirthday party only.”

He frowns, “Your point?”

“I am sure no rule would be broken if only the Queen has a tea party before the Unbirthday party. From what I am seeing here--”

They flip a couple more pages.

“There is no rule about a tea party of one enjoying a strawberry tart.”

Riddle blinks before looking down at his phone, the sprite smiling as they shut the small book and lets it disappear with a ‘poof.’

No rule would be broken...if it was only a tea part of one?

He looks down at the AI when he hears them giggle.

“Riddle-san looks really happy.”

A blush covers his face at being called out on how big his smile probably was.

“Did I help in any way?”

The dorm leader takes a deep breath before smiling as he looks down at the phone and presses his fingertip on top of their head, rubbing it back and forth as if they were petting them. Something he knew he could never really do with them in real life lest he was looking to get odd looks.

“More than enough. Would you like to accompany me during this tea party?”

“Yes please!”

Riddle nods before looking around once more and clearing his throat.

“And...would you refer to me as ‘dorm leader’ from now on?”

The sprite nods as they give him a polite bow.

“Yes, dorm leader!”

He would need to send his report of the app as quickly as possible, Idia had really outdone himself this time...maybe he could ask if he could get them dressed up in the Heartslabyul uniform?

Riddle still wished you would hurry back.

“Leona-san! Please wake up!”

The blankets on the bed wriggled a bit as the phone was tousled over from one side of the bed to the other, the sprite inside frowning as they tried again.

“Leona-san! Please wake up! Ruggie-san texted you!”

A hand comes out of the blankets before holding the phone up.

“Read the text out loud then.”

Sighing, the AI pulls the text up and reads out loud.

“Please be awake by the time I get there, Leona. I need to make sure I get your signature on these papers for the dorm budget. If you don’t I’ll hold your lunch captive!”

Leona’s face finally pops up from under the blanket, the man sitting up and running a hand through his hair as he speaks up again.

‘Oi. What time is it?”

“It is 3:14 in the afternoon, Leona-san.”

“And when did Ruggie send the text?”

“At 3:00 o'clock.”

He groans and lays back down, the pillows flying about as he holds the phone to his face and smiling when he sees the sprite looking down at him worriedly.

“You really do look like them…” Leona whispers before tapping the screen so that he is poking the sprite’s cheek, “What is that face for?”

“I’m just worried for you, Leona-san. Too much sleep is a symptom of some sicknesses so--”

“Hah? You think I would get sick so easily?” he yawns and stretches, “I’m different from humans. Beastmen need a lot more sleep than regular humans do so...I’m just doing what my body tells me.”

Green eyes watch a notepad appear before the AI as they write down the information, smiling as they close it up and watch it disappear.

“I’ll keep that information in mind so I can serve Leona-san better. Thank you so much.”

Leona blinks at the words before a lazy smile crosses his face.

“Serve me better, huh? Never thought I would hear you say that.”

Usually the herbivore would be frowning and telling him to get up and actually take charge of his dorm and how he didn’t act like any grown up they knew. The sprite, however, tilts their head in confusion before speaking up once again.

“I am yours, after all.”

“Damn right you are.”

He looked at the phone a bit more, the sprite smiling up at him as he poked their cheek or patted their head. A part of him wondered if you would react like that with him as well. You always seemed so annoyed with his antics yet you never failed to come back to talk to him, telling him how he needs to get his act together if he is ever planning to go back to the Afterglow.

Leona would bet money that if he patted your head out of nowhere you would be highly flustered. Getting praise from him was something that didn’t happen often, after all.

“What day is it?”

“The 12th day of April, Leona-san.”

Another two weeks of you being gone. He frowns and closes his eyes as he thinks about you meeting those other students. RSA was just full of idiots...like his brother--

“Dammit.”

He slams the phone down but blinks when he hears a small yelp, turning the phone back around to find the AI looking rather frazzled with their eyes closed and hair all over the place.

“Shit. Are you....okay?”

Great, he was asking an application if it was okay. He could understand why Idia would hide this, right now he felt like he was crazy.

“Y--Yes! It was just unexpected!”

The sprite fixed itself up quickly and smiled back at Leona.

“Are you okay though, Leona-san?”

The dorm leader chuckled and nodded as they set the phone down gently and laid down next to it. At least that part was very much like you, worrying about others before focusing on yourself.

“You’re not going to complain? I almost just threw you.”

Without missing a beat, the AI stands up and looks at him.

“Leona-san is still working hard despite his body telling him to sleep. My program tells me that it would be a natural emotion to feel frustrated if you are not allowed to do something you want. Normal actions of frustration speak of physical manifestations such as kicking, punching or throwing. I was simply calculating it for it to be the latter and for it to happen towards a pillow. I’ll make sure to fix my calculations next time.”

He shakes his head and sets the phone down gently.

“Weird thing. You shouldn’t forgive someone so easily after they wronged you.”

“But you didn’t wrong me, Leona-san. I didn’t feel any pain. I just want to make sure you are feeling your best! You are my number one priority!”

This machine is going to make him go insane, he knows you would never say that but the fact that Idia had gotten your voice down so well that it was almost as if you had just told him he was your number one---

He was already getting a headache.

“Set an alarm for an hour. Ruggie will take around that long anyway.” Leona lays down and wraps the blankets around him.

“Of course. Alarm set for one hour. Would you like to be woken up with a personalized message?”

Leona hummed before grinning.

“Wake me up by calling me ‘King’.”

The sprite fixes its settings before giving a polite bow.

“Yes, my King. Please enjoy your rest.”

After this he would send his report to Shroud and maybe ask for an outfit upgrade. He only needed to show him some Afterglow clothes and the nerd would probably be able to make the AI wear them, right?

Whatever, the moment you came back Leona would make sure that you gave him some headpats for making him wait so long.

[fluffytriceratops]

Most Ardently - Chapter One: Mr. Hamato

Notes: It is time! The post you've all be waiting for! The first chapter of many~ idk why it took me so long to write, hopefully the other's wont take me as long? But I make no promises lol. I hope you all enjoy nonetheless! I'm SUPER excited for the next chapter, cuz ITS ABOUT TO GO DOWN- hehe. (◕ᗜ◕) Also- this isn't EXACTLY like Pride & Prejudice. I've changed quite a few things to make more sense for the story. You don't need to read/watch it before reading if you don't want to. Tho it might contain some spoilers, since it's heavily based/inspired by it. Thank you for all the support! I hope you all have an amazing day/night!! SENDING SO MANY VIRTUAL HUGGLES TO YOU!!! <3

Warnings: none??

Tags: @thelaundrybitch @rheawritesforfun @drowninghell @turtle-babe83 @leosgirl82 @mysticboombox @post-apocalyptic-daydream @raphslovemuffin80 @raphielover @jurikyu-blog @doctorelleth @tmntspidergirl

(If you want to be tagged in future chapters/my TMNT related work, feel free to let me know and I'll happily add you!)

The damp mud squelched from under her boots due to the recent downpour. A smile graced her delicate features. Squinting from the sun that managed to peak through the clouds. Y/n closed the book in her hand. Reaching up to tuck a few strands of hair that managed to escape her bun out of her face. She walked up the steps that led to her home, heals clicking against the heavy stone. Upon entering, her smile fell as she noticed her two youngest sisters eavesdropping by the door of their father's study.

"What have I told you about listening at the door?" She hissed, grabbing the back of Lydia's ponytail and giving it a sharp tug.

Lydia gasped, turning around to shoot a quick glare in Y/n's direction. She gave her a swat to the arm, which Y/n responded to by chuckling. "Never mind that! There's a Mr. Hamato who arrived from the north. Five thousand a year." She giggled, looking towards her other sister, Catherine, who mimicked the bubbly sounds escaping her mouth.

"He's single." They squealed.

Y/n shook her head in mild amusement and took a step forwards, trying to peek at the crack in the door. Jane, the oldest out of all the them who had just been passing by stopped to see what all the fuss was about. "Who's single?" She asked, leaning towards Y/n quizzically.

"A Mr. Hamato apparently." Y/n huffed, wincing as she was shushed by her younger sisters who had been much louder than she was. The four of them leaned in close as they tried to hear what their parents were saying on the other side of the door.

"You know he must marry one of them!" Their mother cried. And the girls giggled in delight. Y/n and Jane shot each other amused glances. Lips twisting up in playful smirks.

Without much warning, the door was suddenly opened and the females gasped in surprise. Giggling not long after at being caught. Their father stood in the doorway, an unimpressed look on his face. "Good heavens.. People." He murmured, slipping past them and into the other room. Mrs. L/n chased after him, calling out his name and making demands. The girl's, who were much more curious than before, followed after their mother quickly. Scurrying like a bunch of mice. Making sure to lift the hem's of their dresses so they wouldn't trip.

"Are you even listening?" Mrs. L/n asked, face red from trying to convince her husband that he (they) must meet this man at once. "You must, Papa!" Kitty (Catherine) cried from behind her. Y/n was just about done with this conversation altogether. But she was curious now too and wanted to know what was going on.

"There's no need," Mr. L/n said, turning around to face them all. "I already have."

"You have?"

"When?"

"Oh Mr. L/n, how can you tease me so? Have you no compassion for my poor nerves?"

Y/n glanced at her mother in disbelief after plopping herself down on the sofa. Holding back her want to snort. It seemed as though the only thing her mother thought about was marrying them off to the first dolt that came forward. It was ridiculous, in her opinion. There were far more important things than marriage. And she didn't want to marry just anyone.

"You mistake me, my dear." Her father grunted as he lowered his old and tired body down into a chair. "I have the highest respect for them. They've been my constant companions these twenty years." He grinned at her teasingly, and Y/n swore her mother's face got even more red. The sight made her grin as well.

Mrs. L/n seemed to get over it quick enough. Immediately asking if he was amiable to which Kitty followed up by asking if he was handsome. Y/n did snort at that. Ignoring the annoyed glance her mother shot in her direction. Mary, the last of the L/n sister's stood in the doorway, completely and utterly confused. "Who?" She asked, lips pursed in a cute pout.

"He's sure to be handsome." Lydia giggled, lifting her skirt and prancing around the room with a smile nearly as wide as her face.

"With five thousand a year, it would not matter if he had warts and a leer." Y/n jested, bringing her knees to her chest to allow Lydia more room as she twirled on by.

"Who's got warts?" Mary asked incredulously, tired of being ignored.

Lydia finished her prancing and dropped down on the floor in front of her father. "So will he come to the ball tomorrow Papa?"

He smiled, "I believe so."

━

"You're pulling my hair!" Lydia cried, desperate to get away from her older sister. 

"I am not! Besides, if you weren't wiggling around so much, than I wouldn't be." Y/n said as she grabbed her sisters shoulders and forced her to sit forwards. Stopping her from moving so much.

"That does not make sense." Lydia whined, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout. 

Y/n held back the urge to roll her eyes. "You will wrinkle your dress if you continue this way. Just sit still." 

"Who do you want to dance with, Mary?" Kitty asked, looking at herself in the mirror. She twirled around in her lovely dress, a giddy smile on her youthful face. 

"You know I never dance." Said female muttered. She had always hated balls. Any sort of large gathering, really. "Must I wear this?" She pulled on the itchy fabric of her dress, and Jane swatted her hands away. 

"Yes, you must." The blonde insisted, fixing a loose curl in Mary's hair. "Everyone will wear what Mama set out for us." 

"Lest she annoy us all night with her complaints." Y/n grumbled, earning a small chortle from Jane. Her lips quirked up at the sound.

"I wish I had a new pair of shoes." Lydia kicked out her feet to draw attention to them. "These are practically laughable." 

"Your old ones are perfectly fine. Quit complaining." Y/n finished with her sister's hair and waved her away. Lydia got up cheerfully and waltzed around the room, hooking arms with Catherine. The two danced around together cheerfully. 

"Do you think Mr. Hamato will marry one of us?" Asked Kitty, watching her skirt swoosh around her with a smile. Lydia did the same. "I certainly hope so. How divine would that be?" 

"Not at all if you miss him entirely because you could not stop starring at yourselves. Have a little humility." Y/n grabbed Jane's hand and they left the room, the younger ones following eagerly. Whispering to one another the entire way. 

She might not have said it out loud, but Y/n too was interested to know more about this Mr. Hamato fellow. She had always said she would marry for love. Though she had yet to find it. Unlike her naïve sister's, Y/n wasn't going to throw herself to the first halfwit that gave her attention. If it was not true love than she did not want it at all. And if that meant that she end up alone, then so be it. 

Perhaps she was the one who was naïve. 

It didn't matter, the only man she needed in her life were the one's in her books. She was perfectly content with them for the moment. Though, she would be lying if she said sometimes she wasn't lonely. Or that sometimes she longed for the companionship of a love interest. Someone who would love her for all her faults and flaws. If Y/n said that she didn't want to marry at all, that would be a terrible lie. And her father raised a daughter with a guilty conscience, not a liar. 

As they rode in the carriage to the ball, Y/n couldn't help but let her mind wander. Her fingers fiddled with the fabric of her green dress. Whatever her sisters and mother were talking about became simple background noise. Instead she focused on the singing of birds, the whispering wood, and the rushing of the stream they passed. She listened to the horses hooves hitting the road, and the soft tune their driver whistled. She gazed at the passing of people and trees, the wonderful blueness of the sky, and the farmer's livestock who grazed in their fields. She focused on the sweet musk of her mother's perfume, and the scent of tabasco from her father's pipe. Sometimes she did wish she had met the love of her life and run away with him. But it was simple moments like these that reminded her just how much she loved her family. And how much she would miss them if she left. 

Before she had realized it, they had arrived at their destination. Y/n left the carriage, smiling in thanks towards her father who had offered her his hand. As she waited for her family to join her side, her eyes roamed the merry gathering. A great many people had showed up, and she couldn't help but smile at the general splendor. "I wonder if Mr. Hamato has come already, or if he shall show up later." 

Y/n looked towards Jane as she spoke, her own beautiful eyes zipping from one person to the next. "I suppose we shall have to go in and see." She said, linking her arm with hers. Jane's lips upturned in a joyful grin and the two didn't hesitate to follow their parents into the grand manor. 

Butterflies invaded her stomach from all the excitement. Y/n may have wanted to find love. But she also wanted that for her sister's. She certainly wasn't the most sought after. She was a tangled mess of contradictory things. If it meant that her sisters find happiness, than she would gladly step aside and wait a little while longer for romance. 

Some called her foolish for waiting on love. Marriage was a great economic proposition. Especially in her case, having no dowry. She was wasting her life away, believing in such fairytales. It was absolute nonsense. Y/n found it amusing how many people told her so.

"There's too much risk in loving." They would say. 

And in response, Y/n would smile and declare, "No. There's too much risk in not." 

[hiyoir]

Fuyuzakura — The winter blossoms.

SYNOPSIS: After what felt like an eternity of not talking to each other, Eichi decides to reach out to you to civilly discuss your relationship with him after that argument.

CW/s: momentary break up (???), making up, soft kisses, comfort fic for the soul, reader uses he/him pronouns

A/N: Just a small self indulgent fic for myself~ I promise I'm hearing out all your requests, I'll get to them as soon as possible! I just want to write about Eichi being comforted..

"You've got to talk to him eventually, you know?" Wataru sighs, tracing the rim of his tea cup as he watches Eichi shuffle in his seat. His tea was left untouched, a topic like this was not best paired with tea. The blonde man hangs his head low, not wanting to share any eye contact with Wataru.

Whatever happened a few weeks ago was not the best. Eichi was an idol, and with being an idol, there is fanservice. He was in charge of swooning the crowd and making them feel loved and welcomed.

That was not sitting right with you though. The idea of keeping your relationship together under the covers was already horrible enough, and now this? It hurts to scroll on social media to see the millions of posts from fans about how much they loved Eichi, how charming and flirty he was and how they brought him gifts.

Eichi squirmed in his seat, feeling horrible. The scrunched up look on your face as you poured your true feelings out brought tears to Eichi's eyes. You looked horrible, sad, devastated even. His hands cupped each other, fiddling the thumbs as a way to calm down.

"Eichi?" With the call of his name, his head perked up. "Were you even listening?"

"Oh... No, sorry Wataru..." The ache in Eichi's heart throbbed as he let out a sigh. Wataru chuckles, picking up his empty teacup.

"It's fine... I'm here to advise you only, it's really up to you to take action," Eichi hummed at Wataru's words. It's up to me to take action, huh?

"(Name) is a sweet boy, trust me. You'll want to talk things out. After all, do you really want to spend this beautiful winter all alone?"

Right, winter is here... The cherry blossoms will bloom in the winter. It's a rare sight, I'm sure (name) would adore it.

...

(Name)...

—

Snow crunches below your boots as you take a few steps towards the blossomed tree. Spring and winter collides as frost and cherry blossoms mingle today in Japan. It's been a solid four days since you last saw the beautiful blue sky. The sky was clouded with the mellow grey hue as snow falls, leaving a blanket of snow alongside the cherry blossom grove.

With every breath you took, a white puff of air escaped through your lips. This was everything you wanted, to witness the snow covered blossoms. The frosty air penetrates through your coat, the soft chills tickling your skin. Your cheeks were a rosy pink. It really felt like a scene out of a movie.

However, something was missing.

Even with the comforting chills of winter, you longed for the warmth of someone by your side.

That's when it hits you.

The guilt weighed down onto you.

Eichi.

You blamed him for something he was obligated to do.

There's only one thing you could do to fix this situation...

—

Walking along the pavement, you made your way to Eichi's home. Your heart pounded with every step you take. It has gotten late, your anxiety holding you back from confronting Eichi. However, you figured that you needed to talk things out with him. You could only imagine how he felt being wrongly blamed.

As you stepped onto his porch, your gut feeling stopped you.

The lights in Eichi's house were still lit, meaning that he was still awake. Taking a few peeks through the window from afar, you can’t see any silhouette of anybody. He might’ve fallen asleep and left the lights open, like the idiot he is. Was it even a good time to visit? What if he's having a bad time, and you’re doing nothing but interrupting him? Thoughts raced through your mind like a high speed vehicle, but soon came to a halt as you heard a soft gasp.

A tall figure with a skinny stood in front of you. The eyes and hair confirmed your thoughts. It was Eichi.

"Eichi...?!" You couldn't help the whisper-shout. People were putting down their weary heads to rest, and they definitely do not want to be awakened by a squeaky man yelling with shock.

Eichi's lips tightened into a line, unable to force out a word in the situation. What was he even doing outside his own house? And why was he covered with snow? His frail body was shaking from the cold, immediately snapping a signal in your brain.

You wasted no time grabbing his hand to usher him in his own house. As he passed you the keys to his house, you brushed off any excess snow off his back. The doorknob twisted open as you unlocked his door, your free hand's heat warming Eichi's cold hands.

He had this unusual troubled look on his face, one you could recognize that his line of thinking has gone down to something like: I’m troubling him.. Or, This isn’t very proper of me... Or, I shouldn't make him do this especially if I'm in the wrong.

His brows furrowed deeper, leaving you worried. He was so stoic and still, you have never seen him this flushed and troubled before. He walked over to a sink and turned it to the hottest temperature, letting his fingers heat up. Turning to you, he only looked more flustered. It was like the most awkward staring contest ever, until he managed to mutter out a string of words.

"Go on and sit on the couch..." You nodded, dropping the keys on a nearby table before making yourself comfortable.

Moments later, you hear the water stop flowing, and footsteps that approach closer to you. He sat beside you, shaking off some water from his hands. The droplets fly onto the side of your pants, to which he quickly realised and apologised for.

"Sorry, (name)."

"It's just water," You smiled. "Don't apologize!"

The living room was lit bright, almost as if Eichi was expecting you. You turn over to him, noticing he’s avoiding eye contact with you. His face was a bit red, a rosy blush complimented his cute cheeks.

"Why did you come find me, (name)...?" He mumbles, still not making any eye contact.

"Well... I just felt like I needed to apologize." You finally broke the truth to which Eichi turns his head towards you.

"I... I messed up big. You're an idol, you're supposed to swoon the crowd. It was stupid of me to start an arguement about it." It was hard to swallow your own pride, but it had to be said.

"No... It's my fault too," Eichi mutters. "I shouldn't have made myself so comfortable, I could've restricted myself a little..." He looks down, absently studying the bony structure of his hands. You took his hand into yours, stroking along his veiny hand in a way you hoped was reassurance. He breathed in, pained and breathed out. The hitch in his voice made your heart break into a million pieces.

You couldn't stand the sight of Eichi hurt. You loved him too much to handle it. It hurts more than a million bullets to your chest, something you were oddly shy to admit. A hand creeps around his shoulders to pull him closer to you, resting his head on your shoulder. Eichi sighs, resting his hand on your lap.

"Let's just move on from this okay? I love you, and—" Your sentence was cut off by the soft snoring of the man resting on you. He had fallen asleep the moment he laid his head on your shoulder.

You sighed at his cuteness, but you couldn't deny the fact you missed this feeling. You missed being oh so close with him. Like any good boyfriend, you cuddled back with him.

Maybe you'll take him to the winter blossoms tomorrow. Although witnessing them was beautiful, the sleeping beauty resting upon your shoulder was worth more.

[thera-daydreams]

PLUS ONE

》 A TRESE TWOSHOT 《

[Maliksi x Reader]

📝 Summary: In which your beloved best friend snatches you from your apartment at dawn asking you to be his plus one for his cousin's wedding. Unbeknownst to the clueless you, everything is just going according to Maliksi's ultimate masterplan. With the help of friends and family, the Prince of the Tikbalang finally gets the girl he's been longing for. And oh, Señor Armanaz gets his dream daughter-in-law and the promise of grandchildren within the year.

📌 Warning: May contain some slight NSFW for spicy suggestiveness and cussing. No smut or anything super SPG—this girl can't write that for her life—but just be prepared. It's Maliksi we're talking about. We've got friends-to-lovers, obliviousness, pining, fluff, and a tikbalang simp. Figure it out. 😃

(word count: 7,454) ♥︎ Part Two: ?

》 AUTHOR'S NOTE 《

Not an Inday spinoff, but a lengthy oneshot in celebration of this blog getting 90 followers. Just ten more to 100, yay! Thank you so much for the love and support, everyone. I also promised that I'll be making this brainrot that @binibiningbabaylan and I have fangirled over a few days ago (find the original post here) when I finished the latest chapter of Inday. Here it is! 🥰

Before I forget, I was also inspired by the cute fic made by @crispybasil titled "Sunshowers" and the "Trese Boys As Things My Guy Friends Do" made by the amazing @smolla-than-a-bug (I bow down to your wonderful works in the Trese fandom). I definitely see Maliksi to be the type to go on spontaneous roadtrips and be the boyfriend to drive you around eveeeerywhere (while also driving you crazy). 🚘

There are also some songs mentioned throughout this work. You should probably listen to them while reading for the full experience. Ending was somewhat rushed but eh, I'm too exhausted and I've rewritten it too many times. Also, if someone makes some actual tikbalang smut, tag me please. Anyways, enjoy! 💕

The way it all started was hilarious. Absolutely fucking hilarious. It happened like a blur. Literally. One second, you were snoozing in your bed. The next? You had a seatbelt on in the shotgun seat of a sophisticated-looking car. Your brain didn't even get to process it yet.

"... So let me get this straight," you grumbled, still half-asleep from your sleep marathon. You just finished a hugely successful project at work yesterday, got promoted, and wanted to make up for the restless nights you spent overtime in the office. Of course you were irritated from being disturbed. You were on vacation leave for two entire weeks, originally planning to go into temporary isolation by deactivating your social media accounts and reserving a beach cabana for yourself in Batangas.

Well, turns out, you weren't going to Batangas anytime soon. All because your unreasonably spontaneous bestfriend of ten hectic years stole you from your apartment at 2AM. Was this considered kidnapping? Was this him just being more in touch with his tikbalang side, taking unsuspecting women in their sleep and leading them to their inevitable death? (He was going over the speed limit, so it was a valid thought.) Will wearing your shirt inside-out save you today? Lord, masyado ka pang pagod para mag-isip ngayon.

"Go on."

"You abducted picked me up in the middle of the night because you want me to be your plus one at your cousin's wedding in Tagaytay?"

"Yup. And technically, the venue is right on the outskirts of Cavite going to Tagaytay," he corrected you as a matter-of-factly.

"Same thing, whatever," you huffed tiredly. "Your cousin's wedding is at 6AM today. In a few hours. In four hours."

"Uh-huh."

You groaned exasperatedly, "Mal naman, eh! You didn't even let me bring anything. Could've at least given me a heads-up a few hours ago. I'm practically emptyhanded right now save for my phone! Sinungaling ka, you said this was just a normal midnight drive—not a freaking wedding!"

The Prinsipe ng Mga Tikbalang, son of the Great Stallion, heir to the Armanaz herd, and the Top Drag Racer of C-5 Expressway—if that was even one of his Game of Thrones-like titles—grinned as he continued driving beside you. He let you continue ranting in the passenger seat while he mulled over his ultimate masterplan that would change his entire life later on. He was a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy, so all this wasn't his thing. But for you? He'll make plans, alright.

"Wala man lang akong dinalang masusuot o kahit konting makeup para maging presentable sa harapan ng buong pamilya mo," you exclaimed, in absolute despair. "Do you know how out of my league you are? Your rich-ass family might judge me—hell, your dad might see me as a hampaslupa if I show up there in my pambahay and tsinelas!"

"Psh, I'm not out of your league," Maliksi waved it off, smoothly turning a corner. "And calm down. We've known each other for a decade! My dad practically loves you as his own daughter. Heck, the entire family knows you and keeps telling me they want you adopted in already. Lolo Andres and Lola Perlita said they'd have the paperwork settled. You just need to sign them."

It would be even better (and easier) if you married into the family. To him, specifically (as if he'd let anyone else have you). God, he was already being so obvious in his advances, but you were just so damn oblivious whenever it came to romance. None of this needed to happen if you just got it through your thick skull that he was madly in love with you.

"That's not the point, idiot!" you slumped back into your seat, hopeless. "Do you think the bride and the groom will get offended? Shit, baka masumpaan ako kung magagalit sila, Mal. Mukha akong patay galing sa South Cemetery."

The long-haired tikbalang rolled his eyes, "Huwag kang mag-alala. Nothing's going to go wrong. Chill ka lang diyan. I've got everything under control, babe."

Babe. Yes, he even called you babe but you thought it was him being a himbo and a massive flirt. Now, it was his common term of endearment for you, but you still assumed it was him just being irksome to you and that you couldn't stop the man from saying it anymore. Thus, you let it be (the most obvious hint of his attraction to you, bestie).

"... Ugh, why didn't you ask Hannah or Amie to go with you?"

He just smiled knowingly, shrugging and making up an excuse, "Nagmamadali ako, eh. Hannah and Amie are also coming, but they already have the other tikbalang as dates."

"'Luh, ako pala ang backup choice mo?"

"Heh. Whatever you want to think."

Little did you know that you were always his first choice. Always. Even when he pursued Alexandra Trese many years ago, trying to convince himself you were just his best friend, it was always you. How did he come to that realization? Well, an international band he was a fan of released a song a couple years ago and he heard it being played in a club in BGC. The song title?

It Was Always You by Maroon 5.

Needless to say, after hearing the song and being unable to get it—get you—out of his mind at night, he stopped courting Alexandra. Unfortunately for him, that time, you'd started dating other men. Therefore, he was left on the sidelines... until your latest and most painful breakup, at least. That was five years ago. You still hadn't dated anyone since then, kind of traumatized from getting into another failed relationship like that.

In the present day, as if the fates were playing on you two, one of your favorite artists played on the radio. A very ironic song given the situation you two were in.

Best Friend by Rex Orange County.

Maliksi knew it was a favorite of yours. He knew it by the way your eyes lit up like a star brightening the twinkling night sky. Like the sun first rising in the morning at Apolaki's command. Like the moon extending its gentle rays from the magic of Mayari herself. If there was anything he wanted to ask of the old gods, it was you—everything else be damned.

"I wanna be the one that makes your day, the one you think about as you lie awake," you half-sang and half-screamed happily, somewhat out-of-tune. "I can't wait to be your number oooooone! I'll be your biggest fan and you'll be mine—"

Maliksi glanced at you, not minding that his eardrums were probably getting microscopic ruptures from your aggressive singing. As much as he wanted to stare at you all day, he had to keep his eyes on the road. But the lyrics you were singing were wrong; the Prince of the Tikbalang was already yours from day one.

"Babe, McDo drive-through tayo for breakfast. Let me make it up to you. Gusto mo ng caramel sundae for your promotion gift? Sige. Ako bahala. Chicken nuggets din? Mabubusog ka ba niyan? I don't think they serve those this early..."

》》》

"Sandali lang!" you shouted out from inside an empty room. You'd just arrived at the venue—the Alta Veranda de Tibig in Silang, Cavite (practically the gateway to Tagaytay)—an hour or so ago. The hired makeup artist just left so that you could privately change into the outfit that had been bought specifically for you. Curse Mal and his ability to buy anything (perhaps anyone) he wanted. "Bwiset, Mal, you didn't tell me we'd be part of the damn entourage. We have to be walking the aisle in thirty minutes, simbako! You just love rushing me, don't you!?"

If only you were the one walking down the aisle today towards him.

When you exited the room, Maliksi couldn't help but let his jaw drop as he skimmed your figure, clad in the luxurious, silky satin blush midi dress he bought in one of those fancy stores in Makati yesterday. He imagined that it would look great on you, but now, seeing it on you in person... you looked divine (and frankly, he wanted to see it off your body to see what was underneath—but don't get too ahead of yourself, Mal). It was a whole 'nother level from his imagination. The deep cowl neckline and thin spaghetti straps showed your lovely collarbones... as well as a peek of your cleavage. His favorite and the best part of it all? It was backless, allowing him to gaze at the tempting curve of your spine.

He hadn't realized he had grown silent until you smiled and closed his mouth, tapping his chin.

"Lalangawin ang bibig mo, Mal," you laughed softly. Never had you seen him so speechless. You then flicked your hair back, ridiculously posing for him like you were on the cover of Vogue magazine (haba ng hair mo, gurl!). "Do I look that good? Char lang."

"... You look absolutely ravishing—I mean, uh, stunning. Hot. Yeah." That was all he could say. He mentally punched himself for not showering you with more suave compliments.

Still, your face brightened up, not knowing that the man in front of you just fell for you a thousand times harder, "Wow! Really? Damn. Ang galing talaga ng MUA na kinuha mo, ginawa akong artista. Give me their contact number later! May work event pa naman ako in two months. I'm shocked, it's like they made me rise from the dead! Even my eyebags are gone, Mal! How'd they do that?" Heck yeah, your confidence was boosted. He offered his arm to you like a gentleman, making you half-heartedly roll your eyes (you took it anyway). From holding it alone, you could tell that your best friend was a sinewy man (well, you knew that already after seeing his tikbalang form before—the little shit didn't even wear a loincloth like all his clanmates; your poor eyes were eternally scarred).

You looked him up and down. You wouldn't lie—Maliksi is and always has been an attractive man. Now? With his hair in a ponytail (pun not intended), definitely one of the hunkiest men you've ever known. "You're not looking too bad yourself, horsey."

"Ako pa!" He puffed his chest out in pride. You chuckled at his reaction.

"By the way, how do you even know my dress size and my shoe size?"

"Babe, I've known you too long. You know almost everything about me, I know everything about you."

You snorted at his confident tone, "'Di nga? You don't know every single thing about me, Mal. Assuming ka masyado."

"Alam ko nga anong cup size mo. Wala lang 'yang shoe and dress size."

You slapped his shoulder, cheeks quickly flushing red, "Huy, umayos ka! Walang hiyang tikbalang na 'to." With this guy as your best friend? You heard dirty jokes at least once a day. "Don't be inappropriate here!"

"What? It's only fair I know!" He looked down on you suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. "You already know I always go commando, so of course I know that your bra is a size—"

"Shhh! Baka marinig ka, 'nyeta."

"So? Let them hear. My best friend has a nice set of melons!" he shouted. You were grateful there was no one around. Hopefully.

"Oh my God..."

Your best friend chortled at how flustered you'd become. He led you to where some of his family was waiting, with a couple of his relatives already greeting you. You instantly and quite easily mingled with them, your worries of them not accepting you far from even true (they all knew how much their prince loved the innocent you).

"Kayo na talaga, pare?" one of his older tikbalang clanmates asked while you went away to be fawned over by his aunts.

Maliksi chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched you from afar, "Heh. Hindi pa."

Another one of his clanmates—a younger one—laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "Talaga? That's cap, bro. You two are like a married couple already and you guys still aren't a thing?"

"Ilang taon na ba kayong magkakaibigan?" the older one asked him.

"Almost ten years," Maliksi responded, a smile unconsciously pulling his lips up as he remembered your moments together. He watched you converse with his female relatives (who adored you the moment Maliksi brought you to a family event many moons ago).

The two tikbalang snickered as they saw the look on the Great Stallion's heir.

"You're down bad," the younger one said, snapping a photo of his lovestruck kuya. "You've got it so bad for her, dudeparechong!"

"Balak mong ligawan anytime soon?" the older tikbalang inquired.

"Heh. Balak ko na ngang pakasalan. Kung pwede, ngayon."

They looked at Maliksi as if he was crazy. He was very much serious, though, even if there was a huge, lopsided smile on his face. The Prince of the Tikbalang raised a brow at them.

"What? Don't give me that look. Our ten years of being best friends is practically the courting and the dating stage already."

"Eh... you're right. Don't waste anymore time. Go and marry her today, dude. Suporta kami sa'yo, basta groomsmen kami sa kasal niyo, ha!"

"Ge. Without question."

Meanwhile, on your end with the ladies of the family, they started pestering you on your love life (like all typical Filipino aunties). Chismis everywhere.

"O, iha, single ka pa ba?"

"Kailan ka magpapakasal? Malapit ka nang pumasok sa thirties mo."

"Do you want kids? How many?"

"Are you and Maliksi a couple? You look good together! Kayo na, 'di ba?"

"Will you be getting married next? Are you engaged? When's the wedding? Invite niyo kami!"

Before you could get overwhelmed by their questions, Maliksi swept you off your feet to lead you to the entourage that was lining up outside the chapel area. Again, it happened like a blur. He laughed at the partially nauseated look on your face.

"You okay there?" he asked, grinning.

"Your family thinks we're together," you muttered quietly, not meeting his eyes. You weren't sure why you felt... tingly about their statements.

He tilted his head at you curiously, gently setting you down on your feet and helping you stand.

"Do you hate the idea?" It hurt him to ask you the question, but he wanted your thoughts on it. Perhaps doing this was a bad idea. Maliksi was competitive in many things, including wanting you to be his, but if you were so opposed to it, he would never force you into something you didn't want. He let go of your hand; you didn't even notice he'd been holding it until he let go. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Your wide-eyed gaze snapped back to look up at him, "No! No, it's not that! And... it's not bad." Your hand felt strangely empty now that his was gone. Biting your lip, you disclosed, "You're not making me uncomfortable, Mal. Don't ever think that."

With that, you shyly interlocked your arm with his, tearing your eyes from his to mask the growing warmth you felt spreading in your veins. You two didn't say anything else when the ushers let you walk down the beautiful, petal-covered aisle together.

The man beside you was starstruck. Hopeful. Maybe both of you did have a chance. Maybe somewhere in the depths of your soul, his feelings for you were being reciprocated. For the rest of the sacred ceremony in the gorgeous main pavilion, both of you relished in short, comfortable, and low conversations. He even cracked jokes every once in a while—really funny ones that made it challenging for you to you stifle your laughter.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Maliksi fervently prayed to Bathala that he'd experience the same opportunity he was seeing with you someday. One day.

Even while the sun was brightly out, the sky began showering down light rain onto the land. You were in awe as you looked out the window.

"Hala, totoo nga pala! Tignan mo!" you laughed, tugging Maliksi's suit sleeve, pointing at the window.

"Na ano?" he curiously inquired, not understanding what you were referring to.

"Na kapag may tikbalang na kinakasal, umuulan habang may araw pa," you replied, eyes filled with childlike mirth and wonder. A rainbow had even begun to form by the clouds. "Look, it's magical! Ang ganda pala ng view dito kasama ang old Spanish architecture. Timeless na timeless. It's so pretty, 'no? Picture tayo 'maya, Mal."

Unlike you, it wasn't the sky outside that the prince was looking at. Amidst the loud cheers for the newlywed couple and the bubbles the guests were blowing, his vision could only focus on how magnificent you looked while being amazed. You were his best view. (Ed from 90-Day Fiancé, kabahan ka na, may katapat ka sa pickup line mo.)

》》》

"Smile for the picture!"

You giggled as Maliksi was dragged into a photo-op with the bridesmaids and the important older wedding sponsors a few feet away (funnily, he looked a little constipated around them). All of a sudden, when he was heading back to your direction, you were roughly pushed into the said man's arms. When you turned around, there was nothing (except maybe a gust of wind that came out of nowhere).

"Ooh, gotcha. Careful," the tikbalang steadied you, strong hands holding your biceps. "Natapilok ka?"

"... Huh, hindi naman," you wondered suspiciously, looking around. "I think someone pushed me? Parang tinulak ako... but wala namang tao."

"Weird. Maybe it was just the wind."

It actually was. Really. Maliksi knew for a fact that it was those two taong hangin who were spying on you from the corner, trying to pair you up. He gave them a thumbs-up while your back was turned in the opposite direction. Hannah and Amie returned the thumbs-up before vanishing. Suddenly, the two wedding photographers had moved on from the bridesmaids and were right beside you.

"What a lovely couple you two are!" she praised. Before you could correct her, she held up the black contraption she held towards you two. "Pose for the camera, lovelies!"

And so you did, the photographer guiding you two on what to do. Maliksi wrapped his arm around your waist and you leaned on his side, looking sidewards to the camera with one leg cocked in front of the other. Her assistant, who was holding a polaroid camera, printed out two photos for you.

"Thank you," you told him, taking the photos from his hands then flicking them rapidly to make the images develop. You and Mal were about to walk to the reception area when the photographer stopped you, handing the male beside you a business card.

"If you two need a photographer or a videographer for your wedding, call me," she signaled to both of you before running to another guest, bringing her assistant with her.

You gawked, "Mal, did you just hear what she said?"

"Loud and clear." A grin was on his face. He seemed very pleased at what he heard.

"... How can she even tell if someone is married or not?"

Maliksi's free hand took your left hand, tapping the ring finger, "Nothing here."

"Ooooooh. I get it now." Your brows creased. "Huh. This is like the fifth time today the people here have mistaken us for a couple."

Maliksi shrugged, teasing you, "Who knows? Baka may potential tayo, babe."

Before you could ask him what he meant, he was hurriedly towing you to the reception venue. While he was doing that, you stared at the now-developed polaroid photos you were holding. Huh. Maybe you two did look like a couple.

"Come on, they're serving some snacks at the welcome reception area. Peach pie and mango float-flavored. Paborito mo, babe."

》》》

The rest of the night went by without a hitch. You were actually enjoying the event—the host was great, the food was great, the music was great. Everything was great... that was, until the games.

"Alright! Now that the bride's garter has been removed, let's have the bouquet and garter toss... starting with the females!" the host announced. "Dear bride, please stay here in front. And all single ladies—and by single I mean ready to mingle and are not married—please rise and stand here on the dance floor. Let's play matchmaker tonight, everyone!"

"Uy, single ladies daw," Maliksi nudged your side. "Sign mo na 'yan." You snorted like a pig.

"Nope, ayokong madamay sa bouquet toss," you whisper-yelled at your best friend. "Do you know how embarrassing that is?! Besides, they won't notice if I don't join! Special tactic ko 'yan sa weddings: pretending I'm not single. Katabi naman kita."

More women came to the front, making you feel assured that you didn't need to participate. The host was about to say something, when the bride interrupted to whisper something into his ear.

"Hala, halaaa! Sabi ko all single ladies, pero may isang single lady na nagtatago pa!" he announced, making you freeze. Please don't let it be you. "What's her name, beloved bride?"

"Y/N L/N." You nearly spat out your champagne. You? Did they just call out your name? How did they know?

"Oh fuck," you cursed quietly.

"'Di ka makakatakas dito, babe," Maliksi jabbed, making you stand up. "Tinatawag ka na."

"Baka may ibang Y/N L/N dito," you resisted, attempting to sit back down. "I can't do this, Mal."

"'Sus, ikaw pa. And it's just a symbolic ceremony!" he encouraged, as if he didn't have any underlying intentions. "I doubt the bouquet will go to you anyway."

Sheesh, what a big fat liar you are, tikbalang prince.

You expressed your dissatisfaction with the situation, "Bwiset, fine. I'll just... dodge it. Or evade it. God, I swear..." You calmed down, confident. "I'm not going to worry. I've never caught the bouquet at my own friends' weddings anyway."

When you were at the dance floor, Maliksi snickered, seeing the bride—his cousin—wink at him. After all, he had thoroughly bribed her earlier.

《《《

"It's about time you settled down with someone, Mal," the bride commented while he slipped her the newest Hermés designer bag filled with a bunch of jewelry (plus some bills) two hours ago, right before the reception began and while you were in the restroom freshening up. "Hehehe, this is why you're my favorite cousin."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Of course. I'll make sure she participates. I'll also try to throw it in her direction."

"Good. Thanks."

"You better invite me to your beach wedding. I can tell how much you love her."

"Not a problem. I'll even make you a sponsor."

The bride stared at her bouquet, already practicing how she was going to throw it, "Tito's going to thank me so much for ensuring that he's going to get grandkids soon, hihi."

》》》

Back to the present, on the other end of the room, Maliksi saw a familiar duo give him a sign that they were ready. Bingo. Time to execute the most important part of his plan.

《《《

"I don't care how you do it," he told the two wind elementals after he bribed the bride. "I've already instructed the bride on what she should do, pero siguraduhin niyo lang talagang lumipad sa kanya ang bouquet."

"Mmhmm," Amie flipped her hair, a hand on her cocked hip. "And what do we get in return, oh great Señorito Armanaz?"

"Sagot ko bar-hopping niyo for one month."

The two girls pretended to think about it, making Maliksi roll his eyes. He had to pull out the big guns, huh?

"Fine. Magbibigay ako ng cash deposit plus pwede niyong gamitin ang black card ko for a one-week shopping spree in Ortigas." There. Bullseye. That's what they liked.

"Deal!" they exclaimed excitedly.

Hannah let a cool gust of wind enter one of the nearby windows, testing out how they're going to do this. "Ano pa bang pinaplano mo for Y/N mamaya?"

Maliksi hummed, "Basta."

》》》

You tried your best to hide within the densest part of the group of women. The bride seemed to have her eyes on you, weirdly enough, and she looked almost feral wanting to throw her flowers into someone's face.

That someone being you. Most likely.

"Target locked on," you saw her mouth move. She positioned herself like she was about to throw a football at someone (ahem, you). Holy shit, was she talking to you? Miss ma'am, it was a bouquet toss not a bouquet throw. The bride seemed to notice this, and once more regained her elegant composure.

"3, 2, 1," the host counted down. "Go!"

Surprisingly, the bouquet flew very high into the air (it was a wonder it didn't get tangled in the ceiling decor), but quite a distance away from you. You grinned, knowing it was too far to even touch you. Squeezing through the crowd of women eagerly awaiting the bouquet, you went to return to your assigned table.

Ah, what a wonderful evening.

Sike!

Something painfully landed right into your face, leaves and flowers getting into your hair and mouth.

... Wait, leaves and flowers?

Before you could comprehend it, the bouquet dropped right into your arms. What kind of ungodly, inhuman force allowed this to even happen?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our lucky girl for the night!" Everyone clapped, with some—those guests you knew—even cheering your name unbelievably loud. The host approached you, a glint in his eye which you couldn't understand. "Miss Y/N, kindly sit here while we await the lucky guy who catches the garter from the groom."

What just happened?

"All single gentlemen, please proceed to the dance floor. Remember, the man who gets the garter gets to slip it onto the lucky lady's leg later!"

Oh, God. You pinched the bridge of your nose. What you'd give to be back at home or to be in that resort in Batangas you'd planned on going to for a solo vacation.

"To make this even more exciting," the host stated, handing you a black blindfold. "Our lucky lady has to keep her eyes closed until her lucky man for the night captures the bride's garter! When the music plays, only then can she uncover her eyes."

See? Humiliating, just as you expected. Still, you wrapped the blindfold around your head (albeit hesitantly). You attempted to guess who it might be, thinking of all the tikbalang friends Maliksi had introduced to you back then whenever he invited you to his clan reunions.

"Groom, are you ready?" the host asked, microphone loud and clear.

"Ready na ready!"

"Single gentlemen, are you ready?!"

"Ready na ready! Awoo, awoo!" they loudly chorused, exactly mimicking Spartans about to engage in battle. You sweatdropped in the seat you were in. This was actually kind of scary. Maybe you felt a bit objectified.

"3, 2, 1, go!"

There was a brief moment of silence, which made you concerned. Ba't ang tahimik? Then, everyone erupted into roars and bravoes much louder than when you caught the bouquet—perhaps even louder by tenfold. What the heck was happening?!

The music played. Very raunchy, spicy, babymaking music. You expected it to be the typical Careless Whisper by George Michael or Pony by Ginuwine (corny songs which you could probably laugh at, at least), but no. Nuh-uh, this was probably worse. The DJ must be pretty young, the song of their choosing being a slowed, bass-boosted, sexier remix of Earned It by the Weeknd.

Ano 'to, bold? Fifty Shades of Grey? The hell was this?

Alright. This was embarrassing. Thank the heavens there were no children at this party. From the music alone and its implications, this was strictly for adults.

You removed your blindfold (that was okay now, right?) as the guests whistled playfully. You peeked one eye open reluctantly, then inwardly groaned. Oh, no. You should've expected it to be him of all people from how loud the reactions were. And all those yells from the crowd were from his family.

Son of a—

"Well, this has proven to be a very interesting arrangement!" the host proclaimed. "Our lucky man for tonight is none other than our great clan leader's heir, Maliksi Armanaz! Congratulations, sir! You get to slip the lacey little garter on Miss Y/N!"

The said very smug tikbalang stood a few feet away from the chair you were sitting on, smirking at you. His hair was no longer in that mesmerizing ponytail—instead, he'd tied it into a more sinfully attractive man-bun, loose strands framing his face and accentuating that sharp, angled jaw of his (say yes and thank you to Manny Jacinto's jawline, besties).

"Let's cheer him on in his new mission, everybody!" the host pushed. Was this that glint in his eye earlier? And was that a one thousand peso bill sticking out of his pocket?

The groomsmen, Mal's cousins and uncles whom you've met before, hollered words of encouragement to the tall man (who was, oddly enough, not one bit fazed). In fact, Maliksi seemed like he was famished as he stared you down.

You swallowed, feeling like you were going to get eaten (heh, say that again). Maliksi had shrugged off his dark suit blazer to the beat of the song (holy fuck, he also unclasped the suspenders attached to his pants right before your eyes—asdfghjkl). Were you prepared for this? No. Will you ever be prepared? No!

"Mr. Armanaz, before you begin," the host interrupted. "We have an additional challenge for you in this mission. Kaya mo ba? It was a request of the newlywed couple."

"What is it?"

"Use your teeth!" the bride and the groom cheerfully shouted, clapping with the other guests. Whatdidtheysaaaaay???

The cocky bastard didn't even hesitate, his smirk at you growing wider; those pearly whites of his on full display. Was it just you or were his canines a little sharper than usual?

"Anything for the newlyweds. Challenge accepted," he dashingly replied, winking at you. You sputtered indignantly. Pisteng yawa. Putangina. Putek. Pakshet. You swore you thought of every swear word in the book at that moment. What did that YouTube parody song about Filipino mythological creatures say again? About the tikbalang? Ah, yes. Half-macho dancer and half-stallion. Maybe the joke was true, especially when you saw what Maliksi did next.

He bit the shred of lace, loosening his necktie (bestie, you good there?), unbuttoning some top buttons, and rolling up the sleeves of his collared white undershirt up to his elbows (consequently showing off his toned, veiny forearms—those lucky bridesmaids behind him nearly fainted). Honestly, you felt like you were about to lose your mind from embarrassment. With how tantalizing your guy best friend was being? Let our response be: San Pedro, kunin mo na ako. Was he doing all this to tease you? To rile you up?

Because damn it all, it was working. In your ten years of knowing Maliksi Armanaz, withstanding all his daily dirty jokes and flirtatious attempts, never had you seen him like this. So... wolfish. Ravenous. Like he was a man that hadn't been fed in years.

He stalked closer towards you, falling to his knees in front of your legs. Your gown had a long slit that extended up to an inch or two below where your left leg began—your best friend was eyeing his target already, knowing where to place the garter. Normally, you would never even wear something as revealing as this gown. It just wasn't your type, but Maliksi was the one who bought this for you for this specific occasion, so you had no choice. It was this or your pantulog he stole you in just hours ago. At first, you were confident in the gown. Now? You felt too... naked.

Somehow, in the heat of it all, you'd muted out the noise of the venue. Maliksi teasingly lifted your foot up, fingertips slyly grazing the thin shoe straps around your left foot—his calculated touch leaving fire in its trail. Once the garter had been successfuly inserted past your high-heeled stilettos, the man kneeling in front of you kept his hands to himself. Despite the fact that now there was absolutely zero skin-to-skin contact between you and this man, your body felt hotter than it ever was before as he expertly slid the lacy bit of cloth up your ankle at an agonizingly slow pace.

Maliksi's warm eyes had turned dark, his pupils blown, a tinge of red in them—of his true beast—while he maintained striking eye contact with you, pulling the garter up your calf with his teeth. Smoothly tugging... tugging... tugging. Tangina, it was like he was undressing you with his eyes alone; like he was telepathically telling you to keep your eyes open.

To keep your eyes on him, where he was knelt inbetween your legs, his hands intentionally locked on his back. Did you ever imagine this? Him between your legs? Maybe. Once or twice. But you never thought about it seriously; Maliksi dated girls left and right in the past.

His lips... his lips were so close... so close to your leg that you could feel the heat of his breath along with the lace. Were you about to die? Perhaps you already did. Maybe you were in heaven. Up... up... up... snap!

Suddenly, he stopped, grinning up at you mischievously and letting the elastic bounce back to the skin of your left knee.

"I'm not going any further, don't worry, babe," he whispered, noting that your eyes had become misty and glazed over. Internally, he grew worried. "That's enough." Did he think it was from discomfort? From you being uncomfortable? Bitch, no. It was the exact opposite. You had never been this turned on in your entire life.

You felt like your soul had left your body at that moment. Did you just have a heart attack? Was your blood pressure okay? Before you or Maliksi could stand, however, someone bellowed from the wedding sponsor tables.

"Higher! That's an order!"

Fucking hell, it was Maliksi's father who shouted. He wasn't in the huge tikbalang form you'd normally meet him in, but he was still very intimidating in his humanoid form, commanding attention and subservience wherever he went. You could tell where Maliksi got it from.

Instantly, the other guests—already half-drunk and wanting the spirit of partying to continue on—joined in.

"Higher! Higher!"

The host cheered, "You heard Señor Armanaz! Higher!"

Maliksi gave you a questioning look. Even if it was his father who spoke up, he still wouldn't do anything you didn't want. Well, you two made it this far; there was no point in getting embarrassed now. You bit the inside of your cheek, nodding. You probably couldn't erase the redness on your skin with how much you'd blushed from this night. It was as if the heat was tattooed onto your skin.

"Go on, Mal," you whispered to him, bending your torso down closer to his face, eyes half-lidded from want. "Finish what you started, babe."

With those sultry bedroom eyes he'd never once seen you show him before—plus you turning the tables with that familiar term of endearment, how could he refuse? Like a switch had been flipped inside him, he immediately complied, taking the frilly scrap of stretchy lace between his teeth once more, moving it further up to your thighs until where your high slit ended—centimeters below the warming juncture between your legs.

Your legs felt wobbly... boneless, as you stood up from the chair, the fabric of your gown cascading over where the lace sat securely on your upper left thigh. The party was still going strong even after you two finished the garter wearing tradition.

"'Atta boy! That's my son!" Señor Armanaz blazoned, standing up and raising his glass for a toast. "Cheers to the newlywed couple! May they last forever!"

You guys weren't the newlyweds, but it did sure feel like it. If the clan leader was hyped up, everyone was hyped up. Heck, the groom and the bride didn't mind one bit what had just transpired on their dance floor. In all the chaos, Maliksi took you out of the reception area and somewhere quieter. More private.

You would need to have a serious, urgent talk with your boy best friend.

》》》

You two silently sat on a stone bench in a gazebo somewhere in the reserved venue for the wedding, trying to cool down and get yourselves back together (at this point, you needed ice from that steamy, half-scandalous event you just went through). Here, there was no one else except for the chirping of crickets, the lush trees surrounding the area, and the golden fairy lights strewn all over the roof. Awkwardness was something you'd expected after what just happened, but somehow, you still felt comfort in this man's presence. For the past thirty minutes, both of you just stayed still, lost in your thoughts and reflecting.

"Mal?" you finally spoke up.

"... Hmm?"

"Ano tayo?"

"Whatever you want us to be."

Your fingers instinctively reached out for his, just like they always did when you were anxious. Sensing this, he grasped your hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Soothingly. He massaged the skin of your fingers, distracting you from your nervousness. It seemed like both nothing and everything changed between both of you. The gesture was the same, but so different at the same time.

"Mahal mo ako." It was not a question. It was a statement. A truth—one that you'd been too blind to see before. One that you only discovered while you stared into each other's eyes in that party not as best friends. You realized with a jolt in your heart what he really felt for you, and now, what you really felt for him. In those thirty minutes of silence, you knew. You just knew.

"Yes. I do."

"... Just as a best friend?" you probed.

"..."

Finally, you gazed into his eyes, previously so dark and full of hunger. Now? Just reluctant. Vulnerable. Open. Unsure of what to do next.

Seems like you had to be the one to take initiative tonight. Taking out your phone, you opened your music app and pressed play on a certain song. Ikaw at Ako by Johnoy Danao. You removed your heels (which were starting to blister your ankles and toes), then pulled him up to stand.

"Dance with me," you murmured, grabbing his arms to wrap them around your waist. He was stiff. Tense. What was he to do when the woman he's been pining after for so long let him hold her? All his gallantry and ability to romance disappeared out the window the moment you let him touch you so intimately.

You two weren't even waltzing. Just swaying. Slowly, you leaned your head on his broad chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.

"... I love you," Maliksi admitted in the middle of it all, feeling like he was dreaming. Your head on his chest kept him grounded to reality, however. "More than anything in the universe. I fell for you ever since you patched me up when you were nineteen and I was a reckless drag racer who didn't have a purpose in life. 'Nung dinala mo ako pabalik sa Armanaz Tower on the verge of death. Simula noon, ikaw lang."

"I realized that," you smiled, reminiscing the old memory. You were just a broke college student that time, coming back to your dorm from making your group thesis at a classmate's house. Imagine your panic when you found a half-man, half-horse bleeding out by some bushes on the way home at night. Despite your fear and your little money (only enough to feed you for the week), you went out of your way to buy a first-aid kit at the nearest 7/11. It was scary, but you managed to mend the creature's wounds by the side of the road. When he was finally able to speak, turning fully human (which you admit, freaked you out initially), you arduously carried him back to his address—to his father and his clan, even if you had classes the very next morning. Because of your heroic deed of saving their precious heir, the tikbalang clan had become indebted to you: a teenage girl on the verge of a mental academic breakdown, just making her way through the cruel adult world. How old of a memory that was, you thought, yet you still recalled it in perfect detail. "Just a while ago."

"Ah." He swayed you gently.

"Lahat ng ito, plano mo?"

"... Yes," Maliksi fessed up. "Except for this part where we're here dancing in this belvedere. Wala sa plano ko. Gusto ko sanang magconfess doon sa may fountain para sweet, pero..."

You lifted your head off his chest, smiling at him with one brow raised, "You know, between both of us, you're supposed to be the spontaneous one. Planning isn't usually your thing."

"I know. It's a failure, huh?" Maliksi sighed.

"Nah." You shook your head, then suddenly locked lips with him. It was so fast and surprising he didn't even get the chance to return your first kiss. For once, you caught him off guard. You pecked him on the lips again. "It's not a failure."

"Wha—"

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Maliksi. Ten years. We're twenty-nine now, and only tonight do I realize how blind I've been. We've been going around in circles, wasting so much time. Ayoko nang mag-aksaya ng oras," you whispered guiltily against his lips. How could you have been so blind? Andaming nasayang na taon. Making up your mind, you told him, "Yes. Sige, I accept. I'll be your plus one."

The tikbalang was flustered and baffled from the kiss, as well as your revelation, "... But, you already are?"

"No, silly. I meant that I'll be your plus one for life. For as long as you'll have me," you laughed, now processing that you were currently dancing barefoot with your boy best friend and had just kissed him in a wedding you didn't even plan on going to. The universe had a mysterious way of doing things. "Guess I'm the spontaneous one now, huh?"

Maliksi was tongue-tied. "Seryoso ka ba? Is... Is this a marriage proposal?"

"Whatever you want it to be," you echoed his words back to him. "Best friend, plus one, girlfriend, wife—mmpf!"

He kissed you so hard your lips bruised. After an impromptu makeout session which was definitely more in character for Maliksi, you both pulled away, panting heavily in search for air, still desperate for passion. He cupped your cheeks, giving you a sweet, featherlight Eskimo kiss.

"You're missing one more title."

"Hm? What do you mean, Mal?"

"Love of my life." He kissed you again, this time lifting you off your feet and spinning you around (his sneaky right hand was resting on your bum, too, giving it a tight squeeze). You know in the Princess Diaries where the main character's foot just... pops whenever the prince charming kissed her? Yeah, that happened to you on that humid summer night. This was right. You two were meant to be together. Everything was falling into place.

The bungalow you reserved for your Batangas vacation leave ended up being the site of your very eventful honeymoon with the Prince of the Tikbalang (with his libido, it wasn't that difficult to continue where you'd left off in the garter toss; that scrap of lace came off your leg the same way it went on). Actually, nauna pa ang honeymoon sa actual wedding (it was definitely spontaneous). Right after your confession in that alcove, you two went to Maliksi's father to ask for his blessing (which he gladly gave, cackling and saying that it took you long enough) before you guys went driving off to Batangas that night. You and Mal indeed had lots and lots of fun in that resort (I'll let you imagine the rest). More beautiful memories were made from that point on—this time, not just as best friends.

All that and your small, intimate wedding occurred in early April. Just when you thought that it'd be impossible to fulfill Maliksi's life goal of having a baby within the year (nine months of pregnancy meant that the earliest you'd give birth would be January next year), the impossible happened.

Exactly thirty-two weeks later, on New Year's Eve, the Armanaz herd welcomed one prince and two new princesses into the world. Triplets who were instantly adored by everyone in the clan.

Señor Armanaz had never been happier, and so were you and your husband. Your best friend. The love of your life. Your forever plus one.

Maybe being spontaneous wasn't so bad after all.

Taglist: @belladaises @binibiningbabaylan @4kodzuk3n @sparklingmallow @severuslovebot @holyshxtangel @marinac15 @space-flamingo @pippethealien @kashasenpai @disappointmentpastry @hornehlittleweeblet2 @seijohoe @monimiin @ibelievein2dmensupremacy @tinybonksharkcop @methehipster @banisuoh @genshin-idiot @lemonnie-kimmie

[ama-kuu]

Abandoned and Rehomed Ch 2

Warnings: Panic attacks, Depression

Hawks brings you home after picking you up as an abandoned stray

Feline quirk reader

Sorry this is gonna be another sad one. I promise that it's gonna get better as the story progresses. 😅

Link for Chapter 1:

Hawks landed gently on his balcony, tenderly gazing down at your sleeping form. He lightly adjusts you in his arms, as few feathers detach to unlock the keypad and maneuver the sliding doors open. Now under the awning, he shakes out his wings, bristling each feather to expel the water droplets. Glancing back, the rain still falling heavily, he moves swiftly into his penthouse.

……………………

You groaned as your ears flicked at the sounds of a nearby shower starting. Ugh. Your head was pounding. You sat up from the very plush mattress underneath you, rubbing circles at your temples, you slid off the bed. You rocked slightly unbalanced when you straightened up. You peered around the room, your gaze catching at the large wet spot on the bed from your rain soaked clothes, you lowered your ears.

Guilt dug at your gut, your head quickly turned to bathroom the door, it was cracked but you didn't see any movement. You moved your attention back to the bed. In your mind, you were indebted to Hawks for graciously picking you off the streets only to inconvenience him.

You tried to work quickly to remove the sheets and bedding before Hawks returned. Once you had all the bedding gathered in your arms you searched around for the hamper. You were so absorbed in your task you didn’t even notice Hawks leaning against the bathroom door frame snickering at you.

He stealthily moved behind you. You were so focused that you didn't even notice him until his hands gripped your hips pulling you flush against his own. You yelped involuntarily followed by blushing hard.

He shook with laughter as you clutched the bedding close to you. “What are you doing Kitten?” His head cocked to the side trapping you with his intimidating golden gaze.

You faltered under his attention, “Oh..Um..” You looked down at the bedding in your arms, your ears drooping forward as you contemplated your response.

“I wanted to clean up after myself before you came back.” You kept your head down, unwilling to hold his gaze. Did you mess up? Was he upset with you for touching his things? Wha-

He clicked his tongue, breaking you out of your downward spiral. Feathers swarmed the bedding, pulling them from your hold and floated off out of the room. Hawks spun you in front of him, now facing him. He held your chin up to maintain eye contact.

“Kitten…” He leaned in closer, “I didn’t bring you home to be a maid…So let me pamper my new pet properly.”

Your mind was spinning leaving you speechless as you gaped at him. Your mouth hung open stunned for only a brief moment before you sighed in relief, leaning up on your tip toes and purred loudly against his neck. Thank goodness he wasn’t mad. He pet your head gently before gathering you up, his arms scooping you up under your thighs. His hands brushed over your tail causing you to shutter against him. In the short time you were with him it seemed like you spent most of it in his arms rather than touching the ground, it was amusingly pleasant. You melted against him.

You couldn’t help but notice his own wings flutter gently at your reactions. You leaned over him as he carried you towards the bathroom, your fingers gingerly batting at the feathers at the peak of his wings. He deeply inhaled and dipped through the bathroom doorway, careful to make sure you didn't hit your head on the door frame.

He set you down on the marble vanity. The steam from the shower caused a thick fog to coat the room. You took in the room, not only the counter was marble but the floors and the walls as well. It was honestly intimidating to take in. Beside you sat a neatly folded pile of his clothes. Your attention was quickly redirected by a brief flap of his crimson appendages, as he leaned into the shower to check the water temperature. You sat there in a trance as your senses zoned in on his wings. You fought your quirk’s instincts to run your claws through the feathers pulling and tugging at the quills.

Hawks felt the intense stare on his back. Peeking his head subtlety over his shoulder, his pupils narrowed at the sight. You sat there, eyes fully dilated with your claws flexing in between your spread thighs. He slowly expanded his wingspan, eager to watch your expressions. You reacted immediately, claws elongating and digging into the stone counter. Fuck. Watching you restrain your impulses to jump him was HOT.

He shook his head, he was in control. At least that’s what he told himself as he raked his gaze over you. Still in your soaked outfit, he knew he needed to make sure you were taken care of first, before his own needs. He slowly exhaled, regaining that control, he stepped closer to you.

“Kitten. You are going to shower then change into these.” He motioned to the clothing beside you.

Your pupils readjusted back to normal as you listened to his commands.

“Got it kitten?” His eyes flashed with dominance challenging you……

“Yes.” His eyebrows raised surprised to hear you for the first time since you woke up. You smiled gently at him, your heart warm at his efforts to pamper you.

His hands braced your shoulders, “Kitten if you need me, I’ll be right outside the door.”

You nodded as you slid down from the counter. When your feet were planted on the floor he gave your forehead a light kiss before retreating out of the room.

With Hawks no longer around to distract you, the headache you woke up with became more apparent. Your head throbbed as you slowly peeled the heavy clothes from your body. They fell to the floor with a thud as you stumbled to the shower. The steam was now thick and difficult to see through, as you entered the luxury glass shower. You stood under the water stream with your ears tucked down to prevent water from getting too far down into your ear canals.

Your hands grazed up your body as the shower heated you back up. Heat. You froze when your fingers made contact with your collar. Your stomach dropped. Hands become numb as they clenched onto the collar. Even though you were the one left behind, you could not help but feel… guilty… Dabi….Tears flooded your eyes as your legs buckled under you. You couldn’t stop what came next. You began to hyperventilate, you choked on the shower steam as you tried to get air into your lungs. You needed to collar OFF, NOW. Your fingers fumbled with the buckle as you fought back sobs.

“HAWKS!” You screamed for him, fighting to get the words past the tightness forming in your throat. It was getting harder for you to breathe, it felt as if the collar itself was strangling you with your own feelings.

He was on you in seconds. Red blurs flew around you as the shower was shut off, plush towels wrapped cocooned around you and mainly the collar choker removed from your neck. You got one last glimpse of it before it was flown out of the room. Taking deep breaths, you cling to his shirt as if it was the only thing keeping you grounded.

“Everything’s okay kitten, you are safe with me.” His hand cradled your head against him. He didn't dare move you, not until you calmed down. “I’m going to be right here. You can get through this, just keep breathing with me.”

You focused on him and made a conscious effort to sync up with him. In and out. He continued to rub gentle circles on the back of your head with his thumb, as your respirations became slower.

You nodded against his chest, “I’m okay.” Your heart was still pounding in your chest, but you felt better.

You lifted your head and wiped the stray tears from your cheeks, “ I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened.” You smiled to ease your embarrassment.

“No. No apologizing, If you ever need something, you call me. Period.” He squeezed you against him. “Am I alright to pick you up now?”

“Yea, can we go back to bed.” You tugged lightly at his shirt in your hold.

“Anything for you”, he scooped you up effortlessly and carried you back to the bedroom.

You looked at the freshly made bed as he passed it and set you down on the bench at the foot of the bed. It puzzled you as you turned up to look at him.

He leaned down to you, “I'm gonna dry your hair before we go to bed, hang out here for a second.”

You sat there in silence. What time was it anyway? Glancing around you noted the large thick curtains that covered what you assumed to be a large wall of windows. Knowing Hawks, you bet he lived somewhere high up. You internally kicked yourself for not being able to stay awake during the trip here, to get a general idea of where you were.

Hawks returned shortly with a small hair dryer and wet brush in hand. He kneeled behind you carefully brushing through your hair. You pulled your knees to your chest so you could rest your head against them.

“Is this okay? Does it hurt?” He paused to wait for your response.

“No, it’s nice.” He continued to comb through your hair until the brush passed smoothly. Then began section by section blow drying.

You soaked in the warmth as you purred in content. Your chest vibrating from the sounds, you would honestly be surprised if Hawks couldn’t hear it.

You dozed off as he tended to you. Once he finished, used his feathers to return the tools into the bathroom. He pulled you up onto the bed throwing the covers over you and positioned you as the little spoon against him.

His wing covered you, as you held his arms around you. It felt nice to be wanted again. His arms pulled you tighter against him, it was very noticeable now that he was shirtless. Your face flushed at the realization that you never put any clothes on, after your episode you completely forgot.

“What’s the matter?” he blew seductively into your ear. “Your heart rate seems to be increasing rapidly.” He chuckled as he teased you.

Fidgeting with the blankets, you pulled them tighter to your chest. Your cheeks burned from embarrassment, you turned to face him and pouted.

Hawks spun you in his arms, so that you were now fully facing him. “Kitten relax, tonight I’m just gonna cuddle you.” He moved his arm to prop his head up on the pillow. “Besides I wanna make sure you are a little more settled before I scare you away” He winked suggestively at you.

You giggled into his bare chest, “I’d like to see to try”. You scraped your teeth against his skin, giving a brief nip before curling into him and drifting off to sleep.

Taglist:

@sunaswife @viol3tcr3am

This isn’t the end. I promise there will be more chapters to come. I have a lot of ideas and directions for this story to go. I hope that everyone is enjoying it. This is my first series, so I’m doing my best. Thanks for bearing with me. 😸

[mammonprotectionsquad]

May I request a hug with dear Vanderwood either in the style of 19 or 33, whichever you're in the mood for? ;)

Aaaah I'm so sorry for how long it took me to get to the hug requests 😩 I'll try to finally work through all of them as fast as I can, but I can't promise to post one daily. It always depends on how much I have to do during the day and how done I am in the evening (which is currently usually the only time I have for writing) also, they'll all probably be a bit on the shorter side.

Buuuut back to the actual topic! Why pick one when I can combine both? 👀 I hope you like what I came up with, Hope 💕

19. hugging with hands in each other’s pockets

33. ‘picking them up’ hugs

33. "picking them up" hugs

Your eyes were closed, a blissful smile on your face as you listened to the waves, pushing and pulling on the sand around your feet. The salty breeze made the sun beating down on you much more bearable.

It's been forever since you've last been at the beach, so as soon a you've arrived, suitcases put aside in the small beach house you were renting for two weeks, you didn't waste any time. Shoes and socks got quickly discarded, before you rolled up the legs of your pants as far as you could, to prevent the fabric from getting wet as you ran into the water.

But the thing that made everything all the more special was who you would be spending the vacation with; Vanderwood.

After you two started dating and things were obviously going well, you meant to go on a vacation. Just the two of you, away from everything. But as life often is, everything was pretty hectic and it felt like whenever you started making plans something else happened that pushed it farther away. But there you were now. With your most favorite man.

Just as you thought that, you suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around your waist from behind, easily lifting you up to twirl you around shortly.

"Got you~", Vanderwood whispered into your ear, making it possible for you to feel his smile with how close he was, as he carefully set you back down again.

Seeing him so carefree and relaxed never failed to make your heart skip and a small chuckle escaped you about how he seemed to be in a playful mood.

"I wasn't running or hiding from you", you hummed, at the same time turning around in his arms. Reaching up to brush a stray strand out of his face.

"Oh really?", he raised a brow, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Because someone was quite literally running out of the house the second we arrived. You didn't even help me unpack..."

"Mhm... How about I'll make dinner to make up for it? And you can just sit down, relax and look pretty~"

While you offered that, your hands slid over his sides, to his back, until you were able to push them into his back pockets. It didn't take long until he did the same, only that he also decided to give you a little squeeze. The action causing you to blush brightly, no mater how often he'd already done it before, which was why you were quick to bury your face on his shoulder.

"Fine, but I have one condition. Stop hiding that adorabl blush and you have yourself a deal."

Your only reaction to his teasing was a small whine and you pressing even closer to his chest in a bad attempt to hide yourself. But the second you heard his low chuckle, it was impossible not to smile, even making you peek up at him.

The way the sun reflected in his eyes, making them shine so brightly robbed you of all coherent thoughts for a moment. He was just way too handsome for your little heart to handle...

You didn't know who leaned in first, but your lips met halfway in a kiss. Soft, unhurried. Just basking in the warmth and comfort of one another. Afterwards you rested your head against his shoulder again, the two of you silently agreeing to stay like that for a while longer, as you looked out at the glimmering sea.

Masterlist I Masterlist II

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[barsformars]

How Scandalous

//

g - fluff, angst if you squint super hard, a lil suggestive at the end; royalty!au

p - crown prince!yeosang x warrior!reader

w.c - 1199

t.w - none

c - when the line between personal and professional lives are blurred, how can the crown prince show his true feelings for his subject and vice versa?

a.n - for @ficscafe royalty drabble event! it’s the way i finished this only a few days after the event was announced but i wasn’t sure if i was going to post it or not but like since it’s already written,,,, also just reminding everyone that reader is gender neutral!! it always is in my stories unless stated otherwise anyways! and yes female warriors were a thing in the past too for a lil while.

t.l - @closer-stars @jeongyunhoed @fromercury

//

"Your Highness, it's best you keep a straight face," you reminded, eyebrows slightly furrowed as you scanned your surroundings as discreetly as one could be doing so. The crown prince narrows his eyes at you before heaving out a heavy but silent sigh as he slowly lowered the corners of his lips. He would probably roll his eyes and argue with you if the both of you had any privacy at all right now but for now, he can only afford to show his annoyance with a purse of his lips that lasted no longer than a blink of an eye. After all, there are eyes and ears everywhere in the palace — especially around him — and one of his many duties as the crown prince is to always only act as he is expected to.

With a clear of his throat, Yeosang changes the topic to one that was more expected of this meeting, and thankfully it was also something he meant to talk about regardless of who was around. "Chief Choi says the new recruits are terrible," Yeosang shared as you refilled his tea cup. He takes a sip of the warm tea before continuing with a chuckle, "His skills are second to none and so are his high standards. They looked just fine to me."

"Shall I go join Chief Choi on the training now to make them look excellent, Your Highness?" Taken aback by your suggestion, the prince shakes his head as an amused laugh leaves him. He did not mean it that way but of course you would take it seriously, you have always taken pride in your duty as a warrior to protect him.

"No, that's alright, let's not torture the recruits. Besides, I need you for something else." With that, Yeosang rose up from his seat and gestured for you to come with him, a smirk apparent on his face. You wonder what he was up to, but you don't bother questioning him right now so you do as he asks of you. As the both of you descended the small flight of stairs leading up to the gazebo, the long line of servants visibly tensed up as they got ready to follow along, only for Yeosang to stop them from doing so. "Leave us alone from here on, I will return by myself when we're done."

"Yes, Your Highness." You don't miss the shaky breathing of the head eunuch in charge of the prince.

"You're going to get them into trouble," you said softly as the distance between him and the servants grew. Their biggest responsibility was looking after the crown prince and yet he has ordered them to shirk their duty off, putting their lives at risk as if they don't already do on a daily basis. Yeosang only shrugs it off as he increased his pace, forcing you to do the same.

As soon as the both of you turned right round the corner, Yeosang took a quick peek over his shoulders, grabbing your wrist and pulling you along as he ran up the small hill once he was sure there was nobody around. A smile blooms on your face, too, as you see just how pleased he was for you to finally be back from your month long expedition. He has missed you dearly, that much was obvious.

"Are we going to keep running?" You asked as you erupted into breathless laughter, everything was funny once you are free from titles that were meaningless between childhood friends. It is hard to draw a line between your professional and personal lives when they were meant to be intertwined — you can never be just his confidante nor just another one of his many subjects — but you try your very best to separate them anyways. Now, you throw the sword that was by your side to the back of your mind and choose to focus only on how Yeosang's hand has slipped from your wrist to your hand, and how he gave it a gentle squeeze as he slows down and eventually comes to a stop at the entrance of his private garden.

"We don't have to run from anything here," Yeosang reassures as he pushes the gates open. When the both of you entered hand in hand, everything in the world suddenly seemed a little less serious and a little more forgiving. The world is different here in his little private garden. Yeosang shuts the gates before ushering you further in, not that you didn't already know this place like the back of your hand. "Come, I have something for you."

Yeosang sits you down on the bench and walks over to one of the bushes nearby, reaching his hand into them and pulling out a silk pouch before you could ask him what he was looking for. He dangled it as he held it up beside his face which was beaming with happiness and excitement. If Yeosang was anywhere but here, you would have immediately told him to put on a poker face, but you take the rare chance to properly take in and appreciate his pretty smile. He can afford to be vulnerable in front of you.

"Give me your hand," Yeosang requests as he pulls out the contents of the pouch, revealing two beaded bracelets of the same colour. He gently slips one of them onto your hand before slipping the other onto his. "Matching bracelets, I thought they would be a nice idea."

"They are," you replied, your voice soft as you feel tears welling up in your eyes. Maybe you have missed him more than you would ever admit.

"Listen-"Yeosang reaches out one hand to caress your face as he bent his knees to look you in the eyes-"when I have more power, I will make you mine. I promise I will make you mine. Do you trust me?"

You stare back at him, the corner of your eyes drooping down as you processed his words. "Why does it sound like you're going to marry someone else first? Are you?" You feel your throat tighten at the thought of it. It was not a ridiculous idea at all. Yeosang could have been forced into a diplomatic marriage, one that he cannot refuse because as a crown prince, he serves not himself but the country. "That's not fair, th-"

Yeosang gives you a soft knock on your head for being such a fool. "No, no I'm not marrying anyone. Look at you jumping to conclusions. I just want you to know that I'm serious about you, so don't you ever for a second even dare to think I don't love you."

Feeling your cheeks heat up just from his words, you forced yourself to look away from Yeosang. "How scandalous...those words," you said, voice trailing off from the shyness.

"Oh come on, if you consider all the things we could do here, what I just said would be far from scandalous."

Your eyes widened in shock as you delivered a slap to his arm. "Your Highness!"

"What!"

[bright-molina]

Emergency Contact

synopsis: Sometimes it takes an accident and the revelation that Buck is Luke's emergency contact to really bring the Buckley-Mercer (et al) Family to the same page.

fandoms: Julie and the Phantoms x 911

relationships/characters: Buckley!reader (gender neutral), Alex Mercer, Evan Buckley, Luke Patterson, Athena Grant, Maddie Buckley (all relationships are familial/platonic)

word count: 2503

warnings: mentions of minor injuries (and I mean minor, sprained ankle, minor concussion is all)

a/n: @biqherosix surprise! Catch me pushing the Buckley-Mercer family agenda cause I can. For anyone wondering, we're running with the idea that they're cousins. I honestly have no idea where this came from, I wrote it at like midnight yesterday. And it only figures that the first thing I post in forever is a crossover that is mostly self-indulgent but I promise I'm trying to get the hang of things again.

For those of y'all that haven't seen 911 but still wanna read: one, I appreciate you so much oh my gosh, two, I highly recommend it and three, all you really need to know for this one is that Buck is a firefighter with the 118, Athena Grant is a police officer, and Maddie is Buck's older sister and a 911 dispatcher. If I missed anything and you wanna know feel more than free to ask!

The absolute last thing you expected was your phone ringing well past midnight.

“Don’t answer it.”

Alex’s voice sounded from beside you, muffled by the pile of blankets he was buried under. You rolled your eyes and reached for your phone only to have him snatch it out of your grip and stuff it under the blankets alongside him.

“Give it back!”

“No,” Alex crossed his arms tighter, ignoring the second ring completely. “It’s probably Buck checking to see if we’ve gone to sleep yet, if you answer he’ll know we’re still up.”

“Like Buck would voluntarily be up right now. He’s fifteen hours into a twenty four hour shift,” You leaned back against the couch, knowing there was no tearing the phone away from Alex. “Will you at least check who it is to make sure it’s not Maddie?”

Alex groaned, loud and exaggerated, before sticking his head underneath his blankets to check your phone. You were just barely able to hear his panicked ‘uh oh’ before he put on his best fake tired voice and answered, “Hello?”

“Alexander Mercer, what are you doing awake at this hour?”

“I wasn’t awake.”

“Sure you weren’t. Give the phone to y/n.”

He was handing you the phone in a flash and you could see his wide eyes in the dim blue light coming from the living room tv. “It’s Athena.”

“Thanks, I heard. And I told you so,” You smacked him with your pillow when he stuck his tongue out and he quickly ducked back under the blankets. Whether he was hiding from you or Athena was up for debate. “Hi Athena.”

“Y/N,” Uh oh was right. You recognized the tone in her voice immediately. Exasperated and tired with a little bit of worry laced through. “You wouldn’t be able to get ahold of Buck would you?”

“I could,” You sat up straighter and Alex peeked out from under the blankets again, craning his neck to listen in on the conversation. “Is something wrong? Can’t you call Captain Nash?”

“I could,” Athena echoed your words back to you and you heard muffled shouting in the back. “But Captain Nash isn’t Luke’s emergency contact.”

“His what!”

“It’s not a big deal!” Luke’s voice. It was him who had been shouting. “I’m fine!”

“The cast you’re wearing says different,” There was a click on the other end of the line and Alex tripped over the discarded blankets and pillows as he rushed to look for the car keys. “We couldn’t reach him and Maddie was his second emergency contact but May said she went home early today.”

“Yeah, uh, she -” You put on your shoes as fast as possible and reached for the nearest sweater, one you were sure wasn’t yours. “Jee’s teething so she - she’s probably busy with her. What happened? Luke -”

“Is fine. You just focus on getting to the station and bringing Buck to Med cause he’s gotta fill out some papers. I’ll stay here with him until you do.”

“Okay. Okay we’ll be there soon.”

“Y/N put me on speaker,” Athena must’ve been able to hear the panic in your voice. She knew both you and Alex well enough to know every emotion that was running through you both at that moment. “I want both of you to listen to me. Luke is okay. A little scratched up. Maybe a bruised ego. But he’s just fine, I promise you.”

If there was anybody you trusted it was Athena Grant. So you and Alex shared a look, thanked her, and sprinted out of the apartment wondering what on earth Luke had gotten himself into.

“What do you mean you don’t know!”

“Athena didn’t tell us anything!” You shouted right back at Buck despite knowing it probably wasn’t the best idea given the time or the circumstances. Alex was a few feet away, talking quietly to Chimney to have him relay a message to Maddie. She’d be less angry if the news came from him.

“I thought he went back home,” Buck shook his head before jogging down the stairs and you followed him. He all but charged to the locker room and started shoving all his things in the duffel he always carted with him from the apartment to the station and back. “I thought he was okay.”

It wasn’t until then, until you caught a glimpse of his reflection in the little mirror in his locker surrounded by pictures, that you realized something. Evan Buckley, the firefighter, your brother who always seemed so fearless, was scared.

Buck’s mind was racing at a million miles an hour. He kept going through every piece of information he could from the last two days. Luke had promised him. Sworn he was going back home to his parents. He should’ve known better. They were too much alike and he should’ve known better.

He supposed the worrying came with the territory. The anxiety and panic and not knowing were all things he didn’t like but things he would bear if it meant making sure one of his own was okay.

He had always been protective. You were the youngest Buckley and he took it upon himself to make sure you had a better life than him and Maddie had had. Alex was family and he didn’t hesitate to give him a home when he needed one, metaphorically and literally.

And somewhere along the way the Buckley-Mercer family had grown without him realizing it. Alex had brought his band, his friends, over for dinner once and from that moment on they became a fixture in his life.

Bobby, who was surprised the first time Maddie grinned and hugged him, telling him how proud she was of him. Reggie, who was the first to accept a place in their makeshift home, needing the support and love they offered more than anything. And Luke, who was stubborn and wore his heart on his sleeve and fit right in with them.

And Buck couldn’t believe he had let them down. He couldn’t believe that he tried so hard to let Luke know he was there for him and he had failed. If he had just paid a little more attention then -

“I know what you’re thinking,” Your voice cut off his thoughts and he paused for a moment before continuing.

“No you don’t.”

“You’re blaming yourself. It’s what you always do,” You watched as he pocketed his phone and zipped up the bag. “It’s what you did when I thought I could jump off the swing and ended up with a broken arm even though you couldn’t have stopped me. It’s what you did when Alex had that really bad allergic reaction even though none of us knew he was allergic in the place. It’s what you’re doing now.”

Buck slammed the locker shut without meaning to and silently wondered how you seemed to know everything about him when he seemed to know nothing about any of you, not really. He wasn’t like you or Maddie or Alex and that had never been more clear.

“I’m not blaming myself. I just -” He sighed and walked out of the locker room, past you and Alex, and around to the drivers side of the car. He didn’t get in yet. Instead he glanced between the two of you. “I’m not Maddie. I don’t know how to tell what you guys are thinking. I don’t know how to do the things she does. I can’t help how she does. But - but maybe if I could then -”

“You’re right,” You cut him off, already knowing where he was going. “You’re not Maddie. But we don’t need another Maddie, we need Buck.”

“Y/N’s right,” Alex leaned against the top of the car and gave an easy shrug. “Maddie does family dinners every week and helps us with homework and keeps superhero bandaids around for when Reg and Bobby come back from the skate park with scrapes all over them. But you host game nights and come to every one of our practices when you’re not here and tell really bad jokes when you know we need to hear them.”

“They aren’t bad -”

“Yeah they are,” Both you and Alex answered in sync, successfully pulling the faintest laugh from Buck.

“You’re Buck,” You repeated and finally opened the door of the car. “And when Luke left home he came to you. Athena said you’re his emergency contact because he trusts you more than anyone else. We all do.”

It took less than a couple seconds for Buck to nod and get in the car, the two of you following his lead. Moments later he was speeding away from the 118 and in the direction of the hospital, determined to be where he was needed.

“You’re an idiot, Luke Patterson.”

“Wow thanks,” Luke rolled his eyes from where he sat on the couch, an action that earned him a scolding from you, and kept picking at the fabric of the pillow he was holding to him.

It was nearing mid morning and you had all gotten back to Buck’s apartment only a short while ago. The combined insistence and intimidation coming from both Buck and Athena meant the doctors had no choice but to run as many tests as necessary until they were positive Luke was fine.

Your eyes scanned his face again, a habit you’d picked up from Maddie, in an attempt to assess the damage once more to be sure nothing had gone wrong in the last ten minutes.

A butterfly bandage on his forehead above his left eye. Some scrapes on his arms from the fall. The brace around his right ankle propped up on the coffee table and some pillows. A tear in his favorite flannel that you were already patching up.

“What were you thinking?” You sighed and dropped your hands, turning in your spot beside him to look at him and read all the expressions flashing across his face. “You got hit by a car, Luke.”

“I did not!” He flinched when Alex, fast asleep across the other couch, shifted a little at the noise. Buck did the same thing upstairs in the loft, though he recognized the sound of talking and opted to listen in. “I swerved out of the way. The bike lost control and I hit the pavement but I’m fine.”

“The mild concussion and sprained ankle beg to differ,” You stared again. Luke refused to meet your eyes, refused to look anywhere around the apartment that wasn’t the pillow on his lap. He’d been doing the same thing since Buck had nearly busted down the door of the room he’d been sitting in at the hospital. “What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know,” Luke finally sighed, knowing you wouldn’t let it go any time soon. “I just - I did go home. At first. And i-it was okay until my mom started doing that -that thing she does. The voice, talking down, asking when I was gonna start getting serious, telling me I should do better. I tried but she wouldn’t stop saying all of it so I -” His shoulders sank and his head hung low and you moved closer. “I left.”

“So why didn’t you come back here?” You reached out, hand on his arm in an attempt to get him to hear you. To listen to you. To talk to you. “What made you think you couldn’t?”

It took a few moments but when Luke finally looked up his eyes were watering and he looked unsure. He looked scared and he was never scared. “I didn’t want to disappoint anyone else.”

“I don’t know if you know this,” You gave a sigh and leaned against the back of the couch on one arm. “But we are, historically, a pretty messed up family.”

You successfully pulled a laugh from Luke and a muffled ‘shut up’ from Alex only made the two of you laugh more. But when the laughter faded away you were left with the ghost of those doubts. Present and needing closure. To be acknowledged and reassured.

“There is nothing you could do that would disappoint Maddie and Buck, believe me,” You gave him a faint, sad smile and for a second he wondered what memories were the source of it. “And you never have to be scared. We’re your family and we’re here for you. Me and Alex and Buck and Maddie. Athena who stayed with you until we got there and after. Chimney who’s breaking the news to Maddie to save us all. Albert. May. Bobby. Reggie. You have all of us. I hate to break it to you but you’re a part of our weird little family and we aren’t going anywhere any time soon. So please, please never feel like you have to hide from us. You’re home here, Luke.”

And he believed every word. For a moment he wondered why he ever doubted it in the first place. It was evident in the way he had a designated spot at the dining table at Maddie’s place. In the way his clothes took up a good amount of space in one of the dressers upstairs. In the pair of house keys that hung on a chain around his neck. Reggie and Bobby were also given a pair long ago.

“Does one of you want to explain to me what the hell happened!” The sound of the door being thrown open startled all of you. Alex sat up quickly and Buck came barreling down the stairs to meet Maddie at the door.

Bobby and Reggie came in after her, holding piles of various items she’d insisted on bringing with. They were followed moments later by Albert carrying bags filled with takeout and then Chimney with Jee-Yun in her car seat.

It was dead silent for a moment as Maddie looked between her siblings, her cousin, and the boy she considered one of her own. They were all her family and that was that.

Finally the silence was broken by Luke leaning over in your direction and quietly asking, “Hey, does home have a place I can hide from Maddie until she’s less mad?”

“Oh, Luke,” You offered him a smile he recognized as a slightly sympathetic yet playful one. “There is nowhere you can hide where Maddie’s anger, love, and aggressive post-injury nurturing won’t reach. Good luck.”

She sat in your spot the moment you stood up and was immediately making sure Luke was okay. Her eyes scanned each injury just as yours had and when she finally let him take a breath he looked around.

All of this, the chaos that was unpacking the various takeout boxes. Setting up a little station on the kitchen island with various medical supplies. Chasing Jee-Yun around as she crawled and wobbled all around the place. Music playing softly in the background as everyone smiled and talked and felt relieved that he was okay.

This was home. Luke was sure of it.

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