#((the signs are RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF HIM and YET! he doesn't see 'em!))

[theheadlessgroom]

https://www.tumblr.com/beatingheart-bride/713538477842710528/theheadlessgroom-beatingheart-bride

@beatingheart-bride

“I-I,” Randall began, voice becoming suddenly intensely dry as his mind went hopelessly blank, unsure of how to respond to these sweet words, this earnest praise: Did she really think he was so wonderful? Was he really as spectacular as she thought he was? It was difficult for him to wrap his head around, to know that someone (especially someone as wonderful as her) would think so...highly of someone like him!

“I...I can’t imagine my life without you either, Emily,” he finally managed to say, eyes lingering briefly on their hands (how well they fit together... he realized, quietly amazed by this fact, as well as the sensation of her soft, warm hand against his) before looking up into those beautiful china-blue eyes and admitting, “And I...I don’t want to. I...in some ways, I...I feel as if...I wasn’t living my life until I met you. Until...until I heard you sing.”

She had brought him to life, there was no denying it: For so long, he was not living, just...existing, really, and only in darkness. It was not until she came to the opera that he truly came to life, and found that life could be beautiful. Her voice led him out of the darkness and into the light, and he would always, always be grateful to her for it. He never wanted to go back to that darkness ever again, and he hoped, with her in his life, he never would.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

Critter Genfic Bingo: Mystery

VETH.

The woman in question jumps, the disembodied yet familiar voice in her head startling her so badly she drops the wine glass she's holding.

THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. I THINK FJORD IS BEING MIND-CONTROLLED. WE NEED TO INVESTIGATE IMMEDIATELY. HOW FAST CAN YOU GET HERE?

There's silence, but Veth waits.

Tell Yeza hi!

There it is.

Veth has just finished her return message—I'll be there in fifteen. Assemble all your evidence; we're gonna crack the case!—when Yeza pops his head into the kitchen. "Are you okay? It sounds like something broke in here."

She looks down at the shattered wine glass. "Jester," she offers as an explanation, before quickly conjuring an unseen servant to clean up the mess. Once that's taken care of, she darts around the Brenatto house, packing her bag with whatever accoutrements might be needed for freeing Fjord of the alleged mind control he's under.

Yeza, patient, understanding Yeza, merely leans against the door frame and says, "Well, I guess I'll get Luc from school."

"You don't mind?"

"I mean, this seems like an emergency."

Veth pauses. "Well, this is Jester we're talking about, so there's a...sixty-two percent chance it's not."

"Better not take the risk." Yeza snags her by the waist as she tries to dart past and kisses her. "Go solve the mystery, detective."

Veth grins. "She says hi, by the way."

"Tell her I want you back in one piece."

"The only one who gets to split me in two is you." She slaps his ass, and then she's off and out the door toward Jester and Fjord's.

.

Jester has chewed all of her fingernails to the quick by the time Veth arrives. "Finally!" She doesn't wait for pleasantries, just drags her friend by the arm to the back of the tiny house that she and Fjord have claimed as their home when they're not on the high seas. There's a window overlooking the postage stamp of a back garden, where Fjord is trimming a hedge—or rather, he's opening and closing a pair of hedge clippers in the same spot, over and and over and over, even though there are no longer any branches to cut.

"See?" She gestures emphatically toward the window. "He's being weird!"

Veth frowns. "He's always weird, Jester. Remember that time he ate a fucking ball?"

"This is different. He's been…distracted all week. Erratic. Two days ago, he put all the clean towels in the icebox. And he keeps muttering under his breath." She takes a deep breath. "What if it's Uk'otoa?"

"Uk'otoa," Veth whispers obligatorily, before shrugging. "I doubt it, because we killed him. Listen, you've had a good run. But so much time on the sea is enough to drive anyone crazy, and he's long gone." Veth pats her arm in sympathy.

Jester frowns. Veth isn't taking her seriously. "I am telling you, I know him, something is—"

She's cut off by a strangled shout from outside, and they both whip their heads to stare outside. Jester's stomach sinks as she watches two figures in head-to-toe black and masked, one tall and broad and one shorter and slimmer, wrap their arms around Fjord from both sides. The smaller one claps a hand over his mouth as the larger one pins his arms together, and the two start to drag him away, not deterred by his thrashing.

"FJORD!" Jester spins around and bolts for the front door. She feels so foolish; Fjord told her that this place was a fire hazard, with only the one exit, and now it might mean she doesn't get the chance to tell him he was right.

"Holy shit!" Veth is on her heels, but Jester is taller, faster; she whips open the door and runs along the side of the house. She stumbles into the back garden, but it's empty, the clippers half-sticking out of the hedge.

"Oh no, FJORD!" Jester's heart is pounding in her ears. She whips her head around, but there's no sign of him or his attackers anywhere.

Behind her, Veth pants, "Where are they? We can take 'em!"

Jester can barely think. Someone took Fjord. And because he's been so cagey these past few days, she doesn't know who or why. She drops to her knees, the panic setting in.

"Hey, Jes, we'll find him." Veth squeezes her shoulder. "No mystery that you and I can't…hang on."

Jester watches her scurry over to where Fjord had been standing and crouch down to rifle in the dirt. "Look at this!"

A sharp spike of hope pierces Jester's chest. She scrambles over. "What is it?"

Veth's holding up a small, shiny piece of sea glass, foam green and about the size of Veth's fingernail. It glints in the sunlight. Jester frowns. "It's sea glass, Veth. We're by the ocean. The garden must be full of it."

"No look!” Veth turns it, and Jester can see now that the piece of glass is perfectly smooth, each of its edges even and carefully beveled. “This sea glass was cut by a jeweler.”

Jester frowns. She’s right, but she hardly sees how that’s relevant. “How does that help us find who kidnapped my boyfriend?”

“One of the campers at Wilde Out! has a parent who does this kind of work with sea glass. They’re right here in Nicodranas!”

Jester’s starting to pick up what Veth’s putting down. “Maybe one of the attackers dropped it! Maybe the jeweler knows who it belongs to!”

Veth grins from ear to ear. “Brenatto and Lavorre are on the case!”

“Yeah!” Jester is now also grinning, until she remembers that Fjord was violently kidnapped not two minutes ago. She schools her expression into something more somber. “Let’s go get my fucking boyfriend.”

.

The jeweler is a little hole-in-the-wall place on the first floor of an apartment block. Jester presses her face up against the glass of the door, right over the Heflin Fine Jewelry written in gilded script. The store is dark inside, which makes asking the proprietor for help difficult.

“Maybe they live upstairs?” Jester offers hopefully, stepping back from the door.

Veth takes the opportunity to whip her lockpicking kit out of her bag. “I’ve got this.” After about a minute of grunting and low cursing, the door to the jeweler’s swings wide open. Jester looks up and down the street, but there are no Zhelezo around, and no one seems to notice the tiefling and the halfing breaking into a shop in broad daylight.

They slip inside and close the door. “Okay, what are we supposed to do now?” Jester whispers. “There’s no one here!”

“Then why are you whispering?”

Oh. Right. In her normal voice, Jester says, “Maybe there are papers in the office? Some kind of purchase records?”

“Right.” Veth leads the way toward the door that they presume to be the office, and after picking that lock, they’re inside. There are rows and rows of filing cabinets, and Jester groans. “This is going to take forever.”

They each take a filing cabinet and start digging. Jester learns quickly that the easy solution she’d been hoping for, a picture of the piece of sea glass right next to the name of its purchaser, was a pipe dream. Apparently this jeweler does a lot of work with sea glass, and there’s no telling which of the hundreds of rings, bracelets, necklaces, or watches the piece they found could have come from. After about half an hour, Jester throws herself into the office chair with a frustrated groan. “This is useless! We need to try something else.”

Veth slams shut the drawer she’d been rifling through, and the movement causes a gust of wind to shuffle the papers on the desk. One such scrap drifts off the desk and onto Jester’s lap. She picks it up and reads out loud, “Fifty gold to glass pirates at wharf. Stone’s Throw won’t deliver under threats.” She gasps and leaps up out of the chair. “Stone’s Throw! That’s Fjord’s company!”

“Let me see!” Veth snatches the paper from Jester and reads it again. “So…Fjord worked with the jeweler?”

“Or the company did! Glass pirates…” Jester begins to pace. “Maybe this sea glass is valuable. Maybe Stone’s Throw has been shipping it for the jeweler, and maybe these pirates want a cut of the action. Maybe that’s why they took Fjord!”

Veth snaps her fingers. “We’re cracking the case!”

“We’re cracking the case!”

“To the wharf!”

“To the wharf!”

.

The Restless Wharf is restless indeed. There are dozens, hundreds of people, sailors and dock workers and entertainers and Zhelezo and customs agents, all intermingling in a dance that, frankly, smells really, really bad. Jester has a hard time imagining pirates getting away with much with this many eyes and ears around, but then, she knows well enough by now how sneaky pirates can be.

Veth seems to be on her same wavelength. “We could be looking for anyone. Everyone looks suspicious here.”

“You think that because they work on boats.”

“Never trust a sailor!”

Jester frowns. “Well, my sailor was taken, and someone here knows something about it.”

They start to skirt around the edges of the chaos, catching what scraps of conversation they can. It’s so loud, and the talk Jester hears is mostly of shipping dates and locations. It’s all becoming overwhelming, until Veth tugs hard on her sleeve. “Jessie! Look!”

Jester follows her pointing finger until she sees a pair of dock workers half-hidden beneath an awning. They’re shrouded in shadow, but Jester can just tell that they’re up to no good. Still, she has no idea if they know anything.

“They’re ne’er-do-wells,” Veth whispers dramatically. “I can feel it.”

She’s getting desperate, so Jester casts a furtive glance around to make sure she’s not being watched before going invisible. She scurries over to the dock workers, and she just manages to make out their low conversation—“damned green menace wouldn’t stop fighting, heard his tusks pack a nasty punch”—before the invisibility ends and she’s grabbing one of the dock workers, one with shaggy, dirty red hair, by the shirtfront and slamming him against the wall. “TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW!”

“Holy shit, Jester!” Veth scurries over, snapping, “Mind your business!” to the gawkers around.

The other dock worker, with dark skin and pale eyes, barks, “Hey, crazy lady, what do you think you’re—”

“Shut it!” She slams the guy she’s holding against the wall again. “The green menace! Where is he?”

The redheaded dock worker’s eyes are wide. “Fucking hell, where did you come from?”

Jester hovers her face an inch away from his. He smells like fish and sweat and, weirdly, ink? “From your worst nightmare. Tell me where he is, now.”

The other one reaches for something behind his back, but Veth yanks a dagger from her bag and aims it straight for his balls. “Stay still or shore leave is gonna be a lot less fun going forward.”

“Fuck, they don’t pay me enough for this.” The redhead looks around briefly before muttering, “They took him to a cave along the eastern shore. Something about gold and glass, I don’t know, I was just keepin’ an eye out for the Zhelezo. Contract work, am I right?”

Jester releases him and steps back. “A cave along the eastern shore?”

He shrugs. “They use it to house people they want to smuggle out of Nicodranas. It’s still light out, so he should still be there.”

“See, was that hard?” She points a finger at one, then the other. “Don’t follow us!” Then she spins around and marches off to the east.

“Jester, wait!” Jester knows that’s she’s going too fast for Veth to keep up for long, but she’s so close to getting Fjord back she can taste it like salt in the air. “We should get back-up!”

“Back-up?” Jester frowns down at her. “Why? We know where he is, and they won’t be smuggling him until later.”

“Yeah, according to those two dumbasses. What if they’re wrong? What if it’s a trap?”

“A trap for me?” Jester thinks about it for a moment. “But this has nothing to do with me. Fjord didn’t even tell me there were pirates after him.”

“A trap for someone. Jester, it’s a cave. By the ocean. Anything can happen in there!”

They’re almost at the end of the docks now, the rocky beaches stretching out ahead. Jester comes to a stop, puts her hands on her hips. “If you want to go get help, go get help. I’m going to get Fjord.” And then she starts running.

As she goes, she doesn’t hear any footsteps behind her over the crashing of waves, so she assumes that Veth did in fact go get help. That’s fine. She’ll save Fjord on her own. She runs along the beach, slipping and tripping through the sand and rocks, until she catches it around the curve of the shoreline: the slim opening of a cave, maybe only a head or two taller than she is. She slows, trying to catch her breath, and peeks inside. It’s dark and narrow and very scary. She grips the symbol around her neck and whispers, “Traveler, guide me,” before stepping inside.

The cave is damp and cold. Soon, she’s out of the range of the sunlight from the cave entrance, so she digs around in her pocket until she finds a paintbrush she doesn’t remember putting in there. She casts daylight on it, illuminating the cave with warm, bright light. She blinks rapidly, her eyes slow to adjust to the light, but a muffled sound reaches her ears from deeper in the cave.

Fjord.

"I'm coming!" She stumbles her way forward, and finally, when she can see without squinting, a shape emerges on the cave floor: Fjord, hands and feet bound, a gag in his mouth, a bruise blooming spectacularly over one eye. "FJORD!"

Jester crashes to her knees beside him, paintbrush scattering aside, heart pounding as she yanks the gag from his mouth. "Thanks, Jessie," he pants. "I knew I could could on you."

And yes, her hands may be shaking as she works at the knot tying his hands and feet together, but she still preens, just a little. "I saw them take you! It was really scary, but it's okay! We'll get out of here." The rope falls to the rocky floor. "Come on!" She grabs Fjord's hand and tugs him up to his feet.

"Jessie, wait." Fjord tugs his hand from her grasp.

"Fjord, they could come back at any minute! We have to go!"

"They took something from me." He starts to root around in his pocket.

"What is it?"

"My last name. Can I have yours?"

Jester blinks at him in confusion, and before she can have a single coherent thought, Fjord is on his knees, a small, velvet box in his hand. He opens it, his bruised face blushing furiously, and it isn't until she sees the ring, a silver band worked around gorgeous, glinting shards of sea glass, that it hits her.

Her scream echoes, magnified by a thousand, and Fjord winces. "I'm gonna take that as a sign to continue." He clears his throat. "I've been a bastard and a sailor and a hero and a pirate and a god's soldier, but the most important thing I've ever been is someone who gets to love the most lovable person in the world. And if it's alright with you, I'd like to keep doing that...well, forever. Jester Lavorre, will you marry me?"

In all of her years of chaos and trickery, Jester has never been so taken aback by someone else's scheming. All of this, the kidnapping and searching and panicking and running—this was a proposal? Part of her wants to dash his head against the cave wall for letting her think that he was taken by pirates who wanted to kill him.

But...he's looking up at her, his big eyes shining and so very sweet, and the ring really is so beautiful, and how well he knows her to know that her favorite thing is a good mystery to solve. Oh, she's defenseless against him, the most charismatic captain on the high seas. "Okay," she squeaks out, wiping at her eyes, which are obviously wet from the ocean. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Fjord grins like he's just been set loose in the biggest candy shop on the continent. "Really?"

She nods vigorously, and then launches herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. "I can't believe it!" she sobs. "I can't believe how mad I am at you, and I can't believe we're getting married!"

Fjord laughs. From the direction of the mouth of the cave, hoots and hollers and applause draw Jester's attention away from Fjord. All of a sudden, four globules of light dance along the path, and all of their friends are there, waving and cheering. "What..."

Fjord stands them both up and steers her toward them. "You don't think I did this alone, did you?"

"I got to punch him in the face!" Beau announces, clearly ecstatic.

Caduceus grips his staff. "And I healed him up a bit when she went way too far."

Yasha and Kingsley are wearing all-black clothes, and the latter dangles a black mask in the air. "Tip your local kidnappers."

Jester looks to Caleb and Essek, who, she now notices, are wearing the exact same clothing as the dock workers she'd interrogating not ten minutes ago. Her jaw drops. "Even you, Essek?"

He shrugs. "Subterfuge is my specialty."

Veth rubs her hands together conspiratorially. "I love it when a plan comes together. Congratulations, Fjord: this one's almost as good as Fluffernutter."

Fjord ducks his head in a bow. Jester squeezes his arm. "I can't believe you did all of this for me."

"An over-the-top woman deserves an over-the-top proposal. Which reminds me..." He takes the ring out of the box, which goes back into his pocket. "May I?"

She holds her hand out, and the ring slips perfectly onto her finger. She extends her arm so it catches the sunlight peaking into the cave. "It's beautiful," she breathes.

"Just like you." And Fjord kisses her, and Jester has never been happier in her entire life.

[weregreatatcrime]

I'm sick and rereading Two Halves and I know I leave a lot (A LOT) of stuff in the end notes but there's actually lots of stuff I still never mention or talk about so here's a long sick (midday) ramble about things I didn't get the chance to talk about but wanted to (in somewhat of an order reminded by rereading) or at least just some lines I particularly enjoyed

It's time for chapter 7 while I fight off the sick urge to Nap. Warning for VERY dark content including suicidal ideation and Murder

I really enjoyed this chapter because I got to fully embrace and showcase some of Karai’s sadistic, bloodthirsty nature that I just hadn't been able to show yet. She's a changeling and a raised and trained assassin who hates humans. She can get NASTY when she's given the opportunity to, and the fic hadn't allowed that before this chapter. Finally I got to write my true murder girl 🧡

The very secret game between Shredder and Karai over what Foot ninja are loyal to whom. Some genuinely would rather follow Karai than him, while others just see her as a lesser of two evils. Of course this isn't all very up front- Shredder is in charge first and foremost, so of course, they all obey him. Some just... prefer to listen to the heir, when given the chance...

Shredder allows the heresy only because it's something of a game between father and daughter :) Plus she'll inherit the clan anyways, it's good to have men who will be immediately loyal to her when she does. The majority are still loyal to Him.

Even ninjas forget to look Up sometimes. Especially in their super secure throne room that shouldn't be Capable of having spies around

"Prime indicator that [Shredder] was smug about something that probably violated the Geneva Convention."

Xever was my FAVORITE villain in 2k12 as a kid. Nowadays it's Stockman, but I still have a lot of fondness for the evil murder fish

Changeling Karai makes a game of tormenting her father's Lieutenants, and Xever is her favorite toy. He's thoroughly petrified of her. He's one of the few who knows even a bit of just how far her sadistic nature goes

Karai’s first reaction to hearing she'd been *seen* while doing a secret mission was to launch herself headfirst off the roof and I wish I could say that's hyperbole, but uh, nope, that's quite literally her greatest fear and can result in her death so suicide can potentially be a better way to go than risking being hunted down by the Order

Xever thoroughly believes Karai is just manipulating the turtles so she can get in close and stab em where it hurts. From his experience, this is absolutely what she would do, and Karai has never proved him wrong about her malicious streak before

Xever equally as terrified of the Shredder because of the fact that she CLEARLY got it from him

Karai WISHES she could blow everything up on the way out like Stockman, but she can't risk the Order sticking their noses in before she's done. So she's gotta settle with dropping a metaphorical bomb instead

Karai, maybe leaving Shinigami on read is actually the WORSE option than not leaving her any sign at all

While thinking of what Karai would make into her changeling key, it didn't take me very long to think of something she would frequently have on her that would be inconspicuous. Eyeliner. That red is fire

Changelings have a LOT of backups and backups for backups

"Xever was fond of severing fingers, and she didn’t want to have to cauterize anything mid rescue."

The entire rescue scene just makes me happy. This is Karai in her element. Killing people right in plain sight without being caught, disappearing with their corpses before they're seen. This is changeling Karai doing what she was trained her whole life to do and she is GOOD at it.

Donnie was in fact drugged a second time to keep him down for a bit

Karai personally when picking a hostage turtle would've picked either Mikey or Leo, but she doesn't know about Shredder’s own plan for Donnie, so she's a bit puzzled

Personally, if Karai had designed it, rather than a bomb she would've used a biochemical agent that could've been pumped right into his bloodstream on either a programmed signal or upon someone attempting to remove it. What that agent would be would entirely depend on how much she hated the person in question

Karai has a real love for poisons that doesn't get a lot of time to shine, but it DOES pop in here and there

Despite her fucking with him, Karai did always respect Xever more than a lot of other Lieutenants. He's a lot more cunning and willing to use underhanded tactics which of course appeals to her

Ngl tempted to write a whump one-shot of what would've happened if Karai HAD shown up a bit later for the rescue

I ranted enough about fish biology in the end notes, I don't need to go on about it again here

Karai paralyzed Xever with he sword through the neck, but he WAS still alive. Just completely unable to do anything about it. Hence why she initially assumed he was dead. Sword through the skull was enough to end it though

Actually sending a sword through his thick skull required a lot of muscle, hence why she needed to put some oomph into it. Her changeling form would've managed fine but human form is a lot weaker

Imagine the scene they walked into later. Two dead foot ninja, Xever dead with Karai’s sword placed dramatically through the top of his head, the turtle missing, NONE of the cameras working, and the ONLY thing they have is a few clips of Karai sneaking in and one single shot of her dragging Donatello out of the lab while flipping off the camera. Fucking amazing

Yes, I play dnd. Sometimes when writing I use a d20 to make decisions when I can't decide because all my options are tempting. It's a great writing hack- especially because if you REALLY hate your roll, you discover that you actually did have a preferred option

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

19 - "Will I see you again?" for a character of your choice (:

Thanks for the prompt!!

Figured I'd write some Kit before she really goes off the deep end and is still the Deputy trying to save Hope County.

Warnings: mentions of torture and violence, as well as swearing ahead.

Kit stood in the doorway of the Spread Eagle, her hand holding on to the wooden, paint-chipped door, taking in the last little signs of joy before she'd have to get back to the fight.

The rest of the folks in Fall's End were celebrating, they were free. They thought they'd won, that the Deputy had come through for them and taken care of John. But that was more than a white lie.

She figured no one would have seen her slip back out into the night, everyone was feeling the first fragment of joy in a long time and a sour face like hers would likely not be missed. The Holland Valley was just one region and there were still others that needed her. The Henbane was still under the control of Faith and she hadn't even gotten into the mountains to save Staci yet. They could celebrate, but for her there was no rest for the wicked.

"Am I gonna see you again?" Joey walked up to her, taking a swig from her beer bottle. Of course her partner would catch her trying to slip out unseen. "Or are you gonna go and get yourself killed playing the hero?"

Kit hesitated, she knew better, she wasn't the hero not after letting John go. She'd ripped the key from his neck, threatened his life, but still let him slip away like the rat he was back to Joseph. Was she stupid enough to let him escape with his life because they'd kissed? Christ, she didn't want to even think about that.

"The Valley doesn't need me anymore. They've got their own resistance. With your help I'm sure they'll clear out the last of the Peggies and the revenge might do you some good."

Joey chuckled quietly, wincing at the pain that channeled through her. Still sore and bitter from the torture John had used against her.

"Promise me you'll fuck 'em up, Cross. For what they've done."

She could see the sincerity in Joey's eyes, the poor woman had been through hell, trapped in a torture dungeon of that bastard's making. She still remembered hearing her screams and cries, and yet her only reaction, her only thought, was to see her friend as weak. As if that meant she deserved what she got. 

Kit bristled, shifting her weight on her feet, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'll do what I can. I'm just one person."

"You've got everyone behind you. We'll all do whatever we can to help. You don't have to lonewolf this shit."

She couldn't help but scoff, even in war she worked alone, at the front of the pack. Kit slid her hands into the pockets of her army field jacket, elbow and the toe of her boot propping the door open. She looked down at the wooden floor of the bar, vibrating with the sound of music from the jukebox and people dancing once more. 

"It's probably best if I focus on my work. I don't want anyone else getting hurt on account of me."

"That's a nice way of telling me to shut up and let you do what you're gonna do anyway."

Her pale blue stare dragged up to meet Joey's dark eyes. Seeing the bruises and cuts on her friend's face brought the ginger no peace. She could only imagine what shape Staci was in now. 

"I mean I could be a cunt about it if you prefer?"

"Just keep yourself alive out there, Kit. By whatever means necessary."

She bit her tongue, God, if Joey only knew. Whatever means necessary wasn't going to turn out the way they all wanted. That was opening a door that couldn't be locked again. An order like that was one that couldn't be taken back and she was sure she'd already lost a little bit of her soul keeping John alive. 

"Can do."

"I'm not gonna say I'm praying for you. But I'm sure Jerome will."

"Fuck. What a waste of words that'll be. He knows I'm out there killing people, right? That's still a sin."

"God's wrath."

Kit looked down at her chest, "Maybe don't use that word around me right now."

"Fair enough."

Before Joey could thank her again for saving her, Kit motioned to leave once more. "Just, uh, pretend I'm still here. Let 'em live it up for a while."

"Good luck."

She nodded and ducked out. The wooden door left swinging behind her. The sounds of laughing and singing followed behind her as her feet crunched through the gravel lot towards her "borrowed" vehicle. 

Her hand radio attached to her belt crackled and Earl's somber voice filled the night air, "Got a problem, rookie, I heard the chatter about John being out of the picture now. Cougars could use ya."

She held the radio up and spoke, too tired to disagree. "Sure thing. Be there soon." 

[koala-fluff]

Here it is! The oc fic that has taken me two months to make.

It features three of my own ocs plus @vallee-ace's oc, Taz. All four of them are a part of a concept Vall and I came up with. We call it the Dreams on Earth au. If you have any questions about that, be free to ask me or Vall!

This fic is also based after the comic Vall made with Taz, and @fluffomatic's oc, Dip (who is mentioned a little). I recommend checking that out for context.

Anyways, grab your popcorn cause this is a long one.

----------

Cheering Up a Tickle Monster

Sapphire finds one of her friends in a sad state. Luckily, there is an easy way to cheer them up. At her own expense, of course.

Sapphire wandered on the still lake, admiring the beauty of the world. The sky was magenta, the water was a pale, teal color. A cloud would occasionally drift by, giving some shade from the three suns' glares.

Realm 2638 was truly a sight to behold. This particular planet hadn't been colonized by any life forms yet.

It was beautiful and empty.

At least, it was most of the time.

"Oh thank the Guardian you're here, Sapphire!"

She whipped around, her tail blowing droplets into the air. Her friend, Ju-Ju, glided over with a panicked look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, smoothing the fur on her ears.

He waved his hand. "Doesn't matter. I need-"

"Doesn't matter? You're the most workaholic person I know!"

"Am not!" He scoffed, tilting to the right.

"Are too!"

"You know what, I can't argue about this. Again." He righted himself and pointed back the way he had come. "Taz is upset and I'm terrible at consoling people!"

Sapphire's eyes widened. "Why are they upset?" She asked as he started floating away.

"They had a run in with an imp."

"What imp?" She ran to keep up. "278? 16?"

"47."

She hissed, wincing slightly. "Oh, well now I can see why they're upset. Tricky little bugger that one is."

Ju-Ju smiled slightly. "They antagonized him first."

Sapphire stopped in her tracks, raising her eyebrow. "How in the Guardian's name did they do that?"

He turned to her, biting his lip. "They, uh..." He chuckled despite his best efforts not to laugh. "Thehey crouched down to speak to hihim."

She blinked once. Twice. Then she burst into laughter.

"Thehey did whahat?" She bent over to steady herself. "Ohoh dehear goodnehess me."

Ju-Ju snickered and patted her shoulder. "Hey, they are honestly upset by this! So don't laugh about it in front of them."

"I-I won't, I wohon't."

The duo continued on their way, eventually coming to a figure doodling shapes in the water, dejectedly. Their tail was on the surface, curled and still as they hunched over and sighed.

Ju-Ju gestured at them and pushed Sapphire forward. She stuck her tongue out at him and sat beside her sad friend.

"Hey, Taz. Ju-Ju told me what happened." She said, rubbing their back.

They grumbled something unintelligible and shuffled to face away from her. That would've been a sure sign that they didn't want to speak, but their tail wrapped around her arm when she tried to pull away.

She sighed. "You know, you should've expected him to react that way after you crouched down to his eye level. We all learned that imps in general don't like that."

"I know, I know." Taz groaned, leaning back onto Sapphire's lap. "But it's just so fun. How was I supposed to know that that one imp was 47? There are millions of imps across The River!"

"Yeah, well... There really isn't any way to know. But now you are aware of where he is, so this won't happen again." Sapphire stated, combing her hands through their hair.

Taz huffed in response, their eyes closed in a scowl.

Sapphire smirked. "Besides, I'm sure you could've beaten him. He just got the jump on you, is all." She said, booping their nose.

Their face wrinkled and their eyes finally opened, revealing their glowing, emerald color. "You're just saying that."

"Of course I'm not!" Sapphire gasped, gently placing their head on the water before standing. "You are Taz!" She announced, dramatically lifting her fist. "The embodiment of happiness. Interdimensional, and by far the strongest, tickle monster any realm has ever seen!"

Taz sat up, a miniscule smile on their face. Sapphire grinned down at them, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Ok, ok. I could take him in a fair fight." They admitted before the smile fell off their face. "Probably..."

Sapphire lowered her fist. That plan usually worked...

She groaned, surprising her lavender colored friend. "You are really gonna make me do this, aren't you?"

"Do what?"

She sighed heavily. "Ok. Just this once. I will let you tickle me."

Taz jumped to their feet, their eyes sparkling with excitement. "Really!?"

"Yes. But!" Sapphire held her hand out, stopping them from tackling her.

They pouted. "But what?"

She smirked, turned tail, and ran. "You'll have to catch me first, dingus!" She shouted over her shoulder, already several yards away.

Taz squealed excitedly and chased after their friend, the water splashing with every footstep.

"I'm gonna get you~!" They yelled, giggling hysterically.

"No, you're not~!" Sapphire replied, completely unfazed by the teasing. "I'm faster than you!"

She heard an agitated grunt behind her before their footsteps changed. It sounded more like...

"That's cheating!" She shouted, barely dodging as Taz barreled past. "No extra appendages!"

They turned to look at her, their grin massive as their eyes sparkled mischievously. "You never told me any rules!" They replied, getting back onto their hands and legs.

They immediately shot forward, propelled by their four arms. Sapphire yelped and dodged again, but this time she wasn't fast enough.

"Gotcha!" She was jerked back as her friend grabbed her wing. "There's no way out now!"

"That's what you think!" She grunted, struggling against them. "Escape attempt: activate!"

Taz was thrown back as Sapphire lifted into the sky, effectively getting away. She shook herself off and looked down at her friend.

"That's cheating!" They yelled, trying to jump at her. "No wings!"

"But you used your arms!"

"Flying and running faster aren't the same thing!"

"I think they're the same!"

"They really aren't, Saph."

Sapphire shrieked in surprise as Ju-Ju grabbed her from behind, locking one of her wings to her back. He chuckled as they started to plummet.

"You absolute a-" Her insulting was interrupted as they fell into the water, causing a great wave to cascade across the planet.

"Oh no-" Taz spluttered as they were blown back by said wave, their coat getting drenched immediately.

It took a minute or two for all three to resurface, Sapphire being the first.

"Why'd you do that, Ju!" She huffed, shaking her wings out as he clambered up next to her.

"Cause I embody karma, and you deserved some." He panted, slowly floating back into the sky. "By the way, you should brace yourself."

"Wha-URF!"

Taz crashed into Sapphire, sending them both sprawling on the water's surface. The two tussled for a bit before Taz got the upper hand and pinned her down.

"Now I gotcha!" The whooped, dripping all over their friend.

"Did you not even dry yourself off?" Sapphire asked, wrinkling her nose. "You smell like wet dog!"

Taz gasped, placing a hand over their heart. "You wound me, Saph! Very well, I shall dry mineself off!"

"Wait! Not-ack!"

Taz proceeded to shake themselves off, spraying their dear friend with droplets. Sapphire screwed her eyes shut, unable to stop grinning.

"You know that doesn't get rid of the smell, right?"

Taz gasped dramatically for a second time. "So rude! Let me fix that!"

"You may be able to fix my attitude, but there is no way for you to fix my traumAHA!"

Sapphire shrieked, though not out of surprise this time. It was due to the feeling of Taz's fluffy hands sliding under her shirt and digging into her sides.

"Cootchie-coo, Sapphire~!" They sang, their short claws quickly driving their friend into a giggle fit.

"Teheases dohon't work ohon me!" She giggled out, kicking her legs fruitlessly. "Yohou should knohow this by nohow!"

"True..." Taz manuvered themself to more effectively straddle her waist. "But like you said..."

They bent down, pausing in their attack to face her directly. Their eyes glowed an emerald green as the whispered.

"I'm the original tickle monster."

They let go of her arms and lifted their arms above her, claws at the ready. An odd sound came from their ribs as a third pair of arms grew out of their fur to match the same position.

"Now, dear friend, laugh for me."

Their hands shot down, lunging for every tickle spot they had memorized after eternity and more stuck with Sapphire.

Two hands vibrated into her upper ribs, fingers splayed to to dig into every bone. One latched onto her inner, left wing (a spot that took literal decades to find) and fluttered against the sensitive spot under the feathers. Another squeezed the skin slightly above her right hip (another hard to find one) while the last two dug into her stomach.

Sapphire shrieked and flailed. Her arms snapped to her sides, unable to move thanks to the relentless drilling on her ribs. She cackled into the empty world, a sound that would've caused any mortal to swoon.

"You know, you rarely ever let me tickle you." Taz hummed, acting like they weren't actively murdering their friend. "I guess that means I have a lot of time to catch up on!"

Sapphire could only shake her head as the fur on their hands made her squeal. She tried to kick her legs, but they stayed stiff thanks to the pressure point above her hip. Her wings still flapped though, sending more water into the air. It was enough drops that a rainbow began to form.

"Look! You're summoning the gay mortals with your laughter! Keep going!" Taz giggled, spidering their claws against her stomach.

Sapphire snorted, her laughter only growing stronger as time went on. It was a good thing none of them needed lungs. If any mortal were in her position, they would've fainted five minutes ago.

But she wasn't beaten yet.

With as much focus as her deep fried brain could allow, she wrapped her tail around Taz's foot and yanked them off her.

Taz yelped in surprise as they fell onto the water, stunned. Sapphire inhaled deeply, resetting her brain, before pouncing on them.

"IhI may not behe a tihickle monster..." She cleared her throat, expelling the extra giggles. "But I've hung out with you enough times to know your tickle spots."

Now, it was Taz's turn to burst into giggles. They curled into themselves as Sapphire pinched at the point between their shoulder and neck with both hands.

"Ha! I still know your melting spot!" She shouted triumphantly, laying their head on her lap. "Still as adorable as ever!"

"Buhut I knohow yours tohoo!" Taz said, one of their hands reaching out for-

"Oh, no you don't!" Sapphire's voice went up an octave as she shot one hand to claw at their stomach.

Their hand immidietly retreated. "SAHAHAPH!" They shrieked, twisting away. "NohohO FAhair!"

"All's fair in love and war, darling!" Their friend replied, chuckling.

Unfortunately for her, she forgot to pin their tail.

The fluffy appendage slithered across the water, faster than an eye could blink. It wrapped its way up her leg and brushed against the back of her knee.

She immidietly keeled over, high-pitched giggles spilling from her mouth. She tried to pry the tail off her leg, but her movements were sluggish as the constant brushing buzzed up her leg and into her brain.

"I think yohour melting spot is worse than mine." Taz giggled, pulling them to sit in their lap.

"Shhuhut up, Sahasquach." Sapphire sneered, smirking up at them.

Their eyes darkened slightly. "You really had to bring up the Bigfoot incident, didn't you." They asked, tilting their head.

Their captive shrugged. "It wahas eheither that or the abohominahable snohow mahan one. Whihichever tihicks you off mohOHORE!"

Sapphire leaned heavily onto Taz's chest as she burst into cackles. Their hands were everywhere.

They squeezed her sides, then the next second poked at her neck. They spidered her ribs while digging into both hips and then transfered to her neck and ears. All six vibrated on her stomach then split up to engulf her entire left side. All while their tail constantly rubbed against her knee, keeping her completely incapacitated.

"I was mistaken for Bigfoot one time!" Taz scoffed as their friend writhed in their lap. "Can't you just let it go?"

She shook her head, tears of mirth filling her eyes. She twisted in their grasp, falling to the side to instead lay in their lap. The hands merely followed her down, gaining easier access to all of her worst spots.

"OHOHOKAHAHAY, OHOKAHAHAY!" She shrieked, rolling onto her stomach. "ENOHOHOUGH!"

Taz stopped immidietly, changing to gently rub her head as she panted on the water.

"You ok?" They asked, slightly worried.

"You were so miserable, I forgot how evil you could be." She muttered, turning to smile at them. Noticing their knit eyebrows, she sat up. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

They smiled back, their third pair of arms melding back into their body. "Thanks for that... I really needed it."

"Thanks for what?"

The pair jumped in surprise, whipping around.

Their stood a simple, human woman. At least, she would've been simple if it hadn't been for her eyes. They shifted between colors, like a kaleidescope.

Oh, and she was eight feet tall. That's probably not a normal human height.

"Holy Guardian, Raze." Sapphire wheezed, clutching her chest. "You just gave me a heart attack!"

"Momma Raze!" Taz shouted, shooting up and hugging the woman tight.

Raze laughed. "Hey, Little Feather." She kissed the top of their head before turning to Sapphire. "What kind of argument did you kids have this time?"

"There was no argument." Ju-Ju piped in, floating down from the sky with a massive grin on his face. "Taz was sad cause Imp number 47 one a tickle fight against them, so Sapphire let them tickle her."

"Oh~ that makes sense now." Raze chuckled. "Good job cheering up your little sibling, Little Jem."

Sapphire smiled. "No problem. It's really easy to cheer up a tickle monster, after all."

Raze nodded. "Oh! I just had a brilliant idea!"

She looked down at Taz, mischief glowing in her eyes. "How about I help you get that little imp back?"

Taz's eyes widened and started to glow again.

"Yes, please~"

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

... I think this is the longest fic I have so far. Did I get a little carried away? Yes. Do I care? No. Did I foreshadow a comic Vall may or not be making? Possibly.

Hope everyone enjoys this fic that took two months to write! And, as always, have a wonderful day/night!

Next up: a Cruella (live action) fic!

[poseidons-lovechild]

i am re-watching criminal minds.

my highlights of season 3 (spoiler warning ig)

the "gideon disappeared, hotch suspended and requesting transfer, emily resigning" situation!!

ouff the house phone ringing, aaron's answering and the haleys phone ringing!!! and omg, aaron later saying "i can't just switch off my loyalty."

"talk dirty to me." "this is section chief erin strauss." hahahahhaha

"how's your head?" "i'll live." in her mind she said "haven't had any complaints yet."

haley left him!!! single aaron goooo

*elevator falls* "~hotch~"

em and aar are exchanging glances <3 handsome couple.

"hey, girl, you're on speaker. behave." "or what, you'll spank me?" i love love love morgan and garcia.

emily and aaron talking about em taking carrie in. and jj saying "i thing it's a good idea though. you. kids. i could see it."

WHY DID THEY NEVER ELABORATE ON AARON'S BACKSTORY? I HATE IT HERE. (brought to you by s3ep5 where he goes to see jack in the middle of the night after a VCAC case)

father fettucine arrived on scene! also he has a dog? we don't ever see him again. when i first watched it, i hated him in the beginning. and i know why, he was such an asshole.

emily in cargo pants...need i say more

"piece of advice, pipe cleaner. way you wear that gun? you're begging someone to take it off you." leave my boy reid alone. though he may be right.

aaron's voice, i can't. [s3ep7, 00:32:15. the convo with rossi? oh lord.]

i hate the 'garcia gets shot by her date' arc.

"hey, we caught a bad one." "how bad?" "florida." giggling

"rossi's the one that debunked them." they really let my homegirl walk right into it.

"god is in all of us." "so is tracey lambert." never gonna recover from that.

protective aaron!!! his favorite weird daughter got shot and he gets all stern!

"Twenty-two hundred and ninety-five miles." "Don't make me smack you in front of all these people." Reid and Morgan are like me and my brother, couldn't say who is who though.

"every case we work, every case we don't work, comes across your desk. and most of the victims are women. and most of them are about your age. it's okay if you loose it every once in a while. it reminds people that we're human." "you never loose it." "maybe i should have." i love when aaron comforts his team.

"haley's filing for divorce. i've been served." nah, honey, you've been serving! (if she doesn't want you, me and emily will fight for the right to marry you!)

"lindsey is still alive because of what you taught her." "i taught her to stay away from men like me." :)

wtf how does reid hold a steering wheel lol

in s3ep14 when aaron takes off his jacket and tie bc chester? omg this man istg

"i find that i do some of my best work under intense terror." lmao spencer

the camera panning from aaron signing the divorce papers to emily? come on!

"they liased." hahahahaha

like always: stay away from white males in their early 20s to early 40s, don't go outside and keep your windows and doors locked.

[casspurrjoybell-17]

Heart’s Choice - Chapter 19

*Warning Adult Content*

- Carlos -

John frowns at me and blinks and the glow in his eyes is gone so quickly he could easily convince me I imagined it if he wanted to.

The rest of what I saw is harder to explain.

"So, seriously, what is this?" Becky, the ex-wife asks. "Is he your roommate or something?"

"No," John says, still looking at me. "It's exactly what you thought the first time."

"Oh... Really? I didn't know you swung both ways."

She eyes me with sharpened curiosity.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce me? And why does he look terrified?"

She takes a few steps closer and peers at me with a frown.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Becky, wait downstairs," John growls. "This doesn't concern you."

Becky shifts her attention to him and crosses her arms stubbornly.

I suppose I should take it as a good sign that she seems absolutely undaunted but then again, she could be even scarier than John, for all I know.

"Fine. But you better have a good explanation. I see too much shit like this in my job to turn a blind eye."

She turns on her heel and marches back downstairs.

John's shoulders slum, and when he looks at me again, his expression is guarded but softer than before.

Still, as he closes the gap between us and stands in front of me, so close I can feel the heat of his body, I turn my head aside and shut my eyes.

"Carlos. Look at me."

He rests his hands on my shoulders.

"I'm not gonna hurt you."

"What are you?"

Still clad in my towel, I shiver as much with suppressed emotion and adrenaline as with cold.

John takes my hand.

"Come here."

He tugs gently, leading me towards his room.

I resist briefly, fearful that I've been lured into some strange trap but his gentleness wins me over.

"Sit down." He points to his bed.

I obey.

He bends and opens a drawer built into the frame beneath it and pulls out a set of soft garments, checkered pajama bottoms, a t-shirt, socks and a sweater.

So that's where he keeps his clothes.

He sets the pile beside me.

"Put those on and wait for me here. I need to get rid of Becky. Then, we'll talk."

"Becky... Does she know... about that?" I nod towards the closet.

My voice is little more than a rough whisper but I don't dare speak louder just yet.

"No. No one knows. No one who isn't like me, anyway."

"Like you?"

He rubs a hand over his mouth.

"Carlos, I've no right to ask you to trust me and I won't. Trust has to be earned. All I can say is, I never intended to deceive you. All of this just... happened and I haven't had time to figure out what to do about it yet. Just give me a chance and I'll explain. You have my word."

Well, I did say he was a man of his word.

"What did Becky mean about seeing shit like this in her job?" I ask, my courage slightly restored.

"She works with the DA. Human trafficking, mostly. Someone bolting out of someone else's bedroom, naked and terrified, isn't a good look."

"I don't know about terrified," I say, my ego feeling a bit provoked.

"A little alarmed, maybe."

John's mouth quirks in a smile and the light returns to his eyes.

"Sure. We'll go with that."

He rises.

"Just give me a minute. Becky brought some papers for me. She coulda sent 'em by email but I think she misses the dogs. Relax and look around if you want. I've got nothing else to hide."

He leaves me and leaves the door open a crack, giving me the impression that I'm free to go if I want to.

I consider it for a moment, getting my stuff, sneaking out the back, calling an Uber and going to hide at Ian Foley's place.

Whatever John is, I'd have a bear and demon at my back and a whole pack of werewolves, if I asked.

'Whatever John is...'

As the thought replays in my head, a new one joins it, he could be a threat, not just to me but to my friends.

For their sakes, if for nothing else, I need to find out what's what.

Dressed in his warm clothes, which carry his strangely intoxicating scent, I sit at his desk and take my time looking through the file on my mother.

Most of it is incomprehensible to me, written in the format and language that law enforcement agencies use to talk among themselves but it's mostly the timeline that interests me.

They were following leads for years after I thought they'd given up.

The whole reason Aunt Toni moved us to Oregon was because that's where the trail went cold or so we'd thought.

This says otherwise.

After Oregon, there's a report from Washington state, then New Mexico, then Maine.

It makes no sense and it tells me that if my mother was or even is still alive, she didn't want to be found.

I lose track of time, staring at the puzzle before me but John knocks softly on the door when he returns so as not to startle me.

"Sorry. That took longer than I thought it would."

He keeps his distance and sits on the edge of the bed, while I spin his office chair to face him.

"Is she gone?" I ask, unsure if I should feel relieved that we're alone.

"Yeah," he smiles. "She knows me."

"You're still fond of her."

"Sure," he says easily. "Becky's my best friend."

I frown.

"Why'd you separate, then?"

"That's what you're leading with?"

He huffs a laugh.

"All right. I did say I'd explain everything."

He runs a hand through his hair and sighs.

"It was a... 'marriage of convenience.' Becky's parents are from China, and very traditional in their views. She has no interest in marriage but they wouldn't leave her alone about it. Meanwhile, the closer you fit to society's norms, the less you're scrutinized and I had an interest in blending in. It suited us both but over time, we realized it wouldn't work. We weren't in love and never would be and we were tired of pretending otherwise. So we split and when my brother died and left me this place, I asked to be reassigned."

"Reassigned... by the police?"

He shakes his head and nods at the closet door.

"You saw what's in there, didn't you?"

I nod.

He rises and crosses the room, opens the door and sweeps his gaze around the interior.

He steps through, then returns holding a battered shoe box, which he sets on the desk in front of me.

"I been digging through your past. Only fair I let you dig through mine."

He lifts the top off the box, revealing a small stack of papers, on top of which rests a photograph.

In it, a smiling family, a mother, father, an older boy and two younger children, stand in front of the castle at Disneyland.

Judging by the style of hair and clothes, I'd guess it was taken about thirty years ago.

"That's my parents, my older brother, my little sister and me," he says.

I study the picture.

"Okay, but why are you showing me your old vacation shots?"

"This is the last picture I have of us all together. A few weeks later, my brother left for college. A few months later, my father, mother and sister were dead."

"How?"

He sighs and picks up the picture.

"My dad traveled a lot for work, all over the world. Don't know where he got infected but by the time got home, it was too late. He killed my mom and my sister. He would have killed me, too, if David hadn't shown up and killed him first."

"David? Who's David?"

"A vampire hunter and a vampire himself... as he would say 'one of the lucky ones.'"

Wide-eyed with alarm, I touch the spot on my shoulder where he'd bitten me.

"Is that what you are?"

He shakes his head.

"I'm infected but not turned. David found a way to control it, to stop the infection from taking hold but it has to be caught early and it doesn't always work. He'd been tracking my dad, hoping to catch him in time. Instead, he found me as I bled out. My dad hadn't bitten me, you see, he'd just clawed my throat. David took a chance. He knew if he infected me, the infection would save my life. He also knew he might have to kill me anyway, on the other hand, if I survived, he'd have a very motivated protégé."

"That doesn't sound entirely altruistic," I venture.

John laughs softly.

"It was, and it wasn't. David isn't human, hasn't been for a long time and he doesn't see things from a human perspective. On the other hand, his entire purpose is to protect humans from 'our' kind and to protect our kind from humans."

"I thought you said he was a vampire hunter?"

John sets the picture back in the box.

"He is. He's never been able to isolate it but David's theory is that vampirism is caused by an elusive retrovirus, one that rewrites the host's DNA. Sometimes, the process results in someone like David, nine times out of ten, it results in a mindless monster, like my dad. David is part of a small, global organization of like-minded individuals who keep the monsters in check and the humans in the dark. You can imagine there wouldn't be much of a distinction between 'good and bad' if people learned vampires are real."

He glances at me.

"Speaking of, you don't seem as freaked out by that as you should."

I shrug and pick up the photo, holding it next to the one of me and my mom.

"I talk to ghosts and get possessed by demons, remember? I grew up with this shit."

He grunts noncommittally.

"I'm more freaked out by this."

I gesture at my mom's file.

"Why are you looking into it?"

"Vampires aren't all I hunt," he says, confirming my suspicion. "Rogue werewolves, feral shifters, the odd warlock or power-hungry sorcerer. We stay out of intra-community conflict, supernatural on supernatural violence isn't our concern but when humans are the target, we've got a case. Anything the human authorities aren't equipped to handle or the shit we don't want them messing in."

"What about demons?"

"Sometimes."

"What about my mom?"

He rubs the back of his neck.

"After you told me about the Feasts, I did some digging. The last documented case I could find, three murders that matched the description you'd given and occurred within the right time span, happened about twenty years ago, close to the town where you grew up. Your mother went missing about a week later."

"What?" I look up at him sharply. "No. There's no way Aunt Toni wouldn't know about something like that and she'd have mentioned it if she did."

"Are you sure about that?"

I frown up at him.

"Yeah. Why are you asking?"

He sighs, crosses the room and sits on the edge of the bed again.

I rise and approach cautiously, standing in front of him.

"John? What aren't you telling me?"

"When you told me your aunt hadn't replied to your messages, I thought it was odd. Not unheard of for estranged family members not to speak but odd given how highly you speak of her otherwise. So, I asked the local sheriff to do a wellness check."

Heart in my mouth, I take a step closer almost involuntarily.

"And?"

"And she's gone. Her garage looks like it's been empty for weeks, if not months. The sheriff is investigating and has agreed to keep me informed of everything he finds. I'm sorry, Carlos but it appears that Antonia Martinez is missing."

"Whoa, whoa," I hold up my hands. "You think Toni has something to do with this?"

"No but I think it might have something to do with her. And with you."

I stare at him, no doubt with the wild, frightened look of a cornered animal and he rises and approaches me slowly.

As he does, his eyes shift color and glow with reflected light again, making me wonder how Becky never noticed there something a little different going on with him.

"Don't worry," he says. "I'll protect you if you let me and we'll do everything we can to find your aunt. In the meantime... there's one other thing we need to talk about."

[undertale-writing-times]

What would Envy do if he was interrogating someone and when he goes to grab their chin he suddenly feels a spark shoot through him?

Perhaps this is a sign that he's found his soulmate?

Well, said s/o is still shivering with obvious nerves 'cause they're afraid of being hurt.

Also, how about the same happens with Pride, only it is a case where he sees his s/o come bolting out towards him. They've run away from Envy's underlings and they practically crash into him since they see that he's a cop. They're begging for him to help them, and it is in that moment of contact that Pride feels the spark hit him.

Okay, here you go! I hope you like it :)

Envy didn't quite care that the person in front of him was shuttering, and shaking. He got his underlings to grab them because something about them caught his attention. He was fairly sure that it was that he had seen them with someone that they shouldn't have been with. Though... they didn't look familiar. Why did he feel drawn to them? He didn't know, and he wanted to know, which is why he decided to take them! Do you see how it all connects?

"I do not know why you are shakin'. I have not even done anythin' to you yet" He says while taking off his gloves and looking down at them. The lilac-colored fur on his neck tickled his cheeks.

The person doesn't answer, keeping their mouth shut in a tight line.

"Your sibling is going to be joinin' us soon enough. If you talk, I am sure that I could make their problems less... dangerous."

Their eyes widened, yet even so, they kept their mouth shut in a tight line looking at him with big eyes.

They had beautiful eyes...

"Still not goin' to talk to me?" He starts, and slowly reaches out, tilting their head up "You are so rude" Yet... the second he touched them a shock went through his body causing his bones to tense, almost locking together and he pulls his hand away.

He looks down at his hand, then back at the person who was still just looking at him! His tentacles whip around behind him, and he saw them flinch making him squint at them with the one eye that worked. What the fuck? Literally...

Was that... no, it couldn't have been that. He turns away, grumbling under his breath, and grabs his phone calling one of his underlings "Where the hell is their silbin'? I'm gettin' tired of waitin'!" He snaps, tapping his foot on the ground. After that happened, he lost all of his... will.

Not really will but ugh, he couldn't think of the right word.

He just couldn't focus!

"Uhh I'm sorry boss, Pride got em. They were able to run into him, I dunno what happened but I think I saw a soul flash... they're his fuckin' soulmate"

Envy's grip tightens on his phone, hearing a slight crack sound and he hisses softly "Get back here." he hangs up, puts his phone down, and turns to look at Y/n, putting his hands together letting out a slow breath "Today... is the luckiest day of your whole life, Y/n" and with that, he goes to untie them just to wrap them up in his tentacles and starts to walk, carrying them with his tentacles.

He needed to think about this for a while...

There was no way that they were his soulmate, right? He didn't have one... he didn't want one! He knew that he didn't. This wasn't fair. Yet, the idea of it made him fairly happy. Plus, his brother being the soulmate of this one's sibling? That's just... that's just weird.

[maibi]

Consideration

Gojo Satoru x reader

Summary: A joke you played on Gojo kinda backfired. But was it really backfire or something you didn’t mind happening.. ;)

A/N: this turned out longer than I had expected. ANYWAYS I enjoyed writing this one ngl:)

——————————————————————————

Gojo was by far one of the most annoying people you have met, but sadly at the same time he is one of your closest friends. He’d always joke around and never really took anything serious. You would be training the 2nd years on the field and he would just be playing around with his first year students. You didn’t mind that he went easy on the first years, but he just left all the extra hard work over to you once they were in their second year. Which naturally made him more annoying to you. For a 28 year old he sure doesn't act his age. 

“What if you just went on a date with me?”, Gojo said as you were walking to your room, the one you stayed in at school. It was a much cheaper solution, so you didn’t mind it much. Plus you got to spend more time with your students and... other colleagues.

“What about no?”, you said as you stopped in front of your door. 

“AAAAH SENSEI THAT HURTS”, Gojo said as he clutched his heart over dramatically. 

“I’m not your sensei”, you answered back at him.

“I mean you could be”, he answered with a wink.

“How about no”, you said as you opened your door. “I am just your colleague.”

“Did I really just get colleague-zoned?”, he said as he wiped away a fake tear making you roll your eyes.

He was always like this. He’d joke around about liking you and didn't’ even conceal the fact about wanting to be in a relationship. But it had been like this since forever and you were so adapted to all the rejecting you did, that it always happened naturally now. He’d go “I like you a lot so let’s go on a date” and you would just shut him down in various ways. 

Of course there were times he’d make you blush or make your heart beat a little faster than normally, but you never really took his words into consideration. For example a certain situation that made your heart beat faster:

“Not gonna lie, You look really stunning this evening”, he said as he accompanied you on an evening party between all the teachers from Tokyo and Kyoto Jujustu High. 

He had reached out his hand for you to take because that was the kind of guy he was. He didn’t care about how he presented himself in public, so looking like his partner or not was not one of his concerns. So you just didn’t see a problem with it and took his hand as he locked both of your arms.

“Why thank you sir Satoru”, you said as you played along with him. “Though I have to say it feels a little too tight.”

“I think it accentuates your body perfectly”, he said with a wink. “Shall we go inside?”, he said back as your face was probably flushed red. With a nod the both of you went inside the building. 

It had been a peaceful night until a man wouldn’t stop bothering you. He was probably a teacher from Kyoto High so you didn’t want to sound rude, but you really did not enjoy the way he was bothering you. 

To your luck, Gojo had been watching the whole scene and couldn’t hold his chill. He walked up to you and linked your arms again. “I will be walking this person outside, if you have no business left with them you can gladly leave”, he said with a serious expression, boring a whole in the man’s face with his look. 

He pulled you with him to the exit and you just went along. “Maybe we should tell the rest that we’re leaving”, you hesitantly said. 

“It’s alright I'll let someone know we left”, he said.

“Not to be rude, but if we leave so abruptly together they might think wrongly...” You didn’t want to finish that sentence because he’d either act hurt and make jokes out of it or he’d be actually hurt and try not to show it.

You heard him sigh. “I’ll tell them you felt sick and that I sent you with a taxi. Don’t worry about it”, he said in a low voice. 

You weren’t gonna lie that that moment had made your heart beat faster, but you couldn’t tell him that. It felt weird to admit that to a person you have been rejecting for over years now. It’s not like you would feel like this constantly, so you didn’t mind it much. But little did you know... It wasn’t just a temporary feeling.

“You should check on your students, they’re still outside in the rain because of your punishment”, you said snapping back to reality. 

“Ah that’s alright, I gave Megumi the lead. He made sure all three of em went inside before it started raining. All so that I could have some alone time with you", he winked again.

“Then why are only Nobara and Yuuji outside?”, you asked as you pointed at your window. They weren’t, but you just wanted him to shut up and leave, so that was your solution. 

His eyes widened and he just sprinted in the directions of the stairs. He took it very serious when his students got sick, because he needed all of the time he got to teach his students. You always made fun of his way of teaching, but in the end the students always turned out to be strong. You didn’t ever really admit is, but he was a good teacher and in some way you looked up to him. Though that piece of information was not for him to know. He had a dream, and his students were helping him achieve it.

“Ooooh y/n sensei, you didn’t sleep yet?” It was Itadori who came walking in your direction. “I was looking for Gojo sensei, but I can’t find him anywhere.”

“Oh I sent him outside to look for you guys, because I told him Megumi left you and Nobara outside in the rain”, you said.

He looked visibly confused and looked his own body up and down. “But I'm right here?”

“Exactly”, you said as you winked and pointed a finger gun at him. 

His eyes widened and he started laughing. “Sensei that’s so cruel!”

“I have to do what I have to do in order for him to leave me alone sometimes”, you said with a sigh.

“Is Gojo sensei that bad towards you then?”, Yuuji asked.

“Ah Yuuji you’re making me seem like the bad guy here. But no, he actually isn’t all that bad. But he just doesn’t know about the word private space sometimes”, you said reassuring the teenager. 

“oh no I didn’t want to make you feel bad about your words”, he worriedly said as he shook his head. “I just know how Fushiguro gets annoyed easily, so I thought it might have been the same for you. Oh Gojo sensei!”

You turned your head to the side and saw Gojo walking in your direction as Itadori waved frantically, but it faded more and more as Gojo walked closer. He was completely drenched and he held his eye mask in his hands. He looked pissed, or more annoyed. 

“Yuuji could you leave me alone with y/n sensei”, he said not looking up.

“y/n sensei is this alright”, Yuuji whispered.

“It’s alright Yuuji, don’t worry about it. Just make sure you don’t stay around here, okey?”, you said with a smile and a nod to reassure him.

“Okey”, he said with a worried expression as he left anyways. 

You waited till You didn’t see Itadori anymore. You walked inside your room and Gojo just walked right in after you. You didn’t have the time to close the door as he just pinned you against it, making the push close the door. You were taken aback and Gojo just stared at you. You couldn’t read his expression at all. 

“Listen, I play and joke around a lot I know. But making me worry about my students’ health isn’t one of the things I can joke around with”, he said.

“What is it Gojo, did I push the wrong button?”, you said back, not giving a sign of being intimidated by him. 

“Don’t go playing all big and mighty now”, he said in an almost whisper, inching closer to your face.

Your heart was beating in your chest, but you didn’t give in. “What are you gonna do about it?”, you said also inching closer, leaving almost no space between your faces.

That was his sign. That was all he needed as confirmation so he just held you neck and pulled you in, closing the space that was left between the two of you. you synced with his movements and he barely gave you a moment to breath.

He pulled back and looked you straight in the eyes. “I’m not joking around with you, I'm serious. I am ready to give you my all, I hope you realized that by now. I know you feel the same way and I'll give you as much time as you need. But don’t make me waste my time. So if you want me just tell me and I'll give you all the space you need after that”, he said with no hint of sarcasm. 

“Who said I wanted space?”, you said with a smug smile. “Why would i want space when I can take you right now Gojo Satoru”, you said in a whisper with a smug smile. 

He liked that side of you. That playful side of you that appears once in a while. It turned him on, it made him imagine things he shouldn’t and you knew you had that impact on him. Because in the end he never showed any effort in concealing his true feelings so figuring him out wasn’t as hard as you sometimes thought it would. 

He smiled back at you and raised his eyebrows. “Guess chasing after you was really worth it huh?”

You pulled him back in for a kiss and this one was more passionate than the other. You pulled him closer, you deepened the kiss and he did everything in his power to not squish you against the door. Your hand moved to his damp hair and you tugged at it lightly. He moved his head to your ear and trailed down kisses to your shoulder. 

His hand moved to the lock of the door and you heard it click. You turned your head slightly that you had a good view on his face. He was smirking and you rolled your eyes at him in a playful way.

“Let’s see how good you keep your word when saying you can take me right now”, he said.

“I can’t back down now, can I”, you smugly answered.

With a breathy laugh he brought his face back to yours. “where were we”, he said in a whisper.

“Here”, you said and you pulled him back in for a kiss. 

It was quite obvious from the start that you and Gojo would end up like this. You couldn’t deny your feelings forever and Gojo was one hell of a pain in the ass to keep on reminding you that you had no escape from him. Not that you wanted that. But like said before, he didn’t need to know that piece of information. Some things were better left off not said, because in the end Gojo Satoru is one hell of a cocky person, but that was one thing you adored so much about him. And let’s not forget, you were in love with him and there was no denying that either. 

[slashingdisneypasta]

Greasy Weasel x Reader || Oneshot

Title: Lottie

Notes:

Pay no mind to the title- its just an homage to the original piece this is inspired by/for, for my own happiness ^^

So this is an experiment XD I don't think I got Greasy's character quite right (Even if it IS supposed to build on what little info we have) but I like it... sorta... I like the first bit, anyway XD

Plot: Greasy has known you nearly your whole life (Since you were left on the Toon Patrol's doorstep, anyway, with a note that said you belonged to Smart Ass), he raised you- but what happens between the two of you when you return from the Navy 4 years after shipping off cannot be constituted as platonic, in any way.

Warnings: Age difference, Dads friend/Friends kid (NOT pedophilia, Reader is like 24 in this and there were no feelings from his end until now), possible sexual references (I mean its Greasy so what do you expect), etc.

Glaring over your salad, which you play irritated with with your fork, as you lean back in your chair. "Greasy can we talk, in the hallway?" The fury is coursing through you right now, like the goddamn Nile. Where does he even get off saying stuff like this? He is in no position...

He must- he m u s t detect the absolute blood lust in your eyes as he takes a break from leaning on Chase, to you. But look ashamed at all, he does not as he shrugs - but does not speak. A tell tale sign that he's just as, if not more frustrated in the moment and as such, is so not in the mood to get berated, - and gets out his seat; heading for the hallway.

You watch him go with glaring eyes, not moving an inch, before looking at the rest of the table including Chase and taking a breath. Calm down Y/N, keep the anger to yourself... until you talk to Greasy, at least.

"Sorry about this guys, and Dad... " Your gaze flickers the the hallways door and you hop out of your seat, itching to tear into Greasy for his behaviour tonight, and the past couple days actually. "I'll be right back."

You pass your father on your way out, sitting in a recliner chair with earmuffs over his head to block out his family for a while.

As soon as you reach Greasy at the end of the hall, your face twists into a total scowl; all inhibitions and constraints disappearing.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"I do not know what you mean, bonita." He mumbles around his grit teeth, arms crossed and resistant. You clench your fists, totally frustrated. Bitter, spiteful, awful man!

"The hell you don't. What was all that!? You've been acting like this since I got home! If you didn't want me back here, then you could've just said it! Woulda hurt a hell of a lot less then this."

At least at that, his shoulders relax for a moment- but his expression does not soften. And neither does the steel in either his eyes or his voice when he yells back, throwing an arm out to express his anger. "It isn't that I didn't want you back home, Y/N, its that you brought some inválido, with you! I did not expect that, from you!"

"Chase is not invalid- " You gasp, horrified at the way Greasy is speaking. Where is all the disgust, coming from? Greasy isn't like this, normally... in fact, you don't think you've ever seen him this senselessly an ass. Why!? "And you say that like its some mortal sin! I brought a boy home, I didn't kill someone- which you would not have the high ground over, either!"

"This was supposed to be family time! You've been gone for years and the first nights you're back, its with some chico!? He must mean a maldito mucho to you for you to possibly think he's worth hanging around with us right now."

"First of all, he does mean a lot to me. He's my friend- " Under his hat, you see Greasy's eyes deeply roll- a huff coming out of him as he tightly crosses his arms again. Like yeah right- "No, no. He is. Shut up. And second of all- if you just wanted to be with family then you could have just said! That doesn't excuse your behaviour." You glare ferociously, waiting for the real reason. Is he drunk, or something?? Honest to god you are baffled by the way he's acting- he's usually cooler then this. Out of any of your father's gang, he was the one you never really had to worry about. His antics made you laugh- but this? This makes you want to cry. Or scream.

You've gone for the second option.

"He does not see you as just a friend." He mutters back petulantly, avoiding looking at you now; Pulling his fedora down more over his face.

"So what!?" Even if he does, why would that make Greasy so mad? You cross your own arms. "You aren't my father and its is not your job to protect my 'chastity', Greasy."

He suddenly goes quiet, though the wrath from before is still clear in way his jaw is clenched. "... I know I'm not your father... " He mutters.

Something about that phrase stumps you. Of course he knows, but why does he look so ashamed? You uncross your arms, and take a deep breath.

"... Okay." Your eyes flash, looking up at him again; Anger still not sated. "Then why are you acting insane and harassing my guest!?"

A growl rips out of him and he bumps the brim of his hat upwards so he can look at you again, right in the eye. "I told you, I don't like that you brought him into this house!- "

"That's not it!" Its not. He's acting crazy about a boy who's acting absolutely lovely and polite. Its not.

You just want him to tell you what it really is that you did. You don't want to keep fighting with him, not with Greasy. You want your silly, campy, perverted Greasy back. Not this rotten version in front of you right now.

"It is!"

You press your fists brattily to your hips. "Is not!"

He bares his teeth and leans forward. "Is!"

"Not!-"

And then all the tension comes to a head, and something absolutely mad happens.

The first thing that you notice is the smell of his stupid expensive perfume filling your nostrils and embracing you, then your your hands curled tightly around the lapels of his suit, and finally the feeling of warmth and tingliness all over your body.

Because you're kissing Greasy.

Your perverted Greasy, one of your fathers best friends, one of the men that raised you, your teenage crush. Your kissing him on the lips and he's slowly reciprocating, his mouth moving carefully, but purposefully against your as he moves his body closer.

But there's anger, too. Your teeth are going to ache when you pull back for pressing into the kiss too hard and the tips of your fingers will pang when you let go of him but not quite yet-

Two sets of lips part and Greasy does this thing with his tongue that tears a long overdue moan out of you, and immediately he rears back like he was burnt. And you're left standing there cold again, completely shocked.

And aroused.

But mainly shocked, because you never expected that to happen but it did and now what are you both going to do?

The air is absolutely silent as you both catch your breaths, from the kiss and also from the fight, and hope your hearts stop beating quite so erratically very soon so you can act normal.

Then, because you've waited for this for too long and the moment is too good to pass up, you step over and kiss him again.

And he kisses you back, like he's totally unable to help himself from kissing you.

All the frustrations and tensions of the past few weeks go into it oh my god- you never expected Greasy to be able to kiss totally well, but it certainly does the trick as it has you holding onto him like your life depends on it, chasing your own pleasure but also experimenting- trying to drag pleasant reactions from him. See what he likes, make him moan.

Between kisses, he mutters 'Cariño... ' warningly, carefully. Like he knows he should stop but you're too good.

When you both finally pull back again minutes later, you're both wide eyed again though far less shocked about your actions, then before.

More scared.

"Don't tell Dad."

___REWIND: A FEW DAYS AGO WHEN YOU GOT HOME___

"Guys!" You scream, the moment your eyes land on the familiar group at the docks, utter excitement fills you up and you almost want to cry as you drop your bags with your friend in order to rush over to your family and throw your arms around the first man you reach- Stupid. "I missed you. I missed you, I missed you so much!!" You squeeze him, the familiar soft, worn feel of his shirt rubbing on your face as you cant help but smile.

"Duhh, Y/N!! We brought you (Favourite snack)!" Stupid informs above you, but squeezes you back in a moment, a happy whine escaping him at having you back there with him. And your hugs.

"Ohhh," Now you really want to cry. You're so overwhelmingly happy to be home and to see them again- and they brought you food. "Now that's what I came home for... " You joke, giggling a little bit tearily before pulling back and almost running in to Psycho, who holds up the snack.

You just wrap him up in a quick, tight hug. As always he's the warmest- like a lizard who's been sitting out on a hot rock for hours.

Next you find your father standing expectantly for you, fake annoyed that you didn't come to him first. "Hey, kid. Yeah, I told 'em you'd be none-too happy to see us if we didn't have your damn food. But this is some reception, for a regular pack."

"Hey, Dad." Your voice comes out wobbly and weak but in a good way, as he takes you up in his skinny arms and pink suit holding your head the way fathers do; Like someone with a bat is coming up behind you but he doesn't want you to know and there's no way in hell, that you're about to get hurt on his watch. "I missed you so much."

He sighs, and grumbles something about feelings, before burning his head down into the hug. "I missed you more kiddo."

After you father curtly lets you go, nodding stiffly at you as if it would save him his tough guy reputation, your attention is stolen by a familiar rusty, painful sounding voice. "Hey there, chickadee. No hello for me?"

"Wheezy!" You exclaim, thrilled. He holds up his hands.

"I wont take it personal if you don't wanna a hug me- wouldn't wanna get all smelly."

You roll your eyes, grinning. "Whenever have I ever cared about that."

"Hm." He grins, and you too hug warmly for a moment then you pull back and greet the last of your boys.

"Bonita, its good to see you of course. Nice to see you got into such good shape over seas- almost as good as me." Greasy grins sharply, before you two collide excitedly, so happy to see each other again and you press a quick kiss to his cheek. You picked up the habit when you had a crush on him, in your teenage years. Now its just routine. Yours and Greasy's thing together.

You squeeze his arms one last time, before letting go. "Oh, guys- " Sniffling, all teary and happy, you hide your face and pull yourself together. "Ahh... I'm sorry." Greasy pats your shoulder, as they all chuckle at your show of emotion- not that they're doing hugely better. Psycho blows his nose into his sleeve, teary himself.

Your Dad, although honestly as happy and serene as he can possibly be, with his hands in his pockets and his little baby back, glances off to your luggage still laying amongst bustling travellers a few metres away and the corners of his lips tilt down. "Boys- go get Y/N's stuff. I don't want it gettin' stolen."

Finally, you pull yourself together. "I brought someone I want you to meet! My friend Chase, he's- he's only stopping off here before moving on to his home further inland. And I was hoping he could have dinner with us tonight? Just, cuz, you know, its both our first night back?"

Your Dad squints at the guy who looks like he's guarding our luggage, as Stupid and Wheezy go and collect it. "That green bean there?"

"He's talllllllllllllllllllll," Psycho comments, giggling as he judges Chase.

"Yep, him." You agree, hoping your father is okay with it. you would hate to leave Chase alone in his apartment the days before his flight. He needs a good, family cooked meal for his first night off the ship!

"Yeah I guess." Smart Ass sighs, shrugging and sighing. "I just got noise resistant headphones- I don't gotta communicate with no one."

You grin. "Thank you, Dad!"

"Whatever."

"A boy?" Greasy pipes up, curiously from beside you. You look over and find him sizing Chase up, then turns to you and smiles weakly- a pale imitation of a teasing smirk. "You brought home a handsome boy?"

Rolling your eyes, you pat him on the back before heading over to Chase; not thinking much at all of Greasy's comment of the odd look on his face. "One, he's a man." Greasy rolls his eyes. "And he's just a friend! Wait here guys, I'll bring him over!"

___Greasy's POV___

"Hmmm... a friend." I shake my head, crossing my arms as watch Y/N interact with this 'Chase'. She picks up one of his bags for him and flashes him one of her pretty smiles, and he watches her move on ahead of him back to us. Por supuesto. For sure.

I watch him as a nauseous feeling rolls in my gut. I know that watch. That is not a 'friend' watch. If he was but a friend, he would be more concerned about the loose wooden board he's standing on rather then the chica's behind.

Perhaps I should tell Smartass what that boy is looking at-

As they come over, the nauseous, grinding feeling in me just gets stronger and I decide against opening my mouth to speak. I'm afraid of whatever might come out- I've never been good at withholding my... feelings.

Its only when the boy catches up to her, and us, and he puts an arm over Y/N's shoulders as she introduces us, and I stiffen up like a wooden plank, that I identify the feeling.

Its something I certainly shouldn't be feeling.

Not about Y/N.

The boss will kill me.

Maybe I can ignore it. Wish it away. Its probably just that I haven't been with a woman in a while, now... Si, that must be it. I am desperate. I good night or two with a lovely lady and I'll be fine.

But then the boy kisses Y/N's cheek and I only just manage to swallow the growl that fights to be torn from the back of my throat at the sight, and I realise immediately that this is going to be more complicated then that.

Far more complicated.

"And this is Greasy! Greasy, Chase." Y/N introduces us brightly, presenting him like he's important and Chase good-naturedly offers his hand to me. All I see though is the devil.

"Nice to meet ya! Y/N's told me about you, I hope we can get along." He beams while I glower, not moving at all to take up his hand.

Oh I doubt that we will, 'Chase', I truly do.

"So Chika!" Promptly I turn to Y/N, a smile on my face as I slip between them and wrap an arm around Y/N, leading her up ahead of the others and especially him. "You haven't told us about your travels much- Psycho ate your last postcard. We have to discuss!"

She glances back, concernedly, at Chase but I just prod her to start talking.

Maybe I can right off these feelings as protectiveness... like I'm supposed to be. I watched this girl grow up and I want her to be happy! I'm like... a... father...

My stomach rolls at the idea, but I swallow the horror down. I have to.

[karasunology]

━ ❛ ➶ LOVE IN TRANSLATION ❜

➜ a walk through of tsukishima's love languages told through headcanons.

-ˏˋ ➶ character(s) ━ tsukishima kei <3

[ ♡ ] you've received one love note from jae ! would you like to read it ?

💌 . . . finished writing this 8 minutes before the day ends, and i'm already drowsy y'all. but i had another headcanon to write for iwaizumi😔✋ so f.

💌 . . . edit, now i'm posting this and realized i'm better at writing whenever i'm half asleep😌 anyways, hope you bubs enjoy this !! <33 aone would probably be next i hope. also requests are open!! almost done with my inbox & i have nothing to do, so send an ask and i'll write em.

TSUKISHIMA KEI.

➜ tsukishima, just like iwaizumi, is not the best at pda.

➜ but not because of the same reasons.

➜ homeboy was just not the best at showing those type of emotions, preferably to try and mask those in snarky, and obnoxiously mean remarks.

➜ bb boy needs to lay off his salt

➜ like he'll have a kidney stone one of these days ngl

➜ tsukishima was, surprisingly enough, the first one to confess between the two of you. reasons being that these overbearing feelings of his, that he was unaccustomed to was a bit too much for him and just decided to confess to you out of flustration.

➜ and in his thoughts, and i quote

“ just to get this over with ”

➜ he knew you wouldn't accept it so atleast he could it it off his chest and cry himself a river and get over it

➜ mans was too practical lmao

➜ but you didn't reject him, and in fact you returned the same overbearing feelings he carried that would create a whirl wind of emotions in the pits of your stomache, and he did not, in fact, cry himself a river

➜ because holysh!t you actually like him back ???

➜ homeboy never thought this through

➜ tsukishima never would have thought you'd accept his confession

➜ but nevertheless, he asked you out right after, still in deep shock and as if he was still floating in cloud nine.

➜ tsukishima was awkward when you guys started dating, no; it's probably you too.

➜ physical affection was OUT the window in the first start of your guys' relationship.

➜ and when you guys DO start attempting physical contact, he'd be so stiff lmaoo

➜ tsukki isn't showered in these types of affection okay?? you're probably his first s/o

➜ whenever you'd hug him with people around, he wouldn't buldge or would just entirely deny you of it

➜ s h i t  hurts tsukki :(

➜ it wasn't like he doesn't like you ─ goodness no, bb boy was probably wrapped around your finger.

➜ it wasn't an everyday sight seeing tuskishima with an s/o

➜ he just couldn't for the life of him do pda justttt yet, especially with all the eyes watching you two interact

➜ whenever tanaka or noya comments that he's too cold to you, or if anyone says that you deserve better, he'd do that shit-eating-grin, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANN

➜ THE ONE THAT MAKES THAT PUSSÉ WET 👅👀💅

➜ and say

“ atleast i have an s/o & not just go around asking kiyoko-san for her hand in marraige. ” to tanaka or noya

“ and you think you're better for her ? ” to anyone that dares say anything about y'all's relationship

➜ but would also have this guilt-tripping churning on his stomache because you probably did deserve better

➜ the day you guys had your first kiss was when a guy called him out, saying they were better for you than he could ever be.

➜ and out of his built up insecurities & flustration, y'all just had this tension between you two and next thing you knew, you guys were kissing

➜ which may or may not ended up as a makeup session🤪😳

➜ and he was just surprisingly?? good ?? at it??

➜ ugh sanaol

➜ after that incident, tsukishima and you talked your relationship through and his insecurities ( also another sign he's whipped for you, because he never does these type of shit. )

➜ bb boy was a bit more comfortable at physical affection with you

➜ pda? he'd probably kiss you in front of the person the person commenting unnecessary about your guys' relationship, or if anyone dares to flirt with you in front of him

➜ and he'd have you out of breath from it and would have that smirk on his lips

➜ fook let me just kiss you ahHh

➜ but other than that, he prefers to stay low on pda, though, holding hands is a must

➜ but not without a remark from our mcdonalds fry

“ your hands are too sweaty ”

➜ would 100% flick your forehead

➜ like if he ever thinks you're annoyingly cute, he'd just flick your forehead lmAOOO

➜ one time y'all were away from each other because he had training camp, and when you guys finallu saw each other again, you couldn't help but run up to him & kiss him mwahhh

➜ and he'd be like 😳🤢

“ disgusting, do it again. ”

➜ but would be the one to pull YOU into a kiss

➜ phew CHILEE🥵

➜ physical touches are already something

➜ but what about non-physical ones?

➜ nicknames

➜ N I C K N A M E S

➜ they are a MUST in your guys' relationship

➜ if you're short, homeboy would call you chibi-chan.

➜ if you have a huge forehead, bb biy would call you forehead-chan

➜ while you would call him megane-chan/kun

➜ tsukki is also a good one

➜ bitch too

➜ half would be so weird but are still endearing to the both of you

➜ doesn't let anyone else probably other than tadashi, akiteru & his mom to hold his glasses for him

➜ and you too

➜ he would let you touch it and wear it, though without a playful roll of the eyes and maybe a side remark, since he is tsukishima kei

➜ one time he was teasing you and acted too tired to put on his glasses and made you do it

➜ and while you guys were eye levelled as you guys sat in his bed, almost nose to nose👀😳 the second you put on his glasses on him perfectly, he'd pull your arm gently towards him as you landed safely onto his chest, his head ontop of yours and you guys just sat in silence;

➜ and with nothing but your two beating hearts created a whole new melody once they were molded together

➜ would call your grades trash✋ but would offer to study with you

➜ thus born, was your study sessions/dates

➜ would SHARE ! HIS ! EARPHONES ! WITH ! YOU AHHHHH

➜ PUTEKNAOL😤

➜ has bought headphones just for the sole purpose to listen to music with you

➜ AND NOT JUST THAT YALL

➜ 😭😭😭

➜ HE MAKES PLAYLISTS FOR YOU

➜ MARRY ME SIR

➜ UGH IM HIS CERTIFIED WH0RE

➜ AND IF YOU WOULD DO THE SAME, HE'D DROP ON HIS KNEES AND JUST MELT AND SAY “ i will marry this bitch one day ”

➜ y'all would probably listen to both playlist alternately while you guys just either vibe to it or fall asleep with each other

➜ i have other things to say but i have to stop myself from spoiler my new mini headcanons series coming soon

[jacscorner]

Fox McCloud of Kongo Bongo Part 1

Hello, beautiful friends. I'm simul-posting this silly fanfic idea I had for a while now. Cause Fox McCloud X Tiny Kong content doesn't exist except for the content I made myself, so I'm making a fic dedicated to my silly Sword & Planet doodle I did some months back.

With all that said, I hope you all enjoy, and sorry for any spelling and grammar faults. I'll fix them after the post if someone points 'em out to me, but this fic is being written by the seat of my pants and pretty casually.

The Lylat System was quiet. It had been a short year since the return of Andross when Fox McCloud and the Star Fox team had stopped Andross from destroying Corneria and taking over the system. Fox McCloud, leader of Team Star Fox, was piloting his Arwing past Sector X. The strange nebula was once the secret base for Andross and his operations during the First Lylat War, but now the odd cosmic cloud in the shape of a cross was just a quiet landmark through the system. At least, so it should.

[This is Pepper. Come in, Fox.]

Fox gave a tired grunt, losing his concentration and focus as he reached for the communicator strapped to his head and flipped it on. "You're clear, Peppy."

[Are ya seein' anything there, Fox?]

"That's a negative." Fox said as he checked his instruments again. "I'm still getting those weird readings that Slippy picked up, but I'm not seeing anything."

[Ya shoulda waited at the Great Fox like I told ya, Fox.]

Fox gave a roll of his eyes as he said, "Peppy, stop worrying so much." After the return of Andross every low life of the system seemed to go into hiding. True peace was still out of reach, and there was always work for the members of Team Star Fox, but finding any big named criminals who tried to fill the same niche Andross were hard to come by. In a way, Fox didn't like this; as a mercenary, he lived to fight. Was it wrong to think that way? Most certainly; peace in the Lylat System, where no little kid lost their father like he did, was the ultimate goal. But he needed food on the table like anyone else did.

[Wolf O'Donnell is still at large, Fox. He could be setting up a trap for ya.]

Cap'n Wolf O'Donnel, the name rang in Fox's ear. He could still see the burning, red scar on that wolf's face, the yellow of his eyes burning into his own. Out of all the mercenaries Andross hired to take him and Miyu out, Wolf was probably the best. His equal in almost every way and nearly sent him to his doom. It was the most intense fight Fox had ever been in; for the first time in his life, Fox truly feared that he was gonna die.

And yet, ever since then, there's been a hole in his chest that he couldn't quiet fill.

"If Wolf's out there, then I'll be ready for him."

[Fox, you're-]

"End transmission." Fox didn't wait for a reply, turning off his head piece. He wasn't in the mood to keep listening to Peppy badger him over this; besides, if Wolf was out here, then he would've shown his face by now, right? There wasn't anywhere to hide in Sector X, it wasn't anything by burning gas and bright light.

"One more pass around." Fox told himself, initiating another scan. If nothing was here, then he should turn back and head back for the Great Fox. At least, that's what he should do, but he was in no real rush to make it back to Peppy and listen to him nag his ear off. He cruised around Sector X thinking about how he'd rather go to Titania. There's a nice little saloon there, perfect place to refuel his Arwing and drink his problems away. Just the thought of Titania ale was tempting Fox to ditch his mission. It was weird; he wasn't much of a drinker before, by after the first Lylat War, he grew a taste for alcohol.

Suddenly, Fox jerked the controls on his Arwing, suddenly him into a dive just in time to avoid a photon shot. His instincts kicked in just in time, but where the hell did that come from?! He looked on his radar, seeing nothing, but then looked to see an incoming transmission message. He didn't even patch it through or have the chance to reject the message when a scarred face appeared on screen.

"Hello, pup."

"Wolf!" Fox growled as he glanced up, seeing the lone, quad-wing ship cut through the unforgiving void as he rocketed right for the vulpine pilot. Fox bared his fangs, starting to charge right for Wolf like a demented game of chicken. "I knew you were skulking about these parts!"

"And I knew you'd come with the right bait." Wolf chuckled, his shields deflecting Fox's photon shots as he fired back with his own. "And now it's time I pay back the debt I racked up back on Macbeth."

With some expert barrel rolls, Fox was able to deflect Wolf's own shots, the two ships crossing the other's paths.

"Not to mention I'm paying you back for killing the rest of my team." Wolf snarled, spinning his ship around and beginning to chase Fox through space. His ship let out rapid volleys of hot orange shots on Fox's tail, but Fox managed to evade each shot. Fox could feel Wolf gritting his teeth as he managed to evade each shot. It was like Fox had eyes on the back of his head and Wolf couldn't get a clean shot!

[Fox, come in! Fox! Fox, answer me!]

Meanwhile, Fox couldn't shake Wolf from his tail; it was like Wolf was glued on! He tried to perform a somersault, but Wolf was right behind him, gunning for his engines. He felt his air form a lump in his throat; Wolf was giving him no chance to breath or get any space to counter attack.

"Get back here, brat!" Wolf called out, but Fox was too focused to be distracted or baited by the bounty hunter.

[H-hey! F-Fox, can you hear-ribbit?!]

"Want me?! Come and get me!" Fox called back at Wolf. With a well-timed barrel role, he deflected Wolf's volley of shots and slammed the breaks. Wolf flew right past him and was reading right for the burning mass that was Sector X before Fox chased Wolf down. Now that the tables had turned, Fox was going for the kill, charging up a photon shot that he aimed right for Wolf's engine, prepared to finish off his rival once and for-

[HEY GENIUS! WHAT ARE YA DOIN'?! GET OUTTA THERE!]

Falco's shrieking in Fox's ear piece made him release his shot just before the charge was done, nailing Wolf right in the back of his ship, just missing his engine. Wolf started to climb up and get away, but Fox was more focused on the ringing in his ear. It felt like a siren was blaring with how loud it was.

"...Wait, that's not my ear." Fox flinched as he looked at his were going crazy! Before he could decipher what was happening, a sudden, brighter light came from Sector X. In the center of the nebula's glowing cross appeared,a void of purple light that began to swell and open up.

"A Worm Hole!" Fox realized it too late! He tried to pull away, but this Worm Hole was sucking him in! His controls were starting to lock up; try as Fox might, but he couldn't escape the gravity field the Worm Hole was projecting! It was like a hand had grabbed his ship and started to pull him in by force!

"What is this?! I can't get away!" Wolf shouted, doing no better as his ship was being lured right into the vortex as well.

Fox couldn't think; Wolf's screaming and the Arwing blaring were growing more and more distant as they fell closer to the Worm Hole. His life was starting to flash before his eyes; Fox thought that fear would grip his heart, yet he was oddly calm. Life, death; they didn't seem to matter anymore. Or, rather, Fox felt ready to embrace his fate. Day to day life felt more and more like a chore for the mercenary. And while he didn't rush towards death, he wasn't against letting it come to him. As the light began to fade and sound turn to nothingness, Fox felt ready to embrace death like a bride.

And then, nothingness.

This wasn't the first time Fox had entered a Warp Zone, but this was different from the last time.

The last time, back in the first Lylat War, was a constant bombardment of light and sound. Blues and pinks, odd sounds that made Fox think of some odd, old-school music. It was dizzying back then, yet it felt oddly natural. As if nothing was weird at all; or maybe the odd Warp Zone was manipulating him though the protective hull of his Arwing, making him feel relaxed when any sign man would be panicking and screaming, crashing their ship to any and every piece of debris in the void in a misguided attempt to confirm if what they were being subjected to was real or just a dream they couldn't wake up from.

It wasn't like that this time at all; in fact, it was the exact opposite. Fox couldn't see anything, it was all dark. It wasn't black as night or even dark like space. There was no source of any light, not even from his Arwing. He couldn't see his own hand even if it was trembling in front of his own face. He couldn't hear anything either; not Wolf's screaming, not that he could tell if he was or not, not the alarms his Arwing should've been giving off, not even the sound of his own heart.

He couldn't feel anything either. Not the taste of his own spit, not the seat he was sure he was still sitting in, nor the controls his hands wouldn't let go of with his vice-like grip. Fox felt as though he was cramped inside of his cockpit, yet weightless, and his sad attempt to anchor himself in place was useless. Was this what death was like or was this just the odd void he was trapped in.

How long would he be here? Would he die here? Could he die here? And just how long has he been here? At first, he thought it was just five minutes, but at the same time, he felt that he had been floating here for five hours. It was getting so bad that Fox couldn't tell if he was even still in the cockpit. Was he awake? Thinking in his sleep? Were his eyes even open?

CRASH!

Suddenly, all of his senses hit him like a hammer upside the head. A low groan escaped Fox's muzzle; he wanted to feel something, but now it was pain. His body felt sore and stiff; it felt like he had slept all day and hadn't moved a muscle, but somehow worse. Like he was stuck in his cockpit for weeks. His eyes slowly peeled open with a groan as a setting sun's light pierced his retinas like a hot laser.

With a grimace, the fox blindly reached across the console to open the hatch to his cockpit. His ears twitched anxiously with the lack of any cockpit opening sounds. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he tried to press the button again, but noticed how it felt through his leather glove.

Cold.

His console felt ice cold. The Arwing wasn't running. Fox tried to fire it up, but he didn't even catch the sputter of the engine.

"Great. My Arwing's dead..." Fox grunted as he adjusted his seat. With a hard kick of his metallic leg, Fox kicked the glass shielding off of his Arwing before he dragged himself out. Popping his neck and shoulders, Fox looked around. He was on some kind of beach, but this didn't look like any beach he knew. The sand was black as night and gave a beautiful, if not ominous, shine under the setting, red sun. He looked ahead of him, seeing crimson waves push and as high tide began to set in. Behind him, a massive jungle, but there were smoke stacks poking from the tree line. Black clouds of smog began were pouring into the air, obscuring Fox's view from looking beyond the trees.

"Where in Lylat am I...?" Fox mumbled, but he questioned if he was really still in the Lylat System at this point. He reached for his head piece and began to speak. "Fox to the Great Fox, do you hear me guys?" He was met with a chorus of static in his ears. "Great, my Arwing's dead and now I can't even call for help." Just as Fox thought things couldn't get worse, he heard something.

Marching?

Fox pulled out his blaster, turning behind him and preparing to fire a warning shot, but was promptly met with a pair of larger guns pointing at his face. They looked crude and rudimentary as opposed to his own blaster, but they were not only much bigger, but there were five crocodiles pointing what looked like brass-and-steel blunderbusses at Fox's head, florescent tubes sticking out of the sides of their guns.

"Don't even think about it, furball." The croc snarled, his body bulging with muscles covered by mostly green scales. "Drop your blaster and come quietly or your hide will make a nice rug."

"Oh damn..."

[disaster-j]

HOW ARE WE FEELING oh my fucking god. This was like. An amazing episode holy fuckkkkk. First we got like pangwave sharing earphones and :((((( wave is legit the best like OMG WE ARE PRISONERS ARE U NOT ALLOWING ME TO PEE WTF i hated punn for the first part and then now i love him wtf??????? and claire doesnt like him anymore oh no punn is probably going to cry and also everyone leaving pang was heartbreaking as always and i SCREAMED when chanon came ALSO CHANON DROVE THEM TO POM U KNOW [1/?]

WHAT THAT MEANSSSSS but then pom and supot are fucking cowards i hate them i hate them everything was going so well oh and im so glad that pang didnt mind control holy shit!!!!! Ik im scrambling all over holy hell omg i still dk what happened w the ministry and shit and also yeah wtf was that egg ad again what. Also i love time grace and third a lot!!!!!! And i think that was all ok wow i cant

afagahsvhwhs im sorry I took a whole week to reply😭 I didnt mean to ignore you I swear! When I saw the ask I was still processing so I thought I'd answer it later except then I just forgot like I forget everything not directly in front of me😔 Sorry!!!!

So, by now you'll likely have watched the new episode but know that I haven't and probably won't tonight cause I have some stuff to do rn. So imma just talk about what I thought was going on this past week and you can tell me if I'm right?

1. WE ARE FEELING TIRED AND MAD while the writing on this show is amazing, being a Punn stan is HARD rn my child is hurting and no one cares enough to do anything about it😭

2. Goddam the pangwave in that episode was so amazing! That earphone scene agsyhshw if that's not a sign they're endgame then WHAT ISSSS!?!? Also, yes, Wave is so incredible this season every scene with him is a blessing.

3. I ca totally understand not liking Punn rn. I feel that way about Mon what with her constantly ignoring the fact that Korn tried to mass murder a bunch of children and only caring about him and his wellbeing and nothing else but yeah Punn! I don't like him siding with the ministry any more than the next person but I can understand why he did it. Rn he's feeling betrayed and is isolating himself. He's at his most vulnerable and Darin has been using it as an opportunity to manipulate him into doing her bidding. We've seen how she's been using her relationship with his family to get him to trust her since she showed up and bc of Korn's betrayal she was finally able to accomplish that. Punn is only siding with her bc he wants things to be better and he doesn't want to be at war anymore. He's a kid, that's a perfectly valid thing to want. But ultimately, it's not his choice. They're at war either way and he chose the side he thought would do the most good, not realising that neither side outweighs the other in terms of evil shit they're willing to pull. So yeah, I love him and as always I am hella worried for my boy.

4. It sucked so much seeing everyone leave Pang but I can't say I didn't see it coming. He'd lost their trust a while ago and so far he hasn't done anything that would help get it back. Even Wave has his reservations about Pang right now, despite him being the only one to stick around I don't think he fully trust Pang like he used to. Not to say he thinks Pang is using him or doing something bad, but just that he doesn't quite believe in Pang's leadership the way he used to. At least that's what I've gotten so far.

5. CHANON! AND! POM! How dare they bring those two so close and yet not let them meet wtf is up with that!?!? There's some big reveal coming for Chanon x Pom I just know it. I swear when Pom was trying to take the vials from them I was so sure Chanon would walk in and stop him but then nothing? Fucking? Happened??? I was so confused. How did he really just drop em off at the gate and just? Left???? Wtf?!?!? I hope they shed some light on that in today's episode and if they didn't imma riot. I'm tireeeeed this show is tiring me when will it end so I can write my cutesy au about Punn and his alters, one of whom is Rome who falls in love with Bright ugh I just wanna write the cute fics I wanna be done with this stress😭

6. I get why like we DO NOT want him becoming Supot 2.0 which is very likely to happen if he let's the power get to his head. But him not using at all even in crucial moments like that just gives me major Todoroki from Spirts Festival Arc vibes and I just wanna be Izuku and scream "IT'S YOUR POWER" like just use it for good instead of evil man!!! Lives are at stake!!!!!

7. What is the egg girl why is the egg girl i dont get why they are doing this to me how far are they gonna take this nonsense i have so many questions ugh but hey maybe if we all collectively ignore her existence it will go away?

8. I love the babies! Ngl I thought they were annoying episode one but now they are my new children and I love them and shall protect them with my life no one better hurt the children or I will riot!!!! Especially Time, no one touch Time, only happy moments for baby!!!!

That's it, that's all I've got, please tell me we get some real answers this episode? Or, better yet, Punn gets far away from Darin and actually talks to his alters instead of acting like they don't exist??

[adramaticbeauty]

You killed me Min. You killed me :') But thank you for my first ever ask girl, even though it was out of pity😂

Enjoy❤

Double Date?

Gruvia/Nalu drabble

Don’t you think Gray and Juvia have been getting a lot...closer lately?" Lucy questioned as she stared at the pair across the guild.

Juvia was blabbering away as Gray tried to look uninterested but nodded, confirming he was.

“It just seems like we haven’t heard from him in a while since he’s always around Juvia now. I wonder why that is.”Lucy hummed.

"I don't know, but whatever it is I'm glad it's keeping ice freak away. He'd stay away if he knew what was good for em'."Nastu grumbled out as he chomped on another chicken bone. 

Lucy sighed. He just didn't get it. Lucy suspected the lack of Gray around was because him and Juvia were dating. All the clues pointed to it! After all, Gray and Juvia would always walk out the guild at the same time, and would even go on missions together. Of course he would still talk to her and Natsu, but he seemed different. He seemed...happier.

It was like he was a different person now. Like he would smile a lot more often. A genuine smile. And that might be because of love. What if Juvia and Gray were doing more than going on missions and walking home together? Lucy smiled as a mischievous idea popped in her head. 

"Natsu, do you want to help me spy on Juvia and Gray to see if they are dating? Anything… even a kiss on the cheek will confirm my suspicions."

Natsu made a disgusted face as he swallowed his huge bite of chicken.

" Gray dating? No way! He wouldn't. He's too stubborn to ever date Juvia. Besides he's taking so long with Juvia, I wouldn't be surprised if her love faded away by now."Nastu snickered. 

Lucy bopped him on the head with the Sorcerers' magazine she was reading earlier.

"You're lucky I didn't leave with how long you took! Everyone suggested I move on with my love for you because you were so oblivious!" 

Lucy glared, shaking her head in disappointment.

Natsu growled as he glared back." How was I supposed to know you liked me when you're always hitting me!"Natsu retorted.

Lucy blushed and averted her eyes away from Nastu's gaze. She did always overreact a bit...she would have to get better with that.

" Anyway I think Juvia and Gray are dating, and I'm going to get proof. Are you in?" Lucy asked, still watching Gray and Juvia in the corner of her eye.

"I don't think they are dating. It will just be a waste of time!" Natsu frowned crossing his arm.

"How about...we make a bet on it? I will give you 100 jewels if I'm right, and you give me 100 if I'm right." Lucy suggested, with a smirk on her face.

Natsu thought about it for a second before giving his signature grin.

"You're on!"

Gray closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He had hardly been listening to Juvia as he racked his brain for a way he could ask her out. Of course Juvia had always been the one to ask to go with him somewhere, but he had always agreed as friends. This time he wanted to ask her out himself. In a...romantic sense. Not as friends. 

And he needed her to understand that after everything she had done for him, he would start taking her more seriously,as he promised. It already took him long enough to realize something very important. He loved all of Juvia. From the way she bit her upper lip when she was nervous, or how she cutely puffed out her cheeks when she was slightly annoyed, he finally understood that he really loved this woman. 

 She was selfless,confident, loving and everything about her was gorgeous. Something he had tried not to notice for a while. He had always turned a blind eye to it. He had constantly fought his feelings for her.

But he had to take this opportunity to claim her before she was taken away forever. He would never forgive himself if that were to happen. Gray had even decided on the place he would ask her to go. The aquarium. He knew Juvia would like it since she adored animals. Plus water. Like, duh.

He had been planning to ask her all day but he didn’t have enough courage. He knew she would say yes but it was...embarrassing. And he couldn't help but think of the worst possible scenario.

“ And then the puppy bit Juvia! But of course she couldn’t get mad because he was just too cute! So when-”

“Hey...uh, Juvia?”

“Huh? Oh,yes Gray~sama?” 

Her  gleaming sapphire eyes turned to look at him, and Gray felt his throat go dry. The nervousness grew in the pit of his stomach, eating him alive.

” Do you want to...go to the um...I mean-” 

“Oh, Gray~sama an aquarium opened near the park! Did you want to go with Juvia?"

Gray’s mouth dropped open, but he quickly closed, determined to keep his cool.

"I mean there’s nothing else to do around here. Sure.”

Gray mentally face-palmed after he heard the words that flew out of his mouth. Why did he always have to make it seem like he was disinterested in everything?

As the pair got up to exit the guild, Lucy was silently following them with her eyes.

”Natsu! They’re leaving!! Let’s go!” Lucy excitedly shook the sleeping dragon slayer.

”Lucy stop- Alright I’m up geez!”

 As Juvia and Gray walked down the cobblestone street toward their destination, Lucy and Natsu trailed behind. They occasionally hid behind a tree or bush they came across. She always had to pull Natsu down to hide with her,since he wasn't one for stealth.

Gray and Juvia finally came to the front of the building to pay for their tickets. Gray asked for 2 tickets and as Gray was about to pay, Juvia touched his forearm and gave him her sweetest smile.

" Don't worry Gray~sama. Juvia will pay for herself." 

"But Juvia I can-"

"Gray~sama, it's fine."

 She then handed the man some jewels she grabbed from her purse and collected her ticket. Gray sighed. The date was already not going the way he thought it would. That's if Juvia even knew it was a date. What if she didn't know it was a date, and thought it was just another friendly outing?

Gray internally moaned. Why did things have to be so hard when it came to Juvia? He had to tell her.

 "Hey Juvia-"

" Come on Gray~sama! Juvia wants to see the fish!" She was excitedly jumping up and down, her curls bouncing behind her.

He just sighed and smiled to himself.

Lucy was hiding in a bush as she saw Gray and Juvia walk in the pale white building. Lucy gasped as she patted her pockets in desperation.

"Natsu, I left my money at home! Do you have some to pay for the tickets? I promise I'll pay you back for mine."

 Lucy glanced over to Natsu as she seen him glaring through the bushes.  He answered without even turning to look at her.

"Hell no. I spent all my jewels on food at the guild. Remember that chicken bone? I had to pay for it somehow."

Lucy groaned in irritation.

"Seriously what are you even good for!"

"Hush Lucy. I'm thinking of a plan to get us into that building."

Then Nastu's eyes lit up as a mischievous grin graced his lips. Lucy flailed her arms in panic. 

"No Natsu! Whatever it is, I don't wanna!"Lucy whined in retaliation.

"Too late now." He said, as he slung a squirming Lucy over his shoulder.

"Let's go, Lucy!"

Juvia gasped as she looked around in awe. She ran up to the glass and pressed her small button nose against it, peering into the blue colorful mass of water. She had a glint of wonder in her eyes as if she were a kid.Gray smirked as he observed her. It was funny that Juvia still acted as if she had never seen water or fish before, yet she was a water mage. 

"Gray~sama look! Juvia sees a shark!" Juvia pointed excitedly at the glass. Gray squinted through the water, and looked for any signs of movement.

He then spotted the gray blur.

"Oh yeah, that's a mako shark."

Juvia giggled in amusement, a sound that made his stomach fill up with butterflies.

"It's funny, because Juvia never really liked sharks." She whispered more to herself than Gray. 

She smiled slightly looking into the crystal blue water.

"Really? I think they are pretty cool." Gray shrugged. 

"Of course you do, Gray~sama. They are kinda like you! A bit mean acting, and bites a lot!" Juvia covered her mouth to hold back a giggle. 

"Hey! I'm not that mean…sometimes..."Gray struggled retort.

" Of course not Gray~sama. Juvia was only kidding." She smiled and sent him a playful wink.

Gray scoffed with a roll of his eyes but hecouldn't hide the smile creeping on his face. Juvia looked forward, still watching the brownish shark glide through the water.

" Sharks tend to feed on fish that are weak, sick or injured. Even if that is the food chain, Juvia doesn't like it." She glanced down at the floor and smiled to herself.

" It reminds Juvia of her time in the orphanage. When the little boy's used to pick on Juvia for her rain she couldn't control. Or when the headmistress would punish Juvia because she flooded the crops a lot. Juvia was definitely weak back then…" She trailed off. 

She still had that slight smile on her face, but her face was twisted in a hint of sadness. Gray could tell this was getting hard for her. He had forgotten about her bad past at the orphanage. How could he have forgotten something so important about Juvia?

"Juvia we can leave if you don't want to stay. I mean I didn't know that-"

"Juvia is really fine! She is over it...she just thinks of it sometimes, that's all." She put on a warm smile, but Gray couldn't help but notice the tears at the corner of her eyes. 

The next thing he knew, he was holding Juvia in his arms. Her breathing halted, as her eyes widened.

She felt the warmth of Gray's, muscular, toned arms around her. The way he smelled of rosewood and lemongrass was intoxicating to her. Gray didn't want to let go.  His arms around her just felt so...right to him. Her curly, blue hair was as soft to the touch as he always imagined.

He finally snapped back to reality and quickly pulled away. He blushed crimson as he ran his hands through his messy black hair. He couldn't make himself look at her. Not when his heart was going a mile a minute. And certainly not when he could still smell the scent of raindrops and roses. His cheeks burned as she stared up at him with confused eyes.

"Gray~sama…."

" Oh I heard they opened up another exhibit for a stingray. Let's go check that out." Gray mentioned, trying to change the subject. Juvia frowned as she trailed behind him.

"Natsu you better not drop me!!" Lucy cried as Nastu climbed in the open window on the side of the building, with her draped over his back.

"I'm not going to drop you Lucy! Stop whining already-" Natsu was cut off with Lucy squirming in his hold. Natsu's grasp started to slip.

" Lucy you're gonna make both of us fall! You're already heavy enough as it is!"

"That is so rude Natsu!" Lucy whined. 

Finally they made it inside the building by sliding through the open window. They seen the backs of Juvia and Gray walking toward another room.

" This has to be a date! Gray wouldn't take just anybody here!" Lucy told Natsu.

" I bet Gray couldn't have thought of such a nice date place anyway." Natsu snickered.

"On our first date you took us to your dirty house to 'hang out'." Lucy said, staring at Natsu with a dead-panned expression. 

"Yeah. It was great wasn't it Lucy?" Natsu replied.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she looked back at the pair. Gray's cheeks were really red for some reason. And Juvia had a slight pout adorning her pale pink lips. 

"I wonder what's going on…" Lucy thought.

"Ughhhh,I'm bored! When are we gonna stop spying?" Natsu groaned.

"Hush Natsu! They are gonna hear us-"

"Hey, what are you doing here!!? I didn't see you guys pay up front!" They saw a man with the exact same outfit as the ticket collect outside, pointing an accusing finger at them. That must be another worker!

"Well time to go!" Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand. He sprinted towards Gray and Juvia, with a fumbling Lucy behind him. 

" Are you guys dating? Hurry up, we are about to get kicked out." Natsu huffed. 

Gray felt anger and a furious blush rise on his cheeks. Why would they ask them something so explicit?! Besides he never even told Juvia he had meant for this to be their date!

Juvia had surprised eyes and gaped open mouth.

"Natsu-san…" Juvia managed to croak as she covered her blushing face with her hands.

She waited for Gray to confirm what he always said. That they were just friends. This was normal between them. He was just being nice as usual. But if she went on a rampage like normal and claimed they were dating, it would push Gray away even more. But Gray didn't say a thing.

"Juvia...isn't dating Gray~sama! You're so silly Natsu-san." Juvia said as she plastered on an awkward smile.

Gray's heart dropped. He didn't know why he expected her to say something else. He had never told her this was a date in the first place, so why was he even expecting anything else?

"Yeah. I mean why would you think that? You know me and Juvia have only been friends for awhile Natsu. Stop being an idiot." 

Juvia could feel the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Hearing it outloud was even worse than her assuming it.

"You have to pay to get in you know!" The angry ticket collector yelled, storming over to them.

"Let's run!" Natsu yelled behind him, already halfway to the open window. 

"Natsu- hey wait!"

Lucy said breathless as she ran behind him. 

"Gray~sama, let's go too?" Juvia gave him a playful smile as ran after the escaping Nastu and Lucy. 

They finally made it outside and started sprinting away from the building. After a while, they finally stopped to catch their breaths. 

All of them panting  heavily Lucy looked behind her.

" Wow, that guy seemed really angry. I got scared for a second." 

Juvia and Lucy met eyes, and for a second, they just smiled. Then they immediately started giggling. The boys looked at them like they had grown a second head.  Then Natsu started to laugh. Gray let out a hearty chuckle as well. 

"Juvia...doesn't even know...why she is laughing!!" She giggled. 

"Me neither!" Lucy clutched at her stomach as she wiped a stray tear from her eye.

Everyone finally settled down and could stand straight again.

"Oi Lucy! Don't forget you owe me 100 jewels after this!" Natsu smirked. 

Lucy sighed. "Darnit…I thought I was spot on with this one…" 

" What's wrong Lucy-san?" Juvia tilted her head in confusion. Lucy shook her head, as she let out a slight chuckle.

"Me and Natsu betted earlier on if you and Gray were dating. But since you guys said no I owe him some jewels now…"

"Huh?!" Gray yelled. 

Juvia clutched at her cheeks in surprise.

"Why would Lucy-san and Natsu-san think that?!" 

"Well it's just…." Lucy thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up in realization.

" Well...it's just Gray has seemed happier lately, you know? Plus he hangs out with you a lot. And he takes you on missions and walks you home. In fact, you guys sorta act like a couple already."Lucy shrugged.

Gray felt his cheeks burn at her statements and he opened his mouth to retort, but came up with nothing. Everything she said had been true, and he had no excuse. 

Juvia had been biting her lip as she looked down at the ground. She had to stop her imagination from going wild.  She would always love Gray, but she wouldn't get her hopes up and think this was a date, when it was just Gray being a friend as usual.

" Actually it was a date. And you jerks ruined it, you know?" Gray replied.

Juvia's eyes widened as she whipped her head to look at Gray. He wasn't meeting her eyes, but she could tell he was embarrassed. Juvia gasped as her mouth hung open, tears threatening to fall.

"Gray~sama?! Juvia-" ''Well let's go on a double date! Lucy owes me money anyway, so she can pay for both me and her!" Nastu declared, a grin adorning his face. 

"You dummy, Natsu! I won the bet! He just said he was dating Juvia!"

Gray finally got the courage to look at Juvia and her crystal blue eyes met his. Her eyes were wide as if she were frozen in shock, and a tear fell down her pale cheeks.

Before he knew, Juvia had her lips pressed against his in a passionate kiss. Gray finally snapped out of his daze and fell into the moment. He somehow had known her lips would be so soft. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him forward. Gray let his hands flow through Juvia's flowing curls. Juvia let out a small moan.

Their  lips pressed against each other sweetly, making the taste of each other's lips linger as they parted, both panting softly. Lucy had already covered her red face in her hands while Natsu looked on in astonishment. Gray was frozen in place as Juvia smiled. She then turned to stunned Natsu and a furiously blushing Lucy.

"Where is this double date going to be?" 

End-

Oh gosh this was a lot. I hope you enjoyed my trash and thank you for reading❤

Edit:Omg I didn't think I would get so much support😭 Thank you guys! You give me the encouragement to keep writing and I will be forever grateful😍❤

[obsessivestar]

Steamy Love (A Tom Hiddleston x Reader) Part 2: ~Leading Lady~

Chapter Summary: You wake up the next morning and head to your meeting, having a talk with your friend on the way, soon finding out just who your Male co star is going to be.

My Wattpad: @/ HiddlesStar

Word Count: 1'646

Tags: @theoneanna @midnightdragonzero

Once morning hit, you were wide awake. Hell, you were awake before the sun was out. Usually you prefer to sleep in a little later, but you wanted today to be perfect, or at least very close to perfect.

You were dressed and all dolled up just before 8am, thinking about the man that had come to your door yesterday for towels. Tom. You still couldn't figure out who he was.

Well, you knew who he was, but you still weren't sure where you had seen him before. He was so familiar, yet at the same time so different.

You decided to head down to the little breakfast diner. You didnt really have anything else to do, and you already spent the first 2 hours of being awake to perfect your makeup. Now would be the best time to eat.

As you made your way down, you actually saw Tom again. He was ordering a coffee to go from the front counter, wearing a nice grey tux with a black tie to match. He must've been going somewhere important. As he turned to leave, you two locked eyes from across the diner. He gave you a kind smile and a little wave as he headed out and you made sure to wave back with a smile. You were flattered that he recognized you.

You saw a couple girls sitting at the diner watching Tom leave, giggling to themselves. Did they know him, too? Or were they just admiring his suit?

Hey, you didn't blame em'. He was one nice lookin' Brit.

You got a coffee as well, along with some pancakes, sitting down at a table to eat. You weren't sure why Tom got a coffee. It was terrible. You almost spit it out when you took a sip.

Now you knew why people would get their coffee from Starbucks.

Still, you ate your pancakes no problem, drinking from the water that was at the table instead. Shortly after finishing your meal, you made sure to pay for it before getting up, going back up into your room to get your bag and any paperwork you needed. You checked yourself in the mirror one last time, giving a confident huff before heading out to get to that meeting.

Ha.

You just realized both you and Tom are going to meetings.

Aren't you a bunch of responsible adults?

You decided that it would probably be cheaper to take the bus, considering one of the stops were right in front of the building you were headed to. Plus, it wasn't too bad out today.

You walked to the bus stop just a couple minutes before it would show up. You got a phone call as you sat down on the little bench, reading the Caller I.D. It was your best friend! Of course you had to answer it.

"Hey, (BF/N)!" You chirped.

"Bout time I heard your voice!" They chuckled a bit. "You were supposed to call me when you got to your hotel!"

"Ah shit, sorry. I got a little distracted.." You admitted. "This cute brit showed up at my door and asked for a towel."

"Cute brit? So, like, a regular brit." Your friend replied, making you chuckle a bit.

"Essentially.." You smiled. "I could've sworn I've seen him somewhere, though. He looked so familiar."

"Did you get his name?" Your friend asked.

"Yeah, Tom. I saw him again today." You replied.

"Heyy, I can name a couple cute guys named Tom.." Your friend chuckled.

"Some girls were getting all giggly while he was ordering a coffee today.." You admitted

"You think he's famous?"

"Probably." You smirked.

"Wait, hold on.." Your friend's voice picked up a bit. "You said his name was Tom?"

"Yeah."

"Did you get his last name?"

"No. Didn't have time to ask."

"What did he look like?" They ask.

You certainly didn't take long to remember, though it took you a second to reply since the bus had finally showed up. You paid the fare before sitting closer to the front, since the back was kinda full.

"Tall, short brown hair--" You finally spoke after sitting down.

"Baby blue eyes?" Your friend interrupted. They started to sound excited.

"Yeah, I guess?" You replied with a slight chuckle.

"And you're for sure he's English?"

"Yeah, he had an accent.."

"Was his voice deep?"

"Yeah, I.." You gave another chuckle, Morris confused. "Why are you asking all of these questions? Who is he?" You finally asked them.

"Dude! I think you gave Tom Hiddleston a towel last night!" Your friend finally chirped.

That name did sound familiar, but you still weren't sure why you should feel as excited as your friend was.

"Tom who?" You winced

"Oh my god--Loki? Hello?? The actor who plays Loki!"

Your heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"What!?" Your voice raised suddenly in shock, realizing how loud you had become as a couple people glanced over at you suddenly before looking away again.

Oops.

"Yeah! Now do you know him?" Your friend asked.

"Y-Yeah, oh my God, I think it is him.." You muttered to quiet down a bit. You almost wanted to scream. How the hell did you not notice this before? I guess Tom doesn't really look like Loki, now that you thought about it.

That's not a bad thing, of course. They're both incredibly handsome.

"Should I tell him that I know him next time I see him?"

"Do you know where he is in the hotel?"

"Yeah, he's like right across from me."

"Oh my God, (Y/N), it's a match made in heaven!.."

"Stoooppp.." You let out a little laugh.

"Oh come on! You're across from each other, you're both actors.."

"I'm BARELY an actress, (BF/N)."

"But you're going to be, and then you'll fall in love and become Ms. Loki Laufeyson.."

"Okay, first of all, this isn't a fanfic.." You blushed with a chuckle. "Second of all, if and that's a BIG honkin' IF, we were to somehow pair up, I wouldn't call myself that. I'd date him for him, not for Loki.."

"Well, you're already a better candidate than most of the fangirls.." Your friend replied, making you smirk.

You noticed your stop was almost coming up, a bit of a nervous pit in your stomach.

"Hey, I'm just almost to the meeting, so I gotta go.."

"Alright! Text me when you can!"

"Yep, see ya!"

You ended the call just as you pressed the little stop button to signal the driver to halt at your stop, putting your phone in your pocket and getting up, exiting the bus once it came to a stop.

You kept your bag close to you, letting out a deep breath as you entered the building.

You knew where to go, thanks to the little signs.

You walked up the last bit of stairs, hearing all of the chatter the closer you got to the room. You walked down a long hall before finally finding the right room.

Once you opened the door, you immediately locked eyes with...

Tom!

Tom?

"(Y/N)?" His British voice called out to you somewhat, giving a kind yet confused smile as he walked up to you. Your heart almost stopped for a second before you picked yourself back up.

"Hi! Wh-What are you doing here?" You asked him, holding your bag at your side.

"I-I'm here for the, uh, the movie I'm working in.." He admitted. "I'm an actor. I play Ethan, the Male lead.." He replied, holding the script in his hand. "Me and the rest of the team have just been waiting for whoever's playing my co-star. Mary's her name..."

Oh God.

Oh God.

You're Mary.

Well, you're--you're gonna be Mary.

You're the female lead.

"I'm Mary." You admitted, pointing at yourself. "W-Well, that's--that's my role. I'm the female lead."

He was pleasantly surprised, a faint little blush on his cheeks.

"You're going to be my leading lady?" He asked, his tone sounding warm. There's that British charm. "I guess I am.." You replied with a warm smile.

"Alright! Tom, (Y/N), glad to see you two know each other!" The director called to you, gesturing you both to go sit at the long table.

Oddly enough, Tom sat right beside you. It was probably so you two could go through the script together, but it was still a little flattering. He smelled nice, too.

As you were paying attention to the Director talking, you could see and slightly feel Tom lean a little closer to you, his deeper tone softening in a little whisper.

"Is it alright if I buy you lunch, later?.." He asked you.

Your cheeks flared up slightly, glancing back at him for a moment. "L-Lunch?" You repeated.

"Well, I do still owe you one after last night.." He gave a charming little smile, licking his lips slightly. "Don't I?"

"A-Alright.." You gave a little smile, looking back at the director as he spoke. Then it hit you.

You're gonna go have lunch with Tom Hiddleston later.

[irepookie]

INFINITY

Summary: QUEEN AU where Rog (aka Rowan Queen) is young single dad struggling to make it into music industry.

Warnings: Fluff, Fluff, Fluff, and swearing.

Word Count: 1926

Okay so this is the closest picture I could find to Row's state in the next two chapters:

Chapter 2: PIPER

Row has a lot questions to ask himself, and he knows it's on only his own future at stake, but also The Prune's, who may be getting a name.

Of all the things Rowan Queen might have aspired to be, -a Rockstar, a Roger Taylor level drummer...- a 19 year old solo dad wasn't amongst them.

All he knew was that since he had first held that small Wrinkly being and her eyes had met his, she had stolen a part of him, and that the only way to feel completed again was being with her.

Ridiculously sappy, he knew.

"But that's what makes best parents" Callie, the nurse who had introduced them assured him one day when he confessed his thoughts out loud, while he watched her sponge bath the infant "Don't feel stupid, or embarrassed for feeling that way, Row. In fact, that's exactly how it should be. Always. And those fathers who deny it or fight that connection, end up estranged from their kids as they grow up. Take it from a daughter who hasn't seen her father in 5 years"

But, alas, there he was, living between his flat and the Hospital's newborn aisle, because he just couldn't get that one girl out his head, despite don't knowing how he had come to this.

"Well I haven't seen mine in 9"

"And that scares you, don't it?"

He gasped, and nodded slowly.

"Is better having no father figure at all than having a bad one. Just like I think your Prune is luckier having one brave dad than a coward mom"

"And two fit parents?" He asked, eyes flicking to the untouched pile of adoption papers

"Well that's the ideal situation, isn't it? But the weight always ends up relaying more on the mother, you know? The father always steps back, because society still thinks it's more acceptable for us women to raise the children because, of course, we have deeper connection with 'em for carrying them around for nine months and blah blah blah." She got the towel and handed it to him before laying the squirming 2 day old In his arms.

He carefully wrapped it around her and sat down so he wouldn't drop her, then started to stroke her soft delicate skin with the towel.

"But that's bullshit." Callie continued "That's an excuse you men came up with to sneak out from changing nappies. But I believe you guys are just as capable of taking care of children as us. And that you might be the ultimate proof of it." She gathered her hair in a ponytail, and smiled at father and daughter, as Row was now

leaning back on the rocking chair with the Prune, -as all the staff had begun to call her- laid on his bare chest.

"So forget whatever prejudices you have. This kid needs you, she doesn't know nothing about what's going on, she misses her little warm oven, the voice she was so used to hear and that she'll never hear again because that world has left her behind the first chance she got and she's very confused.

But also, She doesn't know about gender stereotypes, or that she's a girl. But she knows you're here. And her instincts tell her you're safety, and warmth, and love. Sure, I'm around a lot too, but soon you'll be discharged and everything she'll have will be you. A d then she'll grow up and will be forever grateful for everything you will have done for her"

The teen nodded, taking in all the words but remaining silent. Quiet moments like this -when she was calm and content- were quite meaningful.

"I just want the best for her. And I'm not sure I am"

"Well, from where I'm standing, you're pretty much up there. Nobody gets her to settle down as quickly as you do. That has to mean something, right? Newborns have this amazing instinct of detecting sources of love and protection. And you are hers. She trusts you: trust yourself"

Days went by, and Row found himself getting up early in order to go back to hospital. At home he was restless, as questions filled his head.

Was she better off with him?

Was he ready?

How could Callie be so much more sure about the whole thing than he was?

What if be wasn't good enough

What if mom was right?

Why did he want to become a dad in the first place?

Should he just sign those papers before it was too late and forget the whole thing?

The sixth day, he made his way to the hospital as usual, but something felt off. What it was? He couldn't put a finger on it, so he shrugged it off and entered the NICU area where she was.

"Hey, lovely one, look at you, a bit bigger each day" he cooed at his yet unnamed daughter, as he put his hand through the incubator hole to let her know his ore6 "So strong and so beautiful" he smiled brightly as her small hand closed around his finger.

"Yes, this way please" he heard a male voice and turned his eyes to see a doctor and a man and a woman who were probably in their thirties

"Oh my gosh she's so tiny!" The woman exclaimed, walking towards the glass

"Who are you?" Row asked, stepping defensively in front of her before she could reach the baby.

"You must be Rowan Queen?" The man held his hand out "We're the adopting couple..."

"What?" He basically slapped it away "No! Who told you she's in for adoption?"

"Mister, you signed the adoption papers" the Doctor said

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did. Here" the doctor looked through the pile of papers on his hands and showed him.

He snatched the file from him. That was his signature but he didn't remember signing anything. He may have doubts about being a dad, but Callie was right, the little prune and him needed each other. They belonged together And he wasn't gonna give her away. The only way was through.

"There must be a mistake. She's not up for adoption"

"Err... Yes she is" the man said

"No she's not! I should know better than you, huh?"

"We've heard about the mother. So sad. But babies need their mommys, don't they?" The woman cooed from the other side of the incubator

"You can't take her" if looks could kill, Row would have murdered her right then and there.

"Mister..."

"No! He's my daughter!"

"Sir, signing this you gave up your parental rights"

"And what the hell does that even mean?"

"Legally, she's not yours anymore"

"But I don't remember signing anything!"

"But this is your signature"

"Yes. But I... I didn't mean it"

The woman scoffed "Well you clearly did."

"Mind your fucking business!" He snapped, before turning to the doctor "Look, I really don't know how my signature is there but I need you to... I don't know, forget it, okay?"

"Forget it?"

"Yes! Whatever that stupid paper says, I'm keeping her. And I will do everything you want me to"

"Sorry. There's nothing we can do about it now. You could take this to court but... It's a lost cause"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"A 19 year old against a healthy, stable marriage?" He used the same arguments mom had

"But I'm her dad..." His voice quivered, as his baby started to cry.

"Don't worry sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy are here now" the woman said "Our Judy"

"Judy? What the fuck, you're not naming her Judy!"

"What we do with our daughter is our business, sir" the woman said "Now please, leave us alone"

"No! She's not Judy. She's my prune, I'm gonna prove to all of you fuckers wrong, because I can fucking do this if I want you. Not because I wanted to at first, or because I can't have my own kid like you; she's my own kid and she belongs with me. And I may not be a middle upper class, or drive a goddamn Mercedes, or have a huge house and a stable boring job at whatever office. And she may not have a goddamn mother, or her own room. So what? She has me. Because I'm the one who's been here for the whole bloody week worrying about her. Not you, not her mother. So fuck off and choose another kid!"

Two men who Row hadn't even seen arrive took him, as he fought and called his crying daughter "PIPER! PIPER! DADDY WILL GET YOU! I'M YOUR DAD, DON'T FORGET!"

Then he woke up with a jolt in that same hospital room, as his newborn baby awoke too beside him

He quickly sat up and leaned over to place a hand on her tummy, to check that she was real, letting out a sigh of relief when feeling her warm skin

It had been just a dream. Well, a nightmare rather than a dream. But she was there, safe next to him

"Hey, baby girl. Yes, hello darling. You had a good night? Gave trouble to the nurses?" he asked, stroking her torso "Are we hungry?" He offered his little finger,and she began to suck on it as response, which made him chuckle. "Alright, I'll call so they get us a bottle okay?"

3 minutes later, he was sitting on the green rocking chair, Baby Prune on his bare chest -because apparently skin to skin helped parents and kiddos bond or whatever- as he gave her the bottle.

He had to admit, ever since he had learned how to properly hold her, he looked forward to feeding, because he had grown to love these little moments, and by the end of them, be always felt closer and more in love with that tiny, wrinkled human being which he had helped make.

Who was a part of him somehow, and who he couldn't imagine his life without despite having only known her for 6 days.

She was so amazing. So mesmerizing. With her clear grey eyes and her peachy skin, and her adorable ears.

He just couldn't get his eyes off her.

"You're gonna come home with me in a couple days, and..." He realized he hadn't really thought about a plan. He had just moved out mom's, and the apartment was still empty. He'd have to start getting stuff. But anyway "... And we'll figure something out. I'm not gonna renounce to you. No ma'am. You've got me. And I've got you. And I'll look after you and make sure you're always happy and safe and... loved. I fucking love you so damn much and I don't even know how did this happen. I mean you're not even a week old and you've already turned my life upside down just by bloody existing. You can't even understand what I'm saying. But here I am, making all this plans and Shit... I, who never thinks ahead, who never knows his future beyond what meal he's gonna get. But I... Damn. Do you babies have like special powers or something? Do you like... Is it a defensive instinct? Like you manage to make us go nuts about you by casting a spell it whatever so we'll stay enchanted? Because this is fucking ridiculous."

She finished the bottle and he put it aside.

"Speaking about plans, we can't keep calling you Baby Prune. We're gonna have to choose a name. A pretty unique gorgeous name for a special, perfect little princess like you. So, let's see" he changed his hold on her so they were face to face. Something the nurses had called.. ? He wasn't really sure but he had got hand on it "Yes, hello" he smiled helplessly at the sight of her "Baby girl. Baby girl" he cooed absentmindedly as he analysed her features

Then he remembered his dream. He had called her Piper. He wasn't even sure if he had heard that name before but he liked it. It was original, cool, rare enough people would associate it with her but not awful, like other names he had heard.

"Piper" he whispered, tasting the word while contemplating her face. It sounded good to him. "Piper Queen" he said, a bit louder this time as her tiny hand closed around a strand of his blonde hair. "You like that? Piper?"

She just blinked, but he interpreted it as an affirmative answer

"It's settled, then. Piper. Pips for short." He smiled, and brought her back to his bare chest so he could lull her back to sleep with his rambling, which had worked the previous times.

"My Piper" he kissed her head and began to rub her back "I'm so scared honestly. I won't lie to ya, I have no idea what I'm doing but you can rely on me. I'm good at improvising so I'll figure it out. Don't worry. But you gotta take it easy, hm? If you have a bit of patience, it'll be just fine. And about this?" He reached for the papers -which were unsigned- and ripped them off "Fuck it. Just fuck it."

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

A big Hola to my dear fellow @definitely-darcy whose kind review and attention to detail has made gain confidence in this.

So, I've written this one in different bits which I've had to tie up together. Hope you guys like it.

That's about it, really. Please comment and let me know what you think (always nice and constructively).

Xx

~Pookie